RTHK: Biden slams Texas near-total ban on abortion

US President Joe Biden pledged to defend abortion rights on Wednesday after a law that bans the procedure after six weeks - before many women even know they are pregnant - took effect in the conservative southern state of Texas.

The most restrictive abortion legislation in the country went into force in Texas at midnight on Wednesday after the Supreme Court failed to act on an emergency request to block it.

"This extreme Texas law blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade and upheld as precedent for nearly half a century," Biden said in a reference to the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that enshrined a woman's right to an abortion.

"And, outrageously, it deputises private citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone who they believe has helped another person get an abortion," the Democratic president said.

"My administration is deeply committed to the constitutional right established in Roe v Wade nearly five decades ago and will protect and defend that right," Biden said.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a bill in May known as Senate Bill 8, or SB8, that bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is usually in the sixth week of pregnancy.

The Texas legislation makes no exception for rape or incest and would make it the hardest state in the country in which to get an abortion.

While similar laws have been passed in a dozen Republican-led conservative states, all had so far been blocked in the courts from going into force.

The American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, the Centre for Reproductive Rights and other groups filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court on Monday asking it to stop the Texas law from taking effect.

The court declined to rule by midnight - although it may still eventually grant the request from rights groups and abortion providers to halt the so-called "heartbeat bill."

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, said the failure of the court to act has "delivered catastrophe to women in Texas," and called the law "an all-out effort to erase the rights and protections of Roe v Wade."

The ACLU said the impact of the bill will be "immediate and devastating."

"Access to almost all abortion has just been cut off for millions of people," the powerful civil rights association said.

"This abortion ban is blatantly unconstitutional," it said. "We won't stop fighting until it's blocked."

According to the ACLU, "approximately 85 to 90 percent" of women who obtain an abortion in Texas are at least six weeks into pregnancy.

The other states that have sought to enact restrictions on abortion in the early stages of pregnancy have been barred from doing so by Roe v Wade.

That decision allowed abortion so long as the fetus is not viable outside the womb, which is usually the case until the 22nd to 24th weeks of pregnancy.

Texas's law is different from those of other states because it allows the public - rather than state officials such as prosecutors or health departments - to bring legal action to enforce the ban.

Everyday citizens are encouraged to report doctors who perform abortions or anyone who helped facilitate the procedure.

The Texas law "creates a bounty hunting scheme that encourages the general public to bring costly and harassing lawsuits against anyone who they believe has violated the ban," the ACLU said.

"Anyone who successfully sues a health centre worker, an abortion provider, or any person who helps someone access an abortion after six weeks will be rewarded with at least US$10,000, to be paid by the person sued," it said.

"Anti-abortion groups in Texas have already set up online forms enlisting people to sue anyone they believe is violating the law and encouraging people to submit 'anonymous tips' on doctors, clinics, and others who violate the law," it said.

Nancy Northup, president of the Centre for Reproductive Rights, said the Texas bill would force women to "travel out of state - in the middle of a pandemic - to receive constitutionally guaranteed health care."

"Many will not be able to afford to," Northup said. "It's cruel, unconscionable, and unlawful."

The Supreme Court is due to hear a case in the coming months involving a Mississippi law that prohibits abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy except in cases of medical emergency or a severe fetal abnormality.

It will be the first abortion case considered by the nation's high court since former president Donald Trump cemented a conservative-leaning 6-3 majority on the nine-member panel. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-09-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: SA exceeds 6 million mark for fully vaccinated adults

South Africa has surpassed over six million adults who are fully vaccinated, 149 362 of which were vaccinated in the last 24 hours.

As of 1 September 2021, a total of 6 145 216 South Africans had been fully vaccinated, according to the Department of Health. Of these, 2 884 840 received the Johnson & Johnson shot, while 3 260 376 were given the Pfizer vaccine.

Meanwhile, the country administered 253 160 vaccines on Wednesday, pushing the total to 12 841 537.

In addition, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said the country logged 9 544 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 787 203.

The majority of new cases were recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (2 681), followed by the Western Cape (2 049), Eastern Cape (1 392) and Free State (964).

This increase represents a 15.6% positivity rate, said the institute, adding that the latest figure is higher than the average number of new cases per day over the seven preceding days.

Meanwhile, a further 235 COVID-19 related fatalities have been reported, bringing the death toll to 82 496.

According to the NICD, there has been an increase of 430 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

The information is based on the 16 536 206 tests, 61 027 of which were conducted since the last reporting cycle.

As of 1 September 2021, there have been 217 558 771 confirmed global cases of COVID-19, 4 517 240 deaths and 5 272 630 490 administered vaccine doses reported to the World Health Organisation.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: $125m worth of ketamine seized

Customs today announced that it had seized about 220kg of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of around $125 million, marking its largest seaborne ketamine trafficking case since May 2012.

Through risk assessment and intelligence exchanges, customs officers inspected a sea freight consignment declared as carrying cotton yarn that arrived from Pakistan on July 30. The batch of suspected ketamine was found hidden inside 162 cotton yarn spools mix-loaded with other cotton yarn spools. A 35-year-old female suspect was arrested on August 31.

Customs Drug Investigation Bureau (Drug Investigation) Acting Group Head Philip Chan told a press conference that the woman is the responsible person of a legitimate logistics company in the city.

According to our preliminary investigation, we found that this logistics company acted as an agent for the real consignee in Hong Kong.

According to our findings, this logistics company, up to this moment, has not received any requests from the consignee to collect this consignment. So we believe that the syndicate behind (the ketamine trafficking case) is still buying time to find the real buyer - maybe in Hong Kong or maybe overseas.

After they confirm the buyer, they will give instructions to this logistics company to collect the consignment and send it to the buyer.

Mr Chan added that investigations are underway into whether the drugs were destined for the local or overseas market.

Customs reminded the public not to participate in drug trafficking for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. Citizens are also advised against carrying unknown items for others or releasing their personal data or home address for receiving parcels or goods.

The maximum penalty for dangerous drug trafficking is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

Report suspected drug trafficking activities to the customs hotline at 2545 6182 or by email.

This story has been published on: 2021-09-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Cabinet welcomes arrests in Deokaran case

Cabinet has welcomed the arrest of seven suspects in connection with the recent murder of Babita Deokaran, former Acting Chief Director of Financial Accounting in the Gauteng Health Department.

Deokaran was murdered on 23 August outside her home in Johannesburg South, shortly after dropping off her daughter at school. Six suspects were remanded in custody by the Johannesburg Magistrates Court following their arrests on Friday. A seventh person was released after police were unable to link him to the crime.

Cabinet in a statement described the fallen finance official as a dedicated public servant who stood firmly against corruption.

Deokaran was a key witness in a Special Investigating Unit probe into the fraudulent procurement of personal protective equipment and other illegal activities in the department.

Cabinet, in a statement read by Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, following its meeting on Wednesday, reiterated that whistleblowers are important guardians of democracy and clean governance.

Cabinet urged people to continue exposing and reporting corruption and malfeasance without fear or favour.

Meanwhile, Cabinet in the meeting expressed appreciation for the Financial Action Task Force Assessment (FATF) Report. Cabinet, which received the report at the meeting, was briefed on the outcomes of the assessment of South Africa on its Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism measures.

The assessment was done by the FATF, an intergovernmental organisation on international structure founded to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. South Africa has been a member of the FATF since 2003.

Gungubele said the full report will be released through the website of the FATF - www.fatf-gafi.org - and a full statement outlining governments response on areas of weakness highlighted in the assessment and measures to strengthen its measures will be provided.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Call to teach children cultural heritage

As South Africa celebrates Heritage Month, the Minister for Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, has called on South Africans to pass on their cultural heritage to children.

Our call to action is in our cultural endeavours to promote conversations and illustrations of South Africans sharing with each other in food, music, rights and created knowledge on indigenous practice system, the Minister said on Thursday.

Mthethwa officially launched Heritage Month, which is being celebrated under the theme The year of Charlotte Maxeke: Celebrating South Africas Intangible Cultural Heritage," at the Freedom Park, Heritage Site and Museum in Pretoria.

The Minister emphasised the importance of celebrating diversity as a way to safeguard heritage treasures and bolster the collective sense of self as one united nation in diversity instead of employing diverse heritage as an instrument to cause racial, gender, ethnic, religious and linguistic features as has been the case under colonialism and apartheid.

The Constitution enjoins all of us to employ the diversity of our heritage as a source of strength and unity. In keeping with the ideals of utata Nelson Mandela we look to the national days like the Heritage Day as levers to bring about cohesion and national unity, the Minister said.

He said heritage and culture have the potential to bridge historical divisions engendered over many decades of racist colonial and apartheid administration.

It is an undisputed fact that colonialism and apartheid employed heritage and culture in more subversive way.

That is apartheid and colonialism accentuated perceivable differences in terms of our culture and heritage as scientifically distinguishable markers that proved that as black people we were hodgepodge of nations, totally distinct and unrelated to one another and as such we shared no common heritage and culture

In this way the racist colonial and apartheid masters ensured the majority of people in this country remain divided to keep the oppressed masses divided and at odds with one another, Mthethwa said.

With Heritage Month being celebrated during the COVID19 pandemic, which has affected the livelihood of the creative sector, the Minister has highlighted the measures implemented by government to assist the sector.

As one of the measure to cushion the blow on our artists we have constituted COVID-19 relief efforts and deserving artists who met the stipulated criteria have been getting the necessary financial relief.

Such interventions, although necessary and warranted, many of deserving artists did not find the necessary relief given the tight fiscal environment this department continues to operate under like other departments, the Minister said.

This years celebration of Heritage Day as hosted by the provincial government of the Western Cape will be held virtually and will be addressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

As we celebrate Heritage Month, our impassioned call is to call out any perceived act of abuse or discrimination as and when it rears its ugly head. In particular we like to make a special appeal to men to join this movement against Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) by being good role models to boy children and as well-being ambassadors against GBVF, the Minister said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: One registered S African remains in Afghan, 35 evacuated

Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has confirmed that only one registered South African remains in Afghanistan, Kabul.

This is after 35 South African nationals were assisted to leave Kabul on various evacuation flights.

The one remaining South African is working in Kabul and will remain there for the foreseeable future, the department added.

The department said it noted that there could be other South Africans remaining in Afghan.

However, according to DIRCO, these would be individuals who have not registered their presence with the South African High Commission in Islamabad,Pakistan, or their headquarters in Pretoria.

On Wednesday, the department said the South African government was not in a position to accommodate the Afghanistan refugees who have sought refuge in Pakistan.

The South African Government is unfortunately not in a position to accommodate such a request. South Africa is already home to a substantial number of refugees and is seized with addressing their needs, the department added.

Thousands of people have been left stranded and desperate to escape the war-torn country after the Taliban seized the capital.

The United States President Joe Biden has since defended this decision for the American troops to leave Afghan after it invaded the country.

According to Reuters, more than 114 000 people have been airlifted from Kabul Airport in the past two weeks as part of the US effort.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Outcomes of G20 Compact with Africa meeting welcomed

South Africas Cabinet has welcomed the outcomes of the G20 Compact with Africa meeting held in Berlin, Germany, last month.

Currently, 12 African countries have joined the Compact with Africa initiative as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo in its capacity as the chair of the African Union.

The meeting was held to discuss Africas vaccine production and to find ways to improve the business environment and to increase investment.

South Africa is a member of the G20 and co-chairs the G20 Compact with Africa initiative alongside Germany. President Cyril Ramaphosa also met with Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss bilateral and regional issues, a Cabinet statement on Thursday read.

During a press conference at the Compact with Africa initiative, President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted that the country lobbied for vaccine equality and for the promotion of business on the continent.

We expressed our disappointment and we expressed our unhappiness and said that its not fair that Africa has only vaccinated 2% of the 1.3 billion people and yet the more developed countries in the North have vaccinated up to 60%. We expressed a lot of unhappiness with this inequality that currently exists.

It is to this end that South Africa and India made a proposal to the World Trade Organisation that there should immediately be a temporary suspension of the intellectual property rights so that vaccine production should be spread to other countries as well, President Ramaphosa said.

President Ramaphosa added that financial help for the continent was also on the agenda.

We discussed at great length, with the participation of the IMF and the world bank on how finances can be made available to boost the African economies that have been damaged by the pandemic. We focussed on the [Special Drawing Rights] and argued that the SDRs need to be increased.

There are 650 billion dollars that are being made available and the more developed countries are going to take a large portion thereof and weve argued that rather than Africa only have 33 Billion dollars, we need to have up to 100 billion dollars, he said.  SAnews.gov.za.

This story has been published on: 2021-09-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Government aims to vaccinate 40 million people by end of December

Deputy President David Mabuza says government aims to meet its target to vaccinate 40 million people by 31 December 2021 in order to achieve herd immunity.

We need to get out of this situation. Our economy is devastated and our people have lost jobs, so, we cant stay in this situation forever. Seventy percent is roughly 40 million, we reach that and we still go ahead to vaccinate the remaining [people], the Deputy President said.

Mabuza made the remarks during a COVID-19 vaccine rollout outreach programme, in Mogale City, west of Johannesburg.

Mabuza, together with members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on COVID-19 vaccines and Gauteng Premier David Makhura, visited a pop-up vaccination site at Kagiso Mall and Kagiso Taxi rank on Thursday, to assess the provinces COVID-19 vaccine rollout programme.

The IMC on COVID-19 vaccines identified three provinces falling short of their set targets to reach population immunity, including Gauteng Province. It then resolved to visit parts of the country experiencing challenges and identify areas of improvement.

The Deputy President visited the West Rand District Municipality, as it has been identified as the lowest performing sub-district, with only 8% of the total population vaccinated.

Mabuza called on scientists, including experts and healthcare workers to come forward and explain the benefits of getting a vaccine, as most people are reluctant to get a jab due to fake news surrounding the vaccines.

He maintained that people understand and want to vaccinate, but the problem is fake news.

How do you deal with fake news, is to come with correct news so that you help people to understand better why they should vaccinate. Our strategy now is, lets go to the people, lets not sit at our vaccination sites and wait for people to come.

From all the people we talk to, all of them said they are going to vaccinate, and they are happy that we are here and encouraging them to vaccinate. We are going to work with our councillors, using the District Development Model [and] all of us will go [out]. We are going to use this approach, going forward, the Deputy President said.

New variant under control

The Deputy President has also allayed fears over the new COVID-19 variant C.1.2, saying it is still under control.

For now, there is nothing to worry about. If we feel that this new variant is now a problem, the Minister of Health will announce how best we deal with it. But for now, we are tracking it  no reason to worry for now, Mabuza said.

Significant turnaround in mineworkers

Makhura said the provincial government understands the nature of West Rand District, which is a mining area, and one of the things they do to crack the hesitancy, is working with the mine houses.

We visited them two weeks ago [and] they are now the ones who are driving [vaccination campaign], so we have lots of mineworkers who are working in the mines. We have vaccination sites in those workplaces in the mines, and that campaign is going very well. In the last seven days theyve been doing very well in terms of how many people are vaccinated a day, so, you will see a significant turnaround, Makhura said.

Makhura said the second element includes door-to-door work and bringing mobile sites into the communities.

He said the province has trained the community healthcare workers, as well as different community workers.

The Premier said from 1 September, the principal focus will be door-to-door work, checking how many people were living in a household; how many elderly are in there; who has and has not been vaccinated and what are the reasons.

Where there is real resistance, they will bring the health care professionals to give them information and advice ... we have a whole programme, Makhura said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Government cannot fund institutions that fail to account for public funds

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has emphasised the importance of institutions funded by government to account for public funds.

This comes after Wednesdays announcement of the closure of Liliesleaf national heritage site, which was attributed to a funding crisis that was faced by the organisation for several years.

Between 1961 and 1963, Liliesleaf served as the secret headquarters and nerve centre of the African National Congress (ANC), South African Communist Party (SACP), Umkhonto weSizwe and Congress Alliance.

Liliesleaf is home to extraordinary exhibitions that tell the story of the journey to democracy in South Africa. The heritage museum is also a site of memory that keeps the history of the liberation alive.

In 2015, the Department entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Liliesleaf Trust to upgrade and enhance the facilitys exhibition infrastructure.

Based on this contract of R9 million, a first tranche of R8.1 million was transferred to the trust. The remaining R900 000 could not be honoured due to failure of Liliesleaf Trust to account on the initial payment of R8.1 million.

An obligation was spelt out in the MoA between the Department and Liliesleaf Trust. In terms of Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) Section 38, government cannot continue funding an institution that fails to account for public funds that it receives from government, the Department said on Thursday.

Consequently, on the 4 May 2021, the Department, led by Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa, escalated the failure of the CEO to report and account for the R8.1 million to the Liliesleaf Board, led by former President Kgalema Motlanthe.

The Board committed to do a forensic investigation into the matter and report back to the Department. The Department is still awaiting feedback from the board in this regard.

Liliesleaf Trust is ineligible to receive yearly operational funds from the Department since the site has not been designated as a Declared Cultural Institution under the Cultural Institutions Act and a Schedule 3 A Public Entity under the PFMA.

Numerous suggestions in this regard by government have not been found favourable by the trust. However, they refused to be declared, preferring to remain independent and self-sufficient.

For the 2020/2021 financial year, an additional R1.8 million was budgeted for the trust. All this is being done against an understanding of the historical significance and contribution of Liliesleaf to the liberation of our country, the Department said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Six Germans charged over spectacular museum heist

German prosecutors said on Thursday they have charged six men over a spectacular heist in 2019 when more than a dozen diamond-encrusted artefacts worth over 100 million euros were snatched from a state museum.

The suspects, all German nationals aged between 22 and 27 years old, are accused of aggravated gang robbery and aggravated arson.

Two among them had previously been convicted for stealing in 2017 a 100-kilogramme gold coin from Berlin's Bode Museum - another robbery that shook up Germany.

Armed with a loaded revolver and an automatic-loading gun with a silencer, the men allegedly broke into the Green Vault museum in Dresden in the early hours of November 25, 2019, making away with 21 pieces of jewellery encrusted with more than 4,300 diamonds.

The insured value of the pieces reached 113.8 million euros (US$135 million), said prosecutors in a statement.

None of the stolen items have been recovered.

The suspects are believed to have started a fire to cut off the power supply for street lighting around the museum just before the burglary.

And as they were making their getaway to Berlin, they allegedly set fire to an Audi S6 in an underground carpark, leaving a total of 61 vehicles damaged.

The property damages are estimated at more than a million euros.

Investigators are still searching for the stolen objects, added the prosecutors.

Dresden's Royal Palace, which runs the museum, had said the items taken were priceless 18th-century jewellery and other valuables from the collection of the Saxon ruler Augustus the Strong.

They included a sword whose hilt is encrusted with nine large and 770 smaller diamonds, and a shoulderpiece which contains the famous 49-carat Dresden white diamond, Dresden's Royal Palace said.

Prosecutors did not name the suspects.

But during their manhunt, police had confirmed they are members of the so-called "Remmo clan", a family of Arab origin notorious for ties to organised crime.

In recent years, such "clans" of primarily Middle Eastern origin have become a particular focus for police in Berlin.

At a separate trial in Berlin on Thursday, another member of the Remmo family confessed to the robbery of an armoured money carrier in the German capital.

Together with four other suspects, Muhamed Remmo, 31, had dressed up as a trash collector for the heist outside a bank branch in western Berlin's shopping avenue Kurfuerstendamm.

He threatened security guards with a blank pistol and sprayed teargas at them while his accomplices loaded their getaway car with more than 600,000 euros in cash.

Investigators in 2019 targeted the Remmos with the seizure of 77 properties worth a total of 9.3 million euros, charging that they were purchased with the proceeds of various crimes, including a 2014 bank robbery.

Police have also found no trace of the Canadian coin taken in the March 2017 robbery at the Bode Museum, located close to Chancellor Angela Merkel's Berlin apartment.

The "Big Maple Leaf", one of five minted in 2007, is considered the world's second-largest gold coin after the one-tonne Australian Kangaroo issued in 2012. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-09-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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As Christians in Afghanistan Struggle for Their Lives, US Christians to March, Pray in Washington, D.C.

NEWS PROVIDED BY

For the Martyrs

Sept. 2, 2021



WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- More than 340 million people around the world suffer persecution for practicing their Christian faith - making it the largest persecuted religious group. In solidarity with them, and to help raise awareness, the 2nd annual March for the Martyrs will take place in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2021.



It's the first time the March, hosted by For the Martyrs, will be held in our nation's capital.



"We all see what's going on in Afghanistan right now. Christians are being hunted down and killed. This is happening in so many other nations across the world, and so few people are talking about it. That's why we've chosen to move the March for the Martyrs to Washington, D.C.," said Gia Chacon, president of For the Martyrs.



"More than 1000 participants, dressed in red, will march for and with all Christian denominations and people of good will," added Chacon. "I believe we can all unite around this cause - with one voice - as the body of Christ in the United States advocating for our persecuted brothers and sisters."



The March will begin with a rally on the National Mall. From there, participants will follow a route up the National Mall, past the White House and end with the Night for the Martyrs at the JW Marriott Hotel. There, participants will hear testimonials from persecuted Christians and those who advocate for them.



The persecution of Christians is widely ignored by the media and often overlooked within communities of faith. For this reason, For the Martyrs is on a mission to place Christian persecution on the forefront of the fight for human rights.



In addition to Ms. Chacon, speakers include:

Nasarean.org founder, Fr. Benedict Kiely



Open Doors USA president, David Curry



Chinese defector and ChinaAid founder, Bob Fu



Musician and speaker, Sean Feucht



In Defense of Christians president, Toufic Baaklini



Ex-U.S. Commissioner on Int'l Religious Freedom, Rev. Johnnie Moore



Relatable podcast host, Allie Beth Stuckey

For this year's event, The Catholic Connect Foundation, Open Doors USA, In Defense of Christians, Liberty University's Freedom Center, and Students for Life have signed on as official co-sponsors.



"Jesus people, of all different backgrounds, need to rally as one for those who are persecuted, oppressed and murdered for their faith in Jesus. March for the Martyrs is the moment to let our collective voice be heard," said Open Doors USA's David Curry.



The March for the Martyrs made history on September 5th, 2020, when hundreds of Christians across all denominations of Christianity marched to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world. It was and continues to be the United States' first and only large-scale march representing persecuted Christians.



The March is organized by For the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that seeks to raise awareness about the crisis of Christian persecution, advocate for religious freedom and provide aid to suffering Christians across the globe. It was established in 2019.



Gia Chacon is a humanitarian, motivational speaker and founding president of For the Martyrs. She first began her humanitarian efforts in 2017 and has since traveled to Central America, East Africa and throughout the Middle East.



For media requests, contact:

Emily Bontrager, +1 (949) 287-6745, emily@forthemartyrs.com



Event page:

www.forthemartyrs.com/register



Full Media Kit:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HGjDGJA_Tls0vu_b_

WhSYRJID3-VYoau



SOURCE For the Martyrs



CONTACT: Emily Bontrager, 949-287-6745, emily@forthemartyrs.com


NA Chairman to travel to Europe for fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament

Politburo member and Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue will attend the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (WCSP5) in Austria, and pay working visits to the European Parliament and Belgium, and an official visit to Finland from September 5-11.













NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (Photo: VNA)



The visits will be made at the invitation of the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Duarte Pacheco, President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka, President of the European Parliament David Sassoli and Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Anu Vehvilainen, according to the communique of the NA Committee for External Relations./
Health ministry urges the establishment of a national ICU for Covid-19 treatment

The Ministry of Health has just urged the Hanoi-based Bach Mai and Vietnam-Germany hospitals to set up a national Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for Covid-19 treatment in Ha Nam Province.













A 500-bed hospital for Covid-19 treatment is put into operation in Hanoi's Hoang Mai District on September 1



Associate Professor Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment under the Ministry of Health on September 1 sent urgent documents to hospitals in Hanoi asking for their preparation of ICUs to treat serious Covid-19 patients in the area.



The move aims to enhance the city's capacity of Covid-19 treatment and reduce fatality rate amid the rising number of infections in the area.



Local hospitals have been asked to spare at least 40 percent of beds for treating Covid-19 patients.



The ministry has also asked Bach Mai and Vietnam-Germany hospitals to draft immediate plans for a national ICU in Ha Nam Province which would receive serious Covid-19 patients in the northern region.



On September 1, a 500-bed hospital was put into operation in Hanoi's Hoang Mai District to provide treatment for severe and critical Covid-19 patients in Hanoi and northern localities. The hospital plans to mobilise about 1,000 medical workers, including 272 doctors and 680 nurses.



As of September 2, the capital city has recorded 3,332 Covid-19 infections since the new outbreak started in late April. The city has continued to report new infections in the community despite strict social distancing rules having been imposed for over a month.
Prime Minister to attend 2021 Global Trade in Services Summit in China

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend and deliver a speech at the 2021 Global Trade in Services Summit via video in the evening of September 2, at an invitation from Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping.













Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. (Photo: VNA)

This is the main activity within the framework of the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) co-organised by the Ministry of Commerce of China. The CIFTIS will be held from Sept. 2 - 7 in Beijing.



Under the theme "Digitalisation opens the future, Services promote development", leaders of will focus on recognising and evaluating the importance of the digitisation for the socio-economic development of each country, in the context of the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Prime Minister Chinh's speech will be on Vietnam's views on the development of the digital economy, digital technology and international cooperation in this field.



CIFTIS2021 is the largest of its kind with the participation of more than 700 enterprises. It will see 15 related conferences and forums. This is also the first time Vietnamese enterprises participates in both offline and online formats.
Xi calls on young officials to strengthen loyalty, competency for important tasks

Xinhua) 07:58, September 02, 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses the opening of a training session for young and middle-aged officials at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), Sept. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on young officials to firm up their ideals, stay loyal to the Party, seek truth from facts, shoulder responsibilities, and strive to become the backbone of a society trusted by the Party and people with important tasks.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing the opening of a training session for young and middle-aged officials at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance).

Noting that young officials are born and live in a great era, Xi said they are the vital contingent for the cause of the Party and the people.

The CPC has always been a Party harboring lofty ideals and indomitable conviction, Xi said, adding that the ideals and conviction refer to the belief in Marxism, the great ideal of Communism and a shared ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Only with these ideals and conviction can CPC members and officials be able to withstand all tests, go steady and reach far, Xi said.

He said staying loyal to the Party is the best demonstration of the ideals and conviction, stressing that such loyalty has a clear gauge in peaceful times -- upholding the Party's leadership and resolutely safeguarding the authority as well as the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee.

Xi encouraged young officials to strive for the honor of being stationed in harsh and remote places. "Success rarely comes without arduousness and rich experience," he said.

Stressing reality-based solutions, Xi urged young officials to visit the primary level to learn about development and defect while absorbing both praise and criticism, so that they can gain a thorough understanding of the real situation.

Xi called on young officials to include honest words, deeds and personality as an important part of honing their Party spirit.

Xi underlined fulfilling duties and shouldering responsibilities as what gives value to officials. "We must be brave and resolute to do anything that is good for the Party and the people," he said.

Upholding principles is an important character trait of communists, and a crucial standard to evaluate an official's competence, Xi said, adding that all Party officials should be fair and just in performing duties and leave no place for personal favor in their work.

DARE TO STRUGGLE

Warning of the significantly increased risks and challenges as the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered a critical period, Xi told young officials to "cast away illusions and dare to struggle."

On matters of principle, no concession shall be made, Xi said. He urged young officials to safeguard China's national sovereignty, security, and development interests with "unprecedented" determination and quality.

"Communists should have character, integrity, and courage so that we'll never be taken in by fallacies, never tremble in the face of danger, and never be spineless cowards," he said.

Xi urged young officials to revere the Party, the people, the law and discipline, and always put the Party and the people at the center of their hearts.

Highlighting the current era of unprecedented changes and the Party's unprecedented great cause, Xi said young officials should cherish time, study assiduously, and read more good books.

Stressing the significance of practice, Xi also called on them to sum up and reflect on experience accumulated in practice.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended the opening ceremony.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China's high-quality development push fuels steady global recovery

Xinhua) 08:10, September 02, 2021

Journalists visit a venue of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2021. The CIFTIS is a major platform for trade in services in China. (Xinhua/Lu Peng)

China's endeavors to promote high-quality development reflect its commitment to the world's common prosperity. If the world's countries all join forces, the global community will emerge victorious from the pandemic and the economic downturn at an early date, and improve people's quality of life in the long run.

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- People's way of living has been turning increasingly digital, and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating this transformation across the globe.

Businesses and industry leaders worldwide will gather in Beijing on Thursday to attend the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). Digital services, the main focus of the six-day fair this year, are set to expand their cooperation through the creation of abundant opportunities.

The leap-frogging digital growth in China in recent years has become a key driving force for high-quality development pursued by the country. China's endeavors to achieve better growth will, on a global scale, be a boost for the world's post-pandemic recovery that is seeing some positive signs.

With services trade being a pillar of China's vibrant economic activities, China's economic resilience will provide broad prospects for international cooperation amid the pandemic.

China has effectively controlled the virus with stringent and persistent measures, including combating a recent surge of Delta cases in some parts of the country. The launch of the 2021 services fair in Beijing during the pandemic is proof of its successful handling of the virus.

Journalists visit a venue of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2021.(Xinhua/Lu Peng)

The arduous battle has enabled the country to maintain growth in the pandemic-hit 2020 while other major countries have failed to do so, and score a 12.7-percent growth year-on-year in the first half of 2021.

Trade in services has recorded a leap due to China's push for high-level opening-up and all-round innovations since 2021 -- the country's imports and exports of services totaled 2.37 trillion yuan (365.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of the year, up 6.7 percent annually.

Digital services are experiencing a gradual shift from an alternative to a necessity, as traditional forms in the services sector, such as tourism and transport, have been dealt a hard blow by the raging pandemic.

In 2020, China's digitally deliverable trade in services rose by 8.4 percent year-on-year, and accounted for 44.5 percent of the total services trade, official data showed.

While livestreaming, e-commerce, unmanned logistics and other forms of digital services are booming, China has also been strengthening its regulation of the digital industry to provide fertile soil for high-quality growth.

A director (R) of a garment company, who gets capital support from south China's Guangdong Province, talks with her employee on the details of livestreaming to promote sales in Payzawat County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

The Chinese authorities have been making progress in breaking the monopoly of a few Internet giants to maintain fair and healthy market competition. Just in July, they launched a six-month campaign to target activities that disrupt market order, damage consumer rights, and threaten data security.

Meanwhile, China has been continuously pushing for a further opening-up of its market to facilitate the access of high-quality foreign enterprises in the services sector.

A slew of measures include the shortening of the negative list for foreign investment for four consecutive years, and the release of a negative list for cross-border trade in services at the Hainan free trade port, among others.

Foreign enterprises have shown robust confidence in the Chinese market due to its market size and resilience against economic headwinds. Data showed foreign direct investment in the Chinese mainland has maintained a sound momentum since the second half of 2020.

Visitors learn about an unmanned express delivery vehicle during the China International Big Data Industry Expo 2021 in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

The world's second largest economy has also held yearly editions of several international trade fairs, including the CIFTIS in Beijing, the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, and the China Import and Export Fair, among others, to set up venues for stronger interconnectivity among markets worldwide.

China's endeavors to promote high-quality development reflect its commitment to the world's common prosperity. If the world's countries all join forces, the global community will emerge victorious from the pandemic and the economic downturn at an early date, and improve people's quality of life in the long run.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Commentary: Washington's hubris tumbles in epic Afghanistan fiasco

Xinhua) 08:12, September 02, 2021

(Source: Xinhua)

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- With the last U.S. military planes departing before midnight Monday, America's chaotic and bloody flight from Afghanistan has finally come to an end, leaving behind untold atrocities and suffering in this war-torn country.

After 20 years of war and bloodshed, America's military adventure in the Asian country has proven a failure of epic proportions. Such a debacle is preordained because of Washington's hubris to dictate the destiny of others.

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the United States embraced its "unipolar moment," which is rare in human history and has already gone.

Yet Washington decision-makers' common sense has been blinded. They ignore America's own chronic political and social woes and seek to impose American values and systems on the rest of the world. Over the decades, Washington has waged wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria in the pretext of fighting terrorism and promoting so-called democracy, but it has never truly cared about the well-being of the local people.

Take Afghanistan. The United States spent 2 trillion U.S. dollars on fighting that war, but little on improving the well-being of the Afghan people.

"The sad truth is that the American political class and mass media hold the people of poorer nations in contempt, even as they intervene relentlessly and recklessly in those countries," said Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Washington's monumental Afghanistan fiasco has proved once again that forcing others to copy a model is doomed to fail. Countries need to adopt developmental paths true to their own history, national identity and unique circumstances.

However, it seems that Washington has no interest in learning from history, including its own, but is becoming even more radical instead of rational. Former President Donald Trump's administration indulged in quitting international treaties and bodies, stirring up trade disputes, and imposing unilateral sanctions.

Now Trump is gone, but Trumpism lingers. Under the current White House, the United States is seeking to put "America First" without chanting the slogan, and its recommitment to multilateralism is mere lip service.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a test that the United States failed immensely. As the world community badly needs solidarity to beat this deadly pathogen, the United States, with its incomparable scientific research and development capability, has peddled sheer lies of COVID-19 all over the world, hoarded vaccines and tried to politicize the origins-tracing of the virus. Those despicable acts have severely disrupted the world's collective drive to arrest the pandemic.

When America gives up the spirit of win-win cooperation of the age, it also detaches itself from the trust of the broader international community. As some analysts have pointed out, America's dullness of the trend of the times and its condescending gesture have gravely hampered its ability to cooperate with others.

Then what has bred Washington's close-mindedness and arrogance? It is the egotistic, peremptory and hegemonic mindset prevailing in the American domestic politics.

The systemic flaws entrenched in America's political structure have nurtured the selfish, myopic and irresponsible political ethos in the White House. Amid inner-party struggle and partisan discords, U.S. politicians only cast their eyes on winning elections. They can hardly sit together calmly, think rationally, narrow differences, or reach constructive consensuses. Thus they can hardly serve the fundamental interests of American public. The so-called liberal democracy of the United States does not exist at all. This is, in fact, an American-style autocracy.

Washington's politicians need to reflect. They should understand that military intervention will never be a viable solution, and that their close-mindedness and deadly arrogance will never make America or the world a better place.

If Washington continues down this wrong path, the Afghan failure will only be the start of many more such failures of the United States in the future.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Weather disasters increase five-fold in 50 years: WMO report

Xinhua) 08:14, September 02, 2021

Fire fighters battle a blaze raging near Makrymalli village on Evia island, Greece, on Aug. 13, 2019. (Photo by Nick Paleologos/Xinhua)

From 1970 to 2019, weather, climate and water hazards accounted for 50 percent of all disasters, 74 percent of all reported economic losses, and 45 percent of all reported deaths, a latest WMO report said.

More than 91 percent of these deaths occurred in developing countries.

GENEVA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The number of weather-related disasters has increased by five times over the past 50 years, the latest report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday.

However, thanks to improved early warning systems and disaster management, the number of deaths from these hazards has been almost three times less.

According to the WMO Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes (1970 - 2019), there were more than 11,000 reported disasters globally, with over two million deaths and 3.64 trillion U.S. dollars in losses.

From 1970 to 2019, weather, climate and water hazards accounted for 50 percent of all disasters, 74 percent of all reported economic losses, and 45 percent of all reported deaths, the report says. More than 91 percent of these deaths occurred in developing countries.

Among the top 10 hazards that led to the largest loss of human life during this period were droughts, storms, floods and extreme temperatures. However, the death toll fell from over 50 000 in the 1970s to less than 20 000 in the 2010s.

In terms of economic losses, three of the 10 costliest disasters occurred in 2017, including Hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma. These three hurricanes alone accounted for 35 percent of total economic losses from the top 10 disasters globally from 1970 to 2019.

"Weather, climate and water extremes are increasing and will become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world as a result of climate change," says WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

A tree is seen snapped off by Hurricane Ida in Houma, Louisiana, the United States, Aug. 30, 2021. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)

"That means more heatwaves, drought and forest fires such as those we have observed recently in Europe and North America. We have more water vapor in the atmosphere, which is exacerbating extreme rainfall and deadly flooding. The warming of the oceans has affected the frequency and area of existence of the most intense tropical storms."

"Economic losses are mounting as exposure increases. But behind the stark statistics lies a message of hope. Improved multi-hazard early warning systems have led to a significant reduction in mortality. Quite simply, we are better than ever before at saving lives," Taalas said.

The WMO report called for disaster risk financing mechanisms to be reinforced at national and international levels, especially for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States and Territories, while developing integrated and proactive policies on slow-onset disasters such as drought.

A woman carrying a child wades in flood water caused by heavy rain and overflowing of river at Dhemaji district of India's northeastern state of Assam, on Aug. 28, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Young Chinese students kickstart new semester with less burden, more choices

Xinhua) 08:25, September 02, 2021

-- A national campaign has been launched in China to reduce excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for students receiving the free nine-year compulsory education.

-- A document released by Chinese authorities in July has called on schools to recalibrate homework assignments and improve classroom teaching to boost the efficiency of students' in-school study.

-- Regulations over off-campus institutions providing curriculum subject-tutoring services will be strengthened, while after-class services in schools will be extended to meet students' individualized demands, according to the document.

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- School bells rang again across China as the fall semester kicked off on Wednesday with strict anti-epidemic measures in place.

This academic year is expected to inject fresh air into China's basic education as a national campaign has been launched to reduce excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for students receiving the free nine-year compulsory education.

The campaign has sent the newly coined term "Shuangjian," or "double reduction" in English, trending for weeks on social media since the middle of summer vacation, as the lives of millions of students in primary and junior high schools are expected to see big changes.

For many years in China, heavy workloads and wildly growing off-campus tutoring services have compelled pre-college students to get into excessive, and sometimes unfair, competition.

The situation has also aggravated parents' financial burden and caused immense anxiety among those who always want their children to receive the best education.

In response to the society's growing concerns regarding the issue, Chinese authorities in July issued a document specifying a set of requirements and guidelines aimed at pursuing a high-quality basic education and ensuring students' healthy growth and all-round development.

The guidelines called on schools to recalibrate homework assignments and improve classroom teaching to boost the efficiency of students' in-school study.

At the same time, regulations over off-campus institutions providing curriculum subject-tutoring services will be strengthened, while after-class services in schools will be extended to meet students' individualized demands, according to the document.

No paper-and-pencil exams will be arranged for first- and second-graders in primary schools, and only a final examination is allowed at the end of the semester for other grades, said Lyu Yugang, an official with the Ministry of Education, at a press conference on Monday.

As the main "battlefield" of the national campaign, primary and junior high schools across the country have started to implement relevant policies formulated by local authorities based on the document.

A teacher greets a first-year student with a flower-shaped badge at the Taipinglu Primary School in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

In Beijing, all related schools will offer a 2-hour after-class service from Monday to Friday, and extend the duration for students with special demands, said the municipal education authorities.

The service will allow some 1.4 million students to do their assignments on the campus or foster their hobbies in arts, sports, and other areas under the guidance of professional instructors.

Physical health will be emphasized as more extra time is spared from academic studies. Luwan Middle School in Shanghai plans to establish a monitoring platform for parents to upload information including their children's sleeping time, the completion time of homework, among others, for continuous adjustment of workloads.

Many cities have also taken concrete measures to improve educational equality. Beijing will promote rotation of principals and teachers among schools, while schools in Nanjing, the provincial capital of Jiangsu, will try to maintain each class with students of similar average learning abilities.

"During the phase of compulsory education, schools should give equal attention and care to every student," said Weng Deqiang, principal of Jinling High School Xianlin Campus in Nanjing.

Schools are also encouraged to make good use of online courses designed by elite teachers across the country. A nationwide selection of high-quality basic education courses was launched this month, said Lyu with the Ministry of Education on Monday.

Students walk on the campus at Shuiguohu No.1 elementary school in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Sept. 1, 2021. (Photo by Deng Nan/Xinhua)

EXPECTATIONS VS. CHALLENGES

Students and parents are full of expectations for a brand-new life in the "double reduction" era.

Zhang Yi, 14, from Peking Academy High School in Beijing, said he feels happy because he will have more time for extracurricular activities.

An Jin, a resident of Nantong of Jiangsu Province, was surprised to learn that his fourth-grader daughter will be able to stay at school for two additional hours every school day.

"This will greatly reduce the burden on our whole family," he said. As both he and his wife have to go to work, the job of picking up the child from school could only be left to the grandparents.

A father of a junior high school student in Beijing, on condition of anonymity, said he no longer has to worry about his child's eyesight with less homework.

He, however, has mixed feelings about the effects of certain changes, wondering whether his child's scores will slide without enough off-campus tutoring.

"I told him to take more initiative in studies because now he will rely more on himself than before," he added.

Education experts have their answers to the issue. Yang Zhenfeng, an official with the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, said in a recent interview that a "theater effect" is undesirable in a healthy education system.

"When some students take off-campus courses, their scores may be improved. But when all students do so, the admission scores will rise," he said.

In the long term, with constant improvement of schools' after-class services, more students will come back to the campus instead of trying to find expensive one-on-one tutoring, said Zhang Zhiyong, a professor with Beijing Normal University.

Experts also called for attention to enhancing teachers' motivation in face of longer school days. According to the Ministry of Education, teachers are allowed to work on a flexible time schedule and obtain subsidies for after-school services.

Pupils walk to attend the opening ceremony for the new semester at the Taipinglu Primary School in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

RESTORING HEALTHY EDUCATION SYSTEM

Guiding principles of the initiative have called for efforts to build a good education ecology, effectively relieve parents' anxiety, and promote students' all-round and healthy growth.

"'Double reduction' is not to reduce the quality of education, but to improve efficiency," said Miao Dejun, vice principal of Jiangsu Rugao Senior High School.

With more targeted school-based teaching strategies, children will naturally get more pleasure in learning, he added.

Chu Zhaohui, a researcher with the National Institute of Education Sciences, said that a scientific, people-oriented educational concept should be established, and educators should not focus on students' scores only.

"This school year will see profound changes for schools, students and parents, and all parties need to adapt and respond to changes in a rational way," he added.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Universal Beijing Resort starts trial run

Xinhua) 09:06, September 02, 2021

Photo taken at the Universal Beijing Resort (UBR) in Beijing, capital of China. (People's Daily Online/Lu Yang)

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Universal Beijing Resort (UBR) started trial operation on Wednesday after more than three months' stress tests.

According to the UBR, the Universal Studios Beijing theme park, the Universal CityWalk and two hotels will open for invite-only guests during the trial operation.

Guests are from UBR's sponsors, partners and customers, who are expected to give another round of feedback and help the theme park make improvements for its official opening.

The official opening of the UBR is scheduled for Sept. 20, which coincides with this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from Sept. 19 to 21.

Located in Beijing's Tongzhou District, the UBR is the fifth Universal Studios theme park globally, the third in Asia and the first in China.

The theme park and the two hotels will open for reservation on Sept. 14, the UBR said Wednesday.

One-day dated ticket of the theme park will follow a four-tier pricing structure -- 418 yuan (about 64.7 U.S. dollars), 528 yuan, 638 yuan and 748 yuan -- based on the popularity of the dates.

A continuously updated calendar showing the prices for the following 90 days will be published in advance for reference. The ID-based tickets can only be used on certain reserved dates, allowing no transfer or resale. Visitors must reserve and purchase tickets from official and officially-authorized channels.

Apart from the regular ticket, a 25 percent discount will be offered to certain groups, including children from 3 to 11, the elderly aged 65 or above and the disabled with valid certificates. Children below 3 can enter the theme park free with company.

The UBR is so far the largest worldwide, covering four square km, with seven themed "lands," and 37 recreational facilities and themed attractions. Among them, the Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness, Transformers Metrobase and WaterWorld are specially set up for Chinese tourists.

Tourists without a ticket are allowed to visit the Universal CityWalk, where 21 restaurants, seven theme retail outlets and mobile vending cars, as well as a cinema and live shows await them.

Tom Mehrmann, president and general manager of Beijing International Resort Co., Ltd. Theme Park and Resort Management Branch, said the UBR is going to become a great landmark in Beijing. "It will increase the length of stay in Beijing and give people from all over China another reason to come to the city."

"The UBR will directly drive the development of industries including leisure, catering, accommodation and vacation," said Dai Bin, president of China Tourism Academy.

The project in Beijing is a boon for the tourism industry, as it can stimulate the tourism market, increase employment, and lead market recovery and industrial revitalization, Dai said.

So far, the resort has created more than 10,000 jobs and established cooperative relations with over 30 academic institutions, providing more opportunities for local talent.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese FM holds phone conversation with French president's diplomatic counselor

Xinhua) 09:19, September 02, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday held a phone conversation with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron, exchanging views on bilateral relations, origins tracing of COVID-19 and the situation in Afghanistan.

During the conversation, Wang noted that under the strategic guidance of the two countries' heads of state, China-France relations have been developing healthily and steadily in general, expressing hope that the two sides will strengthen bilateral high-level exchanges, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, and promote the steady progress of the bilateral relations to a new level.

China is happy to see the European Union (EU) grow stronger, said Wang, stressing that China and Europe are partners rather than rivals, and their common interests far outweigh differences. Strengthening dialogue between China and Europe is beneficial to both sides and the world at large, he added.

Noting that France is a major country with independent tradition and strategic thinking, Wang expressed hope that with a focus on the common long-term interests of China and Europe, France will take the opportunity of holding the rotating presidency of the EU to push China-EU relations to eliminate interference, overcome difficulties, rise steadily and regain vitality.

The United States has recently forced through its intelligence community to carry out origins tracing of COVID-19, which was an obvious anti-science act and a typical example of politicizing the origins tracing, Wang said, adding that the U.S. side was aimed at shifting the blame for its own anti-epidemic failure to China.

The international community should continue to resist and oppose the U.S. approach, Wang said.

For his part, Bonne said France is committed to developing France-China relations, and is ready to strengthen high-level exchanges with China and promote the resumption of cooperation and personnel exchanges in various fields against the backdrop of regular epidemic prevention and control.

France will take its rotating presidency of the EU as an opportunity to promote cooperation between Europe and China in the fields of public health, environment, climate and trade, he said.

France believes that the origins tracing should be conducted scientifically to avoid the recurrence of another pandemic, said Bonne, adding that the pressing task for the international community is to strengthen solidarity, deepen cooperation in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine distribution, and promote the recovery of the world economy as soon as possible.

The French side appreciates China for providing a large amount of vaccines to the international community, and hopes that France and China will jointly carry out cooperation in Africa, he said.

The two sides also exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan.

There are three lessons worth learning from the situation in Afghanistan, Wang said. Firstly, it is unacceptable to claim hegemony, and no matter how strong a country is, it should respect other countries, as well as fairness and justice. Secondly, military intervention is unacceptable, and political solutions to hot issues should be upheld. Thirdly, wishful thinking of "democratic transformation" is unacceptable, and each country's development path, which is suited to its national conditions, should be respected.

The United States suddenly withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, but it cannot shirk its responsibility, Wang said.

What is pressing now is to provide urgently needed economic, livelihood and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, so as to make up for the huge damages done to Afghan national development and people's well-being, Wang said.

Wang said effective measures should be taken to help Afghanistan achieve a smooth transition and avoid a wave of refugees and migrants that will bring bitter consequences to neighboring and European countries.

It is also necessary to get rid of the old habit of unilateral sanctions, Wang added, saying that it is unwise and hardly effective to freeze Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves in the United States and exert pressure on Afghanistan at every turn.

For his part, Bonne said France and China share common interests in maintaining peace and stability in Afghanistan, adding that France is ready to strengthen coordination with China within the frameworks including the United Nations Security Council to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan at an early date.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese doctors offer ray of hope for Rwandan patients at local hospital

Xinhua) 09:20, September 02, 2021

Chinese Medicine doctor Dai Junyou (R) gives a pulse diagnosis to a local patient at Masaka Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda, on Aug. 31, 2021. Chinese medical doctors' presence in Masaka Hospital, Masaka Sector in the city suburbs of Kigali is transforming the healthcare services in Rwanda by providing specialized medical care to Rwandan patients. (Xinhua/Ji Li)

KIGALI, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese medical doctors' presence in Masaka Hospital, Masaka Sector in the city suburbs of the Rwandan capital Kigali is transforming the healthcare services in Rwanda by providing specialized medical care to Rwandan patients.

"I am suffering from genital inflammation. I have been suffering from this disease for about one year and a half. The Chinese medical doctors here at Masaka Hospital received me with care. They put me through a diagnostic machine to diagnose my illness. Their healthcare service is efficient and quick," Matie Turinumuremyi, 26-year-old, one of the patients told Xinhua in an interview at the hospital.

He added that he is confident the Chinese doctors will treat him because his colleague has since recovered from the same condition that was successfully treated by Chinese doctors at the hospital.

"My colleague was operated on, by the Chinese doctors, and after three days, he was discharged. When I told him about my condition, he advised me to go to Masaka Hospital and see the Chinese doctors because they are the ones to treat me," said Turinumuremyi.

Turinumuremyi is among dozens of patients suffering from different ailments who were waiting to be operated on by the Chinese doctors, this week.

"I thank the Chinese doctors because we work together as a team and get along well. Whenever there is a patient, they help that patient to access quality medical services without going to other hospitals. This is very important to our hospital's name and reputation," said Marie Aimee Uwiragiye, matron of surgery department at Masaka Hospital.

She added that since the Chinese doctors arrived at the hospital, a lot has changed in terms of improved healthcare services and taking good care of patients.

Damascene Hanyurwimfura, Director General of Masaka Hospital said that the Chinese doctors and nurses at the hospital are specialized doctors in a wide range of medical fields such as gynecology, anesthesia, and surgery among others and have been helpful since they arrived in Rwanda.

"We are very thankful for the Chinese embassy for helping us with Chinese doctors. This is wonderful for our population, because the doctors and nurses are hardworking and very helpful to our patients," said Hanyurwimfura.

He added that "since they arrived, we are seeing positive changes in different medical fields. They are helping our population to access specialized medical care. They are also training our local doctors especially interns and junior doctors to gain experience."

According to Hanyurwimfura, the Chinese doctors are very hardworking and whenever they are needed to attend to patients they come even at night and during weekends.

"There are too many people here who need help," Wu Yao, the leader of the 21st batch of Inner Mongolia aid Rwanda medical team told Xinhua, recalling his biggest feeling in the eight months of working in Rwanda.

There are 15 doctors in total, 10 of them are in Masaka District Hospital, and five are in the provincial hospital in Orientale Province. They are general surgery, traditional Chinese medicine, internal medicine, anesthesia, obstetrics, and gynecology and operating room nurses, said Wu.

According to him, the Chinese doctors also offer traditional Chinese medicine which is now regarded as a new thing in the eyes of local people.

"It is very friendly in terms of treatment effect and cost. The local people have since recognized the culture of Chinese medicine," said Wu.

According to him, local people often seek medical treatment with experts from the Chinese medical team.

Except for obstetrics and gynecology, Masaka Hospital is a general practitioner, and there are no specialists in surgery or orthopedics, he added.

Local patients need to be transferred from the community health center to Masaka Hospital, and then to the higher-level national hospital. Some fracture patients may even have to wait for three to six months before surgery.

Because of the arrival of Chinese doctors, some patients, such as fractures and hernias, can be transferred directly from the community health center to Masaka Hospital for timely and effective treatment, which relieves many patients from suffering.

"A few days ago, the Chinese medical aid team encountered a patient with possible intestinal necrosis in an emergency. The operation was carried out in time. The patient was effectively treated and was discharged on the third day after the operation," explained Wu.

He said that when introducing the anesthesiologists in the medical team for the first time, a local doctor from Masaka Hospital pointed to the Chinese anesthesiologist and said in Chinese "yao ma, yao ma" (meaning spinal anesthesia, spinal anesthesia).

"It can be seen that the spinal anesthesia technique of Chinese doctors is widely spread among local colleagues," added Wu.

Over the years, Chinese doctors have treated local people, relieved their illnesses, exchanged ideas with Rwandan counterparts, and disseminated experience and technology, explained Wu.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chengdu to host 16th EU-China Fair in mid-September

Xinhua) 09:41, September 02, 2021

CHENGDU, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The 16th EU-China Fair will be held in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu from Sept. 17 to 19, the organizers have announced.

Co-hosted by the China Chamber of International Commerce and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, the fair is one of the largest business-related events bringing the EU and China together.

With a slew of online and offline activities, the fair will focus on the cooperation between China and Europe in the fields of investment, digital economy, scientific and technological innovation, carbon-emission reduction and sustainable development.

Participants are also expected to discuss topics such as intellectual property rights, international exhibitions, vocational education and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Over the past 15 years, the EU-China Fair has attracted a total of more than 11,000 European and Chinese enterprises, with over 3,100 cooperation agreements of intent signed.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
BRI excellent example to strengthen int'l cooperation: WEF founder

Xinhua) 09:44, September 02, 2021

HONG KONG, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) serves as an excellent example to strengthen cooperation for everybody around the world, said Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Schwab made the remarks when delivering a speech at the sixth Belt and Road Summit, which runs from Wednesday to Thursday online under the theme of "Driving Growth through Fostering Regional and International Trade."

The BRI is "the most ambitious template for inter-regional trade and development ever," he said. "If its future expansion is built on the pillars of sustainability, of inclusiveness and of resilience, it may also be the greatest contributor to economic and social development ever."

Noting the importance of trade and cooperation, Schwab said, "If we look back at the economic progress the world has made in the past 75 years, economic cooperation has played a decisive role and has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty."

"The goal of increased economic trade and cooperation today is clear. It should help provide more prosperous outlook for all people involved and ensure we can continue to benefit from a healthy planet for many generations to come," he added.

To strengthen globalization, Schwab thinks strengthening regional cooperation should be the priority now. "We should promote intra-regional and inter-regional cooperation, especially in the fields of economy, trade, science, but all the technology," he said.

Schwab said he believes more regional and global cooperation are needed in digital trade and governance, in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, in green infrastructure and in global supply chains.

"By connecting a large part of the world, it (BRI) allows for cooperation between countries with economic complementarity that creates excellent scope for win-win commercial exchange," Schwab pointed out.

The event, jointly organized by China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, is expected to bring together more than 6,000 government officials, entrepreneurs and business leaders from more than 80 countries and regions to exchange insights on multilateral cooperation and explore concrete business opportunities.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China releases 150,000 tonnes of national metal reserves

Xinhua) 09:57, September 02, 2021

A worker is busy at a workshop of Hongchang Aluminum Industry Co., Ltd. in Wuxing District of Huzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, July 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's state reserves authority on Wednesday released a total of 150,000 tonnes of copper, aluminum, and zinc from the national reserves to alleviate burdens on businesses over rising raw material costs.

The National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration said it would step up monitoring of commodity prices and organize follow-up releases of national reserves.

This is the third batch of releases to the market. Previously, China has released a total of 270,000 tonnes of copper, aluminum, and zinc to maintain market order.

Since the beginning of this year, bulk commodity prices have surged due to factors including the overseas spreading of COVID-19 and the imbalances of supply and demand, causing pressures on medium and small firms.

Earlier official data showed China's producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, expanded by 9 percent year on year in July, slightly higher than the 8.8 percent growth in June.

Sharp price hikes in crude oil and coal lifted year-on-year PPI growth in July. However, month-on-month data showed that government policies to stabilize commodity prices took effect, with mild price declines seen in industries like steel and non-ferrous metals, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China urges investigation of massacre of Afghans by U.S.

Xinhua) 10:01, September 02, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Although the U.S. military has withdrawn from Afghanistan, the massacre of civilians by the U.S. military and its allies in Afghanistan in the past 20 years must be investigated thoroughly, and the murderers brought to justice, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily news briefing in response to a question on the recent civilian killings by U.S. troops during their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

According to reports, on August 26, a terrorist attack near Kabul's airport caused hundreds of casualties. Some wounded people claimed that the U.S. military fired at people after the explosion, causing more casualties.

Reports also said that on August 29, the U.S. military in Afghanistan used drones to attack a residential building in Kabul on the grounds of anti-terrorism actions, killing ten civilians, the youngest of whom was only two years old.

Wang said that China noticed these reports. He said reports show the killing of civilians by the U.S. military in Afghanistan occurred frequently. For instance, in 2002, a U.S. military airstrike hit a wedding banquet in Uruzgan Province, causing dozens of deaths and more than 100 injuries.

These attacks continued. A U.S. military airstrike in 2008 hit a village in Herat Province, killing nearly 100 civilians, including 50 children and 19 women.

In 2010, a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) airstrike hit Dekundi Province, killing at least 33 people.

In 2012, the British Daily Telegraph released a video showing four U.S. soldiers assaulting the remains of Taliban personnel in a reprehensible manner.

In 2015, the Afghan anti-narcotics police force was attacked by NATO fighters during its mission, and 15 policemen were killed.

In 2019, U.S. drones launched an attack in Nangarhar Province, killing at least 30 Afghan farmers.

Wang said that the number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan caused by U.S. airstrikes far exceeds the official U.S. government announcement. Statistics show that as of April 2020, at least 47,245 Afghan civilians have been killed in the war in Afghanistan launched by the United States.

He stressed that although U.S. troops exited Afghanistan, its massacre of civilians must be investigated thoroughly.

"The lives and the human rights of the Afghan people should be safeguarded. This is about the international rule of law, justice, and the progress of human rights," said the spokesperson.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China releases proposal to safeguard cyberspace from disinformation

Xinhua) 10:06, September 02, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission on Wednesday released a proposal on safeguarding cyberspace from disinformation, together with other relevant entities and platforms.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, China's cyberspace has witnessed the circulation of various forms of disinformation, which have grossly misled public opinion and infringed on the netizens' legitimate rights, said the proposal.

It has become a general consensus that efforts should be made to address the issue of internet disinformation and create a purified eco-system in cyberspace, the proposal added.

Every subject involved in internet activities should abide by relevant laws, regulations and public moral codes and resolutely oppose the production and transmission of cyberspace disinformation, said the proposal.

It also outlined efforts to enhance the primary responsibility for internet platforms and raise public awareness of the rule of law and science to better harness the internet.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
US intelligence agencies' notorious record

10:09, September 02, 2021 By Cui Yige, Gao Ge ( People's Daily Online

Photo taken on May 28, 2021 shows the U.S. Capitol building behind a traffic sign in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The report on tracing the origin of COVID-19 published by the US intelligence community on Aug. 27 was neither based on science nor can it be said to have any credibility, serving instead as a tool of Washington, D.C. to cover up its domestic failures in dealing with the disease by passing the buck to China.

It is science not intelligence that is needed in order to trace the origins of the virus. Why did the Biden administration order the intelligence community to do what should have been done by scientists? A retrospective of the Americans' notorious record in destabilizing the whole world will tell you that the US intelligence community has been a backbone force in the US government's history of stirring up chaos in other countries.

Cooking up lies and instigating wars around the world

The US intelligence community is good at making excuses for Washington's interference and invasions in other countries.

In 1964, the National Security Agency of the US deliberately skewed the evidence passed on to Washington, D.C. to falsely suggest that Vietnamese ships had attacked American destroyers in the "Gulf of Tonkin" incident, leading to America's full engagement in and precipitation of the Vietnam War. In 1965, the then-US President Lyndon B. Johnson admitted that "For all I know, our Navy was shooting at whales out there."

In 2003, at a meeting of the UN Security Council, the then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell presented a vial of white powder obtained by US intelligence agencies as evidence that Iraq was manufacturing chemical weapons. Using this as a pretext, Washington declared war against Iraq, which caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. However, up until today, the US has yet to provide any persuasive evidence as to the allegation that Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction, and the powder has since been likened to nothing but "washing powder" by the international community.

In 2014, US intelligence agencies ordered American-funded White Helmets, a civil defense group in Syria, to feature a video that later served as evidence behind the allegation that there were "chemical weapons violations" in Syria. Based on this allegation, the US government launched airstrikes in Syria, turning the latter into a war-torn country down to this day.

Stirring up chaos and intervening in the domestic affairs of other countries

In addition to perpetuating lies as ready-made excuses for US military intervention and invasions in other countries, the US intelligence community has also remained skillful in its attempts to intervene in the domestic affairs of other countries through cultural infiltration, as well as the export of chaos and turmoil, the manipulation of elections, and subversion of state power in a host of countries around the world.

In August 2018, Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to former US Secretary of State Colin Powell said at the Ron Paul Institute that the CIA would want to destabilize China, and that would be the best way to do it, to foment unrest and join with anti-China forces in undermining Beijing from within rather than externally.

In 2019, during the disturbance over proposed legislative amendments in Hong Kong, the CIA provided covert support for the National Endowment for Democracy to sponsor, instigate and even command anti-China, destabilizing forces in Hong Kong to launch vandalizing, looting and arson attacks, and storm the Legislative Council building in the name of fighting for democracy and freedom in an attempt to spark a "color revolution" in Hong Kong.

In June 2020, The Diplomat magazine published an article revealing how the CIA had secretly intervened in the elections in Italy in 1948. In addition to Italy, the CIA has intervened in the elections of other countries, including Chile, Guyana, and Salvador, through the manipulation of votes and public opinion, attempting to exert American influence on election results.

The US has been recognized as an empire of cyberspace hacking

The US has been recognized as the world's biggest source country for cyber attacks, with the CIA carrying out most of the country's spying activities.

In a leak of nearly 9,000 documents by WikiLeaks in 2017, the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence (CCI) was revealed to have over 5,000 registered users, who had produced more than 1,000 hacking systems, Trojans, viruses, and other "weaponized" malware.

China has suffered a large number of cyber attacks from the US under the command of US intelligence agencies. China's Qihoo 360 has discovered and revealed cyber-attacks by a CIA hacking group (APT-C-39) which lasted for a duration of 11 years against Chinese firms and government agencies.

The US spied on its own allies as well. In 2015, a report by WikiLeaks revealed that the NSA had spied on leaders of the European Union and targeted 125 phone numbers of German officials in a long-term surveillance program. In May 2021, Danish public service broadcaster, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, said that Denmark's secret service had helped the US to spy on the German chancellor, as well as other European politicians from France, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.

The US has also installed surveillance equipment in its nearly 100 embassies and consulates overseas to spy on other countries under its "Stateroom" code-named surveillance program.

Another case in point is the Crypto AG scandal. The Swiss company, founded more than half a century ago and specializing in communications and information security, was a puppet of the CIA, and the devices it sold to over 120 countries were rigged so that the CIA could easily break the codes that countries used to send encrypted messages.

US intelligence agencies engage in scapegoating and cooking up false charges

US intelligence agencies have unscrupulously collected intelligence by forcing journalists to spy for them, lodging false accusations against scientists of Chinese origin, and smearing the Chinese government. The lies they've fabricated are too numerous to count.

Under "Operation Mockingbird" launched in the 1940s, the CIA recruited media and other related institutions and forced foreign journalists to spy for them through the use of various means, including through bribery, manipulation and exploitation.

In 1999, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the New York Times published a report which claimed that Wen Ho Lee, an American nuclear weapons expert of Chinese origin was a spy sent by China to the US. The FBI lodged 59 allegations against Lee, inducing him to admit his guilt on less severe charges so that he wouldn't have to face harsher ones. Under such pressure, one year and a half later, Lee, who was innocent, reached an agreement with the US government under which he confessed his guilt in return to a less severe charge.

In 2018, the FBI accused Professor Anming Hu, who is of Chinese descent, of being a spy for China, which caused him to be put on a federal no-fly list and led to two years of surveillance on him and his son. After the trial opened earlier in 2021, the FBI agent who had led the public to believe that Hu was a spy admitted that he had falsely accused Hu, and all other allegations against Hu had proven to be fabricated as well.

"We lied, we cheated, we stole. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment," the then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, ex-CIA director, was quoted shamelessly as saying in 2019.

Pompeo's "confession" is only a glimpse of the US intelligence system's inglorious record. Today, the US has ordered its intelligence community to conduct a so-called investigation into the origins of COVID-19, which has only served to further hinder global anti-pandemic efforts. We advise the US to stop politicizing the virus, value the health and lives of its own citizens and people from all over the world, and get back on the right track towards tracing the origins of COVID-19 on a scientific basis as soon as possible.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Liang Jun)
China endeavors to promote equitable distribution of vaccines, build strong immunity shield in the world

10:29, September 02, 2021 By Wang Xiaobo ( People's Daily

The second batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to Togo arrives in Lome, capital of Togo, Aug. 20, 2021. Chinese Ambassador to Togo Chao Weidong and Togolese Health Minister Moustafa Mijiyawa received the vaccines at the Gnassingbe Eyadema International Airport in Lome and attended the handover ceremony of the vaccines. (Photo/Embassy of China in Togo)

Amid the COVID-19 epidemic running riot around the planet, China has provided over 900 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for more than 100 countries, particularly developing countries, and will endeavor to provide two billion more for the world this year.

China has always upheld the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind, kept its solemn promise to make COVID-19 vaccines a global public good, and taken actions to fight the global war against the virus, winning wide praise from the international community.

The Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks of Mexico authorized the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines produced by Chinas Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd. (the Sinopharm vaccines) in Mexico in an announcement issued on August 26.

According to analysis and research undertaken by relevant government departments in Mexico, the Sinopharm vaccines meet the countrys standards for quality, safety, effectiveness and other aspects of COVID-19 vaccine, said the announcement.

On August 23, a new shipment of 500,000 China-donated vaccine doses arrived in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Noting that vaccination is an important strategy of the Cambodian government for combating the virus, Tea Banh, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Cambodia, believes that Chinas selfless assistance has effectively safeguarded the lives and health of the Cambodian people.

On the same day, a handover ceremony was held to mark the donation of 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to the Cambodian Red Cross from the Red Cross Society of China.

The second batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese military to the Lao Peoples Army arrived in Vientiane, capital of Laos, on August 23.

Various anti-epidemic materials donated by the Chinese military, such as COVID-19 vaccines, medical masks, and virus testing reagents, as well as military medical experts from the Chinese army, have played an important role in preventing and controlling the spread of the epidemic in Laos, said Vongkham Phommakone, Deputy Minister of National Defense of Laos, at the handover ceremony held on the arrival of the vaccines.

On August 23, Ethiopia received the third batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, the capital of the country.

Ethiopian Minister of Health Lia Tadesse and Minister of Education Getahun Mekuria attended the ceremony marking the handover of the vaccines at the airport.

Tadesse believed that the shipment would significantly increase the vaccination rate of Ethiopia and support the country in defeating the virus.

The 700,000 teachers and 27 million students in Ethiopia were in urgent need of inoculation, and China-donated vaccines were expected to provide them with a strong immunity shield, according to Mekuria.

Jordan Food and Drug Administration has approved the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines made by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd. in Jordan, announced Nizar Mhaidat, Director General of the administration, on August 23. The country has so far authorized the use of nine vaccines, including the Sinovac and Sinopharm products.

On August 20, the second batch of China-assisted vaccines arrived in Lome, the capital of Togo. Moustafa Mijiyawa, Health Minister of Togo, pointed out that China had lent a hand to Togo when it needed help amid the rampant pandemic by providing the latter with two batches of vaccines promptly.

A shipment of 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government to Rwanda arrived in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, on August 19.

Rwandan Minister of Health Daniel Ngamije expressed gratitude to China for its strong support for and generous donation to Rwanda in its epidemic response. According to the office, Chinas donation will significantly help push ahead with Rwandas vaccination drive and safeguard the health of Rwandan people.

On August 18, a handover ceremony for China-donated COVID-19 vaccines and testing reagents was held at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone.

China had always provided support and help for Sierra Leone in health care, education, agriculture, infrastructure, and other sectors, and given a helping hand to Sierra Leone when the latter was in times of need, said Austin Demby, Sierra Leones Minister of Health and Sanitation.

The third batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government to Iraq arrived in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, on August 12.

Noting that China and Iraq have cooperated closely and supported each other in the fight against the epidemic, Ali al-Baldawi, director-general of the Iraqi State Company for Marketing Drugs and Medical Appliances, said that the entry of larger quantities of vaccines into Iraq means that more Iraqis will receive the jab, which will have a significant impact in curbing the diseases spread.

On August 6, a new batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to Bolivia arrived in Cochabamba, the third-largest city in Bolivia, together with some Chinese vaccines and anti-epidemic supplies purchased by the Bolivian government.

Bolivian officials, including Benjamin Blanco, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Integration, received these materials at the citys Cochabamba Jorge Wilstermann International Airpor. Blanco thanked China for its strong support and selfless help for Bolivia.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
COVID-19 origin tracing must be carried out in scientific, fair, just manner

People's Daily) 10:38, September 02, 2021

People wander near the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, June 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Over the past more than one year, the U.S. has ceaselessly politicized the COVID-19 pandemic, stigmatized China in the name of the virus, used COVID-19 origin tracing as a tool, and frequently reversed right and wrong in the origin-tracing work.

Such misdeeds of the country have grossly disrupted and undermined global cooperation on tracing the roots of the virus, and hindered countries from fighting the pandemic and saving lives.

After the U.S. intelligence community recently released its assessment on the origins of COVID-19, the international community has seen more clearly how awkward and self-contradictory the political farce staged by the U.S. under the guise of COVID-19 origin tracing is and that its time the country brought down the curtain on its slapstick.

By going against science to politicize COVID-19 origin tracing, Washington attempts to shift the blame for its incompetence in handling the pandemic to China and suppress and contain the latter.

The U.S. has invented quite a lot of tricks to reach the goal. It has recklessly fabricated and spread lies to confuse the public; under the guise of multilateralism, it has ganged up with its allies to press the World Health Organization (WHO) and China, trying to place U.S. hegemony above international rules, equity and justice; and flagrantly practicing origin-tracing terrorism, it has coerced and pressed experts and scholars into abandoning impartiality and objectivity.

In defiance of the principles of justice, equality and reciprocity, the country unreasonably demanded that China accept a second phase of an investigation into the COVID-19 origins. While repeatedly hyping up conspiracy theories against China, the U.S. has turned a blind eye to the fact that it has become a major suspected source of the virus and caused the most serious cross-border spread, and refused to conduct or accept origin-tracing investigation on its own territory. Such immoral and disgraceful acts have truly degraded the image of the U.S. as a major country.

COVID-19 origin tracing must be science-based. More and more scientific research has proven that the novel coronavirus appeared in many regions and countries outside China several months before it was founded in Wuhan, and that the pandemic is likely to have multiple sources and have been caused by separate outbreaks in multiple places globally. As a result, COVID-19 origin tracing needs to be conducted in multiple countries around the world.

However, politicians in the U.S. have always refused to respect scientific findings on the virus. Instead, they have obstinately pursued political manipulation and attempted to use COVID-19 origin tracing as an opportunity to scapegoat China and seek selfish political gains, which runs counter to the common aspiration of the international community to defeat the pandemic as early as possible.

More than 80 countries have voiced their support for the report released by the WHO-China joint study team and objection to politicizing COVID-19 origin tracing by writing to the WHO Director-General, issuing statements and sending diplomatic notes.

Meanwhile, over 300 political parties, social organizations and think tanks from more than 100 countries and regions have submitted a joint statement to the WHO Secretariat to oppose the politicization of COVID-19 origin tracing.

These are all clear proof of the international communitys aspiration for supporting science-based virus origin tracing and rejecting political manipulation on the issue. White House should really listen to the voices of justice.

No artificial barrier should ever be created for virus root tracing. The second phase of investigation into the origins of COVID-19 must be carried out more thoroughly on the basis of the first one. Only in this way can it lead to the truth and answers to questions about the pandemic.

While saying We must have a full and transparent accounting of this global tragedy, politicians in the U.S. have remained secretive and avoided questions about conducting investigation into the virus origins in their own country, and even purposely set up barriers to stop relevant endeavors.

Claiming that an origin-tracing project interfered with the origin-tracing agenda against China and was detrimental to U.S. national security, the U.S. government halted the project and sealed blood samples collected before January 2, 2020.

The website of Florida Department of Health has released, and later deleted for no reason, data on 171 local people in Florida who had reported symptoms of COVID-19 or tested positive for the virus in January and February 2020. Obviously, Washington has been playing double standards on virus origin tracing.

The U.S. was the first among all countries to conduct recombinant virus research, and has incomparable strength in the field. It is the worlds largest sponsor and implementer of global research on coronavirus, and also the country with the worst bio-lab security record.

Although Chinese and WHO experts have concluded that the introduction of COVID-19 through a laboratory accident is extremely unlikely and most scientists from countries around the world, including the U.S., said theres no evidence for the lab-leak theory, Washington, without providing any solid evidence, still insists that the hypothesis cannot be ruled out.

Since the U.S. seems so serious about COVID-19 origin tracing, it should follow the principles of justice, equality and reciprocity and allow investigation into its own labs so as to quell the doubts of the international community and American people and create favorable conditions for science-based origin tracing.

The call for investigation into the biological labs of Fort Detrick and University of North Carolina is totally reasonable, justifiable, and in line with the spirit of science. If the U.S. refused the demand, it would once again expose its intention of politicizing COVID-19 origin tracing to contain China.

Virus origin tracing must and can only be carried out in a scientific manner. Science-based conclusions and facts will make any political maneuver on the issue end up in vain.

The U.S. should really understand that the virus is the common enemy of mankind and treat COVID-19 origin tracing as a scientific issue. Besides, the country should stop obstructing science-based origin tracing, encourage collaboration among global scientists on tracing the virus origins in multiple countries and regions, including the U.S., and contribute to the global efforts to defeat the pandemic at an early date as a major country is supposed to.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China criticizes European Parliament's report on relations with Taiwan for violating one-China principle

Xinhua) 10:49, September 02, 2021

BRUSSELS, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Mission to the European Union on Wednesday criticized an "EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation" report for seriously violating the one-China principle.

Earlier in the day, the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the report, calling for elevating EU-Taiwan "political relations," changing the name of "the European Economic and Trade Office" in Taiwan to "European Union Office in Taiwan," including Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Strategy and advocating Taiwan's full participation as an observer in international bodies.

The report, which blatantly advocated the elevation of EU-Taiwan relations, was adopted "despite China's repeated objections," a spokesperson for the Chinese Mission commented.

"These moves exceed far beyond the scope of normal nonofficial economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges between the EU, its member states and Taiwan, constitute serious violations of the one-China principle and undercut mutual trust and cooperation between China and the EU," the spokesperson said. "We express our strong opposition to this."

There is only one China in the world and the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, said the spokesperson, adding that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China, which is a universally acknowledged norm in international relations, the common consensus of the international community, and which also serves as the political foundation of the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and the EU.

The spokesperson urged the relevant Committee and relevant members of the European Parliament to appreciate the sensitivity of the Taiwan question, immediately correct their wrong words and actions, and play a positive and constructive role in upholding the political foundation of China-EU relations.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Kenya releases results of three-month wildlife census

Xinhua) 11:19, September 02, 2021

Photo taken on Aug. 30, 2021 shows a hippopotamus at Maasai Mara National Reserve in southwestern Kenya. Kenya has released the results of a three-month wildlife census that reveal a slight increase in the population of iconic large herbivores including elephants and rhinos (Xinhua/Long Lei)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China's services trade fair to bolster global confidence in economic recovery, say experts, business leaders

Xinhua) 13:14, September 02, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- With more than 10,000 enterprises from 153 countries and regions signing up for participation, this year's China International Fair for Trade in Services is scheduled to start Thursday in Beijing.

Appreciating China's endeavors to promote global trade in services, experts and business leaders have said the event will help the world share China's development opportunities and bolster global confidence in the economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China is growing faster in the service sector than any other country in the world," said Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club.

China's services trade fair will provide people with a great opportunity to get a sense of the world's digital future, as well as China's fast expanding service industry, said the business leader.

Being the first major economy worldwide to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, China is the place to go to do business, especially when it comes to the service industry, which represents the future of the world economy, Perry said.

The services trade fair is an important platform that demonstrates China's opening-up, said Dennis Wilkens, Germany Trade and Invest's director for China.

"A large number of companies have emerged in China that are being offered opportunities in Germany and Europe. The development shows the performance of China and its companies in the digital and services sector in recent years," Wilkens said, adding, "Chinese companies are now globally active in the markets of the future."

This year's fair will play a key role in bolstering China-Brazil relations by strengthening their channel of communication, according to Jose Ricardo dos Santos Luz Junior, CEO of Group of Corporate Leaders in China.

"Brazil's participation creates the potential for exchange and business opportunities in the trade in services sector, especially the digital economy," he added.

In the eyes of Anneriese Rodriguez, an international news editor at Cuban state TV, the event "confirms the Chinese government's will to promote global commerce and enhance the digital economy within the complex context the world is going through" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I have no doubt this international fair will become a platform to reinforce international cooperation in the context of the sanitary emergency and to contribute to the economic recovery of nations," Rodriguez said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Nigerian expert warns against "political virus" in COVID-19 origins tracing

Xinhua) 14:24, September 02, 2021

ABUJA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. report on origins tracing of COVID-19 can at best produce a "political virus," said a Nigerian expert, urging a science-backed endeavour and global collaboration on this issue.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is too serious and of tremendous global concerns for its origins tracing to be trivialized by politically cooked up innuendoes designed mostly to serve ideological purposes," said Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies, was quoted Tuesday by Nigerian local daily The Nation as saying.

"The nature of the pandemic spread and deadly retribution across the world puts its origins tracing beyond the conventional intelligence of any one country ... Intelligence service is part and parcel of the ideological infrastructure of any given state and its conclusion and findings are never far away, from the political objectives of its government," Onunaiju said.

"Politically motivated intelligence community report of the United States can at best produce a political virus aimed or targeted at its self-defined rival, the People's Republic of China," he said.

"The inability of the U.S. ruling circles to decisively bring the rampaging virus to heels, despite having the best medical technology in the world, is the extent, to which the ruling circles could trade its peoples' lives to maintain ideological hegemony," he said.

COVID-19 is a major non-traditional security threat to the world and consequently deserves the broadest coalition and cooperation to trace its origins, according to the expert.

The failure and wrong of U.S. intelligence agency in the virus origins tracing once again proved that science-based inquiry devoid of political motives and ideological supremacy contest should be the basis for the process, he said, adding that all countries should be united in the trust and belief of science to lead the way.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Acai Philosophy in the eyes of a Chinese Brazilian

14:29, September 02, 2021 By Su Yingxiang, Zhang Rong, Yu Yang ( People's Daily Online

Zhi Weizhong, a 67-year-old Chinese Brazilian who returned back to homeland in China in 2020, has his own life philosophy  that is, age does not limit him from all of lifes possibilities. He opened a new shop a little over one month ago, intending to introduce Acai to people here in China. In his eyes, business is not just about making money, but about sharing good things and a positive attitude towards life.

(Web editor: Liu Ning, Bianji)
COVID-19 origins tracing should be conducted scientifically: Myanmarese media

Xinhua) 14:35, September 02, 2021

YANGON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 origins tracing should be conducted scientifically for the treatment and it should not blame or give political pressure on other countries, Myanmarese media reported Thursday, citing the Health Ministry.

The ministry urged the vaccine-producing countries to assist other countries and developing countries for vaccine production, reported Myanma Alinn Daily, The Mirror Daily and The Global New Light of Myanma.

The ministry called for all countries to step up cooperation in tackling the challenges as the new variants of COVID-19 are spreading around the world, said the reports.

Myanmar has recently detected 15 cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant which is considered to pose a higher risk of death.

According to the ministry's latest figures, over 2.1 million people have been fully vaccinated nationwide, while over 2.6 million people have completed the first dose of vaccination as of Aug. 31.

As of Wednesday, Myanmar reported 402,640 COVID-19 infections, with 15,490 deaths, the ministry said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Family of Francois's langur in Guangzhou Chimelong Safari Park welcomes their baby princess

People's Daily Online) 15:52, September 02, 2021

Baby Francois's langur "Elephant" and her three-year-old sister "Duanwu" are seen together at the Guangzhou Chimelong Safari Park in south China's Guangdong Province on Aug. 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)

A Francois's langur, nicknamed "Elephant", made her first debut at the Guangzhou Chimelong Safari Park in south China's Guangdong Province recently. Being her mother's second child, "Elephant" was given birth to by the female Francois's langur "Huan Huan" on the early morning of Aug. 12, 2021.

Newborn Francois's langur babies have a body colored in golden yellow, which will turn into a black shade after two or three months.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
Remains of 109 Chinese soldiers killed in Korean War return

Xinhua) 15:56, September 02, 2021

SHENYANG, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The remains of 109 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Escorted by two Chinese fighter jets, an air force plane carrying the remains and belongings of the fallen soldiers landed at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, at 11:26 a.m.

It is the eighth such repatriation since 2014.

Around 230 representatives from central and local authorities, the military, and family members and relatives of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs attended a ceremony at the airport to welcome the soldiers' remains at 12:37 p.m.

Following the event, the remains were escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, where a burial ceremony will be held Friday.

The remains of 716 soldiers returned from the ROK and were laid to rest in the cemetery between 2014 and 2020.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
New semester begins for school of three in SW China's Guizhou

People's Daily Online) 16:07, September 02, 2021

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 1, 2021, shows the teaching center in Danggan village, Paidiao town, Danzhai county in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo/People's Daily Online

On Sept. 1, 2021, Yang Changjun and his two first graders welcomed their new semester in Danggan village, Paidiao town, Danzhai county, within a mountainous area of southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Yang Changjun, 43, has been teaching in his hometown at the Danggan village primary school for 20 years since 2001, having returned after completing a teaching post in the county.

In 2012, after the school in Danzhai county switched from a village-level elementary school to the combined operating mode of a village-town school, in view of the special location of Danggan village, the education department decided to keep the elementary school running, but turned it into a countryside learning center instead for young first-graders to have a place to start their formal studies. After finishing first grade, they are expected to then go on to second grade at the Central Primary School in Paidiao town.

This year, Yang became the only teacher at Danggan village, teaching first-grade students Chinese, mathematics, moral education, physical education, art and other courses.

Besides teaching, he prepares nutritious lunches for his students. Over the past 20 years, Yang has sent away a batch of "graduates", more than a dozen of whom were later admitted to junior colleges inside and outside the province.

This autumn when the new semester began, the Danggan village teaching center welcomed the enrollment of two school-aged girls, held a flag-raising ceremony, and had their first lesson of the new semester. "Over the past few years, I have been accustomed to the teaching life in the mountain village. This teaching center is meant for children to have a school to learn from, so I will stick to where I am for them," Yang said.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
Travel bloggers transport people staying at home to beautiful places around the world in a virtual manner

People's Daily Online) 16:18, September 02, 2021

For many Chinese travel enthusiasts who currently are advised against traveling abroad amid the COVID-19 pandemic, videos and pictures shared by travel bloggers on social media platforms have served instead to create an immersive travel experience. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, travelling around the world by following in the lens of travel bloggers has become a new travel trend.

Statistics indicated that the number of travel bloggers who become active on a short-video platform at the end of last year underwent a six-fold increase compared with the beginning of the year, which is an indication of the latest tendency wherein the tourism industry is gradually going online nowadays.

Travel blogger with the nickname of "Unique" posted a video he filmed during a previous stay at the foot of the Alps, the location where the film Heidi was shot. (Screenshot of Sino Weibo account of "Unique")

A travel blogger with the nickname of "Unique" has aroused the interest of many users on social media after he shared pictures he had taken and videos he had filmed while travelling in the regions of Antarctica, Switzerland, South Africa, Tahiti, Paris, and the Alps, among others.

The man once posted videos he filmed during a previous stay at the foot of the Alps, the location where the film Heidi was shot, without expecting that the videos would spark discussions among net users. "I once stayed at a hotel like this one where I made tomato egg noodles for foreign friends. I always remember the moment when a lovely little girl with curly hair holding an empty plate in her hands, waited for me to put food on it," a net user commented under a video filmed by "Unique".

People who haven't been to the Alps but have watched the film Heidi expressed that the video by "Unique" reminded them of some touching moments in the film, and that they would be thrilled to be there to experience the idyllic lifestyle themselves one day.

In reaction to the videos shared by "Unique", some net users said they were a feast to their eyes, while others expressed that they felt as if they were "traveling around the world" by following the blogger's lens.

Another travel blogger surnamed Yang Xiaochun shared pictures and videos he had taken while travelling abroad prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of which were relatively less-visited scenic spots. The moments captured in the pictures and videos have a healing effect for many. Underneath Yang's videos, many commented that they were eager to travel abroad when the pandemic is finally contained around the world.

Chinese students studying overseas are also helping people appreciate the natural landscapes and culture of overseas tourist destinations by sharing their own travel experiences on social media platforms, reaping a large number of followers on the platforms.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Liang Jun)
Patrick Ulm is not known for being hasty. Charles Girardier, the brand he is (re)launching, is settling in for the long haul. This is not about reviving a well-known, prestigious name, such as in the case of Universal or Arnold & Son. The name Charles Girardier will be unknown to almost all watch aficionados, and thats what Patrick Ulm is banking on.

When we asked about new products we could expect to see at the Geneva Watch Days, he answered with a mischievous smile: The brand! Which is a polite way of saying that, before we start looking at the products, it would be a good idea to gain an understanding of the history, current context and future ambitions of the brand.

Impact of the pandemic

Clearly, Covid hasnt helped, Patrick Ulm explains. Our watches are original creations that need to be seen, touched and tried on the wrist. Were not making a generic product. 50% of the perceived value of a Charles Girardier is lost in a photo.



Patrick Ulm, CEO Charles Girardier  Charles Girardier

Nevertheless, the maison received a significant boost when it won the Womens Watch Prize at the most recent Grand Prix de lHorlogerie de Geneve (GPHG). Of course, being recognised by our peers brought us a great deal of respect and credibility, particularly given that we were up against such prestigious brands as Van Cleef & Arpels and Piaget, the CEO continues. But, paradoxically, it had the effect of spotlighting our womens 37mm collection, which exists alongside our mens 41mm collection. We have balanced things up with the timepiece we created for Only Watch, which is also 41mm.

1809 Dark Grey 37 mm  Charles Girardier

Meet us in Geneva

In Geneva from 30 August, Charles Girardier will be offering visitors the opportunity to see, touch and try two rare models. The first is the Chevron mens 41mm model in white gold with a cobalt blue dial. This watch has only been seen in public a handful of times, mainly at the brands showroom. The second  the womens 37mm Fleur de Sel with Verdigris dial  has never been seen before.

These timepieces will showcase Charles Girardiers exclusive tourbillon, as well as its mastery of creating unique textures and visual effects using grand feu enamel, which has become a brand signature. 1809 Cobalt Blue 41 mm  Charles Girardier

In addition, Patrick Ulm notes that We will have two authentic Charles Girardier period pieces on display. This is a rare and exceptional opportunity, given how few original pieces exist. The majority are to be found in museums in Geneva, London or Paris.

There are also rumours that the brand will present a further surprise  a unique piece that is soon to go up for auction
Here are the winners! Here are the winners!

Thousands of people entered our big summer competition from 1 July to 31 August this year. Were you one of the winners? Find out below! Thousands of people entered our big...
JUBA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- More than 40 South Sudanese medical workers graduated on Wednesday after completing their three-month Chinese language course. Alier Nyok, Acting Director-General of Juba Teaching Hospital praised the graduates that included doctors, nurses and midwives upon completing the intensive Chinese language course, noting that the language will ease communication between health workers from the two countries. "They (Chinese) have gone further to make the relationship with us easier," said Nyok in Juba on during the graduation ceremony. "I hope it (relationship) will continue and we request that those who apply for basic medical Chinese language should be given more advanced training so that they will be useful in helping us in communication between you (Chinese) and us," he added. Nyok said that the medical language courses will go a long way in strengthening ties between China and South Sudan. The training that commenced in June was conducted by the eighth batch of the Chinese medical team in the youngest nation. The team from Anhui Province arrived in August last year in the country to boost health care services. Hua Ning, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan, lauded the South Sudanese medical workers and the team of Chinese doctors upon concluding the training. He said that the language course will strengthen people-to-people exchanges and the relationship between the two countries. "I am actually expecting to see the development of the people-to-people exchange," he said. Hua noted that the development of bilateral relationship aims to improve the well-being of the two peoples. He added that cooperation in the health sector is one of the top priorities of the Chinese government because it delivers health care services to the people. "We are very glad to see the training that has been completed has helped to bridge the language barrier between the Chinese and the South Sudanese colleagues," said Hua. "It is a very good beginning and I am sure that we will continue with this kind of training program," Hua added. Enditem


Before the age of 29, Wang Jing was a weather forecaster and engineer, accurately collecting meteorological data and issuing warnings in the city of Huangshan, east China's Anhui Province. Since turning 29, she has developed a new identity, that of mother. While she enjoys the happiness of a new mother on maternity leave, Wang can't help but worry whether the five-month vacation will hold back her career in meteorological research. However, a new policy on female scientific and technological professionals in China has given her more confidence in her future and those of other women. In July, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the All-China Women's Federation, as well as other 11 departments, launched a series of measures to support female researchers in playing a greater role in sci-tech innovation. SHINING IN SCIENCE As China ramps up its efforts to help stimulate the innovative vitality of female talents, countless women are shining in various fields of science and technology in China. "People always think female employees are not suitable for working overtime, traveling on business or enduring hardship, but in fact, we have a very strong ability to adjust and adapt," said Xie Zhilin, head of the new-product development department of the QuantumCTek Co. Ltd., a leading quantum company based in Anhui. Xie and her team have achieved a breakthrough in key algorithms, which have been successfully applied to suspended optical cables in complex environments. At present, this product has been used in the field of quantum secure communications. At the age of 29, Cao Lina was the first author on a paper published in Nature about a new catalyst for hydrogen fuel cells. Now, the 31-year-old is an associate researcher at the University of Science and Technology of China. In the field of physical chemistry, where she is engaged in research, a lot of scientific research equipment is bulky, and women do appear a little short on physical strength. But Cao said that women bring certain skills, such as meticulous observation, rational planning and patient execution, allowing them to play unique roles in scientific research. BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING A report released in 2020 by Elsevier, a Netherlands-based research publishing and information analytics company, shows that the participation of women in research is increasing, but there is still inequality in terms of publication output, citations, awarded grants, collaboration and perceptions. Fortunately, things are about to change in China. The document issued by departments including the Ministry of Science and Technology has put forward 16 specific measures relating to six aspects of the career development of female talents in a targeted manner. These measures include training high-level female sci-tech talents, supporting their innovation and entrepreneurship capabilities, improving the evaluation mechanisms for them, and supporting their research during pregnancy and nursing periods. According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, China aims to create a better policy environment with these measures to aid the growth of female sci-tech talents. IGNITING EXPECTATIONS "The golden age of a research career coincides with the peak reproductive period of women, and people have limited energy, which used to mean difficult decisions for many female sci-tech talents," Cao said, adding that the new policy will help ensure their career is not interrupted due to pregnancy. The policy also aims to cultivate more young female talents through measures such as gender-equality education, encouraging female students to participate in sci-tech competitions, and setting up scholarships for outstanding female college students in science and engineering. Another breakthrough of this policy is supporting female talents to obtain more sci-tech resources and enhance their participation in the sci-tech decision-making process. "I believe that this will allow more women's voices to be heard at the decision-making level," Xie said. In addition, in April, seven departments in China jointly issued opinions on implementing women's action for sci-tech innovation, with requirements including enhancing responsibility, promoting the spirit of scientists and strengthening the construction of talent teams for women. "We need more outstanding women in science, and more companies and platforms that provide women with equal opportunities," said Xie. Enditem


By Xu Yizhen

As Delta, a more transmissible variant of the novel coronavirus, rages across the globe, certain American politicians have once again turned their gunpoint at China  practicing political manipulation in the name of origin tracing of the virus. The spread of US political virus hasnt stopped with the attempted politicizing of COVID-19 origin tracing by some American politicians.

Origin tracing of the virus is a serious scientific matter and should rely on scientists to figure out the origin of the novel coronavirus to better forestall future risks. Yet some American politicians disregarded scientific findings and publicly rooted for investigation by intelligence agencies, which were forced to come up with a conclusion in 90 days, so as to hype the fallacious theory that the virus was leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. They even arm-twisted scientists to endorse the lab leak theory by means of launching personal attacks and hurling invective threats towards them, so much so that some experts had to resign to stand by their scientific stance.

If this kind of politicized conclusion were forced upon scientists, how can we expect the virus origin tracing to play its due role? At that time, instead of forestalling future risks, it will become a weapon used by the US to suppress other countries. Once science no longer represents what it is expected to, international anti-pandemic cooperation will be a castle in the air.

The US hijacked the WHO and pushed its own political intention by politicizing the virus origin tracing. The work plan for second-phase COVID-19 origin tracing put forth by the WHO Secretariat recently has been heavily politicized under the push of certain American politicians, it not only deviated from the requirement of the resolution adopted at the 73rd World Health Assembly, but also turned a blind eye to the conclusions and suggestions presented in the joint WHO-China study report on COVID-19 origin tracing. The work plan did not comprehensively reflect the latest results of global origin-tracing research and therefore could not be accepted as the basis for second-phase origin-tracing cooperation.

Politicization of virus origin-tracing has gravely obstructed the concerted efforts of all countries to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Lives that could have been saved are lost, and economy that could have recovered earlier is still struggling. In pursuit of its narrow geopolitical interests, the US has been spreading a political virus by politicizing the origin-tracing efforts, which defies science, challenges the authority of international organizations, and instigates anti-China sentiments. Compared with the natural virus, this political virus works even more deeply on peoples ideology and cognition and the butterfly effects it causes will be more inestimably destructive.

A look back on the history of mankinds struggles against virus tells us that with the progress of scientific research and the gathering of anti-virus experience, the day when mankind vanquishes the virus will come in the end. When novel coronavirus rocks the world, it threatens human lives, but such political virus as politicizing the studies into origins of COVID-19, a more covert and venomous virus, poisons human conscience and must be eradicated and extirpated in a timely manner.
After 70 years, remains of war heroes return

EditorLi Wei Time2021-09-02 16:54:44

Chinese soldiers prepare to carry caskets containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers who died during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53) to military vehicles at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, Liaoning province, on Sept 2, 2021. The remains of 109 Chinese soldiers who died in the war returned to China from the Republic of Korea on Thursday, the eighth batch of martyrs' remains returned since 2014. [Photo by Chen Song/For chinadaily.com.cn]

The remains of 109 Chinese soldiers killed during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53) returned from South Korea on a Chinese military transport plane to Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning province, on Thursday morning.

As the People's Liberation Army Air Force's Y-20 strategic airlift plane entered national airspace, two fighter jets formed an escort to honor the fallen warriors.

After landing at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport, the caskets containing remains and personal items were removed from the plane and displayed in front of a large crowd of government officials, military personnel, family members and members of the public for a brief remembrance ritual.

Escorted by a police motorcade, the caskets were then transported by PLA trucks to the Chinese People's Volunteer Army Martyrs' Cemetery in Shenyang. A burial ceremony will be held in the cemetery on Friday.

Earlier on Thursday morning, a handover ceremony for the remains was held at the Incheon International Airport in South Korea.

Dressed in ceremonial uniforms, PLA honor guards received the caskets from their South Korean counterparts. Xing Haiming, Chinese ambassador to South Korea, placed the national flag on each of the caskets. Chinese delegation members bowed deeply in front of the caskets to show their respect and remembrance.

Chang Zhengguo, China's Vice-Minister of Veterans Affairs, said at the event that 2021 marks the eighth consecutive year the remains of Chinese soldiers have been returned from South Korea.

Personnel from both sides involved in the excavation, identification and handover operations have had to work harder in the last two years than previously because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he noted.

The vice-minister said China is grateful to authorities and workers in South Korea for their efforts and will deepen cooperation and communication to bring the remains of other Chinese soldiers back home.

A total of 109 fallen soldiers and some 1,226 articles belonging to them, excavated from six regions in South Korea between 2019 and 2020, were laid to rest in caskets in a ceremony on Wednesday morning in Incheon.

Under the command of by Peng Dehuai, 2.9 million Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers fought in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and nearly 200,000 died in combat.

South Korea began to recover the remains of fallen soldiers in 2000. A special unit was established by the South Korean army in 2003 to take charge of the process.

Between 2014 and 2020, South Korea returned the remains of 716 Chinese soldiers.

In another development, China's Ministry of Veterans Affairs announced on Wednesday that its local branches have identified four of the 117 martyrs returned in September 2020, and have managed to contact their family members.
BEIJING, Sept. 2 -- The Chinese teams participating in the International Army Games (IAG) 2021 achieved excellent results in multiple events from 6 p.m., August 31 to 6 p.m., September 1, Beijing time.

First place in last stage of the Army of Culture event

With a score of 641.5 points (out of 650 points), the Chinese team won first place in the exhibition activities, the last stage of the Army of Culture event under the IAG 2021.

The Army of Culture competition came to a successful conclusion on the day after having 10 rounds of matches in nine consecutive days.

Second place in the Tactical Shooter event

The last race of the Tactical Shooter special troops applied shooting competition under the IAG 2021 was held at the shooting range of Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School, Russia on the morning of August 31, local time.

Ten teams from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, etc. competed fiercely. The Chinese team performed well and won second place in the overall evaluation.

Chinese team tops in two stages of Clear Sky event

The Chinese team fires at a mock helicopter target in the combined race of the Clear Sky event held in Korla, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on September 1, 2021. (Photo by Zhao Yu)

The combined race of the Clear Sky competition for man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) crews under the IAG 2021 was held in Korla, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on the morning of September 1, local time. Six teams from China, Russia, Belarus, Egypt, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela competed fiercely.

The combined race is the final stage of the Clear Sky event. The results of participating teams in the combined race and the top three teams in the Clear Sky event, as well as the best missile shooter, best machine gunner, and best driver in the three stages of the mastery race, cooperation stage, and combined race will be announced on September 2.

The Chinese team has won the first place in the previous two stages.
Chinese soldiers carry to a plane coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 2, 2021. South Korea on Thursday returned 109 more remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War. The eighth repatriation ceremony was held at the Incheon International Airport, west of the capital Seoul. (Xinhua/Wang Jingqiang)

INCHEON, South Korea, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Thursday returned 109 more remains of Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.

The eighth repatriation ceremony was held at the Incheon International Airport, west of the capital Seoul, attended by the Chinese delegation led by Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Chang Zhengguo and the South Korean delegation led by Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min.

During the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming covered the coffins with China's national flag before the coffins were carried onto the airplane.

It marked the eighth repatriation ceremony. In the previous seven repatriations, South Korea had returned the remains of 716 Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the Korean War, including 437 in 2014, 68 in 2015, 36 in 2016, 28 in 2017, 20 in 2018, 10 in 2019 and 117 in 2020.

At this year's ceremony, Chang said China and South Korea have jointly carried out handover of the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs in South Korea for eight consecutive years and returned in total 825 remains to their motherland, following humanitarian principles and in the spirit of friendship and practical cooperation.

Chang noted that against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic since last year, both sides have made more efforts to successfully complete the handover.

The Chinese side appreciated the efforts made by the South Korean side and is ready to deepen friendly cooperation and exchanges between the two countries, promote the protection of the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs in South Korea and bring more remains of the martyrs back to their motherland as soon as possible, Chang added.
BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Thursday met with U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry via video link upon invitation, urging the United States to adopt rational and pragmatic China policies to work with China in bringing ties back on track as soon as possible.

Yang, also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said for some time China-U.S. relations have faced severe difficulties due to a series of erroneous acts by the United States to interfere in China's internal affairs and undermine China's interests. "China is strongly opposed to and even more resolute in countering such practices."

As confrontation between China and the United States serves no one's interests, Yang said the two countries should have mutual respect, coexist peacefully, handle differences properly, and work for win-win results.

"This will serve the fundamental interests of people on both sides and people of all countries in the world," Yang said.

He expressed the hope that the United States can take into consideration the common interests of the two sides and the long-term interests of itself, take concrete steps to rectify wrongdoings, view China and bilateral relations in an objective and rational manner, and respect China's political system and development path.

China is open to dialogue and pragmatic cooperation with the United States, Yang said, noting that the two countries can enhance coordination and cooperation on a broad range of issues including climate change, COVID-19 control and economic recovery.

"At the same time, such cooperation must be two-way and mutually beneficial," he added.

Noting that China has taken a series of major strategic decisions and strong measures to respond to climate change, a demonstration of its active and determined attitude, Yang said China respects other countries' rights to development and choice, and the rights to development and choice of China must be respected as well.

China is ready to enhance policy communication and pragmatic cooperation on climate change with the United States to facilitate the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, said Yang.

Noting U.S.-China relations are very important to the two countries and the whole world, Kerry said the United States is willing to step up dialogue with China and jointly cope with climate change based on mutual respect, so as to inject impetus into the improvement of bilateral ties.
The Advisory Panel on Australia's Resettlement of Afghan Nationals will liaise with the government and will be in place for at least a year.

Australian immigration minister Alex Hawke said in a statement Monday the first priority would be safeguarding the "mental and physical wellbeing of the evacuees" who "have endured experiences of torture and trauma." Many would also have the anguish of leaving relatives behind in Afghanistan.

Australia said it would offer sanctuary to 3,000 people fleeing Afghanistan by June 2022. A new advisory panel made up of Australian-Afghan community leaders, along with refugee and settlement experts, will help them chart a new life.

Its co-chair Paris Aristotle said the "residual trauma" of those fleeing Taliban-controlled Afghanistan will be "amongst the highest levels" of any refugees Australia has ever taken in.

"We have never had to resettle groups out of a crisis in the middle of a pandemic before. One of the critical issues for people in this context is they will have to go quarantine on arrival for 14-days. That will be unfamiliar to them on top of having escaped in very dangerous and chaotic circumstances," Aristotle said.

Both Canada and Britain have said they would allow 20,000 Afghans to resettle. Australia will grant safe haven visas to 3,000 people, and the places will come from existing quotas of available humanitarian visas, and there will be no increase in overall numbers. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is hopeful more will follow.

"We will do, we think, at least 3,000 this year. I actually believe it will be more based on, you know, the work that we are already doing. The challenge there will be how people actually get out of Afghanistan," Morrison said.

The Australian military rescued more than 4,000 people from Kabul airport since the start of the U.S.-led evacuation mission, which is now over. Between 2019 and 2020, Australia granted refugee status to just under 15,000 people. Most came from Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Myanmar.


At present, a worker earning W3 million a month pays a W24,000 unemployment insurance contribution, but that will rise by another W1,500 (US$1=W1,159).

The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Wednesday that the current 0.8 percent of monthly wages that employers shoulder and 1.6 percent paid by employees will rise by 0.1 percentage point each. The government hiked the workers' share from 1.3 percent to 1.6 percent in 2019.

The government decided to raise the contribution because the existing pool of money is about to dry up. That makes President Moon Jae-in the country's first leader to hike it twice in his single, five-year term.

Unemployment insurance fees docked from workers' salaries will rise again in January next year.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor attempted a hike this February but backed down in the face of intense opposition. But the pool of money has dried up because unemployment soared in the coronavirus pandemic.

Vice Labor Minister Park Hwa-jin said, "Considering the current state of the fund, we could not delay an increase any further."

The government also promised to tighten its belt to assuage mounting opposition and slash spending by W2.6 trillion in 2022 and penalize jobless people who get more than three unemployment payouts in a row without finding work.

When Moon took office in 2017, the fund had W10.25 trillion, but the deficit widened when the government expanded coverage to young unemployed people and maternity leave.

Employers' groups protested. The Korea Enterprises Federation said, "The government is focused on increasing revenues rather than on reforming its expenditure structure."

And Kim Dae-il at Seoul National University said, "Raising contributions means employers will hire fewer workers due to a bigger cost burden, and employees earn less money. The government failed to husband its finances and is now forcing salaried workers to pay the price."
Soju, long regarded as the common man's tipple, is gaining popularity among hipsters and celebrities both at home and abroad.

Chic versions are being endorsed by celebrities like Eva Chow and hip hop star Park Jae-bum.

Khee soju, which varies from 22 percent to 38 percent proof and costs a steep W20,000 to W50,000 a bottle, is the brainchild of Chow, a Korean-American fashion designer, who makes it in America and then sells it back to her country of birth.

Shinsegae chairman Chung Yong-jin and actress Ko So-young have both fanned its popularity by posting Khee on Instagram, and one batch of 1,000 bottles sold out in just two days here.

Chow developed Khee over two years targeting the premium liquor market. "I created Khee because I wanted to share the culture of Korea, where I was born and which I love, with the world."


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SRINAGAR, India (AP)  Indian authorities cracked down on public movement and imposed a near-total communications blackout in disputed Kashmir on Thursday after the death of Syed Ali Geelani, a top separatist leader who became the emblem of the regions defiance against New Delhi.

Geelani, who died late Wednesday at age 92, was buried in a local graveyard in a quiet funeral organized by authorities under harsh restrictions, his son, Naseem Geelani, told The Associated Press. He said the family had planned to bury him at the main martyrs graveyard in Srinagar, the regions main city, as specified in his will but were not allowed to do so by police.

They snatched his body and forcibly buried him. Nobody from the family was present for his burial. We tried to resist but they overpowered us and even scuffled with women, Naseem Geelani said.

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The Press Trust of India news agency reported that officials buried Geelanis body and prohibited any mass funeral in anticipation of anti-India protests.

As most Kashmiris remained locked inside their homes, police and soldiers patrolled the tense region. Government forces placed steel barricades and razor wire across many roads, bridges and intersections and set up additional checkpoints in towns and villages in the Kashmir Valley.

Authorities shut down most cellphone networks and mobile internet service in a common tactic employed by India to head off mass protests.

Geelani spearheaded Kashmirs movement for the right to self-determination and was a staunch proponent of merging Kashmir with Pakistan. He strongly opposed any dialogue with New Delhi, a position rejected by successive Indian governments who often dubbed him a hard-line politician.

Geelani was also the face of Kashmirs civilian defiance against Indian rule. He led a faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an association of various Kashmiri political and religious groups that was formed in 1993 to spearhead a movement for the regions self-determination.

The group used civil disobedience in the form of shutdowns and protests as a tactic to counter Indian rule.

For many in Kashmir and beyond, Geelani was an enduring icon of defiance against India.

Farmer Mohammed Akbar said Geelanis death filled him with remorse but also anger after he learned that Geelanis body had been buried by authorities who excluded Kashmiris and his extended family from participating in the last rites.

They are looking at ways to humiliate us, Akbar said as he held his grandson in his arms. They are even scared of dead Geelani.

Pakistan observed a day of official mourning and flags flew at half staff on orders by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Its foreign ministry condemned the non-public burial by Indian authorities.

Pakistan strongly condemns the barbaric act of snatching of the mortal remains of the iconic Kashmiri leader by Indian police, the ministry said in a statement in Islamabad.

It said the Indian government was so afraid of Syed Geelani and what he stood for that they have now resorted to this inhuman act even after his passing away. This shows the degree of callousness on part of the Occupation Forces.

Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan, which both claim the region in full but rule only parts.

Rebels have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebel goal that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

New Delhi accuses Pakistan of sponsoring Kashmiri militants, a charge Pakistan denies. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.

Tensions flared in the region in 2019 after New Delhi stripped Kashmirs semi-autonomy, scrapped its statehood and removed inherited protections on land and jobs. Authorities have since brought a slew of new laws, which many critics and Kashmiris liken to the beginning of settler colonialism.

___

Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
Srinagar, September 02 (KMS): In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the towering Kashmiri Hurriyat leader and face of Kashmir resistance movement, Syed Ali Gilani, embraced martyrdom after remaining in 12 years Indian detention in Srinagar, last night. He was 92.

Despite suffering from multiple ailments, Syed Ali Gilani continued to remain under house arrest for so many years that took heavy toll on his health. In 2015, Indian government had declared his Hyderpora residence as sub jail and imposed restrictions on his free movement and freedom of speech, which remained in force till his death. He developed serious complications on Wednesday afternoon and breathed his last in the night.

Soon after the news of Syed Ali Gilanis demise spread, announcements were made from mosques in Srinagar asking people to come out of their homes to pay homage to the iconic leader. However, when millions of residents of the Kashmir Valley woke up in the morning, they witnessed a strict curfew and communication blackout. The Kashmir valley had been converted into a new Guantanamo Bay, with the deployment of thousands of additional Indian troops and police personnel to bar a sea of people from thronging the Hyderpora residence of the Kashmiri leader to attend his funeral.

It would have been, analysts say, the largest funeral gathering in the history of Jammu and Kashmir had India not forced people to stay indoors at gunpoint. As the dead body was wrapped in Pakistani flag and the mourners started chanting pro-freedom and pro-Pakistan slogans like We Want Freedom, Hum Pakistani Hain Aur Pakistan Hamara Hai, a heavy contingent of Indian forces personnel raided the residence, tortured the family members and snatched the dead body by force. In the course of resistance, Syed Ali Gilanis son Dr Nayeem and his wife were injured in police torture. The forces personnel took away with the body for burial at Hyderpora graveyard in Srinagar under heavy military siege in the dark of night in violation of the last will of the Syed Ali Gilani, who according to his family, wanted to be buried at Martyrs Graveyard, Eid Gah in Srinagar.

Born in Sopore town of Baramulla district on 29 September 1929, Syed Ali Gilani received his early education from his hometown, and finished his studies at the Oriental College, Lahore. The veteran leader strived for the cause of freedom of Kashmir from Indian illegal occupation all along his life. He remained at the forefront of the Kashmiris struggle for right to self-determination, first, from the platform of Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, and later from his own party by the name of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir. He led the All Parties Hurriyat Conference for many years. He was a staunch opponent of Indian illegal occupation of his motherland, and in turn spent many years in different Indian jails. Syed Ali Gilani remained passionate advocate of Jammu and Kashmirs accession to Pakistan and it was he who coined the famous slogan Hum Pakistani Hain, Pakistan Hamara Ha. In recognition of his decades-old struggle for Kashmiris right to self-determination, he was conferred Nishan-i-Pakistan, the countrys highest civil award by President Dr Arif Alvi, last year.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference and other Hurriyat leaders and organizations and Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum in their statements paid rich tributes to the towering Kashmiri leader, Syed Ali Gilani. They appealed to the people of IIOJK, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, people of Pakistan, Kashmiri Diaspora and whole Muslim Ummah, to offer prayers in absentia for the veteran leader, Syed Ali Gilani, tomorrow.

Funerals in absentia were offered for Syed Ali Gilani at Parliament House Islamabad and other places in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, today. President Dr Arif Alvi, AJK Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi and people from all walks of life including Hurriyat leaders participated in the funeral.
Syed Ali Geelani was born on September 29, 1929, to Syed Peer Shah Geelani of Zoori Munz village in Tehsil Bandipora which then formed a part of Baramulla district.Geelani received his preliminary education at Sopore, and finished his studies at the Oriental College, Lahore (Pakistan).Geelani spent his boyhood in the headquarters of Plebiscite Front at Mujahid Manzil where Moulana Syed Masoodi patronised him. Geelani was all praise for Masoodi. I owe him a lot. He has helped me through thick and thin, Geelani once said in an informal chat at his Hyderpora residence.It was perhaps Masoodis influence that made him (Geelani) join the National Conference for a while. In 1953, Jamat Islami Jammu Kashmir was part of Jamat-e-Islami Hind. Since the local mood was against India then, Jammu Kashmir got his own unit of Jamat-e-Islami. Geelani joined it and never looked back, at least not until 1997 when severe differences with then Jamat chief, Ghulam Muhammad Bhat won him the ire of Jamat-e-Islami.Meanwhile, Dr Shafi Shariti published Geelanis biography Quaid-e-Inqilaab: Eak Tehreekh Eak Tareekh (Leader of revolution: A movement, A history). The book shook the Jamaat-e-Islami.The Jamat accused the author of maligning the image of the organisation. The author has tried to project Jamat-e-Islami as a pro-Indian political party. He has further mentioned that Jamat was fed by Indian intelligence agencies. This is intolerable. The book has blown a particular person out of proportion. However, the organisation that groomed that person has been ridiculed and condemned, he said.The spokesman also condemned what he called criminal and shameful silence of Geelani. He should have set the records rights and given the author a befitting reply, he said. The Jamat even considered expelling Geelani from the organisation.Syed Ali Geelani responded by issuing a disclaimer. The views expressed are the authors own. I do not subscribe to it. The book shook Jamate-Islami forcing it to boycott future meetings of the separatist conglomerate of which it is an important constituent. Jamat did not react to the disclaimer.Geelani also said that he did not subscribe to the authors views. But I uphold the freedom of speech and expression. We cannot curb a writers freedom.Geelani accused Bhat of dancing to the tune of the Intelligence Bureau (IB). He also took Bhat to task for burying literature produced by the Institute of Kashmir Studies (IKS) which was an extension of Jamaat-e-Islami.Geelani contested elections several times and made it to the legislative assembly three times. He contested controversial elections in 1972 when Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah had called for election boycott.Justifying his joining the fray, he once said: The Plebiscite Front had deviated from the basic stand way back in 1969 when it decided to contest municipal elections. Some Plebiscite Front leaders also informed the people of Sheikh Abdullahs wavering stand but people did not take note. The Plebiscite Front, therefore, had no valid reason to call for election boycott. Further, the decision to contest the elections was taken by Jamat-e-Islami not Geelani.A close aide of Geelani once said: Geelani Sahib was never trying to make a point in the assembly. Whenever he stood up to make a point, the National Conference members would distract him by screaming or thumping the benches, he said.Geelani was an important member of Hurriyat Conference and succeeded Dr Umer Farooq as its chairman in 1997. However, he parted ways in 2003 to make his own version of the amalgam.Geeelani severely criticised Pakistan President General Parvez Musharraf for his Four Point Formula. His stand against what he called sellout won him widespread appreciation and support. Geelani was now the leader of masses, a crowd puller, a leader who would never budge from his stand.Around this time Geelani severely opposed dialogue. In an interview he said: Dialogue is no solution at this point in time because that would mean negotiations which imply give and take. Talks on Kashmir issue started on March 23, 1952 and since then 130 dialogues and conferences have taken place. But no one can claim that a single step towards the resolution of the Kashmir issue was tread. You can ask our leaders who started dialogue process from 2002 what they have achieved? You must be aware about the recent statement of Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh; he said that moderate Hurriyat failed to come up with the specific proposals which means he has again thrown the ball in their court.General Parvez Musharaf also started dialogue process from January 2004 but nothing came to fruition.With the experience of 62 years of dialogue, talks at this crucial juncture of history seem to be an immature decision.We have to be strict in our approach. We have seen that India is not taking notice of the issue even when millions of people came out on streets demanding Right to Self Determination. Dialogue with such an arrogant power at this juncture is absolutely mockery.Geelani believed in merger of Kashmir with Pakistan. However, he did not shy away from criticising Islamabads policies at times. He was particularly critical of the Kargil episode, saying that while Pakistan had been supporting the indigenous struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, morally, diplomatically and politically  this does not mean Pakistan can take a decision on our behalf.Geelani began his political career in 1950, and spent more than a decade in jail. He was first imprisoned in 1962, but spent several spells in jail (ranging from days at a time to just over a year) from then onwards.The JI leader was diagnosed with renal cancer in 2007. In 2008, he was put under house arrest during the Amarnath Land Row and the house detention continued till his death.Geelani never encouraged stone pelting. He always urged the youth not to resort to stone pelting as, according to him, it served no purpose.Contrary to common belief, he was not in favour of indefinite strikes. I am not in favour of indefinite and continued strikes. But we have been left with no alternative by New Delhi. This is our only mode of registering protest, he said during a seminar.Immediately after the Pulwama attack in 2019, Geelani was booked under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The Enforcement Directorate levied a penalty of Rs 14.40 lakh and ordered confiscation of nearly Rs 6.8 lakh in connection with a FEMA case against him for illegal possession of foreign exchange.On 29 November 2010, Geelani, along with writer Arundhati Roy, Varvara Rao, Sheikh Showkat and others was charged under sections 124A (Sedition) 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 504 (insult intended to provoke breach of peace) and 505 (false statement, rumour circulated with intent to cause mutiny or offence against public peace) to be read with Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967.Geelani is survived by his widow Jawahira Begum. His son Dr Nayeem and his daughter-in-law are doctors in Pakistan. They returned to Kashmir in 2010. His second son, Zahoor, lives in New Delhi. Izhaar, his grandson, is a crew member of a private airliner in India, while his daughter Farhat is a teacher in Jeddah.His son-in-law Alataf Shah alais Fantosh is presently under detention in a terror funding case. Another son-in-law Iftikar Geelani is in Turkey.Geelani shall always be remembered for his boldness, fair play, straightforwardness and his oratory skills.Geelani loved Urdu and spoke it fairly well. He would urge people to learn Urdu. He also knew Persian.With his death an era has ended. To Him we belong and to Him we shall return Al Quran.
Srinagar: Veteran pro-freedom leader and former Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Geelani passed away at his residence-cum-office in Srinagar on Wednesday evening. He was 92.His family members confirmed the death of Geelani after prolonged illness at his Hyderpora residence. There was no confirmation about the timing of his funeral prayers or about the place of his burial.Reports said that he breathed his last at around 10:30 pm after developing chest pain.Soon after his death, government forces were seen setting up barricades at the entrance of the lane leading to Geelanis house. Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said that nobody from outside will be allowed to visit and restrictions will be imposed in the Valley. Only family members and neighbors will be allowed to visit, he said.According to his will, he wanted to be buried in Srinagars Eidgah martyrs graveyard, where scores of militants alongside several others killed in the last three decades of armed militancy are buried. But it is believed the authorities might not allow it to avoid disturbance in the situation.The octogenarian leader was held by previous governments led by Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti under house detention at his Hyderpora residence since 2010. A posse of policemen were placed outside his home, preventing him from leaving his home. On a few occasions, he was briefly allowed to offer Friday prayers in mosques but was later placed under house detention again. Lastly, he was seen in public life before the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Since then, he has remained confined to his home and away from public life.Surprisingly, he quit Hurriyat Conference on June 29, 2020 after issuing a letter and an audiotape accusing Pakistan-based Hurriyat leadership of nepotism, political corruption and breach of trust in leadership.It was seen as a major decision since his quitting the United Hurriyat Conference in 2003 following differences with the Peoples Conference over fielding of proxies in the 2002 legislative assembly elections. Since then, he was heading his own amalgam comprising almost two dozen parties.Though an ardent supporter of Pakistan, his credibility and stature grew immensely after he openly criticised and refused to endorse four-point formula of Pakistan military dictator Gen Parvez Musharraf. It also developed bitterness between Mirwaiz Umar Farooq led Hurriyat who was supporting Musharrafs formula.Geelani was averse to bilateral dialogue with New Delhi and lastly he refused to meet an all-party delegation sent by Government of India in 2016.
Three Howard County farming families were honored with Hoosier Homestead Awards at the Indiana State Fair Aug. 18. Hoosier Homestead Awards recognize farms that have been owned and farmed by the same family for more than 100 years. The Breisch Farm, the Kingseed Farms and the Davis Farm all received awards.

Marcheta Davis said she accepted the award in honor of her late husband, John. Johns grandparents homesteaded the land a few years before they officially bought it in 1920. John began driving tractors when he was 12 years old, and he would feed the pigs and cows in the morning before he left for school. Johns grandmother willed him the farm after she passed, and John continued to take care of the farm until he passed away two years ago.

He really, really wanted this award, Davis said. He didnt want to put the sign up by the road. He didnt want to gloat or for people to think he was bragging about it, but he wanted the sign for himself to hang up in his toolshed.

Davis said she and John fostered 57 children on their farm and adopted two children. Their children and Johns two brothers accompanied Davis to accept the award.

I was extremely excited they were able to share in this, Davis said. I was very touched.

The Davis Farm received a centennial award. Farms can receive a centennial award after being owned for 100 years, a sesquicentennial award after 150 years, and a bicentennial award after 200 years.

The Breisch Farm received centennial and sesquicentennial awards. Kevin Breisch, the sixth generation to farm his familys land, said it was an honor to be recognized.

It was a really cool experience, Breisch said. It was the first time our family has [received the award], and it was really something to be proud of.

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The Breisch family bought their 35 acre farm in 1848 and have farmed it since then. Breisch said he hopes his two children will continue to farm the land in the future.

Greg Kingseed and his family also have a long history of farming. Kingseed has taken care of his familys farm for the past 50 years. His family has farmed the same 160 acres of land since 1848, when they received a land grant signed by the 11th president of the United States, James K. Polk.

Its been passed down through the generations, Kingseed said. Its one thing to have the farm in the family name that long, and another thing to have farmed the same land with family members all these years.

The Kingseeds received centennial and sesquicentennial awards for the farm they acquired in 1848. They also received centennial awards for a farm they have owned since 1903 and another farm they have owned since 1919.

Kingseed said he has a son and four grandsons who are interested in working on the family farm.

Its been a legacy and its something I want to see preserved and carried on, Kingseed said. It looks like my family will for at least another 50 years, hopefully more.

There are two Hoosier Homestead Award ceremonies each year. One is at the Indiana State Museum in March and the other takes place at the Indiana State Fair in August.

According to the Indian State Department of Agricultures website, more than 5,800 farms have received Hoosier Homestead awards in the past 45 years.

Anyone interested in completing an application for a Hoosier Homestead Award or learning more about the program can visit the Indiana State Department of Agricultures page on IN.gov at www.in.gov/isda/programs-and-initiatives/hoosier-homestead/.
Northwestern schools will require students to wear masks again to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep more students in school.

The Northwestern School Corporation Board of School Trustees held a special meeting Wednesday to evaluate COVID procedures at Northwestern schools. Board members decided to reinforce masks through a 4-1 vote.

We feel like what we came up with is going to give the best opportunity to achieve our main goal, which is to keep kids in the classroom, said Northwestern School Board president Ted Merrell.

We really value the in-person education process. Theres no substitute for that. We can try to do the best we can with virtual or e-learning, but its just not as good.

The change came on the heels of an update from Gov. Eric Holcomb that relaxes quarantine requirements for school students and staff if they wear masks.

Merrell said the school board took all recent changes to heart when deciding on its own requirements. Starting on Tuesday, Sept. 7, students who wear masks will not have to quarantine if they are in contact with someone who tests positive. Students who opt out of wearing a mask will still have to quarantine for 10 days.

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Northwestern had 41 students last week test positive for COVID, and 231 students were quarantined because they were awaiting test results or had been in contact with a student who tested positive. Four teachers tested positive, and two were in quarantine.

There will be ways for parents to opt their students out of the mask requirement. Students who opt out of the policy will still be required to adhere to quarantine if exposed to the virus.

Parent Tyler Stetzel said the mask requirement is the least that should be expected from the school. When reached out to for comment, Tyler wrote, I wouldve preferred a vaccine mandate like with other vaccines for children as they enter school age, but masks at least get us going in the right direction.

Stetzel said his son and other unvaccinated family members previously caught COVID, but he and his wife, who were both vaccinated, did not get sick.

Merrell said it was important to the school board to give parents a choice. He still hopes enough students wear masks to reduce the schools number of children in quarantine.

We just hope parents will make the right choice, not only for their kids, but for the school district as a whole. The last thing we want to do is go virtual or go to e-learning, Merrell said. Nobody wins in that scenario.
James Davis was stocking shelves at Rural King in the Maple Crest Plaza the morning of Aug. 25. So I asked him where I might find the ivermectin.

I was in the right row.

The store had large, five-pound boxes of yellow ivermectin powder to mix with livestock feed. It had liquid vials of the stuff to deworm sheep, and the syringes to get the job done. Rural King had no capsules of ivermectin.

Davis said he has worked at Rural King for a month. Over the last two weeks, he said, at least 10 shoppers had asked him if the farm supply store carried ivermectin.

And I know they didnt look like farmers, Davis said.

Interest in ivermectin has spiked since Fox News commentators Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham mentioned on their respective programs that the anti-parasitic drug could be a possible treatment for COVID-19. Last year, all three mentioned the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential COVID therapeutic.

Now public health officials across the country are sounding the alarm against ivermectins use by Americans to treat COVID.

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You are not a horse. You are not a cow, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration tweeted Aug. 21. Seriously, yall. Stop it.

The Mississippi State Department of Health issued a warning against using ivermectin to stave off COVID  again  on Aug. 23, after two people were hospitalized with toxic levels of the drug in their systems. Health officials there report 70% of recent calls to the states poison control center have had to do with ingesting ivermectin.

Symptoms of an ivermectin overdose, the FDA reports, include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low-blood pressure, reactions such as itching and hives, dizziness, seizures, coma and death. They sound worse than potential side effects of the COVID vaccine some people are attempting to avoid.

The FDA has OKd the use of ivermectin in treating human parasitic infestations such as scabies, and doctors commonly prescribe it. But not in the kind of doses one would find available in a feed store, and not for COVID-19.

COVID isnt a parasite, like ringworm. Its a highly infectious virus. And treatments against COVID  the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines  have proven to be 99.99% effective in keeping the worlds vaccinated from getting so sick from the illness that they might die.

So get the COVID vaccine. Leave the feed-store ivermectin for horses, cows, pigs and sheep.

Jeff Kovaleski is editor of the Kokomo Perspective. Contact him at editor@kokomoperspective.com
VALPARAISO  A judge has denied a request to dismiss charges that a former Porter County police officer injured his infant son and left the boy disabled and with a much shorter life expectancy.

The decision means the case remains on track for a nine-day trial starting Jan. 4, which which will be 5 1/2 years from the date 51-year-old Curtis Jones Jr. is accused of injuring the boy.

Defense attorneys John Vouga and Nicholas Barnes argued prosecutors have failed to provide the necessary evidence to back up felony counts of battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a person less than 14 years of age, aggravated battery and neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury filed against Jones, who is now living in Florida.

Watch Now: Riding Shotgun With NWI Paramedics

The charges claim the offense occurred on or about July 24, 2016, but prosecutors say the injuries suffered by the child "'must have' happened 'near' the time that Mr. Jones called 911," the motion to dismiss read. "The phrase 'must have' provides zero degree of sufficient certainty. Additionally, the word 'near' is equally vague and provides no certainty."

"There is no scientific test to determine when these injuries occurred, just guesses," the defense said. "As this Court is aware, our criminal justice system is not intended to convict individuals based on guesses, but rather facts."

Porter Superior Court Judge Mike Fish cited an appellate ruling that determined charging information must "satisfy the goal of putting the defendant on notice of the crimes with which (he) is charged during the applicable statute of limitations period so that (he) can prepare an appropriate defense."

The judge further said state code has held since 1884 "that the time of the offense need not be pled perfectly unless time is of the essence of the offense."

Former Porter County cop seeking to dismiss 4-year-old child abuse case

"In the case at bar, the amended charging information provides the Defendant with sufficient notice of the charges against him," Fish wrote in his order.

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A doctor at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago said the child suffered "the worst brain injury I have ever seen," according to court documents. The doctors determined the injuries were consistent with being shaken and must have occurred during the time he was in the care of Curtis when his former wife and the boy's mother was at her overnight nursing job.

In further arguing for the first two counts to be dismissed, the defense said prosecutors are unable to prove there was "rude, angry or insolent touching."

The boy, who was 6 months old when the alleged abuse is said to have occurred and is now 5 years old, suffered no external injuries or broken bones, according to the defense. While prosecutors say the child's injuries were consistent with being shaken, the defense counters the injuries were also consistent with nearly 50 other medical diagnosis, many of which he was never tested for and none of which would involve criminal behavior.

Child battery trial for former Porter County cop delayed until January, 5 1/2 years after alleged incident

"Again, the State is attempting to guess Mr. Jones into a guilty verdict using vague and uncertain terminology," the defense said.

The case has been delayed numerous times over the years with the latest sought by Vouga and Barnes, who took it over in January from one attorney who died in 2019 and another who was disbarred just last year.

Jones left the Porter County Sheriff's Department in October 2005.

Fish set a Sept. 13 hearing to read amended charges to Jones, who will be allowed to attend by a video conference call.

Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Porter County Jail
On 1 September Mexicos Presidentpresented a characteristically upbeat annual state-of-the-nation report (Informe) to congress, highlighting his governments achievements and announcing a constitutional reform of the electricity industry.

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Press Release

September 2, 2021 With no clear support for cancer patients

NANCY SLAMS REMOVAL OF ITEM FOR CANCER IN 2022 BUDGET

...questions Admin's, DOH's policy direction on health Senator Nancy Binay today slammed the removal of the line item for the country's cancer fund for 2022 by the Department of Health, saying it was a "step back" after Congress "had gone through a lot of hoops to fully empower the national cancer control program." "The DOH should have taken our cue when we allocated P620 million last year for cancer. Batas 'yan, at long-term priority. Instead of moving forward this is a step back that we should correct. When survival matters, you don't make lifelines invisible," Binay said. The P620-million cancer fund for 2021 was only included during the bicameral conference for the national budget. It consists of the P500-million Cancer Control Program fund and the P120-million Cancer Assistance fund. The senator vowed to rectify the mis-step by filing an amendment during the Senate's deliberations on the DOH's proposed budget for 2022. The Cancer Coalition of the Philippines earlier sounded the alarm over the removal of the cancer fund line item in next year's budget. Instead of a line item, the DOH had subsumed the National Integrated Cancer Control Program (including cancer medicines for children) and the Cancer Assistance Fund under the fund for non-communicable diseases. The proposed fund for NCDs amounts to P1.3 billion. "This is a direct violation of the provisions under NICCA," the coalition stated in a position paper. "Hindi katanggap-tanggap na tila hindi permanenteng priority ang suporta para sa mga cancer patients natin. Dahil nakabulto lang sa NCD budget, walang linaw kung magkano ba talaga ang nakalaan, at ang pangamba ay baka paglaruan lang ang budget na ito," Binay said. "This is another half-baked idea that the DOH is trying to implement, which again puts in question the priorities of its leadership," she added. Based on the World Health Organization's Global Cancer Observatory, more than 153,000 new cases of cancer were recorded in the country in 2020. It is the second leading cause of death for Filipinos, with 62,300 deaths tallied last year. The senator also questioned the continued failure of the National Integrated Cancer Control Council to come up with the country's policy response to cancer. "This issue over the budget stems from the lack of a clear policy direction which the NICC Council has the responsibility of crafting," she said.
Press Release

September 2, 2021 De Lima seeks probe into DOTr's underutilization of funds, project delays Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima urged Congress to investigate the Department of Transportation's (DOTr) deficient disbursement of its allocated aid funds under the Bayanihan 2 Act, as well as other delays in its project implementation. In filing Senate Resolution (SR) No. 884, De Lima, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, underscored the need to hold officials accountable for said deficiencies and delays. The 2020 Commission on Audit (COA) report on the DOTr noted several deficiencies, delays, and irregularities in DOTR project implementation. "The underutilization of DOTr's aid funds not only hindered its optimum use towards much needed programs, it also immobilized already scarce funds which could have been appropriated towards the health and education sectors especially in this time of pandemic," she said. "Concerned offices and officials must therefore be enjoined to explain their failure to perform their mandates," she added. Aside from DOTr's deficient disbursement of allocated funds under the Bayanihan 2 Act, the report revealed that there was delay in 15 DOTr Foreign Assisted Projects (FAPs) for 2020 with an aggregate cost of 1,312,605,770,000, as well as misstatements in financial statements. The report likewise highlighted the agency's failure to deliver license plates despite acquiring 2,159,036,340 amount of funds from registrants and failure of several regional offices of the LTO Disposal Committee to dispose 2,595 units of Impounded Motor Vehicle (IMV), which prevented the agency from earning more revenues. The lady Senator from Bicol said the Congress must inquire into the gaps in existing laws that cause delay in public service. "It is also imperative that DOTr's policies are looked into to ascertain whether existing bureaucracies in its system hamper the performance of duties," she said. "There should be no room for ineptitude and gross negligence in government service, especially at a time when such services are essential to the very survival of our citizens," she added.
Press Release

September 2, 2021 Excerpts from ANC's Interview with Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon Headstart with Karen Davila Q: I know you have already reacted to Malacanang's accusations, diverting it essentially...Just to end this issue, with Sec. Roque throwing it back at the Aquino administration, what's your response to that? SFMD: We will not be distracted. Sec. Roque, you act like a troll., you know. You should be man enough to know that when a P625,000 company would be awarded supply contracts of over P8.6 billion in two months' time, there is a whiff of corruption that you should be man enough to admit merits an investigation. You cite the purchases by the DOH during the Aquino administration. That's five years ago, Sir. Number two, there was no COA report of questionable transactions. So, please, please. We will not be distracted and we will get to the bottom of this. Q: Overall, you've discovered that it's not just P42B that was transferred? SFMD: That's correct. On the basis of the report of the PS-DBM, P47.7B was moved over to PS-DBM from DOH. According to the COA, there was no documentation. Now that we have started to investigate, it is precisely because of this transfer and the lack of documentation that the planned plunder took place. It is certainly something that we have to look into. This Pharmally is capitalized at P625,000. Sec. Roque says hindi baleng mababa basta naka-deliver. Sec. Roque, I would invite you to read your law because among the standards required are the legal and financial capacity of the company entering a contract with the government. That's one. Number two, this company has only P625,000, how did, in heaven's name, generate and was able to enter into contract supply agreements worth P8.67 billion? They could respond they were just indenting; they are traders. Alright. Did the government have to enter into that kind of set up? Kailangan ba ng middle man dito? Why do you have to go do a middle man? Why not do a government-to-government transaction? Please answer that. I assume, the net income of Pharmally of over P284 million in 2020 all came from commissions. If there was a government-to-government transaction, without a middle man, that government would have saved P284 million as commission, as fees of Pharmally. This is a question that must be answered. Q: Sec. Roque says it's just the price. Naka-deliver naman daw, it is not because of Michael Yang. For you, would you say that Pharmally was favored because Michael Yang has a relationship with the President? SFMD: All I will say is Pharmally, on the face of the document, is favored. It does not require much intelligence to realize that if you have P625,000, common sense, but more important due diligence, would have told you that you should not award supply agreements worth P8.7B in a span of two months to this company. Q: What accountability or liability does Lao have at this point? Who signed the contracts? Is Sec. Duque's signature on these contracts too? SFMD: From what I understand, first, it was Sec. Duque who authorized the transfer of P42 billion. Therefore, it was because of that transfer, without MOA, that allowed Lao to do the shenanigans that it appears to have been done. I suspect that it is a part of the planned scheme from the very start to commit this grand corruption. I would repeat, Sec. Duque committed the original sin. It was because of what he did by transferring this money, without any MOA as required by COA rules, that enabled Lao to do what he did. There is no escaping of liability. Lao admitted upon my question, that he did not exercise due diligence... Q: Did Lao violate the law by closing contracts with Pharmally given that the incorporators have warrants of arrest against them in Taiwan... SFMD: Due diligence and prudence would have dictated that he should not have engaged this company to supply P8.7B worth of contracts. Yet, he did not exercise due diligence given the fact that it involved P8.7B. He admitted he did not exercise due diligence...It goes down to diligence and prudence and Lao failed to exercise that. USec. Lao is undersecretary...Why would he have the guts to approve that? Do you believe he is alone? Do you believe he has a backer? SFMD: That's why I said this USec. Lao has an MBA, not a Masters of Business Administration but May Backer Ako. That is what we are looking for. Who is this missing link that can connect the dot? That is why we will continue to investigate it... Q: The President ran on an anti-corruption campaign platform and, yet, with the suspicions arising with the P42B, the President...instead is saying that the Senate hearings are useless, in effect, and is actually defending Michael Yang. Why do you think the President is doing this? Firstly, I will not delve into issues rather than the legal issues I see. Here, when the President said that I ordered Duque to transfer that, that is to provide it legal cover, because under the law and the Constitution, only the President can direct the transfer of funds from one agency to another in the executive branch. Sec. Duque cannot do that. Legally, it must be the President. That is why the President made that statement that he ordered the transfer... But, let me point out, we have been hearing about the variants of the pandemic. Similar to these variants, the Blue Ribbon has discovered that there is a new variant called Planned Plunder. It is a virus which spreads all over bureaucracy. You hear about the pastillas scam; you hear about the BI commissioners; you hear about corruption in Customs. This corruption is like a variant. It mutates. You see it in the bureaucracy as we examine. That is why the Senate is doing this. This is part of our constitutional duty and our function of check and balance. We will not be distracted. Q: The President is defending Michael Yang. Ang sabi niya hindi ba kailangan natin ng investment... First, this is not an investment. Pharmally is not a manufacturer. In fact, their office no longer exists. The office is the same address as Huang Xu Yen, who is listed as the CEO, and Mohit Morgani who is listed as the treasurer. Q: Who else is accountable other than Lao? I said earlier Sec. Duque by his act of transferring these funds is a principal by direct participation, or principal by indispensable cooperation, because without his action this could not have happened. At this point, I can see the culpability of Sec. Duque and USec. Lao. The next question that we should ask. Where are all these face masks and face shields? Saan po napunta ito? Saan napunta ang pera? 115 million face masks. What happened to this huge inventory? How was this distributed? How was this disposed of? This is a question that we would like to ask . To whom was this turned over? Q: Sen. Drilon, a viewer is asking, isnt' Budget Sec. Avisado also liable for this? SFMD: Looking at the administrative structure, the PS-DBM is only an attached agency, meaning, the secretary has no control. Typically, the relationship between an office and the secretary is that the secretary would have control over the undersecretary, but, in this case, it is only for program coordination. Sec. Avisado cannot change the decision, only the President. Q: You mean to say Lao has the power to close contracts without Sec. Avisado signing on them? SFMD: Yes. Q: If Avisado had signed into these questionable contracts, that would make him accountable as well? SFMD: Yes, very correct.. Q: Sec. Avisado's role is not yet clear. But we're talking of billions of pesos. Would silence mean consent as well? SFMD: In fairness to him, he quit. As you and other people are suspecting, he maybe expected na puputok ito kaya umalis na siya. Q: On overpriced face shields procured by PS-DBM from Blue Cross Biotech SFMD: Per my records, Blue Cross Biotech Corp., on April 2, 2020, supplied 1.317 million face shields and this was sold at P120.00. This is overpriced, because, even Sen. Gordon as PRC chairman said that he was buying face shields at that time and it is nowhere as far as the pricing is concerned...They're saying there is supply tightness but, as Sen. Lacson correctly pointed out, how come there is supply tightness when we are the only country that requires face shields. Q: Moving forward, you asked a good question, where is it now? SFMD: We do not know the answer yet. Q: They should not have sold that? SFMD: That's the other thing I could not understand...These supplies are supposed to be properties of DOH. Please be prepared to show where these hundreds of millions of face masks and face shields are? Q: Moving forward, what can prevent PS-DBM from closing questionable deals again? SFMD: They stick to their mandate. Their mandate is to be able to purchase common use supplies at a cheaper cost because they purchase it in bulk. If they stick to that, this thing will not happenWhat can be done? I do not know what else can be done because no matter what kind of system you have if the person you place there is crooked, no perfect system can prevent that. The only other way is to abolish PS-DBM, which was formed during the time of Pres. Marcos. Q: How can that be abolished? SFMD: Good question. Since it's a GOCC, under the law that I wrote, the GOCC Governance Act, the President can abolish PS-DBM. Q: How would the President abolish that when, essentially, he is defending Lao? SFMD: I'm just saying the President can abolish PS-DBM... Q: Is it worth it for the DOJ to already start investigating? SFMD: The Ombudsman, I would assume as they have done the past, would monitor the hearings of the Blue Ribbon and on the basis of the testimonies that they hear, they should be able to establish whether a prima facie case exists to warrant an investigation and, ultimately, the filing of the case in the Sandiganbayan. Q: To close this, you have described it as premeditated plunder, pinagplanuhang nakawin ang pera. SFMD: Tama po iyan, iyan ang sinasabi natin. This is premeditated plunder. Talagang plinanong nakawin ang pera ng taumbayan. We will not be distracted by side issues. We will continue to pursue this until we get to the bottom of this corruption. Like the pandemic, we must treat it. Q: Treat it but somebody must be accountable for this... SFMD: Yes, certainly...On the facts and the law that I see, certainly, there is a prima facie case of plunder.
Press Release

September 2, 2021 Villar rallies behind Pinoy seafarers Magna Carta Senator Cynthia A. Villar has expressed her full support to Senate Bill No. 2369 under Committee Report No. 289--the "Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers," while acknowledging their significant contributions to the world amid the coronavirus pandemic. "The trade of food, necessary medicines, medical supplies and equipment, and other essentials are facilitated with the continuous toil and sacrifice of our seafarers on board various cargo vessels," said Villar. "And their contributions and work as seafarers are highlighted, especially now while we are at a pandemic," she added. In fact, she related the seafarers aboard cruise ships were among the first to be affected by the COVID virus, and yet they continue to venture with their work hazards. Because of this, Villar underscored the need to give our seafarers all the protection they need. The Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, Villar said, will guarantee the protection of their rights, and the standards to be followed on their employment terms and conditions. It will also afford a system to provide for their financial security and a mechanism to protect their health and welfare in case of pandemic and monitor the crucial role of certain government agencies like MARINA, DOLE, CHED, PCG tasked to protect them and improve the maritime industry. She likewise said the legislative measure will also guarantee the much-needed mechanism ensuring women protection and empowerment in the maritime industry. She stressed that women, in a male-dominated maritime industry, are exposed or vulnerable to sexual harassment and violence. "It is no secret that Filipinos are the preferred seafarers in the world. This is due to the innate ability of Filipinos to cope up with marine life, being hardworking, dedicated to work, flexible, cheerful, being highly trainable and fluent in English," said Villar, adding that 25% of all seafarers in the world are Filipinos. According to Villar, the Filipino seafarers, comprising a chunk of our beloved OFWs, have always been close to her family. She said it has always been the advocacy of her family to serve them. "That is why, may I share with you here, that we have devoted a family-owned facility, The Villar Tent in C5 Las Pinas, as well as medical personnel for the vaccination of our seafarers against COVID," she said. With coordination of MARINA and the Las Pinas General Hospital, Villar said they have so far vaccinated 10,000 seafarers and "we are ready to vaccinate more as long as there will be more vaccine supplies to be provided by the IATF, given that our seafarers are among the priority groups to be vaccinated."### Villar, suportado ang Magna Carta para sa Pinoy seafarers SUPORTADO ni Senator Cynthia A. Villar ang Senate Bill No. 2369 sa ilalim ng Committee Report No. 289- ang "Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers," kasabay ng pagkilala sa mahalagang naiambag ng mga ito sa buong mundo sa kabila ng coronavirus pandemic. "The trade of food, necessary medicines, medical supplies and equipment, and other essentials are facilitated with the continuous toil and sacrifice of our seafarers on board various cargo vessels," sabi ni Villar. "And their contributions and work as seafarers are highlighted, especially now while we are at a pandemic," dagdag pa niya. Ipinahayag ng senador na kabilang ang seafarers sa mga naunang apektado ng COVID virus, subalit ipinagpatuloy pa rin nila ang kanilang trabaho sa kabila ng panganib.Dahil dito, iginiit ni Villar na marapat lamang na bigyan sila ng protekyon. Tinitiyak sa Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, ang proteksyon ng kanilang karapatan at ang mga dapat sundin sa kanilang employment terms and conditions. Magbibigay din ito sa kanila ng financial security at mekanismo para alagaan ang kanilang kalusugan at kapakanan kapag may pandemiya at bantayan ang mga ahensiya gaya ng MARINA, DOLE, CHED, PCG na mangangalaga sa kanila at magsusulong sa maritime industry. "The legislative measure will also ensure the much-needed mechanism ensuring women protection and empowerment in the maritime industry. She stressed that women, in a male-dominated maritime industry are exposed or vulnerable to sexual harassment and violence," ani Villar. "It is no secret that Filipinos are the preferred seafarers in the world. This is due to the innate ability of Filipinos to cope up with marine life, being hardworking, dedicated to work, flexible, cheerful, being highly trainable and fluent in English," ayon pa sa senador na nagsabing Filipino ang 25% ng seafarers sa buong daigdig. inihayag din ng Nacionalista Party senator na malapit sa kanilang pamilya ang Filipino seafarers na malaki ang bilang sa ating OFWs. Aniya, adbokasiya nila ang pagserbisyuhan ang mga ito. "That is why, may I share with you here, that we have devoted a family-owned facility, The Villar Tent in C5 Las Pinas, as well as medical personnel for the vaccination of our seafarers against COVID," sabi ng senador. Sa koordinasyon ng MARINA at Las Pinas General Hospital, sinabi ni Villar na may 10,000 seafarers ang nabakunaha sa The Villar Tent "and we are ready to vaccinate more as long as there will be more vaccine supplies to be provided by the IATF, given that our seafarers are among the priority groups to be vaccinated."###
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HSBC Saudi Arabia unveiled Wednesday the HSBC Global Equity Climate Change Fund; the kingdoms first environmental initiative investment fund.

The fund, the bank said in a statement, will provide eligible investors with exposure to renewable energy, clean transport, sustainable water management, and climate change adaptation, the Arab News reports.

This is a pioneering change for Saudi Arabia and offers investors the ability to support global efforts to reduce the impact of climate change, Chief Investment Officer at HSBC Saudi Arabia, Muneera Aldossary, said. HSBC supports providing local investors with access to new investment opportunities that help transition to a low-carbon emitting and sustainable economy, she added.

Aldossary indicated that the new fund will provide more opportunities for investors to contribute in creating a sustainable future in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala has joined US real estate developer Crow Holdings in creating a joint venture to build or acquire $1 billion of industrial properties across the US, reports say.

The Dallas-based firm is a leading national real estate investment and development firm with a 70-year operating history and $21 billion of assets under management and with a strong track record of performance across property types and market cycles.

This is an important joint venture for both Crow Holdings and Mubadala, and we look forward to partnering with this leading global investor as it seeks to increase its exposure to the industrial sector and capitalize on the secular growth in logistics demand, said Michael Levy, CEO of Crow Holdings.

We continue to accelerate our market-leading presence in the industrial space by developing or acquiring state-of-the-art properties across a range of strategies from merchant-build to long-term build-to-core portfolio construction. We have been incredibly fortunate to grow and diversify our investment partners, which include sovereign wealth funds, public pension plans, insurance companies, registered investment advisors and investment management platforms.

Headquartered in Abu Dhabi with $243.4 billion portfolio, Mubadalas other recent deals in the US includes a $250 million investment in Biosimulation company Certara in July, reports say.
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"Landscape diversification appears to be an important piece for boosting our resilience to climate change, both as a country and at the farm scale," says Emily Burchfield, assistant professor of environmental sciences.

Monoculture  or specializing in a single crop, covering larger fields, that can be harvested with bigger machines on a simplified landscape  is widely assumed to boost a farms production capacity. A major study encompassing the mainland United States, however, suggests that the opposite is true. Nature Food published the research.

We found that in more diverse systems, corn and wheat yields can be up to 10 percent higher, says Emily Burchfield, assistant professor in Emory Universitys Department of Environmental Sciences and co-author of the study. And if you combine high diversity of landcover with more complex landscape configurations, corn and wheat yields increase by more than 20 percent.

Burchfields research combines spatial-temporal, social and environmental data to understand the future of food and water security in the United States and the consequences of a changing climate. She shares authorship of the Nature Food paper with Katherine Nelson, from the Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences at Kansas State University.

The research has major implications for helping farmers adapt to climate change. Farming is already one of the toughest jobs on the planet, Burchfield says. And many peoples lives depend on a cropping system that likely wont be sustainable 30 years from now. Landscape diversification appears to be an important piece for boosting our resilience to climate change, both as a country and at the farm scale, in terms of extreme weather events.

Agriculture has radically transformed Earths landscape, the authors note. Globally, agriculture encompasses a third of all ice-free land. In the United States, agriculture covers more than half of the land area, more than two-thirds of which is cultivated with the commodity crops of corn, wheat or soy.

Its well-established that diverse landscapes are associated with healthier ecosystems, benefiting pollination, water retention and soil quality  environmental factors that are also important to agriculture. Small, field-scale trials have suggested that adding diversity and complexity to landscapes, such as hedgerows or a strip of natural habitat within a field, may also benefit crop yields.

For the current paper, the researchers examined how such diversity and complexity affects crop yields from a large-scale, national perspective. They drew from publicly accessible data, including the U.S. Department of Agricultures CropScape Data Layer, daily weather data from the PRISM Climate Group, and soil and landscape properties from the Natural Commodity Crop Productive Index. They integrated the data into an analytical computer model of crops and crop yields for 3,100 U.S. counties, covering the entire contiguous United States, for the period 2008 to 2018.

They then used this model to test the impacts of diversity and complexity of landscapes on the yields of the major U.S. food crops of corn, wheat and soy. The researchers controlled for factors such as weather, soil quality, water access and market fluctuations.

The results showed that increased landcover diversity is associated with increases for corn and wheat of more than 10 percent  an effect similar to the impact of seasonal rainfall and soil suitability. And landscape configurations that are both moderately complex and also highly diverse are associated with yield increases of more than 20 percent for corn and wheat.

The researchers are now digging into how landscape diversity and complexity could best be applied at a regional scale.

The United States is huge and there can be no one-size fits all strategy, Burchfield says. We plan to zoom into different regions and look at the barriers and bridges to diversification for each region. We hope that our work can provide data-driven evidence to help farmers diversify their landscapes in intentional ways to boost their livelihoods and their resilience to climate change, while also supporting the resilience of ecosystems.

The research was funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
[September 02, 2021] Qualitest Announces Anbu Muppidathi to Take the Reins as CEO As Qualitest continues its growth trajectory, Anbu Muppidathi, former Global Head of Cognizant's Enterprise Cloud Application Services practice, becomes the new Qualitest CEO LONDON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualitest ( https://qualitestgroup.com ), a leading AI powered quality engineering firm, announced that Anbu Muppidathi is stepping into the role of CEO, succeeding Norm Merritt. Anbu joined the firm as the CEO (designate) in February this year. A technology veteran with more than 30 years of experience in business transformation and technology modernization, Anbu brings world-class go-to-market and operational expertise that helps Qualitest continue its growth trajectory. Anbu most recently served as the Global Head of Cognizant's Enterprise Cloud Application Services practice. Prior to that, he was the Global Head of Cognizant's Quality Engineering and Assurance practice. "We could not be more excited to have Anbu lead us on our journey to be the preferred quality orchestrator for our clients, enabling them to modernize nd most-effectively run their businesses using world-class software," Norm Merritt said. "Anbu's depth of experience in the space, along with his ability to take companies to the next level, is what we need as we make some bold moves to solidify our position as the best quality assurance and engineering firm in the world." When Norm joined Qualitest as CEO in September of 2018, the company was at an important inflection point in transforming from a founder-led business into a global leader in quality assurance. Three years later, the company is in an excellent position following five acquisitions and strong organic growth. Norm will now move to a non-executive board seat. "This is a pivotal point for Qualitest as we continue to grow organically and transform our business to make our customers stronger," Anbu Muppidathi said. "Qualitest is a trusted and modern quality engineering partner, helping customers modernize their businesses to provide superior customer experience while achieving speed, quality and efficiency. I am very excited to lead the company into the next generation of the digital engineering landscape." About Qualitest:

Founded in 1997, Qualitest offers a wide range of AI-powered quality engineering solutions, designed to mitigate the business risk associated with digital adoption. Qualitest achieves this by deploying engagement models tailored to the precise quality engineering needs of technology platforms in the financial services, telecom, healthcare, insurance, tech, media, and utilities industries. It has operations in the US, UK, India, Israel, Germany, Romania, Argentina, Mexico, and Portugal, and serves over 250 blue-chip customers worldwide. Qualitest is majority-owned by international private equity group Bridgepoint, which acquired the company in October 2019 via its 5.7 billion flagship fund BE VI. To learn more about Qualitest, visit www.qualitestgroup.com. Qualitest Media Contact

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Moscow City Court to check legality of arrest of Northwestern tax service official

 flickr.com/ Ilya Schurov

17:57 01/09/2021

MOSCOW, September 1 (RAPSI)  The Moscow City Court is to examine a complaint against the arrest of acting chief Northwestern Tax Directorates anti-corruption department of Russias Federal Tax Service Maxim Rozsypalo on September 7, the press service of the court informs RAPSI.

Earlier, Moscows Dorogomilovsky District Court has arrested Rozsypalo for a period until October 14, 2021.

According to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Rozsypalo is suspected of bribery.

Investigators allege that in July the suspect conspired with other Northwestern Tax Directorates officials to systematically take bribes from a representative of a commercial organization for non-adoption of additional measures for tax checks of the legal entity.
Moscow City Court overturns sentences of two ex-top investigators in graft case

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13:50 02/09/2021

MOSCOW, September 2 (RAPSI)  The Moscow City Court has overturned the sentences given to two former investigators of the central office of the Russian Investigative Committee, Andrey Trinev and Sergey Dubinsky, who had got 6 and 8 years in prison in a bribery case, the press service of the court told RAPSI.

The upper court reversed the ruling of the Moscow Basmanny District Court of March 15, 2021, citing procedural violations and sent the case for a new trial to the court of first instance. The measure of restraint for Sergey Dubinsky was changed to house arrest, Andrey Trinev was to remain in custody, the press service said in a statment.

Ex-investigators were charged with accepting bribes on an especially large scale.

This criminal case was initiated at the request of former lawyer Alexey Kovrizhkin.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on September 2, 2021

2021/09/02

Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council, will attend the opening ceremony of the Taiyuan Energy Low Carbon Development Forum 2021 via video conference and deliver a keynote speech on September 3.

At the invitation of the French government, Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang will attend and address the opening ceremony of the 7th World Conservation Congress via video conference in Beijing on September 3.

This Congress is held jointly by the French government and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) under the theme "One Nature, One Future".

People's Daily: According to reports, the WHO plans to deliver 100 million doses of Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines by the end of September to regions including Africa and Asia for the first time. Can you confirm this? Could you share more information on China providing vaccines through COVAX?

Wang Wenbin: China has been actively supporting and taking part in COVAX, and committed to promoting the accessibility and affordability of COVID vaccines in developing countries. After Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines were approved by WHO for emergency use in the first half of 2021, relevant companies immediately acted to safeguard production and had consultations with GAVI on vaccine supply, adding the vaccines to the COVAX Facility portfolio in July. According to the purchase agreements, the two Chinese companies will provide 110 million doses to COVAX by the end of October, and the latter will determine the specific distribution plan after taking into full consideration of the demand of countries. In the meantime, the two sides have reached the intent on long-term vaccine supply in the years to come and are in discussions for the specific time and plan of future supply. As we understand, the first batch of around nine million doses have been delivered to Pakistan and Bangladesh in early August. Another nearly 30 million doses will soon start to be shipped to developing countries including Algeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Kyrgyzstan and Venezuela. This is another concrete step China has taken to fulfill its pledge to make the vaccines a global public good, promote equitable distribution and boost global anti-epidemic efforts.

At the first meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation not long ago, President Xi Jinping announced that China will strive to provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world throughout this year and offer $100 million to COVAX for the distribution of vaccines to developing countries. China will continue to make contributions to equitable access for developing countries. We also call on capable countries to support developing countries and help them acquire vaccines with concrete measures at an early date, and contribute to an early victory over the pandemic.

Xinhua News Agency: We noted that recent mainstream Russian media reports say that China's efforts to strengthen market regulation will help foster a stable and favorable business environment in the long term and promote sustained and sound economic growth, and won't affect the appeal of the China market. Do you have any comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: Since the beginning of this year, China has continued to consolidate and expand the outcomes of COVID-19 prevention and control and socioeconomic development and achieved steady economic recovery while consolidating the positive momentum, demonstrating strong resilience and vitality. This has offered strong impetus for the world economy to return to the right track, regain confidence and resume growth. Meanwhile, to address the prominent issue of unchecked and disorderly expansion of some platform companies, the Chinese government has stepped up anti-monopoly regulation and taken lawful actions to crack down on monopoly and unfair competition behaviors. Efforts to curb disorderly expansion of capital have shown initial results and the order of fair competition is steadily improving.

The market regulatory measures taken in accordance with law by the Chinese government will help foster a market environment for fair competition, create broad space for the growth of all types of market entities, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises, and better protect the rights and interests of consumers. The Chinese government is committed to improving mechanisms for fair competition, reforming market regulation system, strengthening anti-monopoly regulation, working to build a high-standard market system that is unified and open with orderly competition, and foster a law-based international business environment that is more market-oriented. These efforts will ultimately benefit all investors, operators and consumers.

I would also like to stress that China's determination to open up will not waver and our door will only open wider. As an important destination for foreign investment, China attracted 4.5% more FDI last year despite the 40% drop in foreign investment globally. During the first half of 2021, FDI into the Chinese mainland in actual use surged 28.7% year-on-year. Foreign investors stay optimistic about the prospects of the China market. Going forward, we will continue to facilitate foreign businesses' investment and operation in China, and share the dividends of China's reform and development.

Bloomberg: First, the South China Morning Post reported that John Kerry will meet with Yang Jiechi today. Could you comment on that, and if possible, tell us what their agenda might be? Second question, the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday adopted a report that urged the EU to begin work on a bilateral investment agreement with Taiwan. It also suggested that the bloc rename its trade office in Taipei to the "European Union Office in Taiwan". Does the foreign ministry have a comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: On your first question, please stay tuned. We'll release information in due course.

With regard to your second question, the Chinese Mission to the EU has released a statement. The so-called "EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation" report concocted by the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs gravely violates the basic norms governing international relations, the one-China principle and the commitment on the Taiwan question made openly by the EU upon establishment of diplomatic relations with China. We strongly condemn and firmly reject it.

We urge the relevant committee and members of the European Parliament to immediately correct their wrong words and actions concerning Taiwan to avoid further damage to China-EU mutual trust and cooperation. The EU side is advised not to underestimate the Chinese people's firm resolve, unwavering will and strong capability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity and immediately cease all provocations and confrontational moves.

RIA Novosti: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said yesterday that Russia plans to convene a new meeting with the United States, China and Pakistan in Kabul after the situation there stabilized. Has China discussed this meeting with Russia and other sides? Who will represent China there?

Wang Wenbin: A proper settlement of the Afghan issue is impossible without the participation and support of the international community. There are many multilateral mechanisms related to Afghanistan that are reinforcing one another with their own features and priorities. China has maintained close coordination with relevant sides on the Afghan issue. And China and Russia stay in deep and strong strategic communication and collaboration at all levels. Under the new circumstances, China will continue to work with the international community for an early soft-landing of the situation in Afghanistan and Kabul, and jointly help Afghanistan to end chaos, restore order, and achieve peace and reconstruction.

Beijing Youth Daily: The World 5G Convention 2021 was held in Beijing recently. Officials, experts and representatives from the academic and business community attended in person or virtually. Could you offer more information?

Wang Wenbin: The World 5G Convention 2021 was held in Beijing from August 31 to September 2 under the theme of "5G+ By All For All". Featuring the key words of "industry", "economy" and "innovation", the convention focused on joint efforts to develop digital infrastructure, integrated ecology and favorable environment to enable 5G to integrate and thrive together with other industries. This is also the first major international exhibition-related event hosted by Beijing since COVID-19 prevention and control became a new normal.

As a prominent international gathering in the 5G sector, the World 5G Convention has been held three times since 2019, and has become an important platform for exchange spurring global industrial development and innovation in application scenarios. Throughout the convention, over 300 important guests from more than 20 countries and regions were invited to deliver speeches, including 45 foreign experts and diplomatic envoys based in China. More than 80 media outlets from across the globe covered the events extensively. Altogether more than 650 items from 40-plus Chinese and foreign companies were on display, showcasing industrial chain-wide technological progress and product innovation in the 5G sector. During the convention, eight tech white papers and research reports were released, 20-plus strategic cooperation projects were signed, and a host of innovation outcomes and new technologies and products were released by relevant companies.

As a frontier technology, 5G will profoundly change the way people work and live and usher in an era where all is interconnected. China attaches high importance to 5G development. Since 5G came into commercial use in China two years ago, 993,000 5G base stations have been built and more than 392 million households have been connected to 5G terminals. China now boasts the world's largest-scale 5G network with leading technology and the highest number of users. The world's largest 5G industrial system is gradually taking shape. The integration between 5G and other technologies, such as the Internet, big data and AI, has given birth to new development models such as 5G+health care, 5G+industrial internet, 5G+ultra high definition video, which have become new engines for China's high-quality development.

In 5G development, China is committed to integration, coordination, innovation, openness and win-win results. We will continue to strengthen exchange with others, conduct all-dimensional cooperation in 5G standard, industry, application and security, and jointly create an environment for innovation and business that is open, fair, just and non-discriminatory. Businesses from all countries are welcome to take part in China's 5G rollout with quality products and services for socioeconomic development. We also hope that all sides will oppose acts that abuse the national security concept and disrupt and undermine global 5G cooperation so that together we can advance healthy international cooperation in this sector to deliver more benefits to all mankind.

The Paper: According to reports, on August 31, Zhou Mengbo, former deputy secretary of the Party committee of China Railway Engineering Group Co., Ltd., was repatriated to China. Can you provide more information?

Wang Wenbin: Zhou Mengbo, former deputy secretary of the Party committee of China Railway Engineering Group Co., Ltd., was suspected of serious work-related crimes and fled abroad in May 2019. China recently made the request for law enforcement cooperation to the relevant country, and worked on foreign law enforcement agencies to arrest him and repatriate him to China. Bringing Zhou Mengbo to justice is an important achievement in bringing back corruption fugitives and recovering their assets through international law enforcement cooperation. China expressed appreciation and gratitude to countries concerned for their strong support and assistance.

Corruption is a common enemy of humanity. Fighting corruption-related crimes is supported by people of all countries. Bringing back corruption fugitives and recovering their assets is an integral part of strengthening international cooperation against corruption. The Chinese government will continue to conduct international judicial and law enforcement cooperation with countries concerned in accordance with the UN Convention against Corruption and bilateral treaties and agreements. We will jointly combat transnational corruption and never allow the corrupted individuals take refuge in safe havens for criminals.

Global Times: The Global Times reported that Chinese competent authorities revealed the criminal facts of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, as well as detailed information on their detention. But the Canadian side has all along claimed that the detention of these two Canadians is an retaliation for the arrest of Meng Wanzhou. Do you have any comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: China has stated its solemn position on the cases of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig. The information revealed by relevant authorities shows that the evidence of their crimes is indisputable. The Chinese judiciary handles the cases in accordance with law based on solid evidence. In the process, the legal rights of these two individuals have been fully protected. Relevant authorities have also given humanitarian considerations to them to the full extent permitted by law.

I have to point out that the Meng Wanzhou incident and the cases of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are entirely different in nature. The Canadian side, on the one hand, has carried out political persecution against the Chinese citizen in accomplice with the US, in total disregard of the US political purposes by plotting the Meng Wanzhou incident and the fact that she didn't violate any Canadian law. On the other, it has sensationalized the isolated cases of the Canadian citizens and falsely accused China of arbitrary detention and coercive diplomacy. Facts have proved again that what the Canadian side pursues is to confuse right and wrong and shift blames to China. China firmly rejects and strongly condemns that. The Canadian side should own up to the issue, stop misleading public opinion and mud-slinging, and stop slandering and smearing China. In the meantime, it should immediately rectify its mistakes, release Meng Wanzhou and ensure her safe return to China.

China News Service: According to reports, Russian President Putin said in his recent comment on the Afghan situation that the US forces have been, in essence, promoting US norms and standards including changing local political structure in their 20-year presence in Afghanistan. But this has brought loss and tragedy to the US itself and the Afghan people. The result of the US operation in Afghanistan is zero, if not negative. What's your comment?

Wang Wenbin: The view of President Putin should provoke some thoughts from the US.

There isn't a set form of democracy in the world. All countries should be entitled to independently exploring development paths that suit their national conditions and realities. The situation in Afghanistan has shown transplanting and imposing a foreign model of democracy would only create chaos and instability, which will ultimately end up in failure.

Democracy is a value shared by all mankind instead of a privilege of certain countries. There is no "leader of democracy" in the world. No country has the right to lecture others on democracy. Touting the "alliance of democracies" and hyping up the narrative of "democracy versus authoritarianism" is in essence attacking others that are different under the banner of democracy. It is suppression of others and advancement of one's own geopolitical strategies with ideology and values as the tool. This is hegemony in the guise of democracy. Such historical backpedaling would only lead to divisions and confrontations, which should be guarded against and rejected by all countries.

We hope the US can earnestly reflect upon itself and draw lessons from the past. It should stop selling its own ideology and values to others, stop military intervention in other countries at will, stop making divisions and confrontations in the world under the banner of human rights, and not repeat the mistakes in Afghanistan.
October 3, 1976 - August 19, 2021



Scott Brown and his wife Laurie Brown, both 44, passed away in a tragic accident in Arizona. Scott was a caring father and devoted husband. He met Laurie on her first day on campus at UMBC, where he participated in ROTC while earning a bachelor's degree. Following graduation, Scott served his country honorably as a U.S. Army Captain and Army Ranger. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Joint Guardian, where he earned numerous awards and medals.



He transitioned to a career in law enforcement, initially as a Deputy with the Calvert County Sheriff's Office. He earned several awards during his tenure. He joined the Health and Human Services where he led successful criminal and civil investigations. Scott is credited with a variety of improvements within the agency, most recently achieving a promotion to Special Agent in Charge of the National Training and Emergency Operations Branch.



Scott loved his family deeply. He and Laurie were married for nearly 19 years. They were faithful members of Jesus the Good Shepherd Catholic Church. They have 3 beautiful children that they adored. Scott was so proud of his children and loved to support them in everything they enjoyed.



Scott enjoyed a variety of activities including running, biking, and traveling as well as building and maintaining their home in Calvert County. Scott was so easy to talk to about almost anything, from serious to silly. He liked to joke around and act goofy at times. He is thought of as someone to look up to, a man of integrity and a treasured friend. He is well respected amongst his supervisors, peers, staff, neighbors, friends and family. Scott will be especially missed by his dear children Lindsay, Ciara and Ryan; his sister Kristine Brown and her children and his Aunt Alison.



The family will receive friends at Lee Funeral Home Calvert, 8200 Jennifer Lane, Owings, MD on Friday, September 3, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Jesus the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 1601 W. Mount Harmony Road, Owings, MD 20736 on Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at Church Cemetery.



Please click on the link below to livestream the Funeral Service.

https://www.youtube.com/jesusthegoodshepherdcatholiccommunity



For anyone wishing to support the children of Laurie and Scott Brown, two options have been setup:



An account has been established at the Dunkirk branch of the Bank of America in the name of the Brown's children. Donations can be mailed or made directly to the Bank of America in Dunkirk Maryland, made out to the account custodian, Patricia Musselman.

Bank of America

MD9-988-01-01

2995 Plaza Drive

Dunkirk, MD 20639.



A Gofundme page has also been established:

https://gofund.me/961b59bb




The asteroid Vesta is the second largest asteroid in our solar system. With a diameter of about 330 miles, it orbits the sun between the planets Mars and Jupiter.

Asteroids have long played a part in building popular fascination with space. "Marooned off Vesta" was the first story published by American writer Isaac Asimov, the third story he wrote, appearing in the March 1939 issue of the science fiction magazine Amazing Stories.

"When we think of asteroid belts, we probably picture Han Solo maneuvering the millennium falcon through a dense set of irregularly shaped gray rocks in space," Christian Klimczak, associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of geology. "While most rocks are indeed irregularly shaped and gray, they are far apart and NASA's Dawn spacecraft did not have to maneuver around any other asteroids to reach and explore Vesta."

Dawn was the space probe launched by NASA in September 2007 with the mission of studying two of the three known protoplanets of the asteroid belt, Vesta and Ceres.

Vesta, like Earth, is composed of rock in its crust and mantle, and it has an iron core. Because of its large size (for an asteroid) and because Vesta has a crust, mantle and core, it is considered a planetesimal. Planetesimals are building blocks out of which planets form. Earth formed by accretion of several such planetesimals. "Vesta was on the way to becoming an Earth-like planet, too, but planet formation stopped along the way there early in the history of our solar system," Klimczak said. "Therefore, studying Vesta helps us understand the very early days of our planetary neighborhood and how our own planet formed."

Klimczak is co-author on a new study that examines the large-scale troughs and impact basins on Vesta.

What created those giant troughs on Vesta?

Vesta was hit by two other large asteroids which left large impact craters so big they cover most of the southern hemisphere of Vesta. These impacts are thought to have ejected rocky material into space. Some of these rocks reached Earth as meteorites so scientists now have actual rock samples from Vesta to study its geochemistry.

"Rock properties are influenced by environmental conditions like surrounding stresses and the presence of water," said Jupiter Cheng, doctoral candidate in the department of geography and co-author on the study. "Since Vesta is much smaller than Earth, or even the moon, it has a weaker gravity, and rock would deform differently near the surface than what we see on Earth."

According to Cheng, one big question is what triggered the formation of these large troughs. The two troughs are concentric around the two massive impact basins, Rheasilvia and Veneneia, respectively, and widely considered to be simultaneously formed by the impact events, though this assumed age relationship has never been tested before.

"Our work used crater counting methods to explore the relative age of the basins and troughs," Cheng said. Crater counting is a common method for estimating the age of a planet's surface, a method based upon the assumptions that when a piece of planetary surface is new, then it has no impact craters; impact craters accumulate after that at a rate that is assumed known.

"Consequently, counting the number of craters of various sizes in a given area allows us to determine how long they have accumulated and, consequently, how long ago the surface formed," she said. "Our result shows that the troughs and basins have a similar number of the crater of various sizes, indicating they share a similar age. However, the uncertainties associated with the crater counts allow for the troughs to have formed well after the impacts.

The origin of the troughs has long been a point of conjecture within the scientific community. Klimczak hopes their new geologic evidence can promote a more-durable theory about the troughs on Vesta.

The study is published in the September issue of the journal Icarus.

A new theory is proposed in an upcoming paper

"The leading hypothesis suggests that these troughs are fault-bounded valleys with a distinct scarp on each side that together mark the down-drop (sliding) of a block of rock. However, rock can also crack apart and form such troughs, an origin that has not been considered before," said Cheng, who is investigating the origin of the troughs as part of her dissertation at UGA.

"Our calculations also show that Vesta's gravity is not enough to induce surrounding stresses favorable for sliding to occur at shallow depths, instead, the physics shows that rocks there are favored to crack apart," she said. "Therefore, the formation of these troughs must involve the opening of cracks, which is inconsistent with the leading hypothesis in the scientific community. Taken all together, the overall project provides alternatives to the previously proposed trough origin and geological history of Vesta, results that are also important for understanding similar landforms on other small planetary bodies elsewhere in the solar system."

The new study was presented at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2021.



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When NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover touched down on the Red Planet, the agency's Deep Space Network (DSN) was there, enabling the mission to send and receive the data that helped make the event possible.

When OSIRIS-REx took samples of asteroid Bennu this past year, the DSN played a crucial role, not just in sending the command sequence to the probe, but also in transmitting its stunning photos back to Earth.

The network has been the backbone of NASA's deep space communications since 1963, supporting 39 missions regularly, with more than 30 NASA missions in development. The team behind it is now working hard to increase capacity, making a number of improvements to the network that will help advance future space exploration.

Managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the Space Communications and Navigation Program, based at NASA Headquarters within the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, the DSN is what enables missions to track, send commands to, and receive scientific data from faraway spacecraft.

The network consists of tracking antennas across three complexes evenly spaced around the world at the Goldstone complex near Barstow, California; in Madrid, Spain; and in Canberra, Australia. In addition to supporting missions, the antennas are regularly used to conduct radio science - studying planets, black holes, and tracking near-Earth objects.

"Capacity is a big pressure, and our antenna-enhancement program is going to help that out. This includes the building of two new antennas, increasing our number from 12 to 14," said JPL's Michael Levesque, deputy director of the DSN.

Network Upgrades

In January 2021, the DSN welcomed its 13th dish to the family. Named Deep Space Station 56 (DSS-56), this new 34-meter-wide (112-foot-wide) dish in Madrid is an "all-in-one" antenna. Previously constructed antennas are limited in the frequency bands they can receive and transmit, often restricting them to communicating with specific spacecraft. DSS-56 was the first to use the DSN's full range of communication frequencies as soon as it went online and can communicate with all the missions that the DSN supports.

Soon after bringing DSS-56 online, the DSN team completed 11 months of critical upgrades to Deep Space Station 43 (DSS-43), the massive 70-meter (230-foot) antenna in Canberra. DSS-43 is the only dish in the Southern Hemisphere with a transmitter powerful enough, and that broadcasts the right frequency, to send commands to the distant Voyager 2 spacecraft, which is now in interstellar space. With rebuilt transmitters and upgraded facilities equipment, DSS-43 will serve the network for decades to come.

"The refresh of DSS-43 was a huge accomplishment, and we're on our way to take care of the next two 70-meter antennas in Goldstone and Madrid. And we've continued to deliver new antennas to address growing demand - all during COVID-19," said JPL's Brad Arnold, manager of the DSN.

The improvements are part of a project to meet not just the heightened demand, but also evolving mission needs.

Missions increasingly generate more data than in the past. The data rate from deep space spacecraft has grown by more than 10 times since the first lunar missions in the 1960s. As NASA looks toward sending humans to Mars, this need for higher data volumes will only increase further.

Optical communications is one tool that can help meet this demand for higher data volumes by using lasers to enable higher-bandwidth communication. Over the next few years, NASA has several missions planned to demonstrate laser communications that will enhance the agency's ability to explore farther into space.

New Approaches

The network is also focusing on new approaches to how it goes about its work. For instance, for most of the DSN's history, each complex was operated locally. Now, with a protocol called "Follow the Sun," each complex takes turns running the entire network during their day shift and then hands off control to the next complex at the end of the day in that region - essentially, a global relay race that takes place every 24 hours.

The resulting cost savings have been fed into antenna enhancements, and the effort has also strengthened the international cooperation between the complexes. "Each site works with the other sites, not just during handover periods, but also on maintenance and how antennas are performing on any given day. We've really turned into a globally operating network," said Levesque.

The network has also implemented new approaches to managing deep space communications. For instance, in the past, if multiple spacecraft circling Mars needed to be serviced at the same time, the network would have to point one antenna per spacecraft at Mars, potentially using all the antennas at a given complex. With a new protocol, the DSN can receive multiple signals from a single antenna and split them in the digital receiver. "We adapted this from commercial telecommunication implementations to the benefit of our network efficiency," said Arnold.

An additional new protocol allows operators to oversee multiple activities simultaneously. Traditionally, each spacecraft activity had a single dedicated operator. Now, the DSN uses an approach that leverages automation to allow each operator to oversee multiple spacecraft links simultaneously. For the first time, the DSN can now fully automate the sequencing and execution of tracking passes, and the effort will continue to be enhanced over time.

"The future of the DSN is going to follow the spirit and the drive of science missions that are flying out there. It's our responsibility to enable them. And we do that through communications," said Arnold.

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The Expedition 65 crew continued unloading a variety of cargo including rodents from the SpaceX Cargo Dragon today.

The International Space Station residents are also headlong into preparations for two Russian spacewalks and one U.S. spacewalk.

Flight Engineers Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) spent Wednesday morning transferring rodents from the Cargo Dragon into a habitat in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module. The animals are being observed for the Rodent Research Demonstration-1 experiment that is exploring how microgravity affects the healing process.

Space botany is also a critical part of the station research program as scientists learn to support astronauts longer and farther in space. During a break in today's rodent transfers, Kimbrough serviced petri plates for the new APEX-08 investigation that is studying how plants adapt to space-caused stress.

NASA Flight Engineers Megan McArthur and Mark Vande Hei also partnered together unpacking science gear from Dragon. McArthur installed a new NanoRacks module, recently delivered aboard the U.S. space freighter, during the morning that will soon host science experiments. Vande Hei helped out in the afternoon continuing to unload the more than 4,800 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware.

Pesquet will join Commander Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for a spacewalk on Sept. 12 to modify the station's Port-4 (P4) truss structure. They will install a modification kit that will prepare the P4 for future Roll-Out Solar Array installation work. Hoshide worked Wednesday afternoon cleaning their U.S. spacesuit cooling loops today with assistance from Vande Hei.

The first two spacewalks will be conducted by Roscosmos Flight Engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov. The duo will first exit the Poisk airlock on Friday at 10:35 a.m. EDT to route and mate power and ethernet cables on the Nauka multipurpose laboratory. The second spacewalk will be on Sept. 9 to install handrails and finish the cable work on Nauka. NASA TV will broadcast both excursions live.

On-orbit Status Report

Payloads

APEX-8: The crew gathered the appropriate hardware and installed thirty APEX-08 petri plate plant growth chambers into the Veggie facility. Compounds known as polyamines contribute to plant stress mitigation on Earth, and plants grown in microgravity display evidence of stress at the morphological level and gene-expression changes suggestive of stress response. Advanced Plant EXperiment-08 (APEX-08) examines the role of these compounds in these plant responses to microgravity in Arabidopsis thaliana. Results could provide insights into the mechanisms plants use to modulate the stress of microgravity.

Eklosion: The crew participated in an Eklosion experiment session by observing the flower, taking photos, and reading some of the messages included with the experiment. The Eklosion investigation utilizes a vase, inspired by the VEGGIE plant growth facility, specially designed for use in the microgravity environment aboard the ISS. Eklosion contains within its hull small messages and smells from Earth for the psychological benefit of the crew member who conducts the investigation. In the experiment, the crew grows a Marigold flower (Tagetes patula).

ISS Experience EVA Z-camera: Although the IROSA EVA was delayed, the ISS Experience EVA Z-camera was still able to capture some science objectives during its time outside. In today's activity, the crew set up the camera to allow transfer of the data off the camera. The ISS Experience is a cinematic virtual reality (VR) series documenting life and research aboard the space station. Filmed over multiple months, the immersive VR series documents different crew activities - from science conducted aboard the station to preparation for a spacewalk.

JAXA Video take 8: The crew set up the appropriate equipment and recorded the JAXA video take 8 session. In the session, ISS science, crew launch vehicles, and other items were discussed. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Public Relations Activity (JAXA EPO) includes conducting cultural activities such as writing reports about and filming video of activities aboard the International Space Station (ISS). These tools can help inform the public about the importance of the ISS, JAXA's Kibo module, and human spaceflight.

Nanoracks Module-92: The crew installed Nanoracks Module-92 to the Nanoracks Mainframe Alpha facility. Module-92 is a 2U (10cm x 10 cm x 20 cm) module, which aims to verify whether presence of collagen and nutraceuticals may improve bone cell physiology and response to low gravity exposure.

Redwire Regolith Print (RRP): Following the print on Tuesday, the crew removed and stowed the printed item and its tray, and then installed new extruder and print tray hardware to prepare for the next print. RRP demonstrates 3D printing with regolith feedstock material in microgravity using the Made In Space Manufacturing Device currently aboard the International Space Station. This demonstration could help determine the feasibility of using resources available on planetary bodies as the raw materials for on-demand construction of housing and other structures. This capability reduces the amount of materials needed on future exploration missions, thus reducing launch mass.

Rodent Research-Demonstration 1 (RR-D1): The crew participated in a conference with the RR-D1 ground team, and then transferred the rodents from SpX-23 to their habitat home in the ISS. Rodent Research-Demonstration 1 (RR-D1) validates equipment and procedures for surgical techniques related to the wound healing process. Normal skin function and wound healing are important for maintaining good health, but spaceflight may impair healing of wounds in astronauts. Results from this investigation are intended to support design of a subsequent study on the effects of spaceflight on wound healing.

T2AR monthly maintenance: The crew performed the science operations for the T2AR system. The objective is to use the T2AR system to assist the crew with the ISS treadmill monthly maintenance. Autonomous Systems and Operations (T2 Treadmill Augmented Reality Procedures or simply T2AR) conducts tests using augmented reality to help crew members perform inspection and maintenance on the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT). The ability to perform such tasks without assistance from Mission Control is vital for future space exploration such as a mission to Mars, where significant time delays occur in communications between space and ground. Using augmented reality to guide astronauts through complex spacecraft maintenance and repair activities also reduces the time needed for training and task performance.

Systems

Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMU) 3009/3015 Loop Scrub and Iodination: The crew performed EMU water loop scrubs and then acquired and tested water samples for conductivity on units 3009 and 3015. EMU Loop Scrubs are required preventive maintenance needed to remove any chemical and biological contaminants from the EMU transport loop.

In-Flight Maintenance (IFM) High-rate Communications Outage Recorder (HCOR) and High Rate Modem (HRM) Removal: The crew removed both the HCOR and HRM from the Lab module. The HCOR and HRM have not been used since the Integrated Communications Unit (ICU) activation and will be returned on a future flight.

Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) In Flight Maintenance (IFM): As part of regularly scheduled preventative maintenance, the crew performed a manual WHC flush tank fill. By using a post-flight analysis bag to capture any pressure relief, also known as the burp, they depressurized the flush water tank and water valve block to protect the dose pump. This pump is critical as it injects the pre-treat required to properly recycle waste urine.

Environmental Health System (EHS) Operations: Today, the ISS crew performed periodic EHS water sampling by collecting water samples from the Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) for in-flight and post-flight analysis. In-flight samples were used to perform a Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) analysis that measures the amount of organic constituents in the potable water. The crew also tested the water samples for the presence of Coliform bacteria utilizing a Coliform test bag. These tests are used to determine if the drinking water is still safe for crew consumption.

Completed Task List Activities:

None

Today's Ground Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

SSRMS OTCM1 survey

Monthly awake Crew Dragon checkout

LAB CDRA Heater Controller A Troubleshooting

Look Ahead Plan

Thursday, September 2 (GMT 245)

Payloads:

Astrobee stowage replace

ELF cartridge replace

EPO Blob conclude

FIR/ALL/ACE oil dispense

GIS-8

ICE cube 8/9 experiment install

Nanoracks module-9 ops 2

POLAR desiccant swap

SALI 1 install

Systems:

Dragon Cargo ops

EVA procedure review

IWIS RSU Firmware update

Node 1 20 port switch install

Friday, September 3 (GMT 246)

Payloads:

Astrobee perching arm removal

Cold Stowage unpack

Food Acceptability survey

GIS-8

ISS Experience SSD change-out

MUSES server vent clean

POLAR desiccant swap/media retrieve

RSD sample exchange

Space Embryo

Technology Box

Systems:

RS EVA #49

EHS TOCA checkout

Dragon Cargo Ops

EVA procedure review

Saturday, September 4 (GMT 247)

Payloads:

RR-Demo 1 water check

Systems:

Crew off duty

Today's Planned Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Cargo Dragon Powered Payload Receptacle Verification

ISS Experience EVA Z-cam Relocate to Node 2

NanoRacks Platform-2 Module Install

Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Manual Fill Initiation

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Scrub

Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Manual Fill Termination

APEX-08 Science Insertion

ExPRESS Rack 6 ZBook Configuration Change

Remove Single Stowage Locker from UA12

EDV Gather and Install

Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) Sample Analysis

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Iodination

Treadmill 2 Augmented Reality On Orbit Training

T2 Monthly Maintenance performed with Sidekick

Crew Dragon Forward Monthly PCS Checkout

Astrobee Light On

Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) - Lab

Eklosion Message Retrieval

Redwire Regolith Print Tray and Extruder Removal

In-Flight Maintenance High-rate Communications Outage Recorder and High Rate Modem Removal

Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record

Polar Dragon Uninstall, Handover, Transfer and EXPRESS Rack Install

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Hard Upper Torso (HUT) Scrub

Cargo Transfer to Dragon

Cryo Gloves Relocation

Extravehicular Activity Hard Upper Torso Stow

Polar Samples to Cold Stowage

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The Expedition 65 crew is unpacking brand new science experiments that arrived Monday when the SpaceX Cargo Dragon docked to the International Space Station.

Two cosmonauts are also getting ready for the first of two spacewalks to power up Russia's new science module.

NASA Flight Engineer Megan McArthur opened the Cargo Dragon's hatch and entered the U.S. space freighter about two hours after it docked to the Harmony module's forward 8port on Monday morning. Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) followed her shortly after and began unloading over 4,800 pounds of cargo including some of the 2,300 pounds of new science experiments.

NASA Flight Engineers Shane Kimbrough and Mark Vande Hei started transferring research gear and preserved samples Tuesday morning from Dragon into science freezers, incubators, and other locations. The new experiments will look at how microgravity affects plant genetics, robotic assistants, bone tissue and astronaut vision among other phenomena.

Commander Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) also joined his crewmates and helped to unpack the new space shipment. The three-time station visitor is also preparing for another spacewalk set for Sept. 12 with Pesquet. He worked on a 360-degree virtual reality camera that will film and Pesquet during the spacewalk and began filling U.S. spacesuit water tanks. The duo will begin preparing the Port-4 (P4) truss structure for a new Roll-Out Solar Array.

Two cosmonauts are gearing up for the first pair of up to 11 spacewalks to outfit the Nauka multipurpose laboratory for science operations. Roscosmos Flight Engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov will exit the Poisk airlock on Friday at 10:35 a.m. EDT to route and mate power and ethernet cables on Nauka. The duo will go out again on Sept. 9 to install handrails and finish the cable work on the new module that docked to the Zvezda service module on July 29.

On-Orbit Status Report

Payloads:

ESA Biofilms: The crew reviewed the big picture words and then installed the Biofilm Experiment Containers (ECs) into the appropriate locations in Kubik 5 and Kubik 6. The goal of the Biofilm Inhibition On Flight Equipment and On Board the ISS Using Microbiologically Lethal Metal Surfaces (ESA-Biofilms) investigation is to compare how biofilms are formed in low gravity and in a liquid environment on inhibiting and non-inhibiting metal surfaces for the purposes of spacecraft sanitation and crew health. Various species of bacteria are tested not only on different metallic surfaces (copper, stainless steel, and brass), but also on an array of different laser-etched surface treatments to ascertain whether topological differences influence biofilm formation in space. Through this investigation, teams will learn what surface types hold the highest antimicrobial properties and how that can contribute to future designing of spacecraft surfaces to safeguard crew health.

Faraday facility: The crew performed the necessary steps to install the Faraday facility into EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack 3 Locker 1. Faraday Research Facility is a multipurpose, standalone research facility that loads into the EXPRESS Racks. EXPRESS Racks provide structural interfaces, power, data, cooling, water, and other needed items and consumables to operate science experiments in space. Faraday accommodates up to twelve 1.5 Unit or up to six 3 Unit microlabs (Labs).

Lumina: The crew used a Bluetooth connection to transfer data from the Lumina radiation monitoring device via the EveryWear Application. ESA's Lumina experiment is an active fiber dosimeter that monitors, in real-time, the received radiation dose by exploiting the capacity of optical fibers to darken when exposed to radiation. The dosimeter provides reliable dose measurements in complex environments that are subject to radiation exposure from electrons, protons, gamma-ray, X-ray, photons, or neutrons.

Materials Science Research Rack/Materials Science Laboratory/Low Gradient Furnace (MSRR/MSL/LGF): The crew performed the steps necessary to remove the processed Sample Cartridge Assembly (SCA) and install the next SCA that will be processed. The MSL SCA-Batch 3a-ESA investigation serves two projects, investigating how different phases organize in a structure when metallic alloys are solidified. The Microstructure Formation in Casting of Technical Alloys under Diffusive and Magnetically Controlled Convective Conditions (MICAST) experiment aims to deepen the understanding of the physical principles that govern solidification processes in metal alloys. The Columnar-to-Equiaxed Transition in Solidification Processing (CETSOL) experiment also aims to deepen the understanding of the physical principles that govern solidification processes in metal alloys.

Nanoracks Module-9 ops 1: The crew gathered tubes 1, 5, and 6 from Nanoracks Module-9, opened the green clamps on the tubes to activate them, shook them to mix their contents, and then restowed them. NanoRacks Module-9 consists of multiple student experiments housed within a NanoRacks Module container in individual Mixture Tubes. Some experiments require crew interaction in which they remove clamps to mix materials and activate and/or deactivate the experiments. The experiments will be returned to the ground for analysis.

Plant Habitat-04: The crew accessed the plant growth chamber, removed any plant debris, and installed plant support rods. Microgravity Growth of New Mexico Hatch Green Chile as a Technical Display of Advanced Plant Habitat's Capabilities (Plant Habitat-04) demonstrates using the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) by growing peppers in space for the first time. An excellent source of Vitamin C, peppers are more difficult to cultivate than many possible space crops due to their longer time to germinate, grow, and develop fruit. The investigation includes microbial analysis to improve understanding of plant-microbe interactions in space and assessment of flavor and texture, which vary based on the growth environment and care such as amount of watering.

Tangolab-4: The crew removed payload card 02 from Slot A and installed it in Slot B. The crew also attached a new cube to payload card 018 and installed it into slot A of the TangoLab-4 Facility. Space Tango's TangoLab lockers are reconfigurable general research facilities designed for microgravity research and development (R&D) and pilot manufacturing aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Systems:

In-Flight Maintenance Airlock (A/L) Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA) Water Separator R&R: Today, the crew removed and replaced the Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA) Water Separator for the Airlock Cabin Air Rack (A/L1A1). The CCAA is the primary component responsible for the control of temperature and humidity in the USOS segment and consists of a fan, a condensing heat exchanger, an air/water separator, temperature and liquid sensors, and other electrical controlling hardware.

SpX-23 Cargo Dragon Cargo Operations: The crew continued cargo transfer operations by unloading cargo from Cargo Dragon. The crew also transferred and installed two Polar units to the ISS. Polar is a Cold Stowage managed facility that provides transport and storage of science samples at cryogenic temperatures (-80C) to and from the ISS. Polar operates on 75 W supplied power and uses air cooling as its heat rejection method. Polar can accommodate up to 12.75 liters of sample volume and 20 lbm including sample support equipment.

Resupply Air Tank Re-pressurization: Today, two of the Resupply Air Tanks that were delivered on NG-16 were vented in the spacecraft to re-pressurize the ISS internal volume. The remaining six tanks will be vented next week.

External Mobility Unit (EMU) Resize: The crew completed resizing of the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) EMU 3009 in support of the upcoming IROSA Prep 4A EVA on September 12th. Thomas Pesquet and Aki Hoshide will continue to work ongoing EVA preparation tasks.

Completed Task List Activities:

None

Today's Ground Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Temperature and Humidity Control (THC) Airlock Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA) Activation

Command and Control Software (CCS) S-band Telemetry (TLM) Housekeeping 1 (HK1)

PRO Basic EXPRESS Rack 11B Activation Commanding in the LAB

Atmospheric Control System (ACS) Oxygen Leak Check [ACTIVE]

Look Ahead Plan

Wednesday, September 1 (GMT 244)

Payloads:

APEX-8

Astrobee

Eklosion

Food Acceptability

ISS Experience EVA camera data transfer

JAXA video take-8

Nanoracks mainframe Alpha install

Nanoracks Module-92

POLAR transfers

Redwire Regolith Print remove

RR-D1 crew conference and transfers

T2AR

Systems:

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) loop scrub

Environmental Health System (EHS) Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) Sample Collect

Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Manual Fill

Dragon Cargo Operations

Thursday, September 2 (GMT 245)

Payloads:

Astrobee stowage replace

ELF cartridge replace

EPO Blob conclude

FIR/ALL/ACE oil dispense

GIS-8

ICE cube 8/9 experiment install

Nanoracks module-9 ops 2

POLAR desiccant swap

RSD retrieve

SALI 1 install

Systems:

On Board Training (OBT) ROBoT T&C Self Study

EVA Procedure Review

Dragon Cargo Operations

Friday, September 3 (GMT 246)

Payloads:

Astrobee perching arm removal

Cold Stowage unpack

Food Acceptability survey

GIS-8

ISS Experience SSD change-out

MUSES server vent clean

POLAR desiccant swap/media retrieve

RSD sample exchange

Space Embryo

Technology Box

Systems:

Russian Segment (RS) EVA #49

Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Setup and Functional Checkout

Environmental Health System (EHS) - Coliform Water Sample Analysis

EVA procedure review

Today's Planned Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Cold Stowage Double Coldbag Unpack

Rodent Research Rodent Habitat Recable

In Flight Maintenance Airlock Stowage Removal

JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side

ISS Experience EVA Z-Cam Removal

VEGGIE Hardware On-Board Training

In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Airlock (A/L) Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA) Water Separator (WS) Remove & Replace (R&R)

Nanoracks Module-9 OBT

HRF Hardware Consolidation

JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Retraction from JPM Side

MERLIN hardware retrieval

Biofilms Experiment Container installation

In Flight Maintenance Airlock Stowage Replace

JEM Common Gas Support Equipment (CGSE) Upper Ar Gas Supply Start

Nanoracks Module-9 Ops Session 1

MSRR Rack Inspection

EVA Battery Operations Terminal Autocycle Terminate [ABORTED]

JAXA Stowage Consolidation

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Resize

TangoLab-4 Card Cube Replace

Polar Dragon Uninstall, Handover, Transfer and EXPRESS Rack Install

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Recharge

Plant Habitat-04 DEBRIS Hardware Gather

Resupply Air Tank Setup and Initiation

APEX-08 Procedure Review #1

Extravehicular Activity Hard Upper Torso Gather

Cargo Transfer to Dragon

Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) in Columbus

Faraday-2 Facility Installation and Checkout

Rodent Research Activity Review

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Manchester City has teamed up with partner Etihad Airways in the international transportation of two player statues from across the world to Manchester.

The large scale statues of club legends Vincent Kompany and David Silva have travelled 5,778 miles (approx. 9,300 kilometres) from the United States to Manchester ahead of their installation at the Etihad Stadium later this week, the club said in a statement.

Glasgow-born sculptor Andy Scott was appointed by the club 15 months ago to bring the legends to life in sculpture form from his studio in Philadelphia. The entire process from commissioning to design and build has been conducted remotely due to travel restrictions relating to the global pandemic.

Following completion of the statues, the work of logistics and transportation began with Etihad Cargo providing end-to-end service throughout the process.

Separated into four parts and meticulously packaged, these sizeable statues were trucked from Andys studio in Philadelphia to Chicago, loaded onto a Boeing 777 Freighter and flown to Frankfurt and then transported by road to Manchester, ready to be installed on August 28.

Hailing Etihads support in the delivery process, Manchester Citys Director of Infrastructure Ed Dalton said: These statues are bespoke and premium pieces of art that have been 15 months in the making. The precious nature of the pieces together with their sheer size and weight, meant that their transportation to Manchester was going to be a challenging and complex process.

"Etihad Cargos dedicated team have worked with the club closely throughout this process and have been the perfect partner - highly organised, professional and collaborative and we are grateful for their assistance.

Etihad Aviation Group Senior Vice President Sales and Cargo Martin Drew added: As partners to Manchester City for more than 12 years, we have watched what Vincent Kompany and David Silva have achieved for the club. Our team was, therefore, even more excited by this opportunity.

"The complexity of this operation involved months of planning and technical expertise in close co-operation with the club. The successful delivery of this consignment demonstrated the teamwork capabilities within the Etihad network.-TradeArabia News Service
Mitsumi Distribution, a leading distributor has announced that it will be expanding the companys presence with the opening of new offices in 6 Francophone African countries - Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali and DRC.

Furthermore, it will open another five full-fledged offices in Chad, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Mitsumi will have representative offices covering the whole Francophone African countries by the end of the year - to better serve and support the region.

The launch of a local presence is part of Mitsumi's ambitious strategy to expand its Pan-African footprint and commitment to grow its business and create more jobs. With the opening of their full-fledged office and logistics unit; Mitsumi will be well positioned to offer dedicated sales/ business support to their customers and partners as well as tap into the significant market potential to increase their client base.

Mitsumi has won the distribution rights for leading telco brands such as Samsung, Infinix and Tecno  as Africa witnesses high growth in telecom sector. It has also as received distribution rights from Lenovo, enabling the company to strengthen its IT consumer product portfolio further.

Commenting Chintan Vyas, Regional Sales Head said: "The opening of our new offices provides us with an important gateway to the West African market, and to support the companys accelerated business momentum and vision. It also marks a major milestone for Mitsumi, as we are now stronger than ever with our presence in 18 countries across Middle East and Africa.

Mitsumi completes over two decades; experiencing record growth year on year, due to its strong expertise and commitment towards its customers and channel partners. The new office opening represents a continuation of the companys momentum, along with several new hires - leading the company to continued growth and earning a reputation as a leading and fast-growing distributor in the whole of Middle East and Africa.-- TradeArabia News Service
Norwegian export credit agency Eksfin is playing a major role in accelerating the green shift at sea, providing loan guarantees approaching 1 billion euro ($1.18 billion) for the construction of 35 eco-friendly vessels over the last four years. This includes Le Commandant Charcot, the worlds most exclusive polar exploration cruise ship recently delivered to French cruise line Ponant by Norwegian shipbuilder Vard.

Our job at Eksfin (formerly Export Credit Norway and GIEK) is to promote Norwegian exports globally and boost the financial capacity of Norwegian industry. In the shipping space we are helping shipowners, shipyards and equipment sub-suppliers to finance an increasing number of vessels featuring alternative fuels or new technologies that reduce harmful emissions. We are now close to the milestone figure of NOK 10bn ($1.15 billion) and will continue to pursue projects with a strong environmental profile reflecting the industry trend towards more sustainable operations, said Eksfin CEO Tone Lunde Bakker.

The delivery from Vard Sviknes of Le Commandant Charcot serves to highlight Eksfins decisive role in financing such projects. Vard won the Ponant contract thanks in part to Eksfins state-backed loan and risk guarantees.

I am very proud of Eksfins involvement in securing this project for one of Norways top maritime exporters. Our export financing package was important in influencing the shipowners choice amid fierce competition between shipbuilders in Finland, German and Norway, said Bakker.

Marseille-based Ponant contributed a significant amount of the contract position from its own resources, with Eksfin providing the outstanding monies in cooperation with French banks. The Eksfin loan amounted to 162.4 million euros, with risk guarantees totalling an even higher 182.7 million euros.

Ponant aims at proposing purposeful and sustainable luxury experience abord small ships. Le Commandant Charcot is the latest and the most iconic member of our fleet with an ultra-luxurious vessel sailing in never-yet-cruised destinations with unique environmental features. Eksfins efficient assistance together with our lenders helped to make this extraordinary ship a reality, said Ponant CFO Alexis Blavette.

Eksfin earlier contributed to the financing of six expedition cruise ships also built by Vard for Ponant, but this seventh ship is unique and, as the worlds first hybrid-electric, LNG-powered vessel with icebreaking capacity, the first ever of its type.

The delivery of Le Commandant Charcot and its superior environmental credentials reinforces Norways position as a leading producer of high-value, high-end vessels and technology. It is a great example of how we can work together with exporters and financial institutions to facilitate winning bids, said Bakker.

Ponant estimates that using LNG will reduce emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) by 95%, 85% and 25%, respectively, compared to conventional cruise ships. Le Commandant Charcot is also designed for optimal energy efficiency and minimal footprint using innovative systems engineered by Vards specialised business units. The ships comprehensive electrical solution features state-of-the-art battery technology from Norways Corvus Energy.

Ponant will deploy the 245-passenger ship on polar cruises to the Arctic and Antarctica. Shipping activity in these highly remote areas is subject to strict regulation.

In line with Ponants strong emphasis on environmental considerations across its activities, Le Commandant Charcot has been certified by French classification society Bureau Veritas not only with PC2 polar ice class, but also with Clean Ship and Comfort Class status thanks to cutting-edge technologies that reduce not only environmental impact but also noise and vibration while ensuring the highest level of safety.

Le Commandant Charcot is also equipped with research facilities that will enable the scientific community to study and analyse water, air, ice and biological diversity at the extreme poles.

It will access some of the worlds remotest spots including the Geographic North Pole (90 degrees north), Northeast Greenland National Park and the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic and the Bellingshausen Sea, Peter I and Charcot Islands and the Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

Other Norwegian companies made use of Eksfins financing for green ship projects including Hurtigruten for hybrid cruiseships; ferry operators Norled, Boreal and Fjord1 for diesel-electric, hydrogen-electric and fully electric ferries; Color Line for what is the worlds largest hybrid cruise-ferry; fishing company Cetus for onshore power connection; and tanker operator Altera Shuttle Tanker for LNG-powered tankers with volatile compound (VOC) emissions recovery.

Our new Eksfin structure makes it much easier and simpler for shipping customers and exporters to access advisory services and state-backed financing for complex projects. As a trusted partner with a streamlined approach and minimal red tape, our triple-A rated financial instruments available at competitive rates are invaluable in securing contracts in a demanding market. Were also proud to be working with forward-leaning stakeholders spearheading the move towards greener shipping of the future, said Bakker.-- TradeArabia News Service
Herman Miller has announced that its entire portfolio of Aeron Chairs will contain ocean-bound plastic, including a new colour, Onyx Ultra Matte, which contains up to 1.13 kg of mismanaged plastic waste found near waterways per chair.

These material changes in the Aeron Portfolio specifically are projected to save the ocean from over 150 tonnes of plastic annually - equal to approximately 15 million single-use plastic water bottles.

The updates are part of Herman Millers membership in NextWave Plastics, its ongoing commitment to sustainability, and long-term goal to increase recycled content to at least 50% including the use of ocean-bound plastic across all material the company uses by 2030.

Aeron is the latest in a growing list of products Herman Miller has reengineered using ocean-bound plastic. The effort also includes parts of the recently launched OE1 Workplace Collection, the Sayl Chair in Europe, utility trays as part of pedestal units, and its latest textile collection, Revenio, which is made of 100% recycled materials and includes a biodegradable polyester.

The company is also reducing footprint by adding ocean-bound plastic to returnable shipping crates that send seating parts to and from suppliers and poly bags used to keep products safe during transit.

Every year, an estimated eight million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean. This is roughly equivalent to dumping a garbage truck full of plastic into the ocean every minute, said Gabe Wing, Herman Millers Director of Sustainability.

We joined NextWave to play an active role in taking on the ocean plastic problem and cast a wide net for opportunities to incorporate ocean-bound plastic across our global operations. Were proud of the progress weve already made with packaging and textiles and are eager to continue doing our part in preventing harmful plastic from reaching our oceans by adding it to the iconic Aeron Chair.

By integrating ocean-bound plastic into all these products and packaging solutions, Herman Miller estimates to divert up to 234 metric tonnes of plastic from the ocean annually, equal to preventing close to 400,000 milk jugs or up to 23 million single-use plastic bottles from entering the ocean annually. Ocean-bound plastic is plastic material that has not yet found its way into the ocean and is classified as mismanaged waste.

That is, plastic that is not being collected, is unlikely to be collected, and found within 50 kilometres of a coastline. Common examples of ocean-bound plastic include plastic bottles, jugs, caps, and fishing gear.

When plastic waste builds up in coastal cities, suppliers work with local pickers to collect the plastic. Once collected, the material is ground, washed, and pelletised. From there, it is sold to manufacturers who test and re-engineer the plastic to incorporate into products.

On our current trajectory we are at risk of tripling the rate of new plastic entering the ocean every year. A critical strategy to disrupt that path is to demonstrate the value of ocean-bound plastic. In bringing the Aeron chair made with ocean-bound plastic to market, Herman Miller is not only proving the commercial value of the material, but showcasing the power of collective action in developing ocean-bound plastic supply chains, said Dune Ives, CEO of Lonely Whale.

Herman Miller, and all members of the NextWave Plastics consortium, are taking the necessary action - today - to make a positive impact for the ocean and for us all.

The plastic used in Aeron is currently sourced from India and Indonesia, which are two of many locations where Herman Miller and other NextWave member companies are creating demand and establishing a supply chain for this material. By sourcing ocean-bound plastic from these areas, the companies are making both economic and social impact by supporting local communities and employing individuals who make a living collecting mismanaged waste near the shoreline.

Were doing more than making an environmental impact, said Bob Teasley, Director of Supply Management at Herman Miller. By working with coastal communities around the world to harvest ocean-bound plastic, were increasing demand, creating jobs, and boosting economies.

The Aeron Chair is Herman Millers top selling seating solution and has received a variety of awards and recognition including the Good Design Award (GDA) from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, FIRA (Furniture Industry Research Association) award, the IDSA Designs of the Decade award, and is part of the permanent collection of MOMA. It was also the companys first product to receive the industry-leading Cradle to Cradle V3 Silver Level certification, assessed on environmental and social performance.-- TradeArabia News Service
Sensor solutions specialist Hensoldt will supply its new airborne multi-mission surveillance radar PrecISR to one of the biggest airborne surveillance providers, CAE-Aviation, Luxembourg.

Hensoldt was awarded a contract to deliver one PrecISR 1000 until year-end to CAE Aviation for installation underneath a King Air Beechcraft B350 aircraft for an undisclosed customer, a Hensoldt release said.

The contract was signed after PrecISR had proven impressive SAR/MTI capabilities during successful flight demonstrations in real land and maritime scenarios. In this context, CAE-Aviation and Hensoldt recently participated jointly in the Ocean 2020 maritime surveillance exercise in Sweden with the PrecISR radar installed on CAE-Aviations aircraft.

Ocean2020 (Open Cooperation for European Maritime Awareness), funded by the European Union's Preparatory Action on Defence Research and implemented by the European Defence Agency, had the main objective to demonstrate enhanced situational awareness in a maritime environment through the integration of legacy and new technologies for unmanned systems, ISTAR payloads and effectors, by covering the observing, orienting, deciding and acting operational tasks.

The team involving 43 entities was drawn from 15 countries across Europe. These activities culminated in demonstrations in the Mediterranean and Baltic seas contributing to the EUs ability to lead innovation in support of Europes strategic autonomy in the maritime domain.

At the same time, Hensoldt and CAE Aviation agreed upon a strategic partnership. They signed an agreement aiming at joint development of customer specific capabilities, training and maintenance and marketing of the PrecISR product.

PrecISR translates the latest achievements in active array and digital receiver technology into a scalable high-performance sensor which can be installed aboard helicopters, UAVs and fixed-wing mission aircraft. Due to its software-defined radar modes and electronic beam steering, PrecISR can fulfil different tasks virtually at the same time.

It is able to detect, track and classify thousands of objects and thus literally find the needle in a haystack. Because of its compact design and the fact that all parts are located outside of the airframe, the airborne platform integration of PrecISR is simplified significantly compared to other radars. Its superior precision and target accuracy make it the sensor of choice for surveillance of large sea and coastal areas against piracy, trafficking or illicit intrusion.-- TradeArabia News Service
Bentleys new Flying Spur Hybrid will arrive in Saudi Arabia in 2022, Samaco Automotive the certified dealer of Bentley Motors in Saudi Arabia has announced.

The introduction of the new Flying Spur Hybrid builds on the success of the third generation Flying Spur, using a highly innovative third powertrain delivering the most environment-friendly Bentley to date.

The introduction of the Flying Spur Hybrid establishes a family of Bentley hybrids for the first time, emphasising Bentleys commitment to its Beyond100 strategy to become an end-to-end carbon neutral organisation and the worlds leading sustainable luxury mobility company.

The latest addition to Bentley's new hybrid range demonstrates that hybridisation does not compromise luxury or performance. With an unperceivable blend between the internal combustion engine and electric motor, refined serenity is on offer regardless of driving mode or style, Peter Smith, General Manager at Bentley Motors in Saudi Arabia said.

He added: The new powertrain combines a 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine with an advanced electric motor, delivering a total of 536 bhp (544 PS) and 750 Nm (553 lb.ft) of torque - an additional 95 bhp in comparison to the Bentayga Hybrid. The new Flying Spur becomes the most efficient Bentley ever having the capability to cover over 700 km when fully fuelled.

With high power reserves, superior torque and quick throttle response in the latest hybrid model gives little away to the Flying Spur V8 in acceleration, passing 60 mph from a standstill in 4.1 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.3 secs). The new powertrain achieves a significant reduction in fuel consumption whilst still providing the authentic Bentley character of effortless, refined performance.

The new Flying Spur incorporates a class-leading portfolio of intelligent and intuitive equipment tailored to the driver and passengers. For the Flying Spur Hybrid, connected car services will now also include My Battery Charge, My Car Statistics, and My Cabin Comfort.

To provide further feedback to the driver, the driver instruments include additional information showing when the car is operating solely in EV drive, regenerating whilst deaccelerating or using the combustion engine.

Inside the cabin, the automatic Start-Stop switch has been replaced with a control for the three E Modes  EV Drive, Hybrid Mode and Hold Mode, enabling the driver to manage the battery usage during a journey. EV Drive mode is engaged as soon as the car is switched on and maximises the electric driving experience. This is ideal for city driving and for shorter journeys.

The flow of energy can also be displayed via the infotainment screen where statistics can be seen and the timers for charging the vehicle can be set. Additional e-motion information is available to the driver via the instrument panel, heads up display and center screen, including range, battery level and charging information.

Exterior visual differences for the Flying Spur Hybrid include a 'Hybrid' front fender badge, quad oval tailpipes, and a covered universal charging point on the left-hand rear fender.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FOCUSED POWERTRAIN

The combination of a highly efficient engine and advanced E-Motor delivers the same flexibility and practicality associated with the W12 and V8 powertrains on offer today, achieving a responsive, engaging and supremely refined experience.

The new 2.9-litre V6 engine achieves 410 bhp (416 PS) and 550 NM (406 lb. Ft) of torque up to 5650 rpm, sharing similar design methodology as the 4.0-litre V8. The twin-scroll turbochargers and primary catalytic converters are positioned within the V of the engine. Fuel injectors and spark plugs have been centralised within each combustion chamber to ensure optimal spray patterns and combustion paths, and the camshafts are variable by up to 50 degrees. The engine delivers over 150 bhp per litre, even higher than the Flying Spur V8.

The advanced electronic motor is located between the transmission and the engine and provides up to 134 bhp (136 PS) and 400 Nm (295 lb. Ft) of torque. The permanent magnet synchronous motor delivers full torque instantly for silent acceleration from standing start. The rapid response of torque minimises any perceived delay often associated with turbocharger lag.

The E-motor is powered by a 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery and can be charged to 100 per cent in as little as two and a half hours (region-specific). The power electronics convert the energy stored from the high voltage battery to supply the E-Motor or supplement the existing 12v vehicle electrical infrastructure.

The combined powertrain propels the Flying Spur Hybrid from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds (Flying Spur V8: 4.0 secs) and on to a top speed of 177 mph. Reduced CO2 values and lower fuel consumption are pending certification and will deliver the most environmentally focused powertrain of the range.

SUBTLE INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY

The interior of the Flying Spur Hybrid is a striking combination of the very latest integrated technology, beautiful materials, and design prowess, now combined with the Features required for a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

A dedicated button allows control over the three E Modes - EV Drive, Hybrid Mode and Hold Mode. These will enable the driver to manually manage battery usage during a journey - though this can also be managed automatically by the car:

EV DRIVE - is engaged as soon as the car is switched on and maximises the electric driving experience. This is ideal for city driving and for shorter journeys.

HYBRID - maximises vehicle efficiency and range using data from the intelligent navigation system. This mode is suited for longer journeys and uses predictive E-Mode and engine coasting whilst following directions from the navigation system. Inputting a destination, the car will automatically engage the correct Drive Mode for each part of the journey, constantly calculating the most efficient use of battery charge and storing electrical energy for sections of the journey where it is most useful - such as when arriving in the city. The system will reduce on-board charge to zero just as the vehicle reaches its destination, maximising overall efficiency.

HOLD - balances engine and electric power to hold high voltage battery charge for later use conserving electric energy. This is the default mode when the driver selects Sport to provide consistent boost and recuperation.

The Flying Spur Hybrid is delivered with all the required market specific cables, facilitating charging of the vehicle at the home or via industrial charge points at work or in public car parks. In addition to the standard equipment supplied, customers can also choose a Bentley branded wall box available as a no cost option, providing an attractive solution housing the charge unit and storing the charge cables neatly.

EXPANDED CONNECTED CAR SERVICES

The Flying Spur Hybrid incorporates a class-leading portfolio of intelligent and intuitive equipment tailored to the driver and passengers. An embedded SIM is provided, meaning My Bentley connected car features no longer require customers to provide their own data connection. My Bentley in-car and remote services is a continually developing range of services available to customers through a dedicated app, available both on Apple iOS and Android mobile platforms.

Remote services - subject to regional availability - are accessible through the My Bentley app, including a range of features our customers now come to expect - from 'find my car' and 'lock my car', through to car status and statistics. Specific features for the new Flying Spur Hybrid can be found in the convenient features and are as follows:

MY CAR STATISTICS - which provides an overview of vehicle data. You can view the time and date of recent trips as well as last trip distance, average speed, travel time and average fuel/electric consumption.

MY BATTERY CHARGE - allows you to remotely initiate vehicle charging as long as your vehicle is plugged in. You can select the time you plan to leave, and the charging system will calculate the rate of charging to achieve the highest level of charge in line with your departure.

MY CABIN COMFORT - lets you remotely heat or cool the cabin to an optimum temperature of 22C ahead of your journey.

A DISTINCT MODEL

The Flying Spur Hybrid has seven Bentley paint colours to choose from as standard, which have been carefully selected to complement the character and style of the car. Customers can also specify their vehicle from the additional extended paint range of over 60 colours, including Mulliner and personal commission. The Blackline Specification offers a contemporary alternative to exterior bright ware including a black version of the optional illuminated electrically deployed Flying B radiator mascot, and for a more contemporary exterior aesthetic.

A 'Hybrid' badge mounted on the lower front fender, quad oval tailpipes at the rear of the vehicle and a covered universal charging point on the left-hand rear fender denote the new model. The choice of optional wheels includes the 22" Mulliner Driving Specification wheel in three different finishes, a 21" wheel in Polished or Grey Painted and Bright machined or the standard 20" wheel.

The interior of the Flying Spur Hybrid showcases Bentley's expertise in creating a modern cabin of unrivalled luxury and innovation. Stylish and unique, the interior features supremely comfortable seats in five hide colours, with Bentley's 'Wing' theme across the lower console and fascia. For additional choice, the Colour Specification option adds 10 further hide colours and two duo-tone interior configurations.

All Flying Spurs are manufactured at Bentley's home in Crewe - the world's first carbon neutral factory for luxury car production. Customer orders can be taken from summer onwards, and first customer deliveries are due before the end of 2021.-- TradeArabia News Service
Kaat Vanderheyde, Managing Director for Brand & Customer Experience Design at FedEx Express Europe, is the winner of the World Media Award (WMA) for Content Leadership & Innovation for 2021.

The World Media Group has announced that this honour is awarded to the individual recognised by peers for talent in creating exemplary content-driven campaigns that demonstrate brand bravery, creativity, and innovation. Vanderheyde will receive her special award at this year's WMAs celebration in September.

The WMA's international jury, comprising 30 highly respected jurors from leading advertisers, agencies, and publishers, agreed that Kaat is an outstanding marketer and true visionary.

As a marketer who fundamentally understands the power of branded content, she has developed deep partnerships with a variety of media owners. She made use of her experience and know-how over the past 18 months, when she saw the opportunity to invest storytelling capital in some of the positive stories to come out of a negative global event, the Covid-19 pandemic. Her bravery paid off with Made on Earth', a successful TV series, which was accompanied by a highly impactful advertising campaign.

"As always, the contenders for this year's Content Leadership & Innovation Award, nominated by World Media Group members, have displayed brand bravery, creativity and innovation in pushing the boundaries of content marketing to achieve outstanding results," said Belinda Barker, Chief Executive, The World Media Group.

"During what was a challenging year for the media industry, Kaat impressed the jury with her deep understanding of branded content, and her brilliant initiative that shows the positive role FedEx played in the Covid crisis."

"2020 was an unprecedented year in which FedEx was at the heart of efforts to keep trade flowing and deliver life-saving vaccines around the world, as part of the global fightback against Covid-19. Teaming up with a trusted media partner to tell our story was more important than ever," said Vanderheyde.

"The standard of content-driven marketing campaigns is incredibly high across all the World Media Group brands, so it really is an honour for me to receive the World Media Award for Content Leadership & Innovation and for our team to see their incredible work recognised at this level. I'm looking forward to the Awards ceremony to see what the finalists in each sector have achieved during this challenging time."

The World Media Awards showcase the world's best content-driven, cross-border advertising campaigns. The final category winners will be announced during an exclusive live ceremony at the Ham Yard Hotel in London on Thursday September 9, 2021 (Covid-19 restrictions permitting).

The winner of this year's prestigious Grand Prix Award will also be announced on the night, joining previous Grand Prix winners Sonos, Tata Motors, Shell, Fox, and London & Partners as the best of the best'.-- TradeArabia News Service
International beauty companies from more than 50 countries, including 15 national pavilions, will reconnect at the 25th Beautyworld Middle East, the regions largest international trade fair for the beauty industry.

Organised by Messe Frankfurt Middle East, Beautyworld Middle East will run from October 5 to 7 at Dubai World Trade Centre and assume even greater significance as the first major in-person international beauty event of 2021.

A diverse mix of industry exhibitors will use the three-day platform to demonstrate new-to-market products and solutions, reconnect with partners and explore new opportunities in an expanding regional market, with latest Goldstein Market Intelligence report forecasting a 20% growth for premium cosmetics in the UAE alone by 2030.

The landmark edition will, for the first time, include participation of exhibitors from Azerbaijan, Ghana, Hungary, Philippines, Serbia, and Syria, reinforcing Beautyworld Middle Easts status as a strategic gateway for the global industry.

It is evident that there remains strong international appetite for the UAE market and Beautyworld Middle East is the bridge that connects manufacturers and prospective buyers and brands, said Elaine OConnell, Show Director for Beautyworld Middle East.

The event will provide the perfect platform for international and regional industry players to meet, in-person, for the first time since the pandemic. We are looking forward to three days of dialogue, networking and deal making.

The show will host high-level international governmental agencies and trade delegations across 15 country pavilions. Among them is France. An event stalwart, this years French pavilion will host 71 French companies, including 55 first-time participants.

Caroline Escudier, Project Manager of Business France, official organisers of the French pavilion, said: Why Dubai? The answer is simple: the accessibility here is like no other, we have an opportunity to meet with a global audience we cannot reach from only France.

As a governmental agency we have been organising the French pavilion at Beautyworld Middle East for 25 years now, and while in a different region, the show has had an impact on the French market. It is essential for us to be present.

Featuring exciting perfume innovations such as Dapy Paris new automatic perfume dispenser, the French pavilion will host a number of household brands such as Parfums Plus  exhibiting a new style of fragrances in partnership with Parisian and Grassois perfumers.

Brazilian exhibitors will also be out in full force with haircare focused brands covering a selection of products such as hair treatments, oils, hair dye, and styling tools. The anticipated line-up includes Maxibrasil, Macpaul, Kur Cosmeticos, Macpaul Cosmeticos, and Agilise Cosmeticos.

Caio Lopes, Export Director at Agilise, said: Agilise has established a number of business partnerships with companies from the Middle East. The quality of our products, the appeal of Brazilian assets and our company policies  which reinforce a relationship-driven culture  resonate with customers in the Middle East and has led to success for ourselves and our partners.

The international exhibitor line-up is spread across seven distinct product segments: Cosmetics & Skincare; Hair, Nails & Salon Supplies; Machinery, Packaging & Raw Materials; Fragrance Compounds & Finished Fragrance; Personal Care & Hygiene; Natural & Organic; and Beauty Technology, a brand-new segment.

Beautyworld Middle East 2021 will take place amid stringent health and safety measures in accordance with official government, local authority guidelines, and the Dubai World Trade Centre venue.

Visitors can also gain access to the shows new hybrid event platform where they can experience AI-powered matchmaking, connect with exhibitors in-person or virtually, discover unmissable products and content, and bookmark sessions they want to attend.-- TradeArabia News Service
Aramcos chemical arm, SABIC, has signed a joint venture contract with China's Fujian Petrochemical Industrial Group (FJPEC) to build a mega petrochemical complex in China, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The complex will be built at the Gulei Industrial Park in Zhangzhou city, east of China's Fujian Province, at a total investment of 40 billion yuan ($6.18 billion).

It will consist of a mixed feed steam cracker that holds an annual ethylene capacity of 1.5 million tons, as well as a series of downstream facilities including a mono ethylene glycol (MEG) unit, two polyethylene (PE) units, two polypropylene (PP) units, one polycarbonate (PC) unit and several by-product units.

Sabic had announced in September 2018 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Fujian provincial government to build a world-class petrochemical complex in China's southeastern province. Tradearabia News Service
GREEN hydrogen (H2) has become a key agenda topic for policymakers and industrial players, driven by global decarbonisation efforts and the commercial opportunities that could follow.

Although ambitious targets are now being pursued through related projects, the possibilities that accompany the green H2 economy depend on several conditions across policy, supply, infrastructure, and demand.

A report, entitled Paving the way for green hydrogen: Key considerations for green H2 deployment by Arthur D Little (ADL), the leading management consultancy firm with the longest-standing presence in the Middle East region, expounds this viewpoint.

The report examines the role green H2 will have in the future, elaborating on promising use cases and the next steps needed for successful deployment.

Decarbonisation has been raised again on top of worlds agenda and countries are actively seeking to lower emissions and transition to clean energy sources, explains Carlo Stella, Partner at ADL Middle East.

The 2015 Paris Agreement has instigated widespread action, with leaderships encouraging technology-backed decarbonisation in the years since. Green Hydrogen has been identified as a key technology to bridge decarbonisation ambitions, if the basic conditions and some pressing requirements are met in the short term.

Many governments in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are currently exploring opportunities that can be exploited in this field, as green hydrogen helps reduce economic dependence on hydrocarbons and contributes to economic development and diversification of energy supply.

Furthermore, foreign policy and bilateral agreements are also reinforcing the green H2 economys importance.

Already in 2021, Saudi Arabia has announced a strategic green H2 development alliance with Germany to generate, process, use, and transport clean hydrogen, representing a significant stride as the Kingdom seeks to produce greater volumes of green H2.

Similarly in the UAE, a green H2 project was inaugurated at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai this past May.

In collaboration with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Expo 2020 Dubai, and Siemens Energy, the project is the first solar-driven green H2 producing facility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Strategic alliances are certain to be impactful as countries and industry players work together to realise their shared and mutual green H2 objectives, says Eddy Ghanem, Principal at ADL Middle East.

That being said, the complex nature of green H2 production cannot be overlooked, and having dual sources of renewable energy is another necessity for sustained decarbonisation success.

While many locations have no shortage of single renewables sources, few are currently capable of meeting minimum requirements in terms of multiple sources. One example is NEOM in Saudi Arabia, where the worlds largest green H2 plant is being developed.

Upon completion, the availability of both solar and wind renewable energy in NEOM is expected to yield a combined electricity cost of $2-3 ct/Kwh, which will reduce the total cost of green H2 production to approximately $2/kg.

The report indicates three conditions necessary for the success of green hydrogen generation projects: cost-competitive production, reliability of production and supply, and hedging of risks to attract investors.

Potential hydrogen demands are also examined, while decision-makers are provided with valuable opportunities analysis, risk limitation, and other risks and conditions related to policies and infrastructure.

Although green H2 projects are being pursued and more investments finalised, this momentum can only continue if thriving conditions are secured in the areas of policy, supply, infrastructure, and demand, concludes Carlo Stella.

Through a collective effort based on transparency, collaboration, and innovation, interested parties can deliver on companies and countries decarbonisation commitments, successfully deploying green H2 to usher in a new chapter of renewable energy transformation. Tradearabia News Service
Sabre Corporation, the leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, and Qatar Airways are finalising a new distribution deal that will provide long-term access to the airlines content through the Sabre travel marketplace.

Qatar Airways intends to strengthen its partnership with Sabre to take advantage of of the latters global reach and leading position in corporate travel for the distribution of the airline's products to travellers worldwide, a spokesperson of the airline said.

Implementation work is starting to enable offers created by Qatar Airways to be distributed through Sabres new distribution capability (NDC), which provides a consistent end-to-end workflow that integrates within well-established agency operations.

Sabre Travel Solutions Chief Commercial Officer Roshan Mendis said: A new approach to retailing is required in order to respond to the personalised service and enhanced flexibility that travellers expect.

"Collaboration will be crucial in the travel industrys recovery, so Im proud that we are finalising a long-term, sustainable agreement with Qatar Airways that is beneficial for all parties in the travel ecosystem.

Sabres technology enables Qatar Airways to market and sell its roster of fares globally through the Sabre marketplace. Reaching a network of more than 425,000 travel agents, it is one of the worlds largest marketplaces, processing over $120 billion in estimated travel spend.

Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Thierry Antinori said: As international travel recovers, the landscape has become complex, and we dont want to add additional obstacles such as surcharges, restrictions or inefficient technical solutions, as we deploy NDC-based product offerings.

We are therefore focused on providing a consistent shopping experience through all channels, to meet the expectations of our travellers. With Sabre, we see great potential to shape the future of modern airline retailing.-TradeArabia News Service
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that both international and domestic travel demand showed significant momentum in July 2021 compared to June, but demand remained far below pre-pandemic levels.

Extensive government-imposed travel restrictions continue to delay recovery in international markets, IATA said.

Comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of Covid-19, unless otherwise noted all comparisons are to July 2019, which followed a normal demand pattern.

- Total demand for air travel in July 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) was down 53.1% compared to July 2019. This is a significant improvement from June when demand was 60% below June 2019 levels.

- International passenger demand in July was 73.6% below July 2019, bettering the 80.9% decline recorded in June 2021 versus two years ago. All regions showed improvement and North American airlines posted the smallest decline in international RPKs (July traffic data from Africa was not available).

- Total domestic demand was down 15.6% versus pre-crisis levels (July 2019), compared to the 22.1% decline recorded in June over June 2019. Russia posted the best result for another month, with RPKs up 28.9% vs July 2019.

Director General Willie Walsh said: July results reflect peoples eagerness to travel during the Northern Hemisphere summer. Domestic traffic was back to 85 per cent of pre-crisis levels, but international demand has only recovered just over a quarter of 2019 volumes.

"The problem is border control measures. Government decisions are not being driven by data, particularly with respect to the efficacy of vaccines. People travelled where they could, and that was primarily in domestic markets. A recovery of international travel needs governments to restore the freedom to travel.

"At a minimum, vaccinated travellers should not face restrictions. That would go a long way to reconnecting the world and reviving the travel and tourism sectors, added Walsh.-TradeArabia News Service
The Grand Millennium, Business Bay, located on the Dubai Water Canal, is adding two elements to further the concept of hospitality and make it a happening place in Business Bay with Lock, Stock & Barrel and Asia Asia.

Together with Solutions Leisure Group, the property has opened Lock, Stock & Barrel, the award winning home grown party destination to dine, drink and socialise with the best music, on the 4th floor in August.

The second element to find its home in Grand Millennium, Business Bay is Asia Asia restaurant, targeting a December 2021 opening.

Pan Asian cuisine and a luxury ambience redolent of the ancient Spice Road from the Far East to the Middle East is intended to transport up to 500 guests from the present, modern-day world and set them down in a world of opulence.

Acting Cluster GM Oussama Chalak said: Our two new outlets will cement our position as the premium hotel in Business Bay and to have it confirmed by the worlds largest travel site is rewarding.

These new elements cement the long-standing relationship between Solutions Leisure Group, headed by Paul Evans, and RTS Investments Group, Grand Millennium Hotels.

Evans said: Our long-term partnership with the team at RTS Investments Group has seen our first venture, Lock, Stock & Barrel Barsha Heights, exceed all expectations.

"With the invitation to open two additional venues in the Grand Millennium Business Bay property, were excited to enter this new opportunity of growth and bring the UAE more of what they love.-TradeArabia News Service
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Moscow has been treating the Afghan Islamists as reliable interlocutors for years. Compared to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, the Afghan Emirate offers a more acceptable and repeatable model: a mix of patriotism and Islamism. The Kremlin will struggle to contain any extremist regurgitation.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The Taliban return to power in Afghanistan may give new life to a double myth in Russia: that of Islam conquering the world, and that of the fight against the oligarchs and the corrupt. This is the theme of the proceedings from an expert forum published by Kavkaz.Realii, recalling several historical situations in the intersections of the Russian state, Caucasus and Central Asia.

All radical Islamist movements are banned and condemned in Russia as extremists and terrorists, from Isis to the so-called Imarat Kavkaz (Caucasian Emirate). Yet for years, well before the recapture of Kabul, the Russian leadership has accepted the Taliban as reliable interlocutors close to the sensibilities of the peoples of the East.

Russian-Bashkian political scientist Abbas Galljamov notes that "the schadenfreude [malignant joy] caused by the fact that the Taliban humiliated the U.S. is pouring out from all Russian television channels, but this does not bother the Americans, who do not understand Russian patriotism." Galljamov notes that "malign satisfaction instead exalts the spirits of Russian Muslims, in the Caucasus and in the Oltre Volga, because it inserts the prestige of radical Islam into patriotism."

At a time when Putinism is mired in political and economic "stagnation," and the Caucasus countries are themselves locked in mutual hostility, Muslim youth in the former Soviet space look to the Taliban as a new hope for the future. If the myth of the "Islamic State" has now dissolved, the Afghan Emirate proposes a more acceptable and repeatable model, also in accordance with the history of all Islamic states, which have never been able to create an empire, except for the Ottoman one of Byzantine derivation.

Another Russian expert, Andrej Serenko, believes that "the victory of the Taliban helps the radicalization of young Muslims in our lands, where we are used to present a form of "moderate Islam". Now a jihadist model is back in vogue with the Taliban brand, which in Afghanistan works in its own way, also because of the tribal traditions of that country: "In other parts of the world - explains Serenko - it can take different forms, becoming overall a global myth". It will also be important to see how the new Afghanistan will be viewed among the Islamic nations of the Middle East, starting with Qatar, where the Taliban have had their headquarters abroad for years.

In this way, the "Taliban myth" may not have any direct relationship with the Afghans. Serenko adds that "it is not by chance that the sheikhs of al-Qaeda have always described the Taliban as a successful model of jihad, even before the conquest of Kabul. They are the ones who always fight even if they can't win, and in the end they won." Al Qaeda propagandists are always active, especially in Russian-speaking and former Soviet territories.

The greatest effect of this propaganda is achieved precisely in the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia. After the collapse of the Soviet empire, the populations of the two regions have been living for decades in poor economic conditions, under the yoke of a few rapacious oligarchs who live in palaces "with golden baths"; they are forced to deal with widespread corruption at all levels of administration and government.

By showing videos of the lavish mansions of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Afghan-Uzbek Marshal Rashid Dostum, the Taliban have become the standard bearers not only of jihadism, but also of social justice. By regaining power, they have chastised the oligarchs and driven out the corrupt, at least in appearance; their victory marks the redemption of the people against the thieves who robbed them and left them in misery, in line with a widespread populist trend worldwide.

The Russian political system is much more solid than the other ex-Soviet Republics, even if Putinism itself is beginning to waver, and it remains to be seen how much it will be able to contain the extremist regurgitation. An example could be Chechnya, ruled by the iron fist of the super-putin autocrat Ramzan Kadyrov, who has always fiercely repressed the most radical Islamists. Much will also depend on the behaviour of the many Caucasian and Asian migrants living in the Russian Federation, and it is not certain that strict police control will be sufficient to extinguish any outbreak of rebellion.
by Gianni Criveller *

Fr Criveller reacts to Pope Francis' China interview published yesterday. For the PIME missionary and China watcher, the Pope heard the words of those worried about the Vatican-China agreement. [W]e truly hope the Pope succeeds, he writes, but pledges to continue reporting on what is happening on the ground where the room for freedom has been restricted for Chinese Catholics.

Milan (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis is once again talking about China. He doesn't do this often. For this reason, what he told Spanish Radio COPE, reported yesterday by AsiaNews, is important.

His words have a new flavour with respect to the past, not to mention the apologetic enthusiasm of those who feel authorised to talk about the Pope's thoughts.

When Francis says that the issue of China is not easy, he seems to be admitting, compared to what was said in the past, that it is more than its great civilisation, the more clearly when he says, You can be deceived in dialogue, you can make mistakes.

I don't think the Pope would mention this if he could avoid it. Thus, he too fears that the outcome of the agreement between China and the Vatican might be a flop.

The fact that the Pope admits this possibility shows that he is aware of the situation on the ground. He heard the worried words of those in China who spoke out in recent years as well as those who follow developments in the countrys Catholic communities.

After describing the positive and less positive aspects of the 2018 agreement, we noted that China's agreement with the Vatican could be "a shrewd deception, providing Chinas rulers an opportunity to display a certain openness not found on the ground where the room for freedom has been restricted.

The Pope makes an initial assessment, one that is rather thin, short of expectations and hopes. What has been achieved so far in China was at least dialogue, he said, some concrete things like the appointment of new bishops, slowly... But these are also steps that can be questionable and the results on one side or the other.

In reality, few bishops have been appointed compared to the needs of the people of God. Some of them were chosen before the agreement itself, which has produced few other benefits, as far as we can tell. On the contrary, as reports from Catholic communities show, believers face an increasingly difficult situation.

The Pope correctly does not bring up the pandemic to justify poor results. The pandemic, in fact, has not prevented China from getting results in other areas, including the suppression of freedom and democracy in Hong Kong.

Amid all this, Francis stresses that we should not give up dialogue. This is strong point in what he said. We can but appreciate the Pope's faith in dialogue, which is especially important with the most stubborn interlocutors.

Martyrdom is also an aspect in dialogue (martyrdom as suffering while bearing witness). The pope says that he was inspired by the dialogue Agostino Casaroli begun with the old European communist regimes.

Casaroli talks about it in The Martyrdom of Patience, a suggestive title that inspired the Popes thoughts. Therefore, to engage China in dialogue requires the martyrdom of patience. Chinese Catholics know this well, and have very little to rejoice.

With all our hearts as loyal Catholics, we truly hope the Pope succeeds, and achieve through such truly difficult dialogue, what he has in his heart, namely freedom for the Church in China and good tidings and peace for its people.

Even when I was a layman and priest, I loved to show the way to the bishop; it is a temptation that I would even say is licit if it is done with good will, said Francis, in the self-deprecating style that he sometimes uses, as he addressed the many doubts and concerns expressed about the agreement between China and the Vatican, which was renewed in October 2020.

We are among those who were, and still are, tempted to show the way, that is, to respectfully show the Holy See, in good conscience and good will, the reports we are getting from our brothers and sisters in China as well as their concerns and sufferings.

We express our loyalty to the Pope and his aides by supplying them with analyses and reflections that outline the complexity of the situation, including what challenges success stories.

This is why we think that silence  by Catholic media as well, apparently  about the obstacles Chinas Catholic communities face (and other tragedies unfolding in that country) does not serve the Pope.

In 1933 Edith Stein (proclaimed martyr, saint and patroness of Europe by John Paul II) wrote a very principled letter to Pius XI imploring him not to be silent about Hitler's policies. Therefore, dialogue  which has an aspect of suffering while bearing witness  cannot move forward if one side is silent.

One might therefore surmise that the Holy See has found ways, albeit not publicly known, to express its disappointment to the other side about the decline of freedom of religious worship in China and the suppression of freedom and democracy in Hong Kong.

If, as the Pope said on Spanish radio, showing the way to the bishop is a legitimate temptation which he has practiced in the past, it is to be hoped that many will follow his example and allow themselves to be overcome by such temptation and send their critical contribution to the Pope and the Holy See, yours truly included.

* PIME missionary and China watcher
His funeral was held this morning. The Indian government deployed troops and blocked the Internet to stop protests. Al-Qaeda includes Kashmir among the territories to be reconquered through global jihad. For top Taliban official Anas Haqqani, the new Afghan government will not intervene in the region. Extremists play the moderate card because they need international support and funding.

New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Syed Ali Geelani died at the age of 92 at his home in Srinagar after a long illness. He was buried this morning.

A long-time advocate for Muslim majority Kashmir, a region divided between India and Pakistan, he had spent the past 11 years under house arrest for his opposition to the Indian government. He sought Kashmirs secession from India in favour of merger with Pakistan.

Indian authorities, who control Srinagar, Kashmirs main city, deployed troops during Geelanis funeral service. Indian soldiers surrounded his home with barbed wire fences and suspended Internet services. India takes such measures whenever tensions rise in Kashmir.

Although India and Pakistan administer different parts of the territory, the two countries have claimed the whole since the 1947 partition.

In 2019Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis government banned Jamaat-e-Islami, a political-religious organisation founded by Geelani. Until 2020, the latter was president of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of a dozen Kashmiri separatist parties.

Recently, al-Qaeda posted a list of territories that must be liberated through global jihad; it included Kashmir.

With the help of Allah, this historic victory [by the Taleban in Afghanistan] will open the way for the Muslim masses to achieve liberation from the despotic rule of tyrants who have been imposed by the West on the Islamic world, said As-Sahab, al-Qaidas official media outlet in Pakistan and Afghanistan

The list also includes the Levant and the Islamic Maghreb, but not Xinjiang and Chechnya, most likely because Russia and China have not closed their embassies in Kabul and have shown themselves willing to back the Taliban.

Afghan jihadists now present themselves as ambassadors of peace (see their Twitter accounts), but according to several observers, their moderation is a way to obtain much needed international legitimacy and financial aid.

Talks to form a new Afghan government are over. According to Muhammad Jalal, one of the groups top leaders, it will be announced tomorrow after Friday prayers.

Meanwhile, the Talibans reconquest of Afghanistan has galvanised extremist groups in the region, including in Kashmir. The best known of those affiliated with al-Qaeda is Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, but recently some smaller groups have sworn allegiance (bay'a) to the Taliban.

Two organisations supported by Pakistans intelligence services are also active in Kashmir, Jaish-e-Mohammad (which, like the Taliban, are inspired by the Deobandi movement), and Lashkar-e Taiba.

The current tense situation is raising concern in India. However, Anas Haqqani, the youngest son of the founder of the Haqqani Network, told CNN-News18 that he will not support Jaish-e-Mohammad nor Lashkar-e Taiba because he does not want to interfere in Kashmiri affairs.

Likewise, Haqqani said that he expects neighbouring countries (i.e., India) not to interfere in the domestic politics of the new Islamic Emirate.

A few days ago, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the head of the Taliban political office in Doha, said that the new Afghanistan wants to maintain close relations with India, especially in terms of the economy and trade.

Stanikzai also hinted at the possible opening of a land trade route through Pakistan because, despite political problems, India remains a major trading partner.
by Emanuele Scimia

Preliminary negotiations begin at the end of September. British participation brings the trade block to cover 16% of world GDP. Difficult the participation of Taiwanese, opposed by Beijing. Taiwan wants a bilateral trade and investment agreement with the United Kingdom: tepid the Johnson administration, in favour Lord Alton, sanctioned by the Chinese.

Rome (AsiaNews) - At the end of September, the British government will hold the first meeting to negotiate adhesion to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the free trade agreement born of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) wanted by former US President Barack Obama.

Japan, to date the majority stakeholder in the trade pact, announced Londons move yesterday. Initially signed in 2016 by the U.S., with Washington's participation it would have accounted for 40% of world trade. The Obama administration saw it as a soft-power tool to contain Chinas growing power but Donald Trump pulled out early in in his presidency.

Tokyo has been working on expanding the CPTPP for some time. Currently, in addition to Japan, members include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

The UK is looking for trade agreements to strengthen its international position post-Brexit. Since London has already signed trade agreements with many CPTPP member countries, its entry into the economic bloc should be relatively quick, most likely in early 2022. British participation would increase the share of global GDP covered by the CPTPP from 13% to 16%.

China, South Korea and Thailand have also expressed interest in this Asia-Pacific free trade area. Taiwan has done the same, but its presence is subject to the exclusion of Beijing, which considers Taipei a "rebel province". The accession of the island to the Cptpp enlarged to Great Britain could spare the British the choice of whether or not to sign a bilateral trade agreement with the Taiwanese - a delicate decision, given Beijing's positions.

Taiwan has repeatedly stressed that it wants to conclude a trade and investment agreement with Britain - as well as with the European Union. The British cabinet seems lukewarm on the matter. Asked by AsiaNews if it had taken steps to negotiate a trade and investment pact with Taipei, the British Trade Office said the Johnson administration is "committed to strengthening its rich and wide-ranging trading relationship with Taiwan. It added that the UK is working with Taiwan to deepen its relationship, including through the annual trade talks and associated dialogues, ministerial engagement, and through engagements by the prime ministers trade envoy to Taipei. "

In 2020, the volume of goods and services traded between the UK and Taiwan came in at 6.1 billion (7.1 billion). London has not denied being in talks with Taiwan on trade, but is careful to downplay any formal engagement.

Although British Trade Minister Greg Hands has said in the past that "Taiwan is a subject close to my heart," Boris Johnson seems unwilling to open high-level trade talks with Taipei. Indeed, they would jeopardize the already strained relations with China.

Taipei's representative office in the UK has indirectly confirmed the British approach. Taiwan's de facto embassy in London said its government is committed to promote stronger bilateral economic ties with Britain, including the pursuit of a free trade or investment agreement. The two countries have been holding annual ministerial-level talks to build stronger economic ties, but held the latest round (the 23rd) last year.

In the UK, however, there are those pushing for an understanding with Taipei. Lord David Alton is one of them. A member of the House of Lords, he is one of nine British figures sanctioned by China in March - Beijing's response to previous British sanctions against Chinese officials and entities accused of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

"As [Chinese] threats to Taiwan increase, it is important that the UK acts in concert with its allies in the free world to make it clear to the Chinese Communist Party that its attempts to impose hegemony will be resisted, said Lord Alton to AsiaNews.
by Nirmala Carvalho

Girls aged 13 and 14 are raped and killed by members of upper castes. Families and the elderly are tied up and beaten. For Archbishop Machado, such violence is inhumane and must be recognised as a serious violation of human rights. Silence by political parties over the mounting atrocities is disconcerting.

New Delhi (AsiaNews)  Three more cases of violence against Dalit girls have been reported recently in India.

In the West Delhi area, a 13-year-old girl was raped and allegedly killed last Tuesday by a relative of her landlord. Her body showed deep wounds to the face and the private parts.

In the past few weeks, Indian police recorded complaints filed by two Dalit girls raped by groups of five men in two different states.

The first case was reported in Belagavi, Karnataka, on 12 July, but the girl's family, threatened by one of the alleged rapists, decided to file a complaint only on 26 August.

Two days earlier, a 14-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly abducted and raped by five men in Rampur, a district in Uttar Pradesh.

Violence against Dalit women is widespread in 15 Indian states, this according to the National Council of Women Leaders (NCWL).

Dalit women and girls are often subjected to aggravated forms of sexual violence, such as gang rape or rape with murder, and these crimes are usually collective in nature.

Through AsiaNews, Archbishop Felix Machado of Vasai, general secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), launched an appeal.

What happens to Dalit girls is inhumane and unacceptable, the prelate said. It is very important that these cases are reported by the media and that these atrocities, however shameful, are recognised as a serious violation of human rights.

For several years, a lot of has been said about this problem but no improvement has been achieved, the archbishop noted. Violence is so widespread that not even the elderly are spared.

In Maharashtra last month, seven Dalit families were beaten and publicly tied to stakes by upper caste Hindu people because they were suspected of carrying out witchcraft and black magic. Three elderly people were among them.

I find the silence by Dalit parties and leaders disconcerting in the face of the growing atrocities against Dalits. It is a collective shame for our country and we are all responsible.
This was announced by a spokesperson for Unicef. In July, the North Koreans had also rejected nearly 2 million doses of AstraZeneca and proposals for collaboration from the South.

Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - North Korea has rejected nearly three million doses of Sinovac vaccine. This was reported by a spokesman for Unicef, adding that the country has asked that the Chinese vaccines be donated to nations that cannot get them. The Sinovac doses had been offered as part of the Covax program, which aims to help poorer nations secure vaccines. Pyongyang had turned down nearly two million doses of AstraZenca in July, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Sputnik vaccine has also been offered to the North Korean regime on multiple occasions.

According to the World Health Organization's latest report, as of August 19, North Korea had not yet declared any cases of Covid-19. In January 2020, the country was among the first to close its borders and impose strict travel restrictions.

According to some observers, Pyongyang is not accepting vaccines because it is unprepared. The regime has also rejected all proposals for cooperation from South Korea to develop a joint response against the pandemic.

Recently, it appears that the regime has reactivated its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, according to a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Unicef also reported that the United Nations is working to address North Korea's health and food shortages, calling on the international community to increase aid.
by Melani Manel Perera

Police report rising complaints and an intolerable situation. The real emergency is educational. Sex with those under 16 is rape with sentences of up to 20 years in prison. Helping the most fragile left to fend for themselves is the challenge.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  Sex crimes against girls are rising in Sri Lanka, Chief Inspector Manoj Samarasekara, head of the Police Children and Womens Bureau. The country, he explains, cannot tolerate this situation with at least ten cases filed every day.

Under Sri Lankan law, sexual relations with people under the age of 16 is considered rape, regardless of the consent of the minor in question, and could land the culprit in prison for 20 years. Sex between underage people or between young girlfriends and older men are also rape.

Every day, at least six or seven clear cases of rape are reported, said Samarasekara speaking at a seminar sponsored by the Women Desk of the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement.

Who are the victims of this violence?

Young people are often left to fend for themselves by families in which both parents work, or who are even abroad. Some might be tempted by divorced people who use them for their own pleasure.

The challenge for educational institutions is to take care of minors and open their eyes to this form of abuse.
Private manufacturers are expected to produce up to 200 million doses for the U.S. market, potentially exceeding the record doses produced last season, though many of those doses went unused. Despite warnings of a dual flu-COVID pandemic, CDC estimates only about half of adults and about 58% of children were vaccinated against influenza last year, slightly higher for adults and slightly lower for children than the 2019-2020 season.
NPR says it plans to air an episode of the Embedded podcast, focused on the trial, on Sept. 30, and wants to air recordings that it obtained from the court. Late last month, it sought assurances from the Maryland attorney generals office that contempt charges would not be brought if it aired the recordings, and was told no such assurances could be made.
While Baltimore may not yet have experienced the sort of heat that killed hundreds of people in the Pacific Northwest this summer, the science suggests it is coming. Typical heat waves have already become more frequent and sustained here. An average of nearly 40 days per year hit the 90s in Baltimore from 2011 through 2020, almost twice as often as a century earlier, according to National Weather Service data. A recent study predicted that by 2080, Baltimores summers will resemble todays in Mississippi.
The crisis devastated the reputation of the Sackler family, major philanthropists whose name was once emblazoned on the walls of museums and universities around the world. With the settlement, family members who have owned the company will still be worth billions. Another branch of the Sackler family has had no involvement with Purdue for decades.
By Thursday morning, much of the Baltimore area had seen 2-3 inches of rain from the storm, although parts of Allegany, Frederick and Cecil counties received as much as 6 inches. Flood warnings are in place until between 8:30 and 12 p.m. in parts of Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Harford and Washington counties, with numerous rivers and streams at or above flood stage.
Conference Abstract

In 1996, Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL) sued the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for issuing a permit to build a contaminated soil incinerator alongside two existing waste incinerators in a low-income, minority neighborhood in Chester, Pennsylvania. This conference revisits the case and its legacy from the perspective of the Chester environmental justice community.
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As students return to classrooms, lunchtime has become a point of particular concern for some Baltimore-area parents. Experts say it could be the most perilous part of the school day, particularly for unvaccinated youth who need to remove their masks to eat. And for young children who havent been in school for more than a year and may struggle to contain their excitement, enforcing mask-wearing and social distancing can be especially difficult.
Matthew was a phenomenal man, a great brother and community activist who just wanted to see all people live up to their full potential, Mantey told the Baltimore Sun. He was someone you could depend on and ask for advice at any time  losing him has broken a lot of hearts and left a void that can never be filled.
The settlement is the latest dispute about police overtime in the city, which has been struggling with persistent crime but a shortages of officers. For years the department routinely spent far more on overtime than it budgeted, with some officers more than doubling their paychecks, raising concerns about officer wellness and the potential for abuse.
This past year owners of another farm in the county dropped out of the program, so the MALPF offer then moved down the list of other eligible properties, like the Grand Valley Road property.
Between its rusty chain-link fences and cracked grey cement, the Aberdeen Amtrak/MARC train station is in need of an update, Mayor Patrick McGrady said during a meeting inside the station on Wednesday. And he was not the only one to see it, because sitting in the station were about 40 others  representatives of state, county and federal officials and agencies  who got a firsthand look.
On Feb. 24, 2020, investigators followed Bolden and Murphy as they traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, to meet with a cocaine supplier. After completing a transaction for 9 ounces of the drug, Bolden and Murphy returned to Harford County to sell it. But two days later, Murphy was seen going back to a Wilmington casino to return the cocaine to its supplier as customers had complained about the quality of the cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.
It started in Seattle, Washington, in 2011, and there are now more than 50 LEAD initiatives in the country, according to Yolanda Vazquez, external affairs director for the Office of the States Attorney for Howard County. The Howard County LEAD program will be the fifth program in Maryland, with others having been launched in Baltimore, Bel Air, Westminster and Washington County.
Over the past year, Ive had an unusually high concentration of columns related to the fact that Im no spring chicken, as my mom used to say.
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Rahm Emanuel was a disaster for the Black community in Chicago, said Delmarie Cobb, a longtime Chicago media and political consultant and owner of the public affairs firm The Publicity Works. The remnants of his administration are still very much evident and were still living through them. So the idea that someone like him, who was a complete failure as a mayor, would be rewarded with a high-profile ambassadorship or anything in the presidential administration is just unbelievable.
The system has reached out to the state for additional staffing, including nurses, nursing assistants and respiratory therapists, among others, and expects those extra hands to arrive next week, she said. The system is also delaying some elective surgeries, when theyre not emergencies and can be postponed, she said. And its often keeping patients in beds in the emergency departments until beds become available elsewhere in the hospitals.
Weve definitely seeing food shortages ... But if our food vendor is out of stock of items A, B and C, like weve done throughout the pandemic, we pivot and figure out what we can make out of X, Y and Z, Lenihan said. The district prepares all of its meals in-house, including baked goods like granola, muffins and French bread.
At a basic level, every time we provide medical care to a child  we need to recognize what a privilege it is for parents to allow us to take care of their children, Muller said. For a study, thats one step further, where someone is allowing you to do something that is unproven that involves their children. Theyre making this decision to entrust the care of their child to you knowing that you have safety in mind, and you have the best interest of their child and society in mind. That is not lost on us.
I was due for my menstruation cycle but when it came, I began to bleed heavily. This is not a norm for me  my periods are usually light with spotting at the beginning of my cycle, one COVID-19 vaccine recipient reported to the CDC system. It was so heavy when it began on Friday that I bled through my pants.
He was hired by Hugh Hefner to be Playboys first employee and as its art director he was responsible for filling Playboys pages with a certain kind of magic during its first three decades. Not only did he oversee the quality of the photographs, trying, as he said, to make the girls look more real and less plastic, he was responsible for the rest of the magazines look, turning it into a captivating canvas for artists. He commissioned the work of famous ones such as Salvador Dali, helped nurture a new generation that included Andy Warhol and LeRoy Neiman and such Chicagoans as Ed Paschke, Shel Silverstein, Roger Brown, Ellen Lanyon  there were hundreds more.
It is no coincidence that small towns in eastern North Carolina are among the first in the country to face an existential threat from climate change. Many were already struggling from the decline of the tobacco and textile industries, and the areas flat terrain makes it especially vulnerable to flooding from powerful hurricanes that are coming more often. Between 1954 and 2016, North Carolina was hit by 19 hurricanes severe enough to produce a federal disaster declaration, about one every three years. By contrast, four hurricanes have cleared that bar since 2018.
Its a lot of people packed together very closely and you have to think of that in the sense of what could happen, Frye said. You know I dont have a crystal ball, it could be that everybody would be perfectly fine, but you cant take that chance. Its just not sensible to do that.
The toddler had been sitting outside a home in Englewood when someone fired shots, striking her in the arm. Someone drove her to St. Bernard Hospital and she was transferred to Stroger Hospital. She had been listed in good condition, officials said. No arrests had been made in that shooting.
Chicago police and paramedics were called to the Chase Bank location at 600 N. Dearborn St. about 11:15 a.m. for a report that a woman had been stabbed inside the lobby, officials said. She was on the public side of the lobby, not behind the counter, a Chicago Fire Department source said.
Leading up to Mondays reopening, CPS leaders, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city public health officials gave repeated assurances that schools are safe and that students are better served through in-person classes. CTU agreed to start the new school year without a new safety agreement, with remaining issues to settle such as whether vaccinated students need to quarantine if theyve had close contact with someone infected with COVID-19. The union also cited CPS rollback of some of the last school years safety measures, like requiring health screenings and temperature checks at building entrances, and criticized the slow start of the optional weekly COVID-19 testing program for students and staff.
Residents of Illinois can take slight solace in this moment, said Ameri Klafeta, director of the Womens and Reproductive Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. We must continue to defend and expand those protections. We recommit ourselves to this effort today as we think of the millions of people across the United States who now are at risk of losing their access to abortion due to the Courts failure to act.
A lot of the animals come to us with injuries, parasites; heartworm disease is a very common thing down there in the South, so it takes a lot of extra special care, Swiniarski said. They also come here very stressed and scared coming from a state far away, through a lot of transport, but also just because of the disaster down there that can be quite terrifying for animals.
Outside, the man was chased down the street by an unknown person, and then Jefferson, who was wearing a black hat and no shirt, also confronted the man in the 400 block of North State Street, Murphy said. Jefferson and the unknown person then attacked the man, knocking him to the ground. His wallet fell out of his pants and Jefferson took it. They then continued to hit and kick the man, Murphy said.
No one would have been better off. The officer who might have done it wouldnt have saved anybody from what occurred  it would have been too late, he continued. I hope none of the officers feel they are somehow responsible for what occurred to Officer Murillo.  Mr. Huff is the one responsible. Please also continue to engage appropriately (in a) dangerous job where you dont know what might be coming in the next nanosecond.
Other officers caught up to Z.K. in an alley, where he allegedly tossed a handgun while trying to climb a fence, McDonnell said. An officer gave the teen verbal commands to surrender, and he put his hands in the air and got on the ground. While being handcuffed, prosecutors said the teen yelled at the officers that the handcuffs were too tight.
After a tipster identified Gleffe as a participant in the unrest, agents interviewed him on May 3, and he admitted following the crowd past several barriers and entering the building through a rear entrance, according to the complaint. He also admitted walking down many hallways but said he never went into any rooms at the Capitol.
The virus harshly hit people on the island, she said, and the festival will not only allow Puerto Ricans to celebrate their roots, but itll also serve as a reminder that, to preserve their culture, they must take care of each other in Chicago and in Puerto Rico.
The same can be said about the field of journalism to which Recktenwald devoted his career,which included decades of work and mentoring of young reporters at the Tribune. Newspapers, at their best, are not flashy or fake. They are serious about their work, meticulous about their facts, and incensed about corruption, ineptitude and inequity.
While we currently have no choice but to continue preparing for their premature retirement, we have established offramps that will allow us to reverse that decision if lawmakers pass legislation with enough time for us to safely refuel the plants, Exelon spokesman Paul Adam said in a statement Wednesday. To be clear, Byron will run out of fuel and will permanently shut down on Sept. 13 unless legislation is enacted.
Republicans, who restated arguments about a lack of transparency by Democrats in the mapmaking process, had also asked the federal court to rule that Democrats could not have a do-over of the map. They said the state constitution requires a map to be effective by June 30, otherwise a bipartisan commission is required to draw a map. After the commission invariably deadlocks, a ninth member is picked by chance as a tiebreaker to decide partisan control of the map.
Madigan said in a deposition that he did not direct anyone who works for him or anyone associated with him to recruit candidates to run against him, nor did he know of anyone connected to him who did so.
Culture wars and other distractions divert attention from how the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer. The situation at Chicago-based Mondelez International is one example of how the labor struggle is as relevant today as ever.
According to police, the collision occurred around 6:05 a.m. while the truck driver was making a delivery in the shopping center, which is located northeast of the Advocate Lutheran General Hospital campus. The driver, a 52-year-old man from Chicago, remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation, police said. He did not show signs of impairment, according to police.
Narcotic drugs are a common enemy of mankind. The Chinese government takes a "zero tolerance" attitude to drugs. It has been rigorously combating drug production, trafficking and other kinds of drug crimes. The Chinese side empathizes with the American people who are suffering from the opioid crisis, and has been offering sincere and law-based assistance to the international community, including the United States, in dealing with fentanyl abuse.

From 2017 to 2018, China scheduled six fentanyl substances and 2 precursor chemicals in two actions, which was more than the number of varieties listed by the United Nations at that time. On May 1, 2019, the Chinese government took the lead globally in officially scheduling fentanyl substances as a class, though there was no large-scale abuse or prominent hazards of them in China. This is an important step to implement the agreement between the two Presidents, and also a show of goodwill to address American peoples concern and do what we can to help the US in tackling its opioid crisis, with a view to the health, safety and wellbeing of the entire mankind. In contrast, as the biggest producer and user of fentanyl drugs in the world, the US has a fentanyl problem more rampant than other countries, but it has not officially scheduled fentanyl substances permanently yet. The reasons behind are worth pondering. Here, we urge the US side to permanently schedule fentanyl substances as soon as possible.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, the number of drug overdose deaths in the United States reached a record high of 93,000, among which 69,700 were caused by opioids overdose, up by over 30% year-on-year. Against the backdrop of increasingly strict control of fentanyl substances in the world, including in China, Americas worsening fentanyl crisis and rising deaths resulting from it have shown that it has not addressed the crux of the problem. China advised the US side, out of goodwill and for many times, to strengthen supervision and regulation of fentanyl related prescription and raise public awareness about it, which have been proved worldwide to be effective solutions.

Since the class scheduling of fentanyl substances, the National Narcotics Control Commission and the Ministry of Public Security of China have maintained close, candid and in-depth coordination with American partners, including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau of the State Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Meanwhile, China has also made every effort on the formulation of related legal documents, inspection and examination, as well as investigation into and crackdown on online fentanyl sales. In particular, the postal and parcel industry is mandated to take specific measures aimed at combating the trafficking of fentanyl substances and other scheduled chemicals, such as asking for real names of senders and receivers, checking the parcel contents, using security screening equipment for security checks, and strengthening inspection on cross-border parcels to certain destinations such as the United States. These measures have produced notable results and have been widely recognized by US law enforcement partners, who have expressed appreciation on many occasions and called drug control a highlight in our bilateral law enforcement cooperation. According to the latest briefing from the US side, since September 2019, the US has not seized any fentanyl and its analogues originating from China. Wang Fengxi and Chen Jianping, whose cases had been jointly investigated by the Chinese and US sides, were given heavy sentences for their fentanyl-related crimes respectively in November 2019 and May 2021. The US side was invited to attend the announcements of their sentencing in Xingtai, Hebei Province and Shanghai, which demonstrated Chinas determination to bring the violators of drug control laws to justice.

At the same time, China attaches great importance to multilateral international cooperation in drug control, and has been actively participating in global drug governance. China has scheduled fentanyl as a class, much more than the categories scheduled by the UN Conventions on drug control. On July 1, 2021, China class scheduled synthetic cannabinoids. 18 other new psychoactive substances, such as fluoroketamine, were also scheduled. Six chemicals, including Methyl -phenylacetoacetate (MAPA), will be listed as precursor chemicals on September 20. China has never stopped its efforts to exercise strict and law-based control on precursor chemicals, and will schedule other related categories in a timely manner based on serious and science-based evaluation. China is a country based on rule of law. Whoever violate Chinese laws will be brought to justice, no matter what means they may use to escape punishment.

However, it is disappointing that for all the goodwill and sincerity of the Chinese side, for all its strenuous efforts and huge sacrifices, as well as the great achievements of China-US cooperation in drug control, some American politicians and media are still hyping up such disinformation as "American fentanyl mainly origins from China", "Chinese fentanyl precursors flow into the United States via Mexico". They even claim that China often delays the requests from the US side. These assertions are highly irresponsible and utterly false. Up to now, China has not found any scheduled precursor chemicals trafficked to Mexico, or received any notification from the Mexican side about seizing scheduled chemicals originating from China. Such made-up allegations show zero sense of responsibility towards American fentanyl abuse victims and their families, and seriously mislead the Chinese and American people. They are not in the least helpful for the United States to solve its drug problem and should be rectified as soon as possible.

In addition, on May 22, 2020, without any evidence, the US Department of Commerce added the Institution of Forensic Science of the Ministry of Public Security and the National Narcotics Laboratory into its "entity list". This action has seriously affected Chinas examination and identification of fentanyl substances and hindered the operation of its fentanyl monitoring system. China has expressed serious concern and protest to the US side through various channels, as it has greatly affected China's goodwill to help the US in fighting drugs. China urges the US side to correct this wrong practice as soon as possible.

The Chinese government has taken a consistent and resolute stance on drug control. We are ready to work with various countries, including the United States, to establish cooperative relations featuring equality, mutual trust and win-win, pragmatically carry out sharing of intelligence, exchange of investigation leads and joint investigation, promote international co-governance on the fentanyl issue, share experience in drug control, and address the drug problems together, with a view to contributing Chinese wisdom and efforts to global drug control for the benefit of people of all countries. At the same time, we want to remind the US side that the root cause of its fentanyl abuse problem is in itself. Blaming others is not conducive to solving the problem. It would be purely wrong to groundlessly criticize China and spread disinformation while appreciating China for support and help. This would only set up obstacles to our cooperation. It is hoped that the US side will face up to its own problems, come up with practical solutions, and learn from international experience to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the American people. We sincerely hope that the United States can solve its opioid abuse crisis at an early date.
The Universal Beijing Resort (UBR) started trial operation on Wednesday after more than three months' stress tests.



According to the UBR, the Universal Studios Beijing theme park, the Universal CityWalk and two hotels will open for invite-only guests during the trial operation.

Guests are from UBR's sponsors, partners and customers, who are expected to give another round of feedback and help the theme park make improvements for its official opening.

The official opening of the UBR is scheduled for Sept. 20, which coincides with this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from Sept. 19 to 21.

Located in Beijing's Tongzhou District, the UBR is the fifth Universal Studios theme park globally, the third in Asia and the first in China.

The theme park and the two hotels will open for reservation on Sept. 14, the UBR said Wednesday.

One-day dated ticket of the theme park will follow a four-tier pricing structure -- 418 yuan (about 64.7 U.S. dollars), 528 yuan, 638 yuan and 748 yuan -- based on the popularity of the dates.

A continuously updated calendar showing the prices for the following 90 days will be published in advance for reference. The ID-based tickets can only be used on certain reserved dates, allowing no transfer or resale. Visitors must reserve and purchase tickets from official and officially-authorized channels.

Apart from the regular ticket, a 25 percent discount will be offered to certain groups, including children from 3 to 11, the elderly aged 65 or above and the disabled with valid certificates. Children below 3 can enter the theme park free with company.

The UBR is so far the largest worldwide, covering four square km, with seven themed "lands," and 37 recreational facilities and themed attractions. Among them, the Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness, Transformers Metrobase and WaterWorld are specially set up for Chinese tourists.

Tourists without a ticket are allowed to visit the Universal CityWalk, where 21 restaurants, seven theme retail outlets and mobile vending cars, as well as a cinema and live shows await them.

Tom Mehrmann, president and general manager of Beijing International Resort Co., Ltd. Theme Park and Resort Management Branch, said the UBR is going to become a great landmark in Beijing. "It will increase the length of stay in Beijing and give people from all over China another reason to come to the city."

"The UBR will directly drive the development of industries including leisure, catering, accommodation and vacation," said Dai Bin, president of China Tourism Academy.

The project in Beijing is a boon for the tourism industry, as it can stimulate the tourism market, increase employment, and lead market recovery and industrial revitalization, Dai said.

So far, the resort has created more than 10,000 jobs and established cooperative relations with over 30 academic institutions, providing more opportunities for local talent.
A seminar titled "Innovating the value of images and leading changes of the industry" was held by internet company Aphoto in Beijing on Friday.

Photographer Luo Jian and Aphoto general manager Yin Hui were in attendance, and discussed a variety of topics, including how to change photos into artistic works and the value in such changes.

According to Luo, in an era when everybody takes photos, everyone can become an artist. Now people make their photos into picture albums and desk calendars, sending them to others as gifts, which makes them feel "acknowledged". "It makes photography more meaningful," Luo said.

"Photography comes from people's eagerness to preserve and collect real-world views, and printing provides a solution to keep the images for longer. Moreover, we believe printing images, compared with taking original photos, is a second creation, during which people can make the stories they want to show more touching by choosing the photos and designing the format," Yin said.
In 1985, the National Ballet of China premiered its production Don Quixote at Tianqiao Theater in Beijing.

It was choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev (1938-93), then artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet. He worked with dancers of the National Ballet of China on the piece under the invitation of Trinidad-born, Chinese dancer-choreographer Dai Ailian (1916-2006), the first president of the National Ballet of China. Since then, Don Quixote has become a classic piece for the company.

From Sept 9 to 12, the National Ballet of China will restage Don Quixote at Tianqiao Theater, featuring the company's young dancers, including Qiu Yunting, Ma Xiaodong and Wu Sicong.

"I can still recall the rehearsals for Don Quixote," says Feng Ying, president of the National Ballet of China. "Rudolf Nureyev showcased his passion for dancing, which was very inspiring for us."

Feng, a ballerina at that time, played the role of Kitri in the 1985 production. In the ballet, Kitri is in love with the town barber Basilio and she captures the attention of those around her, including Don Quixote, who mistakes her for his Dulcinea and pursues her with fervor.

"Don Quixote is one of the true signature pieces of Rudolf Nureyev. It takes audiences to a bright and enchanting Spain," says Feng. "For ballet dancers, it's a very challenging piece. It's definitely a test for our younger performers."

Considered as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time, Nureyev was trained at the world-famous Kirov Theatre, now known as the Mariinsky Theatre. Later he worked with the Royal Ballet and was appointed as artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet in 1983, a position he held until 1989.

With Russian choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Ludwig Minkus, Don Quixote, based on episodes of Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes' classic novel Don Quixote, premiered in 1869 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia.

In 1966, as a choreographer, Nureyev created a new version of Don Quixote, which was staged at the Vienna Opera Ballet. In 1973, he directed a film versionin which he played the role of Basiliothat is still widely regarded as a classic example of its genre.

In 2013, when the National Ballet of China restaged Don Quixote, Manuel Legris was invited to be the production's artistic consultant. Legris was trained at the ballet school of the Paris Opera Ballet, which he later joined. He was appointed Danseur Etoile (star dancer) by Nureyev, then artistic director of the troupe. Now, Legris is the head of La Scala Ballet in Milan, Italy.

Ma Xiaodong, principal dancer of the National Ballet of China, played the role of Basilio in the company's production of Don Quixote in 2013.He joined the company in 2009 after graduating from Beijing Dance Academy that year.

"It's a ballet piece full of cheerfulness," says Ma, who will once again play the role of Basilio in this latest production.

"Nureyev's choreography is very expressive. There is a rich variety of dance in it, like Spanish and Gypsy dances as well as classical ballet. The music is sparkling and inspires me to dance."
The freight train X8044 from Hamburg of Germany arrives at Wujiashan railway container center station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Aug. 26, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

China-Europe freight train trips have taken a robust growth momentum since the start of 2021, with the total number surging 32% year on year to reach 10,030 by the end of August, data from the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. showed Thursday.

During the period, the freight trains carried approximately 964,000 20-foot equivalent unit containers of goods, growing 40% from the same period in 2020.

This was the sixteenth straight month that trips made by China-Europe freight trains had exceeded 1,000, said the company, adding that the total number of train trips has surpassed 10,000 two months earlier than last year.

So far, the China-Europe freight trains traveling along 73 routes have reached more than 170 cities in 23 European countries. The train services also provided transport support for the economic and social development in countries and regions along the Belt and Road.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses the opening of a training session for young and middle-aged officials at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), Sept. 1, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on young officials to firm up their ideals, stay loyal to the Party, seek truth from facts, shoulder responsibilities, and strive to become the backbone of a society trusted by the Party and people with important tasks.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing the opening of a training session for young and middle-aged officials at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance).

Noting that young officials are born and live in a great era, Xi said they are the vital contingent for the cause of the Party and the people.

The CPC has always been a Party harboring lofty ideals and indomitable conviction, Xi said, adding that the ideals and conviction refer to the belief in Marxism, the great ideal of Communism and a shared ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Only with these ideals and conviction can CPC members and officials be able to withstand all tests, go steady and reach far, Xi said.

He said staying loyal to the Party is the best demonstration of the ideals and conviction, stressing that such loyalty has a clear gauge in peaceful times -- upholding the Party's leadership and resolutely safeguarding the authority as well as the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee.

Xi encouraged young officials to strive for the honor of being stationed in harsh and remote places. "Success rarely comes without arduousness and rich experience," he said.

Stressing reality-based solutions, Xi urged young officials to visit the primary level to learn about development and defect while absorbing both praise and criticism, so that they can gain a thorough understanding of the real situation.

Xi called on young officials to include honest words, deeds and personality as an important part of honing their Party spirit.

Xi underlined fulfilling duties and shouldering responsibilities as what gives value to officials. "We must be brave and resolute to do anything that is good for the Party and the people," he said.

Upholding principles is an important character trait of communists, and a crucial standard to evaluate an official's competence, Xi said, adding that all Party officials should be fair and just in performing duties and leave no place for personal favor in their work.

Dare to struggle

Warning of the significantly increased risks and challenges as the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered a critical period, Xi told young officials to "cast away illusions and dare to struggle."

On matters of principle, no concession shall be made, Xi said. He urged young officials to safeguard China's national sovereignty, security, and development interests with "unprecedented" determination and quality.

"Communists should have character, integrity, and courage so that we'll never be taken in by fallacies, never tremble in the face of danger, and never be spineless cowards," he said.

Xi urged young officials to revere the Party, the people, the law and discipline, and always put the Party and the people at the center of their hearts.

Highlighting the current era of unprecedented changes and the Party's unprecedented great cause, Xi said young officials should cherish time, study assiduously, and read more good books.

Stressing the significance of practice, Xi also called on them to sum up and reflect on experience accumulated in practice.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended the opening ceremony.
The Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission on Wednesday released a proposal on safeguarding cyberspace from disinformation, together with other relevant entities and platforms.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, China's cyberspace has witnessed the circulation of various forms of disinformation, which have grossly misled public opinion and infringed on the netizens' legitimate rights, said the proposal.

It has become a general consensus that efforts should be made to address the issue of internet disinformation and create a purified eco-system in cyberspace, the proposal added.

Every subject involved in internet activities should abide by relevant laws, regulations and public moral codes and resolutely oppose the production and transmission of cyberspace disinformation, said the proposal.

It also outlined efforts to enhance the primary responsibility for internet platforms and raise public awareness of the rule of law and science to better harness the internet.
China will strengthen support for market entities, especially micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and improve loan aid for students from impoverished families, said a State Council executive meeting held Wednesday.

The meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, also adopted a draft revision of the law on agricultural product quality and safety.

To help cushion the stress from rising production costs due to high commodity prices, increased accounts receivable, and epidemic and disaster impacts, the meeting pledged to increase the re-lending quota for small firms by another 300 billion yuan (about 46.38 billion U.S. dollars).

Local banks will be supported to lend to small- and micro-firms as well as individual businesses. Policies of providing loan interest discounts, rewards, and subsidies to encourage lending for epidemic-hit industries and enterprises will also be improved.

A national mechanism will be put in place to help provide guarantees for small firms that lack collateral or credit records. Financial institutions will offer support such as bill discounts and standard bill financing to relieve small firms' pressure from outstanding payments, the meeting added.

It urged efforts to streamline administrative procedures and improve the business environment.

Efforts should also be made to enhance cross-cyclical adjustment, the meeting said. It called for giving play to the special bonds issued by local governments to expand effective investment.

In line with the dynamics of the international environment and the need to develop the real economy, China will improve its policy options and roll out new policies to benefit enterprises timely when the previous ones expire, the meeting said.

To bail out students with financial difficulties and promote education equality, the meeting decided to improve national student loan policies by, for instance, substantially raising the loan ceiling for college students.

The draft revision of the law on agricultural product quality and safety further emphasized the regulation on the production and operation of agricultural products. It specified the responsibilities of producers, operators, local governments, and relevant authorities. It also introduced a tracking system on agricultural product quality and improved supervision and accountability measures.

The draft revision will be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.
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One student died after a shooting in a high school in the southeastern U.S. state of North Carolina on Wednesday, authorities said.

The shooting happened around noontime at Mount Tabor High School in the city of Winston-Salem.

The suspect, who is thought to also be a student, has not yet been caught, said Winston-Salem Police Department Chief Catrina Thompson at a news conference.

"One student was located with a gunshot wound. Medical responders began life-saving measures and the injured student was transported to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries," she said.

The lockdown the school went into after the shooting has been lifted as of Wednesday afternoon, she said.

All other students are safe, Forsyth County spokesperson Christina Howell told CNN.

The shooting was the second this week at a North Carolina high school, according to the CNN report. The other took place in Wilmington, where one student was shot Monday at New Hanover High School.
 Flash

Nigerian police said on Wednesday 73 students were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from their school in the country's northwestern state of Zamfara.

Mohammed Shehu, the spokesman for the police in Zamfara, said in a statement that a large group of gunmen on Wednesday morning abducted 73 students from a secondary school in Kaya village in the Maradun local government area of the state.

The police deployed a "search and rescue team that was mandated to work in synergy with the military to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted students," said Shehu, adding security has also been beefed up in Kaya village and surrounding areas to prevent further attacks.

Ayuba Elkana, commissioner of police in Zamfara, told reporters on Wednesday at a press conference in the state capital Gusau that the state government has ordered the immediate closure of all primary and secondary schools in the state following the latest abduction.

The state government also imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on 13 local government areas of the state as part of measures to tackle the growing banditry and kidnapping in the state, according to the commissioner.

There have been a series of gunmen attacks in Nigeria in recent months, leading to deaths and kidnapping.
 Flash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi denounced on Wednesday the human rights abuses committed in Afghanistan by the United States during its two-decade occupation, and lambasted the damage to security, stability and peace caused by U.S. presence across the world.

"Taking into account the number of women and children who have been killed, injured or maimed in Afghanistan over the years, we will see the extent of the silent catastrophe that has been going on in that country," Raisi said in a cabinet meeting, quoted by the Iranian presidency's official website.

The U.S. presence in different parts of the world, he added, "has never been security-creating, but detrimental to security, stability and peace."

Instead of being held accountable before the world's public opinion, Washington is now creating a negative atmosphere around other countries by "fabricating different excuses," Raisi said.

The commander of U.S. Central Command Kenneth McKenzie announced the end of the U.S. troop pullout from Afghanistan in a press conference on Monday, after nearly 20 years of presence in the Asian country.

The U.S.-led military forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 under the pretext of searching for Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Over the past two decades, the U.S.-led operations on Afghan soil have caused more than 30,000 civilian deaths and more than 60,000 injuries, and turned about 11 million people into refugees.
Global Biodegradable Bags Marketwas US$1470 Mn in 2017 and is expected to reach US$2900 Mn by end of 2026. at a CAGR of 7.84% from 2017 to 2026.

Global Biodegradable Bags Market is segmented by type, by application and by region. In terms of type Biodegradable Bags Market is classified into Oxo-biodegradable Bags and Hydro-biodegradable Bags. Food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, packaging, agriculture and composting, textiles are the application segments of Global Biodegradable Bags Market. Biodegradable bags are extensively used owing to their characteristics such as light weight and easy disposability. Biodegradable bags has been extensively used for packaging in various sectors across the globe. Over the years, the demand for biodegradable bag market is witnessing a higher growth due to the implementation of the stringent regulations on the use of non-degradable plastic by various governments across the world and increase in health awareness among the consumers. The food & beverage industry contributes heavily to the biodegradable packaging industry. Thus, the growth of the food and beverages related packaging will promote the biodegradable bag market growth in coming years. Geographically Biodegradable Bags Market is segregated into North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East & Africa. The U.S. accounted for the largest market share in bio-degradable bags mainly due to increasing concerns regarding the environment in people, which is anticipated to fuel the global market in future.

Request for Sample with Complete TOC and Figures & Graphs @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/11003

Global Biodegradable Bag Market

With the growth in environmental concerns, there is a continuous rise in consumer awareness towards the use of eco-friendly products. Thus, the customer preference towards eco-friendly clean substitutes from traditional synthetic products is anticipated to fuel the demand for Oxo-biodegradable bags. Also, continuous growth in food & beverage and pharmaceutical industries helps in boosting the demand for Oxo-biodegradable bags across the globe. Manufacturers of Oxo-biodegradable bags have also introduced with Oxo-biodegradable bags for a variety of market Regions in customized sizes and colours. However, the sudden fluctuation in the cost of raw-materials involved in the Textiles of Oxo-biodegradable bags is the restraining factor for the growth of global Oxo-biodegradable bags market. Growing demand for Oxo-biodegradable bags in packaging owing to advantageous product are expected to boost growth.

Hydro-biodegradable plastics are not genuinely renewable because the process of making them from crops is itself a significant user of fossil-fuel energy and a producer therefore of greenhouse gases.

Compared to other regions, the Global Biodegradable Bags Market in the North America region is expected to show an exponential growth over the forecast period. Rise in urbanization leading increased environmental concerns in the developing economies like India & China is a major reason for switching towards Biodegradable packaging in the Asia-Pacific region. Middle East and Africa shows a favourable Growth in demand of Global Biodegradable Bags Market. Biodegradable bags market is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR globally over the forecast period.

The Biodegradable bags market is dominated by various players such as, Biopac India Corporation Ltd., Smurfit Kappa Group, Mondi Group, BASF SE, WestRock Company, Georgia-Pacific, Metabolix, Inc., Cereplast Inc., Novolex, Shabra Group, International Plastics Inc., Ampac Holdings LLC, Bulldog Bag Ltd., Abbey Polyethene, Sahachit Watana Plastic Industry Co Ltd., Sarah Bio Plast.

The scope of Global Biodegradable Bags Market

Global Biodegradable Bags Market by Type:

 Oxo-biodegradable

 Hydro-biodegradable

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Global Biodegradable Bags Market by Application:

 Food and beverages

 Pharmaceuticals

 Packaging

 Agriculture and composting

 Textiles

Global Biodegradable Bags Market by Region:

 North America

 Europe

 Asia Pacific

 Middle East & Africa

 Latin America

Key Player analysed in Global Biodegradable Bags Market:

 Biopac India Corporation Ltd

 Smurfit Kappa Group

 Mondi Group

 BASF SE

 WestRock Company

 Georgia-Pacific

 Metabolix, Inc.

 Cereplast Inc.

 Novolex

 Shabra Group

 International Plastics Inc.

 Ampac Holdings LLC

 Bulldog Bag Ltd.

 Sahachit Watana Plastic Industry Co Ltd.

 Abbey Polyethene

 Sarah Bio Plast

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US (01-09-2021) According to recent reports, a majority of celebrities and politicians appreciate the power of CBD, and they are utilizing various CBD products to remain fit and healthy. There are several reasons behind using CBD, but the biggest reason is that CBD helps them to get a healthier lifestyle. They use CBD products to improve their skin health, heart health, and overall body health. Many politicians and celebrities use CBD to look young and get a stress-free lifestyle, and it has become a trend to utilize CBD in various forms. There are many individuals who are utilizing CBD oil, cream, capsules, powder, and other forms, and the demand for CBD oil is boosting rapidly. Not only celebrities and politicians but also ordinary people are utilizing cbd oils to get rid of several health problems. Now, anyone can utilize CBD oil to treat various health disorders because of the legality of CBD.

Thousands of people already added CBD oil to their daily routine to remain fit and healthy, and it is one of the best ways for every individual. Many experts claimed that people should choose those cbd oils that contain only natural ingredients and contain an appropriate amount of every ingredient. A perfect mixture of ingredients can provide desired health results in a short while. The CBD industry is full of vendors and brands that are providing various kinds of cbd oils, and every brand comes with a different dosage. A majority of beginners dont know the appropriate dosage of CBD oil, and it is suggested that they should start their journey with a small dosage of CBD oil. There are several options of dosage that every individual gets in various brands. Many individuals are facing difficulty to choose the best cbd oil brands in the industry. If needed, interested individuals can click here or visit our official website to know more about the best cbd oil companies.

As far as the top cbd oil brands are concerned, people should give priority to these brands, for example, Charlottes Web, CBD American Shaman, Rya Organics, Populum, Medterra, Five CBD, Joy Organics, Aspen Green, and much more. CBD oil of these brands gives satisfactory results in a short while because these brands provide the best cbd oil supplements. The best cbd hemp oils provide instant relief from pain and relax the muscles efficiently. People can use the best hemp cbd oils to eliminate skin problems and heart problems without getting any side effects. There are many individuals who are utilizing the top cbd hemp tinctures to reduce their stubborn body fat, and it is stated that the best cbd supplements can also reduce weight. Individuals with expectations to know about the top cbd oil 2021 and other details can feel free to visit this site.

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The global angioplasty balloon market size is expected to reach USD 2.9 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is projected to record a CAGR of 3.3% during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to favorable government policies and increasing coronary and peripheral interventions. Angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure, hence patients and surgeons prefer this procedure over high-cost stent placements. Furthermore, advancements in angioplasty balloons and expanding geographical reach are likely to propel the market growth in the coming years.

For instance, in December 2014, Medtronic plc received an FDA approval for their drug-coated balloon IN.PACT Admiral for the treatment of peripheral artery disease. The company also received product approval from Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for the treatment of peripheral artery disease in the upper leg. Approval and commercialization of cutting and scoring balloons, such as TREK and MINI TREK, AngioSculpt, and Flextome balloons along with rising adoption of new balloons are likely to drive the market further.

Browse Details of Market Report @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/angioplasty-balloons-market

Further key findings from the study suggest:

 Normal balloon segment led the market in 2017 due to low costs and ability of these products to treat coronary artery obstruction

 DEBs are anticipated to be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period due to lower restenosis rate and increased R&D investments by major companies

 Coronary vascular disease segment led in 2017 and is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period due to rising cases of coronary artery diseases

 Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) led the end use segment in 2017 as they help minimize the medical expenses and hospital stay

 North America was the dominant regional market the market in 2017 and is expected to maintain its position during the forecast period due to the presence of major companies

 Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest-growing region during the forecast period due to rising healthcare expenditure and R&D investments by key companies

 Some of the prominent companies in the industry are Abbott Laboratories; Boston Scientific Corp.; Cardinal Health (Cordis); Cook Medical, Inc.; Becton Dickinson. and Company (C.R. Bard); ENDOCOR GmbH; Medtronic PLC; Spectranetics Corp.; and Johnson & Johnson

Grand View Research has segmented the global angioplasty balloon market on the basis of type, application, end use, and region:

Angioplasty Balloon Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

 Normal Balloons

 Drug-Eluting Balloons (DEBs)

 Cutting Balloons

 Scoring Balloons

Angioplasty Balloons Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

 Peripheral

 Coronary


San Francisco, 2 Sep 2021: The Report Orthopedic Navigation Systems Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By End-use (Hospitals, ASCs), By Application (Knee, Hip), By Technology (Electromagnetic, Optical), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028

The global orthopedic navigation systems market size is expected to reach USD 6.05 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 14.4% from 2021 to 2028. The increasing geriatric population prone to orthopedic diseases is a key contributing factor propelling the demand for orthopedic navigation systems. Osteoarthritis and osteoporosis are the most common disorders in the population aged 70 years and above. The growing prevalence of these disorders results in an increased economic burden on many countries.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, non-emergency procedures were canceled or postponed, which adversely affected the global market as restrictions resulted in delays to a number of procedures. In the U.K., the number of individuals waiting for surgical procedures has increased to approximately 10 million from 4 million before the pandemic. While the U.S. is expected to have a backlog of more than 1 million joint and spinal surgeries by mid-2022. Currently, most nations have elevated restrictions on elective surgery. As a result of the recommencement of surgical procedures at full force, the market is anticipated to catch up the pace over the forecast years.

Rising awareness about the benefits of minimally invasive surgery is expected to further boost the product demand in the coming years. Some of the benefits include less blood loss, reduced risk of damage, condensed risk of infection and postoperative pain, and quicker recovery from surgery. In addition, the introduction of technologically advanced products is boosting market growth. For instance, in July 2021, SeaSpine Holdings Corp. broadcasted the FDA 510(k) authorization for its 7D Percutaneous Spine Module. This module is for minimally invasive surgery. This signifies a novel application and improved functionality for its 7D Flash Navigation System.

Access Research Report of Orthopedic Navigation Systems Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/orthopedic-navigation-systems-market

Orthopedic Navigation Systems Market Report Highlights

The knee segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2020 owing to the rising prevalence of osteoarthritis, which is the most common form of arthritis and the leading cause of chronic pain and physical disability in elder persons

The spine segment is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR from 2021 to 2028 due to the rising incidence of spinal deformities

According to a CDC report, in 2019, around 34.0% of the adult population and 62.0% of the elderly population were affected by spinal deformities

The optical navigation system segment held the largest revenue share in 2020 owing to the affordability of the technology as compared to other navigation systems

The hospitals segment held the largest revenue share in 2020. Hospitals use technologically advanced medical devices to improve the Point-of-Care (PoC), which drives segment growth

North America dominated the global market in 2020 due to the availability of better-quality healthcare infrastructure and favorable government initiatives

The market is highly competitive as major players are focusing more on the product innovation strategies due to changing needs of healthcare establishments, surgeons, and patients

The market is moving toward consolidation as large companies are focused on strategic acquisitions of smaller companies to gain a competitive advantage

List of Key Players of Orthopedic Navigation Systems Market

Braun Melsungen AG

Stryker

Medtronic

Smith+Nephew

Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. (DePuy Synthes)

Zimmer Biomet

Amplitude Surgical

Kinamed, Inc.

Globus Medical

OrthAlign

Access Press Release of Orthopedic Navigation Systems Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-orthopedic-navigation-systems-market
USA, 2 SEPTEMBER 2021 The utilization of delta-8 is boosting like crazy after the release of the 2018 farm bill. According to the bill, all the delta-8 products have become legal in many countries. It is one of the beneficial compounds in the hemp plant and can be used to reduce depression and anxiety. Thousands of people are utilizing delta-8 products to heal the body and eliminate several health disorders, like insomnia, inflammation, inflammatory bowel disease, pain, and much more. It has been seen that whenever people feel stressed, they only ingest delta-8 products to calm their brains and feel relaxed. There is a wide range of delta products available in the market, for example, oils, capsules, powder, edibles, gummies, and much more. People can use any of these forms to get a healthier lifestyle, but the only thing that they need to consider is the delta-8 brands. The industry is loaded with so many delta-8 vendors and brands, and it is essential to choose those brands that have a huge reputation in the industry.



There are many people who are confused to choose one brand, but now, they dont need to be confused because some simple facts can help them to choose the best delta-8 products. People should examine the source of delta-8 because the source matters the most in the quality. Another thing that everyone should examine is the ingredients. There are some vendors who provide those products that dont contain effective ingredients, due to which users will not get the best results. People should also take a look at the effectiveness and reviews of the products as it helps them to get the best one. Individuals cant buy the delta-8 products in various places because of illegality, for example, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, Rhode Island, Utah, Kentucky, and Vermont. If needed, interested individuals can click here or visit our official website to know more about the top delta 8 vendors.



There are some health experts who recommend the best delta-8 brands, for example, Premium Jane, Blue Moon Hemp, Diamond CBD, PureKana, 3Chi, and much more. People should choose any of these brands because all of these brands have a great name and fame in the industry. These brands are the top delta-8 brands that provide various products and supplements, but delta-8 thc gummies are highly popular among individuals. With the help of the best delta-8 vendors, people can get the best delta-8 thc gummy supplements without any hurdle. By using the supplements of these brands, people will get satisfactory results in a short while because all of these brands are selected after considering the above-mentioned factors. Individuals with expectations to know about the best delta-8 product company and other details can feel free to visit this site.





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Retropharyngeal abscess is a serious infection deep in the neck and generally occurs in children under age eight, though it can also affect adults. The symptoms include difficulty in breathing and swallowing, pain, severe cough and throat pain, neck stiffness and spasms and others. If left untreated, retropharyngeal abscess infection can result in septic shock, organ failure and death. Retropharyngeal abscess recurs in an estimated 1 to 5% of patients and such patients are 40 to 50% more likely to die due to abscess-related complications.

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The Latest report by Market Research Future (MRFR) asserts that, The global retropharyngeal abscess market is expected to reach USD 5.9 billion by 2023, and the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~ 4.5 % during the forecast period 2017-2023.

The market drivers include rise in demand due to growing young and immune-compromised population, increasing screening, and others. The market restraints are the complications such as risk of bleeding, pain, especially during surgery, high cost of treatment, poor healthcare penetration and others.

Development of antibiotics resistant bacteria is the single most unmet need of the market. Product development represents the best strategy for the market growth. The market is expected to witness exponential growth over the review period owing to development of selective gram negative antibiotics. Market development is another strategy for as there is a large unmet need in the developing regions such as India and China. Cost of the product will be a decisive factor in the developing regions such as Asia Pacific and especially Africa.

Key Players

Merck KGaA,

Johnson & Johnson,

AstraZeneca plc,

Sanofi S.A.,

Pfizer,

Mylan N.V,

Novartis AG,

Teva pharmaceutical company,

GlaxoSmithKline plc.

Segments

The global retropharyngeal abscess market has been segmented on the basis of diagnosis, treatment, and end user.

Based on the diagnosis, the market has been segmented as X-rays and computed tomography, blood tests, physical exam and others.

Based on the treatment, the market has been segmented as calcium antibiotics, pain killers, surgical drainage and others.

Based on the end user, the market has been segmented as hospitals and clinics, research and academics and others.

Regional Analysis

Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly; China and India are likely to lead this market due to fast growing healthcare sector and large unmet needs over the forecast period. South East Asian countries such as China, India, and Malaysia are projected to contribute highly to the market growth. The growing penetration of healthcare industry in the Asia Pacific region is expected to drive the future retropharyngeal abscess market in the region. However the low expenditure on healthcare coupled with the poor incomes in the developing regions is a dent on the market.

A significant market share of the global retropharyngeal abscess market is held by the Americas, owing to high expenditure on the health care especially in major countries of the region like the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, the number of cardiac procedures in the U.S and Canada is increasing due to greater healthcare penetration, which drives the retropharyngeal abscess market. The high concentration of the major hospitals in the developed countries of this region coupled with good reimbursement rates is adding fuel to the market growth. Moreover, the large share of infective procedures treatment in the returns of hospitals favors the market. The large number of pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. is also a cause for the faster development of retropharyngeal abscess market in the US. The development of broad spectrum antibiotics in developed regions such as the U.S. and Europe is a strong driver of the market.

Europe is the second largest market in the world due to growing pharmaceutical industry and healthcare penetration. The European market growth is led by countries such as Germany and France. Germany is expected to be the fastest growing market over the assessment period due to its large pharmaceutical and microsurgery devices industry. The development of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) especially in the southern regions of Europe such as Spain, Italy etc. stimulates the market.

Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are estimated to drive the Middle East & African market. Other Middle East nations to watch out for are Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and Iran. The African region is expected to witness a poor growth owing to poor economic and political conditions, and poor healthcare development. Other regions are expected to be laggards due to poor social development and tribal identities such as sub Saharan Africa.

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About US:

Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.
Litchfield, CT (06759)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 65F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 65F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
But for the fact he was out trying to protect us, whether it was a call or checking on the river, he would have been at home with his family hunkering down like most of us were doing last night, Hayes continued. He would have been at home, you know, making sure that his house didnt flood and that his family was safe, but he was out making sure other peoples families were safe.
Now is not the time to let ourselves get distracted from the true goal of this process, which is to keep Connecticut residents safe,' Rebimbas said. The goal for our caucus has never been just to give the public any solution they might accept - the goal was to actually fix our juvenile justice practices so people no longer have to fear for their lives while pumping their gas or running their errands.'
We want to express our determination to make a constructive difference through this resolution, members of the family of the late Dr. Mortimer Sackler said in a statement late Wednesday. While we dispute the allegations that have been made about our family, we have embraced this path in order to help combat a serious and complex public health crisis. We hope that the resolution will signal the beginning of a far-reaching effort to deliver assistance where it is most needed.
Lincoln, NE (68508)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.
The simple act of sharing art history through cool stories can be entertaining, sure, but it can also have deep and long-lasting effects. Art is one of the few things that connects us profoundly to one another and reveals our common humanity. And art is an impeccable time machine, linking us to even the earliest of creators. ... Access and exposure to art and art history is essential to building and maintaining a well-rounded society  heck, even a well-rounded person. But even if you are already on board with the whole art thing, you still might need a little nudge to rekindle your fire. ... (T)he arts  and our creative drives  matter.
Under U.S. Supreme Court and Virginia Supreme Court case law, the newspapers lawyers say, even if the parties are somehow able to show that a fair trial is at risk with open hearings, closure still would not be justified unless no other alternatives are available.
As the board at the Hampton campus hashed out which name best represented the school, its mission and was easiest to market, three candidates quickly went down to one, with members voting Wednesday in favor to recommend Virginia Peninsula Community College. That choice goes to the State Board for Community Colleges, which is expected to vote to rename the 54-year-old institution later this month.
The White House announced that Sept. 20 likely would be the day the government would roll out booster vaccines, contingent on the regulatory process. The recommendation, if approved, will be for people vaccinated with either Pfizer or Moderna to receive a third dose eight months after they took their second. Federal officials said before any booster program starts, the Food and Drug Administration and a CDC advisory panel would need to evaluate the safety and impact of an extra dose.
The Virginia National Guard has been helping with the flood response, with 10 soldiers with tactical trucks staging at the state Department of Emergency Management command post in Hurley and helping people get to safety, the guard said in a news release. Another 30 soldiers were expected to be ready to respond Wednesday morning with trucks capable of transporting people in high water and chain saw teams for clearing debris.
Cydney Perske, a photo assistant with Fun Photos To Go creates students' custom license plates on Sept. 2, 2021. After designing their plate, students could watch their design be printed.
The Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System convened at 9 a.m. for a special call meeting on Sep. 1 in Wichita Falls to formally 
Texas Tech have taken measures to make sure that their students, facility and staff are safe.
Riddhima Kapoor Sahni has revealed some hitherto unknown sidelights about her brother, actor Ranbir Kapoor. She appeared on an episode of The Kapil Sharma Show along with her mother Neetu Kapoor, and the two seem to have enjoyed themselves.

A promo video on Sony TVs Instagram account shows Riddhima talking about the time when she was studying in London, and returned home for the holidays.

Main London se wapis aayi, holiday ke time, and uski (Ranbirs) ek friend..., she begins, when her mom interrupts to say girlfriend.

Riddhima goes on to describe how this girlfriend of Ranbir had visited them wearing a top which Riddhima recognised as her own, one she had been looking for! She says thats when she realised her brother had been gifting her things to his girlfriend!

Always so much fun with Kapil Sharma and this time with my daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni making it more fun and exciting. Stay tuned for this joy ride, wrote actress Neetu Kapoor, sharing photos from the show.

Neetus husband, actor Rishi Kapoor, passed away last year after battling cancer. Riddhima, a jewellery designer based in Delhi, has been staying with her mother in Mumbai since Rishis demise.
Komalee Prasad will next be seen in Rowdy Boys, starring Ashish. Shes playing one of the leading ladies in the campus love story directed by Sree Harsha Konuganti.

She plays a medico in the film. I am a qualified dental surgeon, so shooting for scenes involving doctors and the medical fraternity was a great experience. In fact, I got nostalgic while shooting for campus scenes, she shares, adding that the role offered her scope to be herself.

Rowdy Boys reflects typical college life, and that makes it relatable to everyone, she says. According to the actress, it was her performance in earlier films which helped her bag the role. Komalee has also been shooting for a couple of other films  HIT 2 and Sebastian. While she plays an intense role in HIT 2, she is a village belle in the latter.

Getting used to three different roles and their patterns was a bit challenging. It was also a new experience for me, shooting for three different roles at once. But the experience taught me a lot about filmmaking, explains Komalee, who was born in Vizag and later moved to Mumbai. She is a classical dancer and a theatre artiste.

Director Sekhar Kammula was one of the reasons I chose a career in films. I was inspired after watching his film Happy Days, and wanted to get into showbiz, she reveals, and expresses hope that she would one day play the leading lady in his films.
HYDERABAD: Co-accused in Karvy financial fraud Meka Yugandhar sought to take shelter under his role of non-executive director in the company to avoid arrest along with his co-founder of Karvy and prime accused C. Parthasarathy even as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) decided to investigate the multi-crore scam.

The ED will formally register a case and is said to have been in touch with the Hyderabad city police who have already arrested Parthasarathy and two others. Sources said the preliminary investigations indicated that the Karvy top management, apart from investing in stocks, also diverted funds for other purposes and the ED would focus on the money laundering angle.

Significantly, Yugandhar is the only top executive who managed to evade arrest despite being named as accused in the scam by all the three banks HDFC, IndusInd and ICICI with both the Hyderabad and Cyberabad police.

Inquiries by this newspaper revealed that he was summoned by the Central Crime Station (CCS) sleuths of Hyderabad on Monday but was let off while the Cyberabad police are yet to question him. The patronage enjoyed by Yugandhar was evident after the city police arrested chief operating officer (COO) Rajiv Ranjan Singh and chief financial officer (CFO) G. Krishna Hari on Thursday.

Sources said Yugandhar feigned ignorance about the misuse of clients shares as well as funds by Karvy. During the interrogation, he is said to have furnished crucial information about the transactions besides explaining how he was not responsible for the misdeeds. According to him, the board of directors took decisions as per law and authorised Parthasarathy to carry out the boards decisions. He put the blame squarely on Parthasarathy, sources added.

When contacted, joint city police commissioner Avinash Mohanty said the police had been probing the roles and responsibilities of the top management including Yugandhar and would take further action. We are examining his claims that he, as a non-executive director, has no role in the administration, the police official pointed out.

The police also summoned independent directors Jyothi Prasad and B. D. Narang, who earlier headed the Global Trust Bank, and recorded their statements. Speaking to this correspondent from New Delhi, Narang said the board of directors took decisions as per law and was hopeful that the interests of the common investor were protected. The 75-year-old financial expert said he would extend all support to the investigating agencies.
VIJAYAWADA: Telangana High Court has quashed the FIR registered by CBI (Anti-Corruption Branch), Chennai, against minister for education A. Suresh and his wife in a disproportionate assets case.

It observed that the CBI has failed in applying its mind and registered the case without even conducting a preliminary inquiry.

A single-judge bench headed by Justice G. Sri Devi pronounced the verdict to this effect on Thursday. It directed CBI to release the assets seized and unfreeze the bank accounts of petitioners.

The High Court said mistakes and irregularities have been committed by respondents in registration of FIR. The modified figures of assets demonstrate that there is no disproportionate asset at all. On the contrary, there is excess income of Rs 1.28 crore over and above the assets.

Justice Sri Devi went on to note that the claim of respondents that petitioners are in possession of disproportionate assets is thus unsustainable.
The government steps to avoid double pension in a family as also possession of white ration cards by the ineligible across the state caused worry for those like ageing artists. (Photo: Representational/PTI)

ANANTAPUR: The government steps to avoid double pension in a family as also possession of white ration cards by the ineligible across the state caused worry for those like ageing artists. Their names have been deleted from the lists on the grounds that their spouse is getting an old-age pension.

Though the government planned to give relaxation for the physically challenged and those who have chronic ailments and continue giving double pension on single ration card, the ageing artists were excluded from this provision.

The old-age pension scheme had been implemented exclusively for artists, by way of paying them an assistance of Rs 3000 every month. The scheme was overseen by the Information and PR department via assistant director offices in all districts.

As the government took steps to prune the system of double pension, the ageing artists got no exemption.

C Gopapalla, a 75-year-old clarinet master from Amarapuram mandal stopped getting pension from September last after his name was deleted from the list of pensioners at the gram Sachivalayam on the ground that his wife was getting old-age pension.

We have sacrificed our lives on theatre arts and have little means for sustenance at this old age. The pension was a big relief to me, he said and pleaded that the government consider the pathetic condition of artists.

In another case, Illuri Raghunath, 70, harmonist from Syndicate Nagar in Anantapur rural, found his name was deleted from the list. His wife Illuri Rajeswari also found her name was removed from the old-age pension list. The artist says the family is eligible for double pension and has provided all relevant papers to the officials and yet this has happened.

The Grama Sachivalayam of Rachanapalli told DC that the officials have sent a message to the higher authorities with a recommendation to add the name of Rajeswari, but a response might take time.

Raghunath has been a harmonist for more than five decades. He pleads that the government give double pension to the families of aged artists by way of relaxing the rules.

The Covid pandemic has an adverse impact on artists. We have no booking for programmes in the villages for the past year and a half. Our only source of income has dried up, he stated.

Reacting to the deletion of names from the list for pensions for artists, state Nataka Academy corporation chairperson Chamaluru Haritha said she would bring this to the notice of the chief minister and seek a relaxation for all deserving cases.
HYDERABAD: Managements of private educational institutions were on Tuesday offered an assurance that they would not be held responsible for any student attending physical classes catching Covid-19. Director of public health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao, addressing a press conference, said it was the collective responsibility of everyone in the society to prevent the spread of the disease.

He said school and college managements could not be held responsible in the event of a student catching Covid-19. Covid, which is under full control in the state, can be further curbed by everyone by following Covid-19 appropriate protocols such as wearing a face mask and maintaining physical distance norms, according to him.

Answering to a question whether politicians, irrespective of their standing in the state, were part of the collective responsibility, particularly in the light of their habit of discarding their masks while interacting with people, or while in public, or addressing meetings, Dr Srinivasa Rao said if there was an outbreak of clusters of cases, or increasing cases of Covid in the state, then the politicians who were ignoring the clear messages given about following Covid-19 safety protocols, would be responsible for any resurgence of the disease in Telangana.

Political leaders too are responsible. The elections are two years away but there is a lot of political activity. We have already urged everyone to follow Covid appropriate behaviour. If there is a spike, then political parties will be held responsible, he said.

The Telangana state government, he said, had effectively curbed the spread of the Coronavirus. Other than festivals such as Bathukamma and Moharram, there are many weddings that are taking place, movie theatres are open, but we do not have case clusters. Even in the GHMC area, there are no such instances, he said.

On a possible third wave of Covid-19, he said there was no scientific basis for such claims. Only if a new highly infectious variant of the virus emerged, then it could be a cause of concern. As long as people followed Covid appropriate behaviour, the disease could be fully controlled, he said.
Davangere: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday lauded Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for his "small but significant moves" in a short time and said those monitoring Karnataka from the national capital say that the BJP has strengthened its position in the state by installing him.

"Bommai has made some small but significant beginning. He has stopped the tradition of receiving police guard of honour, put a brake on many VVIP practices and he has taken certain steps for transparency.

It is a very short time since Bommai took over but people who are sitting in Delhi and closely watching the developments in Karnataka, say that the BJP has strengthened its position by installing him as the Chief Minister," Amit Shah said at an event here.

In his maiden visit to Karnataka after Bommai took over as Chief Minister on July 28, the BJP leader exuded confidence that the party would come back to power by winning the Assembly election due in 2023.

"Bommai has experience of running the government and leading a decent public life, and he being in the BJP for a very long time, I have full confidence that under his leadership the BJP will come back to power with full mandate (in 2023)," Shah opined.

The Home Minister also heaped praises on former Chief Minister and BJP stalwart B S Yediyurappa, whose resignation as Chief Minister on July 26, brought Bommai to power.

"I am confident that Yediyurappa did not leave any stone unturned for the development of villages and farmers. If a new era of development has started in Karnataka, it happened in the BJP government during the tenure of Yediyurappa," Shah said.

According to him, Yediyurappa himself had decided to give new faces a chance to lead Karnataka and the BJP leadership decided to give the responsibility to Bommai.

Speaking about the COVID-19 management, Shah praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the best handling of pandemic and bringing out the country to a good extent from it with public support.

He said the entire world was watching with surprise how a nation of 1.3 billion population will face the challenge.

"However, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the nation abided by the lockdown norms initially and then carried out the biggest vaccination drive of the world in India.Today we can proudly say that if there is a nation, which has given maximum vaccines, it is India," Shah said.

The Home Minister also pointed out that the country broke its own previous record of one crore jabs on a single day by vaccinating 1.36 crore people on a single day a couple of days ago.

Speaking about the vaccination drive in Karnataka, Shah said the state has vaccinated almost 90 per cent of its eligible population by carrying out 5.2 crore inoculations.

"Over four crore people have received the first dose while 1.16 crore people have taken the second dose. It is an example what a government can do by taking along people," he explained.

Noting that the economically weaker section was hit hard due to the pandemic, the Home Minister said the BJP government at the Centre gave five kg rice to each member of BPL families for 10 months from May last year.

According to him, 80 crore people from weaker sections had received five kg rice every month for 10 months.

Shah added that the Prime Minister has also announced financial packages to deal with any further wave of COVID-19.

Recalling the oxygen crisis during the second wave of COVID-19, the Home Minister said many new oxygen plants which came up in a very short period have started operations.

Exuding confidence that India will be self reliant in oxygen production in the event of any epidemic outbreak in future, Shah said the country will not require to go anywhere for oxygen.

Seeking public support in the fight against COVID-19, Shah expressed his disappointment over vaccine resistance among some communities. He said it is everyone's responsibility to make sure that no one in the family, friends, and neighbourhood is left without vaccine.

"The 'mantra' to win the battle against coronavirus is the vaccine," Shah said.

He appealed to BJP activists to work with people in spreading awareness about the vaccine and take those people to the vaccination centre who have not taken it.
A Taliban fighter stands on an armoured vehicle with a Taliban flag during a parade along a road to celebrate after the US pulled all its troops out of Afghanistan, in Kandahar on September 1, 2021 following the Talibans military takeover of the country. (Photo: AFP)

New Delhi: Even as the Taliban is reportedly all set to form and announce its new government in Afghanistan on Friday as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, India on Thursday said its primary concern was that Afghan soil should not be used for terror against India and that a positive response had been received from the Taliban at Tuesdays meeting in Doha, Qatar.

When asked about a possibility of recognition of the Taliban government, the MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said it was early days and that the Doha meeting was just a meeting.

The MEA spokesperson was non-committal when asked about any roadmap New Delhi had in mind regarding the Taliban, but gave out a strong hint that India would not have held any such meeting without a clear thought process.

New Delhi said it had utilised the opportunity during the meeting with the Taliban to express Indias concerns that Afghan soil should not be used for terrorism and on the need for evacuation of the remaining few Indian nationals from Afghanistan as well as Afghan Sikhs and Hindus who wish to travel to India.

It may be recalled that earlier on Tuesday, after the Taliban requested for a meeting, the Head of Talibans Political Office in Doha Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai met the Indian ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal at the Indian Embassy in Doha at a meeting in which the senior Taliban leader assured that Indias concerns would be positively addressed.

On why the Taliban had not issued any statement unlike New Delhi, the MEA spokesperson said it was up to the Taliban to issue a statement.
Taliban fighters atop vehicles with Taliban flags parade along a road to celebrate after the US pulled all its troops out of Afghanistan, in Kandahar on September 1, 2021 following the Talibans military takeover of the country. (Photo: AFP)

Peshawar: The Taliban are all set to announce the formation of a new government in Kabul on the lines of the Iranian leadership, with the groups top religious leader Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada as Afghanistans supreme authority, a senior member of the group has said.

Consultations are almost finalised on the new government, and the necessary discussions have also been held about the cabinet, Mufti Inamullah Samangani, a senior official in the Talibans information and culture commission, said.

He said the group is all set to announce the formation of the new government in Kabul in the next three days. In the new set-up, 60-year-old Mullah Akhundzada will be the Supreme Leader of the Taliban government, which will follow the Iranian leadership pattern.

In Iran, the supreme leader is the highest political and religious authority of the country. He ranks above the president and appoints the heads of the military, the government, and the judiciary.

The supreme leader has final say in the political, religious and military affairs of the country. Mullah Akhunzada will be the leader of the government and there should be no question on this, he said, indicating that the president will work under his oversight. Mullah Akhunzada is the top religious leader of the Taliban and has been serving at a mosque in Balochistan province for 15 years.

Samangani said that under the new government, governors will control the provinces, while the district governors will be in-charge of their respective districts.

The Taliban has already appointed governors, police chiefs and police commanders for provinces and districts. The name of the new governance system, the national flag and the national anthem are yet to be finalised, he said.

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, deputy leader of the Taliban political office in Doha, said that women and members from all tribes will be part of the new government. set-up. "Any person who was part of any former Afghanistan governments during the last 20 years will not be included in the new Taliban administration," he said. He said that Mullah Akhunzada will monitor the government from Kandahar, the stronghold of the Taliban movement. The Taliban want to have friendly relations with the European Union, the US and India, and members of the Taliban political office in Doha are in close contact with different foreign countries, he said. The Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul will be functional in next 48 hours and people with valid travel documents will be allowed to leave the country, Stanakzai said, adding that it will cost USD 25-30 million to renovate the airport.
Doane campaign urging communities to have 'Faith in the Vaccine'
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Russia demanded on Monday that the US return Afghan central bank reserves that the country had seized following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul earlier this month.

To strengthen the rate of the sinking national currency, the US must quickly unfreeze these assets Zamir Kabulov, the Kremlin's ambassador to Afghanistan stated on the state-run Rossiya 24 network. "If our Western colleagues are worried about the fate of the Afghan people, then we must not create additional problems for them by freezing gold and foreign exchange reserves," he added.

Kabulov went on to suggest that until this is done, the new Afghan government will revert to illegal opium trafficking and selling on the black market, the weaponry that the Afghan army and the US had abandoned. According to the IMF, the Afghan central bank's gross reserves were $9.4 billion at the end of April. The majority of this money is kept in countries outside of Afghanistan.

The US holds Afghanistan's reserves

The Taliban would not have access to assets, which did not specify the exact amount, stored in the United States, Washington has indicated. Afghanistan has long been the world's greatest producer of opium and heroin, with proceeds from the illicit trade assisting the Taliban in their funding efforts, as per MENAFN.

According to Global Security, 500 Russian motorized infantry forces from Russia's military facility in Tajikistan are conducting military drills in the highlands near the Afghan border. The drills also featured test-fire from an S-300 air defense system in a mock attack on the facility.

Except for the aforementioned practice, Russia has conducted two sets of drills along the Afghan border so far this month. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a post-Soviet security bloc run by Moscow, will undertake another drill in Kyrgyzstan, which contains a Russian military airfield, next month.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said last week that Moscow will cooperate more closely with CSTO member states as the US departure from Afghanistan raises regional security threats. Separately, the Russian embassy in Kabul said that additional evacuation flights would be available for Russian citizens and residents, as well as nationals of CSTO member states.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Urges to End Russian Media Crackdown on Journalists Under Foreign Agent

Russia builds normal ties with the Taliban

Zamir Kabulov, Russia's Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan, said Moscow is striving to mend ties with the Taliban and would not impose any foreign values. According to the official, Russia respects the Afghan people's right to their definition of democracy; and the country's historic institutions may be regarded as "conditionally democratic."

Per SIFY, Kabulov did not rule out further US attacks in Afghanistan but asked the West to help normalize the country's position through humanitarian aid rather than creating extra barriers like blocking Afghanistan's gold and foreign exchange reserves.

The official underlined Russia's willingness to join any international initiatives aimed at guaranteeing "regional social and economic rehabilitation." The announcement came when Afghanistan was in the midst of a chaotic and dangerous situation.

More than 170 people were killed in a devastating attack on the Kabul airport on Thursday, including 13 US troops. In reaction, the US military launched a drone attack against ISIS-K, an Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State group, in Nangarhar province of eastern Afghanistan on Friday, killing two "high-profile" militants and injuring another.

On Sunday, another airstrike was launched in Kabul against a suspected ISIS-K vehicle. Taliban senior commander Abdul Haq Wasiq has condemned US airstrikes in Afghanistan, calling them a breach of the US-Taliban peace agreement.

Related Article: Taliban Promises to Allow Afghan People Leave Afghanistan After August 31 Evacuation Deadline

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China aims to build the biggest megastructures in orbit to be any country's most extensive space facilities. The big move of the Chinese regime is a game-changer. It will signal a new space race coming in the future.

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is formulating a five-year plan to create tech and methods to achieve this overall goal. The structures will be solar power plants, space tourism, gas stations, and futuristic asteroid mining for exotic materials.

China's footprint in space

New materials will be needed which are lightweight and have massive constructs brought up with current rocket technology. Scientists will need technology for in-orbit assembly and control in place, reported the Daily Mail. One of the requirements to support such megastructures in space is to develop a large space vehicle to maintain it in constant orbit.

The first major project is initially an orbital solar power station positioned in high earth orbit, unlike the ISS in low earth orbit. The solar power array will have a mile's width and transmit the power as a beam to a Chinese base station by 2035. The power produced will be a megawatt of electricity in 2050, as planned.

Bigger is better in space

Plans like a massive orbital platform extending miles in space will make the ISS, which is 350-feet across, look tiny. One day the ISS will connect to the Chinese mega space station, made up of segments with a module added to the space station. The goal is China aims to build the biggest megastructures in orbit for a future in space.

Read Also: SpaceX Starship SN20 Launch Date: When Is It Scheduled for Full Fledged Space Flight?

Recently a Chinese space station, the Tiangong, is in low earth orbit stationed in space this year. China will bring more additional segments eventually and an astronomical telescope as well. Though the NSFC gave no verification if the Tiangong will be the main jump-off point or another one is in the works for the Chinese space agency. China remains mum about specific information on the space complex.

Projects in progress

The solar power plants and the huge 32ft aperture telescope are already under development, and there are new specifics in the research to develop them. It was mentioned in a document for researchers to get more funding.The paper instructs the developers in creating the newer aerospace equipment that will comprise equipment for use in space.

Other goals are an investigation of the universe and how to achieve a permanent space habitat for long-term living in orbit. An objective is to create light material that will lessen the weight of spacecraft and relevant components. Getting bigger superstructures in space will need high-tech materials processing, cited Digichat.

Furthermore, designing multi-stage rockets that are reusable to construct mining structures on an asteroid. Until a new and robust material that can make launches cheap with lesser journeys is the crucial goal.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences sponsored a study in 2020 that forwarded that getting an artificial jump off in space will push space-driven technology farther. Hindrances in current space-based technology are not enough to support more missions in space. Everything from vehicles to how they send to space is not enough. Scientist Zhihui Xue, robotics, said that having a long-term space habitat is vital for sustainable human exploration, noted Vice.

Establishing in-space-assembly (ISA) tech will be the answer to fast-track space projects in the future and made it cheaper to operate. China's aim to build the biggest megastructures in orbit is just the start of the march to space.

Related Article: How will the Chinese Space Station 'Tiangong' Redefine the International Space Station's Mission in Space?

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Three Colorado police officers and two paramedics were indicted by a grand jury for the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old massage therapist, in August 2019, who was stopped while walking home from a store for allegedly acting suspiciously.

The suspects were identified as Aurora police officers Randy Roedema and Nathan Woodyard, former officer Jason Rosenblatt, and Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec. The five men were indicted of manslaughter and criminal negligent homicide in a 32-count indictment.

Police and Parademics Charged with Manslaughter

Authorities also indicted Roedema and Rosenblatt with one count of assault and one count of crime violence each while Cooper and Cichuniec were indicted on three counts of assault and six counts of crime of violence. The 23-year-old victim had his whole life ahead of him and it was taken away, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said.

At the time of the Black man's death, Adams County District Attorney Dave Young refused to file criminal charges, arguing prosecutors lacked evidence to prove that officers caused the death of McClain. But after protests in Aurora and a viral online petition, Gov. Jared Polis later announced a re-investigation of the case last year, CNN reported.

In the United States, it is uncommon that police officers face criminal charges for in-custody deaths of Black people. It is even rarer for similar convictions, such as the ones in McClain's case, to occur. On Wednesday, Weiser acknowledged the struggles that prosecutors face moving forward during a news conference.

The legal expert noted that McClain's case will be difficult to prosecute because of its circumstances. But he said that their goal was to give justice to the victim's family, friends, and the state. Weiser said they wanted everyone to be accountable and equal under the law.

Read Also: Lauren Boebert Claims Biden, the Rest of His "Incompetent Administration" Should Face Impeachment Over Handling of Afghanistan Chaos

"Nothing will bring back my son, but I am thankful that his killers will finally be held accountable," LaWayne Mosley, McClain's father, said.

McClain died less than a week after he was stopped by police officers while he was walking home on a street in Aurora, Colorado on Aug. 24, 2019. The suspects later placed the victim in a chokehold and injected the 23-year-old with ketamine, a sedative, CNBC reported.

Acting Suspiciously

The encounter was brought about by a 911 call that alleged McClain was acting suspiciously while wearing a face mask and waving his arms around. Police video showed officers restraining the young massage therapist who shouted, "I can't breathe, please."

Authorities said the amount of ketamine that officers used on McClain were appropriate for a man 50 pounds heavier. Aurora police said that the victim "resisted contact, a struggle ensued, and he was taken into custody."

Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson took over the department last year and has pledged to restore trust in her station. She said that officials will be cooperating with authorities to continue the judicial process.

The president of Aurora's branch of the Fraternal Order of Police, which claims to be the largest police union in the city, Marc Sears, said they supported the suspects and said they were innocent until proven guilty, Yahoo News reported.

Related Article: Pennsylvania Caretaker Sentenced to 47 Years After 2-Year-Old Boy Dies of Beating, Eating Antifreeze

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Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said Wednesday that she was not going to go into President Joe Biden's July 23 phone call with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in which he pleaded with the Afghan leader to change the perception of the battle with the Taliban.

Psaki remained silent when Republicans slammed Biden for telling Ghani to show the world they were fighting the Taliban, whether or not it was true. She said she wouldn't "get into the facts of a private conversation" if Biden was trying to create a "false narrative" in his discussion with Ghani.

She did point out, however, that the Afghan government's leadership had fallen apart long before Ghani departed the country. According to a recording of the call between the two leaders acquired by Reuters, Biden might have predicted the Taliban's ability to complete the country's takeover.

Joe Biden's staff are disappointed

But neither Biden nor Ghani seemed to realize how swiftly the nation would fall to the militants, who seized Kabul three weeks later on August 15, forcing the Afghan president to flee. Biden focused on what he viewed as Afghanistan's "perception" problem for the majority of the roughly 14-minute talk, as per NY Post.

Inside Joe Biden's administration, staffers are "horrified" by the Afghan pullout, believe the operation was a failure, and are outraged that American citizens were abandoned on the ground. Despite the pullout, which resulted in the deaths of 13 US military members on Thursday after an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated their vest outside the Kabul airport, he made these assertions. Biden stated that he is to blame for the fatalities, as well as all that has happened after the US troops' withdrawal.

Per Daily Mail, the president stated the mission in Afghanistan couldn't have been finished in a more orderly manner in his overtly defiant statements. He explicitly stated that he disagrees with those who say he should have started the evacuation sooner.

American people are also turning against the president, according to polls, with his popularity rating dropping to an all-time low of 47% in the previous week. According to a Morning Consult/Politico survey released Wednesday, only three out of ten registered voters favor Biden's handling of the Afghan pullout, while a staggering 61 percent disapprove.

Read Also: Psaki Dodges Questions About Leaked Biden-Ghani Call; Conversation Reveals US President Urges to Conceal Taliban's Dominance

Republicans mock the president with leaked Biden-Ghani call

Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan accused Biden of the deaths of 13 American service members during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Both leaders appeared to underestimate the Taliban's ability to retake control of Afghanistan.

The Biden-Ghani leaked call centered on how Ghani might change public perceptions of Afghanistan's military. Both leaders appeared to underestimate the Taliban's ability to retake control of Afghanistan, as per The Sun.

Ghani's most recent public remark was on August 18, when he stated he departed Afghanistan to avoid bloodshed. Meanwhile, Republicans are reportedly pleading with Donald Trump to assist them in impeaching Biden, as calls for his impeachment grow in response to the Afghan situation.

Republicans attacked the president for his call with ex-Afghanistan President Ghani, claiming he knew the local army was failing and that his support numbers were falling further. There are still American people attempting to flee Kabul, hundreds of Afghan allies have been left behind, and the Taliban have been publicly parading the weaponry left behind by the United States.

Despite considerable criticism of Biden's handling of the situation over the previous month, the president called the entire military pullout from Afghanistan an "extraordinary success" on Tuesday night.

Related Article: Taliban Celebrates US Troops Withdrawal in Afghanistan; Parade Shows Plundered Military Equipment

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North Carolina police have arrested the suspected gunman in the fatal shooting of a student on Wednesday at a high school, hours after he fled the scene.

The incident occurred at Mount Tabor High School located in Winston-Salem where authorities responded to reports of gunshots just before 12:10 p.m. The officers were told that a student was shot and wounded while the suspect, who was another student, fled the scene of the crime.

Fatal School Shooting

School authorities immediately placed the educational institution on lockdown after the incident. The victim was later identified as William Chavis Raynard Miller, Jr., but officers did not reveal his age or year in high school.

Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson said medical experts immediately tried to resuscitate the victim using life-saving measures. The injured student was later transported to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Thompson emotionally said that there was a mother and family that would no longer be able to hug their child tonight, Fox News reported.

Authorities reported that no other student was involved or harmed in the shooting but said that one had a seizure as the incident unfolded. There were also rumors that more than one student was shot by the suspect that Thompson dispelled.

After the shooting, the students were evacuated by authorities to a Harris Teeter grocery store at Whitaker Square where they were reunited with their parents. Numerous law enforcement vehicles arrived at the scene after reports of the shooting.

Read Also: Pennsylvania Caretaker Sentenced to 47 Years After 2-Year-Old Boy Dies of Beating, Eating Antifreeze

In a statement, Gov. Roy Cooper said he was briefed regarding the incident and was ready and willing to provide any needed support. "We must work to ensure the safety of students and educators, quickly apprehend the shooter, and keep guns off school grounds," he said.

The incident marks the second shooting at a North Carolina high school with the first taking place in Wilmington. In the separate crime, a student was shot on Monday at New Hanover High School, CNN reported.

Horrific Incident

Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough said he has not been emotional for a while and said he has been weeping for the victim since leaving the hospital. The official said that prayers were needed for a lot of people in this time of crisis, including the Miller family and the victim's mother, Shannon.

During the lockdown, students were hiding under desks as they feared what was going to happen next. There was nothing that Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill said he could imagine, being a parent and a district attorney himself. He added that Miller was the only victim in the shooting.

Police reported shortly after 6:00 p.m. that they have arrested the suspect gunman in the case and said that it was one of the victim's classmates. In a Twitter post, the Winston-Salem police said the student was taken into custody and that they are continuing investigations regarding the shooting and will release more details as appropriate.

Social media platforms went viral with footage and images of SWAT teams responding to the scene as the school was placed into lockdown, the New York Post reported.

Related Article: Heavily Armed Bank Robbers Strap Civilians as Human Shields on Getaway Vehicles to Escape, 3 People Killed

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
On Monday, the World Health Organization added Mu, a coronavirus strain originally discovered in Colombia in January, to its "Variants of Interest" list.

WHO Designates Mu COVID-19 Variant as "Variant of Interest"

In a recently published article in The Hill, the Mu COVID-19 strain, first identified in Colombia, has been classified as a "variant of interest" by the World Health Organization (WHO), which said it would be monitoring the it's spread.

The WHO explained that Mu contains mutations that should be investigated for their possible effect on the immune system. Immunity established via previous infection or vaccination may not be as robust against this variant, according to data provided with the WHO Virus Evolution Working Group.

The Mu variant contains a slew of mutations that point to possible immune-evasion characteristics. Preliminary results given to the Virus Evolution Working Group indicate a decrease in neutralization capability of convalescent and vaccination sera, similar to that observed with the Beta variation, although further research is needed to validate this, according to a published article in Forbes.

Read Also: Epsilon, Lambda COVID Variants: Is It True That These Are COVID-19 Vaccine-Resistant? What Experts Are Doing Now

Prevalence of Mu Variant

The Mu variant's distribution has been decreasing worldwide, and it now accounts for less than 0.1 percent of all shared sequences. However, in recent weeks, it has become more common in Colombia and Ecuador. The epidemiological development of this variant, as well as research on its effect, will be carefully monitored by WHO.

Moreover, while Mu's frequency among sequenced COVID-19 cases is less than 0.1 percent worldwide, it has "consistently risen" in Colombia and Ecuador, where it currently accounts for approximately 39 percent and 13 percent of infections, respectively. Given the low frequency of the variant, reports on its prevalence should be interpreted with careful caution, according to a published report in Yahoo News.

Needless to say, it has been discovered that several of the "variants of interest" contain genetic alterations that influence viral properties such as transmissibility, illness severity, and immune escape. Variants of interest are distinct from "variants of concern" which have been linked to a reduction in the efficacy of public health interventions, vaccinations, and medicines.

Mu Variant More Resistant to Vaccine

Eta, Iota, Kappa, and Lambda are some of the other 'variants of interest". Lambda, like Mu, was discovered in South America, in Peru. In November, Iota was discovered in the United States for the first time and these strains are said to be more vaccine-resistant but further studies need to be conducted to prove this claim.

Since March, the WHO has been monitoring the fifth variant of interest. The health department cautioned that it contains several alterations that indicate it may be more resistant to vaccinations, but that further study is required to prove this.

Preliminary evidence suggests that vaccination efficacy is decreased, similar to what has been seen with the Beta version. The WHO stated it will keep an eye on the Mu variant's epidemiology in South America, especially in light of the Delta variant's co-circulation, according to a published report in UN News.

Related Article: South Africa Detects New COVID-19 Variant Believed to be Resistant to Vaccines and Highly Transmissible



@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A state media claims China is fighting scandal-hit celebrities it refers to as "social tumors" as part of a deep transformation in the industrial, financial, and cultural sectors. According to experts, President Xi Jinping is attacking post-Mao liberalization, which, along with capitalism free markets, exposed people to Western influences such as celebrity culture, which encourages individuality rather than collectivism.

An opinion article published by China's state-run media system expressed praise for Chinese President Xi Jinping's crackdown on celebrity culture and Western influences. Xi recently unveiled a set of laws aimed at addressing "shared prosperity" in a country where income disparity continues to increase, according to the parties.

China's celebrity, capitalism crackdown

These steps vary from restricting the number of time children may spend playing video games to cracking down on Bitcoin miners and the country's largest IT companies, as per Newsweek. To regulate what it deems the country's chaotic celebrity fan culture, Xi Jinping's administration banned platforms from publishing popularity rankings and imposed limits on the sale of fan products last week.

As online influencer culture grows throughout the world, China has seen a surge in "Rice Circles," where groups of young fans cluster around their favorite artists, spending enormous sums of money to help them win competition events and yelling abuse at competing groups.

Last week, a list of "misbehaving celebrities" who were purportedly blacklisted by Beijing was shared on social media. It comes after Alibaba's billionaire owner, Jack Ma, went missing for three months and had his companies reorganized.

Ant Group, his most recent company, was attempting to transform Chinese banking, and Jack Ma has previously criticized the country's established financial structure. In addition to Alibaba, DiDi was removed from app stores for allegedly courting foreign investment, and video game developer Tencent was accused of poisoning children with "spiritual opium."

Read Also: Europe Court Blames Russia for Failing to Investigate Death of Human Rights Activist Natalya Estemirova

Xi Jinping's common prosperity campaign

Per Daily Mail, although the tech industry represents over a third of China's GDP, the government's assault on big tech has erased $1.2 trillion from the market. Children were barred from playing online games for more than three hours each week this week, dealing another blow to China's huge video gaming firms.

The highest disciplinary committee of the Communist Party heard testimony on Monday that capitalism was attempting to manipulate young people, steal economic gains, and even alter society's beliefs and cultures.

When it comes to President Xi Jinping's "common prosperity" drive to reduce wealth disparity in China, it appears that the country's top television and film celebrities are unprotected by their stardom. Authorities are keeping an eye on the country's tech behemoths for actions that are judged monopolistic or harmful to the public interest.

Even some of China's most prominent celebrities are now caught in the campaign's harsh spotlight. Shanghai tax officials said on Friday that actress Zheng Shuang will be fined a total of 299 million yuan ($46.2 million).

Authorities claim that Zheng neglected to report a significant portion of her income and therefore avoided paying taxes. According to a statement, tax evasion was conducted with a "clear purpose to significantly disrupt the system of tax collection." As part of her penalty, Shanghai officials required Zheng to pay fines and back taxes, NIKKEI reported.

Related Article: China Reportedly Introduces "Xi Jinping Thought" on Chinese Schoolchildren as Part of Marxist Brainwashing

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President Joe Biden will not be impeached for the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan, according to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who noted the Democrats control the House and Senate.

McConnell Said Biden Cannot Be Impeached

In a recently published article in The Hill, because there is a Democratic House and a narrowly Democratic Senate, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the president would not be removed from office. He stated this in response to a question on whether Biden's management of the Afghanistan withdrawal merited impeachment and if he would support it.

Some Republicans in the House and Senate are calling for Joe Biden's impeachment, resignation, or involuntary removal from office as a result of the bungled Afghanistan withdrawal. However, Mitch McConnell said that impeachment is not going to happen.

Moreover, Senator Lindsey Graham suggested last week that Biden be impeached. Senator Rick Scott, the chairman of the Senate GOP campaign arm, questioned if it was time to use the 25th Amendment, which enables the president to be removed by a majority of the Cabinet or a body established by Congress, according to a published article in Daily News.

Read Also: Former White House Physician Predicts Biden Will Resign, POTUS Needs To Take Cognitive Test

Biden Defended His Decision To Withdraw U.S. Troops

In a speech at the White House on Tuesday, Biden defended his decision to remove U.S. troops, a day after the final American military aircraft departed the country, marking the end of the country's longest war, according to a published article in CNN News,

Additionally, the president adopted Trump's departure strategy, in which the U.S. agreed to leave Afghanistan by the beginning of May in exchange for an agreement with the Taliban. Biden postponed the withdrawal until late summer, and the United States watched in horror as the Taliban reclaimed a nation that American soldiers had taken almost two decades before.

During frenzied American airlifts on Thursday, a horrific suicide attack in Kabul claimed by an Islamic State branch dubbed ISIS-K killed 13 US service personnel and at least 169 Afghan civilians. Despite this, Biden has justified his choice, claiming that it was "time" to stop the war and that Trump handed him a difficult hand, according to a report published in Business Insider.

McConnell Wanted Republicans to Focus in the Midterm and 2023 Elections

Instead of looking forward to 2023, McConnell sees the midterm elections as an opportunity to hold Biden responsible. Republicans are growing optimistic about their prospects of regaining control of the House or Senate, according to a published article in Forbes.

Furthermore, after Democrats impeached Trump twice, the first in 2020 for abuse of power in his dealings with Ukraine and the second in 2021 for inciting an insurgency after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol, GOP strategists have predicted that if Republicans retake the House next year, Biden will face impeachment calls.

If the House of Representatives votes to impeach Biden, it would suck up valuable floor time in the Senate, where trials usually take weeks and all other activity will come to a stop. At the conclusion of a Senate trial, no president has been officially declared guilty.

Related Article: Lawmakers Urge Joe Biden To Resign After the Horrifying Bombing Attacks at Kabul Airport



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While the prospects of another round of national direct payments are minimal, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, certain Americans may be eligible for additional cash.

While many are hoping for more funding to alleviate the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, legislation is unlikely to pass through a split House and Senate. Some states, on the other hand, have decided to send out their stimulus checks, and parents and homeowners may be eligible for additional direct payments.

What's left in 2021 stimulus payments?

Various families will receive child tax credit payments in September, and many Californians will receive stimulus checks. We'll keep you up to date on the progress of the newest stimulus checks.

Although another stimulus check is uncertain, millions of people will get child tax credit payments regularly. Even if it may not arrive until 2021, families with a new dependent may expect an additional stimulus payment of up to $1,400.

Plus-up payments

Along with the tax refund money on 2020 unemployment benefits, the IRS is issuing "plus-up" payments for outstanding stimulus amounts. California residents will get a new Golden State Stimulus Check worth $600-$1,100. Several states are providing $1,000 "thank you" payments to school personnel and instructors.

The child tax credit has been increased to $3,600, which will be sent to qualifying families. The parents have the option of postponing their checks and receiving payment in the spring. There is no limit on how much a family with children can claim in total credit. Families in lower-income categories are eligible for the maximum amount of money in the checks, as per Digital Market News.

Local governments received $350 billion in aid thanks to the American Rescue Plan. The money will go to schools, and some governments will give $1,000 bonuses to educators. California, Texas, Florida, Colorado, Tennessee, and Georgia are among the states that have signed up.

The qualifying Americans will get a $1,400 federal stimulus payment. The IRS is distributing "plus-up" payments to cover the gap between the stimulus check given for the 2019 tax year and the amount you will get for the 2020 tax year. The Tax Agency has said that to get the third payment for any additional qualified dependents, you must claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 return, which will be filed in 2022.

Read Also: Child Tax Credit: Have You Been Missing Out on The Stimulus Payments? There's Still Time For You to Sign Up!

Surprise stimulus payments

In the meantime, an $8,000 stimulus is available to help with childcare expenditures, but you must ask for it. To be eligible for the Child and Dependent Care Credit, you must complete IRS Form 2441, demonstrate that you have earned money from a job, and give information about the care expenditures that need to be covered.

Per The Sun, residents earning between $30,000 and $75,000 can claim $500 or $600 as a result of a budget surplus created by the state's tax system. It comes as Americans demand more money in petitions, which might lead to a fourth stimulus check.

President Joe Biden has yet to offer the fourth round of federal stimulus checks, but rising portions of the American people are calling for it. Over 2.7 million individuals have urged the White House to propose recurring checks of up to $2,000, citing concerns that the present sum is insufficient. Despite requests for further assistance for Americans still struggling financially as a result of the pandemic, a fourth stimulus check seems doubtful.

Homeowners' relief aid

Homeowners may also get some relief soon. Each state got at least $50 million as part of the American Rescue Plan to create a Homeowner Assistance Fund. The funds' goal is to avoid mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, and homeowner evictions.

A homeowner must have faced financial difficulty after January 21, 2020, and have income equal to or less than 150 percent of the local median income or 100 percent of the median income to be eligible for a payment.national

Unlike the Child Tax Credit, which is implemented uniformly across the country, the Homeowner Assistance Fund is implemented at the state level. This implies that a homeowner's eligibility for help and the specifics of the program will vary depending on where they live.

States were required to submit proposals for their programs to the Department of Treasury for approval before obtaining their full allocation of cash. Although many states are still waiting for their plans to be authorized before launching the entire program, a handful, such as Alabama and New Mexico, have already begun taking applications.

The program is expected to start in the autumn, and Connecticut has already begun disbursing cash, with homes getting up to $200,000. The amount of money a state gets and how much money households get vary; but in Illinois, homeowners may get up to $25,000. Homeowners who are interested in applying for financial assistance should contact the state agency in charge of the program's distribution, as per Newsweek via MSN.

You may still qualify for an extra stimulus check

The economy is showing signs of improvement, the COVID-19 Delta rampage hasn't resulted in additional lockdowns that would stifle American earnings, and Washington has shifted its focus to other issues like Afghanistan and a bipartisan infrastructure plan.

Despite this, many individuals are still having trouble paying bills and dealing with debt as a result of the pandemic, and an online petition seeking regular direct payments is very close to reaching its target of 3 million signatures.

Another reason for the impossibility of a fourth stimulus check is the billions of dollars in economic stimulus money still available to families, renters, and even homeowners. You could be eligible for some of it.

Related Article: Two New $1,400 Stimulus Checks Are On Their Way; Are You Eligible for Both Payments?



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The US military considers collaborating with the Taliban in their ostensibly joint effort to fight the Islamic State.

Biden Pledges Further Attacks Against ISIS

In a recently published article in Al Jazeera, in response to a fatal suicide bombing outside Kabul airport on Thursday, US President Joe Biden vowed further strikes against the ISIS organization in Afghanistan. He also cautioned that the situation on the ground remains "very hazardous," with another attack "quite probable" in the coming hours.

Biden said in a statement on Saturday, "This strike was not the last. We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay. Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours. I directed them to take every possible measure to prioritize force protection."

A U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan earlier on Saturday killed two high-profile ISKP targets and injured another, according to the Pentagon. Major General Hank Taylor told a press conference that no civilians were injured in the US strike early Saturday, according to a published report in Yahoo News.

Read Also: Rockets That Attempted to Target Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul Intercepted; Attack Happens One Day Before the Withdrawal Deadline

U.S. Plans To Work With Taliban Against ISIS

When questioned about teaming up with the Taliban for the counter-terrorism fight, Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in a brief news conference Wednesday afternoon that it is conceivable, according to a published article in MSN News.

According to American authorities, the Taliban and ISIS-K are at the very least competitors in Afghanistan, if not outright foes. Top military officials have also said that the Taliban's decision to release all prisoners held by the U.S. throughout its 20-year war in Afghanistan has resulted in the return of up to 2,000 ISIS-K militants to the battlefield.

Furthermore, in recent days, U.S. military and government officials have disclosed startling levels of cooperation between American planners in Afghanistan and the Taliban, the organization that the U.S. invaded the country to destroy in the first place.

Taliban Promises an Inclusive Brand of Rule

In contrast to their previous reign of terror, which lasted from 1996 to 2001 and ended when the United States invaded Afghanistan in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the Taliban have pledged a more inclusive style of government.

However, many Afghans fear reprisals against individuals who cooperate with foreign armies, Western missions, or the former US-backed administration, as well as a return to their harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Women's roles in society have been a major source of worry since women were formerly barred from employment and education, as well as being restricted to their homes.

Meanwhile, according to the US administration, around 112,000 individuals have been airlifted out of Afghanistan since August 14, the day before the Taliban stormed to power. Many Western partners have halted airlifts, with some acknowledging that at-risk Afghans who were qualified for evacuation were left behind.

Following the departure of the final US aircraft, the Taliban has taken control, and talks on restoring regular flight operations have started. With Kabul, Turkish officials conducted preliminary discussions with Taliban representatives about assisting in the reopening of the airport.

Related Article: US Drone Strike Against ISIS, Biden Says There Will Be Another Terrorist Attack in 24-36 Hours



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A significant find was discovered when an older Greek-Roman quarter existed earlier in the ancient Egyptian Alexandria. It took researchers by surprise, not expecting the existence of the older town right underneath their feet.

For archeologists, this was important in the history of ancient Egypt, especially in the old suburb that was built over an earlier settlement.

Initially, the Pharaonic dynasties ruled unchallenged, but Greek-Roman dynasties became more prominent in the waning year, which could explain other than purely Egyptian influences.

Greek-Roman suburb unearthed in excavation works

Researchers found it in the Shattabi area where the dig was being done. The remnants of an ancient residential and commercial town took everyone by surprise on what was supposed to be only Alexandria. There was no mention in references about it, reported the Express UK.

There were about 700 artifacts that included plates in different shapes and sizes and tools used for several industries in that era.

According to early studies on the remnants of the excavated suburb of the city connecting the main road to several smaller streets. All were connected to a sewer network, remarked the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, cited the Daily Sabah. Examination of the ruins may show that the sewer network has been used to more extent than suspected.

Ibrahim Mustafa, an official of the Higher Archaeology Council, indicated that finding the buried Greek-Roman quarter is essential to the trade practice in ancient Egyptian Alexandria. Evidence of industries that produced fishing and a tool industry in those ancient times noted the Swift Headline.

Read Also: 2,300-Year Old Spell from the Book of the Dead Completed by Matching Ancient Shrouds from New Zealand and the U.S.

It shows what enterprises were done outside the ancient Capital of Egypt during the years in the Greek and Roman periods. There was even an industry for tourism that provided places for people to visit, just like in modern times today. It took the excavator about nine months to slowly dig up the bottom part.

Alexandria was the 'Bride of the Mediterranean' in ancient Egypt

More discoveries were water wells carved directly in the rock, with a vast network of tunnel tanks. They were covered in pink slumber that store wells too. The find had 40 wells and tanks seen, a selection of pots, with statues and proof that this old suburb was a hub of activity then. One more official, Dr. Khaled Abu Al-Hamad, General Manager, Alexandria, mentioned more evidence of shops there made it more relevant.

Experts say the area was an ancient market for selling pots and making idols for buyers, even legendary warriors. Merchants in those times also sold another item with the hero, Alexander the Great, who ruled Greek Macedon and was part of the Agread dynasty. He was born in 356 B.C. and passed away in 323 B.C. Babylon. A basin or parts of it was with a compartment made for devotion of idols from Athens and Demitra.

Dr. Al-hamad mentioned the discovery included more items like mixes, coins, weights, and fishnet. Documentation of the site for posterity to record it later with photography and modern topography techniques. Ancient Egyptian Alexandria, known as the 'Bride of the Mediterranean' was established in 331 BC by Alexander as part of the conquest of the Achaemenid Empire.

Relate Article: Ancient Egyptian Shipwreck from Heracleion That Sunk 2,200 Years Ago Due to Cataclysmic Quake Discovered

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Despite reports that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reuniting with Prince William and Kate Middleton, the royal family as a whole is still wary of fully reconciling with the couple.

It's no secret that the Sussexes and the British royal family still have a strained relationship. According to the author of 'Finding Freedom,' the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are making little headway in their reconciliation with the royal family.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were desperate to get their story out there when they gave their explosive Oprah Winfrey interview earlier this year, said Omid Scobie, who co-authored the biography with Carolyn Durand and is releasing an updated version today, the 24th anniversary of Princess Diana's death.

The royal family may not be ready to reconcile

Per Daily Mail, Omid said on Good Morning America that the pair, who live in a $14 million house in California, and the royal family both want everyone involved to accept accountability and responsibility for their part in the rift. Meanwhile, Scobie said that claims of Meghan's bullying made by a top Palace official before the Oprah Winfrey interview were "revenge" from The Firm for the Duke and Duchess' conduct.

Meanwhile, royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti recently spoke with Us Weekly on why the royal family may not be ready to reconcile with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle just yet. Indeed, much remains unknown about Prince Harry's view of life in the royal family, which might influence his present connection with them.

The Duke of Sussex is working on a memoir that will be released in 2022 and will go into even more detail about his time as a child royal and the extremely public life he was exposed to at such a young age. Naturally, there may be some parts of the memoir that do not portray the royal family in the greatest light.

However, given the facts of what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle went through as senior members of the royal family, a gradual settlement may be more beneficial in the long run. Meghan and Harry discussed the strain they were under and the lack of advice they got from the royal family during a sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey in March.

The Duchess of Sussex said that she struggled with suicide ideation while pregnant with the couple's first child, due to the public scrutiny she faced at the time. Following their departure from the United Kingdom, Harry and Meghan appear to be rebuilding their lives in Montecito and starting over.

Read Also: What Is Prince William's Heartbreaking Promise to Princess Diana That Left Her in Tears?

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle doesn't want to disappear from the public eye

However, the tensions of recent years are still present. With allegations made in its new epilogue, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand's unauthorized biography, 'Finding Freedom,' has generated controversy.

The revised epilogue describes what has occurred to the Sussexes in the year since the hardback edition of Finding Freedom was published. It digs into everything from their time in Santa Barbara, California, to Meghan Markle's miscarriage, as well as the Oprah Winfrey interview and reported family strife during the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in April.

Scobie and Durand do not speak for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, according to their legal team, and they "did not cooperate with the writers on the book, nor were they interviewed for it." Following their deal with Netflix in September of last year, Scobie claimed that Meghan and Harry's brand is "bigger" than the Royal Family's.

The popularity of Finding Freedom across the world demonstrated how big the Sussexes had become. He also said that the Sussexes had been "desperate" to show off their talents and that The Firm had kept them back for a long period.

The pair plans to create documentaries, feature films, docuseries, scripted shows, and children's programming as part of their Netflix contract. The show will follow the experiences of a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by a range of great women throughout history, according to Archewell Productions, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle's firm. When Meghan's Netflix agreement was announced in September, a source close to her claimed the Duchess wanted the world to see the "real her," as per Express.co.

Related Article: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Consider Naming Royal "Racist" Who Mentions Concern About Archie's Skin Color



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After being suspected of using a fake vaccine card to avoid the state's mandatory quarantine, an Illinois woman is being held in custody in Oahu, Hawaii.

Chloe Mrozak, 24, was detained at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Sunday and charged with using a fake vaccine card. Instead of "Moderna," Mrozak's COVID-19 vaccine description says "Maderna."

On August 23, Mrozak arrived in Oahu, and state authorities were alerted to the suspicious document. According to court records, investigators were initially unable to locate Mrozak because the hotel reservation she left with screeners turned out to be incorrect.

Fake COVID-19 vaccine card misspelled "Moderna" to "Maderna"

However, she was apprehended when she returned to the airport to fly out last weekend, according to the report. Court records acquired by HawaiiNewsNow said, the card reportedly filed online to Hawaiian officials by Chloe Mrozak, 24, misspelled Moderna as "Maderna."

Woman arrested for using fake 'Maderna' vaccine card to travel to Hawaii https://t.co/1TTC65byfb pic.twitter.com/8jq9lCjZWe  Fox12Oregon (@fox12oregon) September 1, 2021

Mrozak was vaccinated in Delaware, according to the fake vaccine card. But officials discovered no such record in the state. The Illinois woman was being detained on a $2,000 bond after she was accused of falsifying vaccination documents, as per Fox Business.

The aspiring model from Oak Lawn, Illinois, also identified Delaware as the location of her vaccination, which she said was provided by National Guard members "Cpl wolf" and "SSgt montey." Mrozak was permitted to depart the airport without informing screeners of her hotel reservation, identifying the Holiday Inn Express in Waikiki as her destination and leaving no return flight information.

Incoming travelers' COVID-19 test and vaccine records are verified by Hawaii's Safe Travels program. Visitors must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test done no more than 72 hours before arrival in the state, according to state law.

Officials were able to establish that no reservations had been made in her name at the hotel, and detectives were still looking into her suspected fraudulent vaccination card during her stay.

A special agent in charge of the inquiry contacted Delaware officials and discovered that she had not been vaccinated. According to CBS 2, the investigator also looked through Mrozak's Facebook profile and discovered she had a big tattoo on her left hip.

Read Also: Chicago Couple Who Sends $240 Dinner Invoices to No-Show Wedding Guests Sparks Online Debate

Demands of fake COVID-19 vaccine cards increase

Meanwhile, fifteen people were accused on Tuesday in connection with a "fake vaccine card scheme," according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office. Among those accused is a lady who reportedly sold 250 fake vaccine cards on Instagram, making her one of the country's first alleged dealers of counterfeit vaccine cards.

Officials say, Jasmine Clifford, 31, sold the fake cards on social media and conspired with Nadayza Barkley, 27, to put at least 10 persons into the New York State Immunization Information System database unlawfully.

Per ABC Chicago, thirteen others who bought the cards were also charged, all of whom are thought to work in frontline and essential-employee environments like hospitals and nursing homes.

Clifford, a self-described businesswoman with multiple online companies, began advertising the fake vaccination cards on her Instagram account, @AntiVaxMomma, in May 2021, according to court filings. She allegedly charged $200 for the fake cards and took payments via CashApp or Zelle.

Authorities say, Barkley, who works at a Patchogue medical clinic, would submit the person's identity into the NYSIIS database for an extra $250 charge. Clifford faces charges of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, Offering a False Instrument for Filing, and Fifth Degree Conspiracy.

Barkley is charged with Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree and Offering a False Instrument for Filing. Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument has been filed against each of the 13 accused purchasers.

One of the defendants is also accused of offering a false instrument for filing in exchange for money to be placed into the NYSIIS database. As more organizations and venues need evidence of vaccination, demand for fake cards is increasing - but buyers beware: giving out your personal information puts you vulnerable to identity theft.

Related Article: Georgia Woman Pleads Guilty of Bank Fraud Worth $7.9 Million in COVID-19 Relief Funds



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After an examination discovered stainless steel impurities in certain vials, Moderna Inc and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd said on Wednesday that they are cooperating with Japanese authorities to recall three batches of COVID-19 vaccine.

After learning of the contamination, Japanese officials halted the use of these batches of Moderna shots, which contained 1.63 million doses. Moderna said on Wednesday that stainless steel particles were found in tainted batches of its COVID-19 vaccine supplied to Japan, but the firm did not believe it constituted an undue risk to the patient's safety.

Substance discovered in Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

Hundreds of thousands of doses have been halted as a result of allegations of foreign substances discovered in vials, causing huge setbacks for the US biotech company in Japan. Authorities are also looking into the deaths of two individuals who received dosages from a contaminated batch, though the cause of death has yet to be determined, as per NDTV.

Moderna said the contamination in one of three suspended lots was traced back to manufacturing line faults at a plant managed by its Spanish contractor, ROVI Pharma Industrial Services, in a joint statement with its Japanese partner Takeda. Metallic particles of this size injected into a muscle may create a specific response, but it is unlikely to go further.

Per Reuters, the most likely source of contamination was friction between two pieces of metal in the equipment that places stoppers on the vials. It was determined that the substance was stainless steel. Moderna performed its inquiry in collaboration with Takeda and Rovi (ROVI.MC), a Spanish firm that runs the factory where the contamination happened.

Read Also: China's Scandal-Hit Stars Are in Harsh Inequality Drive as Communist Government Launches Celebrity Crackdown

Vaccination in Japan halted following the announcement

Following the announcement, Moderna's stock rose 2.6 percent. Rovi's stock was up more than 4.5 percent after dropping more than 10% on the announcement of the dosage suspensions. Takeda's stock increased by more than 2%.

In Japan, the administration of the three batches of Moderna shots was halted when 39 vials were discovered to contain foreign material. Although all of the vials originated from the same lot, doses from two other lots on the same Rovi production line were halted as a precaution.

According to Taro Kono, Japan's minister in charge of the vaccination campaign, almost 500,000 individuals have gotten injections from the three halted Moderna batches. Moderna stated that it is unable to confirm the number of doses delivered from the batches.

Both companies were alerted on August 28 that two persons had died in Japan shortly after receiving the Moderna vaccine, but there was no proof the two were linked. Local reports found no indication of the foreign material posing any health risks, and Takeda is investigating the tainted vial.

According to World Health Organization data, Japan has witnessed a fast spike in COVID-19 infections since mid-July, with 14,963 confirmed cases as of Tuesday. Moderna is investigating the tainted vials and expects to reveal its results next week. In the United States, peer-reviewed research showed the Moderna vaccination to be safe and effective in children aged 12 to 17 years old, USA Today reported.

Related Article: 15 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Trashed by the United States Amid Growing Demand for Inoculations



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Sen. Ron Johnson, R-WI, was recently caught in a video blaming former President Donald Trump for his election defeat against President Joe Biden during the 2020 election.

The Wisconsin Republican was known as one of Trump's most loyal allies in Congress. However, a liberal activist pretending to be a conservative caught the senator on video denouncing claims that the election results were false, a conspiracy theory that Trump has repeatedly promoted.

Lack of Support from Republicans

"There's nothing obviously skewed about the results," Johnson said in a video taken by activist Lauren Windsor. "If all the Republicans voted for Trump the way they voted for the Assembly candidates, he [Trump] would have won. He didn't get 51,000 votes that other Republicans got, and that's why he lost."

Johnson later denounced the "undercover recording," saying that the comments he gave were consistent with what he has been publicly saying since the 2020 election.

EXCLUSIVE: Sen Ron Johnson blames Trump for losing Wisconsin in 2020 and tells me theres nothing obviously skewed about the results. pic.twitter.com/OeRkVkkVAN  Lauren Windsor (@lawindsor) August 31, 2021

"No need for hidden cameras and secret recordings," he added in a statement to The Washington Post.

Johnson also added that he has previously acknowledged that there were no irregularities found with the statewide election results in Wisconsin.

President Biden won Wisconsin with 49.4% of the votes. In comparison, Trump only got 48.8% of the votes. Both candidates also had a difference of about 20,000 votes out of the 3.2 million ballots cast in the state, according to The Hill.

Read Also: Psaki Dodges Questions About Leaked Biden-Ghani Call; Conversation Reveals US President Urges to Conceal Taliban's Dominance

Johnson had initially objected to confirming Biden's win in Arizona. However, he relented after the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which came after Trump urged a mob of supporters to "show strength" and walk to the Capitol as Congress counted the electoral votes.

The official said that everyone at Capitol Hill would soon march over to the building to peacefully and patriotically share her thoughts and make their voices heard, just moments before the insurrection at the Capitol, according to NPR.

Capitol Hill Riot

According to several law enforcement officers, who detailed their account of the riot during the House committee's hearing, mobs of Trump supporters grabbed, beat, tased, and hurled threats and racial slurs to Capitol police officers.

"I was at risk of being stripped of and killed with my own firearm, as I heard chants of, 'Kill him with his own gun.'" Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone said during his testimony, according to CNBC.

The riot at the Capitol led to the death of five people, including officer Brian Sicknick who had been struck in the head with a fire extinguisher during the insurrection. The officer, who had previously served in the Air National Guard, had returned to his division office before he collapsed. He was rushed to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries, according to the New York Times.

Other victims included 35-year-old Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, 55-year-old Trump loyalist Kevin D. Greeson, 34-year-old Trump and QAnon supporter Rosanne Boyland and 50-year-old Trumparoo founder Benjamin Philips. The House Select Committee is now investigating the deadly Jan. 6 riot.



Related Article: Senate Calls to Impeach Biden But McConnell Says POTUS Not Going To Be Removed From His Post

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The Justice Department is preparing an antitrust lawsuit over the AD technology business may affect the market of macbook parts.

U.S. antitrust officials are preparing a lawsuit against Alphabet Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. Google inc. filed a second monopoly lawsuit in its digital advertising business, adding weight to the government accusations that the company has abused its dominant position.

The Justice Department has accelerated its investigation of Google digital advertising business and could file charges as soon as the end of the year, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity. No final decision has been made and the timing could be delayed.

Google hit a low in extended trading on the news, falling 0.6 percent to $2,888 at 5:03 PM New York time.

The Justice Department scrutiny of Google control of the advertising technology market dates back to the Trump administration. The Justice Department, under Then-Attorney General William Barr, instead sued Google over its search business, accusing the company of using exclusive distribution agreements with wireless carriers and cellphone makers to lock in competition.

That case was followed by another antitrust lawsuit filed by a group of state attorneys general, led by Texas, accusing Google of illegally monopolizing the digital advertising market. The U.S. government says Google entered into an illegal agreement with Facebook Inc. to manipulate online auctions in which advertisers and website publishers buy and sell AD space.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company owns a major share of the online advertising market. It offers marketers the ability to buy ads, publishers the ability to sell ads, and a platform for both parties to close deals in lightning auctions.

These exchanges operate like online stock trading platforms with automated bidding processes. Rivals and publishers complain that Google uses parts of its vast network, such as its advertising exchange, to benefit other areas and crush competitors.

All told, these ad-tech products generated $23 billion in revenue for the Internet giant last year. Google argues that it pays most of the revenue from advertising technology sales to online publishers.

Factors that affect the cost of macbook parts

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the consumer electronics repair and macbook parts industries, as governments around the world have imposed blockades and restricted non-essential services to prevent the spread of the virus. Repair and maintenance services are heavily dependent on labor, and the availability of labor during such a pandemic is a huge challenge. Maintenance industries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Middle East and India have also seen increased labor costs due to labor shortages during the blockade. On Average, The Repair Industry Repairs About 25 Million Electronic Devices in A Month, But Because of Lock downs and Social Distance Norms, The Products Are Expected To Pile Up for Repair.

The increase in equipment failure rates and the cost-benefit of servicing old equipment rather than disposing of old equipment is expected to drive the macbook parts repair and maintenance market. Branded and non-branded low-cost macbook parts often flood the market and require repairs due to poor material quality or regular maintenance. However, research shows that many merchants are now taking a different approach, building products that are easy to fix, as fixing macbook parts problems is always more cost-effective than buying new products, thus strengthening customer trust. For technical consulting or more information about macbook parts, send an email to: info@oriwhiz.com

Factors affecting the price of macbook parts

As the most widely used digital products, mobile phones and tablets are becoming more affordable, but maintenance costs remain high. Among all the reasons for mobile phone failure, accidental screen damage caused by falling or hitting is the most common, but such accidental screen damage is not guaranteed by any mobile phone brand, and the cost of replacing the screen is often beyond the expectations of consumers.

China macbook parts mobile phone accessories market, including macbook parts, is expected to reach 550 billion yuan in sales by 2022, according to a forecast by China Central Television macbook parts financial channel. In the context of global 5G commercialization, the next 5 years will be the period of the rapid growth of the 5G industry. Driven by continued growth momentum and a rapidly developing 5G ecosystem, the number of 5G users worldwide will reach 3 billion in the next five years, according to ComMS technology expert Ericsson. And by the end of 2025, 5G will cover 75 percent of the world macbook parts population and handle 45 percent of the world macbook parts mobile data traffic.

The rapid development of 5G will make the demand for a new generation of mobile phone accessories also grow. The forward-looking industry research institute expects that in 2026, the market demand for the mobile phone accessories industry and macbook parts market will maintain a high growth rate, but the growth rate will gradually decline with the gradual popularization of 5G. It is expected that in 2026, The sales volume of the machine parts industry is expected to exceed 2.1 trillion yuan.

Your mobile phone model determines the macbook parts charge

Technical personnel in your local macbook parts can repair all major brands of mobile phones, including Apple, HUAWEI, MIUI, Samsung, LG and other brands. Here are a few factors that can affect the cost of repairing a phone.

For some repairs, pricing will vary depending on the make and model of your phone.

Newer phone models tend to be more expensive to repair.

As phone models age, maintenance costs typically fall.

Choosing the right supplier of the macbook parts is also important

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Citibank Korea headquarters in central Seoul. Yonhap



By Anna J. Park



As Citibank Korea is planning to implement a voluntary retirement program, with employees applying for the program being eligible to receive huge compensation, market watchers are paying close attention to whether the bank's selloff plan for its retail division could make any noticeable progress.



According to the banking industry, Citibank Korea shared the specifics of its forthcoming voluntary retirement plan recently with the bank's union members, as well as the financial authorities. The program will be initialized as early as this month.



Employees with more than 15 years of work experience at the retail division as well as other divisions are eligible to apply for the plan. It is said to have suggested 65 months of salary as compensation for voluntary retirement, which exceeded the previous voluntary retirement offer in 2014 that compensated up to 60 months of salary. It was the union's position that the voluntary retirement program should offer better conditions this time.



Considering local major banks usually offer 24 to 36 months of salary as compensation for voluntary retirement, Citibank Korea's offer is far more beneficial on the part of the potential retirees. The compensation plan also includes other benefits, such as grants for children's tuition, medical checkups and support for starting new businesses.



Citibank Korea also plans to offer a sizable amount of compensation to staff members who decide to transfer to a potential buyer firm or a future acquiring company of the bank's retail division, as the employees could face deteriorated payment due to the M&A.



The main reason behind the generous voluntary retirement plan is to lessen the burden for a future buyer of the bank's retail division.



The average working years of Citibank Korea employees is more than 18 years, longer compared to local major banks, while their average salary is among the top level. As such high salaries could hinder a successful selloff, Citibank Korea aims to lower the burden through preemptive restructuring of the staff.



Currently, some 2,500 employees remain at the bank's retail division, and it is expected around 40 percent of them could leave through the voluntary retirement program. Negotiations are ongoing about the separate selloffs of Citibank Korea's credit card and wealth management divisions.



A Citibank Korea official said, "the bank has been reviewing various options for its employees including the voluntary early retirement program, but not yet decided nor shared the details with the union."


gettyimagesbank





By Kang Hyun-kyung







Kim Hyun-cheol, a professor in Yonsei University's Department of Chinese Language & Literature and the director of the Confucius Institute (CI) on its campus

Kim Hyun-cheol, a professor in Yonsei University's Department of Chinese Language & Literature and the director of the Confucius Institute (CI) on its campus, had a meeting with the university's president recently to discuss the CI's presence on their campus.







The meeting was held after a string of universities in the United States and Canada have been shutting down CIs on their campuses, one after another, following various controversies surrounding the Chinese government-funded cultural and language institutes. In North America, Australia, and Europe, CIs are facing various allegations over discriminatory employment, censorship practices and the undermining of academic freedom.







"Reminding me of the media reports about the closure of CIs on U.S. and Canadian university campuses, he was cautious about the CI on our campus, and asked if we should follow along the lines of what those Western universities have been doing," Kim said during a recent phone interview with The Korea Times.







Unconvinced, Kim said that he confronted the president right away. "I said no, telling him that we shouldn't do that because the situation we are facing is different compared to some Western universities."







Although the presence of CIs has not been discussed openly too often in South Korea, his remarks hint that there is undisclosed internal debate at universities here about the presence of CIs.







Indeed, the debate has taken the form of a U.S.-China rivalry on some Korean campuses, as U.S.-educated professors have tended to present views in favor of shutting down the CIs due to the controversies overseas, whereas professors of China Studies, like Kim, have stood firm about maintaining the centers on their campuses.







Kim argued that mutual misunderstanding driven by cultural differences might be the source of the disputes over the CIs in the West, noting that cultural or educational exchange programs shouldn't be affected by the diplomatic relations of the countries involved.







"As we've seen throughout the past decades, South Korea's relationship with the United States has gone through ups and downs, depending on the issue and the time period. Even in moments when bilateral relations have turned sour, no one has ever said that we should shut down the U.S.'s academic institutes in South Korea. I think the same rule should apply to Chinese institutes here as well," he said.









This reporter contacted Kim for an interview in order to give him an opportunity to clarify the CIs' position on

connected to the centers around the world.







Kim, who is also the president of the Association of Confucius Institutes in Korea, was a key player involved in the opening of Korea's first CI in southern Seoul in 2004. He also played a key role behind Yonsei University's decision to host a CI on its campus in 2009.







At Yonsei, the CI was launched with a dual goal: Like other CIs, it is a place to study Chinese language and culture, but it also supports research projects in China Studies through funds from the Chinese government.







CIs in Korea are known to the public as "Confucius Academies," rather than "Confucius Institutes."







Citing the McMaster University case, in which a Chinese language teacher filed a discriminatory employment case against the CI there for barring Falun Gong practitioners like herself from being hired which eventually led the university to close the CI on its campus, Kim said that such a thing would never happen in Korea.







"I understand that the Chinese teacher in question at McMaster was affiliated with the Falun Gong, which is banned in China. But here in Korea, we have no Chinese teachers affiliated with the Falun Gong," he said. "Local CI directors can request the Chinese government to replace teachers if they believe they are unfit for teaching. We also have certain discretion over selecting which course materials are used. This means that local CIs can make their own decisions about teachers as well as about their teaching materials."







Kim denied the allegation that the presence of CIs on university campuses hinders academic freedom, even though open discussion is forbidden for certain topics, such as China's territorial claims to Taiwan and Tibet, the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, as well as its human rights violations of Uyghurs and other Muslims in the Xinjiang region.







He claimed that the Chinese government is not enthusiastic about discussing these issues publicly, and that prohibiting open discussion of these topics is a kind of a "Chinese way," rather than an explicit form of censorship.







Kim denied the allegation that officials at South Korean universities are turning a blind eye to controversies surrounding the CIs due to their heavy dependence on tuition-paying Chinese students.







Rather, he said that universities' financial reliance on Chinese students differs from school to school.







He said that Yonsei University, for instance, doesn't depend heavily on Chinese students. But he went on to say that there are some local universities that are heavily dependent on the tuition paid by Chinese students, although he didn't name them.







The number of Chinese students attending South Korean universities has decreased from over 71,000 in 2019 to about 60,000 this year.







Kim said that the presence of Chinese students on university campuses here has stirred debate about their language proficiency, as some of the students can't speak or write Korean fluently enough to take their courses.







"In China, some 10 million students take the scholastic aptitude test every year. There are some 2,500 universities in China. This means that not all Chinese high school graduates can attend Chinese universities, and some have to go to universities outside China," he said. "So Chinese who study abroad fall into two categories: those who are highly intelligent and attend universities outside China on scholarships and those who are simply not accepted to universities in China."







Kim said that concerns over Chinese students' language proficiency has led the Ministry of Justice to strengthen its rules for issuing student visas since last year.







Kim believes that academic partnerships with China should benefit Korean universities, not hurt them, if CI directors here are wise and prudent enough to make the most of them.










The United States has extended its travel ban on North Korea for one year, marking the first extension of the travel restrictions under the Joe Biden administration, a report said Wednesday.







The State Department announced the extension of the ban until Aug. 31, 2022 in a Federal Register notice set to be published Thursday, according to the report by the Associated Press.







"The Department of State has determined there continues to be serious risk to U.S. citizens and nationals of arrest and long-term detention constituting imminent danger to their physical safety," the department said in the notice, according to the report.







"Accordingly, all U.S. passports shall remain invalid for travel to, in, or through the DPRK unless specially validated for such travel under the authority of the secretary of state." DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.







The travel ban was initially imposed in 2017 after the death of Otto Warmbier, an American student who had suffered serious injuries while in North Korean custody for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster.







Warmbier returned home in a comatose condition in June 2017 but died six days later. (Yonhap)


A scene from the episode introducing Brunei in the ASEAN-Korea Centre's 2021 ASEAN virtual familiarization tour series / Courtesy of the ASEAN-Korea Centre



By Kwon Mee-yoo



The ASEAN-Korea Centre offers online trips to four ASEAN countries  Brunei, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam  to help people discover the charms and cultural resources of the region.



The program originally offered offline familiarization tours to various tourism destinations in the ASEAN region. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the center produced a series of videos promoting the tourist sites and resources of the ASEAN countries.



This year, actress So Yu-jin takes virtual trips to the four countries with members of ASEAN Youth Representatives. The first episode, released on Aug. 31, highlights Brunei's lesser-known tourist attractions to Korean tourists.



Located on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo, Brunei Darussalam is known for its rich underground resources. Among its tourist sites, the Temburong region, often dubbed as the Amazon of ASEAN, is home to the Ulu Temburong National Park, which is known for its lush rainforest and variety of wildlife, from hornbills to butterflies. Brunei is also known for a wide variety of outdoor activities, ranging from jungle hiking to scuba diving.



The second episode will feature Indonesia, including its capital of Jakarta, which is becoming well known for modern art. It is also known for Balikpapan, a city in the jungle that was announced as the new capital, and Bali, a surfer's paradise popular among Koreans as well as Indonesia's soul food, Rendang and Nasi Goreng.



The third episode, which will be available starting Sept. 8, will highlight Myanmar, a country heavily influenced by Buddhism. The Shwedagon Pagoda, also known as the golden pagoda, is situated in Yangon, while Bagan City is the largest Buddhist pilgrimage site in Myanmar. Viewers will also get a glimpse into the traditional way of life in the Inle Lake region, which is designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.



The final episode sheds light on Vietnam, one of the most frequently visited ASEAN countries by Korean travelers. The virtual tour will center on Vietnamese food culture, from the popular dishes of Pho, Banh mi and Banh xeo, to Hue royal cuisine, which is considered the pinnacle of Vietnamese gastronomy.



The videos are available on the ASEAN-Korea Centre's YouTube channel.


A medical worker wearing protective gear in a booth takes a sample from a woman during a COVID-19 testing at a coronavirus testing site in Seoul, Sept. 1. Korea's unionized health workers have called off their planned strike, just hours before they were set to go on a nationwide strike amid the pandemic. AP-Yonhap



South Korea's unionized health workers called off their planned strike Thursday, hours before the unionized workers were set to go on a nationwide strike amid the pandemic.



The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU), representing more than 56,000 nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, said it reached an agreement with the government in their last-ditch talks held the day before.



The decision to call off the planned strike came after midnight as union members took time to discuss the tentative agreement with the government, which focuses on improving their working conditions.



The sides were said to have agreed on the need to avoid any vacuum in medical services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.






People weaning face masks cross Cheonggye stream in Seoul, Sept. 1. AP-Yonhap



South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 2,000 on Thursday, as the country is planning to unveil revised distancing guidelines later this week that may potentially include allowing family gatherings during the Chuseok holiday.



The country added 1,961 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,927 local infections, raising the total caseload to 255,401, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).



The number marked a slight drop from the 2,025 tallied Wednesday. Daily cases have stayed above 1,000 for 58 consecutive days.



The number of patients normally falls over the weekend and rises later in the week as more people get tested, often breaching the 2,000 mark.



The country added 11 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,303, the KDCA said.



The number of patients with serious symptoms across the country reached 371, down 28 from the previous day.






People are seated after receiving COVID-19 vaccine shots to monitor for any adverse effects at a vaccination center in Mapo District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



A growing number of women in Korea are complaining about menstrual problems as well as metrorrhagia, or intermenstrual uterine bleeding, after receiving COVID-19 vaccines.



Health authorities pledged to step up monitoring to determine if there is a causal relationship between the health problems and the vaccines.



A woman posted a petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website, Tuesday, calling on authorities to include menstruation-related problems as possible side effects of coronavirus vaccines so they can be eligible for government support.



"There are many cases of women experiencing irregular menstrual bleeding after getting coronavirus vaccine shots. But when they visit hospitals, they are only prescribed with contraceptive pills or advised to take Tylenol, and are unable to report this as an adverse reaction to the vaccine," the petitioner wrote.



"If the symptoms which many women are experiencing are ignored, it means the government and the medical community are not paying attention to the pain being suffered by half of humanity."



There have been a number of online posts here made by women experiencing symptoms such as metrorrhagia and polymenorrhea, or shortened menstrual cycles, following COVID-19 vaccinations.



Relevant cases have also been reported overseas, including a woman who started menstruating again after menopause after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.



Health authorities pledged to investigate if there is any relationship between vaccination and menstrual problems.



"There are no official reports on the link between them either domestically or abroad, but we are collecting data," Cho Eun-hee, an official from the COVID-19 Vaccination Damage Investigation Team, said Wednesday.



"We'll make an announcement as soon as possible if any connection is found."



Cho said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not receive any reports on menstruation irregularities during clinical trials of the Pfizer and Janssen vaccines, and health authorities in Europe, including the United Kingdom and Germany, also have not suggested any links between COVID-19 vaccines and metrorrhagia, menorrhagia, or menstrual bleeding lasting more than a week, and postmenopausal bleeding.



"The European Medicines Agency (EMA) reported cases of menstrual disorders, but said it would monitor various physical changes in women and other signs of menstruation because there may be other reasons for the symptoms such as stress," Cho said.






South Korea renewed calls for China's cooperation in improving exchanges of cultural content, including Korean games and movies, during annual bilateral working-level talks Thursday, the foreign ministry said.







Lee Mi-yon, the ministry's director general for bilateral economic affairs, and Yang Weiqun, director general for Asian affairs at China's commerce ministry, held the talks via video, amid lingering concerns about Beijing's perceived restrictions on Korean industries that followed Seoul's 2016 decision to host a U.S. anti-missile system.







During the talks, Lee asked Beijing to continue cooperation in supporting Korean game businesses striving to secure licenses for their services in China and Korean film distributors tapping into the Chinese market, the ministry said.







The two sides noted that the two countries have smoothly maintained cooperation despite the pandemic-driven global economic downturn and expressed expectations they can expand bilateral trade and investment, the ministry said.







They also agreed to continue communications on ways to enhance regional and multilateral economic cooperation through such platforms as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-plus-three meeting, which involves South Korea, China and Japan.







The working-level dialogue was launched in 1993 to discuss ways to deepen economic cooperation between Korea and China. (Yonhap)










South Korea's top nuclear envoy returned home Thursday after meeting with his U.S. counterpart and other officials in Washington to discuss efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea.







Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for the Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, said he had "in-depth" talks with the U.S. side and that the visit was a "fairly productive" one.







"We confirmed the U.S. stance that it remains committed to resolving the North Korea issues with urgency and as a priority," he told reporters at Incheon International Airport.







During the four-day trip, he had a series of meetings with his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, and other administration officials, including the White House policy coordinator for Asia, Kurt Campbell.







After the talks, the White House reiterated that the U.S. remains open to dialogue with the North.







Noh and Kim have said they discussed possible humanitarian assistance for the North as a way to bring Pyongyang back to the dialogue table.







His trip took place amid a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency that the North appears to have restarted its main nuclear reactor that can produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. (Yonhap)


Yang Kyung-soo, chief of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, is taken by police near the organization's office in Seoul, Sept. 2. Yonhap



The police on Thursday arrested the head of a labor umbrella organization over mass rallies held in violation of COVID-19 related regulations.



Yang Kyung-soo, chief of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), was arrested at a KCTU office in Seoul on charges of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, as well as traffic disruption.



The early-morning arrest took place without a serious clash between the police and the usually militant union members, except for minor tussles before the police entered the building where the union's office is located.



Yang was escorted out of the building by police at 6:29 a.m. and called on his colleagues to prepare for a massive rally next month before getting into a police car.



Some of the union members shouted, "Free Chairman Lee!"



In a statement, the union called the arrest, "a declaration of war (against the union) by the Moon Jae-in government" and an act that "would only fuel anger" of its members, and said it would get "payback" by "staging a strong strike."



The KCTU is planning to launch a general strike on Oct. 20, demanding the improvement of workers' rights, among other things, in which it hopes all of its 1.1 million members participate.



Yang's arrest came more than two weeks after a Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for him for staging mass rallies in downtown Seoul between May and July.



The latest demonstration, which took place July 3, drew more than 8,000 participants, according to the KCTU, increasing fears about the spread of COVID-19 at a time when the country has been fighting against the fourth wave of the pandemic.



The police tried to arrest Yang on Aug. 18 but failed as KCTU members blocked police officers from entering their office. (Yonhap)






A ruling against a South Korean victim of forced labor during Japan's colonial rule was finalized Thursday in a damages suit against a Japanese company, as the late victim's surviving family members have decided not to challege it.







The Seoul Central District Court on Aug. 11 rejected the compensation sought by five surviving family members of the late victim, surnamed Lee, against Mitsubishi Materials Corp., citing the expiration of the case's statute of limitations.







An appeal should be filed within two weeks of a verdict.







The plaintiffs lodged the suit in February 2017, demanding 100 million won (US$86,200) from Mitsubishi Materials in compensation for Lee's forced labor in Japanese coal mines from 1941 to 1945 during World War II.







Korea was under Japan's colonial rule from 1910-45.







Dismissing the case, the court said the three-year legal window was closed for the plaintiffs to be able to seek financial reparations.







In this case, the court said any legal action should have been taken during the three years following the Supreme Court's 2012 decision when the victim could become aware of the possibility of winning a damages suit. On May 24 that year, the top court ordered the Seoul High Court to reconsider its ruling against four Korean forced labor victims, saying they should receive compensation from Japanese firms.







The following year, the high court ruled in favor of the victims and ordered Nippon Steel Sumitomo Metal Corp. to pay 100 million won in compensation to each victim, in a landmark ruling. (Yonhap)


Participants of the 20th Seoul Queer Culture Festival parade with a giant rainbow flag in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, in this June 1, 2019 photo. Some public officials at the Seoul Metropolitan Government issued a statement against holding the event at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall in 2019. / Courtesy of Seoul Queer Culture Festival Organizing Committee



By Lee Hae-rin



The nation's human rights watchdog has called on candidates of elections, public officials and the mass media to stamp out hate speech against sexual minorities, which it says could instigate or strengthen prejudice against minority groups.



The National Human Rights Commission of Korea expressed the opinion, Wednesday, in response to petitions that an election candidate's hate speech against a festival for sexual minorities and a broadcaster's removal of a same-sex kiss scene from a movie discriminated against and violated the human rights of sexual minorities.



During a televised debate among Seoul mayoral candidates on Feb. 2, Ahn Cheol-soo, the leader of the conservative minor opposition People's Party, voiced his opposition to holding the Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) in central Seoul, and claimed the "right to refuse it."



"If a queer festival is held in Gwanghwamun (in central Seoul), there will be some people who want to come to watch it, but the rights of others who are against it should also be respected," Ahn said at the time.



The festival has been held in central Seoul annually since 2000.



Regarding Ahn's remark, the commission said the festival is held to call for the rights of LGBTQ people who still suffer discrimination. It said such hate speech made by a politician during an election period tends to spread easily and quickly. "He is the head of a political party and has the social responsibility to prevent and deal with hateful expressions against social minority groups," it said in a statement.



It recommended not only Ahn's party but also other parties and the National Election Commission to come up with measures to prevent hate speech made by candidates in campaigns.



The NHRCK also called for measures to deal with statements made by some Seoul City officials against holding the SQCF at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, in 2019 and 2021.



It said such hateful comments, when made by public officials, could also spread more easily and widely than words said by ordinary citizens. "Public officials have a duty to guarantee people's basic rights, but their statements encouraged negative prejudice toward sexual minorities and instigated citizens to develop discriminatory views. So the city government needs to improve its rules to prevent a recurrence."



The commission also raised concerns about television networks' discrimination against sexual minorities.



SBS, one of the major Korean broadcasters, deleted a kiss scene by a same-sex couple when airing the film "Bohemian Rhapsody" on Feb. 13.



"The mass media has a far-reaching effect on the public's values and attitudes, and the omission of the scene could give viewers a negative perception of sexual minorities," the commission said, urging the broadcaster to improve its system not to discriminate against social minorities in its programming.


Yang Kyung-soo, chief of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, is taken by police officers from the union's headquarters in Seoul, Thursday, as an arrest warrant has been issued for him for leading mass rallies in violation of the government's regulations aimed at curbing COVID-19 infections. Yonhap



KCTU facing leadership vacuum and public criticism



By Jun Ji-hye



The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is losing momentum in its struggle against the government, following the arrest of its leader in addition to negative public sentiment against its continued push for large-scale rallies amid persistent concerns over COVID-19 infections.



On Thursday morning, police arrested Yang Kyung-soo, the chief of the labor umbrella organization, at its office in Seoul for leading mass rallies between May and July, in violation of the government's antivirus social distancing rules amid the ongoing wave of COVID-19 infections here.



A court issued an arrest warrant for Yang, Aug. 13, on charges of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.



The latest mass rally was held in central Seoul on July 3, with about 8,000 participants demanding a revision to the labor act, despite repeated requests from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, police and health authorities for it to be canceled amid concerns over possible infections.



Members of the KCTU called Yang's arrest a "declaration of war" against the union by the Moon Jae-in government.



"Yang's arrest will only result in stirring up the anger of workers," the KCTU said in its statement. "The government should remember the fact that no previous administrations could produce good results after facing the anger of workers."



The organization vowed to continue with its plans for a general strike on Oct. 20, in which it hopes all of its 1.1 million members will participate to demand improvements to workers' rights.



But questions are being raised over whether the organization could prepare for the strike properly amid a leadership vacuum.



Growing criticism among the public against the organization is also expected to be a major setback for its movements.



"The KCTU has criticized the government, claiming that it has excessively restricted freedom of assembly under the pretense of antivirus measures. But few members of the public have supported such a claim while the country has been fighting against the fourth wave of infections," one internet user wrote on Naver's news section.



Some officials in the labor sector noted that a considerable number of workers have actually called for resolving disputes with the government through negotiations, but the KCTU leadership has continued its struggle.





Members of a union for Hyundai Steel subcontracted workers, which is associated with the Korean Metal Workers Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, hold a rally at the company's steel mill in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, Tuesday, demanding the company employ them directly. Yonhap
By James M. Dorsey





Pakistani efforts to exploit the Taliban victory in Afghanistan threaten to reinforce ultra-conservative inclinations in Pakistan itself, the world's second-most-populous Muslim-majority country, long accused of supporting militant religious groups.



The notion that religious ultra-conservatism may not remain contained to Afghanistan may be one reason why U.S. President Joe Biden decided to effectively abandon Central Asia, with his withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Central Asian country.



"Islamic militancy will cause Russia and China heartburn. It makes sense for the United States to say: 'This is not an American problem. We are out of here. The Chinese and Russians can deal with it. Going forward we will focus on what is important, the Indo-Pacific,'" said a non-American government official empathetic to U.S. concerns.



"The ironic truth for China is that the only thing worse than U.S. soldiers near its borders is not having them there at all," Bloomberg columnist Shuli Ren added.



Biden's decision may also constitute a choice to allow Pakistan, unable to break away from looking at the world through the prism of its troubled relationship with India, to stew in its own juices as it attempts to ensure that the Taliban remain part of a pro-Pakistan bulwark against the subcontinent's predominant  and like Pakistan  nuclear power.



Trying to make the best of a complex situation, Pakistan  with China not far behind  hopes that a Taliban-dominated government will favor infrastructure projects that boost the attractiveness of Pakistan's Chinese-backed port of Gwadar as a maritime gateway to landlocked Central Asia.



The subcontinental divide cuts through multiple layers, including religion and the fact that the U.S.- and Saudi-backed jihadist insurgency that defeated the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s has made the Central Asian state as well as Pakistan more susceptible to ultra-conservative Muslim precepts such as the Taliban's repression of women and blasphemy hysteria in Pakistan.



The Taliban as well as a significant number of Pakistani ultra-conservatives root their worldview in Deobandism, a strand of Islam that emerged in India in the mid-19th century to oppose British colonial rule by propagating an austere interpretation of the faith.



Deobandism became prevalent among Pashtuns, even if Deobandis in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India went their separate ways after the 1947 partition of the subcontinent.



The divide was widened by Pakistani use of militants as proxies even before the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, President Zia ul-Haq's Islamization of Pakistan, the anti-Soviet jihad and massive past Saudi support for militant Pakistani and Afghan Deobandis and their madrassas or religious seminaries.



Islamic scholars in the Deobandi alma mater in the Uttar Pradesh town of Deoband highlighted the divide earlier last month by seeking to distance themselves from their Afghan and Pakistani brethren.



Arshad Madani, the principal of the Darul Uloom Deoband, the original Deobandi madrassa established in 1886, welcomed a decision by India's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) to set up a training center in Deoband.



"There is nothing wrong with what we teach, and we welcome the ATS staff to be a part of our classes whenever they like," Madani said. A spokesman for the madrassa added that "we are a religious school, but we are also Indians. To doubt our integrity every time the Taliban spread terror is shameful."



Deobandism nonetheless adds a hard religious edge to Pakistani support of the Taliban that is reinforced by the rise of Hindutava or Hindu nationalism in India spurred by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



As a result, Pakistani military and government officials have supported the Taliban in recent days by advising the United States to respect the group's Aug. 31 deadline for an end to U.S. evacuation operations in Afghanistan so that the group can move forward with forming a government. The Taliban said they would only form a government once U.S. troops have left Afghanistan.



The advice strokes with the Pakistan military's long-standing efforts to persuade the United States to negotiate an end to the war with the Taliban even before they gained control of Afghanistan, a development Pakistani officers believed was inevitable. The U.S. ultimately followed that advice when it began negotiating with the Taliban in early 2019.



The Biden administration insisted it would abide by the Taliban's deadline despite the attack on Aug. 26 on Kabul's international airport in which at least 175 people were killed, including 13 American military personnel.



"Pakistan's military echelons knew that the U.S. would leave and wanted to accelerate the departure. With this understanding, Rawalpindi invested primarily in the Taliban. Rawalpindi's desire was to ensure a friendly establishment in its northwestern neighboring nation, which doesn't get exploited against Pakistan's interests, especially by India," said Pakistan scholar Ayesha Siddiqa, referring to Islamabad's sister city where the military is headquartered.



The investment over 27 years has produced mixed results. It certainly did not translate into the Taliban doing Pakistan's bidding. The Taliban Papers, a cache of leaked Pakistani foreign ministry cables written in 2000 and 2001 before the 9/11 attacks, and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan illustrate the panic at the time among Pakistani officials because they had lost control.



"The Pakistani establishment maintains close relationships with the Taliban, though with a decreasing level of influence  but both sides continue to profit from one another," Pakistan scholar Mohammad Luqman said.



Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, director-general of Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan's primary notorious omnipresent intelligence arm, warned members of parliament in a closed-door briefing in the presence of army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa that Pakistan was losing influence over the Taliban. The general was speaking in early July as the Taliban were advancing in the Afghan countryside.



Pakistani support for the Taliban is a double-edged sword. The question is whose worldview will be exported: Will the Taliban emulate aspects of Pakistan's tarnished democratic facade, or will the group's ultra-conservative religious outlook gain further momentum in Pakistan? One doesn't exclude the other.



Siddiqa described Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid's promise that Afghan media would be free as "a reminder of similar assurances about media freedom by Pakistan's generals, which makes one realize the effort afoot to make a Taliban-led regime look increasingly like Pakistan (or even India): Hybrid-authoritarian and hybrid-theocratic  This is where the real problem for Pakistan begins: There is too much opacity around what Pakistan can deliver and what it cannot."



Fertilization may however be a two-way rather than a one-way road.



While Pakistani fears that the Taliban victory will give a violent boost to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani Taliban that have close ties to their Afghan kin, the Kabul Taliban may not need the help of the militants who have started to again launch attacks inside Pakistan even before the Taliban capture of Afghanistan.



The Taliban victory benefits from decades in which religious ultra-conservatism was woven into the fabric of Pakistani society as well as some of its key institutions.



Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami leader Sirajul Haq has already used the triumph to demand a Sharia-based system in Pakistan. To be fair, Haq at the same time condemned the harassment of a Pakistani girl in Lahore for not wearing a traditional shawl. Similarly, Fazal ur-Rahman, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), another Islamist party, congratulated the Taliban on their takeover of Afghanistan.



Indian media reported that fugitive Jaish-E-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, a violent Pakistani Islamist believed to have support from with the Pakistan armed forces and intelligence, had met Taliban leaders in Kabul in recent days to solicit support for stepped-up operations in disputed Kashmir. The reports could not be confirmed independently, nor did it seem likely that this would be the Taliban's first order of business.



Siddiqa said, "The fact remains that, notwithstanding the ambition to mellow the tone of religion in Afghanistan, Pakistan itself runs the risk of becoming more like its northwestern neighbor  more religious and more authoritarian."



It is a concern that has not been lost in Islamabad where officials have been pushing the Taliban to opt for a truly inclusive government. A recent visit to the Pakistani capital by representatives of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance and other Afghan politicians suggested that Pakistan was seeking to broaden its Afghan network beyond the Taliban.



"Ironically, Islamabad sought strategic depth against New Delhi by supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Now, Taliban rule in Afghanistan will provide Pakistani jihadis with the strategic depth to launch attacks against Islamabad. For Pakistan, the chickens are coming home to roost," said Abdul Basit, an analyst at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.





Dr. James M. Dorsey (jamesmdorsey@substack.com) is an award-winning journalist and scholar and a senior fellow at the National University of Singapore's Middle East Institute. The views expressed in the above article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.


Owner loses consumers' confidence, again, by breaking pledge



The sale of Namyang Dairy Products, the nation's second-largest dairy firm, has finally fallen through. In May, Chairman Hong Won-sik and his family signed a deal with local private equity fund Hahn & Company to sell a 53 percent stake for 310.7 billion won ($268 million). On Wednesday, however, Hong said the company informed the would-be buyer of its decision to rescind the contract.



About four months ago, Namyang faced the biggest crisis in its 57-year history, as consumers boycotted its products over the "Bulgaris scandal," caused by the firm's release of exaggerated research results that its flagship yogurt product reduced the chances of COVID-19 infection by 78 percent. In a news conference May 4, Chairman Hong apologized in tears and vowed to step down from his post, adding, "I also will not hand over management control to my children."



Announcing the latest revocation of the sell-off deal, Namyang cited the buyer's "noncompliance with the arrangement." However, Hahn & Company filed an injunction last month with a Seoul court against Hong and his family members, requesting that they promptly carry out the obligation of concluding the transaction. The court accepted the request, barring Hong from disposing of his stake to a third party. This case has turned into a legal battle.



However, consumers cannot help but wonder whether Hong's tearful pledge of resignation was just a show to tide over his crisis  and how he and his company will restore the public's trust. Hong has put off general shareholders' meetings twice, from July 30 to Aug. 31 and then to Sept. 14. Instead, he has maintained his chairmanship while reinstating his dismissed first son as a managing director and promoting his second son to an executive.



Nothing reflected consumers' dissatisfaction more clearly than the company's share prices, which had nearly doubled to 700,000 won upon Hong's announcement to resign but fell back to 500,000 won upon the news of the aborted deal. Some civic groups are moving to reignite the boycott campaign. The owner family must bear in mind the message from the stock market and show a modicum of entrepreneurial ethics by ceasing to make fools of consumers and the public.


People forced to pay more for social insurances



Unemployment benefits are one of the key pillars of the country's social safety net. They have played a crucial role in helping laid-off workers muddle through difficulties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the government faces backlash from both workers and businesses over its plan to collect higher premiums for unemployment insurance.



On Wednesday, the Ministry of Employment and Labor decided to raise the premium rate from the current 1.6 percent of the basic salary to 1.8 percent in July 2022. Workers and employers will each have to bear an additional cost of 0.1 percentage points. Such a hike seems meager but is hard to ignore on the part of fee payers.



The ministry said the rate increase is inevitable because of mass layoffs during the coronavirus pandemic. The government provided 12.2 trillion won ($10.5 billion) in unemployment benefits last year, a whopping 45.3 percent increase from 8.4 trillion won in 2019. As a result, the unemployment insurance fund is suffering a huge deficit.



The fund's reserves are predicted to shrink to 4.7 trillion won this year from the 10 trillion won when the Moon Jae-in administration was installed in May 2017. But it is feared the fund will suffer a 3.2 trillion won deficit at the end of the year when its 7.9 trillion won borrowings are accounted for.



Simply put, the premium rate hike is not an option but an obligation to prevent the depletion of the fund. It is almost impossible for anyone to beg to differ. Yet, the government is not totally free from some responsibility for the shortfall of the fund. The Moon administration should admit that it has been too generous with the provision of jobless benefits without paying much attention to the viability of the fund.



In fact, the government has increased the ceiling of available benefits per each worker. It has also extended the benefit period. These steps are in line with the liberal government's policy of expanding welfare programs. But the authorities should have made more effort to secure sufficient financial resources before increasing benefits.



Another problem is that the government has mobilized the unemployment insurance fund to help create more jobs, particularly for young people. It has also used the fund to pay subsidies to businesses that keep hiring workers instead of laying them off in the face of the pandemic. The fund should not have been appropriated for purposes other than jobless benefits.



For these reasons, it makes no sense for the government to make up for the deficit by only raising the burden on workers and employers. It is necessary to share the burden by replenishing the fund with the injection of the state budget.



The Moon administration has also continued to increase the national health insurance premium for five years in a row. Of course, the increase was necessary to expand the coverage of health insurance under Moon's healthcare reform. Only a few are against more coverage, but many oppose higher premiums. So it is urgent to strike a balance between increasing benefits and putting a greater burden on the people.


By Casey Lartigue Jr.





The United Nations and I both celebrate Sept. 5 as a day of giving, but for different reasons. Declared as the International Day of Charity by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012, the main goal was to raise awareness and provide a common platform for charity related activities internationally.



In my case, the super wonderful day of Sept. 5 is my birthday. I have celebrated this day as Casey's Day of Charity for two decades. I reject gifts for myself and instead ask people to donate the intended amount to my favorite cause or non-profit. I started this back in 2000 when I was on the Young Executive Board of the Washington Scholarship Fund.



My initial motivation, however, was not as humanitarian as the U.N.'s. I was tired of receiving lousy birthday gifts. I know people say "it's the thought that counts." But which thought counts? The thought that I am going to give you something you never would have bought and will quickly return if I include the gift receipt? People condemn recipients for not being grateful enough for even lousy gifts, but is it ever acceptable to scrutinize gift givers?



When people say they have no idea how much to donate, I encourage them to guess my age, and donate that amount in U.S. dollars. Even as I approach my senior years, there are suddenly many people declaring with their donations that I must be about 29 years old.

Three years ago, over my objections, a caring friend insisted on sending me a birthday gift. It was a miniature dinosaur puzzle. Even when I was six years old, I didn't like dinosaur-related items, knowing that a real dinosaur would have devoured me and destroyed my neighborhood. After I informed the gift giver what I was going to do, I re-gifted it to a six-year-old who loves dinosaur things.



Due to the prevailing sentiment surrounding "it's the thought that counts," most recipients don't tell gift givers the truth, they just hope a gift receipt is included.



In the 2009 book "Scroogenomics," business school professor Joe Waldfogel estimated that Americans spent $66 billion on gifts in 2007, but that recipients only valued them at $54 billion, producing a deadweight loss of $12 billion to the economy.



Will those same considerate people be any more efficient on International Day of Charity? Based on my experience with volunteering, donating, and fundraising for various non-profits and causes over the past two decades, I doubt it.



From 2012 to 2015, I was the volunteer International Cooperation Adviser at an alternative school for North Korean refugee adolescents. We often had many caring people donating books, toys or clothing. School leaders finally asked me one day how they could reject some of the donations without irritating donors. We were running out of storage space. What the school needed seemed to be secondary to what some donors wanted to give.



Christmas is coming, that's the time some caring people ask me how they can donate toys to North Korean refugee children. The parents always express gratitude, especially the first time they receive a gift from a stranger. But teddy bears from 10 different people? Some parents begin to sound like those school leaders wanting to politely reject gifts without seeming ungrateful.



One mother thankfully accepts all gifts but explained that her son loves the new toys  for about a day. When I began to probe deeper, she and other North Korean refugee parents would talk about actual needs, such as having money for private academy classes or being able to save enough money for college.



When I suggest to donors the possibility of giving more meaningful gifts with long-term value, many seem to search for others ready to accept the gifts they want to give, as if the recipients mattered.



Giving is a two-way street, from a willing giver to a receiver who wants what has been given. To donate, first investigate. If it is a school or organization, don't just call up asking, "whaddaya need?" Instead, volunteer, get to know the organization's leaders and listen to what they say (not just what you want to hear).



This birthday weekend, I will once again eschew birthday gifts. I plan to spend the day revising the manuscript of the book "Greenlight to Freedom" that I am co-authoring with North Korean refugee Songmi Han (her birthday is Sept. 27). I will be answering birthday messages this weekend with the link to the book.



Instead of a miniature dinosaur puzzle for me, you can pre-order the book. Based on my investigation, my co-author will be delighted. I can guarantee, as co-author of the book, you won't need a gift receipt to return such a wonderful book.





Casey Lartigue Jr. is co-author along with Songmi Han of the forthcoming book "Greenlight to Freedom." He is co-founder along with Eunkoo Lee of Freedom Speakers International (FSI) and executive director of Giving Tuesday Korea.


By Ahn Ho-young





President Joe Biden announced on April 14 that the withdrawal of U.S. forces will begin on May 1, in line with an agreement Trump's administration made with the Taliban. Since then, the Taliban began a strikingly rapid advance across the country, taking one regional capital after another, and reached the doorsteps of Kabul by Aug. 14. Next morning, it released a statement that "our forces do not want to enter Kabul through military means."



At the time, I sincerely hoped that this pause of the Taliban's advance and Afghan resistance would provide sufficient time to evacuate foreigners and Afghan citizens who had worked with the foreign community. However, on the same day, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, and Kabul fell to the Taliban.



This started the stampede of the foreign community and tens of thousands of Afghans to the Karzai Airport in the hopes of flying out of Afghanistan. In the following two weeks, the U.S. and other countries could evacuate more than 100,000 foreigners and Afghans. However, there still remain a large number of foreigners and Afghans wishing to leave the country.



Afghans in particular braved grave risk to their life, passed through Taliban checkpoints, got to the airport, had to bear the threat of terrorist attacks and desperately waited for a chance to get out. This was a heart-wrenching scene of Kabul I read about and watched on TV every day.



Given the enormity of the tragedy, the blame game has started in Washington, D.C., and in many other places including the capitals of some U.S. allies. In the process, heavy blame is dumped on President Joe Biden. It looks unavoidable for some time. As Biden said in his speech on Aug. 16, "the buck stops with me" as president of the U.S. Getting the blame for making painful decisions should be part of the job. However, I wonder if all this blame game is fair or helpful, especially with respect to U.S. allies.



A frequent complaint from some NATO allies seems to be that they were not consulted sufficiently about the U.S. decision. I do not know the extent or the depth of consultation at this time. What I remember from my days as Korean ambassador in Brussels in 2011-12 was the constant process of consultation among NATO ambassadors.



At that time, Korea used to operate a provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in the Parwan province of Afghanistan as a member of the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF), and I used to attend NATO council meetings held in the ISAF format.



The ISAF was a genuinely multi-national institution, with the participation of all 28 NATO member countries and 24 non-NATO countries. During my time at ISAF meetings, the main theme of discussion was transition and transformation  transition of ISAF responsibilities to Afghan forces and government by the end of 2014, after which ISAF forces would cease their combat mission and play only an advisory role.



Every ISAF meeting used to repeat the mantra of "In Together, Out Together," meaning that all the decisions and implementation of decisions would be made collectively by all members.



In fact, I, as a representative of a non-NATO country, envied the depth of consultation among NATO member countries. Most, if not all, NATO members used to have their offices at the NATO headquarters building, which enabled NATO diplomats and military personnel to live, work, dine and communicate in the same building.



It is because of this memory from my days in Brussels that it is not easy for me to understand some NATO allies' complaints about the lack of consultation provided by the U.S. If it was not sufficient, I think the main reason was because the U.S. itself was taken by surprise by the sudden collapse of Kabul as any other country was. I read even the Taliban was surprised.



An even bigger concern I have is the negative impact the recent developments in Kabul can have on the strength of the alliance. The most potent foreign policy theme pronounced by Biden has been "the U.S. is back." Now, in the aftermath of Kabul, the sincerity and the capacity of the U.S. behind this objective are being questioned even in the capitals of important U.S. allies. I do not think this helps the strategic interests of U.S. allies in any manner.



Watching the heart-wrenching scenes in Kabul, I cannot suppress my own deep sense of frustration. A recurring question in my mind is if the withdrawal from Kabul could have been arranged in a better way. Even President Biden, while emphasizing the inevitability of the decision to withdraw, acknowledges the failure of intelligence.



Having said that, the anger, frustration and self-questioning must not spill over and lead to questioning Biden's intention to stop the long-overdue bleeding in U.S. military and political resources and renew U.S. leadership around the world, based on strengthened relations with allies.



Graham Allison, a Harvard academic who coined and widely circulated the concept of the Thucydides trap several years ago, recently had this to say: "Biden deserves praise, not scorn, for taking a calculated risk in order to extract the U.S. from a failing effort in a misguided mission."





Ahn Ho-young (hyahn78@mofa.or.kr) is president of the University of North Korean Studies. He served as Korean ambassador to the United States and first vice foreign minister.


Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun speaks about the future of its Genesis luxury car brand, Thursday. Captured from Genesis's YouTube channel



Hyundai Motor's luxury brand aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035



By Baek Byung-yeul



Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor is aligning with the global trend of revamping existing vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. Hyundai said Thursday that its signature Genesis brand will no longer produce vehicles powered by conventional engines.



The timeline for reaching carbon neutrality is pressing Hyundai and other brands to embraces changes.



The core points of Thursday's announcement is that the group will only sell electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles starting from 2030. Plus, it presented an ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035.



The announcement came as major global carmakers are getting on track to shift their vehicle lineups toward fully electric cars (EVs) with carmakers in Europe and also in the United States facing increased pressure to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions under strengthened environmental regulations.



"Genesis has been on an intensive, bold and successful journey, establishing itself as a truly global luxury brand," Chung Euisun, the automotive group's chairman, said during a virtual event called "Futuring Genesis."



Every new Genesis vehicle will be powered by electricity or hydrogen fuel cells from 2025 and the company will build an EV lineup consisting of eight models with a sales target of 400,000 cars a year.





Seen are silhouettes of Genesis's future car models, to be released by the company, Thursday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group




By Baek Byung-yeul







LG Chem, the country's top chemical company, said Thursday it has agreed with a local biodiesel company to establish a joint venture in South Korea.







In a statement, LG Chem, also the parent company of LG Energy Solution (LGES), said the main purpose of the venture is aimed at securing the stable supply of bio-materials as the venture is set to mass-produce hydrotreated vegetable oil, a biofuel made by the hydrocracking or hydrogenation of vegetable oil.







The timeline for the completion of the plant in collaboration with Dansuk Industrial has been set for 2024. Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) is categorized as a biofuel and it has been used as a core substitute for diesel, propane and other chemical feedstock. Diesel fuel using hydrotreated oil is referred to as "green diesel."







"The agreement for the creation of the venture will truly help us secure a stable supply of raw materials for the diversification of eco-friendly products," Noh Kug-lae, chief of LG Chem's petrochemical business division, was quoted as saying in the press release.







The demand for HVO is expected to rise over the course of the next few years on the back of governments' initiatives for renewable energies and required use of eco-friendly jet fuel and as well as diesel.
















Hyundai Motor's entry-level SUV Casper will be the first car to be produced under the Gwangju job project aimed at revitalizing the regional economy and creating jobs. The carmaker unveiled the Casper on Wednesday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor



By Yi Whan-woo



A new Hyundai Motor vehicle scheduled to launch later this month is raising hopes in President Moon Jae-in's innovative job market revitalization initiative.



An entry-level SUV, Casper be the will the first car to be produced by Hyundai Motor under the "Gwangju-style Job Project" aimed at revitalizing the regional economy of Gwangju, through four-way cooperation among the central government, the municipality, the private sector and labor unions.



Hyundai Motor unveiled the Casper as the latest news coming out of the 575.4 billion-won ($495.2 million) joint venture plant between the company and the Gwangju Metropolitan Government in the country's southwestern city.





President Moon Jae-in speaks during a signing ceremony between Hyundai Motor and the Gwangju Metropolitan Government about the construction of a joint venture plant in Gwangju in this photo taken in 2019. Korea Times file
Employees enter the headquarters of Namyang Dairy Products in Seoul, May 3. Yonhap



Hong allegedly asked Hahn & Company to maintain his children's positions at the company



By Kim Jae-heun



In the end, Hahn & Company decided to file a lawsuit against Namyang Dairy Products and its ex-chairman, Hong Won-sik, for violation of a share purchase agreement.



The local private equity fund said it had no choice but to take legal action against the buyout company for delaying the deal and Hong for making unreasonable demands.



Hahn & Company did not reveal the exact nature of these demands, but there is speculation that Hong wanted to add an extra clause in the contract to maintain executive positions for his two sons, Hong Jin-seok and Hong Bum-seok.



Hahn & Company hinted as much in its statement released on Monday.



"There were personal demands that aimed to pursue benefits for Hong's family and put strain on Namyang Dairy, which were irrelevant to the contract. It is not appropriate to speak of them as Hong claims it is a breach of contract to reveal what he requested," a Hahn & Company official said.



Hong denied the insinuation.



A screen at Yonhap Infomax in Seoul shows Namyang Dairy Products' stock price surge after its chairman made a public apology, May 28. Yonhap




The South Korean arm of DHC, a Japanese retailer of beauty and health products, said Thursday it will pull its business out following plunges in sales apparently driven by a nationwide boycott of Japan-made goods.







DHC Korea, which advanced in the country in April 2002, said on its website the local business will only operate until Sept. 15.







The company reportedly has suffered plunges in sales following a yearslong boycott sparked by its CEO Yoshiaki Yoshida's racially discriminatory remarks against Koreans during the peak of political rows between the two countries.







Sales of several Japanese retailers, including fashion powerhouse Uniqlo, also took a beating as Korean consumers have boycotted Japanese products since July 2019 in protest of Japan's export restrictions of some key industrial materials shipped to South Korea.







The trade curbs were imposed after the South Korean top court in 2018 ordered Japanese firms to compensate Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor.







Shu Uemura, a Japanese beauty brand under L'Oreal Group, also announced earlier this year it will pull out of South Korea after 16 years. (Yonhap)


Students attend a flag-raising ceremony on the first day of the new semester in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province, Sept. 1. AFP-Yonhap



Chinese pupils returned to school Wednesday with new textbooks peppered with "Xi Jinping thought", as the Communist Party aims to extend his personality cult to children as young as seven and rear a new generation of patriots.



The education ministry has said it will incorporate Xi's vaguely defined political ideology into the national curriculum, from primary schools to graduate programs, at the start of the new school year on Wednesday.



Primary school teachers must "plant the seeds of loving the party, the country and socialism in young hearts", according to a government notice on the new curriculum.



Buses full of schoolchildren sporting shiny new trainers and red scarves over their uniforms were dropped off at school gates this morning, weighed down by rainbow-hued oversized backpacks.



The new school books are decorated with the president's pithy quotes and images of his smiling face, with elementary school students served up chapters on the achievements of Chinese civilization and the Communist Party's role in poverty alleviation and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.



Lessons are interspersed with quotes from Xi on patriotism and duty, as well as anecdotes of his meetings with citizens.



"Grandpa Xi Jinping is very busy with work, but no matter how busy he is, he still joins our activities and cares about our growth," one textbook says.



Xi's thought encompasses 14 principles including "absolute Party leadership" over the military and "improving living standards through development".



It was enshrined in the constitution during a 2018 legislative meeting that abolished term limits and paved the way for him to rule indefinitely.



The principles are now cited regularly by officials in wildly varying contexts from fighting Covid-19 to literature and art, and universities have opened institutes dedicated to Xi's thought.





Students attend a flag-raising ceremony on the first day of the new semester in Wuhan, Sept. 1. AFP-Yonhap
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, meet with the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry via video link, Wednesday. / Xinhua-Yonhap



Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on Wednesday that deteriorating U.S.-China relations could undermine cooperation between the two on climate change.



Wang told Kerry by video link that such cooperation cannot be separated from the broader relationship and called on the U.S. to take steps to improve ties, a Foreign Ministry statement said.



Kerry, who is in the Chinese city of Tianjin for climate talks with his Chinese counterparts, said the U.S. is committed to cooperating with the rest of the world on climate and encouraged China to take additional steps to reduce emissions, the U.S. State Department said.



Kerry, a former secretary of state, also said that China ''plays a super-critical role'' in the effort to combat climate change, according to a brief video clip from the meeting shown on CGTN, the international arm of state broadcaster CCTV.



China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, followed by the United States.



Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained by disputes over trade, technology and human rights. But the sides have identified the climate crisis as an area for possible cooperation.



''China and the U.S. have differences on some issues. In the meantime, we share common interests in a range of areas such as climate change,'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing Wednesday.



''Both sides should maintain dialogue and communication on the basis of mutual respect and carry out mutually beneficial cooperation,'' Wang said.



The world's biggest coal user, China obtains roughly 60% of its power from coal and is the world's biggest source of greenhouse gases. It plans to build more coal-fired power plants but still plans to taper its use of the fossil fuel.



Beijing has pointed to historical U.S. emissions as a reason to resist action while making advances in solar power and other renewable energy sources. China has set a target of generating 20% of the country's total energy consumption from renewables by 2025, becoming carbon-neutral by 2060 and reducing total emissions starting from 2030.



President Joe Biden has announced a goal to cut up to 52% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 _ double the target set by President Barack Obama in the 2015 Paris climate accord. The 2030 goal vaults the U.S. into the top tier of countries on climate ambition.



Kerry has called for stronger efforts to to curb rising temperatures to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. He urged China to join the U.S. in urgently cutting carbon emissions.



Kerry made a stop in Japan on Tuesday to discuss climate issues with Japanese officials before heading to China.



Global decarbonizing efforts will come under the spotlight at a U.N. conference to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in late November, known as COP26. (AP)










U.S. President Joe Biden declared an emergency in California and ordered federal assistance to boost local responders' efforts to battle the Caldor fire, the White House said on Wednesday.





The fire has been burning in the Sierra Nevada range since mid-August and still threatens homes and businesses near Lake Tahoe, abetted by gusty winds and bone-dry conditions.





Biden's action authorizes co-ordination of disaster relief measures by the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the White House added. (Reuters)




Location: Mayfield Heights - Ohio

Location: Milwaukee - Wisconsin

Job Description Rockwell Automation is the largest company in the world dedicated to industrial automation and information. Here, we connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to make the world more intelligent, more connected, and more productive. From improving the production of medicines that boost human health to reducing waste in an oil and gas plant, the work we do changes how we live. We truly believe we are doing things never before possible. And we need the brightest minds to help make that happen - the makers, the forward thinkers, the problem solvers. That's where you come in. As an intern focused on Analytics & Machine Learning, you will perform a key functional role while working with a team of engineers and industry professionals. Engineers and scientists in this dynamic area develop, apply, and maintain cutting edge algorithms to the entire spectrum of Rockwell Automation's internal processes and customer-facing applications to optimize manufacturing production and increase equipment uptime. Particular emphasis is placed on creating solutions that enable more people to easily apply AI/ML. You will have the opportunity to be a significant contributor, while getting comprehensive exposure to the business structure of Rockwell Automation and how we are helping our customers bring the Connected Enterprise to life. Each intern has a dedicated mentor to help navigate Rockwell, ramp up in our code base, and remove daily blockers. Additionally, as a student associate there will be hosted activities and events intended to help you grow your network, develop your professional skills and immerse yourself in our company culture. Basic Qualifications : Must be pursuing a bachelor's or advanced degree from an accredited college or university

Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75

Legal authorization to work in the US is required. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening. Desired Qualifications : Pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Technology, Mathematics, Information Systems, or Business with an IT/MIS/Computer Science emphasis

Knowledge of database design, database management, and data structures We are an Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and veterans. If you are an individual with a disability and you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact our services team at +1 (see application details).


Do you want high visibility, challenging opportunities and a rewarding environment?

Sodexo is seeking an innovative Senior Manager, Program Management (Director, Project Management) for our Business Improvement & Growth Support Team and Operations Support Team. The Senior Manager, Program Management will collaborate with our National Sales team, Segment VPs and District Managers on multi-site project management to support new unit openings and large cross sales, as well as provide innovative strategies to support retention and underperforming units. We are seeking project managers with solid background in facilities operations, Lean Six Sigma, PMP certifications, and who have been instrumental in supporting significant growth or retaining business.

As Senior Manager, Program Management, you will work virtually but will travel on assignment to support Sodexo Business Segments and our services across the country, and may be assigned to specific units for On Site project management i.e. provide highly specialized SME Support, provide account opening and training, support retention efforts, and identify innovative strategies for underperforming units.

This role is responsible for Project Management scope as it relates to coordinating both new sales and retention bids and requires the ability to work independently and influence at all levels of the organization across a highly matrixed and complex function. The selected candidate needs to be able to think outside the box when issues arise outside of the intended design.

To be successful in this strategic contributor role, the ideal candidate will have:

a high level of project management experience, PMP certification preferred;

ability to radically rethink and transform strategies, processes, protocols and practices to address changing priorities and drive value, efficiencies and effectiveness;

experience coordinating multi-disciplinary activities and a proven ability to work across departments and work groups internal and external;

experience negotiating, managing, and implementing contracts; and/or

strong financial experience: cost estimates, cost control and managing budgets.

Is this the opportunity for you? You will be :

managing a project or a portion of the project management lifecycle (initiation, planning, deployment and/or closure);

developing, driving and/or coordinating initiatives related to performance improvement, fiscal improvement and/or operational effectiveness and efficiency;

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Magnolia, AR (71754)

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TRIPOLI, Libya, September 1, 2021/  Energy Capital & Power (ECP), organizer of the Libya Energy & Economic Summit 2021, has signed a partnership agreement with the American Chamber of Commerce in Libya (AmCham Libya); American business leaders are invited to join the summit as speakers and to support as sponsors. U.S. media are invited to cover the event; The Libya Energy & Economic Summit 2021 is endorsed by the Office of the Prime Minister and will be held on 22-23 November 2021, in-person in Tripoli and online.

Energy Capital & Power (ECP) today signed an agreement with the American Chamber of Commerce in Libya (AmCham Libya), sealing an important partnership that will promote U.S.-Libyan business in energy and related sectors at the Libya Energy & Economic Summit 2021.

As part of the agreement with AmCham Libya, the event organizer ECP extends an invitation to U.S. companies to attend the Libya Energy & Economic Summit 2021. While oil and gas will play a central role in the conference agenda, the event will include sessions on infrastructure, renewables, power, and other diversified sectors.

Debbie Hirst, Director of AmCham Libya, said: This conference is an exciting opportunity for the business community in Tripoli and takes place at an important moment in Libyas re-emergence. The U.S. and its companies can play a vital role in developing and growing the economy, and supporting the Libyan private sector and energy business. Alongside ECP, we are committed to bringing U.S. investment into the country.

AmCham Libya and ECP invite American business leaders to join the summit as speakers and support as sponsors, and for U.S. media to cover the event.

U.S. companies have historically played a vital role in exploring and developing Libyas oil and gas resources. Esso in 1957 drilled the first successful oil well and made commercial discoveries in 1959. American firms and consortia, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Hess Corporation, ConocoPhillips, Occidental Petroleum and others, have remained instrumental in developing the nations oil and gas fields in the years since.

The Libya Energy & Economic Summit 2021 will be held on 22-23 November 2021, in-person in Tripoli and on Zoom for online participants. The event is officially endorsed and organized in close collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister, and represents the first major energy event to be held in person in Tripoli for a decade.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

Companies interested in supporting the event can contact sales@energycapitalpower.com for more information. Individuals and organizations that wish to join as speakers or panelists can contact speak@energycapitalpower.com and media partners can contact media@energycapitalpower.com. Learn more at www.LibyaSummit.com.

SOURCE

Energy Capital & Power
Mahen Seeruttun a pris part aux celebrations du 65e anniversaire de la presence Life Insurance Corporation Of India a Maurice en compagnie des hauts cadres et les employes ainsi que la Haute Commissaire de lInde a Maurice, Nandini Singla, le 1er septembre 2021 dans les locaux de la compagnie dassurance.

It gives me immense pleasure to be here this morning and share a historic moment with you all.

It is indeed a very special occasion, an occasion worthy of praise for the amazing accomplishment of the Life Insurance Corporation of India in its homeland, in Mauritius and abroad.

From a household name across cities and remotest of villages in India, LIC has flourished into a global financial conglomerate and is today, firmly established in 14 countries across the world.

I was truly impressed by your track record as I went through the financials yesterday.

An asset base of over USD 440 billion, a family of more than 115,000 employees and 1.3 million agents, extending to over 300 million customers, what more can we say to epitomise success!

It is nothing short of phenomenal when a company comes such a long way after a 65-year eventful journey from a monopoly to a hyper-competitive environment and all the time being a Government entity with all the procedures that this entails.

With one in five Indians insured and a control over two thirds of Indias life insurance market, it is a matter of great pride that the LIC is so deeply anchored in Mauritius.

Ladies and Gentlemen

In fact, relations between India and Mauritius are so inextricably linked that the Mauritius branch was set up in the same year that it was instituted in India.

This occasion, ladies and gentlemen, reminds us just how incredibly fortunate we are that businesses such as yours with strong social insurance responsibility have become such an integral part of our economy.

And the LIC, ladies and gentlemen, was set up in Mauritius not just for business sake but to serve the community.

Ever since our pre-independence days, the LIC has played an invaluable role in nation building, becoming part of the community and growing with the community.

You were the first insurance company to start granting life insurance protection to our fellow citizens of Rodrigues.

Every life assured meant that one more family could sleep better at night.

You always delivered on your promises, stood by your clients  not at the time of your choice but at the time of their need  and maintained trust throughout your relationship with them.

Her Excellency

Distinguished Guests

In the same manner that trust binds the LIC and the Mauritian people, trust also binds the political leadership of the two countries.

Bilateral relations between India and Mauritius have never been so strong.

India has been an important partner in our economic and social development and businesses.

In particular, pioneers such as the LIC, play such an important role in this relationship, insuring the financial health and wealth of the population.

More and more Indian companies are setting up shop on Mauritian terrain trusting the ecosystem and the conducive business environment.

The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement effective since last April is an important milestone in the trade and economic relationship between India and Mauritius.

This institutional mechanism will further encourage and improve trade in goods as well as trade in services, and economic cooperation between our two countries.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Focusing more on the Mauritian market, as you are aware, the insurance industry contributed to 2.8 percent to GDP in 2020 and is a driver of growth for the economy.

Insurance products and services, once perceived as a means to minimize risk factors, has progressed as investment vehicles.

However, to keep abreast with Governments mission to boost economic growth, we have no choice but to improve insurance penetration both long term and general.

There is still much room for us to improve insurance penetration so that we are at par with rates in jurisdictions with similar GDP.

In this respect, my Ministry and the Financial Services Commission are working on reforms and creation of new insurance products.

Furthermore, Financial Literacy and inclusion remains critical success factors.

In this respect, the Ministry, in collaboration with the Financial Services Fund, is working on consumer education projects aimed at raising the awareness of consumers, entrepreneurs, investors, and retired people on the need and adoption of long-term insurance products and pensions.

You will be hearing more in the media in days to come.

Before I close, I wish to say a few words on employment and capacity building.

The sector employs around 2600 people directly as employees and approximately 3000 people as brokers, accredited agents and other insurance professional.

Improving market penetration means creation of more jobs in the sector.

The insurance sector presents opportunities for employment and needs expertise ranging from underwriting, broking, claims, investment analysis, actuarial services, financial advice as well as customer service excellence to earn the publics trust and confidence.

In this respect, I am happy to say that the Insurers Association of Mauritius has collaborated with the Financial Services Institute on a Skills Development Framework with a first cohort of 60 professionals currently being trained.

I understand that the LIC is a regular customer of the FSI and has recently organised an-house training for 30 persons on AML/CFT and is regularly enrolling participants on our programmes.

Ladies and Gentlemen

COVID-19 which is still impacting our industry in more ways than we ever imagined.

Over the last few months, you have been responding to the pandemic in numerous ways whether as employers or claims payers.

The economic situation will evolve for the better  I am sure my colleague Hon. Minister Padayachy will soon be giving you more insight in that respect.

I am confident that the insurance industry will emerge even stronger in years to come and continue to act as an important shock absorber for the economy and society.

Distinguished staff and agents of the LIC,

In closing, I would like to share with you the words of the Indian mystic Jaggi Vasudev, who said and I quote: The success of businesses makes a nation live well. End of quote

You are in the right place doing business in Mauritius and I look forward to continue celebrating your companys longevity here for many more years to come.

Long may you flourish. Long Live India-Mauritius relations.

I thank you for your time and attention.
Da Vinci is able to apply for tax financing because the project site is in the citys NIZ, a unique 128-acre zone that stretches from the downtown to the Lehigh River waterfront and allows developers to harness certain state and local tax revenues to pay project debt service. The NIZ, while often criticized by suburban property owners who have lost tenants to new office buildings in Allentown, has spurred $1 billion in office, apartment, hotel and retail projects and has injected life into what was one of Pennsylvanias most depressed downtowns.
Many people would like to see that timeline accelerated, including several climate advocates who joined Brunius at the Mack plant Thursday. The event, sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Sustainability Network, called on Congress to pass a budget with big investments in clean transportation infrastructure. As it is now, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation account for about 29% of the U.S. total, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Thats something that should catch the attention of most Lehigh Valley residents, especially amid the explosion in local warehouse development and the truck traffic that comes with it, said Andrea Wittchen, president of the Lehigh Valley Sustainability Network.
My wife said itll never be closed. The river never comes up that high. I took pictures to show her, said Bronstein, who has lived in the city more than 50 years and has never seen anything like this.
The highest rainfall amounts were in Upper Bucks, which saw 7 to 8-inches in the Quakertown area over a six-hour period. Parts of Upper Bucks were getting a little more than 1-inch an hour of rain and some hours it picked up to 2 or 3 inches an hour, Carr said.
If you voted for Joe Biden, Bob Casey and Susan Wild last November, were you expecting the largest increase in the size of the federal government since the 1930s? Or what will likely be the largest increase in taxes on the middle class in the history of the United States?
Burley, ID (83318)

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Mostly clear. Low around 45F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

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For UM administration and the Montana University System, the issue of guns on campus has become more than a theoretical debate. House Bill 102, one of the most unrestrictive gun laws in the country, passed in the Montana legislature this spring.
UM alumnus and climate activist David Morris rides through the gates of Free Cycles during a farewell concert night on Aug. 27. Morris embarked on a bike trip to Scotland to promote climate and energy conservation and plans to arrive in the European country in time for the the annual United Nations Climate Change conference in Glasgow which starts on Nov. 1.
One said she left the University of Montana after leadership told her she couldnt be the face of UM because of her weight.

Another two said the University eliminated their positions, allegedly as retaliation for disagreements with top figures.

And the fourth still teaches at UM in a school dominated by female professors but chaired by its only tenured male professor.

At the beginning of August, these four women, named plaintiffs in a new lawsuit against UM and the Montana University System, stepped forward to share their stories of alleged discrimination on the basis of sex.

Fifteen days later, on Aug. 19, the complaint expanded. It changed from a general civil suit to a petition for class-action standing when 18 other women (who remain anonymous in the updated complaint) reached out to the plaintiffs lawyers. Their stories struck similar notes.

To date, Plaintiffs and their counsel have been contacted by 18 additional women directly and been advised of at least 6 other women who have shared experiences of the Defendants harassing, discriminatory, and retaliatory conduct, the new filing states.

This suit is an addition to UMs complicated history of sexual assault and discrimination litigation, one that includes the high-profile 2012 sexual assault scandal investigated by the Department of Justice. That scandal is referenced in the complaint as a catalyst for some of the current allegations of gender-based discrimination.

The four plaintiffs named in the suit are Catherine Cole, Barbara Koostra, Mary-Ann Sontag Bowman and Rhondie Voorhees. Cole, Koostra and Voorhees are all former UM employees; Bowman is currently a tenured professor.

Cole acted as vice president of enrollment management and strategic communication in Bodnars cabinet from 2018 until her resignation in 2020. Koostra was the director of the Montana Museum of Arts and Culture from 2005 to 2018. Voorhees was the dean of students from 2012 to 2018. Bowman, the tenured professor in UMs School of Social Work, has been there since 2008.

The complaint alleges that UM, and specifically President Seth Bodnar, created a good ol boys club culture that prevented the growth of these womens careers.

Under Title IX, a federal law that governs university campuses, students and employees at the University of Montana are protected from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, race or national origin.

UM and the Montana University System put out a statement to the press following the release of the original complaint.

We really look forward to vigorously defending our institution in court, Dave Kuntz, UMs spokesperson for the suit, said in the statement.

Classifying a lawsuit as a class action requires showing that a large number of individuals have been harmed by the same policy or by a common practice, according to Craig Cowie, the civil procedures professor at UMs Alexander Blewett III law school. However, a class action does not require that every member of the class is named. There only needs to be one named plaintiff for a class action lawsuit, as long as that named plaintiffs experience can represent the entire class.

Cowie said he is uncertain whether the 22 plaintiffs who currently make up the class in this complaint meet the threshold for the lawsuit to be tried as a class action. He said he didnt know if each experience was similar enough. This will be decided in a process known as class certification, where the court determines whether the women have enough in common to make up a class.

Part of the purpose of filing a class action rather than individual suits for each plaintiff is so that the court can handle the case more efficiently, Cowie said.

Its supposed to be a way to streamline a lot of similar claims together, but is still fair to all the people involved as far as reaching adjudication, Cowie said.

The main question, according to Cowie, is whether the plaintiffs were all harmed in the same way, or whether each instance was a discrete action that may not have been part of a larger whole.

I know there were some allegations related to good ol boy networking, and that is a classic hostile work environment, Cowie said. Even though there are different ways in which the hostile work environment might affect individuals, theyre all still subject to the same ... environment, so there might still be common claims there.

A hostile work environment is characterized by harassment, defined as offensive jokes, slurs, epithets or name calling, physical assaults or threats, intimidation, ridicule or mockery, insults or put-downs, offensive objects or pictures, and interference with work performance, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. For conduct to be classified as harassment, and therefore against the law, the conduct must be viewed as offensive or hostile by a reasonable person.

Lawsuit Timeline

Allegations outlined in the discrimination complaint.

Timeline by Addie Slanger / Montana Kaimin

Plaintiffs

The complaint against UM and the Montana University System claims that Bodnars administration, as well as the precedent set by UMs history with sexual assault, created a retaliatory and discriminatory environment that was ignored by the University and the Montana University System.

Ignoring the need to reevaluate its actions and the resulting treatment of women, UMs discriminatory culture persisted, creating a career-brick-wall for experienced, confident women, the complaint states.

Each of the four named plaintiffs describes experiences at UM that the complaint argues created a discriminatory and retaliatory environment.

On behalf of Cole, the complaint claims that despite receiving accolades for her work as vice president of enrollment management and strategic communication, President Bodnar micromanaged her, continually altered and changed her goals and job duties, set unreasonable expectations, informed her that she was moody, asked her to smile, criticized how she communicated and the tone of her voice, belittled her, and commented about her appearance, including her weight, noting that she could not be the face of UM.

The complaint also claims that Cole was paid the least out of all the vice presidents, and notably, she was also the only female vice president at UM at the time. Cole made a salary of $170,000 in 2019, according to GovSalaries. In comparison, in 2019, Vice President of Operations and Finance Paul Lasiter made a salary of $200,000, Vice President for Research and Creative Scholarship Scott Wittenburg made $204,786, and Executive Vice President, and Provost Jon Harbor made $275,400.

Many factors go into setting an MUS salary, said UM spokesperson Dave Kuntz, including market demand, negotiations with each individual, the number of people supervised by the vice president, and the job candidates experience and education. He added that every salary is subject to approval from the Commissioner of Higher Education.

Each job and each candidate is entirely different, Kuntz said.

According to the complaint, Cole took a pay cut and separated from her family to work at a smaller school after leaving UM. She retired early, allegedly as a result of her treatment at UM.

The second plaintiff listed, Koostra, was asked in November 2018 by President Bodnar and ex-Provost Dean Kirgis to display the Montana Museum of Art and Cultures permanent collection in the downtown Missoula Marriott. Koostra refused to display the art, citing concerns with security and climate control protections. That same month, her office was moved into a smaller space in McGill Hall, a building evacuated and closed because of asbestos contamination the following year.

Koostra claims she raised issues with conditions in McGill, complaining of strange smells in the stuffy, hot room. The asbestos testing of her office contributed to the closure, according to the complaint. The University terminated Koostras position in late 2018 due to what it termed a reorganization and, according to the complaint, Koostra was only six months away from receiving retirement benefits from the University.

After she left, according to the complaint, defendants replaced Ms. Koostra with a male museum director with fewer qualifications and a higher starting salary than Ms. Koostra received when she began in this position, in 2005.

The current director of the Montana Museum of Arts and Culture is Rafael Chacon. Hes also a tenured professor of art history and criticism. Chacons starting salary in 2019, according to GovSalaries, was $95,000. In 2017, Koostra made a salary of $92,843. Koostra was not a professor at the University.

Bowman, the third plaintiff listed on the complaint, has been a professor in UMs School of Social Work since 2008. She is the only named plaintiff who still works at UM. According to the complaint, the professors in the School of Social Work are majority women, yet the only male professor is currently serving his second term as the schools chair.

When the position opened in 2020, had the current chair not been encouraged to pursue a second term by University leadership, Bowman claimed she would have applied for the position.

After a successful 13-year career, and [as an] asset for the School of Social Work, Dr. Sontag Bowman has hit a career-brick-wall. Despite her qualifications, UM discouraged her opportunities for professional growth and leadership, while favoring her male counterparts, the complaint alleges.

The complaint highlights Bowmans age as a reason she is remaining in the school of social work at UM rather than seeking alternative employment.

Voorhees, the final named plaintiff, served as the dean of students for UM from 2012 to 2018. Voorhees was brought into this position during UMs sexual assault scandal, and her job was to provide support and advocacy to UM families. As such, Voorhees said she brought numerous concerns to UMs Title IX office.

Acting through Lucy France [then Title IX coordinator and currently UMs legal counsel] and other leaders, UM often overrode Dr. Voorhees decisions to keep campus safe, the complaint states. Ms. France made decisions, took actions, and guided and/or advised senior administrators, including the President, towards decisions that put the safety of the campus, students, and community members, especially women, at risk.

The complaint alleges UM ignored multiple recommendations Voorhees made as dean of students. The suit states that in 2013, a female student who was raped contacted Voorhees, and Voorhees directed her to then-Title IX director France. According to the complaint, France refused to confirm whether she would call the student, saying the student would have to submit a written complaint, and Voorhees challenged her on this process.

The suit also accuses the Admissions Review Committee of failing to listen to Voorhees denial of admission for a male student she had concerns about in 2014. The student allegedly raped a female student following his admittance to UM.

Voorhees also had issued a no-trespass order for a male student on campus that she claimed had threatened her in 2017. The lawsuit states France reportedly questioned this and Voorhees position was terminated in 2018 following her reply.

France was contacted by the Kaimin for comment on these allegations, as well as the complaint, but directed reporters to Kuntz, the Universitys spokesperson for this suit.

After Voorhees position was eliminated in 2018, she was placed on administrative leave for months before eventually getting a new job at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona. The complaint states she was defamed by a student in Arizona as a result of the mishandling of her termination at UM. Voorhees is currently Embry Riddles dean of students.

The Kaimin reached out to Voorhees and Bowman for comment, but was referred to the plaintiffs legal counsel, Bozeman-based lawyers Hillary Carls and Sherine Blackford.

Neither Carls nor Blackford responded to multiple requests for comment. The firm sent the Kaimin the updated complaint on Aug. 19, but did not speak about the case on the record.

Defendant

UM and the Montana University System believe the claims of sexual discrimination made in the complaint are baseless and without merit, said Kuntz.

Kuntz added UM disagrees strongly with the petition to expand the complaint to a class action.

We know that there are systemic issues that exist here in the community and beyond in terms of gender discrimination, and were working hard to tear those barriers down, Kuntz said.

Kuntz said UM denies the existence of a good ol boys club within the University.

Since Bodnar took over as UMs president in 2018, according to Kuntz, 78% of all University promotions have been female and 58% of all new hires have been female. Kuntz added that the presidents cabinet is majority female, and the deans of the colleges at the University are currently majority female as well. Notably, according to previous reporting from the Kaimin, there were no permanent female deans in UMs colleges in February 2019, when Shali Zhang, who led UMs libraries, left to take another position.

At the time of publication, UMs site listing academic officers showed three permanent dean positions held by women: the College of the Arts and Media (Laurie Baefsky), the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education (Adrea Lawrence) and Skaggs School of Pharmacy (Marketa Marvanova, who also became the acting dean of the College of Health when Reed Humphrey became the interim provost). The College of Humanities and Sciences is led by three associate deans. Two are women. The website lists Suzanne Tilleman as interim dean of the College of Business, but shes since been hired as the business schools first female permanent dean. Five other permanent and interim dean positions are held by men: Libraries, Missoula College, Alexander Blewett III School of Law, Davidson Honors College and the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation.

This means that four of the eleven possible dean positions at UM are currently filled by women. The largest UM college, Humanities and Sciences, does not currently have a permanent dean. The College of Health does not currently have a permanent dean, as its dean, Reed Humphrey, is acting as Provost. All of the women serving as deans were hired for their positions after February 2019.

Nine of the 16 spots in the presidents cabinet are also currently filled by women: Chief of Staff (Kelly Webster), the Faculty Senate chair (Kimber McKay), chief legal counsel (France), President of the University Faculty Association (Amanda Dawsey), Vice Provost for Student Success (Sarah Swager), Associate Vice President of Campus Preparedness and Response (Paula Short), Director of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Coordinator (Alicia Arant), Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management (Mary Kreta) and Vice President for Marketing and Communications (Jenny Petty).

When we talk about tearing down that good ol boys club, it really starts with hiring the leaders that reflect the community and reflect our student population, which is majority female too, Kuntz said.

Kuntz said that in recent years, especially after the DOJ investigation into how UM handled sexual assault, the University has invested time and resources to empower women on campus.

Even the Department of Justice has pointed to the University of Montana as a place that institutions of higher education should emulate when it comes to stopping and preventing sexual assault and abuse, Kuntz said. In terms of gender discrimination, the University of Montana takes those allegations really seriously, and thats why weve invested so much time and resources into strengthening the Title IX and Equal Opportunity Office.

Arant, the Director of UMs Title IX and Equal Opportunity Office since 2019, said that one of the biggest investments UM has made is the addition of a second trained investigator, which has expanded the offices capacity.

With increasing the personnel in the office, it has built our capacity for us to engage in preventative work, as opposed to just responsive work, Arant said.

Arant said a lot of this preventative work consists of her visiting various communities and events on campus in order to elevate her offices visibility, both the work the Equal Opportunity Office does and the services it provides.

Being in an appropriately staffed office has had a cascading effect because it has allowed us to do better and more expanded work for campus, Arant said.

In addition to ramping up the Title IX office, Kuntz said the University has invested in multiple initiatives meant to promote women leaders on UMs campus, including the S.E.A. Change Initiative and the Womens Leadership Initiative.

The S.E.A. Change Initiative, which stands for Safe, Empower, Accelerate, was founded in 2019 by President Bodnar and is run by Executive Director Twila Old Coyote.

Old Coyote, who has been involved with S.E.A. Change since its inception, said that the initiative is very student-facing. As an example, she cited the Womens and Gender Equity class she teaches every spring. Students in the class participate in an internship in which they mentor younger students in the Missoula community, and the S.E.A. Change Initiative holds a one-week summer camp for those middle and high school students.

Were really looking at creating a pipeline for middle and high school students, and hopefully when they go on to college and they come to UM, they can participate in my class, Old Coyote said.

In addition to the S.E.A. Change Initiative, Kuntz explained the Womens Leadership Initiative  founded in 2015 by Deena Mansour, now executive director of the Mansfield Center, and Nicky Phear, its current director  provides women with leadership and advocacy training and networking opportunities.

Charity Atteberry, cohort coordinator for the Womens Leadership Initiative, was a former participant in one of the groups as well.

One of the most powerful pieces of that personal experience for me was that I signed up, I applied and was accepted and I was deeply honored by that, and then I realized that I had to put in the time in my day, in my week, in my month, to be thinking about these things, Atteberry said.

She added that these opportunities carve out a space to ensure that the empowerment of women in leadership can happen. Kuntz agreed.

The ultimate goal is that we develop a really strong workforce of women leaders who can then advocate for changes at the university level to make sure that any forms of systemic discrimination can be torn down, he said.

The lawsuit is currently at the class certification stage. According to Cowie, the UM civil procedures professor, the class certification process determines whether the claims are all the result of the same policy or practice, and defines the members that make up the class.

That certification process could take up to a year, he said, and should the case proceed forward after that, the class action suit would take even longer. He added that any civil case often takes a couple of years to proceed through the courts.
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HUD Unveils Multi-Agency Affordable Housing Plans

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced a series of actions aimed at assisting in the Biden Administrations goal of creating, preserving, and selling about 100,000 affordable houses over the next three years.

The following are the main features of the multi-agency effort.

Restarting the FHA's Section 542 (c)Housing Finance Agency Risk-Sharing Program's partnership with theDepartment of Treasury's Federal Financing Bank (FFB Risk-Sharing which was suspended in 2019. This will provide low-cost, Ginnie Mae- comparable rates to HFAs that finance affordable housing development.

Raising Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's (the GSEs') equity cap for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). Each GSE's annual investment in affordable housing development and preservation through these credits is capped at $500 million. That cap will increase to $850 million each. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) will also increase the Duty to Serve (DTS) rural/targeted investment requirement from 40 percent to 50 percent of each GSE's total LIHTC investment capacity, or $425 million in targeted investment and $425 million in unrestricted investment.

Actions will be taken to expand the supply of manufactured housing and 2-4 unit properties through additional Freddie Mac financing.

Assistance will be provided to state and local governments to boost housing supply by leveraging existing federal funds to reduce exclusionary zoning.

The Treasury Department will be issuing a notice of funding availability for the Capital Magnet Fund (CMF), including changes to strongly encourage affordable housing production. The CMF is a competitive grant program for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and non-profit housing groups funded by the GSEs. Funds must be used to leverage housing and economic development investments at least ten times the size of the award amount. This year's historic pool of $383 million in available funding will facilitate the production of affordable housing units throughout the country. FHFA is also making more funding available to Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) and non-profit housing groups for affordable housing production under the CMF.

HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said, "These actions will expand access to critical capital for state Housing Finance Agencies, empower local communities to build more affordable housing using the historic investments contained in the American Rescue Plan, and advance equitable housing policies such as inclusionary zoning practices."

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released the following statement from its president and CEO Bob Broeksmit in support of the initiatives.

"MBA strongly supports the administration's efforts to increase the housing supply by encouraging the construction and rehabilitation of affordable apartments and homes for renters and first-time buyers.

"The lack of supply is a huge problem, and HUD and FHFA should do what they can administratively while Congress considers more significant initiatives. MBA looks forward to continuing to work with the administration, Congress, and all other stakeholders on ways to address supply constraints and ensure government programs appropriately complement private capital to help both renters and homeowners."
International

Al-Qaeda joins Taliban in attack on Panjshir valley

New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) | Publish Date: 9/2/2021 1:15:27 PM IST

The Al-Qaeda has joined the Taliban in the groups offensive in the Panjshir valley, Ahmad Massouds forces say, Al Arabiya reported.

Earlier reports on Wednesday had said that fighting is ongoing between Taliban fighters and the forces of a resistance front lead by Ahmad Massoud in Panjshir province.

The Taliban confirmed that the fighting has been ongoing for two days and both sides have suffered casualties, Tolo News reported.

Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate were attacked from some circles in Panjshir who bluff and say they will resist. The Mujahideen reacted to the attack and as a result the other side has suffered heavy casualties, said Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Talibans cultural commission.

Residents at the front lines in the Nasaji-Gulbahar area, which is just outside of Panjshir valley, said on Wednesday that the fighting resumed on Tuesday night and is still ongoing. According to locals, most of the people have fled the area, the report said.

The fighting started at 10 pm last night and is still going on, Baba Shirin, a resident of the area, had said. Members of the resistance front, meanwhile, said that they pushed back the Taliban attack on Panjshir and that the Taliban has suffered heavy casualties.

In the past 40 hours the Taliban launched some offensives on Khawak from the Andarab valley of Baghlan. From our side, there were local forces of various districts of Andarab, local forces of Panjshir as well as the ANSDF forces. They fought back very well; they defeated the Taliban on that front. The Taliban lost 40 of their personnel, another 35 of them were wounded, said Fahim Dashti, a spokesman of the resistance front.

The Taliban denied attacking Panjshir, saying that their forces were attacked by Massoud supporters and that they only responded to the attack, the report said.

Amid the ongoing fighting, Amir Khan Muttaqi, a Taliban leader, said on Wednesday that the talks between both sides have failed so far.

He said, however, that the Taliban still wants to resolve the issue peacefully.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the Parliament on Thursday. -- New Age

Prime minister and leader of the house Sheikh Hasina on Thursday told the parliament that measures were being taken to reopen the schools and colleges soon.

She called upon all to maintain the health guidelines alongside taking initiative to clean inside and outside of their houses to contain the spread of coronavirus and dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease.

I have already directed to reopen the schools and colleges soon. Measures have already been taken to this end, the prime minister said while taking part in a discussion on an obituary reference at the death of incumbent lawmaker Hasibur Rahman Swapan from Sirajganj-6 constituency.

The prime minister added that teachers have already been administered the Covid vaccines while measures have been taken to inoculate students of schools in accordance with the World Health Organisation protocol.

In this connection, she said, Teachers have already been given the jabs. Alongside the teachers, their families and other workers in the schools have been brought under the vaccination coverage. We are taking measures to inoculate the students of schools following the directives of the WHO.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury moved the condolence motion on the second day of the 14th session in the 11th parliament. The motion was later adopted unanimously.

Todays session of the parliament was adjourned after adoption of the obituary reference over the death of sitting Awami League, MP, Hasibur Rahman Swapan in order to pay last respect as per the tradition.

AL lawmakers, former chief whip ASM Feroz, whip Abu Sayeed Al Mahmood Swapon, Shamsul Hoque Tuku and Abdul Aziz, took part in the discussion.

Jatiya Party lawmakers, deputy opposition leader Ghulam Muhammed Quader and opposition chief whip Mashiur Rahman Ranga and BNP MP, Harunur Rashid, also spoke on the occasion.

A one-minute silence was observed and a munajat was offered seeking eternal peace of the departed soul. State minister for religious affairs Faridul Haque Khan, MP, conducted the munajat.

Sheikh Hasina, the leader of the house, reassured the countrymen that there was no problem of vaccines in the country, saying, We are bringing vaccines from anywhere by any means.

The prime minister said that her government has already booked 6 crore doses of the Covid vaccine and money has already been sent to this end.

She requested the countrymen to maintain the health guidelines such as wearing masks, washing hands and avoiding mass gatherings though the rate of coronavirus infection is showing a decreasing trend.

The prime minister reminded all about the nature of the Covid-19, saying, We are seeing across the globe that Coronavirus is showing a reducing trend and again it is coming with more strength.

So, everyone should follow the health guidelines to ensure their protection, she said.

The prime minister suggested all to take steam of hot water and do gurgle whenever returning home from outside as part of the precaution against the deadly virus.

She said that the people had been suffering from dengue, adding that everyone should clean their houses and their surroundings to make sure that water cannot remain stagnant anywhere as the dengue mosquito usually lays eggs in the water-filled containers.

People would have to do their part as the government and city corporations are doing their parts to control the dengue, she added.

The prime minister also asked all to use mosquito nets at the time of sleeping as part of the precaution to check dengue.

Describing the August as a month of mourning, she said that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members were killed on August 15, 1975 while 22 leaders and activists of the Awami League, including Ivy Rahman, were killed in the August 21, 2004 grenade attacks.

The current session of the 11th parliament started by adopting an obituary reference over the death of sitting lawmaker Professor Ali Ashraf from Cumilla-7, she said, adding that while the second day of the session also adopted an obituary reference at the death of incumbent MP Hasibur Rahman Swapan.

In this connection she said in an emotion-charged voice, We have lost many colleagues in this parliament. We have adopted an obituary reference yesterday (Wednesday) at the death of a seasoned parliamentarian (Prof Ali Ashraf).Today, we have lost another parliamentarian.

The prime minister said she heard the news of the death of Hasibur Rahman Swapan, who was undergoing treatment in Turkey, early this morning.

Sheikh Hasina, also president of the ruling Awami League, recalled the contribution of Swapan to the overall development of Shahjadpur which was a den of the outlawed Sarbohara once upon a time.

Describing Swapan as a dedicated political leader, she said he also did many social activities that included establishing schools and colleges.

The prime minister said the death of Swapan was a huge loss for the residents of Shahjadpur.

She prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls of the lawmakers who died of coronavirus and from other reasons and conveyed deep sympathy to their bereaved family members.
Berlin Reporter City Council discusses Fire Department bids

by Tara Giles

Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter write the author BERLIN  At the Berlin City Council's work session on Aug. 16, Stuart Arnett from ADG, LLC spoke regarding a Tax Increment Financing District. Arnett mentioned financing tools along with the 'do's and don'ts of a TIF district adoption.



As part of the discussion, Arnette cited examples from other towns in the state. He discussed the procedures for adopting a district and used Route 110 as an example of an infrastructure enhancement that would benefit from a TIF district adoption.



He said, "It's a very simple concept where a public entity makes a public investment that allows private development to go forward bigger, better and sooner and then takes the new revenue from the development to help pay back the public investment."



He clarified to the Council that it's the increase in taxable properties that pays the City back. When the plan is finalized, residents can read it on the City's Web site.



City Manager James Wheeler spoke in regards to the Berlin Municipal Airport and the CRRSA Act Grant.



He stated, "This is a Certificate of Vote that is required to enter into an agreement with the Division of Aeronautics. Back in March, an application was submitted for a grant in the amount of $9,000 for the airport. This grant is related to the Coronavirus relief and can be used for operations."



Wheeler went on to say, "I'm requesting Council to authorize the City Clerk to execute the Certificate of Vote indicating that Mayor Grenier is the Chair of the Berlin Airport Authority, and he is duly authorized to execute the agreement."



The motion carried with a majority.



Discussion moved on to the Mason Street Bridge.



Wheeler said, "I wanted to discuss the Mason Street Bridge closure during the work session because it will be for quite a period of time from Aug. 23, 2021 till mid-October. Vehicular traffic will have to use Cleveland Bridge or 12th Street Bridge. For pedestrian traffic, the suggested plan will be to come into the Tondreau Park, down into the Tondreau Park and across the headworks so they can access Main Street by Toni's Pizza."



Councilor Rozek inquired about public safety. Wheeler relayed that emergency vehicles will have to go around.



Councilor Higbee added to the discussion, asking "Can the bridge that connects the Tondreau Park parking lot to the Tondreau Park be repaired?"



Higbee said that one of the boards is rising up and someone tried to screw it down, but it came back up. Wheeler noted that this was Central Rivers bridge and that they also attended the pre-construction meeting and will pass this information on to them.



Wheeler then presented a handout in regard to Fire Department bids.



"Bids were received and opened last week for the roofing, boiler and windows. All of these will be paid out of the construction loan processed last year," he added.



Wheeler directed the Council to the handout stating there were rounded amounts allocated to the various pieces that totaled $150,000.



He said, "This was the budgeted amount. The bids came in at a total of $161,000 and this is without receiving any bids for the windows."



Floor work for the department was budgeted at $393,000, however Wheeler stated he thinks the amount will come in under that. Bids are due Sept. 2. BERLIN  At the Berlin City Council's work session on Aug. 16, Stuart Arnett from ADG, LLC spoke regarding a Tax Increment Financing District. Arnett mentioned financing tools along with the 'do's and don'ts of a TIF district adoption.As part of the discussion, Arnette cited examples from other towns in the state. He discussed the procedures for adopting a district and used Route 110 as an example of an infrastructure enhancement that would benefit from a TIF district adoption.He said, "It's a very simple concept where a public entity makes a public investment that allows private development to go forward bigger, better and sooner and then takes the new revenue from the development to help pay back the public investment."He clarified to the Council that it's the increase in taxable properties that pays the City back. When the plan is finalized, residents can read it on the City's Web site.City Manager James Wheeler spoke in regards to the Berlin Municipal Airport and the CRRSA Act Grant.He stated, "This is a Certificate of Vote that is required to enter into an agreement with the Division of Aeronautics. Back in March, an application was submitted for a grant in the amount of $9,000 for the airport. This grant is related to the Coronavirus relief and can be used for operations."Wheeler went on to say, "I'm requesting Council to authorize the City Clerk to execute the Certificate of Vote indicating that Mayor Grenier is the Chair of the Berlin Airport Authority, and he is duly authorized to execute the agreement."The motion carried with a majority.Discussion moved on to the Mason Street Bridge.Wheeler said, "I wanted to discuss the Mason Street Bridge closure during the work session because it will be for quite a period of time from Aug. 23, 2021 till mid-October. Vehicular traffic will have to use Cleveland Bridge or 12th Street Bridge. For pedestrian traffic, the suggested plan will be to come into the Tondreau Park, down into the Tondreau Park and across the headworks so they can access Main Street by Toni's Pizza."Councilor Rozek inquired about public safety. Wheeler relayed that emergency vehicles will have to go around.Councilor Higbee added to the discussion, asking "Can the bridge that connects the Tondreau Park parking lot to the Tondreau Park be repaired?"Higbee said that one of the boards is rising up and someone tried to screw it down, but it came back up. Wheeler noted that this was Central Rivers bridge and that they also attended the pre-construction meeting and will pass this information on to them.Wheeler then presented a handout in regard to Fire Department bids."Bids were received and opened last week for the roofing, boiler and windows. All of these will be paid out of the construction loan processed last year," he added.Wheeler directed the Council to the handout stating there were rounded amounts allocated to the various pieces that totaled $150,000.He said, "This was the budgeted amount. The bids came in at a total of $161,000 and this is without receiving any bids for the windows."Floor work for the department was budgeted at $393,000, however Wheeler stated he thinks the amount will come in under that. Bids are due Sept. 2.

Berlin Reporter Locals kick off the cross country season North Country Health Consortium to expand student assistance programs Recent Tara Giles School year off to a smooth start in Groveton

2021-Sep-08 Bezanson wins belt, turns pro

2021-Sep-01 WMRHS girls' soccer wins first game of the season

2021-Sep-01 Whitefield couple leaves big mark on small town

2021-Aug-25 Woodburn appeals sentence

2021-Aug-25 More... Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Carroll County Independent Carroll County again experiencing high Covid-19 transmission

by Elissa Paquette REGION  Carroll County and its neighbors have reached the high Covid-19 transmissibility range. The Center for Disease Control says people in those areas should wear masks while in public indoor settings regardless of vaccination status.



The county, as of Aug. 31, recorded 115 total active cases, with 160 cases cropping up in the last 14 days. The seven-day test positivity was rate 6.7 percent and there were 40 hospitalizations,



13 total deaths, and 2,786 total cases.



The vaccination coverage state wide was estimated at 54 percent, with those with one dose so far, at 60 percent.



The population over age 29 is vaccinated at a higher percentage than those younger, which includes those who will be returning to school. The 0 to 15 age group (eligibility starts at age 12) are at 8 percent, with 10 percent with one dose. The Governor Wentworth Regional School District is requiring masks be worn indoors as long as the county is experiencing substantial to high transmission rates.



A look at sending towns in the school district: Alton, 16 active; Brookfield in 1-4 category; Effingham, 7 active; Middleton in 1-4 category; New Durham, 16 active; Ossipee, 10 active; Tuftonboro,10 active; and Wolfeboro, 13 active. REGION  Carroll County and its neighbors have reached the high Covid-19 transmissibility range. The Center for Disease Control says people in those areas should wear masks while in public indoor settings regardless of vaccination status.The county, as of Aug. 31, recorded 115 total active cases, with 160 cases cropping up in the last 14 days. The seven-day test positivity was rate 6.7 percent and there were 40 hospitalizations,13 total deaths, and 2,786 total cases.The vaccination coverage state wide was estimated at 54 percent, with those with one dose so far, at 60 percent.The population over age 29 is vaccinated at a higher percentage than those younger, which includes those who will be returning to school. The 0 to 15 age group (eligibility starts at age 12) are at 8 percent, with 10 percent with one dose. The Governor Wentworth Regional School District is requiring masks be worn indoors as long as the county is experiencing substantial to high transmission rates.A look at sending towns in the school district: Alton, 16 active; Brookfield in 1-4 category; Effingham, 7 active; Middleton in 1-4 category; New Durham, 16 active; Ossipee, 10 active; Tuftonboro,10 active; and Wolfeboro, 13 active.


Gilford Steamer Old Home Day makes grand comeback

by Erin Plummer

Children take off during the field events. (Photo by Erin Plummer) (click for larger version) The annual day of community fun was back after a yearlong absence and crowds were back for the 101st annual Gilford Old Home Day.



Old Home Day kicked off on Saturday morning with the Gunstock Nordic Association 5K and ended with fireworks and a DJ dance with so many different events in between. Village Field was the center of activity and the location of food vendors, crafters, games, entertainers, and more. More events took place throughout the village and most of Belknap Mountain Road was closed traffic.



This year's theme was "Our Community of Champions," saluting essential workers during the pandemic.



The 2020 Old Home Day was canceled because of concerns related to COVID-19. Parks and Recreation director Herb Greene said the Old Home Day paid close attention to the situation with the pandemic. By April they decided they could confidently plan for the event.



Around 2 p.m., Greene said everything was going great so far especially with nice, comfortable weather.



"Being an outdoor event people can use their own level of caution for sure, but we felt confident we could (plan)," Greene said.



Greene said they were also fortunate that numbers in the area have been relatively low.



Greene said turnout through the afternoon seemed steady. A few groups that usually participate couldn't come this year because of scheduling or low numbers.



"It's great, the community obviously appreciates it," Greene said, adding, "It's a sense of a return to normal to have this event."



Selectman Chan Eddy said he missed Old Home Day



"The Old Home Day Committee did a really good job," he said.



Eddy said not as many people seemed to be out as hoped, saying many people might still be reluctant to go out in a crowd like that with the pandemic still going on.



"I'm glad to see everybody here," Eddy said.



The Thompson-Ames Historical Society opened the Union Meetinghouse and the Mount Belknap Grange to the public. Thompson-Ames president Karin Nelson said quite a few people were coming in and out of the buildings.



Nelson and other volunteers set up a table with a raffle in front of the meetinghouse.



Nelson said she was happy to see Old Home Day back.



"It was great to see so many people," Nelson said.



She said it seemed to be more of a lowkey event this year.



The Thompson-Ames Historical society is looking for volunteers to help out at other events such as Old Home Day and others,



They also hope to bring the Gilford Farmer's Market back in 2022. The 2020 event was canceled because of the pandemic and the 2021 market didn't take place because there wasn't enough time for farmers to prepare.



The Gilford Rotary Club held its 36th annual Pancake Breakfast at the Gilford Community Church.



"It's good to have it back, have some sense of a normal Old Home Day," said Don Clarke of the Gilford Rotary.



Of the club's current 50 members, Clarke said around 20 helped make and serve breakfast.



"I'm happy because it's something that everybody looks forward to every year and when you have a year where you don't have it it's a disappointment," Clarke said.



The club met virtually during the pandemic and recently started meeting in person again with virtual options for those who wanted them.



The Pie and Ice Cream sale and the book sale were back at the Gilford Public Library.



Guests could get a slice of pie with or without ice cream for $5 each and choose from several varieties of pie including apple, blueberry, Toll House, lemon merengue, and others. While the pies are usually scooped from their plates, this year the slices were packaged separately.



Library director Katherine Dormody said the library put the call out to community members for pies and local people brought several of them. Dormody also contributed two Toll House pies.



Dormody said the sale had a great turnout and pie was almost gone before noon.



Across the lawn the book sale went on under a big tent. Shoppers could fill a bag full of books, DVDs, CDs, and other materials for $5.



Volunteer Steve Melbourne said the sale was going really well



"I think people are just glad to be out doing something," Dormody said.



Melbourne said ion the midst of heavy news, it was nice to have the chance to get out and enjoy a parade and some fried dough.



Dormody said the Candlelight Stroll committee is looking for volunteers and are looking at possibly hosting the Candlelight Stroll this year. For more information contact Katherine Dormody at katherine@gilfordlibrary.org. The annual day of community fun was back after a yearlong absence and crowds were back for the 101st annual Gilford Old Home Day.Old Home Day kicked off on Saturday morning with the Gunstock Nordic Association 5K and ended with fireworks and a DJ dance with so many different events in between. Village Field was the center of activity and the location of food vendors, crafters, games, entertainers, and more. More events took place throughout the village and most of Belknap Mountain Road was closed traffic.This year's theme was "Our Community of Champions," saluting essential workers during the pandemic.The 2020 Old Home Day was canceled because of concerns related to COVID-19. Parks and Recreation director Herb Greene said the Old Home Day paid close attention to the situation with the pandemic. By April they decided they could confidently plan for the event.Around 2 p.m., Greene said everything was going great so far especially with nice, comfortable weather."Being an outdoor event people can use their own level of caution for sure, but we felt confident we could (plan)," Greene said.Greene said they were also fortunate that numbers in the area have been relatively low.Greene said turnout through the afternoon seemed steady. A few groups that usually participate couldn't come this year because of scheduling or low numbers."It's great, the community obviously appreciates it," Greene said, adding, "It's a sense of a return to normal to have this event."Selectman Chan Eddy said he missed Old Home Day"The Old Home Day Committee did a really good job," he said.Eddy said not as many people seemed to be out as hoped, saying many people might still be reluctant to go out in a crowd like that with the pandemic still going on."I'm glad to see everybody here," Eddy said.The Thompson-Ames Historical Society opened the Union Meetinghouse and the Mount Belknap Grange to the public. Thompson-Ames president Karin Nelson said quite a few people were coming in and out of the buildings.Nelson and other volunteers set up a table with a raffle in front of the meetinghouse.Nelson said she was happy to see Old Home Day back."It was great to see so many people," Nelson said.She said it seemed to be more of a lowkey event this year.The Thompson-Ames Historical society is looking for volunteers to help out at other events such as Old Home Day and others,They also hope to bring the Gilford Farmer's Market back in 2022. The 2020 event was canceled because of the pandemic and the 2021 market didn't take place because there wasn't enough time for farmers to prepare.The Gilford Rotary Club held its 36th annual Pancake Breakfast at the Gilford Community Church."It's good to have it back, have some sense of a normal Old Home Day," said Don Clarke of the Gilford Rotary.Of the club's current 50 members, Clarke said around 20 helped make and serve breakfast."I'm happy because it's something that everybody looks forward to every year and when you have a year where you don't have it it's a disappointment," Clarke said.The club met virtually during the pandemic and recently started meeting in person again with virtual options for those who wanted them.The Pie and Ice Cream sale and the book sale were back at the Gilford Public Library.Guests could get a slice of pie with or without ice cream for $5 each and choose from several varieties of pie including apple, blueberry, Toll House, lemon merengue, and others. While the pies are usually scooped from their plates, this year the slices were packaged separately.Library director Katherine Dormody said the library put the call out to community members for pies and local people brought several of them. Dormody also contributed two Toll House pies.Dormody said the sale had a great turnout and pie was almost gone before noon.Across the lawn the book sale went on under a big tent. Shoppers could fill a bag full of books, DVDs, CDs, and other materials for $5.Volunteer Steve Melbourne said the sale was going really well"I think people are just glad to be out doing something," Dormody said.Melbourne said ion the midst of heavy news, it was nice to have the chance to get out and enjoy a parade and some fried dough.Dormody said the Candlelight Stroll committee is looking for volunteers and are looking at possibly hosting the Candlelight Stroll this year. For more information contact Katherine Dormody at katherine@gilfordlibrary.org.

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Littleton Courier Local woman discovers unknown sibling

by Angel Larcom

Littleton resident Meggan Wright recently shared her story of adoption and the discovery of a long-lost brother she never knew she had. (Courtesy Photo) (click for larger version) LITTLETON  Meggan Wright of Littleton lives a story that most of us only experience vicariously through television or by reading a novel. Adopted at two months old by a loving family in New York City, she discovered a previously unknown younger brother fifty years later in 2018.



Wright grew up in Long Island, always aware that she was adopted. In stark contrast, her brother, who grew up in Queens, discovered it by complete accident. A cousin broke the news to him after his father's untimely death from a heart attack when he was 13 years old.



Twenty-five years ago, Wright reached out to the Catholic Charities of New York, who handled her adoption, to inquire about any possible living relatives. Decades passed with no news until the summer of 2018, when she received an unexpected letter from the New York Department of Health informing her that she had a younger biological sibling who was also adopted.



"My parents already had a son, but my mother couldn't have another child, so they sought adoption. It was a picturesque life and a lovely way to grow up. They were very open with me about the adoption, I was in a loving household, and I had everything I could want," said Wright.



Wright explained that her adoptive parents indicated their unconditional support if she wanted to research her origins. However, apart from a passing curiosity about medical records or where she got her defining features, she had no desire to seek additional information until well into adulthood.



"To this day, I still walk around and notice when family members are obviously related. I always wanted that, so I contacted the Catholic Charities when I was about 30 years old. They had me fill out some paperwork and added a notarized letter to my file that said I was available if anyone in my bloodline reached out," explained the Littleton resident.



"That document stayed in my file, and I never heard anything until a couple of years ago. The letter that I received was generic and didn't indicate if I had a sister or brother. It was very exciting, but I also had the notion that what if he or she was a nightmare? I decided almost immediately that it would be worth finding out," continued Wright.



Both Wright and her brother, Gerald Weber, were notified of the match and were required to submit notarized forms that they wished to proceed. She received a second letter from the health department ten days later with her brother's contact information.



The siblings immediately sent introductory letters to one another. Wright said she wanted to get a sense of Weber through the written word and then meet him in person.



"I didn't want to see a picture and I didn't want to hear a voice. I just wanted correspondence to feel him out, so I wrote a notecard that conveyed how excited I was and included my email and phone number. Ten days later, I got a letter from him. It turned out that we had both written our letters on the same day, mailed them on the same day and received them on the same day," said Wright.



Weber's four-page letter opened with, "Hey sis, where have you been all my life?"



As their correspondence became more frequent, the siblings discovered that they grew up 45 minutes from one another and they remembered many of the same popular haunts from childhood. They wondered if they had ever been at the same place at the same time without ever knowing of the other's existence.



The siblings, who are only 14 months apart, were also puzzled why it took the state health department more than 50 years to match their records. At no point did either of them consider taking in-home DNA tests.



Weber and Wright met in person for the first time in the fall of 2018. Wright said she arrived first, and her brother walked into the restaurant while he husband was still outside parking the car. She handed her phone to the server and asked him to record what was about to happen.



"I could tell immediately that it was my brother. It was like watching a fraternal twin walk into the room. We look so much alike that we're fairly confident that we share the same father as well as the same mother," explained Wright.



Not only did the siblings share several physical traits, but they also discovered the same sense of humor and speech patterns. Wright described it as if she were looking into a mirror.



After that initial meeting, Wright sought more information about their birth mother from the Catholic Charities. She soon received a four-page letter from one of the nuns in response.



"Your birth mother was 17 years old at the time of your birth. She was a single Caucasian Catholic of Scottish-Hungarian background and was completing her junior year in high school. People found her to be a very impressive girl with a great deal of ego-strength, attractive and mature for her age," said the nun.



The letter contained an impressive amount of non-identifying details about Wright's birth mother and father, aunts, uncles and grandparents. It included such individualized details as height, weight, health history and employment for each relative.



The nun also described Wright's mother's wishes for her newly born child, her birth, naming, baptism and temporary foster home placement.



She wrote, "Your birth mother verbalized her feelings for her expected baby and wanted the best for her, and decided adoption was the best plan."



Wright said, "We just have to assume that this guy was the love of our mother's life. She got pregnant again and was forced again by faith, time and culture to give up her second baby. Maybe if things were different, she might have kept us both."



One year after the siblings met face-to-face, Weber published a book about his youth called Raised by Queens. In it, he lightheartedly described the multi-generational matriarchs of his adoptive family, the discovery of his adoption and meeting his sister.



"My brother said that if his cousin hadn't spilled the beans, he wouldn't have understood the letter that he got from the NY Department of Vital Records and he would have considered it a mistake. So in retrospect, it was a good thing that leak happened," said Wright. LITTLETON  Meggan Wright of Littleton lives a story that most of us only experience vicariously through television or by reading a novel. Adopted at two months old by a loving family in New York City, she discovered a previously unknown younger brother fifty years later in 2018.Wright grew up in Long Island, always aware that she was adopted. In stark contrast, her brother, who grew up in Queens, discovered it by complete accident. A cousin broke the news to him after his father's untimely death from a heart attack when he was 13 years old.Twenty-five years ago, Wright reached out to the Catholic Charities of New York, who handled her adoption, to inquire about any possible living relatives. Decades passed with no news until the summer of 2018, when she received an unexpected letter from the New York Department of Health informing her that she had a younger biological sibling who was also adopted."My parents already had a son, but my mother couldn't have another child, so they sought adoption. It was a picturesque life and a lovely way to grow up. They were very open with me about the adoption, I was in a loving household, and I had everything I could want," said Wright.Wright explained that her adoptive parents indicated their unconditional support if she wanted to research her origins. However, apart from a passing curiosity about medical records or where she got her defining features, she had no desire to seek additional information until well into adulthood."To this day, I still walk around and notice when family members are obviously related. I always wanted that, so I contacted the Catholic Charities when I was about 30 years old. They had me fill out some paperwork and added a notarized letter to my file that said I was available if anyone in my bloodline reached out," explained the Littleton resident."That document stayed in my file, and I never heard anything until a couple of years ago. The letter that I received was generic and didn't indicate if I had a sister or brother. It was very exciting, but I also had the notion that what if he or she was a nightmare? I decided almost immediately that it would be worth finding out," continued Wright.Both Wright and her brother, Gerald Weber, were notified of the match and were required to submit notarized forms that they wished to proceed. She received a second letter from the health department ten days later with her brother's contact information.The siblings immediately sent introductory letters to one another. Wright said she wanted to get a sense of Weber through the written word and then meet him in person."I didn't want to see a picture and I didn't want to hear a voice. I just wanted correspondence to feel him out, so I wrote a notecard that conveyed how excited I was and included my email and phone number. Ten days later, I got a letter from him. It turned out that we had both written our letters on the same day, mailed them on the same day and received them on the same day," said Wright.Weber's four-page letter opened with, "Hey sis, where have you been all my life?"As their correspondence became more frequent, the siblings discovered that they grew up 45 minutes from one another and they remembered many of the same popular haunts from childhood. They wondered if they had ever been at the same place at the same time without ever knowing of the other's existence.The siblings, who are only 14 months apart, were also puzzled why it took the state health department more than 50 years to match their records. At no point did either of them consider taking in-home DNA tests.Weber and Wright met in person for the first time in the fall of 2018. Wright said she arrived first, and her brother walked into the restaurant while he husband was still outside parking the car. She handed her phone to the server and asked him to record what was about to happen."I could tell immediately that it was my brother. It was like watching a fraternal twin walk into the room. We look so much alike that we're fairly confident that we share the same father as well as the same mother," explained Wright.Not only did the siblings share several physical traits, but they also discovered the same sense of humor and speech patterns. Wright described it as if she were looking into a mirror.After that initial meeting, Wright sought more information about their birth mother from the Catholic Charities. She soon received a four-page letter from one of the nuns in response."Your birth mother was 17 years old at the time of your birth. She was a single Caucasian Catholic of Scottish-Hungarian background and was completing her junior year in high school. People found her to be a very impressive girl with a great deal of ego-strength, attractive and mature for her age," said the nun.The letter contained an impressive amount of non-identifying details about Wright's birth mother and father, aunts, uncles and grandparents. It included such individualized details as height, weight, health history and employment for each relative.The nun also described Wright's mother's wishes for her newly born child, her birth, naming, baptism and temporary foster home placement.She wrote, "Your birth mother verbalized her feelings for her expected baby and wanted the best for her, and decided adoption was the best plan."Wright said, "We just have to assume that this guy was the love of our mother's life. She got pregnant again and was forced again by faith, time and culture to give up her second baby. Maybe if things were different, she might have kept us both."One year after the siblings met face-to-face, Weber published a book about his youth called Raised by Queens. In it, he lightheartedly described the multi-generational matriarchs of his adoptive family, the discovery of his adoption and meeting his sister."My brother said that if his cousin hadn't spilled the beans, he wouldn't have understood the letter that he got from the NY Department of Vital Records and he would have considered it a mistake. So in retrospect, it was a good thing that leak happened," said Wright.

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Littleton Courier Littleton Select Board accepts federal rescue funds

by Angel Larcom LITTLETON  The Littleton Select Board accepted over $300,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funding during a public hearing on Aug. 23. According to Littleton Town Manager Jim Gleason, the municipality would receive the same amount again next year for a total of $614,000.



Gleason indicated that the first payment had already arrived and would be deposited upon Select Board approval. He also said the federal government limited how the funds could be spent.



"The town can use the funds for public health expenditures that address the negative economic impact of COVID -19, to replace public sector revenue, to offset premium pay for essential workers and invest in water, sewer and broadband. While the public hearing is designed to take input from the public, these are the areas we're highlighting for the funds," noted Gleason.



According to Gleason, the town's welfare program continued to see high demand in 2021. Selectmen Milton Bratz agreed.



"We've got 15 years' worth of welfare payments to look back. IN 2019, we spent $67,000 on welfare. In 2020, we spent $191,700. This year, through August, we're spending at a level of 79% of our 2000 plan," noted Bratz.



The Selectman continued, "A lot of communities are having this problem because people are losing their homes and places to stay. And it's going to get worse because all the mandates are over."



Gleason noted that the town could not use ARPA funding to offset welfare expenditures in 2020. He also recommended using the federal money to replenish the police fund and offset revenue losses at the Littleton Opera House during closures. The remainder would be invested in broadband infrastructure.



None of the ARPA funds could be used to repair Littleton's failing wastewater treatment facility, said Gleason, because it wasn't a COVID-related expense. However, he noted that a portion of the funds could be used as an investment in the facility, allowing the municipality to re-treat the septic waste it stopped accepting earlier this year.



"Tonight, we are only giving you some highlights of where we will be asking for specific authorization to put the money. You're only being asked to accept the initial payment of $307,264.11," stated the town official.



The complete plan remains in development and is not due until October. Gleason said the Selectmen would receive specific dollar amounts for welfare, the police fund and the Opera House at the Sept 13 board meeting. The Littleton Select Board voted unanimously to accept the ARPA funds. LITTLETON  The Littleton Select Board accepted over $300,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funding during a public hearing on Aug. 23. According to Littleton Town Manager Jim Gleason, the municipality would receive the same amount again next year for a total of $614,000.Gleason indicated that the first payment had already arrived and would be deposited upon Select Board approval. He also said the federal government limited how the funds could be spent."The town can use the funds for public health expenditures that address the negative economic impact of COVID -19, to replace public sector revenue, to offset premium pay for essential workers and invest in water, sewer and broadband. While the public hearing is designed to take input from the public, these are the areas we're highlighting for the funds," noted Gleason.According to Gleason, the town's welfare program continued to see high demand in 2021. Selectmen Milton Bratz agreed."We've got 15 years' worth of welfare payments to look back. IN 2019, we spent $67,000 on welfare. In 2020, we spent $191,700. This year, through August, we're spending at a level of 79% of our 2000 plan," noted Bratz.The Selectman continued, "A lot of communities are having this problem because people are losing their homes and places to stay. And it's going to get worse because all the mandates are over."Gleason noted that the town could not use ARPA funding to offset welfare expenditures in 2020. He also recommended using the federal money to replenish the police fund and offset revenue losses at the Littleton Opera House during closures. The remainder would be invested in broadband infrastructure.None of the ARPA funds could be used to repair Littleton's failing wastewater treatment facility, said Gleason, because it wasn't a COVID-related expense. However, he noted that a portion of the funds could be used as an investment in the facility, allowing the municipality to re-treat the septic waste it stopped accepting earlier this year."Tonight, we are only giving you some highlights of where we will be asking for specific authorization to put the money. You're only being asked to accept the initial payment of $307,264.11," stated the town official.The complete plan remains in development and is not due until October. Gleason said the Selectmen would receive specific dollar amounts for welfare, the police fund and the Opera House at the Sept 13 board meeting. The Littleton Select Board voted unanimously to accept the ARPA funds.

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Meredith News Taylor House demolished

by Erin Plummer MOULTONBOROUGH  After several years of debate discussion on alternate uses, and a few proposed plans that didn't come to fruition, the French-Taylor House was torn down.



An empty lot now sits at the property at 970 Whittier Highway where the French-Taylor House once stood.



On July 1, the board of selectmen voted in favor of tearing down the 170-year-old house. Demolition formally started on Aug. 16 with removing asbestos siding and the house was torn down shortly afterward.



The house and its property have been the center of debate since the town purchased the property in 2014 and proposals developed for that property to be used for a possible community center, which all have failed to get the required number of votes at past town meetings.



The Heritage Commission has worked to preserve the building and find new uses for it. The building has been studied numerous times by architectural and historic experts with recommendations to save and repurpose the building. Recently representatives from the New Hampshire Division of Historical resources and the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance wrote to the board of selectmen asking it to save and repurpose the building. The house was also on the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance's "Seven to Save" list and was on the state's history registry.



The property has been on the market a few times and each time did not bring any proposals that came to fruition. This included two proposals for businesses in that house that fell through and more recent talks of an agreement with Huggins Hospital that also failed to materialize.



In 2020 a warrant article calling for the house's demolition was tabled. This year voters approved Article 16, a petition article at this year's town meeting authorizing the expenditure of up to $75,000 to complete a site study on the property and come up with design and engineering plans.



On July 1, the board of selectmen voted four in favor with one abstention to tear down the building.



Selectmen chair Kevin Quinlan during that meeting that a condition assessment was done of the building around 2017 and revised in 2018 that estimated the building's rehabilitation would be as high as $341,3000 considering factors such as deterioration of the building and how many different trades would need to be involved.



Quinlan said the construction market was already volatile in 2017 but has likely gotten worse recently. He said the cost of renovating and rehabilitating that building to a level it can be maintained could be two or three times more than the initial projected cost.



Members of the board agreed with comments including how cost prohibitive a rehabilitation would be, the lack of a concrete plan for the building, and wanting to see something done about the vacant building.



Heritage Commission chair Cristina Ashjian said the vote to tear down the building was unexpected and the action was premature.



Ashjian said the building should have been relisted. She said when the building was put on the market in December of 2019 for six months, the first three months were bitter winter weather that made showing an unheated building difficult and the last three were the initial wave of the pandemic. Since then, the real estate market picked way up around the summer and there have been more people interested in seeing the property.



Ashjian also said the amount of money quoted to renovate the property was a "huge exaggeration," saying former Heritage Commission member Norman Larson got different quotes on renovating the building. She said the building's foundation as sturdy and the original builder was a well-known stonecutter and pieces of the building were in "pristine condition."



Deven Spears, part owner of Spears Brothers Building Wrecking, however, said the building looked stable from the outside but they were surprised to find there were serious structural issues.



"Once we actually started demo, there was significant dry rot in most if not all of the beams structure wise," Spears said.



He said the section in the best shape was the barn, which was surprising since barn structures tend to rot a lot quicker.



Spears said the building's degradation was the result of several factors, one of which was how a part of the roof ripped off several years ago.



Demolition started on Aug. 16 with the removal of asbestos containing siding. Spears said some other asbestos materials were found in the roofing and the window glazing, all of which had to be removed before demolition could commence. Ashjian this process also revealed the original siding, which she said was in good condition said a number of people talked to her saying they thought the building was being renovated.



After the asbestos was removed and tests gave the building a clean bill of health, demolition officially started.



Ashjian said there were many rare and antique materials in the house that could have been salvaged such as woodwork, amber glass lightning rods, and others that was just destroyed instead of being salvaged.



Spears, however, said the company has found in its history there has been little resale value for salvaged materials and they tend to take up space.



"There's always a story to every building and everybody says, 'You should have saved this,'" Spears said. "We've done all of that and our yard used to be full of all of those things and they sit and they rot and degrade you lose money."



On July 28, Larson submitted his letter of resignation from the Heritage Commission, saying the decision to tear down the house and other decisions led him to believe the town's elected representatives showed no support for the Heritage Commission's work. (Larson couldn't be reached for comment as of press time).



Ashjian said it is a tragedy that the town decided not to put the property up for sale again during one of the most exuberant markets.



"We totally lost that opportunity from June 2020 to the present and made the irreversible and tragic dec to demo a landmark house recognized not just in the community but also on the state level," Ashjian said. MOULTONBOROUGH  After several years of debate discussion on alternate uses, and a few proposed plans that didn't come to fruition, the French-Taylor House was torn down.An empty lot now sits at the property at 970 Whittier Highway where the French-Taylor House once stood.On July 1, the board of selectmen voted in favor of tearing down the 170-year-old house. Demolition formally started on Aug. 16 with removing asbestos siding and the house was torn down shortly afterward.The house and its property have been the center of debate since the town purchased the property in 2014 and proposals developed for that property to be used for a possible community center, which all have failed to get the required number of votes at past town meetings.The Heritage Commission has worked to preserve the building and find new uses for it. The building has been studied numerous times by architectural and historic experts with recommendations to save and repurpose the building. Recently representatives from the New Hampshire Division of Historical resources and the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance wrote to the board of selectmen asking it to save and repurpose the building. The house was also on the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance's "Seven to Save" list and was on the state's history registry.The property has been on the market a few times and each time did not bring any proposals that came to fruition. This included two proposals for businesses in that house that fell through and more recent talks of an agreement with Huggins Hospital that also failed to materialize.In 2020 a warrant article calling for the house's demolition was tabled. This year voters approved Article 16, a petition article at this year's town meeting authorizing the expenditure of up to $75,000 to complete a site study on the property and come up with design and engineering plans.On July 1, the board of selectmen voted four in favor with one abstention to tear down the building.Selectmen chair Kevin Quinlan during that meeting that a condition assessment was done of the building around 2017 and revised in 2018 that estimated the building's rehabilitation would be as high as $341,3000 considering factors such as deterioration of the building and how many different trades would need to be involved.Quinlan said the construction market was already volatile in 2017 but has likely gotten worse recently. He said the cost of renovating and rehabilitating that building to a level it can be maintained could be two or three times more than the initial projected cost.Members of the board agreed with comments including how cost prohibitive a rehabilitation would be, the lack of a concrete plan for the building, and wanting to see something done about the vacant building.Heritage Commission chair Cristina Ashjian said the vote to tear down the building was unexpected and the action was premature.Ashjian said the building should have been relisted. She said when the building was put on the market in December of 2019 for six months, the first three months were bitter winter weather that made showing an unheated building difficult and the last three were the initial wave of the pandemic. Since then, the real estate market picked way up around the summer and there have been more people interested in seeing the property.Ashjian also said the amount of money quoted to renovate the property was a "huge exaggeration," saying former Heritage Commission member Norman Larson got different quotes on renovating the building. She said the building's foundation as sturdy and the original builder was a well-known stonecutter and pieces of the building were in "pristine condition."Deven Spears, part owner of Spears Brothers Building Wrecking, however, said the building looked stable from the outside but they were surprised to find there were serious structural issues."Once we actually started demo, there was significant dry rot in most if not all of the beams structure wise," Spears said.He said the section in the best shape was the barn, which was surprising since barn structures tend to rot a lot quicker.Spears said the building's degradation was the result of several factors, one of which was how a part of the roof ripped off several years ago.Demolition started on Aug. 16 with the removal of asbestos containing siding. Spears said some other asbestos materials were found in the roofing and the window glazing, all of which had to be removed before demolition could commence. Ashjian this process also revealed the original siding, which she said was in good condition said a number of people talked to her saying they thought the building was being renovated.After the asbestos was removed and tests gave the building a clean bill of health, demolition officially started.Ashjian said there were many rare and antique materials in the house that could have been salvaged such as woodwork, amber glass lightning rods, and others that was just destroyed instead of being salvaged.Spears, however, said the company has found in its history there has been little resale value for salvaged materials and they tend to take up space."There's always a story to every building and everybody says, 'You should have saved this,'" Spears said. "We've done all of that and our yard used to be full of all of those things and they sit and they rot and degrade you lose money."On July 28, Larson submitted his letter of resignation from the Heritage Commission, saying the decision to tear down the house and other decisions led him to believe the town's elected representatives showed no support for the Heritage Commission's work. (Larson couldn't be reached for comment as of press time).Ashjian said it is a tragedy that the town decided not to put the property up for sale again during one of the most exuberant markets."We totally lost that opportunity from June 2020 to the present and made the irreversible and tragic dec to demo a landmark house recognized not just in the community but also on the state level," Ashjian said.

Meredith News Plans for veterans' park in beginning stages Selectmen move forward with Main Street engineering proposal Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-01 22:15:27|Editor: huaxia

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Journalists visit a venue of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2021. The CIFTIS is a major platform for trade in services in China. (Xinhua/Lu Peng)

China's endeavors to promote high-quality development reflect its commitment to the world's common prosperity. If the world's countries all join forces, the global community will emerge victorious from the pandemic and the economic downturn at an early date, and improve people's quality of life in the long run.

by Xinhua writer He Fei

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- People's way of living has been turning increasingly digital, and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating this transformation across the globe.

Businesses and industry leaders worldwide will gather in Beijing on Thursday to attend the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). Digital services, the main focus of the six-day fair this year, are set to expand their cooperation through the creation of abundant opportunities.

The leap-frogging digital growth in China in recent years has become a key driving force for high-quality development pursued by the country. China's endeavors to achieve better growth will, on a global scale, be a boost for the world's post-pandemic recovery that is seeing some positive signs.

With services trade being a pillar of China's vibrant economic activities, China's economic resilience will provide broad prospects for international cooperation amid the pandemic.

China has effectively controlled the virus with stringent and persistent measures, including combating a recent surge of Delta cases in some parts of the country. The launch of the 2021 services fair in Beijing during the pandemic is proof of its successful handling of the virus.

Journalists visit a venue of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Lu Peng)

The arduous battle has enabled the country to maintain growth in the pandemic-hit 2020 while other major countries have failed to do so, and score a 12.7-percent growth year-on-year in the first half of 2021.

Trade in services has recorded a leap due to China's push for high-level opening-up and all-round innovations since 2021 -- the country's imports and exports of services totaled 2.37 trillion yuan (365.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of the year, up 6.7 percent annually.

Digital services are experiencing a gradual shift from an alternative to a necessity, as traditional forms in the services sector, such as tourism and transport, have been dealt a hard blow by the raging pandemic.

In 2020, China's digitally deliverable trade in services rose by 8.4 percent year-on-year, and accounted for 44.5 percent of the total services trade, official data showed.

While livestreaming, e-commerce, unmanned logistics and other forms of digital services are booming, China has also been strengthening its regulation of the digital industry to provide fertile soil for high-quality growth.

A director (R) of a garment company, who gets capital support from south China's Guangdong Province, talks with her employee on the details of livestreaming to promote sales in Payzawat County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

The Chinese authorities have been making progress in breaking the monopoly of a few Internet giants to maintain fair and healthy market competition. Just in July, they launched a six-month campaign to target activities that disrupt market order, damage consumer rights, and threaten data security.

Meanwhile, China has been continuously pushing for a further opening-up of its market to facilitate the access of high-quality foreign enterprises in the services sector.

A slew of measures include the shortening of the negative list for foreign investment for four consecutive years, and the release of a negative list for cross-border trade in services at the Hainan free trade port, among others.

Foreign enterprises have shown robust confidence in the Chinese market due to its market size and resilience against economic headwinds. Data showed foreign direct investment in the Chinese mainland has maintained a sound momentum since the second half of 2020.

Visitors learn about an unmanned express delivery vehicle during the China International Big Data Industry Expo 2021 in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

The world's second largest economy has also held yearly editions of several international trade fairs, including the CIFTIS in Beijing, the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, and the China Import and Export Fair, among others, to set up venues for stronger interconnectivity among markets worldwide.

China's endeavors to promote high-quality development reflect its commitment to the world's common prosperity. If the world's countries all join forces, the global community will emerge victorious from the pandemic and the economic downturn at an early date, and improve people's quality of life in the long run. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-01 22:47:25|Editor: huaxia

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A health worker checks the document of a person before giving him a shot of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Yangon, Myanmar, Sept. 1, 2021. The number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 402,640 on Wednesday after 3,358 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, according to a release from the Ministry of Health. (Xinhua/U Aung)

YANGON, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 402,640 on Wednesday after 3,358 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, according to a release from the Ministry of Health.

A total of 101 new deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 15,490 in the country as of Wednesday, the release said.

According to the ministry's figures, a total of 353,811 patients have been discharged from hospitals and over 3.65 million samples have been tested for COVID-19 so far.

Over 2.1 million people have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 as of Tuesday.

Myanmar detected 15 cases of Delta variant of COVID-19 in the country after samples were tested on Aug. 28, the ministry's recent release said.

The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar on Tuesday donated 500 oxygen concentrators to the Ministry of Health, according to the embassy's release on Wednesday.

Myanmar detected its first two COVID-19 cases on March 23 last year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-01 23:27:06|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses the opening of a training session for young and middle-aged officials at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), Sept. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on young officials to firm up their ideals, stay loyal to the Party, seek truth from facts, shoulder responsibilities, and strive to become the backbone of a society trusted by the Party and people with important tasks.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing the opening of a training session for young and middle-aged officials at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance).

Noting that young officials are born and live in a great era, Xi said they are the vital contingent for the cause of the Party and the people.

The CPC has always been a Party harboring lofty ideals and indomitable conviction, Xi said, adding that the ideals and conviction refer to the belief in Marxism, the great ideal of Communism and a shared ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Only with these ideals and conviction can CPC members and officials be able to withstand all tests, go steady and reach far, Xi said.

He said staying loyal to the Party is the best demonstration of the ideals and conviction, stressing that such loyalty has a clear gauge in peaceful times -- upholding the Party's leadership and resolutely safeguarding the authority as well as the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee.

Xi encouraged young officials to strive for the honor of being stationed in harsh and remote places. "Success rarely comes without arduousness and rich experience," he said.

Stressing reality-based solutions, Xi urged young officials to visit the primary level to learn about development and defect while absorbing both praise and criticism, so that they can gain a thorough understanding of the real situation.

Xi called on young officials to include honest words, deeds and personality as an important part of honing their Party spirit.

Xi underlined fulfilling duties and shouldering responsibilities as what gives value to officials. "We must be brave and resolute to do anything that is good for the Party and the people," he said.

Upholding principles is an important character trait of communists, and a crucial standard to evaluate an official's competence, Xi said, adding that all Party officials should be fair and just in performing duties and leave no place for personal favor in their work.

DARE TO STRUGGLE

Warning of the significantly increased risks and challenges as the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered a critical period, Xi told young officials to "cast away illusions and dare to struggle."

On matters of principle, no concession shall be made, Xi said. He urged young officials to safeguard China's national sovereignty, security, and development interests with "unprecedented" determination and quality.

"Communists should have character, integrity, and courage so that we'll never be taken in by fallacies, never tremble in the face of danger, and never be spineless cowards," he said.

Xi urged young officials to revere the Party, the people, the law and discipline, and always put the Party and the people at the center of their hearts.

Highlighting the current era of unprecedented changes and the Party's unprecedented great cause, Xi said young officials should cherish time, study assiduously, and read more good books.

Stressing the significance of practice, Xi also called on them to sum up and reflect on experience accumulated in practice.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended the opening ceremony. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 00:42:49|Editor: huaxia

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-- A national campaign has been launched in China to reduce excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for students receiving the free nine-year compulsory education.

-- A document released by Chinese authorities in July has called on schools to recalibrate homework assignments and improve classroom teaching to boost the efficiency of students' in-school study.

-- Regulations over off-campus institutions providing curriculum subject-tutoring services will be strengthened, while after-class services in schools will be extended to meet students' individualized demands, according to the document.

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- School bells rang again across China as the fall semester kicked off on Wednesday with strict anti-epidemic measures in place.



This academic year is expected to inject fresh air into China's basic education as a national campaign has been launched to reduce excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for students receiving the free nine-year compulsory education.

The campaign has sent the newly coined term "Shuangjian," or "double reduction" in English, trending for weeks on social media since the middle of summer vacation, as the lives of millions of students in primary and junior high schools are expected to see big changes.

For many years in China, heavy workloads and wildly growing off-campus tutoring services have compelled pre-college students to get into excessive, and sometimes unfair, competition.

The situation has also aggravated parents' financial burden and caused immense anxiety among those who always want their children to receive the best education.

In response to the society's growing concerns regarding the issue, Chinese authorities in July issued a document specifying a set of requirements and guidelines aimed at pursuing a high-quality basic education and ensuring students' healthy growth and all-round development.

The guidelines called on schools to recalibrate homework assignments and improve classroom teaching to boost the efficiency of students' in-school study.

At the same time, regulations over off-campus institutions providing curriculum subject-tutoring services will be strengthened, while after-class services in schools will be extended to meet students' individualized demands, according to the document.

No paper-and-pencil exams will be arranged for first- and second-graders in primary schools, and only a final examination is allowed at the end of the semester for other grades, said Lyu Yugang, an official with the Ministry of Education, at a press conference on Monday.

As the main "battlefield" of the national campaign, primary and junior high schools across the country have started to implement relevant policies formulated by local authorities based on the document.

A teacher greets a first-year student with a flower-shaped badge at the Taipinglu Primary School in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

In Beijing, all related schools will offer a 2-hour after-class service from Monday to Friday, and extend the duration for students with special demands, said the municipal education authorities.

The service will allow some 1.4 million students to do their assignments on the campus or foster their hobbies in arts, sports, and other areas under the guidance of professional instructors.

Physical health will be emphasized as more extra time is spared from academic studies. Luwan Middle School in Shanghai plans to establish a monitoring platform for parents to upload information including their children's sleeping time, the completion time of homework, among others, for continuous adjustment of workloads.

Many cities have also taken concrete measures to improve educational equality. Beijing will promote rotation of principals and teachers among schools, while schools in Nanjing, the provincial capital of Jiangsu, will try to maintain each class with students of similar average learning abilities.

"During the phase of compulsory education, schools should give equal attention and care to every student," said Weng Deqiang, principal of Jinling High School Xianlin Campus in Nanjing.

Schools are also encouraged to make good use of online courses designed by elite teachers across the country. A nationwide selection of high-quality basic education courses was launched this month, said Lyu with the Ministry of Education on Monday.

Students walk on the campus at Shuiguohu No.1 elementary school in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Sept. 1, 2021. (Photo by Deng Nan/Xinhua)

EXPECTATIONS VS. CHALLENGES

Students and parents are full of expectations for a brand-new life in the "double reduction" era.

Zhang Yi, 14, from Peking Academy High School in Beijing, said he feels happy because he will have more time for extracurricular activities.

An Jin, a resident of Nantong of Jiangsu Province, was surprised to learn that his fourth-grader daughter will be able to stay at school for two additional hours every school day.

"This will greatly reduce the burden on our whole family," he said. As both he and his wife have to go to work, the job of picking up the child from school could only be left to the grandparents.

A father of a junior high school student in Beijing, on condition of anonymity, said he no longer has to worry about his child's eyesight with less homework.

He, however, has mixed feelings about the effects of certain changes, wondering whether his child's scores will slide without enough off-campus tutoring.

"I told him to take more initiative in studies because now he will rely more on himself than before," he added.

Education experts have their answers to the issue. Yang Zhenfeng, an official with the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, said in a recent interview that a "theater effect" is undesirable in a healthy education system.

"When some students take off-campus courses, their scores may be improved. But when all students do so, the admission scores will rise," he said.

In the long term, with constant improvement of schools' after-class services, more students will come back to the campus instead of trying to find expensive one-on-one tutoring, said Zhang Zhiyong, a professor with Beijing Normal University.

Experts also called for attention to enhancing teachers' motivation in face of longer school days. According to the Ministry of Education, teachers are allowed to work on a flexible time schedule and obtain subsidies for after-school services.

Pupils walk to attend the opening ceremony for the new semester at the Taipinglu Primary School in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

RESTORING HEALTHY EDUCATION SYSTEM

Guiding principles of the initiative have called for efforts to build a good education ecology, effectively relieve parents' anxiety, and promote students' all-round and healthy growth.

"'Double reduction' is not to reduce the quality of education, but to improve efficiency," said Miao Dejun, vice principal of Jiangsu Rugao Senior High School.

With more targeted school-based teaching strategies, children will naturally get more pleasure in learning, he added.

Chu Zhaohui, a researcher with the National Institute of Education Sciences, said that a scientific, people-oriented educational concept should be established, and educators should not focus on students' scores only.

"This school year will see profound changes for schools, students and parents, and all parties need to adapt and respond to changes in a rational way," he added.

(Video Reporter: Pan Xu, Wang Pu, Shang Kunlun, Jiang Liang. Video editor: Liu Xiaorui) 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 00:54:20|Editor: huaxia

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Fire fighters battle a blaze raging near Makrymalli village on Evia island, Greece, on Aug. 13, 2019. (Photo by Nick Paleologos/Xinhua)

From 1970 to 2019, weather, climate and water hazards accounted for 50 percent of all disasters, 74 percent of all reported economic losses, and 45 percent of all reported deaths, a latest WMO report said.

More than 91 percent of these deaths occurred in developing countries.

GENEVA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The number of weather-related disasters has increased by five times over the past 50 years, the latest report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday.

However, thanks to improved early warning systems and disaster management, the number of deaths from these hazards has been almost three times less.

According to the WMO Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes (1970 - 2019), there were more than 11,000 reported disasters globally, with over two million deaths and 3.64 trillion U.S. dollars in losses.

From 1970 to 2019, weather, climate and water hazards accounted for 50 percent of all disasters, 74 percent of all reported economic losses, and 45 percent of all reported deaths, the report says. More than 91 percent of these deaths occurred in developing countries.

Among the top 10 hazards that led to the largest loss of human life during this period were droughts, storms, floods and extreme temperatures. However, the death toll fell from over 50 000 in the 1970s to less than 20 000 in the 2010s.

In terms of economic losses, three of the 10 costliest disasters occurred in 2017, including Hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma. These three hurricanes alone accounted for 35 percent of total economic losses from the top 10 disasters globally from 1970 to 2019.

"Weather, climate and water extremes are increasing and will become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world as a result of climate change," says WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

A tree is seen snapped off by Hurricane Ida in Houma, Louisiana, the United States, Aug. 30, 2021. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)

"That means more heatwaves, drought and forest fires such as those we have observed recently in Europe and North America. We have more water vapor in the atmosphere, which is exacerbating extreme rainfall and deadly flooding. The warming of the oceans has affected the frequency and area of existence of the most intense tropical storms."

"Economic losses are mounting as exposure increases. But behind the stark statistics lies a message of hope. Improved multi-hazard early warning systems have led to a significant reduction in mortality. Quite simply, we are better than ever before at saving lives," Taalas said.

The WMO report called for disaster risk financing mechanisms to be reinforced at national and international levels, especially for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States and Territories, while developing integrated and proactive policies on slow-onset disasters such as drought.

A woman carrying a child wades in flood water caused by heavy rain and overflowing of river at Dhemaji district of India's northeastern state of Assam, on Aug. 28, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)




Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 02:02:25|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry via video link, Sept. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday met with the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry via video link upon invitation, urging the U.S. side to work with China and take active steps to bring ties back on track.

China-U.S. cooperation on climate change serves interests of both sides and the world, and enjoys broad development prospect, but such cooperation cannot sustain without an improved bilateral relationship, Wang said.

For China and the United States, as two major countries in the world, cooperation is the only right choice and the keen expectation of the international community, Wang told Kerry, who is in Tianjin for the China-U.S. negotiations on climate change.

Wang said the two countries had carried out fruitful dialogue and cooperation bilaterally and on major international and regional issues including climate change, delivering tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples.

The past achievements indicated that the two countries should respect each other and seek common ground while shelving differences so as to reach win-win results, he said.

However, major strategic miscalculation by the United States has resulted in the sudden deterioration of bilateral relations in recent years, Wang said, adding the ball now is in the U.S. court.

He urged the U.S. side to stop viewing China as a threat and rival, cease containing and suppressing China all over the world, and take concrete steps to improve ties.

Wang also said the United States should conduct coordination and cooperation on bilateral, regional and global levels, in accordance with the principle of mutual respect and equality for win-win results.

Wang pointed out that the U.S. side had described climate change cooperation as an "oasis" of China-U.S. relationship. However, if the oasis is all surrounded by deserts, then sooner or later the "oasis" will be desertified.

Kerry said since U.S.-China cooperation is of vital importance for responding to the pressing challenge of climate change, the United States is willing to work with China to enhance dialogue, jointly improve ambitions, demonstrate leadership, and set an example for meeting the Paris Agreement goals.

This will also create opportunities for addressing difficulties facing U.S.-China relations, Kerry said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 12:52:40|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- With more than 10,000 enterprises from 153 countries and regions signing up for participation, this year's China International Fair for Trade in Services is scheduled to start Thursday in Beijing.

Appreciating China's endeavors to promote global trade in services, experts and business leaders have said the event will help the world share China's development opportunities and bolster global confidence in the economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China is growing faster in the service sector than any other country in the world," said Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club.

China's services trade fair will provide people with a great opportunity to get a sense of the world's digital future, as well as China's fast expanding service industry, said the business leader.

Being the first major economy worldwide to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, China is the place to go to do business, especially when it comes to the service industry, which represents the future of the world economy, Perry said.

The services trade fair is an important platform that demonstrates China's opening-up, said Dennis Wilkens, Germany Trade and Invest's director for China.

"A large number of companies have emerged in China that are being offered opportunities in Germany and Europe. The development shows the performance of China and its companies in the digital and services sector in recent years," Wilkens said, adding, "Chinese companies are now globally active in the markets of the future."

This year's fair will play a key role in bolstering China-Brazil relations by strengthening their channel of communication, according to Jose Ricardo dos Santos Luz Junior, CEO of Group of Corporate Leaders in China.

"Brazil's participation creates the potential for exchange and business opportunities in the trade in services sector, especially the digital economy," he added.

In the eyes of Anneriese Rodriguez, an international news editor at Cuban state TV, the event "confirms the Chinese government's will to promote global commerce and enhance the digital economy within the complex context the world is going through" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I have no doubt this international fair will become a platform to reinforce international cooperation in the context of the sanitary emergency and to contribute to the economic recovery of nations," Rodriguez said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 16:12:04|Editor: huaxia

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A subway station is out of service due to torrential rain and heavy flooding in New York, the United States, Sept. 2, 2021. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul declared her first state of emergency early Thursday as remnants of Hurricane Ida brought torrential rain and heavy flooding to the U.S. Northeast region. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

NEW YORK, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- New York State Governor Kathy Hochul declared her first state of emergency early Thursday as remnants of Hurricane Ida brought torrential rain and heavy flooding to the U.S. Northeast region.

"I am declaring a state of emergency to help New Yorkers affected by tonight's storm. Please stay off the roads and avoid all unnecessary travel," Hochul tweeted.

The heavy rain was "far more than anyone really expected," and left the region in "a very dire situation," the governor was quoted by CNN as saying.

Urging people to stay off the roads, the National Weather Service (NWS) in New York said, "We are seeing way too many reports of water rescues and stranded motorists."

According to the NWS, a record of around 80 millimetres of rain fell in Central Park in Manhattan late Wednesday evening.

Some streets and apartments were dipped in up to a metre of water as the New York city announced a travel ban until 5 a.m. (0900 GMT) in a tweet. "All non-emergency vehicles must be off NYC streets and highways," the authorities said.

Hochul's declaration came about an hour after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency in his city.

"We're enduring a historic weather event tonight with record-breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads," the mayor said Wednesday night.

Earlier in the day, State Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, which borders New York on the south, also declared a state of emergency in response to Ida.

CNN reports said that at least one person was killed in the flooding on the day in New Jersey.

Hector Lora, mayor of New Jersey city of Passaic, told CNN that the victim was an elderly man in his seventies. His body was recovered from a vehicle overwhelmed by water and rescuers tried to help other two individuals get out of the vehicle.

Ida landed in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday and has weakened to a tropical storm. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 16:42:38|Editor: huaxia

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Remains of Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War are casketed in Incheon, Republic of Korea, Sept. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Jingqiang)

SHENYANG, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The remains of 109 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Escorted by two Chinese fighter jets, an air force plane carrying the remains and belongings of the fallen soldiers landed at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, at 11:26 a.m.

It is the eighth such repatriation since 2014.

Around 230 representatives from central and local authorities, the military, and family members and relatives of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs attended a ceremony at the airport to welcome the soldiers' remains at 12:37 p.m.

Following the event, the remains were escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, where a burial ceremony will be held Friday.

The remains of 716 soldiers returned from the ROK and were laid to rest in the cemetery between 2014 and 2020. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-03 01:42:13|Editor: huaxia

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-- The 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services kicked off on Thursday in Beijing, highlighting China's new pledges to open the country's services sector wider and enhance global cooperation for further economic recovery.

-- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday announced a slew of new measures at the Global Trade in Services Summit of the 2021 CIFTIS.

-- This year's CIFTIS features a special section for digital services for the first time, with up to 33 well-known enterprises and institutions participating in the special section.

BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) kicked off on Thursday in Beijing, highlighting China's new pledges to open the country's services sector wider and enhance global cooperation for further economic recovery.

Themed "Towards Digital Future and Service Driven Development," the fair, held both online and offline, will tap the potential of cutting-edge digital technologies and functions as a platform for promoting world economic recovery and growth.

Enterprises from home and abroad have flocked to the fair, hoping to seek opportunities in the world's second-largest economy.

The 2021 CIFTIS has attracted the registration from more than 12,000 enterprises, up 52 percent from that in 2020. Representatives from 153 countries and regions signed up for the event, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

Up to 21 percent of offline exhibitors are Fortune 500 companies or industry leading enterprises, according to the MOC.

Along with Thursday's Global Trade in Services Summit of the 2021 CIFTIS, five summit forums as well as 119 thematic forums and conferences will also be held on the sidelines.

The holding of CIFTIS this year has shown that China is open and confident about embracing the world, and is committed to working with the global community to "make its market cake bigger" so that everyone can enjoy and share the benefits, said Michael Bi, EY Greater China Markets Managing Partner.

MOC data showed that China's services trade rose by 7.3 percent year on year to nearly 2.81 trillion yuan (about 435.02 billion U.S. dollars) in the first seven months of the year.

Journalists visit a venue of CIFTIS at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Lu Peng)

OPENING-UP COMMITMENT

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday announced a slew of new measures at the Global Trade in Services Summit.

China will open up at a higher level, by implementing across the country a negative list for cross-border services trade and by exploring the development of national demonstration zones for the innovative development of trade in services, said Xi.

The country will also scale up support for the growth of the services sector in the Belt and Road partner countries and share China's technological achievements with the rest of the world, according to Xi.

At 2020 CIFTIS, Xi made three proposals for the international community, including jointly fostering an open and inclusive environment for cooperation, working together to invigorate momentum for cooperation driven by innovation, and making joint efforts to break new ground in win-win cooperation.

Over the past year, China has walked the talk in turning those proposals into concrete actions.

Photo taken on Aug. 31, 2021 shows a venue of CIFTIS at Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

China issued the country's first negative list for cross-border trade in services in the southern island province of Hainan, built Beijing into a national comprehensive demonstration zone, and added four pilot zones for deepening opening-up in services trade in Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing and Hainan.

According to a report published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, China is one of the economies that saw the largest declines in services trade restrictiveness in 2020.

Xi announced on Thursday that China will set up a stock exchange in Beijing and build it into a major base for innovative small and medium-sized firms.

"We are excited by China's commitment and concrete actions to further strengthen its financial markets," said Rochelle Wei, CEO of J.P. Morgan Futures Co., Ltd.

The further opening up of China's financial market will present significant opportunities for the company and its clients, Wei said, adding that global investors have shown great interest in China and some have beefed up their investment.

Journalists visit a venue of CIFTIS at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Lu Peng)

DIGITAL FUTURE

"The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of trade in services, thus providing opportunities for structural adjustment and the development of new services trade businesses," said Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Bingnan at a press conference last week.

In 2020, China's digitally deliverable trade in services stood at 294.76 billion U.S. dollars, up 8.4 percent year on year and accounting for 44.5 percent of the total services trade, MOC data showed.

This year's CIFTIS features a special section for digital services for the first time, with up to 33 well-known enterprises and institutions participating in the special section.

China has made digital development a clear national strategy, and achieved stunning achievements in information infrastructure construction in the past few years, said Michael Bi.

With the sound infrastructure base, vast smart terminals and digital environment, China will speed up its digital transformation, he added.

(Video reporters: Liu Chunhui, Yang Zhigang, Hong Yan; Video editor: Liu Yuting) 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 14:11:20|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. report on origins tracing of COVID-19 can at best produce a "political virus," said a Nigerian expert, urging a science-backed endeavour and global collaboration on this issue.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is too serious and of tremendous global concerns for its origins tracing to be trivialized by politically cooked up innuendoes designed mostly to serve ideological purposes," said Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies, was quoted Tuesday by Nigerian local daily The Nation as saying.

"The nature of the pandemic spread and deadly retribution across the world puts its origins tracing beyond the conventional intelligence of any one country ... Intelligence service is part and parcel of the ideological infrastructure of any given state and its conclusion and findings are never far away, from the political objectives of its government," Onunaiju said.

"Politically motivated intelligence community report of the United States can at best produce a political virus aimed or targeted at its self-defined rival, the People's Republic of China," he said.

"The inability of the U.S. ruling circles to decisively bring the rampaging virus to heels, despite having the best medical technology in the world, is the extent, to which the ruling circles could trade its peoples' lives to maintain ideological hegemony," he said.

COVID-19 is a major non-traditional security threat to the world and consequently deserves the broadest coalition and cooperation to trace its origins, according to the expert.

The failure and wrong of U.S. intelligence agency in the virus origins tracing once again proved that science-based inquiry devoid of political motives and ideological supremacy contest should be the basis for the process, he said, adding that all countries should be united in the trust and belief of science to lead the way. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 18:54:43|Editor: huaxia

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GABORONE, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Botswana's assistant Minister of Health and Wellness Sethomo Lelatisitswe on Wednesday was suspended from his ministerial duties as he violated COVID-19 health protocols recently.

Batlhalefi Leagajang, press secretary of President Mokgweetsi Masisi, said in a statement that Lelatisitswe was involved in a family gathering of a tombstone unveiling, which breached the Emergency Powers (COVID-19) Regulations of 2020.

All gatherings have been suspended except for Cabinet, National Assembly, Council, National Task Force, religious organizations and funerals.

Meanwhile, the southern African nation has been urged to continue adhering to the health protocols and restrictions to help combat the global pandemic that has claimed 2, 261 lives and affected 156,927 people so far in the country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 21:16:17|Editor: huaxia

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Mohamed Ahmed Awad, executive director of Luban Workshop at Egypt's Ain Shams University, introduces Luban Workshop to the trainees at the university in Cairo, Egypt, Aug. 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

by Mahmoud Fouly

CAIRO, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- An engineering professor was taking a group of students on a tour inside a spacious vocational training workshop, Luban Workshop, at Cairo-based Ain Shams University, introducing its courses to them.

Under the cooperation among China's Tianjin Light Industry Vocational Technical College, Tianjin Transportation Technical College and Egypt's Ain Shams University, Luban Workshop was set up to provide vocational training for Egyptian youth and prepare them for the labor market.

Opened in late November 2020, Luban Workshop covers an area of around 1,200 square meters, dividing into three training sections. The total cost of the workshop's equipment is 9.35 million yuan (about 1.4 million U.S. dollars).

The first section is designed for training students on computer numerical control equipment application and maintenance, the second for new energy application technology and the third for automobile application and maintenance technology.

Motivated by the successful experiences of such workshops in China, Ain Shams University President Mahmoud al-Metini welcomed the idea of establishing the Luban Workshop, showing his gratitude for the contribution of the two colleges in Tianjin.

In the workshop, a white SUV car stood at one corner of the section for training on automobile maintenance technology, while the workshop director showed the students a showcase at another corner next to a large screen featuring parts of a vehicle and how they function.

He then took the students to the new energy section and showed them a unit of solar energy production and how it works.

Mohamed Ahmed Awad, executive director of Luban Workshop, said that the workshop was reopened a month ago after it was closed as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

It has provided two training courses and the current is the third, the professor said, adding that at least 20 more students will join the workshop within a few days.

"Luban Workshop boosts the students' practical experience and gives them the opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge. This is a huge step in the development of education, especially for students of engineering," Awad said.

He also spoke of future plans to make the workshop an independent college with a dual Egyptian-Chinese degree given to graduates.

Ibrahim Abdel Ghaffar, a 22-year-old student at the Faculty of Engineering, has been receiving training at Luban Workshop for two weeks. He commended the specialized training programs and the well-equipped labs provided by the workshop.

"I practically applied what I learn in the faculty through the training program of the workshop," he said.

"Luban Workshop project is a success story between Egyptian and Chinese universities," said Omar Mohamed el-Husseiny, dean of the Faculty of Engineering.

"It will boost the students' skills and their future interaction with the labor market," the dean told Xinhua, pointing out that "practical training is much more important than theoretical training, especially in engineering fields." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 22:16:26|Editor: huaxia

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LAGOS, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is set to launch a new project in Nigeria to protect victims of trafficking as well as smuggled migrants while they are in transit.

The project, scheduled to be launched in Abuja, Nigeria's capital on Tuesday, seeks to provide assistance to such vulnerable people while they are on the move, said Frantz Celestin, IOM's Chief of Mission in Nigeria, in a statement on Thursday.

The project, titled "Cooperation on Migration and Partnerships to Achieve Sustainable Solutions," would also seek to curb irregular migration, Celestin said.

"The overall objective of the project is to contribute to protection and assistance of people on the move, and decrease irregular migration, using an ecological approach to achieve long-term outcomes," the IOM official said.

"Target beneficiaries are victims of trafficking, smuggled migrants with identified protection needs, stranded migrants and vulnerable migrants in their communities," he said.

He said the IOM would also seek to identify potential areas of enhancing coordination efforts and synergy between key stakeholders involved in providing rehabilitation and reintegration support to vulnerable migrants.

The rising number of irregular migrants has been a growing concern for the IOM, Celestin said, quoting a recent IOM report which says between January and May, more than 29,000 people of African origin had landed on the shores of Europe, using the Mediterranean route. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 23:56:47|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The solution to hunger and malnutrition crisis in the sub-Saharan African region lies in robust investments in farming systems that conserve vital ecosystems including watersheds and forests, green lobbies said Thursday.

Led by Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), the lobby groups underscored the critical role of nature friendly agricultural practices in realization of food security and climate resilience in the continent.

"We welcome investment in agriculture in our continent but it should be responsive to the needs of small-holder farmers including the ability to cope with climate change while sustaining health of local species," said Million Belay, general coordinator of AFSA, in a statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

He said the African Green Revolution Forum slated for next week should explore eco-friendly farming systems that can be adopted at small-holder level to improve crop yield and farmers' income.

Kenya will host the 2021 African Green Revolution Forum from Sept. 7-10 under the banner of Pathways to Recovery and Resilient Food Systems.

President Uhuru Kenyatta will be joined by high-powered delegates to discuss bold policy and funding interventions that can be adopted to hasten the continent's agricultural transformation.

Belay said the four-day forum that is a precursor to the UN Food Systems Summit to be held on Sept. 23, should explore small-holder farmer-led initiatives that blend food production and biodiversity protection.

Anne Maina, director of the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya, said that African small-holder farmers should be incentivized to adopt food production systems that preserve wild species, soil and water.

According to Maina, investments in organic farming as opposed to mechanized agriculture has proved effective in protecting habitats while guaranteeing food and nutrition security to Africa's rural households.

Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, a senior official from Friends of the Earth Africa, said that a paradigm shift in the continent's agricultural systems was urgent to ensure they are farmer-centered, climate resilient and eco-friendly. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-03 00:58:08|Editor: huaxia

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by Tafara Mugwara, Zhang Yuliang

HARARE, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Karen Gurure, a China-trained medical doctor, never imagined that one day she would be Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner.

After carefully considering which university and major to choose, Gurure was very fortunate to be offered a place to study a Bachelor's Degree in Medicine and Surgery with TCM at Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine in China.

The young doctor is currently interning under the guidance of Sun Shuang, a TCM doctor at the Zimbabwe-China Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Center at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare.

The center, which was established with technical support from the Chinese medical team, provides a wider choice to patients seeking alternative health services at the hospital free of charge.

Before moving to China, the thought of venturing into TCM never visited Gurure's mind.

"I didn't expect to just venture into TCM, I wanted to maybe probably go into medicine and specialize in pediatrics, but I saw TCM as a way for me and I also had a passion for herbal plants, of which TCM we treat with herbal solutions," she told Xinhua in an interview.

Gurure is now the first Zimbabwean doctor to work at the TCM center. The center is yet to recruit and train local health workers.

Unlike many Zimbabwean students who chose to remain overseas after finishing their studies, in 2019 Gurure decided to come back home to put to use what she learned in China.

"I didn't want to stay in China, I wanted to go back to my country and give back what I have learned in China to my country," said Gurure.

While being attached at a hospital during her studies in China, Gurure witnesses first-hand how traditional knowledge in treating diseases was transforming lives.

"When I was in China, I saw how China incorporated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine in their hospitals and it was quite impressive because I could see patients getting well with both treatments. So it has driven me to take what I learned in China and bring it back home for us to also modernize our own traditional medicine," she said.

The major strength of using traditional knowledge in treating diseases is that there are fewer side effects, Gurure said.

"The advantage of using traditional knowledge is because it has been passed on from our great-great-grandparents to our parents and also to us, and it has proven to be working, and also our traditional medicine, it's in our hearts, it's who we are," she said.

The doctor reiterated that there is room to incorporate traditional knowledge systems within Zimbabwe's primary health care system, adding that collaborative effort between the two will contribute to the transformation of the local healthcare system.

In China, Gurure said, it's common practice for TCM and Western medicine to be practiced side by side, adding that medical practitioners know how and when the two can be integrated for optimum results.

The use of traditional herbal remedies has been in use long before the advent of western conventional medicine in Zimbabwe.

In many parts of the country, particularly rural areas, medicinal plants are the most easily accessible and affordable health resource.

Traditional medicine is also recognized as a formal part of the country's healthcare system and is regulated by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe.

While traditional medicine has a proven track record, Gurure said due to lack of comprehensive research, traditional remedies still remain a largely untapped health resource.

She said the main challenge of using traditional knowledge system in Zimbabwe is that there is inadequate research and proper documentation of their use, a gap that she hopes to plug using the knowledge she gained from China.

"China has developed a lot of TCM universities, TCM hospitals. In Zimbabwe, we should also have traditional medicine hospitals," she said.

Apart from treating diseases, the proper documentation of traditional knowledge will help preserve Zimbabwe's rich traditions and knowledge that has sustained ancient civilizations for centuries, said Gurure.

As an adventurous young woman, Gurure has made it her mandate to promote and preserve Zimbabwe's untapped traditional knowledge.

"I plan to be certified as TCM practitioner, and once I am done, I plan to open my own TCM clinic incorporated with my own Zimbabwean traditional medicine clinic," said Gurure.

While some people are reluctant to revert to traditional ways of treating diseases, Gurure said the good news is that traditional and Western medicine can be used side-by-side for better results. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-03 01:50:01|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Egypt is holding the Bright Star joint military drill with 21 countries after one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Egyptian military said on Thursday.

The drill, held on the Mohamed Naguib military base at the Mediterranean Sea, will end on Sept. 17, it said in a statement.

"It is one of the largest and most important world military exercises due to the large number of participating troops," it said.

Besides Egypt, troops from 21 countries, including the United States, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, France, Britain, Greece and Italy, took part in the military exercises, it added.

The Bright Star multinational military drill was launched in 1980 as part of the U.S.-brokered peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. It has been hosted by Egypt in cooperation with the United States every two years.

The drill, originally scheduled for September 2020, was suspended due to the spread of COVID-19. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 10:15:33|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Mission to the European Union on Wednesday criticized an "EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation" report for seriously violating the one-China principle.

Earlier in the day, the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the report, calling for elevating EU-Taiwan "political relations," changing the name of "the European Economic and Trade Office" in Taiwan to "European Union Office in Taiwan," including Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Strategy and advocating Taiwan's full participation as an observer in international bodies.

The report, which blatantly advocated the elevation of EU-Taiwan relations, was adopted "despite China's repeated objections," a spokesperson for the Chinese Mission commented.

"These moves exceed far beyond the scope of normal nonofficial economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges between the EU, its member states and Taiwan, constitute serious violations of the one-China principle and undercut mutual trust and cooperation between China and the EU," the spokesperson said. "We express our strong opposition to this."

There is only one China in the world and the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, said the spokesperson, adding that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China, which is a universally acknowledged norm in international relations, the common consensus of the international community, and which also serves as the political foundation of the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and the EU.

The spokesperson urged the relevant Committee and relevant members of the European Parliament to appreciate the sensitivity of the Taiwan question, immediately correct their wrong words and actions, and play a positive and constructive role in upholding the political foundation of China-EU relations. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 21:52:17|Editor: huaxia

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NICOSIA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus joined other European Union (EU) countries in deciding to administer COVID-19 vaccine boosters to vulnerable people and health professionals, Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas said here on Thursday.

Hadjipantelas told journalists that a third COVID-19 vaccine dose will be offered to people over 65, immunosuppressed persons of all ages, people living in care homes and health professionals provided six months have elapsed since their last shot.

Elena Panayiotopoulou, deputy director of the Health Ministry's Pharmaceutical Services, said on Aug. 25 that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine would be used for the booster dose, even for those who completed their vaccination with another vaccine.

Apart from Cyprus, Greece, Germany and France have already decided that a booster shot would be needed. The EU member states' health ministers will assess the need to offer a third COVID-19 vaccine dose to the European population and will likely make a collective decision later.

In another decision, the Cypriot government decided to extend to Sept. 22 the COVID-19 restrictions currently in force.

The measures mostly relate to mask wearing in crowded places and the requirement to present a SafePass before entering all government buildings, schools, universities and public venues, such as cinemas, theaters, supermarkets, department stores, hospitality places and shops where more than ten people are present.

A SafePass proves that the bearer has completed vaccination, or has recovered from a COVID-19 infection in the past six months, or had a negative test within 72 hours. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-03 00:07:39|Editor: huaxia

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VALLETTA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Malta is speeding up plans to give booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines to the elderly following a spike in infections in the elderly people who had already been vaccinated, Health Minister Chris Fearne said on Thursday.

Booster shots will start being rolled out on Monday, he explained, a week earlier than planned. The decision comes after Maltese health authorities identified two clusters of COVID-19 infections in people who had already received both doses of the vaccine.

Addressing a press conference, Fearne explained that a cluster of nine elderly people who contracted COVID-19 was recorded in one care home, and a cluster of five cases was registered in another.

As well as the elderly, booster shots will also be given to vulnerable people who are immuno-suppressed. Fearne said that the booster shots will be either Pfizer or Moderna, even for those who originally took the AstraZeneca vaccine. A decision will be made soon on whether to roll out booster shots to the rest of the population.

Meanwhile, the lifting of measures banning standing events will continue as planned on Monday, the health minister said, although they will remain capped at 100 people who must be fully vaccinated and wear a mask during the event.

As from Sept. 13, if the COVID-19 situation remains under control, indoor standing events will also be allowed, while the distance between bubbles at seated events will go down from two metres to one.

Fearne said the health authorities will run a pilot project to allow larger gatherings with fewer restrictions, as long as those attending are fully vaccinated and take a test after the event. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-03 03:11:57|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) should combine its forces and strengthen, including capacity and will to act to improve its strategic autonomy, as lessons should be drawn from Afghanistan, the bloc's top diplomat warned on Thursday.

"Afghanistan has shown that the deficiency in our strategic autonomy comes with a price," the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told journalists after an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Slovenia.

"The only way forward is to combine our forces and strengthen not only our capacity but also our will to act," he said.

Borrell said that this means raising the level of readiness through joint military training and exercising, establishing new tools like the "first entry force" of 5,000 troops that will be presented at the November defense council of minister.

The European Union (EU) has evacuated 17,500 people from Afghanistan, including 520 EU staff and their family members, Borrell noted.

"Everybody has been insisting on the need to draw lessons and understand why our efforts to build a modern state in Afghanistan have not led to a sustainable result," Borrell said.

"This is not the moment to disengage; on the contrary, we have to increase our engagement to continue supporting Afghan people, especially those who wanted to leave but were unable to do so."

Following the United States' hasty military withdrawal from Afghanistan and its refusal to extend the withdrawal deadline of Aug. 31, its European allies felt dazed and betrayed as they were scrambling to depart the war-torn country with their own meagre resources.

Without U.S. military support, the Europeans would not be able to evacuate their own personnel and local Afghan forces from Kabul, said Senior Policy Fellow Jana Puglierin at the European Council of Foreign Relations.

Concerns were also surging over a possible flood of Afghan refugees into Europe after the U.S. military withdrawal, casting doubt over Europe's long-standing strategic dependence on the United States. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-03 05:05:54|Editor: huaxia

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MARSEILLE, France, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The next 10 years will be a "pivotal decade" in which humanity must take action to battle global warming and save biodiversity, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Zhang Xinsheng has told Xinhua.

China's progress in biodiversity protection and ecological governance is inspiring, Zhang said on the eve of the seventh IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC).

Tens of thousands of participants will come together in Marseille, France, and also online for the Congress from Sept. 3 to 11, to set priorities for conservation and sustainable development action.

PIVOTAL DECADE

With climate change as its main theme, this Congress of the IUCN, which is composed of some 1,400 governmental and civil society member organizations, also calls itself a "major stepping-stone toward a global agreement for protecting biodiversity."

"The next 10 years will be a pivotal decade," said Zhang. "A core mission of WCC Marseille and the upcoming UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, China, is to set the post-2020 framework agenda for biodiversity."

The decade from 2010 to 2020 was called the "UN biodiversity decade," since parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) set 20 goals during a summit in Japan's Aichi in 2010. "However, many of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets have been difficult to achieve," Zhang said.

"The degree of biodiversity loss and the degradation of the ecosystem have been approaching planetary limits and tipping points," he said. "If this loss and degradation still cannot be reversed by 2030, we will not be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals."

"This IUCN congress can be seen as a prelude to the Kunming Conference. Both are milestones to see whether mankind can set a 10-year agenda to turn crisis into opportunity," said the IUCN president.

Unlike the Kunming Conference, which as a UN convention meeting has the authority to propose global policy agenda, the IUCN congress, which brings together government agencies, non-government organizations and scientists, produces global resolutions which have strong scientific authority and influence on various international conventions and treaties. In this way, IUCN contributes to inclusive governance.

CHINA'S ACHIEVEMENTS INSPIRING

Zhang, who is also co-founder of Eco Foundation Global, a leading Chinese public private partnership organization striving to build global consensus for a green and sustainable future, said that China has achieved a lot and taken an increasingly leading role in nature conservation and ecological governance.

He cited the epic journey of China's wandering elephants, which went viral on social media this summer, as a vivid example.

Wild Asian elephants are under A-level state protection in China. "Thanks to stronger environmental and wildlife protection efforts, the wild elephant population in the country has doubled in the past 30 years to about 300," Zhang noted.

Earlier this year, a herd of 14 Asian elephants strayed from their nature reserve. Heading north, they wandered some 500 km across southwest China's Yunnan Province before returning to their jungle paradise in August.

During the trip, the elephants crashed into people's houses, munched their crops and guzzled their water. Some 150,000 residents were evacuated, over 180 tonnes of food were provided to the "elephant tourist group" and many vehicles and drones were deployed to monitor and guide their way home.

"Wherever the elephant herd went, people quietly gave way," Zhang said. "Everyone, from villagers who let their crops get trampled or netizens who followed the live cam showed tolerance and love towards this endangered species," said Zhang.

"It was a vivid example of China's achievements in promoting the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature."

The IUCN President also cited the cases of giant panda, whose vulnerability has been downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable" on the IUCN list, and Tibetan antelopes, downgraded from "endangered" to "nearly endangered".

"The downgrades on the Red List show an improvement in protection results," he said. "China has many successful cases."

Zhang said that China has been building an eco-civilization, with effective measures aligned with national context, which reflects Chinese wisdom. Once a follower and contributor in the field of nature conservation, China has now become a leader.

He noted that all provinces in China have drawn up "ecological red lines," and the zones demarcated by the "red lines" have a combined area of up to a quarter of the total land area of the country.

Regarding the climate, "by pledging to achieve carbon peaks by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, China has taken the lead in making commitments for the implementation of the Paris climate agreement," Zhang said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 18:11:28|Editor: huaxia

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LOS ANGELES, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Caldor Fire raging in Northern California for 18 days Wednesday scorched to 207,931 acres (841.5 square kilometers) at 23 percent containment, moving forward to the Tahoe Lake, a famous vacation destination in the United Sates.

The White House, within hours of the state's request, approved a Presidential Emergency Declaration for Direct Federal Assistance to bolster the response to the huge wildfire burning in El Dorado, Amador, Alpine and Placer counties, said California Governor Gavin Newsom Wednesday night.

This move would supplement state, local and tribal government emergency services to protect lives, property, public health and safety from the blaze, which had ranked as the 15th largest fire in state history so far.

The White House last week approved California's request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration, including supports available to wildfire-impacted residents and assistance for state, tribal and local governments with ongoing emergency response and recovery costs.

The last week's order was a response to the Dixie Fire, which had burned down 847,308 acres (3,428.9 square kilometers) with 52 percent containment as of Wednesday night. The Dixie Fire is the biggest raging wildfire of the country.

High winds Wednesday continued to push the Caldor Fire through Tahoe basin, and 4,377 firefighters were battling with the aggressive blaze with the help of 26 helicopters, said Cal Fire, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The wind also cleared some heavy smoke, so that helicopters were able to take flight and drop water from air every 10 to 15 minutes. Pictures posted online showed the mountains were blemished with bubbling black smoke and flashy flames.

Cal Fire estimated that the fire started on Aug. 14 could be fully contained on Sept. 13. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 18:31:28|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- America's "forever war" may have ended after U.S. troops hastily left war-torn Afghanistan, but political infighting in Washington over the humiliating debacle appeared to have just warmed up.

On Capitol Hill in Washington, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are demanding answers from the White House over the bungled withdrawal that most Americans considered a failure. The chaotic exit has also caused new rifts between the United States and its allies, giving another hard hit on the country's already crumbling credibility.

Without doubt, how the U.S. military exit was handled needs accountability. Washington clearly misjudged the situation in Afghanistan and left many parties, including itself, underprepared, and this ill-prepared decision has led to a surge of disorder and deadly violence.

Terrorist attacks last week killed more than a dozen U.S. service members and scores of Afghan civilians during evacuation efforts from the Kabul airport. Afghan civilians were allegedly shot and killed by U.S. soldiers amid chaos immediately after the Kabul airport attacks. In addition, a U.S. drone strike on a vehicle purportedly carrying a suspected suicide bomber reportedly killed ten members of one family, including seven children, in a Kabul neighborhood on Sunday.

It remains to be seen how the White House is going to respond. Government spokespersons have recently repeated a claim that the U.S. forces have worked harder to avoid civilian casualties than any other country in the world, though its military campaigns, including unchecked airstrikes, have taken a heavy toll on civilians.

Some Republicans have even called for the impeachment or resignation of U.S. President Joe Biden over the disastrous endgame in Afghanistan. However, no matter how hard they are pushing, they are not likely to have their way. Democrats, who still control the House of Representatives, are surely going to reject any articles of impeachment put forward by Republicans.

But the Biden administration will still be subject to congressional oversight, as members of his own party were also critical of the operations during the final days of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. The House Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Democrats, is scheduling hearings later this month.

That being said, Democrats have been widely expected to be less hostile and confrontational than their Republican colleagues. Also, they have sought to distract firepower from Biden by pointing fingers at the 2020 agreement that the Donald Trump administration struck with the Taliban that all U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan by May 1 this year.

Biden ordered a review of the plan when taking office in January before deciding to move the deadline to Aug. 31, prior to the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that took almost 3,000 lives in the United States. Domestic critics and allies alike had previously urged the White House to allow some U.S. troops to stay beyond the deadline if more people need to be evacuated.

Republicans, for their part, are trying to seize upon the foreign policy crisis to dent the Biden White House, whose poll numbers have recently slipped to the lowest point of his eight-month presidency, and make it an advantageous topic in future elections, as many of the party are still holding a grudge against the loss last year.

There have been comparisons between the Kabul debacle and the 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where members of an Islamic militant group killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. Following the Benghazi incident, Republicans launched wide-ranging investigations into the attack and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and used it as political ammunition to deal a blow at the Democrat, when she ran for the White House years later.

The differences in how the two sides will conduct the oversight over the Afghanistan fallout, including the way in which the incidents will be interpreted, along with their mismatched political calculations and intentions, have clearly set the stage for rancorous infighting in Washington and beyond.

In light of that, there are growing concerns that oversight and accountability from Congress would quickly devolve into shouting matches. Loyal members of the rival parties will stick to their own talking points and hype rhetoric rather than solving problems, as seen countless times in Washington over the years.

Entrenched partisanship has long plagued the United States, and has even fueled the politicization of the COVID-19 pandemic. Polarized political debates on such scientific issues as mask wearing and vaccination have been hampering the country's efforts to suppress the disease, which has killed 640,000 of its citizens, along with nearly 40 million infections, both the highest in the world.

It would be a pity if America's infighting over the military departure crowds out any meaningful conversation and debates, and deviates focus from much-needed reflection and correction for Washington over the pullout fiasco, as well as two decades of war in the Asian country.

After all, if the massive deaths of Americans in the pandemic have failed to let Washington politicians put public interests ahead of partisan interests, how is it possible that they can make the right call over this Afghanistan departure? Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-03 05:14:34|Editor: huaxia

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SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- As part of its efforts to support global solutions to the climate crisis, Amazon on Thursday announced the launch of the Agroforestry and Restoration Accelerator in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental organization.

The Accelerator will create a more sustainable source of income for thousands of local farmers in the Brazilian Amazonian state of Para, while also restoring native rainforests and fighting climate change by naturally trapping and storing carbon, the announcement said.

The Agroforestry and Restoration Accelerator is one carbon removal project, and part of Amazon's commitment to meeting The Climate Pledge, which the company co-founded with Global Optimism. Signatories to the Pledge commit to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.

"Restoring the world's forests is one of the most meaningful actions we can take right now to address climate change, and it will require innovative solutions to be successful," said Kara Hurst, vice president of worldwide sustainability at Amazon. "Amazon is looking forward to contributing our passion for innovation along with financial support to improve the livelihoods of local communities in Brazil, while helping to protect the planet for future generations."

Amazon's initial investment in the Accelerator will support 3,000 farmers and restore approximately 20,000 hectares within three years, removing up to 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through 2050, according to the announcement. Enditem
Fauci also said that he believes a third dose of mRNA vaccines, namely Pfizer and Moderna, will be required to provide long-term protection against COVID. The U.S. is still studying the need for a booster dose of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
I was horrified. I was in a cell, there was feces on the floor  and not only feces, but someone had thrown up on that floor. They told me that was the only cell that was available to me, said Gantt, who said the cell seemed no different than when he was last arrested nearly 50 years ago.
Given where we are with disease transmission right now, we would say that people need to take ... these risks into their own consideration as they think about traveling, Walensky said, adding that people who are fully vaccinated should wear masks if they opt against staying home.
Without doubling down on public health measures that many have resisted, the U.S. could see another 100,000 deaths before the year is out, experts including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease specialist, said last week. That would bring the total toll in this country alone to nearly three quarters of a million people.
You do what God called you to do, Father Judge told firefighters when dedicating a firehouse in the Bronx. You show up. You put one foot in front of the other. You get on the rig and go out and you do the job, which is a mystery  You have no idea what God is calling you to. But he needs you. He needs me. He needs all of us.
It takes a village to raise a kid, she said. And he had a rough time growing up with his parents and stuff like that they was in the streets and stuff like that, you know? So he always mainly was with his grandmother, and she was up in age. So me and my husband basically stepped in, and gave him a home.
Climate change is making the seas warmer and these warmer temperatures are fueling these hurricanes and making them stronger. There was a lot of water in that storm that it picked up from the Gulf of Mexico and picked up from the Atlantic. It still had a lot of strength when it came up to the New York area. That usually doesnt happen. They usually just run out of steam. But theres more of that to come.
I go down there and I tell them, You guys got to be careful. The waters rising. Were getting a flood, said Shivprafab, 71. I go back and tell them (again), You guys got to get out! They were packing up their stuff to bring out. I told them that is not important. Leave the stuff.
Duel Collins was nearing the corner of Krier Place and E. 92nd St. in Canarsie when a gunman opened fire, hitting him multiple times in the chest, about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, cops said.
The situation at Rikers also drew a call for a reduction in the jail population by Akeem Browder, brother of Kalief Browder, who died by suicide at age 22 in 2015 after spending three years on Rikers as a teen, much of it in solitary confinement. He noted that counting the five reported suicides, nine people have died in the jails since December.
We had people trapped in flood waters in a vehicle, trapped indoors, and it was mostly family members out here calling for family members in the city, Swicicki said. Some were direct calls, Im not sure how those came to us. They were panicking and werent able to get through and they said, help us out.
Police released video of the man on Thursday in the hope someone recognizes him. Hes described as Black with a heavy build and glasses. At the time of the attack he was dressed all in black and sported a blue bandana across his brow.
Warmer air holds more moisture than it can dump, said former hurricane hunter meteorologist Jeff Masters, also of Yale Climate Connections. The air above the oceans has about 10% more moisture than in 1970 and that comes down in storms, he said.
We can confirm that we currently have 29 students, from 19 families, in Afghanistan, said Raj Rai, director of communication for the San Juan Unified School District. We stand ready to support these students and families in whatever way that we can.
Amit Paley, the CEO and executive director of The Trevor Project, the worlds largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, told the Daily News in a statement that the bill is the first of its kind in the nation, and its passage marks an important milestone in the movement to protect and save LGBTQ lives.
When selecting our color of the year, we look at pop culture trends including the culinary scene for inspiration and creativity, Woelfel told The Daily News. Similar to painting or a DIY project, each ingredient and item in a recipe is selected with purpose and color in mind, something chef Curtis Stone implements when developing his dishes.
As part of the terms of the investigation, all future Virgin Galactic missions will be grounded until the FAA concludes what they deemed a mishap investigation. Virgin had already said that would suspend all of its flights for a unspecified duration while the comany works on refurbishing some of its hardware.
A lot of whats been broadcasted can be attributed to the lack of knowledge about the equipment and how they operate in the restaurants, a Taylor representative said in a media statement, telling the outlet that when working with dairy products machines must be cleaned properly. The machines are built up with a lot of interconnecting parts that have to operate in a complex environment and manner.
In Connecticut, dozens of roads, especially on the coast, were still impassable at midday on Thursday, either flooded out or blocked by debris such as trees and power lines. Flash flood warnings were still in effect in several counties, and Metro North service on all the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines remained suspended.
The suspect is accused of assaulting correspondent Shaquille Brewster and his cameraman while they reported on Idas aftermath in the coastal city of Gulfport, Miss. As Brewster described the damage left by the storm, Dagley was seen parking his truck in the background and running toward the camera, repeatedly shouting for them to report accurately, the shocking video shows.
But that may not be the case when it comes to employees dealing directly with the public. The coronavirus delta variant, conflicts over masks and vaccines, and increasing customer rudeness overall are contributing, along with traditionally low pay, to the shortage.
I ran straight toward it to see if I could help. I got as close as I possibly could, and the flames were extremely hot and the fire was just getting bigger. It kind of looked like you could see the tail of the airplane sticking out. So any passengers or any movement, I couldnt see anything like that in the area.
The Sacklers are not bankrupt, and they should not be allowed to manipulate bankruptcy laws to evade justice and protect their blood money, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a statement. This decision is a slap in the face to the millions of suffering and grieving Americans who have lost their lives and loved ones due to the Sacklers calculated and craven pursuit of opioid profits.
A massive airlift to get more than 120,000 American troops, operatives, refugees and allies to safety ended Tuesday, bringing an end to a war that stemmed from terror attacks against the U.S. in 2001. A suicide bomber affiliated with ISIS-K, a terror network at odds with the Taliban, killed 170 civilians and 13 U.S. troops during that evacuation.
After toilet paper became a scarcity at the start of the pandemic last year, shoppers panic-bought dozens of rolls to stock up for a long lockdown in their future. Now, as case numbers surge in the U.S. once again, TP is once again a hot item in grocery stores, and many places are running out of it, according to reports.
We are not going to abandon our neighbors in need, especially since the state of New York failed in its responsibility to get the money that was allocated by Congress out to the people in need earlier this summer, the governor said at the State Capitol.
That turned into the biggest single hour of rainfall in New York City history with almost no warning. So now we got to change the ground rules, he said. From now on, what I think we do is tell New Yorkers to expect the very, very worst. It may sound alarmist at times, but unfortunately its being proven by nature.
The decision on whether to erect the fence again will likely be considered by the Capitol Police Board, according to a House aide familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it. No decisions have been made. The board consists of the sergeant at arms of the House, the sergeant at arms and doorkeeper of the Senate, and the architect of the Capitol.
Every member of this committee is dedicated to conducting a non-partisan, professional, and thorough investigation of all the relevant facts regarding January 6th and the threat to our Constitution we faced that day, Cheney said in a statement accepting the leadership role.
We dont know what the future of the Taliban is, but I can tell you from personal experience that this is a ruthless group from the past, and whether or not they change remains to be seen, Milley said in a news briefing with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. In war, you do what you must.
Many studies have been done in the past to determine the effectiveness of facial coverings, but they have mainly focused on small groups of people in medical settings. The results out of Bangladesh showcase their importance due to the fact that they demonstrate a larger scale scenario that cant be mimicked in smaller settings.
The Muslim preacher, whos normally referred to as Uncle Omar, is known for his radical views and hateful rhetoric against anyone who will disagree with him. His speeches, some of which have been posted on YouTube, have been watched more than a million times.
The case study looked at an elementary school in Marin County, Calif., where most staff was vaccinated  with the exception of two teachers. One of them, exhibiting what can only be called epic stupidity, continued to teach for two days in late May despite exhibiting cold-like symptoms (she finally went home after she tested positive for COVID). Amplifying that stupidity further, she removed her mask on those days to conduct a read-aloud.
It is highly unlikely that Barrack told the FBI, in his voluntary 2019 interview, that he disclosed to the administration his representing the UAE. If he had, it is doubtful that prosecutors would have indicted him for the technical crime of reporting to the wrong official. Moreover, the indictment charges Barrack with falsely telling the FBI a different tale  that the UAE officials did not ask him to do anything for them. Conveniently changing a story at trial is not the sort of thing that goes over well with a jury.
You need regulation, you need law. But you also need investment in new technology and infrastructure. Its a problem that we can solve, says Steve Cohen, director of the Earth Institutes Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management at Columbia University. The air in America is cleaner than it was when EPA was created in 1970. It was a regulation in technology. Automobiles get better gas mileage. We need government, and then the private sector will invest as well. Weve done this before; we know how to do this kind of thing.
Florida businesses and employers are hiring across the state and need unemployed Floridians to return to the workforce, the state Department of Economic Opportunity said in a news release Wednesday that addressed the upcoming expiration of the other programs. There continues to be many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with more than 545,000 jobs posted online.
We cant wait to get these ships back into service but we have to do this at the right pace, Heald said. We have to do it properly. We have to do it correctly. We have to get ports of call that were going to agree that we can come there, and of course the home ports, lots of operational factor with thousands of people turning up in these home ports, all of this is the big picture.
We continue to deliver safe and effective care for all those patients, but we have to go out of our ICUs and have to look around the hospital and find spaces that we can turn into an ICU, and bring the equipment, and bring the doctors, and bring the nurses, and that really creates a lot of pressure in the hospital.
A 2-week-old baby and another child have died of COVID-19 within a week of each other in one Florida county. Statewide, the delta variant is infecting more children than previous strains and putting more of them in the hospital.
U.S. District Judge Mary. S. Scriven sentenced Marchaun Browning on Tuesday morning, according to the Department of Justice. He had faced a maximum sentence of 30 years, but received the minimum sentence.
For me, it really comes down to us educating children, said Volusia board member Ruben Colon. I dont think that in the current path we are on that we are going to do that successfully, and we have to do something different.
A group of parents sued the governor, saying his order was unconstitutional and would put their children at risk as they are too young to be vaccinated and 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. Cooper ruled in their favor.
Im not saying its the end-all-be-all, but we did go with masks last year and we had nowhere near the amount of cases we have right now, said Treadway Principal Venessa King, who attended the meeting. I have a school with 57 children with COVID and continuing to grow. Its not stopping, we have to do something.
Having abolished parole like 15 other states, Florida is one of six whose laws require even nonviolent offenders to serve at least 85% of their time despite good behavior. Sentences have grown longer  by 22% since 2007  largely because of 108 mandatory minimums that tie judges hands, even though declining crime rates undercut the grounds for such severity. Its the result of politicians who pander for votes by cracking down on crime without paying for it.
In addition, while there may be some mild trepidation or shyness about resuming in-person classes, especially after a year of remote learning, parents should be mindful of anxiety red flags in their childrens presentations. For red flag situations, parents and schools should immediately reach out to a child and adolescent psychiatrist for further diagnosis and treatment, as they may portend major undiagnosed or untreated psychiatric illnesses:
I will never forget the trauma that our patients faced when Florida implemented the 24-hour mandatory delay law in 2015. I rushed to our Kissimmee health center when the law was unexpectedly enforced, calming families who drove hours for a medical procedure they would no longer be able to access. Confused, some tried to offer me money to access the procedure, and I had to stress that this had nothing to do with us as providers and everything to do with Tallahassee arrogance and partisanship. This Florida law, by the way, is still being litigated in court.
Joe Biden did not end the war in Afghanistan, he ended a battle chapter in a much greater war. By exiting Afghanistan, and, in effect, surrendering to the terrorists supporting the Taliban, he actually widened the world war being waged by radical Islam that has been in progress for decades. These radicals want to eliminate all that is not beholden and subjugated to them. This surrender in Afghanistan could have emboldened this world terrorist element and grossly reduced the fear of the United States within all global terrorist organizations as well as other nations that are competing with the United States for global influence.
The Texas law represents a new approach and the fact that the Supreme Court didnt block it from taking effect is encouraging, Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, said in a statement. As an adoptive child myself, its important to me that we do everything we can to promote adoption and prevent abortion; therefore, I think its worthwhile to take a look at the Texas law and see if there is more we can do here in Florida.
There are a host of guidelines found on planDisney.com. Among them: applicants must be at least 18 years old and have access to a computer and internet connection. Selected members must be able to travel to Disney World Dec. 11-15 for training. Applicants cannot be current Disney cast members or employed in the travel, hotel, theme park, cruise line or timeshare industries; they also cannot have immediate family members in the Central Florida hotel or theme park industry. (The website breaks this down specifically.)
The members of the task force were happy to report that no rescues were necessary in Kenner. The crew of 45 was made up of firefighters, paramedics, structural engineers, doctors, search and rescue K9s. They were also equipped with all-terrain vehicles, search equipment as well as breach and breaking tools, which the team used over the summer in assisting with the search and rescue for victims of the Surfside condominium collapse near Miami.
Representatives of Fort Ontario speak with visitors at the New York State Fair last week. The centuries-old site on the north shore of Oswego, along with the accompanying Safe Haven Emergency Holocaust Refugee Shelter museum, are part of a push by local officials and residents for National Park designation.
Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - Burundi has over the last 24 hours recorded 120 new cases of coronavirus in 16 of the country's 47 health districts and five people who arrived in the country, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - A unit of the Tunisian Navy on Tuesday evening foiled an attempt of clandestine migration and arrested the 41 people who were on board a boat intercepted 35 km off the coast of Ras Ramle, in the southeastern region of Medenine, the Tunisian Ministry of Defence announced
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Popular Bangladeshi actor Pori Moni has slammed her haters by sending a cryptic message to them after walking out of jail.

Pori Moni was freed on Wednesday after 27 days in jail, a day after she was granted bail on a 50,000 taka bond.

People had gathered outside the Kashimpur women's jail from where Pori Moni walked out. As the actress waved at the crowd who came to greet her, a close view of her palm revealed that had she written "Don't <3 <3 <3 me Bit*h".

When questioned about the cryptic message on her hand, the actress replied wittily that the message is dedicated to her haters, who were happy with her imprisonment.

She said it was for "those two-faced snakes" who envied her but pretended to be "extra sweet" in front of her.

"Anyone is free to assume that the message is about them. I really can't list out the names right now. They were really happy when I was arrested and taken to jail. Some of them even started celebrating upon my arrest."

The actress said none of the people who would spend time with her came forward to help her when she was in jail.

"Where were those people when I was in jail suffering alone," said the actress, adding that these two-faced snakes will welcome her again after her bail.

"As soon as I returned home, the very people who were criticising me about the whole incident started telling me that they were missing me and that they love me a lot," Pori Moni told the media.

"I have just one thing to say to them: I don't need your love. You don't need to shower me with your fake concern as I only love the people who truly have kept me in their heart," the actress added.

She has also been given an eviction notice to leave her house after she received bail on Wednesday. She said: "I was asked to leave the house immediately upon returning."

"I really don't know where I will find a house at such short notice. I really can't understand why this is happening to me."
'Bigg Boss 13' winner Sidharth Shukla, best known for his role in the long-running TV serial 'Balika Vadhu', died here after a massive heart attack on Thursday. Police officers in Mumbai said Shukla complained of chest pain at his residence in Oshiwara, Mumbai, around 9 am, before collapsing. His sister, brother-in-law and mother were in the house at that time. A doctor who arrived at the residence found that he had no pulse. A police officer said: The family called an ambulance and rushed to the Dr RN Cooper hospital. They reached around 9.45 am and he was declared dead before admission. Let us look back at his well-lived showbiz journey:
Mamata Banerjee became the chief minister of West Bengal for the third consecutive time and to commemorate her huge success a community puja in the outskirts of the city has decided to develop the idol of Goddess Durga on the likes of the chief minister.

The organising club - Nazrul Park Unnayan Samiti located at Baguhati in the eastern fringes of the city will have its theme -- "Mamata, You are the only Hope" -- an endeavour to showcase the mass beneficiary schemes of the chief minister to reach out to the marginalised sections of the society.

"This is not political publicity. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee in the last ten years has worked tirelessly not only to change the image of the state but also to provide government benefits to those who have been out of the mainstream of the development of the state. This is social awareness and not political propaganda," one of the organisers of the puja said.

The pandal of the Puja this year will portray the popular "Lakkhir Bhandar" scheme, a monthly dole scheme for women of each family ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. However, the main attraction of the Puja will be the fibreglass-made statue of Goddess Durga which will be in the form of the chief minister.

The ten hands of Goddess Durga replicating the chief minister will be shown reaching out to the people will all her popular beneficiary schemes like Kanyashree to make the girls self-reliant, Yuvashree for the youth, Duare Sarkar, government at the doorsteps, Parai Parai Samadhan, solution of problems at the local levels and other beneficiary schemes.

Potter Montu Pal said that the fibreglass-made idol will be prepared keeping in mind the facial impression of the chief minister. "Like the chief minister, the idol will sport white saree and bathroom sleepers. In the background of the idol, there will be the logo of 'Biswa Bangla'. And the ten hands of the idol will carry replicas of the ten most popular developmental schemes," he said.

"Durga puja is symbolic where goddess Durga is the destroyer of the evil forces in the society and here our chief minister is the people's true representative who has been working tirelessly to make our lives beautiful. On one hand she is trying to bring investment for the state, improving the economy and on the other hand she is distributing those benefits to the people. It seems that she, like goddess Durga, is working with ten hands and so she becomes the theme of our puja," the organiser said.

"In this pandemic situation when all the other states have been grappling in the dark, she was the lone chief minister who was not only successful in controlling the raging pandemic but like a mother gave food and shelter to all the people who came to the state. She didn't discriminate between the people from our state and those from other states. This image of Mamata Banerjee should be an eye opener for all the other states," he added.

"The people of West Bengal are reaping the benefits of her developmental works. Now we want the people of the entire country to do the same. So, we have selected the theme of Goddess Durga with her 10 hands but in the form of the chief minister," he said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the setting up of a special investigating team (SIT) to probe the collusion between the Noida authority and the real estate company Supertech for the illegal construction of two 40- storey twin towers in Noida.

According to the government spokesman, "Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed to form an SIT at the government level immediately for investigation in Noida's twin towers case. Instructions have been given to fix the accountability of officers who were associated with this case from 2004 to 2017."

He added that the SIT has been ordered to take a time-bound action.

The chief minister had said on Wednesday that strict action will be taken against the guilty officials in the Noida twin towers case.

The development came after the Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the Allahabad High Court's verdict that had ordered the demolition of two 40-storey twin towers -- Tower Apex and Tower Ceyane in Noida.

A judgement passed by the two-judge bench of the apex court comprising Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice M.R. Shah, said that the construction was illegal and the result of collusion between the Noida authority and the real estate company, Supertech.

The Supreme Court directed the real estate developer Supertech to refund the money of flat owners concerned with a 12 per cent rate of interest within two months.

"Within 2 months, all the amount invested by the allotted flat owners is to be refunded by the petitioner (Supertech)," the court said in its judgement.

The Allahabad High Court had on April 11, 2014 passed the judgement, ordering the demolition of the two 40-storey twin towers.


The Al-Qaeda has joined the Taliban in the group's offensive in the Panjshir valley, Ahmad Massoud's forces say, Al Arabiya reported. Earlier reports on Wednesday had said that fighting is ongoing between Taliban fighters and the forces of a resistance front lead by Ahmad Massoud in Panjshir province. The Taliban confirmed that the fighting has been ongoing for two days and both sides have suffered casualties, Tolo News reported. "Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate were attacked from some circles in Panjshir who bluff and say they will resist. The Mujahideen reacted to the attack and as a result the other side has suffered heavy casualties," said Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission. Residents at the front lines in the Nasaji-Gulbahar area, which is just outside of Panjshir valley, said on Wednesday that the fighting resumed on Tuesday night and is still ongoing. According to locals, most of the people have fled the area, the report said. "The fighting started at 10 pm last night and is still going on," Baba Shirin, a resident of the area, had said. Members of the resistance front, meanwhile, said that they pushed back the Taliban attack on Panjshir and that the Taliban has suffered heavy casualties. "In the past 40 hours the Taliban launched some offensives on Khawak from the Andarab valley of Baghlan. From our side, there were local forces of various districts of Andarab, local forces of Panjshir as well as the ANSDF forces. They fought back very well; they defeated the Taliban on that front. The Taliban lost 40 of their personnel, another 35 of them were wounded," said Fahim Dashti, a spokesman of the resistance front. The Taliban denied attacking Panjshir, saying that their forces were attacked by Massoud supporters and that they only responded to the attack, the report said. Amid the ongoing fighting, Amir Khan Muttaqi, a Taliban leader, said on Wednesday that the talks between both sides have failed so far. He said, however, that the Taliban still wants to resolve the issue peacefully.




Meeting under the shadow of Washington's retreat from Afghanistan, diplomats and defence officials of India and the US have discussed the recent developments in the region and cooperation in counter-terrorism.

Defence Department spokesperson Lt Col Martin Meiners said on Thursday: "Building on growing bilateral ties, US and Indian officials discussed new opportunities to strengthen multilateral cooperation between the United States, India, and other like-minded partners."

He said that they "exchanged views on a range of regional issues of shared interest, including in South Asia, East and Southeast Asia, and the Western Indian Ocean" at their meeting on Wednesday.

"(Assistant Defense Secretary for Indo-Pacific Affairs Ely) Ratner expressed his confidence that the United States and India will continue to take their partnership to new heights as they jointly meet the challenges of this century," Meiners said.

Known as an "intersessional" dialogue in India and "intersectional" in the US, the meeting at the level of Joint Secretaries takes stock of the current developments and the cooperation between the annual high-level 2+2 ministerial meetings.

A readout of the meeting issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs said that they "considered possibility of enhancing collaboration in areas of counterterrorism, HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) and maritime security and "exchanged assessments of the recent developments in South Asia".

Neither of the statements specifically mentioned Afghanistan where the US completed a chaotic pullout of its military on Tuesday following the Taliban takeover of the country, which impacts the regional strategic scenario and brings up new threats of terrorism, especially to India.

The Indian side at the dialogue was led by its Defence Ministry's Joint Secretary, International Cooperation, Somnath Ghosh, and the External Affairs Ministry's Joint Secretary, Americas, Vani Rao, and the US side by Assistant Defense Secretary for Indo-Pacific Affairs Ratner, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Ervin Massinga.

Meiners said that the dialogue "spanned the US-India comprehensive global strategic partnership, including climate, public health, defence, trade, technology and governance".

He said that the officials were "committed to driving greater interoperability between the US and Indian militaries" and they "discussed bilateral and multilateral joint service engagements" and "progress toward operationalising key bilateral initiatives on information-sharing, logistics, defence industrial cooperation, and joint doctrine engagement through liaison exchanges".

Advancing "cooperation in new domains, such as space, cyber, and emerging technology areas" also figured in their talks, Meiners said.

The last 2+2 Ministerial Dialgoue was held in New Delhi in October just before the US elections and the US was represented by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper, both of whom are now out of office.

The next meeting is to be held later this year in Washington will be with the officials of President Joe Biden's administration.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/02/2021 -- According to the new market research report "Aircraft Seals Market by Type (Dynamic and Static), Application (Engine, Airframe, Avionics, Flight Control System, Landing Gear), Material (Composites, Polymers, Metals), End Use (OEM, Aftermarket), Platform, and Region - Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market size is projected to grow from USD 1.9 billion in 2021 to USD 2.4 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 5.1% from 2021 to 2026. The market is driven by factors such as increase in global aircraft fleet size, and short replacement cycle of aircraft seals.



Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=95040283



SKF (Sweden), Saint-Gobain (France), Trelleborg Sealing Solutions (Sweden), Meggitt PLC (UK), and Parker Hannifin Corporation (US) among others, are some of the leading players operating in the aircraft seals market. These players have spread their business across various countries includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. COVID-19 has impacted their businesses as well. Industry experts believe that COVID-19 has affected aircraft seals production and services by 710% globally in 2020.



The Engine System segment is projected to witness the largest revenue during the forecast period.



Based on application, the engine system segment is expected to be the largest market by value. The growth of the engine system segment of the aircraft seals market can be attributed to the many sub-systems it comprises of such as air supply, thermal control, cabin pressurization, avionics cooling, smoke detection and fire suppression. Aircraft seals are also used in other important systems such as airframe, flight control & hydraulics system, avionics & electrical system, and landing gear system. Aircraft seals used in these aircraft systems to prevent the spread of fire or flames in the engine system of the aircraft, avoid air leakage, water or dust intrusion, prevent corrosion, or to prevent any aircraft fluid leakage.



The Dynamic seals segment is projected to witness a higher CAGR during the forecast period



Based on type, the dynamic seals segment is projected to have a higher share in the aircraft seals market during the forecast period. The growth of the dynamic seals segment of the aircraft seals market can be attributed to the extensive usage in various applications, and majority of aircraft components are in motion than being stationary. These are used commonly in engine system, and flight control and hydraulics system of aircrafts.



The Composites segment is projected to witness the highest revenue during the forecast period.



Based on material, the composites segment is projected to have the highest share of revenue in the aircraft seals market. The extensive use of various types of composites for manufacturing aircraft seals, and their proven benefits such as resistance to heat and good strength, good chemical properties, low weight etc can be attributed to its high market share. These are used in applications where there is a higher chance of corrosion, and high operating temperature.



The fixed-wing aircraft segment is projected to witness the highest revenue during the forecast period.



Based on platform, the fixed-wing aircraft segment is projected to have the highest revenue in the aircraft seals market during the forecast period. The fixed-wing aircraft segment consists of commercial aviation, business and general aviation and military aviation. The fixed-wing segment consists of the greatest number of aircrafts in terms of absolute numbers. However, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles segment is projected to have the highest CAGR in the aircraft seals market.



Browse in-depth TOC on "Aircraft Seals Market"

514  Tables

38  Figures

295  Pages



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The OEM segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



Based on the end use, the OEM segment is projected to grow at a higher CAGR for the aircraft seals market during the forecast period. OEMs are responsible for the installation of aircraft seals in an aircraft during the assembly stage and are then made available for delivery to aircraft manufacturers. However, the Aftermarket segment is projected to have a higher market share in the aircraft seals market. Over the years, there has been a significant rise in the demand for different aircraft types across regions. According to Airbus, it delivered 863 commercial aircraft to 99 customers in 2019. The aftermarket segment is projected to have more revenue in the aircraft seals market.



The North America market is projected to contribute the largest share from 2021 to 2026.



North America is projected to be the largest regional share of the aircraft seals market during the forecast period. The key factor responsible for North America, leading the aircraft seals market owing to the presence of large number of aircraft seals manufacturers in the region. Also, the region has been witnessing a rise in the newer aircrafts getting delivered. In North America, the rise in aircraft orders and supplies is encouraging manufacturers of aircraft seals to increase their sales year on year. The increasing demand for commercial aircraft and the presence of some of the leading players operating in the market, such as Parker Hannifin Corporation, Kirkhill, Inc., Brown Aircraft Supply are expected to drive the aircraft seals market in North America. These players are focusing on R&D to increase their product lines and using technologically advanced systems, subsystems, and other components for manufacturing aircraft seals. The European region is projected to have the highest growth rate in the aircraft seals market.



Related Reports:



Aircraft Hydraulic System Market by Type (Open-Center, Closed-Center), Component (Reservoir, Filters, Pumps, Accumulators, Actuators, Hydraulic Fluid), Platform (Fixed, Rotary) and Region - Global Forecast to 2021



Aircraft Fuel Systems Market by Application (Commercial, Military and UAV), Engine Type (Jet engine, Turboprop engine, Helicopter engine and UAV engine), Component, Technology & Region - Global Forecasts to 2020



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Using data collected by the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS), astronomers have found evidence that a compact object  a black hole or neutron star  spiraled its way into the core of a companion star in the VT 1210+4956 system and caused it to explode as a supernova.

Theorists had predicted that this could happen, but this is the first time weve actually seen such an event, said Dillon Dong, a graduate student at Caltech.

Dong and colleagues first detected radio emission from VT 1210+4956 in VLASS data.

They then observed the system using NSFs Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and the Keck telescope at the W.M. Keck Observatory.

They determined that the bright radio emission was coming from the outskirts of a dwarf starburst galaxy some 480 million light-years from Earth.

They later found that the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) instrument aboard the International Space Station (ISS) had detected a burst of X-rays coming from the object in 2014.

The data from all these observations allowed the astronomers to piece together the fascinating history of a centuries-long dance between two massive stars.

Like most stars that are much more massive than our Sun, these two were born as a binary pair, closely orbiting each other.

One of them was more massive than the other and evolved through its normal, nuclear fusion-powered lifetime more quickly and exploded as a supernova, leaving behind either a black hole or a neutron star.

The compact objects orbit grew steadily closer to its companion, and about 300 years ago it entered the companions atmosphere.

At this point, the interaction began spraying gas away from the companion into space.

The ejected gas, spiraling outward, formed an expanding, donut-shaped ring, called a torus, around the pair.

Eventually, the compact object made its way inward to the companion stars core, disrupting the nuclear fusion producing the energy that kept the core from collapsing of its own gravity.

As the core collapsed, it briefly formed a disk of material closely orbiting the intruder and propelled a jet of material outward from the disk at speeds approaching that of light, drilling its way through the star.

That jet is what produced the X-rays seen by the MAXI instrument aboard the ISS, and this confirms the date of this event in 2014, Dong said.

The collapse of the stars core caused it to explode as a supernova, following its siblings earlier explosion.

The companion star was going to explode eventually, but this merger accelerated the process, Dong said.

The material ejected by the 2014 supernova explosion moved much faster than the material thrown off earlier from the companion star, and by the time VLASS observed the object, the supernova blast was colliding with that material, causing powerful shocks that produced the bright radio emission seen by the VLA.

All the pieces of this puzzle fit together to tell this amazing story, said Dr. Gregg Hallinan, also from Caltech.

The remnant of a star that exploded a long time ago plunged into its companion, causing it, too, to explode.

The findings appear today in the journal Science.

_____

D.Z. Dong et al. 2021. A transient radio source consistent with a merger-triggered core collapse supernova. Science 373 (6559): 1125-1129; doi: 10.1126/science.abg6037
During the proceedings, I decided to sit for the BSC Engineering Final Part II papers. I had completed all my engineering coursework, but not sat for the final exam. I knew, once convicted, it would take some time for us to gain our freedom.

by Lionel Bopage

I am extremely saddened by the news I heard this morning, that Emeritus Professor C L V (Lakshman) Jayathilake,a fellow of the Institute of Engineers, Sri Lanka,has succumbed to Covid and passed away.

He has impacted my life in many ways on several occasions.

When I was studying at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, he was a lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department. I was studying for a Mechanical and Electrical combined degree in engineering, a rare combination at the time.

Even in my pre-adolescent life, my interests in science and engineering ran parallel with my interests in politics. Since my childhood, I had wanted to be an engineer. At the same time, I was actively involved in politics of the left within the school and outside of it. In a way, it would have been my obsession with the materialist way of thinking that helped, not inconsiderably, my scientific thinking patterns.

At the university, I was an active member of the Socialist Society, led by comrade Nihal Dias, originally affiliated with the Ceylon Communist Party (Peking Wing) that was led by comrade Nagalingam Shanmugathasan. Later, due to the efforts of many of us, including late comrade Sarath Wijesinghe, the Socialist Society became non-party affiliated, but was still heavily influenced by Maoist political thoughts. As usual, I spent most of my extra time with those in the Arts and Science Faculties, mostly on the other side of the famous Akbar bridge linking the two banks of the Mahaweli river that runs through the campus grounds. At the same time, I was a diligent student, attending my lectures and doing my coursework.

Dr Jayathilake was our Thermodynamics lecturer. He held a BSc (Engineering) First Class Honours, a postgraduate Diploma of Imperial College and a PhD from the Imperial College, London.

One day, he called me into his office. I thought it had something to do with my attendance to lectures or coursework performance. Unexpectedly, he directly discussed my involvement in politics. He asked me why I was involved in politics. I clarified my thoughts and explained that although I could achieve many things in life as an individual, we could and should not forget the suffering of our fellow human beings. At the time, his way of thinking and mine did not coincide.

He thought, as an engineering student, I should not get involved in politics, mainly because engineers did not have an employment problem. Engineers would have employment opportunities for the years to come, was his view. I differed, and cited the medical students who had graduated and were still unemployed. In particular, Dr Jayathilake did not like me getting politically involved with the students in the Faculty of Arts. Late comrade Sarath Justin Fernando and I had assisted a strike led by the students of the Arts, Medical and Agriculture faculties. The strike was in support of several HSC students whose university admission was granted first, who were then replaced with some others who had received lower marks. The only engineering students who had supported the strike in public were the two of us and a few others. The faculty administration was not impressed with our political stand, obviously.

Dr Jayathilake knew that he was unable to convince me to give up politics, and had spoken to Professor Selvadurai Mahalingam, whoused to take our Mechanics of Machines lectures. We used to call him Mr Vibration. Despite his nickname, he was a well-recognised professional with a first-class in BSc (Engineering), a PhD from the University of Sheffield and a DSc (Engineering) from the University of London. He warned me that I should give up politics, and in a threatening way, told me that I should either do politics or become an engineer. A similar but gentle warning came from Professor J C V Chinnappa, who was the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the time. I thought Professor Chinnappa displayed more empathy towards our stand.

In 1971, the government at the time set up controversial legislation in the form of the Criminal Justice Commissions (CJC) Act, to convict us by reversing the principles of natural Justice applicable then. The CJC allowed evidence that would have otherwise been inadmissible in a court of law, and shiftedthe legal burden of proof away from the prosecutionon to the accused. The findings or sentences of the CJC were final and non-appealable. It was a political trial rather than a legal one.

During the proceedings, I decided to sit for the BSC Engineering Final Part II papers. I had completed all my engineering coursework, but not sat for the final exam. I knew, once convicted, it would take some time for us to gain our freedom. So, I made a request to Mr Bandula de Silva, who served as the Secretary to the CJC, to grant me permission to study for the final examination, and to advise the prison authorities to provide me the facilities to receive textbooks and any other assistance that were needed.

I cannot pass without mentioning with gratitude the assistance provided by late comrade M B Ratnayake,attorney at law, one time leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna,in helping me pursue my studies. He used to go to the Peoples Publishing House in Colombo affiliated with the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (Moscow-wing) to buy relevant engineering textbooks in Applied Thermodynamics, Mathematics, Mechanics of Machines, Strength & Elasticity of Materials and Electrical Power. Those textbooks were all Russian publications, but cheaper to buy, and they all had the relevant syllabus material that used Russian symbols.

Yet, I did not have enough resources, such as thermodynamic tables, drawing instruments and slide rules etc. So, I wrote to the Dean of the Engineering Faculty- at the time it was Professor J C V Chinnappa. I did not get a response, but after several weeks, I received a pocket slide rule, tables of thermodynamic properties and a short note from Dr Jayathilake to say that if I needed anything else, to feel free to contact him. I know that nowadays they do not use slide rules and hard copy enthalpy entropy tables in engineering calculations due to digitisation, but I still keep them with me as memorabilia of my past and as a testament to the kindness of Dr Jayathilake.

Sometime in 1982, I handed over all my books, including the engineering text books I used while in prison and all my other books on literature and politics, to the Jaffna Library. Books were being collected in Colombo to replace the intellectual resources lost in 1981, when the Jaffna Public Library was set on fire by the goons organised by the government of the day.

When the CJC Act was repealed in 1977, we were released from prison. During one of my visits to Kandy, I visited the Engineering Faculty. Professor Jayathilake was the Dean of the Faculty then. We sat down for about two hours in his office, had tea and discussed the past and the politics. He revealed many aspects of his life during this memorable conversation; how he went to school somewhere in Agalawatte without shoes; that his father served as a liyana mahaththaya (a clerk) of a lawyer in the area. He explained how he got through the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination and subsequently got admitted to the Royal College in Colombo. His brother is Mr Bhadraji Mahinda Jayatilaka, a novelist, vocalist, and artist now residing in California, USA.

Even then he was very much interested in reforming the system of education in Sri Lanka. We had divergent views, his were reformist, mine were more systemic. Yet, he had an extensive understanding of the many issues that were prevailing in Sri Lanka. His knowledge about the correlations between the system of education, the issue of employment and youth discontent was broad. His fluency in Sinhala was excellent. However, later on, he associated closely with the regimes in power and was responsible for administering many institutions.

He had had a stellar career. He was made Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, then Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Ruhuna, Chancellor of Wayamba University of Sri Lanka and Chancellor and Chairof the National Institute of Business Management. He had also served as Director General of the National Institute of Education and Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technical Education. Then he served as Chair of the National Education Commission and the Presidential Commission on Youth. In the sphere of education, he proposed many reforms, but most of those reforms are yet to be implemented.

We had intermittent meetings and discussions in between. He wanted me to come and work for him, but I did not have much trust in the system he was working under, despite his keenness and sincere desire to do something constructive for the betterment of education and the difficult conditions the youth were facing and still sadly are.

Prior to the Presidential Elections in 2019, we started communicating with each other more frequently than before. He was a passionate, compassionate and energetic person. He wanted to contribute to the National Intellectuals Organisation (NIO) and the Jathika Jana Balawegaya (NPP). His close associate in this process was comrade J U Premasiri of the 1971   (April 1971 Forum). He invited me to work together to make this effort more successful. My emphasis was on making a viable third political alternative, that the people could place their trust on; an alternative- committed to working towards a better Sri Lanka by empowering everybody regardless of rank, income, culture or language to achieve social and economic justice.

While at the faculty of Engineering, our views were divergent, but over time I believe he came to better understand my political activism and position. Yes, we still differed in the way of addressing these perennial problems besetting the nations, in particular about whether it required reform or a complete overhaul of the system. Nevertheless, we had been much closer in recent years in terms of our thoughts than we had been before.

We convey our deepest condolences to Professor Jayathilakes family and friends. Our thoughts are with them in this time of grief and sorrow. Our memories of him will live forever in our hearts.

Vale Professor C LV (Lakshman) Jayathilake.
The United States government, through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), has awarded a grant to conserve a 17th century Royal Palace and Archaeology Museum in Kandy. Funding for the project totals over 52 million Sri Lankan rupees ($265,000).

Since 2001, AFCP has funded 14 projects in Sri Lanka, including the conservation of the Rajagala Buddhist forest monastery, the preservation of Buddhist, Hindu, and other collections in the Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum, the restoration of the Batticaloa Dutch Fort, and the preservation of the intangible heritage of ritual music and dance forms of the Adivasi, Tamil, and Buddhist communities.

This newest project aims to conserve the Old Kandyan Kings Palace and upgrade the Archaeology Museum in the Kings Palace located within the Sacred Temple of the Tooth complex. The conservation of these important architectural, cultural, and historical monuments at the UNESCO World Heritage Site will provide future generations of students, scholars and Sri Lankans the ability to view and continue to learn about the history of the ancient Kandy kingdom.

By conserving monuments located within the religiously and historically symbolic Kandy city, the United States also hopes to encourage tourism, promote economic development, and help preserve Sri Lankas magnificent cultural heritage.

AFCP supports the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects, and forms of traditional cultural expression in more than 100 countries around the world.












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Homestead, FL (33030)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
John Bowman, president of the St. Louis County NAACP, was part of a group of about 40 people who traveled from St. Louis to Washington on a bus to take part in the march. They met with U.S. Rep Cori Bush while there.
There is video surveillance evidence from the gas station or convenience store where the car was stolen from where Mr. Lopez and the driver did both at the same time jump into the stolen vehicle while it was running and left the scene, a lawyer told the judge at Lopezs bond hearing Wednesday.
Abbott began feeding the homeless on Fort Lauderdales beach in 1991, although it was illegal to provide such a social service on the beach. Years later, when the city demanded that he stop, he refused, saying he and his corps of volunteers had a right to feed the homeless so they could eat on the beach like anyone else.
About 25 students chose not to go, said Ana Poveda, the schools director of communications and marketing. Also, everyone who went on the trip submitted a negative COVID-19 test result beforehand, Poveda said.
Images appeared to show the cab of the truck with major damage to its front-end, off to one side of the track, while the train sits on the track. Its unclear if the truck had an attached trailer at the time of the crash.
Palm Beach and Miami-Dade County school districts responded to Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran on Wednesday after he demanded they explain how they plan to comply with a rule from the state Department of Health saying parents must be able to opt out of mask rules. The rule came at the direction of an executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a staunch opponent of mask mandates.
Its time to start saving the lives of innocent unborn children in Florida. For three years, I have been the co-sponsor of the Heartbeat Bill, fighting the radical left and the weak Republican establishment to get this bill past. The RINOs in Tallahassee have stopped progress every step of the way. Its time to put them on the record and ensure a vote of the House immediately, Sabatini said.
Thanks to then General Dwight D. Eisenhower, I did not end up an orphan in what was then known as Palestine, which I believe would have been my fate, because of what would have been my Yiddish speaking parents certain death fighting during the Israeli war of independence. Their commanders would direct combat in Hebrew, which they did not understand. My parents believed, as displaced stateless persons, Israel was the only country that would take them in and be a safe haven. Our family history otherwise has been included by Susan Eisenhower, Dwight D. Eisenhowers granddaughter, on page 65 of her most recent book, How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhowers Biggest Decisions.
The megayacht Kaos has dropped anchor in Marbella, and is moored in front of the Puerto Deportivo Virgen del Carmen.

The 110-metre luxury craft is valued at 300 million euros and features 16 exclusive cabins and capacity for 31 people plus 45 crew members.

The boat arrived on the Costa del Sol after sailing from Cartagena on Wednesday, 1 September.

Among its amenities are a swimming pool, lift, gym and even a helipad. The boat was built in 2017 in the Netherlands for the grandfather of the current Emir of Qatar. After his death, the luxurious vessel was sold to Nancy Walton, one of the heiresses of the Walton empire, a businesswoman and philanthropist whose fortune is estimated at 8.4 billion dollars.

At the age of 70, the wealthy owner of Kaos is ranked 334 on the Forbes list of billionaires.

When she acquired it, the American changed the luxury crafts original name from Jubilee to Kaos.
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The Perspective

Atlanta, Georgia

September 2, 2021





On Thursday, August 26, 2021, the United States Ambassador, Michael McCarthy conducted a press conference in Monrovia. During the press conference, he revealed that the US Government and other partners have contributed US$257 million to Liberias Energy Sector to rehabilitate the Mount Coffee Dam and restore power, but If power theft and corruption continues in Liberia, the country will lose donors support. According to him, the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) has lost US$220 million to technical and commercial losses and unpaid bills. He lamented Nowhere in the world is electricity-free. I pay an electric bill at my home in the United States. Ambassador Michael McCarthy's revelation is evidence that the horrendous energy sector in Liberia has become a source of national embarrassment and is arguably the most debilitated sector of the Liberian economy.

The first electricity generating plant, Walter F. Walker Hydro Dam (famously known as Mount Coffee Hydro-power Dam) was built in White Plain, Montserrado County around 1966. It was not until 1973 the Liberian government passed the Public Authority Law which resulted in the establishment of the Liberia Electricity Cooperation; the statutory body responsible for the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in Liberia. After the Liberian civil wars, an Act to amend Chapter 85 of the 1973 Public Authority Law which created the LEC was approved in 2015 and led to the formation of the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC) with the mandates to oversee and regulate the power sector.

On October 4, 2019, Liberias President George Manneh Weah signed the Power Theft Act, following its passage into law by the Legislature. The Act amends Chapter 15 of the Penal Law, repealing the 2015 Electricity Law of Liberia and adding Section 15.88, which establishes a system to stop power theft and stipulates penalties to deal with stealing electricity. It defines the crime of staling electricity as illegal connections, tampering with meters, transmission, and distribution of line and theft of assets including light poles, wires and transformers something the law says remain the most singular challenge to the operations and maintenance of an effective public utility system in Liberia. According to the new Law, Power theft is considered a Second-Degree Felony and violators shall be subjected to tough penalties, which range from no less than 2 years with a maximum of ten in prison and fines ranging from US400.00 to up to US10,000.00 depending on the gravity of the offense.

Forty-Eight years of formalizing the structure for energy management and supply in the country, have there been significant improvements? With the continuous promises from the government about power outages becoming a thing of the past, how is it that the electricity supply situation has only gotten worse? What is happening to the continuous budgetary allocations to the energy and environment sector and the numerous projects undertaken by the US government and other donors? How is it that countries like Ivory Coast and Ghana have been able to provide cheaper, steady, and improved power supplies while Liberians constantly hear fables? Most adults who have spent a great portion of their lives in Liberia have probably never experienced constant 24hours of government-supplied electricity without breaks between. In Liberia, No one is immune to the power outages so much so that the Legislative, Executive, and Judiciarys offices are all powered by standby generators.

The importance of a reliable power supply in Liberia cannot be overemphasized. For there to be a major boost in the economy and the diversification away from dependence on raw natural resources for export, the power sector must be given utmost priority in budgetary spending and implementation. The benefits of having a steady power supply will impact tremendously manufacturing, create employment, attract foreign investment, and boosting business in general.

Is the government of Liberia relying wholly on the United States government and other donors to shoulder the investments in the energy and environment sector? In the 2019/2020 budget, the total allocation to the energy & environment sector was US$11.2M, a measly 2% of the total budget. For a sector in dire need of rehabilitation and resuscitation, these figures are not indicative of any sense of prioritization leading to improvements anytime soon.

Could it be that successive governments are simply uninterested in fixing the energy & environmental sector? It is disheartening that a nation with a population of nearly 4.6 million, generating capacity connection is only 126 megawatts with less than 20% of its population having access to electricity while Cote dIvoires, our neighbor with its population of 23.7 million, generating capacity connection is 2,178 megawatts. In the wake of the post-electoral crisis of 2011, only 34% of the Ivorians had access to electricity. According to the World Bank (WB), today, close to 94% of Ivorians are connected to the power grid. Unlike many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Cote dIvoire has a reliable power supply. It exports electricity to neighbors Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, and Mali, and plans to extend its grid to Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone this year. The Ivorian government has committed to meeting demand growth by increasing installed generation capacity by approximately 150 MW each year. It is not difficult to understand why Cote dIvoire surpasses Liberia on major development indicators despite the latters potentials. According to the World Bank, Ivory Coast has recorded success in its power sector by its decision to privatize a portion of its electricity sector paved the way for one of the continents most robust energy systems that continues to expand and innovate with clean energy solutions. It did not rely solely on the private sector or donor solution. Instead, it invested in making available resources both in the public and private sectors.

Until this government or any other government for that matter can tackle the energy supply problem in the country, it would not be taken seriously because this is one area where it is easiest to prove that a government is indeed working for the benefit of the people. Corruption and impunity which are the major culprits for the chaos in the sector must be dealt with as Ambassador Michael McCarthy mentioned. No doubt, with an order of magnitude of deficiency and inefficiency in the energy and environment sector caused by historical neglect, it will require an associated order of magnitude of investment, commitment, focus, and patience, for its turnaround. A good starting point  a massive national signal - would be for all government facilities (including the Executive Mansion, the Capitol Building, and Supreme Court) to stop forthwith the use of generators to supply electricity for their day-to-day activities both at work and home as well as payment of monthly arrears to the LEC in a timely fashion. Such a signal will not only compel the LEC to sit up and get better but will encourage policymakers to experience some of the pain that ordinary Liberians feel every day. Hopefully, this will engender change in official attitudes  and perhaps raise the budget for the energy sector from the pathetic amount provided for in 2020!

Ambassador Michael McCarthy is right on the energy theft issues. The challenge of energy theft is so daunting to the extent that such theft of electricity and associated loss of revenue to the tune of US$220 million is shocking. The sector cannot continue like this. There is no sector in the world where criminal acts affecting critical sectors are not given special treatment. Until people know that there are penalties for the specific crime of energy theft, this is not going to stop. There is a mindset that stealing electricity is okay and that needs to be corrected through rigorous enforcement. The Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Liberia Electricity Corporation must collaborate with security agencies and the judiciary in enforcing the Power Theft Act and deter energy theft. The LERC and the LEC must acquire and install an Integrated Commercial Management System (If they dont have)) to check repeated theft of electricity by consumers within its network coverage or to a more sophisticated system to check constant power theft. Liberians are desirous of growth in the power sector. Such growth or progression, hopefully, is to be predicated on regular power supply, and efficient service delivery by the LEC who is at the end of the power sector value chain. We as citizens must also frown on power consumers who bypassed meters and also vandalized transformers and feeder pillars, among others. If we fail to act decisively in correcting the ills of the energy sector, the opportunity for the country to recover could be lost.

About the Author: Karweaye is a Liberian residing in the United States of America and can be contacted at s.karweaye1668@student.tsu.edu


MATSAPHA  If the hole in the car which was driven by Thabani Nkomonye when he was allegedly involved in an accident was caused by a bolt, it must have been done intentionally.

This is according to evidence that was submitted by a witness, Thoba Neto, who told the Coroner, Senior Magistrate Nonhlanhla Dlamini, that he possessed an Engineering Certificate which he obtained from Atlas Scan Air, Johannesburg in South Africa and he worked at Scan Air Charter in Matsapha Airport Flying Club, where he inspected and serviced aircraft. He also alleged that he worked as a mechanic, designed metal objects, manufactured bolts and did panel beating. He delivered his evidence yesterday and was led by Lawyer Mangaliso Nkomondze, who first took him to inspect the car at Matsapha Police Station. As lawyer Nkomondze led him in evidence, the witness told the coroner that he was an expert when it came to bolts as he had been in the field for over 30 years.

Involved

Thereafter, the lawyer asked him if he panel beated vehicles which had been involved in accidents and he responded to the affirmative. Nkomondze then asked him what they usually did when panel beating a car and he submitted that it depended on the nature of the damages as sometimes they fixed it without cutting anything. The lawyer also asked him if he had dealt with cars that had plastic bumpers and if he had fixed them. The witness responded to the positive to both questions and even mentioned that at his workstation, he was currently fixing a plastic bumper. Thereafter, Lawyer Nkomondze asked him to tell the coroner what he did and observed in the car at Matsapha Police Station when he inspected it earlier on. He submitted that he saw a white scratch on the rear bumper of the car and at the end of the scratch mark, there was a hole. He added that he observed that the bumper was the flexible type.

The lawyer then told the witness that in relation to the hole, Detective Inspector Vincent Mbingo, a ballistics expert from the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), came to give evidence before the coroner and submitted that in his expert analysis, the hole that the witness had seen in the bumper was caused by a bolt. The lawyer then wondered if the witness did observe any bolt around the area of the bumper in the car and Neto responded to the positive.

Diameter

Thereafter, he gave the witness Inspector Mbingos report and asked him to go to page five, which had two pictures; that of the bolt was 22mm long and a diameter of 6mm. Again, the lawyer asked the witness to go to page six and seven which also showed different angles of the bolt. He then asked him if he could confirm that he saw the bolt which was shown in the pictures, when he inspected the car and again, the witness responded to the affirmative. Furthermore, Lawyer Nkomondze told the witness that on page six of Inspector Mbingos report, the first pictures showed a hole and there was another picture of the same hole on page seven. He then asked him if he could see that and he responded to the positive. Thereafter, the lawyer asked him what he could say about Inspector Mbingos conclusion that the hole was caused by the bolt. Threads in a plastic material can only be caused by yourself if you want them to be there, the witness submitted. However, the lawyer asked him to elaborate what he meant by that. In response, he said for example, if one used a screw on a plastic material, like the bumper, it would form the threads and unlock. He added that when the person unscrewed, the screw would come out.

Unscrews

As the person unscrews the screw, the threads will remain in the hole in the bumper, the witness added. Again, the lawyer asked the witness what made him say that he had a problem with Inspector Mbingos report that the hole was caused by a bolt. He responded by submitting that the hole looked like the said bolt was screwed in and out. This is to say if the bolt caused the hole in the bumper because of an impact, there would be a cut, not threads, the witness submitted. He emphasised that the threads in the hole meant that the bolt was screwed in and out.The lawyer asked the witness if he could rule out a situation where there was a hard impact on the bumper, then the bolt pierced it and threads were caused. It is impossible, particularly the formation of the threads, the witness submitted. Once more, the lawyer asked if it would be possible that the hole could be created, but the bumper does not crack. Yes, but only if the bumper is drilled, he replied.

Furthermore, the lawyer asked what would happen if there was high impact. He asked that according to his experience, if there could be a hole alone there should also be a crack. In response, he submitted that there could be a hole if there was a big impact, but the hole can be big. Thereafter, the lawyer asked that they should talk about the size of the bolt, which made him disagree with Mbingo. The size of the hole is bigger than the bolt. The hole also has fine threads in it, compared to the rough threads on the bolt, the witness submitted. The legal eagle also asked the witness if he noticed if the bolt was bent or straight and in response, he submitted that it was bent to the right. Following up on his answer, the lawyer asked the witness that when comparing the fact that the bolt in the car was bent to the right with the hole on the bumper, what would be his conclusion.

Impact

Firstly, he submitted that if there was an impact, there was supposed to be a hole with no threads because it would mean there was no fastening. When commenting about the comparison between the bolt which was bent to the right and the hole in the bumper of the car, he said it (hole) was facing downwards, but the bolt was facing right. He added that the threads were also facing down like the hole. Afterwards, the lawyer asked the witness to look at page six of the report, which showed a picture of the hole. He asked him what he observed, paying attention to the bevelling. He also highlighted that Inspector Mbingo told the coroner that there were some shearing bevelling on the bumper pointing outwards, showing that what caused the hole was from inside.

The flowering of the hole is outside-inwards, it shows that something was pushed from outside, inward the car, the witness submitted. On the other hand, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Phila Dlamini applied for the postponement of the matter.
MBABANE  There will be no compensation for those injured or killed during the recent unrest  at least not under the E500 million Reconstruction Fund.

This was the resolution made by the House of Assembly yesterday, as the Members of Parliament (MPs) resolved that the fund was strictly meant for the reconstruction of small and medium enterprises which had lost their structures, business and their stock.

This was during the debate of the report of the Finance Portfolio Committee on the Reconstruction Fund, Regulations 2021, which was debated and passed in the House yesterday. The report was motivated by the chairperson, Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo.

Appreciated

First to question whether those who had been injured or killed would be compensated was Nkilongo MP Timothy Myeni. He said while he appreciated the gesture by government and the King of the fund, he wondered what had caused MP Khumalo and his committee to present a report which made no mention of the compensation for the people who had been injured, shot, amputated and killed during the unrest. What gave you the guts (sibindzi lesingaka) not to include the victims of those who were injured and how they could be compensated, asked Myeni. He said he was concerned that already, according to newspaper reports, one of those who was injured were already suing government for an amount of over E4 million. The MP said he would address these issues, especially since he was representing four constituencies who had no one to speak on their behalf. He was, however, called to order by appointed MP Chief Kusa, who said he was concerned that the MP always spoke of constituencies which were not represented yet the House had a full representation. However, the Nkilongo MP said he was talking on behalf of all the 59 constituencies.

Aligning with the Nkilongo MPs submissions was Lomahasha MP Ndumiso Masimula, who said while he appreciated the assistance for business infrastructure, it must be remembered that breadwinners had lost their lives or sources of income during the unrest. In some homes the people who were breadwinners lost their lives or were injured and lost their limbs, so what happens now, wondered MP Masimula. He said the Reconstruction Fund should have included some form of compensation for them. He said all of them needed to be compensated. The MPs further said government needed to address the real issue behind the unrest instead of trying to mend already broken fences.

Symptoms

They stated that government needed to address the symptoms instead of trying to mend a problem that was already there. They likened it to diarrhea. MP Masimula said the dialogue needed to be held within the next two months because people would continue to burn more structures or be more violent if the root cause of the unrest was not addressed. Meanwhile, Mtsambama MP Simo Shongwe, who is one of the MPs who called for change, wondered how many of these funds would be set up before government addressed the real issue. We cannot be taking the child to hospital everyday to treat a fever, why not just address it once and for all, he suggested. He also called for a national dialogue. Meanwhile, Ndzingeni MP Lutfo Dlamini called for government and Parliament to stop burying their heads in the sand like ostriches and address the issues at hand. He said he was confused how the House was still debating regulations when a minister had already set out the guidelines for it. In response, MP Khumalo informed the House that when the committee met they had discussed the issue of compensation for those who had been injured and lost bread winners. He encouraged government to come up with other means of compensating those who had been shot, injured or killed.

He said perhaps there could be a cheaper way of compensating the affected which was much cheaper than the court route. Khumalo, further added that he was not downplaying the whole process. He was supported by Deputy Speaker Madala Mhlanga, who stated that for now the fund was strictly for reconstruction. It was revealed that the fund would be run by EswatiniBank. The MPs highlighted that the process should not experience bottle neck as experienced under the COVID-19 E45 million relief fund.

On another note, the MPs were of the view that the civil society should be included as part of the committee which observes the allocation of the funds.
MANZINI  A police officer based under the Operational Support Services Unit (OSSU) was arrested for the burning of Mathangeni OK Foods Supermarket during the recent unrest in the country.

The name of the 58-year-old police officer is known to this publication but will not be revealed for now as he is yet to appear before a court of law. According to impeccable sources, the officer, who is a member of the police paramilitary wing based at Ngonini, was called to the Police Headquarters in Mbabane yesterday morning and upon arrival, he was shown security video footage depicting what transpired on the day the shop was looted, vandalised and burnt. It was gathered that in the video footage, he was allegedly seen throwing a grenade inside the shop where there were looters. According to impeccable sources, the grenade reportedly fell on some papers inside the shop and started the fire which eventually burnt the shop. It was gathered that on the day of the incident, the police officer was on duty and it was reported that he was trying to disperse the looters when he threw same.

Video

According to impeccable sources, when the officer left his base at Ngonini, he left as an officer, but later returned as a suspect. The impeccable sources said the officer was arrested on the strength of the video footage. He was yesterday detained at the Mafutseni Police Station pending his court appearance at the Manzini Magistrates Court. The officer has reportedly been charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, which means he will have to move his bail application at the High Court. This means he has become the third person to be arrested and charged for contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act in the aftermath of the unrest that ensued in June and July in the kingdom. The other two are Members of Parliament (MPs); Hosea Constituency MP Mduduzi Mabuza and Ngwempisi Constituency MP Mthandeni Dube. Meanwhile, another MP who was charged for contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act is Siphofaneni Constituency MP Mduduzi Simelane. However, his whereabouts are unknown and remains a fugitive, according to the police.

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter. She said a police officer was currently assisting them in their investigations. Vilakati said more details would come up in court when the matter was presented before a judicial officer. This was when she was sought to assist with information on the exact charge preferred against the officer. Worth noting is that following the banning of the delivery of petitions with immediate effect by government towards the end of June, the country experienced unrest which claimed the lives of many people and resulted in vandalism, looting and torching of some properties.
MBABANE  We hope the blockades will not go ahead as planned because the biggest loser will be the little guy.

The above statement was made by Business Eswatini (BE) when questioned on whether they had a contingency plan for businesses to get supplies, among many other things, following the planned blockade. BE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nathi Dlamini said all border blockades had never been able to hurt the intended people except innocent workers who put in an honest days work so that they could put food on the table for their families. The business community of this country has wronged no one, we humbly ask those behind the proposed blockade to please stand down for now and give dialogue a chance - just one more time, said the CEO. Dlamini said as BE, they had only heard mumblings about a proposed border blockades, but nothing formal had come across their desk.

Disruptions

He said one could only hope that this was untrue because the economy was presently on its last leg and could not afford anymore disruptions. As a country, we have suffered enough under COVID-19 and a lot of emaSwati have lost their jobs. As if that was not enough, there came political skirmishes which decimated whatever was left of our ailing economy and left our supply chains woefully broken down, he said. Government Spokesperson Sabelo Dlamini said they were not aware of the proposed border blockade, adding that nothing formal had been communicated to them in that regard. Dlamini said they did not expect anyone under any circumstances to hinder the flow of trade between the neighbouring States and the region. Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Mancoba Khumalo said they would issue a statement in response to the proposed blockades today after confirming the authenticity of the events.
MBABANE  As part of the Eswatini Global Week of Action, three of the border gates connecting South Africa and the kingdom are expected to come to a standstill as COSATU has vowed to stage blockades on September 9, 2021.

COSATU is an acronym for Congress of South African Trade Unions. It was said that the three ports of entry would be blocked on the South African side by the union members in solidarity with emaSwati who are currently calling for political reforms. COSATU Deputy International Secretary Zanele Mathebula confirmed the activities which would be taking place during the Eswatini Global Week of Action. Mathebula stated that in partnership with the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), Eswatini Diaspora, Mpumalanga, KZN and other affiliates, they had a meeting and agreed on six activities to take place from September 6 to 9, 2021.

She said COSATU would be joining in the border blockades and visual sessions where they would be discussing the issue of Eswatini demands and what exactly independence meant as they forged through the global pandemic of COVID-19 and as they struggled with socio-economic issues that were facing SADC, in particular, Eswatini with the issues of poverty, unemployment and alleged police brutality among others. Mathebula said it was important that they got different views of the people of the kingdom and knew exactly what it was that they wanted. Also, she said they wanted to ascertain whether the people of Eswatini were speaking in a unified voice in order that they mobilise globally to ensure that emaSwati received the support they needed, raising their voices and making the authorities to listen. According to Mathebula, they wanted the monarchy to understand that the people were asking for a different Eswatini and allow them to have a regime that would allow them to choose their own leaders while the monarchy existed separately.

Democracy

Some are talking about constitutional democracy and some are just taking about democracy in general. So we want to hear the collective voice of the people of Eswatini so we know exactly what the demands are, she said. Matebula said after understanding the demands, they would mobilise internationally to make sure that the people of Eswatini got the attention and support they needed. Furthermore, she stated that they understood that people died during the recent unrest and that there were those who were arrested and some were released while others were still in jail. Also, she stated that they had information to the effect that numerous people were injured in the process. She added that there was also the issue of Amos Mbedzi, who was a political prisoner kept in Eswatini and was medically unfit to stay in jail, while the courts were refusing to even release him on medical parole.

This, she said, was another objective that they hoped to achieve when they gained support internationally. Mathebula said the rights of Mbedze were being trembled upon, while he was on his death bed, but was still kept in prison. He added that there were other political prisoners whom they wanted released, including the two incarcerated Members of Parliament (MPs) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza of Hosea and Mthandeni Dube of Ngwempisi, who wanted to make Parliament understand what the people wanted, but were arrested for trying to relay that message. Currently, she said they were seeing denial from the authorities that the people were tired and wanted change and move away from poverty to be self-reliant. Mathebula said emaSwati were calling for dialogue and a way towards a different Eswatini.

She added that through the week, they would have a global virtual seminar that included emaSwati in diaspora, who would be leading the talks in partnership with COSATU. TUCOSWAs Mduduzi Gina stated that COSATU would be leading the blockades and could be joined by a mass democratic movement as it obtained in SA. Gina said they wanted to send a clear message that dialogue was needed in the country to resolve the tension. He stated that the activities were meant to commemorate the Global Week of Action and the initiatives showed that it could not be business as usual where people were complaining and calling for reforms. These activities, he said, encouraged dialogue.
Qatar Petroleums (QP) Ras Laffan Port, located in Ras Laffan Industrial City, has become the first port in the Arabian Gulf to join the international Green Award network as an Incentive Provider for certified LNG carriers.



Qatar Petroleum and the Green Award Foundation have worked very closely to materialize this incentive to reward and recognize the efforts and investments of LNG ships that are adopting the latest environmental standards.



The Green Award is a platform that recognises safety, quality and environmental performance in shipping by facilitating an international network of over 150 incentive providers that offer a wide range of benefits to its certificate holders. Green Award recipients demonstrate their commitment to continually improve their performance in safety and environment for shipping above and beyond international standards.



As the premier location of the global LNG supply chain, Ras Laffan Port plays an integral role in providing international markets with LNG as an environmentally friendly source of energy. With more than 1,000 LNG tankers calling at Ras Laffan Port annually, its track record in promoting environmentally sustainable practices in shipping has been well established since its inception in 1996. Since then, Ras Laffan Port has also worked closely with Qatargas to support the certification of its LNG shipping fleet.



Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said: Through the Green Award for shipping, we are also building upon QPs track record of providing environmentally friendly energy by supporting sustainable practices in shipping as well.



Ras Laffan Port authorities said that through this framework, certified tankers will continually strive to improve the environmental performance of their operations. Certified LNG Tanker Operators under the Green Award scheme will now be offered a discount on Port Dues making Ras Laffan Port the first in the region to do so.



Jan Fransen, Executive Director of Green Award Foundation, said Ras Laffan Port is the first port in the Arabian Gulf to join the Green Award Foundation as an Incentive Provider. We appreciate the continued cooperation we have with Qatar, as Qatargas was involved in the setup of our ship certification program for LNG carriers in 2011, which later included LPG carriers as well. We welcome Ras Laffan Ports support to protect the marine environment which the Green Award has been pursuing for over 27 years.  TradeArabia News Service
More data was produced in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt in 2020 after businesses shifted to a remote work system due to the pandemic, a new survey commissioned by Kingston Technology showed.

Based on the results of the survey conducted by ResearchOne Marketing Consultancy, 75% of the respondents, who comprised IT specialists, affirmed that their organisations had shifted to a work-from-home (WFH) set-up last year to help stem the spread of Covid-19.

Around 67% of the interviewees agreed that, as a result of the WFH adoption, the data growth rate witnessed by their companies was faster in 2020 compared to the previous years. They credited the uptick to the increase in email storage during lockdowns.

The data spikes resulted in the need for more efficient and sustainable online storage systems and data centre facilities. To increase efficiency and, in the long run, reduce the ecological footprint, bringing down the energy costs has become one of the priorities of many businesses today  thus leading them to speed up their cloud migration efforts.

About 50% of companies in Saudi Arabia had begun migrating some of their processes to the cloud during the period, while 25% in both the UAE and Egypt had taken a similar route.

The majority of those surveyed believed that migrating to the cloud services would reflect favorably on the cooling and storage costs that come with managing and running their data centres.

Data centres are known for their high-power consumption. Studies have found that these facilities will be responsible for one-fifth of the worlds energy demands by 2025, dwarfing the power consumption of many individual countries. This has raised the alarm bells for countries and institutions pushing for a more sustainable future. Over the years, especially during the pandemic, businesses have begun to think more about improving their efficiency in terms of their overall IT infrastructure, which includes data centres.

But for some experts, cloud migration is not the solution if the aim is to reduce the energy consumption of data centres. It is only shifting the problem since moving to the cloud essentially boils down to big servers that require yet again more data centres. To achieve a genuine energy reduction within the IT system, making data centres eco-friendly and efficient should be prioritised as well.

On this, as per the survey, some of the respondents supported the rollout of advanced technologies such as smart sensors to monitor the temperature of data centres and complement a more efficient cooling system. To decrease power expenditures, they also proposed the use of renewable energy and co-hosting of servers with other local companies to reduce the sheer amount of data centres and the cost to manage them. Sharing of servers, which translates to less energy consumption, can especially benefit smaller companies.

A few of the interviewees pointed as well to the importance of upgrading to high-performing flash-based solid-state drives (SSDs) from hard-disk drives (HDDs) to optimise technology infrastructure and reduce energy consumption.

Thousands and thousands of HDDs currently run in many data centres, often in continuous operation, leading to high energy usage. Proponents of HDD, which has been in circulation for decades, often make the argument that this technology is superior to its SSD counterpart in terms of data capacity and, thus, also the price-performance ratio. But this advantage has been reduced by the SSD for some time now.

Upgrading to SSD from HDD - as well as to non-volatile memory express (NVMe) from serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) - can have a huge impact on power reduction when extended to the entire data centre.

Moreover, compared to HDDs, which are more susceptible to wear and tear, SSDs have ten times the transfer speed and can seamlessly switch to an energy storage mode after completion of the read or write process. If an NVMe PCIe SSD is used, the rapid transfer speed can further reduce the duration of full operation and, consequently, save power.

Kingston Technology strongly advocates for partnerships between companies and industry experts to help the former actively reduce their carbon footprint. It is for this reason that it offers its Ask an Expert service to help its partners choose not just the right SSDs but also other components that, in the long run, will help improve their operational efficiency and environmental impact.-- TradeArabia News Service
Oman Airports yesterday (September 1) opened its doors wide to welcome travellers coming to the Sultanate from all around the world with the move coinciding with ending the quarantine requirement.



PCR test is still required to detect Covid-19 before or upon arrival in the Sultanate, reported Oman News Agency (ONA), noting that taking two doses of approved vaccines is mandatory to visit the Sultanate.



Easing restrictions marks the return of operating domestic and international flights by international airlines through Oman Airports.



Muscat International Airport has implemented packages of measures and preventive requirements in line with the national efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and to ensure safety and health of all passengers and airport's workers.



Saud Nasser al-Hubaishi, Vice President of Muscat International Airport said: Imposing a set of strict precautionary protocols at Muscat International Airport and Salalah International Airport qualified us at Muscat International Airport to obtain international recognition as the first airport in the Middle East in application of health standards related to Covid-19.



We are constantly updating these protocols and procedures in line with the international standards adopted in this regard and in harmony with the national precautionary measures approved by the authorities concerned in the Sultanate.


Choice Hotels Europe has signed a master license agreement with Saudi-based Seera Hospitality, a subsidiary of Seera Holding Group, the largest publicly listed travel company in the Mena region, to open at least ten hotels across the kingdom within the next five years.

The first three properties  Clarion Jeddah Airport, Comfort King Road Jeddah, and Comfort Olaya Riyadh  are due to open at the end of this year and are available to pre-book now.

Clarion Hotel Jeddah Airport has 200 rooms and is located on the Prince Majid Road, just three minutes away from the new King Abdul-Aziz International Airport and Jeddah Airport Train Station. It is easily accessible from the Jeddah City Centre and also located close to the Mall of Arabia, one of the biggest shopping centres in Jeddah.

The Comfort King Road, with 125 extended stay suites, is located in one of the most prominent areas of Jeddah and in close proximity to the Jeddah Corniche, Jeddah International Airport, and the Madinah Road.

The Comfort Olaya Riyadh is located in Olaya, in one of the most prized locations in the citys central business district near the iconic Kingdom Tower. The hotel boasts 97 well-appointed extended stay suites, as well as a rooftop lounge with unique views of the Riyadh skyline.

Seera is at the forefront of travel and tourism recovery efforts in the kingdom and beyond, and as part of the agreement, currently there are several identified projects for Choice Hotels brands throughout Saudi Arabia in various stages of development.

With this Seera tie-up, the top European hospitality group is repositioned itself as a major player in the EMEA region.

On the agreement, Choice Hotels EMEA CEO Jonathan Mills said: "I am excited to continue this master license agreement in Saudi Arabia and welcoming Seera group and the forthcoming properties to our portfolio."

"With these openings, we reposition our division as Choice Hotels EMEA, further supporting our growth strategy and focus on investing in our business for our stakeholders," he stated.

The announcement comes shortly after Helen ter Beek, Senior Director Commercial and Operation, and Edwin Broers, Director Deployment Operations, joined the Choice Hotels Leadership team, bringing a wealth of hotel operational and commercial experience.

Helen oversees all commercial activities as well as deployment services for Choice Hotels partners, with Edwin leading the operational onboarding of all new partners including Seera Group.

"We are the only global hotel company to enter the Middle East market through Saudi Arabia, a country placing a substantive focus on developing travel and tourism. By entering the region together with a strong hospitality group, we strive to increase Choice Hotels footprint in the region," remarked Mills.

"We have been focused on this approach for some time, so I am pleased to be continuing this agreement today," he added.

Mills said he expects to open the first of the properties within the third quarter of this year.

Seera Group CEO Majed Alnefaie said: "Saudi Arabia is recording transformational growth through path-breaking initiatives, including a focus on strengthening the entire tourism sector. Together with Choice Hotels EMEA, we aim to set new standards in the Middle East hospitality sector."

"Across our portfolio of travel brands, Seera Group has several platforms to promote travel and tourism to achieve the Kingdoms vision and this agreement continues to be a great step towards realising that vision," he added.

Seera Chief Hospitality Officer Shuja Zaidi said: "Our new Clarion and Comfort hotels are setting new standards for the next generation of hotels in the region. The design of these new hotels has engaged state-of-the-art technology blended with Arabian hospitality to introduce unique and best-in-class product in the Middle Eastern markets."

"In teaming with Choice Hotels, we found the perfect collaborator to achieve these goals," she added.-TradeArabia News Service
Exhibitors from more than 30 countries around the world have already signed up for WTM London, leading global event for the travel industry, as all key elements of the global travel sector prepare for recovery.



WTM Londons physical show will take place at ExCeL London on November 1- 3, to be followed by WTM Virtual (November 8-9).



Exhibitors hail from 16 European countries plus more than a dozen destinations further afield, such as Peru, China, Israel, Maldives, Russia and the US.



Alongside popular tourism hotspots, there will be exhibitors from smaller and emerging destinations such as the Falkland Islands.



Together, the exhibitors represent a wide range of tourism companies and organisations, including tourist boards, hotel chains, cruise lines, DMCs and major attractions.



Many of them will also host exhibiting partners on their stands, to support smaller enterprises as the sector bounces back from the pandemic.



The Middle East and the Gulf regions are well represented with the likes of Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and Egypt.



Dr Abdelrazzak Arabiyat, Managing Director of the Jordan Tourism Board, commented: WTM London is one of the important exhibitions that the Jordan Tourism Board and its members attend annually to network and meet with the tourism trade and media in the UK and internationally.

The UK has always been a feeder market for Jordan and is of the top markets that the Jordan Tourism Board focuses on.



He said almost 60,000 Brits visited the country in 2019, thanks in part to the introduction of the easyJet route from London to Aqaba.



Jordan is slowly recovering and tourism numbers are starting to pick up once again, he added.



Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, said the emirate will be able to showcase its new attractions and health protocols to a global audience at WTM.



Our attendance is a great sign that events are taking a turn for the better globally. WTM London, with its large audience of industry professionals, is an ideal platform for us to remind the world that Sharjah remains a favourite family destination and is the go-to emirate for unique experiences, home to cultural attractions, stylish eateries, beautiful beaches and exquisite natural landscapes, offering visitors an authentic glimpse into the traditions and lifestyle of the UAE, said Al Midfa.



Raki Phillips, Chief Executive of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, commented: World Travel Market is one of the most important events for the international travel and tourism industry, and we are delighted to be exhibiting. Despite the challenges the global tourism industry has faced, we are committed to showcasing Ras Al Khaimah to visitors in ways that are meaningful to their travel experiences.



The UK is one of our top source markets, so we are very much looking forwarded to connecting with key stakeholders, showcasing our work in sustainable tourism development, and outlining our plan in meeting the needs of travellers in the new normal.  TradeArabia News Service
Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) has unveiled an ambitious growth strategy which aims to have 115,000 rooms in the market in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) by 2025.

Moreover, RHG will continue investing 250 million ($296.28 million) in assets, brands, and systems, and launch an ambitious development plan in EMEA, APAC (Asia-Pacific) and China.

Presenting a comprehensive update on the groups strong growth plan at this years International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF), RHGs CEO, Federico J. Gonzalez also shared the latest development successes of more than 250 hotels signed since the start of the pandemic.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, RHG with the support of its shareholders Jin Jiang and Sino-Ceef, has remained committed to its five-year transformation plan with a targeted investment of 250 million in assets, superior revenue management, and IT systems, which allow to deliver best-in-class GOP.

Gonzalez said: We remain prudently optimistic about full recovery in 2022 as governments are deciding on ways to sustainably reopen travel. The in-depth business transformation we started before the pandemic with our five-year plan, makes us ready for the rebound as we continue to respond to new demands in the market and grow significantly in APAC and EMEA.

Elie Younes, Chief Development Officer, said: Since the start of 2021, we signed over 45 new hotels with 7,000 rooms across EMEA where Radisson Blu celebrates a decade as the largest upper upscale brand. Our continued expansion demonstrates the relevance of our brands and the trust of our owners. In Asia Pacific, the strong backing of our owners, Jin Jiang and Sino-Ceef, is facilitating the acceleration of our growth trajectory, especially in China.

The strength of RHGs strategic transformation and development plan has ensured the group is ready for the rebound and led to remarkable growth with 250 signings worldwide.

In EMEA, RHG announced more than 100 hotels in key markets like UK, Italy, the DACH region, North Africa, and Saudi Arabia. Today, RHG counts over 1,600 hotels worldwide in 120 countries.

Since the launch of its new brand architecture in 2018, the Radisson Collection portfolio of iconic hotels has grown to over 40 properties in Paris, London, Milan, Venice, Seville, Casablanca, Moscow, Bodrum, and Shanghai.

Radisson Collection is also coming to Berlin later this year following an extensive transformation of the famous Radisson Blu Hotel. Radisson Blu cemented its position as the biggest upper-upscale brand in Europe and counts a total global portfolio of over 410 hotels.

The Radisson brand expanded significantly with 35 signings joining the brands total footprint of 290 hotels, and Radisson RED grew to 66 hotels worldwide. The groups latest conversion-focused brand, Radisson Individuals, has swiftly expanded its global presence to 20 properties worldwide.

RHG also further strengthened its position in the Resort and Serviced Apartments sectors where the group is aiming at doubling its portfolio in the next five years.

Following the successful launch of Hybrid Rooms and Hybrid Meetings, the company also announced novel initiatives such as Convertible Rooms, a concept which gives owners the option to integrate flexibility in their assets and to respond to the most relevant space usage in each market at each moment.

In APAC, the group is spearheading an exponential growth plan led by expansion in China where the portfolio will grow to 1,000 hotels in operation and under development in the next five years together with Jing Jiang. -- TradeArabia News Service
UWs Bobadilla Receives Young Investigator Grant to Research Drug Addiction

Ana Clara Bobadilla

Ana Clara Bobadilla says the opioid epidemic in the United States is associated with an equally dangerous public health threat -- the combined use of multiple drugs. For example, from 2010-16, fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, accounted for most of the increase in cocaine-related overdose deaths.

Although polysubstance use has been consistently observed in the clinic, preclinical research has, until recently, focused solely on the neurobiological effects of single drugs, says the University of Wyoming assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy and the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) Medical Education Program. To address this gap in knowledge, we propose to investigate how polysubstance exposure impacts coactive cellular networks in the brain.

To fund her research, Bobadilla recently received a Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) for her project, titled Assessing Neuronal Ensembles Competition in a Model of Polysubstance Exposure and Relapse. Her grant starts Jan. 15, 2022, and runs through Jan. 14, 2024.

BBRF is committed to alleviating the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research. The BBRF Young Investigator Grant program provides each scientist with up to $35,000 per year for two years -- totaling $70,000 -- to enable promising investigators to either extend research fellowship training or begin careers as independent research faculty.

The goal of the Young Investigator Grant program is to help researchers launch careers in neuroscience and psychiatry and gather pilot data to apply for larger federal and university grants. Since 1987, BBRF has awarded more than $269 million in Young Investigator Grants around the world.

A fundamental feature of drug addiction is a lifelong vulnerability to relapse, even after long periods of abstinence, Bobadilla says. The proposed experiments will better characterize the specific networks of neurons that are built through drug use and sustain drug craving by combining state-of-the-art, genetically modified mice and an innovative behavioral model of dual cocaine and heroin intake and relapse. This research will further our understanding of the neurobiology of drug seeking as an approach to treat people struggling with substance use disorder and polydrug use.

The grant provides funding for three UW students -- Levi Flom, a first-year Ph.D. student in the Neuroscience Program, from Kasson, Minn.; Carl Litif, a second-year Ph.D. student in the Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences Program, from McAllen, Texas; and Kathryn Sandum, a first-year Ph.D. student majoring in biomedical science, from New Boston, Mich.

Bobadilla received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the Pierre & Marie Curie University (now Sorbonne University) in Paris, France. Her thesis work focused on understanding the long-lasting neurobiological changes of noradrenergic and serotonergic systems induced by repeated exposure to drugs of abuse using the behavioral sensitization model in mice. She then completed her postdoctoral training at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she studied glutamatergic alterations driving drug seeking.

In 2020, Bobadilla joined UW as an assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy. She currently investigates the neurobiological mechanisms of relapse to drugs. Specifically, she characterizes the specific ensembles of neurons built through reward experience that drive reward-seeking behavior. By establishing whether or not addictive drugs hijack the circuitry/ensembles coding for biological rewards, these findings aim to advance fundamental understanding of goal-directed behaviors and the disorders altering them.

For more information about Bobadilla, go to www.uwyo.edu/pharmacy/faculty-and-staff-directory/profile/ana-bobadilla.html.
Vale started operating six autonomous haul trucks in the Carajas iron ore complex, in the state of Para, Brazil. By the end of the year, ten vehicles will be operating at the site. This initiative is part of a set of actions aimed at increasing employee safety, making the operation more environmentally sustainable and obtaining gains in competitiveness. The implementation is being accompanied by a human resources plan to train employees to work with new digital technologies.

Capable of moving 320 metric tons at a time, the autonomous trucks were being tested in an isolated area in Carajas since 2019. Last week they started the final testing phase at the N4E mine and yesterday, September 1st, they officially went live. In the entire Carajas Complex, four autonomous drills are already in operation and by the end of the year this number will get to seven drills.

Autonomous haul trucks parked in the mining area in Carajas. Photo: Michael Roger/ Vale

The autonomous operation began to be implemented by Vale at the Brucutu mine, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 2016, and today it covers all 13 haul trucks at that unit. Since the implementation in Brucutu, no accident caused by trucks has been recorded. The autonomous trucks are controlled by computer systems, GPS, radar and artificial intelligence, covering the route between the mining front and the unloading area. Upon detecting risks, the equipment stops its operations until the path is cleared again. The safety system's sensors are capable of detecting both larger objects such as large rocks and other trucks, as well as human beings in the vicinity of the road. Therefore, risky situations, such as tipping and collision, were eliminated.

The introduction of autonomous trucks in Carajas is another step by Vale towards its ambition to become a reference in safety in mining and towards the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 33% until 2030, says Antonio Padovezi, director of Vale's Northern Corridor . "Technology reduces the exposure of employees to the risks inherent to the activity and also brings environmental benefits, reinforcing our new pact with society ".

People at the center of decisions

In the autonomous truck there is no operator in the cabin. But people continue to play a relevant role in the operation. Other equipment circulating through the mine, such as motor graders and tractors, will continue to be manned. Therefore, the operators of these vehicles received training to interact with autonomous trucks. 32 operators have already been trained and by the end of the year this number will reach 120. There will be 208 hours of training for each operator, totaling almost 25,000 hours.

Operator in control room far from the mining site. Photo: Michael Roger/ Vale

Over the next 12 months, the operation will be assisted by the truck supplier. After this period, it is expected that Vale fully assumes the operation. When this occurs, new jobs will be created in control rooms, far from the mining front.

The implementation of autonomous workers in the operation is being carried out with the concern of keeping people at the center of decisions, explains the manager of the Autonomous Program, Pedro Bemfica. The introduction of digital technology drives the evolution of employees' professional skills and makes them more prepared for the industry's digital transformation trend.

Environment and competitiveness

Autonomous operation also brings relevant environmental benefits. The more constant performance of the trucks and the increase in their average speed will allow a reduction of about 5% in fuel consumption, which results in a lower volume of CO2 and particulate emissions. Based on market data, it is expected an increase in the useful life of the equipment of around 7%, reducing generation of waste such as parts and lubricants, and an increased in the life span of tires of approximately 25%, which will also lead to a lower waste generation of this item.

The project also shall lead to an increase in the competitiveness of Vale's operations. There will be greater efficiency, which will result in greater hourly productivity. Maintenance costs are expected to drop by 3%.

Expanding technology

Vale's autonomous program continues to expand, with a total investment of around US$34 million in 2021. By the end of the year, 23 trucks, 21 drills and four stocking yards (stackers and reclaimers) will be in operation throughout the company in four Brazilian states (Para, Minas Gerais, Maranhao and Rio de Janeiro). Abroad, autonomous operation is already a reality in Canada, with drills and scoops, and in Malaysia, with stocking yard machines.

Innovation for safety

Innovation is key for Vale to improve people's lives and transform the future together with society. In its strategy, the company prioritizes safety, reliability, low carbon agenda and the contribution to society. Safety innovation initiatives have been grouped since 2021 in the Safety Transformation Program, which has three main objectives: create initiatives to ensure safe processes; accelerate the implementation of controls in the operation; and remove people from risky activities using technologies such as remote operations, autonomous and robotics. Within the scope of the program are projects for the implementation of autonomous vehicles, implementation of fatigue detection systems for operators and the use of augmented reality for inspections and maintenance.
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SHREVEPORT, La. - The man accused of ramming his car into a Shreveport officer is out of the hospital and facing a long list of charges.

Devin Ned, 21, is booked into the Caddo Correctional Center on ten charges, including attempted first-degree murder, domestic abuse battery and aggravated flight from an officer.

It happened early Thursday in the 1800 block of Missouri Avenue at Lakeshore Drive.

The shooting happened just before 3 a.m. after Shreveport police responded to a call about a suspicious person. Officers found a man matching the description they were given. He drove away as officers approached him, state police spokesman Trooper Jonathan Odom said in a news release.

Officers pursued the man to Missouri Avenue, where he stopped. The man, later identified as Ned, refused commands to get out of his car and hit the accelerator, striking one of the officers, Odom said.

One officer then fired his gun, hitting Ned.

Ned and one officer were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The officer is home from the hospital after suffering only minor injuries.

The officer is on paid administrative leave while the state police conduct their investigation.
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Traffic Stop Ends in Drug Charges for Three
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-16 01:57:41|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A total of 10 people were killed as pro-government Yemeni forces engaged in armed clashes with the Houthi rebels in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Sunday, a military official told Xinhua.

"Fresh armed confrontations erupted between units of the pro-government forces and the Houthi militia in Hodeidah's district of Tuhyata," the local military source said on condition of anonymity.

The armed confrontations resulted in the killing of seven Houthi members and three soldiers of the pro-government Yemeni forces, he said.

He added that other military units of the pro-government forces were dispatched to reinforce the fighting against the Houthis in Tuhyata.

Hodeidah, a vital lifeline for millions facing starvation, has seen a shaky cease-fire between the government and the Houthi group since they reached a UN-sponsored truce in Stockholm in December 2018.

The truce was seen as the first phase toward a nationwide cease-fire to end Yemen's years-long military conflict, but fighting continued across the impoverished Arab country.

Hodeidah is under the control of the Houthis, while the government forces have advanced to the southern and eastern districts. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 09:55:57|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's merchandise terms of trade for the June 2021 quarter rose 3.3 percent on the previous quarter, as rising global commodity prices contributed to a strong quarterly increase in export prices, the country's statistics department Stats NZ said on Thursday.

Export prices for goods rose 8.3 percent on the previous quarter, while import prices rose 4.8 percent. Both export and import goods prices had previously fallen every quarter since the first half of 2020, including large falls in the September 2020 quarter, Stats NZ said.

Compared with the previous June quarter, merchandise terms of trade remained steady as both export and import prices fell 1.8 percent annually, statistics showed.

Terms of trade measure New Zealand's purchasing power for import goods, based on the prices it receives for exports. An increase in terms of trade means that New Zealand can buy more import goods for the same quantity of exports.

Dairy and forestry products were the major contributors to rising goods export prices. Export prices for dairy products increased 15.3 percent on the previous quarter, while prices for forestry products increased 12.7 percent, according to Stats NZ.

"Export prices for dairy typically lag behind the more widely reported Global Dairy Trade (GDT) prices," business prices delivery manager Bryan Downes said in a statement.

"While GDT only accounts for a portion of New Zealand dairy exports, it is likely that we're now seeing the high GDT prices reported earlier in the year push up our dairy export prices in the June quarter," Downes said.

Sustained demand was also seen for New Zealand logs, especially from China, which has continued to push up export prices for forestry products, Downes said, adding that other primary products also increased in price in the June 2021 quarter, with export prices for meat up 6.8 percent and prices for aluminum up 14.5 percent.

Rising prices for crude oil and petrol were the major contributors to the rise in goods import prices, he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 11:41:52|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra Co-operative Group shipped a total of record 2.59 million metric ton despite the impact of COVID-19, an increase of more than 4 percent year-on-year for the year ending July 31, according to its statement on Thursday.

Fonterra's chief operating officer (COO) Fraser Whineray said Kotahi, a joint partnership between Fonterra and New Zealand's largest red meat producer Silver Fern Farms, has been the key to this year's result.

Established by Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms about 10 years ago, Kotahi works with exporters, importers and industry partners to create a sustainable, more efficient supply chain.

"But it's not just Fonterra that's seen benefits from this. Through the scale that Kotahi brings with its strategic partnership with Maersk, many other Kiwi companies have been able to get their product off our shores," Whineray said.

Jason Stewart, the shipping manager at New Zealand Wool Services, shared Whineray's view and said there have been challenges, but the partnership has paid dividends.

"We have been in a position to keep our product moving through the long-term partnership we've had with Kotahi which has given New Zealand Wool Services a level of competitive advantage that others in the market don't have."

The supply chain has suffered a raft of challenges this year including shipping schedule integrity plunging from a long-term average of 80 percent to below 35 percent in the year.

"If that wasn't bad enough, there were temporary port closures and restrictions as well as container shortages", said Gordon Carlyle, Fonterra's Director of Global Supply Chain.

Reworks, or re-planning of the end-to-end chain due to changes in vessel arrivals, jumped by 350 percent in 2021 from the year before.

"The resilience of our supply chain has been a real differentiator with customers this year and we couldn't have achieved this without Kotahi," said Gordon.

Kotahi CEO David Ross warned it will still be hard graft for some time to come. "We continue to see operational bottlenecks from port congestion, vessel delays and port omissions which means we aren't receiving shipping capacity and containers in the time period that exporters require, making it a challenge to get products to export markets." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 14:05:12|Editor: huaxia

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Two bikers ride past the cherry blossoms by Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, Australia, Sept. 2, 2021. Australia reported another record number of 1,477 new cases on Thursday morning as the country continued to battle the third wave of COVID-19 infections. (Xinhua/Chu Chen)

CANBERRA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Australia has reported another record number of 1,477 new cases on Thursday morning as the country continued to battle the third wave of COVID-19 infections.

The new cases took the estimated number of active cases in total to more than 21,000.

It came as Australia surpassed 20 million coronavirus vaccine doses administered in a major milestone for the rollout.

Health Minister Greg Hunt announced that as of Thursday about 36.4 percent of Australians aged 16 and over had been fully vaccinated.

"We're not just on the way. We're making real and significant progress," Hunt said in Canberra.

Despite a new record number of cases, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said it was time for Australia to "learn to live" with the virus after some premiers of states abandoned the COVID-zero strategy.

"We've been saying that for a while now but this is the time we need to start to learn to live with this virus," Kelly said.

"Within a few weeks we'll have almost all if not all states at that 70 percent first dose of vaccination. So we need to start balancing those things."

Of the new cases reported on Thursday, 1,288 were from New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state with Sydney as the capital city.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) reported 12 new cases on Thursday, only four of which were in quarantine for their entire infectious period.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr admitted that Canberra was facing a "challenging" fight against the Delta variant but reiterated the goal of zero cases still achievable in the ACT. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 15:24:38|Editor: huaxia

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Khalid Mansoor, special assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) affairs speaks during an interview with Chinese media in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, on Sept. 1, 2021. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is one of the most important projects for the economic revival of Pakistan, said Khalid Mansoor, special assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister on CPEC affairs. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

by Misbah Saba Malik, Jiang Chao

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is one of the most important projects for the economic revival of Pakistan, said Khalid Mansoor, special assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister on CPEC affairs.

"CPEC's phase two will be developing an industrial hub in the country, providing many opportunities for local and foreign investors," Mansoor told Chinese media here on Wednesday.

Underlining the importance of CPEC to uplifting the agriculture sector of his country, Mansoor said that Pakistan is an agricultural country and its economy depends on the development of the agriculture sector, which meets most of the food requirements of the country.

"There are several areas where we can benefit from the excellent research and experience of Chinese agricultural sector, for improving the quality of the seed, and then benefiting from the research and development to improve our yield, and to improve and modernize our mechanical cultivation and harvesting."

He said that Pakistan is also working on upgrading its livestock sector and enhancing its meat exports, which can all be expected to achieve with the cooperation of China.

Talking about the commitment of the two countries to make CPEC a green corridor, the official said that they would be growing a number of trees along the CPEC route and "we want to make sure that as the industrial hub is going to be increased, it should not be detrimental for the people's health and also make sure that it is not polluting the environment by producing emissions."

Coal power plants working under CPEC in Pakistan are making sure that they use state-of-the-art technology to meet world standards in emissions, removing the apprehensions that they are hazardous to the environment, he said.

The official said that the common people of Pakistan are the ultimate beneficiaries of the CPEC projects.

"We believe that wherever we are putting our industry, the adjoining community should fully benefit...Projects are underway which are going to be improving their health, their education, their livelihood, so specific projects are being developed and there are several projects which are in the implementation stage with the help of China's grant, including vocational institute, the hospital, the international airport, etc.," he added.

Apart from job opportunities and livelihood prospects, CPEC is also solving the daily life problems of people, he said, citing the example of the country's southwest Gwadar district where people had a shortage of clean drinking water and electricity.

"So, we are working very closely with the authorities like Gwadar Development Authority and Gwadar Port Authority, and the Chinese company to make sure of providing all sorts of facilitation to residents of Gwadar."

Talking about CPEC's creation of job opportunities for the unemployed in Pakistan, the official said that in phase two, huge jobs opportunities would be created for people and special importance will be attached to their skill enhancement and for that purpose, vocational training institutes will be constructed in special economic zones.

"The strategy is that the unskilled people are going to be trained and hired in the project activity and thereafter, they will get opportunities to earn and support their families."

On the role of the BRI in Pak-Afghan cooperation, Mansoor said that BRI would unfold a lot of economic opportunities for landlocked Afghanistan, which will get the chance to enhance its exports through regional connectivity offered by the BRI.

"The BRI has got a clear-cut mandate for the regional connectivity, whether it is in Afghanistan or other neighboring countries," he said, adding that CPEC phase two will not only bring revolution to Pakistan but also benefit Afghanistan.

He said that due to CPEC's special economic zones, his country is going to be a major manufacturing hub which will not only uplift Pakistan's economy but will also create huge opportunities for Afghanistan to rebuild and revive its economy.

"Afghanistan is a landlocked country, so it will have to depend on Pakistan for its needs in terms of importing and exporting. So we believe that this regional connectivity through the BRI will be really providing opportunities for us to develop further ties with our brotherly country Afghanistan and also providing the mutual opportunities for the growth of the economy in Afghanistan and Pakistan," the official added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 16:17:52|Editor: huaxia

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KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Central banks in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa will join forces to test the use of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) for international settlements, the banks said on Thursday.

Led by the Innovation Hub's Singapore Center, the project aims to develop prototype shared platforms for cross-border transactions using multiple CBDCs, said a statement from the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub, the Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank Negara Malaysia, Monetary Authority of Singapore and South African Reserve Bank.

According to them, these multi-CBDC platforms will allow financial institutions to transact directly with each other in the digital currencies issued by participating central banks, eliminating the need for intermediaries and cutting the time and cost of transactions.

They also said the project will work with multiple partners to develop technical prototypes on different distributed ledger technology platforms.

It will also explore different governance and operating designs that would enable central banks to share CBDC infrastructures, benefitting from the collaboration between public and private sector experts in different jurisdictions and areas of operation, they added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 17:45:21|Editor: huaxia

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VIENTIANE, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The outbreak of lumpy skin disease in animals is continuing in Laos, with the southern Attapeu province recently detecting the viral infection in some 4,300 cattle, a local official said Thursday.

Local daily Vientiane Times quoted deputy director of the Attapeu provincial department of agriculture and forestry, Phetthanongsack Khamphounvong, as saying that the province has recorded the largest outbreak of the disease, with more than 4,300 animals infected.

So far, more than 380 of the infected cattle have been cured, 60 have died, and some others are being treated.

He said the provincial authorities were providing advice and veterinarians have suggested that farmers get their animals vaccinated.

Livestock farmers must take care of their cattle and buffaloes and follow the instructions of local authorities to contain the outbreak, the official added.

Groups of cattle feeding together should be monitored and blood-sucking beetles prevented from biting cattle as they can spread the animal disease, according to him.

In August, agricultural authorities across the Asian country were required to do everything possible to curb the spread of lumpy skin disease.

Officials have said that the vaccine to protect animals from the disease is being imported and farmers can contact the relevant authorities if they need the vaccine, according to the media report.

Lumpy skin disease has been detected in the Lao capital Vientiane and the provinces of Vientiane, Khammuan, Borikhamxay, Savannakhet, Oudomxay and Attapeu since infection was first reported in mid-April.

More than 15,000 cattle and buffaloes in 165 villages across the country were affected, with over 150 of them killed by the disease, the media report said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 18:52:40|Editor: huaxia

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BISHKEK, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov on Wednesday discussed issues on cooperation within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) with visiting CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas.

The two sides also talked about issues concerning ensuring regional security and stability, and the upcoming CSTO Summit to be held in Tajikistan's capital city, said the press service of the Kyrgyz president.

Zhaparov said the growing level of threats in the area requires close cooperation.

"It is necessary to maintain a high degree of readiness to neutralize risks, and, if necessary, to react promptly," President Zhaparov said.

Stanislav Zas expressed satisfaction with the meeting with Zhaparov, stressing the need in cooperation over the situation in the region.

The CSTO secretary general arrived in Kyrgyzstan Tuesday to hold meetings with the country's top political and military leaders. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 19:36:35|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Four soldiers of the Indonesian Military (TNI) were killed by armed militants believed to be members of the West Papua Liberation Army, a military wing of the outlawed Free Papua Organization (OPM), in a village in West Papua province during early hours on Thursday.

As many as 50 armed militants ambushed a military post and attacked six soldiers with arrows, machetes, and axes on early Thursday, the West Papua regional military command's spokesperson Hendra Pesireron said.

As a result, four army soldiers were killed and two others were heavily wounded.

In response, the province's regional military command immediately sent two platoons of soldiers to chase the culprits and also coordinated with the West Papua police in dealing with the matter.

Meanwhile, spokesperson for the West Papua Liberation Army Sebby Sambom confirmed that the group claimed responsibility for the attack.

"Our militants under the orders of the West Papua Liberation Army supreme commander Goliath Tabuni are responsible for this morning's attack," said Sambom in a statement on Thursday.

Sambom also asked for the government's willingness to negotiate with the Free Papua Organization.

"The war will not stop. It will continue in Papua as long as Indonesia is still occupying the land (Papua)," he continued.

On Wednesday, the local police also arrested four suspected OPM members. They were accused of being involved in the murders of two construction workers in Yahukimo district in Papua province.

Back in April this year, the government announced that all armed militants in the Papua region are categorized as terrorists, after a string of clashes between the two sides killed the region's intelligence chief, a police officer and nine guerrilla fighters. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-02 21:48:30|Editor: huaxia

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by Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Uncovering the origins of COVID-19 is a matter for science and should be free of political interference, a senior Bangladeshi official said on Thursday.

In an interview with Xinhua, AFM Ruhal Haque, chairman of Bangladesh's Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, stressed that the study of the origins of COVID-19 should not be politicized.

"I'll say again that coronavirus is a matter of medical science. The origin of the virus, therefore, needs to be investigated through scientific research only," said Haque, also the country's former health minister.

"What is happening in the name of investigating the origin of the virus is a very bad thing," he said, referring to political and intelligence efforts to trace the virus's origins.

"I would urge all the countries to rise above politics and work together to fight the virus," he added.

Meanwhile, the official thanked China for its continuous support to Bangladesh since the beginning of the pandemic.

Apart from medical supplies and vaccines, he especially noted the medical team China sent to Bangladesh.

"I had the opportunity to meet members of the excellent Chinese medical team. Their suggestions helped us immensely to cope with the initial COVID-19 shocks," he said.

"Not only Bangladesh, China has helped many countries in the world to deal with the virus," the official said, expressing hope that ongoing Chinese support will bolster global efforts to fight the world's common enemy. Enditem
?? Ahora | Ministro de Economia y Finanzas, @pedrofrancke, inicia presentacion ante el @congresoperu, para sustentar los proyectos de Ley de #Presupuesto2022, de Endeudamiento y Equilibrio Financiero del Sector Publico.

??Sigue la transmision: https://t.co/BwTsqZskOK pic.twitter.com/jjNzEbVbrO
?? Vacunarse es una de las mejores formas de protegerse a uno mismo y a los demas contra la COVID-19.

? Refuerza las medidas de prevencion y regresa por la segunda dosis, asi como lo hizo el presidente @PedroCastilloTe.

?? Conoce mas en este video.#LasVacunasSiProtegen pic.twitter.com/9Ral4Yovyi
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Today, September 2, 2021, marks the 30th anniversary of the declaration of independence of Artsakh, formerly known as the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

On this day in 1991, a joint sitting of lawmakers from the Nagorno Karabakh provincial council and the Shahumyan regional council proclaimed the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) within the borders of the former NKAO and Shahumyan region. The move was in line with the then-active legislation, particularly the April 3, 1990 law which entitled national autonomies to determine their status on their own.

On December 10, 1991, a few days before the official collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno Karabakh held a referendum, where the overwhelming majority, 99,89%, of the population voted in favor of complete independence from Azerbaijan. After this, Azerbaijan totally blockaded NKR and launched military aggressions.

The Artsakh Liberation War began when for the first time in September of 1991 Azerbaijan bombarded Stepanakert with Alazan rockets from Shushi. In 1994, at the request of Azerbaijan a trilateral (Azerbaijan, NKR, Armenia) ceasefire agreement was signed on May 12.

15 years after independence, in 2006, the people of Artsakh adopted the countrys Constitution through a referendum, again on September 2.

On September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan, with the support of Turkey and engagement of mercenary terrorists, launched a large-scale war against Artsakh. The war lasted until November 9 when a trilateral statement at the mediation of Russia was signed to stop the military operations.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has addressed a message on the 30th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the Republic of Artsakh, his Office said.

The message reads:

Dear compatriots,

On September 2, 1991, Artsakh declared its independence.

We are meeting the 30th anniversary of this significant event in the most complicated period, in a difficult situation after the 44-day war.

I once again extend my deepest condolences to the families and relatives of those killed in the war.

We are facing a pan-Armenian ordeal, which requires national unity and consolidation again.

Issues of ensuring the security of Artsakh and the inviolability of its population, the constant threat of a new war by Azerbaijan, the status of Artsakh, social-economic and humanitarian matters are priorities on the national agenda.

They cannot be resolved without the existence of an economically and politically strong, developed and competitive Armenia, without a fundamental transformation of the Homeland-Diaspora ties and the full use of the existing potential, without full-fledged cooperation with our international partners.

In our history, Artsakh and the people of Artsakh have always had a special significance for the Armenian world. That is so today as well when a period full of new challenges has begun for our people.

We have no right any more to make mistakes in any issue of the pan-Armenian agenda.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh has addressed a message on the 30th anniversary of the independence of the Republic.

Armenpress presents the text of the message:

Thirty years ago, on September 2, 1991, a joint session of deputies of all levels of the Nagorno Karabagh Autonomous Region and the Shahoumyan region proclaimed the Nagorno Karabagh Republic, laying the foundation for the creation of an independent democratic state. The proclamation of the republic fully complied with the norms of international law and the existing at the time legislation of the USSR, which provided autonomous formations and national minorities living in compact groups with the right to independently decide their own destiny and determine their political status. The decision to create an independent state was confirmed on December 10, 1991 by free expression of the will of the people of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh) in a nationwide referendum.

The adoption of the 2 September 1991 declaration on the proclamation of the republic became one of the key milestones in the struggle for national liberation of the Armenians of Artsakh, which was based on the aspiration of the people for self-determination, restoration of historical justice and reunification within a united Armenian state to break free from the persistent threat of physical destruction.

Against the backdrop of Azerbaijan's continued attempts to resolve the Azerbaijan-Karabagh conflict by the use or threat of force and deprive the Armenians of Artsakh of their homeland through terror, ethnic cleansing, massacres and massive human rights violations, the creation of an independent state was not only an important political step, but also a historical necessity. Global geopolitical changes in the early 1990s and growing regional tensions required decisive steps for the self-organization of the society and the formation of state institutions necessary to repel the impending armed aggression by Azerbaijan and ensure the right of the people of Artsakh to peace and development.

Since its independence, the Republic of Artsakh has gone through numerous trials, including devastating wars and heavy losses. Nevertheless, neither terror and threats, nor blockade and repeated armed aggressions could break the will of the people of Artsakh and their determination to defend the independence and sovereignty, as well as to strengthen and develop their statehood.

We are convinced that the Armenian statehood in Artsakh is the main guarantor of the preservation of national identity, dignity and ensuring a secure future, as well as a means for the people to exercise their inalienable right to determine their own political destiny.

On this momentous occasion, we pay tribute and gratitude to those who fought for the dignity, freedom and independence of Artsakh, and bow our heads to the memory of those who sacrificed themselves in this sacred struggle. Their courage and heroism will always serve as an example of selfless service to the Homeland and dedication to a national cause.

While remaining committed to the ideals, goals and principles of the national liberation movement, the people and the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh will continue with unwavering determination to seek international recognition of the country's independence and restoration of its territorial integrity, to strengthen and develop sovereign statehood.

Long live the Nagorno Karabagh Republic!

Honor and glory to all fighters for freedom and independence of Artsakh!
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Prosecutor General of Armenia Artur Davtyan met with Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov in the city of Vladivostok, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia told Armenpress.

The officials discussed the process and results of the cooperation between their offices, as well as issues on raising the efficiency of mutual communication.

Artur Davtyan thanked the Russian side for the invitation to participate in the 6th Eastern Economic Conference, expressing confidence that such events contribute to investments in economies and use of more practical mechanisms for protection of rights of investors.

Both sides highly valued the frequency of meetings between the Prosecutor Generals, which, they said, gives a new impetus to strengthening the practice of operational solving of ongoing issues, raising the mutual trust level between their offices.

The meeting also focused on issues relating to ensuring peace, stability and security in the region after the 2020 Artsakh War.

Artur Davtyan thanked the Russian side for its peacekeeping mission in Artsakh, for ensuring the security of more sensitive sections of the borders of Armenia. He drew the attention of his Russian counterpart on the destabilization actions of Azerbaijan.

The necessity of implementing the requirements of the 2020 November trilateral statement, in particular those relating to the return of Armenian servicemen and other civilians who are illegally held in Azerbaijan, was discussed at the meeting.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The Zvart Avedisian Onanian Center for Health Services Research and Development (CHSR) at the American University of Armenia has carried out a public opinion research to assess the level of citizens readiness to pay for medical insurance.

The results of the survey have been published at the Facebook page of the ministry of health.

The survey has been conducted among people aged from 18 to 65.

61% of the respondents said they are in favor of the medical insurance.

Nearly 73% said they are ready to pay 2-6% from their monthly income for using the medical insurance.

Only 9% said they are not ready to pay for it.

13% couldnt answer to the question.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Last year Armenia lacked medical refrigerators necessary for the storage of vaccines against COVID-19, but recently the country has been supplemented with this equipment, Minister of Healthcare Anahit Avanesyan told reporters after the Cabinet meeting today.

At this moment our country is already ready to accept and distribute vaccines which require an ice chain. For instance, Pfizer is among those vaccines. There will be new vaccines against COVID-19 in Armenia, but the concrete dates are not known yet, she said, adding that now people in Armenia are more informed about the vaccines.

They see that their colleague, neighbor and relative are getting vaccinated, and nothing happens to them, the minister said, noting that peoples trust towards the vaccines is increasing.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of High-Tech Industry has set an objective to maximally support the military arsenal with new ideas, Minister Vahagn Khachatryan told reporters.

This work is being done, the problem is that the demands are very big. Very large volumes are required for our armys demands. Our current industrial possibilities do not enable us with his capacity. This is why we have to make procurements abroad, but we are maximally supporting domestic industries so that they are able to support the military in this matter, the Minister of High-Tech Industry Vahagn Khachatryan told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

Khachatryan elaborated that they are focused on 5th generation armaments. Our main approach is to try and make a step beyond what we had yesterday, which was even then considered to be advanced. We have set this objective before our scientists.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. In the framework of events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Artsakh Davit Babayan visited one of the military units of the Defense Army.



ARMENPRESS reports Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh informs that the Minister congratulated the servicemen on the occasion of the important holiday, discussed a number of issues related to foreign policy and state building.



''He also emphasized that the armed forces were and will remain one of the key guarantees of the security of the Republic of Artsakh', reads the message released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh.



At the end of the meeting Davit Babayan wished the servicemen good and trouble-free service.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Russia has recorded and taken note of the recent positive signals between Armenia and Turkey, ARMENPRESS reports representative of the Foreign Ministry of Russia Maria Zakharova said in a press conference.

As you know, Russia has always advocated for normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations. By the way, its necessary to remind that in the past we directly participated in mediation efforts. We contributed to the signing of Zurich protocols in 2009. Those protocols assumed stage by stage normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations, without preconditions, Zakharova said.

According to the Russian MFA representative, Russia not only played the role of a mediator, but also made practical and effective steps which gave positive results.

But in the future the sides did not implement them, but that was the will of the sides. Now we are ready to contribute to the rapproachment of the two neighboring countries by all means, based on mutual respect and considering the interests of one another, Zakharova said.

In a meeting with foreign Ambassadors to Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that if Armenia takes positive steps to establish peace in the region, Turkey will respond respectively. In response to that statement, during the Government sitting, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan noted that Armenia will evaluate the positive signals from Turkey, will respond to those signals with a positive signal.
YEREVAN, 2 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 2 September, USD exchange rate is down by 0.06 drams to 493.54 drams. EUR exchange rate is up by 1.55 drams to 584.89 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is up by 0.03 drams to 6.78 drams. GBP exchange rate is up by 1.69 drams to 680.74 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price is down by 51.90 drams to 28749.06 drams. Silver price is down by 2.03 drams to 379.55 drams. Platinum price is up by 172.61 drams to 16058.09 drams.
According to information released on September 2, 2021, BAE Systems has confirmed its bid submission for the combat-proven CV90 to the Czech Ministry of Defence for the BVP-2 Replacement Program. The BVP-2 is a Soviet-made BMP-2 tracked armored IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) manufactured under license in the Czech Republic.

Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link



BAE Systems CV90 MkIV tracked armored IFV Infantry Fighting Vehicle. (Picture source Army Recognition)

In partnership with state-owned defense integrator VOP CZ s.p., the teams offer will ensure the production and delivery of the CV90 MkIV Infantry Fighting Vehicle on schedule and to budget, as well as protecting the sovereignty of the Czech Army and Czech industry in the service and future development of the vehicle.

BAE Systems Hagglunds, the manufacturer of the CV90, has delivered multiple CV90 export programs to European customers. The teams highly successful and proven industrial cooperation approach is closely aligned to the Czech Republics industrial aspirations, including the co-development and delivery of tracked combat vehicles with VOP CZ s.p.. BAE Systems also has arrangements with more than 30 state and privately-owned companies, as well as strong links with Czech Academia including the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU).

We are confident that the CV90 MkIV, modernized with the most advanced capabilities, is the best choice for the Czech Army, not only to protect its soldiers but also to secure the future of its nations defense forces, said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hagglunds. Successful industrial cooperation goes beyond the mechanical assembly of the vehicle or the creation of new factories. Its foundations are built on playing a high-value and strategic role in the development, production, training, and support of the vehicle and all its variants.

The CV90 MkIV offer also includes the most recent turret configuration designed to provide increased capabilities through the integration of the latest generation of sensors and active survivability systems, added weapon capabilities, and enhanced crew and squad ergonomics. Built on combat-proven experience and data analysis from the CV90s seven existing users, the improved CV90 MkIV turret also reduces cognitive load on crews through greater use of A.I. to meet the growing needs of the modern battlefield.

We believe our strategic relationship with VOP CZ s.p., combined with the modern, combat-proven CV90 MkIV, is the right formula for a successful program in the Czech Republic, concluded Gustafsson-Rask.

The CV90 is in operation with seven nations: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. With close to 1,300 CV90s of numerous variants in service, the vehicle has a combat-proven track record and is designed to accommodate future growth to meet evolving missions.



Czech Army BVP-2, the Czech version of the Soviet-made BMP-2 tracked armored IFV. (Picture source Army Recognition)
Foreign Minister of Artsakh Davit Babayan has commented on the recent statements of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made in the occupied Shushi, stating that these statements are gross violation of international law, manifestation of Nazism and terrorism.

September 2, 2021, 09:18 Aliyevs statements prove once again that Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan. Artsakh Foreign Minister

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 2, ARTSAKHPRESS: In an interview to ARMENPRESS, Mr. Babayan said first of all it is necessary to thank Aliyev for such statements because it shows his main goals. Countries spend huge sums of money to know the intentions of the enemy, but this one says everything. I have repeatedly stated that Aliyev is the most honest enemy, he has never hidden his intentions. Of course, what Aliyev says is a gross violation of international law, is Nazism and terrorism, and we must never be cut off from reality, we must understand who we are dealing with. All these statements once again prove that we will never be part of Azerbaijan. And what he is saying is his business. The important for us is to be able to recover and create a reliable future for our generations, Davit Babayan said.

On August 30 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made a number of anti-Armenian statements in the occupied town of Shushi. In particular, the Azerbaijani leader stated that there is no such concept of a Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Aliyev also said that the current course of events, the second Karabakh war and the actions of international role players show that the [Nagorno Karabakh] issue could never be solved through negotiations. Aliyev claimed that all norms and principles of the international law, in particular the UN Charter, the resolutions of the UN Security Council, the historical justice, have given a right to Azerbaijan to solve the issue with military means, if it is not solved peacefully. However, the experts note that the norms and principles of the international law, including the UN Charter and the resolutions of the UN Security Council do not give a right to any subject to solve conflicts by force.
President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has addressed a message on the 30th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the Republic of Artsakh, his Office said.

September 2, 2021, 10:01 Armenian President addresses message on Artsakh Independence Day

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 2, ARTSAKHPRESS: The message reads:

Dear compatriots,

On September 2, 1991, Artsakh declared its independence.

We are meeting the 30th anniversary of this significant event in the most complicated period, in a difficult situation after the 44-day war.

I once again extend my deepest condolences to the families and relatives of those killed in the war.

We are facing a pan-Armenian ordeal, which requires national unity and consolidation again.

Issues of ensuring the security of Artsakh and the inviolability of its population, the constant threat of a new war by Azerbaijan, the status of Artsakh, social-economic and humanitarian matters are priorities on the national agenda.

They cannot be resolved without the existence of an economically and politically strong, developed and competitive Armenia, without a fundamental transformation of the Homeland-Diaspora ties and the full use of the existing potential, without full-fledged cooperation with our international partners.

In our history, Artsakh and the people of Artsakh have always had a special significance for the Armenian world. That is so today as well when a period full of new challenges has begun for our people.

We have no right any more to make mistakes in any issue of the pan-Armenian agenda.
Artsakh Foreign Ministry has issued statement on the 30th Anniversary of Proclamation of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

September 2, 2021, 10:27 Artsakh Foreign Ministry issues statement on the 30th Anniversary of Proclamation of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 2, ARTSAKHPRESS: The statement reads:

Thirty years ago, on September 2, 1991, a joint session of deputies of all levels of the Nagorno Karabagh Autonomous Region and the Shahoumyan region proclaimed the Nagorno Karabagh Republic, laying the foundation for the creation of an independent democratic state. The proclamation of the republic fully complied with the norms of international law and the existing at the time legislation of the USSR, which provided autonomous formations and national minorities living in compact groups with the right to independently decide their own destiny and determine their political status. The decision to create an independent state was confirmed on December 10, 1991 by free expression of the will of the people of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh) in a nationwide referendum.

The adoption of the 2 September 1991 declaration on the proclamation of the republic became one of the key milestones in the struggle for national liberation of the Armenians of Artsakh, which was based on the aspiration of the people for self-determination, restoration of historical justice and reunification within a united Armenian state to break free from the persistent threat of physical destruction.

Against the backdrop of Azerbaijan's continued attempts to resolve the Azerbaijan-Karabagh conflict by the use or threat of force and deprive the Armenians of Artsakh of their homeland through terror, ethnic cleansing, massacres and massive human rights violations, the creation of an independent state was not only an important political step, but also a historical necessity. Global geopolitical changes in the early 1990s and growing regional tensions required decisive steps for the self-organization of the society and the formation of state institutions necessary to repel the impending armed aggression by Azerbaijan and ensure the right of the people of Artsakh to peace and development.

Since its independence, the Republic of Artsakh has gone through numerous trials, including devastating wars and heavy losses. Nevertheless, neither terror and threats, nor blockade and repeated armed aggressions could break the will of the people of Artsakh and their determination to defend the independence and sovereignty, as well as to strengthen and develop their statehood.

We are convinced that the Armenian statehood in Artsakh is the main guarantor of the preservation of national identity, dignity and ensuring a secure future, as well as a means for the people to exercise their inalienable right to determine their own political destiny.

On this momentous occasion, we pay tribute and gratitude to those who fought for the dignity, freedom and independence of Artsakh, and bow our heads to the memory of those who sacrificed themselves in this sacred struggle. Their courage and heroism will always serve as an example of selfless service to the Homeland and dedication to a national cause.

While remaining committed to the ideals, goals and principles of the national liberation movement, the people and the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh will continue with unwavering determination to seek international recognition of the country's independence and restoration of its territorial integrity, to strengthen and develop sovereign statehood.

Long live the Nagorno Karabagh Republic!

Honor and glory to all fighters for freedom and independence of Artsakh!
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia on Thursday issued a congratulatory message on the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of the Artsakh Republic, news.am informs.

September 2, 2021, 10:36 Armenia PM: Artsakh peoples right to self-determination is sacred

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 2, ARTSAKHPRESS: "30 years ago, on this day, the people of Artsakh announced, through a declaration adopted by the legal bodies of their authorities, the establishment of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

With that, the Armenians of Artsakh confirmed their right to manage their life and future and to live freely. That decision was strengthened through a general referendum held on December 10 of the same year.

The people of Artsakh made use of their legal right, and any violence committed against them is directed against humanity, human civilization and natural human rights.

Today Artsakh, though wounded, is standing and has the full assistance and support of Armenia and all Armenians.

The right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination is sacred. It cannot be stopped by the use of force. That is why we today insist on all international platforms that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not settled. This is also proved by the statements of the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairing states.

As a result of the process, the status of Artsakh shall receive a final clarificationon the basis of the right of nations to self-determination.

The stability of the external environment, lasting peace really become the imperative of the time for all the peoples of the region.

I believe that Artsakh can become a symbol of lasting peace and stability in our region, the message reads, in particular.
The CM also announced an Ethanol Production and Promotion Policy to attract an investment of Rs. 1,500 crore

Kolkata: For the first time after coming to power for a third consecutive term in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday attempted to woo the industrialists with an outline of potential investments of around Rs. 1.92 lakh crore in different sectors across the state.

Claiming investments over Rs. 1 lakh crore made in the state in the last 10 years, the Trinamul Congress supremo also revealed her governments ture investment priorities after laying the foundation stones of various industrial projects in Panagarh of Burdwan West.

She said, My next industrial destination is Rs. 15,000 crore-project in Deocha Pachami, which is the worlds second-largest coal mine. The amount of electricity generated will ensure that there is no dearth of electricity in WB in next 100 years, this will make electricity cheap as well. The first phase of Deocha Pachami is ready. The rehabilitation package for the second phase has also been planned. Housing, schools, colleges, hospitals and infrastructure will be provided.

Banerjee then elaborated, The second destination is Tajpur Port. We will also create a dedicated freight corridor from Dankuni-Raghunathpur to Amritsar. This will also connect Panagarh and Barjora. It is an investment of Rs. 72,000 crore. Talks for acquiring 2,500 acres of land are already underway.

Among others, the CM mentioned, An industrial estate to be created in Raghunathpur by the WBIDC is named as Jangalmahal Sundori. The cumulative investments for these projects are Rs. 72,000 crore. These projects will create lakhs of employment. Rs. 8,500 crore investments have been finalised where over 25,000 people will be employed.

These apart, Banerjee added, Rs. 3,500 crore-investment is finalised in Durgapur-Jamuria, Howrah-Jamalpur. This will create employment opportunities for 10,000 people. Land acquisition is underway and the DPR has been created.

The CM also announced an Ethanol Production and Promotion Policy to attract an investment of Rs. 1,500 crore over the next one year and create employment for 48,000 people.

Putting the number of IT companies in operations over 1,500 in the state, she informed, We will create a Data Centre Industry in Bengal. We will announce the policy soon. A data handling and storage hub, catering to Eastern India as well as Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan, will be set up. Rs. 20,000 crore will be invested in the state and nearly 24,000 techies will get jobs.
A large increase in COVID-19 cases, a spike in hospitalizations and the first virus-related deaths in five months.

As Cayuga County continues its battle against COVID-19, August was not a good month.

With 747 confirmed cases and six deaths, it was the third-worst month of the pandemic. Only December 2020 and January of this year were worse in terms of cases  there were more than 4,000 cases and 74 deaths in that two-month stretch.

Cayuga County ended August with 41 new cases admitted on Tuesday, according to the local health department. The new cases include 25 vaccinated and 16 unvaccinated residents.

Until August, the COVID-19 case totals were low over the summer in Cayuga County. There were 117 cases in June and July and hospitalizations were in the single digits.

But in the last full month of summer, the situation changed. There was a tenfold increase in cases (72 to 747) from July to August. One year ago, there were 35 cases in August  an average of one a day. This year, the county averaged 24 new cases per day.
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There has been bipartisan criticism of the state's distribution of the rent relief aid. While the assistance has been available for months, less than 10% of the $2.7 billion pot has been disbursed.

Hochul, who was sworn in as governor last week after Andrew Cuomo's resignation, has said she wants to expedite the distribution of rental assistance. Her office is working with state lawmakers and local governments to encourage landlords and tenants to apply, and she will add more staff to process rental assistance applications.

Through the rental assistance program, funds can be used to cover up to 12 months of back rent, up to three months of additional rent payments and up to 12 months of late electric or gas utility payments.

"I want the money out now," Hochul said last week.

But Republican legislators argue that the eviction moratorium, which has been in place since last year, won't help solve the problem. Assemblyman Brian Manktelow, a Lyons Republican, called extending the moratorium "unacceptable."

"We shouldn't be forcing landlords to suffer like this by prolonging the inevitable which will only hurt tenants in the long run," he said. "We should be trying to help tenants get back on their feet and back to work."
Her political aspirations weren't the focus of her visit on Wednesday. The visit to the Equal Rights Heritage Center served as a reminder of what she strives to do each day as the state's top law enforcement officer.

"It's about the law and using the law both as a sword and a shield," she said. "And standing up for justice each and every day and ensuring that no one is locked out of the sunshine of opportunity and recognizing that everyone should live to the fullest potential and every child in the state of New York should thrive."

James added that she uses her office and the law to knock down barriers to New Yorkers' right to vote, right to health care and access to a clean environment.

"That's my role. That's my mission," she continued. "It's my commitment to justice. It's the reason why I wake up each and every day with this fire in my belly to do the right thing on behalf of the residents of the great state of New York."

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Cayuga County would benefit from the federal investment in broadband. There are pockets of the county that lack access, despite past federal and state efforts to reach unserved or underserved areas.

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Lisa Carr, the director of Seymour Library, described the digital divide as a three-legged stool, with affordability, access and literacy as the main issues. The library seeks to bridge the gap on its own with wireless range extenders in its parking lot and loaning out mobile hot spots.

"The pandemic and the shutdown just exacerbated it and showed everybody else what libraries already knew," Carr said.

Cayuga County Legislature Chairwoman Aileen McNabb-Coleman believes expanding broadband is pivotal for the community. She agreed with Carr that COVID-19 highlighted the need for high-speed internet access, whether it's people going to parking lots of rural libraries to get online or one school district, Port Byron, using a bus equipped with hot spots so students could connect to the internet.

Government, she said, must do better.
The high court sided with the governor, citing historians who testified the statue was erected as a monument to the Confederacy's Lost Cause and is now widely seen as a symbol of racial injustice.

Democracy is inherently dynamic. Values change and public policy changes too. The Government of the Commonwealth is entitled to select the views that it supports and the values that it wants to express," Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn wrote.

Virginia Democrats cheered, while Northam's statement called the ruling a tremendous win for the people of Virginia.

One of Virginia's most powerful Black lawmakers, state Sn. Louise Lucas, tweeted, For far too long, the Lee statue stood tall in our capital and represented nothing but division and white supremacy -- but it is finally coming down.

Patrick McSweeney, an attorney for the residents, declined immediate comment, saying his clients have to review the decision. He did not say whether they are considering appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Gregory's attorney, Joseph Blackburn Jr., did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
President Joe Biden made a difficult decision to pull out of a 20 year no-win war in Afghanistan.

But he did and is now paying the humiliating price of many screw-ups and betrayals.

In doing so, why didnt Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, come up with various contingency or what-if plans for this disastrous pullout?

Isnt that the reason we have these people and organizations in place is to plan and be prepared so that we dont get caught with our pants down  again?

Yes, it is. But evidently they dropped the ball and more Americans (13) and Afghans (200+) were killed and America has lost some of its credibility as a valued trusted world partner.

And let me speculate as to why these precautionary what-if plans were not drawn up:

The U.S. was banking on a relatively safe withdrawal because America trained and equipped 300,000-plus Afghan troops and police at a cost of about $84 billion of our tax dollars.

And that is four times the number of Taliban fighters (75,000) that took over their country in a very short time and set up their choke-hold base in Kabul and the airport.
Mahindra & Mahindra on Thursday has announced that it will cut production of automotive division by up to 25% owing to the semiconductor shortage. The homegrown auto manufacturer has decided to opt for seven days of no production days across its plants. This will eventually result in a 25% production cut for the automaker.

Also Read: How a single Covid case rocked the worlds biggest carmaker

Mahindra's automotive division currently has manufacturing plants Chakan, Nashik, Kandivali, Zaheerabad and Haridwar. However, the OEM has said that there will be no impact on the production ramp-up and launch plans of its new SUV XUV700.

Mahindra & Mahindra is not the only carmaker in India that is facing supply disruption due to the semiconductor crisis. Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Nissan too have reported similar problems. Maruti Suzuki has indicated production cut as well.

Globally, several automakers such as Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Nissan have already announced production cuts or plant closures due to the semiconductor crisis.

Mahindra in its regulatory filing has said that the company will be observing 'No Production Days' of around 7 days in its automotive division plants in the month of September 2021. The automaker sold 15,973 units of passenger vehicles in the domestic market in August 2021, as against 13,651 units in the same month last year, registering a 17% growth. Now, the production cut right ahead of the upcoming festive season is likely to hurt its sales in the coming months.

A production cut means the waiting period for the popular models will increase further. This could result in the company to lose some potential customers. The automaker not only sells passenger vehicles but its automotive business is spread across segments like three-wheelers buses, trucks, tractors as well. The automaker has informed that apart from its passenger vehicle business other automotive businesses won't be impacted by the production cut decision.
Hongqi YTD sales rise 66% YoY

Beijing (Gasgoo)- FAW Group's luxury brand Hongqi sold 180,600 vehicles in total year-to-date by the end of August, representing a 66% rise compared to the same period of the previous year, the brand announced on the last day of August.

The brand's total year-to-date sales volume in the first seven months was 170,600 units, indicating a monthly sales number of roughly 10,000 vehicles in August, the lowest monthly results among the first eight months of this year.

Hongqi set an annual sales goal of 400,000 units at the beginning of 2021, but by the end of August, it has just completed 45% of the target. The brand still has a long way to go, considering chip shortages and only four months left.
Xiaomis automobile company headquartered in Beijing

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Xiaomi Automobile Co.,Ltd. was officially registered in Beijing Economic Technological Development Area on September 1 with a registered capital of 10 billion yuan ($1.546 billion), according to the business data provider Tianyancha. The registration means that Xiaomi's electric vehicle (EV) unit has been headquartered in the capital of China.



Lei Jun, Xiaomi's founder, chairman, CEO; photo credit: Xiaomi



The smartphone giant announced on Wednesday the completion of the business registration for its EV unit, where Lei Jun, Xiaomi's founder, chairman, and CEO, will serve as legal representative. However, it didn't unveil the concrete location then.

This is the first milestone in the development of Xiaomi's automobile arm. Led by Mr. Lei, Xiaomi is taking the fast lane for its car building business, said the company.

Since Xiaomi announced its foray into the EV industry at the end of March, there were many rumors about where Xiaomi's auto business will be headquartered. Beijing and Shanghai were much discussed as the company released job ads for autonomous driving and other auto-related posts in these two cities. Besides, the two metropolises also boast great policy supports and abundant resources for EV development.

During the past five months, Xiaomi held talks with quite a few automakers and suppliers, and also made investment in many auto-related companies, including Hesai Technology, ZongMu Technology, SVOLT, and Ganfeng Lithium. Moreover, Xiaomi announced last month it had entered into a purchase agreement to acquire the entire shareholding in DeepMotion Tech Limited, a four-year-old Chinese autonomous driving startup, for about $77.37 million.

Up until now, Xiaomi has employed nearly 300 staff members for its EV unit and it will continue to recruit talents, according to Lei Jun.
SAIC MAXUS YTD overseas sales surpass 2020 annual sales

Beijing (Gasgoo)- SAIC MAXUS sold 15,022 vehicles in August, including 5,871 vehicles overseas, representing an increase of 20% compared to the same month of last year. The year-to-date overseas sales volume by the end of August is 32,323 vehicles, exceeding the annual sales in 2020.

the MAXUS G50 Plus; photo credit: SAIC MAXUS



In August, the sales volume of Maxuss LCVs saw an increase of 35% year on year to 6,440 vehicles. MPVs were sold 3,698 vehicles while sales of pickup trucks more than doubled (up by 111% year on year) to 4,312 vehicles.

Both individual and corporate consumers overseas showed great interest in Maxuss new energy vehicles. In July, the brand exported over 5000 units of new vehicles, including the EV30, the EV90, and the V90, to the UK, Norway, Ireland, and other European countries. Maxus, therefore, shattered the record of the most-exported Chinese single model vehicles to Europe. The brands EUNIQ 5 model owns the most share in Norways NEV MVPs market by total sales of the first seven months of this year.

Moreover, SAIC MAXUS showcased 18 of the companys C2B customized vehicles at the Chengdu Auto Show.

Several automakers were forced to slash their production and sales this year due to the worsening chip shortages. According to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), the passenger vehicle retail sales in the first three weeks of August saw a decline of 15% year on year. Nonetheless, SAIC MAXUS is well positioned for the rest of this year.
Lithium battery maker Ganfeng LiEnergy to build 10GWh battery production facilities in Chongqing

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Jiangxi Ganfeng LiEnergy Technology Co.,Ltd. (called Ganfeng LiEnergy for short), a Chinese lithium power battery manufacturer, signed an agreement on September 1 to build a new-type battery technology industrial park and an advanced battery R&D center in Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area.



Ganfeng LiEnergy's power battery; photo credit: Ganfeng LiEnergy



Of the early-stage investment worth 5.4 billion yuan ($834.931 million), 5 billion yuan ($773.085 million) will be plowed into the construction of the new battery tech industrial park, which will have lithium battery production lines with an annual capacity of around 10GWh, according to a post on Chongqing Liangjiang New Area's WeChat account.

The other 400 million yuan ($61.847 million) will be used to build an independent R&D hub where Ganfeng LiEnergy will form a professional group to conduct R&D business and testing about hybrid batteries with clients from the industries including energy storage, battery of consumer electronics, and power battery.

The majority shareholder of Ganfeng LiEnergy is Ganfeng Lithium, one of the worlds top producers of the commodity used in electric vehicle batteries. According to the public information, Ganfeng Lithium is well known as a supplier of battery-grade lithium to clients including automakers like Tesla, BMW, and Volkswagen Group.

According to an announcement Ganfeng Lithium issued in early August, Ganfeng LiEnergy will spend no more than 3 billion yuan ($463.851 million) on a 5 GWh battery plant in Ganfeng's home province Jiangxi, which will be put into operation in October 2023.
Xiaomi finishes registration of automobile company

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Xiaomi has completed the Industrial and Commercial registration of its automobile company, which has a registered capital of RMB10 billion, and Lei Jun, the phone makers founder and CEO, will serve as the new companys legal representative, Xiaomi announced today.

Photo credit: Xiaomi

At the end of March this year, Xiaomi announced its foray into the electric vehicle industry. The initial investment in its car-making company will be RMB10 billion while the total investment in the next 10 years will be around $10 billion. Lei Jun will become the CEO of the new company.

In the past five months, Xiaomi held talks with many companies, including automakers and suppliers, as well as making investment in other firms. On August 25, the company announced its acquisition of DEEPMOTION TECH, a Beijing-based startup, for $77.37 million.

Xiaomi is also busy with building up its team for automotive business. At the end of July, Lei Jun posted a job ad via his Weibo account for the company's autonomous driving business unit, which intends to enlist 500 technicians for in-house developed Level 4 smart driving capability. According the company, its automotive business team has about 300 staff after receiving over 20,000 applications. In terms of the whole group, there are more than 16,000 engineers.

The groups revenue and net profit of the second quarter hit a new high, which will offer strong support for its automotive business. Its quarterly revenue surges 64% year on year to RMB87.8 billion while its adjusted net profit soared 87.4% from a year ago to RMB6.3 billion.
Gasgoo Daily: BYD Han EV cumulative sales exceed 100,000

With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

BYD Han EV cumulative sales exceed 100,000

The cumulative sales of the BYD Han EV reached 101,309 vehicles since its deliveries started a year ago. Meanwhile, the companys share price surged to RMB300 per share.

BYD Han EV; Photo credit: BYD

SAIC-GM-Wuling H1 revenue up 25.5% YoY

SAIC-GM-Wuling saw a 25.5% increase in revenue of the first half of this year to RMB7.115 billion. The loss attributable to its owners narrowed to RMB21.015 million from RMB199 million of the same period of last year.

Dongfeng Fengshen: 10,012 cars sold in August

Dongfeng Fengshen, a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor, sold 10,012 vehicles in August, with sales over 10 thousand for four months in a row. The total sales of the first eight months totaled 66,570 vehicles, surging 72% year on year.

Liuzhou allows intelligent car test on highways

Liuzhou city council passed a regulation that allows ICV testing on local highways. The Valli, SAIC-GM-Wuling Baojuns new model has finished testing in closed ground in accordance with regulations.

August PV retail expected to drop 13% YoY: CPCA

CPCA predicted a year-on-year 12% drop in daily passenger vehicle retail volume in the fourth week of August, averaging 76 thousand vehicles, and a year-on-year 13% decline in monthly volume.

Xiaomi finishes registration of automobile company

Xiaomi has completed the Industrial and Commercial registration of its automobile company, which has a registered capital of RMB10 billion, and Lei Jun, the phone makers founder and CEO, will serve as the new companys legal representative, Xiaomi announced today.

Chinas Vehicle Inventory Alert Index drops 1.1 percentage points YoY in August 2021

China's Vehicle Inventory Alert Index (VIA) stood at 51.7% in August 2021, falling 1.1 percentage points from the previous year, while also edging down 0.6 percentage points from the previous month, according to the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA). The index was still above the official warning threshold (50%).

Former Bosch executive joins AI chip company Horizon Robotics

Liming Chen, former Regional President of Chassis Systems Control Division of Bosch in China, joins Horizon Robotics, a Beijing-based artificial intelligence company, as president, Horizon Robotics announced on Wednesday.

NIO releases NIO OS 3.0.0 in-car operating system

On August 31, NIO launched the newest version of its in-car operating system, NIO OS 3.0.0, and started pushing it to users at the same time, said the EV startup.

JAC makes turnaround from losses in H1

JAC Group made a turnaround from losses in the first half of this year as its semi-annual sales saw an increase of 36.12% from a year ago, the automaker said in its financial report.

Changan Auto profitability improved in first-half

Changan Automobile had a lucrative first half of this year thanks to a 70% increase in revenue year on year. Sales saw an increase of 44%, over 1.2 million vehicles sold in H1, Changan Auto said in its semi-annual financial report.

BYD invests in Changzhou-based semiconductor company Vertilite

BYD Company Limited (BYD) recently became one of the investors of Vertilite, a Changzhou-headquartered semiconductor technology company, according to the business information provider Qichacha.

Li Auto delivers 9,433 vehicles in August

Li Auto reported a record-high monthly deliveries in August with 9,433 Li ONEs delivered, up by 248.3% from a year ago and 9.8% month over month, the automaker announced today.

NIO's Aug. deliveries zoom up 48.3% YoY

NIO saw its monthly deliveries vigorously grow 48.3% year on year to 5,880 units in August 2021, the EV startup announced on Wednesday.

XPeng August deliveries up 172% YoY

Chinese smart electric vehicle startup XPeng delivers 7,214 vehicles in August 2021, representing an increase of 172% from a year ago, the automaker said today. Specifically, monthly deliveries of the P7 hit a record high to 6,165 vehicles while deliveries of the G3 amounted to 1,049 vehicles.

Leapmotor delivers over 4,000 cars in August

According to Leapmotor, new car orders saw a 16% increase month on month to 7,607 vehicles in August, raising its year-to-date orders to 35,662. Leapmotors mainstay model T03 has an order number of 7,228 vehicles, increasing by 18% versus the previous month and making up 95% of the total orders in August.

Aiways teams up with Hesai Technology to promote LiDAR application

Chinas electric vehicle maker Aiways has officially entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Hesai Technology, Chinas advanced laser radar manufacturer, to promote the scale application of automotive-grade LiDAR.
We are very unhappy about this because we feel very misled  we spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on our house and we were told there might be a church going into that lot. This all came as a huge surprise for us; if we had known this, we wouldnt have bought our house when we did and where we did, Johnson told the commission.

Johnson added that she worried that the units would be bought up by investors and rented out to college students or as vacation rentals that would change the neighborhood for the worse.

Traffic was another significant concern brought up by residents. Residents of Presidio said the area has significant traffic issues and not enough parking -- something they said left some of them feeling hounded by their homeowners association already -- and said this would only worsen the situation.

About 60 Presidio residents signed a petition opposing the project.

For his part, Cunningham pointed out that with only 39 units, the traffic impacts would be minimal and based on the projects location abutting Woody Mountain Road, most traffic would likely exit right onto the road rather than traveling through the rest of the community.
He presented an updated draft of their ESSER III application on Aug. 24. It includes more for learning loss response ($330,721.11, bringing the total to about $3.25 million), taken mostly from the remaining funds category listed in the previous draft.

Penca explained some of the changes to the board, a list that included after-school intervention and enrichment, professional learning, participation in the model schools network and a proposal to extend paid sick leave for staff affected by COVID.

These funds, since we have them through September 2024, buy us some time to reprioritize our Maintenance and Operations budget, but we are cautious about recurring costs, he said. ...It does allow us to do those things above and beyond and can be attributed to COVID-19 and our relief [and] recovery.

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A little under 70% of FUSD's ESSER III funding ($9,250,000) has been set aside for facility improvements and equipment, mainly updating the HVAC systems at Knoles, DeMiguel and Cromer Elementaries as well as at Mount Elden Middle School. An audit of the systems had showed they were older and not meeting current standards, Penca said in the July 13 meeting.
Primary and junior high school students in Beijing benefited from a new education policy on Wednesday, as they were allowed to stay on campus to pursue their hobbies and other after-school activities.

From Wednesday, the school day starts at 8:20 am, which is about one hour later than previously. However, parents still can send their children earlier than 8:20 am if they need to go to work early.

The nationwide "double reduction" policy, aims to relieve students of the burden of excessive homework and reduce the need for after-school tutoring. One of the key measures is to allow students to stay on school premises for two hours beyond 4 pm, the previous closing time for schools.

At 5:40 pm on Wednesday, the first day of the new school semester, many students started to trickle out from the campus of the Primary School Affiliated to the University of International Business and Economics in Chaoyang district.

Unlike the past, more parents were waiting outside the school to pick up their children, instead of grandparents. When schools had closed at 4 pm, many parents were still at work and couldn't collect their children.

"It's good that I can come to pick up my daughter," said a mother surnamed Wang whose son is in the second grade at the primary school. "I have bought extra exercise books for my kid to do since she has no homework now. I still need to know how well he has learned."

The changes mean that students can choose to do their homework on the school campus after classes.

Wang said teachers will need to communicate more with parents to keep them updated on the performance of students.

"We had a reading course after classes ended at 4 pm," said Zhang Zirui, a second grade student at the primary school. "Then we did our homework at school. I don't have to do homework when I go back home."

Lan Lan, a student at a junior high school, said she now has less homework. "The teacher has cut out the repetitive content in the homework, which I welcome a lot," she said.

She said she stayed at her school until 6:30 pm on Wednesday. "My teachers have asked our opinions on what activities we would like to attend in the future for the after-school period," she said. "The school is planning more events, which I'm looking forward to very much."

Despite the new policy, outside the primary school's campus employees from after-school English-language training institutions were handing out leaflets to parents on Wednesday.

Beijing education authorities announced earlier no new tutoring institutions will be approved and existing ones will be reviewed. Restrictions on course content and timetables were also released.

Many Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and Chengdu, Sichuan province, have adopted the "double reduction" policy.

The Guangzhou Education Bureau issued a notice last week on reducing the burden of primary and junior high school students while promising to improve the quality of education.

At Xiaobei Road Primary School, students in the first and second grades are not assigned written homework. Third and fourth graders have written daily homework that is designed to be completed in 40 minutes, while those in the fifth and sixth grades do one hour of written homework, said the school's principal Han Ping.

Teachers coordinate on the total homework load, she said, adding that the school administration is working to improve the quality of homework to make it more interesting to students.

Wang, the father of a junior high school student, said the measures showed the greater emphasis the government places on compulsory education and its intentions to lessen the burden on schools, parents and students.

Feng Xiaojie and Lin Hanxue contributed to this story.
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Since starting in August, Burris said theyve changed the food pantry to allow families to utilize it once a month instead of twice a year. She said theyve also extended hours to 9a.m.-4p.m. Monday through Friday to allow them to better serve the community.

As fall approaches, the Salvation Army is also preparing to host their annual Thanksgiving meal for those who cannot afford it or otherwise have no place to go, and toy donations and the Red Kettle Campaign to help families celebrate Christmas.

With COVID, it might be a little bit more extreme. Were preparing for a bigger turnout this yearOur new kettle goal for this year is going to be $40,000. Weve increased that by $10,000, because we need to get things moving here in Beatrice, Burris said. Services cost more, so in order for us to effectively help the people here in Beatrice, we need to have that goal coming up.

Those who shop at the thrift store can expect to see some changes as well, as Burris said they plan to remodel this winter or next spring.
The bill passed largely along party lines although a few Republicans broke to vote with Democrats against the legislation. Beyond the amendment, the bill was wide-ranging with changes to multiple fish and wildlife laws and set up a new funding program to pay Montana State Prison to raise pheasants. Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill in May.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks notified the 15,000 nonresidents who were unsuccessful in the lottery of their potential eligibility under HB 637. It was then up to hunters to request a license and submit qualifying documentation of an outfitter booking prior to April 1.

In total, 1,693 had purchased a license by Sept. 1 and another 139 had gone through the process and could purchase one but had not yet done so, according to FWP.

Berglee said in a Wednesday text message that interest in the licenses was about what he expected, pointing to estimates that about 3,000 nonresidents could be eligible.

(It) definitely wasnt an unlimited free-for-all like some were saying early on, he said. Id say it accomplished what the intent of the bill was.
Memorial services for Rylee McCollum, the Wyoming Marine killed in last week's airport bombing in Kabul, will take place after his baby is born.

"We are waiting until Gigi (Crayton, McCollum's widow) has the baby and can safely travel again," the Marine's sister, Roice McCollum, told the Star-Tribune.

In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday morning, McCollum's family said that Crayton is staying at Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corps' West Coast base camp in Southern California. She should be expecting the baby in roughly two weeks.

"The girl is so strong," McCollum's father, Jim, told Fox News. "Obviously she's heartbroken, she's confused, she's devastated, she's trying to process this... She is going to be a wonderful mother, she loved Rylee so much."

In the same interview, Jim McCollum said the family plans to wait for Crayton to have the baby and give her time to settle in before having "a celebration of life for Rylee somewhere down the road."

Roice McCollum previously said that the service, whenever it takes place, will be held in Jackson.
I must express my full solidarity to those who have been the target of violence, hate, by the so-called no-vaxers, Draghi said at a news conference in Rome on Thursday. This violence is particularly hateful, cowardly when used against those who are providing information and to persons on the front line of fighting the pandemic.

Italy requires doctors, nurses and other health care workers to be vaccinated. Teachers and other school personnel need a Green Pass, which certifies they have received at least one vaccine dose, recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months or tested negative in the previous 48 hours.

Recently at a Green Pass protest, a TV journalist was yanked by her hair by a demonstrator, and at a separate rally, a newspaper reporter was repeatedly punched in the face by a school attendance taker.

An infectious disease specialist in Genoa has reported to police dozens of threats to him and his family.



SEATTLE  Washington states most populous county is reinstating outdoor mask mandates for large events and encourages people to wear masks in other outdoor settings when not 6 feet apart.
FARGO, N.D. (AP)  Republican Gov. Doug Burgum pleaded Wednesday for North Dakotans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying in his first coronavirus briefing in more than five months that hospitals are becoming overwhelmed.

North Dakota ranks 42nd in the country in vaccination rates and is trending worse than during the peak of the winter outbreak. The surge is being driven by the highly contagious delta variant, which was first confirmed in the state in late June.

Part of the reason we're having this press conference today is that we do have a hospital capacity issue that is present and looming, Burgum said. We want to make sure that North Dakotans know that the risk is real.

State health officials say the cases are matching low vaccination numbers, with one in every 180 vaccinated people testing positive for COVID-19 and one in 16 unvaccinated people testing positive. One in about 2,700 fully vaccinated citizens have been hospitalized and one in about 16,000 fully vaccinated residents have died. Active cases stand at 2,443, up 188 from Tuesday, and 135 people are hospitalized with the virus.

We are actually on a trend line that looks less attractive and less promising than we were a year ago, Burgum said.
North Dakota's 2019-21 budget cycle thrived despite the coronavirus pandemic, ending with millions in excess of projections.

The two-year budget cycle ended June 30. Final numbers weren't available until this week due to state agencies turning back unspent money to the general fund.

The Office of Management and Budget in July reported a preliminary $1.03 billion ending balance in the general fund, but the final number bore out slightly higher: $1.12 billion.

The budget cycle ended about 19% ahead of the 2019 Legislature's revenue forecast, or about $925 million.

Most of that overage is attributed to earnings of the state's oil tax savings, the Legacy Fund, which poured in more than $771 million than projected. The voter-approved account is derived from 30% of monthly oil taxes.

Office of Management and Budget Director Joe Morrissette told the Tribune, "We certainly finished in a solid position."
The Sherman Antitrust act  one of the main federal laws governing the matter  was written to combat abuses by large trusts and railroads. Those firms were able to control markets through their sheer size and scale.

Teddy Roosevelt made a name for himself by breaking them up. He  like many public officials now  understood the problems can come with too few companies holding too much influence.

In the digital age, the challenges in antitrust law have changed with technology. And the issues surrounding them are even more multifaceted.

It's becoming clear consumers can be harmed in more ways than just price increases. The issues range from the right to free speech to data privacy. They even extend to the impact of misinformation and influence on our elections. The role large tech companies have in our lives and broader society is impossible to ignore.

Big Tech can be an easy political target. It can be convenient to lump all the tech giants together under the same umbrella. But there are a variety of issues posed by different companies in different sectors of their businesses. Using a broad regulatory brush should be avoided in one of the most innovative parts of our economy.
Texas Instruments' obsolete and overpriced TI-84 (previously) is the beneficiary of an intensely-lobbied academic monopoly, but sales have dropped in recent years. Last month, Texas Instruments released a new version, the TI-84 Plus CE: Python Edition. With a sleek, smooth design and a range of colors, it's not the same calculator you knew in high school. One professional review calls it a "sexy beast"

TI's new calculator includes a whopping 3MB of flash ROM for storing data and apps, along with 154KB of free RAM. Its battery is also rechargeable now, and can be connected to your computer via a USB-C cable. The display is also backlit with 140 DPI and 16-bit color depth, which eels particularly flashy for a calculator.

The TI-84 Python edition comes preloaded with a number of test scripts to fiddle around with, along with an editor and some suggestions on how to integrate the language into math and science projects. Texas Instruments also notes that students can write code and run experiments using TI-Innovator Hub and TI LaunchPad Board programming tools.

From Input Magazine
Iron Circus Comics is a great independent press that's been kicking around since 2007. Founded by artist/writer C. Spike Trotman  creator of comics like Templar, Arizona and Smut Peddler  the company has lead a renaissance of diverse independent graphic novels by diverse artists. As the Chicago Tribune wrote in 2019:

Iron Circus raised more than $1 million over its first 14 Kickstarter campaigns from a market that Trotman was told didn't exist: fans interested in comic books that weren't made by white heterosexual men and featuring superheroes. "When I was getting into comics, there was absolutely no room for people like me  people of color who wanted to tell their own stories, or women who wanted to tell their own stories," said 39-year-old Trotman. "Comics had a very firm idea of what would sell or what qualified as niche. Anything a white, heterosexual man would make would be interpreted to having universal appeal, but anything I would make would automatically be classified as difficult to relate to or niche."

Their next Kickstarted project looks exceptionally cool  a comic book anthology called The Woman and the Woods and Other North American Stories, the fifth installment in the publisher's Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales series chronicling folklore from the world. Here's the setup for this latest volume:

The Woman in the Woods and Other North American Stories is an all-new anthology of fantastic comics inspired by original North American folktalesfrom the thrilling tale of Chokfi the trickster rabbit, to the stirring story of the White Horse Plains as told by Indigenous creators. The book features more than 100 pages of entertaining and educational stories by artists and writers from Indigenous nations across the continent.

An $8 pledge will get you the eBook (with an estimated delivery of April 2022), and $20 will get you a print copy. There are other, fancier supporter tiers as well, of course, including some options to get some of Iron Circus's other folklore anthology books.

Here are some of the artists involved:

Mercedes Acosta is a Cuban Taino artist and storyteller who, as a child, was always warned to stay away from trees at night. She loves eerie and joyful things. Mercedes lives in the tropics of southern Florida with her Papi. Milo Applejohn is an autistic illustrator of Metis and settler ancestry who resides in the unceded traditional territories of the slilwta (Tsleil-Waututh), kikm (Kwikwetlem), Skwxwu7mesh Uxwumixw (Squamish) and xmkym (Musqueam) Nations. Jordaan Arledge is a trans, Chickasaw comic writer and founder of Arledge Comics. Jordaan's credits span from the award-winning ALEX PRIEST series to all-ages titles like FUTURE GIRL. They graduated from Central Washington University with degrees in English  focusing in British literature  and in philosophy  specializing in religious studies and focusing in pre-Christian literature. When they're not reading or creating comic books, Jordaan can be found at your local comic book convention talking about indie press and queer representation in comics. Elijah Forbes (he/him) is a transgender Odawa illustrator who primarily works in the fields of graphic novels and children's literature. He has facilitated the creation of illustration projects such as the 2020 "Trans Awareness Week" through Twitter, as well as projects benefiting transgender rights groups, such as Sunshine House in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He seeks to create work that uplifts people of transgender and Indigenous backgrounds. Rhael McGregor is a Non-Binary/Two-Spirit Metis comic artist and animator from Winnipeg, Manitoba. They work primarily in writing LGBTQ2S+ imaginings of fantasy/sci-fi stories in hopes of making the world a little brighter! Mekala Nava is a reconnecting Chicana designer/illustrator with a passion for storytelling. She likes to incorporate folktales, myths, legends, and history into her work and hopes to move into the realm of graphic novels. Mekala graduated from Cornish College of the arts with a degree in Visual Communications and a focus in animation and motion design. She likes to focus on the "human-ness" of storytelling and how it has inspired and connected people throughout our history. Maija Ambrose Plamondon is a Metis writer currently living on treaty 6 territory. They spend their time writing music, comics, and being bad at rhythm games. Their current comics projects are two webcomics; one called Mystery Solving Lesbians which surprisingly is about two lesbians solving mysteries, and the other called Coming of Age. Alice RL is a professional Illustrator and Art Teacher based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The non-binary, Ojibawe artist draws inspiration from their experiences and cultural teachings and melds it with a signature palette of bright, playful hues to create stunning juxtapositions of human brutality and emotion with hope and whimsy. Alice's range of projects include game and comic book art, digital and traditional illustration, and graphic design. Alice is a Graduate of the University of Manitoba Fine Arts Program and Digital Media Design at Red River College. Alice is deeply involved in the local art community and strives to improve themselves and others. Whether working in digital or traditional art, Alice brings a unique personal style and emotional impact into all their creations. Izzy Roberts is a Michigan-based illustrator and a member of the Navajo Nation and Kinyaa'aanii clan. They spend much of their time writing and illustrating comics or attending conventions around the Midwest. Most days they can be found working at home with their rescue dog, Pickles, close by their side. Armed with a love of seductive horror and a commitment to creating more Native representation in visual mediums, Izzy is a highly dedicated artist with a passion for storytelling.

Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales: North America [Iron Circus Comics / Kickstarter]
"Each one of these individuals is charged together in concert, working together as accomplices," Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn said, explaining why each faces the same charges.

Both defendants, wearing orange jail garb and white masks, pleaded not guilty. Eagan ordered both held without bail.

Richardson is accused of being the shooter, while Robinson is accused of driving the vehicle they used, Flynn said. Prosecutors sought two murder counts under separate legal theories of the crime, he said.

The shooting happened in a group of about 20 to 30 people who were outside watching fireworks just before 11 p.m., but only one person so far has come forward to police with information  a relative of the toddler, Flynn said.

"No one else said a word," he said. "Not one."

That includes the three surviving victims.

Defense attorney James Q. Auricchio, who is representing Richardson along with Robert Johnson, said in an email that it will take months to review material prosecutors turned over to the defense.
As the Taliban grew closer, the family thought they would be safe because they already had plane tickets home. That all changed as the Taliban took over Kabul.

The whole world has seen the chaotic images in and around the airport, as tens of thousands of people, many of them Afghans who had worked with U.S. forces and other U.S. agencies who had been waiting for years for their visas to be processed, tried to find safe passage to America.

Abdul said his wife and children made several attempts to get to the airport. The first time they got stuck in a stampede and were nearly trampled. "My daughter fell," he said of the 14-year-old. "She lost her shoe."

On another attempt, Taliban fighters began firing machine guns into the air. The 12-year-old boy was struck in the head by shrapnel, Abdul said.

"I told them to go home," Abdul said. He has been working closely with his friend, McClune, who has helped him fill out form after form and has been on the phone for hours with the State Department and others to try to find a way out.

"We weren't getting information from the State Department, but we would go on website and then they'd say, 'Well, there's intel that there might be trouble. Just stay home until we give you more information.' And we kept waiting," McClune said.
"I have no words," she said. "How can something like this happen? And the worst is that there's a family downstairs with a baby, and they couldn't get out."

The remnants of Ida lost most of the storm's winds but kept its soggy core, then merged with a more traditional storm front and dropped an onslaught of rain on the Interstate 95 corridor, meteorologists said. The situation has followed hurricanes before, but experts said it was slightly exacerbated by climate change  warmer air holds more rain  and the urban setting, where expansive pavement prevents water from seeping into the ground.

The National Hurricane Center had warned since Tuesday of the potential for "significant and life-threatening flash flooding" and moderate and major river flooding in the mid-Atlantic region and New England.

Still, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the storm's strength took them by surprise.

"We did not know that between 8:50 and 9:50 p.m. last night, that the heavens would literally open up and bring Niagara Falls level of water to the streets of New York," said Hochul, a Democrat who became governor last week after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The international team investigating the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine seven years ago appealed Thursday for Russians in the city of Kursk to come forward with information about the deployment of the missile that investigators say downed the plane, killing all 298 people on board.

The call for witnesses included an emotional video featuring the parents of one of the victims, 29-year-old Australian Victor Oreshkin.

His mother, Vera Oreshkin, called her son a gift from God.

This tragedy has blown a hole in my heart and it will never be filled. Ever, she says in the video.

The appeal comes days before the resumption on Monday of the trial of three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with multiple murder for their alleged role in shooting down on July 17, 2014, the Boeing 777 that was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

The plane was blown out of the sky over conflict-torn eastern Ukraine, where government forces were battling pro-independence rebels.

None of the suspects has been extradited to the Netherlands to face justice and the trial that started in March 2020 is continuing in their absence. It is expected to continue into next year.
This is not your baby boomers Ikea. In fact, its not even your millennials Ikea.

The Swedish home furnishings retailer, known for its gigantic, mazelike stores and inexpensive, ready-to-assemble furniture, continues to reinvent itself 78 years after its founding. The company routinely moves into new formats and merchandising strategies, and these days, it seems to be rethinking its retail approach and rehabilitating its image as the global wellspring for disposable, very-much-unsustainable furniture. Not all of Ikea's current initiatives have shown up on this side of the Atlantic, but many have, and it stands to reason others will appear in its American stores sooner or later.

The only true global home furnishings retailer, Ikea opened its first U.S. store near Philadelphia in 1985 and now has more than 50 American outposts, with a few more debuting each year. More recently, it has been supplementing those massive 500,000-square-foot monsters, typically located on urban outskirts, with stores of assorted sizes and locations. These include a scaled-downat least by Ikea standards100,000-square-foot space in Queens, New York, and a series of inner-city stores that combine design studios for bigger projects like kitchen renovations with pick-up stations for those unable to schlep to the suburbs.

The company has said it expects to open many more of these over the next three years. Similarly, Ikea recently opened a store in downtown Vienna on five floors with a rooftop cafe. Most tellingly, it offers no parking spaces, which is likely a nod to its urban customer target.

The smaller stores are just one aspect of the companys new retail strategy. In August,

Ikea reopened its Shanghai location as a store of the future, with a fresh new layout. Gone was the companys signature maze, which requires customers to meander through the entire store, room type by room type, in one direction, and in its place was a central theater-type space where shoppers can hang out and meet, plus a more traditional restaurant (not cafeteria) showcasing sustainable foods, and even an area where old Ikea products can be repaired and refurbished. Though its billed as a future format, the company says it will continue with its trademark maze footprint as well.

Then there are the steps the company is taking toward becoming a more environmentally friendly operation. This month only, Ikea is testing a furniture buyback and resale program at that original Pennsylvania location. Customers may sell their gently used furniture back for store credit; the used items will then be sold at a discount in the "as is" area of the store. Ikea has piloted the same program at locations in other countries, and expects to roll it out across the U.S. eventually.

And perhaps most significantly, the retailer has begun selling renewable solar- and wind-powered energy in its home country of Sweden. Consumers can purchase the energy on the local power grid, tracking their consumption onwhere else?an app. There are not yet public plans for this technology to come to the U.S., but other eco-friendly programs, like buying up forest land to replace trees cut down for Ikea furniture, have made it stateside, as seen with the Ikeas recent purchase in Georgia.

These initiatives clearly show that Ikea wants to move away from its reputation for cheap expendabilityone that has been unbelievably successful, it should be notedand help consumers steeped in climate panic regard the company in a new light. And, not incidentally, sell more Ikea products in the process. Im convinced that if we do our job in a good way, said Stefan Vanoverbeke, the companys global deputy retail manager, when discussing the new store formats, well make home furnishing more important for people.

Homepage image:  Alexandr Blinov | Adobe Stock

____________

Warren Shoulberg is the former editor in chief for several leading B2B publications. He has been a guest lecturer at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business; received honors from the International Furnishings and Design Association and the Fashion Institute of Technology; and been cited by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and other media as a leading industry expert. His Retail Watch columns offer deep industry insights on major markets and product categories.
Holyn Thigpen is from Atlanta and attends Georgia State University, where she studies film and journalism. You can typically find her reading pop psychology books, watching Swedish movies, or googling Adam Driver. Check her out on Twitter @H0lyn.
French startup Cajoo is raising some money in order to compete more aggressively in the new and highly competitive category of food delivery companies. Interestingly, the lead investor in todays funding round is Carrefour, the supermarket giant. Headline (formerly e.ventures) is also participating in the round as well as existing investors Frst and XAnge.

Carrefours investment isnt just a financial investment. Cajoo will take advantage of Carrefours purchasing organization. This way, Cajoo will be able to offer more products to its customers.

Cajoo is part of a group of startups that try to create a whole new category of grocery deliveries. The company operates dark stores and manages its own inventory of products. Customers can then order items without having to think whether theyll be home when the delivery happens. Around 15 minutes later, a delivery person shows up with your groceries.

The startup competes with Getir, Gorillas, Flink, Zapp and a few others. It also indirectly competes with traditional retailers and their online ordering systems.

Its a category that is incredibly capital intensive, co-founder and CEO Henri Capoul told me. We own the entire value chain. If we want to expand, we have to launch hubs, we have to buy products.

With $40 million on its bank account, Cajoo now wants to solidify its strong market position in its home country. The service is currently live in 10 French cities  Paris, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Levallois-Perret, Boulogne-Billancourt, Lille, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Montpellier.

And yet, the company is already facing some competition in Paris for instance. But Henri Capoul sees it as market validation. There are a lot of players that have raised a lot of money. But its a regulated market. We own all our products and we have to comply with regulation. We cant sell everything at a loss, he said.

While Henri Capoul expects some sort of consolidation down the road, the company is doing everything to remain a big, independent company. European champions will be national champions first. Right now, some players can overcome a lack of products with discounts. Im convinced that the future of this category will be represented by three or four local players that are strong in other countries. Henri Capoul said.

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Cajoo is currently the only French company operating at this scale in this category. So its clear that the company sees itself as a market leader in France first. But the company is already looking at other markets as well  Belgium, Italy, Spain, maybe Portugal or Eastern Europe countries.

But first, the company wants to grow its team. The number of employees working in the HQ is going to double by the end of the year. Operations and delivery teams will also grow quite drastically. The company expects a fivefold increase by the end of the year on this front.

Some delivery people are directly hired by Cajoo. But the company is also relying on partners  both contracting companies and freelancers. So the company faces some of the challenges that Deliveroo and Uber Eats also face.

Cajoo might be a great business idea, but users will have to ask themselves whether it really solves an important need or theyre just using it because it exists. Instant delivery companies could have a real impact on brick-and-mortar shops over the long run.
Set in St. Louis but shot in coastal Virginia, attempting to wrestle tough sociopolitical issues while sporting the neon hues of a stylized neo-noir, The Gateway lets itself get pulled in too many directions for any of them to be well-realized. Nonetheless, this crime melodrama represents an advance for commercials and music video director Michele Civetta over his first feature, the occult muddle Agony, with improved control over performances and pacing. The implausible but diverting Lionsgate release is launching in limited theaters, on demand and digital Sept. 3, with disc formats following a week later.

Raised in a foster home after his mothers fatal OD and his fathers abandonment, Parker Jode (Shea Whigham) is a still-punchy former pro fighter who now tries repairing other peoples families as a state social worker. In that role, hes developed a paternal interest in young Ashley (Taegen Burns), even driving her to school when mother Dahlia (Olivia Munn) shows up drunk from a one-night stand.

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But that already-fragile domesticity takes a turn for the worse with the prison release of Mike (Zach Avery), who promptly moves back in with his wife and daughter  whether they like it or not. His prior misdeeds working for local crime boss Duke (Frank Grillo) had already nearly cost Dahlia custody of Ashley. Still, he quickly goes back to that life, while also renewing his status as a liar, wife-beater, and pathologically jealous spouse.

Armed robbery of a rival operation on Dukes behalf turns into a bloodbath, putting police back on obvious suspect Franks tail. But its using his child as an unwitting courier for stolen heroin bricks is what ultimately sets our protagonists on the run from violent goons. This is ill-timed, as protective Parker inconveniently no longer enjoys governmental authority, having been fired for hitting an obnoxious coworker. The emergency forces reconciliation with his own neer-do-well dad, cleaned-up jazz musician Marcus (Bruce Dern).

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The Gateway moves quickly enough to hold attention, if not to cover up its ill-matched individual elements, let alone meld them into a coherent vision. Characters seem sprung from one genre cliche-book or another, yet periodically open their mouths to glibly hold forth on American imperialism or systemic corruption. The earnest, sometimes maudlin address of abuse issues clashes with the films fussy aesthetics, whether expressed in Parkers rockabilly quiff, candy-colored lighting gambits, or a shootout in a bordello that looks like a series of gallery installations.

Civetta is the ex-husband of Asia Argento, whom he saddled with an excess burden of histrionics in the Italy-shot Gothic thriller Agony. The frequent disconnect between style and content here is reminiscent of her own directorial effort The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, in which brutal events were presented in affectedly prettified fashion. As they hang out in garishly ornate dive bars and impossibly hued alleys, The Gateway often seems more interested in investing its (male, at least) figures with Tarantino-esque hipster cool than taking seriously the woes of crime, poverty and substance abuse amidst which they live.

If Agony felt both inert and hysterical, this sophomore feature at least has more overall narrative propulsion, albeit minus much knack for building suspense. The impact of imprecisely staged violent action is further undercut by overuse of retro-sounding funk, R&B and soul tracks apt for a good-time caper film. These selections reinforce that the movie sometimes seems to exist in an artificially exoticized South, more Memphis-of-the-mind noir than gateway to the West St. Louis, with its lamentably high murder statistics.

Theres also a howler of a fadeout, when a film that hitherto had scant room for African American characters (a single scene for Keith David aside) unleashes an incongruous onslaught of churchy pulpit and gospel-choir exuberance, as if it had forefronted a Black Lives Matter message all along. You cant say Civetta and his two co-writers lack opinions about the state of the U.S.A. But in what ultimately plays as a contrived potboiler, those ideas come across as cluttered and half-baked  presumably due to changes wrought since Alex Felix Bendanas original screenplay (then called Where Angels Die) landed on the Black List of highly-rated unproduced scripts nearly a decade ago.

Despite so many individual missteps making for a bumpy whole, The Gateway manages to go down pretty painlessly, thanks in large part to a cast as colorful as the rather flashy visual packaging. No one here gets a role comprised of much more than a few external characteristics (and the women sometimes less), but the actors do their best to contribute hard-living vibes. Probably the best turn is by Avery, who like everyone else here has to contend with some clumsy, on-the-nose dialogue. Yet he makes potentially cardboard villain Mike into a frighteningly credible sociopath, always just a hairs breadth away from exploding into violence.

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Mass protests returned to Algeria this year to demand political changes

If the official name of a state has the words "democratic" and "popular", it is arguably neither.

Take the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, otherwise known as North Korea, which is a totalitarian one-party state.

Then there's Algeria, whose official name is remarkably similar to that of North Korea - the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria.

Although it is not in the same league as that in Pyongyang, ask any of the thousands who have taken to the streets in Algeria since 2019 and they will concur that their regime is neither democratic nor popular.

They would say that their country has been run by a clique for decades, with the military holding the reins of power behind a civilian facade, and used the country's oil wealth to line their pockets.

Further, the protesters view successive parliamentary and presidential elections as a sham to bestow legitimacy on a regime that otherwise has none.

Another tell-tale sign of a "people's democratic republic" is that in moments of national crisis, the government's first reaction is to blame foreigners or "fifth-columnists".

When Algeria was hit last month by a wave of forest fires that devastated thousands of hectares of trees and green pasture and killed at least 90 people, including some 30 soldiers who had been deployed to put out the fires, the government's first response was to point the finger at arsonists and to vow to hunt them down.

It provided no evidence. Not a word was said about climate change or that similar fires have been raging across the Mediterranean.

Fires raged amidst a heatwave, no rain and unrelenting gusts of wind

It was a similar response when the harrowing details emerged of the lynching and burning of the body of 37-year-old Djamel Ben Ismail, who had gone to the Kabylie region to help fellow Algerians extinguish the fires.

The incident was caught on mobile phones and widely circulated on social media. Algerians were shocked by the savagery of the perpetrators.

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Embarrassingly for the government, it unfolded under the watchful eye of the police, who did next to nothing to stop the onslaught.

The government has defended the officers, saying they had come under attack from a violent mob, who snatched Mr Ismail from a police van.

The authorities have rounded up dozens of people - the latest count is about 80 - and accused them of involvement.

Characteristically, they were paraded on state television handcuffed while making confessions that, conveniently for the regime, implicated a local political organisation that the government recently designated a terrorist group.

The organisation, known by the acronym MAK, campaigns for the independence of Kabylie, a predominantly Berber region in northern Algeria, which was worst hit by the fires.

The region is also the birthplace of Hirak - the movement whose protests led to the ending of the two-decade rule of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019.

Hirak has continued to spook the old Bouteflika allies who have succeeded him.

Murder mystery

Typical also of the "democratic people's republic" is that the people rarely trust what the state media says.

As a result, speculation was rife as to who actually was behind the brutal mutilation of Mr Ismail.

Djamel Ben Ismail had gone to help extinguish the fires when he was killed

He was an Arab, the killers were Berber youths.

One popular narrative on social media and among Algerian dissidents in exile said the killing must, therefore, have been an attempt by the "deep state" - a reference to the secret services - to ignite ethnic strife, and to deflect public anger from state failures.

Some wondered whether Mr Ismail was a pawn in a bigger power game to destabilise Kabylie and thus justify a crackdown on the regime's opponents.

The government has now announced that it will compensate all those who suffered from the forest fires.

On the issue of Mr Ismail's murder, police say his mobile has been found with "shocking facts concerning the real reasons behind his killing".

However, these revelations will reportedly not be disclosed because of the ongoing investigation.

'Scapegoating Morocco'

Having dealt with the "domestic threat", the regime moved a gear higher by announcing that next-door neighbour, and old regional rival, Morocco had been found guilty of fomenting trouble for Algeria.

It cut diplomatic ties with Rabat and announced it will no longer provide Morocco with Algerian gas, estimated at 800 million cubic metres annually.

BBC

Morocco has dismissed the Algerian allegations and expressed the hope that diplomatic ties could be resumed shortly.

It is yet to comment on the likely impact of the decision on its domestic energy needs.

Critics were quick to point out that scapegoating Morocco and domestic opposition groups is an old tactic to divert attention from the regime's spectacular failure in dealing with domestic problems such as the forest fires, the Covid-19 pandemic and the lack of jobs.

Last month, as infections peaked amid a severe shortage of oxygen for seriously ill patients, the government issued directives to the media to play down "the bad news".

It was straight from the textbook of totalitarian states - blame the media for the regime's failures.

Yet, paradoxically, the pandemic gave the regime respite from the protests organised by Hirak. It was a perfect public health pretext to ban gatherings and demonstrations.

But after a lull, the protesters were back on the streets of Kherrata in Kabylie earlier this year to mark the second anniversary of Hirak.

Anger at military

They want a complete dismantling of the old order and reject what they regard as a rearranging of the deck chairs.

That's how they view President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, an insider who was elected in 2019.

Many young people in Algeria have shown they are impatient for change

Their slogan is: "All of them must resign" - and they have the military in their sight.

They singled out army chief General Said Chengriha, believing he is the de facto president.

Their anger has its roots in the failure of the post-independence state to deliver a decent standard of living and political freedoms.

It's a regime that has built its legitimacy on the anti-colonial narrative, which is of little relevance today in a predominantly young society, most of whom were born after independence from France in 1962.

The question now is whether a renewed Hirak can achieve what has so far eluded other protest movements in much of North Africa and the Middle East - freedom and the rule of law.

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A prominent television presenter in Ivory Coast has received a 12-month suspended sentence for promoting rape during a live broadcast.

Yves de M'Bella had invited a man described as an ex-rapist to demonstrate on a mannequin how he had assaulted women.

Widespread outrage followed and M'Bella was suspended from TV and radio.

Women's Affairs Minister Nasseneba Toure said Monday's broadcast had undermined efforts to eradicate rape.

The court fined the presenter $3,600 (2,600) and has banned him from leaving the country's main city, Abidjan, the Reuters news agency reports, quoting an official.

The guest, Kader Traore, was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $900, also for promoting rape.

He, however, told the court that he had previously been convicted of theft and not rape.

The segment of the programme, broadcast at primetime on a private TV channel, was supposed to be about condemning sexual assault, the AFP news agency reports.

But M'Bella appeared to laugh and joke as he helped Traore lay the mannequin on the floor. Afterwards the guest was invited to give women advice on how to avoid being raped.

An online petition demanding that M'Bella be punished had got nearly 50,000 signatures by Wednesday evening.

Benedicte Joan Ouamba, who campaigns against gender-based violence, said that "as a survivor, it was very hard to see this scene".

One of Ivory Coast's best known sports stars, sprinter Marie Josee Ta Lou, tweeted: "Have you thought about all the people who have been raped?"

On Wednesday, there was a small demonstration outside the offices of the Nouvelle Chaine Ivorienne (NCI) TV station, calling for more action.

Miss Ivory Coast ban

Some people are now saying that M'Bella should have got a harsher sentence including prison time for what they saw as the trivialisation of rape, the BBC's Lalla Sy reports from Abidjan.

Rape cases in the country are often not reported by victims who fear stigmatisation and are discouraged to press charges because of how difficult it is to prove in a court, she says.

Story continues

On Tuesday, M'Bella, who is from Cameroon, apologised for the broadcast, admitting that he had "made an error" while trying to raise awareness about rape, Reuters quotes him as saying.

NCI has also apologised.

The organisers of Saturday's Miss Ivory Coast contest, which M'Bella was supposed to be hosting, have cancelled his appearance.

There are no official statistics on rape in Ivory Coast but an Ivorian NGO found that 2,000 cases of violence against women, including 1,121 rapes, were recorded in 2019 and 2020 in the city of Abidjan alone, AFP reports.
They have seen the sickest of the sick, and were involved in trying to make those patients better, Meinen said. They get to use advanced skills and advanced practices. They are learning to soak up every bit of knowledge they can.

But because of that, their mental health may suffer. Meinen said the amount of death around her students is more than some clinicians had seen in their lifetime before the pandemic.

One or two deaths in the field (for students) used to be a lot during clinicals, Meinen said. Now theyre all seeing it, and theyre seeing too much of it. The amount of death is beyond comprehension. On top of it, there are no visitors. People are alone, and youre trying to be with them, and youre overworked and overtired. You question if youre providing the best care. Theres just not enough of you to go around.

A seasoned respiratory therapist would find this difficult. And now our students are going in and dealing with the same thing. There are busy days, but during the height of the pandemic, its every single day and every hour. How do you make sure that your students mental health is going to be OK? she said.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Denmark's rarely used Court of Impeachment gathered Thursday to try a former immigration minister over a 2016 order to separate asylum-seeking couples when one of the pair was a minor.

Inger Stoejberg, who served as integration minister from 2015 to 2019, appeared before the court that was convening for the first time in 26 years.

Earlier this year, Denmark's parliament voted to try Stoejberg after a parliament-appointed commission said that separating couples in asylum centers was clearly illegal and that she had received warnings from her department that the practice was unlawful.

Stoejberg was then formally accused of illegally initiating the separation of cohabiting couples where one partner was a minor, out of concerns that it might have been a forced marriage. She also misled parliamentary committees on four separate occasions when informing them of her decision.

Thirty-two couples were to be separated  23 of them were split up before the policy was halted months later.

Most of the women among the separated couples were between the ages of 15 and 17, while the men were between 15 and 32. Most came from Syria and some couples had children or the women were pregnant.
(CNN) -- Heavyweight global investment firms are sticking with China despite a sweeping crackdown on business by the ruling Communist Party that has wiped $3 trillion off the market value of the country's biggest companies.

Even as authorities rip up the status quo for tech, education and other private enterprise, drawing comparisons with Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution in the process, some of the biggest names in asset management say it's still a good time to invest. They say recent regulatory moves were necessary and overdue, and China's growth story remained attractive.

"The case for China in the long-term is intact," said Luca Paolini, chief strategist for Pictet Asset Management. The firm is an arm of Swiss private bank Pictet Group, which has $746 billion assets under management.

Pictet isn't alone. Many of the biggest names on Wall Street, including BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, Fidelity and Goldman Sachs, are still advising clients to keep buying, albeit cautiously.

The "intensity" of the measures "will fluctuate," wrote strategists at BlackRock in an August research note. "Chinese authorities will likely balance their regulatory agenda against a desire for economic stability, and the intensity of the regulatory crackdown may ease amid slower growth and market volatility."

A broad shakedown

The clampdown over the past year has shaken many businesses to their core, and may also be acting as a drag on economic growth. The services sector contracted in August for the first time in 18 months.

Financial tech firm Ant Group is reportedly worth half what it was before a planned public offering was shelved last November and it was forced to overhaul its business. Shares in ride-hailing company Didi have failed to come close to their IPO price after Beijing began probing the company earlier this summer. And wide-ranging rules unveiled in July essentially shut down China's $120 billion for-profit tutoring sector.

The MSCI China Index, which tracks large and mid-cap Chinese companies, has fallen more than 13% this year. By contrast, the MSCI World Index has risen more than 16%.

Some big proponents of Chinese investment  including SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son  have warned that they'll need to wait out the regulations before deciding to buy more aggressively again. Others, including Bank of America, have recommended ditching Chinese tech stocks entirely for opportunities in Australia, Japan, India and other parts of Asia.

"While we have championed China's impressive technological advantages and achievements on a global scale for years ... we think the regulatory overhang is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon," analysts at Bank of America wrote in July.

Beijing has signaled that its get-tough approach will continue for at least the next five years. President Xi Jinping has tripled down  he told government officials Monday that anti-monopoly and other measures have been necessary to achieve "common prosperity." And state media this week widely circulated an article that first appeared on social media, which called Xi's sweeping crackdown in economy, finance, culture and politics a "profound revolution" to end the "capitalist paradise" on China's markets.

"Foreign investors who choose to invest in China find it remarkably difficult to recognise these risks," billionaire investor George Soros wrote this week in the Financial Times. "Xi's China is not the China they [investors] know."

Soros wrote that Xi's version of the Communist Party has acted as an "updated version" of the one helmed by Mao. "No investor has any experience of that China because there were no stock markets in Mao's time."

A model for the world to follow?

Pictet's Paolini, though, isn't worried.

By one measure, he said, the crackdown is a "belated response" to the breakneck pace at which many Chinese companies have grown and innovated. He predicted the rest of the world would follow with strict regulations on data usage and the dominance of Big Tech.

"Regulatory risk has increased, but it is now largely priced in  on our measures," Paolini said, adding that China is the third cheapest "major" equity market and "by far the most oversold."

BlackRock's strategists echoed that rationale, writing that the Chinese leadership sees the measures as "necessary to rein in the industries that have been rapidly growing and lightly regulated."

"We stand by our strategic preference for Chinese assets," they added.

Even Goldman Sachs  which recently estimated that the crackdown had wiped out $3.1 trillion in market value for Chinese companies world wide, half of that from tech firms alone  has remained bullish.

Strategists at the investment bank wrote last week that the "uncertain trading environment" wasn't likely to hurt the case for buying Chinese equities too much, at least not in the mainland.

Companies that list overseas may be in for a rougher time, as US and Chinese regulators alike have been squeezing firms that list in New York. Even then, though, the Goldman analysts pointed to "long-term value" for those companies  they just want to "wait for more regulation clarity" first.

China has "strong economic and earnings growth potential in a global context," the strategists wrote.

The bank acknowledged in a July research note that stocks have taken a significant hit from the crackdown, adding that some of its clients have even asked whether Chinese markets have become "uninvestable."

But they said they believe it's unlikely that "extreme regulations" would spread to every sector.

The government has supported the development of "foundational technologies," such as renewable energy and 5G networks, and "would be pragmatic when striking a balance between social/ideological goals and capital markets in non-social sensitive industries over time."

The "indiscriminate" sell-off has also created some bargain investments for those thinking longer term, according to Victoria Mio, director of Asian Equities at Fidelity International.

"Despite policy headwinds in some sectors, China is still on track for decent GDP growth over the next decade," she said, pointing to increasing purchasing power by the middle class.

Some firms also touted the value of other Chinese assets.

Paolini pointed out that the yuan has performed better than other major currencies this year, up 1% against the US dollar. Chinese government bonds are also overperformers, returning 3.5% compared to a 1.1% loss on JP Morgan's global government bond index, a benchmark tracked by bond investors.

"Clearly, China remains fully 'investable' for foreign investors," he added.

Caution is still needed

The Goldman analysts said, though, that any investment needs to be tactical.

Media, consumer services, education, retail, transportation and biotech could be at risk of further regulatory backlash, they added, given Beijing's focus on solving what it sees as social or cultural issues caused by those industries.

"It's difficult to predict the future direction of policy changes, but avoiding stocks and sectors where valuations are rich and ... expectations [are high] can help mitigate this uncertainty," said Catherine Yeung, investment director at Fidelity International. She added that investors have left internet and education stocks, instead investing in sportswear and renewables, among other industries.

"There have always been social and economic imbalances, and the pandemic has brought these to light even more," she added. "China's recent policy/regulation changes are set up to address these imbalances with a focus on security, autonomy and fairness."

 Kristie Lu Stout and Jadyn Sham contributed to this article.

This story was first published on CNN.com "China's 'revolution' cost investors $3 trillion. So why aren't they running scared?".
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3)  President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday accused Senator Richard Gordon of using Philippine Red Cross (PRC) funds for his electoral campaigns.

"I dare say na ginamit mo talaga ito para sa (you really used this for the) elections. Ito yung (This is really your) milking cow mo eh sa totoo lang," Duterte said during his second address to the nation this week.

The President pointed to the PRC's "plan" to sell COVID-19 shots for 3,500 each.

"Now you are even having plans of selling vaccines, charging 3,500 per shot...Moderna vaccines cost $51 or roughly about 2,500. What is the extra 1,000 for and for whom?" Duterte asked.

"Is the Red Cross saving money so that it would eventually pass a resolution to set aside a big amount to fund your election plans, just like the funds you used in the 2010 and 2016 campaign?" he added.

Duterte also said there might be a conflict of interest with Gordon being both a senator and chairman of the PRC. "Is it not fair to say now that bumitaw ka na and give others a chance para mahinto mo na yung ginagawa mong kalokohan?" he said.

[Translation: Is it not fair to say now that it is time for you to leave office and give others a chance so you can stop your nonsense activities?]

The President also accused Gordon of investigating the government's purchasing of medical supplies "in aid of political interest," noting that the senator is eyeing the vice presidency in next year's polls.

He also criticized Gordon for "threatening" to stop the PRC from conducting COVID-19 tests last year after the government failed to settle its 930-million debt to the humanitarian agency.

Duterte then said he will ask the Commission on Audit to scrutinize the PRC - a non-government and non-profit organization - for other possible anomalies.

Gordon has yet to respond to the President's statements as of press time.

Republic Act no. 10072 states that "The Philippine Red Cross shall, at the end of every calendar year, submit to the President of the Philippines an annual report containing its activities and showing its financial condition."

It also states "The Philippine Red Cross shall be recognized as the voluntary, independent and autonomous nongovernmental society auxiliary to the authorities of the Republic of the Philippines in the humanitarian field."
(CNN)  There are a number of reasons for global investors to be keeping close watch on China, from signs its economy is slowing to Beijing's disruptive crackdown on private business. But the list doesn't end there.

What's happening: Evergrande, one of China's largest property developers, is in dire straits. It warned this week that it could default on its substantial debts, listing $300 billion in total liabilities, if it can't raise money quickly. Should that happen, the effects would be felt across the country's banking system. The group has also suspended work on some projects as it tries to conserve cash, a move that's poised to hit China's property sector.

Investors are clearly worried. Evergrande's shares in Hong Kong are off 72% this year. That's significantly worse than the 29% plunge suffered by Alibaba, which has been at the center of the Chinese government's efforts to rein in big tech firms. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index is off 4% year-to-date.

Evergrande's bonds are also under pressure, as is its electric vehicle business, which Bloomberg recently identified as the worst performing stock in the world.

Step back: Debt in China's property sector has been a lingering risk to the country's financial system for some time. And Evergrande is one of China's most heavily indebted developers. It has $37 billion in borrowing due within one year.

Should Evergrande actually default, it would be another destabilizing jolt at an already tenuous moment for markets and the economy.

Though not guaranteed, Beijing would likely intervene to soften the blow, Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics, said in a note to clients in July.

"China's leadership is presumably reluctant to offer a bailout to Evergrande, given the desire to punish reckless behavior by private entrepreneurs and discourage speculative property investment," he wrote. "But given the firm's sheer size and systemic role, officials would step in to try to ensure an orderly restructuring in the event of a default."

That said: A default would likely lead to tighter financing conditions for the entire real estate sector, hurting their businesses.

"Even if other developers avoid a similar fate, construction activity is likely to suffer as they are forced to pare back new projects," Evans-Pritchard said.

Why it matters: China's economy is stuttering due to its aggressive approach to constraining the Delta variant and supply chain woes. The Caixin index tracking the country's manufacturing sector, released Wednesday, fell to 49.2 in August, indicating the first contraction since April 2020. Meanwhile, Chinese markets have plunged this year as authorities target tech, education and other private enterprises, wiping $3 trillion off the market value of the country's biggest companies.

A major default is the last thing China needs right now.

OPEC and partners meet as oil trades near multi-year highs

Brent crude futures, the global benchmark for oil prices, are trading near their highest level in more than two years.

That gives the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies some cover as representatives meet by videoconference on Wednesday.

The latest: OPEC+ is expected to affirm its plan  announced in July  to gradually boost oil production.

"It looks very much as if the timetable for monthly production hikes of 400,000 barrels per day that was agreed in mid-July will be confirmed," Commerzbank analysts said in a note to clients.

It helps that the group's market experts are reportedly predicting a supply deficit of 900,000 barrels per day for the rest of the year thanks to resurgent demand as the economy recovers.

A caveat: The committee foresees an excess of 1.6 million barrels per day next year if OPEC+ continues raising output as planned. That could weigh on prices in the medium-term. But for now, it's a problem for another day.

"The main focus today will be on the production volume in the coming month," Commerzbank said.

AOC wants Jerome Powell out of a job

Wall Street has been rewarding Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's careful speech at the Jackson Hole symposium last week, when he indicated that the Fed will soon begin winding down its emergency economic stimulus program.

See here: The CNN Business Fear & Greed Index briefly hit "greed" territory late Monday before sliding back into neutral mode Tuesday.

But that doesn't mean everyone is a fan. Progressive Democrats, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are calling on President Joe Biden to give the Fed a sweeping makeover by replacing Powell as chairman, my CNN Business colleague Matt Egan reports.

"We urge President Biden to reimagine a Federal Reserve focused on eliminating climate risk and advancing racial and economic justice," the lawmakers said in a statement Tuesday.

The backdrop: Powell, a Republican and former investment banker, was nominated in 2017 to lead the powerful Federal Reserve by former President Donald Trump, who later soured on his selection. Powell's term as chair expires in February, and the White House has not said whether he will be reappointed.

Under Powell, the Fed wasted little time responding forcefully to the economic fallout from the pandemic in March 2020. Economists have credited the Fed's historic actions with helping to prevent a full-blown depression and financial crisis in the United States. At a delicate time for the economic recovery, Biden may opt to prioritize continuity.

But the campaign from AOC and colleagues Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Mondaire Jones of New York and Chuy Garcia of Illinois could broaden the conversation about the Fed's role in the economy  and in society.

Up next

Campbell Soup reports earnings before US markets open. Chewy and Smith & Wesson follow after the close.

Also today:

The ADP private employment report for August posts at 8:15 a.m. ET.

The latest ISM Manufacturing Index follows at 10 a.m. ET.

Coming tomorrow: Earnings from Hormel Foods and Broadcom.

 Laura He contributed reporting.

This story was first published on CNN.com There's another big risk brewing in China
(CNN)  UK media regulator Ofcom has cleared TV host Piers Morgan of breaching British broadcasting rules with his criticism of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, rejecting more than 50,000 complaints from viewers.

In a March 8 edition of ITV's "Good Morning Britain" show, Morgan questioned whether Meghan was being truthful about having suicidal thoughts  a major revelation from her blockbuster interview with Oprah Winfrey. His comments sparked a huge controversy in Britain, and he was rebuked by mental health charity Mind.

A spokesperson for Ofcom told CNN Business on Wednesday that it was "the most complained about" program.

Justifying what it described as a "finely-balanced" decision, Ofcom said the comments were potentially "harmful and offensive to viewers" but it took into account freedom of expression and the "strong challenge" of Morgan's co-host on the show, which prompted him to walk off set.

Meghan made a formal complaint to ITV relating to Morgan's comments about her mental health, CNN learned at the time. Her complaint to ITV concerned the impact Morgan's comments could have on others and how it could degrade the seriousness of mental health issues. The complaint did not relate to the personal nature of Morgan's attacks.

Following the backlash from members of the public and Mind, Morgan stepped down from his role on March 9, with a statement from ITV saying he had "decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain."

UK media regulator Ofcom published a 97-page report on Wednesday and found that the case was "not in breach of its broadcasting rules."

More than 50,000 complaints were received, Ofcom said, the majority of which said that comments about mental health and suicide made by Morgan were "both harmful to the audience and highly offensive" as were discussions on issues relating to race and racism.

The regulator said: "We were particularly concerned about Mr Morgan's approach to such an important and serious issue and his apparent disregard for the seriousness of anyone expressing suicidal thoughts."

"But we also took full account of freedom of expression. Under our rules, broadcasters can include controversial opinions as part of legitimate debate in the public interest, and the strong challenge to Mr Morgan from other contributors provided important context for viewers," it said.

"Nonetheless, we've reminded ITV to take greater care around content discussing mental health and suicide in future. ITV might consider the use of timely warnings or signposting of support services to ensure viewers are properly protected," Ofcom warned.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Morgan called Ofcom's ruling a "vindication of me" a "resounding victory for freedom of speech and a resounding defeat for Princess Pinocchios who think we should all be compelled to believe every fork-tongued word they say."

CNN has contacted ITV for comment.

Max Foster and Niamh Kennedy contributed reporting.
(CNN)  The Biden administration is releasing 1.5 million barrels of crude oil from America's emergency stockpile of oil as Louisiana's gas crisis worsens.

The decision to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR, comes as two-thirds of the gas stations in New Orleans and Baton Rouge are out of gasoline in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

This will "alleviate any logistical issues of moving crude oil within areas affected by Hurricane Ida to ensure the region has access to fuel as quickly as possible," the Energy Department said in a statement.

The SPR, a complex of deep underground storage caverns in the Gulf Coast holding more than 600 million barrels of crude, is reserved for emergency situations  and the aftermath of Hurricane Ida appears to be one of those.

President Joe Biden hinted at the move earlier Thursday, saying he directed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to consider using the Strategic Petroleum Reserve "to keep gas flowing to the pumps."

Releasing oil from the SPR, which holds more than 600 million barrels of crude, could ease some of the immense pressure on the region's energy system after taking a direct hit from the Category 4 storm.

Nine Louisiana refineries are partially or fully shut. Regulators said Thursday more than 93% of the Gulf of Mexico's oil production remains offline, up from around 80% on Wednesday. And gas prices have climbed by nearly four cents a gallon in the past week to $3.18, according to AAA. That's just shy of the seven-year highs hit last month.

"This makes perfect sense. Give refiners some oil if they need it right away, and they can get it back when things clear up," Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service, told CNN in an email.

An Energy Department spokesperson said the emergency move is aimed at easing logistical problems caused mainly by portions of the Mississippi River being closed as several sunken vessels are still blocking the river.

The relief is being structured as an exchange, like a loan. In this case, ExxonMobil's Baton Rouge refinery will receive the 1.5 million barrels to meet a shortfall as it reopens. But Exxon will need to replace the oil, along with a premium, within about two to three months, the Energy Department spokesperson said.

'They're in a bad situation'

The Energy Department said it is encouraging refiners to prioritize gasoline to the affected region and remains committed to supporting those efforts through options including the SPR.

The SPR decision comes as the gas station outages in Louisiana linger and now some gas stations in Mississippi have begun to report smaller levels of outages on GasBuddy.

Drivers who find gas stations with fuel face very long lines that can last eight or nine hours.

"They're in a bad situation. They have no power. Roads aren't functional. That place got creamed," said Robert Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho Securities USA.

In August 2005, the Bush administration tapped the SPR after Hurricane Katrina cause severe damage to the energy industry. The Trump administration did the same after Hurricane Harvey in August 2017.

'Cut the bottlenecks'

Long before the hurricane struck, the federal government planned to sell crude out of the SPR this fall. Speeding that timing up could make crude available for refiners dependent on pipelines or waterways that haven't yet restarted or reopened.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, told CNN that tapping the SPR could ease pressure on the system  especially if Louisiana refineries begin to reopen in the coming days.

"After a catastrophe, cut the bottlenecks," De Haan said, adding that he's heard from some refineries worried about where they will source oil from because of logistical problems caused by the storm. "Why not open the SPR? It's not perfect. But it may be an option for some refineries."

However, tapping the SPR won't be a magic wand, especially given the power outages and port closures.

Some analysts expressed skepticism about the move.

"The shortfall in gasoline is not due to a lack of crude oil supply. It is due to refinery outages," Richard Joswick, global head of oil analytics at S&P Global Platts, said in an email before the decision was announced. "Releasing crude oil from the SPR will not help gasoline."

Restoring power is key

Yawger, the Mizuho executive, doesn't think tapping the SPR will make sense because those barrels would still need to be refined. And barrels from the salt caverns of the SPR need even more refining than the average barrel.

Instead, Yawger said the federal government should offer emergency tax incentives to encourage gas tankers to transport more fuel to Louisiana. And he said authorities must get the power grid back online.

"You've got to get the electricity situation under control. You need power to make all these things work," he said.

Gas stations can't pump gas without power. Refineries can't produce more fuel without power. And if there's no power, tankers can't fill up at terminal racks that dispense fuel.

White House officials insist the administration is laser-focused on getting the power situation back online.

"We know that there is much to be done in this response on our part. We need to get power restored," Biden said Thursday.

EPA, truck driver regulations waived

The federal government has also taken other steps aimed at easing the fuel shortages.

The Internal Revenue Service late Wednesday waived certain tax penalties in Louisiana, clearing the way for more types of diesel to be sold at gas stations, many of which have run out of diesel.

Biden said he directed the Transportation Department to renew a declaration that will increase the number of hours a truck driver can drive. That's critical given the ongoing shortage of truck drivers in America.

The trade group that represents fuel marketers and convenience store chains applauded the Biden administration for renewing that declaration and including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel in the list of essential supplies.

"Allowing drivers to occasionally work more hours will reduce the number of trucks and drivers it takes to move the same amount of fuel," Ryan McNutt, a spokesman for the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA), told CNN.

"Right now SIGMA believes the actions the federal government has taken to be sufficient," McNutt said, adding that if power outages continue additional actions could be required.

Citing "extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances," the Environmental Protection Agency has also waived certain environmental regulations in Louisiana and Mississippi to help boost supply.

Kloza, the OPIS analyst, suggested the EPA should consider pulling the same lever elsewhere. "They could do in virtually all coastal states from Louisiana to Maine and not face a backlash," he said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Biden administration taps emergency oil stockpile amid Louisiana gas crisis."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  Testing czar Vince Dizon admits that the government's testing efforts need improvement, but he notes that there are guidelines that must be followed in COVID-19 testing.

In a Palace briefing on Wednesday, Dizon said the country's testing peaked at over 80,000 a day last week, with a daily average of close to 70,000 tests.

"To the question, 'Is it enough?' I don't think it's enough, to be honest. But we have to understand that we always follow the advice of our experts that we cannot just test shotgun, meaning magte-test tayo ng walang basis (testing without basis)," he said.

"It needs to be risk-based and it needs to be based on the guidelines that have been approved by the experts and the Department of Health," he added.

According to the guidelines, Dizon said, there is a need to test symptomatic patients, contacts, and those in high-risk areas.

The testing czar made the statement after Vice President Leni Robredo criticized the government for its weak COVID-19 testing and contact tracing efforts as the country tallied a record-high 22,366 new cases on Aug. 30.

Speaking to CNN Philippines, health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon also said testing in the country is very low - with the positivity rate currently at 26.4%.

The World Health Organization has set a standard positivity rate of below 5% to show the infection has been controlled.

"If you don't test enough you will not decrease the positivity rate and you will continue to transmit the infection," said Leachon, a former pandemic response task force special adviser.

Dizon also said COVID-19 testing is costly - with the cheapest at 2,000.

"At this rate already, we are already spending P160 million a day, both from the pockets of our citizens and from the PhilHealth. Napakalaking pondo po nito (It's already a large amount)," he said.

"Sa tingin ko po, bago tayo maglabas ng mga statement na kailangan mag-test tayo ng napakalaki, siguro pag-isipan natin yung practical and on the ground implications nito. Kapag kailangan natin mag-test o mag-contact trace, may gastos po 'yun."

[Translation: I think before we release any statement calling to test more people, we should first think the practical and on the ground implications. Testing and contact tracing entail spending.]

The DOH has a proposed a budget of 242.22 billion under the 2022 national budget. However, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said during the budget deliberation that there is no budget allotted for more COVID-19 testing laboratories.

Manpower woes

Meanwhile, Dizon said the lack of additional vaccinators could be one of the reasons why the government missed the target of 500,000 daily shots for August.

Only 13.7 million doses were administered for the month, or an average of 450,000 daily doses, he said.

Ang pinakamabigat pong hamon ay mga vaccinators at healthcare workers. Bakit po? Dahil po ang mga vaccinators natin, ang mga doktor natin, mga nurse natin, sa ibat-ibang vaccinator center sa buong bansa, sila din po ang kinakailangan na healthcare workers na kailangan mag-alaga ng mga may sakit sa ospital, said Dizon.

[Translation: The biggest challenge is about our vaccinators and healthcare workers. Why? Because our vaccinators, the doctors and nurses in vaccination centers nationwide, they are also the healthcare workers who need to take care of patients in hospitals.]

The government is currently working on guidelines to enlist medical and nursing students as additional vaccinators.

As of Aug. 31, the country has administered 33.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. Almost 14 million Filipinos are already fully vaccinated against the disease.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  Defective aircraft instruments and the pilot's inappropriate reaction led to the crash of the Philippine Air Force's (PAF) C-130 plane in Patikul, Sulu last July, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Wednesday.

Lorenzana told lawmakers that a "confluence" of events caused the tragedy on July 4.

"It's actually the confluence of many events. One for the C-130 is defective instruments or systems, plus of course the reaction of the pilot was not also appropriate for the emergency. So nagka-crash," he said during the House Appropriations Committee's briefing on the Department of National Defense's (DND) proposed 291-billion budget for 2022.

The incident claimed the lives of 50 soldiers and three civilians. Last August 20, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it has identified all military men who died in the crash.

Meanwhile, Lorenzana blamed bad weather for the crash of the PAF's newly acquired Black Hawk chopper in Tarlac last June, which left six people dead.

"For the Black Hawk: bad weather. Nakapasok sila sa (They went into the) clouds, nagkaroon sila ng (they had) vertigo, hindi nila alam saan ang direksyon nila (and they did not know what their direction was) so that caused the crash," he said.

Lorenzana said the DND will submit the report on the military's investigation on the two crashes within 24 hours after the hearing.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  The government is studying the possibility of holding next years elections for more than one day as a strategy to minimize the spread of the coronavirus, National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez, Jr. said Wednesday.

We are looking at the possibility that the election will be a multi-day election, not a single-day election, so that we can prevent the possible conglomeration of thousands of people in the precincts, Galvez said in a briefing.

One of the ways they can go about this is phasing by location, he added.

Maybe geographic ang gagawin po natin [Maybe it can be done geographically]. For Luzon, for Visayas, Mindanao, pwedeng ganon po [like that], he said. There are many options how we can guarantee 'yung safety ng ating mga [the safety of our] electorate.

He said the NTF and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases are already working with the Commission on Elections in coming up with measures to help reduce viral transmission.

Asked if he thinks there is enough time for Congress to amend election laws, Galvez said he believes so.

I think we have plenty of time, he said. We will collectively plan this with the Comelec and also maybe with Congress.

The country is facing a fresh spike in COVID-19 infections, including rising cases caused by new and more transmissible variants. On Wednesday, the total number of infected since the pandemic began breached the two-million mark.

The World Health Organization has also confirmed community transmission of the feared Delta variant in the Philippines, which it said is now the dominant variant in the country based on limited whole genome sequencing.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  The local corporation Pharmally Pharmaceutical continued to bag government contracts this year despite its chairman being wanted in Taiwan since December 2020, a senator said Wednesday.

In an online media briefing, Senator Risa Hontiveros showed data from Taiwan's Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) that Pharmally Pharmaceutical chairman Huang Tzu Yen has a standing warrant of arrest for breach of trust issued on December 29 last year.

On July 26, Pharmally Pharmaceutical even received a notice to proceed with the supply and delivery of Real-Time Fluorescent RT-PCR test kits worth more than 1 billion.

Since the start of the pandemic, the corporation has been awarded 8.68 billion in government contracts, more than any other supplier, according to the Government Procurement Policy Board. These include the purchase of allegedly overpriced face masks, personal protective equipment, and testing kits, which has been the subject of congressional hearings.

Based on documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission, Pharmally Pharmaceutical was incorporated only in September 2019, reporting negative income for that year. By the end of 2020, its net income ballooned to more than 264 million. Huang is the biggest shareholder, owning 40% of the stocks, as of July 2020.

READ: Palace defends Pharmally deals: PPEs delivered despite small capital

"Why is this government transacting with fugitives?" Hontiveros asked, pointing out that aside from Huang, two other executives linked to Pharmally Pharmaceutical also fled Taiwanese authorities.

Huang's father, Huang Wen-Lieh, chairman of Pharmally International Holding Company Limited, is also wanted for what is considered as one of the largest securities fraud cases involving a listed firm in Taiwan. The younger Huang is a board member of this company.

"Huang Wen-Lieh was suspected of jointly manipulating the stocks of Pharmally International Holding Company Ltd. (Cayman) (Stock Code: 6452)" with two other defendants, the Taiwanese government website said.

According to Taiwan's MJIB, Pharmally International established another firm in the Philippines called Pharmally Biological Company in November 2017.

As first reported by Rappler, Huang is also president of Pharmally Biological whose other incorporators include Filipinos Rose Lin and Gerald Cruz. Hontiveros said Lin and Cruz are also incorporators of the Philippine Full Win Group of Companies, chaired by Chinese businessman Michael Yang, former economic adviser of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Yang's close associate, Zheng Bingqiang, chairman of Xiamen-based Full Win Group of Companies, is also ordered arrested for conspiring with the older Huang in manipulating the stocks of Pharmally International, according to Taiwanese MJIB.

"Syndicated crimes ba ito (Are these syndicated crimes)?" Hontiveros asked. "Parang nagmumukhang mafia ito (It's starting to look like a mafia to me)."

"May scam sila sa Taiwan, so maitatanong namin, sa Pilipinas may scam din kaya (They have a scam in Taiwan, so we have to ask, is there also a scam here in the Philippines)?" the opposition lawmaker added.

Debt of gratitude?

Hontiveros also mentioned that in 2015, Yang and Zheng even gave Duterte a tour of the Full Win's Xiamen office. She said it sparks speculations on the Chinese national's involvement in then Davao City Mayor Duterte's presidential campaign.

"Eh sabi nga po ni Presidente mismo diba may sinabi silang bayad-utang," Hontiveros said. "Anong bayad? Ang pag-aaward ba ng bilyon-bilyong kontrata sa mga favored companies at indibidwal kahit sila ay pugante sa hustisya sa sarili nilang bansa?"

[Translation: President Duterte himself mentioned debt of gratitude. Does that refer to the awarding of billions of pesos worth of contracts to favored companies and individuals despite being fugitives in their own countries?]

Hindi inosente si Presidente sa totoong pagkatao ng mga indibidwal na ito at yung character ng mga kumpanya nila, Hontiveros said.

[Translation: President Duterte is not innocent of the real identities of these individuals and the character of their companies.]

Former Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, then head of the Procurement Service, earlier admitted his office failed to exercise due diligence and did not even check Pharmally Pharmaceutical's articles of incorporation as it was pressed for time to purchase the COVID-19 supplies.

READ: Duterte defends Michael Yang, ex-DBM exec Lao

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will again summon Yang for its next hearing on September 7. His office earlier received a subpoena requiring him to attend last week's hearing, but he did not come. Hontiveros said the panel should find out who ordered Lao to transact with Pharmally Pharmaceutical.

The committee also earlier tried to serve subpoena to three executives of Pharmally Pharmaceutical, but their addresses in their 2020 General Information Sheet were either non-existent or already vacated.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  Opposition senators on Thursday slammed the Duterte administration for what they said was its attempts to divert the attention of the public away from the issue of overpriced personal protective equipment bought during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon referred to the claim of presidential spokesperson Harry Roque that the Aquino administration procured more expensive PPEs compared to those bought in 2020 by the current leadership, which were priced at 1,700 each.

Spoken like a true troll. It is very unmanly and desperate of Roque to even mention my name, Drilon said in a statement. It is very malicious, and it is a futile attempt to divert attention away from this organized plunder."

Roque on Wednesday said the Duterte administration's purchase of PPE sets should not be considered overpriced at 1,700, because his predecessor bought such items for 3,500 to 3,800 when there was no global health crisis. The spokesman then asked Drilon  an ally of the late President Benigno Aquino III and a legislator during his term  to explain the matter given that these PPEs were bought at double their market price even if there was no health crisis at that time.

"Mayroon po talagang kumita  hindi po sa administrasyon na ito," Roque said.

[Translation: Someone really made a profit here, but not in this administration.]

This was also President Rodrigo Duterte's defense when he addressed the nation on Monday. He even asked the Commission of Audit why the government purchases in 2015 weren't flagged.

"They bought it at 3,000 plus. Atin, dito, we bought it something like, 1,700 lang ang bili natin. Itong last administration, nandiyan yung papel hanggang ngayon. COA, hindi kayo nagtaka na noong administrasyon nung dumaan nagbili 3,000, 3,500? Ito binili 1,700," he said.

[Translation: They bought it at 3,000 plus. We bought it at 1,700. The receipt from the previous administration is still here. Commission of Audit, why didn't you question why they were able to buy it for 3,000, 3,500? We bought it for 1,700.]

Senator Risa Hontiveros said the government should answer questions on its purchase of "overpriced" medical supplies during the pandemic instead of pointing fingers at an administration that stepped down five years ago.

"Kung buhay ang dating Pangulo, tiyak ko na sasagutin niya ang paratang sa 23.2 million pesos na pinambili ng PPE. Sana ganun din ang kasalukuyang Pangulo sa 8.7 BILLION pesos na total cost ng mga contracts sa Pharmally," she said in a statement.

[Translation: If President Aquino were alive, I'm sure he would answer the allegation on the P23.2 million used for PPE. I hope the sitting president answers the questions on the P8.7 BILLION contract granted to Pharmally.]

The senator also argued against Roque that possibly onerous contracts are not excusable just because the company was able to deliver its requirements.

RELATED: Palace defends Pharmally deals

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee is investigating the issue. Its members are questioning why a small company like Pharmally Pharmaceuticals, Corp. became the government's biggest supplier during the health crisis. Former Budget Undersecretary Christopher Lloyd Lao awarded the 8.68 billion deal to the company that Hontiveros said has ties to Duterte's former adviser Michael Yang. These medical supplies provided by Pharmally were later found by senators to be overpriced.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  The Masbate provincial governments entry ban on unvaccinated individuals has no legal basis and should not be allowed, the countrys health chief said Thursday.

Wala pong batayang legal yun pong pagbawal na makauwi ang residente ng isang komunidad o lokalidad. Kahit na siya po ay hindi bakunado ay dapat payagan po, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a House hearing.

[Translation: There is no legal basis for prohibiting residents from returning to their respective communities or localities. Even if they are unvaccinated, they should be allowed.]

This was his response after Masbate 1st District Rep. Narciso Bravo, Jr. asked for the national COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Forces position on his localitys no vaccine, no entry policy.

Bravo raised his objection to the discriminatory rule, adding he has already submitted a letter of complaint to the regional director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

The lawmaker said he has also received several complaints from Masbate residents who were unable to go home.

Yung iba, gustong umuwi dahil magpapa-enroll ng kanilang anak, Bravo said. Merong gustong magpabakuna. Naka first dose na, hindi makauwi for the second dose because of the prohibition.

[Translation: Some want to go home to enroll their children in school. Others want to be vaccinated, including those who already got their first dose but cant go back for the second shot because of the prohibition.]

Duque asked Bravo to furnish the IATF with a copy of his complaint letter to the DILG, saying the task force will take action on the matter as soon as possible.

A local executive of Masbate earlier said the rule has been implemented to help prevent the further spread of COVID-19 amid an "alarming" pandemic situation in the province.

Acknowledging disapproval of some constituents, he added the local government is already studying whether or not they will continue the policy.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  Malacanang on Thursday denied that the country's policy of wearing face shields is connected to allegations of corruption.

"Wala pong relasyon 'yan," Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in his regular briefing on Thursday. "Ang pagsusuot po ng face shields, nakikita naman ninyo sa ating press briefings, ay sang-ayon po sa mga opinyon ng eksperto."

[Translation: There's no relation whatsoever. The wearing of face shields, as you've seen in our press briefings, is in conformity with the experts' opinions.]

Roque likewise clarified that there are currently no talks within the country's pandemic task force regarding the easing of the face shield mandate.

"Sa ngayon po wala [At the moment there's none)," said Roque when asked whether officials of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) have discussed its possibility. Roque is also the IATF-EID spokesman.

He, however, acknowledged that the World Health Organization is set to issue its verdict on the issue.

"I understand that even the World Health Organization will render an expert opinion on whether or not the use of face shields is justified. So hintayin po natin ang opinyon ng WHO (let us wait for the opinion of WHO)," said the spokesman.

On Tuesday, the Department of Health clarified the remarks of Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO country representative to the Philippines, on face shields.

Abeyasinghe was quoted during an online forum on Tuesday that "face shields are being used to reduce the likelihood of infection through the eyes, and so that's not actually (an) additional layer although it actually boosts the protection provided by poor mask wearing practices."

The DOH said what Abeyasinghe actually meant was that the shield "may reduce the likelihood of infection" by protecting the eyes and "provide an additional layer of protection for those who are not wearing their masks properly."

The IATF imposed the wearing of face shields on top of face masks in December last year.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  Several lawmakers on Thursday questioned how the Commission on Elections plans to carry out the May 9, 2022 presidential and local elections, fearing that voting day could become a COVID-19 superspreader event.

Members of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms doubted that the original 12-hour voting window from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. will be enough for more than 60 million voters to cast their ballots while following physical distancing and other health protocols.

If there will be 800 voters in every voting center and the number of hours would be 12 hours, we have to have at least 60 voters every hour or 1 minute per voter. Kaya ba natin 'yan? [Can we really do that?], Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga asked.

Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano added that if a school or voting center can only be 50% full at a time, it means voting time from previous elections will double. They did note that not all voters are expected to cast their ballots on election day.

However, Comelec Deputy Executive Director for Operations Teopisto Elnas, Jr. said they are set to conduct a second simulation of voting day protocols next week, which will be the basis of the poll body's election guidelines.

"Mas mababa 'yung registered voters in a clustered precinct, mas maayos [the fewer the registered voters assigned in a clustered precinct, the better]... but nonetheless, 'yung present allocation ng vote counting machines is only 97,000, so we have to make do with it in relation to the number of registered voters natin after the last day of registration," Elnas said.

LIST: Some things to expect in 2022 election-related activities

Comelec officials earlier explained that they are looking to reduce the number of voters to 800 per precinct from a 1,000 threshold in the 2019 polls. It currently owns 97,345 vote counting machines (VCMs) and is in the process of renting out an additional 10,000 units for next year's elections.

During the hearing, Dr. Daniel Lising of the Philippine Medical Association recommended using school gyms as precincts for more space and a separate polling place for people exhibiting flu-like symptoms as protection from coronavirus transmission.

Two-day voting?

Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice said this leaves the Comelec with two options: consider "multi-day voting" as proposed by the COVID-19 task force chief implementer Carlito Galvez, Jr., or add more precincts and VCMs.

"Nakikita ko kung gaano karami 'yung mga botanteng nagsisiksikan during regular elections. Ang aking palagay, talagang hindi uubra at marami talaga yung madi-disenfranchise dahil masyadong mahaba ang magiging pila," he said. "Kung hindi man sa loob ng presinto, sa labas ng presinto 'yung magiging superspreader."

[Translation: I've been seeing the huge crowds during regular elections. For me, this won't work, and many people will be disenfranchised because the lines would be too long. If not inside the precinct, the waiting area outside will be the superspreader location.]

The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) told CNN Philippines that a new law is needed to hold another voting day, along with additional funding for equipment, and honoraria and allowances for teachers and poll workers.

Barzaga also flagged security concerns for a two-day voting, saying the "sanctity of ballots might be impaired."

"It's a challenge not only on the part of Comelec but as well as the AFP, PNP, and of course watchers in the voting center on how to secure these ballots para pagdating ng second day, tuloy-tuloy 'yung botohan nang walang nangyayaring (masama) [so that come the second day, the elections will proceed smoothly without any untoward event]," Elnas said.

Elnas added that the commission is already looking into how they can further decongest precincts just eight months before the polls. However, House members said such plans must be finalized as soon as possible as Congress is already tackling the 2022 national budget.

Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said last week that the baseline plan is still for one-day voting, although voting hours may be extended.

RELATED: Two-day voting eyed for May 9 polls, postponement not an option  Comelec
(CNN)  Air pollution is slashing years from billions of people's lives around the world and is a greater threat to life expectancy than smoking, HIV/AIDS or war, a report published Wednesday shows.

In countries where air pollution levels are below standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO), people are, on average, losing 2.2 years of their lives.

India has the highest levels of air pollution globally and its residents stand to lose more years than those of any other country, with an average of 5.9 years shaved off their lives, according to the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), published in an annual report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).

In northern India, 480 million people are breathing pollution levels more than 10 times higher than those anywhere else on the planet. In some parts of this region, including the cities of Delhi and Kolkata, residents could lose up to nine years of their lives, on average, if the pollution levels documented in 2019 persist.

The index calculates years lost based on what the life expectancy would be if a country met clean air guidelines set by WHO.

The top five countries with the highest average number of years lost were all in Asia. After India came Bangladesh, where residents lose an average of 5.4 years of life expectancy, followed by Nepal (5 years), Pakistan (3.9 years) and Singapore (3.8 years).

The report's authors said that air pollution was primarily driven by the use and production of fossil fuels creating "a global problem that requires strong policies at every front."

The study also points to how the world has enjoyed cleaner skies and air as the pandemic forced a pause on air travel, and reduced road traffic and manufacturing. But at the same time, some parts of the world experienced high levels of air pollution from wildfires, exacerbated by hotter and drier weather conditions. In the US, smog from relentless wildfires in some western states traveled across the country, impacting air quality as far away as New York City.

"These remarkable events illustrate that air pollution is not only a global challenge, but is also intertwined with climate change. Both challenges are primarily caused by the same culprit: fossil fuel emissions from power plants, vehicles and other industrial sources," the report said. It called on the world's governments to urgently implement policies to reduce its dependence on fuels like coal, oil and gas.

"The Air Quality Life Index shows that strong pollution policies pay back in additional years of life for people across the world."

World leaders will gather in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November for international climate talks, known as COP26, and putting an end date to "unabated coal" is high on the agenda. Some fossil fuel companies are arguing for their futures by "capturing" enough of the greenhouse gases from their fuels to prevent them from entering the atmosphere, causing air pollution and climate change.

Asia megacities at risk

Drilling down to the city level, people in Asian megacities are suffering some of the highest levels of pollution, and with them, the greatest impacts on life expectancy.

In the Indonesian city of Bandung, for example, people lose an average of almost seven years from their lives, and in the country's capital, Jakarta, it's nearly six years.

In Central and West Africa, the harmful effects of air pollution on life expectancy was "comparable to those of well-known threats like HIV/AIDS and malaria," the report found.

And more than half of the 611 million people living across Latin America are exposed to air pollution levels that exceed WHO guidelines. Across the region, air pollution reduces life expectancy by five months on average, but that varies greatly according to location. In the Peruvian capital, Lima, people can expect to lose an average of 4.7 years off their lives.

China's 'war on pollution'

There is some cause for hope though. China was in the top five most polluted countries every year from 1998 to 2016. But since beginning its so-called "war on pollution" in 2013, it has reduced its particulate pollution by 29% -- accounting for three-quarters of air pollution reductions worldwide.

That reduction -- if sustained -- has won back 1.5 years of life expectancy for Chinese people, taking them down to an average loss of 2.6 years.

"To put China's success into context, it took several decades and recessions for the United States and Europe to achieve the same pollution reductions that China was able to accomplish in six years," said the report.

There was indeed a time when London was widely referred to as "the big smoke" for its dirty air, and Los Angeles was once the "smog capital of the world."

Today, Americans are, on average, exposed to 62% less particulate pollution than in 1970. Likewise Europeans are on average exposed to 27% less than two decades ago -- and gaining four months of life expectancy because of it, the report said.

This story was first published on CNN.com Air pollution is cutting more years from people's lives than smoking, war or HIV/AIDS
(CNN)  New York declared a state of emergency early Thursday morning as the Northeast region was slammed by torrential rain from the remnants of Ida, causing heavy flooding and reports of numerous water rescues.

In New York City, a travel ban was implemented until 5 a.m., according to an emergency alert sent by Notify NYC. All non-emergency vehicles must stay off the road, the alert said.

Almost all the city subway lines were suspended due to the flooding. The Metropolitan Transit Authority website said that only the "7" line and the Staten Island Railway were operating with delays.

"We're enduring an historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Twitter.

"We will have a tough few hours coming up until we get the rain out of here," de Blasio told CNN affiliate WCBS. "I have never seen this much rainfall this quickly. It is absolutely astounding ... We are talking three inches, four inches in an hour. Unbelievable accumulation."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told CNN the rain was "far more than anyone really expected," and left the region in "a very dire situation."

"We can take all the precautions in advance, and we did deploy our assets to be on the ground in anticipation, but mother nature will do whatever she wants, and she is really angry tonight," Hochul said.

The National Weather Service in New York urged people to stay off the roads. "We are seeing way too many reports of water rescues and stranded motorists. Do not drive through flooded roadways. You do not know how deep the water is and it is too dangerous," the weather service said.

Rescuers have been removing people from flooded roadways and subways across New York City, the New York Fire Department said Thursday morning.

At least five flash flood emergencies were issued Wednesday evening by the National Weather Service, stretching from just west of Philadelphia through northern New Jersey. Dozens of water rescues were taking place and numerous roads have been closed.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency, urging residents to "stay off the roads, stay home, and stay safe."

The latest flash flood emergency included Newark, the state's largest city. Rainfall estimates for parts of central and eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey ranged from 4 to 8 inches of water with some isolated locations approaching 10 inches. Some parts saw 3 to 4 inches of rain an hour throughout Wednesday evening.

"Five inches of rain just doesn't happen in this region very often," said CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller. "We could easily see some deadly flash floods like we saw in Tennessee last week."

A flash flood emergency was also issued for New York City and extended until 3 a.m. ET, according to the weather service, covering Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and areas as far north as White Plains. The area has already seen between 2 and 3.5 inches of rain in just several hours and rainfall rates are expected to be as high as 3 to 5 inches an hour for the rest of Wednesday.

Heavy rainfall will also continue in northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania for the rest of Wednesday evening, while overnight impacts will continue in southern New York, stretching into Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

A person died due to flooding in the Guesses Fork area of Hurley, Virginia, the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office said. People were asked to stay away from the area, according to the sheriff's office, and only residents who showed ID proof and authorized personnel were allowed to enter Wednesday night.

In Maryland, one person died and another is missing after the remnants of Ida flooded an apartment complex Wednesday, Montgomery County officials said. The 19-year-old man was found dead but the cause has not been confirmed, Montgomery County Police spokesperson Casandra Durham told CNN.

Fire and rescue personnel evacuated dozens of people from the Rock Creek Woods apartment complex in Rockville, officials said. About 150 residents were displaced after 50 apartments were impacted and 12 flooded, police said.

A tornado touched down in a primarily commercial area of Annapolis on Wednesday afternoon, fire department spokesperson Bud Zapata said. No injuries have been reported but some private residences were damaged and there is an active gas leak in the area, Zapata said. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said on Twitter his office was working with city and county officials to assess the damage.

Power outages were reported throughout the region as the severe weather moved through. More than 109,000 customers in Pennsylvania were in the dark Thursday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. More than 87,000 outages were reported in New Jersey along with more than 37,000 in New York.

Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane, and though it has weakened significantly since, it has still dropped heavy rain across the Southeast on its way north. More than 60 million people are under flash flood watches for parts of the central Appalachians, mid-Atlantic, and into southern New York and southern New England.

41 people rescued from school bus trapped in floodwaters

About 41 passengers were rescued from a school bus trapped in floodwaters from the remnants of Ida on Wednesday morning in Shaler Township, Pennsylvania, officials said.

Local police and fire officials responded to the school bus headed for Shaler Area High School and supervised the evacuation of those on board, Shaler Area School District spokesperson Bethany Baker said in a statement.

The Cherry City Volunteer Fire Company said it performed a water rescue by boat at approximately 6:50 a.m., and evacuated every passenger on the bus without injury.

The school district canceled school for elementary and primary students due to rain and "worsening road conditions," according to a Facebook post on Wednesday morning. Middle and high school schedules proceeded as usual. The rescued students were transported safely to high school, Baker said.

Following reports of an uncontrolled release from Pennsylvania's Wilmore Dam, causing flash flooding downstream of the dam, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency -- the highest level of threat. The nearest town downstream from the dam is Wilmore.

A flash flood emergency also was issued for Montgomery County, just north of Philadelphia, the National Weather Service said. Flash flooding has already begun Wednesday evening and more than 30 water rescues are taking place across the county, the weather service said.

Rainfall amounts of 3 to 4.5 inches have been reported while another 1.5 to 3 inches were expected over the next few hours.

"This is an extremely dangerous storm that is impacting the entire state. As we continue to monitor the conditions, I ask everyone to please stay home if you're able," Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement on Wednesday, urging residents to take the storm seriously.

Wolf later said he was sending emergency resources to Bucks County to provide support following severe weather in the southeastern part of the state.

National Guard high water vehicles, an urban search and rescue team, and two swift water emergency response teams were dispatched, Wolf said in a statement.

Threats of potentially catastrophic tornado damage

It's not just the flooding that's worrying officials -- it's tornadoes, too.

And a tornado watch was issued for the Northeast, which includes portions of northern New Jersey, southern New York and Connecticut. The watch, which includes New York City, lasts until 1 a.m. ET.

A tornado watch is also in effect until 7 a.m. ET for parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the weather service said.

Just before 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, a confirmed tornado was located about 11 miles southwest of Gloucester, New Jersey, and was moving northeast at 40 mph.

Videos captured in Mullica Hill in South Jersey showed debris twisting up in a tornado.

"I looked out my driver's window and saw the swirling clouds and debris flying toward me," Kristi Johnston, who recorded the videos, told CNN. "I rolled my window down and it sounded like a train coming. I hung up on my husband and started to drive away from it. It was extremely scary."

In Newark, New Jersey, the air traffic control tower at Newark Liberty Airport was briefly evacuated due to wind Wednesday night, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement to CNN. Personnel have since returned to the tower but the airport is under a ground stop, according to the FAA's website.

The lower level of Terminal B at Newark flooded and passengers were moved to upper levels of the terminal, the Port Authority said.

Similarities between Hurricanes Ida and Camille

"There are certainly a lot of similarities with Ida and Camille more than 50 years ago," Miller said.

"Both storms formed in the same spot, hit near the same spot and both have a similar trajectory over the Northeast. Camille's floods in the northeast were deadly."

That storm brought up to 27 inches of rain to portions of the mid-Atlantic, leading to rising rivers sweeping through Virginia towns.

Camille first hit the US as a dangerous Category 5 hurricane along the central Gulf Coast in August 1969.

The storm followed a path very similar to Ida through Tennessee, Kentucky and off the mid-Atlantic coast.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "New York declares a state of emergency as the Northeast is slammed by flooding from Ida's remnants."
(CNN)  At first whiff, you might think all skunks are the same. Not so.

Meet spotted skunks, "the acrobats of the skunk world." Scientists have discovered that there are more of these species than they thought, according to new research.

More recently, the agreed-upon number was four. But a new study published Wednesday in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution said there are seven spotted skunk species.

"North America is one of the most-studied continents in terms of mammals, and carnivores are one of the most-studied groups," said study author Adam Ferguson, Negaunee collections manager of mammals at the Field Museum in Chicago. "Everyone thinks we know everything about mammalian carnivore systematics, so being able to redraw the skunk family tree is very exciting."

Spotted skunks are the smaller relatives of the common striped skunk. About the size of a squirrel, these elusive carnivores live across North America. And when the time comes to scare off a predator, these little guys perform a handstand and kick out their back legs.

"When they're stressed, they bounce up onto their forelimbs and then kick out their hind limbs, puff their tail up, and they actually can walk towards the predator, like basically making them look bigger and scarier," Ferguson said.

The skunks typically drop back down to all fours in order to take deadly aim and control their vile-smelling spray. Their small stature doesn't cause these creatures to back down from a fight, either.

A study released in 2013 included a video of a Western spotted skunk handstanding and facing off with a mountain lion over a deer carcass. For reference, spotted skunks typically weigh less than 2 pounds (0.9 kilogram).

It's just another example of their boldness, something he admires about skunks in general, Ferguson said.

While the common striped skunk has made its presence known in urban areas, as well as its natural habitats, striped skunks haven't made the same inroads and so largely remain out of sight. These "ecologically cryptic" creatures live in dense environments and remote areas and seem less adaptable to urbanization than their larger, striped counterparts, Ferguson said.

Given their agility, spotted skunks are great climbers, and they are a lot more carnivorous than other skunks, feasting on bird eggs, lizards, snakes and rodents. Great horned owls are their main predator.

The fact that spotted skunks are so good at keeping a low profile makes them harder to study. Since the discovery of the first spotted skunk in 1758, scientists have questioned just how many species exist. Over the years, the differences observed between some spotted skunks led researchers to believe there were as few as two species and as many as 14.

Making the determination that there are seven species came down to analyzing genetic data from spotted skunks. But first, Ferguson needed specimens to study. Trapping skunks isn't the easiest job -- Ferguson and his colleagues made six trips to Mexico while researching spotted skunks and never caught one. And if you do trap one, you're bound to be sprayed.

"We call it the smell of success because it means we've actually encountered one, which is the goal ultimate goal," Ferguson said.

Ferguson was inspired to make "wanted" posters and distribute them across central Texas in feed stores and areas where ranchers and trappers operate. The posters described the need for any spotted skunks that may have been trapped or found as roadkill and showed photos of the creatures. The researchers offered to come pick up the skunk specimens and store them in a designated "skunk freezer."

The researchers also relied on specimens in museum collections, which included spotted skunks found in Central America and the Yucatan. In the end, they had 203 spotted skunk specimens to use for the study and extract DNA. The genetic data revealed that some of the skunks, once considered to be the same species, were in fact very different.

"I was able to extract DNA from century-old museum samples, and it was really exciting to see who those individuals were related to. It turns out that one of those was a currently unrecognized, endemic species in the Yucatan,'' said study author Molly McDonough, a biology professor at Chicago State University and research associate at the Field Museum, in a statement.

One of the new species from the study is the Yucatan spotted skunk, which is about the size of a squirrel and only found in the Yucatan Peninsula. The scientists also describe the Plains spotted skunk, whose population has been declining over the last century and has been suggested as an endangered species.

"The study wouldn't have been possible without the museum specimens we had," Ferguson said. "The only reason we were able to get sequences from the Yucatan were museum specimens that were collected 60 or 70 years ago."

Understanding individual species of skunks can help scientists learn more about something unique to these creatures: their reproductive biology. Spotted skunks may breed in the fall, but they don't give birth until the spring. In other words, their reproductive system purposefully delays implanting the egg inside the uterus.

"It just sits in suspension for a while," Ferguson said. "We want to know why some species have delayed implantation and others don't, and figuring out how these different species of skunks evolved can help us do that."

Skunks have come a long way since they first appeared in the fossil record 25 million years ago, evolving and splitting into different species by responding to the climate change caused by the ice age.

Knowing more about spotted skunks can also help conservation efforts to protect these animals. Skunks have their own role to play within the ecosystem, consuming fruit and defecating seeds that help with the dispersal of plants, as well as preying on crop pests and rodents, Ferguson said.

This story was first published on CNN.com Say hello to handstanding spotted skunks, 'the acrobats of the skunk world'
(CNN)  The Taliban on Wednesday showed off dozens of American-made armored vehicles along with newly seized weapons at victory celebrations in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.

In videos posted on social media, the Taliban paraded hardware left behind by both Afghan and US forces after the withdrawal of the last American troops left Afghanistan in the grip of the militant group.

Fighters waved white Taliban flags from Humvees and armored SUVs at the military parade, where many of the vehicles appeared in near perfect condition. The Taliban also organized an air display with a recently seized Black Hawk helicopter flying past the militants along the road while also trailing a white Taliban flag.

The parade came the day after video footage showed the militants making their way through an abandoned hangar in Kabul airport strewn with equipment the US left behind.

In one video, militants dressed in US-style uniforms and holding US-made weapons examined a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter parked inside a hangar. Taliban fighters were also seen posing for photographs while sitting in the cockpits of planes and helicopters that once belonged to the Afghan Air Force.

But Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told CNN Tuesday he wasn't "overly concerned about these images" of Taliban fighters examining the abandoned aircraft.

"They can inspect all they want," Kirby said. "They can look at them, they can walk around -- but they can't fly them. They can't operate them."

He added that the US military had made "unusable all the gear that is at the airport -- all the aircraft, all the ground vehicles," leaving only some fire trucks and fork lifts operational.

Efforts to reopen Kabul airport resumed on Wednesday as a team of Qatari technical experts arrived in the Afghan capital, a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

The source said that the technical team traveled to Kabul on a Qatari jet at the request of the Taliban, and that while no final agreement had yet been reached, "talks are still ongoing at the level of security and operation."

"The objective is to resume flights in and out of Kabul for humanitarian assistance and freedom of movement in a safe and secure manner."

Afghanistan is heavily reliant on foreign aid, and the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have already struggled to get critical food and medical supplies to the airport amid the mass evacuation operation.

Even before the political upheaval of recent weeks, Afghanistan represented the world's third-largest humanitarian concern, with over 18 million people requiring assistance, according to UNICEF. But with no commercial aircraft currently permitted to land in Kabul, getting aid in will be difficult.

Restarting commercial flights will also be crucial for people still wanting to leave the country but who did not make it onto military evacuation planes.

More than 123,000 people were evacuated by American and coalition aircraft since August 14, US Central Command Gen. Frank McKenzie said Monday.

The Taliban have pledged to govern more moderately this time around, and said they would still allow foreign nationals and Afghans with proper documentation to leave the country after August 31. But many Afghans are skeptical of their claims, and huge question marks hang over the Taliban's ability to run the country.

Standing on the Kabul airport runway on Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a small crowd that: "This victory belongs to us all."

He was joined by heavily armed fighters from the Taliban's Badri 313 special forces brigade, kitted out in camouflage uniforms and desert boots.

Mujahid congratulated the Taliban fighters who had lined up, and indeed "the whole of the nation."

Only one Afghan region is still holding out against the Taliban's rule: the Panjshir Valley -- a strategic slice of territory about 90 miles north of Kabul that was once a stronghold for the mujahideen fighting the Soviets and is now the seat of the resistance movement.

Ali Nazary, spokesperson for the anti-Taliban National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan, said Wednesday that NRF forces had inflicted heavy casualties on Taliban attackers attempting to fight their way into Panjshir via the Gulbahar area, damaging the militant group's weaponry and sending them retreating.

"Negotiations have stopped, they have reached an impasse," Nazary said. "They tried attacking from two directions, one the north and one in the south."

It was not possible for CNN to independently verify the intensity of the fighting or the total number of casualties on both sides. The emergency hospital, a surgical center for war victims in Kabul, said on Twitter it had received five wounded patients and four people dead on arrival following fighting in Gulbahar.

Top Taliban leadership have not acknowledged heavy fighting in the region. In an audio message released Wednesday, Amir Khan Muttaqi, a Taliban leader, called on Panjshiris to accept an amnesty and avoid fighting, but acknowledged that negotiations had thus far yielded no result.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Taliban show off captured weapons at Kandahar victory parade."
(CNN)  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday, the culmination of a years-long struggle to get a White House visit locked up that -- at one point -- saw him at the center of US politics.

The much-anticipated gathering could have high-stakes implications for Zelensky, who has vied for American support since he took over in 2019. His ascension to office led to a congratulatory call from then-President Donald Trump, who pushed Zelensky to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter. The call was at the heart of Trump's first impeachment by the House before the Senate acquitted the then-President, finding him not guilty of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Wednesday's meeting, some two years after both Zelensky and Biden were ensnared in that historic first impeachment, marked an opportunity for the Eastern European leader to set a new tone with a new administration in person.

In the Oval Office, Zelensky made big requests for the Biden administration in front of the press, including getting the US' input on Ukraine's chances of joining NATO, establishing the potential US role in reaching a settlement in the Donbas region of Ukraine, and requesting American assistance in freeing hundreds of individuals imprisoned in Donbas.

"I have a very big agenda for our relations, maybe not for this meeting, which is too short to answer all the questions," Zelensky said, adding that Ukrainian security issues would be a priority for the meeting.

Questions about the US' long-term foreign policy approach remain in the air.

Trump challenged America's long-standing diplomatic role in the world, building a nationalist platform he assured would put "America first" and often siding with Russia despite its escalating aggressions with Ukraine in their ongoing dispute over Crimea. And though Biden has asserted that American diplomacy is back, even allies are wondering how long it'll last -- especially in the wake of the US' withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden stated that "the United States remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression, and our support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations." He also said the US and Ukraine "have a similar value system."

Biden indicated that the US will "continue to support Ukraine as it advances its democratic reforms agenda and movement toward being completely integrated in Europe." And the joint statement from the two countries issued Wednesday afternoon also underscored the US' solidarity with Ukraine.

"In the 21st century, nations cannot be allowed to redraw borders by force. Russia violated this ground rule in Ukraine," the statement read, later underscoring that "the United States does not and will never recognize Russia's purported annexation of Crimea(.)"

Details of Wednesday's visit

Biden senior administration officials said the White House meeting would be designed to demonstrate the US' commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying on a call with reporters on Monday that "in the 30 years since Ukraine achieved independence, our strategic partnership has never been stronger than it is now."

In the Oval Office, Biden formally announced $60 million in new security assistance, which officials on the call said would include new Javelin anti-armor missiles. Officials said he's expected to get an update on the security situation in the region amid continued acts of Russian aggression. He'll also press Zelensky to make reforms in his country targeting corruption.

A source at a US-based firm that engages closely with the Ukrainian government indicated that NATO membership and the defense agreement were top of mind.

Aside from defense cooperation and Zelensky's reform agenda, energy is another major topic of discussion that will arise. Biden hopes to boost support for Ukraine's energy sector after completion of Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The Ukrainian leader previously said he thought the US' easing of Nord Stream 2 sanctions would be a victory for Russia and a personal loss for Biden.

The US announced in the joint statement that it is expanding its Covid-19 assistance to Ukraine, providing "cold chain storage support and an additional $12.8 million in COVID-related assistance drawn from the America Rescue Plan Act." The US has already donated nearly 2.2 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to the country. The US will provide an additional $45 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine this year and also plans to allocate over $463 million for development assistance, "including for programs focused on democracy, human rights, local governance and decentralization, privatization, and judicial reform," according to the statement.

Zelensky's visit to the White House comes after earlier meetings in Washington.

On Tuesday, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and her Ukrainian counterpart, Minister of Energy Herman Galushchenko, signed on to a strategic energy and climate dialogue alongside Zelensky. Zelensky and Minister of Defense Andrii Taranto also visited the Pentagon on Tuesday, where the US and Ukraine signed on to a strategic defense framework.

A long-awaited meeting

Earlier this summer, Zelensky implored Biden to hold an in-person meeting before the US President's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland. Ultimately, the White House rejected the request, opting instead for a summer meeting in Washington.

During his time with Putin in Geneva, Biden indicated that Ukraine would be top of mind during the summit and said later that he had "communicated the United States' unwavering commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."

The meeting between Zelensky and Biden was originally scheduled to occur on Tuesday, but was moved as it became clear that August 31 would be consumed with the final day of the war in Afghanistan.

The source at the US-based firm said there had been some unhappiness in Kiev about the shifting calendar for the visit, which had originally been eyed for late July, as well as some concern about the strength of US support for Ukraine in light of its moves on Nord Stream 2 and Biden meeting with Putin prior to meeting with Zelensky.

"Bringing two heads of state together is a complicated and fast-moving process," a Biden official said on Monday's call. "We want this meeting to receive the attention that it deserves. There is a wide range of issues for the two sides to discuss, and we're really looking forward to having the time and space to do that on Wednesday."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Ukrainian President accomplishes years-long quest for a White House visit with Biden meeting."
The Minnesota senate election was one of the most crucial congressional races in the 2008 election cycle, given that it ensured a 60-vote filibuster-proof Democratic majority. Notably, after a mandatory recount, and eight months after Election Day, 312 votes determined the Senate winner. Highlighting the paper-thin margin in which Democrat candidate Al Franken defeated Republican incumbent Norm Coleman, the authors wrote that participation by more than 0.65 percent of noncitizens in MN is sufficient to account for the entirety of Frankens margin. Our best guess is that nearly ten times as many [noncitizens] voted.

A University of Alabama study, Immigration Status, Immigrant Family Ties, and Support for the Democratic Party, concluded that immigrants, their children and their grandchildren are all more likely than Americans without close immigrant relatives to support the Democratic Party. If the entire illegal alien and temporary resident population were granted voting rights, Abrahamians goal, years if not decades will pass before the GOP won enough federal elections to make a difference.

To all but the woke, a group that includes the Times, Abrahamian and far too many Washington, D.C., elites, sovereign American and inalienable voting rights that go with citizenship are treasured values to defend, fight and die for.

Joe Guzzardi is a Progressives for Immigration Reform analyst who has written about immigration for more than 30 years. Contact him at jguzzardi@pfirdc.org.

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In nearby Dodge, the Dodge Fire Rescue received $5,000 for a stair chair, which will benefit the communitys older population.

Its a mechanical thing thats actually got some power in it, it helps us transport people; sometimes from their bedroom to a cot , said Joan Ruskamp of the Dodge Fire Rescue.

Joan Ruskamp, along with Steve Ruskamp, also represented St. Wenceslaus and Sacred Heart during the Aug. 29 presentation.

The Dodge church received $2,700 to purchase automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be placed in the buildings entryway.

(Its) not only for Mass but also really anywhere in town  the gymnasium is near the church in Dodge, Joan Ruskamp said. If the squad isnt quite there yet, (an AED is) very simple to use. Were going to try to do some awareness of what an AED is for our community so if theyre there and someone drops of a heart attack, they know what to do and how to use it.

Twenty-five other grants were handed out, the majority being Platte County-based organizations.

The Columbus Area United Way, which serves Colfax County, received $10,000 for its student health program.
Roberts is responsible for the robotics and junior leaders programs as well as static exhibits and some 4-H promotion and recruitment.

Both Meusch and Roberts help out with school enrichment, too.

Swanson, meanwhile, deals with more general 4-H duties including enrollment, deadlines and county fair entries.

Swanson said Platte County residents can keep an eye on the extension website at platte.unl.edu for more information as Goedeken transitions out of the Platte County office.

Swanson also stressed that, while Goedeken is leaving, there will be no changes to the year's regular 4-H programming.

"We do not foresee any change in anything. We're still going to go ahead with everything," Swanson said.

Roberts echoed that point.

"We'll just keep trucking along," Roberts said.

Goedeken has been an important part of the ag scene in Platte County for many years, but Roberts said they are all excited for her to have this new opportunity with the State 4-H Office.

Goedeken may not be a part of the official Platte County 4-H team anymore, but she said she will continue to volunteer where she can.

"I'll still be involved as a volunteer in the program and my kids will be in the 4-H program here," Goedeken said.

Molly Hunter is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach her via email at molly.hunter@lee.net.

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Research universities play a profound role in helping navigate many of the worlds challenges. One prime example is the University of Birmingham, a global research university that has made a contribution to battling the pandemic. Yet, as Covid-19 eventually loosens its grip on the world, how will the University of Birmingham strengthen and develop the impact of its research amid the new normal?




Colombian Bank Begins Second Phase of its Crypto Pilot with Exchanges

Colombias oldest commercial bank, the Banco de Bogota, has begun the next stage of a crypto pilot that will allow 5,000 of its customers to make and receive payments using tokens hosted on the platforms of two major crypto exchanges.

Source: A screenshot, Instagram/bancodebogota

As reported, the bank has partnered with the trading platforms Bitso and Buda as part of a crypto sandbox project operated by the Superintendencia Financiera (Financial Superintendence  known as the Superfinanciera for short), one of the nations biggest financial regulators.

The first part of the pilot, which began in March this year, saw the group of customers, all aged over 25, allowed to make crypto deposits and withdrawals on the banks mobile and desktop platforms. They were allowed to trade crypto for fiat Colombian pesos and vice versa using interfaces that linked to Buda and Bitsos systems.

But the next phase of the trial will see what happens when the participants try to spend their crypto using the banks cards and app platforms.

Semana reported that the Buda interface will be ready sometime this month, while the Bitso platform will be ready in October, and that the new services will allow cash-in and cash-out transactions.

This will, in effect, allow users to make real-time payments in fiat using their crypto holdings, and receive real-time fiat payments that are presumably converted to crypto and hosted on the Bitso and Buda exchanges.

The pilot will last for a further year, after which the Superfinanciera will assess the results and report to the government.

The same media outlet quoted Oscar Bernal, the banks Vice President of Technology, as stating that one of its great motivations was to become an active part of the countrys digital transformation.

He added,

We think that it is valuable to participate in the construction of a possible regulatory framework that may enable operations with cryptoassets in Colombia.

Banco de Bogota was established in 1870 and has some 670 branches throughout the country.

____

Learn more:

- Colombias Banco de Bogota Begins Crypto Pilot

- Colombian Banks to Work with Exchanges on Year-long Crypto Pilot

- Colombias Financial Sector May Be Allowed to Pilot Crypto Transactions

- Colombian Watchdog Says Companies Can Convert Capital to Bitcoin

- Colombias Stake in the Blockchain Revolution of Latin America

- El Salvador Parliament Green-lights USD 150M Bitcoin Fund as Critics Scoff
Pandemic effects

All of the leaders agreed that children came into the summer sessions showing the effects of the pandemic.

Som said SPY staff saw learning loss in ways they werent expecting. With children using iPads for much of the last year, kindergartners and first graders struggled with basic skills like holding a pencil, lining up to go to lunch and balancing their trays.

The staff will be able to test students to see if there has been academic improvement, but alongside that learning staff have observed personal development among the children during the eight-week program. The children have been learning how to socialize, take turns and basically be kind to one another, Som said.

Som said she also saw more vacations during the program than ever before, and she also noticed that the children were more tired than they had been in previous years.

They dont have endurance. Theyre not used to being out, Som said.

As schools get underway, staff may see similar socialization issues among students who have not been out in public as much, Som said.

Children attending art camps at CALC were looking for an outlet, and parents recognized that having one is important.
Vaccination, they said, is another step residents can take.

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By getting vaccinated, this will help protect you from serious illness should you contract COVID and (it) reduces hospitalizations, especially for those who have no underlying health conditions, the post said.

According to the Washington County Health Department, there were 400 confirmed cases in the county in August and 101 of those cases were ages 18 and under.

There were 174 new cases and two deaths confirmed over the past week. There are 170 active cases and a testing positivity rate of 18.6%.

Social distance and wear a mask when unable to do so, the health departments update on Facebook said. Get vaccinated. Wash your hands. We are in high levels of transmission so please take precautions to protect yourself and your family.

The health department is urging residents to get tested if they are sick, and if they are positive, to isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms.

If you are close contact to a positive, they are asking residents to quarantine for 10 days past their exposure date. This includes not going to school or daycare or being around others. Residents are asked to notify their work and follow their protocol.
A local man was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison last week in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography earlier this year.

On Friday, Tyson R. Rutledge, 48, of Bonne Terre, appeared in St. Louis before United States District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig, who sentenced the man to spend 28 months in the custody of the United States Bureau of Prisons.

Friday's sentencing hearing was held after Rutledge changed his original plea of not guilty during an April 30 hearing, pleading guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.

The case was filed in federal court on Sept. 3, 2020, following a lengthy FBI investigation that began the previous summer.

On July 22, 2019, according to the reports, Rutledge sent a message to an undercover FBI agent participating in a social media chat room.

Rutledge and the undercover FBI agent reportedly began talking about children when the man asked if the agent had sex with kids. Rutledge reportedly said he likes "young" and has "no limits." He then sent the undercover agent a graphic image showing a minor female and her genitals, according to officials.

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The Senator Romine Education Scholarship has been established at Mineral Area College to benefit students of Missouris Third Senate district.

The scholarship fund was established through an initial $10,000 donation from Senator Gary Romine, the former member of the Missouri State Senate representing District 3 from 2013-2020, before being appointed to his current position as Chairman of the Missouri State Tax Commission. While serving as state senator, he served as vice-chair and then chair of Senate Education Committee. Romine has also served as president of the Mineral Area College Board of Trustees, chairman of the board for MRV Banks, and is the chairman of the board for Show-Me-Rent-To-Own.

A strong advocate for education, Romine received an associate degree from Three Rivers Community College before transferring to Central Missouri State University where he earned a bachelors degree in Education. He taught high school in the Branson and Farmington school districts and served five years on the Mineral Area College Board of Trustees.
Little Acorns: Nature's Storytime (Virtual), 10  10:30 a.m. on Thursday and

10  10:30 a.m. on Thursday and Babes in the Woods: Nature's Storytime (Virtual) at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday

Everyone loves a good story, and we have plenty of them here at the Cape Nature Center. You and your little one can watch and listen as our Naturalist reads a couple nature stories. This program is designed for children six years old and younger but is open to all ages.

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Little Acorns and Babes in the Woods programs are designed to help children learn about the natural world through hands on experiences, crafts, and focused free-play activities.

All family members that plan to attend in-person and virtual events must be registered. To ensure the safety of all, in-person programs require family groups to practice social distancing, and masks are strongly recommended. Those interested are also reminded to follow current health recommendations which include:

Stay home if youre sick

Wash hands with soap and water and/or use hand sanitizer.

Be considerate of others.

Questions about these events and all others can be emailed to MDC Cape Nature Center Manager Laci Prucinsky at Laci.Prucinsky@mdc.mo.gov.
While VDH data doesnt detail breakthrough cases, Dr. Greene suggested between 10 and 20% of new local cases could be those who are vaccinated and still contract the virus.

Even so, Dr. Greene said those who are vaccinated are much less likely to end up suffering from long COVID symptoms, are much less likely to end up in the hospital or to die.

There are any number of good reasons to get vaccinated, he added.

Across the five-county health district, vaccination rates continue to rise, albeit slowly, he said. With the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, he expected those rates to rise. Additionally, he expected emergency authorization this fall to vaccinate children between the ages of 5 and 12, which would further limit the spread.

Young children arent the ones who are likely to die, but they can spread it around, he said.

And while he acknowledged the surging local case numbers are discouraging, he said theyre not going to keep climbing forever. I know people are sick of this. Im sick of this. But its still out there and were not done with it.
We were all raised in some kind of way, we were raised to believe things and its difficult to try to undo those things that are very salient to you, Keesee said. Whether youre told by your mother or in your church by friends, those views are very difficult to impact. But when you can change the situation with the use of science, changing becomes something thats very doable.

Brackney echoed a similar sentiment and emphasized the importance of data in corroborating lived experiences. People of color, and Black people in particular, dont need data to validate their experiences, Brackney said, but data and science are needed to move systems in western cultures.

Typically, weve not collected data in a way that validates, authenticates or gives value to those voices of lived experiences, Brackney said. The way CPE has asked us to collect our data and to turn that over will then allow us to see in a very real way the story that we may not have been able to weave together but with just one person telling us.

Since assuming her position in 2018, Brackney said she has been working to remodel the city police department into a department that emphasizes trust and transparency.
After months of internal strife, Charlottesville has fired RaShall Brackney, chief of the Charlottesville Police Department.

According to a Wednesday news release, City Manager Chip Boyles exercised his right to terminate Brackneys employment contract upon 90 days notice. Brackney, who was hired by the city in June 2018, will be on paid administrative release until Nov. 30.

I am looking for a new leadership direction in the department and we will start the search for our next Chief immediately, said Boyles. We wish Dr. Brackney all the best in her future endeavors.

Brackneys termination meets the not-for-cause criteria of her employment contract, meaning she will be entitled to 12 months salary, 12 months lump sum contribution to a city retirement plan and severance equal to six months premium health insurance coverage, if she is on the citys COBRA health insurance.

As of July 2020, Brackney was making $162,198.40, though it is likely she received a raise in 2021 along with the rest of the citys employees.

Assistant Chief of Police James Mooney, who was set to retire Wednesday, will remain in his position in an apparent reversal of decisions.
The judge also said use-of-force expert Barry Brodds suggestion that Floyd could have been resting comfortably on the pavement was the soundbite of the day. Brodd was one defense expert who was harassed after Chauvin's trial.

Plunkett disagreed, saying the call to action is different for someone who is watching something live rather than reading a report.

Prosecutors initially opposed livestreaming Chauvin's trial but now say it was the right move  protecting everyone during the pandemic, allowing for meaningful public access and letting people watch the fair administration of the justice system.

They favor livestreaming the second trial as well, saying defense claims that audio-video coverage would deny them a fair trial are unconvincing. They say there is no concrete evidence that any witnesses are refusing to testify for the defense  and if that is the case, reluctant witnesses can be compelled to appear.

Indeed, if Defendants have difficulty finding expert witnesses  and there is no evidence that they cannot secure experts  that difficulty is a product of their overwhelming guilt, prosecutors wrote.
Water had rushed into the parking garage and outdoor pool areas around the Park Towne Place apartments Thursday. The complex is about 500 feet from the bank of the Schuylkill River.

Representatives from the Philadelphia Red Cross chapter were responding to try to help residents find temporary shelter.

The management said power to the buildings was being shut off and the doors would be locked. They did not say how long they expected the evacuation to last. A phone call to a number listed for the apartments was not answered Thursday.



WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden says extreme storms like Ida are a reminder that the climate crisis is real and the nation needs to be better prepared.

Biden sought to assure residents in the Northeast on Thursday that federal first responders are on the ground to help clean up after Idas record rainfall and flooding.

The president spoke to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, and planned to also speak with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.

He says he made clear to the governors that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground.
FREDERICKSBURG  In a few months, a name change is coming to U.S. 1.

When that happens, on Jan. 1, Fredericksburg-area drivers might end up a bit confused, because what is now called Jefferson Davis Highway could have at least three new names through the region: Richmond Highway in Stafford County, Emancipation Highway in Fredericksburg and Patriot Highway in Spotsylvania County.

The different names are the result of a bill sponsored by Del. Josh Cole, DFredericksburg, to change the road name to Emancipation Highway in any locality in Virginia where U.S. 1 is still called Jefferson Davis Highway on Jan. 1, 2022. The bill was approved earlier this year by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Ralph Northam.

Localities that werent enthralled with the Emancipation Highway name have since moved to pick a different name before the law goes into effect. The Commonwealth Transportation Board will have the final say on the name changes to the highway.

The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors approved Patriot Highway at its meeting last week after Supervisor Tim McLaughlin proposed that as the new name.
Yes. I will do my part to conserve household energy usage, even if I'm uncomfortable in my home.

No. It is too hot to conserve household energy usage.

I already conserve, even before ERCOT requested it.

Maybe, depending on the reason ERCOT provides and whether or not I am home during that time.

Vote

View Results
The Cumberland Church is officially set to move locations on Sept. 28, but on Thursday, to prepare the historic building for its journey, the steeple was removed from the structure.

"I thought it went really smoothly," said Emma Eaton, president of the Cumberland Community Events Center. She acknowledged that it was strange to see the church without its spire, though.

"It looks really different," Eaton added.

The church will be moving from its current spot on Main Street to a block away at Santiam Road and Pine Street. Until then, the steeple will be left on site in a protective housing, Eaton said.

The hope is that the church can be remodeled and transformed into a community center for weddings and other gatherings.

It needs to impact the community in a positive way, Eaton said.

She hopes that the building can be used as a hub for community members  a place where people can meet and form connections. Eaton envisions the church holding classes for families and children. These could be anything from art classes to nutritional courses. She added that the direction the church goes in will be impacted by community input and what they want to see.
A Lebanon man has been arrested and arraigned on several charges following an incident involving a high-powered pellet gun being fired into a neighboring residence.

The Lebanon Police Department responded to a report of shots fired in the 2200 block of Chelsea Way at about 3:47 a.m. on Tuesday.

No one was harmed in the incident, though a projectile narrowly missed a police sergeants head, according to an LPD news release.

The 911 caller described a bedroom window being shot at with some type of bullet. A patrol sergeant was inspecting the damage to the window inside the Lebanon residence when a second shot came through the glass near the sergeants head.

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Additional officers responded and located projectiles inside the residence. Lebanon Police detectives investigated neighboring houses and police say they contacted Daniel Aaron Brewer, 50, who admitted to firing two rounds from a high-powered pellet gun through the neighbors window.

He was taken into custody without incident and lodged in the Linn County Jail.
Oregon State University and the University of Oregon said Wednesday that weekly COVID-19 testing will be required for unvaccinated students and employees.

The universities, along with all of Oregons other public universities, require COVID-19 vaccines for students and employees on campus, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. People are legally allowed to request exemptions, but weekly testing includes those who are exempt.

Unvaccinated students and employees at Oregon State will be required to test weekly for COVID-19 beginning Sept. 15. The University of Oregons weekly testing starts Sept. 27.

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If students and employees are not following the requirements at Oregon State, they could face disciplinary action including termination of employment and student suspension, said Dan Larson, OSUs coronavirus response coordinator.

OSU will provide testing options on its Corvallis and Bend campuses.

The University of Oregon will provide testing at its Eugene campus with details to come on testing at its campuses in Portland and on the coast in Charleston.
Benson spoke shortly after GOP Sen. Paul Gazelka, of East Gull Lake, announced that he's resigning as Senate majority leader, a step he had said he'd take if he was going to run for governor. Gazelka said in an interview that he's leaning toward running but will hold off on announcing his decision until sometime after the State Fair, where he's been talking with voters to learn what's on their minds. He said he'd been drafting his resignation letter for a few days, but gave Benson a head-up call Tuesday night after learning she was about to announce.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited injured U.S. troops at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Thursday night.

There are 15 Marines at the hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside Washington, who were wounded in an Aug. 26 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport. The attack occurred as the U.S. government was arranging evacuations of Americans, Afghans and allies before the nearly two-decade war in Afghanistan officially ended Aug. 31.

Eleven Marines were also killed in the attack, as well as one Army solider and one Navy corpsman. Biden traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday to witness the return of their remains to U.S. soil in a solemn dignified transfer.

One of the wounded Marines was in critical condition. Three were in serious condition and 11 in stable condition.



WASHINGTON  Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, head of U.S. European Command, said Thursday that so far only one individual evacuated from Afghanistan is being retained in Germany for problems getting through security screening.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters, he said that as far as he knows, the person in custody is not of a high threat.
Although Croatias telecom market is dominated by the incumbent telco Hrvatski Telekom and the local units of United Group and Telekom Austria, there is effective competition from a number of smaller operators.

The regulator has helped promote competition via measures encouraging network access, as well as regional licencing. This has been seen most recently with two 5G licences having been reserved for regional rather than national operations.

The mobile market is served by three MNOs, supplemented by a number of MVNOs. The network operators have focused on improving ARPU by encouraging prepaid subscribers to migrate to postpaid plans, and on developing revenue from mobile data services. 5G services are widely available, though the sector will only show its full potential later in 2021 following the award of licences in several bands. Hitherto reserved for GSM, 3G and LTE use, this spectrum will contribute towards the governments national broadband plan through to 2027, which is tied to the ECs two allied projects aimed at providing gigabit connectivity by the end of 2025.

The broadband sector benefits from effective competition between the DSL and cable platforms, while there are also numerous fibre deployments in urban areas. The number of FttP subscribers broached 134,000 in March 2021.

This report provides an overview of Croatias fixed-line market, covering regulatory developments, infrastructure, and the financial and operating performance of the main operators. The report also covers the mobile voice and data markets, including statistics on service providers, and an assessment of network developments and deployed technologies. In addition, the report reviews the fixed and fixed wireless broadband segment, including statistics and subscriber forecasts.

BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Coronavirus continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. During the coming year the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure.

Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries.

On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.

Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.

The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.

Key developments:

Regulator begins delayed multi-spectrum 5G auction;

United Group acquires majority stake in Optima Telekom from Hrvatski Telekom and Zagrebacka Banka;

Tele2 Croatia rebrands as Telemach Croatia;

A1 Croatia and Hrvatski Telekom deploy NB-IoT network;

Hrvatski Telekom expands the reach of its 5G network, reaching more than two million people in 76 cities by June 2021;

Report update includes the regulator's market data to June 2020, telcos' operating and financial data to Q2 2021, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market developments.

Get a Full Copy of this Report

Developing Telecoms market report summaries are produced in partnership with BuddeComm, the worlds largest continually updated online telecommunications research service.

The above article is a summary of the following BuddeCom report:

Report title: Croatia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Edition: August 2021

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

Number of pages: 198

Companies mentioned in this report: Hrvatski Telekom (HT), Optima Telekom, Metronet, A1 Croatia (VIPnet), Tele2 Group, United Group, Telemach Croatia

Single User PDF Licence Price: US$1390

For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Croatia-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83
Despite the harsh impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the countrys population and economy, Colombias telecom sector had a solid year thanks to positive performances in the fixed-line broadband, mobile broadband, and mobile voice and data markets.

Fixed-line penetration remained stable by the end of 2020, although at 14.6% Colombias teledensity is well below the Latin American average. The mobile market, by contrast, reached a penetration rate of 136% (an increase of over three percentage points on 2019) and managed to keep the same upward growth trajectory that it has sustained over the last ten years. The fixed-line broadband market also expanded, with the number of subscribers increasing 11.4%, and with revenue increasing 9.9% thanks to increased data usage as many customers were forced to work or study from home during the year.

The mobile broadband market was the standout performer in 2020, with a 13% increase in the number of subscribers year-on-year, albeit the penetration rate is relatively low compared to other Latin American countries. Most significant of all was the surge in mobile broadband traffic  a 51% increase over the previous year  which was again a reflection of the strict lockdowns that Colombians had to endure for much of 2020.

Market leader Claro continued to expand its dominance of the mobile broadband market, increasing its share over the last decade by 10% to reach 54% at the start of 2021. Tigo, conversely, has seen its share halved over the same period of time, yet its subscriber base has still managed to grow on the back of a strong overall market. Tigo also suffered the most from Colombias imposed lockdowns in 2020, severely impacting its retail sales (a 20% decline in revenue) with nearly half of its stores being forced to close.

Key Developments:

Six month-long 5G trials launched, with Movistar and Claro each being allocated spectrum blocks in the 3.5GHz band.

Avantel acquired by Novator Partners, including 2.3 million subscribers.

MVNO Virgin Mobile fined COP131.67 million for non-compliance with SIC administrative orders regarding protecting users rights.

Fixed-line broadband download speeds nearly doubled in 2020 thanks to investments in fibre.

Setroc becomes another MVNO, using Movistars infrastructure.

ANE and MinTIC issued Spectrum Policy 2020-2024, aimed at aligning spectrum management across the two agencies.

This report includes the regulator's market data reports to March 2021; telcos' financial and operating data updates up to Q1 2021, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, and other recent market developments.

Get a Full Copy of this Report

Developing Telecoms market report summaries are produced in partnership with BuddeComm, the worlds largest continually updated online telecommunications research service.

The above article is a summary of the following BuddeCom report:

Report title: Colombia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Edition: July 2021

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

Number of pages: 213

Companies mentioned in this report: Claro (Telmex Colombia/Comcel), Movistar, TigoUne (Tigo Colombia, UNE-EPM), Avantel, DirecTV, Uff! Movil, Metrotel, Emcali, Virgin Mobile, Movil Exito, Edatel, Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Santa Fe de Bogota (ETB), Setroc.

Single User PDF Licence Price: US$1390

For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Colombia-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83
The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) in Saudi Arabia announced the launch of the local roaming service, which aims mainly to maintain network service in villages and deserts covered by telecom services in all regions of the Kingdom.

CITC announced that it has signed a commercial agreement between Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily), and Mobile Telecommunications Company Saudi Arabia (Zain) for the launch of the local roaming service.

The service enables users to change their service operator to another operator's service network if there is no coverage for their primary service operator.

The authority clarified that local roaming service includes all services, like voice services, Internet services, short text messages SMS services in 21,000 villages of the Kingdom that are covered by telecommunications services, without charging any additional costs, as services will be charged at the base operator rate.

The CITC revealed that the implementation of the local roaming service will start in the Asir region initially and will be completed in the rest of the Kingdom's regions by the end of 2021.

The Governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission, Dr. Muhammad bin Saud Al-Tamimi, stated that the local roaming service comes within the framework of the authoritys work with all parties concerned with providing the best telecommunications services.

Meanwhile, Zain KSA announced that it is supporting the "National Roaming" initiative launched by CITC to maximize the inclusiveness of telecommunication services throughout all Saudi regions and cities, with a particular focus on remote villages and desert areas.
After six weeks during which its government has faced increased criticism, Tanzania has finally reduced the amount of its controversial mobile money transaction levy  by 30 percent.

The move was originally justified by a need to raise revenue for the Sh36.68 trillion (just over $15.8 billion) budget for the 2021/22 financial year. It was calculated that a levy on mobile money transactions would haul in some Sh1.254 trillion (about $541 million).

As the Citizen newspaper explains, the government amended the Electronic and Postal Communication Act in June by imposing a levy of between Sh10 ($0.0043) and Sh10,000 ($4.31) on mobile money transactions, depending on the amount sent and withdrawn. The levy became effective on 15 July.

As a guide, the newspaper calculates that, bringing all charges into play, sending mobile money to the value of Sh1 million ($431) to someone and having the money withdrawn would cost a total of Sh31,000 ($13.37)  a little under three percent of the total.

This was seen as far too high for many Tanzanians. It didnt help much that it also seemed to undermine the aims of the second 2018-2022 National Financial Inclusion Framework (NFIF), whose vision is that financial products and services meet the needs of individuals and businesses consistent with supporting livelihood, household resilience and creation of jobs".

A review was mandated in July. The Ministry of Finance and Planning then issued a statement on 31 August that amendments had been made to the Regulations for Electronic Transactions Levy for 2021 with a view to reducing the rates by 30 percent.

In addition, the statement said, the government has also held talks with mobile service providers, who have agreed to reduce the rates they charge on mobile financial transactions by 10 percent.
As I walk with my daughter under the canopy of hardwoods to the Moscow Public Library and back, I am immersed in the feeling of belonging and privilege that comes with living in the Fort Russell Historic District; I wish the feeling to be replicated for others.
On this blistering summer day, Boyd is sowing his cash crop, soybeans, making passes up and down a rolling 1,000-acre tract along the broad Roanoke River in Virginia. Its one of several parcels he owns, totaling 1,500 acres  some of it land that his ancestors once tilled as slaves.

And now, its his. Some days, its hard to believe.

Im owning land that many of my forefathers worked when it was scotch free. You know -- slave labor, man, says Boyd, his black cowboy hat casting a shadow over his face. Im just trying to make them proud.

Like the other Black farmers, Boyd has encountered prejudice in many ways. An example: Boyds wife, Kara, a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, recalls the time her husband took a load of soybeans to the grain elevator and got a low price for it. Too much trash or moisture in it, he was told.

When Kara Boyd brought in another load from the same field, she got a better price. But when her stepfather, who is white, took a load out of the same field, she recalled that he was told: Man, these are the best beans theyd seen and how many more could he bring them?

But Boyds battle with the USDA was epic. It almost wiped him out.
The Virginia farmer who barely was able to keep part of his farm when the USDA threatened to sell it at auction. The Kansas man who lost the land his grandparents once homesteaded. The Arkansas farmer who is holding on by a thread, praying the federal aid will come through in time.

It was racism, says farmer John Wesley Boyd Jr. And it still is.

I think discrimination is still pervasive. I think that its done in a much subtler way, Boyd says.



Boyd was just 18 years old when he assumed an existing USDA loan when he bought his first farm in the early 1980s. He says walking into his local USDA office was like a return to the Jim Crow era. Black farmers had supervised accounts and could only get appointments with the local lending officer on a single day of the week, a practice that came to be known as Black Wednesday.

Boyd endured racial slurs. A loan officer once spat tobacco juice on him  he accidentally missed the spit can, the official would claim. Another time, Boyd saw an official tear up his application and throw it in the trash.

In 1996, USDA took just 30 days to foreclose on some of his Virginia farmland. Then the department moved to auction off the remaining 110 acres.
The Panhandle Seminole Club held its Annual Kickoff Party on Aug. 21 at Southern Fields Brewing in Campbellton, Florida.

The Board of Directors introduced and presented scholarships to four local students (Adin Domen, Peyton Gay, Lauren Harkins and Bailey Rich) who will be attending FSU this fall. Each student was awarded a $1,000 scholarship coming from monies that were gifts from local community members. These scholarships bring the Clubs most recent total to over $73,000 in support of FSU students.

Adin Domen is a graduate of Marianna High School and is working toward a BS in Biology and minor in Chemistry. He is the son of Rebecca Domen and Allen Domen. Adin has an interested in marine biology but also plans to enlist into the United States Coast Guard and pursue a career as a Search and Rescue Helicopter Pilot.

Peyton Gay is a graduate of Marianna High School and is double majoring in Communications and Political Science. She is the daughter of George and Melinda Gay. Peyton plans to pursue a career in journalism and hopes to complete her graduate studies at FSU.
Prosecutor Nicole Chiappone said even Cruz himself has used some of the terms his attorneys want barred. She said he refers to himself in a cellphone video as the next school shooter and, shortly before the killings, recorded himself saying, this is the day of my massacre.

Chiappone said Scherer should not make any pretrial list of barred terms. If someone at trial refers to Cruz or the shootings in a manner his attorneys believe is prejudicial, they can object then and make their argument to strike the wording, she said.

Referring to this as an incident or a tragedy is insulting. This is far more, she added.

Cruz has pleaded not guilty, but his attorneys have said he would plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. Prosecutors have rejected that offer.

Cruz's attorneys also asked to review testimony given in secret to a statewide grand jury empaneled after the shooting that examined systemic failures in school security, mental health counseling and other programs.

They want to see if anything was said specifically about Cruz during the hearings that could provide some mitigation for the shooting, either in the main trial or during the sentencing phase. They said if they aren't allowed to see the testimony, they want Scherer to review it.
By May May September 2, 2021 | 08:00 am GMT+7

SCG, one of the leading conglomerates in the cement-building material, packing and chemicals business, has taken action to support frontliners and the community in fighting the pandemic.

Responding to the National Steering Committee request on Covid-19 Prevention and Control for Ho Chi Minh City, SCG recently contributed to the Covid-19 treatment field hospital in District 8, along with other facilities as part of its VND5 billion ($219.000) support package.

"Field hospitals recently established in virus hotspots like District 8 and Thu Duc City are in dire need of medics. With an overflow of patients, the demand for medical equipment and facilities has dramatically increased. The treatment process for patients is facing a great challenge. Without sufficient equipment, together with the pressure of increasing daily infections, never before has frontline workforces faced such a situation of shortage," a SCG's spokesperson said.

SCG has donated a series of essential medical supplies and equipment to the field hospital in District 8, other hospitals and government units.

SCG has donated essential medical supplies and equipment to hospitals across HCMC. Photo by SCG

The group has rushed to put all medical equipment in place including portable ultrasound machines, handheld x-ray machines, PCR accessories, ventilator, monitors, syringe pumps, and others.

SCG has also brought its latest innovations to hospitals, including assembled hygiene modular bathrooms and SCGP paper field hospital beds. These innovations are among SCGs ongoing efforts in response to the pandemic.

SCG's medical equipment provides comprehensive treatment for patients. Photo by: SCG

To safeguard frontline medics, SCG has specifically designed its hygiene modular bathrooms with touchless technology to reduce exposure to the new coronavirus. These bathrooms also integrate with a high-capacity ventilation system to maintain clean and safe air circulation.

Such functions are expected to enhance the safety of doctors and nurses who work relentlessly to save people's lives.

Nguyen Thanh Phong, director of Covid-19 Treatment Field Hospital in District 8, shared: "The donation not only assists patients and protects medical staff, but also empowers them spiritually." Designed based on two main principles: touchless and high ventilation, the hygiene modular bathroom will minimize user contact with shared sanitary equipment with hand washing faucets, sanitizer dispensers, etc.

Another innovative solution is mobile positive pressure chambers to facilitate the sample collection process. The chamber allows doctors and nurses to conduct swabs without direct contact with patients.

Meanwhile, SCG has researched and developed beds made from recycled paper to ease the shortage at field hospitals. The whole purpose of SCG paper field hospital beds is to be a sustainable, short-term solution to housing a lot of patients, thereby contributing to protecting the community at the peak of the pandemic.

To date SCG has donated 25 hygiene modular bathrooms and a series of medical equipment to the Covid-19 treatment field hospitals in high-risk pandemic areas like District 8, District 1, District 7, Binh Tan, Binh Chanh, Go Vap, Can Gio, Nha Be District and Thu Duc City.

"All of these innovative solutions are aimed to ensure no one is left behind during the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. These contributions not only alleviate the burden on frontline medical teams, but also ensure Covid-19 patient treatment is implemented in a safe and timely manner," a representative commented.

The group has so far delivered a total 3,300 SCGP paper field hospital beds to medical facilities and quarantined areas across the southern area including Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An in a bid to provide timely care to the growing number of patients.

Paper field hospital beds designed by SCGP. Photo by SCG

SCGP paper field hospital beds have been donated to many critical touch points around HCMC and neighboring provinces to support the prevention of Covid-19.

As a responsible corporate citizen, SCG has made commitments to support localities where it operates, including Vietnam. Therefore, SCG will continue to showcase its relentless efforts to accompany frontline healthcare workers, patients and the community in Vietnam to sail through this challenging time.
The VinaCapital Foundation (VCF) has donated VND1 billion ($44,000) to the Secretariat of Vietnam Youth Federation of HCMC to support vulnerable communities and frontline forces.

Launched on August 28, the Grassroots Assistance Program aims to assist thousands of foreigners, healthcare workers and Vietnamese people in Ho Chi Minh City amid the fourth wave of Covid-19.

The program was held by Vietnam Youth Federation of HCMC, HCMC Union of Friendship Organizations, Department of External Relations of HCMC, VinaCapital Foundation, Khang Dien House Trading and Investment Stock Company, and Dragon Capital Vietfund Management.

The event highlighted three missions: supporting Vietnamese people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic; supporting distressed foreigners in the city; and providing medical supplies, meals, and necessities to frontline workers at quarantine sites, field hospitals, and treatment hospitals.

In response to this campaign, VCF donates VND1 billion to VYF of HCMC to provide essential assistance to frontline workers, struggling foreigners, people who have lost their jobs and those with unstable and low-income employment due to the pandemic in the city from now to September 15.

Representatives of VYF of HCMC and donors signed the agreement to launch the Grassroots Assistance Program. Photo by: VinaCapital Foundation

Rad Kivette, CEO of VCF, said: "It is VinaCapital Foundations honor to join hands with the VYF of HCMC to bring assistance to suffering local communities so that everyone has a chance to overcome these difficult times. VCF is proud to be one of the original two sponsors of this meaningful campaign with Khang Dien House Trading and Investment Stock Company."

"As the pandemic grows dramatically in the city, VCF will continue to do our best to ensure that the lives and livelihoods of those most affected are protected and preserved. VCFs mission is to create and implement programs that ensure all Vietnamese benefit from the enormous economic growth of Vietnam, especially those from disadvantaged and marginalized communities who face the most difficult challenges."

This local grassroots assistance activity compliments VinaCapital Foundations ongoing capacity building commitment to provide over $1 million in medical ventilators and PPE to local hospitals in HCMC and nearby provinces.

VinaCapital Foundation (VCF) is a USA registered 501-c3 public charitable organization, registered as a foreign non-governmental organization in Vietnam. Founded in 2006, VCF supports the economic growth of Vietnam through healthcare and education programs for those who are disadvantaged and underserved. The work of VCF touches the lives of millions of Vietnamese in 63 cities and provinces every year.

VCFs grassroots medical programs include Heartbeat Vietnam which funds children's heart surgeries, including pre- and postoperative care, as well as Rural Outreach Clinics to screen children in remote areas, and cancer treatment programs for children. VCF initiatives also include prevention and treatment for poor children with retinopathy of prematurity.

Medical capacity building programs include Critical Response - advanced emergency training courses for healthcare workers along with emergency equipment; Clean Water systems for healthcare centers and schools; Survive to Thrive - neonatal care training and equipment. VCFs nationwide education initiative, Brighter Path, empowers ethnic minority girls through formal and informal education programs including girls clubs in rural high schools, mentoring, soft skills training and full high school and university scholarships.

VCFs vision is a Vietnam where everyone shares in the economic benefits. Every program aims to show deep commitments to womens rights, gender equality, improved nutrition, environmental protection and poverty reduction.

Website: www.vinacapitalfoundation.org
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh says lockdowns cannot be the sole way to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. A combination of solutions is needed to repel the coronavirus.

The goal of the whole country now is to prevent infections from spreading, apply solutions to safely adapt to the disease, and reduce the mortality rate with vaccines and drugs, he said at a meeting with 70 medical experts Wednesday.

Many countries have already changed their strategies to adapting and coexisting with Covid-19, the PM noted.

Vaccines and drugs are a "long-term strategy and decisive tools," he said, adding: "We cannot stay in isolation and lockdown forever because the difficulty it places on the society and economy is huge.

"Applying science to pandemic prevention is the core key to success and the path to beat the pandemic," Chinh stated.

This was the second time that PM Chinh expressed the idea of living with the virus instead of doing everything to end it. He had said it for the first time on August 28, chairing a meeting with authorities of more than 1,000 wards and communes affected by the ongoing Covid-19 wave.

"We have set the goal of containment and controlling the outbreak, but we have to know that this war is still a long one and we will have to live with the pandemic for a long time," he said. "We cannot control it completely and we must adapt and have suitable ways to respond to the situation."

Vietnam was hit by the fourth Covid-19 wave over four months ago and so far, 62 of the nations 63 localities have been infected.

As of now, 23 cities and provinces, including the three biggest ones  Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang  have applied the most stringent social distancing rules.

The PM said that the fight against the current pandemic was unprecedented, so scientists would play a key role in identifying medical solutions.

In the past two years, Vietnamese scientists have achieved some results in the pandemic fight.

The nation has produced Covid-19 test kits, developed its own Covid-19 drugs and vaccines, but the latter are still in the trial phase.

Vietnam has so far recorded 469,312 Covid cases and 11,833 deaths in the ongoing wave starting April 27.
Vietnam National Day felicitations come in from around the world

Local people in an alley in Hanoi hang national flags on National Day, September 2, 2021. Photo by Vietnam News Agency

The leaders of Laos, China, Cambodia, Cuba, Russia, North Korea and ASEAN countries have sent congratulatory greetings on Vietnam's 76th National Day (September 2).

The Lao leadership said in their congratulatory message that Vietnam's achievements were a source of encouragement. They also affirmed that Vietnam-Laos relations will be sustained through fluctuations in regional and world situations.

In his message, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed high appreciation of Vietnam's achievements in recent years.He said China attached importance to developing relations with Vietnam, and was willing to work with Vietnam to promote the two-party and two-country relationship towards delivering practical benefits for the people of both countries.

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni said in his congratulatory message that he believed the bilateral relationship with Vietnam will continue to develop strongly with the motto of "good neighbors, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-term sustainability".

Cuban leaders, for their part, expressed pride in the historic solidarity between the two countries and affirmed their desire to further promote the special ties of traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Vietnam has achieved many successes in socio-economic development, demonstrated in the high prestige it enjoys in the international community. He emphasized that the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia was constantly being consolidated in all fields and expressed his desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he believes that the traditional friendship between the two countries will continue to develop further in the coming time.

The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, affirmed that as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Chair in 2021, Brunei highly appreciates Vietnam's support as well as contributions to the regional bloc.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he believed that that the Independence Day spirit will give Vietnam fresh impetus to overcome the pandemic.

Malaysia's King Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin expressed his delight at the continuous expansion and development of bilateral relations over the past 40 years and believed that the two countries' relations would continue to prosper.

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongorn was also pleased that bilateral relations continued to develop well despite facing challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Singapore President Halimah Yacob said that the past year was a difficult one for the whole world because of Covid-19 but Vietnam and Singapore continued to stand together.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, also sent National Day greetings, saying the U.S. looks forward to working closely with Vietnam to "build back better from the pandemic."

A Wednesday press statement on the U.S. Department of States website also quoted Blinken as saying: "The opening of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Regional Office for Southeast Asia in Hanoi provides a new platform to strengthen health security cooperation with Vietnam and the entire Indo-Pacific region."

The office was opened on August 25, during a three-day official visit to Vietnam by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

The visits of Vice President Harris and Secretary of Defense Austin to Vietnam in late July have "reinforced the strength of the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and our commitment to a strong, independent, and prosperous Vietnam," Blinken said.
The United States has designated Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) Chief of Staff General Filipos Woldeyohannes in connection with serious human rights abuses committed by the EDF during the ongoing conflict in northern Ethiopia. Filipos is designated pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world.

Under Filiposs command, EDF troops have raped, tortured, and executed civilians in Ethiopia and have destroyed property and ransacked businesses. Those displaced have described a systematic effort by the EDF to inflict harm on the ethnic Tigrayan population in the areas the EDF controlled. Internally displaced people also described a scorched earth policy intended to prevent civilians from returning home.

The United States condemns in the strongest terms human rights violations and abuses in Ethiopia, including those involving killings, forced removals, and systemic sexual violence. Those responsible for human rights violations and abuses must be held accountable through transparent processes. The United States is concerned that large numbers of EDF personnel have re-entered Ethiopia, after withdrawing in June.

We call upon the Eritrean government to withdraw its military forces immediately and permanently from Ethiopia, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement. He added, the United States continues to urge all parties to the conflict, including the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, to end abuses against civilians, take steps to de-escalate the conflict, allow for unimpeded humanitarian access, and commit to a negotiated ceasefire.

Director of the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control Andrea Gacki said this action against the EDF Chief demonstrates the United States commitment to imposing costs on those responsible for these despicable acts. . . . We urge Eritrea to immediately and permanently withdraw its forces from Ethiopia and urge the parties to the conflict to begin ceasefire negotiations and end human rights abuses.

Secretary Blinken called on the UN Security Council and wider international community to come together to push for a peaceful resolution of [the Ethiopian] conflict.
Commissioner Rex Steninger, who wrote a letter to fellow commissioners stating that Spring Creeks $2.8 million request is very modest and well deserved, said Sept. 1 he was prepared to give the request conditional approval before commissioners decided on a workshop.

He wrote that the county should target those in the unincorporated areas with its funding. Spring Creek, with nearly 16,000 residents, contains the vast majority of Elko Countys unincorporated population.

Chairman Jon Karr said the money coming to Elko County from the rescue plan is from a separate bucket than the money the Nevada Recovery Listening Tour was addressing later in the day. State Treasurer Zack Conine was in Elko to talk about money coming to the state and how to prioritize spending.

The treasurer said there are 105 buckets of money, including the bucket going to cities and counties, but the state is looking outside the funds designated for the cities and counties. Nevada is receiving roughly $6.7 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The Spring Creek proposal calls for $1.7 million to address negative economic impacts to the community, including $1.6 million for work on the Horse Palace.

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For what appears the first time in Nevada history, non-major party voters have surpassed Democratic and Republican voters.

According to numbers released on Wednesday by Secretary of State Barbara Cegavskes office, of the 1.8 million active registered voters in Nevada, non-major party voters  including those registered as nonpartisan as well as with smaller political parties  now make up roughly 34.8 percent, or more than 651,000 individual voters.

Those totals overtake registration numbers for both major political parties  34.78 percent are Democrats and 30.4 percent are Republicans.

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Voters listed under non-major parties made up the majority in nearly every age group tracked by the secretary of state.

The secretary of states office has previously credited the increase to the DMVs automatic registration system, which took effect in January 2020. Voters who do not select a party affiliation when updating information are automatically registered as nonpartisan, unless they opt out.

Overall, there was an increase of 14,739 active registered voters, or 0.79 percent, in August compared with July.
LEWISTON, Idaho (AP)  At least two Idaho state lawmakers received threatening letters concerning their votes on a law intended to drastically reduce wolf numbers.

The anonymous letters to Republican Sen. Dan Johnson and Republican Rep. Caroline Troy say that just as the wolf went from predator to prey, so shall you.

Its not clear how many more lawmakers received the letters. The Lewiston Tribune reported Wednesday that some of the lawmakers contacted the Idaho State Police.

Backers of the wolf law that took effect July 1 said the state can cut the number of wolves to 150 before federal authorities would take over management. That would be a 90% reduction of the states 1,500 wolves.

The letters describe lawmakers as nothing more than a sellout to the Cattle Association and that pitiful minority of cattle producers that seemingly dictate how our wildlife lives and dies.

Johnson said the envelope had a Sacramento postmark, and the return address was the Statehouse in Boise.

Its OK for people to disagree with my votes or my bills, but some comments cross the line, he said. I think this letter comes close to the line, if not stepping over it.
On Wednesday President Joe Biden insisted that he would take action against a new Texas law that bans abortion procedures after six weeks of pregnancy. Despite calls from lawmakers and abortion rights activists, the Supreme Court refused to strike down the strict new law.

In his statement Biden wrote: This extreme Texas law blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade and upheld as precedent for nearly half a century.

He added: "The Texas law will significantly impair womens access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes."

Despite Bidens pledge to protect and defend abortion rights against this attack on Roe v. Wade, the White House has not yet outlined what powers the President intends to use. The Supreme Courts decision not to reverse the ban will be returned to later this year when it presides over a challenge on Mississippis 15-week abortion ban.

What is the new Texas law?

The abortion ban introduced in Texas follows the tenets of many so-called heartbeat bills put forward by abortion opponents, which bans abortion as soon as cardiac activity is detectable. Typically that comes just six weeks into pregnancy, at which point most women do not even know they are pregnant.

Such strict restrictions on abortions would appear to fly in the face of Roe v. Wade which established a precedent of legalised abortions in 1973. The Supreme Court classified the right to choose to have an abortion as fundamental and required any future court challenges to be evaluated under the strict scrutiny standard, making it difficult to be reversed.

However the Texas legislation gets around this by allowing individuals to bring civil lawsuits against abortion providers, and even against anyone found to have helped anyone get an abortion. This could see people fined at least $10,000 for driving someone to an appointment, with the Texas Right to Life organisation setting up a whistleblower website for Texans to submit anonymous tips on anyone they think is violating the new law.

In response, a coalition of abortion rights groups and abortion providers have launched a legal challenge, arguing that the new law "places a bounty on people who provide or aid abortions, inviting random strangers to sue them."

What can Biden do in response to the Texas abortion ban?

So far the White House has been fairly vague on what it intends to do to challenge the restrictions in Texas, instead choosing to fall back on old pledges made during the election campaign. While on the campaign trial Biden made comments calling for the codification of Roe v. Wade through Congress, rather than relying on a comparatively vague piece of judicial precedent.

The decision to allow the Texas law to stand has been attributed to the majority-conservative Supreme Court split that was implemented during the Trump administration. Currently six of the nine justices are considered ideologically conservative, leaving some to suggest that the best chance of reversing the abortion ban is to alter the make-up of the Supreme Court.

A number of Democrats have called for the number of justices to be changed to even the ideological balance, but Biden appears unwilling to push for any substantive changes. POLITICO report that the President will wait to hear the findings of a Supreme Court reform commission established earlier this year before deciding what steps to take.
Governor Gavin Newsom will be facing a recall election on September 14 and his rivals are circling. The incumbent is expected to win, but voter apathy could be Newsom's downfall and give the Republicans a real boost by capturing the Democrat stronghold.

The deadline for voting passed on Monday, but for those who were late in deciding whether to use their democratic right, there is a process for late applicants, as well as young people and those who have changed address, to get to the ballot box.

How you could still be eligible to vote

A 2019 law allows 'conditional voter registration' right up until election day. In an individual's county election office, it is possible to register to vote in the 14 days prior to an election. Once the eligibility to vote has been processed, then the vote will be counted.

Despite the video below being from the presidential election from 2020, the points are still valid for the upcoming recall election.

The conditional voter registration is useful for people who have changed their personal details or address since the last election. People who will turn 18 years old up until September 14 can also request a conditional voter registration form.

Early voting locations can be found here and the location of polling stations can be found here, where conditional voter forms can be found on election day.

What will the ballot read?

The ballot will ask voters two questions:

Do you want to recall Governor Newsom? If the governor is recalled, who do you want to replace him?

The Governor will be allowed to remain in office if 50 percent or more of voters vote NO in response to the first question.

If the YES votes receive the majority, then the person with the most votes in regard to the second question will replace Gov. Newsom.

Voters can decide to respond to one, both, or neither of the questions, depending on their preferences.
With more than 10,000 enterprises from 153 countries and regions signing up for participation, this year's China International Fair for Trade in Services is scheduled to start Thursday in Beijing.

Appreciating China's endeavors to promote global trade in services, experts and business leaders have said the event will help the world share China's development opportunities and bolster global confidence in the economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China is growing faster in the service sector than any other country in the world," said Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club.

China's services trade fair will provide people with a great opportunity to get a sense of the world's digital future, as well as China's fast expanding service industry, said the business leader.

Being the first major economy worldwide to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, China is the place to go to do business, especially when it comes to the service industry, which represents the future of the world economy, Perry said.

The services trade fair is an important platform that demonstrates China's opening-up, said Dennis Wilkens, Germany Trade and Invest's director for China.

"A large number of companies have emerged in China that are being offered opportunities in Germany and Europe. The development shows the performance of China and its companies in the digital and services sector in recent years," Wilkens said, adding, "Chinese companies are now globally active in the markets of the future."

This year's fair will play a key role in bolstering China-Brazil relations by strengthening their channel of communication, according to Jose Ricardo dos Santos Luz Junior, CEO of Group of Corporate Leaders in China.

"Brazil's participation creates the potential for exchange and business opportunities in the trade in services sector, especially the digital economy," he added.

In the eyes of Anneriese Rodriguez, an international news editor at Cuban state TV, the event "confirms the Chinese government's will to promote global commerce and enhance the digital economy within the complex context the world is going through" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I have no doubt this international fair will become a platform to reinforce international cooperation in the context of the sanitary emergency and to contribute to the economic recovery of nations," Rodriguez said.
Cubans offered flowers at Monument of President Ho Chi Minh in Havana on National Day. (Photo: VNA)



Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Cuban National Assembly and President of the CubaVietnam Friendship Association Yolada Ferrer Gomez, Vice President of ICAP Victor Gaute Lopez, members of local associations and branches, and staff members of the Embassy Vietnam in Cuba attended the ceremony.



Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Le Thanh Tung highlighted the great historical significance of September 2, 1945 for the Vietnamese people, when President Ho Chi Minh delivered the Declaration of Independence.



The diplomat emphasised the significance and role of the brotherly friendship between Cuba and Vietnam which has been continuously nurtured and consolidated by generations of leaders of the two countries during the past six decades.



ICAP First Vice President Fernandez congratulated the Party, Government and people of Vietnam on their achievements during the country's national building and independence safeguarding over the past more than seven decades and the unyielding efforts of the Vietnamese people in building a modern, prosperous and beautiful country./.
(Photo source: Xinhua)

US non-profit institution Gun Violence Archive created a website allowing users to search real-time shooting data and statistics from over 3,500 sources. According to Gun Violence Archive, in 2006, there were 54,872 shootings in the US, killing 45,748 people. The year 2017 saw 58,267 shootings, claiming 47,098 lives. In 2018, 54,222 shootings took place, leaving 43,181 people dead. There are no exact figures for how many shootings happened in 2019, but 69,692 people lost their lives. The death toll climbed to 82,996 in 2020, and as of June 28 this year gun mortalities reached 41,213.

What comes with each shooting is the nightmare and grief for those who have lost their beloveds to gun violence. Which side would the US government take in the ongoing national gun debate?

US government, the biggest problem

Harvard professor Graham Allison wrote in Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides Trap that Today China is doing in hours what it takes years to accomplish in the US. I have been reminded of this daily when I see the bridge over the Charles River between my office at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School. It has been under reconstruction, snarling traffic, for 4 years. In November 2015, Beijing replaced the substantially larger, 1,300-ton Sanyuan Bridge in just 43 hours. Allison intends to emphasize China velocity and get people to think of the future of an ineffective US.

When it comes to life-and-death incidents, the consequences of the inefficient US administration are more terrible. When the pandemic hit, an efficient and responsible government should have responded swiftly to curb the spread of the virus. Ironically, although the US has the worlds best medical resources and staff, it did not do well in COVID-19 warning, testing, tracing, treatment, public mobilization and border control. The federal government and state authorities refused to take on their responsibilities. State authorities scrambled for medical resources. Officials and medical experts pointed fingers of blame at each other. The anti-pandemic performance of the US is a far cry from its international standing and reputation.

A June Gallop survey showed 22 per cent of respondents believe the biggest problem is not the pandemic but the US government itself.Given the failure of the government in dealing with matters of life, security and efficiency, there is no wonder that the US government is seen as the biggest problem. Many reasons can explain the failure of the US government. The problem in US politics is part of the answer.

Political decay behind all problems

It is widely accepted among scholars that US politics has some problems. The term political decay is coined to describe US political impasse. Political decay was initially created by Samuel Huntington to describe emerging countries that gained independence form colonial rule after the Second World War. Huntington explained traditional politics of these countries could hardly fit into new economic and political landscapes. (Huntington did not say colonial rule and the disruption of the ruler are major causes of the chaos.) These countries descended into a constant anti-West state of chaos and disorder and were labelled failed states and rouge states. It would be a surprise to Huntington that the label is now on the US and well echoed by his student Francis Fukuyama.

Fukuyama proposed the concept of the end of history, which reflected the mindset of contemporary American scholars and people that US forces won the bloodless Cold War thanks to the merits of US systems. The US has always seen itself as the elect nation and adhered to American exceptionalism, Americans believe their destiny is subject to the will of God and hope to make city upon a hill an example for all humans. Looking back on its own history, the US finds it has made dazzling achievements due to its own endeavours and providence of God. In the wake of the Second World War, the US has evolved into a world leader. After the Cold War, American exceptionalism and superiority have further gathered momentum, exemplified by the concept of the end of history: humans have reached the peak in exploring social organization and governance model and the US model is the definitive and final one.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks, financial crisis, racial conflicts, resurgence of populism and partisan disputes have prompted Fukuyama to shift his focus from democracy to state, instead of singing the praise of democratic systems as he did in the late days of the Cold War, although he insisted state, rule of law and democracy are three crucial concepts for any political order.

From State Building: Governance and World Order in the 21st Century and The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution to Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy and America in Decay: The Sources of Political Dysfunction, Fukuyama reminded people of the importance of governance capability and warned of the decay of US politics by pointing out interest groups, dependency theory and family restoration have led to the decay of US politics. Many internal causes contribute to US political decay. Fukuyamas research deserves careful examination, especially the example he often cited: how US Forest Service decays. He also cited a 2003 US Public Service Committee survey to reveal those involved in bureaucracy find themselves trapped in a maze of regulations and rules where individual development is handicapped and creativity is strangled. The pay is too low for the best employees, but too high for the worst ones. The absence of responsibility and intertwined interests get government agencies to forget their duties despite their adherence to procedure and political correctness, let alone keep pace with the times. In such political ecosystem, an emergency aggravated by all sorts of problems will escalate into a big crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.

How to solve these problems? Some suggested to seek foreign rivals and bring in external competition to make the US great again. In fact, this is the traditional tactics of the US that are rooted in its history and culture. The US has to compete or it will lose. This explains why the US forges blocs on the world stage, blames China, exaggerates the challenges and threats posed by China, spreads the lab leak theory, proposes Build Back Better World to counter the Belt and Road initiative. All these manoeuvres on the one hand target China, on the other hand seek to save a failing US.

The question now is can an ailing US solve these underlying problems when the government is the biggest problem for the country?

Contributed by Zhang Zhenjiang Head of School of International Studies/Academy of Overseas Chinese Studies

Translated by Wu Zidan

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Rescuers hold umbrellas to shade the sick baby elephant from the sun in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Aug. 29, 2021. A newborn baby elephant in Xishuangbanna was abandoned by its herd only six days after its birth due to severe diseases including suppuration of umbilical cord. Local authorities have carried out emergency treatment for the ailing baby elephant. The doctor who is in charge of its treatment said on Tuesday that the baby elephant had recovered from its fever, and its illness and mental state showed a trend of improvement, yet the baby elephant was still not out of danger. (The Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center in Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve/Handout via Xinhua)

KUNMING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A sick baby elephant that was trapped in a banana plantation in southwest China's Yunnan Province and left behind by its herd only days after birth has been rescued by local authorities and is receiving treatment.

The elephant was found trapped in the plantation in Mengban Township in southern Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture on Saturday morning after it lagged behind a herd of some 40 elephants, according to the prefectural forest and grassland bureau, which has staff monitoring the migration of elephants in the region.

On Sunday morning, the bureau dispatched staff to rescue the trapped calf after confirming that its herd had not come back. It was later transferred to the Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center in Xishuangbanna for diagnosis and treatment.

A physical examination showed that the male calf, which weighed 85 kg, was in critical condition, with a severely festered umbilical cord and symptoms including diarrhea, fever and tachycardia.

Veterinarians with the rescue center disinfected it and fed it medicines and goat milk, which helped improve its condition.

Bao Mingwei, a veterinarian with the center, said Tuesday morning that the calf's body temperature has returned to normal, and its condition has continued to improve.

However, the elephant is still not out of danger, Bao said.

"The calf is very young, which poses great difficulties for treatment," Bao said, adding that he is confident of curing the elephant, but the treatment may take a long time. Enditem

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Editor: Zhang Zhou
Artists stage a performance at an opening gala of the sixth ethnic minority art festival in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2021. The opening gala of the sixth ethnic minority art festival was held in Beijing on Tuesday evening. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's, GMW.cn makes no representations as to accuracy, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information.
BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Although the U.S. military has withdrawn from Afghanistan, the massacre of civilians by the U.S. military and its allies in Afghanistan in the past 20 years must be investigated thoroughly, and the murderers brought to justice, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily news briefing in response to a question on the recent civilian killings by U.S. troops during their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

According to reports, on August 26, a terrorist attack near Kabul's airport caused hundreds of casualties. Some wounded people claimed that the U.S. military fired at people after the explosion, causing more casualties.

Reports also said that on August 29, the U.S. military in Afghanistan used drones to attack a residential building in Kabul on the grounds of anti-terrorism actions, killing ten civilians, the youngest of whom was only two years old.

Wang said that China noticed these reports. He said reports show the killing of civilians by the U.S. military in Afghanistan occurred frequently. For instance, in 2002, a U.S. military airstrike hit a wedding banquet in Uruzgan Province, causing dozens of deaths and more than 100 injuries.

These attacks continued. A U.S. military airstrike in 2008 hit a village in Herat Province, killing nearly 100 civilians, including 50 children and 19 women.

In 2010, a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) airstrike hit Dekundi Province, killing at least 33 people.

In 2012, the British Daily Telegraph released a video showing four U.S. soldiers assaulting the remains of Taliban personnel in a reprehensible manner.

In 2015, the Afghan anti-narcotics police force was attacked by NATO fighters during its mission, and 15 policemen were killed.

In 2019, U.S. drones launched an attack in Nangarhar Province, killing at least 30 Afghan farmers.

Wang said that the number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan caused by U.S. airstrikes far exceeds the official U.S. government announcement. Statistics show that as of April 2020, at least 47,245 Afghan civilians have been killed in the war in Afghanistan launched by the United States.

He stressed that although U.S. troops exited Afghanistan, its massacre of civilians must be investigated thoroughly.

"The lives and the human rights of the Afghan people should be safeguarded. This is about the international rule of law, justice, and the progress of human rights," said the spokesperson.

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, presides over the closing meeting of the 18th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Wang Yang on Wednesday called on political advisors to continue supporting the building of a peaceful China through in-depth political consultation, and to continue providing their opinions and suggestions in this regard.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, made the remarks when presiding over the closing meeting of a Standing Committee session of the CPPCC National Committee.

Building a prosperous and peaceful country has always been the most fundamental and common wish of the Chinese people, noted Wang, stressing that to achieve this goal, continuous efforts must be made in tackling all sorts of risks.

Wang added that socio-economic development ought to progress in coordination with national security and social peacefulness. Enditem

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U.S. to be ready to apply sanctions in event of threat to Ukraine's energy security  Zelensky

The United States may introduce sanctions if Ukraine's energy independence is jeopardized after the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is put into operation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"If Ukrainian rights are violated, if energy security is breached, the U.S. will be ready to apply its sanctions policy," Zelensky said in response to questions from journalists following a meeting with members of Congress in Washington.

"I told the president [Joe Biden] outright that we will counter this energy weapon no matter what," he said.

In their joint strategic partnership statement, Ukraine and the U.S. said that they view the Nord Stream 2 project as a threat to European energy security. Kyiv and Washington also agreed to support efforts to increase the capacity for gas supplies to Ukraine from diversified sources.
The United States has announced a new $60 million security assistance package for Ukraine, which includes Javelin anti-armor systems and other weapons.

"The United States is announcing a new $60 million security assistance package, including additional Javelin anti-armor systems and other defensive lethal and non-lethal capabilities, to enable Ukraine to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression. The United States has committed $2.5 billion in support of Ukraines forces since 2014, including more than $400 million this year alone," Ukraine and the United States said in a joint statement.
The United States plans to allocate over $463 million in assistance to Ukraine, including for programs aimed at promoting democracy, human rights, and decentralization, according to a joint statement of Kyiv and Washington dealing with the two countries' strategic partnership.

"The U.S. government [...] plans to allocate [to Ukraine] over $463 million in assistance this year, including for programs focused on democracy, human rights, local governance and decentralization, privatization, and judicial reform," according to the statement.

It notes that with the support of the United States, Ukraine will continue to advance respect for human rights, civil liberties, and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international standards and obligations, as well as to fight racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and discrimination against the LGBTQI+ community.

"Ukraine plans to strengthen accountability for violence against all persons regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or political views, including through legislation," the officials said in the joint statements.

It also notes that Ukraine and the United States intend to continue holding Russia accountable for ongoing systemic abuses in the territories of Ukraine controlled or occupied by Russia and to seek the release of political prisoners and hostages held in these territories.
The United States and Ukraine are reinvigorating the Strategic Partnership Commission (SPC), reoriented and resourced to meet 21st century challenges.

This is stated in a joint statement by Kyiv and Washington on the strategic partnership of the two countries, which was announced on Wednesday.

"To memorialize the elevated status of our partnership, the U.S. Secretary of State and the Ukrainian Foreign Minister intend to approve a new Charter at the SPC's meeting in Washington this fall," the statement said.
The United States intends to transfer an additional $12.8 million to Ukraine in COVID-related assistanc under the America Rescue Plan Act.

This is stated in a joint statement by Kyiv and Washington on the strategic partnership of the two countries, which was announced on Wednesday.

"The United States intends to provide additional assistance to Ukraine, to include cold chain storage support and an additional $12.8 million in COVID-related assistance drawn from the America Rescue Plan Act," according to the statement released on the website of the President's Office.
The Ministry of Health, as part of the working visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to the United States, has signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate with U.S. General Electric, the ministry said on its website on Wednesday.

"The Ministry of Health has prioritized infrastructural changes in the industry, namely the construction of a network of modern hospitals within the presidential programs Big Construction and Healthy Ukraine. This also includes the re-equipment of hospitals. Doctors will work with the latest medical equipment capable of high-quality diagnostics and effective innovative treatment of patients," the press service said, citing Minister of Health Viktor Liashko.

According to the report, it is planned to equip the reception departments with computer tomographs, angiographs, endoscopes, MRI, X-rays, etc.

"We are launching a one-day diagnostics project in cancer centers, in particular, in the direction of early diagnosis of breast cancer. Therefore, the invitation of the company to the circle of future potential equipment suppliers under financial and credit agreements became one of the topics of the meeting," the minister added.

The Ministry of Health also invited the company to the Ukrainian market with the localization of production, including radiopharmaceuticals.

"Such international cooperation will lead to new products, start competition, which will give the best prices, and localization will create the pharmaceutical independence of our state," Liashko said.
Ukraine and the United States will adopt a new Strategic Partnership Charter and consider a plan for Ukraine's transformation at a meeting of the updated Strategic Partnership Commission to be held this autumn, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

"This autumn, Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken and I will hold a meeting of the updated Strategic Partnership Commission, and most importantly, we will adopt the new Charter for Strategic Partnership between Ukraine and the United States," Kuleba said on Facebook on Thursday.

The Foreign Minister said that at the meeting of the Strategic Partnership Commission, in particular, a plan for the transformation of Ukraine will be considered.

He said the joint statement of Ukraine and the United States on the results of the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the United States is an unprecedented document. "I am extremely pleased with it [with the statement]. To be honest, he exceeded my expectations. I am grateful to the American partners for hearing Ukraine on most of the issues, and we have a very substantive document that summarizes the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States to a new level," Kuleba said.

The minister also said the joint statement of Ukraine and the United States is "very substantive in terms of money."

"Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is opening a $3 billion line to finance projects of the U.S. companies in Ukraine in infrastructure, agriculture, energy, and so on. The United States, and this is the decision of the Biden administration, is allocating $60 million for Javelins and other military equipment for Ukraine by the end of the year. And $45 million is allocated to solve humanitarian problems in the areas adjacent to the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions," Kuleba said.
Kremlin and Ukrainian presidential office not preparing summit, it's hardly possible before yearend - Peskov

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are unlikely to meet before the end of this year, as the administrations of the two leaders are far from agreeing on an agenda for these talks, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"I can say that none of the parties reject the possibility of such communication. At the same time, the presidential administrations - the office of the president of Ukraine and the administration of the president of Russia - are still far from agreeing on any concrete agenda for such a possible meeting," Peskov said in an interview with Izvestia on Thursday.

He also expressed doubt that such a meeting might take place this year.

"I don't think so," Peskov said in response to the relevant question.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the future visit of U.S. President Joseph Biden to Ukraine was discussed by the parties before and after the meeting. The head of Ukraine expects the visit of the U.S. leader.

"Frankly speaking, I remembered this after the meeting, that it was necessary to talk in more detail about the visit of the U.S. President. But before that, our teams communicated and we communicated by phone regarding the visit. I think that the President will come to Ukraine," Zelensky said on briefing in Washington on Wednesday.

He also said that Biden visited Ukraine more than once.

"This will be, I think, his seventh visit. He has been to Ukraine many times," Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian authorities have taken unprecedented measures to ensure all aspects of the Hasidic pilgrimage to Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and the normal functioning of the city during this period. The Ambassador of Ukraine to the State of Israel Yevhen Korniychuk stated this on the Israeli TV channel i24 News.

This year, the Ukrainian government has taken unprecedented measures to properly prepare for the Hasidic pilgrimage to Uman. First of all, a mobile hospital will be deployed near the grave of Tsadik Nachman. Conditions have been created for the PCR-test of people who came to the celebration, this is done for their safe return home. Vaccinated people and those who have a negative PCR-test and health insurance covering COVID-19 treatment are allowed to enter Ukraine, - he said.

Yevhen Korniychuk stressed that Ukrainian law enforcement officers are moving around the 24hours check area/

This year about 50 thousand pilgrims are expected to arrive in Uman, today about 13 thousand pilgrims have arrived. And this is a significant figure for the city, which is home to 17,000 people. Again, we must not forget about restrictive measures in connection with COVID-19. We are interested in ensuring safety, cleanliness and order for all visitors, as well as in ensuring that the local population is not harmed, - he said.

However, the head of the diplomatic mission noted that the city of Uman is economically interested in the annual pilgrimage of Hasids to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.

We are in constant contact with the Breslav Rabbinical Committee. This year, for the first time will be levied a tourist tax on pilgrims, which will keep the city of Uman clean and tidy. We have repeatedly had a dialogue with rabbis about the need for pilgrims to follow the rules of conduct. Last week, unfortunately, we had a shooting incident between two Israeli citizens in Uman, in which a Ukrainian citizen was injured. As the Ambassador of Ukraine, I sent an open letter to the Breslav Hasidic rabbinate in order to prevent such incidents, - Yevhen Korniychuk summed up.
Zelensky to meet with Apple CEO in California on Sept 2, visit Silicon Valley, speak at Stanford University

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will pay a working visit to California, meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook, visit Silicon Valley and give a lecture at Stanford University, press secretary of the President Serhiy Nykyforov said.

"In the morning, the President of Ukraine will meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook. After that - a speech at Stanford University. Communication with leading investors and venture funds in Silicon Valley. Separately - a meeting with Ukrainian entrepreneurs and specialists of the valley," Nykyforov wrote on his Facebook page.

Also Zelensky will get acquainted with the work of the California National Guard.
Pechersky District Court of Kyiv has extended the measure of restraint in the form of round-the-clock house arrest for MP of the Opposition Platform - For Life faction Viktor Medvedchuk.

The court made the corresponding ruling on Thursday, thus satisfying the motion submitted by the prosecutor's office.
On Tuesday, September 7, at 10.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host press conference entitled "Gene pool of Ukrainian horse breeding under threat of extinction: ways of solving crisis issues." Participants include Deputy Director for Research of the Institute of Animal Husbandry of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine; head of the breeding center for horse breeding, member of expert commissions for horse breeding, Doctor of Science in Agriculture Iryna Tkacheva; President of the Association for Horse Racing Tetiana Andriyshyna; honored livestock expert of Ukraine, chief horse breeding livestock of the Dibrivsky horse farm No. 62 of SOE "Horse Breeding of Ukraine" Arkadiy Labunets; master-rider of the communal enterprise "Kyiv Hippodrome" Oleksandr Skvortsov (8/5a Reitarska Street). The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Due to quarantine restrictions the number of seats in the press center is limited. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot. Details at phone: (068) 339 2911.
Storm clouds roll in over the U.S. Supreme Court, following an abortion ruling by the Texas legislature, in Washington, U.S., (Photo : REUTERS/Tom Brenner)

Texas on Wednesday enacted the strictest anti-abortion law in the country after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to act on a request by abortion-rights groups to block the law banning the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy.



It was a victory for conservatives, who have long sought to eliminate abortion access in the United States.



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Prominent Democrats including President Joe Biden voiced outrage, saying the Texas law violated the right to abortion access established by the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973.



"My administration ... will protect and defend that right," Biden said.



Abortion rights activists said such a ban has not been enacted in any U.S. state since that landmark ruling.



Texas abortion providers worked until almost the midnight deadline, when the 6-3 conservative-majority court's inaction allowed the law to be enforced while abortion-rights groups further pursue their legal challenge to its constitutionality.



The justices could yet take action on the Texas case. But they have already agreed to hear arguments in Mississippi's effort to overturn Roe v. Wade.



The law amounts to a near-total ban on abortion procedures given that 85% to 90% of abortions occur after six weeks of pregnancy, and would likely force many clinics to close, the abortion-rights groups said.



A majority of Americans believe abortion should be legal in the United States, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. Some 52% said it should be legal in most or all cases, with just 36% saying it should be illegal in most or all cases.



But it remains a deeply polarizing issue, with a majority of Democrats supporting abortion rights and a majority of Republicans opposing them.



Texas's Republican-controlled state legislature this week also passed a bill https://www.reuters.com/world/us/texas-senate-passes-bill-critics-say-restricts-votes-goes-governor-2021-08-31 restricting voter access, following Republican former President Donald Trump's election defeat, which he falsely blamed on widespread voter fraud.



Governor Greg Abbott has vowed to sign that bill into law.



'BOUNTY SYSTEM'



Abortion opponents nationwide are hopeful the Supreme Court, which now has three Trump-appointed justices, will eventually take steps to reverse Roe v. Wade.



At Whole Woman's Health in Fort Worth, Texas, clinic staff worked up to midnight, serving 25 patients in the 2-1/2 hours before the deadline. The national group said its Texas locations, also including Austin and McKinney, remained open on Wednesday.



"This morning I woke up feeling a deep sadness," said Amy Hagstrom Miller, the organization's chief executive. "This law opens up a bounty system, a vigilante kind of system that can call into question anyone who supports access to abortion."



Whole Woman's Health, Planned Parenthood and other women's health providers, doctors and some clergy members challenged the law in federal court in Austin in July, contending it violated the constitutional right to an abortion.



The law, signed on May 19, is unusual in that it prevents government officials from enforcing the ban, instead giving private citizens that power by enabling them to sue anyone who provides or "aids or abets" an abortion after six weeks.



Citizens who win such lawsuits would be entitled to at least $10,000.



Abortion providers say the law could lead to hundreds of costly lawsuits that would be logistically difficult to defend.



In a legal filing, Texas officials told the Supreme Court justices to reject the abortion providers' request, doubting it can be challenged before it has been enforced against them.



Texas is among a dozen mostly Republican-led states that have enacted "heartbeat" abortion bans, which outlaw the procedure once the rhythmic contracting of fetal cardiac tissue can be detected, often at six weeks - sometimes before a woman realizes she is pregnant. Courts have blocked such bans.



"Texas Right to Life is thankful that the Texas Heartbeat Act is now in effect. We are now the first state ever to enforce a heartbeat law. We still await word from SCOTUS," spokeswoman Kimberlyn Schwartz said in a statement, using an acronym for the Supreme Court of the United States.



A court could still put the ban on hold, and no court has yet ruled on its constitutionality, Stephen Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, wrote in a tweet.



"Despite what some will say, this isn't the 'end' of Roe," he wrote.



'BLUEPRINT FOR OTHER STATES'



In the Texas case, empowering private citizens helped shield the law from being immediately blocked as it made it more difficult to directly sue the government. It is a formula other states seeking heartbeat bans could potentially follow, legal experts said.



"Texas has certainly created a blueprint for other states," said Mary Ziegler, an expert on abortion at Florida State University College of Law.



Those states may see that path as unnecessary, she said, given that the Supreme Court has already agreed to hear a major case over Mississippi's 2018 law banning abortion after 15 weeks.



The justices will hear arguments in their next term, which begins in October, with a ruling due by the end of June 2022.



The Texas challenge seeks to prevent judges, county clerks and other state entities from enforcing the law.



A federal judge rejected a bid to dismiss the case, prompting an immediate appeal to the New Orleans, Louisiana-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which halted further proceedings.



On Sunday, the 5th Circuit denied a request by the abortion providers to block the law pending the appeal. The providers then asked the Supreme Court for an emergency ruling.


A farmer holds a piglet in Tauche, Germany, (Photo : REUTERS/Axel Schmidt)

Germany is facing a long-term battle to eradicate African swine fever carried into the east of the country by wild animals, state and federal authorities said on Wednesday.



Some 2,036 cases of the disease have been confirmed in wild boar near the border with Poland, where the disease is widespread. Wild animals crossing into Germany from Poland were behind an outbreak last year.



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China and many other pork buyers banned imports of German pork in September 2020 after the first case was confirmed in wild boar, causing a major loss of business for Germany.



"African swine fever is a problem for the whole of Germany and the entire European Union," Wolfram Guenther, agriculture minister in the eastern state government of Saxony, said after a meeting of state and federal agriculture ministries about countering ASF.



"The fight against ASF is a real long-term challenge as we must prevent or at least minimise the spread over a long border."



In July, the disease, which is lethal to pigs but harmless to humans and for which there is no vaccine, was found in pigs on three east German farms, complicating trade talks with pork importers including China.



Germany's strategy to tackle the disease includes building fences along the Polish border to stop wild boar entering the country, increasing hunting of wild animals and stricter hygiene measures on farms. The disease has so far been contained in border regions with Poland.



"If the disease spreads further westwards, other German states could become ASF regions, with all consequences," said Guenther, who called for more financial support from the EU and federal government.



Uwe Feiler, the junior federal agriculture minister, said Germany had unsuccessfully urged Poland to build its own border fence.


Jay Jonas, a deputy chief at the New York Fire Department, attends an interview with Reuters at a fire station in the Bronx, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, in New York, U.S. (Photo : REUTERS/Dan Fastenberg)

Then a captain with Fire Ladder Company 6 in the Chinatown section of lower Manhattan, Jay Jonas tells a harrowing story of rescue and survival at the collapse of the World Trade Center after the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.



"Some days it seems like it was yesterday. Some days it feels like it was 20 years ago," said Jonas, who is still with the New York Fire Department and serves currently as a deputy chief.



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"Staying on is my coping mechanism," the 63-year-old told Reuters during a recent interview at a fire station in the Bronx ahead of the 20th anniversary of the attacks.



"There was tremendous trepidation and fear going into our operations that day, but we did it," Jonas remembered.



In the North Tower lobby with colleagues shortly after it was hit, Jonas recalls the moment the plane hit the South Tower.



"Now, you had one of the firemen from Rescue One look up and say 'we may not live through today.' And we thought about it and we acknowledged his statement, and we took the time to shake each other's hands and wish each other good luck," he said.



"Out of all those guys I was surrounded by when the second plane hit the South Tower, I'm the only one that lived."



Jonas was ordered to do search and rescue in the North Tower. He recalls the building beginning to vibrate as the collapse drew nearer.



"The collapse was compressing all the air that was in the building, so it created tornado-like winds in the stairway," he said.



"We're getting hit with debris as the building's coming down and you also you have this eerie sound of twisting steel all around us.



"You know, I looked up, I could see a little sliver of blue sky and I said, 'guys, there used to be 106 floors over our heads. Now I see a sliver of blue sky."



Jonas and his team were able to find their way out of the rubble.



After a short leave, he returned to the job and was promoted to battalion chief.



His first big fire back, he recalled, was in a high rise in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn.



"I had some butterflies in my stomach," he remembers feeling. "We got there, the guys did a terrific job, they put the fire out, nobody was killed, nobody was hurt. And all of a sudden I just came to the realization, 'This is going to be OK.'"


The Caldor Fire burns near Twin Bridges, California, U.S., (Photo : REUTERS/Fred Greaves)

South Lake Tahoe stood smoke-filled and largely deserted on Wednesday after crews fought back a huge, wind-driven wildfire, leaving the popular California resort town unscathed as the flames crept toward Nevada.



The Caldor fire, burning since mid-August in the Sierra Nevada range, still threatened homes and businesses near Lake Tahoe, abetted by gusty, bone-dry conditions.



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"We steered the fire away" from South Lake Tahoe, Jason Hunter, a spokesman for the Caldor incident command, told Reuters by telephone.



The town's 22,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate on Monday after the blaze unexpectedly crested a high ridgeline and swept downslope toward populated areas in the lake basin that straddles the California-Nevada border.



Hunter said the wind direction late on Tuesday and overnight through Wednesday morning helped push flames farther to the northeast rather than straight north toward Tahoe.



"There was a massive amount of heavy-equipment work and structure-protection work along those neighborhoods," he added.



The smaller, unincorporated village of Meyers - a former trading post and onetime Pony Express station a few miles away - was likewise spared, said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) spokesman Henry Herrera.



"We're not out of the woods yet," Herrera added, but crews managed overnight to "keep the fire outside those communities and away from homes."



Firefighters also got help on Wednesday morning from an atmospheric inversion layer that settled over the Tahoe area overnight, trapping smoke close to the ground and tamping down flames at lower elevations, officials said.



At the nearby Heavenly Mountain Resort ski area, snow-making machines were used to coat the terrain with water, officials told the San Jose Mercury News.



In all, Caldor has forced an estimated 50,000 people to flee and laid waste to at least 729 structures, most of them single-family dwellings, while 34,800 more buildings were listed as threatened throughout the fire zone, Cal Fire said.



As of Wednesday morning, the fire had charred more than 204,000 acres (82,500 hectares) of drought-parched timber, some 4,700 acres (1,900 hectares) more than reported the night before.



Ground crews hacking away unburned vegetation with bulldozers and hand tools had carved containment lines around 20% of the fire's perimeter as of Wednesday, Cal Fire said, up from 15% containment on Tuesday morning.



The Caldor fire was among nearly two dozen raging across California and scores of others elsewhere in the West, during a summer fire season shaping up as one of the most destructive on record. The blazes have been stoked by extremely hot, dry conditions that experts say are symptomatic of climate change.



The National Weather Service posted a red-flag warning for dangerously gusty winds of up to 45 miles per hour (72 kph) and extremely low humidity for the Tahoe area through Wednesday night.



As the fire got closer to the Nevada state line, officials expanded the area under evacuation orders to include more of California's sparsely populated Alpine County, on the border.



Authorities across the state line in Douglas County, Nevada, warned residents to be ready to flee at a moment's notice.



RECREATION CENTER INTO A SHELTER



"This thing is just unstoppable," evacuee Lee England said on Tuesday, gazing at a U.S. Forest Service map outside a shelter the Red Cross set up at a recreation center in Carson City, Nevada. England, 47, a hip-hop skate performer and instructor, fled her South Lake Tahoe apartment late on Sunday.



The smell of smoke hung in the air in Carson City, the Nevada state capital, about 30 miles (48 km) east of South Lake Tahoe. When a bit of ash fell on the back of England's Boston terrier, Bon Bon, she bent and gently plucked the gray fleck from the black and white fur.



Nearly 4,200 personnel and a squadron of over two dozen water-dropping helicopters were assigned to the blaze, whose cause remained under investigation.



No deaths have been reported. Three firefighters and two civilians were injured in recent days.



During an operational briefing for firefighting personnel on Wednesday, the team's safety officer warned that "fatigue can and will set in," and urged crews to "pace" themselves for what remained a long, arduous battle.



More than 6,800 wildfires large and small have blackened an estimated 1.7 million acres (689,000 hectares) within California alone this season, stretching firefighting forces and equipment dangerously thin. Cal Fire and U.S. Forest Service officials have described ferocious fire behavior across the region as unprecedented.


FILE PHOTO: The Apple Inc. logo is seen hanging at the entrance to the Apple store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York, U.S (Photo : REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo)

Apple Inc is asking its U.S employees to report their vaccination status as COVID-19 cases spike in the country, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing an internal memo.



The iPhone maker has asked its staff to report their status "voluntarily" by mid-September, regardless of whether they are working remotely or from an office, according to the report https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-01/apple-asks-all-u-s-employees-to-report-vaccination-status?sref=vEQJzSks.



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New guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that requires fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks have prompted companies to change their policies on vaccinations and masking.



Big tech firms are also delaying their return-to-office timelines as the highly contagious Delta variant drives a resurgence in new COVID-19 infections.



Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.


A RAF Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter jet taxis along a runway after landing at the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford, Britain (Photo : REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo)

A bipartisan group of 13 members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter to the Pentagon supporting Lockheed Martin's proposed acquisition of rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne, according to the letter seen by Reuters.



Shares of Aerojet rose more than 2% after the Reuters report as investors cheered congressional support for a deal that has run into headwinds among some lawmakers.



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In July, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren asked the Federal Trade Commission to take a tougher look at defense industry mergers, questioning Lockheed Martin's plan to buy the biggest independent maker of rocket motors, Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings.



The Aug. 31 letter sent to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said it was in "both our national security interests and the U.S. taxpayer's best interest to approve this proposed acquisition."



The lawmakers said Northrop Grumman's 2018 purchase of rocket engine maker Orbital ATK upset the structure of the rocket engine marketplace and a Lockheed deal would restore equilibrium.



"The only reasonable assurance we have that the American rocket propulsion manufacturing sector remains strong and has at least two well-resourced merchant suppliers for all defense and space propulsion products is to approve the merger with Lockheed," the letter said.



Lockheed announced a $4.4 billion agreement to buy Aerojet late last year, but the deal has raised eyebrows because it would give Lockheed - the No. 1 defense contractor - ownership of a vital piece of the U.S. missile industry. Aerojet motors are used in everything from the homeland missile shield to Stinger missiles.



Lockheed has said Aerojet Rocketdyne would continue to supply the entire defense industry, a premise met with skepticism by Raytheon Technologies, a major customer for rocket motors.



A Lockheed spokesperson said the company is expecting the deal to buy Aerojet to close by year-end.


The Apple logo is seen on a Macbook in this illustration photo taken (Photo : REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

Apple Inc on Wednesday made a new concession on how App Store developers work with customers: it will allow subscription and content apps that it calls "reader" apps, a category that potentially includes Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon's Kindle, to provide users with a direct link to their website for sign ups, avoiding an Apple commission.



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The move follows some concessions to developers last week and comes as the iPhone maker contends with legal and regulatory challenges to rules it forces app makers to follow, including a closely watched antitrust lawsuit brought by "Fortnite" creator Epic Games.



WHAT ARE 'READER' APPS?



Apple says "reader" apps provide previously purchased content or subscriptions for app-based magazines, newspapers, books, music and video services. It determines which companies meet that definition.



Apple does not disclose the apps it categorizes as "reader" apps, but eBook readers such as Kindle, video and music streaming services such as Spotify, Netflix, AT&T's HBO Max and Disney+ Hulu are likely to fall in this category.



When a user signs up for such a paid service from within an app, the subscription is considered an in-app purchase, which means Apple requires the app to use its payment system and collects a commission.



Many music and video streaming bypass those commissions, which range from 15% to 30%, by asking users to sign up and enter payment details on their websites rather than inside the app. Apple had prevented the developers from providing a link within their apps to do so.



WHAT'S NOT COVERED?



Payment for other services, such as video games, are not changed, according to Japanese authorities, whose investigation led to the new global policy, although the officials said they could investigate gaming transactions in the future.



That means the biggest fight against Apple's policies, the antitrust court challenge by "Fortnite" maker Epic, continues. A judge is expected to deliver a decision soon in that case.



Apps offering physical goods or services, such as Amazon, Uber and Lyft, do not pay any fee because Apple does not consider their sales as "digital goods".



WILL THE NEW DEAL SATISFY OTHER REGULATORS AND GAME MAKERS



Certainly not all. Many app developers, well beyond those making "readers", have expressed anger with Apple's tight rules and steep commissions, leading antitrust regulators and lawmakers in several countries to examine how the company runs its App Store.



India launched a new antitrust case hours after Japan reached a settlement with Apple, while South Korea approved a bill to impose curbs on Google and Apple's payment policies.



"If they opened up to this because of regulatory pressure...this could be a start to something, maybe even bigger where it is not only the reader apps but it could also include gaming and online dating apps," Evercore ISI analyst Shweta Khajuria said.



WHO WINS AND LOSES?



Subscription and content companies like Netflix and Spotify will find it easy to sign up subscribers.



Users of such "reader" apps will find it easier to sign up from a link in the apps, many of which currently do not offer any instructions on how to sign up outside the app and instead offer only a minimalist login screen for existing subscribers.



Apple is unlikely to lose significant revenue because many of the largest "reader" apps like Spotify And Netflix quit using the in-app payment systems years ago.



Any revenue losses for Apple are mostly likely to come from up-and-coming content apps that will now have an easier time signing up paid users outside the app and so may be less likely to use Apple's in-app payment system.



Even after the change, the extra step of following a link to an external site could discourage many users from completing the sign-up process.



Analysts said the changes would allow smaller developers, who do not have the scale to reach millions of users, to maintain a direct relationship with users.



"There probably will be some disappointment that there weren't greater concessions given," Susannah Streeter, a markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said.



"Apple is still in a fortress," she said, adding the company is not going to show any weakness as it awaits a ruling in the Epic case.


Returning to film, Jane Campion says #MeToo was 'like the end of apartheid'

Director Jane Campion, actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst pose during the 78th Venice International Film Festival, in Venice, Italy, (Photo : REUTERS/Yara Nardi)

Acclaimed New Zealand director Jane Campion, back on the big screen after a 12-year hiatus, praised fellow female film-makers for a string of top awards over the past year, saying the #MeToo movement was like "the end of apartheid" for women.



Campion, presenting her new film "The Power of The Dog" at the Venice festival on Thursday, pointed to colleagues Chloe Zhao - whose "Nomadland" won the top prize in Venice last year and went on to fetch three Oscars - and this year's Cannes winner Julia Ducournau.



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"The girls are doing very well," Campion, the first female director to receive the Palme D'Or in Cannes for her 1993 film "The Piano", told reporters.



"All I can say is that, since the #MeToo movement happened, I feel a change in the weather. It's like the Berlin wall coming down or the end of apartheid for us women."



Campion, 67, picked a tale of machismo and revenge set in 1925 Montana and based on a novel by Thomas Savage for her first film since "Bright Star", a 2009 biographical drama about poet John Keats, and several years spent working on a TV series.



"The Power of The Dog", shot entirely in Campion's native New Zealand, stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank, a cruel, twisted ranch owner who sets out to torment Rose, the new wife of his brother, together with her bookish son.



Cumberbatch said the toxic attitude of his character towards Rose, played by Kirsten Dunst, was a product of his upbringing as well as his fear of losing out once she comes to live in the family ranch.



He said that while shooting he had completely immersed himself in his character. He and Dunst - whose role is amplified in the film compared to the book - barely greeted each other on set to keep with the tense, antagonistic atmosphere that pervades the movie.



"Benedict and I didn't talk to each other on set at all. We always felt guilty if we were like, 'Hi, Hi', we kept our distance," Dunst said.



Campion's film, which was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, is one of two titles produced by Netflix in the main competition line-up in Venice, together with Paolo Sorrentino's "The Hand of God".



Both had been invited to the Cannes festival but opted instead for Venice, which unlike its French rival does not demand a theatrical release for films vying for the top prize. The festival ends on Sept. 11.


The Whatsapp logo and binary cyber codes are seen in this illustration taken (Photo : REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

Facebook's WhatsApp was fined a record 225 million euro ($266 million) by the Irish data protection regulator on Thursday after the EU privacy watchdog pressured Ireland to raise the penalty for the company's privacy breaches.



WhatsApp said the fine was "entirely disproportionate" and that it would appeal. Still, the Irish fine is significantly less than the record $886.6 million euro fine meted out to Amazon by the Luxembourg privacy agency in July.



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Austrian privacy campaigner Max Schrems, who has taken on Facebook in several privacy cases, said the initial fine was 50 million euros.



Ireland's Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC), the lead data privacy regulator for Facebook within the European Union, said the issues related to whether WhatsApp conformed in 2018 with EU data rules about transparency.



"This includes information provided to data subjects about the processing of information between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies," the Irish regulator said in a statement.



A WhatsApp spokesperson said in a statement the issues in question related to policies in place in 2018 and the company had provided comprehensive information.



"We disagree with the decision today regarding the transparency we provided to people in 2018 and the penalties are entirely disproportionate," the spokesperson said.



EU privacy watchdog the European Data Protection Board said it had given several pointers to the Irish agency in July to address criticism from its peers for taking too long to decide in cases involving tech giants and for not fining them enough for any breaches.



It said a WhatsApp fine should take into account Facebook's turnover and that the company should be given three months instead of six months to comply.



Europe's landmark privacy rules, known as GDPR, are finally showing some teeth even if the lead regulator for some tech giants appears otherwise, said Ulrich Kelber, Germany's federal commissioner for data protection and freedom of information.



"What is important now is that the many other open cases on WhatsApp in Ireland are finally decided on so that we can take faster and longer strides towards the uniform enforcement of data protection law in Europe," he told Reuters.



Data regulators from eight other European countries triggered a dispute resolution mechanism after Ireland shared its provisional decision in relation to the WhatsApp inquiry, which started in December 2018.



In July, a meeting of the European Data Protection Board issued a "clear instruction that required the DPC to reassess and increase its proposed fine on the basis of a number of factors contained", the Irish regulator said.



"Following this reassessment the DPC has imposed a fine of 225 million euros on WhatsApp," it said.



The Irish regulator also reprimanded and ordered WhatsApp to bring its processing into compliance by taking "a range of specified remedial actions".



The Irish regulator had 14 major inquiries into Facebook and its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram open as of the end of last year.



Schrems said he would monitor the company's appeal closely.



"It is to be expected that this case will now be before the Irish Courts for years and it will be interesting if the DPC is actively defending this decision before the Courts, as it was forced to make such a decision by its EU colleagues at the EDPB," he said.



($1 = 0.8444 euros)


First responders stand by floodwaters to perform rescues of trapped local residents after the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida brought drenching rain, flash floods and tornadoes to parts of the northeast in Mamaroneck, New York, (Photo : REUTERS/Mike Segar)

Flooding killed at least 18 people, swept away cars, submerged subway lines and temporarily grounded flights in New York and New Jersey as the remnants of Hurricane Ida brought torrential rains to the area.



New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told a Thursday news conference there were nine confirmed fatalities in New York caused by what he had described as a "historic weather event."



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Countless rescues were made overnight of motorists and subway riders who became stranded in the flood waters, de Blasio said.



Images posted on social media overnight showed water gushing over subway platforms and people wading through knee-deep water in their buildings.



Streets turned to rivers as flooding swept away cars in videos captured by stunned residents.



Four residents of Elizabeth, New Jersey, perished in flooding at Oakwood Plaza, a public housing complex that was "flooded out with eight feet of water," city spokesperson Kelly Martins told Reuters.



Somerset County, New Jersey, reported four confirmed deaths due to flooding overwhelming motorists, with at least one person unaccounted for, according to Frank Roman, deputy chief of the county prosecutor's office.



"Sadly, more than a few folks have passed as a result of this," New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said at a briefing in Mullica Hill in the southern part of the state where a tornado had ripped apart several homes.



The hit to the Middle Atlantic region came three days after Ida, one of the most powerful hurricanes to strike the U.S. Gulf Coast, devastated southern Louisiana https://www.reuters.com/world/us/louisiana-towns-still-crawling-out-idas-destruction-2021-09-02, destroying entire communities.



RECORD-BREAKING RAIN



Ida's remnants brought six to eight inches (15 to 20 cm) of rain to a swath of the Northeast from Philadelphia to Connecticut and set an hourly record of 3.15 inches for Manhattan, breaking the previous one that was set less than two weeks ago, the National Weather Service said.



The 7.13 inches of rain that fell in New York City on Wednesday was the city's fifth highest daily amount, it said.



New York officials blamed much of flooding on the unexpected record-setting intensity of the rainfall that occurred in a short space of time, rather than the daily total for the day, which was within predictions.



"Because of climate change, unfortunately, this is something we're going to have to deal with great regularity," said Kathy Hoc, New York's newly minted governor.



The number of disasters, such as floods and heat waves, driven by climate change has increased fivefold over the past 50 years, according to a report released earlier this week by The World Meteorological Organization, a U.N. agency.



U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday the federal government stood ready to provide "all the assistance that's needed."



NBC New York reported https://www.nbcnewyork.com/weather/at-least-2-dead-as-ida-batters-tri-state-with-historic-rain-flooding-and-tornadoes/3252554 at least 25 fatalities, including a toddler, and said most "if not all" deaths were flood-related.



The governors of New York and New Jersey, who had declared emergencies in their states on Wednesday, urged residents to stay home as crews worked to clear roadways and restore service to New York City subways and commuter rail lines serving millions of residents.



"Right now my street looks more like a lake," said Lucinda Mercer, 64, as she peered out her apartment window in Hoboken, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from New York.



Mercer, who works as a crisis line fundraiser, said flood waters were lapping halfway up the hub caps of parked cars.



Subway service in New York City remained "extremely limited" while there was no service at all on commuter rail lines to the city's northern suburbs on Thursday morning, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTPA) said. Janno Lieber, the MTA's acting chair and CEO, told local media it was going to take until later in the day to restore full service.



The Long Island Railroad, which is also run by the MTA, said early on Thursday that services on most of its branches had been restored.



'HUMBLED BY MOTHER NATURE'



Michael Wildes, mayor of Englewood, New Jersey, said the city's central business district was under water and some residents had to be evacuated to the library overnight.



"We are being humbled by mother nature in this last year and a half," Wildes told Reuters by phone.



He said there were no known deaths in Englewood, although police, fire and other emergency responders had extracted several people trapped in their cars.



Mark Haley of Summit, New Jersey, said getting back home after a 15-minute drive to a bowling alley to celebrate his daughter's sixth birthday on Wednesday night became a six-hour slog through flood waters that often left him trapped.



"When we got out, it was a war zone," said Haley, 50, a fitness trainer, who got home to find almost two feet (0.6 m) of water in his basement.



All New Jersey Transit rail services apart from the Atlantic City Rail Line were suspended, the service said on its website.



Amtrak said on Thursday morning that it canceled all passenger rail service between Philadelphia and Boston.



New Jersey's Newark Liberty Airport warned about flight disruptions and said about 370 flights were canceled as of Thursday morning.



Nearly 170,000 electricity customers were without power on Thursday in four northeastern states that got the bulk of the rains overnight, mostly in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to PowerOutage.US, which gathers data from utility companies.


The Egyptian health ministry is planning to ensure that 100 percent of employees in the countrys education sector are vaccinated against the coronavirus by October, Health Minister Hala Zayed said on Wednesday.

This is part of the states plan to vaccinate teaching staff, other workers, and students above 18 years old in the pre-university and higher education sectors before the upcoming school year.

The new academic year is scheduled to start on 9 October for schools and universities.

In a Cabinet meeting today, Zayed said that all workers in the education sector will have received their first vaccine shot by 15 September, a Cabinet statement read.

The countrys vaccination campaign has so far used different vaccine types, including the Chinese Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines, which require two doses given three weeks apart.

Minister Zayed said that there is ongoing coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education to provide a database of 2.2 million university students so that they can receive their first coronavirus shot and obtain vaccination certificates with QR codes.

During the meeting, Minister of Higher Education Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said that 289 vaccination centres have been set up at 59 public, private, non-profit and foreign universities nationwide.

So far, 52 universities  which is 88 percent of the countrys universities  have received their first shipment of the vaccine doses, Abdel-Ghaffar said. The remaining universities will receive their doses by Wednesday and Thursday, he added.

Until 31 August, around 86,200 doses had reached universities, including 57,700 first doses and 28,600 second doses, Abdel-Ghaffar added.

Regarding the governments plan to vaccinate workers at the states administrative apparatus, the health minister said that around 1.6 million employees have been vaccinated, including around 44,000 on Tuesday alone.

In mid-August, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ordered the drawing up of an executive plan to vaccinate teaching staff, workers, and students at universities and academic institutes before the beginning of the academic year.

The Cabinet has said that coronavirus vaccinations will be mandatory for students, staff, employees and workers aged 18 or above who are involved in pre-university or university sectors in the country.

The states plan to vaccinate students and teachers comes in parallel with the national efforts to locally manufacture millions of vaccine doses.

In August, the health ministry announced sending the first 1 million doses of its locally-produced Sinovac/VACSERA vaccine to vaccination centres after the completion of the required evaluation tests.

The country is also in the final stages of manufacturing and evaluating 15 million doses of the vaccine, which represent VACSERAs production capacity per month, the ministry said in a statement.

Vaccinating teaching staff, students

In a meeting with Health Minister Zayed on 16 August, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly noted that the government is prioritising the vaccination of teaching staff, workers, and students at universities and institutes.

Zayed said that vaccination facilities at university hospitals originally allocated to vaccinate medical staff will be committed to vaccinating university employees as well, a Cabinet statement read.

Each institute and research centre will also establish its own vaccination clinic, Zayed added.

The health ministry will provide these vaccination facilities with medical staff, devices required for vaccination registration, and sufficient vaccine shots, Zayed said.

These vaccination facilities will be committed to administering the second shot to higher education staff before the beginning of the academic year, the minister added.

University hospitals will be tasked with vaccinating higher education students during the medical examination ahead of their first school year, according to Zayed.

These hospitals will also be assigned to schedule the vaccination of university students in higher grades, she noted.

School staff will be able to register on the health ministrys vaccination website under a new category named workers at the education ministry, the statement cited Zayed as saying.

The Ministry of Education will instruct its employees to register on the website before 7 September, Zayed said. The health ministry will then send them messages with the dates to receive the two vaccine shots before the beginning of the academic year.

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The multinational military exercise Bright Star kicked off on Thursday in Egypt with the participation of 21 countries, the Egyptian military spokesman announced.

The drills, which will last until 17 September, are being carried out at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base in the Northern Military Region, the statement added.

In a speech, the head of the Egyptian armed forces training authority conveyed the greetings and appreciation of Egyptian Minister of Defence and Military Production Mohamed Zaki and Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Mohamed Farid to the participating countries.

He underscored the keenness of the Egyptian armed forces' general command to implement the joint training, saying "It is considered one of the largest and most important military exercises at the global level due to the size of the participating troops.

The training director of the US side expressed his deep appreciation to the Egyptian armed forces for hosting drills and for the warm reception and hospitality.

He added that the US considers Egypt one of the most important strategic partners in the region, the statement added.

The exercise, originally scheduled for September last year, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bright Star exercises are held in Egypt on a regular basis. The first was held in 1980, a year after the signing of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

The last time the Bright Star exercise was held was in 2018.

Troops from Egypt, the United States, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Britain, Greece and Italy participated in the 2018 exercise, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Defence. This is in addition to 16 other countries who participated as observers.

The 2018 exercise saw the participation of navy personnel, air forces and special forces, according to the ministry.

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Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Mohamed Farid witnessed on Tuesday the activities of the "Bright Star 2018" military exercises.



Farid said terrorism has become a dangerous phenomenon that threatens the whole world, lauding the success achieved by Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018 in combating terrorism and drying up its ressources.



The chief of staff also conveyed greetings from President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Minister of Defense Mohamed Zaki to the forces participating in the drills.



Bright Star 2018 exercises started on 8 September at Mohamed Naguib Military Base in Hammam City of Marsa Matrouh and would run until 20 September.



Ground, naval and air forces from Egypt, the US, Greece, Jordan, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Italy and France are taking part in the drills.



The 13-day drills are monitored by 16 countries.

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A trilateral summit between Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine's leaders has kicked off in Cairo to discuss a number of issues of mutual concern, including the Palestinian cause, Extra News channel reported.

Earlier on Thursday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential palace.

Egypt and Jordan have been in talks with regional and international sides to revive the long-frozen talks between the Palestinian and Israeli sides in accordance with the international resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution with the aim of establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 border, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

El-Sisi, during a meeting with Abbas ahead of the summit, stressed that Egypt would proceed with its painstaking efforts to support the Palestinian cause.

Egypt is coordinating with the Palestinian side to help Palestinians restore their rights, the Egyptian president said.

He highlighted the importance of rallying efforts in the coming period to support a political settlement, push towards resuming negotiations, and maintain the Palestinian-Israeli truce.

He also called for the unification of Palestines ranks and reconciling all Palestinian factions so that they may support the Palestinian Authority and its role in the Gaza Strip.

He underscored the importance of improving the economic, humanitarian, and living conditions in the strip.

Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said the meeting tackled the latest developments in the Palestinian cause and the Middle East peace process.

For his part, Palestinian President Abbas hailed the strenuous efforts exerted by Egypt to support the Palestinian cause.

He lauded Egypt's historical role in advocating for a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause, referring to Egypt's pivotal efforts in facilitating the recent ceasefire with Israel.

He also cited the initiative launched later on by President El-Sisi to reconstruct Gaza, stressing the depth of Palestinian-Egyptian ties.

The two leaders agreed during their talks to hold continued consultations to discuss various issues of mutual concern as well as future steps for supporting the Palestinian cause at all levels.

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Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine's leaders on Thursday held a trilateral summit in Cairo where they emphasised the importance of unifying all partners' efforts to revive the long-frozen peace process between Palestine and Israel.

Earlier on Thursday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential palace.

The three leaders called for resuming negotiations in accordance with internationally legitimate resolutions, highlighting the "grave" consequences on the security and stability of the entire region if the Palestinian issue is kept unsolved, according to a statement by the Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady.

The summit, which started with a closed-door session followed by a meeting of the delegations of the three countries, aimed to coordinate and unify positions and visions about a number of issue related to the Palestinian cause.

The summit comes days after confrontations between the Palestinians and Israeli authorities renewed for the first time since the 11-day aggression on Gaza strip in May.

"The Palestinian cause represents a real basis for the stability of the region and is a priority for all Arab peoples, taking into account the recent developments, particularly regarding the peace process and ways to stabilise the truce following the escalation in the Palestinian territories last May," Rady added.

In late May, Egypt mediated a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian factions to end an 11-day military operation in the Gaza Strip, which claimed over 250 Palestinian lives and injured hundreds.

Egypt and Jordan affirm support to Palestine

The three-way summit witnessed a discussion of the latest developments in the Palestinian territories as well as the developments at the regional and international levels, the spokesman added, noting that the discussions reflected convergence between Egypt, Jordan and Palestine on all issues.

The summit also affirmed the "firm" positions of Egypt and Jordan in supporting the Palestine state and President Abbas against any measures that would compromise the constants of the Palestinian cause or cause any unilateral change on the ground that would affect the right of the Palestinian people to obtain their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Rady added.

Egypt and Jordan have been in talks with regional and international sides to resume talks between the Palestinian and Israeli sides in accordance with the international resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution with the aim of establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 border, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

During the summit, Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed the importance of achieving all the Palestinian people's legitimate rights, hopes and aspirations.

El-Sisi reviewed Egypts vision of how to revive the peace process and consolidate the de-escalation in the Gaza Strip as well as the reconstruction of the enclave.

He also stressed that realising the aspirations of the Palestinian people for an independent state would only come through unifying the division between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

King Abdullah II and President Abbas expressed their appreciation for President El-Sisi for holding the summit, especially following the latest incidents, noting that the summit represents an opportunity for exchanging views on ways to push the peace process forward and bring the Palestinian issue back on top of the international communitys priorities.

Both leaders also praised Egyptian efforts towards the Palestinian cause, the latest of which is the implementation of the ceasefire and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip to alleviate the severity of the situation.

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Egypt is due to receive a second batch of Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Saturday, the Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement (AUP) said in a brief statement on Thursday.

The shipment will compromise 525,600 shots of the single-dose vaccine, according to the AUP, which is responsible for the country's purchase orders.

This comes within the framework of Egypts plan to provide anti-coronavirus vaccines and vaccines for travelers and all Egyptian people," the statement added.

Egypt contracted with the African Export-Import Bank in May to import 20 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses. The first batch, comprised of 261,000 doses, arrived in August.

Egypt, which has recorded a total of 288,732 cases and 16,743 deaths, is currently ramping up efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible as a fourth wave of infections is expected later in September.

Millions of Sinopharm, Sinovac, Sputnik, and AstraZeneca vaccine doses have arrived recently and more shots are expected shortly.

Egypt started locally manufacturing the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine in June and distributed the first batch of the product in late-August, with around 15 to 18.5 million doses expected to be produced per month.

The local production of the WHO-approved Sinovac  which was granted an emergency use license by the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) on 23 August  is part of an agreement signed between the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) and the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac.

According to the World Health Organisation, 8,741,005 vaccine doses have been administered in Egypt.

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The Egyptian-Cypriot military training Ptolemy 2021 kicked off on Thursday, with the participation of special forces from both countries.

The first phase of the exercise includes holding a set of theoretical and practical lectures, with the aim of unifying combat concepts and refining the skills of the participating forces.

The exercise comes as part of the Armed Forces' plan to exchange expertise and boost military cooperation with sisterly and friendly countries, as well as advance joint action with their Cypriot counterparts.



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The leader of K-pop sensation BTS has turned an out-of-print book into a bestseller in South Korea in just days, as fans flocked to get a copy after he was seen reading it.

The trailblazing septet have reached global superstardom, with their single "Dynamite" entering the Billboard Hot 100 at number one last year, making them the first South Korean act to top the US chart.

They are credited with generating billions for the South Korean economy, and last year their label HYBE made a high-profile stock market debut.

A video released in August showed the group's 26-year-old leader RM eating a bowl of noodles with a book titled "Early Death" on the table next to him.

The book, which has been out of print for more than 10 years, is about the lives and work of a dozen Korean artists who passed away at a young age.

The boy band's fans, who are known as ARMY, besieged the book's publisher Hyohyung Books trying to obtain copies, and within days the firm announced a re-publication.

"Now 'Early Death' has gained a new life and will be reprinted for the first time in 18 years," the publisher said on its Instagram account, adding: "RM and ARMY, thank you."

Sales have soared and it was the bestselling book in the art category last week, according to South Korea's largest bookstore chain Kyobo Book Centre.

RM is known to be an avid reader and has previously recommended books to his fans.

Earlier this year, a book by a conceptual artist titled "The Other Side of Things" sold out across the country a day after RM shared two photos of it online.

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Vaccine doses produced by a plant in South Africa will no longer be exported to Europe following the intervention of South Africa's government, the African Union's COVID-19 vaccine envoy said Thursday.

South African drug manufacturer Aspen Pharmacare, which has a contract with Johnson & Johnson to assemble the ingredients of its COVID-19 vaccine, will produce for the African continent and millions of doses that had been shipped to European countries but remain in warehouses will be returned, Strive Masiyiwa told reporters.

J&J doses produced in South Africa 'will stay in Africa and will be distributed in Africa,'' he said.

The arrangement for some doses finished in South Africa to be exported to Europe 'has been suspended,'' he said, adding that the issue was 'corrected in a positive way.'' Aspen's agreement with Johnson & Johnson has changed from a contract deal to 'a licensed arrangement'' similar to the production in India of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The Aspen product will be 'African branded,' he said.

Johnson & Johnson was heavily criticized for shipping doses to countries in Europe, which have already immunized large numbers of their people and have even donated vaccines to more needy countries.

In contrast, Africa has fully vaccinated less than 3% of its 1.3 billion people. Vaccine production within the continent is seen as key to meeting the stated target of vaccinating 60% of Africa's population. Half of those doses are expected to be procured under a vaccine acquisition group backed by the African Union that has already ordered 400 million J&J doses.

Under that deal, in which doses will be distributed across the continent over 12 months, 6.4 million doses were shipped in August and the number could rise to 20 million in September, according to Masiyiwa, coordinator of the group known as the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust.

'In Africa, the issue is vaccine supply,'' he said, downplaying concerns about vaccine hesitancy that have been reported in some countries. 'Even if there are loud noises about vaccine hesitancy _ and we will not dismiss it _ but let's get to 60%, OK, and then we worry about the 40%,'' he said. 'But if 60% of our population right now are happy to take the vaccine, let's give it to them.'

Masiyiwa accused the international community of letting Africa down with COVAX, a United Nations and donor-backed program envisaged to help middle- and low-income countries access vaccines. COVAX has fallen short of its goals and some countries are 'still significantly hoarding supplies' of vaccine doses, charged Masiyiwa.

'The international community has not met its obligations under (the) understanding of COVAX,'' he said. 'COVAX was supposed to deliver 320 million doses by August. In a letter to us that we received only yesterday, that number is 30 million doses.''

John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the continent must 'vaccinate quickly'' to defeat the pandemic as the delta and other variants spread in many countries and stretch the capacity of health facilities.

Africa's 54 countries have reported more than 7.8 million cases, including more than 197,000 deaths.

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Most African countries are set to miss the "crucial" goal of vaccinating the most vulnerable ten percent of their populations against Covid-19 by the end of the month, the World Health Organization warned on Thursday

Forty-two of Africa's 54 nations, nearly 80 percent, are set to miss the target unless the current pace of vaccine deliveries and vaccinations increases, the WHO's Africa office warned.

"Vaccine hoarding has held Africa back and we urgently need more vaccines," said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

"As more doses arrive, African countries must zero in and drive forward precise plans to rapidly vaccinate the millions of people that still face a grave threat from COVID-19," she added.

According to the WHO the supply of coronavirus vaccine to Africa has been improving with almost 21 million doses arriving in August, via the international Covax distribution system.

This equalled the tally for the previous four months combined.

"Africa is set to miss the urgent global goal of vaccinating the most vulnerable 10 percent of every country's population against COVID-19 by the end of September," the WHO warned.

But with more vaccines expected from Covax and the African Union by the end of September, the target remains possible, it added.

On top of that, 26 countries have used less than half of the coronavirus vaccine doses they already have.

Experts worry that reluctance to take the vaccine, stemming from public scepticism over foreign-procured jabs and fear of side effects, may prolong the pandemic in Africa, a continent of nearly 1.3 billion people

The WHO said that Covid-19 case numbers have been declining slightly in Africa "but remain stubbornly high".

Nine African nations, including Suth Africa, Morocco and Tunisia, have already reached the WHO's 10 percent vaccination goal.

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Sixty-five combatants have been killed after Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a renewed offensive on Marib, the last government stronghold in the country's oil-rich north, a military official said on Thursday.

The Iran-backed rebels attacked pro-government positions south of the strategic city, making progress despite losing dozens of fighters in coalition air strikes.

It was the Houthis' first major offensive on Marib, the key to controlling the region, since June, when 111 fighters on both sides died in three days of clashes.

"Twenty-two pro-government (forces) were killed and 50 others were wounded, while 43 Houthi rebels were also killed in the last 48 hours," a government military official told AFP.

The figures were confirmed by other military and medical sources.

The resurgence in fighting comes after strikes on Yemen's largest airbase, in the country's south, killed at least 30 pro-government fighters on Sunday in the deadliest incident since December.

It also comes just days before the United Nations' new special envoy for Yemen, Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg, takes up his duties.

Yemen's internationally recognised government -- backed by a Saudi-led military coalition -- and the Houthis have been locked in war since 2014, when the insurgents seized the capital Sanaa.

In February, the Houthis escalated their efforts to take Marib in fighting that has killed hundreds on both sides. Control of the oil-rich north would strengthen the Houthis' bargaining position in peace talks.

While the UN and Washington are pushing for an end to the war, the Houthis have demanded the re-opening of Sanaa airport, closed under a Saudi blockade since 2016, before any ceasefire or negotiations.

As well as the bloody offensive in Marib, the Houthis have also stepped up drone and missile strikes on Saudi targets, including its oil facilities.

In June, the former UN envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, told the Security Council that his efforts over the past three years to end the war had been "in vain".

The fighting has killed tens of thousands and left some 80 percent of Yemenis dependent on aid, in what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The war has also displaced millions of people and left many on the brink of famine.

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Stalled talks aimed at reviving Iran's nuclear agreement with world powers will likely not resume for another two to three months, according to the foreign ministry.

Steered by the European Union, the talks began in April and seek to bring the US back into a deal agreed in 2015. Former US president Donald Trump abandoned the accord in 2018 and began imposing tough sanctions on Iran.

Negotiations were adjourned on June 20, two days after ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi won Iran's presidential election, and no date has been set for a resumption of dialogue.

"We are not seeking to flee the negotiation table and the... government considers a real negotiation is a negotiation that produces palpable results allowing the rights of the Iranian nation to be guaranteed," Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said during an interview broadcast on Tuesday evening by state television.

The Vienna talks are "one of the questions on the foreign policy and government agenda", he said.

But "the other party knows full well that a process of two to three months is required for the new government to establish itself and to start taking decisions."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian appealed to his Iranian counterpart for an "immediate resumption" of the Iran nuclear talks during a phone call on Wednesday.

"The minister stressed the importance and urgency of an immediate resumption of negotiations, interrupted by Iran since June," a spokesman for the French foreign ministry quoted Le Drian as saying during their conversation.

Raisi became president in early August, taking over from moderate Hassan Rouhani, the principal architect on the Iranian side of the 2015 agreement.

Raisi's government was sworn in on August 26 after receiving parliamentary approval.

The 2015 deal offered Iran an easing of Western and UN sanctions in return for tight controls on its nuclear programme, monitored by the UN.

In retaliation for Trump's withdrawal three years ago and his subsequent imposition of swingeing sanctions, Iran in effect abandoned most of its commitments under the deal.

But Trump's successor President Joe Biden wants to bring Washington back into the agreement.

The talks in Vienna involve Iran and the five other remaining parties to the deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.

The United States also takes part in the talks but it has no direct contact with Iran.

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A delegation of four U.S. senators said Wednesday that America is looking to help Lebanon overcome fuel shortages that have paralyzed the country. But they warned the import of Iranian oil into the crisis-hit country could have 'severely damaging consequences.''

The Democratic senators pushed for the immediate formation of a Lebanese government that can begin urgent reforms. They also vowed support for Lebanon's U.S.-backed army. The troops saw their salaries lose more than 90% of their value amid a crash in Lebanon's pound in the economic meltdown that began nearly two years ago.

'It is inexcusable that in the middle of this life-threatening crisis, the political leaders in Lebanon have refused to make the tough choices in order to form a government,'' Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut told reporters at the end of the two-day visit. He said Lebanon needs a government that can negotiate with the International Monetary Fund and start reforms to reduce corruption that is widespread in the Mediterranean nation.

During a visit that included meetings with Lebanon's president, parliament speaker and prime minister-designate, the American lawmakers said they received promises that a new government will be formed before the end of the week.

The visit to Lebanon came two weeks after the leader of the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group said that an Iranian fuel tanker has sailed toward Lebanon, and that others will follow to help ease the fuel shortages.

The delivery, organized by Hezbollah, would violate U.S. sanctions imposed on Tehran after former President Donald Trump pulled America out of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in 2018.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut blasted Hezbollah as a 'malignant cancerous terrorist organization'' adding that they have heard 'very troublingly about maligned Iranian influence particularly in providing fuel.''

Blumenthal added that there is no reason for Lebanon to depend on Iran because there are plenty of 'other sources of fuel without the potential severely damaging consequences of reliance on Iranian oil.''

Lebanon has been without a fully functioning government since Aug. 10, 2020, when Prime Minister Hassan Diab's Cabinet resigned days after a massive blast at Beirut's port that killed at least 214 people, wounded about 6,000 and damaged entire neighborhoods.

Three politicians have been named to form a Cabinet since, but political bickering between rival groups have so far forced two of them to step down. Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati was named to the post in late July but has also been unsuccessful so far.

Lebanon's economic crisis has been described by the World Bank as one of the most severe the world has witnessed since the 1850s. The local currency has crashed as the central bank's foreign reserves dried up, leading to crippling shortages of medicines, fuel and gas.

The U.S. has suggested that Washington would help Lebanon get electricity from Jordan and facilitate the flow of Egyptian gas through Jordan and Syria to northern Lebanon.

Murphy said fuel transits through Syria are potentially subject to congressionally mandated sanctions but that they are working through 'whether or not we can help facilitate that transit without applying U.S. sanctions.''

'My hope is that we could find a way to get this done that would not involve any U.S. sanctions,'' Murphy said, adding that this is only one of many ways 'we are working hard to try to find a solution to the fuel crisis.''

Blumenthal said the senators are exploring very specific ways to bring the current pay of Lebanese troops to the level where they were before the crisis, 'maybe even higher.'' He did not elaborate how but said they will discuss it back in the U.S. with the congressional armed services committee.

'The armed services in this country is the glue that holds the country together in many respects,'' Blumenthal said.

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Turkey said on Thursday it was "evaluating" proposals from the Taliban and others for the safe operation of Kabul's airport after the Islamist group's return to power in Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's comments came hours after Qatar said it was working with the Taliban to reopen Kabul's airport "as soon as possible".

Turkey has also been involved in the negotiations but has expressed concern over who will organise security for its personnel in the Afghan capital after the US troop withdrawal.

"There are proposals from the Taliban and other countries for cooperating with us. We are considering these proposals," Cavusoglu told a joint media event with his Dutch counterpart Sigrid Kaag.

"But the most important thing is to insure security inside and outside the airport."

Qatar and Turkey are close regional allies that have taken the international lead in direct talks with the Taliban in recent weeks.

Turkey was intially negotiating with Washington and the Taliban about providing security for the airport.

But it withdrew its entire contingent of more than 500 non-combat soldiers as Taliban fighters converged on Kabul last month.

Turkey has since said it was open to providing professional and technical services such as baggage handling at the airport to help relaunch civilian flights.

But the Taliban have officially rejected Ankara's offer to keep Turkish non-combat soldiers ensuring security at the air hub.

"Until today, the Taliban have said that they would like to insure the security themselves," Cavusoglu said.

"But the security should be insured in a way that gives trust to the international community."

Cavusoglu added that Turkey was open to the idea of private companies providing security for the air hub.

"It doesn't have to be done by a state, it can also be done by a company specialising in that," he said. "There are companies that we are and other countries are working with like that."

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Arab League (AL) Assistant Secretary-General and President of the Palestine Sector and the Occupied Palestinian Territories Said Abu Ali warned against the gravity of an Israeli draft law on Land Registry and Settlement of Rights in East Jerusalem.

In press statements on Thursday, Abu Ali condemned the bill, which comes within the context of Israeli plots to control (Al Quds) the occupied East Jerusalem, through seizing further lands and private property under a false legal cover.

He asserted that the legislation is part of an Israeli policy of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement in the occupied city.

The AL official underlined that this scheme also comes in light of the systematic Israeli war against Jerusalem's residents, by desecrating Islamic and Christian sacred places, carrying out massive arrests, evacuating houses in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods, escalating settlement activities, and establishing harmful Judaization projects in the city, such as the City Center project and Silicon Valley.

Abu Ali called on the international community to bear its responsibility and adopt a firm stance to stop Israel from continuing to violate international law and resolutions of international legitimacy, prodding it as well to take the necessary action to implement the relevant UN resolutions, affirming that East Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Palestine and is an integral part of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967.

He voiced his total rejection of all illegal Israeli policies and plans aimed at annexing the holy city, distorting its Arab identity and changing its demography.

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The Arab Parliament welcomed on Thursday the outcome of the meeting that grouped Libya neighbors, stressing that the security and stability of Libya are a necessity to the stability of the entire region.

Foreign ministers of Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Niger, Chad in addition to Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit and other senior officials took part in the meeting that took place in the Algerian capital on Tuesday.

In a statement, Arab Parliament Speaker Adel Al-Asoumi said participants at the meeting expressed categorical rejection of all forms of foreign interference in Libya's internal affairs, calling for getting all foreign fighters and mercenaries from Libyan territories.

They underlined the importance of building confidence among parties concerned with the Libyan crisis to provide an appropriate atmosphere for coming elections.

The two-day meeting also urged Libyan parties to stick to a political road map that ended hostilities last year and set parliamentary and presidential elections in December.

The Arab Parliament expressed support for all Arab, regional and international efforts aiming at finding a lasting solution to the Libyan crisis.

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The president of the U.N. Security Council says the U.N.'s most powerful body will not take its focus off Afghanistan this month and ``the real litmus test'' for the new Taliban government will be how it treats women and girls.

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland said Wednesday that the protection and promotion of human rights for women ``must be at the very heart of our collective response to the crisis.''

Under the Taliban's previous rule from 1996 to 2001, women were not allowed to go to school, work outside the home or leave homes without a male escort. Though they faced many challenges in the country's male-dominated society after the Taliban's ouster, Afghan girls were not only educated but over the last 20 years women increasingly stepped into powerful positions in numerous fields including government, business, health and education.

Bryne Nason said: ``My question is, will the Taliban be different, and that's the real question. We haven't seen any evidence of that.''

She said the international community has clout because whatever form of government emerges in Afghanistan needs international support -- and human rights and respect for international law ``are red line issues.''

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Tajikistan has warned that the ex-Soviet republic lacks the infrastructure to house many refugees from neighbouring Afghanistan and blamed international organisations for failing to help.

The Khovar state information agency said Thursday that Interior Minister Ramazon Hamro Rahimzoda had met with the country director for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to discuss the growing refugee and humanitarian crises in Afghanistan.

During the meeting on Wednesday Rahimzoda said that 80 Afghan families currently located at the border the two countries share were seeking to cross into Tajikistan "out of fear for their lives".

Rahimzoda complained that although Tajikistan had prepared areas to accept refugees, international agencies had not offered "practical assistance" to house them.

"Because of this, in the Republic of Tajikistan there is no opportunity to receive a large number of refugees and asylum seekers," the state news agency quoted Rahimzoda as saying.

The minister also noted that Tajikistan had "peacefully returned" 5,000 Afghan military personnel who fled over its borders as the Taliban seized control of its southern neighbour.

Rahimzoda said that instability and the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan risked "the transfer of terrorists to other countries," Khovar reported.

The Taliban's rapid-fire rise to power has triggered alarm in Central Asian countries, notably Tajikistan, which endured a five-year civil war in the 1990s and shares a border of over 1,300 kilometres with Afghanistan.

Next-door Uzbekistan said last month that it had returned 150 Afghans at the refugees' own request and after negotiating with the Taliban to guarantee their security.

None of the Central Asian states bordering Afghanistan have provided totals for the numbers of refugees they have accepted since the Taliban's military offensives began in May.

Tajikistan in July said it was prepared to accept 100,000 refugees from Afghanistan but quickly backtracked, citing complications related to the coronavirus among other obstacles.

Unlike Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, which hosts a Russian military base, has indicated that it is not ready to hold official talks with the Taliban.

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EU defence ministers on Thursday discussed proposals for a European rapid reaction force after the bloc was left on the sidelines during the US-led evacuation from Afghanistan.

Calls have grown for the 27-nation group to develop its own joint military capability to respond quickly to crises in the wake of the chaotic scenes at Kabul airport after the Taliban seized power.

Ministers are set to revisit a proposal -- first aired in May -- to set up a 5,000-strong force as part of a review of the EU's overall strategy expected to be finalised next year.

But there are major doubts that there would be the political will to engage such a force, as the bloc has never used a system of so-called battlegroups set up in 2007.

"It's clear that the need for more European defence has never been as much as evident as today after the events in Afghanistan," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at the start of the meeting.

"Sometimes something happens that pushes history, it creates a breakthrough and I think that the Afghanistan event of this summer is one of these cases."

Asked about a possible new force, Borrell insisted that "we have to go for something more ready to be activated, more operational" as the battlegroups have remained unused.

Slovenian defence minister Matej Tonin, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, estimated that a rapid response force could number from "5,000 to 20,000".

He called for a new system that would see troops from "willing countries" dispatched in the name of the EU if just a majority of members states agreed, rather than the unanimity required for the battlegroups.

German defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said the lesson from Afghanistan was "that we get more autonomous as Europeans and can act more independently".

But she insisted "it is very important that we don't act as an alternative to NATO and the Americans".

Latvian minister Artis Pabriks said that the bloc needed to show it had the "political will" to use any force if the plan was to lead anywhere.

He noted that the battlegroups programme has been around for a decade as part of the EU's common defence policy.

"Have we ever used it?" he said.

Debate has raged for decades over what role Brussels should play on defence, and EU member nations -- most of which are also NATO allies -- have often been reluctant to agree moves to integrate military capabilities.

Ambitions on common defence have gathered steam in recent years in part due to the exit from the bloc of Britain, which was opposed to anything that might lead to a European army or dilute support for NATO.

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Japan confirmed its first two cases of COVID-19s mu variant, designated by the World Heath Organization as a variant of interest, in June and July during airport screenings, the Japan Times reported on Thursday, quoting the health ministry.

The ministry said Wednesday night that it detected the variant in a woman in her 40s who arrived on June 26 from the United Arab Emirates. Another woman in her 50s who arrived in Japan on July 5 from the U.K. also had the mu variant, it said. The two women were asymptomatic.

Not much has been confirmed about the mu variant, also known as B.1.621, including how transmissible it is or whether it can evade vaccine protections.

The mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape, the WHO said in a statement.

The strain was first detected in Colombia in January, and it makes up about 40% of cases in the country, according to the WHO. As of Wednesday, the strain had been detected in at least 40 countries.

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Despite COVID-19 remaining a threat to human lives and the global economy, it has managed to draw the world's attention to accelerating climate action as well as dealing with climate change implications.

From 25 to 27 May, Innovate4Climate (I4C)s three-day virtual conference shone the light on how countries, especially developing countries and low-income economies, can scale up their climate action and green field efforts amid the ongoing challenges through banking on innovative ideas and out-of-the-box actions.

The conference was organised by REVOLVE along with the I4C platform and hosted by the World Bank Group in collaboration with the governments of Germany and Spain.

One of the mechanisms the conference discussed was carbon pricing and how it is considered a double-face beneficial tool for developing countries and low-income economies that could contribute to fast-tracking their climate action.

What is carbon pricing?

Carbon pricing is an approach that the countries can bank on to reduce carbon emissions through passing the cost of emitting on to emitters that can, incrementally, force the emitters to switch to more cleaner fuels.

It includes a package of procedures, such as imposing carbon tax and fees on corporates with emissions containing carbon.

Such an approach is adopted in a number of developed countries but the ongoing efforts in this regard cover only 22 percent of the emissions worldwide, according to Senior Climate Change Specialist Daniel Besley.

COVID-19 vs climate action targets

In its 2021 version of 'State and Trends on Carbon Pricing' report, the World Bank said that as the world starts to recover from the pandemic, there is a strong consensus on the need to strengthen its preparedness for future global crises, including those related to climate change.

The last year has shown us that cooperation is essential to address problems that transcend national borders. Achieving a resilient recovery therefore requires enhanced cooperation and collaboration. This is the case for climate change as well, read the report.

Carbon pricing as a policy to accelerate climate action

The report said that carbon pricing is a cost-effective policy tool that can create a financial incentive to mitigate emissions through price signals as well as help encourage changes in production and consumption patterns, through which curbing low-carbon growth and consequently, helping fulfill the countries' commitment to reach zero-carbon by 2050.

However, such a policy needs to be supported by other policies as well to be effective.

According to the report, that can be executed through applying sector-specific regulations and other targeted incentive mechanisms such as research and development funding- in order to enable investments in technologies that require application over a long time to develop and deploy.

Other complementary measures are also needed alongside carbon pricing policies to tackle non-price barriers and to reduce emissions in sectors not covered by carbon pricing, according to the report.

Why is carbon pricing currently imperative for developing countries and low-income economies?

In 2020, carbon pricing and its related instruments managed to generate $53 billion in revenue globally, up from the $8 billion in 2019, according to the World Bank, which means that adopting such a policy can benefit those economies through increasing their total revenues that will contribute to providing finances to meet their needs and to tackle climate change impacts as well.

Moreover, carbon pricing can help address the high levels of informality in developing countries, where 70 percent of all employment is informal, as carbon taxes are harder to avoid than direct taxes on personal or corporate income, according to a recent report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Carbon taxes also permit trading as well as encourage cleaner investment and consumption choices for all public and private spending, which is not only an effective and efficient way to reduce CO2 emissions, but it can also future-proof investments," the report said.

The report stressed that a long-term commitment to carbon pricing and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies ensures that investments will flow into assets that are aligned with low-carbon development objectives and that those assets will remain valuable once the transition to a carbon-neutral economy scales up around the world.

The situation in Egypt as a developing country

Under its economic reform programme, implemented in November 2016, Egypt has been phasing out its fuel and oil product subsidies, in addition to initiating the implementation of a national project of converting oil-run vehicles to run on natural gas.

Moreover, Egypt has allocated EGP 36.7 billion in the current FY2020/2021 ends in June for the implementation of 691 green projects, accounting for 14 percent of the budgets allocations for investment.

The total value of the 691 green projects is estimated at EGP 447.3 billion, according to Egypts Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.

In the upcoming FY2021/2022, which starts in July, Egypt plans to raise public investments in green projects to 30 percent, up from the 15 percent in FY2020/21.

These steps however, and other related actions, are not enough. The country needs a bold idea to stop rising carbon emissions, according to a report released in March by a US-based Middle East Institute.

The report explained that Egypt is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, especially with its increasing population and the repercussion of the ongoing pandemic crisis.

Rising waters on the coast or Nile delta threaten the food security of millions. Egypts economy is largely dependent on tourism, which is impacted by weather  whether at the archaeological sites or its beaches. The cost of Cairos air pollution alone exceeds one percent of GDP and there are significant costs to the health care system, stemming from rising carbon emissions from power; transportation and manufacturing," the report added.

To deal with this, the report called for establishing carbon exchange or putting a price on carbon that would help make Egypt an environmental leader in the region.

Counting its benefits, the report said that countries that had adopted such a policy witnessed a double increase in their revenues in 2018 to reach $44 billion, up from $22 billion in revenues recorded in 2016, which means that if such a policy could generate revenues, Egypt needs to finance its reforms and address the implications of the COVID-19 crisis as well.

Egypt's energy-related CO2 emissions rose to a global peak of 33 Gt in 2019, resulting in an unprecedented level of global warming, according to a research published by the Nature Public Health Emergency Collection Journal under its initiative to address COVID-19 and its related implications.

Also according to the research, Egypt emitted 250 million tons of CO2 in 2018, ranking 27th among the countries of the world in terms of energy-related CO2 emissions.

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Egypt is a critical partner to the US in the efforts to address climate change issues and the energy transition towards green, said David Livingston, senior advisor to the US special presidential envoy for climate at the State Department.

Livingston made his comments during a webinar organised by the US-Egypt Business Council (USEBC) in Washington on Wednesday.

Livingston said Egypt has much to gain from the energy transition for its economy and energy sector, adding that the US has robust relations with Egypt in the field of generating hydrogen power and in power storage.

He pointed out to the priorities that the US working on currently relating to the climate change issue, including getting the US back into the climate action, revealing that the US has doubled its climate finance and tripled its climate adaptation funds as well.

In addition, the US is keen on raising the global ambition on the climate action, with more than 50 percent of the global GDP dedicated to reach zero-carbon goal by 2050.

Meanwhile, Egypts Ambassador to the US Motaz Zahran noted that Egypt has ambitious targets regarding the energy transition, citing Benban Solar Park  the biggest in the world and Egypts plan to be generate 20 percent of its power from renewables.

He added that Egypt targets generating about 42 percent of its power from renewable resources by 2025, stressing that the country is well-positioned to be a regional energy hub because of its location and its variety of energy resources.

Acting Secretary-General of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) and Undersecretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Osama Mobarez said the EMGF is a model for collaboration despite the ongoing challenges globally.

He highlighted the support the US has paid for the forum since its onset in 2019 in line with the energy strategic dialogue launched between the two countries and the forum's effort to gather the government and the private sector.

Egypt redefines the concept of energy to be a catalyst for peace in the region instead of being a purpose of war and conflicts. EMGFs member countries are committed to make the forum a renowned international organisation and to attract international attention. Based on that, a number of leading countries and international institution have become observers to the forum, including the US, EU, and the World Bank, according to Mobarez.

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The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group has formed a Climate and Environment Advisory Council that is anticipated to provide independent advice and expertise on the activities that the EIB Group is executing to meet its climate action and environmental sustainability obligations.

On Wednesday, the advisory council met for the first time and discussed the EIB Groups Climate Bank roadmap and, in particular, the EIBs activities to support adaptation to the impacts of climate change and the EIB Group Paris Alignment for Counterparties Framework.

The meeting was chaired by President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde and included the founding members of the Advisory Council.

The EIB Groups Climate Bank roadmap sets out in detail how the EIB Group aims to support the objectives of the European Green Deal and sustainable development outside of the European Union (EU).

On his side, EIB President Werner Hoyer said that climate change remains a decisive challenge at present and requires a rapid global response.

The EIB Group is preparing a strong contribution for the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November. I am thrilled that we can now count on a group of top world leaders to assist us in strengthening our role as the EU Climate Bank. I want to thank all the Advisory Council members and express special gratitude to Christine Lagarde for accepting to chair this highly distinguished group, he added.

ECB President Christine Lagarde stated that climate change is one of the greatest challenges faced by mankind this century.

The EIB is active in around 160 countries and is the worlds largest multilateral lender for climate action projects.

The group has also recently adopted its Climate Bank Roadmap to deliver on its ambitious agenda to support 1 trillion of climate action and environmental sustainability investments in the decade to 2030 and to deliver more than 50 percent of the EIBs finance for climate action and environmental sustainability by 2025.

As of the beginning of 2021, all new EIB Group operations have been aligned with the goals and principles of the Paris Agreement.

From 31 October to 12 November, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) is scheduled to be held in Glasgow, Scotland.

The COP26 summit aims to accelerate action towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

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UAE Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq Al-Marri said that the UAE is committed and keen on cooperating with Egypt across various sectors in a meeting held on Thursday with Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat at the ministrys headquarters.

The meeting tackled the matter of exploring bilateral cooperation fields and discussed reactivating the Joint-Higher Committee and strengthening relations between both countries across several fields of development.

He said that the two countries have close strategic relations that stem from their long history as allies, and they managed to achieve remarkable development over the past years in various fields, including the economy and commercialism.

Al-Marri also applauded the developmental achievements Egypt has seen under the leadership of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi; a model that has become replicable on regional and international levels.

The meeting came within the framework of periodic meetings held by Egypts Ministry of International Cooperation with multilateral and bilateral development partners to discuss strengthening joint cooperation relations, advancing the countrys national agenda via development financing agreements, and accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Al-Mashat and Al-Marri stressed their countries commitment to joint cooperation with the aim of implementing directives from political leadership to maximise the potential of the diverse resources in Egypt and the UAE to strengthen the status of both countries regionally and internationally.

During the meeting, Al-Mashat applauded the development relations between Egypt and the UAE through the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, expressing how the ministrys cooperation with these institutions has supported the implementation of Egypts development strategy.

The minister also emphasised the importance of reactivating the joint higher committee between both countries to further strengthen development cooperation across various fields.

Al-Mashat also congratulated the UAEs government on organising Expo Dubai 2020, which will be held on 1 October 2021 and will witness the participation of a large number of countries displaying the latest developments in architecture and technology.

Trade exchange between Egypt and the UAE has reached an important level of growth that can be doubled, as the UAEs market is the first destination for Egyptian exports, and annually receives about 11 percent of the countrys total exports to the world, Al-Mashat pointed out.

With regards to investment cooperation, the UAE contributes over $7 billion in the Egyptian market, and this is in addition to investments made through signed memoranda of understanding that strengthen cooperation.

Relations between the two countries date back to the 70s  when the UAE was established  and in 1988, an agreement was signed to initiate joint higher committees between the two countries, of which two sessions have been held in 1990 and 1991.

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Unused to paying parking fees  in Egyptian cities parking meters are unheard of, and the sayes, an unofficial parking attendant holds sway  motorists were shocked to hear last week that the government now intends to charge them for parking their vehicles.

A new law regulating the work of the sayes, passed in June 2020, specified parking spaces, times and fees. Criticisms of the law led the Local Development Minister to declare on 24 August that it was still under assessment. It is currently on trial in six neighbourhoods in Cairo governorate and four streets in Gizas Dokki neighbourhood, and the minister says any hiccups that emerged in the trial period will be addressed.

Giza governorates tariff of approved fees has been set at LE10 for the temporary parking of cars, LE20 for trucks, LE30 for buses, and LE300 per month for overnight parking by residential buildings.

Instead of protecting people from the arbitrary charges of the sayes, claims MP Mustafa Bakri, the government has now opted to raise money through compulsory fees.

People are financially exhausted the burden on citizens should be reduced instead of increased, said Bakri.

Khaled Kassem, spokesperson of the Local Development Ministry, said the announced fees are under review and not final.

MP Ahmed Al-Segini, head of parliaments Local Administration Committee, characterises the fees as improvisational actions by particular neighbourhood administrations that contravene the spirit of the law.

The law allows for parking licences to be issued to private security companies via tender. The companies will be responsible for hiring parking attendants according to set criteria. The law contains no provision requiring residents to pay fees for parking in front of their residential buildings.

Al-Segini told Sada Al-Balad TV channel that the way the law was being applied would cause fights between residents over parking spaces in front of their buildings and that he had contacted the minister of local development who promised to resolve the situation.

On 26 August, the ministry announced that it organise intensive workshops and training courses for 500 employees charged with implementing the provisions of the law.

The Ministry of Local Development subsequently issued a statement saying the law applied only to main and commercials streets and fees would not be imposed on residential buildings in side streets.

The number of vehicles in Egypt reached 11.5 million in 2019, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), and finding a parking spot has become a daily struggle for many. Given the daily battle for parking spaces, and a 7.3 per cent unemployment rate, it is hardly surprising that the number of sayes has proliferated.

Many drivers complain about these unofficial parking attendants who, they say, often seem to imply that they own the streets on which they work.

MP Mamdouh Maklad, who in 2018 submitted the draft law regulating the work of the sayes, insists it will lead to a win-win situation.

The state will financially benefit from the tenders. The citizen will benefit from the new organisation of parking spots and will avoid the bullying of the sayes because his work will be supervised. And the sayes will benefit through having a stable income and social insurance, Maklad told Al-Ahram Weekly.

The law will require a committee to be set up in each governorate to identify parking spaces that do not cause congestion. It stipulates that licensed parking attendants must be 21 or older, have no criminal record, and be in possession of a certificate issued by the Ministry of Health confirming they are drug-free.

The licences will be valid for three years and cost a maximum of LE2,000. Attendants who work without a licence could face fines of between LE1,000 and LE5,000 and up to three months in jail.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 2 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Eight years into the war local Yemeni reports indicate that Hans Grundberg, who had replaced Martin Griffiths as UN special envoy earlier this month, has familiarised himself with and reached out to all political factions and social components during his period as EU ambassador to Yemen from 2019 to August this year. Observers however are of the general impression that, in view of the Ansarullah (Houthi) movements relentless campaign to expand its control over northern Yemen from Mareb in the east to Hodeida in the west, his prospects for succeeding where his predecessors had failed are dim.

Some new variables have been at work, though it is doubtful whether they will favour Grundbergs mission. One is Washingtons appointment of Timothy Lenderking as US special envoy to Yemen. Lenderking, who assumed his duties in the spring during the final months of Griffiths term, undertook several rounds of talks as part of a renewed US drive to kickstart the stalled negotiating process. As an energetic auxiliary to the UN drive, the US envoy coordinated closely with Griffiths, though he focused primarily on proposing initiatives in partnership with Riyadh. Nevertheless, his efforts ran up against Houthi intransigence, leading Washington and, by extension, the UN to prioritise the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the country. International stakeholders are particularly worried by the aggravating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Yemens humanitarian plight, although the warlords on the battlefronts appear indifferent to this threat.

A second variable may be the return of the Taliban to power in Kabul after a 20 year hiatus. As different as the Afghan and Yemeni situations are, especially in terms of the sectarian dimension, it appears that Iran and its Houthi proxy have been inspired by developments in Afghanistan. Iranian new President Ebrahim Raisi hailed the US military defeat and the Ansarullah leader Mohamed Ali Al-Houthi seized the opportunity to suggest that Saudi Arabia should heed the lesson of the US failure in Afghanistan, which is that invading armies are doomed to lose. His comparison gives weight to the thesis that the Houthi movement will continue to seek an agreement with Riyadh, the main backer of the campaign to reinstate the Yemeni government in Sanaa, similar to that between the Taliban and the US, which would recognise Houthi rule in Sanaa and serve as a framework for negotiations with the Houthis over areas of influence, power-sharing formulas with the legitimate government and other arrangements that would increase the movements manoeuvrability. It is believed that this was the general thrust of the Houthi response to Omans mediating bid two months ago.

The unprecedented degree of Iranian infiltration in Yemen is a third variable that will affect the work of the new UN envoy and prospects of a negotiated settlement. Last week the Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani announced that Haidar Sirjan, an Iranian Revolutionary guards officer who had been leading the Houthi offensive on the Mareb front, was killed in an airstrike along with nine others from the Lebanese Hizbullah forces. According to the Yemeni governments account, Sirjan had previously served as a commander on the Hodeida front and was transferred to Mareb after the death of Mustafa Al-Ghazawi, a Hizbullah commander fighting in Yemen. There are also frequent references in the Yemeni media to the growing influence of the Iranian Ambassador to the Houthi regime in Sanaa Hasan Irlu, at the expense of a faction among the Houthis that are keen to reduce the Iranian role in Yemen. To what extent the US can influence Iranian presence there is unclear. The US has made its return to the nuclear agreement with Iran conditional on a halt to Iranian expansionism in the region. The new administration in Tehran rejects such linkage and insists on a return to the agreement in accordance with the provisions as they stood when the Trump administration withdrew in 2015.

A fourth variable is also connected with Iranian-Houthi military designs. The Houthi militias have begun to harden borders using landmines; and they have evacuated thousands of civilians from the border zones. The Houthis have frequently used landmines as a means to halt the advance of Yemeni government forces. But the use of these weapons to demarcate borders along the battlefronts is new. Last week, Yemeni sources reported the Houthi decision to evacuate two coastal villages in the Hodeida governorate. The approximately 175 families from Deir Afif and Al-Zoutiya in western Hodeida were given 30 days, as of 1 August, to clear out of the villages. This area, which is situated about halfway between the ports of Hodeida and Al-Salif, marks the divide between the areas of influence of government and Houthi forces. The Houthi action is an open violation of the Stockholm agreement the Houthis signed but never implemented.

In addition to the foregoing variables, an array of other problems affect the peace process. It should be borne in mind, in this context, that government forces are more focused on halting the Houthi advance into their areas of influence than they are in gaining territory at present. During the past two months, Houthi militias managed to take control of Al-Bayda, recapturing some of the territory government forces had previously taken in the eastern part of the governorate. The Houthis also successfully put down a tribal-militias revolt against them. But, for members of the Yemeni government and Yemeni political society as a whole, a political development has come to overshadow developments on the battlefield. Reports of an imminent transfer of power have raised alarm over a possible power vacuum and triggered speculation as to who might replace President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi. One of the names most frequently mooted so far is former prime minister Ahmed Obeid Bin Daghr. He is seen as a likely alternative to the current second in command, Mohsen Al-Ahmar, who some doubt would be able to win a consensus among rival factions. Some believe that the search for a successor might range to figures who do not hail from Sanaa and, indeed, to figures who hail from the south in the interest of preserving the current political balance within the pro-legitimacy camp. In Yemeni politics, it is less a candidates individual character or qualifications that count than his tribal and regional weight. Hadi himself is a southerner, originally from Abyan. Daghr is also a southerner, from Hadramawt, which is why he might be seen as a compromise candidate. Whatever the case, the fate of the internationally recognised government may soon become an issue of concern that could add to the problems and certainly affect all stakeholders calculations.

Yemen is best perceived, not as a country plagued by a crisis in the north but as a crisis-plagued country. A longstanding secessionist movement in the south is another major dilemma and a source of tensions in Aden, the temporary seat of the Yemeni government. The Southern Transitional Council (STC), currently the leading faction of the Southern Movement, appears prepared to enter a transitional phase based on a federal system, although some fear that the STC ultimately aims to use the federal model as a platform for implementing a de facto partition between south and north. So far all UN and other international envoys have dealt with the southern crisis piecemeal, addressing it only when it raises its head in a way that affects their handling of the Houthi question. Perhaps they want to avoid treading on the eggshells of the differences, contradictions and tensions within the Saudi-led Arab Coalition to support the legitimate Yemeni government. It is well-known that the STC, which is the more dominant force in the south, is on better terms with the UAE than with Riyadh because of Abu Dhabis role in the south, especially in the fight to repel the Houthis southern advance. Attitudes within the coalition also vary towards the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood and its political facade, the Yemeni Congregation for Reform, generally referred to as the Islah Party. Whereas Abu Dhabi sees the Muslim Brotherhood as a direct threat to its national security, one not posed by the Houthis, the reverse is true of Riyadh.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 2 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited Uganda and Rwanda following regional calls for mediation in order to bring the warring parties in Tigray to the negotiating table. Seeking regional supporters, he had already visited Turkey, South Sudan and Eritrea.

It is not hard to see why he made this hurried trip: support from the rest of Africa has been eroding as the Tigray war gets bloodier, said Martin Plaut, a senior research fellow at Kings College London. The Ethiopian leaders shuttle diplomacy around the region is an indication of just how concerned the prime minister is about his increasing isolation inside Africa. He has previously alienated Egypt and Sudan over the use of the Niles waters. Now other African neighbours are fearful that the Tigray war will destabilise the Horn. Prime Minister Abiy is attempting to shore up his support. This is an indication of weakness, not strength.

Ethiopia admitted in March that Eritrea was aiding its own troops in the war on Tigray. The foreign forces began withdrawal weeks after this announcement but there are reports indicating that the troops are returning to Tigray on the request by Addis Ababa. The US and the European Union warned of an escalation of fighting over the return of the Eritrean forces to Tigray, where Addis Ababa is fighting against the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), an organisation it identifies as a terrorist group.

Both Uganda and Rwanda faced civil wars against militant groups and minorities, and those conflicts led to the killing of thousands of people in situations similar to what is happening now in Tigray, which has spread to the regions of Amhara and Afar as well.

The UN recently described the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia as a catastrophe, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the launch of national political dialogue. Tigray faces a humanitarian blockade and is cut off from electricity and communications, with more than two million people displaced and millions more are in immediate need of food, water, shelter and health care. The UN stated that at least 400,000 people are living in famine-like conditions.

With Abiy Ahmed increasingly at loggerheads with Western countries such as the US, UK and Germany, who have demanded to hold an immediate dialogue with the TPLF, Ethiopia seeks support from neighbouring countries. But Jan Abbink, a senior researcher at the African Studies Centre Leiden, said the African countries showed indifference and divisions in helping to get a solution for the crisis in Tigray. They submit too much to the Western misconceived interpretations and actions of this conflict.

Ethiopia isnt only resorting to formation of strategic partnerships with African neighbours but also with countries like Turkey who already has huge interests in the country. According to official reports, Turkey, which invests heavily in the textile sector, is the second-largest investor in Ethiopia after China. There are some 200 Turkish companies in Ethiopia that have created job opportunities for over 20,000 Ethiopians. Turkey is claimed to have provided Ethiopia with combat drones to be used in the Tigray conflict.

Despite Abiy Ahmeds meeting with Ugandas Yoweri Museveni and Rwandas Paul Kagame, it is likely that they will remain neutral in Ethiopias escalating civil war.

Given the long history of party-to-party relations between the TPLF and other liberation movements in eastern and southern Africa which took power in the 1990s, including the NRM in Uganda, the RPF in Rwanda and the ANC in South Africa, I dont think either Kagame or Museveni will be quick to take sides in Ethiopias escalating civil war, said Jason Mosley, a research associate at the African Studies Centre, Oxford University. The conflict in Ethiopia appears to be entrenching further, as the momentum of the TDF/TPLFs offensive slows and meets resistance along the main routes via the northern part Amhara Region to the areas of Western Tigray Region occupied by Amhara militia, the Ethiopian national army and Eritrean forces.

Ethiopia announced last week that it would embark on national dialogue in September to address all grievances, though no details are forthcoming as yet about the roadmap or agenda and the possibilities of including the Tigrayans as a part of the initiative.

The Ethiopian governments call for a national dialogue is a step in the right direction rhetorically, but it wont be meaningful unless all political forces in the country can participate: as long as the TDF/TPLF and OLA are designated terrorist groups and prevented from inclusion, dialogue cannot succeed, Mosley noted. Dialogue with TPLF was excluded as an option since Ethiopias announcement of the group as terrorist. Its also becoming complicated after the TPLF criticised last weeks appointment by the African Union of the former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo as a mediator in the conflict. However, Mosley confirmed that the appointment was a a positive development.

Still there is an urgent need for regional diplomatic engagement, and support for a genuine national dialogue process.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 2 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Crystal clear, translucent waters and gently undulating soft white sand are embraced by stones. The picturesque green mountainous backdrop with perfect blue skies does not suggest Algeria. And few outside the North African country have heard of the ancient district in question, Collo, where forests, mountainous terrain, stunning beaches and Roman relics are only partially captured in the Instagram account, Kheir, hoping to redefine the Middle East and North Africa [MENA] for good.

There is a pun there, kheir  which is the Arabic word for good  being driven by altruistic principles. The curated travel art and culture Instagram endeavours to put an end to the stereotyping of the MENA region, finally.

Here, Yemen is just stunning. In one video, a boy in rolled up blue jeans jumps off a white stone cliff into the turquoise water below. The narrow lagoon encased with a limestone precipice displays shades of green, yellow and aquamarine where the water meets the cliff on Yemens Socotra Island, in the northwest Indian Ocean near the Gulf of Aden.

From her home in southern Carolina, the United States, the curator, Joy Camel, scours different platforms daily for pictures and videos of architecture and nature she would like to see in MENA. This labour of love is motivated by a deeper sentiment to restore the regions global representation.

I know it may sound very grand, Camel, 25, said in a telephone interview. But it works.

Launched in the spring of 2020, the striking Instagram account is a thoughtful selection of untired images largely invested in the Arab world, but also includes Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan.

In its attention to detail  the textures, the motifs, the vistas, even the faces of the region  Kheir is a true effort by a young Egyptian-American to decolonise Arab tourism. Here, MENA is not the tired, a historical, monolithic category still presented by Western media. Camel also shies away from the cliched images of willing oriental otherness exported from the region to Western audiences.

From northern Sudan: Nubian pyramids in the ancient city of Meroe. Lush landscapes of Wadi Bani Khalid, Oman. A woman leads water buffalos, canoeing through the UNESCO inscribed marshes of Chabaish, Nasiriyah, Iraq. Old Damascus, Syria. The oldest building in Amman, Jordan. The Ushaiger heritage village, Saudi Arabia. Palestinian teens playing on a steep fence above the West Bank. A stylish room in a 200-year-old house turned hotel in Kfour, Lebanon. A window into Ghadames, Libya.

The idea of representation was born out of Camels own experience as the daughter of Egyptian immigrant parents. Born and raised in the US, she spent summers in Egypt where she says she had a taste of both worlds and the gap in between. She grew up in circles that didnt know where Egypt was, let alone what language was spoken there, and it was alienating. When visiting Egypt, she saw the awe people associated with those who come from the west, too.

I know we have a lot of great things but I want to give them a sense of value. We have something beautiful to offer the world too, through our history, art and culture. Camel started the Instagram account after spending eight months in Egypt for the first time as an independent adult. I got to travel and saw things I hadnt seen before, opening my eyes as to how much beauty, history and culture the region has, which the Western world doesnt get to see.

In 2017 she was involved in humanitarian work in Europes then largest refugee camp, Moria, in the Greek island of Lesbos, where she found herself with displaced people seeking safety and better homes. I really saw myself and my own family in that situation. It could have been us.

In Moria  the open air prison as Human Rights Watch calls it, which was flooded with refugees from 60 nationalities  Camel met an Amazigh person for the first time in her life. I didnt know they existed, and when I did I realised there are indigenous groups I didnt even know about.

A self-educating journey ensued as she set up Kheir, sharing images that spoke to her, from an awareness influenced by her experience with refugees, among other things. Obviously everyone wants to go to Europe and to experience the cool Western life, when theres so much beauty here. When Im showing these places, its coming from a sense of pride, from a place of wanting to represent who we really are, not just what were known for because of the political headlines.

The sentiment also resonates with her experience as a minority US citizen. Growing up in a private school largely among white American kids, Camel says she couldnt fit in no matter how hard she tried. At one point you realise it is just not working, then you start relating more to people of colour who come from similar backgrounds. It was in this community that a sense of pride in where she comes from and who she is developed. This was unlike the generation of her parents who were just trying to survive, have a career and fit in, so that their children could have an opportunity.

Camel speculates that the Internet and being connected helped validate this sense of pride among a community of people who share her perspective and to reconcile them with their identities.

A recent poll of her audience showed that 60-70 per cent were diaspora Middle Eastern and North African people. While Kheir is primarily aimed at Western eyes, Camel says shes aware of her audience of Arabs located in the region. Its not lost on her that her US passport gives her the freedom of movement to travel in MENA unrestricted, a privilege denied to Arabs themselves.

But while postcolonial borders are challenging to cross as inter-travel policies are designed to be suspicious of or discourage intra-Arab tourism, there is little demand for the business anyway. A 2016 list of the ten most popular travel destinations for Arabs published by the World Tourism Organisation included only one Arab city: Dubai. Once a medical student, Camel is now involved with her familys Air B&Bs, and produces photography with a focus on travel, art and architecture. She was due to turn Kheir to a travel guide and culture blog this week, highlighting artists.

Travel is hard as it is but I think also when youre a female its a whole different experience, she says. So Id like to also capture some of these experiences through the eyes of a woman too. A female traveller is totally unrepresented and its kind of risky and sometimes scary.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 2 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Chinese pupils returned to school Wednesday with new textbooks peppered with "Xi Jinping thought", as the Communist Party aims to extend his personality cult to children as young as seven and rear a new generation of patriots.

The education ministry has said it will incorporate Xi's vaguely defined political ideology into the national curriculum, from primary schools to graduate programmes, at the start of the new school year on Wednesday.

Primary school teachers must "plant the seeds of loving the party, the country and socialism in young hearts", according to a government notice on the new curriculum.

Buses full of schoolchildren sporting shiny new trainers and red scarves over their uniforms were dropped off at school gates this morning, weighed down by rainbow-hued oversized backpacks.

The new school books are decorated with the president's pithy quotes and images of his smiling face, with elementary school students served up chapters on the achievements of Chinese civilisation and the Communist Party's role in poverty alleviation and fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lessons are interspersed with quotes from Xi on patriotism and duty, as well as anecdotes of his meetings with citizens.

"Grandpa Xi Jinping is very busy with work, but no matter how busy he is, he still joins our activities and cares about our growth," one textbook says.

Xi's thought encompasses 14 principles including "absolute Party leadership" over the military and "improving living standards through development".

It was enshrined in the constitution during a 2018 legislative meeting that abolished term limits and paved the way for him to rule indefinitely.

The principles are now cited regularly by officials in wildly varying contexts from fighting Covid-19 to literature and art, and universities have opened institutes dedicated to Xi's thought.

- Subtle pushback -

The push to indoctrinate children with his political thinking brings Xi's ideology to its youngest audience yet.

It comes as the Party conducts a wider campaign to fight what it considers corrupting influences on the youth, from video games to celebrities and foreign educational tools.

Textbooks for older children delve into more complex topics such as the country's aerospace industry and the path to becoming a "modern socialist great power".

Several parents privately expressed discomfort about the curriculum but declined to be interviewed by AFP, fearing they would get in trouble for speaking to foreign media.

But the policy has been met with subtle pushback by anonymous internet commenters.

"Brainwashing starts from childhood," one user of the Weibo social media platform wrote.

"Can we refuse this?" asked another.

Wang Fei-Ling, a professor of international affairs at Georgia Tech, said the textbooks were an example of the Communist Party's effort to "bet on a cult of personality in a Mao-like strong leader".

"However, given what has happened in Chinese society over the past four decades, I think many parents may not like it very much and many students may find it boring -- but few would or could protest it publicly," Wang added.

"Most are likely to simply not take it very seriously."

While China has long given schoolchildren patriotism and political education, the new curriculum is "about promoting the cult of Xi as much as about instilling a greater sense of nationalism", China researcher Adam Ni told AFP.

State media have touted Xi's expectations for China's youth, with the official Xinhua news agency quoting his exhortation for young people to "strive to have pure hearts, sound personalities and integrity" in an article marking the new school year Wednesday.

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Germany says it is committed to helping people still in Afghanistan seeking to get out, as well as those who have already fled as refugees.

At the start of a four-day, five-country trip focused on evacuation efforts in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas underscored that Germany's ``engagement is not ending with the conclusion of the military evacuation mission.''

Maas spoke before his arrival in Turkey, the first country on his itinerary. After Turkey, Maas will continue on to Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Qatar.

The trip comes just days after Germany ended its military evacuation operations in Afghanistan. According to the German defense ministry, the German Bundeswehr evacuated 5,347 people from at least 45 different countries. Thousands, however, are still trying to get out.

In his statement, Maas acknowledged that several of the countries he is visiting have played a ``considerable part in ensuring the success'' of the evacuation efforts. He added that he believes a ``coordinated international approach to the Taliban'' is necessary.

``Our offer of support to the neighboring countries to assist them with coping with the humanitarian and economic fallout is also part of this,'' he said. ``It is in our own interests to ensure that the collapse in Afghanistan does not destabilize the entire region.''

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China is commonly perceived as the great enigma. More common is the tendency to work around the puzzle of how to deal with Beijing by lumping it together with more familiar contemporary or historical powers. Whether one takes this tack or that, the problem of understanding China draws more attention with every major development in international relations. If a new president comes to power in the US, his stance on China and vice versa might give us greater insight into the international giant.

The current event that raises the question of understanding China, which seems more and more like a necessary part of understanding any international development, involves one of its neighbours, which has been riveting international attention. On 15 August, Taliban fighters entered Kabul and received the prize theyve been working for: power over the whole of Afghanistan. The US-supported government collapsed, President Ashraf Ghani fled and American military presence suddenly embarked on a more chaotic exit than anything it could have imagined during its 20 year presence there. It took years for the extremist Islamist group to see its vision of seizing the capital crystallise, but the culmination took a single day.

The Taliban, which had swept the major centres of the Afghan states, encountered no resistance as it entered. By that evening, they were holding televised interviews in the elegant presidential palace that Ghani had abandoned a few hours earlier. Yet China did not seem very concerned. Its first official reaction was to say it was prepared to deal with the Taliban. The Chinese embassy stayed open and its diplomats were ready to talk.

In 2002, almost 20 years before this, I was on my second visit to China. In an interview at the Foreign Ministry, I asked what was then the natural question: how did China feel about the heavy US military presence right across the border in Afghanistan? The answer I received was the exact opposite of what I had read in US sources, according to which Beijing felt disturbed and threatened. My interlocutor, a senior official, told me that this was not the case at all. In fact, Beijing thought it was useful for the Americans to perform the task of defending China from the extremism, terrorism and instability that prevailed under the Taliban.

I recalled having read in many sources during the Vietnam War that China also felt it useful to have the American flesh in such close proximity at a time when the military balance between the US and China did not favour the latter, which did not possess the missile power to reach the US mainland. The lesson learned here is that China has its own way of adjusting to different situations so as to see not only benefits but also opportunities.

This may be the first key to understanding Chinese outlooks and behaviour. They dont conform to our customary notions which, in this case, would lead us to assume that China would be bothered by an enemys military proximity. Perhaps this key will also help us understand how China, which is home to a fifth of the population of the world and occupies a territory about the same size as the US, managed to be patient for so long over the separation of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan  all parts of One China  and subsequently had no problem allowing two systems upon their return to the state: a capitalist one for them and a communist one (albeit with capitalist features) for the rest of the country. At no point did China consider retaking those stolen pieces of its land by force.

Another key is that China is the Middle Kingdom that expects the world to come to it on its own terms. But when it goes out to the world, it works with rules that run contrary to what it expects at home. It does not see a necessity for the all-embracing harmony that starts with the individual and permeates society and government up to the Forbidden City at the top.

When abroad, China works with very different and sometimes antagonistic parties. It will build a port in Haifa, help build the New Administrative Capital in Egypt and sign a multi-purpose cooperation agreement with Tehran. The main Chinese international relations initiative is the Belt and Road project which aims to build a network of trade, transport and communication routes encircling the globe. China has its own way of doing globalisation, which means it is ready to move smoothly from Afghanistan all the way to the Suez Canal.

The third key has to do with how countries and economic blocs fit into the Chinese globalisation concept which appreciates the fact that the US has a large share of the global market. It is no coincidence that China has the largest reserve of dollars in the world after the US, that it is the USs largest trading partner, that the US has vast investments in China and vice versa. China has its own way of dealing with the global market and it obviously does not want to find itself alone there. At the same time, it has come to realise that it has taken advantage of a global economic system that treats it like a poor third world country for too long.

China has now lifted itself out of poverty and it has prepared itself with technological advances that took it to outer space. It has also indicated that it is willing to leave entire industries to poor third world countries, such as textiles and childrens toys, which was where Chinese industrialisation started.

All this forms a suitable common ground for a US-Chinese understanding. If there are some hurdles to overcome involving competition, that is fine. There is a big difference between competition and clash or conflict. The confrontational approach dominated two camps of opinion in the US: the right where Trump is situated wants to see advanced industries such as Apple leaving China and coming back to the US; and the left where human rights and pro-democracy activists are situated sees other countries only in terms of the space they make available for liberal ideologies, which officials in China see as a lot of hot air that neither protects countries, creates industries nor stimulates invention.

Naturally, the Chinese story is far deeper and more complex, and it certainly merits further exploration and discovery. China has long since emerged from its seclusion in the Forbidden City. It is among us now and it will be more so in the years to come. We should do our best to understand it.

*The writer is chairman of the board, CEO and director of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 2 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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About nine years ago, the Libyan revolution was in full swing. Back then, on the pages of Asharq Al-Awsat, I warned against Libya slipping towards extremism and fragmentation, if political parties did not make progress on the issue of national unity. However, those competing forces did not initiate much needed reconciliation, leading the country to become overwhelmed by extremism and suffering ever since from fragmentation.

Many do not know that Libya was once united, even before Germany and the United States. It was united in the 18th century, long before Italy's consulates of Tuscany and Genoa existed in Tripoli, which served as the capital of a united state stretching 2000 km on the shores of the Mediterranean.Since ancient history, eastern, western and southwestern Libya each constituted a strategic depth for the other, although they were at times separated. In 74 CE, east and west Cyrenaica were

Roman territories. In the year 202, the Roman emperor Septimius Severus realized the strategic importance of southwestern Libya (the province of Fezzan), taking it back and restoring it to northern Libya.

In recent history, Ahmed Pasha al-Qurmenli, the founder of the Quranili State of Libya in 1711, established the strategic integration of the country's territories. When he responded to the request of the Sheikh of the Obaydah tribe to settle new people from Tripoli in Cyrenaica, he brought tribes from the west around the year 1720 to settle in the city of Derna. This approach emphasized the unity of the country's demographics, with this wave of migration becoming known as the "abstraction."

This was not the first or last time that migration took place between two territories. Urban migration to Durna was preceded by the migrations of nomadic tribes from the west, some of which became the most powerful tribes in Berg. Time has proved Ahmed Pasha's wisdom in his strategic integration of the two parts of the country.

Almost a century after the "abstraction'', when Western powers blocked commercial traffic in the port of Tripoli, commercial activity shifted to the port of Benghazi in Cyrenaica, about a thousand kilometers to the east. This would not have been possible without the unity generated between east and west by Ahmed Pasha's "abstraction".

The evidence of Libyan national unity is not limited to waves of migration between west and east but is supported by the Arab-Amazigh demographic mix. Unfortunately, Libya's anthropological studies have not been as comprehensive as those of its history and geography. Nevertheless, indicators of profound unity permeate its social and cultural structure from Cyrenaica to Tripoli to Fazan. Strangely, the names of many tribes begin with the word "ayt," which is not the acronym for "family," as some might think. Rather, this is a prefix for the names of many Amazigh families. In contrast, the names of many tribes in Tripoli and Fazan are preceded by the Arabic word "children." Anthropology has shown the origins of many of these tribes to be Amazigh, many of whom lost their identity due to the country's colonization.



Interestingly, the United States was one of the first colonizers to make its way to Libya on one of its first naval adventures away from American shores, when it attacked the Qarmanli state in Derna in the far east of Libya in 1805. This campaigns memory is eternalized in the anthem of the US Marine Corp, commemorating battles fought, From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.

After the collapse of the Qaramanlic state, central Ottoman rule returned to Libya in 1835. Still, the country's identity persevered, as it did throughout the Italian occupation from 1911 until the defeat of Italy in World War II. Fazan came under French control, Cyrenaica and Tripoli came under British administration, although Britain functionally ran the two territories under separate administrations. Many mistakenly believe that Idris Senussi, who became king of the country in 1951, assumed the leadership mantle and became the symbol of national unity. Many forget that his appointment actually came 30 years earlier in the 1920 Gharyan Conference, with the pledging of allegiance of Eastern leaders taking place at the Cyrenaica headquarters in Ajdabiya in November 1922.

We not too long ago saw a television series titled "The Two Leaders," on Suleiman Al-Baroni and Bashir Al-Saadaw, both famous leaders from the west. We are used to seeing such programs on our historical leaders and bow in homage to these great men. Yet, we still do not understand why there is little material which commemorates one of our most outstanding figures of national unity, Idris Al-Senussi.

Our leaders in Gharyan in 1922 realized something that many today have conveniently forgotten. The Senussi family is integral for national unity as it rises above Libya's regional and tribal affiliations. Divisions in our country mean that any leader from Tripoli will naturally be supported by tribal or regional leaders from Tripoli itself, and leaders from Misratawill find similar support among their compatriots. Unique about the Senussi brand is that it is not a regional or tribal identity, but rather a national identity given its reformist message based on action in the interests of all Libyans, not factionalism.

Libyan history as we know it would not have existed, unified and independent, had it not been for Idris Al-Senussi and the national and international consensus he generated. East and west have integrated and exchanged roles. Tripoli led the country in theQarmani era, while Cyrenaica led the period of the Senussi reform culminating in the period of independence.

Cyrenaica first became independent in 1949. However, our founding fathers realized that half of the country would not survive without the other half in a highly polarized region. Necessitating Libya to become independent under the leadership of Cyrenaica's prince, Idris Al-Senussi, who became king of the country, first as a federation under the 1951 constitution, and later under the federation abolished in 1963.

The regime which would depose the Senussi family led by Muammar Ghadaffi tore our country apart at the seams. Cyrenaica and its people sensed a bitterness of deprivation and exclusion more than others in that era. That was the modus operandi of the regime, divide and conquer. What we are tasked with at this juncture, ten years after the regime's fall, is delicately putting our country back together again. But calls to return to federalism at the current time dismiss the fact that federalism is a constitutional order that can only be restored after a constitutional referendum has abolished it. Returning to such federalism may also lead to the risk of our country finding itself in a state of complete separation. The division of governments and parliament is now at the worst we have seen in years.

These divisions may benefit some due to their personal or narrow regional material interests. Pursuing avenues to divide our country further is a disservice to our people and a disgrace to our founding fathers. If a return to federalism is indeed the people's desire, then so be it, but how would such an endeavor take place under such challenging circumstances?

Our Constitution of Independence of 1951 is what we must fight to return to under the leadership of a constitutional monarchy. The Libyan people did not seek to abolish it, and as such, it is their right to demand to have it restored. International attempts at providing us with a new document have very clearly failed. Instead, we need political consensus among those from the competing parts of our country who care about our future. This will bring the country out of its current constitutional vacuum and alleviate the imminent dangers facing us today.

When a ship is dismantled on the shore, some rush to take advantage of the wreckage to build boats for themselves. Others seek to reconstruct the broken ship for the good of the many, even if the waves pose challenges and run the risk of them drowning. These people understand that the masses need the ship to survive. And more important than their independent survival is that of the many. We must do everything in our power to strengthen and support those who hold the interests of our glorious nation in their hearts.

*Dr. Abdul Rahman Habil was Libyan Minister of Culture and Civil Society. He is a board member of the Central Bank of Libya and a practicing lawyer. Dr. Habil holds a PhD in law from the University of Indiana and was an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Benghazi.

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Egypt's Elneny out of Gabon clash



Ahram online , Friday 3 Sep 2021



According to the EFA statement, the Premier League side informed them that the player injured muscle during the team's training on Thursday



Arsenal's Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny will not be available for Egypt's clash against Gabon in the World Cup qualifiers due to a muscle injury, the Egyptian football Association (EFA) announced on Thursday.



The Pharaohs will face Gabon in Libreville on Sunday.



According to the EFA statement, the Premier League side informed them that the player injured a muscle during the team's training on Thursday.



Elneny missed Egypt's 1-0 win over Angola on Wednesday due to the United Kingdom's quarantine restrictions, but was set to feature on Egypt's squad against Gabon.



The fate of Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah remains unclear with reports suggesting that he will join the Pharaohs' roster in Gabon.



Egypt are leading their Group with three points on level with Libya, while Gabon lie in the bottom of the Group after losing to Libya 2-1 on Wednesday.



(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter [email protected]_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.)











https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/422343.aspx
KYODO NEWS - Sep 2, 2021 - 12:39 | All, Japan

The operator of the Uber Eats food delivery service in Japan has stopped hiring new overseas students, a company official said Thursday, after facing allegations that it illegally employed overstayers last year.

The hiring freeze, effective Aug. 25, will likely affect many foreign students looking for jobs amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. A decline in the number of employees could also reduce service quality, despite growing demand for food deliveries amid government stay-at-home requests.

An Uber Eats Japan Inc. official told Kyodo News it has stopped recruiting new foreign students because checking their visa status every half year in person and confirming their attendance at schools "requires a lot of human resources," making it difficult for the company to ensure compliance.

In June, police referred Uber Japan Co. and two of its former employees to prosecutors for allegedly hiring two Vietnamese overstayers as food delivery staff in violation of the country's immigration control law.

Foreign students are allowed to work for up to 28 hours per week once granted permission by Japan's immigration agency. As the pandemic has forced restaurants and other providers of part-time jobs to suspend operations or shorten opening hours, many students from overseas are now switching to food delivery jobs to make a living.

Overseas students who registered as delivery staff for Uber Eats Japan before the hiring freeze took effect can continue to work. Foreign nationals who have no restrictions on working hours such as permanent residents and spouses of Japanese nationals are not affected by the measure, according to the official.

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KYODO NEWS - Sep 2, 2021 - 16:31 | All, Japan

Ministerial-level defense representatives from Japan and 13 Pacific island countries vowed on Thursday in an online meeting to tighten cooperation to maintain maritime order amid China's increasing military activity in the region.

The participants in the first such gathering affirmed the importance of promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, their joint statement said. The concept is an initiative by the United States and Japan, apparently aimed at countering Beijing's rising assertiveness in the nearby waters and its growing economic influence in the region.

The representatives agreed on the need for their "mutual understanding and trust-building to address challenges for regional security," the statement said.

Japan's Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi noted during the meeting that the Pacific region faces new challenges, including defending against authoritarianism, according to the Japanese ministry, in a veiled reference to China.

"We need to strengthen our ties," said Kishi, who chaired the meeting called the "Japan Pacific Islands Defense Dialogue."

The gathering follows a meeting of Japan and Pacific island countries' leaders in July when they also agreed on cooperation under the free and open Indo-Pacific initiative.

China's military activities are expanding in the East and South China seas, conducting more exercises with fighter jets and naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier Liaoning, in the region.

The islands are of strategic importance to Tokyo in both the economic and security arenas, the Japanese government has said. China has provided loans and development assistance for projects such as the construction of infrastructure facilities in the region, which could increase its presence among them.

Cooperation for disaster relief and climate change were also discussed at the meeting as these island nations are concerned about rising sea levels.

The countries also affirmed their commitment to "achieving the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement" of North Korea's nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction programs, the statement said.

The 13 Pacific island countries are the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Samoa could not participate in the online meeting due to technical difficulties.

Representatives from the United States, Britain, France, Australia, Canada and New Zealand also joined the meeting.

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Alliance with Japan remains "credible deterrent": new U.S. commander

Japan, Britain hold joint naval drill south of Okinawa Island
KYODO NEWS - Sep 2, 2021 - 19:33 | World, All, Japan

Major Japanese cosmetics maker DHC Corp., which has been criticized for being discriminatory against ethnic Korean residents of Japan, said Thursday it will withdraw from the South Korean market.

The company has been under fire since its chief executive wrote a message on its Japanese website in November last year apparently attacking a rival company that he said uses many Japanese TV personalities with Korean roots in its commercials.

On the website of its South Korean branch, the company said it has decided to close its business in the country and discontinue online sales of its products by the middle of this month.

In South Korea, a boycott of DHC products has spread and department stores have stopped selling them since the maker's chief executive, Yoshiaki Yoshida, wrote the message in which he used a derogatory term to refer to ethnic Koreans and added, "DHC is a purely Japanese firm, including the TV personalities we use."

In May, DHC deleted Yoshida's message from the Japanese website amid mounting criticism both in South Korea and Japan.

The cosmetic maker entered the South Korean market in 2002.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 2, 2021 - 18:48 | All, Coronavirus, Japan

Tokyo is still behind its goal of securing 7,000 beds for COVID-19 patients, the metropolitan government said Thursday, as the medical system remains strained due to a surge of coronavirus cases amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

The capital has newly added 150 beds since asking Tokyo hospitals to secure beds and accept as many COVID-19 patients as possible in late August, bringing the total capacity to 6,117 beds.

The metropolitan government made the first such request together with the health ministry on Aug. 23 as an alarming rise of infections outstripped the capital's health care system.

Meanwhile, Japan for the first time confirmed two cases of the new Mu variant of the coronavirus, the health ministry said Wednesday. Both of the two women infected with the variant first detected in Columbia were asymptomatic.

The World Health Organization designated the Mu variant as a variant of interest in late August.

The two were found to carrying the variant during screenings at Narita airport near Tokyo in June and July, the ministry said.

One of the women is in her 40s and had previously been to the United Arab Emirates before arriving at the airport on June 26. The other is in her 50s and had traveled to Britain before coming to Narita on July 5.
By Sadaaki Numata, KYODO NEWS - Sep 2, 2021 - 15:23 | All, Japan, World

For us Japanese, who have lived in peaceful bliss for quite some time, it is not easy to empathize with the plight of the people in Afghanistan or Pakistan, "frontline states" tossed around for centuries by ethnic, religious, civilizational and great power rivalries.

As we contemplate what Japan can do for Afghanistan, we need to take into account the complex circumstances that have led to the takeover by the Taliban.

No central government has ever exercised control over the whole of Afghanistan, an ethnic patchwork of the Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Turkmens and other tribes.

When the Taliban suffered defeat 20 years ago, Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, former lieutenant general and foreign minister of Pakistan, who was deeply involved in the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, said to me, "Afghanistan will continue to be a kaleidoscope of tribal rivalries, given the 'mini-Shogun syndrome' of the tribal war-lords."

The U.S.-led military intervention was largely successful in eliminating al-Qaida in the country.

Subsequently, the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force), comprising U.S. and NATO troops, failed in sorting out the conflicts among the various forces within Afghanistan and help "nation building," partly because the Afghan government tended towards "dependence on the U.S. rather than self-reliance."

Its neighbor, Pakistan, has been intent on denying India a foothold in the backyard.

To that end, the Pakistani military have at least tacitly supported the Taliban.

As seen in the statement by Prime Minister Imran Khan, "In Afghanistan, they (the Taliban) have broken the chains of slavery," Pakistan apparently welcomes Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan insofar as it serves to diminish the influence of India on Afghanistan.

The TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) is an umbrella organization of radical anti-government militant groups in Pakistan.

If the Taliban's takeover emboldens the TTP and intensifies its anti-government terrorist activities, it will pose a serious challenge to the Pakistani government.

Further, the Islamic State Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K, which is at loggerheads with the Afghan Taliban, has already staged a massive terrorist attack around Kabul Airport, and will continue to cause headaches to the new Taliban government.

Now, the international community will have to grapple with the difficult challenge of drawing the Taliban from their hermetic fundamentalism out into dialogue and cooperation.

Japan, as the second largest donor after the United States, has helped build schools and hospitals and train teachers and others through its official development assistance.

The dedicated efforts of Madam Sadako Ogata in leading the repatriation of Afghan refugees as UNHCR (U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees) and Dr. Tetsu Nakamura in undertaking irrigation projects in East Afghanistan are well known.

Building on these records and the trust that they have garnered, Japan should play an active part in winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people.

To that end, it should direct its efforts towards consolidating the position of the international community on such issues as how to use the leverage of the recognition of the new government.

(Sadaaki Numata was Japanese ambassador to Pakistan from 2000 to 2002.)

Related coverage:

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KYODO NEWS - Sep 2, 2021 - 20:50 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday pledged an economic package with "tens of trillions of yen" to fight the COVID-19 pandemic as a pillar of his policy platform, as he faces off against Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming leadership race.

The package includes a plan to strengthen financial aid to businesses affected by government policies such as a request for shorter hours and people hit by the economic slump in the wake of the pandemic, Kishida said at a press conference.

Suga met with LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai the same day and relayed his intention to run in the Sept. 29 race for re-election as the party's president as well as reshuffle its executives on Monday to gain fresh impetus for the poll, people familiar with the conversation said.

The lineup change would see Nikai leave the LDP's No. 2 post after a record-long five years, and could also lead to a minor change to Suga's Cabinet.

Kishida also proposed a plan to reduce the number of people without access to medical care to zero by securing enough hospital beds for COVID-19 patients and create a health crisis management agency to cope with the coronavirus crisis, if he wins the vote.

"There are many voices among the people that the government is not providing enough explanations about its coronavirus response, and that it is too optimistic in grasping the situation," the 64-year old, who served as foreign minister and chairman of the LDP Policy Research Council under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said at a press conference.

Kishida outlined policies focusing on coronavirus response and is expected to announce other policies at a later date.

He is making his second attempt at becoming LDP leader and therefore prime minister, having lost to Suga in last September's vote.

"I will always keep in mind the worst case scenarios in managing a crisis, without thinking it is probably going to be okay," he said, displaying his stance of focusing on crisis management amid growing public discontent with the government's anti-virus measures.

Kishida added he will "personally offer thorough explanations about the government's (coronavirus) policy, its necessity and the process that led to the decision" to gain people's understanding.

The pledges appear to take into account criticism of the Suga government for its lack of account to the public on its policy to address the recent spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, which has put a strain on the country's medical system, as well as the slow progress in its inoculation drive.

Kishida also called for the introduction of digital vaccine passports proving a person's record of inoculation to facilitate economic activities once the spread of the virus comes under control.

The election, with campaigning set to start on Sept. 17, is so far expected to be a race between Suga, Kishida and possibly former internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi, who is trying to secure the endorsement of 20 lawmakers.

Last week, Kishida, who heads an LDP faction with over 40 lawmakers, said that if he were elected LDP leader, he would limit the terms of LDP executives -- excluding the president -- to up to three consecutive years in order to prevent the concentration of power.

In his first bid for the 2020 LDP presidential election, Kishida, who hails from a political family in Hiroshima, came second behind Suga. Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba came third.

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PM Suga, Kishida to vie for LDP leadership in Sept. 29 election
KYODO NEWS - Sep 2, 2021 - 23:49 | World, All

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told U.S. climate envoy John Kerry that prolonged tensions between the world's two major powers would make it difficult for them to work together in the climate field, according to official Chinese media.

Wang's remarks on Wednesday came as Beijing has been at odds with Washington over several issues, including its alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong, and security challenges to Taiwan and in the South China Sea.

Kerry, secretary of state under former President Barack Obama, has been in China's Tianjin since Tuesday. He and Wang held talks by video link, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The United States had described climate change cooperation as an "oasis" of China-U.S. relations, but if it is all surrounded by deserts, then sooner or later the oasis will turn to desert, Wang was quoted by Xinhua as telling Kerry.

China-U.S. cooperation on climate change serves the interests of both sides and the world as well as enjoying broad development prospects, but such cooperation cannot be sustained without an improvement in bilateral relations, Wang said.

Wang also urged the United States to stop viewing China as a threat and rival, cease containing and suppressing the Asian nation, and take concrete steps to improve ties, according to Xinhua.

Kerry told Wang that the United States is willing to join hands with China to enhance dialogue, demonstrate leadership and set an example for meeting goals under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Reuters news agency, meanwhile, reported that the U.S. State Department quoted Kerry as telling Wang that China, the world's largest carbon dioxide emitter, should do more to reduce emissions.

In a different video conversation on Thursday, Chinese top diplomat Yang Jiechi, a former foreign minister who is now a state councilor, told Kerry that U.S. interference in China's internal affairs has significantly harmed bilateral relations.

During his stay in the northeastern city, Kerry is believed to have held talks with other Chinese officials such as Xie Zhenhua, special representative on climate matters for the country.

In his address to the U.N. General Assembly in September last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised his nation would bring total CO2 emissions to a peak before 2030 and aim to become carbon neutral by 2060.

Many other countries, however, have recently pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, including the United States, the second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

In April, Kerry made a trip to Shanghai and talked with Chinese officials, becoming the first senior U.S. official to visit China under the administration of President Joe Biden, who took office in January.

Related coverage:

U.S. climate envoy Kerry appears to ask China to fight global warming

Suga, U.S. climate envoy Kerry agree to work for decarbonization

China's new envoy arrives in U.S. amid tensions
New Delhi:

The Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday termed the Amritsar Nirankari Bhawan attack a complete failure of law and order in the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government. Expressing his condolences, SAD leader Manjinder S Sirsa said, I am shocked at the laxity of Amarinder Singhs govt! This is a complete failure of law & order in Congress rule. At least three people were killed and 10 others sustained serious injuries after two suspected bike-borne terrorists hurled hand grenades at Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsars Rajasansi village.

The blast occurred at a congregation of the Sant Nirankari  a spiritual organisation. Around 250 people were present inside the building where suspected terrorists hurled hand grenades.

Also Read | Amritsar Nirankari Bhawan Attack Updates: 3 dead, 10 injured in a suspected terror strike

Out of 250 people who were present in the religious congregation, 3 dead & 15-20 injured. As per initial reports, 2 people had come over here who lobbed a grenade here, IG (Border) Surinder Pal Singh Parmar told reporters at the spot.



Following the attack, security has been increased outside Nirankari Ashram in Delhi. Security agencies have sounded a high alert in Punjab and neighbouring states. All the border areas have been sealed and extra police force deployed at the entry points.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced the ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the kin of deceased and free treatment for injured in all the government and private hospitals.

My heart goes out to victims of the Amritsar bomb blast & their families. My govt will give Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the dead and free treatment to injured. Have asked district administration to extend all help, Singh tweeted.

The chief minister urged people to remain calm and maintain peace. He also assured them that will not let the forces of terror destroy the hard-earned peace.

I appeal to the people of Punjab to maintain peace in wake of Amritsar bomb blast. I urge them not to panic and to remain calm. We will not let the forces of terror destroy our hard-earned peace, the CM added.

Also Read | Another Kashmiri youth abducted by militants, seventh in four days

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh termed the grenade attack a reprehensible act of violence and assured strongest possible action against the perpetrators.

Spoke to the Chief Minister of Punjab, Amarinder ji who has apprised me of the situation in the wake of the grenade attack in Amritsar. Strongest possible action will be taken against the perpetrators of this crime, Singh wrote on Twitter.

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New Delhi:

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Sunday condemned the attack on a religious congregation in Amritsar and condoled the deaths of those who were killed in the explosion.

Three persons were killed and 20 injured when two motorcycle-borne miscreants hurled a grenade at a religious congregation of over 200 devotees inside a Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar earlier on Sunday.

"I am very pained by the news about the attack in Amritsar. It cannot be condemned enough. I convey my deep condolences to the families of the deceased," he said in a Facebook post in Hindi.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also condemned the attack and asked people to stay calm.

"Strongly condemn the blast in Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar. Deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives. Urge and appeal, the people to stay calm and maintain peace. Forces of terror shall never succeed in their nefarious designs," he said on Twitter.

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New Delhi:

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday blacklisted the possibility of forging an alliance with the BJP or the Congress to form the government in Chhattisgarh, describing the parties as "Saanpnath" and "Naagnath".

Dismissing the idea of tying up with the Congress or the BJP as hypothetical, Mayawati said her alliance with Ajit Jogi's Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) would get the absolute majority and if not they will prefer to sit in the Opposition.

"When our alliance is fully confident of getting an absolute majority (in the 90-member House), where does the question of a post-poll tie-up with the BJP or the Congress arise?" Mayawati said when asked about which way her party would go in such a scenario.

Read | Rajasthan Elections: Former DGP Harish Meena ditches BJP, joins Congress

"This is a mischievous question. The question does not arise. The second phase of the polling is yet to take place," the BSP chief told NDTV.

To a question as to why the BSP could not forge an alliance with the Congress, Mayawati said both the BJP and the Congress are "anti-poor, anti-farmer, anti-downtrodden and anti-weaker sections". Therefore, "there was no question of having any truck with either of the two," she asserted.

In what could be a big blow to the Congress, the BSP had in September announced its decision to contest the Chhattisgarh election in alliance with the JCC, declaring Ajit Jogi as the chief ministerial candidate of the BSP-JCC coalition.

While the JCC is contesting 55 assembly segments in Chhattisgarh, the BSP is in the fray in remaining 35 seats. In the outgoing House, the BSP has only one seat.

Read | Chhattisgarh Elections 2018: 60-70 per cent voter turnout in phase one; seven Naxals killed across state

Though Chhattisgarh has always been a straight fight between the BJP and the Congress this time the third front comprising Ajit Jogi's Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J), Mayawati's BSP and the CPI is expected to bing some significant changes in the post-poll scenario.

While 18 assembly constituencies in the state went to polls in the first phase of Chhattisgarh elections on Monday, the second phase of polling for remaining 72 seats will take place on Tuesday, November 20, 2018. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 11, 2018.
New Delhi:

A CBI officer, who was probing the FIR lodged against Special Director Rakesh Asthana, Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of his transfer to Nagpur in Maharashtra. However, he was denied an urgent hearing. Manish Kumar Sinha, an IPS officer who was part of the investigation team probing Asthanas role in an alleged corruption case, mentioned his plea before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi for an urgent hearing on Tuesday.

Read More | Rajasthan elections turn into battle of heavyweights, BJP pits Yunus Khan against Sachin Pilot in Tonk

The bench also comprising Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph is scheduled to hear on Tuesday the plea of CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma challenging the governments decision of divesting him of duties and sending him on leave.

He has alleged that he was transferred to Nagpur and as a result has been taken out from the probe team investigating the FIR against Asthana.

Read More | RBI Board Meeting underway as central bank looks to resolve conflict with government

Asthana has also been divested of his duties and sent on leave by the central government following his ongoing feud with the CBI Director.

The CBI had booked Asthana on allegations of receiving a bribe from an accused probed by him in a case linked to meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

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New Delhi:

Former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (JD) chief Lalu Prasads health has worsen due to a festering boil on his right leg, the doctor attending him said on Sunday.

Lalu Prasad, who is currently serving jail term in fodder scam case, is currently undergoing a treatment in Ranchis Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) under the police custody, owing to diabetes and heart-related problems.

Dr Umesh Prasad, who is attending Yadav at RIMS, said that The sugar level and blood pressure of the RJD chief, who is a diabetic, have shot up in the past two to three days due to the boil.

Also Read | Maninder Singhs advice to India in Australia: Read conditions well, get team composition right

The former Bihar chief ministers dose of insulin has been increased to bring down the sudden increase in sugar level, Dr Prasad said.

Party MLA Rekha Devi, after meeting its party chief on Saturday, has demanded better treatment.

"Laluji's health has deteriorated. He can neither sit down nor stand up. His blood sugar level has also increased. We demand that he should be taken to a place where he gets better treatment," the RJD MLA told reporters.

Lalu Ji's health has deteriorated, he can neither sit nor stand. His blood sugar level has also increased. We demand that he should be taken to a place where he can get better treatment: Rekha Devi, RJD MLA after meeting RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in Ranchi's RIMS. pic.twitter.com/bq1O1q70bV  ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2018

Dr Prasad also said that Yadavs creatinine level has also increased to 1.85 from 1.5 and so has the while blood cell count to 12,000, the normal range of which is between 4,000 and 8,000.

Read More | AIIMS MBBS 2019 registration to begin from November 30, check important notifications at aiimsexams.org

It will take some time for the infectious boil to heal, the doctor, who is monitoring the RJD chiefs health condition round-the-clock, the doctor said.

Due to the boil, the RJD chief is experiencing difficulty in standing up and going to the washroom, sources close Yadav said.

When asked if the RJD leader needs to be shifted to any other hospital, Dr Prasad said proper care of the patient was being taken at the RIMS.

Convicted in the Rs 900-crore fodder scam, the RJD chief surrendered before a special CBI court in late August, following the Jharkhand High Courts refusal to extend his bail on medical grounds.

The fodder scam is related to fraudulent withdrawal of government funds from the treasuries of various districts of undivided Bihar in the 1990s when RJD was in power and Yadav the chief minister then.

(With inputs from agencies)

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday questioned the Congress for praising cow in its Madhya Pradesh assembly elections manifesto but eating beef on the streets of Kerala. A aThe Congress praises the cow in its MP polls manifesto, but slaughters a calf on the streets of Kerala and eats beef,a Modi said while addressing a rally in Madhya Pradeshas Chhindwara.

#WATCH: "Madhya Pradesh Congress ke manifesto mein toh aap gai ka gaurav gaan kar rahe ho,lekin Kerala mein khule aam raste par Congress ke log gai ke bachde kaat kar ke uska maas khate hui tasvir nikal karke batate hain ki gaumaas khana humara adhikar hai,"says PM in Chhindwara pic.twitter.com/pyioS6jOZX a ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2018

Modi also said the people are atireda of the grand old partyas afalse promisesa.A A

aChhindwara is tired of Congress' false promises. Making false promises is the very nature of Congress. They ruled for four generations. I challenge them to present a report card what they did in all these yearsaThey have faith in the BJP,a

Madhya Pradesh is all set to go for polls on November 28. Counting of votes will take place on December 11.

Speaking on Aadhaar, Modi said through the 12-digitA unique identityA number, his government curbed corruption and saved nearly Rs 90,000 crore.

aWhen Rajiv Gandhi ji was the PM, he said if government released one rupee, only 15 paise could reach people. Why was it so? Who looted those 85 paise? When we came to power, through Aadhaar, we put a check on corruption and saved nearly Rs 90,000 crore,a Modi said

Modi said if the Congress was planning to bring goons into power through elections, the people of the state should make their choice straight and eliminate the Congress.

aA recent video has surfaced on internet in which a senior Congress leader from the state is caught saying that for winning these the elections, they're ready to take support from goons and those who don't obey law. Such a thing is absolutely unacceptable,a he said.A

Addressing a poll rally in Surguja district for the second phase of Chhattisgarh elections on Friday, Modi challenged the Congress to make someone from outside the Gandhi family its chief for at least five years if it respected democracy, as he returned the Congress' barb that a 'chaiwala' could rise to power only because of democratic systems established by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

PM Modi also hit back at the Congress for questioning demonetisation, saying the move "still rankles" them as the money "stashed under beds and in sacks" was taken away in a single stroke.A
New Delhi:

One protestor was killed and more than 400 people were injured on Saturday in a nationwide movement known as yellow vest against the increasing fuel prices in France, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said.

Tens of thousands of people across France, including vexed motorists, protested against high fuel prices, in mass rallies that turned into violence, killing one protestor accidently by a car, an official said.

At Pont-de-Beauvoisin, in southeast France, a woman trying to get her daughter to the doctor panicked when protesters surrounded her car and started banging on the roof. She accidentally struck and killed a woman in her 60s, the minister said.

Also Read | Taimur has the cutest nickname for sister Sara Ali Khan! Can you guess it?

According to official report, the injury toll, more than double the last tally provided on Saturday, followed a restive night in 87 locations around the country where protesters had blocked roads to express their anger at a series of hikes in petrol tax.

Out of the total 409 injured, 28 were of the police and fire brigade personnel who were on duty during the time of violence erupted, the interior ministry said.

An estimated 288,000 people had taken part in Saturdays protests at 2,034 locations countrywide, Castaner said, adding about 3,500 stayed out overnight.

Last night was restive... There were assaults, fights, stabbings, said Castaner.

Read More | AIIMS MBBS 2019 online registration to begin from November 30, check important notifications at aiimsexams.org

There were fights among yellow vest protesters. There was a lot of alcohol at certain venues, which led to this idiotic behaviour, the minister said.

Police questioned 282 protesters in total, 73 during the night, of which 157 were taken into custody, Castaner said.

The movement yellow vest, named for the high-visibility jackets worn by protestors, appeared last month on social media with calls for nationwide blockade over increasing fuel prices, sources said.

Protestors blame a 20 per cent hike in fuel prices has shrunk personal spending power under President Emmanuel Macron, it said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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New Delhi:

The Sabarimala Temple witnessed fresh protests late on Sunday night after more than a hundred devotees agitated as the police did not allow them to stay overnight in the Nadapanthal area of Sannidhanam. As many as 28 people were taken into preventive custody. The police had imposed strict restrictions at Sannidhaman because of previous incidents of violence at the hill-top shrine. However, on the second day of the two-month-long pilgrimage season, Lord Ayyappa devotees gathered at the covered pathway to the temple when they were asked to leave Sannidhanam. The protesters were taken to Pamba police station which is 3.5 km downhill from the shrine.

Kerala: Visuals of devotees protesting at Nadapanthal area in Sannidhanam last night. They were protesting as the police did not allow them to stay overnight at Nadapanthal. They were later detained by police. #SabarimalaTemple pic.twitter.com/hbcau9xy8r  ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2018

"Section 144 had been declared in the area. We had asked them to disperse after the Harivarasanam but most of them refused," said Pratheesh Kumar, Superintendent of Police as quoted by news agencies. Section 144 prohibits assembly of more than four people at a spot.

Read More | Amid rift with government, crucial Reserve Bank board meeting today

However, Kumar also said that the police was not against devotees offering prayers and those who actually want to offer prayer can stay back. "Those who have to offer 'neyyabhishekam' (anointing deity with ghee) can stay back. They can recite prayers also. We are not against it. The police will assist those who want to offer prayers," he said.

Sources said that the police had received information about a possible protest by the devotees at Sannidhanam and the police had taken precautionary measures.

"We are devotees and we started reciting prayers but the police did not allow us, saying section 144 (prohibitory orders) has been imposed," said Rajesh, one of the protesters.

Also Read | Taimur has the cutest nickname for sister Sara Ali Khan

He said he did not mind getting arrested for reciting prayers at Sannidhanam.

Some devotees also alleged that some of them were injured but the police denied them treatment. The arrested protesters, who were initially taken to the police post near the temple, were being taken to base camp under heavy security.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi :

For the first time in the history, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hinted at a post-poll alliance with its traditional arch-rival the Congress in the Mizoram Assembly elections. The ruling Congress and main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) are the two major parties in the hill state of Mizoram. While the BJP is in power in all the other north-eastern state, it has never won an Assembly election in Mizoram. During his recent visit to the poll-bound state, BJP chief Amit Shah had said that the BJP will win the Assembly elections and the Christian majority state will celebrate this years Christmas under the saffron partys rule.

Also Read | 4 killed,11 injured in blast at Pulgaon Army depot in Maharashtra's Wardha

However, BJP in charge for elections in Mizoram and Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hinted at a probable alliance with Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla. Terming the chief minister a friend, Sarma said that the MNF isnt the only option for the post-poll alliance.

"It is not like that MNF is the only option for the post-poll alliance," NDTV quoted Sarma as saying.

"I say this because in Mizoram, Congress has a separate constitution. It has a unique history. As a party, its constitution different the rest of the country. Lal Thanhawla takes independent decisions. We are friendly with the chief minister as an individual," he said.

Sarma said that while the Congress and MNF remain the rivals, the BJP is not criticising Chief Minister Thanhawla and Zoramthanga - MNF leader and former Chief Minister of Mizoram from December 1998 to December 2008.

"We are open to friendship with both Lal Thanhawla and Zoramthanga. At the party-level, we are focusing on strengthening our base and targeting our rivals, but we aren't criticizing the two Mizo leaders at an individual level. We are neutral to both and treating them as our friends," Sarma said.

Also Read | NSA Ajit Doval interfered in probe against Rakesh Asthana, alleges CBI officer

While the BJP is making all-out efforts to open its account in the state, the Congress party, which has been ruling the state since 2008, is eying third consecutive term. Mizoram is also important for the Congress as its the last north-eastern state the party is in power. Elections for the 40-member Mizoram Legislative Assembly are scheduled to be held on November 28. The results will be declared on December 11.
New Delhi :

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over perceived government interference in the Reserve Banks functioning. Accusing the prime minister and his coterie of cronies of destroying the institution, Gandhi expressed hopes that RBI Governor Urjit Patel will not bend down against Modi.

Mr Modi and his coterie of cronies, continue to destroy every institution they can get their hands on. Today, through his puppets at the #RBIBoardMeet he will attempt to destroy the RBI. I hope Mr Patel and his team have a spine and show him his place, the Congress chief wrote on Twitter.

Also Read | RBI Board Meeting underway as central bank looks to resolve conflict with government

The remarks of the Gandhi scion came on a day when a crucial RBI board meeting is taking place to discuss several issues, including governments proposed changes to the RBI Act, 1934, alignment of capital adequacy norms with those in advanced countries and some relaxation in the Prompt Corrective Action framework.

The RBI has been at loggerheads with the Centre since the Finance Ministrys use of never used Section 7 of the RBI Act, which grants special powers to the government to issue directions to the central bank.

According to news agency Reuters, citing sources, the central bank could agree to tweak certain restrictions on lending to improve credit flows for smaller companies with a borrowing limit of Rs 34 lakh.

A day ahead of the meeting, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said that limiting credit availability and liquidity must not affect the growth of the country.

Also Read | Resignation by RBI Governor would send bad signal to global markets: Moily

If we have to improve on this (growth), we need a certain level of credit flow as far as entrepreneurs are concerned... see that liquidity is maintained, the finance minister said during an award ceremony in Mumbai.

The board meeting of the RBI came nearly a week after the government rejected reports of its proposal to the central bank seeking transfer of Rs 3.6 lakh crore and said the only plan under discussion is to fix appropriate economic capital framework of RBI.

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New Delhi:

Guatemalan authorities have urged people living near Volcan De Fuego to leave after a fresh volcano erupted in the early hours of Monday sparked a red alert, an official said.

According to the official report, the 'Volcano of Fire' or 'Fuego Volcano' erupted in the Guatemala City, which lies 16 km west of the major tourist destination of Antigua, forcing about 200 residents to flee from home for safety.

A spokesman for Guatemala's disaster management agency CONRED, David de Leon, said 214 residents who live on the slopes of Fuego, mostly in the southern municipality of Escuintla, were moved to safe zones and more will follow.

Also Read | Vietnam: Floods, landslides killed 12 in Khanh Hoa province

A fiery glow rose from the crater of Fuego which is erupting for the fifth time this year, one month after the last one and following a June 3 rain of rocks, ash and toxic gases that left almost 200 people dead and 235 missing.

State officials have asked the residents of 2,000 people to leave the area after an increasing eruption of lava.

"About 2,000 people in total have been asked to leave the area of the 3,763-meter (12,246-foot) volcano, 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Guatemala City," said David.

Since the eruption began on Sunday morning, lava rises 500 meters above Fuego's crater, while the ash column exceeds one kilometer above the volcanic cone and is causing a rain of particles, the Institute of Volcanology said.

Read More | Death count rises 45 as cyclone Gaja leaves a trail of destruction

National Hurricane Center's Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) took to Twitter and alerted an ashfall advisory.

"..Ashfall Advisory... Fuego Volcano in southern Guatemala is erupting and sending a plume of volcanic ash toward the offshore waters. Ashfall may reach to the surface with visibilities reduced to 1 nm or less," TAFB tweeted.

...Ashfall Advisory... Fuego Volcano in southern Guatemala is erupting and sending a plume of volcanic ash toward the offshore waters. Ashfall may reach to the surface with visibilities reduced to 1 nm or less. pic.twitter.com/4OPxVzvbLu  NHC_TAFB (@NHC_TAFB) November 19, 2018

Guatemala, a Central American country south of Mexico, is home to volcanoes for centuries.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Bengaluru:

Amid demands from some quarters for RBI governor Urjit Patels resignation, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance Veerappa Moily on Sunday said if he quits over the stand-off between the top bank and the Centre, it will send a bad signal to global markets.

If Patel decides to resign over its (RBI) differences with the central government, it will be a very sad and bad for the Indian economy.

It will also send a bad signal to global markets just as Raghuram Rajans exit did, the former Union Minister told PTI here.

He said responding to a query on reports that there were demands from some quarters for Patel to step down as RBI governor in view of the stand-off.

Also Read | Lalus health deteriorates due to boil on leg, says RIMS doctor

Noting that RBIs credibility would be shaken if Patel resigns, Moily said the entire world economy looks up to any central bank of any country and the markets would also be affected.

His remarks come ahead of RBIs crucial board meeting Monday with Finance Ministry nominees and some independent directors expected to take on Patel and his team over several issues, though both sides are in favour of reaching a common ground.

Moily claimed that the nation used to be very proud of Indias growing economy because its fundamentals were strong during the 10-year UPA rule unlike in the four-and-a-half years of NDA rule.

When Arun Jaitley presented the first budget of the NDA, the economic survey report said the fundamentals of the economy were strong, that means it is a compliment to the Congress regime.

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If the economic survey is presented today can they (NDA) say with confidence that the fundamentals of economy are strong? The answer is no, he contended.

This only implies that the four-and-a-half years of NDA rule has destroyed and eroded the fundamentals of the countrys economy. That is the big tragedy of the present government at the centre, he added.

To another query on reports that the government was planning to constitute panels to monitor functions of RBI, Moily said it would be a very bad idea.

Having a managing committee over the regulator is a very bad idea and is unknown in world economy.. No country practises it.

RBI cannot be managed as a government department. It is an independent autonomous organisation which has been created by an act of Parliament, he said.

Patel is willing to have discussions with the government. Even the previous RBI governor Raghuram Rajan was keen on it.

The finance ministry can call a meeting every month to discuss with RBI to sort out misunderstandings if any. They cannot be solved by orders and interferences, Moily suggested.

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New Delhi:

India and Singapore on Tuesday signed a revised Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) to further strengthen the military cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries, officials said.

The pact was signed before talks between Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Hen in Visakhapatnam.

Officials said the two countries also renewed a bilateral agreement for the conduct of training and exercises for the Singapore armed forces in India.

In the talks held under the framework of the Defence Ministers Dialogue, Singapore supported Indias keenness to be part of the maritime patrols along the Straits of Malacca with Singapore, they said.

Also Read | Pakistan-bound aircraft makes priority landing at Jaipur airport

The Singapore side also conveyed to India that it looks forward to the inaugural conduct of the trilateral maritime exercise with Thailand in the Andaman Sea.

Officials said the two countries also agreed to step up intelligence and information sharing in the areas of maritime security, and resolved to expand counter terror cooperation between the two countries.

They said the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) signed Tuesday was a revised version of the pact sealed in 2015.

Earlier in the day, Ng attended the final sea phase of the 25th edition of the Singapore-India maritime exercise.

In the talks, Sitharaman affirmed Indias full support and active participation in the regional security architecture being pushed by the ASEAN, said a statement by the defence ministry.

Read More | Sushma Swaraj announces big decision, says not to contest 2019 Lok Sabha polls

In an oblique reference to Chinas military assertiveness in South China sea, the two sides also underscored the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight consistent with international law.

Sitharaman reaffirmed Indias belief that disputes should be resolved through peaceful means, and in accordance with the universally recognised principles of international law, the defence ministry said.

Both ministers agreed on the importance of international cooperation in tackling transnational security threats and in particular measures to collectively tackle the threat of terrorism, it said.

It said the two sides also commended the progress in defence technology collaboration between the two sides.

These joint research and development collaborations included areas such as combat care and vehicle armour, the statement said.

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New Delhi:

Flash floods and landslides caused by heavy rains wreak havoc in central Vietnams Khanh Hoa province, killing at least 12 people, an official said on Sunday.

Heavy rains flooded many streets in Nha Trang city of central Khanh Hoa province due to prolonged rains as tropical depression Toraji blew in from the South China Sea, triggering landslides that wiped out houses and destroyed a small reservoir, the official said.

At least a dozen people have been killed so far while a search was ongoing for several others, AFP quoted official from the provincial disaster office.

Also Read | Uttarakhand: 12 killed, 13 injured as bus rolls down gorge near Damta

We have mobilised hundreds of army troops to help people restore lives and clean up damaged roads, the official said.

According to official report, the main highway linking north and south Vietnam were temporarily cut-off and some railway routes were interrupted, while main streets heading to the Cam Ranh international airport were inundated by flood water causing traffic congestion.

Moreover, images on state media showed destroyed houses buried under debris and vehicles submerged in floods.

Panicked residents were reported to have run for safety from their homes as landslides rumbled down nearby mountains.

We ran away after hearing the huge sound of fallen rocks... When we returned a few hours later, all our houses were destroyed, locals told the reporters.

Read More | Deepika Ranveer Wedding: The newlyweds are back in town, pictures go VIRAL!

Khanh Hoa province, which lies along the coastline of south-central Vietnam, is mostly mountainous. With more than 200 islands of various sizes, Khanh Hoa Sea in the province is considered to be the deepest sea in the country with a coastline spanning over a length of 200 km.

It may also be recalled that Khanh Hoa was ravaged by typhoon Damrey last year, which killed 27 people.

In 2017, 389 people were reported dead in natural disasters, causing damage worth $2.6 billion, according to official figures.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Unknown gunmen on Sunday abducted another young man from Memander area of Jammu and Kashmirs Shopian district. This comes a day after second Kashmiri teenager was killed by militants. According to reports the youth has been identified as Suhail Ahmad Ganie Son of Shiraz Ahmad.

Another Kashmiri youth abducted by militants from Shopian, seventh such incident in last four days. pic.twitter.com/d55WiLVhff  News Nation (@NewsNationTV) November 18, 2018

ALSO READ | Sabarirmala Row: BJP leader sent to 14-day judicial custody, party workers protest

This was the seventh such incident in the last four days. On Saturday, militants had abducted and brutally killed a 19-year-old man, identified as Huzaif Ashraf, in South Kashmir's Shopian.

Ashraf's throat-slit body was found from an orchard area in Hermain village of the south Kashmir district. A baker by profession, Ashraf was a resident of Manzgam area of the neighbouring Kulgam district.



On Thursday, a 17-year-old youth Nadeem Manzoor, a resident of Safanagri area was abducted from a village in Shopian and killed by militants in South Kashmirs Pulwama district. His bullet-riddled body was found in Pulwamas Niklora village.



Earlier in the day, two militants were gunned down in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district. The gunfight broke out in Rebban area, where security forces had suspected the presence of militants.

Based on a credible input about the presence of terrorists, a cordon and search operation was launched by police and security forces at the strike of dawn today in Rebban area of Zainapora in District Shopian, Kashmir police said.



ALSO READ | Telangana man shot in US by minor boy in carjacking incident



As search operation was going on, search party was fired upon by the hiding terrorists. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were killed, the police said.

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New Delhi:

Manish Kumar Sinha, a CBI officer, on Monday claimed that National Security Adviser Ajit Doval tried to influence the ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption against Special CBI director Rakesh Asthana. In a petition submitted in the Supreme Court, Sinha claimed that Doval did not allow searches that were important to the inquiry and that a Union minister of state took "a few crores" to help a businessman under investigation.

Sinha, who was leading an investigation into a corruption allegation against Asthana, was abruptly transferred to Nagpur. Sinha, an IPS officer, challenged the transfer in his petition filed before the top court. He sought a permission to be heard on Tuesday, saying he wanted to place shocking information against Asthana. Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, however, rejected Sinhas request for an urgent hearing, saying we are not shocked by anything.

CBI officer probing FIR against Special Director moves Supreme Court: https://t.co/WiowcsuaUq via @YouTube  News Nation (@NewsNationTV) November 19, 2018

The plea alleges interference by Doval, Minister of State for Coal and Mines Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary and Union Law secretary Suresh Chandra in the investigation against Asthana.

Also Read | Exiled CBI chief Alok Verma files response on CVC report in Supreme Court

The bench also comprising Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph is scheduled to hear on Tuesday the plea of CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma challenging the government's decision of divesting him of duties and sending him on leave.

Sinha further claimed that a Union minister of state took "a few crores" to help a businessman under investigation. He also alleged that he was transferred to Nagpur and as a result has been taken out from the probe team investigating the FIR against Asthana. Asthana has been divested of his duties and sent on leave by the central government following his ongoing tussle with Verma.

Chaudhary termed as "baseless and malicious" the allegations levelled against him by Sinha, saying he would quit politics if they were proven to be true. The Union minister, in a statement, said he did not know the businessman.

"Certain absolutely false and baseless allegations have been made against me. I neither know, nor have I met Mr Sathish Babu Sana, who is alleged to have paid me a bribe," he said. "I only came to know from various media reports today that an affidavit has been filed in the Hon'ble Supreme Court mentioning this matter. I condemn this malicious attempt to malign my reputation. I welcome any enquiry into this matter and the law should take its own course. If I am proven guilty, I am willing to leave politics," he said.

The CBI had booked Asthana on allegations of receiving a bribe from an accused probed by him in a case linked to meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

In his petition, Sinha alleged that the CBI director had briefed Doval on October 17 about registration of a case against Asthana. "Subsequently on the same night, it was informed that the NSA has informed Rakesh Asthana about registration of the FIR. It was informed that Rakesh Asthana reportedly made a request to the NSA that he should not be arrested," the petition said.



Sinha added that Deputy Superintendent of Police officer AK Bassi, who has also been transferred to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, had favoured immediate search of public servants involved in the bribery case (relating to Asthana) but the "Director CBI did not give immediate permission and reverted that the NSA has not permitted the same."



Sinha claimed that Manoj Prasad, who was arrested in the bribery case allegedly involving Asthana, had said his father Dineshwar Prasad - a former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer -had "close acquaintance" with Ajit Doval.

"As per Manoj Prasad, Dineshwar Prasad, his father, retired as Joint Secretary, and has close acquaintance with Doval. This was one of the first things Manoj claimed on being brought to CBI HQ and expressed complete surprise and anger as to how CBI could pick him up, despite his close links with Doval," Sinha said, adding that Prasad "taunted" the CBI officers and asked him to "stay in limits".

Also Read | After Chandrababu Naidu, Mamata Banerjee blocks CBI in West Bengal: Reports

Sinha also alleged that Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Sana, a co-accused in an investigation against Qureshi, told during interrogation that a few crores of rupees was paid to Union minister Chaudhary.

"As per Sana, Harbhai had intervened with the senior officers of CBI through the office of Minister of personnel...to whom apparently, the Director CBI reports to.

"The money was paid through one Vipul of Ahmedabad. These facts were disclosed to me by Sana on October 20 in the forenoon," Sinha said.

Reacting to the petition, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said the allegations were "deeply shocking" and "put a question mark" on the PM's office.

Deeply shocking revelations have surfaced in public domain,which puts a question mark on PM Modi, functioning of PMO, allegations of bribery on MoS, Law Sec influencing investigation, NSA helping the accused & CVC being named in these murky dealings:-https://t.co/wwrNfzZyNm  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) November 19, 2018

"Deeply shocking revelations have now come in public domain which put a question mark on PM, the functioning of PMO, allegations of graft against an MoS (Minister of State), another minister helping him. Law Secretary influencing the probe, NSA influencing the probe," he said.

After Chandrababu Naidu, Mamata Banerjee blocks CBI in West Bengal: Reports

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New Delhi:

At least 10 Jet Airways flights from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) were cancelled on Sunday, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at the domestic airport, according to sources. Though the airline has cited "operational issues" for the inconvenience, sources said it was due to the scarcity of pilots at the carrier. There are also reports that Jet Airways has not been regular in paying salaries to their pilots, engineers and senior management for quite some time and, therefore, lost a good number of pilots in the recent past.

Hence, the shortage of pilots at the airline has reportedly led to such major harassments for passengers.

Read | AI to launch red-eye flights on domestic routes from November end

Jet Airways, however, has issued a statement, saying "Jet Airways had to cancel a few domestic flights of date (November 18) due to operational reasons. Guests of the affected flights were duly informed about their flight status via SMS alerts. In accordance with regulatory policy, guests have been re-accommodated and or compensated".

"It regrets the inconvenience caused to its guests," the airline added.

Jet Airways had to cancel a few domestic flights of 18 November due to operational reasons. Guests have been re-accommodated and/or compensated: Jet Airways spokesperson  ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2018

Read | Airlines to fly 23,117 domestic flights every week during winter schedule

The Naresh Goyal-controlled private carrier has been facing a shortage of pilots for the last few months and has not hired new ones due to financial issues, the sources added.

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New Delhi:

The Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Board (UPBEB) is all set to release UPTET 2018 answer key anytime soon. Though there is no official confirmation on behalf of UPBEB so far, UPTET 2018 answer key is expected to be available soon at the official website, which is, upbasiceduboard.gov.in. UPTET 2018 for primary level and the upper primary level took place on November 18 in two different shifts. The candidates are allowed to challenge the answer key till November 23. The final answer key will be released on November 30. The results for UPTET 2018 will be declared on December 10, according to sources.

Aspirants who are waiting eagerly for UPTET 2018 answer key may go through the following steps:

Read | CTET Admit Card 2018: CBSE to release CTET hall tickets tomorrow at ctet.nic.in

UPTET 2018 answer key: How to check

Step 1: Go to the official website of UPTET 2018 mentioned above

Step 2: On the homepage, you may find two links of Primary and Upper Primary UPTET 2017 answer keys

Step 3: Click on UPTET answer key 2018 link

Step 4: Check your UPTET answer key on the next page

Read | AIIMS MBBS 2019 registration to begin from November 30, check important notifications at aiimsexams.org

About Teacher Eligibility Test:

Teacher Eligibility Test, popularly known as TET is an Indian entrance examination for teachers. The test is mandatory for getting teaching jobs in government schools from Class 1 to Class 8. Paper 1 is meant for teachers opting for Class 1 to Class 5 and Paper 2 for Class 6 to Class 8. It is conducted by both Central government and State governments in India.

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Suva (Fiji):

Former Fiji military strongman Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, known commonly as Frank Bainimarama, survived declining support for his FijiFirst party to remain in power on Sunday, fending off a strong challenge from rival coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka.

The Fiji election result, confirmed four days after the island nation went to the polls for only the second time since Frank Bainimarama seized power in 2006, gave FijiFirst a three-seat majority in parliament.

Bainimarama was not in Fiji to hear the final result but told Fiji Broadcasting Corporation from New Zealand, where he has been attending his brothers funeral, that he was proud to become your prime minister once again.

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FijiFirst took 50.02 per cent of the vote, enough to claim 27 seats, while Rabukas SODELPA party with 39.85 per cent and the National Federation Party with 7.38 per cent got 24 seats between them in the 51-seat parliament.

Support for FijiFirst had dived from 59.17 per cent in 2014 when Bainimarama first went to the polls following eight years of political reforms after he overthrew the previous government of then prime minister Laisenia Qarase.

Rabuka, who led two military coups in 1987 before later being democratically elected prime minister, saw SODELPAs share of the vote rise from 21.18 per cent four years ago.

In a preliminary report, a multinational observer group said it was confident that Fijian voters were able to exercise their right to vote freely.

The report was prepared Friday before a small number to voters were allowed to cast a late ballot after torrential rain forced the closure of some polling stations on Wednesday.

It assessed the electoral processes as transparent and credible and that the election was on track to reflect the will of the voters.

Read More | Bhima-Koregaon Violence: Activist Varavara Rao sent to police custody till November 26 by Pune Court

Bainimarama, 64, led a bloodless coup 12 years ago vowing to end the instability that saw four governments toppled between 1987 and 2006.

For eight years he led a military regime that ruled by decree as he reshaped the political landscape.

Under his watch, the island nation of 920,000 has enjoyed sustained growth in its tourism-reliant economy.

Supporters say he has helped heal racial divisions by introducing equal rights for Indian-Fijians, a sizeable minority brought in to work on sugar plantations during British colonial rule.

He has also made Fijis foreign policy less reliant on Australia and New Zealand, which both tried to isolate his regime when he seized power, allowing China an increased role in aid and development.

But critics, including Amnesty International, say some democratic fundamentals such as media freedom and the right to assembly remain inadequate under Bainimarama, who is notoriously sensitive to criticism.

Fiji is by far the most populous and economically powerful of the South Pacific island nations and seen as a regional hub for business and diplomacy.

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New Delhi :

At least three people were killed and 20 others sustained serious injuries after two suspected terrorists hurled hand grenades at Nirankari Bhawan in Punjab's Amritsar. The attackers came on a bike and fled the scene after hurling grenades at the Nirankari Bhawan. "Three people are dead and 20 injured in the blast at Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar's Rajasansi village," Punjab DGP Suresh Arora was quoted as saying by ANI. Following the attack, security has been increased outside Nirankari Ashram in Delhi. Security agencies have sounded a high alert in the national capital and Punjab. However, it was not immediately confirmed if the police were treating the incident as a terrorist attack.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh expressed his condolences and condemned the grenade attack at Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar and announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the kin of deceased. The chief minister has also directed Punjab home secretary and DGP intelligence and law to rush the spot.

The attack comes days after reports of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist Zakir Moosas presence in Amritsar. Punjab Police had Thursday claimed that they have received intelligence inputs that four JeM terrorists, including Zakir Moosa, have infiltrated in Punjab through Ferozpur.

Amritsar Nirankari Bhawan Attack Highlights:

22:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In NIA reaches the blast site: A three-member team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the blast site in Amritsar.



Punjab: Three member team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the blast site in Amritsar. The blast that took place earlier in the day claimed three lives. pic.twitter.com/iBI0TLV84t

 ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2018



21:14 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Khalistani or IS group involved?: "The way two men came and hurled grenade does indicate it could be a terror attack. As per our assessment, Khalistani terror groups or IS group could have carried out the attack. Further investigation will determine it," Suresh Arora, DGP Punjab

19:40 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In NIA team in Amritsar: A three-member team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to reach the blast site in Amritsar on Sunday.

17:59 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Counting it as a 'terror act': Three dead and 20 injured in the blast. We are counting it as a terror act. We will find out other details in the further investigation: Punjab DGP Suresh Arora on the blast in Amritsar district.



Three dead & twenty injured in the blast. We are counting it as a terror act. We will find out other details in the further investigation: Punjab DGP Suresh Arora on the blast in Amritsar district. #Punjab pic.twitter.com/ItYksYFibE

 ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2018



15:44 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Spoke to the Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh ji who has apprised me of the situation in the wake of grenade attack in Amritsar. Strongest possible action will be taken against the perpetrators of this crime, says the Home Minister



Spoke to the Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh ji who has apprised me of the situation in the wake of grenade attack in Amritsar. Strongest possible action will be taken against the perpetrators of this crime: Home Minister Rajnath Singh https://t.co/RW1BiV0sYA

 ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2018



15:42 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Deeply anguished by death of innocent people in a grenade attack in Amritsar in Punjab today. It's a reprehensible act of violence. My condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones in this attack&prayers for speedy recovery of the injured: Home Minister Rajnath Singh

14:34 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Visuals from the hospital where those injured have been shifted after the blast at Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar district, earlier today.



Visuals from the hospital where those injured have been shifted after the blast at Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar district, earlier today. #Punjab pic.twitter.com/NpumSbHq4e

 ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2018



14:29 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Punjab CM Amarinder Singh condemns Amritsar Attack, announces ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of deceased and free treatment for the injured.



Strongly condemn the bomb blast at Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar. Have asked Home Secy and @PunjabPoliceInd DGP, DGP Intelligence and DGP Law & Order to rush to the spot to investigate.

 Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) November 18, 2018



14:26 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Akali Dal blames Amarinder Singh government for Amritsar attack: Heartfelt condolences with families of people who lost their lives and are injured in todays attack at #NirankariBhawan in Amritsar. I am shocked at the laxity of Amarinder Singhs govt! This is a complete failure of law & order in Congress rule: Manjinder S Sirsa

14:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Following the Amritsar terror attack, police have sealed all the borders of Noida. Police presence and checking at entry points of the city have also been increased.

14:02 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Out of 250 people who were present in the religious congregation, 3 dead & 15-20 injured. As per initial reports, 2 people had come over here who knocked a grenade here: IG (Border) Surinder Pal Singh Parmar



Out of 250 people who were present in the religious congregation, 3 dead & 15-20 injured. As per initial reports, 2 people had come over here who knocked a grenade here: IG (Border) Surinder Pal Singh Parmar on the blast at Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar. #Punjab pic.twitter.com/9oKKcQ4FmE

 ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2018



14:01 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Punjab border sealed: After the attack, a high alert has been issued in the region and also in Noida. The police have also sealed Punjab border with Rajasthan.

14:03 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Around 250 people were inside the building: According to police, the number of casualties could have been much more as around 250 people were present inside the building at the time of the blast.

13:41 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Punjab Congress Chief expresses condolences: My condolences are with families of those who lost lives in this incident. It is an attempt to disturb peace in Punjab. I believe all the security agencies should stay alert and coordinate with each other to maintain peace: Sunil Jakhar, Punjab Congress Chief on Amritsar blast

13:41 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In High Alert in Delhi, Punjab: Following the attack, security has been tightened outside the Nirankari Ashram in Delhi. A high alert has also been sounded in the national capital and Punjab.

13:37 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #Amritsar Blast Update: Three people killed, over 10 injured, says IG (Border) Surinder Pal Singh Parmar.

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Islamabad:

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Monday that his country was facing a hybrid conflict which needs a comprehensive national response to deal with it.

Addressing the National Security Workshop, organised by the Pakistan Army at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Gen Bajwa said Pakistan had been subjected to various threats especially during the last two decades.

But Pakistani nationals and its armed forces bravely and successfully stood up to the challenges and the country is on a positive trajectory to defeat it effectively, the Army said in a statement.

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The National Security Workshop is an annual event, organised by the Army-run National Defence University, in which the participants are representatives of all segments of the society.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) also warned of a fresh challenge faced by the nation.

We are now confronting hybrid conflict where focus is shifting to subversion on religious, sectarian, ethnic and social issues. This needs a comprehensive national response, he said during an interactive session with the participants after briefing on security situation in the country.

Read More | NSA Ajit Doval interfered in probe against Rakesh Asthana, alleges CBI officer, drags Union minister's name

He said that the Pakistanis now have a greater responsibility to ensure that the people, especially youth, do not fall prey to the propaganda onslaught being launched through soft offensive.

Its our time to rise and progress and we must grasp the opportunity achieved after countless sacrifice, he said.

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New Delhi:

As Jammu and Kashmir is grappling with the menace of several abductions, a CRPF head constable was killed and two Army jawans injured when Jaish-e-Mohammed militants attacked a newly-set up camp in Pulwama district of South Kashmir on Sunday evening. The incident took place at around 7.30 pm when militants hurled grenades through Underbarrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL) and fired at the CRPF personnel near Kakapora railway station in Pulwama, the police said. Head Constable Chandrika Prasad died in the attack, they said.

The camp had been set up recently to enhance security in this militancy-infested district due to the ongoing Panchayat elections.

Read More | Ten arrested for running child-selling racket, five babies rescued

Jaish-e-Muhammad claimed responsibility for the attack on the CRPF camp. A spokesman of the militant outfit called some local media houses and claimed responsibility for it.

After being attacked, the CRPF personnel chased the militants who fled to a nearby locality. The paramilitary forces were assisted by Army jawans of the Rashtriya Rifles, who were patrolling in a nearby area.

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The troops reached an orchard where they were fired upon, resulting in injury to two Army jawans. The cordon had to be called off as a religious congregation was there.

The Army jawans were taken to the Srinagar-based 92-base hospital and they were out of danger, the police said.

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New Delhi :

Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary K Surendran, who was arrested by police while on his way to Sabarimala Temple, has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody by a magistrate court on Sunday. On Saturday night, the BJP leader was taken into preventive custody when he was heading towards the hill-top shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala. He was asked not to proceed towards the Sabarimala Temple by Superintendent of Police Yatish Chandra. The BJP leader, however, didnt pay heed and taken into custody along with others and brought to Chittar Police Station.

Earlier in the day, the police took him to Pathanamthitta district hospital for a medical checkup and then produced before the Pathanamthitta magistrate at his residence. The magistrate granted police 14-day custody of Surendran, who was charged with non-bailable offences under section 353 and 34 of the Indian Penal code.

Also Read | Sabarimala Protest: Trupti Desai slams Ayyappa devotees for indulging in hooliganism, says will come back

Following the arrest of the BJP leader, party workers had gathered outside the Chittar Police Station. BJP workers had also held protests in front of the state secretariat at Thiruvananthapuram. The saffron party announced a protest day Sunday.

Kerala had observed a dawn to dusk hartal against the arrest of Hindu Aikya Vedi president PK Sasikala on Saturday. She was also arrested as she tried to proceed to the Lord Ayappa Temple at Sabarimala.

The famous Sabarimala Temple had opened for the two-month long pilgrim season on November 16. It was the third time the temple opened after the Supreme Court verdict allowing entry of women of the menstrual age.

Several right-wing groups, including the BJP, has been openly defying the Supreme Court order to allow entry of the women of all ages, citing centuries-old traditions.

46-year-old woman en route to Sabarimala sent back

Meanwhile, a 46-year-old woman, who was heading towards the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala, was sent back by protesters. The woman had also made a similar attempt to visit the temple when it was opened last month.

Also Read | Supreme Court to review Sabarimala verdict in open court on January 22

Mary Sweety, a resident of Kazhakootam in Thiruvananthapuram, was onboard a Kerala roadways bus when police stopped her. Soon the protesters, who called themselves Ayyappa devotees, gathered in front of the bus and asked her to leave.

So far, no woman of the earlier banned age group had been allowed to visit the Sabarimala Temple. Lakhs of devotees, including over 500 women of the previously banned age-group, have registered themselves to visit the temple during the two-month long pilgrim season.

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Bangladesh defeated New Zealand for the first time in T20 internationals on Wednesday, dismissing the visitors for 60 runs in the opening match. Bangladesh won by seven wickets and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series in Dhaka, with Shakib Al Hasan's 25 runs. But it was the bowlers who set the tone for victory, with Mustafizur Rahman taking three wickets to dismiss New Zealand for their joint-lowest T20 total of 16.5 overs, which they achieved against Sri Lanka in Chattogram in 2014.

Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls led the team with 18 runs apiece, but the rest of the batters failed to reach double figures. Nasum Ahmed, Shakib, and Mohammad Saifuddin, all spinners, each got two wickets. In the first over, Mahedi Hasan struck, dismissing debutant Rachin Ravindra for a golden duck when he was caught and bowled by the off-spinner. Shakib bowled Will Young for five runs, and left-arm spinner Nasum followed with two wickets in one over, including Colin de Grandhomme, who was out for one run, to reduce New Zealand to 9-4.

For the fifth wicket, Latham and Nicholls put on 34 runs, but Saifuddin broke the partnership with the captain's wicket to further upset New Zealand. As the New Zealand batting collapsed like a pack of cards, debutant Cole McConchie was out for nought and Saifuddin sent back Nicholls. Bangladesh, who bowled out Australia for 62 last month to seal the T20 series 4-1 in Dhaka, took down New Zealand for the lowest ever total against them.

Sidharth Shukla used to steal money from his father's purse, himself explained the reason

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy gave priority to both the projects.

Fight against COVID-19: India gifts two mobile oxygen plant to Bangladesh
Egypt has signed a contract to establish the first line of the electric express train in the country, which will link the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended the signing ceremony of the contract on the line from Ain Sokhna to Matrouh on Wednesday, according to reports. The project will be implemented in cooperation with the National Authority for Tunnels and an Egyptian-German consortium under Siemens, the Arab Contractors Company and Orascom, Egypt govt in a statement, adding that "The 660-km-long line will be designed and implemented with maintenance operations for 15 years valued at $4.45 billion."

Minister of Transportation Kamel al-Wazir said that the new train will transport passengers and goods by connecting Ain Sokhna at the Red Sea with Matrouh at the Mediterranean Sea, passing through the new administrative capital, Helwan, 6th of October City, Alexandria, Borg Al-Arab, and Alamein city.

The consortium would carry out all the project systems including signals, communications and electro-mechanics and design carriages and maintenance workshops, he added. Noting that "the contract would be enforced as of today," the Minister said that Siemens company will provide continuous support for strengthening local workers' capabilities.

Afghans food crisis to be intensified, 2 out of every 3 people will not be able to get food

Vietnam observes National Day on Sept 2: S Jaishankar hails Vietnamese counterpart

America will continue to bomb ISIS-K terrorists, US Army General told the plan
According to a statement seen by the media, Facebook helped in the evacuation of Afghan journalists from Kabul to Mexico, as well as the tech giant's workers, partners, and their families. "We joined an effort to help a number of journalists and their families who were in severe danger while supporting Facebook workers and close associates escape Afghanistan," a Facebook representative told the Axios news site.

Mexico welcomed them and the United Arab Emirates provided the initial landing, according to the US social media network. A group of 175 Afghan residents arrived at Mexico City's airport on Wednesday, according to Mexican officials."This group, the fourth to come to Mexico for humanitarian reasons due to the situation in Afghanistan, is made up of social media workers, activists and independent journalists and their families, including 75 children," a statement read.

This was the first-ever Egypt Air flight to land in the Central American country. Mexico thanked the government of Egypt and its embassy workers in Iran, the UAE and Egypt for their invaluable assistance.

Nifty continues Record-Breaking Rally today, See top stocks

Addressing the students in the school: Collector C Narayana Reddy.

Chandigarh railway station gets 5-star 'Eat Right Station' certificate
Railway employees on Wednesday checked the 'Green Pass' of passengers who arrived for the journey, although children below 12 years of age have been exempted. On the first day of the Kovid pass, police have done checkups at stations in Italy, amid threats from protesters to disrupt high-speed trains. Green Pass, first used in Israel, is a paper document or app that proves that the holder has been fully vaccinated or cured of COVID. This gives them access to indoor restaurants, bars, cafes and other indoor venues. The "green pass" is now mandatory for domestic flights, ferries and long-distance or fast trains, as well as for schools and universities.

The No Wax movement said they would stop trains at more than 50 Italian stations and planned further action across Italy on Saturday. Despite garnering thousands of support on the Telegram Messenger app, there was no sign of trouble. Foreign Minister Mr. Luigi Di Maio has faced death threats online. He has condemned the atmosphere of hatred at the near launch. Security was beefed up at stations in Rome, Milan and Florence. "It is one thing to protest peacefully, but it is quite another to cause inconvenience to others," a senior home ministry official said. Green pass required till 31st December for high speed and long distance train services.

Health officials and politicians have been targeted on social media and there have been street protests condemning the "dictatorship". The unions have also condemned the protest movement and called for the safety of train passengers and employees. Former Education Minister Lucia Azzolina has been targeted on social media, and journalists including Rai News reporter Antonella Alba have been attacked by anti-vaccination protesters. Ms Alba suffered minor injuries when protesters grabbed her mobile phone.

Fight against COVID-19: India gifts two mobile oxygen plant to Bangladesh

Punjab crisis: Congress high command did not give time to Sidhu

Maharashtra: When will schools open in urban areas? MoE Varsha Gaikwad gave information
Niger: Nigeria has once again witnessed the havoc of gunmen. Bandits kidnapped 73 students on Wednesday after raiding a high school in the country's northwest. This is the latest case of kidnapping targeting children. Tell you that armed groups are known here as bandits who kidnap children for ransom.

Kidnapping cases have picked up in central and northwest Nigeria. More than a thousand children have been kidnapped so far this year. Most of these have been released. On Wednesday, robbers entered a secondary school in Kaya in the Maradun area of Jamfara state and kidnapped 73 students, a police statement said. A large number of armed bandits infiltrated the school and then carried out the kidnapping, police spokesman Mohammad Shehu said.

He said the police rescue team is working with the Army to find the children. State Information Commissioner Ibrahim Dosara said Jamfara state authorities have banned night travel. With this, primary and secondary schools have been temporarily closed.

Train services in Germany hit by Six-day strike until September 6

US Economy: Manufacturing sector expands despite Delta surge

Egypt signs USD 4 billion contract for the first electric train line
The United States and Ukraine have inked a Strategic Defence Framework agreement, which is set to define a new stage of bilateral cooperation in the field of defence and security. The agreement helps accelerate Ukraine's entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The deal signed on Wednesday during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington creates conditions for a significant strengthening of bilateral ties in defense and provides international legal support from the US for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine, as per reports

During Zelensky's visit, Kiev and Washington also signed a series of agreements on scientific and technical cooperation, space flight security, information protection and border security. At the beginning of their meeting on Wednesday in the Oval Office, Biden said "the US remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression and our support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations".

He announced an additional USD 60 million in security assistance to Ukraine, and the creation of a new strategic defence framework as well as an energy and climate dialogue. Zelensky said in his remarks that he expected to discuss the security situation in Crimea and Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

Special Investigating Units report links Zweli Mkhize to Digital Vibes contract

Gunman attackers kidnap 73 students after entering school, fear among children

Train services in Germany hit by Six-day strike until September 6
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday, September 2, spoke with Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son and congratulated him on the country's 76th Anniversary of their National Day. Vietnam observes National Day on September 2, commemorating former President Ho Chi Minh reading the Declarations of independence of country at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi on September 2, 1945.

Sharing a message through Twitter, External Affairs Minister committed to enhancing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. He wrote: "Congratulations to FM @FMBuiThanhSon and the Government and people of Vietnam on the 76th Anniversary of their National Day. Committed to enriching our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership."

Later on Wednesday, Vietnam's envoy to India Pham Sanh Chau thanked New Delhi for delivering oxygen and oxygen concentrators in time to save thousands of lives in Vietnam during the pandemic. Last week, the Vietnamese Foreign Minister had thanked India for the supply of 300 oxygen concentrators and 100MT of liquid medical oxygen. "Greatly appreciate the gift of the Government and People of India for 300 oxygen concentrators and 100MT of liquid medical oxygen. This is a true testament to the sound and strong Vietnam-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," Son had tweeted.

America will continue to bomb ISIS-K terrorists, US Army General told the plan

Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian president over security issues, bilateral ties

We are custodians of Taliban, where he took education and shelter- Pakistani Minister Sheikh Rashid
Everyone loves mysteries. There is something about the unsettling and unresolved set of events that draws people.

Nepal is known for its peaceful and harmonious societies, but there have been some events that shook the peace and sanity of the whole country. Many such criminal or mysterious cases in Nepal involved victims who were found dead in mysterious circumstances with no substantial or undisputed leads to solve them. While some of them have been solved, many of such horrifying cases still remain unsolved, waiting for justice, because of the nature of the murder or lack of a proper investigation by the police.

Today, we will take you through the 12 most mysterious cases in Nepal, in recent times, chronologically.

1. Namita-Sunita rape and murder case

This murder case occurred in 1980 when three girls, Neera, Namita, and Sunita were raped and murdered while they were visiting Pokhara. This case has never been investigated properly because all the evidence was either destroyed or covered. So it is not known how their death occurred.

Some say they were roaming near Seti river and a quarrel broke down with some guy which resulted in the guy violently murdering them. Some also speculate that they were invited to army barracks and then were never seen again. Ramita and Sunitas bodies were found a day apart but Neeras body was never identified.

2. Dasdhunga accident

A jeep excavated from the Dashdhunga accident in exhibition at Madan Bhandari Museum, in Urlabari, Morang.

The Dasdhunga accident is one of the earliest and most mysterious cases in Nepals history, in May 1993. In this tragic incident, a jeep carrying two of the most important and prominent leaders of Nepal of that time, Madan Bhandari and Jivaraj Ashrit, were killed.

This incident was marked as an accident, but later suspicions arose after the only survivor, the jeep driver Amar Lama, was mysteriously murdered by someone still unidentified. Because of this, it is speculated that this accident was a planned murder.

3. Dor Bahadur Bista disappearance

Dor Bahadur Bista Photo Courtesy: Hima Bista (@himabista)

Dor Bahadur Bista was a Nepali anthropologist, social scientist, and activist. In January of 1995, Bista mysteriously disappeared from Jumla district and was last seen boarding a bus to Chisapani. He was believed to be a very rebellious person and made many enemies during his lifetime including the royal committee.

Conspiracy theories making rounds have speculated that he ended his life knowing how threatening his life was or was killed by the royal authority/ higher-caste people. It is still one of the high profile mysterious cases in Nepal.

4. Royal massacre

File Photo

This is the most well-known case among all of the mysterious cases in Nepal. The royal (palace) massacre took place in June of 2001 at the Narayanhiti Palace. In this tragedy, nine members of the royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, were murdered.

The popular theory is that during a gathering, the drunk crown prince mistreated guests, so he was requested to leave that event. But, later, he returned with H&K MP5 along with several other firearms and opened fire at everyone, killing ten people which included nine members of the royal family. Then, he also shot himself which put him in a coma for three days before succumbing. But, there are many who do not believe it, hence it still remains a mystery.

5. Ranibari murder mystery

File Photo

In this case, a couple were killed by two teenagers, in Ranibari of Kathmandu, in July 2002. It is said those two boys approached the house to murder the homeowner. They were sent away by the tenants saying the owners were not present. But, after some days, when the boys came to inquire again, in between the conversation, they took out their weapon (khukuri) and attacked them.

During this attack, the tenant, Anjali Shrestha, and her husband were killed while their four-year-old daughter was badly injured. The owner Gita Khadka knew of this attack and locked herself in the bathroom which the murderers unsuccessfully tried to breach, after which the murderers fled the scene. This case was unresolved for 12 years till it was reopened by DIG Hemanta Malla Thakuri who resolved it and sent the murderers behind the bar. But during the investigation, it was found that those murderers were paid to kill the owner of the house. Why? The answer is still unknown and this makes this case one of the mysterious cases in Nepal.

6. Amar Lama death case

Amar Lama. Photo: Naresh Shrestha/ ABC

The 40-year-old Amar Lama was said to be involved in the Dasdhunga accident. Lama was found dead nearly 10 years after that accident occurred, in July 2003, in Kirtipur of Kathmandu. At the time of this incident, he was working as the editor of Tajakhabar, a weekly newspaper. The popular theory is that he was abducted by a group of three from Kalikasthan and he was found dead an hour later in Kirtipur. One involved in the incident surrendered whereas the police arrested three. This mysterious incident raised more questions around the Dasdhunga incident and its motive.

7. Nagarkot massacre

This was one of the biggest massacres that occurred in December 2005 in Chihandada Nagarkot, some 30 km east of Kathmandu. It was during the biggest festival dedicated to goddess Kali in her temple. For the festival, a large number of locals had gathered and everyone was having a good time until a quarrel broke out. But, this was dismissed as a case of drunkards fighting by the locals.

Unfortunately, the guy who argued was off-duty military personnel who came later that night with firearms and opened fire at the gathering before collapsing. A total of 12 people were killed during this incident. It is believed that the government was trying to cover it up. This case is still unsolved and one of the mysterious cases in Nepal.

8. Khyati Shrestha murder

This is one of the most horrifying cases in which the 17-year-old Khyati Shrestha, a grade 12 student, was gruesomely murdered. On June 5, 2009, she got a call from Merina Shakya telling her that she won a prize and Shrestha went to collect it. Later that day, her parents got a message telling them that their daughter had been kidnapped and asked for Rs one million in ransom. Shresthas parents complied with the demand of the kidnapper and paid the ransom, but were horrified to know that their daughter was already murdered, dismembered, and her body parts were found scattered in different places.

The kidnapper was later caught by police, and the culprit was found to be Biren Pradhan, her tutor. Pradhan drugged her and, when Shrestha died of an overdose, he tried to cover his crime, staging the kidnap. Though the case is solved, for the time when Shrestha was missing, it was one of the mysterious cases in Nepal of that time.

9. Chhori Maiya Maharjan case

This case occurred in 2012 when a 51-year-old woman named Chhori Maiya Maharjan disappeared after she left the house to meet someone who is identified as Surakchya Singh also known as Nikki Singh. Later that day, Maharjans daughter [Sudha] received a message that she was going to Manakamana instead and would return the next day.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Singh was in debt to Maharjan worth Rs five million and it was suspected Singh was involved in Maharjans disappearance. But, the court gave her a clean chit. With no substantial lead so far, this remains one of the most mysterious cases in Nepal.

10. Keshav Jha murder

File: Former Ambassador Keshav Jha

In this, another mysterious murder case in Nepal, a former Nepali ambassador to France, Keshav Jha, was murdered in his house at Babar Mahal, Kathmandu. This incident occurred in August 2018. His body with his throat slit was found in his room by the metropolitan police. The room where he was found dead was locked from outside. Jha was stabbed four times in the head and hit two times in the neck which is said to be the cause of his death. Three people were arrested in the case, but details are still not known enough.

11. Nirmala Pant rape-murder case

A poster that activists demanding justice for Nirmala Pant prepared is pasted on a bag.

This case is a more well-known murder case in Nepal that is still mysterious. Thirteen-year-old Nirmala Pant was found dead on a sugarcane field near her home in June of 2018. Later, the autopsy concluded that she had been raped and the cause of death was cited as throttling, leading to asphyxia and death. Despite the traction this case gathered, the murderer and rapist are still at large and this case is still unresolved. The popular theory about this cases unresolved status is believed to be that the crime was committed by a high-level person and destroyed all the evidence found during the investigation.

12. Bhagirathi Bhatta murder

A sketch representing Bhagirathi Bhatta

Bhagirathi Bhatta was found dead in a community forest that lies between the school and her home, in February 2021. She was a 17-year-old school student who was raped and strangled. Her neighbour, a grade 11 student of the same school, was arrested on the charge on February 16. According to police, arrestee Dinesh Bhatta confessed to the crime, saying he resorted to the murder in an act of vengeance. Though there is an arrest in the case, it has remained one of the most gruesome cases of Nepal.
Home  Just In  Nepals market monitors underperform as they are under political pressure, understaffed and ill-equipped

In April 2021, private hospitals in Kathmandu publicised their rate list for Covid-19 patients. That resulted in widespread criticism of the hospital for charging high amounts to treat patients in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Amidst the criticism, the Department of Commerce, Department of Drug Administration and the District Administration Office, coordinating with each other, visited these private and public hospitals from May 4 to May 6 to see what was going on there.

After the visit, the officials said further investigation was needed as they found almost all hospitals had different rates to treat Covid-19 patients. But, four months on, no investigation has taken place as hospitals continue to overcharge patients at will.

We were asked not to do anything at the moment because Covid-19 was at its peak. Then Industry Minister Lekh Raj Bhatta told us that now was not the time and asked us to stop monitoring and leave it to the Health Ministry, says an official from the Department of Commerce on the condition of anonymity.

After that, the Department of Commerce stopped asking its staff to monitor hospitals. When asked why the monitoring stopped, the departments Director-General Prakash Paudel says the department was asked to focus on other sectors and leave the health sector alone even if there were irregularities.

However, a letter sent by the Health Ministry to the Department of Commerce on June 7 asking it to monitor hospitals shows how then minister Bhatta had vested interest in asking the department to call off their monitoring.

But, the department did nothing as its officials felt that doing anything would land them in trouble from either the Industry Ministry or the Health Ministry as hospitals continued doing things as they pleased.

This incident shows how government mechanisms responsible for market monitoring have failed to carry out their responsibilities thanks to different factors including political pressure and a lack of human resources, technology and infrastructure.

Submission to political pressure

File: Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection

Around the end of July, a meeting took place at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies to sit and discuss and review the monitoring process. In the meeting, another issue was raised: fees taken by schools during the pandemic.

Officials discussed how reputed schools were taking full fees from parents and guardians when they were operating online classes. They said how with no regulation in place, schools, like the hospitals, were charging any amount they pleased.

An undersecretary who was part of the meeting said it was inevitable that they needed to monitor the education sector but added that they needed the help of the entire Ministry of Industry to carry the monitoring forward.

Another official who was a part of the same meeting says the undersecretary even told the meeting that if they would carry out the monitoring of these schools, his days as a government official would end. The undersecretary even listed names of high ranking sitting and former ministers and prime ministers associated with owners of these schools and colleges.

Its risky because I fear Ill lose my job if I go monitor these schools and colleges. If someone from the ministry will vouch that nothing will happen to me, Ill go, an official present at the meeting told Onlinekhabar.

But, nothing happened as the talk subsided after the meeting as schools and colleges have been left unpunished despite them falling under the Consumer Protection Act.

12 officials to monitor 500,000 businesses

The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection is tasked with market monitoring by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies. There are only 100 positions allocated to the department. Its central office has 45 staff while the other five offices spread across the country have the remaining 55.

The departments director-general Paudel says most of his staff are overworked and asked to do various other things.

Take this for example. The department has to monitor over 500,000 businesses in Kathmandu alone. To do this, there are only 12 employees.

This is our state in the capital. Imagine what must be going on in the rest of Nepal, says Paudel. He says they have not been able to work lawfully as they just do not have the human resources.

We can count how many people are involved in monitoring in big cities like Kathmandu, Butwal and Bhairahawa. This has resulted in the consumers losing out on a lot of things, says Paudel.

During last years Dashain, Tihar and Chhat festivals, the department had to borrow 25 people from another ministry to carry out monitoring during the busiest time of the year. But, as soon as the festivals were over, they returned to their own ministry.

The state of monitoring in the rest of Nepal is just as bad as Biratnagars office has to monitor markets in Solukhumbu while the Bhairahawa office has to monitor businesses in both Lumbini and Gandaki provinces. This goes to show how bad the monitoring in Nepal is.

But, Paudel says that they have been monitoring despite all these challenges.

Rights but no plan

The Consumer Protection Act, 2018, has given the Department of Commerce nine rights related to consumer protection. If things went as per the act, consumers would never be cheated by businesses. But, due to the lack of physical and technological infrastructure and political pressure, the department has not been able to work properly, says consumer rights activist Prem Lal Maharjan.

Officials say they fear they will get transferred or, worse, sacked if they take action against big corporations.

These officials have rights, but due to fear, they dont use it fully, says Madhav Timilsina, another consumer rights activist.

Paudel, to some extent, agrees but says they have not been able to work fully due to a lack of skilled human resources and a lack of infrastructure.

When you only have two cars to monitor 500,000 businesses, it is going to be hard, says Paudel, who adds that the department does not have an office in Pokhara.

Along with that, the department also does not have the technology to check if goods are of a certain quality.

Political and administrative pressure

On March 26, the chief secretary hosted a meeting with concerned officials about market monitoring. At the end of the meeting, a five-point directive was given to the Central Monitoring Committee. While people have felt that the directive was made to make monitoring more effective, it in fact was to make it ineffective.

A ministry source tells Onlinekhabar the fourth point of the directive states that the department should not be discouraging businesspersons during the monitoring process.

As a result, in the past year, these businesses have been changing the expiry dates and increasing prices of products and selling below-par products. But, due to such directives, the Department of Commerce has done nothing as it feels its hands are tied.

Packets of expired Rasna juice which have been relabelled has been found in various stores across the country. The juice packets, which expired in 2019, have been found to have relabelled and sold in stores by Nepal Retailers Associations former chairperson Pavitra Bajrachara.

This is fraudulent, yet these people bringing and distributing these products are not facing any action due to their influence, says Bajracharya.

The Department of Commerce says it has found a warehouse in Satungal that is home to such expired and relabelled products. It also says it has found similar warehouses in Birgunj and Dhangadhi also.

Lack of human resources at Department of Food

A few months ago, a team had gone to Budhanilakantha of Kathmandu to monitor the area. But, the team suddenly got a call from the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control asking to stop monitoring and return to their office. The reason they were called to return was there was a long queue at the central office of the department and it needed human resources to tackle the crowd.

We have had to deal with such a predicament for a long time, says an official who is a part of the department. We have returned to the office during our monitoring a few times.

We cant work like this, says a food inspector.

The departments director-general Upendra Ray says they have to do this as they do not have enough people. We are compelled to do this, says Ray.

The department for the past three years has been running with 52 per cent of the allocated workforce all over Nepal. There are supposed to be three assistant director generals, but all three positions are vacant at the moment, says Ray.

He also informs there is only one person in each of 22 offices, two in each of 12 offices, and four people in each of six places around Nepal.

Weve made labs that have just one person. Such is the state of this, says Ray.

Despite having basic infrastructure and labs, due to a lack of human resources, the department has not been able to function fully, adds Ray.

Another important office is the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology. Like other departments, this also faces the same problem: a lack of skilled human resources. The bureaus Director-General Bishwo Babu Pudasaini says only 125 positions have been allocated for the bureau now despite it being 229 in the past.

Weve only been able to do one-fourth of the work that weve been tasked to do. We just dont have the people, says Pudasaini.

He says the department has the technology, but like other departments, it does not have the people it needs to carry out measurement and quality checks of products, which he knows affects the consumers.

Why so weak?

Experts say the departments that need to work for consumer rights are weak because they are forced to be weak by the system. The influence of businesspersons and middlemen have created a fear among government officials who think they will get transferred to another place.

Prakash Rasaili, a member of the Industry, Commerce, Labour and Consumer Interest Committee of the House of Representatives, says that the government has failed to make these departments strong as most politicians are under good teams with these businesspersons and do not want to ruin their relationship with them.

That is why all three consumer rights departments are weak, says Rasaili.

Internal disputes within the department also has not helped their cause, adds rights activist Timilsina, who says that if the three work together, great things could happen.
Kathmandu, September 2

The government of Nepal has made an arrangement for the government websites to maintain privacy standards as per the prevailing law. In this connection, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has issued a Directive on the Development and Management of Official Websites of government offices to maintain privacy as per the prevailing law.

With this, the previous Website Development and Management-related Directive has been scrapped.

The new directive has specified an arrangement to keep the details such as office name, office services, employees details, contact number and email, citizen charter and forms on the government websites.

All government websites should be developed based on a model prepared by the Department of Information Technology for maintaining standards, the directive notes.

After developing websites, regular security tests have to be undertaken and every year; its status has to be examined through the Department of Information Technology. All websites should be made simple, authentic and accessible for all and the content of the websites should be in html, pdf and word formats, the directive adds.

In addition, the directive has made arrangements that the government websites should be hosted in the Government Integrated Data Centre (GIDC) and can also be operated in low internet bandwidths.

The websites should update within 24 hours if the changes are made in office-bearers and the location of the office, as per the directive.
Cybersecurity

House panel mulls mandatory disclosure bill

Mandatory breach disclosure requirements were not included in the Cybersecurity and Information Sharing Act of 2015, but the political landscape has changed in the wake of the hacks of Colonial Pipeline, SolarWinds and the targeted exploitation of a critical flaw in Microsoft Exchange servers.

The House Homeland Security Committee is moving ahead with a bill to require covered critical infrastructure companies to report hacks to the federal government, and this time industry is on board.

The bipartisan Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2021 is still a work in progress, but at a Sept. 1 hearing of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation, industry representatives endorsed the plan to require privately owned critical infrastructure firms to disclose cybersecurity incidents to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within 72 hours of discovery.

The bill sets up a new office at CISA  the Cyber Incident Review Office  to securely receive and manage breach disclosure information from companies. The reporting requirement will not necessarily cover all 16 categories of critical infrastructure as defined by the Department of Homeland Security  those decisions will be made in the rulemaking process.

"I want to be clear that we do not expect all critical infrastructure owners and operators to be subject to this reporting requirement -- rather we expect it to apply only to a subset," Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the subcommittee, said in her opening statement.

Additionally, the bill sets up a few definitions of what constitutes a covered incident  including the exploitation of zero-day bugs against a network or operational technology system and a breach that knocks out a critical system or has a "serious impact on the safety and resiliency of operational systems and processes." Also covered are DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks and ransomware.

Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), who is active on cybersecurity issues in Congress, said he was concerned that the reporting threshold could be set too high, and not take into account suspected breaches as they unfold.

"I'm a bit concerned about the gap of information CISA needs and the amount CISA would receive" if only confirmed cyber incidents were reported. He cited the example of a ransomware attack that had breached a network but not yet been activated to encrypt targeted data. Langevin cautioned that CISA could be in a position where it learns too late "to take meaningful action to mitigate threats."

On the industry side, there were concerns about oversharing  especially if the legislation covers certain vendors and third-party providers or requires cybersecurity firms to make disclosures to government as well as reporting to their clients.

"Such a requirement, if scoped broadly to incorporate third parties and vendors  could inundate CISA with multiple duplicative reports that they then must sift through, diverting limited resources away from meaningfully addressing significant cybersecurity incidents," John Miller, senior vice president of policy and general counsel at the Information Technology Industrial Council, told the subcommittee.

Additionally, there's concern about how the bill would affect industries that are already subject to cybersecurity regulations and disclosure requirements, such as electricity providers, financial firms, government contractors and others.

"For already regulated critical infrastructure sectors, it is vital to ensure new reporting requirements are harmonized with existing laws and regulations," Heather Hogsett, senior vice president, technology and risk strategy for the technology policy division of Bank Policy Institute, said at the hearing.

The bill establishes a 270-day period for the development of an interim rule, based in part on stakeholder input, that sets out who is covered, what needs to be reported, how reports are submitted and other implementation details.
Workforce

Biden names pick for final MSPB slot

President Biden announced his pick to round out the three-person Merit Systems Protection Board on Thursday, a step in renewing the board that's been without a quorum since January 2017.

Biden will nominate MSPB's current general counsel, Tristan Leavitt, to be a member on the board.

Leavitt previously he worked at the U.S. Office of Special Council as the principal deputy special counsel and on Capitol Hill for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary's ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and for the House Oversight and Reform Committee when former Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) chaired the committee.

It's customary for two members of the three-person board to come from the president's party and the third member to represent the party out of power.

The selection follows nominations made in June and April for MSPB chair and vice chair, Cathy Harris, a D.C. employment and civil rights lawyer, and vice chair, Raymond Limon, currently working in HR at the Interior Department. So far, no nominee has received a Senate committee hearing.

Meanwhile, the latest nominee, Leavitt, has been running the board as its acting chief executive and administrative officer since 2019, the last time when the board had Senate-confirmed leadership.

The board, which hears appeals from feds on agency personnel actions, hasn't been able to decide appeals for years because of the lack of a two person quorum, although administrative judges are still able to issue initial decisions without a quorum. That's left a backlog of over 3,000 appeals, according to its FY 2022 budget justification.

At full capacity, the board has three Senate-confirmed board members; two are required for a quorum.
FCW Insider: September 2, 2021

The House Armed Services Committee adopted an amendment that would increase defense spending by $24 billion over the requested amount to about $770 billion.

Industry reps at a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee were supportive of new requirements to report hacks, but want more clarity on how to report and what constitutes a covered incident.

Under the bill, the Federal Trade Commission would assess data interoperability for platforms with more than 100 million monthly users.

With a $1 billion cash infusion, relaxed repayment guidelines and a surge in proposals from federal agencies, questions have been raised about whether the board overseeing the Technology Modernization Fund has been scaled to cope with its newfound popularity.

Quick Hits

*** MITRE was awarded a sole source contract by the Defense Health Agency on behalf of multiple users of the new electronic health record system being fielded by the Defense Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Coast Guard to explore the potential to use the vast amounts of health data to extract insights and intelligence to improve the quality of care across these institutions as well as in the larger, private healthcare system.

*** The National Security Agency awarded Hewlett Packard Enterprise a 10-year, $2 billion to provide high performance computing services, the company announced on Wednesday. Washington Technology has more on this story.

*** Evaluation.gov is the federal government's new home for the Evaluation Officers Council and a clearinghouse of information about federal program evaluation  an activity that has been supercharged in recent years as a result of the passage and implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new market study published by Global Industry Analysts Inc., (GIA) the premier market research company, today released its report titled "Assisted Reproductive Technology - Global Market Trajectory & Analytics". The report presents fresh perspectives on opportunities and challenges in a significantly transformed post COVID-19 marketplace.



Assisted Reproductive Technology

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Edition: 7; Released: April 2021

Executive Pool: 382

Companies: 11 - Players covered include Bloom Fertility Centre; Cosmos Biomedical Ltd.; Cryolab Ltd.; European Sperm Bank ApS; Ferring Pharmaceuticals; Irvine Scientific; Microm UK Ltd; ORIGIO A/S; Ovascience Inc.; Parallabs Limited and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: End-Use (Fertility Clinics, Hospitals); Segment (In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Artificial Insemination-Intrauterine Insemination (AI-IUI), Frozen Embryo Replacement (FER), Other Segments)

Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific; Rest of World.



Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry



ABSTRACT-

Global Assisted Reproductive Technology Market to Reach $40.8 Billion by 2026

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Assisted Reproductive Technology estimated at US$24.7 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$40.8 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 8.6% over the analysis period. In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 8.5% CAGR and reach US$27 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Artificial Insemination-Intrauterine Insemination (AI-IUI) segment is readjusted to a revised 8.2% CAGR for the next 7-year period.



Story continues

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $8.1 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $7.1 Billion by 2026

The Assisted Reproductive Technology market in the U.S. is estimated at US$8.1 Billion in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$7.1 Billion by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 8% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 8% and 7% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 7% CAGR.



Frozen Embryo Replacement (FER) Segment to Reach US$6 Billion by the year 2026

In the global Frozen Embryo Replacement (FER) segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 10.2% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$2.7 Billion in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$5.3 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. More



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Cision

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SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Together with our visionary partner CIBC and supporters from coast to coast, this year's virtual and physical experience on October 3 encourages Canadians to never stop running

TORONTO, Sept. 2, 2021 /CNW/ - This year marks three decades that the Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure has united and inspired people across the country to help make a difference for those affected by breast cancer. As communities prepare to celebrate the 30th annual event this October 3, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and CIBC are inviting people to help us continue to reduce the number of individuals diagnosed with breast cancer and support those facing the disease so they can live long, healthy lives.

The 30th annual Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure is taking place Sunday, October 3, 2021. (CNW Group/Canadian Cancer Society (National Office))

Every day, more than 75 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in Canada  the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian women. Since its peak in 1986, the breast cancer death rate in women has been nearly cut in half. This reduction reflects the impact of research that has led to improvements in early detection and treatment for breast cancer.

"As we celebrate our 30th annual CIBC Run for the Cure, we're also celebrating the undeniable progress we've made against breast cancer and our unshakeable commitment to continue making meaningful change to benefit people affected by the disease," says Andrea Seale, CEO, CCS. "With the help of our dedicated and visionary partner of 25 years, CIBC, we have mobilized communities to ignite and normalize conversations about breast cancer, supported people and governments to reduce breast cancer risk and deepened our investment in life-changing and life-saving research. And we're not done yet."

From the discovery of the BRCA 1 and 2 genetic mutations to tests that predict the risk of cancer recurrence, CCS has invested in research that has transformed understanding of breast cancer. CCS has also supported breakthroughs in less invasive surgeries; the delivery of more efficient treatments made possible by harnessing the power of technology; and the rise of personalized medicine, which has improved treatment options and enabled healthcare providers to deliver care that is targeted to individuals.

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Once again this year, CCS and CIBC have developed engaging ways to participate in the Run while remaining physically distanced. These include a refreshed app and avatar, a live-streamed opening ceremony and a celebration kit for fundraisers who will run or walk in their own neighbourhoods. On October 3, the live-streamed opening ceremony will be broadcast at 11 a.m. EST on Facebook, YouTube and for the first time ever, on YES TV channels across the country. The inspirational broadcast will feature performances from iconic Canadian artists including Chantal Kreviazuk and Brett Kissel, powerful stories from people who have been affected by breast cancer and a high-energy warm up. After the broadcast, participants can walk or run 1 kilometre or 5 kilometres, or any distance of their choosing, around their local neighbourhood.

"Team CIBC is incredibly grateful to our friends at the Canadian Cancer Society for their tireless work to support those living with cancer, and we're proud to have been there every step of the way for 25 years as title partner. Together, we have created a national breast cancer movement that enables new understanding about the disease, better treatment, and better outcomes," said Laura Dottori-Attanasio, Group Head of Personal and Business Banking, CIBC. "While the Run is virtual again this year, our Team's commitment to never stop running for those with breast cancer remains unchanged. Alongside CCS and thousands of Canadians, we'll continue to make strides towards a world where no one has to face breast cancer alone."

"Team CIBC is a testament to the power of the human spirit and how much can be achieved when people come together around a shared purpose," added Seale. "The progress that has been made in breast cancer research and support would not have been possible without the enduring participation of and collaboration with CIBC and its employees and communities. We are deeply grateful for this longstanding partnership."

Until the 1990s, many people with breast cancer were not comfortable disclosing their diagnosis. It wasn't until the rise of breast cancer awareness through events like the Run that people began to reveal and talk about their breast cancer experiences. CCS's national support system creates spaces and opportunities for community and connection, supporting people at every stage of their breast cancer journey.

Funds raised through the Run are saving and changing lives by being invested into world-class research, transformative advocacy, and compassionate support. Donations could help enable the next big discovery or ensure that someone facing a breast cancer diagnosis has the information and support they need to manage life with cancer more easily. Join us on October 3 to show your support for people affected by breast cancer. Visit cibcrunforthecure.com to register or donate.

About the 30th annual Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure

The first Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure took place in 1992 with a small group of people in Toronto who were passionate about reducing the impact of breast cancer in Canada. Three decades later, the Run has evolved into the country's largest single day event in support of the breast cancer cause. Each year, thousands of Canadians come together in communities across the country to show their support for people affected by breast cancer and to help change the future of breast cancer.

Since 1997, CCS's unwavering partner CIBC has been championing the Run, rallying their employees, clients and communities to volunteer, fundraise, and run to support the breast cancer cause. In addition to supporting the Run, CIBC also generously funds CCS's online support community, CancerConnection.ca, helping people with cancer and their loved ones share their experiences and build supportive relationships.

The Run is the largest, single-day event dedicated to raising funds for the breast cancer cause. Last year, this national movement brought together over 25,000 participants and raised $9.5 million in communities across Canada. Since the event began in 1992, the Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure has raised more than $471 million for breast cancer research and support. The CIBC team has raised over $56 million throughout the 25-year partnership. Donate or learn more at cibcrunforthecure.com.

About the Canadian Cancer Society

The Canadian Cancer Society works tirelessly to save and improve lives. We fund the brightest minds in cancer research. We provide a compassionate support system for all those affected by cancer, from coast to coast and for all types of cancer. As the voice for Canadians who care about cancer, we work with governments to establish health policies to prevent cancer and better support those living with the disease. No other organization does all that we do to improve lives today and to change the future of cancer forever. Visit cancer.ca for more information.

About CIBC

CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with 10 million personal banking, business, public sector and institutional clients. CIBC and its team are committed to coming together to help people and communities realize their ambitions. In 2020, CIBC and its team invested $75 million in community organizations across Canada and the U.S. Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at www.cibc.com/en/about-cibc/media-centre.html .

SOURCE Canadian Cancer Society (National Office)

Cision

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DENTON, Texas, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cosmo Prof (NYSE: SBH), the undisputed color leader in the industry, will host a two-day summit showcasing the latest innovation and trends in color, care, cutting, and appliances. Taking place September 26-27, 2021, Color the World will be a one-of-a-kind event with over 30 classes and presentations from more than 26 industry-leading brands. This is an opportunity for stylists to learn more about the art of color while celebrating their artistry and craft.

The retailer's inaugural virtual education summit, World of Texture in February 2021, saw significant attendance from licensed professionals and students. Building on its success, Cosmo Prof is meeting the demands of stylists with its second and largest virtual event to date; this time with a focus on color. Color the World will act as a stage for brands, educators, professionals, and students to all connect. The unique event will boast best-in-class education, including opportunities to receive CE (continuing education) credit hours and get exposure to top talent nationwide.

"We listened to our stylist community, and know that ongoing education that is dynamic and relevant to today's ever-changing situation continues to be a top need for stylists. Continuing education is integral to their success and growth, especially when it comes to color. This is why we are thrilled to partner with industry leaders and top brands to bring a high-tech virtual event to the professional community," said Mark Spinks, President of Beauty Systems Group. "We put together a robust two-day experience filled with high-energy events and unique sessions where professionals will sharpen their technical skills, hone their entrepreneurial acumen, and enhance their artistry."

In addition to learning the latest color, care, and cutting trends, stylists will have the opportunity to build upon their knowledge as business owners with an industry-focused session titled, "Blueprint to Six Figures." Led by Amy Carter, Founder and Principal at Empowering You Consulting, this class covers money mapping, strategy development, and social media.

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Color the World will host the most comprehensive list of brands, educators, and influencers in one event. Participating brands include industry leaders such as Olaplex, American Crew, Aquage, Avlon, Farouk/ CHI, Framesi, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Joico, Kenra Professional, Maria Nila, Matrix, Moroccanoil, Mydentity, Pravana, REDAVID, Rusk, Schwarzkopf, Sebastian, Sexy Hair, STMNT, Wella, and more.

Cosmo Prof brought together top talent from best-in-class brands to lead standout classes showcasing the latest innovation and trends. Attendees will learn from Olaplex's Christin Brown and Laken Rose, Mydentity's Guy Tang, STMNT's Sofie Pok, Joico's Ricardo Santiago, Moroccanoil's Antonio Corral Calero, Matrix US's Michelle O'Connor, John Paul Mitchell System's Colin Caruso and Noogie Thai, and Schwarzkopf's Maggie Hancock, Rossa Jurenas and Linh Phan, to name a few.

To offer incredible value to both seasoned and emerging stylists, professionals can purchase tickets for $50 and students receive a discounted price of $40. The ticket covers the robust two-day summit and provides attendees with access to classes for two weeks following the event. The "Blueprint to Six Figures" business-focused class alone is valued at $250. "In addition to value, we are also providing greater accessibility. By hosting Color the World virtually, we are able to serve even more stylists," said Spinks.

To register and learn more, visit CosmoProfBeauty.com/ColortheWorld (US) or CosmoProfBeauty.com/ColourtheWorld (Canada).

About Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc.

Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SBH), as the leader in professional hair color, sells and distributes professional beauty supplies globally through its Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group businesses. The Company operates approximately 5,000 stores, including 142 franchised locations. Sally Beauty Supply stores offer up to 8,000 products for hair color, hair care, skin care, and nails through proprietary brands such as Ion, Generic Value Products, Beyond the Zone and Silk Elements as well as professional lines such as Wella, Clairol, OPI, Conair and Hot Shot Tools. Beauty Systems Group stores, branded as CosmoProf or Armstrong McCall stores, along with its outside sales consultants, sell up to 10,500 professionally branded products including Paul Mitchell, Wella, Matrix, Schwarzkopf, Kenra, Goldwell, Joico and CHI, intended for use in salons and for resale by salons to retail consumers. For more information about Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc., please visit https://www.sallybeautyholdings.com/.

Cision

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SOURCE Cosmo Prof
Theres no Bat-signal roaming the ceiling of the cavernous Park Row, no golden lasso or tiara under a glass case, no Green Lantern cocktail heavy on the creme de menthe. For a DC Comics-endorsed restaurant, its light on the cringe theme-restaurant tropes.

But theres some spectacle  and a lot of love for DC  hidden beneath all the fine trappings.

Opening earlier this month in the center of London, Park Row is pitched as a dining experience that takes you to Gotham without the need to wear a costume. In fact, the restaurants FAQ notes Dress more Bruce than Batman, and theres actually a ban on people cosplaying inside the venue.

Ive visited both tech-laced and themed restaurants for work and pleasure, and Park Row feels a little different, in that it seems entirely made for grown-ups. The idea is simple enough: DC universe meets fine dining, with an immersive high-tech experience inside the Monarch Theater (named after where Batmans parents were shot) as the showstopper event. Bookable in advance, its 200 ($275) tasting menu is a barrage of 11 themed courses that guide patrons through the heroes and villains of DC.

Park Row, the DC-themed restaurant in London

Adding some high-tech bells and whistles to restaurants isnt anything new. There are several restaurants and pop-ups that have played with projection mapping meant to showcase and amplify the food on the plates, dining rooms with carefully set-dressed courses and lurid surroundings.

The Monarch Theater is all of it put together in a single room. When its not showtime, it looks like, well, a conference room. A long, white room with a long, white table in the middle. Aside from the projectors, dotted around the ceiling, it doesnt look like a room built for immersive superhero dining.

Park Row's Monarch Theater

I cant tell you every beat of the multi-course experience because I didnt actually get to test it when I visited. Seating 20 customers, there are two services each day. Post-launch, the team has since expanded the Monarch Theater part for four sittings per day.

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The team wants to keep some of the courses mystique, but I can touch on some of the showpiece parts. The glossy, plain table betrays whats been packed inside. Park Row doesnt use projectors for embellishing the dishes or the food. Im told by a spokesperson that this would distract from the food itself. Instead, the projectors send diners barreling into insane asylum padded cells that vertiginously rotate, making light fittings all pile together in a corner. Im quickly shown the same room coated in neon graffiti; then wrapped in ivy vines and a final vista high in the clouds.

Any DC Comics dilettante can assume which characters these projections point to. But it goes on from there. The unassuming conference table (ironically, Cisco was apparently involved with connecting everything together) hides more secrets. Two rails run across the center of the table, making it easier to transform the table when it comes to the Poison Ivy course, which centers around a platter of plants, which seem to be a mix of living and artificial. Within this, serving staff dress the logs and plants with drinks, mysterious edibles and things that Id call nibbles, but I probably shouldnt. Some of them are borderline hidden, which seems to be by design.

Below these rails, a heating element runs the length of the table. Customers are given a playing card during an earlier course, and are told to lay this on the table. As the experience progresses, the card reacts to the heat of the table, revealing a secret message to each diner.

There are other tricks that arent entirely revealed to me, including a floating plate trick that Ill have to book my own reservation to see.

Park Row, the DC-themed restaurant in London

Outside of the Monarch Theater, Park Row is split up into several different zones, all serving the same food menu  modern European  in a different facet of a fictional Gotham dining scene. From the entrance, modeled after Wayne Manor, you descend a glowing staircase inspired by a Batcave, through a vapor-emitting door frame into Pennyfeathers, a whiskey bar named after Alfred, Bruce Waynes long-serving butler. Beyond that, the Iceberg Lounge has a frozen penguin statue towering the bar, while to the left, the Rogues Gallery is curated by Catwoman, decorated with reproductions of some of the worlds most famous stolen art pieces, each one marked by a rogue from DCs back catalog of villains.

One of these artworks, bizarrely, doubles as a drinks decanter. Now get ready for a deep cut  its the same painting used in the 1989 Batman movie. DC fans can probably easily discern which villain has marked each painting, but its the nods like this that elevate the whole thing for fans that are able to recall everything. Ordering the fish and chips will result in a blue-tinged piece of battered fish  hinting at when the Joker poisoned Gotham Harbour. The most egregious nod might be the dessert menu. One dish is called Kiss from A Rose. A little on the nose, but only because everything else is so subtle.

There are a few molecular gastronomy tricks, too, like edible balloons and freeze-dried popcorn that billow smoke out your mouth as you crunch. It's these touches that add to the ambiance and fun of the place, and defuses the impression that Park Row may take itself a little too seriously for something based on comic book source material.

Park Row, the DC-themed restaurant in London

Even the restrooms are a playful tribute to the Joker and his minions, all neon signs and bright lights, while paintings around the restaurants give oblique nods to Gotham and its residents. The menus, too, have little symbols that represent DC villains. These touches are there if you look for them, but theyre not obvious  which is good for those of us that dont want to see anything more superhero-related ever again. I think the point is you could bring a date who has zero interest in the DC universe and capes, and theyd think its a glossy, central London restaurant. Fortunately, the food should be good enough to stand on its own, with an executive chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant. The restaurateur behind it all is known for his work with Heston Blumenthals Fat Duck.

The food has the credentials  and prices  to ensure even if you couldnt care less about DC, at least youll have a good meal and a ridiculous cocktail or two.
A woman wearing a pin supporting not vaccinated during an anti-mandatory coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine protest held outside New York City Hall in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Oklahoma doctor Matthew Payne regularly encounters covid-19 patients in the hospital who say they had feared coronavirus vaccines and thought they had found a safer approach - taking ivermectin, a medicine long used to kill parasites in animals and humans.

"There is surprise and shock when they initially get sick and have to come to the hospital," said Payne, a hospitalist at Stillwater Medical Center. "They'll say, 'I'm not sure why I feel so bad. I was taking the ivermectin,' and I will say, 'It doesn't do any good.'"

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Doctors and public health officials say they have spent the pandemic fighting rampant misinformation on top of a deadly virus, but the ivermectin craze is one of their strangest battles yet. Promoted by conservative talk show hosts, politicians and even some physicians as an effective treatment for covid-19, the medication has soared in popularity this year despite having no proven anti-viral benefits - and also some clear harms when abused. Prescriptions of the anti-parasitic medication, used to treat river blindness and intestinal roundworms in people, have spiked during the pandemic and especially this summer, jumping from an average of 3,600 weekly prescriptions in the year before the pandemic, to more than 88,000 in one week in August, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health departments are warning of spikes in ivermectin poisoning and hospitalizations as people snap up feed store products meant for large animals. "You are not a horse," the Food and Drug Administration felt compelled to declare last month. "You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it." The agency has not approved ivermectin to treat or prevent covid-19 and urged against that use in a recent public advisory, warning that "taking large doses of this drug is dangerous" and potentially fatal.

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Experts worry the enthusiasm for the deworming medicine is muddying urgent messaging about the only proven way to protect against severe cases of covid-19 - vaccines that were determined to be safe and effective after large, randomized clinical trials, and given to more than 170 million people in the United States. Many officials despair of the embrace of unproven approaches such as ivermectin and vitamin cocktails over vaccines as a symptom of a broader problem: a public health crisis made worse by many people's distrust of medical authorities while they rely on often-faulty information from some of the country's most influential people, which is amplified through social media.

"When people get fixated on inappropriate recommendations, then they unfortunately don't get vaccinated," said Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green, a Democrat and an emergency room doctor who blames conservative media for fanning unfounded hopes about ivermectin. "They don't do the things that will actually help."

Calls about ivermectin exposure to poison control centers on the country jumped to five times normal levels in July, according to data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers. About a third of nearly 1,200 calls so far this year involved people referred for medical treatment, and about 8% were ultimately admitted to the hospital, said Alvin Bronstein, who leads the association's national data system. The share of people admitted to the critical care unit more than quadrupled compared with the same period last year.

A CDC alert to clinicians last week said that one person who drank cattle ivermectin to prevent coronavirus infection was hospitalized for nine days, with symptoms including hallucinations and tremors. Another person who misused ivermectin this year died, according to Bronstein, who said he does not have information on what form of the drug the person took and cannot say why.

Interest in ivermectin as a possible coronavirus treatment was spurred last spring by an Australian study that found it killed the virus in the lab. The cheap and widely available drug - deemed an "essential medicine" by the World Health Organization - has treated parasites in humans and animals for decades so effectively that two scientists won the 2015 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their work on it.

Despite the Australian finding, many scientists doubted that humans could take high enough doses to replicate the effects seen in a lab, and even the researchers behind the study advise against using the drug as a covid-19 treatment outside of clinical trials. But prescriptions skyrocketed in poorer countries last summer, especially in Latin America, as "the medical community took the one-size-fits-all attitude" based on the drug's price and good safety record, one Brazilian researcher observed.

In the United States, a small but vocal group of doctors called the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance has sought to make ivermectin a routine part of both covid-19 prevention and treatment. One founder, Pierre Kory, claimed late last year in testimony to the Senate Homeland Security Committee that new research gave "conclusive data on the profound efficacy" of ivermectin as an intervention at "all stages" of covid-19.

Federal health agencies were not swayed. Noting mixed evidence and problems with the existing studies after a presentation from Kory and his colleagues, a National Institutes of Health committee stopped recommending against the drug as a covid-19 treatment, but said there was "insufficient data" to endorse it.

Although dozens of studies on ivermectin are ongoing - including a large randomized trial of repurposed drugs supported by NIH - one group of researchers who reviewed data from 14 ivermectin studies found that the results so far "cannot confirm the widely advertised benefits." Two authors of the review, Maria Popp and Stephanie Weibel of Germany's University Hospital of Wurzburg, told The Washington Post that they recommend against using ivermectin for covid-19 given the lack of evidence, noting that "every drug has side effects."

George Rutherford, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, spoke with more certainty: "This is a drug that does not work," he said, comparing those pushing ivermectin as a coronavirus treatment to "19th-century snake-oil salesmen."

Payne, the Oklahoma hospitalist, said he worries many people are being encouraged to take ivermectin as a "suitable alternative" to vaccination. At one point this summer, he said, about a quarter of his patients arriving at Stillwater Medical Center with covid-19 had been taking the medication. The lack of evidence that ivermectin protects against the coronavirus is a common topic in his evening calls with the families of severely ill covid-19 patients.

"It's a battle with patients and family members to explain why it's not recommended to do this," he said.

The Federation of State Medical Boards warned in July that doctors who spread falsehoods about coronavirus vaccines could have their medical licenses revoked or suspended, but did not address treatments. Few doctors have been publicly disciplined for promoting misinformation during the pandemic.

The Arkansas State Medical Board said last month that it is investigating a physician after he came under fire for routinely prescribing ivermectin to jail inmates as a coronavirus treatment and prevention measure. But such a probe is complicated by the fact that ivermectin is an approved anti-parasite drug, and doctors often prescribe drugs approved for one purpose for other things. "In general there are no direct repercussions for off-label usage," Payne said.

Doctors who espouse ivermectin to treat covid-19 deny they are undermining immunization efforts, saying they advocate many strategies at once. But "the role of vaccination" is a small footnote in the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance's posted protocol for covid-19 prevention, which says ivermectin, vitamins and other substances can provide a "safety net for those who cannot or have not been vaccinated."

Another founding member of the Alliance, Ohio physician Fred Wagshul, said that about a quarter of his hundreds of patients taking ivermectin are using it in lieu of vaccines. The pulmonologist said he recommends immunization, but he also insists - falsely - that the deworming drug is known to give even better protection than the shots.

Joseph Varon, an Alliance member and chief of critical care at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, said he is dismayed to see people applauding his use of ivermectin on social media, while railing against vaccines. He defended his and other doctors' off-label prescriptions as necessary in a crisis. "We started trying things because, you know, people were dying," said Varon.

Even scientists pursuing trials on the efficacy of ivermectin say the existing studies are too small or flawed to draw conclusions.

The data is "not particularly favorable at this point," said David Boulware, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of Minnesota Medical School working on one clinical trial. He pointed to another randomized trial in Brazil that recently reported no benefits from ivermectin as larger and thus more compelling than past efforts, and said his trial may simply provide more definitive evidence of the same thing.

Boulware experienced the intensity of the discussion around ivermectin when people started accusing him of denying study participants a lifesaving medicine by giving some a placebo - part of any randomized trial, which is considered the gold standard approach to determine whether treatments are effective. "Are you a reembodied NAZI Josef Mengele?" he said one email read.

"Ivermectin is rapidly becoming very polarized, just as hydroxychloroquine did," Boulware said, referring to the anti-malarial drug that former president Donald Trump promoted as a cure for covid-19 and that randomized trials found ineffective.

"There's either people that believe it totally is a cure-all and works or . . . it's highly dangerous," Boulware said of ivermectin. "And the reality is neither extreme is true."

Ivermectin has gained particular traction in conservative circles alongside accusations that the government and the drug industry are stifling discussion about the medication.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told a crowd last week that "hatred for Trump" was preventing objective study of both ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, promoted ivermectin at a Friday speech while casting doubt on the safety of vaccines. Ralph Lorigo, the Erie County Conservative Party chairman, has successfully sued in New York, Illinois and Ohio to force hospitals to provide ivermectin for covid-19 patients.

Fox News hosts such as Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson have also promoted the drug to large audiences, even as they sow skepticism of coronavirus vaccines as "experimental." Carlson, who hosts the most-watched show on cable television, declared falsely last month that the vaccines "do not work" and in late June featured podcaster and former biology professor Bret Weinstein, an advocate of deploying ivermectin against the coronavirus.

Fox News pointed The Post toward shows on which various hosts and guests have praised vaccines, including Carlson's statements in late July that "there may well be profound benefits." The network also noted Ingraham's discussion of the FDA's warnings about ivermectin.

For some already distrustful of the government's coronavirus response, state and federal health agencies' latest alerts matter little.

Lisa VanNatta, a 61-year-old Texas rancher, maintained that the animal medicine is safe in the small doses she said she's been taking monthly. Many others at the county Republican Club, where she is president, are using the drug in some form, she said.

"They're taking jiggers of it, drinking it," VanNatta said of the people getting sick from ivermectin. "There's always going to be some form of stupidity."

VanNatta said she is still avoiding a coronavirus vaccine and cites videos circulating on Facebook in which a veterinarian falsely claims that mass vaccination will help create dangerous virus variants.

In Louisiana, 33-year-old Kortney Asevedo said she also fears the long-term effects of the vaccines, even after her unvaccinated mother died while sick with covid-19 and taking everything that doctors prescribed, including ivermectin.

"Me and my mom are kind of the same," she said. "We wanted to wait and just kind of see."

- - -

The Washington Post's Ben Guarino and Lena H. Sun contributed to this report.

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FILE PHOTO: The logo for Amazon Web Services (AWS) is seen in Toronto

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan is investigating an Amazon Web Services outage that caused disruptions at major online brokerages, a leading mobile phone carrier and the country's biggest airline, a government spokesperson said on Thursday.

The outage, at least the third for Amazon since June, hit ANA Holdings Inc, which said some flights were delayed after problems with its ticketing and check-in system, although services were later restored.

An Amazon spokesperson said that the six hour disruption in the Tokyo region was caused by the "loss of several core networking devices" and had "been resolved".

Amazon declined to comment on how many customers were affected by the glitch, but monitoring website Downdetector showed no other outages, suggesting it was confined to Japan.

In June, many users experienced a brief outage at Amazon's platforms including Alexa and Prime Video, and weeks later Amazon said its online stores had faced a global outage.

"The Financial Services Agency will look into it to understand what happened and is asking affected companies to prioritise the needs of their customers," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a regular media briefing.

SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities were among the online brokerages that reported delays in price data feeds and other system glitches.

Mizuho Bank, a major retail bank, and the main banking unit of Mizuho Financial Group, said some internet services were disrupted by a system glitch at an external network provider, which it did not identify.

NTT Docomo, the mobile phone arm of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, said some of its services were also hit.

(Reporting by Hideyuki Sano, Sakura Murakami and Tim Kely; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert Birsel and Alexander Smith)
LEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 26, 2021

NEW YORK, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP announces that a federal securities class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of those who purchased shares of HyreCar Inc. (NASDAQ: HYRE) (the Company) between May 14, 2021 and August 10, 2021, inclusive (the Class Period).



All investors who purchased HyreCar Inc. and incurred losses are urged to contact the firm immediately at classmember@whafh.com or (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774. You may obtain additional information concerning the action or join the case on our website, www.whafh.com.

If you have incurred losses in the shares of HyreCar Inc., you may, no later than October 26, 2021, request that the Court appoint you lead plaintiff of the proposed class. Please contact Wolf Haldenstein to learn more about your rights as an investor in HyreCar Inc.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JOIN CASE

On August 10, 2021, the Company announced disappointing results for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2021 (Q2 2021), including net losses of $9.3 million compared to losses of $3.8 million in the same period the prior year. The Companys adjusted EBITDA loss for Q2 2021 was $7.1 million (four times higher than the $1.7 million adjusted EBITDA loss experienced in the second quarter of 2020) and its gross profit for Q2 2021 was just $0.8 million (less than one-third of the Companys gross profit in the second quarter of 2020), with a gross profit margin of just 24%.

The Company also disclosed that it had incurred skyrocketing costs of revenue during the quarter primarily as a result of significantly higher insurance claims incidence  including claims before March 31, 2021 in excess of the reserves.

During the Companys earnings call, executives revealed that the Company had been forced to revamp its claims processes and procedures and improve its risk price adjustments for policies issued by the Company. And when asked whether the Company was actually on track to achieve 45% to 50% gross margins in the near term as previously represented, the Companys CFO essentially withdrew this goal, calling it a shoot for the sky aim and stating that shooting for margin upwards of 40% was more realistic.

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On this news, the price of the Company stock fell nearly 50%, closing at $9.85, down $9.27 per share.



Wolf Haldenstein has extensive experience in the prosecution of securities class actions and derivative litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has attorneys in various practice areas; and offices in New York, Chicago and San Diego. The reputation and expertise of this firm in shareholder and other class litigation has been repeatedly recognized by the courts, which have appointed it to major positions in complex securities multi-district and consolidated litigation.

If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions regarding your rights and interests in this case, please immediately contact Wolf Haldenstein by telephone at (800) 575-0735, via e-mail at classmember@whafh.com, or visit our website at www.whafh.com.

Contact:

Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP

Patrick Donovan, Esq.

Gregory Stone, Director of Case and Financial Analysis

Email: gstone@whafh.com, donovan@whafh.com or classmember@whafh.com

Tel: (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.




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An Instagram user who went by the handle @AntiVaxMomma has been charged by the Manhattan District Attorneys Office after selling about 250 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards to health care workers.

Jasmine Clifford, 31, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey, has been charged with selling fake cards, while 27-year-old Nadayza Barkley of Bellport, New York, has been charged with entering at least 10 buyers into NYs NYSIIS database, according to NBC New York.

We will continue to safeguard public health in New York with proactive investigations like these, but the stakes are too high to tackle fake vaccination cards with whack-a-mole prosecutions, District Attorney Cy Vance said in a statement. We need companies like Facebook to take action to prevent the fraud happening on their platforms.

From looking into the @AntiVaxMomma account, the DAs office is charging 13 people with buying fake cards, some of them being nursing home workers and hospital employees. The cards reportedly cost $200, with an extra $250 being charged for database registration. Clifford and Barkley are facing felony charges related to false instruments and misdemeanor conspiracy charges, NBC shares.

Just last month, a Florida couple was arrested in Hawaii for using fake cards to enter the state without having to go through a 10-day quarantine. Enzo Dalmazzo, 43, and Daniela Dalmazzo, 31, reportedly had cards made for them and their kids, who were both under the age of 12, despite the vaccine having yet to be approved for them at the time.

Also in August, Border Protection officers in Memphis were revealed to have made 121 seizures totaling 3,017 fake vaccine cards since the start of the year.

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In Europe and the U.S. we are very much getting used to groceries being delivered within 15 minutes, with a huge battleground of startups in the space. Startups across Europe and the U.S. have raised no less than $3.1 billion in the last quarter alone for grocery deliveries within 10- or 20-minute delivery promises. But all are scrambling over a market where the average order size is pretty low. What if it was in the hundreds, and didnt require refrigeration?

This is probably going to be the newest "15/30minute" consumer battleground, as high-end consumer goods come to last-mile deliveries.

The latest to arrive in this space is Arive -- a German-based startup that delivers high-end consumer brands within 30 minutes. It has now raised 6 million in seed funding from 468 Capital, La Famiglia VC and Balderton Capital.

By stacking its shelves with well-known brands and spinning up last-mile delivery logistics, Arive is offering fitness products, cosmetics, personal care, homeware, tech and fashion. Consumers order via an app, with the delivery coming via a bike-only fleet in 30-minutes or less.

The behavior it's tapping into is already there. It seems the pandemic has made us all work and play from home, leaving foot traffic in inner cities still below pre-COVID levels.

Arive says it works directly with brands to offer a selection of their products for on-demand delivery, offering them a new distribution channel to a new type of customer that wants speed and convenience.

Arive is currently available in Munich and has recently launched in Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg. The 30-minute delivery guarantee means it doesnt need as many micro fulfillment centers as grocery players, helping it to keep infrastructure costs low.

Maximilian Reeker, co-founder of Arive, said: While the space for hyper-fast grocery delivery is increasingly crowded, we found the brands we love are still stuck in a three-day delivery scheme. For todays time-poor consumers, this is too long.

Bardo Droege, investor at 468 Capital, commented: Our cities are dynamic, fast-moving places, and people living there want the tools and services that reflect their lifestyles so its no wonder the 15-minute groceries category has taken off so quickly. Were confident the Arive team will take this on.
With the recent crackdown from the Peoples Republic of China on cryptocurrency mining operations, North America has become a new hub for bitcoin mining. As companies rush to cash in, competition is fierce. For investors looking for the right opportunity to take advantage, it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. One company using innovative strategies to distinguish itself as a leader in the space is Mawson Infrastructure Group (OTCQB: MIGID).

Efficiency is Key

Much of the power generated around the world goes to waste. Our grids are designed in a way where this is nearly inevitable.

A power plant produces more energy than the customers it supplies can use. The key to Mawsons success lies in its core strategy of finding these stranded and underutilized power assets and placing their operations near them. This means Mawson has access to the cheapest energy available, providing the best margins possible. And, because this energy would have otherwise been wasted, Mawson remains true to its commitment to limiting its environmental impact, with over 80% of its energy mix renewable/non-carbon emitting (wind, hydro, nuclear).

Staying Ahead of the Curve

With a dedicated research and development team, innovation is at the heart of Mawson. Mawson has developed what it calls MDC (Modular Data Center) technology and has pioneered the use of liquid immersion. This design drives its mining operations. Each center is purpose-built for efficiency and scalability. The centers are lean and cost-effective. In conjunction with using stranded power assets, Mawson can deliver the greatest returns to investors. And to be sure, ROI and shareholder value are central to Mawsons philosophy.

Bridging the Gap

The digital financial landscape is growing rapidly and has begun integrating into the traditional financial world. Mawsons asset management arm, Cosmos Asset Management, provides investors with exposure to digital assets. They help investors navigate the exciting world of cryptocurrency with expert insight and guidance. In an ever-changing environment, this is invaluable.

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A Sure Bet

Taking advantage of digital assets is an exciting prospect for investors. They present a new landscape full of opportunity. Mawson has distinguished itself as a leader in the space. With an eye toward the future, its commitment to innovation, and its focus on providing shareholders with maximum returns, Mawson is an attractive prospect for investors.

Image provided by Mawson Infrastructure Group.

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 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has lifted a ban on operating Boeing's 737 MAX passenger jet after more than two years, it said in a statement on Thursday.

Malaysia suspended the aircraft in March 2019 after it was grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes.

CAAM lifted the suspension as it released a new safety directive applicable to Malaysian and foreign air operators on Thursday.

On the 737 MAX, the regulator said it had been closely monitoring the approval process and extensive work undertaken, particularly from Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and accepted the comprehensive return-to-service requirements set by the FAA for the plane.

Last week, India's air safety regulator also cleared the aircraft to fly with immediate effect.

While several airlines and lessors cancelled orders of the jet after the crashes, national carrier Malaysia Airlines kept its order of 25 jets. It said in May it would take delivery from 2024. (Reporting by Liz Lee Editing by Mark Potter)
Middlefield Canadian Income PCC Net Asset Value

Middlefield Canadian Income PCC

Middlefield Canadian Income - GBP PC

(a protected cell company incorporated in Jersey with registration number 93546)

Legal Entity Identifier: 2138007ENW3JEJXC8658

Net Asset Value

As at the close of business on 01 September 2021 the estimated unaudited Net Asset Value per share was 128.24 pence (including accrued income).

Investments in the Companys portfolio have been valued on a closing price basis.

Enquiries:

JTC Fund Solutions (Jersey) Limited

01534 700 000




Northampton, MA --News Direct-- SCS Global Services

September 2, 2021 /3BL Media/ - Palm oil holds a significant place in the African region. Oil palm is indigenous to Africa  its use as a basic food crop has been vital to the inhabitants of the equatorial regions in Africa as far back as 3000 BC in Egypt. Presently, the African region is estimated to have more than 4 million hectares of oil palm production area across over 22 countries. As an emerging market for palm oil, the region accounts for approximately 5% of global palm oil output, and at least 10% of the global palm oil demand. Being a new frontier for commercial oil palm expansion, there are ongoing investments in the sector, with projections of exponential increment in the land area under commercial oil palm production.

Oil palm production in the region is dominated by several hundred thousand smallholder farmers, with typically 1-2 hectare holdings, who are estimated to account for an average of 70% of the total production area. These smallholdings have great opportunities for sustainable improvement as they are faced with challenges of poor management practices, poor planting materials, and very low yields (average 2-4 tonnes of FFB per hectare). Commercial estates account for less than 30% of production area which are better managed and higher yielding (average of 16-18 tonnes of FFB per hectare).

Milestone achievement

Despite these challenges, RSPO is proud to announce a milestone achievement  the first Independent Smallholders Group in Africa has been certified by RSPO. The Ngoyai Gbaayegie Group, within the catchment of Goldtree Sierra Leone Ltd., has achieved certification covering 4,983 Independent Smallholders who own a total land area of 8667 hectares. This is the single largest certified Independent Smallholders group across all regions to date in terms of the number of smallholders. The Ngoyai Gbaayegie Group has been certified to Milestone B, the ultimate phase in the Independent Smallholder stepwise certification approach.

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This was made possible through the RSPO Smallholder Support Fund (RSSF), with technical support from the relevant Departments/Units within the RSPO Secretariat. Implementation on the ground was undertaken by Goldtree Sierra Leone Ltd. who doubled as the Group Manager.

"Smallholders are estimated to account for an average of 70% of the palm oil output in Africa, said Elikplim Dziwornu Agbitor, RSPO Head, Africa. With RSPOs vision of making sustainable palm oil the norm, and the organisations mantra of inclusiveness, it is imperative that the African oil palm smallholders are included in the sustainable palm oil supply chain. Being the first certified smallholder group in Africa, the experiences and lessons learnt from the certification process of the Ngoyai Gbaayegie group will serve as a blueprint and inspiration for certifying other smallholder groups in the region."

We are grateful for the strong support from Goldtree Sierra Leone Ltd. that has been essential in bringing these Sierra Leone smallholders to achieve certification, said Aaina Karina, RSSF Representative. Through the RSSF, it is truly a milestone to be able to see the first project in Africa that has achieved RSPO certification.

The audit was conducted by SCS Global Services, with farmer training and master training programmes carried out by the RSPO Smallholder Trainer Academy (STA), which played a significant role in ensuring the certification of the smallholders group.

Smallholders on challenges and positive impacts

Prior to receiving training, smallholders faced various challenges in their plantations, including improper farm conditions, lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and low yields due to lack of technical training.

MJ Kamara, a farmer from the Ngoyai Gbaayegie Group, shared, Before RSPO came, I did not have time to take care of the plantation or harvest fruit. Now with the technical training RSPO has given us, we are now able to apply what we have learnt in farm maintenance.

I always had challenges in doing best management in my farm, I didnt have knowledge on pruning, weeding, shared smallholder Musa Morray. We never packed the branches of the fruits after pruning, so they used to be scattered all over the plantation. The plantation was not in proper condition so productivity was very low.

Smallholder Vandi Samai added, Before the RSPO provided training and support, our lack of technical knowledge led to low yields, so we were taking loans to keep the farm operating. RSPO has impacted our lives in a positive way. Now, we have learnt improved practices to increase our yields while also reducing costs so we wont need to rely on loans anymore to operate.

RSPOs technical support and training delivered by Goldtree have addressed many of these issues and translated into improved agricultural practices and higher productivity. With the positive impacts, news of RSPO certification was welcomed warmly by several smallholders.

We appreciate RSPO for the technical training, now the production rate of our plantation has increased rapidly, we are realising higher production. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with RSPO and Goldtree, said Kamara.

I want to thank Goldtree and RSPO very much, we are over happy, this is everybodys certificate, expressed Eric Senesie, the Ngoyai Gbaayegie Group organising Secretary and spokesperson. We were able to place the primary structure in the different communities, it makes it easier to disseminate information and coordinate effectively for this project.

Steven Lansana, General Secretary of the Ngoyai Gbaayegie Group, said I want to express the feeling of all the farmers, we are very excited over the certificate, even our farms are in good order. Now we can be proud of our yield, that makes us very glad to have succeeded.

Read More

Learn more about RSPO Principles and Criteria Certification

Media Contact:Nikki HelmsSenior Marketing Manager, SCS Global Servicesnhelms@scsglobalservices.com+1.501.295.0667

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from SCS Global Services on 3blmedia.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/nearly-5000-independent-smallholders-certified-in-sierra-leone-201071423
<p> Session will be Webcast </p>

NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Swamy Kocherlakota, CIO of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), will present at the Deutsche Bank Technology Conference on September 9. Mr. Kocherlakota is scheduled to speak from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time). The "fireside chat" will be webcast and may include forward-looking information.

Webcast Instructions: Live and Replay

The webcast (video) will be available live and in replay through the Company's Investor Relations website http://investor.spglobal.com/Investor-Presentations (please copy and paste URL into web browser). The webcast replay will be available approximately two hours after the end of the presentation and will remain accessible for 90 days, ending on December 7, 2021.

No Offer or Solicitation

This communication is not intended to and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote of approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Important Information About the Transaction and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed transaction, S&P Global and IHS Markit have filed and will file relevant materials with the SEC. On January 8, 2021, S&P Global filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4, as amended (No. 333-251999), to register the shares of S&P Global common stock to be issued in connection with the proposed transaction. The registration statement, which was declared effective by the SEC on January 22, 2021, includes a definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus of S&P Global and IHS Markit. The definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus was mailed to the shareholders of S&P Global and IHS Markit seeking their approval of their respective transaction-related proposals. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-4 AND THE RELATED JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT ARE FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT S&P GLOBAL, IHS MARKIT AND THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION.

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Investors and security holders may obtain copies of these documents free of charge through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov or from S&P Global at its website, or from IHS Markit at its website. Documents filed with the SEC by S&P Global will be available free of charge by accessing S&P Global's website at www.spglobal.com under the heading Investor Relations, or, alternatively, by directing a request by telephone to 866-436-8502 (domestic callers) or 212-438-2192 (international callers) or by mail to S&P Global at Investor Relations, S&P Global Inc., 55 Water Street, New York, NY 10041, and documents filed with the SEC by IHS Markit will be available free of charge by accessing IHS Markit's website at www.ihsmarkit.com under the heading Investor Relations or, alternatively, by directing a request by telephone to 303-790-0600 or by mail to IHS Markit at IHS Markit Investor Relations and Corporate Communications, 15 Inverness Way East, Englewood, CO 80112.

About S&P Global

S&P Global is the world's foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics in the global capital and commodity markets, offering ESG solutions, deep data, and insights on critical economic, market, and business factors. We've been providing essential intelligence that unlocks opportunity, fosters growth, and accelerates progress for more than 160 years. Our divisions include S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Dow Jones Indices, and S&P Global Platts. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com.

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SOURCE S&P Global
U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announces the withdrawal of his nominees to serve on the special committee probing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 21, 2021. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

Republicans will cut your taxes and keep them low. But theres a price: You have to side with the Party of Trump in political battles, even if it might mean breaking the law.

This latest twist in the GOPs self-preservation strategy is a threat by the top House Republican, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, to retaliate against any business that complies with requests from the committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. If these companies comply with the Democrat [sic] order to turn over private information, they are in violation of federal law and subject to losing their ability to operate in the United States, McCarthy tweeted on Aug. 31. A Republican majority will not forget and will stand with Americans to hold them fully accountable.

Before everybody rushes to one corner or the other  Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative  lets acknowledge the political gamesmanship here. Democrats are investigating the Jan. 6 riots with marginal Republican cooperation, because the GOPs Trumpers dont want a fair inquiry that could implicate the former president or any allies who may have enabled or encouraged the rioters. Instead of a bipartisan panel, the Jan. 6 commission consists of 8 Democrats and 5 Republicans. Democrats control it.

The panel has reportedly issued subpoenas to telecom and social-media companies ordering them to preserve communication records for dozens or hundreds of people it may investigate  including McCarthy himself, who spoke with former President Trump by phone during the uprising. The panel is also interested in records relating to Trump, some of his family members, and several fervent Trumpers in Congress, including Reps. Matt Goetz, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jim Jordan, Mo Brooks, and Louie Gohmert. As far as anybody knows, the panel has not asked any firm to preserve the records of any prominent Democrat.

Laughing yet?

So a Democratically led panel is seeking or may be seeking compromising information on Republicans. That got McCarthys dander up and led to his threat to retaliate against the companies, including phone giants Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T), tech behemoths Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), and Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and of course social-media platforms Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TWTR). McCarthy is basically saying that if Republicans retake control of the House in the 2022 midterms  which they have good odds of doing  theyd use their power to harm or harass the companies.

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If Republicans take both houses of Congress in the midterms, they might be able to pass laws that would actually damage these companies. Joe Biden would still be president and he could veto any such laws. But if theres a GOP sweep in 2024, McCarthy seems to be saying, the Republican party could legislate or regulate a group of bedrock American companies out of existence.

U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wears a mask reading "Censored" as she walks to the House floor during debate on the second impeachment of President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. January 13, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Are you laughing yet? If not, nows a good time, because this premise is a fever dream derived from an absurdity. First, if we revisit Trumps enemies list, well find all the major social-media companies on there, not least because Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube banned Trump after Jan. 6. Before that, they started labeling his multitudinous online lies as misleading information or simply taking them down, leading Trump and fellow conservatives to moan about censorship because private-sector firms trying to defend their own integrity wouldnt publish GOP propaganda.

Amazon is on Trumps enemies list because founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post, and Trump hates any media outlet that criticizes him. Trump tried (and failed) to block AT&T from buying Time Warner because Time Warner owned CNN, which Trump hated as much as The Washington Post. Trump seems to have lesser grievances against Apple, Verizon, and other tech and telecom firms, but he has bashed them too when he had a few spare minutes to tweet.

All of this means the firms Democrats are seeking records from are ones Trump has clashed with in the past. Which means McCarthy is threatening to retaliate against many firms Trump has already tried to punish.

These companies will do what the law requires

This is largely ridiculous because all of these firms are going to do what is legally required of them, regardless of which party seems the most threatening, politically. If their lawyers say they have to turn over phone records or social-media posts or internal messages, they will. If they dont have to, they probably wont. If its not clear, some or all of these companies will probably fight disclosure in court, to signal that they side with their customers in any matter pitting privacy against government access.

In the high-drama scenario, some of these firms would turn over information that embarrasses or incriminates certain Republicans. Then Republicans would win the House next year and McCarthy would presumably become speaker. Republicans would sweep in 2024 and take total control of the federal government. They could certainly make life difficult for some of these firms by passing laws harming their businesses or using federal judicial power to harass them. But Trump tried that in many ways, and courts repeatedly struck down orders and regulations that didnt comport with the law. As for legislation, Americas biggest companies are well-armed in the back alleys of Washington, DC, where corporate money lubricates a legal protection racket assuring Congress treats businesses gently.

Democrats, for their part, may think they can score easy points by going after phone records of fringe Republicans such as Greene, Boebert, or Gaetz. But they might be wrong about that. As cringey as some of these lawmakers are, prosecutors havent charged any Congressional Republicans with a crime, and the Jan. 6 panel hasnt said it has any evidence of its own suggesting criminal activity. So the Democrats who control the panel may, in reality, be trolling for dirt to embarrass Republicans. Thats one of the things Congressional panels do. (See: Benghazi) Making lame threats against businesses is now another.

Rick Newman is the author of four books, including "Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman. You can also send confidential tips, and click here to get Ricks stories by email.

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Singapore said on Thursday that it would allow special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) to go public on its bourse starting Friday, as the city state hopes to become the go-to market in Asia for what has been one of the hottest fundraising trends globally in the past 18 months.

The so-called blank-cheque companies have raised more than US$122 billion this year alone, primarily through listings in the United States. However, they have proven to be popular with Asian sponsors and target companies, prompting a race between Hong Kong and Singapore to see who would be the first to offer listings for these investment vehicles.

"We want the SPAC process to result in good target companies listed on SGX [Singapore Exchange], providing investors with more choice and opportunities," Tan Boon Gin, CEO of Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo), said in an announcement on Thursday. "To achieve this, you can expect us to focus on the sponsors' quality and track record. We have also introduced requirements that increase sponsors' skin in the game and their alignment with shareholders' interests."

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

SGX RegCo is a unit of the city's bourse operator.

The new rules come more than a decade after Singapore first considered greenlighting SPAC initial public offerings, but shelved the plan following a public consultation. High-profile collapses in Malaysia and South Korea, as well as regulatory concerns about protecting retail investors, have slowed the acceptance of SPAC listings in Asia in the past.

These takeover vehicles do not have any existing businesses, but are created purely to raise financial war chests and buy assets within a specified period of time, usually 18 months to two years.

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Following a new consultation this spring, SGX RegCo said SPACs would be required to have a minimum market capitalisation of S$150 million (US$112 million) and would only be able to list on SGX's main board. That is lower than the minimum market cap of S$300 million proposed in April and more in line with thresholds for listings on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq.

SPACs would also be required to reach a deal within two years, with the option of extending that period by another 12 months under certain conditions. Sponsors would have to hold their shares for at least six months following a deal and subscribe to at least 2.5 per cent of the IPO shares or warrants.

Acquisitions would need approval from more than half of SPACs' independent directors and more than half of the shareholders to proceed.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po called for the SFC and HKEX to explore suitable listings for SPACs in March. Photo: Sam Tsang alt=Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po called for the SFC and HKEX to explore suitable listings for SPACs in March. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in early March that he had instructed the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) to explore suitable listing regimes for SPACs to ensure the competitiveness of the city's financial markets while continuing to safeguard the investing public. However, little has been said publicly about Hong Kong's plans since his comments.

The move by Singapore comes as several high-profile Southeast Asian technology unicorns have opted to go public via US-listed SPACs.

Grab Holdings, the Singapore-based ride-hailing, food delivery and financial services super app, agreed in April to go public via a SPAC backed by Silicon Valley's Altimeter Capital Management in a deal that would value Grab at US$39.6 billion.

Grab Holdings is going public in the US via SPAC, while Gojek is considering a potential listing via a SPAC after its merger with Tokopedia. Photo: Shutterstock alt=Grab Holdings is going public in the US via SPAC, while Gojek is considering a potential listing via a SPAC after its merger with Tokopedia. Photo: Shutterstock

A blank-cheque company backed by Hong Kong billionaire Richard Li Tzar-kai and billionaire technology investor Peter Thiel agreed in July to acquire Singapore's PropertyGuru Group in a deal that values Southeast Asia's biggest property technology company at about US$1.8 billion.

At the same time, GoTo Group, the company formed by the US$18 billion merger of Indonesian unicorns Gojek and Tokopedia in May, is exploring both a traditional listing in Indonesia and going public in the US, possibly through a SPAC.

SPACs raised more than US$95 billion in the first quarter, but fundraising has slowed in recent months after the US Securities and Exchange Commission raised questions about accounting for stock warrants common to the deals, according to financial data provider Refinitiv.

August was the second slowest month for fundraising by blank-cheque companies since June 2020, with just US$4.7 billion raised, according to Refinitiv.

After the blistering pace of fundraising, investors have become more selective, making it more difficult to secure private investment in public equity (PIPE) financing to complete mergers between SPACs and private companies.

However, SPAC sponsors and target companies in Asia remain keen on these investment vehicles, as shown by the recent deals for Tim Hortons China and the American publisher of Forbes magazine.

"Having SPACs listed in Asia - whether it is in Hong Kong or Singapore - would actually be a good thing," Jonathan Lin, CEO of Magnum Opus Acquisition, a Hong Kong-based SPAC behind the Forbes deal, said in an interview this week. "You give an avenue for some of these companies that have historically gone to the US, but you create new opportunities for them out here. That's better for everyone."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bernstein Liebhard, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, announces that a securities class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Spectrum" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: SPPI) from December 27, 2018 through August 5, 2021 (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada alleges violations of the Securities Act of 1934.

Bernstein Liebhard LLP. (PRNewsFoto/Bernstein Liebhard LLP) (PRNewsfoto/Bernstein Liebhard LLP)

If you purchased Spectrum securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Spectrum Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Rujul Patel toll free at (877) 779-1414 or rpatel@bernlieb.com

According to the complaint, Spectrum issued materially false and/or misleading statements and failed to disclose adverse facts pertaining to the quality and integrity of the scientific data supporting the company's claims of efficacy for its drug ROLONTIS (eflapegrastim), a novel long-acting granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, which were known to, or recklessly disregarded by, the Defendants as follows: (a) the ROLONTIS manufacturing facility maintained deficient controls and/or procedures; (b) the foregoing deficiencies decreased the likelihood that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") would approve the ROLONTIS Biologics License Application ("BLA") as submitted in December 2018 in its current form; (c) Spectrum had therefore materially overstated the ROLONTIS BLA's approval prospects; and (D) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On August 6, 2021, Spectrum announced receipt of a Complete Response Letter ("CRL") from the FDA regarding the ROLONTIS BLA. The CRL cited deficiencies related to manufacturing and indicated that a reinspection of the Company's manufacturing facility will be necessary.

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On this news, the price of Spectrum shares fell $0.70 per share, or 21.54%, to close at $2.55 per share on August 6, 2021.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than November 1, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.

If you purchased Spectrum securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit https://www.bernlieb.com/cases/spectrumpharmaceuticalsinc-sppi-shareholder-class-action-lawsuit-fraud-stock-437/apply/ or contact Rujul Patel toll free at (877) 779-1414 or rpatel@bernlieb.com

Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for ten consecutive years.

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING.  2021 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. The lawyer responsible for this advertisement in the State of Connecticut is Michael S. Bigin. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information:

Rujul Patel

Bernstein Liebhard LLP

https://www.bernlieb.com

(877) 779-1414

rpatel@bernlieb.com

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SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Yeh to further strengthen Technisys's robust North American legal and compliance capabilities and expand 'regulatory readiness' of the company's next-gen digital products and offerings

MIAMI, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Technisys, the cloud-native, next-gen digital and core banking platform is pleased to announce that legal and compliance veteran Kathleen Yeh has joined the Company as Head of North American Product Compliance.

Yeh comes to Technisys with more than 20 years of experience in banking and financial services, which she will leverage to support current and future compliance initiatives for Technisys's current suite of digital banking solutions, as well as across the company's North America operations.

Prior to joining Technisys, Yeh served as Head of Compliance for Poppy Bank, and Chief Compliance Officer with Tri Counties Bank. She also held senior-level Consultant roles with a variety of banks and banking institutions, including Wells Fargo, Treliant LLC, Aurora Bank, and, notably, Infosys, where she was a part of the core team that supported the firm's expansion into the U.S. market for the first time, ensuring compliance with all federal regulatory requirements.

"Technisys is a world-class, cloud-native digital banking platform provider that is already a leader in regulatory compliance. I am thrilled to be joining the North American team to further expand the company's compliant-ready offerings," says Yeh. "Technisys has created a platform that can truly enable the next generation of banks and institutions to provide their customers with safe, convenient, digitally-powered solutions. As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, I look forward to helping ensure these offerings are compliant ready."

"We are thrilled to have Kathleen join our team and help continue reinforcing one of our core mandates of 'regulatory readiness' of all our products, services and capabilities," says Miguel Santos, co-founder and CEO of Technisys. "Her experience across all levels of the banking system and legal and compliance management, complemented by her distinct understanding of the current regulatory environment, make her the perfect addition to our product teams, and to the company as a whole."

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ABOUT Technisys

Technisys is a leading next-gen digital and core banking platform that redefines the customer experience. As a best-in-class technology platform, Technisys uniquely delivers differentiation in two key ways. By empowering financial institutions to dynamically create tailored financial products at the speed of commerce. And, by offering meaningful recommendations to customers at point of need. How are we different? We use data-driven insights and integrate them with our unique technology that enables structural flexibility. A flexibility that allows financial institutions to create and tailor any financial product - in real time - to deliver a seamless digital experience at every customer touchpoint whether online, on the phone, or at a branch. Giving banks and fintechs the agility to tailor offerings that become integral to a customer's lifestyle in new and profound ways, down to the segment of one.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Corey Goldman, on behalf of

Technisys

Phone: 1.416.322.2863

Email: technisys@fullyvested.com

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SOURCE Technisys
(Bloomberg) -- Rebels in Ethiopias Tigray region looted warehouses containing emergency aid for civilians in the Amhara region, where fierce fighting is continuing with troops loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a U.S. official said.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has proof that the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front emptied warehouses and caused widespread destruction in Amhara in recent weeks, Sean Jones, a USAID mission director to Ethiopia, said in an interview with Ethiopian state television.

Violence that erupted in Tigray in November spread to Amhara in June, when TPLF fighters took back control of their region further north and routed government forces.

What we do have proof of is that several of our warehouses have been looted and completely emptied in the areas, particularly Amhara, he said on Tuesday. Tigrayan fighters looted trucks and caused a great deal of destruction in all the villages they have visited, Jones said.

Getachew Reda, a senior member of the TPLF, denied that Tigray forces were behind the looting of the warehouses.

While we cannot vouch for every unacceptable behavior of off-grid fighters in such matters, we have evidence that such looting is mainly orchestrated by local individuals and groups, Getachew said via Twitter on Wednesday. It is our position we can address this through independent investigation.

The conflict in Ethiopia, which erupted after Abiy accused the TPLF of attacking a federal military base, has scarred the nations reputation as one of Africas top investment destinations and sent its Eurobonds plummeting. Ethiopias army was forced to withdraw from Tigray in June and a counter-offensive by the TPLF has since spread into neighboring regions including Amhara and Afar, displacing tens of thousands of people,

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(Bloomberg) -- U.S. antitrust officials are preparing a second monopoly lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.s Google over the companys digital advertising business, according to a person familiar with the matter, stepping up the governments claims that Google is abusing its dominance.

The Justice Department has accelerated its investigation of Googles digital advertising practices and may file a lawsuit as soon as the end of the year, said the person, who declined to be named because the investigation is ongoing. No final decisions have been made and the timing could be pushed back.

Google touched a low in extended trading on the news, falling 0.6% to $2,888 at 5:03 p.m. in New York.

The departments scrutiny of Googles control of the ad tech market goes back to the Trump administration. The DOJ under then-Attorney General William Barr sued Google over its search business instead, alleging the company used exclusive distribution deals with wireless carriers and phone makers to lock out competition.

That case was followed by a separate antitrust complaint filed by a group of state attorneys general led by Texas, which accused Google of illegally monopolizing the digital advertising market. The states said Google reached an illegal agreement with Facebook Inc. to manipulate the online auctions where advertisers and website publishers buy and sell ad space.

That agreement with Facebook is also part of the DOJs investigation, said the person. The Justice Department declined to comment.

Google disputes that it dominates the ad tech market, arguing that the space is crowded with major companies like Amazon.com Inc., Comcast Corp. and Facebook competing for business. It also denies the states claim that its manipulating auctions to benefit Facebook.

Our advertising technologies help websites and apps fund their content, enable small businesses to grow, and protect users from exploitative privacy practices and bad ad experiences, the company said in a statement. There is enormous competition in advertising tools, which has made online ads more relevant, reduced fees, and expanded options for publishers and advertisers.

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Bloomberg reported in June that officials from the Justice Departments antitrust division had stepped up scrutiny of Googles ad practices and had interviewed multiple Google competitors about the companys conduct.

Another Justice Department lawsuit against Google would underscore President Joe Bidens push to toughen antitrust enforcement in an effort to boost competition across the economy. Biden has nominated Google critic Jonathan Kanter to run the departments antitrust division. Kanter has long represented companies that have pushed competition enforcers to take action against Google, including News Corp. and Yelp Inc.

The Mountain View, California-based company owns major pieces of the online ad market. It runs an ad-buying service for marketers and an ad-selling one for publishers, as well as a trading exchange where both sides complete transactions in lightning-fast auctions.

These exchanges operate like online stock-trading platforms with an automated bidding process. Competitors and publishers have complained that Google leverages parts of this vast network, like its ad exchange, to benefit other areas and kneecap rivals.

Overall, these ad-tech products generated $23 billion in gross revenue for the internet giant last year. Google has argued that it pays out much of these ad-tech sales to web publishers.

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Virgin Galactic said high-altitude wind caused the change in flight path and insisted the two pilots responded appropriately. In a statement, the company said the flight was a safe and successful test flight that adhered to our flight procedures and training protocols.

In another statement Thursday, Virgin Galactic added that at no time did the ship travel above any population centers or cause a hazard to the public. Virgin Galactic operates out of Spaceport America in the southern New Mexico desert.

We take this seriously and are currently addressing the causes of the issue and determining how to prevent this from occurring on future missions, the company said.

Branson ended up beating fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos  founder of Amazon as well as rocket company Blue Origin  into space by nine days. Bezos launched July 20 with three others from West Texas.

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are vying to sell seats to tourists, scientists and anyone else looking to experience a few minutes of weightlessness. Virgin Galactic's rocketship is launched from an airplane, while Blue Origin's capsule is hoisted by a reusable New Shepard rocket.
School districts in Alachua and Broward counties were the first of 10 to require all students to wear masks unless they had a medical exemption in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Those districts, which include cities like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and West Palm Beach, represent slightly more than half of the 2.8 million Florida public school students enrolled this year.

Corcoran said those districts are violating parental rights by not allowing a parent or legal guardian to opt-out their child, as required by a Florida Department of Health emergency rule.

"We're going to fight to protect parent's rights to make health care decisions for their children," Corcoran said in a statement. "They know what is best for their children."

Corcoran said elected officials, like the school board members, cannot pick and choose what laws they want to follow. He said the board members pledged to uphold the Constitution but were not doing so.
The meeting was postponed two days while Biden and his national security team were consumed by the military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The withdrawal, which concluded Monday, left behind many Afghans who had worked with the Americans and their allies and who now fear Taliban rule. This led to criticism that the U.S. was less than a reliable international partner, something Biden was eager to counter.

The optics of the moment did not go unnoticed by the Ukrainian president. At a difficult time for the world and the United States ... still you found time for us and we're thankful for this indeed, Zelenskyy said.

In advance of the sit-down, the Biden administration said it was committing up to $60 million in new military aid to Ukraine. The administration said the aid was necessary because of a major increase in Russian military activity along its border and because of mortar attacks, cease-fire violations and other provocations.

The package includes more Javelin anti-tank missiles, which Kyiv sees as critical to defending against Russia-backed separatists. The U.S. has overall committed more than $400 million in military aid this year.

Zelenskyy thanked Biden for the aid.
BERLIN (AP)  German prosecutors said Thursday that they have filed charges against six suspects in the spectacular theft of 18th-century jewels from a Dresden museum in 2019, accusing them of organized robbery and arson.

The men, German nationals aged 22 to 27, are accused of breaking into the eastern city's Green Vault Museum on Nov. 25, 2019, and stealing 21 pieces of jewelry containing more than 4,300 diamonds, with a total insured value of at least 113.8 million euros ($135 million).

Prosecutors say they laid a fire just before the break-in to cut the power supply for street lights outside the museum, and also set fire to a car in a nearby garage before fleeing to Berlin.

Searches so far have not yielded the missing treasures. Prosecutors said that the suspects, who are all in custody, have not responded to the accusations against them.

The Green Vault is one of the worlds oldest museums. It was established in 1723 and contains the treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony, comprising around 4,000 objects of gold, precious stones and other materials.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Hundreds of Greek health care workers, accompanied by ambulances with sirens blaring, marched through central Athens on Thursday to protest regulations mandating coronavirus vaccines for anyone working in their sector.

Under the regulation, which went into effect Wednesday, any health care worker who isn't vaccinated against COVID-19 or hasnt recovered from the disease within the last six months will be suspended from work without pay.

About 400 protesters rallied outside the health ministry in the center of the Greek capital, before marching to parliament accompanied by about a dozen ambulances. The protesters say they are not against vaccinations, but object to making them compulsory, and say the measure will lead to staff shortages.

The government counters that the measure  which applies to all health care workers in the private and public sector as well as to workers in care homes for the elderly  is necessary to protect the most vulnerable amid a third surge of COVID-19 infections in the country.
Afghan taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi has competed at the Tokyo Paralympic Games after she was secretly evacuated from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

The 22-year-old and her compatriot Hossain Rasouli first flew to Paris after a secret international effort to help them get out of Taliban-controlled Kabul, before continuing to Tokyo on August 28.

On September 2, Khudadadi entered the competition arena in Chiba, near the Japanese capital, wearing a white hijab for the opening match of the debut of the Korean combat sport at the Paralympics -- becoming the first Afghan woman to compete for Afghanistan at the Paralympic Games since 2004.

Khudadadi lost her two matches against Uzbekistan's Ziyodakhon Isakova and Viktoria Marchuk of Ukraine in the under-49 kilogram category.

"I worry about the situation in Afghanistan, but I am very glad that she managed to come and compete with me," Marchuk said afterward.

Track athlete Rasouli, who arrived in Tokyo too late to compete in his favored 100-meter event, finished last in the long jump final on August 31.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has said the two athletes would not be available for interviews during the Paralympics.

It remains unclear where the pair will go after the Paralympics ends on September 5.

When asked about their status on September 2, IPC spokesman Craig Spence replied: We've left them be for the last few days to focus on competition.

We'll now start to have conversations about what happens in terms of the closing ceremony and where they go next.

Alison Battisson of Human Rights for All, who was involved in their evacuation, told Reuters that Australia had granted them humanitarian visas.

With reporting by Reuters and AP
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will meet with the emir of Qatar and his foreign minister in Doha on September 2 to discuss the situation in Afghanistan amid international efforts to resume operations at the Kabul airport, which would facilitate humanitarian assistance and further evacuations of foreigners and others seeking to flee Taliban rule.

Raab's trip to the Qatari capital comes amid expectations the Taliban will unveil its government more than two weeks after the hard-line Islamist group took control of Kabul and days after the last U.S. troops withdrew from the war-torn country after a 20-year presence.

Taliban member Ahmadullah Muttaqi said on social media that a ceremony was being prepared at the presidential palace in Kabul, while private broadcaster TOLOnews reported that an announcement on a new government was imminent.

The United States and its allies evacuated more than 123,000 foreigners and Afghans out of Kabul since August 14, the day before the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan two decades after being removed from power by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

But tens of thousands of Afghans who had helped Western nations oust the militants during a 20-year war and others at risk remained behind.

The United Nations has urged the Taliban to allow safe passage for those seeking to leave Afghanistan, while also warning of an impending humanitarian catastrophe with the government paralyzed and foreign assistance at a near standstill because of the turmoil.

The militants have promised to allow Afghans to leave and return to the country, but many remain in doubt about the hard-line Islamist group's intentions.

The U.K. Foreign Office said in a statement that Raab, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and other Qatari leaders to discuss "the prospects of getting Kabul airport up and running and safe passage for foreign nationals and Afghans across land borders."

The foreign secretary "will seek Qatari views on the feasibility of a functioning airport in Kabul, either for charter or commercial flights, which would provide a vital route for remaining UK nationals and Afghans most at risk to leave the country," it said.

On September 1, Afghanistans civil aviation authority said it had a technical team working at Kabul airport to repair the radar system so flights could resume.

A Taliban spokesman was quoted as saying that a joint team of technicians from Turkey and Qatar had arrived in the capital to provide technical and logistical services to help repairs of the Kabul airport.

The goal was reportedly to resume flights for both humanitarian aid and to provide freedom of movement for Afghans.

Since the Western-backed government and Afghan Army collapsed under a lightning Taliban offensive, thousands of Afghans have fled their homes fearing a repeat of the Taliban's brutal rule between 1996 and 2001.

The Taliban has declared an amnesty for all Afghans who worked with foreign forces during the war that ousted it from power and said it was in talks with all factions to reach an agreement on a future government.

The militants have promised a more tolerant and open brand of rule compared with their first stint in power. However, many reports have said summary executions and house-to-house searches for those who worked with international groups or the previous government are occurring across the country.

While the Taliban has control of Kabul and other provincial capitals, it is still fighting with opposition groups and remnants of the Afghan Army, led by Ahmad Massud, son of a former mujahedin commander who fought against the Taliban in northeastern Afghanistan in the late 1990s, holding out in mountains north of the capital.

Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Motaqi said the militants have "tried very hard" to resolve the issue of Panjshir through negotiations and communication, " but unfortunately, that has not worked so far."

In the Qatari capital, Raab will also hold talks with the British Embassy to Afghanistan, which has temporarily relocated to the tiny Persian Gulf nation.

The British prime ministers special envoy for Afghan transition, Simon Gass, will also brief him "on the talks he has held in recent days with senior Taliban political representatives" in Doha, which is hosting a Taliban political office.

In its statement, the U.K. Foreign Office said London was "keen to work with Qatar and other international partners to help deliver our priorities - ensuring that the Taliban government will bear down on the threat from [IS-K, the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State extremist group] and Al-Qaeda and honouring their commitment...to prevent Afghanistan soil being used to threaten the security of other countries; facilitating humanitarian access; and protecting human rights, especially those of women and girls."

This story includes reporting by Radio Azadi correspondents on the ground in Afghanistan. Their names are being withheld for their protection.

With reporting by Reuters and TOLOnews
Calls are growing within the European Union for the creation of a rapid reaction military force to respond to crises around the world in the wake of the chaotic scenes at Kabul airport after the Taliban seized power more than two weeks ago.

EU defense ministers gathered on September 2 for a meeting in Slovenia to discuss the fallout of the withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan and were set to revisit a proposal to set up a 5,000-strong rapidly deployable force.

The United States and its allies were able to evacuate more than 123,000 foreigners and Afghans out of Kabul between August 14, the day before the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, and August 31, when the U.S. ended its presence in the war-torn country after two decades.

Still, tens of thousands of Afghans who had helped Western nations oust the militants during a 20-year war and others at risk remained behind, and the EU was left on the sidelines during the U.S.-led airlift operation.

Its time to build a stronger #EUdefence. Later will be late. This is the message I brought to the informal meeting of #Defence Ministers, General Claudio Graziano, chairman of the EU military committee, composed of the member states chiefs of defense.

"The situation in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and the Sahel show that now is the time to act, starting with the creation of a European rapid reaction force, able to show the will of the Union to act as a global strategic partner," Graziano told reporters ahead of the ministers meeting.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in Slovenia that a rapid reaction force must be part of the EU's attempts to develop its common defence.

"Sometimes there are events that catalyze history, that create a breakthrough, and I think that Afghanistan is one of these cases," he said.

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said the lesson from Afghanistan was "that we get more autonomous as Europeans and can act more independently."

But she insisted "it is very important that we don't act as an alternative to NATO and the Americans."

The EU's efforts to create a rapid reaction force have been paralyzed for more than a decade, and there are major doubts that there would be the political will to engage such a force.

In 2007, the bloc set up a system of EU battalion-sized groups of 1,500 troops that has never used due to disagreements.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
Tajik Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda says his country is unable to host many refugees from neighboring Afghanistan, as thousands look to flee after Taliban militants took control of the country.

Rahimzoda cited a lack of infrastructure to host Afghan refugees as the reason and called on international organizations, including the United Nations, to assist the Central Asian nation to build such infrastructure. He spoke during a meeting with Mulugeta Zewdie, the country director for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, on September 1.

Rahimzoda noted that 80 Afghan families are currently in a neutral segment of the Tajik-Afghan border area and seek to enter Tajikistan fearing for their lives. Some 5,000 Afghan government troops have already entered Tajikistan as they fled from Taliban advances in recent weeks. The troops were later sent back to Tajikistan.

He also said his ministry is overwhelmed with work related to any possible influx of refugees, stressing that the ongoing instability and the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan may cause a flow of terrorists to other countries."

In the past 15 years, Tajikistan has accepted more than 3,000 families who left Afghanistan and allocated 70 hectares of land in the country's south for setting up a proper camp for refugees two decades ago.

"However, in 20 years no international organizations provided any practical assistance to create an infrastructure to admit refugees and persons who seek asylum. Because of that, the Republic of Tajikistan does not have capacities to accept a big number of refugees or asylum-seekers," the ministry quoted Rahimzoda as saying.

In July, almost 350 ethnic-Kyrgyz shepherds from Afghanistan with their families and some 4,000 livestock fled the country and entered Tajikistan. They were later sent back to their village in Afghanistan, although Kyrgyz authorities asked Dushanbe to secure their safe passage to Kyrgyzstan.

Last month, authorities in Uzbekistan said they had sent 150 Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan under an agreement with the Taliban and at the request of the refugees themselves.

In July, Tajikistan said it was ready to shelter up to 100,000 Afghan refugees but later backed away from that statement.
In the lawsuit, Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, is also asking the Mesa County District Court to appoint former Secretary of State Wayne Williams, the Republican she unseated three years ago, as the county's designated election official and to name Mesa County Treasurer Sheila Reiner, Peters' Republican predecessor as county clerk, as elections director.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Daisy Arvizu, left, participates in a street march in support of immigrant rights on Aug. 26, 2021, in El Paso, Texas, amid lingering concerns about gun violence targeting immigrants. She was at work inside a Walmart in El Paso in August 2019 when a gunman opened fire in a shooting that killed 23 people, spurring her husband, Martin Portillo, to later to buy a handgun for their protection. A new "constitutional carry" law in Texas allows most gun owners age 21 and older to carry a holstered handgun  concealed or not  in public without getting a license and related training.
Far right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are planning to attend a rally later this month at the U.S. Capitol that is designed to demand justice for the hundreds of people who have been charged in connection with Januarys insurrection, according to three people familiar with intelligence gathered by federal officials
Ben Hoffer is realizing his dream of owning his own restaurant.

He opened High Rise Pizza Kitchen, 6660 Delmonico Drive, on Aug. 18. His menu includes appetizers, salads (make any a meal with chicken for $3), specialty and house favorite pies, build your own pizza, sips and sides. There are 17 topping choices for $2 each and six fancy topping for $3 each. All the pizzas are 16 inches.

For a test drive, we picked up The Amazing Aru pie ($21) and the Brutus salad ($8), which is a Caesar salad. The pizza is on the House Favorites list. Hoffers excellent three-day pie dough is topped with a delicious mixture of pistachio pesto, mozzarella, roasted artichoke heart, roasted red pepper, spinach, red onion, feta, roasted tomato, and sweet basil.

My first reaction when Hoffer recommended it was, Thats a lot of ingredients for a single pizza.

To my amazement, the combo worked. I totally see why it rates being called amazing. Its apparent Hoffer has not cut corners on quality ingredients.

The salad was top notch, too. The romaine was crispy fresh, the garlic season croutons addictive and the creamy Ramano dressing tangy good. The bonus was whole roasted garlic cloves tossed in the salad. I added white anchovies from the fancy topping list for Caesar salad perfection. The salad portion was plentiful, easily enough for two to share.

I have my eye on the Pig Newton ($24) for my next visit. Who can resist a combo of mozzarella, roasted tomato, Calabrian chile, smoked bacon, prosciutto, gorgonzola, a drizzle of fig jam and a splash of roasted garlic olive oil?

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

Or until I run out of dough, Hoffer says. I try to make what I think I will need for a days service. We sold out the first couple of days when we opened.

Details: 375-5694, highrisepizzakitchen.com. Delivery and liquor license in the future.

Wild things

Brother Luck, owner of Four by Brother Luck, Lucky Dumpling and The Studio, will create the Let the Wild Rumpus Start dinner at The Historic Day Nursery, 104 E. Rio Grande St., 5 p.m. Sept. 25. For $150 you will get a multicourse dinner paired with wine. If its anything like his Willy Wonka dinner in June, ticket holders are in for an amazing, creative culinary experience. Details: 632-1754, earlyconnections.org.

Big Easy doughnuts

Rocky Mountain Beignets, 724 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, is the place to get happy eating powder sugar-covered beignets.

Brandi and Billy Chism and their family are the owners. Hailing from Baton Rouge, La., the Chism family started the business in 2019 as a food truck in Woodland Park.

In June, they opened the small shop in Manitou Springs. In addition to making the sugary treats, they offer espresso drinks. Theres a shady patio where you can sip a latte and nosh hot beignets. Im told by an employee that plans are underway to expand the business in the vacant space to the west of the shop.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Details: 435-4369, rockymountainbeignets.com, facebook.com/Rocky-Mountain-Beignets.

Chefs cook for good cause

The Hospital Chefs Challenge takes place at Cielo at Castle Pines, 485 W. Happy Canyon Road, Castle Rock, from 6 to 9 p.m., Oct. 9. Chefs from Colorado hospitals compete for a traveling trophy while preparing a three-course meal. This years chefs include Joe Colcleasure from St. Anthonys St. Anthony Hospital & Medical Campus, Lakewood; Billy Charters, aka Ortho Colorado, from UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital and Medical Center of the Rockies; and Ashlea Tobeck from Childrens Hospital Colorado.

The event benefits The Childrens Treehouse Foundations work with children of adult cancer patients. Cost is $80 or $150 per pair, and $100 for VIP ticket. Details: 303-322-1202, tinyurl.com/urmumm37.

Click or tap here for more local dining and drink news.

Contact the writer: 636-0271.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 51F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 51F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
A senior master sergeant facing court-martial for several sexual assault and assault charges was found not guilty on all counts last week.

Last Monday, court-martial proceedings began for Senior Master Sgt. Nicholaus Stopfer, of the U.S. Air Force's 10th Dental Squadron, after he was accused of four counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault in total. Those accusations were spread between incidents with at least one woman in Oklahoma City in 2018, and other incidents on an unidentified victim somewhere in the United States in 2019.

On Thursday, he was found not guilty of all the charges against him.

Other details on the trial werent available to the public, but an Air Force Academy spokesman said that Stopfer is still a member of the Air Force. Previously, he was stationed at the Air Force Academy, but the spokesman declined to comment on his current assignment.
A southern district concept was approved by a majority of the commissioners at Wednesday nights congressional redistricting commission meeting, meaning some big changes could be coming to the preliminary draft congressional map first released in late June.

The southern district concept would be built around the idea that Colorados rural ethnic minority communities should be drawn into a single congressional district, in order to empower them to vote as a bloc in support of candidates of their choice.

The commissioners voted 7-4 to have their staff draw a map that would keep together Pueblo, Otero, Huerfano, Las Animas, Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache, Archuleta, La Plata and Montezuma Counties.

Making the change would mean ditching the district arrangement used for the preliminary draft congressional map, which is instead built around the idea of splitting the states rural areas into two expansive eastern and western districts. Such an approach splits some of the states rural ethnic minorities.

The decision by the commission comes as several organizations have lodged complaints with how the preliminary draft maps affect minority communities, and just days before the commission's staff releases a new draft map, which could come as early as Friday.

At a public input hearing Saturday in Colorado Springs, Mark Grueskin, an attorney and lobbyist for a secretly-funded 501c4 nonprofit organization, told the commissioners that failing to empower ethnic minority communities would not only diminish their political voice, but it could also lead to litigation.

+2 CHOICE CUTS | How competing redistricting requirements will reshape Colorados congressional map To explore how the redistricting criteria can affect a map, Colorado Politics compiled several different maps, each with district population deviations of less than one percentage point and using some of the same data being used by the commission, but drawn prioritizing different concepts. Some seem unlikely, but they illustrate how the redistricting criteria manifest in different maps, while some might end up resembling the map ultimately drawn by the commission.

Grueskin told the commissioners that the language of Colorados constitution, which was amended by a set of voter-approved 2018 ballot measures creating the new independent redistricting commission system, so specifically requires the commission to empower minority communities that not doing so could end up with a lawsuit over minority vote dilution.

Some of the commissioners challenged Grueskins interpretation, but before voting to explore the idea in future drafts of the congressional map, the commission met in private executive session with their lawyers to discuss the matter.

After emerging from the executive session, the commission voted 7-4, with one absent, directing the commission to come up with draft maps that seek to keep minority communities together, vis-a-vis the southern district concept.

+3 'Starting point' for Colorado's 8-district congressional map unveiled Colorado's congressional redistricting commission debuted the "starting point" congressional district map, with eight districts instead of seven and that will be altered and adjusted over the coming months, before settling on a final version of the map this fall.

Some prominent organizations have already submitted versions of a map that attempts the same thing, and they illustrate what kinds of changes would result, compared to the current preliminary draft map.

LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens, submitted a map that would divide Colorado Springs in half, grouping the southern half of the city with Pueblo, the San Luis Valley, portions of southwest Colorado, extending to Four Corners and reaching north into Pitkin and Eagle Counties. The district would have a 23% Hispanic voting age population composition, and would favor Democrats by about 10 percentage points. Its voting age population would also be 5% Black and 2% Native American. The LULAC map notably includes Greeley with the northeastern part of the state, which is another area where minority voting patterns could suggest that doing so dilutes their voting power.

CLLARO, the Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy and Research Organization, also similar submitted a map proposal based around a southern congressional district, but without cutting into Colorado Springs, and adding more of eastern Colorado, including part of the Grand Junction area. In their map, the southern district would be 24% Hispanic, 2% Black and 5% Native American, and it would have a nearly even partisan split.

Colorado Common Cause, a prominent left-leaning political advocacy organization, submitted a map that, like the LULAC map, splits Colorado Springs in half. But unlike the LULAC map, their southern district would include Custer, Fremont, Teller and Park, keeping it more compact instead of extending to the eastern edge of the state. Their map would be 25% Hispanic, 6% Black, 5% Native American and 3% Asian voting age population. It would be somewhat competitive, with a slight Republican-lean. The Common Cause map does not include some of the western-most counties included in the motion made to direct the staff's future mapping.

The Colorado Hispanic Chamber of Commerce submitted a congressional map proposal, but it does not fit the direction that was provided Wednesday night, because it does not keep Pueblo in the same district as the San Luis Valley.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then becoming clear after midnight. Low 51F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then becoming clear after midnight. Low 51F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Women protest against the six-week abortion ban at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. The law restricting the procedure went into effect Wednesday after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to rule on an emergency appeal to put the law on hold.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the state's income tax should be zero during a panel discussion at a conservative conference on Friday.

During the discussion hosted by the Steamboat Institute, a conservative nonprofit group, Polis responded to a question about how the state should balance its economic growth with the public health requirements of the pandemic.

In effect, when you tax something, you penalize it, the governor said. And there are things you might want to penalize as a society, like pollution. But if we can move away from taxing things like income  which you dont want to discourage  to something we fundamentally dont want, then youll have a more pro-growth tax structure that gets the right incentives in place.

The event's moderator followed up on the statement by asking the governor what would be the state's ideal income tax rate.

It should be zero, Polis replied.

The states current income tax rate is 4.55%, which was reduced from 4.63% after voters approved Proposition 116 in 2020.

We can find another way to generate the revenue that doesnt discourage productivity and growth, and you absolutely can, and we should, Polis added.

According to a recent study by the Tax Foundation, Colorado ranked 21st among the 50 states and Washington, D.C. for its tax structure and climate.

Colorado also ranked 36th for sales tax collections and 32nd for property taxes, the study said. Meanwhile, the state ranked 10th in corporate taxes and 14th in individual income taxes. Nine states have no individual income tax.

The Centennial State also ranked 20th in economic outlook despite a No. 2 economic performance rating in this year's Rich States, Poor States report compiled by the American Legislative Exchange Council. The report is co-authored by Dr. Art Laffer, a friend of the governor, who also spoke on the panel.

Despite Polis desire to reduce the income tax rate, some are skeptical that the idea can actually come to fruition.

Kristi Burton Brown, chairwoman of the Colorado GOP, said in a statement that she supports Polis idea in principle, but that talk is cheap.

(Polis) and the Colorado Democrats should put their money where their mouth is and put forward a real plan to get rid of the income tax - without replacing it with more ridiculous fees, Brown said.

During the 2021 legislative session, Democrats that control the state Legislature passed a slew of bills that one economic study estimated will add up to approximately $617 million in new taxes and fees against Coloradans.

Gov. Polis also gave a speech at the Western Conservative Summit in 2019.
El Paso County commissioners this week approved a new deal with the Colorado Department of Transportation that seeks to bring Pikes Peak region thoroughfares into compliance with a federal law mandating public facilities be made equally accessible to those with disabilities.

The intergovernmental agreement approved by commissioners Tuesday authorizes county and state transportation officials to create a plan that will identify priority projects to upgrade county infrastructure like curb ramps, sidewalks, striping and traffic signals to make them compliant with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.

This agreement is important because everyone in our community needs and deserves the same access through area infrastructure, El Paso County Public Works Executive Director Kevin Mastin said by email. The agreement and the future development of the ADA compliance plan will help ensure mobility and access for all of our citizens.

It could take about 18 months to develop the plan, which will be made publicly available, county spokesman Ryan Parsell said.

The agreement is another step in recent efforts the county has taken to bring public spaces in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Parsell said.

In 2020, the county updated its engineering criteria manual with current standards and adopted the Public Rights-of-Way-Accessibility Guideline  guidelines for physical access on public roads, sidewalks and shared-use paths, meeting documents show.

In late 2019, El Paso County also approved its transition plan, a document all local governments with 50 or more employees were required to complete by early January 1993 under the federal law.

El Paso County lags in disability compliance for two reasons, Parsell said.

The first, what he called legacy developments, mean the county must update infrastructure developed prior to 1990 because it wouldnt have been built to federal standards.

Part of this whole process is really identifying the developments that need these upgrades and work to bring them into compliance, Parsell said.

Funding is another roadblock, as the county faces hundreds of millions of dollars worth of unmet road and infrastructure needs.

There is certainly a lot of need, but we really do feel its important that everyone in the county should have access to public spaces, Parsell said. This impacts a persons day-to-day life.

The roughly $3.1 million intergovernmental agreement commissioners approved Tuesday will fund creation of the compliance plan, he said. Any remaining cash could be used for construction as well.

The money comes from federal and local sources, according to a draft resolution approving the agreement.
Feds are increasing use of facial recognition systems  despite calls for a moratorium

Despite growing opposition, the U.S. government is on track to increase its use of controversial facial recognition technology.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report on Aug. 24, 2021, detailing current and planned use of facial recognition technology by federal agencies. The GAO surveyed 24 departments and agencies  from the Department of Defense to the Small Business Administration  and found that 18 reported using the technology and 10 reported plans to expand their use of it.

The report comes more than a year after the U.S. Technology Policy Committee of the Association for Computing Machinery, the worlds largest educational and scientific computing society, called for an immediate halt to virtually all government use of facial recognition technology.

The U.S. Technology Policy Committee is one of numerous groups and prominent figures, including the ACLU, the American Library Association and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, to call for curbs on use of the technology. A common theme of this opposition is the lack of standards and regulations for facial recognition technology.

A year ago, Amazon, IBM and Microsoft also announced that they would stop selling facial recognition technology to police departments pending federal regulation of the technology. Congress is weighing a moratorium on government use of the technology. Some cities and states, notably Maine, have introduced restrictions.

Why computing experts say no

The Association for Computing Machinerys U.S. Technology Policy Committee, which issued the call for a moratorium, includes computing professionals from academia, industry and government, a number of whom were actively involved in the development or analysis of the technology. As chair of the committee at the time the statement was issued and as a computer science researcher, I can explain what prompted our committee to recommend this ban and, perhaps more significantly, what it would take for the committee to rescind its call.

If your cellphone doesnt recognize your face and makes you type in your passcode, or if the photo-sorting software youre using misidentifies a family member, no real harm is done. On the other hand, if you become liable for arrest or denied entrance to a facility because the recognition algorithms are imperfect, the impact can be drastic.

The statement we wrote outlines principles for the use of facial recognition technologies in these consequential applications. The first and most critical of these is the need to understand the accuracy of these systems. One of the key problems with these algorithms is that they perform differently for different ethnic groups.

An evaluation of facial recognition vendors by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology found that the majority of the systems tested had clear differences in their ability to match two images of the same person when one ethnic group was compared with another. Another study found the algorithms are more accurate for lighter-skinned males than for darker-skinned females. Researchers are also exploring how other features, such as age, disease and disability status, affect these systems. These studies are also turning up disparities.

A number of other features affect the performance of these algorithms. Consider the difference between how you might look in a nice family photo you have shared on social media versus a picture of you taken by a grainy security camera, or a moving police car, late on a misty night. Would a system trained on the former perform well in the latter context? How lighting, weather, camera angle and other factors affect these algorithms is still an open question.
It plays an important role in educational presentation, she said. Thats how our children learn how to speak. We teach a variety of skills like embroidery, knitting, spinning, photography, etc., and 4-H helps us.

Their grandchildren speak at the Iowa State Fair each year, at the 4-H exhibit hall where their grandfather received his award.

Working with youth has always been a passion for Philipp. When he began at Extension, 4-H was undergoing an upheaval, one that emphasized empowering 4-H students. For Philipp, the old way was sometimes too dictatorial and rigid, an ego trip for a few bad apples.

Philipps goal was creating leaders. If there was a camp, Philipp would let the students plan it.

I was the facilitator rather than the boss, he said. We were always involved in creating new opportunities, and doing an event different from last year, and orchestrating exciting things.

One girl came to Philipp from a poor family. Her project was poultry, which she could not afford. With Philipps help, she found a way, and she did the rest herself. She studied. Before, she had been pushed aside, but this time she pushed forward and earned the right to show her work at the Iowa State Fair.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Indonesia's navy has seized a massive tanker believed to be loaded with thousands of tons of wasted black oil and has brought the ship to shore for further investigation, officials said Thursday.

The Panamanian-flagged MT Zodiac Star was located Wednesday after the navy received an intelligence tip about a suspicious tanker near Tolop island and escorted it about 22 kilometers (13 miles) to a naval base in Batam on the Indonesian archipelagos southwestern tip near Singapore, said Rear Admiral Arsyad Abdullah, the countrys western fleet commander.

The 3,224-ton tanker, with its crew of 18 Indonesians and a Malaysian, was suspected of conducting illicit practices after it was caught with about 4,600 tons of waste oil without port clearance and other proper legal documents, Abdullah said in a statement.

He said investigators are still consulting with experts and questioning the tanker's captain, crew members and witnesses before the findings are handed over to the prosecutors office. The charges that could be brought carry up to 5 years in prison and fine of 600 million rupiahs ($42,000), Abdullah said.
Doocy then asked if the official White House position was that "There are no Americans stranded."

"I'm just calling you out for saying that we are stranding Americans in Afghanistan," Psaki said, "when we have been very clear that we are not leaving Americans who want to return home. We are going to bring them home."

Just for the record: There is some number, likely thousands, of Americans who want to get out of Afghanistan but who cannot safely travel through the country, much less get through Taliban lines around the Kabul airport. They are stranded. Hundreds of news reports in the past week have made reference to that simple fact.

Three examples, in addition to the New York Times' story quoted above: Yesterday, The Washington Post reported that "The Pentagon said U.S. troops had made multiple sorties beyond the airport to reach stranded Americans." Last week, CNN's Wolf Blitzer said: "Thousands of Americans remain stranded in [Afghanistan] right now." And at the same time, CBS News reported, "Thousands of Americans are stranded."

At the Pentagon recently, a reporter asked Kirby whether helicopter missions "may be a way that other Americans who are still stranded might be able to get to the airport." Kirby did not object to the use of "stranded." Instead, he simply said he would not discuss future operations.
Gretna suspect arrested in death

A Gretna man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder from a Sunday night shooting that killed a man at his home in Evington, authorities said.

Matthew Isaac Critchley, 19, also is charged with using a firearm in a felony. He is being held at the Campbell County Adult Detention Center without bond.

Deputies with the Campbell County Sheriffs Office responded to Lawrence Keith Taylors home on Buffalo Lane at about 10:20 p.m. Sunday for calls that someone had been shot, according to a news release from the agency.

Taylor died, and deputies arrested Critchley after a thorough investigation, the news release states. Jail records indicate he was taken there Monday afternoon.

The (Lynchburg) News & Advance

Flames damage Danville home

A Monday evening fire caused heavy damage to a Danville home.

The Danville Fire Department was called to 154 Orchard Drive shortly after 8 p.m.

When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the roof of the 1-story home, the Danville Fire Department reported.
BEIJING (AP)  Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on Wednesday that deteriorating U.S.-China relations could undermine cooperation between the two on climate change.

Wang told Kerry by video link that such cooperation cannot be separated from the broader relationship and called on the U.S. to take steps to improve ties, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Kerry, who is in the Chinese city of Tianjin for climate talks with his Chinese counterparts, said the U.S. is committed to cooperating with the rest of the world on climate and encouraged China to take additional steps to reduce emissions, the U.S. State Department said.

Kerry, a former secretary of state, also said that China plays a super-critical role in the effort to combat climate change, according to a brief video clip from the meeting shown on CGTN, the international arm of state broadcaster CCTV.

China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, followed by the United States.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained by disputes over trade, technology and human rights. But the sides have identified the climate crisis as an area for possible cooperation.
The superintendent acknowledged how hard it was for parents and students during the lockdowns.

I know how awful it must have been to be separated from your children during this incident, and I am sure that you held your children tighter when they arrived home this afternoon, she said. McManus praised the bravery and quick thinking of the school staff as they responded to the shooting, and said law enforcement officers did not hesitate in their response.

The mood was somber at the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office when local authorities held a news conference shortly before the announcement came that a suspect was in custody.

Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough talked about the pain the family of the slain student was experiencing, and how this affects the community at large:

I met with his family  I talked with his mother, Kimbrough said, mentioning his encounter with Shannon Clark, Millers mother. I felt the pain, the tears of the mother, and so my concern was to console her, and my concern was to let her know that she had the full support of this entire community, all of us, all of us. Because if she is hurting, we are hurting. All of us have children, most of us anyway. So I can assure you that while I am sad, I am also mad as hell.
Youngkin said its the most common complaint he hears on the campaign trail.

When the government stands in the way of work, when Virginia has regulations that restrict freedom and entrepreneurship, with Virginias high cost of living, it makes it difficult to actually achieve our dreams, Youngkin said. Government becomes the problem, not the solution.

During the event, McAuliffe doubled down on calls for businesses to require their employees be vaccinated, describing the approach as necessary to ensure Virginia and its economy can quickly recover from the pandemic.

Youngkin, meanwhile, continued to argue that individuals should not be required to be vaccinated  by their employers or the government. Youngkin said if he were elected governor, he would undo Gov. Ralph Northams vaccine mandate on the states workforce.

Youngkin blamed lagging vaccination rates on the government, saying lack of public education and access, particularly among underserved communities, are to blame.
Records revealed Justice had $775 million in loans with the bank in 2016 and had paid down more than half of it, with about $368 million remaining.

Although the announcement confirms the suits on both sides have been withdrawn and a relationship has been reestablished, it does not state what concessions, if any, might have been made.

Reached late Thursday, CB&T Marketing Officer Brooks Taylor said a statement from the bank would be forthcoming.

I will get you something as soon as I have it, Taylor responded by email. Might not be today, but Ill get it to you as soon as possible.

Bank officials had declined in May to comment about the lawsuits to the Martinsville Bulletin.

The resolution marks a resumption of the companies previous business relationship with CB&T and will allow them to maximize performance in the current favorable markets in mining, hospitality, and agriculture, the statement from Ruby said.

We are pleased to move past our disagreements with CB&T, and we look forward to a continued productive relationship with the bank moving forward, James C. Justice III, president of the Justice mining and agriculture businesses, said in the statement released by Ruby.
President-Unity, "Big-Guy" Biden. is full of Kabul. Who made the halfwit decision to abandon Bagram air base in the middle of night? I didnt study Greek, but I recognize a coward Democrat surrendering when I see one. His war rooms are only for multitrillion-dollar "human infrastructure" bills. "America is back" has a whole new meaning.

If Trump had surrendered Afghanistan like this, Democrats would be running to TV cameras calling for impeachment again. But since Bidens a Democrat, theyll just make sure Americans left behind receive mail-in ballots for 2022 mid-terms. Why is it Democratic presidents cannot stop abandoning American embassies to terrorists?

Evacuating thousands of Afghans before Americans is irresponsible. How many terrorists infiltrated evacuees fleeing Kabul on American planes?

Stranded Americans and Afghans who helped our military will be hunted down and murdered by Taliban. Im sure theyre relieved hearing W.H. Press Secretary Jen Psaki refute reporters and say theyre "not stranded."

Terrorists now have the entire country from which to again attack the West and with American weapons. At least they dont have AR-15s. Taliban laugh at Joe Biden and the U.S.
RALEIGH  A bill cracking down on violent protests that critics argue could stifle free speech is heading to Gov. Roy Cooper.

The proposal from Republican House Speaker Tim Moore that was fueled by rioting and looting he saw take place in Raleigh last year because of frustration over the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody passed the House on Tuesday by a vote of 63-41. It now heads to Cooper, who has previously expressed concerns with the measure.

Moore and other Republicans believe the plan will make criminals think twice before engaging in violence. They also believe it will give law enforcement the tools they need to prevent a rioter or looter from swiftly reentering the streets after they are taken into custody.

What this bill really does well is strike a balance between protecting the right of folks to go out and protest ... and at the same time, protecting order, the upholding of the law, property and life, Moore said during the floor debate on the bill.

Two House Democrats supported the measure, down from 23 who backed an earlier version of Moores plan in May. House Bill 805 cleared the Senate last week, with the vote split along party lines.
RALEIGH  General Assembly Republicans are redoubling their efforts to curb broad powers of North Carolinas governor during an extensive emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two Senate committees voted Wednesday for an altered House measure that would require governors to get specific support from other elected leaders if they wish to extend an emergency that they have declared and take other certain actions.

GOP leaders have been critical of how Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper extended coronavirus emergency declarations and placed restrictions on businesses and schools without the concurrence of the Council of State.

The council is defined in the bill as the nine other elected executive branch leaders, including the lieutenant governor and attorney general. Current emergency management laws require council concurrence for some gubernatorial directives but not others.

Under the measure, which next goes to another Senate committee, a declared gubernatorial statewide emergency would last only seven days unless a majority of the council agrees with it  the new definition of concurrence. That vote count would have to be made public.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks during a briefing with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, about the end of the war in Afghanistan.
Al- Shabli began by pointing out that the Syrian war that began 10 years ago, in the city of Daraa, was against a totalitarian mindset that was all at the expense of one party, and said, "A true revolution had to be launched to spread all of Syria, at first it could be called a revolution when Daraa's children just wrote it on the walls of schools."

"We must distinguish between the rebels, who have risen to build a new, democratic homeland and to preserve freedom for all components of the Syrian people, free from racism, which the Syrian people truly deserve."

Al-Shabli asserted that the dependence of Syria's external powers on a proxy battlefield "this revolution has been derailed; Because the parties believed only in the military option, and began to tie their interest abroad, which has resulted in a great loss for the people we bear to this day. "

Al-Shabli asserted that the best solution was dialogue, because of the military solution did not reap its fruit, during ten years, Daraa events were a good example, citing that "the comrades of the child Hamza Al-Khatib turned into young men who had not forgotten the injustice to which they had been subjected."

As the Damascus Government continues to bomb Daraa, Al-Shabli said, "Instead of mobilizing the military in front of the people of the country, the Government is marching towards the areas occupied by the Turkish occupation army and others to liberate them."



Al-Shabli also commented on the policy of reconciliation to say that "this policy has proved unsuccessful; Because the mindset of the regime does not want to share or grant certain rights, it refers to one concept: either I kill you or you receive in the name of restorations, which tastes like killing his children or

"As-Suwayda people said it. They managed themselves and had success in their experience. The people of Daraa want the same thing, which is in everyone's interest. Why does the Government want to impose itself on everyone to govern the people? "



In this regard, Al-Shabli referred to the successes achieved by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria in record time "from the opening of representations, the running of the people and the upgrading of the standard of living in comparison to other regions, as well as the laying of foundations for freedoms and others."

Al - Shabli also commented on Syrian President Bashar Al - Assad's statements regarding central and decentralized governance, noting that they wanted not words on paper but actions, citing the government's lack of seriousness in the dialogue with the Syrian Democratic Council when they knocked on Damascus.



The member of the Chairmanship Council of the Syrian Democratic Council of Mar'i Al -Shabali concluded by noting that the sole beneficiary of the "emptying and demographics" series was the Turkish occupier who employed vulnerable people in its foreign wars and interventions as mercenaries.

T/S

ANHA
News_release

From tele-monitoring patients with diabetes to using artificial intelligence to prevent sepsis, the newly launched Center for Health Innovation at UC San Diego Health will seek to develop, test and commercialize technologies that make a real, measurable difference in the lives and wellbeing of patients.

Every U.S. hospital has common challenges to address in continuously improving patient experience, outcomes and safety: this is where our efforts will focus, said Patty Maysent, CEO, UC San Diego Health. Basically, were taking real-world problems, such as diabetes and hypertension, and using our insights to address these conditions with what will one day become safe patient-centered technologies.



Similar innovation centers are housed at UCSF, Washington University, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic and New York University. The new Center for Health Innovation will be located on the La Jolla campus of UC San Diego. Collaborators will include the UC San Diego Design Lab, Qualcomm Institute and Jacobs School of Engineering.

Whats unique about our center is that we are partnering with another global institution, Techna Institute, to leverage and integrate best practices in research and patient care, said David Brenner, MD, vice chancellor, UC San Diego Health Sciences. This dedicated hub of innovation at UC San Diego Health will benefit our patients and also patients in a variety of community and academic settings.

The Center for Health Innovation is modeled after the University Health Networks (UHN) Techna Institute, jointly located within the organizations hospital sites and at the University of Toronto. In partnership with others, the institute has designed numerous products now used in hospitals and clinics, including advanced digital therapeutics that optimize the care of chronic conditions through algorithm-based decision-making, an image-guided GammaKnife for bed-side treatment and the use of human factors engineering methods to ensure not only the safety of products and services, but to also improved user experience.

Our Techna Institute has had great success in improving health outcomes, efficiency and both patient and provider experience through various projects that integrated research and technology development within our hospitals, said Kevin Smith, DrPhil, president and CEO, University Health Network, Canadas largest academic health sciences center. We are pleased to work with peer institutions to help them replicate that approach, as shortening the interval between technology development and implementation in the health system accelerates the transformation of health care in a way that better serves patients.

Doctors, nurses and medical teams know best where there are existing technology gaps in patient care. Our in-house teams of clinicians and scientists will innovate solutions that lead to things like lower blood pressure with longer term goals, like reduced number of hospitalizations and a longer life, said Christopher Longhurst, MD, chief information officer, UC San Diego Health. With our proximity to the health and biotech sector as well as the cross-border region, the number of collaborative opportunities are immense.

UC San Diego Health and TECHNA Institute first collaborated on CA Notify, a smartphone-based system built on Google-Apple exposure notification technology, to help quell the SARS-CoV-2 surge. It is estimated that 1 in 3 California residents over the age of 18 now uses CA Notify.

COVID-19 created a crisis where remote monitoring of patients, including video visits, had to become a new standard of care. The lessons learned from this time period will bring new technologies to bear for patients with both chronic and emergent conditions, said Parag Agnihotri, MD, chief medical officer, Population Health Services, UC San Diego Health.

Initial projects for the new center will focus on refining the virtual visit experience for patients with technologies like wearable sensors that can monitor chronic conditions. The goal is to focus on older adults, high-risk patients with diabetes and hypertension and patients in hard-to-reach geographies.

To learn more about the Center for Health Innovation, visit healthinnovation.ucsd.edu.
He said the previous constitution didnt respect privacy or the right to know.

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You held them to account by telling every resident that they had right to a healthful environment and no one can take that right from you," Schweitzer said. I dont know where the rest of the states are in the last 50 years. But I know when you wrote those words you were the first."

Fellow delegate Arlyne Reichert, now 95, also attended Wednesday's event.

"This is so nostalgic for us. I can just close my eyes and imagine all 100 of the delegates standing here," Reichert said. "Being part of this convention was so thrilling."

She said most if not all the delegates opposed at least some of the constitution the group drafted, which by her account speaks to the bipartisan effort it took to get it ratified.

"We decided to sit alphabetically, so there goes the partisan politics," she said, recalling the initial meeting of the convention. "Instead of concentrating on partisan politics, we concentrated on the issues. That made all the difference in really being able to write this constitution."

She added she hopes future generations of Montana policymakers will look to that convention for inspiration and return to concentrating on the real issues.
'One Robe' events

The artist reception for Louis Still Smoking is part of a series of, One Robe events, Sept. 29 and 30 at The Myrna Loy, celebrating native culture.

Events include a screening of the film Sisters Rising, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29; a talk, The Day That Finally Came, at the Montana Historical Society by Metis writer and philosopher Chris La Tray; a small Metis feast and celebration with Metis dancers and fiddler Ryan Keplin and special guest Phil Aaberg, 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30.

The events are a celebration of Metis and indigenous culture and a tribute to historian Nicholas Vrooman, who worked for years to ensure Little Shell tribal recognition. He died in 2019.
St. Peter's Health said Thursday it plans to develop a senior living community in Helena, adding it is under planning to purchase property in Mountain View Meadows on the citys eastside.

St. Peters officials said in a news release they are working with Immanuel Living, a Kalispell-based Immanuel Lutheran Communities subsidiary, Sawgrass Partners and MMW Architects to design, finance and build the community.

They said they were under a "buy-sell" agreement to purchase the property. Officials said it will include 150-200 units on about 20 acres of commercial property near Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana.

The proposed project will include independent and assisted-living options as well as a memory care facility, officials said.

"We are excited to embark on this new project to fill an important and growing community need," St. Peter's Health CEO Wade Johnson said in a news release. "Its heartbreaking that when many people in our community reach the point in their lives where independent living is no longer the best option for them, they arent able to stay close to their loved ones, in the place theyve called home.

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Officials noted the US Census Bureau estimates that 30% of Montanans will be over 60 by 2030.
SMITHLAND, Iowa (AP)  Nearly 80 years after he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Wesley Brown has been laid to rest in Iowa.

Dozens of people who never had the chance to know Brown gathered Saturday to honor him as he was buried in the Little Sioux Township Cemetery in Smithland. His final resting place is a site near the graves of his mother and sister who both died long before his remains could be identified through DNA testing, according to the Sioux City Journal

At one time the Navy reported Brown was from Helena. More details on that were not immediately available. However, an obituary posted on the Armstrong -- Van Houten Funeral Homes Inc. website (https://bit.ly/2Vb3zdj) states that Brown was born on March 1, 1916, in Eureka, Montana.

His family soon after moved to Innes, Saskatchewan, Canada. They lived on the family farm that his grandfather started.

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Brown died at age 25 aboard the USS Oklahoma during the Dec. 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Roy Struble, who is married to Brown's great niece, said his sister, Ida Bainbridge, rarely spoke of his death.
DECATUR  People in developing countries whose homes are destroyed by hurricane, earthquake or other natural disaster have a friend in GoServ Global, a faith-based nonprofit organization based in Eagle Grove, Iowa.

At the Farm Progress Show, GoServ had a sample of one of their grain bin homes, sturdy and quickly erected in seven hours with simple hand tools and made to last 75 years. GoServ has provided them to people in Haiti, Uganda and Guatemala, as well as other countries around the world. The grain bin homes have a second layer of roof to make them more weathertight than a regular grain bin. The pitched roofs also catch rainwater.

A standard 18 foot unit can house up to 10 people and are fire, termite and waterproof. Up to 10 units can be shipped in one container, and cost, with shipping, per unit is about $7,500.

This was developed by Sukup in about 2010, said Dennis Anderson, domestic director of GoServ. It was in response to the earthquake (in Haiti) in 2010. GoServ Global was also founded in response to that same earthquake. The founder of GoServe had purchased some Sukup products, and they started talking.

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The grain bins are re-engineered by Sukup to make them into houses, and the second roof is a heat shield so it's quite comfortable inside even on a hot day. Windows and a door were added and the little houses are capable of being locked up so a family's valuables are safe. Ballast boxes attached to the outside can be filled with rock or dirt so the house can be built right on the ground.

The metal buildings don't rot as wood ones do, are not susceptible to termites, and they're hurricane and earthquake-resistant so they are safer in areas subject to those events, too. In fact, he said, people who live in other kinds of structures crowd into them for safety when a storm or earthquake is coming and shelter there. About 50 people can fit into one.

These structures have been through a Category 4 hurricane, Matthew, Anderson said. There were 250 of them that went through that hurricane.

The ministry also builds small villages of grain bin homes in places where people have been displaced, to provide temporary shelter while they rebuild their own homes. Some are used for housing for children rescued from refugee camps, or to provide housing at orphanages around the world.

GoServ also sent people to Illinois' own Washington after the 2013 tornado to assist in cleanup efforts there, and that kind of assistance is part of their mission, Anderson said.

Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter

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DECATUR  Macon County Sheriffs Deputy Shane Wendell has a favorite Girl Scout cookie: Thin Mints.

As a show of appreciation by local Girl Scouts, Wendell and his co-workers were treated to 12 cases of a variety of Girl Scout cookies, including four cases of Thin Mints.

About 75 people will get to share these, he said. We will share the wealth.

Representatives from the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois distributed boxes of cookies to various health care facilities and law enforcement officers on Thursday. The distribution was to show appreciation for the work they have provided, especially during the past year.

We cant thank you enough, Stacey LaFeber, fundamental director for the Girl Scouts, said to a group from HSHS St. Marys Hospital. We see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Although the scouts were not able to attend the distributions, LaFeber reassured the recipients that the work in funding the cookies was provided by the girls.

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Everything is about the girls, she said. They are all about giving back to the community.

The funds to purchase the cookies were earned through the Operation Cookie Share event held Aug. 12 in Decaturs Central Park.

This is to raise awareness and funds for the Girl Scout leadership, LaFeber said. And to be able to give back to the military at home and abroad, our first responders, and our health care workers, to say an extra 'thank you' for all of those who are on the frontlines.

Each organization, including Decatur Memorial Hospital, Crossing Healthcare, Decatur Police Department, St. Marys and the sheriffs department, received cases of Girl Scout cookies. Cases of cookies will be distributed to local firefighters and military personnel next week.

You have no idea how much this means to the staff at St. Marys, said Jill Crum, director of behavioral health services.

The sweet treats are a morale booster, according to Crum.

We thank you for caring for us while we care for the community of Decatur, she said.

During the pandemic, health care professionals have worked extra hours amid stressful situations.

And the way to a nurses heart is through food, so they will greatly appreciate these, Crum said.

The hospitals portion of cookies will be divided among shifts and break rooms.

If we put them all out at once, theyll disappear very quickly, Crum said.

According to LaFeber, the favorite cookies include the Caramel deLites and Peanut Butter Patties.

The Mints are the top choice, she said, confirming Wendells choice. But people love the traditional shortbread.

PHOTOS: Girl Scouts in Central Illinois through the years

Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR

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Newly released 2020 Census data give us a better sense of where Americans think the best places to live are. Cities such as Phoenix, Dallas, Houston and Las Vegas continue to be popular, maintaining the strong population growth thats defined them for the last half-century. Others, such as Buffalo and Cincinnati, have reversed decades-long declines in population, leading to proud claims of urban revival. Still more, such as Detroit and St. Louis, continued to lose people as they have for the last 70 years.

Whats also clear from the data, though, is that population growth may no longer be the best way to measure the health of U.S. cities. What look like the best places to live may not, in fact, be the best places to live.

Historically, the U.S. has featured two distinct models of urban growth. The first, in place for a century or more, might be called the demand model. In this case, a variety of factors from jobs to affordable lifestyles to pleasant climates attract people to new places. The primary exemplars are the Sun Belt cities that have grown dramatically in recent decades.

The second is the asset model, which has become more prominent since the 1980s. In this case, older cities that are well beyond their initial boom phase of development have built on their corporate, institutional and amenity assets to attract people. Theyve placed bets on economic sectors in which they were already particularly strong such as technology, finance, universities and medical centers, thereby arresting their population declines.

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Interestingly, the new Census data appear to show a third category of cities developing  metro areas that are booming economically without adding new residents. I reviewed data on population growth and per capita GDP growth for the 106 metro areas that had more than 500,000 people in 2010. By 2019, population growth for those 106 metros averaged 8.4%, while per capita GDP growth averaged 32.3% percent.

Metro areas such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Boston and Denver all registered higher-than-average economic output.

Most surprisingly, a handful of Rust Belt metros  Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, among others  outpaced the average per capita GDP gains yet actually lost population.

Whats going on? There used to be a fairly direct relationship between population growth and economic growth. Booming economies created more jobs, which attracted more people.

That link has since been severed. The meteoric rise of technology over the last 50 years has made economic productivity possible without vast numbers of workers.

For years, as Rust Belt cities struggled to save all the factory jobs they could, these cities often overlooked their other assets. Its only in the past couple decades that they have effectively emulated the likes of New York and Los Angeles, investing in knowledge sectors such as tech, finance, and eds and meds to match todays economic landscape. Thats led to productivity gains even without adding more people.

Conversely, many of the most popular cities around the country appear to be growing without a commensurate increase in economic productivity. Several Sun Belt stars  Orlando, Lakeland, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Deltona/Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Cape Coral and North Port/Sarasota in Florida; Dallas and San Antonio in Texas; Las Vegas and Phoenix  saw average per capita GDP gains lower than the overall average for the 106 largest metros.

The places weve traditionally thought of as winners  the big coastal cities and Sun Belt metros  may soon face problems. The former are rapidly becoming unaffordable and driving out middle-class families. The latter could suffer from a glut of under-skilled workers in an environment that increasingly demands high-skilled labor.

A number of cities in the middle of the country, however, are beginning to generate real economic opportunity while remaining affordable and livable. If they havent started drawing new residents yet, they will soon.

Pete Saunders is the community and economic development director for the village of Richton Park, Illinois.

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CBAM is the acronym for Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. CBAMs are like tariffs that focus on the carbon intensity of imported goods. Nations that price carbon in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, assess a CBAM on goods from nations that dont. They do this to protect their businesses and workers from unfair competition. CBAMs hurt foreign producers and aid domestic ones.

Canada and the nations of the European Union (EU) price carbon and they will soon impose CBAMs on imports from nations that dont, a group that includes the United States. Our businesses and workers will be subjected to this CBAM Slam. This will hurt our Illinois economy. Approximately 40% of Illinois exports are to Canada and the European Union. If we do nothing, our businesses and workers will experience the CBAM Slam.

We can avoid it by simply pricing carbon. Carbon pricing is grand and for the environment.

You can help us avoid the CBAM Slam. Please contact Senators Durbin and Duckworth and urge them to include a price on carbon in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, the budget framework for which was recently passed in the Senate via party line vote.

In the House, please contact Representatives Rodney Davis and Darin LaHood and urge them to support a price on carbon in the reconciliation bill or support other House bills that include a price on carbon like HR 2307 The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.

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Mike Armstrong, Springfield

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Local organizations including the United Way of Southwest Virginia are working to assist residents in Hurley who were displaced by devastating flooding Monday.

The American Electric Power Foundation and the United Way of Southwest Virginia have created a dedicated emergency fund, with all proceeds going to the effort.

 Today the United Way and the AEP Foundation purchased more than 100 lanterns, more than 100 flashlights and the batteries needed to run them, said Travis Staton, president and CEO of the United Way of Southwest Virginia. Were also looking at purchasing food vouchers, coolers and ice, hopefully in the next few hours as well.

The storm left more than 20 homes uprooted from their foundations, according to the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office. About 50 people have been rescued and one person remained missing Wednesday night.

The United Way and the AEP Foundation are working with Buchanan County authorities to identify unique needs of Hurley residents.
A shelter is still open at Grundy Baptist Church and the Virginia National Guard is also assisting residents.

Several local organizations, including the United Way of Southwest Virginia, are also working to help residents displaced by Mondays flooding. The American Electric Power Foundation and the United Way of Southwest Virginia have created a dedicated emergency fund, with all proceeds going to the effort.

Travis Staton, the local United Way president, said the organization has purchased lanterns, flashlights and batteries for those in need. The organization is also purchasing food vouchers, coolers and ice.

 As the storm was passing over Buchanan County, some students were forced to spend the night at their school because there was simply no way for them to make it home, Staton said. By working with our local partners in Buchanan County, we can make sure this assistance is distributed to those in greatest need first.

To help, contact the United Way of Southwest Virginia at 276-628-2160.

Various donations are being collected throughout the region, including in Wise County, where drinks, water, dry goods, cleaning supplies, diapers, paper towels and toilet paper are being accepted. Collection sites include the Wise County Sheriff's Office, Mullins Insurance Agency in Norton and the Republican Party Ten at the Guest River Rally.

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" " Capt. Charles May is seen here leading a charge at the Battle of Resaca de la Palma near Brownsville, Texas, in May 1846. It was one of the early battles of the Mexican-American War, where the U.S. emerged victorious and forced the Mexicans out of Texas. Library of Congress

In between America's Revolutionary War and its Civil War, the United States fought a bloody, brutal campaign against its neighbor to the south that often is overlooked in the annals of American warfare.

The Mexican-American War  the name those north of the border tacked on the nearly two-year affair (1846-48)  doesn't have the righteousness that is attached to America's War of Independence, or the moral imperatives that sparked the Civil War. It wasn't waged to fight a global evil, as in the great World Wars. It didn't even boast the somewhat noble, if perhaps misguided goals that America fought for in places like Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

"If you go to the mall in Washington, D.C. there's no monument to this war there, one of the very few to which there's no monument," says Peter Guardino, author of " The Dead March: A History of the Mexican-American War," and a historian at Indiana University. "This was a war of conquest for us. We fought this war to take territory from another country. We were successful. But it's still not the kind of thing that people want to talk about."

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A Brief Backstory

In the mid-1800s, less than a century after gaining independence from Britain, America's relentless push to expand  prompted, in part, by a belief in Manifest Destiny  was the basis of James K. Polk's presidential run. When he assumed the presidency in 1845, a war with Mexico seemed all but inevitable.

"Not all Americans thought it was a very important war to fight. It was very controversial at the time. But [Polk] wanted to acquire territory," Guardino says. "He was particularly interested in California and New Mexico. New Mexico, at that time, included Arizona and a lot of Nevada, too. He felt like the thing to do was keep marching toward the Pacific and acquiring territory. He really didn't have any other motive."

Still, this was more than a simple land grab. Polk didn't want to simply grab for grabbing's sake. Much of the land he wanted was thought to be useful for agriculture for a growing nation. And California was important for its ports and its animal trade, providing products like leather and tallow (animal fat used to make candles to light homes and factories).

The extra land could be useful politically, too. America at the time was divided over slavery. Any new lands  including those in the Pacific Northwest that Britain controlled  would need to be split to maintain America's tenuous balance between slave and free states.

Mexico, in 1845, was just 24 years removed from its own hard-fought independence, from Spain. David S. Heidler, author (along with his wife, Jeanne) of "The Mexican War," says that the country struggled after independence, but still seemed poised to prosper. "All the smart money would have suspected it might become the dynamic economic and political engine of the Western Hemisphere," Heidler says. "It had so much going for it in terms of its political and cultural and natural benefits."

But its natural resources (mainly, silver) proved harder to cash in than expected, and internal class divisions and political struggles bogged the new country down. Shortly after Polk became U.S. president, he ordered the annexation of Texas  even though Mexico considered the rebellious state its property  and displayed his intention to either purchase other big parts of Mexico or, if the Mexican government wouldn't sell, to take them by force. "I think Polk honestly wanted to write a check and be done with it," Heidler says.

Mexico, then, was trapped into selling land it didn't want to surrender or entering a war that it knew it probably couldn't win. The Mexicans were facing an aggressor who believed it was morally and racially superior, too.

"The U.S. was basically treating the Mexicans the way we had historically treated Native Americans; people who are in the way, and they're not as prosperous as we are, they're racially different, and we had the right to move in there and take what was there," Guardino says. "To many Mexicans, this came as kind of a shock. They didn't think of themselves as being not white, or as being racially inferior. It put Mexican people and politicians in this kind of a bind, where if you don't fight, you're basically saying you're not as good. But if you do fight, you're fighting this terrible war. So they decided to fight."

Polk provoked Mexico by sending troops into disputed territory, a deadly skirmish broke out, and the fight was on. The Mexican-American War cost thousands of lives on both sides.

"In the long run, he got the territory," Guardino says of Polk. "But he paid a much higher cost for it than he imagined."

" " America's relentless push to expand was the basis of James K. Polk's presidential run. When he assumed the presidency in 1845 (this shows his inauguration), a war with Mexico seemed all but inevitable. Library of Congress

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How the War Was Won

America's growing economic strength was probably the deciding factor in the war. Mexico was not nearly as powerful, economically or militarily, and lost every major battle in the war.

Still, the Mexicans fought how they could. Though they often were under-equipped, they used guerilla tactics, making this America's first war of that kind on foreign soil. From "The U.S. Army Campaigns of the Mexican War:"

Expert horsemen, Mexican guerrillas usually fought while mounted. Heavily armed with rifles, pistols, lances, sabers, and daggers, they showed particular skill with lassos and preferred to rope their victims and drag them to death when possible. They mastered the local terrain and had the ability to use complex networks of paths, trails, and roads to strike the unwary and then to disappear into the countryside.

Meanwhile, some of America's non-commissioned Army soldiers (militia, etc.) committed all-out atrocities.

"There were these volunteer regiments with people that really, fully believed that Mexicans were racial inferiors. They treated Mexican civilians extraordinarily poorly," Guardino says. "Lots and lots of theft. Lots and lots of murder. Lots and lots of rape."

The U.S. marched steadily toward Mexico City, entering the capital city and occupying it in a week in September 1847. When Mexican general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna fled the city  freeing thousands of criminals from prison on his way out  the war was effectively lost, though it would be several more months until a treaty ending the war was signed.

"Once the military was removed from the equation, then it became somewhat of an anarchistic, chaotic mess," Heidler says. "They essentially propped up the government so they could negotiate with it."

The war probably turned earlier, Heidler says, on something thousands of miles away. When the Americans negotiated a treaty with Great Britain for the Oregon Country in 1846, it was clear that the British  who many Mexicans were counting on for help in the war  would not be coming south to help.

By the time the war ended, and Mexico lost its northern territories (including California and New Mexico), some 90,000 Americans had fought and some 14,000 had died. That death rate of 15.5 percent is the highest of any foreign war the U.S. ever has fought, according to the Peace History Society. It's estimated that 25,000 Mexicans died.

"It was a pretty horrific war. By the scale of later wars, it was relatively small," Guardino says. "But ... it was a pretty lethal war."

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The U.S. and Mexico Today

With the win, Polk fulfilled the dream of Manifest Destiny, the U.S. stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The acquisition of more territory also further kindled America's already inflamed split over slavery, something that erupted 13 years later when Confederate soldiers fired on Union troops at Fort Sumter in what is considered the start of America's Civil War.

The new lands won in the war prompted more westward migration, too, including the California Gold Rush of 1848. Today, the U.S. is considered the richest country in the world, and California and Texas are Nos. 1 and 2 in gross domestic product.

For Mexico, it's been a different story.

"They were simply eviscerated by this and they never really recovered for the rest of the 19th century, some would say never have they recovered," Heidler says. "But to blame the United States solely for that is too convenient.

"Santa Anna remained a power in Mexico after the war, and anything he touched was toxic ... That kind of cronyism, exploitation and corruption within the government was as much responsible for Mexico's troubles as the loss of real estate."

Still, the overt aggression and racism displayed toward Mexico in the war still is felt today, Guardino says, in the way many in the U.S. see Mexicans.

"To most Americans, this is just not very high in their consciousness. They walk around in the landscape, especially in California, where every other name is a Spanish name, and they don't think about how that came to be," Guardino says. "And Americans are very divided on Mexican immigrants. There's a very large number of Americans who really like Mexican immigrants, and there's a very large number of Americans who really don't like Mexican immigrants. But neither one of them connect that like or dislike to what happened in the 1840s."

" " This map accompanied President James K. Polk's annual message to Congress in December 1848. It represents Polk's conception as a Southern Democrat of how to divide up the new territory acquired through the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. It became the starting point of debates in Congress over slavery and westward expansion. National Archives

NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Including the annexation of Texas and the sale of lands in the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, Mexico lost 55 percent of its territory from the time of its independence in 1821 to the end of the war with the U.S. in 1848.
The city of Kannapolis invites everyone, especially neighborhood associations, community groups and homeowner associations, to join the Kannapolis Police Department from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, to celebrate National Night Out.

It will be held at Veterans Park at 119 N. Main St. and is free to the Kannapolis community.

The event will include free food, live music, childrens games and more. The citys police and fire department staff members and other community partners look forward to meeting and interacting with everyone.

The firefighters and police officers are holding a new winter coat drive for children in grades K-12 in the community. Bring new coats to the event to donate and your name will be placed into a drawing for a prize.

Atrium Health staff members will be at the event with a mobile vaccine clinic. Anyone is welcome to receive the COVID-19 vaccine that day from 1-7 p.m. Nonprofit organizations also will be on hand if you need information on community services or would like to learn more about volunteering with an organization.
The biggest challenge is staffing. There was a nursing shortage in hospitals ahead of the pandemic, and now all three health care systems have tapped into their resources to bring as many workers and volunteers in as possible.

They are also postponing surgical procedures, said Dr. Todd Davis, chief physician executive for CaroMont Health, but for different reasons than were seen earlier in the pandemic.

When we canceled surgeries previously, there wasnt enough PPE (personal protective equipment), Davis said. Now they are doing this to provide capacity for those that are acutely ill.

Davis said providers are only postponing surgical procedures that can wait and are leaving the decisions up to the individual providers. Some providers are also opting to have outpatient surgeries as opposed to having a patient stay overnight, where appropriate.

Davis said that decisions like this have to be made when resources are scarce.

Health care resources, like all other resources, are not infinite, Davis said. We would like our community now to start helping themselves as well, too.

The best way to help alleviate the strain on hospitals, Dr. Passaretti said, is to get more people vaccinated.
RALEIGH  When you think of products made in North Carolina, the HURST Jaws of Life rescue tool system or DSM's Dyneema fiber may not be top of mind.

But these two products, made in Shelby and Greenville respectively, are among 15 semifinalists in the "Coolest Thing Made in NC" contest organized by the North Carolina Chamber. The public can now vote for their favorite and narrow the field down to five finalists on Sept. 20.

This is the second year that the chamber and Old Dominion Freight Line have held the coolest thing contest, to highlight the importance of manufacturing in North Carolina. According to the chamber, manufacturing employs more than 10% of the state's workforce and accounts for 17% of gross state product.

Last year's winner was the Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric school bus made by Thomas Built Buses in High Point and used by school districts in Virginia, Alaska and Massachusetts, among other states.

The initial field of 68 nominees this year included some household names, such as Cheerwine from Salisbury, Krispy Kreme doughnuts from Winston-Salem, Bright Leaf hot dogs from Smithfield and dill pickles from Mount Olive. There were also some more niche products, such as Zombie Snott hair coloring from Charlotte and the FloLogic Smart Leak Detection auto shutoff system from Durham.
HILLSBORO  A graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is taking on the nationwide issue of lunch shaming by creating a website that explains the issue and calls for change.

"Lunch shaming takes place when students are provided an alternative meal, branded with stickers or stamps, or have lunch withheld in an effort to get their parents to pay a debt," Zach Wygal said. "This project was created to help raise awareness and allow website visitors to contact legislators that are directly involved with current bills combating lunch shaming."

Lunch shaming happens when students are singled out and stigmatized during lunch. A student who has no money in a school lunch account to pay for that day's lunch may be given a cold sandwich  or no food at all  instead of a hot meal. The intent is to pressure the student's parents into paying any meal-related debt.

Wygal, now an eighth-grade teacher at Hillsboro Junior High School in Hillsboro, had a bachelor's degree in special education from SIUE and was pursuing a master's degree in curriculum and instruction when he was introduced to lunch shaming during a class on poverty in schools. He later switched degree programs and earned a master's in diversity and equity in education.

"At (that) time, my school would give students a cheese sandwich if they had a balance over $25," Wygal said. "I thought back to when I was younger and realized that low-income students had different colored lunch tickets. While working in a low-income area, I became interested in how poverty impacts students. I was unable to find research on how students felt about lunch shaming and decided to switch my master's focus to diversity and equity in education."

By switching his focus, Wygal was able to conduct research and interview students who were familiar with the impact of lunch shaming, and his capstone project laid the foundation for endlunchshaming.com.

The website includes information about lunch shaming, stories about students who have been impacted by it and ways people can take action against it, including contacting their state representatives. There now are two bills waiting in Congress, both titled "The Anti-Lunch Shaming Act of 2019."

"Visitors can easily find their legislator and click on their link," Wygal said. "There's even a letter available for users to copy and paste. The entire process only takes a couple of minutes."

Wygal hopes the website does some good.

"The more people talk about lunch shaming, the better chance we can end it for good," he said. "Students are often the ones caught in the middle of what should be something between parents and schools. These kids can't get a job to pay for their lunches. They just want to show up to school to learn, eat, and be treated like anyone else."

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How do we all make a paradigm shift? asks one senior intelligence official. Afghanistan is now just one of a dozen potential sources of global terrorism, rather than ground zero. Assessing the different players in Afghanistan and their intentions, capabilities and motivations will be a hard intelligence problem, but not an impossible one compared with other terror threats.

What went wrong in Afghanistan? Well be haunted by that question for years, just as we were after the humiliating retreat from Vietnam in 1975. Over the 20-year arc of the war, it has been a story of U.S. overreach and, at times, a self-deluding refusal to face facts. But the United States has been gradually ending its combat mission since 2014, and by this year it had reduced its military presence to a small, sustainable force.

President Joe Biden decided in April to withdraw that small force, wrongly in my view, but theres no question he was doing what the American people seemed to want. Whatever you think of his decision, the subsequent process of withdrawal was mishandled.
The superintendent acknowledged how hard it was for parents and students during the lockdowns.

I know how awful it must have been to be separated from your children during this incident, and I am sure that you held your children tighter when they arrived home this afternoon, she said. McManus praised the bravery and quick thinking of the school staff as they responded to the shooting, and said law enforcement officers did not hesitate in their response.

The mood was somber at the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office when local authorities held a news conference shortly before the announcement came that a suspect was in custody.

Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough talked about the pain the family of the slain student was experiencing, and how this affects the community at large:

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I met with his family  I talked with his mother, Kimbrough said, mentioning his encounter with Shannon Clark, Millers mother. I felt the pain, the tears of the mother, and so my concern was to console her, and my concern was to let her know that she had the full support of this entire community, all of us, all of us. Because if she is hurting, we are hurting. All of us have children, most of us anyway. So I can assure you that while I am sad, I am also mad as hell.
Jasper Brown, speaking for Holland at a recent briefing session of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, publicly thanked United Metropolitan for withdrawing its offer to buy the property:

We have never been in a fight with United Metropolitan, Brown said.

Both groups presented their plans and bids to the county last spring, after the county invited potential buyers to submit offers by last April 30.

Holland initially offered $100,000 for the site, which is down the street from existing senior housing that it owns and operates as G.W. Holland Homes.

United Metropolitan offered $125,000, with plans to turn the site over to the city of Winston-Salem for a public park, or if that didnt work out, to develop it as an open-air food hub.

After the deadline, Holland came back with a revised offer of $126,000.

With United Metropolitan out of the running, commissioners were left with the question of where to start the bidding for the property: With the original Holland offer of $100,000, or the revised offer of $126,000.

The taxpayers own this, Commissioner Gloria Whisenhunt said, adding that the county needed to go for the higher price to get the best value for the taxpayers.
The peak of COVID-19 hospitalizations has been 3,990 on Jan. 14  when COVID-19 vaccine was available on a limited basis.

The 17-county Triad and Northwest N.C. region has a combined 882 COVID-19 patients, up 24 from Tuesday.

Meanwhile, DHHS reported Thursday there were 7,901 new cases statewide, up from 7,248 reported Wednesday. The Aug. 25 new case count of 8,620 was the highest since Jan. 15.

Dr. David Priest, an infectious diseases expert with Novant Health Inc., said individuals should take their personal health into consideration when determining how they want to spend the three-day holiday period.

Know yourself, know your risk, Priest said. If you are older with health problems and you take medicine to suppress your immune system, you need to be real careful right now because the delta variant is very, very contagious. You should go ahead and get your third dose of vaccine.

When it comes to indoor events, Priest urged adhering to the Winston-Salem mandate to wear a mask.

When you have a lot of people in tight spaces, you need to alleviate risk where you can, Priest said. Lets get through this current wave and take care of our most vulnerable folks.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines Thursday after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China.

Taiwan had been unable to buy the vaccine itself directly from BioNTech, the German company that had partnered with U.S.-based Pfizer to develop the mRNA vaccine.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen earlier accused China of blocking Taiwan from getting the Pfizer vaccine through BioNTech, saying that they had all but signed the contracts when the deal was delayed indefinitely. China has denied any interference.

Eventually, two private companies, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. and Hon Hai Precision Electronics, as well as a Buddhist organization Tzu Chi, stepped in to buy the vaccines and donate them to Taiwan.

The three organizations bought a total of 15 million doses. The flight carrying the first 930,000 doses arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on Thursday morning.

Even their arrival has been dogged by politics. Local media at first reported Taiwan was getting doses ahead of schedule because they weren't needed in mainland China, where the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has not yet been cleared for use.
"The Labor Day weekend is not traditionally the busiest holiday weekend, but we are prepared to see a slight increase in passengers compared with other weekends throughout the summer," said Atlanta airport spokesman Andrew Gobeil.

But those flying out should still be prepared for the possibility of long lines, with airport officials recommending travelers arrive in the terminal at least two hours before their flight.

The busiest day of the holiday period at Hartsfield- Jackson is expected to be Friday, followed by Saturday and Tuesday. Not all airport restaurants have reopened, and officials recommend travelers check the airport's website on which concessions and parking lots are open and for security wait times.

Hotel business remains stunted by the pandemic, though hotels in the busiest markets nationwide for Labor Day travel have more than 55% occupancy, according to travel technology company Amadeus.

More than 75% of Americans viewed COVID-19 and the delta variant as a concern for Labor Day plans this year, according to an Aug. 1 survey commissioned by TheVacationer.com. Nearly 47% of those surveyed said they do not plan to travel for Labor Day. Of those who do, a larger portion will travel by car than by plane.
The Danhauers hope the robot will make the workload easier on the servers that we do have so that we can retain them, because theyre just stressed to the max right now, Marni said.

A representative of Bear Robotics, the Austin, Texas, company that manufactures the product, came to Aurora to set it up.

The Danhauers have a couple of more weeks to decide if they want to lease the robot. But so far, it looks good, Jim Danhauer said.

What kind of a co-worker is Servi?

Very easy to work with, said employee Mila Crawford.

The robot, which stands about 3 feet high, is actually named Giada, employees say. The name was inspired by the famous Italian chef.

Quite a few customers have taken video of the robot at work.

If the Danhauers decide to go ahead with the lease, it will cost roughly $1,000 a month, Marni said.

JoJos has 19 employees, about half of whom are full time.

If the robot can reduce the workload on the staff we have, thats kind of a win because at least theyre going to not get burned out as fast, she said.
"We're losing our chance to really make a difference in the national spotlight," UNL sophomore Carter Wenburg told the Journal Star on Wednesday.

Wenburg, acting alone for now in his role as organizer of the divergent group, gathered in front of the fraternity with a small group of people on Wednesday night.

His announcement came less than 30 minutes after Liu-Sang, who has been among the most vocal organizers at UNL over the last week, announced to her followers that all protests would be suspended until Sept. 15.

Liu-Sang's post came about two hours before demonstrators had planned to stage a sit-in at Canfield Hall, which houses UNL's administrative offices. In the post, Liu-Sang, who did not respond to a request for comment, said organizers were falling behind on schoolwork and taking time off to reexamine their message, which she said isn't only about Fiji.

"That has been overlooked," she said in the post.
The excitement could have been compounded by last years coronavirus-caused hiatus, because Nebraskas Largest Classroom took a pause during the pandemic. Gottlob said Wood River made up for it.

Due to COVID, the third-graders didnt get to go last year. The second-graders came yesterday and third grade came today, she said.

In 2019, the year before the pandemic pause, the fair welcomed students from more than 100 schools  just short of 4,000 students and their adults  for the three-day event.

Sarah Polak, experience coordinator for Raising Nebraska, said providing students like those from Wood River with a fun, educational experience is important.

What were hearing is they are so excited to be here, Polak said. To be able to have a fun and educational experience with their friends is something were very proud to offer.

Much of that fun comes from partnerships with organizations such as Midwest Dairy and Nebraska Forest Service, among many others, she said.
A neighbor, William Roddie Bryan joined the chase and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery at close range with a shotgun. The McMichales said they believed Arbery was a burglar and that he was shot after attacking Travis McMichael.

Police did not charge any of them immediately following the shooting, and the McMichaels and Bryan remained free for more than two months until the cellphone video of the shooting was leaked online and Gov. Brian Kemp asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to take over the case.

Both McMichaels and Bryan were charged with murder and other crimes in May 2020 and face trial this fall. Prosecutors say Arbery was merely jogging in their neighborhood and was unarmed when Travis McMichael shot him. They say there is no evidence Arbery had committed a crime.

Greg McMichael had worked as an investigator in Johnson's office, having retired in 2019. Evidence introduced in pretrial hearings in the murder case shows he called Johnson's cellphone and left her a voice message soon after the shooting occurred.

Jackie, this is Greg, he said, according to a recording of the call included in the public case file. Could you call me as soon as you possibly can? My son and I have been involved in a shooting and I need some advice right away.
An Illinois woman who showed a fake vaccine card listing two Maderna shots has been arrested in Hawaii after trying to evade the states strict COVID-19 rules, police say.

Chloe Mrozak, a 24-year-old Oak Lawn, Ill., woman, uploaded false documents to bypass state quarantine rules, including a vaccine card that misspelled Moderna as Maderna, Hawaii News Now reported.

Visitors to Hawaii are required to quarantine for 10 days after arriving unless they have uploaded valid COVID-19 vaccine cards under the states Safe Travels program.

Mrozak arrived on Aug. 23, and authorities began an investigation after an administrator with the program tipped them off about the misspelling, KHON reported.

Thats one indication, as well as other things that in the card they thought it was suspicious and as part of being suspicious they did an excellent job of notifying us, Special Agent William Lau of the attorney generals office told the station.
OMAHA -- An Omaha police officer has been charged with four misdemeanors in connection with a summer crash in which the Omaha police sergeant called to the scene did not investigate suspected alcohol use.

Officer Humberto Herrera, 31, faces charges of false information, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, reckless driving and colliding with a fixed object in connection with the June 12 crash.

Herrera has been an Omaha police officer since December 2015.

According to police reports, officers went to 22nd Street and St. Mary's Avenue just before 2 a.m. June 12 and found a GMC Sierra pickup truck that had crashed into two parked, unoccupied vehicles.

Investigators determined the Sierra was heading west on St. Mary's and struck legally parked cars on that road. The front driver's side of the vehicle hit the rear passenger-side corners of each parked vehicle, pushing both onto the sidewalk and one into a metal street sign post. The post toppled because of the crash. The total damage incurred was estimated at $11,100.

Herrera, then 30, was identified as the owner of the pickup. However, according to the report, neither he nor a 25-year-old woman admitted to being the driver and "no witnesses were located." Neither Herrera nor the woman was injured.
Committee members already are at work on redistricting plans for less-contentious governmental units, including the Nebraska Supreme Court, the Nebraska Public Service Commission, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents and the Nebraska State Board of Education.

The spotlight, however, shines on legislative districts with rural senators focused on efforts to limit their loss of seats as a result of population growth in metropolitan Nebraska, and congressional districts, where both political parties are centered on metropolitan Omaha's 2nd Congressional District, where both a House seat and a presidential electoral vote are at stake.

"The interest in that electoral vote is at the very top for both parties," Linehan said.

The Democratic presidential nominee has won the 2nd District electoral vote in two of the last four presidential elections.

Nebraska awards three of its five electoral votes to the winner in each congressional district, while assigning the other two electoral votes to the statewide victor.

Asked whether she has been in contact with Gov. Pete Ricketts during the opening phase of the redistricting process, Linehan said she has "kept the governor informed."

Both Linehan and Ricketts are Republicans.
Nebraska Task Force 1 has wrapped up its work in Louisiana following Hurricane Ida.

But the urban search and rescue team may not yet be done with the massive storm, which dumped historic rains and caused widespread flash flooding in the northeastern U.S. on Wednesday night.

Lincoln Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Brad Thavenet, who manages the task force, said at a news conference Thursday morning that while the team's mission in Louisiana was complete, it was awaiting direction on whether members would return home to Nebraska or be deployed elsewhere.

The task force's mission in Louisiana  primarily search-and-rescue operations and secondary searches after first responders covered immediate calls for service  involved the evacuation of two elderly residents Wednesday, on the heels of more than 100 evacuations earlier in the week.

The pair had no means of communications, with cellphone towers in the affected area rendered mostly inoperable. Thavenet said the evacuees were likely running low on food and water at a time when the heat index was very high.

Members of the 40-person team include firefighters from Lincoln Fire and Rescue, the Omaha Fire Department and civilian dog handlers and structural engineers.
Khalid Payenda, Afghanistan's former acting finance minister, on Wednesday detailed a country existing in a dangerously fragile state.

Speaking at Georgetown University in Washington, Payenda said the Afghan currency had yet to crash because money exchanges had been shuttered. But its value could plunge by more than 100%, said Payenda, who described former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as withdrawn and paranoid ahead of the Taliban takeover.

I think the war had a toll on his psyche and he saw everything with suspicion, Payenda said.

Part of the chaos reflects the speed at which the Taliban took control of the country, with Payenda saying he thought the prior government could have been sustained for two or three more years because of commitments by international donors.

I did not expect it to be this quickly, Payenda said. Nobody actually did.

Mohammad Sharif, a shopkeeper in the capital of Kabul, said shops and markets there have supplies, but a major concern is rising food prices.

If the situation continues like this and there is no government to control the prices, that will cause so many problems for local people, he said.
Before this semester, the University of Nebraska Medical Center declared a mask mandate. For some reason, UNK didnt heed our own renowned medical professionals by following suit. The first Wednesday of this semester, UNO and UNL each realized a mask mandate was vital and issued one.

Surely we care about students as much as other NU schools do?

Right now, we risk being the one NU institution that very soon may have to apologize to students (and parents) and our Kearney neighbors for ignoring our peers, doing nothing and allowing outbreaks.

Just as masking effectively slowed COVID last year, so did remote learning (in universities nationwide). It allowed folks to continue class, even if they were vulnerable or exposed, and it reduced in-person interactions/potential spread.

Even in quarantine, students could attend class. This safety prompted UNK to move everything online in March 2020. Fortunately, UNK has a strong history of online teaching, which UNK has long advertised and promoted. We know students can have impactful experiences online  without putting themselves or others at risk. Because of these benefits, we have requested the option be given to all UNK employees to work or teach online.
Perhaps the most important duty performed by nurses in Nebraska state institutions is taking care of the states most vulnerable residents.

That alone makes the states recent mailer to health care professionals touting the states lack of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for nurses  done in a cheerful tone, to boot  all the more appalling and unconscionable.

Has the pandemic exacerbated Nebraskas existing nursing shortage? Absolutely.

Should the lack of a vaccination requirement be considered a recruiting tool? Not in the least.

Yes, the advertisement notes that vaccinations are encouraged. But that sentence is in a font about half the size of the benefits listed  first among them is no mandated COVID-19 vaccination, printed atop even the $5,000 signing bonus.

The fact that this battle over vaccinations continues to rage  now spreading to facilities like state veterans homes and the Beatrice State Development Center  is indicative of too many peoples unwillingness to do their part in supporting the collective fabric of our society, even when action could help save lives and livelihoods.
Throughout the summer, there has been a seemingly endless row of help wanted signs. Along with those signs, businesses have reduced hours and even temporarily closed. Going into Labor Day weekend, there doesnt appear to be any immediate end in sight to the problem.

At Lake Genevas Potbelly, for part of August they closed their indoor area and posted a sign that they were only taking online orders only. As of Wednesday, Sept. 1 they still had limited hours - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the past they used to be open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days and until 8 p.m. on Sundays.

Down the street at Northsiders, they have had to close early because of staff shortages. They used to be open until bar close nearly every night. Now they close at 10 p.m. weeknights and midnight on weekends.

Its what they had to do because of staffing, said Kierstin Johnson, the bar manager.

Similarly, Mars Resort this summer opted to close on Tuesdays due to staffing and Lake Genevas Oakfire Pizza opted to close on Wednesdays.

For several weeks in August, Jimmy Johns in downtown Lake Geneva reduced hours to 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Only recently were they able to increase back to normal hours 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days per week and until 8 p.m. on Sundays.
1. Yes. COVID-19 can only be stopped through vaccinations. A mandate is needed.

2. Yes. This is a major step, but were facing a national emergency. It is a justifiable move.

3. No. The government is right to promote vaccinations, but not to require them.

4. No. This is government overreach and legally questionable. A mandate is wrong.

5. Unsure. Its in the publics interest, but mandates infringe on individuals rights.

Vote

View Results
BEAVER CITY  An Oxford man has admitted to committing child abuse in a Furnas County sex trafficking case.

Carl Kramer Sr., 50, of Oxford pleaded guilty to two counts of felony child abuse in Furnas County District Court. He was originally charged with three counts of sex trafficking of a minor. Two of the charges were amended to child abuse, and one of the charges was dropped.

The incidents took place in October and November 2019 when the victim was 16 years of age.

Sentencing for Kramer will be Oct. 27. He faces up to three years in prison.

Kramer, the owner of Oxford Locker, testified for the state of Nebraska in June at the trial of William Billy Quinn.

During his testimony, Kramer detailed how in August or September 2019 he was painting a storefront he owns in downtown Oxford when Quinn pulled up with the victim in his pickup, and she was wearing nothing below the waist.

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On another occasion, Quinn went to the Oxford Locker with the victim after it had closed, and asked if Kramer could give the victim a tour of the locker. Quinn asked Kramer if he wanted to see her naked, and Quinn lifted up the victims shirt and began touching her.
We are moving resources around as needed, sharing among the incidents," Porter told reporters on Aug. 18. But he acknowledged that we are having a very difficult time because resources were so stretched across the West.

Officials couldn't say how many firefighters would have been ideal and when, but Cal Fire was candid that there initially was a shortage, said Ken Pimlott, who retired as the agency's director in 2018 and lives a few miles from the fire's origin.

Early on, this was not the highest priority because there were other threats on other fires that were higher," Pimlott said.

As the fire marched toward Lake Tahoe and its crystal clear waters that attract visitors from around the world, it destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures and left a firefighter with serious burns.

Still, officials predicted as recently as last weekend that they could hold the fire outside the Lake Tahoe Basin. They feverishly expanded fire lines to take advantage of the barren granite that caps the mountain chain which has formed an impenetrable barrier to flames in the past. This time, their optimism merely lulled residents into a false sense of security, leaving many scrambling to pack their lives in bags when evacuation orders came Monday.
We are uncertain of the causes of death. We still havent gotten the results from the case, said Leak Pen, assistant recreation officer at the Bass Lake Ranger District, which oversees that portion of the Sierra National Forest. So, as a precaution, lets go ahead and close it because we know theres some form of hazard to the public.

Toxicology reports are still pending, leading investigators to wait to list a cause of death, but last week they ruled out any weapons being used or dangerous gases from a mine along the trail.

Pen said one water test has come back positive for harmful algae bloom. Others have turned up no toxic substances and still other tests are outstanding. Officials had already warned hikers of such blooms a month before the deaths along the south fork of the Merced River, so that result is not a surprise. Such freshwater blooms are not known to kill humans.

Because of the heat theres a chance they may have drank the water or tried to treat the water, but we dont know, Pen said. Its very mysterious, and were all just waiting for the results.
UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow has announced three new initiatives to boost diversity and inclusion on campus.

Gow, addressing staff and faculty Wednesday during his opening remarks for the fall semester, stressed the importance of creating a campus where all people are safe, successful and supported.

Inclusion efforts will become increasingly significant, he added, as students of color comprise a larger share of Wisconsins high school graduates in the coming years.

The first initiative involves the promotion of Corey Sjoquist to assistant vice chancellor for Admissions and Recruitment, and the incorporation of the Admissions Office into the Student Affairs Division.

In recent years, UW-L has established university records for the number of students of color on campus. However, Gow said much more work is needed.

This new arrangement will enhance collaboration between Admissions, Student Affairs and Diversity & Inclusion, he noted. It ensures everyone is working in the same direction to not only recruit students of color, but also retain them and best serve their needs.

Gow also announced that UW-L is devoting additional funds to support students from diverse backgrounds, especially those who may struggle financially.
September is here and its going to be a full month of fun with the McIntosh Memorial Library. Did you know the month of September is recognized as National Library Card Sign-Up month?

Since 1987 the American Library Association has used this month to remind everyone the importance of having a library card! Applying for a card through McIntosh Memorial Library is free and takes about 5 minutes. Once you have a card you can begin taking advantage of all the resources available to you through your local library for free! Plus, all month long anyone who gets a new library card will receive some thank-you merchandise from the library. We also encourage everyone to stop in this month and play Library Bingo with us! We have three great prizes lined up which we will be awarding at the end of September. Questions? Call us at 637-7151, extension 6.
COVID is the enemy

COVID-19 and its virulent mutations is a real threat to humanity. Pandemics of the past have been successfully confronted by a united human concern and world-wide cooperation. Unfortunately, there are an excessive number of unreliable and disreputable sources of misinformation. Instead, we are bombarded by opinion-based disinformation masquerading as fact. Facts and opinions are frequently indistinguishable. The goal of these sources is to score political points while destroying our democratic form of government from within. Reliable information comes from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

The Russian, Chinese, North Korean autocrats, as well as other anti-democratic individuals and organizations, gleefully inundate our airwaves, our printed sources, and social media with misleading information that feeds a fearful and misinformed public.

COVID is the enemy! It is not a political issue. A disease is not political. It is an equal opportunity killer. COVID is not an individual rights issue. Individual rights are only possible as a result of societys collective rights. We are each responsible to and for the well-being of one another. If society suffers due to the arrogance of self-indulgent individuals or groups, everyone loses.
Aspiranti said she received a copy of the book she didn't ask for by mail and gave it to her attorney, John Mull. She said in an interview that Soldwedel has a hell of an imagination.

Soldwedel sought $18 million from Aspiranti in the lawsuit that alleged poisoning and $2 million in his defamation case against Aspiranti, her family and a friend.

Its been a burden to them and a theater of this rich man trying to sue them all, Aspiranti said. It was just hard on all of us. Were all glad its gone and done."

Mull said he was confident enough that Soldwedel's poisoning claims wouldn't hold up in court that he didn't hire an expert on behalf of Aspiranti to rebut them, calling the case one of the most bizarre he's ever encountered.

In my mind, she was completely vindicated, he said. She voluntarily agreed to talk to police, have her computer searched, have her phone checked, and none of that supported any of his claims. His own evidence he was relying on was inaccurate as well. It didn't support his claims."

Soldwedel's attorney, Jay Bloom, said the possibility that the case would have been heard by a judge or judicial panel first and not a jury, under an alternative dispute resolution program established for civil trials amid the pandemic, also factored into Soldwedel's decision to drop his claims.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This month, Central High School's Class of 71 will hold its 50th reunion celebration. As a class member, I've reflected on the great support we received from school and community adults and considered how I (and we) can help today's students as they face continuing and new challenges.

For me, these ideas intersect in the community group, SolarOnLaCrosseSchools.org (SOLS), which raises money to help the La Crosse School District transition to renewable energy. Through SOLS, I've worked with some amazing, incredible high school students and recent graduates whose energy, commitment, and focus remind me of the best of our class and give me hope for the future.

SOLS helped pay for the just-completed solar array on Hamilton Early Learning Center. Now, we're raising funds for the next installation. A 2019 Stanford University study (earth.stanford.edu/news/what-happens-when-schools-go-solar) reported that solar on school benefits include reduced fossil fuel use, reduced particulate pollution, improved health, cleaner air and water, big energy cost savings, and increased learning opportunities and resources.

I don't remember many details about my high school years, but I do know that my classmates were caring, involved people who worked in many ways to improve our community.
A federal bankruptcy judge gave conditional approval Wednesday to a sweeping settlement that will remove the Sackler family from ownership of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and devote potentially $10 billion to fighting the opioid crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades.

If it withstands appeals, the deal will resolve a mountain of 3,000 lawsuits from state and local governments, Native American tribes, unions and others that accuse the company of helping to spark the overdose epidemic by aggressively marketing the prescription painkiller.

Under the settlement, the Sacklers will have to get out of the opioid business altogether and contribute $4.5 billion. But they will be shielded from any future lawsuits over opioids.

The drugmaker itself will be reorganized into a new charity-oriented company with a board appointed by public officials and will funnel its profits into government-led efforts to prevent and treat addiction.

Also, the settlement sets up a compensation fund that will pay some victims of drugs an expected $3,500 to $48,000 each.

After an all-day hearing in which he analyzed the plan's pros and cons for a nonstop 6 1/2 hours, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain said he would approve it as long as two relatively small changes were made. If so, he said, he will formally enter the decision on Thursday.

He said that while he does not have fondness for the Sacklers or sympathy for them, collecting money from them through lawsuits instead of a settlement would be complicated.

The deal comes nearly two years after the Stamford, Connecticut-based company filed for bankruptcy under the weight of the lawsuits.

Under the settlement, the Sacklers were not given immunity from criminal charges, though there have been no indications they will face any.

State and local governments came to support the plan overwhelmingly, if grudgingly in many cases. But nine states and others had opposed it, largely because of the protections granted to the family.

The attorneys general of Connecticut, the District of Columbia and Washington state immediately announced they will either appeal the ruling or explore the possibility of doing so.

The Sacklers should not be allowed to manipulate bankruptcy laws to evade justice and protect their blood money, Connecticut's William Tong said.

Some families who lost loved ones to drugs also came out against the settlement, including Ed Bisch, of Westampton, New Jersey, whose 18-year-old son died of an overdose nearly 20 years ago. The Sacklers are buying their immunity," he said.

But other families said they did not want to risk losing the money that will go toward treatment and prevention.

If they gave me a million dollars, would it help bring back my son? said Lynn Wencus, of Wrentham, Massachusetts. Lets help the people who are really struggling with this disease.

In a statement, members of the Sackler family said: "While we dispute the allegations that have been made about our family, we have embraced this path in order to help combat a serious and complex public health crisis.

Purdue chairman Steve Miller said the settlement averts years of value-destructive litigation and "ensures that billions of dollars will be devoted to helping people and communities who have been hurt by the opioid crisis.

The bankruptcy judge, based in White Plains, New York, had urged the holdouts to work out an agreement for the same reason.

Bitterness over the outcome of this case is completely understandable, Drain said. But one also has to look at the process and the issues and risks and rewards and alternatives of continued litigation versus the settlement laid out in the plan.

Some of the opioid deaths over the past two decades have been attributed to OxyContin and other prescription painkillers, but most are from illicit forms of opioids such as heroin and illegally produced fentanyl. Opioid-linked deaths in the U.S. continued at a record pace last year, hitting 70,000.

The crisis devastated the reputation of the Sackler family, major philanthropists whose name was once emblazoned on the walls of museums and universities around the world. With the settlement, family members who have owned the company will still be worth billions. Another branch of the Sackler family has had no involvement with Purdue for decades.

Whether the deal holds the Sacklers sufficiently accountable was the most contentious question through the proceedings. Those suing succeeded in boosting the amount the Sacklers would pay from a likely $3 billion.

David Sackler, a former Purdue board member, had testified that family members would not accept the agreement unless it protected them from lawsuits. Otherwise, he said, the family would defend itself in litigation that could drag on for years and eat up the companys and the familys assets in lawyers' fees.

His father, Richard Sackler, a former Purdue president and board chairman, said under questioning that he, his family and the company did not bear responsibility for the opioid crisis.

Drain noted that none of the four Sacklers who testified offered an explicit apology. A forced apology is not really an apology, so we will have to live without one, he said.

The judge requested two somewhat technical changes to the plan: one clarifying that Sackler family members would be protected only from lawsuits involving opioids, and one on the procedure for bringing non-opioid claims against them.

One projection commissioned by a group of attorneys general found that the familys wealth could rise from the current estimate of $10.7 billion to more than $14 billion by 2030 despite the required payments. Thats because the family could continue to benefit from investment returns and interest as they make their gradual contributions over a decade under the deal.

Lawyers for Purdue and branches of the Sackler family disputed the assumptions used in the projection.

The settlement also requires members of the Sackler family, who are scattered across the U.S., Britain and elsewhere in Europe, to get out of the opioid business worldwide.

Several attorneys general won another provision that will create a massive public repository of company documents, including ones that normally would be protected by attorney-client privilege.

Purdue has said the settlement overall will be worth about $10 billion, which includes the value of addiction treatment and overdose antidote drugs it is developing.

The bankruptcy case is not the first time Purdue had faced legal trouble over the marketing of its painkillers.

The company pleaded guilty in 2007 to federal charges it misled regulators and others about the addiction dangers of OxyContin and agreed to pay more than $600 million in penalties.

Last November, as part of a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department, Purdue pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and violating anti-kickback laws.

Purdues bankruptcy has been the highest-profile case in a complicated universe of opioid litigation.

Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and the three largest U.S. drug distribution companies recently announced a settlement that could be worth up to $26 billion if state and local governments agree.

Individual trials also remain, including one scheduled to start in October in Cleveland over the role pharmacies played in the crisis. Other trials have been held this year in California, New York and West Virginia, though verdicts have yet to be reached.



Associated Press writer John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed to this report.
If youre looking for an array of local art exhibits, Septembers First Friday in Lancaster has no shortage of offerings.

There are several artsy things to do if you're visiting the city in search for some fun. For a full list of events, visit lanc.news/FirstFriSept2021.

Here are seven First Friday events to check out in Lancaster.

4th Annual Print Crawl

Participating printing businesses, including screen printing, letterpress printing, vinyl cutting and other stores, will have posters and maps for people to pick up. The crawl is about a mile long and features several Lancaster city shops, including Foxduck, A Day in the Life Records, the Heritage Press Museum and more. Find the full list here.

More information: Several Lancaster city stores | Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. | More info

Four Guys art exhibit

Red Raven Art Company is hosting a new exhibit starting Sept. 1 called "Four Guys." Four local artists  Fred Rodger, Robert Andriulli, Dick Whitson and Adam Bunting  painted various subjects of interest, including crows, urban landscapes, antique cars and farmscapes. The exhibit runs until Sept. 25.

More information: Red Raven Art Company, 138 N. Prince St., Lancaster | 717-299-4400 | Hours: 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. | More info

First Friday Fright Night

Every First Friday, Mr. Suit Records hosts a spooky and obscure horror flick at Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse in downtown Lancaster. September's film is "Vamp," a fun 1980s movie starring the prolific Grace Jones. This event is for those 21 years or older.

More information: Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse, 112 N. Water St., Lancaster | 717-208-6572 | Starting time: 9 p.m. | Cost: $11 | More info.

The Art of Mosaic and Dreams exhibits

In September, Mulberry Art Studios will feature the works of two artists, Karen Stadden and Kevin Bedgood. Stadden creates many works of art, such as wall hangings and bird baths, using creative mosaic styles. Bedgood creates sculpted wood art that explores dreams, shapes and ideas. First Friday will be the kickoff day for the two exhibits.

More information: Mulberry Art Studios, 21 N. Mulberry St., Lancaster | 717-295-1949 | Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. | More info

'We The People' exhibit

The Arts at Millersville will host a traveling exhibit, "With Open Heart and Open Arms: LGBTQ Cuban Refugees and Our Community's Response to the Mariel Boatlift," through Sept. 24. The exhibit will focus on Cuban LGBTQ+ peoples' experiences immigrating to central Pennsylvania in 1980.

The event will also feature "A Night With DDA," at 6:30 p.m. which spotlights Diamond Anthony, a nonbinary social justice advocate, as they perform different types of music about being openly, unapologetically them.

More information: The Ware Center, 42 N. Prince St., Lancaster | Hours: 6 to 8 p.m. | More info

Long's Park Art Festival

Right outside of the city, 200 juried artists will show off their wares in the middle of Long's Park starting on Friday. Read our preview of what to expect at this year's art festival.

More information: Long's Park, 1441 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster | Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. | More info

Alumni Exhibit

The Pennsylvania College of Art & Design is hosting an alumni exhibit featuring works from several former students from the 1980s to the graduating class of 2021. The gallery exhibit will be on display through Oct. 31.

More information: Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, 204 N. Prince St., Lancaster | Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. | More info.
Editor's Note This is the first in an occasional series in which we ask Lancaster County residents to share the stories of their favorite heirlooms.

Lori Landis style might be described as modern freshness mixed with echoes from the past.

Thats how she frames her business, Fishing Creek Furniture, which specializes in antique and painted pieces. And its how she decorates her Drumore home. The farmhouse, part of which was built in the 1770s, seems the perfect setting for a circa-1810 grandfather clock thats been in her husbands family for generations.

Its a creation of one of the Breneisens, a well-known Lancaster County clockmaking family. Landis husband, Bob, winds it most every day. He bought the clock from his grandfather, Leon Landis, when he moved to a retirement home before he died. Leon Landis  who founded the heating, plumbing and air conditioning business Bob now runs  got it at the estate sale of Bobs great-great grandfather, Samuel K. Landis.

Lori Landis cherishes the clock. There was a time she might not have.

I was never really into antiques when I was a kid. Bob grew up around them and I never did, she says. He would like to go to all the antique shops and up to Adamstown, and I just wanted to spend time with him. I didnt care what we were doing.

Along the way she developed an antique appreciation.

Then, when we moved into our farmhouse, thats when it really took off because the house just needed that touch, she says.

Share your heirloom story Do you have a family heirloom youd like to tell us about? Send the information  including your name and phone number or email, and a photo if you have one  to features@lnpnews.com, or mail to Life & Culture, LNP Media Group, PO Box 1329, Lancaster, PA, 17608-1328.

Where do you have the clock displayed?

We have an open floor plan. So its kind of in the center. ... We wanted it in a prime location where we could see it from anywhere in the downstairs.

How hard is it to maintain? It can be tricky to find someone good with clocks, no?

Yeah, weve had to have it worked on a few times. Actually, the last guy was an Amishman. And he did an awesome job. Its funny, the last few guys were clock experts and it would be like $300 for them to work on it for a half an hour. And this Amish guy came and worked on it and charged us $20. It was amazing. ... We did have to go pick him up and take him home.

What happens that you need to call folks in?

It wouldnt chime. We kept making sure it was level. And this last guy, the Amishman, said its not necessarily level, its just that theres a fixed spot that the clock likes. And if its not in that specific spot then it wont work right. He just kind of moved it around a little bit and found the spot. So were scared to touch it now. If we move it just a tad it might not work again.

Can you describe the sound?

His dad has a grandfather clock, and that one sounds real deep. This is more of a high-pitched chime. When we first got married, if I fell asleep on the couch or something, it would wake me up. Now it doesnt.

Ever been to the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia?

We love that.

See anything similar to yours there?

They have some similar ones. Weve never seen anything exact. Theyre all a little different. The artwork is what sets them apart. Ive seen a lot with ships on them but ours has flowers.

Assuming youll never paint this.

There are certain pieces that you cant touch. It would definitely affect the integrity of the piece. Back then they really didnt use anything but oils on the wood. It has that aged patina. I wouldnt want to ever touch that.

Do your kids pay it any attention?

Our son, Christian, hes the youngest, has said he would like it one day. Our daughter and Bobs oldest son  theyre not really into history or antiques as much as Christian. So I think the youngest is the one that may want it. Bob hopes that it will stay in the family, obviously.

You recently shared with your customers that you expect to put your home on the market sometime in the near future. The clock is presumably going with you to your next home?

Yes, we will absolutely be taking the clock with us.
For those of you who were wondering whatever happened to Napoleon Bonapartes penis, a New York Times report has the answer. Not to worry, Napoleons private parts are in New Jersey.

According to one report, late collector of oddities and Columbia University professor John Lattimer retained the French emperors genitalia, along with some other somewhat strange collectibles and body parts for his private collection

Legend has it that Napoleons penis was severed by a clergy member who gave him last rites, and the body part has been traded extensively since the early 1800s. Over the years, the famous private parts were bought and sold by collectors and were even exhibited in New York City. With an interesting background, an exhibition record and inclusion in some well-known private American collections, Napoleons body parts enjoyed a well-documented history.

There is a connection to the City of Brotherly Love in the story of Napoleons body parts.

Thats right, this part of Napoleons body was once owned by the Philadelphia bookseller and well-known collector A.S.W. Rosenbach, of the Rosenbach museum fame, who eagerly put it on exhibition.

It is surprising, but Lattimer and A.S.W. Rosenbach werent the only collectors with an interest in antique body parts of famous and not-so-famous figures.

Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, interestingly enough, made the unusual decision to keep her husbands dried heart in a writing desk drawer.

Napoleonic provenance

The report on the collection of this very personal piece of Napoleonic property made me reconsider an issue that comes up frequently in my own work as an appraiser: the issue of provenance.

Ive discussed provenance in the past and commented on how it impacts value and sparks great interest in the antiques and vintage marketplace.

Provenance, from the French, is a concept regarding the authenticity and documented history or lineage of an object, work of art, collectible or antique.

Provenance helps give credence to an objects lineage and impacts value and interest in the market. It could be said that provenance is like an objects resume. Provenance highlights how an aging object has traveled from one collector to another and documents its prominence in the public eye  including its appearance in museum exhibitions, famed collections, scholarly publications and the like.

Celebrity collectibles

The early decades of the 19th century were a time when collectors were attracted by the stuff of celebrities, monarchs and military figures.

Many exhibitions were organized around the objects belonging to well-known figureheads, personalities, etc.

These items regularly went on tour as major exhibits, and sparked widespread popular interest near and far.

Long ago, people traveled to see the body parts or possessions of historical figures, just as we do today. Like the medieval pilgrims who traveled to Europes many pilgrimage churches and cathedrals to pray among the relics of the Christian saints, today, we regularly rush to museums to see exhibitions that offer a glimpse of the past.

We are encouraged by the prospect of taking in an exhibit of such secular objects as the royal crown jewels of Great Britain or the vast and diverse objects exhumed from the ancient tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs like that of King Tut.

For my 2 cents, I think that we should continue to do just that and visit these objects in museums, or collect these objects for our own wonder chambers, and enjoy them as conversation pieces.

It is one of the best ways to retain history and learn more about how those who came before us lived.

High-style hair

Todays collectors are not much different from our ancestors from the ancient, medieval or Victorian periods. People then and now enjoy a healthy interest in collecting anything associating with ancient, medieval or Victorian periods. People then and now enjoy a healthy interest in collecting anything associated with a celebrity, including famous persons body parts.

Probably the most common body collectible of the 1800s was human hair. The Victorians retained free-flowing strands or woven hair locks of both the famous and the familiar, and encased the hair in gold-jeweled lockets, or squirreled the hair away in glass jars. It makes some 21st-century collectibles enthusiasts ponder the question: How much is Britney Spears hair worth? Could we put a value on George Clooneys fingernail? Are Kim Kardashians eyelashes worth a listing on eBay?

Its quite possible that a spa or salon owner, where a pop icon or movie star got a haircut and a manicure, could be sitting on a fortune in their trash bin.

For those of you who dont have Vincent Van Goghs ear or Tom Thumbs thumb proudly displayed in your china or curio cabinet, remember: Celebrity status is not the only key to value.

No matter the antique or collectible object, it is provenance that remains one of the keys to establishing true value in the market.

With a Ph. D. from Penn State University, Lori Verderame is an award-winning antiques appraiser on History channels hit show The Curse of Oak Island  highlighting the worlds oldest treasure hunt, For information about your antiques and collectibles, visit www.DrLoriV.com and www.YouTube.com/DrLoriV
In a 2-0 vote Wednesday, Lancaster County Commissioners approved a plan to give hiring and retention bonuses to correctional officers at Lancaster County Prison.

The prison has faced an exodus of correctional officers that has accelerated in recent weeks and county officials are hoping the incentives will reverse the losses.

Its important to note that the situation at the prison is unlike anything else we have in Lancaster County, Commissioner Ray DAgostino said. We have extreme circumstances for a 24/7/365 operation that need to be addressed. I think both sides have come together to present something that will give us the opportunity to, if not solve the situation, at least make it extremely better than the situation we have now, which is untenable.

The head of the correctional officers union had expressed support for the bonus plan.

The county prison is currently down 64 officers, which Chief Clerk Larry George said was jeopardizing operations. The shortage comes as the prison grapples with a COVID-19 outbreak that had affected 117 inmates and 18 staff as of Tuesday, though none had been hospitalized.

In an attempt to reverse the decline in the number of correctional officers, the county will offer hiring bonuses of $7,500 to new officers. Additionally, it will offer retention bonuses of $7,500 to $12,000 to current correctional officers and a small number of other employees who work directly with inmates.

The plan is projected to cost $2.4 million, which will be funded through the countys American Rescue Plan funds from the federal government.

But for the time being, the county is not raising the starting wage for correctional officers, which is the lowest in the region. DAgostino noted the plan will run through August of 2022, which is when negotiations on a new correctional officer union contract will begin and wages can be addressed.

DAgostino and fellow Republican Commissioner Josh Parsons voted for the plan, but Democratic Commissioner Lehman abstained, saying he cant stand behind the process.

Lehman said that at Tuesdays work session, a member of the public  prison reform advocate Neil Ward  had requested a copy of the draft plan presented to the commissioners and was denied by Commissioner Parsons. So while he said he wanted to support the prison, Lehman said could not in good conscience vote for the proposal because he viewed that denial as restricting the publics access to information prior to the vote.

Parsons disagreed with Lehmans reasoning, saying the document the board received Tuesday was a pre-decisional one  an apparent reference to exemptions in the states Right-to-Know Law  but noted it was included in the agenda for Wednesdays meeting. Parsons accused Lehman of preforming mental gymnastics to find a reason not to vote for the plan.

The county will begin implementing the bonuses immediately, and Parsons reiterated his desire for county officials to also come up with a plan to advertise the open correctional officer positions.
Three Lancaster County school districts have yet to announce that they will adhere to the Pennsylvania Department of Health order requiring individuals to wear a mask inside school buildings.

On Thursday, four additional county school districts  Donegal, Ephrata Area, Lampeter-Strasburg and Solanco  announced they will follow the order.

The order, announced Tuesday by Gov. Tom Wolf, goes into effect next Tuesday, when students return from the Labor Day break.

Here's which school districts have stated that they will follow the state's order, as of 3 p.m. Thursday.

Cocalico: Still evaluating.

Columbia Borough: Yes.*

Conestoga Valley: Still evaluating.

Donegal: Yes.

Eastern Lancaster County: Yes.

Elizabethtown Area: Yes.

Ephrata Area: Yes.

Hempfield: Still evaluating.

Lancaster: Yes.*

Lampeter-Strasburg: Yes.

Manheim Central: Yes.

Manheim Township: Yes.*

Octorara Area: Yes.

Penn Manor: Yes.

Pequea Valley: Yes.

Solanco: Yes.

Warwick: Yes.

*These school districts already have a mask requirement in place.
Three Lancaster County school districts, as of 4 p.m. Thursday, have yet to announce whether they will adhere to Tuesdays Pennsylvania Department of Health order requiring individuals to wear a mask inside school buildings.

Depending on their decision, schools and their employees may face steep penalties, including lawsuits, loss of credentials, fines and even jail time, government and school officials said. However, it remains unclear how vigilant the state will be in enforcing the mandate, as well as how concerned parents are supposed to call attention to schools that fail to follow the rule.

The school mask order, effective next Tuesday, comes amid an alarming statewide surge in COVID-19 cases, including among children, that is filling hospital beds due to the highly contagious delta variant. Despite that, as well as the reported benefits of masks, the majority of Lancaster County school districts began the school year mask-optional, and some appear to remain resistant to a mask requirement.

Officials with school districts that have not announced they will follow the order have said they are evaluating with their legal counsel before communicating their plans moving forward. Some said theyre making sure it is a valid, legally binding mandate, something most school boards promised to follow in the health and safety plans they approved over the summer months.

County school districts that havent announced their plans, as of 4 p.m. Thursday, are Cocalico, Conestoga Valley and Hempfield.

What happens if they decide to ignore the order?

According to a state Department of Education spokesperson, who referred a reporter to the departments list of frequently asked questions about the order online, the order is legal under the Disease Prevention and Control Law, and schools should enforce it as they do other state laws.

School officials who fail to adhere to the order could lose the protection of sovereign immunity  a protection that comes with being a government entity  and, therefore, may personally face lawsuits from those who are affected by the officials attempt to ignore the order.

Those who violate the Disease Prevention and Control Law may be charged with a criminal summary offense, with the potential of fines and jail time, the law states.

Individual school employees could lose their credentials under the educator misconduct portion of the school code, according to a letter the Warwick School District administration sent to families Wednesday.

Unless or until a court of competent jurisdiction issues an injunction against the Secretary of Health regarding the implementation and enforcement of the Secretary's mask order effective on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, the school district is obligated to comply with the provisions of that order, the letter stated.

The order also supersedes any directives about masking outlined in Octoraras Health and Safety Plan approved by the board of school directors, Octorara Area School District Superinendent Michele Orner said in a letter to families Tuesday evening.

The order states schools must require and enforce the use of face coverings indoors regardless of a schools health and safety plan  with few exceptions, including for students with certain medical conditions.

The Department of Education spokesperson did not answer a reporters question about how parents or school employees can issue a complaint against a school district thats failing to require and enforce the mask mandate.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)  An Arizona newspaper publisher who repeatedly claimed that his ex-wife poisoned him has dropped lawsuits against her ahead of a trial that was scheduled to start this week.

Joseph Soldwedel sued Felice Aspiranti amid a bitter divorce after police found no evidence of his claim that she tried to kill him with a heavy metal once used in rat poisoning. Prosecutors in Yavapai County declined to file criminal charges.

Soldwedel runs Western News and Info Inc., which owns or partially owns a dozen newspapers, including the Daily Courier in Prescott, the Daily Miner in Kingman, the Navajo-Hopi Observer and Todays News-Herald in Lake Havasu City.

Soldwedel also accused Aspiranti, 66, of defamation, and she countersued.

The cases were consolidated but largely languished in court since they were filed in 2018 in part because of the pandemic.

As Thursday's trial date neared, Soldwedel agreed to drop his claims and Aspiranti, in turn, dropped hers. A judge signed off on the deal last month, saying the lawsuits cannot be refiled and called off the trial.

Soldwedel, 69, attributed his decision partly to his age and wanting to focus more on his health, family and job.

I had convinced myself a few years ago that (with) such a lawsuit, I could achieve closure, he said. But I realized probably within the last year, theres no such thing no matter how it turned out.

Soldwedel and Aspiranti, who had worked at one of his newspapers, were married for seven years before she filed for divorce in April 2017.

Soldwedel unsuccessfully sought to introduce his poisoning allegations into the divorce proceedings. He argued Aspiranti married him for his money in an attempt to annul their marriage and invalidate the prenuptial agreement that guaranteed Aspiranti would receive $900,000 if the couple divorced and $1 million if Soldwedel died. A court upheld them.

Aspiranti believes the lawsuits were retaliation for her wanting to end the marriage and because she had reported to police that Soldwedel was harassing or stalking her. She called the poisoning claims ludicrous. The couple's divorce was finalized last year.

Soldwedel used his newspapers to publicize his claims, detailing allegations that Aspiranti slipped poison into his food and greatly affected his health.

Soldwedel also published an advertisement in the Prescott newspaper with her photo to disparage her, and most recently wrote and self-published a book that repeated the poisoning claims. Soldwedel said he distributed more than 30,000 copies of the first part of the book for free to newspaper subscribers.

Aspiranti said she received a copy of the book she didn't ask for by mail and gave it to her attorney, John Mull. She said in an interview that Soldwedel has a hell of an imagination.

Soldwedel sought $18 million from Aspiranti in the lawsuit that alleged poisoning and $2 million in his defamation case against Aspiranti, her family and a friend.

Its been a burden to them and a theater of this rich man trying to sue them all, Aspiranti said. It was just hard on all of us. Were all glad its gone and done."

Mull said he was confident enough that Soldwedel's poisoning claims wouldn't hold up in court that he didn't hire an expert on behalf of Aspiranti to rebut them, calling the case one of the most bizarre he's ever encountered.

In my mind, she was completely vindicated, he said. She voluntarily agreed to talk to police, have her computer searched, have her phone checked, and none of that supported any of his claims. His own evidence he was relying on was inaccurate as well. It didn't support his claims."

Soldwedel's attorney, Jay Bloom, said the possibility that the case would have been heard by a judge or judicial panel first and not a jury, under an alternative dispute resolution program established for civil trials amid the pandemic, also factored into Soldwedel's decision to drop his claims.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  The centerpiece of Gov. Tom Wolfs plan to fight climate change passed its last regulatory hurdle Wednesday, in a hard-fought bid to make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy.

The plan to impose a price on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants in Pennsylvania won a 3-2 party-line vote from the Independent Regulatory Review Commission, a five-member panel of gubernatorial and legislative appointees.

The commission voted after almost six hours of testimony and nearly two years of Wolf's administration working on the regulation and shepherding it through the long regulatory process.

The vote allows Pennsylvania, through regulation, to join a multistate consortium, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which sets a price and declining limits on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

By joining the consortium, Pennsylvania is taking a historic, proactive and progressive approach that will have significant positive environmental, public health and economic impacts, Wolf said in a statement after the vote.

Mark Szybist, a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, called it the most important climate action that Pennsylvania has taken in more than a decade.

At 34%, Pennsylvanias energy sector is its largest emitter of carbon dioxide, the most pervasive greenhouse gas.

Under the cap-and-trade program, its dozens of power plants fueled by coal, oil and natural gas would be forced to buy hundreds of millions of dollars in credits in the coming years that the state could then spend on clean energy efforts.

Wolf's administration had initially sought support in the Republican-controlled Legislature and, failing to get traction there, pursued the matter through regulation.

In the nation's No. 2 natural gas state and its No. 3 coal-mining state, opponents were numerous.

They included coal- and natural gas-related interests who would pay more to operate, industrial and business groups that fear higher electricity bills and labor unions whose workers maintain power plants, build gas pipelines and mine coal, fearing a loss of jobs.

There was also an outcry from coal communities, including one testifier who said he worked at a coal-fired power plant and called it an assassination of blue-collar jobs."

A chief argument against Wolf's plan had been that making fossil fuels more expensive would send power generation to neighboring states with no emissions caps and devastate local coal-mining jobs and economies.

Others questioned its legality or the need to do it if Pennsylvania won't directly see more moderate temperatures or weather events.

The Wolf administration projects reductions in air pollution and electricity bills, improvements in public health and a stronger economy.

Proponents argued that the time for action is now, and that acting sooner will put Pennsylvania in a better position to capitalize on a growing clean energy economy and pave the way for more states and the federal government to take more aggressive action.

Not only is it the right thing to do, but it is in each states self-interest to do it, Szybist said in an interview.

The heavily populated and fossil fuel-rich Pennsylvania has long been one of the nations biggest polluters and power producers and the jury is out on whether a carbon-pricing program would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Its effectiveness could depend on where emissions caps are set and whether money from the emissions credits are wisely spent on clean energy and energy efficiency programs.

The regulation could take several months to be officially published and become final. Once it does, Pennsylvania would join California, Washington and the 11 states already in the greenhouse gas consortium to adopt a carbon pricing policy, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.

Wolf wants it to take effect next year, although a legal challenge is expected before that. The Republican-controlled Legislature also may try to muster veto-proof majorities to block it.

In theory, electricity from solar, wind and nuclear power generators would become more cost competitive in electricity markets.

In some cases, Wolf's plan received support from backers of higher-efficiency natural gas plants and labor unions involved in renewable energy projects. It also motivated the Ohio-based owner of nuclear-powered Beaver Valley Power Station to put off plans to close the plant.

Coal advocates say the plan will prematurely shut down coal mines and coal-fired power plants in Pennsylvania.

Rep. James Struzzi, R-Indiana, whose district is home to two coal-fired plants, told the panel that people are terrified of what carbon-pricing will do their community.

Its an assault on a particular industry to benefit other industries, and that is simply not acceptable, Struzzi said.



Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter.
UPDATE: The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in Oxford, Chester County. Click here to read more.

National Weather Service crews are surveying damage associated with a potential tornado in Oxford, Chester County, today as many Pennsylvanians assess the aftermath of the remnants of Hurricane Ida pummeling through the region.

NWS issued a tornado warning for a portion of Chester County, which included Oxford, Parkesburg and Atglen, around 4 p.m. Wednesday. The tornado warning lasted until 4:45 p.m. and covered an area with a recorded population of 56,051.

The region also contains 17 schools and one hospital.

Here is a map highlighting the areas our survey crews are planning to survey today. Details and any damage ratings will be updated later on today via social media and the Public Information Statement on our website as information becomes available from the teams. #PAwx #NJwx pic.twitter.com/qaEH1HXdNb  NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) September 2, 2021

Tornado Warning including Oxford PA, Parkesburg PA, Atglen PA until 4:45 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/ULbPKvdaZn  NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) September 1, 2021

Though NWS has not yet confirmed a tornado in the Oxford area, the agency did confirm a tornado had passed through the city of Burlington, New Jersey, on its way to southern Bucks County around 7 p.m.

NWS's storm damage survey team also confirmed an EF-2 tornado in Montgomery County  which borders Chester  with peak winds up to 130 mph. A tornado is designated as EF-2 when it reaches wind gusts between 111 and 135 mph.

[2:25 PM] Storm damage survey team has confirmed an EF-2 tornado in Fort Washington/Upper Dublin Twp to Horsham Twp, PA (Montgomery County). This occurred yesterday, 9/1. Estimated peak winds up to 130 mph. More details this evening or Friday. #pawx  NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) September 2, 2021

Storm analyst and media meteorologist Eric Horst replied to a Twitter post of damage along Route 1 North past PA Route 10 near Oxford, speculating that theres a good chance it was caused by a brief low-end tornado. He added that a tornado of that kind is not uncommon for strong tropical storm remnants.

Route 1 was closed Wednesday night due to fallen trees on the highway.

Good chance this was caused by a brief low-end tornado. NWS will assess and confirm (or not) tomorrow. Not uncommon for a strong tropical remnant. https://t.co/D17Yk9CUt3  E. Horst (@HorstWeather) September 1, 2021

Those were not the only photos of damage in Oxford circulating on Twitter. Quite a few other residents posted damage to houses, fallen trees and power lines.
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Recently I learned of a man with high integrity and wisdom. This man was the only king of England to have the Great added to his name. He was King Alfred the Great.

He was given this title because he was a man whose entire life was dedicated to serving his nation. He was the deliverer of the Anglo-Saxon inhabitants from their oppressors, who were the Danes (Vikings). He was a protector of his county and personally sacrificed to keep his people free and safe.

King Alfred the Great was a Christian, a teacher of the law of God and the Old Testament prophets, and a promoter of the Golden Rule. He truly believed and practiced love your neighbor as yourself. As a preacher, he encouraged his magistrates to always look to the interests of the people.

As a judge, he was serious about justice for all, ensuring that the laws applied to everyone. His code of justice was the basis of the term common law, which is still in use today. King Alfred held his magistrates accountable for all judgments they made, and if there was any unjust decision, he would question why they judged so poorly. As a result, every wrongdoer knew their wrongful acts would be uncovered and dealt with.

Would any of you like to have more elected officials like Alfred the Great? The next time you vote, I believe you should make your vote based on someone with character like that of King Alfred the Great.

Michael D. Spangler

Rapho Township
When will we ever learn? What has happened in Afghanistan is truly heartbreaking. Weve been there before. Vietnam. Iraq. And now Afghanistan. When we will ever learn that such prolonged wars do not bring us closer to our long-term security goals?

There were plenty of warnings against these disastrous military interventions. U.S. military officers sent to Vietnam in the late 1950s and early 1960s concluded that getting involved in fighting the Viet Cong would be futile.

Our own intelligence warned that invading Iraq would destabilize the Middle East. In November 2001, some two months after the 9/11 attack, the Taliban, overwhelmed by our airstrikes, surrendered unconditionally, asking only for amnesty. No one has ever successfully occupied Afghanistan, yet we refused to accept that surrender.

So why do we not learn? Why do our politicians opt for military action and risk long-term occupation?

Could it be that they have been bought out by the military-industrial complex that President Dwight Eisenhower, the general who led us and our allies to success in World War II (certainly a justified war), warned us against?

Could it also be that going to war plays well with the electorate? If thats the case, then its up to us  the electorate  to inform ourselves and learn from our mistakes. So, lets stop this cycle of emotionally based opinions and decision-making. And of counterproductive military interventions, unrealistic nation-building and their resulting humanitarian betrayals.

Nina Menke

Manheim Township
Two articles on facing pages in Mondays LNP | LancasterOnline seem to sum up the loss of civility in a segment of our population.

In an article by The Associated Press about hostile school board meetings on Page A6, one recent speaker said, Its my constitutional right to be as mean as I want to you guys.

Really? Ive never seen that specific right outlined in our Constitution.

And in an AP article on Page A7 about a former U.K. Royal Marine, it is said that this ex-Marine left an expletive-filled message for a senior defense official, threatening to spend the rest of my time ... destroying you in social media.

Why? Because this official said people needed to be prioritized over animals in the evacuation.

Why have we become so mean and hate-filled toward our fellow human beings? Is this the message and legacy we want to teach the young people in our world  that it is OK to treat others with hate and contempt?

If so, then I believe we have no one to blame but ourselves when more wars break out and more prisons are needed for the people who learned it is OK to hate and abuse others.

Lets try spreading kindness instead of hate  maybe it will catch on.

Donna Becker

Providence Township
This article appears in the September 3, 2021 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

From Blair to Farage: British Imperial Hysteria at Bidens Afghanistan Policy

[Print version of this article]

Aug. 27On the weekend of August 21-22, the British Establishment exploded in indignation in reaction to President Joe Bidens determination to end the U.S./NATO war in Afghanistan following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban a week earlier. The British press was in a complete state of hysteria, as evidenced by the headlines reported in the BBCs own blog on August 22. Blair attacks Bidens imbecilic retreat as Kabul chaos deepens, screamed the headline in the Sunday Times. The London Telegraph also noted former Prime Minister Tony Blairs attack on President Joe Biden.

Blair was the British imperialist who launched the 21st-Century endless wars policy, for democracy and regime-change, with a 1999 speech to the Chicago World Affairs Council. Now, he set the panic and anti-U.S. fury into motion August 21 with a 2,700-word essay denouncing Bidens decision, first published on the website of his Institute for Global Change:

Today we are in a mood that seems to regard the bringing of democracy as a utopian delusion, and interventionvirtually of any sortas a fools errand. The world is now uncertain of where the west stands because it is so obvious that the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in this way was driven, not by grand strategy, but by politics.

We didnt need to do it. We chose to do it. We did it in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending the forever wars, as if our engagement in 2021 was remotely comparable to our commitment 20 or even 10 years ago, in circumstances in which troop numbers had declined to a minimum and no allied soldier had lost their life in combat for 18 months.

But the British hysteria is really driven by the discrediting of the current Prime Minister Boris Johnsons Global Britain policy, announced last March, followed by the April 16 release of the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. That essentially imperialist strategy depends on leveraging Britains special relationship with American muscle to spread British influence across the globe. Our influence will be amplified by stronger alliances and wider partnershipsnone more valuable to British citizens than our relationship with the United States, the Integrated Review declared.

Blair complained bitterly: For Britain, out of Europe and suffering the end of the Afghanistan mission by our greatest ally with little or no consultation ... we are at risk of relegation to the second division of global powers.

In an August 18 debate in the House of Commons, The Sunday Times of London reported, Ministers have warned that Britain will have to tear up its foreign policy after the debacle in Afghanistan, amid flaring tempers about Americas decision to cut and run. The Sunday Times cited an unnamed minister that the government would have to revisit the Integrated Review, and extended the furious attack on the United States unfaithfulness to the Empire, to all of the past 100 years:

America has just signaled to the world that they are not that keen on playing a global role, the minister said. The implications of that are absolutely huge. We need to get the Integrated Review out and reread it. We are going to have to do a hard-nosed revisit on all our assumptions and policies. The U.S. had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the First World War. They turned up late for the Second World War and now they are cutting and running in Afghanistan.

British Officer Demands Biden Court-Martial

The British elite, which led the charge to expel Donald Trump from office, now joins calls in Washington for Joe Bidens removal. Col. Richard Kemp, CBE, who once commanded British troops in Afghanistan, said in an August 22 TV interview that Biden should be court-martialed. Kemp may or may not understand that this would require a military coup in the United States.

I dont say this lightly and Ive never said it about anybody elseany other leader in this position. People have been talking about impeaching President Biden, Kemp told Fox News host Mark Levin. I dont believe President Biden should be impeached. Hes the commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces whos just essentially surrendered to the Taliban: He shouldnt be impeached. He should be court-martialed for betraying the United States of America and the United States armed forces.

China is also poised to use Afghanistans wealth of minerals and natural resources as a way to hit against the West, Kemp claimed. So, the whole world just became vastly more dangerous. The U.S. governmentPresident Biden humiliated the United States. He humiliated the United States Army, Kemp argued. I think the consequences of whats just happened and whats still happening are absolutely devastating for the whole of the Western world.

Nick Allen, The Telegraphs U.S. editor, declared the Biden Administration over. Joe Biden is flailing. Following his parade of stumblesverbal and physicalthe fall of Kabul has proved not so much the straw, but the sledgehammer, that broke the camels back, he wrote in a commentary posted on August 25.

Mr. Biden will stagger on following this utter disaster but the prospect of a second term, which he very much wants, now seems remote. Many want his presidency over sooner, wary of other unforeseen catastrophes awaiting America, and the world, over the next three years. The Republican drumbeat to use the 25th Amendment has begun.

Global Britain Left Impotent and Friendless

Andrew Rawnsley, Chief Political Commentator of the Sunday Observer, wrote in a commentary posted August 22 that Boris Johnsons Global Britain has been exposed as impotent and friendless by Bidens decision making on Afghanistan. When it came to the calls that mattered over Afghanistan, Mr. Johnsons capacity to influence Mr. Biden was less than that of the presidents dog, Rawnsley lamented.

The withdrawal of what remained of the NATO presence in Afghanistan was dictated by abrupt and unilateral decisions made in Washington. Ministers privately admit that not only did they fail to see a resurgent Taliban coming, they have been reduced to second-guessing what the United States will do next.

Where is Global Britain on the streets of Kabul? angrily demanded Theresa May, Boris Johnsons predecessor as Prime Minister, of Johnson during the August 18 debate in the House of Commons. I have never heard so much fury so ferociously expressed by Conservative MPs about the behavior of the U.S., Rawnsley wrote. Behind their hot anger was a cold fear: the foreboding sense of an impotent Britain friendless in a frightening world.

Lord Peter Ricketts, who among other things led the Joint Intelligence Committee under Tony Blair, called Bidens decision to withdraw from Afghanistan a wake-up call to allies who had nourished hopes of a return to U.S. internationalism. But the lack of communication is something the Brits feel most: we are most needy about wanting to be seen as Washingtons closest counterparts.

Lord Kim Darroch, the former UK ambassador to the United States who was expelled from Washington for working to undermine Trumps Presidency, warned that the foreign policy disaster that is the Afghan withdrawal risks undermining Boris Johnsons Global Britain project. There should have been more planning for an orderly exit, the peer told BBC Radio 4s Today program on August 23. He told The Telegraph:

Global Britain was an interesting and potentially lucrative, sensible path for the UK to go on. We have reduced foreign aid; we have done a defence review which does a number of good things but which reduces the size of the British Army; we have done trade deals which, with one exception, duplicate [existing] EU deals and we have rather passively acquiesced in the foreign policy disaster that is the Afghan withdrawal.

It is going to take quite a long time for the West as a wholebecause it is a Western failure, a Western disaster, this is not just the UK and the U.S.to recover from all this, to recover our reputation.

Philip Collins, the political columnist for the Evening Standard, wrote in an August 23 commentary:

This week, the withdrawal of the residual NATO presence in Afghanistan took place without any British minister even being on the calls that were all routed through Washington. Worse than that, Afghanistan is the final collapse of the hope that the Western liberal democracies are prepared to act in concert to defend the ideals to which they claim to be committed.

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Gage Skidmore

And finally, Nigel Farage, who led the Brexit campaign and who also was a sometime Leader of the UK Independence Party, spat out sour grapes at the United States for having let down the imperialist side, telling Fox News August 26:

Weve not seen major terrorist atrocities in the West [recently], but if they start to happen again and we start to think, well, how do we go out again and try and stop these cells that are spreading international terror? How can we do it with the Americans? How can we do it with an ally that is treating us with contempt and betrayed us and into the bargain, many of our own citizens?

Certainly, if its a Biden or Harris administration, honestly, there is no waythere is no way a British parliament right now would vote for military cooperation with America led by this administration.

And thats a very sad thing to say, because since 1917, the U.K. and America have been side by side in virtually every major conflict. Weve been the closest allies in terms of military action, in terms of intelligence sharing, in terms of culture, in terms of business. You couldnt have a better ally in the world. And right at the moment, Im sorry, but theres no way we could enter into another operation with you.
British Empires Royal Air Force Declares Global Role To Bomb Terrorists Anywhere, Anytime

Sept. 1, 2021 (EIRNS)The Queens Royal Air Force is prepared to launch fresh air strikes against Islamic State in Afghanistan or anywhere else they may be found, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston told the Telegraph on Aug. 30. Ultimately, what this boils down to is that weve got to be able to play a global role in the global coalition to defeat Daesh [IS]whether its strike or whether its moving troops or equipment into a particular country at scale and at speed. The Telegraph reported that his comments came after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said earlier the same day that Britain was willing to use all means necessary to combat IS amid warnings that the chaos in Afghanistan has increased the terror threat to the U.K. Raab was one of the signers of a joint statement of the global anti-ISIS coalition issued by the State Department the same day. The U.K. stands united with our coalition partners in mourning those killed by Daeshs horrific attack at Kabul airport and in our unwavering collective resolve to combat Daesh networks by all means available, wherever they operate, Raab said.

Wigston declared, If theres an opportunity for us to contribute, I am in no doubt that we will be ready to. That will be anywhere where violent extremism raises its head and is a direct or indirect threat to the U.K. and our allies. Afghanistan is probably one of the most inaccessible parts of the world, and were able to operate there.

These [IS] are nasty, devious people who hide behind the civilian population and they fight from the civilian population. And its one of those awful consequences of tackling the violent extremists that, however hard we try, is in the back of my mind. I know there will be instances where there will be unavoidable civilian casualties, Wigston said. However, he further stated that the latest Brimstone missiles were able to effectively eliminate a target without collateral damage.

London-based anti-drone activist Chris Cole, in a posting on his Drone Wars website, states that British drones and other aircraft continue to undertake military operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, with more than 50 U.K. airstrikes in the first six months of 2021. In addition, U.K. Reaper drones have also been engaged in a covert operation about which the government refuses to answer any questions, Cole remarks. It remains to be seen whether planning turns into actual operations, but launching such air strikes continues to kill innocent civilians, referring to the U.S. drone strike in Kabul on Aug. 29 which the U.S. military says stopped an ISIS-K suicide attack, but which the Taliban and news reports claimed killed ten civilians.

What is seemingly not in doubt, despite the humiliating end of U.S. and U.K. military operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan, is the willingness to embrace violent military action, Cole concludes. There is apparently no need to learn any lessons from the tragedy and failure of the last 20 years of Western military operations in Afghanistan or to reflect in any way on the effectiveness of air and drone strikes rather than diplomatic and political solutions. Forever War, apparently, is the only option there is.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

Zepp-LaRouche: Get the Solutions Out Front

Sept. 1, 2021 (EIRNS)On Aug. 31, the day the U.S. completed its pull-out of evacuees and military forces from Afghanistan after 20 years, President Joe Biden spoke in a national address, of the end of an era. The same day in Afghanistan, the Taliban held two press conferences in Kabulone at the international airport, and one at the national TV building, at which leaders announced their commitment to Afghanistans sovereignty, building its economy, asking for international support, and or the return of Afghans to build their nation.

Get the solutions out front, was the urgent call to action today, by Schiller Institute President Helga Zepp-LaRouche. This is a turning-point moment, she stressed. There are the immediate humanitarian needs in Afghanistan, as well as ongoing crises from the pandemic and famine worldwide which must have attention, and there is the necessity to launch infrastructure-building for basic livelihoods and the future. In the forefront is the necessity to build capacity to provide world health security. All this requires international collaboration.

Instead of this overview, there abound all types of abreactions in the Transatlantic Establishment, on the end of the forever war by the U.S. pulling out of Afghanistan, ranging from shock, to benign babble on diplomacybut without development content. The MICIMATT complex is working overtime to thwart needed action. That is, the complex made up of the military industrial congressional intelligence media academia think tank circles. For example, the media try to inculcate fixated fury, mostly on the Kabul evacuation, and strictly military issues.

Zepp-LaRouche, instead, called for focus on What to do next? It is time to reflect on why this whole sad situation happened in the first place. That raises the question of the 20-year cover-up of those behind the perpetration of the 9/11 attack.

In 10 days, the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks will take place. In 2001, blame for that atrocity was deliberately misattributed to shield the British/Saudi Arabia and related networks responsible, to instead focus on bad guys in bat caves in Afghanistan for the next two decades.

In New York, the Independent Candidate for U.S. Senate Diane Sare has released a Special Supplement to her monthly newspaper, the New Federalist. Dated today, her lead article is headlined, 9/11 Was Preventable; Only Facing the Truth Will Secure the Future. The broadside features excerpts from Lyndon LaRouches live interview appearance on Utah radio at the very time of the 9/11 attacks. He warned then, on the real nature of the networks which perpetrated the assault, saying, Osama bin Laden is not an independent force....

On the ground in Afghanistan right now, of the total population of 39 million, there are an estimated 18 million in need of humanitarian relief (shelter, water, food, medicine, livelihood aid). Well over 500,000 Afghanis are displaced within their own nation. UN staff are on the scene from UNICEF, UNHCR and other agencies, to keep relief going.

Last week David Beasley, Executive Director of the UN World Food Program, went personally to Afghanistan during the evacuation period, to meet with the Taliban, to keep continuity of aid going. He estimates that 4 million Afghanis could die this year from starvation if food relief is not constant. He reported that the Taliban are cooperating fully, including by providing food warehouses and routes for delivery. The WFP is committed to pre-stage food for the winter over the next 45 days, provided an additional $200 million comes in to the WFP.

The events in Afghanistanhistoric and dramaticare in fact part of the collapse of the whole neo-liberal system. The absence and decrepitude of infrastructure in the United States for the last half-centuryespecially provision of new water supplies, disaster protection structures, rail building, and the takedown of health care capacity, are at the extreme stage. This is the storynot climate changeof the raging Western wildfires, and the vulnerability to hurricane damage on the Gulf Coast and elsewhere. Many states have a harvest disaster, which makes for a world food crisis.

The solutions Zepp-LaRouche refers to, include banking reorganization on the Glass-Steagall principle, directed credit for crash programs of infrastructure construction, particularly health care, and R&D for space, nuclear fusion energy, and other advanced scientific programs.

Afghanistan is a special conjuncture, involving the necessity to change course. But meantime, the danger persists from the pro-endless war crowd, which continues the Asia Pivot, anti-China actions in the Pacific; the Ukraine activation against Russia; and all the other geopolitical maneuvers. On Aug. 30, British Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston crowed about how Britain stands ready to make airstrikes anywhere, if terrorism is the target. Even if no longer on the ground in Afghanistanone of the most inaccessible parts of the world ... were still able to operate there through airstrikes and drones, he said. After all, we launch airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, said Wigston. I know there will be instances where there will be unavoidable civilian casualties. By one estimate, the U.K. has conducted 50 airstrikes since January, in Syria and Iraq.

Instead of death and failure, the world is ready and open for peace through development.
Black in School: Why Do CA Black Students Face Half a Billion Dollar School Funding Gap Amid Resurging Coronavirus?

I cannot aptly describe just how complicated running a school has become in the era of COVID-19. New categories of jobs have been created in schools just to contact trace, test, and track the escalation of the virus as it spreads. The county health department gave our school a one-page decision tree last year to guide our response when we got a COVID case. Now the document is literally called a decision forest and its three times as long.

Quarantining people who become infected has an eerie effect in schools. A person who is at work today, can disappear tomorrow into quarantine leaving the function they once performed to go undone for ten days at a time because there is nobody to replace them. These staffing gaps impact the ability of schools to consistently provide the services we take for granted.

The reality is before the pandemic 67 percent of Black kids in the Golden State could not read or write at grade level, while 79 percent were below state standards in mathematics and 86 percent in science. Our fight at Fortune School, to successfully educate children, particularly Black children is Californias fight.

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However, there is a problem for Black kids going back to school in California. Our state funds public schools based on student demographics, giving more money to the schools that serve kids lawmakers say need more support. Right now, 80,000 Black kids dont qualify for extra support because they are not low-income, foster youth or English learners. If they were, the schools that serve them would get $7000 more per child. That adds up to a $560 million funding gap for Californias Black students.

We need a school funding formula that provides more support for all Black students because as a group, our children are in crisis.

The California Democratic Party (CDP) Black Caucus is calling attention to these inequities in a special series of hearings called Black in School on the state of Black students in California public schools and powerful ways to improve the Black experience. The CDP Black Caucus is right to call for change.

As a public school educator, I encourage parents and guardians of Black children to become partners with their schools. This must happen now more than ever. From understanding achievement and funding gaps, to learning how to advocate for your child, we need to be here for each other  teaching, learning, and lifting ourselves as we continue to navigate together in these unprecedented times. Support the CDP Black Caucus as they continue to fight for the rights of all Black students who attend public schools in California. Together we can create the systemic changes that are critical for our childrens futures.

To register for the CDP Black Caucus Black in School event, visit https://bit.ly/3strzEQ.

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Editors Note: Dr. Margaret Fortune is the President/CEO of Fortune School, a system of nine, K-12 public charter schools with over 2,300 students focused on closing the Black achievement gap by preparing students for college. She is a State Delegate on the California Democratic Party (CDP) State Central Committee where she also is an elected member of the Executive Board of the CDP Black Caucus. Fortune is Treasurer of National Action Network (NAN) Sacramento and has been an education advisor to two California Governors. She is a graduate of the UC Berkeley and Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.
Last week in support of the campaign to stop the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) organized a Black Leaders Press Conference. Ninety influential Black leaders in education, the church, politics, civil rights, and more  as well as members of the California Legislative Black Caucus  attended the meeting last Tuesday via Zoom.

Lateefah Simon, a Bay Area-based womens and civil rights activist, moderated the zoom rally.

Each of the speakers took about one minute to voice their support for the governor and share why they intend to vote no on the recall. Many of them also spoke out against controversial recall candidate Larry Elder, who is L.A.-based radio talk show host and who says he not an African American but an American who is Black. He is the leading candidate vying to replace Newsom.

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We come together today as African American leaders because we understand the danger before us. We understand this is a right wing move and were not going to let it happen, said U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA-37). We cant get confused by Larry Elder. I dont care what he looks like. We know Larry Elder very well in Los Angeles. He has built his career on attacking black leaders.

The meeting began with a prayer delivered by the Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of Third Baptist Church in San Francisco and president that citys NAACP branch. Brown prayed for the redemption of our democracy and that the promise of the nation be upheld.

Congresswoman Lee echoed Congresswoman Bass support for Newsom.

We know that the health of our children, our neighbors and our communities depend on Governor Newsoms leadership. Hes been there for us, and we will be there for him, she said.

California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond shed light on unprecedented education spending Newsom helped make a reality in the state.

Our governor has given our schools a $123-billion budget for education. A record budget. It includes funding for broadband, mental health, community schools, universal meals for all kids, universal pre-school for all 4-year-olds, COVID tests, PPE and anti-hate. We dont recall governors who do good things for African Americans and for all people. We say no to the recall.

Malia Cohen, member of the California State Board of Equalization, called Black women to action, stressing that the recall election is especially urgent for womens rights.

If we lose Governor Newsom, we are losing our reproductive rights, we are losing our opportunity to have a champion that has been helping us fight the fight for child support and helping us lead the way for universal Pre-K. This is a human being that is an ally.

San Francisco mayor London Breed thanked Newsom for believing in her and first appointing her as well as providing logistical support to her city.

Governor Newsom has been there for us. He has answered our calls. He has been active and reached out to us on so many different levels. And what I dont want to do is to go backwards and stopped the progress we have been making, Breed said.

More importantly, I want to express that Gavin Newsom has been an amazing supporter and friend to African Americans  not just in his capacity as governor but when he served here as mayor of San Francisco, Breed continued. The first position I was appointed to was on the San Francisco Redevelopment Commission and Gavin Newsom appointed me. A lot of people think it was Willie Brown. It was not Willie Brown. It was Gavin Newsom.

Brown was the first Black mayor of San Francisco and a former Speaker of the California Assembly.

Newsom, who joined the call, expressed his gratitude for the support hes received thus far and reiterated the stances he plans to champion as governor. He pledged to continue to put women in positions of power, to build on economic and workforce development strategies for minority communities, and to continue to reform the public education system in California.

His most candid moment came during a brief question-and-answer session near the end of the meeting. He was responding to a question posed to him by California Democratic Party Black Caucus chair Taisha Brown about his agenda for Black Californians once the election is over.

This is a point of passion for me. This is a point of pride that I didnt just come to the issues of the African American community in the last 6 months since this recall became real, he said. This has been the cause a good part of my life, working with Rev. Brown and so many other leaders on this call. I look forward to continuing this work hopefully for many years to come when we defeat this recall.

Voting in the recall election has started in Californias 58 counties. Voters can return their mail-in ballots now by mail or at designated drop-off stations or polling centers in their counties. Or they can show up to the polls on election day Tuesday, Sept. 14, to cast their vote.
Candyman Directed By Nia DaCosta, A Woke Slasher Film That Slays!

It began with the compelling teaser trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9O9_-bv5qE) for the new film, Candyman by Nia DaCosta. No words accompany the shadow puppetry show inspired by the silhouette art of Kara Walker. Here we witness the unthinkable, gruesome atrocities committed against innocent African Americans. This was the first indication that DaCostas version of the horror classic was going to be distinctive. To begin, this dynamic director co-wrote the screenplay with Oscar winner Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld, and in the remake, they use the 1992 film as a jumping-off point, keeping the horror and expanding it into an urban legend fitting it within the context of African American folklore and history. And much like Peeles compelling and terrifying award-winning film, Get Out, they use horror to reflect the continuing trauma that impacts African Americans to this day with the continued cycle of violence.

Its interesting how DaCosta uses the fact that Candyman appears mostly in mirrors (which we all own), glass doors, and windows to whip up the anxiety and when hes finally seen  in his shearling-trimmed overcoat, his sparkling and menacing hook, and terrifying smile  we understand that we are in a world of trouble.

Candyman is a powerful symbol of unbridled terror who is accompanied by buzzing bees, a throwback from the origin story.

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The casting is superlative with Abdul-Mateen (Watchmen) delivering levels of charisma that signal we are meeting a new leading man. As the character Anthony, we believe his obsession and understand his lettering toward the brink of madness. We buy it all.

The sequel to the 1992 classic follows a brilliant visual artist named Anthony McCoy (Emmy Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who is in a rut and his art curator girlfriend Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris) who move into a luxury apartment in a new gentrified Chicago neighborhood called Cabrini-Green. After discovering the origin of the Candyman urban legend, from Cartwrights brother and Cabrini-Green resident William Burke (Coleman Domingo), McCoy painted the grisly details of the tale in his artwork, unknowingly summoning the vengeful spirit.

His interest piqued and falls into the story of the relentless supernatural killer with a hook for a hand. While investigating, he meets longtime resident William Burke (Colman Domingo), who fills him in on the history, including the bonfire that consumed Helen and the return of a baby boy, believed to have been kidnapped by Candyman.

Anthony pours his life force into his artwork, creating a mixed-media piece called Say My Name, which is a bathroom mirror that opens to reveal unsettling images within. The artist community doesnt embrace the work to Briannas disappointment, but a handful of people call out the name Candyman five times into that and other mirrors, which according to legend will summon his spirit.

Then it begins. That slow tick towards the end as grisly deaths start mounting and Anthonys stock instantly rises in the art world. His name is being tossed around on television news reports wrapped around the coverage of the bloody killings of two associates and weirdly, he begins to like his twisted fame and dives into work on a whole Candyman series of paintings, but saying his name opens a powerful, supernatural door to the past that reveals itself in terrifying manifestations before ultimately coming full circle.

Candyman is beyond brilliant with its fresh take on the tried and true horror genre in every way and by flipping the perspective, here with see a furious Candyman popping up in mirrors as hes brought back to being relevant to a new generation. Director and co-writer Nia DaCosta is the one to watch and frankly to place your bet on.
FBI Reports Sharp Rise in Hate Crimes Targeting Black and Asian People

Law enforcement agencies submitted incident reports involving 7,759 criminal incidents and 10,532 related offenses motivated by bias toward race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and gender identity.

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Further, the FBIs Hate Crime Statistics, 2020, reported 7,554 single-bias incidents involving 10,528 victims.

Percent distribution of victims by bias type shows that 61.9 percent of victims found themselves targeted because of the offenders race, ethnicity, or ancestry.

Further, 20.5 percent fell victim because of bias toward the offenders sexual orientation, 13.4 percent because of the offenders religion, 2.5 percent because of the offenders gender identity, 1 percent the offenders disability, and 0.7 percent because of the offenders gender bias.

Specifically, in its Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Programs latest compilation about bias-motivated incidents throughout the nation, the FBI noted that the number of hate crimes in the United States rose to the highest level in 12 years, driven by assaults targeting Black and Asian people.

The rise in hate crimes occurred in a year of renewed protests for racial justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others.

The rise in hate crimes is sad but predictable given the well-documented efforts by elected officials and political candidates to foment hate and division for partisan gain, especially during the 2020 election season and amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, stated in a news release.

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Hewitt noted that The Lawyers Committee filed several lawsuits within the last year to address hate incidents by people emboldened by an atmosphere in which blatant lies flourish and the truth often questioned.

Our clients were assaulted by racially motivated mobs, beaten by police using racially charged language, and targeted with thousands of racist robocalls delivering misinformation, Hewitt added.

While horrific on their own, all indications are that these incidents are still grossly underreported. Although hate crimes prey on historically disenfranchised groups, our government should treat these crimes as a threat to the very foundations of our democracy  a threat that we dismiss at our own peril.

The FBIs report revealed that of the 7,426 hate crime offenses classified as crimes against persons in 2020, 53.4 percent were for intimidation, 27.6 percent were for simple assault, and 18.1 percent were for aggravated assault.

Of the 2,913 hate crime offenses classified as crimes against property, most (76.4 percent) were acts of destruction/damage/vandalism.

Robbery, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, and other offenses accounted for the remaining 23.6 percent of crimes against property.

Law enforcement classified 193 additional offenses as crimes against society.

The FBI said this crime category represents societys prohibition against engaging in certain types of activity such as gambling, prostitution, and drug violations.

They said those crimes typically are victimless where property isnt the object.

Of the 6,431 known offenders, 55.2 percent were White, and 20.2 percent were Black or African American.

Other races accounted for the remaining known offenders:

1.1 percent were Asian.

1.1 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native.

0.5 percent were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

5.6 percent were of a group of multiple races.

The race was unknown for 16.4 percent.

Of the 5,820 known offenders for whom ethnicity was reported, 39.3 percent were Not Hispanic or Latino, 10.7 percent were Hispanic or Latino, and 2.5 percent were in a group of multiple races.

Ethnicity was unknown for 47.5 percent of these offenders.

Of the 5,915 known offenders for whom ages were known, 89.1 percent were 18 years of age or older.
Helen Williams-The passing of a 104-year-old Wonder

Helen Beatrice Cox Williams was born on May 1,1917 was called home after 104 years on July 31, 2021. Born in Sailes, a small settlement just outside of Gibsland, Louisiana. Her parents, William Chet Cox and Gertrude Eva Cathcart Cox, raised Helen and her seven brothers and sisters  Susie, John Preston, Jewel, Doretha, Arthur Milton, Lorene and William Allen  on the family farm. They made sure she established a relationship with God at a young age through Jerusalem Old Sparta Baptist Church. Her early education took place in the one room schoolhouse at Saint Rest Baptist Church and she went on to graduate from Crawford High School in nearby Arcadia.

In May of this year after reaching her 104th birthday she was recognized nationally by several major publications and internationally by Al Roker of NBC the TODAY SHOW for reaching such a milestone.

While in high school Helen met Hardy Jack Williams and they were married in 1939 in Rushton, Louisiana. In 1940 she followed him to Whittier, California and after a few years they moved to Los Angeles. Over the next decade the couple was blessed with four children  Sally, Hardy, Donald and Jimmy. In order to support their growing family Helen used her innate business sense, along with Jacks strong work ethic, to benefit from financial opportunities. Together they purchased several rental properties, ran the family-owned Williams market, and later started Compton Refrigeration.

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Saint Paul Baptist Church, under the leadership of Reverend John L. Branham, became the house of worship for Helen and her family. As active members of the congregation the Williams household regularly attended Sunday service, taught adult Sunday school, and sang in the choir. Helen emphasized faith in God and the importance of education which helped propel all her children to graduate from college. She was able to fulfill her own deferred dream when she earned her AA degree from Southwest Jr. College. Then, at the age of 63, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Immaculate Heart University in 1980.

Helen worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District as an educational assistant on several campuses including 59th Street Elementary, 74th Street Elementary and Miles Avenue Elementary. During her time at Marlton School for the Deaf she became fluent in sign language. After her retirement Helen remained active through community and personal endeavors. In the early 1990s she testified before the National Commission on Reparations which was part of the evidence submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Subcommittee on Minority Rights. He participated in the Archive Storycorps Project and her interview is catalogued in the American Folklore Center at the Library of Congress. In 2011 she self-published her book of poetry, From Birth to Longevity, a collection of works focused on family, faith, community and commitment to learning.

Helen Beatrice Cox Williams is survived by her sons Hardy, Donald and Jimmy; daughter-in-laws Maxine, Carolyn, Shirley, and Barbara; grandchildren Kelvin, Noel, Khary, Jared, Mia and Imani; great-grandchildren Khyla, Jaylen and Ahsaan; nephews Stevie, Warren and Eric; great-grandnephew and niece Michael and Kelly; Kimberly Harris and family; and a host of cousins, extended family and close friends.

A viewing will take place on WED. SEPT,8th -11:30 a.m.- 4:00 P.M. at ANGULUS FUNERAL HOME -3875 CRENSHAW BLVD.90016. The service will be Thurs SEPT 9th, 2021  10:00 a.m. at Inglewood Park Cemetery  720 E. Florence Ave. 90301.
Jury Reaches Verdict in Trial of Man Charged in Police Officers Killing

After less than two hours of deliberations, jurors reached a verdict today in the trial of an alleged gang member accused of killing a family member in East Los Angeles and then opening fire on two Whittier police officers, killing one and wounding the other, about 4 1/2 years ago.

The jurys verdict in the trial of Michael Christopher Mejia is set to be read Wednesday morning in a Norwalk courtroom. Mejia, 30, is charged with murder for the Feb. 20, 2017, killings of Keith Boyer, a 53-year-old Whittier police officer who was the first officer in the city killed in the line of duty in 37 years, and Mejias cousin, 47-year- old Roy Torres. The murder charges include the special circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer in the performance of his duties, murder for the purpose of avoiding arrest and multiple murders.

Mejia is also charged with one count each of attempted murder of a peace officer involving Whittier police Officer Patrick Hazell, who was shot in the abdomen, along with carjacking and possession of a firearm by a felon. The charges also include gang and gun allegations. In his closing argument Tuesday, Deputy District Attorney Garrett Dameron urged jurors to hold him accountable, hold him accountable for the ruthless, inhumane killer he is.

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The prosecutor said the two police officers were responding to a three-vehicle traffic collision near Colima Road and Mar Vista Street in which Mejia had been involved, and that the two had no idea that those would be the last moments of Boyers life. Dameron called the evidence so strong, telling jurors that there was clear intent to kill the victims in this case and an abundance of evidence that Mejia premeditated the shootings.

The deputy district attorney told jurors that Mejia committed the crimes to get attention and wanted his face shown on the evening newscasts. Mejias attorney urged the panel to find his client guilty of the lesser crime of second-degree murder for each of the killings. Defense lawyer Paul Cohen argued that there is no indication that he (Mejia) planned these crimes ahead of time.

Cohen told jurors that there shouldnt be any doubt that Mejia was using drugs in the days leading up to the crimes, saying that voluntary intoxication is key to this case. It was all about drugs and getting high, Mejias lawyer said. The defense attorney said his client wasnt a career criminal and disputed whether his client was even an active gang member at the time.

In his rebuttal argument, Deputy District Attorney Geoff Lewin said the most damaging evidence came from the defendant himself, whom he said admits to everything essentially. The prosecutor countered that there was no evidence of a methamphetamine-induced psychosis in which Mejia didnt know what he was doing at the time of the crimes.

Lewin concluded his rebuttal argument by playing an audio recording of Mejia telling investigators when asked if he had anything to say to the Whittier Police Department that they should train your guys better and that he didnt feel sorry.

During the 48-minute interview in a hospital jail ward eight days after the killings, Mejia initially told sheriffs Detectives Dean Camarillo and Omar Miranda about the killings, I dont honestly remember doing none of that  I was high on drugs  But he later told the detectives, I did it, I mean, I did it both of em, all three of them had it coming, adding that the officer got too aggressive with me.

I guess you guys have everything down  smoked my cousin, smoked the cop.  I mean, what else do you guys want? I shot another cop, Mejia said during that interview, which was first played in court in June 2017 at a hearing in which he was ordered to stand trial.

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When asked by homicide investigators about what happened with Torres, the defendant said that his cousin should have kept his nose clean and that he had warned him. Mejia could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted as charged. Over the objection of the two prosecutors in the trial, the District Attorneys Office dropped its bid to seek the death penalty against Mejia in February.

The reversal came just over two months after new District Attorney George Gascon was sworn into office. Gascon  who said he had a mandate from the public  has vowed that the office will no longer pursue the death penalty Whittier Police Department Chief Aviv Bar and two of the victims family members spoke at a Feb. 18 hearing, with the chief asking for all of the applicable charges and penalties to remain in place. Bar said Boyers loss has been devastating to our department and said we are just never going to be the same. The victims son, Josh Boyer, called the day his father died the worst day of my life and said he is wanting some justice. One of Torres relatives, Tiffany Garcia, said, I will be his voice, but this isnt justice.
L.A.s Black Community Urged to Participate in Redistricting Hearings

More African Americans are needed to participate in the public hearings conducted by the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission, especially if the Black community desires to retain a degree of power in the city.

The hearings are part of the redistricting process, which calls for city council district (CD) boundaries to be adjusted after the completion of the census. The L.A. city charter requires that each district be approximately equal in population size. A 21-member citizens commission is charged with drawing the borders based on data from the 2020 census.

Holding hearings allow commissioners to hear directly from citizens about the criteria that comprise individual neighborhoods as well as learn about the interests, concerns and resources that are important to residents of L.A.s various communities.

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To ensure that African American issues are considered, the Black redistricting commissioners  the Rev. Edward Anderson, Charisse Bremond-Weaver and Valerie Lynne Shaw  hosted a Zoom meeting with more than 75 community leaders on August 26 to explain why redistricting matters and the critical reasons Black voices must be part of the process by attending the public hearings.

Anderson, the pastor of McCarty Memorial Christian Church, was appointed to the commission by CD 10 Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas. Bremond-Weaver, president/CEO of the Brotherhood Crusade, was selected by Mayor Eric Garcetti. Shaw, a California Community College System governor and former public works commissioner, was assigned by CD 8 Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson.

We know there was an undercount [of the Black population] during the census. In order to rectify the undercount, we need to hear your stories so you dont get erased. Black erasure should not be on our watch. We should reclaim our neighborhoods by lifting them up, declared Anderson.

Concurring with that statement, Bremond-Weaver urged, Your voice about what is important in the district  from businesses to churches to senior centers to parks to any treasures in the Black community that need to stay in the Black community  needs to be heard. The best way to address that is having your voice documenting what you would like in your community and ensuring that every aspect of our community remains whole.

Shaw noted, The future of local Black power will be determined in the next four months. We need you, your voice and your concerns to identify your areas of interest and to fight to maintain our role in this great city.

Citing the decline in the citys Black population to 8%, the commissioners recommended that the African Americans unite and participate to maintain resources that enhance those council districts where the majority of Blacks reside.

In the last redistricting effort, 10 years ago, the commissioners said Blacks lost power when the CD 9 boundaries were redrawn to place downtown L.A. in CD 14. In the same process, USC was moved from CD 8 to CD 9 and the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Mall was divided between CD 8 and CD 10.

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It didnt only happen to us. Koreatown was divided into four council districts and Pacoima into three. Being cut up into numerous council districts diminishes the power of a neighborhood, said Shaw.

With an emphasis on preventing a similar occurrence in 2021, Bremond-Weaver presented Ama Nyamekye, project manager for the California Black Census Redistricting Hub, and Natasha Brown, Hub organizing coordinator, to outline how their network of 30 Black groups are maximizing African American involvement in the process.

Nyamekye said the Hubs goal was to ensure that redistricting takes into account issues such as criminal justice reform, affordable housing, equitable development, and a more inclusive economy that includes Black and Brown folks. Another concentration is on investment in Black technical, data, and civic engagement infrastructure.

Our charge is to make sure there is a Black map that reflects the voices and will of our Black communities across California and that it is rigorous and driven by data. Were also trying to make sure there is a complete and accurate count of Blacks, particularly given that we have a history of being undercounted and a legal history of being disenfranchised, she stated.

Our numbers may be 8%, but our voice has always been very loud. The ability to hold democracy accountable is something thats uniquely Black, so we want to make sure we are mobilizing people in our community, said Nyamekye.

Although relatively small, the Black community is highly influential, Brown insisted, as she reviewed how the Hub held sessions with communities of interest (COIs) in the L.A. area. The Hub identified South Central, Leimert Park, Skid Row, Watts and North Hollywood as some of the Los Angeles COIs with notable Black populations. The sessions helped Hub staff to ascertain the strengths, assets, threats and weaknesses affecting African Americans in Los Angeles.

As we saw from the social justice uprisings and protests this past summer, that took a lot of community organizing and civic leadership that was spearheaded by the Black community in Los Angeles, she said.

Cultural influence and contributions, communications and narrative building, and activated voting block were other strengths of Black L.A. that Brown cited. Some of the threats, beside the undercount, include erasure due to gentrification, homelessness and mass incarceration, acute impact of COVID-19, and the digital divide.

Lacking strong Internet access really affects the way our community is able to participate, said Brown.

A portion of the meeting highlighted the Districter mapping tool located on the redistricting commissions website. The user-friendly tool allows residents to draw a map of the boundaries of one or more proposed council districts and submit it to the commission as public testimony. Paul Mitchell of Redistricting Partners led a brief tutorial on the various abilities of the software program.

After a Q & A period, Robert Battles, L.A. City Council Redistricting Commission associate director of community outreach, announced the schedule of upcoming public hearings, which are all held online via Zoom. CD 9 will be the focus of the Sept. 2 meeting at 6 p.m., and CD 8 will be discussed at the Sept. 8 meeting at 6 p.m. On Sept. 11 at 10 a.m., a citywide public hearing will be held.

Residents can attend any meeting to give testimony about their neighborhood. To participate, visit [email protected]. The website also features links to the L.A. County Redistricting Commission, the LAUSD Redistricting Commission and the State of California Redistricting Commission.

We need you to come forth, testify, bear witness and stand up for our community. Testify about your power, representation, and your community. Come out to the hearings. We want to hear where you worship, what your community is like, where do you shop and what are your districts boundaries, urged Anderson during concluding remarks.

We invite you to join us  me, Charisse and Valerie  in this effort to make sure that Black L.A. is represented so that 10 years from now, we can look back and say, We did the right thing. We made a Los Angeles that was equitable, just, and that took Black power seriously. We hope you will do that with us.
McClaney Shares Rewards of Attuning Your Ear to God

Dr. La-Doris McClaney writes God, I Listened Too to encourage others to hear the voice of the Lord

Attuning your ear to the voice of God will lead to an incredibly rewarding life, insists Dr. La-Doris McClaney, and her achievements verify to the truth of her advice.

Well-known for her incredible success in the field of real estate as well as her overwhelming generosity in the area of philanthropy, McClaney overcame multiple challenges to reach the pinnacle of victory that the Lord prepared for her.

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She recounts her amazing journey in a new memoir, God, I Listened Too, where time and again, she credits God for all of her accomplishments because she heard His voice and obeyed.

We have to realize that our power is God. He is always speaking to us. We must attune our ear to hear Him in our lives. It isnt optional, explains the active 83-year-old, the holder of a B.A. degree from Shaw University and Masters degree from Pepperdine University.

If you want to live a whole and complete life full of Gods abundance and grace, you must listen to His direction and instructions. My prayer is that my story reminds you to do that.

A two-fold inspiration moved McClaney to pen the book. The first impetus was her mother, Eula McClaney, whose memory continues to motivate on a daily basis. The second incentive was the authors desire to encourage, edify and empower readers to trust God and put all of your faith in Him.

My mother set a standard and we were expected to meet those standards. Strong faith, education, and giving back were and remain tenets in my life, she recalls.

By reading my book, [people] will see that God can dream a bigger dream for you that you could ever dream for yourself. But, He also requires you to do your part. It will not fall in your lap. You have to work for what you want. My book will remind you that you are NOT alone.

McClaneys strong faith combined with helping others appear to be a family trait. As a youngster growing up in rural Alabama, she witnessed her parents slaughtering hogs to feed the masses, even when they didnt have much themselves. After migrating to Los Angeles, her parents opened Flagstone Guest Haven where she remembers, We had BBQs every weekend and served hundreds of people.

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While applying her real estate expertise resulted in possessions such as a mansion in swanky Holmby Hills, McClaney remained humble and never placed material belongings above her relationship with the Lord.

God is first. I believe that our family has been blessed to be a blessing and we committed long ago to give to anyone in need and we have done that for thousands of people and given millions of dollars. Gods been good to us and we are obligated to be a blessing to others, she firmly states.

Blessing others comes easy to McClaney, even during tough times in her life. No matter what she was facing in her personal life, she always took time to help another whenever she could and that approach, with God on her side, is a key factor in the triumphs she writes about in God, I Listened Too, and anyone can relate to the up-and-downs that McClaney experienced.

My book is for everyone; young and old, Black and White, believer and non-believer. If you are willing to read a story about overcoming odds, this book is for you. If you have ever been told that you cant, this book will inspire you and encourage you. You will learn about yourself through my life story, and my prayer is that after reading it, you walk fearlessly into your own destiny, she expresses with strong belief.

To people who may be encountering hurdles during this pandemic season, McClaney advises to stay strong and recite, But Godwith every adversity, every hurt, every pain, every joy, every triumph, every defeat, in everything, But God.

Expanding on her philosophy, she says, God is in every part of my life. He leads, guides, and directs me and His infinite love for me is shown even in the hard times. He is my all-in-all. He amazes me everyday.

I am 83-years-old, in good health. I surround myself with love and I do my best to show the love of God to people everyday. I want only to be a witness for Him and to share with the world all that He has blessed me with. I fully believe that to whom much is given, much is required. I have been given a lot, and I am required by my Heavenly Father to giveand I do!

God, I Listened Too is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target and at. www.mcclaneymedia.com.
Project to Revive Historic All-Black Calif Town Brought Down by Racism

As the California reparations task force determines the impact of slavery on the lives of Black Californians, a Black-led business management group in the Central Valley is revitalizing an obscure national treasure: Lt. Col. Allen Allensworth State Historical Park.

The project pays tribute to Allensworth, California, a town founded by African Americans in 1908. The history of the settlement speaks to the perseverance of African Americans and the terror that they experienced.

Last week, at a ceremony held at the park, Global Economic Impact Group, LLC (GEIG) and the African American Network of Kern County (AANKC) announced the launch of their revitalization effort.

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At the event, California State Parks and Recreation official Russ Dingman gave details about the groups plans to continue the late Lt. Col. Allen Allensworths vision, one of the towns founders and its namesake.

Col. Allensworth, with three other families, built this because of Jim Crow-ism, said Randall Cooper, CEO of GEIG. We want to be a part of the restoration.

About 50 people attended the launch event held at Allensworth visitors center. Among guests were members of the Black American Political Association of California-Fresno (BAPAC), San Joaquin Valley Chapter of Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), Fresno Black Farmers, representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Friends of Allensworth, the African American Clergy Caucus of Fresno, Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce, Mothers Against Gang Violence, Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce, Buffalo Soldiers of Kern County, Allensworth Progressive Association, and others.

State officials present, virtually and in-person, included representatives from Gov. Gavin Newsoms office; California U.S. Congressmen David Valadao (D-CA-21) and Jim Costa (D-CA-16); Tulare County Supervisor Pete Vander Poel III; Corcoran Mayor Patricia Nolen, among others.

One of Col. Allensworth quotes was, Create sentiment favorable to intellectual and industrial liberty, Stephen L. Sanders, Chief of Staff for Kern County School District said. Its all about teaching our kids that spirit is still alive.

Remnants of the colony that had a population of about 300 Black residents during its heyday can be found at the park.

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Allensworth was an educator and U.S. Armys chaplain to four Black regiments. He was born into slavery in Kentucky. After leaving the Army, he moved to Los Angeles with his wife Josephine Leavell Allensworth.

The Birth of Californias Historic All-Black Town

In 1908, Allensworth and Pasadena-based educator William Payne formed two organizations: the California Colony and Home Promotion Association (HPA) to create a settlement where Black people could live free from discrimination and racism.

The organizations purchased 900 acres for the town. By 1909, Allensworth had become the first California town founded, financed, and governed by Black Americans.

The town had a church, post office, hotel, library, two schools and numerous businesses that offered the essentials and comforts of a thriving community.

Socially, Allensworth bustled with activity. There were sewing circles, holiday events, glee clubs, an orchestra, fishing, hunts for jackrabbits, and more.

The Demise of Allensworth

By 1914, a difficult year for the town the brochure states, Allensworth began suffering from droughts and the lack of irrigation for farmlands.

Some historians believe, by 1925, racist White authorities intimidated by Allensworths success were behind the Pacific Farming Companys decision to cut off the towns irrigation water supply. Fighting the action in court helped to deplete Allensworth finances.

The Santa Fe Railroad closed a major railway stop important to the towns commerce, citing Allensworths low water level. That also factored into Allensworths economic decline.

Also, that year, the towns inspirational leader Allensworth was struck by a motorcycle as he crossed the street in Monrovia, California. He died on Sept. 14, 1914, at the age of 72.

The residents of the Black town tried to carry on Allensworths vision but struggled when drought, poor crop harvests, and other hardships further deteriorated living conditions. Recruitment of the towns men to fight in World War I also decimated Allensworths population.

Allensworth has been the target of demolition many times dating back to the 1960s, but the state of California bought the land in 1974 and turned it into a state park. About 70,000 guests visit every year.

Gail Crooms, who lives in Central Valley, says it is important to keep the Black heritage of the area alive.

I wanted to be a part of this the first time I visited Allensworth in 1999, said Crooms, who is GEIGs Director of Business Development. It had always been my dream to put a Historical Black College and University (HBCU) on this site.

Cooper and Crooms are GEIG partners, along with former Fresno City councilmember Cynthia Sterling and William Broomfield. Sterling is GEIGs director of public affairs and Broomfield serves as CFO and COO.

The Possibility of Reparations for Allensworth Descendants

Californias Assembly Bill (AB) 3121, signed into law in 2020, created a nine-member task force to investigate the history and costs of slavery in California and around the United States.

The commission is examining the extent of Californias involvement in slavery, segregation, and the denial of Black citizens their constitutional rights.

It is also studying incidents of state-backed racial crimes, like the illegal shutting down and state acquisition of the Black-owned Bruces Beach in Southern California and the seizure of Black-owned property in Folsom County involving the Burgess family.

GEIG hopes that Allensworth is a part of those discussions.

Allensworth has not been part of the conversations of reparations, Broomfield said. But (GEIG) is now bringing it to the forefront so that family members of the original Allensworth community, who are still living, are able to get reparations.

GEIG plans to restore landmarks and build a museum, an amphitheater, a water park, campground and other attractions.

You dont hear about Black history in California and the West Coast, Broomfield said. Because of what happened to Black Wall Street people are becoming aware of what happened to Black communities.
Run, Karen, Run: Why Rep. Karen Bass Should Be L.A.s First Woman Mayor

I can describe the leading crop of declared candidates angling to lead the second largest  and one of Americas more liberal and progressive leaning cities  in two words: White and male. So, when rumors hinted at a possible mayoral bid by Congresswoman Karen Bass, I thought to myself, now things just got interesting.

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While the beloved Democratic Congresswoman, who served as the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and authored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021, hasnt officially declared her candidacy for mayor of Los Angeles, the rumors alone have already overshadowed her would-be opponents and given Angelenos hope for an alternative to the candidates theyve been presented with thus far.

Of the current mayoral candidates, one doesnt have a snowballs chance in hell after he spent his eight-year tenure as city attorney prosecuting the protestors and the homeless for everything from smelling bad to sleeping on the sidewalk while covering up the LAPDs misconduct and hiding body camera footage at taxpayers expense. And speaking of the LAPD, one candidate is a former cop, and they arent too popular these days. In addition, his approach to dealing with L.A.s unhoused crisis has been opposite of how most voters want to see their elected leaders deal with the problem.

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The possible entrance of Bass, who has been one of the few politicians I can say didnt do a Jekyll and Hyde after being sworn into office, has been the most welcomed news since President Biden announced hes sending Mayor Eric Garcetti to India.

Who we elected is who we got with Bass  a compassionate, thoughtful and bold leader on important issues.

Bass, like most female candidates who run for office, would definitely bring a different and I believe more thoughtful perspective and approach to L.A.s longstanding and chronic issues, including our citys chaotic unhoused crisis.

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In the past few elections, Angelenos have made it clear that they want leadership at all levels who will provide services to the unhoused, such as housing, mental health treatment, drug treatment and job training to help get them permanently off the streets and back on their feet. No longer is the criminalization of the homeless an acceptable solution to our citys crisis.

But as exciting as a Mayor Bass would be, its a long way from bended knee to the altar  and she hasnt even officially declared shes going to run.

Councilwoman Jan Perry who ran for mayor in 2013, says today she is less concerned about whether or not voters vote for a woman because she is female.

Plenty of women have run for mayor who were viable candidates but couldnt compete because they couldnt raise the money needed to get their message to voters, said Perry.

We live in an expensive media market where we are deeply affected by candidates who are on television versus candidates who just put out a lot of mail. I learned that firsthand in 2012. Television works. Media works. Social media works too.

Given how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted voting nationwide, to Perrys point, candidates who can afford traditional and digital media in the upcoming mayoral election will have a better chance of reaching prospective voters.

Perry estimates that in 2021, to run for mayor candidates will need to raise north of $5 million, money that has traditionally been much easier for male candidates to raise than female.

The fact is: men still have an easier path to the top while women have to do more to prove our worth.

But raising the money is half the battle, the other half is getting the votes. In 2021, it isnt enough to be the candidate with the largest war chest  just ask former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.

As progressive, liberal and hip as Angelenos like to consider themselves, that hasnt always been reflected in our choice of elected officials and nowhere is that more apparent than in the city hall, where in our citys nearly two-hundred-year history we have never ever not once elected a woman as mayor.

But theres hope.

According to the 2018 Women in Leadership Pew Research Poll, the public sees female leaders as having an advantage. In both business and politics, majorities say women are better than men when it comes to being compassionate and empathetic, and substantial shares say women are better at working out compromises and standing up for what they believe in. Similarly, more adults say female political leaders do a better job serving as role models for children and maintaining a tone of civility and respect.

Maybe 2022 will be the year we finally join many other parts of the civilized world in electing a woman to lead our city.

And lets be clear. Bass isnt just any woman, shes a Black woman. Angelenos havent elected a Black woman in 20 years since they elected Jan Perry to the city council.

At the last Census count, Whites and Latinos still made up the majority of the population in Los Angeles, followed by Asians, with Blacks coming in just under 9 %.

Will voters in Los Angeles show up in real life with the same level of energy they give to Black women on social media? Because a Bass candidacy would definitely put to test L.A.s self-proclaimed love of Black women.

In addition to Bass, Perry, who served as General Manager of the Los Angeles Economic & Workforce Development Department until 2018, says shes been asked to run for city controller in 2022. If both women were to run and win their respective races, it would be a first for a city that hasnt elected a Black woman since 2001.

The field for mayoral candidates is still far from being defined as both Council President Nury Martinez and recently elected councilmember Kevin de Leon are rumored to be seriously considering mayoral bids.

For now, a Karen Bass for L.A. Mayor campaign is far from definite but certainly exciting in a city where voters are looking for someone to lead with compassion and audacity on the homelessness crisis.

I say run Karen, run.

About the Author

Jasmyne Cannick a Democratic political strategist who has worked at all levels of government.
Souls to the Polls and Souls to Shots

Communities of color and especially the African American community across California are under attack today by not one but two incredibly dangerous viruses: the invisible COVID-19 and the all-too visible Republican recall campaign against Governor Gavin Newsom. If we are to avoid these devastating infections, we must stand up and act right now!

The dangers are clear. When it comes to COVID, vaccination rates for Black Californians, and many other communities of color in our state, remain far below that of the overall population. This poses an enormous and needless risk to the health of our communities, which already suffer from a lack of adequate and affordable healthcare.

Similarly, the GOPs attempt to usurp power in California threatens the well-being of the Black community, as well as other communities of color. Should Governor Newsom be recalled, he almost certainly would be replaced by a radical right-wing Republican. And while the candidate leading in the polls may be Black, his rabid anti-science, anti-woman policies would devastate our community.

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We must fight both of these viruses. That means we must GET VACCINATED and GET OUT THE VOTE.

In support of both efforts, the San Francisco Branch of the NAACP is organizing a series of Souls to the Polls and Souls to Shots events around the state, starting on Saturday, September 4th in San Francisco. Our goal is simple: Educate our community and eradicate the dangers.

The event will begin at 11:00 a.m. at the Third Baptist Church in San Francisco and hosted by its pastor, Dr. Amos C. Brown, the president of the San Francisco Branch of the NAACP. The day will feature a parade and music by the Gumbo Band, led by trumpeter Dr. David Hardiman

The real purpose of bringing people together will be to take action. First, we will be offering both COVID-19 testing and vaccines at Third Baptist and along the parade route, thanks to the assistance of the Governors office as well as San Francisco Mayor London Breed. Additionally, we will have a drop-off box for ballots in the recall election, and assistance for those who want to register to vote.

Because we want to protect our community from these viruses, we also will be hosting Souls to the Polls events each Sunday through the date of the special election, September 14th. We will be encouraging all who attend to find ten other members of their community and encourage them to vote and get vaccinated. With ten, we can win the battle against these threats to our Black communities and all underserviced communities throughout the state.

As followers of Jesus of Nazareth, who came that we may experience the abundant life (John 10:10), we have a moral obligation to do the right thing for the welfare of all.

For more information, please contact me by email at [email protected]
For the first time since March 2020, millions of students, pre-kindergarten to high school seniors, will be attending in-person classes. Aside from attending class, they will be also participating in extracurricular activities, like sports, music and clubs. Parents have many concerns and questions. Howard University News Service reached out to five physicians for answers, Dr. Hadie Shariat, pediatrician, Howard University Hospital; Dr. Katherine Hager, Infectious Disease Fellow, Howard University Hospital; Dr. Catherine Marshall, pediatrician at Balboa Pediatrics; Dr. Andrea Goings, pediatrician, Baby Doc House Calls, and Dr. Stacey Eadie, pediatrician at her own private practice, Peds in a Pod.

Should I get my child vaccinated?

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The unanimous opinion among our doctors was if your child can get vaccinated, they should. The only thing that has proven to be effective so far in fighting COVID-19 is the vaccine, they said. While a tiny fraction of people has died from the vaccine, more than 600,000 have died from the disease. Children under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated, though pharmaceutical companies are working on a vaccine for them.

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What if my child is too young for the vaccine?

In this case, the doctors advise, your child should stay away from unvaccinated adults, stay away from crowded indoor places, always wear a mask and keep practicing social distancing and good hygiene. Also always remember to keep up with your local safety guidelines. Guidelines and prevalence of coronavirus are different in different cities and states. Residents may need to be more careful in some locales.

What kind of mask should my child wear and how many do they need?

The readily available blue and white surgical masks are the best option for students of all ages. They will protect your child if they are wearing them properly. The mask should cover their nose and their mouth. If the mask falls to the ground or get wet either by sneezing into it or from water, they should be discarded, and a new mask put in place. Younger children should carry about a half a dozen surgical masks with them a day.

Students in grades 9-12 should not need to change theirs as often. They may only need to have about three. For older children doubling up by wearing a surgical mask and a cloth mask on top throughout their school day is the best option.

If your child is most comfortable wearing only a cloth mask, that is fine, but remember it needs to be cleaned daily, never wait more than a day to clean or rotate your childs cloth mask. N-95 masks are said to be the best option, but only if they have been fit tested by a doctor to a childs face. Children with disabilities who are not able to wear a mask all day should wear a shield.

What should be on my back-to-school shopping list?

You should buy everything that you would already get but more. Make sure your child has more than enough supplies, so they wont need to ask their classmates to share. Young children like to chew on their pens and sharing those supplies could increase the spread of germs. Aside from masks, you may want to add new items like hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.

What are some school habits my child needs to break and new ones they should include?

The number one habit that children of all ages need to break is sharing. They should not share toys, school supplies, food, drinks or anything else. It wont be easy to get young children to unlearn sharing is caring, but it is very important that they try their best.

Other habits that students need to break is any unnecessary touching. Hugging or kissing other students is a no-no. Students have been away from their friends for a very long time, and they may want to show physical affection towards each other when they reunite but it is very important that they dont as much as possible.

They should also use disinfectant wipes to clean their desks between classes and the handles and locks to their lockers. Finally, most schools do not have automatic sinks or dryers. So, students should consider using paper towels to turn handles off and on and opening doors after washing their hands for at least 20 seconds.

Are there warning signs that my child may have been exposed to the coronavirus?

Children, especially younger children, seem to always have a sniffle or runny nose. However, in todays climate, its better to be safe than sorry. Every day after you child comes home, spend two minutes with your child and let them tell you about their day without asking any specific questions. In that time, they may tell you if they shared toys or snacks with anyone that they shouldnt have. If your child is having a cough or runny nose, yes it could be allergies or a common cold, but do not risk the safety of your family and others. Keep your children home and quarantine them until they can take a Covid-19 test at a medical facility, not an at home rapid test. A two year old may get sick and have just a runny nose or sore throat from the disease, but if they infect their grandmother, for example, she could end up in the hospital on a ventilator.

Are extracurricular activities okay for my child to participate in?

There is nothing wrong with your child returning to their extracurricular activities, just as long as these activities are supervised and are following all Center for Disease Control and Prevention and local health guidelines.



Dr. Andrea Goings (Courtesy photo)
Who owns our neighborhoods?

Los Angeles rents are on the rise, hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles renters still await rent relief, and now, Southern California home prices have hit a new all time high. As we work to find creative solutions to the number of challenges Los Angeles residents are facing during this uncertain time, we must evaluate not only how we can increase the production of new affordable housing, but how we ensure that our existing housing stock is being managed in a way that makes homeownership obtainable and provides safe and affordable options for renters.

Home and rental prices in Los Angeles have been steadily increasing for the last decade; every year, housing costs get further out of reach of Angelenos, particularly vulnerable low- to middle-income residents and communities of color. In the LA region, Black and Latino renters are far more likely than white renters to be cost-burdened, making it that much harder for families of color to save for a down payment and become homeowners. Only about 34% of Black Angelenos and 39% of Latino Angelenos own homes, compared to 58% of white households.

There is an increasing prevalence of large, corporate landlordsprivate equity firms like Blackstone as opposed to smaller local landlordsand nearly 75% of rentals are now owned by large landlords and investment vehicles. Although many corporate landlords entered the market in a big way in 2008, buying up foreclosed homes, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated their impact on our housing crisis. The sudden surge in potential homebuyers over the course of the last year, partnered with our ongoing home shortage, has made the housing market even more competitive. In this environment, corporations with billions of dollars at their disposal to gobble up single-family and missing middle homes like duplexes still thrive, far outbidding ordinary homebuyersparticularly first-time homebuyers and people of color. These investors then rent their investments, often at above-market rates, making rental costs higher and depriving ordinary individuals of the ability to build intergenerational wealth by purchasing a starter home or building savings.

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Large corporate landlords also enjoy an anonymity that many smaller landlords do not. In Los Angeles and across much of California, LLCs and other legal entities, which many corporate landlords operate through, are not required to disclose their beneficial owners identities to state regulators. The result is that its harder for tenants in these rentals to advocate for themselves, and just as hard for city and local governments to advocate on their behalf. Tenants who have issues with negligent corporate landlords often dont know how to elevate their issues. Its impossible to hold absentee landlords accountable for code violations or unlivable conditions. Importantly, it also makes our jobs as policymakers harder when we do not have access to full information or transparency about our housing markets.

While large real estate firms have an important role to play in our housing market, as a city of renters its important that Los Angeles rental housing stock is managed and operated by responsible actors invested in providing safe, adequate, and secure housing. Our renters are not to be treated as pieces in a game of Monopoly.

Passing state legislation like AB 889, introduced by Assemblymember Mike Gipson, that will require corporate landlords to report their identities and make that information accessible to the public, will make it harder for bad actors to skirt responsibility for their profit-driven buying practices and rental conditions. And support for AB 1199, also from Assemblymember Gipson, will impose a tax on the largest corporate landlords and discourage the further consolidation of property ownership in the hands of a few while addressing the impacts of this consolidation by supporting relief for tenants and small mom and pop landlords, homebuyer education, affordable housing and homelessness, and job training. Disclosure of beneficial ownership of corporations purchasing residential real estate in Los Angeles and imposing a tax on the largest corporate landlords is necessary to further our understanding of the issue and to begin to bring accountability to our communities.

At this critical moment, we are calling on our state legislators to help local governments protect tenants and increase opportunities for Black and Latino homeownership by requiring greater transparency of corporate landlords. Together, we can protect tenants, increase transparency, improve homeownership opportunities, and work to resolve the housing crisis.

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez is a Los Angeles City Councilmember, representing the 7th District including the San Fernando Valley, Pacoima, Sundland-Tujuga, Sylmar.

Holly Mitchell currently serves as a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. She served as a State Senator for Californias 30th Senate District from 2013-2020.
BOISE  More than 1,000 protesters gathered Monday in Boise during a visit by President Joe Biden to rail against his plan to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control, last years presidential election and a host of other issues.
A 2020 search of a trailer seized as part of the Kristin Smart investigation revealed a stain similar to a human body after the inside was sprayed with a chemical used to detect bodily fluids, according to testimony Wednesday from the San Luis Obispo County sheriffs detective who is leading the case.

Detective Clint Cole, who was assigned to the investigation in 2017, testified that the chemical revealed a suspicious reaction on the inside of one of the trailers doors.

Cole said he used Bluestar, a forensic chemical used to rapidly test the presence of blood. The chemical could also be used to detect cleaning agents, he added.

There was no Bluestar reaction anywhere else in the trailer, just in that one particular spot, Cole said.

+4 Kristin Smart: Witnesses testify about dog search, fiber evidence A third K-9 handler testified in court Tuesday about the alerts his cadaver dog gave on the morning of June 29, 1996 during a search of Cal Polys Santa Lucia Hall dorm, where investigators attempted to locate evidence indicating the whereabouts of 19-year-old student Kristin Smart, who went missing a month earlier.

The trailer was seized on the detectives belief that it was used in the first week of February 2020, during a clandestine operation to transport Smart's remains from Ruben Flores residence in the 700 block of White Court, where prosecutors believe Smart had been buried for more than two decades.

Smart was a 19-year-old Cal Poly freshman who investigators believe was with Paul Flores, Ruben Flores son, shortly before she disappeared on May 25, 1996.

Paul Flores was last seen with Smart near the intersection of Perimeter Road and Grand Avenue at about 2 a.m., just steps away from their red brick dorms, after walking back from an off-campus party on Crandall Way, according to witness Cheryl Manzer, who walked with them before splitting off from the pair.

Smart was never seen again. She was declared legally dead in 2002.

Paul Flores, 44, of San Pedro is charged with her murder. His 80-year-old father, Ruben Flores, is charged with accessory to murder after the fact and is accused of hiding her body.

They were arrested and charged in April, nearly 25 years after Smarts disappearance. They both have pleaded not guilty.

Coles testimony came during Paul and Ruben Flores preliminary hearing, which began on Aug. 2. At the conclusion, a judge will determine whether there is probable cause to uphold the charges in order for the case to proceed to trial.

He was one of two witnesses who testified Wednesday, the other being Edward Chadwell, a retired general contractor who built the Flores family home in 1991.

Cole provided testimony about the trailer search while responding to cross-examination by Ruben Flores attorney Harold Mesick, who asked how he was able to obtain a warrant for his clients DNA from a buccal swab on May 19, 2021.

In March and April of 2021, sheriffs detectives served a search warrant to use ground-penetrating radar on Ruben Flores home, where they discovered a 4-foot anomaly in the soil located in a spot underneath the deck of the house which contained the presence of human blood and various fibers, including a red fiber, according to Cole.

Upon questioning by Mesick, Chadwell testified that he used pink masons twine during construction of the house.

Additionally, Cole testified that he spoke to a former 10-year tenant of Ruben Flores, who said he was never allowed to access that portion of the deck area.

After pausing for a brief moment, Cole continued with his testimony, adding that they also served a Volkswagen that he later found was registered to Paul Flores sister in May 1996.

Cole said he considered numerous factors, including knowledge of the case, and Paul Flores alleged scratches on his knees, a black eye and unaccounted for time between the hours of 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. on May 25, 1996.

I believe that the family did assist him potentially using one of the vehicles at their disposal, Cole said. Pauls sister lived approximately one mile from campus. He had called her that night on his way to the party.

The family was together that entire weekend, or most of that weekend, at the residence, Cole said.

Following Coles testimony, Bob Sanger, Paul Flores attorney, asked if he met with Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelle to decide what would be the most damaging testimony to the defense.

Cole said he was only completing his answer to Mesicks question.

Sangers question came following intense testimony with Cole over alleged inappropriate contact with Jennifer Hudson, who testified hearing Paul Flores utter alleged incriminating statements about Smart during the summer of 1996.

In addition, Sanger grilled Cole over inconsistent dates written on his notes from the investigation alleging text messages were deleted from a WhatsApp smartphone application.

Sanger asked if Cole had an inappropriate conversation with Hudson on his cellphone after he had been drinking.

Did you call her late at night after you had been drinking? Sanger asked.

I dont recall, Cole said. Its possible. We could have talked. I have very poor cell reception at my house, so I doubt it.

The preliminary hearing continues at 9 a.m. Thursday in Superior Court.
Jason Anderson is the Digital Producer for the Santa Maria Times. He can be reached at 805-739-2213
About the Masai Giraffes are the tallest land mammal and Masai are the largest subspecies, growing up to 17 feet tall and weighing 2,700 pounds.

Two endangered Masai giraffes at the Santa Barbara Zoo are pregnant and expected to give birth in January 2022 and July 2022, according to zoo officials.

Were excited to welcome [additional] Masai giraffe to our herd and continue to contribute to the population of this endangered species, said Dr. Julie Barnes, the zoos vice president of Animal Care & Health. This is a great example of the critical work done at the Santa Barbara Zoo with our incredible animal care team.

Both giraffes, Audrey and Adia, and siring male Michael are among more than 120 Masai giraffes that live at 28 North American zoos in protection of their dwindling species.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are an estimated 37,000 Masai giraffes in Kenya and Tanzania that are at risk due to poaching and habitat loss and degradation.

Become a sponsor The public is invited to become a Foster Feeder sponsor of the giraffe herd. A donation of $50 helps with the cost of feeding the growing giraffe family. New giraffe Foster Feeders will receive a digital certificate with a baby photo of the calf, a Masai giraffe fact sheet and recognition on the Zoos Foster Feeder board. For information or to become a Foster Feeder, visit sbzoo.pivvit.com/masai-giraffe The Santa Barbara Zoo is open daily at 9 a.m. for members and 9:30 a.m. for general admission until 5 p.m. General admission is $19.95 for adults, $14.95 for children 2 to 12, and free for children under 2. Parking is $11.

Mother for the seventh time, Audrey, 13, has birthed four calves with Michael  most recently Amirah, born in March 2018, and resident of the Sacramento Zoo  since her arrival at the Santa Barbara Zoo in 2010 from the Los Angeles Zoo.

Adia, 7, who will give birth in January, arrived in 2017 from the Cleveland Zoo. This will be her second calf with Michael after giving birth to Twiga in March 2020, just after the zoo closed due to the pandemic, zoo officials said.

The gestation period for a giraffe is approximately 15 months, and pregnancies are confirmed through hormone analysis of fecal samples.

According to officials, Michael, 15, is the most genetically important male Masai giraffe in North America, so far siring nine calves since being transferred to Santa Barbara from Canada in December 2011.

Over the past decade, eight of his calves have moved to other accredited zoos as part of a cooperative breeding program among members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, officials said, and two of Michaels sons have had offspring, making him a grandfather.

Once the two new giraffes arrive, a total of 10 Masai giraffes will have been born at the Santa Barbara Zoo since 2013, officials said.
Tony Gonzales was that little kid who coerced his mom into dressing him like a cowboy throughout Elks Rodeo week. As a teen, he performed on the Elks Rodeo stage. As he came into adulthood, he continued supporting the rodeo through volunteerism. Through it all, he looked up to those old Elks honored on the grand marshal float as pillars in the community.

Now, its the kids looking up to Gonzales and Jay Turner, who will serve as co-grand marshals of the 78th Annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Parade. The parade along Broadway from Mill Street to Enos Street starts at 8:45 a.m. Saturday.

Both of these gentlemen have played incredible roles in the success of our rodeo in the last several years. They remind me of the Clarence Minetti generation. Theyre like the young Butch Simas. Its amazing to see young folks step up and carry on the tradition that Clarence and Butch left for us, said Elks Rodeo Chief Operations Officer Tina Tonascia.

Though Turner and Gonzales never worked together on the air, their shared respect is evident.

I love Tony. I dont know anyone who doesnt love The Chief. Hes one of the nicest people Ive ever met, Turner said.

Tonascia said Turner and Gonzales have been particularly integral to the growth of the rodeo and its associated events in the years leading up to the COVID shutdowns.

Their untiring efforts, no matter what we need, theyre there. Their contributions have been incredible. We wouldnt be where we are today without their contributions, Tonascia said.

To be mentioned in the same breath as Minetti and Simas is beyond the pale for Gonzales.

It has been a lifelong dream to be a grand marshal in the Elks Rodeo parade, Gonzales said. Im proud to be a Santa Marian. It was passed to me from people I grew up seeing and idolizing.

Elks Rodeo week has been a lifelong love for Gonzales.

I was that little kid who made my parents get up early Saturday morning to get our chairs on the parade route so we could sit right up front. When I was in high school, my parents would let me take the whole week off school so I could hang out at the rodeo, go to the dances, have a ball, he said.

By the time he was 14, the fifth-generation Santa Marian was singing country music when Elks member and long-time rodeo head Ted Scott invited him to perform after some of the rodeo events.

I met Tina Tonascia, Debbie Jeffers, the Righettis and Minettis and (Bobby) Acquistapace were all there. Theres this Mount Rushmore of Santa Maria where I see the Righettis, Minnettis, (Keith) Barks and Acquistapace. But the kids nowadays, Tina told me, they see me because Ive been doing it so long. Im honored to be able to look at the mountain with them. Im pretty stoked. Its pretty cool, Gonzales said.

That same year, he caught the radio bug when local radio personality Andy Morris showed up at career day. Gonzales started hanging around KSMA, shadowing Jeff Harris and anyone else at the station who would give him something to do.

After broadcasting school, he joined the team at KDDB 92.5, a country station out of San Luis Obispo. Tom Keffury, long known as an on-air advocate for local causes, was his teacher, mentor, and boss. Within three months, Gonzales had been dubbed The Chief and was on the air overnights.

He wasted no time using his microphone for the good of community, and soon found himself dedicating his personal time as well.

I love the parade and the bull riding and the dances are legendary, but the Minetti Mini Rodeo is my favorite because its 6,000 third-graders out there yelling and having a good time, Gonzales said. Rodeo represents family values. Its all about America. Its a sport you go to where they pray, they dont kneel for the flag. Its good, family fun and I dont ever want to see that stop in Santa Maria.

Gonzales ran the Elks Rodeo Mutton Bustin event, served as emcee for the annual Elks Beard-A-Reno, ran the rodeo media stage, led the business folks pony races, works his tail off as chairman for the Santa Maria Kiwanis candidate for Elks Rodeo Queen, and had no compunction about jumping into a clown outfit.

First, its the kids: the money goes all to local youth, so thats always been huge. Weve sent kids to college who would never have been able to go without that financial support. Weve supported youth activities throughout the community. Plus, rodeo was always that thing that came into town where they all knew your name, you had a great time and it was just great, Gonzales said.

Now facing early onset Alzheimers disease, Gonzales says he knows his years are numbered. Hes retired from radio, and spending more time on the things he loves: family, making memories with his wife, Kori, and supporting his favorite local event.

Kori and I had a talk and if I have 10 years left, I dont want to stop rodeo as long as I can, he said. For me, if I can continue doing mutton bustin and be part of the rodeo all the way to the end, Im there. Its such a happy thing to me when you watch a child see a horse or cow for the first time. Elks Rodeo is the best thing in our town right up there alongside tri-tip barbecue.
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Requirements like Italys, and other restrictions on movement imposed by programs, have convinced some students not to go abroad. Noal Basil, a senior, decided to postpone his abroad experience until after graduation when the Italy program he hoped to attend was canceled. Basil and his friends re-evaluated their plans to travel and decided against applying to a different program.

We wanted to be able to travel around as much as possible. Until early August or so, we were still expecting to go, Basil explained. Around that time is kind of when we realized that there could be a possibility that we wouldn't be able to do that and that wed be restricted to the city or country.

Another factor in students unwillingness to commit to studying abroad this year is the lack of time that freshmen, sophomores and even juniors have been able to spend on campus. Humbert added that she would also be open to traveling after she graduated, without the guidance of the Study Abroad department, if it meant that she had more time at UW-Madison.

Taking flight: Nonstop routes returning to Madison airports sooner than expected Frontier Airlines nonstop flight to Las Vegas started this month, with American Airlines beginning a new nonstop route from Madison to Miami in November.

I was sent home (from UW) as a freshman, so Europe would be amazing, but I feel like my time got cut on campus a little bit. If I could figure out a way to go after my four years on campus, that would be awesome, she said.
For businesses, the way to the heart of many Americans just may be through their pets. With pet parenting on the rise, and people spending even more time, affection, and money on their pets, pleasing pet parents is a solid way for businesses to gain an edge. Pet parents love businesses who love their furry kids, and theyre willing to spend a little more and go a little further out of their way to show their appreciation. That means there are a number of different ways businesses can win with this large and growing demographic.

Brand loyalty

In a recent TripsWithPets survey, out of 500 pet parents who were asked, 82 percent said they were more likely to choose a hotel brand that they knew was pet friendly  whether they were traveling with their furkids or alone.
Harlan Williams, an instructional designer who voted at a drive-thru center in the last presidential election, described the process as fast and well-organized.

It really just doesnt make any sense to take it away from us, he said. I think its clearly voter suppression. Its a way for a party thats losing influence and power to try and stay in power.

Texas Republicans defend the law as a way to ensure that only eligible voters cast ballots, even though there has been no evidence of widespread fraud there or in any other state. They also say the law takes steps to help voters  for example, allowing those who cast a mail ballot to fix mistakes rather than having it automatically rejected as well as a measure that would have polling places open for at least an extra hour during early voting periods.

The sorts of provisions that we're talking about have never been demonstrated in any way to suppress the vote, to prevent people from voting or even necessarily to make it hard to vote, said Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project, a conservative advocacy group.
Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, had been the last soldier to walk up the ramp on the final C-17 to depart. He had been in charge of security for the evacuation mission. Soon after the aircraft were in the air, he sent his own message: Job well done. Proud of you all.

Crammed onto the floor of the aircraft, exhausted troops found places to sleep. Everyone was kind of sitting on top of each other  whatever we could do to have them get them on the aircraft and get them out, said Wedan.

Within 30 minutes, she said, most on her plane were asleep. Coleman agreed.

I walked downstairs and they warned me not to go to the bathroom because there were too many people in front of the lav door, said Coleman. There was one guy who had a box of water bottles that he was using for a pillow. I dont know how that could have been comfortable. But, hey, he was fast asleep.

Their flight to Kuwait was about four hours long. Coleman said his plane was lucky enough to have extra toilets. Wedan's had just one  but her crew passed out candy.

They're tired and theyre resting now. But I think, for two and a half weeks, you really saw why it was that a lot of us joined, said Coleman, who enlisted in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks that triggered the U.S. invasion into Afghanistan. To see everybody step up to make this happen in the amount of time that it took to happen, to move 124,000 people out in less than three weeks. I mean, I couldnt be prouder to be a C-17 pilot today.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Leita Walker, a media attorney, said the media wants maximum transparency in all cases, "but especially this one that has the potential to tear the fabric of this community." She said had Chauvin's case ended with a different verdict, the livestream would have helped build public trust.

During the hearing, Gray dropped his earlier request that the state provide all use-of-force reports since July 2016 in which another officer intervened in force used by a colleague, because he is pursuing information from the city himself. An officer's duty to intervene came up often during testimony in Chauvin's trial.

Cahill also denied a defense request to rule that a potential expert witness for the state coerced Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker to change his findings by noting that neck compression was a factor in Floyd's death. Paule said the state failed to take action after prosecutors learned former Washington, D.C., medical examiner Dr. Roger Mitchell threatened to write an op-ed critical of Baker's findings. The state ultimately did not call Mitchell as a witness in Chauvin's case.

"I'm not finding any coercion at all," Cahill said, but he ordered the state to provide the defense with materials about their exchanges with Mitchell, and he said the defense could question Baker about any possible coercion during cross-examination at trial.
We just throw out so many veggies. Its sad, he said. So, I think Ill probably have it for purchase instead of everybody just getting one no matter what. That will eliminate so much waste.

Schmock said Smokys doesnt charge for relish trays because it never has before. Were a traditional Wisconsin supper club, so I believe it should be included.

The bar in the new restaurant will be modeled after Smokys, Schmock said, with about 60 martinis, an extensive wine list, and really good old fashioneds. The food menu will feature steaks and seafood.

Schmock said hes going to let Driftless chef come up with his own menu ideas, adding that there will be changes to the menu every few months.

He said hes not ready to give his chefs name because he still works elsewhere.

Schmock said hes hoping to be open by December, but some equipment and other items hes trying to order wont be available right away. Were talking 20 weeks out for delivery. You just cant find materials right now.
Texas ban on most abortions after 6 weeks takes effect with Supreme Court mum; Louisiana's recovery from Ida will be slow; Spears claims extortion by father. Get caught up.
BOISE  COVID-19 hospitalizations in Idaho hit a peak of 496 on Dec. 1 of last year.

That record has been surpassed several times over the last few weeks, reaching a new high of 526 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday, according to the latest available data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Of those patients, 162 are in intensive care, which is also a record.

Given those numbers, it shouldnt come as a surprise that Idahos health care industry is begging for the publics help.

A joint letter released Wednesday from 29 Idaho health care groups  representing thousands of health care providers throughout the state  seeks to express alarm at what we are witnessing now, and let you know what you can do to help.

As of Aug. 31, approximately 543 patients in Idaho were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, and 167 of those patients were in the ICU with confirmed COVID-19, the letter reads. Perhaps most discouraging is the fact that approximately 97 COVID-19 patients in Idaho were on a ventilator, the highest recorded number at any time during this pandemic.
BOISE  Anonymous letters have been sent to a number of Idaho lawmakers in recent weeks, threatening retribution for their votes on a wolf management bill.

The letter describe lawmakers as nothing more than a sellout to the Cattle Association and that pitiful minority of cattle producers that seemingly dictate how our wildlife lives and dies.

You are not a friend of mine, nor are you a friend of natures, the letter continues. Just as the wolf went from predator to prey, so shall you. It is not your place to play God, but if you will, then so shall I.

Its unclear how many lawmakers received the letters, but some found them disturbing enough to forward them to the Idaho State Police.

ISP did not immediately return phone calls Tuesday about the issue. However, House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, said he knows of at least a handful of lawmakers who got the letters. That in itself is unusual.

It doesnt happen often, where there have been threats to multiple individuals, he said. We all get a lot of snarky emails and texts, but we dont turn them into ISP or the Attorney Generals Office.
RICHLAND, Wash. (AP)  Workers in an area at the center of the Hanford nuclear reservation were ordered to take cover for several hours.

The order was issued from about 8:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, The Tri-City Herald reported. Access to the site was restricted and the Rattlesnake Barricade secure entrance to the site was closed as a precaution.

The take cover order was issued after two work crews outside the REDOX facility in the 200 West Area noticed an unusual odor, according to Hanford officials. One crew was there with well drilling equipment, and the other was using equipment to scan for buried materials in preparation for excavation work, according to Hanford officials.

No radiation or chemical contamination above background levels was detected, officials said.

No injuries were reported and Hanford workers who smelled the odors were encouraged to visit Hanfords onsite medical provider with concerns.

Some Hanford workers have reported serious respiratory and neurological illnesses they suspect are tied to exposure to chemical vapors where waste from Hanfords defunct reprocessing plants is stored in underground tanks.
He says that this is obviously very welcome but it doesnt mean much, since many countries are still seeing steep increases and shocking inequities in access to vaccines.

Tedros says he is calling for a moratorium on booster shots at least until the end of September to allow those countries that are furthest behind to catch up.

He says third doses may be necessary for the most at-risk populations, where there is evidence of waning immunity against severe disease and death.



LONDON  Britain is offering a third dose of a coronavirus vaccine to up to half a million people who have severely weakened immune systems to give them additional protection.

The governments vaccine advisers says people over 12 years old with conditions such as leukemia, advanced HIV and recent organ transplants will be offered a third jab.

Professor Wei Shen Lim of the official Joint Committee on Vaccine and Immunization says the move aims to reduce the risks of hospitalization and death for the severely immuno-suppressed, a population estimated at 400,000 to 500,000 people, or less than 1% of the total population.
The picture we paint is horrible, but it is just a snapshot of what we see every day at work. But there is good news. We can do something to turn the tide, save lives, and ensure our kids can go back to school and stay in school safely.

What can you do? First, get the vaccine. More than 200 million Americans have safely and effectively been vaccinated for COVID-19. In fact, just last week, the Pfizer vaccine received full approval from the FDA after rigorous evaluations showed it met the very high standards we have in this country.

We also know from this very large sample size that the vaccine is working. Since Jan. 1, 96.1 percent of new COVID-19 cases are people who were not vaccinated. We also know that 95.8 percent of hospitalized patients are unvaccinated and 96.8 percent of those who have died from COVID-19 were unvaccinated. By receiving the vaccine, you are protecting yourself and those who are not eligible to be vaccinated yet  children under the age of 12.
This is not something that just happened overnight, said. This is a result of months and years of advocacy.  This is a day that we will be able to go back to our family members, young and old, and tell them the story of injustice but also to tell them that you will never give up the fight for justice. If we band together and work together and fight together we can acquire the end that we seek, because the Martinsville Seven is just one story  of many that have occurred day in and day out.
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Most African countries are set to miss the "crucial" goal of vaccinating the most vulnerable ten percent of their populations against COVID-19 by the end of the month, the World Health Organization warned on Thursday

Forty-two of Africa's 54 nations, nearly 80 percent, are set to miss the target unless the current pace of vaccine deliveries and vaccinations increases, the WHO's Africa office warned.

"Vaccine hoarding has held Africa back and we urgently need more vaccines," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

"As more doses arrive, African countries must zero in and drive forward precise plans to rapidly vaccinate the millions of people that still face a grave threat from COVID-19," she added.

According to the WHO the supply of coronavirus vaccine to Africa has been improving with almost 21 million doses arriving in August, via the international Covax distribution system.

This equalled the tally for the previous four months combined.

"Africa is set to miss the urgent global goal of vaccinating the most vulnerable 10 percent of every country's population against COVID-19 by the end of September," the WHO warned.

But with more vaccines expected from Covax and the African Union by the end of September, the target remains possible, it added.

On top of that, 26 countries have used less than half of the coronavirus vaccine doses they already have.

Experts worry that reluctance to take the vaccine, stemming from public scepticism over foreign-procured jabs and fear of side effects, may prolong the pandemic in Africa, a continent of nearly 1.3 billion people

The WHO said that COVID-19 case numbers have been declining slightly in Africa "but remain stubbornly high".

Nine African nations, including Suth Africa, Morocco and Tunisia, have already reached the WHO's 10 percent vaccination goal.

Explore further WHO warns of new COVID wave in Africa

 2021 AFP
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Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed an online tool to help medical staff quickly determine which COVID-19 patients will need help breathing with a ventilator.

The tool, developed through analysis of CT scans from nearly 900 COVID-19 patients diagnosed in 2020, was able to predict ventilator need with 84% accuracy.

"That could be important for physicians as they plan how to care for a patientand, of course, for the patient and their family to know," said Anant Madabhushi, the Donnell Institute Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve and head of the Center for Computational Imaging and Personalized Diagnostics (CCIPD). "It could also be important for hospitals as they determine how many ventilators they'll need."

Next, Madabhushi said he hopes to use those results to try out the computational tool in real time at University Hospitals and Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center with COVID-19 patients.

If successful, he said medical staff at the two hospitals could upload a digitized image of the chest scan to a cloud-based application, where the AI at Case Western Reserve would analyze it and predict whether that patient would likely need a ventilator.

Dire need for ventilators

Among the more common symptoms of severe COVID-19 cases is the need for patients to be placed on ventilators to ensure they will be able to continue to take in enough oxygen as they breathe.

Yet, almost from the start of the pandemic, the number of ventilators needed to support such patients far outpaced available suppliesto the point that hospitals began "splitting" ventilatorsa practice in which a ventilator assists more than one patient.

While 2021's climbing vaccination rates dramatically reduced COVID-19 hospitalization ratesand, in turn, the need for ventilatorsthe recent emergence of the Delta variant has again led to shortages in some areas of the United States and in other countries.

"These can be gut-wrenching decisions for hospitalsdeciding who is going to get the most help against an aggressive disease," Madabhushi said.

To date, physicians have lacked a consistent and reliable way to identify which newly admitted COVID-19 patients are likely to need ventilatorsinformation that could prove invaluable to hospitals managing limited supplies.

Researchers in Madabhushi's lab began their efforts to provide such a tool by evaluating the initial scans taken in 2020 from nearly 900 patients from the U.S. and from Wuhan, Chinaamong the first known cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Madabhushi said those CT scans revealedwith the help of deep-learning computers, or Artificial Intelligence (AI)distinctive features for patients who later ended up in the intensive care unit (ICU) and needed help breathing.

The research behind the tool appeared this month in the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics.

Amogh Hiremath, a graduate student in Madabhushi's lab and lead author on the paper, said patterns on the CT scans couldn't be seen by the naked eye, but were revealed only by the computers.

"This tool would allow for medical workers to administer medications or supportive interventions sooner to slow down disease progression," Hiremath said. "And it would allow for early identification of those at increased risk of developing severe acute respiratory distress syndromeor death. These are the patients who are ideal ventilator candidates."

Further research into 'immune architecture'

Madabhushi's lab also recently published research comparing autopsy tissues scans taken from patients who died from the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu) and from COVID-19. While the results are preliminary, they do appear to reveal information about what Madabhushi called the "immune architecture" of the human body in response to the viruses.

"This is important because the computer has given us information that enriches our understanding of the mechanisms in the body against viruses," he said. "That can play a role in how we develop vaccines, for example."

German Corredor Prada, a research associate in Madabhushi's lab who was the primary author on the paper, said computer vision and AI techniques allowed the scientists to study how certain immune cells organize in the lung tissue of some patients.

"This allowed us to find information that may not be obvious by simple visual inspection of the samples," Corredor said. "These COVID-19-related patterns seem to be different from those of other diseases such as H1N1, a comparable viral disease."

Eventually, when combined with other clinical work and further tests in larger sets of patients, this discovery could serve to improve the world's understanding of these diseases and maybe others, he said.

Madabhushi established the CCIPD at Case Western Reserve in 2012. The lab now includes more than 60 researchers. Some were involved in this most recent COVID-19 work, including graduate students Hiremath, Pranjal Vaidya; research associates Corredor and Paula Toro; and research faculty Cheng Lu and Mehdi Alilou.

Explore further Medical artificial intelligence tools can work effectively for different locations, populations

More information: Amogh Hiremath et al, Integrated Clinical and CT based Artificial Intelligence nomogram for predicting severity and need for ventilator support in COVID-19 patients: A multi-site study, IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics (2021). Amogh Hiremath et al, Integrated Clinical and CT based Artificial Intelligence nomogram for predicting severity and need for ventilator support in COVID-19 patients: A multi-site study,(2021). DOI: 10.1109/jbhi.2021.3103389
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Cyprus will give COVID-19 booster jabs to those over 65 and care home residents whose full vaccination is more than six months old, Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas said Thursday.

The decision comes after the cabinet approved COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for the elderly, vulnerable groups and health professionals.

Hadjipantelas said people over 65, those living in care homes, the immunosuppressed of all ages and health professionals would be given a third dose, provided it has been at least six months since their second jab.

The decision comes after the European Medicines Agency said that additional doses should be considered for people with severely weakened immune systems as part of their primary vaccination.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, however, said there is no urgency for boosters to be administered to the general public.

Health authorities in Cyprus have contained the fourth wave of infections driven by the virus's Delta variant, which triggered a record 1,152 daily cases in mid-July.

"Important steps have been taken to stop the Delta variant and to curb the reluctance of those to get vaccinated," Hadjipantelas said.

He said Cyprus had the second-lowest coronavirus mortality rate among European Union countries after Finland, with 507 deaths and 114,131 cases since the outbreak began in March 2020.

As of August 31, 74.2 percent of the population have been fully vaccinated, and 79 percent have received one shot.

Explore further No urgent need for vaccine boosters, says EU agency

 2021 AFP
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A recent analysis raises concerns that prosecutions under so-called "drug-induced homicide" (DIH) laws may be exacerbating public health problems. The work focused on one North Carolina county, but highlights the need for broader research into the effects of DIH laws in more than two dozen states.

Broadly speaking, DIH laws allow for the prosecution of drug distribution to someone who dies from an overdose as equivalent to homicide or manslaughter. In other words, if Person A sells drugs to Person B, and Person B overdoses, Person A could face the equivalent of a murder sentence.

The recent analysis, which is the first published analysis to draw on empirical data, suggests that DIH laws may be threatening public health in at least two ways.

To learn more, we spoke with Jennifer Carroll, corresponding author of "Drug induced homicide laws may worsen opioid related harms: An example from rural North Carolina," which was published in the International Journal of Drug Policy. Carroll is an assistant professor of medical anthropology at NC State and an adjunct assistant professor of medicine at Brown University. Carroll's collaborators were Bayla Ostrach of Boston University; Loftin Wilson, Reid Getty and Jesse Bennett of North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC); and Jesse Lee Dunlap, formerly of NCHRC.

Question: To understand what's happening in this paper, you have to know a little about a particular drug-related conviction in Haywood County, North Carolina. What do folks need to know about the case?

Jennifer Carroll: In 2019, the North Carolina General Assembly passed the state's "Death by Distribution" law. The law allows for the prosecution of drug delivery resulting in a fatal overdose as equivalent to homicide. The law was inspired by a local case brought against a resident of Haywood County in 2017 in connection with the tragic and accidental overdose death of a young woman. The individual who supplied the drugs (an illicit opioid) that later contributed to the overdose death was charged with second-degree murder and, in 2018, was sentenced to more than 30 years in prisona sentence more than three times longer than the maximum allowable prison sentence for selling drugs in North Carolina.

The case received an enormous amount of media attentionso much attention that it caught the interest of N.C. Rep. Dean Arp, who authored the Death by Distribution law with the assistance of the same district attorney who brought the murder case in Haywood County.

Question: How did you run across this case?

Jennifer Carroll: The person who was sentenced to several decades in prison for second-degree murder was well known in the local community. Haywood County is a small place, socially speaking, with only 60,000 or so residents. The community of people who use drugs in Haywood County is smaller still. It's a place where everybody knows everybody's business.

In the summer of 2019, I was in Haywood County conducting research in collaboration with the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC)  a non-profit organization that provides essential harm reduction services like access to sterile syringes and the overdose reversal medication naloxone. When we interviewed Haywood County residents who were utilizing these harm reduction services, we quickly found that they all had some kind of personal relationship to the defendant in the 2017 case. Some were acquaintances; some knew him very well. Talking about those relationships quickly revealed how much of an impact that case had on these residents. It weighed heavily on them emotionally, and they reported the case having real impacts on the local drug market and their individual risk factors for accidental overdose. It was those connectionsthe social-emotional impact and the public health consequences of the 2017 trialthat we wanted to explore.

Question: Why did you decide to do a separate analysis on DIH?

Jennifer Carroll: DIH laws (NC's Death by Distribution law is but one example) are increasingly common strategies for prosecuting drug distribution. According to data from Northeastern University's Health in Justice Action Lab, the number of charges brought under DIH laws in the United States has skyrocketed from two in the year 2000 to more than 700 in 2017growth that has been in step with public attention on the opioid overdose epidemic.

There is significant, sometimes contentious, disagreement among researchers, legal scholars, and prosecuting attorneys in the state of North Carolina about whether bringing DIH charges is an appropriate moral or legal response to an accidental overdose death. There is greater disagreement about what impact such charges have on public health. Do these cases drive people who use drugs further underground and increase the likelihood of fatal overdoses by reducing people's willingness to call 911 in an emergency? Do these cases improve public health by taking dangerous actors off the streets or deterring the distribution of fentanyl through severe criminal punishments? Intelligent scholars and public servants have passionately levied both arguments. Yet, the reality is we simply don't know.

There is precious little research on trends in DIH charges. And there is no systematic research that we are aware of detailing how people who use drugs, including those most at risk of fatal overdose, are impacted. Even though we did not set out to study these cases, we realized we had obtained the first systematically-collected empirical evidence about the impact of DIH cases on local community members. We recognized the importance of placing this data in the scientific literature, so that others could have access to and learn from it.

Question: What did your analysis consist of?

Jennifer Carroll: I was conducting research with NCHRC to assess public health needs across the state. That involved a few weeks of interviewing local residents who use drugs and distributing surveys among harm reduction program participants. Separately, Dr. Ostrach was engaged in a long-term project exploring the implementation of evidence-based harm reduction strategies in Haywood County.

Question: Given the limited data set you had to work with, what were you able to conclude? And what were you able to infer?

Jennifer Carroll: Ultimately, we were able to develop a series of hypotheses, which accounted for individual behaviors, social proximity to the defendant in the 2017 case, and the passage of time since the defendant's 2018 sentencing, to explain how this DIH case impacted public health and the risk of opioid overdose in Haywood County. In sum, though the case could arguably be said to have produced some short-term reductions in opioid overdose risk, those positive benefits appear to be significantly outweighed by the negative, longer-term impacts of the case in the local community, including a more volatile drug supply and reduced willingness to call emergency services to the scene of an overdose.

While we can be confident that these impacts were felt by local residents of Haywood County, these hypotheses need to be tested and confirmed elsewhere.

Question: In the paper, you describe a couple ways that DIH prosecutions may be adversely impacting public health. Can you explain those?

Jennifer Carroll: Our data demonstrates a number of ripple effects in Haywood County stemming from this case. Local residents reported, in no uncertain terms, that the purity and potency of the local drug supply was significantly reduced soon after the trial. Specifically, they said that local drug suppliers were diluting their products to avoid the risk of overdose out of fear that they, too, could face murder charges. In the short term, that sounds like a positive public health impact from this case.

However, participants reported adjusting to this shift by buying and using larger quantities of drugs, making their regular habit more expensive and possibly leading them to inject drugs more oftenincreasing their risk of infection. The purity and potency of drugs then increased, returning to normal within a year of the sentencing. This could contribute to overdose among those who had a lowered opioid tolerance or who had started using more drugs at one time in response to the previously diluted drug supply.

Further, willingness to call 911 and seek emergency services during an overdose emergency plummeted following the 2018 sentencing. North Carolina has a 911 Good Samaritan Law designed to encourage calling 911 by extending limited immunity from criminal charges to someone who calls to request an ambulance during an overdose. Haywood County residents are well-educated about this law thanks to successful harm reduction education; therefore, outreach workers attributed this chilling effect to the high-profile sentencing of the local defendant. Finally, a blanket refusal to call 911 was more likely to be statedand stated passionatelyby people who were close members of the local defendant's social network.

Though not conclusive, our data suggests that this DIH case had a negative impact on public health and increased the risk of fatal opioid overdose for Haywood County residents.

Question: What do you think the big takeaway here is?

Jennifer Carroll: Our study demonstrates most conclusively that further research on the individual and community-level impacts of DIH laws is urgently needed.

More than 93,000 peopleeach of them someone's friend, child, or loved onelost their lives to drug overdoses in 2020. Law-makers, prosecutors, and other public servants in the criminal-legal system are engaging the tools they have at their disposal in response to overwhelming loss in their communities. But with no science to guide these criminal-legal strategies, our public servants are flying blind.

Many prosecutors value DIH charges for the opportunities they represent to seek justice, support healing, and bring closure to families who have lost loved ones. But what if DIH prosecutions actually increase the chance that other families will suffer the same tragedy? We owe it to prosecutors and to our communities to produce reliable answers to that question.

Explore further Pandemic tied to rising number of fatal opioid ODs

More information: Jennifer J. Carroll et al, Drug induced homicide laws may worsen opioid related harms: An example from rural North Carolina, International Journal of Drug Policy (2021). Journal information: International Journal of Drug Policy Jennifer J. Carroll et al, Drug induced homicide laws may worsen opioid related harms: An example from rural North Carolina,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103406
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How can government slow the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S.? Look to America's unique epidemic engines: jails and prisons in America.

Extremely high rates of incarceration in the U.S. undercut national public health and safety. The overcrowded, tight quarters in jails fuel constant risks of outbreaks. Add to that the daily movement of 420,000 guards in and out of the facilities and 30,000 newly released people who are likely to inadvertently carry the virus back to communities.

A new study from Northwestern Medicine, Toulouse School of Economics and the French National Centre for Scientific Research found the best way to address this public safety threat is through decarceration (i.e., reducing the number of people detained in jails).

"If we can immediately stop jailing people for minor alleged offenses and begin building a national decarceration program to end mass incarceration, these changes will protect us from COVID-19 now and will also benefit long-term U.S. public health and pandemic preparedness," said first author Dr. Eric Reinhart, an anthropologist of public health and resident physician in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The study evaluated the association of jail decarceration and government anti-contagion policies with reductions in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the U.S. It will be published Sept. 2 in the journal JAMA Network Open.

It is the first study to link mass incarceration systems to pandemic vulnerability and international biosecurity (i.e., systems for protecting against disease or harmful biological agents). In a pandemic, amplification of COVID-19 spread by one country spills over into other nations such that mass incarceration in the U.S. is a threat not only to Americans but also to global public health at large.

Although many prior studies have documented that high incarceration rates are associated with harm to communitywide health, this study of 1,605 U.S. counties is the first to show that decarceration is associated with community-wide public health benefits.

U.S. jails, prisons are 'infectious disease incubators'

The U.S. incarcerates people at seven times the average rate among peer nations such as France, Canada, Germany, England, etc., and holds almost 25% of the world's incarcerated population. Due to crowded conditions with poor healthcare, U.S. jails and prisons have effectively become infectious disease incubators in which at least 661,000 cases of COVID-19 have been documented since the pandemic began.

Reinhart said this is due in large part to the 55% weekly turnover rate in U.S. jail populations, which means crowds of peopletotaling approximately 650,000 each day, 75% of whom are awaiting trial and 25% of whom are serving short sentences for minor offensesare being detained in cramped spaces, and then most are released back to their communities shortly thereafter. While detained, their chances of contracting SARS-Cov-2 increase dramatically, and when they return home, many unknowingly carry the virus back to their friends, family and neighbors.

"The majority of these people should never have been taken to jail in the first place," Reinhart said. "There is no plausible public safety justification for their detention in a large proportion of cases, and a significant percentage of those jailed will never be convicted of the alleged crimes for which they were detained. Furthermore, no oneregardless of whether they have in fact committed a crimeshould be subjected to the high risk of coronavirus infection imposed by the poor conditions in these facilities.

"The high rate at which people are cycled between communities and unnecessary short-term stays in jails is creating epidemiologic pumps that drive more and more infections in both jails and communities. This jail churn effectively produces epidemic machines that seed outbreaks both in and beyond jails, undermining public safety for the entire country."

'A natural experiment'

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in large-scale releases of inmates, with many jails decarcerating at rates between 20-50%, Reinhart said.

"We used this exceptional historical episode during the pandemic to ask, 'What were the consequences of this large-scale jail decarceration?' It provided an opportunity for a natural experiment," Reinhart said. "Pandemic-era decarceration wasn't associated just with benefits for people who were released but also for everyone in the community. No study has ever been able to show this before, largely because we haven't previously seen a real-world scenario with such sudden large-scale decarceration along with a well-documented meanslike COVID-19 casesto trace its implications for communities."

The 1,605-county analysis from Reinhart and his co-author Daniel Chen of the Toulouse School of Economics and The World Bank encompassed 72% of the total U.S. population to provide one of the most fine-grained large analyses of anticontagion policies to date (jail decarceration along with 10 policies), including mask mandates, school closures, stay-at-home orders and more.

Reinhart and Chen estimated that an 80% reduction in U.S. jail populationsa level of decarceration achievable simply by pursuing alternatives to jail detention for those detained for non-violent alleged offenseswould have been associated with 2% reduction in daily COVID-19 case growth rates. This effect size was eight times larger in counties with above-median population density, including large urban areas, and was considerably larger when Reinhart and Chen considered not just changes in jail populations but also estimated jail turnover.

"Although this may sound like a small number," Reinhart said, "because daily growth routes compound over time, even just a 2% reduction in daily case growth rates in the U.S. from the beginning of the pandemic until now would translate to the prevention of millions of cases. And, if on top of that, you factor in prison-related spread and the contribution of over 400,000 jail and prison guards to COVID-19 cases in their home communitiessomething we didn't have access to data to trackthen the contribution of the U.S. carceral system to overall COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has clearly been enormous," he said.

Nursing home visitation bans were associated with the largest reduction (7.3%) in COVID-19 case growth rates of all the policies Reinhart and Chen analyzed, followed by school closures (4.3%), mask mandates (2.5%), prison visitation bans (1.2%), and stay-at-home orders (0.8%).

Reinhart suggested these results also carry policy lessons not just for immediate anticontagion measures but also for broader public investments to improve conditions in schools and nursing homes.

As COVID-19 cases are again increasing around the world in connection with the delta variant, Reinhart believes this study's findings "contain useful evidence for informing maximally effective policymaking to protect the public," he said.

Jail-linked disease spread and racial disparities

Reinhart and Chen's recent related study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences focused on the ways in which what they call "carceral-community epidemiology" how health in jails and prisons is always interconnected with health in broader communitiesparticularly affects U.S. communities of color. Black and Latinx neighborhoods endure the highest rates of policing and incarceration, so when jails amplify disease in communities, this especially affects these racialized groups, Reinhart said.

"Our prior research showed that this jail-community spread of coronavirus likely accounts for a substantial proportion of the racial disparities we have seen in COVID-19 cases across the U.S.," Reinhart said. "Ultimately, this also harms all U.S. residents regardless of race, class or partisan affiliations, as disregarding the health of marginalized people inevitably causes harmalbeit unevenlyto everyone else in a society too."
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

One in every 10 kids under the age of 14 live with a chronic health condition.

These conditionswhich can include heart disease, diabetes and asthmaaffect many areas of a child's life and, in some cases, can lead to hospitalisations that last days, weeks or even months.

A big data study from UNSW Sydney and University of Sydney has used data from Australia's standardized school assessment, the NAPLAN, to find out just how much children hospitalized with chronic illness are falling behind.

The findings in more than 300,000 children, published today in Archives of Disease in Childhood, paint a stark picture.

"Our results show that although one in 20 children may miss the NAPLAN test, this was double (10 per cent) for those hospitalized with a chronic condition," says co-senior author of the study Raghu Lingam, a professor in pediatric population health at UNSW Medicine & Health and pediatrician at Sydney Children's Hospitals Network.

"Nearly 40 per cent of the most severely affected childrenthat is, those that were hospitalized more than seven times or more than 15 daysdidn't even take the NAPLAN test.

"Those children hospitalized with a chronic condition that did sit the NAPLAN test were at a 30-60 per cent increased risk of not meeting national minimal standards."

The research is the first large-scale population study to look at how children hospitalized with chronic illness perform compared to their peers. The research team behind the study are part of the Kids to Adults Chronic Illness Alliance (K2A Alliance), a national group of over 200 researchers, clinicians and parents looking at ways to improve the lives of children with chronic illness.

The researchers analyzed data from a population group of all children born in NSW between 2000 and 2006, with a focus on their NAPLAN results when they were in grades 3, 5 and 7. While the available dataset only included results from public schools (over 300,000 children in total), it still accounted for about two thirds of students in NSW.

Around 16-18 per cent of students in these grades had been hospitalized with a chronic condition before their scheduled NAPLAN tests, which the team identified using a combination of routine birth records and hospital admission records.

Alarmingly, the more hospital admissions or bed-days a child hadregardless of their type of chronic conditionthe poorer their academic performance.

The team also found that children hospitalized with mental health or behavioral conditions had the highest risk of poor academic performance compared to other chronic conditions.

"These results show that there's a significant proportion of children in NSW who are facing this challenge," says co-lead author Dr. Joanna Fardell, a senior research fellow at UNSW and neuropsychologist at Westmead Hospital.

"Up until now, we haven't known how many there are and what the impact is for them."

Prof. Lingam says he hopes the findings lead to broader change and support for these students.

"We all knew this was happening, but the weight of the numbers is huge from a policy and practice perspective," he says.

"Being able to put a numeric to this shows that we really do need to have additional support for these children and young people with chronic illnesses."

Participation matters

The NAPLAN testwhich children in grades 3, 5, 7 and 9 need to sit annuallymeasures students' academic skills in reading, writing, spelling, numeracy, grammar and punctuation.

Co-senior author of the study Professor Natasha Nassar, pediatric epidemiologist and chair of translational childhood medicine at the University of Sydney, says that while the NAPLAN isn't the be all and end all, it does give a population level and standardized view of how well children are performing over time.

"The NAPLAN gives us a snapshot of how those children are going and lets us look at how their educational trajectories develop over time," she says.

"These trajectories are really predictive of later life outcomes, and can predict whether they complete school, get a job, how they interact in society and even their health and wellbeing."

According to Dr. Fardell, the NAPLAN may be even more valuable for students who need to spend time in hospital.

"For these kids that are vulnerable, participation in school and standardized assessments is even more important," she says.

"It's an opportunity to be part of a community, and to be part of a normal developmental process."

Finding more support

Currently, children with physical or behavioral disabilities receive support from government and schools to help their access to education, via Schools for Specific Purposes, access to specialist support teachers and tailored learning and support programs and resources.

But children hospitalized due to chronic illness often fall through these support gaps.

"There is no standardized model of care or policy related directly to children with chronic illness," says Dr. Fardell.

"While there's support in place for children identified as having a disability, there is this whole other population that just aren't being served under the current set of policies and support structures."

The researchers say they hope to build on this research with more population and intervention-based studiesthis way, they can learn more about the students that need help while also finding the best ways to support them.

Dr. Nan Hu, co-lead author of the paper and research fellow at the UNSW School of Women's and Children's Health, says integrated interventions will go a long way in helping these students.

"We need to offer more help to those children affected with chronic conditionsin particular, those who are hospitalized," he says.

"This should include integrated interventions that incorporate health, education, and psychological support, especially as children hospitalized with mental health or behavioral conditions are at the highest risk of performing below the basic academic requirements."

Explore further Impact of COVID school closures on literacy and numeracy in 2020 was relatively small in Australia

More information: Nan Hu et al, School academic performance of children hospitalised with a chronic condition, Archives of Disease in Childhood (2021). Journal information: Archives of Disease in Childhood Nan Hu et al, School academic performance of children hospitalised with a chronic condition,(2021). DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2020-321285
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Frontline healthcare workers need a range of 'flexible', 'easily accessible' and 'consistent' psychological support to overcome the significant mental health burden resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, finds a new study of NHS and community-based staff, led by UCL researchers.

In a 'call to action', the team of psychiatrists and psychologists, who formed the 'COVID Trauma Response Working Group', say there needs to be an increase in mental health awareness training for all staff in health and social care settings, supported by more assertive outreach to identify those most in need.

In addition, more sustained funding is needed for psychological support servicesnot just during crisesand equity of access to support needs to be ensured between different teams, services and localities, across the entire health and social care sector.

Explaining the study, lead author Dr. Jo Billings, Associate Professor at UCL Division of Psychiatry said: "In the UK, it has been estimated that 45-58% of the frontline health and social care workforce met criteria for clinically significant levels of anxiety, depression and/or PTSD shortly following the first wave of the pandemic.

"This is amongst a workforce already under considerable strain pre-COVID-19, as evidenced by the growing incidence of stress, burnout, depression, drug and alcohol dependence and suicide across all groups of health professionals, worldwide.

"The need to support the mental health of frontline staff during COVID-19 has been recognized, however this pandemic has also highlighted a paucity of research on the mental health needs of frontline health and social care workers, and a lack of evidence-based guidance about what psychosocial support might be most effective in helping them."

For the in-depth qualitative interview study published in PLOS ONE, 25 frontline staff (17 female, 8 male) from a range of professions, services and localitiesbut who all worked directly with COVID-19 patientswere interviewed between June 1st and July 23rd, 2020.

Health and social care workers were asked to describe their experiences and views about psychosocial support during the pandemic.

Research findings

Support from psychological services, when available, was largely valued, and those who had accessed them, or knew others who had, spoke positively about them. However, there appeared to be large disparities in what was available and significant barriers to access.

Many described service provision as confusing and poorly communicated, leading to a lack of awareness about services available. It was also described as inflexible with some services only available Monday to Friday in working hours, which did not correspond to the shift patterns that most staff worked during the pandemic. Further many said they were too busy to access support services during the available times.

The interviews revealed there were 'striking inconsistencies' in the provision of mental health support across healthcare services, noted by those who moved between locations and specialties. There were particular barriers to access for staff who were not employed by the NHS, restricting access to many NHS based services for social care staff and agency staff not on NHS contracts.

Participants also referenced an ongoing reluctance and stigma, summed up by Nathan, a junior doctor, "The problem with healthcare is that mental health is slightly stigmatized in healthcare workers and people don't want to admit that there is a problemthey stress a culture of resilience and I don't think anyone wants to be seen as being unable to cope with anything."

Dr. Billings, who is also a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, said: "Significant steps need to be urgently taken to improve the psychological wellbeing and morale of the UK health and social care workforce and to ensure that the services they deliver to the UK population are sustainable, during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Resources for support need to be made consistently available, and easily accessible to all staff. However, systemic and cultural barriers to access need to be addressed to ensure that accessing such resources is not inadvertently stigmatizing. Access to resources also needs to be equitable, within different teams and localities and across the health and social care workforce."

Other recommendations put forward by the group

Staff need 'protected time' during work to access wellbeing and psychological services; staff who are redeployed between teams need additional support; role modeling by senior staff and culture change are needed to increase willingness to talk; and a flexible combination of peer, organizational and professional support, is most likely to be acceptable and effective.

Co-author, Dr. Michael Bloomfield, UCL Division of Psychiatry and Consultant NHS Psychiatrist, said: "The results of this study show that a 'one-size fits all' approach to providing support is unlikely to be helpful. Nevertheless, these systems of support need to be coherent, consistently communicated and easily accessible."

Fellow author, Dr. Talya Greene (UCL Division of Psychiatry and University of Haifa) added: "More research is needed to fully unpack the structural, systemic and individual barriers to accessing psychosocial support. The views of workers from minority professional and ethnic groups need to be assertively included in future research. More collaboration, consultation and co-production of support services and their evaluation is warranted."

The survey was led by the 'COVID Trauma Response Working Group', formed by UCL clinical academics at the start of the pandemic. The group also includes mental health experts from the NHS, Oxford University, King's College London and the University of Haifa, Israel.

Explore further Specialist trauma mental health services a necessity for UK healthcare staff after COVID

More information: What support do frontline workers want? A qualitative study of health and social care workers' experiences and views of psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic, PLOS ONE (2021). Journal information: PLoS ONE What support do frontline workers want? A qualitative study of health and social care workers' experiences and views of psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic,(2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256454
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

UK and US adult smokers who were considering using e-cigarettes were deterred when exposed to tweets falsely implying the devices are more harmful than conventional cigarettes, finds new research. The study, published in BMJ Open and led by researchers at the University of Bristol (UK) and the University of Pennsylvania (US), is the first to examine the effect of this type of exposure which has important implications for public health.

While existing studies have examined current perceptions of e-cigarette harms, little is known about the role of exposure to misinformation on social media on these perceptions, and consequently on e-cigarette intentions and use.

In this Cancer Research UK (CRUK)-funded study, researchers from Bristol's medical school and Penn's Annenberg School for Communication recruited 2,400 adult smokers from the US and UK who were not currently using e-cigarettes to take part in an online randomized controlled experiment to assess the effect of exposure to misinformation about e-cigarette harms on Twitter on adult current smokers' intention to quit smoking cigarettes. They also assessed their intention to purchase e-cigarettes and their perceived relative harm of e-cigarettes compared to regular cigarettes.

Participants were shown different types of health-related information and asked for their opinions about e-cigarettes, and were asked questions on their intention to quit smoking, intention to purchase e-cigarettes, and perceived relative harm of e-cigarettes compared to regular cigarettes. After randomization, they were asked to view one tweet at a time in random order (four tweets in total) and were asked brief questions about each tweet, in terms of the perceived effectiveness of the tweet; likelihood of replying, retweeting, liking, and sharing the tweet; and their emotional response to the tweet.

Results showed that US and UK adult current smokers were deterred from considering using e-cigarettes even after brief exposure to tweets that e-cigarettes are as or more harmful than smoking, suggesting that misinformation about e-cigarette harms may adversely influence adult smokers' decisions to consider using e-cigarettes as a way of stopping smoking. Conversely, the results found that US adult current smokers may be encouraged to use e-cigarettes and view them as less harmful than regular cigarettes, after exposure to tweets that e-cigarettes are completely harmless.

Andy Tan, Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication and Director of the Health Communication & Equity Lab, explains: "This is the first study to explore the effect of exposure to misinformation about e-cigarette harms on Twitter among smokers. These findings are important because they show that even brief exposure to misinformation about e-cigarettes may be hindering efforts to reduce the burden of tobacco smoking on current smokers in the US and UK."

Dr. Caroline Wright, Senior Research Associate and CRUK Population Research Postdoctoral Fellow from Bristol Medical School and the study's lead author, said: "Health information is commonly accessed online, with recent reports showing around 63 percent of UK adults using the internet to look for health-related information, and 75 percent of US adults using the internet as their first source of health information. People are increasingly encountering free and publicly available health information through social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook. However, this ease of accessing information comes at a cost as the spread of misinformation can have negative consequences on people's health choices and behaviour. Given this, we would remind smokers that although e-cigarettes are not completely harmless, their short-term health risks are considerably lower than smoking regular cigarettes. We would encourage smokers accessing information online to check their national health agency for accurate information about e-cigarettes.

"For health care providers we recommend being aware that your patients may have been influenced by misinformation on social media, and therefore may have misperceptions about e-cigarettes. Correct misperceptions, and consider the ways you can support your patients, so they are able to identify accurate health information. And finally, for policy makers: ensure that all social media searches associated with e-cigarettes are flagged with official health guidance, regulate all forms of misinformation on social media, and improve population awareness and skills to seek out accurate information."

Explore further Ethnic minorities in England less likely to report using e-cigarettes to reduce smoking

More information: Caroline Wright et al, Effects of brief exposure to misinformation about e-cigarette harms on twitter: a randomised controlled experiment, BMJ Open (2021). Journal information: BMJ Open Caroline Wright et al, Effects of brief exposure to misinformation about e-cigarette harms on twitter: a randomised controlled experiment,(2021). DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045445
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Moderna on Wednesday announced it had begun submitting an application to the US Food and Drug Administration to authorize a booster of its COVID vaccine after trial data showed a significant increase in antibodies against variants.

The third shot of the vaccine, known as mRNA-1273, was given to 344 participants in a study six months after their second dose.

The first two doses were 100 micrograms, while the booster was half that at 50 micrograms.

An analysis showed the booster increased neutralizing antibody levels against variants of concern, including Delta by more than 42.3-fold, Gamma by 43.6-fold, and Beta by 32-fold, with similar gains seen across age groups including over-65s.

Ultra-contagious Delta, first identified in India, is now the dominant strain globally.

"We remain committed to staying ahead of the virus and following the evolving epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2," Stephane Bancel, the company's CEO, said in a statement.

The company said it was also planning submissions to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and other regulatory authorities in the coming days.

While Moderna is submitting data for a repetition of its first vaccine, which was developed against the original strain first identified in Wuhan, China, the company has previously tested a variant-specific booster against Beta, which was first identified in South Africa but has faded considerably in recent months.

US President Joe Biden's administration has begun offering third COVID vaccine doses to immunocompromised people and plans to widen boosters to everyone eligible, eight months after their second dose, starting September 20.

That decision has left many health experts baffled, because although there is evidence that vaccine efficacy is waning against infection, it has remained largely stable against hospitalization and deathsthe purpose for which the shots were conceived.

The move has also been criticized on the basis that most developing countries at this time don't even have enough vaccines to give their populations their first or second doses.

Beyond the questionable ethics and politics of failing to provide vaccines to poor countries, leaving these regions under-vaccinated for a prolonged period of time risks incubating new and possibly more dangerous variants that could evade the protective action of the current generation of vaccines.

Also on Wednesday, the FDA announced it would hold a meeting on September 17 to evaluate whether to authorize a third booster dose of Pfizer's mRNA COVID shot.

Explore further Pfizer seeking FDA OK for COVID-19 vaccine booster dose

 2021 AFP
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Feeling connected to nature or the environment is important for health, and new public health research from the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawaii at Manoa examines how these feelings of connection can be measured.

Such measurements are important because health research relies on objective measurements. For example, if researchers want to investigate whether people who feel close to nature have better blood pressure or mental health, they need a way to measure people's closeness to nature.

"Land, nature and environmental connectedness need to be better explored in health research," said Mapuana Antonio, an assistant professor in public health specializing in Native Hawaiian and Indigenous health. "But 'connectedness' can be a difficult thing to measure."

Evaluating previous studies

For the study, Antonio and her co-authors searched for previous studies that used surveys or questionnaires to measure people's connectedness to nature or their environments. Then, they evaluated these tools. The paper is published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Their search revealed that some scales provided validated measurements of relatedness to nature. For example, the Connectedness to Nature Scale is a 14-item questionnaire that asks people questions such as whether they feel they are "part of the web of life," or "feel embedded within the broader natural world." People's answers are used to calculate an overall score.

"Nature connectedness scales could be used in research to support decision-making processes for managing sacred spaces such as Maunakea," said Samantha Keaulana Scott, a Ph.D. candidate in public health and the lead author of the paper.

Other scales were designed to measure people's environmental attitudes and values. For example, higher scores on the Revised New Ecological Paradigm Scale were linked with engaging in eco-friendly behaviors.

Still, other scales measured people's cultural or spiritual connectedness. Higher scores on the Hawaiian Cultural Scale were linked to valuing Hawaiian beliefs and learning about Hawaiian ways from family members.

"These findings will help us to reconstruct the way we think about health by quantifying people's health needs and could lend support to policies and programs that promote health equity," Antonio said. "For Indigenous peoples, this is another way of providing rigorous and concrete data, while communicating the importance of our deep relationship with the land to decision makers about the need to reclaim Indigenous land stewardship."

Keaulana and Antonio's co-authors included Thompson school colleagues Melissa Kahili-Heede, Lorinda Riley, Mei Linn N. Park, Kuaiwi Laka Makua and Jetney Kahaulahilahi Vegas.

Explore further Connection to 'aina critical to health among native Hawaiians

More information: Samantha Keaulana et al, A Scoping Review of Nature, Land, and Environmental Connectedness and Relatedness, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2021). Journal information: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Samantha Keaulana et al, A Scoping Review of Nature, Land, and Environmental Connectedness and Relatedness,(2021). DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18115897
Mount Sinai scientists created an AI-based, automated system that learns to read patient data from electronic health records. Here the system identified dementia cases (purple dots) from a database of nearly 2 million patients (blue dots). Credit: Glicksberg lab, Mount Sinai, N.Y., N.Y.

In an article published in the journal Patterns, scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai described the creation of a new, automated, artificial intelligence-based algorithm that can learn to read patient data from electronic health records. In a side-by-side comparison, they showed that their method, called Phe2vec (FEE-to-vek), accurately identified patients with certain diseases as well as the traditional, "gold-standard" method, which requires much more manual labor to develop and perform.

"There continues to be an explosion in the amount and types of data electronically stored in a patient's medical record. Disentangling this complex web of data can be highly burdensome, thus slowing advancements in clinical research," said Benjamin S. Glicksberg, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, a member of the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health at Mount Sinai (HPIMS), and a senior author of the study. "In this study, we created a new method for mining data from electronic health records with machine learning that is faster and less labor intensive than the industry standard. We hope that this will be a valuable tool that will facilitate further, and less biased, research in clinical informatics."

The study was led by Jessica K. De Freitas, a graduate student in Dr. Glicksberg lab.

Currently, scientists rely on a set of established computer programs, or algorithms, to mine medical records for new information. The development and storage of these algorithms is managed by a system called the Phenotype Knowledgebase (PheKB). Although the system is highly effective at correctly identifying a patient diagnosis, the process of developing an algorithm can be very time-consuming and inflexible. To study a disease, researchers first have to comb through reams of medical records looking for pieces of data, such as certain lab tests or prescriptions, which are uniquely associated with the disease. They then program the algorithm that guides the computer to search for patients who have those disease-specific pieces of data, which constitute a "phenotype". In turn, the list of patients identified by the computer needs to be manually double-checked by researchers. Each time researchers want to study a new disease, they have to restart the process from scratch.

In this study, the researchers tried a different approachone in which the computer learns, on its own, how to spot disease phenotypes and thus save researchers time and effort. This new, Phe2vec method was based on studies the team had already conducted.

"Previously, we showed that unsupervised machine learning could be a highly efficient and effective strategy for mining electronic health records," said Riccardo Miotto, Ph.D., a former Assistant Professor at the HPIMS and a senior author of the study. "The potential advantage of our approach is that it learns representations of diseases from the data itself. Therefore, the machine does much of the work experts would normally do to define the combination of data elements from health records that best describes a particular disease."

Essentially, a computer was programmed to scour through millions of electronic health records and learn how to find connections between data and diseases. This programming relied on "embedding" algorithms that had been previously developed by other researchers, such as linguists, to study word networks in various languages. One of the algorithms, called word2vec, was particularly effective. Then, the computer was programmed to use what it learned to identify the diagnoses of nearly 2 million patients whose data was stored in the Mount Sinai Health System.

Finally, the researchers compared the effectiveness between the new and the old systems. For nine out of ten diseases tested, they found that the new Phe2vec system was as effective as, or performed slightly better than, the gold standard phenotyping process at correctly identifying a diagnoses from electronic health records. A few examples of the diseases included dementia, multiple sclerosis, and sickle cell anemia.

"Overall our results are encouraging and suggest that Phe2vec is a promising technique for large-scale phenotyping of diseases in electronic health record data," Dr. Glicksberg said. "With further testing and refinement, we hope that it could be used to automate many of the initial steps of clinical informatics research, thus allowing scientists to focus their efforts on downstream analyses like predictive modeling."

Explore further Researchers build models using machine learning technique to enhance predictions of COVID-19 outcomes

More information: De Freitas, J.K., et al., Phe2vec: Automated Disease Phenotyping based on Unsupervised Embeddings from Electronic Health Records, Patterns, September 2, 2021, De Freitas, J.K., et al., Phe2vec: Automated Disease Phenotyping based on Unsupervised Embeddings from Electronic Health Records,, September 2, 2021, DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2021.100337
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A new, multi-institutional study led by Case Western Reserve Universityin partnership with Brown Universityfound that COVID-19 antibodies produced by the Pfizer vaccine decreased sharply in senior nursing home residents and their caregivers six months after receiving their second shots.

David Canaday, professor at the School of Medicine, and the research team studied blood samples of 120 Ohio nursing home residents and 92 health care workers. In particular, they looked at humoral immunityalso called antibody-mediated immunityto measure the body's defenses against the coronavirus.

The researchers, including a lab team at Harvard University, found that individuals' antibody levels decreased more than 80% after six months; the results were the same in seniors (median age 76) and caregivers (median age 48) and old alike, according to the study.

After presenting their unpublished results directly to the senior staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), researchers were urged to get the data out in the public domain as soon as possible "so we could enter conversation and the decision-making process for booster vaccine recommendations," Canaday said. As a result, the researchers published the findings on medRxiv, an online preprint server for health sciences studies co-founded by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), Yale University and the BMJ, a global healthcare knowledge provider, while the study is under review at a traditional peer-reviewed journal.

The sharp decline is particularly problematic for the seniors, because earlier research by Canaday and his colleagues found that within two weeks of receiving the second dose of vaccine and being considered "fully vaccinated," seniors who had not previously contracted COVID-19 already showed a reduced response in antibodies that was substantially lower than the younger caregivers experienced. By six months after vaccination, the blood of 70% of these nursing home residents had "very poor ability to neutralize the coronavirus infection in laboratory experiments," Canaday said.

The new research is part of a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to CWRU and Brown University. That work led to another $4.9 million grantawarded in early August, from the CDC to Canaday and two other principal investigatorsStefan Gravenstein and Elizabeth White, at Brown Universityto examine how long immunity lasts in nursing home residents and to research booster vaccines.

The results, Canaday said, support the CDC's recommendation for booster shotsespecially for the elderlydue to fading immunity. And that boosters are even more important as the Delta variant spreads nationwide.

Early in the pandemic, higher COVID-19 mortality among nursing home residents led to making them a priority for vaccination. Most nursing home residents received the Pfizer vaccine under the emergency use authorizations because it was the first available vaccine on the market.

Explore further Moderna vaccine gives bigger antibody boost than Pfizer in elderly, say researchers

More information: David H. Canaday et al, Significant reduction in humoral immunity among healthcare workers and nursing home residents 6 months after COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination, medRxiv (2021). David H. Canaday et al, Significant reduction in humoral immunity among healthcare workers and nursing home residents 6 months after COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination,(2021). DOI: 10.1101/2021.08.15.21262067
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Up to one in seven (14%) children and young people who caught SARS-CoV-2 may have symptoms linked to the virus 15 weeks later, suggest preliminary findings from the world's largest study on long COVID in children, led by UCL and Public Health England researchers.

For the study, published on the preprint site Research Square and funded by the UK's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), researchers surveyed 3,065 11- to 17-year-olds in England who had positive results in a PCR test between January and March as well as a matched control group of 3,739 11- to 17-year-olds who tested negative over the same period.

They found that, when surveyed at an average of 15 weeks after their test, 14% more young people in the test positive group had three or more symptoms of ill health, including unusual tiredness and headaches, than those in the test negative group, while 7% (one in 14) more had five or more symptoms.

The researchers said the data suggested that, over seven months between last September and March, at least 4,000 and possibly 32,000 teenagers of the total population of 11- to 17-year-olds who tested positive in England may have had multiple (three or more) symptoms tied to COVID-19 infection after 15 weeks.

The lower estimate (at least 4,000) relates to a best-case scenario, in which only the teenagers who responded to the survey had any persisting problems and those who chose not to respond to the survey had completely recovered. This would mean that across England during those seven months, 4,273 11- to 17-year-olds would still have three or more physical symptoms 15 weeks post-test and 2,137 would have five or more symptoms physical symptoms 15 weeks post-test.

These figures are over and above the background symptom levels of teenagers in the control group who tested negative.

Lead author Professor Sir Terence Stephenson (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health) said: "There is consistent evidence that some teenagers will have persisting symptoms after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. Our study supports this evidence, with headaches and unusual tiredness the most common complaints."

Professor Stephenson added that "the difference between the positive and negative groups is greater if we look at multiple symptoms, with those who had a positive test twice as likely to report three or more symptoms 15 weeks later." This suggests that number of symptoms should be considered when clinicians seek to define long COVID in children.

The landmark study is the largest study to date of children and young people in the world; it relied on PCR lab proven SARS-COV-2 status; it enrolled a COVID-negative comparison control group; and it recruited nationally.

High numbers of young people who tested negative reported symptoms at 15 weeks and the researchers identified three factors that may explain this. One is that symptoms such as unusual tiredness are common in this age group generally. The second is that the timing of the survey, between March and May, coincided with the return of school following lockdown and a likely increase in infections. The third factor is that, of those young people sent a survey, only 13% respondedit is possible that these respondents were more likely to have poor health than those who did not respond.

Co-author Professor Roz Shafran (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health) said that their "study also shows the importance of having a comparison group so that long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms are not confused with non-COVID-related ill health. Without a control group of young people, our findings would be uninterpretable."

Final author Dr. Shamez Ladhani (Public Health England) said that "in addition to having a control group, one of the major strengths of this study is the follow-up of the children for up to two years which will give us insight into any long-lasting effects of COVID-19 in teenagers."

The researchers found that there was no difference in mental health and wellbeing scores between children who tested positive compared to those who tested negative, but a high proportion in both groups reported being a bit or very worried, sad or unhappy (41% of people who tested positive versus 39% of those who tested negative).

The research team sent questionnaires to about 220,000 young people in England and received 17,000 responses. This study drew on the responses of nearly 7,000 of those who were tested between January and March, excluding those who were tested earlier (September to December) and therefore at greater risk of recall bias.

For later studies, the researchers will analyse survey results at six months, a year and two years from the time of the PCR test.

The Children and young people with Long COVID (CLoCk) study is led by UCL and Public Health England and involves collaboration with researchers at the universities of Edinburgh, Bristol, Oxford, Cambridge, Liverpool, Leicester, Manchester as well as King's College London, Imperial College London, Public Health England, Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London Hospitals (UCLH).

Health Minister, Lord Bethell said that "most people who catch COVID-19 make a full and quick recovery, but we know some continue to suffer from symptoms for months after being infected. That's why we are backing vital research like this to help build our understanding of long COVID so we can protect adults and children from its effects.

"To support people with long COVID we have already invested 50 million in research to ensure the right help and treatment is available and opened over 80 assessment services across England, including specialist services for children and young people backed by 100 million in additional funding."

"We want the UK to be a world leader in tackling long COVID and we will continue to support those suffering the long term effects of the virus."

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive of the NIHR, said that "parents and young people are understandably concerned about the risk of long-term symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection."

"This large study, part of NIHR's 50 million investment into long COVID research, helps to quantify that risk and indicates that multiple ongoing symptoms may be a useful measure for long COVID."

Dr. Jonathan Pearce, Director of COVID-19 Response, UKRI's Medical Research Council said that "this study is very important as it will inform our understanding of the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the physical and mental health of children and young people. Comparing children who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 with children who did not, allows researchers to identify the contribution of COVID-19 to their symptoms. The more we can learn about how people react to COVID-19 in both the short and longer term, the better equipped we will be to help affected individuals and to deal with future infectious disease risks."

NHS deputy medical director for primary care Dr. Kiren Collison said that "within a year of long COVID emerging as a condition, the NHS in England invested 134 million to establish over 80 long COVID clinics in every local health area in the countryand in July the NHS announced 15 new paediatric hubs to help treat young people with the condition."

"Long COVID clinics are already open and helping thousands of people get support. Anyone who is concerned about long lasting symptoms of the virus that are not improving as they would expect should get in touch with their GP practice or go online to the NHS "Your COVID Recovery' website for advice."

Explore further Long COVID uncommon in children, analysis finds

More information: Terence Stephenson et al, Long COVID - the physical and mental health of children and non-hospitalised young people 3 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection; a national matched cohort study (The CLoCk) Study, Research Square (2021). Terence Stephenson et al, Long COVID - the physical and mental health of children and non-hospitalised young people 3 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection; a national matched cohort study (The CLoCk) Study,(2021). DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-798316/v1
I got an order today that made me a little skeptical that we have a scheduling conference for Sept. 7 ... So Im afraid that Judge (Jason) Marks is not going to give us expedited consideration, which is concerning to me with respect to the outcome of the case, Rhoades said.

Regardless of the outcome of the case, he anticipates that the losers are going to appeal, sending the case to the state Supreme Court.

From the Montana Supreme Court, he expects a fair hearing and that bills passed this legislative session pertaining to abortion could have a positive impact on their suit as it pertains to the right to privacy.

In ordinary circumstances I would say that we have a one-in-four chance (of winning), because we have this companion case on the right of privacy that involves abortion and this strategic need by the courts to protect that test, I think gives us a better chance than not, more likely than not that we can hope to prevail at the Supreme Court level when it gets there.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  More than 30 California children are stuck in Afghanistan after they traveled to the country to see their relatives weeks before the Taliban seized power and were unable to get out before U.S. forces left, according to school districts where the kids are enrolled.

Officials with three school districts  one in the San Diego area and two in Sacramento  said Wednesday that they have been in contact with the families who fear they have been forgotten by the U.S. government. The officials said that some of the children were born in the United States and are U.S. citizens.

Nearly all of the children returned to Afghanistan with one or both parents in the spring or early summer to visit relatives. The families traveled on their own to the country and were not part of any organized trips.

Many of the families arrived in the U.S. years ago after obtaining special immigrant visas granted to Afghans who had worked for the U.S. government or U.S. military over the past two decades.
The Secretary of State's Office last year did not answer a question from Lee Newspapers asking for a dollar amount of refunds that have been issued, though documents Lee Newspapers obtained show the total of the 1,200 refunded reaching about $29,600. If the 1,200 documented charges were made up of businesses that each made four attempts to pay, that would mean 300 businesses affected.

In 2020, Republican Corey Stapleton was secretary of state. His then-deputy, Christi Jacobsen, won election to the job and took office at the start of 2021.

The complaint claims overcharges of $120,000. The secretary of state in late October also did not provide a count of how many businesses or duplicate transactions may have been made that were not yet refunded.

The emails showed at least some businesses were not aware that their filings were never completed or that they had been charged multiple times, until they received involuntary dissolution intent notices last fall.
Stahl said she hasn't seen a six-week ban proposed in Montana, nor has she seen any so-called trigger laws that would ban or restrict abortions if Roe v. Wade, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that guaranteed the right to a pre-viability abortion, were to fall.

The Washington Post on Wednesday reported nearly 85-90% of abortions in Texas are done after six weeks of gestation. Many women do not know they are pregnant until after that point based on their last date of their period and an average cycle.

Stahl said she expects legislators who have brought bills seeking to restrict access to abortions to bring more legislation if Texas' law stands.

"If that is the case, I truly believe we will see legislatures around the country passing similar laws and trying to do the same thing in other places," Stahl said.

Montana lawmakers have already said they would like to see Roe v. Wade reversed. During the most recent session, Republican Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway, of Great Falls, told a committee she felt the court made a mistake nearly 50 years ago.
Likewise, despite claiming the new logging roads it intends to bulldoze in are temporary, unless they are fully removed by re-contouring, illegal motorized use will occur after the project ends. Then, despite the continued illegal use of the supposedly closed roads, the agency will add them back into the system as legitimate for the next logging project.

Given this well-documented pattern, the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service must determine whether the 11 miles of roads were temporary roads from past logging projects, monitor illegal use to determine whether berms, gates and other barriers are actually effective as closures, and then honestly tell the public whether the new roads constructed for this project will become undetermined roads in the future.

The reality is when these agencies say bulldozing more logging roads will have no effect on Cabinet-Yaak grizzly bears, they are violating the Endangered Species Act by withholding the legally required protections to recover the bears. Without these protections, the area is likely to experience a road density that is so high that grizzly bears will avoid it for the next 25 years and may never again have enough recurring grizzly use to contribute to recover this imperiled, tiny grizzly population.
As the former president of University of Montana Democrats, previous treasurer for Montana Progressive Democrats, and former Missoula City Council candidate in 2019, I unfeignedly endorse Mayor John Engen for re-election.

I respect Jacob Elder  hes a good friend of mine  and I was supporting him at the beginning of his campaign. What changed my mind about his competency and what urged me to write this article, however, was a photo he took with former Congressman Ryan Zinke.

Zinke dwells in the inner-circles of Donald Trump, the most prejudiced president in modern history. The fact that Jacob Elder is connected to Ryan Zinke and thus the Montana Republican Party, makes my mind clear as to whom I support.

Missoula requires a forward, Progressive leader in office  someone who conceives each solution with tactfulness and experience  and we find that in John Engen.

Dakota Hileman,

Missoula

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A District Court judge's ruling has foiled an attempt by four disabled Montana hunters who had filed a lawsuit to require the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks to temporarily allow them to use crossbows during the archery season this fall.

Tim Gardipee, Bruno Friia, Brad Molnar and David Helmers filed the suit in Missoula against FWP and the Fish and Wildlife Commission on Aug. 24, arguing that not allowing them to hunt with crossbows is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability.

The Montana archery season opens on Sept. 4.

FWP and the Commission did not contest the hunters arguments, instead saying in court filings that the Commission intended to address the issue at its Oct. 28 meeting  after the archery season is over. With the agency and Commission unopposed, Judge Dana Christensen canceled a scheduled hearing.

The hunters had sought a temporary preliminary injunction. Since the FWP did not oppose the plaintiffs' request, the judge concluded there was no controversy that would give the court jurisdiction, explained Michelle Bryan, a University of Montana law professor.
Basin

Like the Colorado, the Upper Missouri River Basin is a vast and ecologically varied landscape. It extends from the Rocky Mountains in northern Montana to the Musselshell River in the south. In between is the main artery, the Missouri River and its many dams that stretch from Three Forks to the North Dakota border.

Along that 50,000 square miles of Montana, the Missouri and its headwater streams are the primary source of water for 320,000 people  about one-third of the states population  and irrigate 1.1 million acres of land. People living in Lewis and Clark, Gallatin and Madison counties make up the majority of the people dependent on the Missouri as their primary water source.

Agriculture is the primary use of the Missouris water, about 87% or roughly 1.7 million acre feet a year, according to the study. (An acre foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre in 1 foot of water.) That compares to an estimated 12% that evaporates from reservoirs and the other 1% that goes to all other uses.

Forecast

As the climate warms, scientists are trying to calculate what the effects might be by looking at past droughts and wet years and creating models to forecast what the future could hold. Obviously, no model is completely accurate, but trends can be seen.
Sure enough, that fan and many others feel the same way about the muscular law enforcement officer (who also shaves his head like Johnson), with some even posting comparisons on TikTok.

Fields, 37, has worked for the Morgan County Sheriffs Office for 17 years including at the jail, in investigations, in the special victims unit and with drug-endangered children before being sworn in as a Deputy U.S. Marshal. He was promoted to corporal and then worked from sergeant to lieutenant over patrol for which he handles tactical training and serves as firearms instructor.

Fields said its been a running joke for a few years now, but the comparisons dont even stop at Johnson. Ive been called The Rock and Vin Diesels love child, Fields said. I go along with it. Its humorous. Its flattering. It could be worse people, I guess.

The self-described cut-up said hell go along with it enough to do an impression of both Johnson and Diesel if pressed to do so. In the meantime, friends might call and ask Can you smell what the Rock is cooking? borrowing the former pro wrestlers famous catchphrase.
BCPS said it follows the StrongSchoolNC Public Health Toolkit for guidance on isolation, quarantine and monitoring for symptoms. The guidance, if masks are properly and consistently worn, includes:

When a masked person tests positive and those exposed are wearing a mask, the positive person must isolate and the masked persons are to self-monitor but do not have to quarantine.

When an unmasked person tests positive and those exposed are wearing masks, the positive person must isolate and the close contacts must quarantine, unless the close contact has been vaccinated or has had a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last three months, then they do not quarantine but monitor for symptoms.

When a masked person tests positive and those exposed are not wearing masks, the positive person has to isolate and the unmasked person has to quarantine, unless the close contact has been vaccinated or has had a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last three months, then they do not quarantine but monitor for symptoms.

When an unmasked person tests positive and those exposed are not wearing masks the positive person has to isolate and the close contacts have to quarantine, unless the close contact has been vaccinated or has had a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last three months, then they do not quarantine but monitor for symptoms.
The Superfund Advisory and Redevelopment Trust Authority is seeking proposals for grants for local projects in four categories: historic preservation, events, health initiatives and community and economic development. Any business or resident located in Butte is eligible to apply.

SARTA will accept applications through Oct. 1, and hopes to announce recipients in winter 2021-22.

Interested applicants may download an application from the Butte-Silver Bow SARTA website at https://www.co.silverbow.mt.us/813/Superfund-Advisory or pick up a copy at the B-SB Courthouse, chief executives office. Additional application resources are located on the SARTA website.

Applicants without grant writing experience are encouraged to attend a grant writing workshop at noon and 5:15 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, at the Butte Archives, 17 W. Quartz St. For applicants unable to attend, one-on-one assistance is available by appointment. To schedule a time to meet, contact Julia Crain, SARTA Staff, at 406-497-6264 or jcrain@bsb.mt.gov.

Forest seeks comment on fee increases
Montanans' personal income grew 20 percent year-over-year, housing prices are up more than 30 percent and the number of job postings in the state were 62 percent higher in July than in February 2021. It really is a recession experience like no other.

What does it mean for Montanas economy, the businesses that support it and Montanans? Bureau of Business and Economic Research Director Patrick Barkey boiled down and explained the data for the Montana Chamber Foundations mid-year economic update this summer.

Workforce shortages and affordable housing, big issues in the Montana economy in recent years, continue to present challenges.

But another looming challenge is how Montana can continue to retain our valuable business recruiting and retention asset, our affordable and reliable electricity.

California is by far the nations largest net electricity importer today.

Montanas historical position as an electricity exporter is fading. Total electric generation is down from a decade ago in the state. Montanans are using more electricity than we were a decade ago. What happens if that trend continues?
Maine explained that model relied on volunteers and two paid staff  a director and an assistant director.

It works great for us, he said, explaining the two paid staff report to him and the WCAS director provides semi-monthly updates to the city council.

Columbus Junction Mayor Mark Huston said he was unsure what type of organizational structure would be used for the LCAS if the city assumed control, since a board of directors already oversee it.

It can be run either way, Griffin said, explaining that had been the guidance he had received from a Iowa Department of Management staffer.

Finances had also been a sticking point during the earlier discussion in August, but that issue appeared to be resolved during the meeting on Wednesday.

You arent going to get rich, but it will fund itself if you have enough call volume, Maine predicted.

LCAS Board Chair Nick Goddard assured the group that the ambulance services finances were solid.

Weve never been in the red, he said.
Despite US failure in Afghanistan, Guam soldiers have no regrets
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has hundreds of outstanding corruption and fraud cases among its members, totalling well above R1 billion in value.

This was revealed during a recent presentation by the SANDF to Parliaments Portfolio Committee on Defence.

During the session, the SANDF presented MPs with a Corruption and Fraud Register, which collates the cases under investigation by the SANDFs Inspectorate Division, Military Police Division, and the Defence Legal Services Division.

This showed a massive backlog of cases, with 407 still either under investigation or in court.

In the last quarter, only 14 cases were concluded, while a further 33 cases were added.

Of those concluded cases, most were for minor offences such as fraudulent authorisation of trips and receipts, and fraudulent sick leave.

The most severe convictions were a fine of R6,000 and suspended six months imprisonment for sick note fraud, and two dismissals related to sick leave fraud.

More worryingly, however, was the list of 122 high-profile cases which involved fraud or corruption of R100,000 or greater.

The most recent cases of suspected fraud and corruption being investigated that occurred between 2019 and 2020 were:

R400 million contract for Covid-19 related equipment.

contract for Covid-19 related equipment. R239 million for supply of life capability project.

for supply of life capability project. R17.9 million for a server rack procured by the Command and Management Information System (CMIS).

for a server rack procured by the Command and Management Information System (CMIS). R11.4 million paid for 658 computers before delivery.

One other notable case currently under investigation by the SIU involves a R120-million deal from the 2017/2018 financial year for the purchase of 20,000 unspecified software licences, of which only 15,000 were delivered.

There were dozens of other fraud and corruption cases worth millions of rand. Combined with the cases listed above these easily exceed R1 billion in value.

Many of the other cases involved hundreds of thousands or millions of rand paid in salaries, for work that was not completed, or for tenders that did not follow the right procurement processes.

The high-profile cases stretched over the last two decades, with one case shown going back to 1998.

To make matters worse, these cases do not include instances of irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure at the SANDF, which are handled administratively by the Chief Finance Division.

ANC MP Alexandra Beukes raised concern over the fact that, from the cases presented, more than 30 were still being investigated by the Military Police, some of which occurred 13 years ago.

The chairperson of the committee, Cyril Xaba, asked that SANDF add the suspended members for each case, as this was not forthcoming in the presentation.

New defence minister Thandi Modise apologised for the presentations quality and that MPs were not briefed properly beforehand on the contents to allow for proper questioning.

DA MP Kobus Marais told MyBroadband the state of the cases was totally unacceptable and a sign of poor management and discipline up to the highest rank and position.

We as South Africans must have faith and trust in the SANDF to act in our best interest. Constitution S200(1) clearly obliges the SANDF and its leadership to be a disciplined military force,' said Marais.

Nothing less will be acceptable, and if management allows ill-discipline, then they must be held accountable.

It is important that consequence management must be a part of the responsibilities of everyone in a senior and/or overseeing role and position, he added.
HOST AFRICA (PTY) LTD, a key player in the South African Web Hosting industry has acquired Domainking.ng; one of the larger Nigerian shared web hosting companies whom focus on affordable website hosting and domain name registrations.

Domainking pays particular attention to offering the .ng domain name extension; With a domain market share of more than 6%.

This move, accelerates the efforts of HOSTAFRICA to expand into Africa.

It is our intention to continue the companys growth within the African Continent, providing world-class services and customer support. Bringing Domainking.ng onboard will be a starting point for us to establish quality hosting and web services within the key economic hubs of Africa.

When asked if other countries where on their radar Yes, of course, Osterloh interjected with certainty, We are always on the look out for opportunities that align with our values of world class services at a cost that suits the African business climate.

HOSTAFRICAs services include web hosting, domain registration, dedicated servers and VPS/cloud servers.

With steep competition within this space, those that thrive have to be one of the best.

HOSTAFRICA has been providing online services since 2008 and quickly followed its path of organic growth coupled with acquiring companies that fit within its core values and service offering.

When we asked Osterloh about their plans for future growth he added Though we have seen steady growth in the last few years it is always advantageous to bring in an established business. Especially in unfamiliar geographical territory, it helps us that the ground work has been done, allowing us to then apply our in-house expertise to achieve accelerated expansion and improvements in systems, where needed.

We are very excited about the prospect of serving the Nigerian web hosting and domain name community. Nigeria is a country that boasts a population almost 4 times the size of South Africa. With an established, evolving and ever diversifying economy. We believe the future of Nigeria and its online businesses are set for bright times.

Domainking.ng will benefit from the expertise, contacts and business systems that HOSTAFRICA will impart.

Momentum is key to keeping business relevant within the hosting sector in Nigeria.

The industry is ready for new products and improvements, which the HOSTAFRICA team of dedicated and passionate web hosting experts, will bring.

HOSTAFRICA appreciates the opportunity to enter the growing online market within Nigeria, and looks forward to providing truly reliable, local hosting.

Being experienced in purchasing smaller hosting companies to complement the businesses growth.

Host Africa is well versed in the processes needed to ensure a smooth transition for all parties involved in the purchase of Domainking.ng.

When asked about the way forward, Osterloh reassured Our priority is to our newly acquired customer base. Ensuring the transition is very smooth with zero interruption to the service provided.

The acquisition speaks volumes of the recent growth HOSTAFRICA has experienced.

Being 100% self funded, this acquisition strengthens the position of the company and opens the way for a quick uptake and transition of Domainking.ng

Click here to learn more about HOSTAFRICA.
The Shadow was successful on several of ONeills watches. It picked up footage of enemy forces rigging explosive devices, entering suspicious houses, and shooting mortar from a hillside, thus providing information to divert ground troops.

After his stint in Afghanistan, and back in the U.S., ONeill began to train as a parachute jumper, leaping out of Army airplanes. He was a little fearful about jumping out of an airplane, but it would have been embarrassing not to jump, he said.

You had to psyche up for it, but the first jump was just as exhilarating at the last.

After a few successful jumps, one day the winds kicked up and ONeill and another jumper got pushed to the point we couldnt steer the parachute, and they made a bad landing.

After some time in the hospital, ONeill returned to Calistoga to recuperate. He is still dealing with physical repercussions from that bad landing, and is forthcoming but a little reticent to talk about ongoing issues including chronic arthritis and degenerative disc disease.

It was my fault for being crazy enough to jump out of an airplane, he said.

For a while he worked with longtime Calistoga woodworker Glen Pope. But soon his love of aviation was calling again.
A hit-and-run crash Wednesday morning in Napa's Westwood neighborhood resulted in the arrest of a juvenile driver and the brief lockdown of three nearby schools during a search for the suspect, according to police.

The suspect, whose name was withheld because of his age, was detained on suspicion of robbery, criminal conspiracy and leaving the scene of an accident, police Sgt. Thomas Keener said in a news release.

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At 7:52 a.m., a Napa Police officer was conducting traffic enforcement near the Napa Valley Language Academy on Kilburn Avenue when a Honda Accord sped through the area, according to Keener. The officer stopped the Hondas driver near NVLA and directed him to park nearby, but the motorist instead fled at high speed, Keener said.

The officer followed the Honda, which crashed into a parked vehicle a short distance away on Bryan Avenue, Keener said. The driver, who was alone in the Accord, then fled on foot and climbed a fence into the yard of a nearby home, according to Keener, who said nearby residents saw the suspect carrying a handgun as he headed for Kilburn Avenue.
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan stimulus package reserved $122 billion for school districts nationwide, including $15 billion in California. Ninety percent of that sum was passed directly to school districts based on their levels of federal funding, and those funds are required to be used to cover the costs of safely teaching and operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local school systems also were to use 20% of their shares to help children make up learning losses endured during their time studying remotely from their homes  a limbo that lasted more than a year for many pupils and kept them away from classrooms for all or most of 2020-21.
The measure would have to be modified through the so-called "gut and amend" process, or when lawmakers essentially create a new bill without having to start the entire legislative process from scratch.

So far, the coalition backing the bill includes some of the most high-profile and powerful business organizations in the state, including the California Chamber of Commerce.

In a Wednesday support letter to Low, dozens of organizations said "encouraging vaccination is necessary to reopening California's economy and protecting our workers."

The business groups wrote that although current federal COVID-19 guidance says it's legal to mandate the vaccine as a condition of employment, "some employers are hesitant to require vaccination out of fear of litigation."

"AB 1102 will eliminate any ambiguity about an employer's right to mandate vaccines by codifying the guidance issued" by federal and state agencies, "and confirming that it is legal under California law to require vaccination if an employer so chooses."

Representatives for the hotel, wine, craft beer, restaurant and agriculture industries also signed on to the letter.

Low declined to comment.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Fed up with the deadly work and poor wages and living conditions, thousands of coal miners marched to unionize in West Virginia a century ago, resulting in a deadly clash and the largest U.S. armed uprising since the Civil War.

On Friday, some of their descendants joined others in retracing the steps that led to the 12-day Battle of Blair Mountain. Multiple events are planned looking back at the fight, highlighted by the 45-mile (72-kilometer) march over three days.

Every step you take, you just think about what kind of courage that took, said United Mine Workers international President Cecil Roberts, whose great-uncle, Bill Blizzard, was a leader of the 1921 march as a union subdistrict state organizer.

The miners  whites, Blacks, and European immigrants  banded together, bent on doing something about their treatment by coal operators. They became known as the Red Neck Army for the distinctive bandanas around their necks.

Those people had a specific purpose in mind, Roberts said. "And they were willing to die for that. And because they were willing to die for that, weve all had a good living, a much better life than we would have had had they not gone on that march.
As soon as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the legislation, the transportation companies launched the initiative campaign to carve out an exemption for their drivers, resulting in Proposition 22s appearance on the 2020 ballot.

The companies spent $200-plus million on a saturation campaign to enact the measure, more than 10 times what unions and their allies spent to oppose it, and it passed by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.

Its passage was remarkable not only for how much money was spent to persuade voters, but that it passed so handily in an overwhelmingly Democratic state despite being denounced by virtually every Democratic political figure.

Defeated at the polls, the unions returned to the judicial system and chose Alameda County, one of Californias most Democrat- and union-friendly areas, as its venue. They also very cleverly avoided a direct confrontation on the gig worker issue by arguing that Proposition 22 undermines the workers compensation system, and Judge Roesch agreed.

The ultimate outcome will have impacts far beyond the drivers for Uber, Lyft and other gig work companies. The issue is percolating in other states and in the federal government and Proposition 22s fate will either encourage or discourage other industries from seeking similar exemptions.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

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Opposition to SB 556 and similar fast-tracking comes from many sources: The League of California Cities which has written multiple letters in opposition to SB 556; the former president of Microsoft Canada; Hundreds of respected doctors and scientists including Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Dr. Devra Davis. Are these the folks that Dodd calls unscientific  conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers?

Multiple failures: Allowing the telecoms to override local government will not close the digital divide but could be a huge taxpayer expense as cited in the Communications Workers of America report Verizons 5G Promise Rings Hollow in Sacramento.

Out-of-state contractors (that also had a history of serious OSHA violations) caused roughly $70,000 in damage to city infrastructure yet failed to connect underserved areas.

T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray even says 5G technology using mmWave spectrum will never materially scale beyond small pockets of 5G hotspots in dense urban environments.
Jean-Charles Boisset first made his mark in Napa Valley with his purchase and renovation of Raymond Vineyards. in St. Helena (love that red velvet room).

Then he livened up Yountville with his tiger skin print and crystal tasting room that anchored his JCB Village.

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Next he brought new life, excellent groceries, more wine, pizza, and a wine history museum to the site of the historic Oakville Grocery.

In August, we had news of his plans to create a grand, multi-faceted experience (cafe, brewery, spirits tasting, and more) for Calistogans and visitors in the town's old Depot.

Finally, Boisset will be coming to the town of Napa.

First Street Napa has announced that Boisset will open a tasting room for his Buena Vista Winery in the 1929 Gordon Building in downtown Napa.

As always, the energetic vintner will combine his love of history (and especially California history) with a Frenchman's innate appreciation of the good things in life, especially when it comes to food and wine. Also, fun.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has added another version of coronavirus to its list of variants of interest amid concerns that it may partially evade the immunity people have developed from past infection or vaccination, The Guardian reported.

The Mu variant, also known as B.1.621, was added to the WHOs watchlist on Monday after it was detected in 39 countries and found to possess a cluster of mutations that may make it less susceptible to the immune protection many have acquired.

According to the WHOs weekly bulletin on the pandemic, the Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape. Preliminary data suggests it may evade immune defenses in a similar way to the Beta variant first discovered in South Africa, the report adds, but this needs to be confirmed by further work.

The Mu variant was first identified in Colombia in January 2021.

Scientists and public health officials are particularly eager to know whether the Mu variant is more transmissible, or causes more serious disease, than the Delta variant that is dominant in much of the world.

Part of the concern about Mu comes from the particular mutations it carries.
Karabakh President's spokesperson: Azerbaijanis shoot in direction of Taghavard village, no victims

Armenia Investigative Committee: Battalion commander who was on-duty in Karabakh's Khtsaberd village is arrested

Trilateral MoC signed to raise level of seismic safety of Armenian Nuclear Power Plant to the highest level

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities didn't help Ombudsman prepare report on tortures of Armenian citizens in Baku

Hanged body of 44-year-old serviceman of Armenia MOD found in village

Armenia opposition MP slams parliamentary committee chairman's statement

Police apprehend armed student at Yerevan metro station

Azerbaijanis demand punishing Member of the Russian State Duma Vitaly Milonov

Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker receives Russia President's Special Representative

Armenia President grants high state award to chess grandmaster Elina Danielyan

Armenia PM appoints deputy economy minister

Putin holds phone talks with Iranian counterpart

Armenia Supreme Judicial Council chairman on his relations with PM Nikol Pashinyan

Karabakh President meets with journalists and editors of country's Free Artsakh newspaper

US Embassy in Armenia to Baku: Only comprehensive solution can help normalize Armenian-Azerbaijani relations

Armenia President receives Slovakia FM

Armenia defense minister's mother dies

Armenia parliament's foreign relations committee chairman meets with Ukrainian MPs

Armenia Syunik Province governor meets with newly appointed US Deputy Ambassador

Monument to heroes who took revenge over Armenian Genocide organizers to be placed in Yerevan

Armenia Parliament Speaker receives Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister-led delegation

Digest: Protests being held in Yerevan, more on COVID-19 in Armenia

Yerevan mayor: Not going to resign

Dollar still going down in Armenia

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of 1 Armenian serviceman found in Varanda

Armenia Cassation Court has new judge

PACE recommends holding debates over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Afghanistan situation

National Archives of Armenia and Iran to sign memorandum within scope of cooperation

Armenia PM, Gazprom Management Committee chairman discuss Armenian-Russian energy partnership

Armenia Deputy PM participates in session of Eurasian Economic Commission's Council

Police apprehend Yerevan neighborhood resident on hunger, water strike

Armenia Ambassador to Ukraine: Aim of intergovernmental commission is to take steps to unblock communication

Deceased serviceman's little brother born at medical center in Armenia's Etchmiadzin

Taliban denies war crimes charges against human rights defenders

Armenia PM, Slovakia FM discuss Karabakh peace process

Criminal case opened into death of Armenia soldier, another one receiving gunshot wounds

Biden: You either keep Gavin Newsom as your governor or you'll get Donald Trump

Armenia Investigative Committee former chair, ex-Prosecutor Generals arrest appealed

4 of Yerevan neighborhood residents protesting outside city hall apprehended

Frances Macron makes social media post in Armenian

Iran ambassador tries to discuss, with Azerbaijan presidential aide, demarche against Iranian trucks in Armenia

4 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

US and EU urge global community to cut methane emissions by 30%

Ukraine official: We have always considered Armenia as important partner in South Caucasus

US, Japan and South Korea discuss new North Korean missile tests

Yerevan neighborhood residents close off street adjacent to city hall

Armenia Central Bank raises refinancing rate by 0.25 percentage point

Appeal filed against court decision to arrest mayor of Armenias Goris

25,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine sent by France arrives in Yerevan

Armenia FM informs visiting Slovakia colleague about Azerbaijan provocations

Armenia ruling partys parliamentary faction holding closed meeting

Armenia MOD confirms: There is also wounded soldier in tragic incident at the military outpost

Slovakia FM: Process of returning Armenian captives from Azerbaijan must continue

US intends to invite Russia and China to international summit on COVID-19 fight

Armenia legislature elects Corruption Prevention Commission new member

657 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Karen Vardanyan has allocated 105 million AMD to rescue the Yerevan Botanical Garden

Armenia MOD: Army representatives will observe Russia-Belarus joint military exercise

ArmLur.am: New details become known from tragic incident at Armenia military outpost

China to start cooperation with Singapore on drug development

Armenia to assume CSTO chairmanship on Thursday

Google fines $ 177 million by South Korea's antitrust regulator

Yerevan neighborhood resident on hunger strike declares water strike too

Slovakia FM visits Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan (PHOTOS)

Armenia MOD: Reserve sergeant receives fatal gunshot wound

Armenian historical sites in Djulfa, Nakhichevan, elsewhere in Azerbaijan systematically erased

Armenia parliament continues regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia authorities ready to offer deal to Investigative Committee former head, ex-Prosecutor General

Newspaper: Opposition Armenia bloc itself to not run in upcoming local elections

Armenia ombudsman: Azerbaijan police base, barricades, cameras on Vorotan road must be removed immediately

Armenia PM receives French Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group, paths for Karabakh conflict settlement discussed

Armenia Deputy PM introduces newly appointed governor of Gegharkunik Province

Traffic jams on Armenia's Goris-Kapan interstate road, Azerbaijanis rudely telling Armenians to drive away

About 50 soldiers and police officers killed after attacks in Myanmar

2 dead after explosion near COVID-19 testing site in central Myanmar

Armenia pregnant woman with COVID-19 dies

Azerbaijan planning another festival in occupied Armenian Shushi

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of 2 more Armenian servicemen found in Hadrut

Russia to resume flights to Spain, Iraq, Kenya and Slovakia

Russia Senator: Russian peacekeepers will remain in Karabakh so long as their presence is necessary

Armenia FM receives French Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group

"Armenia" alliance: Armenian authorities have turned detention into punitive mechanism against opposition

Armenia appoints new Ambassador to Belarus

Armenia has new Ambassador to the State of Qatar

Iran MFA responds to situation regarding Iranian truck drivers in Armenia's Syunik

Armenian MFA: No negotiations being held for normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations at the moment

Digest: Azerbaijan tries to control goods transportation via Armenia, more on COVID-19

Armenia Deputy PM receives Co-Chairs of Armenian-Ukrainian Intergovernmental Commission

Armenia appoints new Ambassador to Greece

Judge delays granting Armenia ex-President Kocharyan permission to travel to Moscow

Armenia Ambassador to Ukraine Vladimir Karapetyan is in parliament

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff chief has new deputy

FM: Azerbaijan armys illegal presence in Armenia undermines de-escalation efforts in region

Armenia Parliament Speaker: Results of all elections between 1996 and 2018 were falsified

Armenia parliament considering election of member of anti-corruption commission

Armenia girl, 6, falls from 7th floor of building, in grave condition

Tehran to resume nuclear deal talks in Vienna soon

First international commercial flight carried out in Kabul after pullout of US troops

Armenia PM, EU special representative discuss Karabakh peace process

Price of natural gas per 1,000 cubic meters in Europe reaches record-setting $730
YEREVAN. - Past daily of Armenia writes: The delegation of the National Assembly [(NA)] of the Republic of Armenia left for Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] to take part in the special [parliamentary] session dedicated to Artsakh Republic Day.

Moreover, it is noteworthy that the representatives of the opposition factions left for [the Artsakh capital] Stepanakert at their own expense with a larger delegation than planned.

In addition to attending the special session, the opposition figures also had a number of meetings. In particular, the representative of the [opposition] "Armenia" Faction, the chairman of the Reviving Armenia Party, the chair of the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, Vahe Hakobyan, met with the former President of the Artsakh Republic, Bako Sahakyan. According to our source, a quite wide range of issues was discussed during the meeting.

By the way, it is noteworthy that, especially in recent times, the opposition figures have intensified their contacts with the former presidents of Artsakh. There is an opinion that no one has any hope that the current authorities can change anything positive in Artsakh, so the potential and factor of the former leaders of Artsakh are greatly underscored.
The third President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, on Thursday issued a message on the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republic.

"The 2020 war unleashed against Artsakh and the November 9 capitulation document signed by the clandestine one-man decision of the person occupying the seat of the Prime Minister of Armenia to opened a new dangerous period for Artsakh and Armenia, the consequences of which we feel every day in Artsakh and the border settlements of Armenia.

I said years ago about the hard but victorious war of the 1990s, and I will repeat today: at that time we won a long, hard and unequal war.

Some say Azerbaijan had more money, weapons, ammunition, equipment and manpower.

That is true. But for me the war was unequal because the strong was fighting against the weak, and we were strong.

The libertarian was fighting against the invader, and we were the libertarian.

The righteous was fighting against the unrighteous, and we were the embodiment of righteousness.

And we won because we believed in our strength, defended our land and family with dignity, and we would have won again if our army had not been discredited () before the 44-day [Artsakh] war [last fall].

Thirty years ago, Artsakh made its historic decision, and its status is to live safely outside of Azerbaijan, to which, undoubtedly, the Armenians of Artsakh have the right.

The negotiations on the status [of Artsakh] should be aimed at internationally enshrining this simple right ().

The [Artsakh] Independence enshrined in the Declaration shall become a creed and a condition for living and developing with dignityfor every Armenian," the message reads, in part.
Today, September 2, 2021, marks the 30th anniversary of the declaration of independence of Artsakh, formerly known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

As per Armenpress, on this day in 1991, a joint sitting of lawmakers from the Nagorno-Karabakh provincial council and the Shahumyan regional council proclaimed the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) within the borders of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) and Shahumyan region. The move was in line with the then-active legislation, particularly the April 3, 1990 law which entitled national autonomies to determine their status on their own in case of leaving the USSR.

On December 10, 1991, a few days before the official collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum where 99.89 percent of the population voted in favor of complete independence from Azerbaijan. After this, Azerbaijan totally blockaded NKR and launched military aggressions.

The Artsakh Liberation War began when for the first time in September of 1991 Azerbaijan bombarded the capital Stepanakert with Alazan rockets from Shushi city. The Armenian army was formed in the vortex of this war, and it was able to ensure the safety of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 1994, and at the request of Azerbaijan, a trilateralAzerbaijan, NKR, Armeniaceasefire agreement was signed on May 12.

Fifteen years after independence, in 2006, the people of Artsakh adopted the countrys Constitution through a referendum, again on September 2.

On September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani armed forces, with the assistance of Turkey and engagement of mercenary terrorists, launched a large-scale war against Artsakh. The war lasted until November 9 when a trilateralArmenia, Russia, Azerbaijanstatement at the mediation of Russia was signed to stop the military operations.

According to this statement on ceasefire, the Hadrut region and Shushi, as well as the entire security zone of Artsakh came under the control of Azerbaijan.

And the Russian peacekeeping troops were deployed along the entire line of contact of Artsakh and in the Lachin corridor.
Ramiz Alakbarov, the coordinator of the UN's humanitarian assistance to Afghans, spoke about the critical shortage of food and medicine, according to the organization's website.

Afghanistan is on the brink of a humanitarian disaster. Despite the fact that the UN and partners continue to do everything possible to avoid it, they cannot do it without strong and generous international support, Alakbarov said.

He noted that there is an acute food shortage in the country - more than half of Afghans do not know in the morning if they will be able to eat today.

The airport in the Afghan capital of Kabul is closed, but according to a UN representative, the organization and its partners are finding other ways to deliver humanitarian aid. Thus, cargo is delivered by road from Pakistan, and recently the first plane with 37.5 tons of medicines arrived in Mazar-i-Sharif, the fourth largest city in Afghanistan.

They are designed for 200,000 people and will be delivered to 20 hospitals. 600 tons of food were delivered to the country. It is especially necessary for children, half of whom will soon be on the verge of exhaustion, Alakbarov said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia on Thursday released a statement on the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). The statement reads as follows:

30 years ago, on September 2, 1991, on the basis of the USSR Law On Procedure for Resolving Questions Connected with a Union Republics Secession from the USSR, the joint session of deputies of all levels of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region and the Shahumyan region proclaimed the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh laying the foundations of building a statehood based on democratic values and principles.

The Declaration of Independence was the legal expression of the strong will of the Armenians of Artsakh to live free and secure in their homeland, which has been confirmed by the referendum of independence held on December 10, 1991. It has been imposed through the decades long policy of discrimination and repressions against the Armenian population by the Azerbaijani SSR aimed at annihilating Armenians from Artsakh, which was stated at the highest level by the Azerbaijani authorities throughout years.

By adopting the Declaration of Independence through the Referendum, the people of Artsakh sought to transform the Nagorno-Karabakh issue from the logic of confrontation to the political dimension through legal expression, in order to achieve a just solution to the issue based on the principles and norms of international law.

In response to the legitimate aspirations of the Armenians of Artsakh, the Azerbaijani authorities, pursuing the policy of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh and in the Armenian-populated areas of Azerbaijan, unleashed a large-scale war against the Republic of Artsakh.

The Armenophobic policy and constant threats pursued by the Azerbaijani authorities at the state level, the military aggressions of 2016 and especially 2020 against Artsakh accompanied by intentional targeting of the civilian population and infrastructure, as well as the deliberate and planned destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage, demonstrate that the Armenians of Artsakh continue to counter the threat of physical existence and cannot live under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan.

The heroic fight of the people of Artsakh for the sake of its existence and identity is an example of patriotism, courage and endurance for all Armenians. And on this historic day, we bow before those who sacrificed their lives for the protection and freedom of Artsakh.

Over the past 30 years, Artsakh has been able to establish resilient public administration bodies and hold elections which meet international standards, electing its legal representatives and building democratic institutions.

The Republic of Armenia will consistently defend the realization of the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination, to free and dignified life in their homeland, as a basis for a just and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and for the establishment of sustainable peace in the region.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and ARMSWISSBANK have signed two new loan agreements totaling USD 8 million under the SME Competitiveness Programme in Eastern Partnership that is supported by the European Union (EU) ("SME Competitiveness Programme") and Green Economy Financing Facility in Armenia Phase ll Energy Efficiency Program (GEFF in Armenia) supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Within the scope of the SME Competitiveness Programme, the Bank will offer its customers business loans on competitive terms with a maturity of up to 5 years. SME Competitiveness Programme aims to raise the standards of local companies, modernize production, improve working conditions, and promote competitiveness in local and international markets. At least 70% of any loan must be directed to investments in green technologies. The loans will also have an incentives component (grants) and technical assistance supported by grant resources from the European Union.

Within the scope of the second phase of GEFF in Armenia, the Bank will offer loans to the corporate clients for up to 5 years maturity and with preferential terms. Funding will be available for investments in green technologies, particularly in climate adaptation and mitigation technologies, i.e. thermal insulation, solar PV power plants, geothermal heat pumps, water-efficient irrigation systems will be funded. Up to 1,600 pre-approved high-performance technologies can be accessed by the Banks clients through Green Technology Selector (GTS). The Facility also includes a comprehensive package of technical assistance to local businesses to help identify and seize opportunities for green investments. The GCF will support the Facility by providing incentive grants to eligible green projects. Financing energy efficiency projects have always been one of the Bank's strategic directions. Before participating in these programs, the Bank, in cooperation with EBRD and other international financial partners, funded more than 100 "green" technology projects. During the first phase of the GEFF in Armenia, ARMSWISSBANK has contributed to producing 5.5 GWh/year clean energy and GHG reduction by 2,747 tons/year disbursing 2.5 million EUR, equaling funds.

In addition, the Bank and EBRD also effectively cooperate in the field of Trade Finance in the framework of the Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) and based on the results of the previous years activity, the Bank, during EBRD's 2021 annual meeting, was awarded the "Most Active Issuing Bank in Armenia" for the third year in a row. Considering the activity and efficiency of the cooperation, EBRD increased the Trade Finance limit of the Bank by USD 6.5 million, totaling it to USD 28.5 million, which currently is one of the most significant limits in the Armenian banking system.

The Bank has been cooperating with the EBRD since 2010. The cooperation is actively developed in the areas of SME Lending, Trade Finance, Green Finance and Global General Repo Agreement (GMRA), which regulates the process of concluding repo transactions with securities in the international financial markets, adopted by the International Association (ICMA - International Capital Markets Association). In July 2014, the EBRD granted the Bank the status of "Approving Bank". ARMSWISSBANK operates in corporate and investment banking sectors as a dynamically developing financial institution, offering traditional and innovative financial solutions used internationally. The Bank cooperates with several international financial organisations such as EBRD, ADB, KFW, EIB, FCI, Responsibility, etc.

EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Armenia. The Financial Institution has invested more than EUR 1.56 billion in 191 projects in Armenia in the financial, corporate, infrastructure and energy sectors, with 91% of investments going to the private sector.
Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan receives a carte blanche, he will do whatever he wants, lawyer Robert Hayrapetyan told Armenian News - NEWS.am.

"I do not remember any international organization reacting to any obvious illegal action in Armenia during the year, albeit not harshly," he noted.

The lawyer reminded the processes taking place around the deputies of the "Armenia" faction.

"The same continues in case of political persecution - Armen Charchyan, Mkhitar Zakaryan, Arthur Sargsyan, all of them are obvious political prisoners. I am talking about the people who have parliamentary immunity, and at least by virtue of Article 86 of the Constitution, they should have been immediately released. The US Embassy is fully informed about these criminal cases, but it is not in a hurry to issue a statement or they have forgotten to spread it at all."

"To our observation that, for example, in 2012, US Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern made a statement on the case of former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, in which he condemned the political persecution of Oskanian," Hayrapetyan said.

"Maybe there is some personal interest in Vartan Oskanian's case, taking into account Oskanian's close ties with the United States, the funds that were financed in some way, maybe some condemning statement has been spread, but I am hopeless in that issue. that the current political persecution or any international organization or ambassador will respond to obviously illegal, disgraceful events. "Perhaps it is not beneficial in some respects, because the so-called 'Velvet Revolution', which plagued Armenia in 2018, unfortunately, many countries, including the United States, use it as a model of democracy and will refrain from making statements due to certain political interests."

The first ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia Larisa Alaverdyan mentioned that political persecutions do not really bring efficiency to any country.

"The point is that this is not the first government in the world to carry out political persecution. No government, when it declares itself democratic, legal, social, and starts persecutions, has never succeeded in its authoritarianism, nor is it clear that the calls for false democracy, false rule of law have not been fulfilled, they have really remained as they are. There are falsifications, and as such they have not enjoyed the approval of the constructive forces. The fact that this government, surrendering to the enemy in the war, has been re-elected is the biggest question for everyone. (...) Such actions and such power do not last long. There is a problem here that will not really be solved on its own. It is the layer fighting for real values in society. If the society does not find in itself those forces that will be cleansed from all these diseases and will be able to overcome this dark history, then the dangers will depend on the state. It is not that it will be good in any case. "

Referring again to the condemning statement of the US Ambassador to Armenia on Oskanian's case in 2012, Alaverdyan said.

"Unlike the years when unfounded actions were carried out in our state, which, yes, contained elements of political persecution, why was it said at that time that it was political persecution because at that time the vague goal that was written had not been achieved yet?" It was by the vaguest globalist centers, that is, the de facto renunciation of Artsakh and leaving Artsakh as an area, a territory separate from Armenia. Answering this painful question, I have quite negative feelings. Because I am grateful that the West really worked for the establishment of such values like human rights, democracy, etc. in Armenia as well. It is, so to speak, a soft-Serbian scenario. At the same time, I am sure that this scenario was approved here, implementing such a scenario, Nikol Pashinyan received a carte blanche from everyone, he will do whatever he wants inside the country, and he will not be criticized."

According to Alaverdyan, Pashinyan can even be helped to come to power. "Because there are still goals that can be achieved only by the hands of the current government. This is a very sad thing because the progressive society in Armenia is in a very difficult situation  It must not only fight against its government, which violates all the rules and principles but also must be able to overcome the obstacles that are put forward and are simply created by that layer of the international community."
Story Highlights New high of 64% say Americans have permanently changed lives

28%, unchanged from a decade ago, say own life permanently changed

Americans less likely to say U.S. winning war on terrorism

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Twenty years after the 9/11 terror attacks, a record-high 64% of U.S. adults say Americans have permanently changed the way they live because of those attacks. Moreover, at least one in four Americans say they, personally, have permanently changed the way they live, and substantial minorities continue to express apprehension about flying, going into skyscrapers and overseas travel.

The data, largely collected prior to the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and before the subsequent terror attack on U.S. troops there, found significantly fewer Americans than in the past believing the U.S. is winning the war on terror. Likewise, confidence in the U.S. government to protect its citizens from terrorism was near a two-decade low. Concern about being a terror victim, too, was lower than in the past, although that may have changed in recent days.

These results are from Gallup's Aug. 2-17 poll, which included a series of questions relating to terrorism that were asked in the days and months following the 9/11 terror attacks and repeated in 2011 at the 10-year anniversary of the event.

Americans Perceive That 9/11 Permanently Altered Lives

U.S. adults are more likely now than at any prior point to say that Americans have permanently changed the way they live. The 64% saying this is up slightly from 58% at the 10th anniversary, and from percentages near 50% in the first few years after 9/11.

Asked about the effect on their own lives, 28% say they have permanently changed the way they live. This is unchanged from a decade ago, but slightly higher than Gallup measured between 2002 and 2006.

Line graph showing trends in the percentage of U.S. adults who think Americans have permanently changed the way they live due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and the percentage who say they, personally, have changed the way they live. The percentage saying Americans have changed the way they live was 55% in early 2002 and ranged between 50% and 53% until 2007. Ten years after 9/11, 58% said Americans had changed the way they live, and a new high of 64% say that today. The 28% of U.S. adults who say they have personally changed the way they live is unchanged from 10 years ago. It was 25% when first asked in 2002 and ranged between 22% and 29% in three measures taken between 2004 and 2007.

There are not meaningful differences in the percentage of U.S. adults who say they have permanently changed the way they live by gender, age, educational attainment, party affiliation and place of residence. However, more Nonwhite Americans (44%) than White Americans (21%) say their lives have been permanently altered.

Certain subgroups are more inclined than others to think that Americans have permanently changed the way they live. These include Democrats (72%), suburban residents (71%), college graduates (72%) and upper-income Americans (74%).

Reluctance to Engage in Public Activities Due to Terrorism Concerns Down

Nearly 3,000 Americans were killed on 9/11, with most of the victims inside the two World Trade Center skyscrapers when terrorists crashed planes into those buildings. The tragic images of those attacks caused many Americans to become reluctant to put themselves in similar situations. In the immediate days after 9/11, Gallup found 43% of Americans saying they were less willing to fly on airplanes, 35% were less willing to go into skyscrapers, 30% were less willing to attend events where there are thousands of people, and 48% were less willing to travel overseas.

Today, fewer Americans than 20 years ago express reluctance to fly on airplanes (26%), go into skyscrapers (27%) and travel overseas (36%). However, more today (37%) than in 2001 say they are less willing to attend events where there are large crowds. The increased aversion to crowded events is not influenced by the current COVID-19 pandemic, though, because the increase was apparent in a 2017 survey conducted after two high-profile terrorist attacks on crowds in England.

Series of line graphs. Fewer Americans today than in 2001 say they are less willing to fly on airplanes (26% now compared with 43% in 2001), go into skyscrapers (27% now compared with 35% in 2001) and travel overseas (36% now compared with 48% in 2001). However, more now (37%) than in 2001 (30%) say they are less willing to attend events where there are thousands of people.

Older Americans (those aged 50 and older), lower-income Americans, and adults without a college education are among the subgroups who are most likely to say they are less willing to engage in these public activities due to the 9/11 terror attacks.

New Low Says U.S. Winning War Against Terrorism

Between 2011 and mid-August, Americans became significantly less likely to say the U.S. is winning the war on terrorism -- 28% said this in the August survey compared with 42% in 2011. The most recent figure represented a new low in the trend, although it is statistically similar to the 29% measured in 2007 after the U.S. surge in troops in Iraq.

As fewer Americans believed the U.S. is winning the war, more came to believe the terrorists are. The August survey found 22% saying the terrorists are winning, up from 9% in 2011 and just one point below the high measured in 2005. The largest proportion of Americans -- 49% -- believed neither side is winning, as has been the case in the past three measurements.

In the early stages of the Afghanistan war in late 2001 and early 2002, and again after initial U.S. success in Iraq in 2003, majorities of Americans believed the U.S. was winning the war against terrorism.

Line graph. Trend in perceptions of whether the U.S. and its allies, the terrorists or neither side is winning the war against terrorism. Currently, 49% say neither side is winning, similar to the most recent measures. Twenty-eight percent say the U.S. is winning, down from 42% in 2011 and the lowest measured to date. Twenty-two percent say the terrorists are winning, up from 9% in 2011 and essentially tied with the high of 23% in 2005.

The declining belief that the U.S. is winning the war is apparent among all party groups. The percentages of Republicans, Democrats and independents who say the U.S. is winning are all down by double-digits, while there are similar increases among each group that the terrorists are winning.

Changes in Perceptions of Who Is Winning the War Against Terrorism, by Political Party 2011 2021 Change % % pct. pts. Republicans U.S. and allies 47 30 -17 Neither side 43 40 -3 The terrorists 10 30 +20 Independents U.S. and allies 35 20 -15 Neither side 48 56 +8 The terrorists 12 23 +11 Democrats U.S. and allies 48 37 -11 Neither side 46 49 +3 The terrorists 3 14 +11 Gallup

Republicans and independents in mid-August were as likely to believe the terrorists are winning as to believe the U.S. and its allies are. Democrats were still more than twice as likely to believe the U.S. is winning than to believe the terrorists are. The plurality of all party groups, however, said neither side is winning.

Diminished Confidence in Government Ability to Protect Citizens

Prior to the Aug. 26 attack on U.S. troops at the Kabul airport, the majority of Americans, 59%, were very (18%) or somewhat (41%) confident the U.S. government can protect its citizens from terrorism. This level of confidence was significantly lower than in 2011 (75%) and in the immediate days after the 9/11 terror attacks (88%).

In fact, Gallup had only measured lower confidence in one other poll, 55% in December 2015, after a deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, CA, that many regarded as a terrorist attack.

Line graph. Trend in Americans' confidence in the government to protect citizens from terrorism. Fifty-nine percent have a great deal or fair amount of confidence, which is the lowest in Gallup's trend since 2001, apart from a 55% reading in 2015. Right after the 9/11 terror attacks, 88% were confident. For most of the rest of the trend, at least seven in 10 have been confident.

In the latest survey, confidence was down from 2011 and 2017, mostly among Republicans but also independents. The poll found 41% of Republicans were confident in the government's ability to protect its citizens from terrorism, down from 77% in 2017 (when Donald Trump was president) and 73% in 2011 (when Barack Obama was). Fifty-three percent of independents were confident, compared with roughly two-thirds in 2011 and 2017, while 80% of Democrats were.

Concern About Terrorism Subdued Before Afghanistan Attack

Prior to the Kabul airport terrorist attack, 36% of U.S. adults said they were very or somewhat worried about being the victim of terrorism. That is unchanged from a decade ago but well below the 51% measured the first few days after 9/11.

Concern about terrorism has varied over the years, typically in response to terror activity, such as the 2015 San Bernardino incident. It is possible that concern about terrorism is higher now than in mid-August in light of the events in recent days.

Line graph. Trend in Americans' concern about terrorism. In early August, 36% of U.S. adults were very or somewhat worried about being the victim of terrorism, among the lower points in Gallup's trend. Concern was the same 10 years ago. The high point was 58% on the night of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Gallup first gauged concern about being a victim of terrorism in 1995, after the Oklahoma City bombing. The high point was measured in a survey conducted the night of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The low point of 24% was measured in April 2000. Since 9/11, the low point was 28% in January 2004.

Implications

The 9/11 terror attacks rank among the most tragic events in U.S. history. Although those events are now two decades in the past, the messy U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has brought terrorism back into the public consciousness. The U.S. had started military action in Afghanistan after 9/11 to attempt to protect Americans from terrorism, but the mission is ending with a deadly terrorist attack on U.S. troops helping Americans and their allies escape the country.

Even before last week's attack, Americans showed diminished confidence in the government to protect U.S. citizens from terrorism and were less inclined to believe the U.S. was winning the war against terrorism.

Two decades after 9/11, most Americans perceive that their fellow citizens have permanently changed the way they live. And while just over one in four say 9/11 has dramatically altered their own way of life, substantial minorities still express reluctance to engage in activities that recall the horror of 9/11, including flying airplanes and going into skyscrapers.

To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).
Story Highlights 68% approve of labor unions, highest since 1965

90% of Democrats, 47% of Republicans approve of unions

Labor union membership remains steady at 9% of U.S. adults

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sixty-eight percent of Americans approve of labor unions. Though statistically similar to last year's 65%, the current reading is the highest Gallup has measured since 71% in 1965.

Line graph. Americans' approval of labor unions, trend since 1936. Approval is 68% in 2021, the highest since 1965.

Gallup has measured the public's rating of labor unions periodically beginning in 1936 and then annually since 2001, and more Americans have expressed approval than disapproval in every reading.

Between 1936 and 1967, approval averaged 68% and included record-high 75% approval ratings in 1953 and 1957. Then, from 1972 through 2016, support eased, with few readings over 60%. This included the 48% all-time low recorded in 2009, the only time approval was below the majority level. Since 2016, approval has steadily increased and is now 20 percentage points above the historical low.

The current results are from Gallup's annual Work and Education poll conducted Aug. 2-17, 2021.

Democrats' Approval of Labor Unions Hits 20-Year High

Approval has increased among nearly all major demographic subgroups since 2016. One exception is labor union members, whose approval has been no lower than 75% since 2001. Currently, 86% of union members approve of unions, down from the recent high of 93% in 2019.

In addition to union members, approval is relatively high among young adults aged 18-34 (77%) and those with annual household incomes under $40,000 (72%).

Democrats are the most approving of unions. Their latest approval of 90% is the highest it has been in the past two decades and is up seven points since last year. At the same time, Republicans' (47%) and independents' (66%) approval is essentially unchanged. Each partisan group's current approval of unions is more than 20 points higher than its lowest 2001-2020 rating.

Line graph. Approval of labor unions since 2001 among U.S. partisans. Approval is currently 90% among Democrats, 66% among independents and 47% among Republicans. Democrats' approval is their highest recorded in the past 20 years.

It is not clear if the 90% union approval among Democrats is the highest measured because Gallup does not have a complete trend by party. However, it is higher now than it was in 1965, as well as when overall union approval was at its highest (1953). In those years, approval among Republicans was significantly greater than today. For their part, independents were at or above the current 66%.

In 1965, the previous high point in the overall trend, 61% of Republicans and 77% of Democrats approved.

In 1953, when overall approval reached the all-time high of 75%, Democrats' approval was 79% and Republicans' approval was 64%.

Americans' Approval of Labor Unions, Selected Trend % Approve of labor unions Oct 1953 May 1965 Aug 2021 % % % U.S. adults 75 71 68 Republicans 64 61 47 Independents 76 68 66 Democrats 79 77 90 Gallup

Labor Union Membership Remains Steady

At 9%, U.S. adults' self-reported membership in a labor union falls within the 7% to 12% range it has occupied over the past 20 years. Another 8% of Americans live in a household with a union member, meaning 17% of Americans reside in a union household.

Americans' Labor Union Membership Are you, or is anyone in your household, a member of a labor union? % Yes, respondent in labor union 7 Yes, other household member in labor union 8 Both respondent and other household member in labor union 2 Not a member of labor union 83 Net: Union household 17 GALLUP, Aug. 2-17, 2021

Union members tend to have higher incomes than their nonunion counterparts -- about one in 10 Americans with household incomes of $40,000 or more are union members. This compares with 5% of those with incomes less than $40,000.

Bottom Line

Americans' approval of labor unions has been trending upward in recent years and is now at its highest point in more than half a century. Approval among Democrats, which is nearly unanimous, has risen over the past year as President Joe Biden has said he expects his administration to be one of the most pro-union in history. However, with former President Donald Trump's appeal to many blue-collar workers, some Republican politicians have begun to support union issues.

To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).
Last summer, Amanda Nwaba, a medical student who served as the historian for the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Student Government, reached out to her peers to document how they were involved in battling COVID-19 in South Florida and around the country.

The response she received was overwhelming.

This summer, Danny L. John, who succeeded Nwaba as Student Government historian, followed her lead, and asked his peers to share information on the ways they are trying to make a difference in their community. The following are some of the stories from the medical students.

Amanda Nwaba (third year):

It was such an honor being able to share the work of my classmates and Im so glad that Danny is following up last years piece.

The projects highlighted last year were only a sampling of how involved in our communities Miller School students are, and this follow up is a great opportunity to showcase more incredible work from our student body. The main COVID-19 related project that I was a part of this past year has been an initiative titled Youth Tackling COVID, which I was involved in as the 2020-2021 president of the Miller Schools chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA).

We collaborated with SNMA at Florida International University for this project, which is aimed at decreasing the spread of misinformation related to COVID-19 by teaching youth how to critique public health information, communicate effectively on social media, and appreciate civic engagement.

The project is sponsored by a grant from the Association of Black Cardiologists and will consist of a series of webinars for mainly Black and Latinx Miami youth to educate and empower them as they continue to navigate their role in their community and, more specifically, their online social circles during the pandemic. We are currently recruiting students from local schools to join our initiative as we await final Institutional Review Board approval before we can begin our sessions.

Its been fascinating collaborating across institutions and being able to follow this project during the past year, especially considering the real harm misinformation is having in our community and across the country.

Kristin Gmunder (third year):

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I became involved in research focusing on the intersection of telemedicine access/usage and health care disparities examined from both the public health perspective and from a clinical informatics lens.

My interest in this area was spurred by a number of factors and was a culmination of my existing skills and previous experiences. My research during graduate school focused on the acceptability and feasibility of Hepatitis B screening among Haitian immigrants living in Miami. Now in medical school, I have had the opportunity to volunteer with the Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Department of Community Service at the Miller School and see firsthand health care disparities among underserved populations.

Additionally, with a background in biostatistics, I became more involved in clinical informatics during my first year of medical school as part of the Clinical Informatics Pathway. With the pandemic, I had the opportunity to combine these two interests: public health and clinical informatics. It was suspected that there would be an association between existing disparities and telemedicine access and usability, so we elected to examine this further.

Through this project, I had the opportunity to compile two papers with the help of the Clinical Informatics team including Dr. Jose Ruiz, Dr. Dido Franceschi, and Dr. Maritza Suarez. The first manuscript, Demographics Associated with U.S. Healthcare Disparities are Exacerbated by the Telemedicine Surge During the COVID-19 Pandemic (published in Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare), focuses on the disparities side. The second publication, "Factors to Effective Telemedicine Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cohort Study (published in JMIR Medical Informatics), highlights the clinical informatics aspect of this project.

Having worked on this research, I really see the intersection and necessity for research within the field of clinical informatics that pays special attention to disparities and those populations that need additional support. With this in mind, I plan to focus my future career not only within clinical informatics but with a special focus on disadvantaged populations. While I enjoy the clinical aspects of medicine, this experience has really piqued an interest in continuing this type of research in my future career.

Henry Olano (third year):

Following my summer 2020 internship in Washington, D.C., where I spent six weeks working in the office of former Rep. Donna Shalala, attending hearings related to COVID-19 and provided updates and recommendations to the congresswoman, I felt there was more work to be done. I felt like I had the responsibility and another opportunity to engage our congressional members in underserved population public health preparedness, so that we may decrease the disproportional health outcomes we continue to see.

I updated a letter that initially sought support from the former Secretary of Health and Human Services for this cause, collected signatures from my peers and residents, and sent a copy to each of our legislators. Furthermore, I have been working with the American Medical Association's Student Section Subcommittee on Global and Public Health to formally ask the new Secretary of Health and Human Services to more intently allocate existing funds toward underserved population preparedness. Because, at the end of the day, if we don't prepare and protect those most at risk, we're not doing enough to prepare and protect everyone.

Lastly, this ideal of public health preparedness has become one of the pillars of our student government this year. We aim to practice what we preach and enact positive change toward better prepared local communities.

The work I did in Washington empowered me as a medical student and as a person. I truly now believe that we are capable of transcendental change if we become engaged in the processboth locally and internationally. This idea led me and my peers to reimagine the potential of our yearly student-run medical mission to Nicaragua. Through key international partnerships and local collaboration, we are preparing to conduct our first telehealth international medical mission. If successful, this will be a proof of concept for other groups and schools to produce sustainable global health initiatives that are more in tune with the technology that is available to us. I want to take the opportunity to thank my peers, Samara Khalil, Kristi Dutta, and the rest of the Nicaragua Medical Mission team for all their work this year.

Noreen Mohsin (second year):

I was just about to start my dedicated study period for the United States Medical Licensing Examination at the start of the pandemic when I heard that there was a PPE shortage affecting health care providers in our community.

My grandmother had recently passed away from what my family believes was COVID-19there was no testing available at the timeand so to honor her, I wanted to do my part in curbing the spread of the virus by 3D printing PPE for health care workers. My friend and fellow classmate, Ernesto Weisson, and I joined Miami Med COVID Help, a nonprofit medical student-run organization, as their chairs of 3D-printed PPE and began the process of designing the face shield frame.

We collaborated with Moonlighter Makerspace to design the plastic coverings of the face shields from one-ton of plastic sheeting that had been donated by the Coca-Cola Company to the state of Florida. Ernesto and I worked together on getting approval to donate the face shields to local hospitals and clinics. Because of people in our community willing to 3D print the face shield frames with donated material using their personal 3D printers, we scaled from assembling, disinfecting, and distributing hundreds of 3D-printed face shields each week to thousands of 3D-printed face shields.

Additionally, we collaborated with the University of Miamis COVID Preparedness Team, led by the vice provost of strategic projects, to work on other prototypes that could help protect health care workers.

The pandemic most definitely altered my career focus. During a time when fear and uncertainty were prevalent globally, I saw the impact that teamwork and collaboration could have on our community.

Physicians who I had never met before cried in front of me because they were so grateful for our efforts. I have always envisioned incorporating research into my career, but this experience, where so many different groups of people came together for the betterment of our community, solidified my desire to be involved in team science and meaningful research in the future.

Morgan S. Levy (first year):

In September 2020, my grandfather passed away from causes unrelated to COVID-19. With my family back in New Jersey, I made the decision to stay in Miami and attend the funeral over Zoom.

In what started as a journal entry written after the funeral, I wrote about the unprecedented human experience of attending a Zoom funeralfrom putting on a black dress even when only the top half of my body would be seen, sitting at the desk where I take my medical school exams, and not being able to speak to the small group of family members huddled in masks at the gravesite. My article, "Do you still wear a black dress to a Zoom funeral?" was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine last month.

Moreover, I reflected on how making the decision to stay juxtaposed my responsibility as a health professional in training and a person with a life outside their profession, and the tremendous loss and burden that health care professionals and all those who have lost somebody they care about during the pandemic feel. This experience has inspired me to get involved in research to combat the burnout and burden experienced by health professionals during the pandemic in areas including family-building.

I chose an M.D./M.P.H. degree based on my interest in utilizing data-driven advocacy to improve the health and well-being of patients and realized just how impactful my role as a clinician trained in public health would be during the pandemic.

I am thankful for the epidemiologic perspective that completing public health courses during COVID-19 has provided. During the pandemic, I have engaged with social media in a professional context to stay informed. With the dissemination of the COVID-19 vaccine, a major subject of concern is whether the vaccine causes female infertility, a discourse that is prevalent on social media.

Women of reproductive age are an important demographic to consider obtaining COVID-19 vaccination, particularly due to the risk of pregnancy complications while infected with COVID-19.

Along with my mentor, who practices in reproductive endocrinology and infertility medicine, I applied for and was awarded a grant by the Association for Healthcare Social Media and Cochrane titled Will the COVID-19 Vaccine Ruin my Fertility? A Content Analysis and Evidence-Based Twitter Campaign to Tackle Vaccine Hesitancy in Reproductive Age Women. I hope to better understand the etiology and content of the COVID-19 vaccine and infertility misinformation and design a campaign to address these concerns by disseminating evidence-based information.

I have always envisioned my practice involving both research and patient care that inform one another, and the pandemic has strengthened this interest.

Tiffany Eatz (third year):

COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, disrupting societys mental and physical health, and changing life as we once knew it. We now have been forced to become accustomed to the pandemic life.

I have been affected by this virus since very early on in the pandemic, because my mother was hospitalized with COVID-19suffering pneumonia, delirium, bilateral pulmonary emboli, and deep vein thromboses. She now suffers from lasting effects, deemed a COVID long-haulerand she may never be the same. Watching the world suffer, people dying, and my mom struggle, I was strongly driven to do something to contribute to learning more about this mysterious virus.

I am very passionate about research, and COVID-19s wrath upon humanity moved me to investigate. Immunology, a field full of answers waiting to be discovered, intrigues me immensely. It also plays an integral role in COVID-19s havoc upon the body. I founded the University of Miamis Immunology Interest Group to foster interest in the field and spur medical student research in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Next, I came up with a few research ideas I presented to our stellar advisor, Dr. Savita Pahwa, and her team, which were accepted and able to come to fruition. I put a team of 13 medical students together, and we are working to find the associative correlations between certain biological factors and biomarkers that may increase or decrease an individuals risk and severity of COVID-19, based on the preexisting hypothesis that ACE2 receptors act as a potential vehicle for COVID-19 entry into the body.

Additionally, I created another subsidiary study in which we will investigate immunity to COVID-19 post-infection and post-vaccination, focusing primarily on transmission rather than infectivity.

The team and I are very excited to see what results and conclusions are generated from these studies and hope to shed some light on any immunological aspect that could even slightly further the understanding of COVID-19. We are all in this together and working cooperatively and collaboratively is how we will make it out.

My heart goes out to all who have been affected by COVID-19, who have lost their loved ones, and who have risked their lives on the front line saving others. I hope we all can become happy and healthy once more.

Michael Kaiser and Lizeth Caldera (second year):

Caldera Kaiser

The rise of COVID-19 and the sensitivity of patients older than 65 prompted the closure of assisted living facilities and rehabilitation centers to outside visitors. While the abrupt closure rendered patients somewhat isolated from the virus, it also prevented families from visiting their loved ones.

Among these issues was the shortage of smart devices that could be used for face-to-face communication between the elderly and their families. As a result, we partnered with Connect-for-COVID-19, a national organization that has sought to bring smart devices to assisted living facilities to allow the patients to communicate with their families.

By raising money and collecting devices at drop boxes, we were able to provide devices such as smartphones and tablets equipped with face-to-face video conferencing abilities at facilities experiencing shortages. Stuart Rehabilitation Center was one of the facilities where we were able to provide devices, and it was where Michaels grandfather spent the remaining days of his life prior to the pandemic. This was a facility that meant a lot to Michael personally, and it was gratifying for us to be able to assist in such a novel crisis.

As future clinicians, this pandemic highlighted the importance of both the physical and mental challenges that are vital to patient health.

We think the events of the past couple of years have further emphasized the disparities in access to care, many of which were exacerbated by unforeseen circumstances. This experience will permanently alter the way in which we approach our future patients, particularly when it comes to addressing the personal issues that many of our patients face daily that contribute to their underlying health.

The pandemic highlighted the importance of a holistic approach to patient care, focusing on both the physical and mental aspects of patient health that are vital to well-being.

Danny Lincoln John (second year):

One of the best parts of being a post-grad at UPenn was the immersion into Americas founding city. I would never claim to have been born and raised in West Philadelphia, but I did live there long enough to spend a few of my days on its playgrounds and in its libraries. And, during an electrical failure in mid-2018, I spent some time on its streets.

While it shouldnt have taken homelessness to acquaint me with the less fortunate in my neighborhood, their altruism was integral to my survival. Id later move back to Florida to continue my education at the Miller School of Medicine. But with these life-changing experiences in mind, I did so leaving the Quaker-hood of UPenn in slowlyand still unfoldingdismay with how the most valuable education I received in my time doing research thereat the nations first medical school and in its first major citywould ultimately have little to do with either.

And even then, I could only imagine the true plight of the homeless, let alone what the pandemic would later make of it.

The antidote to my ignorance was waiting when I returned for Christmas break in 2020. I went back again just five months ago to find the vulnerable as Id never seen them beforebeset with the extremes of COVID-19s telltale signs and from what I was told, often dying from them.

Yes, a vaccine was available by then, but for the vast demographic overlap between our countrys impoverished and foreign-born, the steep barrier to health care access was always going to double as an additional obstacle to getting that vaccine. And, so it did here.

To fix that, Youngji Kim, a colleague at UPenn, and I launched a nonprofit vaccination initiative focused on this population and called it Vaccination Without Language Barriers, of which Youngji is president and I am vice president. This had been planned since my December visit and its fruition would have been impossible without the help of Philadelphias Department of Civic Engagement.

With the departments incredible collaboration, we administered the first shot on April 3. By early May, more than 1,000 of the most at-risk in Philadelphias disadvantaged neighborhoods had been vaccinated through our programthrough visits to numerous venues including community centers and cathedrals.

In fact, the only frontier our efforts hadnt reached were the homes of the sick/shut-in who most needed vaccination. I had to return to Miami before we could address that, but when I went back to Philadelphia over spring break in 2021, I helped spearhead an in-home vaccination program. As of today, our program has vaccinated nearly 2,000 people in their homes, including monks in a local Buddhist monastery. Our project, which we are trying to establish as an LLC, will be a fixture in opposing the pandemic as long as it is needed.

Since January, Ive workedin my ongoing capacity as head project manager at Mother Daughter Primary Care (MDPC)to implement a similar program in my hometown of Plantation, Florida, using the blueprint Youngji and I developed.

Because of this initiative, called Vaccinostra, MDPC was among the first in the Fort Lauderdale area to gain approval as a COVID-19 vaccination provider this past summer. Since its founding in 2019, the goal of MDPC is to overcome the health care barrier found in disadvantaged neighborhoods. We have done that by bringing medical attention to the neglected in and around Plantation. Our ability to arm this community against COVID-19 is being received as more of a boon than we foresaw, and we hope to be instrumental in driving up the vaccination rate here, as well.

While the pandemic may not have altered my career focus on neurosurgery, it has certainly made clear to me the importance of public health and moved me to be involved in it more rigorously than ever beforeand to share the work of my peers at the Miller School as historian of our Student Government, as Amanda so gracefully did last year.
OSU launches campaign to Mask Up around campus

Media Contact: Monica Roberts | Interim Assistant Vice President of Strategic Communications | 405-744-4800 | monica.roberts@okstate.edu

With COVID-19 cases spiking around the nation because of the highly infectious Delta variant, it has become more important to wear a protective mask than ever.

After a surge in positive cases following the first week of school, Oklahoma State University issued a guidance to all students, faculty and staff that masks were to be expected.

With that, OSU and the Office of Academic Affairs are launching a campaign titled Mask Up, its a win-win!

Dr. Jeanette Mendez, OSUs interim provost, said she hopes the campaign will assist in providing a consistent message across campus for the benefits of masking up.

Dr. Jeanette Mendez

Really, with this Mask Up campaign, we are playing one role in a larger campaign to try to encourage students to wear masks in class, Mendez said. That is where we are coming from. We are thinking that in terms of academic affairs, what could we do to help encourage this? We contacted faculty and have encouraged them to talk to their classes and respectfully ask for them to wear masks.

The number of students wearing masks werent ticking up high enough, which is why we thought that with a larger campaign, could we play a role in incentivizing it and what would it look like, which is how we arrived at what we are doing.

Mendez and Dr. Chris Francisco, interim vice provost, will begin going around campus and stopping in random classes to reward students who are wearing their masks.

Students will receive $25 gift cards to the bookstore on campus. Like with OSUs vaccine incentive campaign, Poke-a-thon, they are hoping positive reinforcement will help students get on board.

Dr. Chris Francisco

I think we want to recognize when people go out of their way to help others, Francisco said. I think this is just an example of that. Even if they dont themselves feel like they need the protection of a mask, thinking about other people around them and saying, You know what, this is not a big sacrifice for me to make. I want to do something to try to keep everybody safe and try to keep as good of an environment as possible for everybody.

Francisco said he and Mendez hope to start making trips to classes on Friday and look to pick classes in a variety of colleges and departments. They will also make sure they are not disrupting a class by asking the professor first, he said.

Mendez said there will not be a problem for any student, faculty or staff member who needs a mask as there are thousands of them available, with another 104,000 on the way.

We are ready to have over a hundred thousand masks ready and able to get in students hands and faculty and staff, Mendez said. So all faculty and staff will have two new masks. It is enough for every student to have two masks and then extras from there, so mask availability will not be an issue at all.

They will be at all the hotspots. We will have some at Classroom Building and some at the Union, departments, colleges and other divisions. We are really thinking about where students are going and will need one.

Francisco and Mendez hope the campaign can start making a difference on campus and that more and more people will begin to start masking up to help cultivate OSUs culture of care.

We have heard from some students who have talked about why they wear their masks and how they want to be considerate of those around them and people who are more vulnerable around them, Francisco said. They really want to try to be as kind as possible and we want to show our appreciation to those students who are doing that, who really have that Cowboy Family attitude, where we all look out for each other and help those that are more vulnerable.

We want to do everything we can to keep everyone safe.
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Foreign policy expert to speak on Americas post-9/11 security policies, withdrawal from Afghanistan

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Author and foreign policy expert Andrew Bacevich is the next guest in the virtual conversation series hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

Bacevich, a professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University and president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, will join the institute for the virtual conversation via Zoom at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 9.

John Shaw, institute director, will interview Bacevich about his new book, After the Apocalypse: Americas Role in a World Transformed, his work at the Quincy Institute, and his perspective on the United States 20 years in Afghanistan.

After the Apocalypse" explores how the events of 2020 have exposed shortcomings in the nations national security policy.

Bacevich has written or edited more than a dozen books, including New York Times bestseller The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. He is the founder and president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, which, according to its mission statement, promotes ideas that move U.S. foreign policy away from endless war and toward vigorous diplomacy in the pursuit of international peace. He served in the Army and taught at West Point and Johns Hopkins before joining the faculty at Boston University.

Andrew Bacevich is a bold, bracing, and penetrating analyst of American foreign policy, Shaw said. He is unafraid of challenging conventional wisdom and taking on sacred cows. He will help us understand a world  and a nation  in turmoil.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required for access to the Zoom webinar. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for Bacevich with their registration or email questions to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.

The event is part of the institutes Understanding Our New World virtual conversation series with government and private sector leaders, policy experts, political analysts, authors, and journalists. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/event-information.
SIU Carbondale recognized among the best LGBTQ+ U.S. universities

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Southern Illinois University Carbondale has earned national recognition again for its diversity and inclusivity as Campus Pride, a leading LGBTQ+ campus rating and information index, honored the university as a 2021 Best of the Best LGBTQ-Friendly Campus.

"We are very proud to be one of just 30 Campus Pride 'Best of the Best LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges and Universities' and the only institution of higher learning in Illinois to earn recognition," said Paul Frazier, vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion. "This is a credit to the ongoing collaborative effort to create an inclusive campus and we will continue to look for ways to foster an even more welcoming, safe and inclusive place for all students to call home."

Earned highest ranking

SIU earned a 5-star ranking on the Campus Pride benchmark evaluation of the universitys policies, programs and practices. The list includes an SIU profile, featuring details about the resources, support, events and activities provided to students, along with quotes from students, a campus profile and detailed scoring data.

Campus Pride cited numerous reasons for recognizing SIU as being an inclusive and LGBTQ-friendly university for students to attend. Included is SIUs Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, Queer + (LGBTQ+) Resource Center, one of four centers within the universitys Student Multicultural Resource Center. Located in the Student Services Building, the center, a unit of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a safe and welcoming space that offers educational outreach, advocacy services and referral information along with support for LGBTQ students, faculty, staff, families, alumni and friends. A new director will soon be in place for the center, according to Frazier.

Academic, social and physical support provided

Other SIU initiatives, services and activities recognized by Campus Pride include:
Harvard Business School. Courtesy photo

Harvard Business School recently hosted a virtual event called Busting HBS Myths: A Candid Conversation, hosted by Chad Losee, a 2013 HBS MBA and the schools managing director of MBA admissions and financial aid; and Cyril Straughn-Turner, a second-year HBS student and chief admissions ambassador.

Together, they busted 11 myths about what its like to apply  and attend  Harvard Business School.

MYTH 1: ITS IMPOSSIBLE FOR MOST PEOPLE TO GET IN

Losee grew up in a 5,000-person town in Utah. Following high school graduation, he went to a state university. When it was time to apply to graduate school, he says, HBS seemed out of reach. Like many prospective students, he experienced imposter syndrome  doubting ones abilities and feeling like a fraud.

Like Losee, Straughn-Turner also felt imposter syndrome when applying to HBS. Although he got his undergraduate degree from Stanford University, he was intimidated by the long and rich history of Harvard. Its daunting to consider going to a reputable school like HBS. I felt timid as I began the application process, and I wondered how Id match up when other applicants seemed so impressive, he says.

To both of their surprise, they were each accepted to HBS  Losee in 2011, and Straughn-Turner in 2020. Straughn-Turner says that once he got into the program, he realized the importance of remembering that each person  no matter what their academic, professional, and personal backgrounds  has a valuable contribution to bring.

If any of you are experiencing imposter syndrome and counting yourself out of HBS, I would encourage you to count yourself in and shoot your shot, Losee says.

MYTH 2: APPLICANTS ARE SCREENED BY A MACHINE

Harvard Business Schools Chad Lossee

Theres a common misconception that a big, reputable school like HBS uses a machine to screen applicants. But according to Losee, this isnt the case. We have no algorithmic cut offs, minimum scores, or anything else that screens applicants. Each application is read by two real humans on the admissions board who strive to do their very best to get to know you and build a diverse and interesting class of students, he says.

Story continues

Once the application is reviewed, the next step is an interview led by an admission board member. Losee says that the interviewer will read the candidates application a number of times to prepare for an engaging conversation. You really feel like the admissions process is a personal process, says Straughn-Turner. It doesnt feel like a machine because there are several independent people involved. The people youre talking to have gone through your application in a lot of detail.

Once the interview has been conducted, there is an opportunity for the candidate to reflect on the interview experience; each person has 24 hours following their interview to submit a written reflection through the online application system. That information is then put into the candidates application file. Finally, the application, interview, and reflection are used to determine whether or not a candidate will be accepted into the program.

MYTH 3: THERE IS A TYPICAL HBS PROFILE THAT THE SCHOOL LOOKS FOR

Contrary to popular belief, Losee says theres no one profile that HBS is looking for. Rather, the school seeks a diversity of perspectives so that it can fulfill its mission of educating leaders who will make a difference in the world. We dont think we can create these leaders without having a diversity of voices in class, he says. We want to get to know you, your voice, and the unique perspective that youd bring to your class, section, and community  both as a student and as a future alum of the program.

In the most recent MBA class, there are 300 different universities represented, as well as hundreds of companies and many lived experiences and backgrounds. Straughn-Turner says that hes been impressed with his class diverse representation, and how issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion are not only spoken about in class, but also in class material. These are issues that were seeing business leaders constantly face in todays society. Theres no better place to practice tackling these problems than in a safe environment like HBS, he says.

Since the primary method of instruction at HBS is the case study method, it relies heavily on discussions with people who have different points of view. This method differs from a lecture-based approach in the way that students do most of the talking. Diversity helps to approach complicated business issues, says Straughn-Turner. There arent any easy yes or no answers in business; theres a lot of nuance and different ways to approach any question or problem that comes up. People who have different experiences see the same set of facts differently, and they can help you learn how to think through these problems in a way that differs from how you would.

HBS is aware and proactive about addressing the inequities in education, according to Losee. He says that the school is working hard to do outreach to different groups of people to ensure that they understand how HBS could benefit their careers. Plus, theyre working to remove financial barriers that inhibit people from applying through generous financial aid programs, need-based scholarships, and waiving the application fee for those experiencing financial hardship.

Harvard Business School from above

MYTH 4: TEST SCORES MAKE OR BREAK YOUR APPLICATION

According to Losee, theres no minimum test score required for admission. The two people who are reading your application are looking at your test scores in the context of everything else that youve shared with us, such as your background, work history, essay, and transcripts, says Losee. Your test score is neither something we admit or deny off of. Its simply one data point among others that help us to understand if youre ready for a program thats going to ask a lot of you.

Losee adds that their most recent MBA class has a wide range of test scores. Plus, the school is agnostic when it comes to students submitting their GRE or GMAT score  one isnt preferred over the other. Take the test that you feel the most comfortable with, Losee advises.

MYTH 5: YOUR GPA MATTERS  A LOT

Cyril Straughn-Turner

Many prospective students are also concerned about their GPA. Like your test scores, your GPA is simply one data point that we use alongside everything else to understand your readiness for an engaging and rigorous program, says Losee.

Losee says that the admissions board aims to understand the context behind someones GPA; in many cases, hardship has affected peoples grades in certain semesters of their undergraduate degrees. Prospective students can share context about their grades in the Additional Information section of their application.

Losee encourages students to not worry about their GPA and instead focus on the stronger parts of their application. Your GPA is in the past; theres nothing you can do about it, he says. Just know that overall, your GPA is looked at in the context of everything else as we do a holistic review of your application. 

MYTH 6: THE HBS ENVIRONMENT IS EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE

Theres a common myth that HBS has an extremely competitive atmosphere. Straughn-Turner says that he believed this until he started at HBS; he was pleasantly surprised by his experience. No doubt, there are incredible, impressive people at this school. But its one of the safest, most supportive communities Ive ever existed in, he explains.

Since HBS is taught in a Socratic manner, students learn from each other as opposed to fighting for the right answer. Straughn-Turner says that this helps to create a community-driven learning environment rather than a competitive one. Everything is designed to create a team-oriented atmosphere, says Straughn-Turner. Everyone wants everyone to succeed.

Losee recounts being shocked at how down to earth his classmates were; he was able to develop relationships with people who had different and shared interests to form a deep sense of community. He was also anticipating everyone competing for the same jobs when it came to applying for internships. My experience was the opposite. I had many people make introductions between me and alumni about work that I was interested in exploring. I found that the community was very selfless, he says.

Straughn-Turner adds that breaking the class into sections helps to create a more intimate community. This means that you get a fun, family-like element that exists in your day-to-day life with people you take the same classes with. You spend a lot of time getting to know your classmates outside of school, too, he says.

Theres also a long-standing tradition in which HBS students share personal stories about their life and defining moments with their classmates. According to Losee, this also helps to make the class experience more supportive rather than competitive. People taking the time to share things that were so personally important to them helped us form a supportive network where we understood where each other was coming from, he says. This transparency created trust within our section.

MYTH 7: ONLY EXTROVERTS THRIVE AT HBS

Straughn-Turner and Losee both describe themselves as introverts. While many people think that the case study method requires everyone to speak up in front of large groups, Straughn-Turner says that thats not the case. Being vocal doesnt have to be through words. It can be through your contribution to the HBS community, he says.

Straughn-Turner adds that being an introvert isnt an inhibiting factor at HBS, but rather something that compliments and rounds out the student environment. While he and Losee may not have been the most vocal in class, they were committed to strengthening the community in their own, unique ways. He says that like he and Losee, many other students are introverts, too. The vast majority of the student body is committed to paying it forward and helping to make HBS a stronger community  whether thats by instilling a sense of safety for people of all different backgrounds, or just making sure that incoming students have an opportunity to learn and have the resources they need to feel comfortable applying he says.

Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2018.

MYTH 8: THE FACULTY IS UNAPPROACHABLE

Since HBS professors are extremely accomplished, many students expect them to be unapproachable outside of the classroom. However, Straughn-Turner says that this isnt the case. Rather, faculty devote a ton of time to getting to know students. They love being around students, he says. Last year, when we were doing a lot of things virtually, they hosted virtual lunches and outdoor tea sessions.

He adds that the HBS professors help students progress in their unique interests. For example, hes interested in the intersection of real estate and social impact, so he connected with a professor who is an expert in the future of cities. There werent any classes I could have taken with him last year given the structure of the first-year curriculum. But I went to his office hours every other Tuesday where I could talk to him, he says.

As Straughn-Turner enters his second year, hell be doing an independent study project on the future of cities this year with the help of this professor and one of his classmates. Here, you find like minded people who you can do really cool things with, especially in your second year where you have more flexibility with your schedule, he says.

MYTH 9: RECOMMENDATION LETTERS MUST BE FROM YOUR SUPERVISOR & AN HBS ALUM

Many prospective students think that theyre chances of getting into HBS will decrease if they dont get a recommendation letter from their supervisor and an HBS alumni. But Losee assures students that it doesnt matter what the title is of their recommenders. Whats most important is that the recommender has seen you in a professional work context so they can comment on your outstanding skills and what areas youre still working to develop, he explains.

If asking a supervisor for a recommendation letter will in any way inhibit opportunities for promotions or cause negative consequences, Losee advises prospective students to ask other people within the students company, instead. Theres also the opportunity to provide context in the Additional Information section about why the candidate chose this specific person as a recommender.

For a number of applicants, it can be uncomfortable asking their current supervisor for a recommendation, adds Straughn-Turner. Theres no typical path. Both of my recommenders saw me in different phases of my life and in different contexts. This whole process is about rounding out who you are as a person so that admissions can see all those different data points to get a full picture of who you are.

HBS also takes into account the fact that some recommenders dont have much experience writing letters of recommendation. Were conscious of industries where there are fewer applicants, or people who are not as comfortable with English, says Losee. We take all of that context into account. Were trying to get to know you, and having the perspective from someone whos worked closely with you can be helpful in our evaluation process.

MYTH 10: THE INTERVIEW IS DIFFICULT TO PREPARE FOR

The HBS interview is different from other interviews; according to Losee and Straughn-Turner, there are no stock, resume-based questions asked, nor are any problem-solving exercises involved. Rather, the interview is more so a conversation, with questions that are custom to each person. This interview is all about you, says Losee. You have nothing to be nervous about or study.

Prior to the interview, the interviewer acquaints themselves with the students application, essay, and work history. If we arent as familiar with the students company, well research it so that we can go beyond scratching the surface, says Losee. We want to know what perspective theyll bring to an HBS class, that theyd be able to explain things in a way that would translate well to a classroom, and that theyve invested in others and will do the same for the HBS community.

Straughn-Turner says that his HBS interview was one of the best interviews hes ever experienced. It felt very personal, and I was pleasantly surprised by all the different facets of my life that we explored. My interviewer first walked through the more academic and professional parts of my life and then let me speak about my interests and goals, and how I can see myself using what I learn at HBS. It just felt like a natural conversation, he says.

MYTH 11: A MINIMAL ROI

While business school is expensive and requires sacrifice, Losee and Straughn-Turner stress how valuable the experience is  personally and professionally.

Losee says that in order to maximize the ROI from HBS, prospective students should have a long term focus. There are upfront costs to investing in yourself at graduate school. Youre taking time off of work and you have to fork out the cost of the program. But the value of an HBS MBA is going to carry on over the next 30-40 years of your career, he explains.

Straughn-Turner says that two things in particular make the expense worth it: the network and the ability to integrate the knowledge into your career for years to come. Not only are you building relationships with fellow peers who are going to be future business leaders, but youre also building relationships with alumni who were in your shoes not too long ago, he says. Plus, applying what youre learning to your life and career helps you to continue to develop and grow.

When it comes to calculating the ROI of HBS, Losee has some advice. Dont do the ROI calculations on the job you would get right after an MBA program, he says. Rather, think about the different slope that youll be on 10 years or 20 years from now. There are going to be opportunities that this degree will open that may not have opened if you just stay on the path that youre on, as good as that path may be.

Despite the cost of the program and the effort it takes to get into HBS, Losee closed the virtual event by providing a few words of encouragement. As humans, we have this mentality to count ourselves out before we count ourselves in, he says. It can be difficult to get into a place like HBS, but youre guaranteed to not get in if you dont apply.

DONT MISS HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL CLASS PROFILE: HBS ENROLLS LARGEST MBA COHORT EVER and DECONSTRUCTING HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOLS LARGEST MBA CLASS EVER

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Sixty-five combatants have been killed in fighting after Yemen's Huthi rebels renewed an offensive on Marib, the last government stronghold in the country's oil-rich north, a military official said Thursday.

The Iran-backed rebels attacked pro-government positions south of the strategic city, making progress despite losing dozens of fighters in coalition air strikes.

It was the Huthis' first major offensive on Marib, the key to controlling the region, since June, when 111 fighters on both sides died in three days of clashes.

"Twenty-two pro-government (forces) were killed and 50 others were wounded, while 43 Huthi rebels were also killed in the last 48 hours," a government military official told AFP.

The figures were confirmed by other military and medical sources.

The resurgence in fighting comes after strikes on Yemen's largest airbase, in the country's south, killed at least 30 pro-government fighters on Sunday in the deadliest incident since December.

It also comes just days before the United Nations' new special envoy for Yemen, Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg, takes up his duties.

Yemen's internationally recognised government -- backed by a Saudi-led military coalition -- and the Huthis have been locked in war since 2014, when the insurgents seized the capital Sanaa.

In February, the Huthis escalated their efforts to take Marib in fighting that has killed hundreds on both sides. Control of the oil-rich north would strengthen the Huthis' bargaining position in peace talks.

While the UN and Washington are pushing for an end to the war, the Huthis have demanded the re-opening of Sanaa airport, closed under a Saudi blockade since 2016, before any ceasefire or negotiations.

- Alleged war crimes -

As well as the bloody offensive in Marib, the Huthis have also stepped up drone and missile strikes on Saudi targets, including its oil facilities.

Eight people were wounded on Tuesday in the latest such drone attack that also damaged a civilian plane and the entrance to Abha airport in southwest Saudi Arabia.

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In June, then UN envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths told the Security Council that his efforts over the past three years to end the war had been "in vain".

The fighting has killed tens of thousands and left some 80 percent of Yemenis dependent on aid, in what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The war has also displaced millions of people and left many on the brink of famine.

On Monday, lawyers representing victims of the conflict made a submission to the International Criminal Court for an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by pro-government forces.

The allegations centre on a 2016 coalition air strike that killed 140 people at a funeral in Sanaa, and a 2018 air strike on a school bus in northern Yemen that killed at least 40 children.

The coalition has admitted that "mistakes" were made, and said it would put on trial military personnel suspected of being behind strikes on civilians, including the school bus strike.

The ICC, in The Hague, has no obligation to consider complaints filed to the prosecutor by individuals or groups.

faw-th/dv
A 9-month-old baby girl evacuee from Afghanistan died after arriving in Philadelphia on a C-17 military plane from Germany.

The child, who was accompanied by her father on the flight with other evacuees, died Wednesday.

The baby became "unresponsive" on the flight from Germany's Ramstein Air Base to Philadelphia International Airport, a Department of Defense spokesman said.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Service members prepare to board evacuees from Afghanistan onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster lll at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar August 22, 2021. U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Kylie Barrow/Handout via REUTERS

A 9-month-old baby girl evacuee from Afghanistan has died after arriving in Philadelphia on a C-17 military plane from Germany, a Department of Defense spokesman confirmed Thursday.

The child, who was accompanied by her father, died Wednesday, the official said. Her death marks the first known fatality of an evacuee from Afghanistan on US soil, CBS News reported.

Department of Defense spokesman Army Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell told Insider in a statement that during a C-17 flight hauling other Afghanistan evacuees from Germany's Ramstein Air Base to Philadelphia International Airport, "the crew was notified that an infant was unresponsive."

"The aircrew requested medical assistance and priority air traffic control arrival routing," Mitchell said.

When the plane arrived at the airport at around 9:15 a.m., "emergency medical technicians and an interpreter met the aircraft and the child and father were transported to a children's hospital in Philadelphia where the child was pronounced dead," according to Mitchell.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the parents and family," Mitchell said.

More than 31,000 evacuees from the Afghanistan capital of Kabul had already entered the US between August 17 and August 31, including nearly 24,000 "at risk" Afghan refugees, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Wednesday.

Read the original article on Business Insider
TOKYO (AP)  A Japanese court on Thursday sentenced a 90-year-old former senior government official to five years in prison for a 2019 car accident which killed a 3-year-old girl and her mother, in a high-profile case in a fast-aging country where elderly drivers have become a safety concern.

The Tokyo District Court convicted Kozo Iizuka, a former top official at the trade and industry ministry, of negligence resulting in death and injury. His wife, who was a passenger in his car, was among nine people injured in the accident.

The death of the girl and her mother triggered an outpouring of sympathy and worries over the risk posed by a growing number of elderly drivers, prompting some to return their driver's licenses.

Iizuka said a mechanical problem with his car caused it to go out of control and pleaded not guilty in his trial.

The court upheld the prosecutors contention that an inspection after the accident found no mechanical problems with the car. There was no evidence that Iizuka applied the brakes before his car hit the victims at a speed of 96 kilometers (60 miles) per hour at a crosswalk in downtown Tokyo.

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of seven years in prison.

Iizuka was hospitalized for injuries he received in the accident and was not arrested until his indictment last year. He was seen as having received privileged treatment by the authorities because of his elite background, triggering a public outcry.

The government in recent years has stepped up a safety awareness campaign for elderly drivers, including offering driving lessons, promoting use of cars with additional safety features and encouraging older people to return their licenses.

About 17% of Tokyos traffic accidents last year involved elderly drivers, according to police.
InStyle

Welcome to the new Look of the Day, where we comb through every celebrity outfit from the past 24 hours and feature the single most conversation-worthy ensemble. Love it, leave it, or shop the whole thing below.
Associated Press

The slaughter of 1,428 white-sided dolphins over the weekend, part of a four-century-old traditional drive of sea mammals into shallow water where they are killed for their meat and blubber, has reignited a debate on the small Faeroe Islands. The hunt in the North Atlantic islands is not commercial and is authorized, but environmental activists claim it is cruel.
Angela West, the wife of Texas gubernatorial candidate Allen West, has been cleared by the Dallas Police Department of a drinking while intoxicated charge the gubernatorial hopeful deemed "insidious."

The gubernatorial campaign of Allen West, a former Florida congressman who now chairs the Texas GOP, said Wednesday that Angela West's Aug. 20 arrest "has been proven unwarranted and baseless beyond a shadow of a doubt by the Dallas Police Departments toxicology report showing no narcotics or alcohol in her system."

The Dallas Police Department said it was aware of the lab results as outlined in the toxicology report and that the officer who made the arrest "made her decision based on the information available to her at that time."

"The purpose of addressing the media and releasing the video footage of the suspected DUI arrest of Mrs. Angela West was not to prove guilt or innocence, but to show the interaction between the officer and Mrs. West because of the accusations regarding the encounter," the department told the Washington Examiner in an email Thursday. "The remainder of the process lies in the hands of the District Attorneys office. We respect the ultimate decision of the District Attorney's office and we will refrain from commenting further."

TEXAS REPUBLICANS PUSH PROPOSAL TO PUNISH TECH PLATFORMS THEY SAY CENSOR CONSERVATIVES

Allen West asked for a full apology from the police department, as well as the release of the body camera footage.

"I stand by my assertion that a full apology to my wife Angela is warranted," West said. "As well, the full unedited body cam video should be released by the @DallasPD @DPDChiefGarcia to the press and the public. My wife's honor and reputation should have never been assailed."



Allen West also shared a letter from attorney George Milner asserting that the Dallas County District Attorney's Office reached "the right result and we appreciate that honest justice was swift."

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"It is now indisputable Ms. West was completely innocent of any wrongdoing! This unfortunate stain on her otherwise exemplary reputation should be removed with haste," Milner continued.

While driving a white SUV-type Mercedes Benz, Angela West failed to signal while changing lanes and entered onto the shoulder to travel between the shoulder and the right lane, Officer Lydia Harris observed on Aug. 20, a DPD official said during an Aug. 23 press conference. Harris later stopped the vehicle, observed an infant in a car seat, and instructed the driver to pull off to the next road, the official said.

When the driver, who said she was driving that way because she was listening to her GPS, pulled off the busy highway, Harris, who then identified the driver as Angela West via her driver's license, asked the driver to step out of her vehicle, according to officials' accounts.

Harris asked Angela West preliminary questions about her medical history and then asked whether she would submit to a field sobriety test, to which she agreed, officials said. After conducting the test, Harris placed Angela West under arrest "for suspicion while driving intoxicated" and transported her to the Dallas County Jail, where a warrant was obtained for a blood sample, the laboratory results of which were pending, the DPD official said at the Aug. 23 press conference.

The day after his wife's arrest, Allen West said he was "highly p***ed off," adding that his grandson Jackson was in the back seat of Angela West's car.

"The thing that upsets me the most is that they took my wife, arrested her, brought her to jail, and left my grandson with two Dallas police officers ... This is c***. I support the thin blue line, but this is insidious," the GOP chairman said, adding that his daughter later picked his grandson up from the police officers.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Allen West, who said Angela West drank only water and lemonade before driving on Aug. 20, also tweeted a photo of what is purportedly an Aug. 20 receipt from P.F. Chang's, apparently showing that no alcohol was ordered during the meal.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Texas, Drunken Driving, Police

Original Author: Asher Notheis

Original Location: Allen West's wife cleared of 'insidious' driving while intoxicated charge
WASHINGTON (AP)  Far right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are planning to attend a rally later this month at the U.S. Capitol that is designed to demand justice for the hundreds of people who have been charged in connection with Januarys insurrection, according to three people familiar with intelligence gathered by federal officials.

As a result, U.S. Capitol Police have been discussing in recent weeks whether the large perimeter fence that was erected outside the Capitol after Januarys riot will need to be put back up, the people said.

The officials have been discussing security plans that involve reconstructing the fence as well as another plan that does not involve a fence, the people said. They were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The planned Sept. 18 rally at the Capitol comes as a jittery Washington has seen a series of troubling one-off incidents  including, most recently, a man who parked a pickup truck near the Library of Congress and said he had a bomb and detonator. Among the most concerning events: A series of unexploded pipe bombs placed around the U.S. Capitol ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection remain unexplained and no suspect has been charged.

On Capitol Hill, the politics around fencing in the iconic building and its grounds were extremely difficult for lawmakers after the Jan. 6 insurrection. Many said they disliked closing off access, even as they acknowledged the increased level of security it provided.

Video: Proud Boys leader who burned BLM flag gets 5 months in jail

The decision on whether or not to erect the fence again will likely be considered by the Capitol Police Board, according to a House aide familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it. No decisions have been made. The board consists of the Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the U.S. Senate, and the Architect of the Capitol.

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The deadly riot overwhelmed the police force that was left badly prepared by intelligence failures and has resulted in internal reviews about why law enforcement agencies werent better equippped. More than 100 police officers were injured and the rioters did more than $1 million in damage.

The planned presence of the extremist groups is concerning because, while members and associates of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys make up just a fraction of the nearly 600 people who have been charged so far in the riot, they are facing some of the most serious charges brought so far.

Those charges include allegations that they conspired to block the certification of President Joe Bidens victory. Several Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and are cooperating with investigators in the case against their fellow extremists, who authorities say came to Washington ready for violence and willing to do whatever it took to stop the certification of the Electoral College vote.

As officials prepare for this month's rally, Yogananda Pittman, the Capitol Police official who led intelligence operations for the agency when the rioters descended on the building, has been put back in charge of intelligence.

In a statement to the AP, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said the department was closely monitoring September 18 and we are planning accordingly.

After January 6, we made Department-wide changes to the way we gather and share intelligence internally and externally. I am confident the work we are doing now will make sure our officers have what they need to keep everyone safe, Manger said.

Still, law enforcement officials are increasingly concerned about the rally and the potential for violence. The Metropolitan Police Department will activate its entire force for that day and has put specialized riot officers on standby, law enforcement officials said.

But for federal officials, the person who planted the pipe bombs also remains a serious concern. Many of the leads in the investigation have come up dry and investigators working on the case havent even been able to figure out whether the suspect is a man or a woman, people familiar with the case said.

The FBI has released grainy surveillance video of the person they believe left the bombs and have said the person wore a gray hooded sweatshirt and a face mask and had a backpack and distinct Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers in yellow, black and gray.

The FBI had asked Nike for information about the shoes and sought to analyze information from purchasers, according to law enforcement documents obtained by The Associated Press. Agents also looked into a tip that someone had placed an ad on Facebook Marketplace with someone selling nearly identical shoes, the documents said.

The bombs  each about a foot long with end caps and wiring that appeared to be attached to a timer  had contained components that were unique and specific enough that agents reached out to companies like Walmart and other vendors and asked to review information about recent purchases, the documents said.

The explosive devices were placed outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Jan. 5, the night before the riot. But they were not located by law enforcement until the next day, shortly before thousands of pro-Trump rioters stormed into the Capitol.

It is not clear whether that means the pipe bombs were unrelated to the next days riot or were part of the riot planning. Both buildings are within a few blocks of the Capitol.

___

Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer and Nomaan Merchant contributed to this report.
PHOENIX (AP)  Lawyers representing the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate in a review of 2020 election results in the state's most populous county released a slew of communications between GOP lawmakers, their audit liasions and others under a court order obtained by a watchdog group that is fighting for transparency in the election recount.

Among the communications were text messages from a top campaign official of former President Donald Trump to Senate liaison Randy Pullen asking where to send $175,000 to help pay for the partisan recount. Former Trump campaign chief operating officer and ex-Arizona state Treasurer Jeff DeWit also asked Pullen if another group raising funds for the audit was legitimate, saying Trump asking.

The Senate records were not complete. Senate attorney Kory Langhofer told a judge Wednesday that it withheld nearly 3,000 records because they contained legislative or attorney-client communications he says are privileged.

Other records sought by American Oversight remain the subject of a court battle. A judge had also ordered the Senate's contractor, including the Florida company that is overseeing the audit, to produce its records.

The Arizona Court of Appeals quickly upheld that order, ruling that Cyber Ninjas and other contractors were performing a core government function and were subject to public records law. But last week, the Arizona Supreme Court put Judge Michael Kemp's order on hold at least until Sept. 14 while it reviews the case.

American Oversight's attorney, Roopali Desai, told the judge Wednesday that she would be pushing to have the court reject Langholfer's legislative privilege argument, saying the judge had already rejected that in earlier rulings.

The more than 20,000 records released late Tuesday night included communications of Republican Senate President Karen Fann, Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Warren Peterson, Pullen, the Senate's other liaison to the contractors, Ken Bennett, as well as GOP activists and legislators, lobbyists and the press. They include text messages, emails and even a video of former President Ronald Reagan saying the people oversee the government.

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DeWit declined to comment to The Associated Press Wednesday on his offer of cash to fund the review. Late Tuesday, the told the Arizona Capitol Times that he wasn't referring to Trump personally but to the broader Trump orbit. DeWit worked closely with Trump on both his campaigns, rising from state chairman to oversight of all his campaign operations.

Other exchanges included one between Fann and Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward where the Senate president questioned why she was using the Senate audit to raise money for the party when it wasn't involved in funding it

The Senate agreed to pay $150,000 plus the cost of facility rental for the audit, but it ended up costing far more. Partisan fundraisers have contributed nearly $5.7 million to help pay to recount all 2.1 million Maricopa County ballots and examine voting machines, computers and other equipment used in the election.

The unprecedented partisan exercise was prompted by former President Donald Trumps loss in the state and his contention without evidence that he lost in Arizona and other battleground states because of fraud.

Senate Republicans issued subpoenas to Maricopa County for all 2020 ballots, the machines that counted them and other data in the states most populated county. Election experts have been highly critical of the review, which 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.

The materials were given to contractors with little to no election experience for what Senate President Karen Fann calls a forensic audit. Election experts say the 2020 election was secure and well-run, and the contractors are using bizarre and unreliable procedures. Maricopa County has refused further participation.

The results of the audit and hand recount were expected to be handed over to the Senate last week, but an outbreak of COVID-19 among the contractors delayed it

Langhofer told the judge Wednesday it could be weeks before a final report is ready for release. A date for public release has not been announced.

One notable exchange was between Fann and well-respected Arizona GOP political consultant Chuck Coughlin, who told her the partisan nature of the audit caused public polling to show that there would be little confidence in the results.

"Start over, call the current audit professionally compromised," Coughlin wrote. Lay that on the contractors -- which is true -- and the governor, you and the (House) Speaker find a way to establish a professional path toward rebuilding trust in AZ's election system.

A conversation over a glass of wine, Fann responded.
NY Daily News

A Brooklyn mom kicked down a subway escalator by a complete stranger says shes covered in claw marks from her tumble down the metal stairs  and terrified of ever seeing her attacker again. Speaking on condition her name not be published, the 30-year-old fashion design student said she was on her way home when she was assaulted at the Atlantic Ave.-Barclays Center station Thursday evening. I ...
AndreyKrav / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Capitals serve as cultural and political hubs for the states they represent, so moving to a state capital can come with a certain amount of bragging rights. Plus, if you want to work in a government job, these cities can serve as a key stop on your career path.

If you're considering a move to a state capital, you might want to ask yourself the following questions: What are the best state capitals to live in? What are the worst? Does living in a state capital necessarily mean a higher quality of life? To answer those questions, GOBankingRates conducted a study to rank the 50 state capitals from best to worst.

To Live: The Best Place To Buy a Home in Every State

Read More: 50 Best (and Worst) Cities for an Early Retirement



These rankings might prove helpful in your search for the right place to live. Some of the capitals are also on the list of best places to buy a home in every state.

Last updated: Sept. 2, 2021

Davel5957 / iStock.com

Best State Capitals

GOBankingRates analyzed all 50 state capitals using the following criteria:

Violent crime rate and property crime rate per 1,000 residents

Median home list price

Annual cost of necessities

School district score

Unemployment rate of the population between ages 20 and 64, plus the percentage of the population living below the poverty line

The median household income

The factors were scored, summed up and then ranked from best to worst for each state capital.

The best state capitals all share a few characteristics, including a solid median household income, low poverty and unemployment rates, a low cost of necessities, affordable homes and a good grade for school districts.

Read: 12 Essential Money Tips for Every Phase of Your Financial Life

Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

25. Montgomery, Alabama

A low median household income of less than $46,000 per year is one of the biggest blows to Montgomery's ranking. That income, however, doesn't have to stretch too far in terms of housing costs. Alabama's capital has a median home value of just $95,195, making it one of only a handful of state capitals with home values below six figures.

Story continues

Wise Words: Retirees Confess What They Wish Theyd Done With Their Money

Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

24. Oklahoma City

The annual grocery cost in Oklahoma City is below $4,500, making it one of the cheaper cities for shopping. However, the total cost of necessities is on the pricier end at $19,600 a year.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

23. Augusta, Maine

Augusta scores low in median household income at $43,996, but the median home price is $193,656. Groceries, healthcare and utilities all cost above the national average, but transportation is just 68.9% of the average.

Davel5957 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

22. Des Moines, Iowa

At $53,525 a year, Des Moines' household income score isn't the greatest, and more than 16% of its residents live in poverty. With home values floating around $167,000, however, it's an affordable city.

Home Expensive Home: 30 Most Expensive Cities in the US

georgeclerk / iStock.com

21. Salt Lake City

It might come as a surprise that Salt Lake City has one of the worst property crime scores in the study, averaging 59.42 incidents per 1,000 residents. Utah's capital doesn't rank too badly across other categories, but the median home value is pricey at above $535,000.

AndreyKrav / Getty Images/iStockphoto

20. Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul's strongest suit is the relatively affordable housing market. The median home value in Saint Paul is only $266,819, but it also has a so-so median household income of $55,920.

LawrenceSawyer / Getty Images

19. Topeka, Kansas

Topeka could be one of the best deals for people looking to buy a house. The Sunflower State capital got high marks for its temptingly low $139,107 median home value, though its median household income is also on the low side at $47,999 a year.

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18. Salem, Oregon

The median household income for Salem is $60,676, which puts it in the top third of all state capitals. Although Salem has a fairly low violent crime rate, it has only an average score for property crimes. The city sees 37.43 property crime incidents per 1,000 residents, according to the study.

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

17. Frankfort, Kentucky

A big factor in Frankfort's ranking, despite its low median household income, is its necessities score. The median cost of non-housing necessities in Frankfort is only $16,780.33 a year, so residents there pay the lowest among all 50 state capitals for things like groceries, utilities, health care and transportation.

Tips: 5 Affordable Ways To Make Over Every Room in Your House

f11photo / Shutterstock.com

16. Austin, Texas

Is keeping Austin weird keeping Texas' capital high in the rankings? While that's up for debate, the city does enjoy a strong household income along with a better-than-average unemployment rate of 4.8%. Furthermore, Austin features lower-than-average prices on groceries, healthcare and utilities, as well as a school district grade of A-.

Expenses: Winter Is Coming: How To Lower Your Energy Bill

Davel5957 / iStock.com

15. Cheyenne, Wyoming

Cheyenne has a decent unemployment rate of 5% and a low poverty rate of 10.4%. Wyoming's capital also enjoys a low rate of violent crimes, and its median household income is strong at $64,598.

Nagel Photography / Shutterstock.com

14. Helena, Montana

Helena boasts a low unemployment rate at 3.4%. It also shines in the annual necessities cost category. Helena residents can expect to pay just $16,825 for yearly expenditures not related to housing. Its median household income comes in at $61,324 per year.

John T Callery / Shutterstock.com

13. Olympia, Washington

Olympia has average scores for most of the categories in the study, but where it really shines is in its low cost of necessities. With Olympians paying just a little less than $17,000 a year for non-housing goods, the Washington capital has one of the lowest necessities costs in the study. Also, its school system earns an A grade.

dbvirago / Getty Images/iStockphoto

12. Juneau, Alaska

The snowy capital of the largest geographic state in the nation boasts the second-lowest percentage of people living below the poverty line at just 7.7%. It also claims the highest median household income in the study at $88,398  which is a good thing, considering Juneau is also one of the most expensive state capitals in terms of median home value and annual necessity costs.

Shutterstock.com

11. Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis, home to the U.S. Naval Academy, has the second-highest household median income in the study at $85,636, though it's also a comparatively costly city to live in with a median home price of $516,476. The poverty rate is a low 11.1%.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

10. Carson City, Nevada

Carson City has the lowest property crime rate in the study, with only 13.57 incidents per 1,000 residents. Violent crime is also low here. On the downside, its median annual household income of $55,718 is not the best, and its median home value is on the high side at $399,809.

csfotoimages / Getty Images

9. Madison, Wisconsin

Among Madison's biggest positives are its low unemployment rate of 3.6% and its B+-rated schools. The city's poverty rate, however, is on the high side at 16.9%.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

8. Jefferson City, Missouri

Jefferson City has a relatively low poverty rate of 12.9%. The Show Me State's capital also has fairly low crime rates and a median home list price of $180,231 to go with a median household income of $52,253.

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

7. Raleigh, North Carolina

In Raleigh, the median household income is strong at $67,266, and its school district scored a grade of A-. Utility costs are high, however, at 18.5% above the national average.

Shutterstock.com

6. Lincoln, Nebraska

Lincoln scores well across the board, including an A- grade for its school district. The one area where it falters is a fairly low median household income of $57,746, but that's offset somewhat by a comparatively low cost of living and an unemployment rate of 2.5%.

J. Stephen Conn / Flickr.com

5. Concord, New Hampshire

Only 9% of people in Concord live below the poverty line, which contributes to the city's high ranking. Also, New Hampshire's capital boasts very low rates of both property crime and violent crime.

Shutterstock.com

4. Pierre, South Dakota

Although Pierre loses Dakota bragging rights to its capital city neighbor to the north, it's still among the five best state capitals to live in. A solid median household income of $62,192, low necessities costs and a B+ grade for schools are among the reasons Pierre ranks so high.

knowlesgallery / Getty Images/iStockphoto

3. Boise, Idaho

Boise boasts a low unemployment rate of 3.2% as well as some of the lowest rates in the study for both violent and property crimes. You won't find yourself paying much annually for necessities, either. Boise's median non-housing essentials costs come in at $17,327 a year, placing it among the cheapest capital cities to live.

Find Out: Costco and 23 More Companies With Surprisingly Great 401(k) Plans

Ace Diamond / Shutterstock.com

2. Bismarck, North Dakota

Unemployment is under 4% in Bismarck and the poverty rate is only 9.5%. Property crime and violent crime rates are low as well, and the cost of necessities is just above $16,700.

Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

1. Montpelier, Vermont

If you live in fear of violent crime, Montpelier is the state capital for you. It ties Concord for the lowest violent crime rate score in the study at 1.49 incidents per 1,000 residents. It also has one of the lowest property crime rates on the list, along with a strong median household income of $65,078.

slobo / Getty Images

Worst State Capitals

The worst state capitals usually feature low household income, high poverty and unemployment rates and high crime rates. They might also have expensive necessities and housing costs or poor school district grades. These factors become more extreme the lower a capital is in the rankings.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

25. Boston

Boston is another state capital with a very high housing cost. It ranks second only to Honolulu with a median home value of $687,024. The median household income is a high $71,115, but the unemployment rate is 5%.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

24. Springfield, Illinois

The median household income in Springfield is $57,876, which, like so many other categories, puts the city in not great/not terrible territory. A big plus, however, is the low cost of housing. The median home value in Illinois' capital is only $129,807.

Boogich / Getty Images

23. Denver

Denver has mostly decent scores per category, but high housing costs hurt its ranking. The median home price in the booming city is more than $563,000, which makes it the third highest on the list.

Long_Strange_Trip_01 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

22. Columbus, Ohio

Columbus' overall scores aren't terrible, but its median income is on the low side at $53,745, and nearly 20% of the population lives in poverty. The schools here get a barely satisfactory C- grade.

Don't Miss: The Best Neighborhoods To Retire In Across America

Kruck20 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

21. Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia falls below average among state capitals partly because of its lower median household income of $47,286 and its high rate of property crimes. But it got a B+ grade for its school district.

MoreISO / Getty Images/iStockphoto

20. Nashville, Tennessee

The Music City has a violent crime rate of 11.1 incidents per 1,000 residents, making it one of only five capitals with double-digit rates in that category. Nashville's median home price is on the high side as well, at about $346,000.

dszc / Getty Images

19. Sacramento, California

The Golden State's capital doesn't rank among the worst of the capitals in this study, but it's far from the best. Lackluster scores in median household income, unemployment rates and poverty rates put Sacramento in the lower half of the rankings. The city also comes with a B- school district ranking and an annual necessities cost of more than $20,000 a year.

pabradyphoto / Getty Images

18. Albany, New York

Nearly 23% of people in Albany live below the poverty line, which helps explain its low ranking. So does its low median household income of only $45,825, though its median home value has risen to $235,675. Albany schools don't help much with a C+ overall grade.

Davel5957 / iStock.com

17. Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe has a fairly high poverty rate of 18% as well as the highest unemployment rate in the study at 7.8%. And with a median home value of more than $467,000, its housing market is unforgiving. However, the city does have a fairly low cost of living, with median non-housing necessities costing less than $17,500.

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

16. Atlanta

Atlanta has below-average scores in nearly every category, which explains its ranking among the bottom 15. Relatively high crime rates are one culprit, along with a high median home value of about $354,000.

Retirement: Jaw-Dropping Stats About the State of Retirement in America

Mark Skalny- / Shutterstock.com

15. Phoenix

Phoenix fell from the top 25 to the bottom 25 in GOBanking Rates' most recent study. Its median household income is decent at $57,459, but 18% of the people in Phoenix live in poverty. Transportation costs are 17.9% higher than the national average, too.

Shutterstock.com

14. Richmond, Virginia

Richmond scores low in poverty rates, and it also receives subpar marks elsewhere. What really sinks Richmond's ranking, however, is the C- grade for its school district, among the lowest grades on the list.

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13. Indianapolis

Like many cities in the bottom half of the study, Indianapolis suffers from a less-than-desirable median household income -- in its case, $47,873 per year. A high violent crime rate of 12.5 per 1,000 residents also contributes to its low ranking, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. Its school district received a grade of C-.

Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

12. Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee has one of the highest poverty rates of all state capitals, with more than a quarter of the population living below the poverty line. It also suffers from a low household median income of $45,734, though Florida residents can keep more of that money because there's no state income tax. On the bright side, Tallahassee's school district received a grade of B+.

SergiyN / iStock.com

11. Honolulu

Tropical Hawaiian paradise falls into the get-what-you-pay-for category. Although its median household income of $71,465 doesn't look too bad, Honolulu ranks the highest in the study for the median cost of necessities. Expect to pay $25,331 a year for items such as groceries, healthcare and transportation. It also has the highest median home value by far -- $1,125,424.

Davel5957 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

10. Little Rock, Arkansas

Little Rock's median household income is not great at about $51,000 a year, but what really sinks Arkansas' capital in the rankings is its crime rates. Little Rock has the worst violent crime rate in the study by far at about 15 incidents per 1,000 residents as well as the second-highest rate of property crime.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

9. Lansing, Michigan

Lansing has one of the weaker income scores on the study, with a median annual household income of below $42,000. The poverty rate is high at 24.6%, but residents don't have to pay much to live there. Lansing's median home value is only $119,901 -- one of the lowest figures in the study.

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

8. Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston has a low median household income of $43,344, a high poverty rate and the highest property crime rate on the list with more than 66 incidents per 1,000 residents. On the other hand, a median home value of about $130,000 makes West Virginia's capital an affordable housing market.

SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto

7. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

One reason Harrisburg ranks so low is its paltry median household income of $39,685. Meanwhile, a stunning 26.2% percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Other problems include a school district saddled with a C- grade and a high violent crime rate. Harrisburg shines when it comes to housing prices, however -- the median home value here is only about $188,000.

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

6. Providence, Rhode Island

A lower median household income of $45,610 and below-average school district grade of C- push Providence down in the study's rankings. What's worse, however, is the nearly 26% poverty rate.

SeanPavonePhoto / iStock.com

5. Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge has a high poverty rate of 24.8% and a low household median income of about $44,000. Furthermore, its higher-than-average crime rates cement Baton Rouge's place as one of the lowest cities in this study's rankings.

Jon Bilous / Shutterstock.com

4. Dover, Delaware

Dover's median household income is nothing to brag about at below $48,000 a year, though its median home value is 220,091. What hurts Dover is a high unemployment rate of 7.7% and a high rate of property crime.

Check Out: 35 Cities Where You Can Afford To Live on Less Than $50,000

Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

3. Jackson, Mississippi

The median annual household income for Jackson is $38,888, one of the lowest in the study. It also has a very high poverty rate of about 25%. Conversely, its median home value of $62,986 makes it the cheapest housing market of any capital city by far.

Shutterstock.com

2. Hartford, Connecticut

After finishing last in the 2019 ranking, Hartford is this year's second-lowest capital largely because of abysmal median household income and poverty scores. More than 28% percent of Hartford residents live below the poverty line, which is the second-highest rate on this list. The median household income is $36,278, which places Hartford 49th out of 50.

mandritoiu / Shutterstock.com

1. Trenton, New Jersey

Bringing up the rear is Trenton, which closely tracks Hartford in terms of poverty, income and unemployment. The difference is that Trenton's housing is slightly more expensive and its schools are saddled with an even lower D grade.

More From GOBankingRates

Sean Dennison and Jami Farkas contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed all 50 state capitals to find the best (and worst) state capitals to live in along the following criteria: (1) violent crime rate per 1,000 residents and (2) property crime rate per 1,000 residents, both sourced from Neighborhood Scout; (3) median home value, sourced from Zillow's January - July 2021 index; (4) annual cost-of-living expenditures, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' midyear 2019/20 Consumer Expenditure Survey and local cost-of-living indices sourced from Sperling's Best Places; (5) school district score, based on Niche's Best School District index; (each school district had an alphabetical grade, A+ through F, which was converted into a numerical value in order to score); (6) percent of population living below the poverty line and (7) the median household income sourced from the 2019 American Community Survey done by the United States Census Bureau; and (8) unemployment rate for June 2021 as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: June 2021 rates for Metropolitan Areas. All these factors were scored, summed up and then ranked from best to worst for each state capital. All data was collected and is up to date as of Aug. 26, 2021.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Best and Worst State Capitals To Live In
Reuters

The U.S. top general secretly called his Chinese counterpart twice last year over concerns then-President Donald Trump could spark a war with China as his potential election loss loomed and in its aftermath, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. U.S. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called General Li Zuocheng of the Peoples Liberation Army on Oct. 30, 2020 - four days before the presidential election - and again on Jan. 8, two days after Trump supporters led a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, the paper reported. In the calls, Milley sought to assure Li the United States was stable and not going to attack and, if there were to be an attack, he would alert his counterpart ahead of time, the report said.
A Boise man was arrested in Oregon last month on suspicion of murder and battery charges dating from December 2020, according to Boise police.

Lance Garver, 51, was arrested on Aug. 26 by Columbia County, Oregon, sheriffs deputies on suspicion of felony second-degree murder and aggravated battery charges, as well as a misdemeanor charge of providing false information to police, according to a Thursday news release from the Boise Police Department.

On Dec. 10, 2020, Boise police responded to a report of a battery at a residence, the release said. Officers found two injured adult males who were taken to a hospital for treatment. The men knew each other, police said, and investigators with BPD Violent Crimes determined that Garver had been involved in the fight.

One of the injured males was treated and released, but the second man, Steven Ochoa, 68, died in the hospital in January 2021, according to the Ada County Coroners office. In a Friday release, the coroners office said Ochoa died of blunt force trauma.

Several months later, after a complete and thorough investigation and after a final decision on cause of death by the medical examiner, the deceased mans death was determined to be a murder, the Thursday police news release said.

Police passed the investigation on to the Ada County Prosecutors Office, and a warrant was issued for Garvers arrest. Garver is in the Columbia County Jail, pending extradition to Idaho, the release said.

Second-degree murder charges are punishable by a minimum of 10 years in prison, while aggravated battery is punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment.
DOHA (Reuters) -British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Thursday there is a need to engage with the Taliban on Afghanistan, but Britain has no immediate plans to recognise their government.

Raab was speaking during a joint press conference with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Doha, where he visited housing for refugees evacuated from Afghanistan after the Taliban swept to power last month.

Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar was talking with the Taliban and working with Turkey for potential technical support to restart operations at Kabul airport.

"We are engaging with them (Taliban), engaging also with Turkey if they can provide any technical assistance on that front. Hopefully in the next few days there will be some good news," Sheikh Mohammed said.

"There is no clear indication when (the airport) is going to be fully operational yet...We remain hopeful that we will be able to operate it as soon as possible."

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara that under current conditions Kabul airport could handle military aircraft for evacuation flights but that security and other conditions would need to be met for commercial flights.

It is not a task for Turkey and Qatar to undertake on their own," he said, calling for international coordination and warning of a possible migration wave from Afghanistan.

The hardline Islamist militant Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital Kabul last month, but have yet to name an administration or reveal how they intend to govern.

Raab said he had discussed with Qatari officials ensuring Afghanistan does not harbour terrorism in the future, preventing a humanitarian crisis, preserving regional stability and holding the Taliban to account on their public pledge to set up a more inclusive government.

"Our commitment on the part of the United Kingdom to Afghanistan remains. We need to adjust to the new reality," Raab told reporters.

Story continues

"Our immediate priority is to secure the safe passage of those remaining British nationals, and also the Afghans who worked for the United Kingdom, and others who may be at the most risk," he said, adding that he would be talking to regional leaders about securing safe passage through third countries.

Britain has moved its Afghanistan embassy from Kabul to the Qatari capital Doha.

(Additional reporting by Ece Toksabay in Ankara, writing by Lisa Barrington and Aziz El Yaakoubi, editing by Alex Richardson and Mark Heinrich)
BeInCrypto 

Singapore-based digital assets institution Cabital announced that it raised $4 million during its latest seed funding round.

The seed round was led by SIG GLOBAL, Dragonfly, and GSR, and increased the firms valuation to $40 million. In addition to further developing its proprietary digital wealth management software, Cabital said that the funding would support the growth of European ambitions and help onboard senior talent.

SIG Partner Lu Guo acknowledged Cabitals potential in his companys decision to lead the investment round. As cryptocurrency becomes more mainstream, Cabital is proposing new investment opportunities for crypto-wealth management products, which will meet regulatory compliance standards as well as maintain strong leadership in this growing market thats increasingly globalized, Lu said.

This story was seen first on BeInCrypto Join our Telegram Group and get trading signals, a free trading course and more stories like this on BeInCrypto
Focus Features

While discussing his new film The Card Counter in an interview with Deadline, filmmaker Paul Schrader presented a paradox, both railing against the supposed insidiousness of cancel culture while decrying peoples strong aversion to personal responsibility. What I was trying to capture from this moment, he explained, is this lack of responsibility people seem to have. I didnt lie, I misspoke, I didnt touch her inappropriately, I made a mistake. Nobody is really responsible for anything.

What Schrader fails to realize is that cancel culture is most often invoked by those wishing to evade responsibility (its the culture thats toxic, not me!), and while context is indeed important, it doesnt grant you an indulgence. I am reminded of Bob Baffert, the legendary horse trainer, who blamed cancel culture when his Kentucky Derby-winning horse was found to have tested positive for steroids.

This is all, of course, germane to Schraders latest, which centers on a mysterious card counter by the name of William Tell (Oscar Isaac, more brooding than ever) who, after a ten-year stint behind bars, drifts from casino to casino across the U.S. winning small sums of money at blackjack and Texas hold em. An early sequence sees William pocket $750 counting cards at blackjack before booking a cheap motel room, removing the artwork and devices, and covering all of the furniture in white sheetsfor he is a ghost who lives an ascetic life of cards, sleep, and the occasional glass of whiskey.

Marie Kondo on Sparking Joy in the Time of COVID and the Alison Roman Mess

Like many of Schraders antiheroes, from Taxi Drivers Travis Bickle to the eco-conscious Pastor Ernst Toller of First Reformed, William is a haunted diarist in search of absolution. And he believes hes found it in Cirk (Tye Sheridan), another lost soul whom God dealt a terrible hand. So, he hatches a plot to make things right: get staked by La Linda (Tiffany Haddish), who bankrolls a stable of card sharks; win a few high-stakes poker tournaments; pay off Cirks debts; and reunite him with his estranged mother.

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It is fascinating that the aughts poker boom, ignited by Chris Moneymakers storybook win at the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, has yet to inspire a single decent poker film (a few eye-hemorrhaging scenes in Casino Royale notwithstanding). The Card Counter wont change this, as it is far more concerned with the burden of guilt than what happens on the feltand because of this, its OK to overlook some of its slip-ups when it comes to the world of gambling, such as misdescribing prize pools, extolling roulette odds, and failing to so much as mention the importance of timely aggression in poker or what makes William such a gifted poker player in the first place other than his steely edge.

Early on in the film, we learn that William Tell is a cutesy alias; his real name is PFC William Tillich, and he served that lengthy prison sentence after he was found to have tortured detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. In maze-like, washed-out flashback sequences shot with a fisheye lens, we see PFC Tillich brutalizing his prisoners and giddily posing with them, a la Lynddie England (who only ended up serving a year and a half behind bars). That PFC Tillich arrived at Abu Ghraib a softer man and was hardened under the tutelage of a Major John Gordo (Willem Dafoe), a sadistic civilian contractor specializing in torture, begs the question of whether he also fell victim to a corrupting systemthough, as Tillich asserts, Nothing can justify what we did.

Schraders film poses intriguing questions about redemption and self-reproach. Given the extreme nature of Tillichs crimes, is he redeemable? Has he served his penance? Should we allow his guilt to consume him, or is he, too, worthy of a helping hand? Isaacand his beautiful head of graying hairdoes a fine job of stirring up pity for Tillich, another of Gods lonely men bearing the weight of our collective sins on his shoulders. His chemistry with Haddish, who provides another way out of his misery, is powerful, culminating in a hallucinatory stroll through a neon-lit park, captured on high by a roving drone. But The Card Counter tips its hand when, during a pool-side tete-a-tete with Cirk, Tillich draws a parallel between a poker player going on tilt (or becoming consumed by emotion and making a series of bad plays) to force drift, a phenomenon whereby torturers no longer see their captives as human and apply more and more pain. In what world are these two even remotely the same?

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CHICAGO  A veteran Chicago police supervisor is the third city cop this week to be arrested on allegations that he used excessive force in an on-duty incident, authorities said Thursday, accusing him of shoving a flashlight between a clothed teens buttocks in February.

Lt. Wilfredo Roman, a Chicago cop since June 2000, was charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct, both felonies, according to Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County states attorneys office.

At a bond hearing Thursday for Roman, where he was ordered released on his own recognizance, prosecutors said the officer shoved a flashlight between the buttocks of a 17-year-old suspect in February, after he was handcuffed and over his clothing, and saying, Thats what you get for carjacking.

Assistant States Attorney Mary McDonnell said the incident took place as police were arresting the 17-year-old, identified only as Z.K., and a second teen, 16, on North LeClaire Avenue after a foot chase.

After allegedly carjacking a man at gunpoint and taking his Mazda, the teens were spotted by Roman, who radioed in to report that they had fled on foot and he was chasing them but could not get over a gate.

Other officers caught up to Z.K. in an alley, where he allegedly tossed a handgun while trying to climb a fence, McDonnell said. An officer gave the teen verbal commands to surrender, and he then raised his arms and got on the ground. While being handcuffed, Z.K. yelled at the officers that the handcuffs were too tight.

As the arresting officer loosened the cuffs, Roman allegedly walked up and yelled at Z.K. to shut up and then shoved his flashlight between Z.K.s buttocks, McDonnell told the judge.

McDonnell told the judge the teen yelled out when the flashlight entered his buttocks. McDonnell said the teen was clothed when asked for more details in court by Cook County Judge Arthur Wesley Willis, who set bond.

The incident was captured on officer body cameras.

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Romans lawyer, Jim McKay, contended there was no injury to the teen, as he was clothed and wearing a coat during the alleged incident.

This is a spank or a spanking, for the love of God, McKay said. I had nuns that treated me far worse.

McKay also noted that Roman, 44, a father of two who is engaged to be married, has never been disciplined by the Chicago Police Department.

The Chicago Police Department issued a statement on the case Thursday without addressing the specifics of the allegation.

Last night, Lt. Wilfredo Roman of the Chicago Police Department surrendered for arrest to members of the Departments Bureau of Internal Affairs at the 1st District Police Station, the statement said. The Cook County States Attorney has since approved felony charges for Aggravated Battery/Public Place and Official Misconduct/Fail Perform. These charges are related to an on-duty incident that occurred on February 9, 2021 in the 1900 block of N. LaCrosse (25th District). Upon learning of the incident in July, the department promptly relieved Roman, 44, of police powers. He could face additional disciplinary actions pending the outcomes of the criminal and administrative investigations.

Roman is a tactical lieutenant in the Grand Central patrol district on the far West and Northwest Side. Sources said he has been under investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability for a use-of-force incident this year.

The charges come the day after two other Chicago cops had court appearances for the alleged beating of a 17-year-old boy who they were trying to arrest earlier this year on the South Side after a car chase.

Grand Crossing District Officers Jeffery Shafer and Victor Guebara were charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct in that case. A Cook County judge ordered them released on their own recognizance.

Romans arrest now marks at least the fourth time since early August that a Chicago cop has been arrested on felony charges. On Aug. 5, Officer Melvina Bogard, 32, was charged with shooting a man during a long struggle on the Grand Avenue platform downtown last year, scattering Red Line commuters at rush hour.

Bogard was the first cop in about five years to face charges in Cook County stemming from using a gun while on duty.

Records show that Roman has been sued over allegations of misconduct at least three times over the past decade, all before he became a lieutenant, including by a man who claimed he was shot and seriously wounded by police during a foot chase in August 2011.

The plaintiff in that case, Richard Keeler, alleged in his suit filed in U.S. District Court that Roman and at least three other officers chased into an enclosed stairwell on the 900 block of North Parkside Avenue without good cause, then shot him twice.

One shot took off his right pinkie finger while he was blocking his face, and the other went into his chest, according to court records.

The suit did not specify which officers allegedly fired their weapons.

The lawsuit alleged Keeler was unarmed at the time of the shooting, and that the officers, realizing theyd made a mistake, knowingly and maliciously gave false information to police investigators after the shooting, leading to his arrest on charges of aggravated assault.

The lawsuit was settled for $200,000, records show.

Roman was named in another federal lawsuit alleging officers had kicked in the door of a Logan Square apartment with guns drawn in January 2008 and conducted a warrantless search. That suit was settled for $18,000, records show.

Most recently, Roman was named in a lawsuit in Cook County in 2015 alleging he and other officers drew guns on a man and his brother and arrested them without cause in November 2013. When one of the brothers asked Roman why they were being mistreated, Roman allegedly kneed him in the abdomen, according to the suit.

The victim, Edward Matthews was jailed for months awaiting trial and was eventually found not guilty. The lawsuit was settled for $60,000.


The Chicago Teachers Union said late Wednesday it intends to step up resistance if Chicago Public Schools doesnt improve COVID-19 safety protections, calling current conditions dangerous.

The union didnt specify what form any resistance might take, saying only members will resort to escalating actions if necessary. But the language marked the CTUs most pointed reference to a possible formal work action since school reopened Monday, and it suggested a deepening rift between Illinois largest school district and one of the states most powerful unions.

The union Tweeted Wednesday evening that its House of Delegates was meeting to discuss returning to buildings and next steps.

Leading up to Mondays reopening, CPS leaders, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city public health officials gave repeated assurances that schools would be safe and that students were better served through in-person classes. CTU agreed to start the new school year without a new safety agreement, with remaining issues to settle such as whether vaccinated students need to quarantine if theyve had close contact with someone infected with COVID-19. But the union also cited CPSs rollback of some of last years safety measures, like requiring health screenings at school entrances and reducing social distancing from 6 to 3 feet where possible.

But since Monday, concerns have escalated: Photographs have circulated on social media of packed hallways; students have described lunchrooms where bands of mask-less youths crowded together; teachers have reported class sizes too large for even 3 feet of separation.

And, inevitably, COVID-19 cases are beginning to crop up within the school system. CPS is reporting 28 adult and 11 student cases for the current week, and about 150 close contacts in quarantine, including 24 at Prosser Career Academy in Belmont-Cragin, 20 at Lara Elementary Academy in Back of the Yards and 17 at Ruggles Elementary in the Chatham area.

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Thirty-eight schools have reported at least one positive case this week, according to CPS data posted online Wednesday. Two schools  Lara and Johnson School of Excellence in North Lawndale  each have one pod in quarantine. A pod is defined by the district as a small class size of about 15 students.

One or more of those mitigations  social distancing, masking, testing, vaccines, working ventilation and more  have failed at schools across the city, the CTU claims in a Wednesday news release. Overcrowding, lack of testing, AC breakdowns, and other mitigation failures will drive needless infections and preventable harm, while Lightfoot continues to allow her CPS team to drag on landing safety agreements with the CTU and (SEIU) Local 73.

SEIU represents thousands of custodians, bus aides, special education assistants and other CPS employees, and its members joined CTU when it went on strike in October 2019, months before the pandemic struck.

Then during the 2020-21 school year, the reopening of CPS schools was repeatedly delayed  and the first group of students to return had to revert for a time to full-time remote learning  as CTU pushed for broader safety protocols and members refused to return to in-person classes. As a result, CPS cut off computer access to some teachers and the district was brought to the brink of another strike before the sides reached a series of reopening agreements. Even then, the majority of CPS families chose to keep their children at home full time.

Now, with the more-contagious delta variant fueling a surge in cases, the vaccine still not available to those under 12 and outbreaks reported at schools across the country, some parents groups are seeking a return to a remote learning option for all students; some families has gone to far as to say theyre not sending their children back.

The Illinois State Board of Education, however, issued an order over the summer that all students must be in school full time this fall, with rare exceptions for students with serious medical conditions or who are in quarantine.
Chicago

DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images

Chicago's travel advisory list now consists of every state in America.

The city, which has been regularly adding states to its travel advisory for weeks, just added Vermont, meaning that travelers from every state are considered a "high risk."

States become eligible for Chicago's travel advisory list when they exceed 15 new cases per day, per 100,000 residents. The city has been expanding the list since mid-July when it added states for the first time since June 1.

Additionally, unvaccinated travelers are asked to get tested one to three days before arriving and then again three to five days after travel and wear a mask in both indoor and outdoor settings, according to the city. Unvaccinated travelers should also self-quarantine for a full seven days, even if they test negative.

Previously, Chicago only recommended unvaccinated travelers get tested 72 hours before arriving in the city or quarantine for 10 days.

The city's Department of Public Health tweeted the recommendations were updated to "align with the CDC guidance" for unvaccinated people.

Chicago has been battling its own surge in COVID-19 cases, reinstating an indoor mask mandate in an effort to combat it. The city's United Center, home to Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks games, also tweeted last week that masks will be required for all attendees as well as proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test to enter.

Cook County, where Chicago is located, has recorded a 5.1% positivity rate of COVID cases as of Sept. 8, according to the county's public health site.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
(Bloomberg) -- One of Chinas largest social media companies closed stock-tipping accounts with millions of followers as it heeds Beijings call to cleanse content deemed harmful to the countrys economy.

Weibo Corp., which operates the countrys Twitter-like website with about half a billion active users, shut down at least 52 user accounts due to violations of new rules on economic and finance-related information, according to a statement late Wednesday. The largest account -- called GuSheQu or Community of Stocks -- had 3.25 million followers.

The chat rooms typically charge followers to join in return for stocks tips. One provided instructions on how to trade the Shanghai Composite Index, recommending in May that users buy boldly at around 3,482 to 3,488 points.

Another account, whose name roughly translates to Stock Up to the Sky, told users on March 12 to buy shares of Henan Mingtai Al Industrial Co., a Shanghai-listed maker of aluminum foil thats up 98% since the post. Two of the accounts other stock picks lost more than 10%.

Others commented on sensitive macro policy issues, such as Chinas population, while several accounts uploaded screenshots or quotes from foreign media articles, including those published by Bloomberg News.

Weibos interpretation of the new rules provides insight into what type of content authorities may deem harmful to Chinas economy. The campaign, which was announced by the cyberspace administrator late Friday, enlisted commercial websites and platforms to remove content that maliciously bad-mouths Chinas financial markets or misinterprets domestic policies and economic data.

The move is aimed at cultivating a benign online environment for public opinion that can facilitate sustainable and healthy development of Chinas economy and its society, according to last weeks announcement.

State media in June said regulators were against the practice of analysts setting specific stock-index targets or predictions.

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Media outlets in China often influence the market by downplaying recent turbulence or discouraging excess. When the countrys stocks sank in March, a Weibo search for the Chinese equivalent of stock market generated no posts on its web version. In 2019, posts about threats from then-U.S. President Donald Trump to impose more tariffs on Chinese exports were removed from social media.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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With just a month until the clock runs out on the $201 million in federal emergency rental assistance sent to Arkansas, only $17.4 million had been paid as of the end of August. That's less than 9%.

Driving the news: Another $43 million is pending distribution, but even if that were in the hands of those in need, it leaves 70% of the funds to be spent in September alone.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

Money not committed by Sept. 30 will be reallocated to other grantees by the U.S. Treasury Department.

U.S. Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), chair of the select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis, sent a letter to Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday urging Arkansas to "speed distribution of rental assistance without delay."

The U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration's attempted ban on evictions last week, putting between 2.5 million and 3.5 million people at risk of losing their homes.

State of play: Axios reported last month that overwhelmed agencies, along with state policy that requires landlords and tenants to submit paperwork, and a lack of knowledge about the program are likely causes for the slow distribution of money.

Why it matters: An estimated 6,400 Arkansans are behind on rent payments with estimated statewide rental debt topping $113 million.

Families that can't catch up on rent face eviction, which can make it difficult to find new housing  and evicting people during a pandemic puts them at greater risk of becoming infected with COVID-19.

Source: U.S. Treasury Dept., Arkansas Dept. of Human Services, the counties. Chart: Axios Visuals

By the numbers: Arkansas received four buckets of emergency rental assistance (ERA) based on population. Benton, Pulaski and Washington counties received a combined $27.3 million in funds, managed by various local agencies, and the state received $173.7 million.

At the end of August, Benton and Washington counties had paid $9.1 million to more than 1,900 households.

Pulaski County received $11.7 million but did not respond to multiple Axios attempts for updated figures, so the $1.7 million most recently reported in July was used in this analysis.

The state's ERA funds are managed by the Department of Human Services (DHS), which has paid $7.2 million to more than 2,900 households.

DHS told Axios it is now providing about $1 million per week in rental assistance.

The bottom line: A DHS spokesperson said that much of the bottleneck is tied to required documentation.

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To inform the public about ERA, DHS has a $70,000 social media campaign underway and statewide advertising will launch soon.

Almost 500 social media "toolkits" with messaging about ERA have been provided to agencies throughout the state, and more than 75 news stories have been written about the program.

What they're saying: Acknowledging Clyburn's letter in a news conference Tuesday, Hutchinson said, "We are working hard to get that rent relief out without compromising the integrity of the whole program."

He's asked DHS to streamline the process where possible.

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People protesting Texas' new abortion ban hold signs attacking the law. AP

A Texas law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect on Wednesday.

Recent data revealed companies like AT&T gave over $100,000 to primary sponsors of the bill.

The companies have not yet commented on their stances on the abortion law.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

A Texas law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect on Wednesday. It comes as the conservative-led Supreme Court is set to consider a case that could upend Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion.

Recent data revealed that 86 companies in the Fortune 250 gave $5.9 million to candidates seeking office in the Texas legislature in 2020, and seven of those companies gave over $100,000 to sponsors of the abortion law.

On August 2, UltraViolet, an organization that fights to expand women's rights, released an analysis of public data on corporate political spending in Texas. It reports that nine of the primary sponsors of SB8, the abortion law, received more than $100,000 from corporations like AT&T and UnitedHealth Group. While those companies did not take a stand on the abortion law, their contributions were significant in electing the lawmakers who sponsored it.

Here are the seven companies that made the largest cumulative donations to the sponsors and cosponsors of SB8:

AT&T: $291,042, amounting to 53% of its total in-state donations Charter Communications: $219,500, or 61% of its donations Berkshire Hathaway: $128,550, 53% of total donations Exelon: $124,000, or 56% of total donations UnitedHealth Group: $121,000, or 53% of total donations Union Pacific: $109,000, or 43% of total donations Chevron: $105,500, or 50% of total donations

Five of the companies did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Union Pacific told Insider in a statement it "has a history of giving to political candidates on both sides of the aisle in compliance with national and state rules."

"We consider criteria beyond those that directly impact rail operations and business metrics when evaluating contributions, and we review our giving to all candidates annually," it added.

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Chevron also told Insider in a statement that engages with "numerous elected representatives who take positions on a range of issues. We are not always aligned with all their views."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the law on May 19 to take effect on September 1, and while abortion clinics in Texas asked the US Supreme Court to block the law from taking effect, the Court failed to act on the emergency petition, allowing the law to go into effect.

One day after the law went into effect, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling rejecting the petition. Each of the liberal judges voted to accept the request in addition to conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, who called the law "unprecedented" and saying it "essentially delegated enforcement of that prohibition to the populace at large." Roberts was referring to the 'vigilante economy' Insider's Bartie Scott reported on that the law created by awarding a minimum of $10,000 to any private citizen who wins a lawsuit against someone who assisted a patient in receiving an abortion.

President Joe Biden said in a statement that the law "blatantly violates" Roe v. Wade, and it would "significantly impair" access to essential healthcare, especially for people of color and low income communities.

State legislatures have enacted 90 abortion restrictions in 2021- a record since 1973 - according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion group that compiles data on reproductive health.

Read the original article on Business Insider
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch government wants to support Turkey and Qatar in attempts to re-open Kabul airport to resume evacuations from Afghanistan, the country's foreign minister said on Thursday.

Sigrid Kaag said the country was willing to provide 1 million euros ($1.19 million) in funding, and if necessary, personnel, toward attempts to resume rescue flights.

Kaag was in Ankara for diplomatic talks and her remarks, initially reported by news agency ANP, were later confirmed by a spokesperson for the Dutch foreign ministry.

Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Thursday the Gulf state was talking with the Taliban and working with Turkey for potential technical support to restart operations at the airport.

($1 = 0.8432 euros)

(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Alison Williams)
Environmental groups on Thursday warned of an impending "biodiversity catastrophe" if DR Congo pushes ahead with a plan to scrap a moratorium on new logging permits.

"The Democratic Republic of Congo harbours the world's second-largest rainforest after Brazil," Greenpeace, Rainforest Foundation UK and others said in a statement.

"It is home to 40 million people, a carbon store and a biodiversity reserve of global significance."

The environment ministry announced a proposal in July to lift a 19-year-old ban on new industrial logging, touching on a resource that is both financially lucrative and a natural treasure.

"Should the moratorium be lifted as planned... the area of DRC's rainforest handed out to timber companies could increase by 20 million hectares (49.4 million acres) -- an area the size of Britain," the green groups said.

"However, potentially as much as 60-70 million hectares of intact forest, home to thousands of local and indigenous communities and endangered species such as the lowland and mountain gorillas, forest elephants and the endemic okapi, are under threat."

They said they had spelt out the warning in a letter to donors funding schemes t protect forests and other natural buffers against climate change.

Rainforest Foundation UK said it calculated that more than a million hectares of forests growing on peat swamps could be handed over to loggers.

The swamps comprise huge stores of carbon from trees and vegetation that have lived and died over many millions of years.

If disturbed by logging, the area could release over 10 billion tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, worsening global warming -- equivalent to nearly 200 years of Norway's annual national carbon emissions, the NGO said.

at/pvh/jv/ri
The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into an anomaly on the Virgin Galactic flight that carried Richard Branson to space. In a piece discussing not just that particular flight but the company's various safety issues throughout the years, The New Yorker explained that Virgin's spacecraft went off-course during descent, triggering an "entry glide-cone warning." The spacecraft uses the glide cone method, which mimics water circling down the drain, for landing. Apparently, the pilots for the mission didn't fly as steeply as they should have, causing the system to raise the alarm.

An FAA spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that the vehicle "deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance as it returned to Spaceport America" and it's investigating the incident. The agency gives missions to space a designated airspace they can fly in to prevent collisions with commercial planes and to minimize civilian casualties in the event of an accident. Virgin's Unity 22 mission flew out of that designated airspace for a minute and forty-one seconds before the pilots were able to correct course.

Nicholas Schmidle, author of The New Yorker piece, said he attended a meeting a few years ago, wherein the same pilots on the Unity 22 flight said a red light entry glide-cone warning should "scare the shit out of you." Apparently, that means it's too late, and that the safest course of action is to abort. In a statement it published after the article went out, though, Virgin Galactic said it "disputes the misleading characterizations and conclusions" in the piece and that the people on the flight weren't in any danger as a result of the flight deviation. The company said:

"When the vehicle encountered high altitude winds which changed the trajectory, the pilots and systems monitored the trajectory to ensure it remained within mission parameters. Our pilots responded appropriately to these changing flight conditions exactly as they were trained and in strict accordance with our established procedures. Although the flights ultimate trajectory deviated from our initial plan, it was a controlled and intentional flight path that allowed Unity 22 to successfully reach space and land safely at our Spaceport in New Mexico. At no time were passengers and crew put in any danger as a result of this change in trajectory."

It also said that the spacecraft did not fly outside of the lateral confines of the mission's protected airspace, though it did drop below the altitude of the airspace it was provided. The company added that it's "working in partnership with the FAA to address the airspace for future flights."
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -United Airlines on Thursday afternoon resumed operations at Newark Liberty International airport in New Jersey after disruptions caused by flooding https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-york-city-mayor-declares-state-emergency-after-record-breaking-rain-2021-09-02 from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

The impact of the storm was still being felt in the northeastern United States as Amtrak and other rail services were canceled.

United, the largest carrier at the New York area airport, had canceled more than 200 flights nationwide, according to Flightaware, an aviation website.

Rival American Airlines has also experienced delays and cancellations at the Newark airport, while Delta Air Lines said it has seen roughly 80 cancellations across New York City area airports.

Flooding killed at least 21 people, swept away cars and submerged New York City subway lines after torrential rains.

Flooding halted traffic on some major roads and highways in Northeastern states. The New York State Police said traffic was diverted because of flooding on some highways and exit ramps. Some major Philadelphia-area roads also flooded.

Amtrak said all passenger train service between Washington and Boston was canceled for the remainder of Thursday. The railroad said Empire Service was canceled between Albany, New York, and New York City.

Nearly all New Jersey Transit rail service remains suspended except for the Atlantic City line.

New Jersey Transit bus service is continuing but riders were told to "expect significant statewide delays, cancellations and extensive detours due to severe flooding and multiple vehicles blocking roadways."

In New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees subway, bus and commuter rail, said "service across our system is extremely limited as we work to recover from last night's heavy rainfall and flooding."

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington, Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru and Rajesh Kumar Singh in ChicagoEditing by Jonathan Oatis, Matthew Lewis and Grant McCool)
A former Georgia district attorney was indicted Thursday by a grand jury, which said she showed preference to the men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery last year.

The former prosecutor, Jacquelyn Lee Johnson, was indicted on charges of violation of oath of public officer and obstruction of a police officer, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced. Johnson was the Brunswick Judicial Circuit district attorney when Arbery, 25, a Black man, was shot in February 2020. Johnson ultimately lost re-election in November.

Arbery was shot and killed on Feb. 23 after Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, his son, followed him in their pickup. Arberys family has said he was out jogging, while the McMichaels, who are white, said they thought he was a burglar.

IMAGE: Ahmaud Arbery in a family photo (Courtesy of family)

Johnson recused herself from the case days after the shooting. She noted that Gregory McMichael, a former Glynn County police officer, had been an investigator in her office for more than 30 years before he retired in May 2019.

Johnson now accused of "showing favor and affection to Greg McMichael during the investigation," according to the indictment document released Thursday. She also is alleged to have hindered two police officers "by directing that Travis McMichael should not be placed under arrest."

The indictment also alleges that Johnson sought help from Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George E. Barnhill, whom she recommended to take the case after she stepped aside, without disclosing her previous conversations with Barnhill.

Barnhill recused himself in April and defended the McMichaels in his letter, stating to the police captain at the time that the father and his son had "solid first hand probable cause" to believe Arbery was a burglar.

No further details about the allegations were released. Carrs office said it will continue to investigate.

Johnson did not immediately return a voicemail requesting comment Thursday.

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Former DA Johnson may not have pulled the trigger on the day Ahmaud was murdered, but she played a starring role in the cover-up, attorney Ben Crump said Friday.

Crump and Lee Merritt, the family's attorneys, held a virtual news conference with Arberys mother and father, Wanda Cooper and Marcus Arbery Sr.

Merritt said he hopes the charges against Johnson have a ripple effect throughout the legal community to stamp out systemic racism, adding that her alleged actions amplified a system stacked against Black people.

He accused Johnson of denying Arberys family answers and access to information  to ensure that this case remain encumbered in a legal process that tends to lend itself, or bend, in favor of law enforcement.

Cooper lauded Johnsons indictment as a very huge win.

Arbery's father added: Black people have been treated bad too long.  Everybody got to pay with accountability with what they do wrong. It took my son to die for people to see what was going on. It should not be like that.

Although Arbery died in February 2020, the case did not get intense scrutiny until video of the shooting was released in early May 2020. The video circulated online and drew widespread outrage, and the case was referred to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation not long after its release.

In the video, which was posted by Arbery family attorney Lee Merritt, Arbery is seen jogging down a road as a white pickup truck is stopped in front of him. Arbery runs around the vehicle, and a shot is fired. The video shows Arbery and another man appearing to tussle as two more shots are fired.

NBC News does not know what occurred before the events shown in the video.

The McMichaels have been charged with felony murder, along with their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan, 50. Bryan, who was with the McMichaels and recorded the video, argued that he was just a witness.

All three men pleaded not guilty.

CORRECTION (Sept. 2, 2021, 8:05 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the former prosecutor's first name. She is Jacquelyn Lee Johnson, not Jaquelyn. It also misstated when Ahmaud Arbery was killed. He was killed in February 2020, not last February.
A Georgia grand jury on Thursday indicted a former prosecutor on charges of misconduct related to the investigation into the death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced in a press release.

Why it matters: Arbery's death was one of the catalysts for nationwide Black Lives Matter protests last summer.

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Catch up quick: The three suspects include father and son, Gregory and Travis McMichael, and William Roddie Bryan, Jr. They were charged on nine counts following Arbery's death.

The McMichaels pursued Arbery, who was out for his daily jog, after telling police officers they suspected he had committed a burglary, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Bryan, a neighbor of the McMichaels, followed in pursuit and filmed the video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery at close range, per the Associated Press.

Questions about the investigation were previously raised after it took more than two months for the suspects to be arrested.

The big picture: Former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson was indicted on one felony charge of violating her oath of office and one misdemeanor charge of hindering a law enforcement officer, per the press release.

Johnson had previously recused herself from the investigation because Gregory McMichael had worked as an investigator in her office. He allegedly left her a cellphone message after the shooting, AP reports.

Johnson defended herself by pointing out that she had recommended an outside prosecutor to take over the case, Waycross circuit district attorney George Barnhill, AP notes.

But Barnhill, who also chose not to press charges, stepped aside after it was revealed that his son worked in Johnson's office as an assistant prosecutor, according to AP.

State of play: The indictment states that Johnson "knowingly and willfully" hindered law enforcement officers by directing that Travis McMichael should not be placed under arrest.

Story continues

Johnson could face a maximum of six years if found guilty of both charges, per the press release.

Read the full document below:

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After five years in Hidden Hills, rapper French Montana has sold his three acre compound for $5 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. Montana paid Selena Gomez $3.3 million for the property in 2016, putting him at a $1.7 million profit, give or take for the value added from his renovations. The home is located in Moreau Estates, a gated enclave within the gated community of Hidden Hills, providing residents with maximum privacy.

The property features a main house and a guest house, along with plenty to offer outdoors including a pool, spa, fire pit, and a dining area with an accompanying pizza oven. The Morocco-born musician added a $400,000 custom recording studio to complement the homes many other indoor amenities including an expansive wine cellar, a media room, a gym, a billiards room, and a built-in surround-sound system.

See the video.

Beyond the addition of the recording studio, Montana cooled the place down by replacing Gomezs bold turquoise and purple color scheme with clean gray and white painted walls and similarly renovated the kitchen to replace the dark cabinetry and countertops with white cabinets and white marble counters. Many fireplaces can be found around the six bedroom, six and a half bathroom home, along with tasteful arched doorways throughout. The listing was held by Jason Oppenheim and Mary Fitzgerald, two of the prominent agents who star in Netflix's real estate reality show Selling Sunset.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
California's Secretary of State's office reports that 21% of registered voters in the Golden State have cast ballots in the recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The latest data from election officials comes with 12 days to go until the Sept. 14 deadline for voters to mail or drop into secure boxes their ballots in the recall contest of the embattled Democratic governor.

NEWSOM SPOTLIGHTS CONSEQUENTIAL DECISION OVER COVID IN RECALL ELECTION

State election officials in the middle of last month began mailing ballots to Californias 22 million registered voters as the Republican replacement candidates stepped up their attacks on the governor and Newsom kicked into high gear his efforts to encourage supporters to vote.

While Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans in the heavily blue state of California, public opinion polls conducted this summer suggested that those likely to cast ballots in the contest were divided on whether to recall Newsom.

Newsom and his allies acknowledge they need a strong turnout among Democrats to counter Republican voters motivated to cast ballots in hopes of ousting the governor. The new data updated Thursday from election officials indicates that 30% of ballots have been returned in the Democratic stronghold of San Francisco County in a potentially promising sign for Newsom.

WILL NEWSOM'S PUSH TO GET OUT THE DEMOCRATIC VOTE SAVE CALIFORNIA'S DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR FROM GETTING RECALLED?

Voters are being asked two questions on the Newsom recall ballots. The first question is whether the governor should be removed from office. If more than 50% support removing Newsom, the second question offers a list of candidates running to replace the governor. If the governor is recalled, the candidate who wins the most votes on the second question  regardless of whether its a majority or just a small plurality  would succeed Newsom in steering California.

Most public opinion polls conducted in July and August indicated that likely voters were divided on whether to recall Newsom. But a new survey taken Aug. 20-29 by the Public Policy Institute of California and released late Wednesday indicates that only 38% of likely voters support removing Newsom, with 58% saying theyd vote no on the first question on the ballot.

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Roughly half of likely voters (49%) said they either have not decided or would not vote for any of the 46 replacement candidates on the recall ballot. Among the other half, who expressed a preference for a replacement candidate, conservative talk radio host Larry Elder was in the lead with 26% support. Five percent backed Republican Kevin Faulconer, a former two-term mayor of San Diego. Three percent supported both 2018 GOP gubernatorial nominee and businessman John Cox and state lawmaker Kevin Kiley, with 1976 Olympic gold-medal-winning decathlete turned transgender rights activist and nationally known TV personality Caitlyn Jenner at just 1%.

The recall push was launched in June of last year, fueled by the state's COVID restrictions on businesses and houses of worship, school shutdowns and even opposition to the state's high taxes. But the effort surged in the autumn after Newsom's dinner at an uber-exclusive restaurant, which  at best  skirted rules imposed by the governor to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Fox News' Remy Numa contributed to this report
By Ann Wang

TAOYUAN, Taiwan (Reuters) -The first batch of BioNTech SE's COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Taiwan on Thursday, helped by the involvement of two of the world's most important tech firms after months of heated political and diplomatic wrangling. Taiwan has blamed China, which claims the island as its own territory, for nixing an original order from the German firm this year - charges Beijing has angrily denied. Taiwan's government then allowed major Apple Inc supplier Foxconn - formally Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd - as well as its high-profile billionaire founder, Terry Gou, along with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, to negotiate on its behalf for the doses. A $350 million deal for 10 million shots was inked in July, which will be donated to the government for distribution.

A cargo flight from Luxembourg carrying the vaccines landed at Taiwan's main international airport at Taoyuan, outside of Taipei, at 7 a.m. (2300 GMT), and was met on the tarmac by Health Minister Chen Shih-chung and Sophie Chang, the TSMC Charity Foundation's chairwoman and Gou's cousin.

Chen spoke briefly to thank the companies, and a Taiwanese Buddhist group that has also ordered 5 million doses, for their efforts to get the vaccine.

"They've worked very hard and overcome all the difficulties," he said.

Chen did not mention Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical, which has the right to sell the shots on BioNTech's behalf in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan and whose unit signed the deal for the island's doses.

A large label on the side of one of the crates with the names of BioNTech, Fosun and the vaccine, using simplified Chinese characters, which are not used in Taiwan, was removed before arrival.

Fosun had posted a picture on its Weibo account of the crate in the warehouse, with the label, before it was loaded onto the aircraft.

In another flourish of drama, China announced the exact arrival date of the vaccines on Wednesday, shortly before Chen began his daily news briefing.

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The roughly 900,000 doses of the vaccine, jointly developed with Pfizer Inc, are expected to start being administered later this month.

Taiwan is getting the shots earlier than expected as a delay in regulatory approval of the shot for use in mainland China made a surplus available for the island. The vaccine is approved for use in Chinese-run Hong Kong and Macau. While a relatively small domestic coronavirus outbreak is well under control in Taiwan, only around 5% of its 23.5 million people are fully vaccinated, though the government has millions of vaccines on order. More than 10 million vaccine doses have arrived in Taiwan to date, split between Moderna Inc and AstraZeneca Plc, while local developer Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp's shots have also started to be administered.

(Reporting by Ann Wang; Writing by Ben Blanchard and Stephen Coates. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
Sep. 2The Athens Daily Review is celebrating women who lead the way. From the medical field to motherhood, the courtroom to the conference table, women past and present contribute to every area of our community's success.

Nominate the women you feel have made a difference to Athens and Henderson County to be featured in the October issue of Greater Athens Magazine. Tell us why your nominee deserves recognition and send a short description and photo to or mail to PO Box 32, Athens, Texas 75751.

Deadline is Friday, Sept. 10.
A charter amendment that would revamp the city of Seattles approach to fighting homelessness could still be on the November ballot after the group backing the measure said it would appeal a lower courts ruling.

The Compassion Seattle campaign originally said it would not appeal last Fridays decision due to time constraints but reversed course on Tuesday.

The group filed an emergency order with the Washington Court of Appeals, asking for a decision by the end of this week. The court said it would hear the case.

Last week King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer struck the amendment from the ballot, saying it overstepped state law.

The judges decision caused an outpouring of support over the weekend from supporters who want us to press on with an appeal, Compassion Seattle said in a statement. We decided that we must take this action to represent the interests of tens of thousands of voters who signed petitions to put this amendment on the ballot.

Compassion Seattle is asking the court of appeals to rule on whether or not the issue should be on the ballot and has said the amendments legality should be challenged only if it passes.

The appeal has put King County Elections in a bind as it continues to design ballots that are supposed to be mailed out on Sept. 9. Every registered voter in the state is automatically sent an absentee ballot ahead of election day that they can return by mail or place in a designated ballot dropbox.

King County is preparing 400 different types of ballots for all of the various voting districts that are also translated from English into four other languages  Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese.

The reality is that we needed it on Monday, at this point were just looking at how much overtime well need, Kendall Hodson, a spokesman for King County Elections, told The Seattle Times. As with any court decision, we will do our best to comply with what the court orders us to do.

If passed, the amendment would require Seattle to build 2,000 shelter or housing units within one year and rewrite its budget to put more money toward social services.

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In her ruling, Shaffer noted that charter amendments are not supposed to supersede the city councils authority to set budget priorities and determine land use policy.

Compassion Seattle, backed by downtown business alliances and real estate companies, has raised more than $1 million.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: States, News, Homelessness, Seattle, Washington

Original Author: Ted O'Neil, The Center Square

Original Location: Homelessness charter amendment could still be on Seattle ballot
A suspect who injured a deputy constable by running him over with a car in Texas was fatally shot by police , Houston authorities said.

"We have shots fired. Hold the channel. He just ran into the house... Need EMS ASAP. Suspect is going to be down. Suspect is down," emergency responders were heard saying on radio calls .

The incident unfolded Wednesday evening in Houston when a family dispute reportedly broke out at a church , according to authorities. The suspect in the case allegedly rammed his car into several others on a parking lot before he drove off and a deputy constable saw the suspect driving the wrong way down a road.

HOUSTON AQUARIUM SLAYING WAS LATEST KILLING BY A DEFENDANT OUT ON BOND: REPORTS

The officer attempted to pull over the suspect, but a chase soon broke out. Authorities then also realized the car being driven by the suspect was stolen.

The chase soon ended on a residential block where police believe the suspect had family. The suspect rammed his car into one of the homes, leaving a hole.

HOUSTON MEN CHARGED IN KILLING OF NEW ORLEANS DETECTIVE; DEATH IS ON THE TABLE, OFFICIALS SAY

A Harris County Pct. 1 deputy constable then left his vehicle, and the suspect then used his vehicle as a weapon and ran over the officer, officials said. He was transported to a local hospital and is listed as in critical, but stable condition.

Other officers responded to the act of violence with gun fire, and killed the suspect, who was described as a Hispanic male.

No one else in the incident was injured and an investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Sep. 2Huntington National Bank, a newcomer to the Twin Cities market, has donated $500,000 to M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis to help the families of pediatric patients facing life-threatening diseases or severe mental health challenges cover day-to-day expenses.

The gift will establish the Huntington Bank Emergency Assistance Fund, which will assist patient families with travel and living expenses ranging from $100 gas cards to $1,500 rent or mortgage assistance.

Other potential assistance may include out-of-pocket drug and medical expenses, lost wages, childcare and car repair. Huntington, based in Columbus, Ohio, acquired Detroit-based TCF Bank in June.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Israel has named its first ambassador to Bahrain, after normalising relations with the Gulf Arab state a year ago, an Israeli government Arabic-language Twitter account said on Thursday.

Ambassador Eitan Na'eh had for eight months served as temporary head of mission at the Israeli embassy in the United Arab Emirates, the first Gulf state with which Israel established diplomatic relations in August last year.

In September 2020, the UAE and Bahrain both inked U.S.-brokered deals to establish ties with Israel, a move later followed by Sudan and Morocco.

Bahrain's first ambassador to Israel, Khaled Yousif Al Jalahma, arrived in the country this week.

(Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Alex Richardson)
ROME (Reuters) -Italy may eventually make COVID-19 inoculations compulsory for everyone of eligible age, and plans to start administering booster vaccine shots later this month to vulnerable people, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Thursday.

The government has already made it mandatory for medical workers to get vaccinated if they want to be paid, but Draghi said everyone may be obliged to get a shot when EU health authorities give full approval to the vaccines.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has given conditional approval to four vaccines. This could be upgraded to so-called standard marketing authorisation after further checks, at which point, Draghi said, they could become compulsory for all.

Such a move would likely spark fierce opposition in a country that has seen a rise in scepticism about all kinds of vaccines over the past decade and where health experts who have promoted inoculations have faced verbal abuse and threats from No Vax opponents.

Draghi denounced these attacks, telling a news conference that "such violence is particularly odious and cowardly when it is directed against those ... in the front line of the fight against the pandemic".

The prime minister told reporters he was confident that 80% of all Italians aged 12 and over would be fully vaccinated by the end of the month, against 70.5% at present.

He added that his government was planning to further extend the usage of so-called Green Pass health documents, which are currently needed for long-distance travel, access to many leisure activities and are also obligatory for school workers.

Officials said last week they were considering extending the scheme to anyone working in a public office or a supermarket.

The system has triggered protests by some Italians who say it tramples on freedoms.

Some 129,352 people have died of coronavirus in Italy since the pandemic hit last year, the second highest death toll in Europe after Britain. New cases held relatively steady in August, but doctors fear the more contagious Delta variant could cause a fresh spike in infections in the coming weeks.

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer and Angelo AmanteEditing by Frances Kerry)
Joe Rogan has said he took ivermectin to treat his COVID. (Getty)

Comedian, commentator and podcast host Joe Rogan has said he has taken the animal dewormer ivermectin to treat coronavirus, despite official warnings against using it.

Rogan announced on an Instagram video that he had tested positive for COVID-19 after feeling "very weary" and suffering from fevers and sweats.

He said he "immediately threw the kitchen sink at it", turning to a range of treatments including ivermectin, an animal dewormer that is gaining traction on social as a cure for the virus, despite health bodies urging people not to use the unproven drug.

The use of ivermectin has attracted concern from health bodies, which have issued warnings against using the drug. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even told people: "You are not a horse."

Watch: CNN medical analyst rips Joe Rogan's 'nonsense' mix of 'folk remedies' for COVID

In his video, Rogan said after three days of his combination of treatment, including ivermectin, he felt "great", adding: "I really only had one bad day".

His video could add weight to the argument by some that ivermectin is a legitimate treatment for coronavirus, despite warnings from health experts.

What is Ivermectin?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ivermectin is a broad spectrum antiparasitic agent, included in the WHO's essential medicines list for several parasitic diseases.

It is used in the treatment of onchocerciasis (river blindness), strongyloidiasis and other diseases caused by soil transmitted helminthiasis. It is also used to treat scabies.

Ivermectin is often used in the US to treat or prevent parasites in animals, according to the FDA, and is commonly used as a dewormer for horses.

Why are people taking Ivermectin to treat COVID?

Tales of ivermectin helping to treat COVID have been spreading on social media sites, especially on sites including Reddit and Facebook, where people have been sharing what they claim to be the cure for coronavirus symptoms.

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The post above has been flagged by Facebook with the message: "Missing context. Independent fact-checkers say that this information could mislead people."

Another post touts the use of the anti-parasitic said in a post visible here: I posted that Im taking ivermectin for protection from Covid. Several asked about how I was taking it. Several asked, how Much do you take? Im using the liquid that you can get at Tractor Supply.

People are sharing their experiences with Ivermectin on Facebook, sparking a growth in popularity as a treatment for COVID. (Facebook/Shayne Ward)

Ivermectin has been widely promoted by right wing figures in the US in particular, with media personalities including Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham mentioning the drug as a possible treatment.

In addition, a study was also published on the Research Square website in November suggesting the treatment was effective against COVID-19.

But the pre-print study, led by Dr Ahmed Elgazzar from Benha University in Egypt, was withdrawn from the website in July due to "ethical concerns" about the research.

There are, however, examples of the drug being used to treat COVID.

Earlier this year, the Indian states of Goa and Uttarakhand said they planned to use the anti-parasitic drug to protect against severe COVID-19 infections. It has also reportedly been promoted for use across Latin America and in South Africa.

What do health bodies say?

Health bodies have strongly urged people not to use the drug until it has been approved as a treatment for coronavirus.

In March the WHO recommended against using ivermectin in patients with COVID-19 except for clinical trials, because of a lack of data demonstrating its benefits.

The recommendation followed a statement from the European Medicines Agencys (EMA) warning against the drug.

The FDA has also recommended ivermectin should not be used to treat or prevent COVID-19, sharing advice in a tweet with the caption: "You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it."

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More recently, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory about ivermectin.

It said: "During the COVID-19 pandemic, ivermectin dispensing by retail pharmacies has increased, as has use of veterinary formulations available over the counter but not intended for human use.

"FDA has cautioned about the potential risks of use for prevention or treatment of COVID-19. Ivermectin is not authorized or approved by FDA for prevention or treatment of COVID-19.

"The National Institutes of Healths (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel has also determined that there are currently insufficient data to recommend ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19."

Watch: What you need to know about COVID-19 and the potentially dangerous ivermectin

In June, the University of Oxford said it was testing ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19, as part of the government-backed PRINCIPLE study.

The university said the drug had been added to Platform Randomised Trial of Treatments in the Community for Epidemic and Pandemic Illnesses (PRINCIPLE), the worlds largest clinical trial of possible COVID-19 treatments for recovery at home and in other non-hospital settings.

Announcing its addition to the study, the university said ivermectin had shown promising results as a potential treatment in small studies in humans and would be being investigated as a possible treatment.

What are the side effects?

In its warning, the CDC said adverse effects associated with ivermectin misuse and overdose were increasing, with a rise in calls to poison control centres reporting overdoses.

The FDA warned that overdosing on ivermectin can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and even death.

It said even levels for approved uses can interact with other medications like blood-thinners.

The FDA also pointed out that ivermectin products for animals are different to those administered to people, which adds to the risk of overdose.

Watch: Do coronavirus vaccines affect fertility?
Feminists in Ivory Coast on Thursday hailed a rare victory after a TV host was handed a suspended sentence over a prime-time show during which he was accused of making light of rape.

The programme, broadcast Monday by the private Nouvelle Chaine Ivorienne (NCI) channel, caused a massive outcry, with a petition signed by nearly 50,000 people demanding that presenter Yves de M'Bella be punished.

On the show, the celebrity host laughed as he handed a mannequin to his guest, Kader Traore, described as a former rapist.

De M'Bella helped Traore to lay the dummy on the floor and asked him to explain in detail how he raped his victims.

Convicted of "condoning rape" and "indecency", De M'Bella was slapped with a 12-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay a fine of two million CFA francs (3,000 euros, $3,600).

He was also told not to leave Abidjan, the West African country's economic hub.

The Ivorian audiovisual authority HACA suspended De M'Bella for 30 days from all radio and television stations.

And he has been barred from hosting the Miss Ivory Coast beauty pageant, set for Saturday.

For his part, Traore, who already had a record for sexual violence and assault, was sentenced to two years in jail and fined 500,000 CFA francs.

The head of an association of rape victims, Benedicte Joan, praised the court for its speedy action but regretted that De M'Bella "won't go to jail" and criticised the amount of the fine.

She said De M'Bella should also be ordered to pay compensation to women's rights groups and rape victims' associations such as hers.

- 'A strong signal' -

Desiree Deneo, secretary general of the Ivorian Women's Rights League (LIDF), said: "For once, there's a pretty strong reaction by public opinion and the justice system."

She added: "You see a strong signal... It helps raise awareness."

The high-profile controversy and court conviction helped to "open up the debate on rape in Ivorian society (and) helped these women (victims) feel less alone and more willing to break their silence."

Story continues

Since Monday, she said, the LIDF had been flooded with testimonies from rape victims.

But like Joan, Deneo said the sanctions were not enough.

The LIDF, which provides psychological and legal aid to the victims of sexual violence, says an average of five sexual assaults and two rapes are committed against women in Ivory Coast each day.

Deneo called on Ivory Coast's doctors federation and its health ministry to make certification of rape free for the victims, who currently must pay 50,000 CFA francs to obtain one.

Jacqueline Seuyanou Gueu of Kwaan'na, a non-profit that helps women victims in the west of the country, also hailed De M'Bella's conviction.

- 'Collective wrongdoing' -

"It's a big step forward, because it's not just anyone," she said. "But it's not enough because he didn't act alone."

She said the NCI channel "should also be punished because there is a whole team behind this broadcast."

The channel has apologised for the show, but has not faced legal proceedings. HACA simply asked it to show "vigilance" over its programming.

De M'Bella is paying "the price for collective wrongdoing", wrote the daily Le Reveil, which is close to Ivory Coast's main opposition party.

bur-stb/gd/ri
Former Deputy Group Director with the Land Transport Authority Henry Foo Yung Thye. (PHOTO: Screencap from YouTube, LTA)

SINGAPORE  Ex-Land Transport Authority (LTA) deputy group director Henry Foo Yung Thye was sentenced to five-and-a-half years' jail on Thursday (2 September) for receiving $1.2 million in bribes. He was also given a penalty of $1,156,250 in total.

As Foo will not be able to pay the penalty, he will serve a year's jail in default instead. This will be on top of his five-and-a-half-year jail term.

Foo, who was with the agency for 20 years, pleaded guilty to seven charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act for receiving bribes, consisting of loans from contractors or sub-contractors. He had "actively and quite persistently" solicited gratification from multiple givers from 2014 to 2019.

Another 29 charges, consisting of graft and cheating, were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

Sentencing Foo, Deputy Presiding Judge Jennifer Marie noted that Foo's case was the largest case of public sector corruption to come before the courts in recent times.

She added that Foo had been the very person entrusted to the maintenance and safeguard of the service, but had paid "scant regard" to the ideals to feed his gambling addiction. His appalling conduct revealed that he had no qualms corrupting the persons he was expected to have oversight of.

Noting that Foo's offences spanned some five years, the judge said this revealed a "sustained period" of the offending.

Addressing Foo post-sentencing, she said, Your counsel had made an impassioned plea on your behalf. You have done well scholastically and you had actually performed very well in your career. I do hope that on your release you would have put this whole episode behind you and not remain in guilt and shame.

Do not be afraid to start afresh and seek to achieve what your counsel has said you will - to atone for your mistake and serve the community, and be a person you and your children will be proud of.

In a previous hearing, the prosecution sought 75 months' jail while the defence asked 46 months' jail and a year's jail in default for the financial penalty.

Story continues

Gambling disorder causally linked to alleged offences: Defence

Foo's lawyers Lim Ker Sheon and Zeng Hanyi had raised Foo's pathological gambling as a mitigating factor, but the judge did not think it merited significant mitigating weight. Foo still had a choice in deciding how to settle his debts, pointed out the judge.

The lawyers said in Foo's mitigation plea, "The proper context to read into the offences was a desperate man, diagnosed by the Institute of Mental Health to suffer from pathological gambling (which is a DM-5 disorder), whose family was being hounded by loan-sharks and creditors, in trouble so deep he got desperate, borrowing money from any friend he could approach."

Citing a private psychiatrist's report, the defence lawyer stated that Foo's gambling disorder was causally linked to his alleged offences because he relied on others, the contractors, to provide money for him to relieve his desperate financial situation.

While not of unsound mind, Foo was so preoccupied with gambling that he could not reason to himself that what he was doing was wrong. When he could not borrow from friends and family, he borrowed from moneylenders who later harassed him. Foo has since been receiving counselling.

The lawyers said, "Henry obtained first-class honours from the Nanyang Technological University, and thereafter was a post-graduate scholar of the LTA, obtaining his Masters from the University of Southern California. Henry was obviously very capable and highly regarded in the LTA for his work, and was very quickly and repeatedly promoted at a very young age. All the LTA projects under him performed very well. His downfall lay in his gambling addiction."

"We submit this only in the context that none of this is important in sentencing, save in the context that Henry still has a tremendous opportunity to serve the community after he completes his prison sentence given his relatively young age.

Held key posts in overseeing construction of MRT tunnels, stations

Foo, now 47, had joined LTA on 10 August 1999 and held various posts such as director for the Thomson-East Coast Line Civil Team 3 and deputy group director of Thomson-East Coast (TEL) and Cross Island lines (Civil).

He oversaw the construction of MRT tunnels and stations such as Havelock, Stevens, Great World, Napier and Orchard. He was also one of the evaluating personnel for LTA contracts and subcontracts under the TEL and Cross Island Lines.

In addition, Foo was chairman of the tender evaluation committee. It was in this role that he solicited gratification.

Some of the individuals Foo sought loans from were directors of firms such as Tritech Group Limited, MEPT Engineering, Tiong Seng Contractors, and China Railway Tunnel. In exchange, he promised to support their businesses or shared confidential information relating to LTA tenders.

Investigations revealed that the gratification he received from LTA contractors and sub-contractors over contracts was worth some $815 million.

In October 2018, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) received an anonymous complaint that Foo had been soliciting loans from sub-contractors involved with LTA projects. Foo also requested financial help from the director of China Railway Tunnel Group to pay off outstanding personal debts.

Foo resigned from LTA on 19 September 2019.

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In Washington, slim Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress elected by strong popular majorities of American voters are gearing up to act on the plans of a Democratic president who got 74 more Electoral Votes than his rival and 7 million human votes. As they do, Republicans who sit firmly in the minority  and who for the most part refuse to take part in negotiations  are set to caterwaul about the tyranny of a process that doesnt let them get their way.

The temper tantrums are rich given that we remain a country of states, in which legislatures in capitals from Albany to Tallahassee to Austin to Sacramento write most of the laws that Americans live under (and, under poisonous partisan gerrymandering, draw most of the absurdly sliced-and-diced districts by which voters send people to the U.S. Capitol). In 30 states, Republicans control the entire legislature. Democrats rule the roost in just 18, and two are split.

Wednesday, as a conservative-dominated Supreme Court chose not to act on an emergency petition, Texas began enforcing the nations strictest abortion prohibition  a law that seems sure to violate the 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade safeguarding a womans right to terminate a pregnancy, as well as its 1992 successor, Planned Parenthood vs. Casey.

It is henceforth illegal for anyone in the Lone Star State to perform an abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which is to say as early as 5-1/2 weeks after conception. And rather than government enforcing the prohibition, private vigilantes will: The statute empowers private citizens to sue providers and anyone who aids or abets such an abortion, awarding those who win such lawsuits at least $10,000.

Meanwhile, Texas Republican-controlled legislaturee just rolled back many voting innovations that made it easier for people, especially people of color, to cast ballots. (No, its not a new Jim Crow  thats irresponsible rhetoric  but it is a bad bill.)

If theres tyranny in America, its not in Washington.
Sep. 2Manchester police are asking for the public's help locating a teenager missing since Friday.

Emma D'Alessandris, 17, was on her way to a medical appointment when she

went missing on Friday, August 27, police said in a release.

D'Alessandris is described as a white female, approximately 5'2" to 5'5" tall with brightly

dyed red hair.

She was last seen wearing jeans.

"Emma has a medical condition that requires treatment and she may become ill if she goes too long without seeing a doctor," Manchester police said in a statement.

Anyone with information about D'Alessandris' whereabouts is asked to call Manchester

police at 603-668-8711.
SEATTLE (AP)  Ten days ago, the Seattle Mariners pitching staff couldn't get outs, giving up an avalanche of runs to Houston's powerful offense.

Now it's the Astros wondering what happened after getting shut out on consecutive days by the Mariners.

I don't think they pitched any different. I just think they executed better," Houston's Michael Brantley said. "If you're executing, mixing your pitches, throwing quality strikes and staying out of the middle of the plate you're going to have success.

Rookie right-hander Logan Gilbert and four relievers combined to shut out Houston for the second straight day and J.P. Crawford scored the lone run on a sacrifice fly to give the Seattle Mariners a 1-0 win over the Astros on Wednesday.

Seattle took two of three in the series from the AL West leaders, and if not for a late collapse in the opener, it may have come away with a sweep. The Mariners are still 6  back of Houston in the AL West but continue to hang around in the wild-card race.

The Mariners received exceptional pitching for a second straight day along with a couple of defensive gems to make up for a lack of offense. Seattle managed just three hits off Houston starter Jake Odorizzi (6-7) and four relievers, but it proved to be enough.

Seattle gave up 30 runs in three games in Houston late last month. The Mariners allowed four in the three games this time around.

It's really hard to throw back-to-back shutouts in this league and especially against the type of lineup that we faced here, Seattle manager Scott Servais said.

Crawford scored on Abraham Toros sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. Toro hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning to give Seattle a 4-0 win on Tuesday night. He came up again with the bases loaded on Wednesday and settled for a sacrifice fly.

Were playing good baseball. Well head out on the road; we got to pick up the offense a little bit. We know that, Servais said.

Story continues

Gilbert threw five innings before turning to Seattles bullpen. Justus Sheffield (6-8) made his first relief appearance in more than two years, allowing one hit. Casey Sadler pitched the seventh, but Houston threatened with Jose Altuves walk and Michael Brantleys single with two outs in the eighth off Drew Steckenrider.

Paul Sewald struck out Carlos Correa to end the eighth inning for the second straight game with Altuve at second base. Yuli Gurriel and Alex Bregman singled with one out in the ninth off Sewald, but Kyle Tucker popped out and Jake Meyers struck out looking for Sewald's eighth save.

You want to be in high leverage situations. You want to be the guy at the plate, you want to be the guy coming in the game and those big situations, Sewald said. If you dont, you dont really make it in this league very long.

Gilbert lasted only five innings due to a high pitch count. He got a huge defensive play from Crawford in the third inning, making a lunging backhanded stop of a shot by Correa and leaving Altuve stranded at third.

Gilbert allowed four hits, struck out four and walked none. It was the first time in his last four starts getting through five innings.

Odorizzi started the sixth but ran into trouble after a leadoff single by Crawford and walk to Mitch Haniger. Phil Maton loaded the bases with a one-out walk to Ty France, and Toro got a fly ball deep enough for Crawford to score.

Odorizzi allowed two hits and struck out seven.

Thats very encouraging," Houston manager Dusty Baker said. Hate to see him get the loss because he threw the ball great.

SHUTOUT NOTES

Houston was shut out on consecutive days for the second time this season. The Yankees blanked Houston in back-to-back games in July.

Seattle posted consecutive shutouts for the first time since April 29-30, 2016 vs. Kansas City.

ROSTER MOVES

Houston reinstated RHP Jose Urquidy from the 10-day injured list and recalled RHP Enoli Paredes from Triple-A Sugar Land. Urquidy has been out since late June due to right shoulder inflammation. He recently made three rehab appearances. Paredes appeared in 12 games earlier this season for the Astros as a reliever.

Seattle reinstated Sheffield from the injured list and recalled IF Kevin Padlo from Triple-A Tacoma. Sheffield has been out since July 7 due to a forearm strain and began a rehab assignment with Tacoma on Aug. 15. Padlo was claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay on Aug. 19. Padlo appeared in nine games for the Rays earlier this season.

TRAINERS ROOM

Astros: Baker said starting pitcher Zack Greinke and first baseman Taylor Jones would probably not be traveling with the Astros to San Diego. Greinke and Jones were placed on the injured list on Tuesday due to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19.

UP NEXT

Astros: Following a day off, the Astros open a series in San Diego. Urquidy (6-3, 3.38) will start the opener in place of Greinke.

Mariners: After a day off, Seattle opens a road trip in Arizona. The Mariners have not announced a starter for the opener.

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Thursday his legal counsel and close advisor Julio Scherer was stepping down and would be replaced by Maria Estela Rios, another longtime ally.

Scherer, one of the key interlocutors between Lopez Obrador and business and political interests, was widely viewed as a relative moderate in an administration that has sought to strengthen the hand of the state over private capital.

Saying Scherer was "like my brother", Lopez Obrador told reporters at a regular news conference that his influential advisor would be returning to work as a lawyer after he had helped to craft many of the government's legislative reforms.

Scherer's departure comes a week after Lopez Obrador replaced Interior Minister Olga Sanchez with close ally Adan Lopez, a move that could portend a shake-up in how the government interacts with domestic political players.

Lopez Obrador noted that Rios was a legal counsel to him when he was mayor of Mexico City between 2000-2005.

(Reporting by Raul Cortes and Dave Graham, writing by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Kimberly Potter pictured in her mug shot. Hennepin County Sheriff's Office

A first-degree manslaughter charge was added to ex-police officer Kimberly Potter's complaint.

Potter shot and killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, MN.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's office added a first-degree manslaughter charge to ex-Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kimberly Potter's complaint on Thursday.

Potter shot and killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop on April 11.

The newest charge, first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless use/handling of a firearm, is a felony level charge, with a maximum sentence of 15 years if applied.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

Read the original article on Insider
SEATTLE (AP)  Jimmy Lake never heard the groans that accompany a controversial decision, the cheers for a big play, or experienced walking off the field to adulation following a victory last year.

Instead, his first season as the coach at Washington  first season as a head coach anywhere  was marked by fake noise, empty stadiums and creepy cardboard cutouts in the stands.

So it's understandable that Lake is as excited as anyone for a semblance of a return to normalcy Saturday when No. 20 Washington opens its season hosting FCS powerhouse Montana.

Boats will again congregate in the waters of Lake Washington. Tailgate lots will be full hours prior to kickoff. And when Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze starts playing and purple smoke begins billowing outside the tunnel leading to the Washington locker room, the noise inside Husky Stadium will be the natural roar of actual fans.

Im just really excited for our fans, and Im really excited for our players to play in front of fans, Lake said. There was just an eerie feeling going out there, were piping in music, pumping in fake crowd noise, and the creepy cardboard cutouts  if we ever have a pandemic again, lets not do that. Lets get that canceled. Theyd scare me when Id run by to go do my workout in the middle of the day and all these things are looking at me.

Washington is calling its opener The Return. Its also the unveiling what could be a pretty good team, one that should be in contention for a Pac-12 title.

Washington returns a bevy of starters on both sides and is anchored by one of the best offensive lines in the country. The Huskies have skill position talent led by cornerback Trent McDuffie, running backs Cam Davis and Richard Newton and a returning quarterback in Dylan Morris.

And theyre angry. The Huskies managed just four games last year and saw a showdown against Oregon, a spot in the Pac-12 championship game and a bowl berth wiped out due to a COVID-19 outbreak inside the program late in the season.

Story continues

Ive watched a lot of great players here. But I think this team can be special, Washington tight end Cade Otton said.

Montana is no cupcake FCS school to open against. The Grizzlies are a proud program that reached the 2019 FCS quarterfinals before losing to Weber State.

Last season, the Grizzlies played just two games in the spring and outscored Division II Central Washington and Big Sky foe Portland State by a combined 107-10. Montana returns 14 starters from the 2019 team that reached the quarterfinals and 20 from the truncated season last spring.

The Grizzlies are hoping for a more competitive effort than the last time they visited Seattle in 2017 and were whacked 63-7 by Washington.

Theres all kinds of adjectives you can use to describe that but theres only one way to slice it and thats a demolishing, Montana coach Bobby Hauck said. And I hope weve closed the gap some.

AT THE HELM

Morris will make his first start for Washington with fans in the stadium after earning the job last year. Hed never started a college game when he stepped under center against Oregon State but showed exceptional promise in the four games he played.

Now hes had a full offseason working in the system of offensive coordinator John Donovan and has a healthy group of targets around him, led by Otton. The question will be how well Washingtons wide receivers have developed and how much of an impact they can provide.

STARTING BACK UP

While Montana got a couple of games in during the spring, the opener is truly the restart for the Grizzlies. Montana opted out of playing a full conference schedule last spring. The opener Saturday comes more than 600 days since Montanas last game that counted, when it lost to Weber State in the FCS playoffs.

Its a long time coming. COVID kind of derailed us for a little bit but were ready to get going, quarterback Cam Humphrey said.

PRESSURE PACKED

Washington lost its top pass rusher when Zion Tupuola-Fetui suffered a torn Achilles tendon in spring practice. Tupuola-Fetui had seven sacks in three games last season. Making up for the loss of the pressure he brought off the edge will fall to a group that includes Ryan Bowman, Savell Smalls and Cooper McDonald. Bowman was the only one of the three to record a sack last season.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Courtesy Suliman Abdul

Just two weeks ago, things were looking up for Hewad Wardak when he was airlifted out of his home country of Afghanistan by the U.S. military, one of the more than 100,000 people evacuated as the Taliban took control.

It seemed at that time that he was on track to finally be reunited with his family in the U.S., where his wife, a U.S. citizen, had filed a visa petition to bring him to the country way back in July 2017.

But by Wednesday night, what initially seemed like a dream finally coming true had turned into a nightmare.

We have no idea where he is, Wardaks brother-in-law, Suliman Abdul, 22, told The Daily Beast. We dont know whats going to happen.

Wardaks move to the U.S. was meant to happen long before the Taliban seized power. According to Joshua Goldstein, an immigration attorney representing his wife, Wardaks visa petition was approved in 2019, but for almost two years its been stuck.

The visas processing was apparently still underway at the Kabul embassy when Wardak, in a mad dash on Aug. 18, was airlifted by the U.S. military to Doha, Qatar, amid frantic evacuation efforts, Abdul said.

Later, he said Wardak was taken to Germany and eventually flown to Washington, D.C. At some point between these travels, Abdul said, Wardak received word that his brother in Afghanistan had been murdered by the Taliban. (The Daily Beast was unable to independently verify this claim.)

He was crying, desperate, depressed, Abdul recalled.

Wardak and his family in California had been in constant contact as he went through various interviews, Abdul said. He seemed closer than ever to finally arriving in the U.S. this week.

Courtesy Suliman Abdul

When Abdul and Wardak last spoke on Tuesday evening, Abdul said Wardak seemed confident that the latest army base he was being transferred toFort Pickett, in Virginiawould be the last place hed have to stop before being given the necessary paperwork to fly to California.

Then, two hours later, Abdul said he received a call from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection informing him Wardak would be taken to the United Arab Emirates and would contact the family again once he was there.

Story continues

U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment.

Goldstein confirmed Wardak made it to the United States, but said it was unclear why he is allegedly set to be removed. Although he said Wardak received parole to be in the country as a refugee, Goldstein said the CBP could revoke parole for their own reasons.

They could just say were not going to admit you, or were going to revoke your parole, he said. Its not technically deportation. Nonetheless, he said he is unaware of Wardak having a criminal record or some other fundamental issue that would lead him to not be let in.

Watch: US troop withdrawal: A huge arsenal left in Taliban hands

This person should not be sent out of the United States, Goldstein said. Hes married to a U.S. citizen.

Abdul told The Daily Beast that Wardaks family was bewildered by the news they received from the CBP.

What the fuck do you mean the UAE, he said, adding that Wardak has no familiarity with the country, not to mention proper documentation to be there. He doesnt have a UAE passport, he doesnt have a UAE visa, hes never been to the UAE.

On Wednesday, Abdul told The Daily Beast that he and Arzo Abdulwali, Wardaks wife, had flown from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. to search for Wardak. Theyd gone to the CBP, and visited two camps where refugees have been taken, hoping to be let inside to see if Wardak was there.

They were rebuffed.

Abdulwali has been fighting to get Wardak to the U.S. for nearly five years. She filed a visa petition for him in July 2017.

After the couple got married in California in 2016, Wardak had returned back to his native Afghanistan to take care of his ailing mother and needed a visa to return, Abdul said.

Courtesy Suliman Abdul

By Nov. 2019, according to records from the United States Immigration Services, Wardaks case was sent to the Department of State for processing. But according to a federal lawsuit his wife filed in July of this year, Wardak didnt get an interview until March of this year and had been waiting for his visa to finally be released after a long and arduous process.

The Department of State did not respond to a request for comment.

Then all of a sudden, everything collapsed, Abdul told The Daily Beast. The Taliban took over Afghanistan and the U.S. evacuated all their people and evacuated their embassy.

Since his conversation with Wardak on Tuesday, none of his phone calls have been answered and he said he suspects Wardaks phone might have been taken away.

Goldstein, who represents Abdulwali in her federal lawsuit, said he has been trying to get information about the alleged sudden transfer, but has been unsuccessful. Its like hes been disappeared into a gulag, he said of Wardak.

Goldstein said Wardak should have been in the country over a year before all of this mess, considering his visa petition was approved in 2019.

It was a familiar case for Goldstein.

He told The Daily Beast that many of his Muslim clients often faced long delays for approval for visas into the United States. Federal lawsuits like the one he filed on behalf of Wardaks wife, he said, usually helped expose delays and speed up the process.

But that changed when the country collapsed. While that lawsuit was pending, Goldstein said, the Taliban took over.

He said he isnt sure how the sudden change will affect Wardaks visa status. Hes heard from other attorneys representing Afghan refugees whod been in a similar visa-limbo and are now unsure of where things stand. Now that the embassy is gone and the Taliban have taken over, Goldstein said, its kind of murky as to how its even going to play out.

But he also said he would think U.S. officials and agencies would bend over backwards to make Afghan refugees like Wardaks life easier, rather than more difficult. Theyre the most vulnerable group of refugees and the U.S. has a moral obligation to try to help them out.

Abdul said Wardaks wife, two children, and the rest of his family in California can only wait to hear from him soon and hope for the best.

Our country is gone, Abdul said. We dont have a country anymore with the name of Afghanistan. So our only hope is the United States of America.

Watch: Afghan TV news anchor surrounded by armed Taliban fighters during broadcast

She Escaped Before the Last U.S. Flight From KabulHer Sister Didnt

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An Ohio man initially said his dog suffering from a gunshot wound shot itself  but thats not true, police say.

Lula, a brindle boxer in the small northern Ohio city of Norwalk, was shot in the face this week and eventually had to lose her left eye during an emergency surgery, according to the Huron County Humane Society.

Norwalk police Capt. Jim Fulton told WJW the 31-year-old owner at first explained that his dog was trained to retrieve a gun in her mouth and it fired a shot.

The officers didnt believe that, Fulton told the news outlet.

The man later said he shot the dog accidentally as he unloaded the firearm, WJW reported.

While officers questioned the man, Lula escaped and a search lasted for hours early Monday until she was eventually found with the mans ex-girlfriend, who previously owned the dog, the Sandusky Register reported. She called the humane society to report Lula was found, the newspaper reported.

On Wednesday, the Huron County Humane Society said Lula was released and resting comfortably in a foster home.

She has done well overnight and is keeping a positive attitude so far during recovery, Huron County Humane Society posted Wednesday on Facebook.

The dog owner was charged with misdemeanors of cruelty to animals, handling a firearm while intoxicated and discharging a weapon in a municipality, WJW reported.

Human bone turns up at dog park in eastern North Carolina, prompting investigation

Couple had to euthanize 1-year-old dog shot twice by Colorado officer, lawsuit says

Dog owner dies trying to get stubborn pet off tracks as train came, SC officials say
Haunting notes stream from Manami Ito's violin as she gracefully draws her bow back and forth, clasping it with her specially designed prosthetic arm.

The Japanese musician enthralled a nation with her brief but show-stealing performance at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics, and playing violin isn't even her day job.

The 36-year-old is a qualified nurse and a former Paralympian swimmer who has spent the years since she lost her right arm in a motorbike accident defying her naysayers and overcoming every obstacle before her.

"There were always people who told me: 'No, you can't do it. It's impossible,'" she told AFP at her mother's home by a lush green riverbank.

"Every time I faced that kind of wall, I thought to myself: 'They are saying that because no one has done it before. So I will do it.'"

But that wasn't always the way Ito felt, particularly in the dark days after her accident at the age of 20.

"I thought I would confine myself at home for the rest of my life," she admits.

"I didn't want my friends or neighbours to see my body, I didn't want them to know what happened to me."

It was the sight of her parents "in real pain" at her state that made her rethink her stance.

"I thought, I cannot make them smile if I don't smile myself," she said.

Ito had been encouraged by her mother to play the violin when she was a child, and after her accident she decided to give it another try.

At first she tried to play by taping the bow to her foot. But it took years before she was able to receive a special prosthetic arm and master the fluid tones she now produces.

And having been a child who "hated losing or failing", she didn't dare to play in public for a long time.

But in the end, her determination won out.

"I want to show to the world that just because no one else has done it, it doesn't mean I can't do it," she said.

Story continues

- 'What is normal can be different' -

Ito had been a nursing student at the time of the accident, and was determined to return to training.

But the first prosthetic she was given was more like a shop mannequin arm than a functional limb.

"At first I was very happy, because when I put it on and went outside, no one stared at it," she said.

But she soon realised that "it didn't do anything to help me", and fought hard to swap it for a new one that moved and allowed her to work.

In 2007, she became the first qualified nurse in Japan using a prosthetic arm and took a posting in the western city of Kobe, choosing to move far from her family home in order to live independently.

It was there she rediscovered another childhood passion -- swimming.

She began training after work for parasports competitions before going on to swim at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008 and London 2012, reaching the finals three times under her maiden name Nomura.

And though she had once tried to hide her scars, Ito said she chose swimming precisely because it revealed her as she is.

"I never wanted anybody to look at my scars, the scars were the most vulnerable part of my body," she said.

"But I began to think about exposing them to the world, because otherwise I would never be strong."

Ito quit nursing in 2015 after getting married, and is now mostly focused on raising her daughters, aged two and five, though she continues to give talks about her life.

She plans to watch Sunday's Paralympic closing ceremony at home with her husband and children, who she is teaching to appreciate diversity.

"When my daughter gets older, there will be a day when her friends tell her that her mum looks strange," Ito said.

"I want to hear her saying this is her mother, and that what is normal can be different for each person and each family."

etb-oh/kaf/sah/dan
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Nicholas strengthened into a hurricane as it neared Texas' coast late Monday, per the National Hurricane Center.The latest: The storm was expected to make landfall along the Texas coast in a the next few hours, the NHC said in an 11p.m. update. It was already bringing heavy rains, strong winds and storm surges to parts of the central and upper Texas coast. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Nicholas strengthened to a hurricane late this evening and was nea
Woman with her hand raised in front of her. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  A police sergeant was charged on Thursday (2 September) for allegedly seeking a romantic relationship with a female individual, in exchange for helping her with her case.

Singaporean Sean Teo, 25, was handed a charge each under the Computer Misuse Act, Official Secrets Act and Prevention of Corruption Act.

These are for accessing data regarding to individuals arrested in the Singapore Police Force system without authority; for sending a photo he received from a police operation to the woman he wanted a relationship with; and for soliciting a relationship with her in exchange for helping her with her Central Narcotics Bureau case.

Teo allegedly misused a SPF computer system on 2 November 2019, in order to access the data of individuals who were arrested in a police operation via an incident report.

On 8 December, while at a playground along Jurong West Street 61, Teo allegedly had in his possession a photograph relating to the 2 November police operation. He is said to have sent this photo to the woman, whose name cannot be revealed due to a gag order.

In the same month, Teo allegedly solicited gratification in the form of a romantic relationship with the same woman, in exchange for assisting in her case with the Central Narcotics Bureau. The woman rejected his request.

His case will be heard in court again on 30 September.

Yahoo News Singapore has reached out to the Singapore Police Force about Teos employment status.

If convicted of a corruption offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Teo can be jailed up to five years, and/or fined up to $100,000. If convicted of the offence under the Computer Misuse Act, he can be jailed up to two years and/or fined up to $5,000. If convicted of an offence under the Official Secrets Act, he can be jailed up to two years and fined up to $2,000.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
Now that the last U.S. troops have left Afghanistan after two decades of war, an increasing number of Americans say they support the decision to withdraw  yet more say they disapprove of the way the withdrawal was handled, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.

As a result, President Bidens approval rating has fallen to an all-time low.

The survey of 1,605 U.S. adults was conducted from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, immediately after an ISIS-K suicide bomber killed 13 American soldiers and dozens of Afghans outside the countrys main airport during the final, frenzied days of the U.S. evacuation. It shows that public opinion toward Biden and the war has undergone a significant shift since the previous Yahoo News/YouGov poll, which was conducted after the Taliban took control of Kabul two weeks ago.

President Biden at the White House on Wednesday. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

Today, just 44 percent of Americans approve of the way Biden is handling his job as president; 49 percent disapprove. This is Bidens lowest approval rating in a Yahoo News/YouGov poll since taking office, and the first time more Americans have disapproved of his performance than approved of it.

Two weeks ago, 47 percent of Americans approved of Bidens performance as president, while 46 percent disapproved. At the time, rising disapproval of his approach to foreign policy  up 7 percentage points from two weeks earlier  had not yet dented his overall numbers much, if at all.

That appears to have changed in the wake of the Kabul airport attack. Just a third of Americans (33 percent) say they approve of the way Biden has handled the war in Afghanistan; a clear majority (55 percent) disapprove. More specifically, less than a quarter (24 percent) say they approve of "the way the U.S. had handled its withdrawal from Afghanistan," while twice as many (49 percent) say they disapprove.

Increasingly, Americans seem to be distinguishing between the decision to leave Afghanistan and the messy (and now deadly) way that decision has played out in the real world  and Biden's standing has suffered because of it.

Story continues

For instance, support for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan has actually risen 7 points over the past two weeks (from 40 percent to 47 percent); opposition has remained low (29 percent now vs. 28 percent before). This increase in support for the decision to withdraw is consistent across the political spectrum, climbing 9 points among Democrats (from 60 percent to 69 percent), 9 points among independents (from 39 percent to 48 percent) and 5 points among Republicans (from 22 percent to 27 percent).

Yet while support for withdrawal has rebounded, support for the White House argument that recent events in Afghanistan "were inevitable and would have happened at some point no matter what" has weakened, especially among Republicans. Only about a third of Americans (34 percent) now say they share that view (down from 38 percent two weeks ago), while more (43 percent, up from 40 percent) favor the counterargument that recent events "were not inevitable and could have been avoided with a different approach. Most of the movement on this question has come from Republicans, with 72 percent now rejecting the inevitability of recent events in Afghanistan (compared with 66 percent two weeks ago).

Ultimately, though, Americans of all political persuasions are dissatisfied with the situation in Afghanistan and concerned about the repercussions for Afghans and Americans going forward. Just 27 percent agree that "The U.S. is doing enough to get Americans out of Afghanistan safely, and even fewer (21 percent) that "The U.S. is doing enough to get at-risk Afghans out of Afghanistan safely." The share who say Biden himself deserves a great deal of blame for recent events there has risen 4 points over the last two weeks (to 38 percent), and by similar amounts among both Democrats (5 points, to 15 percent) and Republicans (6 points, to 74 percent).

Meanwhile, a large and growing majority of Americans are now very or somewhat worried about "the consequences of Taliban taking control of Afghanistan" (68 percent, up 5 points from two weeks ago); about "terrorist attacks against the U.S. being launched from Afghanistan" (69 percent, up 5 points); and about "terrorist attacks against other countries being launched from Afghanistan" (69 percent, also up 5 points).

A convoy of Taliban fighters patrol along a street in Kabul on Thursday. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)

These shared concerns may partly explain why Biden's overall approval rating has shown more erosion among Democrats over the last two weeks (dropping from 86 percent to 80 percent) than Republicans (down 1 point from 10 percent to 9 percent, with disapproval flat at 89 percent). The latter had already made up their minds; the former seem unsettled by recent events.

Biden's decline is even clearer when compared with his numbers from four months ago. In late April, a full 54 percent of Americans approved of his job performance; just 37 percent disapproved. His approval number has fallen by 10 points since then; his disapproval number has risen by 12. Strong approval among Democrats has plummeted by 16 points, from 59 percent to 43 percent; strong approval among independents is down by half, from 26 percent to 13 percent.

And while Bidens numbers on Afghanistan are his worst, events there also appear to be coloring perceptions of his performance in other areas; today, the presidents approval rating on nearly every other issue is 2 to 4 percentage points lower than two weeks ago. Even his rating on handling the pandemic  his strongest issue  has suffered, slipping from 58 percent approve, 31 percent disapprove in April to 48 percent approve, 41 percent disapprove today.

If there is any consolation for the president in the new Yahoo News/YouGov poll, it may be that less than a third of Americans (28 percent) say they are following news about the war in Afghanistan "very closely"  and that those very close observers tend to be Republicans (39 percent) and Fox News viewers (42 percent), who already overwhelmingly disapprove of Biden.

When the shock of recent events wears off, and attention inevitably fades, it's possible that Americans who are already more inclined than not to support the decision to withdraw will credit Biden with getting the job done  as opposed to blaming him for the way it unfolded. Even now, Americans are divided over former President Donald Trump's recent claim that "the withdrawal [from Afghanistan] would have been totally different if the Trump administration had been in charge" (39 percent agree, 38 percent disagree). And while most Americans (52 percent) now believe the U.S. has "lost" the war in Afghanistan, a full 58 percent of those who believe the U.S. has lost also believe it was not "possible to win."

________________________

The Yahoo News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,605 U.S. adults interviewed online from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, 2021. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race and education based on the American Community Survey, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, as well as 2020 presidential vote (or non-vote) and voter registration status. Respondents were selected from YouGovs opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 2.7 percent.

____

Read more from Yahoo News:
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House Budget Chair John Yarmuth of Kentucky became the latest Democrat to back a second term for Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, countering a public campaign by some fellow progressives to pressure President Joe Biden to name someone else to head the central bank.

Chair Powells dedicated commitment to the new monetary policy framework prioritizing inclusive full employment will help our nation achieve an equitable recovery, ensuring no community or corner of the country is left behind, the Kentucky Democrat, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement Thursday.

Yarmuth added a consistent and focused Federal Reserve is critical.

Fed nominations are subject to Senate confirmation, so Yarmuth wont have a vote on Bidens choice. But various Democratic factions are trying to influence the presidents decision. A group of the partys most progressive members, led by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, on Monday urged Biden to install new leadership at the Fed when Powells term expires in February with a broader focus on the financial risks of climate change and other issues.

Some outside advocates have urged Biden to choose Fed Governor Lael Brainard to replace Powell in the powerful chair role to beef up bank regulation and better align the board with Bidens agenda, but senators have yet done so publicly. The letter to Biden from Ocasio-Cortez and four other progressive Democrats in the House was silent on who to replace him with.

Two Senate Democrats who will be influential in confirmation of the next Fed chair, Banking Chairman Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, have sharply criticized Powells handling of bank regulations and have yet to endorse him for another term.

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The Duke of Sussex at the GQ Awards. David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Hugo Boss UK

Prince Harry has criticized news outlets for spreading "lies" about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Harry made the comments via video link at the GQ Awards, attended by Piers Morgan.

Morgan was cleared by Ofcom on Tuesday over comments he made about Meghan Markle.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Duke of Sussex spoke about "vaccine hesitancy" during a speech at the British GQ Men of the Year Awards in London on Wednesday.

Speaking via video link from California, Prince Harry condemned anti-vaxxers for spreading misinformation across news outlets and social media.

"Families around the world are being overwhelmed by mass-scale misinformation across 'news' media and social media, where those who peddle in lies and fear are creating vaccine hesitancy, which in turn is dividing communities and eroding trust," Harry said, according to GQ. "This is a system we need to break if we are to overcome COVID-19 and the rise of new variants."

Harry went on to praise the scientists behind the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine as "heroes of the highest order who gave us an instrument to fight this disease."

"They are our nation's pride, and we are deeply indebted to their service," he said.

The duke's comments about "mass-scale misinformation" across news media appeared to be a reference to journalists' coverage of the vaccine. However, some media outlets including the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror interpreted this as a jab at Piers Morgan.

Morgan shared the Daily Mail's article on Twitter, writing: "#awks" in response.

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Morgan, who was in the audience at the awards ceremony, was cleared by the UK media regulator Ofcom over his comments on Meghan Markle's mental health on Wednesday.

Morgan previously said on ITV News that he did not believe what Markle said in her interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in March. He dismissed the duchess' claims about her suicidal thoughts, including that she received little support from Buckingham Palace when she asked for help.

While Morgan's comments resulted in almost 60,000 complaints, Ofcom concluded that he did not break its code.

Read the original article on Insider
By Anshuman Daga

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Singapore Exchange unveiled new rules allowing special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) to list in the city-state, after easing some measures viewed as too strict by participants, as it seeks to tap a global trend in such listings.

SGX's rules, effective from Friday, would make it the first Asian bourse to allow blank check companies to list after the frenzy seen in such investment vehicles in the United States since last year, although the popularity seems to be peaking.

Following a market consultation, SGX's regulatory arm halved the minimum capitalisation requirement for SPAC listings to S$150 million ($112 million) from its proposal issued in March.

It also said it would now allow warrants to be detachable and all shareholders would have redemption rights, making the overall rules mostly similar to U.S. markets.

"We reduced the market cap in response to market feedback that the biggest pool of Asian targets is in the S$500 mln to S$1 billion market cap range and the size of the target is usually 3-8 times the size of the SPAC," Tan Boon Gin, CEO of Singapore Exchange Regulation, told Reuters.

Citing sources, Reuters reported on Wednesday https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/exclusive-singapore-exchange-roll-out-easier-rules-spac-listings-sources-2021-09-01 that the SGX was set to issue easier rules for SPAC listings.

SPACs are shell corporations that list on stock exchanges and then merge with an existing company to take that public, offering it shorter listing timeframes and strong valuations.

"We are likely to see significant interest from sponsors and institutional investors in SPACs and that bodes well for the Singapore market," said Yin Mei Lock, a partner at Allen & Overy.

FIRST MOVER

In other markets, Hong Kong and Indonesia are taking tentative steps for potential SPAC listings, while Britain has eased rules. https://www.reuters.com/business/britain-eases-spac-rules-attract-listings-2021-07-27 But such investment vehicles are peaking in popularity in the United States as regulators there clamp down on SPACs https://www.reuters.com/business/exclusive-us-sec-focuses-bank-fee-conflicts-it-steps-up-spac-inquiry-sources-2021-07-13 after a listing frenzy.

Story continues

A spokesperson from the Monetary Authority of Singapore said the local rules position SGX "as a regional first-mover in serving Asia's fast-growing new tech and new economy companies' financing needs", while providing safeguards for investors.

SGX, which has struggled to capture large listings of high-growth firms and faces prospects of losing out in courting Southeast Asian startups looking to list in their home markets https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/bukalapak-indonesias-biggest-ipo-up-25-blockbuster-debut-2021-08-06 or in the United States, expects the rules to boost listings.

"We are actively engaging with potential sponsors and are expecting a robust pipeline of Asian-focused SPACs," Mohamed Nasser Ismail, SGX's head of equity capital markets said in a statement.

In its consultation paper for SPAC listings, SGX had outlined measures to rein in risks seen in U.S. SPACs. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/singapore-bourse-proposes-allowing-spac-listings-with-restrictions-2021-03-31

($1 = 1.3444 Singapore dollars)

(Reporting by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Kim Coghill and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
By Sangmi Cha

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean frontline health workers on Thursday dropped plans to strike after they reached an agreement with the government on their demand for increased staffing and better work conditions during last-ditch negotiations overnight.

The Korean Health and Medical Worker's Union had warned some of its 80,000 members, including nurses, medical engineers, and pharmacists who say they are exhausted from battling waves of COVID-19 outbreaks, would begin striking from Thursday if their demands were not met.

Upon the union's request, the government agreed to establish at least four public infectious disease hospitals by 2024, draft a detailed nurse deployment guidelines per severity of COVID-19 patients by October, and expand funding to subsidise those treating contagious diseases to go into effect in January 2022.

It has also agreed to establish a recommended nurse to patient ratio. The United States has a recommended ratio of 1:5 and Japan has 1:7 while South Korea has none.

The union had argued its workers are often working double or triple shifts and need better pay and working hours.

The government and the union have previously met for talks 12 times since May, including a 14-hour marathon session on Monday, but had not been able to find common ground.

South Korea has fully inoculated 31.7% of its 52 million people, and 57.4% with at least one dose. The government wants 70% of its citizens to have had at least one shot by September.

South Korea reported 1,961 new COVID-19 cases for Wednesday, raising the tally to 255,401, with 2,303 deaths. The country has been keeping its mortality rate and critical infections relatively low at 0.9% and 371 cases, respectively.

(Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Michael Perry)
US President Joe Biden says "historic investment" is needed to deal with the climate crisis, as the north-east reels from flash flooding and tornadoes that have killed at least 45 people.

The US is facing climate-related destruction across the country and tackling it is "a matter of life and death", the president said.

New York City and New Jersey saw unprecedented levels of rainfall.

Some residents became trapped in flooded basements and cars.

Six states suffered loss of life:

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said at least 23 people had died in his state - most of them stuck in their vehicles as the waters rose

At least 14 people lost their lives in New York City, including a two-year-old boy. Eleven of them drowned while trapped in their flooded basements, officials said

Five people died in Pennsylvania, while a state trooper in Connecticut was swept away as he responded to a call

Deaths were also reported in Maryland and Virginia

President Biden has declared an emergency in both New Jersey and New York, enabling both states to receive federal funding to support local disaster relief efforts.

The impact of climate change on the frequency of storms is still unclear, but we know that increased sea surface temperatures warm the air above and make more energy available to drive hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons. As a result, they are likely to be more intense with more extreme rainfall.

Residents of Elizabeth, New Jersey, are recovering from the storm

The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

'Niagara Falls level of water'

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio criticised weather experts, saying their forecasts were being "made a mockery of in a matter of minutes". He said he had been warned to expect between three and six inches (7.5 and 15cm) of rain over the course of the day. However a record 3.15 inches fell in Central Park in just one hour.

Story continues

"The suddenness, the brutality of storms now, it is different," he said, adding that the latest extreme weather was "the biggest wake-up call".

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said: "We did not know that between 8:50 and 9:50 p.m. last night, that the heavens would literally open up and bring Niagara Falls level of water to the streets of New York."

New Jersey's largest dairy farm suffered extensive damage

Residents have been assessing the damage to property.

One man in Flushing, New York, said his house was prone to flooding "but what I saw last night is unimaginable". "I have never seen water coming in all directions," Tedla Asfaw, 60, told the BBC. "There's huge damage here. It's a big hit for us."

In New Jersey, a tornado flattened the state's largest dairy farm, ripping roofs off buildings and toppling several large silos.

Many cows were trapped under fallen sheds and some died, the owners of Wellacrest Farm wrote on their Facebook page. "Along with the devastating loss of homes in our neighbourhoods - we, as a community, suffered a great loss with the destruction of our farm."

In New York, some 835 people had to be rescued from stranded subway trains, police said on Thursday, after social media pictures showed water gushing into underground stations and tunnels.

Other footage showed cars floating down flooded roads, with cries of "help" being heard from inside. Nearly 500 vehicles were abandoned in New York, the Associated Press says.

Passengers on trains, planes and buses have been describing finding themselves stuck for hours without moving as the flooding made travelling impossible.

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'One of the great challenges of our time'

President Biden said the unprecedented flooding in the region, along with the destruction brought by Hurricane Ida to Louisiana and Mississippi and wildfires in the West, were "yet another reminder that these extreme storms in the climate crisis are here".

He said he would be pushing Congress for action on his Build Back Better plan, which would see "historic investment" in infrastructure, including modernising roads and bridges and improving energy grids, water and sewage systems.

"This destruction is everywhere," he said. "It's a matter of life and death and we are all in this together. This is one of the great challenges of our time but I'm confident we will meet it.

The president will visit Louisiana on Friday to assess what is being done to help the state, which became the first to face Hurricane Ida when it made landfall on Sunday. More than 900,000 homes remain without power in the state.

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A student was found with two guns at Raleighs Enloe High School on Thursday, a day after a fatal school shooting at a high school in Winston-Salem.

In a message Thursday to families, Enloe Principal Jacqueline Jordan said a school employee was alerted about a student having a weapon on campus. School staff escorted the student to the main office, where the teenager was found to be in possession of two firearms, according to Jordan.

Jordan said a law enforcement investigation determined that two students may have handled or seen the firearms.

Bringing a weapon to school is a very serious offense, Jordan said. The Raleigh Police Department detained the two students and is investigating to determine any criminal charges. In addition, any student who brings a firearm on campus faces a 365 day suspension, per state law.

The incident is the latest in a week of gun violence in North Carolina high schools.

On Monday, a student was shot at New Hanover High School in Wilmington, McClatchy reported.

On Wednesday, a student was fatally shot at Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, according to McClatchy.
Students at Amherst College are rejecting a slew of COVID-19 policies, including double-masking and semiweekly testing requirements.

More than 400 students reportedly sent a letter to the school's administration protesting the policies, saying they were far stricter than other academic institutions.

"These guidelines are significantly more restricted than our peer institutions. We ask for an explanation of what makes the environment at Amherst so different from similarly sized and located colleges," the students wrote in the letter. "At Williams, for example, vaccinated students are exempt from testing unless symptomatic for COVID-19, and do not need to wear masks outdoors or in their residence halls."

ACLU SAYS GOVERNMENT CANT BE TRUSTED TO LABEL 'TRUTH' AND 'FICTION'

"Masks are only required for unvaccinated individuals or indoors during class and other academic activities," the letter added. "Williams students are allowed to freely engage with the community, local vendors, and restaurants."

Additionally, Amherst's policies are out of line with the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the students noted.

"The most recent COVID-19 guidelines on the CDC website (dated August 19th, 2021), states that current data suggest the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in outdoor settings is minimal. In general, fully vaccinated people do not need to wear a mask outdoors,'" the letter reads. "Fully vaccinated people might choose to wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings if they or someone in their household is immunocompromised."

"An outdoor mask mandate is essentially going against the science that we have observed about the transmission of COVID-19 so far," it continued.

In response, the school relaxed one of its policies, now allowing people to go maskless outdoors. However, it kept the other policies in place.

Story continues

"At two universities with summer terms, 80% of the positive cases involved vaccinated students who were also symptomatic, though not seriously so, and many of those cases of infection occurred in the context of dining  in dining halls, residence hall lounges with too many students, and restaurants," the school's president wrote in defense of the remaining policies.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Amherst enforces a vaccine mandate for all students, allowing exceptions only for medical and religious reasons, according to the school's website. Students must get their second dose at least two weeks prior to the start of classes. They must wear KN95 masks or double-mask while indoors.

"Either a KN95 mask or doubled (two masks on top of one another) disposable, pleated, filter face masks must be worn at all times in classrooms and other academic spaces that are operating at 100% capacity," the school said.

Additionally, the school mandates students to undergo coronavirus testing twice a week and restricts their travel, barring visits to off-campus restaurant establishments and other crowded public spaces during business hours.

"We will limit students off-campus travel through September 13," Amherst's website stated. "Students may visit the town of Amherst, masked when indoors, in order to conduct business (opening bank accounts, picking up prescriptions, etc.) during regular business hours, but may not go to restaurants or bars."

The Washington Examiner reached out to Amherst for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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Tags: News, Coronavirus, Vaccination, Professors

Original Author: Matthew Miller

Original Location: Students push back after Amherst College requires them to double-mask or wear KN95 masks indoors
Reuters

Boxer Manny Pacquiao on Tuesday sued for libel an influential celebrity evangelist followed by millions of Filipinos, after he accused the eight-division world champion of embezzling funds intended for a $70 million sports complex. Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed "Owner of the Universe" and "Appointed Son of God", is a longtime friend and spiritual adviser of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, with whom Pacquiao has recently locked horns. The popular Pacquiao is considering running for president next year and has alleged corruption in Duterte's government and criticised his cosy relationship with China https://www.reuters.com/world/china/philippine-president-spars-with-pacquiao-over-south-china-sea-2021-06-09.
The Supreme Court allowed Texas' ban on most abortions in the state to remain in place in a 5-4 vote late Wednesday, rejecting an emergency application by reproductive rights groups to block the restrictive law.

Why it matters: The law, which took effect earlier Wednesday, is the most restrictive abortion ban allowed to be enforced since the Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Reproductive rights groups fear the court's decision will prompt other states to pass similar laws.

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The Texas law bans all abortions, including in cases of rape and incest, after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which is usually around six weeks before many people know they are pregnant.

It also allows individuals to sue anyone suspected of helping a woman obtain an abortion  and awards at least $10,000 to people who do so successfully.

The law is difficult to challenge partly because it's unclear who can be sued since it deputizes private citizens to enforce it.

Driving the news: The American Civil Liberties Union and other reproductive rights groups asked the Supreme Court to block the law, arguing it "would prohibit nearly all abortions in the state" since 85% to 90% of people who access abortion services in Texas are at least six weeks into pregnancy.

But the court said in its unsigned opinion that the groups had not addressed "complex and novel" procedural questions in the case.

"In reaching this conclusion, we stress that we do not purport to resolve definitively any jurisdictional or substantive claim in the applicants' lawsuit," the opinion stated.

"In particular, this order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts."

Of note: Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal justices in dissenting the ruling, describing the law as "not only unusual, but unprecedented."

Story continues

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent: "Presented with an application to enjoin a flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights and evade judicial scrutiny, a majority of Justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand."

The big picture: The Texas abortion ban follows a series of restrictive abortion laws passed by conservative state legislatures nationwide in an effort to overturn Roe.

As of Aug. 15, at least 97 abortion restrictions  the most in any year since Roe  have been enacted in the country since January, though many have been blocked from taking effect while they make their way through the courts, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research organization.

The Supreme Court is set to hear a challenge to a Mississippi law that bans nearly all abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy later this year.

Go deeper: Texas banned abortion after 6 weeks. Heres what happens next

Editor's note: This article has been updated with further details on the court's ruling, including an excerpt from the opinion and dissenting comment from Roberts and Sotomayor.

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DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Tajikistan cannot afford to take in large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers from neighbouring Afghanistan as it promised to do in the summer, the police chief of Central Asia's poorest country said on Thursday.

The government of Tajikistan, an ex-Soviet state allied to Moscow and part of the Russian-led CSTO military alliance, said in July that it could take in 100,000 refugees from Afghanistan but that it needed to create infrastructure for them.

"Tajikistan does not have the capacity to accommodate a large number of refugees and asylum seekers," Interior Minister Ramazon Rakhimzoda said in comments circulated by his ministry on Thursday.

He said the government had allocated areas totalling 70 hectares along its Afghan border to receive refugees and has appealed to the international community for assistance.

"Not a single international organisation in 20 years has provided practical help in creating infrastructure to take in refugees and asylum seekers," Rakhimzoda said.

The U.S. exit from Afghanistan and the Taliban's lightning takeover is a security headache for its Central Asian neighbours and for Moscow.

Tajikistan shares a border with Afghanistan that stretches 1,344 kilometres (835 miles) and runs through mountain areas that are seen as porous.

Moscow has warned that refugees pouring into its Central Asian allies would pose security risks and potentially allow in Islamist militants. It sees the formerly Soviet nations of the region as its southern defence flank.

Tajikistan says it has given asylym to more than 3,000 refugee families from Afghanistan, a total of 15,000 people, in the last 15 years.

As of Sept. 1, 80 families with children were on neutral territory at the Tajik-Afghan border, seeking entry to Tajikistan and fearing for their lives, according to Interior Ministry data.

(Reporting by Nazarali Pirnazarov; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Catherine Evans)
A major tech conference has dropped plans to move to Malaysia and will remain in Hong Kong, organisers said Thursday, as the Southeast Asian nation faces a serious coronavirus outbreak.

The annual RISE Conference brings together CEOs, startups and investors and has already been held in Hong Kong for five years.

Organisers said last year they would move the Asia-focused conference to Kuala Lumpur in 2022, as tech firms fretted over Beijing's accelerating crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong.

But on Thursday they did a U-turn, announcing the conference would be returning to Hong Kong for its next edition, as an in-person event in March.

"We always intended to come back to Hong Kong at some stage. RISE has grown to what it is today after five successful years in the city," said CEO of RISE Paddy Cosgrave.

Hong Kong officials added that the event would remain in the city until 2026.

A spokesperson for the company behind RISE said it was "no longer feasible" to hold the conference in Malaysia.

The firm did not give further details, but the country is facing its worse Covid-19 wave yet, reporting about 20,000 cases and hundreds of deaths a day.

Hong Kong, in contrast, has kept virus cases low through maintaining some of the strictest quarantine rules in the world.

The return of RISE is a boost for the financial hub's efforts to attract tech talent.

But it comes as major tech firms grow increasingly worried about China tightening its grip over Hong Kong since the imposition last year of a sweeping national security law.

Hong Kong has long enjoyed greater online freedoms than mainland China, where content is frequently censored, but the law has given authorities new controls including internet takedown powers.

sr/axn
The U.S. Supreme Court has failed to rule on an emergency application to block SB8, a controversial Texas law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. As such, the legislation went into effect on Sept. 1, 2021.

While signing the new law on May 19, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated: Our creator endowed us with the right to life, and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion.

As Abbotts words show, these kinds of draconian restrictions on womens reproductive rights in the United States are often fueled by the belief of many Christians that abortion and Christianity are incompatible. For example, the catechism of the Catholic Church, an authoritative guide to the beliefs and practices of Roman Catholics, states: Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.

However, this statement tells only one part of the story. It is true that Christian leaders, virtually all male, have largely condemned abortion. Nonetheless, as a scholar of premodern Christianities, I am also aware of the messier realities that this statement conceals.

Celebrating womens celibacy

The earliest Christian writings  the letters of the Apostle Paul  discouraged marriage and reproduction. Later Christian texts supported these teachings. In a second-century text known as the Acts of Paul and Thekla, a Christian author in Asia Minor praised Thekla for rejecting her suitors and avoiding marriage in favor of spreading Christian teachings instead.

In the third century, Theklas story inspired a Roman noblewoman called Eugenia. According to the Christian text titled the Acts and Martyrdom of Eugenia, Eugenia rejected marriage and led a male monastery for a time. Afterward, she discouraged Alexandrian women from having children, but this advice angered their husbands. These men convinced the emperor Gallienus that Eugenias teachings about womens reproductive choice endangered Romes military power by reducing the supply of future soldiers. Eugenia was executed in the year 258.

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Even as the Roman Empire became increasingly Christian, women still received praise for avoiding marriage. For example, the bishop Gregorios of Nyssa, an ancient city near Harmandali, Turkey, wrote the beautiful text Life of Makrina to celebrate his beloved sister and teacher, who died in 379. In this text, Gregorios admires Makrina for wittily rejecting suitors by claiming that she owed faithfulness to her dead fiance.

To sum up, while early Christian texts did not exactly encourage women to explore sexual experiences, neither did they encourage marriage, reproduction and family life.

Choices beyond celibacy

Pre-modern Christian women had options besides celibacy as well, although the state, the church and mediocre medicine limited their reproductive choices.

In 211, the Roman emperors Septimius Severus and Caracalla made abortion illegal. Tellingly, though, Roman laws surrounding abortion were centrally concerned with the fathers right to an heir, not with women or fetuses in their own right. Later Roman Christian legislators left that largely unchanged.

Conversely, Christian bishops sometimes condemned the injustice of laws regulating sex and reproduction. For example, the bishop Gregorios of Nazianzos, who died in 390, accused legislators of self-serving hypocrisy for being lenient on men and tough on women. Similarly, the bishop of Constantinople, Ioannes Chrysostomos, who died in 407, blamed men for putting women in difficult situations that led to abortions.

Christian leaders often gathered at meetings called synods to discuss religious beliefs and practices. Two of the most important synods concerning abortion were held in Ankyra  currently Ankara, Turkey  in 314 and in Chalkedon  todays Kadikoy, Turkey  in 451. Notably, these two synods drastically reduced the penalties for abortion relative to earlier centuries.

But over time, these legal and religious opinions did not seem appreciably to affect womens reproductive choices. Rather, pregnancy prevention and termination methods thrived in premodern Christian societies, especially in the medieval Roman Empire. For example, the historian Prokopios of Kaisareia claims that the Roman Empress Theodora nearly perfected contraception and abortion during her time as a sex worker, and yet this charge had no impact on Theodoras canonization as a saint.

Some evidence even indicates that pre-modern Christians actively developed reproductive options for women. For instance, Christian physicians, like Aetios of Amida in the sixth century and Paulos of Aigina in the seventh, provided detailed instructions for performing abortions and making contraceptives. Their texts deliberately changed and improved on the medical work of Soranos of Ephesos, who lived in the second century. Many manuscripts contain their work, which indicates these texts circulated openly.

Further Christian texts about holy figures suggest complex Christian perspectives on the acceptable termination of fetal development  and even newborn lives. Consider a sixth-century text, the Egyptian Life of Dorotheos. In this account, the sister of Dorotheos, an Egyptian hermit from Thebes, becomes pregnant while possessed by a demon. But when Dorotheos successfully prays for his sister to miscarry, the text treats the unusual termination of the pregnancy as a miracle, not a moral outrage.

Around 1,100 years later, a similar event happens in the Ethiopian Life of Walatta Petros. According to this text, Petros, a noblewoman later canonized as a saint, married a general and became pregnant three times. However, every time she conceived, she prayed for her fetus to die promptly if it would not please God in life. The narrator tells us that all three children died days after birth, since God heard her prayer.

Certainly, Christians have a history of opposing methods for preventing and terminating pregnancies. But these pre-modern texts, spanning some 1,500 years, indicate that Christians also have a history of providing these services, and making them safer for women.

This tense and inconclusive relationship to abortion may be poorly known  or perhaps overlooked for political convenience. But that does not change the fact, as I see it, that Christians who support womens reproductive rights are also following the historical precedent of their religious tradition.

[3 media outlets, 1 religion newsletter. Get stories from The Conversation, AP and RNS.]

This is an updated version of a piece first published on July 13, 2021.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Luis Josue Sales, Scripps College.

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Luis Josue Sales does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Even in the final days of Washingtons chaotic airlift in Afghanistan, Javed Habibi was getting phone calls from the U.S. government promising that the green card holder from Richmond, Virginia, his wife and their four daughters would not be left behind.

He was told to stay home and not worry, that they would be evacuated.

Late Monday, however, his heart sank as he heard that the final U.S. flights had left Kabul's airport, followed by the blistering staccato sound of Taliban gunfire, celebrating what they saw as their victory over America.

They lied to us, Habibi said of the U.S. government. He is among hundreds of American citizens and green card holders stranded in the Afghan capital.

Victoria Nuland, undersecretary of state for political affairs, would not address individual cases but said all U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who could not get evacuation flights or were otherwise stranded had been contacted individually in the past 24 hours and told to expect further information about routes out once those have been arranged.

We will communicate directly to them personalized instructions on what they should do, when they should do it, and how the United States government feels we are best positioned to help them do that," added State Department spokesman Ned Price.

Video: Taliban parades US military equipment through streets of Afghanistan

Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised the evacuation effort despite the scenes of thousands of people jammed outside the gates at Kabul's airport. He said between 100 and 200 remained in Afghanistan, promising that any American who wants to leave Afghanistan would be taken out.

For some of those who remain, however, the trauma of trying for nearly two weeks to get onto a U.S. plane is still harrowing.

Habibi, an electrician who has lived in Richmond since 2015 on a special immigration visa, had returned to Afghanistan for a visit on June 22  the first time his family had been back since 2019. Their return flight was to have been Aug. 31.

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About Aug. 18, Habibi said he got an email from the U.S. government saying that his family  all green card holders except for their youngest, who has a U.S. passport  would be evacuated.

Subsequent emails said he should take his family to the airport. He obeyed, but the mad crush of people prevented him from getting near the gate on his first two attempts.

His daughter, Madina, who at 15 has flawless English and serves as the family spokesperson, said she and her younger sister were almost trampled at the airport. The family wrote back, It's too dangerous. We can't go into the crowd, she said.

The emails kept arriving, saying they should go to the airport, she said.

By Aug. 25, the emails had been replaced by phone calls from Arlington, Virginia, Madina said. The callers, who identified themselves as being from the U.S. Embassy, told the family to stay at home and that the government was aware of their location, she said, speaking for her father.

Habibi said he still made four or five more attempts, even recruiting friends and relatives to wade into the crowd with the family, forming a kind of protective cordon. The youngest of the four girls, Dunya, is 2 and was born in the U.S.

Habibi said that on at least two occasions, he got close enough to the gate that his passport was scanned but was refused entry. He shouted at the U.S. soldiers, waving his documents.

What does this green card even mean? Nothing. They did nothing, he said.

Madina, who spoke to most of the callers from Virginia, said she told them the family was from Richmond. Even as the evacuations came to an end, Madina said one caller promised, "We are going to get you out. You are not going to get stuck. Don't worry. We know where you are."

Habibi said they even pledged to pick them up in a car.

They lied. They did nothing," he said.

Habibi says he hasn't been threatened by the Taliban and that no one has bothered him but he is still afraid. News stories and horrifying posts on social media have him convinced that the Taliban will kill him, he said, although he admitted he doesn't know of anyone being targeted.

Im just afraid. I follow the news, he said.

He said he knows of many families, some with U.S. green cards, who remain in Afghanistan.

Madina said Marcia Vigar Perez, a teacher at Dumbarton Elementary, her former school, started a prayer chain for her safe return.

Every day they call me, she said.

Another Afghan native who asked to be identified only as Ajmal, fearing retribution, said he, his two brothers and their families  16 people in all  were granted emergency immigrant visas to be evacuated after another brother in Virginia submitted the paperwork.

Ajmal displayed emails from the U.S. government that said please make your way to the Hamid Karzai International Airport" and use the Camp Sullivan Gate, not the civilian entrance, although he also was warned that the gate could change daily.

He said he and his relatives went to the airport, but heavy gunfire by the Taliban and the crush of thousands of people sent them back home. On one occasion, he said he received an email telling him and his family they would be picked up at a spot near the airport at 3 a.m. He and his family waited on the street until 9 a.m., but no one came, he said.

His brother Wais, a U.S. citizen living in Virginia, said he had petitioned senators and filled out paperwork to get his family to America.

I am frustrated and angry" at U.S. officials, Wais said. All the time they say, We are working on it, we are working on it,' but then  nothing.

-

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a press briefing Wednesday that it's "possible" that the U.S. will coordinate with the Taliban to conduct airstrikes against ISIS-K in Afghanistan.

Why it matters: The U.S. has coordinated with Taliban commanders to evacuate Americans and Afghans out of the country. But administration officials have emphasized that it has been out of shared interest, and doesn't mean they "trust' the insurgents.

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The big picture: Asked whether the U.S. might coordinate with the Taliban to fight ISIS-K, the group's affiliate in Afghanistan, Milley said it was was "possible."

In war you do what you must in order to reduce risk to mission and force, not what you necessarily want to do, Milley said.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin added that "it's hard to predict" anything about future coordination with the Taliban.

The two sides thus far have coordinated on a "very narrow set of issues," Austin said, warning against any "leaps of logic" to broader issues.

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In this July 13, 2021 file photo radio talk show host Larry Elder speaks to supporters during a campaign stop in Norwalk, Calif. AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File

The top Republican in California's recall election is facing several sexual misconduct allegations.

Larry Elder said in 2011 that a woman was too ugly for him to sexually harass, per CNN.

Elder, a conservative talk radio host, solicited call-ins from men accused of harassment.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Larry Elder, the top Republican candidate in California's gubernatorial recall election, disclosed during episodes of his radio show in 2011 that he was accused twice for sexual harassment, CNN reported on Thursday.

Elder - who denied both allegations at the time - said in one instance that an employee accused him of hitting on her while he was working as an attorney at a private practice in the 1980s. He claimed that the woman was too ugly for the allegations to be true, CNN reported.

"This woman who tried to break the contract, not to compete and then accused me of hitting on her," Elder said in one episode of his radio show, according to CNN. "That's how - that's how she put it. If you had seen her, you would know that the picture would be a complete defense. I'm just saying."

He later said the claim was false and the woman backed down when he threatened to sue her for defamation, the report said.

According to CNN, Elder also disclosed an incident where, as a television host, he encouraged a guest to show off a butt tattoo in front of two camerawomen.

CNN reported that he was told to apologize or he would be fired.

Elder said in a Tuesday interview with CNN that he didn't recall disclosing the harassment claims.

Under California's recall system, Elder could become governor of California with only around 20% to 30% of the vote if at least 50% of voters vote "yes" to remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office. Elder is one of 46 candidates who will be on the ballot for voters in favor of ousting Newsom.

On Wednesday, Elder's ex-fiancee, Alexandra Datig, filed a police report alleging domestic abuse when she was living with him. Datig also accused Elder of waving a gun at her.

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He's also facing a state probe into his financial details after the Los Angeles Times reported possible improperly listed business disclosures involving Laurence A. Elder & Associates Inc., a company he appeared to own.

The recall election is less than two weeks away on September 14.

Read the original article on Business Insider
By Diego Ore

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Negotiators on both sides of Venezuela's political divide will return to Mexico this week to kick off a second round of talks aimed at easing the once prosperous country's long-running crisis which has forced millions to flee.

Representatives of embattled socialist President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition to his government will meet on Friday afternoon, after a first round of negotiations was held in the Mexican capital last month.

While no agreements from the talks have been publicly disclosed so far, two sources with knowledge of the sessions cited a pair of recent developments as products of the dialogue: the freeing of opposition leader Freddy Guevara and the announced participation of the opposition in regional elections scheduled for November.

The opposition boycotted a 2018 presidential vote that saw Maduro win a lopsided reelection, as well as a parliamentary election last year, both of which Maduro's opponents viewed as rigged.

Jorge Rodriguez, president of Venezuela's Congress and head of Maduro's negotiating team, announced the resumption of talks in remarks on Tuesday.

Unlike failed talks in years past, the Mexico-hosted negotiations now have the formal backing of the Netherlands, Russia, Bolivia and Turkey, as well as Norway which also participated in the earlier August round.

Maduro's government has demanded that financial sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe on Venezuela be lifted, including those applied to state oil company PDVSA, blamed for intensifying the country's historic economic meltdown.

"Venezuela will present in Mexico... a firm request with all the requirements for the recovery of the country's economy and the return of the gold held hostage in the Bank of England, and that all sanctions against PDVSA be lifted," Maduro said earlier this week.

Maduro is especially keen to recover the 31 tonnes of Venezuelan gold bars being held in Britain since London recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president following the 2018 election.

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Officials in U.S. President Joe Biden's administration have expressed an openness to revisit the sanctions on Venezuela inherited from the previous administration, but have conditioned such moves on "significant progress" in the Mexico talks.

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan opposition is seeking additional humanitarian aid for the country's impoverished masses, more COVID-19 vaccines, the freeing of dozens of detainees they call political prisoners, as well as guarantees for the upcoming November elections.

Venezuelan's economic collapse has been felt far beyond its borders as desperate individuals and whole families have sought better prospects in other countries, part of an exodus that the Washington-based Organization of American States has estimated will reach seven million next year.

(Reporting by Diego Ore; Additional reporting by Deisy Buitrago in Caracas; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Peter Graff)
By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week, while layoffs dropped to their lowest level in more than 24 years in August, suggesting the labor market was charging ahead even as new COVID-19 infections surge.

The weekly unemployment claims report from the Labor Department on Thursday, the most timely data on the economy's health, also showed the number of people on state unemployment rolls tumbling to a 17-month low in the third week of August.

Declining layoffs should help to ease concerns about the economy even if August's closely watched employment report on Friday shows a slowdown in nonfarm payrolls growth.

"Regardless of tomorrow's report, keep in mind that the weekly jobless figures say the labor market screws continue to tighten," said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS in New York. "There is no sign that the Delta variant is leading to job losses across the country."

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 14,000 to a seasonally adjusted 340,000 for the week ended Aug. 28, the lowest level since mid-March 2020 when mandatory closures of nonessential businesses were enforced to slow the first wave of coronavirus cases.

There were notable declines in applications in California, Illinois and Virginia, while Ohio and Missouri reported big increases. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 345,000 applications for the latest week.

Claims have dropped from a record 6.149 million in early April 2020. They, however, remain above the 200,000-250,000 range viewed as consistent with healthy labor market conditions.

The latest wave of COVID-19 cases, driven by the Delta variant of the coronavirus, and an acute shortage of workers have left some economists expecting moderate job gains in August. Labor market indicators last month were mixed, with a measure of factory employment contracting and private payrolls undershooting expectations. But hiring by small businesses accelerated and consumers' views of the labor market remained fairly upbeat.

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Stocks on Wall Street were trading higher, with the S&P 500 index touching a record high. The dollar slipped against a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury prices were mixed.

WORKER SHORTAGES

While last week's claims data has no bearing on August's employment report as it falls outside the survey period, applications trended lower last month. The claims report showed the number of people continuing to receive benefits after an initial week of aid plunged 160,000 to 2.748 million in the week ended Aug. 21, the lowest level since mid-March 2020.

According to a Reuters survey of economists, nonfarm payrolls likely increased by 750,000 jobs last month after rising by 943,000 in July.

"We expect the jobs report to show that the economy continued to add jobs at a rapid pace in August, defying COVID-19 Delta variant outbreaks across the country," said Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter.

That optimism was underscored by a separate report on Thursday from global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas showing job cuts announced by U.S.-based employers decreased 17% to 15,723 in August, the lowest number since June 1997. So far this year, employers have announced 247,326 job cuts, down 87% compared to the same period last year.

The pandemic has upended labor market dynamics, creating worker shortages even as 8.7 million people are officially unemployed. There were a record 10.1 million job openings at the end of June. Lack of affordable childcare, fears of contracting the coronavirus, generous unemployment benefits funded by the federal government as well as pandemic-related retirements and career changes have been blamed for the disconnect.

The labor crunch is expected to ease starting in September. The government-funded unemployment benefits lapse on Sept. 6 and schools are reopening for in-person learning.

But soaring COVID-19 cases could cause reluctance among some people to return to the labor force. The claims report showed about 12.2 million people were receiving benefits under all programs in mid-August. This number is expected to drop sharply after next Monday's expiration of government programs, which will affect about 7.5 million people.

About 25 states led by Republican governors terminated the expanded benefits several months ago. Those steps did not lead to an increase in hiring, leaving some economists to caution against expectations for an increase in the labor pool.

"Many states already have ended the programs ahead of the federal expiration but so far we have yet to see clear changes associated with the ends of these programs in many of the different variables we have studied," said Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan in New York.

The labor market recovery is gaining steam despite a slowdown in economic activity caused by the latest coronavirus wave, fading fiscal stimulus and supply constraints. As a result of the expiration of the expanded benefits, weekly unemployment checks for nearly 3.0 million people will be reduced by $300, which economists say will hurt consumer spending.

But the moderation in growth is likely to be mitigated by a shrinking trade deficit. The trade gap narrowed 4.3% to $70.1 billion in July, the Commerce Department said in a separate report on Thursday.

Economists have sharply marked down their gross domestic product estimates for the third quarter to a low as a 2.9% annualized rate from as high as a 9% pace. The economy grew at a 6.6% rate in the second quarter.

"The slowdown is not broad-based and primarily reflects payback from stimulus spending and ongoing supply issues," said Ellen Zentner, chief U.S. economist at Morgan Stanley in New York.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Paul Simao and Andrea Ricci)
LONDON (Reuters) - Employers in Britain are still hunting for more recruits than they were just before the pandemic, according to a survey which added to signs of a tight labour market following the COVID-19 lockdowns and Brexit.

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation said on Friday that 1.66 million job advertisements were active during the week to Aug. 29, higher than the 1.55 million average in January and February 2020 and little changed from levels earlier in August.

New job ads posted during the week stood at 193,000, also above the January-February 2020 average of 171,000.

"Demand for workers remains very high across the economy and shows no signs of weakening," REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry said. "With businesses in the particularly squeezed food, logistics and hospitality sectors starting to gear up for Christmas, the months ahead could be difficult  even with a large number of people coming off furlough in August and September," he said.

Britain's unemployment rate of 4.7% in the three months to June is higher than before the crisis when it stood at just under 4% but it has defied forecasts that it would hit 10% or higher during the pandemic crisis thanks in large part to the government's wage subsidy scheme.

That scheme is due to be phased out by the end of September. But the low unemployment rate is also partly due to a rise in workers who are not looking for employment are therefore excluded from calculations for the jobless rate.

Britain's government has rejected calls from retail and logistics companies to temporarily ease post-Brexit immigration rules which they say are contributing to a shortage of truck drivers and acute supply chain disruption.

(Writing by William Schomberg, editing by David Milliken)
Odessa Kelly, head of the liberal group Stand Up Nashville, is a member of SEIU Local 205 from her days as a city employee. The union has endorsed her. (Photo: Odessa Kelly Campaign)

A major Tennessee union on Thursday endorsed progressive activist Odessa Kellys primary challenge against Rep. Jim Cooper (D) in Tennessees 5th Congressional District, giving a boost to a candidate facing long odds.

The union, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 205, which has 4,000 members across Tennessee, represents many local government employees in the Nashville area.

Kelly, who was a Nashville parks department employee before founding the liberal group Stand Up Nashville, is a member of Local 205 from her time as a city worker.

The endorsement nonetheless marks a shift for Local 205, which endorsed Cooper in 2020 and contributed to his campaign.

What really impressed me about her is that everyones treated the same when it comes to her, said Alisa Utley, a 911 dispatcher active in Local 205. If she can help you, shell help you any way that she can. Thats the kind of representation that we as citizens look for.

Local 205s endorsement brings with it the blessing of its much larger parent union, SEIU, which has more than 2 million members.

Asked if she had any grievances with Cooper, Local 205s Utley cited only the length of his service in Congress.

I dont necessarily have complaints, Utley said.I just think its time for a change.

Although Cooper is an institution in metropolitan Nashville politics  he has represented the area in the House on two different occasions for a total of 30 years  given Kellys membership in the union and the unions desire for change, Local 205 did not see it as a hard choice.

Local 205 members are excited to have the opportunity to support one of their own.Brad Rayson, president, SEIU Local 205

Cooper last spoke with Local 205 members in November to discuss the COVID-19 relief package, but the union did not invite him separately for an endorsement interview ahead of the 2022 primary.

Local 205 members are excited to have the opportunity to support one of their own, Brad Rayson, Local 205 president, said in a statement.

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Local 205 plans to invest significant resources in electing Kelly, including by mobilizing its membership to volunteer for her, according to Rayson.

Kelly, who announced her bid in April, is the first candidate that the left-wing group Justice Democrats recruited as a primary challenger this cycle. She is running as a more progressive alternative to Cooper, promising to support ambitious policies like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.

Cooper stands out in the House Democratic Caucus for his history of fiscal conservatism. Among other things, during the Obama administration he voted against the 2009 economic stimulus package and supported a bipartisan grand bargain trading Social Security and Medicare benefit cuts for an increase in revenue.

Notably, Local 205 did not justify its endorsements based on either Kellys or Coopers policy stances. Thats a positive sign for Kelly, who will need more than just the progressive vote to win.

As a result of census-based redistricting, it is not yet clear what the boundaries of the new district will be and how those lines could affect the considerations of Democratic primary voters.

The primary is due to take place on Aug. 4, 2022.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
A host of powerful unions are helping the pharmaceutical industry battle a key plank of President Joe Bidens agenda, a display of how broad the powerful lobbys reach extends into Democratic politics.

The unions, mostly in the building trades, are members of a joint advocacy group, the Pharmaceutical Industry Labor-Management Association, that is airing television ads attacking the House Democratic plan to empower the federal government to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. The group, known as PILMA, grew out of the industrys use of union labor to build and maintain its research and manufacturing facilities.

In hard times, Americas best answered the call: Skilled union workers and scientists came together to develop vaccines and defeat COVID-19. But bad policy proposals like H.R. 3 and similar provisions being considered in the U.S. Senate will put their jobs in jeopardy, the TV spot says, referring to the legislation. It will cost America thousands of jobs, stifle innovation and discovery of new medicines, and put barriers between patients and their medications.

The ad, which is airing nationally, goes on to ask viewers to contact their member of Congress to oppose H.R. 3.

Biden has made it clear that he considers the prescription drug pricing plan to be a major part of his agenda, and congressional Democrats are expected to include it in a $3.5-trillion education, health and social spending package they will negotiate in the coming months. The party sees the plan as both a way to stop rising costs from swamping families, and as a political winner that will help the senior citizens who consistently turn out for midterm elections.

What Im proposing would reduce the total cost by thousands of dollars and seniors would not pay more than $250 a month on average, Biden said in a speech last month. Thatd be a game changer.

President Joe Biden has worked closely with labor unions throughout his career. But several building trades unions are trying to stop a prescription drug bill he supports. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

PILMA is also running ads in California and Oregon thanking Democratic Reps. Scott Peters (Calif.) and Kurt Schrader (Ore.), who signed a letter implicitly objecting to H.R. 3 as it is currently written. Peters and Schrader, who are among the Houses top recipients of pharmaceutical industry PAC donations, joined eight Democratic colleagues in expressing their preference for bipartisan drug legislation that enhances the United States innovation ecosystem, in lieu of H.R. 3.

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In April, PILMA sent similar letters to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Even so, PILMAs ad campaign represents an unusual assault from a faction of organized labor on one of Biden and congressional Democrats highest priorities.

An influential federation of building trades unions told HuffPost that it disagrees with the ads, but the organization remains on PILMAs board, giving the TV spots organized labors implicit stamp of approval.

The core provisions in H.R. 3 would override a 2003 law expanding Medicare to include prescription drugs that barred the federal government from negotiating lower prices for the drugs it pays for. Any effort to water it down not only threatens Democrats efforts to provide relief for Americans struggling to pay high drug prices, but also jeopardizes the larger budget packages financing mechanism, since lower prescription drug payments are projected to save the federal government more than $450 billion over a 10-year period and generate an additional $45 billion in new revenue.

This to me is just the latest example, frankly, of how some unions are willing to allow their valuable political capital to be hijacked, said a longtime strategist for organized labor, who asked for anonymity to protect professional relationships. What these pharma corporations care about is being able to point to worker and labor support in lobbying certain Democratic legislators. Thats what this is  period, end of the story.

The unions on PILMAs board of trustees are the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART); the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA); the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB); the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Iron Workers (Iron Workers union); the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE); the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA); and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).

Not all building trades unions are members of PILMA: The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), which tends to be more progressive than the other building trades, is not a supporter of the organization. A spokesman for the union declined to comment.

This is one time where youve just got to kind of nudge your friend and say, Lets look at the long-term thing, whats going to happen here.'Randy Bryce, union iron worker and former congressional candidate

North Americas Building Trades Unions (NABTU), a labor federation that represents more than 3 million workers in 14 unions, is also on PILMAs board. In a statement to HuffPost on Thursday  after PILMA had aired hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of ads  the group attempted to back away from the ads message.

We do not support these ads, said NABTU spokesperson Betsy Barrett.

But PILMAs executive director Tim Dickson confirmed to HuffPost that the organizations board, which includes NABTU chief of staff Mike Monroe, arrives at all of its public-facing policy positions, including its opposition to H.R. 3, by unanimous consensus.

SMART  whose general president, Joseph Sellers, is also president of PILMA  reiterated its opposition to H.R. 3.

SMART steadfastly supports and shares the goal of affordable access to prescription drugs for all Americans, said SMART spokesperson Paul Pimentel. At the same time, we are opposed to efforts that would harm opportunities for current and future workers to work in an industry that provides a path to a middle-class career.

Asked to respond to criticism that its opposition stymies Bidens agenda, Pimentel said that SMARTs stance reflects its commitment to providing jobs that will put [workers] on the path to a stable career.

The jobs that would be harmed by this legislation as written are among those that would provide these types of opportunities, Pimentel said.

Randy Bryce, a former Wisconsin congressional candidate and longstanding member of the Iron Workers union, called for building trades unions to consider the impact that PILMAs advocacy work might have on its own members, given how drug prices affect the cost of the unions health care plan.

Its great to have these alliances where theyre going to use union help, he said. But this is one time where youve just got to kind of nudge your friend and say, Lets look at the long-term thing, whats going to happen here.

Pimentel, the SMART spokesperson, acknowledged that prescription drug prices contribute to the rising costs of the unions health care plans, but said the union weighs that against the importance of the jobs needed to sustain those plans.

An even greater threat to these plans would be a lack of jobs and work hours that pay into these plans and make health care affordable to a wider range of members and their families, he said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) addresses the North America's Building Trades Unions 2019 conference. NABTU President Sean McGarvey, left, clasps her hand. (Photo: Jeenah Moon via Reuters)

The building trades unions, often comprised of workers with more advanced skills than other unions, are famous for supporting virtually any policy that provides new jobs for their members. That has sometimes put them at loggerheads with other stakeholders in the progressive movement.

For example, to the consternation of environmental groups, NABTU and its member unions have consistently worked with the fossil-fuel industry companies that employ them to support continued oil and gas extraction, as well as the construction of pipelines and other infrastructure to transport those resources.

A few years ago, building trades unions in Seattle vehemently opposed the citys effort to impose a head tax on employees of large corporations in order to expand services for the homeless population. The unions banded with Amazon to warn that the measure would destroy jobs by decreasing corporate development in the city. Some rank-and-file union iron workers even showed up at a rally for affordable housing to heckle Seattle Councilwoman Kshama Sawant, a socialist, in May 2018.

But partnering with Big Pharma against Democrats efforts to reduce prescription drug prices likely represents new terrain, even for the member-focused building trades unions.

The notion that these unions are going to allow these self-interested employers to use their valuable political capital in service of preventing an incredibly important policy objective that would benefit tens of millions of workers both union and non-union is a reminder of some of the reactionary elements within leadership of the labor movement, the union strategist told HuffPost.

PILMA is entirely funded by PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industrys trade group, according to Dickson of PILMA.

Dickson noted, however, that PILMA does not merely advocate for industry priorities. PILMA has also promoted policies favored by the building trades unions that are not of direct importance to pharmaceutical companies. For example, the group has spoken in opposition to expanding industry control over construction apprenticeship programs, and in support of prevailing wage laws that protect unions ability to compete on a level playing field.

PILMAs spending  about $300,000, according to a Democratic strategist tracking media buys  is just a small slice of the industrys efforts to battle prescription drug pricing reform. The industry has spent more than $18 million on ads opposing Medicare price negotiation, according to Politico. Its also funded at least eight different groups running ads against price negotiation, including nonprofits affiliated with House and Senate GOP leadership and groups claiming to represent seniors.

The AARP, along with various Democratic super PACs and nonprofits, are running millions of dollars in ads promoting the presidents agenda. Two major Democratic polling firms  Lake Research Partners and Hart Research Associates  wrote a memo last month about the popularity of the proposal and its importance to the partys agenda.

As Congress debates ending the ban on Medicare negotiation in the budget reconciliation package, it is clear that Americans, including seniors, think allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices is one of the best ways to address concerns about rising prices, the pollsters wrote. They want Congress to act.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
CARACAS (Reuters) - At least 3.3 million Venezuelans, or just over 10% of the population, have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to a survey by a group of doctors linked to the South American nation's universities.

The survey showed that 25.3% had received one dose and 10.6% had received both. Applying those results proportionally to the entire population, he concluded that 6.4 million people, or 22% of the population has received one shot and 3.3 million, or 11%, has received both.

The data is similar to vaccinations rates tracked by Our World in Data https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations, which shows 21% receiving at least a first dose and 12% fully vaccinated.

The country's information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The number of new COVID cases is rising again in Venezuela, with over 1,100 new cases https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/venezuela reported on average each day, the highest since early April, according to a Reuters tally.

The government of Venezuela, with some 28.7 million inhabitants, has only sporadically released data and has never provided detailed figures about vaccinations by age, gender or location. It says it expects by October to inoculate 70% of the population, or 22 million people.

Since May, the government of President Nicolas Maduro has been administering the Russian Sputnik V and Chinese Sinopharm vaccines to combat the pandemic.

"(The survey) is part of an initiative of the academic sector ... because we have not had regular figures," said Dr. Julio Castro, an infectious disease expert, at a press conference.

The researchers contacted 2,436 people between Aug. 23-27 in 290 of the country's 335 municipalities, said Castro. The sample has a 2.03% margin of error, he added.

(Reporting by Vivian Sequera; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam could be facing a lengthy battle against the coronavirus and cannot rely on lockdown and quarantine measures indefinitely, its prime minister said, as the country struggles to contain its deadliest outbreak so far.

Vietnam has deployed soldiers and forced residents of its biggest city to stay in their homes in recent weeks, in its most drastic measures yet to fight an outbreak that has shattered what was one of the world's best containment records.

"We cannot resort to quarantine and lockdown measures forever, as it will cause difficulty for the people and the economy," Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said late Wednesday.

Aggressive contact tracing and quarantine procedures in the country of 98 million people had succeeded in keeping the virus under control for over a year, but the highly contagious Delta variant has hit Vietnam hard.

Total cases jumped from just a few thousand in late April to 480,000 at present, with more than 12,000 deaths, with Ho Chi Minh City by far the worst hit. Authorities reported 13,197 infections and 271 fatalities on Thursday.

Restrictions were causing "material and mental hardship," Chinh said while meeting experts to hear ideas on fighting the virus.

The measures have also forced companies in labour-intensive businesses, including suppliers for brands like Nike and Adidas, to suspend operations.

Vietnam's industrial output in August fell 7.4% from a year earlier, while its exports dropped 5.4%. Retail sales of goods and services plunged 33.7%, according to official figures.

Chinh said preventing deaths was top priority and vaccinations were a key strategic measure.

Just 2.9% of Vietnam's population have been inoculated, while its fatality rate of 2.5% is higher than the global rate of 2.1%, according to the health ministry.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving in a complicated and unpredictable manner and may last for a long time," Chinh said.

(Editing by Martin Petty)
By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - The Virginia Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Thursday that the state can take down a towering statue of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee, a centerpiece of protests against racial injustice, from its capital city of Richmond.

Ruling in two cases, the court said Governor Ralph Northam could remove the statue because restrictions in deeds from 1887 and 1890 that transferred the statue to Virginia no longer reflected the state's values, and were therefore unenforceable.

"Today it is clear, the largest Confederate monument in the South is coming down," Northam, a Democrat, said in a statement.

"When we honor leaders who fought to preserve a system that enslaved human beings, we are honoring a lost cause that has burdened Virginia for too many years," Northam added.

The 21-foot (6.4-meter) bronze statue located on Monument Avenue in the Confederacy's former capital depicts Lee in military attire atop his horse, and sits on a 40-foot (12.2 m) pedestal.

Northam announced plans to remove the statue in June 2020, 10 days after a Minneapolis policeman killed George Floyd, who was Black, sparking nationwide protests.

The removal was challenged by nearby residents who said they had a property right to enforce the deeds, and that an 1889 legislative resolution required leaving the statue alone.

It was also challenged by a descendant of the family that transferred the statue, who described what the court called his "familial pride" in the statue.

But the court said restrictive covenants in the deeds were "unenforceable as contrary to public policy and for being unreasonable because their effect is to compel government speech, by forcing the Commonwealth to express, in perpetuity, a message with which it now disagrees."

Patrick McSweeney, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, declined immediate comment.

Northam said removing the 12-ton statue would be a multi-day process, and would not begin this week.

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Richmond and other U.S. cities have removed various Confederate monuments since Floyd's death. Protesters have taken down other monuments.

The U.S. Civil War ended in 1865. Lee died in 1870.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
Walmart plans to raise hourly wages for about 565,000 workers in departments such as food and general merchandise starting Sept. 25, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Walmart, who employs 1.6 million people in the U.S., will raise the average wage to $16.40, but its minimum wage of $11 an hour falls behind other large retailers such as Amazon and Target.

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The big picture: The pay raise comes as employers in the retail, food service and hospitality industry experienced a labor shortage during the pandemic.

This year has been another trying year, with challenges that few could have predicted, Walmarts head of U.S. operations, John Furner, said to employees on Thursday, per the NYT.

In February, Walmart raised wages for approximately 425,000 employees to somewhere between $13 to $19.

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It's been a long time coming but Facebook is finally feeling some heat from Europe's much trumpeted data protection regime: Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has just announced a 225 million (~$267 million) fine for WhatsApp.

The Facebook-owned messaging app has been under investigation by the Irish DPC, its lead data supervisor in the European Union, since December 2018 -- several months after the first complaints were fired at WhatsApp over how it processes user data under Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), once it begun being applied in May 2018.

Despite receiving a number of specific complaints about WhatsApp, the investigation undertaken by the DPC that's been decided today was what's known as an "own volition" enquiry -- meaning the regulator selected the parameters of the investigation itself, choosing to fix on an audit of WhatsApp's "transparency" obligations.

A key principle of the GDPR is that entities which are processing people's data must be clear, open and honest with those people about how their information will be used.

The DPC's decision today (which runs to a full 266 pages) concludes that WhatsApp failed to live up to the standard required by the GDPR.

Its enquiry considered whether or not WhatsApp fulfils transparency obligations to both users and non-users of its service (WhatsApp may, for example, upload the phone numbers of non-users if a user agrees to it ingesting their phone book which contains other people's personal data); as well as looking at the transparency the platform offers over its sharing of data with its parent entity Facebook (a highly controversial issue at the time the privacy U-turn was announced back in 2016, although it predated GDPR being applied).

In sum, the DPC found a range of transparency infringements by WhatsApp -- spanning articles 5(1)(a); 12, 13 and 14 of the GDPR.

In addition to issuing a sizeable financial penalty, it has ordered WhatsApp to take a number of actions to improve the level of transparency it offer users and non-users -- giving the tech giant a three-month deadline for making all the ordered changes.

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In a statement responding to the DPC's decision, WhatsApp disputed the findings and dubbed the penalty "entirely disproportionate" -- as well as confirming it will appeal, writing:

WhatsApp is committed to providing a secure and private service. We have worked to ensure the information we provide is transparent and comprehensive and will continue to do so. We disagree with the decision today regarding the transparency we provided to people in 2018 and the penalties are entirely disproportionate. We will appeal this decision.

It's worth emphasizing that the scope of the DPC enquiry which has finally been decided today was limited to only looking at WhatsApp's transparency obligations.

The regulator was explicitly not looking into wider complaints -- which have also been raised against Facebook's data-mining empire for well over three years -- about the legal basis WhatsApp claims for processing people's information in the first place.

So the DPC will continue to face criticism over both the pace and approach of its GDPR enforcement.

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Indeed, prior to today, Ireland's regulator had only issued one decision in a major cross-border case addressing "Big Tech" -- against Twitter when, back in December, it knuckle-tapped the social network over a historical security breach with a fine of $550,000.

WhatsApp's first GDPR penalty is, by contrast, considerably larger -- reflecting what EU regulators (plural) evidently consider to be a far more serious infringement of the GDPR.

Transparency is a key principle of the regulation. And while a security breach may indicate sloppy practice, systematic opacity toward people whose data your adtech empire relies upon to turn a fat profit looks rather more intentional; indeed, it's arguably the whole business model.

And -- at least in Europe -- such companies are going to find themselves being forced to be up front about what they're doing with people's data.

Is the GDPR working?

The WhatsApp decision will rekindle the debate about whether the GDPR is working effectively where it counts most: against the most powerful companies in the world, which are also of course internet companies.

Under the EU's flagship data protection regulation, decisions on cross-border cases require agreement from all affected regulators -- across the 27 Member States -- so while the GDPR's "one-stop shop" mechanism seeks to streamline the regulatory burden for cross-border businesses by funnelling complaints and investigations via a lead regulator (typically where a company has its main legal establishment in the EU), objections can be raised to that lead supervisory authority's conclusions (and any proposed sanctions), as has happened here in this WhatsApp case.

Ireland originally proposed a far more low-ball penalty of up to 50 million for WhatsApp. However other EU regulators objected to its draft decision on a number of fronts -- and the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) ultimately had to step in and take a binding decision (issued this summer) to settle the various disputes.

Through that (admittedly rather painful) joint-working, the DPC was required to increase the size of the fine issued to WhatsApp. In a mirror of what happened with its draft Twitter decision -- where the DPC has also suggested an even tinier penalty in the first instance.

While there is a clear time cost in settling disputes between the EU's smorgasbord of data protection agencies -- the DPC submitted its draft WhatsApp decision to the other DPAs for review back in December, so it's taken well over half a year to hash out all the disputes about WhatsApp's lossy hashing and so forth -- the fact that "corrections" are being made to its decisions and conclusions can land -- if not jointly agreed but at least arriving via a consensus getting pushed through by the EDPB -- is a sign that the process, while slow and creaky, is working. At least technically.

Even so, Ireland's data watchdog will continue to face criticism for its outsized role in handling GDPR complaints and investigations -- with some accusing the DPC of essentially cherry-picking which issues to examine in detail (by its choice and framing of cases) and which to elide entirely (those issues it doesn't open an enquiry into or complaints it simply drops or ignores), with its loudest critics arguing it's therefore still a major bottleneck on effective enforcement of data protection rights across the EU.

The associated conclusion for that critique is that tech giants like Facebook are still getting a pretty free pass to violate Europe's privacy rules.

But while it's true that a $267 million penalty is the equivalent of a parking ticket for Facebook's business empire, orders to change how such adtech giants are able to process people's information at least have the potential to be a far more significant correction on problematic business models.

Again, though, time will be needed to tell whether such wider orders are having the sought for impact.

In a statement reacting to the DPC's WhatsApp decision today, noyb -- the privacy advocacy group founded by long-time European privacy campaigner Max Schrems, said: "We welcome the first decision by the Irish regulator. However, the DPC gets about ten thousand complaints per year since 2018 and this is the first major fine. The DPC also proposed an initial 50MK fine and was forced by the other European data protection authorities to move towards 225M, which is still only 0.08% of the turnover of the Facebook Group. The GDPR foresees fines of up to 4% of the turnover. This shows how the DPC is still extremely dysfunctional."

Schrems also noted that he and noyb still have a number of pending cases before the DPC -- including on WhatsApp.

In further remarks, they raised concerns about the length of the appeals process and whether the DPC would make a muscular defence of a sanction it had been forced to increase by other EU DPAs.

"WhatsApp will surely appeal the decision. In the Irish court system this means that years will pass before any fine is actually paid. In our cases we often had the feeling that the DPC is more concerned with headlines than with actually doing the hard groundwork. It will be very interesting to see if the DPC will actually defend this decision fully, as it was basically forced to make this decision by its European counterparts. I can imagine that the DPC will simply not put many resources on the case or 'settle' with WhatsApp in Ireland. We will monitor this case closely to ensure that the DPC is actually following through with this decision."

Update: In another reaction statement, the European consumer protection association BEUC -- which has also pressed complaints against Facebook-owned WhatsApp, dubbed the decision "well overdue".

David Martin, its team leader of digital policy. added: "It sends a serious message to Facebook and its subsidiaries that breaking the EUs rules on data protection has consequences. It also shows the decisive role that the European Data Protection Board has in enforcing the GDPR, as the Irish data protection authority was forced by its EU counterparts to take a much stricter stance. We hope that consumer authorities take note of this decision and act swiftly on BEUCs separate complaint against WhatsApp for unfairly pressuring users to accept the recent changes to its terms and conditions and privacy policy.
Artist, designer and surfer DJ Javier in front of the mural he created in Santa Barbara's Funk Zone. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

DJ Javier fired up his van to take me on a tour of Santa Barbara, his Santa Barbara. I'd been to the city hundreds of times, but this visit would be different.

The 28-year-old graphic designer, brand builder and passionate surfer loves his hometown and has chosen to stay here rather than chase fame in L.A. or New York City (though he has created works in both of those cities). He's also creative director at retro sneaker company SeaVees, based in Santa Barbara; works on collabs with everyone from the local modern art museum to gift retailer Huckberry; and paints murals you can see in the city  if you know where to look.

DJ Javier's sketches fill notebooks that he created during downtimes at the start of his art career. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

"Local people, that's the community I want to support," he said during our midsummer tour. Javier and other creatives are making their mark in the city known for its coastal charm. The mission, zoo and State Street reliably draw visitors, but Javier's vision of the city is charged with an artistic spirit that values collaborations and commitment to community. That's the Santa Barbara he thinks visitors are missing.

We met at his studio in the Funk Zone, the former industrial area between the ocean and the 101 Freeway where cafes, galleries, tasting rooms and shops now flourish. Inside, stylized art leaps from the walls  vivid colors with a street art edge, figures that look like Day of the Dead characters overlaid with influences of surfing, tattoo art and his Filipino American upbringing. These images carry an inclusive vibe too.

Javier (who shortened Daniel John to DJ) grew up in a middle-class neighborhood away from downtown in what he now calls his bubble. "I remember the first time I went to downtown Santa Barbara in high school, I thought, 'Whoa, this is crazy ... I'm in a new place.' Now I'm on that other side of town planting my little flag."

He met his wife, Courtney, while the two were volunteering at their church youth group. There he mentored high school kids who still drop by to see him. He had his first child in May, a boy named Duke, named for surf legend Duke Kahanamoku. Javier credits how he developed his brand of self-marketing to his dad's hard work in the U.S. It's the immigrant story, overlaid with skateboarding and surf culture.

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His love for Santa Barbara inspired this minitour to under-the-radar places he thinks deserve the spotlight, places where his friends showcase what he sees as the city's emerging vibe. Here's where we went. Add these to your favorite must-see sites in Santa Barbara.

SeaVees

One of the T-shirt designs created by DJ Javier for SeaVees, based in Santa Barbara. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

A few blocks from Javier's studio, we stopped at SeaVees. On the front of the building, Javier created a postcard-style mural of a giant blue wave with the words "Wish you were here" underneath. It has become an instant landmark, with people fitting nicely under the wave's break to snap selfies. Inside, other designs by Javier include a midcentury surfer who looks more Bob's Big Boy than Beach Boy.

The store displays the work of local makers too. Manager Mike Del Campo, who also grew up in Santa Barbara and describes himself as a retail-and-design hybrid creative, said of the Funk Zone store: "We've gotten our footing on how to involve the community and how to involve businesses ... mixing art with food and retail."

Info: 24 E. Mason St.; seavees.com. Closed Tuesdays.

El Sitio

The mom-and-pop Mexican food eatery El Sitio. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

El Sitio on De La Vina (there are others in town) is where locals go. There's nothing fancy about this Mexican food counter in a strip mall, but it's buzzing with people, and there's a line even before noon on a midweek day. Burritos, tacos and tortas dominate the eatery's menu (I found a good vegetarian option), where $10 goes far. The mom and pop who run El Sitio  Jose and Sanjua Gil  are the parents of a close high school buddy, someone Javier admires for his community work. The Gils named the restaurant for the agricultural town in Zacatecas, Mexico, where they grew up.



Info: 2830-C De La Vina St.; elsitiorestaurantsb.com. Open daily.

Haven Barber & Shop/Boom Boom Bike Room

DJ Javier's window mural at Haven Barber & Shop. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

These side-by-side businesses were about to launch last year when COVID-19 shut things down. Now they're open. Javier designed the mural on the barbershop window of two hands clasped (the T-shirt version says "Standing United") during last summer's protests over the killing of George Floyd. Haven Barber & Shop is old-school comfy with a couch and plants on one side and barber chairs on the other. T-shirts with Javier's distinctive style are for sale. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

The Boom Boom Bike Room next door retrofits bikes from the '80s and '90s with new parts. "Who doesn't love a sick bike?" Javier said. Retro bikes line the surf-aqua walls, overseen by Christopher Tottin, who uses "new parts and old parts to keep the soul of the bike alive."



Info: 1924 De La Vina St.; havendlv.com, @boomboombikeroom

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara

DJ Javier created this inclusive surfer towel in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Barbara. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

This museum has been around since the '70s and continues to embrace a fresh perspective for change. Earlier this year, chief curator Alexandra Terry asked Javier to design something in collaboration with the museum that reflects his take on Santa Barbara. The result was a beach towel decorated with a row of surfers.

You see these people, and you see the diversity in their skin tones and the clothing and the hair, and I use super-vibrant colors, Javier said when the towel went on sale in March. Just by looking at it, you can peek into this fictional world Ive created that enters into this idea of diversity. The common thread between all these different people ... theyre all moving together with surfboards.

The beach towel collab turned out to be a success ($60, mcasantabarbara.org). Terry has felt the shift in the city too. "I think the difference is now people are staying," she said. "Individuals like DJ, a younger demographic, have found ways to stay in Santa Barbara ... and they want to start companies."

Info: 653 Paseo Nuevo; mcasantabarbara.org

George Floyd mural

The George Floyd mural in Santa Barbara. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The mural depicting George Floyd and the words "Please, I can't breathe" painted in purple was created on the fly by Griffin Lounsbury and Chadillac Green, according to media reports. Though the mural wasn't permitted (Santa Barbara has rules about street-level murals), it hasn't been removed and is a sobering reminder of what happened in Minneapolis in 2020. Javier appreciates the work and how quickly artists responded to the crisis.

Info: Side of the EOS Lounge, Anacapa and Haley streets

Dune Coffee Roasters

The coffeehouse is owned by Julia Mayer and Todd Stewart, whom Javier counts as friends. Inside, his "Coffee for All" design is found on mugs ($15), black totes ($25), and T-shirts ($30). The couple started with an espresso machine and now have three sites in the city. Mayer wrote in the Santa Barbara Independent in 2019: "This is the Santa Barbara that I want to contribute to, the one where we take care of each other and look out for each other. I just hope that our community feels taken care of by us."

Info: 528 Anacapa St., dunecoffee.com. Open daily.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Barbara Goldberg and Nathan Layne

MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (Reuters) -Flash flooding killed at least 44 people in four Northeastern states as remnants of Hurricane Ida unleashed torrential rains that swept away cars, submerged New York City subway lines and grounded airline flights, officials said on Thursday.

Across large swaths https://graphics.reuters.com/STORM-IDA/RAINFALL/akvezzlbzpr of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, residents spent the day coping with water-logged basements, power outages, damaged roofs and calls for help from friends and family members stranded by flooding.

At least 13 people lost their lives in New York City, along with three in suburban Westchester County. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a tweet at least 23 people from that state had perished in the storm.

Among the fatalities, three people were found dead in a basement in the New York City borough of Queens, while four residents of Elizabeth, New Jersey, died at a public housing complex flooded by 8 feet (2.4 m) of water.

U.S. President Joe Biden declared that an emergency exists in the states of New Jersey and New York and ordered federal assistance to supplement local response efforts due to conditions resulting from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, the White House said late on Thursday.

Roadways were transformed into river-like torrents in minutes as the downpours struck on Wednesday night, trapping drivers in quickly rising floodwaters. Scores of vehicles were found abandoned on area roadways Thursday. In Somerset County, New Jersey, at least four motorists were killed, officials said.

A victim in Maplewood Township, New Jersey, was swept away while he was apparently trying to remove debris from storm drains in the area, police said.

"Sadly, more than a few folks have passed as a result of this," Murphy said at a briefing in Mullica Hill in the southern part of the state, where a tornado ripped apart several homes.

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The National Weather Service confirmed two tree-snapping tornadoes also struck Maryland on Wednesday, one in Annapolis and another Baltimore. A 19-year-old was reported to have died after trying to rescue his mother from a flooded apartment in Rockville, Maryland, according to the Washington Post.

The damage came three days after Ida, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. Gulf Coast, made landfall on Sunday in Louisiana, destroying https://www.reuters.com/world/us/louisiana-braces-powerful-hurricane-covid-19-taxes-hospitals-2021-08-29 entire communities.

But the loss of life in the Northeast dwarfed the confirmed storm-related death toll of nine in Louisiana.

In Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia, the Schuylkill River inundated hotels, warehouses and condominiums that line the river. Emergency squads were waiting for the waters to recede on Thursday before starting evacuations of possibly hundreds of people who live in nearby apartments, officials said.

Four people died in suburban Philadelphia as a result of the storm, according to county spokesperson Kelly Cofrancisco. A Connecticut state trooper perished after his cruiser was swept away in floodwaters in the town of Woodbury early Thursday, state police said.

Video footage on the Weather Channel showed flames billowing from a house in the riverfront town of Manville, New Jersey, where flooding prevented access by fire trucks. The house next door appeared to have burned down to the waterline on a street where parked cars were submerged.

RECORD-BREAKING RAIN

Ida's remnants brought 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) of rain to a swath of the Northeast from Philadelphia to Connecticut and set an hourly rainfall record of 3.15 inches for Manhattan, breaking one set by Tropical Storm Henri less than two weeks ago, the National Weather Service said.

New York officials blamed much of flooding on the high volume of rainfall in a short span of time, rather than the daily total, which was within predictions.

"Because of climate change, unfortunately, this is something we're going to have to deal with great regularity," said Kathy Hochul, New York's newly inaugurated governor.

The number of disasters, such as floods and heat waves, driven by climate change has increased fivefold over the past 50 years, according to a report https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/weather-disasters-killed-2-million-last-50-years-un-agency-says-2021-09-01 released earlier this week by the World Meteorological Organization, a U.N. agency.

The governors of New York and New Jersey urged residents to stay home as crews worked to clear roadways and restore service to subways and commuter rail lines serving millions of residents.

"Right now my street looks more like a lake," said Lucinda Mercer, 64, as she peered out her apartment window in Hoboken, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from New York.

Subway services in New York City remained "extremely limited," transit officials said, and commuter rail services to the suburbs were largely suspended. About 370 flights were canceled at New Jersey's Newark Liberty Airport.

Mark Haley of Summit, New Jersey, said getting home after a 15-minute drive to a bowling alley to celebrate his daughter's sixth birthday on Wednesday night became a six-hour slog through floodwaters that frequently blocked his route.

"When we got out, it was a war zone," said Haley, 50, a fitness trainer. When he made it home, he found almost 2 feet of water in his basement.

Nearly 170,000 electricity customers were without power on Thursday in the four northeastern states that got the bulk of the rain overnight, mostly in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to PowerOutage.US, which gathers data from utility companies.

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in Maplewood, New Jersey and Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Additional reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru, Maria Caspani and Peter Szekely in New York, Jarrett Renshaw in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey and Nandita Bose in Washington, Daniel Trotta in San Diego and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing by Maria Caspani and Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Rosalba O'Brien)
It didn't take long for YouTube to claim another milestone for its music services, although its significant isn't quite so clear. The Google-owned brand said it had racked up a combined 50 million YouTube Premium and Music subscribers roughly a year and a half after reaching the 20 million mark. It's also the "fastest growing" music subscription service, according to YouTube's music chief Lyor Cohen.

Certain markets were stronger than others. Cohen touted "impressive growth" in Brazil, India, Japan, Russia and South Korea. He didn't provide numbers for those countries or the US.

That figure still makes YouTube smaller than Spotify, which claimed 165 million Premium subscribers as of June 2021. Apple hasn't divulged its Music subscriber numbers since June 2019, when it had 60 million, while Amazon last touted 55 million Music customers (only some of them paying for Unlimited) in January 2020. Still, these figures in isolation would suggest YouTube is quickly becoming a major force in music streaming.

There are concerns about the claims, though. YouTube didn't indicate how many were Music or Premium subscribers, or how they used it. While you get YouTube Music with a Premium subscription, that doesn't mean you're using Premium for music  you might just want to get rid of ads and download videos. YouTube's tally also includes people using free trials, so the number of paying customers is likely lower. Samsung offers two to four months of free YouTube Premium access with new phones, for instance, but many of those users will drop Premium after the trial is over.

The data still hints competition in the music streaming world is heating up, with relatively small outfits like YouTube and Amazon Music posing more of a threat to incumbents like Spotify and Apple. However, it could take a long while before YouTube is large enough to make the heavyweights nervous.
Northam had previously called for the board to revisit the rules, proposing that businesses in compliance with CDC standards should be considered compliant with the state rules.

Some business organizations such as the Virginia chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business and the Virginia Retail Federation had pushed for a full repeal of the rules.

"We have found that the CDC recommendations is what employers have been following," said Nicole Riley, Virginia state director of the NFIB. "They are more comfortable with that, and that is what they know. The awareness is much higher on what CDC guidelines are than another state regulation."

The changes, she said, "will help businesses because if they are following CDC [recommendations] then there is a really good chance that they are compliant with the [state] permanent standard."

The change to the rules doesn't necessarily mean that masks are no longer needed to be worn in workplaces, because the CDC has recommended that even fully vaccinated people continue to wear a masks in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission of the virus.
Japan's Emperor Emeritus became the oldest of the country's monarchs, past and present, on Thursday at the age of 87 years and eight months.

The former Emperor Akihito was born on December 23, 1933, or 32,031 days ago. His father, the late Emperor Showa, lived for the same number of days.

Official documents show that on July 12, 1985, the late Emperor Showa's lifespan tied the record of the 108th emperor, Gomizunoo, who reigned in the 17th century. The Emperor Showa asked that no celebratory events be held.

The Imperial Household Agency says the Emperor Emeritus is concerned about the spread of the coronavirus and the difficulties many people in Japan are facing. It says he is also refraining from going out.

Agency officials say no celebrations will be held in praise of the longevity of the Emperor Emeritus.
Lewis Central Community School District officials recently presented a report to the Board of Education on how the district plans to use funds from the third COVID-19 relief bill, the Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief III plan  part of the American Rescue Plan.

The district has to cover the expenses initially and apply for reimbursement from the federal government. Requests are funneled through the Iowa Department of Education for approval, Superintendent Eric Knost said during the boards Aug. 16 meeting

School districts are required to spend at least 20% of the funds to address learning loss and can spend the other 80% on other allowable expenses, Knost said. Guidelines on what expenses are allowable have been piecemeal and slow in coming.

Were still getting guidelines a week before school starts, he said.

Lewis Central can seek reimbursement for up to $1.9 million in expenses, said Andrea Raes, business manager. Those designated include the following:

Summer programs 2021-23, $100,000

Online curriculum, $100,000

Additional counselor at high school for two years, $186,000
DES MOINES  Gov. Kim Reynolds update to Iowans on the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday included more calls for Iowans to get vaccinated and recommendations for other steps Iowans can take to limit the deadly virus spread. But Reynolds did not announce any new policy changes, and she defended a new state law that prevents schools from requiring students to wear face masks.

Its obvious that vaccines are our best tool against countering COVID-19, Reynolds said during a news conference at the Iowa Capitol. So we want to reiterate to Iowans to get the information that you need, to research, (and) get a vaccine. Its the best thing that you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones. We see that the data were collecting actually proves that out.

After months of decline following the winter spike, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are once again surging in Iowa, and many other areas of the country. Both numbers are higher than they have been since January, which was the tail end of the pandemics worst and deadliest stretch.

Iowa is averaging nearly 1,500 new COVID-19 cases per day  15 times the rate just two months ago. And 524 people are hospitalized for COVID-19, more than seven times as many as two months ago.
A federal jury in Omaha on Tuesday found a Tekamah woman guilty of kidnapping her grandsons last year after a fight with her daughter, sparking an Amber Alert to go out for the boys, then 7 and 4.

Nora Gilda Guevara Tirana will face sentencing in December.

The same jury found her husband, Tanner Leichleiter, not guilty at their five-day trial.

In an affidavit for their arrests, FBI Special Agent Anthony Peterson said Guevara Tirana had been watching the boys while her daughter was visiting family in Grand Island.

When the daughter returned around noon on April 19, 2020, they got into an argument over her not showing Leichleiter respect, "and because of this, Leichleiter and Guevara Tirana did not think she was a 'good mother,'" the FBI agent said.

The woman told investigators things escalated and her mother destroyed her cellphone, smart watch and computer with a hammer, then forced her into a bedroom, held her there and told her Leichleiter was taking the children.

At about 5 a.m. the next day, she was able to get away when her mother fell asleep. She drove to a nearby gas station and called police to report the kidnapping.
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Iowa law requires Iowa Workforce Development to establish a table to determine the unemployment tax rates that will impact eligible employers each year.

The unemployment insurance rate table trigger is derived from a formula based primarily on the balance in Iowas unemployment insurance trust fund, unemployment benefit history and covered wage growth.

ARTS, HUMANITIES GRANTS: The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is hosting webinars for Iowans interested in applying for grants to help put the states arts, culture, history and creative sectors back to work and to launch innovative programs in the humanities.

The department received nearly $2.4 million through partnerships with the American Rescue Plan Act and the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities.

In a typical year, more than 42,000 Iowans work in more than 5,000 arts, cultural and creative businesses across the state, according to the department. The arts, history and cultural sector still is working to recover from pandemic-related layoffs, closures and event cancellations.

Webinars for American Rescue Plan Arts Grants. which range from $500 to $20,000, will be Sept. 7 and Sept. 8. Applications are due online Oct. 1.
A major challenge is finding affordable housing in areas where Afghans have typically resettled, including California and the Washington, D.C., region.

Im very concerned about children, getting them into schools, said Bill Canny, executive director of the USCCBs Migration and Refugee Services program.

World Relief, a global Christian humanitarian organization, has helped resettle about 360 Afghans in the past month and is expecting many more, said Matthew Soerens, the groups U.S. director of church mobilization.

These are individuals in many cases who have put their lives at risk and their families lives at risk for the people of the United States of America, he said. Now that theyre facing the risk of retribution and retaliation from the Taliban ... I think most Americans of all religious traditions see it as a moral imperative for us to keep our promise.

Among the evacuees are Afghans who obtained special immigrant visas after working with the U.S. or NATO as interpreters or in some other capacity; people who have applied for the visas but not yet received them; and those who might have been particularly in danger under the Taliban.
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Ive thought about this a lot and I would say it was more about the freedom we were given to explore outside, Bend said. We were six kids and we would be sent down to the basement, where we would do chalk on the floor and the basement would become different environments.

The siblings also played outside at their home in Colorado Springs.

We would dig up stuff and go play in the hayloft, Bend said. We spent time outside climbing trees and pretending they were pipe organs.

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She said their parents never told them not to do things.

We were told, go and do it, Bend said. If you want to build a fort out of junk, build a fort out of junk.

Bend calls herself the Zipper Lady because her works come from creative use of various types of zippers.

Seykora said they were always learning and their mom often told them to help their father.

I remember one of the things my mom used to say when I would say, can I go to so-and-sos house, Seykora said. She would say, have you helped your father, and I would say, well, he doesnt need any help.

Their mother didnt buy that statement.
At Buffalo, she said, the staff can set up training, the teachers can collaborate and we can talk about early childhood.

Last year when I mentioned to Brandy (Buscher, student services director) that we had some families that didnt have food over Thanksgiving, Romshek said, she worked with the NPPS Foundation and her other partners, and they started an Early Childhood Food Pantry for Buffalo. That will be a great asset.

Romshek said the food pantry will be a large part of the Sixpence grant.

It will provide resources whether it be food, diapers, whatever, were going to have some of that available as well, Romshek said. Were really wanting this to be a community center, so having Sixpence here is really going to work out well.

She said the NPPS special education program has services coordinators who already work with Families First, but they are mainly kids who qualify for services.

Its a special ed program and we go into the home and we already work with families where the child has been identified as having a delay or whatever, Romshek said.

Romshek said currently that is the only home visitation program in town for birth to 3 years old.
A state trooper based out of North Platte received a national honor Tuesday in San Antonio, Texas.

Nebraska State Trooper Troy Trooper Goodschmidt was recognized by the El Paso Intelligence Center for his work in motor vehicle criminal interdictions during the 2020 calendar year, the Nebraska State Patrol announced in a press release.

In 2020, Goodschmidt made several arrests for possession of controlled substances, including one case in August 2020 in which he located nearly 2,300 pounds of marijuana during a motorist assist on Interstate 80. That seizure was the largest in the United States in 2020.

Trooper Goodschmidt provides a great example of the tireless work our troopers perform day-in and day-out across Nebraska, said Col. John Bolduc, superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. His work in recent years has taken large amounts of dangerous controlled substances, including fentanyl, out of Nebraska communities. This award is a testament to that incredible work. He and our entire team remain dedicated to our mission of keeping Nebraska safe.
 Finally, Nebraskas economic development incentive programs have historically favored job and economic growth created by large corporations located in the urban centers. Recently the Legislature offered job-creation incentives for eastern Nebraska projects of $300 million for a new hospital and $50 million for a military installation.

Our Legislative District 42 decreased in population by 1,612 citizens to 34,676. The states overall population growth raised the mathematical mean of the 49 districts by 2,757 to 40,030. Those combined factors have put our district outside an allowable 5% variance. We are not alone. Thirty-two out of 49 districts are below the mean and 16 are below the allowable minimum variance.

To salvage rural representation, the Legislature will need to spread the increased population east to west when redistricting. Doing so could limit the loss of rural districts to one. If we do the opposite and move west to east, enlarging district areas as we move east, rural Nebraska could lose as many as three districts. The question we must answer: As a state, do we want to marginalize representation of citizens living in over 80% of the landmass of Nebraska?
Eddie, an immigrant from Mexico, walks through his flooded basement level apartment on Friday in a Queens neighborhood that saw massive flooding and numerous deaths following the heavy wind and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida which struck overnight Wednesday. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The New York City metropolitan area was struck by sudden disaster on Wednesday night as the remnants of Hurricane Ida flooded subways, roads, and homes. At least 45 were killed in New York and New Jersey, and a total of at least 52 across the Northeast. Ida was the worst natural disaster to strike the area since 2012s Superstorm Sandy. President Biden has approved federal major disaster declarations for affected areas of New York and New Jersey. Below are updates from the aftermath of the storm.

Biden approved federal aid for New York and New Jersey; hell visit both states on Tuesday

The president is scheduled to visit the north-central Jersey town of Manville as well as Queens in New York City on Tuesday to see the damage caused by the storm and speak with residents and officials. On Monday, he made federal aid available to the counties of Bronx, Queens, Kings, Richmond, and Westchester in New York, and the counties of Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic, and Somerset in New Jersey.

Affected New Yorkers needing assistance should click here; those in New Jersey should click here.

Hochul: Ida caused at least $50 million in damage in New York

On Sunday, Governor Hochul signed a major disaster declaration for New York State lining up federal reimbursement, and estimated at the signing that the storm had caused more than $50 million in damage and impacted some 1,200 homes.

Death toll rises to 45 in New York area

As New York and surrounding areas continue to evaluate the destruction wrought by Hurricane Ida, the death toll in the region keeps rising. As of Monday, it stood at 45 in New York and New Jersey.

At least 18 were killed in New York, including 13 in New York City, most of whom lived in basement apartments in Queens and Brooklyn. The victims ages ranged from 2 to 86. Another man, a rabbi, died near the Tappan Zee Bridge as he attempted to drive home to Mount Kisco, New York. He was one of at least 5 people killed in Westchester County, according to County Executive George Latimer.

At least 27 people in New Jersey have been confirmed dead after the storm, and another 4 people remain missing in the state, Governor Phil Murphy said Saturday. At least a third of the people who were killed in New Jersey drowned in vehicles that were caught up in the flash floods.

this shows exactly how ferociously stormwater can rush into a home and how quickly it can reach the ceiling https://t.co/Td4EKIHeuJ  katie honan (@katie_honan) September 3, 2021

The New York Times has a harrowing account from one New York building where three members of a family did not survive:

In Flushing, Queens, Deborah Torres said she heard the desperate pleas from the basement of three members of a family, including a toddler.

As the water rushed into the building about 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Ms. Torres said she heard the family frantically call out to another neighbor, Choi Sledge. Ms. Sledge pleaded with the family to flee. Within moments, however, the cascade of water was too powerful, and it also kept anyone from trying to get downstairs to help.

Idas remnants didnt just batter the tristate area, though. It raked its way up the Eastern Seaboard, leaving devastating rainfall in its wake, and spawning tornadoes along the way. At least four were dead in Pennsylvania, where the storm deluged Philadelphia, bringing major flooding to the Schuylkill River.

Major flooding on the Schuylkill River here in Philadelphia. The Manayunk canal is flooded over with dozens of cars underwater. Some RVs near the paper mill totally washed out. #ida pic.twitter.com/HuGeYjZCw0  jortado (@TomGrahsler) September 2, 2021

As officials survey the thousands of buildings badly flooded in Idas wake, it is likely that the death toll will rise further.

A submerged car in Somerville, NJ. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP/Shutter/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP/Shutter

Officials stunned by the storms ferocity

Governor Hochul held a press conference Thursday morning in a neighborhood of Queens strewn with debris following the flooding, where she and other high-ranking officials struggled to comprehend what had transpired. The human loss, which is hard to imagine  that people simply in their cars, in their homes, in their basements succumbed to the ravages of a brutal storm, she said.

Hochul cited the record-shattering rainfall, which deposited 3.15 inches of rain in Central Park in a single hour, breaking a record that was set barely two weeks ago. That says to me that there are no more cataclysmic, unforeseeable events, Hochul said. We need to foresee these in advance and be prepared.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said eight of the nine fatalities in the city were people who died in basement dwellings in Queens.

Mayor Bill de Blasio called the storm horrifying and said that people in New York City are going through hell right now and need help.

What weve got to recognize is the suddenness, the brutality of storms now  it is different. A record set two weeks ago, another record set now, rainfall like we havent seen ever before, he said. This is the biggest wake-up call we could possibly get. Were gonna have to do a lot of things differently and quickly.

Senator Chuck Schumer was also in attendance, saying they will do everything we can to get the federal aid thats needed. Schumer was blunt, directly tying the storm and its aftereffects to climate change. Global warming is upon us. When you get two record rainfalls in a week, its not just coincidence, he said, urging Congress to pass infrastructure and related spending legislation to build more resilient infrastructure and combat climate change.

We are not out of the woods, said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. Queens needs to see much more infrastructure investment. We cannot wait until tomorrow. We need it today.

Train tracks flooded in the Bronx on Thursday. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Death toll mounts as NYC creaks back to life

New York City woke up to sunshine on Thursday morning as it assessed the damage from the devastating remnants of Ida that swept through the region Wednesday evening. At least 14 people in the region had died  at least eight in Queens and Brooklyn, and at least six in New Jersey, a state that saw relatively rare and damaging tornadoes spawned by the storm. All of the New York City victims, which included a 2-year-old, were in basement apartments when the waters rushed in, per the Daily News.

The number of deaths in the region has already surpassed Idas toll in the South, where it barreled into Louisiana as a Category Four hurricane

Part of the reason is the intensity of the rainfall over a short period of time. 3.15 inches of rain fell on Central Park in one hour, demolishing the hourly record set just days before during Tropical Storm Henri. And that wasnt the only record set in the region.

To recap:

- 3.15 inches of rain at Central Park in 1 hour

- 3.24 inches at Newark in 1 hour

- A first-ever flash flood emergency for NYC

- Tornadoes in New Jersey

- Rain at the US Open inside a roofed stadium https://t.co/QAOTELRBiW  Jesus Jimenez (@jesus_jimz) September 2, 2021

The citys transit system, knocked out completely by the storm, was struggling to get going again on Thursday: Every line on New York Citys subway system was either completely or partly suspended or delayed. Many riders were evacuated from trains in the middle of their journeys on Wednesday night. Some riders stayed overnight at transit hubs Grand Central Station and Penn Station. As of Thursday morning, all Amtrak service between Philadelphia and Boston was canceled. Newark Airport flooded overnight, and many flights out of NYC-area airports were canceled overnight.

Several car thoroughfares were still inundated by water on Thursday morning and remained impassable.

Insane. All my years at News 12 NEVER saw anything like this. The Saw Mill River Pkwy...is just that...a river right now. @News12WC

 @NadiaGalindoTV pic.twitter.com/L0KXidGyv6  Tara Rosenblum (@tararosenblum) September 2, 2021

The Sprain Parkway (h/t my dad) pic.twitter.com/2IBfFIXFvt  Nick Reisman (@NickReisman) September 2, 2021

Residential flooding was also widespread.

New York Govenor Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio, both of whom had declared states of emergencies, were expected to hold a press conference later Thursday morning to provide updates on the situation.

Cars sit abandoned on a flooded highway on Thursday following a night of extremely heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in the Bronx borough of New York City. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Subway passengers fled trains, stuck in system

Six trains were stuck in floodwaters and their passengers had to be evacuated, according to New York Post reporter David Meyer, citing the MTA. The Metro-North and Long Island Railroad are totally offline.

I cant believe I am awake to tweet this. Per MTA @ 12:35 am, 6 trains were stuck in flooding & had to be evacuated. MNR&LIRR totally offline. Janno: New Yorkers should not attempt to travel until further notice.  David J. Meyer (@dahvnyc) September 2, 2021

On CNN, straphangers described being stuck far from home in the Times Square station with no other means home after the city ordered all non-emergency vehicles off the roads until 5 a.m.

Governor Hochul declares a state of emergency

Hochul, in only her eighth day in office, appeared on CNN shortly before midnight, saying that Idas path through New York was devastating far more than anyone expected. Shortly after the appearance, she declared a state of emergency, urging New Yorkers to stay off the roads and avoid all unnecessary travel. A travel ban in New York City is also in effect until 5 a.m.

Due to severe weather, there is a travel ban in effect beginning now until 5:00 AM on 9/2. All non-emergency vehicles must be off NYC streets and highways.  NYCEM - Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) September 2, 2021

De Blasio declares state of emergency

Im declaring a state of emergency in New York City tonight.



Were enduring an historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads.  Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) September 2, 2021

All subway service was temporarily suspended

It happened: NYC subway service completely suspended because of the storm.

Stark example of the citys vulnerability. pic.twitter.com/ShSlybtQvh  Cliff Levy (@cliffordlevy) September 2, 2021

New York City breaks a rainfall record for the second time in less than two weeks

On August 22, Tropical Depression Henri dumped 1.94 inches on Central Park between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., breaking the record for the most rain in an hour in New York City. Ida bested that record just 11 days later, dropping three inches of rain between 8:51 and 9:51 p.m. on Wednesday night. The intense downpour caused flooding throughout the city, as well as the first flash-flood emergency ever to be issued in New York City:

New York City subway station flooded with water very dangerous pic.twitter.com/aYBNVGUpUb  Movie Reviews By JT (@moviere09350416) September 2, 2021

Flooding in 28th St Station NYC!!! And everyone is taking videos!!!!#OnlyInNYC pic.twitter.com/eV2QlALEno  Aleksander Milch (@AleksanderMilch) September 2, 2021

This is in Bushwick right now pic.twitter.com/QJwxhWnfZw  Lauren Gill (@laurenk_gill) September 2, 2021

Our infrastructure is not ready for climate change, Park Slope edition (also please, please dont drive into floodwaters edition) pic.twitter.com/xYLyiRSCpq  Brian Kahn (@blkahn) September 2, 2021

THE BQE IS A F**KING LAKE. Good lord. pic.twitter.com/3u8PrZqrnP  Nicholas Isabella (@NycStormChaser) September 2, 2021

Cars are floating in rego park queens! #NYWX pic.twitter.com/7qgwuEjro0  Andi Yagudayev (@StormchaserNYC) September 2, 2021

Our infrastructure is not ready for climate change, MTA bus edition pic.twitter.com/ir6GhEjv2y  Brian Kahn (@blkahn) September 2, 2021

  VIDEO: Heavy flooding in Boro Park, Brooklyn. pic.twitter.com/40SpypH5GA  Belaaz News (@TheBelaaz) September 2, 2021

Play currently stopped on Armstrong despite the roof. Rain coming in with the wind. This is insane #USOpen2021 @usopen pic.twitter.com/Nek3NySCyQ  Chaya Coppersmith (@ccsmith89) September 2, 2021

It was extremely noteworthy when Newark, NJ recorded .5" of rainfall in 6 minutes.



Here's a map of peak *5 minute* totals across #NYC. The peak was .66" in #Queens, though most sites exceeded a .5"/6min rate. #nywxhttps://t.co/6K6LVewkM3 pic.twitter.com/TyjvdhPWg5  Nick P Bassill (@NickPBassill) September 2, 2021

The Weather Service reports rainfall totals of up to 4.5 to 7 inches in some areas, and more rain is expected. Earlier in the night, the Weather Service issued a tornado warning in some neighborhoods in the Bronx after radar determined a tornado had formed.

Here's an updated rainfall map based on radar estimates over the past 24 hours.



A swath of double-digit rainfall totals stretches from eastern PA to western CT.



Flash flood emergencies continue for an enormous area including New York City, northeastern NJ, and western CT. https://t.co/Gr65etkzqG pic.twitter.com/G1AzvF9ma8  DAMWeather (@DAM_Weather) September 2, 2021

The MTA says to avoid travel

With flooding interrupting bus routes and some subway stations inaccessible, Chief Customer Officer for the MTA Sarah Meyer advised New Yorkers not to take the train Wednesday night:

At this time, there is very limited train service. Do not travel on the subways. Will post more info on @NYCTSubway  Sarah Meyer (@SarahMeyerNYC) September 2, 2021

This is 145th st on 1 line. This not a low lying area. One of the highest elevations in Manhattan.



Literally nowhere is immune to climate change.pic.twitter.com/FfBjJDHW2h  Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) September 2, 2021

New Jersey declares a state of emergency

Just after 10 p.m., Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency:

BREAKING: Im declaring a STATE OF EMERGENCY EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY in response to Tropical Storm Ida.



We will use every resource at our disposal to ensure the safety of New Jerseyans.



Stay off the roads, stay home, and stay safe.  Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) September 2, 2021

In Newark, parts of Liberty Airport flooded after 3.24 inches of rain was recorded between 8 and 9 p.m. Many areas of New Jersey have reported flooding, including Elizabeth, Jersey City, Passaic, North Plainfield, Short Hills. A bayou boat was deployed in Lambertville:

Flooding baggage area at newark airport pic.twitter.com/LxjDJHpXAH  Bill Ritter (@billritter7) September 2, 2021

Meantime in New Jersey, Newark airport is flooded pic.twitter.com/cBsm6VY6Hi  Michael Pegram (@MichaelPNews) September 2, 2021

BREAKING: Flooding right now in Short Hills, New Jersey. This is downtown! 



Gov. Murphy declares state of emergency due to tropical storm #Ida. #njwx pic.twitter.com/0EWWfqHRpZ  Tena Ezzeddine (@TenaNYCLA) September 2, 2021

Apparent tornado near N.J. Turnpike earlier tonight #Ida pic.twitter.com/VTtnJBrkY9  David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 2, 2021

Significant flash flooding in downtown New Haven including on the Yale campus. https://t.co/57cc64TjHS  Ryan Hanrahan (@ryanhanrahan) September 2, 2021

Philadelphia was also hit hard, with three deaths in the surrounding area

Severe flooding occurred in the city causing significant travel delays on the SEPTA rail and bus system. In Montgomery county north of Philadelphia, two are believed to have drowned, while another person was killed when a tree fell on their home. The National Weather Service also confirmed Thursday that seven tornadoes touched down in the region during the storm.

This post has been updated to clarify the context of a comment by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations held steady at 71 on Wednesday at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and EAMC-Lanier in Valley, and the number of COVID patients on ventilators dropped slightly to 21, after tying the all-time pandemic high of 22 on Tuesday.

Over the past week, COVID hospitalizations at EAMC have increased by one - climbing as high as 80 on Sunday - but COVID patients on ventilators have increased by more than 60%, increasing from 13 on Aug. 25 to 21 on Wednesday.

While physicians at the hospital have been encouraging people to get vaccinated, Dr. Mary Ann Shannon, an EAMC hospitalist, is making a special plea for people with a body mass index over 25.

"The biggest risk factor right now in patients being hospitalized and dying from COVID-19 is obesity," Shannon said in a recent video produced by EAMC. "No one likes the word 'obese,' no one likes the word 'overweight,' and no one wants to think of themselves as either one, but the fact is, if your body mass index is over 25, you are at the highest risk right now for death, hospitalization, prolonged ventilation, what we call morbidity. ..."
Russian authorities also blocked around 50 websites run by his team or supporters for allegedly disseminating extremist group propaganda, and targeted his top associates.

Over the past few weeks, police across Russia visited hundreds of people whose names figured in a leaked database from websites set by Navalny's allies to push for his release and promote his Smart Voting strategy. The police action appeared to be part of authorities' efforts to intimidate opposition supporters before the election.

The Sept. 19 vote is widely seen as an important part of President Vladimir Putins efforts to cement his rule before Russia's 2024 presidential election. The 68-year-old Russian leader, who has been in power for more than two decades, pushed through a constitutional reform last year that would potentially allow him to hold onto power until 2036.

The 45-year-old Navalny is Putins most determined political foe. He was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin  an accusation rejected by Russian officials.

In February, Navalny was ordered to serve 2 years in prison for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated.
Washington, PA (15301)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Railway Company Ordered to Reinstate Employees after Investigations find Whistleblower Retaliatory Actions

CSX Transportation Inc. illegally fired two of its workers after they reported unsafe conditions.

In November 2017, two railroad workers at a railyard in Waycross, Georgia encountered and reported a blue flag that signaled their train could not move safely. CSX Transportation Inc. pulled the workers from the job and later fired the two employees. According to a press release, these actions are found to be illegal by OSHA.

All workers have the right to be safe on the job, and by speaking up, these workers prevented potential harm to themselves and others, said OSHA Acting Assistant Secretary Jim Frederick. Employers that punish workers for speaking out against unsafe or unfair working conditions are breaking the law, and OSHA will hold them accountable.

OSHA ordered CSX Transportation Inc., a subsidiary of CSX Corp., to pay the employees $667,740 plus attorney fees. The amount represents back pay from the time of their removal in November 2017 through September 2019. It also represents the costs incurred by the workers to include interest on the back wages, penalties on withdrawals from their 401(k) and compensatory and punitive damages. CSX must restore both workers seniority and the benefits they would have received had they not been fired. In addition, OSHA ordered the employer to provide retirement credit, vacation time and personal leave days that the employees would have earned.

CSX Transportation violated the Federal Railroad Safety Act, which gives employees the right to report safety concerns without fear of retaliation, said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer in Atlanta. The employers retaliatory actions are illegal, and OSHA is committed to ensuring that workers are protected when they exercise their rights to report workplace hazards.
VPPPA Rolls Out Safety+ 2021 with Sessions from OSHA Representatives

Representatives of OSHA were onsite in Nashville to speak to those who attended the VPPPPA Safety+ 2021 Symposium this week.

It definitely feels weird to be back reporting on in-person events! For many, the Voluntary Protection Programs Participants' Association annual Safety+ An Integrated Safety & Health Management Systems Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee was the first conference and expo they attended in person since the start of the pandemic. For those who did not want to travel to Nashville, the Association went above and beyond to ensure that there was plenty attendees could do right from their office or home computers.

Speaking of much to do: Safety+ rolled out numerous educational sessions and panels for guests this week including the Labor & Management Open Forum which featured an open conversation with Federal and State Plan OSHA representatives. The panel, which included James Frederick, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health and Jimmy Hart, President of the Metal Trades Department (MTD), AFL-CIO, discussed how the pandemic directly impacted VPP and safety as a whole, and what changes or modifications to safety professionals can expect in the future.

VPPPA also had OSHA representatives available onsite to present seven workshops which included topics such as OSHA Special Government Employee (SGE) Program, Construction & OSHA Challenge for General Industry, How to Improve Your Bottom Line & Engage Your Employees: Create an Effective Anti-Retaliation Program and OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) Supplemental Questions: Overview & Analysis. Attendees where also able to sit in on workshops about the VPP Slump, the Top Ten Elements of a Stellar Safety & Health Management System and VPP: Do Not Overlook Industrial Hygiene. Attendees were able to earn industry CEUs at more than 75 additional sessions.

Did you attend the Safety+ Symposium and were not able to see it all? No worries! All attendees, no matter how you attended the Symposium (in-person or virtually) will have access to all the workshops online 30 days after the event ends.

For more information, visit vpppa.org.
The China National Petroleum Corporation is preparing to return to Venezuela after the Maduro government finalizes legislation seeking to attract more foreign capital to the industry.

According to a Bloomberg report citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, CNPC is sending engineers and other staff to Venezuela and talking to local companies for maintenance operations at an oil-blending plant that the Chinese company operates together with PDVSA.

The Bloomberg sources also said CNPC was in talks with Venezuelan companies to ramp up oil production at five joint ventures that the company has with PDVSA. Indeed, CNPC had never entirely left Venezuela, but investments in its local operations declined significantly over the past few years amid constantly tightening U.S. sanctions.

Despite the sanction noose, Venezuela has been ramping up its oil exports, generating vital revenue. According to a recent Reuters report, the country, which is home to the worlds largest oil reserves, exported more than 700,000 bpd of crude in Julythe highest daily export rate since February. Most of the oil went to China and Malaysia, although the latter is usually only a stop along Venezuelan oils trip to China.

The same report noted that three of the five crude oil blending facilities in the Orinoco Belt were operational, and another crude upgrader was preparing to restart operations after a years pause.

Yet, unlike CNPC, other companies are retreating from Venezuela. The latest to do this was Japanese Inpex, which sold its Venezuelan operations to a local firm, Sucre Energy Corp, according to another Reuters report. Before it, TotalEnergies and Equinor also left Venezuela, saying it was because of the high carbon intensity of their jointly operated venture, Petrocedeno.

It is because of this exodus that the Maduro government turned to legislation, aiming to lure in foreign oil investorssomething that is apparently becoming increasingly difficult with the new emission considerations that have moved to the top of oil companies agendas. Sanctions remain a problem, but China has demonstrated more than once they are not a complete deterrent to its doing business with sanctioned countries.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Perus oil industry has been under considerable pressure for some time. A combination of long-running political turmoil, community dissent and the pandemic are weighing heavily on the outlook for the Andean countrys hydrocarbon sector. Socialist Pedro Castillos victory in Perus controversial 2021 presidential election, where he defeated contentious hard-right opponent Keiko Fujimori, daughter of jailed former president Alberto Fujimori, sparked considerable fear about the oil industrys future.



Castillo during his campaign made many statements about resource nationalism, sparking fears that his administration would consider seizing privately owned mining and petroleum assets. That, along with the Marxist leanings of Castillos Free Peru party rattled the Andean countrys urban business elite and the resources sector.

Nonetheless as the likelihood of victory grew, Castillo sought to clarify his proposed policies indicating that there was no need to fear the nationalization of mining or oil assets. Prior to officially entering office Castillo stated that his administration will respect private investment and property with the state only seeking a greater share of profits from the exploitation of natural resources. That additional revenue he intends to use to increase investment in those communities in the regions where the oil industry operates to address structural economic inequality in those remote regions, thereby hopefully reducing conflict. It was the lack of funding for basic public goods and social programs in Perus Amazon Basin which caused the petroleum industrys social license to deteriorate, leading to community blockades and violent protests.

By early August 2020 demonstrators had seized a pumping station for PetroPerus 100,000 barrel per day capacity northern oil pipeline forcing operations to cease. That along with violent blockades of Block 95 forced the operator, Canadian oil junior PetroTal, to shut-in its Bretana oilfield.

During early September 2020 PetroTal was able to re-open the field after the national government in Lima reached an agreement with local communities to invest $1.7 billion in public infrastructure over a six-year period. As part of his plan to reduce conflict between communities and the petroleum industry, Castillo announced that private investment in hydrocarbon exploitation must not only be economically profitable but also benefit local communities.

PetroTal has offered to participate in a pilot program (Spanish) that will benefit the communities located near Block 95 by increasing the oil fees payable to the local provinces and municipalities where the oil industry operates. That along with additional investment in public infrastructure Castillo hopes will reduce conflict between local communities and the oil industry. PetroTals Block 95 is an ideal test case having suffered 193 incidents relating to community conflict.

Despite those positive developments, Perus oil industry, especially in the Amazon, remains in jeopardy because of a weak social license which has the potential to cause further operational disruptions due to community conflict. Ongoing maintenance and reliability issues make the northern pipeline, the primary means of shipping the crude oil produced in Perus Amazon to the coast, a key bottleneck which is preventing the Andean country from boosting oil production. Illegal valves, sabotage, poor maintenance and leaks have plagued the pipeline for years, leading to regular outages which have forced drillers in Perus Amazon to shutter operations. It is estimated by industry experts that it will take at least $250 million to upgrade and modernize the crucial pipeline.

As a result of those hazards, notably a sustained community blockade, Canadian intermediate oil producer Frontera Energy declared force majeure for Block 192 during March 2020. Prior to operations being shuttered Block 192, which contains 13 producing oilfields, was one of Perus most important oil assets pumping around 10,000 barrels per day. PetroPeru intends to recommence operations at Block 192, three decades after the national oil company under the direction of then President Alberto Fujimori sold its upstream oil assets to privately owned energy companies. Reportedly PetroPeru, which holds exploration Block 64, is considering taking over operatorship of Block 8 where Argentina's Pluspetrol shuttered operations in April 2020.

The considerable uncertainty surrounding the outlook for Perus petroleum industry makes it extremely difficult for Lima to attract foreign energy investors, making PetroPeru the only realistic option for restarting production at those blocks. The considerable headwinds facing Perus oil industry are weighing on production causing growth to remain weak. For July 2021, data from Perus Ministry of Energy and Mines shows that the Andean country pumped on average 38,888 barrels of crude oil per day. While that was 12% greater than for the same time during 2020, when oil output fell sharply because of pandemic-induced shut-ins, it is still 11.5% lower than July 2019 when Peru pumped on average 43,917 barrels per day.

Source: Peru Ministry of Energy and Mines.

The Baker Hughes monthly rig count is a dependable de-facto measure of oil industry activity. By the end of July there were only two operational drill rigs in Peru compared to four a month earlier, although this was a significant improvement over the same period during 2020 when there were no active rigs.

Source: Baker Hughes.

Nevertheless, at the end of July 2019 there were five active rigs counted by Baker Hughes, which aside from being more than double July 2021 indicates that the tempo of operations in Perus petroleum industry has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.

Regardless of Castillos statements indicating that he will respect private property and investment, there are considerable concerns that his administration may embark on more radical policies regarding Perus resource sector. That, along with fears of tax hikes and further protests, is acting as a considerable deterrent to investment by foreign energy companies, explaining why the Andean countrys crude oil output and rig count have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Perus petroleum industry has the potential to be a key driver of the countrys post-pandemic economic recovery, particularly after gross domestic product contracted by a worrying 11% during 2020.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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Irans new Oil Minister, Javad Owji, met on Thursday with a top official from the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in Tehran to discuss cooperation and expansion of bilateral relations.

Owji met today with Libin Zhang, the deputy head of CNPCs Middle Eastern division, to talk about boosting cooperation, Iranian media report.

CNPC has developed the North Azadegan oilfield in Iran, which is located along the border with Iraq.

The new Iranian president and administration continue to work on close ties with China, which were forged during the previous administration. China is Irans biggest trade partner and one of the very few countries still importing some crude oil from Iran despite the U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republics oil exports and oil industry.

China has always said it opposes the unilateral U.S. sanctions against oil producers and continues to buy crude, especially from Iran. Irans oil sales to China remain the key remaining revenue stream for the Islamic Republic. China is Irans top crude oil customer and actually the only customer that currently dares skirt existing American sanctions on Iranian oil exports.

In March this year, China and Iran officially stated they would boost their energy and political cooperation as part of a 25-year strategic partnership agreement. Iran and China signed the strategic partnership deal to expand relations in areas such as energy, infrastructure, industry, and technology.

The two countries also pledged to boost cooperation in fossil fuels and alternative energy, security of demand and supply as well as transfer and transportation of fossil fuels and the Chinese side shall consider financing and investing in the up and-downstream projects of the energy industries in Iran and the Iranian side shall provide the necessary facilitations and support in this respect, Iran said.

The new Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who took office last month, also vowed to boost cooperation between Iran and China.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The Mexican government is moving ahead with a comprehensive revamp of the countrys energy market aimed to virtually undo all the reforms implemented by the previous government and re-establish state-owned companies as the dominant players in the field.

We are going to push for a constitutional reform that will allow us to repair the grave damage that privatization has caused to the public sector and the popular economy, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said this week, as quoted by BNAmericas.

As part of these efforts to reverse energy reforms by the previous government, the lower house of the Mexican parliament earlier this year passed a controversial piece of legislation that would remove a stipulation from an earlier law that requires the state energy market regulator CRE to prioritize fuel sales from private companies as a way of leveling their playing field with Pemex.

At the same time, the Lopez Obrador government has granted billions in tax relief to the state company, including $3.6 billion for this year alone. Additional support measures have included a reduction in Pemexs profit-sharing obligations.

Yet, some of the governments legislative attempts to strengthen state-owned energy companies such as Pemex have been blocked by courts on the grounds that they are unconstitutional. In order to eliminate the threat of such blocks, an amendment of the constitution seems like the most obvious way to go.

If the amendment is passed, the new reforms will ensure, among other things, that more than half of Mexicos power generations is under the control of state entities, according to former interior minister Olga Sanchez Cordero.

Today we do not have a nationalization, but a constitutional regulation in which the president is proposing that 54% [of the market] be put under the states tutelage while the remaining 46% is open to private investment, Sanchez Cordero said.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Russias oil production this year is expected to be 1 percent lower compared to 2020, in view of the OPEC+ agreement, Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said on Thursday.

Russian oil production will reach 506 million tons by the end of this year, which would be 1 percent down from last year, the minister told reporters on the sidelines of an economic forum in Vladivostok, as carried by Russian news agency TASS.

Oil production is 1% lower than last year. I believe that this trend will continue. By the end of the year, it will be about 506 mln in tonnes. It will all of course depend on supply and demand, and the implementation of the OPEC agreement, the Russian energy minister said.

Russia expects its crude oil plus condensate production to return to pre-pandemic levels by May 2022.

In July, Russia saw its oil production rise for the first time in three months as OPEC+ continued to ease the production cuts and planned maintenance at some Russian oilfields ended.

Russian oil production is estimated to have slightly declined in August, from 10.46 million barrels per day (bpd) in July to 10.43 million bpd last month, according to Reuters estimates based on Russian energy ministry data in tons reported on Thursday.

On July 18, the OPEC+ group decided it would start returning 400,000 bpd to the market every month beginning in August until it unwinds all the 5.8 million bpd cuts.

At an uneventful meeting earlier this week, OPEC+ ministers decided on Wednesday to continue unwinding the cuts by 400,000 bpd from October, as planned. The decision came despite market concerns about slowing demand with the Delta variant surge, and despite calls from the U.S. Administration that the monthly increases of 400,000 bpd will not be enough to continue supporting the economic recovery and cool off high gasoline prices.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Tireless in later life, Theodorakis continued to work with emerging artists and compositions that included music for the opening ceremony of the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, and maintained an active interest in politics.

He was a member of parliament for the Greek Communist Party for most of the 1980s but later served the cabinet of the conservative government. He spoke at rallies supporting Palestinian statehood, against the war in Iraq and more recently in opposition to an agreement to end a name dispute between Greece and North Macedonia.

His defenders saw him as a unifier, willing to take bold decisions to try to heal the country's bitter and longstanding political divisions, many rooted in the Cold War. Fans who disagreed with him looked past his politics, and tributes to Theodorakis Thursday came from all of Greece's political parties as well as his fellow artists.

He was a giant and we were all proud of him. His music, his life, he was unique, singer Manolis Mitsias, who worked extensively with Theodorakis said. Greece was orphaned today.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared three days of national mourning, posting a photograph with Theodorakis at his home following a recent hospitalization.
Were losing our chance to really make a difference in the national spotlight, UNL sophomore Carter Wenburg told the Journal Star on Wednesday.

Wenburg, acting alone for now in his role as organizer of the divergent group, gathered in front of the fraternity with a small group of people on Wednesday night.

His announcement came less than 30 minutes after Liu-Sang, who has been among the most vocal organizers at UNL over the last week, announced to her followers that all protests would be suspended until Sept. 15.

Liu-Sangs post came about two hours before demonstrators had planned to stage a sit-in at Canfield Hall, which houses UNLs administrative offices. In the post, Liu-Sang, who did not respond to a request for comment, said organizers were falling behind on schoolwork and taking time off to reexamine their message, which she said isnt only about Fiji.

That has been overlooked, she said in the post.
Ida was the fifth-most powerful storm to strike the U.S. when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 150 mph (240 kph), likely causing tens of billions of dollars in flood, wind and other damage, including to the electrical grid. The storm's remnants dropped devastating rainfall across parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey on Wednesday, causing significant disruption to major population centers.

The storm has killed at least 13 in the Gulf Coast region and at least 46 in the Northeastern U.S.

More than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi remained without power after Ida toppled a major transmission tower and knocked out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations. New Orleans was plunged into total darkness; power began returning to parts of the city Wednesday. Biden is set to visit Louisiana on Friday to survey some of the damage and meet with government officials there.

Biden said the flooding in Louisiana was less than the region experienced 16 years ago during Hurricane Katrina, crediting federal investments in the area's levee system.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Oregon regulators said Wednesday they will not renew a permit needed by a crude oil storage company to operate portions of its facility in Northwest Portland.

That delivers a potentially fatal blow to some of Zenith Energys operations, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

The state Department of Environmental Quality said its decision to deny a new air quality permit followed a refusal by Portland city officials last week to grant the company a favorable land use ruling it needed to continue and potentially expand its operations at its terminal along the Willamette River.

Under state law, when a local government makes a negative compatibility determination, state agencies generally may not approve permits for the operation, the state environmental agency said.

The environmental agencys decision takes effect in 60 days, which could force Zenith to halt some operations at that time. The company is allowed to appeal the states decision and has appealed the citys ruling to the state land use board.
He said that while he does not have fondness for the Sacklers or sympathy for them, collecting money from them through lawsuits instead of a settlement would be complicated.

The deal comes nearly two years after the Stamford, Connecticut-based company filed for bankruptcy under the weight of the lawsuits.

Under the settlement, the Sacklers were not given immunity from criminal charges, though there have been no indications they will face any.

State and local governments came to support the plan overwhelmingly, if grudgingly in many cases. But nine states and others had opposed it, largely because of the protections granted to the family.

The attorneys general of Connecticut, the District of Columbia and Washington state immediately announced they will either appeal the ruling or explore the possibility of doing so.

The Sacklers should not be allowed to manipulate bankruptcy laws to evade justice and protect their blood money, Connecticut's William Tong said.

Some families who lost loved ones to drugs also came out against the settlement, including Ed Bisch, of Westampton, New Jersey, whose 18-year-old son died of an overdose nearly 20 years ago. The Sacklers are buying their immunity," he said.
Texas, though, has cultivated a strong culture of gun ownership with echoes of the Wild West, and many residents support the loosened restrictions.

Among them is Jesus Chuy Aguirre, 78, who owns Chuys Gun Shop in El Paso. A generation ago, he successfully advocated for the introduction of concealed handgun permits.

Eventually we settled down and the cops started understanding what they had to do, he said.

Angel Zacarius, who at 21 is just old enough to qualify for permitless carry, was at the shop on a recent day asking about the price and quality of a used pistol. He said he didn't plan to apply for a handgun carry license so that he could save on the fees, which typically run about $200.

But many opposed the new law.

Although it stiffened the penalties for felons getting caught with guns, police groups expressed concern about the scrapped training requirements and about officers being able to safely navigate routine interactions with permitless gun carriers.

Even though Portillo, like many others in El Paso, bought a handgun after the Walmart attack, he said he's uneasy with the looser requirements to carry one in public and thinks it could lead more gun violence.
Scammers purporting to be from the Boston Police Department  employing a phone number tied to the police force  defrauded a 72-year-old Lincoln man of more than $25,000 on Tuesday, Lincoln police said Thursday.

The scammers told the man that his identity, along with his wifes, had been stolen and used to help fraudulently fund terrorist organizations, said Officer Erin Spilker, a Lincoln police spokeswoman.

The callers told the man he needed to send gift cards to clear up the matter, Spilker said. When he questioned the scammers, the man fielded a call from a number appearing to belong to the Lincoln Police Department. Callers posing as Lincoln police officers told the man the call from Boston was legitimate, Spilker said.

After the man sent $11,360 in gift cards, she said, the scammers told him an arrest was made in the identity theft case but that he needed to pay $16,000 in court fees.

The man went to Cornhusker Bank and wired $16,095 to an account in Turkey. Suspicious bank employees then tried to stop the transfer, but its unclear if the effort was successful, Spilker said.

A language barrier may have added to the 72-year-olds vulnerability to the scam, she said. An investigation is ongoing.
Nebraska young people suffer bullying and harassment because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This is a serious problem for our society, and it shouldnt be ignored.

Last year when COVID struck, a wide range of Nebraskans rightly expressed concern for young peoples mental health  this was a key reason why many Nebraskans supported a return to in-class instruction as soon as possible.

Similarly, all Nebraskans should share concern about the mental well-being of young people who must endure harassment over their sexual orientation or gender identity. As we said in an earlier editorial, Those young people are not hypothetical. Theyre not abstractions. Theyre living, breathing human beings, the children and grandchildren of Nebraskans, still developing their sense of self, with a vital need to feel supported and appreciated by our society.

Young people subject to harassment over their sexual orientation or gender identity are at greater risk of suicide.
I suggest Carol do more research on taxes and their effect on quality of life and residency decisions, and perhaps take a course in economics!

Jeff Sena, Bellevue

Afghanistan fallout

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was a member of the planning staff at the United States Central Command. I was proud to be one member of a much larger team that participated in the military planning for our initial operations there. I was on that same staff in 2003 when as a nation, we took our eyes off the ball and invaded Iraq. I later deployed to Iraq. I have numerous friends and colleagues who have deployed to one or both of these locations during the past 20 years, many more than once.

Like many of my fellow veterans, I have been distressed and sickened by recent events as they have unfolded in Afghanistan. I am disheartened that once again Americans have lost their lives. I am equally appalled by a government of Afghanistan that seemed to abandon its own people and its responsibilities. But, I am also sickened, appalled and disheartened by the many elected officials, including the five from Nebraska representing us in the Senate and the House, who have turned this tragedy into short-term political advantage.
CHICAGO  Anyone who gets vaccinated through a city-run event in Chicago will get a $100 gift card starting Saturday, officials announced.

Eligible events include the citys mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics, the home visitation program known as Protect Chicago At Home or the school-based sites for Chicago Public Schools students and families, according to a Wednesday press release.

Beginning Saturday, all mobile vaccination events will offer the Visa gift cards, while the home visit appointments will give them out starting Tuesday. People get one $50 gift card per dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which requires two shots, or two $50 gift cards upon getting the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

An online calendar of vaccination events is available at Chicago.gov/VaxCalendar. To make an at-home vaccination appointment, residents can call (312) 746-4835 or register at www.chicago.gov/athome.

The latest vaccination incentive comes as Chicago reports 61% of its population receiving at least one dose. Daily vaccinations are averaging more than 5,000, a jump from Julys numbers of below 4,000. Anyone aged 12 or older is eligible for the vaccine, which remains free.

Meanwhile, the citys COVID-19 metrics remain at a high-transmission risk territory with an average of 460 daily cases, though that figure has recently stayed flat compared to the sharp increases earlier this summer. The positivity rate is 4.3%, a slight decrease from a week ago and under the more problematic threshold of 5%.
CHICAGO  A massive energy policy overhaul aimed at making Illinois a fully renewable-energy state by 2050 cleared the Senate early Wednesday despite objections from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and groups who want more environmental and consumer protections.

Negotiations have been ongoing for years on the deal that includes a generous bailout for nuclear plants, closing coal-fired plants, investments in wind and solar energy and ethics measures in the wake of a utility scandal. Previous attempts have hit snags, including earlier this summer when unions and environmental groups clashed.

"This plan would make Illinois a national leader in fighting climate change," Sen. Bill Cunningham, a Chicago Democrat said in a statement after the one-day session where the Democrat-majority Legislature also approved legislative maps.

However, the latest energy proposal faces an uncertain future as the House adjourned hours earlier without considering it and hasn't set a date to return. Any House changes would have to go back to the Senate for approval.

"The governor's office looks forward to working with members of the House to finalize an energy package that puts consumers and climate first," Pritzker's spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in a statement.

Lawmakers face increasing pressure to get something done because Exelon, parent of Illinois' largest electric utility ComEd, has said that without help from the state, it'll start shutting down two nuclear plants within weeks.

Union and business groups have expressed concerns about the loss of jobs and the reliability of the electric grid while some consumers groups worry about rate hikes. Meanwhile, environmentalists say Illinois, which relies heavily on nuclear energy and has more reactors than any other state, needs to do more to cut pollution.

"We are out of time to say that we'll solve this problem of our state's biggest polluter later," Juliana Pino of the the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization said during a Tuesday evening Senate committee hearing. "Our climate doesn't have time and the families of those affected by the plant's pollution don't have time."

The latest plan keeps many ideas from previous discussions.

It includes roughly $700 million in state subsidies to bail out three nuclear plants, provisions aimed at expanding renewable energy sources like solar and wind and more ethics and accountability measures. That includes an investigation of how rates were used in connection with a ComEd bribery scandal that led to charges against multiple people and implicated former House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The legislation would phase out coal-fired plants by 2045, including Prairie State Generating Station in southern Illinois, the top source of carbon pollution in the state. It also sets goals for the state on expanding the use of electric vehicles and incentives for energy efficiency in homes.

Utility rates would increase under the plan with average residential customers paying roughly $3.50 more each month.

____

Associated Press writer Sara Burnett contributed to this report.

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Director-General of the GES, Prof Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa has cautioned candidates writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) against engaging in examination malpractices.



He warned the students and teachers against the practice saying there were consequences that came with such acts.



I encourage the candidates not to indulge in examination malpractices to save themselves from all unforeseen embarrassment, trauma and anxiety and I believe this time round, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) would be vigilant and ensure a hitch-free examination, he said.



Prof Opoku-Amankwa, in a special message to wish the candidates well in the examination was hopeful that the invigilators, supervisors and all those who had a role to play to ensure it is devoid of cheating would conduct themselves in a manner that would make this years examination hitch-free.



He expressed gratitude to the heads and management of the various schools, the teaching and non-teaching staff, parents and all partners for their respective roles culminating in the commencement of the examination.



Even though the examination began on August 16, 2021, with practicals for a section of the candidates, today, all of them are taking the paper which begins at 8.30 am.



He assured the candidates that whatever that they would encounter in the examination hall would not be different from what they had been taught over the years.



Remedial materials



Ahead of the 2021 WASSCE, the GES distributed over 446,954 remedial materials to final-year senior high school (SHS) students in preparation for the examination.



The remedial materials contained packs of past questions from 2015 to 2020 and a guide on how to answer them as well as the chief examiners reports to help guide the candidates ahead of the WASSCE.



In addition to the booklets, the GES presented 140 digital recordings of lessons in Core Mathematics, English Language, Integrated Science and Social Studies to the schools.



The Core Mathematics has 30 lessons, English Language, 40 lessons and Social Studies, 30 lessons.



Prof. Opoku-Amankwa, said the distribution of the items formed part of the governments intervention to assist second-cycle schools.







Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Africa is set to miss the urgent global goal of vaccinating the most vulnerable 10% of every countrys population against COVID-19 by the end of September.



Forty-two of Africas 54 nationsnearly 80%are set to miss the target if the current pace of vaccine deliveries and vaccinations hold, new data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows.



Nine African countries, including South Africa, Morocco and Tunisia, have already reached the global target set in May by the World Health Assembly, the worlds highest health policy-setting body. At the current pace, three more African countries are set to meet the target. Two more could meet it if they speed up vaccinations.



With less than a month to go, this looming goal must concentrate minds in Africa and globally. Vaccine hoarding has held Africa back and we urgently need more vaccines, but as more doses arrive, African countries must zero in and drive forward precise plans to rapidly vaccinate the millions of people that still face a grave threat from COVID-19, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.



Almost 21 million COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Africa via the COVAX Facility in August, an amount equal to the previous four months combined. With more vaccines expected from COVAX and the African Union by the end of September, we could see enough doses delivered to meet the 10% target.



While many African countries have sped up COVID-19 vaccinations as vaccine shipments ramped up in August, 26 countries have used less than half of their COVID-19 vaccines.



Over 143 million doses have been received in Africa in total and 39 million peoplearound just 3% of Africas populationare fully vaccinated. In comparison, 52% of people are fully vaccinated in the United States of America and 57% in the European Union.



The inequity is deeply disturbing. Just 2% of the over five billion doses given globally have been administered in Africa. Yet recent rises in vaccine shipments and commitments shows that a fairer, more just global distribution of vaccines looks possible, said Dr Moeti.



Countries must continue to address operational gaps and continually improve, adapt and refine their COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.



Of the 30 countries that have submitted data to WHO on operational readiness, one in two have not conducted intra-action reviews, which are key to assessing and fine-tuning progress. One in three countries have not updated their National Vaccine Deployment Plans, which instruct all COVID-19 vaccination actions in each country.



WHO is providing tailored policy advice and technical guidance and support to African countries to help enhance their logistics, planning and monitoring capacities. WHO is also working to share valuable lessons and experiences between countries.



COVID-19 cases are declining slightly in Africa but remain stubbornly high. A rising number of new cases in Central, East and West Africa pushed case numbers up to nearly 215 000 in the week ending on 29 August. Twenty-five countriesover 45% of African countriesare reporting high or fast-rising case numbers. Over 5500 deaths were reported in the week ending on 29 August.



Although Africas third wave peaked in July, the decline in new cases is at a glacial pacefar slower than in previous waves. The pandemic is still raging in Africa and we must not let our guard down. Every hour 26 Africans die of COVID-19.



The highly transmissible Delta variant has been found in 31 African countries. The Alpha variant has been detected in 44 countries and the Beta variant in 39.



The C.1.2 variant has been identified in 114 cases in South Africa. Single cases have been found in four other African countries, and very low case numbers have been reported internationally. While first reported to WHO in July, the prevalence of this new variant remains very low. To be identified as a variant of concern there must be evidence of an impact on transmissibility, severity or immunity. This is not the case for the C.1.2 variant, yet more data is required.



We are closely monitoring the spread and evolution of all reported variants of COVID-19, including C.1.2. Mask wearing, physical distancing and regular hand washing will help keep you safe from all variants, said Dr Moeti.



Dr Moeti spoke during a virtual press conference today facilitated by APO Group. She was joined by Dr Nicholas Crisp, Deputy Director General, National Health Insurance, Department of Health, South Africa, and Dr Assan Abdoul Nasser, Director of Immunizations, Ministry of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs, Niger.



Also on hand to respond to questions were Dr Richard Mihigo, Coordinator, Immunization and Vaccines Development Programme, WHO Regional Office for Africa, and Dr Thierno Balde, Regional COVID-19 Deputy Incident Manager, WHO Regional Office for Africa.







Source: 3news.com









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The government is expected to take delivery of 1,229,620 Moderna vaccines on Saturday, 4th September 2021.



According to the Ministry of Information, an additional 1.3 million Pfizer vaccines are also expected in Ghana by the end of this month.



A few weeks ago, the country took delivery of some 249,000 doses of Astrazeneca vaccines from the UK government to support its vaccination drive.



A section of the population was recently also vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which arrived in the country last month under the African Unions African Vaccine Acquisition Trust initiative.



A total of 177,600 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were administered to unvaccinated persons in COVID-19 hotspots in the Greater Accra Region and the Ashanti Region.



Before the latest round of vaccinations with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, only 405,971 had received both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines whilst 865,422 had received one dose.



Ghana is currently vaccinating Ghanaians due to receive their second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines.



Ghana took delivery of 249,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the UK government on August 18, 2021.

Source: Citinewsroom









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Countries the world over are challenged to do more in revitalising their economies as a way in which to bounce back after the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. For this reason, the Ministry of Information (MOI) and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) through an investment event called the Spark Up Investment Summit are looking to revitalise the nations economy by providing an enabling platform for discussions centred on current investment challenges in Ghana and solutions to them. The Summit is scheduled for September 07, 2021 will bring together government, government agencies, investors, key industry players, sectors, and stakeholders in the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) ecosystem.





Meet our speakers



The Speakers slated are frontrunners in the journey to revamp the Ghanaian economy and this reiterates their contribution.

His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is a man of many covers, an experienced lawyer and an equally committed politician and advocate. His legacy in his legal practice is one that championed the cause of human rights, rule of law, justice, freedom, and democracy making the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian his personal project. H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his hands-on approach to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, motivated still by his advocate for the Ghanaian mandate, has sought to alleviate the effects of the pandemic on the economy by introducing policies to revamp it. One of such is the Ghana COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalization of Enterprises Support (GhanaCARES - Obaatan pa). H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is dedicated to seeing the economy grow and elevated to the place where Ghana is again an attractive prospect for investment.



With over three decades in Investment, Banking and Finance, Reginald Yofi Grant is touted as a recognised and valued voice in the Financial market and investment sector. Currently, the CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Agency, under the Office of the President of Ghana, Mr. Grant is credited with cofounding Grant Dupuis Investment Limited, and Praxis Fortune Caliber. He counselled in the development and implementation of AAF SME Fund LLC, one of the largest agricultural funds in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Grant is a council member of the Continental Business Network of the African Union, a member of the board of trustees of the OACP Endowment and Trust Fund, on the Steering Board of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) representing Sub Saharan Africa and a fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN). Mr. Reginald Yofi Grant brings to the table his experience and expertise in conversations at the Spark Up Investment Summit.



An accomplished professional, with more than 30 years experience in the Financial sector both local and international, Honourable Ken Ofori-Atta is the current Minister of Finance of the Republic of Ghana and a Co-Founder of the Aspen African Leadership Initiative. Honourable Ofori-Atta co-founded and chaired the Databank Group, a recognised investment bank in Ghana and prior to the banks establishment served as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and Salomon Brothers on Wall Street in New York. His achievements include being the first African to be honoured as a Donaldson Fellow at Yale University in 2010, a John Jay Fellow at Columbia University in 2011 and a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. Hon. Ofori-Attas principled approach to work and work expediency afforded him recognition, twice, by PriceWaterHouse Ghana as one of the Top 5 Most Respected CEOs in Ghana. He embodies expertise and the ability to push the revitalisation agenda which will be set at the maiden Spark Up Investment Summit.



Currently, Minister of Trade and Industry of Ghana, and having served in the same capacity between 2003 and 2007, experience and know-how are not lacking. Honorable Alan Kyerematen is versed in the art of turning collaborative efforts into landmark trade and investment agreements that transcend the Ghanaian border. He played a key role in shaping Africas Trade Policy agenda in the WTO, the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Negotiations, AGOA and UNCTAD. Hon. Alan Kyerematen served as the first Regional Director of ENTERPRISE AFRICA, UNDPs flagship initiative for the development and promotion of small and medium enterprises in Africa.In addition, he was a leading member of the technical team of the African Union that developed the Action Plan for the establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area for Africa, to be launched in 2017.Hon. Alan Kyerematen was a Member of the Council of Governors of the British Executive Service Overseas (BESO) in the United Kingdom.



Honorable Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, currently, the Minister of Information of Ghana and the Member of Parliament for the Ofoase-Ayirebi constituency, was one of the integral faces of comfort to the Ghanaian people during the earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. He holds a bachelors degree in Commerce, MBA Marketing, Bachelors Degree in Law and practiced as a journalist. His diverse repertoire of knowledge in commerce, marketing, journalism, and law makes for a strong force in executing his Ministerial mandate and this knowledge will be brought to the fore at the Spark Up Investment Summit.

These main speakers supported by the respected Mrs. Elsie Addo Awadzi, 2nd Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, and Mad.Abena Osei Asare, Dep. Minister of Finance, who will be moderators on panels at the Summit will make for a trailblazing maiden Spark Up Investment Summit. Join the live screening of the Summit on MOI and GIPC digital media platforms. Registration is free, but there are limited slots available.





Register to attend virtually here.

Learn more about the Spark Up 2021 Summit.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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At least nine people have died after flash flooding and tornadoes hit the north-eastern US, local media report.



Some people were trapped in flooded basements of their homes, while one body was found in a vehicle that was swept away.

The governors of New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called it a "historic weather event".



At least 3in (8cm) of rain fell in just one hour in New York's Central Park.



Almost all New York City subway lines have been closed, and non-emergency vehicles banned from roads. Many flights and trains out of New York and New Jersey have been suspended.



The mayor of the city of Passaic in New Jersey, Hector Lora, told CNN the body of a man in his 70s had been recovered from a vehicle that had been swept away in the floods.



NBC New York has reported that at least one more person died in New Jersey. NBC and AFP reported that seven people had died in New York City, some after becoming trapped in their basements.



A two-year-old boy was among the victims in New York City.



Footage on social media showed water pouring into subway stations and people's homes, and flooded roads.



New York resident George Bailey told the BBC: "Right in the middle of dinner I hear gurgling, and the water's coming up out of the shower drain in our bathroom.



"I went to check the main water line in the utility room, and by the time I walked back into the living room there was nearly a foot of water. It was incredible how fast it came through."



Read Full Story .... HERE >>> :









Source: BBC









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The Chief Executive officer of the Saham Life Insurance Ghana, Gifty Ama Fiagbe has been adjudged the Woman of Excellence at the just ended 4th edition of the 2021 Ghana Insurance Awards held at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra.



The prestigious awards dubbed; "Celebrating achievements and Standards" was aimed at recognizing hardworking companies and outstanding leaders with distinct performance who have made a great difference in their organizational history and her case, impressive growth over the years.



Speaking to the media after receiving the awards, Gifty expressed how joyful she is for such a wonderful recognition accorded her as every award is a reminder to her of Gods grace and faithfulness in her career journey.



" I am highly humbled for such a special recognition and I dedicate this award to all Saham Life Insurance staff, Sales Executives, prestigious clients, Management, and the Board for the opportunity given me to serve the company without which this recognition today would not be possible", she said.



" I want to take the opportunity to urge the youth to strive more and work hard because one day, your labour will be duly recognized and rewarded.



She concluded by thanking the organizers of the program for such a wonderful initiative.



Source: Peacefmonline.com









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A prominent television presenter in Ivory Coast has received a 12-month suspended sentence for promoting rape during a live broadcast.



Yves de M'Bella had invited a man described as an ex-rapist to demonstrate on a mannequin how he had assaulted women.



Widespread outrage followed and M'Bella was suspended from TV and radio.



Women's Affairs Minister Nasseneba Toure said Monday's broadcast had undermined efforts to eradicate rape.



The court fined the presenter $3,600 (2,600) and has banned him from leaving the country's main city, Abidjan, the Reuters news agency reports, quoting an official.



The guest, Kader Traore, was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $900, also for promoting rape.



He, however, told the court that he had previously been convicted of theft and not rape.



The segment of the programme, broadcast at primetime on a private TV channel, was supposed to be about condemning sexual assault, the AFP news agency reports.



But M'Bella appeared to laugh and joke as he helped Traore lay the mannequin on the floor. Afterwards the guest was invited to give women advice on how to avoid being raped.



An online petition demanding that M'Bella be punished had got nearly 50,000 signatures by Wednesday evening.



Benedicte Joan Ouamba, who campaigns against gender-based violence, said that "as a survivor, it was very hard to see this scene".



One of Ivory Coast's best-known sportswomen, sprinter Marie Josee Ta Lou, tweeted: "Have you thought about all the people who have been raped?"



While one of M'Bella's colleagues at NCI, Hannane Ferdjani, tweeted: that the programme was "revolting", asking why no-one on the set had done anything to stop the broadcast.

Source: GNA









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Taliban fighters have been left feeling 'angry' and 'betrayed' after discovering the US had disabled military helicopters and planes before their departure from Kabul.



US troops 'demilitarised' 73 aircraft before their departure this week according to the commander of the US evacuation mission, Gen. Frank McKenzie.



That left up to 48 aircraft in the hands of the terror group, although it was not known how many were operable.



But the Taliban had 'expected the Americans to leave helicopters like this in one piece for their use', according to an Al Jazeera reporter who toured the airport after the withdrawal.



She said: 'When I said to them, "why do you think that the Americans would have left everything operational for you?" They said because we believe it is a national asset and we are the government now and this could have come to great use for us.'



She added: 'They are disappointed, they are angry, they feel betrayed because all of this equipment is broken beyond repair.'



Read Full Story .... Dailymail.co.uk >>> :









Source: Dailymail.co.uk









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A fatal crash involving a Benz Sprinter mini bus and an Opel Astra taxi on the Wenchi-Techiman Highway has resulted in the death of one person and injured four others.



The Wenchi Municipal Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Kofi Oduro Amponsah said his outfit was called to the accident on the Wenchi - Techiman Highway just after the Nkonsia Police Barrier on Tuesday evening at about 6:00 pm.



According to him, the accident was a head-on collision between a Sprinter with registration AS 5354 - 20 and an Opel taxi cab with registration number AS 224 - 12.



DSP Amponsah explained that the Sprinter which was traveling from Kumasi to Wa attempted to overtake a vehicle ahead of him leading to the head-on collision with the Opel Astra which was heading towards Techiman from Wenchi.



He said four passengers who were in critical conditions were rushed to the Wenchi Methodist Hospital for treatment.





DSP Amponsah said the body of the deceased, identified as Francis Eleweh, 36, has been sent to the Wenchi Methodist Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.



The deceased, Francis Eleweh, according to a relative, is survived by two children and a pregnant wife.





Source: graphiconline.com









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The Eastern Regional NPP Grassroots Communicators has petitioned the Inspector General of Ghana Police, Dr George Akuffk Dampare, to cause the arrest of the Suhum Member of Parliament, Kwadwo Asante for failing to produce his driver who allegedly slashes the forehead of their member.



According to the Party grassroots communicators, since the incident , the Member of Parliament who is a member of the Committee on Defense and Interior has failed to produce the suspected driver, Jamalo to the Police.



In a petition which has been served to the IGP, Chief of Staff, the Speaker of Parliament, the Majority Leader, and the NPP National Party Chairman, the group noted that they want the matter to be thoroughly investigated to its logical conclusion and also the perpetrators should be made to face the full rigors of the law without fear or favor.



Even though the MP has stated to condemn the incident and also deny Jamalo as his driver.



An aide to the Suhum Member of Parliament, Oboafo Kwadwo Asante has also been arrested and granted bail by the Police, following the melee which occurred last Saturday at a funeral held at Suhum  Urban Council.



The prime suspect, identified as Jamalo, one of the drivers of the MP, who allegedly slashed a cutlass on the forehead on the NPP Lower West Akyem Communications Officer, Bernard Kwesi Amoani is currently on run as the Police has declared him wanted.



The Police have confirmed the incident and said they were investigating the matter, adding that they are keeping the machete as an exhibit.



But the communicators say the authorities should force the MP Hon. Kwadjo Asante who is also complicit, be coerced to produce his driver, who is alleged to have committed the heinous act.



They also called on the leadership of Parliament to dragged Kwadjo Asante before the Privileges Committee of Parliament to explain why he couldnt show leadership by allowing such a barbaric act to take place in his presence.



Below is the full statement:



We the undersigned write with a heavy heart about the recent shameful and unfortunate incident that took place over the weekend (28/08/21) in Suhum at the funeral of one Opanyin Kwame Boadu Atiamo aka Papa Sunkwa, the father of Daniel Opare, a member of the Eastern Regional Grassroots Communicators.



Suhum Member of Parliament Hon. Kwadjo Asante and his driver Jamalo must be answerable to the law.



We firmly believe it is a matter that must be urgently looked at by all relevant and mandated bodies.



We the members of the aforementioned group solely went to the funeral to commiserate with one of our own.



Most of the members including the gravely affected victim of the unfortunate incident are not constituents of Suhum.



The victim who suffered a slash on the forehead is a constituent of Lower West Akim (Asamankese).



It is evident in the available videos that nobody carried any offensive weapon or poses a threat until the MP Hon. Kwadjo Asantes driver reached for a weapon to inflict a deep cut on the forehead of one of our members.



He could have killed him just like that!



We are by this petition seriously making the following demands that:



1. The matter is thoroughly investigated to its logical conclusion and the perpetrators be made to face the full rigors of the law without fear or favor.



2. The MP Hon. Kwadjo Asante who is also complicit, be coerced to produce his driver, who is alleged to have committed the heinous act.



3. The MP Hon. Kwadjo Asante be dragged before the Privileges Committee of Parliament to explain why he couldnt show leadership by allowing such a barbaric act to take place in his presence. We hope and pray for swift action.



SIGNED



1. Sammy Boakye  0246703936/0506409006



2. Kwasi Amoani (Amoani Fita)  0243011245



3. Isaac Opare Boadu  0244069050



4. Jones Agyei Twum Barimah(Joe Pasaasa)- 0244185353



5. Alexander Odei(Big deal)  0545922497



6. Samuel Odei Agyei(Obama)  0244972058



7. Bright Awuku (Ofie)  0547176612



8. Nixon Otu(Lawyer Nick)  0244509995



9. Agnes Odum(Asor)  0248464596



10.Barikisu Sulemana  0545710434



11.Samuel Ayim Gyasi(Ben)  0247671715



12.Apemasu Samuel (Cash)  0245840839



13.Prince Owusu(Taxi Driver)  0247719661



14.Osae Kwasi Okyere (Fa Adwenpa sie)  0246272597



15.Richard Ofosu (Papa Razy)  0541909384



16.Isaac Kwaku Boakye(Nana B)  0543762552



17.Yeboah Thompson (No Food)  0547455766



18.Agyemang Boateng  0544838187



19.Andrews Osei(Vice Assembly Man)  0244768494



Cc:



1. Chief of Staff



2. The Speaker of parliament



3. The Majority Leader of parliament



4. National Chairman NPP.



5. National Communication Director NPP.







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.

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The United Nations has revealed that North Korea has rejected almost three million Covid-19 jabs offered to it. A spokesperson of the UN said the country had asked that the vaccines be relocated to harder hit nations in view of global vaccine shortages.



Under the Covax programme which aims to help poorer nations obtain vaccines, Chinese-made Sinovac vaccines were offered to North Korea.



But North Korea claims not to have recorded any cases of the disease recently. The country was one of the first countries to close its borders last year.



As of 19 August, North Korea had recorded no cases of Covid-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.Some 37,291 people - including health care workers and those with flu-like illnesses - had been tested and all were found to be negative, the WHO said in its weekly situation report.



This isn't the first time the country has rejected vaccines. In July, it rejected shipments of around two million doses of the AstraZeneca jab, citing concerns over potential side effects, a South-Korean think-tank associated with the country's intelligence service said.













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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General Secretary of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has described as a curtain-raiser the violent clash that happened among members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) at a funeral ground in Suhum in the Eastern Region last weekend.



According to the Chief Scribe of the NDC, the clash didn't come to him as a surprise as the ruling NPP is reaping the bad seeds they have sown in their members over the years, thinking that they are untouchable and above the laws of the country.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, General Mosquito as he is popularly called noted that the NPP have trained their members to use only violence to seek political power with the assurance that they can get away with the law.



What happened in Suhum did not come to me as a surprise because we reap whatever we sow. We have done a lot of interviews about the violent nature of the NPP where they have trained their members to use violence to wrestle power and also encourage their people to break the law and get away with it because they are NPP members," he noted.



He held the view that it is not enough for the communication machinery of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to disassociate the party from the Suhum clash and ask the police to investigate the incident as the party [NPP] is known for going behind the scene to free their members who break the law.



He insisted that the Suhum clash is a party-related issue that was exhibited at the funeral ground; thus, the clash bothers on factions in the party whose members are clashing due to internal power struggle.



He, however, was convinced that nothing good will come out of this Suhum clash as many serious crimes have been committed by party members leading to the death of innocent Ghanaians but nothing good came out after police investigations.



I have said that if you pamper your children to go wayward, they will one day rebel against you. What we are witnessing is the prelims; the main show is yet to start. It is unfolding, it has not started yet," he indicated.



Watch video below





The free-for-all fight among members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Suhum constituency left two persons injured.



The Partys Lower West Akyem Communications Officer, Bernard Kwesi Amoani, was allegedly slashed with a cutlass on his forehead by the driver of the Suhum MP.



Another victim, Alexander Odei, sustained injuries on his lips during the chaos which ensued on Saturday, August 28.



According to an eyewitness, the violent attacks happened at the funeral grounds of the late father of one of the partys communicators, known as Opare.



It was between supporters of the Member of Parliament, Kwadwo Asante, and a Presidential staffer, Frank Asiedu Bekoe, popularly known as Protozoa.



The followers of Mr Asante allegedly made slanderous statements against Protozoa, who is seeking to contest the MP in the partys next primaries.



One of the followers of the presidential staffer, popularly known as Big Deal, allegedly took a microphone at the funeral grounds to announce and place on record that they have been prevented from greeting the MP.



Infuriated by the turn of events, the supporters of the MP allegedly unleashed attacks on him, leading to the fisticuffs.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









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New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Akuapem North Constituency in the Eastern Region, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah Adjei has described as unfortunate allegations by the minority caucus in parliament that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo always travel in style.



NDCs North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has claimed President Akufo-Addo hired another luxurious aircraft on his recent foreign trips to the UK and Germany are unsubstantiated.



According to the NDC legislator, the trips on the hired jet cost the state 14,000 per hour and a cumulative 3.46 million.



Reacting to the allegation on her Facebook wall, the Deputy Trade and Industry Minister, quoted Oscar Wilde by saying The cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. This quote attributed seem to make sense, even today.



Adding that As we interrogate the cost of a project, and everything including travels, let us sometimes, assess the value and benefits derived or to be derived from same. Not every benefit can be quantified in monetary terms.



She, however, noted that the president recent trips have been more beneficial to the state.



To mention a few, the President's travels have resulted in the many opportunities including the Synohydro deal which part of the amount received is being used to construct interchanges in Tamale and Takoradi as well as the construction and asphalting of inner-city roads. Specifically, the travels and the negotiation skills of the President helped in



1. United States of America's, tech giant, Google chose Ghana in the whole of Africa to establish its AI Research and Development Centre.



2. Similarly, in April 2021, the social media network, Twitter, announced its presence in Africa with the establishment of its continental headquarters in Ghana.



3. In April 2021, Ghana was chosen as the location for Germanys West African Centre for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention. This will be one of the 8 similar centres Germany will be building all the overworld. 



4. Last amongst the many, the President, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, embarked on a trip to Germany. While in Germany, the President met with the Pfizer vaccine manufacturers in an attempt to convince them to help Ghana establish a vaccine manufacturing plant in Ghana.



On the same trip, the President used his influence to secure Ghana, 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca Vaccines. This is a shot in the arm of government as it focuses on vaccinating about 20 million Ghanaians by the end of the year.



Background



Earlier this year, Okudzeto Ablakwa stirred controversy when he alleged that President Akufo-Addo hired a private jet at the cost of 2.8 million on his travels to France, Belgium and South Africa at the expense of tax-burned Ghanaians.



He filed a question, and Parliament summoned Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, to answer questions on the cost and why Ghanas own presidential jet was not used.



The Minister justified the presidents decision to rent the aircraft, arguing that the capacity of the presidential aircraft can no longer carry the presidents entourage.



He told the House that regarding the cost incurred on the trip, the Finance Minister is best to provide those details.

Not satisfied with this answer, Mr Ablakwa filed another question to summon the Finance Minister to speak to the cost.

Ken Ofori-Atta appeared before Parliament and noted that questions on the cost and travels of the president will be best answered by the National Security Ministry.



Although the nation is yet to be provided with answers regarding the cost, the former Deputy Education Minister is making another allegation.



On Tuesday, the North Tongu lawmaker, in a post on his Facebook page, called for a national policy on presidential travels akin to what pertains in other jurisdictions.



For his recent travels to the UK on the 27th of July, 2021, to attend the Global Education Summit and last weeks state visit to Germany, he blatantly refused to travel on the presidential jet.



Instead, he opted for another top of the range VIP luxury charter jet specifically known to industry players as the Boeing 737-900ER BBJ3, he alleged.



Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Scores of residents of Elubo and other communities in the Western Region have staged a demonstration on Thursday September 2, asking President Akufo Addo to open the Elubo border.



They said the persistent closure of the border is having negative effect on their living conditions as economic activities are gradually grinding to a halt.

Ghanas land borders together with the sea and air borders were closed by an Executive Instrument on Sunday, March 22, 2020.



But goods were allowed to pass to and from trading countries.



The countrys major international airport was, however, opened to passengers on September 1, 2020 after strict Covid-19 testing measures were put in place.



According to them, there is no justification for the continuous closure of the border as COVID 19 cases in the Jomoro Municipality and for that matter the region is declining.



The residents indicate that the border town which over the years has become a major trading hub in the area has seen no activity since the closure of the border.



The residents say most of them are only able to make ends meet due to the existence of the border therefore the closure is in bad faith.



The residents walked through the principal streets of the town and ended at the border to present their petition to the MCE Enerst Kwofie.



The Municipal Chief Executive Enerst Kwofie, after receiving the petition said their grievances will be forwarded to the presidency for the needed actions to be taken.



































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Source: UTV









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Television personality, Deloris Frimpong Manso popularly known as 'Delay' has denied ever meeting Gemann after he proposed marriage to her during a radio interview.



It can be recalled that the pop star cum ex-convict during an interview with Kingdom FM expressed his desire to marry Delay.



Marrying Delay is one of the biggest plans I intend to achieve. After I lost my ex-wife, I have not married any other woman. I traveled all the way to Ghana to purposely marry Delay," he earlier stated.



But responding to the claims, Delay has described Gemann as a clout chaser.



Ive never met him before. Its called clout chasing, she said when a social media user asked her opinion on the comments expressed by Gemann.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Guinness has, in a bid to tell compelling stories of pan African creatives, partnered with Afro and hip-hop Ghanaian dancer Incredible Zigi, for a campaign themed 'Black Shines Brightest'.



Black Shines Brightest is a new Pan African campaign celebrating the iconic black liquid enjoyed all over the continent for over a century. This exciting new campaign is inspired by the bold and unique black beer of Guinness stout and brings together passionate and creative individuals to celebrate the spirit of Guinness and its home across African markets.



Incredible Zigi has been in the spotlight and worked with top-notch African musicians and record labels such as Mavin Records, P Square, Davido, Patoranking, Stonebowy, Shatta Wale, and a plethora of others.



Michael Amofa, popularly known as Incredible Zigi hails from the Eastern Region of Ghana and was born on the 17th of October. Incredible Zigi is one of the main pillars that have highly influenced the youth positively through dance.



Zigi has achieved quite a lot in his career as a dancer; He is the first Ghanaian Dance Artist to ever get featured on several articles including the famous Global Grind twice, booked in other countries such as Nigeria, Rwanda, Russia and UK respectively.



In telling the Black story, Zigi is partnering with Guinness to work with real culture makers from across the continent who demonstrate how Black Shines Brightest in a range of different ways. These individuals will create moments, events and content to be enjoyed by everyone.



Look out for more details about how you can be a part of the new Black Shines Brightest campaign and find out about Bright House Bars that are popping up in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale. Also, look out for activities on Guinness Ghana social media channels - @GuinnessGhana.



Just like Incredible Zigi, Guinness is bursting with life. It is a flavourful and bold and dynamic beer, sparkling and brimming with energy and exuberance A beer that has brought a dash of magic to millions in Africa and across the world for over 250 years with boldness and vision to live life to the full.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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" " Young girls eat apples and honey in Newton, Massachusetts for Rosh Hashanah before participating in the Jewish New Year Services with Temple Israel Boston. The Boston Globe/Getty Images

Over the next few weeks, members of the Jewish faith will observe the High Holy Days in the month of Tishrei in the Jewish calendar, usually in September and October. These holidays commemorate concepts such as renewal, forgiveness, freedom and joy.

As a scholar of the Bible and the ancient world, I am continually impressed with how the history of these festivals offers consolation and encourages people toward living well, even during a pandemic.

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What Are the High Holy Days?

Of the two main High Holy Days, also called the High Holidays, the first is Rosh Hashanah, or the New Year celebration. It is one of two new year celebrations in the Jewish faith, the other being Passover in the spring.

The second High Holiday is Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement.

In addition to the main Holy Days, there are other celebrations that occur as part of the festival season. One is Sukkot, or the Festival of the Booths, during which meals and rituals take place in a "sukkah," or a makeshift structure constructed with a tree-branch roof.

The second entails two celebrations, which in some traditions are part of the same holiday and in others occur on two separate, consecutive days: Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

Shemini Atzeret is Hebrew for "eighth (day of) assembly," counting eight days from Sukkot. Simchat Torah is Hebrew for "joy/rejoicing of the Torah"  the Torah being the first five books of the Bible, from Genesis to Deuteronomy, believed to have been revealed to Moses.

Of particular interest for the High Holy Days in 2021 is that Rosh Hashanah also begins a yearlong observance known as the "Shmita."

Commemorated once every seven years, the term comes from a Hebrew phrase that appears in the Bible in a number of passages. Some of these passages command that the farmer "drops" or "releases" his crops. Another verse associates the act with the forgiveness of debts. In another passage in the Bible, the Shmita is connected with the reading of God's revelation in the law.

The exact nature of the action denoted by Shmita is debated, but the idea is that some portion of the food is left behind for the poor and hungry in society.

In this manner, the beginning of the High Holy Days in 2021 is a reminder to care for those who have been struggling.

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Why Celebrate These Festivals?

The origins and reasons for the High Holy Days are in some fashion encoded in the Bible and in the agrarian and religious culture that produced it. The millennia of Jewish tradition between the Bible and the present has informed many of the celebrations as well, in ways that go beyond the biblical texts.

The first holiday, Rosh Hashanah, celebrates renewal. It involves the blowing of the shofar horn, itself connected to the ram sacrificed instead of Abraham's son, as God had commanded Abraham to do. Important activities include attending synagogue to hear the shofar, as well as eating apple slices with honey, the former representing hopes for fruitfulness and the honey symbolizing the desire for a sweet year.

" " The origins of the High Holidays are encoded in biblical texts. Valentyn Semenov/EyeEm via Getty images

It also often involves a ritual of throwing bread onto running water, called a tashlich, symbolizing the removal of sins from people.

Rosh Hashanah is believed to mark the date of the creation of the world, and it begins the "Days of Awe," a 10-day period culminating in Yom Kippur.

The term "Days of Awe" itself is a more literal translation of the Hebrew phrasing used for the High Holy Days.

Concepts of repentance and forgiveness are particularly highlighted in Yom Kippur. Its origins are found in the Hebrew Bible, where it describes the one day a year in which premeditated, intentional sins, such as willfully violating divine commands and prohibitions, were forgiven.

Intentional sins were envisioned as generating impurity in the heart of the temple in Jerusalem, where God was thought to live. Impurity from intentional sins was believed by Israelites to be a threat to this divine presence since God might choose to leave the temple.

The biblical description of Yom Kippur involved a series of sacrifices and rituals designed to remove sin from the people. For example, one goat was thought to bear the sins of the Israelites and was sent off to the wilderness, where it was consumed by Azazel, a mysterious, perhaps demonic force. Azazel consumed the goat and the sins that it carried. The term "scapegoat" in English derives from this act.

Yom Kippur is both the holiest day of the Jewish calendar and also one of the most somber, as the time for repentance includes fasting and prayer.

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Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

The Festival of Sukkot likely began as an agricultural celebration, and the booths were shelters in which farmers stayed during the collection of grain, which was to be processed for the year.

Vestiges of this agricultural commemoration appear in certain passages in the Bible, one of which indicates that the festival is to last seven days to mark the time period in which Israelites dwelt in booths, or makeshift dwellings with branches, when leaving Egypt.

This feast was known as zeman simchatenu, or "the time of our rejoicing," hearkening to the themes of gratitude, freedom from Egypt and the reading of God's revelation as found in the Torah to all Israel.

" " Jews attend a live concert after the end of the Sabbath prior to the annual Rosh Hashanah celebration in Uman, Ukraine. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Such a time of rejoicing contrasts with the somber repentance and fasting that feature in Yom Kippur. So vital was the Festival of Booths that it is also known as simply "the chag," or "the feast," a word related to the more familiar hajj pilgrimage in Islam.

This period of seven days ends with Shemini Atzeret on the eighth day, both a connected celebration capping off Sukkot and a festival in its own right.

The annual reading of the Torah ends with the final text of Deuteronomy. The beginning of the next annual reading cycle, starting with the first book Genesis, is also celebrated. This act of beginning a new year of reading the Bible is commemorated in the festival called Simchat Torah.

The observance of Simchat Torah was a later innovation, described already in the fifth century or so but not formalized or identified by this name until the medieval period.

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Why Do They Matter?

Religious calendars and festivals can force people to encounter certain ideas in the year. For example, they can enable them to face the more difficult dynamics of life like repentance and forgiveness, providing avenues to reflect on the events of the past year and to find courage to live differently in the next year where needed.

In this manner, structuring the celebration of the new year around remembrances of a variety of human experiences, both sorrow and joy, entails a profound recognition of the complexity of relationships and experiences in life.

In particular, the High Holy Days  as illustrated in the renewal of Rosh Hashanah, the somber reflection of Yom Kippur  as well as the joyous celebrations in Sukkot and Simchat Torah, offer a means to remember that time is itself healing and restorative.

As such, the High Holy Days and the holiday season in Tishrei help to mark the year in meaningful ways and to highlight our moral responsibility toward one another.

Samuel L. Boyd is assistant professor of religious studies and Jewish studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can find the original article here.
A Hong Kong student faces up to seven years behind bars after being found guilty of rioting and attempted possession of firearms on Thursday for snatching a police officers shotgun during a protest two years ago.

Chan Chun-hin, 18, faces a likely jail sentence following the District Court ruling, as the judge found the lesser punishment of correctional training inappropriate given the serious nature of the offences.

The judge remanded the student in custody and called for a background report to determine whether further assessment was necessary before sentencing.

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Masked protesters assemble at Landmark North shopping centre in Sheung Shui in December 2019 to show their discontent with parallel traders and shoppers from mainland China. Photo: Winson Wong

Chan faced four charges in connection with the disturbance at the Landmark North shopping centre in Sheung Shui on December 28, 2019, when protesters assembled to show their discontent with mainland Chinese parallel traders and shoppers in the district.

At last months trial, he pleaded guilty to two counts of resisting a police officer, but maintained his innocence on the charges of rioting, assaulting an officer and attempted possession of firearms without a licence.

The court heard Chan had joined a crowd of about 50 people who chanted slogans and obstructed a footbridge leading to the shopping centre that evening. Some protesters later surrounded a man who took a video of the gathering, snatching his mobile phone and beating him on the ground.

Riot police stand guard on the footbridge outside Landmark North shopping centre in Sheung Shui. Photo: Sam Tsang

The student was said to have taken part in a riot by choking the man and covering his accomplices assault with an umbrella.

Two police officers who rushed to the scene nearly captured Chan at the entrance of the mall, but the accused allegedly pushed them away and ran into the building.

Police later found Chan hiding in a jewellery store and tried to apprehend him, but the student put up a violent struggle and charged at one of the officers in a bid to seize his Remington shotgun, the court was told. Officers subdued the defendant by hitting him with a baton and a police shield, and firing pepper spray at him.

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Chans lawyers did not dispute the occurrence of a riot, but contended the video evidence was not clear enough to show their client was a participant.

But after repeatedly viewing the relevant footage, judge Frankie Yiu Fun-che pointed to the unique colour strips of Chans sports shoes in ruling he was indeed the one who attacked the victim and offered help to other assailants.

In relation to the firearms allegation, Chans counsel submitted that he had been in a confused state of mind when he accidentally grabbed the officers weapon because he was hit in the head with a police baton. The move could also have been a reflex action to maintain balance during the chaos, the lawyers added.

Yiu disagreed, saying Chan had held the shotgun for 10 seconds, long enough for him to realise what he was doing.

The defendant had also placed his finger on the shotguns trigger and even pulled it three times  although no shot was fired as the safety lock was engaged and no cartridge was in the chamber at the time  which was clear evidence he had attempted to seize the weapon.

The judge cleared Chan of assaulting a police officer, citing a lack of evidence.

He will return to court on September 23.

Rioting and attempted possession of firearms without a licence are punishable by seven years in jail when the case is tried in the District Court.

This article Hong Kong student who snatched police officers shotgun found guilty of rioting, faces up to 7 years in jail first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
Multi-spectrally imaging the fragments at Bristol Central Library with Team Pigment. Credit: Professor Leah Tether

Medieval manuscript fragments discovered in Bristol that tell part of the story of Merlin the magician, one of the most famous characters from Arthurian legend, have been identified by academics from the Universities of Bristol and Durham as some of the earliest surviving examples of that section of the narrative.

The analysis also uncovered how the hand-written documents ended up in Bristol, differences in the text from previous versions of the story and by using multi-spectral imaging technology, the researchers were able to read damaged sections of the text unseen by the naked eye and could even identify the type of ink that was used.

The seven parchment fragments were spotted by chance in early 2019 by Michael Richardson from the University of Bristol's Special Collections Library. They were pasted into the bindings of four early-modern volumes, published between 1494-1502 and held in Bristol Central Library's rare books collection.

The fragments contain a passage from the Old French sequence of texts known as the Vulgate Cycle or Lancelot-Grail Cycle, which dates to the early 13th century. Parts of this Cycle may have been used by Sir Thomas Malory (1415-1471) as a source for his Le Morte Darthur (first printed in 1485 by William Caxton) which is itself the main source text for many modern retellings of the Arthurian legend in English.

The find attracted significant media attention, with the Bristol Merlin, as it quickly became known, making headlines across the world.

After the discovery Professor Leah Tether, President of the International Arthurian Society (British Branch) from Bristol's Department of English, her husband, medieval historian and manuscript specialist Dr. Benjamin Pohl from the University's Department of History and Dr. Laura Chuhan Campbell, a specialist in the Old French Merlin stories from Durham University, set out to examine and analyse the fragments in detail to discover more about them.

Their collaborative research and findings, which include a full transcription and translation into English of the text, have been brought together in a new book called The Bristol Merlin: Revealing the Secrets of a Medieval Fragment, recently published by ARC Humanities Press with full-page colour images of the fragments captured by award-winning Bristol-based photographer, Don Hooper.

Professor Tether said: "We were able to date the manuscript from which the fragments were taken to 1250-1275 through a palaeographic (handwriting) analysis, and located it to northern, possibly north-eastern, France through a linguistic study.

"The text itself (the Suite Vulgate du Merlin) was written in about 1220-1225, so this puts the Bristol manuscript within a generation of the narrative's original authorship.

"We were also able to place the manuscript in England as early as 1300-1350 thanks to an annotation in a marginagain, we were able to date the handwriting, and identify it as an English hand.

"Most manuscripts of the text known to have been in England in the Middle Ages were composed after 1275, so this is an especially early example, both of Suite Vulgate manuscripts in general anywhere, but especially of ones known to have found their way to England from France in the Middle Ages.

A close-up of one of the fragments showing damage to the text and an inscription in the host volume. Credit: Don Hooper

"Working with Professor Andy Beeby of Durham University's Department of Chemistry was also a game changer for our project thanks to the mobile Raman spectrometer developed by him and his team, Team Pigment, especially for manuscript study. We captured images of damaged sections and, through digital processing, could read some parts of the text more clearly.

"This process also helped us to establish, since the text appeared dark under infra-red light, that the two scribes had in fact used a carbon-based inkmade from soot and called 'lampblack' - rather than the more common 'iron-gall ink', made from gallnuts, which would appear light under infra-red illumination. The reason for the scribes' ink choice may have to do with what particular ink-making materials were available near their workshop."

In addition to uncovering detail on the age of the manuscript, the team was also able to piece together how the fragments ended up in the books and how the books themselves found their way to Bristol.

Based on the bindings of the books in which the fragments are now bound as pastedowns (a four-volume copy of the works of the French philosopher Jean Gerson, printed 1494-1502), the team was able to deduce that the fragments, and the manuscript from which they came, had become 'waste' in either Oxford or Cambridge, and were then recycled, for their parchment, rather than their content, as binding materials in the books in which we now find themthis probably happened prior to 1520.

The reason for the manuscript becoming waste is unknown, but may have to do with newer, English versions of the Arthurian legend becoming available in the new medium of print (like Malory's Le Morte Darthur).

Based on the known provenance of other books in the Bristol collection, the likely route to Bristol for the books was via Tobias Matthew, Archbishop of York (1606-28).

Prior to that role, Matthew had been Dean and Bishop of Durham and collected many books formerly belonging to the monks, a lot of which had bindings from Oxford in particular, because many of the Durham monks studied at Durham College, Oxford (now Trinity College).

Matthew, who was born in Bristol, would later, in 1613, co-found the Bristol Public Library, and he donated a large number of his books to the library's foundationsome of which arrived posthumously. The books containing the Merlin fragments were very likely among his bequest.

In addition, the team found that the Bristol fragments contain evidence of subtle, but significant, differences from the narrative of the stories found in modern editions.

There were longer, more detailed descriptions of the actions of various characters in certain sectionsparticularly in relation to battle action. One example of this is where Merlin gives instructions for who will lead each of the four divisions of Arthur's forces, the characters responsible for each division are different from the better-known version of the narrative.

Sometimes only small details were changedfor example, King Claudas is wounded through the thighs in the version found in modern editions, where in the fragments the nature of the wound is left unsaid, which may lead to different interpretations of the text owing to thigh wounds often being used as metaphors for impotence or castration.

A close-up of the text showing both scribes' hands. Credit: Don Hooper

Another example is a slightly toned-down account, compared to other versions, of Merlin's sexual encounter with the enchantress Viviane, better known to Malory readers as the Lady of the Lake.

The seven leaves themselves represent a continuous sequence of the Vulgate Merlin narrative (though they were bound 'out of chronological order') - specifically a passage from the section known as the Suite Vulgate du Merlin (Vulgate Continuation of Merlin).

Events begin with Arthur, Merlin, Gawain and assorted other knights, including King Ban and King Bohors preparing for battle at Trebes against King Claudas and his followers.

Merlin has been strategising the best plan of attack. There follows a long description of the battle. At one point, Arthur's forces look beleaguered but a speech from Merlin urging them to avoid cowardice leads them to fight again, and Merlin leads the charge using Sir Kay's special dragon standard that Merlin had gifted to Arthur, which breathes real fire.

In the end, Arthur's forces are triumphant. Kings Arthur, Ban and Bohors, and the other knights, are accommodated in the Castle of Trebes.

That night Ban and his wife, Queen Elaine, conceive a child. Elaine then has a strange dream about a lion and a leopard, the latter of which seems to prefigure Elaine's yet-to-be-born son. Ban also has a terrifying dream in which he hears a voice. He wakes up and goes to church.

We are told that during Arthur's stay in the kingdom of Benoic for the next month, Ban and Bohors are able to continue to fight and defeat Claudas, but after Arthur leaves to look after matters in his own lands, Claudas is once again triumphant.

The narrative then moves to Merlin's partial explanation of the dreams of Ban and Elaine. Afterwards, Merlin meets Viviane who wishes to know how to put people to sleep (she wishes to do this to her parents). Merlin stays with Viviane for a week, apparently falling in love with her, but resists sleeping with her. Merlin then returns to Benoic to re-join Arthur and his companions.

Professor Tether added: "Besides the exciting conclusions, one thing that undertaking this study, edition, and translation of the Bristol Merlin has revealed is the immeasurable value of interdisciplinary and trans-institutional collaboration, which in our case has forged a holistic, comprehensive model for studying medieval manuscript fragments that we hope will inform and encourage future work in the field.

"It has also shown us the very great potential of local manuscript and rare book collections in Bristol, particularly in the Central Library where there are many more unidentified manuscript fragments awaiting discovery."

Explore further Merlin Labs develops autonomous 55-craft King Air fleet

More information: 'The Bristol Merlin: Revealing the Secrets of a Medieval Fragment' by L. Tether, L. Chuhan Campbell and B. Pohl published by ARC Humanities Press
A firefighter lights a backfire to stop the Caldor Fire from spreading near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Better weather on Thursday helped the battle against a huge California forest fire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe, but commanders warned firefighters to be prepared for dangers that still pose a risk.

Strong winds that drove the Caldor Fire east through high elevations of the Sierra Nevada for days faded after forcing thousands of people to flee. But very localized gusts were likely and the forest remained extremely dry even though humidity levels improved slightly in the fire zone, officials said at a briefing.

"We lost the winds aloft," fire incident meteorologist Jim Dudley said. "It's a good day today to not have gusty winds up on the ridges. What we are going to have are terrain-driven winds" that happen as the sun heats the ground.

The Caldor Fire spanned more than 328 square miles (849 square kilometers) and was 25% contained early Thursday. Its northeast tip was just south of the city of South Lake Tahoe and nearing the California state line with Nevada, where a casino and hotel district sits near the shoreline and housing developments extend into the forest.

Fire crews from around the country were joining the fight against the fire, which broke out on Aug. 14.

As of Thursday, officials reported that 622 homes, 12 commercial properties and 177 minor structures were destroyedbut the tally is incomplete because many areas that burned are not safe for counts to be conducted.

Smoke from the Cador Fire fills the air around a property destroyed in the fire in Twin Bridges, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Better weather on Thursday helped the battle against a huge California forest fire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe, but commanders warned firefighters to keep their guard up against continuing dangers. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable, scientists have said.

The Caldor Fire, named after the road where it started, threatened at least 33,000 more homes and structures. On Wednesday, firefighters were ferried by boat to protect cabins at Echo Lake, a few miles south of Tahoe.

Heavenly Mountain Resort, the Lake Tahoe region's largest ski area, was being used as a staging area by firefighters. The resort also brought out its big gunssnow-making devices that were being used to hose down buildings.

One spur of the fire was about 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of the South Lake Tahoe, which normally has a population of more than 20,000 but is largely evacuated, and was heading northeast toward the California-Nevada state line, authorities said.

Firefighters take a break while setting a backfire to prevent the Caldor Fire from spreading near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Crews worked to keep flames away from the area's urban communities, where houses sit close tog each other and shopping centers, hotels and other structures could provide even more fuel for the fire.

Thick smoke has enveloped South Lake Tahoe, which normally be swarming with tourists enjoying the end of summer and the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

After casinos and stores closed on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe on Wednesday morning, evacuation holdouts who didn't have cars lined up outside the Montbleu resort and casino in Stateline, waiting for a bus to take them to Reno.

Kevin O'Connell, a disabled plumber and South Lake Tahoe resident wearing ski goggles to protect his eyes from blowing ash, had planned on staying and riding out the evacuation order in Stateline but found out that stores had closed.

A helicopter carrying water is dwarfed by a huge plume of smoke generated by the Caldor Fire in Eldorado National Forest, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

"I called 911 and told them I need to get out of hereI have no food, no cigarettes and I'm disabled. And within a couple hours, the police came and picked me up in my apartment and brought me here," he said.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued a federal emergency declaration and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local resources for firefighting efforts and relief for residents in four counties affected by the fire.

More than 15,000 firefighters, with help from out-of-state crews, were battling dozens of California blazes, including another monstrous blaze in the same area.

Maj. Gen. David Baldwin, adjutant general of California, said the state has also deployed more than 1,000 National Guard soldiers, airmen and sailors and that 10 other states have sent around 1,250 additional Guard members.

The Caldor Fire burns near homes near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Huge plumes of smoke generated by the Caldor Fire are seen from Kirkwood, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

A chimney stands at a home destroyed by the Caldor Fire along Highway 50 in Eldorado National Forest, Calif. on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

A helicopter flies over Wrights Lake while battling the Caldor Fire in Eldorado National Forest, Calif. on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

While cutting a fuel break to control the Caldor Fire near Wrights Lake, tree faller George Orea examines a blade in Eldorado National Forest, Calif. on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

Firefighters put out hot spots near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Authorities are reporting progress in the battle to save communities on the south end of Lake Tahoe from a huge forest fire. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

A tanker flies over Wrights Lake while battling the Caldor Fire in Eldorado National Forest, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

A firefighter lights a backfire to stop the Caldor Fire from spreading near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

A cabin partially covered in fire-resistant material stands behind a property destroyed in the Caldor Fire in Twin Bridges, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Better weather on Thursday helped the battle against a huge California forest fire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe, but commanders warned firefighters to keep their guard up against continuing dangers. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

A cabin partially covered in fire-resistant material stands behind a property destroyed in the Caldor Fire in Twin Bridges, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Better weather on Thursday helped the battle against a huge California forest fire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe, but commanders warned firefighters to keep their guard up against continuing dangers. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

A cabin partially covered in fire-resistant material stands next to properties destroyed in the Caldor Fire in Twin Bridges, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Better weather on Thursday helped the battle against a huge California forest fire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe, but commanders warned firefighters to keep their guard up against continuing dangers. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

A cabin partially covered in fire-resistant material stands with no visible damage in a neighborhood where most properties were destroyed by the Caldor Fire in Twin Bridges, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Better weather on Thursday helped the battle against a huge California forest fire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe, but commanders warned firefighters to keep their guard up against continuing dangers. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

A cabin partially covered in fire-resistant material stands next to properties destroyed in the Caldor Fire in Twin Bridges, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Better weather on Thursday helped the battle against a huge California forest fire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe, but commanders warned firefighters to keep their guard up against continuing dangers. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Many of the guard units are providing air support, including 23 aircraft, some equipped with water buckets and others with systems that can drop fire retardant.

About 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of the Lake Tahoe-area blaze, the Dixie Fire is the second-largest wildfire in state history at about 1,343 square miles (3,478 square kilometers).

The weeks-old fire was 55% contained and as of Thursday, officials said it had destroyed 688 homes, eight multi-unit residences, 139 commercial properties and hundreds of minor structures.

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.
Comparisons of dachshunds with and without signs of heart disease were used to help identify mutations that potentially predispose cavalier King Charles spaniels to develop MMVD. Credit: Mans Engelbrektsson, Swedish Kennel Club, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Recent dog breeding practices have loaded up cavalier King Charles spaniels with disease-causing mutations, including variants linked to the common heart condition, myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Erik Axelsson of Uppsala University and colleagues published these new findings September 2nd in the journal PLOS Genetics.

The past 300 years of dog breeding have created an incredible diversity of breeds with various sizes, shapes, and abilities. Unfortunately, this process has also caused many breeds to become more inbred and more likely to inherit genetic diseases. The study's researchers wanted to know whether recent breeding practices had increased the number of disease-causing variants in dogs. They sequenced entire genomes from 20 dogs from eight common breeds, such as beagles, German shepherds, and golden retrievers. They found that the cavalier King Charles spaniel, which experienced the most intense breeding, carried more harmful genetic variants than the other breeds they examined.

The researchers also looked for genetic variants in the cavalier King Charles spaniel genomes linked to MMVD. In this condition, the mitral valve in the heart degenerates, allowing blood to leak from the left ventricle back into the left atrium. They identified two genetic variants linked to the disease, which appear to regulate a gene that codes for a common protein in heart muscle. The findings offer a potential explanation for why the cavalier King Charles spaniel is predisposed to develop the disease.

The especially large number of potentially harmful genes in the genomes of cavalier King Charles spaniels, compared to other dogs, likely resulted from its breeding history. Records suggest that small spaniel-type dogs have existed for at least 1,000 years and were popular at royal courts for several hundred years throughout Asia and Europe, including at the court of King Charles II (1630-1685). These spaniels experienced several "bottlenecks" where only a small percentage of the population passed on their genes to the next generation. The bottlenecks may have made the harmful genes more common in the cavalier King Charles spaniel genome before the dog achieved recognition as a breed in 1945.

Axelsson adds, "We find that recent breeding may have led to an accelerated accumulation of harmful mutations in certain dog breeds. In the Cavalier King Charles spaniel specifically, one or several of these mutations affect heart muscle protein NEBL and may predispose this breed to devastating heart disease."

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More information: Axelsson E, Ljungvall I, Bhoumik P, Conn LB, Muren E, Ohlsson A, et al. (2021) The genetic consequences of dog breed formationAccumulation of deleterious genetic variation and fixation of mutations associated with myxomatous mitral valve disease in cavalier King Charles spaniels. PLoS Genet 17(9): e1009726. Journal information: PLoS Genetics Axelsson E, Ljungvall I, Bhoumik P, Conn LB, Muren E, Ohlsson A, et al. (2021) The genetic consequences of dog breed formationAccumulation of deleterious genetic variation and fixation of mutations associated with myxomatous mitral valve disease in cavalier King Charles spaniels.17(9): e1009726. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009726
Illustration of a metasurface generating pairs of photons (shown as spheres). The photon entanglement can be varied by changing the pump beam (shown in red). Credit: Andrei Komar and Matthew Parry.

Quantum nanophotonics is an active research field with emerging applications that range from quantum computing to imaging and telecommunications. This has motivated scientists and engineers to develop sources for entangled photons that can be integrated into nano-scale photonic circuits. Practical application of nanoscale devices requires a high photon-pair generation rate, room-temperature operation, and entangled photons emitted at telecommunications wavelengths in a directional manner.

The most common way to create entangled photons is by a process known as Spontaneous Parametric Down Conversion (SPDC) which involves a single photon being split into two entangled photons of lower frequencies, known as the signal and idler. Conventional approaches for SPDC rely on bulky devices that are up to several centimeters in length and are not optimal for photonic circuit integration. Conversely, at the nanoscale, the efficiency of the SPDC process is hindered by the small volume of the resonators, and the directionality of the emitted photons is challenging to control.

Dielectric metasurfaces offer a promising route to enhance and tailor SPDC photon emission. To date, however, metasurfaces have used relatively low quality-factor Mie resonances and have an accordingly broad emission spectrum, which restricts the spectral brightness of photons. New research reveals that extended Bound States in the Continuum (BIC) resonances make it possible to harness modes in the metasurface that have very high quality factors. This in turn means that the photon-pair generation inside the resonators is enhanced by many orders of magnitude and the wavelength of the photons will have a very narrow bandwidth. This results in a very high spectral brightness, which is beneficial for quantum network applications.

Entangled photon-pair generation by the metasurface. (a) Because the metasurface lacks 90o rotation symmetry and the two BICs have opposite dispersion, the transverse phase matching is a hyperbolic paraboloid. (b) The angular distribution of the photon pairs is determined by the transverse phase matching condition, shown as a white dotted line. (c) The polarization entanglement can be tuned from none (Schmidt number of 1) to full (Schmidt number of 2) by varying the pump polarization. Credit: Parry et al., doi 10.1117/1.AP.3.5.055001.

As reported in Advanced Photonics, an international team of researchers from the Australian National University (Matthew Parry, Dragomir N. Neshev, and Andrey A. Sukhorukov), Politecnico di Milano (Andrea Mazzanti and Giuseppe Della Valle) and ITMO University of St. Petersburg (Alexander Poddubny) recently demonstrated enhanced generation of nondegenerate photon pairs in nonlinear metasurfaces. In a series of comprehensive simulations, they used separate BICs at slightly different wavelengths for the signal and idler photons in SPDC, which enabled them to enhance the brightness of entangled photons by five orders of magnitude over that of an unpatterned thin film of nonlinear material. They attribute this enhancement largely to the novel phenomenon of hyperbolic transverse phase matching, which facilitates efficient photon generation across a broad range of photon momentums.

Not only does their proposed method enable the generation of photon pairs that are quantum-entangled, but by simply changing the linear polarization of the pump laser it is possible to tune the polarization entanglement of the photons from full to none. This is an easily implemented way to control the entanglement, so that it meets the requirements of prospective applications. The proposed platform is also highly configurable with respect to both the wavelength of the signal and idler photons as well as the BICs used, which opens up the potential for engineering the direction in which photons are emitted.

The researchers, whose work is supported by the Australian Research Council and by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 program, say that their advance is an important step towards miniaturized quantum devices for everyday applications.

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More information: Matthew Parry et al, Enhanced generation of nondegenerate photon pairs in nonlinear metasurfaces, Advanced Photonics (2021). Matthew Parry et al, Enhanced generation of nondegenerate photon pairs in nonlinear metasurfaces,(2021). DOI: 10.1117/1.AP.3.5.055001
The illustration above shows the core features of the Poverty Point site in northern Louisiana. The green to the right is the Mississippi River flood plain. The orange is Macon Ridge, the higher ground on which the site is located. Six C-shaped ridges are visible at the site. Parts of the ridges have been damaged by historic and modern activities. The pattern south of Mound E is the result of farm activity. Many of the low areas around the site  lighter yellow  are thought to be places where soil was mined to make ridges and mounds.1 of 3The illustration above shows the core features of the Poverty Point site in northern Louisiana. The green to the right is the Mississippi River flood plain. The orange is Macon Ridge, the higher ground on which the site is located. Six C-shaped ridges are visible at the site. Parts of the ridges have been damaged by historic and modern activities. The pattern south of Mound E is the result of farm activity. Many of the low areas around the site  lighter yellow  are thought to be places where soil was mined to make ridges and mounds. Credit: T.R. Kidder

The Native Americans who occupied the area known as Poverty Point in northern Louisiana more than 3,000 years ago long have been believed to be simple hunters and gatherers. But new Washington University in St. Louis archaeological findings paint a drastically different picture of America's first civilization.

Far from the simplicity of life sometimes portrayed in anthropology books, these early Indigenous people were highly skilled engineers capable of building massive earthen structures in a matter of monthspossibly even weeksthat withstood the test of times, the findings show.

"We as a research communityand population as a wholehave undervalued native people and their ability to do this work and to do it quickly in the ways they did," said Tristram R. "T.R." Kidder, lead author and the Edward S. and Tedi Macias Professor of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences.

"One of the most remarkable things is that these earthworks have held together for more than 3,000 years with no failure or major erosion. By comparison, modern bridges, highways and dams fail with amazing regularity because building things out of dirt is more complicated than you would think. They really were incredible engineers with very sophisticated technical knowledge."

The findings were published in Southeastern Archaeology on September, 1, 2021. Washington University's Kai Su, Seth B. Grooms, along with graduates Edward R. Henry (Colorado State) and Kelly Ervin (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service) also contributed to the paper.

The Poverty Point World Heritage site consists of a massive 72-foot-tall earthen mound and concentric half circle ridges. The structures were constructed by hunter-gatherers approximately 3,400 years ago from nearly 2 million cubic yards of soil. Amazingly, this was done without the luxury of modern tools, domesticated animals or even wheeled carts.

An excavation before sampling. Note the color changes between layers. The darker layers have carbon-rich deposits made by humans, such as midden or garbage that was scraped up and dumped to form the ridge structure during construction. There is little organic garbage in the upper third section. Credit: T.R. Kidder

According to Kidder, the site was likely an important religious site where Native Americans came in pilgrimage, similar to Mecca. It was abandoned abruptly between 2,000-2,200 years agomost likely due to documented flooding in the Mississippi Valley and climate change.

The ridges at Poverty Point contain vast amounts of artifacts around the edges and within, suggesting that people lived there. Kidder and team re-excavated and re-evaluated a site on Ridge West 3 at the Poverty Point Site that was originally excavated by renowned archaeologist Jon Gibson in 1991.

Using modern research methods including radiocarbon dating, microscopic analysis of soils and magnetic measurements of soils, the research provides conclusive evidence that the earthworks were built rapidly. Essentially, there is no evidence of boundaries or signs of weathering between the various levels, which would have occurred if there was even a brief pause in construction. Kidder believes the construction was completed in lifts, or layers of sediment deposited to increase the ridge height and linear dimensions before another layer was placed to expand the footprint vertically and horizontally.

Why does that matter? According to Kidder, the findings challenge previous beliefs about how pre-modern hunters and gatherers behaved. Building the enormous mounds and ridges at Poverty Point would have required a large labor pool that was well organized and would have required leadership to execute. Hunters and gathers were believed to shun politics.

"Between the speed of the excavation and construction, and the quantity of earth being moved, these data show us native people coming to the site and working in concert. This in and of itself is remarkable because hunter-gatherers aren't supposed to be able to do these activities," Kidder said.

What's even more impressive than how quickly the people built the earthen structures is the fact that they're still intact. Due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, this area receives immense amounts of rain that makes earthworks especially prone to erosion. Microscopic analysis of soils shows that the Native Americans mixed different types of soilclays, silts and sandin a calculated recipe to make the structures stronger.

"Similar to the Roman concrete or rammed earth in China, Native Americans discovered sophisticated ways of mixing different types of materials to make them virtually indestructible, despite not being compacted. There's some magic there that our modern engineers have not been able to figure out yet," Kidder said.

More information: Tristram R. Kidder et al, Multi-method geoarchaeological analyses demonstrates exceptionally rapid construction of Ridge West 3 at Poverty Point, Southeastern Archaeology (2021). Tristram R. Kidder et al, Multi-method geoarchaeological analyses demonstrates exceptionally rapid construction of Ridge West 3 at Poverty Point,(2021). DOI: 10.1080/0734578X.2021.1958445
The vessel went on to reach 85 kilometers (52 miles) in altitudeabove the US definition of spaceand landed safely, but data retrieved from FlightRadar24 showed it had flown outside its designated path.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday said it was grounding space flights by Virgin Galactic while it investigates why the company's July mission carrying Richard Branson deviated from its planned trajectory.

The move represents a blow to the space tourism firm as it prepares to carry paying customers following its first fully-crewed test flight.

"The FAA is overseeing the Virgin Galactic investigation of its July 11 SpaceShipTwo mishap that occurred over Spaceport America, New Mexico," the agency said in a short statement.

"Virgin Galactic may not return the SpaceShipTwo vehicle to flight until the FAA approves the final mishap investigation report or determines the issues related to the mishap do not affect public safety," it added.

The company responded with a statement saying: "We take this seriously and are currently addressing the causes of the issue and determining how to prevent this from occurring on future missions."

It added it was working closely with the FAA "to support a thorough review and timely resolution of this issue."

The FAA's decision came after a report by the New Yorker said the flight experienced cockpit warnings about its rocket-powered ascent that could have jeopardized the mission.

The article, by investigative journalist Nicholas Schmidle, said the pilots encountered first a yellow then a red light, indicating the spaceplane's climb was too shallow and the nose was insufficiently vertical.

Without corrective action, the vessel would not have had enough energy to glide back to its runway.

"According to multiple sources in the company, the safest way to respond to the warning would have been to abort," Schmidle wrotethough Virgin has disputed this.

Aborting would have dashed flamboyant billionaire Branson's hopes of beating rival Jeff Bezos, whose own flight to space was scheduled a few days later.

The pilots did not abort and instead attempted to correct for the trajectory problem, now flying at Mach 3 with a red light on.

The vessel went on to reach 85 kilometers (52 miles) in altitudeabove the US definition of spaceand landed safely, though publicly available data showed it had flown outside its designated path.

Sir Richard Branson speaks after he flew into space aboard the Virgin Galactic vessel.

'Billionaire bankroller'

"Whether or not (the pilots') decision was motivated by programmatic pressures and the hopes of their billionaire bankroller sitting in the back remains unclear," wrote Schmidle.

Virgin Galactic told AFP it disputed the "misleading characterizations and conclusions in the New Yorker article."

"When the vehicle encountered high altitude winds which changed the trajectory, the pilots and systems monitored the trajectory to ensure it remained within mission parameters," it said in a statement.

"Our pilots responded appropriately to these changing flight conditions exactly as they have been trained and in strict accordance with our established procedures."

The company acknowledged the flight had "dropped below its permitted altitude" for one minute and 43 seconds, but stressed: "At no time did the ship travel above any population centers or cause a hazard to the public."

Virgin Galactic has had close calls and accidents in the pastmost notably in 2014 when a crash killed one pilot and injured another.

Schmidle also wrote that key personnel who were critical of the company's safety culture had resigned or been sacked.

Setback

Virgin Galactic's stocks fell immediately after the news but then recovered slightly for a loss of three percent at the close of business.

It was an abrupt change in fortune for the company that had been riding high on what had appeared to be a resoundingly successful flight, which Branson had described as the "experience of a lifetime."

The 15-minute-long jaunt, together with Bezos' flight on a Blue Origin rocket nine days later, seemed to have ushered in a lucrative new era of space tourism after decades of development.

Last month, Virgin Galactic announced it was restarting ticket sales at $450,000, around double the amounts paid by some 600 people who previously booked seats.

It is unclear whether the next test flight, involving members of the Italian Air Force, will take place as scheduled in late September or early October.

Explore further Branson mum on when he'll launch to space on Virgin Galactic

 2021 AFP
Smoke from burning to clear forests and agricultural land. Credit: Dr. Carly Reddington

Setting fire to forest and agricultural land in Southeast Asia to prepare it for cultivation or grazing contributes to an estimated 59,000 premature deaths a year, say scientists.

Their analysis reveals that the greatest health impact from the burning, which releases tiny particles into the air which can get into people's lungs, is felt by some of the poorest communities in the region, in northern Laos and western Myanmar.

In a paper published today in the journal GeoHealth, researchers from Leeds and University of Augsburg in Germany call for measures to curb agricultural and forest burning. They say preventing agricultural and forest fires should be regarded as a "public health priority."

Dr. Carly Reddington, AIA Research Fellow in the School of Earth and Environment at Leeds, and the study's lead author, said, "Our investigation quantifies the contribution of an often overlooked source of poor air quality and demonstrates that actions to reduce fire may offer considerable, yet largely unrecognized options for rapid improvements in air quality.

"We found that across Southeast Asia, the amount of air pollution produced by these fires is comparable to that from industry, transport, and power generation."

Burning releases harmful pollutants

Across Southeast Asiaan area including Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and south east Chinafarmers burn forest as a way of clearing land for cultivation or to graze animals, often in the pre-monsoon period, usually in February to April.

During this period, the weather patterns over a large part of the region can result in a temperature inversion, a meteorological phenomenon that prevents smoke and emissions from the fires dispersing, particularly at night or during the early mornings.

The fires generate a range of harmful pollutants, including fine particulate matter known as PM2.5tiny particles that measure 2.5 microns (where a micron is one millionth of a meter or less). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the particles are a risk factor in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancer.

The researchers used measurements of air pollution along with computer models to measure the impact of the fires on air quality and the prevalence of disease.

Modeling impact of burning

In all the datasets analyzed, the researchers found the greatest pollution emissions from the burning was coming from the northern region of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, eastern and western Myanmar, and southern Bangladesh, and with lower levels of emissions in central Myanmar, Thailand, north Vietnam, and south eastern China.

The researchers modeled what improvements would be seen in air quality if the burning was stopped.

Smoke from the burning of agricultural land and forests. Credit: Dr Carly Reddington

The concentration of PM2.5the fine particulateswould fall by between 40% and 70% in those areas experiencing the greatest emissions.

WHO has an interim annual target for maximum levels of PM2.5, which is 25 micrograms per cubic meter.

Burning 'degrades air quality'

If the practice of burning could be stopped, the researchers argue that the number of people exposed to levels greater than the WHO interim target would drop by 64% in Thailand, 100% in Myanmar, in Laos by 92% and Cambodia by 44%.

Using epidemiological modeling, the scientists calculated the reduction in PM2.5 could reduce premature deaths caused by exposure to air pollution. In Southeast Asia, deaths would fall by 12%, ranging from 5% in Vietnam to 28% in Laos and 3% in southeastern China. In total an estimated 59,000 premature deaths could be prevented each year.

They also mapped poverty data against PM2.5 concentrations and found that poorer, rural populations in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar were exposed to higher levels of fine particle pollution.

Dr. Reddington said, "This study is the first detailed assessment of the effects of forest and vegetation fires on air quality and human health in Southeast Asia.

"The study shows that air pollution from vegetation and forest fires seriously degrades air quality in Southeast Asia and that by preventing these fires, exposure to harmful air pollutants could be substantially reduced and many premature deaths could be avoided.

"Furthermore, it shows that the poorer populations of Southeast Asia are being disproportionally exposed to the air pollution from these fires."

New efforts are now needed to reduce forest fires in the region.

Dr. Reddington added, "A complete ban on the use of fire may not be practical for many local farmers who don't have any alternative. Pollution emissions are dominated by burning of forests, so there needs to be increased effort to reduce fires associated with deforestation.

"Reducing deforestation reduces emissions of carbon dioxide and is a crucial element of efforts to slow global climate change. Our work demonstrates that reducing deforestation and associated fires would also lead to cleaner air and improved public health.

"These local and regional benefits may provide a powerful incentive to reduce deforestation. Increased support for community-protected forests and other protected areas, where forest clearance fires are less prevalent, are an important way to reduce fires."

The paper, Air pollution from forest and vegetation fires in Southeast Asia disproportionately impacts the poor, is published in GeoHealth.

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More information: Carly L. Reddington et al, Air Pollution From Forest and Vegetation Fires in Southeast Asia Disproportionately Impacts the Poor, GeoHealth (2021). Carly L. Reddington et al, Air Pollution From Forest and Vegetation Fires in Southeast Asia Disproportionately Impacts the Poor,(2021). DOI: 10.1029/2021GH000418
This illustration indicates the ranges of Holarctic, Tibetan and Indian wolf populations across the Northern Hemisphere. Credit: Lauren Hennelly, UC Davis

The Indian wolf could be far more endangered than previously recognized, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, and the scientists who sequenced the Indian wolf's genome for the first time.

The findings, published in the journal Molecular Ecology, reveal the Indian wolf to be one of the world's most endangered and evolutionarily distinct gray wolf populations. The study indicates that Indian wolves could represent the most ancient surviving lineage of wolves.

The Indian wolf is restricted to lowland India and Pakistan, where its grassland habitat is threatened primarily by human encroachment and land conversion.

"Wolves are one of the last remaining large carnivores in Pakistan, and many of India's large carnivores are endangered," said lead author Lauren Hennelly, a doctoral student with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine's Mammalian Ecology Conservation Unit. "I hope that knowing they are so unique and found only there will inspire local people and scientists to learn more about conserving these wolves and grassland habitats."

'A game-changer'

The authors sequenced genomes of four Indian and two Tibetan wolves and included 31 additional canid genomes to resolve their evolutionary and phylogenomic history. They found that Tibetan and Indian wolves are distinct from each other and from other wolf populations.

Stemming from an ancient lineage, Indian wolves are one of the most evolutionarily distinct and endangered gray wolf populations. Credit: Mihir Godbole/The Grasslands Trust

The study recommends that Indian and Tibetan wolf populations be recognized as evolutionarily significant units, an interim designation that would help prioritize their conservation while their taxonomic classification is reevaluated.

"This paper may be a game-changer for the species to persist in these landscapes," said co-author Bilal Habib, a conservation biologist with the Wildlife Institute of India. "People may realize that the species with whom we have been sharing the landscape is the most distantly divergent wolf alive today."

Indian and western Asian wolf populations are currently considered as one population. The study's finding that Indian wolves are distinct from western Asian wolves indicates their distribution is much smaller than previously thought.

An ancient lineage

Gray wolves are one of the most widely distributed land mammals in the world, found in snow, forests, deserts and grasslands of the Northern Hemisphere. Wolves may have survived the ice ages in isolated regions called refugia, potentially diverging into distinct evolutionarily lineages.

Recent genomic studies confirmed that the Tibetan wolf is an ancient and distinct evolutionary lineage. However, until this study, what was known about the evolutionary history of Indian wolves was based on mitochondrial DNA evidence, which is inherited only from the mother. That evidence suggested that the Indian wolf diverged more recently than the Tibetan wolf.

This illustration of an Indian wolf indicates its currently recognized distribution compared with its evolutionarily distinct clade, highlighting how its population is likely smaller than thought. Credit: Lauren Hennelly/UC Davis

In contrast, this study used the entire genomethe nuclear DNA containing nearly all of the genes reflecting the wolf's evolutionary history. It showed that the Indian wolf was likely even more divergent than the Tibetan wolf.

"Mitochondrial sequencing alone was not sufficient to make a case," said senior author Ben Sacks, director of the Mammalian and Ecology Conservation Unit at UC Davis. "Nuclear DNA is the big picture, and it changes the picture. You might assume most genetic diversity of gray wolves is in the northern region, where most wolves are found today. But these southern populations harbor most of the evolutionary diversity and are also the most endangered."

Both Tibetan and Indian wolves stem from an ancient lineage that predates the rise of Holarctic wolves, found in North America and Eurasia. Sacks said this study indicates Indian wolves could represent the most ancient surviving lineage.

Charismatic competition

Attention for gray wolves in India is often eclipsed by animals considered more charismatic, such as tigers, lions and leopards. Hennelly, who dreamed of being a wolf biologist in fifth grade, was not aware there were wolves in the region until she conducted field work on birds in the Himalayas. When the opportunity to study wolf howls and behavior in India arose for her as a Fulbright scholar, she jumped at the chance and began the work and collaborations that led to her team becoming the first to sequence the Indian wolf's genome.

"I knew that if we sequenced the wolves and the results indicated a divergent lineage, answering that question could really help their conservation at a policy scale that could trickle down and bolster local efforts to help protect these wolves," Hennelly said.

A separate study led by Sacks about endangered red wolves appears on the cover of the same Molecular Ecology issue in September. Addressing a 30-year-long controversy, that study shows that red wolves are not a colonial-era hybrid between gray wolves and coyotes, as some have argued, but the descendant of a pre-historic North American wolf that diverged from coyotes over 20,000 years ago. Both studies have substantial implications for wolf conservation.

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More information: Lauren M. Hennelly et al, Ancient divergence of Indian and Tibetan wolves revealed by recombinationaware phylogenomics, Molecular Ecology (2021). Journal information: Molecular Ecology Lauren M. Hennelly et al, Ancient divergence of Indian and Tibetan wolves revealed by recombinationaware phylogenomics,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/mec.16127
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Marine mammals are grappling with climate change, but now a researcher has joined FIU to study whether chemical contaminants are adding an additional layer of stress to this already tense situation.

Chemical contaminants widely used in commercial and consumer products can be found everywherefrom the expanses of remote, isolated areas down to the flesh, organs and blood of animals in the ocean. Leila Lemos wants to know if dolphins are feeling the effects from chemicals already proven to be harmful to people.

"Imagine you are an animal in the ocean. You need to deal with climate change. Maybe you don't have as much food, and you're facing starvation. And then there is all this noise pollution from ships and other vessels passing by. Maybe you also need to deal with trash, plastics and chemical pollution in general," Lemos said. "There are so many stressors and we just don't know yet how they are affecting these animals. My goal is to find out, so we can apply the findings to their conservation."

Lemosa distinguished postdoctoral scholar in FIU's College of Arts, Sciences & Educationis working with FIU chemistry Assistant Professor Natalia Soares Quinete to investigate how perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) and other types of chemical exposure impact marine animals.

PFAS are a group of chemicals that have been used in a variety of different industries over the decades and used in everyday human productsfood packaging, paper products, water repellents, adhesives, firefighting foams and more. The U.S. phased out production of PFAS, because they can cause liver and kidney damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility and more.

Once these chemicals enter the environment, they never disappear. They are in the air, dust, soil, water and even in some food. Over time, they accumulate in the environment and in everything that lives in the environment.

PFAS exposure has been documented in some dolphin species, but Lemos wants to know whether there's a correlation between exposure and increased stress biomarkers. This will give a better understanding of the short and long-term effects to the animals' health. She hopes to collaborate with aquariums and rehabilitation centers to study marine mammals. Because they are in the top of the food chain, they bioaccumulate more of these chemical contaminantsand are one of the best sentinels of environmental contamination.

Lemos grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and always wanted to work with animals, especially dolphins and whales. As an undergraduate, she majored in biology and studied the presence and behavior of southern right whales in Uruguay as a volunteer. She loved being in the field conducting research, so she decided to continue her studies. As a graduate student, she focused on toxicology and measured the amounts of mercury and cadmium in dolphin tissue samples.

In 2015, Lemos moved to the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. in wildlife science at Oregon State University. Her dissertation focused on gray whales, specifically how their body condition and hormone levels fluctuated in response to different environmental stressors, like lack of prey and noise in the ocean.

When the gray whales would arrive in May or June, Lemos would hop on a boat to spend the next four months out on the water searching for them. When she'd spot one, she'd first take a photograph and then fly a drone to get a closer look at their nutritional state.

One of the most critical pieces of data she needed to collect, though, required more patiencewaiting for the whales to poop. These fecal samples were precious, because they allowed Lemos to measure hormone levels, especially the stress-related hormone cortisol.

Today, her research will require more time in the lab. Acquiring samples from an aquarium, she will be able to identify the presence of PFAS and phthalates chemicals, as well as hormone levels from already collected samples. Her goal is to continue investigating how these stressors are impacting dolphins and whales, in order to to inform environmental management decisions and limit threats these animals face.

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Aerial view of mountaintop removal for coal mining in West Virginia. Credit: Lyntha Eiler

Trickling down over rocks, surrounded by wildflowers and ferns, Appalachian mountain streams are chock-full of life. They hold some of the world's greatest diversity of freshwater animals, including many species that can't be found anywhere else in the world.

But this biological diversity is severely threatened by mountaintop coal mining, whose downstream pollution impacts many of these species, according to a study in the September 2021 issue of the journal Ecological Applications.

Researchers found that the effects of mountaintop coal mining are even more widespread than previously reported: Streams from heavily mined watersheds harbor 40% fewer species than streams with cleaner water.

That lost biodiversity includes fish, macro-invertebrates (such as insects, clams and crustaceans), algae, fungi, bacteria, unicellular organisms called protists, and more. In other words: it isn't just the particularly sensitive species that are being affected.

"The impacts are really distributed across the whole tree of life," said Marie Simonin, a researcher at France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) and lead author of the study.

Simonin and her team looked at 93 streams along a gradient ranging from heavily mined watersheds to relatively pristine streams across the Appalachian range in West Virginia. They found a clear relationship between the density of mining activities and loss of biodiversity: the more mining there is, the fewer species one finds.

"It was really surprising to see how consistent this decline in biodiversity is across all these really different groups of organisms, starting at really low levels of disturbance," said Emily Bernhardt, Professor and Chair of biology at Duke University and senior author of the paper.

The results highlight another concerning pattern: significant diversity loss was detected in streams whose water was still far below the maximum disturbance standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"A very small increase in mining activities in the watershed is already too much," Simonin said.

This means that the detrimental effects of pollutants in aquatic species start at much lower concentrations that previously assumed.

"By the time you get to the EPA's reference point, you've already lost most of the species you're going to lose," Bernhardt said.

Although biodiversity loss due to mining had been shown in several groups of species separately, this study stands out by looking at the whole tree of life at once, in the same streams, at the same time. To do this, the team used an innovative method called environmental DNA (eDNA), that measures fragments of genetic materials that organisms leave behind in their environment.

This DNA could originate from excrement, lost bits of skin or scales, or from unicellular organisms. To collect it, researchers gathered water samples from each stream and filtered them through extremely fine filters. DNA stays stuck on the filters, and can then be extracted, sequenced, and sorted.

Groups of organisms, such as algae for example, share common genes, or segments of genes. By comparing the DNA obtained from the filters with DNA known to belong to a certain species or groups of species, scientists can determine what is hanging out in each stream, not unlike CSI agents running samples through their databases (but with far less drama).

This method holds huge promise for biodiversity assessments and water quality impacts.

"eDNA is an inexpensive approach that can provide substantial insights into drivers of biodiversity," Bernhardt said. "It can open the possibility for monitoring water quality impacts over a much larger number of rivers across the globe."

The results obtained with eDNA are well in line with those obtained with more traditional methods, with a fraction of the work. As an example, the team detected 28 species of fish in all 93 sampled mined streams by using eDNA. That is comparable with previous studies that had painstakingly collected, counted and identified the fish diversity of the same region. eDNA provided a much quicker and less invasive method of diversity assessment, with similar results.

"You take a very small amount of water and you're able to see the impact on all those organisms. You don't need to kill any animals, you don't need a huge team of people skilled in identifying all of these species, everybody could do the field work," Simonin said. "This can really change the scale at which we can monitor biodiversity."

Explore further DNA in seawater can reveal fish diversity in the deep ocean

More information: Marie Simonin et al, Consistent declines in aquatic biodiversity across diverse domains of life in rivers impacted by surface coal mining, Ecological Applications (2021). Journal information: Ecological Applications Marie Simonin et al, Consistent declines in aquatic biodiversity across diverse domains of life in rivers impacted by surface coal mining,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/eap.2389
A SmallSat like this one, working with a swarm of similar spacecraft with more narrow-angle, high-resolution polarimeters, could potentially revolutionize understanding of weather formation and processes. Credit: NASA/SDL/Jose Vanderlei Martins

Swarms of small satellites could communicate amongst themselves to collect data on important weather patterns at different times of the day or year, and from multiple angles. Such swarms, using machine learning algorithms, could revolutionize scientists' understanding of weather and climate changes.

Engineer Sabrina Thompson is working on software to enable small spacecraft, or SmallSats, to communicate with each other, identify high-value observation targets, and coordinate attitude and timing to get different views of the same target.

"We already know that Saharan dust blowing over to the Amazon rainforests affects cloud formation over the Atlantic Ocean during certain times of the year," said Thompson, who works at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "How do you capture that cloud formation? How do you tell a swarm of satellites what region and time of day is the best to observe that phenomenon?"

Under Thompson's plan, scientists would establish a set of requirements for observations and define high-value targets. Then the software would take over, enabling a spacecraft swarm to figure out how to move relative to one another to best observe these targets. Strategies might also change based on time of day, season, or the region being observed. The spacecraft also would use onboard machine learning to improve viewing strategies over time.

"There are several types of swarm configuration being considered," Thompson said. "One might be a swarm where satellites will be in different orbits, which will allow them to view a cloud or other phenomenon at different angles. Another swarm could view the same phenomena with similar view, but at different times of the day. A third type of swarm might combine both, with some satellites in the same orbit, following one another with some time offset, and other satellites which may be in orbits with different altitudes and/or inclinations."

While a swarm would stay within the same orbit, individual spacecraft could even use something called differential drag controlmanipulating the forces caused by Earth's atmosphere dragging against the orbiting craftto control the time separation between each spacecraft relative to others in the swarm, she said. "The length of time it takes to perform a differential drag maneuver depends on the spacecraft mass and area, as well as the orbital altitude. For instance, it can take as long as one year or as short as a couple of days, even hours."

"With multiple spacecraft in one formation to view the same target," Thompson said, "you can see a cloud, for instance, not just from the top, but from the sides as well." In a different formation, you can see that cloud at different stages of its life-cycle from multiple SmallSats passing at different times.

Working with University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) professor Jose Vanderlei Martins, Thompson helped develop the Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (HARP) CubeSat that launched from the International Space Station (ISS) just over a year ago. An updated version of its instrumentation, called HARP2, will fly on the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission planned for launch in 2023.

Setting the following spacecraft to maximize drag and the leader to minimize drag will cause the follower to drop in altitude and catch up to the leader. Credit: NASA/Sabrina Thompson

A swarm of SmallSats like HARP, sharing information and coordinating coverage, could advance weather forecasting, disaster reporting, and climate modeling in the long term, Vanderlei Martins said. To get there, scientists need the combination of wide and narrow fields of view and high-resolution imagery to better understand the dynamics of weather system development.

"Ideally, I like to have a satellite with a wide field of view observing larger phenomenon," he said. "However, a small satellite covering a large area cannot make high spatial resolution observations. Nevertheless, you can use it as a surveyor type of satellite to identify the area of interest. Then you have others with a narrower field of view, getting higher resolution, getting much more detail."

Enabling the swarm to make decisions and share information is crucial. Vanderlei Martins said, "These sorts of decisions need to be made in minutes. You don't have time for ground control to be involved."

Thompson noted that reducing reliance on ground control and communications networks also frees up resources for SmallSat missions with limited budgets.

As an aerospace engineer working towards an atmospheric physics degree at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Thompson went back to school to learn more about the Earth science requirements that drive her work as an innovator. "I also really wanted to understand climate change."

How aerosol particles and clouds interact is crucial to understanding climate change. Polarimeters can provide a wealth of data about particles suspended in the atmospherefrom smoke, ash, and dust to water droplets and ice, each species of particle polarizes light reflected from it in detectable ways.

"At a basic level, my research involves evaluating the geometry between instruments on the satellite and the sun," Thompson said. "These instruments are passive. They require a certain geometry relative to the ground target and Sun to retrieve the science data we want."

Her algorithms will determine the most suitable combinations of orbit and instrument field of views to give the largest probability of observing a cloud with the appropriate geometry to retrieve science data. Then it would plan and execute maneuvering schemes for each spacecraft to achieve those geometries relative to the other satellites in the swarm.

This work to understand the structure and development of clouds ties in with the Atmosphere Observing System, or AOS, (formerly the Aerosols and Clouds, Convection and Precipitation study identified as a priority in the 2017 Earth Decadal Survey. Vanderlei Martins and Thompson believe their swarm technology complements AOS's science objectives and could enhance upcoming NASA Earth science missions.

Explore further Image: Tiny NASA satellite captures first image of clouds and aerosols
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

When Professor Emily Ryo was 11, she and her sister were separated from their parents for two years when the parents immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea. The experience influenced Ryo's scholarly research toward immigration law and policy.

"My main motivation going to law school was to see if I could help my family," Ryo says. "I went on to get a Ph.D. because I wanted to explore the migrant experience, not just for people living in the U.S. but for people living abroad dreaming of coming to the U.S. and establishing new lives here."

This year, Ryo published two research studies aimed at affecting immigration policy. "The Unintended Consequences of US Immigration Enforcement Policies" was published in May in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In July, the UCLA Law Review published "Children in Custody: A Study of Detained Migrant Children in the United States."

Research examines how migrant children fare in immigration system

The latter study in UCLA Law Review presents the first systematic empirical investigation of children in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Reed Humphrey, a research associate at USC Gould, worked with Ryo on the paper.

Unaccompanied minors traveling to the U.S. enter the ORR's custody at the U.S. border. Analyzing data on all migrant children in ORR custody between November 2017 and August 2019, Ryo and Humphrey found that these children are in the most vulnerable positions in their own countries.

"I think this study gives us a lot of food for thought in terms of considering what is in the best interests of these children, many of whom win asylum cases and end up settling permanently in the United States," Ryo said.

Ryo accessed ORR shelters as a volunteer attorney and saw firsthand the effects of the Trump administration's family separation policy.

"Visiting those facilities really had a tremendous impact on my desire and interest to find out more about who these children were and what happened to them after they entered the system," Ryo said.

Punitive immigration policies and 'unintended consequences'

Ryo's research published in PNAS analyzes the effects of U.S. deterrence policies on individuals' migration intentions and attitudes toward the U.S. immigration system.

Working in collaboration with the Latin American Public Opinion Project at Vanderbilt University, Ryo obtained survey results from more than 6,000 individuals in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, the four countries with the largest unauthorized flow of immigrants into the United States.

The study found that punitive policies didn't change people's desires and willingness to try to enter the U.S., and that immigration detention may foster beliefs that the U.S. immigration system isn't fair.

"The reason the article is titled the 'unintended consequences' is that these harsh punitive policies don't have the effect that our policymakers want," Ryo said. "Instead, they have the unintended consequence of spreading a deep distrust of our country abroad."

Ryo's studies could guide long-term solutions to the ongoing immigration crisis.

"I'm hoping my studies help educate lawmakers in what direction they ought to be going and also what issues are at stake in terms of the kind of care we should be providing, especially to these vulnerable populations," she said.

Explore further Orphans and exiles: Research shows the impact of family separation
Multiple quantum computers using different hardware are tested against each other by letting them perform random-looking calculations, which are linked by a hidden graph structure. Credit: Ella Maru Studio

Quantum computers are advancing at a rapid pace and are already starting to push the limits of the world's largest supercomputers. Yet, these devices are extremely sensitive to external influences and thus prone to errors which can change the result of the computation. This is particularly challenging for quantum computations that are beyond the reach of our trusted classical computers, where we can no longer independently verify the results through simulation. "In order to take full advantage of future quantum computers for critical calculations we need a way to ensure the output is correct, even if we cannot perform the calculation in question by other means," says Chiara Greganti from the University of Vienna.

Let the quantum computers check each other

To address this challenge, the team developed and implemented a new cross-check procedure that allows the results of a calculation performed on one device to be verified through a related but fundamentally different calculation on another device. "We ask different quantum computers to perform different random-looking computations," explains Martin Ringbauer from the University of Innsbruck. "What the quantum computers don't know is that there is a hidden connection between the computations they are doing." Using an alternative model of quantum computing that is built on graph structures, the team is able to generate many different computations from a common source. "While the results may appear random and the computations are different, there are certain outputs that must agree if the devices are working correctly."

A simple and efficient technique

The team implemented their method on 5 current quantum computers using 4 distinct hardware technologies: superconducting circuits, trapped ions, photonics, and nuclear magnetic resonance. This goes to show that the method works on current hardware without any special requirements. The team also demonstrated that the technique could be used to check a single device against itself. Since the two computations are so different, the two results will only agree if they are also correct. Another key advantage of the new approach is that the researchers do not have to look at the full result of the computation, which can be very time consuming. "It is enough to check how often the different devices agree for the cases where they should, which can be done even for very large quantum computers", says Tommaso Demarie from Entropica Labs in Singapore. With more and more quantum computers becoming available, this technique may be key to making sure they are doing what is advertised

Academia and industry joining forces to make quantum computers trustworthy

The research aiming to make quantum computers trustworthy is a joint effort of university researchers and quantum computing industry experts from multiple companies. "This close collaboration of academia and industry is what makes this paper unique from a sociological perspective", shares Joe Fitzsimons from Horizon Quantum Computing in Singapore. "While there's a progressive shift with some researchers moving to companies, they keep contributing to the common effort making quantum computing reliable and useful."

Explore further Partition function zeros are a 'shortcut' to thermodynamic calculations on quantum computers

More information: C. Greganti et al, Cross-verification of independent quantum devices, PRX Quantum (2021). C. Greganti et al, Cross-verification of independent quantum devices,(2021). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.11.031049
Figure 1. Concept of the NFP technique using HIM. (a) Schematic illustration of the helium ion source and the various implantation patterns on planar/pyramidal samples. (b, c) SEM and monochromatic CL (at the wavelength of QW emission, 400 nm) images of the planar QW after line-patterned helium ion implantation. (d) Line scan of the CL intensity and fitting curve. (eh) SEM and monochromatic CL images of the planar QW after doughnut-patterned helium ion implantation. (i, j) Line scan of the monochromatic CL intensity of (g) and (h), respectively. All the scale bars except the inset image have a length of 4 m, while the scale bar of the inset image in (h) has a length of 0.5 m. Credit: DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c00587

Photons, fundamental particles of light, are carrying these words to your eyes via the light from your computer screen or phone. Photons play a key role in the next-generation quantum information technology, such as quantum computing and communications. A quantum emitter, capable of producing a single, pure photon, is the crux of such technology but has many issues that have yet to be solved, according to KAIST researchers.

A research team under Professor Yong-Hoon Cho has developed a technique that can isolate the desired quality emitter by reducing the noise surrounding the target with what they have dubbed a 'nanoscale focus pinspot." They published their results on June 24 in ACS Nano.

"The nanoscale focus pinspot is a structurally nondestructive technique under an extremely low dose ion beam and is generally applicable for various platforms to improve their single-photon purity while retaining the integrated photonic structures," said lead author Yong-Hoon Cho from the Department of Physics at KAIST.

To produce single photons from solid state materials, the researchers used wide-bandgap semiconductor quantum dotsfabricated nanoparticles with specialized potential properties, such as the ability to directly inject current into a small chip and to operate at room temperature for practical applications. By making a quantum dot in a photonic structure that propagates light, and then irradiating it with helium ions, researchers theorized that they could develop a quantum emitter that could reduce the unwanted noisy background and produce a single, pure photon on demand.

Professor Cho explained, "Despite its high resolution and versatility, a focused ion beam typically suppresses the optical properties around the bombarded area due to the accelerated ion beam's high momentum. We focused on the fact that, if the focused ion beam is well controlled, only the background noise can be selectively quenched with high spatial resolution without destroying the structure."

In other words, the researchers focused the ion beam on a mere pin prick, effectively cutting off the interactions around the quantum dot and removing the physical properties that could negatively interact with and degrade the photon purity emitted from the quantum dot.

"It is the first developed technique that can quench the background noise without changing the optical properties of the quantum emitter and the built-in photonic structure," Professor Cho asserted.

Professor Cho compared it to stimulated emission depletion microscopy, a technique used to decrease the light around the area of focus, but leaving the focal point illuminated. The result is increased resolution of the desired visual target.

"By adjusting the focused ion beam-irradiated region, we can select the target emitter with nanoscale resolution by quenching the surrounding emitter," Professor Cho said. "This nanoscale selective-quenching technique can be applied to various material and structural platforms and further extended for applications such as optical memory and high-resolution micro displays."Korea's National Research Foundation and the Samsung Science and Technology Foundation supported this work.

Explore further Researchers in Sweden develop light emitter for quantum circuits

More information: Minho Choi et al, Nanoscale Focus Pinspot for High-Purity Quantum Emitters via Focused-Ion-Beam-Induced Luminescence Quenching, ACS Nano (2021). Journal information: ACS Nano Minho Choi et al, Nanoscale Focus Pinspot for High-Purity Quantum Emitters via Focused-Ion-Beam-Induced Luminescence Quenching,(2021). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c00587
An image captured by laser-PEEM showing the arrangement of electrons in a sample of IBSC material. In this technique, images are made from laser light illuminating the sample in two different directions. Linear dichroism (LD) refers to the difference between the images made from these two illumination directions; it allows you to see details you could not see otherwise, such as in this case the distribution of electrons. Credit: Shin et al.

While studying the behavior of electrons in iron-based superconducting materials, researchers at the University of Tokyo observed a strange signal relating to the way electrons are arranged. The signal implies a new arrangement of electrons the researchers call a nematicity wave, and they hope to collaborate with theoretical physicists to better understand it. The nematicity wave could help researchers understand the way electrons interact with each other in superconductors.

A long-standing dream of solid state physicists is to fully understand the phenomenon of superconductivityessentially electronic conduction without the resistance that creates heat and drains power. It would usher in a whole new world of incredibly efficient or powerful devices and is already being used on Japan's experimental magnetic levitation bullet train. But there is much to explore in this complex topic, and it often surprises researchers with unexpected results and observations.

Professor Shik Shin from the Institute for Solid State Physics at the University of Tokyo and his team study the way electrons behave in iron-based superconducting materials, or IBSCs. These materials show a lot of promise as they could work at higher temperatures than some other superconducting materials which is an important concern. They also use less exotic material components so can be easier and cheaper to work with. To activate a sample's superconducting ability, the material needs to be cooled down to several hundreds of degrees below zero. And interesting things happen during this cooling process.

A diagram of the experimental setup pioneered by the team. Credit: Shin et al.

"As IBSCs cool down to a certain level, they express a state we call electronic nematicity," said Shin. "This is where the crystal lattice of the material and the electrons within it appear to be arranged differently depending on the angle you look at them, otherwise known as anisotropy. We expect the way electrons are arranged to be tightly coupled to the way the surrounding crystal lattice is arranged. But our recent observation shows something very different and actually quite surprising."

Shin and his team used a special technique developed by their group called laser-PEEM (photoemission electron microscopy) to visualize their IBSC sample on the microscopic scale. They expected to see a familiar pattern that repeats every few nanometers (billionths of a meter). And sure enough the crystal lattice did show this pattern. But to their surprise, the team found that the pattern of electrons was repeating every few hundred nanometers instead.

This disparity between the electron nematicity wave and the crystalline structure of the IBSC was unexpected, so its implications are still under investigation. But the result could open the door to theoretical and experimental explorations into something fundamental to the phenomenon of superconductivity, and that is the way that electrons form pairs at low temperatures. Knowledge of this process could be crucial to the development of high-temperature superconductivity. So if nematicity waves are related, it is important to know how.

"Next, I hope we can work with theoretical physicists to further our understanding of nematicity waves," said Shin. "We also wish to use laser-PEEM to study other related materials such as metal oxides like copper oxide. It may not always be obvious where the applications lie, but working on problems of fundamental physics really fascinates me."

The study is published in the journal Science.

Explore further Nematic transition and nanoscale suppression of superconductivity in an iron chalcogenide

More information: T. Shimojima et al, Discovery of mesoscopic nematicity wave in iron-based superconductors, Science (2021). Journal information: Science T. Shimojima et al, Discovery of mesoscopic nematicity wave in iron-based superconductors,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abd6701
Chicago River tour boats are reflected by a building window in Chicago, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Chicago nonprofit Current in 2019 installed three sensors in the river's three main branches to continuously estimate the amount of bacteria from human and other warm-blooded animals' waste.Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Rowers, kayakers and other users of the Chicago River are getting a real-time look at one measure of water quality in the system that weaves through downtown and several neighborhoods.

Chicago nonprofit Current in 2019 installed three sensors in the river's three main branches to continuously estimate the amount of bacteria from human and other warm-blooded animals' waste.

The organization initially planned to begin making the real-time results public in 2020. But the coronavirus pandemic delayed their plans until Thursday, when a website updating with data taken every 15 minutes went online.

The city's development in the 19th century was thanks to the rivertruly a system of rivers and manmade canalsthat provided a path between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system. While the meatpacking and lumber industries could use it for shipping, the waterway also became a dumping ground for those and other industries and for sewage from homes and businesses.

Quality of the 156-mile (251-kilometer) river system has improved in recent years, helped by multibillion-dollar construction of new reservoirs and underground tunnels. But when rain overwhelms Chicago's sewer systems, sewage and stormwater is diverted to the river, prompting warnings to stay off the water for several days.

A tour boat and a water taxi are seen on Chicago River Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Chicago. Chicago nonprofit Current in 2019 installed three sensors in the river's three main branches to continuously estimate the amount of bacteria that comes from human and other warm-blooded animals' waste. . Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

That's unlikely to change; city authorities have warned that climate change's effects will continue bringing more frequent and intense storms to the region.

Fecal coliform isn't dangerous itself, but the bacteria's presence in a body of water is a warning, telling scientists that illness-causing pathogens likely are there too.

Results from traditional testing based on water sampling from the river are available through local or state regulators, but those are collected intermittently. Users also can check for alerts warning of a recent sewage diversion into the river.

But neither help someone hoping to get on the water that day, said Alaina Harkness, Current's executive director.

The optical sensors Current uses can't measure the level of fecal coliform present. Instead, they gather data about the murkiness and temperature of the water and light emitted by tryptophanan amino acid from microorganisms that has been linked to fecal coliform. That allows an estimate of the level of bacteria present, Harkness said.

People enjoy boating and kayaking on Chicago River Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Chicago. Chicago nonprofit Current in 2019 installed three sensors in the river's three main branches to continuously estimate the amount of bacteria that comes from human and other warm-blooded animals' waste. Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

"We have a rich sense of how the river's doing today, how does it compare to how the river is doing historically, and how does it vary across the branches," she said. "And that's the important story for users who are making decisions about how to use the river on a day-to-day basis."

A kayaker, for instance, may decide to use the river's main branch instead of the southern or northern branch if those sensors estimate a level of bacteria above the state standard for safe recreational use, she said.

Trish Brubaker, executive director of the Lincoln Park Boat Club, said she can use that information when planning workouts for rowing clubs.

Brubaker said clubs often used single sculls last year to allow for social distancing. But singles are more vulnerable to tipping and one athlete became sick after falling into the river water.

Tour boats are seen on Chicago River Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Chicago. Chicago nonprofit Current in 2019 installed three sensors in the river's three main branches to continuously estimate the amount of bacteria that comes from human and other warm-blooded animals' waste. Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

"It would definitely impact who we put into singles or whether we practice singles at all," Brubaker said.

Officials with the agency responsible for Chicago's wastewater system warned that people shouldn't depend entirely on the data from the sensors.

The technology is newer than traditional water sampling and testing, and it captures only a moment in time, said Dr. Heng Zhang, assistant director of monitoring and research at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

River users also should consider recent weather, boat traffic and any official warnings, he said.

"The more information people have, the better," he said. "But just understand the information is just an indicator, and it's not 100%. It has a lot of variations."

Current officials hope providing more information about the river will improve its reputation among people who still see it as a dumping ground.

A tour boat is seen on Chicago River Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Chicago. Chicago nonprofit Current in 2019 installed three sensors in the river's three main branches to continuously estimate the amount of bacteria that comes from human and other warm-blooded animals' waste. Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

A boat and a water taxi are seen on Chicago River Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Chicago. Chicago nonprofit Current in 2019 installed three sensors in the river's three main branches to continuously estimate the amount of bacteria that comes from human and other warm-blooded animals' waste. Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

People enjoy kayaking on Chicago River Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Chicago. Chicago nonprofit Current in 2019 installed three sensors in the river's three main branches to continuously estimate the amount of bacteria that comes from human and other warm-blooded animals' waste. Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

A woman enjoys kayaking on Chicago River Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Chicago. Chicago nonprofit Current in 2019 installed three sensors in the river's three main branches to continuously estimate the amount of bacteria that comes from human and other warm-blooded animals' waste. Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

A tour boat is seen on Chicago River Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Chicago. Chicago nonprofit Current in 2019 installed three sensors in the river's three main branches to continuously estimate the amount of bacteria that comes from human and other warm-blooded animals' waste. Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Doug McConnell, co-founder of the nonprofit A Long Swim that raises money toward Lou Gehrig's disease research, for several years has been seeking city approval for a river swim. He is excited about the Current project and hopes the information will lead to more interest in the river.

"What needs to happen here is a change of impression and perception people have," McConnell said. "The river is the whole reason Chicago is here. It's really something to honor."

Explore further Drought hits South America river, threatening vast ecosystem

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Fast-moving debris from a supernova explosion triggered by a stellar collision crashes into material thrown out earlier, and the shocks cause bright radio emission seen by the VLA. Credit: Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF

Astronomers have found dramatic evidence that a black hole or neutron star spiraled its way into the core of a companion star and caused that companion to explode as a supernova. The astronomers were tipped off by data from the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS), a multi-year project using the National Science Foundation's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA).

"Theorists had predicted that this could happen, but this is the first time we've actually seen such an event," said Dillon Dong, a graduate student at Caltech and lead author on a paper reporting the discovery in the journal Science.

The first clue came when the scientists examined images from VLASS, which began observations in 2017, and found an object brightly emitting radio waves but which had not appeared in an earlier VLA sky survey, called Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimeters (FIRST). They made subsequent observations of the object, designated VT 1210+4956, using the VLA and the Keck telescope in Hawaii. They determined that the bright radio emission was coming from the outskirts of a dwarf, star-forming galaxy some 480 million light-years from Earth. They later found that an instrument aboard the International Space Station had detected a burst of X-rays coming from the object in 2014.

The data from all these observations allowed the astronomers to piece together the fascinating history of a centuries-long death dance between two massive stars. Like most stars that are much more massive than our Sun, these two were born as a binary pair, closely orbiting each other. One of them was more massive than the other and evolved through its normal, nuclear fusion-powered lifetime more quickly and exploded as a supernova, leaving behind either a black hole or a superdense neutron star.

The black hole or neutron star's orbit grew steadily closer to its companion, and about 300 years ago it entered the companion's atmosphere, starting the death dance. At this point, the interaction began spraying gas away from the companion into space. The ejected gas, spiraling outward, formed an expanding, donut-shaped ring, called a torus, around the pair.

Eventually, the black hole or neutron star made its way inward to the companion star's core, disrupting the nuclear fusion producing the energy that kept the core from collapsing of its own gravity. As the core collapsed, it briefly formed a disk of material closely orbiting the intruder and propelled a jet of material outward from the disk at speeds approaching that of light, drilling its way through the star.

A compact object (a black hole or neutron star) at the core of its massive stellar companion. Rapid accretion onto the compact object has caused it to form an accretion disk and launch a pair of jets at nearly the speed of light. Those jets have tunneled through the star, which is about to explode in a supernova due to the enormous amount of energy released. In the next few years, the exploded stellar material will plow its way through a dense torus of stellar material ejected by the compact object during its previous centuries of inspiral towards the core, creating a luminous radio afterglow. Credit: Chuck Carter

"That jet is what produced the X-rays seen by the MAXI instrument aboard the International Space Station, and this confirms the date of this event in 2014," Dong said.

The collapse of the star's core caused it to explode as a supernova, following its sibling's earlier explosion.

"The companion star was going to explode eventually, but this merger accelerated the process," Dong said.

The material ejected by the 2014 supernova explosion moved much faster than the material thrown off earlier from the companion star, and by the time VLASS observed the object, the supernova blast was colliding with that material, causing powerful shocks that produced the bright radio emission seen by the VLA.

"All the pieces of this puzzle fit together to tell this amazing story," said Gregg Hallinan of Caltech. "The remnant of a star that exploded a long time ago plunged into its companion, causing it, too, to explode," he added.

The key to the discovery, Hallinan said, was VLASS, which is imaging the entire sky visible at the VLA's latitudeabout 80 percent of the skythree times over seven years. One of the objectives of doing VLASS that way is to discover transient objects, such as supernova explosions, that emit brightly at radio wavelengths. This supernova, caused by a stellar merger, however, was a surprise.

"Of all the things we thought we would discover with VLASS, this was not one of them," Hallinan said.

Explore further Merger between two stars led to blue supergiant, iconic supernova

More information: D. Z. Dong et al, A transient radio source consistent with a merger-triggered core collapse supernova, Science (2021). Journal information: Science D. Z. Dong et al, A transient radio source consistent with a merger-triggered core collapse supernova,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abg6037
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A meta-analysis study assessed the performance of site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) applied to smallholder cereal cropping systems in Asia and Africa; the evidence points to triple-wins but weak extension, and unfavorable policies hamper adoption.

Recently released in the Elsevier journal Global Food Security, a team of scientists published the first comprehensive systematic review comparing the site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) approach to farmers' practice within smallholder cereal crop production systems in Asia and Africa.

Researchers began by gathering the cross-section of field studies needed to evaluate a range of performance indicators measuring the effectiveness of SSNM versus existing farmers' fertilization practice. They identified 61 studies across eight countries in Asia and three countries in Africa to produce the nearly 400 direct comparisons of the two fertilizer management practices for maize, rice and wheat.

Key results drawn from the study show that SSNM generated 12% higher yield and 15% greater profitability compared to farmer practice. SSNM produced these benefits while saving an average of 18 kg N/ha, which is equivalent to a 10% reduction in the amount of N fertilizer, reducing risk of N loss to the surrounding environment.

Achieving triple-wins of high yields and profit in combination with lowering nutrient losses are not elusive or conflicting goals

"We know of no other agronomic intervention that has increased crop yield, profitability, and N use efficiency across these cereal crops and geographies in such a robust manner," explain the study's authors. "SSNMthrough field-specific tailoring of fertilizer applicationsis a highly effective management strategy that maximizes positive outcomes, contributing to food security attainment with economic and environmental benefits."

In the vast majority of smallholder cropping systems, fertilization consists of unbalanced nutrient application using "blanket" approaches that are not best designed to address the effects of the variability that exists within even the smallest plots of rice, wheat, or maize. Failing to adequately manage for this variability often results in the inefficient use of fertilizer by crops with poor outcomes for farmers.

The study demonstrates how the effectiveness of SSNM can vary across crops, cropping systems, crop management, and growing environments. The benefits of SSNM appear most significant where the performance of farmers' practice is relatively poor.

Smallholder's benefited from the ability of SSNM to detect and correct long-standing nutrient input inadequacies or imbalances. SSNM prescribed higher frequencies of N application more often, which improved plant N uptake by better targeting the growth periods when demand was highest. Examples of improved outcomes came with lower N and P application rates and higher K rates in the traditionally higher input systems in Asia. SSNM commonly raised recommendations for N, P and K in Africa. A host of regional factors related to infrastructure, supply chains, government policy, and missing or poor farm advisory systems are attributed to the numerous examples of over and under application of nutrients across the range of studies selected.

Research into SSNM produces viable strategies for smallholder cropping systems. However, widespread adoption remains a significant challenge that requires concerted efforts to scale up SSNM and reach the potentially millions of farmers who work across fragmented landscapes, and who commonly lack access to existing support systems. Researchers found it particularly difficult to gather suitable African studies to fit the criteria of the analysis, which suggest much is yet to be done to explore SSNM within the continent.

Promising innovation continues to be made towards the effective delivery of individualized recommendations through digital communication technologies, for example by a mobile phone. However, the study suggests that progress towards more widespread adoption might be less dependent on hard evidence than on governing policy interests that, for example, place more importance on fertilizer subsidies that inhibit change. More work is needed on outreach towardsand partnership amongststakeholders that are motivated to create more SSNM-enabling environments within the crop production chain.

More information: Pauline Chivenge et al, Co-benefits of nutrient management tailored to smallholder agriculture, Global Food Security (2021). Journal information: Pain Management Nursing Pauline Chivenge et al, Co-benefits of nutrient management tailored to smallholder agriculture,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100570

Provided by African Plant Nutrition Institute
On Friday and Saturday, Indovina had been calling officials, trying to find someone who could help her evacuate. I told them she was on oxygen, so she wouldnt be OK if the power goes out. They said they would get her out, said Indovina, speaking by phone from the car as she and her family made their way from Missouri to Louisiana.

She was the best mom in the entire world, she said.

 Travis Loller, Associated Press



This item has been corrected to show that Emily Boffone was 65, not 55.



NEW YORK

The storm was raging, and Knrishah Nick Ramskriet, who lived in a basement apartment in Queens, called a friend to say he and his family were leaving.

He wasnt heard from again.

We thought he was OK. But my son called him the next morning and couldnt reach him, said his friends mother, Ahilia Arjun.

Later came the heartbreaking news: Nick and his mother never made it out of their flooded apartment.
NEW YORK (AP)  The Vatican has concluded that allegations of sexual abuse dating back a half century against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn do not "have the semblance of truth," but an attorney for the accusers said they would press forward with their civil cases.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, said Wednesday that the Vatican has closed its investigation into allegations made separately by two men, who accused the bishop, Nicholas DiMarzio, of abusing them a half century ago when he was a priest in New Jersey.

DiMarzio denied the accusations made by his accusers, both of whom have filed civil claims against him.

I repeat what I have said from the beginning. There is no truth to these allegations. Throughout my more than 50-year ministry as a priest, I have never abused anyone, DiMarzio said in a statement. He said he fully cooperated with the investigation.

I remain focused on leading the Diocese of Brooklyn as we are emerging from the darkness of the Coronavirus pandemic, he said. I ask for your prayers as I continue to fight against the lawsuits stemming from these two allegations, and as I now look forward to clearing my name in the New Jersey state courts.
Could action on those questions cause headaches for Vermonters? Of course. But if it actually does mitigate the spread of the delta variant, protect our children and educators, and provide reassurance, why not?

In her statement, the House speaker wrote, Since the start of the pandemic, Vermont has been leading the nation in our response to COVID, and Vermonters have stepped up heroically, steadfastly, and let evidence-based science guide our policy response. Thats why I am concerned that the Governors change in strategy is failing to keep Vermonters, all of us, safe. We need to be more proactive in following guidance from the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and ensure that we are doing everything we can to mitigate the spread of the virus. Students, teachers and staff are returning to school this week, and all Vermonters should be confident that everything is being done to protect everyone in these congregate settings.

She went on: It is encouraging that our case rate appears to be declining compared to two weeks ago, but Vermonters have consistently asked why we arent doing more to prevent the spread of the virus. We have the tools available to protect ourselves, and any step we can take to prevent someone from being hospitalized or succumbing to this virus is worth taking.
Editor:

Were shaped by culture  family, churches, school, media, leaders. During 30 years of teaching, Id stress the importance of looking closely, questioning, understanding cause and effect, interconnections.

Critical thinking seems almost absent in the now culture shaped by narcissism, hatred, ignorance. People tearing masks from teachers, threatening health care workers, pastors calling vaccinations "demonic, governors refusing public health care mandates, DeSantis blaming Biden for COVID. Health care workers are overwhelmed, hospitals filled by unvaccinated, and enraged protesters call for freedom, describing protective measures as tyranny. The Republican leadership and Stefanik spread toxic misinformation.

This narcissistic focus, having no care or empathy, blaming and threatening others, is a pervasive psychological sickness modeled by Trump and our Stefanik. The Dalai Lama distinguishes foolish selfish(pursuing only our own interests) from wise selfish recognizing that our own interest lies in the welfare of everyone ... because it does.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  Northstar New Jersey Lottery Group LLC donated nearly $20,000 worth of advanced science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) focused computer equipment to the Egg Harbor Township Police Activities League. As part of Northstars After School Advantage program, PAL received a MacBook Pro, two 3-D printers, RS-Spectroscope, and a streaming studio kit with three cameras, two microphones and supporting hardware.

Its a good day at PAL when we receive a donation that advances our existing programs. Its an even better day when we receive a donation that helps to create new programs, said Hector Tavarez, retired Egg Harbor Township Police Captain and PAL Executive Director. The new 3D printers will help advance our competitive robotics teams, the RS-Spectroscope and the media equipment are the start of two new programs. We are extremely grateful to Northstar and other companies who help us meet the needs of our ever-changing community.

The donation at PAL marks Northstars 13th ASA project in New Jersey.
BRIGANTINE  Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is one of Judaisms holiest days. Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world and marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of introspection and repentance that culminates in the Yom Kippur holiday, also known as the Day of Atonement.

Temple Beth Shalom is in high gear preparing its shul and congregants for the upcoming High Holiday services of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to meet the spiritual needs of its congregants and the community. After consulting with a variety of Jewish organizations and health authorities, the TBS COVID-19 Task Force has made the difficult decision to again hold services virtually this year. Protocols have been developed to honor the sanctity of the Holy Days and observe the Jewish value (mitzvah) of protecting lives and keeping others from danger.

Our services will be conducted by our own Rabbi Gerald Fox and Cantor Robert Freedman. Rabbi Foxs services are known for their warmth, meaning, and are spiritually uplifting.

Cantor Freedmans beautiful voice has been heard interpreting and lifting up Jewish prayer in congregations throughout the East Coast and California, and he has had an extensive history of choral and voice performances.
Somers PointThere is a new cat in town and it is the Somers Point Jaguar. District Superintendent Michelle Carney-Ray Yoder said the district is pouncing forward as a united school community into the new academic year with a focus on academic instruction that supports all students academic as well as social and emotional needs. She said the mascot going from a Jag kitten at the New York Avenue School, to a cub at Dawes Avenue School and finally growing up to be a Jaguar at Jordan Road School is about continuity and everyone being part of the same team.

The Somers Point Jaguars are pouncing forward as a united school community into the new school year with a rigorous focus on academic instruction that supports their students academic and social-emotional needs. Using MTSS as the framework for scheduling and student support, the district will address unfinished learning and set students on a path to academic success, she said. Back to School Nights will be held early in September in order to welcome back our families and share the new framework for instruction and other exciting opportunities that students will have the chance to engage in during the year. Please stop by our district website to meet each schools new mascot and like our Facebook page to keep up to date on all the happenings in our classrooms.
Junior Achievement of New Jersey recently recognized High School Hero Scholar Award recipients at its annual board meeting.

The JA High School Hero Scholar Award was co-founded by Pamela Craig in 2015 to recognize exceptional students who have participated as classroom volunteers through JA High School Heroes, while promoting the significance of education and career preparation. Due to her incredible generosity, vision, and leadership, the Scholar Award Initiative has helped shape the lives of young adults across the state of New Jersey and will continue to for years to come.

As a cornerstone of our mission, JANJ is dedicated to equipping New Jersey students with the employability and life skills needed for successful futures. JANJs High School Heroes initiative empowers students to be role models as they teach JA to children within their local communities, all the while developing their own leadership, presentation, time management, and collaboration skills. Every school year, thousands of Heroes statewide bring JAs career readiness, money management, and entrepreneurship learning experiences to life for tens of thousands of children. JA in New Jersey is a no cost solution to the schools and families by providing all materials, lessons, and training.
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ELECTION 2021

Three tickets vie for control in Upper

Bill Barlow, Staff Writer Inserra Bill Barlow, Staff Writer Boninfante Kodytek Bill Barlow, Staff Writer Denton Bill Barlow, Staff Writer Griffin Bill Barlow, Staff Writer Mulford Bill Barlow, Staff Writer Shawl

UPPER TOWNSHIP  Change is coming to the Township Committee no matter who wins the Nov. 2 election in a crowded field of candidates.

For the first time in recent memory, three seats on the five-member committee are up for a vote this year, representing a majority in township government.

Three tickets are on the ballot: three Republicans, three Democrats and an independent ticket of three candidates who describe themselves as independent Republicans.

Two veteran committee members decided against running this year. Of the nine candidates on the ballot, only one is an incumbent.

Kimberly Hayes was appointed last year to fill the seat vacated by Hobie Young, who resigned amid criticism after posting manipulated images of Kamala Harris in sexually suggestive poses when the vice president was a candidate and a U.S. senator.

Beach patrols from throughout South Jersey to pitch in as Cape May honors fallen lifeguard Inferrera CAPE MAY  Lifeguards from throughout the region plan to pitch in on the beaches of Cape May so members of that communitys Beach Patrol can attend the funeral of Norman V. Inferrera III in his hometown in Pennsylvania.

Hayes appointment was to be until the next election. Hayes has decided to seek a full term on committee instead of running for the final year remaining on the term.

However the vote goes, 2022 will be the first year in a generation that Rich Palombo will not be the mayor of Upper Township. He announced his decision not to seek another term in February after 24 years on the Township Committee, 22 of those as mayor.

In Upper Township, the mayor is chosen by committee members from among their ranks.

A third committee member, Ed Barr, also decided not to seek another term this year. A write-in campaign in the June primary won the nomination for Jay Newman, the longtime chief of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company and a former member of the Township Committee.

Mark Pancoast, a police sergeant in Ocean City, joins the GOP team to run for the remaining year on Youngs former term on the committee.

New Jersey recognizes County Teachers of the Year TRENTON  A high school science teacher from Egg Harbor Township, a Cape May kindergarten teacher and a preschool teacher in Upper Deerfield Township are among this years 2021-22 County Teachers of the Year, the state announced Wednesday.

They will face three women on the Democratic ticket: Christina Cricket Denton and Lenora Boninfante Kodytek on the ballot for the two three-year terms and Shawna Mulford for the one-year term. Boninfante Kodytek had served as the spokesperson for Cape May County and now works with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, also a county job.

On the independent ticket, Anthony Inserra, who won a seat on the committee in 2012 and served one term, joins Andrew Shawl, a member of the township Zoning Board, and local businessman Jack Griffin, the former president of the Upper Township Business Association who had also served on the Planning Board. Griffin is on the ballot for the one-year term.

In a recent interview, they said they are focused on economic development.

The Republican ticket declined to be interviewed for this article. After multiple attempts to contact the candidates, campaign manager Peg Emberger, who is Hayes mother, said they planned to kick off their campaign after Labor Day and would not speak with the media until then.

Right now, people are interested in the beach and in getting their children ready for school, Emberger said. She said residents are not ready to start focusing on the election.

Atlantic City inlet site of future offshore wind operations plant ATLANTIC CITY  rsted, developer of the Ocean Wind project, the states first utility-scale offshore wind farm, is seeking environmental permits to build an operations and maintenance facility in Atlantic Citys inlet area.

The campaign has held fundraising events and posted a campaign website.

A new era is beginning in Upper Township. The township needs strong leaders who will stand up to government bureaucrats, cut the wasteful spending and look for new and innovative ways to increase property values and boost the economy, reads a statement on the website.

Economic development has been raised by the other tickets, with Democrats citing empty storefronts in the community and the independent ticket saying detailed plans have been made but never implemented.

Denton, 41, almost universally known in town by her childhood nickname, Cricket, is the pastor of outreach with Seaville United Methodist Church. She has two children and recently married her fiance.

She described running for office as an extension of her ministry, citing a quote from Jesus stating, I thirst while on the cross.

Safety improvements planned for Upper Township parkway entrance UPPER TOWNSHIP  In a too-familiar situation, members of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company and the township EMS squad responded to a two-car crash at Roosevelt Boulevard near the northbound entrance to the Garden State Parkway on the afternoon of July 17.

I turned it into people that we have now that still thirst, she said, mentioning people in New Jersey and across the United States who do not have safe drinking water. As a minister, she said, she can only do so much.

Maybe if I get into politics, I can make some kind of systematic change, she said.

Locally, she mentioned making committee meetings more accessible to the public and the townships rejection of allowing cannabis dispensaries in the municipality despite strong voter support for legalization.

Further complicating the picture, Denton is running a separate campaign from the other two Democrats. All three candidates said the division was a matter of scheduling and said they support each other in the election. But they have separate web pages, send out separate campaign statements and Denton does not accompany the other two women when they knock on doors in the township.

I think as it developed, our passion and our issues went in different ways, Boninfante Kodytek said of Denton. We support and respect Cricket.

One year after tornado, Marmora neighborhood mostly back to normal UPPER TOWNSHIP  A year after a tornado spun off from Tropical Storm Isaias tore a winding path of destruction through the Marmora section of the township, most things are back to normal.

They will appear on the Democratic line on the ballot.

The three Democratic nominees called on voters to consider the candidates, not the party.

Ive been an independent and an issues person all my life. April 5 was when I became a Democrat to run, Mulford said when she and Boninfante Kodytek sat down for an interview. Both wore purple, which they said blended red and blue. They said they want to do the same for the township.

Ive always believed that local government should not be about Democrat or Republican. It should be about the community, said Boninfante Kodytek.

Upper Township had a Democratic mayor in the 1970s, Charles Chick Cassaboone, who was first elected to the Township Committee in 1962. Since then, Democrats rarely have made much headway with township voters.

In Upper Township, it has been controlled by Republicans for more than 45 years, Boninfante Kodytek said. She said there has not been a Democrat on Township Committee in that time. Boninfante Kodytek has been a registered independent and a Republican, saying she registered to vote in a primary.

Mulford, 42, has 13-year-old twins from a previous marriage, and she and her longtime significant other have a daughter together. She has her own business, Lets Party Events, and works as a school psychologist.

Boninfante Kodytek, 61, grew up in Philadelphia and moved to Cape May County 39 years ago, living about 25 of those years in Upper Township. She is a former member of the county Special Services District school board, a role she held for 26 years, and helped found that districts education foundation.

To date, weve raised more than $1 million for children right here in Cape May County, she said.

She added she is also involved in womens issues in the county.

Boninfante Kodytek has been married for 39 years. They have two daughters.

I dont feel like weve grown. I feel like were at a standstill, Boninfante Kodytek said. Give us a chance.

The independent ticket focused on experience, saying they would be in the best position to improve economic development in the township. In a recent interview, the three men said their slogan is plans need action, saying the township has many good plans but has stalled short of implementation.

That would be different if they were on the committee, they said.

There are so many things that weve been a part of but just could never be the final say to complete these ideas, Griffin said.

Inserra previously challenged the status quo in Upper Township with a successful primary challenge. He served one term and fell short in his reelection bid. The 71-year-old moved to the township in the early 1980s. He immigrated to the United States from Italy as a teenager.

He said he has been married for 50 years, with a son, a daughter and five grandchildren. He described himself as semi-retired and continues to run a plumbing and heating company.

Shawl, 56, ran the construction business his father founded in town before taking a management job in a regional construction firm, which he declined to name. He and his wife have a school-aged daughter.

Shawl sought the Republican nomination and decided to join the independent ticket when the party went with another candidate. He was critical of the other tickets.

Theres not a lot of experience for what they hope to accomplish. I think we can do better, Shawl said. I think that I have specific qualifications that others dont have.

Griffin, 60, is a retired music educator who moved to the area about 25 years ago. He and his husband, Victor Dompierre, own and operate Dompierre LLC, an interior design firm.

They were married three years ago but have been together for more than 20 years, Griffin said.

The candidates stressed economic development.

We want to be more than just a wider place in the road. We want to have amenities for the residents that they want, Shawl said.

Its possible the independent campaign could split the Republican vote, giving the Democrats the best opportunity in decades.

Its always a concern, Inserra said. It all comes down to the voters. It all comes down to who has better ideas and whos going to implement them better.

We have traditional values, Shawl said. We believe in authority, respect for the family, economic development, certainly. Helping others in the community.

Mulford said the crowded field may give people a chance to look at the candidates rather than the party.

Does it give anyone an advantage? If they work for it, she said.

Related
ATLANTIC CITY  City workers did not get promised $3,500 checks Thursday to thank them for keeping the city going during the COVID-19 pandemic, said an apologetic Mayor Marty Small Sr., who blamed the state for the delay in a Thursday press conference.

Small said the state is holding up the citys plan to use about $6.6 million of $33 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds for the payments after initially offering no objection. Thats a point the state disputes.

The state did not say no. ... The memo asked for backup documentation ... and its under review, Small said Thursday during a midday news conference in his office at City Hall. He said he had gotten the request for documents Monday, and that information on the payments had been shared with the state before the Aug. 19 news conference in which he them.

The state Department of Community Affairs controls city finances and must approve minutes of meetings before action can be taken. It has not yet approved the minutes of the City Council meeting that put the payments into the budget, so checks could not go out, Small said.

A spokesperson for the DCA said later Thursday it had not been told about the planned payments before Smalls Aug. 19 news conference.
Vigliotta said he had just gotten home from work and was getting ready to shower. He looked down at his phone and saw there was a tornado warning. His friends started to text him that the storm was coming straight toward his neighborhood.

I was like, 'Oh, crap' and grabbed my dogs. We went to the basement and we nearly got hit, he said. Like, 30 meters and I wouldnt have a house right now. Its kind of shocking. Looking around, these houses are destroyed. If this happened to my house, I wouldnt really know what Id do with myself. Its really sad, especially for my neighbors. Like adults. Ive never heard an adult sob like that before. Its honestly really sad. But whatever we can do to help, clean up the debris, Ill do what I can and thats about it.

Murphy said the state would act quickly and ask for a major emergency disaster declaration by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which would unlock millions of federal dollars to assist state and local efforts. Murphy said he expected to also speak to President Joe Biden about the situation.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, said he would work to ensure the federal government would work with state and local officials to ensure disaster funds and money would flow to the storms victims.
11:30 p.m. - A State of Emergency has been issued by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

Tropical Storm Ida is severely impacting all areas of our state, said Governor Murphy. The safety of our residents is our main priority, and we urge everyone to be informed of local weather conditions and to stay off the roads.

8.41 inches of rain has fallen so far in Hillsborough, Somerset County, 6.44 inches of rain has fallen so far in Jersey City, Hudson County. Newark has broken the all-time single day rainfall record in its 90-year history.

The National Weather Service will go out Thursday to inspect tornado damage in Mullica Hill and elsewhere. This could be a historic tornado.

10:05 p.m. - The tornado watch is cancelled for South Jersey. The flash flood watch still remains, though. Just on schedule, the steady rain has moved into the region. Expect rain for a few more hours. Between 2 and 4 a.m., the rain will exit off the coast.

Overall, southeastern New Jersey was the least impacted corner of the state. We missed the tornado and tornado warnings that gripped the New Jersey Turnpike corridor. We dodged the 4 to 8 inches of fell that fell in the northern half of the state, where water rescues are taking place.
Soaking rains prompted the evacuations of thousands of people after water reached dangerous levels at a dam near Johnstown, a Pennsylvania town nicknamed Flood City.

Ida caused countless school and business closures in Pennsylvania. About 150 roadways maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were closed and many smaller roadways also were impassable. Several thousand customers were still without power late Wednesday night.

Some areas near Johnstown, whose history includes several deadly floods, saw 5 inches or more of rain by mid-afternoon, an inundation that triggered an evacuation order for those downstream from the Wilmore dam. Nearby Hinckston Run Dam was also being monitored but appeared stable by late afternoon.

Both dams were considered high-hazard dams that are likely to kill someone were they to fail.

Evacuees were taken to a nearby high school with help from the Red Cross, National Guard, local transit authority and school transportation services, he said.

The 1889 Johnstown flood killed 2,200 people, a disaster blamed on poor maintenance on the South Fork Dam on the Little Conemaugh River. It sent a 36-foot wall of water roaring into a populated area at 40 mph (65 kph).
Fellow Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy mounted a better reasoned and more promising criticism of New Yorks plan two years ago.

Murphy argued the city wasnt doing enough to avoid charging drivers twice by simply crediting to the congestion fee the high tolls they paid on the tunnels and bridges crossing the Hudson River below 60th Street.

That would still leave drivers using the George Washington Bridge north of the congestion zone, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge south of it and other city entrances paying twice when they entered midtown-to-lower Manhattan. Murphys letter to then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo also pointed out that such unfair congestion charging would cause drivers to shift to the toll-credited Lincoln and Holland tunnels, worsening their already excessive traffic.

Murphys also asked Cuomo to consider dedicating a portion of the congestion pricing revenue to mitigate the burden of increased use of NJ Transit and the Path train system as a result of the new tax on drivers in the city. This would help address the new fees falling hardest on lower-income drivers.

This first major implementation of congestion pricing in America may set the standard for many cities, so the city and New York state must get it right. Their unilateral approach is unlikely to be fair.
'Power Vacuum' In Kabul: RFE/RL's Radio Azadi Journalist Describes Life Under The Taliban

An activist in Herat has told of restrictions on clothing, while a Kabul resident was surviving on bread after not being paid her salary. RFE/RL's Radio Azadi journalist Mustafa Sarwar answered questions from Current Time viewers and talked about life in Afghanistan under the Taliban.

INCIDENTS AND THREATS

Plans Ruined, Dreams Shattered: Female Journalist In Kabul Deals With New Reality

Rahila Elena is one of the very few women journalists in Kabul who continues to work since the hard-line Taliban group took over the Afghan capital and ordered working women to stay home as the militants were not yet "trained" to respect them. The young reporter for a local media outlet -- who is using a pseudonym for her own protection -- Elena told RFE/RL in an interview that her plans for the future have been shattered and that she is "dealing with a new reality." Also, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns that Female Journalists Are Disappearing From Afghanistans Media Landscape, Group Warns.

Russian Independent Media Join Forces To Urge Putin To End 'Foreign Agent' Label

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. RFE/RL President Jamie Fly has announced RFE/RLs support for the campaign as well.

Jailed RFE/RL Belarus Service Consultant Ihar Losik Appeals To The Pope

RFE/RL Belarus Service consultant Ihar Losik, who has been in pre-trial detention since June 2020, has addressed Pope Francis, in a letter published by RFE/RLs Belarus Service referencing Losiks wife Darya. "I ask you to stand up for hundreds and thousands of Belarusians" -- Losik wrote. He also wrote that hundreds and thousands of Belarusians, faced with lawlessness and injustice, fall into despair and see no way out of this situation. Losik had been charged initially with allegedly using his popular Telegram channel to "prepare to disrupt public order" ahead of an August 9 presidential election that incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka subsequently claimed he won by a landslide amid allegations of widespread fraud. (in Russian, Current Time TV/Belarus Service)

Kremlin 'Tightening Its Grip' On The Internet Ahead Of Elections, Group Says

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says the Russian state is "tightening its grip" on the Internet, "drastically" restricting freedom of the press and of expression ahead of next month's parliamentary elections. In a report published on August 31, RSF noted that at least five independent sites had to cease their activity this year, and more media were "arbitrarily" declared "foreign agents" by the authorities, including TV Dozhd, the Latvian-based news portal Meduza, and several investigative sites.

European Court Faults Russia In Estemirova Murder Case

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that while it had insufficient evidence to conclude there was Russian state involvement in the 2009 abduction and murder of human rights activist Natalya Estemirova, Russian authorities failed to properly investigate the killing. The court found Russian officials also undermined the ECHR's proceedings in the case, brought by Estemirova's sister, by refusing to comply with evidentiary requirements. Estemirova's daughter and the rights group that her mother worked for both expressed disappointment with the court's failure to point a finger at Russian officials they believe are responsible.

CPJ Condemns Arrest Of Iranian Financial Journalist On Security Charges

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is urging Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release a financial reporter who was reportedly arrested this week on security charges, saying that the jailing of journalists for doing their jobs is an outrageous form of censorship that must end. The New-York-based media freedom watchdog made the call in a statement on September 1 after Amir-Abbas Azarmvand, who works for the state run Iranian economic newspaper SMT, was arrested at his parents home in Tehran by security agents of the Intelligence Ministry, according to exile-run outlets.

RSF Urges International Support For 'Persecuted' Belarusian Journalists

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling for international solidarity with Belaruss persecuted independent journalists as a crackdown on media and civil society intensifies following last year's disputed presidential election. We call on the international community to vigorously support their resistance and to continue offering a refuge to journalists who are forced to flee the persecution, RSF said in a statement on September 1, nearly a week after the Belarusian Supreme Court ordered the closure of the countrys only independent journalists association on spurious grounds. Also: Belarus Closes Journalists' Association Amid Ongoing Crackdown On Media.

BBC's Longtime Russia Reporter Forced Out, Still Questioning 'Security Threat' Label

BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford has left Russia as a result of a de facto expulsion that the British broadcaster called an assault on media freedom amid a dispute with Moscow over the treatment of foreign journalists. Rainsford is one of two BBC English-language correspondents in Moscow and was told to leave after Moscow accused London of discriminating against Russian journalists working in the United Kingdom. After more than two decades reporting from Russia, she wrote in a farewell report on August 31 that "by the time you read it I'll be on my way back to England, expelled from Russia as a national security threat."

Kazakh Online Magazine Says Authorities Exerting Pressure Over Report On Rape Victim

Journalists at the online magazine Village Kazakhstan say they have come under pressure from unknown state officials over a recent report about the life of a boy who was raped three years ago by teenagers in Kazakhstan's southern region of Turkistan. "We have to inform you that unknown individuals who introduce themselves as officials of state entities are attacking us right now, demanding we remove the article from our website. We demand you stop putting pressure on independent journalists," the magazine said in its Telegram channel on September 1.
CAMBRIDGE, Ill.  An Andover man entered a partially negotiated plea to three counts of criminal sexual assault Wednesday in Henry County Circuit Court.

Kobe M. Perry, 21, will serve consecutive terms on each of the three counts, each of which had a different victim. The agreement included a cap of 10 years on each count, so with possible prison terms of 4-15 years on Class 1 felonies, he has a possible sentencing range of 12 to 30 years. Truth-in-sentencing applies to the charges, and he will have to serve 85% of his sentence. He also will have mandatory supervised release for three years to life. Sentencing was set for Nov. 2.

A misdemeanor sexual abuse charge and four felony criminal sexual assault charges were dismissed.

According to the first count, he was kissing an 18-year-old victim July 19, 2019, at his residence in Andover and he asked her if she wanted to go further. She said no, but he did so anyway, committing an act of sexual penetration. She reported the incident to law enforcement the next day.

The second count involved a 17- or 18-year-old with whom Perry was involved in a dating relationship. The victim told him she did not want to engage in sexual relations, but he disregarded her on multiple occasions between Feb. 8, 2018, and May 1, 2018.
Other requests in the State's Attorney's proposal include funding to increase the hours of the office's IT specialist, who currently works 32 hours per week, and funding for a one-time bonus of $2,000 to be paid to each of the office's employees as a thank-you for the work they've done during the pandemic.

The Public Defender's Office submitted a proposal that included requests for improved technology and new staff, including a new assistant public defender and two contract attorneys who would work part-time on misdemeanors.

"I'm looking for viability options. Finding local people that know our system to assist us in resolving the backlog as contract attorneys. That's my idea," Durbin said. "The American Rescue Plan money will run out someday. So, trying to hire people from outside of the community to come in and assist us in resolving this backlog is untenable, because it's a short-time proposition. So, I'm looking for contract employees to come in and assist in that, in a short term, 12 to 18 months."

Villarreal said it could take as long as five years to return to normalcy. The backlog, she said, has forced difficult choices about who gets charged and who is held in the jail. Few defendants in non-violent cases are being held in the jail, and some smaller crimes, like possession of small amounts of controlled substances, aren't even being charged.
Those opposed to the death penalty should oppose releasing Sirhan, a move that would give death penalty supporters reason to claim that execution is the only way to remove from society the very worst offenders. And those favoring the death penalty surely should oppose releasing Sirhan.

Under California law, Sirhan has not met the factors that would entitle him to release. For those sentenced to life, parole can be granted only upon a finding of suitability for release. The law leaves to the judgment of the panel how to weigh factors such as the crime itself, the convicts motivation and signs of remorse. When asked if he would kill again at his parole hearing on Friday, Sirhan remarked, I would never put myself in jeopardy again. Even in asking the state for mercy, Sirhan thinks only of himself, and not at all of his victims.

Bobby Kennedys nine surviving children have expressed divergent views on this issue. But as much as I sympathize with the pain felt by the majority of the Kennedy children, who oppose Sirhans release, no member of the senators family has a special claim to be heard here.

The promise of our judicial system is to impart equal justice based on our collective moral judgments as embodied in law, not on the grief and anger of victims families.

In this case, the question we need to answer is, what does an assassin deserve in matters of justice? Sirhan victimized not only the Kennedy family but also the American family. We the people were his victims. And it is we the people who should be outraged by the parole board panels decision to recommend his release. The full parole board should reverse that decision. If it doesnt, Gov. Gavin Newsom must.

Laurence H. Tribe is the Carl M. Loeb university professor and professor of constitutional law emeritus at Harvard University. 2021 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Cyndie Harlan of Lead is one of the winners of the South Dakota Humanities Councils 2021 Distinguished Achievement in the Humanities Award.

Harlan, Dorinda Daniel of Pierre, and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Sioux Falls will receive Distinguished Achievement awards during the 2021 South Dakota Festival of Books Oct. 1-3 in Deadwood. Harlan was the winner in the Librarian award category, Daniel was the winner in the Individual award category, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute was the winner in the Organization category.

Award winners will be honored at the Distinguished Awards Ceremony at 6:45 p.m. Oct. 2, at the Deadwood Mountain Grand. Winners are selected based on their outstanding commitment to scholarly and cultural advocacy for the humanities in South Dakota. Their advocacy includes presenting humanities-related events and programs, writing books and publications important to the humanities, and providing funding or partnerships to sustain a vibrant cultural landscape.

Harlan was the director of the Hearst Library in Lead. During her 15 years there, she worked diligently to promote readers and reading events for all ages. The librarys book club has hosted many local author visits and has participated in the One Book South Dakota program annually. For the past few years, library staff members have assisted in planning and implementing the South Dakota Festival of Books Author Reception in Lead, and the staff members were pleased with the response to their uniquely designed name tags. Harlan continues to participate in programming at the library and remains an avid supporter of SDHC events.

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Monument Health is limiting the number of visitors to hospital patients due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in western South Dakota.

Beginning Friday, only one person per patient will be able to enter the hospital at a time. Before, each patient was allowed two visitors at a time. Visiting hours at all five Monument Health hospitals remain the same, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

There are currently 98 COVID-19 patients hospitalized throughout the Black Hills region. Seventy-five of those patients are at Monument's Rapid City hospital, with 21 in the ICU and 19 on ventilators, according to data from the South Dakota Department of Health.

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Patients who are COVID-19 positive cannot have in-person visitors. Patients and families are encouraged to use technology such as iPads and E-Cards to stay in touch during the hospital stay. Monument Health will assist patients with technology.

The recent steep increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations is troubling, and we need to limit visitation to help keep the virus out of our hospitals, said Brad Archer, Chief Medical Officer at Monument Health. We know its important for families to be together during an illness, but safety of patients and staff is our top priority.
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Republican Rep. Fred Deutsch predicted marijuana would be a hot topic once again in next year's legislative session, saying he was expecting a wealth of marijuana legislation.

He said that allowing medical marijuana users to grow cannabis in their homes would result in a black market for the drug, especially if there is no cap on the number of plants allowed.

Deutsch argued that when voters passed the initiated measure last year, they were voting on whether they generally wanted the state to legalize medical marijuana, but the law also contains 95 sections that impact schools, local governments and law enforcement.

I want medical marijuana to be accessible to anyone who qualifies for it," he said. But I do want to put up guardrails and gutters to provide safety for South Dakotans that dont need it and dont need to be exposed to it, especially our children.

However, Democratic Rep. Linda Duba charged that the recommendations amount to gutting key provisions of a law that was carefully crafted and reflected the will of voters.

She said, Im tired of people saying they are following the will of the people, then they turn right around and say we know better what you meant, so were going to restrict here, here and here."

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Ravalli County Public Health said Wednesday that community transmission of COVID-19 is high and rising in the county

As of 2 p.m., the health department had 113 open active cases with another 20 that still require vetting, according to a press release.

The public health department is asking residents to step up prevention strategies in an effort to reduce the number of infections.

Vaccination is highly recommended to slow the spread and decrease severity of people who come down with the illness.

We encourage residents to speak with their provider or pediatrician about vaccination, the release said.

Masking was highly recommended in these situations:

 Individuals, regardless of vaccination status, should mask indoors and in close contact settings and outside of cohort groups.

 Vaccinated individuals with a known exposure should mask for 14 days

 Unvaccinated individuals with a known exposure should quarantine. If using the reduced quarantine strategy Public Health recommends consistent and correct masking. Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated areas.
The miniseries was based on Irwin Shaws bestselling 1970 novel by the same name and was set between 1945 and 1965. In it, Asner played the clans tyrannical German-born patriarch, Axel, the father of Peter Strauss Rudy Jordache and Nick Noltes Tom Jordache.

Asner earned a supporting actor Emmy for the role.

Capt. Thomas Davies in Roots

Asner was among the sympathetic, even beloved, white TV stars enlisted to play unsympathetic roles in ABCs iconic 1977 slave-trade saga Roots. Asner was transformed into the morally conflicted Capt. Davies, who led the slave ship that brought LeVar Burtons Kunta Kinte to America.

He earned another Emmy for that three-episode performance.

Santa Claus in Elf

Returning to feel-good fare, Asner played Santa Claus in the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy Elf. It was a small role, but a climactic one  Asners Santa is marooned in Central Park because of a dearth of holiday spirit, so Ferrells Buddy the elf helps power up Santas sleigh while his friends spread Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear.
When it comes to the Marvel movies, the hope is that the talented directors they hire to helm each project can bring a bit of their own sensibility to the proceedings. Whether its Taika Waititis goofy humor that underscores Thor: Ragnarok or Ryan Cooglers sense of soulful sorrow in Black Panther, the best of the MCU reveals whats important to each filmmaker throughout the swirling action and densely packed lore of each superhero outing.

For Destin Daniel Cretton, the director and co-writer of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the first MCU installment centered on an Asian superhero, what he brings is a sense of deeply felt humanism and a willingness to inspect complex family dynamics.

Crettons work has always been suffused with empathy, from his breakout indie hit Short Term 12 to his 2019 legal drama Just Mercy, and hes tackled complicated families, both chosen and born, including in The Glass Castle. Cretton is able to apply an emotional heft to Shang-Chi, which follows a young Asian American man, Shaun (Simu Liu), as he learns to face his past and embrace his destiny as the superhero Shang-Chi.
Bon Secours, the areas second-largest private employer, will require its local workers to be vaccinated, the health system announced Thursday.

The choice follows the lead of many other health systems in Virginia and was made after the Food and Drug Administrations approval of the Pfizer vaccine and the rise in delta variant cases.

This decision is based on our firm belief, grounded in scientific evidence, that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh any potential risks, the health system said in a statement. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread through our communities, our priority is to protect our associates, providers, patients and their families, loved ones and our community.

A deadline for vaccination has not been announced but will likely come this fall.

The Greater Richmond Partnership, an economic development organization, ranks Bon Secours the second-largest private employer in the region, with 9,000 employees; Capital One ranks first, with 13,000. Its unclear if the ranking includes contractors and whether it lists full-time equivalent employees or total headcount.
A crowd of 75,000 to 100,000 people came to see the monument when it was unveiled in 1890. And thousands are likely to watch it come down from its graffiti-covered granite base thats surrounded by a chain-link fence the state installed in January in preparation for the removal.

However, in the cool, clear-skied morning Thursday, most people who came across the monument were either jogging, walking their dog or commuting to work or class. There were no work crews or other signals that the days are numbered for Lee and his horse to cast their long shadow over Monument Avenue.

Several of the people who said they visit the monument often did not know about the court decision until they arrived Thursday morning.

Juliette Miller, 26, said she started attending the protests last year to advocate for racial justice and police accountability at the circle around the statue, which people informally renamed in honor of Marcus-David Peters, a Black high school teacher fatally shot while in a mental health crisis, by a Richmond police officer in 2018.

Miller, who grew up in Hanover County, said the protests were not about the statues, but that their removal will represent a symbolic victory.
June 1  Richmond police use tear gas to clear a crowd of peaceful protesters at the Robert E. Lee monument nearly 20 minutes before the mandatory 8 p.m. curfew.

June 3  It is learned that on the following day, Gov. Ralph Northam will announce plans to remove the statue of Lee from Monument Avenue. Stoney announces the planned removal of the four other Confederate statues there.

June 8  Richmond Circuit Judge Bradley Cavedo issues a temporary injunction barring the state from taking down the Lee statue for 10 days as removal crews inspect the 130-year-old statue. Cavedo will later recuse himself from cases related to the statue because he lives in the Monument Avenue Historic District.

June 10  The statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis is pulled down by protesters shortly before 11 p.m., just a week after city leaders promised to remove all of the Lost Cause iconography along Monument Avenue. A crowd cheered and chanted as the bronze statue, which had stood since June 3, 1907, was hauled away on a flatbed truck.

June 16  Stoney forces Richmond Police Chief William C. Smith to resign in the midst of the social unrest and protests in the city. Stoney appoints Maj. William Jody Blackwell as interim chief.
Asking professors to check their students entry pass before each class isnt always feasible, Carpenter said. He teaches a freshman chemistry class with 160 students.

Carpenter said VCU is also considering less drastic measures, including restricting access to certain buildings.

There are 756 students out of 28,850 who have not reported their vaccination or requested an exemption, Porter said. Of the 756, about 300 are taking online classes away from campus and dont have to be vaccinated.

Other universities in Virginia chose to disenroll noncompliant students before the semester began. Virginia Tech disenrolled 134 out of 37,000 students, a spokesperson said Tuesday, though its unclear how many of them intended to return for the fall semester.

The University of Virginia disenrolled 238, though only 49 had registered for classes. The College of William & Mary withdrew 42, though only 12 had registered for classes.

After he wrote his letter, Carpenter immediately got a response from Meredith Weiss, VCUs vice president for administration, he said. She said the university would seek faculty input on what should happen to noncompliant students. Weiss was unavailable for an interview Wednesday, Porter said.
Power should be restored to most customers around the Baton Rouge area by Sept. 8 after workers finish assessing damage, Entergy Louisiana President Philip May said Thursday. Damage assessments are not as far along in the harder-hit regions, so Entergy said it has no timetable for getting service to those areas, which include New Orleans.

Gasoline shortages were also a problem for people trying to run generators and waiting in drive-thru lines for food and water. The lines for gas stretched for blocks in many places from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.

President Joe Biden also ordered the release of extra fuel from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure a steady supply. He said he would also provide utilities with satellite images to help restore power.

We know that there is much to be done in this response on our part, said Biden, who was getting hourly updates on the recovery. We need to get power restored. We need to get more food, fuel and water deployed.

Ida knocked out Port Fourchon, the primary hub to support offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and send that oil on its way to refineries. Port leaders said the damage to structures where the powerful eye came ashore was not as bad as feared.
Youngkin said its the most common complaint he hears on the campaign trail.

When the government stands in the way of work, when Virginia has regulations that restrict freedom and entrepreneurship, with Virginias high cost of living, it makes it difficult to actually achieve our dreams, Youngkin said. Government becomes the problem, not the solution.

During the event, McAuliffe doubled down on calls for businesses to require their employees be vaccinated, describing the approach as necessary to ensure Virginia and its economy can quickly recover from the pandemic.

Youngkin, meanwhile, continued to argue that individuals should not be required to be vaccinated  by their employers or the government. Youngkin said if he were elected governor, he would undo Gov. Ralph Northams vaccine mandate on the states workforce.

Youngkin blamed lagging vaccination rates on the government, saying lack of public education and access, particularly among underserved communities, are to blame.

I am a strong, strong proponent of people getting the vaccine. Ive gotten the vaccine, my family has gotten the vaccine. We know thats the best way to stay safe, Youngkin said. Its not a decision that I will impose on people. I believe that people have the ability to make that decision for themselves.

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At a news conference Thursday, Attorney General Mark Herring said he doesnt anticipate an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court but would fight one if there is.

I dont think theres any legal basis for a further appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but Ill say this. If they try, we will be there to oppose it. This statue is coming down, and I really hope that the parties in the case and the lawyers who are representing them see the strength and the power of the decision, and the will of the people that it come down, and not delay it further, Herring said.

Patrick McSweeney, lawyer for the property owners, said Thursday that he had not yet had a chance to read the rulings and indicated he may or may not comment.

The 130-year-old, 21-foot-tall bronze statue of the Confederate general on a horse gained national attention last year as a focus of protests in Richmond. The base of the monument is now covered with graffiti and it was illuminated at night with holographic images. A year ago, demonstrators at the circle  now surrounded by fencing  were tear-gassed by police.

Other Confederate statues and memorials along Monument Avenue located on city property came down following the protests. The Lee statue is on state property.
Howard wants a partition or barrier around the site of disassembling the statue. These procedures need to be conducted away from the view of the public for their safety and protection of the crew, the firm said.

The granite pedestal would be documented photographically by a three-dimensional scan before scaffolding is assembled to remove the base. Each granite block and decorative element would be catalogued by its original position as part of an inventory. The blocks would be placed on pallets with protective padding for transport, and the decorative elements would be put into custom crates with proper padding.

Damico said the state has not identified a site outside of the city to store the statue and pedestal. Once a location is arranged, its identity will be handled as secure information and at the appropriate time will be made available, he said.

Langan, the state historic resources director, agreed with the states proposed two-part approach to ensure the safe and respectful removal of the sculpture and pedestal by Brown, which she described as a qualified conservation consultant.

Time capsule?
This Labor Day weekend, my candidate for Worker of the Year is a professor who quit.

Irwin Bernstein, a psychology professor at the University of Georgia, walked off the job Aug. 24 because one of his students refused to wear a mask properly in class.

Thats it. Im retired, Bernstein reportedly said  and left.

Bravo, professor, for drawing your personal red line and for your long run in the classroom. Bernstein began teaching in 1968. He is 88. Thats not a typo.

Bernstein retired in 2011 but returned to teach part time. This school year, he was teaching two classes.

But he has Type 2 diabetes. His age and other health problems put him at higher risk of complications from COVID-19.

Its not too much for him and other teachers in the nations classrooms to expect their employers to follow the guidance of public health authorities and require masks and vaccinations.

The University System of Georgia offers vaccinations and encourages masks inside campus facilities  but does not require them. So, Bernstein adopted his own no mask, no class policy.
In crime, it's too often

someone else's fault



Editor, Times-Dispatch:

One of the selections in The Times-Dispatch's Aug. 28 editorial roundup was an excerpt from The Dallas Morning News lamenting that most guns used in Arlington, Texas, crimes were stolen from vehicles, often by teens.

Personal responsibility is a key ingredient to a free society, and it's also a key ingredient to reducing violence, reads the last paragraph. In this case, protecting society starts with protecting personal firearms from theft.

Personal responsibility is essential. And it should be taught in the home, but todays young criminals have no guidance, no respect for others, no role models and are told nothing is their fault.

Its always someone elses fault  if that person had locked the car, the young person would not have committed the crime. There, problem solved.

Nancy Fuchs.
Theres still some uncertainty about how quickly the cold front and tropical moisture will clear out of central and eastern Virginia on Thursday. It could be a pleasant day, or a little unsettled in the morning. But high pressure promises to bring some cooler, drier, fittingly September-like conditions as we head into Labor Day weekend.

***

Flooding and storm risk will vary across Virginia

Meanwhile, that steadier side of the storm could deposit 3 to 5 inches somewhere north of a Staunton-to-Washington line, with some isolated heavier amounts in the high terrain.

Those amounts could lead to numerous flash floods on creeks in that region, and eventually some significant river flooding in the Potomac basin and points north.

Barring a major shift in the track, that heaviest rain will not fall in the region that flows into the James River. The expected runoff would surely cause river levels to creep up in Richmond later this week, but computer models show narrow chances of even minor flooding at the Westham gauge as of Monday afternoon.
A man and a woman charged last winter in a string of Salem vehicle break-ins have resolved their court cases, with one of them required to serve prison time.

The Jan. 23 spree, which involved 11 vehicles, happened in the Wildwood Road area, near Horner Lane, and Burma and Kiska roads.

Arrest warrants show that items taken included credit cards, a drivers license, tool kits, Apple AirPods, and a collection of pins.

In the most serious case, a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander was stolen.

At a hearing last spring, Salem assistant prosecutor Jessica Pruett said the key had been left in that car, that all of the vehicles had been unlocked and none of the incidents involved serious damage.

Soon after the thefts occurred, police used a GPS device to locate the Mitsubishi on nearby Bowman Avenue, where they arrested Bradey Michael Draper, 26, of Vinton and Brittany Lynn Adkins, 26, of Salem. The pair faced about two dozen criminal charges, including larceny, credit card theft and illegally entering a vehicle.
The authority in a statement Wednesday says it is committed to solving all the problems in the airport to facilitate the resumption of civilian and commercial flights.

The Taliban did not immediately comment.

Video is circulating on social media of a Qatari plane landing at the airport that is assumed to be carrying a technical team to help in repairs at the airport.



MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticized the United States involvement in Afghanistan, charging that its 20-year military presence in the country has achieved zero.

Putin said Wednesday that for 20 years the U.S. military in Afghanistan was trying ... to civilize the people who live there, to introduce their norms and standards of life in the broadest sense of the word, including the political organization of society.

The result is sheer tragedies, sheer losses, both for those who were doing that  the U.S.  and more so for the people who live in Afghanistan. A zero result, if not negative, Putin said.
Biden was spared from having to weigh in on an International Trade Commission dispute between SK Innovation and rival LG, which recently won an intellectual property dispute that could have shut down the Georgia plant. The two companies recently reached a $1.8 billion deal to keep the plant operating, saving about 2,600 jobs.

While that deal expands domestic electric vehicle battery manufacturing, the raw materials to make those batteries must still be exported due to rigorous environmental regulations that have made mining in the U.S. challenging. The Biden administration has not given any sign it plans to review its regulatory regime.

Pro-mining isnt anti-environment, said Laural Sayer, president and CEO of Perpetua Resources, an Idaho company trying to restore an abandoned mine that could produce up to 148 million pounds of antimony, which is needed for infrared technology and munitions. Mining in America provides us control over our future. Domestic production gives us direct access to the materials we need, brings with it American jobs and American infrastructure, and puts the social and environmental conditions of mining in our hands.
More recently, in Why confederates shouldnt be honored (Aug. 9), the Times again asserts the Confederate Nazi equivalency, and that historical context is the measure of moral action. The Times dismisses the motives of the ordinary soldier  None of that matters. The difference, however, is that the average Nazi soldier did sign up to defend a racist, genocidal regime. Aryan superiority and anti-Semitism were an integral part of Nazi propaganda and recruitment from the early 1930s onward.

With moral decisions, motivations count. Ordinary Southerners moral hierarchy told them, above all, to defend their families. Southern politicians talked about states rights and northern economic encroachment, not the average Southerner, who was economically disadvantaged by the monopolistic plantation system  living a life of squalor and lack of mobility on tenant farms.

According to the two moral criteria that the Times employs  that any Nazi-like government is morally corrupt, and that historical context, not personal motivations, determine the morality of a particular action  the Times itself is morally culpable on both counts. The Times personal motivations may be well-intentioned, but todays historical context is the elimination of individual freedoms to consolidate the power of a government-business elite.

The Times supports the leftist, progressive, Democratic Party, which is attempting to create a one-party country with a socialist, totalitarian government  censorship of free speech on social media in collaboration with Big Tech; circumventing the Constitution by packing the Supreme Court; marginalizing Republicans through eliminating the filibuster; using critical race theory to blame, shame and silence opposition; adopting election procedures facilitating fraud; allowing illegal immigration to change the voter demographic; and expanding administrative state responsibilities whereby government agencies practice central planning and impose control through regulations.

Skaff is a retired director of policy analysis for a policy organization in Washington, D.C. He lives in Roanoke County.
Domestically, the Biden administration speaks breezily about transforming the financial and energy components of the nations almost $23 trillion economy, oblivious about possible unintended consequences. In foreign policy, a chastened administration needs to tailor its objectives to fit its ability to know what it does not know.

In 1950, Secretary of State Dean Acheson called the United States the locomotive at the head of mankind. Europe was recuperating, Asias economic development had barely begun and U.S. prestige had soared because of its prodigies of war production.Y

Forty years later, as the Berlin Wall was being chipped into souvenirs and the Soviet Union was a year from extinction, former U.N. ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick published an article whose title expressed her expectation and the nations yearning in 1990: During the Cold War, foreign policy had acquired an unnatural importance, but now the United States could again be A Normal Country in a Normal Time.

The U.S. holiday from history lasted 11 years. It ended with the thunderclap of 9/11, which shattered long-standing assumptions about technology and civilization advancing in tandem.
The Solvang City Council by a majority vote Monday, returned representation of the Solvang Chamber of Commerce to a city tourism advisory body, unraveling years of work by the previous council to release what members then saw as the grip of old-guard alliances.
CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers.
" " Destruction from Hurricane Ida on Grand Isle, Louisiana, is catastrophic. Ida made landfall Aug. 29, near Grand Isle as a Category 4 storm southwest of New Orleans, causing widespread power outages, flooding and massive damage. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans and surrounding areas in Louisiana this past Sunday, serving as a grim reminder of the power of coastal storms, which are predicted to increase as the climate crisis rolls onward.

Scientists and engineers have known for some time that wetlands (such as dense mangroves, tree-studded swamps and grass-covered marshes) protect exposed coastlines and coastal cities from storms. But for places like London, Tokyo, New York and 19 of the world's largest cities built around estuaries  the wave-sheltered places where freshwater meets the sea  wetlands may be their silent Superman.

Wetlands can reduce flood levels from storms by up to 6 feet (2 meters) and avoid $38 million in flooding damages per estuary, according to a July study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

"Our study shows that coastal wetlands play a crucial role in reducing storm-driven flooding in estuaries," Tom Fairchild, a research scientist at Swansea University in the U.K. and lead author of the study, said in a press statement. "They are nature's flood defenses and we need them now more than ever."

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The Study Methodology

For the study, Fairchild and his fellow researchers gathered data on the topography of estuaries (measured with lidar and sonar), 50 years of wind data, 40 years of wave data and extensive measurements of marsh grasses taken from the ground. They then fed this into a computer program that allowed them to simulate the effects of storms of different strengths on eight estuaries across the country of Wales in the U.K.

In all storm scenarios, marshes reduced both the extent of flooding as well as damage from floods. Overall, the benefits of marshes were greatest during the most powerful storm scenarios.

"In the largest storms the potential effects are bigger," Fairchild says, "so the potential gains are bigger from having salt marshes."

As water from storms moves through an estuary, it interacts with all the vegetation along the edges, creating a friction or drag effect. As water moves upstream, this effect is cumulative. The friction from vegetation, along with the sponge-like effect of the mucky marsh, reduces the wave heights, creating a reduction in storm surge and flooding.

A 6.5-foot (2-meter) rise in the water level of an estuary could lead to quite significant flooding, especially for flatter and lower-lying places built on flood plains, such as London and New York.

In wave-sheltered environments like estuaries, "wetlands may be even more important than along exposed coastlines and coastal cities," Fairchild says, "in part because of all the major settlements and cities there."

" " Swansea researchers conducting saltmarsh vegetation surveys and recording water levels on the Taf estuary, South Wales. Their study of estuaries shows the flood protection role of coastal wetlands has been underestimated. Image courtesy of Swansea University

By running models with and without marshes present and using records of property values, as well as estimates of the value of flood damage, the researchers calculated that the presence of marshes prevented $38 million in flooding damages per estuary. This amount would be higher in larger estuaries with bigger cities or more settlements, Fairchild says.

The connection between storms, marshes, and financial damage to property is one of the strong points of this study, says Siddharth Narayan, an assistant professor in the department of coastal studies at East Carolina University, who was not involved in the research.

"It's one thing to say, yes, these wetlands are reducing flood extents. But it's another thing to then link that to the economic costs," Narayan says. "[This] is something that we have found critical in the work that we do."

Narayan's work includes communicating with engineers, planners and policymakers about the costs and benefits of wetlands. He is a co-author on guidelines for the use of nature-based solutions for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as well as the International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management, set to be published Sept. 16.

After Hurricane Sandy, a major storm that hit the U.S. East Coast in 2012, Narayan and colleagues teamed up with the insurance industry to calculate the benefits of the marshes along the coast. According to the insurance industry models, wetlands prevented some $625 million in damages.

"When big disasters occur such as a Hurricane Sandy," Narayan says, "there tends to be a shift in terms of people recognizing that these coastal ecosystems play a role ... There is enormous interest right now, but I still think it stops short of action on the ground."

Narayan attributes this lack of action and investment in nature-based solutions (like wetland restoration) to a lack of confidence. Although there are many examples of nature-based engineering solutions, we still have a shortage of carefully monitored pilot studies, he says.

"Ultimately policymakers and engineers just need to have more confidence in the extent to which nature-based solutions work," Narayan says. "Some people somewhere have to start taking some risks."

" " This map shows the difference in water level between scenarios where a marsh was present or absent at the Three Rivers estuary complex in South Wales. Red areas indicate large reductions in water level where a marsh is present, and blue-white where little to no effect was observed, showing that the presence of marsh vegetation has the greatest flood protective effect for towns and infrastructure in upstream areas. Image courtesy of Swansea University

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Protecting Wetlands Is Critical

In addition to restoring wetlands, Fairchild says, we should also promote conservation of existing wetlands, and these wetlands should be actively rather than passively managed.

"The attitude has been '[wetlands] just do their own thing," Fairchild says. "They come and they go, and that's fine.' But how can we build on that? How can we prevent any further damage?"

Water pollution from agriculture, industry and urban areas is responsible for a lot of wetland loss, so better management of agricultural water and water treatment "could have a real profound impact not just on the water quality in these places," Fairchild says, "but also in the potential protection value to wetlands."

"Our work shows that when big storms hit, nature works extra hard for us, preventing or reducing coastal flooding ... for free," John Griffin, a co-author of the study from Swansea University, said in a press release. "The upshot is, by protecting and restoring coastal wetlands, we help protect ourselves from the growing threat of flooding. It's a no-brainer."

This story originally appeared in Mongabay and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
Basically, Kittredge says in the opinion that the proviso is clear and unambiguous in contrast with a budget proviso that attempted to ban mask mandates in public colleges that was less clear in meaning. And because of the clear and unambiguous nature of the school proviso, it preempts contrary local legislation on masks.

State Rep, Phillip Lowe, a Republican, said the court followed the rule of law regarding the proviso. He also mentioned the lack of ambiguity in the proviso.

This one, they got it right, Lowe said. They called it right. Theres no sense having a legislature if they had overruled that one. That would have been them [the Columbia City Council] basically being the legislature.

State Rep. Terry Alexander, a Democrat, said he was surprised the ruling came out so quickly but not as surprised by the result.

The court issued its ruling Thursday after hearing oral arguments on Tuesday.

Alexander asked what authority does Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin have regarding his local school districts and masks. He agreed that it was kind of one governmental entity telling another what to do.
DENVER (AP)  The indictments of three suburban Denver officers and two paramedics on manslaughter and other charges in the death of Elijah McClain could be a pivotal step toward meaningful police accountability, law enforcement reform advocates say.

Our hope has been renewed, said Candice Bailey, an activist in the city of Aurora who has been a liaison between the community and police and has led demonstrations over the death of McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was put into a chokehold and injected with a powerful sedative in 2019.

The charges come as Colorado's elected leaders have taken strides to toughen repercussions for officers accused of wrongdoing in the wake of nationwide racial injustice protests last year that reawakened outrage over McClain's death.

State lawmakers passed a sweeping police accountability law, which bans the use of chokeholds like the one used on McClain and requires officers to intervene to stop excessive force from being used. The law has helped lead to charges against some officers and allowed the state attorney general's office to open a civil rights investigation into the Aurora Police Department.
 "Jeff Sessions Should Be Screaming Bloody Murder About a Potential Joe Arpaio Pardon" | Main | Split en banc Eleventh Circuit concludes Florida felony battery is "crime of violence" under FSG 

August 25, 2017

As he had hinted, Prez Trump decides to make his first use of the clemency power a pardon for Joe Arpaio

As reported here by Politico, "President Donald Trump pardoned attorney former Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Friday." Here is more:

Arpaio had been convicted of federal contempt. The outspoken immigration opponent has long backed Trump. The president teased a pardon during a campaign rally in Phoenix on Tuesday. The White House cited a lifetime of public service in announcing Apraio's pardon.

I cannot yet find any official White House statement about this action, but I will update this post if and when one appears.

A few prior related posts:

UPDATE : This Reuters piece provides more context on the pardon as well as reaction thereto. Commentor Joe helpfully noticed that the official White House statement appears on the ABC News Twitter feed, and as of early Saturday morning I cannot yet find that statement on the White House website.

August 25, 2017 at 08:20 PM | Permalink

Comments

Good move. Now his DOJ should investigate the Hispanic prosecutor. First, is he even here legally?

Then investigate the awful feminist judge.

Arrest them. Try them. And put them in prison. To deter.

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 25, 2017 9:11:17 PM

Here is an official press release:

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/901234329241624576

Posted by: Joe | Aug 25, 2017 9:34:12 PM

Joe. Isn't ABC owned by the gay controlled Walt Disney Corporation, pushing the gay agenda of destroying the American family? Didn't its gay activist President resign from Trump's Advisory Council, because he is biased against the real Americans who put Trump in office? Doesn't his show, Ellen, make gay OK with adults? Doesn't his flagrantly homosexual character in Beauty and the Beast make gay OK with kids? Isn't this organization a rich corporation promoting the gay agenda, seeking the destruction of the American family?

Joe, what is your sexual orientation if I may ask?

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 25, 2017 9:54:04 PM

Joe. This clinches it. You are on the side of the ABA. You should be ashamed of yourself to share an opinion with the ABA.

https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2017/08/statement_of_hilarie0.html

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 25, 2017 10:07:23 PM

David, I find your reaction to Joe's provision of a helpful link disturbingly off-topic and unhinged. I am inclined to delete these comments, but I wanted you to know of my concerns and urge you to understand why continued comments like these may prompt me to preclude you from this forum in the future.

Posted by: Doug B | Aug 26, 2017 7:33:35 AM



Thw quoting of an ABC story is morally equivalent to the quoting of Storm Front, except the latter is honest about it bias. Joe is arguing in bad faith, with an undisclosed and morally reprehensible agenda.

You do not care about left wing, pro-criminal bias. Your ad hominem attacks on me and on no one on the left shows you share them. Vicious personal attacks by the left are not a problem for you. You have some thinking to do, about your own false piety.

You also just refuse to acknowledge the David Duke effect. It is 99.99% ubiquitous in the media. It is false propaganda by selection, and by lack of balance. Balance is an ethical requirement of journalism, as it is in the law. Professorial ethos, announced in your academic title on this blog, also requires the presentation of balance. There have been 1 or 2 pro-vitim posts here and tens of thousands of pro-criminal posts.

So, ABC is a homosexual agenda promoting, anti-family, hate false news site. Joe may as well just quote David Duke or Storm Front. You would not criticize that if it promoted the pro-criminal side. At least David Duke is honest about his hate. ABC and all you left wing people are supercilious and morally superior, when all you are is unethical.

You get agitated by any attempt to bring any kind of pro-victim balance. You cannot even debate my high school level points. Shunning is pure cult methodology. Here is what is worse. You likely did better in high school than I did. Your high school education was erased by the criminal cult indoctrination you underwent in law school. You now know less about common sense than kids in Life Skills class. Put them on the Supreme Court for an immediate upgrade in logic of decisions, and in the clarity of the writing.

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 26, 2017 10:09:10 AM

Prof. Berman. What are you implying by the threat to ban me?

Are you implying that asking about being a homosexual is insulting? I find that discriminatory. If I worked at your school, I would have to report your biased implication. I would request an investigation, and if biased were found, sensitivity training.

I do not find being a homosexual to be a negative. They are smart, successful people. The average homosexual in the 2010 Census had an income a full standard deviation above the mean for heterosexuals. If Joe is gay, he should be proud, and is likely bringing in a big salary.

ABC is an all out homosexual agenda promoting, totally biased, hate speech organization, and the question about sexual orientation is relevant to the comment.

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 26, 2017 10:17:06 AM

Doug, please do us all a favor: ban Mr. Behar.

Posted by: Taylor | Aug 26, 2017 10:49:17 AM

A reporter I follow on Twitter was careful not to comment on a reported decision on trans in the military until he found an official statement on the matter.

The Trump Administration repeatedly reports things, officially or unofficially, without first providing such an official response. The reporter also argued the Justice Department, where pardons was usually go through, has an obligation to formally state how the pardon was handed down, including its involvement.

With announcements on Twitter etc., the Trump Administration is somewhat more casual about certain things.

Posted by: Joe | Aug 26, 2017 10:49:45 AM

Joe Arpaio is lucky that while he was sheriff of Maricopa County Prison that neither he nor any of his associates were taken hostage by inmates angry over his abusive policies toward them like letting them die of poor medical health or of thirst and starvation in his "tent" city. His policies put not only inmates, but his staff members, at extra risk of being killed or assaulted by inmates fed up with being mistreated like animals. His fellow correction officers should have gone on strike against him the way some correctional officers in North Carolina went on strike several years ago to protest harsh prison policies that put their lives and safety at risk. Indeed, some inmates and their loved ones did make some attempts to hire somebody to kill him. Fortunately, those attempts failed even though I can certainly understand their hatred against Arpaio.

Arpaio has made so many enemies by his racist and sexist policies. While I wish no harm against him, I could understand why several people might want to even the score with him. He has harmed a lot of innocent law-abiding people by automatically presuming their guilt and with his xenophobic profiling policies. That's the jury's job, not the sheriff's job, to determine guilt. I don't want to be in Arpaio's shoes right now. With so many people angry over his pardon and a desire to settle scores with him, I would advise Arpaio to watch his back and to stay out of certain neighborhoods.

In closing, the hallmark of good policing requires an officer to earn the trust and respect of law-abiding minorities to help track down criminal elements. You don't earn this respect or trust by lumping all members of a minority as criminal by the criminal acts from a small handful of these minority people.

Posted by: william r. delzell | Aug 26, 2017 12:46:26 PM

Taylor: That is a vicious personal attack. If you are a licensed lawyer, you are unprofessional.

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 26, 2017 2:48:29 PM

Taylor: Which of the 540 ways to love do you subscribe to?

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 26, 2017 2:56:01 PM

David, this has nothing to do with left or right, though I know you are eager of late to see everything in these terms. What has long been frustrating to me and to others is your tendency, David, to over-react to small items and/or to the background of an author or commentor. Those annoying tendency are on full display when, in reaction to a helpful link to a White House statement not otherwise available, you make so much of the location of the link and of what it might imply about the person who provided the link. It is silly, distracting, and is the kind of comment that makes me sorry I suggested you could return to commenting here. If it keeps happening, I will again ask you to leave.

Posted by: Doug B. | Aug 26, 2017 5:30:41 PM

Joe Arpaio is probably the best Sheriff you will be able to find. He followed the Law and did it humanly- even the inmates respected him.

Out of the many Sheriff's that our County has had, none of them was competent enough to follow the Law and they took orders from the DA and the Judge. One Sheriff even refused to take a theft report because he said that the DA would not Prosecute (he was running for Judge).

Posted by: LC in Texas | Aug 26, 2017 7:44:12 PM

If I quote David Duke about the Jews, is that a trivial or distracting focus on the source? My point is that except for C-SPAN, all media are now David Duke, with very sick, extreme agendas. All media are mired in the confirmation bias. All are unethical journalists. All are worthless to someone who wants information, and not pre-selected propaganda. If you cannot see that, then you are also a denier, as well as a practitioner of the confirmation bias.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

C-SPAN is still owned by a half a dozen, huge media companies and remains suspect. However, Lamb indicated his counting stories to remain balanced. He is trying, and should receive ethical journalism credit. No other outlet should.

I like the lawyer remedy to bad faith, the disclosure. No one may criticize a biased source that makes a full disclosure, preferably with a list of funding sources. It ends the discussion of bad faith.

Let's get personal, since you are doing that. You have a title on this blog, of Professor. I suggest removing it. I suggest replacing it with, "I am a Harvard trained lawyer. I will be providing information that supports the interests of the criminal. These are supported because they generate jobs for lawyers." End of argument. I visit here if I am a rent seeking lawyer. I visit David Duke if I hate the Jews.

Hold up before calling me the David Duke of the lawyer profession. David Duke hates the Jews. I criticize the lawyer profession because I love it, and I think it can do a whole lot better. I am its ultimate, long term beneficial, rent seeker. You lawyers will be making 4 times more, and have 10 times the public esteem if you begin listening to the calls of the modern and of the empirical. Stop listening to the cult, with its 13th Century super-natural beliefs. In your criminal law class, are you clearly labeling mens rea and intent as mental states known only to God upon reaching heaven, and their reading as a supernatural power attributed to God by the Medieval Church, and never to man as the lawyer cult believes?

I also object to your belief that asking if someone is gay is any attempt to insult or denigrate the person. It is not an insult to be gay in my book. And, do not start calling me a racist for using the word, denigrate.

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 27, 2017 1:04:10 AM

Doug, please pull the plug on Supremacy Clause. Bruce

PS, I wager SC won't be able to resist some ad hominem directed toward me.

Posted by: bruce cunningham | Aug 27, 2017 9:03:00 AM

David, the ways in which your bias distorts your ability to have a cogent conversation is the problem. I get that you think ABC and other mainstream media are, in your words, "sick" and "unethical." Fine. But that presents no reason to question the motivations of a commentor who links to a media source that provides information seemingly not otherwise available elsewhere. It would be like me questioning you about whether you use an Apple or Google product to type up your comments, and what internet provider you use. (Please answer those questions, David, and also let me know if you have investigated how many lawyers are employed by these companies and how that contributes to the cost of the products they produce.)

The problem, David, is not just that you are so eager to "shoot the messenger," but you go so far as to be questioning the messenger about who may have built the road he traveled upon. (And I do not think asking if someone is gay is an insult, but it is an unhinged and distracting response to a decision to provide a link to a twitter feed of ABC.)

You are welcome, David, to put in the comments after every post that I am a Harvard trained lawyer who helps produce new lawyers and is interested in job opportunities for lawyers. Of course, that information is also available via the links at the very top left side of the blog (and, arguably, is far more relevant to my marijuana blog). I will not be bothered if you want to emphasize this point after each post. But I am bothered when you distort conversations with rants and silly questions after a commentor provides a helpful link.

Posted by: Doug B | Aug 27, 2017 11:47:43 AM

Washington, DC (Aug. 26, 2017)  Rick Jones, President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), issued the following statement concerning last nights pardon by the U.S. President of former Maricopa County, AZ, Sheriff Joe Arpaio:

Reinforcing a tremendous sense of fear and foreboding among large cross-sections of some of the most vulnerable groups living in the United States, President Trump last night pardoned former Sheriff Arpaio, who stands convicted of blatantly disregarding a federal court order preventing the illegal detention of individuals without charge based simply on the suspicion they are undocumented.

NACDL is very troubled by this use of the executive power to grant mercy, for the very first time by President Trump, before the judicial process is completed, and where there has been no evidence of contrition or acknowledgement of wrongdoing. This pardon reinforces an extremely disturbing pattern of conduct by this President who, through his words and his deeds, has shown disdain for the co-equal Judicial Branch of government as well as the actual and potential victims of constitutional abuse. We are fast spiraling into a moment of constitutional crisis, and those of us who are required to stand behind the Constitution must not remain silent when the power of government is used to perpetuate injustice.

Posted by: Taylor | Aug 27, 2017 1:32:25 PM

Supremacy, Doug is the man on this site. One must respect that and pay heed to what he says. Hes smart, ever so fair and gives one lots of chances. Maybe step back and draw a few deep breathes. I like this site and enjoy reading what smarter and more articulate people than me have to say on this site. Im guessing you also do. Get with the program and save your access.



Posted by: MidWestGuy | Aug 27, 2017 10:10:17 PM

Hi, Bruce. I am sorry if I have not attacked you lately. I love you as a lawyer. I want you to unleash the greatness you have inside. I want you to achieve the necessity our society has for adequate defense lawyers.

I want you to fulfill your first duty, the one to your client of zealous representation, to free the wrongly accused.

I want you deter prosecutorial misconduct by obeying the Rules of Conduct of mandatory reporting and complaining about it. If you do not want to violate the rule against the threat of using the Rules of Conduct in litigation, go to the judge of the case. He has tremendous powers to do justice and to protect the rule of law. I want you to deter the source of your job, not the innocent client, but the prosecutor. I want you to disclose to all your clients, the client is a fungible stranger, but that you like and are friends with the asshole prosecutor. You owe the prosecutor your job, and not the client. Stop being the running dog for that fool, merely delivering the plea. Email can do that. I want you to disclose that after a case you meet the prosecutor and drink to the stupidity of the public, allowing that failed, cozy system you two have going.

I want you to drop the 20% rate of false positive of your profession. For every 5 executions, there has been one exoneration. I want you to report your prosecutor to the International Court at the Hague for a crime against humanity for any exoneration in your jurisdiction.

I want you to make a checklist of the 100+ biases here. Each is a violation of due process. I want you to start to make sure none affects your case.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droit_du_seigneur

I want you to catch up to cognitive science, and to insist on physical evidence every time an eyewitness utters a false memory implanted by the police. There is no true eyewitness testimony months after a crime.

I want you to insist, again, inside the trial, with the same judge, that all false accusers, especially of rape, go to prison with the minimum that Martha Stewart served for denying getting a phone call in a casual conversation with FBI agents in her living room, not under oath: 5 months in stir, 5 months house arrest, 2 years probation. I want you to insist that all allegations of sexual battery have been screened with a lie detector test. I want you to sue the prosecutor for bringing any rape charge that does not involve force.

In death penalty cases, I want you to claim that the set date is a cruel violation of the Eighth Amendment.

I want your association to go through the Rules of Evidence and to demand the legislature mercilessly remove all that Medieval bullshit. It is a disgrace.

I want you to support making judge inquisitors rather than the inaccessible Virgin Empress of China that they are mandated to be.

I want you to support the end of all appalling, self dealt immunities of judges and of prosecutors. Pass a federal Amendment telling those nitwits, the party is over. Make them pay for damage from their carelessness. This is where you become a billionaire as a defense attorney, the carelessness of the system, railroading innocent people. If wanting to make you a billionaire is not love, tell me what is. To deter.

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 28, 2017 5:30:38 AM

Mid. Let me translate. Do not disagree with the criminal cult enterprise. Obey.

Problem. The law is your and my chattel. These criminals have misappropriated it, taking our $trillion, and returning nothing of value. That is the definition of rent seeking. Collect taxes at the point of a gun, return nothing of value. Indeed, every year a lawyer lives he actively destroys a $million of economic value. Rent refers to returning nothing of value. We need a word for taking money and actually destroying additional value. Vandalism, perhaps.

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 28, 2017 5:39:05 AM

Taylor. Don't defense lawyers support the use of clemency? From their website, discussed at length in this blog:

"Clemency Project 2014 is composed of the Federal Defenders, the American Civil Liberties Union, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the American Bar Association, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, as well as individuals active within those organizations and other lawyers wishing to participate in this volunteer effort."

The real name of this association should be the National Association of Criminal Democratic Lawyers (NACDL).

I am keeping quiet about their hypocrisy to avoid bothering Prof. Berman.

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 28, 2017 5:47:03 AM

Prof. Berman: I will not need to criticize you if you spend one minute, first day of Criminal Law 101, saying the following.

"There are 15 million common law crimes and 15 million internet crimes, netting $5000 each, or $1000 more than a bank robbery, each year. There are 2 million prosecutions. If a mechanic repaired only 7% of the broken cars brought to him, he would be stopped by the authorities.

Of the 2 million prosecutions, up to 20% are false. So in the rare cases the mechanic did make a repair, it was the wrong repair. Welcome to the criminal law."

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 28, 2017 5:55:14 AM

I was not satisfied with the legal analysis on the validity (or lack thereof) of pardoning someone for contempt. Off the cuff, I could see why contempt was a judicial action and therefore a separation of power violation for the President to interfere. Conversely, I knew the pardon power was very broad. Anyway, I decided to research the issue myself and thought I would share it. By way of background, I am a Michigan criminal appellate attorney with twenty-five years experience. I am not a Trump supporter and definitely not an Arpaio supporter. I think the pardon is legal. Understand that this is under one hour's worth of legal research and is not meant to be the definitive answer. Unfortunately, most of the discussions I've seen seem to have done less research than I have done.

* * *

The question goes to the nature of contempt which is a murky beast. Doing twenty minutes of legal research on a question that requires twenty hours, I think the issue may favor our President.

Ex parte Grossman, 267 US 87; 45 S Ct 332; 69 L Ed 527 (1925) says that the President can pardon criminal but not civil contempt. Grossman was cited approvingly in conjunction with a broad statement concerning the pardoning power in Schick v Reed, 419 US 256, 266; 95 S Ct 379, 385; 42 L Ed 2d 430 (1974).

A year before Grossman, the New Mexico Supreme Court reached a similar ruling in State v Magee Pub Co, 29 NM 455; 224 P 1028 (1924). An early Tennessee case also seems to favor the President's Power. Sharp v State, 102 Tenn 9; 49 SW 752, 753 (1899) which seems to do a nice analysis. Also favoring the President is State ex rel Van Orden v Sauvinet, 24 La Ann 119, 121 (1872) and In re Opinion of the Justices, 301 Mass 615, 621; 17 NE2d 906, 911 (1938); In re Mullee, 17 F Cas 968 (CCSDNY 1869).

In England, the Court held the Crown could pardon criminal contempt in the Dowerger Dutchess of Sutherland case reprinted in Oswald Contempt available here:

https://books.google.com/books?id=b5E0AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA210...

New Jersey has said it in dicta in In re Caruba, 142 NJ Eq 358; 61 A2d 290 (1948) holding that the Governor (as opposed to a chancellor) could pardon criminal contempt. Michigan has said that a trial judge can't purge his/her own criminal contempt -- only the Governor can foregive criminal contempt. People v Giacalone, 17 Mich App 508, 512; 170 NW2d 179, 181 (1969).

Going the other way is State v Shumaker, 200 Ind 716; 164 NE 408, 410 (1928) which says contempt is a core power of the judiciary designed to ensure compliance with the judiciary and that the executive branch cannot negate it with their pardon powers. Accord. State ex rel McLeod v Hite, 272 SC 303, 304; 251 SE2d 746, 747 (1979); People ex rel Brundage v Peters, 305 Ill 223, 228; 137 NE 118, 120 (1922); In re Nevitt, 117 F 448, 449 (CA 8 1902); Taylor v Goodrich, 25 Tex Civ App 109, 114; 40 SW 515, 517 (1897). I think Wisconsin would ultimately go against the President but I see a little wiggle room in their cases. State v King, 82 Wis 2d 124; 262 NW2d 80 (1978) overruling State v Verage, 177 Wis 295; 187 NW 830, 832 (1922).

It is also worth reading the lower court opinion in Grossman. While clearly reversed by the US Supreme Court, the lower court judge did a very nice job explaining why the contrary rule is the better approach. United States v Grossman, 1 F2d 941, 942 (ND Ill 1924).

If you really want to dig in the weeds, I found Annotations on this issue at 63 A.L.R. 226; 23 A.L.R. 524; 26 A.L.R. 21; and 38 A.L.R. 171.



Posted by: Stuart Gary Friedman | Aug 28, 2017 7:06:24 PM

Post a comment
 "More Community, Less Confinement: A State-by-State Analysis on How Supervision Violations Impacted Prison Populations During the Pandemic" | Main | CCJ helpfully details "Recidivism Rates: What You Need to Know" 

September 1, 2021

Notable accounting of federal prosecutions and sentences responding to riots both before and during January 6

This recent AP article, headlined "Records rebut claims of unequal treatment of Jan. 6 rioters," provides a valuable and interesting accounting of some of the federal criminal accountability that has followed various riots in recent times. Here are excerpts:

An Associated Press review of court documents in more than 300 federal cases stemming from the protests sparked by George Floyds death last year shows that dozens of people charged have been convicted of serious crimes and sent to prison. The AP found that more than 120 defendants across the United States have pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial of federal crimes including rioting, arson and conspiracy. More than 70 defendants whove been sentenced so far have gotten an average of about 27 months behind bars. At least 10 received prison terms of five years or more.... To be sure, some defendants have received lenient deals. At least 19 who have been sentenced across the country got no prison time or time served, according to the APs review. Many pleaded guilty to lower-level offenses, such as misdemeanor assault, but some were convicted of more serious charges, including civil disorder. In Portland, Oregon  where demonstrations, many turning violent, occurred nightly for months after a white Minneapolis police officer killed Floyd  about 60 of the roughly 100 cases that were brought have been dismissed, court records show. Most of those defendants received deferred resolution agreements, under which prosecutors promise to drop charges after a certain amount of time if the defendant stays out of trouble and completes things like community service. Some Jan. 6 defendants have complained its unfair they arent getting the same deals. But President Joe Bidens Justice Department has continued the vast majority of the racial injustice protest cases brought across the U.S. under Trump and has often pushed for lengthy prison time for people convicted of serious crimes. Since Biden took office in January, federal prosecutors have brought some new cases stemming from last years protests. Conservatives have sought to equate the attack on the Capitol with the Black Lives Matter protests, accusing Democrats of being hypocrites for not denouncing the violence after Floyds death as loudly as the Jan. 6 insurrection. And some Republicans have seized on the handling of the protest cases in Portland to suggest that the Jan. 6 defendants are being politically persecuted. That has not been borne out when comparing the sentences that federal judges have given to Jan. 6 defendants and those who are accused of crimes during the protests against police brutality across the country. Only a handful of the nearly 600 people whove been charged in the insurrection have received their punishments so far, and just three people have been sentenced to time behind bars. The vast majority of the most serious cases  involving those accused of assaulting police officers or conspiring to block the certification of Bidens victory  remain unresolved.

Some of many prior related posts:

September 1, 2021 at 06:05 PM | Permalink

Comments

The whole article is well detailed.

This is a basic point:

The property damage or accusations of arson and looting from last year, those were serious and they were dealt with seriously, but they werent an attack on the very core constitutional processes that we rely on in a democracy, nor were they an attack on the United States Congress, said Kent Greenfield, a professor at Boston College Law School.

I agree what both ends. The limited excesses of protests need to be addressed. In a few cases, we had people upset if you even dared to bring up the idea, given what was being protested. But, the 1A protests the right of "peaceful" assembly. There are limits.

OTOH, the 1/6 insurrection is not the same thing as let's say attacking a police car during a protest or something. It's an attempt to interfere with the core transfer of power in our way of government. It is uniquely flagged in the 14A as worthy of special treatment. Insurrection attempts, unlike even something like murdering of a postal worker, is of special importance here.

The article provides to me somewhat surprising detail of the breadth of punishments (something to me somewhat underreported) of state protests. We have only had a few sentencing moments for the 1/6, so we can not fully compare. If anything, one or more instances probably warrented more punishment.

Posted by: Joe | Sep 1, 2021 7:41:04 PM

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Russia said Thursday that Google and Apple's refusal to remove jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's app ahead of elections could be seen as interference in the country's domestic affairs.

The country is holding parliamentary elections later this month, with nearly all vocal Kremlin critics including Navalny's allies barred from running.

Last month Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor demanded that Google and Apple remove Navalny's app from their stores.

On Thursday, Roskomnadzor ramped up pressure on the Western tech giants by saying they could be held criminally liable if they continue to refuse to comply with Russian law.

"Criminal liability is foreseen for organising as well as taking part in the work of extremist organisations banned in Russia," the media watchdog said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

Failure to block the app "can be considered interference" in Russian elections and will lead to hefty fines, the watchdog added.

Roskomnadzor did not immediately provide a comment when contacted by AFP.

Earlier this year, opposition leader Navalny saw his organisations declared "extremist" and banned in the country, while all of his top aides have fled.

The media regulator then barred dozens of websites linked to Navalny including his main website navalny.com.

In a message from prison, Navalny has urged supporters to download an app that aims to help Russians to vote out candidates from the ruling United Russia party in the upcoming polls.

The "Smart Voting" tactic has seen the increasingly unpopular United Russia party lose a number of seats in recent local elections.

"If something can be called 'interference in Russian elections', it is the attempts of Roskomnadzor to block the Smart Voting app," Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on Twitter. "Download them asap."

as/acl/mbx

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HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 2 September 2021 - The 14th Social Enterprise Summit ("SES2021") will convene from 4 to 7 November with the theme of "Building Blocks of a Regenerative Future" to discuss how to leverage the strengths of different sectors and bring social innovation forward during the post-pandemic era. The four-day annual International Symposium is a flagship event that features a mix of face-to-face discussion panels, online meetings, workshops and networking events, with 60+ top international and local speakers to come up with inspiring and innovative solutions that could tackle existing social challenges.









The officiating guests light up a neon board with the theme of SES 2021, symbolising people from all sectors join hands to build a better future

Event of the Year on Social Innovation Officially Launched Today

The Launch Ceremony of SES 2021 kicked off with a lighting ceremony, that symbolised stakeholders from different sectors joining hands to build a brighter future. The ceremony was officiated by Mr. Jack Chan, Acting Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr. James Law, Founder of Cybertecture Architects and designer of Tsuen Wan Water Pipe Homes. The event also featured the thematic dialogue between Mr. James Law and Ms. Cora Chu, CEO of Dialogue in the Dark (HK) Foundation on how to address the challenges posed by COVID-19 and solution adapted by different sectors.

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Story continues

Mr. Jack Chan, Acting Secretary for Home Affairs and the Officiating Guest of the Launch Ceremony, stated, "The Bureau is committed to supporting proactively development of social enterprises and deepen the public's understanding on social enterprises through various channels from different perspectives. We are looking forward to seeing representatives from multiple sectors exchanging ideas and sharing experiences at the Social Enterprise Summit, so as to promote social harmony."

At the thematic dialogue about "Building Blocks of a Regenerative Future", Mr. James Law, and Ms. Cora Chu, shared their journeys of running their business under the challenge of the pandemic as well as the experience of collaborating with the business community. The speakers also shared how to bring global market experience and local creativities together when introducing foreign social enterprise brands to Hong Kong.

The brand new "Fund Dating" session took place after the launch ceremony. Representatives of 10 social enterprises and 6 investors were invited to collaborate, communicate and build trust through a series of interactive experiences in a dark and soundless environment, so as to explore possibility of innovations and tackle challenges together.

"Building Blocks of a Regenerative Future"- Innovative Solutions to New Challenges

Social enterprises have been facing unprecedented challenges during the past two years. SES 2021 connects speakers from various sectors, including social entrepreneurs, policy makers, young generations and business of International Symposium. The keynote speaker Mr. Charles Eisenstein, Author of "Sacred Economics: Money, Gift, and Society in the Age of Transition" from the USA, will discuss with participants on how corporations connect with a regenerative future, as well as the significance of "environment, society and corporate governance".

20 Summit Sessions Featuring Leading Speakers

The International Symposium will examine the themes of "Co-creating an Open Knowledge Hub for Ecosystem Development", "Building Alliances for Regional Collective Impact" and "Bridging Purpose with Actions" via 3 different tracks. The sessions will feature leading speakers, including Ms. Leonie Kelly, Director and Head of Sustainable Investing and ESG Consulting, Ogier Global; Ms. Amy Wu, Executive Director and Head, Group Strategic Marketing and Communications, DBS Bank (HK); Mr. CY Chan, Co-Owner & Chief Talent and Purpose Officer, Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited; Ms. Ada Yip, CEO, Urban Spring; and Mr. Raymond Mak, Founder of Farmacy. (Please refer to the appendix for further information)

A number of educational and fun-filled as well as social innovation tour will also be held during SES 2021. The last event attracted over 7500 visits.

Public Registration

SES 2021 is open for registration starting from today. Early-bird offer is available during 2 September to 15 October. Register now: https://ses.org.hk/registration









Appendix I: Biography of Special Guests at Social Enterprise Summit 2021 Launch Ceremony

Mr James LAW, JP

Founder, Chairman and CEO, Cybertecture Architects, HK

Mr James Law, JP, is an architect, technologist and entrepreneur. Creating the philosophy of Cybertecture, he believes design and technology can alleviate mankind's suffering and build a better world. His projects cover buildings, spaces and technologies, education and social design.

He is the architect of the innovative OPod Concrete Tube Housing Project designed to alleviate housing affordability problem, The Pad Tower, the world's first Apple iPod inspired building in Dubai, and The Hyperloop, a futuristic high speed transportation system. He also collaborated with renowned Hong Kong film director Wong Kar Wai on the design of the film "2046".

Ms Cora CHU

Chief Executive Officer, Dialogue in the Dark (HK) Foundation Limited, HK

Ms Cora Chu was inspired to pursue her second career in Dialogue in the Dark in 2013 and has taken up the Chief Executive Officer role since 2015 with key focus on leading the business development in corporate and education sectors as well as the development of empowerment programs to nurture and showcase the talents of People of Differences (PoDs).





She is committed in engaging PoDs to create social impact by empowering more PoDs to live out their life with respect and dignity and promoting social inclusion, tolerance, respect and appreciation of individual differences.









Appendix II: Biography of Key Speakers at the International Symposium Social Enterprise Summit 2021

SES invites 60+ top international and local speakers to share inspiring and innovative solutions that could tackle existing social challenges in the International Symposium. Key speakers are listed below.





Mr Charles EISENSTEIN

Author, Sacred Economics: Money, Gift, and Society in the Age of Transition, USA

Mr Charles Eisenstein is a counter-cultural intellectual: an essayist, speaker, and the author of several books, including "Sacred Economics" and "The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible". He writes on themes of culture, technology, money, consciousness, and ecology. His background includes a degree in mathematics and philosophy from Yale University, and nine years living in Taiwan where he worked as a translator. He currently lives with his family in Rhode Island, USA.





Mr YUEN Shu Wah

Founding Chairman, Gratia Foundation Limited, HK

Despite the initial desire to be a professional chemist since his graduation in 1972 from HKU, Mr YUEN turned out to be an entrepreneur, philanthropist, founder of Children Homes in China and Bangladesh, ecologist involved in anti-desertification in Tengger Desert and founder of Gratia Christian College which focus at educating university students with servant leader aspiration.





Mr Amy WU

Executive Director and Head, Group Strategic Marketing and Communications, DBS Bank (HK)

Ms Amy Wu is Executive Director and Head of Group Strategic Marketing and Communications at DBS Bank (Hong Kong). Before joining DBS, she was Lead of Pay TV Marketing under PCCW Media Group, managing customer portfolio, optimizing subscription revenue, building brand preference and driving engagement through all marketing channels for both the broadband TV and OTT services, namely Now TV and Now E.





She took on various leadership roles at Nike for 10 years, including HK Territory General Manager and Nike Women General Manager for Greater China, bringing Nike's inspiration and innovation to consumers in the Greater China region. She is passionate about creating social impact through innovation, activation and storytelling.





Mr Manfred YUEN

Founder, Groundwork Architects & Associates, HK

Mr Manfred Yuen founded Groundwork Architects & Associates in 2011, hoping to improve the living environment of Hong Kong. Groundwork was later joined by CY Lau and Fiona Bao as the practice expanded into Southern China.In 2018, he co-founded Groundwork Shenzhen: a research arm of Groundwork that focuses on children play spaces and school designs.





He was invited to be one of the speakers in 2019 at TEDx, Shenzhen, where he advocated humanistic and social responsibilities of architects.





About Social Enterprise Summit (SES)

Social Enterprise Summit (SES) is a cross-sector platform to inspire and empower social innovation and social entrepreneurship.





The flagship International Symposium builds on the experiences of over 60 speakers and attendances from 10 locations to inspire, innovate, connect and collaborate with delegates from the civic society, businesses, government and academic sectors from Hong Kong, China; Asia Pacific region and beyond to advance positive societal changes.





Community engagement activities are held in nine different districts in Hong Kong during the year to expand the participation and reach beyond the conference rooms, applying knowledge, social entrepreneurship and innovative mindsets to various day to day life settings. Official Website:

http://www.ses.org.hk





#SocialEnterpriseSummit
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

Washington DC [US], September 2 (ANI): US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, spoke with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and thanked him for Qatar's effort to assist with the safe transit of US citizens, and other evacuees from Afghanistan.

"Spoke with Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_ and thanked him for Qatar's tremendous effort to assist with the safe transit of US citizens and evacuees from Afghanistan. We're grateful for our strong partnership with Qatar," Blinken tweeted.

Blinken commended Qatar for our strong partnership to promote regional security and discussed other important bilateral efforts to advance US-Qatar ties, the US Department of State said in a statement.

The United States forces left Afghanistan on Tuesday morning, marking the end of a chaotic and messy exit from America's longest war.

Earlier, US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin III said that the United States has evacuated about 6,000 American citizens and a total of more than 124,000 civilians from Afghnaistan.

Austin also honours those who died over the course of the war in Afghanistan. "Our forces risked their own lives to save the lives of others, and 13 of our very best, paid the ultimate price," he said. (ANI)
By Rocky Swift and Carl O'Donnell

TOKYO (Reuters) - Moderna Inc and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd on Wednesday said they are working with Japanese authorities to recall three batches of COVID-19 vaccine after an investigation found stainless steel contaminants in some vials.

Japanese authorities had suspended use of these batches of Moderna shots containing 1.63 million doses last week after being notified of the contamination issue.

Japan's health ministry said on Wednesday, based on information from the companies' investigation, that it did not believe the particles of stainless steel pose any additional health risk. Moderna said the stainless steel contamination probably occurred during production.

Takeda distributes the Moderna vaccine in Japan.

The most probable cause of contamination was related to friction between two pieces of metal in the machinery that puts stoppers on the vials, Moderna said in the joint statement with Takeda. The material was confirmed to be stainless steel.

Moderna conducted its investigation in partnership with Takeda and Spanish manufacturer Rovi, which operates the plant where the contamination occurred.

"Stainless steel is routinely used in heart valves, joint replacements and metal sutures and staples. As such, it is not expected that injection of the particles identified in these lots in Japan would result in increased medical risk," Takeda and Moderna said in a joint statement.

Moderna shares were up 2.6% following the statement. Shares of Rovi were up than 4.5% after falling more than 10% on news of the dose suspensions. Takeda shares rose more than 2%.

Administration of the Moderna shots from the three lots was suspended in Japan after 39 vials were found to contain foreign material. All the vials came from a single lot, but shots from two other lots from the same Rovi manufacturing line were suspended as a precaution.

Those three lots were the only ones affected by the manufacturing issue, the statement said. Rovi has fully inspected its manufacturing facility and implemented new procedures to avoid similar problems in the future, it added.

Story continues

Use of the Moderna vaccine from different batches also was temporarily halted in three regions in Japan this week. In some cases, foreign substances were found in unused vials, while others appear to have been the result of incorrectly inserted needles causing bits of the vials' rubber stopper break off.

The contamination issue gained more attention after the health ministry said on Saturday that two men, aged 38 and 30, died in August within days of receiving their second Moderna doses. Each had received a dose from one of the suspended lots.

The cause of death in the two cases is still being investigated.

Moderna and Takeda said in the joint statement that there was no evidence the fatalities were caused by the vaccine. "The relationship is currently considered to be coincidental," the companies said in the statement.

About 500,000 people have received shots from the three suspended Moderna batches, Taro Kono, Japan's minister in charge of the vaccination campaign, told reporters on Friday. Moderna said it cannot confirm how many doses were distributed from the batches.

(Reporting by Rocky Swift in Tokyo and Carl O'Donnell in New York; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Paul Simao and Bill Berkrot)
Representative image

New York [US], September 2 (ANI): Rights groups have raised concerns that Afghan army personnel who defected to Uzbekistan would be deported to their country, Voice of America (VOA) has reported.

Following the US exit from Afghanistan on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other groups fear that Uzbek authorities will send back the Afghan refugees, where they would be vulnerable to reprisal from the Taliban.

"Tashkent is obliged under international human rights law to not under any circumstances return people to a country where they could face torture or even death," said Hugh Williamson, HRW's director for Europe and Central Asia. The group is also worried about hundreds of Afghans who fled to the Central Asian nation and are at risk of being sent back.

As many as 585 Afghan military personnel and their families flew to Uzbekistan before the fall of Kabul. They were later forced to land at an airport in Termez.

"Now, Uzbekistan must decide whether to provide a haven for the refugees, send them back to Afghanistan or help them move to a third country. That decision is complicated by Tashkent's desire to establish friendly relations with the new Taliban government without offending Western powers," the VOA report said.

Washington should welcome these pilots to the US by offering them asylum, said Jennifer Murtazashvili, director at the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh.

Murtazashvili added that the US should Afghans just as it has done for other Afghan service members who were critical to the American war effort.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Wednesday said that the US has taken in almost 24,000 Afghans at risk as part of evacuations efforts from Afghanistan. The US allies and partners have also housed scores of Afghan refugees.

"Since August 17th and through August 31st at midnight Eastern time, 31,107 people have arrived at - to the U.S. as part of this operation. So of that subset - which, of course, is just a small subset of the 124,000 - about 14 percent are US citizens, or 4,446; about 9 per cent are LPRs [legal permanent residents], 2,785; and the remaining 77 per cent - 23,876 individuals - are Afghans at risk," Price told a press briefing on Wednesday. (ANI)
Senator Jon Ossoff, (D-GA), and Reps. Mikie Sherill, (D-NJ), and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) recently announced legislation that would expand solar tax credits to include integrated solar roofs for homeowners in another push towards renewable energy as the earths climate hurtles toward dangerous tipping points.

With 5 million roofs replaced each year in the United States, the opportunity to upsell someone from a regular roof to a solar roof represents not only a good business opportunity, but a tremendous opportunity to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, Martin DeBono, president of GAF Energy, told Yahoo Finance (video above).

DeBono added that with all the attention that solar energy and renewable fuels are getting as a result of the discussions for this bill, it's just raising awareness. And so, people who were not thinking about going solar in the past are now thinking about it.

Workers place a tarp on a roof that was damaged when a tree fell on it during Hurricane Ida on August 31, 2021, in Houma, Louisiana. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The solar investment tax credit (ITC), first enacted in 2006, enables those who install solar PV systems between 2020 to 2022 to claim a 26% federal tax credit. (That tax credit jumps down to 22% for systems completed in 2023.)

But as it stands now, the ITC covers solar panels mounted on rooftops  but not fully integrated solar roofs, which are made of solar shingles embedded into the roof structure. The recently proposed RAISE the Roof Act aims to fix that.

DeBono said that although installation requires a significant upfront cost, the panels pay for themselves over time by reducing energy costs. Federal, state, and local subsidies also help to make solar more affordable, though solar panels still are out of reach for many low- and middle-income households who generally spend more on energy and utilities. And while solar panels help curb the use of fossil fuels over the course of their lifetime, they also can raise housing costs.

So it depends upon the state, but a solar roof is an investment, DeBono said. But the good news is, it's an investment that pays for itself."

Story continues

In climates like in Arizona and California, "that investment can pay for itself anywhere from three to year years, DeBono explained. In some of the more northern climates, where you don't get as much sun, the payback might be 7 to 12 years.

A look at solar power installation across the U.S. (Source: Yahoo Finance)

'The energy is there' for solar panels

The major obstacle for solar roof companies like GAF Energy and competitors like Tesla (TSLA), according to DeBono, is not the technology but turning homeowners into solar converts.

The cost to wire a homes solar roof into its electrical system is pretty straightforward, he said. The bigger cost is getting people to actually agree to do so. So one of the actual biggest costs in solar is in sales and marketing.

DeBono added that every hour of the day, "the amount of energy that hits the Earth from the sun is equal to the output of all the world's power plants over a year. So the energy is there. The ability for it to withstand storms is there. We just need to get products out there that people actually want to put on their home and make economic sense. The problem that has not been solved is, how do you make a solar roof look good and be able to go on fast enough so the vast majority of the United States wants to put it on their roof?

Workers install solar panels on the roofs of homes under construction south of Corona, California, Thursday morning May 3, 2018. (Photo by Will Lester/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images)

GAF Energy will soon begin developing and manufacturing new solar roof products in the United States. The company announced it would be establishing a new facility in San Jose, California, and shifting its manufacturing from South Korea.

It won't be entirely domestic-based to start. There's certain components that you only find in Asia, DeBono said. But I believe over the next 5 to 10 years, I think it's very easy to see 100% domestic supply chain.

GAF Energy's move bucks the trend in which Asia  and especially China  dominates solar manufacturing. 80% of the solar supply chain is controlled by Chinese companies, according to Wall Street Journal reporting, and over half of the supply of polysilicon, which is used in solar panel components, comes from China's Xinjiang region.

HAI'AN, CHINA - APRIL 11: An employee works at a solar panel manufacturing workshop on April 11, 2021 in Hai'an, Jiangsu Province of China. (Photo by Zhai Huiyong/VCG via Getty Images)

China's investment in solar manufacturing has driven down its costs, although reports of forced labor of the Uyghur population in China have cast a shadow over the entire industry. These reports led the Biden administration to ban the import of silicon substances from a Chinese firm in June.

Additionally, recent supply chain disruptions may nudge the industry toward domestic manufacturing.

I feel very confident that in the future, you're going to see more and more, not only headline products, but the constituent components needed to build those products move into the United States, DeBono said.

Grace is an assistant editor for Yahoo Finance and a UX writer for Yahoo products.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  The Supreme Court allowing a new Texas law that bans most abortions is the biggest curb to the constitutional right to an abortion in decades, and Republicans in other states are already considering similar measures.

The law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks  before some women know theyre pregnant. Courts have blocked other states from imposing similar restrictions, but Texas law differs significantly because it leaves enforcement up to private citizens through civil lawsuits instead of criminal prosecutors.

Heres what to know about the new Texas law that took effect Tuesday, which already has abortion clinics in neighboring states reporting a surge in the number of Texas women seeking the procedure:

WHAT DOES THE TEXAS LAW DO?

It allows any private citizen to sue Texas abortion providers who violate the law, as well as anyone who aids or abets a woman getting the procedure. Abortion patients themselves, however, cannot be sued.
Although several countries have implemented vaccine passport programs in order to encourage people to get shots, DeSantis has argued they are a violation of personal freedom. Before he signed SB 2006 into law, DeSantis also issued an executive order banning mandatory vaccinations at businesses.

Florida currently ranks 19th of the 50 states in vaccination rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state reported last week that 68% of eligible residents have gotten at least one shot. Thousands of Floridians  the vast majority of whom were unvaccinated  have become seriously ill from the virus this summer, resulting in the states worst coronavirus surge on record.

Its unclear how many businesses have already been cited under the new vaccine passport law. A spokesperson for the Department of Health did not immediately respond to a request for information.

But there is evidence that some businesses are working around the statute. For example, the concert promoter Live Nation has announced it will mandate proof of vaccination or a negative test to customers hoping to attend one of its concerts starting Oct. 4.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A bipartisan police reform package was signed into law Thursday by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, emphasizing success of enacting provisions from a task force he commissioned following George Floyd's murder over panel recommendations left out.

Backers of the legislation, which received near unanimous approval from the General Assembly, say it will rid departments of derelict officers and give mental health assistance to others on the force. The provisions address law enforcement shortcomings during a time of national focus on racial inequity and the deaths of Black residents at the hands of police, such as Floyd last year in Minneapolis.

Law enforcement groups and state House members also made recommendations contained within the new law.

We need to strive every single day to make sure that our criminal justice system works free of bias and racial discrimination. And we know that too often it falls short, the Democratic governor said in a bill-signing ceremony outside the Executive Mansion. Two things that I would want to say about the signing of this legislation. Number one, this is an important step. But number two, there is more to do.
Prehn issued a statement Thursday morning saying suggestions that he coordinated or consulted with state Republican elected officials are not factual. He said he never spoke to any currently elected Wisconsin state official in regards to this matter.

I did, however, speak with friends and acquaintances as I foresaw holding over could become contentious, he said. I wonder if any other political appointee has ever had discussions with friends and/or colleagues, or even a spouse about what is going on in their lives?

He said he's confident he can legally hold the seat despite Naas' appointment and looks forward to the courts resolving the matter.

Prehn filed a motion on Monday seeking to dismiss Kaul's lawsuit. He contends that a 1964 state Supreme Court decision clarified that state law allows board appointees to stay on until the Senate confirms their successors.

Board terms start and end with the Senate's advice and consent, the motion said.

Republican legislators filed a motion last week seeking to join the case, arguing that state law allows the Legislature to intervene in cases where statutes are challenged and that Kaul's lawsuit could end the Senate's role in confirming appointees.
He said his client acknowledged the violations but said that it was Orwellian for the government to seek to jail a man who was sitting in his garage listening to the news.

Jensen was among the first people to enter the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack, crawling through a broken window. On Thursday, prosecutors cited new video evidence to claim he was also among the last to leave over an hour later, scuffling with officers on his way out.

He told investigators he positioned himself as one of the riot leaders because he was wearing a shirt promoting QAnon and he wanted the theory to get the credit. Jensen was widely photographed during the attack.

Jensen had a knife in his pocket when he led a crowd of people toward Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, who was by himself and had only a baton. The crowd chased Goodman up a flight of stairs toward the Senate chamber as Jensen ignored Goodman's orders to stop and put his hands up.

Before his July release, Jensen had spent six months in jail after he was arrested Jan. 8. He faces the prospect of years in prison, and lawyers on both sides said Thursday they were unsure if the case could be resolved in a plea or would go to trial.
PHOENIX (AP)  Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Friday toured a small community where recent flooding inundated homes and led to two deaths, part of a trail of destruction in the state unleashed by a fierce monsoon season.
In the phone call with reporters later Thursday before his departure, Kerry said his talks with Wang, Han, senior foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi and Chinese climate change envoy Xie Zhenhua were productive, but that the world was hoping for China to do more to cut emissions.

China is doing a lot in a lot of ways, but it's a huge country," Kerry said. He said the opening of new coal-fired power plants both inside China and by Chinese companies in other countries could scupper efforts to halt the rise in global temperatures and were counterintuitive and counterproductive."

Kerry said Chinese officials told him they are drafting a new plan to address the rise in emissions, but that the details were not yet clear. He said the Chinese side raised political issues, but they were not discussed in depth and should not be a factor in cooperation on climate change.

My response to them was, look, climate is not ideological. It's not partisan. It's not a geostrategic weapon or tool and its certainly not day-to-day politics," Kerry said. It's a global, not bilateral challenge and it's essential obviously that no matter what differences we have ... we have to address the climate crisis."
This isn't hyperbole anymore. This is happening, she said during a news conference. That is what were facing at the national level, and it will definitely translate to policy change in Iowa in the near future.

At the end of the 2020 session, Iowa legislators passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would state the Iowa Constitution does not preserve the right to an abortion. if passed again, it would go on the ballot in 2023 or 2024.

Abortion advocates say if the amendment passes, state lawmakers will be unchecked when it comes to implementing abortion restrictions in Iowa. Thats especially true if Roe v. Wade is overturned or weakened.

If we put that in the hands of the current administration and the lawmakers that are currently under the dome here in Iowa, then the future of abortion is pretty bleak, Burch Elliott said.

Other GOP-led states have introduced similar restrictions on abortions as part of an effort to challenge Roe v. Wade. Though none have yet succeeded in overturning the ruling, the laws have limited access to health care, said Lyz Lenz, an Iowa-based writer and former Gazette columnist.
Like the rest of the world, we spent most of 2020 and the first part of this year in lockdown. Doug has no voluntary movement from the waist down and his chest muscles have been disrupted by the injury, so he has difficulty breathing deeply or coughing. His doctor advised that he stay home as much as possible to try to avoid COVID exposure.

So we did. We ordered takeout. We skipped gatherings. And, so far, Doug and I have managed to escape the virus.

After we were both vaccinated earlier this year, we began to think about getting away.

We decided to join our group of friends for the annual canoe trip. Our son, Evan, and his wife, Monica, our daughter, Madi, and our miniature Schnauzer, Momo, came along.

We didnt know if Doug would be able to get on the river. But we decided, no matter what, we would get to spend time with friends and family in a beautiful and peaceful place.

We ended up doing far more than that.

Eric Gregory, another former colleague from the Independent, began to research options. He found a YouTube video about a husband and wife who kayaked together. The man was a paraplegic.

Still, Eric was worried. Those kayakers were on lakes. This was a river.
This Texas law could be a ray of light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel, and our state is ready, Dunn said in a statement.

Democrats also anticipated the Supreme Courts new conservative majority overturning Roe, although they fear a ruling striking it down would leave old state laws outlawing abortions in effect.

Reproductive freedom in our state is built on case law, said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, as he pushed for state lawmakers to enact a bill that would enshrine access to abortions.

All of that case law is in turn built on the Supreme Courts decision on Roe v. Wade. If the foundation of that series of case laws is impacted, impaired, taken away, the entire reality in our state falls like a house of cards, which is why we need to, as soon as possible, put this protection into statute."

In New Mexico, Democratic state Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero of Albuquerque said she was angered by the Texas law because it might lead to underground abortion procedures that endanger the lives of women.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines Thursday after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China.
Biden has done more to harm American interests and security than perhaps any other U.S. president. He sounds and looks weak because he is weak. This has not gone unnoticed by terrorists, as well as Iran, China, Russia and others who do not wish us well.

Perhaps the most discouraging part of Bidens remarks was his continuing obsession with blaming former President Donald Trump for the Afghanistan debacle. True, Trump floated the idea of inviting unreliable Taliban leaders to Washington and even Camp David to reach a deal to end the war, though he never did. Critics apparently forget that Bill Clinton did invite Yassir Arafat to Camp David.

The treaty then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo concluded with the Taliban worked. No U.S. soldiers were killed during an 18-month period. There were probably two reasons. First, the Taliban thought they could patiently wait out America, because based on our withdrawal from Vietnam, they believed we would not stay forever, and second, because Trump had specific requirements for the Taliban to meet or the deal would be off. It is hard to imagine, as much as Trump wanted to stop endless wars, that he would abandon Afghanistan altogether without at least a minimal U.S. presence to deter terrorists who wish to again attack America.
Poole has suffered from severe mental health problems throughout her entire life, Joseph Herrold begins. A relative molested her when she was 6. She felt her single mother had little time to devote to her emotional needs when she was a child, and in fact her mother moved and left Nicole alone as a teenager. Poole  who four years earlier had attempted suicide  stopped going to school and started drinking and using drugs.

Over the past three decades, Poole has been diagnosed with multiple serious illnesses, been treated intermittently, struggled to hold jobs, and periodically gotten into trouble. Drug use exacerbated her mental illness. Her recurring symptoms, Herrold wrote, include extreme paranoia, hallucinations, delusional beliefs, and erratic behavior. She did manage to earn a high school equivalency degree and take some college classes while incarcerated.

She married, and her husband died of Lou Gehrigs disease. She lost her parental rights to her children. After she was arrested for the West Des Moines attacks, she had hallucinations at the Polk County Jail. In custody, she finally got some treatment that restored her competency to face the charges against her.
About those paychecks

Those Golden Corral checks seemed like a golden goose.

A Sioux City man was arrested Aug. 27 on accusations that he forged paychecks from the Golden Corral eatery in Lakeport Commons.

On Aug. 11, 41-year-old Jeffery A. Jones of Sioux City came into possession of two paychecks for other employees of Sioux City's Golden Corral, according to a criminal complaint.

Jones endorsed the checks with his name and used a mobile banking app to deposit the funds into his own Wells Fargo account. One of them was altered by adding a numeral and writing over the existing amount of the check.

In all, he made three deposits, for a total of $1,413.31, according to the complaint.

Jones faces charges including forgery and third-degree theft. He was held in the Woodbury County jail on $5,000 bond.

The Jeep story

What's the sense in bleaching the interior of a stolen car?

A Le Mars, Iowa, man was arrested in Sioux City Aug. 26 on felony and misdemeanor charges after he was found in possession of a stolen Jeep with license plates that didn't match.
Joe Rogan has made a very lucrative career in comedy and podcasting out of surfacing irrational cultural suspicions: that the moon landings might not have been real, that the World Trade Centers Building 7 might have been downed by a controlled demolition, that woke liberals in the media and the tech industry might be conspiring to stifle the speech of the worst-faith pundits of our time. In recent months, he has used his wildly popular interview show, The Joe Rogan Experience, to surface illiterate observations on how otherwise healthy young people might not need to take the COVID-19 vaccines, and how vaccine passports and mandates might be bringing the United States closer to dictatorship.

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Rogan might have a problem now.

Given everything hes said, and given the millions of listeners hes said it to, theres a whiff of inevitability to be found in Rogans admission on Wednesday that he contracted COVID-19 after performing a bunch of stand-up shows in Florida last monthlast month being one of the literal worst times to perform comedy shows in Florida since there was a Florida. Rogan, who has no problem sharing almost everything else he thinks and does, hasnt said all year whether hes been vaccinated, and in the video sharing his positive COVID result, he didnt mention ever getting the jab. Instead, there was nothing but the same familiar frustration to be found in his explanation that one of the medicines he took to combat his infection was ivermectin, the horse dewormer that has gained credence in certain circles as a COVID-19 treatment explicitly because every credible medical authority that it has absolutely no value as a COVID-19 treatment. (Ivermectin also has other, nonhorse-deworming applications, but many of the people who are using it as a back-door COVID treatment are seeking out the agricultural version of the drug.) Rogan said he also took monoclonal antibodies and other treatments that one generally would not need if one had been taking vaccination seriously.

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The fact that the medical establishment is broadly united in its position that theres no evidence ivermectin works to treat COVID is exactly why so many of the most gullible people in America believe it does work to treat COVID. And its largely because of people like Rogan that these people continue to think the best way to own the libs is to endanger their own health by taking bullshit remedies while scoffing at the real ones. To be fair, Rogan is not on the same place on the COVID-vaccine-misinformation spectrum as many avowed skeptics are. He has acknowledged that people who are vulnerable should get vaccinated, and hes said that he does think, for the most part, its safe to get vaccinated. The wiggle room of for the most part is where Rogan makes his money.

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Rogan, whom I assessed for Slate in 2019, is one of the worlds most popular, most prominent, and certainly one of its best compensated podcast hosts. In May 2020, the streaming service Spotify acquired The Joe Rogan Experience and licensed its archives for a sum reportedly in excess of $100 million. Rogan has used his new institutional platform the same way he used his old one: to talk ad nauseam about comedy, drugs, mixed martial arts, conspiracies, suppressive elites, and the perils of wokeism.

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Since his days as a supporting player on the sitcom NewsRadio, Rogan has cultivated the persona of an extremely open-minded soul willing to entertain all sorts of theories regardless of their surface validity. In many ways, this trait can make his podcast a wide-ranging and entertaining listen. But listen long enough to Rogan and the shaggy dorm-room conspiracism eventually stops being funny. While he presents himself as heterodox and claims that he goes left on pretty much everything except guns, theres actually a pretty narrow band of theories that Rogan is willing to entertain, and most of them can be construed to disparage the purported excesses of the P.C. left.

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While listening to hundreds of hours of his show, I was struck that the way Rogan just asks questions is pretty darn similar to the ways the evening hosts on Fox News just ask questions. In both cases, the questions are generally framed not to draw out truth but to lead audiences toward predetermined conclusionsbroadly, that elitist cultural and political authorities are untrustworthy precisely because they are elitist authorities. Indeed, Rogans shtick differs from the sorts of things youd hear on Fox News only insofar as his persona is gentler and his shows last longer and are less overtly political. But Joe Rogan and Sean Hannity are peddling the same sorts of cultural resentments and suspicions to similar sorts of post-rational audiences, with the main difference being generational.

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Another similarity between Joe Rogan and Fox News: Both have historically spent a lot of time advertising dubiously effective products and supplements. When I dove into Rogans podcast archives, I was surprised to see just how deeply enmeshed Rogan was in biohacking culture. He was always talking about some new regimen of supplements he was taking to increase brain function or improve fitness. (Not surprisingly, these sorts of products also paid to advertise on the show.) At any given moment, its fair to presume that Rogan is 50 percent supplement and 50 percent bullshit, and at times it can be difficult to distinguish one side from the other.

Rogan is an idiothe will say as much about himselfbut he is not stupid. He knows where his money comes from, and he knows that his popularity is derived from his continued willingness to say the things that the mainstream media wont say, even if the reason why the mainstream media wont say those things is because they are simply wrong. So just as its the most predictable thing in the world that Joe Rogan would come down with COVID, its also predictable that hed take ivermectin as a response to COVID. Its a perverse form of virtue signaling for dark-magical thinkers. There is no poetry to it, and there is certainly no justice. There is only a rich talking head who, in line with the prevailing trends of our awful era, will learn nothing from his COVID experience other than that which he already knew: There are no consequences for anything anymore, so you might as well get rich and stay that way by asking all the wrong questions.
In her 32 years, Narges had never, ever stepped out of her home district, let alone risked her life to flee her country.

The Talibs stopped our bus and started checking everyone. My heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it. I knew they were hunting down former Afghan soldiers and killing them. My husband, with one missing leg, was easily identifiable as one, says Narges, a mother of three from Afghanistans Qaysar district. (All names in this story have been changed.) Her husband lost a leg in an explosion a few years ago while on duty. Afraid that he would be killed by the Taliban, she had convinced him to flee the country, and now the family of five were on a bus from Kabul to Nimruz to try to cross the border into Iran. With not enough money and no documents to legally immigrate, their only option was to cross the border illegally by paying a smuggler. But this route was perhaps the riskiest of all, she says: There is a Taliban check post every few kilometers.

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Like Narges, many other Afghan women tried to flee the country before the Americans wound down their Afghanistan mission earlier this week. These are the stories of three of them who, over the last two weeks, risked it all to flee the Taliban.

Aug. 14

I havent stepped out of my house for the last two weeks. I am really scared. Two days ago, the Taliban took hold of my city, said 24-year-old Aysel over the phone from Herat. The countrys third-largest city, had been taken on Aug. 12. Aysel, who works with a major international NGO, said she and some other Afghan staff immediately got on the phone with their manager to seek help.

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My manager told us to scan all our important documentsdiplomas, transcripts, and certificatesand then burn them, she said, her voice choking. Aysel had worked hard over the years to get a graduate degree from Herat University and then find work with an international organization. In addition, she taught girls who could not go to school for free in the evening at home. If the Taliban raid our homes and find [these documents], then these very achievements that I am so proud of will become the cause of my death.

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Her American manager had told the Afghan staff to apply for Priority 2 (P-2) immigration to the United States under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. I am scared but hopeful of getting to America. I work with an American organization and I think I will get some priority. I will talk to my father about it today, said Aysel, sounding cautious but mildly excited.

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Given the crisis in Afghanistan, on Aug. 2 the U.S. government set up a new Priority 2 category for Afghan nationals within USRAP. Afghan nationals and their immediate families who may be at risk due to their U.S. affiliation but arent able to get a Special Immigrant Visa are eligible, as are Afghans like Aysel who work for U.S. nongovernmental organizations.

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But the visa comes with a major catch, one that Aysel wasnt aware of initially. All P-2 program applicants must leave Afghanistan and travel to a third country to begin the adjudication process. This can involve a stay of 1214 months in a third countrywithout any U.S. supportwith no guarantee of an eventual visa.

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While the hunger was hard to fight, the fear of being caught by the Taliban was even worse."  Narges

Meanwhile, almost 800 kilometers away, 59-year-old Roghaye in Kabul frantically searched through her old work certificates. Unlike Aysel, she didnt want to burn them but to instead take them to Baron Hotel near the Kabul airport. If I can get an entry there, I will be able to prove to the soldiers that I worked for eight years with an organization, teaching U.S. and NATO forces Farsi. If they see my service then they will take me and my son to America, she said confidently.

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In the past few weeks, the Baron Hotel had become a place for Afghans to come to try to get on an evacuation.

I will go there tomorrow. Wish me luck, said Roghaye.

Aug. 1516

Less than 24 hours after Roghaye said this, the Taliban reached Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghanis government collapsed. Roghaye tried her luck that day at the Baron but couldnt even make it to the gate.

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A widow, Roghaye worked for more than eight years with Afghan and NATO forces as a language and literary trainer. She says this makes her a target for the Taliban and that, as a single woman, it would be impossible for her to survive and stay protected under the new Taliban regime. Undeterred by her failure to enter the airport, she said that in a few days she would try again.

I know they will take me on the plane. I am old and a single woman and I worked for them when I was capable, she said, keeping her dreams of finding a safe haven in America alive.

Aug. 17

While Roghayes optimism made her stay put in Kabul, Narges fear for her husbands life had her and her family flee to the Afghan-Iran border. While the hunger was hard to fight, the fear of being caught by the Taliban was even worse, she said.

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On the bus from Kabul to Nimruz, we got very lucky. The Talibs did not question my husband and we carried on with our journey, said Narges. After traveling for more than 10 hours, they reached the border town. There her husband contacted Mohammed, one of the many smugglers who takes Afghans across to Iran.

Usually, we see single men wanting to come to Iran for work but in the last few months

many families with women and girls are trying to cross the border, said 24-year-old Mohammed, who has been doing this for the last six years.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has warned about the impact of the conflict on women and girls, stating that almost 80 percent of nearly a quarter of a million Afghans forced to flee since the end of May are women and children.

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Narges, her three children, and her husband spent that night in Nimruz. Early next morning the family of five and another five people were squeezed into a car. Two others were packed off in the trunk of the car as well. There were very few breaks in the journey to the Iran border and almost no food and water for my children. But while the hunger was hard to fight, the fear of being caught by the Taliban was far worse, said Narges.

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On reaching Zahedan, a city in Iran bordering Afghanistan, Narges felt slightly relieved. They had escaped the Taliban, but she knew that if the Iranian police caught them, they could be deported back immediately.

From Zahedan, we changed cars to go to the city of Karaj in Iran. At every police check post, our smuggler would get us out of the car. We would then walk from behind the check post and meet the car at the other end, said Narges. I would shush my three boys to make less noise as we tried to hide from the police. I carried my youngest boy on my back and held the hands of the other two. My husband with his one leg cant be burdened much, said Narges.

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Over the next 10 days, Narges followed the news about Afghanistan from Iran. Aysel, in Herat, consulted her father on their family finances to see if travel to a third country to apply for the Priority 2 USRAP program would be possible. And Roghaye, in Kabul, got pushed around in a crowd outside the Baron Hotel every day but couldnt get through the gate.

Aug. 26

In the morning, Roghaye finally made it through the gate. The crowd pushed so hard that I got pushed across the gate, she said. Once inside, she approached many American soldiers with her documents. They all just said, I dont know, I dont know. 

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Roghaye said she wanted to keep trying until sunset, but an incident that afternoon broke her spirit. The Taliban and the U.S. soldiers fired in the air to disperse the crowd, and a young girls mother was shot. She died right in front of my eyes, said Roghaye.

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Roghaye walked back home, hours before an explosion outside the Baron Hotel and a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed more than 160 people.

Its better to die in my own house than at the airport, said Roghaye, her initial optimism fading.

That night Aysel sent me a text: Things are really bad now. Her father announced to the family that the move to the third country to access a Priority 2 resettlement was not an option for them. We dont have so much money and cant sustain our family in a foreign country while waiting without a guarantee for the United States to take us, said Aysel. The only country we can afford to go to is Iran, but the U.S. will not accept P-2 resettlement from there. So, this is it for me, for us.

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Meanwhile in Iran, Narges and her husband have found no work. Afghans are treated very poorly here. No one wants to give us work. How will we survive and feed our children? she asked.

Aug. 31Sept. 1

The United States completed its 20-year-long mission, with the last plane flying out at midnight. Almost 116,000 people were airlifted within the past two weeks. Roghaye, Aysel, Narges, and many other Afghan women were not among them.

Next morning, a voice message from Aysel: I ask from the United States and the world that if you cannot help us, then please destroy Afghanistan with an atomic bomb. We believe that dying once is better than dying every day.

Sedighe Abbasi assisted with the reporting of this story.
On Wednesday, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced a 32-count indictment against five men responsible for the death of Elijah McClain in 2019. The grand jurys charge that McClains death was indeed the result of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide is a long overdue result of a renewed investigation, concluding nearly two years to the day after the unarmed 23-year-old Black Aurora resident was killed during a random and unlawful stop and frisk on his way home from purchasing iced tea.

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While McClains family praised the indictment, which is inarguably a good move, it shouldnt be forgotten why it took so long to get here. Officials and police officers in Aurora, through what we now know to be bankrupt investigations, lied to exonerate the five police officers and paramedics who respectively choked McClain to the point of unconsciousness and then appliedwithout any medical basisan overdose of ketamine to a gentle, 143-pound man who by one of the officers own admissions posed no threat to anyone. And even as the killers are facing accountability, there is no similar action being taken towards those who prevented the killers from facing any sort of justice up to this point.

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Some background of this case: On Aug. 24, 2019, McClain was walking home from the store wearing a ski mask, headphones, and carrying a plastic bag with iced tea in it. A man called 911 to report his behavior as suspicious, even though there was no crime nearby that had been reported, so officer Nathan Woodyard had nothing to investigate when he confronted McClain. Still, according to an independent investigation of McClains death released in February and conducted by policing, constitutional law, and emergency medical experts:

Within ten seconds of exiting his patrol car, Officer Woodyard placed his hands on Mr. McClain. Mr. McClain had no observable weapon and had not displayed violent or threatening behavior. No crime had been reported. . Officer Woodyards decision to turn what may have been a consensual encounter with Mr. McClain into an investigatory stopin fewer than ten secondsdid not appear to be supported by any officers reasonable suspicion that Mr. McClain was engaged in criminal activity.

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Indeed, Woodyard himself admitted that he felt safe making an approach, he didnt have any weapons or anything I could see in his hand. During the interaction, the audio for which was recorded even as the video on police body-cams cut out mid-encounter, McClain said he couldnt hear the officers initial commands over his headphones. The stop quickly escalated from there, as Woodyard was joined by officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt. As the indictment states:

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The officers grabbed Mr. McClains arms then forcibly moved Mr. McClain over to a grassy area near where the officers first contacted Mr. McClain and pushed him up against the exterior wall of a nearby apartment building. [Roedema] grabbed the grocery bag out of Mr. McClains hands and threw it to the ground. He did not examine the bags contents. The bag contained cans of iced tea.

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During the interaction, McClain tried to justify his existence to the officers and ask why he was being stopped, saying:

Im just different. Im just different, thats all. Thats all I was doing. Im so sorry. I have no gun. I dont do that stuff. I dont do any fighting. Why were you attacking me? I dont do guns. I dont even kill flies. I dont eat meat.  I am a vegetarian.

The three officers at that point wrestled McClain to the groundwith one claiming against all evidence that he was going for one of their gunsand placed McClain in a chokehold until he lost consciousness. When he regained consciousness, McClain begged for his life, saying he could not breathe while Roedema, Woodyard, and Rosenblatt held him down while he vomited into his ski mask. McClain was handcuffed at this point and unable to take off the mask and none of the officers removed it even as he vomited.

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When fire department paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec arrived on the scene, they were told that McClain had been placed in a chokehold and lost consciousness. These two paramedics later denied having knowledge that the [choke] hold had been applied to Mr. McClain, the indictment notes. Within two minutes of arriving on the scene, and without speaking with him, touching him, or assessing his vital signs, the pair diagnosed McClain with excited delirium and gave him a dose of ketamine for a 220-pound man, which was 77 pounds heavier than McClain weighed and 150 percent more than the appropriate dose for a man of his size. As the indictment notes:

By the time he was placed on the gurney, Mr. McClain appeared unconscious, had no muscle tone, was limp, and had visible vomit coming from his nose and mouth. [Roedema] said he heard Mr. McClain snoring, which can be a sign of a Ketamine overdose. Shortly after Mr. McClain was loaded into the ambulance, the paramedics discovered that Mr. McClain had no pulse and was not breathing. . McClain never regained consciousness.  He was declared brain dead on August 27, 2019 at University Hospital in Aurora, Adams County, Colorado. Life support was removed, and Mr. McClain became an organ donor.

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The circumstances of the death of Elijah McClain, a massage therapist family and friends described as a gentle and kind introvert, [who] volunteered to play his violin to comfort cats at an animal shelter as the PBS Newshour reported, are horrifying. So why did it take two years for his killers to face any kind of reckoning?

The answer, perhaps unsurprisingly, is because public officials and fellow police officers in Aurora immediately used the apparatuses of local government to stifle any real investigation and to protect the five men who killed Elijah McClain.

First, government officials lied directly to the public. One day after he was taken off of life support and died, the Aurora Fire Rescue Department released a one-page press release clearing their paramedics of any wrongdoing and stating without evidence that the actions of the responders were consistent and aligned with our established protocols. In fact, the initial findings indicate that our personnel demonstrated a high level of technical skill and professionalism while providing care for the patient.

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This was disproven by the full independent investigation and the indictment. As the investigation stated:

Aurora Fire appears to have accepted the officers impression that Mr. McClain had excited delirium without corroborating that impression through meaningful observation or diagnostic examination of Mr. McClain.  Aurora EMS determined it was appropriate to administer ketamine to Mr. McClain despite the fact that he did not appear to be offering meaningful resistance in the presence of EMS personnel. In addition, EMS administered a ketamine dosage based on a grossly inaccurate and inflated estimate of Mr. McClains size. Higher doses can carry a higher risk of sedation complications, for which this team was not clearly prepared.

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And as the indictment stated:

[Cooper and Cichuniec] did not perform a proper assessment of Mr. McClain, so their diagnosis of excited delirium was inaccurate. They did not obtain a reasonable estimate of Mr. McClains bodyweight, so the dosage administered was too high. They did not properly monitor Mr. McClain during or after Ketamine was administered, so Mr. McClain suffered multiple predictable complications from the Ketamine administration. Further, paramedics did not have Mr. McClains consent to administer Ketamine, and they made no attempt to obtain his consent. 

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This is a far cry from the high level of technical skill and professionalism that Aurora Fire Rescue falsely declared the day after McClain died. The coverup did not stop there, though. Detective Matthew Ingui of the Aurora Police Departments Major Crime/Homicide Unit led an investigation into McClains killing and determined that his killers had done nothing wrong. During the course of the investigation, Ingui demonstrated his clear bias. As the independent investigation notes:

At the end of Detective Inguis interview with the 911 caller, the caller asked Detective Ingui if Mr. McClain had been caught and if he was a bad person. Detective Ingui replied that yes, he was caught, and I dont know if he was a bad person, but he got the help that he needed.

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McClain obviously did not get the help that he needed.

On Oct. 21, 2019, Ingui completed his investigatory report, describing a parallel universe from what actually happened the night of McClains death and putting the blame for his killing squarely on the victim alone:

The [o]fficers believed the subject Elijah McClain was possibly armed and were attempting to check on his well-being.  McClain continued to disobey lawful orders, and Officers Woodyard and Rosenblatt attempted to physically stop him and check him for potential weapons. Officers Woodyard and Rosenblatt immediately noted the physical strength and resistance by McClain who immediately pulled his arms to his chest and refused to allow officers to pat him down. McClain was carrying a plastic bag (grocery style bag) with unknown contents in his hands, which caused further concern for the officers. Throughout this contact Officers tried to verbally deescalate their contact with McClain who was hyper-aggressive and refused all orders. Officers Woodyard and Rosenblatt started to escort McClain off the landscaping rocks onto the grass to lessen any injuries if a fight was to ensue.  McClains actions resulted in all three officers attempting to take him to the ground to control him and stop his violent assault.  [After McClain went briefly unconscious], Woodyard, and Rosenblatt continued to struggle with the violently resisting McClain through their entire encounter even after he was placed into handcuffs.

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Again, this was after Woodyard had stated he felt safe making an approach, he didnt have any weapons or anything I could see in his hand. And according to the indictment, there was no actual evidence that McClain went for anyones gun:

While Mr. McClain was pushed up against the wall and struggling, [Roedema] told the other officers that Mr. McClain had reached for your gun. Neither [Rosenblatt] nor [Woodyard] knew whether your gun meant [Rosenblatt]s or [Woodyard]s gun. [Roedema] later said that Mr. McClain reached for [Rosenblatt] gun. [Rosenblatt] stated that he did not feel any contact with his service weapon.

And as the independent inquiry put it, mildly:

The leading nature and general quality of the questions posed by Detective Ingui [during his investigative interviews] raised concerns for the Panel regarding the rigor of the interrogation and his willingness to probe the responses that he was receiving from the officers involved.

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After this an internal investigation claimed to clear the officers involved of any wrongdoing, it was the district attorneys turn. One month after Ingui issued his report, Aurora District Attorney Dave Young put out his own statement saying he would decline charges. Young went so far as to say that the actions of officers and paramedics couldnt be said to have caused the 23-year-old otherwise healthy mans death, even accidentally. As Young put it in his letter to the police chief:

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The results of the forensic autopsy demonstrate that the cause of Mr. McClains death was undetermined.

But as the indictment put it, validating the common sense notion that McClain died because of the interaction, the assessment Young cited was clearly false:

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Mr. McClain was a normal healthy 23-year-old man prior to encountering law enforcement and medical response personnel. A forensic pathologist opined that the cause of death for Mr. McClain was complications following acute Ketamine administration during violent subdual and restraint by law enforcement and emergency response personnel, and the manner of death was homicide.

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In his own investigation, Young also said:

[T]he evidence suggests that [officers] exercised a degree of force they believed necessary to detain him and investigate into possible criminal activity.

Again, as the independent inquiry found, during the entire investigative process, the officers were all unable to articulate any possible crime McClain might have committed.

The case of Elijah McClains manslaughter could haveand likely would haveended with Youngs travesty of a report. Only after uproar over George Floyds murder did Colorado Gov. Jared Polis reopen the investigation, which led to Wednesdays charges.

Now McClains killers will perhaps face some justice, even if those who covered up their alleged crimes apparently will not. In spite of what we now know, there are still those that defend the actions of the officers that day. On Wednesday morning, for instance, the police union representing Aurora officers released a statement saying nothing had gone wrong. They again blamed McClain for his own death.

Immediately after Elijah McClains death, Chief [Nick] Metz stated clearly that Mr. McClain was not murdered by Aurora Police Department officers. Nothing has changed. Our officers did nothing wrong, the union statement read. Mr. McClain died due to a combination of exertion due to his decision to violently resist arrest and a pre-existing heart condition. He was alive and talking when the officers turned him over to EMS. There is no evidence that APD officers caused his death.
The remnants of Hurricane Ida ripped through New York City late Wednesday into early Thursday, dumping rain, as winds lashed the city and flood waters submerged it, leaving eight dead so far and the region in a state of emergency. More than three inches of rain pounded Central Park in an hour, a record amount, prompting the National Weather Service to issue the citys first-ever flash flood emergency.*

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio urged New Yorkers to stay inside, issuing a travel ban overnight, as the city grappled with enduring a historic weather event. The threat of tornados spun off from Ida caused tornado warnings across the city, including the Bronx, and into neighboring New Jersey, which was also under a state of emergency Wednesday night.

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Here are scenes overnight from New York City:

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Water cascades onto a New York City subway train as remnants of Hurricane Ida bring flooding rain to the Northeast. https://t.co/pKqmXs6g8J pic.twitter.com/sYmzPSGb1I  ABC News (@ABC) September 2, 2021
Buried in the 600-law data dump in the state of Texas this week is the fact that now just about anyone in the state can carry a gunwith no need for a pesky permit or training of any kind. The law itself was passed in May and signed in June by the states White House-eyeing Republican Governor Greg Abbott. The law, pushed through over Democratic objections in the states Republican-tilted legislature, put an end to pretty basic safety measures. Before Wednesday, Texans needed to have four-to-six hours of training, pass a written exam, as well as a shooting proficiency test in order to carry a handgun in public. Now, all you have to be is 21 years old and not be a terrorist or have a criminal record laced with felony, assault, or domestic violence convictions.

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The unlicensed carry law is not popular with voters in Texas with nearly 60 percent disapproving of it in April, shortly before its passage. Letting just about anyone tote a gun around is also, surprise-surprise, unpopular with local police. Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia pointed out the painfully obvious to CNN, explaining that people open carrying firearms have made it harder for officers to differentiate a good guy with a gun from a bad guy with a gun. I dont know what its a solution to, James McLaughlin, executive director of the Texas Police Chiefs Association told the Texas Tribune. I dont know what the problem was to start with.

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Republican gun activists identified the problem as making sure someone knew how to use a gun before carrying it, decrying permits an artificial barrier to accessing ones gun rights. Put another way, it was a question of sweet, sweet freedom to scare the absolute bejesus out of anyone you well please. You could say that I signed into law today some laws that protect gun rights, Gov. Abbott said at the bills signing in June. But today, I signed documents that instilled freedom in the Lone Star State.

Several other freedom-by-gun measures were enacted Wednesday, the Texas Tribune notes, including a bill that would bar government contracts with those who discriminate against the firearm industry as a whole, one that would remove firearm suppressors from the states list of prohibited weapons, and a House bill that prohibits state and local governments from enforcing new federal gun regulations.
The photo is startling and heart-wrenching. One woman lies in the middle of the floor, a translucent blue poncho draped over her tank top, her face pressed against the carpet. Another woman is on the floor nearby, curled up with her back to the wall. Moaning, crying, unable to move, the accompanying Reddit post says, describing sick people waiting hours to receive an experimental treatment. The picture was taken in mid-August, in a library in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, where COVID-19 patients waited for monoclonal antibody treatments.

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And from Tampa, a video shows car after car lined up as people waited for the same treatment at a pop-up site in the middle of an otherwise empty fieldeven as plentiful vaccination sites in the area offered walk-in shots.

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What is this treatment, and why are people lining up for it instead of vaccines? The answer to the latter, at least, isnt just about the science. As with so much else in the pandemic, its about politics.

Monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, flood the immune system with lab-made antibodies that are especially good at neutralizing the virus. For patients in the early stages of the disease, mAbs help keep the illness mild. According to early research, they are 70 percent effective at preventing hospitalization among those who receive treatment soon after a positive test, and theyre 80 percent effective at keeping people who were exposed to the virus from being hospitalized. And if you do go to the hospital, [they] decrease your risk of dying from the virus, Sunil Joshi, an allergist and immunologist and president of the Duval County Medical Society Foundation, told me. So there are some huge benefits to it.

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At a briefing on Aug. 24, Anthony Fauci, the presidents chief medical adviser, said the highly effective treatment hasnt received enough attention. We want people out there, including physicians as well as potential patients, to realize the advantage of this very effective way of treating early infection, Fauci said.

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Quick action is key. Once a person is sick enough to be hospitalized, it may be too late for the treatment to work. The earlier, the better, Sam Lai, a professor of pharmacoengineering and molecular pharmaceutics at the University of North Carolina who also runs a startup working on inhaled monoclonal antibodies, told me. If you have symptoms, get tested ASAP. In places like Floridas pop-up clinics, a positive testor close contact with someone who has tested positiveis a requirement for the treatment.

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Usually, the antibodies are given through hourlong intravenous infusions. They can also be administered as four shots under the skin, spaced over a few minutes, as the Florida clinics are doing itbut that is only recommended if infusions arent possible. Whether you receive an infusion or shots, you then have to wait for an hour to make sure you have no adverse reactions. And thats all after waiting for an appointment or as a walk-in for a few hours. No matter how you slice it, its still going to take two or three hours per person, Lai said.

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The treatment from Regeneron, a biotechnology company, is free for Americans as part of a $450 million deal with the U.S. government, although patients may be responsible for the costs of infusion. Regenerons cocktail itself costs about $1,250 a dose. (The COVID vaccines, which the government also pays for, are about $20 each.) Other mAbs from Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, and Vir Biotechnology have also received emergency use authorizations, but the government has not purchased these treatments to make them available for free.

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About half of Regenerons antibody treatments have gone to Florida, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama, which have had huge spikes in cases in recent weeks. Florida and Texas, led by governors who have frequently downplayed vaccinations and masks for all, have opened pop-up clinics and infusion sites.

In Florida, as COVID cases skyrocketed in July and August, hospitals were coming to a breaking point. State authorities unveiled a hasty plan: They would offer monoclonal antibodies at a handful of impromptu clinics in the hardest-hit areas.

The decision came so quickly that local authorities had only days to set up pop-up clinics in abandoned lots and public buildings. In Jacksonville, where 1 in 4 tests were coming back positive, officials raced to convert the lower level of the library into an impromptu clinic. They werent ready for the steady stream of patients who soon arrived seeking relief from COVID symptoms, and they didnt even have time to find chairs for people waiting in line for hourswhich is why several of the patients on the first day were seen lying on the ground.

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The role of monoclonal antibodies in this pandemic is increasing each day as we learn how to use them and set up more facilities for delivering them, Arturo Casadevall, a molecular microbiologist and immunologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told me in an email. I think [that role] will increase in this pandemic as the logistical problems in delivering them to patients are solved and there is greater appreciation of their usefulness by both the public and physicians.

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That widespread appreciation is relatively new. For months, the medicine sat on shelves. This was partly because many practitioners and patients werent aware that it was available. And it was partly because it was so difficult to create IV infusion sites for COVID-positive patients, and the backup option of giving the treatment as shots was only approved in June. Before the pandemic, infusion centers usually served patients with cancer or autoimmune diseases. Theres just no way any doctor can justify bringing a COVID patient to the very same facility as people who have compromised immune systems, Lai said. Hospitals have been overwhelmed, making it difficult to offer infusions there. There is just not the infrastructure thats set up to dose them, and you really need a herculean effort, Lai said.

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The treatment is also not for everyone. Its only approved for those ages 12 and up and for those who are at higher risk of developing severe illness or dying because of their age or because of conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Theres scant evidence on how well monoclonal antibodies prevent long-term symptoms, like those associated with long COVID. And, crucially, the protection offered by these antibodies is temporary. They only work as long as they stay in your system, usually a few weeks.

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The vaccine provides more long-lasting immunity, Joshi said. If you rely just on the monoclonal antibody treatment, there is no long-term protection. In a few months, he said, youre going to be back in the same boat, potentially. (There is not yet clear evidence as to whether a patient with COVID who receives mAbs will have the same immunity from infection as a patient whose immune system fights off COVID without assistance. And not everyone who fights off COVID develops immunity to it.) Not to mention that for the needle-averse, vaccination is better than an hourlong infusion or four injections.

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So why are people lining up for shots of the treatment and not shots to prevent COVID in the first place? There will always be some people who dont believe they will get sickpeople who think they are protected because they had COVID before or who think its just a mild illness. But it also has to do with leadership. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has frequently praised monoclonal antibodies in speeches and on Twitter, where he has promoted the treatment 36 times in the past month. In comparison, hes tweeted about vaccines once in that timeand only for the elderly. Similarly, Floridas COVID-19 informational website strongly focuses on mAbs, with vaccines given less prominence.

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The treatment is not an alternative to vaccination; it should be a complementary part of fighting the pandemic, as it can also help those suffering from breakthrough cases, like the person who took the viral library photo. But only half of Floridians are vaccinated, and the vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID are among those not yet vaccinated, making both early treatment and prevention through measures like vaccination urgent.

In Northeast Florida, cases are slowly beginning to drop, but Joshi is worried about another surge if theres not an increase in vaccination. We should be in a situation where people are not requiring hospitalization, and thats why vaccinations are so important, he said. The more and more people that get vaccinated, the less and less that were going have to deal with this over the next 12 months.

But treatment options are important for those with breakthrough cases and those who are not yet vaccinated, experts agreed, alongside other preventative measures to slow the spread of the virus. You really need these treatments to close the gaps and fill whatever holes that the vaccines are not covering, Lai said. Lets just find a way to get through this and make sure everybody is protected.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
ARCHIVED - August 31 Covid update Spain: second highest death toll of the fifth wave reported



194 Covid fatalities were reported in Spain on Tuesday, only slightly lower than the maximum of 201 deaths registered on August 23

The downward trend in the 14-day cumulative incidence rate continues in Spain as the Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday August 31 that it has dropped another eight points and now stands at 233 cases per 100,000 people, keeping the average rate below the extreme risk threshold of 250. This represents a drop of almost 72 points compared to the same day last week. In addition, the 7-day rate is less than half this figure at 142 cases, a strong indicator that the decline is likely to continue.

After 7,676 new cases were registered on Tuesday, the total number of people infected since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic sits at 4,855,065. However, Tuesdays figure is half that registered the day before (15,489) while 10,072 cases were reported on the same day last week.

There are currently only three regions in Spain with a 14-day incidence rate higher than 400, with Ceuta being the highest with 464.36 cases followed by Extremadura at 463.82 and Melilla at 461.67 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

On the other end of the scale, some of the lowest rates in the country have been reported in Asturias (94.03), the Canarias (144.76), the Valencian Community (183.67) and Catalonia (190.98).

Hospital patients and fatalities

While the number of daily infections and the cumulative incidence rate continue to show improvements, this trend has sadly not been reflected in the death toll, which reached its second highest number of the entire fifth wave yesterday after 194 deaths were reported in Spain. This figure is 48 more than Monday and four more than the same day the previous week, bringing the total death toll to 84,340. The highest death toll of this wave of the pandemic was reached on August 23, with 201 fatalities.

The number of Covid patients admitted to hospital has also fallen slightly to 6,806, equivalent to 5.8 per cent of all hospital beds, while patients in the countrys ICUs account for 17.39 per cent of available beds.

Vaccination data

At the end of August, Spain has failed to meet its target of 70 per cent vaccination rate but is not drastically far off the target with 32,996,436 people now fully immunised, 69.5 per cent of the population.

The number of people who have received one dose of the vaccine has reached 76.8 per cent, or 36,431,416 individuals.

The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, has reiterated her confidence that the 70 per cent vaccination target would be met in the next couple of days.

Image: Archive
More than 130 migrants have arrived illegally in Spain so far this week



Several of the irregular immigrants intercepted yesterday had to be rescued from the water

Over 130 illegal immigrants have arrived in Spain so far this week. As of Wednesday September 1, 133 migrants had already arrived on Spanish shores illegally, according to the data provided by security officials and Maritime Rescue teams who carry out the coastal interventions.

On Wednesday alone, sixteen irregular migrants were intercepted about 50 miles west of the Cala Figuera lighthouse in Andraxt in Mallorca, two of whom had to be rescued from the water by a private boat in the vicinity.

The patrol boat Salvamar travelled to the area once the alert was activated and retrieved eight other occupants and rescued four more people who were spotted in the water by the Helimar helicopter. One of the rescued migrants has been transferred semi-conscious to a nearby hospital.

Image: Archive
Filming of American TV series closes highway to Poland

State subsequently plans annual work on tunnel.

People heading to Poland via the Kysuce region should prepare for some traffic restrictions.

The stretch of the D3 highway between Svrcinovec and Skalite has been closed due to the shooting of an American TV series.

How to avoid closure In the direction of Poland, the detour route leads along the first class road I / 11 in the direction of Cesky Tesin through the village of Svrcinovec - Zatky. The detour route leads from Poland along road I / 12 with a limit of up to 7.5 tons. Freight transport of over 7.5 tonnes cannot use the bypass through the villages of Skalite and Cierne, but must use the nearby border crossing of Svrcinovec.

According to the regional newspaper MY Kysuce, the filmmakers are shooting the third season of the Amazon series Tom Clancys Jack Ryan, a political thriller show.

The shooting will last seven to 10 days. Besides the Svrcinovec tunnel, the shoot will take place in Polana and Povazsky Chlmec.

The highway section will not open even after the shoot ends, as the National Highway Company (NDS) will initiate the regular cleaning and maintenance of the highway and tunnel.

The stretch will thus be closed until August 31, the TASR newswire reported.

One of the biggest projects

Zuzana Bielikova from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund said that the shooting on the D3 highway is one of the biggest projects that has ever come to Slovakia.

Since 2018, when the Slovak Film Agency was established, we have been trying to promote Slovakia as a competitive country that can attract foreign filmmakers, said Bielikova, as quoted by TASR. And not only in terms of film professionals, but also the beautiful locations and friendliness for which the Slovak people are known.

The investments foreign filmmakers make in Slovakia range from 800,000 euros to 5 million, according to Bielikova. She added that the Amazon show has been the highest amount yet.

11. Aug 2021 at 11:39
People can choose between two eastern and one western town.

Preparations for Pope Francis's visit to Slovakia are culminating.

He will arrive to Slovakia on the afternoon of September 12 and stay until September 15, which is a national holiday in Slovakia.

The pontiff will visit Bratislava, Presov, Kosice and Sastin during his almost four-day stay.

It is expected that people will come to welcome him at the Bratislava airport, where he is scheduled to arrive at 15:30. His return flight from the Slovak capital is scheduled for September 15 at 13:45.

Lunik IX. The infamous, misunderstood housing estate Pope Francis plans to visit Read more

There will be four events accessible for the wider public, where Christian adherents will be able to meet the pope, with three held on September 14 and one on September 15.

Fewer than 50,000 registered

Those willing to meet Pope Francis need to register on the navstevapapeza.sk website as the tickets are necessary to attend events.

People come here to pray for miracles. Now, Pope Francis will visit Read more

About 46,000 people had registered by August 30. The highest interest is in the mass Pope Francis will serve on the last day of his visit in Sastin: about 23,000 people. Another 13,000 people have registered for the event in Presov, while 1,000 want to come to Lunik IX and about 9,000 to Lokomotiva Stadium in Kosice.

Where to encounter Pope Francis in Slovakia? September 14 10:30 Presov: Byzantine Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrystosom presided by the Holy Father in the square of Mestska sportova hala in Presov

Byzantine Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrystosom presided by the Holy Father in the square of Mestska sportova hala in Presov 16:00 Kosice: Lunik IX Kosice: Meeting with the Roma community in the Lunik IX district in Kosice

Lunik IX Kosice: Meeting with the Roma community in the Lunik IX district in Kosice 17:00 Lokomotiva Kosice: Meeting with young people at Lokomotiva Stadium in Kosice September 15 10:00 Sastin: Holy Mass on the esplanade of the National Shrine in Sastin

2. Sep 2021 at 11:56 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Central Slovak company will create components for Lynx combat vehicles

Partnership with Rheinmetall should support and strengthen the Slovak economy and local defence industry.

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A company from central Slovakia has recently signed a deal that will secure its cooperation on the production of military vehicles.

CSM Industry, situated in Tisovec in central Slovakia, will produce components for Lynx KF41 combat vehicles manufactured by the German company Rheinmetall. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding in late August 2021.

Benefits for both

The Rheinmetall company has a huge interest in establishing a partnership with the Slovak defence industry, and we have vast experience with the integration of local companies into the global supplier chain, said Oliver Mittelsdorf of Rheinmetall.

Adding CSM Industry to their supplier chain will provide the Tisovec-based firm with considerable export opportunities, he added.

Tomas Maros, chair of the board of directors of CSM Industry, said that they also see the cooperation with the German partner as a possibility of using all their production capacities effectively and for the long term.

Defence Ministry fails to justify the purchase of F-16 fighter jets Read more

Our mutual cooperation will allow for the transfer of know-how and will become quite a big opportunity for future economic development, Maros said. It will support and strengthen the Slovak economy, local defence industry and national sovereignty.

Space for further cooperation

CSM Industry is expected to contribute its technological background and experiences with the production of welded and steel components to the Lynx combat vehicle project. There exists the possibility for the further implementation of its components and services in other projects involving other types of combat vehicles.

The Lynx KF41 is among products offered in the public procurement via which the Slovak Armed Forces are searching for new infantry vehicles.

2. Sep 2021 at 12:00 | Compiled by Spectator staff
New school year starts, schools reporting delays in rapid test delivery

Schools should remain open if the epidemic situation significantly deteriorates.

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Schools in Slovakia opened for the new school year on September 2, the third one impacted by the Covid pandemic.

706,825 pupils will attend primary and secondary schools this school year, including 65,622 first-graders.

President Zuzana Caputova, who attended the opening of the new school year at the Dubova Primary School in Bratislava, wished all the pupils lots of strength.

We all wish for the school year to be more standard so children can attend and be educated at school, and be in touch with their friends, she said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. She added that the previous two school years negatively impacted education and mental health.

Late rapid tests

Unlike previous school years, schools should not be closed en masse even if the situation deteriorates significantly, and the district switches to the black tier of the alert system, known as the Covid automat in Slovakia.

The Education Ministry only wants to close classrooms where infection is detected.

Ready for hybrid teaching? Schools will be switching between online and in-person education Read more

While masks are mandatory for most pupils, testing in schools is voluntary and free of charge. The ministry has promised to supply schools with test kits, which should be given to parents interested in testing their children with rapid tests.

Yet, several schools have complained that they did not receive the tests on time or that their number was not sufficient. The Bratislava-based Za Kasarnou Primary School wanted to give parents the testing kits even before the school year started, but the tests had not arrived. The interest in testing was huge, and not all parents received the kits, the Sme daily reported.

School bags rather than keyboards, please. Kids are more than ready to go back Read more

Education Minister Branislav Grohling (SaS) responded that all schools that ordered the testing kits will receive them eventually, and explained that there were not sufficient capacities in the stores run by the district authorities to cover the demand.

2. Sep 2021 at 12:05 | Compiled by Spectator staff
The resolution raises legitimate doubts, the Special Prosecutors Office commented.

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The General Prosecutors Office organised a press conference at 14:00 on September 2, during which General Prosecutor Maros Zilinka explained the steps of his office. Zilinkas deputy, Jozef Kandera recently acquitted former chair of the Slovak Intelligence Service Vladimir Pcolinsky of all charges. Charges against Zoroslav Kollar and Jaroslav Hascak were also dropped.

The General Prosecutors Office did not invite all media to the press conference. Dennik N wrote that they learnt about it only by coincidence. After arriving on the scene, they were not let in along with journalists from Aktuality and Sme.

Sme reported that only chosen journalists from four television stations were let inside. A list of invited media was not published.

Some politicians, including Juraj Seliga of Za Ludi, Kristian Cekovsky of OLaNO and Ondrej Dostal of SaS, criticised the decision to not let every journalist in.

General Prosecutor Maros Zilinka in turn criticised the politicians who spoke out against the office's decision to acquit. He said that the General Prosecutors Office was very just and clear in its decisions. He considers the statements of some politicians to be defamatory towards the office.

"I will not be intimidated," Zilinka said, adding that nails were being thrown in front of his home over the weekend.

I am not anyones vassal, Zilinka claims

2. Sep 2021 at 17:30 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Amelias Courage A seated Just Zip It from the gate and kept her there through the wire as she captured Wednesdays (Sept. 1) co-feature at The Meadows, a $10,300 fillies and mares conditioned pace.

When Amelias Courage clicked off the back half in :56 over a good surface for Chris Shaw, Just Zip It could not cut into the lead and fell 1-1/2 lengths short in the 1:52.4 mile. The first-over Ellasen raced well for show.

Richard Perfido trains Amelias Courage A, a seven-year-old daughter of Courage Under Fire and American Dreamer who triumphed for the 22nd time in her career and lifted her lifetime bankroll to $222,415, for Win Rhythm Stables.

In Wednesdays co-feature, a $10,300 conditioned trot for distaffers, Luvcrunchess moved powerfully first-over and romped home in 1:55.4 for Aaron Merriman, trainer Steven Walters and owner P T Stable.

Mike Wilder and Merriman each piloted three winners on the 13-race card.

Live racing at The Meadows continues Thursday (Sept. 2), when the 12-race program features a $54,260.48 carryover in the final-race Super Hi-5 and an $812.04 carryover in the Pick-5 (races 7-11). First post is 12:45 p.m.

(Meadows Standardbred Owners Association)
Ohio two-year-old colt trotters will return to action on Friday night in the Buckeye Stallion Series at Eldorado Scioto Downs.

Twenty-five trotters will face off in three divisions featured on the 12-race card. First-race post time is 6:15 p.m. Each race carries a purse of $17,500.

Nine of the freshman trotters won a previous Buckeye Stallion Series leg.

The first division will feature three past winners. Count Jogging (sired by Full Count), Phantom Tom (Long Tom), and Rose Run Xalted (Triumphant Caviar) will look for their second BSS victory.

Four previous Stallion Series winners will square off in the second division. All Gas No Brakes (Uncle Peter), Hit Em Up Dude (Credit Fashion), Shamrock (Uncle Peter) and Stay Tuned (What The Hill) are all entered.

The third division will feature two previous winners, A Handsome Face (Dejarmbro) and Outreach (Uncle Peter).

The Buckeye Stallion Series returns to Eldorado Scioto Downs on Saturday, Sept. 4 for the fourth leg of the three-year-old colt trot.

(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemens Association)
For superintendent Nicole Regan, the entire day opened her eyes to how the school might get more involved in connecting with individuals like Stinner and organizations like Stand for Schools to help advocate for the education of their students.

With bringing (in) the state senators, as Anne and Daniel have with this opportunity, its just bringing them so they do understand what were doing, she said. I think they hear it in a different way at the legislature, but when youre actually in here and you see kids, and you can talk to kids, and talk to people that are really doing the ground work  I know theyre really busy, and we try and respect them for that, but maybe we need to do a bigger approach of just getting more engaged with them on our campus. Its a good learning opportunity.

Thats exactly how Hunter-Pirtle sees their visits to schools across the state, and shes always amazed by the dedication every community has to its students.
Larger legislative areas are more difficult to represent, he added, relating how he can drive 957 miles to meet with constituents without leaving the borders of his district. Some of the districts in the Lincoln and Omaha areas are only a handful of miles wide, and with the increased population of those localities, they stand to get even smaller.

In accordance with Nebraskas new official population of 1.96 million, Erdman said each legislative district should aim for around 40,000 residents, with a leeway of 5%, or 2,000, above or below this target. This means that some districts will have to absorb parts of others. District 48, for example, currently shares its borders with Scotts Bluff County, but the countys new population is just over 36,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This means District 48 will require an additional 2,000 to 6,000 residents. This will eat into the existing borders of Erdmans District 47, which, as the least populous in the state, will need to expand elsewhere.

Some districts will have to be divided, Erdman said. ...I think its our intent ... that we want to hold as many of the seats as we have without disrupting too many of the districts.

Nebraskas Redistricting Committee is comprised of nine state senators. It will meet on Thursday, Sept. 2 and must complete its work by Sept. 30.
With Kimball being perched along the interstate, county officials think it would make a great location for a welcome center for the state.

Kimball County Commissioner Rich Flores said the idea sprang from an old proposal.

About 20 years ago, we gathered a committee together to look at a welcome center in western Nebraska, particularly in Kimball to greet people who come into the state and the Panhandle, he said. We put a proposal before the state and, at that time, it failed to get consideration.

Flores said he is now putting together a coalition of area officials to once again push the proposal.

Since then, weve had a group that has gotten together with some of the other Panhandle county commissioners, tourism directors, people like that, he said. Were in the infancy stages of trying to put another plan together that we can present to the state that says Kimball is a place to have a welcome center. It just seemed like an obvious thing to develop tourism in the Panhandle. Theres so much to see here that people just dont realize. We also want to tout Nebraska.

"What better place is there to welcome people and tout what we have? Kimball, in particular. I was born and raised right here. Weve got a good standard of living.
SCOTTSBLUFF  National Recovery Month is a national observance held every September to educate communities that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life. The United States National Recovery Month was founded in 1989 and purple was selected as the recovery movements official color.

Region 1 Behavioral Health Authority in conjunction with Nebraska Strongs Recovery Project Crisis Counseling Program will be celebrating Recovery Month in September throughout the entire panhandle of Nebraska. Region 1 BHA has adopted the 2021 National Recovery Month theme, Recovery is For Everyone, Every Person, Every Family, Every Community, to remind people in recovery and those who support them that no one is alone in the journey. Everyones journey is different, but we are all in this together.

Recovery Month continues to educate others about substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders, the effectiveness of treatment and recovery services, and that recovery is possible. All of us  whether it be co-workers, neighbors, friends or family members  throughout our lives have experienced peaks and valleys, both big and small. But with strength, support and hope from the people we love, we are resilient.
A petition requesting pardons was sent to Northam in December. It read in part: "The Martinsville Seven were not given adequate due process 'simply for being black,' they were sentenced to death for a crime that a white person would not have been executed for 'simply for being black,' and they were killed, by the Commonwealth, 'simply for being black.'"

Among the organizers pushing for pardons were Liz Ryan and Pamela Hairston and groups such as The Martinsville Seven Initiative Inc., the Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop, law students and graduates from the William & Mary Law School.

The families were invited to meet with Northam Tuesday, presumably to make their case for a pardon in person. Instead they got a welcome surprise.

After the executions of the Martinsville Seven, three more men, all Black, died in the electric chair for rape, the last in 1961. In 1977 the U.S. Supreme Court ended rape as a death-eligible crime.
That sentiment, at least among some critics, hasnt appeared to change. Fremont County Republicans voted recently to [denounce] the authority of public health officers. The Wyoming Legislature has also acted to put new restrictions on health officer powers.

Despite some turmoil, Wyoming was home to a significant success story last year amidst the pandemic. The state had the highest proportion of in-person K-12 learners last school year, which the governor regularly touts. Whats more, no school had to close last term because of a virus outbreak. Now, as schools are just resuming, cases are exploding and an outbreak has already forced at least one district online. However, most districts have made masking optional.

Even as the virus rips through Wyomings school districts in the first days of the school year, Gordon said Wednesday that another K-12 mask requirement is not on the table, sticking with his decision from early August to not require masks in schools.

While Gordon shows no sign of enforcing masking, he has been continually encouraging and positive about getting vaccinated.

We now have different tools to work with, vaccinations being one of the best, he said.
That means (to me) supporting our president and his courageous decision to end a 20-year war, a decision that former presidents refused to make, with the exception of former President Donald Trump who suggested bringing Taliban leaders to Camp David to work out the details. President Biden has promised to get all Americans out of Afghanistan, and the military will use any and all means to accomplish that goal. After a terrorist attack from ISIS, however, playing politics only makes matters worse. Cowardly acts of violence should unite us, not divid us.

Moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans need to cooperate together. Problems can be resolved (progress made) when smart people dont care who gets the credit. And smart means listening to authorities who are smarter than us, ie., get vaccinated; support the infrastructure bills in Congress that will help everyone in America; speak out against politicians who want to restrict voting rights. Smart politicians want more people to vote for them, not less as (fact) fraud in the voting booths is almost nonexistent; and look closely at the facts regarding the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the chaotic and dangerous exit from Afghanistan that cost American and Afghan lives, so these sad events never happen again.
Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree on Tuesday told commissioners that a temporary overtime pay adjustment might incentivize more jail staff to volunteer for overtime and might help with morale.
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Marshall shared accomplishments during his term from 2018 through 2021. He led the organization through the merger of Statesville Regional Development and Mooresville-South Iredell Economic Development Corp., which establishing one countywide economic development organization, the Iredell County Economic Development Corp., in 2018. Under Marshalls leadership, Iredell EDC also expanded its efforts in workforce development, enhanced the existing industry program, and announced projects representing the creation of 3,700 jobs and investment of $1 billion dollars in Iredell County.

Marshall introduced incoming Chair Bob Palmes, vice president of business development for G.L. Wilson Building Co., and the other fiscal 2021-22 executive committee officers: Vice Chair David Alexander, J.T. Alexander & Son; Treasurer Paul Cook, First Citizens Bank; Secretary, Jeff Cernuto, Princeton Communities; and Past Chair, Marshall, blueharbor bank.

Iredell EDC realizes the benefits of working together in partnership, Marshall said. We have accomplished a lot during my tenure by working together and look forward to continued growth with this solid foundation.
A prominent conservative attorney representing more than a dozen defendants charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol is seriously ill and hasnt appeared in court for more than a week, throwing some cases into disarray.

Attorney John Pierce has been sending an associate  who is not licensed to practice law  to appear before judges in his absence. Pierce's illness has left some clients without counsel for the time being and is putting the cases at a standstill, prosecutors said in court papers this week.

On Thursday in one of Pierces cases in federal court in Washington, a judge said he would appoint an attorney who could advise the client in Pierces absence. That was after the associate at Pierces law firm, who is not licensed as a lawyer and faces criminal charges himself in another matter, was unable to say when Pierce might be able to return.

At a hearing later Thursday for Pierces newest client, Pierce's associate was joined by a licensed attorney he said he had found to step in until Pierce returns.

Prosecutors repeatedly raised concerns this week that Pierce's absence and the actions of his associate, Ryan Marshall, on the attorney's behalf could cause problems in his cases, saying that Marshall had already done things he wasn't allowed to do.
European countries have evacuated some Afghans who have worked with their NATO or other missions in Afghanistan and are offering protection to those who have helped their countries. But the bloc also wants to avoid large numbers of people arriving illegally.

THE RESPONSE

Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have been fortifying their borders with Belarus, and have managed recently to stop thousands of people trying to enter. Hundreds have also been detained and put in closed centers. Some have applied for asylum but it is unlikely that many will receive it after entering the EU in an illegal manner.

There have been reports that some people have made their way undetected to Germany or elsewhere in Western Europe  the typical destination for refugees in Europe.

Lithuania said last week it had sent home 14 Iraqis who crossed from Belarus and many more would follow them soon.

WHAT BELARUS SAYS

Belarus top diplomat on Thursday rejected accusations that the ex-Soviet nation has used refugees against the EU.
After attending a few local Highlands Beekeepers Association meetings with his friend, he decided to give it a try.

By the next spring, he ordered two colonies of bees and other beekeeping supplies, including brood boxes, a protective jacket and gloves.

That first season was overwhelming for Holmes, even though his friend was available to set up the beehives and give him some pointers. It was a lot to learn, and my mental capacity at that time was challenged.

Holmes also had lost the ability to read, requiring him to have occupational therapy to learn other everyday skills.

The honeybees did not survive the first winter, and Holmes began suffering from grand mal seizures that required hospital time.

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He started to second-guess why he was even trying.

Determined to not give up, Holmes ordered two new sets of bees for the second spring. Widener and another good friend, Jim Anderson, came to his aid again.

The bees really gave him something to focus on when he was going through so much. It was a good thing for him, said his wife.

I could tell I was retaining more information better as time went on, he said.
Little River Supervisor Linda DeVito Kuchenbuch says she heard about the meeting shortly before it occurred, was able to attend, and wished more hunters had known about it so they could hear the reports from DWR.

DWR announced what it calls extensive CWD testing throughout DMA3 and in certain surrounding counties during the 2021-22 deer hunting season, including mandatory CWD sampling for all deer harvested on Nov. 12 in Floyd, Montgomery and Pulaski counties.

In Floyd County, mandatory testing will be conducted at Floyd Express Mart at 609 E. Main Street in Floyd and Willis Village Market at 5602 Floyd Highway.

During the upcoming hunting season, hunters should check in any deer they shot on any day at volunteer testing sites at Check Fire Station at 1710 Kings Store Rd., Floyd Fire Station 1 at 143 Akers St. in town or Willis Fire Station 2 at 187 Firehouse Drive.

Hunters should submit at least three inches of the neck with the head of the deer. Those planning to have the head mounted should submit it after caping. Others who plan to remove the antlers and skull head should do so before submission.
FLOYD  After nearly a year of motions, continuances and pre-trial conferences, a 49-year-old Riner man dropped his demand for a jury trial and admitted he sexually abused an underage female relative for at least four years.

Erin Matthew Raymond McNeal entered guilty pleas in Floyd County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Aug. 31, for sexual battery and related child pornography charges and must register with the Virginia Sexual Offenders and Crimes Against Minors database for at least 15 years. If he stays out of trouble for that period, the charges could be dismissed.

The agreement allowed McNeal to avoid any jail time at this point and cancels a scheduled two-day jury trial on Sept. 13-14 and avoids a public spectacle that could unfold on the story about sexual battery, pornographic photography and abuse that began when the underage girl was 15.

Commonwealths Attorney Eric Branscom told the court a detailed story about McNeal ordering the child to undress and pose for photographs. The girl left the area when she turned 18 and now lives out of state, Branscom said.

The charges were brought to the sheriffs office in 2020 but the abuse began in 2016 and earlier, he said.
Joe Kent has added one of the biggest potential Republican endorsements to his campaign to take Jaime Herrera Beutlers seat in the House of Representatives: President Donald Trump.

Trump announced the endorsement in a letter and statement released Wednesday. The former president called Herrera Beutler a RINO and incompetent Congresswoman while saying that Kent would be a warrior for the Republican agenda if he was elected. Kent is a retired Green Beret who grew up in the Portland area and lives in Yacolt. His wife, Shannon, was a Navy officer who was killed in 2019 during an operation in Syria.

Trump said in the letter that he first met Kent when his wifes body was flown back to the United States.

It was a very sad moment in Joes life, but I was incredibly impressed with him and told him that he should someday run for office  we need his voice and leadership in Washington, D.C., Trump said in his endorsement letter.

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I dont think there is a one-size-fits-all answer, Wean said. Its a crisis that needs to be solved in a way to give opportunities for people to improve.

At points, Makinster seemed irritated that homelessness was as much of an issue now as it had been during his 2017 re-election campaign. Makinster said while resources should be available for people trying to better themselves, he felt the city should consider pulling back its funding for the Alabama Street camp and for the hosted site Longview and Cowlitz County are working on as a replacement.

I dont think the city of Longview has to work on these social issues. We have churches, we have nonprofits who can step in, Makinster said.

Both candidates cited their business experiences during the forum. Makinster had been chief executive officer of a log yard company and a previous Longview Rotary president. Wean spoke about her experiences running a communications business and organizing events for thousands of Microsoft employees.

Wean moved back to Longview last year to help her family through coronavirus. She said moving back made her realize how important the city had been in shaping her and inspired her to run for City Council.
The association represents nurses at PeaceHealths five Washington hospitals. Under federal labor law, PeaceHealth is required to negotiate with the union over its individual vaccine mandate, Schubert said.

PeaceHealth initially sat down with the union to negotiate, but stopped responding and imposed its own deadlines and terms for dealing with nurses who qualified for an exemption, she said.

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Unlike any other hospitals of which we are aware and which allow exempted nurses who seek accommodations to continue to work at the bedside with appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment), PeaceHealth has unlawfully placed exempted nurses on unpaid leaves of absence effective Sept. 1, Schubert said in an email. Given how critical the nursing shortage is already, nurses are deeply concerned about what this unlawful measure means for already depleted and critically understaffed nurses.

The union asked the National Labor Relations Board to request a federal court issue an injunction to prevent PeaceHealth from removing exempted nurses until PeaceHealth has fully bargained the topics with the union. The board is investigating the unions charge.

PeaceHealth did not specifically respond to request for comment about the charge.
Microsoft Surface Duo 2 launch date: Microsoft is having a rather busy year. The company back in June this year hosted a special event wherein it announced its Windows 10 successor operating system dubbed as the Microsoft Windows 11. Shortly after, Windows 11 operating system arrived on the Windows Insider program wherein the company gave us a glimpse of all the features that would arrive on the new OS. The Windows 11 list of features includes a new Taskbar, native Teams integration and Spotify integration. Now, Microsoft has announced yet another event. And unlike its June 24 event, this event focuses on hardware - most likely, Microsoft Surface Duo.

Microsoft in a post on social media, while announcing its upcoming event, revealed that it will be held at 11AM ET or (8:30PM IST) on Wednesday, September 22. While the company did not reveal what we should expect from its upcoming event, but the image along with the invite shared by Microsoft on its social media posts show a Surface laptop-like figure indicating that the company could be launching tablets and laptops.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

If reports are to be believed, the company could launch the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 at its September 22 event. Microsofts dual-screen Android-powered device has already been spotted on Geekbench, which has revealed that it will be powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 888 chipset and Adreno 660 GPU that is coupled with 8GB of RAM. Additionally, reports have revealed that it could feature support for 5G connectivity, and NFC for contactless payments.

Apart from Microsoft Surface Duo, the company is also expected to launch Surface Book 3 successor, that is, Surface Book 4, at its upcoming event. It could come with a hinged screen design rather than Surface Book 3s detachable display. Lastly, the company is also expected to launch the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 laptop, which is likely to get thinner bezels and a faster processor.

Interestingly, Microsoft is hosting its annual fall event just ahead of the launch of its Windows 11 desktop operating system. The company has already revealed that after months of wait, it will start rolling out Windows 11 OS as a free update to its users starting October 5. In addition to Windows 11, Microsoft PC Health Check Tool, which is also available to Windows Insider users only, will be available to Windows users.
KaiOS is the best mobile operating system for users who do not want the full smartphone experience and prefer the more power-efficient and simpler feature phones, like those offered by JioPhone and Nokia handsets. These phones come with the ability to send WhatsApp messages, browse the web and use voice commands for hands-free operation. However, a recent report suggests that KaiOS has lost the ability to send text messages and place calls through the use of voice commands, which could affect phones that run on the operating system, the most notable being JioPhone and Nokia.

While phones running KaiOS are able to run apps like WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook, Google Maps and over a thousand others from the KaiStore, an important feature that relied on the Google Assistant is no longer available, according to a report by 9to5Google. The report states that a wide range of KaiOS devices have been unable to use the Assistant feature to place a call or send text messages since mid-April, including the many smart feature phones made by Nokia.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

Google Assistant on devices running KaiOS may not support all of the features on Android devices, but users can turn on device features, control the volume, open apps, YouTube videos, perform Google searches and look up places on Google Maps, or even ask for trivia and jokes. However, two previously supported features, sending text messages and calling others is currently not available for KaiOS users. Instead of asking users what message they want to send, the Assistant now apologises and informs users that it cant make calls or send messages yet, according to the report.

The report states that a Nokia 2720 V Flip user who contacted the company was informed that the features had been removed from KaiOS. Due to recent changes implemented by Google, feature phones running on KaiOS will experience limited functionality with Google Assistant. Calling and sending SMS messages to your contacts using Google Assistant are no longer supported. Other Google Assistant features currently work as normal, the company told the user, according to the report.

However, while the JioPhone might also be affected by this change to KaiOS, those who are considering purchasing the upcoming JioPhone Next do not have to worry. Since the JioPhone Next is a smartphone and not a feature phone, it will run Android Go, which is a lightweight version of Android with trimmed-down features and services. Since Android Go and KaiOS are not related in any way to each other, JioPhone Next users will be unaffected by this change to KaiOS.
Wirecard filed for insolvency last year.

A British man has been charged in Singapore over a fraud linked to collapsed German payments firm Wirecard, authorities said Thursday, as the fallout from the scandal continues to spread.

Wirecard filed for insolvency last year after admitting that 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) missing from its accounts did not exist, revelations that stunned Germany.

James Henry O'Sullivan, 46, was charged at a Singapore court Wednesday, a court official said.

A charge sheet seen by AFP said the Briton in March 2017 got company director R. Shanmugaratnam to issue a letter showing his firm held 86.4 million euros (around $100 million) in escrow for Wirecard.

In reality Shanmugaratnam's company, Citadelle Corporate Services, "did not maintain the said account", according to the charges.

O'Sullivan could be jailed for up to 10 years, or fined, or both, if convicted.

Citadelle, a Singapore business administration firm, has been at the centre of investigations in the city-state related to Wirecard's collapse.

Shanmugaratnam, who was alleged to have falsely claimed in letters in 2016 and 2017 that the firm held large amounts in accounts on behalf of Wirecard, was charged last year.

Wirecard's woes began in January 2019 with a series of Financial Times articles alleging accounting irregularities in its Asian division, headed by chief operating officer Jan Marsalek.

Marsalek remains at large after failing to turn himself in to German investigators.

The Wirecard implosion, which has drawn comparisons with the Enron accounting scandal in the United States in the early 2000s, has been described as "unparalleled" in Germany by Finance Minister Olaf Scholz.

The company's former chief executive Markus Braun and several other top executives have been arrested on fraud and money laundering charges over the massive scam.

Explore further Singapore company director charged over Wirecard scandal

 2021 AFP
Facebook is creating training and commercial partnerships with media all over the world.

Social media giant Facebook will invest $1.5 million in Argentine media to train journalists and promote online development, a first in Latin America.

The agreement signed last week with almost 150 media outlets will allow 3,000 journalists to be trained, while also helping Facebook develop commercial agreements.

It's part of the "Facebook Journalism Project" that involves collaboration with media all over the world.

The three-year Argentine investment aims "to support almost 150 media of every size and region in the country," Julieta Shamma, Facebook's head of strategic media partnerships in Latin America, told AFP.

The agreement involves commercial commitments with around 30 Argentine outlets including Clarin, La Nacion, Pagina12 and Infobae to attract more links to the Facebook platform.

"We're collaborating with media to try different forms of helping people find news on Facebook and connect with them," said Shamma.

Facebook will offer training in themes such as product development, format experimentation and using statistics, amongst others.

"We believe the digital transformation will create new opportunities for the news ecosystem, offering different possibilities to expand the audience through social and interactive formats, and to monetize content," said Shamma.

Facebook has already invested $600 million worldwide since 2018 to support digital development in the news industry. The Silicon Valley-based company plans to invest another $1 billion in the next three years.

Explore further News Corp strikes Facebook pay deal for Australian news

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Despite growing opposition, the U.S. government is on track to increase its use of controversial facial recognition technology.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report on Aug. 24, 2021, detailing current and planned use of facial recognition technology by federal agencies. The GAO surveyed 24 departments and agenciesfrom the Department of Defense to the Small Business Administrationand found that 18 reported using the technology and 10 reported plans to expand their use of it.

The report comes more than a year after the U.S. Technology Policy Committee of the Association for Computing Machinery, the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, called for an immediate halt to virtually all government use of facial recognition technology.

The U.S. Technology Policy Committee is one of numerous groups and prominent figures, including the ACLU, the American Library Association and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, to call for curbs on use of the technology. A common theme of this opposition is the lack of standards and regulations for facial recognition technology.

A year ago, Amazon, IBM and Microsoft also announced that they would stop selling facial recognition technology to police departments pending federal regulation of the technology. Congress is weighing a moratorium on government use of the technology. Some cities and states, notably Maine, have introduced restrictions.

Why computing experts say no

The Association for Computing Machinery's U.S. Technology Policy Committee, which issued the call for a moratorium, includes computing professionals from academia, industry and government, a number of whom were actively involved in the development or analysis of the technology. As chair of the committee at the time the statement was issued and as a computer science researcher, I can explain what prompted our committee to recommend this ban and, perhaps more significantly, what it would take for the committee to rescind its call.

MITs Joy Buolamwini explains her study finding racial and gender bias in facial recognition technology.

If your cellphone doesn't recognize your face and makes you type in your passcode, or if the photo-sorting software you're using misidentifies a family member, no real harm is done. On the other hand, if you become liable for arrest or denied entrance to a facility because the recognition algorithms are imperfect, the impact can be drastic.

The statement we wrote outlines principles for the use of facial recognition technologies in these consequential applications. The first and most critical of these is the need to understand the accuracy of these systems. One of the key problems with these algorithms is that they perform differently for different ethnic groups.

An evaluation of facial recognition vendors by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology found that the majority of the systems tested had clear differences in their ability to match two images of the same person when one ethnic group was compared with another. Another study found the algorithms are more accurate for lighter-skinned males than for darker-skinned females. Researchers are also exploring how other features, such as age, disease and disability status, affect these systems. These studies are also turning up disparities.

A number of other features affect the performance of these algorithms. Consider the difference between how you might look in a nice family photo you have shared on social media versus a picture of you taken by a grainy security camera, or a moving police car, late on a misty night. Would a system trained on the former perform well in the latter context? How lighting, weather, camera angle and other factors affect these algorithms is still an open question.

In the past, systems that matched fingerprints or DNA traces had to be formally evaluated, and standards set, before they were trusted for use by the police and others. Until facial recognition algorithms can meet similar standardsand researchers and regulators truly understand how the context in which the technology is used affects its accuracythe systems shouldn't be used in applications that can have serious consequences for people's lives.

Transparency and accountability

It's also important that organizations using facial recognition provide some form of meaningful advanced and ongoing public notice. If a system can result in your losing your liberty or your life, you should know it is being used. In the U.S., this has been a principle for the use of many potentially harmful technologies, from speed cameras to video surveillance, and the USTPC's position is that facial recognition systems should be held to the same standard.

To get transparency, there also must be rules that govern the collection and use of the personal information that underlies the training of facial recognition systems. The company Clearview AI, which now has software in use by police agencies around the world, is a case in point. The company collected its dataphotos of individuals' faceswith no notification.

PBS Nova explains Clearview AIs massive database of images of people.

Clearview AI collected data from many different applications, vendors and systems, taking advantage of the lax laws controlling such collection. Kids who post videos of themselves on TikTok, users who tag friends in photos on Facebook, consumers who make purchases with Venmo, people who upload videos to YouTube and many others all create images that can be linked to their names and scraped from these applications by companies like Clearview AI.

Are you in the dataset Clearview uses? You have no way to know. The ACM's position is that you should have a right to know, and that governments should put limits on how this data is collected, stored and used.

In 2017, the Association for Computing Machinery U.S. Technology Policy Committee and its European counterpart released a joint statement on algorithms for automated decision-making about individuals that can result in harmful discrimination. In short, we called for policymakers to hold institutions using analytics to the same standards as for institutions where humans have traditionally made decisions, whether it be traffic enforcement or criminal prosecution.

This includes understanding the trade-offs between the risks and benefits of powerful computational technologies when they are put into practice and having clear principles about who is liable when harms occur. Facial recognition technologies are in this category, and it's important to understand how to measure their risks and benefits and who is responsible when they fail.

Protecting the public

One of the primary roles of governments is to manage technology risks and protect their populations. The principles the Association for Computing Machinery's USTPC has outlined have been used in regulating transportation systems, medical and pharmaceutical products, food safety practices and many other aspects of society. The Association for Computing Machinery's USTPC is, in short, asking that governments recognize the potential for facial recognition systems to cause significant harm to many people, through errors and bias.

These systems are still in an early stage of maturity, and there is much that researchers, government and industry don't understand about them. Until facial recognition technologies are better understood, their use in consequential applications should be halted until they can be properly regulated.

Explore further Amazon to extend ban on police use of face recognition tech

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Ardian Jusufi with a soft gecko-inspired robot. Credit: MPI for Intelligent Systems / A. Jusufi

Geckos' impressive climbing abilities give them agility rarely surpassed in nature. With their highly specialized adhesive lamellae on their feet, geckos can climb up smooth vertical surfaces with ease and even move on a ceiling hanging upside down. Their ability to run on water is another superpower. Now one more can be added.

A scientific study published on September 2, 2021, in Nature's Communications Biology by researchers who work at the intersection between robotics and biology shows that geckos are capable of even more. In the publication titled "Tails stabilize landing of gliding geckos crashing head-first into tree trunks," authors Rob Siddall, Greg Byrnes, Robert Full and Ardian Jusufi present footage showing that geckos with no major specializations for flight are in fact capable gliders. Experiments with a gecko-inspired robot confirm the reptile's locomotion abilities are not entirely in its feet. The tail plays a pivotal role, the team from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Siena College in New York, and the University of California at Berkeley discovered.

In their work, the scientists begin by showing that the multi-talented lizard known as Hemidactylus platyurus is capable of gliding. In its natural habitat, it lives in trees and can jump many meters from one tree trunk to the next to avoid predators. When trees are close and the jump is short, the gecko is still accelerating so that everything between jump and landing happens at the blink of an eye. The gecko experiences an unbraked collision. Surprisingly, it can cope with smashing full-on into a tree trunk.

Ardian Jusufi, who initiated the study, set up several experiments in a wildlife reserve in the rainforests of Singapore. At the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, he leads the Cyber Valley research group "Locomotion in Biorobotic and Somatic Systems," and has spent many years investigating geckos and their many locomotion abilities. In the tree canopy, Jusufi explored a situation where reptiles both with and without a tail face the challenge of a short accelerating glide.

A gecko bending back its torso after crash-landing. Credit: MPI for Intelligent Systems

Placed on a platform seven meters above the ground, a tail-equipped gecko leaps down into the deep and glides to a nearby tree. High speed cameras capture the fall and show that the jumping gecko reaches 6 m/s, just over 21 km/h. Unlike a car that would be heavily dented after driving into a tree at this speed, the footage shows the gecko lands on the trunk without falling off. It moves away as if nothing happened. With tailless animals, it was quite the opposite. Geckos who had naturally lost their tails couldn't maintain their grip after the crash and, consequently, fell off the tree trunk after landing.

As seen in the video, the mechanism the animal applies to cushion the impact is to bend its torso backward as far as 100 degrees. During the bend, the front feet lose grip. Only the rear legs remain attached. This pitch-back of the torso dissipates energy as it pushes the tail hard into the trunk. Animals that have no tails could not dissipate sufficient energy and fell. They believe the tail acts as a fifth leg, helping the gecko stabilize after the impact. But without a control experiment can one conclusively show that the tail has this stabilizing effect? Hence, they set off to the lab.

The scientists created a physical model of a gecko to better understand the forces the animal experiences. Their gecko-inspired robot features a soft torso, where the tail can be taken off and put back on. When the front foot hits a surface, the robot is programmed to bend its tail just like the reflex that Jusufi discovered previously in climbing geckos. The information is processed via a microcontroller on the shoulder. This signal activates the motor to pull on a tendon and hence pushes the tail into the wall to slow the head over heels pitchback.

Back in the Locomotion in Biorobotic and Somatic Systems lab, Robert Siddall and Ardian Jusufi began by catapulting a soft robotic lizard onto a wall with an embedded force-sensitive scale (the simulated tree trunk) which is lined with felt that the robot's Velcro-lined feet can stick to. The robot hit the force plate as abruptly as the geckos hitting the tree, tilting back its torso at a right angle to the surface. The roboticists then measured the force the front and back feet of the robot endured upon impact. The longer the tail, they discovered, the lower the force pulling the back feet away from the surface. The lower that force, the easier it is for the robot (and likely the animal) to hold on. Without a tail, however, the forces on the back feet become too highthe robot loses grip, bounces off, and falls. This experiment validated the scientists' hypothesis that the tail is essential for the gecko to be able to stabilize itself on a vertical surface after colliding with it at high speedfindings that could make a significant contribution to robot landings and beyond.

A gecko crash-landing on a tree trunk. Credit: MPI for Intelligent Systems

"This field discovery on the perching behavior of geckos has important implications for our understanding of tails as multi-functional appendages that animals can rely on. Ranging from inertial to contact tails, they facilitate the most extreme transitions, such as from gliding flight to collision with a wall," says Ardian Jusufi, the senior and corresponding author.

"One of the most dramatic transitions we can think of in multi-modal locomotion is to alight on a vertical surface from high-speed gliding flight to a standstill," continues Ardian Jusufi.

Larger gliding specialists appear to avoid engaging in short glides, as there is not sufficient vertical drop height to reach terminal velocity, stop accelerating, and begin a dedicated landing maneuver with a stall prior to impact. Smaller animals may be able to use mechanically mediated solutions to negotiate such situations.

However, no one had ever quantified this amazing animal's gliding behavior before. Such video material from the rainforest is hard to come by. "Our attempts to film the small, camouflaged lizard in the rainforest revealed a fall arresting response nobody thought these geckos could do and showed us their tails were entirely underestimated. Previously contact tails were thought to be used to maintain grip during rapid wall-running, while the findings presented here suggest that geckos exhibit exaptation of the behavior to improve the success of landing in the wake of their directed aerial descent," says Jusufi.

"With the robot, we were able to measure something we could not with geckos in the field. The wall reaction forces at the impact upon landing confirmed that the tail is an essential part facilitating the landing in subcritical glides. Our soft robotic lander not only helps to make an impact in another field, but it can also help improve robot locomotion by increasing robustness and simplifying control," explains Ardian Jusufi.

"Nature has many unexpected, elegant solutions to engineering problemsand this is wonderfully illustrated by the way geckos can use their tails to turn a head-first collision into a successful perching maneuver. Landing from flight is difficult, and we hope our findings will lead to new techniques for robot mobilitysometimes crashes are helpful," Robert Siddall describes.

Gliding flight has evolved repeatedly in the Indomalayan lowland tropical rainforest of Southeast Asia.

More information: Tails stabilize landing of gliding geckos crashing head-first into tree trunks, Communications Biology (2021). Journal information: Communications Biology Tails stabilize landing of gliding geckos crashing head-first into tree trunks,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02378-6
Principles of global (left) and nanoscale (nanoscale) greenhouse effects. Credit: DOI: 10.1038/s41560-021-00867-w

Over the past few decades, scientists worldwide have developing a variety of techniques and technologies that can convert carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into fuel using solar energy. This would ultimately be highly valuable, as it would diminish human reliance on fossil fuels and help to mitigate climate change.

One existing approach to convert CO 2 into fuel is called photothermal CO 2 catalysis. While this method has achieved encouraging results, to reach an optimal performance, it may require new materials that are more suited for harvesting solar energy.

Researchers at Soochow University in China and University of Toronto in Canada have been conducting research aimed at reducing the emission of greenhouse gas CO 2 for several years now. In a recent paper published in Nature Energy, they introduced a new approach to achieve supra-photothermal CO 2 catalysis that draws inspiration from the greenhouse effect itself.

"The idea for this paper arose during a chat among us," Le He, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told TechXplore. "We were talking about how greenhouse gases warm the Earth and one of us raised the question: Why don't we use the greenhouse effect to enhance the photothermal efficiency of catalysts? The main objectives of our study were to verify our hypothesis by designing this core-shell structured catalyst."

After discussing their initial idea and hypotheses at length, He and his colleagues tried to verify their validity in the lab. This led to the development of a greenhouse-effect-inspired supra-photothermal catalyst architecture that could boost the performance of catalysts for CO 2 hydrogenation.

The catalyst created by He, Zhang and their colleagues consists of a nonporous-silica-encapsulated nickel nanocrystal. Notably, this nanocrystal engages in both methanation and revere water-gas shift reactions.

"Our catalyst has a silica shell that plays an essential role in reducing the heat loss from the hot Ni core and avoids catalyst deactivation resulting from sintering and coking of Ni nanoparticles," Xiaohong Zhang, another researcher involved in the study, told TechXplore. "In other words, one could say that our design kills two birds with one stone."

The researchers tested the performance of the catalyst they created in a series of experiments and compared it with that of traditional photothermal catalysts. They found that under illumination, the local temperatures achieved by their catalyst significantly exceeded those of other Ni-based catalysts without a SiO 2 shell.

"Besides the new knowledge it brings, our study shows that it is now possible to convert CO 2 and renewable H 2 into valued chemicals and fuels with an unprecedented rate and robust long-term stability based on cheap and earth-abundant elements," Geoffrey A. Ozin, one of the researchers who conducted the study, told TechXplore. We believe that this represents a key step towards a sustainable solar fuels industry."

In the future, the innovative greenhouse effect-inspired catalyst architecture developed by this team of researchers could play a role in reducing the emission of CO 2 worldwide. Meanwhile, He, Zhang, Ozin and the rest of their team plan to continue testing their catalyst, while also trying to improve its design further.

"We are now working on new studies aimed at gaining a more in-depth understanding of the light effect, as well as on optimizations of the catalytic performance," Geoffrey A. Ozin, one of the researchers who conducted the study, told TechXplore. "Particularly, we would like to improve the product selectivity to reduce the cost of post-separation."

Explore further Breaking ammonia: A new catalyst to generate hydrogen from ammonia at low temperatures

More information: Mujin Cai et al, Greenhouse-inspired supra-photothermal CO2 catalysis, Nature Energy (2021). Journal information: Nature Energy Mujin Cai et al, Greenhouse-inspired supra-photothermal CO2 catalysis,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41560-021-00867-w

 2021 Science X Network
The RISE conference has been held in Hong Kong for five years.

A major tech conference has dropped plans to move to Malaysia and will remain in Hong Kong, organisers said Thursday, as the Southeast Asian nation faces a serious coronavirus outbreak.

The annual RISE Conference brings together CEOs, startups and investors and has already been held in Hong Kong for five years.

Organisers said last year they would move the Asia-focused conference to Kuala Lumpur in 2022, as tech firms fretted over Beijing's accelerating crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong.

But on Thursday they did a U-turn, announcing the conference would be returning to Hong Kong for its next edition, as an in-person event in March.

"We always intended to come back to Hong Kong at some stage. RISE has grown to what it is today after five successful years in the city," said CEO of RISE Paddy Cosgrave.

Hong Kong officials added that the event would remain in the city until 2026.

A spokesperson for the company behind RISE said it was "no longer feasible" to hold the conference in Malaysia.

The firm did not give further details, but the country is facing its worse Covid-19 wave yet, reporting about 20,000 cases and hundreds of deaths a day.

Hong Kong, in contrast, has kept virus cases low through maintaining some of the strictest quarantine rules in the world.

The return of RISE is a boost for the financial hub's efforts to attract tech talent.

But it comes as major tech firms grow increasingly worried about China tightening its grip over Hong Kong since the imposition last year of a sweeping national security law.

Hong Kong has long enjoyed greater online freedoms than mainland China, where content is frequently censored, but the law has given authorities new controls including internet takedown powers.

Explore further Hong Kong dismisses business pushback over 'zero-COVID' strategy

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Texas is on the verge of passing a new law that would crack down on social media companies Republicans say are censoring conservative speech.

The GOP-controlled state Senate passed the bill Tuesday night. If it heads to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who has publicly backed the bill, he's expected to sign it.

The new law, passed in the final days of the second special session called by Abbott, would allow any Texas resident banned from Facebook, Twitter or Google's YouTube for their political views to sue the companies. The state attorney general also would be able to sue on behalf of a user or a group of users.

It is similar to a Florida law that was blocked by a federal judge one day before it was set to take effect.

Trade groups representing the technology industry have pledged to challenge it as unconstitutional.

"By ignoring the First Amendment, the Texas Legislature has chosen to abandon its own conservative and constitutional values in order to put the government in control of speech online," said Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel of NetChoice.

Dozens of states are considering legislation that targets how social media platforms regulate speech, though few have gotten this far.

Such bills resonate with conservatives who believe their First Amendment rights are violated when posts are labeled or removed or when they are banned for violating the policies of social media platforms. Former President Donald Trump's suspensions from the major platforms spurred the new bills.

The First Amendment protects people from censorship by the federal government, not from content moderation decisions by private companies.

Social media companies say they don't target conservatives, only harmful speech that violates their rules.

Texas House Democrats warned during a hearing last week that the new law would stop social media companies from taking down harmful content.

They offered amendments that would have allowed the removal of posts promoting Holocaust denial, terrorism and vaccine disinformation, but were defeated.

"When you force social media platforms to pull their referees, the bad guys are going to throw more fouls on the court," said Adam Kovacevich, CEO of Chamber of Progress, a tech industry coalition that includes Facebook and Google. "Unfortunately this law is only going to put more hate speech, scams and misinformation online, when most people want a safer, healthier Internet."

Florida law came after Trump bans from Facebook, Twitter

Florida was the first state to push through legislation when Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Trump ally, signed a bill in May that penalizes social media companies for removing or barring the speech of politicians.

However, a federal judge temporarily blocked the new law after NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Associationlobbying groups that represent Facebook, Google and other tech giantssued. DeSantis is appealing.

Both Abbott and DeSantis are widely seen as possible GOP 2024 presidential contenders coming from big states with large electoral votes. Abbott is facing his first challenging Republican primary to be re-elected governor.

"Big Tech's efforts to silence conservative viewpoints is un-American, un-Texan and unacceptable and pretty soon it's going to be against the law in the state of Texas," Abbott said at a news conference announcing similar legislation in March.

Conservative think tank The Heartland Institute recently estimated that 70 bills in 30 states are challenging "big tech censorship."

GOP claims tech companies 'cancel' conservatives

The Republican claim that powerful tech companies are biased against and "cancel" conservatives is emerging as a top issue to rally the base in the 2022 midterm elections.

The GOP is betting it will boost voter registration, turnout and fundraising as it tries to retake the U.S. House and Senate, political observers say. It also could help Republicans at the state level.

"It's an issue that Republican state legislators know will energize and agitate their base," Ari Cohn, free speech counsel for tech think tank TechFreedom, told U.S. TODAY.

Trump, who was suspended from the major social media platforms after the Jan. 6 insurrection, escalated his war with Big Tech in July when he filed suit against Facebook, Google and Twitter and their CEOs, claiming the companies violated his First Amendment rights.

Trump and Republicans fundraised off the lawsuit, though legal experts say it has virtually no chance of success.

The perception that tech companies and the billionaire CEOs who run them are biased against conservatives has been around for a long time, but intensified as Trump made "social media abuses" a major plank of his administration and reelection campaign.

After he lost the presidency, Trump vilified tech companies for labeling or removing posts that spread falsehoods about the outcome of the presidential election.

Complaints of ideological bias come from across the political spectrum, but it's difficult to prove social media platforms are targeting any one group. Tech companies disclose little about how they decide what content is allowed and what is not.

Researchers say they've found no evidence to support GOP grievances that social media companies stifle conservative voices.

If anything, they say, social media platforms amplify the voices of conservatives, shaping the worldviews of millions of voters.

But for some conservatives, the 2020 election proved Big Tech's ideological bias. They point to tech companies throttling the spread of a New York Post article which made uncorroborated claims about Hunter Biden's business dealings, the Trump social media bans and the takedown of Parler, a social media platform popular with the political right.

Nine in 10 Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party say it's at least somewhat likely that social media platforms censor political viewpoints they find objectionable, up slightly from 85% in 2018, according to an August report from the Pew Research Center.

Explore further Judge blocks Florida law on social media 'censorship'

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Brazos County health officials reported 10 new virus-related deaths and 117 new cases of COVID-19 among county residents on Thursday.

The latest deaths were a man in his 20s, a man in his 30s, two men in their 50s, two men in their 80s, a man in his 90s, a woman in her 70s, a woman in her 80s, and a woman in her 90s. No other details about the people were released, per the Brazos County Health Districts policy on patient privacy.

To date, 285 Brazos County residents have died after testing positive for COVID-19, according to health department figures.

Health officials have confirmed 26,857 cases of COVID-19 in the county since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Of those, 1,171 cases were active on Thursday, five less than the day before.

Officials with the Brazos County Health District said 25,401 cases were considered recovered as of Thursday; health officials classify all cases older than two weeks as recovered.

Health officials said 2,114 reported cases of the virus were awaiting confirmation Thursday.
In the Brazos Valley, he said, the regions unemployment rate of 5% was lower than both the state and the country at 6.5% and 5.4%, respectively, and ranked third lowest in the state behind Amarillo at 4.4% and the Austin-Round Rock region at 4.9%.

However, before the pandemic, Prochaska said, the regions unemployment rate hovered at 2.4%.

As the regions economy diversifies, Prochaska said, BVEDC has more than 150 projects that are moving to the community or exploring that opportunity, and some of those will be in the biotechnology industry that is expanding in the region.

Those businesses, he said, would bring with them a capital investment of $330 million, a need for more than 330,000 square feet of occupied space and 436 new jobs.

In the last four years, he said, he has seen unprecedented growth of new companies moving into the area.

The takeaway from all of this is that, literally, as a community and I know youre seeing it, were booming, he said.
Congressional and state House and Senate districts need to be reconfigured before the 2022 elections to account for the states explosive growth in the last 10 years. The census August data delivery showed people of color accounted for 95% of the states population growth of nearly 4 million residents since 2010. The suit does not challenge the Legislatures ability to draw a new Congressional district map in special session. Lawmakers must rework that map to add the two additional districts Texas earned because of its fast growth.

Because the Legislature lacks the authority to redraw the legislative districts now, the lawsuit argues, that obligation falls to the court to ensure the maps wont violate the 14th Amendments one person, one vote principle for the 2022 elections. The Legislatures next regular legislative session wont take place until January 2023.

State legislative districts are meant to be close to equal in population, but the states booming  and uneven  growth in the last decade means that population counts in the districts are significantly out of balance.
For the second year in a row, the Franklin County Agricultural Fair has been postponed. The fair was scheduled to take place on Sept. 17 and 18.

Franklin County sent out a press release early Wednesday afternoon announcing the postponement.

David Rotenizer, director of tourism for the county, said, Its unfortunate this happened. Its unfortunate weve been conditioned for such situations.

He said one of the most difficult parts of the cancellation has been calling all the vendors to let them know about the decision.

The reason cited for the move is the increase in COVID-19 cases in the county.

At this time the COVID-19 positivity rate in Franklin County has rapidly increased to an alarming 20.1% with hundreds of new positive COVID-19 cases added within the last couple of weeks. Area hospitals, emergency rooms and medical providers are experiencing a continual increase in the number of COVID-19 patients, the release stated.

Discussions between local and regional health officials, the Franklin County Board of Supervisors, fair vendors and volunteers were held in recent weeks about the viability of the fair. Concerns about public safety kept coming up during the discussions, which ultimately led to the decision.
A set of new security vulnerabilities has been disclosed in commercial Bluetooth stacks that could enable an adversary to execute arbitrary code and, worse, crash the devices via denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.

Collectively dubbed "BrakTooth" (referring to the Norwegian word "Brak" which translates to "crash"), the 16 security weaknesses span across 13 Bluetooth chipsets from 11 vendors such as Intel, Qualcomm, Zhuhai Jieli Technology, and Texas Instruments, covering an estimated 1,400 or more commercial products, including laptops, smartphones, programmable logic controllers, and IoT devices.

The flaws were disclosed by researchers from the ASSET (Automated Systems SEcuriTy) Research Group at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

"All the vulnerabilities [] can be triggered without any previous pairing or authentication," the researchers noted. "The impact of our discovered vulnerabilities is categorized into (I) crashes and (II) deadlocks. Crashes generally trigger a fatal assertion, segmentation faults due to a buffer or heap overflow within the SoC firmware. Deadlocks, in contrast, lead the target device to a condition in which no further BT communication is possible."

The most severe of the 16 bugs is CVE-2021-28139, which affects the ESP32 SoC used in many Bluetooth-based appliances ranging from consumer electronics to industrial equipment. Arising due to a lack of an out-of-bounds check in the library, the flaw enables an attacker to inject arbitrary code on vulnerable devices, including erasing its NVRAM data.

Other vulnerabilities could result in the Bluetooth functionality getting entirely disabled via arbitrary code execution, or cause a denial-of-service condition in laptops and smartphones employing Intel AX200 SoCs. "This vulnerability allows an attacker to forcibly disconnect slave BT devices currently connected to AX200 under Windows or Linux Laptops," the researchers said. "Similarly, Android phones such as Pocophone F1 and Oppo Reno 5G experience BT disruptions."

Additionally, a third collection of flaws discovered in Bluetooth speakers, headphones, and audio modules could be abused to freeze and even completely shut down the devices, requiring the users to manually turn them back on. Troublingly, all the aforementioned BrakTooth attacks could be carried out with a readily available Bluetooth packet sniffer that costs less than $15.

While Espressif, Infineon (Cypress), and Bluetrum Technology have released firmware patches to rectify the identified vulnerabilities, Intel, Qualcomm, and Zhuhai Jieli Technology are said to be investigating the flaws or in the process of readying security updates. Texas Instruments, however, doesn't intend to release a fix unless "demanded by customers."

The ASSET group has also made available a proof-of-concept (PoC) tool that can be used by vendors producing Bluetooth SoCs, modules, and products to replicate the vulnerabilities and validate against BrakTooth attacks.
In late 2019, Ed and Nina Putnam bought a 26-foot RV, planning to travel in their retirement.

But God had other plans for us, Ed Putnam said.

Their 36-year-old daughter, Amy Jessop, died July 10 of colon cancer. Now the Putnams have moved to Grand Island to help her husband, Nick, raise their three kids, who are 12 and younger.

Putnam, a professional counselor, is 65. His wife is 67.

Putnam hopes to work for another decade, but he did plan to slow down and make trips to see other grandkids in Utah.

Now theyve moved from Holdrege to Grand Island, where Putnam will soon open a counseling office. Right now, theyre living in their RV, parked in Nicks driveway.

They will raise another trio of kids, only with the Lords strength. Thats the only way were going to do it, he said.

He and Nina dont have the strength and stamina they did when they raised their own children.

Amy fought hard for those three kids, getting all the treatment she could to stick around as long as she could for them, Putnam said.
By all indications, Sue King of Kings Funnel Cakes and More constantly dreams about what will be the next food Kings puts on a stick.

My husband says I need to sleep. You dream about things, King said, laughing. Its kind of fun.

For 42 years, King and her husband, Mike, have been in the mobile food vendor business  since long before food trucks as we know them were a thing and fried peaches on a stick were a twinkle in Sues eye.

More than four decades ago, the couples deep fat-fried adventures focused primarily on funnel cakes, which back then werent nearly as popular as they are at fairs today, King said.

We developed our own recipe for years, she said. We made our own funnel cake mix. And then they became more popular and the availability of pre-made mix was there. It wasnt when we first started.

The Kings first taste of funnel cakes came during a trip to Branson, Mo., King said.

There was a funnel cake business there and the lines were really long, she remembered. We knew some friends that had a concession stand in Lincoln at the Nebraska State Fair.

At that time the familys daughter was quite young.
Having Raising Nebraska  and the fair in general  at her students disposal as a classroom has offered something for all of her students, Gottlob said.

Some of them have loved the animals. Some of them said lunch was the best. Some of them have enjoyed this Nebraska stuff, she said as her students hopped on an extra-large, detailed floor map of Nebraska.

We got to watch our band march today and some of the kids loved watching. There hasnt been a unanimous thing for like, we all want to do that again, Gottlob said.

Groups need not register for Nebraskas Largest Classroom, Polak said. There are some special perks to signing up, but you dont have to.

The states largest classroom has plenty to offer, whether a group signed up or not, Gottlob said.

Not all kids get to travel and do some of these things, she said. Not all kids are up on the farm, so they got to learn some of those things that many of our students already know. But I have some that say, No, Ive never seen this. This is so fun for them.

Ultimately, an exciting, Nebraska-style learning experience is what Nebraskas Largest Classroom is all about, Polak said. Its just a fun atmosphere.

Nebraskas Largest Classroom continues today, with students from more schools visiting the Nebraska State Fair.

Jessica Votipka is the education reporter at the Grand Island Independent. She can be reached at 308-381-5420.

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The nurses who havent left, who have stayed with their facilities, they are seeing these other people come in now who are making more money. It provides a tense working environment," Kroll said.

The pandemic was in its early stages when Kim Davis, 36, decided to quit her job at an Arkansas hospital and become a travel nurse. She said she has roughly doubled her income in the 14 months that she has been treating patients in intensive care units in Phoenix; San Bernardino, California; and Tampa, Florida.

Since Ive been traveling, Ive paid off all my debt. I paid off about $50,000 in student loans, she said.

Davis said many of her colleagues are following the same path.

Theyre leaving to go travel because why would you do the same job for half the pay? she said. If theyre going to risk their lives, they should be compensated.

Health leaders say nurses are bone-tired and frustrated from being asked to work overtime, from getting screamed at and second-guessed by members of the community, and from dealing with people who chose not to get vaccinated or wear a mask.
MINDEN  Royal Engineered Composites announced 41 of the companys 240 employees will be affected by a reduction in the companys workforce later this year.

This reduction is a result of one of Royals commercial aircraft customers resourcing work to a low-cost facility in Mexico.

The team here at Royal has consistently delivered strong performance and high quality on this program and many times rose to the challenge and delivered product when others could not, said Royal President Dave Arnold. Im proud of the people here at Royal and their desire to help the customer. There are incredible pressures to reduce costs in commercial aircraft. The customer made the decision to change the materials and design and shift production to a low-cost workforce in Mexico.

The reduction in force will primarily affect production and quality assurance positions tied to work on the program and will take place in three separate waves in October, November and December.

Royal will be connecting with the Rapid Response Team at the Nebraska Department of Labor and is open to inviting area employers on-site to interview affected employees. Severance packages will be offered to employees for working until their release date.
With Americas deepening debt and a Democrat president and Democrat Congress desiring to spend more, can it be denied that Americans are increasingly relying on government to take care of them, rather than the once universal value of self-reliance with government as a last resort, not a first resource?

Johnson quotes German sociologist Max Weber from an address in 1919: The honour of the civil servant is vested in his ability to execute conscientiously the order of superior authorities. Johnson adds Weber believed that Only the politician had the right and duty to exercise personal responsibility. It would be difficult to conceive of worse advice to offer German mandarins. It was followed, right to the bitter end in 1945.

This history should prove an eternal warning that the power of the state must always be curbed by the people lest it become a functional or actual dictatorship.
Before this semester, the University of Nebraska Medical Center declared a mask mandate. For some reason, UNK didnt heed our own renowned medical professionals by following suit. The first Wednesday of this semester, UNO and UNL each realized a mask mandate was vital and issued one.

Surely we care about students as much as other NU schools do?

Right now, we risk being the one NU institution that very soon may have to apologize to students (and parents) and our Kearney neighbors for ignoring our peers, doing nothing, and allowing outbreaks.

Just as masking effectively slowed COVID last year, so did remote learning (in universities nationwide). It allowed folks to continue class, even if they were vulnerable or exposed, and it reduced in-person interactions/potential spread. Even in quarantine, students could attend class. This safety prompted UNK to move everything online March 2020. Fortunately, UNK has a strong history of online teaching, which UNK has long advertised and promoted. We know students can have impactful experiences online  without putting themselves or others at risk. Because of these benefits, we have requested the option be given to all UNK employees to work or teach online.
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 65F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 65F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.
He said he will be meeting soon with representatives of local community colleges to thank them for sending their graduates to SIU. The number of new transfer students at SIU was up 3.5% over last fall.

Lane said recruitment of new students has been especially challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We couldnt have recruiters going into schools. We couldnt visit, we couldnt do some of the things we typically do. We had to get creative and work harder to reach those students and to get them here, Lane explained.

The larger freshmen class and nearly flat enrollment numbers are good news for the region, Carbondale Mayor John Mike Henry said.

I think it is fantastic news. Having a large freshman class is a great big leap in the right direction, he said.

Henry reiterated the universitys importance to the city both economically and culturally. To make his point, he recalled a conversation he had with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker late last week while visiting Carbondale.

He asked me, If there was one thing; if you could have a magic wand and have it happen in Carbondale, what would it be? My answer immediately was growing enrollment at SIU because with that, everything else will follow, Henry said.
On the heels of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers announcement last week that all higher education students in Illinois must be vaccinated, the state is deploying a team of community vaccinators to Southern Illinois University Carbondale to assist in providing COVID-19 immunizations.

Vaccination remains the most important tool we have to keep people safe and out of the hospital, and Im committed to making the free COVID-19 vaccine as accessible as possible, Pritzker said in a news release from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. My administration is working with the entire Illinois higher education landscape to ensure they have the tools they need to support a healthy campus. I want to thank SIU for their leadership in supporting the Carbondale community and bringing this pandemic to an end.

A vaccination clinic will be established at the SIU Student Center beginning Thursday offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as well as the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, now known as Comirnaty.

The clinic is free and open to faculty, staff and students.
A veteran Chicago police supervisor is the third city officer this week to be arrested on allegations that he used excessive force in an on-duty incident, authorities said Thursday, accusing him of shoving a flashlight between a clothed teens buttocks in February.

Lt. Wilfredo Roman Jr., a Chicago cop since June 2000, was charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct, both felonies.

At a Thursday bond hearing for Roman, where he was ordered released on his own recognizance, prosecutors said the officer shoved a flashlight between the buttocks of a 17-year-old suspect after he was handcuffed and over his clothing. As he walked away, Roman allegedly said, Thats what you get for carjacking.

Assistant States Atty. Mary McDonnell said the incident took place as police were arresting the 17-year-old, identified only as Z.K. in the 2000 block of North LeClaire Avenue after a foot chase.

After allegedly carjacking a man at gunpoint and taking his Mazda on Feb. 9, the 17-year-old and a 16-year-old were spotted by Roman, who radioed in to report that they had fled on foot and he was chasing them but could not get over a gate.
3. Does this mean more women will travel to Illinois for abortion access?

Activists from both sides of the abortion debate believe Illinois will see an uptick in travel here for the procedure.

I think were definitely going to be seeing higher abortion rates in Illinois, Scheidler said. That trend will continue as other states enact other pro-life measures, whether were talking about measures that have already been upheld by the Supreme Court or measures that are completely new like this Texas law.

Thousands of women already travel to Illinois from other states each year to access abortions. In 2019, roughly 7,500 crossed state lines for the procedure, about 16% of all terminated pregnancies in Illinois that year. The number of out-of-state abortions has increased every year since 2014, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data.

While its impossible to know the reasons for each individual decision to travel for the procedure, many experts have attributed the overall rise to increasing restrictions in other states.

4. Can Illinois services and providers handle any potential surge in patients that might come from this law, and others that could follow?
The latest surge in COVID-19 cases has hit many parts of the state hard, but perhaps no region has felt it more than southern Illinois, where hospitals say theyre filling their ICU beds, postponing surgeries and even turning away some patients.

In southern Illinois, just 7% of ICU beds were available as of Tuesday night, and the weekly average was even less: 6%. At one point last week, only one ICU bed was available across all 22 hospitals in southern Illinois  a region with more than 400,000 residents, according to the 2020 U.S. census.

Statewide, about 17% of ICU beds were available as of Tuesday night. The Illinois Department of Public Health considers it concerning if a region has fewer than 20% of its ICU beds available.

Southern Illinois Healthcare, which has two of the largest hospitals in the region, in Carbondale and Herrin, had filled its 29 ICU beds at those hospitals Wednesday, said Jennifer Harre, chief nursing officer. In fact, the two hospitals had 30 ICU patients, meaning that some were receiving ICU care in other parts of the hospital, she said.
Meanwhile, the U.S. population has become more diverse, more city-oriented, and more aged.

The population under age 18 totaled 73.1 million in the census; thats down from 74.2 million in 2010, or 1.4 percent. Also, the birth rate was trending downward well before the pandemic.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average age of first-time mothers is 27, up from 23 in 2010, especially among White women. One driver in this decline is a sharp drop in teenage pregnancy, which decreased by 64 percent from 1991 to 2015, resulting in $4.4 billion in public savings in 2015 alone.

As women gain in educational and financial achievement, participate more in the labor force, and delay marriage, they become mothers later in life, all of which contribute to a declining birth rate.

A woman with a high school diploma is more likely to have children in her early 20s, Dr. Sarah Halpern-Meekin, a professor of family studies and human ecology at the University of Wisconsin told InsideSources. But a woman with a graduate degree is more likely to have children in her early 30s.

In other significant developments:
Gov. Henry McMaster announced a proposal Thursday to accelerate existing plans to widen key portions of Interstate 26 between Charleston and Columbia.

The $360 million investment from the states share of American Rescue Plan Act funding will accelerate the project by at least six years.

We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make transformative investments in our state that will accelerate the growth of our states economy and improve the quality of life for South Carolinians, and I can think of no better place to start than speeding up the process of widening our most vital interstates, McMaster said.

Everywhere you look, South Carolina is growing  families and businesses are moving here and more people are visiting every day. We must have the infrastructure necessary to support that growth, and this investment would be a major step in that direction, he said.

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Interstate 26 was built more than 60 years ago. Since that time, traffic has increased and this segment of South Carolinas interstate network has become plagued with congestion, delays and accidents on a routine basis, S.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Christy Hall said.
LACONIA, N.H. (AP)  An attorney has entered a not guilty plea on behalf of rocker Marilyn Manson, who is accused of approaching a videographer at his 2019 concert in New Hampshire and allegedly spitting and blowing snot on her.

Manson, whose legal name is Brian Hugh Warner, surrendered in July to police in Los Angeles in connection with a 2019 arrest warrant in the case. The allegations were detailed in a police affidavit that was released along with a criminal complaint.

Manson was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from the alleged altercation on Aug. 19, 2019, at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford. The misdemeanor charges can each result in a jail sentence of less than a year and a $2,000 fine if convicted.

An arraignment hearing on the charges was scheduled for Thursday, but an attorney for Manson filed the not guilty plea and a wavier of arraignment in Laconia District Court. A case status hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 27.

Susan Fountain, a videographer, was in the venues stage pit area at the time of the alleged assault. Her company, Metronome Media, was contracted by the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion for the concert season.
HOUSTON (AP)  An Instagram influencer from Texas has been found dead in her apartment and the Florida man investigators believe killed her then stabbed himself to death, authorities said.

The body of Jenae Gagnier, 33, was found in her apartment in Richmond, Texas, on Sunday. Known online as Miss Mercedes Morr, she had amassed 2.6 million followers on Instagram.

Gagniers father told multiple news outlets that he rushed to his daughter's apartment on Sunday, concerned that he had been unable to reach her on the phone all weekend.

I know my daughter and when I got to my daughters house and it was locked up and shes not answering my phone call, which is not like her, I knew something was up. So I didnt hesitate to kick the door down, said Mark Gagnier. What I saw, I wouldnt want any parent to go through.

He found his daughter dead at the bottom of the stairs.

I walk in and Janaes on the floor, and her clothes are all torn up and stuff, Gagnier said.

The Medical Examiners office determined Gagnier died by strangulation and traumatic concussion.
SRINAGAR, India (AP)  Syed Ali Geelani, an icon of disputed Kashmirs resistance against Indian rule and a top separatist leader who became the emblem of the regions defiance against New Delhi, died late Wednesday. He was 91.

Geelani died surrounded by family members at his home in Srinagar, the regions main city, an aide and his relative told The Associated Press.

Shortly after the news broke, scores of Kashmiris converged at his home in the Hyderpora neighborhood of Srinagar to mourn the death of Geelani, who lived the final decade of his life mostly under house arrest and suffered from various ailments.

Authorities announced a communication blockade and the restriction of public movement, a common tactic employed by Indian officials in anticipation of anti-India protests. They swiftly deployed heavy contingents of armed police and soldiers across the Kashmir valley to prevent people from participating in Geelanis funeral.

Troops with automatic rifles also blocked roads leading to Geelanis residence, while armored vehicles patrolled the city neighborhoods. Despite restrictions, many mosques across the regions towns and villages blared announcements of Geelanis death and urged people to come out on the streets.
Think about that: Even after the 22-month Mueller witch hunt and two bogus impeachments, Trumps popularity is soaring. For a half-decade, the former president has faced unprecedented vitriol from left-wing Democrats and unrelenting media bias, yet Republicans support him now more than ever. For years, the entire world witnessed a well-coordinated, masterfully orchestrated effort to destroy Trumps family, tarnish his credibility, and limit the success of his administration  yet that effort failed. The Trump administration successfully implemented the most conservative agenda since the Reagan years, which Republicans proudly acknowledge today.

What Trumps enemies fail to grasp is that, with each bogus attack, they only reinforce his persona and entrench the loyalty of his supporters. They have literally created a political figure of mythical proportions, one who will be analyzed and dissected for decades to come. Seeing the lack of fairness and objectivity of the Trump years, tens of millions of Americans are quick to come to his defense.

An attack on him is an attack on Trump supporters writ large. That loyalty endures. As the head of the anti-Biden Committee to Defeat the President, which routinely backed Trump in 2020, I saw that loyalty firsthand on the campaign trail. The grassroots run deep.
In todays world it has become commonplace to praise people who are seen as fighters, as if that is the only way to get along in a world of disagreement. You often hear praise for those who are willing to fight for their beliefs, defend their way of life, stand up to their opponents. People who talk that way seem to believe friendliness is a sign of weakness. They dont know that one can be serious without being solemn.

We would all be much better off if we took Ralph Waldo Emersons advice: Let our affection flow out to our fellows; it would operate in a day the greatest of all revolutions.

But letting affection flow out is not something we can do simply by intending it. Like all virtues, kindness follows a developmental process that takes time to unfold. One begins by imitating the behavior of a person one admires, the behavior turns into a habit, the habit changes ones perception, and gradually the change in perception shapes ones character.

The key thing about smiling is that it is outward directed. A person wearing a genuine smile is not worried about what others think of them; they are expressing their attitude of good will in advance of any interaction.

The outward-directed nature of a smile is what Emily Dickinson expressed when she wrote
Fort Payne, AL (35967)

Today

Thunderstorms - some may contain locally heavy rain, especially this evening. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms - some may contain locally heavy rain, especially this evening. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
When cases reached their peak here in November, staffing became such a problem in the district that more than half of all substitute requests that month went unmet. Andrews said some money is now being used to incentivize substitutes for the coming year.

Employees who do need to take time off can also access a sick bank, but need to request permission to do so and must forfeit personal days and other time off.

I personally think some kind of COVID leave would be very beneficial knowing how this school year has already started, Andrews added.

The Hot Springs County school districts yesterday went entirely virtual after an in-person start to the year because of an influx in virus cases. That districts superintendent announced the temporary switch in a letter Tuesday, but did not disclose how many students or staff had tested positive for or been exposed to the virus.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP)  A key player in a North Carolina ballot fraud probe that led to a new congressional election was sentenced Thursday to six months in prison for obtaining illegal Social Security benefits while concealing payments for political work he performed.

Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., 65, of Bladenboro, had pleaded guilty to two counts in June on the day his federal trial was supposed to begin. He faced a maximum combined sentence of 15 years in prison for his offenses of theft of government property and Social Security fraud.

U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle also told Dowless he must pay $8,600 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Raleigh, which prosecuted Dowless.

Dowless' sentencing was delayed last week because he had been hospitalized that day, an attorney said. Dowless attended Thursday's sentencing in Greenville.

The federal case was tangentially related to the ballot probe by the State Board of Elections and local prosecutors. Dowless and others still face state charges involving balloting during the 2016 and 2018 elections, with a possible trial by year's end.
Schultz and his attorneys  James Lubing and Kevin Gregory, of Jackson law firm Lubing, Gregory & Rectanus LLC  allege in their suit that the town and Pardee violated Schultzs 14th Amendment due process rights under the U.S. Constitution, as well as corresponding aspects of the Wyoming Constitution.

They also claim the former lieutenant was not properly afforded an investigation and hearing on his status.

The damages sought by Schultz, who has since moved from Jackson to Idaho, include the following: $24,407.54 for lost wages; $148,687.54 for estimated lost future wages and benefits; $288,363.24 for estimated lost benefits, retirement funding and pension payments; and $500,000 for estimated embarrassment, stigmatization, ostracism, emotional harm, reputational harm and other non-economic damages, according to their December 2020 notice to file suit.

The lawsuit filed last week seeks $1 million in damages, plus punitive damages against the town and Pardee, as defendants in the case.

The post was one of many blotter posts Schultz was charged with sharing with the community to give residents a look into the daily work undertaken by Jackson police.
Nearly 30% of patients at Wyomings largest hospital are being treated for COVID-19. The majority of them are under 65 years old.

With so much of the hospitals resources devoted to one illness, a spokesperson said they could eventually struggle to treat any emergency patients  for the virus or otherwise.

It is rare at any time for a quarter of patients to be hospitalized for a single diagnosis. And, many of those hospitalizations could have been prevented had the patients chosen to receive the vaccine, Wyoming Medical Center spokesperson Mandy Cepeda said via email.

She added, there may come a time when that space is not available for patients with other emergent health care needs.

Dr. Mark Dowell, county health officer and the hospitals infectious disease expert, said the surge will strain the entire community, from the school system to the workforce for local businesses. Three out of every 10 virus tests conducted in the county in the past week have come back positive, he added.

Were in a mess, he said. The virus, to me, seems more aggressive, and is 10 times more contagious than the initial strain.

There were 42 virus patients Thursday morning at Wyoming Medical Center, he added.
Last week, with COVID numbers and exposures much lower than whats being seen at present, she said she didnt see a decreasing trend in the future. This week, she said she is even less convinced that cases and exposures will decline.

Farmer and other nurses in the district are now struggling to manage their duties outside of coronavirus, as hours are being spent contact tracing the student and faculty populations.

Farmer said its overwhelming because there are more than 14,000 students in LCSD No.1, and its their responsibility to keep track of the student bodys health.

She said she can only tell parents to get their children vaccinated and to wear a mask, because it isnt possible to keep students unexposed to COVID and socially distanced at 6 feet in every school building.

If were going to stop spreading COVID-19, Farmer said, we need people to take care of each other.

Dave Bartlett, assistant superintendent of support operations, said the recent spike in numbers is high on the administrations priority list, and his staff is monitoring the conditions. He said its a strong possibility that COVID cases in the district will continue to climb.
WITH the budget date being announced by the Finance Minister, the business community is hoping measures will be announced to ease some of the burdens they have been facing since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Several popular artists who call Tucson home, including Daniel Martin Diaz, Donovan White and Danny Martin, are pitching in to raise money for the Tucson-based nonprofit, Homicide Survivors, Inc., Friday, Sept. 10.

The artists have contributed original works, including a turntable dressed up in Martins signature black-and-white illustrations, that will be auctioned off at a Luz de Vida pop-up gallery at the MSA Annex, 267 S. Avenida del Convento, from 5 to 9 p.m.

The Luz de Vida project launched as an expression of community and love following the shootings of Jan. 8, 2011, where six people lost their lives and 19 were injured, including then-Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, according to press materials.

The album Luz de Vida, featuring local and national artists, raised more than $20,000 for the Tucson Together Fund, which was created to provide financial support to the families of the victims.

Money raised since the fund was dissolved in 2014 has gone to Homicide Survivors, Inc.

Fridays free pop-up event precedes Luz de Vida II, a new album featuring Calexico, Dr. Dog, Amos Lee and other local and national artists, set for release on Nov. 5.
Those claims potentially set the stage for Kemp to appoint a special master to go over the disputed documents in what is known as in-camera review, where a judge or a neutral third party goes over the materials to determine if they can legally be withheld. But Langhofer said he will fight even that, saying there is no inherent right of someone seeking records to demand judicial review.

There has to be a reasonable, good-faith showing under the precedents of the Arizona Supreme Court that a claim of privilege is inappropriate before a party is entitled to in-camera review, he said.

Kemp made no rulings Wednesday, scheduling another hearing for Sept. 16 to see what progress, if any, has been made in producing the documents.

Ninjas records are also sought

Langhofer did tell Kemp that, as of Wednesday afternoon, the Senate did not yet have in its possession the draft report promised by Cyber Ninjas about what it found from its review. And he said the final report, which is expected to be in three volumes, will not be ready for at least another two weeks.

Separately, Arizona media outlets and contractors are lining up on opposite sides of the argument about whether a separate batch of audit records held solely by Cyber Ninjas are public.
PHOENIX  Tucson Medical Center has no right to sue a major national pharmacy on the claim that it is negligent for distributing opioids in the state, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

In a unanimous ruling, the justices acknowledged that the epidemic of people addicted to the drug imposed tremendous costs on society in general and hospitals specifically.

But Justice Clint Bolick, writing for the court, said CVS Health Corp. had no duty to TMC to keep people from becoming addicted, getting sick  and ending up costing the hospital money.

Wednesdays ruling is limited to the 2018 lawsuit filed by TMC against not just CVS but a host of other manufacturers and distributors seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for their role in creating the opioid crisis that the hospitals attorneys said was devastating communities. The case against most of the other defendants remain pending a trial in Pima County Superior Court.

But the decision by the high court is binding on all hospitals in the state, removing any chance they can recover from pharmacies what they say have been their financial losses caused by the epidemic.

We are still reviewing the Supreme Courts opinion, said Tim Hartin, the hospitals chief legal officer.
PHOENIX  Gov. Doug Ducey is offering up $60 million to hospitals to help with staffing  but only if they promote monoclonal antibodies and use them to treat some patients with early indications of COVID.

The federal money will buy the services of 750 nurses for eight weeks at hospitals, said Christina Corieri, senior adviser to the governor. She said the nurses will be hired by the Arizona Department of Health Services and distributed to facilities based on need.

The move comes as several hospitals have said they are stretched to close to capacity, at least in part because of COVID-19 patients who are occupying 30% of their intensive-care beds. When patients with other conditions are added in, that leaves just 148 vacant ICU beds statewide, or 8%, similar to the situation when the virus peaked in January before vaccines were available.

The significant string attached is that any hospital chain that wants the help will need to have a systemwide practice of promoting and administering monoclonal antibodies, a type of therapy available to those with mild to moderate COVID symptoms that can decrease the level of virus in the blood and, potentially, keep someone out of a hospital.

The hospitals also will be required to offer COVID vaccines to everyone being discharged for any reason.
The city of Tucson, contrarily, mandated vaccines for all its employees on Aug. 13, racing to beat the Sept. 29 deadline when the state law goes into effect while hoping two lawsuits challenging the validity of the law will allow its mandate to stay in place.

Huckelberry says the state laws effective date wont stop his vaccine policy for new hires. To disband the requirement, someone will have to challenge it in court, he said.

The county currently has 1,129 vacant positions for a vacancy rate of about 14%. Huckelberry roughly estimates the county hires between 100 to 200 new employees a month due to high turnover, which he says runs at a rate of about 15% a year.

However, the county administrator isnt worried about the countys ability to hire new employees.
August has been no exception to this years record-breaking monsoon, totaling almost 2 inches above the average rainfall for the month.

In August, a total of 3.85 inches of rain was recorded, according to the National Weather Service. An average August reaches a total of 1.98 inches of rainfall.

Augusts storms have also increased the total monsoon rainfall for the year to 12.08 inches, holding its place as the third wettest monsoon to date.

To take the top spot as the wettest monsoon to date, Tucson would need to collect 1.77 inches of rain by Sept. 30. The record to beat was made in 1964 with 13.84 inches of rain.

In addition to breaking rainfall records, August also saw improvements in drought conditions. As of Aug. 26, the Arizona Drought Monitor reported that Pima County is in a D1-moderate drought. In June, the majority of Pima County was still in a D4-exceptional drought.

Tropical storm Nora was predicted to bring storms to Pima County starting Tuesday, Aug. 31. The Tucson International Airport reported 0.18 inches on rainfall on Tuesday, the NWS said. Oro Valley had 0.91 inches of rain.
Tucsons war-weary members of the armed forces celebrated V-J Day, Victory over Japan, on Sept. 2, 1945. This marked the official end of World War II, which claimed 400,000 Americans lives.

At sunrise on Sept. 2, 1945, Thursday morning seas in Tokyo Bay were calm, with billowing pearl gray clouds above. The 58,000-ton battleship USS Missouri was anchored in the bay, its starboard gray teak planked deck polished and buffed. More than 250 Allied warships from around the globe lay at anchor surrounding the Mighty Mo.

The flagship of the 3rd fleet had been christened for service by President Harry Trumans daughter Margaret in January 1944. Give em Hell, Harry hailed from the Show Me State. Truman personally chose the vessel for this distinguished occasion as the site for the formal surrender of the Empire of Japan, ending WWII.

The battleship USS West Virginia was the only ship damaged at Pearl that was present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered. The Japanese sank the battlewagon in Pearl Harbor with six torpedoes and two bombs. The ship was salvaged and repaired, playing a pivotal role in many Pacific battles.

Onboard the Missouri, a standard folding table from the ships mess hall was placed in the center of the deck. The table was covered with a coffee-stained green baize tablecloth with yellow scrolled trim hastily procured from the ships laundry wardroom. Fortunately, the stains were obscured by the substantial size of the Instrument of Surrender folders. The Allied document was presented in a ceremonial gilded leather binder with aged parchment paper. The Japanese was bound in rough, hard, drab canvas.

Allied Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur ordered that the days uniform would be khakis, daily service clothes, open shirts, no ties, and minimal rank insignia. We fought them in our khakis, and we will accept their surrender in our khaki uniforms, he said.

At 8:56 a.m. a Navy band played The Star-Spangled Banner as clouds screened the sun. At the same time, 11 solemn, glum and formally dressed Japanese emissaries were granted permission to board the ship. At the top of the gangway stood eight U.S. seamen, all over 6 feet tall, in starched white uniforms. The Empire of Japan envoys passed between the lines of lanky sailors specifically chosen to show U.S. superiority and intimidate the delegation. Not one principal Allied military officer saluted the Japanese.

William R. Mathews, owner, editor and publisher of the Arizona Daily Star, was one of the few correspondents aboard the battleship to witness and document the Japanese surrender. He wrote in the Star, V-J Day had come at last, and I was one of the seven lucky publishers who had a ringside seat at the ceremony.

MacArthur avoided any direct or implied humiliation of the Japanese participants in his remarks. He spoke not of surrender or defeat but only of restoring peace marked by freedom, tolerance and justice. Let us pray that peace now be restored and that God will preserve it always, he said. Facing the Japanese delegation, he ceremonially intoned: These proceedings are closed. The solemn observance took 23 minutes.

As the Japanese Imperial government representatives were escorted off the ship, and, as if on divine cue, the sun broke through the leaden clouds. With warming sunlight, 450 Navy carrier planes from the 3rd fleet followed by 462 Army Air Force B-29 bombers flew low in formation over the bay, sounding a deafening final benediction. More U.S. aircraft in the sky over Tokyo than the total Japanese planes that attacked Pearl Harbor four years and nine months earlier.

Jerry Wilkerson, who lives in SaddleBrooke, is a former press secretary for two U.S. Congressmen,and a prior Chicago CBS radio and Chicago Daily News correspondent. Email: franchise@att.net
In response to a question from Cook County Judge Arthur Willis, McDonnell acknowledged that the flashlight did not penetrate the teen's clothing or skin.

Roman's attorney, James McKay, seized on that point, telling the judge that the teen, whom he described as an armed carjacker, was not injured during the altercation.

There was no intent whatsoever on Lt. Roman's part to harm or provoke anybody, McKay said. Indeed, the carjacker was provoking innocent citizens that night and put the gun to the head of a 48-year-old innocent man who was warming up his car that night.

According to a proffer filed by the state's attorney's office in the case, the teen has been charged in juvenile court with aggravated vehicular hijacking and the unlawful use of a weapon.

McKay characterized Roman as a highly decorated officer who has never been disciplined or arrested. But, the Chicago Tribune, citing court records, reported that Roman has been sued over allegations of misconduct a number of times. One of the lawsuits was filed by a man who was shot by Roman and at least three other officers during a chase. That case was settled for $200,000.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP)  The South Florida house that gangster Al Capone owned for nearly two decades, and died in, is facing demolition plans.

The Miami Herald reported Thursday that the new owners of the nine-bedroom, Miami Beach house plan to demolish it after buying it for $10.75 million this summer.

One of the owners, developer Todd Glaser, told the Herald the home, which is about 3 feet (1 meter) below sea level, has flood damage and standing water underneath it. The new owners plan to build a two-story modern spec home with 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, a Jacuzzi, spa and sauna.

The house is a piece of crap, Glaser said. Its a disgrace to Miami Beach.

The other owner is Glaser's business partner, Nelson Gonzalez, an investor and senior vice president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM.

The house has been placed on the September agenda for possible historic designation by the city of Miami Beach, but Glaser said that is not going to stop the new owners' plans.
Behun wasn't eligible for telework and didn't have a flexible work schedule, a government-issued laptop or remote login capabilities to perform his job duties off-site. Also, there was no FBI facility that Behun was authorized to work at in southern Maryland, where he lived and ran a winery, court documents state.

In one instance, Behun claimed an eight hour day on the day after Thanksgiving 2015, but theres no record that he entered FBI buildings or logged on to his FBI computer that day, charging documents state. His phone records show he made and received calls that morning while in Irwin, Pennsylvania, a day after texting his spouse that he was minutes from his folks house.

In October 2017, Behun claimed he worked seven hours and claimed one hour of annual leave, but that morning he emailed his assistant saying he was taking sick leave and would be out all day depending on how he felt, charging documents state. But about 15 minutes later, charging documents state, Behun emailed a vineyard equipment supplier that he hadnt heard from their delivery person and that he had taken off from his day job to be there.

Behun has been released, but is barred from traveling internationally, according to court documents. Neither Behun nor his attorney responded immediately to requests by The Associated Press for comment on the charges.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Greece's new right-wing health minister apologized Wednesday for past remarks that the country's Jewish community had taken strong issue with, and avowed his absolute respect for Holocaust victims and his opposition to antisemitism.

Athanassios Plevris' statement on social media came hours after the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece  which uses the Greek acronym KIS  expressed concern over his Cabinet appointment on Tuesday.

A KIS statement had summoned Plevris to apologize for remarks he made as defense lawyer in a 2009 court case against his extreme far-right father, Constantinos Plevris, who was charged with incitement to racist hatred or violence over a book called Jews: The Whole Truth.

KIS quoted the health minister as having said then, commenting on a reference to the Nazi Auschwitz death camp: What incitement is this? Is it that one is not allowed to believe and want to believe that I want to exterminate someone?

Plevris said Wednesday that KIS' objections to his court comments were understandable and that he fully disagrees with his father's views.
HOUSTON (AP)  The friend of an off-duty New Orleans police officer who was fatally shot during a holdup on the patio of a Houston restaurant has also died, more than a week after being wounded in the shooting, police said.

Houston police said Wednesday that Dyrin Riculfy, 43, was pronounced dead on Tuesday. New Orleans police Detective Everett Briscoe, 41, was pronounced dead at the scene on Aug. 21.

Two men  Frederick Dwayne Jackson, 19, and Anthony Rayshard Jenkins, 21  each have been charged with capital murder and attempted capital murder in the shootings. Both are being held without bail.

The district attorney's office did not immediately respond to a message about the possibility of an upgraded charge after Riculfy's death.

Police have said that Briscoe and Riculfy were dining on a patio when two men wearing hoodies approached and tried to rob them.

The suspects  later identified as Jackson and Jenkins  fled the scene. Both were arrested last week. Police are also searching for a third man for questioning.
PHOENIX (AP)  A former Arizona nurse has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman about three years ago at a long-term care facility where she later gave birth.

Nathan Sutherland also entered a guilty plea Thursday to a charge of abuse of a vulnerable adult stemming from his treatment of the woman. The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 5 1/4 to 10 years in prison on the sexual assault conviction and lifetime probation on the other conviction. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 4.

The pregnancy was discovered in December 2018 when an employee at the Hacienda Healthcare facility in Phoenix was changing the garments of the then-29-year-old victim and noticed the patient was in the process of delivering a child. Employees told police that they had no idea the woman was pregnant.

Police have said Sutherlands DNA matched a sample taken from the womans son. The victims mother is the boys guardian.

The surprise birth triggered reviews by state agencies, highlighted safety concerns for patients who are severely disabled or incapacitated and prompted the resignations of Haciendas chief executive and one of the victims doctors.
NEW YORK (AP)  Federal prosecutors urged a judge Thursday to reject claims by a former New York doctor that his guilty plea in state court in a sex abuse case means he cant be prosecuted in federal court on sex assault charges.

In papers in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors defended their charges against Robert A. Hadden, calling it an absurd contention" to say they can't prosecute because Hadden in 2016 pleaded guilty under a state plea deal, admitting to forcible touching and one count of a criminal sex act.

They urged rejection of defense arguments contending that federal prosecutors were a puppet of the New York County District Attorneys Office.

Hadden, 63, of Englewood, New Jersey, was arrested a year ago and has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing the former New York gynecologist of singling out young and unsuspecting victims for abuse, including a young girl hed delivered at birth.

Prosecutors said they began their probe last year before obtaining an indictment charging Hadden with sexually abusing dozens of female patients from approximately 1993 to 2012 while trying to make the victims believe that the sexual abuse was appropriate and medically necessary.
One year ago: The family of Daniel Prude released a video and records showing that Prude had died of asphyxiation after a group of police officers in Rochester, New York, put a hood over his head and pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes. (Prude, a Black man, died after being taken off life support in March, seven days after the encounter with police.) The German government said Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had been poisoned with the same type of Soviet-era nerve agent that British authorities identified in a 2018 attack on a former Russian spy; experts say the findings pointed strongly to Russian state involvement in the poisoning of Navalny, who was recovering in a German hospital.

Todays Birthdays: Former Sen. Alan K. Simpson, R-Wyo., is 90. Former United States Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth is 84. Singer Jimmy Clanton is 83. R&B singer Sam Gooden (The Impressions) is 82. R&B singer Rosalind Ashford (Martha & the Vandellas) is 78. Singer Joe Simon is 78. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 73. Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Archibald is 73. Actor Mark Harmon is 70. Former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., is 70. International Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 69. Actor Linda Purl is 66. Rock musician Jerry Augustyniak (10,000 Maniacs) is 63. Country musician Paul Deakin (The Mavericks) is 62. Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is 61. Actor Keanu Reeves is 57. International Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is 56. Actor Salma Hayek is 55. Actor Tuc Watkins is 55. Actor Kristen Cloke is 53. Actor Cynthia Watros is 53. R&B singer K-Ci is 52. Actor-comedian Katt Williams is 48. Actor Nicholas Pinnock is 48. Actor Michael Lombardi is 47. Actor Tiffany Hines is 44. Rock musician Sam Rivers (Limp Bizkit) is 44. Actor Jonathan Kite is 42. Actor Joshua Henry is 37. Actor Allison Miller is 36. Rock musician Spencer Smith is 34. Electronic music DJ/producer Zedd is 32.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
"We do believe that mask mandates in schools actually have an impact," Garcia said.

The same pattern shows up elsewhere.

Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for the Maricopa County Department of Health, told the board of supervisors that her agency tracked nearly three times the number of COVID outbreaks in schools in August as it did in February, when overall viral infections hit their peak. That rate, she said, is rising "exponentially.''

And there's more.

"The likelihood is that schools that do not have a mask requirement are twice as likely to have an outbreak as schools that do have a mask requirement," Sunenshine said. She said that currently one out of every four cases of the virus in Maricopa County is among children, something she described as a rate "never seen before."

She noted that, at least early on, the virus did not seem to affect young people as much. All that changed, Sunenshine said, with the delta variant.

The issue of masks has been contentious, and not just because the governor has taken a position adamantly opposed to requiring face coverings to attend school.
Ryan Parent had only patronized restaurants in the past, but when he decided to open his own such establishment, he had a good idea of what he wanted.

The Hungry Buffalo: Need to know Food: 2 stars  Service: 3 stars  Atmosphere: 3 stars

He wanted a place that would offer quality comfort food in a welcoming setting that reflected his home state of Oklahoma. And he wanted something that would give him and his wife something of their own to provide for their family.

I had worked at this one place for years, and the only people above me in the business were the owners, he said. So I was basically still where I started, and I knew I had to do something else, that might provide us more of a future.

And this place kind of fell into my lap, Parent said. I had heard that the previous owner (Michael Minden, chef and owner of Michael Vs) was thinking of retiring, so I came here and met him. Hes a great guy, and we worked out a deal for me to take the space over.

That was in November. Not long after, Parents wife was hospitalized for a heart problem; while in hospital, she contracted COVID-19, and died Dec. 5.

I seriously thought about calling it quits, Parent said, but I knew that this restaurant was as much her dream as mine. And it was getting to the point of either going ahead and open, or declare bankruptcy.

Parent did most of the extensive renovations of the restaurant himself, which included added saloon-style swinging doors to separate the bar area from the rest of the space. In addition to the main dining room, there is a large banquet room available for private functions.

Parent also brought in his ex-wife, Morgan Turner, to help run the restaurant.

We have three kids together, and we know we can work together well, Parent said.

Turner added, So we can say that this is a family-owned restaurant, but its a kind of a complicated family.

The menu at The Hungry Buffalo (the restaurants name was chosen through a crowdsourcing poll of possibilities) is, conversely, relatively straightforward: six appetizers, four pasta dishes, five sandwiches, a handful of salads, three steak options and three burgers. The steaks and burgers can be made either of beef or bison.

Parent said he worked with head chef Schuyler Robinson in developing the dishes.

We knew that we couldnt be just another steak-and-burger place, Turner said. You have to offer something a little different and unique. We try to give things a little different twist to set what we do apart from what you might find elsewhere.

Bison is noted for its leanness, which is also something of its curse; it lacks the fat that makes equivalent cuts of beef more tender and juicy, although the flavor is not dissimilar from beef.

That is why the restaurants signature dish, a burger called The Hungry Beefalo ($15), has a patty that is a mixture of ground bison and ground beef, with a bit of pork sausage.

Its also stacked high with an impressive array of ingredients: a sweet-and-tangy broccoli slaw, studded with rehydrated raisins; a fried green tomato slice; a dollop of pepper jelly; Gouda cheese; and crisp bacon, all precariously piled onto a brioche bun.

Precarious, because the ingredients are arranged in an inverted pyramid, from the small disc of tomato to the oversized bun. Its also almost impossible to mash this thing into an object that would not require unhinging ones jaw like a python to take a bite.

So, while the components are in and of themselves good  the slaw, for example, with those little explosions of sweetness amid the vinegary tang; the nuttiness of the Gouda  its difficult to judge how they all work together. And even it one could get everything in a single bite, the slaw quickly compromises the structural integrity of the bun, so you end up eating it with a knife and fork, anyway.

The patty itself, in spite of the addition of fattier proteins and being cooked to medium, was quite dry and seemed under-seasoned. On the other hand, the sweet potato fries we had as a side were some of the best weve tried, crisp on the outside, tender within.

We also ordered a cup of their French onion soup ($4), which had a broth that lacked true depth of flavor, perhaps because the onions were practically raw, they were so crunchy.

During the photoshoot for the article we were able to sample a few more dishes. The bruschetta appetizer ($10) is large chunks of tomato, chopped black olives, shaved Parmesan and herbs dressed with balsamic vinegar, piled onto thick slices of very toasted baguette. The vinegar was the primary flavor, and the bread was almost rock-hard.

Blackened chicken alfredo ($16) had a decent, creamy sauce coating the fettucine noodles, and batons of chicken breast with a flavorful, rather than spicy, coating.

A 6-ounce bison filet ($26) was flavorful if a bit toothsome in texture. Best of all were the vegetables accompanying it. The Brussels sprouts  small bulbs sauteed with bacon and onion  and the grilled asparagus were fresh and perfectly cooked, bursting with the sort of flavor made one continually go back for another bite. The whipped potatoes were described as garlic mashed potatoes, but while the garlic flavor was negligible, the potatoes themselves were creamy enough to require no additional sauce.

The Hungry Buffalos bar area is not yet open.

Weve got our application in for a liquor license, but we dont quite have the money to pay the fees, Parent said. Turner said that the proceeds from the sales of Hungry Buffalo merchandise such as T-shirts will go toward getting the bar operational.

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I always wanted to have a band with keys and guitars and two female vocalists and I got it, so I have the band I always wanted, Bond said.

And the career he always wanted?

Bond said he has always been into music, never mind that his parents werent musically inclined. He attended Northern Oklahoma College on a music scholarship after high school. He bailed out just before his sophomore year was scheduled to begin.

I had some friends in the music department that had just moved up to Nashville, Bond said. I was like, oh man, now is my chance. So I dropped out and I packed everything in my little car and I drove out to Nashville. I lived out there for like six months and then I came back here and worked and started a business. When I came back here I was doing open mics and stuff like that just kind of here or there and karaoke and whatnot, but what I really wanted to do was have my own band because I have always been a songwriter since I was a little kid. It just came naturally.

Bond said he started out doing the cover band thing, and, hey, it was fun, but you can only sing Born to Be Wild so many times if you have a yearning to earn a following with your own material.
Mai said it is up to the Legislature to determine policy and that the court will not substitute its judgement for that of lawmakers. The only issue before the court was whether the law as written is constitutional, she said.

Taylor said schools now have the option, as a result of the judges ruling, to require masks if they provide some exemptions.

Mais ruling applies only to the prohibition on mask mandates and not other sections of the law, such as precluding vaccination requirements to attend secondary and postsecondary schools.

Even though a temporary injunction was imposed, Gov. Kevin Stitt, who signed the bill into law and was named as a defendant in the lawsuit challenging it, called the ruling a victory for parental choice, personal responsibility and the rule of law.

Stitt said parents have the right to make decisions about the health and education of their children.

The measure, which took effect July 1, bans school mask mandates unless there is an emergency declaration from the governor.

Oklahoma State Medical Association President Dr. Mary Clarke said the action is the first step in ensuring that schools have local control.
The City Council agreed Wednesday to spend nearly $2 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds on an incentive program to get more city employees vaccinated.

Under the Employee Vaccine Stipend Program, city employees who are fully vaccinated by Oct. 15 will receive a $250 stipend. Beginning Nov. 1, fully vaccinated employees in departments in which at least 70% of employees are vaccinated will receive an additional $250.

Mayor G.T. Bynum presented the proposal to city councilors Wednesday on behalf of the working group that is reviewing applications for American Rescue Plan Act funding. The city will receive $87.8 million in ARPA money over the next two years.

This is something that doesnt just benefit our workforce; it benefits everyone in our community if we can improve our rate of vaccination, Bynum told councilors.

It is critical to keep city workers healthy and at work so they can do their part to keep the city running, Bynum said.

Every single person that lives here and works here relies on our employees to be healthy to do their jobs, to protect our city, to provide our water supply, to do everything else that we provide that is a critical service for the city, Bynum said.
Local defense attorney Joe Friedberg, who is not connected to the case, said the facts of the case don't merit a murder charge, and the upgraded manslaughter charge doesnt fit here at all. He said the language on which the new charge is based is usually used when someone commits a misdemeanor that happens to result in death, such as when someone punches someone who falls down, hits their head and dies.

How can you intend to commit a reckless act? I dont know. ... Im sorry, thats a political move," he said. "This case is either second-degree manslaughter or its nothing.

According to the new criminal complaint, Potter was training another officer, Andrew Luckey, when they pulled over Wright. Luckey told Wright he was being stopped because he had an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror and because his license tabs were expired. Luckey went back to his squad and found that Wright had a warrant for a gross misdemeanor weapons violation.
While there are a few foreign companies that could supply some of the U.S. needs, there is much concern within Congress of using foreign solid rocket motors in U.S. tactical missile systems.

We have seen the risks of a merger like this, such as when there was no competition in building the ground-based strategic deterrent. This was a direct result of Northrup Grummans acquisition of Orbital ATK.

The safeguards stipulated in the wake of the merger to allow competitors access to Orbital ATK without fear of losing intellectual property simply did not work.

No companies were willing to enter into a competition when the supplier was owned by one of the bidders.

After more than 30 years of service in the U.S. Navy, I have gained significant expertise in aviation and leading successful strike missions. Many lessons I learned as a carrier air wing strike leader during Desert Storm apply to competitiveness in the defense industry.

In aviation, we use checklists religiously to avoid disaster. Unfortunately, virtually every item on every checklist can be traced back to loss of life and/or property, so we learn from our mistakes.

FTC safeguards have previously failed to effectively promote competition in the defense industry.
We managed to weather the first wave of the pandemic, but our staffing situation began reaching its breaking point in September.

Months of battling this virus had finally taken its toll, and staff members were beginning to burn out. As we lost caregivers, maintaining operations became more difficult.

With fewer employees to care for residents, we simply couldnt provide the level of assistance they required.

Making the decision to close our facility was hard, but telling our beloved residents and staff that we were shutting down was even harder.

Residents were heartbroken that they had to leave the home they had come to know and love. Staff members were not only devastated to lose their jobs but also the residents who had become like family to them.

It took 30 days to help all our residents find and move to their new homes. We moved two of our 41 residents to a local facility, but the rest were relocated to a facility 120 miles away in Oklahoma City.

For many residents, adjusting to their new environment was difficult. Transfer trauma is a real thing, especially for those with mental health issues.
We believe Congressman Markwayne Mullins intentions were in the right place when he attempted to get into Afghanistan, but it was the wrong decision.

Mullin is at least the third member of Congress to try to get into the war-ravaged country without authorization. Its dangerous, unproductive and distracting to ongoing diplomatic and military efforts.

After a chaotic two weeks of evacuation and months of notices of the U.S. deadline for removal, fewer than 200 Americans remain in the country. More than 120,000 people were airlifted out.

Mullin, like many other Americans, are outraged that U.S. citizens remain. It goes against the belief that we dont leave others behind.

This situation is more complex than that credo.

The Taliban is fighting two fronts: to gain control of its country against rising threats from various versions of ISIS and to legitimize its government with the international community.
Though Vietnam is considered one of the most dynamic and creative startup hubs in Southeast Asia, many say finding information on these new businesses remains a struggle.

The National Startup Support Center (NSSC), in partnership with BambuUp Joint Stock Company, announced on Tuesday plans to release a report detailing the local startup ecosystem and its development outlook.

The report, titled Vietnam Open Innovation Landscape Report 2021, is scheduled for publication this December and will likely be the first documented analysis of and reflection upon the countrys startup ecosystem.

The NSSC is a branch of the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

During Tuesdays announcement, Nguyen Huong Quynh, general director of BambuUp, said that nearly 135,000 companies registered themselves in Vietnam last year.

According to the General Statistics Office, 3,000 of these businesses are startups while the others were formed from mergers or previously registered businesses that have changed models.

These numbers, Quynh said, make Vietnam the third-ranked country in Southeast Asia in terms of having a dynamic and innovative business environment, landing behind Indonesia and Singapore, which placed first and second.

Despite Vietnams burgeoning startup environment, over 95 percent of established companies in the country are unable to access the information they need to seek out and partner with startups, Quynh said.

The goal of the Vietnam Open Innovation Landscape Report 2021 is to solve that problem.

During the announcement, Quynh highlighted the four primary goals of the report.

First, the report is meant to paint a complete picture of Vietnams startup ecosystem.

Second, it will discuss and analyze current trends in innovation, both in Vietnam and around the world, in order to allow current and future entrepreneurs insights into the direction of the local and global business environment.

Specifically, the report will focus on ten key sectors in the startup community: retail, financial technology (Fintech), education technology (EdTech), healthcare technology (Healthtech), marketing and sales technology (Martech and Salestech), restaurant, logistics, agricultural technology (Agtech and Foodtech), and insurance technology (Insurtech).

Third, the report will evaluate Vietnams ranking in terms of dynamism and ecosystem for entrepreneurs in the hope of allowing startup founders to better understand the environment and seize upon potential opportunities.

Last but not least, BambuUp will compile all of the information it gathers from the National Startup Center, startups, surveys, experts, and advisors into a database to assist established companies and investors in finding potential investors.

A soft copy of the report will be released in both English and Vietnamese at https://report.bambuup.com.

Additionally, a print version will be distributed to about 5,000 organizations in Vietnam, as well as stakeholders in 20 countries thanks to support from BambuUps partners, including Insider, Silicon Valley Ventures (Japan), and Quest Ventures (Singapore).

Startup facts * 18,100: The number of times 'how to startup' was searched in the United Kingdom in 2020 * 65 percent: The rate of adults living in the United Kingdom who want to launch a company * 7.1 percent: The percentage of total startups which operate within the fintech sector, one of the fastest-growing businesses sectors in the world * 68,880: The number of startups in the U.S., which is five times (or six times) more than the number of those in India * EdTech is the most thriving sector for startups in the U.S. EdTech is estimated to remain the most beneficial-generating sector until 2025 or longer. Source: BambuUp

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For some, COVID-19 gives you time to read and think. And Ive been thinking about whats next after COVID-19  if there is an after

Most of us realize life is never going to be quite the same again while recovery from the pandemic and the collateral economic damage will take much longer than we have hoped for.

The coronavirus is going to change our world in a way that we have barely begun to comprehend. As a quote neatly puts it, We are not at the end of the COVID-19 crisis, and maybe not even at the end of the beginning. So, whats next?

The most obvious and hardest answer is rebuild, adapt, and transform. The proof lies in the massive educational investments that Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan made after World War Two. But Vietnam is still lagging behind.

Its very likely that businesses around the world will look to automation to reduce the risks of COVID-19 transmissions in large manufacturing sites. The loss of revenue and jobs in Vietnams industries is evidence of the financial chaos thats holding up recovery. Forget the travel and hospitality sectors, as it will take years to re-build travel confidence while theres no real internationally-agreed method of getting people around.

Now, part of that automation process will mean many kinds of job will disappear in the next decade and the existing workforce will need retraining and reskilling. Now heres the problem: COVID-19 has already strained household budgets, especially as many parents invest a large part of their income in education yet the nation needs workers with more than manual skills. And the major problem is not enough students complete high school. Family and financial pressures force many to leave early or simply cant afford to continue as their belts are tightened.

The problem is so bad that even the authorities in Ho Chi Minh City are considering waiving tuition fees for K-12 classes during the coronavirus crisis. Basically, primary education is free; however, schools still charge fees for books, cleaners, stationery, and much more. The issue gets worse in secondary education where tuition is charged  a step away from the more universal idea that all children should have free access to education until at least grade 9 or 10 (usually up to the age of 16).

Tuition-free high school has been floated around as an innovation for many years now although it is yet to be formalized in law or educational policy. Back in 2017, the education ministry proposed free tuition for all public elementary and secondary schools. Elementary and secondary schools (grades 1-9) would be considered primary education, while high school (grades 10-12) would provide a choice between academic and vocational training.

Nguyen Dinh Huong, former vice-chairman of the National Assemblys Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children pointed out back then, It would equip the children with basic knowledge and skills, from that, they can continue higher education (if they can afford it) or choose vocational training to have a better future, the Viet Nam News quoted him as saying in 2018.

The point of all this is not just to educate more students but to provide secondary education that introduces them to a wider understanding of the world they are going to live and work in. The boom in e-business, online shopping, remote work, and more is going to require new business and organizational skills and particularly the understanding that the work you do today may not be around in the future. The notion of re-inventing yourself, marketing, shifting into new work environments  stuff thats not so well understood in Vietnam  will have to become how we educate students.

Too fanciful? A bit impossible? Not really! The cost incurred by the government has already been estimated as a small increase in a big education budget. Also, there might not be much choice except to adapt and change  the countries around Vietnam will all be competing for economic advantages and bringing industry and technologies into their economies as a matter of survival and revival. Supply chain issues are going to shift manufacturing locations and offering cheapish but educated staff is an attractive package.

Whichever works out, getting more kids into and completing high school has the potential to dramatically improve life for hundreds of thousands and make a shift in thinking thats more adaptable to the unpredictable future we all face.

I hope freedom from fees will encourage more parents to keep their children at school and transform their lives; as well as the future of Vietnam.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has sent a congratulatory message to Vietnam on the Southeast Asian countrys National Day (September 2), hailing the Hanoi-Washington relationship as moving forward to new heights this year.

On behalf of the United States of America, I extend my congratulations to the people of Vietnam on the occasion of Vietnams National Day, Blinken was quoted as saying in a press statement on the U.S. Department of States website on Wednesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll around the world, including within our two great countries.

Vietnam and the U.S. have supported each other during these difficult times, as well as through growing health cooperation, exchanges of medical supplies and equipment, and most recently, with U.S. vaccine donations, the diplomat said.

Blinken was referring to over six million Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech doses the U.S. has donated to Vietnam in the year to date.

The opening of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Southeast Asia Regional Office in Hanoi provides a new platform to strengthen health security cooperation with Vietnam and the entire Indo-Pacific region, he remarked.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attended the launch of the office during her official visit to Vietnam last month.

The U.S.-Vietnam relationship progressed to new heights in 2021 thanks to our joint efforts to overcome the past and look towards a brighter future for our people, Blinken said

The top diplomat also mentioned Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phucs speech at the U.S.-hosted Leaders Climate Summit on April 23, sayng it highlighted the two countries potential to collaborate in combating the climate crisis.

The visits of Vice President Harris in August and Secretary of Defense Austin in July reinforced the strength of the Vietnam-U.S. Comprehensive Partnership and Washingtons commitment to a strong, independent, and prosperous Vietnam, Blinken said.

I send my best wishes to the government and people of Vietnam on your National Day and look forward to working closely with you to build back better from this pandemic, he added.

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Less than two percent of samples taken in Ho Chi Minh City during the ongoing second round of COVID-19 testing have returned positive for the coronavirus, down from 3.6 percent in the previous phase.

Nguyen Hoai Nam, deputy director of the municipal Department of Health, announced the figure at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

City authorities carried out the first phase of testing in very high- and high-risk areas, collecting about two million samples for rapid antigen testing, Nam reported.

Of the two million taken samples, 3.6 percent came back positive, the health deputy director said.

As the second round is dedicated to lower-risk areas, the infection rate has decreased to under two percent.

Nam added that in recent days, the number of serious patients in the city has remained high.

However, the health sector believes that rapid testing and early infection detection will help decrease that number in the near future.

More than 70,000 COVID-19 cases under 65 years old, with no underlying disease, asymptomatic or with mild symptoms, are self-isolating at home and will take medicines supplied by local authorities.

The municipal administration has allocated 110,850 bags of medications, including 50,000 doses of antiviral drug Molnupiravir, to local authorities in 21 districts and Thu Duc City.

The city has received 98,220 vials of COVID-19 treatment medicine Remdesivir, which can shorten treatment time and speed up recovery in critical patients.

Most fatalities reported recently were patients who had developed severe conditions before, Nam said.

Currently, the number of critical cases is gradually decreasing.

By Wednesday evening, Vietnam had documented 473,530 coronavirus infections, with 248,722 recoveries and 11,868 fatalities, the health ministry reported.

Since April 27, a new wave of infections has spread to 62 out of the countrys 63 cities and provinces, except Cao Bang.

Ho Chi Minh City has the highest caseload with 226,622 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 118,228, Dong Nai Province with 24,525, Long An Province with 22,638, and Tien Giang Province with 9,846.

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Authorities in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi on Wednesday evacuated residents from two alleyways with hundreds of coronavirus infections in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading further into the community.

The Peoples Committee of Thanh Xuan District sent eight buses to Alleys 328 and 330 on Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan Trung Ward at around 7:00 pm on Wednesday to help with the evacuation.

People who had come into direct contact with COVID-19 patients were the first to be moved out of the alleys and sent to centralized quarantine facilities.

Other residents got on the buses and arrived at temporary shelters set up at FPT University in Thach That District about 30 minutes later.

All of the evacuees wore full protective gear to minimize the risk of transmission.

A four-member family is evacuated from Alley No. 328 on Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, September 1, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

So far, 375 coronavirus cases have been identified in the two alleyways, including two community-based infections, 74 who tested positive for the virus at centralized quarantine facilities, and 299 cases from sectioned-off households.

There are 690 households in the alleyways which house a total of 1,304 people.

Most of the households are old, small, damp apartments with many inhabitants and shared toilets.

Thanh Xuan District authorities carried out Wednesday evenings evacuation following the request of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during an inspection of Thanh Xuan Trung Ward earlier that same day.

PM Chinh also ordered the immediate establishment of a mobile medical station in the ward to care for COVID-19 patients who were allowed to treat themselves at home.

Residents of Alleys No. 328 and No. 330 on Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi get on a bus to go to new shelters, September 1, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

By Wednesday evening, Vietnam had documented 473,530 coronavirus infections, with 248,722 recoveries and 11,868 fatalities, the health ministry reported.

Since April 27, the virus has spread to 62 out of the countrys 63 cities and provinces, except Cao Bang.

Ho Chi Minh City has the highest current caseload with 226,622 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 118,228, Dong Nai Province with 24,525, Long An Province with 22,638, and Tien Giang Province with 9,846.

Hanoi has recorded 3,564 infections during the current wave.

Functional forces prepare for the evacuation of residents of Alleys No. 328 and No. 330 on Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, September 1, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Functional forces prepare for the evacuation of residents of Alleys No. 328 and No. 330 on Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, September 1, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Direct contacts of COVID-19 patients in Alleys No. 328 and No. 330 on Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi get on a bus to go to a centralized quarantine facility, September 1, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Functional forces spray disinfectant on residents of Alleys No. 328 and No. 330 on Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, September 1, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Functional forces prepare for the evacuation of residents of Alleys No. 328 and No. 330 on Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, September 1, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

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Police in Vietnams Vinh Phuc Province have arrested a local man for causing a conflagration with a handmade petrol bomb that burned down four stores on Wednesday.

Provincial police said they had detained Nguyen Dinh Huy, 36, for detonating a handmade petrol bomb at a motorbike shop on Hung Vuong Street at around 12:30 pm.

The blaze from the bomb quickly spread to three nearby shops selling televisions and speakers.

The provinces firefighting unit deployed six fire engines and about 50 staff and rescuers to extinguish the blaze.

Ngo Minh Phuong, owner of the motorbike shop, his family, and employees were uninjured, police said.

It took about an hour for authorities to putting out the fire.

No one was injured but nearly all inventory of the stores was destroyed, police reported.

Huy initially confessed to investigators that he had committed the arson due to a debt conflict with Phuong.

He had bought petrol and poured it into five plastic bags to make them petrol bombs.

He then put the bags into a box, brought the box to Phuongs shop, then set it on fire and threw it into the shop before fleeing on a motorbike.

Police are continuing their investigation into the case.

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A group of lecturers from Hue University has presented a robot to Vietnams Thua Thien-Hue Province Military Command to help ease the workload and minimize cross-infection risks at a COVID-19 quarantine facility.

The robot HUET02, created by a group of lecturers at the universitys School of Engineering and Technology, was handed over on Wednesday to the military command, which is controlling the province's centralized isolation sites for COVID-19 patients.

HUET02 can perform such tasks as notice broadcasting, body temperature measurement, and essential item transport, thereby reducing people-to-people contact and minimizing cross-infection risks, said Dr. Nguyen Quang Lich, deputy dean of the school.

The robot, one meter high, is a three-tiered structure covered by a solid steel frame.

It can move flexibly on three wheels operated by an engine, to which a small speaker is fixed.

The robots upper part has a camera system for live transmission of recorded images to the control software. Next to the camera is an automatic body temperature meter.

The robot, manufactured at a cost of over VND20 million (US$880), can be operated by a control system or an app that can be downloaded to any smartphone, Dr. Lich said.

After making synchronization between their phones and the robot through the software, users can order the machine to perform its tasks including asking quarantined people to receive their food rations.

The robot can carry a load of up to 50 kilograms and perform remote communications at a distance of over 25 meters.

It will be used in daily delivery of foods to people at an isolation center which currently has a high risk of cross-infection, said Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Linh from the military command.

The research team is continuing to look into another robot model with other functions, such as measurement of blood oxygen levels and heart rates of COVID-19 patients, Dr. Lich said.

Since the pandemic erupted in Vietnam in early 2020, Vietnam has documented 473,530 coronavirus cases, including 11,868 deaths, equivalent to 2.5 percent, or 0.4 percentage points higher than the global mortality rate, the Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday evening.

Except Cao Bang, the coronavirus has so far spread to 62 of the countrys 63 cities and provinces, with Ho Chi Minh City topping the list with over 226,600 cases and 9,527 fatalities.

In Thua Thien-Hue, the numbers of infections and deaths have amounted to 659 and 10, respectively.

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Vietnams Ministry of Health recorded 13,186 locally-transmitted coronavirus infections nationwide on Thursday, up by 1,700 patients from a day earlier.

The latest local cases were detected in 39 provinces and cities while the country logged 11 imported infections on the same day, the health ministry said.

The ministry had reported 11,429 domestically-infected patients on Wednesday.

It documented 7,255 of the new cases in the community, with the remainder found in isolated areas or centralized quarantine facilities.

Ho Chi Minh City recorded 5,963 domestic infections, up by 595 cases; Binh Duong Province 4,504, up by 1,064; Dong Nai Province 803; Long An Province 583; Tien Giang Province 290; Kien Giang Province 122; Dong Thap 102; Hanoi 48; and Da Nang 42.

Vietnam has confirmed 482,497 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth  and worst  virus wave emerged in the country on April 27.

Ho Chi Minh City tops the list with 232,585 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 122,732, Dong Nai Province with 25,328, Long An Province with 23,221, Tien Giang Province with 10,136, Dong Thap Province with 7,142, Khanh Hoa Province with 6,670, Da Nang with 4,396, Hanoi with 3,612, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 3,556.

By comparison, Vietnam confirmed a combined 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in the previous three waves.

The health ministry announced 10,602 recoveries on Thursday, taking the total to 259,324.

The toll has jumped to 12,138 fatalities after the ministry logged 271 deaths on the same day, including 197 in Ho Chi Minh City and 34 in Binh Duong Province.

Vietnam has registered 486,727 patients since the COVID-19 pandemic first struck it early last year.

The Southeast Asian country has received about 29.5 million vaccine shots to date, giving around 20.5 million doses, including 302,074 shots Wednesday, since inoculation was rolled out on March 8.

Almost 2.9 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Health authorities aim to immunize at least two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million people against COVID-19 by the first quarter of next year.

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British TV viewers have voted Inspector Morse as their favourite TV theme.

The dark and gothic theme, voted winner by Classic FMs TV Music Countdown listeners, was composed by Australian Barrington Pheloung for the 1987 John Thaw crime drama.

Pheloungs widow, Heather Pheloung, said: Thank you to everyone who voted for the Inspector Morse theme and Lewis theme. I am sure Barry would have been overjoyed and honoured that the Inspector Morse theme has been chosen as the UKs number one favourite TV theme of all time. It is such incredible news. I know he would have been quite humbled to be receiving this accolade given the many great, iconic TV themes that have been written for UK television.

For Barry, writing music was a way he could bring joy and love to people, his music came from the heart, and composing music and bringing it to life with his colleagues and friends was his passion. The huge success of Inspector Morse, followed by Lewis and then Endeavour, allowed him to do what he loved in life, which he was always very grateful for. Barry regularly listened to Classic FM, and for him to receive the support and love from the Classic FM listeners is very special, and it makes me think of Barry with a lovely, beaming smile on his face. Barrys children and I are so very proud of him.

Inspector Morse The Onedin Line Downton Abbey Game of Thrones Wolf Hall Band of Brothers Van der Valk (Eye Level) Brideshead Revisited Pride and Prejudice Poldark Blue Planet II Harrys Game Doctor Who The Lone Ranger Poirot Peaky Blinders The Vicar of Dibley Miss Marple Thunderbirds Lewis

Source: Radio Times
As previously tipped by TV Tonight, SBS has officially rebooted Letters & Numbers, now in a celebrity version.

Triple J presenter Michael Hing takes the host chair of Celebrity Letters & Numbers with wordsmith David Astle and numbers expert Lily Serna returning to SBS after 9 years.

Each episode features three comedic celebrities and a special guest alongside David in Dictionary Corner, in a quest for the prize: ..one single book, from a vintage 1980s encyclopedia collection, generously gifted by Michael Hings parents after they cleaned out their garage.

Guests across twelve, hour-long episodes include Hamish Blake, Matt Okine, Merrick Watts, Jennifer Wong, Aaron Chen and Susie Youssef.

Host Michael Hing said: When SBS offered me the opportunity to work on a Letters & Numbers reboot, I was worried that appearing on television opposite Lily and David (famous smart people), I might come off looking very, very dumb. And look, thats still not impossible, but luckily, SBS have also packed the show with celebrities and I remain hopeful I walk away okay. The real joy has been two-fold. Firstly, watching people who havent had to do maths since school panic and regress as soon as the Letters & Numbers clock starts, and secondly, the moments of triumph and success on the show are so rare that when they happen its the kind of genuine, pure joy that is quite rare in an otherwise, extremely grim world.

Crossworder, broadcaster and verbivore David Astle said: Imagine I gave you nine letters  like VUNEDARET. What can you see? Whats the longest word there? Thats the thrill of Celebrity Letters & Numbers. Every game will be like an inkblot test with the alphabet. Panic may well set in. NERD or TUNA might be the best a player can do. Interesting. Or maybe a guest will nail TAVERN or VERDANT, or swear black and blue that DUNERAT is a type of beach rodent. Curious. Do you need to lie down? Add celebrities to each session, a stopwatch, healthy egos, bragging rights, desperation, and the results will be revealing. Lets play.

Numbers expert Lily Serna said: Returning to the numbers game is like getting back to the gym, a mental workout of stretching and tweaking to reach the random target. I cant wait. Theres a real thrill when I hit that magic button and we all get to see what total needs chasing down. Its like reuniting with old friends, the bigs and the smalls, my board and marker, the 75-times table, and travelling to a new destination each time. Well, three or four destinations every episode! Bring it on. Numbers can be so exhilarating, so elegant, and I look forward to helping people see that. Just as fun, I get to lead our celebrities, and our viewers, to those little lightbulb moments along the way.

SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald said: Letters & Numbers has been entertaining Australian audiences for over a decade, and were thrilled to bring it back to SBS in this new format. Celebrity Letters & Numbers brings together a large cast of comedic personalities for an evening of compulsive games that will have the whole family playing along. SBS aims to provide Australians with programming that entertains, educates and unites, and the revival of this cult quiz show is a testament to its dedicated fans. We cant wait for you to join us every Saturday evening.

The series is produced by ITV Studios Australia.

7:30pm Saturday 2 October on SBS. Season two will premiere in 2022.
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has promised to fight for LGBT+ equality following a meeting with US president Joe Biden.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine has slowly introduced more rights for LGBT+ people, but still has a long way to go.

Same-sex couples are not able to have any kind of legal recognition, and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation is only outlawed in employment.

Queer Ukrainians face a huge amount of social stigma, violence and discrimination, in large part because of the influence of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus had called on Biden to raise the issue of LGBT+ rights with Zelenskyy on Wednesday (1 September), according to the Washington Blade, when the leaders met to discuss the relationship between Russia and the US.

In a letter, the caucus told Biden it was alarmed at the introduction of several bills in Ukraines parliament that would harm Ukraines LGBT+ community.

While the bills  including an attempt to re-criminalise same-sex relationships  had failed to pass, it said, we expect that they will continue to be introduced and to be a threat to Ukraines LGBT+ community.

Biden, who in February signed a historic memorandum calling for the worldwide protection of LGBT+ rights, listened and made LGBT+ rights a topic of discussion in the meeting.

Afterwards, Zelenskyy and Biden released the following joint statement: With US support, Ukraine will continue to advance respect for human rights, civil liberties and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international standards and obligations, as well as to fight racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and discrimination against the LGBT+ community.

Ukraine plans to strengthen accountability for violence against all persons regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or political views, including through legislation.

Police recently clashed with neo-Nazis at a Pride event in Odessa, Ukraine

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Just this week, police violently clashed with and arrested dozens of neo-Nazis who descended on a Pride event in Odessa, Ukraine.

Members of Tradition and Order, an extreme neo-Nazi group, hurled tear gas and buttressed flags as police attempted to shield Pride-goers.

At least 29 police enforcement officers suffered injuries during the violent clash.

While the National Police insisted that officers had used proper means to stop the offence, Pride organisers disagreed.

Odessa Pride organisers said in a statement: Those who attacked demonstrators should be punished for physical and psychological violence against citizens of Ukraine.

Odessa police should be punished for standing idle during a crime.
Afghanistan is now completely in the Talibans hands.

The US flew its last soldier out of the country on Monday night, in line with the militants demands.

Those left behind are afraid. Many inside and out of Afghanistan refuse to trust the Taliban, despite the new regimes leaders suggesting that it has become more moderate in the 20 years since it was last in power.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab pledged on Thursday that the UK would not be recognising the militants any time soon, but noted Downing Street will need to work with the group to secure the safe evacuation of those remaining with British links.

He also admitted we need to adjust to the new reality of a Taliban-led nation  but most of these details remain unclear.

So what will the militants focus on now the Nato allies have left?

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid held a press conference in Kabul shortly after the militants' takeover of Afghanistan (Photo: HOSHANG HASHIMI via Getty Images)

1. A functioning government

Ashraf Ghani was the US-backed president of Afghanistan until his deposition in August. When he fled overseas, the reins of power were handed to the Taliban and Ghani lost all authority with the west.

More than two weeks later, the militants are still yet to announce their newly appointed leader even though they have been in power-sharing talks since Ghanis exit.

The new power structure is expected to be made up of the movements supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, with a president beneath him and a new governing council.

But a power struggle behind closed doors is said to have delayed the announcement and Akhundzada is yet to appear in public.

Different branches of the militant group are colliding, as discussions of a unity government have fallen silent  the militants reportedly want to monopolise power once again, rather than sharing it with different Afghan factions.

The Taliban did govern the country through unelected leadership and sharia law between 1996 and 2001 but have now promised they will be more moderate.

To maintain reasonable relations with the west and to keep its economy above water, the Taliban needs Nato to formally recognise this new government.

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The anti-Taliban resistance movement in Panjshir Valley (Photo: AHMAD SAHEL ARMAN via Getty Images)

2. Pushing back against anti-Taliban resistance

While the Taliban flattened the Afghan armed forces in two weeks, there are sparks of resistance across the country, particularly in Panjshir.

The region was the last safe haven from the Taliban in 1996 and remains so today.

Ahmad Massoud, the son of the resistances former leader, wrote in The Washington Post in August: We have stores of ammunition and arms that we have patiently collected since my fathers time because we knew this day might come.

Its not clear how strong this resistance movement, called the National Resistance Forces, is, but its reportedly made up of militias and remnants of the Afghan army.

The valley these resistance fighters seek solace in is just 80 miles northeast of Kabul and famous for being impenetrable.

The group initially wanted to organise a power-sharing settlement with the Taliban.

Massoud recently told Reuters: We do not want a war to break out.

But, he then told Foreign Policy that anything less than the equal distribution and decentralisation of power will be unacceptable to us.

At least seven Taliban soldiers were also killed in Panjshir when a skirmish broke out against the resistance fighters, according to the Associated Press.

While the resistance has raised hopes, the Taliban already claim they established a siege around the region.

Its not clear how long the resistance can hold out for.

Isis-K took responsibility for the suicide bombings outside Kabul airport (Photo: Marcus Yam via Getty Images)

3. Uprisings from Isis

Isis, the so-called Islamic State, have already positioned themselves as clear opponents to the Taliban in Afghanistan.

An Isis affiliate, Isis-K, took responsibility for the devastating suicide bombings outside Kabul airport on August 26.

The extremist group are believed to be furious at the way the Taliban negotiated with the US to get into power, rather than using jihad methods.

There are thought to be 2,000 Isis-K extremists in Afghanistan, made up of former Taliban members.

It has a stronghold towards Afghanistans border with Pakistan and is said to receive extensive financial backing from the core Isis body, according to terrorism expert from the US Military Academy West Point, Amira Jadoon, and extremism research fellow Andrew Mines, from the George Washington University.

They told The Conversation: 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.

It also wants to become the most central jihadist organisation.

Isis-K has already branded the Afghan Taliban filthy nationalists for not looking to expand a government beyond Afghanistan, which could spell more trouble ahead for the Taliban.

Afghans line up outside a bank to take out cash after Taliban's takeover (Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

4. Economic collapse

The UN has warned that an economic collapse looms for the country unless it takes action.

There was already a severe drought before the militants took over, and now citizens could face starvation.

Speaking from Afghanistan, World Food Programmes Mary-Ellen McGroarty told Reuters: In the current context there are no national safety nets...since August 15 (when the Taliban took over) we have seen the crisis accelerate and magnify with the imminent economic collapse that is coming this countrys way.

Food prices have spiked too after 40 percent of the wheat crop was damaged by drought.

McGroarty said this situation could morph into just a humanitarian catastrophe. According to the WFP, 14 million people face acute food insecurity.

Mass evacuations from Kabul airport took place up until August 31 (Photo: Handout via Getty Images)

5. Preventing the brain drain

Thousands of highly qualified Afghans queued desperately at Kabul airport in a bid to escape the militants before the deadline of August 31.

The Talibans spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said: We are not allowing the evacuation of Afghans anymore and we are not happy with it either.

The doctors and academics of Afghanistan should not leave this country, they should work in their own specialist areas.

Afghanistan has a literacy rate of 43 percent, and only 9.7 percent of the population are educated beyond secondary school.

The Taliban could continue to lose its brightest citizens in the coming months, meaning the nation could fall apart without key professions from doctors and engineers to former government officials and civil workers.

The Taliban may find leading Afghanistan harder than conquering it (Photo: AAMIR QURESHI via Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.

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BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of people protested in central Bangkok on Thursday to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and said they would return every day until he leaves office.

The demonstration at the Asoke intersection in central Bangkok was one of the biggest such gatherings this year despite a warning from the police earlier in the day that protests are banned due to coronavirus restrictions.

Protests against Prayuth have gained momentum since late June as groups who sought his removal last year return with broader support from people angered by a worsening coronavirus situation.

Thailand has recorded more than 1.2 million infections and 12,103 deaths since the pandemic started last year, with most of the cases and deaths occurring since April this year.

The demonstration is also taking place while Prayuth is facing a grilling in parliament in a censure debate https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-pm-faces-parliamentary-grilling-protests-persist-2021-08-31 that started earlier this week. The political opposition accuse the prime minister and five other cabinet ministers of corruption, economic mismanagement and of bungling the coronavirus response.

Prayuth and his ministers have rejected the opposition accusations and defended their performance to parliament.

They are expected to survive the no-confidence vote scheduled for Saturday, due to the ruling coalition's clear parliamentary majority, but the protesters say they will keep up pressure on Prayuth.

"The members of parliament have to chose between the people and Prayuth who has failed, causing losses and deaths of more than 10,000 people," said Nattawut Saikua, one of the main organisers of the protest.

"If Prayuth passes the no-confidence vote and remains prime minister we will continue to drive him out," he said.

While the demonstration at Asoke was peaceful, a smaller group of anti-government protesters set off fire crackers and burn car tires on Thursday near the prime minister's residence in another part of the city.

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Frances Kerry)
How to Verify Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination to Enter 2021 WSOP - CLEAR App Guide

September 02 2021 Jon Sofen

Five minutes of free time, a mobile device, an ID, and a COVID-19 vaccination card is all you need to prove eligibility to compete in or visit the 2021 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, which begins September 30 at the Rio. Proof of vaccination starts by simply downloading the free CLEAR mobile app (find it in the App Store or Google Play Store) and then following the simple instructions in this article.

The WSOP announced last week all players and spectators at the fall series will be required to prove vaccination against COVID-19. As expected, this caused an uproar on social media among many poker players.

But no matter how loud the players scream, the rules are the rules. So, if you want to chase gold bracelets this fall, your only option is to get the jab. And then once you do, you have to prove it to the WSOP staff, which is quick and easy with the CLEAR mobile app and Health Pass feature.

See the 2021 WSOP Schedule here!

Step 1: Verify Your Identity

Once you've downloaded the app, open it up and begin the process of verifying your identity. The app is easy to use even for the most technologically challenged poker players as it walks you through every step.

First things first, enter your email address and then you'll be asked to provide your phone number. A verification code will be text to your mobile device to continue within the app. Next, you'll be asked to take a picture of the front (first) and back (second) of your ID. After that, the app will have you snap a photo of your lovely face. Assuming your ID and the camera photo you took match, you'll see a green checkmark pop up letting you know that your identity is verified.

Step 2: Prove Vaccination Status

The second step is to prove you're fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a requirement to compete in this year's World Series of Poker. Fully vaccinated means you're at least 14 days removed from the second dose for the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna shots, or from the first dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot.

To prove to the CLEAR app you are fully vaxxed, you'll snap a pic of your vaccination card, and then enter details about where and when you received each dose. That's all there is to it. Once you've completed this step, there's nothing left to do until you arrive at the Rio. The enrollment process on the app takes no longer than 5-10 minutes.

Step 3: Registering for 2021 WSOP Events

When you're ready to register for a tournament, head to the registration office inside the Rio Convention Center. Along with your ID and money for the buy-in, prove to the cashier that you've verified your info via the CLEAR app. Simply open the app and pull up the Home tab, click on the red "+" symbol (see pic above). This will bring you to your Health Pass screen, which includes a bar code. The WSOP staff member will scan that bar code to verify you've been vaccinated.

You're all set now and will no longer be required to prove your vaccination status when registering for a WSOP event the rest of the series. All your info will be stored in the WSOP's database.

For those who are unable to access the CLEAR app or don't want to use it, according to the WSOP.com website, "WSOP will also provide an on-site center to verify alternate documentation including physical vaccination cards, and state or country-specific health passes."

*Featured image courtesy BizBash.com
Despite Azerbaijans offer of peace, the rearmament of Armenia, which is accompanied by continuing firing on Azerbaijani positions and provocations on the border of two countries, is a major obstacle to peace and security in the South Caucasus. In this regard, the detailed interviews of the President of Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the local and international media outlets provide ample opportunity to answer to all these questions, Eurasia Review reports.

Firstly, militarization of Armenia is unacceptable. In this regard, Russia Defense Minister Shoigus statement that the process of sending Russian weapons to Armenia has begun is completely contrary to Russias mediation mission. Even if Armenia has been provided with billions of dollars worth of free weapons for 30 years and will continue to do so, the balance of power will not change. Azerbaijan expects all countries in the region to increase their efforts for contributing to peace taking into account Russias special role in the region and in this matter.

Azerbaijan offers peace to Armenia, but this does not mean that Armenia may continue its provocations. In case that Armenia does not agree with peace and want a war, Azerbaijan is ready for it in every way. As noted by the President Aliyev Turkeys defense industry is developing day by day, and Azerbaijan will benefit from it. Despite this strong argument, Azerbaijan does not want a war. This should be understood by both Armenia and those who mislead Armenia by supplying its army with modern weapons and promise to do so in the future. If Armenia is ready to recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which is also recognized by the world community, and if the delimitation and demarcation of borders between two countries starts, and in the end peace agreement is signed, that will open a window of development for Armenia and for the entire region.

Besides, Azerbaijan is expanding its cooperation platforms not only in terms of the defense industry, but also the country has been using a trilateral framework to collaborate with important partners more regularly in past few years. On 15 June, 2020 a Shusha Declaration on allied relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey was signed and on July 27, the parliamentary speakers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Baku Declaration, a strategic partnership treaty that established a new framework for political collaboration between the three countries. The three parties are also careful to emphasize that this is a platform for peace, not an alignment against any other state or set of states.

During the interview to the CNN Turk TV channel Mr. President Aliyev not coincidially called the Armenians living in the territory controlled by the Russian peacekeeping mission lost Azerbaijani citizens stressing the importance of their integration into Azerbaijani society. Thus, the head of state emphasizes that these people are citizens of Azerbaijan, and the country that will be responsible for them as a state is not any other state, but Azerbaijan. If 54% of Armenians voted for the defeated government in the June 20 elections in Armenia, it means that the Armenian people themselves have come to terms with the current reality. The provocations committed by Armenia, creating the impression that there is tension on the border and in the region are conscious and purposeful steps taken by Armenia to ensure the direct interests of revanshist circles in country and foreign circles outside by inciting these actions.

After this interview and calling those Armenians in such a way by the President of Azerbaijan, a group of Armenians living in Khankendi approached the entrance to Shusha with the participation of Russian peacekeepers, expressed readiness to receive Azerbaijani citizenship and asked the Azerbaijani government for being employed. According to MP of Azerbaijan, chairman of the Motherland Party Fazail Agamali, if ordinary Armenians living in Karabakh sincerely want to be integrated into Azerbaijani society, it should be approached positively. We cant push them. Many ordinary Armenians living in Karabakh, especially the older generation, want to be integrated into Azerbaijani society. They have no other choice. If they want to live in a normal, civilized, developing society, they will undoubtedly accept Azerbaijani citizenship. Comprehensive work should be done in this direction. But MP also emphasized that there are certain forces that do not want them to be integrated into Azerbaijani society, and put various pressures on them.

According to MP of Azerbaijan, member of Parliamentary Committee on Defense, Security and Corruption Arzu Nagiyev, all of Nikol Pashinyans statements are aimed at returning to the region the Minsk Group and especially France. MP considers that in Yerevan, returning the talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group to the agenda, they seem to hint that the Russian peacekeepers are not thoroughly fulfilling their function. Then the question arises: What is the standing of Azerbaijan regarding returning the talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group to the agenda?

The United States calls for a return to substantive negotiations as soon as possible under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to achieve a long-term political solution to the conflict, the US Department of State said in its statement. A similar call was made by French President Emmanuel Macron in a recent telephone conversation with Pashinyan. Azerbaijan does not refuse to cooperate with the OSCE Minsk Group, however, in order to resume negotiations under its auspices, it must submit concrete proposals taking into account the new realities in the region that have developed after the war, and these proposals must relate to the issues of post-conflict settlement, in particular, the achievement of a comprehensive peace agreement based on mutual recognition of the territorial integrity of countries and borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The president of Azerbaijan firmly emphasized that there is no concept of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. There is no status issue as there is no Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku expects that the OSCE Minsk Group will present its proposals on the further establishment of a peaceful life in the region, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

Moreover, if there is a desire to move towards peace, it is clear that it is necessary to restore dialogue at all venues, both diplomatically and at the level of civil society. Then it means that the OSCE Minsk Group should be interested in the contribution of cessation of hostilities between these countries and two nations. During these years the issue that worried the Azerbaijani society and rightly caused dissatisfaction was that if Armenia had been sanctioned on time, and the Minsk Group co-chairs  three of the worlds most powerful countries  had used 5% of their power to persuade or force Armenia to evacuate its occupation forces, the war would not have occurred. As a result, blame for the war lies not only with Armenia, but also with those who were unable or unwilling to force Armenia comply with international law. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev rightly reiterated these issues on August 24 during a meeting with the newly appointed UN Resident Coordinator in our country, Vladanka Andreeva. The Minsk Group did not say a word to Armenia. Illegal settlement was carried out not only in Shusha, but also in Jabrayil, Zangilan, Kalbajar, Gubadli and Lachin. The Azerbaijanis had become a defenseless community in their own homeland.

Despite the fact that dated November 10, 2020 tripartite agreement openly declared completed ceasefire and termination of all hostilities in the area of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Prime Minister Pashinyan said he was ready to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and that the deepening of hostility and confrontation in the region is unacceptable either Armenian side violating the ceasefire periodically subjects to fire the positions of the Azerbaijan Army in the several directions or purposefully resort to provocations to aggravate the situation. Moreover, Armenia is spreading false information about the alleged firing of units of the Azerbaijani Army in several directions, the presence of wounded among the Azerbaijani servicemen. Also, Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan called the report of the Armenian Ombudsman on the deliberate burning of pastures in the border areas by Azerbaijani servicemen as a lie and slander, emphasizing that was another information provocation by Armenia.

When it comes to the mission and responsibilities of Russian peacekeeping forces it is also openly shown in trilateral agreement that the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation shall be deployed concurrently with the withdrawal of the Armenian troops. However, the total evacuation of the Armenian military forces from Azerbaijani territory, where Russian peacekeeping forces are stationed temporarily, was not guaranteed. Moreover, they set up new posts near Mukhtarkend and Shushakend, as well as in the territories to the east of the administrative boundaries of the Kalbajar and Lachin regions of Azerbaijan. In the press release of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan it is openly said that the Russian Federations peacekeeping forces must put a halt to the installation of Armenian armed forces in the Republic of Azerbaijan, where they are temporarily stationed.

It becomes clear that Pashinyan regime is at least not sincere in negotiating or not independent in decision-making. If that was the case, Armenia would stop the provocations, would not try to interpret the tripartite statement in an unconscious way, and would come to direct talks. Azerbaijani side demonstrates a constructive position in accordance with the post-war reality. Armenia must put an end to dictating the interests of some circles. Armenias future prospects, integration and development in the region as a whole depend on the establishment of normal relations with neighboring countries. The Armenian side should finally understand that aggression has no perspective. As President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated: The liberation of Karabakh has created conditions for long-term peace in the region. If Armenia uses this opportunity, then we will take the necessary steps.

The statement from the Presidential Administration of Turkey that the relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey are strengthening day by day and all projects between the two countries are aimed at the development of the region is very important. It should be in the interests of all parties to open communications, to establish the Zangazur corridor, to restore all trade relations, that is, to ensure peace in the South Caucasus after a long break. Because the Zangazur corridor will also allow Armenia to connect with both Iran and Russia by rail. This is an opportunity for Armenia. As noted by Mr Aliyev: For the full operation of the Zangazur corridor, there must be both a railway and a highway. Armenia will be able to develop the relations that never had before.

In addition to the political and military aspects of the issue which was analyzed above, there are also humanitarian and cultural aspects. Contrary to all the principles of international law and humanism, during the thirty years of Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories, many cultural and religious monuments and places have been destroyed, and some have become barns.

Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan openly declared that Armenia is liable for war crimes such as the ruination and misappropriation of Azerbaijans historical, cultural, and religious legacy, as well as the unlawful removal of Azerbaijans cultural riches. The size of intentional obliteration, submitted by Armenia in these grounds, have been noted thoroughly by worldwide community, including the authority agents of states, free media offices, simultaneously non-legislative associations, and so on after Azerbaijan liberated its areas from occupation. According to the former ISESCO Director General Abdul Aziz bin Osman Al-Tuwaijri, UNESCO, being responsible for the protection of cultural heritage around the world is requested to demonstrate a fair position, to take responsibility for the protection of cultural and religious heritage sites, as well as to refute the fraud and distortions spread by the Armenian leadership. Ilham Aliyev also voiced this issue while receiving Vladanka Andreeva, newly appointed UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan. The President stated that during occupation Azerbaijan invited UNESCO to the region to get acquainted with the damage caused to Azerbaijans historical monuments in these areas, but UNESCO refused. After the end of the war, on the contrary, UNESCO said it wanted to come to the region. As Armenia protesting again, the mission is delayed now. The authorities of this country clearly understand that the mission will record the crimes committed by them and they will be held accountable as Armenia destroyed more than 60 mosques and the only Orthodox church in Karabakh and by keeping pigs in mosques insulted peoples religious beliefs. Thus, the responsibility for the war falls not only on Armenia, but also on those who turn a blind eye to its policy of aggression and looting.

As a result of the insidious policy against the Azerbaijani people, the creation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, the division of Zangazur and the deportation of Azerbaijanis from the region after the Soviet governments annexation of Zangazur to Armenia purposefully in 1920 are known to the whole world. Now there is a new reality in the region. According to this reality the decree was signed by the President of Azerbaijan on July 7, 2021 and currently there are Karabakh and East Zangazur economic regions in the territory of Azerbaijan. The country put together a unique plan and is rapidly carrying out construction and landscaping work at its expense. Demining work must be carried out and is currently underway. Armenia does not give Azerbaijan maps of mines, and the accuracy of the maps provided at the latest stage is only 25 percent. Here, again, Armenia is acting insincerely.

Azerbaijan is rapidly restoring the lands liberated from occupation. Moreover, as after the occupation of Shusha, Vagifs mausoleum, like all historical and cultural monuments of Azerbaijan, was destroyed by Armenians, Azerbaijan is restoring its rich cultural heritage as well. As Shusha carries a deeply emotional importance for Azerbaijanis and throughout centuries was seen as the cradle of Azerbaijani culture, 30 August 2021 was a very significant day in the history of Azerbaijan. The country celebrated the opening of the Vagif Poetry Days which was organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in the native city of the poet for the first time after the liberation of Shusha from occupation. Next year, Azerbaijan will celebrate the 270th anniversary of Shusha, which was founded by Panahali khan, Azerbaijani statesman in 1752. Shusha residents are looking forward to returning to their native lands.
The states of Central Asia bordering Afghanistan, particularly Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, are walking a political and security tightrope. On the frontlines of a state in tumultuous flux, both Dushanbe and Tashkent are working all sides to extract some modicum of stability from the situation, The Diplomat reports. This has resulted in hedging policies in which the two countries are willing to serve as a transit point for those leaving Afghanistan, but not willing to accommodate refugees for very long.

Both countries have assisted with U.S. and European evacuation efforts, allowing flights to land and some Afghan refugees to stay temporarily. But temporarily is the key word. Central Asia isnt planning to accommodate large numbers of Afghans. Doing so would could complicate relations with the new presumed powers-that-be in Afghanistan, the Taliban, as well as put a strain on governments struggling already with a litany of pre-existing economic and pandemic problems.

In Uzbekistan, the tenuous position of a group of Afghan pilots, the families they fled Afghanistan with, and the planes and helicopters that transported them to Termez illustrates the tight political position for Uzbekistan.

Satellite imagery, as reported by Janes, indicated the appearance of at least 26 helicopters and 21 small fixed-wing aircraft in Termez on August 16. Based on those images, they suggested the aircraft included 11 C-208 utility aircraft and 10 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft, along with up to 16 Mi-17, five Mi-25, and five UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Uzbek government reports, some of which were later denied, stated that 585 Afghan servicemembers came on the aircraft. Later reports suggest that the number includes families. There has not been much clarity on this point.

A recent Wall Street Journal report explained that officials have said that Uzbekistan is urging Washington to act quickly to take the pilots to a third country to avoid inflaming relations with the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. The WSJ report noted that the Taliban have called for the aircraft to be returned to Afghanistan. Representative August Pfluger of Texas, who serves on the House Foreign affairs Committee and is a former U.S. Air Force pilot, has been pushing for the U.S. to do more to help the pilots and their families. According to the WSJ, Pfluger said the message from the Uzbek side is that the pilots dont have to go home, but they cant stay here.

The Uzbek government has engaged the Taliban in recent years, joining the international chorus calling for a negotiated solution to the war in Afghanistan. That dialogue has continued, with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev saying last week that communication with the Taliban is natural and this situation was expected. Mirziyoyev highlighted Uzbek efforts to not just talk with the Taliban but provide aid to the Afghan people: Because now the people of Afghanistan are in need of help. If they strive for peace, we will help them. We will deliver food products from other countries by train, and we ourselves will also contribute to this. Mirziyoyev noted that the only railway to Mazar-i-Sharif passes through Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile, Tajikistan has agreed to accommodate Afghan refugees on a temporary basis. RFE/RLs Tajik Service reported on a tent camp set up near the international airport in Kulob. According to that report, in the past two weeks around 2,000 people were evacuated to Kulob from Kabul, with more than half already moved on to third countries. The Tajik government has said it would not recognize a non-inclusive Taliban government in Kabul, and unlike Uzbekistan Dushanbe has not engaged the Taliban in sustained dialogue in recent years. Nevertheless, Tajikistan does not seem likely to admit large numbers of Afghan refugees, and those it does allow entry will be expected to be moved along by Western partners.

The final U.S. military forces withdrew just as the clock turned over to August 31, leaving the Taliban in control of Kabul. How stable the Talibans dominion in Afghanistan will be is a matter of great concern, with the Islamic State Khorasan (ISK or ISIS-K) group likely to continue attacks. The Taliban have reportedly asked the Turkish and Qataris for assistance in running Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, which at present isnt operational. (As far as Im aware, the Taliban dont have air traffic controllers on their payroll.)

The United Nations Security Council, with Russia and China notable abstentions, called on the Taliban to allow people to leave Afghanistan and permit humanitarian aid to arrive in the country. While the U.S. military evacuation has ended, if and when the Kabul airport resumes flights Afghans may still have an avenue out of the country. Given Afghanistans landlocked reality and its few airports, the willingness of neighboring states  like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan  to continue to support Afghans wishing to leave will be critical.

Importantly, both countries have been wary of allowing overland crossings. Eurasianet reported yesterday that Tajikistan has suspended cross-border travel until September 20, when it celebrates its 30th independence day. The Uzbek border is also closed, with a Foreign Ministry statement saying that no land crossings will be allowed.
Former Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia, who now leads the For Georgia opposition party, has announced his plans of running for Tbilisi mayor.

Gakharia said that three months after the establishment of the For Georgia party it has been the one and the only political party with an increasing rating in Georgia.

Ex-PM who resigned in mid-February following a dispute with the ruling party said long ago when he joined the Georgian Dream party it was not an organisation, but a union based on shared values.

Gakharia also introduced his partys proportional and majoritarian lists for Tbilisi City Assembly (Sakrebulo) and mayoral candidates in the regions, Agenda.ge reported.

Georgia will have local self-government elections on October 2.

Georgian Dream ruling party has named acting mayor Kakha Kaladze for the second tenure in mid-July. Nika Melia runs as the candidate for the united opposition, the party co-founder Ana Bibilashvili will run for Lelo, while Anna Dolidze - For the People party has nominated its founder Anna Dolidze as a candidate for Tbilisi mayor

Nigerian businessman Arinze Richard Ogbunuju is also running for Tbilisi mayor.
Iran has announced the induction of six new domestic military projects into its armed forces. Yet, the country has only unveiled two of them to the public  a new radar and a command centre for Iranian-made air defence systems. Tehran expects these latest additions to increase the country's ability to defend its territory from attacks by stealth and low-altitude flying attack aircraft.

Iran Air Defence General Alireza Sabahi Fard praised the new pieces of equipment, developed and produced in Iran, for strengthening the country's defensive capabilities

"Today, the (Iranian) air defence has reached such a level of combat capabilities that it does not need (help from) other countries", Fard said.

Among the newest additions to the Iranian Armed Forces is the "Alborz" three-dimensional phased-array radar, capable of detecting aerial targets equipped with stealth technologies as far as 450 km away. This radar thus renders the radar-evading aircraft useless, Iran Air Defence General Alireza Sabahi Fard claimed. Alborz is also said to be capable of detecting up to 300 targets simultaneously.

Another addition to Iran's Air Force is the "Borhan" command and control system. It gathers information from all connected radars, such as Alborz, analyses the data and orders batteries to fire missiles to intercept the selected targets. Iran says the system can work under various conditions, including during radar jamming and "deception operations", and is capable of taking down low-altitude targets.
Members of the Taliban radical militant group (outlawed in Russia) in Afghanistan have provided security guarantees to Russian diplomats, and these commitments have been honored so far, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

Taking questions from journalists, the spokesman elaborated on Moscows possible actions with respect to Russian citizens in Afghanistan, including diplomats, if the situation there plunged into an unfavorable scenario.

"In this case, there are certain security guarantees from the Taliban for our diplomats. These guarantees have been observed so far," Peskov stressed.
Taliban (outlawed in Russia) leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada can become the head of the new Afghan government, Afghanistans TOLOnews TV channel reported on Wednesday, citing Anamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission.

"The consultations on forming the government are almost completed, the necessary discussions on the cabinet makeup have been conducted. Undeniably, leader Akhundzada will be in the government and he will lead it," he said. Samangani did not clarify whether there will be an office of prime minister. However, sources of TOLOnews say that this post will be created.

Earlier, Khaama Press News Agency cited its sources to report that head of the Taliban political wing Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be appointed foreign minister, Mullah Yaqoob (son of the first Taliban leader) will assume the office of defense minister, while Khalifa Haqqani (son of one of the Talibans leaders Jelaluddin Haqqani) will become interior minister. The Taliban is expected to reveal their government appointments on September 3.
Turkey will build a massive combined military headquarters and collect the Defense Ministry, the chief of General Staff as well as force commands under a single roof in a bid to further coordinate the countrys defense, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

The complex will gather the Defense Ministry, the chief of General Staff and the headquarters of the land, air and navy forces which are all currently located in the citys economic heart, Kzlay. Recalling that these buildings were built between the 1930s and 1960s, Erdogan said the current security conditions require a better-coordinated defense institution, Anadolu reported.

Our objective is to inaugurate this complex on the centennial of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey Oct. 29, 2023, he said, informing that the highest technology will be used for this environment-friendly premises.

Around 15,000 personnel will be able to work in this nearly 900,000 square meters of indoor space, which will be built on a 12.6-million-square-meter area, the president informed.
The Taliban (outlawed in Russia) will not allow women to serve at ministerial level in the new Afghan government but may offer them less senior positions on the condition that they did not cooperate with the previous U.S.-backed administration, the group has said.

Abbas Stanikzai, a Taliban spokesman based in Doha, told the BBC that an inclusive new government would be announced in the next two days.

Afghanistan has been without a government since president Ashraf Ghani fled the country and the Taliban rolled into Kabul on Aug 15.

While an informal administration centered around Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has assumed authority in Kabul, the group has made only vague statements about the form of national government it intends to establish.
Economic indexes show the situation is getting worse in the country. The most concerning issues are social distancing extensions and other restrictions.

A report on socio-economic development in August and the first eight months released by General Statistics Office (GSO) several days ago showed that economic indexes are getting worse, including industrial production, total retail turnover, number of businesses leaving the market, and disbursement of public investment.

The strong fourth Covid-19 wave and continued social distancing campaigns have caused production and business activities to suffer heavily, especially in southern provinces.

As many as 85,400 businesses left the market in the first eight months of the year, up by 24.2 percent compared with the same period last year. Of the total number, 24,000 businesses were in HCM City, accounting for 28.1 percent, an increase of 6.6 percent.

Meanwhile, 43,200 businesses have suspended operation for indefinite time, accounting for 50.5 percent.

The statistics office stressed that the reported figures dont truly reflect the real situation. As many cities and provinces are imposing social distancing, businesses are not able to follow necessary procedures for dissolution.

Regarding industrial production, the index in August fell by 4.2 percent compared with July and 7.4 percent compared with the same period last year. However, the industrial production index in the first eight months of the year increased by 5.6 percent over the first eight months of 2020.

As for public investment, the implemented capital from the State Budget in August was estimated at VND34.9 trillion, a decrease of 24.7 percent from the same period last year. The figure was VND244.9 trillion in the first eight months, or 51.1 percent of the yearly plan, down by 0.4 percent.

The purchasing power of the economy also saw a sharp fall with total goods and service turnover in August falling by 10.5 percent compared with July and 33.7 percent compared with August 2020. This is rarely seen, if noting that these figures increased by over 10 percent in previous years.

Export turnover in the first half of the year increased significantly, but began slowing down in July. It was $26.2 billion in August, down by 6 percent from July.

However, exports remain a bright spot in the picture of the national economy. Vietnam exported $212.55 billion in the first eight months, up by 21.2 percent.

Analysts say that economic growth is facing great challenges because of Covid outbreaks in many provinces and cities.

Speeding up vaccination rate

Experts point out that it is an impossible mission to reduce the number of Covid-19 cases to zero, and that its necessary to find solutions to live with the pandemic.

If so, Vietnam needs to design a roadmap for gradual reopening. The scenario must be associated with the pace of vaccinations. Vietnam won't be able to open if the vaccination rate remains low.

HCM City and many southern provinces have been experiencing social distancing for several months, but the number of cases is still increasing. However, if the localities did not impose social distancing, the numbers of infections and deaths would be even higher. Social distancing, therefore, has been necessary while waiting for vaccines.

An economist noted that vaccines are the only solution to save businesses and workers. In September, 2021, HCM City needs to give second shots to all shippers, workers in the transport and logistics sector, merchants, sellers at traditional markets and supermarkets, and workers in 17 industrial zones (IZs) and export processing zones (EPZ), he said.

If so, shops can reopen and workers can return to production. Enterprises will no longer have to implement the costly three on-site production mode.

Luong Bang

Prime Minister establishes working group to assist pandemic-hit people and businesses Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed a decision to establish the Prime Ministers special working group to remove difficulties for businesses and people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many applications connect people in need with benefactors which has helped spread kindness and sharing during the pandemic.

Those who need help are displayed on Zalo Connect. (Photo: Duy Vu)

If you are stuck like me, go to Zalo Connect. Write about your situation, ask for help with necessities. Ive just got support. There are still many good people out there, keep it up," Bac, a ride-hailing driver in Hanoi, posted on a closed group of ride-hailing drivers.

Bac said that he had just received food support from a benefactor through an application on his phone, so he wanted to share it with people in difficulty like him. He cannot work because of Hanoi's social distancing, so he has had no income for nearly two months. Unable to return to his hometown, his savings have also dwindled, but fortunately he has received food support to survive in the coming days.

Bac is one of tens of thousands of people in difficult circumstances who have received help from the community when asking for help online.

The fourth wave of the Covid-19 epidemic has forced many provinces and cities to implement social distancing, causing a large number of students and workers, especially freelance workers, to be unemployed and have no income.

Ms. Thuy Dung, an office worker in Hanoi, does not have time to participate in charity trips or move to many places to help people as she has a young daughter. She has found a faster way to help many people through an app recommended by her friends. Just by accessing the application available on the phone she can see the messages from those in need.

I just found out about Zalo Connect for a few days through a friend of mine. I chose it right away because I could see people in need of help who were near me, Thuy Dung said.

SOSmap is being used by many people to help those around them. (Photo: Duy Vu)

In the past few days, Thuy Dung and her family have been able to support a number of people, mainly shippers and unemployed seasonal workers. Their needs are very simple, just food, vegetables, meat This is within the capacity of me and my family.

Zalo Connect is one of the recently developed technology platforms for users to support each other during the epidemic. This platform is being used by many people besides groups created on social networks.

This feature helps people seek help from the community for food, medicine, necessities or quickly connect with doctors and medical experts for remote medical advice. Individuals and charity societies can see people in need near their living areas through the map.

Zalo Connect is available in 21 provinces and cities that are under social distancing under Directive 16.

In addition to Zalo Connect, another application that is also shared by many people is the SOSmap relief map. People in need can fill in their information on this app. The information will be verified and displayed on the relief map with red marks. SOSmap teams will contact with organizations that support people in need.

Doan Quoc Anh - Product Manager of Zalo - said that after only a short time, 30,565 people gave support to those in difficult situations on Zalo Connect. The number of requests for food support was the largest and accounted for 94% of the cases, followed by requests for necessities with 35%.

Zalo Connect also adds a feature to help sponsors mark assisted cases (blue dots), and quickly report false or phony requests.

Duy Vu

People in need and benefactors find each other on Made-in-Vietnam app Zalo CONNECT, one of the important technology platforms to support Covid-19 affected people, is managed by the National Technology Center for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.
If the number of newly detected Covid-19 cases in the community continues to increase and the people's awareness about observance of social distancing rules does not improve, Hanoi may have to extend social distancing after September 6.

Traffic police officers check the travel documents of Hanoi people during the time of social distancing - Photo: Pham Hai

"Too many people are still going out. From now until September 4, we will assess the risk based on Covid test results, but if the situation remains like this, social distancing is likely to be extended for at least half a cycle (ie 7 days)," said Khong Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Regarding easing social distancing in some areas, he said that suburban districts are now basically "clean" of Covid-19.

It depends on people's consciousness. It is very dangerous if infected people in the areas under social distancing go to areas under relaxed measures," said Tuan.

In order to implement partial easing of social distancing, according to Tuan, a very tight control system must be built.

Dr. Nguyen Viet Hung, Vice President of the Hanoi Association for Infection Control, told VietNamNet that Hanoi is still at risk of having new outbreaks. The city government and the health sector will decide the level of social distancing after September 6.

The vaccination rate and the ability to control outbreaks will be considered in the decision.

During the time of social distancing, Hanoi has been doing a good job in epidemic prevention. If the city relaxes completely, the risk will be very high. I think it is possible to consider easing social distancing in safe areas, but the city has to be ready to apply blockade measures immediately if new infection cases are detected in the areas, he said.

We should question how the virus will spread in the city without social distancing. Without it, there would not be just a few dozen cases per day" as there are now.

Social distancing is a very important measure when the vaccination rate is still low.

People should not be too worried nor be impatient. The fight against the Covid-19 epidemic in Hanoi is long as the pathogen has spread in the community, and many other provinces and cities are experiencing strong outbreaks," he said.

Trieu Duong

New Covid-19 hotbeds emerge in Hanoi despite social distancing Social distancing is one of the most important solutions to control the Covid-19 pandemic in Hanoi while waiting for expansion of vaccination coverage, according to Nguyen Viet Hung, Deputy Chair of the Hanoi Infection Control Association.
The number of tour guides receiving financial support from the Government remains modest because of problems in procedures.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) reports that in the first month of Prime Ministers Decision 23 on financial support to Covid-hit people and businesses, only 400 tour guides received support, totaling VND1.4 billion.

The agency has urged local tourism departments to disburse financial support. As of August 24, 55 departments had submitted reports about the decision, while 45 departments reported on tour guides applications for support.

Of the total 3,027 applications, there were 2,741 valid dossiers. Tour guides got financial support of over VND10 billion.

Nguyen Quy Phuong from VNAT said in Danang over 1,200 tour guides have received support, while the figure was 500 in Thua Thien-Hue.

The disbursement of the financial support package has been going slowly. Only 390 tour guides in HCMC have received VND900 million. In Hanoi, the local tourism department has received only 96 applications, and only 49 were valid. In Khanh Hoa, only 86 out of 108 applications have been approved.

As of August 24, Quang Ninh tourism department had disbursed VND263.4 million to 71 tour guides.

These cities and provinces have high numbers of tour guides. HCMC, for example, has 6,000, Da Nang 4,700, Hanoi 5,800 and Khanh Hoa 1,500, which account for nearly 70 percent of total tour guides nationwide.

The Ministry of Labor Invalids and Social Affairs said as social distancing is being imposed in many localities, tour guides still do not understand the policy and have not made applications for financial support. Besides, officials understand the regulation in different ways.

Dang Huong Giang, Director of the Hanoi Tourism Department, said many tour guides cannot show lawful papers to get support. They have not signed long-term labor contracts with tourism companies, but only signed short-term contracts on each tour. It would be unfair if the tour guides cannot receive support, because they make contributions to tourism industry development.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, Deputy Director of the DaNang Tourism Department, said that the number of tour guides who have labor contracts with tourism companies is small. Of the 1,229 tour guides who have received money in DaNang, only 33 had labor contracts, while the others received money because they are members of tour guide associations.

The leaders of six tourism departments have proposed simplifying procedures to make the support package more accessible. Tour guides would only have to show their tour guide cards to get the money.

Ngoc Ha

Thousands of tour guides may not receive financial support because of unclear regulations Tour guides are subject to the Governments VND26 trillion support package which aims to help Covid-19-hit businesses and people. However, unclear requirements have may have caused the package to be inaccessible to thousands of tour guides.
Stanley said he was aware of only one attack by a pack of dogs that the women, park residents and investigators say he and Jackson-Hughitt reportedly owned. However, sheriffs office reports show he drove one woman to the hospital and talked to deputies after the three other attacks.

The women reported they thought they were going to die. One described how she came to look at an RV on the property when several dogs ran up and began to circle her without barking. Soon, others joined in and she suffered serious bites to her arms, legs, back and hands, according to her statement.

She said she covered her neck with her hands because the dogs were trying to attack her throat.

She wrote in a statement to the sheriffs office that she cried out for help as the dogs were tearing at me from every direction.

I knew I would die soon. I needed help badly, she wrote. I was terrified and hurting so much. They pulled me down. I curled up in a ball to protect my face and my neck and thought, So this is how Im going to die. While I was curled up in a ball, I covered my face and protected my neck. I knew they would be going for my neck  because they did not stop tearing at my flesh. It was a frenzy.
Christopher Johnson said his son told him that he heard the gunshots while in the school gym and students were told to hide because there was an active shooter on campus.

You see stuff like this in the media, said Johnson, whose son was still at the school awaiting transportation to a pickup point. Its scary to know that it actually reached out and touched you this time. My sons not a victim, but hes part of this and hell probably remember this forever.

Later, law enforcement vehicles were seen escorting school buses with Mount Tabor students off the campus to be reunited with their parents.

The sheriff's office said other schools in the area were on lockdown as a precaution but no other shootings or injuries had been reported.

Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement that he has been briefed by law enforcement and noted this was the second school shooting in the state this week. A 15-year-old was charged after a student was shot and wounded during a fight Monday at a Wilmington high school.

We must work to ensure the safety of students and educators, quickly apprehends the shooter and keep guns off school grounds, Cooper said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The precipitous withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan should teach Americas allies a basic lesson: You cannot trust the Americans as true alliance partners and should not believe all the reassurances of American leaders, diplomats and bureaucrats.

Neither President Joe Biden nor his predecessor Donald Trump cares about Afghanistan. They could never maintain a commitment to a distant, difficult, dangerous land that seemed so remote geographically, also strategically, from Americas vital interests. Out of sight, out of mind, might be Bidens view of Afghanistan as it was for Trump. The two, Biden and Trump, may disagree on a lot of things, but both of them had no doubt Afghanistan was a waste of time, money and lives.

Americans will probably get over Afghanistan. At least thats what Biden is hoping as he minimizes the impact of an unmitigated disaster that may still be haunting candidates of his Democratic Party in next years midterm congressional elections and reverberate in the 2024 presidential election.
ASHLAND  Construction of the Crete Carrier Riverview Lodge at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park has been completed and the first reservations were taken Aug. 20. The first available rental date is Sept. 10.

The Crete Carrier Riverview Lodge is an 11,600 square-foot multi-function event space that takes advantage of a stunning hilltop location overlooking the Platte River.

The new Crete Carrier Riverview lodge is a stunning and welcome addition to Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, said Superintendent Jake Rodiek. There is a tremendous demand for event space and the lodge was built with many features that will help make functions comfortable and welcoming. We are grateful for the support of the Acklie Charitable Foundation in supporting the addition of this beautiful lodge that will welcome guests for years to come.

The event hall and large patio provide sweeping panoramic views and room for up to 300 guests. State-of-the-art amenities are blended throughout the lodge to provide a unique event experience. The lodge can accommodate a variety of large events, including weddings, family reunions and corporate meetings.
While impoverished nations anxiously wait for their opportunity to inoculate their country's men and women, millions of vaccine doses are being squandered in the US.

According to official statistics acquired by NBC News, pharmacies and state governments in the United States have thrown away at least 15.1 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine since March 1, a much higher figure than previously reported and is likely to be an underestimate.

Statistics provided Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four major drugstore chains each reported more than one million wasted doses in response to a public records request.

When it comes to vaccine waste, Walgreens recorded the most of any drugstore, state, or other vaccination suppliers, with almost 2.6 million doses thrown away.

According to the company, CVS reported 2.3 million wasted doses in the first quarter, Walmart reported 1.6 million, and Rite Aid recorded 1.1 million.

The data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is self-reported by pharmacies, states, and other vaccination providers.

However, it is not complete since certain states and federal providers are left out, and it does not contain the reasons why dosages have to be thrown away.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), just 12 doses have been thrown away in Michigan since March. The state's Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that the state had thrown away 257,673 pills since December.

The amount of doses wasted is a tiny proportion of the overall quantity of vaccinations given in the United States.

As a general rule, there are various reasons why vaccination sites may be forced to label doses as waste, including a broken vial or a mistake diluting the vaccine, a freezer failure, or having more doses in a vial than the number of individuals who desire them.

Another instance in which a wastage report is generated is when a vial contains fewer doses than it should.

The release of the data on wasted doses coincides with the rapid spread of the more contagious delta variant across the United States, reinforcing the need to vaccinate as many people as possible and spurring a plan to begin offering booster shots to those who have already been vaccinated  even though many countries around the world have vaccinated few, if any, of their residents.

"As Sharifah Sekalala, an associate professor of global health law at the University of Warwick in England, who studies inequalities in infectious diseases, put it, "It's truly tragic that we are in a situation where vaccines are being wasted while many African countries have not had even 5 percent of their populations vaccinated."

"A large portion of the global south is not immunized.

The African continent still has a poverty rate of less than 10%, which is a significant disparity that is very concerning."

Covid vaccine wastage continues to be extremely low, according to CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund, who wrote in an email that the "strong partnership" among the federal government, jurisdictions, and vaccine providers is helping "get as many people vaccinated as possible while reducing vaccine wastage across the system."

"With the increasing availability of Covid-19 vaccine, it is critical for physicians to not miss any opportunities to vaccinate everyone who appears at vaccination clinics, even if this increases the chance of unused doses remaining in a vial," Nordland said.

According to a CVS spokesperson, who said in an email, "While we regret having to dispose of any vaccine, we are very pleased with our store workers who have assisted in the administration of more than 30 million doses of vaccination."

The former is always preferred when given a choice between possibly saving a life or marginally improving our reported waste figures."

Requests for comment from Walgreens, Walmart, and Rite Aid did not get a response right away.

"Our objective has always been to ensure that every dose of vaccination is administered," Walgreens spokeswoman Kris Lathan said in a May interview with Kaiser Health News.

An expert on Covid-19 vaccine supply statistics said that it was a "major strategic mistake" to expect a single nation to provide vaccines for so much of the globe at the same time.

The amount of doses that went to waste is a tiny percentage of the more than 438 million doses delivered throughout the nation as of Tuesday. According to the CDC, the 111.7 million more doses that the United States has sent to foreign countries as of August 3.

Because of the delta variation, there has been an increase in cases and hospitalizations in the United States in August.

Despite this, according to the statistics, the United States squandered at least 3.8 million doses in August alone.

States, pharmacies, and other vaccination providers also reported at least 4.4 million wasted doses to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in June and 4.7 million in July, which is higher than the combined total of March, April, and May.

Even though no state health agency came close to the amount of doses squandered by drugstore chains, four of them reported more than 200,000 doses wasted.

Texas topped the list of states reporting vaccine waste, with 517,746 unused doses. North Carolina reported 285,126 unused doses, Pennsylvania reported 244,214 unused doses, and Oklahoma reported 226,163 unused doses.

However, Michigan was excluded from this list since the state's data was not complete when the CDC released it.

A spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, Lara Anton, told NBC News that the state "instructed vaccine providers to prioritize vaccinating people when they came in to get vaccinated rather than waiting until they found enough people to use every dose in the vial before opening it," which can result in unused doses being administered.

Power failures at two vaccine storage facilities in Texas resulted in the loss of more than 47,000 doses of vaccine in May, according to a report from KXAN Austin at the time.

Since that event, vaccine storage has been relocated to facilities with greater temperature monitoring, according to a spokesman for the Texas Health Department at the time.

Even if it means tossing away leftover doses, the desire to get vaccinations into the hands of many people as possible has been blamed for vaccines waste in Oklahoma.

According to a press release, the Food and Drug Administration approved booster injections for immunocompromised individuals because their systems may not react to the first vaccination regimen earlier this month.

In addition, the Biden administration has revealed a proposal to provide booster injections to all Americans eight months after their previous dosage in response to signs of diminishing immunity. This plan is subject to FDA and CDC approval, but it is expected to be implemented soon.

As a result of such actions, there has been discussion over whether it is moral to provide Americans with additional protection. In contrast, so many people throughout the globe have not gotten even a single Covid vaccination injection.

However, according to the latest statistics, the United States has squandered much more vaccination doses than many impoverished nations had for their whole populations.

Consider the case of the nation of Georgia, which is a coronavirus hotspot with a population of 4.9 million people but has only given 1.1 million vaccine doses.

Nepal, devastated by the delta variant, has only given 9.7 million doses to its population of 30.4 million, despite having a delta variant outbreak.

According to Tim Doran, a professor of health policy at the University of York in the United Kingdom, "it's a problem of fairness."

The United States, a very wealthy country with easy access to vaccines, essentially throws many vaccines away. In contrast, other countries and communities within those countries who would benefit from it are being forced to wait and aren't getting access to vaccines, putting them at risk while waiting for vaccination.

Sekalala, a professor of global health law, claimed that the United States was wasting so many doses because of a lack of resources "As a result of the "model," in which wealthy countries purchased large quantities of vaccines for themselves with the intention of donating them to poorer countries later, this was unavoidable.

'It's a failure of the existing system,' she said, in which wealthy nations purchase their own batches of vaccines and then have to consider what would happen if they don't utilize them."

"This resulted in an overabundance of purchases, with individuals purchasing goods that they either didn't need or weren't able to use."

How vaccinations are packed is one aspect that contributes to vaccine waste.

The majority of vaccinations for various diseases are available in single-dose vials.

However, depending on the equipment used to draw a dosage, Moderna's Covid vaccination may include up to 15 doses in a vial. In comparison, Pfizer's vaccine can contain up to six amounts, and Johnson & Johnson's vaccine can contain five.

When a vial is punctured, such as when a client orders the vaccination from a retail pharmacy, the clock begins to tick.

It is necessary to discard a Moderna vaccine vial 12 hours after it has been pierced. In comparison, Pfizer's and Johnson & Johnson vaccination vials must be destroyed six hours after a puncture.

The large number of doses included in each vial, as well as the relatively short period for utilizing a vial once it has been pierced, are likely to have contributed to the wastage of wasted doses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received reports from many vaccination suppliers about wasting thousands of doses in a single report.

Although vaccine waste was reported regularly, the newly disclosed data indicates that it was a slow, constant stream rather than a torrent  the most frequent claim in the data was that just four doses of vaccine were wasted at a time.

A Kaiser Health News investigation revealed that the nation squandered almost 200,000 Covid vaccine doses from December 2020 to March 2021. The data published Tuesday is more comprehensive and complete than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data in April.

The New York Times discovered that about 1 million pills were squandered across ten states from December to July in a separate study.

The more comprehensive data indicates that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now understand how much money is being spent and where it is being squandered than it did earlier in the vaccine program.

Why getting unused vaccines to nations in need is so complicated
by Bryan R. Swopes of This Day in Aviation and by Capt. Kenya Pettway, Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs

UPT Class 77-08 featured the first female officers to graduate in the Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training Program (U.S. Air Force). The ten women trained with 36 male classmates and received their Silver Wings on September 2nd, 1977.

In 1975, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force announced the establishment of a test program for female pilots and navigators. Although women had already proven their ability to fly military aircraft, such as the WASPs in World War II, this test program would establish a precedent for the future of female pilots in the U.S. Air Force. The candidates were all serving Air Force officers from various career fields, including a nurse, engineer, and maintenance officer.

This was the first time, nearly three decades after the birth of the Air Force as an independent air arm, that women were allowed to join the service on a par with the men and enter pilot and navigator career fields. On September 26, 1976, these 10 women, alongside their male classmates, began UPT at Williams Air Force Base near Chandler, Arizona, and cemented their place in history.

Accumulating more than 210 flight hours in the T-37 Tweet and T-38 Talon, they successfully completed UPT and went on to achieve more historical feats in their Air Force careers, pioneering the way for future generations of women to follow. The 10 women who formed this first contingent of female Air Force pilots included: 2nd Lt. Kathleen Rambo, 1st Lt. Victoria K. Crawford, Capt. Mary E. Donahue, Capt. Connie J. Engel, Capt. Kathy LaSauce, 2nd Lt. Mary M. Livingston, Capt. Susan D. Rogers, 2nd Lt. Carol A. Scherer, Capt. Christine E. Schott and 1st Lt. Sandra M. Scott.

Mary E. Donahue  Donahue became the first woman to serve as an instructor pilot assigned to the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she taught senior cadets to fly the T-41 trainer and was an educator in the department of mathematical science.

Susan D. Rogers  Flying a C-141 Starlifter, Rogers evacuated victims of a bombing attack on a U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon on Oct. 23, 1983. Sadly, she died of cancer in 1992, but left behind a legacy of excellence.

Christine E. Schott  Schott was the first woman to solo in the Northrop T-38A Talon at Williams AFB, Arizona. She later became the first woman to qualify and serve as an aircraft commander on the C-9A Nightingale medical transport and command its first all-female aircrew.

Connie J. Engel  Engel, the class leader, was the first in her class to solo in the T-37 Nov. 30, 1976, earning her one of the three Distinguished Graduate awards, the Officer Training Award for exhibiting high qualities of military bearing and leadership and the Air Training Commanders Trophy as the top graduate. Following graduation, she became the first female T-38 instructor and flew the T-38 chase for the space shuttle program.

Kathy LaSauce  LaSauce became the first female pilot to command a C-141 and the first woman to serve as a presidential support pilot. She joined the Air Force in 1972 and received one of only two slots available for women to attend Air Force Officer Training School. After graduating OTS, LaSauce was selected as one of the first female officers in aircraft maintenance, a newly-opened career field for women at that time. Her experience in aircraft maintenance helped her gain one of the 10 slots for women to enter pilot training.

Sandra M. Scott  Scott became the first female tanker commander to perform the alert duty for the Strategic Air Command. She joined Air Force ROTC at Oregon State University in 1970 after school officials had opened the program to women only a year prior. Following her commissioning in 1973, she was stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, for weapons controller training where she was first exposed to aviation. After completing her first assignment, she went to King Salmon Air Force Station, Alaska, where she met pilots who were conducting alert missions. When the Air Force announced its test program, she applied and was accepted.

As of January 2021, women make up 21% of all Air Force members. Of the 328,255 active duty members, 68,470 are women, with 806 who serve as pilots, 347 navigators, and 233 air battle managers, according to Air Forces Personnel Center officials.

There is no denying the trailblazing women of class 77  08 were set up in such a way that failure would have been easy. But thats not what Airmen do. Through grit and determination not only did they succeed  they excelled!

For more aviation anniversaries please visit www.thisdayinaviation.com
This summers wildfire season has been particularly brutal so far in the U.S., even in comparison to the catastrophic blazes of previous years. The same is true for Canada as well, which has experienced a significant increase in major conflagrations from British Columbia on the east to Ontario. On July 14th alone, there were reportedly 226 wildfires burning out of control across the nation. Given such dire circumstances, one might imagine that all hands would literally be at the pump, with as many aerial firefighting teams in action as possible. But this is not the case at least not for the Martin JRM Mars water bombers which the Coulson Group once fielded each year in British Columbia and elsewhere.

Many have wondered why such a powerful asset is sitting on the sidelines when it could be playing an important role in quashing fires from the air, like other smaller and less capable aircraft in the Coulson fleet. But according to British Columbias Wildfire Service, the Mars is a retired aircraft that hasnt been used in B.C. since 2015. What this banal statement fails to address, however, is that it was the very same BC Wildfire Service that brought about this situation. They declined to renew the aircrafts firefighting contracts that year, and in subsequent years essentially forcing the types withdrawal from operational use.

Instead of including the big guns like the Mars, the Wildfire Service prefers to contract fleets of far-smaller float planes like the AT-802F Fire Boss, which is based upon the well-known, single-engine Air Tractor crop-duster. While the Fire Boss is certainly more nimble, can coordinate in numbers over a fire, and safely drop near firefighting personnel on the ground (which the Mars cannot), it only has the capacity to deliver a minuscule amount of water in any one pass in comparison to the Mars. This is not to say that the Mars would be appropriate in every situation  especially in treacherous terrain or where the local bodies of water cannot handle a flying boat of the JRMs bulk, but surely there is a place for both aircraft types?

Indeed, the Mars packs a far more powerful punch in just one pass than even eight Fire Boss float planes could flying in formation; indeed it can deliver 7,200 gallons of water in seconds  enough to cover 4 acres of land  in comparison to the 819 gallons a lone Fire Boss provides. Comparing their capabilities can perhaps be summarized with the analogy of trying to douse a campfire with a teacup of water, versus a garbage can. Yes, you can scoop up water with a teacup more easily, and probably dump it more precisely than with a garbage can, but how many trips would it take to extinguish the fire were that even possible? Perhaps this argument is overly simplistic, but it seems fair for all but the biggest conflagrations which no aircraft could do much to suppress.

In a recent interview with the Vancouver Sun , Wayne Coulson, Coulson Groups CEO, seemed to make a similar comparison after his recent overflight of the Mount Hayes fire near Ladysmith, BC: A few dumps from a tanker like the Martin Mars would have a huge effect on that fire. The B.C. Wildfire Service should be using every tool in the toolbox during the wildfire season, including large tankers like the Martin Mars and Coulsons converted Boeing 737s.

With respect to the Mars, Coulson added, [The Wildfire Service] just dont want it and have their own ideas on how to fight fires, and they are the only place in the world who think that way.

So it seems as if the Martin Mars has seen the end of its firefighting days at least in British Columbia. Other than the types age, its hard to see why the Mars is not part of the present-day wildfire-fighting equation in British Columbia. Even considering its age, the present-day Martin Mars has received a lot of upgrades since its time in the U.S. Navy. According the Coulson Groups description: The Martin Mars is the largest operational flying boat in existence. In 2007 Coulson Aircrane Ltd. purchased the Hawaii and Philippine Mars to expand its firefighting capabilities, establishing itself as the only operator at the time operating both fixed-wing and rotary-wing firefighting aircraft. The next-generation Hawaii Mars has an EFIS glass cockpit with the ability to stream live data from other onboard indication equipment, including real-time flight tracking, load measuring, aircraft performance, atmospheric conditions, drop reading(s), and drop location data. Coulson even considered upgrading the type with modern and more easily maintainable turboprop powerplants (in place of the R-3350s it came with) if that would help reverse the decision against the Mars, but to no avail apparently

Whether the Martin Mars ever fights another fire again is a question for open debate of course. It seems unlikely though  especially the longer the firefighting hiatus extends, since maintaining the aircraft in airworthy condition without water-bombing contracts to support this endeavor would be punishingly expensive. And of course, Coulson has made several moves to find new homes for their two remaining JRMs.

Philippine Mars having sat idle for five years, the Coulson Group announced that they would retire the aircraft and fly her to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida where she would become a static exhibit. Coulson repainted Philippine Mars in her original naval livery and prepared the flying boat for her final flight to the museum, which was supposed to occur in November 2012. However, after many delays, the Navy put a hold on the trade deal involved with transferring the aircraft to Pensacola in June 2016, pending the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential election. And there the story, in public at least, has run dry. To date, we have received no further news about the move  if it is ever to occur. The On August 23, 2012, due tohaving sat idle for five years, the Coulson Group announced that they would retire the aircraft and fly her to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida where she would become a static exhibit. Coulson repainted Philippine Mars in her original naval livery and prepared the flying boat for her final flight to the museum, which was supposed to occur in November 2012. However, after many delays, the Navy put a hold on the trade deal involved with transferring the aircraft to Pensacola in June 2016, pending the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential election. And there the story, in public at least, has run dry. To date, we have received no further news about the move  if it is ever to occur. The Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum in Middle River, Maryland  located at the same airfield where the Mars was born  has expressed a keen interest in obtaining a JRM for its collection too. However, as with everything, fundraising will be key for this deserving museum to succeed in such a quest.

So again  what now for the Mars? If the firefighting contract never does materialize, one of the two behemoths will likely remain in Canada for eventual static display. Presumably this will be Hawaii Mars, since it retains in the Coulson livery. And if Philippine Mars, which is now resplendent in its former US Navy scheme, is to find a new home in the United States, then surely that must happen fairly soon too  at least if that final journey south is to be on the wing

Here is hoping for some positive developments sometime in the near future!
M&A

Red Cat closes platform-focused acquisition & hires new defense leader

Unmanned aircraft software maker Red Cat Holdings has closed its all-stock acquisition of Teal Drones, a maker of those very vehicles for government and commercial industries.

Teal Drones Golden Eagle aerial vehicle is one of five such approved by the Defense Department for reconnaissance, public safety, and inspection applications.

Humacao, Puerto Rico headquartered-Teal Drones will become part of the enterprise segment at Red Cat that also includes remote inspection business Skypersonic, the acquirer said in a release Wednesday.

We can offer both consumer and enterprise drones with an extensive suite of additional software and hardware options and other technologies, along with an approved line of military drones for public safety, reconnaissance and inspection applications, Red Cat CEO Jeffrey Thompson said in a release.

Red Cat first announced the deal in July with terms remaining undisclosed.

In conjunction with the integration, Red Cat also announced Thursday its hire of nearly three-decade aerospace sector veteran Geoffrey Hitchcock as senior vice president of global defense solutions.

Hitchcock will lead the research and identification of all opportunities to sell the Teal Golden Eagle vehicle to military customers given the ban on federal funds for drones and drone components sourced from China.

Prior to Red Cat, Hitchock was vice president of sales and business development at Vantage Robotics with a focus on U.S. government and international market opportunities. He also spent 16 years at AeroVironment and the 22 before that in the Air Force.
Inspectors later reported that the LPN responded to the request by saying she was tired, didnt feel well and didnt want to do CPR, and that she also whispered to one of her colleagues that she was too scared to perform CPR.

A third worker then attempted chest compressions and CPR. That worker later told inspectors she had sat through a CPR class in high school five years before but had never performed CPR and had no idea what I was doing.

Several workers later told inspectors they didnt use a defibrillator on the resident and were unsure whether the home even had one. One worker indicated she had last been certified in CPR 13 years ago.

The Special-Focus Facility List is updated quarterly by CMS and includes homes deemed by CMS to have a history of serious quality issues. Those homes are enrolled in a special program intended to stimulate improvements in their quality of care through increased oversight.

While 10 Iowa homes are deemed eligible for that sort of assistance, they are not actually enrolled in the program or receiving the assistance.
At trial, Johnson denied running an after-hours club, saying the building is the headquarters of his motor carrier business, Woochies World LLC.

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He said the city didnt produce any witnesses to testify that they were sold alcohol, and he said people were there June 12 for a birthday party. He noted that a police photo showed balloons with happy birthday printed on them on a table in the building.

City Attorney Martin Petersen noted that police found an apparent price list for shots of liquor, cigarettes and admission when they searched the building, asking jurors: When was the last time they went to a birthday party with a cover charge?

The case was the first prosecution under the citys after-hour ordinance in years, according to officials.

There were several other shootings at unlicensed establishments in 2020.
WATERLOO  After 13 years on the Board of Education and nearly seven as president, Shanlee McNally is not running for re-election.

But the two other incumbents whose terms are up will run in the Nov. 2 election, which McNally said made her decision easier. Endya Johnson and Astor Williams both announced at last weeks board meeting that they would seek second terms.

Im just so excited that Astor and Endya are running again and the boards in a good place, said McNally, suggesting that consistency in its membership is important. I need to focus on some other things and I really feel like the district is in a really great position. McNally serves in an at-large seat on the board, meaning that she is elected by all Waterloo Community Schools voters.

Williams serves in the Director District 1 position covering a northeast portion of Waterloo, portions of East Waterloo and Poyner townships, and Elk Run Heights, Evansdale, Gilbertville, and Raymond. Johnson represents Director District 4, which includes a northwest portion of Waterloo. She works as a technical assistant at the Waterloo Public Library and Williams is a counselor for Educational Talent Search at the University of Northern Iowa Center for Urban Education.
WATERLOO  More than 180 requests to open enroll out of Waterloo Community Schools have been received since legislation ending voluntary diversity plans went into effect.

But Superintendent Jane Lindaman said 39 of those students are back in Waterloo Schools this fall after parents canceled the move or receiving districts denied the request.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the bill approved by the Republican-led Legislature on May 10. That was after the March 1 deadline to apply for open enrollment. As a result, the new law didnt include a deadline this year for Waterloo Schools and the four other affected districts.

Lindaman told The Courier on Tuesday that there have been 182 requests to open enroll out of the district since the legislation went into effect. Waterloos diversity plan required the number of students transferring in and out of the district annually to be balanced based on their families income level. That limited the number of students who could leave or enter the district.
She is currently in Waterloo for some filming of the 1619 Project documentary series that will air on the Hulu streaming service and ABC TV.

The curriculum's focus "is teaching literacy through Black history," but Hannah-Jones explained that doesn't need to deter any students from enrolling. "We believe that all children benefit from learning Black American history because that's American history."

It was custom-designed by educators from Georgetown University's Program in Education, Inquiry, and Justice and the University of Missouri's Carter Center for K12 Black History Education. By 2022, the curriculum will be made available for free to anyone in the country wishing to use it.

"The 1619 Freedom School is built on the understanding that for a people for whom it was once illegal to learn to read and write, education is a revolutionary act," said Hannah-Jones. "A quality education has been the key to my success and I wanted to give back to the community that raised me and to the children whose opportunities may be limited but who have potential that is limitless. Through this school, we will provide our students the type of education and support they have always deserved."
DES MOINES  Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday called on Iowans to get vaccinated to limit the spread of COVID-19. But she announced no policy changes, and defended a new state law that prevents schools from requiring students to wear face masks.

Its obvious that vaccines are our best tool against countering COVID-19, Reynolds said during a news conference at the Iowa Capitol. So we want to reiterate to Iowans to get the information that you need, to research, (and) get a vaccine. Its the best thing that you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones. We see that the data were collecting actually proves that out.

After months of decline following a winter spike, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are once again surging in Iowa. Numbers in Iowa and nationwide are higher than they have been since January, the tail end of the pandemics deadliest stretch.

Iowa is averaging nearly 1,500 new cases per day  15 times the rate just two months ago. And 524 people are hospitalized for COVID-19, more than seven times as many as two months ago.

Another troubling development  more than 40% of new cases in Iowa were among children and people in their 20s, according to data released Wednesday. Among those currently hospitalized for COVID-19 in Iowa, 5% are younger than 18.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  Facts about the wildfire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe at the California-Nevada border:

 The Caldor Fire, named for the road where it started on Aug. 14 near the community of Grizzly Flats, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) from Lake Tahoe, had grown to about 320 square miles (827 square kilometers) by Wednesday morning.

 There are more than 4,200 personnel on the lines, with firefighters coming from as far away as Wisconsin and West Virginia to aid the firefight. The U.S. Army was also training about 250 soldiers to work as hand crews, who typically hike into wildland fire areas and remove rocks, leaves, bushes and other flammable material using shovels and chainsaws.

 In all, 15,000 fire personnel are working on fires statewide, including the still-burning Dixie Fire. But states across the country are stretched for resources as many rescue personnel have been sent to help with Hurricane Ida recovery.

 Some 26 helicopters are dropping water and retardant on the Caldor Fire. Numerous airplane tankers are assisting when smoky conditions allow them to fly.
FINKENAUER ENDORSEMENT: The American Federation of Government Employees has endorsed Democrat Abby Finkenauer for the U.S. Senate in 2022.

Abby Finkenauer has a lifetime 97% AFGE voting record, District 8 National Vice President Gregg James said. Abby voted to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history in 2019 and to pass the PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize) Act.

According to supporters, the PRO Act would restore fairness and protect workers right to join a union. Opponents argue it would strip workers right and outsource them to unions.

More than 17,400 federal employees live in Iowa and there are nearly 37,700 current and retired federal employees in the state.

AFGE is the largest federal employee union in the country, representing 700,000 federal and Washington government workers.

BOUSSELOT ENDORSEMENT: A second business group has endorsed Republican candidate Michael Bousselot in a special Iowa House election in Ankeny. In addition to the state chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, also the Iowa Association of Business and Industrys political arm has endorsed Bousselot, the former state Department of Management director.


Significant High-Grade Gold Aircore Results at Mulgabbie

Perth, Sep 2, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - OzAurum Resources Ltd ( ASX:OZM ) is pleased to announce significant high-grade gold aircore (AC) drilling results from 180 holes for 13,319 meters (m) of drilling at its Mulgabbie North Project, situated two kilometres from the Northern Star Resources ( ASX:NST ) Carosue Dam Mine Operations.Highlights- AC holes that intersected significant gold mineralisation from 1m samples of previously released composite drill hole results include:o 1m @ 34.50 g/t Au from 27m - MNOAC 144o 1m @ 19.70 g/t from 28m - MNOAC 144o 1m @ 19.55 g/t Au from 30m - MNOAC 216o 1m @ 10.10 g/t Au from 32m - MNOAC 255- AC holes that intersected significant gold mineralisation from composite samples include:o 4m @ 3.39 g/t Au from 20m - MNOAC 404o 4m @ 1.87 g/t from 40m - MNOAC 378o 3m @ 0.75 g/t Au from 60m end of hole (EOH) - MNOAC 405- Discovery of a significant widespread gold zone up to 2.8km long and 150m wide at Mulgabbie North- New gold zone potentially represents the near surface footprint of significant primary gold mineralisation and high-grade gold paleochannel hosted mineralisation- High priority wide spaced Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling due to commence in the coming weeks to test strike extensions of the James Prospect and other new areas defined by latest AC drilling resultsMulgabbie Project AC Drilling ResultsOf the 180 AC holes drilled for 13,319m (MNOAC 335-514), 100 AC holes for 6,913m (MNOAC 335-435) were drilled at Mulgabbie North and 80 holes were drilled for 6,406m (MNOAC 436-514) at E28/2477 the south of Mulgabbie. This AC drilling forms part of OzAurum's initial 30,000m AC drilling campaign that began in February this year which was later increased to 45,000m. So far, a total of 514 holes have been drilled for 37,398m.Mulgabbie North DrillingA new zone of widespread gold mineralisation extending for 2.8km long and up to 150m wide, has been defined by AC drilling at Mulgabbie North. A number of exciting new targets have been identified for future RC drilling in this area including noteworthy strike extensions to the James Prospect.Significant one metre gold results, in addition to previously released four metre composite results from AC holes MNOAC 131 - 303 (see OZM ASX releases 24 May 2021 and 21 June 2021) at Mulgabbie North include; 1m @ 34.50 g/t Au from 27m (MNOAC144), 1m @ 19.70 g/t Au from 28m (MNOAC144) and 1m @ 19.55 g/t Au from 30m (MNOAC 216). These significant high grade paleochannel gold intersections are along strike from previously reported 1m @ 162 g/t Au from 27m (MNOAC 120) and 1m @ 31 g/t Au from 34m (MNOAC 130) (see ASX release 24 May 2021). Other significant paleochannel results include 1m @ 10.10 g/t Au from 32m (MNOAC 255) and 1m @ 5.55 g/t Au from 30m (MNOAC 254).Saprolite gold mineralisation was intersected in one metre AC results at Mulgabbie North including 1m @ 7.79 g/t Au from 55m (MNOAC 254), 1m @ 3.44 g/t Au from 70m (MNOAC 216), 1m @ 3.37 g/t Au from 42m (MNOAC 149) and 1m @ 2.48 g/t Au from 52m (MNOAC 289). Gold mineralisation associated with MNOAC 254 defines a new north western gold zone situated 300m west of the Relief Shear contact gold mineralisation. Numerous other one metre gold results that intersected grades over 1 g/t Au are located in table 1*.Significant four metre composite AC drilling results from holes MNOAC 335-434 at Mulgabbie North include 4m @ 3.39 g/t Au from 20m (MNOAC 404 - Libby Prospect), 4m @ 1.87 g/t Au from 40m (MNOAC 378), 8m @ 0.46 g/t Au from 24m (MNOAC 343) along with 3m @ 0.75 g/t Au from 60m at end of hole (EOH) (MNOAC405). Numerous other anomalous composite gold results can be found in table 2 of this release. These AC results have provided the Company with exciting new targets that will be followed-up with future RC drilling.South of Mulgabbie DrillingAC drilling was also completed on the southern area of E28/2477 (MNOAC 435-514) where holes have been drilled at 1km x 80m spacing. A number of excellent four meter composite results have been received from this area including 4m @ 0.36 g/t Au from 76m (MNOAC512), 4m @ 0.13 g/t Au from 76m (MNOAC 491), 4m @ 0.13 g/t Au from 48m (MNOAC 489), 4m @ 0.13 g/t Au (MNOAC 481) and 4m @ 0.11 g/t Au (MNOAC 473). Please see figure 3* and table 2* for significant composite results.This area is the interpreted position of the southern extension of the Relief Shear. Transported cover up to 40m thick has prevented previous effective exploration of this area. There is no historic drilling in this area, and visual signs of bottom of hole chips is encouraging with sericite altered volcaniclastic rocks being intersected with pyrite mineralisation. Please refer to figure 3* for the location of drilling in this area.Geological InterpretationThe current interpretation is that some of the high-grade gold mineralisation discovered at Mulgabbie North is tertiary paleochannel hosted gold mineralisation. Ongoing and future work will involve systematic interpretation of the base of this highly mineralised paleochannel position, specifically locating the centre of the base of the mineralised channel facies. This style of gold mineralisation is very encouraging and will be specifically targeted via future vertical AC and RC drill holes.Widespread gold mineralisation at this new 2.8 km-long gold zone is currently open to the north and the south. In addition, the new gold zone is co-incident with OzAurum's gold auger calcrete geochemistry anomalies, and a gravity low trough similar to the Northern Star ( ASX:NST ) Carouse Dam corridor of riches in which their operating gold mines are situated, which includes production of about 1.5 million ounces of gold to date.As previously announced, another significant aspect of the AC drilling program completed at Mulgabbie thus far is the discovery of a 40-80m wide zone of hematite alteration being intersected in the bottom of the AC holes, defining a trend striking NW for over 2.8 kms, and situated 150m west of the Relief Shear (see ASX announcement dated 15 March 2021). This is significant because hematite alteration is the characteristic alteration of the adjacent Northern Star's Karari and Whirling Dervish Gold Mines. The hematite alteration observed is indicating oxidised fluids from an intrusive complex suggesting proximity to the mineralising centre- likely to be within OzAurum's 100% owned Mulgabbie North tenure.High Priority Mulgabbie North RC DrillingThe latest AC gold drill results have clearly defined significant zones of gold mineralisation along and adjacent to the Relief Shear. Of particular interest, is the area immediately along strike to the north of the James Prospect where AC holes have intersected significant gold mineralisation extending north of the most northern RC hole which intersected primary gold mineralisation at the James Prospect including 13m @ 1.28 g/t Au and 6m @ 1.40 g/t Au (MNORC 103, ASX release 19 July 2021). Immediate high priority wide spaced RC drilling is planned to test this extension of the James Prospect and other zones of significant AC gold mineralisation at Mulgabbie North.OzAurum's Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Pumphrey, said:"The Company is proud to announce the additional high-grade AC intercepts uncovered by our large-scale AC drilling campaign. The discovery of a new widespread zone of gold mineralisation within the Mulgabbie North project, and extending for over 2.8 km, provides us with even greater confidence in the large-scale potential of the Project. In particular, we are excited by the potential of this area where the host rocks are intermediate-felsic volcaniclastic units - very similar to the Northern Star Carosue Dam Karari and Whirling Dervish Gold Mines."In addition, a new 40-80m wide zone of Hematite alteration extending for over 2.8km intersected for the first time in AC holes is very promising since this is a key signature of the adjacent Northern Star Carosue Dam Karari and Whirling Dervish Gold Mines that have so far produced about 1.5 million ounces of gold."Lastly, this area is under transported cover that has prevented previous effective exploration and now represents a significant exploration opportunity for the Company."In the coming months as drilling results become available the company will be providing the market with regular updates. Laboratory assay results are currently taking up to over 10 weeks from time of delivery causing delays in results being released to the market.To view tables and figures, please visit:About OzAurum Resources Limited

OzAurum Resources Ltd (ASX:OZM) is a Western Australian gold explorer with two advanced gold projects located 130 km north east of Kalgoorlie. The Company's main objective is to make a significant gold discovery that can be brought to production.


Magnis Bolsters Management Team

Sydney, Sep 2, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Magnis Energy Technologies Limited ( ASX:MNS ) ( FRA:U1P ) ( OTCMKTS:URNXF ) is very pleased to announce senior management appointments to increase skills and capabilities as the company continues in its significant growth phase.Director of Battery Technologies - Dr Jawahar NerkarDr Nerkar has nearly 20 years of experience in Lithium-ion batteries, electrochemical energy storage devices and supercapacitors. He obtained his M.Sc. Tech degree from TuDelft, in The Netherlands. He earned his Ph.D. degree from the University of Newcastle, through a fellowship from The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).Dr Nerkar was one of the co-investigators of Australia's first pilot facility to produce commercial graded Lithium-ion battery cells established at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He has strong expertise in the development, scalable production and testing of next generation, high performance Lithium-ion battery materials including cells and battery packs. He has coordinated several commercially funded research projects directly by industries and indirectly under Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program (AUTOCRC, IMCRC) on advanced Lithium-ion battery chemistries with a focus on cell and pack designing, prototyping and testing.Dr Nerkar is also currently serving as an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Science, School of Chemistry & Physics, at QUT.Corporate Development & Investor Relations Manager - Aran NagendraMr Nagendra has spent nearly 15 years in the funds management and financial services industry in Australia. His experience covers investment strategy and due-diligence, capital markets, portfolio management, trading and investor relations.Aran is also director and co-founder of India Avenue, an Australian domiciled funds management business providing investment solutions to Australian and New Zealand investors seeking to access India's financial markets. He previously worked at MLC Asset Management, one of Australia's largest multi-asset funds and prior to this held roles in investment research at ING Investment Management and ANZ.Aran is a CFA charterholder, a globally renowned qualification for expertise in advanced investment and financial analysis, accompanied with a strict emphasis in ethical practice. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce & Bachelor of Science majoring in Finance and Mathematics from the University of New South Wales, Australia.Magnis Chairman Frank Poullas commented: "Aran has been brilliant to date increasing the company's exposure in the investment community with a focus on targeting institutional fund managers both in Australia and overseas.""Jawahar is considered to be one of the best electro-chemists in the Lithium-ion battery sector locally and it's a huge privilege having him in our team and he will focus on assisting the progression of the Townsville Battery Plant."About Magnis Energy Technologies Limited

Magnis Energy Technologies Limited (ASX:MNS) (OTCMKTS:URNXF) (FRA:U1P) aims to become a leading global producer of next-generation green credentialed Lithium-Ion Battery (LIB) cells, enabling the future energy requirements of the world, the global storage of renewable energy and electrification of transportation.

Leveraging off a world class graphite asset in Tanzania, associated production IP and a strategy partnership with US based Charge CCV, Magnis will manage an end to end supply chain, sourcing the raw materials and associated technologies for these cells.

Magnis has three core areas of focus which provide the Company with a strategic advantage; battery technologies, gigafactories and graphite.


Drilling Update at Marymia Gold Project

Sydney, Sep 2, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Vango Mining Limited ( ASX:VAN ) is pleased to provide the following update on its ongoing 2021 drilling campaign at the Company's flagship Marymia Gold Project (Marymia, the Project) in the Mid-West region of Western Australia.Vango commenced its latest phase of drilling at Marymia in July (Vango's ASX announcement, 9 July 2021), and has made substantial progress. Drilling is focused on 11 priority open-pit targets base (Figure 1) not currently part of the Marymia JORC 2012 resource base. It is designed to add significant near-surface resources amenable to open pit mining, as part of any future mining operation at the Marymia Project.The Company has completed 44 holes for a total of 7,220 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling at nine high priority open pits targets to date, and assay results are currently pending and are due imminently. See Table 1* for details of holes and metres completed to date for each open pit.Vango is highly encouraged by its initial assessment of the drilling. Drilling has intersected veining and alteration associated with mineralisation across multiple zones, in all the pit targets drilled to date.The Company plans undertake a minimum of 15,000 metres of RC drilling in this drilling campaign, with the ability to expand the campaign subject to results.The program is designed to test for depth and strike extensions of the open pit targets, which were previously mined solely from near-surface oxide material in 45 open pits.Drilling is being undertaken to a target depth of approximately 160 metres below surface, and has been extended in a number of holes which ended in mineralisation at this target depth. At the Parrott open pit, all holes were drilled to a depth of more than 190 metres, which included a hole to 217 metres depth - the deepest hole in the program to date.Drilling is currently underway and ongoing at the Redfin open pit, which is located adjacent to the large-scale Salmon open pit at Superior Gold Inc's 5.5-million-ounce gold mine immediately south of Vango's Marymia Project.Details of 2021 Drilling CampaignThe 11 open pits to be targeted in the 2021 drilling campaign are; Apollo, Exocet, Ibis, Kookaburra, Parrot, Pigeon, Prickleys, Redfin, Rosella, Skyhawk and Speckled (Figure 1*). The 11 open pit targets have been ranked in order of priority, based on historic gold inventory and a review of historic drilling, and the proposed drillholes at each target have been designed.Drilling is specifically designed to extend (Indicated and Inferred) resources adding to the substantial existing Marymia resource base. It will also enhance the understanding of the mineralised zones within the targeted open pits for the benefit of Vango's mine planning, and for assessing funding requirements for the Company's proposed stand-alone mining operation.This campaign is also designed to deliver 'critical mass' to increase the mine life of a proposed future mining operation from Marymia's resource base, specifically targeting an increase in total ounces to ensure that mill capacity of any future mining operation is maximised over the Project's total mine life.Background to 2021 Drilling CampaignVango completed an extensive 20,000 metre reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling drill campaign in 2020, and all results from this campaign have been released to the market. The program focused on priority targets at the Trident gold corridor and PHB gold corridor at Marymia.Vango has completed an extensive geological review and modelling of the Marymia Project, incorporating results from the 2020 drilling campaign. The results of this work have formed the basis of Vango's 2021 field season, focusing on open-pit targets designed to add significant, near-surface resources to the existing Marymia JORC resource base.The Company plans to release an updated and expanded JORC 2012 resource for the Marymia Project, including results from the 2020 and 2021 drilling campaigns.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Vango Mining Limited

Vango Mining Limited (ASX:VAN) is an exploration mining company with ambitions of becoming a high-grade WA gold miner by developing the 100% owned Marymia Gold Project (Marymia) located in the mid-west region of Western Australia, consisting of 45 granted mining leases over 300km2.

Marymia has an established high-grade resource of 1Moz @ 3 g/t Au, underpinned by Trident - 410koz @ 8 g/t Au, with immediate extensions open at depth/along strike.
DENVER  A lawyer for a 22-year-old man accused of shooting 10 people to death at a Colorado supermarket in March is raising questions about whether he is mentally competent to proceed with the case, according to a notice filed in court Wednesday.

Details on the concerns about Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissas mental health and how it might affect his ability to understand and participate in court proceedings are not known because the motion is sealed as required under state law.

However, a notice that such a motion was filed and the judges initial response is public.

Judge Ingrid Seftar Bakke said she would consider the issue at a previously scheduled court hearing Monday to determine whether there is enough evidence for Alissa to stand trial.

Shannon Carbone, a spokesperson for District Attorney Michael Dougherty, said prosecutors expected the hearing on the evidence to go ahead as planned.

Alissas attorney has previously said he has an unspecified mental illness.

A defendants ability to understand and assist in their defense is a separate legal issue than a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, which hinges on whether someones mental health affected their actions when a crime was committed.

Raising the issue of competency has the potential to delay proceedings. Under state law, proceedings that require defendants to participate and assist their lawyers in defending them must be suspended if they are deemed incompetent. But hearings before a case goes to trial that do not require their participation can proceed.

___

This story was first published on Sept. 1, 2021. It was updated on Sept. 9, 2021, to correct the name of the district attorney prosecuting the case. He is Michael Dougherty, not Matthew Dougherty.
Some local breweries and other businesses are teaming up to tackle one of the states biggest concerns  hunger.

September is Hunger Action Month, and Steel Bender Brewyard has collaborated with Second Street Brewery in Santa Fe and Sierra Blanca Brewing Co. in Moriarty to brew a special beer as part of its One for 5 fund raiser. They will donate the sales proceeds to the Storehouse New Mexico food pantry, one of the states largest.

This years One for 5 beer is a hazy pale ale. According to the brewers, the Pilsner malt is light and dry with a great hop presence.

The packaged beer is being sold exclusively in Albertsons grocery stores across New Mexico, and 100% of package sales proceeds will go to Storehouse. The One for 5 beer will also be available by the pint in each of the taprooms, with a dollar per pint being donated.

Thousands of New Mexicans face hunger and insecurity about where and when they will have their next meal. Throughout the years, New Mexico has had the dubious honor of leading the nation in child hunger. And 53% of the families experiencing food insecurity include at least one employed adult according to the New Mexico Association Food Banks.

It is alarming statistics such as these that led Steel Bender to look for ways to help. The answer was starting the One for 5 fundraiser three years ago.

Steel Bender co-owner and marketing director Shelby Chant said its important to continue giving back to the community despite the challenges brewers faced during the pandemic, with closures, limited capacity and layoffs. Jill Beets, spokeswoman for Storehouse, said her organization can provide five meals with every $1 raised, which was the inspiration for the name of the beer and fundraiser.

Beets said the One for 5 effort has raised nearly $24,000 over the past two years, helping the Storehouse provide 119,645 meals.

We are very thankful that the breweries are still supporting this effort, Beets said. Even with the challenges they have faced. Without their help, we could also be struggling.

She said the number of people facing food insecurity increased during the pandemic.

We have been seeing a lot of new faces, Beets said. Especially last summer, when people were laid off. We saw a lot of people who had never been to a food pantry.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Mexico is still much higher than it was a month ago, but the growing spread is showing recent signs of leveling off, state health officials said Wednesday.

The plateauing of cases could signal the delta wave caused by a highly contagious variant of the virus might be cresting, though health officials cautioned its too soon to be certain and expressed concern about rising hospitalization rates around New Mexico.

Were still going to have a few rough weeks for hospitalizations even if things do turn around with cases, acting state Health Secretary David Scrase said during a Wednesday online briefing with reporters.

The number of individuals hospitalized due to COVID-19 was at 381 as of Wednesday  up from 148 a month ago  and could exceed 700 in the coming weeks, State Epidemiologist Christine Ross said.

The surge in hospitalizations  nearly 90% of those hospitalized over the last four weeks have been unvaccinated individuals  has strained a New Mexico hospital system that was already dealing with a nursing shortage and limited patient beds.

Meanwhile, state health officials also said the number of new virus cases among children between ages 5 and 17 has increased in recent weeks with the start of a the school year and now make up more than 20% of all new COVID-19 cases statewide  a higher proportion than previously during the pandemic.

We know that in schools we are bringing a large number of unvaccinated individuals together in a close environment, Ross said Wednesday.

Children between ages 12 and 15 were not eligible to get vaccinated against the virus until May  roughly 47.4% of kids between ages 12 and 17 are now fully vaccinated in New Mexico  and those younger than 12 are still not eligible to get the shot.

Despite the increase in cases, the hospitalization rate for New Mexico children has not increased in recent weeks, Scrase said. That could indicate many of those who tested positive have had either mild or no symptoms.

New Mexico has one of the nations highest vaccination rates among those 18 and older, with 77.6% of adults having received at least one dose of the vaccine and 67.7% having gotten all shots necessary to be fully vaccinated, according to state Department of Health data.

However, some counties in southeast New Mexico have vaccination rates that lag far behind the statewide rate and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration has offered financial incentives and other outreach efforts in an attempt to boost vaccination rates.

The Democratic governors administration has also reimposed a face mask mandate for indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status, and ordered all hospital employees and workers in group home settings to get the vaccine or risk losing their jobs.

But Lujan Grisham has said its unlikely her administration would reimpose capacity limits or other restrictions on businesses that were lifted July 1.

Statewide, the Department of Health reported 875 new confirmed virus cases Wednesday.

Thats roughly in line with the states average of 813 new cases daily over the past week, according to DOH data.

There were also 11 additional virus-related deaths reported  including a woman in her 20s from Bernalillo County  that bumped the states death toll to 4,529 individuals since the pandemic hit New Mexico in March 2020.

While the states vaccination rate and the number of new cases have both increased in recent weeks, state health officials said New Mexico may never reach herd immunity  or protection from an infectious disease thats generated when a sufficient percentage of the population is immune.

Were not really sure there is a magical number we can reach where life is going to return to normal, said Ross, citing travel between states and different countries as one reason for the difficulty stopping virus spread.
Albuquerque is in the midst of a boom in Central and South American restaurants. In the past few years, the Costa Rican restaurant Buen Provecho opened at El Vado Motel, Cachos Venezuelan Bistro launched at Sawmill Market and Tio Davids Peruvian Flavor started up in Nob Hill.

The new spots join Guava Tree Cafe, Gobble This, Pollito Con Papas and Ajiaco Colombian Bistro in making pupusas, arepas and yuca fries familiar to local diners.

Like New Mexican food, Central and South American cuisine developed from a mix of Spanish and indigenous ingredients and traditions. The names on the menu are familiar; the preparation and presentation less so.

At El Papaturro, a 5-year-old Salvadoran restaurant in the North Valley, a tamale arrives not in a corn husk but a banana leaf. Unwrapping it reveals a light, almost fluffy sleeve of steamed masa, a far cry from the crumbly, lardy filling found in New Mexican tamales.

Salvadoran-born Patricia Martinez and her husband, Noe, named El Papaturro for a tree native to Mexico and Central America. The restaurant is open from morning to night six days a week in a brightly stuccoed shopping center at Osuna and Fourth NW.

Inside, booths line the two walls of the midsized dining room around a central area of tables and chairs spread apart for social distancing. Its a clean, no-frills space with a few flourishes such as the blue-and-white Salvadoran flag hung on the wall by the entrance.

During a recent weekday lunch rush, several parties were dining in, and there was a steady procession of people arriving to get takeout orders. One server worked the room, expertly pivoting between speaking Spanish and English depending on the party. She told me that business has picked up considerably since restrictions on indoor dining were relaxed.

As is common with restaurants of this genre, the laminated menus are decorated brightly with pictures of the food. Appetizers offer some of the greatest hits of Salvadoran cuisine, such as tamales, fried yucca and empanadas, all costing around $5 or less. The aforementioned Salvadoran Tamal ($3) is filled with shredded white chicken meat and potatoes. Its redolent of chicken flavor and picks up some zing and color from the two accompanying bottles of salsa: a mild, vinegary tomato-based one and a blazing green chile sauce.

Salvadorans have been making pupusas  corn cakes filled with cheese and beans and whatever else is available  for more than a millennium. El Papaturros versions are terrific, crisp and heavy with ingredients. At $2.75 each, theyre an excellent value. My favorite was the mixed version, with an optimal balance of pork, beans and cheese. In the spinach and cheese version I ordered, cheese had leaked out of one edge and turned crisp up on the grill. Whether that was intentional or not, it was delicious. The pupusas come with a jar of curtido, a cabbage slaw that adds crunch and tang, and two bottles of sauce.

A separate menu lists traditional Salvadoran meals, mostly in the $10-$15 range and based on steak, chicken wings, salmon and shrimp. Two of the plates offer samplers of menu items. The first, the El Papaturro Dish ($12.50), with a pupusa, beans, eggs and sliced plantains, is more fitting for breakfast. The Platillo Feliz, or Happy Plate ($14.99), comes with a pupusa, an empanada filled with green beans, yuca fries, two pieces of plantains and a plantain empenada. Its an appetizer, meal and dessert in one plate.

Both the empanada and the yuca fries were nicely done, the latter cut into thick blocks that fried up a little sweeter and denser than potato fries. Plantains are prepared Salvadoran style, sliced down the middle and fried in a skillet with vanilla and cinnamon. El Papaturros version was well-caramelized over a buttery core. The plantain empanada is made with mashed plantains filled with a creamy paste of milk, sugar, vanilla and cornstarch. The whole thing gets fried until it comes out looking like a doughnut. It was very good, although when served in combination with the plantains, it makes for a lot of starch.

Standing out among the usual assortment of tropical drinks such as horchata and cantaloupe agua fresca was something called a Salad Drink ($3.50). The name had me picturing a cup full of lettuce juice, but the drink is made with pineapple, apple, and two fruits native to El Salvador: maranon, the fruit of the cashew tree that resembles an apple, and the apricot-like mamey. Presented in a tall glass filled with crushed ice and diced fruit, it tastes like a less syrupy version of the liquid in fruit cocktail.

Most of the menu is gluten-free, including the pupusas, and there are several vegetarian options.

Service was stellar. All the food came out within 10 minutes.

El Salvador has established a remarkable culinary reputation, especially for such a small country. El Papaturro upholds that reputation with its welcoming vibe and accessible menu. Like its namesake tree, its built to last.
The legend is if you say his name five times while looking in the mirror, he appears in the reflection and kills you  so I thought we could summon him.  Really bad idea expressed by a particular character in Candyman.

From the opening moments of Nia DaCostas gory yet strikingly beautiful and socially relevant Candyman, its clear were in for an especially haunting and just plain entertaining thrill ride.

Before we even settle in for the main story, we hear Sammy Davis Jr.s version of The Candy Man from 1972 mixed with the sounds of a swarm of bees, and we see mirror images of the various studio logos, including the MGM lion, involved in this film. After a prologue set in the Cabrini-Green Homes in 1977, the opening credits flash over a montage of the Chicago skyline  as seen from below, through a dense white fog, in the middle of the night. Its almost as if we were on a gurney, looking straight up. This, too, is a kind of mirror image of the opening titles in the 1992 Candyman, where the camera swooped directly ABOVE the streets of Chicago.

Buckle up, kids. And be careful what you say into that mirror.

Candyman is billed as a spiritual and direct sequel to the 1992 original (ignoring the events of the two forgotten Candyman follow-ups from the 1990s), and director/co-writer DaCosta, along with co-writer and producer Jordan Peele, have delivered a worthy successor with far superior production values and an equally powerful story combining traditional gotcha! horror moments and some suitably gory splatter moments with running themes about institutional racism, social class warfare and how unreliable narrators will shape and shift urban fairy tales to suit their worldviews.

Oh, and its also wickedly funny at times, as when a young woman says she just might say Candyman five times into a mirror, and the creepy guy trying to hook up with her retorts, Do it. Necrophilia has always been on my bucket list.

This Candyman is set primarily in the present day and specifically in the gentrified Near North Side neighborhood that a generation earlier was the site of the notorious Cabrini-Green complex. (One character explains the transformation in the voice of planners saying, Hey, you artists, you young people, you white(s) preferably, please come to the hood; its cheap. And if you stick it out for a couple of years, well bring you a Whole Foods.) In a powerful and resonant performance, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Anthony, a celebrated young artist (who is almost always labeled a Black artist) who lives with his girlfriend, Brianna (Teyonah Parris, doing fine work), an art gallery director, in a posh apartment.

Anthony has been struggling for the past couple of years and is looking to explore new themes, and hes intrigued when Briannas younger brother Troy (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) tells the urban legend of Candyman through a shadow box presentation. Its not accurate to the real events as we know them from the original film, as the Helen Lyle character is now painted as the real villain, who went on a killing spree and tried to sacrifice a baby in a bonfire, when we know she gave up her own life to save the child. But its still one chilling story.

Director DaCosta does a brilliant job of alternating the visuals of the kills; sometimes we see the murders in silhouette, while on other occasions its more about crackling sound effects and dripping blood than hardcore close-ups.

This is a visually striking film, containing establishing shots of Chicago at its most beautiful, and interior scenes brimming with eye-catching artwork on the walls, and color-coordinated rooms and hallways in shades of blues and oranges and greens and stark whites.

If you want to say Candyman five times, go ahead. I think Ill stop at four just to play it safe.
I read with interest the letter from Mr. C. Shane Neal of Aug. 24, (ABQs overwhelmed ER system in a state of emergency).

I too had a visit to the Lovelace Womens Hospital ER around the same date, but with a totally different experience. I dont believe that either of our visits indicates the state of the entire hospital system.

I arrived at the Lovelace Womens ER around 11:30 on Aug. 15. I was seen within an hour, had a CT scan shortly thereafter, and was taken back for care within about two hours. I was seen for a chronic condition with pain so severe it could not be treated with medications I had at home. I was dizzy and nauseated.

In the triage area, I had kind, nice and empathetic providers. Once taken back to the ER for assessment and treatment, the female doctor I saw was efficient and thorough. She obtained the information she needed from my electronic medical record and moved forward with orders. The ER nurse was fantastic. Sweet, funny and working fast, she drew blood work and set up IV lines quickly. She reminded me of the nurses in Vietnam who just kept working no matter what was thrown at them. She comforted me and who knows how many more hours she had to go in her 12-hour shift.

I was discharged a few hours later. I thanked them and am thanking them again for their kind care. I believe I was seen quicker than Neal due to the luck of the draw of going to the ER when I did and with the random conditions of other patients also there.

The patients my wife and I saw in the ER had injuries including a very bruised and swollen arm and a potentially fractured ankle. There were several people double-masked who could have been sick due to COVID. My wife was told in the ER waiting room and in the ER itself to leave for her own safety as they were also treating patients with COVID. The staff could not have been nicer.

The rapid reform Neal calls for that needs to occur is for our community to get vaccinated. The nation has seen a shortage of nurses and other providers for years, but they are in even greater demand today.

I was admitted to the Lovelace system last year and to me, they are the same wonderful system theyve always been.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

A petition filed in 2nd Judicial District Court seeks to remove Albuquerque mayoral candidate Eddy Aragon from the ballot, alleging he improperly listed a commercial address as his residence.

The petition alleges Aragon violated the law by listing a building in a commercially zoned area on both his voter registration and candidate forms.

It asks a judge to direct Bernalillo County Clerk Linda Stover to disqualify Aragon and remove his name from the ballot.

A conservative radio host and station owner, Aragon declared his mayoral candidacy Aug. 24, joining incumbent Tim Keller and Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales on the ballot.

Aragon calls the petition a political hit job from those fearful of his campaigns momentum. He said his attorney will file a motion to dismiss the petition. Theres no validity to the claims, he said Wednesday.

The petition alleges the building is in an area zoned NR-BP  nonresidential/business park  which allows office and commercial uses, but not residential.

But Aragon said residential is an allowable use in the building where he runs his radio station. He said he has lived in his office since 2020 following a divorce, and that he is considered the propertys watchman.

Aragon listed the address as his residence on a voter registration form filed Feb. 24 and on his mayoral candidate registration filed April 21, the petition alleges. The petition was filed Tuesday against Stover and Aragon by Esther Rivera, who is identified as a registered Albuquerque voter. The Journal was unable to contact Rivera on Wednesday.

Her attorney, Thomas Grover, said Rivera is concerned that the integrity of the election had been tampered with.

Aragons office is not a building that is zoned for residential occupancy, Grover said. Under those facts, it doesnt satisfy the citys requirements for what constitutes a residence.

Stover said Wednesday she has no plans to remove Aragons name from the ballot.

As of right now, we have no reason to disqualify him, Stover said of Aragon. Hes registered and he lives within the city of Albuquerque, until a judge tells me otherwise.

The petition argues that, under state law, county clerks are required to reject voter registration forms containing a commercial mailbox as the physical address. Stover said she is not familiar with that law.

Im really not going to get into the weeds on that because, until a judge tells me to do something, (Aragon) has qualified as a candidate.

Journal staff writer Jessica Dyer contributed to this report.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions estimates that more than 50,000 unemployed New Mexicans will no longer receive benefits after this week after the expiration of several federal unemployment programs.

During a webinar hosted by the New Mexico Restaurant Association on Wednesday, acting DWS Secretary Ricky Serna said 67,350 New Mexicans were receiving unemployment benefits through state or federal programs as of Aug. 9.

Of those, Serna said 12,780 claimants were listed as receiving standard unemployment benefits through the state.

The remaining 54,570 were receiving benefits through programs that are scheduled to expire Saturday, according to data from the department, although Serna noted that a small subgroup will be able to apply for extended benefits.

The rest of those claimants will  ideally, right?  return to work, Serna said.

For weeks, DWS has been warning New Mexicans that a series of expanded unemployment programs established by the federal CARES Act last year will expire at the end of this week.

Among those are Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which provides benefits for claimants who would not otherwise qualify, including self-employed people, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which provides an extension of benefits after regular unemployment compensation benefits have been exhausted.

Another program, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which adds an additional $300 weekly payment for any eligible claimant, is also expiring, meaning that claimants on standard unemployment can also expect to see a reduction in benefits.

According to data from DWS, 32,490 New Mexicans were receiving benefits through PUA as of Aug. 9, while 22,080 received benefits through PEUC and a related program.

Serna said the state workforce department expects some, though not all, of those claimants to seek full or part-time work. The state workforce department is examining data on these claimants to determine where they can fit back into the workforce.

Weve structured our entire return-to-work effort around what they present to us, in terms of experience, highest degree attained, location, etc., Serna said.

Data from the state agency showed that more claimants worked in construction than in any other industry before the pandemic, followed by accommodation and food service.

To help meet the expected increase in demand for employment services, Serna announced a new program, Ready New Mexico, which is designed to act as a hub for resources related to employment, education and job training.

The program is a partnership between DWS, the New Mexico Higher Education Department and New Mexico Workforce Connection.

Serna emphasized that the departments goal isnt merely to return New Mexicos unemployment rate to where it was before the pandemic hit, but to reach the lower pre-pandemic national average.

Rest assured that we are not trying to get back to pre-pandemic unemployment levels for the state of New Mexico, Serna said.

Carol Wight, CEO of the restaurant association, added that the group has launched a new program  titled Hungry for Success?  which includes an online job board and web portal for the restaurant industry. The program places a particular focus on appealing to people new to the workforce, those who need a new opportunity after the pandemic, and those seeking supplemental income.

Hopefully, were going to get some more employees in the system here very quickly, Wight said.
SRINAGAR, India  Indian authorities cracked down on public movement and imposed a near-total communications blackout in disputed Kashmir on Thursday after the death of Syed Ali Geelani, a top separatist leader who became the emblem of the regions defiance against New Delhi.

Geelani, who died late Wednesday at age 92, was buried in a local graveyard in a quiet funeral organized by authorities under harsh restrictions, his son, Naseem Geelani, told The Associated Press. He said the family had planned to bury him at the main martyrs graveyard in Srinagar, the regions main city, as specified in his will but were not allowed to do so by police.

They snatched his body and forcibly buried him. Nobody from the family was present for his burial. We tried to resist but they overpowered us and even scuffled with women, Naseem Geelani said.

The Press Trust of India news agency reported that officials buried Geelanis body and prohibited any mass funeral in anticipation of anti-India protests.

As most Kashmiris remained locked inside their homes, police and soldiers patrolled the tense region. Government forces placed steel barricades and razor wire across many roads, bridges and intersections and set up additional checkpoints in towns and villages in the Kashmir Valley.

Authorities shut down most cellphone networks and mobile internet service in a common tactic employed by India to head off mass protests.

Geelani spearheaded Kashmirs movement for the right to self-determination and was a staunch proponent of merging Kashmir with Pakistan. He strongly opposed any dialogue with New Delhi, a position rejected by successive Indian governments who often dubbed him a hard-line politician.

Geelani was also the face of Kashmirs civilian defiance against Indian rule. He led a faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an association of various Kashmiri political and religious groups that was formed in 1993 to spearhead a movement for the regions self-determination.

The group used civil disobedience in the form of shutdowns and protests as a tactic to counter Indian rule.

For many in Kashmir and beyond, Geelani was an enduring icon of defiance against India.

Farmer Mohammed Akbar said Geelanis death filled him with remorse but also anger after he learned that Geelanis body had been buried by authorities who excluded Kashmiris and his extended family from participating in the last rites.

They are looking at ways to humiliate us, Akbar said as he held his grandson in his arms. They are even scared of dead Geelani.

Pakistan observed a day of official mourning and flags flew at half staff on orders by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Its foreign ministry condemned the non-public burial by Indian authorities.

Pakistan strongly condemns the barbaric act of snatching of the mortal remains of the iconic Kashmiri leader by Indian police, the ministry said in a statement in Islamabad.

It said the Indian government was so afraid of Syed Geelani and what he stood for that they have now resorted to this inhuman act even after his passing away. This shows the degree of callousness on part of the Occupation Forces.

Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan, which both claim the region in full but rule only parts.

Rebels have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebel goal that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

New Delhi accuses Pakistan of sponsoring Kashmiri militants, a charge Pakistan denies. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.

Tensions flared in the region in 2019 after New Delhi stripped Kashmirs semi-autonomy, scrapped its statehood and removed inherited protections on land and jobs. Authorities have since brought a slew of new laws, which many critics and Kashmiris liken to the beginning of settler colonialism.

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Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
KABUL, Afghanistan  The United Nations stockpiles of food in Afghanistan could run out this month, a senior official warned Wednesday, threatening to add a hunger crisis to the challenges facing the countrys new Taliban rulers as they try to restore stability after decades of war.

About one third of the countrys population of 38 million doesnt know if they will have a meal every day, according to Ramiz Alakbarov, the U.N.s humanitarian chief in Afghanistan.

The U.N.s World Food Program has brought in food and distributed it to tens of thousands of people in recent weeks, but with winter approaching and a drought ongoing, at least $200 million is needed urgently to be able to continue to feed the most vulnerable Afghans, he said.

By the end of September, the stocks which the World Food Program has in the country will be out, Alakbarov told reporters at a virtual news conference. We will not be able to provide those essential food items because well be out of stocks.

Earlier, U.N. officials said that of the $1.3 billion needed for overall aid efforts, only 39% has been received.

The Taliban, who seized control of the country ahead of the withdrawal of American forces this week, now must govern a nation that relies heavily on international aid and is in the midst of a worsening economic crisis. In addition to the concerns about food supplies, civil servants havent been paid in months and the local currency is losing value. Most of Afghanistans foreign reserves are held abroad and currently frozen.

Khalid Payenda, Afghanistans former acting finance minister, on Wednesday detailed a country existing in a dangerously fragile state.

Speaking at Georgetown University in Washington, Payenda said the Afghan currency had yet to crash because money exchanges had been shuttered. But its value could plunge by more than 100%, said Payenda, who described former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as withdrawn and paranoid ahead of the Taliban takeover.

I think the war had a toll on his psyche and he saw everything with suspicion, Payenda said.

Part of the chaos reflects the speed at which the Taliban took control of the country, with Payenda saying he thought the prior government could have been sustained for two or three more years because of commitments by international donors.

I did not expect it to be this quickly, Payenda said. Nobody actually did.

Mohammad Sharif, a shopkeeper in the capital of Kabul, said shops and markets there have supplies, but a major concern is rising food prices.

If the situation continues like this and there is no government to control the prices, that will cause so many problems for local people, he said.

In the wake of the U.S. pullout, many Afghans are anxiously waiting to see how the Taliban will rule. When they were last in power, before being driven out by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, they imposed draconian restrictions, refusing to allow girls to go to school, largely confining women to their homes and banning television, music and even photography.

But more recently, their leaders have sought to project a more moderate image. Schools have reopened to boys and girls, though Taliban officials have said they will study separately. Women are out on the streets wearing Islamic headscarves  as they always have  rather than the all-encompassing burqa the Taliban required in the past.

The president of the United Nations Security Council said Wednesday that the real litmus test for the new Taliban government will be how it treats women and girls. Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland, which holds the councils rotating presidency, said the protection and promotion of human rights for women must be at the very heart of our collective response to the crisis.

The challenges the Taliban face in reviving the economy could give Western nations leverage as they push the group to fulfill a pledge to form an inclusive government and guarantee womens rights. The Taliban say they want to have good relations with other countries, including the United States.

Many Afghans fear the Taliban wont make good on those pledges and are concerned that the nations economic situation holds little opportunity. Tens of thousands sought to flee the country as a result in a harrowing airlift.

But thousands who had worked with the U.S. and its allies, as well as up to 200 Americans, remained in the country after the efforts ended with the last U.S. troops flying out of Kabul international airport just before midnight Monday.

President Joe Biden later defended his handling of the chaotic withdrawal and evacuation efforts, which saw spasms of violence, including a suicide bombing last week that killed 13 American service members and 169 Afghans. He said it was inevitable that the final departure from two decades of war would be difficult.

He said he remains committed to getting the Americans left behind out if they want. The Taliban have said they will allow people with legal documents to travel freely, but it remains to be seen whether any commercial airlines will be willing to offer service.

Bilal Karimi, an official member in the Taliban spokesmans office, said Wednesday that a team of Turkish and Qatari technicians arrived in Kabul to help get the airport up and running again. Alakbarov, the U.N. humanitarian official, said the United Nations is asking for access to the airport so it can deliver food and other supplies directly to the capital.

The Taliban also have to contend with the threat from the Islamic State group, which is far more radical and claimed responsibility for the bombing at the airport. The Taliban have pledged they wont allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for attacks on other countries  a key U.S. demand since the militants once harbored the al-Qaida leaders who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks.

In the wake of last weeks bombing, American officials said drone strikes targeted the Islamic State groups affiliate in Afghanistan, and Biden vowed to keep up airstrikes.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday it was possible that the U.S. will have to coordinate with the Taliban on any counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan in the future.

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Faiez reported from Istanbul and Lederer from the United Nations. Associated Press writers Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul and Lolita C. Baldor and Josh Boak in Washington contributed.

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More AP coverage of Afghanistan: https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan
ALAMOGORDO, N.M.  Holloman Air Force Base officials said Afghan refugees have started arriving at the base in southern New Mexico.

A C-130J transport flew t he first Afghans to Holloman from Philadelphia on Tuesday, base officials said Wednesday in a statement that did not specify how many refugees had arrived at the base.

The Defense Department previously said multiple military installations across the country would temporarily provide housing plus medical and other support for up to 50,000 Afghans.

Officials said the refugees came to the U.S. under the Special Immigrant Visa program and would undergo medical screening, including testing for the coronavirus, before arriving at the military bases.

The U.S. and its allies conducted a massive evacuation from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control of most of the country as the U.S. withdrew support to the Afghan military.

Brig. Gen. Daniel Gabrielli, Task Force-Holloman commander, said base personnel were able to receive our guests with open arms and ensure that they are treated with the utmost dignity and respect.

The Alamogordo Daily News reported that Holloman officials were accepting donations of clothing, personal hygiene items and new tote and gym bags.
SALT LAKE CITY  After more than a year of attending church virtually, Monique Allen has struggled to explain to her asthmatic daughter why people from their congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dont wear masks. Allen said she has taught her daughter that wearing a mask is Christlike, but now she worries her child feels like an outcast.

Church leaders recently issued their strongest statement yet urging people to limit the spread by getting COVID-19 vaccines and wearing masks. But Allen said she fears its not enough to convince the many families in her congregation who refuse to wear masks and have succumbed to anti-vaccine misinformation.

Members of the faith widely known as the Mormon church remain deeply divided on vaccines and masks, despite consistent guidance from church leaders as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus spreads.

About 65% of Latter-day Saints who responded to a recent survey said they were vaccine acceptors, meaning theyve had at least one dose or plan to soon. Another 15% identified as hesitant and 19% said they would not get the vaccine, according to the survey this summer from the Public Religion Research Institute, a polling organization based in Washington, and Interfaith Youth Core.

The survey found 79% of white Catholics and 56% of white Evangelical Protestants identified as vaccine acceptors.

Allen, a church member living in Wisconsin, is among a contingent who fear fellow members who refuse to get vaccinated are allowing their political views to supersede their loyalty to a faith that prioritizes unity and obedience.

The message she has shared with her 8-year-old daughter is that of course Christ would wear a mask, of course he would get vaccinated because hes a loving person, she said. And thats the only way you can take care of people these days.

Other church members are upset that their leaders arent letting them make their own decisions about vaccines and masks. The Utah-based religion of 16 million members worldwide is one of many faiths grappling with how best to navigate the pandemics lingering effects.

Divisions on masks and vaccinations in the Latter-day Saints faith appear to be tracking along political lines, with conservative members being more hesitant, said Patrick Mason, associate professor of religion at Utah State University. Mason said the churchs divide follows a larger pattern in the United States of political ideologies shaping peoples religious commitments.

The common perception of Mormons and Mormonism is that, when church leaders speak, church members  do what theyre told, said Mason. This has revealed sometimes how conditional that loyalty can be.

The Latter-day Saint faith was one of the first to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, church leaders suspended all church gatherings and closed temples. The church has also held three consecutive major conferences remotely since the pandemic began. The twice-yearly conference usually brings about 100,000 people to Salt Lake City over two days.

Many faith leaders have spoken in support of vaccinations, including Church President Russell M. Nelson, a former heart surgeon who got the vaccine in January and encouraged members to follow his example.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.  Better weather on Thursday helped the battle against a huge California wildfire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe, but fire commanders warned firefighters to be prepared for ongoing dangers.

Strong winds and dry conditions that drove the Caldor Fire east through high elevations of the Sierra Nevada for days faded, sparing for now the largest city of a recreational gem that straddles the California-Nevada state line. Thousands were forced to flee South Lake Tahoe earlier this week.

I feel like we are truly the luckiest community in the entire world right now. Im so incredibly happy, said Mayor Tamara Wallace, who evacuated to Truckee, California.

But wind gusts were likely in some areas, and the forest was still extremely dry, officials warned. The fire is pushing on several fronts, threatening multiple communities.

Still, the mood was one of optimism, given the speed with which the fire grew earlier in the week. Flames raced so quickly toward the resort city that officials ordered a mass evacuation of all 22,000 residents on Monday before ordering those across the state line in Douglas County, Nevada, to leave a day later.

Its finally a chance to take a breath, said Clive Savacool, chief of South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue. Its a breath full of smoke. Nonetheless, I think were all breathing a little bit easier and we feel like were making some progress.

Russ Crupi, who two days ago was arranging sprinklers around his mobile home park in South Lake Tahoe just miles from the fire line, had turned off the water for now, feeling confident his neighborhood was no longer under threat. The nearby mountains, cloaked in smoke for most of the week, had become visible.

Im just happy they stopped it. It looked close, he said.

The Caldor Fire spanned more than 328 square miles (850 square kilometers) and was 25% contained Thursday. Its northeast tip was about 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of South Lake Tahoe and nearing the California-Nevada state line, where visitors like to hit the casinos in Stateline.

About 15 million people visit Lake Tahoe every year for hiking, snowboarding, water sports and gambling. The possibility that wildfire might rip through the international destination alarmed those who have vivid memories of vacationing at Tahoe.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable. No deaths have been reported so far this fire season.

Fire crews from around the country joined in the fight against the fire, which broke out Aug. 14 southwest of the Lake Tahoe area, chasing residents from more remote areas of El Dorado County. Officials said that at least 622 homes, 12 commercial properties and 177 minor structures have been destroyed, though the tally is incomplete because many areas are not safe to be surveyed.

The Caldor Fire still threatened at least 33,000 more homes and structures. On Wednesday, firefighters were ferried by boat to protect cabins at nearby Echo Lake, while three of the regions largest ski resorts, Heavenly, Kirkwood and Sierra at Tahoe, brought out snow-making devices to hose down buildings.

Jonathan Pierce, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said crews are chasing spot fires and trying to keep flames away from populated areas.

There was no timeline for when residents might return.

South Lake Tahoe can easily accommodate 100,000 people on a busy weekend, but on Thursday, just before the Labor Day weekend, it was eerily empty. Thick smoke made it difficult to see across the street, said Savacool, the fire chief.

Is really just a dead, dead town and its got an apocalyptic feel with garbage strewn about from the bears, he said.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued a federal emergency declaration and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local resources for firefighting efforts and relief for residents in four counties affected by the fire.

Ive seen these firefighters up close. Their courage is astounding, and theyre some of the bravest people Ive ever known  and Ive known a lot of them, he said from the White House on Thursday, addressing is administrations response to Hurricane Ida.

More than 15,000 firefighters were battling dozens of California blazes, including another monstrous blaze, the Dixie Fire about 65 miles (105 kilometers) north. It is the second-largest wildfire in state history at about 1,340 square miles (3,480 square kilometers).

The weeks-old fire was 55% contained. As of Thursday, officials said it had destroyed 688 homes, eight multi-unit residences, 139 commercial properties and hundreds of minor structures.

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Har reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco and John Antczak in Los Angeles contributed to this report. 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.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Both officer Mario Verbeck and the man who is accused of shooting him two weeks ago were released from the University of New Mexico Hospital on Thursday.

Verbeck, a big grin on his face, was brought out of the hospital in a wheelchair surrounded by cheering medical staffers, law enforcement personnel and loved ones. A procession of police cruisers and motorcycles paraded down the street in his honor.

James Ramirez, on the other hand, was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Ramirez, a 27-year-old from Los Angeles, is expected to face federal charges in relation to the shootout that left him and four officers, including Verbeck, injured on Aug. 19. He will stay in the county jail until he is transferred into federal custody.

Second Judicial District Attorney Raul Torrez said he consulted with the Albuquerque Police Department, the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office of New Mexico before determining it was best for Ramirez to be prosecuted first in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Prosecutors dismissed Ramirezs state charges of three counts of aggravated battery upon a peace officer, armed robbery, and more, but Torrez said after the federal proceeding has concluded they can be refiled.

Torrez said prosecuting Ramirez federally would provide greater certainty about both his pretrial detention and the likely sentence Ramirez would face upon conviction and the officers would be substantially less burdened by the process and allowed to heal without added stress.

As a former federal prosecutor, I know that the federal criminal justice system affords greater protections to crime victims and I am committed to doing everything we can to allow these officers to rest and recover before we have to move forward with charges in state court, Torrez said.

When asked when Ramirez might be charged in federal court, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office said per (Department of Justice) policy, we cannot confirm the existence of or comment on ongoing investigations.

Ramirez and another man were suspected of robbing a teenager at gunpoint.

Verbeck and fellow officer James Eichel Jr. found him a couple of hours later in an alleyway near Juan Tabo and Constitution NE, and thats where police say he shot at them, hitting both.

Sgt. Sean Kenny and Officer Harry Gunderson were called to the scene to assist and they exchanged fire with Ramirez near the crowded drive-thru of Dutch Bros Coffee.

Verbeck was struck in the neck above his bulletproof vest and was critically injured. Eichel was shot in the arm and Kenny was hit in his bulletproof vest. Gunderson was struck in the face by shrapnel.

The officers returned fire and Ramirez was also injured.

Local law enforcement from several agencies launched a massive manhunt in the area but did not find the second suspect in the robbery.
KABUL, Afghanistan  Qatars top diplomat said Thursday that experts are racing to reopen Kabuls airport but warned it was not clear when flights would resume, with many still desperate to flee Afghanistans new Taliban leaders amid concerns over what their rule will hold.

In the wake of their rapid takeover, the Taliban have sought to calm those fears, including pledging to let women and girls attend school and allow people to travel freely. But many are skeptical, and Britains foreign minister stressed the importance of engaging with the new rulers to test their promises.

In a reflection of those anxieties, dozens of women protested outside the governors office in the western province of Herat to demand their rights be protected. They shouted slogans and urged the countrys new leaders to include women in their Cabinet  a remarkable demonstration of the transformation in womens lives in the past 20 years.

When they last held power in the late 1990s, the Taliban imposed a repressive rule, meting out draconian punishments and largely excluding women from public life. On Thursday, Taliban fighters prevented the female demonstrators from seeing the governor as they demanded, but they did not break up the rally.

Amid uncertainty about Afghanistans future, tens of thousands raced to flee the country in a frantic U.S.-run airlift that ended ahead of the final American withdrawal earlier this week. A suicide bomber targeted the evacuation efforts at one point, killing 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members.

Kabuls airport, a major way out of the country, is now in Taliban hands but is closed, and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani warned Thursday that theres still no clear indication of when it will reopen.

A team of Qatari and Turkish technicians flew to Kabul on Wednesday to help restart operations at the facility, which the U.N. says is crucial to providing the country with humanitarian assistance. It remains to be seen, however, whether any commercial airlines will be willing to offer service.

We remain hopeful we will be able to operate it as soon as possible, Al Thani told reporters in Doha. We are still in the evaluation process.  We are working very hard and engaging with the Taliban to identify what are the gaps and the risks for having the airport back up and running.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu suggested that military flights  which could be used to evacuate more people  could potentially resume first.

Qatar, a tiny Gulf Arab sheikhdom that has played an outsized role in American efforts to evacuate tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan, said it remains in talks with other world powers to enable the capitals airport to resume commercial flights.

Appearing alongside Al Thani, U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab touched on concerns over how diplomatic and aid efforts will proceed as foreign powers confront a leadership whose members remain on terrorist watch lists around the world.

Although the United Kingdom wont formally recognize the Taliban anytime in the foreseeable future, Raab said, there is an important scope for engagement and dialogue to test the intentions and indeed the assurances that have already been made by the Taliban.

Those assurances range from creating a more inclusive government to protecting the rights of women to preventing international terrorist groups from using the war-scarred country as a base.

In all of these areas, Raab said, we will judge them by what they do, not just by what they say.

In Herat, the protesters had a similar message for the Taliban.

The Taliban leadership is announcing women rights, but they should show it in action, said Friba Kabrzani, who helped organize a rally at the provincial governors office.

We want the world to hear us and we want our rights to be saved, Kabrzani said, noting that some families forbade women from joining the demonstration out of fear for their safety.

Another participant, Maryam Ebram, warned that anything can be expected from the Taliban, but that Afghan women would continue to protest for their rights nonetheless.

Our rights were not gifted to us and we will not let them fade easily, she said.

___

Akhgar reported from Istanbul and DeBre from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Eric Hickman of El Paso caught an 18.5-inch golden rainbow trout at Alto Lake using rainbow PowerBait on Aug. 28.

At Bluewater Lake, Andres and Jayden Baca of Albuquerque caught and released a 41-inch and a 37-inch tiger muskie using a red Rapala and a red Dare Devil spoon Aug. 21.  Corey Alden of Albuquerque caught a 22-inch catfish using chicken gizzard tipped with liver Aug. 21.

At Canjilon Lakes, Robert and Eddie Rios of Pojoaque each caught 20-inch rainbow trout using olive Woolly Bugger flies Aug. 28.  Rick McCall of Santa Fe caught a 21-inch rainbow trout using Berkley pink worms Aug. 26.  George Martinez of Santa Fe caught an 18-inch rainbow trout using Berkley pink worms Aug. 26.

Nick Keele of Hobbs caught a 15-inch albino catfish at Chaparral Park Lake using a green Rooster Tail spinner Aug. 23.

At Eagle Nest Lake, Steven Brashear, 15, of Springer caught a 22-inch rainbow trout using a gold Kastmaster on Aug. 28.  Cadence Mondragon, 5, of Espanola caught two 20-inch rainbow trout using rainbow PowerBait on Aug. 28.  James Rowe of Espanola caught a 24-inch rainbow trout using PowerBait on Aug. 22.  Shiloh Bohman of Albuquerque caught a 22.25-inch kokanee salmon using a small yellow jig head with a pumpkin chartreuse curly tail trailer Aug. 21.

At Elephant Butte Lake, Dylan Bailey, 13, of El Paso caught and released a 6-pound, 7-ounce largemouth bass fishing near Rattlesnake Island using a 4-inch swim bait Aug. 29.  Grady Le Ivins, 12, of Deming caught two white bass simultaneously using a firetiger popper lure Aug. 29.

At Fenton Lake, Vicente and Cielo DeVargas, 9 and 6, each caught 10-inch rainbow trout using garlic PowerBait on Aug. 27.  Claire Swinhoe of Los Alamos caught a 19-inch, 3.2-pound rainbow trout using PowerBait on Aug. 26.

Dennis Echavia of Ruidoso caught a 36-inch, 15-pound catfish at Grindstone Reservoir using a hotdog Aug. 28.

Jerome Jara of Santa Fe caught a 17.75-inch rainbow trout at Monastery Lake using a nightcrawler worm Aug. 28.

Ayden and Jarryd Ortiz, 4 and 7, of Bernal caught a 17-inch rainbow trout at Morphy Lake using salmon egg PowerBait on Aug. 29.

Ramona Emerson of Tohatchi caught a 21-inch rainbow trout on the Pecos River using a worm Aug. 26.

At Seven Springs Brood Pond, Nolan Kersting, 19 months, of Albuquerque caught his first trout, a 16-inch rainbow trout using salmon eggs Aug. 29.  Landon Bourassa, 7, of Albuquerque caught a 17-inch and 19-inch rainbow trout using salmon peach PowerBait on Aug. 21.

If you have a catch of the week story send it to funfishingnm@gmail.com.

NOTES from GAME & FISH

Northeast fishing report

Cabresto Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout was fair at Charette Lakes using green PowerBait.

Streamflow on the Cimarron River, near Cimarron, on Monday morning was 30.0 cubic feet per second (cfs). Fishing for trout was good using beadhead nymph flies.

Fishing for trout at Clayton Lake was fair to good using PowerBait. Fishing for catfish was fair to good using chicken liver. Fishing for walleye was fair using Wally Diver lures.

Conchas Lake State Park has closed access to all boat ramps due to dropping water levels. The boat ramps on the south side of the lake managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are open. Fishing for smallmouth bass was fair using shad-colored crankbaits.

A Costilla Creek, fishing for trout was good using caddis dry flies. The department has implemented the final phase of a project to expand Rio Grande cutthroat trout in 120 miles of the Costilla watershed in northern New Mexico. The final phase involved removal of fish within a designated area (Rio Costilla from Costilla Dam downstream to the Valle Vidal Boundary including all tributaries and Comanche Creek from the road culvert crossing on Forest Road 1950 downstream to its confluence with Rio Costilla and all tributaries) with a tentative restocking of Rio Grande cutthroat in spring 2022. Places to fish nearby include Costilla Creek below the fish barrier, Upper Comanche Creek, Shuree Ponds, Middle Ponil Creek, Upper Powderhouse Creek, Little Costilla Creek, Vidal Creek and McCrystal Creek. The department anticipates completion of this final phase in the fall of 2021. Please check the department website for additional information on the project and to identify alternative angling opportunities in the interim.

Cowles Ponds had no reports from anglers this week.

Coyote Creek had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout was fair to good at Eagle Nest Lake using gold Kastmasters, silver Mepps spinners, rainbow PowerBait and salmon peach PowerBait. Fishing for pike was good using white and black Rapala lures and silver Mepps spinners.

Fishing for trout was good at Eagle Rock Lake using rainbow and pink PowerBait.

Fishing for trout was good on the Gallinas River using dry flies with dropper nymph rigs.

Fishing for trout was fair to good at Hopewell Lake using olive Pistol Pete spinner flies.

Lake Alice had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Lake Maloya was good using Pistol Pete spinner flies, orange PowerBait Mice Tails, white garlic PowerBait and black and gold Panther Martin spinners.

Los Pinos River had no reports from anglers this week.

Maxwell Lake 13 had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Monastery Lake was fair to good using nightcrawler worms and green garlic PowerBait.

Fishing for trout at Morphy Lake was good using salmon egg PowerBait and streamer flies.

Streamflow on the Pecos River, near the town of Pecos, on Monday morning was 74.4 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using nightcrawler worms, grasshopper flies and beadhead nymph flies.

Streamflow on the Red River, below the hatchery, on Monday morning was 47.6 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using salmon eggs and beadhead nymph flies.

Streamflow on the Rio Grande, at the Taos Junction Bridge, on Monday morning was 234 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using Prince Nymph flies and black Rooster Tail spinners.

Streamflow on the Rio Hondo on Monday morning near Valdez was 19.1 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using grasshopper flies.

Streamflow on the Rio Mora on Monday morning near Tererro was 23.0 cfs.

Streamflow on the Rio Pueblo, near Penasco, on Monday morning was 12.0 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using small dry flies and beadhead nymph flies.

Santa Cruz Reservoir had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Shuree Ponds was good using Parachute Adams dry flies.

Springer Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for catfish at Storrie Lake was fair using chicken liver.

Fishing for catfish at Stubblefield Lake was fair using chicken liver.

Fishing for white bass at Ute Lake was slow when trolling. Fishing for walleye was fair using crankbaits that dive 15 to 20 feet deep. Fishing for bass was slow to fair using drop shot rigs and mojo rigs in 15 to 20 feet of water. Fishing for catfish was slow to fair using punch bait. Fishing for crappie was slow. The water surface temperature was in the upper 70s and the main lake color was clear.

Northwest fishing report

Fishing for catfish at Abiquiu Lake was fair to good using cut bait, nightcrawler worms and shrimp.

Waterflow on the Animas River below Aztec on Monday morning was 61.8 cfs.

Albuquerque Area Drains had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for tiger muskie at Bluewater Lake was good using red Rapala lures, red Dare Devil spoons and gold spoons. Fishing for catfish was good using chicken gizzards tipped with liver.

Brazos River had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Canjilon Lakes was good using Berkley pink worms and olive Woolly Bugger flies.

on the Chama River, Monday morning flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 96.7 cfs and 122 cfs, respectively. Fishing for trout below El Vado Lake was fair to good using nightcrawlers and nymph flies. Please remember, from the river-crossing bridge on U.S. Highway 84 at Abiquiu upstream 7 miles to the base of Abiquiu Dam is special trout waters with a bag limit of two trout only.

Fishing for catfish was fair to good at Cochiti Lake using worms, cut bait and chicken liver. Fishing for walleye was fair to good using dark-colored deep-diving crankbaits.

Fishing for trout was fair to good at El Vado Lake using PowerBait at the North El Vado Day Use Area off State Road 95. Fishing for smallmouth bass, perch and trout was fair to good near the Dam Day Use Area.

Fishing for trout at Fenton Lake was fair to good using garlic PowerBait. Please remember, only two cutthroat trout are allowed to be harvested per day within the regular five fish limit.

Willow, Sierra Vista and La Laja boat launches are closed at Heron Lake. The primitive boat launch is open. Shoreline fishing is available between Sierra Vista and the spillway or in Rincon. Fishing for trout was slow. The Quality Waters of the Rio Chama can be accessed at the Rio Chama Trailhead. The stairs are closed so use the road to the spillway. Non-quality waters can be accessed at the North El Vado Day Use Area located on State Road 95, 13 miles west of U.S. Highway 84.

At the Jemez Waters, streamflow on the Jemez near the village of Jemez Springs on Monday morning was 5.99 cfs. Fishing the Rio Cebolla for trout was good using beadhead nymph flies.

Laguna del Campo had no reports from anglers this week.

Lagunitas Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for bass at Lake Farmington was fair to good using plastic crawdad and worm lures.

Due to extremely low water levels and unstable ground conditions, stocking efforts have been suspended at McGaffey Lake. Lake conditions will be monitored and stockings will resume once conditions improve.

Fishing for bass at Navajo Lake was good using -ounce jigs and 5-inch green pumpkin Senkos. Fishing for pike was good using chigger craw trailer baits on the north end of the lake. Fishing for kokanee salmon was good using firetiger spinners, pink squid and orange spinners tipped with corn.

Fishing for catfish on the Rio Grande was fair to good using worms and chicken liver near Albuquerque.

San Gregorio Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the San Juan River on Monday morning was 780 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was good using white mouse pattern flies, leech pattern flies and size 24 midge emerger flies. Fishing for trout in the bait waters was good using PowerBait and Panther Martin spinners.

Fishing for trout at Seven Springs Brood Pond was good using salmon eggs and salmon peach PowerBait.

Fishing for catfish at Tingley Beach was fair to good using hotdogs and nightcrawler worms.

Fishing for trout at Trout Lakes was slow.

Southwest fishing report

Alumni Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

The water level at Bear Canyon Lake is extremely low and will remain low through October for dam repairs.

Fishing for largemouth bass at Bill Evans Lake was slow to fair using brown poppers.

Caballo Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for white bass at Elephant Butte Lake was good using topwater lures, Whopper Ploppers and white Berkley Gulp plastic minnows. Fishing for largemouth bass was good using swimbaits. Fishing for walleye was slow using bottom bouncers with nightcrawler harness rigs. Fishing for crappie was fair using small white and green grubs. Fishing for catfish was fair to good using cut carp and shad.

Escondida Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the Gila River on Monday morning was 181 cfs. Fishing for catfish was good using cut bait.

Glenwood Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Roberts had no reports from anglers this week.

Percha Dam had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Quemado Lake was slow.

Rancho Grande Ponds had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the Rio Grande, below Elephant Butte, on Monday morning was 0.0 cfs.

Snow Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Trees Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Young Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

Southeast fishing report

Fishing for trout at Alto Lake was good using rainbow PowerBait.

Bataan Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Please visit the Open Gate webpage for more information on Berrendo Creek. Fishing for bass was fair to good using Texas-rigged white paddle tail swimbaits and white creature baits.

Streamflow on the Black River at Malaga on Monday morning was 3.34 cfs. Fishing for catfish was fair using cut carp bait.

Blue Hole Park Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

Bonito Lake is closed until further notice by the city of Alamogordo due to fire damage. It appears that the lake will be out of commission until 2022.

Bosque Redondo Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Bottomless Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.

Brantley Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for catfish at Carlsbad Municipal Lake was fair using shrimp.

Fishing for catfish at Chaparral Park Lake was fair to good using shrimp and green Rooster Tail spinners.

Corona Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

Eunice Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for largemouth bass at Green Meadow Lake was fair using dark Rooster Tail spinners.

Fishing for catfish at Greene Acres Lake was good using red hotdogs and shrimp.

Fishing for trout at Grindstone Reservoir was fair to good using nightcrawler worms and garlic PowerBait. Fishing for catfish was good using nightcrawler worms and hotdogs.

Jal Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Van had no reports from anglers this week.

Oasis Park Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the Pecos River, below Sumner Lake, on Monday morning was 89.9 cfs. Fishing for white bass was good using live shiners south of Malaga. Fishing for catfish was good using cut carp bait south of Malaga.

Perch Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the Ruidoso River on Monday morning at Hollywood was 28.9 cfs.

The boat ramp at Santa Rosa Lake has opened as water levels have increased due to recent rains. Santa Rosa Lake State Park is currently operating as a no-wake lake. Fishing for walleye was fair using live minnows. Fishing for bass was fair using crankbaits.

Fishing for catfish at Sumner Lake was good using chicken liver and salmon eggs.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Rep. Melanie Stansbury has been awarded a top distinction from the U.S. Water Alliance for her work on water policy.

The first-term congressional Democrat from New Mexico said receiving the U.S. Water Prize for Outstanding Public Official is a huge honor that she hopes will direct more attention to climate change impacts on water.

New Mexico is looking at potentially losing almost all of its snowpack in the next 50 years, Stansbury told the Journal. The challenge were facing is how to use that knowledge to inform how we manage our water going forward, so that we can continue cultural practices, agriculture and survival of our communities.

Stansbury served in the New Mexico House of Representatives beginning in 2019 before being elected in June 2021 to the U.S. seat vacated by Deb Haaland.

She sponsored New Mexicos Water Data Act in 2019. The law tasks state agencies with standardizing and integrating water data. The initiatives website features hundreds of downloadable databases on water levels, quality and use.

We are living in a world that has been radically transformed by data, Stansbury said. We use our phones to get from place to place, order takeout and do online shopping. But we didnt have those same resources developed around water, even though its one of the most fundamental, precious aspects of life.

As a state lawmaker, Stansbury also sponsored bills funding aquifer mapping technology and soil health programs.

The U.S. Water Alliance is a national nonprofit promoting sustainable water management.

The Water Data Act has already streamlined data sharing and improved collaboration between agencies, especially for water managers who now have access to previously siloed data on water resources, the alliances award citation for Stansbury says. This insight is even more valuable as temperatures and aridity increase due to climate change.

Western water issues are playing out on the federal stage as Congress works through a major infrastructure package and budget reconciliation bill.

Stansbury serves on several House subcommittees for water and science. She believes New Mexico can lead the way on investments in water and wastewater systems, as well as incorporating climate change data in water management.

As a state filled with place-based and water-based communities, we understand the importance of water as part of our culture and identity and way of life, Stansbury said. We have communities that have lived here for generations and since time immemorial who have come together to find innovative solutions to water challenges.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
WENN Celebrity

The legal team employed by the 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' actor insist the disqualification of Judge John Ouderkirk is 'improper' and seek a review.

Sep 2, 2021

AceShowbiz - Attorneys representing Brad Pitt are appealing the disqualification of a judge who had taken the actor's side in an ongoing custody case with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie.

Lawyers for the "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" star filed a petition on Wednesday (01Sep21) in California, requesting a review of last month's (Jul21) decision.

On 23 July, Judge John Ouderkirk, who had ruled in favour of Pitt being granted more time with the children he shares with Jolie, was disqualified because he failed to disclose he had previously worked with Brad's legal representatives on unrelated cases.

Wednesday's filing, obtained by People, argues that disqualifying the judge "effectively upended the constitutionally authorized temporary judging system in California" and now "throws open the door to disqualification challenges at any point during a case, even if the party raising the motion has long been on notice about the alleged grounds for disqualification."

Jolie's lawyers suggested that Ouderkirk's failure to disclose his relationship with Pitt meant he could not be impartial in the custody case. However, attorneys for the "Fight Club" star claim in the new petition that the "Maleficent" actress had been "made aware of Judge Ouderkirk's significant professional history with Pitt's counsel from the very start" of the custody case, but waited years to ask that he be disqualified.

In a statement to People Pitt's attorneys revealed they are seeking a review of the case, insisting Ouderkirk had been "improperly disqualified."
Instagram Celebrity

After the Peter Parker depicter in 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' calls her 'My MJ' in a sweet post on her 25th birthday, the 'Euphoria' actress replies back with a red heart emoji.

Sep 2, 2021

AceShowbiz - Zendaya Coleman appears to further fuel speculations that she is dating Tom Holland. After the Peter Parker depicter in "Spider-Man: Far From Home" sent her a sweet birthday tribute, "The Greatest Showman" actress replied back with a flirty message.

On Wednesday, September 1, the "Chaos Walking" actor took to his Instagram account to mark Zendaya's 25th birthday. "My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when your up xxx," he wrote alongside a cozy mirror selfie of the two still in their Marvel costumes.

In the photo, the pair appear to be in a dressing room, with Zendaya leaning on Tom, who had cuts and bruises all over his face from an action scene in the film. A few hours later, Zendaya replied back to her rumored boyfriend, "Calling now," adding a red heart emoji. Many of their fans believed that the birthday post also served as their Instagram debut as a couple.

Prior to their Instagram sweet gestures, the rumored couple was caught attending their friend Josh Florez's wedding in Simi Valley, California together. In photos surfacing online, Zendaya and Tom could be seen cozying up to each other at the event.

In one image, Zendaya leaned her head against Tom's temple as they smiled with three friends surrounding them. Though they were not holding hands, the 25-year-old actor appeared to be holding onto the sleeve of his rumored girlfriend's dress. In another, Zendaya was photographed putting her arm around Tom as they smiled at the camera.

Zendaya and Tom were first linked romantically after filming 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming". Fast forward to July this year, the lovebirds were spotted locking lips in his car. In some photos, the English native could be seen tenderly holding his rumored girlfriend's face as they leaned in for a smooch. Several days later, the alleged couple was caught having dinner together at a Thai restaurant near Universal Studios in Los Angeles.
WENN/FayesVision Celebrity

The 'Maleficent' star, who was named the godmother of UNESCO and Guerlain's Women for Bees program in March, is featured in a new video showing off the art of beekeeping.

Sep 2, 2021

AceShowbiz - Angelina Jolie has taken up beekeeping to help save the planet. The actress was named the godmother of UNESCO and Guerlain's Women for Bees program in March, and recently met with students of the program at l'Observatoire Francais d'Apidologie (OFA) in Provence, France for their graduation.

Now, in a new video interview for Vogue Magazine, the "Maleficent" star dons a complete beekeeping outfit - over full makeup - and explains how important the hard-working insects are to the whole planet.

"I thought I knew something about bees and beekeeping and training, and I thought I understood the importance," she admits in the footage. "But really, when you really dig into it and you really start to learn about what, for example, what we would lose, 30 percent of the honey bees disappearing."

"Had we not had the beekeepers and the work of places like OFA, we would lose them. What happens when we lose them all?"

As a beekeeper explains in the video, "Bees are the most important animal on earth. Through their pollinating services, they offer one out of three bites of food that we eat every day. The world would be completely different without bees."

The Women for Bees initiative seeks to train and support 50 female beekeeping entrepreneurs from around the world over five years, with a goal of repopulating 125 million bees by 2025, Vogue reports. And Jolie is hoping to inspire some amateur beekeepers too.

"There are ways that individuals could keep some bees or at least have some flowers or dedicate some part of their life or time to the awareness and the... encouragement of these kind of programs," she concludes.
Instagram Celebrity

In a new Instagram post, the 21-year-old American sprinter shares a picture which had the word 'Violence' with the toggle on, prompting people to slam and troll her.

Sep 2, 2021

AceShowbiz - Sha'Carri Richardson has landed in hot water once again. The sprinter, who was barred from competing at the Tokyo Olympics because of a failed drug test for cannabis, was dragged online after she hinted that she chose violence in a new Instagram post.

In the said post on Tuesday night, August 31, Sha'Carri shared a picture which had the word "Violence" with the toggle on. Upon seeing the image, many asssumed she was hinting that she condoned violence, prompting them to blast the athlete.

Taking dig at Sha'Carri, one Twitter user wrote in response to the post, "Should've chose violence on that track sis! Its too late neowwww." Another person taunted, "Choose speed."

Someone added, "Sis you came in 4709th place at the last race. They had time to make jerk chicken & start dutty wining to a dancehall track by the time you got to the finish line. The only violence is how you lost. You gotta stop. 'This is very em-bear-rah-zing! Are you not em-bear-rahz-ed?' "

Seemingly tired of defending her, a fan said, "we can't keep taking up for you if you gone keep proving everybody else right." Someone else urged Sha'Carri to "sit tf down," while a user noted, "Her personality a lil unlikable at this point like girl..."

Prior to this, Sha'Carri receieved backlash after dissing Jamaicans by liking a rude tweet about the country, just days after she was under fire for dissing Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price. "Not y'all Jamaicans still talking s**t when y'all gotta walk barefoot to your coconut stand everyday for a living," read the said tweet.

This arrived after Sha'Carri pressed a "like" on a tweet dissing Shelly-Ann following the race at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon in which she placed 9th. "Shorty in the back look Lil Wayne," the tweet read, referring to a video featuring Shelly-Ann smirking while walking pass behind Sha'Carri during an interview.
WENN/Cinzia Camela Movie

With 'The Card Counter' being in competition at the annual festival, the Oscar-nominated writer/director admits he has become more mindful about what he says while promoting projects.

Sep 2, 2021

AceShowbiz - Writer/director Paul Schrader has been forced off social media by publicity bosses worried about "cancel culture".

The Oscar-nominated writer/director has a new film, "The Card Counter", in competition at Italy's Venice Film Festival, which launched on Wednesday, September 1, and he admits he has become more mindful about what he says while promoting projects or he'll derail his chances for awards.

He told Deadline his publicists have barred him from using Facebook to avoid sabotaging the new movie, which stars Oscar Isaac.

"I'm off Facebook until the film comes out," he explains. "[Publicists at] Focus [Features] said that anybody can construe something you've said... It can become clickbait. That's what all interviews would become about, and 'The Card Counter' would be forgotten."

Schrader, who wrote the script for Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" and went on to direct cult films like "American Gigolo" and "Cat People", was blasted for declaring he would love to work with disgraced actor Kevin Spacey in 2018, shortly after "The Usual Suspects" star had been accused of sexual assault.

At the time, he wrote in a Facebook post, which he later deleted, "I believe there are crimes in life but no crimes in art. Spacey should be punished for any crimes his actual person created. But not for art. All art is a crime. Punishing him as an artist only diminishes art."

Despite voicing the unpopular opinion, Schrader landed his first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 2019 - for "First Reformed". While Schrader seems to be minding his tongue this time around, he's not happy about it.

Talking about Spacey and producer Scott Rudin, who has also been targeted with abuse allegations, the writer/director adds, "They have gotten caught up in cancel culture. Cancel culture is so infectious, it's like the Delta virus. If your friend says, 'They're saying these terrible things about me that aren't true,' you're afraid to come to their defense, because you might catch that virus too."

Schrader doesn't believe he'll likely be canceled himself, saying, "I think I've been fairly honest and upfront, kept my hands to myself."

However, his comments got him kicked out of two Zoom poker games during the pandemic. "I said something that someone took offense to... It was just impolite talk," he explains. "Historically poker was all about men getting together to interact, but those days are gone, I guess."
Instagram Celebrity

Stacia Mac, who is the CEO of Only Dreamers Achieve (ODA), vows that she will not stop looking for information about the intruders until she knows 'who is responsible.'

Sep 3, 2021

AceShowbiz - Polo G's mother was left distraught after three men tried to break into her house. Taking to social media, Stacia Mac announced that she's offering a $10,000 reward for information about the intruders.

On Wednesday, September 1, Stacia made use of Instagram to share footage of a man kicking her door at around 3 A.M. The clip saw him wearing a hoodie and covering his face with a face mask. He could be seen holding a weapon in his right hand.

In the caption of the video, Stacia wrote, "I struggled with if I should post this... I recently had an attempted break in at my home. At least three men attempted to break in (you'll hear the assailant on camera say 'y'all ready?!' ) In real time on my camera I witnessed as an intruder kicked in my basement door." She added, "While multiple intruders flocked to other entry points of my home. I began to open fire upon them. They retreated."

"My family is safe, by God's grace," the CEO of Only Dreamers Achieve (ODA) further explained. "In this situation you have only two choices; Fight or flight. I refused to be a victim in my home! I will not rest until I know WHO is responsible."

Stacia went on to note, "Im offering a $10k reward for information leading to the arrest of said individuals. My son, Polo G, has hired 24 hour permanent armed guards." She then concluded, "I am grateful to be alive to tell this story. If you have information please share. Thank you."

The post has since been flooded with comments from Stacia's famous pals. One in particular was BIA who replied, "Mannn and this why I don't be feeling bad when mfs get they head blown off! They be violating! Thank God u ok." Karlie Redd, meanwhile, chimed in, "Oh my god thank god your okay."
WENN/NAMM Celebrity

Randy Fletcher has passed away in a hospital in Toledo after suffering an injury while setting up the stage for Nicole Kidman's husband for a concert in Ohio.

Sep 3, 2021

AceShowbiz - Keith Urban is mourning the death of his production manager, Randy Fletcher.

The 73 year old died on 27 August (21), a day after suffering an injury while setting up the stage for the star's concert at Bash on the Bay in Ohio.

Production Lights and Staging News sources claim Fletcher was taken to a hospital in Toledo, where he died "peacefully" surrounded by family and loved ones.

Paying tribute to his pal in a statement to Billboard, Urban writes, "Randy 'Baja' Fletcher loved people. Now that's a phrase that's a lot easier, and more often said than done. But, this man truly did love people, and music, and life, and he lived it right. He saw the commonality in all of us and I can promise you this, once you'd been in the orbit of his light, he'd stay with you forever."

"Some people ask are you a 'glass half full or a glass half empty' kinda person? Baja's view was, 'What a beautiful glass.' I loved him. We all loved him, and I'm grateful he chose us as his road family for 10 years."

During his career as a road manager, Fletcher also worked with ZZ Top, Brooks & Dunn, Randy Travis, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Willie Nelson, among others.

He was honoured with the Country Music Association's first-ever CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement award in 2017 and was named Production Manager of the Year at the CMA Touring Awards in 2018.
Instagram Celebrity

The family of the murdered Instagram personality thank the 'Bodak Yellow' hitmaker for defending the fallen star amid criticisms following her murder-suicide.

Sep 3, 2021

AceShowbiz - Cardi B has come to the defence of late Instagram model Mercedes Morr after online trolls blamed the social media star for bringing on her own death.

Morr, real name Jenae Gagnier, died in an apparent murder-suicide in Houston, Texas over the weekend (27-29Aug21).

The 33 year old was found strangled to death in her apartment by an alleged stalker, Florida resident Kevin Alexander Accorto, who was found upstairs in a pool of blood after stabbing himself in the neck.

Online critics began blaming Morr for her own demise because she was a public figure on multiple social channels, including Facebook, Snapchat, and OnlyFans.

Cardi B, one of several celebrities who were following Morr online, lashed out, writing on her Instagram Live, "So sad and f**k you b**ches and nikkas trying to justify it cause of her lifestyle. Ya will hate on a bad b**ch dead or alive. She was a sweetheart (sic)."

Morr's mother thanked the "Bodak Yellow" rapper for her support, telling TMZ the rap star took the attention away from her daughter's alleged murderer and put it back on Mercedes.

The family has also invited Cardi to Morr's celebration of life in Houston on Saturday (04Sep21), but even if she can't make it to the memorial, they're still grateful she has brought awareness to the case.

In a lengthy Instagram post made shortly after accounts of her death were made public, Morr's sister London claimed the man who killed Mercedes had been stalking her online.

Her father, Mark, also tweeted he was upset with gossip surrounding his daughter's death.

"The false statements put out by social media and several news outlets is alarming. The death of my daughter is still under investigation. Until we have all the facts no statement will be made please respect the family."

Mark reportedly found his daughter's body at the bottom of a staircase on Sunday when he went to check on her after not hearing from her for a few days. He kicked in the door to gain entry and that is when he says Accorto stabbed himself in the neck.
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The Duke of Sussex pays tribute to the scientists behind the Covid-19 vaccine while expressing his concern about hoax that prompts hesitancy to get the jab.

Sep 3, 2021

AceShowbiz - Britain's Prince Harry has hit out at "mass-scale misinformation" around the COVID-19 vaccines.

The royal honoured the scientists behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine at the British GQ Men of the Year Awards in London on Wednesday (01Sep21), describing them as "our nation's pride," but also used his speech to express his concern about vaccine hesitancy and its implications.

"Families around the world are being overwhelmed by mass-scale misinformation across 'news' media and social media, where those who peddle in lies and fear are creating vaccine hesitancy, which in turn is dividing communities and eroding trust," he said. "This is a system we need to break if we are to overcome COVID-19 and the rise of new variants."

"The Oxford Team have done their part. They are heroes of the highest order who gave us an instrument to fight this disease. They are our nation's pride, and we are deeply indebted to their service."

Harry - who was speaking remotely from California - was tasked with introducing the team to the stage, which included Dame Sarah Gilbert, Catherine Green, Emma Bolam, Ian Poulton, Laura Walker, Mwila Kasanyinga, Wendy Crocker, Lisa Stockdale, Jamie Fowler, and Syed Adlou.

He also discussed the need for "vaccine equity" and underlined the "huge disparity" when it comes to distribution and access.

"Until every community can access the vaccine, and until every community is connected to trustworthy information about the vaccine, then we are all at risk," he explained.

"That's a common refrain my wife (Meghan, Duchess of Sussex) and I have heard in convenings with vaccine experts, heads of industry, community advocates, and global leaders."

"As people sit in the room with you tonight, more than a third of the global population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. That's more than five billion shots given around the world so far.

"It sounds like a major accomplishment, and in many ways is. But there is a huge disparity between who can and cannot access the vaccine. Less than two per cent of people in the developing world have received a single dose at this point, and many of their healthcare workers are still not even vaccinated. We cannot move forward together unless we address this imbalance as one."
CHICO, Calif.  Chico State bike theft is rising as students return to campus this semester.

University Sergeant Joe Deal says approximately 20 bike thefts occurred the first week and 10 occurred the first day back.

He says that all students should secure their bikes with a hardened U lock through the wheel, rack, and frame.

The University Police also suggests all students register their bike, check on it often, and move it from time to time.

Oscar Tirado Rodriguez, a sophomore at Chico State, says he had his bike stolen from work his freshman year. He had two locks on his bike.

University Police say they have already stopped two theft attempts in process with their security camera system.
CHICO, Calif. - The Chico Unified School board is considering a change in how board members are elected.

If approved, the City of Chico would be split into five districts.

In April of 2020, the Chico Unified School District was ready to look at a district-based election instead of the at-large election currently in place, where candidates with the most votes win a seat on the board.

But the pandemic postponed that possibility until a special meeting was held at Marigold Elementary.

The Chico Unified School Board finally looking into splitting the City of Chico into districts for electing their board members, a year and a half after district voting was first considered.

"There was a delay this year from the census bureau like many other organizations," said Director of Demographics & Planning for Kings Consulting, Rob Murray. "Pursuant to those executive orders by the governor, the process was suspended and as it turns out, was never picked up again."

Now that students are back in the classroom, and the census bureau saying all 2020 data will be ready by the end of Sept., the board can reconsider the election zoning.

If the district-based elections are approved, then Chico will be broken up into five districts, one for each seat on the board.

However, this board will finish out their terms and stay the way it is even if a special election is held after the districts are created.

Some examples of what election zoning could look like for Chico include different colors and each district taking a portion of the city.

This was only the first meeting for the district election consideration.

The board will be looking forward to public input to decide what to vote on.

"How dramatic are we expecting the changes to be? Do we have any indication? Especially along the south campus area," said Dr. Kathleen Kaiser, Vice President of the school board.

On Oct. 20, the third meeting for the district election will be held.

That's when the first rough draft map of the different districts of Chico will be revealed.

The next meeting will be on Sept. 15, at Marigold Elementary.

The board will take public comment both in person and over the phone, at the next meeting and future meetings when allowed.
GLENN COUNTY, Calif. - Glenn County Office of Emergency Services will be hosting a bottled water distribution event for Glenn County residents.

The events will be on Sept. 8 and 22 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Orland Fire Department in the rear parking lot.

The water will be available to Glenn County residents impacted by the dry well and who have completed a well incident report.

There is a 10 case limit per household.

For more information about the well incident report, click here.
A federal bankruptcy judge has approved with conditions a historic opioid settlement between Purdue Pharma and thousands of local and state governments.

The agreement accepted Wednesday caps a long-running legal drama involving a company that had come to symbolize the corporate culpability behind an epidemic that has claimed more than 500,000 lives over the past two decades.

Under the settlement, the OxyContin maker will be reorganized into a new company that will funnel its profits into efforts to fight the overdose crisis.

Members of the Sackler family will give up ownership of the company and pay $4.5 billion, but they also will be freed from any future civil liability involving opioids.
WASHINGTON D.C. - President Joseph R. Biden declared that an emergency exists in the State of California due to conditions resulting from the Caldor Fire.

Biden has ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local response efforts, according to The White House.

The Presidents action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate hardships on the local population and to provide assistance for required emergency measures.

The declaration is also intended to protect property public health and safety and to lessen the threat of a catastrophe in Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, and Placer Counties.

FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment, and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.

Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75% Federal funding, according to The White House.
True independence is when a woman is financially independent and can pursue her goals and ambitions without constraints. With financial freedom, women can develop the confidence to enable themselves to make successful strides in life, realize dreams and achieve goals. This freedom also contributes to rising female leadership in the workforce, upliftment in their living standards, higher economic contribution and overall building of a stronger nation.

Whats more, is the growing share of women opting for credit, opening trading accounts, investing in mutual funds & equity markets and checking CIBIL scores clearly points to the emergence of a healthy appetite for investment-related guidance among the female audience.

With this central thought, CNBC-TV18, a purpose driven brand and the undisputed leader in the English business news space, is launching a special series titled Financial Quotient, to equip women in their journey towards financial freedom. Season 1 of the show goes live on Friday, 3rd September, 2021 at 2 PM.

Understanding that empowerment of women is closely linked with financial empowerment; this show will seek to provide them access to all aspects of financial independence.

Hosted by Sumaira Abidi, Deputy Editor at CNBC-TV18, each episode will focus on contemporary and relevant topics such as Investing for the first time, Insurance, Estate planning, Risk profiling assessment, Inheritance management, Reviewing & Consolidation of investments and much more. It will also shed light on aspects such as retirement planning, maternity planning and career breaks, thus keeping women at the centre of the conversation. Additionally, the show will focus on providing wealth solutions for the entire family, making it relevant for men as well.

Two leading brands namely Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund and Zebpay have partnered with the show.

Speaking about the show, Smriti Mehra, CEO - Business News, Network18 said, Fund your dreams, fund your freedom, its YOUR time. This is the central theme behind Financial Quotient. We could not have been prouder to bring such a unique and powerful content offering to our women audience in this form. As a nation, we have faced some very tough challenges in the last 1.5 years, and our endeavour as a brand has always been to be the best possible ally to our audience in their journey towards wealth creation and financial planning. Our Women and Money Series is simply the natural progression to carry this philosophy forward. We are proud to address women and curate content that helps them fulfil their dreams and aspirations.

Commenting on the association, Mr. A. Balasubramanian, MD & CEO, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited, said, We have always believed that financial empowerment begins with awareness and education. We have held several impactful and large scale initiatives over the years that have propagated investment awareness. While our efforts have been recognised, our pursuit to spread financial education is relentless and we have now embarked on an ambitious journey with For HER- one of the largest financial literacy initiatives aimed at women in India in collaboration with The Womens Collection, and we aim to reach over 10 million women across the country in next 3 years. CNBC-TV18 as a brand has proven expertise and depth in the field and has been championing financial education for many years. The synergies between us are well aligned and we look forward to this partnership in taking our vision forward. Instilling the power of financial education amongst the women of our country is essential to Indias economic growth. Such focussed engagement will provide the right knowledge and enable their active participation in financial decisions.

Avinash Shekhar, Co-CEO of ZebPay also shared, ZebPay's Womens DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) is an all-women-led decision-making project that uses blockchain technology. The goal with this initiative is to promote more women in ZebPay's leadership roles by providing a supportive environment and also create new programs for higher engagement with women customers. ZebPay is proud to partner with CNBC-TV18, the leader in business news and market updates, on the Financial Quotient series to achieve our mutual goal to boost womens empowerment. We trust this series will help develop more women leaders and decision-makers in the country.

Viewers can watch the show every Friday at 2 PM on CNBC-TV18.
Continuing the aggressive expansion of its senior leadership team across various specializations, Shiprocket, Indias leading tech-enabled logistics and fulfillment platform, has announced the appointment of Atul Mehta, as its Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Atul will be heading Shiprockets logistics platform in India and will be responsible for Sales, Account Management, Supply Chain Operations, Customer Operations, and Seller Excellence functions. Outside these core responsibilities, he will work with the founding team to drive innovation and build long-term strategies.

Having joined Shiprocket in July 2021, Atul, an alumnus of IIT, Kharagpur, and IIM, Calcutta, has over 16 years of experience across P&L management, brand ownership, category management, operations, product, sales, and marketing. Atul moves to Shiprocket after a 4+ year stint at Amazon where he served as the Head of Strategic Partnerships and New Business Initiatives and played a pivotal role in scaling the Amazon Pantry from one city to a PAN India program. Prior to this, he has served in a senior leadership role at the multinational consumer goods company Unilever where he led the iconic toothpaste brand Pepsodent for India.

Speaking on the latest announcement, Saahil Goel, Co-Founder, and CEO of Shiprocket said, Shiprockets growth trajectory has been remarkable in the last few years, and we have been looking for someone to join our top leadership team to match our scale and drive excellence internally. Shiprocket is also ramping up capabilities around hyperlocal, reducing delivery times, and offering fulfillment services. The next decade belongs to millions of entrepreneurs - D2C brands and SMB sellers. We have an opportunity to be the core engine that is driving this entrepreneurship. This will require a mix of innovation, people leadership, and high-quality execution. Given Atuls business acumen and previous experience leading eminent organizations, we are confident that he will be instrumental in strategizing and further driving Shiprockets growth.

I am thrilled to have joined the Shiprocket team on their mission to enable D2C brands and SMBs. Shiprocket is revolutionizing the logistics and fulfillment space with its customer-centric, digital-first, streamlined approach by leveraging technology to build scalable solutions for thousands of sellers. With multiple integrations and 17+ courier partners serving 29,000+ pin codes, brand tracking packages for post-order engagement, and Data Science products to reduce RTO, the platform has become a one-stop shop for online sellers. I am humbled to have gotten this opportunity to be a part of Shiprockets journey in building the best-in-class post-checkout experience. My plans for Shiprocket include working closely with the founding team to further bolster existing operations and aggressively scale the new product offerings we are building. I look forward to a long-lasting stint and driving the company towards greater heights, added Atul Mehta, COO of Shiprocket.

Reaching 29,000+ pin codes with 17+ courier partners and over 1 lakh sellers onboard, Shiprocket processes 5 million+ shipments per month and is the largest e-commerce shipping and enablement platform for SMBs in the country. Backed by marquee investors including PayPal ventures, Bertelsmann India Investments, Info Edge Ventures, March Capital, Tribe Capital, and angel investors including Kunal Shah (Founder, Cred), and Deepinder Goyal (Founder, Zomato), Shiprocket aims to scale up by expanding its footprint globally starting with the Middle East and augmenting its product offerings.
Chandan Mitra, a former Bharatiya Janata Party MP who switched to the Trinamool Congress in 2018, passed away late on Wednesday. Mitra was a journalist, former editor and managing director of The Pioneer newspaper in Delhi. He was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha during August 2003 to August 2009. He was elected to another term in the Rajya Sabha, as a Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Madhya Pradesh, in June 2010.

A distinguished journalist and a shrewd politician he was a well know figure in the world of media as well as politics. He will be remembered for his vast knowledge and intelligent thinking and is ability to debate and write well.

In his condolence message, President Ram Nath Kovind said that Mitra was an outstanding journalist and his stint as a parliamentarian added to his reputation. His understanding of Hindi heartland and its history was profound. His demise leaves a void in Indian journalism. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, he added.

BJPs Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta said I have lost my closest friendeditor of Pioneer & former MP Chandan Mitrathis morning. We were together as students of La Martiniere & went on to study at St Stephens & Oxford. We joined journalism at the same time & shared the excitement of Ayodhya & the saffron wave," he added.

He was also the editor of The Pioneer, but recent reports stated that he resigned as printer and publisher of the newspaper in June this year.

His son Kushan Mitra said that the former Rajya Sabha MP died last night in Delhi. Shri Chandan Mitra Ji will be remembered for his intellect and insights. He distinguished himself in the world of media as well as politics. Anguished by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised Mitras deep knowledge, sharp writings and contributions towards journalism and politics and tweeted, Deeply anguished by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this hour of sadness.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 02.09.2021 - Switzerland organised the third retreat of the twelve largest donors to the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) from 31 August to 2 September 2021.

"We need to invest more in coherent and inclusive preventive action if we are to achieve lasting peace," said State Secretary Livia Leu in her opening speech at the third retreat of the twelve largest PBF donor countries on 31 August in Glion, VD. By following on from Sweden and Germany in organising the retreat, Switzerland is also pursuing one of the priorities of its Foreign Policy Strategy 202023: strengthening its commitment to world peace. The event was set up with the support of the UN Peacebuilding Support Office and the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding at the Graduate Institute in Geneva.

Discussions at the retreat focused on a range of topics, including the importance of reinforcing partnerships with global financial institutions and the private sector. The issues of transitioning and withdrawing from peacekeeping operations were also discussed with a view to preventing a return to violence. High-level guests, in particular Bintou Keita, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, shared their experiences from different countries affected by conflict.

The PBF: a key UN instrument in preventing armed conflict

The PBF is a major UN instrument in the promotion of peace around the world. Through its mandate, the PBF provides coordinated international support to promote peace in countries affected by or at risk of violent conflict. It brings together institutions from the fields of development, humanitarian aid, diplomacy, human rights and security to focus on common goals. Since 2016, the fund has also been linked to the UN reform process aimed at improving the coherence, efficiency and effectiveness of its work on the ground.

Switzerland: the PBF's sixth-largest donor

Switzerland's commitment to invest USD 24 million by 2024 means it is currently the sixth-largest donor to the PBF, which is now supported by 24 countries. The PBF's new strategy, which was launched in 2020, aims to reach a threshold of USD 1.5 billion in donations by 2024.

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




Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 02.09.2021 - The Technical Assistance Service, the predecessor of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), was established in 1961. Despite many challenges over the past 60 years, the SDC has made a significant contribution to sustainable development across a broad range of areas. To mark the anniversary, the SDC will organise a live event, with the participation of Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, which will present an overview of Switzerland's international cooperation activities.

The challenges have changed considerably over the past six decades. To meet them, the SDC, which is part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), has continuously developed and adapted its strategies and instruments. Initially focused on building infrastructure, its activities are now inspired by the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which comprises economic, social and environmental aspects.

The SDC pursues a targeted and partnership-oriented policy, as set out in the International Cooperation Strategy 20212024. Its activities are primarily aimed at fostering sustainable economic growth, combating climate change, saving lives and alleviating suffering as well as promoting peace and the rule of law. International cooperation challenges are becoming increasingly complex. Poverty has become ever more multidimensional and, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, global challenges require global responses involving innovative partnerships. The SDC remains flexible and is adapting accordingly.

On 9 September 2021, the SDC will host an interactive online event from 1 to 3pm to present an overview of its activities, both at its head office in Bern and around the world, including in Mali, Nepal, North Macedonia and Peru. Participants are invited to take part in a panel discussion with Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, and Patricia Danzi, director general of the SDC. Specialists deployed around the world will also be on hand to answer questions in real time.

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




Alton, IL (62002)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Low around 65F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Low around 65F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
OSCEOLA, Iowa  Before selecting a herd sire, Brian Oswald says it is important to establish production goals.

We always appreciate the opportunity to visit with new potential customers and learn about their operation, he says. We feel it is very important as their seedstock supplier to know the goals for their cow herd so that we can recommend the best bulls to fit their needs.

Oswald and his wife Mindy operate High Point Genetics. The cow herd consists of 300 registered cows, with about 75% of those Angus and the other 25% SimAngus.

Oswald has also worked full time for Farm Credit Services of America for the last 30 years.

The south central Iowa producer says each customer has different goals, but some traits are always in demand.

The majority of our customers look for bulls that are moderate to easy calving with extra gain-ability and performance, and quiet dispositions, he says. Our customers value data, and EPDs are important to them.

As we search for AI and natural service sires, we strive to select balanced trait bulls that push the envelope in terms of performance. Genomics play a role in every mating and have been important to our operation.

But Oswald stresses the need for a well-balanced bull that not only has desirable EPDs, but progeny that can handle life in the pasture.

Structural soundness and fleshing ability are non-negotiable no matter how outstanding their EPDs or genomic data, he says. Many of our customers also retain their heifers as replacements. Having many cows in their teens, we value longevity and know that for a cow to live a long, productive life, she must have a solid foundation, a nice tight udder, and be able to do everything right.
Ethiopian Airlines Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Boeing to position Ethiopia as an aviation hub for Africa within three years. Boeing has stated it regards Ethiopian Airlines as a global aviation leader in the African continent, and wants the partnership to work in four areas of collaboration: industrial development, advanced aviation training, educational partnership, and leadership development. Joint multidisciplinary teams have been established to implement the strategic partnership, and they report that important milestones have already been reached.

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I am very much thrilled not only to sign this historic MoU with our long-standing aviation partner, Boeing, but also to the implementation of milestones. We have been working in collaboration with Boeing on different large-scale projects in aviation for more than 70 years to serve the continent of Africa, and this partnership expands and builds our capability in multiple fields, stated Tewolde GebreMariam, group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines.

I have firm conviction that with our dedication in its implementation, the MoU will successfully attain its goal of positioning Ethiopia as the continents aviation hub. We highly value the critical role of our American partner companies in accomplishing our goals and we will continue to work with key American aviation players like Boeing, GE, Pratt and Whitney and Collins Aerospace etc in our journey towards excellence in aviation, he added.

Ethiopian and Boeing are aiming for the Ethiopian Aviation Academy to be recognised as a global standard for aviation training, while Boeing is committed to developing Ethiopias manufacturing capability and aftermarket aviation service. Through this MoU, Boeing and Ethiopian hope to advance their capabilities to compete globally, and to build a 21st century pipeline for aviation careers in Ethiopia.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  A Democrat who lost a U.S. Senate race in Oklahoma in 2020 said Wednesday that she will challenge the incumbent Republican for a U.S. House seat that was successfully targeted by the GOP in a hotly contested 2020 campaign.

Abby Broyles said she she will oppose first-term Republican Rep. Stephanie Bice for the 5th Congressional District seat representing central Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City.

Bice defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn, winning 52% of the vote in the 2020 race that was targeted by the Republican Congressional Committee.

The Democratic Congressional Committee has not listed Bice as a target for the 2022 midterm elections.

Horn was the only Democrat in the state delegation and was targeted after pulling off one of the nation's biggest political upsets in 2018, defeating a two-term GOP incumbent for a seat held for four decades by Republicans.

A spokesperson for Bice, who has not announced her plans, did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Broyles, in her first run for political office, received nearly 33% of the vote in the U.S. Senate race won by incumbent Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe. However, she raised slightly more than $2 million, according to federal election commission data.

Broyles, a lawyer and former television reporter, announced in December that she was launching Grit for Democracy, a not-for-profit organization aimed at boosting Oklahoma voter registration and turnout.

Registered Republican voters outnumber Democrats in the district by 43.5% to 36.3% with 19.2% registered independents and less than 1% Libertarians, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board.
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Courtesy of JNS; Photo credit: Sheba Medical Center.

Dr. Adi Gidali, a New York-trained physical therapy supervisor at the Outpatient Brain Injury Unit at Sheba Medical Center, with 24-year-old recovering patient Netanel Felber.
Helping older adults age well and live life to the fullest will continue to be the goal of AgeWell Cincinnati as it moves into its fifth year of operation.
This past week, presumably in response to the deadly attack in Kabul that killed 13 troops, the Chief of Staff of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) reminded active-duty members of their Article 88 responsibilities under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), that they are not allowed to disrespect senior government leadership. ONI rules also prohibit retired military members from the same offense.

Damn. How bad must it be if one of the deepest of deep state entities has to remind its active duty and retired military members to hold their tongues? Really, how bad is it?

Normally, when the Commander-in-Chief and the Executive Branch of the government are respected, when the troops have faith that their elected leaders (and their appointees) will keep faith with them, then such a reminder is not necessary.

In March 1993, just under two months after inauguration, President Bill Clinton visited the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN-71). The aircraft carrier began a six-month deployment from Norfolk Naval Station just the day before. Given Clintons protests against the Vietnam War (some of which were overseas) and his lack of military service, his announced visit was not very popular among the members of the ships crew and embarked carrier airwing.

Remember also, Clinton had narrowly defeated President George H.W. Bush (who was a decorated U.S. Navy veteran of WWII) by securing the Electoral College votes but earning less than 50% of the countrys popular vote. He had no mandate, and he did not have the militarys trust. The military was wary of the young, newly inaugurated president.

For that reason, all embarked military personnel were given direct orders that we would not speak disrespectfully of the new president. I was there. I remember it well.

Is that a surprise to non-veterans? People in the military, having taken an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and, by extension, every citizens Constitutional right to freedom of speech, are not allowed to exercise that same right while they wear the uniform. Article 88 of the UCMJ confirms it.

Heres the real problem though: It is not a good indicator when troops must be reminded that they are not allowed to speak critically about the militarys civilian leadership. It is not a good sign when a USMC Lieutenant Colonel feels compelled by the horrible events in Afghanistan to speak out publicly and risk ending what has otherwise been a successful career of faithful, war-time military service. The leadership is failing when the leadership resorts to coercion, makes examples of dedicated and deeply concerned leaders, and threatens punitive action if one dares ask tough questions and speak the truth.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Lohmeier, USAF, and Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller, USMC, can now be listed among those patriots who have pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the American citizenry and those core values that have defined their military service. Why has speaking the truth, and doing so with the service branchs best long-term interest in mind, become a career-ending decision?

It is curious, isnt it? None of these reminders were issued while President Trump held office. Then, there were no prohibitions against an active-duty military members disrespect to government officials. No, those people (for example, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman) were whistleblowers with only the highest conceivable, most earnest, and most honorable of intentions to save the Republic from the bad orange man.

A few months ago, I asked, Where are the Admirals? Where are the Generals? Where are my Fellow Veterans? as I wrote about Critical Race Theory infecting the merit-based culture that is vital to our armed forces. The same question could be asked again, in the present context of the debacle that is Americas withdrawal from Afghanistan. It is truly a sad embarrassment, and now it is a deadly tragedy and insufferable loss to the families of the 13 who died.

Aside from those who have made public statements, I must assume that most of the military leadership is pragmatic in its approach to this challenge. After all, if they all quit for the same or similar reasons of conscience, then only those who are in lockstep with current initiatives will remain, and we will be lost. By remaining at their post, and at the helm, they will provide the continuity our country needs for our military to be able to fight and win.

It is a conundrum I can scarcely imagine, but sometimes people must make choices. One or two O-5s will not be enough to alert the national consciousness to the grave threat facing our military culture and the erosion of their core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment (US Navy).

Lt. Col. Scheller clearly identified himself in his video and, by doing so, he knew he would be held accountable. He knew his actions were a risk to continued service to our country, which he clearly holds dear. But he said, What you believe in can only be defined by what you are willing to risk. He expected to be held accountable by his senior leadership, but he expected those who were responsible for the deaths of his Marines to demand the same accountability of themselves. That is the embodiment of "servant leadership" and the ethos of leadership instilled in every United States Marine Corps officer.

When I graduated from Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, in March 1987, each newly commissioned officer received a personal, and personalized, gift from the Chief Drill Instructor, a USMC Master Gunnery Sergeant who was, without a doubt, the most intense and intimidating man I have ever met. He told us during our check-in process that it was his intent to make the next fourteen weeks the most arduous experience of your lives. He, and the cadre of USMC Drill Instructors whom he supervised, succeeded in doing so, but in so doing they transformed us into the men and women who would have the confidence to face the challenges ahead.

The Chief Drill Instructor presented each of us with a card, a keepsake, that says:

You can divide Naval Officers into two classes: Pretenders and Contenders . The Pretenders are the ones who never sacrifice themselves. They will never understand the meaning of total dedication, therefore they will never taste the glory. The Contenders are the ones who demand of themselves the absolute maximum limit and are willing to pay that price. They will be able to catch the glory. Life is that way. There are Pretenders and Contenders. The question is  Which one are you?

Lt.Col. Lohmeier and Lt. Col. Scheller are Contenders. I shall follow their example of dedication to the eternal and timeless principles that are the hallmarks of service, achievement, and personal sacrifice.

To our Admirals, our Generals, and those elected or appointed to servewhich one are you? Your country is counting on you to be the Contenders in a swamp full of Pretenders.

Every American also needs to stand and be counted. Which one are you?

Jeff M. Lewis is a Christian, a husband and father, a Veteran, and a small-business owner from South Texas.

Image: Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller takes a stand. YouTube screen grab.

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Americans were treated to the theater of the absurd as they watched a humiliated Biden administration bend over backward to paint the Taliban as some kind of trusted partner with a future in responsible governance.

Apparently, nobody got word to the Taliban that they were hurting Joe Biden's damage control international rehabilitation effort when they were committing door-to-door executions, cutting off tongues, preventing Americans from getting to the airport, and welcoming back Osama Bin Laden's security chief and arms supplier complete with a Cheshire Cat smile.

One of the worst examples of rose-colored awfulness was the States' Department spokesman, Ned Price, opining that these savages need to meet their "commitments and obligations in Afghanistan on freedom of travel, respecting basic rights of people, upholding ... commitments on counterterrorism, not carrying out reprisal violence against those who stayed, and forming an inclusive government."

Yeah. They won't be doing any of that. Asking an organization that traffics in terror to conduct counterterrorism operations was the most laughable part of an altogether shameful statement.

Price's ultimate boss, the watch-checker-in-chief, was quick to defend the Taliban when he noted that ISIS-K is the archenemy of the Taliban before zoning out for what seemed like forever in trying to explain away how his incompetence led to the deaths of 13 heroic Americans. ISIS-K is certainly the archenemy of the United States, but so is the Taliban. It's absurd to think that these various extremist groups that are aligned in their hatred of America would not cooperate to achieve a common goal, which was driving the U.S. out of Afghanistan at record speed while Americans were still trying to get past those trustworthy rascals who were blocking the airport.

These "helpful and useful" (as the lead military commander for Central Command, General Kenneth McKenzie, characterized them) tongue-slicing fellows are the biggest beneficiary of the ISIS-K-accelerated American retreat since they can milk the hostage situation we gifted them for pallets full of cold hard cash from here to as far as the eye can see.

While this administration seems to be blind to extremists abroad, it is obsessed with extremists here in America. By that, I'm not talking about Islamist extremists who can stroll at their leisure across our lack of a southern border.

Our military leadership may not understand that keeping Bagram Air Base open made blindingly obvious strategic sense, but it is hard to fault them for this minor oversight when they've been focused on the far more important mission of driving all the extremists from the military.

Every military service was ordered earlier this year to conduct a standdown day to address extremism within the ranks following the weaponless protests on January 6 that were quickly and falsely labeled an insurrection, a charge repeated ad nauseam by military leadership. The Department of Defense ensured that no military member was spared this indignity, demanding that all suffered through it.

Anyone who took part in those sessions can tell you that military leadership's idea of an extremist was anyone who had the audacity to question the corrupt and incompetent elites who are destroying the country. They had no hesitation in defining extremism so broadly that it applied to that half of the country that is patriotic and not willing to cheerlead the rampant violence that ran through the country last summer. A friend called me in tears after she was forced to go through one of these sessions.

Those who had the audacity to vote for Donald Trump felt suddenly unwelcome in the military they swore an oath to serve.

As a general rule, anyone who is willing to call the half of the country that disagrees with him an extremist can find an actual extremist by looking in the mirror.

It's no coincidence that the military is also obsessed with "diversity and inclusion" as the administration seeks to rebalance the military more to the ideological favor of the corrupt elite. If these same elites thought that "diversity and inclusion" would result in more Constitution-respecting Americans disgusted at their corruption, the singular obsession with skin color would quickly fall out of favor.

General Mark Milley's comments on white rage are perhaps the most shameful ever uttered by someone serving as the nation's highest military officer. Note to Milley: It isn't white rage. It is American disgust that cuts across all races at the nation's corrupt and lying leadership. Those who were protesting a dishonest election weren't trying to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America, as Milley alleged, but were trying to protect it. The people he holds in the highest contempt are those who revere the Constitution he swore an oath to protect.

What our administration of extremists has done against those who participated in the January 6 protests is a national disgrace and a stain on the soul of our country. Who would have ever thought that we would live in a country where a political party winked and nodded at criminals committing mass violence and the burning down of American livelihoods while seeking to destroy patriotic Americans by sending them to jail for a charge as absurd as parading?

Milley and these weak-minded military leaders think it's a grand idea to balkanize the military into racial tribes and to sow distrust among the men and women who choose to serve.

The American military was once the great equalizer, the place where everyone worked together with common values in a shared calling, where character was king and the last thing anybody really cared about was something as arbitrary as another person's skin color. Those days, at least for the moment, are gone.

This whole administration and its allies in the media and social media are infested with this type of hollow-chested people. These are the type of people who don't consider the Taliban extremists but have no hesitation to pin that label on you. These are the people who think those "helpful and useful" tongue-slicers deserve to be heard on social media but are more than happy to kick off a Gold Star mother in the midst of the deepest grief imaginable for daring to criticize an empathy-challenged president whose incompetence led to her heroic son's early death.

What the last few weeks have clearly shown is that it is hard for our lying and corrupt leaders to see real extremists when they've already fixed that label on half of America as part of a deranged snipe hunt aimed at silencing all opposition. But, real extremists are now celebrating America's defeat and the fact that their once great enemy now has nobody at the helm.

This administration is about to get some quick lessons on real extremism thanks to their incompetence that has emboldened our worst enemies while severing us from any real friends. Even an administration as corrupt and incompetent as this one will find it hard to stay upside-down for too much longer.

Image via Pixnio.

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First, remember our troops, living and dead, who served the United States in Afghanistan since 2001. They are owed our gratitude for their steadfast presence in a difficult country and our help as they and their families, and the families of the dead, navigate the emotionally terrible terrain of a defeat inflicted not by the enemy, but by our government's failure to plan properly for the end of their mission. If it was time for the U.S. to leave, then so be it. But there is nothing the civilians or the military higher-ups can say that will make Americans believe they knew what they were doing. Resignations are in order.

Spare a moment, too, for the 182,071 soldiers in the Afghan Army and Air Force and the 118,628 members of the police and paramilitary security forces serving as of July 2021. Yes, the Afghan force collapsed  but only after the U.S. withdrew its air power and intelligence capabilities, both of which the Afghans had relied upon under our tutelage.

Second, retire the word "privilege" as used in the U.S. to denigrate those perceived to have some inborn, unearned advantage. Whatever your color, race, or sex; whether you are the sixth great-grandchild of slave or fifth great-grandchild of Chinese railroad slaves or the second-generation Vietnamese refugees or the remnants of the Holocaust  if you live in the United States today, you are privileged. You have the advantages of freedom, liberty, and a Constitution. You have access to education, food, medicine, and bathrooms. If you doubt your privilege, watch CNN.

Third, consider the extraordinary arsenal supplied by the United States to our ostensible enemy, the Taliban. Conveniently scattered in U.S. bases around the country, in Kunduz, Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, Gardez, and Kabul, the U.S. Government Accountability (?!) Office (USGAO) and the special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction (SIGAR) report the following hardware losses:

22,174 Humvees

637 MIII7 vehicles

155 MXX Pro mine-proof vehicles

169 armored personnel carriers

8,000 trucks

42,000 pickup trucks & SUVs

64,363 machine guns162,043 radios

16,035 night vision goggles

358,530 assault rifles

126,295 pistols

176 artillery pieces

33 MI17 helicopters

33 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters

43 MD-530 helicopters

4 C-130 transport planes

23 Embraer EMB 314/A29 Super Tucano planes

28 Cessna 208s

10 Cessna AC-208 strike aircraft

That leads to a fourth thing. The American withdrawal from Afghanistan was ill-timed, was poorly planned and executed, and will have repercussions with America's allies and adversaries. The British Parliament, according to The Daily Telegraph, "holds the president in contempt." Indeed, it did, voting unanimously to condemn both President Joe Biden and British P.M. Boris Johnson for their failures.

This, then, is an opportunity to remind our British friends  and ourselves  that a disastrous military defeat is not necessarily permanent or even precedent-setting.

In 1915, British forces attempted to take the Gallipoli Peninsula from the Turks and the Germans in World War I. "Gallipoli" in England, even today, is a metaphor for disaster. Defeat is defeat is defeat, and Gallipoli ranks as one of the great ones. The British pulled out in November  successfully, actually, surprising their enemies with their sudden disappearance. But they left behind enough kit to stupefy even Gen. Otto Viktor Karl Liman von Sanders, the German commander, who wrote in his memoir, Five Years in Turkey:

The booty at the south group was extraordinary. Wagon parks, automobile parts, mountains of arms, ammunition and entrenching tools were collected ... most of the tent camps and barracks had been left standing in part with all their equipment. Many hundreds of horses lay in rows, shot, or poisoned, but quite a number of horses and mules were captured and turned over to the Turkish artillery ... the immense booty of war material was used for the Turkish armies. Many shiploads of conserved, flour and wood were removed to Constantinople. What the ragged and insufficiently nourished Turkish soldiers took away, cannot be estimated.

Sound familiar? This is not (only) to dump on the British  among the best of our allies, mistreated by the Biden administration that failed to coordinate with any of the Europeans who have been with us in Afghanistan from the beginning. It is to say that the allies went up from there and won WWI  with our help. Leading to Dunkirk in 1940. Leading to the remarkable manifestation of British will  the evacuation of 338,226 British and French soldiers in part through the efforts of the flotilla of merchant marine, fishing and pleasure craft, lifeboats, and yachts that answered the call. (Google Digital Dunkirk for the 2021 analogy.)

It was after Dunkirk that Winston Churchill said, "We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations."

The war was won by the determination of allied leaders and their armies  including America's Greatest Generation  largely supplied by the American home front, full of Americans who knew how important victory was and who were determined to get there.

The open question is whether the United States and its allies have the determination to look the defeat in Kabul in the eye and start to plan for the next, essential battles.

Image via Max Pixel.

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The withdrawal from Afghanistan has reinvigorated the discussion among conservatives over the Republican Party's foreign policy strategy. Some Republicans have laid the blame for the fall of Afghanistan on the shoulders of libertine isolationists like Senator Rand Paul. They claim the "endless wars" slogan is an emotional argument and that proponents are culpable for the repercussions of the hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan. On the other hand, Isolationists claim that neoconservative Republicans' support of indefinite forward-deployed military operations amounts to nation-building. Republicans traditionally support "peace through strength," but defining that and the parameters for deterrence of aggression is still under considerable debate.

The Republican base was clamoring for a foreign policy that puts America first and brings the troops home even before the 2016 presidential election. President Trump was elected based partly on his ability to listen to the Republican base. While he promised to get America out of endless wars, many elected conservatives are now advocating for an indefinite war on terror. Their firm belief is that the U.S. never should have withdrawn from Afghanistan. But looking closer at the proindefinite war arguments shows that they are not as sound as their advocates claim.

The U.S. force consisted of only 2,500 soldiers, and no Americans died. After supplying the Afghans with $2.2 trillion in foreign aid and $28 billion in military equipment, the U.S. was able to draw down the number of boots on the ground. They reached 2,500 on November 17, 2020, after 19 years of war. "Boots on the ground" is an expedient political term used to pacify Americans advocating to bring the troops home. The reason the term "boots on the ground" is important is that that is all the 2,500 accounted for. No one was counting the huge portion of U.S. Air Force assets and the two Navy battle groups (including Navy and Marine fighter aircraft) deployed to the Middle East, flying daily combat missions overhead. Combat operations, consisting of fighter aircraft, air refuelers, cargo aircraft, Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, helicopters, and Remote Piloted Aircraft (RPA), to name a few, conducted close air support, convoy support, ISR, and RPA hunter-killer operations. These aircraft launched daily from USCENTCOM bases in other countries and completed their missions with multiple air refuelings. This enabled 2,500 troops to hunker down on the relatively safe Afghan bases. This, along with the peace agreement with the Taliban, is what allowed the U.S. to avoid any military deaths since Army sergeants 1st class Javier Gutierrez and Antonio Rodriguez in 2020, even as thousands of Afghan soldiers perished and the Taliban systematically retook the majority of the country.

The Taliban launched their offensive on May 1, 2021, at the beginning of the fighting season, just five months after the U.S. troop drawdown. The 2,500 U.S. soldiers were not sustainable, it was political theater. When politicians use this number to advocate for why America should have stayed in Afghanistan, they are either naive or misleading the American people.

The U.S. should secure a forward operating base to counter regional terrorist threats. As referenced above, 2,500 soldiers were not sufficient to hold a forward operating base in Afghanistan. In fact, if the U.S. would have stayed in Afghanistan, another troop surge, like Iraq in 2007, would have been likely. Furthermore, there are plenty of other forward operating bases in the region to deal with terrorist threats. For example, Al Udeid Qatar, where it's rumored that the U.S. maintains a 99-year lease, where the Combined Air Operations Center for the entire Middle East resides, and where the USAF routinely conducted combat flights for Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. If the U.S. requires a closer forward operating base, why not consider working with a country like India, which is an American ally and has fought periodic border skirmishes with China and Pakistan?

Now that the U.S. is leaving, China will swoop in and secure $1 trillion in natural resources. It seems reasonable that Afghanistan contains at least $1 Trillion in natural resources and that the Chinese would love to have it. However, I'm sure political pundits in Russia were claiming the same thing about America when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan. It appears that America's time in Afghanistan has been as fruitful as the Soviet Union's. If China does invade the "graveyard of empires" that may be the best thing American foreign policy experts could hope for.

Steven Whitson is a USAF lieutenant colonel, commander, and command pilot with over 260 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is also the CEO of The American Institute for Liberty and Security (TheIALS.org).

Image via the Department of Defense.

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When the stink of slavery choked England and America, Christian leaders and laypeople spoke out, and slavery was ultimately abolished in England and America. When the horrors of Nazi socialism became evident in the 20th century, Christians like Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany resisted and spoke against Hitler. When the oppression of communism became too great in Eastern Europe, leaders, including Pope John Paul II, spoke out, and the Iron Curtain fell in the late 20th century. When evil arose before 2000 A.D., Christians opposed it.

Is something different in the 21st century? When American media and American technology heard negative things about Joe Biden's family prior to the 2020 presidential election, they engaged in shameful censorship to hide the opportunism and greed of Hunter Biden and others in that family. When the election came and we witnessed with our own eyes all kinds of suspicious activities, they ignored cries of election tampering and fraud that President Trump's supporters raised.

Many, myself included, believe that widespread tampering and fraud played a significant role in the 2020 election. Democrat bullies, media bullies, and Big Tech bullies have prevented any honest analysis of the election. While Hillary Clinton continues to rage against a vast right-wing conspiracy, we suspect a vast left-wing conspiracy aided and abetted by the communists in China stole from America a fair and honest election and gave Joe Biden the keys to the White House.

If an American family goes to the police reporting a missing family member, don't they have the right to expect the police to do an investigation? What if the body of that missing member is found and the police refuse to investigate further because the missing person is dead? By analogy, we're being told that, with the election over, the need to investigate fraud is over as well. But free and fair elections are the bedrock of our great experiment in democracy. Many believe that the 2020 election was as "rigged and fixed" as President Trump warned it would be.

Millions like me have grave doubts about the 2020 election. Where are the Christian leaders to call for an honest analysis of this very controversial election? To his great credit, Franklin Graham has questioned the outcome. For his questioning, he has been widely pilloried by the usual suspects.

Many in this country believe that wide-scale treason prevented us from having a fair and honest election in 2020. It is tough to trust our current leaders when we cannot trust the process by which they were selected. As noted, of Christian leaders, only Franklin Graham has spoken up. As for the rest, Christian leaders have become "unburning bushes" concerning the 2020 election. The Goliath-like bullies are taunting us with their ill-gotten gains. Will godly heroes come forward and speak for the 2020 doubters?

Image by Andrea Widburg.

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Joe Biden made a big deal about always consulting the "science." He vowed to follow the "experts." He vowed to control COVID.

But well, that promise was like all of Joe's other promises: Phony.

Two more leading health care regulators, genuine experts in their field, have resigned their long-held positions just as the flu and COVID season is upon us. Their exit follows high-profile resignations at the Centers for Disease Control -- Nancy Messonnier and Anne Schuchat. Word is out that these professionals don't like being issued orders about what the 'science' is from the White House before they can make their determinations and they'll willing to end their careers for it.

Politico broke this story about the last two:

On Tuesday, two top FDA vaccine regulators resigned  a decision that one former official said was rooted in anger over the agencys lack of autonomy in the booster planning so far. A current health official said the pair, Marion Gruber and Philip Krause, left over differences with FDAs top vaccine official Peter Marks. Now the agency is facing a potential mutiny among its staff and outside vaccine advisers, several of whom feel cut out of key decisions and who view the plan to offer boosters to all adults as premature and unnecessary. POLITICO spoke to 11 current and former health officials and people familiar with the matter who described growing exasperation with the administration's disjointed process for implementing its booster plan. Those sources said there is little coordination between federal health agencies, even as two top FDA officials try to guide the rollout.

In mid-August, the White House announced a plan to get booster shots to contain the COVID delta variant, in the wake of a slew of breakthrough cases. They also put out an apparently arbitrary diktat of eight months after the second COVID shot. And a lot of top doctors knew it was a made-up number. It wasn't exactly the "science." An anecdotal case in point: My own booster shot, which I got a couple of weeks ago at UCSD, a top health care system, four months after I got the second Pfizer shot. I was in an immunocompromised category so the computerized system called me in. It seemed early given the White House's and the press's calls for "eight months after" and I asked one of my doctors about it. He confided to me that in reality, no one really knows when a booster should be administered.

Which is where the FDA resignations come in. According to Politico:

But for now, much of the discord within the agency centers on the administration's decision to push ahead with boosters before FDA's top scientists had a chance to weigh in. It was the administration's booster plan; it wasn't the FDA's booster plan, said Paul Offit, a University of Pennsylvania infectious disease expert who sits on FDAs vaccine advisory committee. The administration has kind of backed themselves up against the wall a little bit here.

Biden muddied the waters even further by saying maybe the booster could be administered five months in. Hey, whatevs.

The career medical regulators, Gruber and Krause, apparently couldn't take it -- and unlike the generals at the Pentagon who lost us a war -- they resigned.

Was it really that as reported? I think it was. Neither has any record of any political activity -- and I checked well. Open Secrets reveals a couple of people with the same names whose other information indicates they clearly aren't the same people. On other forms of political activity -- I found nothing. These guys don't do politics. Gruber has worked for the FDA for 32 years, and Krause her deputy has been at her side for a decade. Both are apparently very effective, getting other vaccines approved and to market, such as the Zika and MERS vaccines, and several others, too.

FDAs former acting chief scientist Luciana Borio added on Twitter, FDA is losing two giants who helped bring us many safe and effective vaccines over decades of public service. These two are the leaders for Biologic (vaccine) review in the US. They have a great team, but these two are the true leaders of CBER. A huge global loss if they both leave, Former BARDA director Rick Bright wrote, weighing in on the news. Dr. Gruber is much more than the Director. She is a global leader. Visionary mastermind behind global clinical regulatory science for flu, Ebola, Mers, Zika, Sars-cov-2, many others.

Reportedly, they wanted to get some science and facts in before recommending any booster shots to the public. And the Biden administration mowed them down and told them what the 'science' was, never mind the facts.

The two characters involved in this, Gruber's and Krause's bosses, do indeed show signs of being political pawns willing to take orders from the White House. Their immediate boss, Peter Marks, does come off as a good doctor generally. But I found one thing that set off a bell, an old USAToday story saying that Marks was the one who kept news of the Pfizer vaccine's success in October out of the press, supposedly to keep it from being politicized before the election. Actually, that was political -- to hurt Donald Trump. And he's the one that the two FDA officials are reportedly clashing with most for political interference. As for Marks's boss, acting FDA director Janet Woodcock, she's an actual political appointee, so that speaks for itself.

But the real political meddler here appears to be NIH politico and chief White House science advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Politico noted this:

But others familiar with the administration's thinking said that Biden and his top health aides, including Zients and chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci, had to lay the groundwork for booster shots so the public would be ready for what they saw as the unavoidable reality of additional vaccinations. If the White House didnt lead, what would happen? said a person familiar with the discussions behind the scenes.

Fauci, of course, in the past, has actually said that attacks on him were "attacks on science" effectively saying that he was the science, so now we get it. Given Fauci's skill at manipulating the political process, the evidence here points to his being entirely behind this, sticking his nose into other regulators' business and calling his own science.

Which makes little sense at all. A slew of articles in the Atlantic Monthly of all places cite expert thinking on the risk of getting boosters, particularly boosters given too early to non-immunocompromised patients sneaking in a third jab to get a de facto booster (and they're out there):

If those data become available before youre eligible, you probably still wont want to finagle your way into a dose before your turn, because skipping the line conceivably could hurt your protection in at least one way. Marion Pepper, an immunologist at the University of Washington, told me that overstimulating the immune system can make your body less adept at fighting off certain infections; scientists havent yet figured out whether thats true for COVID-19, but Pepper sees it all the time in her work on malaria. Your immune system needs some time and space to calm down in between seeing one infection and the next one so that it can hone its pathogen-detection skills, Pepper said. Hitting it with another vaccine before its ready might not make it any better at fighting the coronavirus.

The other problem with boosters, which is why they are opposed by the World Health Organization, is that getting one nation's population boostered while much of the rest of the world remains unvaccinated and developing variants as a result, won't actually work to stop the pandemic. Many sources out there -- the Washington Post, Wired, and the Atlantic -- have noted that experts have found that getting the whole world vaccinated to an acceptable level will do much more to control COVID than hyper-vaccinating just one part of the world's population.

The sad thing is that the broader pictures -- that natural immunity from having COVID is never considered, or that unvaxxed Sweden is developing very low COVID infection rates based on that natural immunity, while tiny hyper-vaxxed Israel is experiencing more bad COVID outbreaks -- aren't even considered.

It's important to note that these resignations may not be confined to just those factors. Gruber is on record as expressing skepticism about child vaccines, while the Fauci'd up White House is looking to push those, too. What we see here is a politicization of actual science, with real scientists of no discernable politics not being able to take it anymore. Why would the White House and Fauci be doing this? Pushing bad or risky science that real scientists don't want to put their names on, suggests some kind of money or influence operation, if not something worse.

MSNBC of all places has a pretty good piece on how bad it looks:

But when four scientists and physicians at two of the most important United States agencies leave during the middle of a pandemic with no ready transition plan or heirs apparent, there is clearly a need to look to the agencies leadership. In this case, the FDA lacks the necessary leadership in the Office of the Commissioner, and the public will pay a price for it.

It's another reason to demand resignations from a much higher level.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License

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"When you're dead, you're a dead peckerhead." John Prine

We humans struggle with the realities of life and death. Whether you're religious or not, the death of someone with whom you're close profoundly affects you. "If it bleeds, it leads," on the other hand puts death at a distance. We are disturbed, yet fascinated with mayhem, but unless it happens to someone we know personally, we can, and do, dismiss localized violence from our minds. If we didn't do that, we'd drown in sorrow every day.

When we witness extraordinarily callous behavior, such as that from our president and his minions (or is it the other way around?) when they simply abandoned Americans, Afghan allies, and even dogs to the Taliban, it's harder to shield ourselves from a sick stomach, even though it's all happening far away. We did this. Our decisions and the paralysis of those in D.C. to stop the bad actors have caused these life-and-death problems.

Haunting images of a brutal regime at its worst are blasted across TV screens, as pundits and guests on talk shows rationalize the decisions made. Knowing we left a vague "10%" of our resident Americans behind in-country, and that this number apparently includes a whole lot of schoolkids from California, we start feeling a bit rough. The same occurs when we see pictures of dog crates left on the tarmac, our loyal companions, bomb-sniffers, helpless to let themselves out of the cages. We are a little relieved to hear they've been set free to roam Kabul, but only until we remember that this is a culture that reviles dogs as unclean despite the Afghan hound breed's existence. I'm not sure which are held in less regard, dogs or women, but I suspect that the answer is both.

We have innocent children, we have hapless dogs, we have people who were turned away from the airport gates, others who had their passports stolen at Taliban "checkpoints," and who knows how many others, who we suspect are all doomed but for the surreptitious help they're getting from retired combatants desperate to uphold our honor.

We have an administration that simply doesn't care. Its members don't care about the Americans, and they don't care to honor our promises to Afghans who helped us in our efforts over the last 20 years. They also don't care about a lost generation of children, especially the girls doomed to a life of pain, drudgery, and sexual slavery. We will no doubt be made to watch as Americans are rounded up, beaten, killed, or paraded as hostages, flaunted by the sick-minded, malevolent forces that now control the country. Maybe it will awaken the souls of our ostensible leaders, spurring some action, rather than the vacuous litany of meaningless words they spout.

There are already stories of systematic house-to-house searches, followed by the murder of anyone who ever helped us as identified by the biometric records we so graciously left the Taliban. Soon, I'm sure, we'll be able to take a step back and see the mass graves from our satellites in space. I have no doubt they will exist, for to leave thousands of slaughtered people in place will be to invite pestilence and disease into the city. I'm sure there will be plenty of enslaved women to take care of this macabre work, as their masters prod them along with canes to their backs.

Perhaps my imagination runs away with me a bit. Time will tell, but history is on the side of my being correct. We've had the Nazis, we've had the killing fields of Cambodia, we have records of purges and pogroms going back centuries. We've had the Tutsis and the Hutus and, more recently, Boko Haram. We have the unknown horrors in North Korea and the Uighur slaves of China.

Add the next years in Afghanistan to the list. Women, enslaved, raped, maimed, and murdered. Civil rights, as we know them, gone. Violent plots carried out against those of us they hate, guaranteed. We live in a barbaric world, and we, in this pretty, once-proud country where the rule of law used to reign, have been insulated from much of that until now. Instead, we obsess about our over-magnified dilemmas of gender, word usage, and a virus that ought to have paled to insignificance by now. These are interesting times we live in, and they are about to get a tad more violent, I think.

The only cold comfort is that we, too, will each someday be released from watching it all unfold. It will, eventually, be someone else's problem to solve. Sadly for many of us, the task will fall to our kids and grandkids. That brings it closer to home once again.

Image: The Taliban beat a woman publicly. YouTube screen grab.

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After any unfortunate incident of a mass shooting, Democrats hasten to the nearest microphone or camera to ferociously demand the seizure of guns.

They proclaim that easily available guns are solely responsible for the violence. They conveniently ignore the fact that most shootouts occur when the mentally unstable obtain guns illegally.

They claim that their intent is to "keep guns out of dangerous hands" and "make sure firearm owners take on the responsibility of ensuring their weapons are used safely."

As always everybody from the US President to the intern blogger at MSNBC has the same choice of buzz words or catchphrases such as common-sense gun control or reasonable restrictions on guns.

Quite often a section of Republicans also joins in. After all, they have to show that they are among the "good ones" in their party who care.

This is almost always accompanied by amateur theatrics of copious tears and lumps in throats, to demonstrate that virtue and compassion lie solely with them. But to the watchful observer, the restrained jubilation and the charade are obvious.

As they deliver their monologue, they slyly glance from the corner of their eye to verify that their armed bodyguards are nearby standing steadfast to defend them.

They contemplate authoring legislation that intends to seize guns from citizens. As they are doing so, they periodically look out the window at their Capitol Hill office to verify that armed policemen are patrolling their vicinity.

When they are driven back home, the vehicle they are traveling in and perhaps every other vehicle in their motorcade has heavily armed personnel. Their homes are protected by armed bodyguards.

But this is not just idle talk. A few months back, the Biden administration announced a strategy to clamp down on gun dealers for "supplying firearms that show up at crime scenes." The Biden administration stated that it will work alongside state authorities "to shut down dealers that fail to live up to their obligations" to prevent diversion to criminal elements.

They barely utter a syllable for the recurrent gun violence in Chicago or the shootouts in New York.

Following the Biden administration's haphazard and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, there were reports that billions of dollars worth of U.S. military equipment abandoned by U.S. armed forces were in possession of the Taliban. These were not only small arms, but more advanced equipment such as Black Hawks, Humvees, drones, night-vision equipment, and helicopters.



YouTube screen grab.

The inference to be drawn is that Biden wholeheartedly trusts the worst among Islamic terrorists such as the Taliban and ISIS with advanced U.S. weaponry.

This is the very Taliban who executed surrendering Afghan troops, who ordered women to remain indoors, who attacked women and children trying to flee Kabul, who forced young women and girls into sexual slavery, who set a woman on fire for her poor culinary skills, who brutalized dissenting journalists, who massacred ethnic minorities such as members of the Hazaras tribes, and who killed a comedian.

It is beyond doubt that the Taliban and their nefarious allies will use their newly-acquired sophisticated U.S. weaponry for violence and destruction. Their targets are likely to be dissenters in their own country, their neighbor India, and perhaps even the U.S. and its allies.

Interestingly the Taliban and Biden are on the same page on gun control and even exhibit an identical level of hypocrisy. After seizing power, the gun-wielding Taliban personnel went from door to door, confiscating weapons from civilians. The Taliban are doing exactly what the Democrats fantasize about.

The only group that Biden and the Democrats do not trust with any sort of guns are upright, responsible, tax-paying, law-abiding, mentally stable citizens devoid of any criminal record.

These acts of blatant hypocrisy and recklessness have caused Biden and the Democrats to lose whatever little standing or moral authority they ever had on the issue of constitutionally protected arms. No longer can they preach about "keeping firearms out of dangerous hands."

Going by their record, the propagandizing and moralizing are unlikely to stop anytime soon.

The only way to improve the situation is to vote for only those who respect individual freedom and rights.

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With the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the Iranian regime  feeling comfortable on the country's eastern borders  tried to portray it as the victory of Islam over the United States. By continuing its relationship with the Taliban and calling the Taliban part of the resistance front and sending them their requested fuel, it tried to maintain its influence in Afghanistan.

The Taliban ignored many of their doctrinal differences with the Iranian regime because they needed the regime's financial and logistical support. But now that this common enemy no longer exists, we must wait for the hidden differences to be exposed. This will be more apparent in the future. Because the Taliban's relationship with the Iranian regime was based on common interests and common enemies  as long as the U.S. forces were in Afghanistan.

As the new developments in Afghanistan took place, a regional conference chaired by Iraqi prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was taking place on the western border of Iran, Iraq. The conference was attended by King Abdullah II of Jordan; Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi; Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, emir of Qatar; Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum, the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates; Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu; Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud; and others.

Although Iraq had invited Iran's new president to attend the conference, Khamenei preferred to send Amir Abdullahian, the new foreign minister, who had served for some time as deputy foreign minister and head of the Arab desk at the Foreign Ministry. Khamenei thought with Abdullahian's experience, he could better accomplish the goals of his regime. French president Emmanuel Macron also attended the conference as a guest.



Foreign minister Amit Abdullahian (photo credit: khameni.ir).

The main purpose of the summit was to resolve tensions among the countries of the region, in particular between Saudi Arabia and its allies, including Egypt on one side and the Iranian regime on the other. Iraq has suffered the most from disputes between these countries and has become a battleground. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 2015 following an attack on its embassy by an Iranian regime thug, resulting in the occupation and destruction of the embassy. The two countries are also engaged in a proxy war in Yemen, which has wrought havoc on the Yemeni people. Tehran and Cairo have not had diplomatic relations since 1979, since the Iranian revolution and the Shah's departure to Egypt.

But Khamenei, quite pleased and joyful by the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan, aimed to find a way to get the U.S. troops out of Iraq, which he sees as a threat to his security and an obstacle to his influence in the region.

In line with this goal, despite many differences with Saudi Arabia, there have been talks between the representatives of the regime and Saudi Arabia in Baghdad for some time, intended to improve relations between the two countries. So far, they have not yielded results. In fact, the negotiations have been halted since the appointment of Raisi as Iran's new president.

However, the presence of Amir Abdullahian in this conference not only did not achieve anything for the regime but also created embarrassing moments for it.

Amir Abdullahian, both in his speech in Arabic and in the observance of protocols of the meeting, showed that he does not respect international diplomatic principles at all. After his speech, there was a lot of criticism in the Iranian media, such as, "It would have been proper if the text of his speech had been checked and edited by someone who is fluent in Arabic because even in terms of Arabic literature, his speech contained mistakes.

Furthermore, in taking a ceremonial photo, Abdullahian did not respect the protocols that specified the first row for the heads of state and the second row for foreign ministers. He left his assigned place, which was next to the Saudi foreign minister, and stood in the first row, next to the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Muhammad al-Maktoum, who appeared quite upset with this action.

Such undiplomatic behavior from Iran's foreign minister attests to the fact that the Iranian regime wants to make its presence felt and impose its influence on others. But it is no longer able to even dictate its desire to the Iraqi prime minister, which was Syria's participation in the conference.

At the same time, all countries in the region are aware of Iran's devastating economic situation as well as its COVID-19 crisis and know that Iran is no longer able to fund its proxy forces in the region as it used to. It is facing a budget deficit of 550 trillion Tomans (Iran's currency). The bankruptcy of the economy plus widespread corruption inside the regime apparatus has pushed about 80% of Iranians to live below the poverty line.

These people are extremely dissatisfied with the current situation and are like a ticking bomb that is fast approaching the time of its explosion. Especially due to the mismanagement of the regime, Iran currently has the highest daily deaths from COVID, not only in the region but also in the world. According to reliable sources, more than 2,000 people die every day in Iran from the pandemic, and so far, close to 400,000 people have fallen victim to this disease. This is despite the fact that most countries in the region have vaccinated more than 60% of their population, but less than 6%  i.e., one-tenth of other countries, have been vaccinated in Iran.

Khamenei's miscalculation is that he claims the United States as his first threat, when in fact the United States poses no threat to Iran, and Khamenei's main threat is the Iranian people, the vast majority of whom want regime change. They clearly showed their desire during the recent presidential election by widespread boycotting of the elections. Considering the above, the Baghdad summit scored no gain for Khamenei and his regime.

Cyrus Yaqubi is a research analyst and Iranian foreign affairs commentator investigating the social issues and economy of the Middle East countries in general and Iran in particular.

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Joe Biden addressed the nation on his extremely flawed and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan. His comments came a day late and a dollar short once again, despite claiming that the buck stops with him." His address on August 31 blamed everybody but himself for the utter failure of his withdrawal.

Once again, he threw his military advisers under the bus, stating that they unanimously recommended closing Bagram Air Base over Kabul International for the evacuation. Anyone with an ounce of strategic planning training knew that this was a bad choice. Why would you withdraw and surrender a base with a 30-mile defensible perimeter and air support over one crammed into a tight urban setting surrounded by high ground, cover and concealment, and civilian shields? You know that General Mark Milley and secretary of defense General Lloyd Austin did not as a first choice recommend to the president surrendering Bagram over Kabul.

If you listen closely to Milley's statements, the decision to close Bagram was due not to strategy, but to personnel constraints. In other words, "President" Joe Biden disregarded their advice to collapse the embassy and move it to Bagram, where they could more easily defend personnel and civilians while completing the withdrawal. Think about it: the personnel (troops) were already present at the airbase to defend it. But instead, Joe Biden and his ego, in a rush to be the "president" who ended this conflict from the American perspective, ordered that the personnel at the airbase be removed first.

In other words, "President" Joe Biden took the first option off the table and left Milley and Austin with no real choice. Without formally calling out the president, on August 18, General Milley stated his mission this way: "Our task given to us at that time, our task was [to] protect the embassy in order for the embassy personnel to continue to function with their consular service and all that[.] ... If we were to keep both Bagram and the embassy going, that would be a significant number of military forces that would have exceeded what we had or stayed the same. So we had to collapse one or the other, and a decision was made."

Following the lawful orders of their commander-in-chief, they then recommended as "the only" option they were left with to collapse the airbase and concentrate efforts on securing Kabul. The "president" tries to spin this as "his generals and advisers" all being in agreement that using Kabul should be the plan going forward. Therefore, Joe Biden owns this debacle all to himself. The "president" is also responsible for not ensuring that the Afghan commanders at Bagram were informed of our departure and the time frame in which it was executed.

Joe Biden is a coward and proves it every time he takes to the podium. He talks big, then turns tail and runs. Our country is less safe with the vacuum he has left in Afghanistan, and I am willing to cut General Milley and Secretary Austin some slack. However, now that they have fulfilled their lawful orders, they should resign as recommended by Lt. Colonel Stu Scheller, USMC.

As President Obama said: "Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f--- things up."

United States Marine Corps veteran (sergeant), retired 32-year law enforcement veteran of the Douglas County Sheriff's Department, and Denver, Colorado Police Department. Terrorism liaison officer, 14-year airport officer, and certified member of the American Association of Airport Executives, former aviation security supervisor III- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Image: ResoluteSupportMedia.

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It is not every day when one thousand survivors of the Iranian regime's prisons and massacres gather to recount their horrifying stories to the world. But that is exactly what happened on Friday. More than a thousand former political prisoners and witnesses of torture and brutal killings in Iran's prisons appeared at a virtual conference, which was attended by hundreds of prominent and high-profile international dignitaries, including foreign ministers and human rights advocates from Europe and North America.

They all demanded an end to the culture of impunity enjoyed by regime leaders and to prosecute its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei; President Ebrahim Raisi; and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Ejei, among others, for egregious human rights violations.

In one of the most horrific crimes committed by a dictatorship in the Middle East and perhaps the entire world, during the 1988 massacre, the clerical regime executed at least 30,000 political prisoners, more than 90% of whom were members of the main opposition, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK/PMOI). They were killed because of their beliefs and their commitment to bring about a free and democratic Iran.

The regime wanted to annihilate all opposition to its rule  a devastating trend that has now led to a ruined economy, disastrous social conditions, ongoing crimes against humanity, and a massively botched response to the coronavirus pandemic that has so far taken the lives of nearly 400,000 Iranians.

The 1988 massacre is a clear example of genocide. In January 2010, Ebrahim Raisi, the regime's current president, declared that "all MEK are enemies of God and punishable by death." The regime is particularly concerned about the MEK because it presents the most popular, credible, and organized alternative to its rule. The MEK is also part of a broader coalition of democratic organizations in the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). The NCRI's president-elect, Maryam Rajavi, a charismatic Muslim woman, has led an international campaign that has called for justice for the 1988 massacre victims and their families. During Friday's event, Rajavi said: "For us, the Call-for-Justice movement is synonymous with perseverance, steadfastness, and resistance to overthrow this regime and establish freedom with all our strength." She called on the U.S. and Europe to recognize the 1988 massacre in Iran as genocide and a crime against humanity and prosecute and hold Raisi accountable. She urged the U.S. and Europe to recognize the 1988 massacre as genocide and a crime against humanity, in line with many other human rights authorities. The leading global human rights organization Amnesty International, the Canadian Parliament, and many U.N. officials have described the 1988 massacre as a "crime against humanity." Last September, a number of U.N. special rapporteurs called for an international probe into the killings.

Geoffrey Robertson, the first president of the U.N. Special Court for Sierra Leone, who wrote a detailed report on the 1988 massacre in 2011, said: "It seems to me that there is very strong evidence that this was a genocide. It applies to killing or torturing a certain group for their religious beliefs. A religious group that did not accept the backward ideology of the Iranian regime."

Other speakers echoed this sentiment, including Kumi Naidoo, secretary-general of Amnesty International (20182020), which published a 200-page report in 2018 about the 1988 massacre entitled "Blood-Soaked Secrets." "The 1988 massacre was a brutal, bloodthirsty massacre, a genocide. The EU and broader international community must take the lead on this issue. This government, led by Raisi, has even greater culpability on the issue of the 1988 massacre." Guy Verhofstadt, prime minister of Belgium (1999 to 2008), said: "I am still shocked by what happened in 1988. The 1988 massacre targeted an entire generation of young people[.] ... It qualifies as genocide. The massacre was never officially investigated by the UN, and the perpetrators were not indicted. They continue to enjoy impunity. Today, the regime is run by the killers of that time."

The international community, particularly the United States and the European Union, must now take the lead on this issue. These governments must realize that there are no "moderates" in the Iranian regime and that the Iranian people are demanding the regime's overthrow.

Raisi was part of a four-member Death Committee in 1988 that issued execution sentences for thousands of innocent prisoners. Therefore, no country in the world, nor any credible international forum, must accept him. He must instead be prosecuted and held to account for his horrific crimes. That is exactly what the Iranian people and the organized opposition have called for.

The U.N. secretary general, the high commissioner for human rights, the Human Rights Council, U.N. special rapporteurs, and international human rights organizations must be allowed to visit the Iranian regime's prisons and meet with prisoners, especially political prisoners. The regime's human rights violations must also be tabled at the U.N. Security Council.

An international investigation into the 1988 crime against humanity in Iran is a must. As threats to democracy and human rights increase across the world, the international community should muster the political resolve to punish the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre, who hold senior positions in the Iranian regime. Otherwise, there will certainly be more massacres and human rights abuses because the regime will see international silence as a license to kill.

Image: Chickenonline via Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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While U.S. pundits see Vice President Kamala Harris's visit to Hanoi as a way for her to get out of town and avoid awkward questions, the Chinese media responded with sharp commentary accusing her of inciting Vietnam against China. For her part, Harris accused China of "bullying" in the South China Sea. The U.S.-China-Vietnam strategic triangle is certainly on the minds of ordinary Vietnamese.

At a park in central Saigon, some students asked me, "Do you know why we love Trump?"

"Is it because he hates China?" I asked.

"Yeah!" They responded in unison.

Yes, Donald Trump is a Vietnamese folk hero. In fact, Trump is more popular in Vietnam than in any other country except the Philippines.

Why do Vietnamese like Trump? Everyone tells me it is the way he talks, which I am pretty sure means the way he talks about China. Fearing Beijing's reaction, the government limits what the Vietnamese can say about this subject. Many are fed up with worrying about what might make China angry. When Trump talks about China, he is a tribune of the Vietnamese people.

The main issue that divides China and Vietnam is the South China Sea, or East Sea, as it is called in Vietnam.

The islands of this sea were unclaimed, or terra nullius, until 1932, when the French annexed them to their colony of Indochina. They drew some lines on a map, made claims, and built a weather station. China replied with its own map claiming the islands in 1935. Vietnam has inherited the French claims.

Even while supporting North Vietnam against the United States during the Vietnam War, China worried that a united Vietnam would turn against it. China backed the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia to threaten Vietnam from both sides. It invaded Vietnam in 1979 in a brief, bloody conflict. Although Vietnam's regular army was fighting in Cambodia at this time, the militia units facing the Chinese put up stiff resistance. China hasn't gone to war with anyone since.

In the 1980s, Vietnam was the Soviet Union's impoverished colony and a part of an anti-China coalition. With the end of Soviet military and economic aid, Vietnam normalized relations with China in 1991. For decades, Vietnam followed China's lead in both geopolitics and economics. This policy has become harder to sustain in the Xi Jinping era.

China deployed steel-hulled fishing boats and began ramming wooden Vietnamese fishing boats in 2013. In 2014, Vietnam responded to the presence of a Chinese drilling platform off its coast with a wave of protests. This flailing about had little effect on China.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that the outcroppings in the disputed area were "rocks" rather than claimable islands. That makes almost the entire sea international waters. The finding was accepted by the United States but not by either Vietnam or China.

China sank more Vietnamese fishing boats in 2019 and 2020. Vietnam no longer protests such incidents. "The big countries will sort it out," as one woman in Saigon told me. The Vietnamese air force has been stiffened with the addition of 36 Russian-made Su-30 fighters in recent years, but it has fallen far behind China's.

The outcome of the dispute over the South China Sea could be determined by Vietnam's deep-water port at Cam Ranh Bay. There is no indication that Vietnam plans to lease the port out. But a naval base at Cam Ranh could dominate the sea and the enormous tonnage of trade that passes through.

The Vietnamese government can be described as efficiently authoritarian. "The police know everything," an officer told me. They can certainly keep track of where I live, even when I neglect to fill out official paperwork.

The country's leaders maintain a low profile. Although Nguyen Phu Trong, 77, has been general secretary since 2011, many Vietnamese don't know who he is. He is described as a Marxist theoretician with a bachelor's degree in philology.

Nguyen was awarded his third five-year term by the party Central Committee on February 1. But titles mean nothing in a communist system. The best indication of who is in charge is the seating order at party meetings. The country's 18 Politburo members are predominantly party and security people.

While no position of actual leadership is subject to election, the Vietnamese did vote for a National Assembly on May 24. There were propaganda posters urging people to vote but no information about specific candidates. I asked several Vietnamese about this. None of them had ever voted, planned to vote, or even realized that they could. There were no lines on election day. It's enough to make you wonder if the official 96-percent turnout figure is exaggerated.

The best that the Vietnamese people can hope for is that their government  whoever is in it  will help defend them against Chinese depredations.

Peter Kauffner lives in Sequim, Washington, United States.

Image: A Chinese ship ramming a Vietnamese fishing boat. YouTube screen grab.

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In the late 1960s, the Beatles spoofed the Beach Boys' music with their parody entitled "Back in the USSR." Now that the USSR, which President Reagan accurately branded as the "Evil Empire," is rendered kaput, the song is an interesting historical musical artifact. There's a distinctly Soviet feel in America today, though, because the Democrats' approach to Marine lieutenant colonel Stuart Scheller is reminiscent of the way the Soviet Union used mental health as a tool to suppress dissidents.

By now, many Americans  whether those in uniform, veterans, or non-military citizens  are all horrified at the colossal military blunder that the deeply flawed Biden administration committed as its endgame in Afghanistan. And when it comes to calling for accountability for those responsible, perhaps no one has put more on the line than Lt. Col. Scheller:

Marine Corps Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who was relieved of command after a video of him criticizing senior U.S. officials for "failures" in Afghanistan went viral, said Sunday that he will be leaving the Marine Corps after 17 years. "All I asked for was accountability of my senior leaders when there are clear, obvious mistakes that were made," he said in a video posted on LinkedIn this weekend. "I am not saying we can take back what has been done; all I asked for was accountability," he said, adding that he could have remained silent for three more years to reach the 20 years of service required for full pension, but that he opted to speak out instead. Scheller said leaders accepting "accountability" for a harried U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan could have a more significant effect on service members "with post-traumatic stress or struggling with purpose" than any other "piece of paper or message."

In my Marine community, aviators wanted command of a squadron while our fellow grunts achieved their great career success and professional validation in becoming commanding officers of a battalion of Marine grunts. As he worked his way up to his battalion command, Lt. Col. Scheller paid significant Afghan combat dues, in addition to also having served in Iraq. This is taken from his Marine bio:

In 2010 LtCol Scheller sought out an Individual Augment deployment to Afghanistan. He was the Counter-IED team leader for the organization JIEDDO. He spent a year in Paktika and Ghanzi provinces while supporting the Army's 101st Infantry Brigade. He was the infantry subject matter expert for EOD and Route Clearance Platoon operations. [snip] In June 2021 LtCol Scheller checked into the School of Infantry East, Advanced Infantry Training Battalion, as the commanding officer.

The mission statement of Scheller's Battalion is unambiguous and direct, demanding dedication and focusing on combat and battlefield responsibilities:

DEVELOP INFANTRY SMALL UNIT LEADERS AND PROVIDE ADVANCED SKILLS TRAINING THROUGH PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTORS IN ORDER TO EMPOWER MARINES FOR SERVICE THROUGHOUT THE FLEET MARINE FORCES.

Scheller took seriously his responsibilities and went viral when he challenged those in command of the Afghanistan debacle to take seriously their responsibilities...and failures. And that's where we find ourselves turning back in time to what the Soviet Union did when people dared dissent. Wikipedia, although now notoriously inaccurate because of its leftism, is actually correct about what was going on in the Soviet Union:

There was systematic political abuse of psychiatry in the Soviet Union, based on the interpretation of political opposition or dissent as a psychiatric problem. It was called "psychopathological mechanisms" of dissent. During the leadership of General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, psychiatry was used to disable and remove from society political opponents[.]

Perhaps Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller heard a distant echo of the Beatles' "Back in the USSR" resonating in today's America when he learned how Democrats were approaching his righteous indignation at the massively bungled Afghanistan draw-down:

The U.S. Marine Corps officer who was relieved of his command over a battalion for chastising his bosses over the botched Afghan withdrawal has revealed that he was ordered to undergo a mental health screening. "When I went into work this morning, I was ordered by my commanding officer to go to the Hospital for a mental health screening," Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller wrote on Facebook on Monday.

In other words, in one week, Scheller is the trusted commanding officer of a very, very prestigious command; the next week, after speaking out, demanding accountability, he is given a "Psych Eval." Trust me when I say that a psych eval is not a friendly move.

Essentially, the national command authority, from the president on down, when confronted by an honest Marine, decided that the best tactic would be to put a mental health cloud over him. Who would have thought President Biden and his team would ever channel their inner Brezhnev? But they did just that.

LtCol Ed Timperlake (ret.) was C.O. of VMFA-321, a reserve Marine fighter/attack squadron, The Hell's Angels.

Image: Stuart Scheller's official portrait. Public domain.

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Google is working to reduce its reliance on third-party chipmakers beyond the upcoming Pixel 6, expanding its chips out into the Chromebook and tablet categories. Thats based on a recent report from Nikkei Asia, citing details from multiple unnamed sources close to the matter.

According to those sources, Google will build its CPUs expressly to work in the above-mentioned Chromebooks and tablet devices. And those chips will be coming as early as 2023. The chips themselves, while not detailed, would be built using ARM architecture. Making them well suited to the software environment associated with the devices they are purportedly intended to power.

Why is Google doing this and what would the benefit of custom chips be for Chromebook and tablet?

Now, Google isnt new to the chip-building game by any stretch of the imagination. Not only has it been working to design and build hardware, more generally, for years. Its done the same with chips. Including the Tensor-branded chips that it utilizes for its data centers. With the latest of those offering a noteworthy boost in power.

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These new ARM chips will likely fall closer to whats going to appear in the Google Pixel 6 than its standard Tensor units, although theyll likely bear the same branding.

Regardless, theyll undoubtedly bring benefits to the table even if they arent a big jump forward in terms of performance. The move was reportedly inspired by Apples success with its own chipsets. Now found not just in the iPhone but also in Mac hardware such as laptops and desktop computers.

Googles benefit would potentially be similar to Apples. Namely, giving Google the ability to better control the features and improvements. But not just in terms of its own Chromebooks either. The move could potentially position the search giant better when it comes to other companys Chromebooks and tablets. And potentially a way to re-enter the Android tablet market on a stronger footing.

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This is still just a rumor

For the time being, however, Google hasnt come forward with any details regarding a new ARM chip project. And it isnt clear exactly where the sources for the information are coming forward from. So the news should be taken with a grain of sale. Additionally, with the expected arrival date for the chips set for 2023, Chrome OS devices and tablets using the chip wouldnt likely arrive until late 2023 or 2024 at the earliest.
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(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 2 - Premier Mario Draghi on Thursday reiterated a plea for all Italians to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and voiced "solidarity" with those who had fallen victim to the "odious violence" of anti-vaxxers.

Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and top health officials have received repeated death threats because of their pro-vax stances.

"I want to express full solidarity to all those who have been subjected to violence on the part of anti-vaxxers, a particularly hateful and cowardly violence when it is directed against those who are in the front line against the pandemic," Draghi said.

"I reiterate the invitation to get vaccinated, an act towards oneself and towards others", he said.

Some 80% of Italians will be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of September, Draghi told the press conference. "We are already at 70% completely vaccinated," he said.

Draghi said the application of Green Pass vaccine passports was going well because "we were well-prepared" to implement it.

He said Italy could face its post-COVID reopening "with tranquility" and noted that 91.5% of school teachers had had at least the first COVID jab.

Draghi added that the economy was growing better than expected and there had been good jobs figures.

"The real challenge now is to maintain the growth rate," he said.

The government had a full agenda ahead of it including new measures to boost competition and justice reform, the premier said.

"Then we will have to face the fundamental problem of active employment policies. It is to be expected that many sectors will have to restructure." Draghi was speaking after intragovernmental tensions rose Thursday after a rightwing League MP voted against the government's Green Pass vaccine passport on Wednesday night.

Claudio Borghi voted against the government having made the passport compulsory for long-distance trains and buses and domestic airline flights, a move that has sparked widespread protests by anti-vaxxers.

On Thursday Borghi tried to row back his vote telling La Stampa newspaper: "The Green Pass is substantially a disguised obligation. It was not a vote against the Green Pass, but one to improve it".

Centre-left Democratic Party (PD) leader Enrico Letta slammed Borghi's vote saying "it is a choice that puts the League out of the government majority. Clarification is needed".

The nationalist League retorted "It's Letta who is out of this world!" League leader Matteo Salvini said "if the State imposes the Green Pass, let it also guarantee rapid COVID tests, free for all".

The government's COVID-19 Green Pass vaccine passport became compulsory for travel on long-distance trains, buses and domestic airplanes on Wednesday amid an alert for announced protests by anti-vaxxers.

Police heightened security at train stations overnight against the anti-vaxxers, who had threatened to block trains Wednesday afternoon.

But the planned protests largely failed to materialise, apart from a 30-strong demo outside Rome's Termini Station including militants from the far-right Forza Nuova movement.

In Naples only two demonstrators came to the main rail station while in Genoa about a dozen protesters turned out, and in Turin one man was arrested.

In Rimini, an anti-vax stronghold, just a handful of 'No Green Pass' protesters made it to the station.

Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese had said there would be a zero tolerance policy against anyone found guilty of trying to interrupt a public service, which is a crime in Italy. Foreign Minister Di Maio, who has received death threats on social media for his pro-vax stances, warned that "blocking the possibility of moving means repressing freedom".

Trade unions had also warned against the planned blockade saying "anyone who decides to interrupt services, in the name of the freedom to not get vaccinated, will not have our support".

Italian anti-vaxxers posted death threats against 5-Star Movement (M5S) bigwig Di Maio in Telegram chat rooms on Tuesday.

"Another rat to be executed", "we need lead", and "you must die", were some of the messages.

Postal police have started examining illegal activities of anti-vaxxers on the Telegram portal, in their threats against pro-vaccine officials and journalists.

Lamorgese said Wednesday the government will beef up measures to protect people against Web-based hate after a spate of attacks by anti-vaxxers against doctors, journalists and politicians including Di Maio.

Rightwing leaders like the League's Salvini have said that while they condemn violence, they understand the anti-vaxxers' anger and no one should be forced to get the COVID jab.

There have been a number of violent protests and other incidents involving anti-vaxxers in Italy recently.

On Sunday night a top virologist, Matteo Bassetti, was accosted by a 46-year-old man who has been cited for issuing serious threats.

The man reportedly came across Bassetti in the street and started following him, filming him on his phone and shouting at him: "You're going to kill all of us with these vaccines and we're going to make you pay".

Meanwhile in Rome Monday, a video journalist from La Repubblica daily was attacked by a protester at an anti-Green Pass sit-in outside the Education Ministry. And a pro-Green Pass teacher received a bullet in the mail.

The Green Pass had already been obligatory for indoor venues like restaurants, cinemas, theatres, gyms and swimming pools.

(ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 2 - Government tensions rose Thursday after a rightwing League MP voted against the government's Green Pass vaccine passport on Wednesday night.

Claudio Borghi voted against the government having made the passport compulsory for long-distance trains and buses and domestic airline flights, a move that has sparked widespread protests by anti-vaxxers.

On Thursday Borghi tried to row back his vote telling La Stampa newspaper: "The Green Pass is substantially a disguised obligation. It was not a vote against the Green Pass, but one to improve it".

Centre-left Democratic Party (PD) leader Enrico Letta slammed Borghi's vote saying "it is a choice that puts the League out of the government majority. Clarification is needed".

The nationalist League retorted "It's Letta who is out of this world!" League leader Matteo Salvini said "if the State imposes the Green Pass, let it also guarantee rapid COVID tests, free for all".

The government's COVID-19 Green Pass vaccine passport became compulsory for travel on long-distance trains, buses and domestic airplanes on Wednesday amid an alert for announced protests by anti-vaxxers.

Police heightened security at train stations overnight against the anti-vaxxers, who had threatened to block trains Wednesday afternoon.

But the planned protests largely failed to materialise, apart from a 30-strong demo outside Rome's Termini Station including militants from the far-right Forza Nuova movement.

In Naples only two demonstrators came to the main rail station while in Genoa about a dozen protesters turned out, and in Turin one man was arrested. In Rimini, an anti-vax stronghold, just a handful of 'No Green Pass' protesters made it to the station.

Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese had said there would be a zero tolerance policy against anyone found guilty of trying to interrupt a public service, which is a crime in Italy. Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, who has received death threats on social media for his pro-vax stances, warned that "blocking the possibility of moving means repressing freedom".

Trade unions had also warned against the planned blockade saying "anyone who decides to interrupt services, in the name of the freedom to not get vaccinated, will not have our support".

Italian anti-vaxxers posted death threats against 5-Star Movement (M5S) bigwig Di Maio in Telegram chat rooms on Tuesday.

"Another rat to be executed", "we need lead", and "you must die", were some of the messages.

Postal police have started examining illegal activities of anti-vaxxers on the Telegram portal, in their threats against pro-vaccine officials and journalists.

Interior MInister Luciana Lamorgese said Wednesday the government will beef up measures to protect people against Web-based hate after a spate of attacks by anti-vaxxers against doctors, journalists and politicians including Di Maio.

Rightwing leaders like the League's Salvini have said that while they condemn violence, they understand the anti-vaxxers' anger and no one should be forced to get the COVID jab. There have been a number of violent protests and other incidents involving anti-vaxxers in Italy recently.

On Sunday night a top virologist, Matteo Bassetti, was accosted by a 46-year-old man who has been cited for issuing serious threats. The man reportedly came across Bassetti in the street and started following him, filming him on his phone and shouting at him: "You're going to kill all of us with these vaccines and we're going to make you pay".

Meanwhile in Rome Monday, a video journalist from La Repubblica daily was attacked by a protester at an anti-Green Pass sit-in outside the Education Ministry. And a pro-Green Pass teacher received a bullet in the mail.

The Green Pass had already been obligatory for indoor venues like restaurants, cinemas, theatres, gyms and swimming pools.

(ANSA).


Poland to declare emergency over migrants on Belarus border Measure is now expected to be signed off by President Duda

(ANSA-AFP) - WARSAW, AUG 31 - Poland on Tuesday was set to declare a state of emergency along its border with Belarus after a large influx of migrants that Warsaw suspects is being engineered by the regime in Minsk. The government approved the measure, which is now expected to be signed off by President Andrzej Duda in the coming hours. The state of emergency would apply for 30 days and would include a ban any demonstrations at the border as well as an obligation for people in the area to carry identity documents. "The situation on the border with Belarus is a constant crisis," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters. (ANSA-AFP).





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BEIRUT - A Syrian refugee set herself on fire in Lebanon on Thursday in front of the UN headquarters in the north of the country after learning that her residency request was still being processed, Lebanese government agency Nna reports. The agency added that the 27-year-old woman poured gasoline on her body and then set herself on fire in the northern city of Tripoli, reporting serious burns on her entire body. Nna said the woman is currently being treated in a hospital in Tripoli and is in critical condition.



Lebanon is going through its worst economic crisis in decades. The fall of the local lira and failure of the banking system has contributed to raise the prices of consumption goods and essential services, which are increasingly lacking, like water, electricity, gasoline, flour and medicines. According to the World Bank, more than half of the population in Lebanon lives below the poverty line. In this context, the rate of suicides and attempted suicides has grown exponentially.



There are over one million Syrians in Lebanon, who are not recognized as refugees, living alongside a local population of just four million. The region of Tripoli is among the most exposed to the socio-economic crisis.
(by Rodolfo Calo)

CAIRO - Egypt has opened to the media the doors of a factory to produce anti-Covid vaccines being set up on the western outskirts of Cairo, which is set to become in three months the largest in the Middle East and North Africa, with the ambition of exporting vaccines to many countries in the area and in Africa.



Located in the Sixth of October City, the plant stretches over an area of 60,000 square meters including 6,000 dedicated to production, said inside the laboratoty Heba Wali, the president and CEO of Vacsera, the only Egyptian vaccine producer.



The oldest vaccine producer in the MENA area, the company expects to start production "by the end of November", highlighting that the factory will have a "huge capacity" of 24,000 vials an hour, Wali noted.



The factory should be ready to export to Africa "in the first trimester" of next year, said Wali, stressing Vacsera's "vision" of turning Egypt into a "hub for the production of anti-Covid vaccines for African countries as well as for the Middle Eastern region".



Mohamed Hasseny, an assistant to the Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed for public initiatives, speaking to foreign media including ANSAmed, stressed that with the new factory "we are trying to increase current (Egyptian) production by nearly ten times" by 300,000 vaccines a day.



The minister on Monday stressed that the factory will work with the main international companies to produce different types of vaccines. As part of Vacsera's joint venture with China's Sinovac signed in April (and after a green light for emergency use received on August 23), since last week "a million doses" were distributed in Egypt, confirmed Wali, implicitly referring to the 657 vaccination hubs in the country.



The minister's assistant announced that, "as of all of yesterday", 10 million anti-Covid vaccines were inoculated, including six million first doses (Egypt officially has 102 million inhabitants and is the third most populous country in Africa after Nigeria and Ethiopia).



Twelve million people registered on the website of the health ministry to receive a vaccine, according to data updated on August 31, Hasseny said.



The Egyptian vaccination campaign included the use of the imported version of the Sinovac vaccine, together with the vaccines Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Sinopharm, the website of the newspaper Al Ahram reported on Monday.



The government has set the objective to vaccinate 40 million citizens by the end of the year, representing about 40% of the population, a step valued positively by the World Health Organization, as noted by the newspaper.
Landlord Brian Hoyle has caused controversy by barring under 21's from the Orange Tree in Hereford. (SWNS)

A pub landlord has been accused of age discrimination after he banned all under-21s from entering the premises over their behaviour and clothing choices.

Brian Hoyle barred youngsters from the Orange Tree, in Hereford, at weekends due to them being "unable to handle their booze".

He has also banned any customers wearing sportswear, hoodies, tracksuits, bum bags or Stone Island branded clothing from entering the premises on any day of the week.

Hoyle took over the pub last summer and says the move is aimed at cracking down on unruly customers  which he says regularly includes "chavs or roadmen wearing bum bags.

He defended the decision and said it was part of his mission to make the Orange Tree a "proper" Hereford pub again.

He added: "The youngsters don't know how to handle themselves in a pub.

"A lot of them turned 18 during lockdown and are just misbehaving to be fair, and putting off other customers.

The Orange Tree pub has closed its doors to anyone wearing hoodies or tracksuits. (Getty/posed by model)

"There's probably people in their 40s or 50s who wear it (Stone Island and sportswear), but I'm trying to make a statement.

"It's those sort of young ones who are causing trouble.

"There's a lot of young chavs, or roadmen, with bum bags in Hereford, if you know what I mean, been frequenting the pub and they don't know how to behave.

But young people living in the town have blasted the policy and accused the pub of prejudice and age discrimination.

Student Neil Finley, 19, of Hereford, said: "I think what he's doing is very shallow, has he never heard of not judging a book by its cover?

"It's age discrimination pure and simple and once again young people are all being unfairly tarnished with the same brush.

"He's telling people who wear Stone Island clothes that they aren't good enough for his pub, how can you judge a customer based on his choice of jacket?

Young people living in the town have blasted the policy and accused the Orange Tree of prejudice. (SWNS)

Jacob Astley, 22, of Hereford, added: "I understand that some young people play up after having a few too many but to slap a label on all of us is completely wrong.

"So somebody in a 400 Stone Island jacket isn't welcome but if I turned up in a pair of 5 Primark trousers, I would be ok? It doesn't make sense.

"Some of my mates are only 20 and we don't cause trouble, but now we can't drink in there because of this bonkers discriminatory policy.

Others took to social media, with one resident suggesting that it would be better to just ban the trouble makers.

However, some backed the move, with one commenting: "Good for them. Especially with the behaviour of not handling their drink need to show some respect for others."

Another added: "We all think it but finally somebody has been brave enough to say it. Unfortunately most of the youths causing trouble dress a particular way."
The Gym Group has hailed a rapid recovery in membership numbers after reopening sites following enforced closures earlier this year.

It came as the company, which operates 190 discount gyms across the UK, posted a 19.4 million operating loss for the half-year to June.

The firm saw its losses grow marginally after revenues slumped by 21.4% to 29.3 million, compared with the same six-month period last year.

The Gym Group said it was closed for more than half of its trading days for the half-year but said it is now looking forward to a period of sustained recovery and accelerated growth after reporting strong demand for membership after reopening sites in April and easing restrictions further in July.

At the end of June, the company had 730,000 members, rising around a third from its low of 547,000 members at the end of February.

In July, the firm raised 31 million from investors to help drive its post-pandemic growth plans, with the firm seeking to open 40 more gyms by the end of 2022.

It said it has already opened seven new gyms this year, with new venues in Chichester, York, Cambridge, Leeds, Oxford, Perth and Sydenham.

Richard Darwin, chief executive of The Gym Group, said: Since the reopening of gyms in April, The Gym Group has performed strongly with excellent member feedback, a higher rate of visits per member and a rapid recovery in overall membership levels.

We have identified some exciting growth opportunities to expand our estate further and raised additional funds from shareholders to capitalise upon them.

With restrictions now lifted, we are planning to open 40 new sites by the end of 2022, of which three have opened so far in July and August, as we continue to make fitness accessible for all and deliver further social value to communities around the country.

We look forward to the second half of the year and beyond with confidence.

Shares in the company were 1.6% higher at 287.5p in early trading.
The NHS budget must increase by around 10 billion and anything less could see trusts forced to cut services, the leaders of two major organisations representing the health services frontline have warned.

Almost half of the money will be needed to cover ongoing coronavirus-related costs, NHS Providers and the NHS Confederation said.

Billions will also be needed to recover care backlogs, the organisations said, as they published a report detailing the costs facing the health service in England.

They said that of their total 10 billion estimate, some 4.6 billion will be required to cover ongoing costs linked to the virus, while between 3.5 and 4.5 billion would be needed to tackle backlogs in care.

They said there must also be appropriate allowance for lost efficiency savings.

Their joint report  entitled A Reckoning: The Continuing Cost Of Covid-19  warns that coronavirus has resulted in a rise in the NHSs day-to-day running costs which they said is for the long term.

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson stresses the extent, length and cost of the impact of Covid-19 on the NHS

Factors include infection control measures, higher staff absence rates due to illness or self-isolation, expanding services to deal with increased demand, and providing more personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff.

The report states that these will be with us for the duration of the three-year period likely to be covered by this autumns CSR (comprehensive spending review).

The two bodies said the report is based on a survey of Englands 213 hospital, mental health, community and ambulance trusts, which together spend almost two-thirds of the NHS budget.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: The NHS has consistently demonstrated that, when it is properly funded, it delivers for patients and the nation as a whole.

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He added: Covid-19 is a once-in-a-generation, global shock, the seismic impact of which is unlike anything the service has experienced in its 73-year history.

The Government has said that we must learn to live with Covid. That means they must fully recognise the extent, length and cost of the impact of Covid-19 on the NHS.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: Trust leaders are worried that anything short of 10 billion next year will force them to cut services.

They are worried that, despite best efforts at the frontline, the 13 million waiting list they are desperate to avoid will become inevitable. And this backlog will take five to seven, not two to three, years to clear.

They worry they wont be able to provide prompt, high quality, safe care to all who need it as the pressure we have seen in ambulance trusts and A&E departments this summer will worsen and become more widespread across more of the year.

They worry that all the advances made on mental health over the last decade could go into reverse. And they worry that all the planned improvements in the NHS Long Term Plan in areas like cancer and cardiac care set will be put at risk.

In a joint statement, the two leaders said that health outcomes for millions of patients in the next three years are dependent on the crucial spending review decision.

They added: Patients genuinely are at peril.

The Government has to demonstrate that the NHS is safe in its hands. Frontline NHS leaders cannot stand idly by if they are forced to cut services, putting patients at risk.

A Government spokesperson said: We are committed to making sure the NHS has everything it needs to continue providing excellent care to the public as we tackle the backlogs that have built up during the pandemic.

This year alone we have already provided a further 29 billion to support health and care services, including an extra 1 billion to tackle the backlog. This is on top of our historic settlement for the NHS in 2018, which will see its budget rise by 33.9 billion by 2023/24.
Police have drained a lake as part of the investigation into the disappearance of university chef Claudia Lawrence.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed that the pond at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits had been drained and that searches at the site may last a number of days.

Detectives believe Ms Lawrence  who lived in the Heworth area of York and worked at York University  was murdered, although no body has ever been found.

The 35 year-old was last seen on March 18 2009.

Officers have conducted two investigations and questioned nine people in relation to her disappearance and suspected murder, but no charges have ever been brought.

Police officers searching the land at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits near York in connection with the disappearance of missing university chef Claudia Lawrence (Mark Brickerdike/PA)

North Yorkshire Police said the investigation team were managing inquiries in relation to a number of emerging lines of investigation.

Pictures and video put out by the force showed teams officers searching the undergrowth with sticks in an area of woodland near to the scene.

Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox said: I thank the public for the positive responses and new information received in support of the current phase of the investigation.

Our focus is on finding Claudia and bringing those responsible for her disappearance and suspected murder to justice.

A statement put out by the force said: North Yorkshire Police can confirm that a pond at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits has been drained as part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance and suspected murder of Claudia Lawrence.

Officers remain at the site and the searches that began last week are continuing and we expect to be at the site for a number of days.

Last week Mr Fox thanked the public for the positive responses and information received in support of the current phase of the investigation.

He did not disclose what information prompted the search activity 12 years after Ms Lawrence went missing.

Ms Lawrences father, Peter, died earlier this year without knowing what happened to his daughter (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Ms Lawrences mother, Joan, said the new searches had left her in utter shock.

She told reporters she was very, very churned up about the latest developments in the investigation.

Ms Lawrences father, Peter, died earlier this year without knowing what happened to his daughter.

He had campaigned tirelessly to get answers to the puzzle of her disappearance and spent years arguing for what became the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill  also known as Claudias Law  which allows relatives to take control of their missing loved ones financial matters.

Martin Dales, a friend of Mr Lawrence, said this was the first development in the case since his death, and described the situation as bittersweet.
The Queen will miss an Edinburgh service marking the 50th anniversary of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards as predicted bad weather could disrupt her travel plans.

The head of state was due to travel by helicopter to the event being staged in the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse on Friday.

But a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: Predicted weather conditions for the morning suggest travel disruption is likely and Her Majesty wishes to avoid any delay to the service.

The Queen meets soldiers from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards after presenting a new standard to the regiment at Leuchars Station in Fife (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The spokeswoman added the Queen, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment, sends her best wishes to the military unit on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

The Duke of Kent, the regiments deputy Colonel-in-Chief, was due to accompany the Queen and will still attend the Drumhead service which will commemorate the formation of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in 1971.

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards recent commitments include Operation Cabrit, the UK contribution to Natos Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Poland and the Baltic states, as well as supporting NHS Scotland throughout the pandemic with Covid-19 testing and vaccination programmes.

The Queen has been staying at her private Scottish estate of Balmoral, where she traditionally spends her summer break.
The Delta variant has led to a massive surge in coronavirus cases across the country this summer, with many hospitals finding themselves overwhelmed by the number of COVID-positive patients  including more younger adults and children as compared to previously.

While much of the surge is out of any one person's control, there is one course of action thats proven to make a significant difference, according to one nurse: getting vaccinated.

In the absence of a vaccine that's approved for kids and widespread vaccination, it's important for us to use all other tools we have available to us to stop the spread, especially with the Delta variant, which we know is far more contagious and is potentially more dangerous to kids as well, Kristen Choi, a registered nurse and assistant professor at UCLA School of Nursing, said on Yahoo Finance Live recently (video above).

So taking any steps we can  that's masks, distancing, having things happen outside, all things that we know can prevent the spread of the virus  are important steps for us to take, she continued. And again, the vaccine is our most powerful tool.

Local 28 Sheet Metal Worker Demetrius Buttelman gestures after being vaccinated with the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine during a news conference, at the pop-up vaccination site at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, U.S., April 14, 2021. (Mary Altaffer/Pool via REUTERS)

About 52.6% of the total U.S. population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC, and 61.9% have received at least one dose. (Children under 12 are not yet able to receive vaccinations.)

Most experts have estimated that we need to get closer to 70, 80 percent in order to reach herd immunity, Choi said. Some people have even said as high as 90% to really be able to effectively stop the spread of the virus. The vaccination rates are still a major challenge. And it's important that as we think about things like booster shots and such that we continue to reach out to those groups that are unvaccinated.

Vaccines from Pfizer (PFE), Moderna (MRNA), and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) are very effective in preventing cases of serious illness and death. At the same time, transmission among unvaccinated populations seems to occur at a much higher rate as the Delta variant circulates in the U.S.

Choi added that we do hope to see approval of the vaccine for kids younger than age 12 later this fall or winter.

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'Masks are a really important line of defense' against the Delta variant

Those under the age of 12 are vulnerable to the Delta variant of the virus, which has contributed to the recent rise in cases and hospitalizations, especially as many children go back to school.

We know that kids under the age of 12 are still not eligible to be vaccinated, Choi said. And while we're still waiting for approval on those vaccines, masks are a really important line of defense for kids to prevent spread of the coronavirus.

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School mask mandates vary across the country. Some governors have outright banned them in their states, though a judge did overturn the ban in Florida on the grounds that Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his gubernatorial authority.

Our situation here in California is a bit different, Choi said. LAUSD and other school districts in California have embraced masks and are requiring them for many teachers and students. Schools in California, including LAUSD, also have some of the most ambitious COVID testing programs in the country, requiring all students, faculty, and staff to be tested every week for the coronavirus. And these mask issues as they relate to school are really important.

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Masks have become a critical part of mitigating the spread of the virus, especially among populations that are ineligible for vaccination. A recent CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that back in May, an outbreak of 27 COVID-19 cases, with 81% experiencing symptoms, emerged after a symptomatic and unvaccinated teacher went unmasked around her students, most of whom were ineligible to be vaccinated at the time.

Some governors have taken measures a step further by requiring all school employees in their states to be fully vaccinated, including Oregon, Washington, California, and New Jersey.

We're seeing a lot more movement on vaccine mandates from states, from hospitals, and from other private employers that are mandating the vaccine for their workers, Choi said. And I think those kinds of things will help us get that vaccination rate up and make sure that people are protected.

A woman waits to go in a restaurant in New York's Upper West Side on August 17, 2021, in New York City. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

'The conversation needs to be really individualized'

Despite data showing that unvaccinated individuals are significantly more impacted by COVID-19 than their vaccinated counterparts, many of those individuals are still adamant about not getting vaccinated.

Much of this stems from misinformation: Some groups (particularly online) have spread false allegations about the vaccine, stating that it causes infertility or even contains a microchip. There are also some who believe that getting vaccinated is a personal choice and wont jeopardize their civil liberties.

According to Choi, there is not a one-size-fits-all method to approaching these individuals.

That interpersonal conversation is extremely challenging, she said. I've done some research with the doctors and nurses on the topic of talking to patients who might be vaccine hesitant. And they universally say that when people have a really deep-seated personal belief or fear of vaccines, that those beliefs are very, very difficult to change. And there's not really any one standardized way of talking to these people.

Cheryl Green, who said she was unvaccinated, yells while praying amid the coronavirus pandemic in Harrison, Arkansas, August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Rather what I see most people recommend is that the conversation needs to be really individualized and tailored, Choi explained. It's important for doctors and nurses, pharmacists, anyone who might be having these conversations with patients and with the public to address people's specific concerns to address their specific fears and really talk to them about [how] it relates to them as an individual. And that tailored messaging can be really effective for people who might be on the fence.

Adriana Belmonte is a reporter and editor covering politics and health care policy for Yahoo Finance. You can follow her on Twitter @adrianambells and reach her at adriana@yahoofinance.com.

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Steven James has been working as a machine operator making Oreos, Chips Ahoy! and other Nabisco snacks at a plant in Richmond, Va. for 20 years.

On Aug. 16, James joined about 1,000 of his fellow union members in five states and walked off the job to protest what they say are unfair demands for concessions in contract negotiations with Nabisco's parent company Mondelez International (MDLZ). James, who isn't working another job, said he plans to stay out of the plant until a fair contract is signed.

We're not asking for a lot, James told Yahoo Finance Live. We just want a fair contract.

As Americas appetite for snack foods has grown during the pandemic, James said he and his colleagues on the frontlines have been working 12-hour shifts, seven days a week.

It was just constant. Never had time to spend with the kids. Never had time to spend with the family, he said.

The walkout began on Aug. 10 at a biscuit bakery in Portland, Ore., and has since spread to Aurora, Colo., Richmond, Va., Chicago, Addison, Illinois, and Norcross, Ga. Union members in those states have been working without a contract since May and are represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM).

James said he was given one-time hazard pay of $300 earlier this year for working long hours during the pandemic while some of the supervisors, they got $10,000."

"We had some management working from home. So, of course they were good, they were safe. We risk our lives coming out every day working all those hours, he added.

The strike has not affected Nabiscos ability to churn out popular snacks during the pandemic, since Mondelez International has been using non-union workers at plants where there have been walkouts.

James said he and his union members are asking customers to show their support by boycotting the snack giant.

We try to tell everyone, do not buy any Nabisco products at this time, because we are on strike, said. James. The community has really shown us some support. We have businesses and our local brothers and sisters have really been giving us a lot of support, and they are with us walking on the line as well.

Union workers are asking customers to boycott Nabisco snacks like Ritz Crackers. Credit: Mondelez International

In a statement, Mondelez said, Our goal has been  and continues to be  to bargain in good faith with the BCTGM leadership while also taking steps to modernize some contract aspects which were written several decades ago.

'Keep our jobs here in the U.S.'

Union workers also want Mondelez to restore their pensions, which were replaced by a 401(k) plan in 2018.

Striking workers are also protesting two factory closures in February in Atlanta, Georgia and Fair Lawn, New Jersey, a move the union says is part of a larger plan to transfer low-wage jobs to Mexico.

They closed two of our plants and they sent the product to Mexico, said James. We just want to keep our jobs here in the U.S.

In a statement, BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton said union workers are telling Nabisco to put an end to the outsourcing of jobs to Mexico and get off the ridiculous demand for contract concessions at a time when the company is making record profits.

Mondelez Internationals net income climbed 98% in the quarter ended in June to $1.1 billion, while sales climbed 12.4% to $6.6 billion, compared to the same time a year ago.

Mondelez denies that any jobs went to Mexico as a result of the recent factory shutdowns in Georgia and New Jersey. Company spokeswoman Laurie Guzzinati told Yahoo Finance that production at the shuttered facilities has been absorbed by existing bakeries in Portland and Richmond. Some Oreo production was shifted to Mexico in 2016, a move that Donald Trump criticized as a presidential candidate.

Alexis Christoforous is an anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @AlexisTVNews.

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This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, shows from left, Minneapolis Police Officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Attorneys for two former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death are asking a judge to bar their upcoming trial from being livestreamed, saying some witnesses wont testify if the proceedings are broadcast.

The request from attorneys for Thomas Lane and J. Kueng is an about-face from their earlier request to have the trial publicly broadcast, and it's opposed by prosecutors and news media outlets including The Associated Press. Its among a few legal issues expected to be argued at a Thursday hearing before Judge Peter Cahill.

Lane, Kueng and Tou Thao are scheduled for trial next March on charges of aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyds May 2020 death. Their co-defendant, Derek Chauvin, was convicted in April of murder and manslaughter after weeks of proceedings that marked the first time in Minnesota that a criminal trial was livestreamed in its entirety.

Before Chauvins trial, attorneys for all four men requested the trials be broadcast, but now attorneys for Lane and Kueng say in nearly identical motions that the worldwide publicity from televised coverage of Chauvins trail crushed their clients right to a fair trial. Attorneys Earl Gray and Tom Plunkett say the public access led some witnesses to decline testifying for the defense, noting one witness in the Chauvin trial has been harassed and another faced professional scrutiny.

Cameras in the Chauvin Courtroom brought us to the dangerous pass where people are deterred from testifying for the defense because they fear the wrath of the crowd, they wrote.

Thao's attorney hasn't said whether his client still wants the trial broadcast.

Minnesota court rules usually ban cameras at criminal trials unless both sides agree to them. Cahill ordered the trials to be broadcast live, over the initial objections of prosecutors, because of the intense global interest in the case and limited courthouse space due to the pandemic. The livestreaming was widely praised and has led the state to consider expanding its rules for broadcasting future court proceedings.

Prosecutors initially opposed livestreaming Chauvin's trial but now say it was the right move  protecting everyone involved during the pandemic, allowing for meaningful public access and letting people to watch the fair administration of the justice system.

They favor livestreaming the second trial as well, saying defense claims that audio-video coverage will deny them a fair trial is unconvincing. They say there is no concrete evidence that any witnesses are refusing to testify for the defense  and if that is the case, reluctant witnesses can be compelled to appear.

Indeed, if Defendants have difficulty finding expert witnesses  and there is no evidence that they cannot secure experts  that difficulty is a product of their overwhelming guilt, prosecutors wrote.

Attorneys for a media coalition also say the court should allow audio-video coverage, saying even if the trial is not televised, witnesses will still face publicity and scrutiny because their names and content of their testimony will be reported. The media coalition argued that some witnesses arent worried about a livestream but just dont want to be associated with the defendants.

In this image from video, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin listens as the verdict is read in his trial for the 2020 death of George Floyd, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn. (Court TV via AP, Pool)

The media attorneys also argue that barring cameras will mean the public can't fully monitor what's going on.

Brock Hunter, a Minnesota defense attorney, said barring cameras won't protect witness identities because whether on stream testifying or just quoted in the news, they are going to be publicly identified and face potential backlash.

Another motion that will be argued on Thursday is Grays request that the state provide all use of force reports since July 2016 in which another officer intervened in force used by a colleague. An officers duty to intervene came up often during testimony in Chauvins trial.

The state says it shouldn't have to provide such evidence because Gray can get it on his own from the city of Minneapolis and its unlikely such evidence could be used at trial.

Attorneys are also expected to argue about a defense motion that alleges a potential expert witness for the state coerced the testimony of Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, something the state denies. The court is also expected to address a defense request for sanctions after the New York Times reported that Chauvin had been prepared to plead guilty days after Floyd's death. Numerous attorneys from the Attorney General's Office and the Hennepin County Attorney's Office have filed affidavits stating they weren't the source of the leaked information.

Chauvin has been sentenced to 22 years in prison. All four former officers also face federal charges that they violated Floyds civil rights.
TYSONS CORNER, Va.  Abortion emerged as a front-burner issue in the Virginia governors race on Wednesday, as the impact of a new near-total ban on the practice in Texas reverberated in one of the years marquee political contests.

Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who served as Virginias governor from 2014 to 2018 but was limited to one term by the states constitution, is running again and made sure to mention the Texas law while speaking at a business group luncheon.

I cannot tell you how dangerous this is for women, McAuliffe told about 300 attendees at an event organized by Virginia Free, a pro-business advocacy group. McAuliffe said that laws like the one in Texas are crippling for business, and spent most of his address talking about the ways he helped boost the commonwealths economy during his time as governor.

Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, after a meeting with Republican leaders in Chantilly, Va., on Aug. 26. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

I am the most pro-business Democrat you will ever know, McAuliffe crowed in a peppy speech punctuated with applause lines.

The Republican candidate, Glenn Youngkin, a former private equity CEO, did not mention the abortion law in his speech to the group and declined to give his opinion on the Texas law during a press conference afterward. He did go after McAuliffe for his views on abortion, calling them extreme.

My opponents going to use these topics to divide us, Youngkin said.

In July, video of Youngkin  taped by an activist at a fundraiser  showed him saying he cannot win the governors race if he talks about abortion too much.

Im gonna be really honest with you  the short answer is, in this campaign I cant, Youngkin said. When I'm governor, and I have a majority in the House, we can start going on offense. But as a campaign topic, sadly, that in fact wont win my independent votes that I have to get.

Former Virginia Rep. Tom Davis, a Republican, told Yahoo News that the U.S. Supreme Courts decision not to rule on the Texas law  allowing it to stand for now  is going to move [the abortion issue] to the front and center of the race.

You heard McAuliffe hitting the social issues harder. Thats traditionally worked for Democrats on a statewide basis, Davis said.

Glenn Youngkin, Republican gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, at a campaign event in Fairfax, Va., on Monday. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But polling shows McAuliffe with only a slight lead over Youngkin, who is little known to most of the states voters.

Youngkin, who has never served in government, knocked McAuliffe as a dangerous 40-year political operative and scoffed at his claims of being pro-business.

He actually believes that businesses are going to come to Virginia with him as governor? Theyve been making the decision to go to Texas for so long. Texas has been absolutely running past Virginia, he said.

Youngkin said he is pro-life, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.

The candidates also clashed in their separate comments on vaccine mandates and "right-to-work" laws.

Youngkin said he is a strong proponent of vaccination and is encouraging Virginians in every corner of the state to go get the vaccine, but said that if elected he would overturn current Gov. Ralph Northams decision to require state employees to be vaccinated, which took effect Wednesday.

We can do so much better without mandates. We can educate, we can make available, we can encourage, Youngkin said. I would not mandate that people have to get the vaccine, but I would go to work to make sure they understand the absolute benefit of it.

A demonstrator last year outside the Virginia state Capitol in Richmond protests Virginia's stay-at-home order and business closures during the pandemic. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

He said that the COVID-19 vaccines are different from other vaccines already mandated for schoolchildren, such as those for measles, tetanus, mumps and rubella. Theres lots of difference in those vaccines, Youngkin said. The COVID-19 vaccine is a vaccine that people dont fully understand yet. We havent done a good job educating people on it.

But the FDA has given full approval to the COVID-19 vaccine, and 174 million Americans are fully vaccinated; another 30 million have received one dose.

McAuliffe told the luncheon audience that Youngkins refusal to back a vaccine mandate was disqualifying.

Thats not how we are going to end and destroy COVID-19, he said. The Democrat noted that in Southern states where vaccination rates are low and schools are resisting having students wear masks, some schools are closing, such as in one Texas school district, where two teachers died from COVID-19 in one week.

Liberty University, a conservative Christian college in southwestern Virginia, had not mandated vaccines or mask wearing and had to switch to virtual classes this week after cases spiked on campus and school officials said that the only local hospital is reaching capacity for ICU COVID treatment.

The pro-business crowd was especially interested in the two candidates positions on right-to-work laws, which make it harder to unionize and are currently in place in Virginia. Youngkin told reporters that McAuliffe will get rid of right-to-work in Virginia.

Demonstrators in Richmond, Va., in April 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

McAuliffe supported right-to-work as governor but said in April that if a bill to abolish the laws came to his desk, I would sign it. But he also said at the time that such a piece of legislation has no chance of getting through the Virginia Legislature, even with Democrats in the majority. On Wednesday, he said simply that right-to-works not changing.

I dont spend my time on things that cant get done, he said. That bills never coming to my desk.

____

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Owosso, MI (48867)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.
Family sources stated that he complained of severe chest pain on Wednesday afternoon

Srinagar: Kashmiri separatist patriarch Syed Ali Shah Geelani passed away after a prolonged illness at his Srinagar residence late Wednesday night. He was 91.

He was buried quietly at a Muslim cemetery located just outside his residence in Srinagar's Hyderpora area between 3.30 and 4 am on Thursday. The funeral was held in haste under tight security in the mazaar adjacent to a mosque and a Sufi shrine, the locals said.

Syed Geelanis son Dr. Nayeem Geelani claimed that the police snatched his fathers body after the family after it sought time till 10 am Thursday so that our close relatives who had not come to our place yet too could join the namaz-e-janaza and be present at the burial.

He said that his father had expressed the will that he should be buried at Srinagars Idgah Mazaar-e-Shohada (martyrs cemetery) but the authorities categorically refused to permit it and said that they wanted him to be laid to rest at the nearby Muslim cemetery within one hour and if the family was not willing they could not do it themselves. He alleged that the police authorities then snatched his fathers body and forcibly buried him after pushing and overpowering the family members and even sculling with the women.

His younger brother Dr. Naseem Geelani said, Nobody from the family was present for his burial. We dont know who gave him the gussal (last bath), who offered namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayer) for him and who buried him. We saw Abba Jans grave only at 10 am and offered fateha. The police authorities have not reacted to their claims and charges yet.

Syed Geelani's Pakistan-based representative Abdullah Gilani had earlier in a tweet said that he would be laid to rest at Mazaar-e-Shohada at Srinagars Idgah grounds.

But the family sources said that Geelani's kin were warned by the authorities against seeking to make his funeral a political manifestation. They were also strictly told that chanting of any political slogans during the funeral would invite legal action.

Earlier, the entire Kashmir Valley was brought under curfew-like restrictions and internet services were also snapped "as a precautionary measure". Security has been beefed up also in Jammu region particularly Muslim-majority Chenab valley and Pir Panjal region.

The official sources said that curfew-like restrictions may remain in force in the Valley for, at least, three days and that during this period no mourning rallies or similar public gatherings would be allowed in order to maintain peace and in view of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Amid reports of angry crowds taking to streets at a couple of places, the police authorities have warned that "anti-national, anti-social and disruptive elements who will try to seize the opportunity to create disturbances or law and order situations will be dealt with severely under law".

Family sources stated that Geelani, who was suffering from multiple ailments, complained of severe chest pain on Wednesday afternoon, following which he developed serious complications by the evening. They added that he breathed his last at 10.30 pm.

He had chest congestion and breathing problems and his condition worsened by this evening, the sources said.

He was under house detention for the past several years, the sources added.

Born on September 29, 1929 in Zurimanz village outside the Valleys north-western town of Sopore, Geelani headed a faction of separatist Hurriyat Conference alliance till June 2020.

The Hurriyat Conference, formed way back in early 1990s to forge unity among various separatist organizations and present a cohesive voice before the world, split in 2002 over a variety of issues, the main being alleged soft attitude shown by so-called moderate amalgam leaders towards Peoples Conference leader Sajad Gani Lone and ignoring his propensity towards mainstream camp.

The other faction of the Hurriyat Conference is being headed by Kashmirs chief Muslim cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq since.

A hardcore pro-Pakistan Kashmiri politician and an ardent supporter of "armed struggle for liberation of Kashmir", Geelani was previously a member of Jama'at-e-Islami, the right-wing organization banned by the Union Home Ministry a couple of years ago. He after obtaining a degree in humanities from Oriental College of the Lahore University in pre-Partition era started teaching at a Valley school but his craving for politics drew him close to a well-known National Conference politician Moulana Muhammad Sayeed Masoodi.

Being highly influenced by the politics and teachings of legendary Islamic scholar and Islamist ideologue of his times Syed Abul A'la Maududi, he joined Jama'at-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir soon after it was launched in early 1950s.

He was jailed a number of times during his career as a separatist politician. National Investigation Agency (NIA) had named him in a case of money laundering and terror fundings registered by it some time ago.

Geelani wrote over a dozen books including his jail diary 'Rudad-e-Qafs' besides hundreds of papers and articles on varied issues.

He, after quitting the Jamaat in 2003 over its changed stance on "armed struggle founded his own Tehrik-e- Hurriyat party. He was replaced by his close confidante Muhammad Ashraf Khan Sehrai as the Tehrik-e-Hurriyat chief in March 2018. Sehrai died in Jammus Government Medical College Hospital of Covid-19 on May 5 this year, a day after he was shifted there from a jail of garrison town of Udhampur in critical condition.

Geelani was an MLA from the Sopore constituency of Jammu and Kashmir in 1972, 1977 and in 1987, the last time as a candidate supported by Muslim United Front.

He would, however, publicly vow that he will not settle for anything less than the right to self-determination enshrined in the UN Security Councils Resolution which stated The question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite.

He had opposed the Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf's 'four-point formula' to settle the Kashmir issue, asserting it was a deviation of the neighbouring country's historic stance on Kashmir and hence a "betrayal".
The top separatist leader buried quietly at a cemetery located near his residence in Srinagar's Hyderpora area at around 3.30 am on Thursday

Indian paramilitary soldiers stand guard on a road leading to the house of top separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani in Srinagar. (AP)

SRINAGAR: Authorities cracked down on public movement and imposed a near-total communications blackout Thursday in disputed Kashmir after the death of Syed Ali Geelani, a top separatist leader who became the emblem of the regions defiance against New Delhi.

Geelani, who died late Wednesday at age 92, was buried in a quiet funeral organized by authorities under harsh restrictions, his son Naseem Geelani told The Associated Press. He said the family had planned the burial at the main martyrs graveyard in Srinagar, the regions main city, as per his will but were disallowed by police.

They snatched his body and forcibly buried him. Nobody from the family was present for his burial. We tried to resist but they overpowered us and even scuffled with women, said Naseem Geelani.

The Press Trust of India news agency reported that officials buried Geelanis body and disallowed any mass funeral in anticipation of anti-India protests.

Geelani spearheaded Kashmirs movement for the right to self-determination and was an ideologue and staunch proponent of merging Kashmir with Pakistan. He strongly opposed any dialogue with New Delhi, a position rejected outright by successive Indian governments who often dubbed him as a hardline politician.

Geelani was also the face of Kashmirs civilian defiance against Indian rule. He led a faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of various Kashmiri political and religious groups that was formed in 1993 to spearhead a movement for the regions right to self-determination.

The group used civil disobedience in the form of shutdowns and protests as a tactic to counter Indian rule.
The Congress party has been attacking the government over the rise in petrol, diesel and LPG prices

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at the central government over the hike in prices of domestic cooking gas petrol and diesel. He said there is a new concept of GDP where rising GDP means a rise in prices of gas, diesel and petrol.

He added that the centre wont be able to pull the nation out of the economic crisis as there are structural problems with how it is handling the economy. He said, the problem is not cyclical, it is structural. The economic crisis that we faced in 1991 has resurfaced. The solutions that we brought worked till 2012 and I believe that without a new approach we will not be able to come out of this crisis. We need a new approach. Our plan for the economy, which worked from 1991 to 2012, stopped working after that.

Addressing a press conference Rahul Gandhi hit out at the National Monetisation Pipeline and said that farmers, labourers and the unemployed were being demonetised. He said, Farmers, labourers, unemployed youth, middle class and medium and small enterprises are being demonetised. Only 4-5 friends of PM Modi are being monetised. He further added that the government was selling off Indias assets to the private sector.

He also claimed that when the Congress-led UPA government left power in 2014, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) was priced at Rs. 410 per cylinder. He also added, Today, it costs Rs. 885 per cylinder  a rise of 116 per cent. Petrol was Rs. 71.5 per litre in 2014, today its Rs. 101 per litre  a rise of 42 per cent. Diesel was priced at Rs. 57 per litre in 2014, its Rs. 88 per litre today.

Gandhi further alleged that the government has earned Rs. 23 lakh crore from increasing prices of gas, diesel and petrol in the last seven years and said the people of the country should ask where is this money going.

The Congress party has been attacking the government over the rise in petrol, diesel and LPG prices and has been demanding a reduction in them by removing some of the taxes imposed by the central government.
India said its primary concern was that Afghan soil should not be used for terror against India

A Taliban fighter stands on an armoured vehicle with a Taliban flag during a parade along a road to celebrate after the US pulled all its troops out of Afghanistan, in Kandahar on September 1, 2021 following the Talibans military takeover of the country. (Photo:AFP)

New Delhi: Even as the Taliban is reportedly all set to form and announce its new government in Afghanistan on Friday as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, India on Thursday said its primary concern was that Afghan soil should not be used for terror against India and that a positive response had been received from the Taliban at Tuesdays meeting in Doha, Qatar.

When asked about a possibility of recognition of the Taliban government, the MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said it was early days and that the Doha meeting was just a meeting.

The MEA spokesperson was non-committal when asked about any roadmap New Delhi had in mind regarding the Taliban, but gave out a strong hint that India would not have held any such meeting without a clear thought process.

New Delhi said it had utilised the opportunity during the meeting with the Taliban to express Indias concerns that Afghan soil should not be used for terrorism and on the need for evacuation of the remaining few Indian nationals from Afghanistan as well as Afghan Sikhs and Hindus who wish to travel to India.

It may be recalled that earlier on Tuesday, after the Taliban requested for a meeting, the Head of Talibans Political Office in Doha Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai met the Indian ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal at the Indian Embassy in Doha at a meeting in which the senior Taliban leader assured that Indias concerns would be positively addressed.

On why the Taliban had not issued any statement unlike New Delhi, the MEA spokesperson said it was up to the Taliban to issue a statement.
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Vinton County schools go on lockdown Friday following report of armed woman near dumpsters
Graveside services for Teresa May Dickson, 60, of Flint, Texas, were held on Friday, September 10, 2021 at 2 p.m. at Rose Lawn Cemetery in Tyler with Rev. Kim Beckham officiating under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. Teresa went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on S
Only that this isnt necessarily happening all the time, and not a long time ago, users discovered an error that made Google Maps a lot more difficult to use on Android Auto.More specifically, Google Maps ended up displaying wrong roundabout information on the dashboard, although the directions shown on the larger screen on the console were correct.Users who turned to Googles forums to describe the problem said Google Maps always tells them to turn around at the next roundabout, no matter the direction they should use.While some people managed to deal with the whole thing by downgrading to an earlier version of Google Maps  which was a clear sign the app itself was the one that required a fix, Google too was looking into all these reports, trying to bring things back to normal for everybody.And the latest update for Google Maps on Android and Android Auto finally corrects the problem.If youre struggling with the same wrong roundabout information in your car, just make sure that you install Google Maps version 10.81, available right now in the Google Play Store (a minor revision bringing the app to version 10.81.1 has also been released minutes ago, so you can install this one too).Google has confirmed that version 10.81 and newer no longer include the broken roundabout guidance, no matter where you run the app.Users who have previously downgraded to version 10.70 or 10.70.2 can also update to the new release safely  if automatic app updates have been disabled to prevent the latest build of Google Maps from being installed, make sure you enable them again on your mobile device.
The actor, who famously played Beauregard Bo Duke on the Dukes of Hazzard iconic TV series, runs a production studio out of Louisiana. On August 31, while he and his wife were out helping flood victims, Hurricane Ida sent a tree crashing onto the store, and it took out the General Lee replica parked outside.For the younger generations, General Lee is arguably one of the most famous and popular TV cars, at least in the United States. It was one of the main characters in the Dukes of Hazzard series, which originally ran between 1979 and 1985, and is still running in syndication. General Lee was an orange 1969 Dodge Charger , but the production saw over 300 replicas built (329, according to Schneider) and only a couple of dozens of them have survived intact.This was one of them. It wasnt a Charger , but a Ford Crown Victoria modified to look like one, and Schneider had continued to use it as a stunt car. The actor, filmmaker and musician launched an appeal with fans to get support him by buying his merchandise online, in the hope of being able to bring his brick-and-mortar business back.With it, General Lee will also come back from the dead, the actor tells the Daily Mail in an interview. He doesnt go into specifics, but he does say whatever restoration General Lee will undergo wont hide the scars Ida and the tree left, because people who have no scars shouldnt be trusted.That car is me, the actor added. I am going to straighten it out a little bit and leave it that way. [P]eople who have scars and hide them should be avoided at all costs. So I am going to be honest about the General's scars.Until that happens, this is General Lee with the wounds (the one seemingly up a tree is actually a plywood cutout).
SUV

The new Defender has already seen at least one special edition, though that one was indeed limited to the U.S. market. We're talking about the Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition , the 220 modified yellow Defenders that should begin to make their way toward American streets - and hopefully trails as well - right about now.While the Camel Trophy-inspired vehicle featured the kind of mods you would expect from a dealer-commissioned build, the Land Rover Defender V8 Bond Edition carries the full weight of the British company's SV Bespoke outlet.Well, that being said, don't expect to see that many new features - at least not any useful ones - but do bet on everything featuring excellent build quality and finish. So, what exactly is this 007 Defender all about?Available for both the 90 and the 110 versions, it exclusively uses the V8 powertrain. That means all 300 vehicles get 518 hp (525 PS) and 461 lb-ft (625 Nm) of torque from the company's well-known 5.0-liter supercharged unit, enough to push the short-wheelbaseto 62 mph (100 kph) in just 4.9 seconds. The top speed is a less inspiring 149 mph (240 kph), but that's mostly down to the vehicle's weight and aerodynamics.That's the sort of thing you get with a plain V8 Defender as well. The Bond Edition adds a few trinkets that should really only resonate with the diehard fans of the movie, or the people looking to own a car that, with a 300-unit limited run, is essentially scarcer than a lot of exotic hypercars.The first thing to notice is the dark demeanor, with the black paint complemented by the matching wheels (22", by the way, suggesting James Bond isn't a big fan of going off-road in his SUVs) and the window tint. The only real chromatic accent on the outside is the Xenon Blue front brake calipers. No, we don't have any idea why they didn't match the rear ones as well. Must be a thing cool kids do these days.Other than that, the single somewhat obvious tell-tale you're in the presence of a V8 Bond Edition is the "Defender 007" plate at the back. Alternatively, if you happen to be around the vehicle at night, you might get a glimpse at the "007" puddle light (which we'll admit is pretty cool), or even the "Defender 007" illuminated treadplates.Stick your head inside - at the risk of infuriating the owner - and you might see the two final bits that set this special edition apart: the "one of 300" laser engraving and the unique start-up animation for the vehicle's Pivi Pro infotainment system.The special edition has obviously been created to mark the release of the 25th James Bond movie ("No Time To Die") and Land Rover's 38-year association with this franchise. The film will be out on September 30 whereas the Land Rover Defender V8 Bond Edition can be ordered right now anywhere in the world where there's a Land Rover dealership.
The collaborators say this video campaign is aimed at presenting innovative solutions from creative thinkers.It comes down to an interesting question: What if we could preserve the best sides of living in cities and change the worst elements of that equation?In the video campaign "Love the City x Hate the City", MINI offers a set of positive aspects of life in the city and contrasts them with the associated challenges.As part of this promotion of aspiring entrepreneurs, MINI is working with start-up accelerator URBAN-X to present creative thought leaders intent on finding new solutions for greater equity, participation, and design opportunities. MINI operates URBAN-X alongside American venture fund Urban Us. MINI founded the program in 2016, and since its launch, more than 70 start-ups from different countries have already participated in the accelerator program. A new assemblage of up to ten urban tech start-ups is gathered every six months, and they're selected from more than 1000 applications a year.It's a creative exchange with designers, engineers, and developers of MINI, and the founders of the selected start-ups are supported in the development of their business models. The innovations through this process are focused on analyzing the most difficult urban challenges, from building technology and infrastructure to mobility and energy supply to public health and civic services.The idea is to create cities that we can all love.Amidst the pandemic, cities around the world are confronting issues of equity, access and opportunity while at the same time addressing resiliency and sustainability. With people rediscovering what they love about their cities and new solutions to address climate change and improve quality of life cropping up across the globe, now is the perfect time to reimagine city life and support the innovators who aim to do so, says Micah Kotch, Managing Director of URBAN-X.The start-up Circuit (which offers free rides on-demand in bustling inner cities as an emission-free short-haul service) is but one of the startups. Circuit aids passengers via app, helping to reduce congestion and eliminate the need for parking annoyances.Another, the communication platform OneRoof, helps people who share the same house network, get to know each other and feel more supported. Their goal is to turn a group of people who live under the same roof into a community.Oonee offers safe storage for scooters and bicycles in inner-city metropolitan areas. Their easy-to-install pods facilitate sustainable urban mobility and enhance public space through seating and roof greening.Thrilling, yet another of this seasons cohorts, was founded in the United States and its the first e-commerce platform specializing in supporting small, independent vintage and secondhand stores. Thrilling communicates the offering of these stores and helps customers have the opportunity to minimize their ecological footprint when it comes to selecting their clothing.The initiative will be showcased at the International Motor Show IAA Mobility 2021 in Munich by visiting the MINI Pavilion on Lenbachplatz from 7 September to 12 September 2021.
If you think motorcycles and the people that make and ride them can only bring chaos and disorder wherever they go, consider yourself thoroughly incorrect - as the motorbike giants at Honda made a philanthropic donation to a worthy charity thats heartwarming for bike enthusiasts and feel-good story cravers alike.

11 photos
As explained by the bike manufacturer, the custom wheeler tries to blend modern convenience with a classic, timeless design inspired by the details of the Alpina B9 car.The special edition Super73 S1 has its frame, fenders, and battery painted in a deep blue, with the Period Correct logo being displayed in silver on the casing of the battery.Paying homage to the Alpina interior, the seat features premium, vintage upholstery, with contrasting blue and green fabrics that are both eye-catching as well as durable. Origin8 provided a set of Rascal pedals while the grips are Lizard Skins Northshore Lock-On.Theres also that familiar aluminum cargo rack which is a standard on all S1 bikes, and you can upgrade to an extended seat or buy other useful accessories to go with it.The S1 is equipped with a 768 Wh battery that offers a range of approximately 25 miles (40 km) at 20 mph (32 kph) under throttle-only operation. That range can increase to more than 35 miles (56 km) if you are using the ECO pedal-assist mode of the bike. Super73 equipped the S1 with Tektro hydraulic disk brakes, for increased control and less effort.All Super73 S1 bikes come in just one size and are designed to accommodate riders between 410" and 62 (147 and 188 cm) while the weight limit of the S1 is 275 lb (124.7 kg.) The bike is equipped with 20x4.25 all-terrain tires.With this Super73 and Period Correct custom bike being a limited-edition one, only 15 units are available for purchase. You can pre-order the bike on the Period Correct website for $3,000. The estimated delivery time is six to eight weeks.
Preliminary Israeli data shows that coronavirus booster shots quickly spike a person's protection against both severe disease and infection, suggesting that the additional shots could help blunt the virus' spread in the U.S.  although it's very unclear how much.

Why it matters: The Biden administration has said that the main rationale for its booster push is to stay ahead of any waning of the vaccines' effectiveness against severe disease. But slowing the spread of the Delta variant would be a welcome bonus.

Driving the news: A preprint study recently released by Israeli researchers found that, in the real world, adults who received a third Pfizer shot saw their risk of confirmed infection drop by 11.4-fold after 12 days or more, and their risk of severe disease drop by more than 10-fold.

Israel was the first nation in the world to offer booster shots to its population, beginning with older adults.

The study included more than a million people who were 60 or older, and the authors argue that it "demonstrates the effectiveness of a third vaccine dose in both reducing transmission and severe disease."

More data is needed to confirm the study's results, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, experts cautioned. One particular limitation of this study is that people who receive a booster may be more risk-averse to begin with.

What they're saying: The main takeaway message from Israel is theres a short-term positive effect of boosts on both infection and severe disease," said a senior Biden administration official, adding that the Israeli government recently briefed members of the president's coronavirus team on their data.

I never thought of vaccines as short-term. This changes that paradigm. Again, the jury is out, but Israel is making that case," the official added.

Yes, but: Everyone getting a booster shot is, by definition, vaccinated. The U.S. doesn't have good data on how many cases are occurring among vaccinated Americans, but most cases appear to be among unvaccinated people.

Without knowing what contribution the vaccinated are currently making to the spread of the virus or the U.S. caseload, it's impossible to know how much each could be reduced by giving those people a booster shot.

Giving a first round of shots to the unvaccinated would be a much more effective way of limiting spread. But ineligible children make up a large chunk of this population, along with vaccine-resistant adults who, thus far, have been unpersuadable.

The bottom line: The U.S. may start offering booster shots to members of the general population in a few weeks. Data like this, despite its limitations, may be our best window  at least for now  into what the effect of the U.S. effort could be.
Avanesian cited a recent opinion poll showing that the proportion of Armenians ready take coronavirus vaccines has risen to over 40 percent from just 10 percent in March.

This testifies to a change in public opinion, she said during a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan. But of course we still have a lot to do in terms of combating disinformation and other vicious phenomena.

The Armenian governments immunization campaign launched in April has made slow progress so far, with less than 5 percent of the countrys population fully vaccinated against the coronavirus as of August 29.

Avanesian told fellow cabinet members that the process accelerated significantly this week. She said Armenian health workers administered a record 6,227 vaccine shots on Wednesday, raising to almost 294,000 the total number of inoculations.

The increase may have to do with the health ministers decision late last month to require many public and private sector employees refusing vaccination to take coronavirus tests twice a month at their own expense.

Among those covered by the directive are civil servants, schoolteachers and workers of private firms involved in the services sectors of the Armenian economy.

The government is keen to speed up the vaccination process amid a steady increase in coronavirus cases which began two months ago and is now putting the national healthcare system under growing strain.

The Armenian Ministry of Health recorded on Wednesday 636 cases and 21 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest single-day death toll from COVID-19 reported in months.

The government has pledged in recent weeks to toughen its lax enforcement of anti-epidemic rules, notably mandatory mask wearing inside buses, shops and offices.

Avanesian acknowledged that the rules are still ignored by most Armenians. Yes, we do have room for improving our enforcement, she told journalists.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Moscow took note of a recent exchange of positive signals between Yerevan and Ankara.

Zakharova recalled in that context Russias stated support for the 2009 protocols on normalizing Turkish-Armenian ties.

Now too we are ready to assist in a rapprochement between the two neighboring states based on mutual respect and consideration of each others interests, she told reporters.

Ankara never implemented those protocols, continuing to link the establishment of diplomatic relations with Yerevan to a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. As a result, Armenias former government annulled the Western-brokered agreements in early 2018.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian spoke on August 27 of some positive signals sent by the Turkish government of late and said his administration is ready to reciprocate them.

Commenting on Pashinians remark the following day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said regional states should establish good-neighborly relations by recognizing each others territorial integrity and sovereignty. If Yerevan is ready to move in that direction Ankara could start working on a gradual normalization of relations with Armenia, he said.

In that context, Erdogan was understood to echo Azerbaijans demands for a formal Armenian recognition of Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Eduard Aghajanian, a senior lawmaker representing Pashinians Civil Contract, responded by saying earlier this week that Armenia will not accept any Turkish preconditions for improving bilateral ties.

Unfortunately, Erdogans statement contained points resembling preconditions, which do not help to launch that [normalization] process at all, Aghajanian told RFE/RLs Armenian Service.

Turkey completely closed its border with Armenia in 1993 out of solidarity with Azerbaijan. It provided Azerbaijan with decisive military support during last years war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Family photos show the kind of devoted dad Sam Casas was, always making time for his son Jayden, 8. Their close bond is why it was so hard for Jayden's mother, Dakota Baker, to tell her boy that his father had been murdered.

"He misses his dad very much," said Baker. "He was more than just a dad, he was his best friend, his hero. He was robbed of a lifetime of memories with him."

The 30-year-old father, who'd been working as a mechanic, was shot and killed Aug. 7 outside his apartment complex off Ninth Street and Bell Road in Phoenix. Police believe it was a robbery attempt.

Witnesses told police that some men approached Casas' car around 9 in the morning, opened fire and then took off. No arrests have been made.

"It's just like a punch to the gut," said Baker. "We realize we can't just call him or visit him at work or see him and go grab dinner together."

About six years ago, Casas was paralyzed from the waist down following a tree trimming accident. But that didn't stop him from getting on with his life. His family never imagined tragedy would strike again. "He didn't deserve this," said Baker. "My son doesn't deserve to cry at night and have nightmares because he's scared now that something will happen to me and he's going to be left alone."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Jayden and his mother with expenses, as the boy grows up without his father.

Jayden's mom hopes that by sharing their story, it will help police catch the killer. "I don't want anybody else to have to go through what my son and I are going through," said Baker. If anyone has any information about this case contact the Phoenix Police Department.
Zach was hospitalized for three days and said his lungs had partially collapsed from the attack.
One pandemic consequence has helped people in addiction. Advocates hope it becomes permanent
The French Fire has grown to 25,643 acres and was 40 percent contained as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the California Interagency Manage
Tazewell County community members donate flood relief items to Sarah Johnston who is co-owner of Vision Salon and Beauty Bar located in North Tazewell on Wednesday. The Salon well be taking donations throughout the week for flood victims in Buchanan County which will be delivered this Saturday.
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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.

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 companys human resources department to ask that employees be required to get vaccinated before they are recalled to the office.

Messick, who is vaccinated, said he doesnt just worry about his own health. He said he also doesnt want to worry about getting a breakthrough infection that could land an unvaccinated co-worker in the hospital.

I dont want sit an office for eight hours a day with someone who is not vaccinated, said Messick, 41. The people who are anti-vax, I see them as selfish."

So far, many vaccine requirements are coming from private companies with employees who have mostly been able to work from home during the pandemic. The companies, including major tech companies and investment banks, have workforces that are already largely vaccinated and consider the requirement a key step toward eventually reopening offices. Goldman Sachs joined that trend Tuesday, telling employees in a memo that anyone who enters its U.S. offices must be fully vaccinated starting Sept. 7.

In contrast, few companies that rely on hourly service workers have imposed vaccine mandates because the companies are concerned about losing staff at a time of acute labor shortages and turnover. Exceptions include food processing giant Tyson Foods and Walt Disney World, which reached a deal this week with its unions to require all workers at its theme park in Orlando, Florida, to be vaccinated.

The AP-NORC poll was conducted before the FDA granted full approval of Pfizer's vaccine, which some experts and employers are hoping will persuade more people to get the shot and support mandates.

Drugstore chain CVS said this week that pharmacists, nurses and other workers who have contact with patients will have to be inoculated, but the company stopped short of requiring the vaccine for other employees such as cashiers.

The AP-NORC poll showed high support for vaccine mandates among those who say they work in person in a health care setting, with 70% approving of vaccine requirements at their workplace.

The poll also showed divisions along racial lines.

Seventy-three percent of Black workers and 59% of Hispanic workers  who are more likely than white workers to work in front-line jobs  support mask mandates at their workplaces, compared with 42% of white workers. In addition, 53% of Black and Hispanic workers support vaccine mandates at their workplaces, as do 44% of white workers.

Despite mixed support for mandates among in-person employees, 71% of those workers said they themselves are vaccinated.

Mike Rodriguez, a maintenance worker at an auto dealership in Florida, said he got the vaccine in the spring after a diabetes diagnosis gave him a sense of urgency. But he said he leans against supporting a vaccine mandate at his job and does not mind that masks are not required.

I don't like being told what to do. Never have, said Rodriguez, 54. I'm going to wear mine no matter what. Just like whenever I go into a store. That's my choice.

Many large retailers, grocery store chains, food manufacturers and other companies have aggressively encouraged vaccinations with bonuses, time off, information campaigns and on-site vaccination access.

Janet Haynes of Topeka, Kansas, an education consultant who works part time as a package handler at a warehouse, said she struggled in March to get an appointment, putting herself on various waiting lists before she finally got a call. Now that vaccines are widely available, Haynes said she is frustrated with people who are reluctant to get them and she would support a requirement at her warehouse, where she dodges co-workers who flout a mask rule.

We get so hung up on democracy and freedom, but the reality is that your freedom can't exist at the expense of someone else's loss, said Haynes, adding that she recently had a breakthrough case of COVID-19 and credits the vaccine for her swift recovery. We are not going to be free until we get vaccinated.

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The AP-NORC poll of 1,729 adults was conducted Aug. 12-16 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Police have announced an arrest in a triple shooting in Des Moines earlier this week that killed one and injured two others.

Danil James Deng, 17, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of carrying out the Monday night shooting that killed 40-year-old Frederick McCuller II of Des Moines, police said in a news release. The shooting left two other men, ages 32 and 27, with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Anita McBride, American University

(THE CONVERSATION) On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, I anticipated a busy but relatively calm day at the White House.

I was the special assistant to the president for management and administration, and President George W. Bush was in Sarasota, Florida, promoting the No Child Left Behind legislation. The senior official in the White House was Vice President Dick Cheney. First lady Laura Bush was scheduled to travel to Capitol Hill to brief senators on early childhood education. On the South Lawn, tables were being set up for that evenings congressional barbecue.

With the president away, I arrived later than usual that morning and headed to a breakfast in the small senior staff dining room known as the White House Mess, on the ground floor of the West Wing.

I was sitting at a table eating my toast and drinking coffee when a colleague came over and told us about news reports of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center in New York City. We thought it had to be a terrible accident. We left the Mess shortly thereafter, unaware of the impact of the second plane.

Get out now

This story began as an assignment from the White House Historical Association to write about that day for its 9/11 20th-anniversary edition of the White House History Quarterly. I interviewed a range of White House staffers, from Cabinet officials and aides assisting the vice president and the National Security Council to the interns from around the country who had begun their service at the White House that momentous day.

In the minutes after we heard about the plane crashing, there was a rush of activity in the ground-floor hallway. I was directed by the Secret Service to get West Wing staff out of their offices and into the windowless Mess, which was thought to be the safest place at the time.

But then, the agents, weapons drawn, ordered everyone to get out now, sending staffers racing through the iron gates that had been opened at both ends of West Executive Avenue outside the West Wing. Women were advised to kick off their heels and run for their lives. Tourists at the White House ran from the building, leaving strollers on the lawn.

Across the White House complex, the Secret Service ordered staff to evacuate as quickly as possible. In the five-story Old Executive Office Building next door, however, many staffers learned about these orders only by watching TV and seeing the chyron: White House being evacuated.

The frantic evacuation was a response to the urgent call the Secret Service had received from air traffic control at Ronald Reagan National Airport  in which Secret Service staffers were told, There is an aircraft coming at you and What I am telling you, buddy, is that if youve got people, you better get them out of there. And I mean right goddamned now.

Moments later, hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon. The vice president had been evacuated from his West Wing office to the presidents emergency operations center, also called The Bunker. An agent later said, We had 56 seconds to move him.

The Dead List

In the White House Situation Room, which served as the vital link for secure communications and information for the president, staff were told by their senior duty officer that we have been ordered to evacuate  If you want to go, go now.

But no one moved.

The communications technician transmitted the list of personnel who remained to the CIA Operations Center. The duty officers there called it the Dead List. Thankfully, their description was ultimately wrong.

I left the White House and joined staffers across the street in Lafayette Park. I instinctively sought to find a safer place to congregate and thought of the DaimlerChrysler office on H Street, a short walk away. My husband, Tim McBride, a former aide to President George H.W. Bush, was serving as director of government affairs for DaimlerChrysler in its Washington office.

I called Tim and asked if I could bring White House staff members there. Tim had already begun to send his staff home, and thought quickly to ask them to leave their computers on with their passwords written down, so that White House staffers would be able to work in the office.

Ultimately, more than 70 White House personnel from offices including speechwriting, scheduling, communications, Oval Office operations and legislative affairs worked from DaimlerChrysler on 9/11. I asked one of the first staff members to arrive to sit at the front desk and record everyones name and contact number and fax that list to the White House Situation Room, notifying them who was at this location.

Bond deepened

Speechwriters began researching for presidential remarks, communications staff were monitoring reports from around the country and keeping contact with the media, and senior staff took charge, giving directions to create a schedule of events for the presidents next few days, including going to New York and the Pentagon.

In horror and grief, we watched the news of the hijacked plane that went down in a field in Pennsylvania, but the mood in the DaimlerChrysler office was focused and determined. As one colleague said, the culture of the White House stuck with people in the face of an emergency.

Word reached us around 5 p.m. that West Wing staff should head back to the White House. The president was returning. Going room by room at the DaimlerChrysler office, I collected any documents that were left behind. These materials were now presidential records to be preserved at the National Archives.

Making my way back to the White House to get my car, I walked through Lafayette Park. The country was now at war, and everyone knew it was the start of a new chapter in our nations history. As one former colleague told me, Working at the White House is a binding experience in itself, but the strengthening of that bond deepened after an experience like this.

[Get The Conversations most important politics headlines, in our Politics Weekly newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/get-out-now-inside-the-white-house-on-9-11-according-to-the-staffers-who-were-there-166246.
A Jefferson County grand jury on Wednesday indicted two Beaumont men for first-degree felony murder.

Deon Patrick Williams, 23 of Port Arthur, and Joaquin Garcia, 32 of Beaumont, were indicted in seperate cases.

Williams indictment comes in connection with the death of Derrick Pitre at a local gas station in August.

Port Arthur detectives said an officer witnessed shots fired just after 10 p.m. on Aug. 16 at Joe S. Speedy Mart gas station, 600 West Gulfway. The officer found Pitre, unresponsive, and another man both with gunshot wounds.

Related: PAPD makes arrest for Speedy mart shooting

Pitre and the other man were taken to a local hospital. Pitre was paralyzed at the time and unable to be interviewed, police said. But a witness was able to identified Williams as the alleged shooter.

Williams was located at a home and arrested on an unrelated charge. When police searched the home, they found clothing and a handgun believed to be in connected to the shooting.

Williams was read Miranda Warning and waived his rights and agreed to provide a statement about the shooting, detectives said in court documents. The statement, including details that corroborated with surveillance video and witness statements, led police to believe that Williams was responsible for the shootings of both men.

Originally, Williams was accused of two counts of aggravated assault in relation to the incident. However, Pitre died on Aug. 25 as a result of the injuries received from being shot, police said. The other man who was shot also wished to press charges against Williams, according to court documents.

Williams also was indicted on Wednesday for second-degree felony aggravated assault for which they said he did intentionally and knowingly and recklessly cause serious bodily injury to the second man.

Deadly Stabbing

Garcia also was indicted on a first-degree murder charge. He has been accused of fatally stabbing Norlan Moreno, 40, in April.

Related: Beaumont man drove 200 mi. before being arrested in connection with stabbing

Beaumont police officers received a call just before 7 p.m. April 20 from a woman who said she had reason to believe that her husband had been stabbed in their home on Charles Street in Beaumont.

Moreno was dead in the home when officers arrived, according to court documents.

Garcia was arrested in April by about 200 miles away by Victoria Police, after allegedly stealing the Morenos car. He was held on a $1 million bond.

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/megzmagpie
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polish authorities are investigating the recent deaths of two men after alleged mistreatment by police in two separate cases in southwestern Poland.

Four officers have been suspended after a 25-year-old Ukrainian man died in July at a center that takes in people judged to be drunk in public to allow them to sober up, where he had been brought and handled by the police.
LAS VEGAS  Nevada hospitals are seeing a severe shortage of nurses and some northern Nevada hospitals are nearly out of staffed beds for patients, state health officials said Thursday.

Nevada had a shortage of nurses even before the pandemic, when each wave of cases and crush of hospitalizations left nurses demoralized and drove some to leave the profession.

Nevada, like other states, is struggling to attract traveling nurses to help bolster their staffs.

Dr. Chris Lake with the Nevada Hospital Association said Thursday the issue has been compounded by the number of people who are unvaccinated and end up in the hospital or intensive care unit.

About 53% of all eligible Nevadans are fully vaccinated.

Lake said northern Nevada has been further squeezed by the major wildfire bearing down on South Lake Tahoe, which prompted the citys hospital to evacuate dozens of its patients to nearby hospitals.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 J&J vaccines made in Africa will stay in Africa

 EU agency says to focus on vaccines first not booster shots

 12 million French children back to school, wearing masks

 What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19 vaccines?

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronvirus-vaccine

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ATLANTA  U.S. states with high COVID-19 vaccination rates are protecting children from hospitalization, according to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cases, emergency room visits and hospitalizations are much lower among children in communities with higher vaccination rates, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Thursday at a White House briefing.

In August, the hospitalization rate among children was nearly four times higher in states with the lowest vaccine coverage compared to states with high coverage, Walensky said.

The hospitalization rate in unvaccinated adolescents was nearly 10 times higher in July than among fully vaccinated adolescents, Walensky said, citing a second study. Both papers are set to be published Friday in the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Children under age 12 are not yet eligible for the shots. Vaccination of adults and teens slows the spread of the virus in a community, making it less likely a child will catch it from someone close to them.

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OFALLON, Mo.  Children are making up an increasing number of patients filling Missouri hospitals during the summer COVID-19 surge, and some doctors worry that the return to school will lead to more illnesses.

The fast-spreading delta variant combined with low vaccination rates across Missouri to create a new wave of the COVID-19 outbreak that began in June and still persists. One difference this time: Children are more prone to get sick.

The number of children in the St. Louis region hospitalized with COVID-19 reached a record 31 on Wednesday before dipping slightly to 27 on Thursday. Ten of the sick children, ages 18 and under, remain in intensive care units.

In the Kansas City area, Childrens Mercy Hospital reached its capacity on Monday. Dr. Barbara Pahud, director of research for infectious diseases, urged parents to have their kids take precautions as they return to school, including vaccinations for those 12 and older.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska  Alaska officials are hoping a weekly lottery prize will encourage more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Alaska Chamber and state officials announced Thursday that they will offer $49,000 each for one newly vaccinated adult and one youth weekly through Oct. 30. The younger winners will receive their winnings through an Alaska educational savings plan, where the money is invested for their education. Their parents or guardians will also receive $10,000 cash, if they are also vaccinated.

The Anchorage Daily News reports that people who were vaccinated before Thursday wont be left out. There will be a one-time prize of $49,000 awarded to an adult and to a young person who rolled up their sleeves earlier.

Funding for the $1 million campaign came from federal CARES Act funding, through the state health department.

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HONOLULU  Hawaii will be strictly enforcing gathering rules over the Labor Day holiday weekend as the state goes through a record surge of coronavirus cases, officials said.

State law enforcement officials said that anyone planning to gather for parties should reconsider, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

To those individuals organizing or publicizing these gatherings  stop it, said Jason Redulla, chief of the state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.

Last weekend a party of about 300 to 400 people was broken up at an Oahu beach. No one has been cited for breaking local COVID-19 restrictions, which allow no more than 25 people to gather outdoors, but several people received citations for having audio equipment and generators without a permit.

Organizers could still face consequences.

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WASHINGTON  Dr. Anthony Fauci says it is likely Americans will need to get a third dose of vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Fauci spoke at a White House briefing, saying a final determination would be made by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the nations top infections disease expert says his professional experience leads him to believe a third dose of mRNA vaccines will be required to provide long-term protection against the coronavirus.

The U.S. is preparing for boosters for all Americans who received the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna between five and eight months after their second dose, pending approval by the FDA. The U.S. is still studying the need for a booster dose of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

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ROME  Italian Premier Mario Draghi called COVID-19 vaccine opponents cowardly for threatening or harassing Italian ministers, governors, journalists and doctors.

I must express my full solidarity to those who have been the target of violence, hate, by the so-called no-vaxers, Draghi said at a news conference in Rome on Thursday. This violence is particularly hateful, cowardly when used against those who are providing information and to persons on the front line of fighting the pandemic.

Italy requires doctors, nurses and other health care workers to be vaccinated. Teachers and other school personnel need a Green Pass, which certifies they have received at least one vaccine dose, recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months or tested negative in the previous 48 hours.

Recently at a Green Pass protest, a TV journalist was yanked by her hair by a demonstrator, and at a separate rally, a newspaper reporter was repeatedly punched in the face by a school attendance taker.

An infectious disease specialist in Genoa has reported to police dozens of threats to him and his family.

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SEATTLE  Washington states most populous county is reinstating outdoor mask mandates for large events and encourages people to wear masks in other outdoor settings when not 6 feet apart.

The Public Health office of Seattle & King County says starting Sept. 7, there will be a requirement for masks for outdoor events of 500 or more people. The directive applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated over age 5. King County, which includes Seattle, is home to about 2.2 million people.

Last week, more than 70% of people 12 and older had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The county health agency noted the regions high vaccination numbers but says, there are still approximately 750,000 people in King County who remain unvaccinated and susceptible to COVID-19.

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina  Few places in the world have soccer fans more passionate than those in Argentina.

Its been 20 months since the government banned spectators at stadiums. Theyll finally get their chance next week when Argentina plays a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia.

President Alberto Fernandez has approved spectators for the match, though fans can fill only 30% of the 70,000-seat Monumental Stadium.

Argentina has registered 5.1 million cases and more than 110,000 confirmed deaths.

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PRISTINA, Kosovo  Kosovar authorities on Thursday sent mobile teams around the country to make the coronavirus vaccine available to the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian minorities.

The Health Ministry called on the people to get vaccinated. Shots were given to 900 people in those communities, who make up about 2% of the countrys 1.8 million population.

Some 300,000, or about 17% of the population, are fully vaccinated. The government postponed the start of school due to the recent surge of the daily virus cases. On Thursday, there were 1,612 new cases and 32 confirmed deaths.

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MARSEILLE, France  Twelve million children in France are back to school and wearing masks.

They must wear a mask from age 6 because of rules aimed at slowing down the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus. France is averaging about 17,000 confirmed cases each day, down from more than 23,000 in mid-August.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited a primary school in the southern city of Marseille. He was greeted with a fist bump by children and teachers. He praised it a victory to open school, saying we must continue to live, educate and learn with the virus.

Macron urged teenagers to get the vaccine, open to those 12 and older. Schools are organizing vaccinations for those who want to get the shot. More than 63% of people aged 12-17 have received at least one shot, and 47% are fully vaccinated.

Along with other European countries, many in France are concerned the end of the summer break will bring a new surge in cases in schools and other locations.

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BRUSSELS  The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is urging countries to ramp up primary coronavirus vaccine programs and downplayed the need for booster shots among the general public.

The EUs infectious diseases agency says approved vaccines are currently highly effective in limiting the impact of COVID-19. But the agency says extra doses should be considered for people with weak immune systems.

On Wednesday, France became the first large EU country to give booster shots to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions amid the spread of the delta variant. Spanish health authorities are considering similar action.

Many countries are struggling to administer first doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and the World Health Organization had called for a moratorium on boosters. It also urged governments to donate vaccines to needy countries.

The European Commission said Thursday the bloc has enough shots on order should boosters be broadly required.

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NICOSIA, Cyprus  Cyprus will begin administering booster shots against COVID-19 to people over 65, those with weakened immune systems and health care professionals.

Cypriot Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela made the announcement on Thursday after the European Unions infectious diseases agency urged countries to focus on their primary vaccination programs and downplayed the need for booster shots.

Hadjipantela says booster shots will be given to those who are eligible once a six-month period elapses from the time they completed their vaccination. He says expanding the booster shot program to include other age groups will depend on the recommendation on a committee of medical experts.

The minister says Cyprus has the second-lowest COVID-19 mortality rate behind Finland among all EU member states. Currently 74% of Cyprus adult population is fully vaccinated, while 78% has received at least one shot.

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KAMPALA, Uganda  The African Unions COVID-19 envoy says vaccine doses produced by a plant in South Africa will no longer be exported to Europe after the intervention of South Africas government.

Strive Masiyiwa told reporters Thursday that South African drug manufacturer Aspen, which has a contract with Johnson & Johnson to assemble the ingredients of its COVID-19 vaccine, will no longer ship vaccine doses out of the continent and that millions of doses warehoused in Europe will be returned to the continent.

That arrangement has been suspended, he said, adding that J&J doses produced in South Africa will stay in Africa and will be distributed in Africa.

He said the issue had been corrected in a positive way, with Aspens arrangement with Johnson & Johnson changing from a contract deal to a licensed arrangement similar to the production in India of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Masiyiwa said the Aspen product will be African branded.

Johnson & Johnson was criticized heavily for shipping doses to countries in Europe, which have already immunized large numbers of their people and have even donated vaccines to more needy countries.

Africa has fully vaccinated under 3% of its 1.3 billion people. Vaccine production within the continent is seen as key to meeting the stated target of vaccinating 60% of the people.

The continent has reported more than 7.8 million cases, including 197,150 confirmed deaths.
Air pollution may slash the life expectancy of residents in Bangladesh and many Southeast Asian nations, says a report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).

Without strong policies to reduce fossil fuels and bring global air pollution levels down, billions of life-years will be lost, said the annual report on Air Quality Life Index (ALQI), which correlates air pollution levels and life expectancy.

Working unseen inside the human body, the deadly effects of PM 2.5 on the heart, lungs and other systems have a more devastating impact on life expectancy than communicable diseases like tuberculosis, behavioral killers like cigarette smoking and even war, the report said, referring to particulate matter.

According to the World Health Orgazanitions outdoor air pollution guideline, annual average exposure of PM 2.5  the concentration of microscopic particulate matter that could get deep into the bloodstream and lungs, causing deadly diseases  should not exceed 10 g/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter).

Bangladesh had the worlds worst annual average PM 2.5 concentration per capita, with 77.1 g/m3, in 2020, according to a report published this year by IQAir, a Swiss group that measures air quality levels.

People in the South Asian country would live 5.4 years longer if pollution levels met WHO guideline. Residents of its capital Dhaka could live 7.7 years longer, EPICs report said.

Bangladesh, along with India, Nepal and Pakistan, has consistently ranked among the top five most polluted countries in the world, the report said.

A huge rise in motor vehicles and brick kilns are among the main reasons for air pollution in Bangladesh.

Between 2013 and 2020, the number of motor vehicles roughly tripled, the ALQI report said, quoting the Bangladesh Transport Authority.

Md. Humayun Kabir, an environment and geography professor at Dhaka University, said poorly maintained roads and unfit, old vehicles increased air pollution from particulate matter.

In addition, there was not enough oversight to ensure that large development projects dont pollute, said Habibun Nahar, Bangladeshs deputy minister of environment, forest and climate change.

This is the harsh reality. Mega projects are polluting the environment. We do not have enough manpower to monitor all development sites and factories, Nahar told BenarNews.

In Dhaka, brick kilns are responsible for about 60 percent of the particulate pollution, according to the ALQI report.

There are nearly a 1,000 brickfields in the surroundings of Dhaka. They are producing excessive carbon, sulfur dioxide, and other toxic gases, Kabir said.

The government is planning to phase out the use of bricks in favor of concrete blocks by 2025 to reduce the damage to both the quality of the air and topsoil.

Haze caused by vehicle emissions is seen over the Jakarta skyline, May 17, 2016. [AFP]

Indonesias coal-fired power plants

Meanwhile, in Southeast Asian cities such as Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta, the average resident stands to gain two to five years of life expectancy, if pollution levels were reined in to meet the WHO guideline, the report said.

In Thailand, the residents of Bangkok would gain 1.5 years if pollution levels met the WHO guideline, the report said. Forest fires in the countrys northern region have increased the amount of regional air pollution, reducing life expectancy by two years.

In Jakarta, particulate pollution will likely slash 5.5 years in the life expectancy of the 11 million residents of Indonesias capital if the WHO guideline is not met, the report said.

Coal is one of the main culprits in Indonesia. The fossil fuel accounts for 56 percent of electricity generation in the country.

Indonesias coal-fired power plants  there are around 10 within a 62-mile radius of Jakarta  are allowed to emit three to 7.5 times more particulate matter and toxic gases such as nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide than Chinas coal plants, the report said.

In the Indonesian cities of Palangkaraya, the capital and largest city of Central Kalimantan, and Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra, average particulate pollution over the past decade is about three times the WHO guideline, the report said.

This is largely due to forest and wetland fires  which cause haze  that are often set illegally to clear land for agricultural plantations.

The residents in these cities could see two years of their lives cut if the WHO guideline is not met, the report said.

Often, the haze spreads to other parts of Southeast Asia. In 2015 Malaysia was forced to close 7,000 schools as well as businesses and government offices because of wildfire smoke from Indonesia.

The report said the world urgently needs strong policies to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, since air pollution is not only a global challenge, but is also intertwined with climate change.

Both challenges are primarily caused by the same culprit: fossil fuel emissions from power plants, vehicles and other industrial sources, the report said.

Without strong policies to reduce fossil fuels and bring global air pollution levels down to meet the WHO guideline, billions of life-years will be lost.

Jesmin Papri in Dhaka contributed to this report.
Indonesian troops in South Sulawesi province carry the coffins of two soldiers killed during a pre-dawn raid Thursday by suspected separatist rebels on their military post in West Papua, Sept. 3, 2021.

Updated at 12:05 p.m. ET on 2021-09-03

Suspected separatist rebels in West Papua killed four government soldiers and wounded two others during a pre-dawn raid Thursday on their post, an Indonesian military commander said, in the single deadliest attack on state security forces in the region this year.

Dozens of people armed with machetes and other crude weapons stormed the post in Maybrat regency around 4 a.m., provincial military commander Maj. Gen. I Nyoman Cantiasa said.

Papuan insurgents later told BenarNews that they carried out the raid in West Papua, one of two provinces which make up the troubled Papua region at the far-eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago.

About 30 people or more believed to be separatist terrorists armed with machetes attacked the post in the early hours of Thursday, resulting in the deaths of four members of the Indonesian Army and two others suffering stab wounds, Cantiasa told a news conference broadcast on YouTube. He said five other soldiers were unharmed.

I have ordered my personnel to hunt down the group, Cantiasa said, adding that two platoons had been deployed for the task. Platoons comprise about 50 soldiers.

Still, Cantiasa said, West Papua remained safe despite the attack. He urged people to be calm.

The chief of Maybrat regency has been at the scene to calm the people, he said.

Meanwhile, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) rebel group claimed that its members attacked the government troops.

Brig. Gen. Deny Mos and his soldiers are responsible for the attack, TPNPB spokesman Sebby Sambom said in a voicemail to BenarNews, adding that national commander Goliath Tabuni had ordered the attack.

The Indonesian government under the leadership of President Joko Widodo must be prepared to sit at the negotiating table with us, he said. The war will not stop in Papua while Indonesia is still occupying it.

Sambom warned security forces against raiding residential areas.

We call on the Indonesian government not to engage in searches, killing and military operations in areas where civilians live, he said. Look for us in our headquarters and lets fight there.

The attack was the second by rebels in West Papua province in recent months.

In May, suspected rebels fired at an entourage led by Maybrat police chief Bernadus Okoka, but there were no casualties.

A month earlier, the government designated separatist rebels as terrorists after insurgents ambushed and killed an army general who headed the Papua regional branch of the National Intelligence Agency. The killing prompted President Joko Jokowi Widodo to order a crackdown.

In another development on Thursday, security forces arrested a separatist leader in Papuas Yahukimo regency identified as Senat Soll, the state-run Antara news agency reported.

Police shot Soll in the leg after he allegedly attacked officers who were trying to arrest him, Antara said, citing Papua police criminal investigation chief Faisal Rahmadani.

Police accused Soll, a former Indonesian army member, of trafficking weapons and killing a member of the regencys election commission and a furniture store worker in August 2020, Rahmadani said.

Analyst: No military solution to conflict

Ongoing violence in Papua and West Papua means that military operations are not a solution for ending the insurgency, according to Cahyo Pamungkas, a researcher on the Papua conflict at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

The Papuan conflict cannot be resolved using a security approach, Cahyo told BenarNews.

It was unfortunate that the Jokowi administration had failed to negotiate with the rebels, he said.

The government prefers an approach that prioritizes economic development and law enforcement operations. There is no trust between the government and the separatist group, Cahyo said.

The government and TPNPB must agree on a humanitarian pause to provide access to aid for civilians trapped in armed conflict.

Long-time insurgency

The insurgency has simmered in Papua for decades. The region, on the western side of New Guinea Island, is rich in natural resources and minerals, including copper and gold. But Papua remains among Indonesias poorest and underdeveloped regions.

In 1963, Indonesian forces invaded Papua and annexed the region. Papua was formally incorporated into Indonesia after a United Nations-sponsored ballot called the Act of Free Choice in 1969.

Locals and activists said the vote was a sham because only about 1,000 people took part. However, the U.N. accepted the result, which essentially endorsed Jakartas rule.

Deadly violence has intensified since late 2018 when rebels killed 19 people constructing a bridge as part of a government highway project in Nduga regency, claiming that the workers were government soldiers.

In 2019, Jokowi said he was ready to hold talks with separatist leaders to solve the conflict.

I will meet anyone who wants to meet me, Jokowi said then.

The president spoke out after anti-Jakarta protests provoked by alleged racist remarks against Papuan students descended into chaos as crowds set fire to government buildings, shops and homes across the Papua region. More than 40 people were killed.
Members of the Indonesian Womens Army Corps prepare for a parade in Aceh province marking the 73rd anniversary of the Indonesian militarys founding, Oct. 5, 2018.

The Indonesian Army has officially dropped controversial virginity testing for female recruits, the military branchs health chief said Wednesday.

Changes to the technical guideline for the health assessment of recruits were released on June 13, removing references to hymen examinations, said Maj. Gen. Budiman, head of the Armys health department.

The word hymen has been omitted from the physical examination section, Budiman told an online discussion on the issue, adding that the new directive means male and female recruits to the armys ranks will be treated equally.

Under the new guideline, medical examinations for female candidates will also be more respectful of privacy, Budiman said.

Only the examining doctor, who is an ob-gyn, a midwife and the candidate are allowed in the examination room, Budiman said.

A hymen examination could be performed in some situations, such as when a candidate has a condition where it covers the entire opening of the vagina, resulting in the accumulation of menstrual blood, Budiman said.

Indonesian Navy and Air Force spokesmen said there was no mention of so-called virginity tests in the guideline for medical checks released by the armed forces chief last November.

There is no virginity test, but there are obstetric and gynecological ones, Navy spokesman Julius Widjojono told BenarNews. We abide by the guideline set by the commander.

Female reproductive health examinations are intended to detect illnesses such as cervical cancer, he said.

A copy of the guideline reviewed by BenarNews mentions gynecologic and Pap tests as part of health checks for female recruits. A Pap test or Pap smear is used to screen women for cervical cancer.

The (gynecological and Pap tests) are designed to detect reproductive health problems that can interfere with basic military education and when they become active soldiers, Air Force spokesman Indan Gilang Buldansyah told BenarNews.

Last month, Indonesian Army Chief of Staff Gen. Andika Perkasa said his branch of the military was no longer subjecting female recruits to virginity tests.

The hymen was part of the examination elements to check, for example, whether the hymen is intact, partially ruptured or completely ruptured. Now there is no longer such an examination, Andika said on Aug. 10.

During a video conference on July 18, Andika told regional commanders that women who sought to enlist in the army must be tested only to determine their ability to follow basic military training  like their male counterparts.

Women make up about 15 percent of the approximately 800,000 members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI).

Womens rights advocates in Indonesia  Southeast Asias largest country and the worlds most populous Muslim-majority nation  welcomed Andikas comments. They put a renewed spotlight on the practice of hymen examinations.

A ruptured hymen  a membrane inside the vagina  was traditionally thought to indicate sexual activity, a hypothesis that has since been debunked by health authorities including the World Health Organization.

The virginity checks came to light in 2014 when New York-based Human Rights Watch published a report about the Indonesian police carrying out such tests. A year later, HRW published a report on the practice in the Indonesian military.



In its 2015 report, HRW cited a military doctor in Jakarta who said that the test was part of mandatory physical exams and was given early in the recruitment process.

The national police abolished the practice that same year.



Sri Rumiyati, a retired police officer who has campaigned against virginity testing, welcomed the armys decision.

If the rule has been written, everyone must comply with it, she told those attending the online discussion.

Andreas Harsono, a HRW researcher in Indonesia, called the move a victory for everyone.

This is not only a victory for women, but also for men, Andreas said.
Soldiers at Lumbia Airfield in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, lift the flag-draped coffin of a fellow soldier who was killed when a C-130 transport plane crashed on Jolo Island, July 7, 2021.

Wind gusts and the crews response contributed to an air force plane stalling before it crashed and burned on Jolo Island in July, killing dozens of servicemen and some civilians, the military said Thursday in announcing results of an investigation.

The probe ruled out one thing: Islamic State-linked militants who operate in the area did not shoot down the C-130 military transport plane as it was landing at an airstrip on the main island in southern Sulu province, officials said.

There was induced human factor that was aggravated by the environment, including strong winds at that time, military spokesman Col. Ramon Zagala said. But there is no single factor we can attribute exclusively that caused the crash.

The aircraft component, the environmental condition and aircrew response led to an unrecoverable stall in a critical phase of the aircraft operation, Zagala said.

When BenarNews asked him separately if the investigation had ruled out an attack by Abu Sayyaf militants, Zagala answered yes.

He also announced that bad weather played a role in the crash of an Air Force S-70i Black Hawk helicopter, which killed six servicemen in northern Tarlac province on June 24.

In the accident on Jolo, the C-130 plane, which was carrying troops to the island, overshot the runway, broke in half and burst into flames on July 4. Forty-seven soldiers and three civilians died.

Our pilots are well trained, but we need to add more trainings, he said. The goal here was not to blame anybody and the purpose of the investigation is to help us avoid similar incidents in the future.

Zagala did not say whether U.S. investigators had filed information gleaned from the flight-data and cockpit-voice recorders. Philippine investigators had examined the voice recorder before sending both devices to the United States for analysis.

The C-130 was transporting soldiers who were to join the fight against the Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic militant group that operates in the south. Jolo is an Abu Sayyaf hotbed in the Sulu Archipelago.

Abu Sayyaf has not claimed any responsibility for the crash.

On Wednesday in Manila, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told a congressional committee hearing he was informed that a confluence of many events caused the crash, the Associated Press reported. They included defective instruments or systems, plus of course the reaction of the pilot was not also appropriate for the emergency.

Soldiers check the site where a Philippine C-130 transport plane crashed on Jolo Island, killing 50 including three civilians, July 4, 2021. (Joint Task Force-Sulu via AP)

Helicopter crash

Meanwhile, investigators found a confluence of events also triggered the deadly Black Hawk helicopter crash in June.

Investigators found out that the chopper inadvertently entered a thunderstorm and was compounded by spatial disorientation or vertigo by the pilot, as the cause of the accident, Zagala said in a statement.

While not elaborating on the findings of both crashes, Zagala said, The goal of the investigation, based on international practice on handling crashed aircraft, was to determine the cause of the accident rather than apportion blame.

The investigations will help us avoid similar events in the future by implementing additional safety initiatives, strengthening protocols and procedures, as well as instituting training interventions for our aircrew and personnel, he said.

This shall put further protection to our assets, especially our members who continue to risk their lives to protect our people and the country.

Both the C-130 plane and the Black Hawk helicopter were recent acquisitions of the Philippine Air Force, which has sought to modernize its aging fleet.

One of five in the militarys fleet, the government purchased the C-130 from the U.S. in January. Although the plane had been in service since 1988, the Philippine military said it was in tip-top shape at the time of the accident.

Manila has long relied on foreign military surplus equipment as it moves to modernize its armed forces.

The military considers the investigation over although it has to wait for an official declaration from the Philippine Air Force about the status of the four remaining C-130s, which have been grounded since the crash, Zagala said.

The Black Hawk helicopter, built by Polands PZL Mielec, was one of six delivered in November 2020. It was on a night-time training flight in the northern Tarlac province when it crashed.

Recent accidents

The two crashes added to a series of recent mishaps involving military and police aircraft.

In April, an Air Force MG-520 attack helicopter plunged into the waters off Bohol Island in the central Philippines, leaving its pilot dead and three others injured.

In January, seven soldiers died when their helicopter, a refurbished UH-1H Vietnam-era craft commonly known as a Huey, went down in the mountains of southern Bukidnon province.

In September 2020, an Air Force helicopter used as an air ambulance crashed en route to Jolo, killing four crew members. Two months earlier, four soldiers died when their Huey chopper crashed after takeoff in northern Isabela province.

In March 2020, the countrys police chief and three police generals were among eight people injured when their Bell 429 helicopter crashed near Manila.

A BenarNews correspondent contributed to this report from Zamboanga City, Philippines.
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All employees at Massachusetts rest homes, assisted living residences, and hospice programs, as well as workers who provide in-home direct care services, are required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Oct. 31
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey on Wednesday certified two ballot questions that would classify gig workers as independent contractors, rather than employees, a change that would make them exempt from protections that state law provides to those classified as employees.
Dai Ingalls, center, testifies at an Aug. 25 meeting of the Pittsfield Animal Control Commission, during which members ordered her dog, Fudge, to be euthanized. Fudge and another dog attacked mail carrier Leah Rowland, right, in July.
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.
The Eagle is providing live updates from today's Environmental Appeals Board in Washington, D.C. The court is hearing arguments on an appeal that seeks to overturn an EPA permit allowing a PCB landfill in Lee.

4:04 p.m.

IT'S A WRAP: "The case is now submitted." With those words, Judge Kathie A. Stein closed the hearing at 4:03 p.m., after 153 minutes of arguments and comments. The Environmental Appeals Board will issue a ruling on the appeal, at a time of its choosing. When it last heard arguments in the case, in June 2017, it took about eight months to rule.

Thursday's proceeding ended with two friend of court presentations. One lambasted the secret mediation that produced the settlement. The other celebrated it.

Judith Knight, the Great Barrington attorney representing citizens opposed to the landfill, told the court that residents in the affected towns had no idea a plan to bury PCBs locally was in the offing.

None of the citizens in those towns were informed of the settlement, she said. A group of citizens is suing the town of Lee, claiming its Select Board did not have authority to enter into the agreement.

Knight said the soil conditions at the Lee quarry that would house the landfill are unsuitable. Its a textbook terrible place to put a landfill site, Knight said.

Matthew Pawa, the attorney representing five towns that accepted and signed onto the agreement, said the EPA had made no errors that the court should seek to correct.

Like the attorneys for GE and the EPA, he praised the permit now in place. This cleanup is very comprehensive and very protective of human health and the environment, Pawa said.

And he disputed characterizations of the settlement as a handout to GE. It was a hard-fought and very difficult negotiation, Pawa said. We got so many things out of this remedy that we never would have got without this kind of negotiation.  Its a commendable process we went through.

In a short rebuttal, Andrew Rainer, an attorney for the two environmental groups appealing the permit, said GEs corporate interests were foremost during the mediation. The result saved GE $250 million on shipment costs for out-of-state PCB disposal. He noted, with evident sarcasm, that the company generously offered to give $50 million back to communities involved.

Thats actually what happened here, Rainer said.

Pawa, moments earlier, took issue with that notion, saying, Its absolutely not true.

3:52 p.m.

STAYING AT THE TABLE: Attorney Kwaku Akowuah, representing the General Electric Co., took issue with claims, from environmental groups, that they were excluded from the private mediation that produced the breakthrough settlement that includes local PCB burial.

That process shaped a "reasonable" plan, he said.

One of the groups appealing, he said, declined to agree to a confidentiality agreement, indicating the Housatonic Environmental Action League. And he asserted that the other, the Housatonic River Initiative, led by Tim Gray of Lee, opted out after seeing that a consensus was emerging in favor of local PCB disposal, under new conditions.

Akowuah said that in his legal career, hes never encountered a mediation that didnt require confidentiality. If you walk away from the table you walk away from the table, he said.

In a later rebuttal, Andrew Rainer, an attorney for the appellants, rejected that statement. He said that HEAL was not invited to participate. Rainer faulted the secretive process and called it invalid, in part because there is no record of its proceedings.

Echoing the EPAs presentation, Akowuah, the GE attorney, said that the settlements terms will bring a faster and better cleanup. And the Lee landfill, he said, can be constructed safely.

The UDF is safe and protective of human health, he said.

Like John Kilborn, the EPAs lawyer, Akowuah noted that more sediment will be removed. We have a more comprehensive cleanup that will move more quickly, and thats all to the good.

Judge Aaron P. Avila questioned why it made sense to bury PCBs pulled from the Housatonic within the rivers own watershed. Intuitively, doesnt that seem kind of odd? he asked.

Not at all, your honor. I take the point, Akowuah said.

3:04 p.m.

A BETTER, FASTER CLEANUP: Before diving into the arcane details of permits and appeals, attorney John Kilborn, representing the Environmental Protection Agency, opened with a simple message: Reaches of the Housatonic River are still full of PCBs.

The toxins are uncontrolled, after all these decades, and need to be removed, he said.

The regions remedy will do just that and restore the river, Kilborn said, speaking of the December 2020 permit.

But how, Judge Kathie A. Stein asked, will this permit lead to a faster cleanup, given this the appeal the court is now hearing, as well as possible future court action? How is it that on-site disposal leads to a speedier cleanup?" she asked. "We still have an appeal here."

Kilborn pointed out that the settlement calls for GE to continue planning for the cleanup, even amid challenges to the settlement reached by mediation and announced in February 2020.

Then Kilborn took on a particular point of criticism in the appeal. Its wrong to claim the EPA flip-flopped on the question of local disposal, he told the justices. That came after Kilborn got this potent question from a judge: Isnt the Upland Disposal Facility now planned the same as one the EPA rejected in its 2016 permit?

He said yes, before arguing that the answer is no.

The difference, he said, is that the landfill would now house only sediments containing lower levels of PCBs. Materials with concentrations above 50 parts per million, a key threshold, will be taken away for disposal out of state, the permit says.

On top of that, Kilborn told the justices that the permit improves the eventual outcome for the Housatonic watershed by removing dams to free water flow, dredge away more sediment than was scheduled to be capped in the 2016 permit and cut back on truck trips during the cleanup. By 50,000 such trips, he said.

On the issue of thermal desorption raised in the appeal, Kilborn said critics cherry-picked from the EPAs record on alternative technologies. He said the agency is aware of some advantages of that technology, but also known were its drawbacks.

And in terms of the courts own process, Kilborn argued, as the EPA did in its brief, that the issue of alternative technologies is outside the scope of the appeal.

2:33 p.m.

THEY BEGGED FOR A BETTER WAY: Wrapping up for the groups appealing the cleanup permit, attorney Andrew Rainer faulted the EPA for, in his view, never taking seriously long-standing calls from the community for the government to consider alternative technologies to remove toxins released into the Housatonic River by the General Electric Co.

Rainer, who like the other appeal attorneys is working pro bono, said that at one point, the EPA rejected the idea of using such technologies, including one known as thermal desorption, because it had not been proven on Housatonic River materials specifically.

That is the paradigm, in my view, of arbitrary and capricious decision-making, Rainer said.

The community, he told the court, practically begged the agency to consider alternative technologies. Treatment was one of the things that [the EPA] should have taken into account, Rainer said.

Further, he said proponents of using alternative technologies agreed not to oppose the 2000 Consent Decree after being promised that such approaches would be considered. That decree has guided the response to GE's pollution.

Rainer also offered praise for his clients, who have worked only for the public interest. These are people who have nothing but the best for the community at heart. Theyve always been concerned about the environment, he said.

2:10 p.m.

COMMENTS ON COMMENTS: Justice Kathie A. Stein asks attorney Stephanie Parker whether her clients, the appeal groups, raised one of their central objections during the permits public comment period. That objection centers on the fact that the PCB landfill in Lee would be placed in an area the state had identified as an area of critical environmental concern.

Parker said that the groups had, in fact, spoken of that concern, even if they didnt use that term. Its our position that that was certainly done.

And lay people, she argued, shouldnt have to sound like lawyers.

Stein conceded that point, but pushed back a little, saying comments need to be specific enough to alert the permit issuer, the EPA, so it can adequately respond.

1:52 p.m.

STUNNING REVERSAL BY EPA: Attorney Stephanie R. Parker, speaking in support of the appeal, calls the EPAs decision to allow local disposal of PCBs a stunning reversal of course. She argues that the agencys basic facts didnt change from 2014 to 2020, but, nonetheless, the EPA dropped its decision in 2016 to require off-site disposal. The underlying facts are the same, she says.

Both Kathie A. Stein and Judge Aaron P. Avila, the two justices hearing the case, note that after the court heard the case in 2017, it sent it back to the EPA. Doesnt that wipe table clean? Avila asked.

Parker argued that rather than take a whole new look, the EPA acted to keep the 2020 settlement agreement intact. Its permeated with language about the settlement agreement, she says, and notes that the EPA has spoken of a wish to avoid delays in the river cleanup.

1:39 p.m.

Judge Kathie A. Stein urges lawyers not to belabor their briefs, which the courts justices have already studied. We ask that you think of today as an opportunity to have a conversation, she said.

Expect a lot of questions, Stein told the lawyers, before they introduced themselves one by one. Those questions dont suggest the court has decided the case, she cautioned. I can assure you that we have not, she said.

1:20 p.m.

THE LINEUP: The courts justices will allow 40 minutes of arguments from those appealing the permit, the Housatonic River Initiative and the Housatonic Environmental Action League. The other parties, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the General Electric Co., will get the same amount of time.

The appeal team: Andrew Rainer, of Brody, Hardoon, Perkins & Kesten, LLP, Boston; Stephanie R. Parker, of OConnor, of Carnathan & Mack, Burlington; and Katy T. Garrison, of Murphy & Riley, Boston.

Parker is expected to present the main argument for the environmental groups. Rainer is scheduled to talk about what the appellants see as the EPAs failure to incorporate alternative technologies for the river cleanup. And Garrison is going to question whether the EPAs remedy goes far enough to protect human health and the environment.

The GE team: Attorney Kwaku A. Akowuah make the companys main case in support of the EPA permit issued last December, which allows local burial of PCBs in a Lee landfill. Akowuah will be backed up by attorney James R. Bieke.

The EPA team: Attorney John Kilborn will present the agencys case, supported by Tim Conway and Samir Bukhari. Also, the agency has notified the court that it may seek to present expertise from Dean Tagliaferro, Bob Cianciarulo and Bryan Olson.

At 1:30 p.m. today, the Environmental Appeals Board in Washington, D.C., will hear oral arguments on an appeal that seeks to to overturn the permit, issued in December, allowing a PCB landfill in Lee.

The proceeding is being conducted by videoconference. The Eagle will provide live updates during the hearing.

The hearing is being streamed on Zoom and is open to the public.
It was time to end the long wars. Now, Biden must make a new era work.
Be prepared to do a double-take because actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has a look-a-like in Alabama.

The 49-year-old Jungle Cruise star responded to a side-by-side viral photo of Patrol Lieutenant Eric Fields of the Morgan County Sheriff's Office that has received nearly 43,000 likes on Twitter.

"Oh sh*t! Wow," Johnson tweeted, "Guy on the left is way cooler. Stay safe brother and thank you for your service."
Two police officers, a former officer and two paramedics will face charges in the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was detained, placed in a chokehold and given a powerful sedative during a confrontation with Aurora, Col., police in 2019.

According to NBC News, the grand jury indictment comes after an eight-month investigation convened by Colorados top prosecutor. On Wednesday (September 1), State Attorney General Phil Weiser said the five defendants will each be charged with one count of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, as well as other charges in the 32-count indictment.

Named in the indictment are officers Nathan Woodyard and Randy Roedema and former officer Jason Rosenblatt. Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec are the paramedics.

RELATED: Elijah McClain Report: Independent Investigation Finds Wrongdoing On Part Of Aurora Police

Upon learning of the indictment, McClains father, LaWayne Mosley, said he cried tears of joy.

"Nothing will bring back my son, but I am thankful that his killers will finally be held accountable," Mosley said in a statement, according to NBC News.

McClains death set off months of protests by activists, which turned into national demonstrations calling for systemic changes in policing. Similar to George Floyds May 2020 death by police, McClain told police I cant breathe, a phrase that has since become a familiar rallying message against police brutality.

McClain was reportedly walking home from a convenience store on August 24, 2019, when police responded to a call of a suspicious man with a ski mask. Officers detained McClain by placing him in a chokehold. Paramedics arrived on the scene and injected him with a large dosage of ketamine to sedate him.

Body camera footage shows McClain being wrestled to the ground, vomiting, crying and gasping for air as police detained him. Three days later, he was declared brain dead and an autopsy was found inconclusive.
Royal staffers who alleged Meghan Markle bullied them are rescinding their complaints to HR, E! News reports.

Just four days prior to Markle and husband Prince Harrys interview with Oprah Winfrey, The Times of London published two reports that accused the Duchess of Sussex of bullying palace staff members. In their articles, the outlet cited emails suggesting that a staff member had leaked the info to the press.

One email was from prior Sussex communications director Jason Knauf, who wrote to Kensington Palace Private Secretary Simon Case in October 2018. The Times reported Knauf wrote that he was "very concerned" about Markle's conduct and claimed she was "able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year."

RELATED: Black Twitter Defends Meghan Markle After Palace Aides Report Allegations Of 'Bullying'

"The treatment of [name redacted] was totally unacceptable," Knauf wrote. "The duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying [name redacted] and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards [name redacted]."

At the time, Markles team denied the bullying allegations in a statement to E! News, writing: "The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma. She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good."

Even still, Buckingham Palace announced an investigation over the emails on March 3. In June 2021, Buckingham Palace said the investigation was ongoing.
Seven Black men who were executed nearly 70 years ago in Martinsville, Va., for allegedly raping a white woman, were pardoned yesterday (August 31, 2021) by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. The men known as the "Martinsville Seven," were pardoned posthumously after the governor met with a dozen of the executed mens descendants.

"This is about righting wrongs," Northam said in a news release. "We all deserve a criminal justice system that is fair, equal, and gets it rightno matter who you are or what you look like. While we can't change the past, I hope today's action brings them some small measure of peace."

Northam said that these pardons do not address whether the men were guilty, but they serve "as recognition from the Commonwealth" that these men were tried without adequate due process.

Ruby Stroud Floyd, a 32 year old white woman, said she was raped by 13 Black men as she passed through a Black neighborhood in January 1949. According to history site BlackPast.org, Floyd identified Francis DeSales Grayson, 37, and Joe Henry Hampton, 19 as having attacked her. She had trouble identifying the other men.

None of the men accused of the rape had a lawyer present when they were questioned about the crime, and not all of the men were able to read the confessions they signed. The Martinsville Seven all confessed to committing or witnessing the crime, and each man was charged with rape. At the time in Virginia, rape was a capitol offense. In addition to Hampton and Grayson, the others executed after being tried by juries of all white men were Frank Hairston Jr., 18, Booker T. Millner, 19, Howard Lee Hairston, 18, James Luther Hairston, and John Claybon Taylor, 21.

Four of the men were executed in Virginia's electric chair on Feb. 2, 1951. Three days later, the other three accused men were electrocuted.

The case of the Martinsville Seven has served as an historical example of the uneven application of the death penalty when it comes to race, particularly if the accused is Black and the victim is white.

According to CNN, from 1908 to 1951, all 45 prisoners executed for rape in Virginia were Black. It wasnt until 1977 that the US Supreme Court ruled that imposing the death penalty for rape constituted cruel and unusual punishment.
A 26-year-old man has been charged with the murder of 21-year-old college student Shawtyeria Waites.

According to KTRK-TV, the Prairie View A&M University student was last seen by her friend after going out for her birthday on July 25 in southwest Houston. By July 27, she was reported missing.

Jordan Potts, the primary suspect in the case, was charged in her death after witness statements and additional evidence determined Waites was dropped off to meet Potts on Chimney Rock Road.

RELATED: Alabama Man Charged With Murder In His Wifes Fatal Shooting

Authorities reportedly determined Waites was killed inside Potts apartment with her body later being moved to the trunk of his vehicle. They also say she possibly met Potts on social media or a dating app.

HPD homicide detectives, with FBI assistance, located human remains in Brookshire on Friday (August 27). Formal identification is still pending, KTRK reports, however physical evidence indicates the remains are those of Waites.

Police say Potts has been charged with murder and that hes on the run and dangerous. Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
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FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, file photo, families evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, sit onboard a bus after they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport, in Chantilly, Va. U.S. religious groups of many faiths are gearing up to assist the thousands of incoming refugees.
Aiden Vaught (Spearfish football): Vaught recorded nine tackles on Friday night, while eight of those were solo tackles. He also had one interception.

Sturgis Brown Competitive Cheer: The team has had three competitions this year and has improved its average score in each competition.

Sam Kooima Lead-Deadwood football: Kooima scored three touchdowns and threw for three more. He ran six times for 60 yards and two touchdowns, completed six of six pass attempts for 92 yards and three touchdowns, and returned a punt 64 yards for a score.

Tilli Katon (Lead-Deadwood volleyball): Tilli recorded 11 serving aces in a Sept. 7 victory over Edgemont.

Kyra Vandenberg (Belle Fourche cross country): Vandenberg finished fourth in the varsity girls division at the Belle Fourche Invitational. This was the first 5-kilometer and varsity race for the Bronc seventh-grader

Kaylin Garza (Belle Fourche volleyball): Garza collected 27 kills, eight blocks, 14 digs, and five aces in matches this past week.

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OREGON - The Nez Perce Tribe recently reached a settlement agreement with the state of Oregon resolving the Tribes lawsuit alleging that Oregons 2019 Clean Water Act section 401 water quality certification for the relicensing of the Hells Canyon Complex, violated federal and state law. The Tribe claimed that the certification failed to adequately address toxic pollution, temperature, and fish passage in the Complex, which is located within the Tribes exclusive territory. The Hells Canyon Complex, owned and operated by Idaho Power Company, consists of three dams and reservoirs on the Snake River that straddle the Oregon/Idaho border.

The Tribe and Oregon have been close partners for years in advancing shared natural resource goals including restoring the lower Snake River and its salmon and steelhead runs by replacing the four federal dams on the lower Snake River, said Samuel Penney, Chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe. Despite our previous challenges in reaching an agreement on the water quality certification for the Hells Canyon Complex, I thank Governor Brown for her leadership, perseverance, and demonstrated commitment in resolving the Tribes concerns.

Since time immemorial, the Tribe has relied on the Snake River and its resources for cultural, subsistence, spiritual, ceremonial, and economic purposes. To continue its way of life, the Nez Perce, or Nimiipuu, entered into a treaty with the United States in 1855 in which it reserved, and the United States secured, the right to fish, hunt, gather, pasture, and travel throughout its aboriginal territory. The Snake River is home to many of the Tribes treaty-reserved aquatic resources, including salmon, steelhead, Pacific lamprey, bull trout, and white sturgeon.

The Hells Canyon Complex blocks passage for many of the Tribes culturally-significant species and has changed the Snake Rivers temperature regime and other important habitat conditions. Testing confirms that several aquatic species within and downstream of the Complex contain very high levels of methylmercury, a toxic form of mercury that can bioaccumulate in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. People who ingest fish with unsafe levels of methylmercury can experience severe health effects. Young children are especially vulnerable to methylmercury poisoning. The extremely high levels of methylmercury found in fish within and downstream of the Hells Canyon Complex, pose a serious threat to the health of Nez Perce Tribal members who exercise their treaty-reserved fishing rights in the Snake River. For this reason, the Tribe took unprecedented action in 2016 when it instituted a consumption moratorium on certain types of white sturgeon and a fish consumption advisory for bull trout and smallmouth bass in the Hells Canyon reach of the Snake River.

Under the federal Clean Water Act, federally-licensed hydroelectric dams must obtain a water quality certification, known as a 401 certification, from the state in which the dams discharge. Through 401 certifications, states are required to ensure hydroelectric dams comply with state water quality standards.

The Tribes 2019 lawsuit asserted that the conditions in Oregons 401 certification imposed on the Hells Canyon Complexs operations were inadequate to ensure the Complex came into compliance with the states water quality standards for mercury and methylmercury concentrations in fish tissue, which were set to protect human health. The Tribe also asserted that Oregons 401 certification should have included fish passage at the Complex and more stringent safeguards to protect migrating salmonids from lethal water temperatures that may occur below the Hells Canyon Complex during the fall spawning season. Pacific Rivers and Idaho Rivers United filed a similar lawsuit in 2019, which was subsequently consolidated with the Tribes case.

The settlement agreement reached by the Tribe, Pacific Rivers, and Idaho Rivers United with Oregon, includes measures that Oregon will undertake to address mercury and methylmercury in the Hells Canyon reach of the Snake River. One significant measure Oregon has agreed to undertake, in collaboration with the Tribe, is the development of a pollution budget, known as Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), as required by the Clean Water Act. Oregon and Idaho Power Company will provide $1.5 million to fund this effort. Oregon has also agreed to take additional steps to better protect migrating Chinook salmon from extreme Snake River temperatures in the fall, to include the Tribe in the research program evaluating placement of adult spring chinook and steelhead and outmigration of their offspring from Pine Creek, an Oregon tributary located upstream of Hells Canyon Dam, and to fund a collaborative pilot research project between the Tribe and Oregon to reintroduce sockeye salmon into Wallowa Lake in eastern Oregon.

I also appreciate Idaho Power Companys support of Oregons efforts to promulgate, without further delay, the mercury and methyl mercury TMDL for the Snake River and to address extreme fall temperatures in the Snake River, Chairman Penney added. The agreement reached between the Tribe and Oregon also honors the Tribes connection to sockeye salmon and to the restoration of that fishery in Wallowa Lake and our strong intergovernmental relationship. I have faith that the agreement weve reached will improve water quality in the Snake River, the health of Tribal members and Oregonians, and Nez Perce Tribal member access to treaty-reserved resources, Chairman Penney concluded.
CALDER - Idaho State Police, in cooperation with Shoshone and Benewah County Sheriff's deputies, arrested a man on August 26 after a report of a woman being hit by the driver of a pickup in the small north Idaho community of Calder, east of St. Maries.

At approximately 7:54 p.m. on August 26th, Idaho State Police dispatchers received a call from a witness reporting that an intoxicated male in a pickup had driven over and dragged a woman beneath his vehicle on 1st Street in Calder. Witnesses were able to provide dispatchers with a description of the suspect vehicle and driver, who was last seen heading toward St. Maries.

Witnesses accounts say the driver never slowed or stopped after hitting and dragging the woman, according to police. The victim, a woman in her 30s from Calder, succumbed to her injuries on scene.

A Benewah County Deputy was able to locate and stop the suspect vehicle a short time later. ISP Troopers arrived and noticed the suspect had slurred speech, glassy eyes, and smelled of alcohol. Idaho State Police detectives also responded.

After further investigation, other evidence was found linking the suspect vehicle to the incident. Troopers arrested 72-year-old Richard E. Rogers, of Calder. Rogers was charged with Vehicular Manslaughter and Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Injury or Death.

This incident remains under investigation by Idaho State Police in cooperation with the Shoshone County Prosecutor's Office.
Tonight on the No Spin News, Bernie Goldberg and I will discuss the bad place President Biden has carved out for himself. Two of the countrys largest newspapers, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, have crushed Mr. Biden over Afghanistan and even CNN, which derives all of its revenue from liberal viewers, has allowed anti-Biden sentiment.

However, The New York Times has been silent. Its editorial board not engaged on Afghanistan even after 13 Americans were killed at the Kabul airport. Ill ask Bernie about that.

So, hope to see you beginning at six eastern this evening.
Joe Biden addresses the nation on Afghanistan, The Washington Post rebukes the President, Gavin Newsom raises a record amount of money, doctors now prescribing Nature Time for stressed-out Americans.

Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, bad decisions...
Former CBS correspondent Bernie Goldberg joined Bill on Thursday's No Spin News and, among other things, they discussed whether the left-leaning networks and newspapers will do their best to bury the Afghanistan disaster.

Sign up for our Premium Membership and get Killing the Mob free.
GUNG-HO PHARMA R&D INVESTMENTS SURPASS $3B

While the pharmaceutical industry helped combat COVID-19, from R&D actions on potential treatment strategies to balancing the medicines supply chain in the time of crisis, it struggled to maintain the natural market flow. As a result, many pharma companies had to abort some of their ongoing R&D investment plans. However for FY20-21, the average R&D expenses constituted 7.2 per cent of the total revenues of the pharma companies, with Lupin, Alembic Pharma and Dr. Reddys spending more than others.
Union Minister addresses the 13th CII Global MedTech Summit on the Sunrise Medical Devices Sector in India

Government will collaborate with stakeholders in developing medical technology. This was stated by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology (S&T); Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in his virtual address to the 13th CII Global MedTech Summit on the Sunrise Medical Devices Sector in India on 2 Sept.

Dr Jitendra Singh added, "Most medical technologies are not indigenous and we are still dependent on as much as 85% imported technologies. One reason being the healthcare sector has never been given priority here in India, neither social nor cultural, owing to legacy issues besides economic constraints."

He further said, Earlier, entrepreneurs were reluctant to invest as there were multiple window clearances, sometimes 70 even in small scale sector. COVID-19 has served to give a kneejerk to indigenous technologies such as CSIR in manufacturing ventilators, vaccine production by DBT, ISRO in Liquid Oxygen. Instead of Ministry/Department wise approvals, we should go for theme based projects involving the private sector. Indigenous medical technologies will help reduce dependence on imports and for this the government, private sector, corporates and scientists, all will have to come together and pool their resources."

Indias Medical Technology sector was worth $11 billion in 2020. A CII study estimates, this will grow up to $50 billion by 2025.
Post spin-off, the company will focus on API business

New Delhi-based Morepen Labs plans to carve out the business into a separate wholly-owned subsidiary both for building teams to manage the scale of operations of large and fast-growing businesses and unique features of point-of-care (PoC) business.

It also plans to bring in fresh capital that makes it imperative to have a separate subsidiary to undertake this fast-expanding PoC business.

The proposed segregation will give clarity to the working teams, trade customers and other stakeholders. Post this spin-off, the company will be able to put the entire focus on its core business of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and formulations.

After hiving off medical devices business into a wholly-owned subsidiary company, separate dedicated management will work for the development of Medical Devices Business in a separate independent entity.

In the second phase post hive off, the medical devices company would go for CE Certification of its manufacturing facilities to become the hub for PoC manufacturing in India.

The new entity plans to deploy more resources on the R&D, backwards integration of core technologies like making enzymes /proteins and develop a data lab for connected devices.
The move will further bridge the gap between doctors and their patients while improving patient management workflow

India Medtronic, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medtronic, has announced a strategic partnership with Stasis Health, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stasis Labs, for scaling up and expanding access for their state-of-the-art Stasis Monitor, a connected care bedside multi-parameter monitoring system.

The addition of Stasis Monitor to the Medtronic portfolio expands the companys ability to serve patients inside the hospital while offering physicians the option to remotely monitor their patients.

The Stasis Monitor is used in Emergency lCUs, surgical lCUs, high dependency units, step down units, and private patient rooms. Unlike conventional disconnected bedside monitors, the Stasis connected care monitoring system includes - a bedside monitor that monitors six vital signs, a tablet that enables intuitive monitoring, and the Stasis app that allows for remote monitoring across devices.

Equipped to provide patient data to any device through the cloud, the system is appropriate for data-driven insights. It includes battery backup to move patients between different areas of care and provides 24-hour vital-sign trend data along with AI-powered proactive alerts.
While there have been many advances in paediatric oncology, cancer remains a leading cause of mortality in children. To raise awareness on childhood cancer, in September an annual campaign, Gold September, is conducted worldwide.

Source Vadim Guzhva 123rf

Non-communicable disease focus

Professor Gita Naidu, chair of the South African Childrens Cancer Study Group, Sandhya Singh director, non-communicable diseases,National Department of Health, and Hedley Lewis, CEO of the CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa examine some of the issues why childhood cancer still occurs.Many factors are responsible for delays in childhood cancer. These include the childs age, familys socioeconomic status, parental educational level, distance of residence from the hospital, cancer type, site, and stage.Many children in low- and middle-income countries have poor access to hospitals, which in turn lack essential diagnostic tests, experience a shortage of nursing medical and surgical personnel, inadequate and erratic supply of basic pharmaceutical and chemotherapeutic agents, and an absence of radiotherapy, surgical and intensive care facilities.These are but some of the factors which contribute to patients presenting with advanced disease and resultant poorer outcomes.However, for a favourable outcome and improved overall survival, it is imperative that children are diagnosed early for effective treatment of early-stage disease.As neonatal, infant and child health improves in South Africa, communicable diseases, such as respiratory and diarrhoeal diseases, HIV-AIDS, and tuberculosis, are better controlled.By focusing on non-communicable diseases such as childhood cancer and identifying these diseases early, access to the correct diagnostics and therapeutics and the availability of supportive care to improve overall survival of our children with cancer is ensured.The burden of the Covid-19 is further testing fragile African health care systems. Many caregivers are unemployed due to national lockdowns, there are inadequate transport systems, and caregivers are afraid to venture out of the safety of their homes. Sadly, this could mean even further delays in the diagnosis of childhood cancer.
Specialist B2B media company 3S Media has announced the winners of its 2021 Women in MICE Awards with RX Africa receiving honours in various categories.

Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio Director: Travel, Tourism, and Creative Industries, RX Africa Carol Weaving, Managing Director, RX Africa Carmen Wagener, Portfolio Director: Operations, RX Africa

RX Africa

Launched in 2014, these awards are a showcase of the extraordinary achievements made by some of the industrys top players within the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) sector.All our teams have contributed to a successful journey through a very difficult time, and we are particularly proud of those members recognised by the Women in MICE Awards, says Carol Weaving, Managing Director of RX Africa. This is a great achievement to end off August which is recognised as Womens Month in South Africa, she adds.The RX Africa team members who were lauded for their outstanding contribution are:The women named this year have gone above and beyond our expectations, given the difficulties our industry faced. As a team, RX Africa could not be happier, says Weaving.The producers of the Women in MICE Awards will announce the date of the awards ceremony at a later stage.
The Recording Industry of South Africa (Risa) has announced the launch of The Official South African Music Charts (Tosac), a radio and digital music streaming chart platform.

Image: Sourced

Says Sean Watson, the Chairperson of Risa: We are incredibly excited to be launching such a pioneering platform for the South African music industry and audiences, across different genres. This represents a significant milestone and a much-needed step up to aligning with popular forms of music consumption for the local music industry.

What you can expect on the charts:

Mzansi, its time to take our love for music to the next level with South Africas FIRST radio and digital music streaming charts, The Official SA Charts. Will you be a part of the movement? #voiceofthecharts pic.twitter.com/xb8AcDXXdS  The Official SA Charts (@OfficialSAChart) September 1, 2021

How the charts will be aggregated:

Chart week will be from Friday to Thursday.

Only digital streaming numbers are taken into account.

The number of streams shown in the charts is always weighted, so that subscription streams have more relevance than ad-funded streams.

Currently, no track exclusion policy or accelerated decline method is being applied.

Radio Edits

Same song with additional featuring artists

DJs remixes, as long as the original artist is credited

Different language/country versions

How to access our first official charts:

Our intention is to provide all South African music enthusiasts and general consumers with a platform that they can own and one that reflects their own relationship with local and international music and their consumption patterns, irrespective of their taste in music. We also plan to consistently develop Tosac platform and tailor it to accommodate our constantly changing consumer needs, concludes Sibisi.

The Official South African Music Charts (Tosac) will kick off with a focus on singles in the digital music streaming space, the chart will celebrate the popularity and success of the music being enjoyed from diverse artists by music fans across the country.To ensure accuracy and that the charts represent the broad South African digital music spectrum, Tosac will aggregate data from three digital streaming platforms popularly used by local audiences: Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer.Added Nhlanhla Sibisi, the CEO of Risa: We have a robust music industry in our country, and our people have a natural thirst for music. We have also seen an undeniable shift in how people consume music in the past few years, with more and more audiences making use of streaming services than before. We are thus excited to put in place an offering that not only recognises that but is set to help drive the growth of our industry.Weekly TOP 200 Tracks which takes into account all tracks streamed in South Africa, including both local and international music; and Weekly TOP 100 Local ZA Tracks which only includes tracks wherein at least one of the credited artists is from South Africa.Sibisi explains: We understand the competitive nature of the digital streaming space and that consumers are spoiled for choice with access to local and international music charts as well as digital streaming apps.The launch of The Official South African Music Charts is a great milestone for music in South Africa and for the development of the industry across the continent. The charts will provide music fans, artists and record labels with a window into music streaming in one of the worlds most vibrant and dynamic markets. Ifpi (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) would like to congratulate its national member organisation Risa, the company members and the contributing streaming platforms for this important achievement, said Frances Moore, CEO of IFPI.Different versions of a track are aggregated to their corresponding original track, i.e.Album covers are not aggregated to the original track.Tosac will go live at 12pm on 2 September 2021 and guests can visit the official website www.theofficialsacharts.co.za which will serve as the central platform hosting all Tosac charts and related content.
A television presenter in Ivory Coast was convicted on Wednesday of glorifying rape and given a one-year suspended prison sentence for asking a convicted rapist he invited onto his prime-time show to simulate a sexual assault using a mannequin.

The court also fined the presenter, Yves de Mbella, XAF2m ($3,619.91) and banned him from leaving Abidjan, the country's commercial capital, for one year, a spokesperson for Ivory Coast's justice system told Reuters.The man who appeared on the show was sentenced to two years in prison, the spokesperson said.De Mbella has apologised for the segment in which he asked his guest to demonstrate how he raped women, helped him adjust the female mannequin and asked whether the victims "enjoyed it".De Mbella said on Tuesday he had been trying to "raise awareness" in the segment, which aired on the Nouvelle Chaine Ivoirienne (NCI) private television station on Monday, but said he had "made an error".NCI also apologised and cancelled the final episode of de Mbella's show, which had been scheduled for Friday. An online petition calling for de Mbella's show to be cancelled has received nearly 50,000 signatures.Ivory Coast's independent communications council on Tuesday ordered de Mbella suspended for 30 days, saying the segment had condoned rape and attacked the dignity of women.
Innovate Durban is calling for applications for the Youth Innovation Challenge - deadline 8 September 2021

SDG 2 - END HUNGER

END HUNGER, ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY AND IMPROVED NUTRITION AND PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

SDG 9 - INDUSTRY, INNOVATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE

BUILD RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE, PROMOTE INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIALISATION AND FOSTER INNOVATION

SDG 11 - SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

MAKE CITIES AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS INLCUSIVE, SAFE, RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE

SDG 12 - REPSONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION

ENSURE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION PATTERNS

The Youth Innovation Challenge (YIC) is Innovate Durbans Flagship Programme and this year they have chosen to align the YIC to an overarching theme of Responding to Crisis with a view to address some of the globally felt challenges that have become more relevant during the recent unrest and ongoing pandemic. Whilst these areas of need have continued to plague us; we have seen the devastating impact on resources, industries, logistics and communities which will be felt for a long way into the future. As such Innovate Durban have identified four of the UN Sustainable Development Goals that will be presented as challenges in local context. See challenge areas below:Partners for the year are eThekwini Municipality, Adams&Adams, The Domino Foundation, UKZN and Zutari; additionally this year they will have host partners supporting the workshop programme. As Innovate Durban are mindful of the pandemic and resulting restrictions as well as the value of in person group work in addressing challenges and providing solutions. There will be five decentralised small groups at each Host Partner Venue; University of KwaZulu Natal - Inqubate, Durban University of Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology, eThekwini TVET College, Zutari.The workshop programme will be hosted by five institutions (DUT, MUT, UKZN, eThekwini College and Zutari) from 20-23 September 2021. This will be followed by a week of solution development and pitching to select the top three teams! The announcement of the winners will take place at an Awards Evening on 21 October 2021 to celebrate these solutions!, is delighted to participate in the 2021 edition of the Youth Innovation Challenge. They are participating in this challenge because it is in line with their objective of unlocking entrepreneurial potential of their students.confirmed they are legacy-driven and their desire is to be part of the solution to addressing the practical issues affecting South Africans to both ideate and take action to see real transformation within our sphere of engineering expertise. The YIC provides a platform whereby they can assist in equipping and empowering the current generation who have both the energy and creativity to unlocking a sustainable future for all, by passing on our collective knowledge and experience.Submit your team application here and stand a chance to win cash prizes for the top three teams!If you are a business, individual, or support organization that would like to be involved in the Youth Innovation Challenge please contact Susanne Ramsunder at nabrud.etavonni@ennasus or Sakhiwo Rewu at nabrud.etavonni@owihkas Social media handles:Web https://www.innovate.durban/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/innovatedurban Instagram https://www.instagram.com/innovatedurban/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/20142770/admin/
Homeland Security head Alejandro Mayorkas together with his underling John Cohen and the propagandists at the Anti-Defamation League went to CNN on Wednesday to drop a new blood libel smearing White Americans as "domestic violent extremists" in line with the Taliban who are poised to start committing terrorist attacks at any moment.



All the same tactics our globalist overlords used to smear all Muslims as terrorists in order to launch the War on Terror in the Middle East are now being used against the American people to launch a new domestic War on Terror here at home.



Despite hyping the phony threat of "white extremists" every day without pause, the ADL's own inflated numbers showed 2020 had the lowest number of "domestic extremist-related killings" in over a decade.







There's so little "domestic terrorism" from "white extremists" that the FBI has had to manufacture fake terror plots and fund Satanic "neo-nazi terrorist" death cults in a desperate bid to create the false perception it's America's "greatest threat."





FBI Informant Ran 'Neo-Nazi Terrorist Group' Atomwaffen Division, Got 'Paid Handsomely' to Radicalize Troubled Youthhttps://t.co/fxz5U7mrOd  Chris Menahan  (@infolibnews) August 23, 2021



It probably won't be long before they deem it necessary to stage another 9/11 to justify stripping us of all our rights once and for all while they loot the nation and bleed us dry.



They're clearly laying the groundwork as we speak.



From CNN, "White supremacist praise of the Taliban takeover concerns US officials":

As the United States-backed government in Afghanistan fell to the Taliban and US troops raced to leave the country, White supremacist and anti-government extremists have expressed admiration for what the Taliban accomplished, a worrying development for US officials who have been grappling with the threat of domestic violent extremism.



That praise has also been coupled with a wave of anti-refugee sentiment from far-right groups, as the US and others rushed to evacuate tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan by the Biden administration's August 31 deadline.



As the United States-backed government in Afghanistan fell to the Taliban and US troops raced to leave the country, White supremacists and anti-government extremists have expressed admiration for what the Taliban accomplished https://t.co/G6s76A1vyz  CNN (@CNN) September 1, 2021

Several concerning trends have emerged in recent weeks on online platforms commonly used by anti-government, White supremacist and other domestic violent extremist groups, including "framing the activities of the Taliban as a success," and a model for those who believe in the need for a civil war in the US, the head of the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis, John Cohen, said on a call Friday with local and state law enforcement, obtained by CNN.



Cohen said on the call that DHS has also analyzed discussions centering on "the great replacement concept" a conspiracy theory that immigrants, in this case the relocation of Afghans to the US, would lead to a loss of control and authority by White Americans.



"There are concerns that those narratives may incite violent activities directed at immigrant communities, certain faith communities, or even those who are relocated to the United States," he added.



Far-right extremist communities have been invigorated by the events in Afghanistan, "whether by their desire to emulate the Taliban or increasingly violent rhetoric about 'invasions' by displaced Afghans," according to recent analysis from SITE Intelligence Group, an American non-governmental organization that tracks online activity of White supremacist and jihadist organizations.

SITE is run by Rita Katz.



She made headlines recently for falsely identifying a "white male" police officer in Wisconsin as a "white male" mass shooter (the actual mass shooter was a 15-year-old Hispanic male).





Did Rita Katz just steal this image from another journalist without credit and falsely label it without doing any original research or reporting?



This is a complete breach of ethics as well as putting law enforcement in danger



She identified a police officer as a mass shooter  Jack Posobiec  (@JackPosobiec) November 21, 2020



CNN continues:

Some people are commending the Taliban's takeover as "a lesson in love for the homeland, for freedom, and for religion," SITE said in its weekly bulletin on far-right extremists.



Neo-Nazi and violent accelerationists -- who hope to provoke what they see as an inevitable race war, which would lead to a Whites-only state -- in North America and Europe are praising the Taliban for its anti-Semitism, homophobia, and severe restrictions on women's freedom, SITE found.



For example, a quote taken from the Proud Boy to Fascist Pipeline Telegram channel, said: "These farmers and minimally trained men fought to take back their nation back from globohomo. They took back their government, installed their national religion as law, and executed dissenters ... If white men in the west had the same courage as the Taliban, we would not be ruled by Jews currently," SITE found.



"Globohomo" is a derogatory word used to insult "globalists," the term used by conspiracy promoters to describe their enemy (the evil global elite who control the media, finance, political system etc), according to SITE.



For months, US officials have warned that domestic violent extremism is the greatest threat to the homeland, pointing to the January 6 attack at the US Capitol as a stark illustration of the potential for violence that can occur when conspiracy theories and false narratives flourish.



A significant part of the current threat environment comes from individuals who are influenced by what they see online, Cohen told CNN in an interview last month.

The only person killed on Jan 6 was unarmed 14-year Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was executed by Capitol Police officer Michael Byrd despite posing no threat.



DHS has been hyping the "white extremist" threat with new bulletins every few weeks and literally nothing has happened.



I assure you they're really, really frustrated about it.

At this time, Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, is not seeing any observed credible threats, or mobilization of online extremist activity, but is concerned that the current online rhetoric highlights ideological concerns and possible threats to public safety, said Joanna Mendelson, associate director of the center.



Extremists often take current events and weave them into their own narrative and worldview, said Mendelson, which is what is taking place in the aftermath of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and amid the humanitarian and military crisis.



"They're taking the same kind of core tropes and themes, and kind of bigoted views of the world, and injecting them into this current event," Mendelson told CNN.

There has been a lot of Islamophobia and xenophobia echoed by White supremacists and anti-Muslim activists, claiming that public safety and national security is threatened because they see refugees through a stereotypical lens as being dangerous criminals or terrorists, according to Mendelson.



A core conspiracy guiding White supremacist ideology is the "the great replacement," the belief that ultimately, the White race is facing its ultimate extinction, she said.

The ADL endorses "The Great Replacement" theory when it comes to Israel.

There is also "almost this infatuation and admiration" of the Taliban, Mendelson said, pointing to the notion that an under-equipped insurgent group could successfully defeat a global power.



"The fact that the Taliban at the end of the day could claim victory over such a world power is something that White supremacists are taking note of," she said.



[...] However, the most common narrative is around the idea that the US is "importing the Taliban" through the relocation of Afghans and that Afghan refugees are too different to become real citizens, according to [Megan] Squire.



"It's really an anti-Muslim idea, anti-immigration idea," she said.



[...] In Europe and the US, there has also been an "outpouring" of anti-refugee commentary from White nationalists and Neo-Nazis responding to the Taliban's takeover, SITE found.



Commentary on anonymous forums has been particularly violent, according to SITE, which found users discussing taking up arms, and in one case, threatening attacks on refugee assistance organizations in Florida.



The hateful rhetoric is similar to that seen amid Libyan and Syrian refugee waves in the 2010s, which paved the way for violent terrorist attacks in Christchurch and Pittsburgh, according to SITE.

Translation: if you oppose us flooding your country with endless immigrants you're a terrorist.

Amid anti-immigrant sentiment, DHS officials have been bracing for whether Afghans themselves will be targeted once they land in the US and are resettled here, a DHS official previously told CNN.



"Will they be the potential target? Will Afghans themselves become targets?" the official said, noting the concern.

Think of the chutzpah you have to have to wage a 20-year war against the Afghan people and then act like you're their protectors!



If you actually believe the crap you spew why are you relocating these migrants to "white supremacist" places like rural Wisconsin and West Virginia and ordering them not to relocate to the tolerant, cosmopolitan neighborhoods you live in in New York and California?



Might it be because you have ulterior motives and literally hate the people you rule over with a passion?





Does this sound like someone interested in "securing our homeland"?



Biden DHS Official: Americans Trying to Preserve Their Heritage 'Makes Me Sick' https://t.co/LioktnIXUl  Chris Menahan  (@infolibnews) July 16, 2021



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One of the most recognizable participants in the Jan 6. insurrection at the U.S. Capitol will plead guilty Friday in federal court, his lawyer said Thursday.

Jacob A. Chansley, who appeared in pictures and on video wearing a horned headdress, face paint and furs and carrying a 6-foot pole with an American flag, is currently facing six counts including violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. His lawyer, Albert Watkins, did not specify the terms of Chansley's plea in a statement Thursday.

The scheduled change of plea also appeared on the court docket Thursday.

Prosecutors have said Chansley was one of the first rioters in the building. He disobeyed a Capitol Police officers order to leave and sat in a seat in the Senate vacated by Vice President Mike Pence just minutes before, leaving a note saying, its only a matter of time, justice is coming, they said.

Watkins has said Chansley who was nicknamed the "QAnon Shaman," was answering the call of then-President Donald Trump for "patriots" to come to Washington and then go to the Capitol. Watkins said Chansley suffers from mental illness and believed Trump's bogus claims of election fraud.

On Thursday Watkins said in a statement that Chansley was repudiating the "Q" attached to his name, referring to the widely discredited and false QAnon conspiracy theory that suggested mysterious forces were opposing Trump but would be defeated.

The path charted by Mr. Chansley since January 6 has been a process, one which has involved pain, depression, solitary confinement, introspection, recognition of mental health vulnerabilities, and a coming to grips with the need for more self-work. It is imperative that patience and compassion be accorded those, who like Mr. Chansley, were non-violent, peaceful and possessed of genuine mental health issues which rendered them more vulnerable to the propaganda of the day but who, at the end of day, seek to be accountable for their actions, said Watkins in the statement.

Watkins unsuccessfully sought a pardon for Chansley from Trump before accusing Trump of betraying those among his followers who stormed the Capitol.

Watkins issued an apology on behalf of Chansley in February, and suggested that he was cooperating with investigators.

Chansley is one of four Capitol defendants represented by the Clayton lawyer.
Want to praise someone or get something off your chest? Darts and Pats is the place to do it.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission sees more than 300 notifications of prospective company mergers a year, but considers only 1 or 2 per cent of them contentious and opposes even fewer.

So why is its chairman Rod Sims now campaigning for a radical overhaul of competition laws?

Sims launched the campaign in a speech to the Law Council last week with a statement that is at odds with the statistics he cited: Australias current merger laws, he said, were failing to adequately protect competition and needed to be changed.

ACCC chairman Rod Sims is campaigning for a radical reform of merger law without the evidence to warrant it. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

He effectively wants all prospective mergers to have to be lodged with and cleared by the ACCC or a specialist appeals body (not a court) before they can proceed, and the onus of proof reversed. Those advocating a merger would have to convince the commission that the merger or acquisition should be allowed on competition grounds, rather than the commission having to make the case as to why it shouldnt.
In the four decades since they split, the idea that the 1970s group ABBA would re-form has slowly receded into the cultural rearview mirror, from very unlikely to near impossible. But in a stunning turnaround, the pop band that gave the world Waterloo, Dancing Queen and Fernando have proved the adage never say never.

There is an old saying in the music industry, you should not leave more than 40 years between albums, songwriter/singer Bjorn Ulvaeus joked on Thursday (Friday AEST), confirming the band had officially reformed.

Among their plans: a virtual concert experience that will launch in the UK next year before touring the world, and an album of new music coming in November.

Two of the new songs - I Still Have Faith In You and Dont Shut Me Down - are now available. They will doubtless be chart toppers, but in historical terms theyre a drop in the ocean in a discography of eight studio albums released between 1973 and 1981 that sold more than 150 million copies and made a lot of Money, Money, Money.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Once upon a time the soon-to-be betrothed wrestled with disasters such as seating plans and the weather. Decisions around flowers, bonbonniere and guest list numbers were carefully considered and the threat of something going wrong  the catering company forgot the Champagne flutes!  was detrimental to the success of the Big Day. In 2021, when snap lockdowns, border closures and ever-changing restrictions make it near impossible to plan ahead, couples are having to cancel, postpone and reschedule (in some cases multiple times). Many have had their hopes of a destination wedding dashed, choosing instead to embrace the micro wedding and forgoing the usual pre-wedding Hens and Bucks celebrations. Others are delaying their nuptials indefinitely. Melbourne-based Helen OConnor, of Thurley, pictured in her Fitzroy studio, launched her eponymous bridal collection in June. Credit:Eddie Jim One designer who took notice of the shift was Helen OConnor of Thurley, who spent much of Melbournes extended lockdown last year designing her inaugural bridal range. For years, OConnor had been designing wedding gowns for friends and customers on a private basis  creating pieces with all the Thurley hallmarks (handcrafted, art deco and celebratory of the female form)  but when the pandemic hit, the designer saw an opportunity. She hit pause on Thurley and turned her attention to a new venture: Helen OConnor Bridal. Brides are looking for a wedding day thats still special and amazing, but less full-on, says OConnor. The registry wedding is back and couples are wanting to adopt more of an understated approach that you would historically see in an elopement-style wedding.

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Megan Ziems, founder and creative director of Grace Loves Lace which has 17 showrooms locally and internationally, says she is seeing two distinct types of brides emerge from the pandemic. Those that have come out of lockdown and decided they want to get married in six to eight weeks and are after a great ready-to-wear dress, or those brides that are excited to find their gown but apprehensive about setting a date, she says. Gold Coast-based bridal brand Grace Loves Lace has attracted international attention for its laid-back approach using lightweight fabrics with no restrictive elements like zips and boning. Both are eschewing traditional silhouettes and looking for something unique and surprising. They want visual and high-impact dresses that represent celebration and fun and that dont take bridal too seriously, says Ziems, pointing to a desire for unique fabrics and trims and added personalisation through accessories and hair pieces. Accessibility was the key driver behind Vera Wangs decision to sign a 10-year licensing deal with Barcelona-based Pronovias Group to launch her affordable offshoot bridal brand Vera Wang Bride. Pronovias Group enables me to explore a new side of my creativity while growing what I believe will become an even more significant global brand at an intelligent price point, said Wang in an email. This has been a major shift in strategy I have long desired to implement. Vera Wang has partnered with Pronovias Group to launch her affordable bridal brand Vera Wang Bride. Launching in October, the Vera Wang Bride collection will offer gowns priced at 60 per cent lower than her couture styles most often seen on celebrities including Hailey Bieber, Chrissy Teigen and Kim Kardashian.

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The New York-based designer says there are far fewer rules for todays brides compared to 30 years ago  a change she welcomes. Im encouraging individuality. If you want to get married on a beach, or in a yacht or in a church, you should be able to have the freedom and the personal creativity and confidence to wear something that makes you feel happy. A design from OConnors Phoenix collection. Instead of traditional satin or lace fabrics, or the OTT meringue gown, brides are opting for something that better reflects their sense of style. A lot of them have been looking for something they cant find, OConnor says, referencing the handcrafting detail she offers, as well as the opportunity to create something unexpected that can be worn for the ceremony, restyled for the reception and importantly worn again. With the Delta strain shuttering bridal boutiques across the country, designers are tweaking their lead times and moving fittings online. For a simple design by OConnor (such as the mini tuxedo dress with an oversized bow) brides-to-be can expect to wait one month, three months for something more intricate and six months for a bespoke gown.

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And despite the many roadblocks of the pandemic, couples are still desperate to celebrate with their loved ones in person prompting a new take on the reception tradition: the after-party. Many couples are choosing a low-key ceremony and then planning a bigger celebration once the various restrictions ease, says Ziems. Vera Wang bridal gowns historically catered to a select clientele of VIPs and celebrities. Her licensing deal with Pronovias Group will see the brand become more accessible. The after-party allows couples to celebrate one of their biggest life milestones with family and friends  without the added pressures that come with the traditional ceremony. Who needs one wedding when you can have two? And, as Ziems says, it gives brides the opportunity to expand their wedding wardrobe. Enter, the party dress. Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Monday.
WA Premier Mark McGowan has delivered a fresh broadside to the Morrison government and COVID-ridden eastern states, saying he wont be pressured by some from over east to bring down our border controls.

He said he would open the border with NSW, Victoria and the ACT when it was safe to do so and I wouldnt expect that that would be before next year.

WA Premier Mark McGowan says he may not reopen his states borders to NSW, Victoria and the ACT until next year. Credit:Peter de Kruijff

The WA Labor leader said he knew this position would result in people in NSW, commentators and the like, screaming and yelling we should bring it down as soon as we can and infect ourselves.

I dont understand that logic and Im going to resist it.

He said that it was madness to open borders once 70 per cent of West Australians aged over 16 were fully vaccinated, pointing to the highly contagious nature of the Delta strain of coronavirus.

I think the national plan [for easing restrictions in line with vaccination rates of 70 per cent and above] needs to be amended to reflect that reality, he said at a COVID-19 update on Friday.

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If anybody wants to go in the direction of NSW, theyve got rocks in their head. I dont want to head in that direction.

I wont be pressured by some from over east to bring down our border controls to COVID states against the health advice.

Different states are in different positions. A one-size-fits-all approach isnt working.

Mr McGowan said he believed the right approach was that if WA was still COVID-free and the state had achieved vaccination rates above 80 per cent of the population aged over 16, then well set a date for borders to come down. The announcement might be made six weeks before any reopening, he said.

That provides a huge incentive for people to get out there and get vaccinated who arent vaccinated at that point in time. I think thats the right approach, he said.

Mr McGowan said a 90 per cent vaccination rate was very high and he wasnt sure anywhere in the world had achieved that level.

He said the border would be reopened in a very safe, gradual and cautious way and he couldnt understand why any commentators were yelling at the WA government.

Our economy is the strongest in the nation. We are producing 60 per cent of the nations exports. Where would they be without us? NSW is closed.

Mr McGowan said that while commentators said regularly that the Delta variant of COVID-19 cant be defeated, five jurisdictions in Australia had done it at least once.

He said that while it might not be able to be done in WA in the future, my aim is to do my best to keep it out.
The defamation case of the week pits the cut-and-paste churnalism factory of Daily Mail Australia against Nine Network sports presenter Erin Molan.

Journalist Erin Molan is in a legal battle with Daily Mail Australia, with her father, politician Jim Molan watching on. Credit:Illustration: John Shakespeare

Molan feels mightily aggrieved over an article from June last year which she says falsely implied she is racist.

The Federal Court case has already entered media folklore over an instruction from rampaging Daily Mail editor Barclay Crawford who forwarded an email about a social media post from an academic criticising Molan to a journalist, instructing: Lets rip into this sheila.

The academic had reacted sharply after an episode of The Continuous Call Team show in May last year on Sydney radio station 2GB when Molan uttered the phrase hooka looka mooka hooka fooka when jokingly discussing the names of Pacific Islander rugby league players.
During lockdown last year, I overheard my four-year-old daughter talking to her imaginary friend, Cracker. You cant see your friends anymore, and you cant go to preschool, because of the nasty bug, she explained to him. I stared into the open drawer of cutlery before me and tried not to cry. My daughter is now in kindergarten and is learning from home, along with most of her NSW cohort. They have made this collective sacrifice to suppress COVID-19  a disease which has proven mostly mild for them, but dangerous to adults. We must ensure children can return to school safely. Credit: Now, as children prepare to go back to school next month, and with no vaccine available to protect the youngest of them, its time for older generations to return the favour. School closures harm all children, but multiple studies have shown how damaging they are in particular to disadvantaged and vulnerable children. At school, children have equitable access to education and benefit from the support of adults around them. That is not the case in every Australian home.

The damage goes well beyond learning outcomes. When schools are closed, teachers are also less able to keep a watchful eye over children at risk of harm. In Britain last year, child protection referrals for medical examinations fell by 39 per cent. In Florida, allegations of child abuse and neglect fell by 30 per cent. The abuse likely happened, but no one was around to report it. As the British Medical Journal wrote in an editorial in February, this pandemic has seen an unprecedented intergenerational transfer of harm and costs from elderly socioeconomically privileged people to disadvantaged children. Loading At some point this has to end. As adults who have benefited from the sacrifice of these children, we are under a moral obligation to ensure they can now return to school safely, by enclosing them in as big a bubble as possible of vaccinated adults. It is reassuring the evidence shows most children only suffer mild illness when infected with COVID-19, even with the Delta strain, but children with certain underlying medical conditions are at a greater risk. I can only imagine the courage the parents of these children will have to muster to let them go back to school on October 25, given there is no vaccine available for children aged under 12.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced residents in the state had now received 7 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, as NSW recorded 1288 cases and seven deaths.

The Premier said the vaccination uptake would allow the lifting of exercise restrictions for people who live in the 12 local government areas of concern in Sydneys west and south-west. However, the 9pm to 5am curfew in these areas will remain in place.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard during the COVID-19 vaccination update. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Now weve hit 70 per cent first dose across the state, we have some greater flexibility of looking at how we can ease the burden of citizens, she said.

The Thursday morning briefing also outlined a decline in daily cases in western NSW: 23 were reported in the Western NSW Local Health District and five in the Far West district. However, numbers in the Illawarra region are up, with 15 in the Wollongong Local Government Area and seven in Shellharbour.
Presbyterian Ladies College principal Paul Burgis has been enjoying the daily ritual of sitting on a chair in the school gym at a safe distance from others and putting a swab up both of his nostrils. Its really quite democratising, he said.

Every morning around 7.30, Dr Burgis and about 20 staff and students of high school age on-site, including boarders who have not been able to return home, file into the gym for a nurse to give them their rapid antigen tests and wait 10 minutes for the results.

Students undergoing rapid antigen testing at Presbyterian Ladies College.

For our school its been fantastic, Dr Burgis said. Its very simple, it takes a minute, then it gives a real sense of security to everybody. Its not like getting the test in the car. Its non-invasive.

PLC in Croydon is trialling rapid antigen testing, a 10 to 15 minute form of COVID-19 testing thats a key plank of the United Kingdoms approach to keeping schools safe and one that is likely to form part of NSWs reopening strategy, too.
Queenslands Labor government is doubling down on questioning the vulnerability of unvaccinated children in the context of Australias national COVID-19 reopening plan, after accusations it has been scaremongering.

Most medical evidence suggested children were likely to suffer mild illness from the Delta strain of COVID-19 only if they were younger than 12. There are no approved coronavirus vaccines for this age group.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk sparked fury from federal counterparts on Wednesday after saying she would stand firm on restrictions until she saw updated work from the Doherty Institute, which has modelled the impact of the nationally agreed plan based on targets of 70 to 80 per cent of adults being fully vaccinated.

The original modelling did consider the lower transmission rates among children, but assumed nobody under 16 would be vaccinated. Australias peak vaccine body has since recommended the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 and up.
A Brisbane woman who can barely dress herself after she suffered a nose bleed, bruised face and a badly sprained wrist when she was hit by an e-scooter rider has criticised authorities for allowing the vehicles on footpaths.

Robyn Abell was on her way to meet her family at the Montague Markets in West End on Thursday, August 26 when she was hit by one of two riders on Beam e-scooters.

Brisbane resident Robyn Abell was knocked over by someone on an escooter while she was on her way to meet family at the local markets in West End.

As a result, she fell to the ground and hit her nose, arm and wrist on the pavement.

The 73-year-old said she had X-rays the following morning at Mater Hospital Brisbane Adult Emergency Room.
A 15-month police operation to track down a missing bikie gang associate, suspected to have been murdered, culminated in officers arresting seven people in Melbourne on Thursday morning.

For weeks police have scoured Jacksons Creek at Diggers Rest in Melbournes north-west, looking for any sign of Kerry Giakoumis body - so far, without success.

Missing Adelaide man Kerry Giakoumis. Credit:Victoria Police

The 29-year-old Adelaide man travelled to Melbourne on June 5 last year with two associates who police believe are members of the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gang.

Mr Giakoumis, who was not believed to be a patched member of the club, told his family he intended to work in Melbourne as a concreter. He spoke to his family regularly while in Melbourne and on June 10 last year, his mother booked him a flight back to South Australia.
There have been plenty of big news days in Victoria over the past 18 months. This week could have brought the most significant of them all.

After more than 210 days of lockdown for Melbourne, and longer in some hotspot suburbs, Premier Daniel Andrews declared on Wednesday that the dream of COVID Zero was over. Its unlikely that coronavirus case numbers can be brought down, at least for the short term.

A quiet Bourke Street during Melbournes sixth lockdown. Credit:Jason South

The focus will now shift to slowing the spread of the infectious Delta strain as we race to get vaccinations to a level that will avoid our hospitals being overwhelmed.

Whatever your views on the restrictions we have faced, this news could have left you feeling like the sacrifices weve made since March last year have been for nothing. And the sacrifices have been considerable. Everyone has a story, everyone has felt the toll, and most of us know plenty who have had it worse.
Patrick, who served on submarines in the Royal Australian Navy before getting into politics, knows how to stay on target. He will keep trying to reveal the JobKeeper details. For now, however, private companies have retained the right to keep the payments secret because of what was missing in the JobKeeper law last year: a disclosure regime and a clawback mechanism to force companies to repay money they did not deserve. Loading An honesty system was put in place, Patrick told the Senate. The Parliament said we needed to help companies and nobody begrudged that sentiment. We passed laws on April 8 last year that had no detail  we basically had flyers passing around the chamber talking about what JobKeeper would do, but in actual fact all the legislation that we passed was a head of power and we left all of the rules to the Treasurer. He created an honesty system that said: if you predict that you are going to have a loss in turnover you can put your hand up and get JobKeeper. But he made a massive prudential failure that has cost us billions  in fact, it hasnt cost us billions, it has cost our children billions because it came from debt. And its cost our grandchildren. Thats whats happened here: no safeguards. How many billions were not needed? The best estimate comes from the Parliamentary Budget Office, which ran the numbers in response to questions from Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh. The money was meant to go to companies that expected or experienced a fall in their turnover, but it clearly went to some companies that prospered in the pandemic.

The PBO found that 157,650 companies increased their turnover in the first three months of the scheme but collected $4.6 billion anyway. It found 195,381 companies did the same in the following three months, collecting $8.4 billion. Leigh, an economist, says the $13 billion was wasted. He dismissed the governments claim that this money helped save 700,000 jobs. If those companies were creating jobs, they were doing it because their revenues were rising, he says. This was like a government handout to companies that were winning the lottery. Loading There is a broader measure of the JobKeeper largesse. The PBO told Leigh that $25 billion went to companies that did not experience the fall in turnover required under the rules. Companies with more than $1 billion in turnover were meant to show a 50 per cent decline, while the test was 30 per cent for smaller ones. Many saw their sales fall, but not by enough to meet the tests. Most kept the money. Morrison and Frydenberg treat the criticism as an attack on the entire scheme. They will defend JobKeeper to the end, whether that comes at the next election or beyond, because it has become a brand all of its own. After all, it helped 3.8 million workers at its peak. Without the wage subsidy, the Reserve Bank said last December, one in five recipients would not have kept their jobs  the source of the claim that it saved 700,000.

Frydenberg insists it was right to let companies receive JobKeeper funds when they anticipated a fall in turnover because they could keep workers in the confidence the subsidy was coming. The goal was to provide certainty. Treasury advised him to keep this in the second stage of the scheme, from July to September last year. Only after that point, when the worst of the crisis seemed to pass, did the rules change so companies had to prove an actual fall. Loading Would a Labor government force companies to repay some of the $13 billion? It remains to see how much of it will be left, Labor treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers told the ABC on Thursday morning. It is an unlikely scenario: a retrospective clawback. Frydenberg is probably hoping it becomes Labor policy before the next election. But the key point about the Labor position is that it supports the scheme while finding fault with the safeguards  or lack of them. None of this is a reason for leaving Australians in the dark about who received $90 billion in extraordinary help. This week in federal Parliament, the last sitting until late October on the current schedule, was an opportunity for the legislature to insist on its power over the executive. It missed the chance. This was in the same week the Coalition dismissed an attempt by independent MP Helen Haines to debate her bill to create a national integrity commission that would be much stronger than the governments own. And the same week the government introduced a bill to shield national cabinet from freedom-of-information law.
Australia is set to open its doors to global investment in offshore wind farms, with thousands of jobs expected to flow into industrial towns facing an uncertain future as manufacturing continues to decline.

Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor introduced a bill to Parliament on Thursday to permit the construction of large-scale renewable energy projects in the ocean.

The federal government is seeking to legalise the offshore wind industry in Commonwealth waters. Credit:AP

The wind farms would most likely be located offshore from areas such as Gladstone in Queensland, Newcastle and Wollongong in NSW and the Latrobe Valley in Gippsland, Victoria, providing cheap energy for existing manufacturing and attracting private investment in new export industries such as hydrogen and local wind turbine manufacturing.

The government has been criticised by Labor and investors for years over delays in legalising the industry, particularly in Victoria where Star of the South, one of the most advanced offshore wind projects, has been waiting to kick off in Gippsland.
Bryan, OH (43506)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
The Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge between Bucks County, PA. and Mercer County, N.J. is scheduled to be closed in both directions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 20, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced today.
For (M&M), which has just started executing a comeback strategy for wresting back ground it lost to rivals, this could not have come at a worse time. The maker of the Bolero Neo and the Thar models on Thursday said it would have to halt production at its automotive plant for a week due to the worsening supply situation of semiconductors. As a result of the "no-production" days, the company's overall output during the month is expected to contract 20-25 per cent, the company said in an exchange filing.



The announcement by the Mumbai-based utility vehicle major comes two days after Maruti, the car market leader, informed the exchanges of a potential loss of 40 per cent in its output due to shortage.



With demand far outpacing supplies due to Covid-19-induced shutdowns, automakers worldwide have been grappling with shortage of the microprocessor chip. The complex supply chain network means India can't be isolated.



Most of the other automobile firms in India, including Tata Motors, Hyundai Motor India, Kia Motors, Nissan, Renault, and Honda Cars, have either already curbed production or will do so in the coming weeks.



"The company's automotive division continues to face supply shortages of semiconductors, which has further accentuated due to Covid lockdowns in some parts of the world," said in a statement.



will be observing no-production days of around a week at its automotive division plants this month, it said.



As a result of the halt in production, the company's revenue and profitability will be impacted in line with the fall in production volumes. "Since the situation is dynamic, the company is carefully reviewing the supply situation, said



Owing to the persistent and extended shortage of chips, I.H.S Markit, a sales forecast and market research firm, has cut its light vehicle sales forecast for India by 150,000 units, from the earlier 3.65 million units to 3.35 million units now. It expects the struggle to get chips to continue into 2022.



India's light vehicle market will breach 4-million-plus units in 2023, said Puneet Gupta, associate director, at I.H.S. Markit automotive sales forecasting, advisory & product planning projects, adding that global automakers are likely to reorient their production volumes to their profitability index. This means that a particular market will be given priority for chips - which are being sourced centrally by the parent company, on the basis of a market's profitability. To deal with the current situation, most companies are reorienting their model and variant mix.



Automakers are faced with production cuts at an unusual time - ahead of the very critical festival season. The 32-day period - starting with Navratra and extending till Diwali - is considered to be auspicious by buyers for purchase of high-value items. The period accounts for close to a third for passenger vehicle makers' annual sales. In anticipation of an increased demand, companies typically boost production. But faced with a chip shortage, they are bracing for a cut, rather than a ramp-up.



As the demand and supply gap widens for chips in the coming weeks, companies will shell out more to procure chips and will be forced to pass on the additional cost burden to buyers, said Gupta. As a result, prices will shoot up further.

shortage chips auto volumes India Light Vehicle sales projection 20213.7 million (earlier) 2021-3.55 million (revised) 2022- 3.8 million 2023  4.1million Source: I.H.S Markit
The city police on Thursday arrested two senior executives of scam-hit Karvy Stock Broking Pvt Ltd for allegedly involving in diverting funds raised from banks by pledging clients' securities as collaterals.

According to a police press release, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Chief Executive Officer and G. Krishna Hari Chief Financial Officer of Karvy were arrested basing on a complaint by The police had earlier arrested C Parthasarathy,Chairman of Karvy, on charges of defaulting a loan to the tune of Rs 137 crore to In November 2019, SEBI barred KSBL from taking new brokerage clients after it was found that the brokerage firm had allegedly misused clients' securities to the tune of over Rs 2,000 crore.

In November 2020, Bombay Stock Exchange declared Karvy Stock Broking as a defaulter and removed the brokerage house from its membership after a similar action was initiated by the National Stock Exchange.

(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 raise up to Rs 300 crore through issue of

The company did not disclose where the funds will be utilised.

In a regulatory filing, the company informed that the board of Embassy Office Parks Management Services Pvt Ltd, the manager to Embassy Office Parks REIT, had in November last year approved the raising of debt, including the issue of non-convertible debentures, for an aggregate amount up to Rs 3,641.1 crore in one or more tranches.

Out of this, Rs 2,600 crore was raised earlier as REIT NCD Series-III.

On Thursday, the debenture committee of the board of directors of the manager, has approved the further issuance of 3,000 listed, rated, secured, redeemable, transferable, rupee denominated of face value of Rs 10,00,000 each, aggregating up to Rs 300 crore by on a private placement basis.

In January this year, had raised Rs 2,600 crore through issue of to refinance an existing debt of its IT park 'Embassy TechVillage' in Bengaluru.

"We will use the funds raised to refinance a portion of the in-place Embassy TechVillage debt. Post this bond raise, we continue to maintain conservative leverage ratios and retain our flexibility to finance future growth," Mike Holland, chief executive officer of Embassy REIT, had said.

had on December 24, 2020, completed the acquisition of Embassy TechVillage for Rs 9,780 crore. It had raised Rs 3,680 crore as equity through an institutional placement to fund this acquisition.

Embassy REIT is India's first publicly listed Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), sponsored by global investment firm Blackstone and realty firm

It owns and operates more than 40 million square feet portfolio of eight infrastructure-like office parks and four city-centre office buildings in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and the national capital region.

has posted a 36 per cent rise in net operating income to Rs 621.3 crore during the first quarter of this fiscal ended June 30. It also declared distribution, including dividend, of Rs 534.61 crore to unitholders for the quarter ended June.

(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.)
Early last month at a sprawling factory on the highway connecting Hanoi to the port city of Haiphong, a single worker tested positive for Covid-19. The delta variant was spreading swiftly through the Southeast Asian nation at the time, and on Aug. 4, provincial officials suspended work at the auto-parts manufacturer.

An ocean away, Corp. Chief Purchasing Group Officer Kazunari Kumakura was watching intently. The plant is operated by a key Toyota supplier and is one of Vietnams biggest assemblers of wire harnesses--a basic but essential yoke for cables that holds the inner workings of an automobile together. As the infection at the facility disrupted operations, Toyotas inventories grew thin. Since July, the Japanese automaker had been examining its suppliers in the region, which has become a Covid hotspot, on a daily basis to assess how dire things were getting.

Eventually, unable to secure a number of parts, including the wire harnesses from Vietnam and chips from Malaysia, Toyota succumbed. The worlds No. 1 automaker shocked the market by announcing it would slash its output of cars in September by 40% compared to previous production plans.

The big thing was whether operations could continue in Southeast Asia, Kumakura said in a late afternoon address to reporters on Aug. 19. But lockdowns, growing Covid clusters and government-imposed restrictions on production made it clear that auto suppliers, particularly in Malaysia and Vietnam, wouldnt be able to continue operations, he said. It tangled up our parts and happened rapidly.





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Toyota is now faced with the challenge of securing substitute parts and recovering lost output in time to meet an inventory-depleting level of global demand for cars. But more broadly, the snarls that finally toppled one of the worlds best-maintained supply chains have sparked deeper questions about whether the auto industrys strategies to prioritize efficiency and maintain minimal inventory will endure in the post-pandemic world.

Carmakers globally have lost revenue because shortages have slammed output. Indias largest automaker by deliveries, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., said volume would likely drop to about 40% of normal this month and Tata Motors Ltd. on Wednesday blamed the recent lockdowns in east Asia for worsening the supply situation. Chinas Nio Inc. has struggled with partners in Malaysia. Also in Japan, Suzuki Motor Corp. will cut vehicle production by 20% in September while in Europe, Renault SA plans to halt assembly plants in Spain for as long as 61 days before the end of the year.

External shocks

The car sector is accustomed to much thinner profit margins than those enjoyed by big technology companies, even after decades of trying to drive down costs, said Howard Yu, a professor of management at the Switzerland-based Institute for Management Development. Carmakers strive to be lean, reducing redundancies and working out of regional hubs because its more efficient, he said. But to be resilient, you need a bit of redundancy. The delta outbreak is exposing that this system is really vulnerable to external shocks.

Over the past decade, Japanese have invested heavily in Southeast Asia, looking to the region as a source of cheap labor and to supplement their China operations amid trade tensions with the U.S. Thailand is a major production hub for Toyota, Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. Those make up about half Thailands vehicle production capacity and source a number of parts from neighboring countries. Toyota alone works with suppliers that have more than 400 plants located in Malaysia and Vietnam, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

That concentrated approach worked, until it didnt. Midway through this year, Southeast Asia began to grapple with one of the worlds deadliest Covid-19 resurgences. Governments declared lockdowns and restricted business activities, at times halting entire plant operations upon the discovery of just a handful of confirmed cases.

Vietnam is Japans biggest source of wire harnesses. Several Japanese parts makers operate plants in the country. The Hai Duong factory that shut in early August belongs to Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd., which declined to comment on individual site operations. Another major wire-harness maker and Toyota supplier in the region, Furukawa Electric Co., has been forced to limit operations due to Covid restrictions, according to a company spokesperson.

Similarly, Malaysia has emerged in recent years as a major center for end-stage chip packaging -- the smallest and least-profitable component of the semiconductor manufacturing process. Rising Covid cases have forced key auto suppliers STMicroelectronics NV and Infineon Technologies AG to close facilities, worsening a shortage of chips thats been hammering for months. Bloombergs supply chain analysis data show Toyota sources from both of those

Striking a balance

For now, automotive suppliers in the nations are showing signs of getting on a path to recovery. Most staff at Sumitomo Electrics Hai Duong wire-harness plant returned to work by around the second week of August, according to the provinces official television station. As of last week, Malaysias chipmakers were essentially back to normal levels of operation and Toyota has said it expects to begin to recover lost production in October.

The question remaining is whether this supply chain disruption will spark a long-term shift at Toyota and other manufacturers operations.

If the delta outbreak in Southeast Asia proves to be relatively short-lived, it may not make much sense to uproot supply chains, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Tatsuo Yoshida said. Greater economies of scale are possible with single sourcing and diversifying supply chains requires significant time and money. Hubs have formed in Southeast Asia for a reason -- labor-intensive processes can be performed cheaply there, he said.



ALSO READ: Toyota to slash September production as chip shortage bites: Report

At the same time, if Toyotas relatively strong performance amid the pandemic and supply chain mess thus far says anything, its that the automaker is willing to take action after breakdowns. The companys methods of maintaining high visibility into its supply chain and strategy of keeping stock of riskier parts like semiconductors are legacies of 2011, when an earthquake and tsunami knocked its suppliers plants offline, disrupting Toyotas operations for a full half year.

Kumakura acknowledged last month that because production of certain widely used parts is concentrated in Southeast Asia, a disturbance in the region has the potential to ripple across a much wider geography. In the future, Toyota will look at how to allocate production and diversify risks so as to not concentrate on one specific area, he said. Well reflect and draw on this knowledge to further strengthen ourselves.

In the end, it comes down to striking a balance between efficiency and resilience, said Yu, the management professor. Certain parts dont seem critical until they blow up production systems because there are limited suppliers concentrated in a particular region. In a good quarter, dipping into profit to invest in rainy-day resilience is what long-term perspective is about, he said. And this isnt just a story of Toyota.

(With assistance from Nguyen Xuan Quynh, Yantoultra Ngui and Yukari Chilnik)
Indian car maker and said on Thursday it expects a 20%-25% drop in September vehicle production at its automotive division due to semiconductor shortages.

Car makers across the world have been hit by semiconductor shortages and warned of further pain due to stiff competition from the sprawling consumer electronics industry for chip deliveries.

will observe 'no production days' of about seven days in its automotive division plants this month, the company said in an exchange filing http://newsfile.refinitiv.com/getnewsfile/v1/story?guid=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20210902:nBSE4JxH1G.

Earlier this week, Maruti Suzuki, India's top car maker, said it expected production at its plants in the states of Haryana and Gujarat to be hit in September due to a shortage of semiconductors.

Mahindra said its revenue and profitability would be impacted in line with the fall in production volumes.

Mahindra shares were down nearly 1% after the production update.

However, the carmaker said its tractor operations and exports, trucks and buses business, and 3-wheeler production were unaffected by the disruption.

(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.)
is not worried about competitive implications after the Walmart-owned firm on Thursday launched Pulse, Indias first interactive platform with data, insights and trends on Pulse website analyses digital transaction habits of over 300 million Indians, who are PhonePe registered users to show how India is paying, down to the district level. It showcases more than 20 billion transactions by consumers on an interactive map of India. With over 45 per cent market share, PhonePes data is representative of the countrys digital payment habits.

PhonePe is in a fierce battle with rivals such as Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and Alibaba-backed Paytm, which are making significant inroads into the financial services market as well as payments in the country.

Sameer Nigam, founder and CEO of PhonePe said that if the company was worried about the competition, it wouldnt have started the firm with an interoperable system where it knew hundreds of would compete.

When we launched PhonePe, 30 apps went live on the same day which included banking apps, said Nigam. Over the years, we've competed with Google, Facebook and Amazon. If you trust there is no barrier to entry, and innovation is the way to play, then you should not be worried about putting out very large data sets.

Through its Pulse platform, PhonePe has taken over its 20 billion transactions since 2018 to analyze the countrys digital payment habits. It would also be providing few APIs (Application Programming Interface) related to it. But Nigam said the company has put privacy as the topmost concern while building and designing Pulse. We've made sure that no consumer details are available, said Nigam. And yet, all of the trends are available to anyone who wants to see them.

Nigam said it would not have created the Pulse platform if the company didn't believe that competitors will be breaking up its data to look for trends and try to get the competitive edge.

That's okay. I believe that competitors will also feel the pressure to actually put out different kinds of data and I think that the overall economy and ecosystem would benefit, said Nigam.

In the context of the governments initiative related to Non-Personal Data Governance Framework when asked if PhonePe competitors should be mandated to put out their data for the benefit of the ecosystem, Nigam said he is against such compulsion.

I am not for the law that mandates private enterprises to put out the data, said Nigam. I would like societal pressure for people (companies) to be more transparent about what's happening, especially large platforms. I want to make sure that people don't feel pressure., because the government is saying PhonePe put out Pulse and that they need to do the same. I think this should come from within. I genuinely believe that we have put this out without any external, investor pressure or market pressure, and that's the best part.

is a pan India habit. Over 300 million Indians (PhonePe registered users) from 19,000 pin codes now use digital payments. About 4 out of every 5 PhonePe monthly active users are from Tier-2 and 3 cities, and 2 out of every 3 users are from Tier-3 towns. The amount of money that travels digitally in India is more than the GDP of 21 countries, according to the Pulse report.

Pulse is India's go-to destination for accurate and granular data on digital payments, said Karthik Raghupathy, Head of Strategy and Investor Relations, PhonePe.

The Tier-2 and 3 towns in India are making big leaps into digital investments and insurance categories. PhonePes insurance offering is largely purchased (more than 2/3rds) from customers in Tier 3 cities and beyond. Gold was purchased from over 99 per cent pin codes and Mutual Fund investments from over 95 per cent pin codes in the country.

PhonePe was started in 2015, to solve payments at scale and enable digital inclusion for over 100 crore Indians. Over 22.4 billion transactions have happened to date on the platform. It does annualized total payment volume of over $473 billion.

PhonePe is rapidly expanding across the country. Last year in December, it signed a deal to raise $700 million in primary capital at a post-money valuation of $5.5 billion from existing Flipkart investors, including Tiger Global, led by Walmart, the worlds largest retailer. E-commerce firm Flipkart had done a partial spin-off of PhonePe, which will help it to access dedicated, long-term capital to fund its growth ambitions, including going public by 2023.

But Nigam said PhonePe is in no hurry to launch its IPO and will go public "when it makes sense" for the company, even as a number of Indian internet companies, including rival Paytm, plan IPO in the coming months.

We have never been in a hurry to get to an IPO. We are getting deeper into financial services. PhonePe someday (has) to become a public listed company. Markets are cyclical, said Nigam. Do I have any FOMO (fear of missing out) to go IPO, for any reason other than the governance part of it, zero. I will keep saying that every time people ask me, I don't care when a competitor goes public, I wish everyone the best of luck. We've just scratched the surface.
India's Oil and Natural Gas Corp is evaluating the purchase of stake in Russia's massive Vostok Oil project, a company official said on Thursday, as the two countries seek to deepen their economic ties in the energy sector.



Vostok is one of Russia's biggest oil projects, comparable in size with the exploration of West Siberia in the 1970s or the U.S. Bakken oil province over the past decade.



"We are still in the evaluation stage ... We are looking at it (Vostok Oil), it is a very large complex project," A.K, Gupta, managing director of Videsh Ltd, the overseas investment arm of ONGC, told Reuters.



He did not give any further details on the deal.



Russian oil major Rosneft is in talks with several players about participation in Vostok, which according to initial estimates could require the investment of more than 10 trillion roubles ($137 billion).



Global commodities trader Trafigura has a 10% stake in Vostok Oil and a consortium of traders Vitol and Mercantile & Maritime have shown interest in taking a 5% stake in the project.



Indian Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who is in for an economic forum, met Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov and Rosneft chief Igor Sechin. The forum in the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok was also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.



"Look forward to further strengthening strategic cooperation across the entire value chain of the energy sector with Russia," the Indian minister said on Twitter after meeting Shulginov.



Gupta said was a "preferred destination" for energy investment by India.



Videsh owns 26% stake in Russia's Vankor field and a 20% stake in Sakhalin-1 project. In 2009, it acquired Imperial Energy, an independent exploration and production company in



Russia aims to begin shipping oil from the planned Vostok project in 2024 via the Northern Sea Route, an alternative to the Suez Canal which shortens travels to markets in Asia.



Vostok Oil consists of the Vankor cluster, the West-Irkinsky area, the Payakha group of fields and the East-Taimyr cluster.



($1 = 72.7830 roubles)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's on Thursday urged a tribunal to quash the rescue plan for defunct debt-laden Jet Airways, alleging irregularities in it, a move that risks delaying any return of the airline grounded two years ago.

A consortium of London-based Kalrock Capital and a UAE-based businessman last year agreed to pump in 10 billion rupees as working capital and give funds to creditors of Jet, which was hit hard due to piling up debt in 2019.

PNB, the court-appointed official in charge of Jet's revival, Ashish Chhawchharia, and a spokesperson for the consortium investing funds into the collapsed airline did not respond to requests for comment.

The country's second-largest state lender PNB argues that Jet's court-appointed rescue official had initially accepted its claim of nearly Rs 1,000 crore ($137 million) from the airline's backers, but then reduced it by Rs 200 crore, according to its tribunal filing seen by Reuters.

At the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, PNB argued that a reduction of the amount was arbitrary and illegal.

On Thursday, the tribunal agreed to hear PNB's case, Additional Solicitor General of India, Aman Lekhi, who argued for the bank, told Reuters. The case will be heard on Sept. 21.

"How PNB has been treated is wrong - both substantively and procedurally," Lekhi said.

Once India's biggest private carrier, was crippled by losses and a pile of debt as it attempted to compete with low-cost rivals and was forced to ground all flights in April 2019, putting at risk its lessors, suppliers, lenders and thousands of employees.

Jet's resolution plan was approved last year by its financial creditors. PNB has maintained that since the resolution plan mandated only minimum payment of liquidation value for dissenting creditors it was left with no choice but to approve the plan.

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firm Green Infra Wind Energy, ReNew Naveen Urja, Adani Renewables Holdings Fifteen and Anupavam Renewables have emerged as the lowest bidders in an auction for 1,200 MW projects by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a source said.

In an e-reverse auction concluded by SECI on Thursday evening, Green Infra Ltd, Anupavam Renewables Private Ltd and ReNew Naveen Urja Private Ltd quoted a tariff of Rs 2.69 per unit while Adani Renewable Holding Fifteen Ltd quoted Rs 2.70 per unit, a source told PTI.

Adani Renewable Holding Fifteen Ltd had bid for 450 MW capacity while Green Infra Ltd was vying for 180 MW capacity, the source further said, adding the ReNew Naveen Urja Private Ltd wanted 300 MW.

Anupavam Renewables Private Ltd had bid for 150 MW, the source said.

The SECI had floated is a tender for setting up of 1,200 MW interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected wind power projects (Tranche-XI) in the country in May this year. According to tender document, the power generated by the developers selected under this auction would be sold to the discoms of Madhya Pradesh.

The buying entities shall procure power under the tender through Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company Limited (MPPMCL), which is the authorised representative for signing the power sale agreement, on behalf of the MP Discoms.

(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.)
Around 80 per cent teaching and non-teaching staff employed in schools across the country have received at least the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, officials said on Thursday.

"Among the variety of factors that will contribute to the reopening of schools across the county, vaccination of will have a big contribution. The ministry is rigorously following up with the state governments.

"The initial feedback from the states and UTs is very positive and we have seen in most of the states almost 80 per cent and more teaching and non-teaching staff have received either one or both the doses of COVID-19 vaccines," a senior ministry official said.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) on Tuesday asked all the states and Union Territories to get the first dose of vaccination completed for all teaching and non-teaching staff during September.

The states also been asked to update data about vaccination of twice a week on a Google tracker.

When asked if the government will soon allow states to reopen schools for all classes, the official said, "There are many variables, including the extent of positivity rate, hospitalisation and the extent of vaccination, that will determine the complete or graded reopening of schools."



High rate of vaccination coverage will definitely provide a certain level of assurance but there are other factors that also have to be considered, the official said, adding that the states will have to consider those factors and take a call on the matter.

"The vaccination drive has been undertaken to vaccinate more than 2 crore and the vaccination progress in the states is being monitored by the Department of School Education and Literacy. This will also contribute to decisions pertaining to school reopening," the official said.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had on last Wednesday said more than two crore additional COVID-19 vaccine doses are being made available to states this month, and they have been asked to vaccinate all school teachers on priority before Teachers' Day on September 5.

Schools across the country were closed in March last year ahead of a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of novel coronavirus infection.

The Centre had allowed reopening of schools as per the COVID-19 situation in October last year. While several states began partial reopening of schools, there was a complete closure again in April when an aggressive second wave hit the country.

With the improvement in the COVID-19 situation, several states have begun reopening schools now even as concerns have been expressed over the staff and teachers not being completely vaccinated.

(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 reported another record number of 1,477 new cases on Thursday morning as the country continued to battle the third wave of COVID-19 infections.

The new cases took the estimated number of active cases in total to more than 21,000.It came as surpassed 20 million vaccine doses administered in a major milestone for the rollout.

Health Minister Greg Hunt announced that as of Thursday about 36.4 percent of Australians aged 16 and over had been fully vaccinated.

"We're not just on the way. We're making real and significant progress," Hunt said in Canberra.Despite a new record number of cases, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said it was time for to "learn to live" with the virus after some premiers of states abandoned the COVID-zero strategy.

"We've been saying that for a while now but this is the time we need to start to learn to live with this virus," Kelly said.

"Within a few weeks we'll have almost all if not all states at that 70 percent first dose of vaccination. So we need to start balancing those things."

Of the new cases reported on Thursday, 1,288 were from New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state with Sydney as the capital city.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested its Sub Inspector for his alleged role in the 'manipulation' of preliminary inquiry against former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with an

in a statement informed that the accused is Sub Inspector Abhishek Tiwari.

The arrests came after the registered an FIR against the sub-inspector, a Nagpur based Advocate and unknown persons on certain allegations, including illegal gratification.

In a statement, said, "During the investigation of said case, CBI has today arrested the Sub Inspector. The said Advocate is being questioned. Searches were conducted at Allahabad (Prayagraj) and Delhi. The investigation is continuing."

On August 29, a report that was allegedly part of a preliminary inquiry conducted by CBI got leaked in media. The report mention that the agency had concluded that "no cognizable offence has been committed by Anil Deshmukh".

CBI in its internal inquiry found that Deshmukh's legal team tried to bribe some lower-ranked CBI officials in its preliminary inquiry. Strict action will be taken against the staff who were involved in the case. The investigation is underway to find out if more people were involved in the conspiracy to manipulate the documents.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The on Thursday expressed deep concern over web portals, and YouTube channels publishing fake news, slandering reputations in the absence of a regulatory mechanism, and also broadcast communal news by a section of media. The top court emphasized if this were to continue unchecked then it may get a bad name for the country.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana said: "On web portals, there is no control of anybody, they can publish anything...If you go to YouTube, you will find how fake news is freely circulated and anyone can start a channel on YouTube."

The bench also comprising Justices Surya Kant and A.S. Bopanna observed that the content shown in a section of private media bears a communal tone. "The problem is that everything in this country is shown with a communal angle by a section of the media..," noted Justice Ramana.

He told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, "Ultimately, this country is going to get a bad name. Have you made an attempt for a self-regulatory mechanism (for these private channels)?"

Mehta submitted before the bench that Centre has come out with new Information and Technology rules, which address concerns flagged by the top court. He added that many petitions have been filed challenging the new rules in various high courts.

Mehta contended that the Centre has filed a plea to transfer all these petitions to the Mehta added: "Not only communal but also planted stories. These portals can even put fake news".

The Chief Justice added that the social media platforms do not respond if an issue is raised in connection with the content.

"I have not come across any public channel, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube ... they never respond to us and there is no accountability, about the institutions they have written badly about, and they don't respond and say this is their right," said the Chief Justice. He further added this is the condition of institutions and forget the individuals.

Mehta replied, "This is what is taken care of under the IT rules".

Chief justice added, "Do not know who to approach...they are only concerned with the people who are powerful... judges, common man, they are not bothered." He added, "This is what we have seen".

Mehta submitted before the bench requesting it to transfer the plea before it which deals with the IT rules. "Your lordship can have a holistic picture as it is an all-India issue", he added.

The top court made these sharp observations during the hearing of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind petition seeking action against media reports accused of "communal branding of Covid" linked to the Tablighi Jamaat gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin in the capital.

--IANS

ss/dpb

(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 gifted two mobile medical oxygen plants to to support the country's fight against COVID-19.

The Indian Navy Ship Savitri carrying two plants arrived at Chattogram harbour in on Thursday.

"Working together as close partners INS Savitri arrived at Chattogram harbour on 02 Sep 2021 and was ceremonially received by # authorities. Ship carries 2 Mobile Oxygen Plants as a gift from people of to people of Bangladesh to support the fight against #COVID19," Indian High Commission in Bangladesh tweeted.

INS Savitri left Visakhapatnam on Monday with two 960 LPM Medical Oxygen Plants (MOP), one each for Bangladesh Navy and Dhaka Medical College, and will reach Chittagong on September 2, the ministry of defence had said in a statement.

" and Bangladesh have a close, long-standing relationship covering a wide spectrum of activities and interactions, which has strengthened over the years. The people of India and Bangladesh also share close cultural bonds and a shared vision of democratic society and a rules-based order," the statement added.

INS Savitri, is an indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Indian Navy under the Eastern Naval Command based at Visakhapatnam.

As part of the Government of India's vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with countries in the region and has been at the forefront of numerous humanitarian missions spanning the entire extent of the Indian Ocean including South/ South East Asia and East Africa.

Earlier, Indian Naval Ship Shakti had transported 100 T of LMO to Colombo, Sri Lanka, whilst INS Airavat is currently on a deployment to South East Asia for trans-shipment of medical aid to Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
External Affairs Minister said on Thursday that there are lot of issues where India and Europe have meeting points, asserting that the (EU) needs to know it has friends in the region.

Jaishankar, who is in the central European nation as part of a four-day visit to Slovenia, Croatia and Denmark to enhance India-EU ties and for bilateral talks, made the remarks during a panel discussion with Slovenian counterpart Anze Logar at the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) on the subject of 'Partnership for a Rules-Based Order in the Indo-Pacific' here.

There is a sharper awareness in Europe that what happens in the impinges directly on its interests, Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar said India-EU relations have emerged stronger as the world battles a global pandemic and that issues of trust and transparency, reliable and resilient supply chains have created common ground.

"I do see a lot of issues where India and Europe have a lot of meeting points and it's important to come to Europe, engage with your European counterparts, discuss it with them," he said.

"Today when we speak of a liberal order, trust and transparency, these are issues which at one time may have been more central to a western discourse but are today increasingly shared beyond the western world That binary western, non-western is a false and self-serving binary and by strengthening India-EU relations we refute it very convincingly," he said.

The minister pointed out that while in the past Europe had been much more reticent about articulating interests beyond its immediate regional confines, that can no longer be the case.

"In a globalised world that is not even in Europe's own interests. Europe needs to know that it has friends in the and that a lot of principles and values and outlook that Europe has, other countries share it," said Jaishankar.

Welcoming the greater interest in Europe to deal with other regions, including the Indo-Pacific, he pointed to the high-level India-EU summit in May and the India-EU Connectivity Partnership as a sign of things to come.

"This is good for the world. The big development in which all of us have a collective interest is in the faster rise of Africa because only then will the world truly become multi-polar. I would say if all of us took more interest in each other's lives, I suspect as a collective we would be better off," he said.

The minister reflected on India's diplomatic relations with the EU over the years and admitted that they had tended to focus on individual member-states, which did not fully account for Europe's evolution.

"One of the first things I did as foreign minister was to visit Brussels and have tried to make it a point to engage all the 27 EU members, one being in Slovenia, because we do realise that Europe is a collective enterprise and we do need all the stakeholders with you as much as possible," he said.

On the subject of differences within the member-states, he added: "It is natural if there are 27 countries, there will be a spectrum of views and a debate. What is important for us is whether the net result of that is an outcome with which India is comfortable as a basis of a partnership."



His Slovenian counterpart, Anze Logar, dubbed India a "natural interlocutor" in the Indo-Pacific region for the EU and said the country is focused on enhanced bilateral cooperation with India.

Logar said the close cooperation plans on Port Koper had been postponed due to the pandemic but that "there is a determination" to continue those exchanges.

Slovenia currently holds the presidency of the Council of the and has invited Jaishankar to attend the informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the EU states. The crisis in Afghanistan is on the agenda of the closed-door ministerial discussions later on Thursday.

Kenyan Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ababu Namwamba and Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva were among the other leaders participating the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF).

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government on Wednesday transferred 19 IAS officers, including Karnal SDM Ayush Sinha, who was recently caught on tape allegedly telling policemen dealing with a farmers' protest to "break their heads".

Sinha will now be the additional secretary of the Citizen Resources Information Department, a government order said, adding that he has been shifted against a vacant post.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had earlier admitted that the choice of words by Ayush Sinha, a 2018-batch IAS officer, was wrong but had defended the police action.

Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala had also disapproved of his remark and promised action against Sinha amid mounting opposition attack against his government over the lathicharge on farmers.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmers' outfits spearheading the stir against the Centre's farm laws, had said a murder case should be registered against Sinha and he be dismissed from service.

The Morcha had fixed September 6 as the deadline to meet its demands while threatening to lay siege to the Karnal mini-secretariat.

A Congress delegation led by the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, on Tuesday submitted to the Governor a video of the official, in which he is seen telling police to break the farmers' heads.

Submitting a memorandum, Hooda had reiterated his demand for a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of the High Court or a retired judge into the lathicharge incident, in which around 10 farmers were injured.

Police had used force on the protesters at Bastara toll plaza when farmers allegedly tried to march towards the venue of the a BJP meeting, in which the chief minister and other senior BJP leaders from the state were present.

Meanwhile, among other IAS officers transferred include Varinder Singh Kundu, Additional Chief Secretary to government, Labour Department. He has been posted as the ACS, Employment Department.

S N Roy, ACS, Urban Local Bodies Department, will now be ACS, Forests and Wildlife Department, relieving G Anupama of the charge.

Raja Sekhar Vundru, ACS, Skill Development and Industrial Training Department, will now be the ACS, Labour Department, relieving V S Kundu of the charge.

The government also issued transfer and posting orders of one HCS officer.

(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.)
After incessant rains hit the national capital in the early hours of Thursday, several routes were either partially or completely waterlogged causing disruption in traffic movement.

The Traffic Police informed that the traffic movement is closed at Azad market underpass (both carriageway) due to waterlogging.

Several areas were submerged due to a heavy burst of rain. Roads were waterlogged in the Ring road area as the national capital continued to receive a heavy downpour. Waterlogging was also witnessed near India Gate, Dhaula Kuan, and ITO.

The underpass near Palam was also waterlogged in the early hours of Thursday.

Mohit, a Delhiite, who was travelling to go to work got stuck at the underpass as his car stopped functioning.

"My car got stuck here an hour ago. A traffic personnel came a while back and said that he will be sending a crane to move his car, however, I am still waiting," he told ANI.

Monu Kumar, another local said that two-wheeler stopped several times on his way from Noida to Palam. "It took me at about 3 hours to reach here," he added.

Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its latest weather forecast informed that the current spell of rain is likely to stop in the next two hours.

"Current cloud patch is over Delhi, it is moving northward and it will cross region during next 02 hours. So current spell of rain very likely to stop over entire during next 02 hours," said the national forecasting agency in an official statement.

For the second day in a row, people in the national capital woke up to incessant rains.

As per IMD, the cumulative rainfall from August 31, 8.30 am to September 1, 8.30 am in Delhi's Safdarjung was recorded at 112.1 mm, in Palam it was 71.1 mm, at Lodi road it was 120.2 mm, at Ridge 81.6 mm, and in Ayanagar it was 68.2 mm.

(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 Centre Thursday told the that the (NGT) does not have the power to take cognisance of a matter on its own as it is not there in the statute.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) told a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar, which is examining the issue of whether the NGT has the power to take suo motu cognisance of a matter, that procedural aspects cannot tie up the powers and jurisdiction of the peculiar tribunal which has been constituted to deal with environmental matters.

It is our respectful submission that the suo motu power is not there. However, to stretch it to the extent of saying that any letter, any application etc also can't be entertained will be stretching it too far, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the ministry, told the apex court.

Bhati told the bench, also comprising justices Hrishikesh Roy and C T Ravikumar, that powers of the tribunal cannot be bound by procedural constraints.

In fact, nobody has argued that there is lack of power. This is a peculiar tribunal dealing with environmental matters. Often, environment ends up being nobody's baby, the ASG said.

The bench asked Bhati if a communication about matter related to environment is received by the tribunal in a letter or affidavit form, will it not be duty bound to initiate process and require the concerned party to comply with the other formalities.

The ASG said that tribunal will be well within its power and in a way, duty bound to take cognisance of such a letter or communication.

We have filed a one-page affidavit and all that we have said is suo motu power is not there in the statute and therefore, suo motu power can't be exercised by the tribunal, the ASG said.

Bhati referred to section 19 (1) of the Act 2010, which says that the tribunal shall not be bound by the procedure laid down by the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 but shall be guided by the principles of natural justice.

It is also our submission that procedural aspects are aspects which can be cured and can't tie up the powers and jurisdiction which is otherwise amply clear and amply available to the tribunal, she said.

She said once a letter or communication is received by the tribunal, it is within the power of the green panel to take cognisance of that.

During the arguments, which would continue on September 7, the bench also heard submissions advanced by senior advocate Anand Grover, who is assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in the matter, and other lawyers appearing in the case.

The apex court had on Wednesday observed that violation of environmental and forest laws are not disputes between two parties only as it affects the common public.

It had said the green panel has been established under the Act, 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environment protection, conservation of forests and other natural resources, including enforcement of legal rights relating to environment.

The top court had earlier observed that purpose and intent behind the provisions of the NGT Act have to be kept in mind while dealing with the matter.

The bench was hearing a batch of petitions in which issue regarding whether the NGT has power to take suo motu cognisance of a matter has cropped up.

In one of these matters, the NGT had earlier taken suo motu cognisance on the issue pertaining to solid waste management in Maharashtra and imposed cost of Rs 5 crore on the municipal corporation.

The apex court was earlier told that the Bombay High Court was already monitoring the issue of solid waste management in Maharashtra and the NGT should not have taken cognisance on its own in the matter.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More than half of India's adult population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 16 per cent have got both, the Union government said on Thursday as the cumulative number of doses administered in the country crossed 66 crore.

In Sikkim, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Himachal Pradesh all the adult population have got at least one dose of vaccine, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said at a press conference.

About ramping up of daily vaccinations, he said 18.38 crore doses were given in August during which 59.29 lakh doses were administered daily. The average daily in the last seven days of August has been 80.27 lakh.

"That's a huge achievement and would not have been possible without very effective and optimal participation of all healthcare workers, state governments and Union Territory administrations," Bhushan said.

On both August 27 and 31 more than one crore vaccinations took place.

According to data shared at the press conference, the number of vaccine doses administered daily has increased from 19.69 lakh in May to 39.89 lakh in June and further to 43.41 lakh in July.

In Sikkim, 36 per cent of the eligible population have been administered the second dose, in Dadra and Nagar Haveli it is 18 per cent and in Himachal Pradesh it's 32 per cent.

Besides, in Tripura, Ladakh, Daman and Diu, the Lakshwadeep and Mizoram, over 85 per cent of the population have been administered the first dose.

Bhushan said that 99 per cent of the healthcare workers have received the first dose of vaccine while 84 per cent of the eligible healthcare workers have taken the second dose.

He said 100 per cent of the frontline workers have been administered the first dose while 80 per cent of them have been given the second dose.

"Besides, 16 per cent of India's adult population have been fully vaccinated which means they have received both the doses of COVID-19 vaccine while 54 per cent have been administered at least one dose," the Union health secretary said.

NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul urged people who have not got vaccinated yet to take the jabs.

The message of must be taken to the heartland of India, he said, adding, "No one should be left behind. Vaccine availability is increasing and we must use this opportunity to push back this pandemic."



Paul further underlined that programmes among pregnant women must be accelerated while stating it is being seen that many people have not got vaccinated.

Vaccination is important for pregnant women and their baby otherwise, the risk of complications rises. The more pregnant women can get vaccinated the better, he stressed.

Paul also emphasised the need for taking the second dose.

"For complete protection, the second dose is important. The level of protection one gets after the second dose is much higher than the one after the first. The complete guarantee that one gets is after the second dose.

"The government is making its efforts but if your second dose is due please get it because then only you are more protected and it becomes difficult for the virus to transmit through you," 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.)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has ordered the setting up of a special investigating team (SIT) to probe the collusion between authority and the real estate company, for the illegal construction of two 40- storey twin towers--Tower Apex and Tower Ceyane-- in

"Chief Minister has directed to form an SIT at the government level immediately for investigation in Noida's twin towers case. Instructions were given to fix the accountability of officers of the authority who were associated with this case from 2004 to 2017," said the Chief Minister's office on Thursday.

It added that the SIT has been ordered to take time-bound action.

The Chief Minister on Wednesday said that strict action will be taken against the guilty officials in the twin towers case.

The development came after the Supreme Court of India, on Tuesday, upheld the Allahabad High Court's verdict that had ordered the demolition of two 40- storey twin towers; Tower Apex and Tower Ceyane in Uttar Pradesh's Noida.

A judgement passed by the two-judge bench of the apex court headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud and comprising Justice M R Shah said that the construction was illegal and the result of collusion between Noida authority and the real estate company,

The Supreme Court directed the real estate developer to refund the money of flat owners concerned with a 12 per cent rate of interest within two months.

"Within 2 months, all the amount invested by the allotted flat owners is to be refunded by the petitioner (Supertech)," the apex court said in its judgement today.

The Allahabad High Court had on April 11, 2014, had passed the judgement and directed ordering the demolition of two 40-storey twin towers.

(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.)
Agriculture Minister on Thursday urged and entrepreneurs to take full advantage of the potential of the sector.

The minister, on the occasion of the World Day, said India -- which ranks third in the world -- has made great progress in the field of coconut, both in production and productivity.

The country's production stood at 21,207 million nuts during 2020-21, which is 34 per cent of the global production. The productivity of 9,687 nuts per hectare is also the highest in the world, he said, adding that new coconut products and industries are growing due to which are getting employment.

Stating that coconut has had a strong impact on the country's economy, Tomar urged "the and entrepreneurs to take full advantage of the potential of the coconut sector".

He assured that the central government is standing with farmers in their efforts. Farm exports will increase if the agricultural produce is of quality and as per global standards, an official statement said.

With increasing the agri-budget significantly, the minister said the benefit of minimum selling price is being given to the farmers.

The government celebrated World Coconut Day to commemorate the foundation day of the International Coconut Community (ICC), an intergovernmental organization of coconut producing countries under the aegis of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP).

Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje said, "Since the farmers are small and marginal, the future of our domestic coconut industry lies in our ability to aggregate and pool farm level coconut production, take up processing and value addition for better income realisation and give major thrust to product diversification and finding industrial utilisation of various by-products and their value addition.

Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary said the government is also providing benefits to coconut growers to increase their income.

Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal, Coconut Development Board Chairman Rajbir Singh were among others present at the event.

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The World Health Organisation has said that it is closely monitoring a new "variant of interest" named Mu, warning that the new variant shows signs of possible resistance to vaccines.

Mu - also known by its scientific name as B.1.621 - was first identified in Colombia in January 2021, and since then, there have been "sporadic reports" of cases and some larger outbreaks in South America and Europe, the UN health agency said in its weekly bulletin on the pandemic on Tuesday.

The cases of the Mu variant have also been reported in the UK, Europe, the US and Hong Kong.

The new 'variant of interest' is being closely monitored, the UN health agency said.

Although the global prevalence of the Mu variant among sequenced COVID-19 cases is currently below 0.1%, its prevalence in Colombia (39%) and Ecuador (13%) has consistently increased, it said.

The new variant was added to the WHO's watchlist on August 30 after it was detected in 39 countries and found to possess a "constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape," it said.

Reports on the variant's prevalence should be "interpreted with due consideration given the low sequencing capacity of most countries, the UN agency said.

Mu is the fifth variant of interest to be monitored by the WHO since March. It has a number of mutations that suggest it could be more resistant to vaccines, the WHO warned, but said that further research would be needed to confirm this.

The preliminary data shows it may evade immune defences in a similar way to the Beta variant first discovered in South Africa, the UN agency said, adding that this needs to be confirmed by further work.

"More studies are required to understand the phenotypic and clinical characteristics of this variant, it said, adding that the epidemiology of the Mu variant in South America, particularly with the co-circulation of the Delta variant, will be monitored for changes.

As of August 29, over 4,500 sequences (3,794 B.1.621 sequences and 856 B.1.621.1 sequences), genome sequences, analysed samples of the virus taken from patients, have been designated as Mu in the past four weeks. The sequences are used to track how it moves through the population, on an open-source genome repository, known as GISAID.

Most of these have been reported in the U.S (2,065) and Colombia (852), Mexico (357) and Spain (473).

Meanwhile, South African scientists are closely monitoring the development of another new variant there.

Scientists from National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) in South Africa said the potential variant of interest, C.1.2, was first detected in the country in May this year.

C.1.2 has since been found in China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, England, New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland as of August 13, they said.

However, C.1.2, is not yet a variant to follow, nor a variant of concern, according to the classification of the

All viruses mutate over time and most mutations have little to no impact on the virus' behaviour.

The novel pandemic has killed more than 45 lakh people globally, according to tracking data from Johns Hopkins University.

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Draft open access norms circulated by Ministry of Power can be a tailwind for new projects in the country, CRISIL said on Thursday.

"The Draft Electricity (promoting through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2021, announced by the Ministry of Power, if implemented as is, could improve the certainty of cash flows for new projects coming up through this route," it said.

In India, power distribution happens through three modes state distribution companies, captive sources and open access.

Under the open access route, which had a total installed capacity of 11 GW as on March 31, 2021, renewable power producers sell electricity directly to commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers.

These consumers pay open access charges to state distribution companies (discoms). Such open access projects are hobbled by state-level policy changes that make returns uncertain, it pointed out.

The draft rules aim to provide clarity on such open access charges, including cross-subsidy surcharge (to compensate discoms for loss of high paying C&I consumers), additional surcharge (to recover the fixed power purchase cost for stranded assets), and banking charges (for consuming energy on a later date).

The rules would help streamline the overall approval process to improve predictability of cash flows for renewable power producers, it stated.

The ministry has sought feedback on the draft rules from stakeholders, including state regulatory bodies and discoms. State regulators haven't been fully backing open access projects fearing their discoms would lose high-tariff paying C&I customers.

Consequently, they raise levy of cross-subsidy and additional surcharges or change banking provisions by removing/lowering the banking period, CRISIL said.

Since renewable projects have a lifespan of 25 years, uncertainty around open access charges and tightened banking norms make project returns more vulnerable, thereby influencing the viability of these projects.

For instance, some of the key states having a majority share of open access capacities have levied cross-subsidy and additional surcharges of Rs 1.5-2.0 per unit on average in the past three fiscals, it noted.

On the other hand, some states have either removed or lowered the banking period, which affords flexibility to developers (to bank their unsold power with discoms if the offtake of a C&I consumer is affected for a few days), it further said.

Every 10 paise increase in cross-subsidy and additional surcharges results in a 150 basis points (bps) reduction in returns for open access project developers. Reducing the banking period with state discoms increases the risk to the revenue of developers if the offtake by C&I consumers is affected for a few days, Ankit Hakhu, Director, CRISIL Ratings said.

Open access projects also face hurdles related to timely approvals and states reneging on policy support. For instance, developers faced approval delays in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, while Karnataka, Haryana and Maharashtra have tried to change their policy support features, it stated.

The draft rules propose to address these issues. The document states that cross-subsidy surcharge should not be increased by more than 50 per cent for a 12-year period from the date of project commissioning, it suggested.

Also, any additional surcharge cannot be levied on these projects.

This is to ensure predictability on open access charges and thus the cash flows of developers, it stated.

The draft rules also propose to limit how much power can be banked with state discoms up to 10 per cent of the annual consumption of the consumer. This will allow the C&I consumer to draw banked power from discoms later, thereby providing some stability to the cash flows of developers, it stated.

Further, a central nodal agency is to be set up to streamline the approval process. All open access applications have to be submitted on the agency's portal and subsequently routed to the state nodal agency for approval.

If approval is not granted within 15 days, the application will be deemed approved subject to the fulfilment of the technical requirement to ensure timely execution of these projects and minimise any risk of cost escalations.

Given the government's target of installing 450 GW of renewable capacity by 2030, the draft rules, if finalised as is, would be a timely measure as these can provide a fillip to open access renewable energy capacity addition.

"Considering C&I consumers account for almost 50 per cent of all power consumption in India, and have their own go-green initiatives, the open access route can support likely strong demand pull from these consumers," Aditya Jhaver, Director, CRISIL Ratings 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.)
Companies rescued under insolvency and bankruptcy code till June had assets valued at about 22 per cent of the amount due to the creditors, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) chairman said on Thursday. Stressing that haircuts taken by lenders is not the fault of IBC, he said creditors staring at a haircut of 78 per cent were not only rescued under the Code but their haircut was reduced to 61 per cent.

 is not a panacea for all ills and requires systematic and holistic assessment...If claims and realisations are adjusted to their real level, haircut figures will be lower, Sahoo said.

Addressing the Conference on Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 organised by the CII, Sahoo said people saying that three-fourth of the companies are getting liquidated are seeing only the endgame. Of the companies proceeding for liquidation three-fourth were defunct to start with and among the companies rescued one-third were defunct. This, Sahoo said meant that two-third of the companies were defunct when they entered the process. Outcome of the will be better if stakeholders start the resolution process on early signals of stress and close it expeditiously, he said.





Clearing the air on high numbers of companies entering liquidation, Sahoo said that the companies ending up with liquidation had assets, on average, valued at about six per cent of the outstanding claims. In value terms companies, accounting for 70 per cent of these distressed assets were rescued while those accounting for 30 per cent of stressed assets proceeded for liquidation, he added.

The chief also asked the industry to try to find a solution in the market rather than always asking the state to find a solution for a market problem.

He said that while the state was doing its best, the IBC had been amended six times in less than five years to meet the needs. But, the market he said, has also to rise to the occasion.

The way forward should be the markets. We do not have solutions for everything in the state machinery. This does not mean that the state will take a backseat, Sahoo said.

He said IBC is an orchestra and everyone has a role and if anyone does not cooperate then the process may not either conclude in time, or reach the optimum outcome.

On the issue of prepackaged scheme for insolvency resolution Sahoo said that there is a lot of demand to make this mechanism available for large companies. We do not have enough experience with pre-packs. It has not been used much till now. Companies should use what is on the plate instead of asking for things that are not there, Sahoo said.
India and the United Kingdom on Thursday expressed their commitment to working out a free trade agreement and said the two countries would be ambitious while negotiating on services in the deal.

"We agree to be ambitious when considering services in the forthcoming FTA negotiations," said a joint statement by finance minister and her UK counterpart

Pointing out that services account for 71 per cent of UK's GDP and 54 per cent of India's, the statement released after

India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue said both countries recognise the importance of services in their respective economies.

Meanwhile, the UK welcomes India on junking retrospective income taxation and raising the cap on foreign direct investment in insurance from 49 per cent to 74 per cent, besides removing the ownership and control requirements in the sector. It should be noted that Vodafone, which is one of the 17 companies embroiled in a retrospective taxation dispute with India, is a UK-based company.

The UK said junking of retrospective taxation will strengthen the business environment and is part of India's move on improving ease of doing business.

The UK requested the Indian finance minister for changes in the offer for participation for the reinsurance regulation so that all onshore reinsurers are given equal preference for participation in reinsurance placements.

On privatisation, the joint statement said the UK will work with to share its experience through a series of workshops.

The two sides agreed to explore facilitating dual listing of green, social and sustainable bonds on the London Stock Exchange and Gift City exchanges.

Both sides agreed to build on RuPay cards and explore options for enhancing cross-border payments between the UK and India.
of is not in national interest and the government would oppose the Centre's bid to privatise PSUs which are public assets, Chief Minister informed the State Assembly on Thursday.

The PSUs of India are public assets that are designed to nurture economic growth and provide job opportunities and these are also the bedrock of small and micro enterprises, Stalin said. "It is our view that selling or leasing PSUs are not in national interest," he said. The public sector units functioned considering larger public good and welfare and an objective of profit alone is not



the goal of such enterprises, he added.

Hence, the Chief Minister said he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express his government's opposition to the union government following a trend towards of PSUs, he said. Prime Minister Modi had months ago said that the "government has no business to be in business." Barring four strategic areas, the Centre had said that it was for of PSUs in all the other sectors.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government announced on Thursday, a $1.2 billion package for public and private in green projects and renewable energy in India. The announcement was made by Chancellor Rishi Sunak and union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the 11th Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) between the two countries.

They also launched a Climate Finance Leadership Initiative (CFLI) India partnership, which aims to mobilise private capital into sustainable infrastructure in India. These investments will support Indias target of 450 Gw renewable energy by 2030, the British High Commission (BHC) said in a public statement.

Under CFLI, a group of leading financial instruments would mobilise private capital into sustainable infrastructure in India, including clean energy like wind and solar power and other green technologies. It will be chaired by Michael Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions.

"At todays EFD, the Chancellor and the Finance Minister also agreed to be ambitious when considering services in the upcoming UK-India trade negotiations, which could open up new opportunities for financial firms and help more Indian companies to access finance in the City of London," said the statement.

The billion-dollar package includes a $1 billion from CDC, the UKs development finance institution in green projects in India between 2022-2026. CDC already has a $1.99 billion existing portfolio of private sector investments in India.

The partnership also entails setting up a joint fund by the UK and India to invest in companies offering innovative green tech solutions. A new $200 million private and multilateral would be done into the joint UK-India Green Growth Equity Fund which invests in Indian renewable energy, said the statement.

UK is hosting the global climate conference COP26 in Glasgow later this year. Rishi Sunak,UK Chancellor of the Exchequr said, "Supporting Indias green growth is a shared priority. With trade negotiations also coming up, our agreement to be ambitious when considering services will create new opportunities in both markets, supporting jobs and investment in the UK and India."

UKs Infrastructure Projects Authority would also support the recently launched National Infrastructure Pipeline by the Indian government.

The EFD was held virtually on Thursday. The Indian delegation was led by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and included RBI Governor Das, and SEBI Chairman Ajay Tyagi. The UK delegation was led by Chancellor Rishi Sunak and included Bank of England Governor Bailey, and Financial Conduct Authority CEO Nikhil Rathi.
The (ED) on Thursday said it has attached partly-paid compulsorily convertible preference shares worth Rs 233 crore of group companies in the alleged multi-crore-rupee fraud and money-laundering case.

It said "on the strength" of these shares, had the rights for allotment of under-construction flats measuring 90,250 square feet FSI (floor space index) in Mumbai's Ghatkopar of developer Aryaman Developers Private Limited.

"The developer has given an undertaking to ensure not to sell, transfer, alienate or create any third-party rights on completion of the project," the ED said.

The agency has filed a money-laundering case to probe the alleged loan fraud in the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank in October, 2019 against the Housing Development Infrastructure Limited (HDIL), its promoters Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan, his son Sarang Wadhawan, its former chairman Waryam Singh and former managing director Joy Thomas.

The others under the agency's scanner include the promoters and executives of Somerset Construction Private Limited, Serveall Construction Private Limited, Sapphire Land Development Private Limited, Emerald Realtors Private Limited, Awas Developers and Construction Private Limited, Prithvi Realtors and Hotels Private Limited and Satyam Realtors Private Limited.

The father-son duo were arrested by the ED in the case in October, 2019 and they are lodged in a Mumbai jail at present.

"Rakesh Wadhawan and other promoters of have fraudulently utilised the funds taken from the in various projects by projecting the same as untainted.

"During 2011-12, an amount of Rs 233 crore was transferred from HDIL group companies to the group companies of Mukesh Doshi of Mumbai and these funds were finally utilised by Aryaman Developers Private Limited in the slum rehabilitation project being developed in Ghatkopar East, Mumbai," the ED said in a statement.

According to the understanding between Rakesh Wadhawan and Doshi, HDIL group companies would be allotted constructed area of FSI measuring 90,250 sq. ft of the carpet area in the proposed building.

"For this project, Aryaman Developers had its own investments, including loans from The funds were utilised for the payment of land premium, rent to slum dwellers, construction of transit camps, fungible premium, construction of rehab and IOD (intimation of disapproval) deposit with the slum rehabilitation authority.

"The promoters of HDIL intended to take a backdoor exit from the project and approached Aryaman Developers for a settlement at Rs 150 crore for not causing hindrance in the ongoing project for slum rehabilitation," the ED alleged.

It claimed that an "undertaking" was taken from Doshi in the form of an affidavit to ensure that the project after development would not fall in the hands of accused Rakesh Wadhawan.

Describing the role of HDIL in the alleged default with the PMC Bank, the ED said its group companies availed loans from the bank from time to time.

"The mode and manner of operation of bank accounts of HDIL clearly indicate the connivance of officials with the promoters of HDIL.

"There was misconduct on the part of PMC officials as they ignored all the prevailing procedures to facilitate promoters of HDIL by extending unusual credit facility," it alleged.

Instead of declaring those as non-performing assets (NPAs) for initiating actions for recovery, PMC bank officials chose to "accommodate" the HDIL group, the agency alleged.

"Due to such a criminal act of the promoters of HDIL group companies, the PMC Bank suffered a huge wrongful loss to the tune of Rs 6,117.93 crore," it said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
and Afghan rebels loyal to local leader Ahmad Massoud claimed heavy casualties in heavy fighting in the Panjshir Valley, with some media reports suggesting 13 fighters were ambushed on Thursday.

Panjshir is the last Afghan province resisting rule by the Taliban, which took control of the country two weeks ago by overthrowing the Western-backed government as the US and other foreign troops withdrew after 20 years. According to certain media reports, more than 300 fighters from both sides lost their lives during the fighting over the past few days, as the Northern Resistance Front refused to give up despite being surrounded by the from all sides.

We started operations after negotiations with the local armed group failed, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. Taliban fighters had entered Panjshir and taken control of some territory, he said.

They (the enemy) suffered heavy losses, he said.





ALSO READ: Taliban kills 34, captures 11 checkpoints of Afghan resistance forces

A spokesman for the National Resistance Front of (NRFA) rebel grouping said it had full control of all passes and entrances and had driven back efforts to take Shotul district.

The enemy made multiple attempts to enter Shotul from Jabul-Saraj, and failed each time, he said, referring to a town in neighbouring Parwan province.

Since the Taliban swept into Kabul on August 15, several thousand fighters from local militias and remnants of the governments armed forces have massed in Panjshir under the leadership of Massoud, son of a former Mujahideen commander.

They have been holding out in the steep valley where attacks from outside are difficult. Efforts to negotiate a settlement appear to have broken down, with each side blaming the other for the failure, as the Taliban prepared to announce a new government.

Mujahid said it was a matter of a few days while Taliban official Ahmadullah Muttaqi said a ceremony was being prepared at the presidential palace.

Qatars foreign minister said the Gulf state was talking with the Taliban and Turkey about potential technical support to restart operations at Kabul airport, which would facilitate humanitarian assistance and possibly more evacuations.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the same news conference in Doha, we need to adjust to the new reality in and said he would be talking with regional leaders about securing safe passage through third countries.

Our immediate priority is... those remaining British nationals, and also the Afghans who worked for the United Kingdom and others who may be at the most risk, Raab said.


Inc. will allow developers of some apps to link from their software to external websites for payments by users, addressing a longstanding App Store complaint and settling an investigation by Japans Fair Trade Commission.



The Cupertino, California-based technology giant said the change will go into effect globally early next year for so-called reader apps spanning magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music and video. To date, has forced such applications to use its in-app purchase system, which gives up to a 30 per cent commission on downloads and in-app subscriptions. By pointing users to the web to sign up, creators of those apps can sidestep that fee.

The announcement comes as part of a settlement with Japans regulator, which is now closing its investigation into the App Store. We have great respect for the Fair Trade Commission and appreciate the work weve done together, which will help developers of reader apps make it easier for users to set up and manage their apps and services, Phil Schiller, who oversees Apples App Store, said in a statement.





like Netflix Inc. and Spotify Technology SA have long complained that Apple doesnt allow them to link to their web portals for users to sign up for their services. Apple has previously rejected or removed third-party applications that attempted to steer users to web-based alternative payment methods.

Games, which are the most lucrative class of mobile apps, are not affected by this change and Apples decision wont resolve its legal dispute with Epic Games Inc. over in-app purchases in global hit Fortnite. The judge overseeing the trial between Apple and Epic has suggested that Apple make a change similar to this one.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says



The App Store monopoly is slowly being broken down to enable greater competition and consumer choice and the move to enable developers to link to external sites for user sign-ups for subscription offerings is just another step in that process. Still, this wont impact mobile games, which are solely based on microtransactions within the app, and account for about 70 per centf of App Store spending.

-- Matthew Kanterman, analyst

Lawmakers and regulators worldwide have been increasingly critical of the market dominance of Apple and Alphabet Inc.s Google on mobile platforms. South Koreas National Assembly passed a bill Tuesday, the first of its kind, that would mandate that app store operators allow users a choice of online payment methods. The bill will become law as soon as its signed by President Moon Jae-in, possibly as early as this month.



This is what you get when trying to sign up for Netflix on the iPhone today. In early 2022, itll be a button that points you to Netflixs website to sign up and pay there. This is a major, structural change that will save Apple a lot of scrutiny. pic.twitter.com/8iWDUTceZK  Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 2, 2021

Because developers of reader apps do not offer in-app digital goods and services for purchase, Apple agreed with the JFTC to let developers of these apps share a single link to their website to help users set up and manage their account, Apple said in the statement. Apple is not allowing alternative payment systems within apps themselves, saying it will help developers of reader apps protect users when they link them to an external website to make purchases.

Last month, as part of a preliminary settlement of a class-action lawsuit with US App Store developers, Apple agreed to pay out $100 million and loosened its rules to let software makers advertise outside payment methods to consumers via email. Many developers have been asking for these changes for years and regulators beyond and South Korea are looking to step up enforcement as well.
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, spoke with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and thanked him for Qatar's effort to assist with the safe transit of US citizens, and other evacuees from

"Spoke with Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_ and thanked him for Qatar's tremendous effort to assist with the safe transit of US citizens and evacuees from We're grateful for our strong partnership with Qatar," Blinken tweeted.

Blinken commended for our strong partnership to promote regional security and discussed other important bilateral efforts to advance US- ties, the US Department of State said in a statement.

The United States forces left on Tuesday morning, marking the end of a chaotic and messy exit from America's longest war.

Earlier, US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin III said that the United States has evacuated about 6,000 American citizens and a total of more than 124,000 civilians from Afghnaistan.

Austin also honours those who died over the course of the war in Afghanistan. "Our forces risked their own lives to save the lives of others, and 13 of our very best, paid the ultimate price," he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the aftermath of the regaining power in Afghanistan, a former senior American diplomat has said there is a need to closely watch as it is making a move to take over the Bagram air force base that was controlled by the United States for nearly two decades.

America's former envoy to the United Nations told Fox News on Wednesday that it is time that President Joe Biden's administration reaches out to its key friends and allies like India, Japan and Australia and assure them that the US will have their back.

The first thing you should do is immediately start connecting with our allies, whether it's Taiwan, whether it's Ukraine, whether it's Israel, whether it's India, Australia, Japan, all of them, and reassure them that we will have their back and that we need them as well, Haley said.

Secondly, we need to make sure that we are going on an anti-terrorist effort across the world, because we are now going to see -- with this moral victory that the jihadists have, you are going to see a heavy recruitment campaign around the world. You are going to see more lone wolf situations, she added.

We need to make sure we are protected. We need to make sure our cybersecurity is strong, because actors like Russia are going to continue to hack us because we show no signs of willing to fight back. We need to watch China, because I think you are going to see make a move for Bagram Air Force Base, Haley apprehended.

I think they are also making a move in and trying to use Pakistan to get stronger to go against India. So, we have got a lot of issues. The biggest thing he should do is strengthen our allies, strengthen those relationships, modernise our military, and make sure we are prepared for the cyber-crimes and the terrorist crimes that are headed our way, she said in response to a question.

Haley slammed Biden for his disastrous withdrawal of US forces from By the end of that speech that President Biden gave, it was the beginning of the lame duck presidency for Joe Biden, she said.

I mean, he has lost the trust and confidence of every member of the military and the military families that I'm proud to be a part of. He has lost the trust and confidence of our allies who are now negotiating without us because they don't know why we are doing what we're doing, she said.

Biden, she alleged, has lost the trust and confidence of the American people. If you look at the fact that the jihadists are celebrating in the streets because America has run out of town and they left them with billions of dollars' worth of equipment and ammunition as a housewarming present, she said.

You couldn't ask for a more embarrassing, humiliating situation than what we have right now. The world is more definitely a dangerous place. Just because we are out of does not mean this war is over, Haley 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.)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned United States climate envoy John Kerry that deteriorating US- relations could undermine cooperation between the two on

Wang told Kerry by video link on Wednesday that such cooperation cannot be separated from the broader relationship and called on the to take steps to improve ties, a Foreign Ministry news release said.

Kerry, who is in the Chinese city of Tianjin for climate talks with his Chinese counterparts, said that plays a super-critical role in the effort to combat climate change, according to a brief video clip from the meeting shown on CGTN, the arm of state broadcaster CCTV.

is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, followed by the United States.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained by disputes over trade, technology and human rights. But the sides have identified the climate crisis as an area for possible cooperation.

China and the have differences on some issues. In the meantime, we share common interests in a range of areas such as climate change," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing Wednesday.

Both sides should maintain dialogue and communication on the basis of mutual respect and carry out mutually beneficial cooperation," Wang said.

The world's biggest coal user, China obtains roughly 60 per cent of its power from coal and is the world's biggest source of greenhouse gases. It plans to build more coal-fired power plants but still plans to taper its use of the fossil fuel.

Kerry made a stop in Japan on Tuesday to discuss climate issues with Japanese officials before heading to China.

Beijing has pointed to historical emissions as a reason to resist action while making advances in solar power and other renewable energy sources. China has set a target of generating 20 per cent of the country's total energy consumption from renewables by 2025, becoming carbon-neutral by 2060 and reducing total emissions starting from 2030.

President Joe Biden has announced a goal to cut up to 52 per cent of US greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 double the target set by President Barack Obama in the 2015 Paris climate accord. The 2030 goal vaults the US into the top tier of countries on climate ambition.

Kerry has called for stronger efforts to to curb rising temperatures to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. He urged China to join the US in urgently cutting carbon emissions.

Global decarbonising efforts will come under the spotlight at a UN conference to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in late November, known as COP26.

(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.)
Scores of listed Chinese have name-checked President Xi Jinpings common prosperity drive in earnings reports, as the private sector seeks to align itself with Chinas campaign to reduce wealth inequality.



At least 73 companies, including Chinas largest insurer Ping An Insurance (Group) Co., food delivery giant Meituan and the state-owned Bank of Ltd., used the flagship slogan in statements to shareholders filed to the Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges in the two weeks ending Aug. 31.

While that accounted for less than 2% of the more than 4,000 filings surveyed by Bloomberg News, it featured some of the countrys most-influential firms.

On Thursday, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. said it would pledge 100 billion yuan ($15.5 billion) through 2025 to support common prosperity through programs including improving digital infrastructure in undeveloped regions, reducing costs for small firms, and improving benefits for gig-economy workers, according to the official Zhejiang Daily.





Xis push to narrow the countrys wealth gap has sent shock waves through the economy, triggering market sell-offs and prompting a flood of charitable giving among the countrys billionaires. A meeting led by the Chinese president Monday explicitly called on officials to urge to obey the leadership of the party, as reforms are rolled out.

Meituan, one of the facing increased regulatory scrutiny as part of Xis reforms, said in its filing that Chinas largest food delivery firm would promote common prosperity for the larger society. During an earnings call Monday, the companys founder Wang Xing explained Meituans name literally translated to better together, showing common prosperity was in its DNA. He also said the company could face significant fines amid an antitrust probe into its operations.

Real estate service firm Greentown Service Group Co. announced a common prosperity plan for employees in its report, and bottle manufacturer Zhejiang Haers Vacuum Container Co. said the slogan would help grow the market, without elaborating on how. Some companies referenced the term in relation to Chinas rural revitalization drive, and a few included it in environmental, social and governance targets.

Others went beyond paying lip service to Xis favorite slogan. Pinduoduo Inc., the fast-rising online commerce giant now challenging Alibaba in the countryside, went as far as to pledge its next $1.5 billion in profit to farmers welfare. Tencent Holdings Ltd., Chinas most valuable company, said last month it will double the amount of money its allocating for social responsibility programs to about $15 billion.

Xis renewed embrace of the common prosperity slogan, which dates back to the founding of the Communist Party, is driving a slew of economic policies expected to shape the next decade. Last year, Xi pledged to make substantial progress on common prosperity for all by 2035 -- when aims to achieve socialist modernization and double the size of its economy from 2020.
The are all set to announce the formation of a new government in on the lines of the Iranian leadership, with the group's top religious leader Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada as Afghanistan's supreme authority, a senior member of the group has said.

Consultations are almost finalised on the new government, and the necessary discussions have also been held about the cabinet, Mufti Inamullah Samangani, a senior official in the Taliban's information and culture commission, said on Wednesday.

He said the group is all set to announce the formation of the new government in in the next three days.

In the new set-up, 60-year-old Mullah Akhundzada will be the Supreme Leader of the government, which will follow the pattern of the Iranian leadership.

In Iran, the supreme leader is the highest political and religious authority of the country. He ranks above the president and appoints the heads of the military, the government, and the judiciary. The supreme leader has final say in the political, religious and military affairs of the country.

Mullah Akhunzada will be the leader of the government and there should be no question on this, he said, indicating that the president will work under his oversight.

Mullah Akhunzada is the top religious leader of the and has been serving at a mosque in Kachlaak area of Balochistan province for 15 years.

Samangani said that under the new governmental set-up, governors will control the provinces, while the district governors will be in-charge of their respective districts.

The Taliban has already appointed governors, police chiefs and police commanders for provinces and districts.

The name of the new governance system, the national flag and the national anthem are yet to be finalised, he said.

Meanwhile, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, deputy leader of the Taliban political office in Doha, on Thursday told the foreign media channels that women and members from all tribes in will be part of the new government set-up.

"Any person who was part of any former governments during the last 20 years will not be included in the new Taliban administration," he said.

He said that Mullah Akhunzada will monitor the government from Kandahar, the stronghold of the Taliban movement.

The Taliban want to have friendly relations with the European Union, the US and India, and members of the Taliban political office in Doha are in close contact with different foreign countries, he said.

The Hamid Karzai Airport in will be functional in next 48 hours and people with valid travel documents will be allowed to leave the country, Stanakzai said, adding that it will cost USD 25-30 million to renovate the airport.

(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 set up a temporary office in for dialogue with the Taliban, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Foreign Ministry has said that has set up a temporary office in for dialogue with the Taliban, which has taken control of Afghanistan and holds a representative office in the Qatari capital, Kyodo News reported.

Japan, which has temporarily closed its embassy in Kabul, is now trying to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals who have remained in Afghanistan and help local people who had worked for the embassy and Japanese organizations leave the country safely, Kyodo News further reported.

Meanwhile, Takashi Okada, Japanese ambassador to Afghanistan, will head the office.

This comes as the United States, which ended the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, has transferred its embassy function to an office in Doha to facilitate dialogue with the

The United States forces left Afghanistan on Tuesday morning, marking the end of a chaotic and messy exit from America's longest war.

(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 is in no hurry to recognise the nor to establishing official relations with the group, said Gunnar Wiegand, the European Commission's managing director for Asia and the Pacific on Wednesday.

"We need to communicate with the Taliban, we need to influence the Taliban, we need to make use of the leverages that we have but we will not rush into recognizing this new formation nor to establishing official relations," Sputnik quoted Wiegand as saying at a joint session of the European Parliament's committees with the delegation for relations with

Earlier, Wiegand said the EU mission in has evacuated 520 members and Afghan support staff, including family members, from Kabul.

He further stated that the EU mission in would continue its work in Brussels. They will return to Afghanistan when the situation permits, Sputnik reported.

Meanwhile, the United States forces left Afghanistan on Tuesday morning, marking the end of a chaotic and messy exit from America's longest war.

Earlier today, US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin III said that the United States has evacuated about 6,000 American citizens and a total of more than 124,000 civilians from Afghnaistan.

Austin also honours those who died over the course of the war in Afghanistan. "Our forces risked their own lives to save the lives of others, and 13 of our very best, paid the ultimate price," he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The on Thursday said that it has killed 34 members and captured 11 checkpoints of the Afghan resistance forces in the northern Panjshir province.

The information about the incident was provided by spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid to Sputnik.

The attack on Panjshir was launched after negotiations with resistance leader Ahmad Massoud failed.

"Our Mujahideen have made enough progress, so far we have captured 11 checkpoints and killed 34 people of resistance forces, including two key commanders. We have now reached the main road of Panjshir and we have captured Shital district and just two Mujahideen were injured," Mujahid said.

Since mid-August, forces opposed to the Taliban have gathered in the valley under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud, son of famous Afghan commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. Ahmad Massoud, along with former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, is trying to mount a challenge to the Taliban.

Underlining the aim of resistance forces to defeat the Taliban, former Vice President Amrullah Saleh has said the resistance is "based in Panjshir" but will defend the rights of all Afghan citizens.

Last month, the Taliban captured Kabul after mounting a swift offensive in a matter of few weeks.

So far, the Taliban controls all the regions apart from the Panjshir province.

(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.)
So theyve got a lot to prove based on their own track record ... now they also have a lot to gain, if they can run Afghanistan, far, far differently than they did the last time they were in power.Gunnar Wiegand, the European Commissions managing director for Asia and the Pacific, said the European Union would not formally recognise the Islamist group until it met conditions including the formation of an inclusive government, respect for human rights and unfettered access for aid workers.

There is no doubt among (EU) member states and in the G7 context: we need to engage with the Taliban, we need to communicate with the Taliban, we need to influence the Taliban, we need to make use of the leverages which we have, he told members of the European Parliament in Brussels.

But we will not rush into recognising this new formation, nor into establishing official relations.



Humanitarian organisations have warned of catastrophe as severe drought and the upheavals of war have forced thousands of families to flee their homes.

desperately needs money, and the Taliban are unlikely to get swift access to the roughly $10 billion in assets here mostly held abroad by the Afghan central bank.

The Taliban have ordered banks to reopen, but strict weekly limits on withdrawals have been imposed and there are long queues at banks.

"Everything is expensive now, prices are going up every day, said Kabul resident Zelgai.

Afghanistan's real gross domestic product is expected to shrink by 9.7% this financial year, with a further drop of 5.2% seen next year, said analysts in a report from Fitch Solutions here, the research arm of ratings agency Fitch Group.

Foreign investment would be needed to support a more optimistic outlook, a scenario which assumed some major economies, namely China and potentially Russia, would accept the Taliban as the legitimate government, Fitch said.

The new, Taliban-appointed central bank head has sought to reassure banks here the group wants a fully functioning financial system, but has given little detail on how it will supply funds for it, bankers familiar with the matter said.

While the Taliban are cementing control of Kabul and provincial capitals, they are fighting with opposition groups and remnants of the Afghan army holding out in mountains north of the capital.

Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Motaqi called on the rebels in Panjshir province to surrender, saying the Islamic Emirate of is home for all Afghans, referring to the Taliban-run state.

Opposition leader Ahmad Massoud, son of a former mujahideen commander who fought against the Taliban in northeastern in the late 1990s, told CNN his forces were fighting for a decentralised state where power is equally distributed between the different ethnic and sectarian groups.

Unfortunately, the Taliban have not changed, and they still are after dominance throughout the country, he said.
By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The top U.S. securities regulator on Wednesday sued the founder of the now-defunct exchange platform BitConnect over his alleged role in fraudulently raising about $2 billion from thousands of retail investors.

Expanding a civil case announced in May, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged BitConnect founder Satish Kumbhani, an Indian citizen, with lying about BitConnect's ability to generate profits, and violating registration laws meant to protect investors.

In a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, the SEC also charged promoter Glenn Arcaro and his firm Future Money Ltd with fraudulently receiving more than $24 million in "referral commissions" and other sums as BitConnect's top U.S. promoter.

Arcaro pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a related criminal wire conspiracy charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mitchell Dembin in San Diego. His sentencing is Nov. 15.

The SEC lawsuit seeks to impose fines, recoup ill-gotten gains, and other relief.

Founded in 2016, BitConnect created a digital token called BitConnect Coin that could be exchanged for bitcoin, the popular

The SEC said investors in a BitConnect "lending program" were told BitConnect used a "volatility software trading bot" that could generate returns of 40% per month, and were given fictitious returns showing 3,700% annualized gains.

But the regulator said investors lost much of their money after the price of BitConnect Coin sank 92% on Jan. 16, 2018.

Prosecutors said BitConnect ran a "textbook Ponzi scheme" by paying earlier investors with new investor money.

Kumbhani, 35, has lived in Surat, India but his whereabouts are unknown, while Arcaro, 44, lives in Los Angeles and incorporated Future Money in Hong Kong, authorities said.

Efforts to locate Kumbhani were unsuccessful. Arcaro's lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.

The SEC sued five other BitConnect promoters on May 28.

It has obtained judgments requiring two promoters, Michael Noble and Joshua Jeppesen, and Jeppesen's fiancee to pay more than $3.5 million and 190 bitcoin. The other promoters have not responded to the lawsuit or not been served.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Richard Pullin)

(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.)
Many people have responded to the uncertainty, boredom and anxiety of the pandemic by drinking more.

In a recent study of 11 major OECD countries, 36% of people said they increased their consumption during lockdown. Women, parents of young children and those on high incomes saw their consumption increase the most.

The OECD suggests a range of solutions to this concerning rise, including limiting the promotion of among young audiences, strengthening police controls to prevent road accidents due to alcohol and setting pricing policies to limit the financial accessibility of alcohol to prevent excessive alcohol consumption.

But theres another possible solution: the promotion of with a low or even zero alcohol content. This approach is already seeing success with beer and other non-alcoholic beverages, including whisky and gin, particularly among millennials.

Although still marginal, no and low-alcohol (NoLo) beverages currently represent 3% of the global beverage alcohol market in ten headline economies, reaching a global sales values of $4,520 million in 2020.

A legitimacy issue

Dealcoholised wines are produced through a gradual, or even total, elimination of alcohol content via evaporation, reverse osmosis or preventing fermentation.

These things are relatively easily done, but the main challenge is to eliminate the alcohol without altering the taste of the Great progress has been made in this direction, but at present dealcoholised still does not fully taste the same as a traditional wine, and does not offer a genuine alternative.

And if we do manage to create a product that tastes like the real thing, could we still call a partially or totally dealcoholised product wine? Our research from 2019 found that the changing a products alcohol content affects how people categorise it. Only few respondents to our study identified low-alcohol wine as a wine.

In another, forthcoming study, we identified the limits of acceptability of this new product. Two-thirds of potential consumers consider alcohol to be an important product attribute and therefore believe that this innovation does not belong to the wine category at all.



Regulations also have an impact on legitimacy. The law in France, for example, states that wine is a drink that results exclusively from the complete or partial alcoholic fermentation of fresh grapes (crushed or not) or from grape must, with an alcohol content of more than 8.5%.

Remove the alcohol, and the product will no longer legally be considered wine.



The problem of categorisation

Wine is far from the first product to face issues of categorisation in this way.

In Europe, the label milk is defined by regulations as the produce of the milking of one or more cows. In 2017, the European Court of Justice enforced this regulation by prohibiting the use of the words milk and cheese to refer to plant-based versions of these products, in response to claims from dairy producers that such labels would confuse consumers.

But when it comes to meat, the European Parliament decided in 2020 to authorise the use of meat-related words to describe plant-based foods. As such, the terms veggie burgers, soy steaks and vegan sausages can all be used in the European Union.

The exception is in France, where the law clearly stipulates that words used for food with animal origin cannot be used to designate products made using vegetable proteins.

Ongoing debate in Brussels

A growing number of wine producers, large and small, have now started to produce dealcoholised products, and they are demanding the right to use the term wine for these new beverages. The debate is currently raging in Brussels, where the European Commission is discussing the reform of the common agricultural policy and the harmonisation of community rules, including the reform of Article 180 on wines.

Depending on how the negotiations go, we could soon apply the term wine to dealcoholised products, albeit in a strictly controlled and regulated fashion.

Applying a regulation that links these products to the world of wine, probably in the form of a subcategory, will allow consumers to better identify these beverages and understand their inherent benefits.

The acceptance of low or no-alcohol wine will also depend on serious communication efforts from wine producers and retailers about these products.

As professionals work more on the legitimacy issue, dealcoholised wine will become more widely known and consumed, thus reducing the psychological barriers linked to its uptake. This could see the alcohol content of a wine become a decisive criterion in consumer decision-making and help overcome the issues many potential buyers currently have with identifying dealcoholised products as wine.

The main challenge, then, is improve the taste of wine that doesnt contain alcohol. It is possible that, in the near future, advances in dealcoholisation techniques will reduce the difference between traditional and NoLo wines, as is already the case with beer and spirits. The future of these new products will depend on whether wine producers can truly succeed in reducing the taste gap.

Sylvaine Castellano, Directrice de la recherche, EM Normandie  UGEI; Insaf Khelladi, Professeur Associe en Marketing, Pole Leonard de Vinci  UGEI, and Rossella Sorio, Professeure Associee, Departement Marketing ICN BS, ICN Business School

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Shares of (RIL) moved higher by 1.3 per cent, hitting a 11-month high of Rs 2,299 on the BSE in the intra-day trade on Thursday on report that the company looks to acquire Europe's largest solar panel manufacturer.

The stock was trading at its highest level since October 2020 and is 3 per cent away from its record high level of Rs 2,369, touched on September 16, 2020. In the past one month, RIL has outperformed the market by gaining 11 per cent as compared to a 9 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex.

RIL, however, has clarified on the report and has said the company evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis. "We would like to clarify that we are unable to comment on media speculation and rumors and it would be inappropriate on our part to do so," the company said.

RIL further said there is no information which has not been announced to the stock exchanges and which should have been announced by the company in terms of the Sebi regulations.

RIL is looking to speed up its entry into the new materials and renewable energy business through fresh acquisitions. RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani had announced that the company will be going global under its new energy business during the 44th Annual General Meeting in June this year.
Housing Finance on Thursday said capital regulator has approached the against the Securities Appellate Tribunal's order in the matter related to the company's Rs 4,000 crore equity capital raise plan.

Pronouncing its order on August 9, the two-member bench of the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) gave a split verdict, saying there was difference of opinion between the members of the bench.

SAT directed that its interim order of June 21, 2021 will continue till further orders, restraining Housing Finance from disclosing the voting results by the shareholders on the fund raise plan.

The voting was part of a special resolution to seek shareholders' approval for the Rs 4,000 crore equity raise plan of Housing by allotting preference shares and warrants to a handful of investors led by US-based private equity player Carlyle Group.

"It has been brought to our notice that has filed an appeal to the of India against the order of SAT," PNB Housing Finance said in a regulatory filing.

The company is examining the appeal filed by Sebi, it added.

On May 31, the housing finance company promoted by state-owned lender Punjab National Bank (PNB) had announced the capital raise plan.

However, it soon hit a roadblock after a proxy advisory firm red flagged the preference issue, contending it was not in the interest of the promoter and the minority shareholders of the company.

Soon after, intervened and asked the company not to go ahead with the plan until a valuation of its shares is done by an independent registered valuer.

PNB Housing Finance had fixed the preference issue price at Rs 390 apiece, much lower than the stock price prevailing at that time.

However, the company defended the decision, saying it followed Sebi regulations while fixing the issue price.

On Thursday, share of PNB Housing Finance closed at Rs 656.50 apiece on BSE, down 0.68 per cent from the previous close.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of (TDPS) were locked in the upper circuit of 20 per cent at Rs 349.40, hitting a three-year high on the BSE in Thursday's session amid expectations of strong earnings growth going forward. The stock was trading at its highest level since May 2015. It had hit a record high of Rs 479 on December 30, 2014.

The trading volumes on the counter more-than-doubled with a combined 958,054 equity shares having changed hands on the NSE and BSE so far. There were a combined pending buy orders for 206,916 shares, the exchanges data shows.

In the past three weeks, the stock has zoomed 87 per cent after the company reported robust earnings, with profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 10.40 crore for the quarter ended June 2021 (Q1FY22), against a loss of Rs 9.8 crore in the previous year quarter. Total income of the company during the quarter more-than-doubled to Rs 167 crore from Rs 76 crore in Q1FY21.

The company had a strong order book position of Rs 1,078 crore as on June 30, 2021. It has supplied 4,911 generators as of Q1FY22 with an aggregate output capacity of over 35,536 MW in 80 countries.

TDPS is one of the leading manufacturers of AC Generators in the world with products in the output range of 1 MW to 200 MW for prime movers, such as steam turbines, gas turbines, hydro turbines, diesel engines, gas and wind turbines The company also manufacture special application generators for geothermal and solar thermal applications.

The company has announced significant upward guidance in the top line and expects manufacturing sales to be in the region of Rs 650 crore to Rs 660 crore for TDPS India compared to Rs 480 crore achieved last year.

The management said it is seeing very strong demand from export markets, as well as, a very significant pickup of order booking and sales in the domestic market. In the overseas market, we are seeing a huge increase in the gas engine segment as well as in the steam turbine segment. The hydro market has also picked up and we are seeing a big uptake in the executable orders for this financial year, Nikhil Kumar, managing director of TDPS said.

We are now reaching that stage of the year where the majority of the fresh order booking will go into next years execution. The domestic market is also picking up in all sectors, cement, steel, sugar cogeneration, distilleries, waste heat recovery and garbage burning plants. There is a lot of momentum in the market, and I think we are finally seeing a strong revival of the long-awaited CAPEX cycles, Kumar added.
Shares of were locked in the 20 per cent upper circuit band at Rs 139.80 on the BSE on Thursday, with more than 18 per cent equity of the company having changed hands. The stock of the defence firm has surged 44 per cent in the past two trading days after the company announced that it has secured orders worth Rs 211 crore during April-June (Q1FY22) quarter.

"Order book as on September 01, 2021, stands at Rs 402.6 crore as against an order book of Rs 191.6 crore on 30th June 2021," said in exchange filing on Wednesday.

In the past three weeks, the stock has zoomed 76 per cent from a level of Rs 79.40 seen on August 20, 2021. It is trading close to its all-time high level of Rs 158, touched on January 1, 2018.

Trading volumes on the counter jumped multi-fold, with a combined 14.86 million equity shares, representing 18.69 per cent of the total equity, changed hands on the NSE and BSE till 11:32 am. There were a combined pending buy orders for 1.3 million shares, exchanges data show.

is engaged in manufacturing land-based military training simulators, driving simulators, live range equipment and anti-drone systems. The company is engaged in indigenous design, development and manufacture of sensors and simulators technology based defence training systems and has relentlessly been providing Defence Training Solutions and seamless services to Ministry of Defence (Armed Forces), Security Forces Police, Para-military forces.

Anti-drone systems, drones, and training solutions will continue to be the core business of Zen Technologies and the company has all the simulators required for the legacy equipment used by the Indian Army, it said.

According to experts, 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.
The private bank said that it has fixed the coupon rate of its $600 million additional tier- I (AT-1) bonds at 4.10% per annum.

The bank said that the US dollar-denominated, direct, subordinated, unsecured, Basel III compliant, additional tier-1 (AT-1) notes are rated B1(hyb) by Moody's Rating Services.

The perpetual notes will be listed on SGX-ST/ISM/INDIA INX IFSC/NSE IFSC.

The notes have not been and will not be, offered or sold to any person resident in India, the bank said.

The proceeds of the notes will be used towards financing or refinancing, in whole or in part, new or existing eligible green project categories and eligible social project categories under the issuer's sustainable financing framework.

On Monday (30 August 2021), Axis Bank said that it has initiated the process of issuing of the debt instruments, in the form of the Additional Tier-1 (AT-1) Notes in foreign currency.

On 27 April 2021, the board of Axis Bank had authorized the bank to borrow/raise funds in Indian currency/foreign currency by issue of debt Instruments including but not limited to long term bonds, non-convertible debentures, perpetual debt instruments, AT-1 bonds, infrastructure bonds and Tier-II capital bonds or such other debt securities as may be permitted under the guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India, from time to time, up to an amount of Rs 35,000 crore in domestic and overseas markets, in one or more tranches.

The resolution for the same was passed by the bank's shareholders at its 27th annual general meeting (AGM) held on 30 July 2021.

Axis Bank is a private sector bank offers the entire spectrum of financial services to customer segments covering large and mid-corporates, MSME, agriculture and retail businesses. As on 30 June 2021, the bank had a network of 4,528 domestic branches and extension counters situated in 2,559 centres.

The private sector bank reported a 94.2% jump in standalone net profit to Rs 2,160 crore on a 2.4% rise in total income to Rs 19,591 crore in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21.

The scrip rose 0.26% to currently trade at Rs 800.55 on the BSE.

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Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 267.5, up 0.32% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 33.88% in last one year as compared to a 48.92% gain in NIFTY and a 29.7% gain in the Nifty Energy.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd rose for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 267.5, up 0.32% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.53% on the day, quoting at 17167.25. The Sensex is at 57624.49, up 0.5%. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd has dropped around 2.6% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has dropped around 5.28% in last one month and is currently quoting at 20356.55, up 0.26% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 14.96 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 29.49 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark September futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 268.65, up 0.35% on the day. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is up 33.88% in last one year as compared to a 48.92% gain in NIFTY and a 29.7% gain in the Nifty Energy index.

The PE of the stock is 3.92 based on TTM earnings ending June 21.

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The crop residue burning season is barely a month away but there is hardly any indication that the northern region, including the National Capital Region of Delhi (NCR), would not get choked in the beginning of the ensuing winter with smoke emanating from flaming farm fields. The situation may, in fact, be worse this time than last year, when the farm fires played havoc.

Neither the threat of punitive action nor the offer of fiscal sops for safe management of the leftover crop biomass had deterred the farmers from torching their fields. Since Punjab and Uttar Pradesh (UP) are now heading ...
In a bid to connect with voters ahead of Uttar Pradesh ahead of Assembly polls, (AIMIM) chief is scheduled for a three-day visit to the state starting from Tuesday, said sources.

As per sources, Owaisi will start his UP tour from Ayodhya on September 7, where he will address the "Vanchit Shoshit Sammelan" in Rudauli town.

"After that, the next day on September 8, AIMIM chief has a program in Sultanpur. Then on September 9, the last day of the tour, Owaisi will go to Barabanki," they added.

The Hyderabad MP had earlier announced that AIMIM will contest 100 seats in Uttar Pradesh polls scheduled early next year.

At present, there are 110 Assembly constituencies where Muslim voters make up around 30-39 per cent. On 44 seats, this percentage rises to 40-49 per cent while on 11 seats, the Muslim voters are around 50-65 per cent.

Owaisi had earlier visited Lucknow and has been in talks with smaller political outfits. He is also part of 'Bhaagidari Sankalp Morcha'.

He is in touch with Om Prakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), Shivpal Singh Yadav's Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP), Keshav Dev Maurya's Mahan Dal and Krishna Patel's Apna Dal.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, AIMIM fielded its candidates on 38 seats but could not manage to win even a single constituency. It decided not to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, however, Owaisi campaigned against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In 2017, the BJP won a landslide victory winning 312 Assembly seats. The party secured a 39.67 per cent vote share in the elections for 403-member Assembly. Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, BSP won 19 while Congress could manage to win only seven seats.

(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.)
president Sonia Gandhi set up a nine-member panel of party leaders headed by Digvijaya Singh on Thursday for planning "sustained agitations on issues".

general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Lok Sabha MP Uttam Kumar Reddy, Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora, Manish Chatratha and BK Hariprasad are among those named in the panel.

A statement issued by the party said the president has constituted the nine-member panel with Singh as its chairman with immediate effect to "plan sustained agitations on issues".

Congress leaders Udit Raj, Ragini Nayak and Zuber Khan have also been named as members of the panel.

The constitution of the panel comes days after the leaders of 19 political parties, including the Congress, announced that they will organise joint protests and demonstrations across the country from September 20 to 30.

The Congress has been attacking the government over issues such as the rise in the petrol, diesel and LPG prices, the asset monetisation pipeline scheme and farm laws.

(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.)
No one will be deprived of basic necessities or die of in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister proclaimed on Thursday.

The chief minister also expressed his government's resolve to ensure that every poor farmer, elderly people and destitute women get the benefits of the government's welfare schemes without any discrimination.

Yogi made these remarks while transferring Rs 836.55 crore to 55.77 lakh beneficiaries of the Old Age Pension Scheme.

I am happy to inform you that out of these beneficiaries, there are 4.56 lakh new beneficiaries. The quarterly instalment is being sent to these accounts for the first time, Adityanath said in a digital event.

Describing elderly people as our guide due to their wealth of experience, the chief minister said, The elderly people's needs of ration and medical treatment at the time of illness are being looked into.

Not only this, an Elderly Helpline 14567' (Elderline) has been specially set up and any senior citizen can contact and get the help 247, he added.

"The central and state governments are working with a sense of service to manage the life and livelihood of each and every senior citizen," he said.

Adityanath also had a digital interaction with the old-age pension beneficiaries of various districts and inquired about their health.

He also asked district magistrates to provide the benefits of Ayushman Bharat or the Chief Minister Jan Arogya Yojana to every needy person.

Claiming that elderly people were neglected by earlier governments, the chief minister lamented that No one used to pay attention to them".

"But today many efforts are being made for the happy life of old people," he said.

He added that over 29 lakh new elderly people have been able to join the old-age pension scheme in the last four years.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan on Thursday observed a day of mourning over the demise of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Geelani, 91, died at his home in Srinagar on Wednesday night after a prolonged illness. The pro-Pakistan separatist leader, who spearheaded separatist politics for over three decades in Jammu and Kashmir, was buried at a mosque near his residence.

Pakistan Prime Minister said he was "deeply saddened" to learn about Geelani's death.

The Pakistan flag will fly at half-mast and we will observe a day of official mourning, Khan said.

President Arif Alvi, who last year conferred Pakistan's highest civilian award 'Nishan-e-Pakistan' on Geelani in absentia, expressed deep grief and sorrow over his demise.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Minister of State for Information Farrukh Habib also expressed grief and sorrow over Geelani's death.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad in a tweet said the nation "pays rich tribute to his life-long struggle for justice and freedom.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi [India], September 2 (ANI/NewsVoir): Just after breaking all records by raising the largest Series A round of $150 million by an Indian company, (https://www.globalbees.com/) GlobalBees - an aggregator of digital brands, today announced its first acquisition, (https://www.thebetterhome.com/)The Better Home - a sustainable home care products company that was launched in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 and made waves by becoming a popular brand in India in no time.

Speaking on the announcement, Nitin Agarwal, CEO of GlobalBees, said, "People, purpose, passion and product define today's brands and govern customer preference. The Better Home demonstrated the right mix of these, along with remarkable achievements. We at GlobalBees are excited to announce The Better Home as our first acquisition, and are committed to catapult it into an international brand."

In a category that has seen no disruption, The Better Home (TBH) made a formidable splash, becoming a sustainable alternative to conventional, harmful products in homes across 600+ cities and towns in India. With over 70,000 customers in just one year, they were the first brand to take back and recycle their packaging, pioneering the movement of sustainability and zero waste at this scale in India. The company has also prevented over 380 million litres of water from contamination with harsh and dangerous chemicals, and saved nearly 450,000 plastic bottles from reaching landfills.

The TBH brand was launched by The Better India (TBI) - a digital platform for good, with a simple idea: that everyday household choices can make a significant impact on the world. TBH household products are made with safe, non-toxic, naturally-derived ingredients that are safe not just for human health, but for the larger well-being of the environment. The Better Home products are sold on the (https://www.thebetterhome.com/)brand website and (https://www.amazon.in/stores/TheBetterHome/page/EB931BF5-B5B6-4FA0-A5BE-EAC1D4EE5497?ref_=ast_bln) Amazon.

"Our vision at The Better India is to leverage our massive community of over 200 Million readers to build meaningful, impact-focused, scalable and 'better' businesses. The Better Home's traction in just one year of launching is testimony to the power of our community.

A successful brand today needs the right blend of traditional business ethics and new age approach to marketing & sales to breakthrough. Being a part of the GlobalBees brand will skyrocket The Better Home's journey. The Better Home will continue to further its mission to the world, and make every household's carbon footprint a little lesser with this association," said Dhimant Parekh, Founder of The Better Home.

The 15 member core team that built The Better Home will join GlobalBees and continue delivering on the company's promise. The Better Home products so far sell on Amazon and the company's website.

GlobalBees is an aggregator of digital brands that transforms marketplace sellers into international brands loved by millions. The company invests in, acquires, and grows seller businesses across Amazon, Flipkart, and other marketplaces. The company is looking to partner with companies that have built products based on unique consumer insights.

GlobalBees has offices in Delhi and Bangalore. The company has developed assets and expertise in marketing, technology, logistics, and product innovation. GlobalBees recently raised $150 million in a mix of equity and debt in a Series-A funding round led by FirstCry.

For more information, please visit: (https://www.globalbees.com/).

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The bulls took charge of Dalal Street after a one-day hiatus, led by buying in IT, FMCG and private lenders along with index heavyweight Reliance Industries. This pushed Nifty to a new high of 17,245.50 and it finally settled the day at 17,234, up 158 points. The BSE barometer Sensex jumped 514 points to close at 57,853, with 22 of the 30 stocks in the green.

TCS, Ultratech, HUL and DRL were the top Sensex gainers and they rose between 2-3 per cent. On the other hand, M&M, Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Finserv and Bajaj Finance were the worst performers.

The broader were also buzzing as the formalisation of the economy is enabling organised branded players to gain share. Both BSE Midcap and BSE Smallcap indices rose for the eighth straight day. The former added 0.93 per cent and the latter 0.80 per cent.

In the sectoral space, IT, FMCG and Realty indices lead as they rose over 1 per cent each. Nifty Auto and PSU Bank indices were the only losers. The auto index came under pressure as many firms flagged impact on production amid semi-conductor shortages.

In stock-specific action, shares of auto major Mahindra and Mahindra declined 2 per cent on BSE as the firm expects a 20-25 per cent drop in September vehicle production at its automotive division due to semiconductor shortages. Mahindra will observe 'no production days' of about seven days in its automotive division plants this month.

Kitex Garments shares, meanwhile, were locked in 10 per cent upper circuit through the day after the company announced that Telangana government has approved its expansion plan. The Government order will be issued within a few days, it added.

Shares of HDFC Life Insurance Company recorded an all-time high of Rs 775.65 in trade ahead of a board meeting on Friday scheduled to consider fundraising plan. The stock settled at Rs 759, up 5 per cent.

Vodafone Idea stock hogged the limelight after it surged 17 per cent amid media reports that Chairman of Aditya Birla Group (ABG) Kumar Mangalam Birla reportedly met with Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. According to CNBC-TV18, Birla spoke with Vaishnaw on the health of the telecom sector and discussed the urgent need for government intervention.

The primary market action was also high as the IPOs of Vijaya Diagnostic and Ami Organics entered the second day of the bidding process. While Ami Organics continued to garner strong investor response, with bids of over 3 times, Vijaya Diagnostic struggled to cross the halfway mark. It was subscribed over 40 per cent on Day 2. Both these issues close for subscription on Friday.

Now, going into trade tomorrow, the focus will be on macro data. Back home, investors will eye the August Services PMI and on the global front the US jobs data to gauge the US Fed's stimulus outlook. That apart, stock-specific triggers and global cues will continue to hold sway over the market trajectory.
A Wexford County resident gets their second COVID-19 vaccine dose during a clinic earlier this spring at the Wexford County Civic Arena. Medical leaders from 21 hospital systems in Michigan signed an open letter to residents pleading with some urgency for people to get vaccinated.
Hainan province will promote the establishment of an international carbon trading exchange and try to attract more listed companies to set up shop on the tropical island, according to a plan on using finance to support its goal of becoming a free trade port.

The plan (link in Chinese), released on Wednesday, fleshes out how Hainan will act on a list of recommendations (link in Chinese) issued earlier this year on the same subject by central financial authorities.

The implementation plan is the latest step in Beijings grand vision of transforming the southern island into a world-class free trade port.

The new document lays out 89 measures in various fields, including improving the convertibility of the yuan, supporting cross-border trade and investment, and improving Hainans financial market.

Hainan will ramp up support for green finance and for setting up an international carbon trading venue to connect the international and domestic markets, the plan says.

In addition, the plan says that industry and government players should work together to help companies get listed, especially those in tourism, modern services industries, high-tech sectors, and tropical agriculture. The plan also calls for attracting high-quality companies that are either already listed or planning IPOs to relocate to Hainan, where policy and supply chain support will be provided.

As of July, Hainan was home to 34 companies (link in Chinese) listed on the Chinese mainland, according to government data.

The island has already unveiled measures to attract international service providers and launched preferential tax policies, though it warned it would not let itself become a tax haven.

The plan also encourages companies to use the yuan for cross-border trade and promises simplified procedures for foreign investments.

Read more

China Unveils Plan to Transform Its Hawaiian Paradise

In April 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that the country would build Hainan into a free trade port. Last year, top policymakers released a master plan (link in Chinese) covering tax breaks and relaxed regulation that aims to make Hainan an internationally influential, high-level free trade port by 2050.

Contact reporter Zhang Yukun (yukunzhang@caixin.com) and editor Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com)

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St. Johnsbury, VT (05819)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 61F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 61F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
St. Johnsbury, VT (05819)

Today

Thunderstorms - some may contain locally heavy rain, especially this evening. Low 61F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms - some may contain locally heavy rain, especially this evening. Low 61F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
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Road repairs outpace last year as season ends

jencinas / By Jorge Encinas/jencinas@capjournal.com Traffic and pedestrians make their way through a freshly fog sealed portion of Wells Avenue between South Court Place and Capitol Avenue on Tuesday.

The City of Pierre is wrapping up its road work season with more resurfaced roads than last year as Street Department crews switch gears for winter.

During the 2021 season, the departments 11 full-time equivalent positions and three seasonal employees resurfaced about 140 blocks  about 9 of the roughly 80 miles of public roads the city maintains. Construction and Operations Manager Jeff Runyan said the department completed about 130 blocks in 2020.

In 2021, the city budgeted $6.6 million for street maintenance and improvement projects. The funds cover chip sealing, materials, salaries, equipment, machinery, asphalt work and contractor projects.

The 140 chip-sealed blocks are now getting a final fog sealing layer to lock out moisture. While the departments crews wrap up the final process, major street projects  portions of Highland Avenue and Airport Road  remain in progress for complete rebuilds. The city expects the projects completed during the fall.

Runyan said the department handles crack, chip and fog sealing, pothole repairs and fixing damaged roads through dig-outs due to larger potholes and deformations.

Through another contract, we do a mill and overlay  where they mill off the surface of the street and overlay that with a hot-mix asphalt, he said. We do curb and gutter contracts.

The citys communications director Brooke Bohnenkamp said theres a mix between what the street team can do and what the city sends to contractors.

A good example is Highland Avenue, she said. That work has been contracted out. So we coordinate with them, obviously, and our utilities department works with the contractor, but our street team isnt there doing that work.

The Highland Avenue project is a complete rebuild from the base through the surface and curbs and gutters on parts of the street. Contractors are also replacing the 70-year-old water main under the road.

So along with that, its a separate department, but its a function of the city, we also replaced, I think this year, we replace 10 blocks of water main that the city performs, Runyan said. Its, like Brooke alluded to earlier, kind of a balancing act. If we have 10 blocks of water main that has to be replaced, that means we also have, you know, 10-ish blocks of asphalt surfacing that will have to be replaced as well.

But Runyan said the city tries not to tear up good streets by planning water main replacements in conjunction with roads needing replacement as well.

The city also needs to consider different factors when planning out its road repairs and what it can finish during the five-month season.

That includes weather constraints, cost of materials, staffing levels  all of those factor into kind of what our goals will be for the chip seal program, Bohnenkamp said.

And weather constraints play a significant role in the citys planning.

Runyan said mid-May to Oct. 15 marks the best time for completing road projects.

The DOT  the Department of Transportation  references a specifications handbook, and I believe on asphalt, it has to be 40 degrees and rising in order to place hot-mix asphalt, he said. And the other consideration on that is you cannot place hot-mix asphalt on subgrade that is frozen. So in a roundabout way, as soon as it starts getting cold  freezing  our seasons pretty much done.

Runyan added the projects also have an oil component and manufacturers stop producing it after cold temperatures arrive. He said the city couldnt restart its projects until temperatures increase again in the spring and manufacturers continue their production.

Although the departments repair season is ending, it doesnt mean work comes to a halt. The Street Departments maintenance of public roads includes snow plowing, street sweeping and salt and sanding roads.

Runyan said the citys crews would also continue emergency repairs such as potholes.

We have the ability to get whats called a cold-patch mix, he said. We buy that knowing that we may have issues in the wintertime that show up here and there.

Runyan found the cold patch isnt equal to hot-mix asphalt, but he said its a means to get through the cold season.

While weather plays a big role in planning the repair season, the department also factors in labor. And like many other places in the Pierre area, filling seasonal positions can pose challenges.

And thats really a factor too that we have to consider when were looking at projects or the work that we kind of have is how many seasonals were able to catch over the year, Bohnenkamp said. You know, workforce is a challenge for everyone right now.

Runyan found the work also makes it tougher to find the needed seasonal employees.

The golf course has a much better time of hiring, you know, people to do lawn maintenance than the Street Department has to hire people to do chip seal work.

But overall, Bohnenkamp said this years road repair season went well for the department and the city.

Its been a positive year for us, she said. I think weve gotten a lot of work done  a lot of big projects going on. Although its been dry, which isnt great for every aspect, its good for construction. It allows them to pound through some things pretty quickly.
Sen. Steve Jarvis, R-Davidson, speaks at the lectern while Gov. Roy Cooper stands behind him at a bill signing, Thursday afternoon at the Governor's Mansion in Raleigh. Photo courtesy of Sen. Jarvis' office.
Baubeau de Secondigne Marcela Argentina

Baubeau de Secondigne was born in Bahia Blanca, Argentina to an Argentine mother and a father of French origin who was an aviator in the Navy. A member of an art-loving family, her sensitivity pushed her from a very young age to draw and she followed in the footsteps of her ancestor, Procesa Sarmiento, an early Argentinean woman painter. When she was 16 years old, Marcela joined the Manuel Belgrano School of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires and graduated four years later. Her surname became her pseudonym. Her passion for drawing, and the pleasure she derives from it, guide her work as a painter. The artist vacillates freely between abstraction and figuration. Her ultimate goal is summed up in one word: colour. Like her idol, Matisse (French artist of the nineteenth - twentieth century), she seeks to make colour a full-fledged object, the paintings centre of attention. She begins her creation with a preparatory draft in pencil or charcoal, then adds splashes of colour here and there with big brushes or spatulas, before putting the canvas on the floor and letting go by projecting the colour on the canvas, whether in acrylic, oil, pigment or ink. She then constantly corrects, clears and improves the work. Her originality is based in the plurality of her creative process. One day inspired by the state of the society that concerns her, she paints, for example, the fate of prostitutes. The next day, she will choose to paint imaginary landscapes, circus scenes or animals, often horses, which the artist honours with her masterful drawing, accurately transcribing their movements. Nonetheless, her paintings have a common point: they often place the child as a symbol of what their parents (humanity) should do, namely, be respectful, attentive or know how to remain quiet. All of her works are a testimony to the delicate balance of life in which symbols or the recycled materials she uses awaken our civic and environmental awareness. In perpetual motion, Baubeau de Secondignes canvases are like the world, ""a dance in which the man and the elements will never stop spinning.""
Danville - Raymond (Ray) Bernard Leary, age 75, of Danville, NH, passed away on Sunday, August 22. Born and raised in Lynn, MA, he was the son of the late Edwin and Eva (Lucia) Leary. He lived in Atkinson, NH, for twenty years before relocating to Danville. Ray was a graduate of St. Mary's H
Beside these roles, Bolio also worked for two years with Craft, an online library and streaming platform that offered tutorials and behind-the-scenes materials from the worlds of animation, gaming, and comics. She curated screenings, masterclasses, and other events. When she lived in L.A., she served for many years on the board of ASIFA-Hollywood.

Before establishing herself at the heart of the indie animation world, Bolio worked as a clean-up artist and assistant animator in Hollywood. She worked at studios including Disney, Dreamworks, Amblimation, and Nickelodeon, picking up credits on The Lion King, Pocahontas, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, The Illusionist, Rockos Modern Life, and many more.

News of her death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from the industry. In a Facebook post, Song of the Sea director Tomm Moore wrote, Im just in shock  love to all her many, many friends in the animation world  she championed the craft with such thoughtfulness and integrity. My thoughts are also with her family whom she adored and always spoke so fondly of when away from them on her travels. Jamie honestly changed my life in so many ways, she will be terribly missed.

David Fine, co-director of Animal Behaviour, posted: I learn of another shocking loss today, but this one someone we worked with quite recently on publicity for Animal Behaviour. Jamie Kezlarian Bolio was sweet and charming and way, way too young to go. I am so sorry for her friends, colleagues, and family who Im sure will miss her dearly.

GKIDS CEO Eric Beckman also paid tribute: I am just hearing this news. I am so deeply in shock. I cant believe its really true. Jamie was such a big part of our lives and was filled with so much love that it sometimes got in her way. It feels incomprehensible. She has been part of the GKIDS family since the earliest days of GKIDS and just such an open hearted and loyal friend.
Photo: pixabay

Partying UBC students were issued thousands of dollars in fines for hosting a non-compliant event this week, says University RCMP.

On Aug. 29, University RCMP officers responded to several calls for service at the fraternity village located on Wesbrook Mall, explains a news release. The officers "observed hundreds of students gathering in the courtyard and inside several homes, contrary to current public health orders."

When the officers arrived at the "non-compliant event," they saw over 50 people gathered in an area where physical distancing was not possible; few of the attendees were wearing masks, too.

The event was also advertised on social media and a video of the party-goers was posted. Officers issued $5,000 in fines to students for hosting the non-compliant event.

The University RCMP says it welcomes all UBC students to the new school year but urges everyone to stay as safe as possible. We are asking that students ensure they observe all public health orders. We have worked hard to get this far over the past 30 months. Lets stay safe and healthy, says Constable Christina Martin of the University RCMP.

I would like to echo what Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry has said from the very beginning, we are all in this together, and we must do our part, adds Cst. Martin.

The University RCMP will be working with the University of British Columbia to make sure any student events on or off-campus are in accordance with current public health orders.

Visit the BC Government website for more information on COVID-19 Return to Campus .

For more COVID-19 information specific to the University of British Columbia visit COVID-19 | Safety & Risk Services .
Photo: The Canadian Press An ambulance passes through a crowd of protesters in Vancouver, on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. Premier John Horgan expressed his gratitude to health-care workers on Wednesday after protests outside some hospitals in the province.

The provincial government will require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 later this month from residents participating in non-essential activities, such as visiting restaurants, gyms and movie theatres.

Demonstration against the government's approach on COVID-19 outside hospitals caused Horgan to issue a statement in support of health-care workers.

"Health-care workers have been true heroes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, working long hours in difficult conditions to care for us, our loved ones and to keep our communities safe," he said in the statement.

"While everyone has the right to peaceful protest, the targeting and harassment of health-care workers at health-care facilities today is completely unacceptable."

Horgan said the intent of COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions since the start of the pandemic has been to keep people healthy and that remains the province's top priority.

In Vancouver, police advised motorists on Wednesday afternoon to avoid an area around city hall and the Vancouver General Hospital because of the size of a protest.

On Twitter, Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart told protesters to "go the hell home" as he expressed his pride at the city's vaccination rate, with more than 90 per cent of those eligible having received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

"So when I see folks blocking health-care workers who are working flat out to save people dying of COVID, it makes me sick."

Kathy MacNeil, president and CEO of the Island Health authority, said some workers at health-care facilities were verbally abused as they came to and from work, and at least one staff member was physically assaulted.

"I am proud my country supports the democratic right to peaceful protest. However, some of todays protests disrupted safe access to health-care facilities," she said in a statement. "

"Our health-care teams deserve respect and support, no matter what personal beliefs we hold."
I am saddened and disappointed by the demonstrations against B.C.s vaccine passport.

I think the vaccine passports are a great idea, and very badly needed.

When I grew up in the UK I had to be vaccinated so I could attend school. Same for our children, who grew up in Ontario. No one thought it was a human right not be vaccinated.

Most of the demonstrators seem to quote U.S.-made conspiracy theories and the like, not scientific fact. If you want to live in the United States go with our blessings. There is no need to try and turn Canada into the US as well.

FR Leslie
On Wednesday, more one thousand individuals assembled in front of Kelowna General Hospital to protest the planned vaccine passport. In doing so, they forgot the vital distinction between what one can do, and what one should do.

As a lawyer, I stand behind the importance of (Canadian) Charter (of Rights and Freedoms) rights such as freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, subject only to reasonable limits. Im glad people cherish these rights. Im glad that laws are being tested against these rights in our courts. This protection of fundamental freedoms is essential to our democratic society. I stand by that both professionally and personally.

My wife is an emergency room nurse at Kelowna General Hospital. So are many of our friends. This pandemic has left them exhausted, isolated, overworked, terrified, and just plain burnt out. These nurses are calling in sick because they cant face another day. Each time that happens, the ones still standing shoulder more of the load. Do they blame their co-workers? Of course not. Because they feel it too, unable to sleep after a night shift, unable to see family members, and unable to see an end in sight. All so that they can be there for their patients. COVID positive? They care for you. Anti-mask? They care for you. Anti-vaxx? They care for you too. They did, they do, and they will.

Despite that, this Wednesday I saw them leaning on each other, crying and breaking down as they made their way through droves of angry, unmasked people to get to their shifts. They gave each other rides to work instead of walking because they were scared for their safety, having been warned of masks being torn from peoples faces. They commiserated on social media about how much this protest beat them down, yet another blow after 18 hard months. Meanwhile, every one of them affirmed their commitment to care for anyone who got sick while protesting. They are amazing and deserving of our gratitude.

Most of Wednesdays protesters acted within their rights. But is the bar that low? Wasnt it worth considering the patients who had to walk through an unmasked crowd to access their chemotherapy? The family members going to the hospital to say goodbye to loved ones, dying of COVID? The health care workers whove sacrificed day in and day out for this whole damned pandemic? Couldnt those rights have been exercised somewhere else, somewhere with an actual connection to the vaccine passport decision?

For goodness sake, wasnt it worth doing better?

Carl da Luz
Ahmaud Arbery was killed Feb. 23, 2020, after a white father and son, Greg and Travis McMichael, armed themselves and pursued the 25-year-Black man in a pickup truck after spotting him running in their neighborhood outside the coastal city of Brunswick.
Residential care communities provide housing for persons who cannot live independently but generally do not require the skilled care provided by nursing homes. On any given day in 2018, an estimated 918,700 residents lived in residential care communities (1,2). With the aging of the U.S. population, the numbers of residential care community residents will likely increase, becoming a substantial segment of the long-term care population. This report presents national estimates of selected characteristics of residential care community residents in 2018.

Keywords: assisted living, long-term services and supports, National Study of Long-Term Care Providers

In 2018, most residential care community residents were female, non-Hispanic white, and aged 85 and over.

Residential care community residents were 67% female and 33% male (Figure 1).

Almost 9 in 10 residential care community residents were non-Hispanic white (89%), 6% were non-Hispanic black, and 5% were of another race or ethnicity.

Most residential care community residents were aged 85 and over (55%), 38% were aged 6584, and 7% were under age 65.

Figure 1. Sex, race and ethnicity, and age of residential care community residents: United States, 2018

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NOTES: Another race or ethnicity includes Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin or descent; non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native; non-Hispanic Asian; non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; non-Hispanic more than one race; and non-Hispanic unknown. Figure excludes cases with missing data. See Data source and methods in this report for details. Access data table for Figure 1pdf icon.

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Study of Long-Term Care Providers, 2018.

Almost 2 in 10 residential care community residents were Medicaid beneficiaries, and the percentage of residents with Medicaid varied by age.

Overall, 19% of residential care community residents were Medicaid beneficiaries (Figure 2).

By age, 11% of residents aged 85 and over, 21% of residents aged 7584, 38% of residents aged 6574, and 50% of residents under age 65 were Medicaid beneficiaries.

Figure 2. Residential care community residents with Medicaid, by age: United States, 2018

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NOTES: Medicaid includes residents who had some or all of their long-term care services paid by Medicaid during the last complete month prior to the survey. Figure excludes cases with missing data. See Data source and methods in this report for details. Access data table for Figure 2pdf icon.

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Study of Long-Term Care Providers, 2018.

Residential care community residents needed the most assistance with bathing, walking, and dressing; almost two-thirds of residents needed assistance with three or more activities of daily living (ADLs).

Among residential care community residents, 61% needed assistance with three or more ADLs, 27% needed assistance with one or two ADLs, and 12% did not need assistance with any ADLs (Figure 3).

Residential care community residents needed assistance with bathing (77%), walking (69%), dressing (62%), transferring in and out of a bed or chair (51%), toileting (49%), and eating (26%).

Figure 3. Residential care community residents needing assistance with activities of daily living: United States, 2018

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NOTES: Activities of daily living (ADLs) refers to residents needing any help or supervision from another person, use of assistive devices, or both. Walking includes using a cane, walker, or wheelchair, or help from another person. Transferring includes needing assistance getting in and out of a bed or chair. Individual ADLs are not mutually exclusive; a resident can be counted for more than one ADL. Figure excludes cases with missing data. See Data source and methods in this report for details. Access data table for Figure 3pdf icon.

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Study of Long-Term Care Providers, 2018.

About one-half of residential care community residents were diagnosed with high blood pressure, and about one-third were diagnosed with Alzheimer disease and other dementias.

Seventeen percent of residential care community residents had ever been diagnosed with 410 of the most common chronic conditions, 49% had ever been diagnosed with 23 of the most common chronic conditions, 20% had ever been diagnosed with one of these chronic conditions, and the remaining 14% had never been diagnosed with these conditions (Figure 4).

The 10 most common chronic conditions among residential care community residents were high blood pressure (55%), Alzheimer disease and other dementias (34%), depression (27%), arthritis (20%), diabetes (20%), heart disease (17%), osteoporosis (12%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and allied conditions (11%), stroke (10%), and cancer (9%).

Figure 4. Most common chronic conditions among residential care community residents: United States, 2018

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NOTES: Heart disease includes coronary or ischemic heart disease. COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and includes chronic bronchitis or emphysema. Individual conditions are not mutually exclusive; a resident can be counted for more than one condition. Figure excludes cases with missing data. See Data source and methods in this report for details. Access data table for Figure 4pdf icon.

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Study of Long-Term Care Providers, 2018.

Summary

In 2018 in the United States, the resident population living in residential care communities were mostly female (67%), non-Hispanic white (89%), and aged 85 and over (55%). Overall, 19% of residential care community residents were Medicaid beneficiaries, and residents under age 65 made up the largest percentage of Medicaid beneficiaries (50%). Residential care community residents needed the most assistance with bathing (77%), walking (69%), and dressing (62%), and a substantial percentage were diagnosed with Alzheimer disease and other dementias (34%) and depression (27%).

This report presents the most current national estimates of selected characteristics of residents in residential care communities. This brief profile of residential care community residents provides information to policy makers, providers, researchers, and consumer advocates as they plan how to best meet the needs of an aging population.

Definitions

Assistance with selected activities of daily living (ADLs): Refers to residents needing any help or supervision from another person, use of assistive devices, or both, with limitations in up to six ADLs (bathing; walkingincludes using a cane, walker, or wheelchair, or help from another person; dressing; transferring in and out of a bed or chair; toileting; and eating) that reflect a residents capacity for self-care.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic bronchitis or emphysema.

Heart disease: Includes coronary or ischemic heart disease.

Medicaid beneficiaries: Refers to residents who had some or all of their long-term care services paid by Medicaid during the last complete month prior to the survey.

Race or ethnicity: Based on responses to two questions that determine Hispanic or Latino origin and race. Three categories were constructed: non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and another race or ethnicity. Another race or ethnicity includes persons of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin or descent; non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native persons; non-Hispanic Asian persons; non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander persons; non-Hispanic persons of more than one race; and non-Hispanic persons of unknown race.

Residential care communities: Includes assisted living communities and other residential care communities (for example, personal care homes, adult care homes, board care homes, or adult foster care) that meet the study eligibility criteria. More details about the study eligibility criteria are published elsewhere (1,2).

Data source and methods

Data for this report are from the residential care community survey component of the 2018 wave of the biennial National Study of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP), conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The survey used a sample of residential care community residents, obtained from a frame that was constructed from lists of licensed residential care communities acquired from the state licensing agencies in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. More details about NSLTCP, including eligibility criteria, design, and outcomes, are published elsewhere (1,2).

The percentage of cases with missing data for variables in this report ranged from 0.2% for Medicaid to 3.2% for needing assistance with walking. These cases were excluded from the analyses on a variable-by-variable basis. Data analyses were performed using the following statistical packages: SAS version 9.3 (3), SAS-callable SUDAAN version 11.0.0 (4), and STATA/SE version 12.1 (5). Analyses incorporated complex survey weights.

About the authors

Christine Caffrey, Manisha Sengupta, and Amanuel Melekin are with NCHS Division of Health Care Statistics, Long-Term Care Statistics Branch.

References

Suggested citation

Caffrey C, Sengupta M, Melekin A. Residential care community resident characteristics: United States, 2018. NCHS Data Brief, no 404. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc:103826.external icon

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health Statistics

Brian C. Moyer, Ph.D., Director

Amy M. Branum, Ph.D., Associate Director for Science

Division of Health Care Statistics

Carol J. DeFrances, Ph.D., Acting Director

Alexander Strashny, Ph.D., Associate Director for Science
Mannok doubles cement bagging capacity

ICR Newsroom By 02 September 2021

Mannok, based in Derrylin, Co Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, has invested EUR2.1m in its cement bagging facilities to double the companys production capacity.



Germany-based Haver & Boecker were awarded the contract to design and manufacture a new 10-spout Roto-Packer Adams bag filling system and a new automatic film reel changer. The new equipment has the capacity to pack 1200 bags per hour. As a result, Mannok will have the capacity to pack around 50tph in weatherproof bags, in addition to a similar packing capacity for paper bags.



Joining the companys Irish sales team on a plant visit to see the new technology in action, Mannoks CEO, Liam McCaffrey, commented: "This is a major investment in our cement operations which completes the second phase of our investment in our weatherproof bagging line, upgrading it from a single to a double bagging line with a significant increase in output capacity.

"Our initial investment to bring our weatherproof PE bags to the market was in response to demand from GB-based merchants, and we later introduced the bags to the Irish market, where the response was equally positive."

The step is part of a programme to extend its reach on both sites of the Irish Sea.

Published under
Yousheng Cement reportedly plans Cameroon project

02 September 2021

Chinas Yousheng Cement is reportedly planning to build a cement plant inside the port of Douala, Cameroon, according to Business in Cameroon.



While the capacity was not disclosed, public sittings related to the projects environmental impact assessment have been planned.

Published under
Sephaku Cement is saving water for itself and the local community

02 September 2021

Sephaku Cement (Dangote group) has prioritised water management by monitoring its use and implementing water balancing programmes such as storm water management at its cement plants in South Africa.

The Aganang cement plant, situated 40km west of Lichtenburg, is located in the North West province, which is a water-stressed region of the world. The flagship integrated plant was designed to drain stormwater into concrete channels and pathways, routing the water into two return water dams.

The plant is connected to three water dams and features four operational pits that need constant deterring both for safety and to continue mining operations. The company ensures the water from its return water dams is recycled and reused as process water and this offsets the use of water from boreholes.

Matsidiso Thelingwani, Sephaku Cements environmental performance manager, said: "Water is a precious resource shared by our our communities, industries and local farmers, all of which are largely dependent on the areas available groundwater resources."

Published under
Buena Vista, CO (81211)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 42F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 42F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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
Pittsylvania County leaders offer projections on the economic impact of the rock fest; Danville and Pittsylvania County reach a COVID vaccination milestone; Red Cross helps a Danville family burned out of their home; A Danville-area church wants to open an emergency food bank.
First, let me tell you I love dogs. But, I don't like to shop with them - not at grocery stores, not at the mall.

Unfortunately, give some people and inch and they will take a mile.

These two people loaded three, yes three, dogs into a cart to shop in Walmart. I took this photo as I sat in the parking lot at Walmart, Highway 153 store.These two people loaded three, yes three, dogs into a cart to shop in Walmart.

Goodness gracious people, leave your kennel at home.

I'm asking Walmart to ban animals in the store.

Again, don't start with me - these are not service animals.

Paula Bean

* * *

I agree with Ms. Bean. I was recently at Barnes & Noble waiting in line, observing the 6-foot social distancing guideline. I suddenly felt something wet on the back of my leg, followed by vigorous licking. I turned around and there was a man (unmasked) about two feet behind me with a very large dog on a leash. He replied "Sorry. He likes people wearing shorts and he must like your lotion." I was speechless and immediately moved away.

The next day I was also at Walmart on Highway 153 and took a picture. The guy was alone and shopping in the fruit and vegetable section. He then joined his partner on another aisle. Yes, the dog was in a doggie backpack, but the thought of an animal where produce is uncovered is just gross.

Please take your doggie in his backpack to enjoy any outdoor venue or activity. Not everyone thinks it's as cute as you do.

Cheri Taylor

* * *

Yes I love dogs, but there is a time and place for them. We were at a restaurant on Cherokee Boulevard last week eating lunch. A group of four came in with a dog. The waitress kindly told the group animals were not allowed inside, but could be on the patio. The girl ringleader says its a support animal.

This excuse is getting out of hand. The CDC recommends we get a vaccine and wear a mask, but eat with animals. I think if you absolutely have to have your so-called support puppy then there should be some form of proper paperwork you provide signed by your Dr. saying you need your puppy to go out in a public restaurant or eating establishment.

Buster Raymer
The Tennessee Valley Authoritys STEM Classroom Grant Program for science, technology, engineering and math learning is now open for applications through Oct. 18.



The program funds STEM learning projects in classrooms and schools in TVAs seven-state service area and is sponsored by TVA in partnership with the TVA retiree organization Bicentennial Volunteers Inc.



TVA is proud to support educators and students to pursue excellence in STEM subjects, said Jeannette Mills, TVA executive vice president and chief external relations officer. We are building the energy system of the future, and our regions future workforce must be prepared to continue innovating for the decades ahead.



Last years program awarded $800,000 in grants to schools across the Tennessee Valley. Teachers can apply for funding up to $5,000 for STEM projects with preference given to applications that explore TVAs primary area of focus: environment, energy, economic and career development and community problem-solving.



Eligible applicants are teachers or school administrators in public or private schools, grades K-12. Schools must be in the TVA service area and receive electricity from a local power distributor served by TVA.



Visit the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network website to learn more about grant requirements, see examples of previously funded projects and apply for funding.
The Chattanooga mens and womens cross country teams will open the 2021 season Friday evening at the Foothills Invitational hosted by Jacksonville State.Eight members of the mens team along with 10-member womens contingent will make the trip to Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala., for the evening race.We are excited to open the season at the JSU Foothills Race, Chattanooga head coach Andy Meyer said. The kids have worked hard all summer and are finally ready to see where their current fitness is.The course is fast and flat so there should be some very good times. This meet will be very competitive. Both squads will have plenty of high caliber kids to race against.The women will run at 4-kilometer race while the mens race will cover 5-kilometers.The Mocs will compete against teams from Alabama State, Auburn, Birmingham Southern, Columbus State, Huntingdon, LaGrange, North Alabama, Shorter, Troy, University of the South, Wallace State and West Georgia.This meet is a great way to ease into the season and test ourselves against some great local schools, Meyer said. Our ladies will be led by transfer Justine Glass and Grad student Makenzie Jones. Right behind them will be our youth led by Lesley Green, Emma Russum, Ashtyn Hagood, Julianna McReynolds, and transfer Morgan Oullette.The guys will be led by seniors Jonathan Boyd and Ryan Phillips again with the youth right behind them Aaron Isbell, Kaigen Mulkey, Eammon O'Bryant, Jasper Wilson and Lane Hollis.The first race will begin at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time. Results will be available immediately following the race on GoMocs.com.
Lookout Mountain District Attorney Chris A. Arnt has released his finding in the officer-involved shooting of Jack Lamar Harris, saying it was legitimate use of force by law enforcement officers under Georgia law.



On Aug. 19, Harris was shot and killed by law enforcement officers from the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit (LMJC) Drug Task Force (DTF) and the Walker County Sheriffs Department (WCSO). This shooting was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). District Attorney Arnt has reviewed the case file and determined the shooting was a legitimate use of force by law enforcement officers under Georgia Law.

In this case, Walker County 911 received a call on the morning of Aug. 19, regarding a violent domestic assault that was in progress. A female victim (CL) advised that Harris had repeatedly beaten her, threatened to kill her and that he was armed with a gun. Deputies were dispatched to the area of Brotherton Lane in Chickamauga. Agents of the LMJC DTF were already in the same general area on an unrelated investigation and also decided to respond due to the nature of the call. WCSO Deputies and the DTF agents arrived at the female victims residence at about the same time.

When officers arrived, they had already been advised that Harris was the suspect, he was likely armed with a handgun, and there was a violent physical assault in progress by Harris against CL. Officers approached the residence and announced their presence. Harris emerged from the house onto the porch and with one hand concealed from the officers view. Officers commanded Harris to show his hands, whereupon he stated f--- this and stepped back into the residence. Officers were about to implement the protocol for a barricaded gunman with a possible hostage when Harris stepped back onto the porch with a handgun in his right hand.

WCSO deputies and the DTF agents immediately began telling Harris to drop the gun. Harris instead chose to level the gun directly towards the chest of the closest DTF agent. Subsequently, a WCSO deputy and two DTF agents fired at Harris, virtually simultaneously, with about 10 rounds striking Harris and killing him. Harris still had the firearm clutched in his right hand when he fell to the ground.

Officers searched the residence and located a badly beaten and partially nude CL inside the residence. CLs eyes and face were so badly beaten that her eyes were virtually swollen shut. CL was bloody and bruised all over her body. Harris had pulled large clumps of hair from CLs head. Harris arrived at the victims residence the night before the incident. An argument ensued between the victim and Harris, who was drunk and smoking crack. Harris beat CL throughout the night and into the next morning, using his hands, fists, a bridle, a gun and knives to assault and choke CL. He also threatened to kill CLs cat. CL was able to get Harris phone and call 911 on the morning of August 19, 2020. Once Harris learned that law enforcement was on the way, he told CL that he would kill her and himself when the police arrived. According to CL, Harris called a family member while waiting for the police to arrive and told them he was about to die. Once the police arrived, Harris went out to meet them and CL could see him with the pistol in his hand extended out like he was about to shoot someone. She then heard several gunshots, which sounded fast and in close proximity to each other. Officers then entered the residence and had CL taken to CHI Memorial for medical treatment.

The GBI investigation of the scene corroborated the statements of CL and the officers on the scene. An examination of Harris gun by a GBI crime scene specialist, determined the gun to be a starter pistol, which is a blank gun designed to be used to start a race. This fact would have been unknown to the officers on the scene. A review of Harris criminal record revealed a history of violence and specifically violent domestic assaults.

Applicable Law:



O.C.G.A.  17-4-20 (b) provides that a law enforcement officer may use deadly force to apprehend a suspected felon only when the officer reasonably believes that the suspect possesses a deadly weapon or any object, device, or instrument which, when used offensively against a person, is likely to or actually does result in serious bodily injury; when the officer reasonably believes that the suspect poses an immediate threat of physical violence to the officer or others; or when there is probable cause to believe that the suspect has committed a crime involving the infliction or threatened infliction of serious physical harm.

O.C.G.A  16-2-21 (a) provides that a person is justified in threatening or using force against another when and to the extent that he or she reasonably believes that such threat or force is necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person against such other's imminent use of unlawful force; however, except as provided in Code Section 16-3-23, a person is justified in using force which is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm only if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily injury to himself or herself or a third person or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.

District Attorney Arnts Conclusion:

It is clear beyond a reasonable doubt that Harris was engaged in a violent assault of CL during which he was armed with a gun and knives. Once law enforcement officers arrived, Harris elected not to comply with the officers commands and instead chose to arm himself with a gun. When ordered to drop the gun, he instead made the choice to point it directly at the chest of a law enforcement officer. At this point officers had only one real choice and that was to fire on Harris to protect the safety of the victim and the officers. The officers were in legitimate fear of serious bodily injury or death and were justified under O.C.G.A  16-2-21 (a) to use deadly force. In addition officers were justified in using force under O.C.G.A.  17-4-20 (b) as they were faced with an armed violent criminal who was engaged in a violent assault that had already produced serious physical injury to Cl and who posed a current danger of causing physical harm to CL and to law enforcement officers.

District Attorney Arnt stated that The loss of anyones life is tragic, and the decisions and actions that lead to Harriss death were the direct result of his own choices. I hope and pray that the officers who were forced to take actions that resulted in the death of Mr. Harris, are able to cope with the trauma this has caused them. I also hope and pray that CL has a full recovery from her injuries.
Here are upcoming road closures in Chattanooga due to special events:

Thursday

University of Tennessee Football

The following roads will be closed on Thursday from 2 p.m. until midnight:

Reggie White Blvd between the Chattanooga Skate Park north entrance and W 20th Street

Chestnut Street between W 17th Street and W 19th Street

W 19th Street between Reggie White Blvd and Chestnut Street

Street parking will be prohibited on Chestnut Street within the closure on the dates/times listed above. Vehicles left within the closure will be towed at the owner's expense.

Friday

Nightfall - Cherry Street / Martin Luther King Boulevard / Market Street

Cherry Street will be closed at E MLK Boulevard on Friday from 3 p.m. until midnight for Nightfall setup. Market Street will be closed from East 8th Street to East 10th Street, and ML King Boulevard will be closed from Broad Street to Georgia Avenue from 5:30 p.m. until midnight. These closures will be in effect each Friday night through Sept. 10.

Saturday

Chattanooga Football Club Home Match

The following roads will be closed on Saturday from 3:30-11:30 p.m.:

Reggie White Boulevard between the Chattanooga Skate Park north entrance and W 20th Street

Chestnut Street between W 17th Street and W 19th Street

W 19th Street between Reggie White Boulevard and Chestnut Street

Street parking will be prohibited on Chestnut Street within the closure on the dates/times listed above. Vehicles left within the closure will be towed at the owner's expense.

Sunday

Chattanooga Market - Reggie White Boulevard

Reggie White Boulevard will be closed in front of the First Horizon Pavilion for the Chattanooga Market on Sunday from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. for the weekly Chattanooga Market. This week's theme is the Food Truck Street Festival.

Monday

5K for FCA - Amnicola Highway

The westbound right lane on Amnicola Highway will be closed from just east of S Creek Road to the Tennessee Riverpark entrance on Monday from 6:30-9:30 a.m. for runners to access the Riverwalk.

View CDOT's map of events and road closures for full details of these activities and other projects underway in our public space.
More than 24,000 new acres serving as a critical buffer to the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, as well as Cumberland Island National Seashore, will be available for southeast Georgia outdoor enthusiasts, thanks to the partnership efforts of multiple agencies, groups, and individuals. An additional 3,000 acres were protected by a conservation easement co-held by the State and Navy, bringing the total acres protected to 27,000. These groups gathered Thursday to celebrate the acquisition of these important properties, known as Ceylon Wildlife Management Area and which includes property formerly part of Cabin Bluff.

We are incredibly fortunate to be able to obtain these extraordinary properties and now will be able to manage them for the benefit of our citizens, said Georgia Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Mark Williams. It cannot be emphasized enough that the purchase of these properties would not have been possible without the support and investment of all of our dedicated partners.

These new properties include longleaf pine uplands, maritime forest, freshwater wetlands, and tidal salt marsh wetlands. Protecting them will allow for the expansion of a fire-managed longleaf pine ecosystem beneficial to the gopher tortoise, and other imperiled species and allow Georgia Department of Natural Resources to offer more public recreation lands.

This area is home to multiple game species, at least 10 federally listed, candidate and petitioned species, and 24 State-protected, rare, or species of concern, including four viable gopher tortoise populations, wood stork, Florida manatee, the bald eagle, painted bunting and, the hooded pitcher plant. With restoration, Cabin Bluff and Ceylon will also provide future habitat for red-cockaded woodpeckers.

Funding for the purchase of the properties was made possible by multiple partners (state and federal agencies, conservation groups, private foundations, and others) through conservation easements, grants (federal and private) and the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program. Following are comments from some of these involved and integral partners:

US Navy (Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program)

"The collaboration between Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay and the REPI partners resulted in the protection of more than 27,000-acres of land known as Cabin Bluff and Ceylon," said Capt. Chester Parks, commanding officer of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. "These successful projects protect the mission of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay from incompatible development, while also preserving vital habitat for a number of threatened and endangered species."

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (National Coastal Wetland Conservation and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grants Program)

Rarely do you find such an amazing piece of property that checks so many of the conservation boxes  pristine habitat for gopher tortoises, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and migratory birds; recreational access to hunters and anglers; important historical and cultural resources; connected lands and waters for a growing climate corridor  that our agency holds dear, said Leopoldo Miranda-Castro, the regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the South Atlantic, Gulf and Mississippi Basin. The breadth, and financial commitment, of our many state, federal, military, nonprofit, and private partners too is something to behold.

USDA Forest Service (Forest Legacy Program)

The USDA Forest Service remains proud of the tangible partnerships built with state and federal agencies, land trusts and other conservation organizations, said Director of Cooperative Forestry Kay Reed. We are grateful for their continued support and commitment to keeping forests as forests so that future generations can enjoy the benefits of nature.

Georgia Forestry Commission (Forest Legacy Program)

"The Ceylon and Cabin Bluff acquisitions not only protect a significant footprint of rare maritime forestland along our coast, but they also ensure that productive forestry and wildlife conservation will continue far into the future providing both economic and environmental benefits to all the citizens of Georgia."

The Nature Conservancy

The permanent protection of this large landscape, once the home of Timucuan native Americans, European settlers and slave plantations, saw and timber mills, is only possible because Georgia has a visionary group of conservation leaders in the government, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors who work together to share resources, said Deron Davis, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy, Georgia. These collaborations give the people of our state beautiful natural areas to explore, provide vital habitat for plants and animals, help clean our air and water and buffer communities from storm surges, and allow us to recognize and pay respect to the ancient stewards of this land.

The Conservation Fund

The Ceylon property was one of the largest, unprotected, and undeveloped Atlantic coastlines in Georgia, and it could have become 20,000 residential units with commercial developmentan ecologically devastating result had The Conservation Fund and the Open Space Institute not stepped up to purchase and secure it for the State, said Andrew Schock, Georgia and Alabama State Director for The Conservation Fund. Now that it is protected as a WMA, this land can continue to provide critical habitat for an array of wildlife and new recreational access to outdoor enthusiasts. A truly wonderful outcome made possible by many strong partnerships.

Open Space Institute

Permanent protection of the Ceylon and Cabin Bluff properties are enormous conservation victories for Georgia and the coastal U.S. In protecting this fragile landscape from further development, we have protected inland communities from flood risks, created recreation offerings for the people of Georgia, and provided critical habitat for the gopher tortoise, migratory birds, and other wildlife, said Kim Elliman, President and CEO of the Open Space Institute. "OSI is proud to be part of this transformative effort and we offer our great thanks to the Wyss Foundation for their support. We also congratulate the State of Georgia and our conservation partners for this momentous conservation achievement.

Management of the Ceylon WMA will focus on recreational opportunities and continued restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem which provides important habitat for wildlife. More information about Ceylon WMA at https://georgiawildlife.com/ceylon-wma.




Scenic City Summit is a 16 speaker, 32 session technology conference hosted virtually this year. The conference is being held Friday, Sept. 24, and includes two keynote speakers. Tickets are on sale now at sceniccitysummit.com.

Presented by ChaTech this event brings together developers, designers, database administrators, project managers, and other IT professionals to share real-world business problems, best practices and emerging technologies. Pre-pandemic SCS brought together 400+ developers from 72 companies participated in 40+ presentations, covering a wide array of subject areas. Now in its sixth year, Scenic City Summit will be hosted on the Socio platform to provide speakers and attendees with more networking opportunities as we continue to interact remotely.

Were pleased to continue the tradition of bringing the tech community together with a range of topics presented by speakers from across the United States and the world," said ChaTech Executive Director Walton Robinson. "The variety of sessions reflect the diversity present in the Chattanooga region and the broader IT landscape that we inhabit.

This years conference includes topics such as containers in the cloud, functional programming, caching patterns, and mutation testing. This years keynote speakers, Sarah Lean and Kyle Ruddy, will also bring topics such as cloud transformation for an organization and cloud utilization.

Learn more about ChaTech, Scenic City Summit, and how to get involved by calling 826-8700 or visit chatechcouncil.org.
The Hamilton County Water & Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA) is raising the sewer use rate by 9.8 percent effective Oct. 1.

Officials said, "The WWTA is in the process of entering into a Consent Decree (CD) with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Consent Decree is a negotiated legal settlement and work plan to reduce excessive sanitary sewer overflows (SSO) in Hamilton County. The WWTA has been working with the EPA for over five years to develop a CD work plan that will be both affordable and provide compliance with the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.



"The WWTA is not alone in the need to renew wastewater infrastructure. There are a number of other metropolitan areas across the state of Tennessee who currently have Consent Decrees with the EPA.



"The WWTA will be required to spend over $200 million on rehabilitation projects in the wastewater system in the coming years. These investments will benefit the residents of Hamilton County by protecting the environment and providing for economic growth. Another benefit will be increased compliance with federal and state laws and fewer fines from the regulatory authorities.

"Unfortunately, these benefits come at a cost so higher wastewater rates are necessary.

The WWTA is working to secure additional funding sources, but the majority of the funding will come directly from WWTA ratepayers. Because of this, the sewer use rate will increase by 9.8% on October 1, 2021. Customers with a water meter size that is less than one inch that do not use more than 2,054 gallons of water per month will not be affected by the increase."



WWTA Commissioners said, We understand the impact of rate increases on our customers and do not take this lightly. The reality is that we have no choice.



Over the coming months, the WWTA will publicize rehabilitation projects and post regular updates on social media as well as through traditional media platforms. WWTA Commissioners want customers to know why these investments are being made, where they are being made, and how they will serve customers both now and in the future, it was stated.


On the premiere episode of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3, Ariela Danielle revealed that she and her fiance, Biniyam Shibre have a live-in nanny to help them with their son, Avi. 90 Day Fiance fans are divided with extreme opinions about her having a nanny while Ariela and Biniyam are unemployed. Some fans think that its a sign of Arielas privilege, and some think its her way of adapting to the Ethiopian culture.

Ariela and Biniyam, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 | TLC

Ariela and Binyam hire a live-in nanny to watch their son while jobless

On the premiere episode of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way that aired on August 28th, Ariela lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with Biniyam with their son, Avi. She revealed that Biniyams jobs as a dancer, choreographer, and martial artist have been on hold due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Ariela said, Its been really hard for Bini because theres almost like no work.

She revealed that her parents have been helping her out financially. She revealed, My parents have been helping us. The couple hired a live-in nanny, Mimi, to help take care of Avi. Ariela said, In Ethiopia, its very common for people to have live-in help. She explained, Child care in Ethiopia is much cheaper than it is in the states. Its only $200 a month.

Some 90 Day Fiance fans say Ariela hiring a nanny is privileged

Some fans think that having someone in-home is a good way to learn the Ethiopian culture, customs, and language. Meanwhile, the others think that using her parents money to have a nanny is frivolous, considering that neither of them is employed.

One Reddit user and 90 Day Fiance fan wrote, Its called being a spoiled princess by her parents who raised her to believe she doesnt have to work and needed a man to take care of her and a nanny/maid! Another fan commented, I think people dislike her because shes privileged in a sense that she doesnt have to worry about money because of her parents but rather than use that opportunity to get ahead and become something, she just prances around the world making reckless decision after reckless decision.

Another fan said that shes good at getting her way, writing, Man, say what you will about Ari, but this girl knows how to get her way. Got her parents paying her way, live-in-nanny, ex husband staying in her home with her new family. She must have gotten her masters in manipulation tactics.

Some 90 Day Fiance fans think her nanny is helping her adapt to Ethiopian culture

In the premiere episode, Ariela makes a traditional Ethiopian flatbread, injera, with the help of her nanny, Mimi. Ariela said, She helps me understand Ethiopian culture and Ethiopian life. She helps me to learn Amharic. She taught me Ethiopian cooking. Many fans of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way agreed with Ariela that having a nanny helps learn Biniyams culture.

One fan and Reddit user wrote, The nanny is helping Ari learn new skills and how to cook traditional local foods. I think shes been good for Ari. Another fan wrote, Shes one of the very few that actually bothers to learn the culture and the language and has been more than reasonable, in my opinion anyway. Another said, Nannies arent frivolous and seem completely normal in this culture. If this is how they (or even her parents!) want to spend their money, its none of our business.

Part of the beauty of 90 Day Fiance is that it showcases many different cultures, people from different social classes, and interesting situations. This leads fans to many discussions about the show. Ariela having a nanny is just one of the many controversial debates right now, thanks to her storyline. It will be interesting to watch more of Ariela and Biniyams family dynamic in the upcoming episodes of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance Fans Think Ariela Still Has Feelings for Her Ex-Husband and Best Friend Leandro
Parts Unknown was Anthony Bourdains fourth and final series. Premiering on CNN in April of 2013, the show was a massive success. The celebrity chef and his crew filmed and produced beautiful episodes all over the world. Instead of focusing solely on food, the travel show took on a more meaningful, political stance.

Parts Unknown has been up for nomination for 31 Primetime Emmy Awards since it began and has won seven of them. Here are three of the best episodes in the series that got a nomination.

Anthony Bourdain | David Livingston/Getty Images

Libya (2013)

The Libya episode, shot in 2013, was one of the most dangerous places Bourdain has ever been. The country is located in the Maghreb region of North Africa along the Mediterranean Sea. The war-torn country is not very safe for leisurely travel, due to civil unrest and military coups.

During the filming of the show, a close associate of one of the interview subjects was kidnapped. However, nothing bad happened to Bourdain or the crew themselves. The episode was nominated for an Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming award.

[We were] having conversations with really interesting people saying incredible things, where you are sort of holding your breath, thinking, Just keep talking, keep talking, keep talking, keep talking, Bourdain told the Washington Post. Its also a beautifully photographed and beautifully edited piece of work.

Tokyo (2014)

Tokyo is the largest urban economy in the world and an absolutely captivating place. Before he became famous, Tokyo was one of the first destinations Bourdain ever traveled to. Because of this, he always had a special connection with the city.

The episode was not seeking the normal Tokyo, but rather the underbelly. Bourdain was in search of the dark, bizarre parts the city is known for. It went on to be nominated for an Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction award.

For those with restless, curious minds, fascinated by layer upon layer of things, flavors, tastes and customs, which we will never fully be able to understand, Tokyo is deliciously unknowable, the celebrity chef wrote on his Tumblr page. Im sure I could spend the rest of my life there, learn the language, and still die happily ignorant.

Borneo (2016)

Bourdain first traveled to this large, Southeastern Asian Island back in 2006. It was early on in his career, and he fell deeply in love with the culture. He made a special connection with those he met and promised that he would come back again in the future.

After 10 years and a lot of traveling, he fulfilled that promise and returned. He took part in their yearly harvest festival and partied hard with the people. Borneo was nominated for an Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program award.

Its one of the most beautiful places on earth, as remote and as different from where I grew up as any place could be, the travel host told CNN. The people are lovely  and the food, as everywhere in Malaysia, incredible. It was, in the end, the best kind of adventure.

RELATED: Anthony Bourdain Said These 4 Movies Inspired Him Most
Daffney Unger, who was known to wrestling fans for her role as the Scream Queen, has died. The performers close friend, Lexie Fyfe, confirmed the devastating news on her social media accounts. Ungers death marked the culmination of a desperate search that concluded with the sad news.

Daffney Unger | YouTube

Daffney Unger posted a distressing YouTube video

In a disturbing video that subsequently went viral, Daffney Unger verbalized thoughts of suicidal ideation. Do you guys not understand that Im all alone? she said while holding what appeared to be a pistol. Remember, my brain goes to Boston.

Unger posted the video, which you can see below, to her Instagram Live story.

[Content warning: Disturbing content.]

Disturbing content warning  Daffney (Unger) went live on Instagram and many have feared that she is suicidal, holding what appeared to be a small pistol on the stream. If you or someone you know needs help call 800-273-8255 pic.twitter.com/SnvmNe3FeP  SkullsMedia.com by GIFSkull (@SkullsMedia) September 2, 2021

The link to the video was shared by popular wrestling fan SkullsMedia. He said that despite comments to the contrary, he wasnt taking down the video. If this saves even one persons life, its worth losing all the followers, its worth having no followers at all. LIFE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SOCIAL MEDIA, he wrote.

Mick Foley was one of the popular wrestlers who led the charge in searching for her

Mick Foley, who was known as Mankind in his wrestling career, was one of the first mainstream wrestlers to put out a call for help in the Daffney Unger case.

If anyone has a way of reaching Daffney Unger, or knows her address, please help out. Shes in a bad personal place and is threatening to harm herself.



My phone call went straight to voicemail.  Mick Foley (@RealMickFoley) September 2, 2021

Foleys call for help, which was retweeted more than 2,300 times on Twitter, was matched by other wrestlers.

The New York Post reported that Unger, whose real name was Shannon Spruill, also had an outpouring of support from her fans. One of my earliest memories of watching Wrestling as a kid was seeing Daffney with Crowbar and David Flair on WCW worldwide every week and thinking man this chick is so crazy yet so bloody awesome! wrote one fan.

The Georgia police had been looking for Daffney Unger since Sept. 1, according to the outlet.

Unger died of an apparent suicide

Daffney Unger died of an apparent suicide, according to her longtime friend Lexie Fyfe.

"We are very sad to have to announce the passing of Shannon Spruill aka Daffney Unger @screamqueendaff. We are posting this at the request of her family. Please respect their privacy at this trying time.

I will miss you my logical sister from another mister."

-Lexie Fyfe  SHIMMER Wrestling (@SHIMMERwomen) September 2, 2021

She was found very early this morning, Fyfe told The New York Daily News. I loved watching her perform. She was a born performer who was made for wrestling. When she had to retire due to injuries, she missed it immensely. Shell be missed as a performer too, not just as a friend, but mostly as a friend. This last act, I dont want it to define her. She would always want people to reach out for help and to check in on those theyre worried about. Were going to miss her.

Fyfe subsequently shared an official post on her Instagram page at the request of Ungers family. Other wrestlers also shared their good wishes to Ungers family. RIP Daffney. Just, awful news. She was a guest at my weddingThis is so incredibly sad. Please, reach out. Always. Godspeed, said wrestler Frankie Kazarian, to TMZ.

How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.

RELATED: Roman Reigns & Money In The Bank 2021: Predictions, Spoilers, & News
One year after stepping down as senior royals Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a primetime special in which they made some explosive claims about Britains most famous family.

One of the most alarming things the Duke and Duchess of Sussex alleged is that a member of Harrys family had conversations about their sons skin color prior to his birth. Meghan said it was relayed to her that one royal had concerns about how dark his skin might be when hes born. This left viewers stunned and some quickly labeled the royals as racists. But the father of an officer who served in the military with Prince Harry doesnt believe thats true even though Harry had to apologize for calling his son a racial slur in the past.

Prince speaks with servicemen as he pays tribute at the memorial site for Guardsman Mathew Talbot of the Coldstream Guards | Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage

The royals had to apologize after Prince Harry called a fellow solider a slur

Prince Harry has not been free from scandals or using racist slurs himself in the past. An instance of that was made public in 2009. A leaked video showed footage of Harry three years earlier during a military exercise calling one of his Pakistani colleagues a derogatory term. Clarence House issued an apology and said the word is one that had been used in Army slang for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.

Ahmed Khan, who was on the receiving end of the slur, tried to explain that it wasnt meant to be hurtful saying: Harry called me by a nickname which is usually very insulting but I know he didnt mean it that way. We were close friends when we were training and I know he is not a racist.

RELATED: Meghan Markles Father Attacks Prince Harry for Dukes Past After Bombshell Interview, Ive Never Dressed as Hitler

Father of soilder Harry was in the service with doesnt buy their claims

Oprah Winfrey interviewing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for primetime special | Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese via Getty Images

Khans father, Muhammad Yaqoob Khan Abbasi, spoke to The Sun from his home in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and said he did not buy Harry and Meghans racism claim.

Prince Harry might have his problems with the family but I dont agree with him at all, Abbasi said. I dont think the U.K. people or the royal family are racists. They are accommodating to people from all parts of the world and giving them access to the best facilities as citizens and residents. I have met members of the royal family and they were extremely polite and loving.

He added that he was hurt when he learned what Harry called his son but cannot ignore the love shown by other members of the royal family.

He also shared his opinion of Harrys father Prince Charles

Prince Harry carrying his rucksack as he returns from Afghanistan accompanied by Prince William and Prince Charles | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

RELATED: Prince Harry Isnt the Only Prince to Write a Memoir After Leaving the Royal Family

Because Harry stated that he was not going to reveal which senior royal allegedly made a comment about Archies skin color, many who watched the interview began to speculate and wonder if it was Queen Elizabeth or Harrys grandfather, Prince Philip. Oprah then clarified that the Duke of Sussex did make clear to her that it was neither of them.

He did not share the identity with me, but he wanted to make sure that I knew and if I had an opportunity to share it that it was not his grandmother nor his grandfather that were a part of those conversations, the former talk show host told her friend CBS This Morning co-anchor Gayle King.

Again fans tried to pin down who it could be and Prince Charles is one name that came up. But if you ask Abbasi, he certainly doesnt believe it was the Prince of Wales, who he got to know a bit when he was at Buckingham Palace for his sons graduation.

I had some wonderful moments with Prince Charles, Abbasi reflected. The royals are very nice human beings. I cannot call them racists. They are great people who respect their citizens. I believe they have the same level of respect for all people in their own country and around the world. In fact, I didnt see any racists in the U.K. I believe the U.K. is a nice country, welcoming people from every corner of the world.
The second season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, which premieres Sept. 12, will follow Jen Shah after her arrest on charges related to a telemarketing fraud scheme aimed at people over the age of 55. Shah faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty. As her arrest occurred during filming for season 2, viewers will watch Shah navigate her legal troubles on screen. This is not nearly the first time that a member of the Real Housewives franchise has faced criminal charges.

Jen Shah | Heidi Gutman/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Teresa Giudice

In July 2013, The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice and her husband Joe Giudice faced charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications, and bankruptcy fraud.

According to Us Weekly, while the couple first pleaded not guilty, they eventually changed their plea to guilty. A judge sentenced Teresa to 15 months in prison, and Joe to three-and-a-half years. Joe Giudice entered into ICE custody after 41 months. The federal agency eventually deported him to his birth country of Italy.

Teresa Giudice | Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Danielle Staub

While the arrest was long before Danielle Staub was a cast member on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, it resulted in a now-infamous moment in the franchise. The true-crime memoir Cop Without a Badge alleges that Staub changed her name after she and her then-boyfriends arrest in 1986 for extortion and ransom.

The allegations in the book led to an explosive confrontation between the New Jersey Housewives. It came to a head when Teresa Giudice flipped a table and was led screaming from the room.

Erika Jayne

Like Shah, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne and her husband Tom Girardi are navigating an ongoing case for fraud and embezzlement. The suit alleges that the couple embezzled settlement money intended for the families of Lion Air Flight 610 victims. All 189 passengers died when the flight crashed in 2018.

Erika Jayne | Matt Winkelmeyer/2021 MTV Movie and TV Awards/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS

Though Jayne and Girardi have since separated, federal court documents cast doubt on the validity of their divorce. According to Us Weekly, documents filed by the class action firm Edelson PC claim, While Erika publicly filed for divorce this month, on information and belief, that divorce is simply a sham attempt to fraudulently protect Toms and Erikas money from those that seek to collect on debts owed by Tom and his law firm GK.

Luann de Lesseps

On Dec. 24, 2018, Palm Beach police arrested The Real Housewives of New York star Luann de Lesseps, known as Countess Luann. After entering the wrong hotel room while intoxicated, de Lesseps resisted arrest. She faced charges of battery on a police officer, disorderly intoxication, resisting arrest with violence, and threatening a public servant.

In a statement to E! News, de Lesseps said, This was my first time in Palm Beach since my wedding, and being here brought up long-buried emotions. I want to offer my sincere apologies to anyone I might have offended with my behavior. I am committed to transformative and hopeful 2018.

RELATED: Is The Real Housewives Coming To an End? Resurfaced Andy Cohen Interview Paints Grim Future
Johnny Depp has been in Hollywood for a very long time. He made his film debut back in 1984 in Wes Cravens The Nightmare On Elm Street and has since played everyone from Edward Scissorhands to Willy Wonka. And even though Depp has recently suggested that he doesnt have quite the same star power he used to, there are few who would argue that Depp has not made an impact on Hollywood.

Johnny Depp has had quite a career

Johnny Depp | Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for ZFF

After Elm Street, Depp went on to appear in many more star-making films, including Whats Eating Gilbert Grape, The Pirates of the Caribbean series, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Some of his roles are eccentric, but the fact that Depp takes risks means he has also created numerous iconic characters that live on for fans today.

Dont be fooled by the risks, though  Depp has true acting chops. As David Ehrlich from Rolling Stone notes, Depps role in Donnie Brasco proved the star could pull off a serious, brooding performance when he felt like it. Ehrlich also celebrates one of the stars most iconic roles, saying the actors unblinking eyes [reflected] the joy of every new experience in his performance from Edward Scissorhands. Drama students for years to come will no doubt be studying Depps nuanced characters and everything he has brought to the craft of acting.

Depps personal life has sometimes overshadowed his achievements

Many know that Depp and his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, had a tumultuous end to their relationship. Heard repeatedly accused Depp of abuse, even going so far as to claim that Depp tried to kill her. Depp repeatedly denied her allegations and even sued The Sun for libel when they reported that he had hurt Heard. Depp lost that lawsuit and the judge in the case didnt exactly hide the fact he thought Depp was a wife-beater, but Depp has also yet to be convicted of assault, so its understandable that people have been very torn in their opinions on him recently.

For his part, Depp has also claimed that Heard is abusive, and the multiple legal battles theyve engaged in since their split in 2016 havent exactly helped the truth float to the surface. Depps supporters apparently (unsuccessfully) clamored for Heard to be removed from Aquaman, whereas Depps detractors have mostly been focused on reducing the power he holds over Hollywood. In short, the whole Heard/Depp thing has been a mess for all involved.

Johnny Depp was just named the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement honor

Despite the controversy surrounding Johnny Depp, the actor will receive the Donostia Award, Spain's San Sebastian Film Festival's lifetime achievement honor that recognizes outstanding contributions to the film world" #THRNews pic.twitter.com/Elqu1kuE4E  The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 9, 2021

Despite the controversy around his name recently, Depp will receive the San Sebastian Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Honor known as the Donostia Award on September 22nd in Spain. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, the festival director Jose Luis Rebordino has gone on the record to defend his decision to honor one of contemporary cinemas most talented and versatile actors. Rebordino added that the role of a film festival is not to judge the conduct of members of the film industry [but rather] to extend recognition to those who have made an extraordinary contribution to the art of film.

When Depp receives the Donostia Award, he will join the ranks of past recipients, which, as the Evening Standard remarks, include Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, and Dame Judi Dench.

So, what is on the horizon for Depp now?

Things may seem shaky for Depp at the moment, especially given that he was asked to leave the Fantastic Beasts franchise. However, Depp still has a few projects ahead of him, including playing the voice of Johnny Puff in an animated series called Puffins, Variety reported in June. It remains to be seen how things will shake out for Depp long-term, but in the meantime, maybe well at least get more soulful guitar videos while he weathers the storm?

RELATED: Johnny Depp Unintentionally Made The Viper Room A Paparazzi Hot Spot in the Nineties
Lizzo is one of musics hottest performers. The flute-playing virtuoso first became famous with catchy tunes like Truth Hurts. In the years since her big debut on the pop music scene, her fame has only increased. Lizzo has collaborated with other top artists, including Cardi B for their hit song Rumors. The artist is equally well known among her fans for her confident nature and body-positive stance. In an intimate 2021 interview, Lizzo revealed the source of her confidence and why being a nerd led to her carrying herself with such strength today.

Lizzo rose to fame in 2019

Lizzo poses in the winners room at The BRIT Awards on February 18, 2020, in London, England. | Dave Benett/Getty Images

Musician Lizzo was born in Michigan in 1988. Raised primarily in Houston, Texas, Lizzo was musically inclined from a young age. She received classical training as a flutist. When she was a teenager, Lizzo started rapping as a way to express her creativity. By the time she turned 21, the young artist decided that she wanted to pursue a career in the music industry. Lizzo moved to Minnesota to try to break into the music business. But the early years of her career were anything but easy.

While Lizzo tried to make it as a musician, she worked several odd jobs to make ends meet. She even worked as a food critic for some time. From 2011 through 2016, Lizzo worked hard on her craft, continuously writing and recording music. In 2019 her song Truth Hurts became a viral sleeper hit. Then her songs Juice and Good as Hell became chart-toppers.

What did Lizzo say about being a nerd?

My band teacher asked for my autograph in high school and I honestly aint know why cus I was just a sweaty band nerd but now Im on @2DopeQueens @HBO so I guess he was on to something pic.twitter.com/oU5UIS88KL  ALL THE RUMORS ARE TRUE (@lizzo) February 22, 2019

After Lizzo became a huge star in 2019, she dealt with an onslaught of social media scrutiny. Through it all, however, the artist has remained true to herself, writing and releasing songs that speak to her. In a 2021 interview for The Zach Sang Show, Lizzo revealed that its important for her to produce music that feels timeless to her, and admitted that she isnt concerned with what other artists are doing.

About her confidence as an artist, Lizzo stated, I think it comes from being a nerd. I was never obsessed with social hierarchy or being popular growing up because that just wasnt given to me. I was definitely always an outsider and I always will still feel like an outsider and an outcast.and I think that humbled me in a way.

Lizzo experienced hard times prior to fame

I calmed down & Im locked in.. AND MY RECORDS LIVE IN THE TOP TEN @IAMCARDIB !!!!



THANK YOU FOR STREAMING #RUMORS IM SO BLESSED ! THANK YOU ! pic.twitter.com/IUte82WhLi  ALL THE RUMORS ARE TRUE (@lizzo) August 23, 2021

The interview with Zach Sang isnt the only time that Lizzo has talked about her life prior to becoming a superstar. She has posted on social media in the past about her time in poverty while she was trying to make it as an artist, writing on Twitter in 2019 that her success was very hard-won: 8 years of touring, giving out free tix to my undersold shows, sleepless nights in my car, losing my dad & giving up on music, playing shows for free beer & food w/ -32 in my bank account, constantly writing songs, hearing no but always saying yes. Glad I never gave up.

Lizzo has also been transparent about the fact that she almost threw in the towel several times, especially in the wake of the death of her father. Lizzo was even homeless for a time, struggling financially as she furiously wrote and performed her music all over Minnesota. Fortunately, her tenacity paid off, and these days, Lizzo is considered to be one of the worlds biggest stars.

RELATED: Lizzo Talks About Her Struggle in College and Why She Once Quit the Flute
Anime has taken over the world by storm. Different shows have cropped up, and the world is consuming the genre at a really fast and impressive pace. Anime might have been around for longer, but it gained traction during the pandemic as many people began binging on different shows during quarantine.

Naruto | Getty Images

One of the popular shows in the genre is Naruto. The series has gained favor and great response from viewers and critics alike, praising it for its well-developed storylines. However, as with all things, Naruto also has its own flaws, and the major one is the number of filler episodes in it.

The filler content doesnt stop fans from watching the show

Seeing as Naruto was an adaption of the manga comics of the same name, production on the anime couldnt continue without developed storylines with the characters. Naruto had to incorporate filler episodes to make room for the manga story to continue to make up for dead air and prevent going off the air.

The filler episodes all had different storylines that veered slightly away from the main storyline but remained entertaining all the same. Anime Filler List reports that between the two series, 295 out of 720 episodes of the hit anime were all filler episodes which is more than 40 percent of the total episodes aired.

Regardless of the shallow storylines in the filler episodes, fans watched the show without skipping the filler and enjoyed the anime all the same. This is probably because the show had a way of engaging its viewers and incorporating comedy and drama into the filler episodes, making it easy for fans to sit through without missing any episode.

Another factor that makes it easier for viewers to sit through all the filler content in the hit anime series is because the show is completed, so fans dont have to wait for weeks to get new episodes while sitting through filler.

Naruto had a detailed yet complex storyline

When the Nine-Tailed beast attacks Konoha, it is sealed inside the body of a newborn child, Naruto, who becomes the foxs new host. The move costs Narutos parents their lives and earns the boy scorn from other villagers who want nothing to do with him.

A decree is issued that forbids anyone from mentioning anything about the beast, and as such, Naruto is left in the dark about the beast inside him. Naruto, however, finds comfort in his teacher Iruka Umino and members of Team 7, including Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke encounters Orochimaru, who plans to kidnap Naruto. He joins Orochimaru In a quest to gain strength to kill his brother, but Naruto and Sakura try to convince him to return. The series ends with Naruto marrying Hinata Hyuga and becoming the Seventh Hokage and Kakashi pardoning Sakuse for his crimes.

Naruto is one of the most popular animes in the world

Naruto follows the titular characters story as he rises against the hate he receives in his village with the support of a few people to become one of the most liked people in the Leaf Village. The series became so popular that the creator couldnt keep up with its popularity.

According to Comic Book, the franchise creator Masashi Kishimoto was unaware of how big the anime had become outside of Japan until he began receiving fan mail from across the globe. He said:

  because manga artists are always working inside rooms, it is difficult for us to see firsthand if our works are really popular. It was not until I received many fan letters from overseas that I realized (Naruto is) popular outside of Japan  some of the letters are written in languages I do not know, so I understand that my work is read by people in various countries.

Interestingly Kishimoto had intended to end the series before exploring the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. The manga series detailed the rivalry between the title character and his arch-enemy Sakuse.

RELATED: Crunchyroll Announces Anime Lineup for Summer 2021
Graveside Service will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, September 18, 2021 at the Rose Hill Cemetery. Service will be under the direction of Sevier Funeral Home. Richard (Ricky) Paul Pace was born on June 30, 1957 in Chickasha, OK. He passed away Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at his home in Chickasha, OK
Last week, The New York Times ran a provocative piece stating that the new president of the Harvard Chaplains is an atheist. Greg Epstein was elected unanimously last spring by his fellow Harvard chaplains. I am one of the people who voted for him.

For seven years, I have worked at Harvard as an evangelical campus minister employed by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF). I believe the Bible is authoritative and entirely trustworthy as Gods Word. I believe that Jesus alone is the way of salvation, and that no one comes to the Father except through him. So why would I vote for an atheist to lead the Harvard Chaplains?

The answer lies in the unique, decentralized approach of the Harvard Chaplains and how that group of leaders from many faiths (or no faith) has opened doors for gospel-centered ministry on the campus of a prestigious Ivy League school. The real Harvard Chaplains groupnot the one poorly represented in the mediatells a different and very significant story of how evangelicals can flourish in interfaith spaces without compromising faith, truth, or mission.

In response to The New York Times profile, many Christian and conservative media outlets were quick to fuel the sense of aggrievement felt by religious people who are understandably trying to protect themselves against the rising tide of secularism. In so many words, theyre concerned that even faith spaces will be ruled by secularists, should Harvard have its way.

Had I not been in the room where it happened, I might have had a similar reaction to the news.

That room was of course a Zoom call. It took place in the spring. As a group of about 30, we voted on a slate of chaplains for next years executive board. I was voted in as chair of the membership committee, and Greg EpsteinHarvards humanist chaplain since 2005was voted in as president. There was very little discussion, a unanimous vote, and a lot of thankfulness for the various chaplains willing to serve in various ways, including the rabbi we voted for the previous year, and the Lutheran minister before him, and the evangelical campus minister before her.

Some media outlets have called Epstein the chief chaplain. Others claim he will oversee the activities of all religious communities on campus, and still others say hes now directing the universitys more than 40 religious leaders.

These reports fail to appropriately portray the nature of the role. Harvard has no chief chaplain, and the president of the Harvard Chaplains does not direct spiritual life on campus. We are a decentralized, nonhierarchical community of independent chaplaincies, with about 40 chaplains spanning roughly 25 denominations, organizations, traditions, and religions.

We are Harvard affiliates but generally not employees of Harvard. We do not report to any higher-ups on matters of faith or doctrine. We share a primary commitment to treat each others communities fairly and honestly and a secondary, broader commitment to the spiritual needs of the people of Harvard. We are a consensus-based community, and consensus is often easily reached because no one is expected to agree on matters of doctrine.

The president is chosen from among us, normally to serve two one-year terms. That person is primarily a servant of the chaplainscoordinating, convening, and leading our meetings, as well as serving as a conduit between us and the office of the president of Harvard University. They also occasionally represent us at events here or there.

Chaplain presidents are chosen not to reflect whose tradition is ascendant, nor as a reward to the most influential chaplain. They are not an indicator of a bold new vision for the Harvard Chaplains. They get selected because they are trusted and competent members of our group.

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In this case, I voted for Greg because hes well equipped for the role he was elected to, not for the role much of the media has imagined. But my reasons go even deeper: This community of interfaith chaplains has benefited the ministry and mission of its evangelical leaders, including me and the organization I represent.

Evangelicals have historically been wary of interfaith initiatives. At many points in my life, I have too. But over time Ive learned to engage in these projects without compromising my deeply held, exclusivist convictions. As Bob Roberts, pastor and founder of the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network, explains,

In recent years evangelical Christians have functionally cordoned themselves off from the rest of society and culture. They have done this for a variety of reasons, but the result has been a church that does not understand the world, and a church that does not understand the world is a church that cannot faithfully serve and engage the world with the love of Jesus. Multi-faith gives us the opportunity to not only serve the world, but to understand the world as well.

Nostalgia for the past can play a part in peoples wariness. I certainly mourn the decline of Christian identity wherever it is declining. But the church doesnt gain anything when we pine for some misremembered, bygone era when Christianity was (almost) the only shop in town.

In Harvards particular case, if you go back just a few decades, evangelicals were largely excluded from religious life on campus. The group that preceded the Harvard Chaplains was restricted to mainline Protestant church ministers.

In that historical context, we evangelicals are beneficiaries of Harvards newfound desire for diverse religious representation.

However, the second cause for wariness carries some significant merit. Evangelicals rightly fear that interfaith spaces often come with a prerequisite for all participants to forsake any exclusive claims. We suspect that interfaith often means treating all religions as one, rather than talking and partnering across genuine (even tense) ideological differences.

When I arrived as a student at Harvard Divinity School (HDS), I harbored this fear. Some campus interfaith spaces had little room for people like me who held exclusive truth claims. But I was impressed when HDS invited Eboo Patel, founder of the Interfaith Youth Core, to speak, and even more impressed when he used his platform to bemoan the absence of evangelicals from interfaith spaces.

In his talk, he didnt blame evangelicals for their intolerance but instead pointed the finger at interfaith spaces. In a related article for the Harvard Divinity Bulletin, he asked,

What is the purpose of interfaith work? Is it to bring together theological liberals and political progressives of various religions to share how their different faiths brought them to similar worldviews? ... If this approach excludes, and potentially raises hostility toward, faith groups, then it ought to raise the question of just what it is we think we are doing in a movement called interfaith.

In my experience, Ive seen interfaith spaces increasingly realize the limits of excluding people who hold exclusive claims. That approach ends up excluding most religious people. In response, a new approach is rising, and the Harvard Chaplains are part of that movement.

Our decentralized approach to interfaith work encourages authentic expressions of faithnot how a higher-education administrator or a chief chaplain envisions it, but how ministers and practitioners sent from churches and religious organizations live it. This commitment to genuine diversity makes space for evangelicals to flourish as trusted members of religious leadership at one of the worlds premier academic institutions.

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In that vein, I am deeply thankful for the evangelical chaplains who have spent decades building friendships and partnerships and have fostered the trust that I now experience. I have many friends in campus ministry at other universities who are treated with much more suspicion, if not outright hostility.

My vote for Greg Epstein was motivated in part by my desire to build trust in an interfaith space where people hold sharply conflicting views and do not pretend otherwise. Without that trust, evangelicals would be relegated to the fringes. Instead, we are at the table, discussing truth in partnership with our fellow chaplains and being looked to for leadership in the diverse religious life of Harvard.

I voted for Epstein because he has been one of the strongest partners for the InterVarsity staff at Harvard. We worked together on service trips to post-Katrina New Orleans, and hes also cosponsored speaking events with us.

The mission of Epsteins chaplaincy is not to convince people to become atheists but rather to serve students who find themselves without faith (of which there are many at Harvard). He actively pursues our perspectives on matters pertaining to the Harvard Chaplains. Although we disagree sharply on the things that matter most, he leans into those spaces, where people can differ on their strongly held beliefs. He thinks its important.

Epsteins new role at Harvard has triggered a significant amount of outrage among Christians. I can empathize with many of the concerns, especially given how The New York Times failed to provide full context for the story. But even in this divisive media environment, we would do well to imitate our Father, who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Ex. 34:6, NCB).

Underneath the overreaching headline is a model of how evangelicals can flourish in interfaith spaces and do so without compromise. Its a model evangelicals would do well to emulate rather than condemn.

Pete Williamson is the team leader for InterVarsitys Graduate and Faculty Ministries at Harvard and a Harvard Chaplain.

Speaking Out is Christianity Todays guest opinion column and (unlike an editorial) does not necessarily represent the opinion of the publication.
Social media spaces are full of mean-spirited and contentious personalities who thrive on antagonizing others. Listen in as Heather and her guest, theologian Ian Clary, discuss how to deal with social media bullies. They offer practical tips for focusing on your craft more than your critics. Ian also shares his formula for becoming an effective podcaster.

Ian Clary is an assistant professor of historical theology at Colorado Christian University. He is a fellow of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies; the Center for Baptist Renewal; the Center for Ancient Christian Studies; and was recently a board member with the Davenant Institute. Ian also cohosts Into Theology, a podcast from The Gospel Coalition Canada.

Also, in our #GrowingViral segment, meet Jessica Kisunzu, an assistant professor of organic chemistry at Colorado College. As an African American chemist, Jessica is passionate about mentoring Black students in the sciences. And she also finds time to share her musical gifts. Shes active on Twitter @JKisunzu, on Instagram @jkisunzumusic, and on her YouTube channel.

Reach out to Heather Thompson Day on Twitter @HeatherTDay and Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Producer: Loren Joseph

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper
20 states sue Biden admin. over LGBT directives for schools and workplaces

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Twenty states are suing the Biden administration for implementing expanded LGBT nondiscrimination provisions that the plaintiffs believe run afoul of federal law as well as U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

A lawsuit was filed by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery, a Republican, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee Knoxville Division Monday.

The Republican attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia also signed onto the lawsuit as plaintiffs.

Defendants in the case are the U.S. Department of Education, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows, the U.S. Department of Justice, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke.

This case is about two federal agencies changing law, which is Congress exclusive prerogative, Slatery said in a statement. The agencies simply do not have that authority.

The plaintiffs allege that policies implemented by the Biden administration have caused irreparable harm by threatening to withhold federal funding if they do not comply with the new directives.

The policies at issue stem from an executive order signed by President Joe Biden on his first day in office asserting that the Title IX Education Amendments of 1972, originally designed to prevent discrimination based on sex in education, also prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Additionally, the lawsuit challenges the Department of Educations announcement that it will fully enforce Title IX to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in education programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the Department.

As detailed in the lawsuit, the Department sent a dear educator letter to Title IX recipient schools across the nation notifying them of the new interpretation of federal civil rights law. A fact sheet accompanied the letter.

The lawsuit expressed particular concern about the portion of the fact sheet alleging that preventing a trans-identified male from using the womens restroom and preventing a trans-identified male from trying out for girls cheerleading constitutes sex discrimination.

The EEOC compiled a similar technical assistance document, illustrating examples of what constitutes discrimination based on the executive branchs interpretation of federal civil rights law.

The document maintains that prohibiting a transgender person from dressing or presenting consistent with that persons gender identity would constitute sex discrimination.

Acknowledging that employers have the right to have separate, sex-segregated bathrooms, locker rooms, or showers for men and women, the commissions position is that employers may not deny an employee equal access to a bathroom, locker room, or shower that corresponds to the employees gender identity.

The EEOC document states that If an employer has separate bathrooms, locker rooms, or showers for men and women, all men (including transgender men) should be allowed to use the mens facilities and all women (including transgender women) should be allowed to use the womens facilities.

The EEOC characterized the use of pronouns or names that are inconsistent with an individuals gender identity as an example of harassment.

The Biden administration repeatedly cited the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision Bostock v. Clayton County to justify its policies. In Bostock, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that firing a gay or transgender employee because of their sexual orientation or gender identity violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Slatery accused the agencies of misconstruing Bostock by claiming its prohibition of discrimination applies to locker rooms, showers, and bathrooms under Title IX and Title VII when the Supreme Court explicitly said it was not deciding those issues in Bostock.

The lawsuit also contends that the agencies violated the Administrative Procedure Act.

The Administrative Procedure Act requires agencies to engage in notice and comment for legislative rules, the lawsuit noted. The Departments Interpretation and the Fact Sheet are legislative rules because they intend[] to create new laws, rights, or duties and thus should have been subject to notice and comment.

The lawsuit concluded that because the Interpretation and Fact Sheet are legislative rules that were adopted without the required notice-and-comment procedures, they are unlawful and should be set aside.

The legal complaint also described the actions of the agencies as arbitrary and capricious and alleges that the executive branchs policies violated the First and 10th Amendments and exceed statutory authority.

This lawsuit is not the first attempt by this group of state law enforcement officials to challenge the policies.

In July, the group of 20 attorneys general who filed the lawsuit, along with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, sent a letter to Biden expressing concern about the administrative action related to Bostock v. Clayton County.
Majority of Afghan interpreters left behind: Senior State Dept. official

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While the United States has evacuated more than 123,000 people out of Afghanistan, the majority of Afghan interpreters who are at risk of Taliban reprisal for helping the U.S. and up to 200 Americans have been left behind, a senior State Department official and other government officials said.

The majority of Afghan visa applicants havent been evacuated, a State Department official, who has not been named, told The Wall Street Journal.

Among them is an Afghan interpreter who was part of a 2008 mission to rescue Joe Biden, who was a senator at the time, and two other Democrat senators when their helicopter made an emergency landing in blinding snow in a valley 20 miles southeast of Bagram Air Field, the Journal said, adding that the man is now in hiding.

Over 20,000 Afghans had applied for visas when the U.S. decided to withdraw troops from their country. When including their family members who would also need to escape the Taliban, the number rises to around 100,000 Afghans who might be eligible for relocation, the Journal estimates.

The State Department estimates that up to 200 Americans who wanted to leave have also been left behind.

At least 24 Sacramento-area students are also confirmed to be stranded in the South Asian country. The Sacramento Bee quoted San Juan Unified school district staff as saying that 24 students, down from the initial estimate of 150 students, had not returned to campuses since the start of the 2021-2022 school year.

Our office has been in close contact with the San Juan Unified School District, and have urgently flagged the students information with the State Department and Department of Defense. We have not received an update from the State Department or the DOD, Sacramento Congressman Ami Beras office said in a statement.

Among the stranded Americans is a pregnant American from California, whom Taliban militants kicked in the stomach as she tried to flee Kabul with her husband and father, Fox News reported.

She was kicked in the stomach, but she was kicked in the stomach well after  as she got through the first checkpoint where she remained for hours, waiting for those people at the south point to supposedly come out and get her, U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., was quoted as saying.

It wasnt until it was clear theyd closed, [that] they werent taking anyone else for quite a while, that finally she accepted that she was going to have to go back and hide in her apartment, Issa added.

The U.S. and its allies evacuated more than 123,000 people out of Afghanistan in the final weeks of the mission.

Human rights group ADF International has also urged the international community to address the dire plight of religious minority communities in Afghanistan, including 10,000 Christians who are now at extreme risk of being targeted with deadly violence.

Following the drawing down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly seized control of much of the country, eventually taking the capital Kabul last month and forcing the government to flee. In response to the unexpected speed at which they retook the nation, tens of thousands of Americans, Afghan allies, and others desperately tried to leave the country.

Last Thursday, a suicide bombing outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul killed 10 U.S. Marines, two Army soldiers and one Navy Corpsman, along with as many as 170 civilians, most of whom were awaiting their evacuation.

The explosion came less than a week before the Aug. 31 deadline to withdrawl all U.S. troops from the South Asian country.

In response, the U.S. purportedly killed two high profile terrorists from ISIS-K  one planner and one facilitator, in a drone strike in Afghanistan.

The withdrawal marked the end of the war in Afghanistan, which spanned nearly two decades. In an appearance on Sinclair Broadcast Groups The National Desk last Monday, Adam Andrzejewski, the CEO of the nonprofit transparency organization OpentheBooks.com, noted that the war effort has cost American taxpayers $83 billion.
Christian scholars slam report arguing that LGBT 'progress' doesn't threaten Christians

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Christian scholars have pushed back on a study in an American Psychological Association journal that concludes that laws designed to protect the LGBT community from discrimination do not negatively impact Christians.

The APA's Journal of Personality and Social Psychology published a study in January titled Is LGBT progress seen as an attack on Christians?: Examining Christian/sexual orientation zero-sum beliefs.

The report was based on studies conducted with five separate sets of participants. Some of the studies included Christians, LGBT individuals and non-Christians. Participation in others was limited to Christians.

The research was conducted by Clara Wilkins, Chad Miller, Jaclyn Lisnek and Lerone Martin of Washington University in St. Louis, Joseph Wellman of the University of Mississippi and Negin Toosi of California State University East Bay.

In an interview with Fox News, George Yancey, a professor at Baylor University whose work was cited in the report, accused the authors of misleading their readers.

The scholars cited Yancey's analysis of 40 years of attitudes toward conservative Christians based on the American National Election Studies, which they claim "provides no evidence of increasing negativity toward Christians over time" and that "attitudes averaged from near neutral to positive for fundamentalist Christians."

They accurately cited that I did not find anti-Christian sentiment increasing but did not cite that I also found that those with anti-Christian sentiment have grown more powerful in society over the past few decades, he said in the interview. Needless to say, even if those with anti-Christian attitudes do not increase in numbers, if they increase in power, they have more of an ability to act on their religious bigotry.

The introduction to the report states that as social policies and laws "have changed to grant more rights to LGBT individuals," some Christians in the United States have argued that "that LGBT rights impede Christians religious freedom.

The authors sought to demonstrate that Christians beliefs about conflict with sexual minorities are shaped by their understandings of Christian values, social change, interpretation of the Bible, and in response to religious institutions.

The scholars concluded that although there have been significant social gains for sexual minorities, those do not likely correspond to increasing bias against Christians, despite some Christians perspectives.

The researchers justified this conclusion by pointing to hate crime statistics finding that hate crimes against Christians constitute 9% of all crimes based on religion and 2% of hate crimes overall, while hate crimes against the LGBT community made up 20% of all hate crimes.

David Closson, the director of the Center for Biblical Worldview, told Fox News that the report provided the latest example of the idea that Small-o orthodox Christian beliefs on marriage and sexuality are increasingly seen as not just outdated and bigoted, but as subversive and dangerous.

The researchers attributed the belief of many Christians that an increase in LGBT rights leads to a decrease in religious liberty to a desire to maintain group dominance.

The authors alleged that Christians with traditional beliefs about marriage and sexuality want to relegate sexual minorities to subordinate status  perhaps as a means of reducing their social influence.

Yancey further criticized the report's "lack of control groups," adding that failure to include real control groups occurs often "when scholars assess groups they do not like."

"A lot of concepts such as right-wing authoritarianism and Christian nationalism are true but are presented as if they are unique to conservative Christians," Yancey added. "Without relevant tests with other social groups, such claims are unfounded. I think the linking of ZSB to Christians by the authors is also premature given the lack of control groups."

The report mentioned the legalization of same-sex marriage following the 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges as a source of the national debate about the conflict between freedom of religion and LGBT rights. But additional developments since that landmark Supreme Court ruling have caused religious freedom advocates significant concern.

Most notably, congressional Democrats have sought to pass the Equality Act, which proponents portray as necessary to enshrine nondiscrimination protections for the LGBT community into federal law. Critics of the Equality Act describe the legislation as a threat to religious liberty, warning that it will force Americans and faith institutions to violate their deeply held beliefs about marriage, gender and sexuality.

The Equality Act explicitly prohibits religious Americans from using the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to exempt themselves from abiding by its provisions. The bill passed the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives in the 116th Congress and the 117th Congress but failed to pass the Senate.

Some Republicans and faith leaders have proposed the Fairness For All Act as an alternative to the Equality Act that attempts to blend nondiscrimination provisions for the LGBT community with respect for religious liberty. The legislation has failed to gain traction in the Democrat-controlled Congress.

Even without implementing the Equality Act, Christians have faced consequences for expressing their religious beliefs on issues related to sexuality and gender.

Tanner Cross, a physical education teacher in Loudoun County, Virginia, was suspended for expressing opposition to the school districts policy requiring teachers to refer students by pronouns that correspond with their gender identity instead of their biological gender.

Cross, a devout Christian, alleged that complying with the districts policy would violate his faith. A judge ordered that the school district reinstate Cross because he was punished for expressing his opinion at a school board meeting in which public comment was invited.

After a lengthy court battle, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld his reinstatement Monday.

In 2015, Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired over a book he published for a church group that argued that homosexuality is a "sexual perversion" and "vulgar." He also distributed the book at work. In 2018, the city reached a $1.2 million settlement with Cochran.

In 2018, the city of Philadelphia took action to disqualify two Christian foster care agencies from working with the city's youth because they had faith-based policies that would not allow children to be placed in homes with gay parents. Although one of the agencies changed its policy to comply with the city's anti-discrimination rules, Catholic Social Services took the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The nation's high court unanimously ruled this summer that the city was wrong to stop working with Catholic Social Services for refusing on religious grounds not to place children with same-sex couples.

In Washington, a Christian florist faces fines for her refusal on religious grounds to provide floral arrangements to a same-sex wedding. The Supreme Court refused to hear her appeal this year after lower courts ruled against her.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Colorado Christian baker Jack Phillips in 2018 after he was punished by the state for his refusal to bake a custom cake for a same-sex wedding. However, Phillips is still in court over his refusal to bake a cake for a gender transition celebration.
Google Chromebook dropped from Dirty Dozen List of entities that foster sexual exploitation

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An organization centered on combating sexual exploitation has dropped Google Chromebook from its list of worst offenders after Google implemented new safety standards for their product.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation announced Wednesday that Google Chromebook was being removed from its 2021 Dirty Dozen List, which includes big tech companies and corporations that profit off sexual exploitation.

Googles move to default devices and products to safety for kids is now an industry standard, and we urge other tech companies to follow suit, said Lina Nealon, director of corporate and strategic initiatives for NCOSE, in a statement. Given the safety measures that have been implemented as of today, we have removed Google Chromebook from our 2021 Dirty Dozen List, Nealon added.

The improvements were long sought-after by NCOSE and its allies and ultimately will limit the amount of exposure to harmful content and potential predators through school-issued Chromebooks.

NCOSE released its annual Dirty Dozen List back in February. Google Chromebook, which has been used extensively for educational materials for children and teachers before and during the pandemic, made the list due to concerns about graphic content.

According to NCOSE at the time, Google had refused to take basic safety measures to greatly reduce the risk that children using Chromebook would access harmful material like pornography and possibly be introduced to online predators.

Even prior to the pandemic, we read countless news stories and received personal accounts of children easily accessing harmful material through their school-issued Chromebooks  at school and at home, explained NCOSE as part of their Dirty Dozen List.

Now, with overburdened school administrators and overwhelmed teachers and parents trying to navigate new technology tools and the challenges of virtual schooling, devices are often left insufficiently protected.

In late June, Jennifer Holland, director of education program management at Google, announced that they were going to implement various safety measures for their Chromebook product, which were scheduled to take effect at the start of September.

Were launching a new age-based access setting to make it easier for admins to tailor experiences for their users based on age when using Google services like YouTube, Photos and Maps, wrote Holland.

Starting today, all admins from primary and secondary institutions must indicate which of their users, such as their teachers and staff, are 18 and older using organizational units or groups in Admin Console.

Holland explained that after Sept. 1, students who are under 18 will see changes in their experience across Google products.

For example ... students designated as under 18 in K-12 domains can view YouTube content assigned by teachers, but they wont be able to post videos, comment or livestream using their school Google account, Holland added.

If admins dont make a selection, ... primary and secondary institutions' users will all default to the under-18 experience, while higher-education institutions users will default to the 18-and-older experience.
At least 9 dead as Hurricane Ida remnants dump 'biblical' rainfall in NYC

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At least nine people are now dead as remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped record rainfall on New York City, causing flooding in homes, streets and portions of the subway in an event one local politician described as biblical.

NYC is seeing a biblical amount of rain. Again. There isn't a sewer system on the planet that can handle this much water at this rate  certainly not our ancient sewers here in New York City, some of which are still made of brick! Someday we'll make infrastructure sexy again, New York City Council Member Justin Brannan tweeted as rain barreled through the boroughs Wednesday night.

After leaving a trail of devastation in Louisiana and Mississippi this week, the weather system from Ida forced the New York office of the National Weather Service to issue its first Flash Flood Emergency warning which is issued only for exceedingly rare situations when a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage from a flash flood is happening or will happen soon, according to the NWS.

And damage it did.

Waterfall down the stairs at 145th Street station, 1 Train, in #Manhattan, #NYC. Flash #flood warnings are in effect until 11:30 pm. pic.twitter.com/pIvwWpQF1t  NTD News (@news_ntd) September 2, 2021

Flooding in 28th St Station NYC!!! And everyone is taking videos!!!!#OnlyInNYCpic.twitter.com/eV2QlALEno  Aleksander Milch (@AleksanderMilch) September 2, 2021

As the rainfall records shattered overnight, dramatic videos of flooded homes, streets and the subway began emerging on social media including one showing a large rat struggling to swim. Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a local state of emergency shortly before 11:30 p.m., calling the rain a historic weather event.

Were enduring an historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads, he said in a statement on Twitter.

Gov. Kathy Hochul later declared a state of emergency for the counties of Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester.

"Torrential rainfall has resulted in flash flooding, power outages, travel disruptions and damage in impacted areas posing a threat to public health and safety, Hochul said. "This State of Emergency eliminates potential hurdles for local response activities and provides the necessary tools to make sure New Yorkers can quickly and safely recover.

The New York Police Department reported that at least seven of the nine confirmed deaths occurred in Queens, including a 2-year-old boy and his parents who drowned in their basement apartment on 64th Street in Woodside.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who represents New Yorks 14th congressional district, which includes the eastern part of The Bronx and part of north-central Queens, said some of the deceased were from her district and she would be assessing the impact of the storm in the area.

I will be canvassing the district today assessing the impact from last nights catastrophic flooding. Tragically, we lost several community members last night. Please check in on your neighbors - especially those in low-level apartments, she tweeted Thursday.

On Wednesday night, Ocasio-Cortez said the historic flooding pointed to a need to take the Green New Deal, her proposal for tackling climate change, more seriously.

Experiencing all this flooding in NYC right now and thinking about all the politicians who told me that pursuing a Green New Deal to adapt our natl infrastructure to climate change is unrealistic & too expensive. As if doing too little is the responsible, adult thing to do? she wrote in a statement on Twitter.

Experiencing all this flooding in NYC right now and thinking about all the politicians who told me that pursuing a Green New Deal to adapt our natl infrastructure to climate change is unrealistic & too expensive.



As if doing too little is the responsible, adult thing to do?  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 2, 2021

Between 4 a.m. Wednesday and 4 a.m. Thursday, the NWS recorded 7.19 inches of rain in Central Park. Some 3.1 inches of that measurement fell over the course of an hour and New York City recorded more rain on Wednesday than it normally records in a month.

This is going down as a historic event, Nelson Vaz, a meteorologist, told The New York Times.
Pompeo urges prayer for those still in Afghanistan, calls on US to 'do the right thing'

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Mike Pompeo said Americans must pray for our allies still trapped in Afghanistan. In an interview with John Wesley Reid of Liberty University's Standing for Freedom Center, the former Secretary of State was hopeful, but not entirely optimistic about the future of U.S. coalition forces still in Afghanistan.

Over the last two weeks, veterans of the war in Afghanistan have expressed concern for their friends  people who fought alongside them combating Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups  and have even shared messages from those currently in Afghanistan who dont know how theyll be able to leave before the Taliban finds them.

Reid: They fear for their lives. They have different terrorist groups, networks looking for them by name, and then we have U.S. service members who fought with them in Afghanistan. And now, theyre wondering whats going to happen to their friends. So Mr. Secretary, what is the hope for them? What can be done? Pompeo: Well we should all pray for them. We should all recognize that the United States made a real commitment to many of them that we have an obligation to honor. And when we dont, then the world watches.  Im hopeful that theyll be able to find safe egress  theyll be able to find a pathway out. I hope the U.S., even though were now, goodness, some 24 hours out  the final withdraw, probably the final flight out of HJIA. I hope theyll be able to find a pathway either through the north through northern Asian countries, or some other way that they can find their way out even if it be through the airport after we depart. Hopefully, well do the right thing and honor the commitment that the United States made to each of those people.

The challenging images seen and stories heard from the last two weeks have been disturbing. The world has seen direct illustrations of how poorly-implemented policy has tangible effects on vulnerable people, including U.S. citizens and our allies. Such a strategy has even prompted active-duty military leaders to examine the strategy and boldly speak out against senior leadership who, according to one Marine officer, put their careers before their duty to serve and protect.

As the Taliban continues to take control over major cities in Afghanistan, fear grows that the rights and liberties that Afghans have enjoyed for nearly 20 years will fall. Though the Taliban has said that they are going to give women rights, such as education and work opportunities, Pompeo has said that they are not to be trusted and that they are not a different Taliban than we dealt with before.

A version of this article was previously published by Liberty University's Standing for Freedom Center on Aug. 31.
US 'didn't get everybody out that we wanted' before Afghanistan withdrawal: CENTCOM commander

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As the United States military presence in Afghanistan comes to a close, the Biden administration has informed the media that hundreds of Americans who would like to evacuate remain in the country.

Appearing at a press briefing Monday, Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of the United States Central Command, announced the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens, third-country nationals and vulnerable Afghans.

The press briefing took place the day before the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal of American troops that the U.S. negotiated with the Taliban, which has taken control of much of the country.

McKenzie explained that while the military evacuation is complete, the diplomatic mission to ensure additional U.S. citizens and eligible Afghans who want to leave continues.

Discussing the weekslong effort to evacuate U.S. citizens and others from the country, he indicated that not every American who wanted to leave was evacuated.

We have evacuated more than 6,000 U.S. civilians, which we believe represents the vast majority of those who wanted to leave at this time, he said.

When asked whether or not there were any American citizens or other civilians who were taken out on the final flights out of Afghanistan, McKenzie said that they were not able to bring any Americans out on the flights.

According to the commander, we continued the outreach and would have been prepared to  bring them on until the very last minute. But none of them made it to the airport and  were able to be accommodated.

McKenzie vowed that although the military phase of this operation has ended, the diplomatic sequel to that will now begin. He said that our Department of State is going to work very hard to get Americans remaining in Afghanistan out using diplomatic channels. He estimated that Americans remaining in Afghanistan number in the  very low hundreds."

Theres a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure, he added. We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out. But I think if we had stayed another 10 days  we wouldnt have gotten everybody out that we wanted to get out and there still would have been people ... disappointed with that.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken elaborated on the State Departments efforts to evacuate Americans who remain in Afghanistan.

Blinken reported that John Bass, the former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, will spearhead our ongoing work across the State Department to help American citizens and permanent residents, citizens of allied nations, special immigrant visa applicants and Afghans at high risk if any of those people wish to depart Afghanistan.

We believe there are still a small number of Americans, under 200 and likely closer to 100, who remain in Afghanistan and want to leave, he stated. We will hold the Taliban to its pledge to let people freely depart Afghanistan. The Taliban has committed to let anyone with proper documents leave the country in a safe and orderly manner.

Blinken shared a quote from a senior official in the Taliban, who asserted that any Afghans may leave the country, including those who worked for Americans, if they want and for whatever reason there may be.

The secretary pointed to a partnership with more than half the worlds countries, who have insisted that the Taliban let people travel outside Afghanistan freely.

Blinken noted that as of today, more than 100 countries have said that they expect the Taliban to honor travel authorizations by our countries.

In a joint statement, the countries outlined their commitment to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with us and those who are at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan.

We have received assurances from the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel authorization from our countries will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to points of departure and travel outside the country, the statement continued. We will continue issuing travel documentation to designated Afghans, and we have the clear expectation of and commitment from the Taliban that they can travel to our respective countries. We note the public statements of the Taliban confirming this understanding.

Signatories of the statement include European countries such as the United Kingdom and France, Latin American countries such as El Salvador and Honduras, African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone, and the Middle Eastern countries of Israel and Jordan.

In his remarks, Blinken highlighted additional steps the international community took to secure freedom of movement in Afghanistan.

Just a few short hours ago, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution that enshrines that responsibility, laying the groundwork to hold the Taliban accountable if they renege," he said. "So, the international chorus on this is strong and it will stay strong. We will hold the Taliban to their commitment on freedom of movement for foreign nationals, visa holders, at-risk Afghans.

Blinken stressed that while we have expectations of the Taliban, that doesnt mean we will rely on the Taliban.

Any engagement with the Taliban-led government in Kabul will be driven by one thing only: our vital national interest," he said.

Blinken emphasized that the relationship between the U.S. and the Taliban will not operate on the basis of trust or faith. Recent reports speculate that the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network may have played a role and had something to gain from the suicide bombings in and around the airport in Kabul last week that left 13 U.S. soldiers dead.

The withdrawal of the remaining American troops from Afghanistan comes one week before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks that precipitated U.S. involvement in the country in 2001.

During his remarks Monday, McKenzie illustrated that the war came with a cost of 2,461 U.S. service members and civilians killed and more than 20,000 who were injured.
Critics say Illinois' new sex ed guidelines promote abortion, sexualize students

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Conservatives are criticizing the new sex education curriculum approved by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, alleging that it will expose children to sexually charged content with an ideological agenda.

Pritzker, a Democrat, signed Senate Bill 818 into law on Aug. 20. The legislation, in part, calls for the implementation of comprehensive personal health and safety and comprehensive sexual health education curriculum that aligns with the National Sex Education Standards (NSES).

In a statement, Pritzker praised the bill for modernizing our sex education standards. He predicted that the new curriculum will help keep our children safe and ensure important lessons like consent and internet safety are taught in classrooms.

Senate Bill 818 passed the Illinois House of Representatives in May by a vote of 60-48, with three Democrats joining all Republicans in opposing the measure. The bill passed the Illinois Senate by a vote of 37-18. Four Democrats abstained from the vote while all remaining Democrats supported it as all Republicans opposed it.

State Rep. Tony McCombie, a Republican, blasted the bill as "not age-appropriate," according to NPR.

The goal of sex education is to help young people grow into healthier sexual relationships and healthier adults, McCombie was quoted as saying. [The bill] is not age appropriate. It is sexually charged.

NPR Illinois reports that a handful of Democrats have voiced concern that the new standards include material that is too explicit for elementary and middle school students.

Rep. Fred Crespo, a Democrat who abstained from voting on the bill, reportedly took issue with the fact that schools must either align their curriculums with the NSES guidelines or not teach sex education at all.

The thing that bothers me the most is that, I know its permissive, but were telling schools that if you don't use these standards you cannot teach sex ed, Crespo was quoted as saying. That concerns me a bit because I think we do need sex ed at our schools.

Molly Malone, the assistant director of legislative affairs for the Illinois Pro-Family Alliance, expressed concern that the bill will promote abortion, the LGBT lifestyle, and will sexualize students.

According to Malone, the bill could cause discrimination against students and their parents who believe that homosexual and transgender lifestyles are wrong and that abstinence until marriage occurs is spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally the safest, healthiest choice for sexual activity.

She told the Illinois Baptist news journal that those children and parents who choose to believe what Scripture teaches about sexuality will be ostracized and labeled as bigots in their own schools."

The National Sex Education Standards call for students in kindergarten through second grade to define gender, gender identity, and gender-role stereotypes and discuss the range of ways people express their gender and how gender-role stereotypes may limit behavior.

The curriculum, which is endorsed by LGBT advocacy groups GLSEN and the Human Rights Campaign as well as abortion organizations like Planned Parenthood, also informs young students about different kinds of families, including those with cohabitating and same-gender parents.

Students in third through fifth grades will learn about masturbation as well as the role hormones play in the physical, social, cognitive, and emotional changes during adolescence and the potential role of hormone blockers on young people who identify as transgender.

Additionally, students will be expected to distinguish between sex assigned at birth and gender identity and explain how they may or may not differ, define and explain differences between cisgender, transgender, gender nonbinary, gender expansive and gender identity.

The curriculum teaches students in this age group that gender expression and gender identity exist along a spectrum.

While the curriculum for students in grades six through eight continues the discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity, it also introduces them to abortion as one of several pregnancy options alongside parenting and adoption. Students in this age group can also expect lessons on the impacts of racism and intersectionality on sexual health.

Students in grades nine and 10 are asked to define reproductive justice and explain its history and how it relates to sexual health. Juniors and seniors in high school will be exposed to a curriculum that seeks to analyze cultural and social factors (e.g. sexism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, classism, ableism, classism) that can influence decisions regarding sexual behaviors.

Senate Bill 818 defines a complete sex education curriculum as one that includes information on consent and healthy relationships, anatomy and physiology, puberty and adolescent sexual development, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation and identity, sexual health, and interpersonal violence. It lays out specific criteria that all classes that teach comprehensive personal health and safety and comprehensive sexual health education must satisfy.

Course material and instruction shall provide information about local resources where students can obtain additional information and confidential services related to parenting, bullying, interpersonal violence, sexual violence, suicide prevention, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, substance abuse, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and other related issues, the bill states.

The bill also suggests that sex education curriculum in Illinois schools will be required to provide information about abortion.

Course material and instruction may not deliberately withhold life-saving information about culturally appropriate health care and services, including reproductive health services, hormone therapy, and FDA-approved treatments and options, including, but not limited to, Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PeP).

The legislation maintains that No student shall be required to take or participate in any class or course in comprehensive personal health and safety and comprehensive sexual health education." Parents are allowed to opt their children out of the curriculum.

In June, a mother made headlines after she spoke out against the sex education guidelines during a school board meeting in District 87. She feared that forcing schools to adopt the NSES standards destroys local control over curriculum." She argued that the NSES guidelines "force" students to learn about masturbation, anal sex and transgender ideology before their teenage years."

Illinois is not the only state pushing comprehensive sex education. Last year, Washington voters upheld a law requiring schools to teach comprehensive sex education, defeating a referendum that sought to reverse a law approved by the state legislature mandating such curriculum in schools. The United Nations has also embraced comprehensive sex education, publishing guidance to expose children to the curriculum inside and outside the school setting.
Most white regular churchgoers voted for Trump in 2020, religious nones backed Biden: study

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A majority of white Americans, particularly evangelicals who attend worship services regularly, voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020, while President Joe Biden was the overwhelming favorite among religiously unaffiliated voters, especially among those who identify as atheists and agnostics, a recent analysis of 2020 validated voters by the Pew Research Center shows.

According to the analysis by Pew Research assistant Justin Nortey, overall, 59% of voters who attend worship services at least monthly voted for Trump, while 40% voted for Biden. The less voters attended church services, however, the more likely their support was for Biden. Some 58% of white voters who attend worship services just a few times a year voted for Biden, while 40% of that crowd voted for Trump.

The trend remains consistent with voting patterns in previous years which showed a strong correlation between high religious service attendance and support for the Republican candidate among white voters and low religious service attendance and support for the Democratic candidate. This pattern varied in strength based on religious tradition.

Some 85% of white evangelical voters who frequently attend religious services and 81% of those who attend less frequently voted for Trump.

White evangelical Protestants tend to be more religious than other Christians by a number of measures, including in their worship habits: Two-thirds of white evangelical voters attend monthly or more often, while one-third attend less frequently, Nortey noted.

And while the correlation between religious service attendance and voting patterns among other white Christians is not as strong as it is among evangelical Protestants, the data still reflect a majority of those who frequently attend religious services voted for Trump.

Among white non-evangelicals who attend services more frequently, the vote was almost evenly divided, with 51% favoring Trump and 48% favoring Biden. White Protestants who are not evangelical tend to attend church less frequently than their evangelical counterparts: Three-in-ten white non-evangelical Protestant validated voters say they go to church monthly or more, while nearly seven-in-ten go a few times a year or less, Nortey wrote.

Some 63% of Catholics who attend mass at least monthly voted for Trump in 2020 while 36% voted for Biden. Among those that attended less frequently, however, the support for Trump was 53% while the support for Biden ticked up to 47%.

A similar correlation was not found among black voters who overwhelmingly supported Biden whether or not they frequently attended religious services. Some 90% of black Americans who frequently attend religious services voted for Biden in 2020 while 94% of black voters who attend church services less frequently voted for Trump.

According to the analysis, Biden made some gains in support among white Catholics, as he got 11% more support than Hillary Clinton did in 2016. His strongest support among Christians came from black Protestants. He also had a strong showing among the religiously unaffiliated.

What Biden lacked in support from white Christians, he made up for with support from black Protestants and the religiously unaffiliated, Nortey noted.

Biden received 71% of the votes of people who identified as religiously unaffiliated.

Bidens support was particularly strong among voters who identify as atheist or agnostic, with 86% of voters in this category backing him over Trump, Nortey added.
US vows to evacuate Americans after Afghanistan withdrawal; 122K people evacuated so far

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With one day remaining until the deadline to withdraw all remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the Biden administration asserted that the United States would continue to evacuate Americans and fight terrorism as necessary.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby and Gen. William Hank Taylor, the deputy director for regional operations and force management of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed media about the situation in Afghanistan Monday.

They provided an update about the progress in evacuating Americans and Afghan allies who want to leave the country ahead of the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline that the U.S. government negotiated with the Taliban and also elaborated on the thwarting of two attempted terrorist attacks.

Taylor said that as of Monday, "more than 122,000, including 5,400 Americans, have been evacuated from Afghanistan.

Neither Taylor nor Kirby indicated how many Americans seeking to leave Afghanistan remained in the country. The U.S. State Department estimated last week that no more than 1,500 Americans wished to be evacuated and that 4,500 Americans had been evacuated.

The State Departments previous estimates, combined with the latest information provided by Taylor, suggest that less than 1,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan.

"We continue to have the capability to evacuate and fly out those until the very end, Kirby emphasized, adding that the evacuation efforts will continue even after the military withdraws from Afghanistan.

For Americans and other individuals that want to be able to leave Afghanistan after our withdrawal is complete, the State Department is going to continue to work across many different levels to facilitate that transportation.  Right now, we do not anticipate a military role in that effort.

Kirby stressed that while the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan will end Tuesday, whats not going to end is our commitment, especially here at the Defense Department, to protect the American people from ... threats and particularly from any terrorist threat that could emanate from Afghanistan again.

On Sunday, the U.S. and 97 other countries announced a joint agreement with the Taliban to continue evacuating Afghan allies even after Tuesday's deadline.

"We are all committed to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with us and those who are at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan," the statement reads. "We have received assurances from the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel authorization from our countries will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to points of departure and travel outside the country."

In the press conference Monday, Kirby defended the U.S. governments decision not to begin evacuations sooner.

He attributed the unrest that has engulfed Afghanistan in recent weeks to the collapse of the Afghanistan government and the advance of the Taliban.

Nobody could have imagined how quickly that government would have literally just dissipated almost overnight," he said. "There was simply no way to predict that.

On Sunday, U.S. military forces conducted an unmanned airstrike on a vehicle known to be "an imminent ISIS-K threat," Taylor told the press.

This self-defense strike successfully hit the target near Kabul Airport," Taylor said. "Significant secondary explosions from the targeted vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material.

Taylor reported that the attack did not come without civilian casualties. Additionally, he noted that as many as five rockets were fired at the Kabul Airport overnight.

U.S. military forces successfully employed our force protection measures to thwart that attack, he detailed.

Taylor stressed that even as the U.S. militarys presence in Afghanistan is scheduled to conclude Tuesday, U.S. forces retain the inherent right of self-defense and are authorized to meet threats with a swift and forceful response.

The interception of the vehicle headed for the Kabul Airport and the rockets fired at the airport came after President Joe Biden issued a warning Saturday that the threat of terrorist attacks on the airport remains high, with an attack highly likely in the next 24-36 hours.

Bidens warning followed two explosions in and around the Kabul Airport Thursday that left more than a dozen U.S. soldiers dead.

The terrorist group ISIS Khorasan Province, an affiliate of the Islamic State terror network, was determined to be responsible for the attacks.

Kirby told the press that following the successful thwarting of two attempted terror attacks, The threat stream is still real. Its still active and in many cases, its still specific.

Toward the end of the press conference, Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin asked about an American held hostage by the Taliban, Mark Frerichs.

Has the Taliban agreed to release Mark Frerichs before the U.S. leaves? Does the U.S. have any plans to leave without this American hostage? she asked.

Kirby vowed that regardless of what we do over the next day or so  all of us will remain focused on returning him safely to his family.

There has been a concerted effort over many, many months to get him released, Kirby said.

Frerichs, a civil engineer and government contractor who spent a considerable amount of time in the war-torn Middle East, went missing in January 2020. Shortly after Frerichs disappearance, Newsweek reported that U.S. officials believed the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network kidnapped him. The Daily Mail reported that the U.S. government is probing whether the Haqqani Network, which is affiliated with the Taliban, played any role in the attacks.

An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted from Aug. 27 to Aug. 28 found that 59% of Americans disapprove of President Bidens handling of Afghanistan compared to 38% who approve.

An overwhelming majority (84%) of Americans believe that the U.S. military should remain in Afghanistan until all Americans have been evacuated, even if that means staying past the Aug. 31 deadline. Two-thirds of Americans indicated that they were worried about a major terrorist attack following the Afghanistan withdrawal.
A massive success: 47 rescued, 102 arrested in human trafficking investigation across 12 states

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A major human trafficking law enforcement operation has resulted in the rescue of 47 people who were trafficked and the arrest of 102 individuals across 12 states. Two of the victims rescued are minors.

Known as Operation United Front, the endeavor was led by the Missouri Attorney Generals Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol and included the participation of law enforcers from the federal government and other states.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said in a statement released last Friday that his offices anti-human trafficking task force is a national leader for our efforts to investigate and eradicate human trafficking in Missouri.

Through that task force, we were able to engage law enforcement agencies and attorneys general from across the country to organize and lead Operation United Front, which was a massive success, stated Schmitt.

Operation United Front was an unprecedented human trafficking operation that brought together law enforcement agencies from different jurisdictions  something that rarely happens. When we all come together, we can affect change and more effectively fight human trafficking, a crime that is often multi-jurisdictional in nature.

In addition to Missouri, Operation United Front also involved arrests and rescues in Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

In South Dakota, nine individuals were arrested for alleged involvement in human trafficking while attending the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, according to a statement from the United States Department of Justice earlier this month.

Eight of the nine men arrested at Sturgis face charges of attempting to entice a minor using the internet. One is facing charges of attempted commercial sex trafficking of a minor.

If found guilty for attempted enticement of a minor via the Internet, the penalty can include 10 years to life in prison. If found guilty of attempted commercial sex trafficking of a minor, the penalty can include 15 years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In recent years, there has been a concerted effort among states and the federal government to crackdown on human trafficking in the United States.

In March, Texas authorities arrested around 30 people attempting to buy sex and rescued a minor over the course of three days as part of Operation Cupid.

Operation Cupid aimed to combat human trafficking in Fort Bend County by identifying and arresting those intending to buy sex, stated Assistant District Attorney Craig Priesmeyer, according to the Fort Bend Herald.

Commonly known as johns, they create the demand for human trafficking and contribute to the pervasive problem the community faces from these crimes. We are focused on saving victims by following basic economics; removing the demand will reduce the supply.

In Arizona in February, police arrested 37 people charged with child sex crimes and human trafficking as part of the multi-agency Operation Broken Hearts.

In January, 33 missing children were rescued as part of Operation Lost Angels in California. The effort was led by the FBI in conjunction with over two dozen law enforcement and non-governmental partners.

Last November, the Tallahassee Police Department in Florida announced that over 170 people were charged in a two-year investigation into a sex trafficking network in the state.
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You are trying to control me! Perhaps you have said that to someone or have even been accused of being a control freak yourself. You and I both know that no one likes to be controlled, right? And yet when it comes to the spiritual realm, every human being is controlled by either their sinful nature, or by the Holy Spirit. There is no third option. So, which one controls you?

The "fruit of the Spirit" consists of nine qualities supernaturally produced within those who are trusting in Jesus as their Savior from sin: "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22,23).

Man's sinful nature is capable of producing the opposite qualities: Hatred, hopelessness, misery, impatience, meanness, wickedness, unfaithfulness, harshness and a lack of self-control.

"Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you" (Romans 8:8,9).

So, which is it? Are you controlled by the Holy Spirit, or by your sinful nature? "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires" (Romans 8:5). What is your mind set upon: sinful things, or holy things? The battleground is the mind. Scripture instructs believers to think about "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable  and anything that is excellent or praiseworthy" (Philippians 4:8).

Christians are forgiven, but we are not permitted to intentionally indulge sinful thoughts.

"Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey  whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16).

So are you controlled by the Holy Spirit, or by your sinful nature?

The real you" is who you want to be. Those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit sincerely want to live for Christ, while those controlled by their sinful nature pursue sin as their primary objective. Jesus said, No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other (Matthew 6:24).

The Apostle Paul described the ongoing struggle believers have with their sinful nature. The good that I want to do, I don't do; and the evil I do not want to do  this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:19). Paul clearly wanted to do the right thing. For in my inner being I delight in Gods lawso then, I myself in my mind am a slave to Gods law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin (Romans 7:22,25).

Think of your sinful nature as the basement of your soul. Paul was determined to stay out of the basement. The apostle's heart and mind were consumed with Christ, and he fixed his thoughts daily upon the Lord. At the same time, Paul recognized that he was far from perfect. There were still times that his thoughts were drawn to the basement of his soul, even if only for 10 or 20 seconds. In spite of his imperfections, Paul consistently resisted the urge to think evil thoughts.

Paul was controlled by the Holy Spirit, and so are you if the Holy Spirit is living within you (Romans 8:9). Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).

J.I. Packer said, The Holy Spirits main ministry is not to give thrills, but to create in us Christlike character. Charles Spurgeon said, Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind. We are useless. And D.L. Moody said, The work of the Spirit is to impart life, to implant hope, to give liberty, to testify of Christ, to guide us into all truth, to teach us all things, to comfort the believer, and to convict the world of sin.

It is a beautiful thing to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. R.A. Torrey said, If we think of the Holy Spirit only as an impersonal power or influence, then our thought will constantly be, how can I get hold of and use the Holy Spirit; but if we think of Him in the biblical way as a divine Person, infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely tender, then our thought will constantly be, How can the Holy Spirit get hold of and use me?

D.L. Moody regularly pointed out that before a believer can be filled with the Holy Spirit, he or she must first be emptied. Moody said, I firmly believe that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and self-seeking and everything that is contrary to Gods Law, the Holy Spirit will come and fill every corner of our hearts; but if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and self-seeking and pleasure and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God; and I believe many a man is praying to God to fill him when he is full already with something else.

Does the Holy Spirit control your daily life, or is sin still your master? The biblical message to the believer is clear: Sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace (Romans 6:14). One of the marks of a Christian is that when the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin, you turn away from it and repent. After all, Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness (2 Timothy 2:19).

My friend, do not be discouraged by the fact that you are still far from perfect. Instead, be thankful that God works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose (Philippians 2:13). And as a believer in Jesus, God has removed your sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

The Lord's everlasting love and grace motivates believers to want to do God's will in everything we do. And so you see, living under the control of the Holy Spirit is a very good thing indeed!
Muslim cleric arrested on blasphemy charges for insulting Christianity, calling the Bible fiction

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Police in the Muslim-majority country of Indonesia arrested a Muslim cleric for allegedly blaspheming against Christianity by calling the Bible fictitious and false in one of his sermons.

Police arrested Muhammad Yahya Waloni, a former Protestant who became a Muslim in 2006 and later an imam, from his home in the national capital of Jakarta on Thursday, UCA News reported.

The arrest on charges of blasphemy and hate speech came in response to a complaint filed by a civil group, which was not identified, in April.

Investigations are still ongoing, police spokesman Brig. Gen. Rusdi Hartono was quoted as saying. It will be explained in more detail later, we are waiting for data from the Criminal Investigation Department.

Indonesias Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas recently called for a crackdown on people accused of committing blasphemy and hate speech.

All are equal before the law. Therefore, there must be fair treatment in all cases, including blasphemy and hate speech, he said.

However, Christians complain that law enforcement doesnt treat accused from the majority community the same way they deal with members of religious minorities, including Christians.

In cases of blasphemy, police and law enforcement officials must be fair instead of siding with a certain group. Christians have been arrested and brought to court in blasphemy cases, while those insulting Christianity or other religions have been left alone, Philip Situmorang, spokesman of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia, said in a statement.

Three days earlier, a Muslim convert to Christianity, identified as Muhammad Kace, was arrested in Bali on charges of blasphemy. He allegedly uploaded videos on YouTube saying that the Islamic prophet Muhammad was surrounded by devils and liars.

The Southeast Asian country is home to the worlds largest Muslim population. Its Constitution is based on the doctrine of Pancasila  five principles upholding the nations belief in the one and only God and social justice, humanity, unity and democracy for all.

However, there are many extremist groups in Indonesia that oppose Pancasila.

Churches often face opposition from local groups that typically question the authenticity of the signatures by area residents  a requirement as per law  to obstruct the construction of non-Muslim houses of worship.

The Human Rights Watch previously said that more than 1,000 churches in the archipelago had been closed due to pressure from such groups.

Indonesia is ranked No. 47 on Open Doors USAs World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most extreme levels of persecution.
Jane Campion has not made a feature since 2009, but after a few years working in television she found herself drawn back to the romance of the two-hour story.

Campions grand return to the form is the period piece The Power of the Dog, a sweeping but intimate family drama set in the isolated hills of 1925 Montana. The film, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, premieres Thursday at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.

The story is based on Thomas Savages 1967 novel about wealthy rancher brothers whose thin bond is strained further when one (Plemons) marries a widow (Dunst) with an adolescent son (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Campion said Thursday at a news conference in Venice that although she rarely finishes novels these days, she found herself immersed in The Power of the Dog and profoundly impacted by the world Savage had created and the characters hed drawn.

As a creative person I dont really calculate. I read this book and I just thought this is an amazing piece of literature, Campion said. Scenes and themes from the book kept coming back to me and I couldnt forget it. I realized it was a really deep piece.

Soon she realized she wanted to make a film again and went off searching for the rights holder. The return was exciting, although she said she also loved working on the Top of the Lake" television series.

Two hours is very beautiful. Two hours is like perfect. I notice myself on Netflix, on my viewing platform, choosing to watch features more than ever, Campion said. The discipline and the rigor of those two hours was something I was excited to go back to.

The Power of the Dog is competing for the Golden Lion at this years festival. Campion previously won a Silver Lion in 1990 for An Angel at My Table," based on the memoirs of Janet Frame.

The production was a massive undertaking that brought Campion and her cast to New Zealand  the only place they thought would approximate the desolation and beauty they needed.

It would have been hard to find 1925 Montana in Montana, Campion laughed. Theres parts of new Zealand that really are so empty ... beautiful, forgotten landscapes.

The high winds, though, made it devastatingly difficult to build.

Sometimes we had trouble standing up, she said.

Campion was joined Thursday in Venice by Dunst and Cumberbatch. Plemons, who is Dunsts partner in real life and in the film, was not in attendance.

While filming, they largely remained in character with Cumberbatch as brilliant and cruel rancher Phil Burbank and Dunst as Rose, a self-conscious mother who finds love from Phils brother George (Plemons). Phil and Rose clash from their first meeting and Phil continues to be unkind and exploit her insecurities.

Campion told the crew on day one that youll meet Benedict at the end of this shoot, Cumberbatch said.

Benedict and I didnt talk to each other on set at all, Dunst added. She said they even felt guilty saying brief hellos.

Rose is a little bit representing all of the pain thats inside him, Dunst said.

Campion, whose films often focus on female characters, said she was interested in amplifying Roses role, but she also didnt want to make her a heroine. Dunst said she loves Campions films for their sensuality and depiction of women that feel like real women.

The kind of acting and the kind of performances (in her films) are the kind that I aspire to as an actress, Dunst said.

Phils character is a bundle of contractions under a hardened mask of antiquated and sometimes even sadistic masculinity.

I can understand him, I can look into it and appreciate it. I dont condone it, Cumberbatch said. Its part of who he is, its part of his flaw.

The Power of the Dog was produced by Netflix, and so after a brief theatrical run, will be available globally on the streaming platform in November. Campion said Netflix values artistry and gives filmmakers like herself budgets of a size she hasnt previously gotten the chance to work with.

Its like working with the Medicis, she said.

Campions return to the film stage comes at an interesting time for women filmmakers, when strides are being made but theres still a ways to go to equality. The 67-year-old was the second woman ever nominated for best director at the Academy Awards and the first woman to receive the Palme dOr at the Cannes Film Festival. Both nods were for The Piano, from 1993.

When asked about parity for female filmmakers, Campion she said thinks, the women are doing very well and referenced Chloe Zhaos Oscar success for Nomadland.

I think once you give them a chance theres not going to be much stopping them, she said. But theres not enough feminine voice in our narrative.

Since the #MeToo movement happened, I feel the change in the weather. Its like the Berlin Wall coming down or the end of Apartheid for us women, she added. People can see how unequal it is.

___

Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
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There were still 27 patients left in the waiting room at Whole Womans Health, an independent abortion provider in Fort Worth, at 10 p.m. on Augut 31  two hours before most abortions would effectively be banned in the state of Texas. Marva Sadler, director of clinical services for the clinic and three others run by the Whole Womans Health Alliance, called the nonprofits president, Amy Hagstrom Miller, in a panic. Both she and the doctor were crying and just asking me, What can we do? How can we be sure we can see all these folks? Hagstrom Miller recalled, speaking to reporters the next morning.

All day, Hagstrom Miller says, the waiting room of the Fort Worth clinic had been filled with patients and their loved ones anxious to receive care before midnight, when a new law known as Senate Bill 8 was set to take effect. Similar scenes were playing out at health centers around the state of Texas, where patients were unsure what care they could still legally access and providers were rushing to remain in compliance with a law that could potentially bankrupt them.

SB8, signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in June, empowers any private individual to sue anyone who aids and abets an abortion in Texas after six weeks gestation. (Thats roughly two weeks after a missed period, before many people realize they are pregnant.) Under the new law, anyone who helps a pregnant person terminate a pregnancy after that time  the law specifically targets doctors, but could also conceivably apply to a nurse, partner, pastor who offered spiritual guidance, or even an Uber driver who drove the patient to the appointment  is liable to be sued for $10,000 a piece, plus legal fees.

For years, anti-abortion activists around the country have tried and failed to craft a law that would outlaw abortion at six weeks gestation, around the time an embryos heartbeat can first be detected. (What anti-abortion activists call a heartbeat at this stage is just electrical activity  the heart does not finish forming until a month later, around week 10 of a pregnancy.) And, until now, those efforts have been unsuccessful. The Supreme Court has repeatedly spiked such six-week bans, citing legal precedent established by Roe v. Wade that protects a pregnant persons decision to terminate before the point of viability, when the fetus can survive on its own outside the womb, or around 28 weeks.

The Texas law is different than the ones that came before it, though, because, while it effectively ends access to abortion in the state, it does not criminalize it. Abortion is still legal in the state of Texas. A doctor cant be arrested for performing an abortion after six weeks, he or she can only be sued in civil court and forced to pay exorbitant penalties for every abortion they help provide. Fear of a deluge of lawsuits has been enough to scare many providers into changing their policies to stop performing abortions that will take place after the laws six week cutoff, which is to say, the vast majority of abortions. (Advocates estimate that roughly 85 percent of pregnancy terminations take place after six weeks gestation.)

The difference between this six-week ban and the ones that came before it might seem subtle, but to legal experts, its not. The difference here is that the state of Texas is ceding its responsibility to enforce a law passed by its legislature, signed by its governor, and instead is deputizing private citizens to enforce this new law of Texas, Elisabeth Smith, chief counsel for policy and advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights explained to Rolling Stone earlier this year. If a medical provider were to be sued post-September 1st, there are lots of defenses that will be available to that doctor. Namely: they are not breaking the law. They are providing medical care, access to which is a fundamental right under the federal constitution But no one wants to be dragged into a Texas courtroom and have to spend the time and the resources to find representation and to go through a civil proceeding.

The distinction was enough to convince a majority of the Supreme Court to allow the law to go into effect. Late on Wednesday, September 1st, the court issued an unsigned, one-paragraph order clearing the way for SB8 to remain law in Texas, despite what the majority characterized as serious questions regarding the constitutionality of the Texas law. At the time of the emergency petition, the majority wrote, it was theoretical whether anyone can or will seek to enforce the Texas law  in a manner that might permit our intervention.

The threat did not seem theoretical to the providers working late into the night at the Fort Worth clinic. Anti-abortion protestors were already gathered in the parking lot when the clinic opened at 8 a.m. on August 31. When it got dark, they brought in floodlights to keep watch. We were under surveillance, Hagstrom Miller said. The protesters called the police twice and the fire department once  to try to say there were too many patients and to try to find some law we were breaking. Of course, we werent breaking any law  we were responding to our community and trying to care for the people that deserve access to safe abortion care.

At 11:56 p.m. the clinics doctor completed the final procedure. As of September 1, Hagstrom Miller says, We are fully compliant with SB8. What that means is that Whole Womans Health is still offering ultrasounds, abortions to anyone who has a pregnancy without embryonic or fetal cardiac activity. Those patients whose pregnancies are more advanced, she added, will receive the support and guidance from our clinic staff. Some folks may choose to go outside the state. Some folks may choose to wait and seeif we are able to get injunctive relief, and be able to reopen. And some folks may turn to self-managed abortion.

This is effectively a complete abortion ban for patients in marginalized communities, anyone who cant access childcare, time off work, transportation and the resources needed to travel out of state, Ken Lambrecht, president of Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, said in a statement on Thursday. Those who cant afford to go out of state may turn to self-managing their own abortions, with the support of organizations like AidAccess. Such organizations can help women obtain two medications, Mifepristone and Misoprostol, that can trigger a miscarriage. The pills can be taken at home with a low risk of complications if a pregnancy is less than 12 weeks along.

The best reading of the law is that it would not apply to self-managed or to those who assisted self-managed abortions, Marc Hearron, lead attorney on the case and senior counsel, Center for Reproductive Rights, said Wednesday. But, he added, a note of caution: If this [law] were enforced by state officials, you could have some reliability that those officials would enforce the law in a reasonable way, but because this law is enforced by literally any person who can initiate an enforcement action in any court across the state, theres no telling whether someone would still try to sue someone over a self-managed abortion.

On Thursday, as Texas abortion providers were steeling themselves for a possible flood of lawsuits, users on Reddit and TikTok were strategizing ways to stymie the efforts of the pro-life groups behind SB8. Users were sharing an anonymous tip line created by the pro-life organization Texas Right to Life designed to help enforce SB8, and encouraging their followers to flood the site with bogus tips. One user even wrote an iOS script that sends a request to the site every 10 to 15 seconds. He told VICE he sent 300 requests before his IP address was blocked; he has since shared the code with more than 4,000 others.

Texas Right to Life, meanwhile, was in the midst of planning a big party to celebrate their victory  and raise more money to replicate our success across the nation by spreading the SB8 gospel nationwide.

Our HISTORIC law took effect yesterday, and this decision means that Texas can protect preborn babies from abortion who have detectable heartbeats! No other state has accomplished this, the organization crowed to supporters on Thursday. Are you ready to celebrate?! If you want to be on the inside of the most AGGRESSIVE, MUSCULAR, and IMPACTFUL Pro-Life organization in the world, come to one of the upcoming Celebration of Life galas! Individual tickets for the events, set to take place later this month, start at $200, while VIP Lifesaver packages go for $50,000 a piece.
When I think of vegan foodie locations, Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco are the places that usually come to mind. I've lived in all three, but am new to Houston. Imagine my delight, then, when I discovered the fourth largest city in the country is not only growing in population and diversity, but in creative vegan cuisine.

Here are eight H-town vegan restaurants where you can satisfy your plant-based cravings, no plane ticket required.

Ohmycarolinaa on Instagram

Verdines motto is eat with a purpose. Founder and executive chef Stephanie Hoban shares that philosophy in Houston with healthy, 100% plant-based cuisine that's locally sourced and seasonally inspired. The chic dining room welcomes patrons with its elegant aesthetic, but the delicious food and kind service are what brought me back again. Verdine also offers beer and wine, and a dog-friendly patio. Try the tempura battered orange cauliflower paired with sweet chili sauce or the Maryland crab-style cakes made out of banana blossoms, which took me back to summers at Chesapeake Bay. The BBQ tempeh sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries was the perfect marriage of sweet and spicy. I say I do!

Rose Bruno Bailey

Owners Jesse and Denisse Hernandez serve Houston authentic vegan Mexican cuisine with passion for the food they create and the guests they serve. Their business combines health with a reverence for animals and the environment. Try the incredibly gooey quesadilla with cashew cheese or the vegan enchiladas with various vegan protein options. The guacamole was the freshest I've ever tasted. And as a bonus, take a photo with the restaurant's stunning mural painted by artist Jose Pescador. The authentic cuisine and ambiance are the perfect positive vibe for any day out.

Amador Lazo

When my vegan-curious friend took a bite of his Korny Burger with korny sauce, his first words were holy crap. Not the most eloquent reaction, but definitely authentic. Owner Amador Lazo offers the comfort food I remember my parents treating me to after a long day of school, but its 100% vegan and 100% delectable. Try the buffalo cauliflower with the homemade vegan ranch of your dreams, and know that the cheese sticks sell out quickly. My friend questioned whether the spicy Buffalo Chicken sandwich was really vegan  you may have the same doubt, but yes, it is.

Sinfull Bakery

A bakery that's 100% vegan with organic ingredients? Yes, please. Founder Dylan Carnes' bakery offers vegan treats both sweet and savory at his Midtown store and at various businesses around Houston. Get the decadent melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon roll, the larger-than-life cookies, the vegan kolaches and the (not) chicken salad sandwich. Sinfull Bakery is open for coffee, dine-in or take out orders. Holiday orders begin in September, so plan ahead. Sinfull Bakery lives up to its name, and it's deliciously worth it.

Rose Bruno Bailey

Finding a great pizza that's also vegan outside of the northeast U.S. is like stumbling across a unicorn. Owner Demetrius Walker hails from the Bronx, and has succeeded in creating just that with Meeks Pizza, located within Blodgett Food Hall. Patrons can dine in at the hall, take out food or order delivery. Choose between the house-made cashew cheese or coconut cheese (I went with cashew), then go for the Greek-style or the meathead pizza, both with gluten-free crust options. This is not a shy pie  its perfectly seasoned, its bold and its flavorful with a kick of vegan cheesiness. The Meeks website claims this pizza will change your life, and it's not wrong.

Rose Bruno Bailey

Crystle Austin and restaurant partner David Arreguin are spicing up the Houston vegan scene at Cascabel. When I stepped into the restaurant, it felt like we were at a neighbor's house for a summer party. We were greeted by tall trees adorned with twinkling lights and a dining room flanked with black and white family photos. It felt like home, with friendly servers acting as our hosts for the evening. Ask for employee of the month Raul, and say hello to manager Jesus. Try the enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas and desserts, all house-made. Cascabels delicious cocktails can also be made non-alcoholic. Go for the food, ambience and service, stay for karaoke. Portions of the Sunday special profits goes to various vegan charities.

Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Im all about brunch, coffee and music, so I was thrilled to try Mo' Better Brews, a full service vegan breakfast joint from the creators of Houston Sauce Co. Courtney and Chasitie Lindsay. The spot doubles as a vinyl shop in a partnership between the Lindsays and ethnomusicologist Flash G. Parks. Try the Coltrane Croissant Sandwich, breakfast quesadillas and the signature hot sauce. The non-breakfast items are delicious too  we swooned over three-ingredient zucchini fritters. The breakfast joint also serve mimosas, beer and wine during evening events. Dine on the dreamy tree-shaded patio, which makes for the perfect place to chill while listening to music with a coffee, a mimosa, or both.

Rose Bruno Bailey

Owners Matti Merrell and her husband Rodney Perry focus on the best ingredients at Green Seed Vegan. Free of soy and processed vegan meats, this is my go-to spot to get wheatgrass shots, green juice, a raw vegan meal or something a little more filling. Get the pb&p, caramelized plantains topped with spinach & peanut butter spread, or the Cali, a cauliflower sandwich with spicy aioli. Top off your experience with raw vegan cheesecake.
Before this weekend, I had been to Fredericksburg only once. In 2019, my mom and aunt were in town from the East Coast and wanted to experience something quintessentially Texas. I drove us out in their rental car and we spent a few hours walking down Main Street. We had lunch at the Fredericksburg Brewery and bought little dog hats at Dogologie and then drove home.

As we pulled back into Austin I turned to my aunt, and asked, What did you think of the Hill Country? I didnt expect it to be so hilly, she replied.

Katie Friel/MySA

Day one

This past weekend, I returned to the Hill Country hamlet to spend three blissful days drinking wine, eating schnitzel, and walking through cemeteries. Inspired by this recent New York Times article, we booked a room at the Stonewall Motor Lodge, a recently renovated 1960s motel halfway between Fredericksburg and Johnson City. Its cute and quirky, with a very photogenic sign. It feels, like so many things in this part of Texas, like you will turn a corner and Lyndon B. Johnson will pop out.

Staying at the motor lodge gives you a direct route into downtown Fredericksburg via 290, a road populated with wineries and farm stands and two large Trump 2020 banners (and one that reads Trump 2021). The town itself is small, with a population just shy of 12,000, according to U.S. Census numbers. But over the past few years, Fredericksburg has boomed along with the rest of Texas, drawing visitors (and many, many bachelorette parties) to its picturesque, Western-meets-German streets.

On Friday evening, a large group of us gathered at the statue of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz on Main Street to begin the Haunted Fredericksburg Ghost Walk, a one-mile, 90-minute tour around downtown.

Our tour guide Justin wore a linen shirt, cropped pants, and suspenders with a bowie knife tucked into his belt, as if dressed for a costume party where the host was vague about the theme. An excellent storyteller (likely due to his full-time job as a high school English teacher), Justin led us around, pointing out places around town where people were allegedly smoked alive, hung from trees, and scalped in front of their loved ones. At the corner of Adams and Main streets, he stopped and let the group catch up. This is a very angry intersection, he warned us, before traipsing towards the next haunted spot. For the rest of the weekend, I approached the intersection with caution, convinced I would see a ghost giving me the middle finger.

Katie Friel/MySA

Day two

The next morning, during breakfast at Hill & Vine, I ordered the eggs Benedict with chicken schnitzel and learned that despite living in Central Texas for almost 13 years, I had no idea what a schnitzel was until it was placed in front of me. As he cleared our plates, our server David asked if we were going to the 133rd annual Gillespie County Fair, taking place just a few blocks away.

David was the first of many people to ask this particular question about the fair throughout the day. During a visit to The Edge winery, an employee began talking about the fair, and I asked if she had gone to the festivities.

I dont go anywhere where they make me wear a mask, she replied. She wore a mask while she told us this, which seemed to be a requirement for working at the winery.

Fredericksburg, if anything, has always been a dichotomy, a place that holds two truths at once: German and Texan, small town and tourist destination, historic yet modern. Church steeples climb skyward on nearly every downtown corner, yet parents push strollers down Main Street while wine glasses slosh in the cup holders (similar to New Orleans, you can openly carry booze). T-shirts emblazoned with anti-vaccine or anti-Biden slogans hang in storefront windows, reminders of the nations ongoing culture war, yet everyone is so dang nice to everyone else. During a visit to one store, the cashier asked us what county we lived in. When she heard the answer (Travis), she looked at us sadly and then perked up. Ill just say youre from Hays, that way you can get the discount, she said, hitting the 10-percent-off button.

On Saturday evening, following stops at the Edge and Safari Winery (where the bartender also asked about the fair), we ventured back onto Main Street with no plans and tucked into a The Bar, which offers good music, a romantic stone patio, and a dog named Julius who lives upstairs.

Katie Friel/MySA

Despite the name, The Bar does serve a small food menu. Do you have anything with vegetables? All Ive had today is schnitzel and wine, I asked the server. Welcome to Fredericksburg, he said with a laugh.

Day three

The following morning, with the remnants of a very generous glass of pinot noir still mucking about in my head, it was time for a final breakfast at the Squeeze In. The diner is exactly what you want after a day spent drinking Texas wine: a very large menu of omelettes, pancakes, and potatoes all served under a giant sign reminding everyone in the dining room to back the blue.

Fredericksburg offers exactly what one wants in a weekend trip, especially during a pandemic: close enough to San Antonio to drive but far enough away to feel like youre somewhere  anywhere  else. It also offers a reminder that the anger and frustration boiling up in state houses across the nation is spilling out on Fredericksburg's literal Main Street. A weekend trip might break up the monotony of your day-to-day life, but it's certainly not going to give you a break from the nation's culture wars.

But without sounding too much like Pollyanna, it was also a reminder that most people are nice and generous with their time. That locals are eager to offer suggestions and tell you about their lives and ask about yours. It reminds us that we don't know everything (hello, schnitzel) and of the extraordinary benefit of spending time surrounded by people who maybe don't think like you. Traveling takes us out of ourselves and gives us a glimpse into something different. Even if it's just 70 miles away.
The Nevada trooper first told Stephen Lara the highway patrol was educating drivers "about violations they may not realize they're committing," and that he'd been pulled over for following a tanker truck a bit too closely. After some small talk, the trooper admitted an ulterior purpose: stopping the smuggling of illegal drugs, weapons and currency as they crossed the state.

Lara - a former Marine who says he was on his way to visit his daughters in Northern California - insisted he was doing none of those things, though he readily admitted he had "a lot" of cash in his car. As he stood on the side of the road, police searched the vehicle, pulling nearly $87,000 in a zip-top bag from Lara's trunk and insisting a drug-sniffing dog had detected something on the cash.

Police found no drugs, and Lara, 39, was charged with no crimes. But police nonetheless left with his money, calling a Drug Enforcement Administration agent to coordinate a process known as "adoption," which allows federal authorities to seize cash or property they suspect is connected to criminal activity without levying criminal charges.

"I left there confused. I left there angry," Lara said in an interview with The Washington Post. "And I could not believe that I had just been literally robbed on the side of the road by people with badges and guns."

It was only after Lara got a lawyer, sued and talked with The Washington Post about his ordeal that the government said it would return his money. Asked for comment on this story on Tuesday, spokespeople for the Justice Department, DEA and Nevada Highway Patrol all declined to comment. But on Wednesday, after this story first published, DEA spokeswoman Anne Edgecomb said the agency had made a decision to return Lara's money and the government vowed a broader review.

"The Justice Department is reviewing existing policy on adoptive forfeitures," spokesman Joshua Stueve said in a statement.

Provided by Institute for Justice

Lara and his representatives concede some of his actions could raise questions. But advocates say the case is an example of how the federal government abuses its asset forfeiture authority, putting the burden on those whose property is taken to prove their innocence to get it back.

The "adoption" maneuver is particularly controversial, they say, because it involves federal law enforcement using its power to encourage a seizure by state police. Much of the forfeited property ultimately goes back to the state agency if it's not returned to the original owner, and advocates say many owners don't have the means or sophistication to get their items back.

Attorney General Eric Holder curtailed use of the practice in the Obama administration, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions restored it under President Donald Trump. Though Attorney General Merrick Garland has rolled back many Trump-era changes at the Justice Department, he has not taken any action on asset forfeiture.

"This is an inherently abusive power that state and local law enforcement should not have," said Wesley Hottot, a lawyer representing Lara with the Institute for Justice, which advocates against civil asset forfeiture. "What we see almost exclusively are people like Stephen who - perhaps had quirky banking practices - but they're not guilty of any crime. And yet, in the nation's airports, on the nation's roads, they're treated by police as though a large amount of cash by itself is criminal. And that power is too dangerous to give every police officer on the street."

- - -

To law enforcement, Lara in some ways fit the profile of a drug trafficker. He planned to drive more than 40 hours over four days in February, from Texas to Northern California and back. In addition to the cash, he had a stack of receipts showing ATM withdrawals of more than $130,000 over three-years - seeming to anticipate the bills in his trunk would draw questions.

Video of the stop, recorded on multiple body cameras, shows the trooper and Lara having a genial conversation, with Lara agreeing to be searched. The troopers pull the cash from his trunk, and remark that the bills seem to be new. Lara points them to the receipts, which he says prove the money is his.

"As odd as it is, everything lines up," a trooper says at one point.

In the video, Lara tells the troopers he does not trust banks. At one point, a sergeant on the scene calls someone - apparently a DEA agent - to confirm the forfeiture process.

"It's too easy to do an adoption," the sergeant says.

After Holder banned the Justice Department from adopting local seizures - with exceptions for joint federal-local investigations and gun and child porn crimes - such cases declined sharply, according to Justice Department data analyzed by the Institute for Justice, hitting a low of about $4.9 million in 2017.

But that year, Sessions issued a directive reviving the practice.

In 2018, the amount forfeited by the Justice Department through adoptions not connected to a joint operation crept up to $19.6 million, according to the institute. It fell slightly, to $16.5 million, in 2019, the last year for which the institute says there is reliable data.

Lara sued the Nevada Highway Patrol over the seizure on Tuesday and filed a court motion asking the DEA to give his money back, saying it was taken without probable cause as part of a program that incentivizes such conduct.

Hottot said he received an email about 8:53 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday notifying him DEA planned to return the money. But he said the lawsuit would continue.

"This is a standard tactic that the federal government uses to try to prevent people from challenging the constitutionality of their cash cow," Hottot said.

Lara is seeking a declaration that the seizure lacked probable cause and a restraining order barring the Nevada Highway Patrol from participating in the federal program that allows them to share proceeds of forfeitures.

Hottot said he will also seek interest and payment of Lara's costs - though he said federal courts have often not awarded those to people whose money is returned by the DEA.

"Which is really perverse when you think about it, because a person who hires an attorney and has to file a lawsuit to ge the money back is the person who needs the fees," Hottot said.

- - -

Lara insists the money seized was his, earned legitimately over many years. He said he typically kept the cash in the home he shares with his parents in Lubbock, Tex., but had it in the car with him because he was planning to look for homes closer to his children that weekend, and his parents were scheduled to be out of town.

"I felt that it was safer that I secure my money by taking it with me," Lara said, adding that he kept receipts in the car because he likes to keep "tight documentation" of his finances.

The DEA notified Lara in early April that it was initiating "administrative forfeiture proceedings" for the cash taken in the Feb. 19 seizure - which would allow them to keep it, if he did not intervene.

With the institute's help, Lara filed a formal claim for the cash on April 21. The DEA confirmed receiving the claim, but he said he has heard nothing since. In a court filing, Lara's attorneys asserted that the government needed to have filed a civil forfeiture complaint or a criminal case within 90 days to hold on to Lara's money.

Over the years, Lara has had legitimate sources of income, including retirement pay from his military service, which included tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, a hospital job and unemployment benefits. He provided The Post years of bank statements. They show some confusing patterns, including widely variable monthly activity in which Lara transfers money back and forth between checking and savings accounts, but also support Lara's explanation that he liked to keep most of his savings in cash, and made bank deposits to pay certain bills.

A search of available public records does not reveal any significant criminal history for Lara. He pleaded guilty in 2017 in an insurance fraud case, which was dismissed after he paid a fine and did community service.

Lara concedes in the video of his stop that he had not paid taxes in two years; Hottot said he has since prepared returns, with the help of an accountant, and intends to file them in the coming days.

Former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance said some of the details of Lara's case mimic classic signs of money laundering - and to a suspicious prosecutor, his claim to distrust banks could sound "like a pretty good cover story."

But Vance said the case also highlights why many in law enforcement prefer to pursue forfeiture cases connected to indictments, rather than taking assets in civil court.

"You can't just take people's stuff because you happen to find them with cash," Vance said. "We still live in a country where people are innocent until they're proven guilty."

- - -

Kimberly Olsen, Lara's ex-wife, said Lara owes her about $18,000 in child support - about $900 a month is automatically deducted from his income to chip away at that. Last year, she successfully sought a restraining order against him so their contact would be limited to brief exchanges surrounding his visits with the kids.

Hottot, Lara's attorney, said Lara disputes he owes $18,000 and is negotiating with authorities to get it erased, even as he pays it down.

Olsen said she thought Lara might have kept his money out of the bank in part so he would not have to turn it over in child support. But she noted that even when they were married years ago, Lara "just liked to have his cash," and made frequent withdrawals.

She said Lara did not seem to spend an inordinately high amount, but liked to "show off" the cash itself, and spend it on his kids. She said she did not think he was a drug trafficker.

"He has some problems. That's why I have a restraining order against him," Olsen said. "But I just don't see this being some ordeal where he's selling drugs or something. I just think he's weird."

As the traffic stop came to a close - and officers declared they were taking Lara's money, even though he was free to go - Lara seemed to grow frustrated. He questioned how he'd pay for his hotel room, and food for his children during the trip.

"You're taking food out of the kids' mouths," Lara says on the video of the stop.

"Like I said, we, we believe right now that this is drug proceeds," a trooper responds.

"Well," Lara responds, "I'm gonna prove to you that it's not."

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites and Alex Horton contributed to this report.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  The U.S. Supreme Courts decision to uphold a Texas law that bans most abortions will likely result in more people coming to New Mexico for the procedure, advocates and legal experts said Thursday.

The state already was among the ones that patients travel to because Albuquerque is home to one of only a few independent clinics in the country that perform abortions in the third trimester.

An Associated Press analysis in 2019 found that New Mexicos share of abortions performed on women from out of state in recent years more than doubled to about 25%. Now, several providers in the state have seen a fourfold increase in patients calls from out of state, particularly from people in Texas.

Officials with New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, which helps women with lodging, transportation and other needs, said they already are experiencing an influx of women from elsewhere and are preparing for more in the next couple of weeks.

Ellie Rushforth, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in New Mexico who specializes in reproductive rights, said providers are trying to prepare by expanding hours of operation and bringing in more staff.

She called it a terrible day for Texans and for those who have been fighting for years for reproductive freedoms.

Its undeniable when any state passes abortion restrictions that folks will still need the care and that those states are just making it more complicated, she said.

New Mexico earlier this year adopted legislation to overturn a dormant 1969 ban on most abortion procedures. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the measure in February, saying women have the right to make decisions about their bodies.

Had the old statute been left in place, New Mexicos ban on most abortion procedures would have gone into effect if the U.S. Supreme Court eventually overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

While there's no pressure so far for the Democrat-controlled Legislature to go further with abortion protections, Lujan Grisham's office said Thursday that the state supports reproductive health care decisions being made between women and their doctors, with no government interference.

We do not and we will not stand for any attempts to criminalize or restrict health care access in New Mexico, said Nora Meyers Sackett, the governor's spokeswoman.

She added that draconian laws in neighboring states may increase the need for abortion services in New Mexico.

The Texas law bans abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks  before some people know theyre pregnant. In a highly unusual twist, enforcement will be done by private citizens who can sue anyone they believe is violating the law.

Rushforth said limited access to abortion services in Texas had already resulted in waiting lists that were pushing more patients to New Mexico and other states. She called New Mexico a safe haven for people who are afraid and are now having to navigate what she called an impossible legal landscape.

These consequences will continue to be enormous as we move forward, she said. The financial and logistical barriers for many abortion patients are often times insurmountable.

Democratic state Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero of Albuquerque said she wants New Mexico to continue to provide safe passage for those seeking abortion procedures. She voiced concerns about the potential of the Texas law leading to underground abortion procedures.

I would hope that we would continue to be welcoming and that our priority would be to save lives," she said. "Its our decision and if its going to be our decision, it should be a safe and healthy outcome.

___

Associated Press writer Morgan Lee in Santa Fe contributed to this report.
MADRID (AP)  A humanitarian aid group that monitors the plight of migrants taking perilous seaborne routes to Spain said that 21 women and one girl have died and several dozen more people were lost at sea while trying to reach the Canary Islands.

Helena Maleno, founder of nongovernmental organization Walking Borders, tweeted Thursday that 22 bodies have been recovered from a migrant boat by the Moroccan navy. She said there was one girl among the female casualties, who were mostly from the Ivory Coast and Guinea.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP)  The South Florida house that gangster Al Capone owned for nearly two decades, and died in, is facing demolition plans.

The Miami Herald reported Thursday that the new owners of the nine-bedroom, Miami Beach house plan to demolish it after buying it for $10.75 million this summer.

One of the owners, developer Todd Glaser, told the Herald the home, which is about 3 feet (1 meter) below sea level, has flood damage and standing water underneath it. The new owners plan to build a two-story modern spec home with 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, a Jacuzzi, spa and sauna.

The house is a piece of crap, Glaser said. Its a disgrace to Miami Beach.

The other owner is Glaser's business partner, Nelson Gonzalez, an investor and senior vice president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM.

The house has been placed on the September agenda for possible historic designation by the city of Miami Beach, but Glaser said that is not going to stop the new owners' plans.

Capone bought the house for $40,000 in 1928 and returned to it often. The gangster nicknamed Scarface" died at the home in 1947 from a heart attack. The home is believed to be where Capone and his associates plotted the notorious St. Valentine's Day massacre in which seven members of an opposing gang were gunned down in a Chicago parking garage in 1929.

The Miami Beach house isnt the only one of Capones possessions changing hands. In California, his three granddaughters are planning an auction of some of his personal items, including diamond-encrusted jewelry with his initials, family photographs and his favorite handgun.

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 Witherells Auction House in Sacramento.
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Janet Bednarek, University of Dayton

(THE CONVERSATION) During the mid-1990s I traveled between Dayton, Ohio, and Washington, D.C., twice a month during the school year as half of a commuting couple. I could leave Dayton by 5:15 p.m., drive nearly 80 miles to the Columbus airport during rush hour, park my car in the economy lot, and still get to my gate in plenty of time for a 7:30 p.m. departure.

Then 9/11 happened.

The terrorist attacks brought swift and lasting changes to the air travel experience in the United States. And after 20 years of ever-more-elaborate airport security protocols, many air travelers have no knowledge of  or only vague memories of  what air travel was like before 9/11.

As someone who has studied the history of airports in the United States  and someone old enough to remember air travel before 9/11  I find it striking, on the one hand, how reluctant the federal government, the airlines, and airports were to adopt early security measures.

On the other hand, its been jarring to watch how abruptly the sprawling Transportation Security Agency system was created  and how quickly American air travelers came to accept those security measures as both normal and seemingly permanent features of all U.S. airports.

Security Kabuki

In the early decades of air travel, airport security  beyond basic policing  was essentially nonexistent. Getting on a plane was no different from getting on a bus or train.

But in the late 1960s and early 1970s, there was a wave of hijackings, terrorist attacks and extortion attempts  the most infamous being that of the man known as D.B. Cooper, who commandeered a Boeing 727, demanded US$200,000 and, upon securing the case, dramatically parachuted from the plane, never to be found.

Attacks on U.S. flights usually prompted another new security measure, whether it was the formation of the air marshal program, which placed armed federal agents on U.S. commercial aircraft; the development of a hijacker profile, aimed at identifying people deemed likely to threaten an aircraft; or the screening of all passengers.

By 1973, under the new protocols, air travelers had to pass through a metal detector and have any bags X-rayed to check for weapons or suspicious objects.

For the most part, however, these measures were intended to reassure nervous flyers  security theater that sought to minimally impede easy passage from check-in to gate. For domestic travel, it was possible to arrive at the airport terminal 20 to 30 minutes before your flight and still be able to reach the gate in time to board. Families and friends could easily accompany a traveler to their gate for take-off and meet them at the gate upon their return.

Above all, airlines didnt want to inconvenience passengers, and airports were reluctant to lose the extra revenue from family and friends who might frequent airport restaurants, bars and shops when dropping off or picking up those passengers.

In addition, these security measures, though called for by the Federal Aviation Administration, were the responsibility of not the federal government, but the airlines. And to keep costs down, the airlines tended to contract private companies to conduct security screenings that used minimally trained low-paid employees.

The clampdown

All that changed with the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Once the airlines returned to the skies on Sept. 14, 2001, it was immediately apparent that flying was going to be different. Passengers arriving at airports were greeted by armed military personnel, as governors throughout the country had mobilized the National Guard to protect the nations airports. They remained on patrol for several months.

Security measures only increased in December 2001, when Richard Reid, the so-called Shoe Bomber, attempted to set off explosives in his shoes on an international flight from Paris to Miami. Taking off your shoes before passing through security quickly became a requirement.

Then, in 2006, British officials intercepted an attempt to carry liquid explosives aboard a flight, resulting in a ban on all liquids. This was later modified to restricting passengers to liquids of no more than 3.4 ounces. By 2010, the full-body scanner had become a familiar sight at airports throughout the U.S.

A 2019 study indicated that the average time to get through security at some of the nations busiest airports varied from just over 23 minutes at Newark Liberty to 16.3 minutes at Seattle-Tacoma, but could go as high as 60 minutes and 34 minutes, respectively, at those same two airports during peak times.

These new security measures became the responsibility of the federal government to enforce. In November 2001, Congress created the Transportation Security Agency, and by the early months of 2002, their employees had become the face of transportation security throughout the United States  at airports as well as railroads, subways and other forms of transportation.

Today, the TSA employs over 50,000 agents.

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No end in sight

In the first decade after 9/11, the federal government spent over $62 billion on airport security in total, as annual spending for the TSA increased from $4.34 billion in 2002 to $7.23 billion in 2011, and has only grown since then.

In many ways, the post-9/11 scramble by airport officials to address security concerns was similar to the impulse to address public health concerns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when plastic barriers, hand sanitizers and floor markings encouraging social distancing appeared at airports throughout the U.S.

How long the COVID-19 measures will need to stay in place remains to be seen. However, the security measures adopted after 9/11 have proved permanent enough that they have become incorporated into recent airport terminal renovations.

For example, when Reagan National Airports new terminal opened in 1997, passengers could move freely between the shop- and restaurant-filled National Hall and the gates in Terminals B and C. After 9/11, airport officials placed security checkpoints at the entrances to Terminals B and C, effectively making shops and restaurants no longer accessible to passengers who had passed through security.

Now, the almost-completed $1 billion redesign will move the security checkpoints to a new building constructed above the airports roadway and open up access among National Hall, Terminals B and C and a new commuter terminal.

Nearly a generation has passed since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Even those of us old enough to remember air travel before that fateful date have grown accustomed to the new normal. And while passengers today might quite happily mark the eventual end of the COVID-19 public health security measures, theyre far less likely to see a return to pre-9/11 security levels at the airport anytime soon.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/an-entire-generation-of-americans-has-no-idea-how-easy-air-travel-used-to-be-166082.
HOUMA, La. (AP)  With Hurricane Ida's winds screaming and only a tent and tarp for shelter, Angelique Hebert clung to her husband under a bridge where the couple had sought refuge.

We're gonna die in this hurricane, Angelique told him. But he said: Just hang on, baby. It's gonna be over.

So she hung on, and she prayed.

It wasnt that the couple wanted to ride out a major hurricane exposed to the elements. Homeless and with few options in the bayous and small communities of southern Louisiana, they said they simply couldnt afford to get out of Ida's path. With no car, they walked more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the coastal hamlet of Montegut to Houma to try to catch an evacuation bus. They missed it.

Despite mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders in south Louisiana parishes, many residents who wanted to flee were left to fend for themselves as the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the U.S. mainland ravaged Louisiana. For homeless people, those on fixed or low incomes, and others in the state's most vulnerable groups, staying wasn't a matter of choice  it was the only choice.

People will say, 'Well, Im just going to ride it out,' said Craig Colten, a professor emeritus at Louisiana State University who studies community resilience and adaptation to changing environments in coastal Louisiana. But a lot of the time, people will ride it out because they dont have the means to escape, and that, in large measure, means an automobile and enough money to buy gas.

Experts have long been concerned that the increasing intensity and frequency of hurricanes  especially in Louisiana, where many residents return even after major storms  put people of lower means at higher risk. Even those who can scrape together resources to leave temporarily often return to find damaged or destroyed homes, jobs that no longer exist, and little immediate assistance.

Theres a real concern among people who keep an eye on equity issues," said Colten, who's particularly worried that Ida  like Katrina  fell at the end of the month, when those who rely on retirement or government checks have already used most of their money.

Their funds are pretty close to exhausted, these people who live hand-to-mouth, and so they didnt have much choice but to stay, he said. They cant go get a motel room. They cant even buy a bus ticket. ... Many of them have infirm relatives or family members, they have pets.

The Heberts used a two-person dome tent, settled in by a concrete pillar under a bridge that crosses the Intracoastal Waterway and hoped for the best. The tent collapsed, letting rain inside.

It was the most terrifying thing Ive ever been through, said Angelique Hebert, 53. Wilfred Hebert said he wanted to do more to protect his wife, but he couldn't.

The couple has been staying at a shelter since the storm passed, but they don't know what will come next. Broke, they panhandled along a road, with a sign: "Hurricane took everything.

Also in hard-hit Houma, mother of two Kaylee Ordoyne, 26, said her family couldn't afford to evacuate. Her truck  the familys only vehicle  broke down days before the storm. She spent her last $30 on water, juice, cans of Chef Boyardee and soup, bread and sandwich meat. They left their trailer behind and took refuge in a relatives apartment.

By Monday morning, that apartment would be in ruins.

As the storm ripped through the roof, Ordoyne held her kids, 2 and 4, singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and whispering nursery rhymes. The ceiling collapsed, and they were trapped in a corner of the kitchen with water up to their ankles.

If I would have had the money to evacuate, I would have  for my babies, Ordoyne said. I cried once, and then had to hold my tears in after, no matter how bad I wanted to break down.

They survived, but the family's troubles are far from over. The $11,000 trailer Ordoyne spent her savings on was destroyed by the storm. She had lived there just two months and has no insurance. She also has no paycheck  she reviews and approves phone applications for a wireless company, a job she can't do without internet or power.

"I'm so worried sick about what will be next, she said.

In New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said roughly half the population evacuated ahead of Ida. The other half  200,000 people  remained. For them and those who'd returned to a city with a shattered power grid, officials opened cooling stations and gave out meals Wednesday.

At one center, Barbara Bradie, a work-from-home agent for Walgreens, and Rita Richardson, a research coordinator at Tulane Medical Center, enjoyed their hot meal: pork, peas and bread. They said they couldn't have evacuated; neither has a car.

Richardson said she evacuated once, for Hurricane Gustav in 2008: "I was out of town 10 days, and I was broke by the time I got home. ... Id rather just stay here and deal with it.

Bradie added: People think you just get up and go. Youve got to have a car, put gas in the car, got to have a hotel.

After Hurricane Katrina, the city partnered with a nonprofit to put together a City-Assisted Evacuation Plan where people would meet at designated neighborhood pickup spots  marked with 12-foot stainless steel sculptures for a shuttle to shelters. But in Ida  a storm intensifying so fast the mayor said mandatory evacuation wasn't possible  the system was not utilized, Colten said.

Even for families who were able to evacuate, the financial impact will be long-lasting and painful. Some spent their last dollars to get their families to safety.

Lesl Bell and her husband were already living paycheck to paycheck before they both tested positive for COVID-19 a month ago. They had to stay home and were soon behind on bills. Then Ida hit.

"We couldnt work for that whole month, and now this? Bell said.

They packed their car and left with their 3-year-old and their remaining cash for a Florida hotel. They were too scared to stay in Louisiana; Bell's pregnant, and she worried for their toddler's safety.

But the family started running out of money and was forced to make the drive home Tuesday, even as officials advised people to stay away.

It's crazy how they tell you to stay out when the cheapest hotel room is almost $200 a night, she said. How we going to afford to be out for so long?

___

Willingham reported from Jackson, Mississippi. Associated Press writer Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans contributed.

___

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.
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Luis Josue Sales, Scripps College

(THE CONVERSATION) The U.S. Supreme Court has failed to rule on an emergency application to block SB8, a controversial Texas law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. As such, the legislation went into effect on Sept. 1, 2021.

While signing the new law on May 19, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated: Our creator endowed us with the right to life, and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion.

As Abbotts words show, these kinds of draconian restrictions on womens reproductive rights in the United States are often fueled by the belief of many Christians that abortion and Christianity are incompatible. For example, the catechism of the Catholic Church, an authoritative guide to the beliefs and practices of Roman Catholics, states: Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.

However, this statement tells only one part of the story. It is true that Christian leaders, virtually all male, have largely condemned abortion. Nonetheless, as a scholar of premodern Christianities, I am also aware of the messier realities that this statement conceals.

Celebrating womens celibacy

The earliest Christian writings  the letters of the Apostle Paul  discouraged marriage and reproduction. Later Christian texts supported these teachings. In a second-century text known as the Acts of Paul and Thekla, a Christian author in Asia Minor praised Thekla for rejecting her suitors and avoiding marriage in favor of spreading Christian teachings instead.

In the third century, Theklas story inspired a Roman noblewoman called Eugenia. According to the Christian text titled the Acts and Martyrdom of Eugenia, Eugenia rejected marriage and led a male monastery for a time. Afterward, she discouraged Alexandrian women from having children, but this advice angered their husbands. These men convinced the emperor Gallienus that Eugenias teachings about womens reproductive choice endangered Romes military power by reducing the supply of future soldiers. Eugenia was executed in the year 258.

Even as the Roman Empire became increasingly Christian, women still received praise for avoiding marriage. For example, the bishop Gregorios of Nyssa, an ancient city near Harmandali, Turkey, wrote the beautiful text Life of Makrina to celebrate his beloved sister and teacher, who died in 379. In this text, Gregorios admires Makrina for wittily rejecting suitors by claiming that she owed faithfulness to her dead fiance.

To sum up, while early Christian texts did not exactly encourage women to explore sexual experiences, neither did they encourage marriage, reproduction and family life.

Choices beyond celibacy

Pre-modern Christian women had options besides celibacy as well, although the state, the church and mediocre medicine limited their reproductive choices.

In 211, the Roman emperors Septimius Severus and Caracalla made abortion illegal. Tellingly, though, Roman laws surrounding abortion were centrally concerned with the fathers right to an heir, not with women or fetuses in their own right. Later Roman Christian legislators left that largely unchanged.

Conversely, Christian bishops sometimes condemned the injustice of laws regulating sex and reproduction. For example, the bishop Gregorios of Nazianzos, who died in 390, accused legislators of self-serving hypocrisy for being lenient on men and tough on women. Similarly, the bishop of Constantinople, Ioannes Chrysostomos, who died in 407, blamed men for putting women in difficult situations that led to abortions.

Christian leaders often gathered at meetings called synods to discuss religious beliefs and practices. Two of the most important synods concerning abortion were held in Ankyra  currently Ankara, Turkey  in 314 and in Chalkedon  todays Kadikoy, Turkey  in 451. Notably, these two synods drastically reduced the penalties for abortion relative to earlier centuries.

But over time, these legal and religious opinions did not seem appreciably to affect womens reproductive choices. Rather, pregnancy prevention and termination methods thrived in premodern Christian societies, especially in the medieval Roman Empire. For example, the historian Prokopios of Kaisareia claims that the Roman Empress Theodora nearly perfected contraception and abortion during her time as a sex worker, and yet this charge had no impact on Theodoras canonization as a saint.

Some evidence even indicates that pre-modern Christians actively developed reproductive options for women. For instance, Christian physicians, like Aetios of Amida in the sixth century and Paulos of Aigina in the seventh, provided detailed instructions for performing abortions and making contraceptives. Their texts deliberately changed and improved on the medical work of Soranos of Ephesos, who lived in the second century. Many manuscripts contain their work, which indicates these texts circulated openly.

Further Christian texts about holy figures suggest complex Christian perspectives on the acceptable termination of fetal development  and even newborn lives. Consider a sixth-century text, the Egyptian Life of Dorotheos. In this account, the sister of Dorotheos, an Egyptian hermit from Thebes, becomes pregnant while possessed by a demon. But when Dorotheos successfully prays for his sister to miscarry, the text treats the unusual termination of the pregnancy as a miracle, not a moral outrage.

Around 1,100 years later, a similar event happens in the Ethiopian Life of Walatta Petros. According to this text, Petros, a noblewoman later canonized as a saint, married a general and became pregnant three times. However, every time she conceived, she prayed for her fetus to die promptly if it would not please God in life. The narrator tells us that all three children died days after birth, since God heard her prayer.

Certainly, Christians have a history of opposing methods for preventing and terminating pregnancies. But these pre-modern texts, spanning some 1,500 years, indicate that Christians also have a history of providing these services, and making them safer for women.

This tense and inconclusive relationship to abortion may be poorly known  or perhaps overlooked for political convenience. But that does not change the fact, as I see it, that Christians who support womens reproductive rights are also following the historical precedent of their religious tradition.

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This is an updated version of a piece first published on July 13, 2021.

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Nicholas Johnson, University of Washington

(THE CONVERSATION) The Conversation is running a series of dispatches from clinicians and researchers operating on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. You can find all of the stories here.

As an emergency medicine and critical care doctor at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Ive lost count of the number of COVID-19 surges since the U.S. pandemic began in Seattle in February 2020. But this one feels different. The patients are younger. They have fewer preexisting medical conditions. And at my hospital, over 95% of these hospitalized patients share one common feature: Theyre unvaccinated.

While Im grateful to see news of the FDAs recent full approval of one of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, the science has been clear in my mind for quite some time. mRNA vaccines, first developed over nearly 50 years, are nothing short of a miracle of science designed for situations just like a respiratory virus pandemic. The vaccines are the most effective tool we have to prevent severe illness and hospitalization and protect our precious health care resources. Some of my colleagues just published a study showing exactly this.

Of course, every medical treatment has risks and potential side effects, but weve witnessed the worlds largest vaccine trial, with more than 200 million people in the U.S. receiving at least one dose. Doctors can confidently say that vaccine side effects are rare and generally mild, and rumors about vaccines altering DNA or causing infertility are completely unfounded, with no scientific basis.

But I also have sympathy for those who fell victim to disinformation. Too many times Ive been asked by a family member of a dying patient with COVID-19 if it was too late for the vaccine. Too many times, Ive had to say yes. The next question is often, Is there anything else that can be done? Too often, the answer is no.

Having this conversation over and over again, often over teleconferencing software or the phone, is exhausting and profoundly sad, especially knowing that, in the case of unvaccinated patients, it likely could have been prevented.

I realize that not everybody sees what I see every day. While stories about vaccine reactions abound, few hear about the realities of severe COVID-19 infection. However, when I close my eyes at night, I see the healthy 27-year-old man who died after four weeks hooked up to machines that tried to keep him alive, and the young family he left behind. I see the 41-year-old woman now weak and permanently disabled after a long hospital stay. I see the 53-year-old farmworker who now requires dialysis after developing renal failure, a common complication of severe COVID-19. And countless more.

I often hear claims of 99% survival from COVID-19 with or without the vaccine, but in reality, the facts are much more staggering. Nearly 1 in 500 Americans has died from this disease, and for those who survive, the devastation is like nothing Ive ever seen. Holes in lungs, muscle wasted, organs failing one by one  millions of people will suffer physical, psychological and financial consequences that will last months or years, a toll difficult to quantify.

The impact on our health care system is also difficult to quantify. Staffing, even more than beds or ventilators, is critically low. In Washington state, Texas and across the country, experienced health care workers are leaving the profession in droves, exasperated by the continuous onslaught of sick COVID-19 patients and a demanding work environment. People  nurses, respiratory therapists, doctors, physical therapists, sanitation workers  do the work in hospitals; a hospital bed is worthless without staff to provide care.

Because of these staffing shortages, hospitals areclosing, and the inequities and weaknesses in an already-stretchedhealth care system are being exposed. Revered as health care heroes just a year ago, doctors are being heckled and even assaulted after speaking out about science at school board meetings.

Im frustrated that more Americans have not chosen to get vaccinated, to wear masks, to take this pandemic seriously. I often wonder what 2021 would look like if they had. For example, weve worn masks in the hospital for years for procedures and to protect us from other respiratory viruses. We know that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be spread by aerosols that remain suspended in the air, and that some masks cant entirely block these droplets. But we also know that COVID-19 and most other respiratory viruses also spread from coughing and sneezing via larger respiratory droplets, which most masks do block. Masks are not perfect, but there is strong evidence that they reduce transmission.

With many hospitals at capacity, there have been questions in the media and elsewhere about whether hospitals or health care workers should prioritize the care of the vaccinated, or even refuse to care for unvaccinated individuals who develop severe COVID-19, but thats not how we think. In medicine, especially in emergency and critical care medicine, we often care for people who make poor choices about their health. We counsel, we provide information, we hope and we press on, providing the exact same care regardless of choices or beliefs.

Although stretched thin and imperfect, we do our best for everyone who needs us. But many places have reached a point at which the demand for health care has outstripped the ability to provide it. And we need help.

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/at-my-hospital-over-95-of-covid-19-patients-share-one-thing-in-common-theyre-unvaccinated-166708.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  North Carolina hospitals would be required to let a pastor or other clergy member visit a patient even during a declared emergency like a pandemic under legislation that received final General Assembly approval on Wednesday.

The bill, which got unanimous Senate approval almost four months after a House vote, would require the minister to comply with health screenings and other infection controls that don't interfere with religious beliefs. Hospitals could deny access to clergy members who didn't pass the screening.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Officials have detected more than 65,000 fake financial aid applications to California community colleges in what is believed to be a massive attempted financial aid scam.

The Los Angeles Times reports Thursday that the fraudulent applications were filed at most of the system's 116 campuses on behalf of first-time applicants who were older than 30 and earned less than $40,000. A student aid official detected the applications on a routine check of federal financial aid records while faculty members were flagging unusual surges in class enrollment that they suspected could be driven by fake students or bots.

We were kind of scratching our heads going, Did or didnt 60,000 extra older adult students really attempt to apply to community colleges here in the last few months? said Patrick Perry, director of policy, research and data for the California Student Aid Commission, who alerted college officials to the issue last week.

Since then, Perry said the number of suspected fake applications has exceeded 65,000. He said he believes the problem was caught before significant amounts of aid were distributed to scammers.

Officials at California Community Colleges declined to say whether financial aid was disbursed to fake students. The system, which has received more than $1.6 billion in emergency COVID-19 relief for low income students, is investigating.

The U.S. Department of Educations Office of Inspector General is also investigating and declined comment.

The fake applications were detected at 105 campuses. The largest numbers were reported at Cerritos, Pasadena, Chaffey, Merced and Antelope Valley.

Two professors at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton said they became suspicious upon seeing their online class enrollment surge in early August, including many students who were taking classes unrelated to their major. They later noticed many of the suspicious students didn't have phone numbers or had out-of-state area codes.

It looked like we were making a comeback in spite of the pandemic, said Tara Cuslidge-Staiano, a journalism professor who believes more than two-thirds of her 60 class members are bots. The hardest part of all of this is that were not doing as well as we thought we were doing.

Valerie Lundy-Wagner, the colleges' interim vice chancellor of digital innovation and infrastructure, announced stricter security measures Monday including the required monthly reporting of suspected and confirmed incidents of registration and financial aid fraud.

About 20% of recent traffic on the colleges' main page for online applications was malicious and bot-related," she said, adding that much of this traffic was detected by software installed by the college system in July.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California could soon force large department stores to display some child products in gender neutral ways after the state Legislature passed a bill on Wednesday aimed at getting rid of traditional pink and blue marketing schemes for items like toys and toothbrushes.

The bill would not outlaw traditional boys and girls sections in department stores, but it would require retailers to have a gender neutral section to display a reasonable selection of items regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys.

The bill would only apply to department stores with 500 or more employees, so most small businesses would be exempt. It also wouldn't apply to clothes, just toys and childcare items, which include hygiene and teething products.

The state Senate passed the bill Wednesday, sending it back to the Assembly for a procedural vote before it heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk. If it becomes law, California would become the first state to require these sections in stores, according to the office of Assemblyman Evan Low, the bill's author.

This is at least the third time California lawmakers have tried to pass this bill, with previous versions failing to pass in 2019 and 2020. Low, a Democrat from Campbell, said the measure was inspired by a 10-year-old girl named Britten whose mother works in his legislative office.

Britten asked her mom while shopping why certain things in a store were off limits to her because she was a girl, but would be fine if she was a boy, Low said. Thankfully, my colleagues recognized the pure intentions of this bill and the need to let kids be kids.

Some large retailers are already rethinking how they display their products. Target Corp., with 1,914 stores across the United States, announced in 2015 it would stop using some gender-based signs in its stores.

The California Retailers Association declined to comment on the bill Wednesday. Formal opposition has come from a number of conservative groups. State Sen. Melissa Melendez, a Republican from Lake Elsinore, voted against the bill, saying she would recommend we let parents be parents.

Unlike the author, I actually have children, five of them to be exact, and I can tell you it is very convenient for parents, she said. I don't think parents need the government to step in and tell them how they should shop for their children."

Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, said that while both he and Low are childless gay men, he defended their right to have opinions about children and families.

We know what it was like to grow up not conforming to the way that your gender is supposed to be, he said, adding: This is about making safe spaces for all children in today's society and not pushing, sometimes forcing children to conform.

While the law will require large department stores to comply, penalties for not doing so would be light. Starting in 2024, prosecutors could seek fines of up to $250 for first offenses and up to $500 for second offenses. Those would be civil, not criminal, penalties. Stores could also end up having to pay for reasonable attorney's fees and costs.
BEIJING (AP)  Chinese regulators have ordered ride-hailing platforms to correct unfair market tactics amid a broad crackdown on the internet sector that has spooked investors and shaved billions off the valuations of some of China's biggest technology companies.

The transport ministry, internet watchdog and other regulators on Wednesday ordered 11 such platforms by year's end to stop unfair competition tactics and practices such as recruiting unlicensed drivers, according to a statement published Thursday.

The ride-hailing industry led by companies such as Didi Global and Meituan employs millions of drivers who are part of Chinas growing gig economy, and platforms often jostle for market share by offering passengers and drivers discounts and incentives.

The Chinese government has expressed concern over the exploitation of such workers, as they often work long days and lack basic welfare benefits. Chinas state union in July called for better protection of labor rights and encouraged gig economy workers to form unions to boost protections.

Sector leader Didi has nearly 90% of the market in China, but Chinas internet watchdog is investigating alleged data privacy violations.

Competition among its rivals intensified as they try to gain customers amid the Didi investigation.

The 11 companies were told to inspect their own business practices, form a compliance plan and correct any issues by the end of the year to promote the healthy and sustainable development of the ride-hailing industry.

Chinese authorities have in recent months targeted sectors such as e-commerce and online education, after years of rapid growth in the technology sector amid fears that they may have outsized influence on society.

Beijing launched a barrage of anti-monopoly, data security and other enforcements beginning in late 2020, as it sought to tighten control over internet giants such as Alibaba and Tencent.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  The majority of North Carolina public school students taking standardized state exams in reading, math and science last school year failed them, according to data.

State education leaders cautioned against making year-over-year comparisons with the tests taken during a school year marked by limited in-person instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Only 45.4% of K-12 students passed the exams for the 2020-21 school year, according to results released at a State Board of Education meeting Wednesday. Two years ago -- the last time testing was required -- nearly 59% of K-12 students passed state exams. The U.S. Education Department did not require states to test students in the 2019-20 school year but required it this past year to assess pandemic learning loss.

Because of coronavirus safety concerns, some high school students this past year took exams months after completing the course they were being tested on. Some tests were revised, and a lower-than-normal share of students took them, news outlets reported.

While the 2018-19 data is included as a way to provide context, comparison of the two years should only be made with a recognition that multiple anomalies occurred during the 2020-21 school year and during test administration, state board member Jill Camnitz said.

The board also said Wednesday that North Carolinas high school four-year graduation rate dropped slightly to 86.9% this past school year, compared to 87.6% for the 2019-20 school year. The graduation rate was still higher than what it was in the 2018-19 school year, said Tammy Howard, director of accountability services for the state Department of Public Instruction.

The test results will be used to help educators guide instruction this year. A DPI news release Wednesday said the results are indicators of the formidable challenges that students and educators across North Carolina faced during one of the most severe disruptions to public education the state and nation have ever confronted.

Test subjects included math and reading for students in grades 3 to 8; science for grades 3, 5 and 8; and math, biology and English for high school students.

The state did not give individual schools an A-to-F performance grade that's based largely on state exam performance for the past year. A law signed by Gov. Roy Cooper this week legislation waves that requirement temporarily.

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This story has been corrected to show the 2020-21 graduation rate is 86.9%, not 87.6%.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden on Thursday blasted the Supreme Court's decision not to block a new Texas law banning most abortions in the state and directed federal agencies to do what they can to insulate women and providers from the impact.

Hours earlier, in the middle of the night, a deeply divided high court allowed the law to remain in force. It is the nation's biggest curb to abortion rights since the court announced in its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that women have a constitutional right to abortion.

The court voted 5-4 to deny an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others but also suggested that their order likely wasn't the last word and other challenges can be brought.

Biden said in a statement that his administration will launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision and look at what steps the federal government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe."

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the Justice Department was deeply concerned about the Texas law and evaluating all options to protect the constitutional rights of women, including access to an abortion.

Biden, who has come under pressure from Democrats to expand the size of the Supreme Court, has ordered a review of the court that is due next month.

The Texas law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and before many women know theyre pregnant.

The law is part of a broader push by Republicans nationwide to impose new restrictions on abortion. At least 12 other states have enacted bans early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.

The high court's order declining to halt the Texas law came just before midnight Wednesday. The majority said those bringing the case had not met the high burden required for a stay of the law.

In reaching this conclusion, we stress that we do not purport to resolve definitively any jurisdictional or substantive claim in the applicants lawsuit. In particular, this order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texass law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts, the unsigned order said.

Chief Justice John Roberts dissented along with the court's three liberal justices. Each of the four wrote a statement expressing disagreement with the majority.

Roberts noted that while the majority denied the request for emergency relief the courts order is emphatic in making clear that it cannot be understood as sustaining the constitutionality of the law at issue.

Separately, the justices are planning to tackle the issue in a major case when they begin hearing arguments again in the fall. That case involves the state of Mississippi, which is asking to be allowed to enforce an abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The vote in the Texas case underscores the impact of the death of the liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last year and then-president Donald Trump's replacement of her with conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Had Ginsburg remained on the court there would have been five votes to halt the Texas law.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor called her conservative colleagues' decision stunning.

Presented with an application to enjoin a flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights and evade judicial scrutiny, a majority of Justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand, she wrote.

Texas lawmakers wrote the law to evade federal court review by allowing private citizens to bring lawsuits in state court against anyone involved in an abortion, other than the patient. Other abortion laws are enforced by state and local officials, with criminal sanctions possible.

In contrast, Texas' law allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone involved in facilitating abortions. Among other situations, that could include anyone who drives a woman to a clinic to get an abortion. Under the law, anyone who successfully sues another person would be entitled to at least $10,000.

Justice Elena Kagan wrote that the law was patently unconstitutional, and Justice Stephen Breyer said a woman has a federal constitutional right to obtain an abortion during the first stage of pregnancy.

However, anti-abortion groups cheered the courts action.

This is the most significant accomplishment for the pro-life movement in Texas since Roe v. Wade, said John Seago, legislative director for Texas Right to Life, the states largest anti-abortion group. We had the Supreme Court that is allowing the strongest bill weve ever passed to go into effect. And that is unheard of.

Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life of America, said in a statement that her group was celebrating this decision for what it is, baby steps in the right direction toward the obvious conclusion that Roe is fatally flawed and must go.

But Nancy Northup, the head of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents abortion providers challenging the law, vowed to keep fighting it.

Right now, people seeking abortion across Texas are panicking  they have no idea where or when they will be able to get an abortion, if ever," she said.

Texas has long had some of the nations toughest abortion restrictions, including a sweeping law passed in 2013. The Supreme Court eventually struck down that law, but not before more than half of the states 40-plus clinics closed.

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Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
Roni Rekomaa/AP

HELSINKI (AP)  Former Finnish President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari is suffering from Alzheimers disease and has withdrawn from all public activities.

The office of the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said on Thursday that the 84-year-old Ahtisaari, the Nordic countrys head of state 1994-2000, is receiving support for everyday life at home and occasionally spends periods of treatment in a care facility because of the advanced state of the disease.
Natural and some man-made ingredients came together, causing the weakened but still soggy remnants of Hurricane Ida to devastate the Northeast more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away from its landfall.

This sort of distant and deadly flooding from hurricanes has happened before, and meteorologists had warned that Ida could cause it. But the head of the National Weather Service said the storm's onslaught of rain was so strong and came so quickly that it overwhelmed the region's ability to cope with the downpour.

Although Ida had lost most of its 150 mph (240 kph) wind force, the storm kept its strong rainy core. Then it merged with a wet and strengthening non-tropical storm front, according to meteorologists and atmospheric scientists.

When this happens, very exceptional rainfall can occur, said MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel.

This is not rare," Emanuel added. For example, it happened with Hurricane Camille of 1969, which took a similar path. Camille killed more than 100 people in Virginia from flooding after making landfall as a Category 5 hurricane in Mississippi.

Over the weekend, National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini and other meteorologists started seeing an eerie similarity to Camille and it raised alarms for them.

We collectively were aware of this possibility. These discussions were started even before the storm made landfall in Louisiana, Uccellini told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday.

Hurricane Ivan in 2004 took a similar track and triggered record rainfall in Pittsburgh, said meteorologist Bob Henson of Yale Climate Connections. In Idas case, he said, conditions were ripe for rainmaking and it all came to fruition along the I-95 corridor.

The storm dumped more than 3 inches of rain on New York's Central Park in just an hour Wednesday night, obliterating a record set less than two weeks earlier by Tropical Storm Henri. Parts of New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania got more than 9 inches of rain.

The death toll and damage amounts are mounting.

Some of this is just bad luck too. If Ida had tracked just 100 miles farther east, that heaviest swath of rainfall would have been over the ocean and no one would care, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy.

The severe weather threat and the flash flooding threat in these areas were very well-forecast days in advance, but that doesnt reduce the destruction they cause, McNoldy said in an email, attaching National Weather Service warnings from Monday and Tuesday.

Ken Kunkel, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist who specializes in extreme rainfall and heat, said his study a few years ago found that one-third of the extreme rainfall events in the Northeast came from remnants of hurricanes and tropical storms.

Government officials in New York had been planning for heavy rain, but Uccellini said the rain that fell  more than 3 to 8 inches of rain forecast Tuesday  just overwhelmed infrastructure in the Northeast.

People are ready but is the infrastructure ready for the magnitude of these storms? Uccellini said. It doesnt appear to be that way.

I think with the weather getting worse. .. This is something we have to look at now and into the future," he said.

Human-caused global warming from burning of fossil fuels also likely made Ida's far-reaching impacts a bit worse, experts said.

Warmer air holds more moisture that it can dump, said former hurricane hunter meteorologist Jeff Masters, also of Yale Climate Connections. Air above the oceans has about 10% more moisture than in 1970 and that comes down in storms, he said.

That extra moisture condenses inside storms and releases extra heat energy, which leads to updrafts and makes storms more intense and longer lasting, This can lead to a 30% increase in rainfall, as has been documented in several cases of major flooding, he said.

Heavier rain falls onto urban areas where pavement such as roads and parking lots worsens water runoff leading to flooding, said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd. That human impact is a part of flooding disasters often overlooked.

Despite planning and efforts since 2012's Superstorm Sandy to be more resilient to extreme weather, more remains to be done, Columbia University climate scientist Adam Sobel said. Obviously our infrastructure is not up to events like this.

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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears .

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This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  The recent release of three separate groups of students who had been abducted in northern Nigeria brought joyful reunions and the hope that others still held might soon be freed.

Now just days later gunmen have again attacked a school in the northwest, taking 73 new hostages.

Before Wednesday's attack some 1,000 students had been kidnapped in about a dozen school abductions since December and UNICEF says some 200 are believed to still be in captivity.

Here is a look at what is known about the gunmen kidnapping children for ransom in northern Nigeria.

WHO ARE THE CRIMINALS BEHIND THESE ABDUCTIONS?

Government officials describe the gunmen carrying out the attacks as bandits but what, if any, connection there is between them remains unclear. School kidnappings have taken place in nine different states, and targets have included everyone from preschoolers to university students.

Then three different groups of hostages in three separate states  Niger, Kaduna and Zamfara  were all released within 24 hours of each other. That led some to question whether it was coincidence or a sign that these bandits in fact have ties to one another.

Observers have said the gunmen appear to be young men from the Fulani ethnic group who had traditionally worked as nomadic cattle herders and are caught up in a decades-long conflict with Hausa farming communities over access to water and grazing land.

Some say they took up arms because they felt their communities have been neglected over the years by the Nigerian government.

Other kidnappers, however, are simply opportunists who just want to make money from ransom payments, according to Idayat Hassan, who leads the Center for Democracy and Development, a West Africa-focused policy advocacy and research organization.

HOW DO THE BANDITS OPERATE?

Nigerian journalist Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, an editor with the Abuja-based Daily Trust newspapers, has interviewed some of the gunmen and said they have set up dozens of camps in remote forested areas of the northwest. Each houses hundreds of fighters, though one in Zamfara state where Wednesday's new kidnappings took place, purportedly holds 2,000 followers.

Authorities believe the bandits are getting logistical support from local residents, saying some have confessed to ferrying phones, fuel and food supplies to the gunmen while they are camped in the forest. Its believed theyve used the money from the ransom payments to buy arms and ammunition, some of which is now more sophisticated than what is used by the Nigerian military.

BUT ARE THEY LINKED TO ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS?

Many initially believed there was a difference between the Islamic extremists in the northeast, who were motivated by ideology, and the bandits in the northwest believed to just be after money.

However, freed captives have shared details that suggest some bandits might share extremist beliefs with the Boko Haram group, whose name means Western education is forbidden in the local Hausa language.

Victory Sani, one of the students released in May after being abducted from her school in Kaduna state, said her captors warned her to stay home.

They asked us not to go back to school, that they will make sure they shut down all the schools in Kaduna state," said Sani, 20. And if we go back there (to the school), they will still come back for us. And if they get us, we are not coming back again.

The gunmen also told those students they were "not after our lives or our parents money; that they are after (the) government, said Sani, whose father is still looking for a school where she can re-enroll and attend classes safely.

Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a Nigerian cleric who is one of the few with access to the bandits and who has negotiated with them in the past, believes the bandits have been infiltrated by Boko Haram. He said the jihadi group is looking for them (the bandits) seriously, trying to entice them to join their struggle.

The governor of Niger state in the northwest, Abubakar Sani Bello, also has said that extremists now have established a camp there too. I am confirming that there are Boko Haram elements here in Niger State; here in Kaure  They have hoisted their flags here. Their wives have been seized from them and forcefully attached to Boko Haram members, Bello said in April. Neither the Nigerian army nor the presidency have disputed the governors claim.

WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING OVER AND OVER?

Schools are so sparse in the north that many parents send their children to boarding schools far from home. Even with stepped-up security, these educational facilities are vulnerable to gunmen whose weaponry has improved with each successive ransom payment. Because of the 12-year insurgency in the northeast, the Nigerian army has had far fewer soldiers posted in the areas now being repeatedly targeted by kidnappers.

After Friday's announcement, the head teacher at Salihu Tanko Islamiyya school in Niger state said a payment of more than 30 million naira (about $73,000) had been made to secure the children's release. Abubakar Alhassan said families came up with most of the money, and the school raised some cash, too, by selling a plot of land where they had planned to expand the campus.

Oluwaseyi Adetayo, a security expert and former officer of the Nigerian secret police Department of State Services, says the bandits have found it far too lucrative to abduct children.

It is paying them more than what any of them could imagine they can ever earn in their life, said Adetayo, who runs Eons Intelligence, a security advisory group. It is an established chain of business already.
What do I do if my basement flooded? How long does it take for flood water to recede? How do I pump water out of the basement?

These are just some questions many in Connecticut are asking after Ida left a wake of flooding and damage across the state.

Below are answers to some flood-related questions including ones about insurance, flood management and assessing storm damage.

Does insurance cover flood damage in cars?

According to State Farm, if a vehicle has been flooded, owners should first take note of the depth of the floodwaters in relation to the car. Don't start the car, and dry it out as soon as possible. Car owners can file a claim with their insurance companies and a qualified mechanic determine the extent of the damage.

Once the inspection is complete, State Farm notes that the insurance company will weigh the costs to repair the vehicle against the cost of replacing it. If the car is considered a total loss by the insurance company, State Farm recommends reviewing next steps with an insurance agent.

What do I do if my basement flooded?

According to State Farm, you should first make sure electricity and gas are shut off before heading into a flooded basement to survey damage. Once these utilities are shut off, remove as much water as possible  anything more than a few inches may require a professional.

Next, State Farm recommends cleaning out the contents of the basement, placing salvageable items into a clean, dry place and throwing away anything that is completely damaged. Additionally, a professional cleaning company should assess what can be cleaned in the basement.

An insurance agent can then help file the claim and determine whether coverage applies, according to State Farm, as well as what companies may be used to assist in restoration.

How do I stop the flooding in my basement?

According to home services website Angi, there are steps homeowners can take prior to heavy rains, which include cleaning out gutters and downspouts, filling cracks in the basements foundation and maintaining its sump pump or having a backup generator in case of power failure.

If the basement floods despite preventative measures, State Farm recommends turning off gas and electricity in the basement before attempting to clean. Once the basement is cleared of water and damages are assessed, State Farm suggests using fans and dehumidifiers to help dry it out, as well as cleaning repeatedly to help prevent mold.

How do I pump water out of the basement?

According to this guide from a North Dakota public health agency, people shouldnt rush to pump out their basements, but they should take photos of the water for insurance purposes prior to pumping. When water isnt covering the ground around the perimeter of the home, the guide says homeowners may begin pumping out the water, but they should refrain from using gasoline-powered pumps or generators indoors as they produce deadly carbon monoxide exhaust fumes.

The water should be drained to the 2 to 3-foot mark, and homeowners should then wait overnight to see if the water levels increased the next day. If the water rose, they will have to drain it again.

What happens if water gets in your car engine?

If your vehicle is flooded, the key is not to start your ignition. According to AutoZone, the first thing you should do is disconnect your car battery. If your car is submerged in water, look for the high-water mark in your car  it will give you an idea of the damage to the car. Once your car is no longer submerged, some safety measures you can take before tending to your engine include siphoning any water out of the fuel system, checking your cars fluids and checking the electrical system.

If there are water droplets in the oil, it means that there is water in your engine and the car should not be turned on as the oil and water will mix and cause further damage to your engine. If there is water, you will need to change your oil and oil filter.

To clear your engine of water, you must first remove the spark plugs and ignition coils. Then use your ignition key to slowly turn the engine. Any water in the engine should eject out of the engine head and exhaust system.

How high does water have to be to flood a car?

The answer depends on the height of the car. Generally, six inches of water will cause most cars to lose control and stall, according to the National Weather Service. One foot of water can float most vehicles away and two feet of rushing water can wash away most SUVs and trucks.

How long does it take for flood water to recede?

The amount of time flood water remains is dependent on the amount of rain that falls but flooding is described as a long-term event that lasts a week or longer, according to the National Weather Service.
SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP)  A grassroots citizen group is pushing back against a Duluth company's proposal to bottle and sell water from a well near Lake Superior.

Opponents say allowing Kristle KLR to go forward would exploit a loophole in a landmark agreement barring water diversions from the Great Lakes and it could threaten water resources in the region.

An appeals board in Bayfield County has upheld the denial of a special land use permit that would allow Kristle Majchrzak and Robert Glau to tap into the water on their property in the Town of Clover.

Their attorney, Jack Perry, of Minneapolis, says they will appeal the board's decision in Bayfield County Circuit Court, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.

Perry argues the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has sole permitting authority over groundwater wells. He said the county could be exposed to more than $250,000 in damages and legal fees for denying the proposal.

But, the towns attorney, Max Lindsey, contends the county is exercising its authority over land use. He argued the proposal doesnt qualify for the permit because it's in an area that is zoned for residential development and recreational use.

The group, Lake Superior Not For Sale, with its 2,200 members, said granting the permit would allow Majchrzak and Glau, her father, to skirt the Great Lakes Compact signed by eight Great Lakes governors in 2008.

The compact prevents water diversions outside the Great Lakes basin with limited exceptions. The compact allows water to be removed from the Great Lakes basin in containers of 5.7 gallons or less.
PHOENIX (AP)  Gov. Doug Ducey says the state has received its first group of recently evacuated Afghans to be resettled in Arizona.

Ducey said in a Tweet overnight that the group arrived Sunday night, and we know there are more on their way.

The Republican governor noted the Afghans were vetted through background checks.

He said the U.S. must keep its promises to the people who helped the American military in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of Afghans have been evacuated from their country with the end of the United States' longest war. Many helped the U.S. military as interpreters and in other roles.

Ducey did not say how many were in the group.

The Arizona office of the International Rescue Committee says its nonprofit agency on Sunday received 18 evacuated Afghans for resettlement.

In the next six months, we probably will see hundreds" of Afghans arrive through the state's various resettlement agencies, said Aaron Rippenkroeger, executive director for the committee in Arizona.

Rippenkroeger said he was grateful for the bipartisan support that Ducey and other leaders in Arizona had given the effort to resettle Afghans in the state.

Stanford Prescott, a U.S. network communications officer for the organization, said details about the evacuees being resettled in Arizona were being withheld for now for their safety.

Afghans evacuated in recent days by the American military are largely being processed and housed in U.S. government facilities across the country before going to resettlement agencies that will determine their final destinations.

Prescott said the top states for Afghans with special immigrant visas for military translators historically have been California, Washington state, Texas, Virginia, and Maryland, although Arizona has received a smaller, significant number.

He said the committee's Arizona office was already receiving Afghans including military translators through normal resettlement pathways long before the current crisis.

He said 31 Afghans with the special immigrant visas granted to military translators and another 18 Afghans with refugee status were brought to Arizona between Oct. 1, 2020, through July 31.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he might support enacting a law that would ban abortion when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, much like a Texas law that the U.S. Supreme Court allowed to take effect.

The Republican governor told reporters that he wants to pass stronger laws against abortion, but he doesn't know enough about the Texas ban to definitively say he would support a similar bill in Florida.

What they did in Texas was interesting and I havent really been able to look enough into it, DeSantis said at a West Palm Beach news conference when asked about the Texas law. I am going to look more significantly at it.

The Texas law that took effect Wednesday bans abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and before many women know theyre pregnant. But instead of the ban being enforced by the state, it allows private citizens in state court to sue providers and anyone involved in facilitating abortions  such as someone who drives a woman to a clinic. Any person who successfully sues would get $10,000 or more.

The court by a 5-4 vote denied an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others that sought to block the laws enforcement. The court said it was not ruling on the laws constitutionality or blocking further challenges. DeSantis said until the court gives a final ruling, I wouldn't read too much into it.

Republican legislative leaders say they are already preparing anti-abortion bills for the next legislative session, which begins in January. Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson told WFLA-TV that includes a fetal heartbeat bill.

When the Supreme Court goes out and makes a decision like this, it clearly is going to send a signal to all the states that are interested in banning abortions or making it more restrictive to have an abortion in their state, its certainly going to make us take a look at those issues, Simpson told the Tampa station.

Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls said in a statement that he plans to push for more anti-abortion legislation, but stopped just short of supporting a fetal heartbeat bill.

In Florida, we agree that killing an innocent human being with a beating heart is wrong. It is why we have worked every session to strengthen protections for unborn babies, including those for unborn children with disabilities last session, and it is why I am confident that those who share this moral view in the Florida House will continue the fight, Sprowls said.

But Florida's Senate Democratic leader, Lauren Book, said her party would fight any such measures despite being in the minority in both houses.

Book, who has publicly discussed surviving sexual abuse as a child, said in a statement that any bill emulating the Texas ban would send a clear message to me, and to other survivors of sexual assault, that we do not matter.

These kinds of measures are draconian, cruel and have no place in modern society, she said.
The estimated preventable cost of treating unvaccinated adults for COVID-19 in Connecticut's 27 acute care hospitals was $4.2 million for June and $5.3 million for July, according to a new analysis.

The final tally could be higher, however. The Connecticut Hospital Association, which provided the figures, relied on a national model developed by KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) and the Peterson Center on Healthcare that assumed the approximate cost is $20,000 per COVID-related admission.

I think it serves as sort of a directional data point to show there is just an enormous strain on the system, generally, for COVID, said Paul Kidwell, senior vice president for policy at the Connecticut Hospital Association, who noted how the disease has greatly impacted families, hospital staff and hospital expenses. Also, it is an important piece of data to show that it's really important that individuals who are eligible to be vaccinated get vaccinated because the vaccines have been proven very effective in keeping individuals out of the hospital.

There were a total of 773 new hospital admissions in Connecticut of adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses in June and July, according to the state's hospital association. Using assumptions in the Kaiser and Peterson national model, an estimated 98.3% or 760 of those patients, were unvaccinated. Of those 760, an estimated 562 were unvaccinated adults hospitalized primarily for COVID-19.

Using the same model, an estimated 472 of those 562 hospitalizations in June and July could have been prevented by vaccination. Nationally, Kaiser and Peterson estimate preventable COVID hospitalizations cost the U.S. health care system more than $2 billion over the same two months.

Obviously we want to make sure that everybody gets the best of care and that they recover, but there are some serious costs to people who are not vaccinated and the strain that it puts on our health care system, said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, who requested the analysis from the state hospital association.

Duff told The Associated Press it's likely that much of the estimated cost of unvaccinated hospitalizations will ultimately be borne by taxpayers, individuals with private insurance and businesses. Delta Airlines announced last week it will charge its employees on the company health plan $200 a month if they fail to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a policy the airlines top executive says is necessary given the average hospital stay for the virus costs the airline $50,000. Delta is self-insured.

This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company, CEO Ed Bastian said in a memo to employees.

Meanwhile, state Comptroller Kevin Lembo warned Wednesday that the lingering uncertainty surrounding the fast-spreading COVID-19 Delta variant is impacting Connecticut's economy and jeopardizing the progress made over the last few months. He said concerns about the variant and rising infection and hospitalization rates have led to modest drops in consumer spending and consumer confidence.

Despite such worries, the state added 9,400 jobs in July, marking the seventh consecutive month of employment gains.

Even with the surge of new COVID cases, employment trends show signs of consistent recovery, particularly in the leisure and hospitality sector. Wages have been rising and may be further aided in Connecticut as the minimum wage was increased to $13.00 per hour on Aug. 1," according to a statement from Lembo's office.

State figures show 712 more confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 have been reported since Tuesday. The number of hospitalizations in Connecticut dropped by three, to a total of 360. Hartford County has the largest number, at 123, followed by New Haven County at 102 patients.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Idaho lawmakers being called back to the Statehouse to pass a law similar to one in Texas banning most abortions is not likely, top elected officials said Thursday.

Republican Gov. Brad Little said its up to the Senate and House if they want to reconvene. Republican Senate Pro Tempore Chuck Winder and Republican House Speaker Scott Bedke said theyre not interested, partly because Idaho already has a similar abortion law to the one in Texas.

The U.S. Supreme Court late Wednesday let stand the Texas law that prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and before many women know they are pregnant.

Idaho has a similar measure signed into law by Little last April, but it only takes effect if a federal appeals court upholds such a law on its constitutional merits, which hasnt happened. The Texas law took effect Wednesday after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court and U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the law from taking effect, but neither court ruled on the merits of the case.

Little can call a special session to bring lawmakers to the Statehouse, and Republican House Speaker Scott Bedke and Republican Senate Pro Tempore Chuck Winder say they can reconvene the Legislature because it never formally adjourned earlier this year.

But all three on Thursday were noncommittal.

Little's spokeswoman Marissa Morrison in a statement said the House and Senate did not officially adjourn and are technically still in session.

We are in uncharted constitutional territory, but the general consensus is the Legislature does not need the Governor to take any action to resume the session, she said.

Republican Senate Pro Tempore Chuck Winder, who was traveling, said by text message that he wouldn't reconvene the Senate. We already have a fetal heartbeat bill in Idaho, he said.

Bedke also wasn't interested in reconvening the House for various reasons.

He said it appears the U.S. Supreme Court is inclined to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide. A reversal of Roe would mean abortion policy would revert to the states, something many see as a real possibility with a 6-3 conservative majority on the court after former President Donald Trump appointed three justices.

The court's decision on Wednesday to let stand the Texas law appeared to bolster that possibility.

I think that signals that they're going to leave much of the abortion decisions and the policies around that up to the states, Bedke said. I think that's as it should be to protect the sanctity of life.

Little in July signed onto an amicus brief in a different case before the U.S. Supreme Court that could overturn Roe. In that test case from Mississippi, the justices will consider whether states can ban abortions before a fetus can survive outside the womb. Viability occurs roughly at 24 weeks.

Idahos abortion bill passed the House 53-16 and the Senate 25-7 with no support from Democrats. Republicans in the House who opposed the bill generally did so because it allowed exceptions for rape and incest.

The Texas law has no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Idaho's exception for rape and incest would likely be impossible for many women to meet, opponents say, because Idaho prevents the release of police reports in active investigations.

Texas also differs from Idaho because instead of setting criminal penalties, as other abortion restrictions do, it asks private people to enforce the ban by suing doctors or anyone who helps a woman get an abortion. Among other situations, that would include anyone who drives a woman to a clinic to get an abortion. Under the law, anyone who successfully sues another person would be entitled to at least $10,000.

The Idaho law makes providing an abortion to a woman whose embryo has detectible cardiac activity punishable by up to five years in prison. It would also allow the woman who receives the abortion to sue the provider.

Republican Rep. Bruce Skaug, who voted for Idaho's abortion law, said he would support calling back lawmakers to pass a Texas-type abortion law.

However, I don't think there would be enough interest among my colleagues for a special session for that purpose, Skaug said

He noted a lack of support to reconvene the Legislature concerning private businesses requiring employees get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Among other potential problems in calling back lawmakers is the expense, costing thousands of dollars a day. A three-day special session last year ended up costing even more when protestors turned unruly, breaking a glass door and requiring extra police at the Statehouse. Those protesters would almost certainly return if the Legislature reconvened.

If Little called a special session, he could limit the topics to be discussed. If Bedke and Winder reconvened the Legislature, lawmakers could introduce multiple different types of legislation, including bills unrelated to abortion.

Also, many lawmakers are wary of turning the part-time Legislature into a full-time assembly with special sessions or reconvening calls.

Finally, lawmakers had to recess during the regular legislative session earlier this year after a COVID-19 outbreak among lawmakers, mainly Republicans who tend not to wear masks. Currently, COVID-19 cases are spiking in the state due the the delta variant and poor vaccination rates, overwhelming the state's healthcare system.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision to let a Texas ban on most abortions remain in force  at least for now  prompted warnings and cheers from advocates in Michigan who noted the state still has a 90-year-old ban on the books if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Even before the Texas case arrived at the high court, the justices had planned this fall to hear a major case from Mississippi, which wants to enforce an abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Here in Michigan, we face an especially dangerous threat. Because we have a pre-Roe law banning abortion on the books, access to abortion in Michigan would be in danger if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, Dr. Sarah Wallett, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood of Michigan, said in a statement.

It is unclear whether the 1931 law, which dates to the 1800s, automatically would take effect if the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court precedent were overturned. The law makes it a felony to use an instrument or administer any substance with the intent to procure the miscarriage of a woman unless necessary to preserve her life.

Genevieve Marnon, legislative director for Right to Life of Michigan, said: When Roe is overturned, Michigan will be an abortion-free state, and we are hopeful that will take place next year after the (Mississippi) case is heard. She said it would not make sense to mirror Texas' law in Michigan because it still allows abortions until medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks.

Democrats' attempts to repeal the 1931 law have been blocked in the Republican-controlled Legislature.

We must read the writing on the wall. We cannot trust that a majority of the justices on this U.S. Supreme Court will put the law before their own radical politics, and we must act now to protect access to abortion health care in Michigan, Senate Democrats said in a statement.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is up for reelection next year, has vowed to veto GOP-proposed abortion restrictions, including a bill that would prohibit a common second-trimester procedure. She called the Supreme Court's decision potentially catastrophic for the right to choose.

State Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, has said the high court's conservative majority will probably overturn Roe and that she will not enforce Michigan's abortion ban, drawing criticism from Republicans. One local prosecutor, Democrat Eli Savit in Washtenaw County, tweeted Thursday that we will never, ever prosecute any person for exercising reproductive freedom.

Initially, GOP legislators appeared to be generally mum on the ruling. Rep. Beau Lafave, of Iron Mountain, did tweet that leaving in place Texas' ban is wonderful news.

An option on both sides could be to organize a ballot initiative, though strategists said it was too early to say, in part because of uncertainty over what the justices will do next.

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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indianapolis police fatally shot a homicide suspect wanted for escape and weapons charges inside a gas station Wednesday after the man pointed a gun at detectives, authorities said.

The shooting occurred on the city's east side just after noon.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  A resolution to legal issues between West Virginia Gov. Jim Justices family and businesses and Virginia-based Carter Bank & Trust has been reached.

The Justice group of companies said in a statement released Wednesday by attorney Steve Ruby that they successfully concluded a number of matters relating to Carter Bank and Trust (CB&T), one of the companies longtime financing partners, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph reported.
The City of Laredo reported its first case of COVID-19 officially on March 16, 2020. Around 17 1/2 months later, it has surpassed 50,000 cases historically.

Officials from the city and Webb County reported on Wednesday an additional 310 positive cases of COVID-19 and four related deaths from the past two days.

The additions bring Laredo to 50,165 positives and 911 deaths historically dating back to the beginning of the pandemic locally.

Mondays figures reported a drop in cases, announcing 156 positives  the fewest in a non-daily report in the past 14 updates. But Wednesdays totals were back above 300 for the ninth time in the last 15 updates.

Deaths continue to add up at a higher rate with four more fatalities Wednesday. Nine of the past 12 updates have featured three or more deaths, compared to the previous 13 of 14 non-daily reports which had fewer than three deaths.

The most recent deaths were all males. One was in his 20s while the others were in the elderly population in their 60s, 80s and 90s. All of them died Monday or Tuesday.

Laredo just emerged from a month featuring 46 deaths, the sixth-highest from the pandemic. It was a major increase from the 15 deaths in July and five from June.

Laredos rolling seven-day positivity rate is currently 10.6%. Texas rolling positivity rate is 16.6% while the United States is at 10.8%.

COVID-19 Metrics in Laredo Positives: 50,165 Deaths: 911 Hospitalizations: 79 ICU: 29 Fully Vaccinated: 82.5% Recoveries: 48,710 Total Tested: 400,152 7-Day Positive Rate: 10.6% Source: City of Laredo Health Department See More Collapse

Active cases fell from 759 on Friday to 486 to begin the week Monday due to actives typically dropping in total coming off the weekend counts and the lower positive total from that day. However, Wednesdays increase brought that figure back up to 544.

Of the current active cases, the city states that the majority come from the population below 30 years of age. A total of 158 are from those younger than 17, 134 are those between 18-30, 157 are between 31-49 and 95 are above the age of 50.

The city also stated that of just the currently investigated active cases, 55.9% are non-vaccinated individuals. Serious COVID cases still overwhelmingly belong to the unvaccinated population, as only 55 fully-vaccinated persons this year have been hospitalized with a breakthrough case.

Hospitalizations fell for the third straight report since reaching 86 exactly one week ago  the highest total since Feb. 18 had 97. The figure dipped to 79 Wednesday, while ICU cases rose from 28 to 29 despite the recent deaths likely taking away from that total.

The COVID-19 hospitalization rate dropped from 19.4% to 18.4%, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services most recent data for Tuesday. The city has remained between 18-22% fairly consistently during the past three weeks, only deviating from this during the time it rose up to 26.4% with last Wednesdays data.

Laredo still ranks well against other hospital regions in the state, having the 16th worst figures out of 22, according to the DSHS. Five Texas regions are above 30% including Corpus Christi (34.1%), Waco (33.1%), Lufkin (32.3%), Victoria (31.6%) and Galveston (30.3%). Laredo still holds the record for highest-recorded hospitalization rate in a single day at 48.8% on Jan. 16.

Laredo continues to have the worst capacity issues in the state, however, with only 12 beds available as of Tuesdays data. Only three other regions are below 100 including Bryan/College Station (32), Waco (74) and Lufkin (98).

The city has been able to get some breathing room in ICU beds, however, with five open as of Tuesday. Sundays one bed broke a streak of 25 straight days with none reportedly available.

As Laredo is medically underserved and with facilities understaffed, its hospital capacity has been diminished despite being nowhere near its previous high in hospitalizations of 249 in January when it was receiving help from the state, something that has been denied this time around. This is why local experts continue to tout being vaccinated as vital, even despite the areas success in that regard, as its current lack of resources has curtailed that success.

The City of Laredo reported on Wednesday that it now has 178,176 people fully vaccinated, which equates to about 82.5% of the total eligible population. Additionally, a total of 219,426 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, around 101.6% of the eligible population.

Laredo officials have stated that its eligible population figures are based off U.S. Census data, and due to the citys past of having its population undercounted, its true 100% figure may be more difficult to identify.

Additionally, around a third of Laredos total population is below the age of 18. That means that a significant segment of the citys actual population may not be vaccinated, as those under 12 are unable to do so.

As for its elderly, the city reports that 25,989 people age 65 and up have been at least partially vaccinated, around 96.3% of the eligible population.

Over the course of the pandemic, 400,152 tests have been administered. An estimated 48,710 people have recovered from a previous infection.

zdavis@lmtonline.com
HOUSTON (AP)  The friend of an off-duty New Orleans police officer who was fatally shot during a holdup on the patio of a Houston restaurant has also died, more than a week after being wounded in the shooting, police said.

Houston police said Wednesday that Dyrin Riculfy, 43, was pronounced dead on Tuesday. New Orleans police Detective Everett Briscoe, 41, was pronounced dead at the scene on Aug. 21.
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP)  Another group of about 200 migrants started walking north from the southern Mexico city of Tapachula on Wednesday despite a heavy presence of National Guard troops and immigration agents that had dispersed similar groups in recent days, including earlier in the day.

Federal authorities have recently been allowing migrant groups to walk for hours and tire under sweltering heat before swooping in to detain them. Before dawn Wednesday, officials surprised migrants sheltering from the rain in in the nearby town of Mapastepec, chasing them between houses and businesses.

The enforcement efforts in Chiapas state follow an encounter over the weekend when media outlets, including The Associated Press filmed immigration agents kicking a migrant who was already on the ground. Mexican officials announced Tuesday that two agents involved had been suspended.

Mexican officials have not reported how many migrants have been detained in these operations or said where they have been taken.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in his third state of the nation address Wednesday that the human rights of migrants have not been violated.

The exceptional case from days ago, in which two immigration officials kicked a Haitian citizen, was attended to that same day and they were relieved of their duties and turned over to the corresponding internal control organ, he said.

The majority of the migrants departing Tapachula in groups in recent days have been Haitian, though Cubans and Central Americans have also been present. The pressure has been building for weeks in Tapachula, where the few shelters are at capacity and migrants seeking asylum have grown frustrated at the slow advance of their cases.

The government has made clear it intends to contain migrants in southern Mexico. Last Friday, Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said the main objective of the armed forces and National Guard is to detain all migration and cover the northern border, the southern border with soldiers.

Under criticism from human rights groups and international organizations, Mexicos National Immigration Institute said Wednesday it was looking to work with United Nations agencies and the Roman Catholic Church to establish a humanitarian camp in the state of Chiapas where the Haitian migrant population can receive attention.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A Michigan man accused of creating a bomb hoax at the Trump International Hotel near the Las Vegas Strip told authorities he wanted to send a message that former Republican President Donald Trump ruined his life, according to an arrest report.

Dandre Maurice Lundy remained Wednesday at the Clark County jail following his arrest Tuesday at a budget motel not far from the Trump building.

Bomb technicians found that a suitcase and a duffel bag that Lundy allegedly left at a hotel service desk did not contain anything hazardous, and police found he took a taxi from the motel to the hotel and back.

Lundy told police he put a Bible, a rock, a $1 bill and handwritten scriptures in the suitcase, and believed Trump had messed up his life for the last three years, according to the arrest report.

Lundy, 44, of Farmingville, Michigan, appeared before a Las Vegas judge Wednesday on six felony charges including threatening an act of terrorism.

The judge set his bail at $60,000 and gave prosecutors until Sept. 7 to file a criminal complaint.

A deputy public defender who temporarily represented Lundy at the hearing did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Lundys behalf.

Police said Lundy told investigators he traveled from Michigan to Las Vegas on Monday and acknowledged that he knew a bomb threat would alarm people.

Hotel security and employees evacuated the Trump building lobby and a restaurant, while Lundy allegedly placed a telephone bomb threat to the hotel, police said. The rest of the hotel tower was not evacuated.

Lundy asked investigators following his arrest if he could have his suitcase back, saying that no one got hurt so there was no crime, according to the police report.
From Texas Sen. Robert Nichols:

We continue to hold our friends in Louisiana in our prayers after Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane this week. Texas was proud to send a Chinook helicopter, 14 crew members, 30 fire engines, and 132 firefighters to aid in hurricane recovery efforts.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. COVID-19 antibody treatment center opens in Nacogdoches

The Texas Division of Emergency Management in conjunction with Nacogdoches County, the City of Nacogdoches, and Nacogdoches Medical Center launched a new COVID-19 therapeutic infusion center in Nacogdoches. The center uses Regeneron's monoclonal antibodies to treat outpatient cases of COVID-19. Importantly, patients need a referral from a doctor to receive the treatment. This treatment is available at no cost to the patient. This new center ensures that East Texans have access to high quality treatment options at no cost. The Regeneron treatment is shown to prevent a patient's symptoms from worsening to the point of hospitalization. There are also more than 200 private health providers across the state who provide the antibody infusion treatment, including 15 in Senate District 3. To find a provider near you, visit www.meds.tdem.texas.gov.

2. Hogg Foundation awards $3.75 million in grants

The Hogg Foundation announced grants to five organizations for the second phase of the Well-Being in Rural Communities initiative. The grants totaled $3.75 million. One of the awardees was Better Together, a group in Nacogdoches dedicated to improving the mental and physical health of all residents in Nacogdoches County. The grants are designed to support collaborative approaches to well-being in rural communities. During the first phase of the program, awardees were successful in completing baseline assessments of communities needs, developing identities and brands, and elevating themselves to a leadership role in their communities.

3. Funding for securing the border passed House, Senate

House Bill 9 was finally passed by the Senate this week, sending the measure to Governor Abbott's desk. The legislation appropriates $1.8 billion for securing our southern border. This bill appropriates funds for activities related to the border crisis in the Office of Court Administration, the Texas Military Department, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Criminal Justice, the Commission on Jail Standards, the Department of State Health Services, and programs within the Governor's Office. There are ongoing threats of property crime, human trafficking, violent crime, to public health, and violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity. These funds will provide additional appropriations for overtime and staffing related to border security efforts.

4. Election integrity bill going to Governor

After hours of debate during regular session and two special sessions, Senate Bill 1, the election integrity bill, is finally passed and headed to the Governor's desk. It was named an emergency item by the Governor at the beginning of regular session and has been on the call for both special sessions. Ensuring the security and validity of our elections are central to the democratic process. Voting is a sacred right and any form of illegal voting is a violation of that right. This bill expands voting access by expanding voting hours and ensures voters in line at closing time during early voting can vote. It also gives disabled Texans more options when voting. This bill makes it easier to vote and harder to cheat. I was proud to vote for this legislation and look forward to the Governor signing it into law.

5. Bail reform legislation passes

Another priority bill that was held up during the regular session and both special sessions was Senate Bill 6, the bail reform bill. SB 6 is the enacting legislation for Senate Joint Resolution 3, which proposed a constitutional amendment codifying the changes in the bail system made in the bill. While SB 6 did pass and will become law with Governor Abbott's signature, the SJR did not receive a two-thirds vote of the House, so the measure will not be on a constitutional ballot election. SB 6 prohibits the release of violent offenders on personal bonds or the release of offenders who are charged with additional crimes while out on bail. It also requires more judicial training, data collection, and that officials examine a defendant's criminal history before setting bail. The bill is also known as the Damon Allen Act, named after State Trooper Damon Allen who was ambushed, shot, and killed following a traffic stop. His accused murderer had been previously convicted of assaulting a sheriff's deputy and was out on bond on an aggravated assault of a public servant charge.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Minnesota prosecutors filed a more serious charge Thursday against the former suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, but it is not the murder charge that activists were seeking.

Former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter is now charged with first-degree manslaughter, in addition to a prior charge of second-degree manslaughter. Activists had demanded a murder charge during protests in Brooklyn Center and outside a metro-area prosecutors home before Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison took over the case.

Potter, who is white, has claimed that she meant to use her Taser instead of her handgun when she fatally shot Wright, a 20-year-old Black motorist, on April 11. The amended complaint alleges Potter committed first-degree manslaughter by recklessly handling a firearm and endangering the safety of another when death or great bodily harm was reasonably foreseeable. The second-degree manslaughter count alleges she acted with culpable negligence and took an unreasonable risk when she consciously took a chance of causing death or great bodily harm with a firearm.

First-degree manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 15 years while second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, though state sentencing guidelines call for much less.

Washington County Attorney Pete Orput initially handled the case under an agreement signed last year in which metro-area prosecutors said they would take each others cases involving a person's death after an officer uses force. After Orput charged Potter with manslaughter, he came under intense pressure from activists, but continued to say the case did not warrant a murder charge, as protesters held demonstrations outside his home.

When Ellisons office took over Potter's prosecution in May, he said he would conduct a thorough review to determine whether additional charges should be filed. Ellison said Thursday that after this review, which included consulting with an expert in police use of force, he concluded an upgraded charge of first-degree manslaughter was warranted.

A message left with Potter's attorney was not immediately returned.

A message left with Wright's mother was also not returned to The Associated Press. Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and an activist on issues of police violence, said Wrights family told him Wednesday that the new charge was coming, and that they were obviously disappointed that it fell short of murder.

Local defense attorney Joe Friedberg, who is not connected to the case, said the facts of the case don't merit a murder charge, and the upgraded manslaughter charge doesnt fit here at all. He said the language on which the new charge is based is usually used when someone commits a misdemeanor that happens to result in death, such as when someone punches someone who falls down, hits their head and dies.

How can you intend to commit a reckless act? I dont know. ... Im sorry, thats a political move," he said. "This case is either second-degree manslaughter or its nothing.

According to the new criminal complaint, Potter was training another officer, Andrew Luckey, when they pulled over Wright. Luckey told Wright he was being stopped because he had an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror and because his license tabs were expired. Luckey went back to his squad and found that Wright had a warrant for a gross misdemeanor weapons violation.

Luckey asked Wright to get out of the car, and as Luckey was trying to arrest him, Wright got back into the drivers seat, the complaint said. As Luckey kept a grip on Wright, Potter said I'll tase ya, and moved a piece of paper that she had taken from Wright from her own right hand into her left hand. One second later, Potter's right hand can be seen in her body camera video, holding her handgun.

The complaint says Potter again said, I'll tase you and Taser, Taser, Taser while she pointed her gun at Wright. She then pulled the trigger, firing a single round that struck Wright in the chest.

The complaint says Potter was outside Wright's car door when she fired, and her handgun was inches below Luckey's arm. A cartridge casing appeared to hit Luckey in the face. On the body camera video, Potter is heard saying she grabbed the wrong gun.

The complaint says Potter's duty belt shows her handgun was holstered on the right side in a straight-draw position, which would have required she use her right hand to draw it, and her Taser was holstered on her left, in a position which would have required her to use her left hand to draw it.

While the Taser is yellow with a black grip, the handgun is entirely black. The two weapons also have distinct grips and the Taser has a manual safety switch and a laser-sighting feature. The complaint said Potter had substantial training on Tasers and firearms during her 26 years as a police officer. That training included two Taser-specific course in the six months prior to Wright's death.

Potter is scheduled to go to trial on Nov. 30.

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Find APs full coverage of the death of Daunte Wright at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright

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Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski contributed to this report.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  A Portland, Oregon, man has been sentenced to federal prison for committing arson at the Multnomah County Justice Center during a protest in May 2020.

Edward Schinzing, 33, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. He also agreed to pay restitution to Multnomah County.

Schinzing was in a group of protesters that marched to the downtown Justice Center on May 29, 2020, the second day of protest in Portland after George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer.

The group broke several windows at the Corrections Records Office of the building where three Multnomah County employees were working, according to court documents. Members of the group spray-painted the office, damaged computers and started fires.

Schinzing, who had a tattoo of his last name on his back, was seen on surveillance cameras spreading a fire by igniting papers and moving them into the drawer of another cubicle, court documents said.

The buildings sprinkler system extinguished the fire. The jail in the same building was housing about 289 people at the time, according to court documents.

Schinzing was indicted in August 2020 by a federal grand jury on one count of arson and pleaded guilty last September.

Other protesters who have faced federal prosecution for arson include Cyan Bass, who was sentenced to four years in prison for setting fire to the Justice Center and throwing a Molotov cocktail at police officers in September 2020. Of the 99 federal protest-related prosecutions as of Aug. 19, 50 were dismissed.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Robert Durst's marathon testimony over three weeks  in which the ailing millionaire denied killing his wife and best friend but also said he'd lied if he had done so  concluded Wednesday and lawyers rested their cases in the murder trial.

The New York real estate heir tried to counter or explain incriminating evidence in three killings that have shadowed him for decades, but was crippled by a cross-examination that the judge said was devastating to Durst's believability.

It will be up to jurors to weigh his fate. Closing arguments are scheduled Sept. 8 and deliberations are expected to begin a week later.

Durst, 78, has pleaded not guilty to murder in the point-blank shooting of his friend, Susan Berman, in her Los Angeles home in December 2000. On the witness stand, he repeatedly denied killing her and said he doesn't know who did.

Prosecutors said he silenced Berman because she planned to tell New York authorities that she provided a false motive for Durst after his wife vanished in 1982. They were able to introduce evidence that he killed Kathie Durst, who has never been found, as well as evidence that he intentionally killed a Texas neighbor in 2001.

Durst was acquitted of murder in the death of Morris Black after testifying that the Galveston neighbor pulled a gun on him and was shot during a struggle for the weapon.

If Durst's testimony in that case saved him, his decision to speak publicly about his life afterwards may have come back to haunt him.

Durst said he deeply regretted speaking with filmmakers for a documentary on his life that unearthed key evidence in the Berman killing and revealed an off-camera moment that many viewers interpreted as a confession. His performance in front of jurors has already earned a bad review from the judge in the case.

On day one, it appeared that you really effectively destroyed any possible credibility of this witness," Judge Mark Windham told the prosecutor last week after jurors were excused. By day three, I think you had very, very serious  I would even say profound  admissions.

The trial of Durst began in March last year but was abruptly halted after just a few days because of the coronavirus pandemic. The case resumed May 17 as Windham brought jurors back to court and joked, Where did we leave off?"

At the time, lawyers for Durst who has myriad health problems, asked for a delay for medical treatment, suggesting he might not live through the trial.

Durst, who sat in a wheelchair, was often slumped at the defense counsel table.

Despite speaking in a hushed tone, he came alive on the witness stand with enough stamina to testify for hours day after day without appearing to fade.

Durst denied killing Berman or his wife, who has been legally declared dead. He's never been charged with a crime related to her disappearance. He stuck to his story that Black was killed during the struggle for the gun.

Durst, who had long denied being in LA at the time of Berman's death, testified that he found her dead in her home.

He admitted for the first time that he lied for decades about sending an anonymous note to police directing them to Berman's lifeless body. He said he had feared he would be accused in the killing if he was known to have been in her home at the time.

He acknowledged that it seemed hard to believe the killer had not written the letter.

I have difficulty believing it myself, he testified. Its very difficult to believe, to accept, that I wrote the letter and did not kill Susan Berman.

He explained that the seemingly damning climactic scene in The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst was not a confession.

After being caught by filmmakers in a lie about the cadaver letter, Durst went in a bathroom where he muttered to himself on a live microphone, Killed them all of course.

Durst said said he either spoke too softly or didn't express what he was thinking: Theyll all think I killed them all, of course.

Deputy District Attorney John Lewin, who grilled Durst for two weeks, asserted outside the jury's presence that he had never seen a defendant lie so many times.

Durst acknowledged that he'd lied under oath and would lie to get out of trouble.

"What Im saying is mostly the truth, Durst said. There are certain things I would lie about, certain very important things.

On Wednesday, Lewin's final question of the trial returned to the issue of what Durst would be unwilling to divulge.

Youve repeatedly admitted that if you had killed either Kathie or Susan or both of them you would never tell us, Lewin said. Correct?

Correct, Durst said.
MOSCOW (AP)  Russia's state communications watchdog warned Apple and Google on Thursday that they could face fines if they fail to remove an app created by allies of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny from their stores.

The agency, Roskomnadzor, warned Apple and Google that their failure to remove Navalny's app could be interpreted as interference in Russian elections.

Navalnys app promotes his Smart Voting strategy  a project designed to support candidates who are most likely to defeat those from the Kremlins main United Russia party.

Russian opposition supporters, independent media and human rights activists have face increased government pressure in the run-up to the Sept. 19 parliamentary election. Navalnys allies have linked the crackdown to the Kremlins effort to steamroll the opposition and try to preserve a dominant position for United Russia.

In June, a Russian court outlawed Navalnys Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a network of his regional offices as extremist organizations, a ruling that barred people associated with the groups from seeking public office and exposed them to lengthy prison terms. Even those who occasionally mention Navalny's projects could face reprisals for spreading extremist materials.

On Thursday, police in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don detained an activist who posted a Smart Voting sticker on her Instagram account, and a local court quickly handed her a five-day jail sentence on charges of propagating extremist symbols. The activist, Bella Nasibyan, was detained after she took her 3-year-old son to a kindergarten.

Russian authorities also blocked around 50 websites run by his team or supporters for allegedly disseminating extremist group propaganda, and targeted his top associates.

Over the past few weeks, police across Russia visited hundreds of people whose names figured in a leaked database from websites set by Navalny's allies to push for his release and promote his Smart Voting strategy. The police action appeared to be part of authorities' efforts to intimidate opposition supporters before the election.

The Sept. 19 vote is widely seen as an important part of President Vladimir Putins efforts to cement his rule before Russia's 2024 presidential election. The 68-year-old Russian leader, who has been in power for more than two decades, pushed through a constitutional reform last year that would potentially allow him to hold onto power until 2036.

The 45-year-old Navalny is Putins most determined political foe. He was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin  an accusation rejected by Russian officials.

In February, Navalny was ordered to serve 2 years in prison for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated.

Russian authorities have increased pressure on major social media platforms after criticizing them for acting as a tool to help bring tens of thousands of people into the streets to demand Navalny's release in a wave of protests early this year.

Facebook and Twitter have been fined repeatedly for failing to remove content that Russian authorities deemed unlawful, and Roskomnadzor early this year slowed down the speed at which Twitter can operate.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that Moscow wouldnt tolerate the IT-giants refusal to abide by the Russian law and remove the banned content.

Such arrogant and selective behavior and demonstrative ignoring of repeated requests from the relevant Russian agencies regarding the content designated as extremist is particularly unacceptable in the context of the current electoral processes, Zakharova said. It would be legitimate to interpret further connivance of U.S. IT-giants to the publication of the banned materials as an interference in domestic affairs of the Russian state."
SEATTLE (AP)  Firefighters responded to a warehouse fire near a marina in Seattle early Thursday that injured one person.

The fire broke out around 3 a.m. near South Park Marina and required assistance from multiple departments to contain. Thirteen boats were caught in the blaze, officials said.

The fire was under control as of 5:39 a.m., according to King County Fire District 2.

The injured person was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.

The Seattle Times reports fire officials are asking people to avoid the area as they investigate the cause of the blaze.
SCRANTON, S.C. (AP)  A former clerk for a South Carolina town has been arrested for embezzlement after allegedly buying personal items worth more than $200,000 with the town's credit card, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said Wednesday.

Tammy Renea Sarvis, 48, faces a charge of embezzlement of public funds valuing $10,000 or more, WCBD-TV reported.
WHITTIER, Calif. (AP)  A Southern California man who shot a man and then killed a police officer and wounded another in Los Angeles suburb was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder and other crimes.

Michael Mejia, 30, could face life in prison without possibility of parole for the 2017 killings. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon opposes the death penalty and his office decided earlier this year not to pursue it for Mejia.
Connecticut schools recorded 305 cases of COVID-19 during what for many was the first week of fall classes, including 247 among students, state officials said Thursday.

There have been 58 cases reported among school staff since last Wednesday, including 34 that were diagnosed in people who were vaccinated, according to a weekly report from the state Department of Public Health.

Of the 247 cases involving public and private students in kindergarten through 12th grade, 21 involved vaccinated children, according to the report.

The governor's office also released its weekly update on coronavirus-related deaths in the state, adding 39 since last Thursday. That brings the total in Connecticut to 8,394 during the pandemic.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Connecticut has risen over the past two weeks from 619.86 on Aug. 17 to 664.57 on Aug. 31, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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EVICTION ISSUES

Connecticut officials said Thursday theyve sped up the process of releasing financial assistance to renters and landlords under the states UniteCT program and have now paid out or plan to pay out roughly $170 million of the first $212 million of federal COVID-19 housing relief funds.

During those first three months, we were building the airplane as we were flying, said Dawn Parker, director of the UniteCT, which was originally launched in March. And now, we are flying.

Parker said 9,388 tenants who were in arrears and 3,742 landlords have so far received financial help under the initiative. As of Thursday, $112 million in assistance has been paid or is in the process of being paid and another $58 million is under financial review.

Parker appeared with state officials and advocates at a roundtable discussion with Wally Adeyemo, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Treasury, who was visiting the state to learn more about Connecticuts initiative.

Besides requiring less paperwork from applicants, Parker credited Lamonts recent executive order that requires Connecticut landlords to participate in UniteCT with the uptick in approved applications. Lamont said Thursday he plans to discuss with state lawmakers his hopes of extending that rule beyond Sept. 30.

Under UniteCT, financial help is capped at $15,000 and/or 12 months of back rent. She said the average grant has been $7,500 to renters who are four months behind. Parker said three-quarters of applicants earn less than 30% of the state's average median income.

John Souza, president of the Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners, said it small landlords took a leap of faith during the pandemic and agreed to participate in the program and not pursue evictions.

I think many are glad that they did, he said. Many are glad to be able to pay their bills again."
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited injured U.S. troops at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Thursday night.

There are 15 Marines at the hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside Washington, who were wounded in an Aug. 26 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport. The attack occurred as the U.S. government was arranging evacuations of Americans, Afghans and allies before the nearly two-decade war in Afghanistan officially ended Aug. 31.

Eleven Marines were also killed in the attack, as well as one Army solider and one Navy corpsman. Biden traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday to witness the return of their remains to U.S. soil in a solemn dignified transfer.

One of the wounded Marines was in critical condition. Three were in serious condition and 11 in stable condition.

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WASHINGTON  Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, head of U.S. European Command, said Thursday that so far only one individual evacuated from Afghanistan is being retained in Germany for problems getting through security screening.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters, he said that as far as he knows, the person in custody is not of a high threat.

Right now, he said, about 58 individuals triggered additional security checks and processing as they arrived at the way stations in Europe, and needed additional checks. But he said he expects they will all eventually be cleared.

Afghan evacuees are being flown to several locations across the Middle East and Europe, including Germany, Italy and Spain. Wolters said 155 flights have landed in Europe, with about 38,000 people. He said they go through biometric and biographical screening when they arrive, before they are shown to their sleeping quarters. They are screened again when they leave, and again when they arrive in the U.S.

He said there have been few issues with COVID-19 cases, and most of the people requiring some type of medical attention have been pregnant women.

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WASHINGTON  A Marine Corps spokesman says that of 15 Marines wounded in the Aug. 26 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, one is in critical condition. Three are in serious condition and 11 are in stable condition.

All 15 are at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. No names were provided.

A Marine Corps spokesman, Maj. Jim Stenger, said Thursday that the conditions of the 15 were as of Tuesday morning. In addition to the 15 wounded, 11 Marines were killed in the attack, along with one Army soldier and one Navy corpsman.

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UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations says its Humanitarian Air Service is resuming air operations in Afghanistan to enable 160 aid organizations to continue activities in the countrys provinces.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday that the air passenger service, operated by the Rome-based U.N. World Food Program, is linking the Pakistani capital of Islamabad with Mazar-i-Sharif in the north and Kandahar in the southeast.

He said the food program reports that three flights already have taken place to Mazar-i-Sharif since Sunday and that efforts are being made to step up those operations as soon as possible.

In addition, Dujarric said, a cargo airbridge is being established to transport non-food items such as medical and other emergency supplies to where they are needed the most.

He said the Humanitarian Air Services domestic passenger service needs $18 million and the cargo airbridge needs $12 million to continue operations.

From 2002 to 2021, the U.N. Humanitarian Air Service in Afghanistan served more than 20 destinations in the country, Dujarric said. It will seek to return to these locations once security and funding permits.

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ISTANBUL - Turkey's foreign minister says his country is evaluating plans to reopen Kabuls airport.

Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters on Thursday in Ankara that Hamid Karzai International Airport could be reopened in two stages for military flights and later for commercial flights.

Now there are requests from the Taliban and some countries to cooperate with us. Were evaluating all of this, Cavusoglu said at the news conference with Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag.

Turkey has been operating the airport for six years before the American pullout and the Taliban's resurgence. Those leaders, along with Qatar's, have been in discussions about the reopening. Kaag said the Netherlands wanted to help with technical matters or security at the airport.

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ROME  Italian Premier Mario Draghi says diplomats are trying to locate Afghans who fled from their homeland to Iran and other nations bordering Afghanistan.

Draghi said Thursday that fortunately many Afghans had escaped, but his country wants to locate those who worked with Italy.

Before Italy ended its airlift from Kabul on Aug. 27, it had evacuated nearly 5,000 Afghans who had worked with the Italian military during its 20-year-deployment in Afghanistan as well as their families and others deemed at risk now under Taliban rule.

Draghi didnt say how many Afghans his country was seeking. He added that Afghans who have already reached Italy are immediately being given refugee status and praised Italian communities integrating them into local society.



KABUL, Afghanistan  A Taliban media spokesman has tweeted a picture of Qatar military aircraft on the ground at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.

Ahmadullah Muttaqi posted the photo on Thursday. In Kabul, meanwhile, the roar of aircraft overhead could be heard.

It was the first air activity in the capital since Monday when the last U.S. evacuation flight left the Afghanistan, bringing to an end to Americas longest war. In interviews on Tuesday at the airport Taliban officials said they hoped to get the civilian airport up and running within days and the military portion sometime later.

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TIRANA, Albania --- The Albanian government says another group of 37 Afghans evacuated from Kabul has arrived in the country.

A statement from the Foreign Ministry said the group arrived early at dawn on Thursday from Kiev, Ukraine. They were taken to university campus accommodation in the capital, Tirana, where they will stay before moving to hotels.

Albania has accommodated most of the 644 Afghans it is temporarily hosting in hotels.

The government has said it may house up to 4,000 Afghans temporarily, before they travel on to countries for longer-term settlement.

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

 Afghans face hunger crisis, adding to Talibans challenge

 Biden defends departure from forever war, praises airlift

 UN chief urges countries to help Afghans in hour of need

 Victorious Taliban focus on governing after US withdrawal

 New Taliban rulers face tough economic, security challenges

 Analysis: War is over but not Bidens Afghanistan challenges

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  The United Kingdoms Foreign Secretary says that although the U.K. wont soon recognize the Talibans government, there is an important scope for dialogue with Afghanistans new rulers.

In a joint press conference in Doha with his Qatari counterpart, Dominic Raab said he supported engagement with the Taliban to test the groups wide-ranging promises. He cited the Talibans pledges to protect freedom of travel for Afghans and foreigners, to form an inclusive government and, significantly, to prevent international terrorist groups from using the war-scarred country as a base.

Raab said: In all of these areas, we will judge them by what they do, not just by what they say.

Diplomatic recognition would prove critical in allowing the Taliban to access development aid and loans from international financial institutions as the group confronts an economy in free fall.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  Qatars Foreign Minister says there is still no clear indication of when the Kabul airport will resume normal operations, but that the Gulf Arab state is evaluating the situation with Afghanistans new Taliban rulers.

In a joint press conference in Doha with his British counterpart, Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar remains hopeful that we will be able to operate (the airport) as soon as possible, without giving a timeline or elaborating on Qatars role in providing technical assistance. He said Qatar is working with the Taliban to identify what are the gaps and the risks of having the airport back up and running.

Kabuls international airport has been closed to normal traffic since Aug. 16, when the Taliban took control of Kabul. Military flights and evacuations continued until Aug. 31, when U.S. forces quit the country and left the runway without air traffic controllers.

Al Thani also urged the Taliban to live up to its promise to allow Afghans and foreigners to leave the country freely once the airport reopens.

Qatar sent a technical team to Kabul airport on Wednesday to assess the operations. The tiny sheikhdom, which facilitated talks between the U.S. and the Taliban, has played an outsized role in American efforts to evacuate tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan.

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UNITED NATIONS  The president of the U.N. Security Council says the U.N.s most powerful body will not take its focus off Afghanistan this month and the real litmus test for the new Taliban government will be how it treats women and girls.

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland said Wednesday that the protection and promotion of human rights for women must be at the very heart of our collective response to the crisis.

Under the Talibans previous rule from 1996 to 2001, women were not allowed to go to school, work outside the home or leave homes without a male escort. Though they faced many challenges in the countrys male-dominated society after the Talibans ouster, Afghan girls were not only educated but over the last 20 years women increasingly stepped into powerful positions in numerous fields including government, business, health and education.

Bryne Nason said: My question is, will the Taliban be different, and thats the real question. We havent seen any evidence of that.

She said the international community has clout because whatever form of government emerges in Afghanistan needs international support -- and human rights and respect for international law are red line issues.
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP)  The University of Oregon and Oregon State University said Wednesday that weekly COVID-19 testing will be required for unvaccinated students and employees.

The universities, along with all of Oregons other public universities, require COVID-19 vaccines for students and employees on campus, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. People are legally allowed to request exemptions, but weekly testing includes those who are exempt.
NEW YORK (AP)  Opponents of COVID-19 vaccine mandates repeatedly disrupted a New York City Council Education Committee hearing Wednesday and were ultimately ushered out, according to a news report.

About a dozen protesters in the City Council chamber balcony yelled, flashed thumbs-down signs and lambasted the city for requiring vaccinations for public school teachers and other staffers and for planning to offer the shots at middle and high schools to encourage students to take them, the Daily News reported.
Google Maps

If your daily commute involves I-10, it might be time to make alternate travel plans.

The Texas Department of Transportation, better known as TxDOT, will close a portion of I-10s access road for about six weeks. The closure will include the eastbound frontage road at the Bandera Road intersection as well as Upper Balcones Road at the eastbound frontage road intersection.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz visited the Gateway City on Wednesday as he met with Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz and Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina at the Laredo Police Department to speak about border security and the situation amid the pandemic on Wednesday.

Cruz described the Laredo sector as different from the Rio Grande Valley. He stated more single males are crossing into Laredo and that CBP agents are spread thin, making it difficult to do their job.

The Republican senator discussed during the conference the need for a border wall, the cartels impact on Laredos safety and criticism against the Biden administration.

Cruz believes a wall would give time for agents to apprehend individuals trying to cross the border illegally and that cartel activity leads to more homicides and stash houses, a topic Saenz said he is also concerned about.

According to the Laredo Police Department, coyotes and ongoing smuggling attempts are noted to be intertwined with cartels that result in stash houses, but rarely do they result in homicides. Between 2003-07, RGV faced a more difficult situation in terms of homicide.

In the recent case involving two suspects in the murder of a north Laredo woman, there may have been a connection to a cartel, LPD stated. That is the lone local homicide of the eight reported during 2020 with a connection.

Additionally, stash houses and the migrants held within have not played a part in any perceived increase in crime and have not created any havoc in the community, LPD said. Aside from the clear breach of legality involving entering the country illegally, there has only been an increase of immigration rips, or one stash house ripping immigrants away from another.

At one point, Cruz stated that migrants are clogging up the hospital rooms and stopping Laredo residents from being admitted. However, Laredo Health Department Director Richard Chamberlain reiterated as he has in the past that the idea of the migrant population taking up hospital space locally was simply not true.

Chamberlain said Wednesday that there are currently zero migrants in Laredo hospitals. And he added that the overall total of migrants to enter the facilities has been slim, as a total of 16 have been inside a medical facility at any point during the past two months.

The (refugee, immigrant and migrant) population are just like any other population  when sick they require care; when COVID-19 positive and symptoms are severe/critical, it is important to seek healthcare. In our community, it is not that common because the volume of RIM has decreased.

Chamberlain added that there is always the what if factor as surges occur, with a large number of positive cases and the number of severe cases reported increasing.

Cruz praised the Remain in Mexico policy in Title 42 for reducing the number of migrants who crossed illegally, citing last years figures. As of last week, the Supreme Court reinstated the Trump administrations Remain in Mexico policy.

Of course, the global pandemic itself led to drops in many figures throughout all walks of life and increases started to be seen as time went on. According to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, CBP reported an approximate 6.1% increase of unique encounters in 2020 from 2019. Some migration figures have also seen lower reported numbers than last year.

The number of encounters with family unit individuals so far this fiscal year (328,121) remains below the number of encounters at the same point in Fiscal Year 2019 (474,545), CBP stated in their July Operations report.

Saenz said that the senator was open to hearing to the issues the city had as he has said for months that the federal governments lack of involvement has hindered the citys efforts to quell the influx of migrants. He believes that it is a federal issue that should either be handled by the government or by them providing more resources to border cities.

Based on what I see, I hear and experience (regarding) other border communities, the border truly needs solutions, and quick solutions as well, Saenz said. We cant wait on these long-term solutions. Plenty of resources are required in our city, and we are asking.

On Aug. 20, Laredo received $1,921,990 in reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency over the expenses incurred by transporting incoming migrants to northern cities, like Austin, Dallas and Houston. The reimbursement covered the estimated $90,000 spent in the first two weeks with the rest set to cover any additional migrant transport by the city.

However, simultaneously occuring at the time of the reimbursement press conference, CBP had stopped transporting migrants from other regions to Laredo. Currently, the city still has possession of the FEMA funds as they are expected to only be used in cases such as Laredos busing services and other similar situations.

Tijerina also spoke regarding Saenzs sentiments but was far more critical of the current presidential administration. He believes that there is not enough coverage regarding the border situation, and he cited two leftist news outlets stating they dont have enough border coverage in their airtime.

I think most of your CNN and MSNBC, and a couple of your leftists, literally have played no more of the border crisis in this month alone, he said. That is staggering. That is disappointing because people start to realize that the more you can hide it, we can go ahead and make everything look fuzzy. You know what, there needs to be clarity on this particular subject.

Tijerina ended his portion of the conference comparing the border situation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It saddens me that I go to an airport, and I hear over and over again from the federal government, Please wear your masks over your nose and mouth at all times because your safety is our highest priority, Tijerina said. I am going to end with this: Prove it to us.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
News

August COVID cases hit five times July totals

The month of August saw five times the number of COVID-19 cases reported than July, causing concern for emergency management officials as hospitals in the region near capacity.

In the past 14 days, Grant County reported nearly 500 new cases of COVID-19. Grant County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Bob Jackson said the county is concerned about how many patients are currently admitted in the local hospital, especially as it relates to intensive care unit bed availability.

We are still very concerned, not just with our hospital but on a regional basis. We know that this part of Indiana is experiencing a surge across the region, Jackson said. We are concerned about all of our hospitals. It hurts our ability to transfer patients that need more acute care.

While Jackson said he didnt have exact and up-to-date numbers on beds available at Marion General Hospital, he said, I know they are close to capacity.

They are doing everything they can to accommodate everybody, he said. Right now everybody has a bed that needs a bed, and we want to make sure that that continues.

Jackson said one of the four Grant County residents who died with COVID-19 in the past seven days was a 13-year-old student. He stressed that the county has been paying attention to data on whether people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 are vaccinated or not.

For the most part, the folks that are being hospitalized are not vaccinated. At least 98 percent of them are not vaccinated, he said. We do have some breakthrough cases, usually those are mild and easily treatable, so that has worked very well. Weve been concerned about the schools and weve had several conversations with them and pediatric patients have been low locally in the hospital, but they are there.

The good news, Jackson says, is that the countys long-term care facilities are reporting few cases and fatalities unlike last year when vaccines were not available.

We know the bright spot that weve seen is in long-term care facilities. Residents who are in there, which they are 90-98 percent vaccinated, they are doing very well, he said. They have some staffing issues, staff that arent vaccinated causing some problems, but the residents themselves are doing very well.

Jackson reported that the delta variant, which is the highest reported strain of COVID-19 in Grant County currently, does not target people of higher age like the novel strain of COVID-19. He said the variant doesnt discriminate in age and actually has a target age group of between the ages of 20-29. That group is also one of the largest age groups hesitant to receive the vaccine, Jackson affirmed.

One thing Jackson stressed was the need for people who are not experiencing severe symptoms to stay out of the emergency room and seek alternative ways to get tested for COVID-19 since the local emergency room has been overcrowded in recent weeks due to the high community spread of COVID-19.

He said while Grant County doesnt have its own testing site at the health department set up yet, people can get COVID-19 tests at participating pharmacies, certain doctors offices and at state-run testing sites located in Wells, Blackford and Howard counties.

If you are sick and need care by all means go to the emergency room, but if youre just requesting a test because you have a close exposure, you still have the opportunity to go (elsewhere), Jackson said.

While MGH had a drive-thru testing site last week which administered 700 tests in a span of three days, Jackson said Grant County has requested a strike team from the State of Indiana to help provide local free testing in order to help control the ongoing spike in COVID-19 cases.

The Grant County Health Department is currently working on setting up a local testing site to help provide tests to local residents.
Marion, IN (46952)

Today

Thunderstorms likely, especially this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 61F. WSW winds shifting to N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely, especially this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 61F. WSW winds shifting to N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
A. Officials knew the mandates were coming for years; they should have phased in the increase.

B. There's no master plan to justify the millions extra they are collecting.

C. It's Save Our Waters Week; this shows officials care about the environment.

D. Vote them all out of office.

Vote

View Results
The two new draws bring the number of 2021 Alberta PNP invitees to 4,007.

Alberta holds two PNP draws in last week of August

Alberta holds two PNP draws in last week of August The two new draws bring the number of 2021 Alberta PNP invitees to 4,007.

Alberta holds two PNP draws in last week of August The two new draws bring the number of 2021 Alberta PNP invitees to 4,007.

Alberta holds two PNP draws in last week of August The two new draws bring the number of 2021 Alberta PNP invitees to 4,007. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Alberta has released the details for two of its biggest draws of the year.

On August 23, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) held its largest draw to date, with 450 invitations to Express Entry candidates. Invited candidates needed Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of at least 300.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Then on August 30, Alberta held its biggest draw since 2019 with 400 invitations to Express Entry candidates who had scores of at least 301.

Alberta has now invited 4,007 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination since it resumed invitation rounds in January 2021. It had taken a temporary hiatus in the latter months of 2020. Alberta is allowed to issue 6,250 nomination certificates in 2021.

How does the Alberta Express Entry Stream work?

The Alberta Express Entry stream is an enhanced Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). It allows the provincial government to search the federal governments Express Entry pool of candidates for profiles of people who may be eligible for a provincial nomination.

Express Entry is the application management system for the three Federal High Skilled programs: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and Federal Skilled Trades Program.

If you are eligible for Express Entry, you will get a score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). You get points depending on your age, education, work experience, language ability in English or French, and other factors.

Canadas immigration department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regularly holds Express Entry draws, inviting the highest-scoring candidates to apply for permanent residence. It is possible to immigrate through the Express Entry system without a provincial nomination, however, people who have lower CRS scores may opt for a PNP. Provincial nominees automatically get 600 points added to their overall score. If the lowest-scoring candidates in the new Alberta draw receive the nomination, their new CRS scores will be 901, more than enough to be invited in a subsequent Express Entry draw. Alberta Express Entry Stream Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the provincial nomination through the Alberta Express Entry stream, you need to have work experience in an eligible occupation. The AINP does not provide a list of eligible occupations, rather it offers a list of occupations that are not eligible for the stream.

Many who apply under this stream work as food service supervisors, transport truck drivers, and cooks among others.

Your Express Entry profile should indicate that you have an interest in moving to Alberta. Certain factors increase your likelihood of being nominated, like having work experience, or a job offer in Alberta. A Canadian education helps too. Also, having a parent, child, or sibling who is a permanent resident or citizen in Alberta supports your application.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
A new non-partisan group of Canadians is coming together to support Afghan refugees.

Lifeline Afghanistan launches to help Canada reach new refugee goal

Lifeline Afghanistan launches to help Canada reach new refugee goal A new non-partisan group of Canadians is coming together to support Afghan refugees.

Lifeline Afghanistan launches to help Canada reach new refugee goal A new non-partisan group of Canadians is coming together to support Afghan refugees.

Lifeline Afghanistan launches to help Canada reach new refugee goal A new non-partisan group of Canadians is coming together to support Afghan refugees. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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A new organization has just launched to help Canada achieve its goal of resettling 20,000 Afghan refugees.

Lifeline Afghanistan features a group of non-partisan Canadians who are looking to raise awareness on Afghan refugee resettlement, play a coordinating role, and bring Afghans to safety in Canada.

While the Canadian government has pledged to resettle 20,000 Afghan refugees, comments made by various parties amid the current federal election campaign suggest this target could end up higher.

Private Canadians have played a prominent role in helping refugees move to Canada since the 1970s. Back in 1978, Canada became the first country in the world to launch the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program (PSRP). The PSRP enables private Canadians to sponsor the arrival of refugees and has contributed to the resettlement of some 400,000 refugees since its launch. Shortly after its launch, private Canadians undertook the Operation Lifeline initiative which harnessed the PSRP to contribute to the total resettlement of some 70,000 refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

The lifeline tradition continued in 2015 when private Canadians formed Lifeline Syria. Since then, Canada has resettled nearly 80,000 Syrian refugees.

Lifeline Afghanistan will build on the success of Lifeline Syria to pursue five objectives:

Build awareness and engagement of civil society in the sponsorship of Afghan refugees; Curate resources and connect to organizations supporting Afghan refugees through humanitarian relief, advocacy, settlement, service provision, research and others; Work with Sponsorship Agreement Holders and others to engage Canadians in private sponsorship and to provide practical support to facilitate the process; Support skills assessment and trauma informed approaches to skills development and work with employers and service providers to create pathways to economic and social inclusion; Promote evidence based, innovative and collaborative approaches to supporting refugees.

Lifeline Afghanistans website notes there are currently some 3.5 million internally displaced people in Afghanistan and 2.2 million refugees and asylum seekers in neighbouring countries.

Lifeline Afghanistan will continue to provide information on how Canadians can volunteer and donate to support this effort.

Learn More About Lifeline Afghanistan

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
A common, growing scam is when a retail employee is tricked into believing a law enforcement officer requires activation of a Visa card, all through a simple phone call. One group of retailers identified 170 successful scam attempts of more than $460,000 in losses. But thats likely only a fraction of total losses.

For companies big and small, phone fraud and scams, including social engineering and robocalls, is a serious global issue. Call spoofing is just one of the latest. These types of scams include spoofing a CEOs phone number and voice to ask for funds to be transferred to a fake subsidiary. In other scams, callers try to extract information by impersonating employees coworkers using a spoofed phone number and employee ID.

Across the U.S., phone scams in recent years have become a major problem as cyberattackers have become better resourced, launching more sophisticated and evolving attacks on companies real-time voice communications networks.

The Bottom-line Impact

Roughly 59.4M of Americans, or roughly 23%, have lost money to phone scams over the past year, according to a new report from Truecaller. Global telecommunications fraud is estimated at $28.3 billion, according to a Fraud Loss Survey from the Communications Fraud Control Association.

The potential impact of these attacks is both serious and wide-reaching. Spoofing attacks increase a companys operational risks, and the fallout from an attack can cost millions of dollars. The Communications Fraud Control Association (CFCA) cites estimated losses attributed to IP-PBX hacking at $1.8 billion.

Unfortunately, many companies are not sufficiently protected from these types of attacks. Since spoofing takes on many forms of deception, finding the right solution to block or prevent spoofing may be complicated. Recent research by Metrigy found that only 41% of organizations have a proactive security plan for their communications services and only 35% perform a security assessment of their communications providers.

Many companies are slow to implement caller ID validation, including Know Your Customer (KYC), which is a mandatory process of identifying and verifying the client's identity when opening an account and periodically verifying the identity of the account-holder. KYC requires businesses to make sure that their clients are genuinely who they claim to be. Where companies have been fast to implement KYC, they may overstep and mis-label legitimate calls as a scam or spam, and then block the call, which is not good for business.

Some 83% of call centers, for their part, rely on agents to detect fraud, revealing a weak spot in many enterprises security procedures. Many agents receive little or no training on how to detect these types of threats. But theres a solution.

Oracles Answer to Scammers

The Oracle Communication Security Shield Cloud provides businesses with the highest level of protection against these types of spoofing attacks. Based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework, the Oracle Communications Security Shield detects phone fraud and scams earlier to mitigate losses and prevent cascading damages. It even has the capability to detect and prevent Telephony Denial of Service (TDoS), call flooding, and Toll Fraud.

Accessed from the Oracle secure public cloud  the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)  the Oracle Communications Security Shield provides enhanced dashboard insights into phone traffic, fraud and scam attacks. The Oracle Communications Security Shield also improves productivity by reducing repetitive customer verifications, eradicating nuisance and scam calls, and making fraud investigations easier and faster. Companies brand and reputation are better protected, negative press is avoided, and the customer experience is improved.

The dashboard gives companies a modern user interface and visibility into its communications network, while enabling dynamic risk assessment and threat detection of every call. For companies that require a tighter integration to their existing security systems, the Oracle Communications Security Shield offers Secure Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) along with enhanced data protection.

The Oracle Communications Security Shield is compliant with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The Oracle Communications Security Shield Cloud utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning to build an ideal model of the network so anomalous traffic and threats are readily detected.

As spoofing attacks continue to threaten companies, those with a sound security solution in place to detect and defuse threats will be better positioned to survive and thrive against cyber threats.

View a demo and learn how Oracle can be a trusted partner to help secure and accelerate your real-time communications, visit us here.
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

Today

Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm late. Low near 70F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm late. Low near 70F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
In February, Facebook announced an experiment to test how much political news users wanted in their news feeds. It removed some content for a small group of users in the US, Canada, Brazil, and Indonesia, and then surveyed those users for their reactions. According to an update published on Tuesday, the company saw positive results, and as a result is now expanding the test to cover users in Ireland, Sweden, Spain, and Costa Rica. In addition, Facebook said it is tweaking the way it measures user behavior when interacting with political content: Weve learned that some engagement signals can better indicate what posts people find more valuable than others, the company said. Instead of looking only at whether someone is likely to comment on or share a political post, Facebook said it will now put more emphasis on newer signals, such as how likely a person is to provide negative feedback about a political post or topic that happens to show up in their news feed.

This is just the latest in a series of algorithm changes aimed at de-emphasizing not just political news but professional news sources in general. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks chief executive, said in 2018 the social network would be changing to prioritize content shared by a users friends and family, rather than content from professional publishers and brands. Im changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions, he said. Some hoped the changes might spur some media companies to stop relying on Facebook for their traffic, but its unclear whether that has happened to any significant extent. Meanwhile, some disinformation researchers have pointed out that Facebooks prioritization of content from friends and familyincluding a focus on promoting the use of private groupsmay actually have made the problem worse.

Whenever Facebook tweaks its news algorithm, media outlets and publishers around the world tend to hold their breath, because so many have come to depend on Facebook that even a small change can impact a publisher significantly. When the company made a similar tweak previously, some publishers saw traffic declines as high as 30 percent. According to Facebooks note, the latest changes will affect public affairs content more broadly [and] publishers may see an impact on their traffic. It added that it is planning a gradual and methodical rollout for the experiment, and expects to announce further expansions in the coming months.

As Wired magazine noted, one of the most interesting things about the announcement is that the company admitted that simply looking at engagementwhich means anything including leaving a comment or clicking the Like buttonis not a great way to measure whether someone finds a specific post to be valuable. In the past, engagement was the holy grail, Faceooks CrowdTangle tool, which it has encouraged media companies to use as a way of gauging the performance of their content on Facebook, only measures engagement. But its recent content report focuses on reach (who saw a post) rather than engagement, although some experts have cautioned this re-orientation could be an attempt to downplay the impact of disinformation on the platform.

As with most of Facebooks other algorithm tweaks, the impact of this latest one is going to be difficult (if not impossible) to predict, in part because the term political news is so vague. Does it mean only posts that refer to political parties or elected officials by name? What about posts involving a controversial topic such as climate change or abortion? Facebook isnt saying, although the company did say its test does not restrict or down-rank information related to COVID-19 from authoritative health organizations such as the CDC and WHO, as well as national and regional health agencies. Content from official government agencies and services is also exempt from the new rules, Facebook said. Some media industry observers say they arent optimistic about the impact of the changes because the company isnt good at defining what is political, and others say they are concerned Facebooks new approach might wind up hurting progressive news sources more.

Heres more on Facebook and news:

Nothing to see here : In addition to arguing that it doesnt amplify disinformation, Facebook has been trying for some time to make the case that even if there is some negative political content on its service, the amount is so tiny that it couldnt possibly affect anyone. In a news update in November of 2020, the company said that for the average user of its news feed in the US, political newsnot just the controversial kind, but any kindmade up just six percent of the content they saw on the social network.

News as junk food : Gilad Edelman, writing in Wired , says that moving away from engagement as a metric makes sense, since many people interact with political news even when they know that doing so isnt good for them . What the AI doesnt understand is that I feel worse after reading those posts and would much prefer to not see them in the first place, he writes. Its a bit like food, actually: Place a bowl of Doritos in front of me, and I will eat them, then regret doing so. Ask me what I want to eat first, and Ill probably request something I can feel better about.

Facebook Armageddon : In 2018, I wrote a feature for CJR that looked at how closely intertwined many media companies and publishers were with Facebook , and how the companys repeated algorithm changes and its dominant position in the online advertising industry could spell doom for some outlets. Facebook is a threat not necessarily because its evil but because it does what it does very well, which is to target people for advertisers, said Martin Nisenholtz, former head of digital strategy at The New York Times . The question, he said, is has it become so dominant now that its become essentially a monopoly, and if so what should publishers do about it?

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Mathew Ingram is CJRs chief digital writer. Previously, he was a senior writer with Fortune magazine. He has written about the intersection between media and technology since the earliest days of the commercial internet. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and the Financial Times as well as by Reuters and Bloomberg.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Wisconsin regulators have backed down on demands that operators of a startup that allows private homeowners to rent their swimming pools by the hour said would kill their business.

The regulators told Swimply in April that pools offered for rent would have to be treated the same as large, public swimming pools. That meant a pools owner would have to obtain a license and meet construction requirements that are more onerous.

But on Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection notified attorneys for Swimply that most pools offered for rent would not have to meet those higher standards.

However, whether any particular pool would be subject to public pool licensing requirements would depend on the facts of the situation for each individual pool, the agency said.

Swimply co-founder Asher Weinberger, who is also its chief operating officer, said Wednesday he was thrilled with the change in direction. And Luke Berg, an attorney with the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty that represented the startup, said they were grateful that state regulators took a reasonable approach in their review of their regulations and confirmed that Swimply can legally operate in Wisconsin.

An official with the regulatory agency in April cited a Wisconsin law to Swimply that says a pool becomes public, and subject to licensing, if it is used on a regular basis by people other than the residents where its located.

Swimply argued that the state was interpreting the law incorrectly, inconsistently applying it and exceeding its regulatory authority.

Wisconsin was the first state to push back against Swimply, which started in 2018 with four pools in New Jersey but has taken off during the pandemic as more people looked for private spaces to swim and have fun. The business works like an Airbnb for swimming pools, with private homeowners listing their pools on the website and app.

Swimplys attorneys threatened in July to file a lawsuit if the state didnt back off. Wisconsin was the only state that had challenged Swimply or that the business has threatened to sue, said WILL spokeswoman Erin Collins.

Most of the pools on Swimply are in warm weather locations, but it recently entered the Wisconsin market.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Another federal appellate court has ruled against a policyholder who sought coverage for business interruption losses caused by coronavirus restrictions, siding with the vast majority of federal judges in ruling that SARS-CoV-2 does not cause a direct physical loss or damage to property.

A panel of the US 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday affirmed a decision by the U.S. District Court for Northern Georgia to dismiss Gilreath Family & Cosmetic Dentistry against the Cincinnati Insurance Co.

Gilreath finds it problematic that its office is an enclosed space where viral particles tend to linger, and where patients and staff must interact with each other in close quarters, the unsigned and unpublished opinion says. Even so, we do not see how the presence of those particles would cause physical damage or loss to the property.

This was the second appellate court decision that found no coverage was owed because of COVID-related business interruptions. A panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on July 2 affirmed a trial court decision to dismiss a similar claim filed by Oral Surgeons PC against Cincinnati Insurance.

That ruling hinged on a slightly different issue, however. The 8th Circuit panel ruled that government orders that forced a dental practice to curtail its operations did not cause a physical loss or damage to the property. The court did not address whether coverage would be owed if the virus was actually present on the property.

The Gilreath dental practice in Marietta, Georgia alleged that it had to curtail its operations because of and order by civil authorities and also because the virus tends to linger in the airspace within a building, causing a loss of use.

The 11th Circuit panel, however, said the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in a 2003 case that coverage is not owed unless there is an actual change to the insured property that makes the property unsuitable for use. It cited AFLAC Inc. v. Chubb & Sons, where the court affirmed a judgment that no coverage was owed to AFLAC as reimbursement after it was forced to upgrade its computer system to avoid a failure on Jan, 1, 2000 (Y2K).

Gilreath has alleged nothing that could qualify, to a layman or anyone else, as physical loss or damage, the 11th Circuit panel said.

A litigation tracker maintained by the University of Pennsylvanias Carey Law School shows that 2,014 lawsuits have been filed in state and federal courts seeking insurance coverage for COVID-19 business interruptions.

As for Wednesday afternoon, federal courts had granted motions to dismiss in 383 of 410 cases heard, or 93%. Plaintiffs are doing better in state court, where 75 out of 109 cases have been dismissed in initial hearings, or 69%, according to the litigation tracker.

The litigation tracker shows that plaintiff wins are becoming fewer and farther apart as time goes on. In August, state and federal courts dismissed 46 COVID lawsuits against insurers and denied dismissal motions in only three cases. The court in Cook County, Illinois dismissed six business interruption lawsuits filed against Society Insurance Co. on Aug. 24.

According to the tracker, 184 appeals were pending in federal courts as of Wednesday and 57 cases were pending in state appellate courts.

The most recent outlier decision was issued on Aug. 16, when a state court judge in Clark County, Nevada denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Wynn Resorts. The company, which owns two hotels in Las Vegas with more than 4,000 rooms, alleged that it has purchased a policy from Factory Mutual with a limit of $2.25 billion that included coverage for communicable diseases. The insurer argued that at most only $1 million was owed because of a sublimit in the policy.
A U.S. judge said on Wednesday he would approve OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LPs bankruptcy reorganization plan, clearing a path to resolve thousands of opioid lawsuits and shielding the companys wealthy Sackler family owners from future opioid litigation.

Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain said that with small changes he would approve the plan, which overcame opposition to garner support from nearly all states, local governments, tribes, hospitals and other creditors that voted on the restructuring. They became creditors in the bankruptcy by virtue of suing Purdue and Sackler family members over their alleged contributions to the nationwide opioid epidemic.

Drain said it was clear the wrongful marketing of the companys opioid products contributed to the addiction crisis, which touched every corner of the country. That makes the bankruptcy case before me highly unusual and complex, said Drain, who spent more than six hours reading his ruling from the bench.

The plan, which Purdue values at more than $10 billion, dissolves the drugmaker and shifts assets to a new company not controlled by Sackler family members. The new company will be owned by a trust run to combat the opioid epidemic.

It also includes legal releases shielding Sackler family members from future opioid litigation, a controversial provision that some states opposed. Congressional Democrats in recent weeks introduced legislation to block such legal releases.

The Sacklers have denied allegations, raised in lawsuits and elsewhere, that they bear responsibility for the opioid addiction crisis. They have said they acted ethically and lawfully while serving on Purdues board.

The Purdue bankruptcy plan includes a $4.5 billion contribution from Sackler family members. The contribution is in the form of cash that will be paid over roughly a decade and also includes $175 million in value from relinquishing control of charitable institutions.

Drain noted that he had expected a larger contribution from the Sacklers and said the evidence showed more might have been secured through litigation, although that was hard to predict.

This is a bitter result, he said. He also said he would not jeopardize what the plan achieved by rejecting it and asked for small changes to secure his final approval.

Still, the evidence showed the plan was negotiated by the creditors who all viewed the Sacklers as the other side, the opposition, the potential defendants, Drain said. This is not the Sacklers plan.

Insulting To Victims

The Stamford, Connecticut, drugmaker pleaded guilty to criminal charges in November stemming from its handling of opioids. At the outset of its bankruptcy case, Purdue said there were a number of legal defenses it could mount in response to lawsuits alleging improper conduct.

Several state attorneys general opposed the plan.

This order is insulting to victims of the opioid epidemic who had no voice in these proceedings, said Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who said his office would appeal.

A lawyer for the Office of the U.S. Trustee, a bankruptcy watchdog and part of the Department of Justice, said his office would file a motion for a stay of the order confirming the plan during the appeal.

More than 95% of creditors voting approved Purdues restructuring, far above the legal threshold required for a bankruptcy judges blessing.

Ryan Hampton resigned on Tuesday as the co-chair of the official creditors committee, which included governments and other creditors. Even though the committee helped negotiate the plan, he called the outcome a total injustice.

He said people like himself who were recovering from addiction were the real victims and they had to fight states and local governments during plan negotiations for the $750 million set aside for them.

At no point were the victims listened to, he said.

Sackler family members behind Purdue were prolific philanthropists, with their names on museum wings and other cultural institutions. They have also agreed to a prohibition on associating their name with charitable contributions until litigation settlement funds are fully paid, according to court records.

Much of the plans value is contingent on future donations of overdose reversal and addiction treatment medications that Purdue has under development.

Drain noted that Sackler family owners who testified showed little remorse. A forced apology is not really an apology, he said. And so we will live without one.

Purdue filed for bankruptcy in September 2019 in the face of 3,000 lawsuits against the company and Sackler family for contributing to a public health crisis that has claimed the lives of about 500,000 people since 1999.

Drain, the judge overseeing the case in a White Plains, New York, bankruptcy court, agreed early in the case to halt litigation against Purdue and Sackler family members, who had not filed for bankruptcy themselves.

Sackler family members have not been criminally charged. They previously agreed to pay $225 million to resolve separate civil allegations with the Justice Department. The family members have denied those allegations.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Louisiana residents still reeling from flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Ida scrambled for food, gas, water and relief from the sweltering heat as thousands of line workers toiled to restore electricity and officials vowed to set up more sites where people could get free meals and cool off.

Power and water outages affected hundreds of thousands of people, many of them with no way to get immediate relief.

I dont have a car. I dont have no choice but to stay, said Charles Harris, 58, as he looked for a place to eat Tuesday in a New Orleans neighborhood where Ida snapped utility poles and brought down power lines two days earlier.

Harris had no access to a generator and said the heat was starting to wear him down. New Orleans and the rest of the region were under a heat advisory, with forecasters saying the combination of high temperatures and humidity could make it feel like 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) on Wednesday.

New Orleans officials announced seven places around the city where people could get a meal and sit in air conditioning. The city was also using 70 transit buses as cooling sites and will have drive-thru food, water and ice distribution locations set up on Wednesday, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said state officials also were working to set up distribution locations in other areas around the state.

Cantrell ordered a nighttime curfew Tuesday, calling it an effort to prevent crime after Hurricane Ida left the entire city without power. Police Chief Shaun Ferguson said there had been some arrests for stealing.

The mayor, additionally, said she expects the main power company, Entergy, to be able to provide some electricity to the city by Wednesday evening, though she stressed that doesnt mean a quick citywide restoration. Entergy was looking at two options to begin powering critical infrastructure in the area such as hospitals, nursing homes and first responders, the company said in a news release.

Cantrell acknowledged there would frustration in the days ahead.

We know its hot. We know we do not have any power, and that continues to be a priority, she told a news conference.

Edwards on Tuesday surveyed damage from the storm, which caused massive flooding and structure damage in Houma, LaPlace and other communities outside New Orleans.

The barrier island of Grand Isle, which bore Idas full fury, is uninhabitable, with every building damaged, Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng told a news conference. There are also numerous breaks in the levee system and a strong odor of natural gas, she said.

The number of deaths from the hurricane climbed to at least four in Louisiana and Mississippi, including two people killed Monday night when seven vehicles plunged into a 20-foot-deep (6-meter-deep) hole near Lucedale, Mississippi, where a highway had collapsed after torrential rains.

Among the crash victims was Kent Brown, a well-liked, 49-year-old father of two, his brother Keith Brown said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. Keith Brown said his brother was in construction but had been out of work for a while. He didnt know where his brother was headed when the crash happened.

Edwards said he expects the death toll to rise.

More than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi were left without power when Ida slammed the electric grid on Sunday with its 150 mph (240 kph) winds, toppling a major transmission tower and knocking out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations.

An estimated 25,000-plus utility workers labored to restore electricity, but officials said it could take weeks.

Kisha Brown, a medical receptionist who rode out the storm with her two daughters at her apartment, was among hundreds of people who turned to one of the sites in New Orleans distributing free meals. She lost her power and said her food supply was dwindling. But her other major concern was the heat.

My last resort would probably be to go to the hospital, she said. Theyll let me in if I show my ID.

Other residents relied on generators, raising concerns about carbon monoxide poisoning. Our Lady of the Lake hospital in Baton Rouge had already treated more than a dozen people for carbon monoxide poisoning by late Tuesday afternoon, spokesman Ryan Cross said.

Elsewhere in New Orleans, drivers lined up for roughly a quarter-mile, waiting to get into a Costco that was one of the few spots in the city with gasoline. At other gas stations, motorists occasionally pulled up to the pumps, saw the handles covered in plastic bags and drove off.

About 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of the city in LaPlace, Enola Vappie and her sons sat in her carport hoping to catch a breeze as the temperature inside her damaged home creeped up without power to run air conditioning.

The 78-year-old Vappie was one of about 441,000 people across the state to lose water after floodwaters and power outages crippled treatment plants. But she was already thinking about what shell do when it comes back.

I cant wait to have a good bubble bath, she said. I might live in that tub.

Deslatte reported from Thibodaux, Louisiana. Associated Press writers Janet McConnaughey, Rebecca Santana and Stacey Plaisance in New Orleans; Jay Reeves in Houma, Louisiana; Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee; and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed to this report.

About the photo: In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida people lining up for food and ice at a distribution center Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in New Orleans, La. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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If you are in sales and trying to bring in new business for your company, I am sure you have heard these words from a customer: Ill get back to you.
Clifford Chance advises CVC on strategic investment in pharmaceutical retail chain in China

Leading international law firm Clifford Chance has advised its long-standing private equity client CVC Capital Partners on its strategic investment in Xi'an Yikang Pharmacy, a leading pharmaceutical retail chain in Northwest China with more than 1,600 pharmacies. Through the investment, CVC will help Yikang diversify its medicine categories, improve efficiency of distribution and sales, enhance digitalisation and continue to grow and scale the business. Yikang will use the capital from this investment to further ramp up investment in digitalisation and build a popular smart retail pharmacy brand.

This transaction builds on Clifford Chance's market leading expertise in private equity. The Clifford Chance team was led by China Co-Managing Partner Terence Foo, supported by consultant Julie Fu, associate Yanding He and trainee Jiahong Cai. Partner Yong Bai and senior associate Zibo Liu provided antitrust support. The Clifford Chance team advised on the deal in conjunction with PRC local counsel.

Terence said, "We are pleased to support our client, CVC, on this strategic investment in China's healthcare industry which continues to evolve through the impact of healthcare regulatory reforms, ageing population and digitisation."
Clifford Chance advises Sinochem and ChemChina on antitrust aspects of their strategic merger

Leading international law firm Clifford Chance has advised Sinochem Group Co., Ltd. (Sinochem) and China National Chemical Corporation Ltd. (ChemChina) on the multi-jurisdictional merger control and foreign investment control filings for the two groups' strategic merger. The merger of the two leading players in the Chinese chemical sector which also rank among Fortune Global 500 represents a combined turnover of over RMB 1000 billion, making the merged new entity Sinochem Holdings a first-class chemical company consisting of eight strategic sectors, 16 publicly listed companies with operations across more than 150 countries around the world.

Yong Bai, partner and head of Clifford Chance's Greater China antitrust practice, led the firm's global antitrust team and in Beijing was supported by senior associate Zibo Liu, associate Xiang Li and transaction support lawyer Genglun Chen. Others involved in the firm's global network included, among others, partner Marc Besen and senior associate Anne Filzmoser in Dusseldorf, partner Richard Blewett in Brussels, partners Dave Poddar and Mark Currell, senior associates Mark Grime and Alice Bradshaw, associate Angel Fu in Sydney, partners Sharis Pozen and Timothy Cornell, counsel Brian Concklin in Washington, counsel Masafumi Shikakura and associate Hisao Ito in Tokyo and partner Torsten Syrbe, senior associate Olga Mizikova and transaction support lawyer Ani Tangyan in Moscow.

This ground-breaking transaction involved merger control and foreign investment control filings and consultation procedures in more than 20 jurisdictions across five continents.

Notably, the Clifford Chance team has also advised ChemChina and Sinochem on the multi-jurisdictional merger control and foreign investment control filings in relation to the agricultural restructuring between the agricultural businesses within ChemChina and Sinochem groups.

Yong Bai said, "We are delighted our global antitrust team could assist Sinochem and ChemChina on their historic and strategic merger. This adds to our strong track record acting on headline transactions for major Chinese companies in key sectors of the economy."

The Beijing antitrust team recently also led on advising on the merger control and foreign investment control filings for other sizable transactions, including China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited's merger with China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and China Baowu Steel Group's acquisition of a 51% stake in Taiyuan Iron & Steel.
Marijo Krogman, 86, Clinton, died Sunday, September 12th. Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM Saturday, September 18th at Prince of Peace. Visitation from 9:00 AM until the time of the Mass Saturday. Pape Funeral Home is assisting.
First Summit Arena at Cambria County War Memorial Arena is set for the return of 2021 Showcase for Commerce on Monday, August 30, 2021.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  The health department of the city of Manila halted all its vaccination operations after encountering a technical problem in its online vaccination system, the Manila public information office announced on Wednesday.

All vaccination sites in Manila for both first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines were closed at 4 p.m.

City health department chief Arnold Pangan said authorities are still looking into why the system went down, the Manila PIO added.

Early last month, the local government revealed that its vaccination registration website was attacked by hackers after receiving nearly a million "bot-triggered" registration requests. City officials had suspected that the perpetrator had a "troll farm generating machinery" to operate the attack.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  The number of fully vaccinated Filipinos may be raised to 20 million by this month, ahead of the planned inoculation drive for children and the general public, the country's vaccine chief said Thursday.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. told CNN Philippines' The Source that the government intends to administer second shots to 5 million to 6 million more Filipinos this month, as more doses are being delivered to the country.

"We are focusing na sa second dosing, maitaas ang capacity ng ating mga vaccination sites so that yung nakikita natin yung mga vaccine hindi natetengga sa warehouse," he said.

[Translation: We are focusing on ramping up the capacity of vaccination sites for second dosing so that vaccines are not just stored in warehouses.]

Galvez earlier said around 25 million vaccines doses will arrive in the Philippines this month and 29.5 million more will be shipped by October, with steadier supply from brands like Pfizer and Sinovac.

Kids, general public may get doses as early as October

Meanwhile, the vaccine czar stressed that children and the rest of the general public will likely get their doses by end of October or November, Galvez said.

"We are looking at the general public vaccination, (this) may be by end of October or November. This includes pediatrics' vaccination when we have already the saturation of our vaccination program," he said.

He said brands that are initially considered among minors are Pfizer, which was recently granted a full approval by the US Food and Drug Administration; Sinovac, which earlier applied for an emergency use authorization for three years old and above; and Moderna, which launched clinical trials for children younger than 12.

Galvez said Metro Manila and some other regions can expect to see a "better Christmas" this year, with the adjusted target of 50 to 60% population protection in areas which are "very vulnerable" to surges.

He said Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Davao Region can expect an increase in their vaccine allocation soon.

The government has set a target of inoculating 77 million Filipinos, or 70% of the country's 109-million population, to achieve herd immunity by yearend. Some 14 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to date.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  Health authorities have detected two cases of the Delta variant in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which means the highly contagious coronavirus variant is now present in all 17 regions in the country.

"They were collected July 24 with the onset of July 17 for one case," Dr. Cynthia Saloma, executive director of Philippine Genome Center (PGC), told an online forum on Thursday.

The World Health Organization earlier said the Delta variant is now the dominant variant in the Philippines.

Saloma said it will soon be easier to detect variant cases in other regions because sequencing equipment will be deployed in the Visayas and Mindanao by October or November.

The machines will allow for the sequencing of 350 samples per week.

"The funds have already been downloaded by the DBM to the University of the Philippines System and then to UP Mindanao so we will have better grasp of cases there," Saloma said.

The government allocated 295.7 million to detect coronavirus variants more effectively.

With the 295.7 million allocation, the country will go from processing 750 samples weekly to reviewing 2,200 samples per week.

Meanwhile, Saloma said the variant of interest named Mu is not considered a concern in the country for now as it is not linked to the current spike in cases. Nonetheless, the PGC is closely monitoring, she said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  Most COVID-19 cases recorded in workplaces came from the service sector, an official of the Department of Labor and Employment said Thursday.

During a Laging Handa briefing, DOLE Asec. Maria Teresita Cucueco said the agency has received over 48,400 work accident/illness reports (WAIR) from companies since January. Out of the number, about 4,700 companies reported they had COVID-19 cases.

The government has ordered employers to submit a monthly report regarding their compliance to health protocols, which would include a tally of coronavirus cases.

"Ang karamihan ay nasa service sector -- nandun ang trade, pagtitinda, iba't ibang serbisyo na ginagawa," she said, without providing a breakdown of the figure.

[Translation: Most of them are in the service sector -- like trade, sales, and other various services.]

The service sector was followed by the manufacturing industry, the wholesale and retail trade including supermarkets and grocery stores, the finance and insurance sector, and the construction market.

"Itong top five sectors, dito sa report na COVID work accident/illness report na natanggap ng DOLE, ang may mga COVID cases," Cucueco said.

[Translation: These top five sectors, here in the COVID work accident/illness report received by DOLE, have COVID cases.]

According to Cucueco, companies' compliance with the DOLE's order for the submission of a monthly report on WAIR remains a problem.

Cucueco urged companies to send their WAIR, with or without any COVID-19 cases in their workplace.

Last week, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the pandemic task force is encouraging companies to cut foot traffic in their offices and implement work-from-home arrangements amid the threat of the highly contagious Delta variant.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  The Department of Health will not transfer pandemic response funds to the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) in 2022.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque made the assurance during Thursday's House hearing on the DOH's proposed budget for next year.

"Yes, your honor. We will do that," Duque said after Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez pressed him to commit not to transfer a single centavo to PS-DBM again because of allegations it bought overpriced face masks and face shields for the DOH in 2020.

Rodriguez insisted those working in the Health department should purchase the COVID-19 items themselves.

An audit report earlier flagged the DOH's "deficiencies" in its management of over 67 billion pandemic response funds for 2020. These include the transfer of 42.4 billion to procuring agencies due to the lack of "required memorandum of agreement and other supporting documents," according to the Commission on Audit. PS-DBM got around 41 billion, a portion of which was used to buy the allegedly overpriced supplies.

But the DOH has said there is no need for a MOA for the transactions since the items procured have been classified as "common-use supplies" due to the pandemic.

Based on relaxed procurement rules issued in March 2020, entities that will buy common-use supplies can directly negotiate a contract with a "capable contractor."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  Senate leaders will ask for a hold departure order to be issued against former Budget Undersecretary Christopher Lloyd Lao and executives of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation amid investigations by Congress into allegedly overpriced purchases of supplies for pandemic response.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Thursday said he has received reports Lao is planning to leave the country, so it will be an added "caution" to prevent him from bolting.

He also wants a similar order issued against Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporate chairman Huang Tzu Yen and the company treasurer. He said the officials cannot be served subpoenas because their registered office address in Taguig has been vacant for three years now.

Drilon added there are suspicions that at least one of the executives already left for a Middle Eastern country.

RELATED: Head of Pharmally, PH's top medical supplier during pandemic, wanted in Taiwan

Pharmally is in the spotlight as Senate hearings reveal that the small company has bagged over P8.68 billion worth of government contracts, including the purchase of allegedly overpriced medical supplies for COVID-19. Lao was the one who awarded the deal when he was the head of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management.

When asked if a hold departure order will also be requested for President Rodrigo Duterte's former adviser Michael Yang  whose named is also being linked to Pharmally, Drilon said they have no clue where he is.

RELATED: Duterte defends Michael Yang, ex-DBM exec Lao amid allegations of links to govt supplier

Senate President Tito Sotto said they will seek a hold departure order "whatever legal way is possible."

According to the Bureau of Immigration, orders to hold the departure of accused individuals come from Regional Trial Courts. Drilon said he will check if the Senate can file a petition for the issuance of this order.

CNN Philippines correspondent Eimor Santos contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  A lawmaker on Thursday urged the Department of Health to refrain from making comments on herd immunity at this time, in light of breakthrough infections.

The government aims to vaccinate at least 70% of the country's 109-million population to achieve herd immunity - the point where enough people are immunized against a virus to stop its spread. There are now 13.7 million fully vaccinated individuals as of Aug. 29.

"We cannot just let our people expect and hope and keep on commenting about herd immunity when in fact we know there is this big surprise - [the] vaccinated are getting infected and transmitting the illness," Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin said in a House hearing on DOH's proposed budget for 2022.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque agreed with Garin.

"Certainly, the points raised are valid," Duque said in the same hearing.

Garin made the remark after Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez asked Duque if he is confident the country will achieve herd immunity by the end of the year, a goal the government earlier set. Duque replied this may happen early next year if there is enough vaccine supply.

"Supply permitting, and assuming that there will be about 500,000 or 600,000 doses per day, the conservative estimate is we might be able to achieve herd immunity sometime [in the] second month of the first quarter of 2022," Duque said.

Garin - a former Health secretary - said breakthrough infections suggest that immunity triggered by COVID-19 vaccines might wane over time. And so, discussions on "the importance of a third dose" must be prioritized over herd immunity, she added.

Garin is among lawmakers who have expressed concern over placing the 45-billion proposed budget for COVID-19 booster shots under unprogrammed appropriations. Unprogrammed items are only financed if the government's revenue collection exceeds the target.

The Department of Budget and Management earlier said funds for the procurement of additional doses are under unprogrammed funds because the government has yet to approve vaccine boosters.

Duque said the recommendation on the use of extra doses may be out by next week.

"As soon as the recommendation is solid, the Finance secretary committed to make the funds available," he added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  Some government agencies are now wary of handling funds related to the pandemic response, for fear of "getting COA-ed" and dragged into Senate hearings, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. revealed on Thursday.

"Yun ang nagiging problema natin," Galvez told CNN Philippines' The Source. "Yung urgency ng pandemya nawawala because some people are afraid of being COA-ed because of yung tinatawag nating disbursement of funds kailangan umano ng proseso."

[Translation: That's becoming our problem now. The urgency triggered by the pandemic is lacking because some people are afraid of being COA-ed, because of what we call disbursement of funds that need processing.]

Galvez bared this when asked about the alleged delays in the disbursement within the Office of Civil Defense after a local government in Cavite asked for funding for some quarantine facilities.

He said the issue is currently being resolved internally.

Galvez then appealed to state auditors to give some "leeway" to allow government agencies to act on the health crisis.

"We are asking COA na dapat medyo magkaroon ng tinatawag nating some leeway for us to act on this pandemic..." Galvez said.

[Translation: We are asking COA to give some leeway for us to act on this pandemic...]

"Yes it is your duty to have that kind of (audit) report, but yung nangyayari po ngayon sa Senate hearing, I believe most of the agencies including DOH, including OCD, ay natatakot na po magkaroon ng tinatawag nating adverse reporting, afraid of being dragged in the Senate hearing," Galvez said.

[Translation: Yes, it is your duty to have that kind of audit report, but because of what's happening now in the Senate hearing, I believe most of the agencies including DOH, including OCD, are afraid of having an adverse reporting, afraid of being dragged into Senate hearing.]

Government officials, including Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and former Duterte appointees are currently under scrutiny over the procurement of overpriced pandemic response supplies, among other alleged irregularities.

President Rodrigo Duterte previously urged COA to "stop flagging" agencies that might be tainted with "corruption by perception."

Dont blame Senate, COA

Meanwhile, senators said lawmakers and state auditors are not to blame and that pandemic response officials have nothing to fear if theyre not doing anything anomalous.

Dapat ka ngang matakot kung may ginagawa kang mali. Eh, kung nasa tama ka bakit ka matatakot? said Senate President Tito Sotto.

[Translation: You really should be scared if you have done something wrong. If you are doing things right, whats there to be afraid of?]

Senator Francis Pangilinan said the investigation was only launched after receiving complaints from frontliners and local officials.

Wala pa yung Senate investigation makupad na kilos nila at paiba-iba at pabago-bago mga patakaran, said Pangilinan. Kaya nga umabot sa imbestigasyon sa dami ng reklamo mula sa frontliners, mga nurse at doktor, mga hospital operators, mga LGU officials.

[Translation: Even before the Senate investigation was launched, they have already been slow and their policies kept changing. Thats why we had to start an investigation because of the complaints from frontliners, nurses, doctors, hospital operators, and LGU officials.]

Senator Sonny Angara, on the other hand, said the congressional probes are a chance for government offices to be transparent.

They should see the Senate inquiries as a chance to tell the people what they are doing and to mention what help the legislature can give them, he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  The Department of Healths budget request for pandemic response in 2022 faced a deep cut, affecting funds intended for the benefits of healthcare workers.

The DOH initially proposed 73.99 billion worth of COVID-19 response funds, of which 50.41 billion was for special risk allowance (SRA), hazard duty pay, meals, accommodation and transportation, and life insurance of health workers, Secretary Francisco Duque said Thursday.

But the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) only approved 19.68 billion, he added.

Iyon pong pinropose namin na budget nung June sa (The budget we proposed to) DBM was actually 73.99 billion, Duque said in a House hearing, referring to funds for pandemic response. The department's total budget proposal was 242 billion.

Duque made the remark after Rep. Stella Quimbo pointed out that the 19.68-billion budget seems too small compared to the total COVID-19 response funds released from March 2020 to June this year, which stood at 160.97 billion.

The lawmaker then asked him if SRA funds were among those affected by the budget cut. Duque said Quimbos assumption was correct.

Duque added the DOH is counting on the passage of the Bayanihan 3 bill to fund health workers benefits next year, but Quimbo told him there was no itemized appropriation for SRA in the proposed law.

Quimbo then asked Duque if the DOH would propose a budget increase. He said the department will submit a new proposal, which may include funding for the compensation of frontline personnel who caught the coronavirus.

Bayanihan 2 specified that all those catering to or in contact with COVID-19 patients shall get SRA. This law expired on June 30.

Despite the expiration of the validity of funds for appropriations under Bayanihan 2, many healthcare workers have yet to receive their SRA.

Citing DBM data, Quimbo also noted that the DOH still has 51.2-billion worth of unobligated pandemic funds as of June 30, and asked why these cant be used for the payment of the benefits.

Rowena Lora, OIC-Director IV of the DOHs Finance Management Service, said that as of end-August, a significant amount of these remaining funds has already been obligated for additional vaccines. She added their operating units still have a lot of other COVID-related expenses.

We have been trying to look for the funds needed for the benefits of the health workers, Lora said.

Since last week, we have been coordinating with them para ma-prioritize kung ano 'yung kailangan at pwedeng ma-free up from the funds [to prioritize whats needed and what can be freed up from the funds], she continued, referring to meetings with the DOH regional offices and operating units.

Duque also asked that the department be given more time to assess which funds can be realigned for the SRA.

Give us time and we will identify, most certainly, what these programs or activities and projects [are], which yield the lowest impact among all that we have been implementing, he said.

The DOH earlier asked the DBM twice for additional SRA funds.

The DBM has so far released 311 million for the first batch - which comprises 20,156 health workers, of which 308 million has been disbursed to medical facilities, DOH Director Larry Cruz earlier said.

The DOH earlier sought another 201 million for the second batch - which covers over 17,000 health workers. It plans to submit another budget request for the SRA of 80,000 more, Duque previously said.

Health Assistant Secretary Mylene Beltran said 399,325 health workers have already received their SRA as of Aug. 26.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2) The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Thursday said its main headquarters receives an average of 200 requests for shortened quarantine period over health and personal reasons.

OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac told CNN Philippines that cutting short the quarantine protocol of 10 to 14 days is a tough balancing act.

"This is a really sensitive balancing act of course we commiserate with our OFWs who need to grieve over a loved one or visit a loved one in a hospital, but we try our best to elevate this to the DOH," Cacdac said.

"Tatlong bagay  namatayan, kapag may pamilyang nag-agaw buhay, at 'yung medical emergencies," he added.

[Translation: Three things  a loved one died, or they have a dying relative, and medical emergencies.]

The OWWA chief said under the Inter-Agency Task Force's rules, concerns of this nature should be decided on by the Department of Health and Bureau of Quarantine.

Cacdac said a health worker is assigned in every OWWA-accredited quarantine facility for OFWs to address urgent medical needs.

"This is a border control matter and it's one of the key strategies in containing the variants," Cacdac explained.

Returning OFWs are required to isolate in OWWA facilities for 10 days except for those coming from countries under travel restrictions, who must undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Recently, there were calls to review the existing quarantine protocols for returning Filipinos with medical emergencies after an OFW from Saudi Arabia with cervical cancer died in a hotel quarantine facility in Cebu.

The OFW initially requested to be transferred to a hospital during her quarantine stay but had a hard time because of lack of available rooms. She died without seeing her family on the last day of her isolation.

OWWA said around 10,500 OFWs are now in hotel quarantine facilities nationwide.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2) The country recorded 16,621 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the nationwide tally to 2,020,484, the Department of Health reported Thursday.

Of the total, 146,510 are active cases or currently ill patients, DOH's latest bulletin showed. This is the seventh straight day that the country registered over 140,000 active cases. At least 96.2% of patients are experiencing mild symptoms, 1.1% are asymptomatic, 0.6% are in critical condition, 1.1% are severe, and 0.99% have moderate symptoms.

Meanwhile, 148 more patients succumbed to COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 33,680. At least 10,965 recovered, pushing the COVID-19 survivor count to 1,840,294, the department's data showed.

The DOH said 92 duplicates were removed from the total case count. Of these, 78 are recoveries and one death.

It added that 66 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.

All laboratories were operational on Aug. 31, but five laboratories failed to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System. These laboratories contribute, on average, 0.9% of samples tested and 0.9% of positive cases.

The daily positivity rate, or percentage of people who tested positive, stood at 26.9% based on 60,973 tests done on Aug. 31. The World Health Organization recommends a positivity rate of below 5%, as bigger numbers may indicate high transmission.

The DOH said earlier that infections may still peak in the middle of September as the more contagious Delta variant could possibly increase the numbers.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2)  A lawmaker is pushing for an investigation into allegations that the Aquino government bought personal protective equipment that were pricier than the ones procured by the current administration.

Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin made the request to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday during the House Committee on Appropriations hearing on the Department of Health's proposed budget for 2022.

Garin asked Duque to "quickly initiate" an investigation into the claim of Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Wednesday that the Duterte administration's purchase of PPE sets should not be considered overpriced at 1,700 because his predecessor bought such items for 3,500 to 3,800 when there was no global health crisis yet.

"Can Secretary Duque quickly initiate an investigation into the allegation and look into the following: proper po ba ang procurement process na nangyari? Sino-sino ang involved sa procurement process? Was this flagged by the COA? Meron bang overpricing? Is the supplier a legitimate company? And lastly, are these PPEs  can you compare these apples to apples  with the current PPEs that the PS-DBM is procuring?" she said at the hearing.

[Translation: Can Secretary Duque quickly initiate an investigation into the allegation and look into the following: Was the procurement process properly done? Who was involved in the procurement process? Was this flagged by the COA? Was there overpricing? Is the supplier a legitimate company? And lastly, are these PPEs  can you compare these apples to apples  with the current PPEs that the PS-DBM is procuring?]

However, Garin, who served as Health secretary from 2014 to 2016, said she does not remember being involved in the procurement.

Duque committed to investigating the matter.

"We will have this looked into and ferret out the truth as is necessary to resolve this issue," he said.

A former undersecretary in charge of the procurement service of the Budget department was grilled by senators last week regarding his previous decision to award a multi-billion peso contract to a company with "questionable" qualifications.
Malacanang says that millions of COVID-19 vaccines arriving this month will be distributed to areas outside Metro Manila.

And amid the Delta variant, the government weighs in on giving booster shots to health workers and people with comorbidities.

And, when can the general public get vaccinated? Are we still on track of our herd immunity target?

Vaccine czar and National task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. join us live.
Staff Reporter

Kerin majored in journalism at Ohio University and has worked as an editor and reporter for monthly, daily and weekly publications in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Delaware since 1983. A native of Baltimore, Md., she has lived in Ocean View since 1996.
Mariners Bethel United Methodist Church will host a special 'Prayer Experience' remembering the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and their victims, on the 20th anniversary of that event.
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.
In the sixth section of their 1958 statement of purpose, club members wrote the final goal of their organization was to further certain educational objectives of the university by promoting ethical, moral, spiritual and aesthetic principles upon which a satisfactory and rewarding philosophy of life may be developed.

And for decades, the Penn State Outing Club has tried to fulfill its purpose while maintaining a vast membership of sometimes over 1,400 students.

Founded in 1920, the club steadily grew throughout the mid-20th century. By 1954, the club had three divisions: Cabin & Trail, Field & Stream and Wintersport, with more to be added in the coming years.

By the mid 1970s, the club reached its peak with nearly 1,500 members and 8 divisions with their own leadership all under the banner of PSOC.

Many of these groups ultimately separated but live on today. Nittany Grotto Caving Club, Penn State Ski Club, Ecoaction and others were born out of the once larger Penn State Outing Club. Currently, PSOC consists solely of its former hiking division.

In this era, the club became a trailblazer in central Pennsylvania, as it participated in local trail maintenance and carved out new paths. The Allegheny Front Trail, a 42-mile loop around Black Moshannon State Park, was mapped and blazed with help from PSOC, and many others were maintained with its aid.

Most famously, the club carved out and blazed orange the beginnings of what would ultimately become the 327-mile Mid State Trail, which runs from the border of Maryland to the border of New York. The project was masterminded by the clubs former advisor, Thomas Thwaites, a longtime Penn State physics professor who died in 2014.

We definitely have touched the landscape around here, Zach Blume, the clubs treasurer, said. ... We have a history here.

Blume (senior-civil engineering) said he has been backpacking since eighth grade and joined PSOC his first semester on campus. He also has a family history within the organization  his aunt and uncle met as club members in the early 80s.

Reflecting on his project and its construction later, Thwaites wrote, The Mid State Trail was created to foster these simple, natural, spiritual experiences, so that we may all enjoy a greater respect for nature and therefore protect nature for all future generations.

PSOC stayed active and remained fairly consistent until 2018, when it faced an existential crisis.

A Penn State review found the club had an unacceptable level of risk in their current operation model and sought to dissolve the then 98-year-old club. The Nittany Grotto Caving Club and the Nittany Divers SCUBA Club faced the same dilemma.

By the end of spring 2018, it was essentially like the gavel had dropped, Blume said.

The decision caused immediate confusion and disappointment among the club and outdoor community and garnered international press attention. The story was picked up by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Outside Magazine, the BBC and The DailyMail.

The club survived, though in a different form. It was classified as a special interest group and limited to day hikes within 50 miles of State College, Blume said.

In 2019, a working group was formed of PSOC executives, Penn States Risk Management Office, Penn State Student Affairs, faculty from Penn States Recreation, Park and Tourism Management department, and others to discuss the future of the club, according to Blume.

Though he was not a member of the working group, PSOCs former Vice President and Webmaster, Ritvik Prabhu, said there was little hostility or resentment among the participants, and discussions proceeded in good faith with divisions quickly falling apart.

It became a singular group working toward a common solution, Prabhu (senior-environmental resource management) said.

This time also saw an unexpected rise in membership and diversities of experience within the club, Prabhu said. Where some students may have been intimidated by the clubs pre-2018 long backpacking trips and other treks, Prabhu said he believed the limited day hikes brought in more casual hikers and some beginners.

You had people who had never been on a hike before all the way up to people who had backpacked regularly, Prabhu said.

Eventually, the group constructed a proposal for the future of PSOC. In it, the club proposed the use of the Common Adventure Model, a group-centered adventure technique used by other college outing clubs that focuses on democratic decision-making and shared group responsibility, Outings Chair Mike Marakovits said.

The proposal also said PSOC must have wilderness first aid and wilderness first responders on outings, and group members must have some basic training in outdoor techniques prior to events. But it also lifted restrictions on overnight and distant outings, which Marakovits (junior-engineering science) said would allow the club to resume many of its previous activities.

After some deliberation and a pandemic in between, Penn State Vice President Damon Sims signed the working groups proposal in spring 2021.

Forced to celebrate its centennial via Zoom, the now 101-year-old club will host a Curriculum Fair in early October to train its members in outdoor safety and the Common Adventure Model prior to its first overnight trip sometime later in the semester, Marakovits said.

Our plan is to get a backpacking trip out and couple day hikes along the way and just adapt as necessary, he said.

Prabhu said he thinks a new base of hikers may have emerged during the pandemic as the wilderness became one of the few areas unrestricted by the rapidly evolving situation. Expressing similar sentiments, Marakovits said hiking helped him cope with the pandemic.

Nature was pretty unaffected by [the pandemic], Marakovits said. It felt like I was reconnecting with my roots in a way.

Between now and the curriculum fair, the club will primarily act, Marakovits said, as it has in recent years with general meetings hosted on campus and members participating in independent outings among themselves.

Of hiking, Thwaites also wrote, Foot travel over a remote primitive trail brings an exhilaration, an aliveness that cleanses us of our worldly woes and restores our spirit.

And for the Penn State Outing Club, this semester may finally offer that again.

MORE LIFESTYLE CONTENT
At the University Park Undergraduate Association's first in-person fall meeting Wednesday night in the HUB-Robeson Center, Patrick Kridaratikorn was confirmed as the new director of facilities.

Before UPUA voted on the confirmation, Kridaratikorn (junior-political science) gave a speech to those in attendance.

Kridaratikorn opened by looking back on his experience during First Year Council.

He said one of the most memorable, positive experiences while on the council was "definitely" doing facilities work.

Kridaratikorn said he liked how he was able to have a tangible experience within the community.

Quite literally, you are handing away things that people use on a day-to-day basis," Kridaratikorn said, "which I dont think you could ever do enough."

Kridaratikorn then explained his goals for the position and said he would want to implement more technological aspects like adapters and chargers since most people use them every day.

He said he hopes these implementations might bridge possible gaps in students' college experiences.

Their monetary valued things, or how much money you have, I dont think that should really matter," Kridaratikorn said. "Between how much tech or how much experience youre getting out of the classroom... I think thats every students right.

To end his speech, Kridaratikorn said he's "really excited" to have an impact on Penn State and hand out "more free things that help people."

Kridaratikorn was then asked to leave the room as the council voted on his confirmation.

When the council finished voting, Kridaratikorn was summoned back into the room, and Vice President of UPUA Najee Rodriguez congratulated Kridaratikorn on being confirmed as the new director of facilities.

President of UPUA Erin Boas then swore Kridaratikorn into office.

MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE

Penn State releases reward distribution results of vaccine incentive program After implementing a vaccine incentive program from June 7 to Aug. 23. to encourage students
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
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Microsoft has reminded commercial customers using older versions of Outlook that they have just two months to upgrade before they're cut off from the company's Microsoft 365 and Office 365 services.

"After November 1, 2021, only Outlook 2013 Service Pack 1 (with latest fixes) and later will be able to connect to Microsoft 365 services," the firm said in an unsigned Aug. 27 post to a company blog.

Last year, Microsoft dropped support for older versions of Office connecting to its online services, such as Exchange Online, as of Oct. 13, 2020. Affected editions of Office included Office 2007, which was already out of all support; Office 2010, which was to exit support on that same Oct. 13 date; and Office 2013, which was to receive support until April 2023. The support-on-services shutdown had been in the works since 2017.

At the time, Microsoft had been surprisingly gracious, saying that while support would officially end, that didn't necessarily mean the end of connectivity. "We won't take any active measures to block other versions of the Office client, such as Office 2013, from connecting to Office 365 services, but these older clients may encounter performance or reliability issues over time," the developer said then.

That is what's different now. The Nov. 1 deadline really will cut older Outlook clients from Microsoft's services. Microsoft explained that the older Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 clients will be incompatible with two upcoming changes to services, including an end to support for Basic Authentication  essentially, the long-standard username + password combination  that was postponed in February 2021.

Microsoft did not say when it would drop Basic Auth support, however.

For those who haven't yet dispensed with the old Outlook clients, Microsoft recommended  as it has confidently  that they switch to the subscription model of Office 365 or Microsoft 365, which provides always-up-to-date client software.
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Website hponline.cl uses latest and advanced technologies. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 258234 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 241520 bytes (235.86 kb uncompressed).

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-09-02, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
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We often picture soldiers in green camo, as though they spend all their time hiding among trees in the jungle. But that's not what modern warfare is like, so in the '90s, the US military introduced Operation Urban Warrior, a project for training Marines to carry out missions in cities.

They were mainly responding to 1993's Battle of Mogadishu, the Somalian incident made famous through the movie Black Hawk Down. It was hardly the first time US forces had ever had to fight in a city, but it was a particularly embarrassing one, with terrorists mocking the US withdrawal and gruesome propaganda footage playing on people's TV screens.

So, the military had to teach its personnel how to fight in a city, where they couldn't quite count on a tank backing them up. One trick they tried: a remote-controlled bulldozer, still very powerful but slightly more mobile than an actual tank. This didn't go well; the Marines called it the "bulldozer from hell," which isn't as much of a compliment as it sounds.

What's the best way to get equipment in the field, when traditional airdrops aren't a good idea? They tried moving stuff using paragliders, with limited success. Also floating above them, the Marines tried an "airborne aerostat communications relay system," which would probably be rendered redundant by satellite-based stuff. The equipment broke free from the training site and crashed in Palm Springs.

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And yes, they tried putting Marines on skateboards, in an event best remembered through a single widely circulated photo:

This training exercise was called, awesomely, Urban Warrior '99. We don't see a lot of info on skateboard use after this. But the experiments did lead the military to make better-quality elbow and knee pads.

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For more goofy military stories, check out:

The 5 Least Intimidating Military Uniforms Around the World

5 Slapstick Failures by Modern Military Commanders

6 Iconic Pieces of Military Tech (That Secretly Sucked)

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Joyce S. Norrod, 86, of Crossville, passed away on Sept. 8, 2021, at her home in Crossville. Mrs. Norrod was born on May 20, 1935, in White County, daughter of Allen Smith and Anna O'Dell Smith. Joyce was a homemaker and a founding member of the Crossville First Church of the Nazarene. She w
The King Solomon story is intriguing. While born in times of war, he reigned in times of peace. Hes the second son of King David and Bathsheba.

Solomon is supposed to be the next King, but he has a brother, Adonijah, who steps up and takes the throne without King David or Gods blessing. Of course, this is short-lived, and Solomon becomes king.

Hes well known for his God-given wisdom, wealth, and power. He reigned as king of Israel for 40 years and built the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem just like God said. (1 Chronicles 28:5) He wrote the book of Proverbs and the Song of Solomon in the Bible.

He had an astounding seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Some of those wives turned his heart after false gods and led him into idolatry.

The King Solomon story has many truths for us to glean for our lives as Christians.

Here are 5 truths from the King Solomon story:

1. Being uninvited may be an invitation to see God work.

When King David was on his deathbed, his son Adonijah, decided hed be the next king.

Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, I will be king. So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. (His father had never rebuked him by asking, Why do you behave as you do? He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.) 

Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the kings sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon. 1 Kings 1:5-9

Solomon was not invited to the party along with a few others. However, it was an opportunity to see God work on his behalf. When word got back to King David that the wrong son had stepped into his position, he made things right and blessed Solomon officially making him the next king.

It can be painful when were not included when we hope to be invited. We should look at it as an opportunity instead of rejection. If God wanted us there, we would have been invited.

2. Something coming to us from God is legit.

As you know, he said, the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the LORD. 1 Kings 2:15

Solomon was supposed to be king, not Adonijah. I love how this verse states: it has come to him from the LORD.

If something comes to us from God, it cant be stopped. If what were seeking falls apart then we need to let it go. God has something better (and it will be legit).

3. God may give more than we request.

In a dream, God asks Solomon to ask for anything he wants and then gave him more than he requested.

Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for  both wealth and honor  so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life. 1 Kings 3:5-15

When we make a request in prayer believing God will answer with a humble heart, he may deliver more than we expect or ask.

God sees the heart and knows our intentions. If He likes what He sees, like the perfect parent He is, He may give us what weve asked for but also bless us beyond our expectations.

4. Our relationship with God affects unbelievers.

The queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to God, so she wanted to test him with hard questions. It didnt take her long to see Solomon was even wiser than shed heard, and nothing was too hard for him.

She said to the king, The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORDs eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness. 1 Kings 10:6-9

Its interesting that she comes to meet Solomon with an attitude of unbelief and skepticism but leaves with praise on her lips for the Living God.

We can have this same effect on others at times when they see our genuine relationship with God and how He works in our lives. Sharing our testimony with coworkers or neighbors can impact their lives and lead unsaved people to seek a relationship with God.eHe

5. Others may turn our hearts from God.

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaohs daughter  Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods. Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done. 1 Kings 11:1-9

Christians are called to love deeply. But theres a fine line between loving someone (or something) deeply and loving someone (or something) more than we love God. We may not even realize were loving or trusting in an inappropriate way.

Anything in life we worship in some way other than God is idolatry. In the day of Solomon, they literally worshiped other gods. Today, even Christians worship other gods. Often, we dont mean to but many things in our lives can become an idol.

This can be a town we love, a job, a spouse, money, and even our beliefs if we dont allow the Holy Spirit to correct us and guide us along the path in life God has for us.

God will tear down the idols in a Christians life. He may allow job loss, financial struggles, and hidden sins brought to light. Whatever is standing between Him and our whole hearts in worship must be put in its proper place.

God wants our whole hearts in obedience, devotion, and love.

Take these 5 truths from the King Solomon story and work towards applying them to your life today.

Photo Credit: Sparrowstock

Melinda Eye Cooper grew up in the Missouri Ozarks but lives near Nashville, Tennessee. She and her husband have three sons, two daughters-in-law, and three beautiful granddaughters  and a spunky dog named Lincoln!

Melinda writes articles and devotions. She also writes fiction and is currently working on a middle-grade fantasy novel. She grew up in a large family, and many of her devotions and stories are inspired from her childhood.

Visit her website here. You can follow her on Facebook here or Instagram here.
When you sit down to read the account of Noah and the flood, who are the people who think of? For me, I naturally think about Noah and the awesome ark he built with Gods instructions. We know his family all entered the ark and left the ark once the ground dried up. That is not the end of story for Noah and his family.

Noah has three sons who do extraordinary things. One of those sons, named Shem, will play a vital role in the fulfillment of scripture.

Lets learn what we need to know about Shem and how extraordinary he was by discussing his lineage and the impact he had on his family and the world today.

Who Was Shem?

Shem was one of the three sons of Noah. Some scholars believe him to be the oldest son because his name is usually mentioned first in the lineage of Noah. The name Shem in Hebrew means name or renown. Shem is first mentioned in Genesis 5:32. After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. His name is also repeated in Genesis 6:10.

During Shems life he marries and is a witness to the great flood that wipes all life on earth. He spends time in the ark with his mother and father, brothers, and his brothers wives. We can imagine that life on the ark with his family and the animals was interesting. Scripture says the waters flooded the earth for 150 days in Genesis 7:24.

Once Shem and his family leave the ark, scriptures speak of the covenant God made with Noah and his sons. The most notable story of Shem is when Noah drinks to much and becomes drunk. He falls asleep naked, and his sons find him. Shem and Japheth cover him up while walking backward so they do not look upon him. The other brother, Ham, looks and his son Canaan is cursed.

Shem dies at the ripe old age of 600. He had five sons and witnesses the repopulation of the Earth.

What Does Shem Do in the Bible?

There is not a lot of information about Shems life in scripture. We have the important story of Noah, his father, building the ark and the time Shems family spent on the ark. His movements on the ark are not recorded, therefore one would have to use their imagination.

The recorded scripture in Genesis 9:18-27, tells the reader how Noah was a man of the soil. He plants a vineyard and when the grapes come in, he makes wine. After Noah had drunk too much wine and became drunk, his son Ham discovers him lying uncovered in his tent. It was not proper for a son to look upon his father in that condition, so Shem and his brother Japheth take a garment and cover their father. This story may seem unimportant, but because Shem did what was proper by covering his fathers naked, Ham is forever cursed and becomes a slave to his brothers.

Shem goes on to have five sons with his wife and multiple grandchildren. His lineage produces a man named Abram, who later will be known as Abraham.

There is some speculation that Shem was a high priest, specifically Melchizedek. Jewish and Catholic scholars have discussed this and believe to have evidence from the Targumin. The Targumin is the Aramaic translation of the Old Testament. The probability of Shem being Melchizedek is questionable, so we can leave this to the scholars.

The Descendants of Shem

Shem was the father to five sons. Their names were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. Of those five sons, Arphaxad is one that we will zero in on. Arphaxad had a son named Shelah when he had lived 35 years. (Gen. 11:12) Shelah became the father of Eber when he had lived 30 years. (Gen. 11:14) Eber had two sons, Peleg and Joktan. Peleg becomes the father of Reu and Reu becomes the father of Serug.

Serug will become the father of Nahor who the father of Terah is. Terah is the father of Abraham. Each son in the lineage of Shem had many children, which the Bible does not give us names for. What we know for certain is that Abraham will become the one that God establishes a covenant with. He will be a patriarch and father Isaac.

If we continued listing the descendants of Shem, we would discover that Christ is one of them.

What Impact Did Shem Leave?

Shems descendants are called Semites. It is believed that when Noah died, his three sons got a portion of land. Shems portion was what we know as the continent of Asia. Ham received Africa and Japheth had Europe and parts of northern Asia. A total of 26 Biblical nations obtained geographical significance from the line of Shem. This may not seem important, but we must note that Shem and his descendants lived in the portion of land that included Israel.

Shems impact is based on the pivotal moment when Hams son, Canaan, is cursed. Canaan is the father of the Canaanites. The Canaanites were an idolatrous people. Noah cursed Canaan with the words from Genesis 9:25. Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.

This was only the second curse upon humanity recorded in the Bible. The first was the curse given to Cain. It is a representation of Gods sentence on the Canaanites for their sinful nature. The Canaanites will be defeated in battle because of this curse.

If we read on after the curse, we see Noah blessing Shem and his brother, Japheth. Noah is praising God and refers to Him as the God of Shem. This blessing implied that Shem was going to do something good. Noah even says may the descendants of Japheth live in the tents of Shem. The true God was Shems God and Abraham would come from his line. The blessing Noah gives Shem will come to fruition with Abraham. Ultimately the Messiah will be born of the line of Abraham, which is the line of Shem.

As time goes on, the descendants of Shem and Japheth become allies. Shems line becomes the Semitic peoples, and many biblical nations are credited to his descendants. Those nations include the Elamites (Persia), Assyrians, Chaldeans who later become the Babylonians, Israelites, Edomites, Lydians, and Syrians.

Shem leaves behind a beautiful picture of the humble beginnings of Jew and Gentile peoples. Shems descendants received the blessings of God throughout history. Shems brother is also blessed and becomes the father of the Gentile people. His descendants were to live among Shems descendants. Peter and Paul will witness to the Gentile people and the early church will be born. We are all now living in the tents of Shem.

Shem is a son of Noah that God uses to bring the promised Messiah to us. God uses Shem to lead the Jewish peoples into existence. Shem allied with his brother to begin the intermingling of the Jewish and Gentile worlds.

Because of Shem faithfully following in the footsteps of God, we can receive the gift of salvation through the blood of Christ.

Photo Credit: Pexels

Ashley Hooker is a freelance writer who spends her time homeschooling her two children, ministering alongside her husband as he pastors a rural church in West Virginia, and writing about her faith. Currently, she is a contributing author for Journey Christian magazine. She has taken part in mission trips with the NC Baptist Men during the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey in Mississippi and Texas. In her local church, she has served on various committees focusing in the area of evangelism along with traveling to West Virginia and Vermont to share the Gospel. Her dream is to spend her time writing and sharing the love of Christ with all she meets.
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If you didnt think the agriculture and food sector is of national security significance, then the issuance of the Insider Risk Mitigation Guide by the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) in conjunction with the Department of Defenses Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE) should be the equivalent of the bat-signal shining over Gotham. The guide, quietly published in late July, is in essence a primer on how to create an insider risk/insider threat program.

NCSC and CDSE insider threat program guidance

The 11-page publication touches on four areas:

Understanding insider risks Establishing an insider risk program Insider risk management strategy Insider risk resources

It highlights how the individual within the agriculture and food sector plays a significant role in national security by protecting public health and safety, the nation, and its economy from contamination, economic espionage, food adulteration and terrorism.

CISOs who are unfamiliar with the concept will find the guide interesting for its basic table-stakes presentation, suitable for culling tidbits to educate the rank-and-file cadre within their entitys footprint. Especially noteworthy is the section on instituting user activity monitoring, which projects the basic concepts. Those in cybersecurity developing tools that focus on data leakage or insider threat mitigation will find the guidance a generation behind the cybersecurity industry as the emphasis is on employee deviations from norms.

The guidance is spot-on in other areas:

Identify what assets are the critical assets.

Consider the risk management process as dynamic, not one and done.

Have a response in place for when an insider threat becomes a reality.

Intellectual property theft in agriculture

While the guidance touches on multiple types of insider threats, the intellectual property (IP) theft portion will be of prime interest to CISOs. Two examples discuss Chinas interest in the IP of the US agriculture and food sector. The first case involves Walter Liew, who stole chemical processes used with titanium dioxide and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The other was the case of Mo Hailong, who was sentenced to three years for stealing genetically modified corn.

Liew was an insider within DuPont and broke trust, stealing corporate secrets of his employer. His spouse was also charged and was sentenced to three years in prison. The Mo case required insiders from within US companies (Pioneer and Monsanto) as well as the customers of the two companies to cooperate with Mo and his co-conspirators. The insiders provided geo-location for test seeds, enabling Mo to steal the seeds directly from the field. Customers of the seed producers (feed stores) are required to sign an agreement that they will only sell seed to authorize and licensed buyers. Over a period of approximately four years, Mo found a cash purchase of retail seed (which all contain 0.5% of the inbred seed in each bag) was sufficient inducement for the wholesaler to step over its licensing agreement.

Why is China interested in US agriculture?

Chinas ability to feed its population has always been a sensitive and important issue. Each year agriculture is highlighted in Chinas No. 1 Central Document. In 2018 the declared goal was to decisively advance Chinas progress by 2035. In 2021, the US Embassy Beijing reported via the Agricultural Attache Report how China is once again highlighting the need to profess in the commercialization of high-quality seeds and livestock genetics as important factors for national food security. The report emphasized supporting seed development, including biotech seedswhich is new, according to the Attache in the 2021 document.

Thus, when the Central Committee directs resources to be devoted to moving the countrys knowledge forward, it happens. The two examples of IP theft are indicative of the ease with which China can purloin US research, yet they are not the only ones.

Targeting rice

Contemporaneously with the theft of the hybrid corn from Pioneer and Monsanto was Chinas targeting of another commodity: rice. Two individuals, both insiders, were instrumental in the targeting and theft of research and seed samples from the USDA Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and Ventria Bioscience. Wieqiang Zhang was employed by Ventria, while Wengui Yan was employed at the USDA center as one of the nations leading researchers on rice genetics. Both were sentenced to over ten years in prison for the theft of the intellectual property.

Interestingly, when reviewing the court documents and case files of these examples, the discovery of Mos activities didnt come to light because contacts within the agricultural companies detected anomalous activity, nor because wholesalers were selling off-the-books and were discovered by an audit. Rather, a farmer in Iowa noticed a rental car out in the middle of nowhere and two individuals were walking the fielda very specific area of the field where the new genetically modified corn seeds were being tested. That farmer saw something and said something.

In the case of Zhang and Yan, their activities were largely conducted outside the IT infrastructure of their employers, using their personal email accounts to coordinate and collaborate with the entities who provided to them a shopping list:

Rice research to accelerate Chinas research

Identify technology to accelerate Chinas agriculture modernization

A secondary inspection of a commercial delegation returning to China discovered the presence of rice seeds in their luggage and set off the investigation.

The agriculture and food sector will continue to be of interest to China and others, and insiders within the sector will remain potential targets for co-opting in the quest to jump over the research and development investment via intellectual property theft. The NCSC and CDSE guide is both necessary and timely, the protection of the nations agriculture and food sector is a key national security interest.
A monthslong campaign by the Republican Party, fueled in part by the false narrative of widespread fraud in last year's presidential election, has led to a wave of new voting laws that will tighten access to the ballot for millions of Americans.

The restrictions especially target voting methods that have been rising in popularity across the country, erecting hurdles to mail balloting and early voting that saw explosive growth during the pandemic. More than 40% of all voters last fall cast mail ballots, a record.

Texas is the latest state to crack down, after the Republican-controlled Legislature passed a bill Tuesday taking aim at Democratic-leaning counties that have sought to expand access to the ballot.

Regardless of motives, these bills hurt voters, said Isabel Longoria, the election administrator of Harris County, which includes Houston. Voters are going to feel this the next time they go vote, and thats what Im most worried about.

Republican lawmakers and their allies say the new laws are meant to ensure election integrity, but Democrats and voting rights activists say they instead will end up disenfranchising voters, especially young people and minorities. In Texas, the bill prompted Democratic lawmakers to flee to the nations capital to prevent a legislative quorum, a protest that ended when a handful of lawmakers returned after more than a month away from home.

The Texas bill, expected to be signed soon by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, follows similar legislation this year in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa and some other GOP-controlled states. Restrictions also are being pushed in Ohio, where Republicans control the Legislature and governors office.

Among the most consistent targets of Republican lawmakers this year have been mail ballots and early in-person voting, after many states expanded those options to make voting safer during the coronavirus outbreak.

Roughly a quarter of all voters cast mail ballots in 2016 and 2018. That jumped to just over 43% in 2020, according to a recent report by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. It was the first time in the history of the survey that a majority of voters did not cast their ballots in person on Election Day.

Almost 13 million people voted by mail in the November election in states that have new legislation that restricts mail voting procedures, according to the report.

Some of the more contentious aspects of the Texas bill are measures banning 24-hour polling places and drive-thru voting. Those options were used successfully last year, especially in Houston, which is heavily Democratic and has a significant number of Black and Latino voters. The legislation also makes it a felony for a local election official to send unsolicited mail ballot applications and bans the use of drop boxes for mail ballots.

Harlan Williams, an instructional designer who voted at a drive-thru center in the last presidential election, described the process as fast and well-organized.

It really just doesnt make any sense to take it away from us, he said. I think its clearly voter suppression. Its a way for a party thats losing influence and power to try and stay in power.

Texas Republicans defend the law as a way to ensure that only eligible voters cast ballots, even though there has been no evidence of widespread fraud there or in any other state. They also say the law takes steps to help voters  for example, allowing those who cast a mail ballot to fix mistakes rather than having it automatically rejected as well as a measure that would have polling places open for at least an extra hour during early voting periods.

The sorts of provisions that we're talking about have never been demonstrated in any way to suppress the vote, to prevent people from voting or even necessarily to make it hard to vote, said Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project, a conservative advocacy group.

So a lot of what these laws do, when you look at the actual particular provisions, they're expanding early voting opportunities, they're preserving, where it exists already, no-excuse absentee voting. They're making it, in some respects, easier to vote. They're also just working to provide for the security and confidence that voters want, he said.

Republicans have tightened voting rules as former President Donald Trump and his allies continue to baselessly claim his loss was due to widespread fraud. Critics of the new GOP laws have said the concerns are based on conspiracy theories and should not be used to restrict voting access.

Were starting from the point of view, its not broke, why are we trying to change it? said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat.

Many of the changes this year would have faced federal scrutiny before being implemented had the U.S. Supreme Court not weakened a core provision of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. Under that provision, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and other states and counties with a history of discrimination would have had to submit their proposed legislation to either the federal court for the District of Columbia or the Justice Department.

Critics of the new restrictions have for months urged Democrats in Congress to pass federal legislation to establish minimum voting standards to neutralize some of the new laws. But Democrats have been unable to unite behind a strategy that could overcome near-unanimous opposition from Senate Republicans.

With most of the Republican restrictions already in place and the midterm elections approaching, the Democratic National Committee has pledged $25 million for voter education, registration and other efforts as a way to combat the new laws.

Democrats also have countered with laws that broaden voting access in states they control politically, taking steps such as expanding drop-off locations for mailed ballots and making it easier to register and vote on college campuses.

Few states will have a brighter spotlight next year than Georgia, which has emerged as one of the nations hottest political battlegrounds. Republicans this year passed restrictions around absentee balloting and increased legislative oversight of election officials.

One provision in Georgias new law would reduce the number of ballot drop boxes in metro Atlanta from 94 last year to no more than 23 for future elections, based on a formula of one drop box per 100,000 registered voters. Georgia Republicans said they were focused on making sure drop boxes were written into the law, available for future elections with strong security measures in place.

Democrats see something more sinister at work, after President Joe Biden beat Trump by a little more than 12,000 votes in the state, largely on the strength of Black and left-leaning voters in Atlanta and some of its suburbs.

The states new rules also shorten the amount of time voters can request an absentee ballot, from 180 days to 78, and add an ID requirement for requesting and returning mail ballots.

Florida Republicans also established new rules around ballot drop boxes, requiring them to be guarded and only available when election offices and early voting sites are open. Election supervisors could face a $25,000 fine if a ballot drop box is accessible outside early voting hours or is left unsupervised.

Arizona Republicans passed a law that purges infrequent voters from a list of those who automatically get a mail ballot each election.

In Iowa, voters will have less time to vote early, after Republicans narrowed the window from 29 days to 20. The states new election law also requires most mail ballots to be received by Election Day, as opposed to being postmarked then. County election officials are banned from sending out absentee ballot request forms unless a voter asks for one.

Its going to be harder for people to vote, said Sylvia Albert, voting and elections director for Common Cause, which advocates for expanded voter access. It means that states have to put more money and time and energy into educating the voting population in how to go about being able to vote in spite of these burdens.

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Associated Press coverage of voting rights receives support in part from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Commercial flights resumed in New Orleans and power returned to parts of the business district Thursday, four days after Hurricane Ida slammed into the Gulf Coast, but electricity, drinking water and fuel remained scarce across much of a sweltering Louisiana.

Meanwhile, the remnants of the system walloped parts of the Northeast, dumping record-breaking rain in a region that had not expected a serious blow and killing at least 46 people from Maryland to Connecticut. Eleven people in New York City drowned in basement apartments.

New Orleans fared better than many other places because it was protected from catastrophic flooding by the levee system that was revamped after Hurricane Katrina. The power was back on before dawn in some downtown neighborhoods. Utility crews also restored electricity to several hospitals in Jefferson Parish and near Baton Rouge. Some streets were cleared of fallen trees and debris, and a few corner stores reopened.

The city's main airport reopened to commercial flights for the first time since the hurricane. Delta was the first airline to return, to be followed Friday by United Airlines and later by other carriers, officials said.

Louisiana officials also reported a big drop late Thursday in the number of customers with no running water: 185,000 compared to more than 600,000 the day before.

Still, the overwhelming majority of homes remained dark, and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said efforts to drain flooded parishes continued.

In seven parishes, at least 95% of customers remained without power Thursday. Only 35,000 of the 405,000 homes and businesses in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish had power Thursday, according to the poweroutage.us website. Statewide, about 900,000 customers were without electricity, down from about 1.1 million at the height of the seventh named storm to hit Louisiana since the summer of 2020.

This isnt our first rodeo, but its our worst rodeo, Kirt LeBouef said, wiping away tears as he looked at damage to the Little Eagle restaurant in Golden Meadow, a 75-mile (120 kilometer) drive down a narrow highway from New Orleans toward the Gulf.

LeBouef's family has owned the crawfish restaurant since 1920.

Edwards said more than 220,000 people already have registered for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 22,000 have applied for a federal program to place tarps on damaged roofs.

It really pains me to see that people are hurting and their lives are upside down, and were going to do everything we can every single day to make things better, the governor said at a stop in Tangipahoa Parish.

Power should be restored to most customers around the Baton Rouge area by Sept. 8 after workers finish assessing damage, Entergy Louisiana President Philip May said Thursday. Damage assessments are not as far along in the harder-hit regions, so Entergy said it has no timetable for getting service to those areas, which include New Orleans.

Gasoline shortages were also a problem for people trying to run generators and waiting in drive-thru lines for food and water. The lines for gas stretched for blocks in many places from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.

President Joe Biden also ordered the release of extra fuel from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure a steady supply. He said he would also provide utilities with satellite images to help restore power.

We know that there is much to be done in this response on our part, said Biden, who was getting hourly updates on the recovery. We need to get power restored. We need to get more food, fuel and water deployed.

Ida knocked out Port Fourchon, the primary hub to support offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and send that oil on its way to refineries. Port leaders said the damage to structures where the powerful eye came ashore was not as bad as feared.

The majority of them are still good, and we can get things back up and running, said Chett Chiasson, executive director for the Greater Lafourche Port Commission, who did not give an exact estimate on reopening the facilities.

Biden was scheduled to visit Louisiana on Friday to survey the damage from Ida, which hit Sunday with 150 mph (230 kph) winds and was tied for the fifth-strongest hurricane ever to strike the mainland U.S.

At least 13 deaths were blamed on the storm in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including two 19-year-old utility employees who were electrocuted Tuesday as they were restoring power near Birmingham, Alabama. Authorities blamed several other deaths on carbon monoxide poisoning.

The deaths of three Louisiana nursing home residents were classified Thursday as storm-related. They were among more than 800 residents who had been evacuated to a warehouse in the town of Independence from seven nursing facilities. The Louisiana Department of Health determined that conditions at the warehouse were unacceptable and transferred all of the remaining residents to other locations on Wednesday and Thursday.

Outside New Orleans, neighborhoods remained flooded and residents were still reeling. Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson said 25% of the homes in his parish of 100,000 people were gone or had catastrophic damage, and up to 40% more had severe damage from winds that blew at over 100 mph (160 kph) for 12 hours.

Lafourche took the brunt of this storm, Chaisson said at a briefing.

Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the state were told to boil their water before using it.

Evacuees who were considering returning home to Terrebonne Parish were warned by emergency officials on Twitter that there are no shelters, no electricity, very limited resources for food, gasoline and supplies and absolutely no medical services.

Louisianas largest hospital system, Ochsner Health, was considering opening a field hospital somewhere in Terrebonne or Lafourche parish because the shuttering of most of the hospitals in the area removed about 250 to 300 beds.

Declining numbers of COVID-19 patients and restoration of power at additional sites helped Ochsner Health recover, CEO Warner Thomas said during an online news conference. The Ochsner systems COVID-19 patient count fell to 663 from 990 about a week ago, Thomas said. That coincides with the states overall declining case numbers.

Hard-hit areas in southeast Louisiana were also under a heat advisory Thursday. Forecasters warned that combined heat and humidity could make some areas feel like 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius).

___

Deslatte reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Associated Press writers Kevin McGill in New Orleans; Stacey Plaisance in Lafitte, Louisiana; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
INDEPENDENCE, La. (AP)  Four nursing home residents in Louisiana died after being evacuated during Hurricane Ida to a warehouse where conditions were later determined to be unhealthy and unsafe, according to state health officials who said Thursday that they had launched an investigation into the facility.

A total of 843 residents from seven nursing facilities  all operated by one owner  were moved to the Waterbury Companies, Inc. warehouse in the town of Independence before Ida made landfall, Louisiana Department of Health spokesperson Aly Neel said. When the hurricane hit, conditions quickly deteriorated, she said.

We know that water did enter the building, Neel told The Associated Press, adding that there were also problems with electricity generators.

Neel said the health department received reports of people lying on mattresses on the floor, not being fed or changed and not being socially distanced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which is currently ravaging the state. When a large team of state health inspectors showed up on Tuesday to investigate the warehouse, the nursing homes owner demanded that they leave immediately, Neel said.

Renetta Derosia and her sister Susan Duet came to the warehouse Thursday to check on their mother, Loretta Duet, who uses a wheelchair. Their voices choked with emotion, they questioned how their mother was treated.

Were just getting word now how bad it was here, Derosia said. We thought they would have been better taken care of. Had I known, I would have taken her with us.

The sisters thought their mother, who had been living in a nursing home in Lafourche Parish, was being taken to another home with proper nursing beds when she was evacuated ahead of the hurricane, Derosia said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said hes grieved by the situation."

Were going to do a full investigation into whether these facilities, the owner of the facilities, failed to keep residents safe and whether he intentionally obstructed efforts to check in on them and determine what the conditions were in the shelter, Edwards said. And if warranted, we will take aggressive legal action against any responsible parties.

Neel identified the owner of the nursing homes as Bob Dean. Dean did not immediately respond Thursday to a telephone message the AP left at a number listed for him.

The Medicare.gov website rates six of the seven nursing facilities with one star out of five, the lowest possible rating. The remaining nursing home gets two stars, still considered below average. Five of the nursing homes specifically got one star for quality of resident care, under the ranking system.

Independence Police Chief Frank Edwards told WVUE-TV that the warehouse was set up to receive 300 to 350 people, but the number quickly ballooned to more than 800.

The police chief confirmed that some residents were on air mattresses on the floor, that trash receptacles were too small and that there were some issues with the restrooms. He said generators at the warehouse also stopped working a couple of times, and that in general, "conditions became unacceptable.

I would not have wanted my mother or grandmother to be in those type of conditions, he said.

State health inspectors returned to the warehouse on Wednesday and began relocating residents. Late Thursday, all had been evacuated and taken to hospitals, nursing homes and special needs shelters, said Dr. Joe Kanter, Louisianas chief medical officer. Fourteen required hospitalization.

It was a Herculean task to get this many people out and to safety in such a short period of time, Kanter said.

He said law enforcement officials were already onsite investigating.

Officials used ambulances and buses to transfer the residents, Neel said. Early Thursday evening, 10 ambulances could be seen leaving the warehouse, located next to a water tower and about 50 yards (46 meters) from a railroad station. A handful of wheelchairs were standing near the entrance to the warehouse.

Police Chief Edwards was hesitant to assign any blame, saying that it appeared as though everybody was doing the best they could under the circumstances.

I have no idea what the situation or circumstances were when they evacuated all of those people, he said. They may have been prepared for two nursing homes and had six more in danger. Lets assume they had more to evacuate than they had planned for and they had to decide whether to move them to the facility they had or not evacuate them at all.

But Sabrina Cox, who came to find out what happened to her aunt Bonnie Carenti, said someone should have called her family to let them know Carenti was at the warehouse. She said her father lives five minutes away, and if the family had known, they could have done something to help.

To see this on the news and not even get a call four days in? Cox said. This is unacceptable. Elderly people should not be treated like this. Nobody should be treated like this.

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Deslatte reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Associated Press writers Chevel Johnson in New Orleans and Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia, contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (AP)  A stunned U.S. East Coast faced a rising death toll, surging rivers and tornado damage Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the region with record-breaking rain, drowning more than 40 people in their homes and cars.

In a region that had been warned about potentially deadly flash flooding but hadn't braced for such a blow from the no-longer-hurricane, the storm killed at least 46 people from Maryland to Connecticut on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

At least 23 people died in New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said. At least 13 people were killed in New York City, police said, 11 of them in flooded basement apartments, which often serve as relatively affordable homes in one of the nations most expensive housing markets. Suburban Westchester County reported three deaths.

Officials said at least five people died in Pennsylvania, including one killed by a falling tree and another who drowned in his car after helping his wife to escape. A Connecticut state police sergeant, Brian Mohl, perished after his cruiser was swept away. Another death was reported in Maryland.

Sophy Liu said she tried using towels and garbage bags to stop the water coming into her first-floor New York City apartment, but the flood rose to her chest in just a half hour. She roused her son from bed, put him in a life jacket and inflatable swimming ring and tried to flee, but the door stuck. She called two friends who helped her jar it loose.

I was obviously scared, but I had to be strong for my son. I had to calm him down, she recalled Thursday as medical examiners removed three bodies from a home down her Queens street.

In another part of Queens, water rapidly filled Deborah Torres' first-floor apartment to her knees as her landlord frantically urged her neighbors below  among them a toddler  to get out, she said. But the water rushed in so strongly that she surmised they weren't able to open the door. The three residents died.

I have no words," she said. How can something like this happen?

Ida's soggy remnants merged with a storm front and soaked the Interstate 95 corridor, meteorologists said. Similar weather has followed hurricanes before, but experts said it was slightly exacerbated by climate change  warmer air holds more rain  and urban settings, where expansive pavement prevents water from seeping into the ground.

The National Hurricane Center had warned since Tuesday of the potential for significant and life-threatening flash flooding" and major river flooding in the mid-Atlantic region and New England.

Still, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the storm's strength took them by surprise.

"We did not know that between 8:50 and 9:50 p.m. last night, that the heavens would literally open up and bring Niagara Falls level of water to the streets of New York, said Hochul, a Democrat who became governor last week after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned.

De Blasio, also a Democrat, said he'd gotten a forecast Wednesday of 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 cm) of rain for the day. The city's Central Park ended up getting 3.15 inches in just one hour, surpassing the previous one-hour high of 1.94 inches (5 cm) during Tropical Storm Henri on Aug. 21.

Wednesday's storm ultimately dumped over 9 inches (23 cm) of rain in parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and nearly as much on New York Citys Staten Island.

In Washington, President Joe Biden assured Northeast residents that federal first responders were on the ground to help clean up.

In New York, nearly 500 vehicles were abandoned on flooded highways, garbage bobbed in streaming streets and water cascaded into the city's subway tunnels, trapping at least 17 trains and disrupting service all day. Videos online showed riders standing on seats in swamped cars. All were safely evacuated, with police aiding 835 riders and scores of people elsewhere, including a 94-year-old man on a highway, Chief of Department Rodney Harrison said.

At one Queens development, neighbors unsuccessfully tried for an hour to save a 48-year-old woman after water broke through the glass patio door of her basement apartment, trapping her in 6 feet (2 meters) of water.

She was screaming, Help me, help me, help me! We all came to her aid, trying to get her out," said the buildings assistant superintendent, Jayson Jordan, but "the thrust of the water was so strong.

Residents said they have complained for years about flooding on another Queens street, where a woman and her 22-year-old son died in a basement apartment. Her husband and the couple's other son were spared only because they stepped out to move a car, next-door neighbor Lisa Singh said.

No one should have to go this way. I feel like this was 100% avoidable, she said.

Police were still going door-to-door in flooded areas Thursday evening and didn't have a firm number of unaccounted-for people, Harrison said.

In Elizabeth, New Jersey, rain and river flooding in an apartment complex killed four people and forced 600 from their homes, Mayor J. Christian Bollwage said.

Greg Turner, who lives elsewhere in the northern New Jersey city, said his 87-year-old mother started calling 911 when water began rising in her apartment at 8 p.m. He and his brother couldn't get there because of the deluge.

As midnight approached, the water reached her neck, he said. Rescuers finally cut through the floor of the apartment above and pulled her to safety.

She lost everything," Turner said as he headed to a bank for money to buy his mother clothes and shoes.

In New Jersey's Milford Borough, authorities said they found a mans body in a car buried up to its hood in dirt and rocks.

The National Weather Service said the ferocious storm also spawned at least 10 tornadoes from Maryland to Massachusetts, including a 150-mph (241 kph) twister that splintered homes and toppled silos in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, south of Philadelphia.

"It just came through and ripped, said resident Jeanine Zubrzycki, 33, who hid in her basement with her three children as their house shook and lights flickered.

And then you could just hear people crying, said Zubrzycki, 33, whose home was damaged but livable.

Record flooding along the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania inundated homes, highways and commercial buildings, even as meteorologists warned that rivers likely wont crest for a few more days. The riverside community of Manayunk remained largely under water.

The Schuyilkill reached levels not seen in over 100 years in Philadelphia, where firefighters were still getting calls about minor building collapses and people stuck in flooded cars Thursday morning. The managers of a 941-unit apartment complex near the river ordered residents to evacuate, citing deteriorating conditions after water rushed into the parking garage and pool areas.

In suburban Bucks County, several firefighters had to be rescued after floodwaters pinned a rescue boat against a bridge pier, state emergency management director Randy Padfield said.

Others were unable to escape the floods, including Donald Bauer, who was driving home to Perkiomenville with his wife after attending their daughters volleyball game at DeSales University, near Allentown.

Their SUV stalled in the water and floated into a house, breaking the back window, said Darby Bauer, who was on the phone with his parents when the engine died. Donald Bauer helped his wife, Katherine, escape out the broken window and urged her to go, their son said.

She clung to a tree and watched the rising waters carry the SUV out of sight, he said. She was rescued about an hour later and hospitalized.

Donald Bauer, a 65-year-old retired school bus driver, had one of the biggest hearts we knew, his son said. He was selfless down to his last act.

Authorities used boats to rescue people in places from North Kingstown, Rhode Island, to Frederick County, Maryland, where 10 children and a driver were pulled from a school bus.

On Sunday, Ida struck Louisiana as the fifth-strongest storm to ever hit the U.S. mainland, leaving 1 million people without power, maybe for weeks.

___

Porter reported from Elizabeth, New Jersey. Contributing were AP reporters Karen Matthews and Michael R. Sisak in New York; Seth Borenstein and Darlene Superville in Washington; Mark Pratt in Waltham, Massachusetts; in New Jersey, Maryclaire Dale in Mullica Hill, Michael Catalini and Shawn Marsh in Trenton, and Wayne Parry in Point Pleasant; in Connecticut, Dave Collins in Hartford and Pat Eaton-Robb in Columbia; and in Pennsylvania, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia, Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg and Michael Rubinkam in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Remnants of Ida, once a powerful hurricane, brought heavy rain to Connecticut Wednesday that was expected to continue into Thursday, raising concerns over flooding statewide.

A tornado watch was issued Wednesday night for Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven, and New London counties, while a flash flood watch remains in effect until 2 p.m. Thursday.

Ida first made landfall near the Louisiana coast on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane. The storm slammed into the Louisiana region, and began moving northeast.

Even as the storm was still near Pennsylvania and Maryland late Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center, heavy rain fell at times throughout the day in Connecticut.

Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday in a brief statement on Twitter that the state continues to track the storm as it moves northeast. Lamont said the state can expect to see heavy rain Wednesday evening into Thursday morning.

Forecasters and officials said Connecticut has seen an above average amount of rain in July and August, leaving the ground saturated, compounding the threat for flooding.

Because the ground is already saturated, expect flooding in certain areas, Lamont warned.

By the time Ida passes through the area, forecasters expect as much 3 to 6 inches of rainfall, coming down at a rate of 1 to 2 inches an hour at times.

The highest rainfall amounts are expected to hit northeast New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley in New York and ]southern Connecticut, according to the weather service.

There was also a low risk for isolated tornadoes Wednesday night, the weather service said.

With the heavy rain, meteorologists with the weather service were anticipating major flooding on the Yantic River near Norwich and moderate flooding on the Farmington River near Simsbury.

Sacred Heart University recommended that its students not travel Wednesday night unless they absolutely have to.

On Thursday morning, the rainfall should begin to taper off until ending around noon, bringing up to a quarter of an inch.

The cloudy skies will gradually clear up, the temperature will reach a high near 70 degrees, and winds up to about 30 mph. Itll be mostly clear Thursday night, with a low around 58 degrees.

Friday should be filled with sunny skies and a high near 73 degrees. Itll be mostly clear at night, dropping to low around 58 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Ida is one of four named storms that have dropped heavy amounts of rain on Connecticut this summer. In the past two weeks, the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred dropped inches of rain on the state, followed by Tropical Storm Henri, which also brought strong winds to southeastern Connecticut.

Staff writer Liz Hardaway contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  It looked like a zombie apocalypse.

For the U.S. military pilots and aircrew about to make their final takeoffs out of Afghanistan, the sky was lit up with fireworks and sporadic gunfire and the airfield littered with battered shells of airplanes and destroyed equipment. Stray dogs raced around the tarmac. And Taliban fighters, visible in the darkness through the green-tinged view of night vision goggles, walked the airfield waving an eerie goodbye.

Lined up on the runway at the Kabul airport Monday night were the five last C-17s to leave the country after a chaotic and deadly airlift evacuation that marked the end of America's involvement in the Afghanistan war. In the final hours, there were no more rocket defense systems to protect them on the runway, and no one in the airport control center to direct them out.

It just looked apocalyptic, said Air Force Lt. Col. Braden Coleman, who was in charge of monitoring the outside of his aircraft for artillery fire and other threats. It looked like one of those zombie movies where all the airplanes had been destroyed, their doors were open, the wheels were broken. There was a plane that was burned all the way. You could see the cockpit was there, and the whole rest of the plane looked like the skeleton of a fish.

In interviews Wednesday with The Associated Press, members of the Air Force's 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron who flew out on the last military flights detailed their final fraught hours in what has been a dark, emotional and divisive U.S. exit from a war that now leaves the country in the hands of the same Taliban enemy it once ousted from power.

It was just definitely very tense, and we were definitely all on edge watching everything going on to make sure that we were ready, said Air Force Capt. Kirby Wedan, pilot of MOOSE81, who led the final formation of five aircraft out.

Adding to the stress, she said, was that their planes were parked in an area of the airport that had been attacked and breached in the past. At one point during the night, a group of civilians got onto the airfield and tried to get to the aircraft, but they were stopped by Army troops securing the plane, said Wedan, who is the squadron's mission planning cell chief.

Right behind her C-17 was MOOSE92, where Coleman, the director of operations for the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, was going through his own checklists for takeoff. When he was told to taxi up a bit farther, he stepped out of the plane to help direct the crew where to go.

I had my NVGs on, my night vision goggles, and I had a Raven behind me following me out, making sure that I was, you know, safe, said Coleman, referring to a member of the specially trained security forces who protect Air Force aircraft. It was a bit tense, Im not going to lie. But I guess you dont really think of it at the time. You just ... do what youre trained to do.

For more than three hours, they methodically went through about 300 items on their checklists, packing up the last four Little Bird helicopters, and ensuring they had all their troops and equipment.

From Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of Air Mobility Command, watched on video screens as the aircraft lined up for takeoff. One screen showed a scroll of the mIRC chat stream  the online message application that the military uses to communicate. And she could hear the orders from Lt. Col. Alex Pelbath, a pilot who was serving as the mission commander for the final departure.

One by one, each C-17 was told to clamshell  or close up the ramp. Then Pelbath's final order: Flush the force. With that, Wedan began to move her C-17 down the runway.

It was definitely different. I've never been on an airfield where I didnt really have permission to take off, said Wedan, noting the absence of air traffic control in the tower.

As they lifted off in rapid succession, cheers broke out from the troops on board  most of them special operations forces and soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division.

It was a visible relief, said Wedan. You could tell that they had been working really hard. Many of them hadnt showered in a couple of weeks. They were all incredibly tired. ... You could tell that they were just relieved to be out of there and that their mission was accomplished.

As the last C-17 cleared Kabul airspace, Pelbath's delivered a welcome message: MAF Safe  shorthand for saying that the Mobility Air Forces were out of harm's way.

Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, had been the last soldier to walk up the ramp on the final C-17 to depart. He had been in charge of security for the evacuation mission. Soon after the aircraft were in the air, he sent his own message: Job well done. Proud of you all.

Crammed onto the floor of the aircraft, exhausted troops found places to sleep. Everyone was kind of sitting on top of each other  whatever we could do to have them get them on the aircraft and get them out, said Wedan.

Within 30 minutes, she said, most on her plane were asleep. Coleman agreed.

I walked downstairs and they warned me not to go to the bathroom because there were too many people in front of the lav door, said Coleman. There was one guy who had a box of water bottles that he was using for a pillow. I dont know how that could have been comfortable. But, hey, he was fast asleep.

Their flight to Kuwait was about four hours long. Coleman said his plane was lucky enough to have extra toilets. Wedan's had just one  but her crew passed out candy.

They're tired and theyre resting now. But I think, for two and a half weeks, you really saw why it was that a lot of us joined, said Coleman, who enlisted in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks that triggered the U.S. invasion into Afghanistan. To see everybody step up to make this happen in the amount of time that it took to happen, to move 124,000 people out in less than three weeks. I mean, I couldnt be prouder to be a C-17 pilot today.
NEW YORK (AP)  Bethany Mayer didn't want to go back to work after learning that a fellow ironworker insinuated that women like her didn't belong there.

Jordyn Bieker, an apprentice sheet metal worker in Denver, said she felt uncomfortable that her foreman asked her pointed questions about being gay.

Yunmy Carroll, a veteran steamfitter, said a worker at a training session declared that women in construction are whores.

The three women shared their stories over Zoom during a Lean In Circle for Tradeswomen, one of 76 launched nationwide and in Canada this year by the North America's Building Trades Unions and Lean In, the women's advocacy group started by Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg.

About 700 tradeswomen are participating the program, designed to help them navigate persistent bias and harassment on construction sites, from unwanted sexual advances to being assigned lesser duties like traffic control or fire watch.

Its a culture that industry leaders are fighting to change in the hopes of recruiting more women into a sector with an aging workforce that faces chronic labor shortages.

As spending on infrastructure rises, construction firms will need to hire at least 430,000 new skilled laborers in 2021, according to an analysis of federal data by the Associated Builders and Contractors.

Right now, only 4% of construction laborers in the U.S. are women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

We are really only employing from half the workforce, said Brian Turmail, the Associated General Contractors of America's vice president of public affairs, who also spearheads workforce development. We are struggling with labor shortages with one hand tied behind our back.

This comes at a time when the pandemic has exacted a disproportionate toll on jobs where women dominate, like restaurant servers and cashiers. Nearly 2.5 million women lost jobs and stopped looking for work during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, much of the construction industry was deemed essential, sparing it from mass layoffs. For advocates, it is evidence that more women should aspire to construction careers, which start with paid apprenticeships and can lead to unionized jobs with middle-class wages.

The median salary for plumbers and electricians, for instance, is about $56,000 a year, with the top 10% of earners making $98,000. But only about 2% of plumbers and 3% of the countrys electricians are women.

We see this all the time. When jobs are higher paid, when jobs have more security, when jobs have higher benefits, they often go to men, said Sandberg, who partnered with NABTU to bring her signature Lean in Circles program to tradeswomen after meeting Judaline Cassidy, a New York plumber and union leader who had formed a Lean In Circle on her own in 2017, and later discussing the idea with Liz Shuler, now president of the AFL-CIO.

Cassidy often recalls being told to go home and do the dishes when she first tried to join a union more than two decades ago. But her career has also been empowering, and her daughter, Carey Mercer, followed her into the trades.

You're always learning something every day. There's always some kind of challenge that you might run into where you might need to do some math or think about it and take a second a look at it, said Mercer, an apprentice sheet metal worker.

The good news is that gains already made by women appear to have held steady during the pandemic, in contrast to the Great Recession that hit the industry hard.

The number of women employed in construction had reached a high of nearly 950,000 in 2007 before plummeting to a Great Recession-low of 711,000 in 2011, according to the BLS. It took nearly a decade for their numbers to recover, eventually reaching new highs of about 970,000 at the onset of the pandemic.

But this time, the ranks of women dipped just briefly in the spring of 2020 before continuing their rise  surpassing more than 1 million for the first time in history in April. The share of women employed in the industry also rose, reaching 13.2% in 2020, compared to 12.5% in 2016.

Since those figures include office roles, it not clear how much of those gains were made by skilled laborers. But the number of women who graduated from NABTU's pre-apprenticeship programs has also increased, reaching an all-time high of 23% of graduates this year, said NABTU Secretary-Treasurer Brent Booker.

Pre-apprenticeship programs targeting women and minorities have proliferated over the past decade, while several thousand women gather each year for NABTU's 10-year-old conference for tradeswomen. In sign of their growing influence, the Iron Workers Union became the first construction union to adopt paid maternity leave in 2017.

The most uphill challenge is changing cultural attitudes in the field.

Kelly Kupcak, executive director of Oregon Tradeswomen, said she recently got a call from an apprentice plumber whose foreman, using racial slurs, said he didnt care if she was Black or Hispanic because he just didnt like that she was a woman. That was a year after Kupcak galvanized local unions and contractors to launch an anti-discrimination efforts after another apprentice found a noose at a construction site.

More subtle slights also take their toll.

Mayer, the apprentice welder from the Cincinnati area, had been excited about a new job where a raising gang would erect the columns on a new site. But then she learned about the co-worker who said women shouldn't be ironworkers. And she was put on fire watch for weeks.

I don't even want to go in tomorrow," Mayer told her Lean-in circle, a group of six women who meet over Zoom once a month.

The women, at the May meeting and in later group texts, encouraged her to be direct and remind her foreman of her skills as a welder. By the time they met in July, Mayer had pushed successfully for welding duties.

Patti Devlin, the circle leader, turned the July conversation to a perennial issue: constantly having to prove yourself in an industry where job sites change.

Veronica Leal, a Chicago painter who teaches an apprenticeship program, told the group she has faced that problem for 27 years. At first, she said it was amusing to watch skeptical clients eventually lavish praise on her work.

But four years ago, she was irate when a client at an upscale apartment building told her she couldn't possibly handle a difficult paper hanging job because she was a woman, and closed the door in her face.

Leal's supervisor told her to stay put while he called the client. Leal refused, telling her supervisor she would never work with that client.

I just got so angry. Ive been doing this for 24 years and Im done proving myself, Leal said.
Even before a strict abortion ban took effect in Texas this week, clinics in neighboring states were fielding growing numbers of calls from women desperate for options.

An Oklahoma clinic had received more than double its number of typical inquiries, two-thirds of them from Texas. A Kansas clinic is anticipating a patient increase of up to 40% based on calls from women in Texas. A Colorado clinic that already had started seeing more patients from other states was preparing to ramp up supplies and staffing in anticipation of the law taking effect.

The Texas law, allowed to stand in a decision Thursday by the U.S. Supreme Court, bans abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, typically around six weeks. In a highly unusual twist, enforcement will be done by private citizens who can sue anyone they believe is violating the law.

Theres real panic about how are they going to get an abortion within six weeks, said Anna Rupani, co-director of Fund Texas Choice, one of several nonprofits that help pay for travel and other expenses for patients seeking out-of-state abortions. Theres this fear that if I cant get it done in six weeks, I may not be able to get it done because I may not be able to leave my job or my family for more than a day.

Traveling for an abortion may be impossible for women who would struggle to find child care or take time off work. And for those without legal U.S. status along Texas southern border, traveling to an abortion clinic also entails the risk of getting stopped at a checkpoint.

Fund Texas Choice is among the groups seeking to expand a network that helps women in Texas and other places with restrictive abortion laws end their pregnancies in other states. It already has seen more women reaching out. The organization typically handles 10 new cases per week but received 10 calls from new clients just Wednesday, when the law took effect.

The phenomenon is not new. Women have been increasingly seeking out-of-state abortions as Republican legislatures and governors have passed ever-tighter abortion laws, particularly in the South. At least 276,000 women terminated their pregnancies outside their home state between 2012 and 2017, according to a 2019 Associated Press analysis of state and federal data.

The trend appears to have accelerated over the past year. Abortion clinics in neighboring states began seeing an uptick in calls from Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott banned abortions in March 2020 for nearly a month under a COVID-19 executive order.

The number of Texans seeking abortions in Planned Parenthood clinics in the Rocky Mountain region, which covers Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and southern Nevada, was 12 times higher that month. In California, 7,000 patients came from other states to Planned Parenthood clinics in 2020.

The number of Texans getting abortions in Kansas jumped from 25 in 2019 to 289 last year. The Trust Women clinic in Wichita accounted for 203 of those procedures in a three-month period. Those patients traveled an average of 650 miles (1,000 kilometers), Trust Women spokesman Zack Gingrich-Gaylord said.

Last year was a dress rehearsal, he said, predicting similar numbers under the new Texas law.

One woman discovered she was pregnant just as Abbott's emergency order banning abortions was lifted. She and her partner had lost their jobs in San Antonio during the pandemic.

We didnt know which way the world was going to go with everything shut down and no change in sight, said Miranda, who spoke on the condition that only her first name be used for fear of harassment and intimidation. The last thing I wanted to do was be pregnant.

She struggled to find an abortion clinic that could help her. An online search led her to Fund Texas Choice and the Lilith Fund, another organization that offers financial assistance to Texans seeking abortions. They offered to pay for a flight to New Mexico.

Its so comforting because its like someone saying, We got you. Lets take care of this together," Miranda said.

Eventually, she found an appointment at a clinic in Dallas, a five-hour drive away. The groups helped with gas and lodging, aid that will be even more important with the new law, Miranda said.

To be able to help me in a time of need when I had nothing, not even a job  thats something I think a lot of women would benefit from if they knew those options were there, she said.

Trust Women Wichita clinic director Ashley Brink said the phones have been busier than normal this week with potential patients from Texas and beyond. Women also have been calling from Louisiana and Alabama who would typically get abortion care in Texas but are having to travel even farther.

The clinic typically sees 40 to 50 abortion patients in a week and now is expecting an additional 15 to 20.

At Trust Women's clinic in Oklahoma City, 80 appointments were scheduled over the past two days, more than double the typical amount, co-executive director Rebecca Tong said. Two-thirds were from Texas, and the earliest opening was three weeks out.

Oklahoma has just barely enough clinics for the amount of people here, Tong said. If anyone is thinking, Oh, they can just go out of state, itll be so easy, a lot of clinics in the Midwest and South, we dont do abortion care five days a week.

Oklahoma providers also face the potential for abortion restrictions similar to those in Texas in a matter of months.

In recent months, 15% of patients supported by Cobalt, an abortion access advocacy group in Colorado, were from out of state, president Karen Middleton said. She expects that number to keep rising.

The group administers a fund to cover the cost of the procedure, travel, lodging and meals. It began preparing for a potential influx of patients from Texas several weeks ago.

We reached out to everyone who provides abortion care in the state of Colorado, Middleton said. We asked them to be ready and to let us know if they could handle increased capacity.

Traveling for the procedure may still be out of reach for some. Women without legal U.S. status might turn to abortion medication, said Diana Gomez, advocacy manager with Progress Texas, though even that option is in question.

Several Republican-led states have passed laws making it harder to access the pills and banning prescriptions through virtual health visits. Texas is considering similar restrictions, which could force women to get pills by mail for do-it-yourself abortions or other methods.

They are going to have to go underground and find alternative means in our state, Gomez said.

____

Associated Press writer David Crary in New York contributed to this report. Samuels is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
PHOENIX (AP)  A former Arizona nurse has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman about three years ago at a long-term care facility where she later gave birth.

Nathan Sutherland also entered a guilty plea Thursday to a charge of abuse of a vulnerable adult stemming from his treatment of the woman. The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 5 1/4 to 10 years in prison on the sexual assault conviction and lifetime probation on the other conviction. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 4.

The pregnancy was discovered in December 2018 when an employee at the Hacienda Healthcare facility in Phoenix was changing the garments of the then-29-year-old victim and noticed the patient was in the process of delivering a child. Employees told police that they had no idea the woman was pregnant.

Police have said Sutherlands DNA matched a sample taken from the womans son. The victims mother is the boys guardian.

The surprise birth triggered reviews by state agencies, highlighted safety concerns for patients who are severely disabled or incapacitated and prompted the resignations of Haciendas chief executive and one of the victims doctors.

It led to a lawsuit from the victims parents that alleged Sutherland had cared for their daughter on hundreds of occasions from 2012 through 2018, despite promises from the state  which contracts with companies like Hacienda to provide services to people with developmental disabilities  that only women would tend to her. An expert on behalf of her family has said many of Sutherlands encounters with the patient occurred overnight, when fewer staff members and visitors were around.

Lawyers for the family also said Hacienda missed dozens of signs that the woman was carrying a baby, pointing out that she had gained weight, had a swollen belly and missed menstrual periods in the months before the child was born. They said the victim, who has a feeding tube and whose nutrition was reduced in response to her weight gain during the pregnancy, delivered the boy while severely dehydrated and without pain medications.

The victim lived at Hacienda for 26 years, until the childs birth. Her medical conditions stem from a brain disorder that caused motor and cognitive impairments and vision loss. She was also left with no functional use of her limbs.

Sutherland, a licensed practical nurse, was fired by Hacienda after his arrest and has since given up his nursing license.

A judge has approved a $15 million settlement against a doctor who cared for the woman for 26 years while she lived at Hacienda Healthcare. The doctors insurer has argued it has no obligation to pay that amount.

The state of Arizona, which contracts with companies like Hacienda to provide services to people with developmental disabilities, settled last summer for $7.5 million.

In a statement, Perry Petrilli, chief executive of Hacienda Healthcare, expressed relief over Sutherlands guilty pleas.

We have cooperated in every way possible with law enforcement and investigators  and now we hope the judge will sentence Sutherland appropriately given the severity of his crimes, Petrilli said. As ever, our hearts are with the victim and her family. May these final steps in the legal process help them find peace.
ESSEX  More than a dozen towns in the Lower Connecticut River Valley will coordinate to draft state-mandated plans to increase local access to affordable housing, according to several regional planners involved in the effort.

The Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments, known as RiverCOG, began work earlier this summer to develop a regional housing plan, according to executive director Sam Gold. He said the project will also include localized proposals to increase affordable housing in 12 area towns that have yet to develop their own plans under a four-year-old state law requiring them to do so.

The deadline for Connecticut towns to draft local housing plans is next summer, but Gold said only five towns in the RiverCOG region either completed the work or received grants to do so.

Essex, which spearheaded efforts to increase affordable housing in the River Valley when it adopted a town plan in 2019, will also seek to renew that plan as part of RiverCOGs efforts, bringing the total number of towns involved to 13.

The policy discussion about whether or not we want to have affordable housing has kind of been taken off the table by the statewide mandate, Gold said Wednesday. The question becomes what kind of housing do we want to build in town, and where.

RiverCOG attempted to address that question, in part, through its ongoing effort to develop a decade long-plan for conservation and development in the region. That plan, submitted Monday to member towns, calls on municipalities to address housing costs by accommodating a variety of household types and needs.

While working on that larger plan for the region, Gold and RiverCOG Senior Planner Megan Jouflas said they identified a need for a housing-specific plan that addressed both issues of affordability, as well as the overwhelming proportion of single-family homes in the regions housing stock.

We heard a lot when we were doing outreach on [the regional plan] that we are missing options for younger people, older people, and people with differing household types and sizes, Jouflas said.

Gold said the regional plan will also address ways to increase market-rate housing through the development of new kinds of housing stocks, such as multifamily homes, rental housing and accessory dwelling units, or granny pods.

Towns in the Shoreline and Lower Connecticut River Valley generally grew older and more diverse over the last decade, according to recently-released census data. While few of the towns saw population growth, leaders in towns that did said newcomers were attracted to new housing developments that added smaller, cheaper apartments.

For example, Essex added 50 people over the last decade, which First Selectman Norm Needleman attributed to the development of rental and affordable housing units that were called for in the towns 2019 affordable housing plan.

John Guszkowski, a consultant planner who helped draft the Essex proposal, said it went below the radar, and likely had little to do with the towns approval of new housing developments in the years since. Instead, he attributed the towns success in approving development to aggressive efforts by members of the planning and zoning commissions, which, he said, led developers to see the small town of about 6,733 as an attractive place to build.

Developing a regional housing plan, Guszkowski said, is unlikely to attract much controversy because individual towns will be given wide discretion to decide what level of change they are comfortable with.

Guszkowski, who also works with the towns of Chester, Deep River, and Clinton, said he is consulting with RiverCOG on the project.

Gradual change is OK. Theres not a silver bullet for any town, theres not a single development thats going to fix their housing need, Guszkowski said. A lot of the change has to be in the marketplace.

Gold said the RiverCOG will hold a public workshop in late September to discuss the regional housing plan, and, in the meantime, has launched a survey on its website to elicit feedback. Over the winter, he said RiverCOG staff and consultants will draft the plan, with hopes of completing the project by June of next year.

The participating towns are Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Cromwell, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam. Killingworth, Lyme, Old Lyme and Portland.
Applications are open for the second phase of a pilot program that provides mortgage assistance to homeowners who are struggling to make payments because they were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The states Homeowner Assistance Fund Program listed McCue Mortgage and Idaho Housing and Finance Association as participating mortgage servicers for phase two as of Friday morning.

More information is available on the Connecticut Housing Finance Authoritys website.

The state has $10 million for assistance at its disposal for the pilot -- $1.84 million of which was used in the pilots first phase. In the upcoming phase, the state will raise the income threshold making more homeowners eligible to participate in the program, which grants up to $20,000 per applicant.

The second round is also set to include more mortgage payment collection companies than the first, which will also make more homeowners able to participate.

Eventually the state hopes to make $123 million total available through a full program, which will be separate from the pilot, larger and allow more residents to participate. Its due to start later this fall.

It is our hope to make sure that Connecticut residents stay housed, and we are working hard to make sure that theres really no delays or lags in terms of making these programs available to everybody that needs it, said Nandini Natarajan, chief executive officer at the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

Connecticuts funding comes via the Homeowner Assistance Fund Program, which is administered federally through the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is being managed by the authority under a memorandum of agreement with the state Department of Housing.

In the programs first phase, households making no more than 80% of the area median income were eligible. The second phase will increase that limit to 100% of the area median income.

State officials said they raised the limits because many people who applied during the first phase had incomes between 80% and 100% area median income.

We wanted to start out with lower income people for the first phase, Natarajan said.

Residents whose applications werent accepted in phase one because of eligibility requirements wont have to reapply if their incomes meet new requirements, Natarajan said.

The Treasury allows states to set limits of up to 150% area median income.

The first phase also included only three participating mortgage servicers: AmeriNational Community Services, Idaho Housing and Financial Assistance and Norcom Mortgage. The second phase is set to include more servicers, although the financial authority didnt release a list of those servicers pending finalized paperwork.

A mortgage servicer is a company that collects mortgage payments from homeowners.

The plan for the full program is still in the works. The finance authority hopes to submit it for public comment in September for a fall launch date.

Connecticut was one of just a few states that pushed forward with a pilot program after receiving the first installment of its allocation from the Treasury, Natarajan said.

She said they made that decision to get money out to homeowners as quickly as possible. The program, which began July 1, received 315 applications, and 135 were eligible. Those who were ineligible had incomes outside the set limit, didnt submit all the necessary paperwork, or didnt prove COVID-19 related financial hardship, Kidder said.c

Sixty-one people had their applications moved to the second phase because the authority believes their applications will qualify, and 52 more had their applications moved to phase two so employees can try to get more documentation from them.

The application period for phase one closed at the end of July.

The program may have gotten few applicants during phase one because people were still in forbearance, which is a temporary freeze on mortgage payments, Natarajan said. She thinks the number of applications will rise as forbearance options expire.

Larger marketing and outreach efforts will begin with the full program. Applications will also be translated into multiple languages when the full program starts, Natarajan said.

Loraine Martinez Bellamy, a Connecticut Fair Housing Center attorney who focuses on foreclosure prevention, said she hopes to soon see changes to the program including an increased cap for the maximum dollar amount of assistance and allowing assistance to cover non-mortgage foreclosures.

There hasn't been a huge influx of mortgage foreclosures recently because until July 31, a federal foreclosure moratorium was in effect, Martinez Bellamy said.

The government also gave borrowers permission to request an 18-month forbearance, which meant that mortgage payments were temporarily on hold. Some people are still in forbearance.

The forbearance option has contributed to a rising number of homeowners who are facing tax foreclosures or foreclosures because of condominium association or similar fees, Martinez Bellamy said.

A lot of homeowners didnt understand they were still responsible for the taxes because they were in forbearance, said Ibijoke Akinbowale, director of the Housing Counseling Network at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a nonprofit that works to give people opportunities to build wealth, according to its website.

Akinbowale said it has been an issue nationally, Very quickly the tax element became an issue during the pandemic.

Nationally, mortgage assistance hasnt rolled out as quickly as hoped, Akinbowale added.

Connecticuts program has been receptive to many suggestions for changes from others, such as Martinez Bellamy, who work directly with those going through foreclosures, she said.

She said about half of the cases shes seen over the past few months are from homeowners going through non-mortgage foreclosures.

Ive communicated the urgency of getting these folks help as quickly as possible so that they are not losing their homes while they wait for the program to expand, Martinez Bellamy said.
NEWTOWN  A gunmaker being sued by nine families who lost loved ones in the Sandy Hook shootings has subpoenaed the academic, attendance and disciplinary records of five children killed that day. The subpoena included requests for school records of four educators who were killed.

Lawyers for those nine families moved in court Thursday to seal those confidential records of the five slain children and four slain educators requested by the bankrupted Remington company.

We have no explanation for why Remington subpoenaed the Newtown Public School District to obtain the kindergarten and first-grade academic, attendance and disciplinary records of these five school children, said the families lead attorney, Josh Koskoff, after filing a motion to change the protection order in state Superior Court in Waterbury. The records cannot possibly excuse Remingtons egregious marketing conduct, or be of any assistance in estimating the catastrophic damages in this case. The only relevant part of their attendance records is that they were at their desks on December 14, 2012.

Dec. 14, 2012, was the day a 20-year-old gunman took his mothers AR-15-style rifle from an unlocked closet and shot his way into a locked Sandy Hook Elementary School, killing 20 first-graders and six educators.

Nine families who lost loved ones sued Remington for wrongful death, claiming the once-powerful gunmaker recklessly marketed a military-grade gun to civilians. Remington argued that it manufactured a legal firearm that was sold lawfully to the gunmans mother, and that it was the gunman who was responsible for the worst crime in Connecticut history.

In 2016, a state Superior Court judge agreed that Remington was protected under a federal law that shields the gun industry from most liability when its products are misused. In 2019, the state Supreme Court ruled the families had grounds to pursue an unlawful marketing claim under Connecticuts Unfair Trade Practices Act. Later that year, the United States Supreme Court sent the case back to trial court by refusing to review it.

Since them, Remington has been dissolved in bankruptcy court, and four insurance companies have taken over the former companys defense.

The battle to keep the private records of the nine Sandy Hook victims confidential comes as both sides prepare for trial in the highest profile lawsuit of its kind in the country. The lawsuit was in national headlines last in July, when two of Remingtons four insurance companies offered each of the nine families a $3.6 million settlement. The families have yet to respond.

A week before that surprise partial settlement offer, Remington raised eyebrows when it was accused of handing over 18,000 random cartoons and 15,000 irrelevant pictures of people go-karting and dirt-biking as part of its pretrial data requested by the families.

On Thursday, Koskoff accused Remington of crossing the line.

There is no conceivable way that these childrens application and admission paperwork, attendance records, transcripts, report cards, [and] disciplinary records, to name only some of the things sought by the subpoena, will assist Remington in its defense, and the (families) do not understand why Remington would invade the families privacy with such a request, Koskoff wrote in a motion filed Thursday. We have never seen subpoenas directed to first-graders educational records, let alone childrens attendance records, or disciplinary records.

Newtown schools Superintendent Lorrie Rodrigue was not immediately available to comment.

A copy of Remingtons mid-July subpoenas was submitted with the families motion on Thursday.

The families attorneys asked the judge to remove protections for Remingtons proprietary information that are now obsolete.

The reason: Remington no longer exists as a company.

Remingtons counsel recently conceded: Remington no longer has a proprietary interest in those documents because Remington no longer exists. Koskoff writes in the families motion. Counsel is right that Remington is no longer entitled to claim confidentiality for documents it has produced or will produce.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
HAMDEN  The town has reached a deal to sell Wintergreen School to Area Cooperative Educational Services for $16 million, Mayor Curt Balzano Leng announced Wednesday.

If all goes as planned, the proceeds will help keep two elementary schools open and also go toward renovating or replacing the Humphrey Fire House and renovating the Keefe Community Center.

Its infrequent that you have the opportunity to actually make change thats gonna have generational investment and generational improvement for the entire community, and after youre gone you will look back and say, That helped a lot of families, Leng said during a press conference where he delivered the news.

The press conference took place at the districts central offices on Putnam Avenue. Schools CFO Tom Ariola, Superintendent of Schools Jody Goeler, Board of Education Chairman M. Arturo Perez-Cabello and board Secretary Melinda Saller, who is running for town clerk on Lengs ticket, sat alongside him.

The announcement, which comes two weeks before the mayor faces a contentious Democratic primary, paves the way for the reversal of a 2018 Board of Education vote to close Shepherd Glen and Church Street schools.

While that decision aimed to address racial imbalance and declining enrollment in the district, others said the closures would harm under-served residents.

Officials have reevaluated those plans in recent months, and Leng this summer came out in favor of keeping Church Street School open.

On the other hand, he had emerged in 2019 as a proponent of selling the building.

I am so pleased to report that yesterday, I received a strong written offer for the purchase of Church Street School, one of the schools the Board of Education has chosen to close as an elementary school, from a fully financially viable and potentially strong community stakeholder; an offer which exceeds the $7,296,984 additional funds, he wrote in a Facebook post that year. These funds can be used to reduce short and long term borrowing costs and give our Town a once in a generation opportunity to transform the very face of Hamden public education.

Asked about the 2019 statement, Leng said closing the schools was never his first choice. He originally opposed doing so, he said, but after the board explored its options and a 2019 attempt to sell Wintergreen failed, he believed it was the best option that was on the table but not the best option for the town.

He said he supported a sale only after the board voted to close Church Street School. He did not want the town to have a vacant building on its hands, he said.

Over the course of the pandemic and in hearing from Shepherd Glen and Church Street parents, it became quite apparent that if were gonna be really proud of what were doing, keeping those two schools open is the end result we want, Leng said.

Informing the boards original vote to close the schools was that under state definitions, Church Street School is considered racially imbalanced and Shepherd Glen School has impending racial imbalances.

Under state guidelines, a school is considered racially imbalanced when the proportion of attendees who are students of color is higher or lower than the districtwide proportion of students of color by at least 25 percent.

Asked about an alternate plan to balance the schools, Goeler said the district has established a task force to explore other options such as controlled choice. He called it a community-centered approach to balance schools.

Goeler previously spoke with the New Haven Register of the districts efforts to balance the schools. He said steps such as closing schools could inadvertently harm vulnerable communities.

Perez-Cabello, the school board chairman, also chimed in. The board is fully committed to de-segregating our schools, he said. Weve also been really trying to do it in a way that goes beyond the archaic and outdated definitions of diversity and race that the state uses to more comprehensive definitions of diversity.

The boards 2018 vote also took into account the need for repairs at Shepherd Glen. To solve that problem, Leng recommended funds from the Wintergreen sale be used to renovate the school.

Such a renovation was expected to cost $25 million when the board unsuccessfully pursued it in 2015. Ariola, the district CFO, warned the estimate likely is outdated.

If approved, state funding would reimburse the town for roughly two-thirds of the cost.

Leng expressed confidence about getting state aid.

I think theyre gonna be pleased to know that we have money in hand and a plan in place, he said.

The Wintergreen sale means the district will need to relocate its alternative education program, the Hamden Collaborative Learning Center, which runs out of the building. While its next location has not yet been determined, Goeler said it will be able to continue to use Wintergreen until sometime next year.

Ariola expects the sale to close by Feb. 15, 2022.

While $10 million from the sale would go into a capital improvement fund for the school district, $6 million would go to the town, Leng said.

He put forth two major projects: renovating and expanding the Keefe Community Center to include a full kitchen, and renovating or replacing the Humphrey Fire House, also known as Station 2.

Built in 1908, Station 2 has needed renovations roughly since 1949, said fire Chief Gary Merwede, who attended Wednesdays press conference.

The sale and proposals will require various approvals from the school board and Legislative Council, but Leng said ACES had submitted a letter of intent to purchase Wintergreen.

ACES ran an interdistrict magnet program at the site until 2019, when negotiations for a potential sale of the town-owned building fell through and Hamden retook it.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
BRIDGEPORT  Visitors to the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants website, cirict.org, are immediately greeted with a pop-up link offering several ways to help people fleeing Afghanistan resettle in Connecticut.

The urgency of that request for money, gift cards, housing and volunteers reflects the urgency felt by staff at the Bridgeport-based agency and among its partners in southwestern Connecticut.

Were a nonprofit, so we raise funds for programming. And certainly an additional 100 to 150 people wasnt part of our 2021 fundraising plan, Ashley Gaudiano, CIRIs director of external affairs, said Wednesday. So were going to make this work because these people deserve every opportunity to thrive in Connecticut. But that comes with financial costs.

This year the institute was already anticipating assisting around 180 refugees from various troubled locations around the globe. The United States withdrawal from Afghanistan after two decades of war there  the military presence formally ended Tuesday  means that 180 figure could initially expand over the coming weeks and months to 330 and possibly more, Gaudiano said.

And, depending on how they are designated upon their arrival and processing by the federal government, some refugees will be immediately eligible for benefits like food stamps and able to seek employment, but many will not. It is that latter group that is causing the most concern.

These are people who have been forced to flee their home country, being resettled in an area where they dont have access to built-in federal benefits, Gaudiano said. And yet they need security and safety and an opportunity to start anew.

She continued, So our team has spent a lot of time trying to gather additional community partners who can help provide services.

Some of those partners  other nonprofits, faith groups, federal, state and Fairfield County officials  were scheduled to attending a meeting Thursday at the institutes office in the Burroughs Community Center on Fairfield Avenue to discuss strategy and issue a public call for aid. The agency also has a Clinton Avenue address and sites in Stamford, Waterbury and Hartford.

Norfield Congregational Church in Weston will be represented. Stephanie Miller chairs that religious institutions ministry of outreach and social change, which is bracing for the arrivals from Afghanistan.

CIRI does a lot of this work but theyre going to need help, she said. CIRI can only do so much.

Miller on Wednesday said the church typically twice or three times a month on average helps to provide furnishings and other essentials such as hygiene products or school supplies for newly-housed refugees.

So in terms of scale, its going to be unlike anything weve seen before, Miller said. You dont just find 100 units in Bridgeport and Norwalk or what have you in an instant and have people in them. It takes time.

Gaudiano agreed housing is a huge concern.

Normally we move families straight into their permanent rental unit, she said. And that may not be the case here.

The regions booming housing market has resulted in high sale prices and increased rents. This summer, for example, the head of Building Neighborhoods Together, which develops affordably-priced units in Bridgeport, said the city is going through an affordable housing crisis.

Gaudiano said CIRI typically resettles clients in the Bridgeport community and will enlist help from leaders in Norwalk and Stamford.

The University of Bridgeport, in the citys South End, in late August announced it could offer temporary shelter for refugees.

What were asking ourselves is how can we actually open our doors to our own homes? Miller said. Even for a short term. A month. Three months. A week. What are you comfortable doing?

Area school districts will also be making room for new students in the just-started school year.

The families coming in, well make sure the kids get enrolled right away, in whichever city theyre living in, and well be there to help families through that process, Gaudiano said.

Rowena White, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganims communications director, said the school district is preparing to welcome refugee children and established a multi-lingual intake location at Warren Harding High School.

When these students come theyre not just going to be handed a backpack, White said. Theyre going to be asked what other needs they may have and well be able to see whats needed and what we have access to. The city is ready.

David Weisberg is the chief executive officer for the Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County. Also based in Bridgeport, the federation is another of the institute for refugees partners.

Weisberg said his group is trying to assess its role in helping with the Afghanistan situation.

We understand there is a financial need. We understand theres an interest in gift cards. We understand theres a need for pro bono legal volunteers. We understand there may be a need for volunteers to prepare apartments, Weisberg said. So our mission is to do nothing specific other than to harness our communitys collective charity  we call it tzedakah. It really means righteousness but in the vernacular its really understood as charity.

We see it as one of our responsibilities to welcome those that are in crisis, regardless of what their religious or ethnic background is, Weisberg said.

For weeks the U.S. withdrawal and the chaos that ensued following the collapse of Afghanistans government has made headlines and spurred intense debate over how Democratic President Joseph Bidens administration handled the situation.

And while Bidens predecessor, former Republican President Donald Trump, had set a May 31 deadline which was extended by Biden to August 31, the speed with which the refugee crisis developed surprised the local agencies.

Im not going to weigh in on our foreign policy, Gaudiano said. We are constantly watching whats happening (around the globe). In the case of Afghanistan, we have certainly been watching with the knowledge we could likely see people being resettled.

In terms of how people are classified or designated (for benefits) I think is the hiccup in all of this, she said. Certainly it has not been spelled out over the last six months. Were not caught off guard, but the whole thing has happened very quickly.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday appointed Joshua McLaughlin as Limestone County sheriff, a position vacated when the longtime sheriff there was convicted of theft and ethics charges.

McLaughlin currently serves as the chief investigator in the Limestone County district attorneys office. He previously was a lieutenant narcotics investigator.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)  Police in Kansas City, Kansas, have identified a man shot to death and found in a grassy area under a tree.

The body of 19-year-old Johnnie Roades, of Kansas City, Kansas, was discovered Tuesday evening by a person walking in the area about two hours after neighbors had reported hearing gunshots, police said. Police said the location of the body kept it from being easily seen from the street.
FARMINGTON  Four people were killed after a small jet experiencing trouble after takeoff slammed into a commercial building adjacent to the airport Thursday morning, officials said.

Two pilots and two passengers were killed in the crash, officials said.

When officers arrived just before 10 a.m., they found both the plane  a Cessna Citation 560X business jet  and the building engulfed in flames. Officials said early indications were there was a mechanical failure when the plane took off from Robertson Airport, feet from where the plane went down and hit the Trumpf Inc. building.

The plane, which first hit into a small field adjacent to the business, flipped upside down and only a portion of the tail was visible outside the southwest wall of the building as fire crews from several agencies worked to put out the fire.

It appears there was some type of mechanical failure during the takeoff sequence that resulted in the crash behind us, Farmington police Lt. Tim McKenzie said.

Though the Trumpf Inc. building caught fire and was badly damaged, all the employees were accounted for, McKenzie said. In a short statement, Trumpf Inc., which manufactures fabricating machinery and industrial lasers, said two employees were injured.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which is among several agencies investigating the crash, said the plane had taken off and was headed for Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, N.C.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the crash. A spokesperson for the agency said a team would be at the scene late Thursday or early Friday.

https://twitter.com/GovNedLamont/status/1433459483431391233

The runway for Robertson Airport, a small private airfield, sits about 1,500 feet from where the plane crashed. Debris littered the field next to the Trumpf building and the plane had cut deep grooves in the grass.

Witnesses to the crash said the plane appeared to be having trouble in air before it went down. The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The investigation is in the very early stages, McKenzie said. Investigators were still working Thursday morning to get the flight manifest.

Officials said they were not immediately releasing the tail number.

McKenzie could not say how high the plane was when it started having trouble, but said, I dont believe it was very high because it had just taken off.

A representative from Trumpf Inc. reached Thursday afternoon referred all questions to Farmington authorities.

While authorities worked through the morning to mark evidence and extinguish the last hot spots from the fire, Gov. Ned Lamont visited the scene to survey the damage.

My prayers are with those on the ground and with the souls on board, Lamont said.

Matthew Accarpio was working nearby when he heard a loud boom and the power went out.

The smoke was intense, black smoke then white, he said.

He said the response from emergency crews seemed instant. We heard sirens immediately, he said.

Not long after the boom, a steady stream of people were evacuating from the area, he said.
WOODBURY  A veteran Connecticut State Police sergeant was killed Thursday after officials say his vehicle was swept away by floodwaters during Ida.

State police identified the trooper as Sgt. Brian Mohl, a 26-year veteran who was assigned to Troop L in Litchfield. Mohl was the agencys 25th line-of-duty death.

Mohl was working a midnight shift when he notified Troop L that his vehicle was being swept away near Jacks Bridge in Woodbury around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, state police Col. Stavros Mellekas said Thursday afternoon.

That was the last they heard of him, Mellekas said. They pinged his phone. We sent all assets right away with the fire departments, dive teams  everything you could imagine.

Mellekas said once daybreak came and the water receded, first responders were able to locate Mohls vehicle mostly submerged in the river.

Mohl was located in the river about an hour later, according to Mellekas, who declined to say how far the sergeant was located from his vehicle, citing the ongoing investigation. Mohl was brought to shore on Riverbend Drive, Mellekas said.

First responders performed life-saving measures before the trooper was flown to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Mellekas said.

Its just a tragedy, Mellekas added.

Every line of duty death is heartbreaking and the loss of Sgt. Mohl is no different. He was outside, in the middle of the night, in horrendous conditions, patrolling the Troop L area. He was doing a job he loved and he was taken much too soon, Colonel Mellekas added.

Mohl joined the State Police training academy in November 1994. He graduated in June 1995 and was assigned to Troop A in Southbury. He was promoted to sergeant in May 2000 and transferred to Troop L. He also served as a sergeant at Troop B in North Canaan, Troop G in Bridgeport and Troop H in Hartford before returning to Troop L in 2008, Connecticut State Police said in a statement Thursday evening.

Trooper First Class Pedro Muniz said its a tough time for the sergeants family and Connecticut State Police.

We just ask that everybody keep us and the family in their thoughts and their prayers as we endure this tough time right now, Muniz said.

U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., and Gov. Ned Lamont also expressed their condolences at a Thursday afternoon press conference.

I was telling everybody stay safe, stay home, lets ride out this storm. Thats not what you do as a trooper, Lamont said. As a trooper, you go out and you look and you try to rescue others  take care of them.

Woodbury Fire Chief Janet Morgan said her agency was notified a little after 3:30 a.m. Thursday about a vehicle being swept down river with an occupant inside.

We didnt know it was a state trooper at the time, she said.

She said the area is prone to flooding. We were used to the swift water in that area, and we knew what resources to immediately call in to assist, she said.

Nine fire departments responded to the scene, along with six boats and three helicopters.

We completed our task, and our thoughts and prayers are with the officer, Morgan said.

Around 30 state police vehicles could be seen Thursday morning between River Bend Drive and Westside Road in Woodbury. The road was blocked off with state police standing at the entrance to the dead-end road.

Morgan said the area where the incident occurred in the small rural community was a back road with no streetlights and the trooper may have come upon the water without realizing it.

It is known for rapid waters and flooding in that area, the fire chief said.

The bridge spans the Pomperaug River, according to Morgan. Overnight the river reached 6 feet over flood stage so that area was under water, she said.

It was not immediately clear if signs or other road blocks had been put up warning of the flooding. Morgan said the town has 47 known locations where flooding can occur.

We had people out in the area knowing where the floods were and recording that to the (police department), Morgan said.

The trooper may just not have known, she added, describing the waters as quick rising.

Up until midnight, we didnt have any flooding, and then it just took off, she added.

Connecticut State Police suffered the death of a trooper exactly 11 years ago. Connecticut State Police said Trooper Kenneth Hall was conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 91 on Sept. 2, 2010, when his car was struck by a driver under the influence of prescription and illegal drugs. Hall sustained multiple injuries and was later pronounced dead.

Staff writers Serenity Bishop, Ken Dixon and Liz Hardaway contributed reporting.
Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

WESTPORT  The states annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony, honoring the lives of those killed in the Sept. 11 terror attacks, will take place on Sept. 9 at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport.

Family members of those who were killed in the attacks will participate, and the names of the 161 victims with ties to Connecticut will be read aloud, officials said. The event is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.
UNITED NATIONS  The president of the U.N. Security Council says the U.N.s most powerful body will not take its focus off Afghanistan this month and the real litmus test for the new Taliban government will be how it treats women and girls.

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland said Wednesday that the protection and promotion of human rights for women must be at the very heart of our collective response to the crisis.

Under the Talibans previous rule from 1996 to 2001, women were not allowed to go to school, work outside the home or leave homes without a male escort. Though they faced many challenges in the countrys male-dominated society after the Talibans ouster, Afghan girls were not only educated but over the last 20 years women increasingly stepped into powerful positions in numerous fields including government, business, health and education.

Bryne Nason said: My question is, will the Taliban be different, and thats the real question. We havent seen any evidence of that.

She said the international community has clout because whatever form of government emerges in Afghanistan needs international support -- and human rights and respect for international law are red line issues.

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

 Afghans face hunge r crisis, adding to Talibans challenge

 Biden defends departure from forever war, praises airlift

 UN chief urges countries to help Afghans in hour of need

 Victorious Taliban focus on governing after US withdrawal

 New Taliban rulers face tough economic, security challenges

 Analysis: War is over but not Bidens Afghanistan challenges

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says its possible the U.S. will have to coordinate with the Taliban on any future counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan against Islamic State militants or others.

Milley spoke at a Pentagon news conference Wednesday, two days after the final U.S. troops left Afghanistan at the close of a turbulent and deadly evacuation of more than 124,000 American citizens, Afghans and others. He said its hard to predict how the future of the Taliban will unfold.

Milley called the Taliban a ruthless group and whether or not they change remains to be seen. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he will make no predictions now on how the U.S. relationship with the Taliban will look like in the future.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  A senior Taliban official has told the people of Afghanistans Panjshir province that the groups efforts to find a political solution to a dispute with militias there have produced no results.

Amir Khan Motaqi on Wednesday in an audio message posted on social media urged residents of Panjshir to convince those that want war to instead join the Islamic Emirate, promising them it will be a home for all Afghans.

Motaqi says: We still want to prevent war and find a political solution.

The Panjshir Valley is the last region not under Taliban control following their blitz across Afghanistan. A spokesman for the resistance movement, Fahim Dashti, said in video handout to the media Wednesday that its fighters have so far held off an offensive by the Taliban.

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MOSCOW  The U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan has announced a project to help build a new border guard facility on the countrys border with Afghanistan.

The embassy said in Wednesdays statement that the project to be launched early next year envisages the construction of new quarters for a border guard detachment in Ayvoj. The embassy said the new facilities will provide housing for the Tajik border guards and help them deploy more quickly to border areas in response to threats.

U.S. Ambassador John Pommersheim said this border detachment project is just another example of our shared commitment to the security and sovereignty of Tajikistan and Central Asia.

The embassy said that since 2002 the U.S. has provided over $300 million in security assistance to Tajikistan and renovated or rebuilt 12 border outposts, nine border checkpoint facilities, and three training centers for border guards to help combat security threats.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  A senior U.N. official has warned that food in Afghanistan could run out this month, threatening to add a hunger crisis to the challenges facing the countrys new Taliban rulers as they endeavor to restore stability after decades of war.

Ramiz Alakbarov said Wednesday that about one third of the countrys population of 38 million is facing emergency or crisis levels of food insecurity. Alakbarov is the local U.N. humanitarian coordinator. With winter coming and a severe drought ongoing, more money is needed to feed the population.

He said the U.N.s World Food Program has brought in food and distributed it to tens of thousands of people in recent weeks. But of the $1.3 billion needed for aid efforts, only 39% has been received.

Alakbarov said: Without additional funding, food stocks will run out at the end of September.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  A Taliban spokesman says a joint team of technicians from Turkey and Qatar has arrived in Kabul.

Bilal Karimi says they're there to provide technical and logistics services for reconstruction of Hamed Karzai International Airport.

Karimi said in response to a query from The Associated Press that efforts have already begun Wednesday to get the airport ready for the return of normal flights.

The development comes after Afghanistans civil aviation authority said earlier Wednesday its technical team was busy at the airport working to reactivate the airports radar system

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LONDON  Britains foreign secretary says he's heading to the region around Afghanistan for talks about the evacuation of British citizens and Afghan allies left behind in Kabul.

Dominic Raab told lawmakers he was leaving for the area Wednesday but did not provide any details, citing security reasons. British media have reported that his diplomatic efforts will focus on how to get Afghans and Britons out of the region through third countries, and that talks will likely include Pakistan.

A senior official, Simon Gass, has already traveled to Qatar to meet with Taliban representatives for talks about allowing people to leave Afghanistan.

Raab was questioned by lawmakers over the British governments handling of the evacuation and the Afghan crisis. He was grilled about the number of Britons and Afghans who helped U.K. forces who are left behind, but said he was unable to give a clear answer.

___

KABUL, Afghanistan  Afghanistans civil aviation authority says its technical team is busy at Hamed Karzai International Airport working to reactivate the airports radar system so flights can resume.

The authority in a statement Wednesday says it is committed to solving all the problems in the airport to facilitate the resumption of civilian and commercial flights.

The Taliban did not immediately comment.

Video is circulating on social media of a Qatari plane landing at the airport that is assumed to be carrying a technical team to help in repairs at the airport.

___

MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticized the United States involvement in Afghanistan, charging that its 20-year military presence in the country has achieved zero.

Putin said Wednesday that for 20 years the U.S. military in Afghanistan was trying ... to civilize the people who live there, to introduce their norms and standards of life in the broadest sense of the word, including the political organization of society.

The result is sheer tragedies, sheer losses, both for those who were doing that  the U.S.  and more so for the people who live in Afghanistan. A zero result, if not negative, Putin said.

The Russian president added that its impossible to impose something from outside and that if someone does something to someone, they should draw on the history, the culture, the life philosophy of these people in the broadest sense of the word, they should treat their traditions with respect.

Moscow, which fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan that ended with the Soviet troops withdrawal in 1989, has made a diplomatic comeback in the country as a mediator over the past few years. Russia has reached out to the feuding Afghan factions, including the Taliban  even though it has labeled them a terrorist organization.

___

MADRID  Pope Francis has criticized the Wests recent involvement in Afghanistan as an outsiders attempt to impose democracy  although hes done so by citing Russias Vladimir Putin while thinking he was quoting Germanys Angela Merkel.

In a radio interview aired Wednesday, Pope Francis was asked about the new political map taking shape in Afghanistan after the United States and its allies withdrew from the Taliban-controlled country after 20 years of war. The pope said he would answer using a quote that he attributed to the German chancellor, who he described as one of the worlds greatest political figures.

Its necessary to stop the irresponsible policy of enforcing its own values on others and attempts to build democracy in other countries based on outside models without taking into account historic, ethnic and religious issues and fully ignoring other peoples traditions, the pope said, using his own translation into Spanish.

But the quote was pronounced last month by the Russian president in the presence of Merkel, during her visit of the German to Moscow.

During the meeting on Aug. 20, Putin scathingly criticized the West over Afghanistan, saying that the Talibans rapid sweep over the country has shown the futility of Western attempts to enforce its own vision of democracy. Instead, Merkel urged Russia to use its contacts with the Taliban to press for Afghan citizens who helped Germany to be allowed to leave Afghanistan.

The interview with Spains Cadena COPE took place at the Vatican late last week. The radio station owned by Spains Catholic bishops conference aired the talk on Wednesday and said that its content had been vetted by the pope himself.

Francis also said there that all eventualities were not taken into account in the departure of Western allies from Afghanistan.

I dont know if there will be any revision (of what happened during the withdrawal), but there was much deceiving from the new authorities (of Afghanistan), said the Pope. Either that or just too much ingenuity. Otherwise, I dont understand.

Francis called for Christians across the world to engage in prayer, penance and fasting in the face of events in Afghanistan.

___

WASHINGTON  The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reflected on the Afghanistan wars end and delivered an emotional tribute Tuesday to the 13 service members killed by a suicide bombing last week.

Gen. Mark Milley said the militarys counterterrorism efforts over the past 20 years and the evacuation of 124,000 people from Afghanistan in the last 20 days are the legacy of U.S. service members.

In his words, Were now closing a chapter in our nations history.

Milley said the 11 Marines, one soldier and one Navy corpsman who died in the suicide bombing gave their tomorrows for the tomorrows of 124,000 people.

His comments came during the retirement ceremony for Gen. Robert Abrams, who most recently commanded U.S. Forces Korea. Both men commanded troops in Afghanistan.

Milley called it an incredibly emotional day, adding: All of us are conflicted with feelings of pain and anger, sorrow and sadness, combined with pride and resilience. But one thing I am certain of, for any soldier, sailor, airman or Marine and their families, your service mattered. It was not in vain.

___

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden says he chose to end the war in Afghanistan in order to focus the nations defenses on other security problems, including China and Russia.

Addressing the nation Tuesday from the White House on the day after the last U.S. troops left Afghanistan, ending a 20-year war, Biden said he will sharpen the focus of U.S. foreign policy by concentrating on threats such as cyberattack and the proliferation of nuclear weapon technologies.

He vows to continue counterterrorism operations, including against any threats emanating from Afghanistan. He says this can be done with forces based outside of Afghanistan.

The president also mentioned the Islamic State extremist groups Afghanistan affiliate, which conducted a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport on Aug. 26 that killed 13 American service members and dozens of Afghan civilians. Biden said, We are not done with you yet.
The remnants of Ida moved through Connecticut on Wednesday and early Thursday, unleashing high winds and heavy rains across the state. As the skies clear and the cleanup begins, social media users are documenting the storm's damaging effects.

In the Greenwich area, temporary pavement collapsed as a result of flooding, while other roadways remain covered in water.

Video of a Darien Stop & Shop shows extensive flood damage caused by a nearby river.

The exit 19 off-ramp on Route 9 in Cromwell has extensive road damage.

Streets in Madison are covered in water due to Ida's heavy rains that caused widespread flooding in Connecticut.

In Cromwell, excessive amounts of water created a sinkhole and exposed a gas line.

Water damage in Cromwell causes large sinkhole and exposes gas pipeline. #wfsb pic.twitter.com/OP8S8yAEbR  Susan Raff (@SusanRaff1) September 2, 2021

Brookfield Fire Company shared video of a water rescue in Bridgewater last night where people were apparently trapped inside their home due to the flooding waters.

Ida's torrential rains washed out a railroad bed behind TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.

One Instagram user shared video of driving rain and a flooded Federal Road in Danbury.

Connecticut utility service Eversource has been tweeting images of several trees down in some of their service areas in Connecticut, such as Westbrook, Oxford and Middlefield.

Part of a road in Vernon is closed due to significant flooding brought on by Ida's torrential downpours.

Another street in Milford also filled with water after Ida moved through the area.

Wow! Take a look at downtown #Milford! Send us your flooding and damage photos https://t.co/4DuaVxalxA pic.twitter.com/r6rKVTh5Qx  WTNH News 8 (@WTNH) September 2, 2021

Mill River by Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden is just one of several rivers in the state likely to be teeming with excess water after Ida's heavy rains.

Part of Israel Hill Road in Shelton is blocked off due to flooding.

One Twitter user captured a flooded on-ramp on I-91 in Enfield.

Excess water in the Higganum Reservoir is pouring out following the heavy rain dumped by Ida in the area overnight.

In New York City, one Twitter user liked flooding in the the subway system to a car wash.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  The faculty union at the University of Rhode Island has reached an agreement with the school requiring all full-time faculty to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Keeping the community safe and providing the best learning environment possible is our number one goal, Miriam Reumann, president of the URI chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said in an email Wednesday to The Boston Globe. This agreement will protect students, staff, and faculty thereby enhancing the teaching, research, and service that are so beneficial to the entire state of Rhode Island.
Associated Press

The end of the 20-year war in Afghanistan brings a conflicting array of emotions. Most Americans are apparently glad to be out of the nations longest war. But with the same Taliban that we dislodged in 2001 taking power so quickly upon our departure from the scene, there are just as many wondering what the past two decades of war were accomplishing.

What many people can agree upon, though, is what we owe the people of Afghanistan who were vital to this countrys mission over the past 20 years and who could be in danger of reprisals with the U.S. having left the scene. Thats why the evacuation that followed the end of the U.S. military mission was so essential, not just for American citizens in Afghanistan, but for the thousands of Afghan nationals who were vital to the war effort.
Two recently launched programs by the Small Business Administration (SBA) should ease the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgiveness process, CUNA wrote to the House Small Business Committee Wednesday. Credit unions facilitated more than 200,000 PPP loans that averaged $47,000.

The SBA has issued thirty interim final rules addressing PPP, creating a program whose rules of operation are under constant flux. Although somewhat unavoidable given the speed of development and implementation of PPP, this has created a significant burden for credit unions, the letter reads. Credit unions desire is to help their member businesses that have outstanding PPP loans apply and receive forgiveness for these loans, which provides maximum relief as was intended by Congress.

The most recent final rule introduced a COVID Revenue Reduction Score that can be used at the time of forgiveness to document the required revenue reduction for second-draw PPP loans of $150,000 or less where the borrower did not provide documentation of revenue reduction at the time of the loan application.
Cullman, AL (35055)

Today

Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
STORY LINK GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Dips as Australian Growth Boosts Aussie

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Falls as Australia Avoids Recession

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rate Dips as UK Faces Supply Chain Crisis

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Forecast: UK Services PMI in Focus

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The Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate dipped today following after the latest ABS figures revealed that the Australian economy had grown by 0.7% in June, avoiding a recession  for now. The pairing is currently trading around AU$1.86.Deloitte Access Economics partner Stephen Smith described June as being the eye of the storm with just 7% of the population locked down on any given day across the period.Since then, that share has averaged close to 45%, and were seeing the impacts of that flow through to businesses and jobs.Jim Chalmers, Shadow Treasurer, Australian Labor MP for Rankin, tweeted:Todays numbers show the economy was slowing even before the Sydney lockdown - a consequence of Morrison & Frydenberg's failures on vaccines, quarantine and economic support. Slower growth than the US, UK and OECD average and worse to come in the September [quarter].Today also saw the release of the latest Australian trade balance data for July, which beat forecasts and rose to $12,117 million.However, with Australias strict zero-Covid policy, AUD investors are remaining cautious. Any further restrictions or lockdowns would impede the nations economic recovery.The Pound (GBP) fell today following news that UK supply chains could be facing a perfect storm of price rises and worker shortages, according to Richard Harrow, the chief executive of the British Frozen Food Federation.The British Retail Consortium (BRC) commented:It's challenging at the moment and we expect it to get much more challenging over the next 3 months.We've had challenging periods...what's different this time is we feel we're always just on the edge of coping. Anything exceptional will be a challenge.As a result, Pound investors have become concerned about the outlook for the UK economic recovery, which could face setbacks should supply chains and worker shortages should impede economic growth in the months ahead.In absence of any notable UK economic data today, Pound traders will be eyeing the nations coronavirus developments.If data points to an increase in daily cases, hospitalisations, or deaths, then the Pound Australian Dollar exchange rate would suffer.Australian Dollar (AUD) investors will be looking ahead to tomorrows release of the Australian Commonwealth Bank composite PMI for August.Could an improvement in Australian economic growth boost the AUD/GBP exchange rate?Tomorrow will see the release of the UKs services PMI for August. Any improvement in the services sector would drive-up the GBP/AUD exchange rate.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

TAGS: Australian Dollar Forecasts Pound Australian Dollar Forecasts
Upcoming vaccine clinics

Kankakee County Health Department holds COVID-19 vaccine clinics every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for ages 12 and over. Call 815-802-9449 to make an appointment

Kankakee County Community Services, 657 E. Court St., will host clinics from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 3, 7, 8 and Oct. 9.

Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School will have a clinic for ages 12 and over from 9 a.m. to noon. Sept. 11.

Source: Kankakee County Health Department
Kankakee, IL (60901)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 57F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 57F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.
Robert Wendell Glover, 81, of Dalton, Georgia passed away on September, 13th 2021 at home surrounded by his loving family. He was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years Patricia Lee McKaig Glover. Robert loved his family and Country and proudly served in the United States Air Force. Born 
Ronald Leland Dickison of Ironton, Ohio passed away Saturday, September 11, 2021 at home surrounded by his family. Ronald was born November 11, 1942 in Ashland, Kentucky. He was the son of the late Ben Dickison and Dorothy Gillium. There will be a celebration of life, 1:00 P.M., Saturday, Se
1 Mens suits are on their way out. As a result of what Marks & Spencers director of menswear calls customers rapidly changing needs, fewer than half of the companys clothing stores are now stocking suits.

Meanwhile, sales for shorts and jogging bottoms are up. Last summer, market analysts said that nationwide spending on suits was down 89 per cent, owing to the pandemic and a diminished need to wear a suit to the office.

2 Consequently, Marks & Spencers remaining suits have been up in arms, and down in legs. A pressure group led by a charcoal woollen three-piece suit plans to picket the company headquarters early next week.

An allied group of M&S ties will also be there. If the suits are being axed, then lets face it: ties will be next, says the groups spokesman, a machine-washable, polka-dot, pure silk tie in navy blue and white.

Mens suits are on their way out. As a result of what Marks & Spencers director of menswear calls customers rapidly changing needs, fewer than half of the companys clothing stores are now stocking suits

3 It is strongly rumoured that hundreds of suits that have already been sold, and are at present hanging quietly in mens wardrobes up and down the country, are planning to join the picket line.

We will wait until our owners are away. Then we will let ourselves out of our wardrobes, down the stairs, out through the front door, ready to march on London, declares a light grey, two-piece vintage suit, currently living in Dorking, Surrey, who refuses to be named.

4 Suits were first worn by members of the legal profession. The name is believed to derive from the legal expression sue-it.

5 For well over a century, militant revolutionary groups in Russia, China, Africa and South America have shunned traditional Western suits in favour of more rough-and-ready workers clothing, only to start wearing them the moment they gain power.

Having established the Peoples Republic of China in 1949, Chinese communist Mao Zedong would always be seen in a blue proletarian tunic with four prominent pockets, said to represent the Four Virtues of propriety, justice, honesty and shame.

But in his private life Mao preferred to swan about in a beige three-piece suit with discreetly flared trousers and double-breasted waistcoat, supplemented by a pink shirt and silk tie with bold cerise-and-lime diagonal stripes, designed by trendy British fashion house Tootal Coordinates.

6 Since the Allied withdrawal from Afghanistan, demand for suits has soared in Kabul and surrounding areas.

Its like a dream come true! says senior Taliban fighter Showaddywaddy Ahmed Muttawakil. Frankly, Ive been sick to death of wearing these mouldy old things through two decades of struggle. I mean  theyre so unseemly! But now with my new M&S loyalty card, Im entitled to 20 per cent off all suits and ties, including bow ties. And, believe me, this makes our great struggle worthwhile. By the end of next week, Ill be as smart and dapper as TVs Lord Sugar.

7 The number of buttons on each cuff of a suit has long been a sign of prestige. One button means that you are of no importance whatsoever, whereas eight or more buttons show that you are a senior CEO or world leader. The only person ever to have worn over ten buttons on each cuff is President Donald J. Trump. On the day of his inauguration, President Trump instructed his tailor to sew an extra 15 buttons on to the outside of each sleeve, and a further 15 buttons on to the inside.

Many long-established rock musicians, among them Shane MacGowan, Liam (pictured) and Noel Gallagher, and Keith Richards have got into the habit of arriving at venues in their usual smart suits and then changing backstage into battered jeans and T-shirts, ready for their fans

8 Debate still rages over the purpose of the vent at the rear of the male jacket. What on earth is it for? Tailors remain divided over the question. Some believe it is there to facilitate the discreet expulsion of wind; others argue that, like the cuff button, it confers prestige: no vents for down-and-outs, a single vent for middle-management, two vents for billionaire philanthropists and three vents or more for members of the Garrick Club.

9 Many long-established rock musicians, among them Shane MacGowan, Liam and Noel Gallagher, and Keith Richards have got into the habit of arriving at venues in their usual smart suits and then changing backstage into battered jeans and T-shirts, ready for their fans.

Todays wealthier rock star will always employ a valet  his very own Jeeves  to ensure a proper smattering of dirt, creases and rips on all garments before he takes to the stage.

When the rock star returns to the green room, a top-class valet should be able to get him dressed back in his suit and out of the stadium in under five minutes.
The Met Office has announced its latest storm names for the 2021/22 season. In conjunction with the Dutch and Irish weather services, the list scrupulously reflects the rich 'diversity of our three nations'.

It includes family members and pets and runs from Arwen, which is believed to be Welsh in origin and is the name of a character in The Lord Of The Rings, to Willemien, nominated by the Netherlands.

Willemien is a new one on me, but I seem to remember the B-side of Something In The Air by Thunderclap Newman was a song called Wilhelmina. Maybe Willemien means 'thunderclap' in Dutch.

There's also Virgil, who was one of the Earp brothers in Tombstone, famous for the Gunfight at the OK Corral. After Virgil had his arm shot off by the Clantons, Wyatt Earp promised to 'call down the thunder!' on their heads. So perhaps they should have called it Storm Wyatt, rather than Virgil.

The increased flooding we have seen in recent years isn't down to global warming, but almost entirely to the reckless, politically motivated decisions not to dredge river beds, in the name of 'rewilding' and protecting the habitat of our old friend the Depressed River Mussel

If they ever get to L, the 'extreme weather event' will be known as Logan, after a Scottish grandson who 'runs through the house like a tornado'.

R is for Ruby, not just for a daughter who 'leaves a trail of destruction' wherever she goes, but also for a pet cat who 'comes in and acts like a storm'.

You couldn't make it up.

Naming storms is a relatively recent obsession, after the Met Office and their nearest counterparts decided they had to start copying the United States.

The fashion was seized upon gleefully by broadcasters, who delight in bringing us daily apocalyptic warnings of impending doom brought about by the 'climate emergency'.

Storm Virgil sounds so much more dramatic than 'a gentle breeze moving in from the South, accompanied by a little light drizzle'.

Still, it makes a change from gormless TV weather girls constantly hectoring us to wear sun screen, keep hydrated and carry an umbrella.

How old do they think we are  five?

Not so long ago, weather forecasters were content to tell you the predicted temperature and the likelihood of rain or snow.

Now, every day is a 'record this' or a 'record that'. When the sun shines, it's all down to climate change. When it rains, it's an 'extreme weather event'.

Naming storms is a relatively recent obsession, after the Met Office and their nearest counterparts decided they had to start copying the United States

We're told that this summer in Britain was one of the hottest since the end of the Ice Age, or something, even though the sun put in an appearance about twice.

Look, I don't dispute that human activity has a bearing on the weather systems. But spare us the hyperbole every time the mercury goes above 80f and a North Sea gale brings heavy rain to East Anglia.

I'm old enough to have lived through a procession of dire warnings, from new Ice Ages and nuclear winters to forecasts of flourishing vineyards in the Peak District and wildebeest sweeping majestically across the dust bowl which was once the M4 corridor.

Yet Britain still has one of the most temperate climates on the planet, and is responsible for just one per cent of global carbon emissions. While climate change may or may not be 'man-made', one thing's for certain: if there is a crisis in the UK it's most definitely man-made.

The increased flooding we have seen in recent years isn't down to global warming, but almost entirely to the reckless, politically motivated decisions not to dredge river beds, in the name of 'rewilding' and protecting the habitat of our old friend the Depressed River Mussel.

Building tens of thousands of new homes on flood plains hasn't helped either.

If you want to see real flooding, cast your eyes across the Atlantic, where Hurricane Ida continues to bring death and destruction.

Having cut a swathe through the Caribbean and made landfall on America's southern Gulf coast, Ida has barrelled 1,300 miles north and brought a month's rain in a day to New York and New Jersey, killing at least 22 people.

Look, I don't dispute that human activity has a bearing on the weather systems. But spare us the hyperbole every time the mercury goes above 80f and a North Sea gale brings heavy rain to East Anglia

The death toll in the North East is higher than in New Orleans, which felt the full force of Ida's 160mph winds.

Entire cities have been left without power.

In Louisiana, a 71-year-old man went missing after an alligator tore his arm off in floodwater. Say what you like about the Depressed River Mussel, but I can't recall him ever biting somebody's arm off.

Look, I'm not trying to be flippant, but the devastation wrought by Ida certainly puts our 'extreme weather events' into perspective.

Americans would take a look at the recent mild flooding in London and elsewhere and simply shrug.

When Crocodile Dundee was confronted in New York by a mugger armed with a flick knife, he pulled out his Bowie knife, the size of a small sword.

'Call that a knife?' he said. 'THAT'S a knife!'

Americans hit by Ida could say something similar about Storm Arwen, if and when she ever arrives.

'Call that a storm? THAT'S a storm!'

The usual suspects have attempted to blame Ida on climate change, but few people in the U.S. are taking them seriously. They've seen it all before, dozens of times over the past century.

It's generally agreed that the worst storm ever to hit the U.S. was the Great Labor Day hurricane of 1935. Packing 185mph winds, it killed almost 500 people in Florida's Upper Keys  out of just 600 who lived there at the time.

And that was long before global warming had been invented.

Ida started to form off West Africa, before travelling 5,600 miles across the Atlantic. I don't know how to break it to the Greta Thunberg fan club, but scrapping gas boilers, shutting down power stations, and banning petrol cars in Britain wouldn't have prevented it. And won't stop it happening again.

Meanwhile, the spoilt, self-indulgent Extinction Rebellion headbangers are causing chaos in overcast London again. In submerged Louisiana, they'd probably have given their right arm, too, for a pink yacht.

Like XR, the doomsday scaremongering of our professional climate alarmists isn't about saving the planet, it's all about them.

While far-flung, poverty stricken islands in the Caribbean are reduced to rubble and the death toll continues to rise in America, in Britain the eco-mentalists amuse themselves by naming thunderstorms after their pets.

Watch out, everybody, here comes Storm Geronimo!

Control? Don't make me laugh

Britain is quite rightly granting permanent residency to 10,000 Afghan refugees, including brave translators and their families.

Yet at the same time we learn there are 10,000 convicted foreign criminals walking the streets who we can't kick out because of the pernicious 'yuman rites' industry.

And already this year, 12,500 foreign nationals have arrived on cross-Channel dinghies after paying criminal people-smuggling gangs to avoid normal immigration processes.

Already this year, 12,500 foreign nationals have arrived on cross-Channel dinghies

Not one has been deported and most probably never will be.

Britain has a proud record of taking in refugees such as the Afghans who deserve our help. We should make room for them by booting out those who have no right to be here.

Brexit was supposed to let us take back control of our borders. Why are we still waiting?

The Government is sticking unapologetically to its insane, over-complicated air travel regulations. This is despite the fact that you have more chance of contracting Covid at home than overseas.

As a result, families returning from long-overdue sunshine holidays are being subjected to intolerable five-hour delays at Heathrow.

Passengers complain of being crammed together with no social distancing and without access to drinking water or toilets.

Getting into Britain these days is more difficult than getting out of Kabul last week

Yet the Home Office says people will just have to lump it because of a high volume of arrivals and the need to comply with Covid documentation.

That still doesn't explain the chronic staff shortages or the malfunctioning electronic gates. Getting into Britain these days, even for UK passport holders, is more difficult than getting out of Kabul last week.

Maybe it's time to hand over border control at Heathrow to the Taliban.
Why are some people reluctant to be vaccinated against Covid 19? According to the British Medical Association 'there is no simple answer to a complex problem'.

Prince Harry, however, knows better. For our 'Duke of Epidemiology', the answer is simple: vaccine hesitancy is all the fault of the 'news' media  and, no doubt, the British Press in particular.

It was at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards in London on Wednesday night, after all, that the prince  dolled up in black tie and tux  made a surprise appearance by video link from his California mansion.

He was there to give an award to the brilliant team behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

But His Royal Wokeness wasn't about to miss the chance to put the boot into the media in front of a star-studded audience.

At the GQ Men Of The Year Awards in London on Wednesday night, Prince Harry (pictured) said Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy is all the fault of the 'news' media

Families everywhere, he pronounced, are 'being overwhelmed by mass-scale misinformation across 'news' media and social media, where those who peddle in [sic] lies and fear are creating vaccine hesitancy' and 'eroding trust'.

In, outrageously lumping together the 'news' media with social media, it was Harry the hypocrite who could be accused of peddling misinformation.

His carefully inserted inverted commas around the word 'news'  as shown on the official transcript of his speech published on the GQ website  were clearly designed to convey the message that the mass media are liars, not to be trusted any more than the maddest anti-vaxxer on Twitter or Instagram.

It was yet another display of the prince across the water's self-defeating and increasingly crazed hostility to the Press.

If Harry actually ever read the news, he'd know there has been no 'mass-scale misinformation' about the benefits of vaccination in our mainstream newspapers and their online outlets. Quite the contrary in fact.

And the vast majority of the British public have welcomed the NHS vaccination roll-out  as of yesterday, more than 79 per cent had received their second dose.

The prince's blatant, two-faced attempt to tar the news media with the 'misinformation' brush reeks of the sort of cynical propaganda he likes to accuse the Press of spreading.

He said families are 'being overwhelmed by mass-scale misinformation across 'news' media and social media. Pictured: People protest Covid-19 vaccine in Trafalgar Square on July 24

By contrast, there has, of course, been a great deal of toxic trash about Covid and the vaccine in particular spread across social media and elsewhere on the internet.

Ironically, when Harry and Meghan updated their media relations policy in January of last year they signalled a shift away from a system that 'predates the dramatic transformation of news reporting in the digital age' which, they claimed, made it difficult for them to 'personally share moments in their lives directly with members of the public'.

They also pledged to 'engage with grassroots media organisations and young, up-and-coming journalists'.

In a nutshell, they were embracing just the sort of sites and apps that have been most responsible for giving house room to conspiracy theories about Covid vaccines.

Harry and Meghan hate the 'news' media because, unlike their simpering social media fan club, its nasty journalists will insist on questioning what they say and do and pointing out the inconsistencies.

Why, as recently as last month, the British Press had the temerity to accuse Harry of hypocrisy for giving censorious lectures about carbon emissions before flying back from a charity polo match on a private jet.

When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit Britain, they insisted that they wanted to regain their privacy in a location free from media intrusion.

So they moved to 'celeb central' California, staged a global tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, and then broadcast endless revelations about their most personal feelings and family relationships.

It is now obvious that what they really want is not privacy, but PR  the 'freedom' to tell 'their truth' without the fear of being questioned or contradicted by journalists. And woe betide those who fail to play their PR game.

Harry and Meghan hire the most aggressive media lawyers to put the fear of m'lud into their critics, and will even threaten to sue the woke BBC news if it deviates from the Sussex party line, as it did in the dispute over whether or not the Queen had endorsed the pair naming their daughter Lilibet.

No doubt it was pure coincidence that Harry chose to launch his latest broadside against the 'news' media at a celebrity event where MailOnline columnist Piers Morgan was in the audience.

No doubt it was pure coincidence that Harry chose to launch his broadside against the 'news' media at an event where MailOnline columnist Piers Morgan (pictured) was in the audience

The event took place on the same day that Ofcom cleared Morgan of breaking broadcasting rules on Good Morning Britain, with his coruscating criticism of Harry and Meghan's version of events, pre and post marriage, as told to Oprah.

Meghan even made a direct appeal to ITV's chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall  a former chief executive of The Guardian, incidentally  to censure Morgan, and he was, in effect, forced out of GMB for refusing to grovel to the duchess.

Ofcom's judgment  a robust defence of free speech  concluded that Morgan was entitled to 'hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account', even if some found his views 'highly offensive'.

To prohibit such views would be 'an unwarranted and chilling restriction on freedom of expression both of the broadcaster and the audience'.

Like all woke warriors, Harry and Meghan would not recognise 'freedom of expression' if they found it in their organic muesli. They demand the 'freedom' to impose a 'chilling restriction' on the free Press and deny the public the right to judge the truth for ourselves.

Freedom of the Press in Britain was won through a hard-fought battle against royal censorship, which only ended when Crown licensing of the published word was abolished more than 300 years ago.

The last thing we need in the 21st century is a woke version of high-handed interference in the Press, by a prince of hypocrites peddling misinformation about the news media.

Mick Hume is author of Trigger Warning: Is The Fear Of Being Offensive Killing Free Speech? published by William Collins.
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This picture looks like any other colour photo when you first look at it but it's actually an optical illusion, because it's in black and white.

London-based digital artist Stuart Humphryes has gone viral after sharing the picture with his followers on Twitter, which demonstrates a 'colour assimilation grid illusion'.

A grid of colour lines was overlaid on a black and white picture with Stuart explaining that our brains are trained to 'fill in the gap' of our colour perception

The brain relays the information it gets from the lines of colours and applies it to the rest of the picture.

People were mind-blown and many said they wouldn't have noticed it was actually a greyscale picture if they hadn't taken a second look.

London digital artist Stuart Humphryes shared this fascinating optical illusion on Twitter, explaining that it looked like a colour picture at first glance, but is actually a greyscale picture with colour lines overlaid on top of it

Pictured: without the colours on the grid, the picture would look like any other black and white snap

People were blown away by the illusion and said they had to do a double take in order to see the picture was in fact black and white

The picture shows a group of teenagers in China posing for a picture.

It appears that some of them are wearing blue t-shirts, while two are wearing green, one yellow, and another pair, red t-shirts.

The leaves of the tree in the background also appear to be green.

But in fact, a closer inspection finds the picture is greyscale, with thin lines of colours overlaid on the picture.

So what a person sees is not a teenager wearing a green t-shirt. It is a greyscale picture of a teenager, with green lines above their t-shirt.

Humphryes shared the picture on Twitter and explained how little information the brain needed to 'fill in the gaps'

'This is fascinating and shows how weak colour information can be on a photo for the brain to fill in the gaps and "colourise" it for you,' Humphryes explained when sharing the picture.

'It's a black and white photo, but overlaid with a thin grid of coloured lines. They're enough to trick your mind into seeing a full colour image,' he added.

People where blown-away by the picture.

When one person said they thought the picture had been colourised, Humphryes replied their brain was what was doing the colourising, not him.

'It works for me completely. I am blown away. Nice test to start my day,' one said.

People loved the optical illusion. Some joked they should just draw lines on their black and white TV instead of buying a colour one

'Crazy! I cant believe it, it looks like a regular color picture,' another one wrote.

'Thats extraordinary,' one said.

'Neednt have bothered buying a colour tv , could have just drawn some red lines on the b/w one,' one joked.

Vision scientist Bart Anderson from the University of Sydney, explained the science behind the trick to Science Alert when a similar picture went viral in 2019.

'The colour system is what vision scientists refer to as 'low pass', i.e., many of the receptive fields that code colour are quite large,' he said.

'So the grids get 'averaged' with the achromatic background, which then gets attributed to that part of the image,' he added.

By working this way, the brain gives us an overall impression of what we're looking at when we just give an image a quick glance.
Women have been sharing their experience of miscarriage on social media, with many claiming the care they received under the NHS wasn't good enough.

Feminist campaigner Caroline Criado Perez asked people on Twitter to comment on the care they'd received after suffering a miscarriage, detailing her own experiences.

Criado Perez told her 119,000 followers that when she'd lost a baby, she'd 'had to go into the same department as all the happily pregnant women and new mums.'

She said it had made 'what was already an extremely painful situation so much harder to bear'.

NHS England told MailOnline it currently asks hospitals to 'provide women with appropriate facilities and support' including private bedrooms and emotional care.

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Campaigner Caroline Criado Perez is urging NHS England to ensure women who've miscarried aren't treated on labour wards, as she was, an experience she told her Twitter followers this week 'which made an extremely painful situation so much harder to bear'

After getting dozens of responses from women who said they'd suffered traumatic experiences while having a miscarriage due to insensitive care, Criado Perez said she was 'furious' on their behalf

The campaigner referenced the case of Louise Caldwell from East Kilbride, who successfully won her fight last week to stop those who've suffered a miscarriage or stillbirth being treated alongside pregnant women on labour wards and in maternity units.

Caldwell, a mother-of-three, lost a baby in 2019 and was horrified at the 'insensitive' treatment she received, which included delivering her baby, lost at 11 weeks, on a labour ward, where live births were going on.

She told the BBC in 2020 she had to pass a man on her way into the hospital who'd just become a father and was faced with dozens of photos of new babies and thank you cards to maternity staff for safe deliveries.

She said: 'You're passing rooms, and your head knows, your heart knows, that there are women giving birth in these rooms.'

She said she would be 'haunted' by the experience for the rest of her life and started a petition in August 2020 to change the way maternity departments work to ensure people who've lost a pregnancy don't have to be treated alongside pregnant women and new mothers. A new policy has now been put in place by NHS Scotland as a result of Caldwell's petition.

Sharing her own story on social media this week, Criado Perez urged NHS England to adopt the same policy, writing: 'Please read the responses to this thread and change the way we treat miscarriages. It's traumatising, dehumanising and wrong.'

She said the responses that had followed on the thread had left her angry, writing: 'It's impossible to read the messages (many of them DMs) I'm getting in response to this and not to feel FURIOUS.'

Among the responses were many from women who struggled with their lost baby being referred to as a 'product of conception'.

@pauliwauli2 wrote: 'Young male doctor, as I was sobbing, immediately after miscarriage - "it was just tissue"'

@EmmaHickey_ added: 'Not being asked "have you seen anything that resembles the products of conception" by a junior doctor. I had no idea what she was referring to and was horrified when it became clear. Hoping things have moved on since then.'

@TetchyB***h replied: 'Unfortunately it hasn't. I was asked the same thing last year.'

Others said they'd simply been treated insensitively by staff.

@ClareEParedes wrote: 'Not passing through department with other pregnant women - had to try to hide my tears as didnt want to scare them.'

Criado Perez, pictured, said she'd been left 'furious' by the responses on Twitter from women who'd had miscarriages and urged NHS England to make a policy change that keeps those who are losing/have lost a baby separate from labour wards where live babies are being born

@clarecpeacock added: 'A good start for me would've been not being left sobbing on a seat in a hospital corridor, people walking past constantly, staring at me and my husband curiously, while we waited ages to see the Dr after being told there was no heartbeat at 9w scan.'

@ladyduckpojok wrote: 'I had 3 consecutive miscarriages in the NHS. The whole thing was a terrible ordeal, because of the losses themselves but also because of the way I was treated: from the nurse who told me with a laugh "third time lucky!" right after the sonogram that showed my 2nd foetus had died.'

An NHS spokesperson told MailOnline: 'It is important to treat each case sensitively, and the NHS asks that all hospitals provide women with appropriate facilities and support when they have a miscarriage, including access to emotional support and a private bedroom away from birthing areas.'
An American bikini designer living in Sydney has revealed a culture shock she experienced after spotting Australians shopping barefoot at a supermarket.

Sophia Kim, who moved to New South Wales from Los Angeles in February 2020, went on a 'quick and short trip' to Woolworths when she noticed many customers casually walking around the aisles without their shoes.

While most Aussies consider ditching their shoes and going barefoot in public to be perfectly normal, the habit comes as a surprise to many expats, including Sophia.

In her TikTok video, the 29-year-old said: 'Masks mandatory; shoes optional.'

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An American bikini designer living in Sydney has revealed a culture shock she experienced after spotting Australians shopping barefoot at a supermarket

Sophia Kim (pictured) went on a 'quick and short trip' to Woolworths when she noticed many customers casually walking around the aisles without their shoes

'I think it's really interesting people don't wear shoes. I know it's a really Aussie thing but shoes are optional, rain or shine,' she said.

'But I'm not hating. This is a culture shock.'

During her grocery shop, Sophia - who's the owner of swimwear label Siempre Golden - said she even noticed the soles of some shoppers' feet 'completely black'.

She added: 'I'm sure people do this in Hawaii but they definitely don't do this in LA.'

While most Aussies consider ditching their shoes and going barefoot in public to be perfectly normal, the habit comes as a surprise to many expats, including Sophia

Her video has since been viewed more than 200,000 times, with many Australians insisting they have 'never' walked out in public barefoot.

'Born and bred Aussie and this has always grossed me out. The amount of times my mates have stepped on glass... No sympathy. Wear shoes,' one woman wrote.

Another said: 'Such bogan behaviour. Shoes are cheap - it's no excuse. Plus all the germs,' while one added: 'It's not an overall Aussie thing, it's usually a small town, beach Aussie thing. If people did this in suburbs or city, they'd get looked at funny.'

And another woman said: 'As an Australia, I do not condone this.'

The video shoes shoppers casually walking around a Woolworths store without their shoes on

While other Aussies revealed they are used to stepping out in public barefoot.

'Growing up next to the beach, you get used to walking around with no shoes. They are too much of an inconvenience - either slides or no shoes at all,' one wrote.

Another said: 'Me in western Sydney an hour from the beaches - I'm always barefoot if I just run down to the shops,' while one added: 'I live in Kirrawee, people walk around here barefoot too and we ain't that close to the beach.'

And one insisted: '100 per cent shoes are optional... I never wear shoes.'

Others explained how the habit is usually common for those who live near beaches.

'This is such coastal behaviour, so normal,' one said, while another added: 'I live in Cronulla in Sydney. I would say 50 per cent wear shoes at the shops being so close to the beach.'
Princess Diana's nieces Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer piled on the glamour as they arrived for the 78th Venice Film Festival this week.

The stunning twins, both 29, who grew up in South Africa, took to the red carpet of the film Madres Paralelas last night, both turning heads in their elegant floor-length Alberta Ferretti gowns.

And the blonde duo, who are daughters of Earl Spencer and first cousins of Princes William and Harry, looked fresh this morning as they stepped out in the September sunshine for a boat ride.

Lady Amelia, who recently moved from Cape Town to London with her fiance Greg Mallett, looked chic in a monochrome fitted polo shirt tucked into a high waisted white mini skirt with lace detailing.

Princess Diana's nieces Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer piled on the glamour as they arrived for the 78th Venice Film Festival this week

The blonde duo, who are daughters of Earl Spencer and first cousins of Princes William and Harry, looked fresh this morning as they stepped out in the September sunshine for a boat ride

Lady Amelia, left, who recently moved from Cape Town to London with her fiance Greg Mallett, looked chic in a monochrome fitted polo shirt tucked into a high waisted white mini skirt with lace detailing

The stunning twins, both 29, who grew up in South Africa, took to the red carpet of the film Madres Paralelas last night, both turning heads in their elegant floor-length gowns by Alberta Ferretti

She teamed her outfit with diamante sandals and kept her make-up minimal, opting for a nude lip and white nail varnish.

Sister Eliza, who has been dating boyfriend Channing Millerd for five years, showed off her statuesque shoulders in a white vest top matched with wide-leg camel trousers and navy boat shoes.

Both society beauties - who celebrated their older sister Lady Kitty's lavish Italian wedding to fashion tycoon Michael Lewis in July - donned stylish sunglasses as they posed on a chic decked area before boarding a vessel.

Last night Lady Eliza opted for a baby pink satin strapless Alberta Ferretti gown.

Sister Eliza, right, who has been dating boyfriend Channing Millerd for five years, showed off her statuesque shoulders in a white vest top matched with wide-leg camel trousers and navy boat shoes

Both society beauties donned stylish sunglasses as they posed on a chic decked area before boarding a vessel

It's the second trip to Italy in two months for Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza, who celebrated their older sister Lady Kitty's lavish Italian wedding to fashion tycoon Michael Lewis in July

Twins Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer board a boat during the 78th Venice International Film Festival

The elegant dress was cinched in at the waist and showcased pure princess vibes as it flowed to the floor.

She showed off her blue eyes with a slick of black eyeliner and gold shadow and wore her blonde locks sleek and straight, swept back behind her shoulders.

Eliza didn't go overboard on the accessories, other than a pair of elegant drop earrings and a silver bangle.

Her sister also made a statement in an eye-catching black gown also by Alberta Ferretti with a sheer top, adorned with square-shaped black sequins to cover her modesty.

The satin skirt featured a subtle fishtail bottom, while Amelia showed off the backless design sporting a wet-look hair style.

The chic pair, who have a close bond and now live 20 minutes apart in central London, posed together for photos this morning

She wore simple diamond stud earrings and showed off her sizeable engagement ring.

The pair posed together on a beach in their evening gowns before taking to the red carpet for the premiere.

Amelia and Eliza, who are both signed to Storm Model Management, are looking forward to fulfilling long-held ambitions now they're both living 20 minutes apart in London. Amelia hopes to become a wedding planner and Eliza dreams of being an interior designer.

They grew up with their father and mother Victoria Aitken in Constantia but spent significant time in the UK after their parents split and Charles moved back to the family's seat, Althorp.

The pair posed together on a beach in their evening gowns last night before taking to the red carpet for the premiere

Last night Lady Eliza opted for a baby pink silk strapless gown with bow detailing around the bust

Lady Amelia made a statement in an eye-catching black gown with a sheer top, adorned with square-shaped black sequins to cover her modesty

They have two half-sisters and half-brother from their father's second and third marriages, and half-brother from their mother's second marriage.

Earlier this year, the pair were hailed by society bible Tatler as among the hottest and most elegant socialite siblings from across the world who are used to moving in the same circles as supermodels, aristocrats and royals.

They were ranked among others as one of the most glamorous sets of twins on the elite social scene.

The sisters have an unbreakable bond as twins, with Lady Amelia telling Tatler she and Lady Eliza have always been close and are 'very similar'.

Amelia and Eliza, who are both signed to Storm Model Management, are looking forward to fulfilling long-held ambitions now they're both living in London. Pictured in Venice last night

Earlier this year, the pair - pictured on a Venice beach - were hailed by society bible Tatler as among the hottest and most elegant socialite siblings from across the world who are used to moving in the same circles as supermodels, aristocrats and royals

'We love doing the same things and share the same friends,' she said. 'You're guaranteed to have a best friend there always  you can't really compare it to anything else.'

She added that they are a 'very open family' and value the importance of talking about mental health.

'It was never something that we felt afraid to talk about when we had our own struggles,' Lady Eliza said.

The society beauties also told Tatler they have very fond memories of Althorp, the Spencer family seat, where they'd stay with their father during the school holidays.

'It is a truly special and beautiful place. Having spent the first three years of our lives at Althorp, exploring and discovering it as children, and being part of a long heritage of Spencers that have lived there, it has always felt like another home,' Lady Eliza said.

Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia Spencer, both 29, are finally stepping out of their eldest sibling's shadow, with the twins appearing in society magazines like Tatler and Hello in recent months

Sisters (left to right) Lady Amelia, Lady Eliza and Lady Kitty Spencer attended the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in 2011

The twins have both been lucky in love and are settled in serious long-term relationships (pictured left, Lady Eliza with her boyfriend of five years, Channing Millerd, and right, Lady Amelia with her fiancee Greg Mallett, 30)

Amelia met her real estate beau of 11 years Greg Mallett, 30, while they were both studying at the University of Cape Town and the couple announced their engagement last year

'And of course it conjures up memories of family Christmases as children, with our extended family all together.'

Speaking to Hello magazine, Eliza and Amelia revealed they have 'precious memories' of their late aunt Diana who was close to their hearts.

It is not known when Greg and Amelia will marry, or if they will choose to wed in England or South Africa. Lady Amelia hasn't ruled out holding the wedding at Althorp, after her father suggested their family seat as a venue.

Meanwhile Eliza and Channing often share romantic snaps together on Instagram of their date-nights and lavish holidays abroad.

Marketing executive Channing, who attended the same school as Eliza's brother, Viscount Althorp, has a son from a previous relationship, and his girlfriend appears to dote on the boy.
Tony Blair and his wife Cherie made a rare public appearance together last night as they dined out at celebrity favourite Scott's.

The ex PM, 68, who runs a think tank and consultancy - Institute for Global Change - appeared in high spirits as he stepped out with his wife last night at the exclusive restaurant in London.

The mother-of-four, 66, who runs The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, opted for a summery green midi dress for the occasion, which featured a bold floral pattern and a pretty scoop neckline.

The couple spent several hours in the restaurant, which boasts numerous celebrity fans, where they dined out on lobsters.

Tony Blair, 68, and his wife Cherie, 66, made a rare public appearance together last night as they dined out at celebrity favourite Scott's

The mother-of-four, 65, who runs The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, opted for a summery midi dress for the occasion, which featured a bold floral pattern

Cherie wore her brunette tresses in loose waves and opted for a natural makeup look.

She paired the mid-length green gown with simple accessories, including nude heels and two gold pendant necklaces.

Meanwhile Tony opted for an open-collared white shirt with a simple black suit.

Scott's boasts numerous celebrity fans and has long been a royal favourite, with Princess Beatrice dining at the restaurant in recent months.

Meanwhile Tony opted for an open-collared white shirt with a black suit for the meal out with his wife

It was also the scene of the infamous nose-tweaking incident between Nigella Lawson and then husband Charles Saatchi last summer that led directly to the end of their marriage.

Other famous diners to patronise the restaurant include Formula 1 heiress Tamara Ecclestone, rocker Ronnie Wood and his 37-year-old wife Sally Humphreys.

A seafood restaurant, it is described on its website as offering 'the finest oysters, fish and crustacea' and also has an attached champagne bar.

The menu includes a choice of seven different types of oyster, including the Dungarvan Rocks variety for 16.95 for six, and Beluga caviar for an eye-watering 70 for just 10g.

Cherie paired the mid-length green gown with simple accessories, including nude heels and two gold pendant necklaces

Other options include a smoked salmon starter for 16.25 and a whole grilled lobster for a relatively reasonable 21.

Last year, Cherie Blair revealed she wished she'd put more effort into doing her hair and makeup, as well as admitting that success in life is often down to who you know.

The barrister, who spent ten years in 10 Downing Street while Blair was British Prime Minister, confessed that she didn't anticipate how much her appearance would matter during that time.

Mrs Blair, who is a QC and has a CBE, said she was taken aback when Labour won the 1997 election and there was such intense focus on how she looked.

The ex PM, who runs a think tank and consultancy - Institute for Global Change - appeared in high spirits as he stepped out with his wife last night at the exclusive restaurant in London

She also revealed she was shocked at how much her humble upbringing in a single parent family in Liverpool initially held her back when she went to train as a barrister.

Speaking to the Big Issue magazine, she admitted: 'I hadn't realised when Tony became prime minister that there would be such interest in me.

'Of course Tony and I were quite different from our predecessors. I was the first prime minister's spouse to have gone to university. It just wasn't the thing for women to do that.

'We were also different in that we had a young family, our kids went to the local state school. So there was a lot of interest in all of that. I became conscious of what I wore, how I looked.

'I did quite a lot of high profile cases as a lawyer, but there you were judged by your successes or otherwise in court - with the wig and gown it's not a beauty contest

'So it was a bit different being in the public eye when no one was interested in what you said. In fact you weren't supposed to say anything. People tend to focus on how you look.

'So if I could give my younger self advice I'd say learn how to do your hair and makeup.'
Two new Mr Men and Little Miss books have been released to mark the popular children's series' 50th anniversary.

Mr Calm and Little Miss Brave are the newest additions to the collection after members of the public from across the world voted on who should join the world of colourful characters, created by British author and illustrator Roger Hargreaves in 1971.

While previous characters include Mr Mean, Mr Grumpy and Little Miss Princess, the new characters have been designed to cater to more woke sensibilities.

Little Miss Brave is fearless and never hesitates to speak out for her friends, while hipster-sounding Mr Calm enjoys yoga and climbing, encourages his friends to think before they act and never loses his cool.

As many as 70,000 people voted in favour of the new characters last month, claiming the two names resonated with them the most.

Mr Calm, pictured, and Little Miss Brave are the newest additions to the Mr Men and Little Miss collection after the public voted on which characters should join the world of colourful characters, which was created by British author and illustrator Roger Hargreaves in 1971

Mr Calm, who is blue, smiley and wears flip-flops and glasses, is a quiet and wise character who 'appreciates the simple things in life'.

Meanwhile, Little Miss Brave, a blue-green character with a purple ponytail, always champions causes close to her heart, especially her friends.

The two characters were selected by the general public from a list of five options.

The other potential characters suggested were Little Miss Energy, Mr Brilliant and Little Miss Kind.

Roger Hargreaves created the first ever Mr Men character, Mr Tickle, in 1971 and it was an immediate hit, selling 3 million copies in just one year.

Little Miss Brave, pictured and her fellow new character Mr Calm, have been published today to mark the Mr Men collection's 50th anniversary

Following on the books' initial success, the BBC even adapted them in a cartoon series in 1974.

Since then, the collection has sold 250 million books worldwide, including 600,000 copies in the UK in 2019.

It is the best-selling children's books collection in France and the second largest pre-school brand in the UK.

Hargreaves, who was born in the town of Cleckheaton, in West Yorkshire, created the first 43 characters of the collection.

At first, all the characters were male, but from 1981, Hargreaves started the sister collection 'Little Miss,' with female characters.

The last character Roger created before his death was the 43rd character, Mr Cheerful.

West Yorkshire author and illustrator Roger Hargreaves, pictured, created the first ever Mr Men character, Mr Tickle in 1971

The Mr Men and Little Miss collection has sold 250 million copies worldwide since it was first published (pictured: some of the Mr Men most iconic character, including Mr Tickle)

After his death in 1988, aged 53, his son Adam took over and created the remainder of the characters.

'The 50th Anniversary year has been an incredible journey and Ive loved getting the public involved in shaping the future of the brand,' Adam said on the collection him and his father built.

Pictured: the first ever edition of Mr Tickle, with his very long arms

'Its a real testament to my father that the characters are so well loved. Im delighted to welcome Mr. Calm and Little Miss Brave to the rest of our diverse set of personalities and Im excited to share their stories with everyone,' he said.

Alastair McHarrie, the director of Sanrio Licensing, who owns the Mr Men, said: 'We were overwhelmed at seeing over 70,000 consumer votes from across the world earlier this year as we released the names of five new potential characters for the public to choose from.

'Calmness and bravery are two very welcome additions to the Mr Men Little Miss family. What a way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary and heres to the next 50,' he added.

You can buy Mr Calm and Little Miss Brave online and in bookstores from today for 4,49
Prince Harry will take aim at stepmother Camilla Parker-Bowles and may name the 'royal racist' because his publishers 'want their money's worth', according to Paul Burrell.

The ex-royal butler said the Duke of Sussex is 'set to reveal any Camilla secrets' after the Duchess of Cornwall 'stepped into Diana's shoes' as his father's wife.

He added that Prince Charles, 72, would be 'livid' if his son paints her in a bad light in the tell-all, due to be published in 2022 as part of a lucrative four-book deal believed to be worth up to 29million.

Speaking to Closer magazine, Princess Diana's former butler, 63, said: 'The publisher, Penguin, will no doubt want their money's worth in this book deal. That means they won't want vagueness  they'll want names and specifics.'

Prince Harry (pictured in January) will take aim at stepmother Camilla Parker-Bowles and may name the 'royal racist' because his publishers 'want their money's worth', according to Paul Burrell

He added that Harry 'could very well name' the alleged racist within the Firm, whom he and Meghan Markle claimed raised concerns about how dark their son Archie's skin might be before he was born during their Oprah Winfrey interview earlier this year.

Paul added that he personally doesn't believe there is any racism in the Royal Family, having 'never got a hint of anything' during his decade working in the Palace.

He went on to claim Harry will 'no doubt' go into depth about his feelings after his mother's tragic death in the tome, and the subsequent events.

Paul suggested Harry 'may go for Camilla' after the reports she was involved in his parents' marriage and then 'stepped into Diana's shoes as Charles' wife'.

Paul suggested Harry 'may go for Camilla' after the reports she was involved in his parents' marriage and then 'stepped into Diana's shoes as Charles' wife'

'I suspect Camilla will be in his sights, so I'd say Harry's set to reveal any Camilla secrets,' he told Closer. 'He's already said he enjoys The Crown, which painted Camilla as the "wicked stepmother" in a way. Charles will be livid if he does go there.'

Harry reportedly did not warn his father about his plan to write an explosive Megxit memoir, which he has been working on for over a year.

The Duke has been collaborating with Pulitzer-winning ghostwriter J. R. Moehringer in a rare move from a senior member of the royal family.

The first draft of the manuscript, currently untitled, is said to be almost completely written and is due to be submitted in October.

The proceeds of the deal are likely to be worth millions and, although the exact financial terms were not disclosed, Prince Harry will donate proceeds to charity, according to Random House.

Royal experts have questioned Harry's motive for writing the book, pointing out he is already wealthy and has previously spoken at length about Megxit.

Royal experts have questioned Harry's motive for writing the book, pointing out he is already wealthy and has previously spoken at length about Megxit (pictured during the Oprah interview with Meghan)

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline Harry was 'exorcising his demons' with the book - but queried how one-sided it would be.

Harry previously said: 'I'm writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become. I've worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned  I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think.

'I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I've learned over the course of my life so far and excited for people to read a firsthand account of my life that's accurate and wholly truthful.'

Prince Harry signed up to the book deal despite issuing repeated calls for his family's privacy to be respected.

A statement from the publisher about the upcoming book read: 'In an intimate and heartfelt memoir from one of the most fascinating and influential global figures of our time, Prince Harry will share, for the very first time, the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him.

'Covering his lifetime in the public eye from childhood to the present day, including his dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the frontlines of Afghanistan, and the joy he has found in being a husband and father, Prince Harry will offer an honest and captivating personal portrait, on that shows readers that behind everything they think they know lies an inspiring, courageous and uplifting human story.'

Markus Dohle, CEO of Penguin Random House, said: 'All of us at Penguin Random House are thrilled to publish Prince Harry's literary memoir and have him join the world-renowned leaders, icons, and change-makers we have been privileged to publish over the years.

'Prince Harry has harnessed his extraordinary life experience as a prince, a soldier, and a knowledgeable advocate for social issues, establishing himself as a global leader recognized for his courage and openness.

'It is for that reason we're excited to publish his honest and moving story.'

Last night Prince Harry used a live video message from his LA mansion to launch a new assault on the media and lecture on inequality in a surprise speech to VIPs including Piers Morgan hours after the ex-GMB host won a thumping victory for free speech over Meghan.

Dressed in a black tie and tuxedo, the Duke used his big screen speech beamed to the GQ Awards in London to blame 'those who peddle in lies and fear' in the 'news media and social media' for vaccine hesitancy.

Watching was MailOnline columnist Piers Morgan, who yesterday won a resounding victory for free speech after regulator Ofcom ruled he had not broken the broadcasting code for his comments on the Duchess of Sussex following her bombshell Oprah interview. This morning he tweeted an image of Harry live from California with the hashtag #awks - a nod to his free speech win.

Harry, who referred to Britain as 'our nation' in his address, delivered a chiding speech urging governments to do more to vaccinate poorer countries, warning 'until every community can access the vaccine and until every community is connected to trustworthy information about the vaccine, then we are all at risk'.

Speaking from his Montecito mansion more than 5,000 miles away, the beleaguered Prince lectured his star-studded London audience on 'media misinformation' and the importance of sharing vaccines. Harry later presented the Heroes of the Year Award to Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, Professor Catherine Green and the team behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

After being invited on the the stage by Harry, Professor Green told the crowd: 'I promised Sarah I wouldn't get too p***ed, and I promised I wouldn't swear, but there was no f***ing chance of that because I'm so starstruck'. Harry's live speech was at 11pm London time (3pm LA time), and Mr Morgan left the venue at around 11.15pm, after the duke had finished and handed out the award.
A ten-year-old Afghan is now home safe in Florida with his adoptive parents after a years-long adoption process that almost got derailed by the country's Taliban takeover.

Ten-year-old Noman Mujtaba was turned away from the airport by the Taliban and forced to witness violence and deadly stampedes before he endured an arduous 12-day journey from Kabul to Broward County, Florida.

Bahaudin Mujtaba, 55, and his wife, Lisa, 54, spent five years trying to officially adopt and take in Norman, a distant relative, and had nearly finished the process when the Taliban came in.

But thanks to a lucky break with an American who was in Kabul and the help of American service members, Bahaudin says that they're experience 'a great feeling of joy' to finally be a family while Norman adjusts to American life and has a bedroom to himself for the first time.

Home! Bahaudin Mujtaba and his wife, Lisa, spent five years drying to adopt Norman, a distant relative whose mother died of cancer  and now the little boy is finally with them in Florida

Journey: Norman (pictured in Qatar) endured a 12-day journey with stops in two other countries after getting out of Kabul on a military plane

Exciting! Norman first landed in Washington, D.C. and then traveled to Florida, where he met his adoptive mother Lisa for the first time

Bahaudin and Lisa could not have any biological children, so several years ago, they looked into adoption. They soon came to know about Norman, a distant relative whose cousin is married to Bahaudin's father's cousin.

Norman's mother had died of cancer, and his father is old and unable to care for him, so Norman had been staying with other family members for years.

Bahaudin traveled to Afghanistan in 2016, where he met Norman for the first time.

'He was very energetic and very talkative, and I fell in love with his personality right then at the time,' Bahaudin told NBC News.

'He was extremely bright in discussing why he would want to come to the United States and what he loves about the United States and has seen in movies and cartoon shows,' he added to NBC Miami.

Bahaudin, a professor at Nova Southeastern University who emigrated from Afghanistan 40 years ago and holds dual citizenship, went back to visit ten times over the years.

But the adoption process wasn't easy. According to the AP, Afghanistan prefers to have children adopted by people who are originally from Afghanistan themselves, and who are also practicing Muslins. Just 41 Afghan children were adopted by families in the US from 1999 and 2019.

Corruption made the process take a particularly long time, but Bahaudin said it was '90 percent done' when the Taliban takeover suddenly made completing the adoption much harder.

As Afghanistan's government collapsed and Americans fled the county, Bahaudin said it was 'heart-wrenching' that they were unable to tell the boy when he'd finally get to come live with them.

An American man in Kabul helped get Norman out, but Taliban security denied them entry to the airport on their first attempt

Cozy: Norman witnessed gunshots, fighting, violence, and a deadly stampede at the airport  but he is now home where he has his own bed and bedroom for the first time

Speaking to NBC News two weeks ago, Bahaudin said Norman was 'very nervous' and there was 'a lot of fear' about what would happen next.

'And hes at that age where he doesnt want to miss school. Everything is shut down right now. And thats what the fear he was expressing to me over the phone,' he said.

Luckily, though, there was an American man from Indiana also in Afghanistan who was there awaiting a visa to bring home his own adopted son.

The man, whom the Mujtabas had never met, agreed to help bring Norman to the US. Mary Beth King, the director of the Frank Adoption Center in Wake Forest, North Carolina, which assisted both families with their adoptions, told Stars and Stripes that the boys would not have gotten out without him.

There were hiccups. First, Norman had to get through Taliban security. On his first attempt, he was denied entry.

'They had to basically abandon that attempt of getting inside the airport, and after 14 hours, they went home. Stayed overnight, and the next day they tried again,' Bahaudin told NBC Miami.

The Taliban let him through on his second attempt, but the little boy didn't make it through without witnessing carnage.

'My son did mention the Taliban were firing bullets into the air to disperse the crowd and he was just meters away from that, so there was a lot of pushing, shoving, and people running away and people getting stepped on, and unfortunately during the stampede, many people did get injured and did die,' Bahaudin said.

Persistent: Bahaudin had visited Norman several times over the years as they waited for the adoption to go through

'He said there was fighting, there was violence. There was pushing and shoving that was scary that was fearful,' he added to CBS 12 News.

Finally, on August 28, he ended up on a military plane out of Kabul  where 'everybody was packed like sardines close together.'

'He mentioned the conditions were very bad. They didnt have air conditioning. There was one restroom for hundreds of people, so people had to wait an hour or longer just to use the bathroom,' Bahaudin said.

All in all, the journey to the US took 12 days. Norman first flew from Kabul to Qatar, then to Germany before finally traveling stateside.

Halfway around the world, Bahaudin and his wife were anxiously awaiting news, and would go days without updates because the traveling group would lose WiFi or phone power.

'The waiting during 25-30 hours was anxiety-producing, very stressful, and very challenging because you don't know when how or where they will fly out,' Bahaudin said.

'Oftentimes, I would be looking at the television, and the reporting of newspapers and journalists providing some visuals, hoping to see a glimpse of him being okay. So, these worries do go through your mind, and it, unfortunately, is challenging to deal with,' he told Spectrum's Bay News 9.

Then, earlier this week, Norman finally landed in Washington, D.C., where he was reunited with Bahaudin and met Bahaudin's wife, his new adoptive mother, for the first time.

Family: Norman is a distant relative of the Mujtabas. His mother died of cancer and his father is elderly and unable to care for him

'Were very lucky and appreciative of all the people who have helped us get to this point,' Bahaudin said

'When he came to Florida, he said, this is America. So I think maybe the fact he was so close to his mom finally he feels he was home,' Bahaudin said.

At his new home, Noman has his own room and bed for the first time.

'He was pleased, happy, and [it's] a pleasant experience to hear noise in that room and it's not quiet the way it always has been over the last three years,' said Bahaudin, who had set up the room years ago while they awaited his arrival.

'So the fact he's there, making noise and in his room, that's a feeling I don't know how to describe,' he added.

The boy has been happily adapting to American life and loves chicken and swimming in a pool, which he had never done before.

He is still adjusting, and Bahaudin says Norman is still worried about friends and family back in Afghanistan.

But he and his wife are happy to have gotten him out and are thankful to everyone who made it possible.

'Were very lucky and appreciative of all the people who have helped us get to this point,' he said.

'Especially all the service members that sacrificed much of their family time to go to Afghanistan and obviously 13 of our service members who made the ultimate sacrifice to evacuate 120,000 Afghans and Americans in Afghanistan.'
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium have shared a sweet new portrait of their four children before they return to their studies for the new academic year.

The Belgian royal palace posted the photograph of Princess Elisabeth, 19, Prince Gabriel, 18, Prince Emmanuel, 15, and Princess Eleonore, 13, to its social media accounts on Wednesday.

Fans were delighted with the snap which showed the royal siblings posing within the grounds of their home, Castle of Laeken, in Brussels.

It comes after the royal household announced the heir to the Belgian throne Princess Elisabeth would be heading to the UK this autumn to study a three-year course in History and Politics at Oxford University's Lincoln College.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium have shared a sweet new portrait (pictured) of their four children before they return to their studies for the new academic year

Elisabeth, dressed casually in jeans, a white shirt and a fawn jacket, beamed at the camera while leaning against a wall.

She added a touch of glitz to her ensemble with a pair of dazzling golden hoop earrings, as well as a smattering of glamorous makeup.

Her brother Gabriel, wearing a red jumper and beige trousers, proudly stood on the steps to the royal residence, while his younger brother Prince Emmanuel, sporting a blue V-neck jumper with a pink shirt, was seated below the duo.

Princess Eleonore, dressed in jeans and a navy sleeveless sweater over a long-sleeved white shirt, was all smiles while standing next to Elisabeth.

The image was shared with the caption: 'Happy return to all students, parents and teachers!'

Princess Elisabeth will take up a place at Oxford University to study history and politics, it was revealed earlier this week

Both Elisabeth and Gabriel are heading to the UK this year to continue their higher education studies, with Gabriel attending a one-year course at The National Mathematics and Science College in Warwickshire.

Emmanuel is currently studying for his International Baccalaureate at the International School of Brussels, while Eleonore is still at the Heilig-Hartcollege in Tervuren.

The Belgian royals announced Elisabeth would commence her three-year course in October, adding that the princess will 'regularly return to Belgium and remain involved in Belgian public life' while she studies in the UK.

According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, the princess completed a written entrance exam in history 'anonymously' so that her social status would not affect her marks.

Elisabeth is believed to have chosen the course herself, in agreement with her parents, and reportedly consulted with alumni from various universities and made her decision based on what would be most useful to her in her role as queen later in life.

The princess, who received her International Baccalaureate Diploma last summer, completed a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy

The princess completed her secondary education at UWC Atlantic College in South Wales - based at a 12th-century castle and dubbed the 'Hippie Hogwarts' - where she boarded for 18 months.

She then headed home to Brussels in March ahead of the government lockdown, which she spent with her parents and siblings.

She then enrolled at the Royal Military Academy - where her father studied for three years as a teenager - in September.

The princess, who received her International Baccalaureate Diploma last summer, completed a one-year course in social and military sciences.

The course is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence; Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical.

King Philippe, 60, spent three years at the esteemed institution between 1978 to 1981.

The Belgian royal family, from left, Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, King Philippe, Princess Eleonore, Queen Mathilde and Prince Emmanuel during a royal visit to the Bokrijk park and open-air museum in Genk, Belgium in June last year

In July Princess Elisabeth was photographed at the Lagland camp in Arlon, where she marched in uniform in formation with her fellow cadets.

For the officer cadets of the Royal Military Academy (RMA), the camp is part of the last training phase for first year students, and constitutes part of the Initial Military Phase.

Officially known as Princess Elisabeth, the Duchess of Brabant, she became heir apparent after her grandfather Albert II abdicated in 2013.

A change in the law a decade ago made it possible for the eldest child, male or female, to ascend the throne in Belgium. She will become the country's first Queen Regent if she takes up the role.

In July this year, she took part along with her fellow Royal Military Academy Belgium students in the National Day parade.

National Day marks the anniversary of the investiture of King Leopold I, the country's first monarch, in 1831.
Queen Maxima of The Netherlands stunned in a green wrap dress tonight as she joined her husband King Willem-Alexander at the festive transfer of the new cultural centre in The Hague.

The Dutch Queen, 50, sported a stylish green number with white stripes and a high slit which she paired with strappy blue heels.

She slick her blonde hair back and sported her signature dangling earrings, while clutching a small navy bag with perfectly complemented her belt and shoes.

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands stunned in a green wrap dress tonight as she joined her husband King Willem-Alexander at the festive transfer of the new cultural centre in The Hague

The Dutch Queen, 50, sported a stylish green number with white stripes and a high slit which she paired with strappy blue heels

Meanwhile, Willem-Alexander opted for a navy suit with shiny black shoes and a bright orange tie.

Meanwhile, Willem-Alexander opted for a navy suit with shiny black shoes and a bright orange tie.

The couple were in The Hague to mark the house the opening of a new cultural centre Amare.

It comes hours after she visited the Gulpen Brewery, near Reijmerstok this afternoon, where the rolled up her sleeves to try her hand at making beer.

The mother-of-three was treated to a tour of the own hop fields before staff showed her to their brewing units, and was was even put to work - dropping some freshly- collected hops to the mix.

The couple were in The Hague to mark the house the opening of a new cultural centre

Strike a pose: Maxima looked regal as she waved to crowds on well-wishers in the Hague

Making the most of the end of the summer and the clement temperature, the Queen of the Netherlands sported a very stylish par of flared trousers with a crisp white shirt.

Maxima beamed as usual during the working visit to the brewery which was awarded the Plaque for Sustainable Entrepreneurship this year.

She cut a relaxed figure, with her white shirt tucked into the front of her trousers, which were ornately patterned with an intricate white motif.

The royal had rolled up her sleeves, revealing a golden bracelet and her watch on her left wrist, as well as a face mask tied to her hand.

She was holding a small velvet clutch bag where she kept a pair of sunglasses at the ready.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, 50, pictured, showed she was an expect brewer during a working visit to the Gulpener Bierbrouwerij brewery in Gulpen, near Reijmerstok this afternoon

The Dutch Queen was put to work and poured fresh hop into the brewing tun, where it will be turned into beer, pictured

Maxima toured the premises and was told all about the beer brewing process during her visit, pictured

A staff member handed the Queen a bag of hop which had been collected from the brewery's own field, pictured

Her blonde locks were styled straight and tucked behind her ears, with diamond drop earrings completing the look.

The royal was cheerfulness personified as she exchanged words with the brewery staff, who talked her through the different stage of beer making.

Outside, one of the brewers showed the Queen which hops were ready and which ones needed to mature further.

She even got to add a personal touch to the beer mix the brewery was working when a staff handed her a pack of freshly-collected hops from the field.

Maxima poured the bag into one of the brewing units, and carefully stepped back when it let out some steam.

Maxima put on her sunglasses to tour the hop field during her visit to the Guloen Brewery today, pictured

A sign behind the monarch cheekily read 'keep calm, drink beer' in a play on the British motto 'keep calm and carry on'

It was back to work for Maxima, who waved goodbye to her middle daughter Alexia, 15, who's come to study in the UK at the UWC Atlantic College in Wales on Monday.

She enrolled on a 67,000, two-year course to study for her International Baccalaureate diploma alongside heir to the Spanish throne Princess Leonor, 15.

The school, situated in a 12th century castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, offers activities and subjects like Tai Chi and Tibetan literature, leading it to be nicknamed 'Hippie Hogwarts'.

Following the instructions of one of the brewers, Maxima collected some hop from the brewery's field

Maxima listened carefully during her tour of the hop fields at the Gulpener Bierbrouwerij in Reijmerstok

A member of staff, pictured handing Maxima the hops. The royal's blond hair was styled straight and she was wearing gold jewellery, with a face mask dangling on her arm

The mother-of-three leaned over a tun to watch the hops she had just poured in it submerged
Sarah Ferguson sported an all-black outfit today as she attended the opening of an aesthetic medicine centre in Poland.

The Duchess of York, 61, played the perfect royal as she cut the red ribbon to open the Dr. Gabriella Clinic in Rudy Raciborskie, southern Poland.

Sporting a flat black court shoes and keeping warm from the autumnal weather in tights and a black rara skirt, the mother-of-two also held a bunch of flowers as crowds watched on.

The clinic is owned by Polish doctor Gabriela Mercik, whose exclusive aesthetic clinic in London is popular among celebrities.

Sarah Ferguson sported an all-black outfit today as she attended the opening of an aesthetic medicine centre in Poland

The Duchess of York, 61, played the perfect royal as she cut the red ribbon to open the Dr. Gabriella Clinic in Rudy Raciborskie, southern Poland

Sarah, who is mother to Princesses Beatrice, 33, and Eugenie, 31, lives at the Royal Lodge in Windsor with her ex-husband Prince Andrew, 61.

The writer, who is known by her nickname 'Fergie', is also grandmother to August Brooksbank, six months, while he her daughter Beatrice is also pregnant.

Today, she wore her red hair down and accompanied it with a simple black hair band.

Staying sleek and stylish, she wore a single-breasted jacket with gold embellishments and simple black gloves.

The clinic is owned by Polish doctor Gabriela Mercik, whose exclusive aesthetic clinic in London is popular among celebrities (pictured together)

Sporting a flat black court shoes and keeping warm from the autumnal weather in tights and a black rara skirt, the mother-of-two also held a bunch of flowers as crowds watched on

She added simple drop earrings and opted for a natural make-up look with just a lick of mascara and light layer of foundation.

Fergie said her late sister-in-law would be 'so proud' of her sons and grandchildren, while adding that the statue, unveiled at Kensington Palace last month, has ended the feud between the brothers.

'The statue brought unity and togetherness to the family and I'm glad that my loyal friend has been honoured in this way,' she told Australian Women's Weekly.

Sarah, who is mother to Princesses Beatrice, 33, and Eugenie, 31, lives at the Royal Lodge in Windsor with her ex-husband Prince Andrew, 61. She is pictured in Poland

Staying sleek and stylish, she wore a single-breasted jacket with gold embellishments and simple black gloves

Today, she wore her red hair down and accompanied it with a simple black hair band. Staying sleek and stylish, she wore a single-breasted jacket with gold embellishments and simple black gloves

Sarah also discussed her metal health, revealing she struggles with anxiety over her weight.

'I battle daily with my mental health. My trigger point is what it has always been, which is allowing food to take over my life. It's my go-to comfort thing when I'm feeling low or anxious and it has led to me struggling with my weight in the past.

'I have to be very mindful of that, and keep my relationship with food under control.'

In the wide-ranging interview, she also revealed that she's 'never felt like an outsider' in the royal family, and that she 'loves being a grandmother' to Princess Eugenie's son August, six months, and Princess Beatrice's step-son Wolfie, five.
While Pumpkin Spice has reigned supreme as the go-to flavour for autumnal lattes for years a new contender may be taking it place as Starbucks has launched an iced salted maple latte.

The drink, available for a limited time only from today in UK stores, infuses milk and Blonde Espresso with a Salted Maple sauce, for a creamy and balanced taste, served over ice with a delicious caramel crunch topping.

It comes as fellow UK high street coffee favourite Costa coffee have announced their autumn menu which includes the launch of the new Terry's Chocolate Orange Brownie.

While Pumpkin Spice has reigned supreme as the go-to flavour for autumnal lattes for years a new contender may be taking it place as Starbucks has launched an iced salted maple latte. The drink, available for a limited time only from today in UK stores, infuses milk and Blonde Espresso with a Salted Maple sauce, for a creamy and balanced taste, served over ice with a delicious caramel crunch topping

While autumn is a season synonymous with knitted jumpers and crunching leaves, iced coffee continues to be a best seller despite cooler weather.

In the past four years alone, Starbucks has seen cold beverages grow by nearly 45 per cent worldwide, with Millennials and Gen Z-ers twice as likely to choose cold coffee.

Meanwhile, Costa has announced its most exciting Autumn menu including a British Chicken & Mushroom Toastie, made with British roast chicken breast, roasted mushrooms, and a cheese bechamel sauce, all encased between that all-important cheese topped white bread.

For those fancying a sweet treat, there's also the Terry's Chocolate Orange Brownie- a guaranteed to be a new fan-favourite this season.

Meanwhile, Costa has announced its most exciting Autumn menu including a Terry's Chocolate Orange Brownie

Also on the menu is a a British Chicken & Mushroom Toastie, made with British roast chicken breast, roasted mushrooms, and a cheese bechamel sauce (left) and an Apple & Caramel Loaf Cake (right)

Exclusive to Costa Coffee, this rich and dark chocolate brownie features layers of Terry's Chocolate Orange segments throughout, made with the unique taste of real orange oil - providing the ultimate crunch in contrast to the gooey, soft brownie. All that is needed is a signature Flat White for the ideal seasonal afternoon treat.

What's on Costa's autumn food menu? Prices TBC Terrys Chocolate Orange

Apple & Caramel Loaf Cake.

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

Gingerbread Latte Vegan Cookie

Gingerbread Muffin

Vegan Walking Vampire Gingerbread.

Mallow Pumpkin Shortcake

Golden Caramel & Chocolate Cake

Double Chocolate Torte Advertisement

Keeping with the chocolate theme, there's the new Golden Caramel & Chocolate Cake.

A triple layered chocolate sponge filled with caramel and chocolate frostings. It doesn't stop there, as this mouth-watering addition is beautifully topped with golden milk chocolate buttons, dark chocolate curls and fudge pieces - all drizzled with glossy caramel.

Elsewhere, you can opt for the new Double Chocolate Torte to go alongside your silky-smooth afternoon Americano. Decorated with a standout mirror glaze, this product is guaranteed to tickle the taste buds of any chocolate fanatic out there.

And that's not all, it doesn't get any more autumnal than the new Apple & Caramel Loaf Cake. Two ingredients that are a match made in heaven, with a salted caramel flavoured loaf cake topped with moreish caramel fudge pieces. There's even a surprise inside, a smooth and tangy apple filling to enjoy.

Back by popular demand is the returning Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake. A zesty lemon flavoured sponge drizzled with lemon flavoured icing. There's even a sprinkling of lemon zest to finish.

For those looking for classic seasonal flavours, Costa Coffee has added two delicious gingerbread items to its September menu. The new Gingerbread Latte Vegan Cookie and Gingerbread Muffin - which comes complete with a very cute miniature gingerbread man. Couple with a delicious Latte to further accentuate those warming Autumn flavours.

With Halloween on the horizon, say a spooky hello to the new vegan Walking Vampire Gingerbread. A seasonal take on the much-loved gingerbread, complete with a vampire design. There's even a new Mallow Pumpkin Shortcake, a fun shortcake biscuit base topped with mallow and an iced pumpkin face. Purchase both items early so you are ready for those trick-or-treaters knocking at the door.

With Halloween on the horizon, say a spooky hello to the new vegan Walking Vampire Gingerbread (left). A seasonal take on the much-loved gingerbread, complete with a vampire design. There's even a new Mallow Pumpkin Shortcake

Keeping with the chocolate theme, there's the new Golden Caramel & Chocolate Cake. A triple layered chocolate sponge filled with caramel and chocolate frostings. It doesn't stop there, as this mouth-watering addition is beautifully topped with golden milk chocolate buttons, dark chocolate curls and fudge pieces - all drizzled with glossy carame

A Costa Coffee spokesperson told FEMAIL: 'At Costa Coffee this September, it's all about enjoying those classic Autumnal flavours; from gingerbread to chocolate treats. There's even the mouth-watering new Terry's Chocolate Orange Brownie joining the Costa Coffee family.

'We just know it's going to be a hit with Chocolate Orange fans out there  a guaranteed fan favourite! So why not pop down to your local store today to try the new sweet and savoury delights for yourself.'

Meanwhile, Starbucks announced their autumn menu last week including the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. The beloved autumnal beverage - made with Starbucks Espresso Roast, pumpkin pie flavoured sauce and steamed milk and topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves - will cost 3.55 and will be available in store, at drive-thrus and via UberEats and Just Eat.

Starbucks has delighted fans by announcing the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte which will be available across the UK from next week. The beloved autumnal beverage - made with Starbucks Espresso Roast, pumpkin pie flavoured sauce and steamed milk and topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves - will cost 3.55. Right: The PSL Frappusino is back this year

Perhaps with the lacklustre summer sunshine to blame, the drink launched earlier than ever. Last year, it landed on UK menus on 25th September.

While Starbucks first launched the drink in the US 17 years ago, British chains have created their own versions in recent years.

Embracing the US trend for autumnal drinks both Pret and Greggs both sold a Pumpkin Spice Latte last year, while Costa sold a 'Bonfire Latte'.

Costa are expected to announce their autumn drinks in the next few weeks.
The Biden administration is telling nursing homes to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all staff or it will pull federal funding.

In a news conference on Wednesday, the President announced he is directing the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) s to draw up vaccine requirements for nursing home workers.

Any facility that does not enforced the mandate will not be eligible for funding through Medicare or Medicaid.

The directive comes as the federal government exhausts the tools at its disposal to get more Americans vaccinated and cases in nursing homes rise - especially in facilities with lower vaccination rates among staff.

President Joe Biden is requiring all nursing homes that receive federal funds to require staff to get vaccinated. Pictured: Biden speaks about the COVID-19 response and the vaccination program in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday

Nursing homes have been hotspots for COVID-19 deaths, with 133,000 deaths being recorded in the facilities since the pandemic began in March 2020

'Vaccination rates among nursing home staff significantly trailed the rest of the country,' Biden told reporters during the news conference on Wednesday.

'[A study shows] that highly vaccinated nursing home staff is associated with at least 30 percent less COVID-19 cases among long term care [residents].

'With this announcement, I'm using the power of the federal government as a payer of health care costs to ensure reduce health risks to our most vulnerable seniors.

'These steps are all about keeping people safe and out of harm's way.'

Nursing home staff and residents were among the first Americans made eligible for the vaccine back in December.

The facilities quickly became virus hotspots early in the pandemic, and the vulnerable elderly population made up many deaths in the virus's initial surge.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that 133,631 COVID-19 deaths have occurred among nursing home residents since the pandemic began.

Cases and deaths among nursing home residents in the United States both grew by over 140% from July 18 to August 1.

Cases and deaths among nursing home staff both grew by over 100% in the weeks from July 18 to August 1

That data may not be complete, though, with New York Gov Andrew Cuomo was famously caught adjusting reports to downplay nursing home deaths, and similar allegations made against the state of Michigan.

Cases and deaths in the facilities are rising once again as well, along with the rest of the country as the Indian 'Delta' variant continues its rampage across the nation.

According to the CMS, 2,059 COVID-19 cases were detected among nursing home residents in the week of August 1 - the most recent week with data available - a 144 percent increase over the total of 841 from two weeks before.

CNN reports that weekly cases were eight times higher in states where less than half of nursing home staff were vaccinated when compared to others.

Deaths have grown by 145 percent during that time span, from 90 to 221.

This shows that nursing home staff vaccination can play a real role in preventing residents from contracting the virus.

The order from Biden will effect the 40 percent of America's 1.3 million nursing staffers that are unvaccinated.

It will go into effect as early as next month.

This is not the first time Biden has leveraged the power of the federal government to push Americans to get vaccinated.

Last month, Biden announced new requirements for federal workers an contractors, requiring them to either sign a form attesting they had been vaccinated, or follow string masking and distancing guidelines.

The U.S. military will also begin to require the COVID-19 vaccine among the other shots it requires of its members.

The President has also urged private employers to start requiring employees to get jabbed to keep their jobs.

'I'm pleased to see the private sector stepping up as well,' Biden said.

'In the last week, AT&T, Amtrak, McDonald's, they all announced vaccine requirements.

'...Over 200 health Systems, more than 50 in the past two weeks, have announced vaccine requirements.

'Colleges and universities are requiring more than 5 million students to be vaccinated as they return to classes this fall. All this makes a difference.'

Earlier Wednesday, federal health officials announced that they expected the nation to hit 200 million people at least partially vaccinated at some point during the day.

Currently, 72 percent of American adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 62 percent are fully vaccinated.
Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee have all set new COVID-19 infection records - soaring past the previous highs recorded during winter 2020.

The grim figures indicate just how contagious the COVID Delta variant is, with the records also broken despite vaccines now being widely available.

Despite Covid shots offering substantial protection against serious illness in the case of an infection, hospitalizations are also up to.

More than 100,000 are now being recorded daily, as the United States weathers its latest Covid surge, amid fears that schools reopening could exacerbate the issue further.

Georgia is recording a record 10,840 new cases every day. Schools in the state have been slammed especially hard

Tennessee is averaging a record 9,912 new cases per day. The Volunteer state's Department of Health was recently exposed for undercounting total hospitalizations by over 5,000

Georgia is averaging 10,840 new cases per day, a 32 percent increase in daily cases over the past two weeks. The Peach State does not report cases daily.

Schools in the state have been hit especially hard by the virus, with thousands of students and staff having to quarantine in the opening weeks.

More than 23,000 people had to enter quarantine in Atlanta area schools after either testing positive for the virus or being exposed to it, with vaccines currently only available to students aged 12 and up.

Lamar County, around 50 miles south of Atlanta, suspended school for two weeks after so many staff members were quarantined that the schools could no longer function.

Democrats in the state have called to close down schools until the situation gets under control.

The state currently has 5,880 people currently hospitalized with the virus, which is also a record.

Only 52 percent of Georgia residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, well behind the 62 percent national average.

The state has recorded 1.38 million cases and 22,000 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Tennessee is averaging 9,912 new cases per day, eclipsing a previous record set in December.

Cases have grown by nearly 80 percent over the past two weeks, though Tennessee also does not report cases daily.

The state has also been embroiled in controversy after recent reports the state's Department of Health underreported COVID-19 hospitalizations by over 5,000 over the last 14 months.

According to a report by The Tennessean, many of the unreported hospitalizations were from over the record winter surge where dozens of ICU patients when unrecorded every day.

Corrected figures show that the Volunteer State has recorded 29,694 hospitalizations from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

Half of Tennessee residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine so far, which is also well below the national average.

In July, the state's top vaccine official, Dr Michelle Fiscus, stepped down under pressure from state leadership after accusations the Department of Health was attempting to undermine parents by offering the vaccine to minors.

State Republicans also attempted to abolish the Department of Health itself due to the accusations.

Tennessee suspended all vaccine outreach for minors in mid-July, a move Democrats say may hinder efforts to reach herd immunity against COVID-19.

Just over one million cases and 13,400 COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in Tennessee since the virus reached the state last March.

South Carolina is currently the state with the biggest COVID-19 outbreak, with one out of every 1,000 residents being infected with the virus. The state is also averaging a record 6,592 new cases every day

Kentucky is averaging a record 4,840 new cases per day. The state's poison control is reporting a surge in calls regarding misuse of the anti-parasite drug ivermectin

South Carolina is currently suffering the biggest outbreak of the virus of any state in the country.

One out of every 1,000 South Carolinians recorded a new COVID-19 case on August 31, the highest rate per capita in America.

New daily cases have increased by 53 percent over the past two weeks in South Carolina.

The Palmetto State, which also does not report cases daily, averaged a record 6,592 cases per day on September 1.

The state also reported 86 Covid deaths on Wednesday, the highest single day total since February.

Fifty-two percent of residents of the state have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, also behind the national pace.

South Carolina has recorded 741,000 cases and 10,000 deaths over the past 17 months.

Kentucky is recording a record 4,840 new COVID-19 cases every day, another record as the state loses control of its virus situation just as winter approaches, amid fears colder weather could cause a further spiral.

Some Kentuckians are attempting to combat the virus using their own remedies, particularly using ivermectin, a deworming drug that has been mischaracterized as a potential COVID-19 treatment.

The state's poison control reports a swell in calls regarding ivermectin, as some are using dosages of the drug meant for animals like horses and cows to treat themselves at home.

Doses for animals are much larger than ones meant for humans. The drug is safe for human consumption if the correct dosage is taken, although experts warn there's no proof it helps with Covid.

Kentucky has a higher vaccination rate than the others at 57 percent.

Schools in the Bluegrass State have been slammed as well, with Berea Independent School District in central Kentucky even closing.

In Kentucky, 741,000 COVID-19 cases and 10,600 deaths have been recorded during the Covid pandemic.

Nationwide, 62 percent of Americans have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine and 52 percent are fully vaccinated.

The country is also averaging 166,000 new cases every day, and 18 percent increase over the past two weeks.

While cases are growing, they are growing at a smaller rate than before, which could be a signal that the Delta variant-fueled surge is coming to a close.

Hospitalizations still remain high as well though, with 101,000 people hospitalized with the virus every day and 78 percent of ICU beds in the entire country being occupied right now.

Since March 2020, the United States has recorded 39.5 million cases and 642,000 deaths from the virus.

The country leads the world in both categories.
Moderna has asked the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve its COVID-19 vaccine booster shot ahead of the official September 20 rollout.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts, based company announced Wednesday that it had shared data with FDA in order to seek official authorization to give people a third dose of its vaccine.

Moderna reports that its third shots brings people to a higher antibody level than they had after receiving two shots. It found that immunity granted by its original two-shot vaccine had begun to wane six months after the second dose was given.

Health officials in the U.S. are hoping the booster shots can shore up Americans' protection against future variants of the virus as winter approaches.

Moderna has submitted data to the FDA for authorization of its COVID-19 booster shot. The White House hopes to begin rolling out the shots starting September 20. (File photo)

'We are pleased to initiate the submission process for our booster candidate,' said Stephane Bancel, Moderna CEO, said in a statement.

'We remain committed to staying ahead of the virus and following the evolving epidemiology of [COVID-19].

'We will continue to generate data and transparently share to support governments and regulators as they make evidence-based decisions regarding future vaccination strategies.'

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine has been used 145 million times, and over 65 million people have been fully vaccinated with it.

The White House announced on August 18 that Covid booster shots would soon begin to roll out from September 20 to shore up protection against the virus.

Officials cited the waning immunity the current crop of COVID-19 vaccines have offered, combined with the Delta variant's ability to cause breakthrough cases among vaccinated people as the reason why boosters are needed.

The CDC released three studies that found the potential decline of immunity from the vaccines over time.

Effectiveness of the Moderna (yellow) vaccine began to drop in June and July as the 'Delta' variant became more prevalent in Minesota. Moderna had an effectiveness of 76% against the strain

One study from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota found the Moderna vaccine is only 76 percent effective against the Delta variant.

A second study found that vaccines' effectiveness against COVID-19 diagnoses dropped from 96 percent to 80 percent in New York state between May 2021 and July 2021.

The third study found the effectiveness of the shots against infections in nursing home residents was 75 percent. Post-Delta, this had fallen to 53 percent.

While the shot's ability to defend a person from contracting the virus decreases over time, fully vaccinated people are still very unlikely to suffer hospitalization or death from COVID-19.

However, White House officials said they have concerns the decline of the vaccines' effectiveness will continue.

Booster shots will be available to Americans eight months after they received their second dose.

Moderna's vaccine received approval on December 18, meaning the earlier adopters of the vaccine will be eligible for the third shots starting September 20.

Boosters for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which was approved slightly before the Moderna shots on December 11, are planned to roll out on the 20th as well.

Pfizer and BioNTech submitted data for their booster shots to the FDA on August 16.

In total, 62 percent of all Americans have received at least one dose of a vaccine and 53 percent are fully vaccinated.
A frantic scene formed at an abortion clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, as dozens of women congregated in a last ditch effort to get an abortion.

Whole Womans Health (WWH) in Central Texas worked to terminate 67 pregnancies in 17 hours after an all-hands on deck approach to help women seeking care.

The strictest abortion law in the nation went into effect at midnight, and many local women flocked to the clinic for their last chance to have the procedure in their home state while they still could.

The frenzy occurred Tuesday night, August 31, after the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) had still not ruled on an emergency appeal to halt the law until further review.

On Wednesday night, the SCOTUS ruled not to place a stay on the law, allowing it to go into effect while it undergoes judicial review.

Whole Woman's Health Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas (pictured) performed 67 abortions in a matter of only 17 hours as many women arrived in a last ditch effort to get the procedure before a new restriction went into effect at midnight

Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder of WWH, notified people via Twitter that her clinic would perform abortions up until the midnight deadline

'We have staff and doctors providing abortions in Texas - still at this hour - and they are all in to provide care until 11:59 tonight. Our waiting rooms are filled with patients and their loved ones. Right now,' Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO and Founder of WWH wrote on the companies Twitter page.

The 19th reports that the clinic was surrounded by both patients and protesters.

Marva Sadler, an administrator at WWH, told the 19th that her staff that her team had to perform almost eight abortions an hour during the final hours in order to help everyone.

Not everyone could get the procedure they wanted, though.

One woman, The 19th reports, arrived for an abortion, telling the staff she was going to prison soon and did not want to deliver a child in jail.

Texas law already required a woman to get a first appointment with a doctor to discuss the procedure 24 hours they actually got the abortion done.

The new bill allows any woman who gets an abortion after six weeks to be sued by any private American anywhere in the country. Many women do not even know they are pregnant yet at six weeks (file photo)

She was coming in for only her first appointment, though, and was unable to have the termination.

The woman dropped to her knees, begging Sadler for help, according to the report, but the physicians were legally unable to help her.

She was 12 weeks pregnant, meaning she would be unable to have the procedure done in Texas once the law went into place.

Senate Bill 8, was passed by the Texas state legislature in May, and was set to go into place starting on September 1.

It is a 'heartbeat' bill, that prevents a woman from getting an abortion after the fetus first has a detectable heart beat.

This is generally at six weeks after the woman last experienced her menstrual period, a point where many women may not yet know they are expecting.

Under the law, any private citizen, anywhere in the nation, could file a lawsuit of up to $10,000 against any Texas woman who received an abortion after six weeks.

Anyone who is deemed to have assisted in the abortion process, from a doctor who performed or consulted with the woman about the procedure, a friend who gave the woman monetary or transportation assistance to get the abortion, or anyone else who in any way helped the woman.

Abortion advocates filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to prevent the law from taking effect pending judicial review.

The SCOTUS declined the injunction by a 5-4 vote, with all three liberal justices on the bench and conservative Chief Justice John Roberts voting in favor, and five conservative justices ruling against.

Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented. The other justices - all appointed by Republican presidents - allowed the law to stand. From left: Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, Stephen Breyer, Amy Coney Barrett, and Sonia Sotomayor

Opponents of the law argue that it violate precedent set by Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 SCOTUS decision that ruled abortion bans violated a person's constitutional rights.

The law is vague, they also argue, and who exactly can be sued is not formally laid out.

Advocates for the bill argue that the law does not violate Roe v Wade, as the government itself is not banning abortion.

Women will still be allowed to receive the abortion after six weeks, but doing so would open themselves and anyone involved to a private lawsuit.

Texas is now the only state that has a law in place that could restrict a woman's right to an abortion before 20 weeks. Mississippi joins Texas as the only states with restrictions before 22 weeks.

The law could still be struck down by the high court in the future, though it will still be in effect until any suchdecision is made.
We often hear weight gain attributed to the dreaded middle-aged spread.

But those aged 18 to 34 are in fact more likely to start piling on pounds than any other age group, a study has claimed.

And the chances of becoming overweight or obese steadily decrease in middle and old age, researchers say.

Furthermore, people who are trim at the age of 35 are likely to have developed habits that may help to keep them in good shape for life.

We often hear weight gain attributed to the middle-aged. But those aged 18 to 34 are in fact more likely to start piling on pounds than any other age group, a study claimed (stock image)

Experts from University College London and the University of Cambridge say their findings should encourage health officials to target healthy lifestyle advice at young adults.

They believe this group are the most likely to gain weight because the pressures of starting university, jobs and families may mean they eat more unhealthy food, cut down on exercise or increase their alcohol consumption.

Set your OWN targets to get fit fastest Setting your own targets may be key to getting fit and losing weight, a study suggests. Researchers recruited 500 people from low-income neighbourhoods who were at risk of heart attacks and strokes and gave them each a Fitbit to monitor their activities. The team found that those who were given a device without any targets to reach took about 300 to 500 extra steps a day, while those who were told to hit 2,000 extra steps a day  managed only 1,200 at most. On the other hand participants who were told to set their own targets, which they believed would work best and started immediately, did up to 1,900 extra steps a day. Dr Kevin Volpp, one of the study's senior researchers, at the University of Pennsylvania, said: 'Individuals who select their own goals are more likely to be intrinsically motivated to follow through on them. 'They feel like the goal is theirs.' The study, in JAMA Cardiology, also found that immediately going after your own step target was better than working up to it gradually. Advertisement

The researchers examined 9 million measurements of body mass index and weight taken from more than 2 million UK adults between 1998 and 2016.

They found that those aged 18 to 24 had the highest risk of becoming overweight or obese over the next decade of their life.

Being a young adult was a bigger risk factor for weight gain than sex, ethnicity, geographic region or socioeconomic background.

People aged 18 to 24 were four times more likely to become overweight or develop obesity over the following ten years than those aged 65 to 74.

They were also up to six times more likely to move to a higher BMI category, such as moving from overweight to obese or obese to severely obese.

The insights have allowed the researchers to produce an online calculator that predicts an individual's risk of weight gain over the next one, five or ten years for the first time.

Co-senior author Professor Harry Hemingway, from UCL, said: 'This study is a myth-buster. Middle-aged spread is nothing compared with the weight gain at a younger age.

'The idea that people are more likely to put on weight in middle age has persisted for decades because that is the age group that has been the subject of most research.'

He called for more targeted measures, saying: 'For too long the focus has been on people who are already obese, rather than how to prevent it.'

The authors, whose study was published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal, said they were surprised that social deprivation was linked to only a small rise in weight gain risk.
HISTORY

SBS: SILENT WARRIORS

by Saul David (William Collins 25, 528 pp)

In December 1942 ten British men, some barely out of their teens, weredelivered with their canoes by submarine to the mouth of the River Gironde in Occupied France.

Their job was to paddle more than 70 nautical miles upriver to the harbour at Bordeaux where they would sink enemy shipping with limpet mines. In one sense, the mission was a success. Five ships were sunk.

But only two of the men returned to Britain. The rest either drowned or were executed by the Germans. I felt ten feet tall, one of the survivors later wrote about his recruitment to the group. What I didnt know was that I was to be sent to almost certain death.

Saul David gives an account of how the Special Boat Service was born from wartime needs in a new book. Pictured: British in desert

Operation Frankton, as it was officially known, is the subject of the classic 1950s war film The Cockleshell Heroes. Its also one of the many tales of extraordinary courage in Saul Davids riveting history of the SBS (Special Boat Service) and associated maritime special operations units during World War II.

The SBS pre-dates its more famous counterpart, the SAS, by a year. It was founded in 1940 by a remarkable man, Roger Jumbo Courtney (whose nickname came from his days as an elephant hunter in Africa) who shaped the unit in his own image.

He had little time for swaggering show-offs  instead he looked for resourcefulness and quick thinking. When the future travel writer Eric Newby was interviewed by him, there was a sign on Courtneys desk which read: Are you tough? If so, get out. I need b***ers with intelligence.

The units first mission was a daring reconnaissance of Rhodes, then held by the Italians, in the spring of 1941. Fuelled by Benzedrine pills to keep them alert, their faces darkened by boot polish, Courtney and a colleague landed by canoe on beaches to survey enemy defences.

Their value proven, further operations by the SBS followed. One Free French general, Henri Giraud, was rescued by SBS canoe and submarine from Vichy France. In his 60s, Giraud was unused to travelling in a kayak and, at one point, was told, Sit down, you silly old fool by one of the SBS men.

SBS: SILENT WARRIORS by Saul David (William Collins 25, 528 pp)

The most ambitious of all their operations was a raid on the Libyan headquarters of Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox. The plan was to capture or kill the legendary German general. If he comes quietly, well bring him along, Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Keyes, the leader of the attack, said. If he doesnt, well knock him off.

In the event, the raid went badly wrong: Rommel was not even there, Keyes was killed and most of his men captured. Two of the party, Colonel Laycock and Sergeant Terry, made an astonishing 41-day trek across the desert to safety.

As they hid in daylight, Laycock read aloud from a copy of The Wind In The Willows to pass the time. Safe at last! Terry is reported to have said when they reached British lines. And now, thank God, I shant have to hear any more of that bloody Mr Toad!

The SBSs greatest achievements came during preparations for D-Day, when  on New Years Eve 1943, nearly six months before the invasion  they were the first to set foot on the chosen beaches to survey the terrain. On D-Day itself, crammed into mini-submarines, they went ahead of the main forces to guide in t landing craft by flashing signals and radar.

If they were spotted, they were supposed to scuttle the sub and swim ashore. We all had French identities, one man noted, in case we were captured or just drowned. I had the complete disguise outfit of a French taxi driver.

Todays SBS prides itself on its traditions. We are indebted to our bloodline . . . Unconventional and irregular, we are misfits who fit in, thinkers who fight and fighters who think.

Saul Davids book is a brilliant account of how the SBS was born from wartime needs, and just how much the organisation and its affiliated units were able to achieve in those early years.
FAT COW, FAT CHANCE by Jenni Murray (Penguin 9.99, 272 pp)

FAT COW, FAT CHANCE

by Jenni Murray (Penguin 9.99, 272 pp)

If the book title seems shocking, it is with good reason. For most of her adult life Jenni Murray has been substantially overweight, and fat cow is one of the more repeatable insults that strangers yell at her in the street.

At 64, Jenni weighed 24 stone and was suffering from severe obesity-related health problems when she decided to have gastric sleeve surgery to radically reduce the capacity of her stomach.

Four years on she has lost 10 st, and has finally learned to eat only when Im hungry and stop when Im full. Her memoir combines a painfully honest account of her lifelong battle to lose weight with an investigation into the physical and psychological causes of obesity.

ENTANGLED LIFE by Merlin Sheldrake (Vintage 10.99, 368 pp)

ENTANGLED LIFE

by Merlin Sheldrake (Vintage 10.99, 368 pp)

Fungi are everywhere, writes Merlin Sheldrake, but they are easy to miss. Neither plants nor animals, they live mysterious, hidden lives around us  and inside us.

They come in every shape and size, from microscopic yeasts to an ancient honey fungus in Oregon that covers 10 sq km.

Fungi thrive in habitats too extreme for most other life forms (radiation-resistant species grow at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor), yet more than 90 per cent of their species remain undocumented.

Sheldrake has been fascinated by fungi since childhood, and the more he studies, the more extraordinary he finds them, including their ability to communicate, learn and make decisions.

In this captivating and very personal guide, Sheldrake even plans to grow edible mushrooms on a copy of his own best-selling book.

PIRANESI

PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury 8.99, 272 pp)

by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury 8.99, 272 pp)

Susanna Clarkes first novel, the award-winning Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, is a historical fantasy of an uneasy friendship between two magicians in an alternative Regency Britain.

Her long-awaited second novel is set in a similarly fantastical world.

Her solitary hero, Piranesi (who shares his name with the 18th-century Italian artist, famous for his prints of imaginary prisons) lives in a house so immense that clouds gather in its upper chambers, and the sea sweeps through its lower floors.

He lives on fish and seaweed, keeping a meticulous journal of his lonely existence. He has a sinister occasional visitor known as The Other, who sometimes brings small useful gifts, but also seems to hold the key to the mystery of Piranesis presence in the house.

Haunting and beautiful, with echoes of Narnia and Gormenghast, this will delight Clarkes many fans.
The FTSE 250 stole the spotlight from its more glamorous FTSE 100 sibling as it raced to a fresh all-time high.

The mid-cap index rose 148.64 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 24,250.83, taking its gains this year to 18 per cent. The benchmark has now soared 89 per cent since last year's Covid low.

The showing was bolstered by movie theatre chain Cineworld, which jumped 2.4 per cent, or 1.62p, to 67.92p.

The FTSE 250 index rose 148.64 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 24,250.83, taking its gains this year to 18 per cent. The benchmark has now soared 89 per cent since last year's Covid low

Online gambling firm 888 also boosted the index, spinning 3.5 per cent, or 14.4p, higher to 422p after reporting a record set of first-half results accompanied by a 41 per cent hike to its interim dividend.

And storage unit operator Big Yellow Group, was up 3 per cent, or 46p, to 1571p, after receiving an upgrade from analysts at Morgan Stanley.

Other stocks fuelling the mid-cap momentum included rail ticket website Trainline, which rose 4.5 per cent, or 16.4p, to 382.2p, review website Trustpilot, up 6.5 per cent, or 28p, at 460p, and door and window component maker Tyman, up 7.7 per cent, or 32p, to 447p.

Stock Watch - Instem Instem, a provider of IT services to the healthcare market, jumped 6 per cent, or 47.5p, to 837.5p after snapping up competitor PDS Pathology Data Systems in a deal worth around 11.4million. The swoop allows it to strengthen its relationships with joint clients of the two, as around 70 per cent of PDS Pathology Data Systems top 20 clients are also Instem customers. Chief executive Phil Reason said: We have spoken on several occasions about a potential combination and are delighted they have agreed to join us, at a time when both our businesses and the life sciences market are thriving.

Weighing on the index, meanwhile, was retail stalwart WH Smith, which sank 3.8 per cent, or 62p, to 1570p after it warned that profits for its financial year will be at the lower end of expectations.

Other mid-cap fallers included iron ore miner Ferrexpo, which was down 0.6 per cent, or 2.2p, at 378.2p, and stock brokerage TP ICAP, which fell 0.1 per cent, or 0.25p, to 203p.

However, one firm bearing the brunt of the disruption was pub chain JD Wetherspoon, which said strains on its supply chain meant it had run out of some beers. Despite this, the shares were up 0.5 per cent, or 5p, at 1118p.

Meanwhile, the blue-chip FTSE 100 was up 0.4 per cent, or 30.14 points, at 7149.84, mostly shrugging off worries about rising prices and ongoing supply chain issues.

Oil markets were also in focus with Brent crude down 2.94 per cent, to $70.89 a barrel, as members of the Opec+ oil cartel, which includes nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia, met to set their policy towards production.

Earlier in the day, the price had risen, with Royal Dutch Shell up 0.5 per cent, or 7.4p, at 1423.6p while BP fell 0.9 per cent, or 2.7p, to 294.25p.

On AIM, fuel cell developer Ceres Power got a jolt of energy, rising 3 per cent, or 35p, to 1214p after saying its South Korean partner Doosan Corp plans a soft launch of a new fuel cell system next year.

Alpha FX was up 2.2 per cent, or 40p, to 1830p after profit at the foreign currency exchange firm soared 225 per cent in its first half to 15.3million.

Small-cap digger Altus Strategies was a bright spot, rising 5.9 per cent, or 4.5p, to 81p after confirming what it said was a significant gold discovery in southern Mali.

Tech investor Forward Partners climbed 4.3 per cent, or 4.5p, to 110p after saying its portfolio value grew by 3.7million following the debut of one of its holdings, online car retailer Cazoo, on the New York Stock Exchange last week.

Fellow investment outfit BP Marsh also received a boost as it struck a deal to offload Australian luxury car insurance firm MB Prestige in a deal worth 9million. The stock rose 3.2 per cent, or 10p, at 321p.

On the downside, Galantas Gold may have been hoping for a better reception to its first day of trading on the New York-based OTCQX market. Its shares in London failed to find support from the news and dropped 2.8 per cent, or 1p, to 34.5p.

Chill Brands, a maker of products containing cannabidiol, a chemical found in cannabis plants used to treat certain illnesses and ailments, was anything but flying high as it tumbled 24.2 per cent, or 9.5p, to 29.75p in reaction to full-year results, released after Tuesday's close of trading, that showed losses had widened to 5.9million from 1.8million last year.

Hotelier PPHE suffered similar results-based misery, sliding 4.9 per cent, or 74p, to 1446p after reporting that losses in its first half had widened by nearly 25 per cent.
SEC boss Gary Gensler said cryptocurrency platforms must work with the watchdog to draw up rules for the industry

The head of the US securities regulator has urged crypto- currency platforms to come in from the cold.

Gary Gensler, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has warned platforms trading assets like bitcoin are putting their survival at risk unless they work with the watchdog to draw up rules for the industry.

Gensler, seen as a friend of the crypto industry, believes it should be regulated in order to allay concerns over investor protection, financial stability and the clamping down of illicit activity such as money laundering.

Finance is about trust, ultimately, he told the Financial Times, saying he had been disappointed by a lack of take-up for his suggestion that crypto trading platforms register with SEC.

At about 1.5trillion of value worldwide, crypto trading is at the level and the nature that if its going to have any relevance five and 10 years from now, its going to be within a public policy framework, he said. Talk to us, come in, he added.

Genslers comments carry additional weight as he has taught a course on the subject, and come amid a sharp increase in regulatory scrutiny as a boom in investment has allowed trading platforms to rake in billions.
Meggitt suitor Parker- Hannifin has defended its takeover of the defence giant after a slew of criticism from political grandees, including Lord Heseltine.

Parker-Hannifin has vowed to protect UK jobs and factories for years to come in an attempt to get its 6.3billion buyout over the line.

The US giant swooped on Meggitt  which produces parts for F-35 fighter jets  with an 800p per share offer last month, which the defence companys board has already backed.

Takeover target: US corporate giant Parker-Hannifin swooped on Meggitt  which produces parts for F-35 fighter jets (pictured)  with a 6.3bn offer last month

The approach included a range of promises to preserve Meggitt  such as keeping its headquarters in the UK  to sweeten the deal.

But these were slammed because most only lasted for one year, meaning that the companys long-term future would still be in question.

Political figures have waded into the commitments, warning that any pledges are likely to be worthless.

Tory grandee Lord Heseltine, who was a defence secretary under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, said that he was unconvinced any company could provide cast-iron guarantees for the future.

He said in August: Im a total sceptic about any assurances that are given.

Companies cannot give the sort of cast-iron guarantees for the future that would be enough to persuade me. But Tom Williams, chief executive of Ohio-based Parker-Hannifin, yesterday looked to address Heseltines criticisms.

Tory grandee Lord Heseltine said that he was unconvinced any company could provide 'cast-iron guarantees for the future'

He told the Mail that the company has been emailing the Governments Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng about the takeover and has said it is willing to offer longer and more extensive undertakings.

Williams said: We are very open to talking in more detail with the Government over the content, duration and timing. He added: Weve communicated that to the Business Secretary.

Williams charm offensive comes three weeks before shareholders are due to vote on the Parker-Hannifin deal.

But Ohio-based Parker-Hannifin could yet be outbid by another US company, Transdigm, which has said that it is considering putting forward a 7billion offer of 900p per share.

Transdigm has until Tuesday, September 14 to make a firm bid or walk away. Proposing undertakings at this stage is highly unusual. Williams said that Meggitt bosses had been keen to secure assurances when they were involved in initial talks.

He said: We understood the sensitivity around defence and security capabilities and wanted to make ourselves dramatically different from other potential buyers.

Williams added: Were not a private equity firm, weve been in the UK for 50 years, we dont buy things and divest them by breaking them into pieces. Evaluate us by who we are rather than other transactions.
Level heading: Former HSBC boss John Flint is to run the new UK Infrastructure Bank

Former HSBC boss John Flint has been appointed to run the new UK Infrastructure Bank.

Flint, who lasted just 18 months in the top job at HSBC, will lead the Government-backed bank as it funnels billions of pounds into levelling up projects.

The Leeds-based bank, launched by Chancellor Rishi Sunak last year, opened in June and provides money for clean energy sites, better public transport, and improved water and waste systems.

It was designed to fill the gap left by the European Investment Bank post-Brexit, which provided around 7billion of cheap debt per year for projects. Flint spent 30 years at HSBC, before being ousted in 2019 in a disagreement over the banks strategy.
British food and drinks firms lost more than 2billion in sales after seeing a 'disastrous' fall in exports to the EU in the first half of the year, due to Brexit red-tape and pandemic disruption.

While exports to non-EU countries have soared, including to China, Singapore and Australia, they were not enough to offset a sharp decline in sales to the EU, with cheese and beef exports the worst hit.

The Food and Drink Federation, which represents more than 800 food and drink companies, from global brands to small businesses, said this was down to 'the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic' and 'the new trading relationship with the EU'.

Exports of cheese were down 34% in the first half of the year compared to 2019

Exports of beef and cheese were the worst hit, with sales down 37 and 34 per cent respectively in the first half of the year compared to the same six months in 2019, before the pandemic.

However, sales of salmon to the EU have risen by 13 per cent compared to 2019 and by 27 per cent compared to last year.

Sales of whisky, another top product exported to the EU, remain down 12 per cent compared to two years ago, but were up 20 per cent on last year.

'The return to growth in exports to non-EU markets is welcome news, but it doesnt make up for the disastrous loss of 2billion in sales to the EU,' said the head of international trade at the FDF, Dominic Goudie.

'It clearly demonstrates the serious difficulties manufacturers in our industry continue to face and the urgent need for additional specialist support.'

One in five small exporters have stopped selling into the EU because of Brexit red tape and costs involved, according to recent figures by the Federation of Small Businesses.

A further one in five are thinking about ending sales to the EU.

Goudie said that the mounting shortage of lorry drivers and other workers in the food and drink supply chain was exacerbating the situation.

'At the same time, we are seeing labour shortages across the UKs farm-to-fork food and drink supply chain, resulting in empty spaces on UK shop shelves, disruptions to deliveries and decreased production,' he added.

'Unless steps are taken to address these issues, the ability of businesses to fulfil vital export orders will be impacted.'

Exports of beef and cheese to the EU were the worst hit, but salmon and whisky sales rose

Decline: The FDF said food and drinks exports to the EU were 4.9billion in the first half, down from 5.8bn last year and 6.7bn in 2019

Food exporters have been particularly hit by Brexit because of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks that were not necessary before we left the union.

Overall, exporters of all kinds have struggled with extra paperwork and administrative costs since 1 January this year, when new requirements were introduced.

It comes as a recent investigation by The Mail on Sunday found that the cost of shipping a pallet of cheese to the EU has more than tripled from 75 to 240 due to extra red tape for exporters and price hikes by couriers.

Shipping a pallet of cheese to the EU has more than tripled from 75 to 240

Jason Hinds, sales director of Neal's Yard Dairy, told the MoS that pallets of its artisan cheeses had gone off after lorries were rejected at the French border and sent back to Britain due to admin issues with other exports being carried on the same truck.

The FDF said food and drinks exports to the EU fell 16 per cent to 4.9billion in the first half compared to last year.

All food and drinks exports fell 4.5 per cent to 9.2billion since last year. They are down more than 2billion since 2009, when they were worth 11.1billion

Producers lost some 500million in sales to Ireland, while exports to Germany, Spain and Italy were all down by around 50 per cent since the first half of 2019.

UK imports from the EU have also started to decline, and could 'deteriorate' further next year, especially those of meat, when full SPS checks on imports are introduced for the first time at UK ports.
Veteran BBC broadcaster John Simpson has revealed that he 'exorcised' his horrendous experience of being tortured in Lebanon in 1982 by writing about it in his new novel.

Mr Simpson, 77, the BBC's world affairs editor, opened up for only the second time about the ordeal, which he suffered at the hands of a Christian militia group.

The journalist had been sent to the Lebanese capital Beirut by the BBC to cover the conflict between Israeli forces and militant group the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) after Israel invaded the south of the country.

Speaking to historian Dan Snow in a podcast on streaming platform History Hit, Mr Simpson said he was 'tortured and beaten up' after being arrested.

They then subjected him to a mock execution by putting a pistol to the back of his head.

The experience is echoed by the main character in the journalist's new novel, Our Friends in Beijing, which is set in China.

Mr Simpson said that writing about the trauma, as well as others he suffered during his decades-long career of reporting from conflict zones around the world, was a 'real therapy'.

Veteran BBC broadcaster John Simpson (pictured above in 1981) has revealed that he 'exorcised' his horrendous experience of being tortured in Lebanon in 1982 by writing about it in his new novel

Mr Simpson, 77, the BBC's world affairs editor, opened up for only the second time about the ordeal, which he suffered at the hands of a Christian militia group while reporting on the 1982 Lebanon War. It took place after Israeli forces invaded the south of the country. Above: Israeli bombs dropping on Beirut

The journalist said: 'My chief character in the book undergoes quite a nasty torture experience which also did happen to me but not in China.

'It is something that happened to me in Beirut in 1982 when the Israelis invaded and there was wild civil war and really appalling stuff happened.

'One of the milder elements was that I was arrested and tied up and tortured and beaten up and then subjected to a mock execution.

'That has always worked on me and somehow or another I just wanted to get rid of it, exorcise it, by writing about it. But I presented it as though it was in China but in fact it was in Beirut years before.'

He added: 'Writing more than broadcasting is a real, real therapy for me.

The journalist had been sent to the Lebanese capital Beirut by the BBC to cover the conflict between Israeli forces and militant group the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) after Israel invaded the south of the country. Above: Israeli soldiers in Lebanon in 1982

'So I'm hoping that the 1982 experience, which I always rather kept quiet about, didn't tell anybody about it because I didn't feel I had behaved very well and so on.

'I am hoping to have kind of maybe wiped that out by now.'

Mr Simpson's novel, Our Friends in Beijing

John Swift, the main character in Mr Simpson's novel, also suffers a brutal beating and mock execution.

Israel invaded Lebanon in June 1982 after repeated skirmishes between PLO militants and members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The operation was launched after gunmen from a PLO splinter group, the Abu Nidal Organisation, attempted to assassinate Israel's ambassador to the UK.

Mr Simpson, who joined the BBC as a trainee in 1966 before becoming a reporter in 1970, was asked by Mr Snow if writing about the 1982 experience helped. 'Absolutely,' he replied.

He then told how he thought he would be believed he would be mentally scarred for the rest of his life after witnessing the botched executions of three men in Afghanistan during the Taliban's first regime in the 1990s.

He said that whilst the men were 'awful' killers themselves, their executions were performed 'so appallingly badly that I remember thinking as I was watching that 'this is going to haunt my dreams for the rest of my life'

Israel invaded Lebanon in June 1982 after repeated skirmishes between PLO militants and members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Above: Locals watch smoke rise into the sky during the invasion

He said that whilst he dreamed about what he saw 'that night' and later had nightmares, writing about it again helped to ease the trauma.

'As a result of writing about it and talking about it and thinking about it, it was a kind of therapy,' he said.

'I have never had any [more] bad dreams about it. It doesn't have a hold on me or harm me anymore.'
A heartbreaking photo shows an 11 year-old migrant girl carrying her three year-old brother through the desert hours before she and her mom died of heat exposure after crossing the US border from Mexico.

Maria Jose Sanchez was snapped by her mother Claudia Marcela Pena toting toddler brother Cristian David Morales on August 26, shortly before the mother and daughter's tragic deaths after they got lost in the searing heat of the Sonora Desert near Yuma in Arizona.

Pena made a frantic call to 911 in Sonora, Mexico, after crossing into the US with a 'coyote' people smuggler who then abandoned the family, and pleaded: 'Please help me.'

Asked by the operator how many people were with her, she added: 'Two children. Please help me. I am going to faint.'

In the background, Maria can be heard telling her, 'Mommy, I am hungry.' Pena could be heard trying to calm her daughter by answering: 'Soon, my love.'

The dispatcher asked Pena to send her her location using the WhatsApp messaging service, but Pena's phone went dead before she could do so.

That saw the agency's Air and Marine Operations dispatched to track the family down.

Cristian was found next to his mother and sister's bodies hours later, after 911 officials in Mexico contacted US Customs and Border Protection.

Pena and Maria were both deemed to have died from heat exhaustion, with no signs of violence found on their bodies. It is unclear what supplies the family had brought with them for their journey.

Somerton Cocopah Fire Dept Battalion Caps. Louis Carlos told DailyMail.com that Cristian David Morales was a 'little lethargic' when the border agents discovered the family

The agents drove through the rugged terrain and handed him over to paramedics.

Cristian was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, and survived his injuries. He is now being cared for by social services in California.

Maria Jose Sanchez, 11, carries her three-year-old Cristian David Morales through the Arizona Desert on August 25 - hours before she and her mom Claudia Marcela Pena died of heat stroke

Pena, pictured with her surviving son Cristian, 3, fled her native Colombia after being threatened with a gun, and had planned to reunite with husband Victor Morales in Florida

Maria, who died alongside her mom, is pictured with Cristian outside a Mexico convenience store during the trip that ultimately killed them. The family were taken across the border into Arizona by a 'coyote' people smuggler, who then left them to fend for themselves

Another photo posted by Pena showed her children playing in the Arizona desert

Pena traveled from her home in Colombia to make the illegal crossing in a bid to be reunited with husband Victor Morales, who lives in Florida, Telemundo reported.

The mom told Morales that she'd been prompted to make the trip after being threatened with a gun in her hometown of Tunja, which sits in Colombia's Boyaca state.

No further details of that incident have been shared.

Morales said he hadn't seen Pena since January 2019, and that he'd never met Cristian, but that they'd stayed in touch via video calls, Univision reported.

After crossing the US border, Pena had planned to turn herself into border agents, or dial 911 if she didn't see any in the vicinity.

This map shops the US-Mexico border along California, including the area where Claudia and Maria's bodies were found

Claudia's widower Victor Morales, pictured, said his late wife would never have made the trip had she realized it was going to involve a dangerous desert crossing

Maria and Cristian are pictured at an airport in Mexico shortly before making the crossing that killed the 11 year-old and her mother

Morales and Pena last spoke when she got lost in the desert border region.

'My wife's greatest desire was for my son to be with me, but she did it at a high price,' Morales told Telemundo as he fought back tears.

Yeni Acevedo told Tunja radio station Positiva FM that her cousin and the children traveled to Bogota on August 19 and then took a flight to Mexico City on August 21. They then took a Tijuana-bound flight August 24 around noon and Pena called Acevedo approximately at 9pm to say they had arrived in Mexicali.

Pena reached out to her Acevedo again on August 26 around 6am to let her know that she was leaving Mexico for the United States and that she would reach out to her at a later time because she would not have any service.

Acevedo learned through Morales at 11am that same day that Pena and the kids were already in the U.S. On August 26, Morales called to inform her that Pena and Maria Jose had been found dead, but that Cristian David was at a medical facility.

Pena made a frantic final call to a 911 operator in the US to plead for help, but fainted before she could send the dispatcher her location

Cristian is currently being cared for by social services, with his father David hopeful of a reunion

Acevedo has since accused the coyotes of misleading his wife, and claims they led her to her death.

'They never told her that she was going to go through a desert, she would never expose her children that way and she would have told me about that part,' He said. 'That is where this story is falls apart, because if she entered Mexico legally, I do not understand how they expose them like that.'

Morales said he has been in touch with a social worker with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, an agency with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which has temporary custody of unaccompanied minors before they are reunited with their family members or a sponsor in the country.

He has been instructed to find a place that will be suitable for him and his son to live in as part of the terms of their eventual reunion.

Colombian officials have indicated that they can offer to help Cristian return to his home country, although Morales is keen to have his son live with him in the US.

Morales also said that he was granted permission by Pena's brother and Sanchez's biological father to cremate their remains before taking them back to Colombia.

'I am going to hold a ceremony in the ocean because my (stepdaughter's) biggest wish was to get to know the sea,' Morales said.
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Police continuing the hunt for Claudia Lawrence have drained a fishing lake in their latest desperate bid for clues more than a decade after her disappearance.

Six specialist officers were pictured working in Sand Hutton, North Yorkshire - which is eight miles from the missing chef's York home - after they began searching the area around the gravel pit just days ago.

Experts used machinery to remove mud, rotten vegetation and rocks from beneath the surface of the water, while officers on land conducted fingertip searches through the leafy woodland as the hunt intensified.

The owners of the land carried out a study into the terrain and surroundings two years ago and the results, which were recently passed to police, are believed to have triggered the new searches.

North Yorkshire Police search teams continue to search a partially drained lake near York today

Pumps have been used to drain the lake in Sand Hutton, North Yorkshire to make it easier to hunt for clues into Claudia's disappearance

Detectives left the smaller of the two lakes empty as Yorkshire Police's probe escalated on Tuesday, September 1

The police searches started earlier this week with no official announcements made before expert officers arrived at the scene

Chef Claudia Lawrence failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009 and is presumed dead by officers

Detectives left the smaller of the two lakes empty, as Claudia's mother Joan, 78, reiterated her fear of bad news as the police probe escalates.

She told The Mirror: 'As a mum, hearing about a lake being drained and a fingertip search being carried is just a nightmare.

'No parent should ever have to endure this. I'm left wondering every day what is going on and what might be found.

'Would it be her rucksack, her phone or anything at all?'

Specialist officers and staff, including underwater search teams, and forensic experts have spent recent days at the site.

The fishing spot near York, is being searched by Yorkshire Police officers investigating the suspected murder

Police search woodland and drain a lake at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits, near York, in the search for Claudia Lawrence on August 27

Claudia Lawrence's route home from work and matched by her now missing mobile phone

Joan revealed she was not informed by police that they were planning to drain Sand Hutton's gravel lakes, and suspects they are working on a new line of investigation.

'The police must know something to go to all this work,' she told the Mirror.

'They know something and I don't  the not knowing is awful. I can't get on with life while Claudia is missing.

'It affects every minute of my day. I've started having really awful nightmares again. This is the reality of living with a missing child and a live investigation.

'I am begging anyone with any information to come forward and end this eternal pain I have to endure constantly.'

The disappearance of Claudia Lawrence 2009 March 18 - Miss Lawrence speaks with her parents over the phone and, at 8.23pm, sends her friend a text. She has not been seen or heard from since. March 20 - Miss Lawrence's father, Peter, contacts North Yorkshire Police after his daughter fails to keep an arrangement to meet a friend at the Nags Head pub. She also fails to attend work. March 23 - Mr Lawrence describes his daughter's disappearance as a 'living nightmare' during a news conference in York. April 24 - Detectives say that Miss Lawrence's disappearance is being treated as a suspected murder investigation. A 10,000 reward is offered for information that could lead to the conviction of those responsible. 2010 May 6 - Mr Lawrence calls for an urgent independent inquiry into the police investigation of his daughter's disappearance and suspected murder. July 29 - Police confirm they are reducing the number of officers dedicated to the inquiry into Miss Lawrence's disappearance. 2013 October 29 - A new forensic search of Miss Lawrence's home is announced as police launch a fresh review of the case. 2014 March 19 - Five years on from Miss Lawrence's disappearance, officers discover at her home the fingerprints of people who have still not come forward to the investigation. May 13 - A 59-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murder. He is released on police bail and eventually released without charge on November 17, 2014. 2015 March 23 - A man in his 50s is arrested on suspicion of murdering Miss Lawrence and is released on police bail the following day. April 22 - Three more men, all in their 50s and from the York area, are arrested on suspicion of murder and are released on bail. September 17 - A file of evidence on four men arrested on suspicion of murder is sent by North Yorkshire Police to the Crown Prosecution service (CPS) so it can consider whether to bring charges. 2016 March 8 - Police say the CPS has decided the four men will not face charges. 2017 January 17 - Mr Lawrence says he is 'hugely depressed and disappointed' as the investigation into his daughter's disappearance is scaled down. 2019 March - Nearly a decade on from her disappearance, Miss Lawrence has still not been found. Her father says in an interview that 'it's very difficult' to conceive of her still being alive. July - The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill, also known as Claudia's Law, came into force. This followed years of campaigning by Mr Lawrence and allows relatives to take control of their missing loved ones' financial matters. 2021 February 15 - The death of Peter Lawrence in announced. March 18 - Speaking after taking over the police investigation, Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox said it is not too late for people to come forward and stop the 'unrelenting anguish' caused to the chef's loved ones. August 24 - A new search operation is announced at the gravel pits at Sand Hutton, about eight miles from York. Advertisement

Miss Lawrence, who lived by herself in the Heworth area of York, failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009 and was reported missing by her father Peter Lawrence two days later, after her friends said they had not heard from her.

In the twelve years since her disappearance, nine people have been questioned by officers, but no charges have ever been brought.

The case - which is being treated as a suspected murder - has never been closed by North Yorkshire Police.

Police believe Ms Lawrence  who worked at York University  was murdered, although no body has ever been found.

Her father Mr Lawrence - who campaigned tirelessly for Claudia's Law, which allows relatives to control of their missing loved ones' financial matters - died in February aged 74, without finding out what happened to her. His friend Martin Dales said earlier this year that there could be one or more people 'at large' who knew what happened to her.

Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox said: 'I thank the public for the positive responses and new information received in support of the current phase of the investigation.

'Our focus is on finding Claudia and bringing those responsible for her disappearance and suspected murder to justice.'

It came as Claudia's mother Joan Lawrence said she feared the double killer Christopher Halliwell could be connected to the case.

Keen fisherman and cabbie Halliwell, 57, is behind bars for life for murdering Sian O'Callaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20, after snatching them from nightclubs.

But many connected to his case believe he has further victims, including Ms Godden's mother who has previously said she knew of a witness who saw Halliwell talking to Claudia back in 2019 before she disappeared.

Stephen Fulcher  the detective superintendent who caught the killer  has also gone on record to say there were 'clear indications' he had other victims, although did not go as far as name them.

The date of the year Claudia disappeared, March 18, 2009, is also the same date years later Halliwell abducted and killed Sian.

It is thought the day is significant because he was dumped on that same day by an ex over a decade ago.

Joan explained: 'Something always bothered me about Halliwell and leaves me feeling very uneasy.

'The police may not have proved he had anything to do with my daughter's disappearance, but they haven't disproved it either,' she added to the Mirror.

Earlier this week, Joan Lawrence said she has been doing everything to keep herself busy after police scoured woodland and a fishing lake eight miles from her York home yesterday.

She explained: 'It's been truly awful and every parent's worst nightmare.

'I'd rather have no news than bad news, but I do dread there being bad news. I pray for answers every day. I am really thrown by what is happening now.

'They've made me nervous. What are they searching for? The bag, for the phone? For her? I'm worried about my daughter but it's always been my instinct that she is still alive. I can't give up hope. That's what keeps me going.'

She said the constant stress she has lived with for 12 years since Claudia's disappearance has left her with alopecia and having to wear wigs.

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 last week.

Experts explained they expected the specialist divers to dredge the lake to conduct 'fine fingertip searches' and use 'underwater metal detectors' to scour the area for evidence.

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.

The force said it could not disclose what had led officers to the location eight miles from York

Joan Lawrence said she feared killer Christopher Halliwell could be connected to the case after learning of lake development

Halliwell, 57, is behind bars for life for murdering Sian O'Callaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20, in two brutal attacks

Police divers have been searching the waters at a fishing lake at Sand Hutton in an effort to crack the 12-year-old case

Officers used large sticks to rake back swathes of leaves and grass to look for any clues

Claudia Lawrence (right, with her father Peter) was reported missing after she failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009

'I would imagine they are searching with some very good intelligence.'

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.'
Robert F Kennedy's youngest daughter has hit out at a California parole board's recommendation to free the assassin that killed her father after nearly five decades in prison.

The Kennedy family was divided on Friday when the California panel recommended that killer Sirhan Sirhan, 77, be granted parole.

Now 52-year-old Rory Kennedy, who was born after her father's death, has made her stance abundantly clear in an opinion piece published by The New York Times on Wednesday titled 'The Man Who Murdered My Father Doesn't Deserve Parole.'

Rory was born six months after her father's assassination at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. She opens the piece explaining that her, her mother, and the majority of her siblings wish to see Sirhan stay behind bars, despite some of her family members who think otherwise.

She boldly writes, 'As my father was taken forever, so too should Mr. Sirhan be.'

The youngest sibling states that her 'father's murder was absolute, irreversible, a painful truth that I have had to live with every day of my life.'

Sirhan Sirhan, 77, was recommended to be released on parole by a California panel on Friday after 53 years in prison for murder. He is pictured on Friday

Rory Kennedy, 52, published an opinion piece on Wednesday titled 'The Man Who Murdered My Father Doesn't Deserve Parole' calling on the full parole board and Gov. Gavin Newsom reject Sirhan's recommendation for parole

She goes on to describe experiences that were taken from her along with her father including meeting her father, playing with her father, getting dropped off at college by her father, or getting walked down the aisle.

Rory continues on speculating 'the price of her father's life' cut short and how it impacted the American people pointing to the 'thousands of young men who died in Vietnam as the war my father opposed ground on for nearly seven more years', 'the millions living in poverty or under the yoke of racism', 'the wrongfully convicted who have languished behind prison walls', and 'the generation of would-be leaders whose hopes and dreams my father carried with him.'

She calls on the words her Uncle Teddy used when he pleaded with the district attorney to spare Sirhan's life in 1969 when he was sentenced to death: 'My brother was a man of love and sentiment and compassion.'

But Rory argues that Sirhan was showed compassion in 1972 when California suspended the death penalty and changed his sentence to 'life with the possibility of parole'- the option for 'life without parole' was not yet a choice.

RFK was shot in Los Angeles after giving a victory speech following his win in the South Dakota and California 1968 Democratic presidential primaries (Pictured: Ethel, left, RFK, right)

She claims that she speaks on behalf of the majority of her siblings and her mother who believe that Sirhan killed RFK and has not accepted responsibility for the drime

Rory's stance comes from her belief that her father's convicted killer 'has not been willing to accept responsibility for his act and has shown little remorse.'

Sirhan has tried for parole 15 times before last week's hearing. Rory points to his 2016 hearing as proof that her father's assassin is not willing to accept responsibility for the killing.

She claims that when Sirhan was asked to explain how he was involved in the assassination, Sirhan simply replied, 'I was there, and I supposedly shot a gun.'

When the commissioner asked again saying, 'I'm asking you to tell me what you believe you're responsible for,' Sirhan replied, 'It's a good question. Legally speaking, I'm not guilty of anything.'

FOR: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (left) and Douglas Kennedy (right) have supported Sirhan's recommendation for parole

AGAINST: The statement posted Friday was signed by six of Robert Kennedy's nine surviving children announced that they were 'devastated' by the San Diego panel's ruling. L-R Joseph P. Kennedy II, Maxwell Kennedy and Rory Kennedy

AGAINST: The siblings will continue to fight to keep Sirhan behind bars for their father's murder. L-R Courtney Kennedy Hill, Kerry Kennedy and Christopher Kennedy

Rory then points to last week's hearing when Sirhan claimed that after 53 years he still does not remember the crime saying, 'it pains me to experience that, the knowledge for such a horrible deed, if I did in fact do that,' according to The Associated Press.

Rory questions, 'How can you express remorse while refusing to accept responsibility?'

'And how, having committed one of the most notorious assassinations of the latter part of the 20th century, can you be considered rehabilitated when you won't even acknowledge your role in the crime itself?'

Parole commissioner Robert Barton reportedly recommended Sirhan for release despite his 'lack of taking complete responsibility' because they did not deem him to be 'currently dangerous.'

But Rory argues that the parole board acted 'without concern for justice or regard for rehabilitation.' She also points to the disturbing idea that his freedom could allow her father's killer to move less an hour away from her home, where his brother lives.

The youngest of RFK's children ends her plea directly asking the full parole board and Governor Gavin Newsom 'to please reject this recommendation and keep Sirhan Sirhan in prison.'

On the same day as Sirhan's recommendation to parole, six of the nine surviving children of the slain New York Senator issued a statement announcing that they were 'devastated' by the San Diego panel's ruling.

Although most of the Kennedy family has avoided discussing or engaging with their father's death and Sirhan in public, the parole board's recommendation has pushed some of them to 'adamantly oppose the parole and release of Sirhan Sirhan.'

'We are in disbelief that this man would be recommended for release,' the statement from the six siblings read.

It was signed by Joseph P. Kennedy II, Courtney Kennedy Hill, Kerry Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Maxwell T. Kennedy and Rory Kennedy who write that the decision has 'inflicted enormous additional pain.'

But two of RFK's children, Douglas Kennedy, 54, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 67, have supported Sirhan's parole.

Sen. Robert Kennedy and Ambassador Hotel employee Juan Romero moments after RFK was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, June 1968

A mortally wounded Robert Kennedy on the floor of the kitchen at the Ambassador Hotel, June 1968

Robert Kennedy was walking through the kitchen of the hotel stopping to speak with supporters when he was shot, June 1968

RFK was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital and pronounced dead a day later, on June 6, 1968

Douglas addressed the two-person panel that recommended that parole be granted during a virtual hearing, according to the AP.

'I'm overwhelmed just by being able to view Mr. Sirhan face to face,' he said moved to tears. '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.'

RFK Jr. has spoken in favor of Sirhan's release, and wrote in a letter that he met with his father's killer in prison who 'asked for forgiveness,' the AP reported.

He has previously stated that he does not believe Sirhan killed his father.

Paul Schrade, who'd worked with RFK and was also shot that night, also believes that Sirhan was not the shooter and should be released.

'Sirhan did not shoot Robert Kennedy,' Schrade, 96, maintains. 'I got the first shot, the second shot missed Kennedy,' according to NPR.

He believes that unreliable ballistics evidence by the Los Angeles Police Department disrupted the case and advocates for Sirhan's release in order to find RFK's true assassin.

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, 70, and Ethel Kennedy, 93, RFK's widow, have not publicly announced their opinions of Sirhan's parole recommendation.

Two of Robert and Ethel's 11 children are deceased. David Kennedy died at age 28 in 1984 and Michael Kennedy died at age 39 in 1997.

This marked Sirhan's 16th attempt at parole. The panel's recommendation still awaits a review by the California Parole Board and a final decision by Governor Gavin Newsom.

The review process could take up to 120 days.

Sirhan was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1969. He is serving a life sentence at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, California

Sirhan has attempted to be recommended for parole 15 times before Friday's recommendation. The decision will now move to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk

Sirhan stepped towards RFK with a rolled up campaign poster, hiding his .22 revolver shooting him in the head from only a foot away

He was immediately wrestled to the ground by RFK's security team and taken into custody. He claims that he has been drinking alcohol and did not remember pulling the trigger

Robert Kennedy was the younger brother to former President John F. Kennedy, serving as his brother's US attorney general. He was then elected as a New York Senator.

RFK was 42 years old when he was pronounced dead on June 6, 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel. The rising politician was shot after giving a victory speech following his win in the South Dakota and California 1968 Democratic presidential primaries.

The shooting occurred in the kitchen area of the hotel as RFK and several of his staff made their way to the press room. He and five other people were shot as Sirhan was immediately apprehended.

Sirhan was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death the next year. He eluded execution when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972 and lessened his sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

The Palestinian immigrant claimed he had been drinking on the night of the assassination and doesn't remember pulling the trigger.

If Sirhan is released, he may be deported to Jordan as he never obtained US citizenship after immigrating to the country from Israel as a child.
In a bid to overcome a shortage of delivery drivers, Amazon is asking its delivery partners to prominently advertise that they do not screen applicants for marijuana use.

The US is grappling with driver shortages across a number of industries, from commerce to transportation, and are promoting hiring incentives such as bonuses.

For Amazon's local contractors, which operate the ubiquitous blue Amazon delivery vans, the delivery giant is now asking them to dangle another: no penalization for pot use.

Drivers will obviously not be allowed to drive while under the influence, but Amazon believe many have been put off applying because they fear a test will bring up prior use of the drug.

The company has told its partners that advertising the fact that they won't test for marijuana can boost applicants by 400 percent, but did not say how it arrived at that number, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Amazon is now asking its delivery partners, which operate the company's ubiquitous blue vans to prominently advertise in job posting that they do not screen for marijuana use in a bid to address driver shortages

Additionally, the company says that THC screening can cut prospective workers by as much as 30 percent.

Already, some of the ads are popping up.

Six days ago Portland, Oregon-based, Apcore Logistics placed an ad on the job posting site Linkedin for delivery drivers.

At the top of the listing it says in bold letters, 'No THC Drug Testing.'

And on Wednesday, another Portland-based company, Lattitude Logistics, placed an ad on Indeed with similar language.

At the top, the posting says 'NO Cannabis testing!' with an addendum 'Bonuses every Paycheck!'

Already ads are popping up with prominent language for jobseekers who might otherwise think twice before applying

One Amazon partner said marijuana had been the main reason drivers failed drug tests, Bloomberg reported.

After it stopped at the behest of the company, and began only screening for amphetamines and opiates, she told the outlet that more drivers started passing.

Others, however, say they are worried about insurance liabilities, particularly in states where marijuana use remains illegal.

So far, 19 states have legalized marijuana either for medical or recreational use.

The vast majority of delivery driver postings by delivery partners on sites such as Linkedin and Indeed say they still require workers to pass drug tests.

Delivery truck drivers are among the fastest growing occupations in the country

Other partners have said they worry that by ending marijuana testing, it could encourage drivers to get high before getting behind the wheel.

'If one of my drivers crashes and kills someone and tests positive for marijuana, thats my problem, not Amazons,' another partner told Bloomberg.

The push to hire more delivery drivers comes as the industry has seen large growth in recent years.

According to the US Department of Labor, employment of delivery truck and van drivers is projected to grow five percent from 2019 to 2029, which is higher than the average employment for all occupations in the country.

The move comes after Amazon said the company itself would stop screening job applicants for marijuana use, and has been lobbying federal lawmakers to pass laws legalizing the drug

Additionally, about 164,100 additional openings for delivery drivers are projected each year, the agency reported.

Amazon's request to its partners comes on the heels of its announcement in June that the company itself wont test jobseekers for marijuana.

In a blogpost, the company said it would end testing for marijuana use, but would conduct 'impairment checks' on the job, and the company said some roles may still require a cannabis test in line with Department of Transportation regulations.

The company said it was also lobbying lawmakers to pass federal marijuana legalization measures, noting that marijuana laws disproportionately affected communities of color.
Apple announced on Wednesday that residents in eight states will be allowed to add their driver's license or ID card to the Wallet app on iPhones or Apple Watch after a software update this fall.

After first announcing the idea of digital IDs at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) this summer, Apple will now allow users to scan their driver's license or IDs on iPhones or Apple Watch.

They will then have to upload a photo of themselves and 'complete a series of facial and head movements,' for security purposes.

A 'tap' functionality will also be built-in Apple Wallet so that users can just present their licenses or IDs via Face or Touch ID for review without unlocking their screens or giving their smartphone to someone else.

Arizona and Georgia will be the first states to have access to the new functionality, according to the company, while Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma and Utah will be the other states involved in the feature's rollout in the near future.

Drivers in eight states will be able to add their driver's license to their Apple Wallet on iPhones (left) and on their Apple Watch (right)

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be the first federal agency to approve the use of digital licenses at airport security checkpoints in the first eight states to carry out the feature.

'We are excited that the TSA and so many states are already on board to help bring this to life for travelers across the country using only their iPhone and Apple Watch, and we are already in discussions with many more states as we're working to offer this nationwide in the future,' vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet platforms said Jennifer Bailey, adding that the launch was an 'important step in our vision of replacing the physical wallet with a secure and easy-to-use mobile wallet.'

TSA administrator David Pekoske praised the feature, saying that it will allow for a 'more seamless airport security screen experience for travelers,' Popular Science reported.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be the first federal agency to use digital license's at airport security checkpoints in the first eight states to carry out the feature

Apple added that customer data will be 'encrypted and protected against tampering and theft,' and that the ID can only be viewed by the owner.

However, the new feature is already a point of concern for some privacy and security experts.

'This just strikes me as the latest example of where they're trying to weave themselves into more and more aspects of our lives,' Evan Greer, director of the digital rights activism non-profit Fight for the Future, told NPR in June.

Drivers in eight states will be able to add their license to Apple Wallet on their iPhones (pictured), a feature which has already outlined data security and privacy concerns

'And when Apple becomes kind of indispensable, it truly is too big to fail.'

The tech giant reassured its users, saying that the feature was 'built with privacy at the forefront,' and that personal details on digital IDs will not be tracked or shared.

The question of potential privacy leaks has also been raised.

While the new feature will only be rolled out to a handful of states for TSA use only, it's difficult to imagine a future involving an interaction where users present digital state driver licenses or IDs to law enforcement without knowing how police officers will interact with the person's phone if their license is on it, especially if they have to go back to their police cars with it.

American Civil Liberties Union's raised the question in a recent report on the consequences of introducing digital IDs in society and its potential for abuse by law enforcement.

'Given rampant questionable police searches of mobile devices, statutory protections against such searches  already needed  will become even more vital if people's smartphones are to become a central and routine part of interactions with law enforcement,' the report said.

The rollout for Apple's plan to replace physical wallets has not yet been announced in the other 42 states.
Several inmates at a northwest Arkansas jail said they weren't told a medication they were given to treat COVID-19 was actually an anti-parasite drug that federal health officials have warned should not be used to treat the coronavirus.

Three inmates at the Washington County jail claim ivermectin was 'tested' on them and that they didn't know the medication they were prescribed was a toxic horse deworming drug until its use at the facility was revealed last week.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas said it has also heard similar complaints from inmates after the use of the drug was revealed during a meeting of the Washington County quorum court, the county's governing body.

The ACLU has demanded that Sheriff Tim Helder respond to its inquiries by Thursday asking whether he has instructed or will instruct Dr. Rob Karas and his staff to cease administering ivermectin for COVID-19.

Dr. Rob Karas, left, has been accused of prescribing the horse dewormer ivermectin to inmates at the Washington County jail without their knowledge

Three inmates at the Washington County jail claim ivermectin was being 'tested' on them

In the letter, the ACLU said some inmates are prepared to file a lawsuit to halt the drug from being prescribed. The group said it was 'unconscionable' that inmates weren't informed they were being given the drug.

According to the ACLU, which has called on the jail to stop prescribing the drug, several inmates claimed they were told the drug was vitamins or steroids.

'They were pretty much testing us in here is all they were doing, seeing if it would work,' said William Evans, an inmate who said he was given the drug for two weeks after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Edrick Floreal-Wooten, another inmate, said he was given ivermectin at the jail after he tested positive on August 21.

'I asked what are they, and they'd just tell me vitamins,' Floreal-Wooten said. 'With me being sick and all of us being sick, we thought that they were there to help us. I never thought they would do something shady.'

Floreal-Wooten said he refused to take the drug last week after seeing a news article about ivermectin being prescribed to inmates.

When asked whether he would have taken the drug had they told him at the outset it was ivermectin, he responded: 'Never. I'm not livestock. I'm a human.'

The inmates' comments contradict assertions by the sheriff and the jail's physician that the use of the drug was voluntary. The drug's use at the jail has prompted an investigation by the state Medical Board.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Sheriff Helder and Dr. Karas for more information and additional comment about the use of the drug in the jail.

Karas, who has faced calls to resign his post, released a lengthy statement last week defending the use of ivermectin - saying he had been prescribing the drug to inmates and patients at his clinics since late last year.

'Patients at Washington County Detention Center are never forced to take medicines and routinely refuse medications which is their right,' Karas wrote on Facebook last week.

In another post on Facebook on Tuesday, Karas noted his clinic had two patients die and six patients the clinic has treated in different stages in the hospital - with four of them on ventilators.

Holly Dickson, Executive Director of ACLU of Arkansas, said inmates 'have a right to know what they are being given.'

'This is not a right they forego by virtue of being locked up,' she said.

County-elected Justice of the Peace Eva Madison (left) called on the committee to replace Dr Karas. 'I think we need to reevaluate who we're using,' she said at a finance and budget committee meeting for Washington County

Dickson noted in a statement Sheriff Hedler has requested to use COVID-19 relief money to expand the jail, illustrating 'the larger systemic problem of mistreatment of detainees and over incarceration in Arkansas that has persisted.'

'No one - including incarcerated individuals - should be subject to medical experimentation. Sheriff Helder has a responsibility to provide food, shelter and safe, appropriate care to incarcerated people,' Dickson said.

Pharmacy prescriptions for ivermectin jumped nationwide this summer, and health officials in Arkansas and other states have warned against its use to treat COVID-19 after spikes in poison control center calls about people taking the animal form of it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week sent an alert about the trend to doctors. The CDC said there is not good evidence that ivermectin is effective at preventing or treating COVID-19, and that the government has not authorized it to be used against the coronavirus.

'In July 2021, ivermectin calls have continued to sharply increase, to a five-fold increase from baseline. These reports are also associated with increased frequency of adverse effects and emergency department/hospital visits,' the CDC wrote.

In the letter, the ACLU said some inmates are prepared to file a lawsuit to halt the drug from being prescribed

The CDC noted that the clinical effects of ivermectin overdose include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea - as well as hypotension and neurologic effects such as decreased consciousness, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, coma, and death.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved ivermectin for use by people and animals for some parasitic worms and for head lice and skin conditions. The FDA has not approved its use in treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans.

The drug's manufacturer, Merck, said in February that it had found no evidence that ivermectin is an effective treatment for patients with COVID-19.

The American Medical Association, the American Pharmacists Association and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists on Wednesday called for an immediate end to prescribing the drug to treat the coronavirus outside clinical trials.

Republican lawmakers in Arkansas and other states have touted the drug as a potential treatment for COVID-19, despite the warnings against its use.

Dr. Jose Romero, Arkansas' secretary of health, wouldn't say whether he thought it was appropriate for the jail's inmates to be prescribed ivermectin but said using any drug off-label would require an agreement between the physician and the patient.

'I don't know what agreement has been made,' Romero told reporters at a news conference this week.

Romero said the state health department doesn't endorse its use for COVID-19.
Chandler Halderson, 23, of Windsor, (pictured) entered a not guilty plea Wednesday on all charges related to the killing and dismembering of his parents, Bart and Krista

A Wisconsin man accused of killing and dismembering his parents pleaded not guilty to all charges in court Wednesday.

Chandler Halderson, 23, of Windsor, was arrested July 8 on charges of lying to officials after spinning a 'web of lies' surrounding the deaths of his parents, Bart, 50, and Krista, 53.

During a roughly-two minute hearing Wednesday, Dane County Circuit Judge John Hyland entered Halderson, who did not speak, in a not guilty plea.

A nearly month-long trial has been scheduled for January, according to court documents.

The 23-year-old suspect remains in Dane County Jail on $1million bond and has reportedly waived his demand for a speedy trial.

According to prosecutors, Halderson reported his parents missing on July 7.

He told investigators that his parents took a Fourth of July weekend trip to their cabin in northern Wisconsin on and never returned to their Dane County home.

Authorities found discrepancies in his story, including a claim that his parents had planned to attend a parade in White Lake when no parade had been scheduled.

The Langlade County Sheriff's Office also found 'no signs of immediate activity' at the family cabin.

Detectives reviewed Chandler Halderson's Google queries from June 30 through July 8 and found that he had searched for multiple phrases, including 'Wisconsin dismembered body found,' 'Woman's body found in Wisconsin,' and 'Body found Wisconsin,' the complaint states.

At that point, authorities hadn't yet found either of his parents' remains.

Chandler Halderson of Windsor, 23, is charged with two counts each - one for each parent - of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse and providing false information on a kidnapped or missing person. On Wednesday, he pled not guilty to all eight of his charges

Halderson told investigators that Bart (left) and Krista (right) took a Fourth of July weekend trip to their cabin in northern Wisconsin and never returned to their never Dane County home

Bart's dismembered remains were found on July 8, in rural Dane County. Krista's remains were found six days later along the Wisconsin River. Authorities say a third portion of remains was found at the family home, however they have not released the identity of said remains

The identity of a third portion of remains found on the Halderson couple's property has not yet been released, according to Wisconsin-based TV station WMTV

Bart Halderson's dismembered remains were found later that day, July 8, in rural Dane County. The Dane County Medical Examiner listed the cause of Bart's death as 'homicidal violence including firearm injury.'

Six days later, investigators a 'portion of [an] unidentified human' that would later be identified as Krista Halderson's via DNA testing along the Wisconsin River near Sauk City, according to NBC 15.

The identity of a third portion of remains found on the Halderson couple's property has not yet been released, according to Wisconsin-based TV station WMTV.

A pond in the backyard was drained in the search, and a landfill near Johnson Creek and other locations were scoured.

Prosecutors have not identified a motive for as to why Halderson might have killed his parents.

However, an amended criminal complaint does include details about the investigation, including statements the Windsor man allegedly made to detectives.

At one point during questioning, a sheriff's detective told Halderson that investigators had new information about the case and asked him if he was feeling suicidal, to which Halderson said he 'didn't feel bad about what I did,' according to the complaint.

Halderson is charged two counts each of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse, and providing false information on kidnapped or missing persons in the deaths of his parents. His trial is set to begin in January 2022

Halderson is charged two counts each of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse, and providing false information on kidnapped or missing persons in the deaths of his parents.

His trial is set to begin in January 2022.

The first first motion hearing will take place Oct. 1 of this year, with jury selection beginning on Jan. 3, 2022.

The first day of trial is scheduled for Jan. 4. It is set to last 18 days after jury selection is complete.
The U.S. Justice Department is readying a second monopoly lawsuit against Google over the internet search giant's digital advertising business, according to a report - adding to the legal challenges facing the tech giant.

The Justice Department sued Google in October 2020, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals.

A trial - which is expected to be extremely lengthy - has been set for September 2023.

On Wednesday Bloomberg News reported that the Justice Department is preparing a second suit accusing the company of abusing its position as the preeminent search engine.

A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment.

Google is to be faced with a second antitrust lawsuit, according to a Bloomberg report. The first Justice Department case was filed in October 2020

Asked about the report, Google responded in an email that its 'advertising technologies help websites and apps fund their content, enable small businesses to grow, and protect users from exploitative privacy practices and bad ad experiences.'

THE OCTOBER 2020 LAWSUIT AT A GLANCE The Department of Justice lawsuit claims that Google is breaching The Sherman Act by unfairly locking up portions of the market. There are three facets to how the government claims it does this; 1) Dominating search engine space Google, through both its deals placing its search engine above others on devices and through public interest in it, accounts for 80 percent of every internet search in the US In 2020, it accounted for 94% of all mobile searches in the US 2) Monetizing its dominance through ads Google monetizes the amount people use it with ads, which generate around $40billion in revenue every year 3) Spending its billions to cement its dominance with 'exclusionary deals' With the money it makes through ads, Google pays companies like Apple, LG and others to block out any of its competitors from having their search engine preferred on devices Among the deals is one with Apple. Google is the default on Safari on iPhones and it's also the default on Siri. The deal amounts to up to a fifth of Apple's worldwide income which last year would have been around $11billion Advertisement

In July, a lawsuit by 38 U.S. states and territories accuses Google of abusing its market power in an effort to make its search engine as dominant inside cars, TVs and speakers as it is in phones.

The lawsuit reads: 'Google has employed anticompetitive tactics to diminish and disincentivize competition in Android app distribution.'

'Google has not only targeted potentially competing app stores, but also has ensured that app developers themselves have no reasonable choice but to distribute their apps through the Google Play Store,' it added.

Google requires that some apps use the company's payment tools and give Google as much as 30% of digital goods sales.

The lawsuit reads that: 'Google also requires all app developers that sell content through the Google Play Store to sell any digital in-app content through Google Play Billing.'

'Google now stringently enforces this tie by preventing apps distributed through the Google Play Store from using, directing consumers to, or even informing consumers about alternative payment processing options that may provide lower prices.'

The lawsuit also alleges that Google has 'steadily expanded its illegal tie' regarding payments to music and video streaming services.

'Effective September 2021, subscription streaming services for music and video -which Google previously exempted - must either submit to Google's tie or deny consumers the ability to purchase subscriptions from their Android apps,' the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit added: 'Google's comparable streaming services will gain an enormous competitive advantage. Moreover, the non-Google payment processors that these services currently use will be forced out of the in-app payment ('IAP') market as to these services.'

This was consolidated with the federal lawsuit.

Texas, backed by other states, then filed a separate lawsuit against Google, accusing it of breaking antitrust law in how it runs its online advertising business.

Merrick Garland, the Attorney General, is leading a Justice Department that President Joe Biden has urged to be aggressive in challenging Big Tech

Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, is pictured in January 2020. His company insists that they are not a monopoly - but people simply use his search engine and products because they work

Google's SVP of Global Affairs, Kent Walker, responded to the federal lawsuit and said it was 'trivially easy' to change an internet browser.

He said that the Justice Department was 'deeply flawed'.

He picked apart the government's lawsuit by subject, starting with the laws it is trying to claim Google is breaking, calling them 'dubious' and saying it was 'trivially easy' to change your internet browser.

'This isn't the dial-up 1990s when changing services was slow and difficult, and often required you to buy and install software with a CD-ROM,' Walker said.

'This lawsuit claims that Americans arent sophisticated enough to do this. But we know thats not true,' he said.

The DoJ is invoking The Sherman Act which is designed to stop businesses from blocking competitors from the market.

It claims that Google's 'exclusionary' partnerships with companies like Apple and others mean no other search engines have the opportunity to compete at all.

Because Google makes by far the most money through monetizing its search engine and therefore has the most to spend placing its ads, the others are likely never to be considered for placement on the devices. Eleven Republican Attorneys General have signed on to it.

Google denies this, claiming their competitors are welcome to go after the contracts.

'The Department's complaint relies on dubious antitrust arguments to criticize our efforts to make Google Search easily available to people.

'Yes, like countless other businesses, we pay to promote our services, just like a cereal brand might pay a supermarket to stock its products at the end of a row or on a shelf at eye level. For digital services, when you first buy a device, it has a kind of home screen eye level shelf.

The Sherman Act forbids nefarious dealings to establish or maintain a monopoly to stifle competition A 144-page lawsuit filed by 36 states and the District of Columbia in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, it claims Google violated the Sherman Act, the federal law prohibiting monopolistic business practices. The Sherman Act forbids nefarious dealings to establish or maintain a monopoly by restraining free competition. The act was famously used in 1911 to break up Standard Oil, and again in 1982 to split up AT&T's monopoly, known colloquially as 'Ma Bell'. In 2001, Microsoft survived a Sherman Act suit, settling with the DoJ without breaking up. Advertisement

'On mobile, that shelf is controlled by Apple, as well as companies like AT&T, Verizon, Samsung and LG. On desktop computers, that shelf space is overwhelmingly controlled by Microsoft.

'So, we negotiate agreements with many of those companies for eye-level shelf space. But let's be clearour competitors are readily available too, if you want to use them.

'Our agreements with Apple and other device makers and carriers are no different from the agreements that many other companies have traditionally used to distribute software. Other search engines, including Microsofts Bing, compete with us for these agreements. And our agreements have passed repeated antitrust reviews.'

Walker said the company's contract with Apple, for example, uses Google's product because it is 'the best' and that Yahoo and Bing can also pay to have their search engines feature predominantly.

'Changing your search engine in Safari is easy. On desktop, one click and youre presented with a range of options.

'Apples iPhone makes it simple to change your settings and use alternative search engines in Safariand its even easier in iOS14 where you can add widgets from different providers or swipe on the home screen to search,' Walker wrote.

'Google is not preloaded onto Microsoft - which uses its own search engine, Bing.

Walker goes on to say: 'The bigger point is that people dont use Google because they have to, they use it because they choose to.'

Reuters reported in March that Google's plan to block cookies - a popular web tracking tool - concerns U.S. Justice Department investigators who have been asking ad industry executives whether that would hobble smaller rivals.

In July Joe Biden announced that he plans to nominate Jonathan Kanter as head of the Justice Departments antitrust division as the administration aims to crack down on Big Tech.

Kanter has been a longtime foe of Google and as a lawyer pushed his clients to sue the company and other Big Tech giants for antitrust.

His nomination came less than two weeks after Biden signed an executive order designed to promote competition and crack down on huge companies dominating the market.

President Joe Biden announced his nomination of Jonathan Kanter to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice in July

The Biden administration previously chose two antitrust progressives with tech expertise, Tim Wu for the National Economic Council and Lina Khan to be a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission.

If confirmed by the Senate, Kanter would join Khan and Wu as the most senior officials charged with taking on these firms.

Khan and Wu already have a track record of pushing for tougher regulations of these companies.

Kanter, who previously worked for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind Wharton; Garrison LLP and two other big law firms, would take the reins of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division amid calls for tougher antitrust enforcement, especially with regard to four big tech platforms: Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple.

In a statement, the White House said Kanter is a 'distinguished antitrust lawyer with over 20 years of experience.'

The Biden administration previously chose two antitrust progressives with tech expertise, Tim Wu for the National Economic Council and Lina Khan to be a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission

'Throughout his career, Kanter has also been a leading advocate and expert in the effort to promote strong and meaningful antitrust enforcement and competition policy.

'He is currently a partner at The Kanter Law Group LLP, which is a boutique antitrust law firm that advocates in favor of federal and state antitrust law enforcement.

Kanter, according to Bloomberg, was one of the first advocates for aggressive antitrust action against tech companies.

In 2016, he criticized antitrust officials for failing to bring monopoly cases against Big Tech companies, including Amazon.

'Antitrust enforcement is barely on life support,' he said at the time. 'When was the last time you can remember a major antitrust agency bringing a monopolization case? The reason you can't remember it is because they haven't done it.

Democrats, especially from the progressive wing of the party, cheered Biden's choice.

'Jonathan Kanter's nomination to lead the Justice Department's Antitrust Division is tremendous news for workers and consumers,' tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren. 'He's been a leader in the fight to check consolidated corporate power and strengthen competition in our markets.'

Rep. David Cicilline tweeted: 'Once again, President Biden is following through on his promise to fight for working families and create an economy that works for everyone. Jonathan Kanter is absolutely the right person to take on corporate monopolies and lead the Antitrust Division at this critical moment.'

In a joint statement with House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, he and Cicilline added, 'Make no mistake, Kanter is absolutely the right person for this job at this moment.'

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a New York Democrat, had previously tweeted a picture of himself holding a mug that said 'Wu & Khan & Kanter,' who will make up Biden's antitrust team.
President Joe Biden's administration conceded on Wednesday that the majority of America's Afghan allies were left in country as the U.S. withdrew.

That included Afghan interpreters and others who applied for Special Immigration Visas (SIVs) to flee the nation during the evacuation but didn't make it through the chaos of the Kabul airport to board a plane.

The U.S. still doesn't have reliable data on who was evacuated, nor for what type of visas they may qualify, a State Department official told Wall Street Journal, but initial assessments suggested most visa applicants didn't make it through the crush at the airport.

'I would say it's the majority of them,' the official said. 'Just based on anecdotal information about the populations we were able to support.'

The Hamid Karzai International Airport is now under control of the Taliban and closed. Administration officials on Wednesday could not give a timeline on when it may reopen.

Afghanis wait to board a Boeing C-17 during the evacuation at the Kabul airport

The U.S. and its allies evacuated more than 123,000 people out of Afghanistan before the American withdrawal on Monday.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that 77 per cent of those were at-risk Afghanis.

'Are there more people who want to leave Afghanistan? Absolutely,' she said. 'Are there more people who will be eligible for our programs? Absolutely. And that's why we are so focused on the diplomatic efforts that are being led by the State Department, including a presence in Doha, including efforts to engage with the Taliban, including efforts to work with the international community to make clear what we expect.'

She also conceded that 'what is also true is that every person who wants to leave Afghanistan and come to the United States is not going to be able to do that. And that is a sad truth, but it is something that it's important for people to also understand.'

In the days leading up to the American exodus, there were times when the Taliban stopped Afghans from passing airport checkpoints, even after the United States provided the militants with a manifest of would-be evacuees, a State Department official said, according to Politico.

'There were days it did not work well,' the official said. 'We had a couple of instances where buses were a mix of foreign nationals and Afghan local employees of other missions, and the Talibs would only let pass the foreign nationals, and they turned away or they held at that location the Afghan citizens who were on that particular movement.'

But, the official noted, 'in some of those cases, we were able to successfully persuade [the Taliban] to then, in subsequent days, to allow that group to go forward.'

The administration was under heavy pressure to evacuate all Americans and the nation's allies before its August 31st departure. But 100-200 Americans remain in country.

It's unclear how many Afghanis still need out but more than 20,000 had already applied for visas when the U.S. decided to withdraw. Including their family members, as many as 100,000 Afghans may be eligible to leave.

'What we mostly need to understand is to continue to evaluate who is where, who they have with them so that we can, on a case-by-case basis, do what we can to tailor evacuation routes for them,' Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told reporters at Wednesday's State Department briefing.

President Joe Biden's administration conceded that the majority of America's Afghan allies were left in country as the U.S. withdrew

Afghans try to talk to American soldiers to ask to be let into the East Gate of the Kabul airport last week before the U.S. left the country

As of Wednesday morning, 20,000 Afghan refugees have arrived at eight military bases in the United States, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said at a Pentagon briefing.

The bases are heading toward their capacity for holding people with more refugees expected to arrive over the coming days.

'There is capacity and we are working towards capacity at our military basis for up to 50,000, and again this is not a place where people would live, this is a place where people would go, they would receive medical care and assistance and get connected with refugee resettlement organizations,' Psaki noted.
Horrified neighbours have described the shocking moment they heard the screams that marked the death of Victoria's first Covid fatality of this year.

Residents have revealed they heard 'screaming and crying' as the woman, 49, passed away in her home on Henderson street in the northern Melbourne suburb of Northcote on Tuesday.

The woman's death marks the state's first coronavirus fatality of 2021, bringing the death toll to 822 people since the pandemic begun.

Residents have revealed they heard 'screaming and crying' as the woman, 49, passed away in her home on Henderson street in Northcote (pictured) on Tuesday

The woman's death in the inner Melbourne suburb marks the state's first coronavirus fatality of 2021, bringing the death toll to 822 people since the pandemic begun (pictured, a testing facility in Shepparton)

It was announced at Victoria's Covid update on Wednesday another woman, aged in her 60s, had died with the virus in her home in Hume, in the city's northwest.

Northcote resident Sandy Young said locals were forced to call triple zero around 2am on Tuesday after hearing hair-raising screams coming from the residence.

'There was screaming and crying in our street,' Ms Young posted to social media.

'Neighbours called emergency services, they would have had no idea what was going on.

'We will probably never really know why this tragedy occurred under our noses. I am gutted.

'Many neighbours witnessed this terrible event. We are a close street, sadly not close enough. Tragic.'

Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the woman's loved ones were unaware she was infected with the virus at the time of her death.

The state coroner has confirmed the 49-year-old woman was Covid-positive.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton (pictured) said the woman's loved ones were unaware she was infected with the virus at the time of her death.

It was announced at Victoria's Covid update on Wednesday another woman, aged in her 60s, had died with the virus in her home in Hume, in the city's northwest (pictured, Melbourne)

Ms Young told the Herald Sun she believed the woman had lived with a young male child and said the family had been good neighbours.

It is understood the harrowing screams heard in the suburban street came from another woman, believed to be an older relative of the deceased.

Both of the Covid-19 fatalities were being treated at home, and it's not yet known why they hadn't been hospitalised with their conditions or if they were vaccinated.

The six crew members who attended the home in Northcote have since been temporarily stood down from their duties, but are not believed to be at risk of infection.

'We send our deepest condolences to the families and communities involved and we will be working with them to give them the support and guidance they need over the coming days,' Victoria Health said in a statement.

'We know Covid-19 symptoms can rapidly worsen. If this is happening to you (or someone you know or live with) and help is required, please seek medical care. If it's an emergency, call Triple Zero.'

The six crew members who attended the home in Northcote have since been temporarily stood down from their duties, but are not believed to be at risk of infection (pictured, a testing facility in Shepparton)

The two deaths came as Victoria recorded 120 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, which included a worrying 56 mystery infections (pictured, a testing site in Melbourne's west)

After attending the home of the deceased 49-year-old woman early on Tuesday morning, the Herald Sun reported paramedics and police attended the home again at about 7am to treat a family member.

The person was taken to hospital in a stable condition but is not believed to be positive with the virus.

The two deaths came as Victoria recorded 120 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, which included a worrying 56 mystery infections.

Wednesday's figures - the most since the August 30, 2020 - come as Victoria comes to the end of a fourth week of lockdown - the state's sixth since pandemic started.

They were diagnosed from 56,501 tests and 33,455 vaccines doses were administered on Tuesday.
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Prince Harry used a live video message to launch a new assault on the media and lecture on inequality in a surprise speech to VIPs including Piers Morgan hours after the ex-GMB host won a thumping victory for free speech over Meghan Markle.

The Duke of Sussex, dressed in a black tie and tuxedo while sat in his LA mansion at 3pm, used his big screen speech beamed to the GQ Awards in London to blame 'those who peddle in lies and fear' in the 'news media and social media' for vaccine hesitancy.

Watching was MailOnline columnist Piers Morgan, who yesterday won a resounding victory for free speech after regulator Ofcom ruled he had not broken the broadcasting code for his comments on the Duchess of Sussex following her bombshell Oprah interview. This morning he tweeted an image of Harry live from California with the hashtag #awks - a nod to his free speech win.

Speaking from the US, Harry, who referred to Britain as 'our nation' in his address, delivered a chiding speech urging governments to do more to vaccinate poorer countries, warning 'until every community can access the vaccine and until every community is connected to trustworthy information about the vaccine, then we are all at risk'.

It came after MailOnline revealed last month that Harry landed in Santa Barbara after taking his millionaire friend's private jet home from Colorado following a charity polo match, despite lecturing about climate change.

Speaking from his Montecito mansion more than 5,000 miles away from London last night, the beleaguered Prince lectured his star-studded London audience on 'media misinformation' and the importance of sharing vaccines. Harry later presented the Heroes of the Year Award to Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, Professor Catherine Green and the team behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

After being invited on the the stage by Harry, Professor Green told the crowd: 'I promised Sarah I wouldn't get too p***ed, and I promised I wouldn't swear, but there was no f***ing chance of that because I'm so starstruck'. Harry's live speech was at 11pm London time (3pm LA time), and Mr Morgan left the venue at around 11.15pm, after the duke had finished and handed out the award.

Mr Morgan's ITV colleagues and a string of respected broadcasters hailed Ofcom's ruling confirming his right to free speech after the watchdog dismissed 57,000 complaints about his criticism of Meghan Markle. Senior British journalists have declared that the judgment meant a 'pillar of our freedom' in the UK had been 'reinforced'.

Piers, who was at the GQ event with his wife, author Celia Walden, was sensationally cleared by Britain's broadcast watchdog who backed his right to free speech after he said that he 'didn't believe a word' of what Meghan Markle told Oprah and challenged her claims of royal racism and suicidal thoughts.

The Sussexes did not comment on the judgment, but will have been infuriated by the result given Meghan complained to Ofcom herself and also to Mr Morgan's boss at ITV, Dame Carolyn McCall. Meghan allegedly implored Dame Carolyn her to censure her critic as they were both 'women and mothers'.

The Duke of Sussex, speaking at a surprise virtual appearance at the GQ Awards at the Tate Modern in London, delivered a lecturing speech urging governments to do more to vaccinate poorer countries

His comments come hours after Piers Morgan, who was in the audience at the GQ awards in London, won a resounding victory for free speech after his wife Meghan complained to Ofcom

Mr Morgan's ITV colleagues and a string of respected broadcasters hailed Ofcom's ruling confirming his right to free speech after the watchdog dismissed 57,000 complaints about his criticism of Meghan Markle's Oprah interview (above)

Prince Harry's surprise GQ Awards speech in full Prince Harry blamed 'those who peddle lies and fear' in the news and on social media for vaccine hesitancy 'Im deeply honoured to be introducing our final awardees, who youll immediately recognise for their landmark contribution to the fight against COVID-19. 'Our heroes of this evening are Professor Sarah Gilbert, Doctor Catherine Green, and the entire team of dedicated Oxford scientists. 'Their breakthrough research on the Oxford Vaccine has brought the world one of our greatest tools for achieving vaccine equity. 'They also approached their mission with a humanitarian urgency. In April of last year, the Oxford Team packed up a shipment of research cultures and stealthily sent it to Indiaan early example of the biotech collaboration we need to bring this global crisis to an end. 'Until every community can access the vaccine, and until every community is connected to trustworthy information about the vaccine, then we are all at risk. 'Thats a common refrain my wife and I have heard in convenings with vaccine experts, heads of industry, community advocates, and global leaders. 'As people sit in the room with you tonight, more than a third of the global population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. 'Thats more than five billion shots given around the world so far. 'It sounds like a major accomplishment, and in many ways is. 'But there is a huge disparity between who can and cannot access the vaccine. 'Less than two percent of people in the developing world have received a single dose at this point, and many of their healthcare workers are still not even vaccinated. 'We cannot move forward together unless we address this imbalance as one. 'At the same time, families around the world are being overwhelmed by mass-scale misinformation across news media and social media, where those who peddle in lies and fear are creating vaccine hesitancy, which in turn is dividing communities and eroding trust. 'This is a system we need to break if we are to overcome COVID-19 and the rise of new variants. 'The Oxford Team have done their part. They are heroes of the highest order who gave us an instrument to fight this disease. They are our nations pride, and we are deeply indebted to their service. 'For the rest of usincluding global governments, pharmaceutical leaders, and heads of businesswe have to keep doing our part. 'That must include sharing vaccine science and supporting and empowering developing countries with more flexibility. 'Where youre born should not affect your ability to survive, when the drugs and know-how exist to keep you alive and well. 'Thank you, again, to Professor Gilbert and Doctor Green, who The Guardian called "Two ordinary people who managed to pull off an extraordinary feat while dealing with the everyday stresses that come with being full-time mums and breadwinners in a notoriously insecure and poorly paid field." 'But tonight, were not honouring two ordinary people. These are two exceptional peoplewith a remarkable teamwho are a bulwark of humanity.' Advertisement

And coincidentally Piers was in the audience at the GQ Awards in London last night where the Duke of Sussex delivered his lecture.

Prince Harry told guests: 'As people sit in the room with you tonight, more than a third of the global population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

'That's more than five billion shots given around the world so far.

'It sounds like a major accomplishment and in many ways it is, but there is a huge disparity between who can and cannot access the vaccine.

'Less than 2% of people in the developing world have received a single dose at this point. And many of the healthcare workers are still not vaccinated.

'We cannot move forward together unless we address this imbalance as one. At the same time, families around the world are being overwhelmed by masses of misinformation across news media and social media, where those who peddle in lies and fear are creating vaccine hesitancy, which in turn leads to divided communities and eroding trust.

'This is a system we need to break if we are to overcome Covid-19 and the risk of new variants.'

Harry hailed the team behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, who received the heroes of the year award, as 'heroes of the highest order' who 'have done their part'.

'They are our nation's pride and we are deeply indebted to their service. For the rest of us, including global governments, pharmaceutical leaders and heads of business, we have to keep doing our part,' he said.

'That must include sharing vaccine science and supporting and empowering developing countries with more flexibility. Where you are born should not affect your ability to survive when the drugs and know-how exist to keep you alive and well.'

Within 48 hours of the Oprah interview on March 7 this year, Mr Morgan was forced to quit GMB after he refused to apologise for his 'honestly held opinions', costing ITV around 790,000 viewers and millions more in advertising revenue with the ratings gap between GMB and rival BBC Breakfast still growing. On the day Piers quit, GMB was in the lead.

Other complainants to Ofcom accused Piers of failing to be 'duly impartial', 'misrepresenting facts' and 'mocking' Meghan's American accent. Complaints that his views on GMB on March 8 and March 9 were unsuitable for children were also thrown out.

The UK's broadcasting watchdog called attempts to silence the MailOnline columnist a 'chilling restriction on freedom of expression' after the Duchess of Sussex was among a wave of people who complained that his questioning of her account of royal racism and suicidal thoughts was 'harmful' and 'offensive' to viewers.

Ofcom found no rules were breached and backed Mr Morgan's right to 'rigorously challenge' the Duchess's account of suffering suicidal thoughts and claims she experienced racism at the hands of the Royal Family. The decision has led to a flurry of calls demanding he is given his job back, with fans using the hashtag #bringbackpiers claiming the show is 'dying a slow death without him'.

In complete vindication for the journalist, 56, Ofcom ruled: 'Mr Morgan was entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's allegations and to hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account'.

And in a damning indictment of his former bosses and the 50,000-plus people who complained, the watchdog found: 'The restriction of such views would, in our view, be an unwarranted and chilling restriction on freedom of expression both of the broadcaster and the audience.

The ruling by Ofcom puts CEO Carolyn McCall  formerly of the left-wing Guardian newspaper - under pressure to explain why she did not stick by Mr Morgan, a decision which has cost the station millions.

Mr Morgan wrote in a MailOnline column yesterday: 'I'm delighted that Ofcom has so emphatically supported my right to disbelieve the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's incendiary claims to Oprah Winfrey, many of which have since been proved to be untrue. This is a resounding victory for free speech and a resounding defeat for Princess Pinocchios. In light of this decision  do I get my job back?'

He added in his column: 'I was reliably informed recently that Meghan Markle wrote directly to my ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall the night before I was forced out, demanding my head on a plate.

'Apparently, she stressed that she was writing to Dame Carolyn personally because they were both women and mothers  a nauseating playing of the gender and maternity card if ever there was one. What has the world come to when a whiny fork-tongued actress can dictate who presents a morning television news programme?'

PIERS MORGAN: Ofcom's vindication of me is a resounding victory for freedom of speech

Mr Morgan, pictured alongside his wife Celia last night, quoted former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in his latest Instagram post

Piers Morgan and Good Morning Britain have been cleared of breaching broadcasting standards over a heated debate about Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview where he said that he didn't 'believe a word she says' on March 8 (pictured)

Mr Morgan immediately hit back at ITV's statement for ignoring the central thrust of Ofcom's conclusion amid calls for him to be reinstated on their flagship GMB programme

Is the door ajar for Piers Morgan at GMB? ITV Director of TV Kevin Lygo 'is fighting to REHIRE the presenter' as viewers sign petitions to get him back on air after his tirade at Meghan Markle's Oprah lies was CLEARED by Ofcom

Questions remained last night over whether there is still a 'slim chance' that Piers Morgan could return to host Good Morning Britain after he was triumphantly cleared of breaching broadcasting rules by Ofcom.

The presenter's former ITV colleagues and a string of respected broadcasters yesterday hailed the regulator's ruling confirming his right to free speech after dismissing more than 57,000 complaints about his criticism of Meghan Markle including 'not believing a word' she told Oprah Winfrey about her experiences of suicidal thoughts.

Last night The Sun reported that ITV's director of television Kevin Lygo, described as a 'big fan' of Mr Morgan, was on a 'one-man mission' to bring him back, although an insider said he was currently 'fighting a losing battle internally'.

The development came after the UK's broadcasting watchdog called attempts to silence MailOnline columnist Mr Morgan a 'chilling restriction on freedom of expression' after the Duchess of Sussex was among a wave of people who complained that his questioning of her account of royal racism and suicidal thoughts was 'harmful' and 'offensive' to viewers.

Following the announcement however, ITV revealed they 'have no current plans to invite him to present Good Morning Britain', with one source saying: 'Piers decided to leave. We accepted his decision.'

The Sun said that despite My Lygo's lobbying, Good Morning Britain bosses viewed there being a 'slim to no chance' that Mr Morgan would return to the ITV show, which he quit in the aftermath of the coverage of Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview which Ofcom went on to investigate.

It remains to be seen if other hosting roles at the network could be made available.

Speaking about losing his GMB job yesterday after the Ofcom decision, Mr Morgan said: 'I didn't want to lose my job in the first place, but I only really want to work for someone who supports freedom of speech and free expression, and I felt frankly that ITV let me down and let their viewers down.'

Petitions to have Mr Morgan reinstated in his GMB role are still being signed, with three different appeals on Change.org reaching a collective total of 264,201 signatures.

Executives at ITV are currently hunting for a potential permanent replacement as the programme struggles with viewer figures. It is believed Martin Lewis and Richard Bacon are among the favourites.

It comes as Mr Morgan revealed the number of job offers he has received since leaving ITV's flagship breakfast show has 'accelerated' since he was found not to have breach Ofcom's broadcasting code.

Speaking to the Sun, he slammed the Duchess of Sussex as the 'Queen of Woke' and described her as a 'whiny, forked-tongued actress'.

Mr Morgan said: 'The woke brigade think they can vilify, shame, silence and get fired anyone who has an opinion they dont like.

'Meghan Markle is the queen of this culture, who personally sought to have me lose my job  and succeeded. Why are she and Prince Harry entitled to have their opinion but Im not entitled to mine?'

Questions remained last night over whether there is still a 'slim chance' that Piers Morgan could return to host Good Morning Britain after he was triumphantly cleared of breaching broadcasting rules by Ofcom for comments he made in a debate over Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview on March 8 (pictured)

More than 57,000 people - including Meghan - contacted the regulator after the former Good Morning Britain presenter said he didn't believe the Duchess's claims about experiencing suicidal thoughts when she lived at Kensington Palace

Piers Morgan leaves home in West London on Wednesday evening with wife Celia to attend the GQ awards at Tate Modern

ITV's former Guardian chief CEO Dame Carolyn McCall (left) was last night also under pressure to explain why she forced Mr Morgan out in March, while it was also reported that ITV's director of television Kevin Lygo (right), described as a 'big fan' of Mr Morgan, was on a 'one-man mission' to bring him back to GMB

GMB overtook BBC Breakfast in its ratings war on the day Piers Morgan resigned - and the ratings gap appears to be growing. BBC Breakfast is the yellow line, GMB is the blue

Petitions to have Mr Morgan reinstated in his GMB role are still being signed, with three different appeals on Change.org reaching a collective total of 264,201 signatures

The 56-year-old host then shocked viewers by walking off camera during a heated on-air row with weatherman Alex Beresford, before quitting the programme hours later after refusing to apologise

He immediately hit back at ITV's statement for ignoring the central thrust of Ofcom's conclusion, stating that he was 'entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's allegations and to hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account .

He said yesterday: 'Hmmm, ITV have just put out a statement saying I only won the Ofcom case against Princess Pinocchio because my colleagues expressed different opinions to mine. Thats not what the Ofcom report says in its conclusion. I suggest ITV reads it again.'

JAN MOIR: Princess Pinocchio has finally had her nose tweaked as at long last a joyful bucket of cold water is thrown on Harry and Meghan's fevered claims by Ofcom verdict exonerating Piers Morgan

Just imagine. Another perfect morning in Montecito, southern California. As the sun rises over the Santa Ynez mountains, an ocean breeze ruffles the leaves on the scrub oaks and ripples across the mosaic of swimming pools that stud this millionaires paradise.

Avocado toasts are slipped on to warmed plates. The smell of fresh coffee rises in the land of the elites. And then a terrible, piercing scream rips apart the balmy calm.

What awful calumny has occurred? Has the boutique down by the bay run out of sustainable cashmere? Are there too many pips in that organic Meyer lemon?

No, it is something much, much worse. Princess Pinocchio has finally had her nose tweaked.

Piers Morgan and GMB have been cleared over a heated debate about Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview where he said that he didn't 'believe a word she says' on March 8 (pictured)

More than 57,000 people - including Meghan - contacted the regulator after the former GMB presenter said he didn't believe the Duchess's claims about experiencing suicidal thoughts

For deep inside the Sussexes grand mansion, set in an exclusive gated estate on a private street, a blast of good ol Blighty reality has crashed in like a meteorite.

One can only imagine how the duchess reacted upon discovering that her complaint against Piers Morgan has been thrown out by Ofcom, but for a woman with such a finely honed sense of victimhood, anything less than volcanic on the stroppy scale would be a surprise.

The duchess was among the 57,000 people who complained to Ofcom  and personally to ITV when Morgan stated he didnt believe a word of what she told Oprah Winfrey during their interview back in March.

I mean, really. Piers was kind enough to give Meghan and Harry the priceless gift of candour, only to have it thrown back in his face without a word of thanks.

Piers Morgan leaves home in West London on Wednesday evening with wife Celia (left) to attend the GQ awards at Tate Modern and (right) Piers is pictured at the awards reception

Mr Morgan, pictured alongside his wife Celia, quoted former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in his latest Instagram post

Yet in moment of triumph for freedom of speech, for UK broadcasters and journalists everywhere  but most of all for the former Good Morning Britain host himself  Ofcom ruled that: Mr Morgan was entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes allegations and to hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account.

So he has been entirely vindicated, while the duchess has been accused of being part of a chilling restriction on freedom of expression.

Oh dear. That is not a good look for a self-styled international humanitarian and do-gooder; a woman who, according to the couples Archewell website, wants to unleash the power of compassion to drive systemic cultural change.

All Meghan seems to have driven is her wheezing old jalopy of self-justification into the brick wall of baloney that has awaited her all this time. For sooner or later, this day of reckoning had to come.

Piers Morgan described the Ofcom decision as a 'resounding victory for free speech' after receiving the news earlier today

Since the moment they left to forge a new life in America, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been assiduous keepers of their own flame of fame.

From day one they have depicted themselves as victims fleeing from the tyranny of inherited wealth; a couple of rich and privileged pups forever barking about the unfairness of life.

My daddy wont give me any money! My daddy talks to the press! Its all so simply awful.

From Oprah Winfrey to Instagram statements, from podcasts to Netflix series, from newspaper op-eds to Zoom calls, they have built up their story of suffering and burnished their images without halt.

Then of course there is the Finding Freedom biography, the remarkable unofficial histoire written by Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie that largely seems to reflect their every thought and itch.

Along the way neither of them appear to have minded about any collateral damage caused to the Queen, other members of the royal family, household staff or even poor Thomas Markle.

Morgan shocked viewers by walking off set during a row with Alex Beresford, before quitting the programme hours later

Then and now one can only gasp at the ultimate vanity of their quest  to have their truth believed at all times, and to never be questioned.

They have tap-tap-tapped the golden syrup from the tree of fib and glib without pause.

Their vision, their view, their version of events has spooled out behind them in a wallow of words, each one carefully curated.

Somehow the Sussexes have been able to accuse and counter accuse, to complain, to control the momentum and the narrative, to indulge their victimhood. Until now.

The Ofcom ruling is perhaps their first wake-up call. The point will come when they will have to account for themselves and their accusations, which so far are unsupported by any evidence or detail.

Of course, Mr Scobie is already leading the pushback, citing a clause in the Human Rights Act that says free speech must always be compounded by the protection of health and morals. This, he says, makes me question the Ofcom decision.

Until now, to criticise the Duchess of Sussex (pictured on her wedding day at St George's Chapel in Windsor with Prince Harry in 2018) was to be accused of racism, sexism and worse

Well he is entirely within his rights to do so, just as Piers Morgan is entirely within his rights to question the duke and duchesss statements  many of which, incidentally, have been shown to be untrue.

Until now, to criticise the Duchess of Sussex was to be accused of racism, sexism and worse.

One hopes that the Ofcom ruling will at least allow the occasional cheep of doubt to be raised, without the cheepers being cancelled and sent to woke jail by Meghans permanently furious supporters.

This febrile atmosphere, into which these serious accusations of bigotry are thrown around like noxious confetti, is stoked by the Sussexes themselves.

All this scurrility propounded by annoyance and huff, spiced with a pinch of what looks increasingly like spite.

Surely it doesnt have to be like this? Why do they seem so determined to crush not just the Royal Family, but anyone of note who disagrees with them along the way?

We are all entitled to freedom of speech. It is not a gift granted only to those who hold views acceptable to Harry and Meghan.

When I think about the Sussexes, sometimes it seems like a ghost story they have concocted themselves, one that is brooded over by malevolent wraiths, hurts real or imagined, insults perceived, slights dead and gone.

Many will welcome this cold bucket of water that has been poured over the graveyard of their fevered claims.

Oh to have been a fly on the Montecito wall when the news came through. I like to imagine the crash of teacup on saucer and then that prolonged scream, echoing down to where the surf rolls onto the shoreline like a benediction.

And if Harry were still juggling at the window, like the circus clown he is at heart, then surely he would have dropped his balls in shock.
House prices are surging by 30 per cent a year in picturesque regional areas and desirable suburbs as Australians flee crippling lockdowns in the big cities.

The 'sea change and tree change' phenomenon is now so entrenched that regional areas made up seven of the ten top property markets in August, CoreLogic data showed.

Younger Australians hoping to leave the big city for a more affordable area by the beach or in the country are facing more competition as more people are able to work from home.

House prices are surging by 30 per cent a year in picturesque regional areas and desirable suburbs as Australians flee crippling lockdowns in the big cities. The Richmond-Tweed region of northern NSW has seen a 29.5 per cent annual increase (pictured is Byron Bay in August)

Property markets with fastest annual growth 1. Sydney Northern Beaches: up 33.8 per cent to $2,218,510 2. Richmond-Tweed, northern NSW: up 29.5 per cent to $808,348 3. Central Coast, NSW: up 29.4 per cent to $866,690 4. Baulkham Hills, Hawkesbury in Sydney's north-west: up 28.5 per cent to $1,672,218 5. Southern Highlands, Shoalhaven: up 28.3 per cent to $795,339 6. Mornington Peninsula, Victoria: up 28.3 per cent to $854,275 7. Sunshine Coast, Queensland: up 27.6 per cent to $819,831 8. Coffs Harbour, Grafton in northern NSW: up 27.6 per cent to $621,146 9. Tasmania south-east: up 26.5 per cent to $523,699 10. Launceston and Tasmania's north-east: up 26.3 per cent to $448,715 Source: CoreLogic, CommSec data for August 2021 for houses and units together Advertisement

With Sydney and Melbourne in lockdown, property buyers increasingly want to live in a nicer suburb by the coast or in a regional area a two-hour drive away from one of Australia's biggest cities.

CommSec senior economist Ryan Felsman said real estate buyers were particularly interested in houses with proximity to either beaches or farms.

'During the pandemic there has certainly been strong homebuyer demand for detached houses in lifestyle regions,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'Population moves have been significant from capital cities to the regions, especially from Sydney and Melbourne amid lockdowns and work-from-home arrangements.'

While desirable areas by the beach in Sydney have some of Australia's strongest annual price growth, seaside areas in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland are becoming even more out of reach for the young.

In August, property values across Australia surged by 18.4 per cent to a median $666,514 - the fastest annual growth since July 1989.

But on Sydney's Northern Beaches, home values during the past year have climbed by a whopping 33.8 per cent to a particularly unaffordable $2.2million.

The Richmond-Tweed region of northern New South Wales, covering Byron Bay and Ballina, had a 29.5 per cent annual price increase taking mid-point values to $809,348.

The Central Coast north of Sydney has had a 29.4 per cent surge, taking median house prices to $866,690.

Southern Queensland is also becoming even more unaffordable with property values on the Sunshine Coast surging by 27.6 per cent during the past year to $819,831.

In August, property values across Australia surged by 18.4 per cent to a median $666,514 - the fastest annual growth since July 1989. But on Sydney's Northern Beaches, home values during the past year have climbed by a whopping 33.8 per cent to a particularly unaffordable $2.2million (pictured is Manly during the August lockdown)

On the other side of Brisbane, Gold Coast property values have climbed by 24.9 per cent to $709,992.

Victoria wasn't left out either with prices on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne, soaring by 28.3 per cent to $854,275.

Tasmania also had two spots in the top ten for annual growth with the state's south-east seeing prices surge by 26.5 per cent to $523,699.

Launceston and Tasmania's north-east had a 26.3 per cent increase taking median prices to $448,715.

Mr Felsman said Tasmania's status as a largely Covid-free area had made the island state a desirable place to move to.

'Covid-free regions in Tasmania have performed strongly,' he said.

Victoria wasn't left out either with prices on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne, soaring by 28.3 per cent to $854,275 (pictured is a much more upmarket house at Sorrento)

Despite an exodus from Sydney to the regions, house prices in Australia's biggest city have still surged as more people relocated within the city to a bigger home, with median values climbing by 26 per cent during the past year.

Unlike the lockdowns of 2020, property prices are continuing to surge in 2021 as lockdowns either see more people move to the regions or see home sellers in Sydney and Melbourne delay putting their house on the market.

CoreLogic's head of research in Australia Eliza Owen said that amid the lockdowns, property prices were surging in suburbs where a higher proportion of residents could work from home.

Southern Queensland is also becoming even more unaffordable with property values on the Sunshine Coast surging by 27.6 per cent during the past year to $819,831 (pictured is a very upmarket waterfront house at Noosa)

These areas also have much lower Covid infection rates than parts of western and south-west Sydney where case numbers are surging.

With the Australian economy set to shrink in the September quarter as a result of lockdowns, Everybody's Home spokeswoman Kate Colvin said federal government programs were needed on social housing and rent assistance.

'We know in the coming months that more Australians will continue to struggle financially, yet there will be no relief when it comes to the cost of housing,' she said.

'If prices and rents dont stop rising during a downturn, it's unlikely they ever will unless there is significant intervention from the federal government.'
A 32-year-old woman was shot in Brooklyn after two gunmen racing by on Razor scooters opened fire on Wednesday afternoon, according to police.

The woman was walking in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Myrtle Avenue at Tompkins Avenue when she heard shots and realized she'd been shot in her right hip, The New York Post reported.

The injured woman - who has not been named by police - was taken to Kings County Hospital in stable condition and is not believed to be the gunmen's intended target, sources told The Post.

It is reported that one of the gunmen was wearing a white hoodie with 'Nike' written in black while the other gunmen was wearing a black hoodie.

Police on the scene collected 15 shell casings from the back of a nearby building and are currently investigating if it was a gang-related shooting that occurred outside the Tompkins Houses New York City Housing Authority building, they reported.

A woman was shot in Brooklyn on Wednesday after two gunmen racing by on Razor scooters opened fire, according to police

The 32-year-old woman was shot in the right hip and taken to Kings County Hospital in stable condition that afternoon

Police collected 15 shell casings from the back of a nearby building in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Myrtle Avenue at Tompkins Avenue

Authorities are currently investigating whether or not the incident was gang-related

The shooting took place outside New York City Housing Authority's Tompkins Houses

Alvin Davis, a resident of NYCHA's Tompkins Houses, expressed his concern about the violence in the area to The Post.

'I got grandkids who live out here in this complex,' he said.

'This gun violence has got to cease. I mean it's crazy. It's black-on-black crime. People are doing things that shouldn't be done and I feel like it's time to really come together and be able to socialize in friendly and Christian love and also just be brothers and sisters in harmony.'

He stated, 'This violence is not the way.'

Wednesday's shooting is the most recent in a violent string of attacks as the city has continued to face rising gun violence.

NYPD data shows that the city has recorded 1,041 shooting incidents and 1,246 shooting victims this year compared to 989 shooting incidents and 1,217 shooting victims in the same period last year.

As shootings have increased, so have the amount of gunmen on scooters.

A man was caught on video on August 1 sprinting through the streets near Times Square firing a gun at his fleeing target and then riding off on a red and black scooter.

On July 31, two men approached a crowd on a Queens street and fired about 40 shots which injured 10 people before they were driven away by two accomplices on mopeds.

Earlier on in the month, a Russian tourist and her friend were randomly attacked on a trendy Manhattan sidewalk while a Lime scooter passenger opened fire outside a Harlem bodega.

On June 17, Michael Lopez, 27, opened fire on 24-year-old man Hassan Wright in the Bronx. Two young children were at the scene but fortunately unharmed before the shooter took off with another suspect on a scooter.

Latest numbers from the NYPD show that shootings, rapes and assaults have continued to increase as violent crime soars

Shootings this year have steadily increased since January, with a small dip in June and July

The Big Apple - like many metropolitan cities across the US - has been plagued by gun violence in the last year.

In April, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled his 'Safe Summer' program, a plan aimed at ending gun violence that focused on creating disincentives for young people looking to turn to guns by offering them positive alternatives.

Most recently, Mayor de Blasio lashed out at the state's criminal justice system this week, blaming soaring crime rates in the Big Apple on a dramatically reduced number of trial verdicts, which he slammed as 'unacceptable.'

A spokesperson for the court system responded by accusing the mayor of 'gaslighting' the public in an attempt to shift the blame for the crime epidemic.

Speaking during his daily remote press conference on Monday, de Blasio revealed that in the first half of 2021, there were only 18 trial verdicts across the five boroughs, compared to 405 during the same time in 2019.

'That isn't good enough,' the mayor said, after heaping praise on the New York City Police Department for making a record number of gun-related arrests, and highlighting the work of community activists.

'That isn't good enough,' the mayor said, after heaping praise on the New York City Police Department for making a record number of gun-related arrests, and highlighting the work of community activists.

De Blasio blamed the city's elevated crime rates on the criminal justice system

Chaifen, nevertheless, acknowledged that because of social distancing requirements, only three trials can now be held simultaneously in each county, compared to up to a dozen before the pandemic, as The New York Post reported.

State courts outside New York City have produced 118 trial verdicts during the first eight months of the year.

'Whether its something as horrible as a murder or gun violence, you need a culture of consequences,' de Blasio said. 'The court system not functioning is having a bigger impact than almost any other factor right now.

'The absence of those consequences for a whole variety of crimes is undermining public safety.'

He added: 'If someone has committed a crime against a fellow New Yorker and they never see a consequence, or they think it's so far away that it will have no impact on their life, it gives them license.'

According to latest NYPD crime statistics, shootings were up 5.3 per cent during the week of August 23-29, compared to the same time last year.

Rape and felony assault rates were also up about 5 per cent, but the number of murders slipped 1.3 per cent, compared to August 2020.
The Prime Minister has been urged to abandon the looming cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit, which 100 organisations have called 'the biggest overnight cut to the basic rate of social security since World War II'.

Axing the 20-a-week uplift introduced temporarily during the Covid pandemic risks causing 'immense, immediate and avoidable hardship', the coalition which includes children's charities and a Tory think-tank warns.

The Government plans to start phasing out the increase from the end of this month, based on individual claimants' payment dates.

However, move is opposed by six former Work and Pensions secretaries, charities, think-tanks, teachers and MPs across the political spectrum. New academic research also found 63 per cent of people supported the 20 increase, and 50 per cent supported making it permanent.

Work and Pensions Secretary Dr Therese Coffey resisted calls this week to maintain the uplift, saying the time was right to focus on supporting people back into work and helping workers to progress in their careers.

The 100 groups - which include Oxfam, Save the Children, the Trussell Trust, Business in the Community, the Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health, and Tory think-tank Bright Blue - have warned that most people who will be affected by the cut are already in work and warn it will 'fundamentally undermine' the Government's mission to level up.

In their open letter to Boris Johnson, they write: 'We are rapidly approaching a national crossroads which will reveal the true depth of the Government's commitment to improving the lives of families on the lowest incomes.

The Prime Minister has been urged to abandon the looming cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit, which 100 groups have called 'the biggest overnight cut to the basic rate of social security since World War II'

Ending the higher payment will cause hardship, campaigners say (stock image)

Scrapping 20 a week Universal Credit uplift will hit Tory 'Red Wall' hard: More than 50 seats won by Boris in 2019 will be among the hardest hit areas when extra cash is removed in October Dozens of 'Red Wall' seats won by the Tories at the last election will be among the areas worst hit by Boris Johnson's decision to end a 20 a week uplift in the value of Universal Credit, a charity has said. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found 413 parliamentary constituencies will see at least a third of working-age families with children hit by the reduction in benefits in October. Of those constituencies, some 191 are represented by Conservative MPs with 53 seats having only been won by the Tories at the 2019 general election. Senior Tories have repeatedly warned the Government not to go ahead with the planned 1,040 a year cut. But ministers have stressed the extra cash was only made available to help families during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. The latest research published by the JRF, a charity which campaigns to end poverty, is likely to reignite calls for the Government to keep the support in place. However, making the increase permanent would cost the Government an additional 6billion a year, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank. The JRF also revealed that in some Labour constituencies more than three-quarters of families with children will be affected by the cut. The reduction is expected to have the most severe impact in Yorkshire and the Humber, the North East, North West, and West Midlands. Advertisement

'We all want a social security system that supports families to escape poverty rather than pulling them deeper into it.

'However, this cut risks causing immense, immediate, and avoidable hardship. A strong social security system is a crucial first step to building back better. We strongly urge you to make the right decision.'

The Department for Work and Pensions has not published its impact assessment for the move.

Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows it risks plunging 500,000 people into poverty, including 200,000 children. It says that 413 parliamentary constituencies across Britain will see at least a third of working-age families with children affected.

The groups add: 'Imposing what is effectively the biggest overnight cut to the basic rate of social security since World War II will pile unnecessary financial pressure on around 5.5 million families, both in and out of work.'

The Prime Minister could face a Commons vote on a planned cut to universal credit two days after MPs return from summer recess. A source told The Independent that Labour was 'likely' to force a vote on the issue, but this hasn't been officially confirmed yet.

Ben Baumberg Geiger, the joint leader of the project and a social policy lecturer at the University of Kent, said: 'It would be easy to conclude that despite Covid-19, the public has little appetite for a more generous welfare system - but this would be wrong.

'Before the pandemic, attitudes had become more pro-welfare than the UK has seen in 20-30 years, and support for more generous benefits is even higher if this is linked to Covid-19.

'Public attitudes depend on how politicians talk about welfare, which means that the impact of Covid-19 on welfare attitudes and policies is all to play for.'

The open letter follows calls from politicians in each of the four UK nations this week.

Cross-party committees from Westminster, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Senedd and the Scottish Parliament had written to Dr Coffey calling on the Government to make the higher rate of payment permanent.

A Government spokesperson said: 'As announced by the Chancellor at the Budget, the uplift to Universal Credit was always temporary.

'It was designed to help claimants through the economic shock and financial disruption of the toughest stages of the pandemic, and it has done so.

'Universal Credit will continue to provide vital support for those both in and out of work and it's right that the Government should focus on our Plan for Jobs, supporting people back into work and supporting those already employed to progress and earn more.'

Ms Coffey previously resisted calls from politicians in each of the four UK nations to halt the planned cut.

She said it was right to focus on supporting people back into work now the economy was getting back on track.

The Work and Pensions Secretary was responding to a letter issued by cross-party committees from Westminster, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Senedd and the Scottish Parliament.

Work and Pensions Secretary Dr Therese Coffey resisted calls this week to maintain the uplift, saying the time was right to focus on supporting people back into work and helping workers to progress in their careers

They had called on the Government to make the higher rate of payment permanent.

In her reply, Ms Coffey said: 'Now the economy has reopened it is right that the Government should focus on supporting people back into work and supporting those already employed to progress in their careers.

'Our ambition is to support two million people move into and progress in work through our comprehensive 33billion Plan for Jobs.'

Stephen Timms, Labour MP and chairman of the Work and Pensions Committee, said the Government must 'change course to prevent severe hardship for many thousands of families'.

He continued: 'The 20 cut will plunge hundreds of thousands, including children, into poverty. Instead, the Government should extend the lifeline beyond September.

'The Secretary of State's dismissive response to our letter suggests that the Government is still in denial about the impact of ending the increase.'

Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'The Government's 1,000 a year cut will be a hammer blow to millions of working families, hitting the lowest paid hardest and hurting our economic recovery.

'Time is running out for the Conservatives to see sense and cancel their cut to Universal Credit.

'Almost half of those hit by this cut are in work - to claim there is a choice between cancelling this cut and getting people back into work is simply wrong.

'Labour would maintain the uplift until we can replace Universal Credit with a fairer social security system.'
A NSW Health employee personally intervened to get all 163 senior students at a prestigious $50,000-a-year school vaccinated, unearthed emails reveal.

St Joseph's College in Sydney's Hunter's Hill confirmed its Year 12 students got the Pfizer Covid jab in May - months before most Australians.

Sydney Local Health District boss Teresa Anderson apologised for the 'error' and claimed it only meant to jab the school's handful of Aboriginal students.

Indigenous students were eligible at the time, but healthy NSW residents under 40 were not able to get vaccinated, prompting huge outrage.

However, emails seen by The Australian , showed the health employee personally requested all Year 12s be vaccinated by the end of term.

St Joseph's College at Sydney's affluent Hunter's Hill confirmed 163 Year 12 students were vaccinated against Covid-19 in May

As anger about the vaccine drive mounted, the 'distraught' official emailed NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant on July 6 to personally apologise.

'Kerry, I am really sorry that this has blown up in this way. I want to personally apologise that this has blown up for you at this most hectic time,' they wrote.

'Knowing the Joeys situation well, I approached Teresa in early May on my own initiative to ask whether it would be possible to vaccinate the senior students at St Joseph's College.'

The official said it was a 'personal approach' and not a request from the school, and said he spoke to Concord Hospital acting general manager Kiel Harvey and the pair phoned Dr Anderson.

When the email was forwarded to Dr Anderson, she said she'd spoken to Mr Harvey and said their recollection was the same and that it was 'just half a dozen Aboriginal students on scholarships from rural areas who were boarders'.

Dr Anderson said in a statement on Wednesday a Sydney Local Health District clinician contacted the department about vaccinating Aboriginal students boarding at the school.

With community outrage surging over why students at the $50,000-a-year boarding school were given their first shot of Pfizer despite the fact the jab wasn't then available to under 40s, health bosses blamed an 'error' (pictured Sydneysiders at a vaccination hub)

'The clinician was concerned about the risks associated with these students returning to their communities with Covid-19,' she said.

'At the time of the request, Covid-19 was not present in the state's vulnerable Aboriginal rural and remote communities and keeping Covid-19 out of these areas was considered paramount.

'Sydney Local Health District agreed to vaccinate the Aboriginal students boarding at St Joseph's College at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital's vaccination hub.

'This decision was in line with the Commonwealth Government eligibility criteria, which states that all Aboriginal people aged 16 to 49 years of age are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination as they have a higher risk of acquiring, and developing, severe disease from, COVID-19.

'Through an error, the wider group of boarders in Year 12, a total of 163 students, was vaccinated and the District has apologised for this mistake.'

Under eligibility guidelines, indigenous Australians aged 16 to 49 have always been eligible for the jab, which was in short supply nationwide at the time - and still is.

'It was agreed that the Aboriginal students would be vaccinated through the state health system at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital's vaccination hub,' Dr Anderson said in a statement at the time.

The school's headmaster Ross Tarlinton confirmed the school approached health authorities to enquire about vaccination for Indigenous students.

Pictured are sunbathers at Bondi Beach on Wednesday. Pfizer had been in short supply at the time the students at St Joseph's College were vaccinated

'We have a large number of boys who live in a residential community, which includes boys from rural, remote and indigenous communities,' he said in a statement in July.

Mr Tarlinton pointed out the school, which charges $35,800 for day students, and $50,000 for boarders, does not decide who gets what vaccine.

'Acknowledging that the college does not determine vaccination priority, it welcomed the opportunity to offer the vaccine for students given the approvals provided and for the reasons listed above,' the statement read.

Mr Tarlinton said he and the college would 'continue to encourage and support members of its community to receive the appropriate vaccine as the opportunity arises'.

After the scandal, Health Minister Brad Hazzard shut down a reporter who suggested the health department should be embarrassed.

'What I find more embarrassing is that you would make that sort of question and accusation against frontline health staff who work their butts off and will have tomorrow achieved one million vaccinations in arms,' he told reporters.

'The school intended it well. There was a mistake and so what? It's happened, out of a million vaccinations, move on.'
Accused murderer Chad Daybell's five children have insisted their father is innocent, and said that the two children found in shallow graves at their farm were killed by his new wife and her accomplices.

Daybell, from Idaho, faces the death penalty when he goes on trial in November on multiple counts of conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder, among other crimes.

The charges are in relation to the deaths in the fall of 2019 of two children whose mother, Lori Vallow, he had recently married - seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan - and the sudden death of Daybell's first wife, Tammy Daybell.

On Wednesday night Chad Daybell's five adult children - Garth Daybell, Emma Murray, Seth Daybell, Leah Murphy and Mark Daybell - spoke with CBS' 48 Hours for the first time since his arrest last year, and defended their father.

'I think he was fooled in the worst and most deadly way possible,' said Emma Murray.

'We don't know Lori, but we know our dad.'

Chad Daybell's five grown children broke their silence for the first time since their father's arrest last June on murder charges

Daybell is set to go on trial in November. His wife Lori has been committed to a mental health facility for treatment

She said that they were all shocked when their father married Lori Vallow two weeks after their mother died.

'That was really hard and it really surprised us,' she told CBS.

'As it was clear there was already an emotional connection.'

Asked whether she thought their father was having an affair, she replied: 'Emotionally, yes.'

And she said they all accepted how their father's hasty remarriage looked to outsiders.

'It was a very socially inappropriate choice to make,' she said.

'But socially inappropriate doesn't mean something bad happened.'

Emma Murray said that her father Chad Daybell was 'fooled' by Lori Vallow. Asked whether she blamed Vallow for the murder of her two children, Murray said: 'Absolutely'

Garth Daybell said they had no idea that their new stepmother had two children until, in the fall of 2019, police began asking questions.

'I first knew of her kids when a detective came to my work and asked about them,' he said.

Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow went to Hawaii for a vacation while the missing children were being searched for, and Chad Daybell reassured the five that the two missing youngsters were fine.

Jonathan Vigliotti, host of the show, asked whether the five ever asked their father where the missing children were, and whether they demanded to be shown them.

'He said: we can't, for their safety,' said Murray.

She added: 'It all came down to our trust in our father.

'We trusted him, and he trusted Lori.'

Emma Murray told Vigliotti about the moment when the badly-burnt body of Tylee and the duct-taped remains of JJ were found on their property, at the site of their family's pet cemetery.

'The first thing he asked me was do you know why they arrested me?' said Murray.

'I said dad, they found human remains.

'His face when white and his eyes went white. He was shocked.'

Garth added: 'It goes back to how we know him as a man.'

Garth Daybell (pictured) said they refused to believe their father was involved in the murder of their mother or Lori Vallow's children

Murray said: 'I do know my father believes that killing someone is not what God wants.'

Asked whether she held Lori Vallow responsible, Murray replied: 'Absolutely.'

She added: 'I think we would interpret it as anyone did. It does look really bad.

'None of this would have ever happened if Lori Vallow hadn't come into his life.'

The five said they were told by law enforcement officials that their mother, Chad's first wife, died by asphyxiation, but they argue that does not prove that he had smothered her.

After Tammy Daybell suddenly stopped breathing at the family's Idaho home on October 19, 2019, aged 49, her children said it was their decision, and not their father's, to forgo an autopsy because they knew their mother was in declining health.

A coroner initially told them the woman had died of natural causes.

Daybell was arrested in June 2020 and pleaded not guilty to murder charges.

Lori Vallow Daybell in June 2021 was committed to a mental health facility to be treated for up to three months, in hopes of making her competent to stand trial on charges of murder and conspiracy.

Daybell also faces a murder charge related to the death of his first wife, Tammy (right). The couple's children say they were told by cops that she had died by asphyxiation

Daybell (left) and his new wife, Lori Vallow Daybell (right), face murder and conspiracy charges stemming from the killings of the woman's two children

In this aerial photo, investigators search for human remains at Chad Daybell's residence outside Rexburg, Idaho, on June 9, 2020

Garth Daybell told 48 Hours that he was in his room on October 19, 2019, when he heard a thump from his parents' bedroom down the hall.

'And [I] heard my dad yell, 'Garth, Garth, come quick,' with the most panic I'd ever heard in his voice,' the son recounted.

By the time first responders were summoned, Garth said his mother had died.

'My dad was just pacing back and forth,' Garth said. 'Just saying, 'Why? How could this happen?' Pointing at pictures on the wall, 'She can't be dead. Like, how could this be? What do we do?''

The Daybell children said a coroner who arrived at the home later that same day told them it appeared Tammy, a seemingly fit 49-year-old librarian, had died of natural causes.

Emma Murray said that contrary to previous reporting, Chad was not the one who declined to have an autopsy performed on Tammy.

'The narrative is that he was going, 'No, no, no autopsy.' But he was standing there  in complete shock, traumatized, letting us make the decision,' said Murray.

'If he was trying to hide something... I wouldn't leave something like that up to my kids if I was trying to hide something.'

Two weeks later, Chad married Lori Vallow while police were frantically searching for her missing children.

In December, the Fremont County Sheriff's Office reclassified Tammy's death as suspicious. Her body was exhumed and an autopsy was performed.

The results of the autopsy have not been made public, but Garth said he was told by the authorities that they believe his mother had died by asphyxiation.

'Asphyxiation doesn't necessarily mean smothered,' son Mark Daybell argued.

'According to my understanding, it just means the breath was interrupted. And in the end, she wasn't able to breathe. And according to that, there's more facts we need.

'We don't just say, 'Oh, well, bye, Chad.' No there's still love, there's still connection.'

Standing near the spot where JJ and Tylee's remains were unearthed by law enforcement officials last summer, Murray said it would have made no sense for her father to hide the bodies outside his own home in Salem, Idaho, amid an intense, months-long search for the missing children that put a spotlight on him.

'I don't know why they would be there, but I do know that if he were to commit a crime, he wouldn't be foolish enough to put the evidence in his own backyard,' she said.

The bodies of Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, 7 (left), and his half-sister, Tylee Ryan, 17 (right), were found in shallow graves on Daybell's property

Location aside, Daybell's children also pointed out that as a former gravedigger, he would not have made the mistake of burying the remains in shallow graves outside his home, especially given that his property is surrounded by acres of open space seldom visited by anyone.

'He knew how to dig graves and that just doesn't sound believable to me,' Daybell's son Seth Daybell said.

Emma Murray, Daybell's daughter, argued that her father was 'framed' because he would not have hidden evidence on his own property

All five children argued that their father played no part in the deaths of JJ and Tylee.

'My father needs someone to be a voice for him. To let people know what's real  what we know,' Emma Murray said.

Daybell is scheduled to appear in court for a closed-door hearing on Monday. His trial is set to begin on November 8.

In an indictment, Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell are accused of being a members of a doomsday cult revolving around bizarre religious beliefs to encourage or justify the killings.

The twisted case began in 2018, according to the indictment, the Daybells  both still married to other people  began espousing their apocalyptical system of religious belief.

Lori's then-husband, Charles Vallow, eventually decided to seek a divorce. He wrote in court documents that his wife believed she had become a god-like figure responsible for ushering in the end times.

The two were still married but estranged in the summer of 2019 when Lori Daybell's brother Alex Cox shot Charles Vallow, in suburban Phoenix.

Cox asserted the shooting was in self-defense, and he was never charged. Cox later died of an apparent blood clot in his lung.

Shortly after Charles Vallow's death, Lori Daybell  then still Lori Vallow  and her children moved to Idaho, where Chad Daybell lived.

He ran a small publishing company, releasing doomsday-focused fiction books loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He also recorded podcasts about preparing for the apocalypse, and friends said he claimed to be able to receive visions from 'beyond the veil.'

At the time, Chad Daybell was married to Tammy Daybell, a fit 49-year-old school librarian who helped him run the publishing company. She died in October of 2019. Her obituary said she died in her sleep of natural causes.

Authorities grew suspicious when Chad Daybell remarried just two weeks later, and they had Tammy Daybell's body exhumed in Utah in December. The results of that autopsy have not been released.

Police began searching for Tylee and JJ in November after relatives raised concerns.

Police say the Daybells lied to investigators about their whereabouts before quietly leaving Idaho. They were found in Hawaii months later, without the children. The children's bodies were eventually found buried in a 'pet cemetery' on Chad Daybell's eastern Idaho property.

Lori and Chad were each indicted by a grand jury in May on charges of conspiracy, murder and grand theft in connection with the deaths of JJ and Tylee.

Chad was also charged with one count of murder and insurance fraud in connection with the death of his first wife.

After a psychological assessment, the court found Lori wasn't able to assist in her own defense or make informed decisions about her mental health treatment.
The British Council was accused of abandoning female Afghan teachers yesterday.

One who is hiding from the Taliban said she was terrified she would be whipped or even executed because she worked for the UK organisation.

Another said she was living in fear and had burned all her documents to hide her links to the British. If the Taliban find we have worked with the British, they will kill us, she explained.

Dozens of former British Council teachers and workers who applied to the UK for relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy have either been rejected or are still awaiting a decision. It is understood some have been granted sanctuary.

Duty: Sumaya, with arms crossed, at work teaching. All faces are obscured for the womens safety

Around ten of those left behind to the Taliban are women, and they feel at particular risk. They taught English and also promoted western values, especially to girls and women.

Sumaya, not her real name, is hiding in a flat in the capital Kabul with her husband and her three-year-old daughter. She fears he too will be targeted.

I was the face of Britain, she told the Mail. I promoted them in schools where many families saw. Everyone knew me.

I taught the language of their Christian enemy, their goodness and values.

That makes me and other teachers a target of the Taliban. I do not understand why I have been left behind, why I have heard nothing when the risk to me and my family is so great?

The 29-year-old, who worked in the north of Afghanistan, said she applied together with colleagues three months ago to the ARAP scheme.

Dozens of former British Council teachers and workers who applied to the UK for relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy have either been rejected or are still awaiting a decision. Pictured: Taliban fighters celebrate in Afghanistan on September 1, 2021, after the final US soldiers left the country

She received only two emails in reply. The most recent told her: Stay in a safe place. We are concerned about you.

She said: What has happened with us is extremely cruel. We should have been eligible for relocation surely as women who were the voice of Britain.

But there has been nothing. If we had worked for the United States, then we would have been rescued and be safe by now. ARAP has done nothing for us. I have been waiting for three months and now I am forced to live in hiding, worrying that the Taliban will come to my door. It is very frightening because I am wondering why we have been left behind.

The Taliban do not want women to work or to teach the voice of their enemy. They will punish my husband because he allowed his wife to work and they will punish me.

Whipping me in front of the public could be the punishment. It is a crime to the Taliban for any woman to work in this way.

Some Afghan teachers, trainers and managers who applied under ARAP say they were rejected because they were contracted staff and not directly employed by the national government.

They were, though, paid by the British Council. Sumaya said those abandoned were particularly resentful that some Council staff based in Kabul had been given refuge in the UK.

Another woman who worked on the English for Afghans scheme for two years said she was living in dread of a knock on the door from the Taliban. She and her mother, who also served the Council, are no longer able to leave home without a male escort. The woman said she feared she might be forced to marry a Taliban fighter. She said she would rather kill herself. It would be better for me, she explained.

We are tired of being brave. We are tired of losing our dear ones. We are losing our friends, our colleagues, our family members. We should have a right to our lives.

She is furious that the UK did not allow those who worked on the English for Afghans programme permission to join the ARAP evacuation scheme. I dont know why we have been left behind. We served them, they have left us, she said.

Sumaya, who worked for on the British Council programme for two years, said fears had grown after one of her colleagues had been followed home by members of the Taliban.

Sumaya, not her real name, is hiding in a flat in the capital Kabul with her husband and her three-year-old daughter. She fears he too will be targeted. Pictured: Taliban fighters stand on an armoured vehicle before parading along a road in Kandahar on September 1, 2021

He escaped but thought they wanted to kill him, she said. And she pleaded: Please British Council, please ARAP and the Foreign Office, give us hope. Do the correct thing and move quickly to approve our cases.

There are no flights and no safe passage at present but if we have the documents from Britain, then a third country is a good option for us  at least we would be safe.

Concerned teachers and former Council staff contacted the Daily Mail appealing for their case to be highlighted as part of the Betrayal of the Brave campaign.

An online campaign set up under the headline: Save British Council educators from the Taliban had attracted 135,000 signatures yesterday.

Dr Julia Cave Smith, an education consultant who worked with some of the teachers, described as inhumane the treatment of one who had been branded a spy and feared beheading.

The Council said the Ministry of Defence had responsibility for deciding who was on the ARAP scheme.

A spokesman added: We are not involved in the decision-making process although of course we are working very closely with the Foreign Office and MoD to do everything we possibly can to ensure that all applications of current and former British Council employees and contractors receive the fullest consideration possible.

Fears are also growing for Afghan female MPs, whose plight was described as terrifying by Home Office minister Victoria Atkins (pictured)

English for Afghans was a UK Government-funded English language teaching programme rolled out throughout Afghanistan from 2017 to 2020.

It was delivered across 15 provinces with 60,000 children reached as well as many civil servants and religious leaders.

A senior British Council member who oversaw their work said: Now the Taliban are running amok across Afghanistan, they are particularly keen to persecute and kill those who have represented international organisations, especially those connected with the UK and the USA.

The English for Afghans teachers and master trainers were the British Councils prize asset in delivering the UK Government English for Afghans programme, designed to assist in the education and stabilisation of the nation.

When we needed them to help us deliver this programme, we demanded commitment and professionalism from them, and praised them for the great work they were doing. Now they are highly visible  and likely to be captured and killed by a merciless and bloodthirsty Taliban.

Fears are also growing for Afghan female MPs, whose plight was described as terrifying by Home Office minister Victoria Atkins.

Additional reporting: RICHARD MARSDEN
New York lawmakers voted Wednesday on extending an eviction moratorium for tenants who are behind on rent because of the pandemic, as almost $2.3billion in rent relief funds go unused.

The moratorium was also modified after the Supreme Court last month struck down part of the law.

Gov. Kathy Hochul called the Legislature to return with a goal of putting evictions on hold until January 15.

New Yorks previous eviction moratorium, which included foreclosure protections for property owners, expired Tuesday.

The extension gives more time to distribute the roughly $2.3billion of mostly federal aid allocated for the Emergency Rental Assistance program.

The program was approved in April, and opened to applications on June 1, but as of August 23, only $203million of those funds had been distributed.

According to US Treasury estimates, 28 percent of New Yorkers behind on rent who applied to the program were still waiting a response, while 70 percent had yet to apply.

New York lawmakers prepared to vote on an extension to the state's moratorium on evictions Wednesday. Pictured: protesters in New York City on August 31 called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to extend the moratorium

Hochul (pictured on Tuesday) called a special session of the Legislature on Wednesday with the goal of extending the moratorium

In making her case for calling the session, Hochul said she believed that a number of New Yorkers could go homeless if evictions were allowed to proceed.

'We are not going to exacerbate what is already a crisis in terms of the homelessness problem,' she said.

'We are not going to allow people who through no fault of their own lost income, not able to pay and facing eviction.'

According to a survey by the US Census Bureau, as many a 700,000 or 21 percent of New York renters are behind on rent, totaling nearly $2.3billion in debt.

As many as 21 percent, or 700,000 New York renters are behind on rental payments, according to the US Census Bureau

California and New York lead the country in the most number of renters behind on payment

State Senate lawmakers discussed the bill Wednesday. They planned to modify it after the Supreme Court struck down part of the previous moratorium

New York trails only California, which has more than 750,000 people behind on rent, totaling more than $2.8billion in debt.

NY lawmakers also changed how the moratorium works.

In an August 12 ruling, the US Supreme Court nixed part of the law that allowed tenants to pause eviction proceedings simply by filing a form declaring theyd had a pandemic-related hardship.

The court said that landlords should have the ability to challenge those hardships in court.

The new bill allows landlords to contest applications for tenants they believe have not suffered economic hardship in court.

Landlord groups and state Republicans, however, say the change does not go far enough.

The extension is also intended to give the state more time to distribute the roughly $2.3billion in rental assistance funds it has allocated

'We are going to ask our attorney to make a motion to enforce the Supreme Court order and to stay the new legislation,' Joseph Strasburg from the Rent Stabilization Association, a landlord group, told CBS 2.

'The issue is that we have a ton of property owners many of whom are not wealthy. Theyre middle-income folks. They are cops, business owners, moms and dads, military veterans, who havent received rent in almost two years,' said State Sen. Rob Ortt the station.

In a separate ruling on August 17, the Supreme Court struck down a federal moratorium on evictions, which also expired on Tuesday.

Hochul has vowed to get the aid relief money out more quickly.
Britain is not a superpower, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said last night  as he warned that the scrambled withdrawal from Afghanistan could have been much worse if the Taliban had put up a fight.

Mr Wallace said it was time for the public to take a realistic look at Britains place in the world.

In an interview with the Spectator magazine, he said Britain hasnt been able to field a mass army for 50 years  if not longer.

But he said the country still had a huge range of tools at our disposal: from soft to hard power, economic power, scientific power and cultural power.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (pictured) said last night that 'is obvious that Britain is not a superpower' and hasnt been able to field a mass army for 50 years  if not longer

He added: It is obvious that Britain is not a superpower. But a superpower that is also not prepared to stick at something isnt probably a superpower either. It is certainly not a global force, its just a big power.

His comments will be seen as a swipe at the United States after its decision to abandon its military effort in Afghanistan.

But defence sources denied this, saying he was making a wider point about the need for the West to stand up to adversaries prepared to stick to 100-year plans.

A source said Mr Wallace was clear that the US is a superpower.

The Defence Secretary deployed 600 British troops to Afghanistan last month to facilitate the evacuation from Kabul airport, and he said the situation could have been much worse if the Taliban had fought back.

The Defence Secretary deployed 600 British troops to Afghanistan last month to facilitate the evacuation from Kabul airport, and he said the situation could have been much worse if the Taliban had fought back. Pictured: British military boarding an RAF aircraft at Kabul Airport

Mr Wallace also denied claims that he blocked a flight out of Afghanistan for former Royal Marine Pen Farthing and his rescue animals but said said he 'wont prioritise pets over people

Mr Wallace added: We sent 16 Air Assault Brigade, Natos most ready brigade, specifically designed for quick intervention and raw fighting. If it turned nasty, that was who you wanted there. And it could have been nasty. But the Taliban in the end were compliant.

They could have rained mortars on [the airport]. They didnt. It was better than it could have been.

Mr Wallace also denied claims that he blocked a flight out of Afghanistan for former Royal Marine Pen Farthing and his rescue animals.

I didnt block the flight, he said. But I said very clearly that I wont prioritise pets over people.
A truck driver is under investigation after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said he was one of two new Covid cases in the state - while an Islamic school has been plunged into isolation after students went to Melbourne and back.

The driver, who is from Windaroo south of Brisbane, travelled from Sydney and is believed to have been infectious in the community from August 28 until September 1.

He is now believed to be back in NSW. The other new case was detected in hotel quarantine.

The premier told parliament on Thursday a Gold Coast school - the Australian International Islamic College at Carrara - was shut today as a precautionary measure after some students boasted about taking a trip to Melbourne while the city was in lockdown.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told state parliament a truck driver was under investigation as one of two new Covid cases on Thursday morning

Students and staff of the Australian International Islamic College at Carrara are in 14 days quarantine after some students boasted about taking a trip to Melbourne during its lockdown

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said a family of five with children at the college recently travelled to Melbourne and then back to Queensland by road via an undetected inland route.

The entire family are now in hotel quarantine. Two of the children of the family attended the Islamic College on August 31, Ms D'Ath said.

She said the family had so far proved uncooperative in being tested or providing more detail on their movements.

Some members of the family were reported to be unwell.

'But we dont know if its COVID. We have to treat it as if it is,' Ms D'Ath said.

'The family has now been placed into mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine and I urge them to co-operate with authorities,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'This is very serious. We need this family to co-operate with authorities.'

Ms D'Ath also told parliament the truck driver was tested at Pimpama on the northern Gold Coast and was now being sought for interview by contact tracers.

'Queensland Health is seeking to locate this man to investigate his exposure sites and where he has been.'

She asked Gold Coast residents to check the Queensland Health website for further information as it came to hand.

Ms Palaszczuk also told parliament that Cairns Convention Centre would open as a mass vaccination hub from September 10

Ms Palaszczuk defended her warning in parliament yesterday about the effects of the Delta variant on children.

She restated her request for more modelling on the effects of the virus on unvaccinated children.

'This is a serious issue that needs a serious discussion,' she said.

'These are questions that I want answers to. These are questions that Queenslanders want answers to.

'So rather than everyone attacking, let's get the answers and let's have serious discussions.'

Ms Palaszczuk told parliament the Queensland exemptions unit had spoken to the parents of three-year-old Memphis, locked out of Queensland away from his parents

Ms Palaszczuk was asked by Opposition Leader David Crisafulli about the case of three-year-old Memphis, locked out of the state away from his parents.

Queensland couple Dominique Facer and Mick Francis haven't seen their son since he went to visit his grandparents Mark and Alex on a cattle station more than 1,500 kilometres away in the NSW Riverina region on July 9.

The state slammed shut its borders with NSW at short notice two weeks later due to the worsening Covid outbreak in Sydney.

'I'm advised that the exemptions unit have spoken to his parents and they are processing and talking to them about that exemption,' the premier responded.

Ms Palaszczuk also told parliament that Cairns Convention Centre would open as a mass vaccination hub from September 10.
Almost a quarter of US bosses say they have fired an employee for a mistake they have made during a video or audio conference call in the last 12 months, a new poll has found.

Showing up late to a Zoom meeting, having a bad internet connection, forgetting to unmute a microphone, or having a frozen screen are all causes for concern as more and more staff end up working from home.

But one in four bosses are so annoyed with mistakes made online that they have fired an employee, according to a study by Wakefield Research.

Two hundred managers were polled by the company, but the bosses were not asked exactly why they had terminated their employees.

The study found 91 percent of managers have reported some kind of problems during virtual meetings.

And a whopping 42 percent of bosses reported they blamed their employees for the glitches.

But not all of them were fired.

Most bosses reported informally reprimanding their employees at 40 percent, while 38 percent said they had issued formal a reprimand.

But 33 percent said a staffer had been removed from a project, and 24 per cent admitting to firing someone.

Twenty-four per cent of 200 bosses surveyed by Wakefield Research revealed they had fired a staff member due to an error, such as audio or video problems, during virtual meetings

The most common error is connection issues, with 75 per cent of people having to reschedule meetings and 41 per cent missing deadlines

Ninety-one per cent of bosses surveyed said they have experienced collaborative issues due to virtual technology

A staggering 75 per cent of the bosses surveyed - who had to be at VP or above at a company at of least 500 people - said they had to reschedule a meeting due to technical difficulties and glitches.

Forty-one per cent stated they missed a deadline and 32 per cent said they lost a client or an opportunity because of the difficulties that come along with remote and virtual business models.

There have been high-profile cases of Zoom blunders since more people started working from home.

Some Zoom difficulties ended up with bosses turning into potatoes, lawyers showing up to court with a cat head filter, and students logging into class with embarrassing usernames from fun Zoom parties with their friends.

Other times, it results in being fired.

Jeffrey Toobin tweeted that he has been fired from the New Yorker three weeks after allegedly being caught masturbating on a Zoom call with magazine staff

The magazine also released a statement to its staff confirming it had parted ways after a three-week investigation over the incident in October

Recently, the New Yorker fired their star reporter Jeffrey Toobin after he was caught masturbating on a Zoom call with his colleagues.

He was relieved of his services by the publishing giant, Conde Nast, who owns the New Yorker magazine.

The company released a statement through The Daily Beast, stating they 'take workplace matters seriously.'

He wrote in a November 2020 Twitter statement: 'I was fired today by @NewYorker after 27 years as a Staff Writer. I will always love the magazine, will miss my colleagues, and will look forward to reading their work.'

Meanwhile, other virtual blunders just cause a good laugh among employees.

Looking nothing short of disappointed, Lizet Ocampo (pictured as a potato) was left stumped when she accidentally turned on a potato filter during a Microsoft Teams meeting

Ocampo's employees had a great laugh as their bosses carried on with their meeting with the hilarious filter

Recently, a New Zealand minister's son barged into during one of her meetings with a phallic shaped carrot.

Although she admitted to laughing at it now, in the moment, she was quite embarrassed.

In April 2020, a boss hilariously turned herself into a potato and couldn't figure out how to turn it off.

Liz Ocampo, political director at People for the American Way, was left stumped when she suddenly turned herself into a potato during a Microsoft Teams meeting.

Although she looks solely disappointed in herself in the screenshot her employee took, the others couldn't help but laugh as their boss carried on looking like a potato throughout the whole meeting.

In another hilarious mistake, a lawyer showed up to court with a cat filter in February.

Lawyer Rod Ponton experienced his mishap during a virtual hearing for the 394th Judicial District court of Brewster.

The hearing began with the presiding judge saying: 'I believe you have a filter turned on in the video settings and you might want to turn it off.'

The filter followed Ponton's eyes nervously glancing around as he tried to remove the filter with the help of his assistant.

Lawyer Rod Ponton entered a court hearing with a cat filter on, which the judge didn't appreciate, and had to ask his assistant to help him turn it off

Ponton is then heard letting out a panicked 'aghh' before notifying the judge that his assistant was trying to help him remove the filter.

Even more importantly, as school starts back up this fall, is for students to double check their usernames before logging on to their first virtual class.

This student mistakenly logged into her class with the username 'big t***y b****h.'

Student Anne Marie Mackey said she used the name during a Zoom party with her friends back in April 2020 and forgot to chance it back for the start of the fall 2020 school year.

But while many bosses have said they'll sack an employee over a mistake, most times you can just count on giving your colleagues or fellow students a long needed laugh.
Jessica Watson's boyfriend was so desperate to meet the record-breaking sailor ten years ago that he spent days trying to meet her and win her heart during a boating competition.

Cameron Dale and the sailing extraordinaire met at Hamilton Island's Race Week in 2011 and were together until tragically died at Gold Coast University Hospital on Monday at the age of 29 - six weeks after he suffered a catastrophic stroke.

The couple's friend and colleague Duncan Curnow recalled that Cameron, affectionately known as 'Chop Chop' by his crewmates, was on a 'mission' to meet the teenage seafarer prior to their decade-long romance.

'Jessica was one of several celebrities on the island, but he was adamant to get to know her - took quite a shinning to her from afar,' Mr Curnow told Daily Mail Australia.

Pictured: Jessica Watson sailing with her boyfriend Cameron Dale, who tragically died on Monday

The couple had a decade-long romance before Cameron Dale suffered a catastrophic stroke at 29

'It took days for him to track her down because she was a celebrity and quite protected.

'We all laughed and scoffed at him from a far...well he succeeded and they were together ever since.'

Mr Curnow, who is the former managing director of marine clothing company Musto which sponsored Jessica when she circumnavigated the globe alone at 16, said he sailed with Cameron a number of times.

He described the young man as a 'passionate and avid sailor' who tragically had a 'zest for life'.

A friend told Daily Mail Australia the couple met during a competition at Hamilton Island in 2011

Jessica announced Cameron's shock death in a gut-wrenching social media post on Wednesday

'He put himself 1000 per cent into anything he did, never taking no for an answer, always smiling and having fun along the way,' Mr Curnow said.

'Learning as much as he could from elders, he was wise beyond his years.

'A tragic loss as would have been so successful.'

The last time he saw the couple together was at the Sandringham Yacht Club open day, and recalled they looked 'as happy as ever'.

Jessica, 28, announced his shock death in a gut-wrenching social media post on Wednesday.

'On Monday, 30 August 2021 we lost our Cam - my long-term partner in every aspect of life and planned future,' she wrote.

In her social media post, Jessica said Cameron (pictured together) helped shape her into the person she is today

The couple had a range of life plans that were dashed when he tragically died on Monday

'Cam passed away peacefully nearly six weeks after a catastrophic stroke.'

'Cam and I have been inseparable since 2011, our shared world centred on messing about on boats. Describing what Cam means to me is impossible - everyone who knows us understands how much we simply loved each other.'

Jessica then paid a heartbreaking tribute touching to the man she said helped shape her into the person she is today.

'Even while experiencing indescribable grief, I feel so grateful for the family, friends, and communities Cam has given me and the person I've become with him,' she wrote.

'I take enormous strength from having been so devotedly loved. The years of treasured memories offer enormous comfort.'

Cameron Dale (pictured) suffered a stroke six weeks ago. he was in hospital until he died on Monday

Jessica was named the 2011 Young Australian of the Year, before being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2012. Pictured arriving back in Sydney in May 2010

'Being Cam's 'Jess' is the role I'm most proud of. Cameron Dale 21.12.1991 - 30.08.2021.'

Despite Jessica's devastating loss, her agent told Daily Mail Australia that she will continue on in her role as a consultant for Netflix biopic 'True Spirit' - which will detail her solo trip around the world in 2010.

Sydney teenager Teagan Croft will star as Watson, True Blood star Anna Paquin will play her mother Julie, and Aussie actor Josh Lawson will play her dad Roger Watson.

The film will be shot on location in Queensland and Sydney, Australia later this year with a predominantly local cast and crew.

Filming under way: Teagan wore blue jeans and a grey jacket as she joined Anna on set on August 18

Filming underway: Anna Paquin (pictured) and Teagan Croft filmed scenes for Netflix's Jessica Watson biopic True Spirit on the Gold Coast on August 18

Jessica famously became the youngest person to sail around the world completely alone at age 16 and pent a total of 210 days - or close to seven months - alone at sea.

She was named the Young Australian of the Year in 2011 and became the youngest person to sail from Sydney to Hobart in the race.

She has since graduated from university and became a management consultant.

Jessica also authored a book called Indigo Blue, which was inspired by her love of adventure and sailing.
A bill forcing large department stores to display certain child products in gender neutral ways passed in the California Senate on Wednesday in a move to rid of traditional pink and blue marketing schemes for items like toys and toothbrushes.

AB-2826, which only applies to department stores with 500 or more employees, would not outlaw traditional boys and girls sections in department stores, but instead would require retailers to have a gender neutral section to display 'a reasonable selection' of items 'regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys'.

The legislation also wouldn't apply to clothes, just toys and 'childcare items,' which include hygiene and teething products.

The legislation has been met with mixed response from lawmakers and residents alike, some saying it promotes inclusion while others argue it is unconstitutional.

If passed, AB-2826 would require large department stores to display certain child products in gender neutral ways. The legislation would apply to toys and childcare items, including hygiene and teething products, but excludes clothing

Assemblyman Evan Low, who authored the bill, said AB-2826 was inspired by a 10-year-old girl named Britten whose mother works in his legislative office.

'Britten asked her mom while shopping why certain things in a store were 'off limits' to her because she was a girl, but would be fine if she was a boy,' Low said.

'Thankfully, my colleagues recognised the pure intentions of this bill and the need to let kids be kids.'

State Sen. Melissa Melendez, a Republican from Lake Elsinore, voted against the bill, saying she would 'recommend we let parents be parents'.

'Unlike the author, I actually have children, five of them to be exact, and I can tell you it is very convenient for parents,' she said.

'I don't think parents need the government to step in and tell them how they should shop for their children.'

Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, said that while both he and Low are 'childless gay men,' he defended their right to have opinions about children and families.

'We know what it was like to grow up not conforming to the way that your gender is supposed to be,' he said, adding: 'This is about making safe spaces for all children in today's society and not pushing, sometimes forcing children to conform.'

The California Retailers Association declined to comment on AB-2826. Formal opposition has come from a number of conservative groups.

The law only applies to department stores with 500 or more employees and would not outlaw traditional boys and girls sections in department stores

Assemblyman Evan Low (left), who authored the bill, said the bill will 'let kids be kids'. Sen. Melissa Melendez (right), who voted against the bill, believes the government doesn't need to step in and tell parents how to shop for their children

On Twitter, several Californians are questioning priorities of the state's lawmakers.

'Such screwed up priorities in California,' tweeted @SoCalKnollie.

'Why?' questioned @LadyFury3.

Others argued that the bill was completely unnecessary.

'Who are the damn morons even requesting for these dumb rules? Seriously? Nobody is asking for this. Nobody!' @AsianObvious wrote.

'That law is so unconstitutional, CA representatives quit wasting taxpayer money and really do something that benefits all Californians and not individual social groups that are protected by the constitution by simply being a citizen of the US,' said @Inbuditabilis.

The bill has been met with mixed response from social media users, some saying it promotes inclusion while others argue it is unconstitutional

'How can any intelligent adult not see how thoroughly authoritarian a bill like this is?' @NarducciKeith claimed.

'Progressives are not humble servants, they are arrogant dictators who seek to rule over every aspect of our lives.'

'When shopping for toys I go through all the sections and see what interests my child,' explained mother @AllyaSims4.

'The separation of the toys is helpful when looking for something specific. I have seen a store or 2 that put all the clothing together, separated by sizes only, and that was hard to navigate.'

Some large retailers are already rethinking how they display their products.

Target Corp., with 1,914 stores across the United States, announced in 2015 it would stop using some gender-based signs in its stores.

If it becomes law, it would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023 and make California the first U.S. state to require these sections in stores (Pictured: Toy store in New Jersey in 2019)

While the law will require large department stores to comply, penalties for not doing so would be light.

Prosecutors could seek fines of up to $250 for first offences and up to $500 for second offences. Those would be civil, not criminal, penalties.

Stores could also end up having to pay for reasonable attorney's fees and costs.

This is at least the third time California lawmakers have tried to pass the bill, with previous versions failing to pass in 2019 and 2020.

After its passage in the Senate Wednesday, the bill was sent back to the Assembly for a procedural vote before it heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

If it becomes law, it would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023 and make California the first U.S. state to require these sections in stores, according to Low's office.
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At least 41 people have been killed in the Northeast, including a family of three with a two-year-old boy who drowned in a New York City basement, after the tail-end of Hurricane Ida crept up on the tri-state area on Wednesday night bringing a month's worth of rain in less than a day, flooding homes while people slept and tearing up parts of New Jersey with tornadoes.

Eleven people were killed as water rushed into basement apartments in Brooklyn and Queens and people all over the city became stranded in flooded subway stations. MTA bus drivers were deployed to the stations to pick people up who were stranded and get them to safety.

The entire subway system was suspended and remains largely out of use on Thursday morning. AMTRAK has canceled services between Boston and Philadelphia and all of United Airlines' flights out of Newark were suspended on Thursday morning - some 300.

Eleven of the NYC victims died in flooded basement homes. One person was found in the backseat of a car on Thursday morning, at around 10am. They were in the backseat of the vehicle and had drifted from the Grand Central Parkway, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea announced on Thursday. A tenth man died in a vehicle in upstate New York.

The total death toll in New York City rose to 12 on Thursday night.

Mingma Sherpa, 48, Ang Lama, 50, and their son two-year-old son, also called Ang (full name Lobsang) drowned in their home in Woodside, Queens. The New York City victims also include Roberto Bravo, 66; Phamatee Ramskriet, 43 and Khrishah Ramskriet, 22, 86-year-old Yue Lian Chen and Darlene Hsu, 48.

In total, 23 people died in New Jersey - nine were swept away in cars that became submerged in the water and five died in an apartment complex in Elizabeth. Three people from one family - a 72-year-old woman, her 71-year-old husband and their 38-year-old son - died along with their 33-year-old female neighbor in the Oakwood Plaza Apartments in New Jersey.

Three also died in the New York suburb of Westchester. A 19-year-old man died in Maryland when the Rock Creek River burst its banks and flooded nearby homes. Three people died in Pennsylvania.

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Austin Ferdock drinks a beer while floating in floodwater that continues to rise over the submerged Vine Street Expressway, Interstate 676, following a huge storm caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 2, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Residents canoe through floodwater in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in Manville, NJ, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021

Roads are covered in floodwaters caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida which brought drenching rain, flash floods and tornadoes to parts of the northeast in New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S., September 2, 2021

Train tracks are flooded in the Bronx following a night of heavy wind and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 2, 2021 in New York City. Multiple fatalities have been reported in the region after the storm passed through, causing massive flooding and a widespread disruption of subway service

HOBOKEN, NJ - SEPTEMBER 2: A man falls off his bike into a flooded street the morning after the remnants of Hurricane Ida drenched the New York City and New Jersey area on September 2, 2021 in Hoboken, New Jersey

Roads are covered in floodwaters caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida which brought drenching rain, flash floods and tornadoes to parts of the northeast in New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S., September 2, 2021

Multiple homes are destroyed after a Tornado hit Mullica Hill, New Jersey, yesterday. September 02 2021. The neighborhood is just south of Philadelphia, near the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border

Multiple homes are destroyed after a Tornado hit Mullica Hill, New Jersey, yesterday. September 02 2021

Homes damaged from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on Josephine Lane in Mullica Hill, New Jersey

Parked cars sit in flood waters behind an apartment building, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, Mamaroneck, N.Y. A stunned U.S. East Coast woke up Thursday to a rising death toll

An abandon car sits in standing flood waters on a residential street, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, Mamaroneck, New York

Roads in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, are covered in floodwaters caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida which brought drenching rain, flash floods and tornadoes to parts of the Northeast

A city underwater: 145th Street station on Wednesday night after Hurricane Ida brought nearly 6 inches of rain to New York City - 3.5inches in an hour - the single highest rainfall ever recorded. Nine people in the city died

The scenes on the subway last night which remained open until 11pm - after bodies had been found in Brooklyn and Queens

Ang Lama, 50, his wife and their son two-year-old son, also called Ang, all drowned in their Queens home

More people have now been found dead in New York City from Ida than in Louisiana, which had days to prepare for the storm.

New Yorkers are furious that Mayor Bill de Blasio did not give more warning of what was to come.

Now, a massive clean-up operation is underway across the tri-state area and rescue teams in Pennsylvania are still going door-to-door in boats looking for people to save.

New York City officials and President Biden on Thursday blamed the catastrophe on climate change.

'This is yet another reminder that extreme storms and the climate crisis are here,' Biden said in an address on Hurricane Ida's devastation.

'Floods are going to happen with increasing frequency,' he continued.

'For us, this isn't about politics. Hurricane Ida didn't care if you were a Democrat or Republican.

'This destruction is everywhere.'

A person stands in front of cars in a flooded garage the morning after the remnants of Hurricane Ida drenching the New York City and New Jersey area on September 2, 2021 in Hoboken, New Jersey

A man in waist-deep water walks by a door floating in floodwater in Manville, NJ, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. A stunned U.S. East Coast has woken up to a rising death toll, surging rivers and destruction after the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the region with record-breaking rain

Residents are surrounded by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in Manville, NJ, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A stunned U.S. East Coast has woken up to a rising death toll, surging rivers and destruction after the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the region with record-breaking rain

A flood damaged residence is seen at the Oakwood Plaza Apartments in the aftermath of flooding that was caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida which brought drenching rain, flash floods and tornadoes to parts of the northeast in Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S., September 2, 2021

A food delivery driver stands on the saddle of his bicycle outside Soho Finest Deli on the corner of Grand Street and Thompson Street in Soho on Wednesday night to avoid the flood water rising up around him

QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: The inside of an MTA bus was submerged as a driver ploughed through 3-4 feet of rain

A food delivery driver in New York City wades through knee-deep flood water on Wednesday night as Ida slams the city

Ida was anticipated in the south as a ferocious hurricane that is typical of this time of year. It downgraded to a tropical storm before making its way towards the Northeast and was not expected to bring as much rain or tornadoes

Rescue teams were going to people's homes in dinghies on Thursday morning in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania

Biden said that when the Senate returns to Washington he would direct them to pass the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation plan as part of his 'Build Back Better' agenda.

'Experiencing all this flooding in NYC right now and thinking about all the politicians who told me that pursuing a Green New Deal to adapt our nat'l infrastructure to climate change is 'unrealistic' & 'too expensive.''

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, N.Y., wrote on Twitter. 'As if doing too little is the responsible, adult thing to do?'

'Members of both parties engage in misleading rhetoric and funny math to convince the public we are addressing climate change more than we are - & that includes parts of the current infrastructure plan,' Ocasio-Cortez said. 'We need a Green New Deal now.'

'Global warming is upon us not a coincidence,' Sen. Chuck Schumer, N.Y., said in a press conference Thursday. 'It's going to get worse and worse and worse.' The majority leader used the moment to push for the infrastructure deal and budget reconciliation plan making their way through Congress.

'That's why it's so imperative to pass the two bills, the infrastructure bill and the budget reconciliation bill.'

'Woe is us if we don't recognize that these changes are due to climate change. Woe is us if we don't do something soon,' he said.

The first warnings about Ida came at around 7pm on Wednesday and by 10pm, NYPD officers were recovering dead bodies from basement homes.

At a press conference on Thursday, he said officials were caught off guard by the amount of rain that fell. He had predicted between three and six inches to fall in the entire day, he said, but that much fell in just one hour in some parts of the city.

'We anticipated three and six inches over the course of the whole day and that turned into the biggest single rainfall in NYC history with almost no warning,' he said.

The National Weather Service's office in New York issued a Flash Flood Emergency for New York City for the first time ever - warning people to seek high ground immediately.

The 'Emergency' warning is the highest level of flood alert - indicating immediate and significant threats to life and property.

'This particular warning for NYC is the second time we've ever issued a Flash Flood Emergency. (It's the first one for NYC).

'The first time we've issued a Flash Flood Emergency was for Northeast New Jersey an hour ago,' the agency tweeted.

Across New York and New Jersey, there are now 85,000 people without power, including 25,000 in New York City.

Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla told CNN the destruction is on par with Hurricane Irene which killed 12 New Jersey residents in 2011.

She said: 'We experienced 6.5 inches of rain in an eight-hour period.

Somerset Patriots' ballpark was entirely flooded in Bound Brook, New Jersey, on Thursday after Ida swept through the state

A damaged NJ Transit train in Bound Brook is surrounded by flood water. Many passengers were stuck on trains for 10 hours overnight before being rescued

Cars are pilled after flooding as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Ida at Oakwood Plaza Apartments complex in Elizabeth, NJ., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Five people in the building died last night in floods including a 72-year-old woman, her 71-year-old husband, the couples 38-year-old son and a 33-year-old woman who was described as a neighbor. A fifth person was also found dead in another Oakwood Plaza apartment, however details about that person were not immediately available.

People look at cars abandoned on the flooded Major Deegan Expressway following a night of extremely heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 2, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York City

QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: A homeless man stands in the doorway of a deli during flash flooding caused by storm Ida

Jefferson Street subway in Brooklyn floods on Wednesday night while an L train approaches with passengers on board

Water pours in to the 28th Street subway station on Wednesday night as the tail end of Hurricane Ida slams into New York

NEW YORK CITY: Trains were seen being swamped with cascades of water, while subway stations were completely flooded

A surreal video of Bushwick, Brooklyn, shows cars and trucks submerged in water from Hurricane Ida on Wednesday night

QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: Members of the FDNY are pictured in waist-high water as they rescue a woman from her car

Basement apartments all over New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania flooded on Wednesday when the storm hit

Biden says 'extreme storms' prove Congress needs to pass $3.5T budget to deal with global warming Democrats all the way up to President Biden are warning the worst is yet to come after Hurricane Ida flooded the Northeast as they push for costly climate change measures. 'This is yet another reminder that extreme storms and the climate crisis are here,' Biden said in an address on Hurricane Ida's devastation. 'Floods are going to happen with increasing frequency,' he continued. 'For us, this isn't about politics. Hurricane Ida didn't care if you were a Democrat or Republican. This destruction is everywhere.' Biden said that when the Senate returns to Washington he would direct them to pass the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation plan as part of his 'Build Back Better' agenda. 'This is yet another reminder that extreme storms and the climate crisis are here,' Biden said in an address on Hurricane Ida's devastation Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, N.Y., wrote on Twitter: 'Experiencing all this flooding in NYC right now and thinking about all the politicians who told me that pursuing a Green New Deal to adapt our nat'l infrastructure to climate change is "unrealistic" & "too expensive." As if doing too little is the responsible, adult thing to do?' 'Members of both parties engage in misleading rhetoric and funny math to convince the public we are addressing climate change more than we are - & that includes parts of the current infrastructure plan,' Ocasio-Cortez said. 'We need a Green New Deal now.' 'Global warming is upon us not a coincidence,' Sen. Chuck Schumer, N.Y., said in a press conference Thursday. 'It's going to get worse and worse and worse.' The majority leader used the moment to push for the infrastructure deal and budget reconciliation plan making their way through Congress. 'That's why it's so imperative to pass the two bills, the infrastructure bill and the budget reconciliation bill.' 'Woe is us if we don't recognize that these changes are due to climate change. Woe is us if we don't do something soon,' he said. The $3.5 trillion budget plan, focused on 'human infrastructure,' would allocate almost $200 billion to be distributed by the Energy Committee, another $67 billion for Environment and Public Works and $135 billion for Agriculture, with a focus on reducing carbon emissions. The plan furthers President Biden's agenda of a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday night's storm was the 'biggest wakeup call' to act on climate change. 'A horrifying storm unlike anything we've ever seen before The brutality of storms now. It is different. This is the biggest wake up call we could ever get. We're going to do a lot things differently and quickly.' New York's new governor Kathy Hochul said that 'Because of climate change, unfortunately this is something we're going to have to deal with with great regularity.' 'Those saying we werent prepared for the climate crisis were right. Those saying Trumps far-right appointees would overturn Roe v. Wade were right. Those saying Afghanistan would take decades and cost trillions of dollars were right. Trust organizers,' Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., wrote on Twitter, also referring to a new Texas law banning abortion after 6 weeks and the US withdrawal out of Afghanistan. Advertisement

FURIOUS NEW YORKERS SLAM DE BLASIO FOR LATE IDA WARNING Furious New Yorkers slammed Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday for not giving more warning for the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Ida and only declaring a state of emergency after the bodies of seven residents - including a two-year-old boy - were found in flooded basement homes. New Yorkers were largely unaware of what was in store for them last night and many found themselves stuck on trains when the storm hit. The National Weather Service prediction center blasted a tweet at 2.40pm that a severe rainstorm was on the way, but nothing came from de Blasio's office until around 7.20pm. 11.26pm: De Blasio didn't declare a state of emergency until 11.26pm - after the bodies of at least seven people were found Between then and 9pm, the warnings were for flash flood warnings, which are routine amber alerts often blasted across the city when there is heavy rain. It wasn't until 8.50pm that the peak rainfall was reached, and it wasn't until nearly 9.30pm that the National Weather Service declared a Flash Flood Emergency - the first ever in NYC. The City of NYC didn't send out the alert of the Flash Flood Emergency until 10.25pm, and the subway was not suspended until 10.48pm. People who were were stuck on trains had to be rescued by bus drivers. The Governors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania gave earlier warnings but New York Governor Kathy Hochul didn't declare a state of emergency until after midnight, and de Blasio only declared a state of emergency at 11.26pm. By then, the NYPD had recovered the bodies of seven people who drowned in basement apartments across Brooklyn and Queens. They found the eighth - an 86-year-old woman - just before midnight. At a press briefing on Thursday morning, de Blasio admitted that he - and weather experts - underestimated how much rain would fall. He said he was expecting between 3 and 6 inches across the entire day, but 3.5 inches fell in a single hour last night - the highest amount ever on record. Advertisement

'Unfortunately, the number of calls for service has been overwhelming  people with alarms activated, downed wires, abandoned vehicles.'

Daily rainfall in Central Park and Newark, New Jersey smashed records on Wednesday.

In New York's iconic park, 7.13 inches fell, breaking the record of 3.84 inches in 1927.

Meanwhile, 8.41 inches fell in Newark, where airport operations were hampered, breaking record 1959 record of 2.22 inches.

Passaic, New Jersey, Mayor Hector Lora said the town saw up to 8 feet of water.

'In the area where we unfortunately experienced a loss of life  I must say our prayers and support go out to the family of this individual  that area had over six feet of water.

'The fire department and police had to call off efforts because our fire truck literally got stuck in the road. We had ambulances stuck on the road.

'There were areas in our city where we saw up to eight feet of water,' he said.

All New York City subway lines were suspended on Wednesday night and non-emergency vehicles were banned until 5am Thursday.

The MTA is now running an extremely limited subway lines.

The city suspended the subway and banned all non-emergency vehicles from the roads until 5am, after 3.15 inches of rain were recorded at Central Park in just one hour.

'These numbers are climbing. Charge your devices and if you experience an outage  call it in immediately,' Murphy tweeted.

Having tracked up the east coast of the United States leaving a trail of devastation in her wake, Ida is now whipping towards the city of Boston.

The storm moved east in the evening, with the National Weather Service confirming at least one tornado and social media posts showing homes blown to rubble and roofs torn from buildings in a southern New Jersey county just outside Philadelphia.

Newark Airport reported four inches of rain in a two hour period, as the baggage area of the airport flooded.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, said in a statement that all flights were suspended and all parking lots were closed due to severe flooding.

Videos from the airport's baggage room showed water spraying up like a geyser while workers stood in the flood waters.

New Jersey also suspended some of its NJ Transit train lines and buses.

'We're enduring an historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads,' NYC mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted.

Flood waters from heavy rain associated with Ida enter Sunflower Organic Cleaners in Passaic, New Jersey, U.S., September 2, 2021

CitiField in New York City on Wednesday night was waterlogged after the storm hit

A home in Rahway, New Jersey, exploded last night after being evacuated while the storm ravaged the area with tornadoes

Residents in an apartment building in Woodside, Queens, wade through flood water on Wednesday night after Ida hit

QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: People stand inside a subway station as water runs past their feet during flash flooding caused by storm Ida

QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: People stand at a subway entrance as they debate to wade through several inches of water caused flash flooding after remnants of storm Ida brought three inches of rain per hour across the city

People view a flooded street in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath

Highway 440 flooded in Jersey City of New Jersey, United States on September 2, 2021 as hundreds of cars stuck in water as Hurricane Ida left behind flash floods East Coast

A man rides a bicycle through floodwaters as residents escape their homes after the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida brought drenching rain, flash floods and tornadoes to parts of the northeast in Mamaroneck, New York, U.S

Firefighters are shown rescuing a man from floodwater, right, on Wednesday night at the Bronx Expressway

NYPD officers on Thursday morning outside the home of a family of three who were killed in the storm last night. The family included a two-year-old boy. Their basement apartment flooded and drowned the toddler, along with a 48-year-old woman and 50-year-old man

Central Park Lake flooded into Bethesda Terrace on Wednesday night. This was the view at the iconic fountain on Thursday morning

The Bronx River Parkway overflowed its banks in Westchester and The Bronx. Shown above, White Plaints on Thursday

The Bronx River Parkway overflowed its banks in many areas of Westchester and The Bronx, including here in White Plains, NY on September 2nd, 2021

First responders pull local residents in a boat as they perform rescues of people trapped by floodwaters after the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida brought drenching rain, flash floods and tornadoes to parts of the northeast in Mamaroneck, New York,

Commuters walk into a flooded 3rd Avenue / 149th St subway station and disrupted service due to extremely heavy rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 2, 2021, in New York City

Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, on Thursday morning as the region woke up to catastrophic floods brought on by Ida

Vehicles plow through water in Brooklyn on Wednesday night

BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY: A tornado is seen at the Burlington Bristol Bridge near the state border with Pennsylvania

A person walks in floodwaters in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area

Vehicles are under water during flooding in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida

Shown is flooding in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area

'Please stay off the streets tonight and let our first responders and emergency services get their work done. If you're thinking of going outside, don't. Stay off the subways. Stay off the roads. Don't drive into these heavy waters. Stay inside.'

The NYC Office of Emergency Management (OEM) issued a travel ban around 12:50 am preventing all non-emergency vehicles from travelling on city streets and highways until 5am.

Queens Boulevard in the neighborhoods of Maspeth and Corona was described as 'a literal river' and shocking video shows water flooding a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus while multiple cars were stuck in the water.

'Hero bus driver managed to get us safely through the 3-4 feet of rain coursing down the boulevard, but only seemed to be getting worse,' tweeted Joe English, who works in the press office for UNICEF.

'Finally made it through to higher ground and a fellow passenger exclaims 'oh no I missed my stop'.'

The MTA noted on its website that nearly all train lines have been suspended, except for the 7 train and the Staten Island Railway - which have been delayed.

'Train service may be extremely limited tonight because of heavy rainfall and flooding across the region. We strongly recommend you avoid traveling at this time, if you can,' the agency said.

The agency tweeted: 'If you're on a train that's stuck, stay on that train; the safest place to be is on the train unless you hear otherwise from the conductor.'

Between 2.5 inches and 3.5 inches per hour fell on Thursday night in some parts of New York and New Jersey

The National Weather Service's office in New York issued a Flash Flood Emergency for New York City for the first time ever

Emergency crews were working to evacuate passengers from a stuck E train at 74 Street and Broadway/Roosevelt Avenue, according to the @NYCFireWire account on Twitter.

The National Weather Service shared a video of a white SUV floating through flowing water in the Big Apple while warning residents: 'This is perfect example of what you should not do!'

'Notice the white car towards the end that is floating. This water is too deep to drive through. Turn Around Don't Drown!!' the agency tweeted.

Play was also suspended between Diego Schwartzman and Kevin Anderson at Louis Armstrong Stadium during the U.S. Open - despite the venue have a roof - because of wind and rain.

It's nasty out there, Los Angeles Times sports columnist Helene Elliot tweeted.

LAMBERTVILLE, NEW JERSEY: Cars are seen nearly completely submerged as the storm hit the northeast on Wednesday night

BAYONNE CITY, NEW JERSEY: Cars sit sunken on Highway 440 after a flash flood

BRONX, NEW YORK CITY: A street in the Bronx floods as tropical depression Ida dumps two inches of rain in the area

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY: A street in the Bushwick neighborhood is pictured completely flooded on Wednesday

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY: Flooding is seen in the Crown Heights neighborhood at the corner Franklin and Eastern Parkway

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY: The water could be seen flowing like a river as a rain poured onto the Crown Heights neighborhood

One video posted to social media showed a man using pool floaties during the storm.

In another video, an apparent GrubHub driver was seen trekking on a bike through flowing flood waters to make a delivery - receiving praise from people on Twitter.

Parts of northern Nassau County on Long Island were also under tornado warnings, as the National Weather Service advised there could also be hail from thunderstorms.

As the storm continued into Connecticut, flash flooding could be seen on Elm Street in West Haven while several cars seem to be have trouble on the roads, WVIT reporter Matt Austin tweeted. He wrote that West Haven police had put cones to block roads but flowing flood waters could be seen taking the cones away.

In Stamford, a video posted to Twitter shows firefighters and bystanders appearing to try to push a car against uphill against flowing water as other cars line up behind them.

Earlier in the day, Pennsylvania was blanketed with rain after high water drove some from their homes in Maryland and Virginia.

Thousands of people were evacuated Wednesday after water reached dangerous levels at a dam near Johnstown, a Pennsylvania town nicknamed Flood City.

The Cherry City Volunteer Fire Company tweeted that it had rescued 41 passengers from a school bus stuck in flood waters near Pittsburgh, while 10 students were saved from another school bus in western Maryland.

NEW YORK CITY: The National Weather Service shared a video of a white SUV floating through flowing water in the Big Apple

NEW YORK CITY: The National Weather Service noted that cars appeared to be floating in the shocking videos

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: People are seen walking at Times Square as Ida brought mass flooding and damage

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: People are seen walking at Times Square as Ida brought dumped rain on the Big Apple

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: A woman sits on a chair in Times Square as heavy rain hit the city

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: A food delivery driver rides on a motorized bike as he works during the storm

A tornado was also believed to have touched down along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Ida caused countless school and business closures in Pennsylvania. About 150 roadways maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were closed and many smaller roadways also were impassable.

Some areas near Johnstown, whose history includes several deadly floods, saw 5 inches or more of rain by mid-afternoon, an inundation that triggered an evacuation order for those downstream from the Wilmore dam.

Cambria County emergency management director and 911 center head Art Martynuska said the water level at the Wilmore dam reached a height that required evacuation.

A 911 dispatcher in Mantua Township, N.J., told The Weather Channel that people were trapped in their basements and that roofs flew off of homes while there were reports of some severe injuries.

There were also reports of multiple buildings with roofs ripped off, damaged trees and debris blocking roads in the north of Philadelphia. Homes were also damaged in Chester County.

Nearby Hinckston Run Dam was also being monitored but appeared stable by late afternoon, he said, by which time water levels at Wilmore dam were receding.

'If that trend continues we'll be allowing folks to return back to their residences shortly, hopefully by this evening,' Martynuska said.

BRIDGEVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA: Water floods a street amid downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida

Tornados were reported in New Jersey, leaving properties destroyed

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND Buildings were destroyed after the city was hit my strong winds

Both dams were considered high-hazard dams that are likely to kill someone were they to fail.

Evacuees were taken to a nearby high school with help from the Red Cross, National Guard, local transit authority and school transportation services, he said.

The National Weather Service had predicted flooding from what remained of Hurricane Ida, saying steep terrain and even city streets were particularly vulnerable to a band of severe weather that extended from the Appalachians into Massachusetts.

Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and eastern West Virginia were expected to see the highest impacts from the storm's remnants - which has already caused extensive flooding in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi and billions of dollars of damage.

Flash flooding knocked about 20 homes off their foundations and washed several trailers away in Virginia's mountainous western corner, where about 50 people were rescued and hundreds were evacuated. News outlets reported that one person was unaccounted for in the small mountain community of Hurley.

Water had almost reached the ceilings of basement units when crews arrived at an apartment complex in Rockville, Maryland, on Wednesday.
Millions of children are unable to swim 100metres or tread water as shocking new research reveals the increased risk of drowning many youngsters taking to the water face.

An overwhelming 96 per cent of those aged seven to 11 in England - more than 3.4 million - are failing to meet new swimming competency standards.

These include swimming 100m without stopping, treading water for 30 seconds, swimming in clothing and 'float to live' - which is being able to perform a star float on their back for at least 30 seconds.

The research, released by governing body Swim England, found the average child stops having swimming lessons at seven and a half years old - a figure which has risen during the pandemic as schoolchildren battled with missed in-person contact time in classes.

Campaigners now warn the overwhelming majority of children at serious risk of drowning because they are not being taught the most basic of swimming skills.

The study comes following a worrying spate of accidental deaths in the water this summer with 17 deaths during a single week in July, according to the Royal Life Saving Society.

Among those who died were several children, including a girl and a boy aged 13 and a nine-year-old boy.

Shock new research shows an overwhelming 96 per cent of those aged seven to 11 in England - more than 3.4 million - are failing to meet basic swimming competency standards

Reflecting on the importance of children learning to swim, Duncan Goodhew, president of Swimathon and Olympic swimming gold medallist said: 'Learning about when it is safe to swim and how to look after yourself is vital for children across the country to enjoy a lifetime of water fun and adventures.

'Many families will have stayed in the UK this year and we've heard many stories of children getting into trouble which is a particularly frightening experience for parents.

'These new standards are great for making it clearer for parents and guardians to make informed decisions.

'I urge parents to prioritise keeping your child in swimming lessons until your child is water competent.'

The research also showed that whilst 81 per cent of parents want their children to learn to swim so they can look after themselves if they get into trouble, the majority are taking their kids out of lessons before they are able to do so.

The research, released by governing body Swim England, found the average child stops having swimming lessons at seven and a half years old - a figure which has risen during the pandemic

Swim England is recommending that parents only consider stopping lessons for their children when they are able to perform four new standard competency moves, rather than just displaying confidence in the water.

Jane Nickerson MBE, Swim England chief executive, said she is worried by the high number of youngsters who had not reached the minimum standards as swimming is a vital life skill.

She said: 'Most parents mistakenly think their child is competent in the water if they are able to put their head under water or they enjoy jumping into a swimming pool. That's not the case.

'There is a fine line between being confident and knowing what to do if they find themselves in a difficult situation.

'By introducing the new swimming competency standards, we hope more parents will be able to make an informed decision about when to stop their child's swimming lessons.'

Campaigners now warn the overwhelming majority of children at serious risk of drowning because they are not being taught the most basic of swimming skills. [File image]

The research also found 72 per cent of parents said they had not been swimming with their child in the last month or longer.

Parents said the main reason for not taking their kids to swimming lessons outside of school were being too busy because of other extra-curricular activities, not seeing the need because of lessons in school and their children already being able to swim.

Double Olympic champion James Guy said: 'Learning how to stay safe in the water is a vital life skill.

'It's really important kids become competent swimmers so they can enjoy the water safely on a family holiday, or to ensure they would know what to do if they were to get into trouble.

'It's an adventure which could lead to you becoming Olympic champion or just enjoying the huge physical and mental health benefits that exercising in the water can bring.
An Australian man has sparked debate by presenting five alternative national flags - including a 'Reconciliation flag' and a 'Sunburnt flag'.

Jack Toohey posted a video to his TikTok account on Thursday showing viewers five designs that have been created as replacements for the current Australian flag.

In the footage he displays the flags, who they were designed by and when, and explains the meaning behind their names and the features of the flag.

While some of Toohey's fans liked the alternate choices others were unwilling to look beyond the current flag, which features the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross.

Jack Toohey has posted a TikTok showing five alternate designs to the current Australian flag, leaving the internet divided.

Poll Which is your favourite Australian flag design? The Reconciliation Flag The 'Down Under' Flag The Sunburnt Flag The Golden Wattle Flag The current Australian Flag John Joseph's Untitled Flag Which is your favourite Australian flag design? The Reconciliation Flag 272 votes

The 'Down Under' Flag 18 votes

The Sunburnt Flag 179 votes

The Golden Wattle Flag 56 votes

The current Australian Flag 1168 votes

John Joseph's Untitled Flag 138 votes Now share your opinion





The first flag Toohey showed in the video is called 'The Reconciliation Flag' designed in 2013 by John Blaxland. It keeps the right hand side of the current flag; the Southern Cross stars on a blue background.

However Blaxland includes a seven pointed Commonwealth Star filled in with dots representing the 150 Indigenous and migrant languages spoken in Australia.

He has also included a red boomerang which appears as a fragment of the Union Jack, keeping Australia's colonial history within the flag.

The next flag, titled 'Down Under', was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser in 1986. It displays a red semi-circle on top of a blue background and a seven pointed star said to represent Uluru upside down. It plays on the idea of Australia being the country 'Down Under'.

The Reconciliation Flag (left) brings Australia's Indigenous history into the flag while the Down Under design (right) plays on the idea of Australia being the country 'below'

The 'Untitled Flag' designed by John Joseph in 2006 is mentioned in the video and replaces the original Union Jack with an Indigenous dot painting.

There has been controversy around this particular design in recent years as the artist is not Indigenous.

A fan-favourite was 'The Sunburnt Flag' designed by Stephen Berry in 1998. This design calls upon the idea of Australia being the 'sunburnt country', a term coined by Dorothea Mackellar in her poem 'My Country', first published in 1908.

The red base and yellow sunrise section of the design evokes the Aboriginal flag, blended with the blue 'sky' and Southern Cross from the existing flag.

John Joseph's flag (left) has raised concern due to the designer not being of Indigenous background while using Indigenous artwork. The Sunburnt Flag (right) hints to the poetry of Dorothea Mackellar showing the sun rising over our sunburnt country

The final design shown in the video is that of 'The Golden Wattle' designed in 2015 by Jeremy Matthews.

This design incorporates features that are already representative of Australia.

The golden wattle is the national flower of Australia and it is designed with the classic green and gold colours that the nation's sporting teams wear.

The design of 'The Golden Wattle' also makes up the Commonwealth Star in the middle. The seven pointed star represents each state and territory in Australia.

Mr Toohey stated at the end of his video that he thinks young Indigenous Australians should be given the opportunity to design options for a new Australian flag.

The Golden Wattle Flag (left) includes Australia's national flower and the green and gold colours sportspeople wear when representing our country. The design also makes up the Commonwealth Star (right), representing each of the states and territories of Australia

Australia's current flag includes three main symbols on the iconic blue background; the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross.

The Union Jack represents the nation's origin as several British colonies, the Commonwealth Star represents the federation of those colonies and later states and territories into a nation, and the Southern Cross is a stellar constellation that can only be seen from the southern hemisphere, a reminder of Australia's geography.

While symbolic to Australia's history, there has been long-standing controversy about the lack of Indigenous Australian history shown on our national flag.

The current Australian national flag (pictured),while symbolic, does not include the history Indigenous Australians which has caused controversy around changing the flag design

The fight to change the flag has been led by Ausflag, an apolitical, non-profit organisation established in 1981 by Harold Scruby.

Ausflag's objective is to secure the support of the Australian people for the adoption of an Australian flag, anthem and colours that unite the Australian nation.

Flags Australia is another not-for-profit organisation that shares design options for new alternate Australian flags.

There were some who disagreed, lamenting that the flag should stay the same.

'I like the rising sun but see no reason to change the flag,' said one.

'We can't change history, we learn from it. So there's no point in changing the flag,' wrote another.

One commenter completely dismissed the notion, writing: 'Here's an idea, just leave it the way it is because it doesn't matter.'

However, many viewers of Mr Toohey's video have mirrored the sentiment that it is time for a change to include all Australians in our flag.

'Yes! These designs are so much better than what we've currently got,' wrote one viewer.

'The first one is really nice. It's modern, inclusive and even at a glance it's recognisable. We're overdue for an update,' said another.

'Our flag should incorporate both (Indigenous and colonisation) to reflect that (Australian history),' commented another.
Prosecutors believe Berman provided an alibi for Durst after he killed his first wife, Kathie, in 1982 who has been legally declared dead

Durst is currently charged with killing his best friend Susan Berman in 2000

Durst was acquitted of murder in the 2001 death of his Texas neighbor, Morris Black, after testifying that he was shot during a struggle for a gun

He was arrested in 2015, and his trial finally began early in 2020, but the coronavirus forced a pause of more than a year before it resumed in May

Closing arguments are scheduled for Sept. 8 and jury deliberations are expected to begin a week later

Durst said 'What Im saying is mostly the truth...There are certain things I would lie about, certain very important things'

Testimony ended on Wednesday in the murder trial of real estate heir Robert Durst, 78, who is accused of killing his wife, a friend, and a neighbor

Robert Durst's marathon testimony over three weeks - in which the ailing millionaire denied killing his wife and best friend but also said he'd lied if he had done so - concluded Wednesday and lawyers rested their cases in the murder trial.

The New York real estate heir tried to counter or explain incriminating evidence in three killings that have shadowed him for decades, but was crippled by a cross-examination that the judge said was 'devastating' to Durst's believability.

It will be up to jurors to weigh his fate. Closing arguments are scheduled September 8 and deliberations are expected to begin a week later.

Durst has pleaded not guilty to murder in the point-blank shooting of his friend, Susan Berman, in her Los Angeles home in December 2000. On the witness stand, he repeatedly denied killing her and said he doesn't know who did.

Prosecutors said he silenced Berman because she planned to tell New York authorities that she provided a false motive for Durst after his wife vanished in 1982.

The murder trial of real estate heir Robert Durst, 78, finally finished over three weeks of testimony during which Durst admits that he has and would lie under oath to avoid trouble (pictured Aug. 31, 2021, in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Inglewood, CA)

They introduced evidence that he killed Kathie Durst, who has never been found, as well as evidence that he intentionally killed, Morris Black, a Texas neighbor in 2001.

Durst was acquitted of murder in the death of Black after testifying that the Galveston neighbor pulled a gun on him and was shot during a struggle for the weapon.

If Durst's testimony in that case saved him, his decision to speak publicly about his life afterwards may have come back to haunt him.

Durst said he deeply regretted speaking with filmmakers for a documentary on his life that unearthed key evidence in the Berman killing and revealed an off-camera moment that many viewers interpreted as a confession.

His performance in front of jurors has already not been received favorably by the judge in the case.

'On day one, it appeared that you really effectively destroyed any possible credibility of this witness,' Judge Mark Windham told the prosecutor last week after jurors were excused.

'By day three, I think you had very, very serious - I would even say profound - admissions.'

Durst is charged with killing Susan Berman, who was fatally shot in her home in 2000. Prosecutors say Berman provided an alibi for Durst after he killed his first wife, Kathie, in 1982 and that he silenced his friend to keep her from telling police what she knew about the disappearance. Durst has pleaded not guilty

Kathie Durst (who disappeared in 1982) pictured with Robert Durst

The trial of Durst began in March last year but was abruptly halted after just a few days because of the coronavirus pandemic. The case resumed May 17 as Windham brought jurors back to court and joked, 'Where did we leave off?'

At the time, lawyers for Durst who has a myriad health problems, asked for a delay for medical treatment, suggesting he might not live through the trial.

Durst, who sat in a wheelchair, was often slumped at the defense counsel table.

Despite speaking in a hushed tone, he came alive on the witness stand with enough stamina to testify for hours day after day without appearing to fade.

Durst denied killing Berman or his wife, who has been legally declared dead. He's never been charged with a crime related to her disappearance.

Durst, who had long denied being in LA at the time of Berman's death, testified that he found her dead in her home.

He admitted for the first time that he lied for decades about sending an anonymous note to police directing them to Berman's lifeless body. He said he had feared he would be accused in the killing if he was known to have been in her home at the time.

He acknowledged that it seemed hard to believe the killer had not written the letter.

Robert Durst was the subject of a 2015 HBO documentary, The Jinx, which examined the New York real estate heir's links to the disappearances of his estranged wife, Kathie, and Texas neighbor Morris Black

During the documentary, Durst was caught on a hot mic appearing to confess to the killings

'I have difficulty believing it myself,' he testified. 'Its very difficult to believe, to accept, that I wrote the letter and did not kill Susan Berman.'

He explained that the seemingly damning climactic scene in 'The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst' was not a confession.

After being caught by filmmakers in a lie about the cadaver letter, Durst went in a bathroom where he muttered to himself on a live microphone, 'Killed them all of course.'

Durst said said he either spoke too softly or didn't express what he was thinking: 'Theyll all think I killed them all, of course.'

Deputy District Attorney John Lewin, who grilled Durst for two weeks, asserted outside the jury's presence that he had never seen a defendant lie so many times.

Durst acknowledged that he'd lied under oath and would lie to get out of trouble.

'What Im saying is mostly the truth,' Durst said. 'There are certain things I would lie about, certain very important things.'

On Wednesday, Lewin's final question of the trial returned to the issue of what Durst would be unwilling to divulge.

'Youve repeatedly admitted that if you had killed either Kathie or Susan or both of them you would never tell us,' Lewin said. 'Correct?'

'Correct,' Durst said.
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A new construction project from Mohamed Hadid has been causing problems for local residents - just months after the real estate developer tried to sell a half-built mega-mansion he had been ordered to tear down over safety concerns.

Hadid, the father of supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid, has started construction on a new Beverly Hills property overlooking Coldwater Canyon with an asking price of $250 million.

The 38-acre site at 9650 Cedarbrook Drive is the largest home ever permitted in Los Angeles County and would become the most expensive residential home ever sold in California if it meets the high asking price, as noted by Forbes Global Properties.

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show that construction of the nearly 80,000 square-foot mansion has already closed certain hiking trails in the area. Heavy machinery can be seen on the property, as well as the home's completed foundation.

But locals have been left fuming that the trail has been shut.

A sign posted at one of the trailheads reads, 'NOTICE: Trail closed by developer Mohamed Hadid. Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy & MRCA sued to keep this trail open but lost at the Court of Appeal.'

Hillsides Against Hadid blasted Mohamed Hadid, left, with a new sign at the head of a beloved trail noting it was closed for the construction of the real estate developer's new project

Heavy machinery can be seen on the 38-acre site at 9650 Cedarbrook Drive

A photo shows the closed trailhead for the Franklin Canyon Ranch trail

A sign posted at one of the trailheads reads, 'NOTICE: Trail closed by developer Mohamed Hadid. Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy & MRCA sued to keep this trail open but lost at the Court of Appeal.'

The foundation for the mega mansion appears to be completed as construction continues

On June 25, Hadid filed a declaration in bankruptcy court accusing yard signs posted by Hillsides Against Hadid of creating a 'negative public opinion' about him

Hadid argued that Hillsides Against Hadid could decrease the perceived value of his properties

The 38-acre site at 9650 Cedarbrook Drive is the largest home ever permitted in Los Angeles County

It would become the most expensive residential home ever sold in California if it meets the high asking price

A view shows the sprawling property in Beverly Halls before construction

Renderings show what the mega mansion will look like when completed

A rendering shows the private road built to access the massive mansion

An apparent outdoor seating and gym area is seen in renderings for the property

The sign also lists the website for Hillsides Against Hadid, a group founded by Coldwater Canyon resident and open-space advocate Steven L. Weinberg to protect hiking trails and wildlife habitats from destruction caused by Hadid's construction.

On June 25, Hadid filed a declaration in bankruptcy court accusing yard signs posted by Hillsides Against Hadid of creating a 'negative public opinion' about him that could decrease the perceived value of his properties.

'They hope that by defaming me, the Property will be tainted by association and will be considered by otherwise interested buyers as a property of diminished value, not capable of being safely secured for private purposes and use,' Hadid wrote.

The group accused Hadid of 'playing the victim yet again' while noting 'the well-worn trail of Hadids illegal conduct' regarding his doomed property in Bel Air on Strada Vecchia Road.

Hadid had tried to sell that home for $8.5 million earlier this year after he was ordered to demolish the estate over safety concerns. However, buyer Bruce Lifton later backed out of the deal.

The gargantuan property had mushroomed over a decade of construction into a $50 million estate, according to various reports of its value.

Mohamed Hadid, right, is pictured with Bella Hadid, center, and Yolanda Hadid

The news came after just months after the real estate developer tried to sell a half-built mega-mansion, pictured, that he had been ordered to tear down over safety concerns

Hadid, a purported billionaire, had argued in court in 2019 that he was so broke he could not afford the $5 million it would take to tear it down after his own architect said he was worried the building 'will slide down the hill and kill someone.'

A concerned neighbor filed a lawsuit in 2018 alleging that the so-called 'Starship Enterprise' property was structurally unsound and sought millions in damages - for which a judgement is expected as soon as this week, The Real Deal reported.

The Beverly Hills home has been listed by Hilton & Hyland real estate agent Rodrigo Iglesias.

The main home on the property is expected to include amenities such as a bowling lane, hot yoga, a cigar lounge, a wine tasting room and a wine cellar, a 36-person home theater, a Turkish bath, two saunas, a pool and waterfall - among other things.

The property will also include a guest house with its own gym, pool, massage room and sauna, and bowling lane.

The listing notes that property construction could be taken over at the completion of the foundation for $92 million or be purchased upon completion for $250 million.
Sunrise hosts Natalie Barr and David Koch have been left stunned after watching schoolchildren jump the very border keeping two heartbroken sisters apart.

Susan Sice, 72, was completing a four-hour work trip just nine kilometres across the border into New South Wales when the border rules suddenly changed.

The pensioner said she was sent a text from Queensland Health to inform her of the hard border change but explained she never checks her phone while at work.

When the 72-year-old attempted to drive home to the Sunshine State she was turned away by authorities who took photos of her licence and vehicle.

Police informed the stranded Queenslander she needed to find herself two weeks of accommodation, which could stretch to four if she is required to isolate.

During the emotional interview filmed at the Queensland-NSW border, the Sunrise hosts were shocked to see schoolchildren hopping over the barrier separating the states.

The children of essential workers are allowed to cross the border to go to school under Queensland's current rules.

Sunrise hosts Nat Barr and David Koch were left stunned during an interview with two elderly sisters forced apart by Queensland's hard border

'Hang on, there are people behind you jumping the fence,' David Koch said.

'They're jumping the Berlin Wall, there's kids going to school and your sister can't get back home. She only went nine kilometres in.'

'Oh my goodness. Is that what people are doing?,' Natalie Barr responded.

Susan's devastated sister Sandi told the shocked breakfast hosts that because her sister has been identified by police she cannot simply hop the fence.

'All she wants to do is drive home. They won't allow her in. They expect you to fly in and go into quarantine. She's here for god's sake,' she said.

Ms Sice has been forced to check-in to a caravan park and fork out $600 a week for the temporary accommodation - money the pensioner doesn't have.

Sandi has attempted to apply for an exemption on the grounds of her sister's deteriorating mental health but says she has heard nothing back.

During the interview with the sisters, schoolkids were seen hopping over the barrier splitting NSW and Queensland. The children of essential workers are allowed to cross over for school

'She can't eat, can't sleep, feels totally abandoned by the Queensland Government,' she said.

'They don't care, she's got pets at home, she had been 10 minutes from the border doing half a day's work and she can't get home. It's an absolute disgrace.'

David Koch then pointed to the government's hypocritical stance of allowing NRL WAGs and officials to arrive in Queensland while the state's residents remained stranded interstate.

'You've got WAGS going up, grand finals, to expect her to fly in and go to quarantine and kids are jumping the fence to go to school just shows the hypocrisy and ludicrousy of it,' he said.

Ms Sice added she had seen adults jumping the fence and walking across the border while she remained isolated from her loved ones.

Pensioner Susan Sice (left) is stuck in Queensland while sister Sandi (right) is in NSW

Last week the QLD Premier (pictured) announced the hotel quarantine program for arrivals from Covid hotspots would be paused until September 8 but has since backtracked on the decision

It comes as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk appears to have backed down on the pause to the state's hotel quarantine program, re-opening it from this Saturday - but at this stage, just 50 families will be allowed to return.

As of Saturday, Queensland residents can begin returning from interstate hotspots into hotel quarantine in Queensland,' she told state parliament.

Resumption of the hotel quarantine program will occur four days earlier than planned.

Last week Ms Palasazczuk announced the hotel quarantine program for arrivals from Covid hotspots NSW, Victoria and the ACT would be paused until Wednesday, September 8, because the number of people returning or relocating to the state had overwhelmed the system.

'Numbers in our quarantine hotels have only slightly eased so we can offer places to 50 as a start but we will add more places as rooms become available,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

In a press release after the announcement, Ms Palaszczuk said officials would contact 'approved' applicants.

From next Monday September 6, the application process will reopen to those seeking to relocate to Queensland, as well as returning Queenslanders.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that as of Saturday, Queensland residents can begin returning from interstate hotspots into hotel quarantine (pictured, authorities stop cars in Coolangatta at the QLD border)

From next Monday September 6, the application process will reopen to those seeking to relocate to Queensland, as well as returning Queenslanders (pictured, authorities stop cars in Coolangatta at the QLD border)

'However, those wishing to relocate will have to prove they are genuine either with proof of employment or change of residential status.'

Queenslanders were quick to slam the decision as a 'double standard', preferencing the NRL's needs over residents of the state who are currently unable to travel home to begin isolation because of the pause on hotel quarantine.

Ms Palaszczuk was forced to defend the decision in state parliament on Tuesday, when Opposition Leader David Crisafulli asked her in Question Time why she had 'prioritised a sporting entourage over everyday Queenslanders'.

The premier again said the NRL arrangements were 'outside' of the hotel quarantine program, and were not considered part of the cap on numbers in hotels.

Queensland announced no new cases of Covid community transmission on Wednesday, with one overseas case detected in hotel quarantine.
A superintendent in rural Oregon was fired by his school board at an emotional meeting on Monday, amid backlash because he upheld Governor Kate Brown's statewide mask mandate.

The Adrian School Board held a special closed-door meeting, which ended in the termination of superintendent Kevin Purnell.

No reason was given for his termination, but both supporters and critics said that his stance on following the statewide directive had put him at odds with the board, the Oregonian reports.

The former superintendent was described by community members as a 'rule follower' who would enforce the statewide mask mandates despite his personal opposition to them.

But some community members had hoped that the local administration would fight against the mask mandates.

The session lasted less than half an hour and ended with a 4-1 vote to fire Purnell. He held his position for three years and worked for the district for 14 years.

Board Chair Eddie Kincade said after the meeting that the decision was due to Purnell's failure to follow board directives but declined to elaborate, the Malheur Enterprise reported.

Kevin Purnell, a superintendent in Oregon, was fired by the Adrian School Board on Monday assumingly for his decision to uphold Gov. Kate Brown's statewide mask mandate in schools

Members of the community believe that his ousting was due to his following of Governor Brown's mask mandate.

When the board returned from their private deliberations, Purnell gave an emotional speech to an equally emotional crowd, according to the Enterprise.

He admitted to communication issues between himself and the board stating, 'Ultimately, I feel that I have lost my way, and it began to consume me.'

'I have become tired. Tired of disappointing myself, my family, my friends, my colleagues.'

During public comments, Adrian resident Paul Shenk shared that he wanted Purnell to 'to advocate for the community' the Enterprise reported.

He acknowledged, 'Kevin likes rules' but expressed, 'What I feel the frustration is, is that we expect the administrators to advocate for the community,' said Shenk. 'As superintendents, you guys need to band together to fight.'

He gave an emotional goodbye to the attendees of the Adrian School Board meeting saying he was tired of 'disappointing' himself and his community a week into the new school year

The school board did not give a detailed explanation but Board Chair Eddie Kincade said the decision was due to Purnell's failure to follow board directive

Purnell's firing comes one week into the new school year. The state's schools chief, Colt Gill, spoke on mask mandates in schools and administrators duty to uphold them.

'We have a shared priority to reliably return students to full-time, in-person school this year,' he said according to the Enterprise.

'Face coverings are proven to slow the spread of COVID-19. I say this knowing that face coverings aren't the argument. Personal freedom is the argument. But, with personal freedom comes responsibility, not only for ourselves, but for our neighbors.'

At the meeting announcing Purnell's termination, some community members spoke in support of Purnell and his decision to implement Gov. Brown's mask mandate.

'I'm a senior this year at Adrian and I don't really care what it takes,' said Elizabeth Nielson, Associated Student Body president, according to the Enterprise.

'Being online in school was not good. And if it means doing something I don't want to do, because I don't want to wear a mask, I'll do what it takes.'

Paul Shenk, (pictured center) an Adrian resident, spoke at a public school board meeting saying that he wished that school administration would fight the mask mandate on behalf of the community

Elizabeth Nielson, (pictured) Associated Student Body president, addressed the school board saying that although she does not want to she would rather wear a mask than do online school

Nickie Shira, Malheur Education Service District STEM coordinator also defended Purnell, 'I know firsthand that Mr. Purnell is one of the best superintendents in the county, and it breaks my heart that we are in this position.'

'It's sad that it has come to this. But beyond mask mandates, there's a lot to running the school, to leading the staff and being an administrator. And Mr. Purnell is a man of integrity and ethical leadership,' she said as reported by the Enterprise.

On August 16, Gov. Brown published an open letter to superintendents and school board members warning that 'the highly contagious Delta variant has changed everything.'

She implemented an indoor mask mandate for public spaces and K-12 schools. The governor urged the administrators to follow the mandates writing that she has hear a lot about personal freedom but not enough about personal responsibility acknowledging that some local leaders and community members have been pushing to ignore her mandates.

Gov. Brown warned 'Flouting mask requirements will put everything we have worked toward in the last year at risk.'

Oregon is currently under a high transmission warning. They recently reported 5,545 new cases and 40 recent deaths in a three day period.

Malheur County, which encompasses the Adrian School District, is also under a high transmission warning. They reported a total of 292 covid cases- with 146 of them being new in the last week- a 23% increase from the previous week.

The county has been reporting a surge in covid cases as more children are contracting the virus.

Malheur County also has the lowest vaccination rate in the state for total population, at 33% according to public data. The statewide vaccination rate is 61%.
NSW recorded 1288 Covid cases on Thursday and tragically seven deaths from the virus.

The entire state is currently locked down and police are cracking down on compliance measures as authorities battle to contain the spread of the virulent Delta strain.

The seven deaths recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday include a man in his 50s, two people in their 70s and four people in their 80s. The death toll for the current NSW outbreak is now 107.

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant (left), NSW health minister Brad Hazzard (centre) and premier Gladys Berejiklian (right) at the NSW Covid press conference on Thursday

There are 957 COVID-19 patients in NSW in hospital, with 160 people in intensive care and 64 ventilated.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian also announced on Thursday that residents of the 12 local government areas of concern would be able to conduct unlimited daily exercise, rather than the one hour per day current permitted.

This was because NSW has reached 70 per cent first-dose vaccination coverage, with double-dose coverage expected in roughly mid-October.

'It's been a difficult couple of months and the fact people have heard the messages we've been giving and come forward to get vaccinated and hit that 70 per cent first dose is outstanding,' Ms Berejiklian said.

Each of the seven people that sadly died from the virus were over 50 and either unvaccinated or with previous health conditions.

One man is his 80s from south-west Sydney was both unvaccinated and had underlying conditions, while a woman also in her 80s from the south-west was unvaccinated.

A man in his 70s who acquired Covid while already admitted to Liverpool Hospital was fully vaccinated but had significant pre-existing conditions.

And a fully-vaccinated man in his 80s from Sydney's north shore also acquired the infection while being treated at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital.

An unvaccinated man in his 50's with underlying health issues passed away at Royal North Shore Hospital.

While a man in his 80s from south-west Sydney passed away in St George Hospital as did a woman in her 70s also from the south-west at Campbelltown Hospital.

A man in his 70s died at Liverpool Hospital (pictured) where there has been has been a significant Covid cluster among patients and staff

NSW has also unveiled almost $4 billion in extra financial support for locked-down residents.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet on Thursday announced an additional $3.9 billion in relief funding, including $1.5 billion from the federal government.

This will extend the JobSaver program of employment subsidies for lockdown-affected businesses, as well as rent relief incentives, payroll tax reductions, deferrals and small business grants.

Eligible businesses will be permitted to defer their payroll tax payments until January and pay off their tax obligations interest-free over 12 months.

Ms Berejiklian (pictured) also said on Thursday some restrictions would be eased in NSW as the state reached 70 per cent first first dose vaccination

A new 'hardship panel' will also be created to assess business relief applications that don't qualify for COVID-19 grants.

'We will continue to stand by businesses and individuals and provide the support needed. We will also be there on the other side as we emerge from lockdown and head towards recovery,' Mr Perrottet said in a statement.

The number of people in NSW who have received at least one COVID-19 jab has grown on average by more than one per cent a day over the past week.

The government has flagged that at 70 per cent double-dose coverage, vaccinated people can expect to go out for a meal and attend public events.

Yet, while October will likely trigger freedoms for the vaccinated, it will also see NSW hospitals under the most pressure.
Twin boys were found dead inside a vehicle outside South Carolina daycare center Wednesday.

Deputies from the Richland County Sheriff's office were called to the scene outside the Sunshine House Early Learning Academy in Blythewood at around 5.30pm eastern time for a report of two unresponsive infants.

They arrived to find the two children in a vehicle, and EMS pronounced them dead on the scene, the sheriff's office reported.

As of Wednesday evening, authorities said it was unclear whether staff at the daycare center had any involvement in the deaths.

Twin infant boys were found dead in a vehicle outside a daycare center (pictured) in South Carolina on Wednesday

Police were called to the scene at around 5.30pm for a report of two unresponsive infants. They were pronounced dead on the scene

Officers said the investigation is ongoing.

The Richland County Coroner told ABC4 that the infants were twin boys.

Screams and crying could be heard at the scene, the station also reported.

A cause of death was not released, but the boys were the second and third children to be found dead in vehicles in the state this year, the Post and Courier reported.

The daycare has a capacity of 159 children, and police said it was unclear whether staff there had any involvement in the children's deaths

The Sunshine house in Blythewood is part of a chain of more than 100 day cares across nine states

In June, Jacob Mutis, 3, died inside a car from heat stroke, according to the outlet.

It was around 83 degrees outside when police were called to the scene, which can cause the interior of a car to reach 117 degrees within 30 minutes, and 126 degrees within an hour.

The Sunshine House in Blythewood has a capacity for 159 children, the Courier reported, and is part of a chain that runs more than 100 day cares across nine states, with more than 12,000 children.
A Los Angeles couple who were convicted of helping steal $18million in COVID-19 relief funds are on the lam after cutting off their ankle monitors, the FBI said.

Richard Ayvazyan, 43, and his wife, Marietta Terabelian, 37, are considered fugitives, an FBI tweet said Tuesday.

The couple, Ayvazyan's brother and a Glendale man were convicted in June of scheming to submit phony loan applications for federal COVID-19 business relief funds.

They were scheduled to be sentenced on October 4 and were potentially facing decades in federal prison.

Four other people had pleaded guilty to various charges in what prosecutors said was a scheme that involved using fake or stolen identities to apply for loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration to help businesses struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money obtained was used for down payments on luxury homes and to buy 'gold coins, diamonds, jewelry, luxury watches, fine imported furnishings, designer handbags, clothing, and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle,' according to a June 29 announcement from the US attorney's office.

Richard Ayvazyan, 43, and his wife, Marietta Terabelian, 37, are considered fugitives, an FBI tweet said Tuesday. The bureau said that the Los Angeles couple, who were convicted of helping steal $18million in COVID-19 relief funds, are on the lam after cutting off their ankle monitors

The FBI office in Los Angeles released a tweet asking the public for help in locating them

'They have international ties as well as local ties but were not ruling anything out as to where they may have fled,' FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told the Los Angeles Times.

Federal investigators believe the couple left their $2.5million home in the Tarzana section of Los Angeles on Sunday.

It is the same home that they are alleged to have bought using loan money that they fraudulently obtained, according to authorities.

The federal government was in the process of confiscating the house through a court-approved forfeiture.

In March 2020, the couple and six other co-conspirators used stolen identities to open bank accounts linked to several LA area shell companies.

These companies submitted pony payrolls and forged tax returns as part of some three dozen applications for emergency loans that were approved by the federal government.

In total, Ayvazyan and his co-conspirators secured 151 loans under the Paycheck Protection and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs that were launched to aid struggling businesses at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ayvazyan, Terabelian, and two relatives were convicted by a federal jury in Los Angeles on June 25.

After their convictions in June, a federal judge denied prosecutors' request to revoke their bail before sentencing

The other four co-conspirators pleaded guilty just before the trial.

After their convictions, a federal judge rejected prosecutors request to revoke Ayvazyans bail and remand him to jail to await sentencing.

Ayvazyans attorney claimed that his client was not a flight risk as long as he was required to wear an ankle bracelet.

'While there is simply no reason for Ayvazyan to flee anywhere, it would be impossible for him to do so when he cannot even leave his driveway without the government's knowledge,' the attorney, Ashwin Ram, wrote in court papers.

'And if Ayvazyan wanted to flee, he would have done so already.'

The couple's three teenage children did not flee with their parents, the LA Times reported.

Last week, Ayvazyan and Terabelian asked the judge to postpone their sentencing, which was scheduled for October 4.

Prosecutors at the time warned US District Court Judge Stephen V. Wilson that there was a risk that the couple would flee.

The couple are scheduled to go on trial on state charges of mortgage fraud unrelated to the pandemic.

A decade ago, they were convicted of mortgage fraud, but they werent sentenced to prison. Prosecutors cited this in their argument to the judge urging him to revoke bail.

Defendants also have access to millions of dollars in stolen money the government has not yet been able to trace, furthering their potential means of escape and resources to evade law enforcement detection, they wrote.

Wilson agreed with prosecutors and the request to postpone sentencing was rejected.
Australians are banned from going overseas without an exemption until at least December 17, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced.

The national plan allows international travel once 80 per cent of over-16s are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 - but it appears the Federal Government is not expecting this ambitious target to be hit this year.

Mr Hunt revealed on Thursday that bio-security laws banning outbound travel have been extended for another three months from September 17.

Passengers wearing facemasks arrive at Sydney International Airport off a Qatar Airways flight in May

Mr Hunt (pictured) revealed on Thursday that bio-security laws banning outbound travel have been extended for another three months from September 17

'We've extended bio-security protections to December 17 in line with medical advice.

'That in particular covers the pre-flight testing and masks for overseas arrivals and the existing restrictions being extended for cruise vessels, outbound travel and retail outlets at international terminals, Mr Hunt said.

Aussies have been banned from leaving the country for holidays since March 2020 and anyone returning must pay up to $2,800 for two weeks of hotel quarantine.

Departure exemptions can be granted to people leaving for more than three months or for approved work or compassionate reasons.

On current vaccination rates, 80 per cent would be reached by mid-November, but overseas experience indicates rates slow and plateau past 60 per cent when the supply of people eager to get jabbed is gone and all that's left are the reluctant and ambivalent.

Currently 35.4 per cent of over 16s have had two doses and 59.62 per cent have had one dose.

Once the 80 per cent rate is hit arrivals could be allowed to quarantine at home for seven days or enter without any quarantine at all if coming from a highly vaccinated travel bubble country like the US, UK and Singapore.

On Tuesday Scott Morrison said home quarantine was a good solution to containing the spread of Covid while allowing Aussies to travel more easily.

The Prime Minister also said that ultra-cautious states like Western Australia and Queensland should start allowing home quarantine for domestic travel once 70 per cent are jabbed.

Mr Morrison was asked about quarantine in a 4BC radio interview on Tuesday after Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk - who has banned NSW residents from her state - granted NRL stars and WAGs special privilege to enter.

'I share people's frustration about that but what's the answer? We need to move to home quarantine,' he said.

Pharmacist Christine Kelly administers a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Megan English at Sydney's Taronga Zoo on Thursday

'Home quarantine means places for all Australians, for all Queenslanders, on that basis.

'Right now in South Australia they're running the trial for home quarantine and that's exactly what we can begin to introduce once we hit 70 per cent.

'That means Queenslanders returning home from elsewhere in the country, if [any form of quarantine] is necessary. At 70 per cent and 80 per cent, it would be hard to understand why that would be needed.'

Mr Morrison said home quarantine for overseas travel would kick in once the 80 per cent jab rate is hit.

'But once you get especially to 80 per cent [you] should be able to return home and quarantine at home,' he said.

'The answer for quarantine going forward is actually home quarantine for Australians and to the extent that we continue to have quarantine going forward then what we need is for that to be for international travellers.

'For workers that are necessary to come in, for backpackers to come back who are vaccinated.

'If there is a need for quarantine once you've passed 80 per cent then that's what that should be for. I want to see home quarantine become the norm.'

Mr Morrison said lockdowns are doing 'tremendous harm' and wants the country to open at 80 per cent

In early July Mr Morrison said that home quarantine should be safer than hotel quarantine because it requires no interaction with staff, but does carry the risk of people not observing it.

'A vaccinated person doing quarantine for seven days is stronger than an unvaccinated person doing quarantine for 14 days,' he said.

Australia could adopt a traffic light system similar to the UK's which rates countries as red, amber or green depending on their Covid-19 infection levels and vaccination rates.

In the UK, travellers from 'red' countries must show a negative test and do 10 days of hotel quarantine, while those from 'amber' countries must test negative and home quarantine for 10 days unless fully vaccinated.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she would likely allow home quarantine in NSW for Aussies returning from overseas once the 70 per cent jab rate is hit.

Mr Morrison's national re-opening plan allows the international border to finally open for the double vaccinated once 80 per cent are fully jabbed

'Once we hit 70 per cent double dose we'll be thinking about, if not before hand, how we treat people in quarantine when they're coming home,' she said.

'If you have fully vaccinated Aussies coming home, do you expect them to be in a hotel for two weeks in quarantine?

'Can we look after them at home as we do all the Covid cases now?'

Also on Thursday Health Minister Hunt tore into Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk who has banned residents from returning from Covid-ravaged NSW.

The move has left a three-year-old boy, Memphis, separated from his parents north of the border for two months - and stopped people entering Queensland for healthcare.

'This is a profound moral failure. Let these people in for medical treatment and for a three-year-old to be fully reunited with their family,' Mr Hunt said.
Victoria has slashed the time between AstraZeneca jabs as the state struggles to get on top of its latest coronavirus outbreak and reach vaccination targets.

The interval between doses has been halved to from 12 weeks to six after the state recorded 176 new infections on Thursday.

Premier Daniel Andrews hopes 70 per cent of eligible Victorians will have received their first dose by September 23 so some restrictions can be eased.

Thursday's announcement makes the wait time between AstraZeneca doses the same as for Pfizer, of which Victoria has limited supplies.

'It'll be six weeks for AstraZeneca and for Pfizer bookings going forward,' acting chief health officer Ben Cowie said.

Victoria has slashed intervals between AstraZeneca jabs after 176 new cases were recorded on Thursday

'This change and the additional supply of Pfizer vaccine from the Commonwealth, when it arrives in Victoria, will help us to reach our vaccination targets faster.'

'But more importantly, they will really contribute to the response to community transmission, put a downward pressure on cases, and contribute to protecting the health system.'

More than 52,000 AstraZeneca appointments for the coming weeks remain available.

Of the state's 176 new cases, 83 are linked to known outbreaks, with the source of the remaining 93 infections under investigation.

Health Minister Martin Foley said 67 cases were located in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, 61 in the west, 22 in the east and south, 13 in the regional town of Shepparton and one case in Geelong.

It's not clear how many cases have been in isolation throughout their infectious period.

Premier Daniel Andrews hope to 70 per cent of eligible Victorians will have received their first jabs by September 23 (pictured a teen being vaccinated on Thursday)

Victoria's huge escalation in cases were diagnosed from 48,372 tests while another 33,720 rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated on Wednesday.

From the latest cases, 67 were in Melbourne's north with another 61 were detected in the west.

Another 13 cases were from the Shepparton outbreak 180km north of Melbourne and were in isolation as the result of day 13 testing.

Of the 61 cases currently in hospital, 20 are in intensive care with 13 requiring ventilation.

An outbreak at a Melbourne call centre for the state's coronavirus hotline is of particular concern to authorities after the cluster grew to 17.

Around 400 primary close contacts are now self-isolating.

A case at Base Backpackers in St Kilda is also a concern. The person has since been moved into hotel quarantine.

The race is on to get one dose in the arms of 70 per cent of eligible Victorians by September 23 so some restrictions can be eased (pictured a mass vaccination hub in Melbourne)

It is the state's second consecutive day of more than locally acquired 100 cases, after 120 were reported on Wednesday.

Premier Andrews conceded efforts to bring cases down to zero have failed, with tough restrictions to remain in place until October.

Authorities have shifted their focus to suppressing the outbreak, keeping the health system from being overwhelmed, while racing to reach higher vaccination coverage.

The Victorian government announced on Wednesday year 12 students, teachers and examiners will be given priority booking access at state-run clinics between September 7 and 17.

They will need to book an appointment online prior to their appointment.

The Departments of health and education will work directly with schools, and students and parents will receive the advice on how to arrange a booking through their schools.
The Vatican has concluded that allegations of sexual abuse dating back a half century against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn do not 'have the semblance of truth,' but an attorney for the accusers said they would press forward with their civil cases.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, said Wednesday that the Vatican has closed its investigation into allegations made separately by two men, who accused the bishop, Nicholas DiMarzio, of abusing them in the 1970s when he was a priest in New Jersey.

DiMarzio denied the accusations made by his accusers, both of whom have filed civil claims against him.

'I repeat what I have said from the beginning. There is no truth to these allegations. Throughout my more than 50-year ministry as a priest, I have never abused anyone,' DiMarzio said in a statement. He said he 'fully cooperated' with the investigation.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan (left), Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio (center) and Pope Francis (right) share a laugh at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Vatican concluded that allegations of sexual abuse in the 1970s against DiMarzio do 'not have the semblance of truth,' but an attorney for the accusers said they will continue to pursue their civil cases

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio posted a statement on Twitter following the Vatican's investigation into the sexual abuse allegations made against him

'I remain focused on leading the Diocese of Brooklyn as we are emerging from the darkness of the Coronavirus pandemic,' he said. 'I ask for your prayers as I continue to fight against the lawsuits stemming from these two allegations, and as I now look forward to clearing my name in the New Jersey state courts.'

The Vaticans handling of the case was being closely watched because it was among the first to come under new procedures put in place two years ago by Pope Francis to address allegations of sexual abuse against some of the churchs highest ranking clergy.

Critics, including the lawyer for his accusers, expressed concern that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, comprised of other bishops, would lack impartiality.

One of his accusers, Samier Tadros, said the abuse began when he was 6 years old and a parishioner at Holy Rosary Church in Jersey City (pictured) in Jersey City.

'The investigations concerning the credibility of my clients were subjective and biased because the investigators were controlled by and paid for by the Catholic Church,' said the men's attorney, Mitchell Garabedian.

'The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, which rendered the decision, is in the business of continuing the secrecy of clergy sexual abuse by hiding the truth,' Garabedian asserted.

One of his accusers, Samier Tadros, said the abuse began when he was 6 years old and a parishioner at Holy Rosary Church in Jersey City. He has come forward publicly with his allegations.

Tadros, who is now 48, has demanded $20 million in compensation.

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian said the decision to exonerate Bishop DiMarzio was 'subjective and biased because the investigators were controlled by and paid for by the Catholic Church'

In response to the allegations, Dolan hired a law firm to conduct an investigation. That inquiry was led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh.

The findings were then forwarded to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for its review, which determined that the accusations were baseless.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, more commonly known as SNAP, said it was not surprised by the Vatican's actions and urged New York Attorney General Letitia James to conduct its own investigation.

'Given Bishop DiMarzios high rank in the Catholic Church - and especially given the fact that he had been tapped by Vatican leaders to investigate other prelates accused of wrongdoing - we believe true transparency and accountability will need to come from secular officials in New York and New Jersey, not Rome,' SNAP said in a statement.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, hired a law firm to conduct an investigation, which was led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh (pictured)

The Attorney General's Office did not respond to Dailymail.com's inquiry.

Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a Boston-based group that has amassed a vast online archive of documents and reports alleging sexual wrongdoing by Catholic clergy, questioned the Catholic Church's transparency in the matter and called on the Church to release all documents related to its investigation.

'Even if their investigation was thorough,' she said, 'only Cardinal Dolan had the power to filter and interpret the evidence before sending' it to the Vatican.

Given the findings of the Vatican body, Dolan said in his announcement, it 'will not authorize any further canonical process to address the accusations.'
Gladys Berejiklian has warned stubborn state leaders who refuse to open their borders their citizens won't tolerate 'living in a bubble' forever.

The NSW premier is committed to a national plan that gets the country reopened by 80 per cent vaccination, regardless of Covid case numbers.

But she is in a daily battle with Annastacia Palaszczuk in Queensland and Mark McGowan in WA, who refuse to risk a single case in their states.

As she announced a new record of 1,288 new cases in NSW on Thursday, she accused such premiers of 'not living in the real world'.

'I don't know to what extent citizens in other states will put up with living in a bubble. Not forever,' she said at her daily press conference.

Pharmacist Christine Kelly administers a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Megan English at Taronga Zoo on September 1 in Sydney

'There has to come a time when we all realise that we haver to accept the confrontation of living with Covid.

'Previously other states would close to us when we had one case or two cases. That is not living in the real world.

'What is living in the real world is knowing what is a safe way to reopen, a safe way to reconnect Australians but also with other countries.'

Ms Berejiklian said the national plan, which all states agreed to before some in recent weeks began to waver, was 'solid and based on science'.

Cross-border hostility heated up this week as Ms Palaszczuk made the extraordinary claim that thousands would die every month if she opened at 70 per cent.

Mr McGowan similarly said he refused to invite Covid into his state when it enjoys the near-total freedom of zero cases, and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews predicted he would open to NSW until next year.

Time to get real: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warns that keeping borders closed i until 2022 is 'not living in reality'

But Ms Berejiklian, while hosing down these alarmist claims, said part of living with Covid was to accept that some people would die.

'The sad reality is outside of a pandemic, we lose between 600 and 800 people every year to the flu,' she said.

'We have to put things into perspective. Nobody likes to talk about this because it is confronting.

Poll SHOULD ALL STATES AND TERRITORIES OPEN THEIR BORDERS WHEN 80% ARE DOUBLE JABBED? Yes No SHOULD ALL STATES AND TERRITORIES OPEN THEIR BORDERS WHEN 80% ARE DOUBLE JABBED? Yes 845 votes

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'But we have to get back to living life as normal as possible, knowing that Covid is among us.'

Ms Berejiklian compared managing Covid at high vaccination levels to not only flu, but heart disease, which kills 50 people a day.

'Death is horrible, but we also need to put things into perspective,' she said.

'Because at the moment there are eight million citizens who do not have a choice in how they spend their free time, who do not have a choice about what they can do when they leave their homes. That is no way to live.

'Accepting Covid is part of our lives, accepting that unfortunately people will die, but they will be less likely to die if everybody is vaccinated and this is the reality.'

Even if hermit kingdom like WA and Queensland refused to open their borders, Ms Berejiklian said it would find its way in regardless.

'I say to other states, don't think because you don't have cases today you won't tomorrow or the day after. Get ready,' she said.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan (pictured) has labelled NSW a 'basket case' when it comes to the state's handling of the ongoing 'Covid catastrophe'

Mr McGowan accused the federal government of 'trying to infect the public' by pushing for a reopening (pictured, Perth during a previous snap lockdown)

'Vaccinate your populations, get intensive care capacity going as we've already done to make sure you can meet those challenges

'Because there is no way that Australia or parts of Australia will be Covid-free, especially once we hit those 70 per cent and 80 per cent double doses.'

Ms Palaszczuk has hinted at a plan to rebel against the agreed National Cabinet plan to reopen state borders when vaccination targets are reached.

The Queensland premier insisted reopening her state would leave 'every child under 12 vulnerable', despite the vast majority of kids being barely affected by the virus.

Mr McGowan also warned he would keep the border shut to NSW and Victoria, regardless of vaccination rates, accusing the government of 'trying to infect the public'.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison's responded with an extraordinary ultimatum to crusading premiers on the path to Covid-zero, telling them they 'must reopen' borders by Christmas once vaccination rates hit 80 per cent.

Ms Berejiklian ruled out NSW having one day when everything would be opened up - instead the state would gradually open up according to major milestones

Beleaguered Sydneysiders will finally have some relief from their punishing lockdown as NSW hit 70 per cent first-dose vaccination.

Modelling suggests NSW will reach the 70 per cent double vaccination target by October 21, and then residents will finally be afforded freedoms to visit the pub, restaurants and stadium events.

NSW is the first state in Australia to reach the 70 per cent first dose target and will likely be the first to reach the second dose target as well.

Then at 80 per cent, the premier said international travel will finally return after more than 18 months, and thousands of stranded Australians will be welcomed home.

'That is something we want to do on behalf of the nation because during a pandemic we can't pretend that we're separate nations within one nation,' she said.

'We all need to work together. NSW will support the national aim to stick to the plan but also to welcome home as many Aussies as possible.

'I want to see as many Australians as possible across Australia and those who are overseas join their loved ones in Australia for a happy Christmas.'
Australia is speeding toward a Christmas border crisis where international travellers can stream in for a festive lunch - but families will still be divided across state lines.

Premiers have signalled most states will stay shut off from the rest of the country, even when the nation hits its target of 80 per cent of adults double vaxxed.

Queensland's Annastacia Palaszczuk, Western Australia's Mark McGowan and Victoria's Daniel Andrews each indicated state borders will stay closed into the future.

However Prime Minister Scott Morrison's national plan says the country's international borders could open to inbound visitors once the target is hit.

That sets up the prospect of some Australians reuniting with family and friends arriving home from New York, London and Singapore later this year.

But many could be barred from welcoming family from Perth, Brisbane or even Melbourne.

Queensland's Annastacia Palaszczuk has pledged to 'stand strong' on her state's borders and has painted a grim picture of the future under the national plan

Western Australia's Mark McGowan said the state's border will likely stay up for 'a few months' after the nation hits its 80 per cent double vaxxed target

There are two clear factors behind the bizarre situation.

The first is that Premiers have made a lot of political mileage out of keeping Covid out with closed borders.

Both Palaszczuk and McGowan won decisive election victories in 2020 with their hardline approaches.

And both are keen to stress that their populations still live relatively normal, Covid-free lives despite the odd 'snap seven day lockdown'.

The other issue is, can the health systems of the Covid-free states cope?

Former federal opposition leader John Hewson

Former federal opposition leader and policy expert, Professor John Hewson said that will be the real problem. 'That's where it will come home to roost.'

The ex-politician pointed to the situation in Dubbo, in regional New South Wales, where an already struggling health system is under strain from Covid.

Prof. Hewson said the capacity of the health system would be his major focus if he was a state leader.

The Australian Medical Association today demanded urgent reform of the public health system to deal with a 'looming' Covid health crisis.

But former chief deputy health officer Nick Coatsworth tweeted: 'Always more to be done, but preparedness is far greater than it was and now we face new challenges.'

A look at the country's various positions on opening back up again and the national plan

NSW is likely to hit its 80 per cent double vaxxed target in mid-October - freeing locked down citizens of Sydney (above) from harsh restrictions

Palaszczuk, McGowan and Andrews each made their stance on state borders clear this week.

The national opening up plan says nothing explicitly about state borders - meaning they never agreed to bring the border down when most of the country is vaxxed.

Palaszczuk on Thursday sounded the alarm about scores of deaths every day in a 70% double vaxxed Australia.

The Queensland Premier was accused of misrepresenting the Doherty Institute modelling underpinnings the national plan in a provocative tweet.

She claimed 2,240 people will die from Covid each month, six months after the population is 70 per cent double vaxxed.

'If NSW is the model of what lies in store for all of us, then serious discussions are needed,' she tweeted.

'Doherty Institute modelling predicts, even with 70% of the population vaccinated, 80 people will die each day six months after the outbreak.'

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt pushed back, arguing 'selectively misusing the Doherty modelling breaches good faith and damages public confidence.'

Earlier in the week, Ms Palaszczuk also suggested that opening up the borders could put Queensland's children at risk.

'You open up this state and you let the virus in here and every child under 12 is vulnerable, every single child,' she told state Parliament on Wednesday.

She pledged to 'stand strong' on borders 'until I can get every child vaccinated'.

However, no vaccine has yet been approved for under 12-year-olds, anywhere in the world.

Greg Hunt, the Federal Health Minister, slammed Ms Palaszczuk's tweet as 'selectively misusing Doherty modelling'

Western Australia's Mark McGowan has likewise suggested his government will keep the borders up for a 'few months' after the nation beats the 80 per cent target.

McGowan will wait until an 'overwhelming majority' of the state is vaccinated.

He was incensed when Attorney-General Michaelia Cash claimed the states' power to shut borders would diminish when the country is 80 per cent double vaxxed.

McGowan fumed: 'Why are they (the Morrison Government) on a mission to bring Covid into Western Australia to infect our public?'

You might be able to come in, but you still won't be able to go out: The Federal Government has extended its outbound travel ban until December 17

Victoria dropped 'Covid Zero' this week - the state's long-held idea that the virus can be wiped out.

But the state's cautious approach to the pandemic looks likely to continue.

Asked whether the border with New South Wales may be shut well into 2022, Premier Daniel Andrews answered bluntly: 'Yep'.

He said if there was an epidemic in NSW but Victoria had few case numbers, 'I would probably get advice that (we wouldn't) be allowing completely free movement.'

The idea of dropping Covid Zero and welcoming in the virus will also prove daunting to the leaders Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

And a Christmas overseas isn't really an option.

The Federal government announced today that Australians will be banned from exiting the country without an exemption until December 17.
Roy Jaggers, 27, of Las Vegas was allegedly physically beat, tortured, stripped of his clothing, and shot multiple times in Cathedral Canyon on August 1

Prosecutors are considering the death penalty for at least one of three people accused of torturing and murdering their neighbor in a remote part of the Nevada desert outside of Las Vegas.

Roy Jaggers, 27, was tortured for hours with a blowtorch, knives, a baton, and an ax before being stripped and forced to walk off a cliff, prosecutors say. The victim was then shot multiple times.

Heather Pate, 27; her boyfriend Kevin Dent, 36; and her former boyfriend, Brad Mehn, 37, are being held without bail over the brutal killing.

Nye County Sheriffs allege that Pate and Dent lured neighbor Jaggers to her Las Vegas home on August 1 after believing he had harmed her son.

Jaggers occasionally babysat Pate's children, the victim's mother previously told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. She said her son would never have harmed the young boy.

'I know exactly what he was like, what hes capable of, what hes not capable of,' his mother said.

A criminal complaint report alleges that Jaggers was beaten in her home, before being handcuffed and put into Pate's car.

Pate and Dent then allegedly drove Jaggers the unincorporated town of Pahrump, where they met up with Mehn, according to the Sheriff's office, the Las Vegas Review Journal reports.

Jaggers was then allegedly taken into the desert and tortured for hours, before the trio drove him 25 miles to Cathedral Canyon.

The then allegedly stripped him of his clothes and forced him to walk off a cliff.

Jaggers was then shot multiple times, police say.

Pate (pictured) allegedly thought Jaggers - who occasionally babysat her children - had hurt one of them

Kevin Dent (left), and Brad Mehn (right) are being held by police without bail

Nye County Sheriff's Department confirmed that Jaggers (pictured) was tortured for several hours with a blowtorch, knives, a baton, and an ax by his neighbor Heather Pate, 27, and Kevin Dent, 36, both of Las Vegas, for allegedly hurting one of her children

A 911 call was made at 6.20am on August 1 by an unknown caller reporting a body between Mountain Springs and Pahrump off of State Route 160.

Nye County's Captain David Boruchowitz confirmed in a video statement that police received a phone call about a body found in a desolate part of the canyon.

The sheriff's department arrived at the scene at 6.45am and confirmed they found a body of a young adult male and were able to identify him by his fingerprints.

Pate was the last person that Jaggers was seen alive with, and she was arrested after police obtained a search warrant for her home.

Police later arrested Dent in his home and Mehn as he was driving on Route 160 to Pahrump.

A 911 call was made at 6.20am from an unidentified caller who discovered a body in Cathedral Canyon (pictured). After arresting the Mehn, he showed police where the murder weapon was

The father of Pate's children is now seeking full custody, saying that the children witnessed part of the beating on Jaggers.

'There are video recordings of the crimes being committed, and as disturbing as that is, it is much more disturbing that in one video recording, the children are seen entering the room while the defendant/mother and her criminal co-defendants were committing various physical, criminal acts against the deceased of the criminal action,' the father states in court filings, according to the Review Journal.

Thomas Gibson, Mehns court-appointed attorney, told the Review Journal that prosecutors are considering the death penalty for his client.

Mehn is accused of shooting Jaggers multiple times - his ultimate cause of death - after he was forced to walk off Cathedral Canyon.

Police say they took evidence from Dent's and Mehn's residences. Mehn was not home when the police obtain the warrant to search his house.

After being arrested on the side of Route 160, Police say Mehn took them to the murder weapon and additional evidence was taken there.

Outside of a dismissed trespassing charge, Jaggers did not have any criminal history in Clark County and his parents insisted he was a kind man who would not hurt anyone.

The Review-Journal reported that Mehn had no prior criminal history outside of a traffic violation.

Pate had a misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia charge that was dismissed and Dent was released from prison in January for resisting a public officer with a firearm, child abuse and battery constituting domestic violence.'

All three of them are currently being held by police without bail on suspicion of murder.
Two men have been arrested for breaching public health orders in Sydney after they were allegedly caught by police twice within an hour driving more than 100km away from their Covid-hotspot suburb.

Officers stopped a silver Holden Commodore with ACT registration at 11.20am on Wednesday on the Princes Highway near Berkeley and spoke to the 18-year-old male driver and his 41-year-old male passenger.

Police completed routine checks that later revealed the pair were from Blacktown, a local government area of concern under strict lockdown rules.

Two Sydney men have been arrested after they were caught by police twice within an hour outside of their hotspot LGA of Blacktown (pictured: Police checks in Greater Sydney)

Under current NSW lockdown restrictions Sydneysiders cannot travel more than 5km from their home unless there is a reasonable excuse to do so.

The two men allegedly didn't have a reasonable excuse and were given an infringement notice for the health order breaches. They were also directed to return to Sydney.

But just 40 minutes later officers patrolling the nearby suburb of Mangerton allegedly found the same vehicle driving around.

Police spoke to the men who couldn't give a reasonable excuse as to why they didn't follow the directions to return to Sydney and were arrested.

The two men were taken to Wollongong Police Station where they were charged with failure to comply with noticed direction.

Both men were granted conditional bail to appear in Wollongong Local Court on Thursday October 14.

NSW recorded 1288 locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Thursday morning.
A chilling warning has been issued to parents after a toddler was rushed to hospital after he was exposed to a deadly danger while playing at home.

Youngster Darcy was bouncing on his trampoline when he came in contact with a spiky cocoon with a white stemmed gum moth inside.

Thousands of painful spikes became embedded in his tiny hand, which needed surgery.

Paramedic Nikki shared the harrowing story on the Tiny Hearts Education Facebook page to warn other parents of the danger lurking around the yard in letterboxes and on tree trunks, firewood and play equipment.

'It's a timely reminder to check the area that your little ones play. I didn't even know about these but when Darcy's mama contacted me I knew I had to share!' she posted.

A toddler was rushed to hospital for surgery after spikes became stuck in his hand (pictured)

'The short spines on the outside of the cocoon are sharp and brittle, meaning they will break off and lodge in your skin; they also carry a toxin that causes pain and, in rare cases, anaphylactic shock.'

The white-stemmed gum moth are found in southern Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Female moths can reach up to 16cm long and are sometimes mistaken for bats, according to the Australian Museum.

'The large, thick caterpillars are grey-black with yellow bands and are covered with tufts of reddish-brown spiky bristles,' the website states.

'The bristles can penetrate human skin and cause painful skin irritations, even after the larvae have been preserved in alcohol.'

The bristles are difficult to remove and while they're are not known to contain toxic chemicals, they will cause irritation to humans.

'Medical attention may be necessary in some cases,' the website added.

'As a general rule it is not wise to handle hairy caterpillars, as many species are known to cause irritation. Irritation to skin by hairs is sometimes referred to as 'urticaria', meaning 'nettle-like'.

The boy came into contact with the hidden danger (pictured) while playing on the trampoline

The Facebook post was inundated with comments from parents thanking the paramedic for the warning and well-wishers praying a speedy recovery for the toddler.

'Now even the moths in Australia cause so much harm. As if there wasn't enough snakes, spiders, crocs and cane toads to worry about already,' one woman wrote.

Other parents shared their own horror stories.

'My three-year-old son picked up one of these last year because it was 'wiggling',' one mum commented.

'It took weeks/months to get the spikes out as they broke off and burrowed into his skin then became infected.

It was extremely painful every time he touched anything so I had his hand heavily bandaged, kept disinfecting it. I tried everything to get them out (sticky tape, glue, tweezers, etc) but nothing worked and there was nothing the doctors could do once they broke off.'

Another added: 'This happened to me as a kid when I was climbing the tree and ended up in hospital and then a sling for two weeks.'
The Supreme Court formally refused Wednesday to block a Texas law banning almost all abortions after six weeks, less than a day after the nation's most restrictive reproductive rights legislation took effect in the southern state.

The law, known as the 'Texas Heartbeat Act', bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected- before many women even know they are pregnant.

It makes no exceptions for rape or incest and allows Texans report people, including Uber drivers, who help or take women to get abortions. The only exemption is if there is a danger to the woman's health.

While similar laws have passed in a dozen Republican-led conservative states, all had been stymied in the courts.

The justices in a 5-4 vote denied an emergency request by abortion and women's health providers for an injunction barring enforcement of the new law which President Biden said 'blatantly violates Roe v. Wade'.

The law is the most dramatic restriction on abortion rights in the United States since the high court's landmark decision legalized abortion across the country in 1973.

'In reaching this conclusion, we stress that we do not purport to resolve definitively any jurisdictional or substantive claim in the applicants' lawsuit. In particular, this order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas's law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts,' the court said in the unsigned order.

The five conservative justices backed the law Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented.

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the court's order 'stunning,' saying her colleagues had 'opted to bury their head in the sand' over a 'flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights.'

Texas lawmakers wrote the law to evade federal court review by allowing private citizens to bring civil lawsuits in state court against anyone involved in an abortion, other than the patient.

Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented. The other justices - all appointed by Republican presidents - allowed the law to stand. From left: Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, Stephen Breyer, Amy Coney Barrett, and Sonia Sotomayor

University of Texas women rally at the Texas Capitol to protest the law on Wednesday

President Biden condemned new restrictions on abortion in Texas, which were signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott (r) in May. They came into force on Wednesday morning

Hillary Clinton om Wednesday night accused the Supreme Court of 'doing nothing' and letting the 'unconstitutional abortion ban' go into effect.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also condemned the decision on Wednesday.

She wrote on Twitter: 'Republicans promised to overturn Roe v Wade, and they have.

'Democrats can either abolish the filibuster and expand the court, or do nothing as millions of peoples bodies, rights, and lives are sacrificed for far-right minority rule. This shouldnt be a difficult decision.'

Other abortion laws are enforced by state and local officials, with criminal sanctions possible.

After a federal appeals court refused to allow a prompt review of the law before it took effect, the measure's opponents sought Supreme Court review.

The law bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected - sparking some women to scramble for 11th hour terminations before midnight.

The legislation, signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is typically in the first six weeks and before most women even know they're pregnant.

The law also allows private citizens, rather than government officials, to enforce the law by suing anyone involved in the procedure from an abortion clinic to someone driving a woman to a procedure appointment.

Biden promised to fight for women's constitutional rights enshrined under Roe v Wade.

'The Texas law will significantly impair women's access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes,' the president said.

He added: 'And, outrageously, it deputizes private citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone who they believe has helped another person get an abortion, which might even include family members, health care workers, front desk staff at a health care clinic, or strangers with no connection to the individual.'

The law forced many women throughout the state to flock abortion clinics to get the procedure done, with some only finding out they were pregnant in the past week.

Such was the case for a 21-year-old woman who spoke with Jezebel about her experience scrambling to get an appointment so she wouldn't have to travel out of state or continue with her pregnancy.

The woman, referred to only as Jen out of fear she would be targeted by anti-abortion activists, said she learned last week that she was eight weeks pregnant.

Jen, a sex worker and employee at a Texas donut shop, told the news outlet that she wouldn't be able to afford to schedule the procedure outside of Texas and, even if she could, would take an even bigger blow to her income from taking off work to do it.

Within the last week, she recalled being turned away from nearly every abortion clinic in her area as they were all fully booked.

A Texas law banning most abortions in the state took effect on Wednesday

Pro-choice activists urged the Supreme Court to intervene to ensure that women's protections are upheld

Abortion providers said the law would ban 85 percent of abortions and force many clinics in Texas to close

Jen finally scheduled an appointment at the Houston Women's Clinic and had her procedure done a few hours before Wednesday's deadline.

She told the news outlet, 'I know Texas is very conservative, and I figured there might be a lot of judgment and it might be a little hard, but I never seriously considered it that I wouldn't be able to get an abortion at all.'

When she got the clinic, she described the waiting room being at maximum capacity.

'They were going full throttle trying to get to everyone,' she said.

'Honestly, I would not have been able to go out of state - even the cost of the actual abortion dented my pocket a lot,' she said.

'The first appointment was $100 and the second one was $500 . . I'm just so happy I was able to do it the day before the ban and it's so sad that women here are going to have so much trouble now.'

Biden vowed that his administration would protect women's abortion rights, but he made no mention of the challenge at the Supreme Court, amid fears by activists that a more conservative bench was poised to uphold further restrictions on abortions.

Abortion providers who asked the Supreme Court to step in said the law would rule out 85 percent of abortions in Texas and force many clinics to close.

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, criticized the court's inaction.

'In refusing to intervene last night, the Supreme Court tipped the scales of justice in favor of one of the most draconian state abortion bans in history,' she said.

'[The law] strips away abortion access for most Texans.

'The Supreme Court has put the health and safety of Texans  especially people with lower incomes and people of color  in jeopardy.'

Texas state Rep. Donna Howard, center at lectern, stands with fellow lawmakers in the House Chamber as she opposes a bill introduced that would ban abortions as early as six weeks (May 2021)

Planned Parenthood is among the abortion providers that have stopped scheduling abortions beyond six weeks from conception.

At least 12 other states have enacted bans on abortion early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.

What makes the Texas law different is its unusual enforcement scheme.

Rather than have officials responsible for enforcing the law, private citizens are authorized to sue abortion providers and anyone involved in facilitating abortions.

Among other situations, that would include anyone who drives a woman to a clinic to get an abortion.

Under the law, anyone who successfully sues another person would be entitled to at least $10,000.

Abortion opponents who wrote the law also made it difficult to challenge the law in court, in part because it's hard to know whom to sue.

Texas has long had some of the nation's toughest abortion restrictions, including a sweeping law passed in 2013 that the Supreme Court eventually struck down but not before more than half of the state's 40-plus abortion clinics closed.

Lawmakers also are moving forward in an ongoing special session in Texas with proposed new restrictions on medication abortion.

This is a method using pills that accounts for roughly 40% of abortions in the U.S.

The Texas challenge seeks to prevent judges, county clerks and other state entities from enforcing the law.

A federal judge rejected a bid to dismiss the case, prompting an immediate appeal to the Louisiana-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which halted further proceedings.
A family of five has been forced into hotel quarantine after travelling to Melbourne from the Gold Coast and back and the school two of their children attend closed.

A truck driver is also under investigation after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said he was one of two new Covid cases in the state.

The driver, from Windaroo south of Brisbane, travelled from Sydney and is believed to have been infectious in the community from August 28 until September 1.

He is now believed to be back in NSW. The other new case was detected in hotel quarantine.

Ms Palaszczuk told parliament on Thursday the Australian International Islamic College at Carrara had shut today as a precautionary measure after some students boasted about taking a trip to Melbourne while the city is in lockdown.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told state parliament a truck driver was under investigation as one of two new Covid cases on Thursday morning

Students and staff of the Australian International Islamic College at Carrara were sent home on Thursday after some students boasted about taking a trip to Melbourne during its lockdown

The school community will go into 14 days quarantine if the family of the two students alleged to have travelled from Melbourne continue to refuse to be tested, Queensland's chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said on Thursday

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said the family of five with children at the college recently travelled to Melbourne and then back to Queensland by road via an undetected inland route.

The entire family are now in hotel quarantine. Two of the children of the family attended the Islamic College on August 31, Ms D'Ath said.

She said the family had so far proved uncooperative in being tested or providing more detail on their movements.

Some members of the family were reported to be unwell.

'But we dont know if its COVID. We have to treat it as if it is,' Ms D'Ath said.

'The family has now been placed into mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine and I urge them to co-operate with authorities,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'This is very serious. We need this family to co-operate with authorities.'

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said staff and students of the school would need to go into 14 days of home quarantine if the family continued to refuse Covid tests.

Ms D'Ath also told parliament the truck driver was tested at Pimpama on the northern Gold Coast and was now being sought for interview by contact tracers.

'Queensland Health is seeking to locate this man to investigate his exposure sites and where he has been.'

She asked Gold Coast residents to check the Queensland Health website for further information as it came to hand.

Ms Palaszczuk also told parliament that Cairns Convention Centre would open as a mass vaccination hub from September 10

Ms Palaszczuk defended her warning in parliament yesterday about the effects of the Delta variant on children.

She restated her request for more modelling on the effects of the virus on unvaccinated children.

'This is a serious issue that needs a serious discussion,' she said.

'These are questions that I want answers to. These are questions that Queenslanders want answers to.

'So rather than everyone attacking, let's get the answers and let's have serious discussions.'

Ms Palaszczuk told parliament the Queensland exemptions unit had spoken to the parents of three-year-old Memphis, locked out of Queensland away from his parents

Ms Palaszczuk was asked by Opposition Leader David Crisafulli about the case of three-year-old Memphis, locked out of the state away from his parents.

Queensland couple Dominique Facer and Mick Francis haven't seen their son since he went to visit his grandparents Mark and Alex on a cattle station more than 1,500 kilometres away in the NSW Riverina region on July 9.

The state slammed shut its borders with NSW at short notice two weeks later due to the worsening Covid outbreak in Sydney.

'I'm advised that the exemptions unit have spoken to his parents and they are processing and talking to them about that exemption,' the premier responded.

Ms Palaszczuk also told parliament that Cairns Convention Centre would open as a mass vaccination hub from September 10.
Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured on Thursday) has been blasted for controversial claims

Annastacia Palaszczuk has been blasted by Health Minister Greg Hunt and the country's top doctor for making misleading claims about Covid-19 death rates and child illness in defence of her hard border closure.

The Queensland premier on Wednesday vowed to keep her state border closed until modelling is done on how children aged under 12, who cannot be vaccinated, will be affected by a major Covid outbreak.

Then on Thursday morning she Tweeted that '80 people will die each day' if the state follows the NSW model of living with Covid with high vaccination rates.

'That's 2,240 who will die each month,' she claimed.

Ms Palaszczuk's maths was misleading because the daily death figure is a worst case scenario modelled by the Doherty Institute based on a 70 per cent vaccination rate and partial contact tracing effectiveness.

Ms Palaszczuk got the figure from one graph in the Doherty modelling which said that with 70 per cent vaccinated and partial contact tracing, daily deaths would peak at 80 after six months.

She then assumed there would be 80 deaths per day for a whole month when in fact this scenario is highly unlikely because the vaccination rate would not stay stuck at 70 per cent.

There is nowhere in the Doherty modelling that predicts 2,240 deaths a month.

The modelling says that 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.

Families are being forced to meet over plastic barricades at the Queensland/NSW border because of Annastacia Palaszuck's rules (above)

Ms Palaszczuk Tweeted that '80 people will die each day' if the state follows the NSW model of living with Covid. Her claim has been shut down

Ms Palaszczuk came under fire from Greg Hunt (pictured on Thursday) for spouting unfounded fears about children

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt slammed Ms Palaszczuk and said she was trying to scare the public for her own political gain.

'Selectively misusing the Doherty modelling breaches good faith and damages public confidence,' he said on Thursday afternoon.

Ms Palaszczuk also came under fire for spouting unfounded fears about children.

In Queensland's Parliament on Wednesday, the premier said: 'You open up this state and you let the virus in here, every child under 12 is vulnerable, every single child.

'Anyone who has a child under 12 is vulnerable because they are the unvaccinated,' she claimed.

But Mr Hunt said the national plan was always aimed at protecting all Australians from the virus, including children.

He said the suggestion that kids hadn't been considered in the plan was 'false', and added that no vaccinations had been approved for children under the age of 12 anywhere in the world and no countries were vaccinating children.

'In fact, I think the best response in a way is what has been written by Queensland Health in their ''Covid-19 and Kids: What you need to Know'' document dated 5 August 2021: serious illness remains extremely rare in children,' Mr Hunt told reporters.

'I also quote: ''Even children with serious underlying conditions will mostly only experience a mild illness with Covid-19''.'

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg agreed, claiming Ms Palaszczuk's reasoning for keeping the border shut was a 'desperate denial of the reality... not based on the medical advice.'

The Queensland premier has signalled she could delay easing restrictions once COVID-19 vaccination coverage targets are hit due to her fresh concerns about unvaccinated children (families and friends catch up at the border, above)

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly also shut down Ms Palaszczuk's controversial claims on kids.

He said there have been 3,815 cases of Delta virus infection in children under the age of 12 but only 134 hospitalisations, a 3.5 per cent hospitalisation rate.

'And we know from New South Wales data that most of the kids that have been admitted to hospital have been for social reasons, not because they are particularly unwell  their parents are sick and can't look after them,' he said.

'So the hospitalisation rate is small and most of those are not because of severe illness. There have only been three children under the age of 12 admitted to intensive care. Three out of 3,815, way less than one in 1,000.'

Professor Kelly said there have been no child deaths in Australia and said the best way to protect kids was for adults to get jabbed.

'We're not ignoring children. Children are part of the whole plan, not only in the vaccination and soon the vaccination of 12- to 15-year-olds, but also in the way we're looking at that cocooning effect that we can get from vaccination as it increases and it is increasing incredibly rapidly now right across Australia.'

He added: 'We need to start to learn to live with this virus.'

Mr Hunt also tore into Premier Palaszczuk for banning residents returning from Covid-ravaged NSW.

The move has left a three-year-old boy, Memphis, separated from his parents north of the border for two months - and stopped people entering Queensland for healthcare.

'This is a profound moral failure. Let these people in for medical treatment and for a three-year-old to be fully reunited with their family,' Mr Hunt said.

It comes as the Federal Government urges premiers to stick to the national re-opening plan which relaxes restrictions in two stages when 70 and 80 per cent of over 16s are vaccinated.

The plan states that Australia stops suppressing Covid cases when 70 per cent are vaccinated and instead learns to live with the virus.

Western Australia, Queensland and the ACT have walked back from the plan by either vowing to continue suppressing cases or insisting that children are vaccinated.
A third US school district has announced that it has students who are still trapped in Afghanistan after families visiting relatives missed the final US evacuation flight this week.

More than 30 California children are now known to be stuck in Afghanistan after they traveled to the country before the Taliban seized power and were unable to get out before U.S. forces left.

The Sacramento City Unified School District said an Afghan immigrant family with three children enrolled at Ethel I. Baker Elementary had contacted the district to ask for help in getting out of the country.

'The only word I can say is heartbreaking,' said district spokeswoman Tara Gallegos.

It came after two other school districts - one in the San Diego area and another in Sacramento - said that they have been in contact with families who fear they have been forgotten by the U.S. government.

The officials said that some of the children were born in the United States and are U.S. citizens.

Also in Sacramento, the San Juan Union School District said it had identified 27 students from 19 families enrolled in the district who said they have been unable to get out of Afghanistan and return home.

PICTURED: Families walk towards their flight during ongoing evacuations at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan (file image)

U.S. Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit process evacuees as they go through the Evacuation Control Center (ECC) during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport (file image)

'These numbers continue to change rapidly,' Raj Rai, a district spokeswoman said in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday. 'We believe that some of these families may be in transit out of Afghanistan, as we have not been able to reach many of them in the last few days.'

Rai said the district was working with elected officials to help the families leave the country.

'San Juan Unified stands with our Afghan community and all those whose loved ones are currently in Afghanistan,' she said. 'We sincerely hope for their speedy and safe return back to the U.S. and back to our school communities.'

In the Cajon Valley Union School District in a San Diego suburb with a large refugee population, eight families reached out to their children's schools before classes started August 17 to report that they were having trouble leaving Afghanistan.

Republican Representative Darrell Issa of California worked with the district and U.S. government officials and seven of the families have since made it out of Afghanistan. Most are now back home in the city of El Cajon and some of the students returned to class on Monday.

But one family is still stuck in Afghanistan, said Cajon Valley Union School District spokesman Howard Shen.

A spokesperson for Republican Representative Issa (pictured) says the congressman's office aided in the successful freeing of San Diego families who were trapped in Kabul

District officials were in contact with family members, he said, and trying to help them get out.

Nearly all of the children trapped in Afghanistan returned there with one or both parents in the spring or early summer to visit relatives. The families traveled on their own to the country and were not part of any organized trips.

Many of the families arrived in the U.S. years ago after obtaining special immigrant visas granted to Afghans who had worked for the U.S. government or U.S. military over the past two decades.

Some of the families told school district officials that they had made attempts to get on planes at the airport in Kabul but were unable get through Taliban checkpoints or through the throngs of Afghans surrounding the airport over the past two weeks.

The U.S. ended its evacuation efforts and withdrew its forces on Monday.
Imports into Australia of a drug falsely claimed to treat Covid are 10 times higher than usual thanks to ridiculous anti-vaxxer propaganda.

Ivermectin, used to treat parasites in livestock, is widely promoted in anti-vaccination circles as an alternative to the jab.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration said importations of the drug surged in recent months, to the point where there is a national shortage for farmers.

'The TGA works closely with the Australian Border Force to detect potentially unlawful imports of therapeutic goods for assessment by the TGA,' it said.

'Detections of ivermectin [being brought into Australia] have increased significantly, more than tenfold.'

The TGA had warned against using Ivermectin (pictured) to treat Covid and said there could be a number of dangerous side effects

Just this week, Westmead Hospital toxicologist Associate Professor Naren Gunja revealed a Covid patient overdosed while self-medicating with ivermectin.

The patient presented at the hospital with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

'Thankfully they didn't develop severe toxicity but it didn't help their Covid either,' Dr Gunja wrote on Western Sydney Local Health District's website.

The TGA and its US counterpart the Federal Drug Administration have both issued warnings against the drug.

'You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it,' a tweet from the FDA from August 21 reads.

The FDA warned high doses of ivermectin can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, allergic reactions like itching and hives, dizziness, problems with balance, seizures, coma, and even death.

The TGA strongly discourages self-medication and self-dosing with Ivermectin for Covid-19 as 'it may be dangerous to your health'.

'There is insufficient evidence to validate the use of Ivermectin in patients with Covid-19,' it said.

Australia's TGA and the United States' FDA have both warned against using ivermectin to treat Covid with the FDA saying: 'You are not a cow, seriously y'all stop'

Ivermectin first caught attention as a Covid treatment after Dr Kylie Wagstaff from Monash University and an Australian team found extremely high doses stopped the growth of Covid in a petri dish.

However, the university has since warned the experiment was not a clinical trial saying: 'Do NOT self-medicate with ivermectin and do NOT use ivermectin intended for animals'.

The concentration of Ivermectin used in the Monash experiment was much higher than can be achieved in the human body.

The drug, based on the non-clinical Monash experiment, has been promoted on some anti-vaccination groups online and by some conservative politicians.

Former Liberal MP Craig Kelly, who in August assumed the leadership of Clive Palmer's United Australia Party, has repeatedly said drugs such as ivermectin and the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine - another unproven treatment - should be used to treat Covid.

'I'm not saying take the drug. I'm not saying the drug works, but I'm saying the doctor should be free to sit down with their patient and make a decision,' he previously told SBS.

Clinical pharmacologist Professor Andrew MacLachlan, the chief of the University of Sydney's Pharmacy School, said positive scientific studies on ivermectin had been withdrawn after they were found to be dubious.

He said the most robust study of ivermectin for the treatment of Covid published on June 28 reviewed 10 high quality trials and found that there was no evidence the drug was effective.

Dr Naren Gunja from Westmead Hospital (pictured) said the patient had presented with nausea after they took an unproven drug called Ivermectin to treat Covid

Ivermectin is a drug used to combat parasites like head lice and scabies, and though it has been authorised for Covid treatment in countries like India and Mexico, it is not authorised for that use in Australia.

Because Ivermectin is also used in a concentrated form for veterinary heartworm treatment, there is a risk that people who buy that form of the drug online can easily take the wrong dose.

Dr Gunja warned people not to look for unproven cures online, and to be guided by doctors and Australia's medication safety watchdog the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

'There's no evidence to support the use of Ivermectin to treat Covid. Don't look for magic cures online, and don't rely on what's being peddled on the internet, because none of them work,' he said.

Dr Gunja said Westmead Hospital had also admitted other patients who attempted treat Covid with a variety of dangerous products - including disinfectants and alcohol.

He said patients also presented after taking hydroxychloroquine, which as authorised as a treatment for Covid in the US in the early stages of the pandemic.

However, it was withdrawn in April last year as it heightened the risk of cardiovascular problems among those in the later stages of the virus.
A truck driver selflessly rescued a kookaburra he named Kevin after he saw him being terrorised by other birds at his depot.

The native bird was injured by ravens at the truck stop, believed to be in Melbourne, and was 'not in a good way' when a worker named Liam spotted him.

'After Liam chased the ravens away, wee Kev jumped up into Liam's palm,' his wife wrote on a community Facebook group.

The terrified bird was kept safely in a box until wildlife officers arrived at the depot.

A truck driver named Liam selflessly rescued a kookaburra that was being terrorised by other birds at a depot

Liam's wife said they were told the kookaburra was underweight and he was taken away for medical care.

'Kevin will be brought back for release once he recovers,' she said.

She shared a photo of the kookaburra sitting comfortably in her husband's hand as hundreds of other Aussies congratulated the truckie on his act of kindness.

'The world needs more people like you,' one wrote.

'Good to see people helping the underdog, you probably saved Kevin's life,' another added.
A bus driver and the 40 high schoolers he was shuttling to a Pittsburgh school were rescued by boat Wednesday after the yellow ride became trapped in a flash flood.

The bus had been traveling along Seavey Road in Shaler Township, which was among a number of streets overtaken by rising floodwater as Hurricane Ida barrelled through Western Pennsylvania.

It got worse and worse, it was like a raging river, witness Linda Reinhardt told local news station WPXI. They described it as a wall of water coming down the hill.

Hurricane Ida, which crashed onto the Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane Sunday, tore through Western Pennsylvania Tuesday and Wednesday.

A bus carrying 40 teens to Shaler Area High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, became trapped in a flashflood Wednesday

The Cherry City Volunteer Fire Company rushed to the rescue, and used rope and a red boat to free students from the rapidly-swelling water

Some students aboard the bus began panicking as the water level grew

Although it was by then downgraded into a tropical depression, the storm flooded roads in numerous counties.

The Cherry City Volunteer Fire Company made the dramatic school bus rescue about 6:50 a.m. EDT, using a red boat and rope to buoy the vehicles occupants to safety.

Some parents criticized the school district for continuing to operate buses during the catastrophic storm, which caused a creek to overflow in Millvale, flooding multiple houses.

Flash Floods Northeast US summary At least nine people are dead as the tail end of Hurricane Ida has barrelled into the Northeast. The storm sparked flash flooding in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and delivered a month's worth of rain in just one day. Seven people died in New York City on Wednesday night, while one man was killed in New Jersey and another in Maryland. The National Weather Service's office in New York issued flash flood emergency warnings for New York and New Jersey for the first time. More than 60 million people throughout the northeast are under flash flood watches while hundreds of thousands are without power. The storm is now whipping towards the city of Boston. Advertisement

I just want to know why would you even attempt to drive through that with children on bus? Linda Goodall said on a Facebook thread announcing the save.

Great rescue but I feel it should never been needed.

So thankful for first responders, Scott-Patti Cameron added. But really and truly this was so unnecessary! Avoid large bodies of water. Especially when you have school children in your care.

Others rushed to the drivers defense, and said he could not have anticipated becoming trapped in the flash flood.

I am a personal friend of this driver, John Meyers said. There is no way in hell he would put his kids safety in jeopardy. It was exactly what he claims, a flash flood.

ABC Transit, which employed the driver, said he wasnt trying to force the bus through rising water. Instead, the company told CBS Pittsburgh that the vehicle became trapped when water entered its air intake system, causing the bus to stall.

Passenger Jeremy Vinksi, a Grade 11 student en rote to Shaler Area High School, told some classmates began panicking as the floodwaters took hold.

A lot of people started screaming and stuff, he told WPXI. This was crazy because nothing ever happened like that on the bus before.

The rain was coming down fast and hard, he said, prompting water covering the flooded road to rise quickly.

I could take a kayak out there, he said. I was happy I got out.
A woman who claims that Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused her when she was 14 is asking the Supreme Court to rule that federal prosecutors in Miami violated her civil rights when, without consulting her, they offered him a 'sweetheart' deal in 2008.

Courtney Wild was among the first of Epstein's victims to come forward, and has been among the most dogged in her pursuit of justice.

Wild, now a 33-year-old mother of two, has said she was 'pretty much homeless' when she was recruited by Epstein's team in Palm Beach, Florida.

Epstein was sentenced in 2008 to 18 months in Palm Beach County Jail, but he was able to have his own wing, pay his own guards and leave the jail during the day to go to his office.

Courtney Wild is pictured with her lawyer Brad Edwards in July 2019. She and Edwards are taking their case to the Supreme Court, trying to prove that federal prosecutors acted unlawfully with their 2008 deal with Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein, the pedophile financier, died by suicide in August 2019, aged 66. He had been arrested the month before and was awaiting trial in a New York jail

The deal was agreed without consulting his accusers, and Wild that year sued the U.S. Justice Department, demanding information from federal prosecutors about their investigation of Epstein.

For the next 13 years, Wild continued to fight through the courts.

Her legal action forced the government to admit that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami had already reached a confidential deal with Epstein several months earlier, without informing the alleged victims.

'Without our case, probably no one would have seen the non-prosecution agreement, the secret agreement,' said her lawyer, Brad Edwards.

'Without that action, nobody would have known just how bad [Epstein] and his other co-conspirators were. No one would have ever understood the whole story.'

Epstein is pictured at the White House meeting then-president Bill Clinton in 1993, with Ghislaine Maxwell looking on

Donald and Melania Trump are pictured with Epstein and Maxwell in February 2000 at Mar-a-Lago. Epstein's property was just down the road from Trump's Florida resort

In April the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Wild's case never should have been allowed to proceed.

The majority of judges concluded that the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA), enacted by Congress in 2004, did not permit her to sue the Justice Department over Epstein's controversial agreement, in the absence of an existing criminal prosecution.

'It's not the result we like, but it's the result we think the law requires,' wrote Judge Kevin Newsom in the majority opinion.

'Despite our sympathy for Ms. Wild and others like her, who suffered unspeakable horror at Epstein's hands, only to be left in the dark  and, so it seems, affirmatively misled  by government lawyers, we find ourselves constrained to deny her petition.'

Wild's attorneys are now petitioning the Supreme Court, arguing that unless the justices step in, the government will be free to sideline victims as it reaches similar non-prosecution agreements with targets of sensitive investigations.

'Given that the underlying legal issue involves a practice that the Government intends to keep secret, this Court may well face a now-or-never opportunity consider the question presented,' Wild's attorneys wrote.

'It was only due to unusual circumstances that Jeffrey Epstein's NPA was revealed to the victims  and the public.

'In future cases, there is no guarantee that the Government will disclose its clandestine NPAs, much less disclose them in a way that would permit the kind of district and appellate court challenges that occurred here.'
Locked-down couples who are desperate to tie the knot in NSW will be allowed to marry but will have to make do with just five guests and a six-person wedding party and forfeit the traditional post nuptial celebrations.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard has signed an amendment to the Public Health Order to allow small outdoor wedding services from Friday, with the proviso there are no gatherings or receptions.

Premises that can perform funerals can also be used to host a small wedding.

A maximum of five guests will be allowed plus a six-person wedding party - the couple, two witnesses, the celebrant and one person to record the wedding.

Locked-down couples desperate to tie the knot in NSW will be allowed to marry with five guests and a six-person wedding party. (Pictured, a stock image of a newlywed couple)

Couples can get married in NSW under very specific strict conditions after Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) relaxed lockdown restrictions

However, a person who lives in Greater Sydney can't attend a wedding service outside of Greater Sydney.

A person who lives in regional NSW can only attend a wedding in Greater Sydney if they are part of the wedding party or the parent, child or sibling of one of the people getting married.

A person who lives in Greater Sydney, but not in one of the 12 local government COVID hotspots can only attend a wedding in an area of concern if they are part of the wedding party or the parent, child or sibling of one of the persons getting married.

Anyone who lives in one of the 12 LGAs can only attend a wedding outside the area of concern in which they live if they are part of the wedding party or the parent, child or sibling of one of the persons getting married.

Five guests and a six-person wedding party can attend NSW weddingsunder the new rules but couples must forfeit the traditional post nuptial celebrations. (Pictured, young women exercising at Maroubra on Thursday)
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Michael Barrymore has broken his silence after the key suspect in the rape and murder of Stuart Lubbock was released without charge by police investigating the 20-year-old unsolved crime.

Stuart, 31, was found dead with severe internal injuries in the Strike It Lucky star's pool at his 2million home in Roydon, Essex, on March 31, 2001, after a party with just seven other guests.

In March, Essex Police said a witness had given them 'significant new information' about the case and made an arrest. They were working on the theory the murder was covered up', after a hot tub thermometer and a broken shed handle both went missing from the scene.

But a fortnight ago police announced that no charges would be bought against the 50-year-old suspect, in more heartbreak for Stuart's family including his father Terry, who has terminal cancer.

Barrymore, who was Britain's top TV star at the time but has barely worked since, said yesterday: 'It's a terribly sad situation for everybody'.

Speaking to the Mirror as he walked his dog in West London, he added: 'I have nothing to say at the moment'.

The dying father of Stuart Lubbock (pictured) is seeking a police review into the decision to release a man arrested on suspicion of indecently assaulting and murdering his 31-year-old son at Michael Barrymore's luxury Essex mansion without charge

Mr Lubbock's death shocked Britain and ended Barrymore's TV career overnight. The star, who made millions as one of the UK's top TV personalities of the 1980s and 1990s, has always denied playing any part in his suspected murder

Earlier this year, Mr Lubbock (right) has said he wanted a coroner to oversee a new inquest into the death of his son (left)

Terry Lubbock, who has terminal cancer and only months to live, has been fighting for justice for more than 20 years following his son Stuart's death.

A man in his 50s was detained on suspicion of murder and sexual assault in March in the North of England after Essex Police said 'significant new information' had come to light.

But the force has now admitted there is 'insufficient evidence to reach the level where there is a realistic chance of a successful prosecution' over the death in March 2001.

Mr Lubbock senior, 76, released a harrowing statement laying bare his devastation at the lack of resolution.

The message on Twitter, which was accompanied by a photo of the gaunt pensioner lying on his care home bed, said: 'Someone knows who killed Stuart Lubbock. I will die of a broken heart. Stuart was murdered at the former home of Michael Barrymore in Roydon, Essex.'

Mr Lubbock issued the tweet last week, but it is likely he was aware at the time from the police that the investigation was not leading to a charge. Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Jennings, who took over the case in 2018, insisted the investigation was not closed.

But he added there was 'huge personal disappointment' among his team.

He said: 'We have explored all possible lines of inquiry and sometimes, regrettably, the evidence is not yet there to issue charges. I know that this may be of little comfort to Stuart's father and his family. At every stage, it is the Lubbock family and our search for justice for them that dominates our thoughts and our actions.

'We have tried our best. We will continue to try our best.'

A post-mortem examination found Mr Lubbock suffered internal injuries suggesting he had been raped.

Barrymore's career imploded in the aftermath of the death, which happened after he and his then partner, Jonathan Kenney, spent the night out in Harlow. They went home with a small group of people they met in a club including butcher Mr Lubbock, 31, a divorced father of two.

Mr Lubbock had been attending a party at Barrymore's luxury home in Roydon with eight other people on March 31, 2001

Barrymore (pictured walking his dog with a friend in West London) was one of Britain's best known stars

Police believe Mr Lubbock was sexually assaulted and murdered with his body possibly moved from a jacuzzi to make it look like he had accidentally drowned

Barrymore, now 69  who later apologised after fleeing before police arrived, saying that he had 'panicked'  has always denied any knowledge of what happened.

He, Mr Kenney, 51, and another guest at the party, former dustman Justin Merritt, 47, were arrested in 2007 but later released without charge.

The latest arrest came after police renewed their appeal for information last year and offered a 20,000 reward, later increased to 40,000.

It coincided with a Channel 4 documentary about the case.

DCI Jennings said at the time that one or more of the eight other people at the property were involved and others might know what happened.

Mr Lubbock's death was initially assumed to be an accident by officers, who failed to secure the crime scene.

A coroner recorded an open verdict in 2002 after failing to confirm the cause of death. Alcohol, ecstasy and cocaine were found in his bloodstream.

Barrymore, now a recovering alcoholic who lives in west London, has tried to rekindle his career without success, including a stint on Celebrity Big Brother in 2006.

An Essex Police spokesman said: 'The individual arrested in March has been released without further action.'
A desperate search is underway for a woman who vanished from her rental property and hasn't had any contact with her family for some time.

Sarah Keaveney, 43, was last known to be living in a rental property at Point Frederick in the Brisbane Water area of the NSW Central Coast.

Ms Keaveney's landlord decided to visit the property on August 19 after not hearing from her for several months.

Police are appealing for public assistance to find Sarah Keaveney (pictured), 43, who vanished from her rental property leaving behind some of her belongings

Ms Keaveney was last known to be living in a rental property at Point Frederick in the Brisbane Water area of the NSW Central Coast (Pictured: Geography shot of Point Frederick)

It appeared that Ms Keaveney had gone, with some of her belongings still left inside the property.

Officers were alerted the next day and have begun inquiries into her whereabouts.

There are grave concerns for Ms Keaveney as her family haven't heard from her in some time.

Police received information that Ms Keaveney could have travelled to the ACT or the Northern Territory.

Ms Keaveney is described as having fair skin and is around 165cm tall with a medium build and brown shoulder-length hair.

Anyone who sees Ms Keaveney is urged not to approach but to instead call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
Fearmongering about Covid-19 is driving 'incredibly low' vaccination rates in some Aboriginal communities in South Australia, health officials admit.

The rate of full vaccination for Indigenous people is as low as 16 per cent in parts of SA, including northern Adelaide.

Outback SA, western Adelaide, the Barossa, Yorke and Mid-North and the state's southeast are all below 20 per cent, according to federal data.

SA Health deputy chief executive Don Frater says misinformation is hampering the rollout for Aboriginal communities and better communication is needed.

Fearmongering about Covid-19 is driving 'incredibly low' vaccination rates below 20 per cent in some Aboriginal communities in South Australia, health officials admit

'We have had some communities that have told us that Covid does not exist and, needless to say, our vaccination rates there are incredibly low,' he told a parliamentary committee on Thursday.

'What we have worked on is sending staff, Aboriginal staff, into those communities for a couple of weeks before we intend to start vaccinating again and talking to people and building the awareness, building the support for it.

'Where we have done that, we have achieved better results in terms of vaccination.'

Mr Frater said the vaccination rate in Adelaide's northern suburbs was particularly concerning, adding that the AstraZeneca vaccine was not preferred for the rollout.

'We just need to engage them in a manner which is culturally appropriate so that they feel comfortable in coming forward and discussing what is a very sensitive issue,' he said.

'And we'll give them all Pfizer. We'll ignore any Commonwealth restrictions on that. We'll give them Pfizer because we'd like them to be vaccinated within three weeks with the double doses.'

The vaccination rate in Adelaide's northern suburbs was particularly concerning, adding that the AstraZeneca vaccine was not preferred for the rollout

Other states including Western Australia have also cited fearmongering in remote communities, including from fringe Christian groups, for their own low Indigenous vaccination rates.

There are concerns scepticism within some culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities is creating a divide between richer and poorer suburbs in SA.

'We don't have a problem getting people in Unley and Burnside to turn up at Wayville and get vaccinated, and our communications is really easy to pull those people in,' Mr Frater said.

'We need to change our communications and our approach to reflect the concerns and needs of the CALD community and Aboriginal communities in those areas.'
Melbourne will have spent more time under a Covid lockdown than anywhere else in the world as it hits 235 total days later this month, breaking Buenos Aires' record.

September 23 will be the city' 235th cumulative day under lockdown since the start of the pandemic, setting an unwanted world record that surpasses the 234 days of cumulative lockdown set by the Argentina capital.

Melbourne - currently in its sixth lockdown - will see some restrictions eased on this date, when 70 percent of eligible Victorians are expected to have received their first vaccination jab after the time between AstraZeneca jabs was cut to six weeks.

However, the bulk of measures look set to remain for months to come, with state premier Dan Andrews conceding today that it's now a question of how many more cases of the virus there will be after initially taking a 'zero-covid' approach.

Playgrounds will be allowed to open, but night curfews and wearing of masks will remain, it was announced by Andrews on Wednesday.

Ahead of the grim milestone, Australian doctors warned today the country's hospitals are not ready to cope with the government's reopening plans.

The warning comes despite with higher vaccination rates, as some states prepare to move from a virus suppression strategy to living with COVID-19.

Pictured: A 15-year-old teenager receives a Pfizer vaccination at the Royal Exhibition Building COVID19 Vaccination Hub in Melbourne, September 2, 2021. Melbourne is set to break the record of being the city to have spent the most time in lockdown later this month, as Australia's coronavirus crisis continues to worsen

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) said the health system was in danger of being locked into a 'permanent cycle of crisis' and has called for new modelling to check if staffing levels in hospitals can withstand an expected surge in cases when lockdown rules ease.

'If you have opened up and you haven't looked at the safety nets or the life rafts that we've got, we might end up actually trying to push more people on the life rafts and capsizing them,' AMA Vice President Chris Moy told broadcaster ABC.

Australia in July unveiled a four-stage back to greater freedoms when the country reaches 70-80 percent vaccination.

But virus-free Queensland and Western Australia have said they may not stick to those plans as the agreement was finalised when cases in New South Wales were much lower.

New South Wales on Thursday reported 1,288 new locally acquired cases, just below its pandemic high of 1,290 hit on Monday. Seven new deaths were recorded.

A total of 957 people are in hospitals, up from 698 a week ago, while cases in intensive care units (ICU) jumped nearly 40% to 160, 64 of whom require ventilation.

Pictured: People queue up inside the Royal Exhibition Building COVID19 Vaccination Hub in Melbourne, Australia, 02 September 2021. Most of Victoria's tough coronavirus restrictions will remain in place until 70 percent of eligible people have received at least one vaccine dose

In total, Wednesday saw Australia report a record 1,467 new coronavirus cases and 7 new deaths, the highest number of fatalities in a single day since September 8 2020

Authorities quadrupled the number of the state's intensive care ventilators to 2,000 early last year, but the medical association's Moy said governments need to focus on hospital staffing before relaxing lockdown rules.

'It's not just the number of ventilators, it's not the number of IC units, it's the number of staff and people that are going to have to man this when we open up,' he said.

The Covid surge in Victoria - the state which Melbourne is in - has reached new heights with 176 fresh cases recorded on Thursday.

The case numbers represented a 46 per cent increase in one day from 120 on Wednesday, and were the highest daily numbers in the state since August 19 last year during the deadly 'second wave'.

Only 83 of the positive tests have been linked to existing outbreaks, with 93 'wild' cases - the most this year - still being tracked down by overwhelmed contact tracers.

Health officials are yet to reveal how many of the 176 new cases were infectious in the community as the list of exposure sites surged past 1,000.

Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews speaks to the media on Wednesday. He conceded on Thursday that it's now a question of how many more cases of the virus there will be after initially taking a zero-covid approach

Worryingly, Victoria's outbreak of the Delta variant is spreading faster than it did in New South Wales (NSW), prompting health officials to slash the time between AstraZeneca jabs from 12 weeks to six.

Concerns over the spread of the virus comes as Victoria's state premier Dan Andrews abandoned the now seemingly unrealistic goal of eliminating the virus.

He conceded that cases of the Delta variant were rising, and that it was 'now a question of how much it goes up by'.

'In just the last two days, the number of cases, the nature of those cases, the depth of the seeding of this outbreak has become clear, and the chief health officer's advice to me and the government has fundamentally changed,' Andrews said on Wednesday, according to Sky News Australia.

'The data and evidence and experts are very clear with us: we will not see these case numbers go down. They are going to go up. The question is, by how many and how fast?'

In total, Wednesday saw Australia report a record 1,467 new coronavirus cases and 7 new deaths, the highest number of fatalities in a single day since September 8 2020.

A person receives a COVID19 test at a pop-up test site in Altona North in Melbourne, Monday, August 30, 2021. Around 48,372 Victorians came forward for testing on Wednesday

NSW, home to Sydney, recorded 176 cases on July 28, representing an eight-times increase on the 22 it had a month earlier.

Victoria's 176 cases number is, by contrast, 88 times higher than the two it recorded one month ago.

Of the 1,029 active actives cases in the state of Victoria, three quarters are aged under-40, including almost 200 children aged nine or younger.

'There's not one corner of metropolitan Melbourne that's not touched by this virus,' Victoria's acting chief health Officer Professor Ben Cowie told reporters on Thursday.

'If someone you know or anybody in the community, says it is OK to visit friends and extended family because it is just for a short period of time, we have to remind them that this virus is here, right now, and it's spreading fast.

'The increasing case numbers are a herald of what our health system is going to be faced with in the coming weeks and months.'

He had a chilling warning for those who are young and healthy and not taking Covid seriously.

'Young and fit people do catch COVID. And some of them get really sick and tragically, some of them lose their lives,' Professor Cowie said.

Victoria's huge escalation in cases were diagnosed from 48,372 tests while another 33,720 rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated on Wednesday. From the latest cases, 67 were in Melbourne's north with another 61 were detected in the west.

Another 13 cases were from the Shepparton outbreak, north of Melbourne and were in isolation as the result of day 13 testing.

Of the 61 cases currently in hospital, 20 are in intensive care with 13 requiring ventilation.

Victoria's dramatic surge in Covid infections reached new heights with 176 new cases recorded just as Dan Andrews abandoned eliminating the virus

After hitting that 176 figure, NSW hit 1,000 cases per day just one month later, and Victoria will be desperate to avoid the same fate.

Victoria has halved the time between doses for the AstraZeneca jab from 12 weeks, to six in a desperate bid to protect the community and the health system.

'So that matches the dosage interval for the Pfizer vaccine,' Professor Cowie said.

'It'll be six weeks for AstraZeneca and for Pfizer bookings going forward.'

'More importantly, they will really  [aid] the response to community transmission, put a downward pressure on cases and contribute to protecting our health system as we look after all Victorians.'

More than 52,000 AstraZeneca appointments in the coming weeks are still available.

An outbreak at a Melbourne call centre for the state's coronavirus hotline is of particular concern to authorities after the cluster grew to 17.

Around 400 primary close contacts are now self-isolating.

A case at Base Backpackers in St Kilda is also a concern. The person has been moved into hotel quarantine.

Earlier, Melbourne epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely warned Victorian case numbers could explode and surge past 2000 a day next month.

'The case numbers are going up at about five per cent per day,' Professor Blakely told the Herald Sun.

He added Victoria 'will probably have 2000 cases a day in late October or early November when the vaccine coverage catches up' if infections continue on this trajectory.

The state's huge spike from 120 on Wednesday marks the most new cases it has recorded in a day since August 19 last year during its deadly second wave

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian hammered home how pointless trying to eliminate the highly infectious Delta strain, and that Victoria's outbreak was growing faster than that of her state's.

'I know that people will not believe me when I say this, but we have done [well] to keep the case numbers where they are, given our population, given the spread, in fact if you look at the trajectory of Victoria's case numbers are going,' she said on Wednesday.

'I will let people make those comparisons themselves, but having been through this, we know how quickly case numbers get up to where we are now.

'And had we not taken the measures we had, they would have been much higher.'

Ms Berejiklian urged other premiers to accept they would need to reopen even with case numbers in the hundreds or even thousands, as vaccines had driven down the percentage of cases requiring hospital treatment or risking deaths.

'It's impossible to eliminate the Delta strain,' she said.

'NSW has proved successful until this point in time of getting rid of other strains of Covid but the Delta strain is game-changer and every state in Australia, sooner or later, is going to have to live with Delta.'

In capitulating to this reality, Mr Andrews on Wednesday announced a roadmap out of lockdown that will free regional Victoria next week, but Melbourne will not get any significant relief until September 23.

Playgrounds will finally reopen for long-suffering Victorians in their sixth lockdown but night curfews and wearing of masks would remain.

Many more restrictions will be eased once 70 per cent of Victorians have had their first jab, including reopening of state parks and outdoor gyms and construction sites to operate at 50 per cent capacity.

Up to three hours of exercise will also be allowed while the dreaded 5km (3-mile) travel radius will be doubled once the milestone is reached.

Melbourne is on track to break the world record for most days in lockdown on September 23 (pictured Melburnians at a market in the city's north)

That target is expected to be reached in the next three weeks as a vaccination blitz for students aged 17 ramps up.

The night curfew will stay and Melburnians will remain in lockdown until at least September 23, which could be extended another month until at least 70 per cent of the state is fully vaccinated.

'These will be the settings that we all have to live with for a period of time until we reach not just first dose vaccination thresholds, but second dose vaccination thresholds, as outlined in the National Cabinet plan,' Mr Andrews said on Wednesday.

'That is the difficult but unavoidable position we find ourselves in.
Brett Vaisey stabbed his neighbour so many times with a 20cm kitchen knife after a dispute over a communal washing machine that the blade broke.

Vaisey, 57, repeatedly told Annick Henenberg, then 65, 'it's alright,' as he nearly stabbed her to death.

He then began to kick and punch her after his knife broke.

Ms Henenberg managed to record the attack, which broke out on Australia Day last year at their public housing block in Elwood.

Alarming footage shows Vaisey running up to Ms Henenberg armed with a kitchen knife before the near fatal attack

The pensioner suffered a huge slash to her stomach as well as a 10cm deep cut to her neck - but miraculously survived

'Die you f***ing c***,' Vaisey yelled during the attack. 'If I'm going to jail, it's worth it.'

Vaisey, who has pleaded guilty to attempted murder, on Thursday faced an online hearing at the Victorian Supreme Court, where footage of his arrest was played.

The 57-year-old, bound in handcuffs, lay face-down on a driveway when he told police he had 'snapped'.

'I didn't want to do it, but she kept pushing me,' Vaisey said.

'She asked for it - she provoked me and provoked me.

'No offence but I hope I killed her.'

Vaisey then asked police to look after his dog named Mr Peabody, after a cartoon.

Dr Fiona Best, a psychiatrist, said Vaisey had a major mental illness that included a borderline personality disorder.

She added that Vaisey had become 'pre-occupied' with Ms Henenberg following an extended period of disputes and he felt she was trying to harm him.

'This moved into something with a psychotic flavour,' Dr Best said.

The court was told Ms Henenberg had, during a six-month period to July 2019, filed eight formal complaints about Vaisey's abusive behaviour toward her in the laundry.

About five hours before the attack, Vaisey also called police and said he thought he was losing control.

Annick Henenberg, 65, was nearly killed when she was attacked by her neighbour Brett Vaisey, 56, at their public housing block in Melbourne's bayside suburbs on Australia Day last year

'I'm a guy and I don't wanna go off, but I need help,' he told authorities. 'If I keep getting harassed, I might lose my temper.'

Vaisey's barrister, John Desmond, said his client had shown remorse for his actions through his admissions to police and his early guilty plea.

The defence barrister also read out an apology from Vaisey for his 'outrageous conduct' and said his client now felt 'significant self-loathing'.

But Mr Desmond argued that the attack could be linked to Vaisey's mental illness.

'At the time he believed he was being persecuted. It was a genuinely held belief, which may or may not have been independent from reality,' he said.

Mr Desmond also said Vaisey suffered from alcoholism and had been subjected to family violence as a child.

Justice Rita Incerti will sentence Vaisey at a later date.
The son of an Irish mob boss has declared a glamorous Instagram influencer 'the love of my life' as the smitten pair share loved-up images of their holidays and partying at Creamfields on social media.

Photographs show Lee Byrne, 22, embracing Daisey O'Donnell, a model who has built up a large Instagram following by posing in bikinis and designer gear in beautiful locations around the world.

Mr Byrne, whose father Liam Byrne is the head of a drug cartel's operations in Britain and Ireland, posted a picture of him with Miss O'Donnell at the weekend and called her 'the love of my life', the Irish Mirror reported.

Other images posted by the couple on their social media pages show them enjoying a concert at the massive Creamfields festival which was attended by around 70,000 people over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Byrne remains a top target for Irish police investigating the alleged activities of the Kinahan cartel and a gang named in the High Court as the Byrne Organised Crime Group, of which he is at the head.

His son Mr Byrne has no involvement in the criminal underworld.

Photos shared by the pair show Lee Byrne, 22, embracing Daisey O'Donnell

Other images posted by the couple on their social media pages enjoying a concert at the massive Creamfields festival which was attended by around 70,000 people over the Bank Holiday weekend

Daisey O'Donnell, a model who has built up a large Instagram following by posing in bikinis and designer gear in beautiful locations around the world

Liam Byrne: Mobster 'running Kinahan cartel operations in the UK and Ireland' Liam Byrne is the head of a drug cartel's criminal operations in Britain and Ireland Liam Byrne is the head of a drug cartel's criminal operations in Britain and Ireland. He allegedly became Daniel Kinahan's right-hand man in Britain after his brother-in-law Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh was jailed in 2019 for possession of a stun gun. Byrne fled Ireland after the Garda Criminal Assets Bureau seized millions of pounds worth of his wealth in 2019. The CAB has also seized dozens of high-powered vehicles, jewellery, bank accounts and Byrne's Raleigh Square home in Crumlin, which was apparently fitted with a panic room and Jacuzzi. Under Operation Lamp, officers targeted 2.3million worth of assets including four homes worth 1.7million, 29 vehicles (467,195), six designer watches (71,910), two rings (25,733), a bank account containing 31,563 and 29,912 in cash. Advertisement

Miss O'Donnell and her sister Ellie, from Huddersfield, recently made headlines with their new clothing brand and have built up their large followings by flaunting high-end brands and through their globe-trotting.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Miss O'Donnell for comment.

Meanwhile, Lee Byrne has been flashing his wealth for several years, showing off expensive watches, designer gear, and jetting off on luxury holidays.

His father Byrne allegedly became Daniel Kinahan's right-hand man in Britain after his brother-in-law Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh was jailed in 2019 for possession of a stun gun.

Byrne fled Ireland after the Garda Criminal Assets Bureau seized millions of pounds worth of his wealth in 2019.

The CAB has also seized dozens of high-powered vehicles, jewellery, bank accounts and Byrne's Raleigh Square home in Crumlin, which was apparently fitted with a panic room and Jacuzzi.

Gardai are reportedly still hunting Byrne, and are still investigating the alleged activities of the most senior members of the Kinahan cartel after jailing many of their lieutenants in recent years.

Those jailed includes Byrne's cousin 'Fat' Freddie Thompson, who is serving life for helping to carry out the gangland murder of David 'Daithi' Douglas in inner Dublin in 2016.

Byrne's brother David Byrne was also shot dead in Dublin's Regency Hotel in February 2016 - a brutal murder that greatly escalated the so-called Kinahan Hutch feud.

Under Operation Lamp, officers targeted 2.3million worth of assets including four homes worth 1.7million, 29 vehicles (467,195), six designer watches (71,910), two rings (25,733), a bank account containing 31,563 and 29,912 in cash.

As part of their investigations, CAB investigators claimed Byrne was at the 'very top tier' of organised crime in Ireland.

In submissions to the High Court, CAB outlined his links to Christy 'Dapper Don' Kinahan's cartel, according to the Irish Mirror.

Daisey has have built up a large following by flaunting high-end brands and posing in bikinis

Daisey O'Donnell, a model who has built up a large Instagram following by posing in bikinis and designer gear in beautiful locations around the world

It claimed: 'The target of this investigation is the Liam Byrne Organised Crime Group. This group is aligned to the Kinahan Organised Crime Group and is involved in the importation for sale and supply of controlled drugs into this jurisdiction.

'The investigation has uncovered a system of money laundering used by this group to hide the beneficial ownership of the various assets in their possession.

'The main target of this investigation, Liam Byrne, is a close and trusted associate and lieutenant of Daniel Kinahan.

'The KOCG is an international gang involved in the importation and controlled distribution of drugs into this jurisdiction, the UK and mainland Europe. It has bases in Spain, the UK, Netherlands and Dubai.

'Liam Byrne and Sean McGovern are at the very top tier of this group and are regularly spotted in the company of Daniel and [his brother] Christopher Kinahan.'
NSW Police are on the lookout for anti-lockdown protestors who illegally attended a march at the Queensland border last month.

During the rally on August 22, up to 100 protesters - with the majority not wearing face masks - allegedly crossed the border between Queensland at Coolangatta and NSW at Tweed Heads.

Moving interstate on foot during the illegal march was a direct breach of Covid rules.

Authorities have since released a number of images of those they believe could assist with their inquiries.

NSW Police wish to speak to this couple (pictured) after the anti-lockdown protest last month at the NSW / Queensland border

Police also want to speak to this man, with a distinctive shoulder tattoo, after the anti-lockdown protest on August 22

This man, who also attended the protest - is another individual NSW Police believe could assist with their inquiries

The first man was wearing a black T-shirt and cream cargo pants, with a GoPro strapped to his chest.

A second man was wearing a faded grey T-shirt, orange pants and a blue and yellow face mask, and was also seen holding a mobile phone.

Another man had on a white T-shirt and a black cap. He was with a woman who was wearing a black blouse and was carrying a black handbag.

A fourth man police wish to speak to was wearing a black singlet and a black floppy hat, with a distinctive sleeve tattoo on his left arm.

The anti-lockdown rally had a strong police presence, with a combined 300 officers in attendance from Queensland and NSW.

Anyone with information about the identity of the five people is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Seven people were charged at the rally, with a further 55 fines issued so far from the protest.
A man who people claim was offering his medical exemption to police has been arrested in dramatic scenes at a NSW park

Dramatic footage of a Covid arrest in a park shows a mask-less man being wrestled to the floor by cops as furious bystanders claim he has a medical exemption.

The video, which was widely shared on Facebook, shows a man walking through a park without protective gear, with people watching closely in the background all who are wearing masks.

The man appears to hold out a piece of paper to the police who reject it, continuing to ask if he has a medical exemption before the man screams at a female police officer.

Four cops then proceed to wrestle the man to the ground to arrest him as onlookers gather around and scream at the police to let him go.

The clip, which was posted to various Facebook groups on Wednesday, suggests the man had a medical exemption and was attempting to hand it to police prior to his arrest.

The footage was shared on various Facebook pages showing the arrest of the mask-less man on Wednesday

The man filming the incident also says he has a medical exemption as police are attempting to handcuff him.

Currently people in New South Wales must wear a mask outside at all times unless they are exercising or have a valid medical exemption.

The video starts with the man walking around the park being questioned by police before he repeatedly extends a piece of paper towards them.

The police reject the document and keep asking him why he isn't wearing a mask and if he has an exemption.

Onlookers can be heard in the background telling police to 'leave him alone' as they follow him around the park.

The confrontation becomes more testy as the man being questioned tells the person filming to 'check his number' as he approaches and films the officer.

'Don't touch me, stay your 1.5m, stay your 1.5m. I was just getting your ID,' the man filming says as the policeman tells him to get back.

The man being questioned then yells at a female police officer before her colleague walks after him and attempts to arrest him.

Four officers then descend on the man yelling 'don't resist' as onlookers scream at the police to 'leave him alone'.

Four officers then descend on the man yelling 'don't resist' as onlookers scream at the police to 'leave him alone'

The officers hold the man to the ground (pictured) as people around them hurl abuse

Dozens of people surround the cops hurling abuse at them, accusing them of racism and arresting the man despite him holding an exemption.

'Do you get a bonus now of $1,000? Shame on you guys. This is disgusting,' a woman shrieks at the officers as someone stands over them sarcastically clapping.

New South Wales recorded another record of 1,288 new cases on Thursday, as Premier Gladys Berejiklian accused premiers in denial of living with Covid as 'not living in the real world.

Ms Berejiklian compared managing Covid at high vaccination levels to not only flu, but heart disease, which kills 50 people a day.

'Death is horrible, but we also need to put things into perspective,' she said.

'Because at the moment there are eight million citizens who do not have a choice in how they spend their free time, who do not have a choice about what they can do when they leave their homes. That is no way to live.

'Accepting Covid is part of our lives, accepting that unfortunately people will die, but they will be less likely to die if everybody is vaccinated and this is the reality.'
Dominic Cummings has accused the Prime Minister of wanting to embarrass senior Cabinet Ministers over their alleged drug use rather than seriously tackle the crisis in his latest attack on the Government.

In a tweet linking to an article about Afghanistan and the so-called War on Drugs, Boris Johnson's ex-top aide compared Downing Street meetings on drugs policy to satirical Channel 4 series Brass Eye.

'(Few mtngs (sic) I ever had in No10 were more Brass Eye than listening to Home Office plans for 'crackdowns' and 'marketing campaigns' + BJ's desire to embarrass his Cabinet over their own drug use),' he tweeted.

Brass Eye, a television parody which aired in 1997, sparked controversy by depicting the growing paranoia of life in modern Britain, and by fooling public figures into supporting fictitious charities and causes.

In an episode called Drugs, MP Sir David Amess was tricked into supporting an awareness campaign around a fictional killer drug from Prague called Cake, or 'Czech Neck'. It was cancelled after just one series.

Mr Cummings presented no evidence for his incendiary allegations. His tweet on Wednesday morning is the latest in a string of attacks on the Government after he was dramatically sacked last year.

MailOnline has contacted Downing Street for comment.

Senior Tories have previously come under fire for their past drug use. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove previously admitted to using cocaine when he was a young journalist working at The Times.

Dominic Cummings has accused the Prime Minister of wanting to embarrass senior Conservatives in the Cabinet over their alleged drug use rather than seriously tackling the issue

In a tweet linking to an article about Afghanistan and the so-called War on Drugs, Boris Johnson's ex-top aide compared Downing Street meetings on drugs policy to satirical TV drama Brass

'(Few mtngs (sic) I ever had in No10 were more Brass Eye than listening to Home Office plans for 'crackdowns' and 'marketing campaigns' + BJ's desire to embarrass his Cabinet over their own drug use),' he tweeted

In 2019, Mr Gove told the Mail he took drugs on several social occasions more than two decades ago, calling it 'a mistake'.

'I took drugs on several occasions at social events more than 20 years ago. At the time I was a young journalist. It was a mistake. I look back and I think, I wish I hadn't done that,' he said.

He made his admission ahead of publication of a book about him by political journalist Owen Bennett.

The book - Michael Gove: A Man in a Hurry - says the ex-Environment Secretary owned up to having used cocaine when he was being 'put through his paces' by advisers in the 2016 Tory leadership contest.

The startling admission came when he and the aides were trying to anticipate what questions he would face from the media.

An inside source said Mr Gove said 'Yes, cocaine' when asked if he had ever taken drugs.

'Gove was instructed not to give that answer in public, and told to fall back on the words David Cameron had used when he was running for leader, namely that politicians are entitled to a private life before entering politics,' the book says.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove previously admitted to using cocaine when he was a young journalist working at The Times

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab previously said he smoked cannabis as a student, adding he had not taken anything harder

In the event Mr Gove was never asked the question. Despite forcing Mr Johnson to pull out of the contest, Mr Gove withdrew after being beaten by Theresa May in the second round.

The drugs revelation came on the eve of the first round in the Tory leadership ballot of MPs and meant senior Tories battling to succeed Mrs May two years ago were grilled over their past drug use.

Mr Johnson joked that he may have snorted icing sugar on Have I Got News For You in 2005.

He later told GQ magazine in 2007: 'I tried it at university and I remember it vividly. And it achieved no pharmacological, psychotropic or any other effect on me whatsoever.'

Asked about those previous comments in a 2008 interview, when he was standing for Mayor of London, Mr Johnson said: 'Well, that was when I was 19. It all goes to show that, sometimes, it's better not to say anything.'

Following that interview, Mr Johnson later said: 'To say that I have taken cocaine is simply untrue.'

He added: 'As I have said many times, I was once at university offered a white substance, none of which went up my nose and I have no idea whether it was cocaine or not.'

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab previously said he smoked cannabis as a student, adding he had not taken anything harder.

He said: 'At university, I tried cannabis, not very often as I was into sport. It was a mistake, particularly the more I know now about the link between it and mental health issues.

'But it was a long time ago and was particularly few and far between and I have never taken cocaine or any class A drugs.'

A source close to former Health Secretary Matt Hancock told The Telegraph in 2019 that he 'tried cannabis a few times as a student but has not taken any illicit drugs since' Oxford.

Chancellor Sajid Javid says he has not used drugs, and criticised those who take class A substances.

He told Sky News: 'Anyone that takes class A drugs needs to think about that supply chain that comes, let's say, from Colombia to Chelsea, and the number of lives that are destroyed along the way.'

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt admitted that he might have drunk a cannabis lassi while backpacking in India in his youth.

Rory Stewart, the former International Development Secretary, said he smoked opium at a wedding in Iran while travelling in the region more than 15 years ago, and apologised for taking the drug.

Former Tory leader Lord Hague recently called on Britain to decriminalise drugs and treat drug use as a health problem, claiming: 'We will never suppress the supply of drugs while the demand goes on.'
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Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the JCVI, said it was 'highly likely' a booster programme would take place in Britain

Britain is 'highly likely' to go ahead with a Covid booster programme, one of No10's top vaccine advisers insisted today amid mounting pressure on the Government's expert panel to hurry up and sign off on a top-up drive.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which guides ministers on the roll-out, is still yet to give the green light to plans to re-vaccinate 32million over-50s.

Yesterday, the panel announced around half a million immunocompromised people be given a third dose to 'top up' their immunity  but stressed this was not the start of any booster programme.

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt called on the UK to 'stop hanging around' and follow in the footsteps of Israel, which has already recommended all over-12s get a booster jab. Its top-up drive has already helped blunt rising hospitalisations, data suggests.

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the JCVI, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think it is still highly likely that there will be a booster programme.' But he added: 'I can't definitively say that there will be because we have not made that decision yet.'

And he warned any scheme was unlikely to start for weeks because the expert committee  made up of 16 of the country's top scientists  was still ironing out who would be eligible.

Patience with the scientific committee is wearing thin in No10, which had hoped to start rolling out extra jabs by Monday. Studies have shown vaccine-triggered immunity can wane over time  especially among the elderly, who are the most vulnerable to the virus.

Fellow Government advisers warned today that time was slipping away and if a judgement is not made soon, the UK could be 'past the time when we should have been making a decision'.

MailOnline understands the JCVI is waiting on more trial data from UK studies  including ones on 'mix and match' jabs  before signing off on a mass booster programme.

The group believes the UK is in a unique situation compared to countries like Israel and the US because it went with a longer two-dose strategy. Brits had their shots spaced out by 12 weeks instead of the recommended three-week gap, which officials believe has generated better immunity in the population.

That decision was hugely controversial at the time, but the fact it seems to have paid off has meant the JCVI is not concerned about being an international outlier.

It had been suggested the JCVI was also holding back on a decision because of concerns that the UK couldn't roll out booster doses alongside expanding the roll-out to over-12s. But Education Secretary Gavin Williamson insisted today that there were more than enough jabs available.

As well as boosters, the panel has yet to decide on whether children should be routinely jabbed, despite countries like the US, Canada and France all pressing ahead with those plans. Mr Williamson also urged the panel to make up their mind on the issue 'very, very soon'.

It comes amid fears Britain's outbreak will spiral after children return to schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this week and next. In Scotland  where children went back in mid-August  infections have rocketed to record highs.

Latest figures show almost nine in ten under-16s have already received at least one dose of the Coivid vaccine. A booster programme could be launched in weeks

Ministers were last night faced with calls to 'hurry up' and dish out booster doses. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was clear Britain would need them. And Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the country had enough to dish out doses in a booster programme and to 12 to 15-year-olds

Professor Eran Segal, a mathematician at the country's Weizmann Institute, tweeted today that hospitalisations had started to fall just two weeks after the top-up campaign started. This graph shows how Covid hospitalisations have started to level off in Israel just two weeks after its booster programme began. When the drive was started hospitalisations were doubling every week. Predictions suggested this would continue (green line). But just two weeks after the jabs were given out actual hospitalisations have slowed (blue line)

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests Covid vaccine-triggered immunity wanes over time. Israel has seen its hospitalisations a) start to fall barely two weeks after rolling out booster shots to over-60s. But it still appears to be experiencing a third wave after its seven-day average of cases rose again yesterday

The JCVI is yet to announce who will receive booster doses but it is thought that the first in line will be over-80s and vulnerable adults, who were first in line for doses when the national roll-out began.

But Health Secretary Sajid Javid made clear he wanted 32million Britons  the same people involved in the first phase of the roll-out  to get their jabs this winter.

And ministers have also made plans to dish out the jabs at the same time as flu vaccines, with pharmacists roped in to help with the scheme.

The JCVI has no issue with being a global outlier, after it approved a 12-week gap between doses at the start of the roll out to inoculate the most people in 'the shortest time possible'. Other countries stuck to the three-week gap between doses that was used in clinical trials.

Asked whether everyone could be offered a booster shot, Professor Harnden said the JCVI would need to 'look at all that data' before making a decision.

Getting two vaccines halves risk of suffering long Covid, study claims Being double-jabbed almost halves the likelihood of long Covid in adults who get coronavirus, a new study has suggested. Researchers at King's College London also said that being admitted to hospital with the virus was 73 per cent less likely, and the chances of severe symptoms were reduced by almost a third (31 per cent) in the fully vaccinated. The team analysed data from more than two million people logging their symptoms, tests and vaccine status on the UK Zoe Covid Symptom Study app between December 8 2020 and July 4 this year. Some 6,030 app users reported testing positive for Covid-19 at least 14 days after their first vaccination but before their second, while 2,370 reported testing positive at least seven days after their second dose. The most common symptoms, such as loss of smell, a cough, fever, headaches and fatigue, were milder and less frequently reported by people who were jabbed, the study suggested. They also said people were half as likely to get multiple symptoms in the first week of illness. Sneezing was the only symptom more common in those who had a first dose compared with those who had none. People aged 60 or older who had both doses of a vaccine were more likely to have no symptoms at all than those who had not been jabbed, the study suggested. Advertisement

The Oxford University expert told BBC Radio 4: 'What we don't want to do is boost people and then find we have a new variant and we can't boost them again because we've boosted them too soon and those people might not have needed the booster in the first place.

'So there's a lot of very complicated modelling and data analysis that is going on about this at the moment.'

Insiders say the committee is still waiting for more data from trials in the UK before making a final decision on offering booster shots.

They want to see the results of the Cov-Boost study, led by University Hospital Southampton, which is examining the impact of a third dose on patients' immune responses.

Professor Peter Openshaw, who sits on SAGE advisory group NERVTAG, said this morning he would 'applaud' the JCVI for being so thorough before deciding whether to dish out booster doses.

But he warned that time was also a factor, pointing out that studies delving into immunity take time.

He told BBC Radio 4: 'If we wait for everything to report before making a judgement, we may well be past the time when we should have been making a decision.'

It had been suggested that they may be holding back from the programme because of concerns they would not have enough doses to dish out booster shots and jab 12 to 15-year-olds.

But Mr Williamson insisted the Government had more than enough vaccines to manage both programmes.

He told Sky News: 'We've got the capacity to be able to deliver vaccinations for children as well as deliver a booster programme  so it's not either/or.

'It's a situation about making sure we combat this virus as best as possible and we're ready.

'If we get the get-go from JCVI we're ready  the NHS, which has been so successful in rolling out this programme of vaccination, is ready to go into schools and deliver that vaccination programme for children.'

Ministers were yesterday urged to 'stop hanging around' and launch a mass booster jab programme.

Third doses will be offered to half a million people with very poor immune systems  including those with leukemia, HIV and organ transplant patients  ahead of a feared winter Covid surge.

The roll-out follows data showing about 40 per cent of patients who are immuno-compromised fail to produce a good antibody response after two vaccine doses.

Only the Pfizer or Moderna jabs will be offered, meaning those who had the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine for their first two doses will mix and match.

Questioning why there was no booster advice yet, Mr Hunt, who chairs the Commons health committee, said Israel's campaign was reducing rates of severe illness.

'The clear lesson for the UK seems to be to get on with booster jabs, not just for the clinically vulnerable but for everyone,' added the Tory former health secretary.

'The latest study from King's College London showed vaccine effectiveness dropping after six months, so why are we hanging around?'

JCVI announces only 500,000 immunocompromised Brits will get Covid booster vaccines Just half a million Britons with severely suppressed immune systems will be invited for a third Covid jab after the Government's vaccine advisory panel finally signed off on plans for boosters doses tonight. Between 400,000 and 500,000 of the most vulnerable patients  including those with leukemia, HIV and organ transplant patients  will be made eligible for the top-up doses when the rollout expands in the coming days. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said there was evidence to suggest a significant number of these people did not mount a strong immune response after their first two injections. Adults aged 18 and above will be offered either the Pfizer or Moderna jab even if they were initially immunised with AstraZeneca's, after a number of studies showed the mRNA vaccines make safe and effective third doses. Immunosuppressed children aged 12 to 17 will only be offered Pfizer's vaccine due to a lack of safety and efficacy data on the other jabs in this age group. The JCVI said a third dose was 'very unlikely' to cause any harm to immunocompromised people and had the potential to protect them, which swung the balance in favour of revaccination. However, the group insisted the new recommendation is separate from a broader booster programme which would target healthy elderly people and other vulnerable Britons with underlying illnesses. Advertisement

The JCVI is also still deliberating over whether to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds against the virus.

Scientists are divided over the issue, with some arguing that it will help to calm down the spread of the virus in the coming months.

But some experts are concerned by myocarditis, which is a very rare side-effect of the Pfizer vaccine.

The complication  a type of heart inflammation  is most common among young boys given a second dose of Pfizer's jab, but the condition normally clears up on its own.

There have been only 195 cases recorded in the UK to date, out of more than 30million Pfizer doses dished out.

The epidemic has remained stable over the summer, with cases flat averaging around 34,000 a day.

But experts fear waning immunity may help fuel a surge this winter  and booster doses could be vital in curbing hospitalisations.

Yesterday the Office for National Statistics revealed antibody levels are starting to decline in older adults, who were the first to receive both jabs.

It said 92 per cent of over-80s tested positive for antibodies in August, down from 95 per cent in May.

Last week a study by King's College London concluded that the protection provided by two doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines starts to wane within six months.

The Pfizer jab went from 88 per cent effective against infection to 74 per cent, while AstraZeneca declined from 77 per cent to 67 per cent.

Ministers are still confident the JCVI will give the green light for a wider programme of booster jabs for the over-50s to begin at some point this month.

A source said the decision focused on the details of the programme, such as whether to use a 'mix and match' approach, rather than whether to go ahead.

'We have said we will start the booster programme in September and I would expect that to happen,' the source said.

Mr Javid said: 'This is not the start of the booster programme  we are continuing to plan for this to begin in September to ensure the protection people have built from vaccines is maintained over time and ahead of the winter.'

Scientists remain divided on whether a wider booster jab programme is beneficial or necessary for healthy adults.

Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia, said all over-80s and vulnerable patients needed a third jab quickly.

He added: 'The evidence is that these people won't have responded that well to vaccine. They should be boosted and they should be boosted pretty soon.'
Starving North Koreans are resorting to kidnapping the children of wealthy families and demanding ransoms so they can afford to eat.

At least four child kidnappings have been reported in recent weeks in the secretive country, which is struggling under international sanctions imposed on the regime of Kim Jong-un.

Shortages of food, medicines, fuel, and other everyday necessities have worsened since Pyongyang completely sealed its borders in January 2020 in a bid to prevent Covid-19 from entering the country.

The regime feared the country's antiquated and poorly equipped healthcare system would collapse if coronavirus spread among the population.

Officially, there are no cases of coronavirus in the country, which shares a 1,352 km border with China that is frequently crossed by smugglers.

As such, experts consider it impossible for the virus not to have reached North Korea, despite being the first country in the world to close its borders as a coronavirus response.

Even Kim has hinted that his isolated homeland may be on the brink of catastrophe, likening the domestic situation to the devastating four-year famine in the mid-1990s that North Koreans refer to as the Arduous March.

As many as three million people are estimated to have died during this period of starvation brought about by chronic economic mismanagement, the collapse of the food distribution system and other communist nations halting aid supplies.

At least four child kidnappings have been reported in recent weeks in the secretive country [Stock image]

There have been recent reports of starvation in remote parts of the country as industry and agriculture have largely ground to a halt from a lack of fuel and spare parts.

There are also widespread reports of pilfering, even among the poorly-fed conscripts who make up the bulk of the country's army, and civilians are also becoming more desperate.

Last month, a six-year-old girl disappeared while playing by a river outside her home in Songchon County, north of Pyongyang, Radio Free Asia reported.

'She was kidnapped and taken hostage by a man in his thirties living in a faraway village from hers,' a source in North Korea told the Washington, D.C. based outlet.

'The kidnapper knew her family was well-off and even got her parents' cell phone number before he took her to get ransom money.'

The source, who was not identified in order to protect their identity, said the kidnapper had locked the girl in a room in his house and demanded 500,000 won (less than 55) from her parents.

Police, however, were able to trace the phone used by the man and arrest him. The child was safely returned to her parents and the kidnapper is awaiting trial.

Another Radio Free Asia contact in the North reported a similar case involving a 10-year-old boy walking along a road in the central Yangdok County.

A man, who appeared to be in his forties, pulled up alongside the child on his motorcycle and offered him a lift home.

The boy later realised he was being abducted, but managed to escape and report the incident to police, who detained the man.

'He confessed during the police investigation that he borrowed his friend's motorcycle to copy a scene from a foreign movie in which actors took a hostage for ransom,' the source said. 'He said he had no food to eat and was suffering from hunger.'

Even the country's leader Kim Jong-un has hinted that North Korea may be on the brink of catastrophe, likening the domestic situation to the devastating four-year famine in the mid-1990s that North Koreans refer to as the Arduous March. Pictured: Emaciated children in North Korea's Taesong District in 1997 during the famine

The South Korea based Daily NK media outlet reported two further child kidnapping cases in Ryanggang Province, on North Korea's northern border with China.

On May 12, a man collected a young boy from a kindergarten in the city of Hyesan, claiming to be the father of a six-year-old student. The boy's mother later received a demand for nearly 600, which she reported to police.

Authorities were able to trace the man and the boy was released without injury about eight hours after being kidnapped.

As of June, police were still trying to identify the man based on descriptions from the kindergarten staff.

Later that same month, authorities arrested a man as he was about to board a train at Hyesan station with a five-year-old he had kidnapped with an aim to demanding a ransom.

Locals in the area said there is 'growing anxiety' among parents over the recent kidnappings and that parents worry the same thing could happen 'to their own children at any time' and might not be resolved as easily as the May cases.

The news of the desperate lengths North Koreans are going to to feed themselves comes amid rampant speculation surrounding the country's leader's apparent weight loss.

Kim, 37, has been photographed looking noticeably thinner in recent public appearances, prompting concerns over his health, which forced the government to ban gossip about his weight, labelling it a 'reactionary act'.

In a bid to stifle the rumours, the apparatchik told state media that Kim is eating less 'for the sake of the country' as it grapples with food shortages, insisting that he is healthy.

The news of the desperate lengths North Koreans are going to to feed themselves comes amid rampant speculation surrounding the country's leader's apparent weight loss. Pictured: Kim (centre in white) in late August

In a bid to stifle the rumours, the apparatchik told state media that Kim is eating less 'for the sake of the country' as it grapples with food shortages, insisting that he is healthy. Pictured: Kim in 2018 [File photo]

However, there have been reports that Kim may have had a gastric band fitted in order to lose weight.

Others have claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus the need for the leader to shed some pounds.

State TV even spoke to someone who said his 'emaciated' condition was 'breaking our people's hearts' in a highly unusual broadcast around two months ago.

Experts believe this was a cynical attempt to garner sympathy for Kim, whose country is in the throes of an economic crisis precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic and a poor harvest.

Known to be a heavy drinker and smoker, Kim has long been obese, with his weight appearing to increase steadily in recent years.

His large frame is similar to that of his grandfather Kim Il Sung, the country's founding father who enjoyed a cult-like following which continues long after his death.

North Korea watchers have long speculated that Kim Jong-un could be deliberately cultivating an overweight appearance in order to more closely resemble his grandfather.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, pointed out it was unlikely Kim's recent weight loss was a symptom of acute ill health, as he had attended several public events this month.

'No one can really know why he lost weight,' he told AFP. 'What's clear -- from the KCTV footage -- is the regime wants the world to think that its people love and care for their leader, to a point where they'd cry over his thinner appearance.'

Pictured: Kim Jong Un's watch strap shown in North Korean state propaganda in June appeared to confirm his weight loss, when compared with photos from December 2020 and March 2021, which show his watch strap was fastened more loosely to accommodate his thicker wrists. Photos from June showed more of the watch strap showing after the buckle

'The most likely reason they would mention his declining weight in this way would, in my opinion, be related to ongoing COVID-19-related border measures,' said Chad O'Carroll, CEO of the Seoul-based Korea Risk Group.

'Regardless of the motivation for Kim's rapid weight loss, it seems there is propaganda value in showing that even the leader of North Korea is enduring the same food shortages that are hitting the country at the current time.'

The regime may have intended from the beginning to emphasise the fact that Kim is working hard for the people at a time of widespread hardship, or its messaging may have been an unintended consequence of Kim's inevitable appearance, Green said.

'What matters is that the North Korean regime will have received word from its many, many, many informants that Kim's condition was a talking point among ordinary people,' he said.

'From there it is a simple matter to respond by designing a propaganda strategy to use the existing public discussion to the regime's advantage.'
Susanna Reid told Good Morning Britain viewers today that she feels 'awkward' at being both an ITV employee and friends with Piers Morgan after Ofcom ruled he didn't breach its broadcasting code with his criticism of Meghan Markle.

That has led to some calls for the MailOnline columnist to be reinstated as a GMB host after he was forced out by ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall when the Duchess of Sussex allegedly demanded his 'head on a plate'.

But Ofcom yesterday completely exonerated Mr Morgan of causing 'harm' by voicing his opinion that he didn't believe Meghan's claims to Oprah Winfrey after they were aired in March.

The broadcasting watchdog said attempts to silence Mr Morgan amounted to a 'chilling restriction on freedom of expression' - but ITV have so far indicated that he won't be returning to the show.

Ms Reid lent her support to her former co-star this morning, telling viewers it was 'quite a moment' when he walked off in March after a debate about Meghan Markle.

And his wife Celia Walden, who was also on GMB this morning, said her husband has 'some irons in the fire' and 'won't be kicking around the house for much longer.'

Ms Reid said: 'What struck me about the Ofcom ruling, and let me just say, on the one hand, I've got my friend Piers Morgan, and on the other hand, I've got my bosses ITV.

Susanna Reid talks about the Ofcom ruling on ITV's Good Morning Britain today

Mr Morgan's wife Celia Walden was also on Good Morning Britain today, talking about her new novel Payday, and said her husband was 'very jubilant' following the ruling

Piers Morgan and his wife Celia Walden at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London last night

'So it's obviously a slightly awkward moment right now. There is a very interesting decision.

'Obviously the judgement was that Good Morning Britain did not break the broadcasting rules according to Ofcom because of the challenge and the context that was broadcast around Piers's statements at the time.

What Ofcom said about the complaints about Piers Morgan and GMB What Ofcom said about allegations that Piers Morgan's opinions about Meghan Markle's Oprah interview were 'harmful and offensive': 'The Interview between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Oprah Winfrey contained serious allegations and it was legitimate for this Programme to discuss and scrutinise those claims including their veracity. Ofcom is clear that, consistent with freedom of expression, Mr Morgan was entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's allegations and to hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account. The Code allows for individuals to express strongly held and robustly argued views, including those that are potentially harmful or highly offensive, and for broadcasters to include these in their programming. The restriction of such views would, in our view, be an unwarranted and chilling restriction on freedom of expression both of the broadcaster and the audience. However, in instances where such viewpoints carry a potential for harm or offence, it is the responsibility of the Licensee to ensure that adequate protection from harm and sufficient context is provided'. Among the other 57,000 complaints, not upheld by Ofcom, were: The Programme incited hatred and racism;

Comments made by Piers Morgan were not duly impartial;

Susanna Reid did not do enough to challenge Mr Morgan's views;

Mr Morgan was only giving his opinion, which is a right under freedom of expression;

The content misrepresented facts by selectively showing newspaper front pages;

Mr Morgan mocked the American accent, which is offensive;

The combative tone of the programme was not suitably scheduled for child viewers Advertisement

'Ofcom included this very significant freedom of speech declaration, took full account of freedom of expression, restricting his views would represent 'an unwarranted and chilling restriction on freedom of expression' and he was 'entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex'. It's all over the papers today as a 'landmark judgement'.'

Mr Morgan's wife Ms Walden also appeared on GMB this morning, talking about her new novel Payday, and said her husband was 'very jubilant' following the ruling.

She was also asked if he has a new role in the pipeline, and replied: 'That is a good question. He has some irons in the fire.'

Ms Walden added: 'He won't be kicking around the house for much longer.'

She also said: 'I think I must have been in the gym or something and then suddenly got home and everything had exploded. So it was a big deal, and there were lots of people outside the house. And it's been a strange few months.

'But I think Piers is very jubilant today, as you would expect, and I think that that Ofcom statement was very strongly worded and robust, and so that was great.'

Their comments come one day after Mr Morgan's broadcast questioning the Duchess of Sussex's claims over her mental health was cleared by regulators.

But the 56-year-old TV presenter, who subsequently stormed off the Good Morning Britain set after clashing with a colleague, will not be offered his job back.

Last night it was claimed that ITV's director of television Kevin Lygo, described as a 'big fan' of Mr Morgan, was on a 'one-man mission' to bring back Mr Morgan, although an insider said he was currently 'fighting a losing battle internally'.

Mr Morgan made comments on air in March appearing to cast doubt on Meghan's claim in her Oprah Winfrey interview that she had suffered from suicidal thoughts.

He quit the show after ITV bosses were said to have told him to apologise or leave. A senior ITV source said last night that there was no question of Mr Morgan returning.

Mr Morgan described the decision as a 'resounding victory for free speech', adding it was 'a resounding defeat' for 'Princess Pinocchio'  his nickname for Meghan.

Ofcom suggested that restricting the views of Mr Morgan would represent 'an unwarranted and chilling restriction on freedom of expression' for both the broadcaster and its audience.

He had been 'entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's allegations and to hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account'.

But while Mr Morgan appeared open to resuming his position on the GMB sofa, it was made clear last night that ITV has no plans to restore him.

Mr Morgan, pictured with Ms Reid in March, quit ITV's Good Morning Britain amid the row

Staff said they had thought bosses might pave the way for his return to the show, which lost viewers after he left.

GMB has lost a third of its average monthly audience since Piers Morgan quit in March Good Morning Britain has lost more than a third of its average monthly audience since Piers Morgan quit in March, MailOnline can reveal today. The ITV breakfast programme had an average audience of 883,478 in March, but this was at just 570,000 in August - equating to a fall of 35.5 per cent or 313,478 viewers in five months. This is a much bigger drop than the one suffered by BBC Breakfast, which has lost 227,352 viewers or 15.5 per cent of its audience over the same time period, from 1,468,261 in March to 1,240,909 in August. Audiences were much higher in March when the country was in its third national Covid-19 lockdown, with GMB overtaking BBC Breakfast for the first and only time on March 9 - the day Piers Morgan walked off set. On that day, 1,290,000 watched GMB against 1,250,000 tuning into BBC Breakfast. But GMB has lost 86,126 more viewers than BBC Breakfast since March, when comparing this average to the August average. It also has not had a monthly figure above 700,000 since then. A spokesman for GMB told MailOnline today: 'Good Morning Britain's audience share year-to-date stands at 22 per cent, which is in line with 2020, and prior to that, higher than all previous years since launch. 'GMB continues to perform well therefore in 2021, and is also posting year-on-year increases for family audiences, and 16-34 year old viewers.' Advertisement

On a social media post after the ruling was released, Mr Morgan had asked: 'Do I get my job back?'

He told the Daily Mail: 'Well it would seem that the reason why I was forced to leave has now been removed and technically I'm still under contract.

'They are still paying me at the moment not to go in. So they could get their money's worth if they want to.

'Clearly Ofcom do not believe I should have been compelled to make an apology... So the ball is now back in ITV's court.'

During the Oprah interview about royal life, Meghan claimed concerns for her mental health and suicidal thoughts had been ignored.

She also alleged that a senior royal made racist comments about the possible colour of her son Archie's skin.

On GMB the following day, Mr Morgan said: 'I'm sorry, I don't believe a word she says, Meghan Markle. I wouldn't believe it if she read me a weather report.'

Ofcom criticised Morgan for his 'apparent disregard' of the seriousness of someone expressing suicidal thoughts and described comments on the show as 'potentially harmful and highly offensive'.

But other contributors, including co-presenter Susanna Reid, had balanced out his remarks with their extensive challenge of him.

Without that, Ofcom said, it would have been 'seriously concerned' and its decision had been 'finely balanced'  but ITV had 'provided adequate protection to viewers'.

It added that Mr Morgan's comments made about race had been 'sufficiently contextualised'.

Last night Mr Morgan said the ruling would be a 'wake-up call' to Meghan not to 'spray gun the Royal Family on global television' without providing any evidence.

He added that it was a 'significant moment in the battle for free speech against the woke brigade'.

ITV welcomed the ruling, which it said 'sets out clearly that it was the balance and context the programme makers provided which was key in mitigating against the potential for harm and offence which could have been caused by Piers Morgan's comments'.

Mr Morgan retorted: 'That's not what the Ofcom report says in its conclusion. I suggest ITV reads it again.'

ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall was under pressure last night to justify the way Mr Morgan was forced out.

The TV presenter also became embroiled in a Twitter row with Omid Scobie, co-author of the Harry and Meghan biography Finding Freedom, who accused him of 'reinforcing a dangerous stigma' over mental health.

Mr Morgan told him: 'Pipe down, Lickspittle.'

PIERS MORGAN: Ofcom's vindication of me is a resounding victory for freedom of speech
An urgent search is underway for a stolen car which had a five-month-old baby in the back seat on the Gold Coast.

The baby was strapped into the rear child seat of a white Mazda 3.

The vehicle has Queensland registration plates 173 WTW, and was parked in the garage of an address on Stringybark Drive in Molendinar just before 4.30pm when some unknown offenders got behind the wheel.

The stolen car (pictured) from the Gold Coast - where a five month old baby was strapped in the back

The Queensland registration plates are 173 WTW, with police urging anyone who sees the vehicle not to approach the driver

Police urge anyone who sees the vehicle to not approach the driver and to immediately contact police.

The baby was found safe and well inside the stolen vehicle, which was later found dumped at Carrara around 5.15pm.

'The vehicle and baby reported missing from the Molendinar area have been located,' police said in a statement.
Four teenagers and a 21-year-old man have been arrested after a fatal stabbing in Sydney's west on Wednesday night.

An 18-year-old boy died at the scene after sustaining fatal wounds, while two boys aged 15 remain in hospital in serious and critical conditions.

Police made the five arrests on Thursday afternoon, charging a 21-year-old, three boys aged 17 and another boy aged just 14.

Three other teenagers are currently being investigated by police in relation to the wild brawl - with authorities looking into whether the confrontation was gang-related.

A teenage boy has died and three others have been hospitalised after a wild brawl erupted in Sydney's western suburbs (pictured, a teenager is treated in the back of an ambulance)

The 21-year-old man and four teenagers arrested were captured with PolAir, NSW Police's helicopter team that uses infrared cameras to find heat sensors

Police were called to the corner of Suffolk and William street in Blacktown in the city's west around 10pm on Wednesday.

NSW Ambulance paramedics found four teenagers injured with stab wounds. One of the teens was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.

A second was treated by first responders and later transported to Westmead Hospital in a serious condition.

Two other males were also checked-over at the scene with their injuries not considered life-threatening.

The 21-year-old man and four teenagers arrested were captured with PolAir, NSW Police's helicopter team that uses infrared cameras to find heat sensors.

The man and one of the 17-year-old's were taken to Blacktown Police Station for questioning while the other two boys aged 17 were taken to Riverstone Police Station and Blacktown Hospital respectively.

The 14-year-old boy was taken to Westmead Hospital where he remains under police guard.

Police believe the brawl may have been the result of a confrontation between two gangs.

'It's a very sad indictment that we have got children of those tender years, out there, getting involved in these types of instances,' Superintendent Steve Egginton said.

'It's something that we are obviously working on, engaging some of our community leaders in the youth space to work on some of the issues we've been seeing over the past few weeks.'

Police were called to the corner of Suffolk and William street in Blacktown in the city's west (pictured) around 10pm on Wednesday

The infrared technology helped police locate the men allegedly involved in the incident that saw an 18-year-old die of stab wounds after a brawl in western Sydney

Superintendent Egginton said the death of the teenager was 'tragic' and described the scene as 'confronting'.

'The level of violence was quite confronting,' he said.

'Police did some really good work in terms of trying to work on the victim who passed away and assisted with the injuries to the other offenders and witnesses.

'It's apparent that edged weapons and knives were used.'

A NSW Ambulance spokesperson said one of the males was transported to the Children's Hospital at Westmead in a stable condition.

Six paramedic crews, two specialist medical teams and a rescue helicopter was dispatched to the scene, the spokesperson said.

'It was a very challenging scene for our team with multiple patients spread out over quite a distance with varying injuries,' NSW Ambulance Inspector Peter Van Praag said.

'I'd like to thank our colleagues at NSW Police for always keeping scenes like this safe for us to do our job.'

The ages of the group have not yet been disclosed.

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the fatal stabbing and have urged anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage of the incident to come forward.
Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers are set to unveil their new government today as the country's economy teeters on the verge of collapse amid food shortage warnings.

The impending announcement comes more than two weeks after the Islamist militia captured Kabul and brought a chaotic and deadly end to 20 years of war, with the Taliban now back in control of the country as they were from 1996 to 2001.

Taliban official Ahmadullah Muttaqi said on social media a ceremony was being prepared at the presidential palace in Kabul after the US withdrawal, while private broadcaster TOLONews said an announcement on a new government was imminent.

Meanwhile, one-third of the country is facing food insecurity and is in desperate need of funds, according to the World Food Programme amid warnings of a humanitarian crisis in the country.

The legitimacy of the new government in the eyes of international donors and investors will be crucial for the economy as the country battles drought and the ravages of a conflict that took the lives of an estimated 240,000 Afghans.

But the Taliban are unlikely to get quick access to around $10 billion of assets held abroad by the Afghan central bank, and are struggling to reassure banks that the economy under the group will be fully functional.

Pictured: Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, August 15, 2021. Now, Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers are set to unveil their new government as the country's economy is on the verge of ruin

It is expected that the Taliban's supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, will have ultimate power over a new governing council, with a president below him, a senior Taliban official told Reuters news agency last month.

The supreme Taliban leader has three deputies: Mawlavi Yaqoob, son of the movement's late founder Mullah Omar; Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the powerful Haqqani network who the FBI have offered a $5 million reward for finding; and Abdul Ghani Baradar, who founded the group along with Mullah Omar in 1994.

An unelected leadership council is how the Taliban ran their first government which brutally enforced a radical form of Sharia law from 1996 until its ouster by U.S.-led forces in 2001.

Speculation is rife about the make-up of a new government, although a senior official said Wednesday that women were unlikely to be included.

Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, Inayatulhaq Yasini - the deputy head of the Taliban political office in Qatar - said that women 'may not' be included.

Women are feared to be some of the most at-risk people under the new Taliban regime, despite assurances given by the group.

When the Islamists came to power in 1996 after the country's terrifying Civil War, they imposed theocracy and brutalised and oppressed women and girls, who were denied education and employment, and punished in horrific ways for breaking rules.

Pictured: Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban. He is expected to have ultimate power over a new governing council, with a president below him

Pictured: Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar speaks at a signing ceremony of the US-Taliban agreement in Qatar's capital Doha, February 29, 2020. He is one of three deputy leaders under supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada

The Taliban have tried to present a more moderate face to the world since they swept aside the U.S.-backed government and returned to power last month, promising to protect human rights and refrain from reprisals against old enemies.

But the United States, the European Union and others have cast doubt on such assurances, saying formal recognition of the new government - and the economic aid that would flow from that - is contingent on action.

'We're not going to take them at their word, we're going to take them at their deeds,' U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland told a news briefing on Wednesday.

'So they've got a lot to prove based on their own track record ... now they also have a lot to gain, if they can run Afghanistan, far, far differently than they did the last time they were in power.'

Gunnar Wiegand, the European Commission's managing director for Asia and the Pacific, said the European Union would not formally recognise the Islamist group until it met conditions including the formation of an inclusive government, respect for human rights and unfettered access for aid workers.

Speaking to the BBC, Akhundzada said on Wednesday: 'All ethnic groups that are living in Afghanistan - they're Afghans - they have a right to be in the government.

'But future government - the next government - they will be selected as per [their] merit. All those Afghans who have the ability, capacity and capability to work according to their profession - they will be in the government,' he claimed.

However, on Women, he said: 'I cannot say they will be on the top. If they are not on the top, maybe, they will be in the government in the lower positions - because every department of the government -almost half of the workers are women - so they can come back to their work and they can continue.

'But in this new government which is being announced - in the top posts - i mean to say in the cabinet - there may not be women.'

Pictured: A man believed to be Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the powerful Haqqani network and Taliban deputy leader (left) and an FBI wanted poster (right) offering a $5 million reward for his whereabouts. He is believed to have been responsible for mltiple attacks in Afghanistan

Pictured: Mullah Omar, the original founder of the Taliban. His son, Mawlavi Yaqoob is one of the three deputy leaders of the Taliban and is expected to be involved in the government

In the western city of Herat, some 50 women took to the streets in a rare, defiant protest for the right to work and over the lack of women's participation in the new government.

'It is our right to have education, work and security,' the protesters chanted in unison, said an AFP journalist who witnessed the protest. 'We are not afraid, we are united,' they added.

Herat is a relatively cosmopolitan city on the ancient silk road near the Iranian border. It is one of the more prosperous in Afghanistan and girls have already returned to school there.

One of the organisers of the protest, Basira Taheri, told AFP she wanted the Taliban to include women in the new cabinet.

'We want the Taliban to hold consultations with us,' Taheri said. 'We don't see any women in their gatherings and meetings.'

Among the 122,000 people who fled Afghanistan in a frenzied US-led airlift that ended on Monday was the first female Afghan journalist to interview a Taliban official live on television.

Speaking to AFP in Qatar, the former anchor for the Tolo News media group said women in Afghanistan were 'in a very bad situation'.

'I want to say to the international community - please do anything (you can) for Afghan women,' Beheshta Arghand said.

Pictured: A burqa-clad woman walks past an electronic shop in Kabul on September 2, 2021. According to the World Food Programme, one-third of the country is facing food insecurity and is in desperate need of funds

Humanitarian organisations have warned of catastrophe as severe drought and the upheavals of war have forced thousands of families to flee their homes.

According to the World Food Programme, one-third of Afghanistan is facing food insecurity, with the WFP's director David Beasley telling Fox News the organisation is looking to raised $200 million for the country by the end of 2021.

Afghanistan desperately needs money, and the Taliban are unlikely to get swift access to the roughly $10 billion in assets mostly held abroad by the Afghan central bank.

The new, Taliban-appointed central bank head has sought to reassure banks the group wants a fully functioning financial system, but has given little detail on how it will provide the liquidity needed, bankers familiar with the matter said.

To make matters worse, Afghanistan's real gross domestic product is expected to shrink by 9.7 percent this financial year, with a further drop of 5.2 percent seen next year, said analysts in a report from Fitch Solutions, the research arm of ratings agency Fitch Group.

Foreign investment would be needed to support a more optimistic outlook, a scenario which assumed 'some major economies, namely China and potentially Russia, would accept the Taliban as the legitimate government', Fitch said.

While the Taliban are cementing control of Kabul and provincial capitals, they are fighting with opposition groups and remnants of the Afghan army holding out in mountains north of the capital.

Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Motaqi called on the rebels in Panjshir province to surrender, saying 'the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is home for all Afghans', referring to the Taliban-run state.

Opposition leader Ahmad Massoud, son of a former mujahideen commander who fought against the Taliban in northeastern Afghanistan in the late 1990s, told CNN his forces were fighting for a 'decentralised state where power is equally distributed between the different ethnic and sectarian groups'.

'Unfortunately, the Taliban have not changed, and they still are after dominance throughout the country,' he said.

Taliban fighters stand on an armoured vehicle parade along a road to celebrate after the US pulled all its troops out of Afghanistan, in Kandahar on September 1, 2021 following the Talibans military takeover of the country

In Kabul, residents voiced worry over the country's long-running economic difficulties, now seriously compounded by the militant movement's takeover.

'With the arrival of the Taliban, it's right to say that there is security, but business has gone down below zero,' Karim Jan, an electronic goods shop owner, told AFP.

The United Nations warned earlier this week of a looming 'humanitarian catastrophe' in Afghanistan, as it called to ensure that those wanting to flee the new regime still have a way out.

Meanwhile, the Taliban has promised to allow safe passage out of the country for any foreigners or Afghans left behind by the massive airlift which ended with the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops on Monday, but with Kabul airport still closed many were seeking to flee overland to neighbouring countries.

A Qatari technical team had arrived in Kabul to discuss the resumption of operations at the airport, which would facilitate humanitarian assistance and further evacuations, a source with knowledge of the matter said.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will visit Doha on Thursday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan with Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Raab's office said.

'The prospects of getting Kabul airport up and running and safe passage for foreign nationals and Afghans across land borders (are) top of the agenda,' the British Foreign Office said in a statement.
Facebook helped 175 endangered Afghan citizens flee the now Taliban-controlled country earlier this week.

The evacuees, some of whom were Facebook employees, were transported to Mexico City on Egypt Air's first-ever flight to the country, the social media company confirmed in a statement to Axios on Wednesday.

'In the process of assisting Facebook employees and close partners leave Afghanistan, we joined an effort to help a group of journalists and their families who were in grave danger,' a company spokesperson said.

The tech group is collaborating with a private group working to help at-risk individuals leave Afghanistan following the American withdrawal on Monday, although specific details surrounding the evacuations remain unknown.

The U.S. and its allies evacuated more than 123,000 people out of Afghanistan before the withdrawal, however, President Joe Biden's administration conceded on Wednesday that the majority of America's Afghan allies were left in the country.

Facebook is just one of several corporations and private citizens groups working to evacuate people out of Afghanistan.

Facebook helped 175 endangered Afghans flee the now Taliban-controlled country earlier this week by airlifting them to Mexico (Pictured: Afghan refugees arriving at the Mexico City International Airport on August 31)

Facebook announced Wednesday that an Egypt Air plane carrying 175 Afghan social media workers, activists, journalists and their families, including 75 children, had successfully landed in Mexico

Facebook announced Wednesday that an Egypt Air plane carrying 175 Afghan social media workers, activists, journalists and their families, including 75 children, successfully landed at Mexico City International Airport.

The organisation worked with officials at Mexico's embassies in Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to ensure the evacuation.

'Thanks to the leadership of the Mexican government, and the support of the UAE in providing the initial landing, the journalists have been welcomed in Mexico,' the company added.

At this time it remains unclear when the evacuees arrived in Mexico City and how they received access to the Egypt Air plane.

Facebook declined to name the organisation it is working with or provide further details about the evacuees in effort of security.

The evacuation comes just two weeks after Facebook implemented new security measures for users worried about their safety.

The company's head of security, Nathaniel Gleicher, announced last month in a thread of tweets: 'We've launched a one-click tool for people in Afghanistan to quickly lock down their account. When their profile is locked, people who aren't their friends can't download or share their profile photo or see posts on their timeline.'

The platform is also actively banning Taliban content and posts.

Facebook says the mission was a joint effort between a private organisation and government workers at Mexico's embassies in Iran, the UAE and Egypt

In a statement released Wednesday, Facebook said: 'Thanks to the leadership of the Mexican government, and the support of the UAE in providing the initial landing, the journalists have been welcomed in Mexico'

Several other private groups have stepped in to aid in the evacuation efforts.

Earlier this week, in an interview with NPR, Mary Beth Long, a former assistant secretary of defence for International Security Affairs, confirmed that she was leading a coalition of former government and military officials that has evacuated at least 300 Americans that were not accounted for by the government.

Long said the coalition, along with several other private groups, has people on the ground in Afghanistan who are 'literally going and picking up Afghans'.

'We would have waypoints and have everyone meet there and then load buses with as many U.S. citizens, green card holders and Special Immigrant Visa holders as we possibly could,' she explained.

The former government official noted that planes used in the evacuations were provided by donors and wealthy individuals.

Last week, the Guardian revealed that desperate individuals cleared for evacuation are reportedly paying private security firms more than 5,000 (approximately $6,900) to help them escape the clutches of the Taliban.

The firms were reportedly charging high fees, most of which was being used to pay off the Taliban, to provide a safe passage past Taliban fighters and to Kabul airport.

Britain and America officially ended their military presence in Afghanistan late Tuesday night, leaving behind hundreds of citizens and Afghan allies desperate to flee the country.

On Tuesday night, President Joe Biden declared the total troop withdrawal from Afghanistan an 'extraordinary success,' despite widespread criticism over his handling of the situation over the last month

On Tuesday night, Biden declared the total troop withdrawal from Afghanistan an 'extraordinary success,' despite widespread criticism over his handling of the situation over the last month.

'I give you my word with all of my heart, I believe this is the right decision, the wise decision, and the best decision for America,' Biden said in Tuesday remarks  the first after the last U.S. soldier left Kabul on Monday afternoon.

He made these claims despite the withdrawal leading to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members on Thursday after a ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated their vest outside the Kabul airport.

Several administration staffers contradicted Biden's claims, saying they are 'horrified' with the Afghanistan withdrawal, do not view the mission as a success and are disgusted American citizens were left on the ground.

'I am absolutely appalled and literally horrified we left Americans there,' one administration official told Politico on Tuesday. 'It was a hostage rescue of thousands of Americans in the guise of a NEO, and we have failed that no-fail mission.'

An NEO is a noncombatant evacuation operation. Another White House official told Politico that the mission cannot be labeled as accomplished if Americans are left behind.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, a retired three-star general said the U.S. will 'inevitably' have to return to Afghanistan as the Taliban regime will create a new threat to America that will eventually require another invasion.

A retired US general says America's return to Afghanistan is 'inevitable' now that terrorist groups will flourish under Taliban rule. Pictured: US troops help passengers board an evacuation flight on August 24

'I think it's inevitable that we'll be back in Afghanistan before long,' the former senior commander said.

'You'll have a narco state run by Islamic terrorists. This is not a good development to peace and stability in the world.'

He said he is 'very skeptical' that the now-completed US airlift was thorough enough and believes there are many American citizens left behind who wanted to get out of the country.

The general also slammed Biden and top brass for an 'immature, unsophisticated, ad-hoc' plan and said the 'insane debacle', including the deaths of 13 officers from a suicide bomb last Thursday, was 'preventable and totally avoidable'.

He argued that both top current military officers and the CIA advised Biden against the bungled Afghan evacuation from a civilian airport in the center of the Taliban-occupied capital, but claimed the president ignored them.
A British mother-of-three says she is stuck in Kabul and fears her 'death is imminent'  as she pleads with the British government to save her from the Taliban's clutches.

The Londoner, in her 30s, said she has seen Armageddon 'with my own eyes' after witnessing the double-suicide bomb attack last Thursday as she accused ministers of botching the UK's Afghan withdrawal.

The Brit - who is from Brent, north London and is using the alias Fatima out of fear of being identified by local insurgents - has already been threatened by the country's new rulers while trying to be evacuated.

She told the Mail Online: 'On the day of the bombings, our car was stopped by Taliban soldiers and they put a gun to my driver's head, interrogating him and asking if we were foreigners.'

Fatima, who is a full-time mother but sometimes works as a freelance interpreter, claims they were allowed to continue to Hamid Karzai International Airport.

She said she was walking towards one of the airport gates when the blasts went off.

'It was like hell, I saw Armageddon with my own eyes,' she said, 'It was raining blood, it was traumatising.

'Fatima' said she was traumatised after witnessing the suicide bombs outside Kabul airport last Thursday (Pictured: Afghans use a wheelbarrow to evacuate a wounded person from the scene of the blasts)

'It was raining blood': British mother-of-three Fatima was trying to arrange evacuation at Kabul airport when the terror cell ISIS-K attacked last week (Pictured: Injured Afghans in aftermath of explosions)

Smoke rises from explosion outside the airport in Kabul, where Fatima says she witnessed 'Armageddon'

'I stayed around the airport to try and arrange evacuation until the Taliban threatened to start shooting if we didn't leave. We went to go again on Friday but they had blocked off the road.'

Fatima is now living in fear inside a home around 20 minutes from the airport, with her disabled brother and elderly mother.

Her sibling needs crutches to walk and suffers from seizures after being in a car crash several years ago, while her mother requires care - which has been made almost impossible to acquire under the Taliban's archaic system.

Fatima said: 'It's atrocious here, women can't work, they are scolding women seen without men.

'We can't get a male nurse because men cannot touch women who are not family members, it's forbidden, and there are no doctors who can treat my brother.'

She added that she was scared to go outside alone and is relying on friends and other family members to drop off food and other supplies.

'In Kabul my death is imminent,' she said, before accusing the British government of incompetence.

She added: 'Kabul fell and Dominic Raab was on holiday. Our government is incompetent. Due to their incompetence my life is now in danger.'

Fatima flew to Afghanistan just over a month ago to visit family, but she says no one ever thought the capital would fall so easily and quickly to the Taliban.

'I never saw it coming, no one thought it would fall, and not so quickly and easily,' she said, 'when the evacuations started it was total chaos. I thought we could wait it out but now I know we have to get out of here.'

But while Fatima is British and has a UK passport, her brother and mother are Afghani.

The Foreign Office reportedly told her that they were not eligible for asylum and advised her to travel home alone or to go to Islamabad - but Fatima refuses to leave her family members behind.

Fatima had been to the airport several times but was unable to arrange evacuation for her and her family (Pictured: Taliban fighters man a checkpoint outside Abbey Gate the day before the terror attack)

Fatima refuses to leave without her mother and brother, who do not have British passports (Pictured: Afghanis wait to board a Boeing C-17 during the evacuation at the Kabul airport)

The Foreign Office said it could not comment on individual cases, but that any Briton still stuck in Kabul should find a safe location and 'await further advice' (Pictured: Afghans try to talk to American soldiers to ask to be let into the East Gate of the Kabul airport last week before the U.S. left the country)

'If I leave they will die,' she said, 'I want to tell the UK government to please bring my family home or we will leave Kabul in body bags.'

The Foreign Office said it could not comment on individual cases, but that any Briton still stuck in Kabul should find a safe location and 'await further advice'.

It said it will 'keep under constant review our means to help British people as the situation evolves.'

A spokesperson added: 'Our staff worked tirelessly to facilitate the swift evacuation of British nationals, Afghan staff and others at risk.

'The scale of the evacuation effort was huge and we have helped over 15,000 people leave Afghanistan since the evacuation began.

'We continue to put pressure on the Taliban to allow safe passage out of Afghanistan for those who want to leave.'

MP for Brent North Barry Gardiner could not provide specific details but told the Mail Online: 'I can confirm that I have been trying to assist with Fatima's case.'

It comes as Home Office sources revealed yesterday that Afghans with British relatives may no longer need to meet visa requirements to settle in the UK - giving hope to Fatima and her relatives.

Officials in Kabul have also been ordered to prioritise 'dependants' of British nationals, including those who need care, such as Fatima's brother and mother.

The policy update suggests Afghans with British relatives could be free to settle in the UK - if they manage to get out of the country - without successfully applying for asylum.
The first Covid lockdown in England and Wales did not trigger a spike in suicides, official data revealed today.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed there were 1,603 suicides in the two countries between April and July 2020  fewer than the number for the same time period in any of the previous five years.

For comparison, there were 1,835 suicides on average between 2015 and 2019.

Statisticians said the fall in suicides was driven by lower rates in men.

Experts said today the latest data was 'very reassuring' that there was no spike in suicides during the first wave of the pandemic.

They have previously suggested the drop could be down to 'genuine social cohesion' from people coming together to fight Covid, and a sense at the time that the crisis would soon pass.

The figures also dispute warnings that the draconian restrictions would inevitably lead to a surge in people taking their own lives.

The suicide rate for England and Wales was the lowest since records began, figures showed. There were 9.2 suicides per 100,000 people between April and July 2020. For comparison, for the same period over the last five years there were 10.7 per 100,000 on average

Statisticians said the drop was driven by a fall among men. In 2020 their suicide rate fell below 15 per 100,000 (purple bar in second group), the lowest in the past five years

Suicides also fell among all age groups compared to the previous year. There was a particularly large drop among 10 to 24-year-olds the data showed (purple bar in first group on left)

ONS data showed suicide rates fell in both sexes, but a bigger drop occurred among men

This graph shows the number of suicides registered up to a year after they happened (dark blue) and up to two years (light blue). The ONS said most suicides for the period will now have been registered, and that it would take an 'unfeasibly large' number of late registrations to conclude that suicides went up at the start of the pandemic.

Head of health analysis and life events at the ONS Julie Stanborough said: 'The latest available evidence shows suicide rates did not increase during the early stages of the pandemic, which is contrary to some speculation at the time.

'Instead, we found suicide rates to be lower between April and July 2020  the first wave of Covid in England and Wales  when compared with the same period in previous years.

'Our findings are consistent with other studies, which found no increase in suicide in the seven months that followed the first national lockdown in 2020.

'They are also comparable with research covering other countries  such as the US, Germany, Japan and Australia  which found suicide numbers have remained largely unchanged or declined in the early months of the pandemic compared with the expected levels based on the pre-pandemic period.'

WHY HAVE SUICIDE RATES NOT RISEN DURING THE FIRST LOCKDOWN? A previous paper from scientists at Manchester University has also suggested that suicide rates did not rise during England's first lockdown. Professor Nav Kapur, a psychiatrist and one of the study authors, said this may be due to 'genuine social cohesion' at a time of crisis. 'We've seen this in data from suicide rates around the time of the two world wars,' he said. 'They decreased and there is this idea that societies pull together when there's an external threat.' In the paper the experts add that lockdown may have also led to people checking in more on friends, family and neighbours, and reduced access to some methods of suicide. 'In the first lockdown they may also have been a sense that the crisis would pass, preventing the despair that is an important cognitive step towards suicide,' they add. Advertisement

The ONS report mark the first time that data on the number of suicides during the pandemic has been published.

Currently there are few figures available because of the lag between deaths and their registration by a coroner. In many cases this is more than a year.

The ONS said most suicides for the period will now have been registered, and that it would take an 'unfeasibly large' number of late registrations to conclude that suicides went up at the start of the pandemic.

Among men there were 1,185 suicides recorded, compared to 1,388 on average over the five years before Covid struck.

There were also 418 suicides among women  the same amount as in 2016.

Rates fell in every age group, with 45 to 64-year-olds accounting for 40 per cent of suicides registered.

The assistant director of research and influencing at mental health charity the Samaritans, Jacqui Morrissey, said: 'The latest ONS data is very reassuring as it confirms that there was no dramatic increase in suicide rates during the early phase of the pandemic, contrary to what many expected.

'In fact, fewer people died by suicide in the early months of the pandemic than in the same period in previous years and research suggests this may be down to people pulling together and looking out for one another more.'

She added: 'However this data is now over a year old and we know that the pandemic is going to have a long lasting impact on peoples mental health and wellbeing so there is no room for complacency.'

England and Wales entered their first lockdown on March 23. Tough rules stayed in place until later in the summer.

England has faced two other lockdowns since the first, during November 2020 and from January to March 2021.

Wales undertook a 17-day circuit breaker lockdown from October 23, and entered a third lockdown on December 19 which continued until March.

During the autumn and winter last year, both countries were subject to a range of Covid restrictions under separate tier systems.

Leading mental health experts last year warned that lockdowns would trigger a spike in suicides.

In an open letter to the Government, the 42 signatories claimed the longer lockdown lasted the worse the 'collateral damage' would be.

The message was modelled on the Great Barrington Declaration, which called for the replacement of lockdowns with 'focused protection' for the vulnerable.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, or click here for details
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Taliban fighters have been left feeling 'angry' and 'betrayed' after discovering the US had disabled military helicopters and planes before their departure from Kabul.

US troops 'demilitarised' 73 aircraft before their departure this week according to the commander of the US evacuation mission, Gen. Frank McKenzie.

That left up to 48 aircraft in the hands of the terror group, although it was not known how many were operable.

But the Taliban had 'expected the Americans to leave helicopters like this in one piece for their use', according to an Al Jazeera reporter who toured the airport after the withdrawal.

She said: 'When I said to them, "why do you think that the Americans would have left everything operational for you?" They said because we believe it is a national asset and we are the government now and this could have come to great use for us.'

She added: 'They are disappointed, they are angry, they feel betrayed because all of this equipment is broken beyond repair.'

Taliban fighters have been left feeling 'angry' and 'betrayed' after discovering the US had disabled military helicopters and planes before their departure from Kabul. Pictured: a helicopter displaying a Taliban flag flies above supporters

A Taliban member looks up next to a damaged helicopter at the airport in Kabul after the US withdrawal

An A-29 attack plane is surrounded by kit left behind by western forces as they retreated from Kabul airport

US troops 'demilitarised' 73 aircraft before their departure this week according to the commander of the US evacuation mission, Gen. Frank McKenzie

The Taliban are believed to have got hold of as many as 48 aircraft which the US and its allies were either unable to disable or fly overseas. This means that the terrorists have an air force which is greater in number than that of 10 Nato countries

The Taliban are hoping to have the commercial side of the airport operational within days which could allow Afghans to fly out of the country on Visas.

Along with the aircraft, the US left up to 200 civilians, 70 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and 27 Humvees in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Air Force was operating 167 aircraft, including 108 helicopters and 59 planes, according to an official US government inspection on June 30.

Before Kabul fell, Uzbekistan confirmed that 46 Afghan aircraft, including 24 helicopters, had arrived in the country in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Taliban.

The commander of the US evacuation mission, Gen. Frank McKenzie, said American troops disabled 73 aircraft before finally leaving the country on Monday night.

The Taliban are hoping to have the commercial side of the airport operational within days which could allow Afghans to fly out of the country on Visas

A US-made $6 million UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is seen flying over a convoy of Taliban fighters on its way to join the fight against the resistance in the Panjshir Valley on Wednesday

Taliban fighters with a seized Hughes OH-6 Cayuse 'Loach' helicopter at Mazer-i-Sharif airport. The Loach was introduced into the US Army in the late 1960s

A helicopter at Kabul airport with its guns stripped away

Propellers and guns were removed from planes and helicopters, while other aircraft lay with their fuselages directly on the tarmac, having had their wheels stripped away rendering them inoperable.

That left as many as 48 aircraft seized by the Taliban, although it is unclear what the breakdown is in terms of planes and helicopters, or what condition these aircraft might be in.

Many were built in the 1980s and will need constant servicing and parts to make sure they are airworthy, let alone capable of combat.

If the Islamists have that many operational aircraft, it gives them more air power than 10 of the 30 Nato members, namely: Albania, Bosnia, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Slovenia.

At the top of the Nato tree is the United States with more than 13,000 aircraft, followed by France with 1,057, Turkey with 1,056, Italy with 876 and the United Kingdom with 738.

Over the last few months, the jihadists captured 10 major airfields from Bagram to Mazar-i-Sharif, and have taken to the skies in a $6 million Black Hawk helicopter in their fight against the resistance in the Panjshir Valley.

US troops 'demilitarised' 73 aircraft before their departure and destroyed vehicles before they left Kabul in Afghanistan

Propellers and guns were removed from planes and helicopters, while other aircraft lay with their fuselages directly on the tarmac

Soldiers were filmed breaking equipment inside vehicles before their departure from Kabul - leaving them inoperable

Troops were spotted destroying equipment in the Afghan capital before flying out of the region this week

A-29 attack planes which appear largely intact are seen alongside a huge amount of western body armour and tactical helmets left behind by retreating troops

Footage uploaded to social media shows Taliban fighters driving armored vehicles through Kandahar after vanquishing the US-backed Afghan National Army

A Taliban fighter walks past an aircraft and an assortment of other military and civilian vehicles at the airport in Kabul

A Russian Mi-17 helicopter is pictured alongside Taliban fighters after it was seized from retreating western troops

A Taliban fighter takes a picture of a damaged MD 530 helicopter that was abandoned at Kabul airport by retreating troops

Taliban chiefs are reported to have ordered their troops to hunt down pilots from the disbanded Afghan Air Force, who received expensive training from the US and its allies to fly high-tech warplanes and choppers.

Without those pilots, flying such sophisticated aircraft is near-impossible for an amateur - but several videos of airborne terrorists suggest they must have recruited some renegade wingmen.

Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul was seized on Tuesday by triumphant jihadists who were seen clambering into the cockpit of a $14 million Hercules transport jet - albeit clearly tilting over, suggesting its wheels were bust.

Taliban posing with a Brazilian-made Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano light attack plane at seized Mazer-i-Sharif airport earlier this month

Helicopters at Kabul airport after being disabled by the retreating US forces

Britain and America officially ended their military presence in Afghanistan late Monday night with the final US troops flying out from Kabul's airport. Pictured: Taliban fighters from the Fateh Zwak unit, wielding American supplied weapons, equipment and uniforms, storm into the Kabul International Airport

Planes, helicopters and vehicles left behind by western forces have now fallen into the hands of the Taliban

Taliban will today unveil Afghanistan's new government with presidential palace ceremony as the country faces economic collapse and food shortages

By Chris Jewers for MailOnline

Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers are set to unveil their new government today as the country's economy teeters on the verge of collapse amid food shortage warnings.

The impending announcement comes more than two weeks after the Islamist militia captured Kabul and brought a chaotic and deadly end to 20 years of war, with the Taliban now back in control of the country as they were from 1996 to 2001.

Taliban official Ahmadullah Muttaqi said on social media a ceremony was being prepared at the presidential palace in Kabul after the US withdrawal, while private broadcaster TOLONews said an announcement on a new government was imminent.

Meanwhile, one-third of the country is facing food insecurity and is in desperate need of funds, according to the World Food Programme amid warnings of a humanitarian crisis in the country.

The legitimacy of the new government in the eyes of international donors and investors will be crucial for the economy as the country battles drought and the ravages of a conflict that took the lives of an estimated 240,000 Afghans.

But the Taliban are unlikely to get quick access to around $10 billion of assets held abroad by the Afghan central bank, and are struggling to reassure banks that the economy under the group will be fully functional.

Pictured: Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, August 15, 2021. Now, Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers are set to unveil their new government as the country's economy is on the verge of ruin

It is expected that the Taliban's supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, will have ultimate power over a new governing council, with a president below him, a senior Taliban official told Reuters news agency last month.

The supreme Taliban leader has three deputies: Mawlavi Yaqoob, son of the movement's late founder Mullah Omar; Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the powerful Haqqani network who the FBI have offered a $5 million reward for finding; and Abdul Ghani Baradar, who founded the group along with Mullah Omar in 1994.

An unelected leadership council is how the Taliban ran their first government which brutally enforced a radical form of Sharia law from 1996 until its ouster by U.S.-led forces in 2001.

Speculation is rife about the make-up of a new government, although a senior official said Wednesday that women were unlikely to be included.

Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, Inayatulhaq Yasini - the deputy head of the Taliban political office in Qatar - said that women 'may not' be included.

Women are feared to be some of the most at-risk people under the new Taliban regime, despite assurances given by the group.

When the Islamists came to power in 1996 after the country's terrifying Civil War, they imposed theocracy and brutalised and oppressed women and girls, who were denied education and employment, and punished in horrific ways for breaking rules.

Pictured: Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban. He is expected to have ultimate power over a new governing council, with a president below him

Pictured: Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar speaks at a signing ceremony of the US-Taliban agreement in Qatar's capital Doha, February 29, 2020. He is one of three deputy leaders under supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada

The Taliban have tried to present a more moderate face to the world since they swept aside the U.S.-backed government and returned to power last month, promising to protect human rights and refrain from reprisals against old enemies.

But the United States, the European Union and others have cast doubt on such assurances, saying formal recognition of the new government - and the economic aid that would flow from that - is contingent on action.

'We're not going to take them at their word, we're going to take them at their deeds,' U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland told a news briefing on Wednesday.

'So they've got a lot to prove based on their own track record ... now they also have a lot to gain, if they can run Afghanistan, far, far differently than they did the last time they were in power.'

Gunnar Wiegand, the European Commission's managing director for Asia and the Pacific, said the European Union would not formally recognise the Islamist group until it met conditions including the formation of an inclusive government, respect for human rights and unfettered access for aid workers.

Speaking to the BBC, Akhundzada said on Wednesday: 'All ethnic groups that are living in Afghanistan - they're Afghans - they have a right to be in the government.

'But future government - the next government - they will be selected as per [their] merit. All those Afghans who have the ability, capacity and capability to work according to their profession - they will be in the government,' he claimed.

However, on Women, he said: 'I cannot say they will be on the top. If they are not on the top, maybe, they will be in the government in the lower positions - because every department of the government -almost half of the workers are women - so they can come back to their work and they can continue.

'But in this new government which is being announced - in the top posts - i mean to say in the cabinet - there may not be women.'

Pictured: Mullah Omar, the original founder of the Taliban. His son, Mawlavi Yaqoob is one of the three deputy leaders of the Taliban and is expected to be involved in the government

In the western city of Herat, some 50 women took to the streets in a rare, defiant protest for the right to work and over the lack of women's participation in the new government.

'It is our right to have education, work and security,' the protesters chanted in unison, said an AFP journalist who witnessed the protest. 'We are not afraid, we are united,' they added.

Herat is a relatively cosmopolitan city on the ancient silk road near the Iranian border. It is one of the more prosperous in Afghanistan and girls have already returned to school there.

One of the organisers of the protest, Basira Taheri, told AFP she wanted the Taliban to include women in the new cabinet.

'We want the Taliban to hold consultations with us,' Taheri said. 'We don't see any women in their gatherings and meetings.'

Among the 122,000 people who fled Afghanistan in a frenzied US-led airlift that ended on Monday was the first female Afghan journalist to interview a Taliban official live on television.

Speaking to AFP in Qatar, the former anchor for the Tolo News media group said women in Afghanistan were 'in a very bad situation'.

'I want to say to the international community - please do anything (you can) for Afghan women,' Beheshta Arghand said.

Pictured: A burqa-clad woman walks past an electronic shop in Kabul on September 2, 2021. According to the World Food Programme, one-third of the country is facing food insecurity and is in desperate need of funds

Humanitarian organisations have warned of catastrophe as severe drought and the upheavals of war have forced thousands of families to flee their homes.

According to the World Food Programme, one-third of Afghanistan is facing food insecurity, with the WFP's director David Beasley telling Fox News the organisation is looking to raised $200 million for the country by the end of 2021.

Afghanistan desperately needs money, and the Taliban are unlikely to get swift access to the roughly $10 billion in assets mostly held abroad by the Afghan central bank.

The new, Taliban-appointed central bank head has sought to reassure banks the group wants a fully functioning financial system, but has given little detail on how it will provide the liquidity needed, bankers familiar with the matter said.

To make matters worse, Afghanistan's real gross domestic product is expected to shrink by 9.7 percent this financial year, with a further drop of 5.2 percent seen next year, said analysts in a report from Fitch Solutions, the research arm of ratings agency Fitch Group.

Foreign investment would be needed to support a more optimistic outlook, a scenario which assumed 'some major economies, namely China and potentially Russia, would accept the Taliban as the legitimate government', Fitch said.

While the Taliban are cementing control of Kabul and provincial capitals, they are fighting with opposition groups and remnants of the Afghan army holding out in mountains north of the capital.

Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Motaqi called on the rebels in Panjshir province to surrender, saying 'the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is home for all Afghans', referring to the Taliban-run state.

Opposition leader Ahmad Massoud, son of a former mujahideen commander who fought against the Taliban in northeastern Afghanistan in the late 1990s, told CNN his forces were fighting for a 'decentralised state where power is equally distributed between the different ethnic and sectarian groups'.

'Unfortunately, the Taliban have not changed, and they still are after dominance throughout the country,' he said.

Taliban fighters stand on an armoured vehicle parade along a road to celebrate after the US pulled all its troops out of Afghanistan, in Kandahar on September 1, 2021 following the Talibans military takeover of the country

In Kabul, residents voiced worry over the country's long-running economic difficulties, now seriously compounded by the militant movement's takeover.

'With the arrival of the Taliban, it's right to say that there is security, but business has gone down below zero,' Karim Jan, an electronic goods shop owner, told AFP.

The United Nations warned earlier this week of a looming 'humanitarian catastrophe' in Afghanistan, as it called to ensure that those wanting to flee the new regime still have a way out.

Meanwhile, the Taliban has promised to allow safe passage out of the country for any foreigners or Afghans left behind by the massive airlift which ended with the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops on Monday, but with Kabul airport still closed many were seeking to flee overland to neighbouring countries.

A Qatari technical team had arrived in Kabul to discuss the resumption of operations at the airport, which would facilitate humanitarian assistance and further evacuations, a source with knowledge of the matter said.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will visit Doha on Thursday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan with Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Raab's office said.

'The prospects of getting Kabul airport up and running and safe passage for foreign nationals and Afghans across land borders (are) top of the agenda,' the British Foreign Office said in a statement.
Teenager Zeynep Gunay has died after choking on her own vomit on an Turkish amusement park ride called the Kamikaze

A teenager has died after choking on her own vomit on a Turkish amusement park ride called the Kamikaze.

The family of Zeynep Gunay, 19, claim that operators ignored their pleas for the ride to be stopped after they noticed she was in distress on Monday.

The incident happened between 14:00 and 15:00 local time at Hayrola Luna Park Istanbul's Avcilar district.

Gunay, who dreamed of becoming a psychologist, went to the park to relax as she awaited her exam results.

A final photo from CCTV footage shows the teenager, wearing a white mask, grey hijab and a light jacket with a pattern on it, seated on the ride waiting for it to begin.

Gunay reportedly fell unconscious on the ride and vomited.

Her parents claim they repeatedly asked operators to stop the ride but were ignored.

They also allege that, when the ride was eventually stopped and she was removed unconscious, operators advised Gunay be 'slapped two or three times' to help her wake up.

A final photo from CCTV footage shows Gunay (right), wearing a white mask, grey hijab and a light jacket with a pattern on it, seated on the ride waiting for it to begin

According to Fatih Gunay, an uncle, the young woman's family were forced to call an ambulance themselves as park employees did not take the situation seriously enough to call one.

Gunay was taken to hospital, where she was declared dead. She has since been buried in Beylikduzu, an Istanbul suburb.

Faith believes his niece died as a result of negligence and said the family would do 'whatever it takes' to get justice.

Gunay's parents claim they repeatedly asked operators to stop the Kamikaze ride (pictured) but were ignored

The young woman's parents also allege that, when the ride (pictured) was eventually stopped and she was removed unconscious, operators advised Gunay be 'slapped two or three times' to help her wake up

After Gunay's death, it was revealed that she had secured the results she needed to get into her desired university course, Haberler reported.

It is not clear whether a formal complaint has yet been launched with authorities, or whether Gunay's family's claims are being investigated by police.

Hayrola Luna Park did not immediately respond to a MailOnline request for comment.

A statement from the park, written in Turkish, appeared in local media in a form which could not be electronically translated.
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Gavin Williamson today piled pressure on the Government's vaccine advisory panel to sign off on plans to jab children as young as 12 against Covid.

During a round of interviews this morning, the Education Secretary said he 'very much hoped' the group would come down in favour of routinely inoculating youngsters aged 12 to 15.

He suggested the delayed decision was making parents anxious about sending their children back to classrooms this week after the summer break. 'I think parents would find it deeply reassuring to have a choice of whether their children should have a vaccine or not,' he told BBC Breakfast.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  an independent body which advises No10 on the Covid jab roll-out  is still weighing up the risks and benefits of vaccinating children.

In guidance published in July, the group said the small risk of heart inflammation from vaccines outweighed the tiny threat coronavirus poses to them. It was also not convinced that vaccinating children solely to protect adults justified the move and raised doubts about the true prevalence of long Covid in youngsters.

But pressure has been mounting on the JCVI to green light the move and bring Britain in line with US and Israel, after Covid cases skyrocketed in Scotland when classes went back after the summer break in mid-August.

There are fears of a similar big bang in cases now that schools across the rest of the UK have started to restart. The country is already recording 35,000 infections each day and hospitalisations are creeping up.

But Professor Anthony Harnden, one of the chief scientists on the JCVI, said today the group would do what's best for children 'no matter what other people outside the committee think'. Only over-16s are routinely eligible at the moment but younger children who are vulnerable to live with at-risk adults can be jabbed.

A member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) suggested giving children one dose of Covid vaccine because heart complications are more common following the second injection.

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). That is despite schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland only starting to go back this week. The data is from the ZOE Covid Symptom Study

Latest Public Health England data showed Covid cases are rising fastest among 10 to 19-year-olds (grey line) and 20 to 29-year-olds (green line). Approving Covid vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds would likely help curb the spread of the virus in the age group, scientists in favour of the move add

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Williamson made it clear he was in favour of vaccinating secondary school-aged children.

'Probably a lot of us are very keen to hear that and very much hope that we're in a position of being able to roll out vaccinations for those who are under the age of 16,' he said.

'I would certainly be hoping that it is a decision that will be made very, very soon.'

He added: 'I think parents would find it deeply reassuring to have a choice of whether their children should have a vaccine or not. We obviously wait for the decision of JCVI.'

WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF VACCINATING CHILDREN? Pros Protecting adults The main argument in favour of vaccinating children is in order to prevent them keeping the virus in circulation long enough for it to transmit back to adults. Experts fear that unvaccinated children returning to classrooms in September could lead to a boom in cases among people in the age group, just as immunity from jabs dished out to older generations earlier in the year begins to wane. This could trigger another wave of the virus if left unchecked, with infection spilling into older age groups and triggering more hospitalisations and deaths. However, the rise of the Delta variant has blunted vaccines' effect on blocking transmission which has raised further doubts. Avoiding long Covid in children While the risk of serious infection from Covid remains low in most children, scientists are still unsure of the long-term effects the virus may have on them. Concerns have been raised in particular about the incidence of long Covid  the little understood condition when symptoms persist for many more weeks than normal  in youngsters. A study by King's College London showed fewer than two per cent of children who develop Covid symptoms continue to suffer with them for more than eight weeks. Just 25 of the 1,734 children studied  0.01 per cent  suffered symptoms for longer than a year. Other studies have suggested up to half of children infected with Covid suffer from lingering symptoms months later  but they are thought to only be very mild. Cons Health risks Extremely rare incidences of a rare heart condition have been linked to the Pfizer vaccine in youngsters. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) in the US  where 9million 12- to 17-year-olds have already been vaccinated  shows there is around a one in 14,500 to 18,000 chance of boys in the age group developing myocarditis after having their second vaccine dose. This is vanishingly small. For comparison, the chance of finding a four-leaf clover is one in 10,000, and the chance of a woman having triplets is one in 4,478. The risk is higher than in 18- to 24-year-olds (one in 18,000 to 22,000), 25- to 29-year-olds (one in 56,000 to 67,000) and people aged 30 and above (one in 250,000 to 333,000). But, again, this is very low. Britain's drug regulator the MHRA lists the rare heart condition as a very rare side-effect of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. They said: 'There have been very rare reports of myocarditis and pericarditis (the medical term for the condition) occurring after vaccination. These are typically mild cases and individuals tend to recover within a short time following standard treatment and rest.' More than four times as many hospitalisations were prevented as there were cases of myocarditis caused by the vaccine in 12- to 17-year-olds, the health body's data show. Jabs should be given to other countries Experts have also claimed it would be better to donate jabs intended for teenagers in the UK to other countries where huge swathes of the vulnerable population remain unvaccinated. Not only would this be a moral move but it is in the UK's own interest because the virus will remain a threat to Britain as long as it is rampant anywhere in the world. Most countries across the globe are lagging significantly behind the UK in terms of their vaccine rollout, with countries in Africa, Southeast Asia and South America remaining particularly vulnerable. Jabs could be better used vaccinating older people in those countries, and thus preventing the virus from continuing to circulate globally and mutate further, than the marginal gains to transmission Britain would see if children are vaccinated, experts argue. Professor David Livermore, from the University of East Anglia, has said: 'Limited vaccine supplies would be far better used in countries and regions with large vulnerable elderly populations who presently remain unvaccinated  Australia, much of South East Asia and Latin America, as well as Africa.' Advertisement

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.

Mr Williamson could not give a timeline for when the decision on jabbing healthy young children is expected because the JCVI is a 'completely independent committee'.

He said: 'They're not there to take instructions from the Government. They will reach a decision, I'm told and I understand, very, very soon.'

In a separate interview with Sky News, he added: 'If we get the get-go from JCVI we're ready, the NHS, which has been so successful in rolling out this programme of vaccination, is ready to go into schools and deliver that vaccination programme for children.'

The Government has put added pressure on the JCVI for a decision by instructing the NHS to have the staff and logistics in place to start rolling the vaccines out in schools from this week  without their parent's consent.

But Professor Harnden said the JCVI was committed to doing what is in children's best interests, regardless of political pressure.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: 'There's many, many arguments for and against giving vaccines to 12 to 15-year-olds, and we're deliberating on what we think as a committee is best for children.

'And that is the key thing: whatever we decide, we will do it in the children's best interests no matter what other people outside the committee think. And we will come to a really, really strong decision about our advice.

'Now of course it is up to ministers as I say to make decisions, it's not up to JCVI, but we will give some very strong advice.

'But there are very strong arguments for vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds, and there's some arguments against as well and it's very finely balanced.'

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 myocarditis in young people.

The JCVI said in July there was a risk of the heart inflammation in about one in 20,000 young people after being fully immunised with Pfizer's vaccine.

The Moderna jab, which works in a very similar way, is thought to carry the same risk.

It ruled against recommending the vaccine to healthy children then because the risk of dying from the virus for them is lower than one in a million.

But the JCVI later U-turned to recommend jab for 16 and 17 year olds.

Professor Calum Semple, a child health expert who sits on SAGE, admitted that vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds was a 'really tricky decision'.

But he said one way to reduce the risk of myocarditis and still gain some protection against Covid would be to offer them one dose only.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'We've got a really fine balancing act between a rare side effect  which is very, very rare, which is myocarditis  and the low risk (from Covid) to children themselves.

'If however you take into the round the risks of impact on transmission to the wider society and disruption to school, so you take a broader view of the benefit of vaccination, that might shift the decision around vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds, but that's a really difficult judgment.

'I would probably go for a single dose of the vaccine for 12 to 15-year-olds, as a one-off  in order to help public health generally, break transmission chains in society.

'The rare side effect of myocarditis appears to be associated more with the second dose than the first dose.

'So I would probably go down the path of giving one dose only, as a one-off, and then waiting until children are much older before we go for the double jab.'

Another argument for vaccinating children has been to protect them from long Covid  a poorly understood condition that leaves even asymptomatic Covid patients with lingering issues months after the infection.

Previous research suggested as many as half were struck down with long Covid.

But the largest and most robust study into long Covid's prevalence in youngsters found the scale of the condition in children was 'nothing like' initially feared.

The University College London research of almost 7,000 youngsters aged 11 to 17 suggested about one in seven have symptoms three months after clearing the initial Covid infection.

Common ailments included headaches and tiredness but there was no evidence that any of the children had 'severe' illness as a result of long Covid.

Dr Liz Whittaker, one of the main authors of the study, said that long Covid did not appear to be a 'severe disease' in young people, adding: 'Vaccines prevent severe disease.'

She also added that while the jabs offer high protection against severe Covid, they are less effective at preventing transmission. So it's difficult to know whether [long Covid] could be prevented through vaccinating children or not.'

Meanwhile, Mr Williamson said he will 'move heaven and earth' to avoid shutting schools again, but he did not rule out a rise in Covid infections being caused by children going back to class.

The minister also did not exclude classes and assemblies having to take place outside during this academic year amid coronavirus outbreaks in schools.

The JCVI said in July there was a risk of the heart inflammation in about one in 20,000 young people after being fully immunised with Pfizer's vaccine. The Moderna jab, which works in a very similar way, is thought to carry the same risk. It ruled against recommending the vaccine to healthy children then because the risk of dying from the virus for them is lower than one in a million. But the JCVI later U-turned to recommend jab for 16 and 17 year olds. The above graph shows the risks of myocarditis vs Covid among young people in the US

Scale of long Covid in children 'nothing like' initially feared, finds largest study of its kind Up to one in seven children in England suffer from long Covid after recovering from the initial infection, according to the largest study of its kind. The University College London research of almost 7,000 youngsters aged 11 to 17 found 14 per cent of those who tested positive for the virus had three or more persistent symptoms three months later. The lead scientist behind the study said the problem of long Covid in children was 'not anything like' the scale warned about in previous reports. Only children who had a confirmed PCR test result were included in the research, unlike other studies, and they were compared to a control group. Among the participants who were still feeling unwell three months after beating the virus, 7 per cent said they had five or more symptoms. Common ailments included headaches and tiredness but there was no evidence that any of the children had 'severe' illness as a result of long Covid. It comes amid a row over whether Britain should be routinely vaccinating secondary school pupils as classrooms go back and infections remain stubbornly high. The topic has proven controversial because giving the jabs to children would be almost exclusively to protect adults from Covid. Children are at an extremely low risk of the virus itself but previous research suggested as many as half were struck down with long Covid, which some argued was another reason to vaccinate them. Advertisement

His comments came as pupils across England and Wales have begun to return to the classroom this week after the summer holidays, and schools in Northern Ireland have reopened.

Schools in Scotland returned a fortnight ago and the reopening is believed to have contributed to a rise in cases north of the border.

Asked if he could rule out school closures again, Mr Williamson told LBC radio: 'I will move heaven and earth to make sure that we aren't in a position of having to close schools.'

The minister added that he was 'absolutely' confident pupils will get their GCSEs and A-levels at the end of this school year after exams were cancelled for two years in a row due to the Covid pandemic.

He told LBC: 'We've had two years where we've not been able to run a normal series of exams.

'I don't think anyone wants to see a third year of that.

'We want to get back to normal, not just in terms of what the classroom experience is like but also the exam experience.'

But the Education Secretary did not rule out a rise in infections being caused by schools reopening.

After being asked repeatedly, Mr Williamson told Sky News: 'This is why we're doing the testing programme and we're encouraging children to take part in it, parents, and of course teachers and support staff as well. This is a way of rooting out Covid.

'We're trying to strike that constant, sensible balance of actually giving children as normal experience in the classroom as possible, but also recognising we're still dealing with a global pandemic.'

All secondary school and college pupils are being invited to take two lateral flow tests at school, three to five days apart, in England on their return.

Schools and colleges are being encouraged to maintain increased hygiene and ventilation, and secondary school and college pupils in England have been asked to continue to test twice weekly at home.

Mr Williamson did not rule out outdoor classes and assemblies having to take place in the event of outbreaks.

But he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'It is certainly not something that we'd be expecting to see an awful lot of, especially in autumn and winter.'

Schools in England no longer have to keep pupils in year group 'bubbles' to reduce mixing and face coverings are no longer advised.

Children do not have to isolate if they come into contact with a positive case of Covid. Instead, they will need to get a PCR test and isolate only if positive.

The medical director of Public Health England (PHE) moved to reassure parents as pupils return to classrooms, saying schools are not the 'drivers' or 'hubs' of Covid-19 infection in communities.

Dr Yvonne Doyle told BBC Breakfast: 'There'll be extra cleaning and hygiene, advice on ventilation (and) the testing is extremely important.'

The research surveyed more than 3,000 children who tested PCR positive between January and March. They were compared to a similarly-sized group who tested negative in the same period. When surveyed around 15 weeks after their test, 14 per cent more young people in the positive group had three or more symptoms. One in 14, or 7 per cent more, in the positive group had five or more symptoms

She added that authorities had anticipated Covid-19 outbreaks as schools reopened, saying they are 'part of normal practice'.

But Professor Semple said schools are likely to be a 'greater part of the problem' when it comes to spread of coronavirus than they previously were, and compared with workplaces where the majority of adults are vaccinated and many continue to work from home.

As pupils return to classrooms, schools in England can sign up with this year's external tuition providers through the Government's National Tutoring Programme (NTP) to offer pupils catch-up support.

The Department for Education (DfE) has said up to six million pupils are set to benefit from catch-up tuition for lost learning over the next three years under a 'tutoring revolution' in schools.

Scientists at war over jabbing children: Experts say youngsters may get 'better and longer immunity' if they catch Covid naturally  but others warn virus could 'tear through' country again without vaccines in schools

Scientists were at war over vaccinating children against Covid 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, said 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.

Scientists were at war over vaccinating children against Covid today. Professor David Livermore (left) says it is 'plausible' that immunity from natural infection could last longer for children but Professor Devi Sridhar (right) says the virus could rip through the country again

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'.

And Professor Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King's College London, told MailOnline vaccinating children would 'use up' Britain's supply of jabs designated for boosters for the clinically vulnerable this winter.

But other experts are piling the pressure on the the JCVI to approve Covid vaccines for over-12s.

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'.

Britain's medical regulator, the MHRA, has already said the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are safe and effective for the age group.

But the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI)  which advises No10 on jabs and is separate from the MHRA  is yet to 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 JCVI said there was a risk of heart inflammation in about one in 20,000 after a dose of Pfizer's vaccine in guidance published last month.

It ruled against recommending the vaccine to healthy children because the risk of dying from the virus for them is about one in a million.

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 (left). Professor Tim Spector (right), an epidemiologist at King's College London, told MailOnline vaccinating children would 'use up' Britain's supply of jabs designated for boosters for the clinically vulnerable this winter

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.'

Other experts agreed, arguing the balance of risk still appears to lean towards not giving children a vaccine.

Professor Hunter told MailOnline: At the moment I think the balance of evidence is against vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds against Covid but I would trust the JCVI decision and be supportive if they decided this group needs to be inoculated.

'I have heard a number of people whose opinion I value and trust argue against it  including people who are on the JCVI  and they will have spent a lot of time going through all the data.'

He continued: 'The first issue is that young people in particular are at an increased risk of side effects from vaccines compared to older people.

'There are side effects - and it does appear to be the case - that myocarditis is a risk particularly in young boys who get the Pfizer vaccine.

So in younger people vaccinating is not a risk-free option.'

He said a report in the last week of July showed two-thirds of 17-year-olds are already immune to the virus from natural infection, and now now the figure is likely to be as high as three quarters.

Around half of the 12- to 13-year-olds are likely to have antibodies already, he said, and the jab 'won't hae any real benefit' to them as a result.

Professor Hunter said: If we are going to be vaccinating these children it has got to be in their interest, not in ours.

It is one thing to say have a vaccine to protect your health, but quite another thing to persuade you to have a vaccine to protect my health. One is entirely ethical and the other is dubious.'

And Professor Spector said while vaccinating would reduce cases 'in an ideal world', in the immediate term it could take up supply intended for booster shots to older, more vulnerable people who's own immunity from vaccines given earlier in the year may be on the wane.

Professor Spector said: 'With vaccinating children you are going to reduce numbers of infections, but if you do that that means you use up your boosters and so you risk more deaths and hospitalisations at the other end of the spectrum.

'In the ideal world I would be in favour of doing both [booster shots for the elderly and vaccines for over-12s] but I definitely think we should be giving boosters to kids that have had natural infections.'
Freed double child rapist and murderer Colin Pitchfork is using a new name - but must tell any new girlfriends his appalling crimes or end up back in jail.

The 61-year-old sexual predator is known to have been calling himself David Thorpe behind bars in HMP Leyhill.

But the killer must be 'upfront' with anyone he starts any relationship with or any prospective employers about who he is and what he has done.

A source told MailOnline: 'If he was trying to hide who he was, say if he started a relationship or a job, he would have to be upfront about who he was.

'If a probation officer got wind of that it would undermine his licence - and potentially land him back behind bars.'

Pitchfork, who has not legally changed his name, strangled and raped 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986.

Barbara Ashworth, mother of Dawn, said yesterday: 'Well it was on the books that he was going to be released, but I don't think he should be breathing the same air as us.

'It goes without saying that life should have meant life in his case, because he said he was guilty of the offences, the murders of both the girls... and he did a lot more besides.'

In a clear indication of the threat he still poses, he will be subject to some of the strictest licence conditions ever set.

Pitchfork as he looked in 2017 has been freed from prison for killing and raping two schoolgirls

One of Britain's most evil child killers Colin Pitchfork has been released from jail this morning

The killer will wear an electronic tag so he can be monitored at all times, banned from going near the relatives of his victims and face restrictions on using the internet by himself.

He may also face spot lie detector tests to see whether he has broken any conditions.

A former Leyhill prisoner who phoned into radio station LBC confirmed Pitchfork had taken a new identity.

He said: 'He's got a new name, he's the most arrogant prisoner I have ever come across.

'He talked down to prisoners. He's got that much protection around him you can't do anything.

'He's still got that look in eyes - he switches quick. When he got his parole he was walking round with a bigger smile on his face than he ever had.

'He is still a danger 100 per cent. He would get annoyed when female staff would tell him off.'

Pitchfork became the first man convicted of murder on the basis of DNA evidence in 1988 as he admitted two murders, two rapes, two indecent assaults and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Pitchfork raped and strangled Lynda Mann (pictured as a schoolgirl aged 15) after dropping his wife off at an evening class and while his baby son slept in the back of his car.

Pitchfork - the first person ever to be snared by DNA evidence - was jailed for life in 1988 for raping and murdering 15-year-old Leicestershire schoolgirls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth (pictured) in 1983 and 1986

How a revolutionary DNA trial helped to snare child killer Colin Pitchfork DNA evidence - then in its early use in criminal cases - played a key role in solving the murders of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth. It was first used in the investigation following the death of Pitchfork's first victim - Lynda Mann. Then 15, Lynda was grabbed, raped and murdered as she walked home from babysitting earlier that day. DNA was used at the start of the investigation, when a sample of semen taken from her body was found to be from a person with type-A blood. It also matched an enzyme profile of just 10 per cent of males. But with few leads and no direct suspects, police left the case open. In 1986, a second 15-year-old girl, Dawn Ashworth, left her home to visit a friend's house. When she did not return, a search was launched and, like Lynda, her body was found having been raped. Police again found similar DNA, and with the murder having been carried out in a similar way, detectives realised they were looking for a double murderer. Officers had another suspect in mind at the time, Richard Buckland - a 17-year-old with learning difficulties who had confessed to the second murder and had knowledge of the first. He would later be exonerated. But it wasn't until Sir Alec Jeffreys, a genetics researcher at nearby Leicester University, became involved that his innocence was proved. Sir Alec first developed genetic profiling along with Peter Gill and Dave Werrett. And he used it to compare DNA samples found on both bodies. It proved the killer was the same person - but not Buckland. Later, police launched a DNA drive and up to 5,000 men in three villages were asked to volunteer blood or saliva samples. However, no matches were found. But in 1987 a bakery colleague of Pitchfork was overheard boasting how he was set to receive 200 to pose as Pitchfork and give a sample. The conversation was reported to the police and Pitchfork was later arrested. Advertisement

His 30-year minimum term was cut by two years in 2009, he was moved to an open prison three years ago and released on Wednesday.

Both victims' families have said on previous occasions that they believe Pitchfork - who has been in an open prison in recent years and who was seen ambling around shops in Bristol in 2017 - remains a danger to the public.

South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa, who has campaigned against the killer's release, said he was 'deeply disappointed' by the decision and said he had done all he could to halt it.

He said: 'I am extremely saddened and deeply disappointed that the convicted child rapist and killer Colin Pitchfork has today been released from prison.

'Since I was first elected MP for South Leicestershire, where Pitchfork's heinous crimes took place, I have worked tirelessly on behalf of my constituents and countless others to oppose his release.

'While I respect the Parole Board's decision to reject the Government's challenge against his release, I do not agree with it. In my view, Pitchfork still presents a very real danger to the public.

'This case has made clear that the Parole Board's opaque practices and processes must be reformed, and the system must work better for victims and their families, and I very much look forward to helping to shape the system for the better in the Government's forthcoming root-and-branch review of the Parole Board.

'Questions will, of course, remain as to whether someone who has committed such heinous crimes should ever be released, in cases such as these where two innocent girls were murdered in the most horrendous fashion, life should simply mean life.

'My thoughts today, as ever, are with the families of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth.'

Pitchfork, who at the time was a baker and known to police as a serial flasher, attacked his victims and dumped their bodies on dark, secluded footpaths in Leicestershire.

He raped and strangled Lynda in Narborough after dropping his wife off at an evening class and while his baby son slept in the back of his car.

Three years later he raped and murdered Dawn in a similar attack in nearby Enderby.

The killer was the first criminal to be caught by the revolutionary DNA profiling process pioneered by Sir Alec Jeffreys at the University of Leicester.

He was eventually caught after the world's first mass screening for DNA, as 5,000 men in three villages were asked to volunteer blood or saliva samples.

No matches were found. But in 1987 a bakery colleague of Pitchfork - who had been there as an apprentice and had expressed a desire to set up his own cake-making business - was overheard boasting how he was set to receive 200 to pose as Pitchfork and give a sample.

The conversation was reported to the police and Pitchfork was later arrested.

Pitchfork was jailed for life in 1988.

'He shouldn't be breathing the same air': Mother of Colin Pitchfork victim says he must be 'locked away for life' as child killer is FREED after 33 years in jail for murdering her daughter and another schoolgirl in the 80s

The mother of one of double child killer Colin Pitchfork's victims reacted with fury as he was released yesterday, declaring 'he shouldn't be breathing the same air as us'.

Notorious murderer Pitchfork was freed after the Parole Board rejected the Government and his devastated victims' families' legal challenge.

He strangled and raped 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986.

Barbara Ashworth, mother of Dawn, said: 'Well it was on the books that he was going to be released, but I don't think he should be breathing the same air as us.

'It goes without saying that life should have meant life in his case, because he said he was guilty of the offences, the murders of both the girls... and he did a lot more besides.'

Asked if she was surprised Pitchfork had become eligible for release, Ms Ashworth said: 'Yes, I think so. They did say that if it had been done today he wouldn't have been let out.

'But that doesn't excuse anything. I don't have my daughter back or any of the hopes and dreams that she had in her life.

Pitchfork's case was most recently refused by the Parole Board in 2018. Since then, he has been kept at Leyhill Prison, an open prison in Gloucestershire

Volunteers taking tests in 1987 to help police find the murderer of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth

'She was my only daughter and you live your life through them and their future - but that was taken away.'

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'Our heartfelt sympathies remain with the families of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth following the independent Parole Board's decision to release Colin Pitchfork.

'Public safety is our top priority, which is why he is subject to some of the strictest licence conditions ever set and will remain under supervision for the rest of his life.

'If he breaches these conditions, he faces an immediate return to prison.'

Both victims' families have said on previous occasions that they believe Pitchfork - who has been in an open prison in recent years and who was seen ambling around shops in Bristol in 2017 - remains a danger to the public.

South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa, who has campaigned against the killer's release, said he was 'deeply disappointed' by the decision and said he had done all he could to halt it.

He said: 'I am extremely saddened and deeply disappointed that the convicted child rapist and killer Colin Pitchfork has today been released from prison.

'Since I was first elected MP for South Leicestershire, where Pitchfork's heinous crimes took place, I have worked tirelessly on behalf of my constituents and countless others to oppose his release.

'While I respect the Parole Board's decision to reject the Government's challenge against his release, I do not agree with it. In my view, Pitchfork still presents a very real danger to the public.

'This case has made clear that the Parole Board's opaque practices and processes must be reformed, and the system must work better for victims and their families, and I very much look forward to helping to shape the system for the better in the Government's forthcoming root-and-branch review of the Parole Board.

'Questions will, of course, remain as to whether someone who has committed such heinous crimes should ever be released, in cases such as these where two innocent girls were murdered in the most horrendous fashion, life should simply mean life.

'My thoughts today, as ever, are with the families of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth.'
Gavin Williamson today defended Dominic Raab over his holiday to Crete amid the fall of Afghanistan but said: 'As Education Secretary, you tend not to have holidays.'

Mr Williamson said Mr Raab was 'always on top of things' wherever he is in the world and is 'always in contact'.

But the Education Secretary contrasted Mr Raab's decision to take a break abroad with his own summer plans which only saw him manage 'a couple of days up in Scarborough to see my mum and dad'.

Gavin Williamson today defended Dominic Raab over his holiday to Crete amid the fall of Afghanistan but said: 'As Education Secretary, you tend not to have holidays.'

Mr Raab arrived in Qatar in the early hours of this morning for talks. He has faced criticism for delaying his return from a luxury break on the Greek island last month

Mr Raab has faced criticism for delaying his return from a luxury break on the Greek island last month as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated.

The Foreign Secretary refused to answer questions about the trip when he gave evidence yesterday to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on his handling of the UK's withdrawal.

He previously said that in hindsight he would not have gone on holiday but insisted he was working remotely from his hotel room.

Mr Williamson was asked this morning during an interview on LBC Radio if he believed Mr Raab should have returned to the UK sooner.

He said: 'Well Dom is flying out to Qatar today. Hes leading, not just Britains efforts, but actually global efforts to ensure that those people who have, still in Afghanistan, have safe passage.'

Presenter Nick Ferrari referred to a private Foreign Office document from July 22 - two weeks before Mr Raab's holiday - which had appeared to warn the Taliban could rapidly sweep to power.

Mr Ferrari said: 'Would you have gone on holiday just a few weeks after receiving a memo that seemed to suggest that Afghanistan was about to crumble?'

The Education Secretary said: 'Well the Foreign Secretary has always, wherever hes been, and of course, wherever hes been on the globe, is always in contact, always on top of things, always actually doing everything thats needed.'

Pushed on if he would have gone on holiday in those circumstances, Mr Williamson replied: 'As Education Secretary, you tend not to have holidays, you see'

Mr Ferrari then sought clarity as he asked Mr Williamson if he had not had a holiday this summer.

The Cabinet minister said: 'I got a couple of days up in Scarborough to see my mum and dad, so that was very nice, but Dom, at every stage, has been working tirelessly, to make sure everything that is done, and the Prime Minister has absolute full confidence in him and everyone is doing everything they can to ensure safe passage, but to welcome and give people a warm welcome as they enter this country.'
A married chaplain has quit a 14,700-a-year public school following a 'serious breach' of its safeguarding policy.

RE teacher Reverend Tom Carson told authorities at Exeter School during the summer holidays that he and a former pupil had committed a breach of the policy and tendered his resignation.

In a statement sent to MailOnline, the school said it is their 'current understanding that no criminal offence has been committed'.

An independent third-party investigation commissioned by the school did not find 'evidence of a wider-spread issue and we have no reason to believe that others have been affected', they added.

The gender of the pupil has not been disclosed.

James Gaisford, the chair of governors, said in a letter to the parents of the independent co-educational school's 900 pupils: 'I am sorry to inform you that during the summer holidays, it has been necessary for Reverend Carson to leave Exeter School as he was professionally compromised following a serious breach of the school's safeguarding policy.

'Reverend Carson disclosed this breach to the Head at the same time as tendering his resignation, which the school accepted with immediate effect.

Reverend Tom Carson, who taught RE at Exeter School, told school authorities during the summer holidays he and a former pupil had committed a breach of the policy and tendered his resignation

'It is our current understanding that no criminal offence has been committed.

'The breach appears to have been isolated to a single pupil who left the school after completing their A level studies. We are continuing to support the former pupil; their wellbeing and that of their family is our greatest concern.'

Mr Gaisford said the local authority has been told and an investigation has been carried out by an independent third party. The Diocese of Exeter has also been fully informed.

'You will no doubt be shocked to receive this news and may have many questions, but I am sure you will understand that I am unable to provide further information on such a sensitive matter,' Mr Gaisford said.

He added that safeguarding and welfare of the school community are at the core of 'everything we do' and a review will be made to make improvements to ensure the protection of all pupils.

Reverend Tom, as he was called by the pupils, was appointed in 2015 and was the school's first full time chaplain.

Exeter School said it is their 'current understanding that no criminal offence has been committed'. An independent third-party investigation commissioned by school authorities did not find 'evidence of a wider-spread issue', they added

He taught religious studies to all age groups and had previously been Head of RS at Wallington High School for girls and joined from Mortlake and East Sheen in south west London.

He is married to Marian and they have two children and Mr Gaisford said 'they will continue to be members of the school and we hope that the extended school community as well as our staff and pupils will respect their privacy at this challenging time for the family'.

In a statement, the school said: 'During the summer holidays, we were informed of a safeguarding breach that occurred between a member of staff and a former pupil. This disclosure indicated that they were professionally compromised following a serious breach of the school's safeguarding policy.

'It is our current understanding that no criminal offence has been committed.

'This breach was volunteered to us by the member of staff themselves, at the same time as they tendered their resignation. The school accepted their resignation and notified the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) immediately.

'In accordance with both the County Council's and the school's safeguarding process, an independent third-party investigation has been commissioned and completed.

'Safeguarding and the welfare of pupils is at the core of everything we do and we have in place, very strict policies and procedures that staff are required to follow diligently, as their professional Code of Conduct dictates.

'We wrote to relevant members of the school community to inform them as soon as the investigation was completed, just before the start of term.

'We will not provide any details about the breach as this is personally identifiable information. However we should stress that to date, the investigation has found no evidence of a wider-spread issue and we have no reason to believe that others have been affected.

'We are liaising closely with the former pupil and their parents to ensure they are fully supported; their wellbeing is our greatest concern, as is that of our entire pupil, parent and staff community.

'We take pride in being an open and transparent school and as such we will be keen to learn lessons from this concerning incident. Consequently, the governors will shortly be commissioning an independent third-party review of safeguarding at Exeter School to see what changes are needed in the way we support our pupils and colleagues.'
A teenage boy has suffered burns to his legs after a suspected acid attack at Leeds Festival this weekend.

Olly Spencer-Littlewood, 17, from Wyke near Bradford, was sprayed with the liquid in a dance tent in the early hours of Sunday morning during his first ever festival.

Police have launched an investigation into the attack, which has left Mr Spencer-Littlewood in bandages after he was rushed to hospital.

The teenager said he does not think he could go to another festival after the assault.

Olly Spencer-Littlewood (left), 17, from Wyke near Bradford, suffered burns to his legs (right) after a suspected acid attack at Leeds Festival this weekend

Mr Spencer-Littlewood was enjoying a DJ set when he felt a liquid hit his legs.

He assumed somebody had spilled a drink while dancing in the bustling crowd but the sensation quickly 'escalated to burning'.

The teenager was near the stage at the time so climbed over the fence and alerted a marshall who quickly took him to the medical tent.

Medics called an ambulance while the liquid was washed off with water before he was taken to York Hospital for further treatment at around 2.30am.

His father Craig Littlewood said: 'They cleaned him up at the hospital and reported back it is acid of some description.

The liquid was 'acid of some description' medics at the hospital said, Mr Spencer-Littlewood's father Craig said

'It's not the worst kind that makes your skin falls off but it's still bad enough to do the damage.'

Mr Spencer-Littlewood was wearing shorts at the time and the acid has injured both legs. On one he has a circular of around five inches that has blistered.

'The worst thing is it's his first-ever festival,' his father said. 'It's like a one-off to him, it's cost him a lot of money, and he's come away possibly scarred, we don't know.

'He's actually said to me "I don't think I could go to another one," and I totally understand why. I don't blame you mate to be fair.'

His wounds were dressed at the hospital and the bandages have been on since.

He will find in the next day or so how bad the burns are and whether he is likely to be scarred by the incident.

West Yorkshire Police said it has begun enquiries into the attack.

A spokesperson said: 'At 7.24pm on Monday, police were contacted by a 17-year-old male who reported being treated at hospital after having a substance splashed on his lower legs the previous evening at the Leeds Festival site at Bramham Park, near Leeds.

'Officers from Leeds District CID have visited the victim to get details of the incident and enquiries are ongoing.'

Mr Spencer-Littlewood was enjoying a DJ set at Leeds Festival when he felt the liquid hit his legs

Pictured: Revellers listen to AJ Tracey on the main stage at Leeds Festival at Bramham Park on Saturday

Craig said: 'I've got no blame towards Leeds Fest. That's an individual that's gone there with something to harm someone.

'I'm in my late 40s and ex-Forces and my mentality is I just can't comprehend it, what idiot goes in there with that?

'I've really lost a few days sleep with it because it's not sinking in that some idiot would do it.'

He said his son 'just can't believe that someone would do it'.

Mr Spencer-Littlewood continued: 'He's a confident lad and he's never been in trouble with anything and he's gone there thinking it's a once in a lifetime thing because it's so expensive.

'Looking at any other report of the festival you wouldn't have a clue this happened so why should we keep quiet.'

Family members have contacted Leeds Festival about the incident but are yet to receive a reply.

The festival organisers have been approached for comment.
Caroline Lovell turned pale and clammy after the home birth of her second daughter and told midwives 'I'm dying'.

The 36-year-old Melbourne mother had already lost consciousness once when she made the grim prediction but she lost consciousness again and stopped breathing.

At her side were Gaye Demanuele and Melody Bourne who had supported her through 10 antenatal appointments ahead of the birth in January 2012.

The midwives are now charged with the negligent manslaughter of Ms Lovell.

Caroline Lovell died during a home birth in January 2012, and her harrowing final words were revealed in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday

The Watsonia mother gave birth to her first daughter in hospital in 2008. Her pregnancy had been assessed as high risk and during the birth, she suffered complications including a second-degree tear and primary postpartum haemorrhage.

When she hired Demanuele and Bourne in July 2011 she gave them her medical records which included details of those complications, prosecutor Patrick Bourke QC told Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday.

During the birth of her second daughter on January 23, in a birthing pool in her living room, she suffered another tear and haemorrhaging.

But Bourke said neither Demanuele nor Bourne examined Ms Lovell, and her injuries and haemorrhaging went undetected.

Midwives Gaye Demanuele (pictured) and Melody Bourne were hired to assist her during the birth, and were given her health records which showed complications during previous births

About an hour after giving birth Ms Lovell lost consciousness.

She became agitated and told the midwives she wanted to go to the hospital.

'I'm dying,' Bourke said she told them, requesting an ambulance two or three times.

Demanuele assessed Ms Lovell's pulse rate and blood pressure before she lost consciousness again. She was pale and her pupils were dilated.

Just before 10.30am her doula, Carmen Bulmer, called an ambulance. Ms Lovell's heart rate dropped to 16 beats per minute and she stopped breathing.

Ms Lovell was revived by paramedics. She stabilised briefly but her condition deteriorated. She suffered continuous bleeding and became unresponsive to blood transfusions and clotting factors.

The pair of midwives have since been charged with the negligent manslaughter of Ms Lovell (pictured)

Ms Lovell suffered multi-system organ failure and died in the early hours of January 24.

Bourke said experts examined the case as part of a coronial inquest and determined the conduct of Demanuele and Bourne, including omissions in the lead-up to and following the birth, were allegedly criminally negligent.

'It is said there were a number of opportunities at which the accused failed to recognise and/or react to the deterioration of the deceased's condition,' he said.

'It is alleged that those failings caused, or substantially contributed to, the death of Caroline Lovell.'

Both have pleaded not guilty and deny there was gross negligence.

Prosecutor Patrick Bourke QC told Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday that Ms Lovell told the pair 'I'm dying' while begging for an ambulance to be called (pictured, Gaye Demanuele)

Robert Richter QC, representing Bourne, said at the time of delivery neither midwife was aware of complications in Ms Lovell's earlier birth.

'The two women acted as loving and caring midwives who had no reason to suspect what was about to befall the deceased,' he said.

Demanuele's lawyer Rishi Nathwani said his client recognised Ms Lovell's death was a tragic one.

'She has always recognised the pain the family of Caroline have suffered, and the pain they inevitably continued to suffer,' he said.
North Korea has refused to accept three million Chinese-made Covid jabs, saying they should instead be reallocated to nations hit harder by the pandemic.

A United Nations spokesman said the country had requested that the Chinese-made Sinovac shots be sent elsewhere to help poorer nations get vaccines.

The impoverished North was the first country to impose a strict lockdown when it sealed its border in January last year to stop the virus spreading from neighbouring China, where it first emerged before sweeping the world.

Pyongyang continues to insist it is yet to see any cases of the virus - a claim that analysts doubt - but it has paid a huge economic price for the blockade, with the regime admitting in June it was tackling a 'food crisis'.

Regardless, the isolated country told UNICEF - which distributes vaccines under the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) programme for low-income countries - that the Chinese-made vaccines could be given to others, the UN agency said.

Pictured: A health official conducts distributes hand sanitiser at the entrance of Phyongsong city in south Phyongan Province, North Korea Wednesday, September 1, 2021. North Korea has refused to accept three million Chinese-made Covid jabs, saying they should instead be reallocated to nations hit harder by the pandemic

North Korea's public health ministry 'has communicated that the 2.97 million Sinovac doses being offered to DPR Korea by Covax may be relocated to severely affected countries in view of the limited global supply of Covid-19 vaccines and recurrent surge in some countries', a UNICEF spokesperson told AFP.

Pyongyang would 'continue to communicate' with COVAX 'to receive COVID-19 vaccines in the coming months', they added.

As of August 19, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) official figures showed that North Korea had reported no cases of Covid-19.

The health body's weekly situation report showed that 37,291 people - including health care workers and those showing signs of a flu-like illness - had been tested for Covid-19, and all were found to be negative.

This is despite bordering China - where the pandemic originated - and reports from June this year that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un sacked several senior party officials following a 'grave' coronavirus incident.

At the time, the news fuelled speculation that the virus had breached the country's strict defences, raising fears of what might happen if the country's limited health-care system became overrun by the virus.

Some foreign analysts have suggested that the virus spread to the country as early as March 2020, while it was reported by the South China Morning Post that 180 soldiers had died from Covid-19 symptoms in January and February 2020.

The reports claimed that doctors had been told to keep quiet about virus to not damage Kim Jong Un's image among the country's people.

North Korea insists the country has had zero cases of Covid-19, despite reports from June that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (pictured in a photo released on Tuesday) sacked several senior party officials following a 'grave' coronavirus incident

In July, a South Korean think tank affiliated with Seoul's spy agency said Pyongyang had also rejected shipments of AstraZeneca's vaccine offered by the Covax scheme, apparently over concerns about side effects.

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov also said in July that the country had offered to supply North Korea with its own Sputnik vaccine on more than one occasion.

The Institute for National Security Strategy added at the time that the North was not equipped with sufficient cold chain storage for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, while being sceptical about the effectiveness of Chinese vaccines.

The isolated nation has express some doubt over the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines, with state media often highlighting cases in the United States and Europe where people administered the shots had adverse reactions.

News of the refused vaccines came after Kim Jong Un appeared on state TV walking in front of a stand filled with hundreds of seemingly adoring school children, the girls crying and the boys clapping enthusiastically as he waved and smiled during Youth Day celebrations in Pyongyang.

The leader was pictured in photos released on Tuesday by state broadcaster KCNA looking thinner than ever this week, with excess skin sagging around his neck and his jacket hanging loosely over his shoulders in a new propaganda broadcast.

Pictured: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un poses as he meets young people, during Youth Day celebrations, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this image supplied by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on August 31, 2021

Pictured: Students and other youth take part in a dance event celebrating the country's 'Youth Day' at the plaza of the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang on August 28, 2021

Kim's facial features were notably prominent, particularly around his chin which used to disappear in folds of fat just six months ago.

The 37-year-old also wore a white jacket which provided a generous space between his neck and the collar, as well as flaps and creases down the midriff where once the fabric would have been pulled tight around his belly.

Speculation about Kim's health has forced the government to ban gossip about his weight as a 'reactionary act' after photos emerged earlier this year showing a dramatic change thought to represent a roughly 44-pound drop.

Starving North Koreans are kidnapping the children of wealthy families and demanding ransoms so they can afford to eat

By Julian Ryall In Tokyo For The Mailonline

Starving North Koreans are resorting to kidnapping the children of wealthy families and demanding ransoms so they can afford to eat.

At least four child kidnappings have been reported in recent weeks in the secretive country, which is struggling under international sanctions imposed on the regime of Kim Jong-un.

Shortages of food, medicines, fuel, and other everyday necessities have worsened since Pyongyang completely sealed its borders in January 2020 in a bid to prevent Covid-19 from entering the country.

The regime feared the country's antiquated and poorly equipped healthcare system would collapse if coronavirus spread among the population.

Officially, there are no cases of coronavirus in the country, which shares a 1,352 km border with China that is frequently crossed by smugglers.

As such, experts consider it impossible for the virus not to have reached North Korea, despite being the first country in the world to close its borders as a coronavirus response.

Even Kim has hinted that his isolated homeland may be on the brink of catastrophe, likening the domestic situation to the devastating four-year famine in the mid-1990s that North Koreans refer to as the Arduous March.

As many as three million people are estimated to have died during this period of starvation brought about by chronic economic mismanagement, the collapse of the food distribution system and other communist nations halting aid supplies.

At least four child kidnappings have been reported in recent weeks in the secretive country [Stock image]

There have been recent reports of starvation in remote parts of the country as industry and agriculture have largely ground to a halt from a lack of fuel and spare parts.

There are also widespread reports of pilfering, even among the poorly-fed conscripts who make up the bulk of the country's army, and civilians are also becoming more desperate.

Last month, a six-year-old girl disappeared while playing by a river outside her home in Songchon County, north of Pyongyang, Radio Free Asia reported.

'She was kidnapped and taken hostage by a man in his thirties living in a faraway village from hers,' a source in North Korea told the Washington, D.C. based outlet.

'The kidnapper knew her family was well-off and even got her parents' cell phone number before he took her to get ransom money.'

The source, who was not identified in order to protect their identity, said the kidnapper had locked the girl in a room in his house and demanded 500,000 won (less than 55) from her parents.

Police, however, were able to trace the phone used by the man and arrest him. The child was safely returned to her parents and the kidnapper is awaiting trial.

Another Radio Free Asia contact in the North reported a similar case involving a 10-year-old boy walking along a road in the central Yangdok County.

A man, who appeared to be in his forties, pulled up alongside the child on his motorcycle and offered him a lift home.

The boy later realised he was being abducted, but managed to escape and report the incident to police, who detained the man.

'He confessed during the police investigation that he borrowed his friend's motorcycle to copy a scene from a foreign movie in which actors took a hostage for ransom,' the source said. 'He said he had no food to eat and was suffering from hunger.'

Even the country's leader Kim Jong-un has hinted that North Korea may be on the brink of catastrophe, likening the domestic situation to the devastating four-year famine in the mid-1990s that North Koreans refer to as the Arduous March. Pictured: Emaciated children in North Korea's Taesong District in 1997 during the famine

The South Korea based Daily NK media outlet reported two further child kidnapping cases in Ryanggang Province, on North Korea's northern border with China.

On May 12, a man collected a young boy from a kindergarten in the city of Hyesan, claiming to be the father of a six-year-old student. The boy's mother later received a demand for nearly 600, which she reported to police.

Authorities were able to trace the man and the boy was released without injury about eight hours after being kidnapped.

As of June, police were still trying to identify the man based on descriptions from the kindergarten staff.

Later that same month, authorities arrested a man as he was about to board a train at Hyesan station with a five-year-old he had kidnapped with an aim to demanding a ransom.

Locals in the area said there is 'growing anxiety' among parents over the recent kidnappings and that parents worry the same thing could happen 'to their own children at any time' and might not be resolved as easily as the May cases.

The news of the desperate lengths North Koreans are going to to feed themselves comes amid rampant speculation surrounding the country's leader's apparent weight loss.

Kim, 37, has been photographed looking noticeably thinner in recent public appearances, prompting concerns over his health, which forced the government to ban gossip about his weight, labelling it a 'reactionary act'.

In a bid to stifle the rumours, the apparatchik told state media that Kim is eating less 'for the sake of the country' as it grapples with food shortages, insisting that he is healthy.

In a bid to stifle the rumours, the apparatchik told state media that Kim is eating less 'for the sake of the country' as it grapples with food shortages, insisting that he is healthy. Pictured: Kim in 2018 [File photo]

However, there have been reports that Kim may have had a gastric band fitted in order to lose weight.

Others have claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus the need for the leader to shed some pounds.

State TV even spoke to someone who said his 'emaciated' condition was 'breaking our people's hearts' in a highly unusual broadcast around two months ago.

Experts believe this was a cynical attempt to garner sympathy for Kim, whose country is in the throes of an economic crisis precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic and a poor harvest.

Known to be a heavy drinker and smoker, Kim has long been obese, with his weight appearing to increase steadily in recent years.

His large frame is similar to that of his grandfather Kim Il Sung, the country's founding father who enjoyed a cult-like following which continues long after his death.

North Korea watchers have long speculated that Kim Jong-un could be deliberately cultivating an overweight appearance in order to more closely resemble his grandfather.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, pointed out it was unlikely Kim's recent weight loss was a symptom of acute ill health, as he had attended several public events this month.

'No one can really know why he lost weight,' he told AFP. 'What's clear -- from the KCTV footage -- is the regime wants the world to think that its people love and care for their leader, to a point where they'd cry over his thinner appearance.'

Pictured: Kim Jong Un's watch strap shown in North Korean state propaganda in June appeared to confirm his weight loss, when compared with photos from December 2020 and March 2021, which show his watch strap was fastened more loosely to accommodate his thicker wrists. Photos from June showed more of the watch strap showing after the buckle

'The most likely reason they would mention his declining weight in this way would, in my opinion, be related to ongoing COVID-19-related border measures,' said Chad O'Carroll, CEO of the Seoul-based Korea Risk Group.

'Regardless of the motivation for Kim's rapid weight loss, it seems there is propaganda value in showing that even the leader of North Korea is enduring the same food shortages that are hitting the country at the current time.'

The regime may have intended from the beginning to emphasise the fact that Kim is working hard for the people at a time of widespread hardship, or its messaging may have been an unintended consequence of Kim's inevitable appearance, Green said.

'What matters is that the North Korean regime will have received word from its many, many, many informants that Kim's condition was a talking point among ordinary people,' he said.

'From there it is a simple matter to respond by designing a propaganda strategy to use the existing public discussion to the regime's advantage.'
A newborn baby has contracted Covid-19, becoming the youngest person in New South Wales to be struck down by the devastating disease.

Four-week-old boy Lukas caught the virus from his father who became infected at his Sydney workplace last week.

His mother Beth Kouts described the ordeal as 'terrifying' and said her child was left vomiting and 'screaming in pain'.

To make matters worse, baby Lukas had to wait 14 hours in his pram before being moved to an adult bed after being rushed to hospital.

'I have heard a two-year-old get it but not a four-week-old - so, yeah, that was terrifying,' she told 7News.

'He was screaming in pain, refusing his bottle and would vomit.'

Ms Kouts took Lukas to Nepean Hospital on Monday thinking he was suffering from reflux.

But after receiving a swab test it was revealed the child had contracted the Delta strain of Covid, which has ravaged Sydney in recent months resulting in over more than 1,000 cases a day all this week.

Despite the positive test, baby Lukas was left in his pram for 14 hours with hospital staff overwhelmed by case numbers.

Doctors told Ms Kouts he would need to be transferred to Westmead Children's Hospital but after waiting 24-hours that never materialised and the family eventually returned to their St Clair home in Western Sydney, where they are now isolating.

Mother Beth Kouts described the ordeal as 'terrifying' and said baby Lukas was left vomiting and 'screaming in pain' (pictured together isolating in their St Clair home in Sydney's west)

Despite the positive test, baby Lukas was left in his pram for 14 hours with staff at Nepean Hospital (pictured) overwhelmed by case numbers

'I do know. They're under the pump, just a little bit more care would've been nice,' Ms Kouts said.

'It's always hard to see your kid sick, especially with this.'

Worried for her the child's father and young Lukas, the doting mother is also sweating on her own Covid test results as well as their toddler Emily.

While the Covid diagnosis is alarming, experts say the disease is most commonly far less serious in young children and more akin to catching the flu.

'When parents make babies - they make babies that are born with some really good immunity already because they've got it from their mother through the womb,' Infectious Diseases Physician Professor Robert Booy told the network.
Richard Macken (pictured), 27, shoved through the ticket barriers at Embankment station on March 7 before violently threatening staff.

A thug who spat at staff on the London Underground was identified after splatters of his saliva were forensically tested, police have revealed.

Richard Macken, 27, shoved through the ticket barriers at Embankment station on March 7 before violently threatening staff.

According to British Transport Police, he put his middle finger up at the workers before trying to fight them.

He then, amid the national coronavirus lockdown, spat at them twice, fortunately missing both times.

Macken, of no fixed address, then spat at the control room window and threw tube maps around the station before leaving.

Swabs taken from the window were analysed by forensics and found to be a DNA match for Macken, securing his conviction.

He was charged with common assault and pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court on August 12.

He was sentenced to eight weeks in prison.

Swabs taken from the control room window at Embankment station (pictured) were analysed by forensics and found to be a DNA match for Macken, securing his conviction

PC Steve Russell of the London Underground Staff Assaults team said: 'Macken's behaviour was intimidating and chaotic, he tried hard to spit at staff in the middle of a pandemic, threatened them and caused a mess in the station.

'They were just trying to do their jobs in what was and still is a difficult time.

'Thankfully, their quick thinking ensured they used a spit kit to collect key evidence which helped identify Macken.

'These kits are excellent in tracking offenders who try wielding their spit as a weapon to create fear and concern.'
Dominic Raab today ruled out formally recognising the new Taliban regime in Afghanistan for the 'foreseeable future' but said the UK will seek a 'pragmatic and realistic' relationship with the group.

Speaking in Doha, Qatar, the Foreign Secretary said Britain needs to be able to have 'direct engagement' with the Taliban as the world adjusts to 'the new reality'.

But he stressed that will not include diplomatic recognition as he said the group will be judged by its actions and not by its words.

Meanwhile, Mr Raab said rescue flights from Kabul airport may be able to resume 'in the near future'.

After discussions with Qatar about evacuations from the airport, he said: 'I don't think we're yet able to say anything formal but that's looking like it may happen at some point in the near future.'

Speaking in Doha, Qatar, Dominic Raab said Britain needs to be able to have 'direct engagement' with the Taliban as he world adjusts to 'the new reality'

Mr Raab flew into Doha in the early hours of this morning for talks with his Qatari counterpart. He is pictured talking to staff at a resettlement programme for Afghanistan refugees

Mr Raab arrived in Doha in the early hours of this morning for talks with his counterpart and the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as he tries to bolster efforts to secure safe passage out of Afghanistan for British allies who were left behind.

Speaking at a press conference, the Foreign Secretary said Britain's commitment to Afghanistan 'remains' and 'we need to adjust to the new reality' after the withdrawal of UK and US forces.

The Taliban is now in control of the country after it swept to power far more quickly than the US and UK had anticipated.

Mr Raab told a press conference: 'We will not be recognising the Taliban anytime in the foreseeable future.

'But I think there is an important scope for engagement and dialogue and to test the intentions and indeed the assurances that have already been made by Taliban.'

The Foreign Secretary said the Taliban is facing 'early tests' which are likely to determine how it is treated by Western nations.

He told reporters: 'We are pragmatic and realistic. We don't recognise governments, we will not be recognising the Taliban.

'But we do see the need to be able to have direct engagement, otherwise we can't provide messages, we can't listen to the response and I think there are some early tests for the Taliban.

'One was their approach to the airport during the evacuation, now we are into a different space.

'Can we see safe passage provided out of Afghanistan. That will be quite an important first test, we need to be able to discuss that or engage on that.

'And there will be other issues. We all want to avoid a humanitarian disaster or crisis.

'That will require the Taliban to be able to provide and ensure a permissive climate and environment for aid workers.

'So I think engagement will be important in order to set early early tests and what we will be judging the Taliban by is their actions, not their words.'

Speaking alongside Mr Raab, Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said he is 'hopeful' that Kabul airport will reopen soon.

The reopening of Hamid Karzai International Airport would allow for a greater scale of evacuations from Afghanistan, with those trying to flee the Taliban currently being told to cross into neighbouring countries.

Qatar is viewed as key to making progress on the situation in Afghanistan because it has maintained close relations with the Taliban.

Mr Raab said the Gulf state will be a 'lynchpin' in dealing with the crisis going forward as he seeks to get 'wider buy-in' in the region for diplomatic efforts.

The Foreign Secretary is expected to visit Pakistan, which shares a land border with Afghanistan, later in his trip.
Qatar has confirmed it is working with the Taliban to reopen Kabul's airport 'as soon as possible'.

'We are working very hard [and] we remain hopeful that we will be able to operate it as soon as possible'

'Hopefully in the next few days we will hear some good news,' Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said on Thursday.

'It's very important... that the Taliban demonstrate their commitment to provide safe passage and freedom of movement for the people of Afghanistan,' he told a news joint conference with his British counterpart Dominic Raab in Doha.

Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar is working with the Taliban 'to identify what are the gaps and the risks of having the airport back up and running.'

Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport airport has been closed to normal traffic since August 16, the day after the Taliban took control of the city.

Military flights and evacuations continued until August 31, when U.S. forces quit the country and left the runway without air traffic controllers.

Sheikh Mohammed's comments came after a Qatari technical team flew into Kabul on Wednesday to discuss reopening the airport, the first plane to land there since the evacuations.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Qatar was 'working very hard' to reopen Kabul airport 'as soon as possible'

Kabul's international airport has been closed to normal traffic since August 16, the day after the Taliban took control of Kabul. Military flights and evacuations continued until August 31, when U.S. forces quit the country and left the runway without air traffic controllers. Pictured: Taliban walk in front of a military airplane at Kabul's airport the day after the U.S. withdrawal

Sheikh Mohammed's comments came after a Qatari technical team flew into Kabul on Wednesday to discuss reopening the airport, the first plane (pictured) to land there since the evacuations

Qatar, which has housed the base for the Taliban's office since 2012, is believed to have a good working relationship with the militant group.

The office was set up at the request of US officials to enable negotiations towards the country's eventual withdrawal from Afghanistan, which was completed on Monday.

More than 123,000 foreign nationals and Afghans fled the country in a complicated airlift operation after the Taliban seized Kabul on August 15, but many more are desperate to depart.

At Thursday's news conference, Sheikh Mohammed also urged the Taliban to live up to its promise to allow Afghans and foreigners to leave the country freely once the airport reopens.

The future of the airport is key not only to potentially enabling people to leave the country, but also in allowing aid to be brought in.

Qatar sent its experts after a request from the Taliban, a source said on Wednesday.

Their arrival came amid a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan that has seen thousands of people stream across land borders amid doubts that the Taliban will keep their word and allow those with western travel documents to leave once flights restart.

The flight is carrying a technical team which the Taliban (pictured) requested to help them reopen the airstrip - allowing aid into the country, and refugees out

The source on Wednesday told AFP news agency that 'no final agreement has been reached regarding providing technical assistance' the Qatari team would provide.

'Talks are still ongoing at the level of security and operation,' the source said.

Hundreds of those looking to leave Kabul are thought to be citizens of western countries who were left behind in the rush to withdraw, while tens of thousands more are Afghans who were promised sanctuary in return for helping US, UK and NATO forces.

Afghanistan is facing several immediate and rapidly worsening crises following the Taliban's rapid takeover. The crises show no sign of abating as the Islamists have not yet formed a government - caught off-guard by the speed of their own take-over.

Cash reserves are running desperately low, food shortages have seen prices soar, skilled workers are fleeing and the economy is on the brink of collapse.

Medical supplies are also running low, the country's wealth reserves are stashed overseas and subject to an asset freeze, aid payments have all-but dried up, and foreign exchanges have shut down - meaning people cannot wire funds from abroad.

The Islamist militia has focused on keeping banks, hospitals and government machinery running even as thousands of people crossed the borders into Iran, Pakistan and central Asian states.

Thousands of people have flocked to Afghanistan's land borders, doubting Taliban promises that they will be allowed to leave the country once flights restart

At Torkham, a border crossing with Pakistan just east of the Khyber Pass, a Pakistani official on Wednesday described 'a large number of people are waiting on the Afghanistan side for the opening of the gate.'

Thousands had also gathered at the Islam Qala post on the border with Iran.

'I felt that being among Iranian security forces brought some kind of relaxation for Afghans as they entered Iran, compared with the past,' said one Afghan among a group of eight that crossed over.

The Taliban is talking with Qatar and Turkey over how to run Kabul's airport, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, but it could take days or weeks to finalise those negotiations.

Uzbekistan's land border with northern Afghanistan remained closed, but its government said it would assist Afghans in transit to Germany by air, once flights resume.

In a resolution on Monday, the U.N. Security Council urged the Taliban to permit safe passage for those seeking to leave, but did not mention the creation of a safe zone, a step backed by France and others.

The Taliban have declared an amnesty for all Afghans who worked with foreign forces during the war, which ousted them from power in 2001 for their refusal to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Taliban leaders have also called on Afghans to return home and help rebuild the country, while promising to protect human rights, in an apparent bid to present a more moderate face than their first government, which enforced a strict interpretation of Sharia Law.

The militia made similar promises upon seizing power in 1996, only to publicly hang a former president, ban women from education and employment, enforce strict dress codes and adopt a punitive approach to the people of Kabul.

One woman said she saw Taliban fighters beating women with sticks outside a bank in the Afghan capital on Tuesday.

'It's the first time I've seen something like that and it really frightened me,' the 22-year-old said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Hamid Karzai Airport remained closed on Thursday after the Taliban took it over behind the backs of retreating American troops

Taliban guards are pictured outside the airstrip, where only members of the Islamist group are currently allowed to go - with no flights taking off

The Taliban have yet to name a new government or reveal how they intend to govern, unlike in 1996, when a leadership council was formed within hours of taking the capital.

The foreign minister of neighbouring Pakistan, which has close ties to the Taliban, said on Tuesday he expected Afghanistan to have a new 'consensus government' within days.

In the absence of a government in Kabul, Britain and India held separate talks with Taliban officials in Doha amid fears that up to half a million Afghans could flee.

Washington said it would use its leverage, including access to the global marketplace, over the Taliban as it seeks to get the remaining Americans and allies out of Afghanistan after its military withdrew.

High on victory and back in power, some Taliban leaders mocked the United States.

'Your power is gone, your gold is gone,' Anas Haqqani, who has emerged as one of the group's most prominent leaders, said on Twitter.

Haqqani posted a photograph of himself holding discarded prison shackles on Wednesday as he toured Bagram prison, where he spent years kept in solitary confinement by U.S. forces.

Still, Afghanistan desperately needs money, and the Taliban are unlikely to get swift access to the roughly $10 billion in assets mostly held abroad by Afghanistan's central bank.

'If the international community wants to prevent an economic collapse, one way would be to allow Afghanistan to gain limited and monitored access to its reserves,' Shah Mehrabi, an economics professor at Montgomery College in Maryland who is on the board of the central bank, told Reuters.

Afghan evacuees - some of the last allowed out of the country - arrive in Washington DC on Tuesday, a day after the last American forces departed

Long queues formed at banks in Kabul on Wednesday as people tried to withdraw savings.

The Taliban also said it had surrounded the only remaining province resisting its rule and it called on the fighters there to negotiate a settlement with it.

Several thousand members of local militias and remnants of army and special forces units have been holding in mountainous Panjshir under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud.

In a recorded speech, senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Motaqi called on them to put down their weapons.

'The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is home for all Afghans,' he said.

Motaqi reminded the anti-Taliban forces that NATO and U.S. forces had been unable to defeat the Taliban.

'But we are still trying to ensure that there is no war and that the issue in Panjshir is resolved calmly and peacefully,' he said.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the United States was also mindful of the threat posed by ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate that claimed responsibility for last week's suicide bombing outside Kabul airport which killed 13 U.S. troops and scores of Afghan civilians.
A pizza firm boss from Kent has told how he sneaked into Afghanistan to help his desperate family last week while thousands tried to flee the country in the other direction.

Abdullah Sayed flew to Turkey via France, then onto Uzbekistan, before entering Taliban-controlled Afghanistan on Saturday, August 28.

Abdullah, 28, felt he had no option after his mother and five younger siblings aged between four and 14, called him in tears last week to tell him his father and brother  who both worked for the previous regime  had been arrested and had not been heard from since.

But now, he fears for his own and his family's lives as they are hiding in an outhouse in the city with no electricity or running water.

His mother has to beg for scraps of food from neighbours and refills of drinking water as the family huddle on the floor in the windowless cramped space.

Kent pizza firm boss Abdullah Sayed (pictured left) was called by his mother and five younger siblings aged between four and 14 telling him his father and brother had been arrested by the Taliban. Feeling he had no choice, he flew to Afghanistan to save them, but is now trapped

Abdullah Sayed fears for his own and his family's lives as they are hiding in an outhouse (pictured in video grabs from footage given to the MailOnline) in the city with no electricity or running water

'We are living in conditions which aren't fit for an animal,' he told MailOnline. 'I can't go outside now because there are Taliban checkpoints everywhere and if they find me with a British passport, I'm a dead man.

'The Taliban have promised an amnesty for foreigners, but there are lots of people saying that they are not abiding by that. We don't know what to do.'

Eldest son Abdullah first left Afghanistan as a child migrant aged 14 and was placed with foster carers in Kent, where he did well at school and went to college.

A few years ago he started his own successful pizza firm in the area and he had made frequent trips back to see his family since before the Taliban takeover.

His former foster mother Sue, said: 'He stayed with us for over a year, but we're still in close touch. He is a terrific young man and this brave attempt to help his family is typical of him.

'When I lost my husband three years ago, he was so good to me, like a rock. Now he's in such a difficult position and the official advice just seems to be 'get yourself to the border and leave the country' but that's so much easier said than done.

'I suspected he'd left for Afghanistan when he didn't answer his phone last week. I'm beside myself with worry.'

Abdullah Sayed (pictured with friends and family), flew to Turkey via France, then onto Uzbekistan, before entering Taliban-controlled Afghanistan on Saturday, August 28

After making his way across the Panjshir Valley, north of Kabul, Abdullah arrived at his family home at 3am and his family gathered up what they could carry and moved to their hiding place.

Footage provided by Abdullah to the MailOnline shows the inside of the dark outhouse he and his family are staying in, with stone walls and their belongings stacked on shelves.

'I've tried to email the Foreign Office, but all I get back is an automatic response. The Taliban are looking for us and there's nowhere to go. We haven't seen daylight for five or six days.'

'I feel desperate for help to get us out of here. The UK government announced that people should go to another country, but we can't as there are hundreds of Taliban check points where they are searching every car and person.

'If they found me, it would be my last day on the planet.

Pictured: A man on his bicycle rides past a convoy of Taliban fighters patrolling along a street in Kabul on September 2, 2021. Sayed told the MailOnline that 'if [the Taliban] find me with a British passport, I'm a dead man.'

Hundreds of people gather, some holding documents, near an evacuation control checkpoint on the perimeter of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 26

'If they hadn't taken my dad and brother and my family was safe there was no need for me to come, but my little sister, brothers and mom was crying and begging for help and they were scared that they would take my other brothers and kill them.'

The automated emails from the Foreign Office to UK citizens trapped in Afghanistan say: 'British nationals who remain in Afghanistan need to consider carefully the risks should they attempt to leave by any route. It adds that he Foreign Office 'cannot offer advice on the safety or travelling to any alternative departure point'.

The message concludes: 'Any travel options you pursue are taken at your own risk. All travel throughout Afghanistan is extremely dangerous, and border crossings may not be open.'

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'The UK and international partners are all committed to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with us and those who are at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan. We have been clear that the Taliban must allow safe passage for those who want to leave.'

All names have been changed for safety reasons.
A California high school teacher who told her class to pledge allegiance to the gay pride flag instead of the American flag has been put on administrative leave.

Kristin Pitzen, of Newport Mesa School District in Orange County, posted a video explaining the incident on TikTok, and has now been removed from the classroom as the school investigates.

In the video, she admitted she'd removed the American flag because it made her 'uncomfortable', and told her class to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the gay pride flag.

When one of her English class students pointed out the American flag was missing during the pledge, she told them to recite it to the rainbow one instead.

'She has been removed from the classroom and placed on administrative leave, as our investigation continues,' said spokesperson Annette Franco according to Fox News.

Over the weekend, the Newport Mesa School District opened an investigation into the incident.

'We are aware of this incident and are investigating. While we do not discuss employee related matters, we can tell you that showing respect and honor for our nations flag is a value that we instill in our students and an expectation of our employees,' Franco said.

Teacher mocks the American Flag and suggests to students they can say the Pledge of Allegiance to the pride flag: pic.twitter.com/1QTS5xjPln  Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) August 27, 2021

Kristin Pitzen of Newport Mesa School District in Orange County sparked outrage when she boasted she'd got her class to say the pledge of allegiance to the gay pride flag

She showed off how she is celebrating Pride Month - by hanging a variety of pride flags in her classroom

'We take matters like this seriously and will be taking action to address it.'

The TikTok video posted by the teacher has since gone viral, sparking a backlash from many parents who were angry she was teaching children to 'disrespect' the American flag.

'How can the words "for liberty and justice for all" bring such hate in people? How can anyone have (an) issue with those words?' one user replied.

Some even questioned why she lives in America, calling on the school to fire her and parents to homeschool their kids.

While others praised her, even going as far to say they wished she taught their own children.

She said she always tells her class: 'Stand if you feel like it, don't stand if you feel like it. Say the words if you want, don't have to say the words.'

'So my class decided to stand but not say the words - totally fine,' she said.

In the controversial TikTok, Pitzen reveals that the Pledge of Allegiance is read during third-period announcements.

'Except for the fact that my room does not have a flag,' Pitzen added.

'It used to be there,' she said in the video as she pivots the camera and points to the wall in the front of the classroom.

'But I took it down during Covid,' she said, whispering that she did it 'because it made me uncomfortable'.

She said she 'packed it away' but doesn't know where, laughing in a way that implied otherwise, prompting the school district to open an investigation.

'And I haven't found it yet,' Pitzen added, as she put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

When a student asks her where the flag is, saying it's 'kinda weird that we stand and then we say it (the Pledge of Allegiance) to nothing,' the teacher shrugged it off and told them: 'I'm working on it, I got you.'

The TikTok then cuts to Pitzen then silently mouthing 'no' while shaking her head.

In the meantime, she told the student: 'We do have a flag in the class that you can pledge your allegiance to.'

Pitzen works at the Newport Mesa School District in Orange County and has since taken down all of her social media accounts

She told her students she lost the American flag, whispering in the video and giggling as to imply she did it on purpose because it made her 'uncomfortable'

'And he goes: 'Oh, that one'?' she added as she shows the gay pride flag hung in the classroom.

The original TikTok has since been taken down - along with all of Pitzen's social media accounts - but has been viewed on Twitter more than 1.2million times.

An earlier video she posted on her account, where she goes by @MrsGillingsworth, the teacher celebrated Pride Month on June 1 and showed off how she is celebrating by hanging a variety of pride flags in her classroom.

'I pledge allegiance to the queers,' she said in the video while wearing rainbow glasses, earrings and suspenders.

She shows off all the pride flags in her classroom and says I pledge allegiance to the queers pic.twitter.com/eQXe1OfPoW  Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) August 27, 2021

Not everyone disagreed with Pitzen, some praised her decision while others said they would have felt more comfortable pledging to the gay pride flag rather than the US one

Pitzen also showed the large pride flag she got at Target and planned to hang on the wall - the same one she later told one of her students they could say the Pledge to in place of the American Flag.

'I love you all very much. For the people who are out, for the people who aren't out - you're appreciate, you're loved, you are enough. I support you,' she said at the end of the video.

The video was disgust by many online who blasted her for being 'disrespectful to our American Flag.'

Others demanded she be fired and threatened to contact her school.

'She needs to be reported immediately to the school board ASAP!! Thank god I don't have kids in school anymore.'

Many more accused her of 'indoctrinating' their children.

Not everyone disagreed with Pitzen, some praised her decision while others said they would have felt more comfortable pledging to the gay pride flag rather than the US one. 'Reciting a pledge to any flag is cringe,' one user commented.
'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson has warned there will be a 'significant surge' in Covid cases this winter.

The epidemiologist, whose modelling was instrumental in putting the country into the initial shutdown last spring, said some restrictions might need to be rolled back.

He claimed that if daily cases soar beyond 100,000 to 150,000 there will be 'significant demands on the health system'.

It comes amid fears of a sharp rise in infections now schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have started to go back after the summer break.

Cases skyrocketed in Scotland when classes resumed in mid-August.

Meanwhile, Gavin Williamson today vowed to 'move heaven and earth' to avoid shutting schools again this winter.

The Education Secretary said he was 'absolutely' certain pupils will sit exams as normal this year after the fiasco caused by the pandemic this summer and last.

But he admitted face masks and other restrictive measures could make a comeback if infection rates start to spiral.

Mr Williamson even refused to rule out classes taking place outside but claimed it was 'not something that we'd be expecting to see an awful lot of'.

'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson (left) has warned there will be a 'significant surge' in Covid cases this winter. Gavin Williamson (right) today vowed to 'move heaven and earth' to avoid shutting schools again amid fears of a big bang in cases now that classes are going back after the summer break

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). That is despite schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland only starting to go back this week. The data is from the ZOE Covid Symptom Study

Latest Public Health England data showed Covid cases are rising fastest among 10 to 19-year-olds (grey line) and 20 to 29-year-olds (green line). Approving Covid vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds would likely help curb the spread of the virus in the age group, scientists in favour of the move claim

Schools have been left to work with local public health teams to decide what action is best to keep pupils safe this time around.

Mr Williamson also backed calls for vaccines to be given to healthy children aged 12 to 15 to help keep transmission low in schools.

He put pressure on No10's vaccine advisory board to come down in favour of the move despite the group having serious reservations about the benefit.

During a round of interviews, Mr Williamson told LBC radio: 'I will move heaven and earth to make sure that we aren't in a position of having to close schools.

'We've had two years where we've not been able to run a normal series of exams. I don't think anyone wants to see a third year of that.

'We want to get back to normal, not just in terms of what the classroom experience is like but also the exam experience.'

But the Education Secretary did not rule out a rise in infections being caused by schools reopening.

Mr Williamson told Sky News: 'This is why we're doing the testing programme and we're encouraging children to take part in it, parents, and of course teachers and support staff as well. This is a way of rooting out Covid-19.

Gavin Williamson backs Covid jabs for 12-year-olds Gavin Williamson today piled pressure on the Government's vaccine advisory panel to sign off on plans to jab children as young as 12 against Covid. During a round of interviews this morning, the Education Secretary said he 'very much hoped' the group would come down in favour of routinely inoculating youngsters aged 12 to 15. He suggested the delayed decision was making parents anxious about sending their children back to classrooms this week after the summer break. 'I think parents would find it deeply reassuring to have a choice of whether their children should have a vaccine or not,' he told BBC Breakfast. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  an independent body which advises No10 on the Covid jab roll-out  is still weighing up the risks and benefits of vaccinating children. In guidance published in July, the group said the small risk of heart inflammation from vaccines outweighed the tiny threat coronavirus poses to them. It was also not convinced that vaccinating children solely to protect adults justified the move and raised doubts about the true prevalence of long Covid in youngsters. But pressure has been mounting on the JCVI to green light the move and bring Britain in line with US and Israel, after Covid cases skyrocketed in Scotland when classes went back after the summer break in mid-August. There are fears of a similar big bang in cases now that schools across the rest of the UK have started to restart. The country is already recording 35,000 infections each day and hospitalisations are creeping up. But Professor Anthony Harnden, one of the chief scientists on the JCVI, said today the group would do what's best for children 'no matter what other people outside the committee think'. A member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) suggested giving children one dose of Covid vaccine because heart complications are more common following the second injection. Advertisement

'We're trying to strike that constant, sensible balance of actually giving children as normal experience in the classroom as possible, but also recognising we're still dealing with a global pandemic.'

All secondary school and college pupils are being invited to take two lateral flow tests at school, three to five days apart, in England on their return.

Schools and colleges are being encouraged to maintain increased hygiene and ventilation, and secondary school and college pupils in England have been asked to continue to test twice weekly at home.

Mr Williamson did not rule out outdoor classes and assemblies having to take place in the event of outbreaks.

But he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'It is certainly not something that we'd be expecting to see an awful lot of, especially in autumn and winter.'

Schools in England no longer have to keep pupils in year group 'bubbles' to reduce mixing and face coverings are no longer advised.

Children do not have to isolate if they come into contact with a positive case of Covid-19.

Instead, they will need to get a PCR test and isolate only if positive.

The medical director of Public Health England (PHE) moved to reassure parents as pupils return to classrooms, saying schools are not the 'drivers' or 'hubs' of Covid-19 infection in communities.

Dr Yvonne Doyle told BBC Breakfast: 'There'll be extra cleaning and hygiene, advice on ventilation (and) the testing is extremely important.'

She added that authorities had anticipated Covid-19 outbreaks as schools reopened, saying they are 'part of normal practice'.

But Professor Calum Semple said schools are likely to be a 'greater part of the problem' when it comes to spread of coronavirus than they previously were, and compared with workplaces where the majority of adults are vaccinated and many continue to work from home

The NHS is preparing to ensure it is ready to potentially offer Covid-19 vaccines to all 12 to 15-year-olds in England from this month, although a decision has yet to be taken by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) about this age group.

Mr Williamson said there is the capacity to both give Covid-19 vaccinations to 12 to 15-year-olds and deliver a booster programme.

He told Sky News: 'If we get the get-go from JCVI we're ready, the NHS, which has been so successful in rolling out this programme of vaccination, is ready to go into schools and deliver that vaccination programme for children.'

As pupils return to classrooms, schools in England can sign up with this year's external tuition providers through the Government's National Tutoring Programme (NTP) to offer pupils catch-up support.

The Department for Education (DfE) has said up to six million pupils are set to benefit from catch-up tuition for lost learning over the next three years under a 'tutoring revolution' in schools.

Meanwhile, Professor Ferguson, from Imperial College London, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said he expected a sharp rise in cases this winter.

He said it will be for the Government to decide on potential measures and would not be drawn on what form they might take.

Speaking to reporters during a webinar on Thursday, he said there are concerns about the effect schools reopening could have on virus spread, especially with the more transmissible and now-dominant Delta variant.

He said: 'We expect to see quite a significant surge in cases, to some extent in hospitalisations, but whether that's going to require any rolling back of the relaxation of restrictions is too early to say. It really depends on the level of healthcare demand.'

He said if an unvaccinated population of 5 or 10 per cent all got Covid in a short period of time it would result in a 'large healthcare burden, and a large number of deaths' and that it could also 'have a risk of significantly overwhelming health systems even in high income countries such as the UK'.

He said it is hard to predict how long any rise in case numbers, as seen in Scotland after schools went back, would go on for.

He said: 'Obviously the relationship between case numbers and hospitalisations has changed now, fundamentally because of vaccination. So we can cope with much higher numbers of cases per day and still maintain hospitalisations at, well, the Government would say acceptable levels, and deaths would be even lower, but that only holds for so long.

'So if we do get above 100,000/150,000 cases a day, then we start seeing very significant demands on the health system, and it will be up to the Government to decide at that point, or at some maybe earlier point, what the implications are for policy.

'I'm not going to get drawn on what that might be.'

Mr Williamson piled pressure on the JCVI to sign off on plans to jab kids as young as 12 saying he 'very much hoped' it would come down in favour of the move.

He suggested the delayed decision was making parents anxious about sending their children back to classrooms this week after the summer break.

'I think parents would find it deeply reassuring to have a choice of whether their children should have a vaccine or not,' he told BBC Breakfast.

The JCVI  an independent body which advises No10 on the Covid jab roll-out  is still weighing up the risks and benefits of vaccinating children.

In guidance published in July, the group said the small risk of heart inflammation from vaccines outweighed the tiny threat coronavirus poses to them.

It was also not convinced that vaccinating children solely to protect adults justified the move and raised doubts about the true prevalence of long Covid in youngsters.

But pressure has been mounting on the JCVI to green light the move and bring Britain in line with US and Israel, after Covid cases skyrocketed in Scotland when classes went back after the summer break in mid-August.

There are fears of a similar big bang in cases now that schools across the rest of the UK have started to restart.

The country is already recording 35,000 infections each day and hospitalisations are creeping up.

But Professor Anthony Harnden, one of the chief scientists on the JCVI, said today the group would do what's best for children 'no matter what other people outside the committee think'.

A member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) suggested giving children one dose of Covid vaccine because heart complications are more common following the second injection.
A museum in Tasmania will be the first arts institution in Australia to mandate all staff to have Covid vaccinations.

Mona art museum founder and owner David Walsh told workers on Thursday the decision was made because 'if you are unvaccinated there is a small chance you will kill someone else.'

His reasoning was that museum staff have a regular chance of being exposed to the virus given they mingle with the public each day at work.

Recent studies suggest the vaccines are effective at stopping a person from catching the virus from someone else.

It is unknown if patrons will be turned away from the Mona if they are unvaccinated.

Mona Art Gallery owner and founder David Walsh (pictured) has announced all his staff will be required to have mandatory Covid vaccinations

Mr Walsh told his staff at the Mona art museum in Tasmania 'if you are unvaccinated there is a small chance you will kill someone else'

Poll DO YOU AGREE WITH MANDATORY VACCINES FOR SOME WORKERS? Yes - for health care, aged care and hotel quarantine staff Yes - for all workers No - no one should have to DO YOU AGREE WITH MANDATORY VACCINES FOR SOME WORKERS? Yes - for health care, aged care and hotel quarantine staff 75 votes

Yes - for all workers 89 votes

No - no one should have to 573 votes Now share your opinion





'I'd like to mandate vaccines for the public, too, but that'd be unfair to, for example, kids,' Mr Walsh told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'This (decision) is harsh, but necessary.'

Other Australian companies who have announced mandatory vaccination requirements for staff include airlines Qantas and Virgin.

Fellow art institutions, such as the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of NSW will follow measures in place from their respective state governments.

Last month, it was announced all healthcare staff in NSW must have a Covid jab or risk losing their jobs under new public health orders - something that has already been taken to court.

Healthcare workers are required to have at least one dose of the vaccine by September 30, and to be fully immunised or be booked in for their second jab by November 30 to continue their employment.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard urged staff to come forward and get jabbed to help ease pressure on the public health system.

All healthcare workers in NSW will be required to have at least Covid jab before September 30 if they are continue to be employed (stock image)

'Many health workers in NSW are already vaccinated but if all of our staff are vaccinated it will provide greater protection for patients, visitors and other health staff,' he said.

'The public and private health systems have a responsibility to implement every possible measure to provide a safe work environment for their staff and most importantly, safe circumstances for their patients.'

Jabs for contagious diseases such as influenza, chicken pox, measles and whooping cough are already compulsory for frontline workers.

Healthcare staff must provide proof of their vaccination status to their employer by September 30 or face losing their jobs.

There has been some opposition to the push for mandatory vaccinations in NSW.

A legal challenge to mandatory Covid-19 vaccine requirements for some NSW workers was launched in the state's highest court this week, as virus infections continue to climb by more than a thousand cases per day.

Sydney solicitor Tony Nikolic on Wednesday filed the suit against Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant in the NSW Supreme Court, with the matter due to be heard for the first time on Friday.

Law firm Ashley, Francina, Leonard and Associates argues the public health orders requiring 'a broad class of workers' be vaccinated is illegal and unconstitutional, as are the extra powers granted to police to enforce public health orders.

'We have received thousands of inquiries from front-line workers - police, paramedics, nurses, aged care (staff), doctors, firefighters - construction workers, teachers, airline staff, miners, truck drivers, university students, mums and dads and, importantly, employers,' a spokesperson said in a statement.

'It is our view that vaccine compulsion strips citizens of their basic human rights, including their right to work, their right to bodily integrity and their right to informed consent to medical treatment without coercion.'

The suit will seek a declaration that the NSW public health orders are invalid and a ban on any further orders made by Mr Hazzard and Dr Chant.
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Four statues - including one of British naval hero Lord Nelson - could soon be removed from a town hall following complaints from a group of students who find them 'troubling'.

Goldsmiths University has launched a public consultation on the future of the statues at Deptford Town Hall - part of the university's south London campus.

One of the statues is of Lord Horatio Nelson, the Royal Navy admiral who died in battle while leading his fleet to a decisive naval victory over Napoleon's militaristic France.

A statue of Sir Francis Drake - a 16th century Naval officer and explorer who circumnavigated the world in a single expedition - is also in line for the chop.

The 17th-century admiral Robert Blake, who served as a naval commander under Oliver Cromwell, and an anonymous naval figure are also included in the consultation.

It comes amid concerns over the historical figures' links to slavery - particularly Sir Francis Drake who was actively involved in slave trading in his early years.

It also follows a protest by Goldsmiths Anti-Racist Action, who occupied the Grade-II listed town hall over the issue for more than 137 days in 2019.

Goldsmith says it has 'no public position' on the statues and is launching the consultation to 'understand the depth of feeling'.

But the consultation has prompted fury from the campaign group Save Our Statues, who have urged those wishing for the sculptures to remain to submit their views.

It comes as Guy's Hospital in London confirmed yesterday it will move a statue of its founder Thomas Guy to a less prominent position because of his links to Britain's slave trade after facing pressure from Black Lives Matter protests.

Goldsmiths University has launched a public consultation on the future of the statues on Deptford Town Hall (pictured) - part of the London university's campus

It comes amid concerns over the historical figures' links to slavery - particularly Sir Francis Drake who was actively involved in slave trading. It also follows a protest by Goldsmiths Anti-Racist Action, who occupied the Grade-II listed town hall over the issue for more than 137 days in 2019 (pictured)

One of the statues is of Lord Horatio Nelson, the Royal Navy admiral who died in battle while leading his fleet to a decisive naval victory over Napoleon's militaristic France. A statue of Sir Francis Drake - a 16th century Naval officer and explorer who circumnavigated the world in a single expedition - is also in line for the chop. The 17th-century admiral Robert Blake, who served as a naval commander under Oliver Cromwell, and an anonymous naval figure are also included in the consultation.

Victory at Trafalgar: How Nelson routed the French navy to save Britain from threat of invasion by Napoleon It was fought of the coast of Spain and was to be Lord Nelson's (pictured) last and greatest victory The 1805 naval Battle of Trafalgar is considered one of the most divisive naval battles in history and saw a British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson defeat a combined French and Spanish fleet. It was fought off the coast of Spain and was to be Lord Nelson's last and greatest victory against the French. The battle began after Nelson caught sight of a Franco-Spanish force of 33 ships. Normally opposing fleets would form two lines and engage in a clash of broadsides until one fleet withdrew, but when planning to engage with the enemy, Nelson divided his 27 ships into two divisions. He signalled a famous message from the flagship: 'England expects that every man will do his duty.' In five hours of fighting, the British devastated the enemy fleet, destroying 19 enemy ships. A French sniper fatally shot Nelson in the shoulder and chest. He quickly realised he was going to die and was taken below deck where he lost his life about 30 minutes before the end of the battle. After being informed that victory was imminent, the Admiral's last words were 'Now I am satisfied. Thank God I have done my duty.' Though regarded as perhaps the greatest admiral in British history, his legacy has come under scrutiny in recent years, primarily from his apparent support of the British colonial system. According to The National Museum of the Royal Navy, Nelson never owned slaves, never owned a slave plantation and never took part in slaving activities at sea. However he is said to have written a letter shortly before his death which reads: 'The private letter written sent to a sugar planter of Jamaica includes the phrase: 'I have ever been and shall die a firm friend to our colonial system, I was bred as you know in the good old school and taught to appreciate the value of our West India possession.' Some scholars dispute the letter was written by Nelson. Advertisement

The Goldsmiths' consultation will prove particularly controversial in relation to Nelson, whose links to slavery are contested.

According to The National Museum of the Royal Navy, Nelson never owned slaves, never owned a slave plantation and never took part in slaving activities at sea.

Nelson, whose statue famously sits atop the main plinth at London's Trafalgar Square, is regarded as a British war hero for masterminding a decisive victory over the French fleet in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

He was fatally wounded in the victory, which ensured British naval superiority throughout the Napoleonic wars.

The critical piece of evidence that he was a supporter of slavery is a letter written four months before the Battle of Trafalgar during his pursuit of the French fleet.

The private letter sent to a plantation owner in Jamaica includes the phrase: 'I have ever been and shall die a firm friend to our colonial system, I was bred as you know in the good old school and taught to appreciate the value of our West India possessions.

'And neither in the field or in the Senate, shall their interests be infringed while I have an arm to fight in their defence or a tongue to launch myself against the damnable doctrine of Wilberforce and his hypocritical allies '

William Wilberforce, who is mentioned in the letter, led an active 20-year campaign against slavery which eventually resulted in its abolition.

However, the legitimacy of the letter has been questioned by scholars. Some believe the letter is a copy of an original and was altered by those supportive of the slave trade who were eager to capitalise on Nelson's legacy to boost their cause.

Sir Francis Drake's legacy has also come under increasing scrutiny in recent years.

Once regarded as a great explorer who circumnavigated the world in one trip and naval officer against the Spanish fleet, his early years as a slave trader have recently come under scrutiny.

Some scholars consider Drake to be one of the first English slave traders, having been a sailor with John Hawkins - the head of the first English ship thought to have stolen people from Africa and sold them into slavery in the Americas.

Others also regard Drake's actions against the Spanish fleet as less of an act of war, but more of legitamised piracy. In Spain he is branded as a pirate and nicknamed 'El Draque'.

Blake meanwhile, also regarded as one of Britain's finest Naval leaders, was involved in the overall naval strategy that seized Jamaica - which was at the centre of Britain's slave trading.

Goldsmiths' consultation is open from September 1 to October 17.

Residents are being urged to submit their views on the statues online. A paper survey has also been sent out to around 8,500 homes in the New Cross area.

However, campaigners Save Our Signs are urging those wishing to support the statues to submit their views.

One supporter wrote: 'Please can you take part in this consultation to save our heritage and share amongst your members and local networks?'

Because the building is Grade-II listed, any changes would require approval from Lewisham Council and Historic England.

The consultation will prove particularly controversial in relation to Admiral Nelson (left), whose links to slavery are strongly contested. According to The National Museum of the Royal Navy, Nelson, never owned slaves, never owned a slave plantation and never took part in slaving activities at sea. Sir Francis Drake's (right) legacy has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. Once regarded as a great explorer and naval captain against the Spanish fleet, his early years as a slave trader have recently come under scrutiny

Sir Francis Drake: Considered by some an explorer and naval captain and others a pirate and slave trader Once regarded as a great explorer and naval officer, Sir Francis Drake's legacy has come under scrutiny in recent years Sir Francis Drake is renowned for circumnavigating the world in a single expedition on his ship the Golden Hind from 1577 to 1580 and for his role in defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588. But once regarded as a great explorer and naval officer, his legacy has come under scrutiny in recent years. Some scholars consider Drake to be one of the first English slave traders, having been a sailor with John Hawkins as he attempted to break up Portugal's then monopoly on the West African Slave Trade - moving people from their homes in Africa to plantations in the Americas. In Spain meanwhile, Drake is considered not as a naval captain by a pirate and is nicknamed 'El Draque'. Advertisement

A spokesperson for Goldsmiths, University of London told MailOnline: 'Universities should be places for honest and open discussion of difficult issues including recent debates around the complex legacy of Britain's colonial past.

'Our students and staff have expressed genuine concerns about Deptford Town Hall's historical statues and their links to colonialism and slavery. We are now carefully considering a range of options and want to hear how local people think the issues around these statues should be addressed.

'We recognise that many people hold strong opinions on this subject, and that some would rather we did not discuss it at all, but we believe it is important that the views of those who are taught in, work in, or regularly visit this university building are listened to.'

It comes as Guy's Hospital yesterday confirmed it will move a statue of its founder Thomas Guy to a less prominent position because of his links to Britain's slave trade after facing pressure from Black Lives Matter protests.

The decision has been agreed by the hospital's charitable foundation despite its consultation revealing that 75 per cent of those who responded felt the statue should remain in place.

In a statement issued with their report, the foundation said the gesture was proposed in a bid to 'address the legacies' of slavery and to make the hospital 'more welcoming to everyone'.

A separate statue of hospital benefactor Sir Robert Clayton, who also has links to Britain's colonial past, will remain in place as it was decided the position was less prominent.

But the foundation confirmed both statues will be displayed with accompanying plaques detailing their ties to the slave trade.

The statues first came under fire in June 2020 when they were both boarded up after BLM protestors launched the Topple the Racists campaign.

As a result, both statues were boarded up by the hospital foundation over fears they would be targeted by anti-racism protestors until bosses could decide what should be done with them on a permanent basis.

A 'hit list' of statues and memorials to some of Britain's most famous figures has been created by an anti-racism group

Pieces of wood were erected around the statue, in Guy's Courtyard, next to the intentionally-renowned hospital last year

Guy's Hospital has confirmed it will move a statue of its founder Thomas Guy (pictured before it was boarded up) to a less prominent position because of his links to Britain's slave trade after facing pressure from Black Lives Matter protests

The foundation also confirmed the statue of Sir Robert Clayton will have a plaque added explaining his slave trade links

Bookseller Guy made his fortune as a major shareholder in British slave-trafficking firm South Sea Company.

He sold his shares for 250,00 - the equivalent of 400million in modern-day prices - and founded Guy's Hospital near London Bridge in 1721.

A second statue depicting Robert Clayton will be taken down from St Thomas's hospital - where Boris Johnson was admitted with coronavirus in April - near Westminster Bridge.

Clayton was part of the Royal African Company who shipped African slaves to the Americas. The hospitals are both part of the same trust.
Health authorities say they still have no idea how many people went to an illegal party in Sydney's eastern suburbs last month, with nearly 100 people thought to have since become infected with Covid.

Police are investigating any potential links between the Maroubra house party which took place on August 14 and an illegal rave on the Malabar Headland on July 23.

New South Wales Police confirmed on Wednesday evening they have handed out nine $1,000 infringement notices as part of their investigations into a number of raves in the Maroubra area.

Health authorities are unsure how many people attended an illegal party in Maroubra on August 14 (pictured, mates at Maroubra in July)

The penalties were handed out to men aged between 18 and 24 in attendance at the gathering on the Malabar Headland on Friday July 23, with further punishments expected to be handed out to others.

The latest illegal house party, which was said to be attended by up to 60 people has resulted in 87 infections across Sydney and the city's eastern suburbs, with several businesses being closed as a result of exposure.

20 of those in attendance were said to be infected, and the remaining 67 cases were close contacts stemming from the party.

Among those infected who were in attendance were people from western Sydney who had illegally travelled beyond their 10km limit.

'Contact tracing and further testing is underway. The Public Health Unit has not been able to ascertain the exact number of people who attended the gathering,' the spokesperson for the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District said.

The house party has spawned 87 new Covid infections, as 20 people who attended the rave were said to infected while in attendance (pictured, police at Maroubra beach)

Five days after the party, officials were made aware a construction worker at Moore Park Stadium had tested positive, with authorities believing he came in contact with an infected partygoer.

He was said to have worked for several days while infectious.

Contract tracers identified two more positive cases before the site was closed for thorough cleaning.

A resident around the corner from the infamous Maroubra party said that most people were doing the right thing.

Penalties were handed out to men aged between 18 and 24 in attendance at a gathering on the Malabar headland on Friday July 23 (pictured: party on the headland last year)

Pictured: Party being held on Malabar headland last year. In 2021 it has been the scene of several illegal parties with police handing out several fines

'They've ruined it for everyone, people aren't impressed by it,' the resident told the Sydney Morning Herald.

NSW Police have been investigating the party as well as a series of other gatherings around the area, leading to the fines being handed out on Wednesday.

'Following inquiries, police issued $1000 PINs to nine men  aged 24, 22, 20, three aged 19 and three aged 18  earlier today (Wednesday 1 September 2021) in relation to the Malabar Headland party in July,' a police spokesperson said.

'Investigations into the August gatherings at Maroubra are continuing, which includes determining whether there are any links between the Malabar and Maroubra parties.'
The ashes of a father-of-one have been fired out of a confetti cannon over a crowd of up 70,000 revellers at the Creamfields festival by headliner Tiesto.

Stuart Mitchell, 30, from Norwich, had been set to attend the dance music event at the Daresbury estate in Cheshire last weekend but killed himself in July.

Ryan and Liam Millen, two cousins from Liverpool, bought Mr Mitchell's weekend camping tickets from his family, and they arrived separately to a second envelope from his father containing some of his ashes.

Stuart Mitchell, 30, pictured with members of his family, had been set to attend Creamfields

Ryan Millen, who bought his tickets, organised for a banner to be made with a picture of Mr Mitchell holding his son Oliver, three, with the message: 'This last dance is for you, mate'

The tickets arrived separately to a second envelope containing some of Mr Mitchell's ashes

There was also a letter with this envelope asking the recipients to spread Mr Mitchell's ashes around the Creamfields site because he loved to attend the event.

Ryan, 34, organised for a banner to be made with a picture of Mr Mitchell holding his three-year-old son Oliver, with the message: 'This last dance is for you, mate.'

He carried it around the festival before getting it on the main stage - and organisers suggested the ashes could be fired out of a cannon during Tiesto's set.

In a message posted on Gofundme, Ryan told how the production team loaded his ashes into one of the pyrotechnics scheduled to go off during the performance.

He said Dutch DJ Tiesto then 'proceeded to fire his ashes out of a confetti cannon during his closing headline act over a crowd of 70,000 fans'.

Ryan carried the banner around the festival site in Cheshire before getting it on the main stage

Ryan said the move could 'only be described as a once in a generation tribute to his biggest fan'.

He later discovered that the family of Mr Mitchell, who was a keen gamer, had already chosen and played Tiesto's hit Adagio for Strings at his funeral.

Ryan continued: 'Words cannot express our gratitude to his family for allowing us, to everyone who listened to his story and took pictures with the banner, and most importantly to the Creamfields production team for going above and beyond to accommodate us and go out of their way to allow us to honour his memory in such a fitting way.

'Stuart Mitchell, we are humbled to have been allowed to help you complete your journey with us. You will forever be a part of one of your favourite places. A piece of you always be with Creamfields.'

He added that he wanted people to 'please spread this message far and wide to raise awareness' and that 'nobody should ever be driven to taking their own life'.

Mr Mitchell, pictured with members of his family, is thought to have killed himself in July

Creamfields dance music festival took place at the Daresbury estate in Cheshire last weekend

Ryan also said Mr Mitchell had taken his own life 'despite being seemingly happy and problem free prior'.

The Millens have now become good friends with the Mitchell family, and Ryan told the Liverpool Echo: 'I'm bowled over by what happened.

'When Stuart's ashes were fired out, my heart literally skipped a beat, I was lost for words and beside myself. We were privileged to honour him in such a way.'

The Gofundme campaign is raising money towards a permanent memorial in Mr Millen's name, with the rest donated to suicide prevention and awareness charities.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local branch or go to www.samaritans.org
The Afghan interpreter who helped rescue Joe Biden from a remote valley in 2008 said he feels betrayed by America and pleaded with the president on Thursday to not forget him and his family as they fear retribution from the Taliban.

'Do you feel betrayed?' Fox & Friend First co-host Jillian Mele asked the interpreter, who goes only by his first name Mohammed  for safety reasons.

'Yes, yes, they exit their forces from Afghanistan,' Mohammed said in a phone interview. 'They left me and my family and like me, the other people left behind. But it's very scary, man, as we are under great risk.'

Mohammed, who is hiding from the Taliban with his wife and four children, said if the Taliban were to find him, they would kill him. According to a Tuesday report from The Wall Street Journal, Mohammed had been trying to get out of Afghanistan for years.

When asked Thursday what message he has for Biden, Mohammed said: 'Hello, President, do not leave  do not forget me and my family.'

'At the moment in Afghanistan, it is very hard and horrifying situation,' he added. 'There's no escape from here to another area. But I'm also wondering how I'm going to get out from my house to somewhere else.'

'Just give him my hello and tell him, if possible, tell him or send the message, to not let me and my family left (sic) behind,' Mohammed asked the Fox News host to relay to President Biden.

Mohammed, the Afghan interpreter who helped rescue Joe Biden in 2008, is pleading with the president to now help him get out of Afghanistan, claiming he feels betrayed by America

Then-Senators Joe Biden, John Kerry, and Chuck Hagel in Kunar Province rescued in eastern Afghanistan on February 20, 2008

The last U.S. military planes and service members left Afghanistan on Monday afternoon, leaving behind at least 100 Americans and scores of Afghani allies and interpreters. Biden lauded the end of the two-decades-long war in remarks Tuesday where he called the withdrawal and evacuation efforts an 'extraordinary success'.

Mohammed was one of the many left behind.

'Is your life in danger right now? What would happen to you and your family if the Taliban were to find you?' Mele asked Mohammed.

'If they find me, they will kill me. It's too easy,' he responded.

'I'm hiding in my house,' Mohammed continued. 'I haven't seen outside  what's going on outside.'

'How long can you live in hiding?' The host asked him, mentioning that his face is in a picture with Biden.

'There's no way, man. Depends, maybe die at home, there is no way,' he said.

Mohammed is just one of the hundreds  maybe thousands  of American allies and interpreters who helped U.S. forces and efforts in Afghanistan during the 20 year war, which Biden declared over in Tuesday remarks.

Senator Tom Cotton led 25 of his Republican colleagues in a letter demanding information regarding the humanitarian crisis caused by the president's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

In particular, the group wants Biden to inform Congress in an unclassified manner about 'the safety and well-being of our fellow countrymen and allies who you left behind.'

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki vowed that the U.S. will evacuate him from Afghanistan.

Psaki, when asked during her press conference Tuesday, broadly thanked Mohammed for his service but wouldn't detail exactly how that service would be repaid.

'Our message to him is: thank you for fighting by our side for the last 20 years. Thank you for the role you played, and helping a number of my favorite people out of the snowstorm, and for all the work you did.

'And our commitment is enduring, not just to the American citizens but to our partners who have fought by our side.'

Psaki echoed other Biden officials' statements that evacuating U.S. citizens and allies from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is not ending but moving into a 'diplomatic phase.'

'We will get you out, we will honor your service, and we're committed to doing exactly that,' she said.

The press secretary did not elaborate on how the Biden administration intends to see that through.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki promised the US would get the Afghan interpreter who saved Joe Biden out but didn't indicate a plan to do it

Mohammed, while working for the U.S. Army, had a key role in a story often repeated - and embellished - by Biden during his 2008 run for vice president.

As a U.S. senator, Biden was on board one of two Blackhawk helicopters that made an emergency landing in a blinding snowstorm, alongside then-Senators John Kerry and Chuck Hagel.

Mohammed is one of the thousands of SIV applicants left behind. There were 88,000 SIV applicants and as of last week only 6,000 had gotten out.

A private security team with the former firm Blackwater and U.S. Army soldiers stood watch for Taliban fighters as the crew called Bagram Air Base for help, where Mohammed jumped in a Humvee along with a force from the 82nd Airborne Division and drove hours into the mountains to rescue them.

The three senators were driven back to the base with the convoy.

'Hello Mr. President: Save me and my family,' Mohammed told the Journal. 'Don't forget me here.'

'I can't leave my house,' he said on Tuesday. 'I'm very scared.'

Kerry, left, is seen with Biden, right, during their visiting to the governor's office in Asad Abad, the provincial capital of Kunar province east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008

Taliban Badri 313 units post for the cameras at Kabul airport today, carrying American-made rifles and wearing US military gear

Mohammed's visa application reportedly stalled when the defense contractor he worked for lost records needed for his visa application. As the Taliban seized control on Aug. 15, Mohammed tried his luck at the Kabul airport gates but was turned away by US forces. They told him he could go but he'd have to leave behind his wife and children.

U.S. soldiers say Mohammed was there alongside them for over 100 firefights.

The area of the rescue was not under Taliban control, but just one day before the three then-senators' choppers went down, Taliban had killed nearly two dozen Taliban insurgents just 10 miles away.

'We were going to send Biden out to fight the Taliban with snowballs, but we didn't have to do it,' Kerry joked after the senators' rescue.

The trip was one of many that Biden, then chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, took overseas with Kerry and Hagel, who went on to become secretaries of state and defense respectively under President Obama.

In a speech on the campaign trail, Biden said in 2008: 'If you want to know where Al Qaeda lives, you want to know where (Usama) bin Laden is, come back to Afghanistan with me. Come back to the area where my helicopter was forced down with a three-star general and three senators at 10,500 feet in the middle of those mountains. I can tell you where they are.'

'It's in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan,' he said, 'where my helicopter was recently forced down.'

Army veterans have stepped in on Mohammed's behalf to call for help. 'If you can only help one Afghan, choose [Mohammed],' wrote Shawn O'Brien, an Army combat veteran who worked with him in Afghanistan in 2008. 'He earned it.'

The U.S. has evacuated over 120,000 from Taliban rule since Aug. 14, including 5,500 Americans, but left behind somewhere between 100 and 200 Americans and thousands of Afghan interpreters who worked with the U.S. military in its hasty exit.

The State Department has promised to use all diplomatic channels to continue evacuations without a troop or embassy presence.

A White House official declined to comment on Mohammed's case for confidentiality reasons.
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Israel has become the Covid capital of the world despite leading the charge on vaccines, in a clear warning sign that Britain, the US and other highly-immunised nations are still vulnerable to another wave.

Stats compiled by Oxford University-backed research team Our World in Data shows there were a record 1,892 Covid cases per million people in Israel on Wednesday  nearly 0.2 per cent of the entire population in a single day.

That was significantly higher than second worst-hit Mongolia, where the rate was 1,119 per million, and double the figures for Kosovo (980), Georgia (976) and Montenegro (909), which rounded out the top five.

The figure only looks at one day's worth of tests and Israel's high rate is thought to have been driven up by a huge testing push ahead of schools reopening there.

But the country has consistently reported some of the highest infection rates in the world since mid-August amid an unprecedented third wave, despite being one of the most vaccinated nations in the world.

For comparison, 522 people per million in the UK tested positive yesterday and the figure was closer to 595 in the US. It suggests protection gained from vaccines is starting to buckle in the face of the highly-transmissible Delta variant.

While Israel is seeing record case numbers in its fourth wave, the jabs are still protecting against severe illness with Covid deaths running at about half of the level of its second wave, even though fatalities have risen sharply in the last month.

Israel has been offering booster jabs to people over the age of 60 since July, and data suggests the scheme has helped to curb rising hospital admissions. The country has since expanded the top-up drive to everyone over 12 who has already had two doses.

With Israel acting as the 'canary in the mine', the UK has been urged to 'stop hanging around' and launch a mass booster jab programme to avoid a deadly wave this winter.

But the Government's advisory panel has yet to sign off on the plans  leaving the country lagging behind Israel and the US, which is also offering third injections to everyone given two doses.

Prominent SAGE member 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson today said he expected a surge in cases in winter but is unsure if it will be large enough to warrant rolling back restrictions. Other experts fear the return of schools in England this week and next will cause infections to explode.

Israel has become the Covid capital of the world just months after leading the charge on vaccines, according to data that shows jab protection is waning. Stats compiled by an Oxford University-based research platform show Israel recorded 1,892 cases per million people on Wednesday  nearly 0.2 per cent of the entire population in a single day. That was significantly higher than second worst-hit Mongolia where the rate was 1,119 per million and double the figures for Kosovo (980), Georgia (976) and Montenegro (909), which rounded out the top five

While Israel is seeing record case numbers, the jab is still offering protection against severe illness with Covid deaths running at about half of the level of the second wave, even though fatalities have been rising sharply since last month. There is now growing pressure for Britain to roll out a booster vaccine programme like Israel is doing

Britain's independent vaccine advisory panel, said it was waiting on more evidence that these people would benefit from another dose and claimed that the 'vast majority' of Britons still had high protection  despite the UK's cases trending in the same direction as Israel's

Israel has been offering booster jabs to people over the age of 60 since July and has managed to curb rising hospital admissions in the age group as a result. Professor Eran Segal, a mathematician at the country's Weizmann Institute, tweeted today that hospitalisations had started to fall just two weeks after the top-up campaign started. This graph shows how Covid hospitalisations have started to level off in Israel just two weeks after its booster programme began. When the drive was started hospitalisations were doubling every week. Predictions suggested this would continue (green line). But just two weeks after the jabs were given out actual hospitalisations have slowed (blue line)

Key JCVI expert says it's 'highly likely' UK will have a mass booster vaccine programme but admits decision may not happen for WEEKS Britain is 'highly likely' to go ahead with a Covid booster programme, one of No10's top vaccine advisers insisted today amid mounting pressure on the Government's expert panel to hurry up and sign off on a top-up drive. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which guides ministers on the roll-out, is still yet to give the green light to plans to re-vaccinate 32million over-50s. Yesterday, the panel announced around half a million immunocompromised people be given a third dose to 'top up' their immunity  but stressed this was not the start of any booster programme. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt called on the UK to 'stop hanging around' and follow in the footsteps of Israel, which has already recommended all over-12s get a booster jab. Its top-up drive has already helped blunt rising hospitalisations, data suggests. Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the JCVI, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think it is still highly likely that there will be a booster programme.' But he added: 'I can't definitively say that there will be because we have not made that decision yet.' And he warned any scheme was unlikely to start for weeks because the expert committee  made up of 16 of the country's top scientists  was still ironing out who would be eligible. Patience with the scientific committee is wearing thin in No10, which had hoped to start rolling out extra jabs by Monday. Studies have shown vaccine-triggered immunity can wane over time  especially among the elderly, who are the most vulnerable to the virus. Advertisement

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  No10's independent advisory panel  said it was waiting on more evidence on who would benefit from another dose and claimed that the 'vast majority' of Britons still had high protection.

Last night, the JCVI finally signed off on plans for third vaccine doses but they will only be given to half a million Britons with severely suppressed immune systems.

MailOnline understands the JCVI is waiting on more trial data from UK studies before signing off on a mass booster programme.

The group believes the UK is in a unique situation compared to countries like Israel and the US because it went with a much longer two dose strategy.

Britons had their shots spaced out by up to 12 weeks instead of the recommended three-week gap, which officials believe has generated better immunity in the population.

That decision was hugely controversial at the time but the fact it seems to have paid off has meant the JCVI isn't concerned about being an international outlier.

As well as boosters, the panel has also resisted calls to routinely vaccinate children, despite countries like the US, Canada and France all pressing ahead with those plans.

A source close to discussions told MailOnline: 'The JCVI is made up of very experienced scientists and clinicians who are used to operating under pressure and used to being lobbied about vaccinations.

'But it is also absolutely committed to basing decisions on the best available science and protecting the public.'

Real-world data from the UK, US and Israel already shows vaccine efficacy has started to wane.

US health chiefs this week released figures showing the Pfizer and Moderna jabs now only cut the risk of hospitalisation by around 75 per cent against the Delta variant in very elderly people, compared to 95 per cent when the shots first became available.

And a British study by King's College London last week found two doses become noticeably less effective at stopping infections within months.

Protection after two shots of Pfizer decreased from 88 per cent at one month to 74 per cent at six months and for AstraZeneca, effectiveness dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent.

One of Britain's top Covid experts, Professor Paul Hunter, yesterday said he saw no reason 'whatsoever' why it had taken No10's advisers so long to sign off on booster dose plans.

A study by King's College London last week suggested vaccine immunity against infection is already waning. Scientists monitored break-through Covid infections in 1.2million people who had received two doses of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine. They found that immunity wanes over time. For the Pfizer jab (blue line) it dropped from 88 per cent protection against infection to 74 per cent up to six months after the second dose. And for the AstraZeneca jab (pink line) it dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent five months after the second dose. Experts suggested the effectiveness could drop to 50 per cent by the winter

According to a study being reviewed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US, protection against hospital admission from the virus drops to as low as 75 per cent in under a year in some vulnerable people, from 95 per cent shortly after vaccination. Pfizer's (blue could be as low as 75% in over-75s) while Moderna's is around 80% in that age group

Covid cases fell in FOUR-FIFTHS of areas in England towards the end of August, data shows Covid cases fell in four-fifths of areas in England towards the end of August, official data revealed today. Public Health England's weekly report said 117 out of 149 councils saw their cases drop in the week to August 29 compared to the previous seven-day spell. The agency said cases had dropped among children, teenagers and young adults who have the highest infection rates in the country  but had risen slightly among the over-40s. This matched official figures from the Covid dashboard which showed England's cases fell five per cent in the last week of August. Department of Health figures also indicated the country's daily infection figures are still falling, with yesterday's tally of 24,723 nearly a 10 per cent drop on the week before. But despite the promising reports, a symptom-tracking app today claimed infections in the country were rising. King's College London scientists estimated 46,000-odd people were catching the virus every day across the country last week, up 20 per cent on a fortnight ago. The team also suggested there were 57,000-odd Covid infections a day across the UK as a whole. The scientists rely on more than a million people reporting their symptoms to a mobile app and whether they have tested positive to estimate Covid cases. But some experts have warned the study  which is also run by health company ZOE  is no longer reliable because it now struggles to distinguish Covid from other common viruses. Fears are growing that England will face an explosion in Covid cases over the coming week as millions of children return to classrooms following the summer holidays. Scotland has seen daily infections hit a record-high since its schools reopened in mid-August. Advertisement

The infectious disease expert, from the University of East Anglia, called for over-80s and immunocompromised people to get their shots 'pretty soon'.

And former UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who chairs the Commons health committee, said Israel's campaign was reducing rates of severe illness.

'The clear lesson for the UK seems to be to get on with booster jabs, not just for the clinically vulnerable but for everyone,' added the former health secretary.

'The latest study from King's College London showed vaccine effectiveness dropping after six months, so why are we hanging around?'

Sajid Javid revealed the Government was continuing to plan for a wider booster programme to begin this month, which could include elderly people and patients with underlying conditions like heart disease and cancer.

Meanwhile, a 'significant surge' in cases is expected in the UK but it is too early to say whether that might mean the relaxation of restrictions needs to be rolled back, a leading expert said today.

'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson, whose modelling was instrumental to the UK going into lockdown in March 2020, said if daily cases start going above 100,000 to 150,000 there will be 'significant demands on the health system'.

The scientist, from Imperial College London, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said it will be for the Government to decide on potential measures and would not be drawn on what form they might take.

Speaking to reporters during a webinar on Thursday, he said there are concerns about the effect schools reopening could have on virus spread, especially with the more transmissible and now-dominant Delta variant.

He said: 'We expect to see quite a significant surge in cases, to some extent in hospitalisations, but whether that's going to require any rolling back of the relaxation of restrictions is too early to say. It really depends on the level of healthcare demand.'

He said if an unvaccinated population of 5 or 10 per cent all got Covid in a short period of time it would result in a 'large healthcare burden, and a large number of deaths' and that it could also 'have a risk of significantly overwhelming health systems even in high income countries such as the UK'.

He said it is hard to predict how long any rise in case numbers, as seen in Scotland after schools went back, would go on for.

Just half a million Britons with severely suppressed immune systems will be invited for a third Covid jab in the UK after the Government's vaccine advisory panel finally signed off on plans for boosters doses on Wednesday. Patients who are eligible are listed above

PHE's weekly report showed Covid cases fell among under-40s at the end of August, in the latest week data is available. But they rose in older age groups

Covid cases in England were also recorded as falling across England's nine regions. The South West had the highest infection rate, although this fell sharply compared to the previous seven-day spell.

Gavin Williamson backs Covid jabs for 12-year-olds: Education Secretary says he 'very much hopes' the JCVI will sign off on the plans Gavin Williamson today piled pressure on the Government's vaccine advisory panel to sign off on plans to jab children as young as 12 against Covid. During a round of interviews this morning, the Education Secretary said he 'very much hoped' the group would come down in favour of routinely inoculating youngsters aged 12 to 15. He suggested the delayed decision was making parents anxious about sending their children back to classrooms this week after the summer break. 'I think parents would find it deeply reassuring to have a choice of whether their children should have a vaccine or not,' he told BBC Breakfast. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  an independent body which advises No10 on the Covid jab roll-out  is still weighing up the risks and benefits of vaccinating children. In guidance published in July, the group said the small risk of heart inflammation from vaccines outweighed the tiny threat coronavirus poses to them. It was also not convinced that vaccinating children solely to protect adults justified the move and raised doubts about the true prevalence of long Covid in youngsters. But pressure has been mounting on the JCVI to green light the move and bring Britain in line with US and Israel, after Covid cases skyrocketed in Scotland when classes went back after the summer break in mid-August. There are fears of a similar big bang in cases now that schools across the rest of the UK have started to restart. The country is already recording 35,000 infections each day and hospitalisations are creeping up. But Professor Anthony Harnden, one of the chief scientists on the JCVI, said today the group would do what's best for children 'no matter what other people outside the committee think'. Only over-16s are routinely eligible at the moment but younger children who are vulnerable to live with at-risk adults can be jabbed. Advertisement

He said: 'Obviously the relationship between case numbers and hospitalisations has changed now, fundamentally because of vaccination. So we can cope with much higher numbers of cases per day and still maintain hospitalisations at, well, the Government would say acceptable levels, and deaths would be even lower, but that only holds for so long.

'So if we do get above 100,000/150,000 cases a day, then we start seeing very significant demands on the health system, and it will be up to the Government to decide at that point, or at some maybe earlier point, what the implications are for policy.

'I'm not going to get drawn on what that might be.'

On Wednesday, the Government said there had been a further 35,693 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK.

The figures followed a bank holiday weekend when there is usually a lag in reporting deaths and cases.

Meanwhile, new daily symptomatic cases of the virus in the UK were up 10% on last week, according to the Zoe Covid study with King's College London (KCL).

They estimated there are currently 57,158 new daily symptomatic cases in the UK on average, based on test data from up to five days ago, an increase from 51,961 new daily cases last week.

Researchers estimated that in the double-jabbed population there are currently 17,342 new daily symptomatic cases in the UK.

They said cases in this group have been rising steadily for the last week and now make up 30% of all new daily cases.

On average 1 in 90 people in the UK currently have symptomatic Covid, they added.

Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the study and professor of genetic epidemiology at KCL, said: 'The UK has enjoyed a restriction-free summer unlike most of Europe and even though a large majority of UK adults are now vaccinated, the rise in cases, as well as hospitalisations and deaths is one of the highest in Europe.

'This is evidence that without at least some restrictions Covid will continue to spread.

'Fully vaccinated people are getting Covid, but not only are they often unable to spot the signs of infection due to the Government's outdated list of symptoms, we've seen evidence that the protection provided by vaccines is wearing off.'

He advised people to be responsible in trying to stop the spread by wearing masks, particularly in crowded places, good handwashing and social distancing where possible.

The latest Test and Trace figures showed the number of people testing positive in England has fallen slightly.

A total of 198,626 people tested positive for the virus at least once in the week to August 25, down 1 per cent on the previous week.

The number of people testing positive has been around 200,000 in the five most recent weeks of data.
House Democrats leading the investigation into the January 6th riot on Capitol Hill named Republican Rep. Liz Cheney the vice chair of their panel, elevating her profile when she's under attack from members of her own party.

The announcement of Cheney's new position came as the conservative House Freedom Caucus tries to remove Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger from the Republican Party for their roles on the January 6th select committee, calling them 'spies' for the Democrats.

Cheney and Kinzinger have been vocal critics of Donald Trump's lies that he won the 2020 election. Both were among the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over his role inciting the mob that attacked the Capitol (Trump was acquitted by the Senate).

The Democrats' move effectively makes Cheney the second-ranking member of the panel, meaning she will run the committee if Thompson is absent. It's an unusual decision for the majority party, which typically gives such a prominent position to one of its own.

House Democrats leading the investigation into the January 6th riot on Capitol Hill named Republican Rep. Liz Cheney the vice chair of their panel - Cheney is seen above with committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson

But Speaker Nancy Pelosi broke with convention when she named Cheney and Kinzinger to the committee, which came after she rejected some of House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy's picks and he pulled all of his GOP choices in return. They are the only two Republicans on the panel.

The committee has become heavily politicized as it investigates the origins of the riot and what happened in the Capitol that day.

And it's in the process of ramping up its investigation, going after the records of members of Trump's administration and Republican lawmakers.

In their announcement, Democrats praised Cheney's dedication to finding out what happened on the day a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to try and top the certification of Joe Biden's win as president.

'Representative Cheney has demonstrated again and again her commitment to getting answers about January 6th, ensuring accountability, and doing whatever it takes to protect democracy for the American people. Her leadership and insights have shaped the early work of the Select Committee and this appointment underscores the bipartisan nature of this effort,' Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the January 6th panel, said in announcing her new position.

Cheney accepted the post.

'Every member of this committee is dedicated to conducting a non-partisan, professional, and thorough investigation of all the relevant facts regarding January 6th and the threat to our Constitution we faced that day. I have accepted the position of Vice Chair of the committee to assure that we achieve that goal. We owe it to the American people to investigate everything that led up to, and transpired on, January 6th. We will not be deterred by threats or attempted obstruction and we will not rest until our task is complete,' she said in a statement.

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona is trying to get Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger removed from party for serving on the January 6th panel

Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, seen above with other members of the January 6th committee, are the only Republicans serving on the panel

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has vocally criticized Cheney and Kinzinger for joining the committee, calling them 'Pelosi Republicans,' but has show little appetite for kicking them out of the party

Her new posting comes amid news that Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, a Trump ally who led the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Congress, is circulating a letter to try and change the rules of the Republican Conference to get Cheney and Kizinger expelled.

If the GOP Conference would remove them, it would effectively kick them out of Republican Party.

Biggs suggests in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, that he's doing this because the January 6th panel is now investigating Republican lawmakers. The committee is seeking telephone records of those who had conversations with Trump on January 6th, which several GOP lawmakers did so.

'This proposal is not because of a policy or political difference, but because some members have chosen to work with the Democrats to investigate and potentially remove Republican Members from the House,' Biggs writes.

He is circulating the letter among Republican lawmakers to gain more support and then will send it to McCarthy.

In the letter, he calls Cheney and Kinzinger 'spies' for the Democrats.

'Congresswoman Cheney and Congressman Kinzinger are two spies for the Democrats that we currently invite to the meetings, despite our inability to trust them,' he writes.

Biggs suggests changing rules for the Republican caucus to expel any member who accepts a committee assignment from Democrats.

'We cannot trust these members to sit in our Republican conference meetings while we plan our defense against the Democrats,' Biggs wrote.

Neither Cheney nor Kinzinger attend the weekly Republican Conference meetings anymore but both still have their other committee assignments, as given to them by McCarthy, and often vote the GOP line.

Cheney was removed from her leadership position in the party for her vote for Trump's impeachment. The former president has attacked her repeatedly and vowed to back one of her primary opponents in next year's midterm election.

Kinzinger shrugged off Biggs' move.

'I think this is interesting. Just coming off a member declaring bloodshed will happen, many pushing Covid denialism and Jan 6 trutherism. The GOP has a choice. I am even more committed to getting truth now,' he wrote on Twitter.

McCarthy has vocally criticized Cheney and Kinzinger for joining the committee, calling them 'Pelosi Republicans,' but has show little appetite for kicking them out of the party.
The CEO of UBS Group AG banking, an international financing service with more than 25,000 U.S. employees, has said it would allow workers who don't want to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to work from home.

The move comes after more than 40 of the largest companies operating in the U.S. imposed vaccine mandates for their workers with deadlines in September and October amid the delta variant's spread.

UBS CEO Ralph Hamers said it was the best move for his company as different country's around the world have different rules and regulations.

'Every country has a different legal framework around what you can and can't make mandatory' with respect to vaccines, Hamers said at the Swiss Economic Forum in Interlaken on Thursday. 'The pandemic has delivered solutions to manage the risk of carrying the virus and passing it to your colleagues, and that is to work from home.'

UBS has around 70,000 employees worldwide, with more than a third in the U.S., Bloomberg reports.

Its largest offices are located in New York, Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Ralph Hamers, CEO of UBS Group AG, said employees who don't want to be vaccinated can work from home

UBS AG's office in Stamford, Connecticut. The global banking giant employees more than 70,000 people world wide, with more than a third working in the U.S.

More than 40 of the largest companies in the U.S. have said employees must get the COVID-19 vaccine, with deadlines set in September and October

It is not the first Swiss-based finance company to show leniency toward its workforce. Credit Suisse issued a similar rules last week, signaling a continued disruption of global banks' efforts to get workers back to in the office.

In the U.S., large financial institutions - such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and Northwest Mutual - have made the vaccine mandatory for its employees.

A memo form Morgan Stanley leadership to staff said the mandate was necessary to 'provide greater comfort for those working in the office,' Fortune reported.

The U.K.-based HSBC Bank will continue to allow employees to work from home.

While tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft have also pushed for all U.S. employees to be vaccinated, Apple and Amazon have chosen to delay bringing all employees back to the office.

Apple employees were set to return in early September, but CEO Tim Cook pushed the date back to January 2022, a move Amazon mimicked, Forbes reported.

Apple and Amazon cited worries over the spread of the delta variant, with the U.S. reporting nearly 40,000,000 new cases over the last 30 days and more than 638,000 deaths, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Nearly 75 percent of eligible adults have at least taken one jab of the vaccine.

While cases in the United States are still rising, the rate has slowed in recent weeks, leading many experts to believe the variant that devastated the nation is running out of fuel.

Cases grew by 67 percent from August 2 to August 16, from 85,000 per day to 142,000 per day, and only 15 percent, 139,000 per day to 160,000 per day from August 17 to 31.

The sharp decline in case rise could be a blip on the radar, a brief respite before a larger spike to come, or it could be the beginning of the end of 2021's summer surge.
The wife of Texas gubernatorial candidate Allen West has been cleared of DWI charges following her arrest last month after being pulled over with her three-month-old grandchild in the car.

The Dallas County District Attorney's Office said toxicology test concluded Angela Graham-West, 61, had no traces of drugs or alcohol in her system and would not pursue the DWI case against her.

Her attorney George Milner thanked the District Attorney for rejecting the case after viewing the results.

'We sincerely appreciate District Attorney John Creuzot's diligence in this matter,' Milner said in a statement. 'This is the right result, and we appreciate that honest justice was swift.'

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PICTURED: Angela Graham-West, wife of Republican Texas gubernatorial candidate Allen West was arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI) with her young grandson in the car

Dallas Police released body cam footage of the night of Angela Graham-West's (pictured) arrest

PICTURED: Angela Graham-West (left) and Republican Texas gubernational candidate Allen West (center) at the Republican National Committee in Cleveland, Ohio in 2020

Graham-West's husband, who at the time of the arrest was 'beyond livid', said he wants police to release the entirety of the body cam footage from the night of his wife's arrest as well as an apology.

'I stand by my assertion that a full apology to my wife Angela is warranted,' West said in a statement. 'As well, the full unedited body cam video should be released by the Dallas PD Chief Garcia to the press and the public. My wife's honor and reputation should have never been assailed.'

Graham-West was driving home from dinner at P.F. Changs with her three-month-old grandson, Jaxton, when she was pulled over for a traffic violation at around 8.45p.m. on August 20 in Dallas County, leading to an officer to suspect that she was intoxicated before performing a field sobriety test on her.

After the breathalyzer test, which according to an arrest affidavit provided to The Texas Tribune was inconclusive, Graham-West was charged with 'Driving While Intoxicated with a Child under 15 Years Old' and stayed in jail overnight before her release on Saturday afternoon, according to Fox News.

West tweeted his wife's attorney's statement on the DWI charges not being pursued and said he expects an apology and the release of the entirety of the body cam footage from police

On Sunday, West posted a photo of his wife's receipt the night she was arrested, which shows a lemonade, but lists no alcoholic beverages at P.F. Changs in Dallas, Texas

The Texas gubernatorial candidate is 'beyond livid' with the Dallas Police Department after his wife was arrested

On August 23 Dallas police released a 19-minute long video that included both dash-cam and body cam footage of the arrest, dallasnews.com reported.

Officers claim that Graham-West showed signs of intoxication during the field sobriety test, the Tribune reported.

Graham-West's attorney said those issues were due to a previous brain aneurysm behind her right eye.

Following the arrest West vigorously defended his wife on Twitter, posting receipts that he said proved his wife only had water and lemonade to drink the night of her arrest.

In a video posted to his Twitter the 60-year-old voiced his anger that his young grandson had been left with two police officers on the side of the road while his wife was brought to jail, saying, 'we are releasing violent criminals in Texas but arresting grandmas?'

'The thing that upsets me the most is that they [Dallas police] took my wife, arrested her, brought her to jail and left my grandson with two Dallas police officers,' West said in the Twitter video.

'Luckily, they were able to get in contact with our youngest daughter, Austin, who was able to go and pick up Jackson [West's grandson] from two police officers on the side of the road I support the thin blue line but this is insidious.'

On July 4, West announced his campaign for governor, days before he stepped down from his position as chair of the Republican party in Texas.

He will challenge current Gov Greg Abbott, a fellow Republican, who assumed office in 2015.

West's wife is also a pubic servant, as she ran for Garland City Council earlier this year, but did not progress to the runoff election.
Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigated 'a member of the news media suspected of participating in the conspiracy' to hack senior Democrats' emails in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election.

A Justice Department memo revealed the information Wednesday but did not specify who the journalist was.

The disclosure described a probe into an alleged conspiracy involving foreign government-associated actors engaged in 'hacking the computers of a United States political partys central organization.'

In 2017 Mueller took over the Justice Department's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

One of the events that set off the probe was the Russian-backed hacking of Democratic Party emails, which revealed communications of Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta, ex-DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and other top operatives and donors.

According to the DOJ's release, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein authorized a grand jury subpoena for the unidentified journalist's phone records in 2018 and a search warrant application for the journalist's 'internet cloud and email accounts.'

The new disclosure reveals then- Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, acting as AG, authorized a subpoena and a search warrant application for an unnamed 'member of the news media' during the Mueller probe

Rosenstein also approved seeking a voluntary interview with the journalist and issuing a grand jury subpoena for their testimony.

'All of this information was necessary to further the investigation of whether the member of the news media was involved in the conspiracy to unlawfully obtain and utilize the information from the hacked political party or other victims,' the disclosure concluded.

But it left blank questions into what the nature of their participation was, and whether Mueller's investigators issued the subpoena or ever got the person to testify.

No member of the news media was ever charged in connection with the hack.

It also didn't specify where the journalist worked or in what capacity - leaving open whether they were a commentator, reporter, editor or something else across the media spectrum.

The only known American member of the news media subpoenaed in Mueller's probe is Jerome Corsi, a right-wing commentator called to testify over his connections to Trump ally Roger Stone.

But the report didn't specify whether the journalist was involved in Stone's trial or any other prospective or filed charges from Mueller's investigation.

Jerome Corsi, a right-wing commentator, is the only member of the news media known to have been subpoenaed by the Muller probe, in connection with the Roger Stone trial. But it's not known who the person is or whether any information gathered for any prosecution

Over the course of his investigation Mueller indicted 34 individuals and three Russian entities.

US intelligence officials blamed the Russian government for the Democratic Party hacks. In 2016 the CIA told US officials the Kremlin directed the hacks and subsequently handed over the information to Wikileaks.

Intel officials also concluded Russia directed a hack into Republican Party emails but didn't release any GOP communications.

The disclosure was an amendment to an earlier report on DOJ information gathering and prosecution from news media entities.

The initial report, released under the Trump administration, did not include the newly-released information.

US intelligence officials blamed Russian for directing the 2016 hack and subsequent leak of hundreds of top Democrats' communications, including Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta (left)

Also newly disclosed was the authorization of grand jury subpoenas to two 'news media entities' in connection to a prosecution involving 'rioting and conspiracy to riot' in 2018.

The subpoenas compel the unnamed entities to hand over 'the unedited and original version of footage of one of the defendants assaulting a female victim.'

It states that an edited version of the footage was published to a news outlet's website and that the company sold the content to another one.

The subpoena was authorized because the initial outlet 'deferred to the entity to which it ultimately sold the content,' but that company had refused to hand over the footage voluntarily.

Like the other disclosure it does not specify persons or parties involved but mentioned it led to 'the successful prosecution of the defendant.'
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Satellite images taken by NASA's Earth Observatory show the moments before and after the entire city of New Orleans lost power in Hurricane Ida.

The storm slammed into the Bayou State on Sunday as a Category Four hurricane with 150 mph winds and torrential downpours, toppling a major transmission tower and knocking out thousands of miles of power lines and hundreds of substations.

All of New Orleans was left without electricity in the aftermath, with officials relying on generators to power the local hospitals, as more than one million reported power outages.

On Thursday, some electricity returned to parts of the Big Easy, but more than 900,000 people in the state were still in the dark, and do not know when their suffering will end.

The death toll in the storm-ravaged region rose to at least six after a coroner confirmed a 65-year-old woman had drowned in her Louisiana home.

 Slide me  Before and after satellite photos show New Orleans losing power in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida

Even as the power was slowly coming back on before dawn on Thursday along Bourbon Street and other parts of New Orleans, the widespread loss of electricity could be seen from space.

A team of scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the Universities Space Research Association mapped the outages using satellite imagery from August 9, before the storm ravaged the area, and August 31, in its aftermath.

'The imagery is surprisingly cloud-free,' Miguel Roman, a USRA scientist and leader of the Black Marble Project - which documents light pollution every night, said in a statement. 'It usually would take at least 48 hours for skies to clear up enough after an event like this.'

He noted that the few sparks of light seen in the satellite footage on Tuesday were mainly coming from diesel power and backup generators, 'which utilities do not monitor.'

The widespread power outages have forced residents to cope with the typical late-summer heat without electricity, tap water, very little gasoline and no clear idea of when things might improve.

Many were forced to wander the streets scavenging for food, ice and cash - because credit cards were unusable, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

A vehicle is seen in floodwater on Wednesday as Jean Laffite Mayor Tim Kerner pleaded for help for his residents

Ships were washed ashore in the storm that brought 150 mph winds to the Bayou City

The storm left the entire city of New Orleans without power on Sunday

People wait in a long line in extreme heat to buy ice at Duplantier Ice Service as power continues to be out in most of the city

President Joe Biden is expected to give an update on the federal government's relief efforts on Thursday, before traveling down to the Bayou State and surveying the damage first-hand.

Governor John Bel Edwards said on Wednesday he is pleased that power is starting to return to the area, saying it is 'critically important to show progress,' but acknowledged that more work lies ahead with roughly 2,600 people living in shelters in the aftermath of the storm that caused billions of dollars in damage and resulted in 14 deaths.

Ida was the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever make landfall in the U.S when it barreled across the South.

In neighboring Mississippi, the Associated Press reports, more than 300,000 people remained without electricity on Thursday.

And with water treatment plants overwhelmed by floodwaters or crippled by power outages, some places were also facing shortages of drinking water. About 441,000 people in 17 parishes had no water, and an additional 319,000 were under boil-water advisories on Wednesday, federal officials said.

Some people brought their own containers and dollies to lug ice back home as water continues to be unusable

Don Navatto, loads ice into his cooler after waiting in a long line in New Orleans

People also walked to the Food N Play Chevron Gas Station with their own gas tanks as the area faces a shortage

The Food N Play Chevron Gas station on the corner of Saint Louis Street and Rampart Street is the closest gas station to the French Quarter and one of the first to come back online after Hurricane Ida

Meredith McElroy sips her free coffee provided by Kelly Mayhew, as he pauses to wipe away perspiration while giving out food, coffee and offering a charging station for phones at his business, Mayhew Baker in New Orleans

Tiffany Wild walked from Kenner's Rivertown to the Shrine on Airline in Metairie, Louisiana on Wednesday, just to get water and meals ready to eat three days after Hurricane Ida slammed the area

In Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, authorities on Wednesday were still waiting for floodwaters to recede enough for trucks carrying food, water and repair supplies to begin moving into hard-hit Lafitte and other low-lying areas.

Officials in the area on Tuesday warned residents of the parish, which encompasses suburbs west and south of New Orleans, it could be up to 21 days before power is restored in the area and five days until the water and sewer system is up and running.

On Wednesday, Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng also said a gas shortage was hampering hospital staff, food bank employees and other critical workers in the region.

'Today we're a broken community,' she said in a news conference. 'It won't always be that way.'

Meanwhile, evacuees considering returning home to Terrebonne Parish were also warned by emergency officials on Twitter that 'there are no shelters, no electricity, very limited resources for food, gasoline and supplies, and absolutely no medical services.'

Edwards has urged residents who evacuated the area not to return before emergency officials give the all-clear.

Roughly 582,000 people were able to evacuate from New Orleans and the surrounding parishes in the three days before the storm, according to a tweet from Shawn Wilson, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation, citing an analysis of cellphone and other technology ping data.

Many others who decided to ride out the storm left following official announcements that it may take weeks for electricity to be restored, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Some would stay with family out of state, while others searched the available hotel rooms hours from the city.

Jean Lafitte was still flooded on Wednesday, preventing trucks with food and supplies from getting through

A dear died in the flood water in Jean Lafitte, Louisiana

Caskets have been spotted around Jean Lafitte and local authorities are now trying to identify and recovering them

Jareth Palmisano surveyed the damage as he steers a boat through the Jean Lafitte Harbor on Wednesday

Community residents prepare to sift through rubble on Wednesday in Jean Lafitte, Louisiana

Members of the National Guard prepared to help with the cleanup after the storm in Jean Lafitte, Louisiana

Robin Palmisano embraces his dog after they were separated during Hurricane Ida in Jean Lafitte

A boathouse was completely submerged in the water, as experts say the damage could cost insurers between $15 to $20 billion across Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi with California-based Core Logic projecting 941,392 homes are at risk of damage

Experts say storm surges from the hurricane could have caused $15 to $20 billion in insured losses across Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, according to the Wall Street Journal, with California-based Core Logic projecting 941,392 homes are at risk of damage.

In a worst-case scenario in which all of those homes are completely destroyed, Core Logic officials said, it could cost $220.4 billion to rebuild.

Allstate has reported that it had set up multiple mobile claim centers in Alabama and Texas, with personnel ready to move into Louisiana and Mississippi ready to move into the area when it is safe and assess the damage.

'We're out of the way, safe, but close enough to quickly get to our customers and heavily-damaged communities, as soon as Ida moves out,' Jerry Samson, senior manager of response for Allstate's national catastrophe team, told the Journal.

The barrier island of Grand Isle, which bore Ida's full fury, is now 'uninhabitable,' with every building damaged, Jefferson Sheng said on Tuesday. There are also numerous breaks in the levee system and a strong odor of natural gas, she said, with no means to communicate to people on the island.

Police Chief Scooter Resweber said he was 'amazed that no one was killed or even seriously injured.'

About half of the properties on the island of about 1,400 people were heavily damaged or destroyed, and the main roadway was nearly completely covered in sand brought in from the tidal surge.

'Ive ridden out other hurricanes: Hurricane Isaac, Katrina, Gustav, Ike. ... This is the worst,' Resweber said.

People from the community, including Oliver Morse, 13, and Conner McCoy, second from left, put together sandwiches to be given to people for free as residents continue to struggle in the aftermath of the storm

Todd Luoto helped make sandwiches for people in need in New Orleans

Local volunteers Izzi Lucas and Claudio Venancio of The New Orleans Resilience Corps give food prepared by other volunteers to members of the National Guard on the scene

Michael DiSimone CEO of the Link Restaurant Group said they made approximately 2,000 meals for the community that day

President Joe Biden is expected to deliver a speech on Thursday outlining his administration's response to the storm before visiting the area first-hand on Friday.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden 'absolutely would not' visit Louisiana if his presence would take away from relief efforts, but Governor Edwards suggested a visit would be crucial for the president to understand the extent of the damage.

'There's nothing quite like visiting in person,' Edwards told reporters on Wednesday. 'When you see it for yourself, it is just so much more compelling.'

When asked what kind of assistance he planned to request, Edwards replied: 'Quite frankly, the list is going to be very, very long,' but, he said, a priority would be the creation of a housing program to help people rebuild.

The White House has said Biden is getting regular updates on the storm and it's aftermath, holding several conference calls with governors and local officials to discuss preparations and needs after the storm, and has been receiving briefings from FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

The federal government has already provided the area with 3.4 million meals, 2.4 million liters of water and 35,700 tarps, officials noted, as more than 3,600 FEMA employees were deployed to Louisiana, Mississippi and neighboring states to help with relief efforts.

The Army Corps of Engineers also sent employees to help restore power and there were 13 urban search and rescue teams working in Louisiana, which had also deployed more than 5,100 Louisiana National Guard service members to the area in the days before the hurricane struck.

Susan Schempf walks through piles of food donations inside of The Howlin' Wolf music venue to be cooked and given to people for free in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida

Michael DiSimone, CEO of the Link Restaurant Grou,p prepares meat to be barbecued to give to people for free

Schempf spoons soup into containers to give to people for free as power continues to be out in most of the city

As of Thursday, more than 1,200 people were walking through some of the hardest-hit communities to look for those in need of help, according to the Louisiana Fire Marshal's Office.

There have been 14 deaths related to the storm, with nine new deaths reported as the remnants of the hurricane made its way up New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Wednesday night.

A New York City Police spokesperson told the Associated Press that a total of eight people died when they became trapped in flooded basements. The deaths include a 48-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man found in separate residences and a 43-year-old woman and 22-year-old man both found inside a home.

Officials outside of Philadelphia also reported 'multiple fatalities,' but did not provide any additional information, and at least one death was reported in New Jersey, as Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said a 70-year-old man was swept away in the floods.

'His family was rescued, they were all in the same car,' the mayor told WCBS. 'Unfortunately, the car was overtaken by the waters and the firefighters who were being dragged down under the vehicle were unable to get him out.'

Officials in the city were also trying to confirm at least one other death, as police in Connecticut investigate a report of a person missing due to the flooding.

The first confirmed victim of the storm was a 60-year-old man who died in Louisiana on Monday after a tree fell on them in Prairieville, about 15 miles from Baton Rouge. Another victim died while attempting to drive his vehicle through the flooded streets of New Orleans.

Additionally, a Louisiana man was eaten by an alligator while wading through waist-deep floodwater in a shed outside their home, before he fell beneath the water. Authorities have not yet been able to locate him.

On Tuesday, two 19-year-olds working for a local electricity company in Alabama were also fatally executed when trying to repair power lines.

And two others were killed Monday night when seven vehicles plunged into a 20-foot-deep hole near Lucedale, Mississippi, where a highway had collapsed after torrential rains.

Among the crash victims was Kent Brown, a 'well-liked' 49-year-old father of two, his brother Keith Brown said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. Keith Brown said his brother was in construction but had been out of work for a while. He didnt know where his brother was headed when the crash happened.

Louisiana Gov. Edwards says he expects the death toll to increase in the coming days.
On Monday, James Whitfield, 43, (pictured) principal at Colleyville Heritage High School in Dallas-Fort Worth, was placed on leave three months after Stenson Clark accused him of having 'extreme views on race,' calling for him to be fired.

A black Texas high school principal was placed on paid administrative leave this week after a former school board candidate accused him of teaching and promoting critical race theory.

On Monday, James Whitfield, 43, principal at Colleyville Heritage High School in Dallas-Fort Worth, was placed on leave three months after Stenson Clark accused him of having 'extreme views on race,' calling for him to be fired.

Clark said he was initially concerned about Whitfield's views last summer, after seeing a letter the principal sent to parents and students.

'In this letter he promotes the conspiracy theory of systemic racism...' Clark said. 'He is encouraging the disruption and destruction of our districts.'

Clark attacked Whitfield's social media posts, saying he promotes material that aligns with critical race theory.

In lengthy July 31 Facebook post, Whitfield denied Clark's accusations, writing that Clark had disobeyed district rules by addressing him by name at a school board meeting.

Whitfield added that he experienced numerous racial attacks during the past several months, in addition for being criticized for speaking out after the death of George Floyd.

Stenson Clark (pictured) said he was initially concerned about Whitfield's views last summer, after seeing a letter the principal sent to parents and students

In a July 31 Facebook post, Whitfield denied Clark's accusations, writing that Clark had disobeyed district rules by addressing him informally by his first name at a school board meeting

He wrote: 'At the last GCISD school board meeting, an individual was allowed to speak my name in a public open forum (against the rules) and I can no longer maintain my silence in the face of this hate, intolerance, racism, and bigotry. For the better part of the last year, I've been told repeatedly to just 'get around the fact that there are some racist people' and 'just deal with it and stay positive' each time the racist tropes reared their heads, but I will stay silent no longer.'

'I am not the CRT (Critical Race Theory) Boogeyman,' Whitefield added. 'I am the first African American to assume the role of Principal at my current school in its 25-year history, and I am keenly aware of how much fear this strikes in the hearts of a small minority who would much rather things go back to the way they used to be.'

In a statement to CNN, the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District said the accusations brought against Whitfield were not the cause of his suspension.

In a statement to CNN, the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District said the accusations brought against Whitfield were not the cause of his suspension

Last month, Whitfield said race was at the forefront of his bosses' decision to force him take down photos of him embracing and kissing his white wife from social media

Whitfield said he received an email from the district about a beachside photoshoot he took with his wife, Kerrie, for their anniversary a decade ago

The couple had hired a professional photographer to take pictures of them at the beach for their anniversary a decade ago. Whitfield had the photos up on his social media

'We remain committed to providing a learning environment at Colleyville Heritage that fosters and encourages student academic and extracurricular achievement,' Robin Ryan, the district's superintendent said in a letter to parents on Monday.

After the school board announced the principal's suspension, dozens of Colleyville Heritage High School students rallied outside the Grapevine-Colleyville school district administration building on Monday to support Whitfield.

More than 30 students held up signs proclaiming 'I stand with Dr. Whitfield' and 'Hate has no home in GCISD,' as several counter protesters observed nearby.

Last month, Whitfield said race was at the forefront of his bosses' decision to force him take down photos of him embracing and kissing his white wife from social media.

Whitfield said he received an email from the district about a beachside photoshoot he took with his wife, Kerrie, for their anniversary a decade ago.

'I look at the picture, and I look at the words above it, and it says, 'Is this the Dr. Whitfield we want leading our schools?' I showed it to my wife, who immediately begins to well up with tears,' Whitfield said.

He claims the photos received complaints back then because it featured an interracial couple.

Although he removed the pictures, Whitfield went public with the story last week after a heated meeting between Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District officials and parents over race on July 26, The New York Times reports.
Pictured: Afghan resistance fighters take up position during a patrol on a hilltop in Panjshir Valley, September 1, 2021

Some of the thousands of resistance fighters amassed in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley clashed with Taliban forces again on Thursday, with both sides claiming to have inflicted heavy casualties.

It comes after the the rebel group - the National Resistance Front (NRF) - said yesterday it had killed dozens of Taliban who tried to advance into a narrow gorge at the entrance to the valley.

Following the fall of Kabul on August 15, several thousand rebels from local militias and the remnants of Afghan army and special forces units have massed in the last province resisting Taliban rule.

The rugged snow-capped valley, which begins around 50 miles north of Kabul, is the last bastion of freedom in Afghanistan.

Under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud, son of a former anti-Soviet Mujahideen commander, they have been holding out in the province, a steep valley that makes attacks from outside difficult and that has a reputation for having never been taken.

The valley has a storied history of fighting in recent years, having been used as a stronghold against the Soviets in the 1980s, and again against the Taliban in the 90s.

Efforts to negotiate a settlement between the rebels and Taliban appear to have broken down, with each side blaming the other for the failure of talks as the new Afghan rulers prepared to announce a government.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group's fighters had entered Panjshir and taken control of some territory.

'We started operations after negotiation with the local armed group failed,' he said. 'They suffered heavy losses.'

However a spokesman for the NRF said it had full control of all passes and entrances and had driven back efforts to take Shotul district at the entrance to the valley.

Panjshir Valley (pictured as resistance fighters take up position on patrol, September 1, 2021) has a storied history of fighting in recent history, having been used as a stronghold against the Soviets in the 1980s, and again against the Taliban in the 90s

'The enemy made multiple attempts to enter Shotul from Jabul-Saraj, and failed each time,' he said, referring to a town in the neighbouring Parwan province.

The spokesman said NRFA forces had also killed large numbers of Taliban fighters on two fronts since clashes first broke out earlier in the week.

'It has been proven to the other side that they cannot resolve this issue through war,' the spokesman said in reference to the Taliban's losses.

Resistance fighters in the Panjshir Valley on Wednesday scope out the roads below as the defend their homeland from the Taliban

Under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud, son of a former Mujahideen commander, they have been holding out in Panjshir Valley, a steep valley that makes attacks from outside difficult

Pictured: A satellite map showing Panjshir Valley's proximity to Kabul, which was taken by the Taliban on August 15 amid the withdrawal of US and western forces from Afghanistan

Both sides provided varying figures for the other's casualties, without offering evidence. It was not possible to verify the numbers of fighters on either side killed.

The Taliban says the Panjshir valley is surrounded on all four sides and a rebel victory is impossible. The rebels say they will refuse to surrender.

The National Resistance Front (NRF), comprising an ethnic Tajik militia and former Afghan security forces, have vowed to defend the enclave as the Islamist group say they have it surrounded. Between 150,000 and 200,000 live in the valley.

The resistance yesterday said they had killed dozens of Taliban fighters in fighting around Shotul and Golbahar, villages at the southern end of the river valley where steep slopes provide protection from invaders.

Video showed explosions atop the mountains amid skirmishes between the opposing forces, while others showed militia members boasting of the number of Taliban scalps claimed in the fighting.

One man said his men had killed eight of the terrorists around Shotul, while another claimed that they had driven the Taliban from the Shalang Pass, another major strategic artery through the region.

Pictured, file photo: Ahmad Massoud, son of the slain hero of the anti-Soviet resistance Ahmad Shah Massoud, speaks to his supporters in Bazarak, Panjshir province, September 5, 2019

Ahmad Massoud (left), leader of the Northern Alliance and son of 'the Lion of the Panjshir', says that no Taliban fighter has yet dared to enter the narrow gorge into the valley. Massoud was only 12 when his father, Ahmad Shah Massoud (right), was murdered by Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network.

The Northern Alliance tweeted today: 'Don't believe the propaganda of enemies! All the attacks from 6 sides in Panjshir were successfully defended by NRF, Taliban casualties so catastrophic that they cannot take all the bodies that lying around the border areas of the province. They have modern weapons but dumb minds.'

The Taliban earlier appealed to people in the Panjshir to lay down their arms following a night of fierce fighting around the valley.

'My brothers, we tried our best to solve the Panjshir problem with talks and negotiations... but unfortunately all in vain,' senior Taliban official Amir Khan Muttaqi said, in an audio message to the people of the Panjshir posted on Twitter.

'Now that the talks have failed and Mujahiddin (Taliban) have surrounded Panjshir, there are still people inside that don't want the problems to be solved peacefully,' he added.

'Now it is up to you to talk to them,' the Taliban message to the Panjshir people said. 'Those who want to fight, tell them it is enough.'

Bismillah Mohammadi, Afghanistan's defence minister before the government fell last month, said the Taliban had launched a renewed assault on Panjshir on Tuesday night.

'Last night the Taliban terrorists attacked Panjshir, but were defeated,' Mohammadi tweeted Wednesday, claiming 34 Taliban were killed and 65 wounded.

'Our people should not worry. They retreated with heavy casualties.'

Residents and fighters in Panjshir, many of whom fought the Taliban when they were last in power from 1996 to 2001, offered a defiant message.

'We are ready to defend it till the last drop of our blood,' said one resident.

'Everyone has a weapon on their shoulder and ready to fire,' another said. 'From the youngest to the oldest, they all talk about resistance.'

Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban uprising forces gather in Khenj District in Panjshir province on August 31

As the last US soldiers boarded their flight out of Afghanistan in the Kabul dark late Monday, residents of Panjshir said the Taliban had attacked the valley on two fronts - the Khawak pass in the west, and from Shotul to the south.

'Perhaps they wanted to try their luck,' NRF official Fahim Dashti said in a video posted Tuesday by the US broadcaster Voice of America's Dari language service.

'By the grace of God, luck wasn't on their side.'

Dashti reported seven or eight Taliban fighters were killed in Monday's clashes along with one or two resistance fighters.

The Panjshir has immense symbolic value in Afghanistan as the area that has resisted occupation by invaders.

'We defended it during the era of the Russians, the era of the British, the previous era of the Taliban... we will continue to defend it,' one fighter said.

Ahmad Massoud, one of the NRF's leaders, is the son of the late guerrilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was dubbed the 'Lion of Panjshir' for holding out, first against Soviet and then Taliban forces.

The valley has limited entry points and its geography offers a natural military advantage - defending units can use high positions to effectively target attacking forces.

Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban uprising forces gather in Panjshir

This week, Panjshir fighters held military training in a show of force, with men carrying heavy logs on their shoulders crossing chest-deep icy rivers.

Above their armoured vehicles and over their bases fluttered their flag, a challenge to the Taliban's white banner now hauled up across the rest of the country.

Many Afghans are terrified of a repeat of the Taliban's initial rule from 1996 to 2001, which was infamous for their treatment of girls and women, as well as a brutal justice system.

The NRF has set up machine gun nests, mortars and surveillance posts fortified with sandbags in anticipation of a Taliban assault.

Communications are difficult with the valley, with Taliban forces on three sides. Internet into Panjshir has been on and off repeatedly in recent days.

Reports of fighting in the region come as the Taliban are set to unveil their new government today. Meanwhile, the country's economy teeters on the verge of collapse amid food shortage warnings.

Pictured: Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, August 15, 2021. Now, Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers are set to unveil their new government as the country's economy is on the verge of ruin

The impending announcement comes more than two weeks after the Islamist militia captured Kabul and brought a chaotic and deadly end to 20 years of war, with the Taliban now back in control of the country as they were from 1996 to 2001.

Taliban official Ahmadullah Muttaqi said on social media a ceremony was being prepared at the presidential palace in Kabul after the US withdrawal, while private broadcaster TOLONews said an announcement on a new government was imminent.

Meanwhile, one-third of the country is facing food insecurity and is in desperate need of funds, according to the World Food Programme amid warnings of a humanitarian crisis in the country.

The legitimacy of the new government in the eyes of international donors and investors will be crucial for the economy as the country battles drought and the ravages of a conflict that took the lives of an estimated 240,000 Afghans.

But the Taliban are unlikely to get quick access to around $10 billion of assets held abroad by the Afghan central bank, and are struggling to reassure banks that the economy under the group will be fully functional.
A Russian influencer has travelled at speeds of up to 112mph while taped to the outside of a Chevrolet Camaro.

Footage shows Danil Myasnikov lying against the yellow car, which has been covered in duct tape to secure him in place, in Sochi, Russia.

The video, which shows him strapped to the car as it speeds along a motorway, was shared on Instagram on Wednesday.

A Russian influencer has travelled at speeds of up to 112mph while TAPED to the OUTSIDE of a Chevrolet Camaro

Danil posted the video to his loyal army of 800,000 followers and it has been viewed 215,000 times on the first day it was uploaded.

He asked his pals to strap him to the side of the high-performance motor before driving at speeds of up to 112 mph on the motorway.

However, traffic safety officers in the region were quickly alerted to the online video and have opened an investigation into the incident.

In the footage, Danil is seen being strapped to the outside of the yellow Chevrolet Camaro with rope and duct tape.

Footage shows Danil Myasnikov lying against the yellow car, which has been covered in duct tape to secure him in place, in Sochi, south-western Russia

Myasnikov asked his pals to strap him to the side of the high-performance motor before driving at speeds of up to 112 mph on the motorway

A pal then gets behind the wheel of the American car and speeds along a motorway with the influencer enjoying the ride from outside the vehicle.

Friends are seen positioned at various points along the motorway to film the Camaro as it whizzes past.

Meanwhile, a camera inside the car shows the speedometer hitting 112mph before the team ends the challenge.

Danil posted the video to his loyal army of 800,000 followers and it has been viewed 215,000 times on the first day it was uploaded
Almost one in five parents say they intend to never test their child for coronavirus as pupils head back to school after the summer holidays.

An exclusive MailOnline poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found 36 per cent of parents of school-aged children intend to test their child two or three times a week.

But 17 per cent of parents intend to never test their child and 20 per cent intend to test just once a week.

Ministers want all secondary school and college pupils in England to take two lateral flow tests upon their return, three to five days apart, and to then continue to test at home twice a week.

The Government is hoping mass testing will prevent coronavirus outbreaks in schools but the survey results suggest the strategy could be undermined.

Meanwhile, the poll found a majority of Brits - some 55 per cent - would support pupils being required to social distance amid fears relaxed coronavirus rules in the new term could lead to a surge in cases.



Pupils across England and Wales have begun to return to the classroom this week after the summer holidays, with schools in Northern Ireland also reopening.

Schools in Scotland returned a fortnight ago and the reopening is believed to have contributed to a rise in coronavirus cases north of the border.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson did not rule out a potential rise in infections being caused by schools reopening.

After being asked repeatedly, Mr Williamson told Sky News this morning: 'This is why we're doing the testing programme and we're encouraging children to take part in it, parents, and of course teachers and support staff as well. This is a way of rooting out Covid-19.

'We're trying to strike that constant, sensible balance of actually giving children as normal experience in the classroom as possible, but also recognising we're still dealing with a global pandemic.'

Schools in England no longer have to keep pupils in year group 'bubbles' and the wearing of face coverings is no longer being advised.

Today's survey showed that seven per cent of parents intend to test their children daily for coronavirus, 36 per cent said two or three times a week, 20 per cent said once a week, seven per cent said once a fortnight, five per cent said less than once a fortnight and 17 per cent said never.

The poll also revealed that a majority of Brits would support children having to social distance in schools.

Some 55 per cent would back the move while 20 per cent said they would oppose it and 20 per cent were unsure.

A similar majority, some 53 per cent, would support children being required to wear face masks in schools, while 24 per cent would oppose it.
The Supreme Court of Virginia ruled Thursday that the state can take down a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has towered over the state's capital for more than a century but became widely seen as a symbol of racial injustice.

The court's ruling shot down two lawsuits filed by Virginia residents who attempted to block removal of the 21-foot bronze equestrian sculpture on Monument Avenue in Richmond that shows Lee in military attire atop a 40-foot pedestal.

It's removal will mark the 64th to be toppled since the George Floyd protests began in May 2020.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced his decision to remove the statue in June 2020, 10 days after George Floyd's killing by a Minneapolis police officer sparked protests over police brutality and racism in cities across the country, including Richmond.

Art work, graffiti and memorials sprawled across the statue's base call out racial equity and social injustice

George Floyd's image is projected on the Robert E. Lee Monument as people gather around on June 18, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia

The Supreme Court of Virginia ruled Thursday that the state can take down an enormous statue (pictured) that has towered over the state's capital for more than a century

At least 63 other monuments or plaques dedicated to Confederate leaders in cities across the country have been similarly removed since those protests began, including a statue of General Lee from a park in Charlottesville on July 10.

A similar statue of Lee was removed from the US Capitol building in Washington in December.

Richmond's nationally recognized statue became the epicenter of a protest movement in Virginia after Floyd's death, and its base is now covered with graffiti.

Separate lawsuits were filed by a group of residents who own property near the statue and a descendant of signatories to the 1890 deed that transferred the statue, pedestal and land they sit on to the state.

Descendant William Gregory argued that the state agreed to 'faithfully guard' and 'affectionately protect' the statue.

And five property owners argued that the governor is bound by a 1889 joint resolution of the Virginia General Assembly that accepted the statue and agreed to maintain it as a monument to Lee.

Protesters with shields and gas masks wait for police action as they surround the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue on June 23

Workers remove the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a park in Charlottesville, Virginia on July 10, with the Richmond statue now set for a similar fate

During a hearing before the Supreme Court on June 8, attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that the Virginia Constitution does not grant the governor the authority to remove the statue.

The court found that 'restrictive covenants' in the 1887 and 1890 deeds that transferred the statue to the state no longer apply.

'Those restrictive covenants are unenforceable as contrary to public policy and for being unreasonable because their effect is to compel government speech, by forcing the Commonwealth to express, in perpetuity, a message with which it now disagrees,' the justices wrote.

Attorney General Mark Herring's office cheered the decision and said a small group of private citizens cannot force the state to maintain a monument that no longer reflects its values.

'Today is an historic day in Virginia. Today, we turn the page to a new chapter in our Commonwealth's history - one of growth, openness, healing, and hope,' Herring said in a statement Thursday.

Patrick McSweeney and Joseph Blackburn Jr., attorneys for the plaintiffs, could not immediately be reached for comment on whether they plan to appeal the ruling to the US Supreme Court.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Northam said his office would have comment soon.

It wasn't immediately clear how soon work could proceed on the removal, a job that will require special heavy equipment. The state has been working on detailed plans that include the extrication of a time capsule thought to be tucked inside the base.

Earlier this summer, Northam's office said it intended to leave in place the statue's enormous pedestal, as efforts are underway to rethink the design of Monument Avenue. Some racial justice advocates see the pedestal as a symbol of the protest movement that erupted after Floyd's killing and dont want it moved.

The Lee statue was the first of five Confederate monuments to be erected on Richmond's Monument Avenue, at a time when the Civil War and Reconstruction were long over, but Jim Crow racial segregation laws were on the rise.

When the statue arrived in 1890 from France, where it was created, thousands of Virginians used wagons to help pull it in pieces for more than a mile to the place where it now stands. White residents celebrated the statue of the Civil War hero and native Virginian, but many Black residents have long seen it as a monument that glorifies slavery.

The city of Richmond, which was the capital of the Confederacy for most of the Civil War, has removed more than a dozen other pieces of Confederate statuary on city land since Floyd's death, which prompted the removal of Confederate monuments in cities across the country.
A serial pervert has been plaguing the Brooklyn neighborhood of Midwood for months now, repeatedly exposing himself to innocent, unsuspecting childrenand he keeps getting off thanks to New York's soft, new bail reform laws.

Even worsethe creep lives mere feet away from a local elementary school.

Harry Zucker, 77, a white-haired man with a fondness for fondling himself in front of today's youth, has exposed himself a whopping five times since April 27, according to court records.

However, Zucker keeps getting off scot-free because New York City judges are barred from imposing bail on the charges, which were all classified as misdemeanors.

Harry Zucker, 77, a white-haired man with a fondness for fondling himself in front of today's youth, has exposed himself a whopping five times since April 27

'Why is this guy still around?' a concerned dad told The New York Post on Wednesday. 'Get him in the system, get the trial, get it done. They're not taking it seriously. I have a daughter, she's 9. I have a son, he's 13.'

Zucker lives mere feet from PS 199's open schoolyard, and is regularly spotted lounging outside his house in a lawn chair, lewdly leering at unsuspecting students with his penis in plain view, according to The Post.

Zucker's house (at left) is mere feet from PS 199's schoolyard, and he is regularly spotted lounging outside in a lawn chair, leering at unsuspecting students with his penis out

The school went as far as to hang up netting to block the fence separating Zucker's home from the school's play area, obscuring Zucker's gross gazebut that still wasn't enough to dissuade the deviant.

On June 24, Zucker was seen masturbating INSIDE the schoolyard, on a bench 'looking at children on the playground,' a criminal complaint made by a disgusted parent revealed.

The very next day, Zucker was spotted pleasuring himself AGAIN, facing the school in his regular seat of sin, this time angled to look past the netting barrier, 'looking at children on the playground,' court records say.

Prior to the disturbing incidents in June, Zucker had already been arrested on two separate occasions for masturbating in front of children in three different timesonce in April and twice in May.

But despite the severity of each of these incidents, Zucker is currently a free manthanks to controversial laws implemented by Former Governor Andrew Cuomo back in 2020, which eliminated cash bail for misdemeanors and non-violent felonies.

'The current legal system is completely failing usjust completely,' railed the irate father who spoke The Post. 'This guy should not be allowed to be near kids  [he] has to go.'

However, in a recent development, a new change to the widely disputed reform law allowed judges to now set bail in misdemeanor cases, if the defendant has an open case involving harm to another person.

Following the change in policy, Brooklyn prosecutors proceeded to request bail on Zucker's misdemeanor public lewdness charge, which stemmed from the June incidents.

During that arraignment, prosecutors pleaded with the residing judge to hold Zucker on a $10,000 cash, $20,000 insurance company bond or a $30,000 partially secured bondbut Zucker was instead ruled to undergo psychiatric evaluation.

According to court documents, Zucker had argued that he himself was a victim, saying that he had a past history of sexual abuse couldn't 'control' himself.

'I'm sorry I was sodomized by the black man,' Zucker expressed to the judge during the fateful hearing, court records show. 'It affected my brain and my body. I can't control what the black man did to me, I cannot control my brain, I cannot control the sexuality of my body; I am very sorry.'

Then, in a shocking series of events, Zucker's Legal Aid Society lawyer asked for a review of the judge's initial ruling, citing a technicality in the law that says psych tests can't be ordered on non-bail eligible offenseswhich resulted in Zucker being sent home again, a little over a week later.

Outside his home Wednesday, Zucker appeared agitated when approached by a reporter, according to The Post.

When asked about the allegations against him, the creep told the Post reporter that he had already served his 'penance'not denying that he had exposed and pleasured himself in front of the students.

'There's a curtain between my alley and the schoolyard. I'm not visible to the children in the schoolyard Nobody sees me!' he told The Post.

'I haven't done it in the alley where people can see me,' he loudly exclaimed.

'I've done penance and penance more will do! Why are we opening old wounds and making them bleed again? There are no problems in the present!'

Zucker's strange saga in court will continue during a Sept. 9 hearing.
WhatsApp has been fined 193million by Ireland for breaching EU laws over its transparency on how it shares users' data.

The messaging service, owned by Facebook, was fined by the Irish data protection regulator on Thursday after the EU privacy watchdog pressured Ireland to raise the penalty for the company's privacy breaches.

WhatsApp said the 225 million euro fine was 'entirely disproportionate' and that it would appeal.

WhatsApp has been fined 193million by Ireland for breaching EU laws over its transparency on how it shares users' data

Austrian privacy campaigner Max Schrems, who has taken on Facebook in several privacy cases, said the initial fine was 50 million euros.

Ireland's Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC), the lead data privacy regulator for Facebook within the European Union, said the issues related to whether WhatsApp conformed in 2018 with EU data rules about transparency.

'This includes information provided to data subjects about the processing of information between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies,' the Irish regulator said in a statement.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said in a statement the issues in question related to policies in place in 2018 and the company had provided comprehensive information.

'We disagree with the decision today regarding the transparency we provided to people in 2018 and the penalties are entirely disproportionate,' the spokesperson said.

EU privacy watchdog the European Data Protection Board said it had given several pointers to the Irish agency in July.

This was to address criticism from its peers for taking too long to decide in cases involving tech giants and for not fining them enough for any breaches.

It said a WhatsApp fine should take into account Facebook's turnover and that the company should be given three months instead of six months to comply.

The messaging service was fined by the Irish data protection regulator on Thursday after the EU privacy watchdog pressured Ireland to raise the fine for the company's privacy breaches

Europe's landmark privacy rules, known as GDPR, are finally showing some teeth even if the lead regulator for some tech giants appears otherwise, said Ulrich Kelber, Germany's federal commissioner for data protection and freedom of information.

'What is important now is that the many other open cases on WhatsApp in Ireland are finally decided on so that we can take faster and longer strides towards the uniform enforcement of data protection law in Europe,' he said.

Data regulators from eight other European countries triggered a dispute resolution mechanism after Ireland shared its provisional decision in relation to the WhatsApp inquiry, which started in December 2018.

In July, a meeting of the European Data Protection Board issued a 'clear instruction that required the DPC to reassess and increase its proposed fine on the basis of a number of factors contained', the Irish regulator said.

'Following this reassessment the DPC has imposed a fine of 225 million euros on WhatsApp,' it said.

The Irish regulator also reprimanded and ordered WhatsApp to bring its processing into compliance by taking 'a range of specified remedial actions'.

The Irish regulator had 14 major inquiries into Facebook and its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram open as of the end of last year.

Schrems said he would monitor the company's appeal closely.

'It is to be expected that this case will now be before the Irish Courts for years and it will be interesting if the DPC is actively defending this decision before the Courts, as it was forced to make such a decision by its EU colleagues at the EDPB,' he said.

The Irish fine is significantly less than the record $886.6 million euro fine given out to Amazon by the Luxembourg privacy agency in July.
A swap deal with Singapore has seen half a million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine land in Australia in a much-needed boost to the country's vaccine rollout.

Flight SQ 7292 landed in Sydney International Airport on Thursday night carrying the precious cargo.

The agreement gives Australia the 500,000 Pfizer doses that were due to expire on the condition that it returns the same amount to Singapore in December.

Australia's Covid-19 vaccine rollout received a huge boost on Thursday night (pictured, Flight SQ 7292 arriving in Sydney)

The federal government is hoping the deal will help with the vaccine rollout to younger Australians who have now become eligible for Pfizer.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the newly landed doses will be distributed around the country based on population.

'This deal gives us the further supplies we need as we bring new groups into the program for Pfizer, including 12 to 15-year-olds from September 13, and the 16 to 39-year-old age group that has already commenced,' Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

It comes as suburbs around Sydney and the rest of the country are rushing to receive jabs in hopes of reaching the magic 70 per cent double-jabbed mark, awarding freedoms currently unavailable to locked down residents.

In an agreement with Singapore, Australia received 500,000 Pfizer vaccines which were soon to expire (pictured, Pfizer vaccines are unloaded)

Australia will return the same amount of jabs to Singapore in December (pictured, precious Pfizer vaccines are unloaded at Sydney Airport on Thursday night)

Australians have been particularly frustrated at the slow rate in which the vaccine was rolled out initially, prompting the Prime Minister to apologise for his handling of the program earlier this year.

'I'm sorry that we haven't been able to achieve the marks that we had hoped for at the beginning of this year. Of course I am,' Scott Morrison said on July 22.

'But what's more important is that we're totally focused on ensuring that we've been turning this around.

'I take responsibility for the things that haven't gone as well as we'd have liked and I take responsibility for the things that have worked as well'.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) said the new doses will add to our supplies as young Australians will soon be eligible to receive Pfizer

Since then, Australians aged over 16 have heeded the call to be vaccinated, the figure rising to 60.5 per cent having received their first dose as of September 1 from 14.98 per cent on July 22.

Australia's slow start to the vaccine rollout was made worse by reports of ultra-rare blood clots associated with the AstraZeneca jab.

In April, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation said the AstraZeneca jab was only recommended for over 50s because of a low risk of blood clots in younger people.

The move prompted the government, which was planning to use AstraZeneca to vaccinate most people, to push back its aim to offer a jab to everyone from October to December.

In June, ATAGI increased the minimum recommend age to 60, denting confidence and delaying the jab rollout as the government scrambled to get more Pfizer into the country.

Australian have been rolling up their sleeves to receive vaccines, and as of September 1 60.5 per cent of Australians have received their first dose (pictured, a 15-year-old Melburnians gets his Pfizer jab on Thursday)

Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young even stoked anti-vaxxers when she pleaded with young people not to take the vaccine saying: 'I don't want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, if they got Covid, probably wouldn't die.'

Several doctors reported that some over 60s, who are recommended the AstraZeneca vaccine, are choosing to delay their vaccinations so they can get Pfizer instead.

In the time since these recommendations were released, AstraZeneca has since been recommended for young Australians, and many pulled up their sleeves as soon as they could to receive their jab.

The very low rate at which rare blood clotting was being seen after AstraZeneca was administered was outweighed by the risks of catching Covid, experts said.

The vaccine rollout hasn't been without its problems, and in June the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation said the AstraZeneca jab was only recommended for over 50s (pictured, Pfizer vaccines)

Only around 4-6 people per million vaccinated with AstraZeneca develop the clotting side effect called thrombosis, in combination with thrombocytopenia.

On September 2, NSW reached 70 per cent first-dose vaccination, as the state recorded 1,288 new cases of Covid-19.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the 70 per cent milestone, after 121,000 jabs were administered on Wednesday, meant restrictions could finally start to ease.

Ms Berejiklian said hitting 70 per cent was an 'outstanding achievement' but though there was relief for some Sydneysiders, lockdown would only end when 70 per cent of the state was fully vaccinated.

Anyone double-dosed will have all their freedoms back and be able to go shopping, dine in restaurants, and 'do the things we've all been missing', she said.

This recommendation was due to the risk of very rare blood clots in younger people, before the advice was removed and young people received AstraZeneca as soon as possible (pictured, a Melbourne vaccination hub)

Then at 80 per cent, the premier said international travel will finally return after more than 18 months, and thousands of stranded Australians will be welcomed home.

'That is something we want to do on behalf of the nation because during a pandemic we can't pretend that we're separate nations within one nation,' she said.

'We all need to work together. NSW will support the national aim to stick to the plan but also to welcome home as many Aussies as possible.

'I want to see as many Australians as possible across Australia and those who are overseas join their loved ones in Australia for a happy Christmas.'

NSW on Thursday reached 70 per cent first dose vaccination, and the 70 per cent double vaccination target will be reached by the end of October (pictured, NSW Premier Gladys Berejikilian)

Modelling suggests NSW will reach the 70 per cent double vaccination target by October 21, and then residents will finally be afforded freedoms to visit the pub, restaurants and stadium events.

NSW is the first state in Australia to reach the 70 per cent first dose target and will likely be the first to reach the second dose target as well.

Meanwhile in Victoria, Premier Dan Andrews failed to front the media, leaving Health Minister Martin Foley to break the news the state had recorded 176 Covid cases.

The outbreak in Melbourne now appears out of control and following the same ominous trajectory to the outbreak in Sydney.
A Florida fugitive who police found hiding in a Georgia treehouse has been charged with murder two months after allegedly shooting a police officer in the head during a traffic stop.

That police officer, 26-year-old Jason Raynor, died on Tuesday following complications from a gunshot wound to the head, his colleagues at the Daytona Beach Police Department said.

Raynor was shot during a June 23 traffic stop by 29-year-old Othal Wallace, police said.

A day after Raynor's passing, Wallace was indicted by a Volusia County grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder, according to Fox News.

Wednesday's decision allows the state to impose the death penalty against Wallace.

Seventh Circuit State Attorney RJ Larizza had previously stated that he intended on charging Wallace with first-degree murder following Raynor's death, thus allowing the state to move forward with the death penalty, however Florida law allows for only a grand jury to make that decision.

Raynor's shooter Othal Wallace, 29, (pictured here in an undated mugshot) was arrested near Atlanta following a multi-state manhunt

Raynor had been with the Daytona Police for three years and previously served with the Port Orange Police Department

Daytona Beach Police officer Jason Raynor, 26, died on Tuesday following complications from a gunshot wound to the head

Authorities located him in a tree-house (pictured) on a property near Atlanta 56 hours after the Florida shooting

'We will proceed with our solemn mission to hold Officer Jason Raynors murderer accountable,' Larizza wrote in a press release.

'Justice equals accountability and justice demands the death penalty.'

Following a multi-state manhunt, Wallace was arrested 56 hours after the Florida shooting, clickorlando.com reported, with authorities locating him in a tree-house on a property near Atlanta.

Wallace had rifle plates, body armor, two rifles, multiple flash-bang grenades, two handguns and several boxes of ammunition at the time of his arrest, according to the outlet.

Officials were eventually able to connect one of his handguns to the one that fatally wound Raynor.

'That 9-mm. firearm that was found in Georgia in close proximity to the defendant has been tested and the shell casings match,' Larizza said.

'The decision was not difficult,' he said of the decision to issue charges of first-degree murder, which allows for the death penalty in the state of Florida.

Pictured: Officer Raynor's body camera picked up the entire horrifying shooting

Raynor was shot during a June 23 traffic stop by 29-year-old Othal Wallace, pictured via body camera footage

'You've all seen the video. Officer Raynor was doing his job in a non-aggressive manner. He was... doing his best to do his job and ... respect to the individual to the defendant' Larizza said

Wallace (seen in another undated mugshot) could face death penalty after grand jury indicted the career criminal on murder charges

Larizza cited Raynor's damning police body camera footage as a reason to impose capital punishment

'You all have seen the video. Officer Raynor was doing his job in a very non-aggressive manner. He was doing his best to do his job and at the same time show respect to the individual to the defendant.'

He added that Wallace had ties to violent 'gangs' and Black Nationalist groups, all of which further contributed to the decision for the state to pursue the death penalty, Fox 35 Orlando reports.

'Those folks were all affiliated and are a part of our analysis as we move forward with the aggravator regarding the gang activity,' he said.

Raynor had been with the Daytona Police for three years and previously served with the Port Orange Police Department.

In a statement, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said Raynor died surrounded by family.

In a statement, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said Raynor died surrounded by family

Wallace (pictured in an undated mugshot) had ties to violent 'gangs' and Black Nationalist groups, said Seventh Circuit State Attorney R.J. Larizza

A GoFundMe set up for the family has received over 5,000 donations, raising over $386,000.

Raynor's family had remained hopeful he would recover after a surgery last week and asked for prayers.

'We ask for the continued prayers and thoughts and thank those of you who have shown support in so many ways,' they said in a statement prior to Raynor's passing.

Meanwhile, Chief Young said that the shooting was 'heartbreaking' for the department, Clickorlando.com reported.

'I'm extremely heartbroken,' Young said. 'We work extremely hard to try to change the narrative so that we do not have the issues that you see in other areas of the country as it pertains to law enforcement and the communities that we serve.'

'I want to assure my residents, the residents of this city, that even though we are hurt, and even though we are heartbroken, if you need us, we will be there,' Young added.
Senate Republicans on Thursday demanded the Biden administration reveal the number of special immigrant visa (SIV) applicants left behind after a State Department official admitted it was a 'majority' of them.

The senators, led by Tom Cotton, R-Ark., demanded to know the exact number of Americans, green card holders and SIVs left behind.

More than 123,000 have been evacuated from Afghanistan with US support since Aug. 14, but Americans only make up 5,500. A State Department official told reporters on Wednesday that a 'majority' of SIV applicants did not make it out before the last US evacuation plane lifted its wheels.

'Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of American citizens, permanent residents, and allies who were left behind in Afghanistan,' the lawmakers wrote. 'We are also concerned by reports that ineligible individuals, including Afghans with ties to terrorist organizations or serious, violent criminals, were evacuated alongside innocent refugee families.'

They requested a response by Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 5 p.m.

President Joe Biden's administration conceded that the majority of America's Afghan allies were left in country as the U.S. withdrew

Afghans try to talk to American soldiers to ask to be let into the East Gate of the Kabul airport last week before the U.S. left the country

The U.S. still doesn't have reliable data on who was evacuated, nor for what type of visas they may qualify, a State Department official said according to the Wall Street Journal, but initial assessments suggested most visa applicants didn't make it through the crush at the airport.

'I would say it's the majority of them,' the official said. 'Just based on anecdotal information about the populations we were able to support.'

The Hamid Karzai International Airport is now under control of the Taliban and closed. Administration officials on Wednesday could not give a timeline on when it may reopen.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that 77 per cent of the 123,000 were at-risk Afghanis.

'Are there more people who want to leave Afghanistan? Absolutely,' she said. 'Are there more people who will be eligible for our programs? Absolutely. And that's why we are so focused on the diplomatic efforts that are being led by the State Department, including a presence in Doha, including efforts to engage with the Taliban, including efforts to work with the international community to make clear what we expect.'

Hundreds of people gather, some holding documents, near an evacuation control checkpoint on the perimeter of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 26

Pictured: A man on his bicycle rides past a convoy of Taliban fighters patrolling along a street in Kabul on September 2, 2021. Sayed told the MailOnline that 'if [the Taliban] find me with a British passport, I'm a dead man.'

She also conceded that 'what is also true is that every person who wants to leave Afghanistan and come to the United States is not going to be able to do that. And that is a sad truth, but it is something that it's important for people to also understand.'

In the days leading up to the American exodus, there were times when the Taliban stopped Afghans from passing airport checkpoints, even after the United States provided the militants with a manifest of would-be evacuees, a State Department official said, according to Politico.

'There were days it did not work well,' the official said. 'We had a couple of instances where buses were a mix of foreign nationals and Afghan local employees of other missions, and the Talibs would only let pass the foreign nationals, and they turned away or they held at that location the Afghan citizens who were on that particular movement.'

But, the official noted, 'in some of those cases, we were able to successfully persuade [the Taliban] to then, in subsequent days, to allow that group to go forward.'

The administration was under heavy pressure to evacuate all Americans and the nation's allies before its August 31st departure. But 100-200 Americans remain in country.

It's unclear how many Afghanis still need out but more than 20,000 had already applied for visas when the U.S. decided to withdraw. Including their family members, as many as 100,000 Afghans may be eligible to leave.

Meanwhile, the Taliban are reportedly beating US citizens as they try to escape. Text messages shared with the Washington Examiner describe a group of US citizens making their way to the airport, only to arrive to beatings from the Taliban, who also fired gunshots to scare them away.

'What we mostly need to understand is to continue to evaluate who is where, who they have with them so that we can, on a case-by-case basis, do what we can to tailor evacuation routes for them,' Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told reporters at Wednesday's State Department briefing.

As of Wednesday morning, 20,000 Afghan refugees have arrived at eight military bases in the United States, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said at a Pentagon briefing.

The bases are heading toward their capacity for holding people with more refugees expected to arrive over the coming days.

'There is capacity and we are working towards capacity at our military basis for up to 50,000, and again this is not a place where people would live, this is a place where people would go, they would receive medical care and assistance and get connected with refugee resettlement organizations,' Psaki noted.

An aide to Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon told the Examiner that he was on the phone with a US citizen reporting to the citizen's access point, where he had been trying to pass through for days, when gunshots rang out in the background.

'He goes, "Oh my god, he's shooting." And I said, "Please get away from there, go get to safety,'" Ungerman said. 'His phone cut off while I could hear gunshots going off, and I couldn't get in touch with him again. I tried calling his cellphone every couple of hours to see if I could get him, tried an email, sent him a text message. And it wasn't until [Tuesday] morning that he actually texted me back and said, 'Yeah, I'm OK, but now what do I do?' I'm like, "You get to somewhere safe, and you stay there until we can  our government can offer some solutions to help you."'
Former President Donald Trump is once again touting vaccination for COVID-19 as infections and deaths continue to spike, calling the vaccines 'tremendous.'

Trump touted the shots, and his own administration's role in in seeking to speed authorization by helping fund multiple approaches while data was still coming in, in an interview with conservative radio host on the 'John Fredericks Show.

'The vaccines do work,' Trump told Fredericks, who served as his Virginia campaign chair

'And they are effective. So here's my thing: I think I saved millions and millions of lives around the world. We would have had another Spanish flu,' said Trump, in reference to the 1918 pandemic.

'I want our people to take the vaccines,' said former President Donald Trump. But he also said 'people have to have their freedoms'

But he once again spoke out against mandates  amid nationwide clashes over whether schools and businesses can require people to be vaccinated. One unvaccinated teacher infected nearly half her elementary school students, according to a Centers for Disease Control last week.

'I love our people, so I want our people to take the vaccines. But at the same time, I have to tell you, you cant mandate it. You cant force it. And I dont think its going to be necessary because this thing is going to eventually go away,' Trup said.

'And now countries are using our vaccines, and it's tremendous,' Trump said, in comments picked up by the Washington Post. 'It's tremendously successful.'

But even as he touted the vaccine  Trump got the vaccine in private before leaving office, even as many politicians got their own jabs on camera  Trump defended the right of people not to take it.

Nurse Helene Leger gives FIorida International University student Vanessa Claude, her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 shot at a vaccination site on campus, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, in Miami

'Im very proud of it. I saved millions of lives  but people have to have their freedoms,' he said.

His comment comes as Republican governors in many hard-hit states are battling school systems over mask mandates, as well as businesses requiring proof of vaccination for customers.

Coronavirus data show most of the hardest hit counties are in counties that backed Trump in the 2020 election.

He also said of the virus, 'This thing is eventually going to go away' - echoing comments he made early in the pandemic that has resulted in the deaths of more than 600,000 Americans.

Donald Trump was met with negativity and a round of boos at a rally in Cullman, Alabama on Saturday night after he encouraged his supporters to get vaccinated against COVID-19

Trump tried a similar two-pronged approach at his rally in Alabama last month, where he talked up the vaccine but told supporters they had 'freedoms'  earning some boos from the crowd.

'I believe totally in your freedoms, I do, you've got to do what you've got to do. But I recommend that you take the vaccines,' he said, earning some jeers.

'You've got your freedoms,' he responded. 'But I happened to take the vaccine.'

The 7-day average of U.S. deaths was at nearly 1,400 at the end of August, with 100,000 hospitalized patients and 160,000 new cases on the rolling average.

Trump didn't respond directly when Fredericks told him 'you won in 2020' and said information is 'going to prove that you were the duly-elected.'

He also didn't respond directly when Fredericks asked if the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan should result in court marshals and impeachments.

'Its the most incompetent thing Ive ever seen,' Trump said, focusing on the loss of military equipment and other aspects.

As he did before the 2020 election, Trump predicted fraud in the hot Virginia governor's race.

'You know how they cheat in elections. The Virginia governors election  you better watch it,' Trump said. 'You have a close race in Virginia, but its not close if they cheat,' he said. Trump supporters echoed similar comments at the 'Stop the Steal Rally' and the Jan. 6th Capitol riot.
The parents of a seven month-old baby girl left stranded in Kabul are to meet with their local MP to try and get her home to Britain as they fear she will never be able to return to the UK.

The couple were forced to leave their seven-month old with her grandparents in the Afghan capital in May to resolve an urgent visa issue in the UK.

Now, in a desperate bid to be reunited with their young child, they are due to meet Labour MP for Brent North, Barry Gardiner, tomorrow.

The babys mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, travelled to Kabul last September to visit her family while pregnant, but lost her UK ID card during the trip.

Her British husband joined her in December and she gave birth in Afghanistan the following month.

The mother was finally issued a single-entry Visa, giving her 30 days to return and then apply for a replacement permit.

But their baby daughter had not yet received her British passport so had to remain with her maternal grandparents in Kabul.

Relatives who are caring for the couple in North London say they are in a race against time now that the Taliban has taken back control of Afghanistan.

The parents of a seven-month-old girl (pictured) they were forced to leave stranded in Kabul with her grandparents fear she will never make it to the UK

The couple were forced to leave their seven-month old (above) with her maternal grandparents in the Afghan capital in May to resolve an urgent visa issue in the UK

The family say they will meet with Labour MP for Brent North, Barry Gardiner (right). Above: Mr Gardiner pictured with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in December 2019

The newborn's Afghan mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she had no choice but to return to the UK in May to retain her UK visa.

She had travelled to Kabul in September last year to visit her family while pregnant, but lost her UK ID card during the trip.

Her British husband joined her in December and she gave birth in the Afghan capital the following month.

The mother was finally issued a single-entry Visa, giving her 30 days to return and then apply for a replacement permit.

But their baby daughter had not yet received her British passport so had to remain with her grandparents in Kabul.

The baby's mother told the BBC: 'I have been separated from my baby for months I am lost without her by my side and we are losing hope.

'I beg the government to please help us bring my baby and family back to me.'

The couple's baby daughter had not yet received her British passport so had to remain with her grandparents in Kabul

British officials say they are still trying to safely evacuate all citizens still stranded in Afghanistan. Pictured: queues of people trying to flee from Kabul

Relatives who are caring for the couple in North London say they are in a race against time now that the Taliban has taken back control of Afghanistan. Above: Armed fighters parade along a road in Afghanistan as they celebrate the U.S withdrawal

Another family member said tonight: Our family helped the UK and the U.S out when they came to Afghanistan back in 2001 and now it is us who needs help. Our family are targets for the Taliban.

The baby is currently with her mothers parents in Kabul. They live in a house with about 15 other relatives.

Everyone is scared of what the Taliban will do and havent set foot out of the house in over two-weeks.

The parents are being looked after by family in London. We are rallying around and trying to do everything we can, particularly as the couple do not speak fluent English.

We have got a meeting with our local MP Barry Gardiner tomorrow. Were going to go through all the paperwork with him and hope he can put pressure on the government to bring this child to Britain, out of harms way.

The babys British passport has now finally arrived and we are hoping that will help matters. But the problem remains that the borders in Afghanistan are closed and our family members in Kabul are too frightened to go out at the moment.

The British father and Afghan mother, who wish to remain anonymous, said they had no choice but to return to the UK in May to retain her UK visa

The UK completed its withdrawal from Kabul at the weekend with the US mission coming to a close earlier this week

The government has said it would do all it could to help British nationals left behind at the end of the airlift.

The family said they had no choice but to leave their newborn daughter behind because of the narrow window they were given to return to the UK, and they were told the baby could not travel without a passport.

The father had to return too because the mother speaks little English and needed help with the application for the new documents.

The couple intended to return to Afghanistan once the documents had arrived but the situation changed beyond their imagination when the Taliban seized power.

The parents received their baby's passport on Wednesday but there are currently no commercial flights to or from Kabul.

The baby's father said: 'The baby's father says they applied for the baby's passport in March.

'We miss her but we cannot do anything. We want to hug her, kiss her.'

British embassy staff departed from Kabul before the girl could be brought back to the UK and reunited with her parents.

But there are concerns about the safety of the baby's grandparents after they gave help to Western forces since the 2001 invasion, and they have not left their house for the past week.

The father said British officials told him the baby is not British yet and would have to remain until her passport arrives.

The Home Office said they will 'continue to do all we can to deliver on our obligation to British nationals and eligible Afghans'.
New York state has opened a criminal investigation into former US president Donald Trump (pictured November 2020)

A Democratic prosecutor nearing the end of his term, a loyal lieutenant of the Trump family and a lawyer determined to sink his former boss: AFP details some of the players in New York's criminal probe into Donald Trump.

Cyrus Vance

The 66-year-old Democrat has been Manhattan District Attorney since 2010. He was the first to launch a criminal investigation into the Republican ex-president.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance (pictured May 2020) has doggedly pursued Donald Trump, winning a years-long battle to obtain his tax records and deploying significant human and financial resources to the politically sensitive investigation

Vance, whose father was US Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter, has sometimes been accused of a reluctance to prosecute the rich and powerful.

He delayed filing charges against disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein before securing a landmark conviction last year.

Vance has doggedly pursued Trump, though, first by winning a years-long battle to obtain his tax records and secondly by deploying significant human and financial resources to the politically sensitive investigation.

He has announced that he will not run for a fourth term when his current one expires in December, and many observers expect him to go out with a bang by filing what would be the first indictment against a former US president.

Letitia James

The Democrat became the first Black woman to become New York state attorney general in 2018.

Since then, the 62-year-old has forged a reputation as a combative and independent prosecutor, filing countless civil actions against large companies, particularly tech giants, and the National Rifle Association (NRA).

In addition to Donald Trump, Letitia James (pictured August 2020) is also investigating New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, over sexual harassment allegations and his response to the coronavirus pandemic

When Trump was in the White House, James launched dozens of civil actions against his government.

She is also investigating New York's powerful Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, over sexual harassment allegations and his response to the coronavirus pandemic.

James has been cited as a possible successor to Cuomo, particularly if her investigation forces him to resign.

Allen Weisselberg: Trump Organization CFO

The 73-year-old is the Trump Organization's long-serving chief financial officer and one of the family's most loyal servants.

He began as an accountant for Trump's father's company before joining the Trump Organization as financial controller in the 1980s when Donald established himself as a Manhattan real estate mogul.

Allen Weisselberg, pictured standing behind former president Donald Trump and his son Donald Jr. in January 2017, has served as the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization since the 1980s

Weisselberg has been around for all of Trump's entrepreneurial adventures, including when his Atlantic City casinos went bust.

According to Barbara Res, a former executive vice president at the Trump Organization, Weisselberg 'thought Trump was a god,' she told the Daily News.

Investigators believe Weisselberg knows all of the Trump family secrets and have been putting pressure on him for months to cooperate with their investigation.

Observers are closely watching whether Weisselberg will turn against his former boss.

Jennifer Weisselberg: Ex-daughter in law of Allen Weisselberg

Earlier this year, investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney's office were seen carrying boxes of documents and laptops from Weisselberg's Manhattan apartment.

She was married ton Allen Weisselberg's son Barry from 2004 to 2018.

In an interview with DailyMail.com in June, she said the former president is a 'sweet' and 'generous' man who helped pay for her children's private schooling out of kindness and good-will, rather than to dodge taxes.

If there was any unlawful activity within the Trump Organization it would be thanks to her former in-laws who still work for the company, she told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.

Up until 2018, the mother-of-two was married to Barry Weisselberg, who manages Trump's Central Park ice rinks, and her father-in-law was Allen Weisselberg, who became the chief financial officer when Trump became president.

'Allen orchestrated the finances, and Donald is just sort of naive,' Jennifer said.

'It's provable that his trusted CFO is putting [Trump] and his children in a bad legal position.'

She is also set to testify to the grand jury.

Earlier this year, investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney's office were seen carrying boxes of documents and laptops from Weisselberg's Manhattan apartment. She was married ton Allen Weisselberg's son Barry (right) from 2004 to 2018

Jeff McConney: Trump Organization Senior Vice President

McConney was known as the man in the Trump Organization who would hand over key documents to Trump and CFO Allen Weisselberg before meetings and would be responsible for cutting checks for big payments.

He was the first high-profile member of Trump's business empire known to have testified in front of the New York Grand Jury deciding whether to indict Trump.

Trump's fixer Michael Cohen told The Daily Beast: 'Think of The Trump Organization as a small, one-teller bank.

'Donald [Trump] would be the president. Allen [Weisselberg] would be the branch manager. Jeff [McConney] would be the teller. Every single transaction was booked through McConney.

Concerns for prosecutors is that McConney is seen as a Trump loyalist and, as The Daily Beast reported, someone who hates left-wing politics.

Michael Cohen

Trump's ex-personal lawyer was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 for tax evasion and violating campaign finance laws relating to Trump's 2016 vote win.

Cohen was one of Trump's closest henchmen for a decade, once proudly boasting that he was prepared to 'take a bullet' for the real estate mogul-turned-president.

Michael Cohen, pictured March 2021, openly rejoices in former boss Donald Trump's legal troubles on Twitter and through his podcast

He turned against his former boss, though, deciding to collaborate with federal investigators in Manhattan.

During a Congressional hearing in February 2019, Cohen alleged -- among other things -- that Trump regularly undervalued or overvalued his assets, both with banks and insurance companies.

Cohen openly rejoices in Trump's legal troubles on Twitter and through his podcast 'Mea Culpa.'

Source: AFP
Australia will require 57,000 more nurses and more than 30,000 more beds if it is to move permanently out of lockdowns and overcome high coronavirus cases, according to a new report being drawn up for national cabinet.

According to data from a taskforce set up by Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy, the country will have to rely on the private health sector to help fill the void and move through a post-lockdown world.

The taskforce will present its findings to a divided national cabinet on Friday, with rogue premiers still refusing to commit to reopening state borders when the 70 per cent fully-vaccinated rate is hit.

'It's about the partnership between the public hospitals and the private hospitals,' Health Minister Greg Hunt said.

'In particular, it brings 57,000 nurses, over 30,000 beds, over 100,000 staff all up into that partnership, so to provide a massive surge capacity.'

In New South Wales, where the Delta variant has lead to 23,586 cases in the latest outbreak, there are 957 patients in the state's hospitals battling Covid.

Of those, 160 are in intensive care and 64 are breathing through ventilators.

Australia will rely on private health system to help handle high Covid numbers regardless of vaccination rates as country moves to reopen in October (pictured, Blacktown Hospital)

Australia needs 57,000 more nurses if it is to come permanently out of lockdown with high Covid case numbers, according to a new report (pictured, an RPA nurse in Sydney)

As Australia moves towards a goal earlier agreed at national cabinet of opening borders and ending lockdowns between 70 and 80 per cent vaccination rates, leaders have been citing the Doherty Institute Modelling as guidance.

The model, which has been scrutinised for using hypothetical numbers and working backwards, as well as only having 180-day simulations, is regularly referred to by leaders including Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

It has found that even with surging coronavirus cases, there would not be a significant change to mortality rates if lockdowns eased when the majority are vaccinated, though the curve would peak sooner.

Officials are using the modelling to predict the strain on the nation's healthcare system, which is already seeing impacted services particularly in NSW and Victoria as the states grapple with Delta outbreaks.

Australia will need the private health sector to supplement the public system, with nurses, beds and equipment the focus.

Australia has began preparing for higher numbers of hospitalisations with increased capacities for ventilated beds in Covid wards (pictured, a Covid ICU patient in St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, in July)

Poll SHOULD ALL STATES AND TERRITORIES OPEN THEIR BORDERS WHEN 80% ARE DOUBLE JABBED? Yes No SHOULD ALL STATES AND TERRITORIES OPEN THEIR BORDERS WHEN 80% ARE DOUBLE JABBED? Yes 845 votes

No 255 votes Now share your opinion





Minister Hunt says hospitals are already being prepared for high numbers of cases, including ventilated beds increasing from a capacity of 2,000 to 7,500.

Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly says there are 4,000 invasive ventilators remaining in the national medical stockpile, as well as other Covid-specific equipment.

'There's an issue of workforce. We need to work through that. And we did last year and provided training to extra nurses at that time with an idea we would have had to surge last year,' he said Thursday.

Australian Medical Association President Omar Khorshid told The Australian the healthcare system was already at breaking point before the pandemic started and a prolonging of it could be catastrophic.

'Even pre-Covid, emergency departments were full, ambulances ramped, and waiting times for elective surgery too long,' he said.

The president of the Australian Medical Association says Australia's healthcare system was already under immense pressure even before the pandemic began (pictured, ambulances parked up at Blacktown Hospital on August 26)

COVID AND KIDS: THE FACTS Based on studies by University College London, 251 UK children were admitted to ICU for Covid between March 2020 and February 2021 There is a 1 in 50,000 chance of a child being admitted to ICU after catching the virus 25 children died as a result of Covid in the first year of the pandemic in the UK There is a 2 in 1,000,000 risk of death from Covid-19 in children Source: UCL Advertisement

There will also need to be increased participation from state leaders, with Queensland and Western Australia reneging on an agreed upon timeline for opening up the country.

Premiers Mark McGowan and Annastacia Palaszczuk have recently said they would not open borders to states that had high numbers of Covid cases regardless of vaccination rates, drawing the ire of the Prime Minister.

Outspoken Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles wrote a fierce opposition to the plan in The Australia, claiming that the modelling was being wrongly interpreted and said it was 'false hope' to NSW and Victoria that the country would learn to live with the virus.

'Decide how many people should die and work back from there  what level of vaccination you need and what other public health measures need to stay in place,' he said.

'That is the complex, difficult, life-and-death decision Scott Morrison tried to simplify down to a simple number and three-word slogan.'

He said his state's children would be the people in the firing line if they were to open given under 12s are not yet eligible for jabs.

That was disputed by the CHO who said there was no evidence to suggest Delta effected children more adversely.

South Australia have sided with Victoria and NSW in following the national cabinet's plan and pushing forward with open borders post 70 per cent vaccination, with a resolution still needing to be found.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles (pictured) slammed the Doherty modelling suggesting it doesn't give an accurate viewpoint of handling the virus long-term
Texas residents who legally own firearms can now carry the weapons openly without a permit or training amid a 14% rise in shootings in the state this year.

Gov. Greg Abbot signed the 'constitutional carry' law, which went into effect on Wednesday, despite opposition from policing leaders and gun control advocates.

The Republican governor said the new law 'instilled freedom in the Lone Star State' and made Texas the 20th state to allow residents to carry firearms without permits.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in a news conference that the law could endanger officers. The state has reported about 3,200 shootings as of September, a 14 percent jump from the roughly 2,800 reported in the same period last year.

'It makes our job, the job of our men and women, more dangerous,' he said. 'Gun owners have a duty to ensure that their firearms are handled safely and a duty to know applicable laws.'

Texas residents are now able to openly carry firearms they legally own without having permits or completing training. Pictured, pro-gun advocates marching in Austin in January

Police officials in the state have warned that the new law could make their jobs more difficult to sort between armed criminals and civilians in the streets. Pictured, NRA members carrying guitar-themed guns at a convention in Houston

Dallas Police Chief Eddi Garcia, speaking at a conference on March 4, spoke out against the new law, saying it makes his officers job more dangerous

Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, echoed Garcia's worries.

The new law, which passed in an 82-62 vote, applies to Texans ages 21 and older and excludes people who are prohibited from owning a firearm, such as those convicted of a felony, assault, domestic violence, and terrorist threats.

Before the new law, resident could only carry handguns as long as they had a license and completed training, which involved passing a proficiency test and written exam, CNN reported.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot swore in his 2021 State of the State address to protect gun rights and make Texas a sanctuary for guns

State Sen. Charles Schwertner, who sponsored the bill, said that removing the requirements help take out an 'artificial barrier' to Texan's rights to bear arms and protect themselves.

'This bill, to me, is a restoration of the belief in and trust of our citizens,' Schwertner said. 'If you possess a firearm, you should be able to carry a firearm.'

Dozens of pro-gun right Texans had marched at the state's capitol, urging Schwertner and the state's GOP to make sure the legislation passed this year.

Texas joins Iowa, Tennessee, Montana, Utah and Wyoming as states who have allowed forms of open carry without a permit in 2021.

The other states to allow it include Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia.

People have also expressed concern over the new law on social media, with Texan actress Kelly Thiebaud simply calling it 'insanity.'

Another twitter user with the handle Sho Nuff, wrote that as a firearms instructor, he was concerned about the situation as well.

Another tweeter wrote, 'The wild west is now in Texas, yay for you cowboys.'

People voiced their concerns over the new open carry law on Twitter

Andrew Karwoski - a policy expert for Everytown for Gun Safety, the larges gun violence prevention organization in the country - said the new law was bond to bring negative consequences to Texas.

'Just allowing almost anyone to carry a handgun in public, no questions asked, no background check or safety training, is really dangerous.

'It's hard for law enforcement when they see someone walking down the street with a military-style assault weapon to understand their intentions and respond accordingly,' he said.

The new law comes two years after the back-to-back shootings in El Paso and Midland and Odessa, which left 30 people dead and dozens wounded.

Shoppers at the Walmart in El Paso hurried to police safety during the August 3, 2019 shooting that left 23 dead and 23 wounded

Odessa and Midland police responded to a shooting on August 31, 2019, where seven people were killed and about 17 more were hospitalized

The deadly shootings caused Abbot to briefly consider allowing some gun control in Texas before skirting the idea aside and vowing to make Texas a 'sanctuary state' for gun rights in his 2021 State of the State address.

Texas has continued to see a consistence increase in mass shooting since 2017, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as a shooting that injures or kills four or more people, not including the shooter.

The state saw 38 of these mass shooting in August, a 40% increase from las year.

Nationally, there were 464 mass shootings through August 31, up from the 418 in 2020 and the 286 in 2019, GVA data shows.
A five-year-old Afghan boy who was evacuated from Kabul has died in Poland after eating poisonous mushrooms.

His six-year-old brother had to undergo a liver transplant and remains in a life-threatening condition.

The boys were admitted to Poland's main children's hospital last week along with their older sister.

Poland evacuated the family last month at the request of the U.K., as the father had worked for the British and was thought to be in danger following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

The family arrived in Poland on August 23. The following day, they picked and ate highly poisonous death cap mushrooms in a forest around the refugee centre where they were staying in Podkowa Lesna, near Warsaw.

Doctors at the Centre for Children's Health Institute in Warsaw said the five-year-old had died and that the parents were at the hospital under psychological care.

A five-year-old Afghan boy who was evacuated from Kabul has died in Poland after eating poisonous mushrooms. His six-year-old brother had to undergo a liver transplant and remains in a life-threatening condition

The family arrived in Poland on August 23. The following day, they picked and ate highly poisonous death cap mushrooms (pictured) in a forest around the refugee centre where they were staying in Podkowa Lesna, near Warsaw

'Unfortunately, we were unable to help both boys,' the hospital's director, Dr Marek Migdal, said on Thursday, according to the BBC.

The young boy had suffered irreversible brain damage, making a liver transplant unfeasible.

The older brother suffered significant and life-threatening brain damage and remains in a critical condition. Dr Migdal said his outlook was unfavourable.

The boys' 17-year-old sister has been released in a good condition. Some other family members were hospitalised elsewhere but are now recovering.

The poisonings are under investigation.

Local media reports have suggested that the family went foraging because they were not being given enough food.

But local officials denied this, with Jakub Dudziak, a spokesman for the Office for Foreigners, which is managing Afghan evacuees in Poland, telling the BBC that evacuees receive 'three meals a day'.

Poland evacuated more than 1,000 Afghans who were employed by NATO forces following the Taliban takeover of Kabul [File photo]

The mushrooms the family ate are similar in appearance to Poland's popular and edible parasol mushroom (above)

He added that staff at refugee centres had been told to warn Afghans against eating wild mushrooms.

The family's situation is not unique among Afghan refugees.

In a separate incident at a different refugee centre near Warsaw, four Afghan men ended up in hospital after eating poisonous mushrooms, according to the state Office for Foreigners.

Death cap mushrooms, among the most poisonous in the world, closely resemble Poland's popular, edible parasol mushroom.

Poland evacuated more than 1,000 Afghans who were employed by NATO forces following the Taliban takeover of Kabul.

Most will remain in Poland but others will go elsewhere having been evacuated by Polish troops on behalf of other countries or organisations.

Poland is also seeking a state of emergency order along its border with Belarus as it attempts to stop Afghans from entering from there. Pictured: Migrants stuck along the border between Belarus and Poland on Wednesday

Poland is also seeking a state of emergency order along its border with Belarus as it attempts to stop Afghans from entering from there.

More than 30 people from Afghanistan have been stuck for more than three weeks between armed Belarusian guards on one side and armed Polish forces on the other.

Some are ill as they have limited access to food and the weather is getting worse, with recent rain and falling temperatures.

Poland, a European Union member, has seen a large number of migrants seeking to illegally cross the border in recent weeks, most of them originally from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Polish government accuses the authoritarian leader of Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko, of pushing them to Poland to create instability in the EU.

Poland insists the group is on Belarusian soil and will not let the migrants approach Polish territory or request asylum. Activists say there are 32 people from Afghanistan, many of whom are now sick.
The mayor of Helsinki has said the capital should become an English-speaking city because their language is too difficult for foreigners to learn.

Juhana Vartiainen said English speakers coming to the city shouldn't need to speak Finnish or Swedish, Finland's two main official languages, which are notoriously difficult to learn.

He argued that too many highly skilled international workers are shunning the Finnish capital partly because of linguistic challenges.

The mayor of Helsinki, Juhana Vartiainen, pictured, said the capital should become an ENGLISH-speaking city because their language is too difficult for foreigners to learn

Finnish has 15 grammatical cases and is challenging for foreigners, and many companies require public sector employees to speak both that and Swedish, according to The Guardian.

Vartiainen said: 'Helsinki could call itself an English-speaking city, where people who speak English wouldn't need to speak Finnish or Swedish.'

Last year, Finland offered foreign workers and their families the chance to relocate to the country for 90 days to trial living there, due to shortages of professionals.

However, more than 36% of foreign students in Finland leave within a year of graduation, according to government figures.

Most of them say their main reasons for leaving are high taxation and language difficulties.

Vartiainen said the city and country's efforts to attract and keep foreign professionals were 'a terrible failure'.

This comes after Helsinki bagged one of the top spots in Monocle magazine's June 2021 rankings for best city in the world for its quality of life.

Coming in at number three, the city was beaten to the title by Copenhagen in first place and and Zurich in second.

He said English speakers coming to Helsinki, pictured, shouldn't need to speak Finnish or Swedish, Finland's two main official languages, which are notoriously difficult to learn

Stockholm and Tokyo rounded out the top five as Monocle resumed its rankings after a one-year hiatus as the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

Copenhagen is regularly featured in the media outlet's top cities since its survey began in 2007.

This year's report sought to gauge which cities have used the past months 'to build back better; defend their economies, cultural scenes and high streets; and to press ahead with projects to ensure that transport works and parks are tended but also that a sense of civic pride is promoted,' it said.

It also put greater emphasis on civic leadership, good housing policies and programmes to support entrepreneurs.
The West's abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan is 'an act of strategic self-harm' that will increase terrorism and embolden China and Russia, Boris Johnson's former national security adviser warned today.

Lord Sedwill, a former UK ambassador to Kabul, lashed out at the US-led retreat that left the Taliban in charge and stranded thousands of people desperate to escape.

He warned that that humiliating defeat which ended 20 years of conflict would 'undoubtedly' boost extremism and terrorism.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Policy Exchange think thank this afternoon: 'This is in my view a bad policy, badly implemented. It is an act of strategic self-harm.

'It was not inevitable that either this decision had to be taken or indeed it had to be implemented in the way it was.'

Former Nato chief Lord Robertson told the same event that the organisation had been weakened after the US's 'hasty, crassly-handled surrender', saying Joe Biden's nation had been 'humiliated.

Lord Sedwill, a former UK ambassador to Kabul, lashed out at the US-led retreat that left the Taliban in charge and stranded thousands of people desperate to escape.

Former Nato chief Lord Robertson told the same event that the organisation had been weakened after the US's 'hasty, crassly-handled surrender', saying Joe Biden's nation had been 'humiliated.

Taliban fighters atop Humvee vehicles parade along a road to celebrate after the US pulled all its troops out of Afghanistan

He added: 'We cannot any longer rely on the American umbrella being there in all circumstances and at all times.'

Their criticism came after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace lashed out at the US, suggesting it was no longer a global superpower.

The Cabinet minister hit out in an interview with the Spectator magazine, highlighting the UK's inability to act without US support.

But in remarks that show how frayed the so-called 'special relationship' with Washington has become in recent weeks, he said: 'It is obvious that Britain is not a superpower.

'But a superpower that is also not prepared to stick at something isn't probably a superpower either. It is certainly not a global force, it's just a big power.'

Lord Sedwill, who was Cabinet secretary under Boris Johnson until last year, told the Policy Exchange event: 'The Taliban's victory in Afghanistan will undoubtedly fuel extremism and terrorism worldwide, whether or not it is directed from there.

'So the security threats have undoubtedly gone up and of course the wider geopolitical consequences are obvious.

'If you are one of our authoritarian adversaries you will be right now going around the rest of the world to those countries that are in play and saying to them, ''You see, we told you so, we have the strategic patience and they don't''.'
Good Morning Britain staff think show bosses should 'swallow their pride' and bring Piers Morgan back as host following his Ofcom reprieve.

The former presenter, 56, teased that he is open to having his old job back after the media watchdog yesterday cleared him of any wrongdoing after he questioned Meghan Markle's claims over her mental health.

And his ex-colleagues now want him reinstated as co-host alongside Susanna Reid, 50, to boost ratings, as the ITV morning show has lost nearly a third of its viewers since he left in March.

A show source told MailOnline: 'There is a growing movement among staff bidding for Piers to return.

'GMB really hasn't been the same without him and now he's been cleared by Ofcom, they feel there's no reason why he can't be reunited with Susanna.

Presenter Susanna Reid talks about the Ofcom ruling on ITV's Good Morning Britain today

Good Morning Britain staff are desperate for show bosses to 'swallow their pride'

Mr Morgan, pictured with Ms Reid in March, quit ITV's Good Morning Britain amid the row

'They appreciate bosses won't enjoy making a U-turn but it will be for the good of the show, which to put it bluntly, is in need of saving.

'They should swallow their pride and do the right thing for GMB.'

GMB has lost a third of its average monthly audience since Piers Morgan quit in March Good Morning Britain has lost more than a third of its average monthly audience since Piers Morgan quit in March, MailOnline can reveal today. The ITV breakfast programme had an average audience of 883,478 in March, but this was at just 570,000 in August - equating to a fall of 35.5 per cent or 313,478 viewers in five months. This is a much bigger drop than the one suffered by BBC Breakfast, which has lost 227,352 viewers or 15.5 per cent of its audience over the same time period, from 1,468,261 in March to 1,240,909 in August. Audiences were much higher in March when the country was in its third national Covid-19 lockdown, with GMB overtaking BBC Breakfast for the first and only time on March 9 - the day Piers Morgan walked off set. On that day, 1,290,000 watched GMB against 1,250,000 tuning into BBC Breakfast. But GMB has lost 86,126 more viewers than BBC Breakfast since March, when comparing this average to the August average. It also has not had a monthly figure above 700,000 since then. A spokesman for GMB told MailOnline today: 'Good Morning Britain's audience share year-to-date stands at 22 per cent, which is in line with 2020, and prior to that, higher than all previous years since launch. 'GMB continues to perform well therefore in 2021, and is also posting year-on-year increases for family audiences, and 16-34 year old viewers.' Advertisement

Morgan jokingly asked 'do I get my job back?' in a tweet posted shortly after the Ofcom ruling was announced yesterday, which he described as a 'resounding victory for free speech and a resounding defeat for Princess Pinocchios'.

The media regulator cleared ITV and Morgan after receiving a record 58,000 complaints on the back of his comments about Meghan the morning after her interview with Oprah Winfrey was broadcast in the UK.

During her chat with the US talk show queen, the Duchess alleged her mental health became so bad she 'didn't want to be alive any more' and she did not receive the help she asked for from Buckingham Palace.

Plus, she also claimed that an unnamed member of the Royal Family had queried 'how dark' her son Archie's skin might be.

The Duchess also filed a complaint herself with Ofcom and ITV in response to Morgan's tirade when the outspoken host said he 'didn't believe a word she said' and that he 'wouldn't believe it if she read me a weather report'.

Explaining their decision to clear Morgan's of any wrongdoing, the regulator said there was 'public interest in having an open and frank debate' on both mental health and suicide, and race.

And on both issues, Ofcom ruled that despite potential for offence Piers' comments had been sufficiently contextualised by challenges from other presenters and guests and by hosting several contributors who could speak decisively and with authority on racial issues.

Indeed, Morgan's heated confrontation with weatherman Alex Beresford, who supported Meghan in her claims, caused the host to walk off set before returning to anchor the rest of the show.

And Ofcom also stated Morgan was 'entitled' to say he 'disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's allegations and to hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account.'

They added that the restriction of such views 'would be an unwarranted and chilling restriction on freedom of expression both of the broadcaster and audience.'

Despite the outcome in yesterday's verdict, it was reported ITV, namely top exec Kevin Lygo, had 'no plans' to rehire Morgan.

Piers Morgan and his wife Celia Walden at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London last night

A senior GMB source told the Sun: 'The bosses know they need to give the show an entire refresh and will do so in the next couple of months.

MONTHLY AVERAGE VIEWERS FOR GMB AND BBC BREAKFAST IN 2021 MONTH ITV MONTHLY AVERAGE BBC MONTHLY AVERAGE January 836000 1364500 February 812500 1357500 March 883478 1468261 April 670000 1416364 May 643333 1460000 June 626364 1383636 July 623182 1415455 August 570000 1240909

'That's not going to involve Piers though, the chances of him returning are slim to zero.

'Kevin is a big fan and has always said so, but he's fighting a losing battle internally sadly.'

Speaking on GMB this morning, Morgan's former co-host Reid admitted the ruling had put her in an 'awkward situation'.

She said: 'What struck me about the Ofcom ruling, on the one hand, I've got my friend Piers Morgan, and on the other, I've got my bosses at ITV.

'So it's obviously a slightly awkward moment right now.'

When asked if she was 'devastated' Morgan would not be returning to the show this morning, she replied: 'It was quite a moment, wasn't it?'

An ITV spokesman was contacted for comment by MailOnline today.
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Contingency plans are in place to move Britain's nuclear weapons to France if Scotland gains independence, it was reported last night.

The UK's four nuclear submarines, armed with Trident missiles since 1996, have been based at HMNB Clyde at Faslane in western Scotland since 1968.

A secondary base at Coulport, less than ten miles away, is where missiles are routinely stored.

Around 6,500 people are employed at Faslane, with a further 200 at Coulport. But ministers are said to have drawn up plans to move the vessels to naval bases in the US or France in the event of the break-up of the Union.

The Ministry of Defence might also try to lease the existing naval bases, creating a British Overseas Territory within Scotland which has been dubbed 'Nuclear Gibraltar' by some insiders.

The first and preferred option would reportedly be to relocate the submarines to the Royal Navy base at Devonport in Plymouth.

Contingency plans are in place to move Britain's nuclear weapons to France if Scotland gains independence. Pictured: Faslane Naval Base where the UK's nuclear submarines are based

The UK's nuclear submarines, now armed with Trident missiles, have been based at HMNB Clyde at Faslane in western Scotland since 1968. Above: Trident nuclear submarine HMS Victorious on patrol near Faslane in 2013

In James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, the secret agent - then played by Roger Moore - was briefed about submarines at Faslane

Senior officials told the Financial Times they had been briefed on the contingency plans, which they said showed the difficult choices potentially ahead.

Nicola Sturgeon's SNP Scottish government was re-elected in May with a promise of a second referendum. The SNP has long opposed the UK's nuclear deterrent.

According to analysis written by the Royal United Services Institute, which was written ahead of the first Scottish independence referendum in 2014, the costs of a move to Devonport - which is the largest naval base in Western Europe, could cost between 3billion and 4billion.

If Britain's nuclear weapons were to move to the US, a likely location would reportedly be Kings Bay, in Georgia. It is the current base for the US Navy Atlantic fleet of Trident submarines.

This option is said to be preferred by the Treasury because it would be the least expensive.

However, basing Trident outside Britain may make it more difficult to defend the country's sovereignty in the event of a military threat.

If the submarine base were to be moved to France, it was reported that the vessels would go to the home of the French nuclear fleet, at Ile Longue in Brittany in the north of the country.

The first and preferred option would reportedly be to relocate the submarines to the Royal Navy base at Devonport in Plymouth

If Britain were to move its nuclear submarines, they could be based in Brittainy, northern France, or even the US

While HMNB Clyde at Faslane is the home base of the submarines themselves, the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport is responsible for storing, processing and maintaining missiles when they are not loaded on submarines.

The Royal Navy's association with Faslane - which lies on the eastern shore of Gare Loch - stretches back as far as the First World War.

It was in the loch that the steam-propelled HMS K13 sank in 1917 after her engine room flooded during sea trials.

In the Second World War, large jetties and a railway were built at Faslane to accommodate arrivals of troops and supplies on large ships from across the Atlantic.

After the conflict ended in 1945, the base was used to break up old navy vessels. The last battleship to be scrapped in Britain, HMS Vanguard, was taken apart at Faslane in 1962.

The base was also used as a home for submarines.

If the submarine base were to be moved to France, it was reported that the vessels would go to the home of the French nuclear fleet, at Ile Longue in Brittany in the north of the country. Above: French marine officers on top of the 'Le Vigilant' nuclear submarine at Ile Longue in 2007

If Britain's nuclear weapons were to move to the US, a likely location would reportedly be Kings Bay, in Georgia. It is the current base for the US Navy Atlantic fleet of Trident submarines

But its long and controversial link with nuclear weapons began in 1968, after navy chiefs and politicians had made the decision that the UK should have its own lethal deterrent amid the threats posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

On May 10, 1968, after the Polaris Sales Agreement with the US - which allowed Royal Navy submarines to carry lethal UGM-27 nuclear missiles - the new nuclear base at Faslane came into being.

Then known as HMS Neptune, it was opened by the Queen Mother. Later that year, the first patrol was carried out by the HMS Resolution, which was launched in 1963 and was the first of the four Resolution-class submarines.

The following year, the UK had committed to the policy which remains in place today - Continuous At Sea Deterrence (CASD).

Whilst details were top secret when the operation first began, it is now public knowledge that any one of four nuclear submarines are guaranteed to be deployed at any given time.

The second submarine used for the Polaris programme was HMS Renown, which was launched in 1964. It was followed by HMS Revenge in May 1965 and HMS Repulse in June of that year.

Faslane's long and controversial link with nuclear weapons began in 1968, after navy chiefs and politicians had made the decision that the UK should have its own lethal deterrent amid the threats posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Above: The base in 1967

On May 10, 1968, after the Polaris Sales Agreement with the US - which allowed Royal Navy submarines to carry lethal UGM-27 nuclear missiles - the new nuclear base at Faslane came into being. Later that year, the first patrol was carried out by the HMS Resolution (above), which was launched in 1963 and was the first of the four Resolution-class submarines

In 1969, the UK committed to the policy which remains in place today - Continuous At Sea Deterrence (CASD). Above: Faslane in the 1980s

The Resolution-Class submarines and their Polaris missiles began to be phased out in 1992, when the first of the four Vanguard submarines were built. They were set to carry the new Trident system, which is still in place today.

The four submarines carrying Trident missiles are HMS Vanguard, HMS Victorious, HMS Vigilant and HMS Vengeance.

Each missile carried on the submarines has warheads which are more powerful than the bombs dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in World War Two.

The reasoning behind basing the UK's nuclear weapons at Faslane was centred around the fact it is deep, easy to navigate and offers easy access to the North Atlantic.

However, the decision to place nuclear weapons on UK territory met fierce opposition from anti-nuclear campaigners. Hundreds of protests have taken place in the decades since the weapons arrived.

The decision to place nuclear weapons on UK territory met fierce opposition from anti-nuclear campaigners. Hundreds of protests have taken place in the decades since the weapons arrived. Above: Anti-nuclear demonstrators march through Edinburgh in 2006

Anti-nuclear campaigners hold banners and placards outside Her Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde, on October 25, 2020 in Faslane

A permanent protest site alongside the base, known as Faslane Peace Camp, has been occupied continuously since the early 1980s

A permanent protest site alongside the base, known as Faslane Peace Camp, has been occupied continuously since the early 1980s.

In April this year, Extinction Rebellion activists chained themselves to giant plant pots during a protest outside the site.

In 2016, MPs backed the renewal of the Trident system. It is expected to cost more than 30billion and delivery of the new fleet is not expected until the early 2030s.

It will mean that when the Vanguard submarines leave service, they will have operated for at least ten years beyond their expected operational life.

Critics have also previously argued that the cost of building, arming running and repairing four new nuclear submarines over their 40 years of operational life could be more than 100million

The MoD last night said: 'The UK is strongly committed to maintaining its credible and independent nuclear deterrent at HM Naval Base Clyde, which exists to deter the most extreme threats to the UK and our Nato allies.

'There are no plans to move the nuclear deterrent from HM Naval Base Clyde (Faslane), which contributes to Scotland's and the wider UK's security and economy, and its supporting facilities are safe for local communities.'

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: 'The Scottish Government firmly oppose the possession, threat and use of nuclear weapons and we are committed to the safe and complete withdrawal of Trident from Scotland.'
Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer unleashed on their conservative colleagues for what they call a 'flagrantly unconstitutional' decision not to challenge Texas's restrictive new abortion law.

In her dissenting opinion on Wednesday Sotomayor accused the court's conservative majority of 'burying their heads in the sand.

'The Act is clearly unconstitutional under existing precedents,' the Obama appointee wrote. 'The respondents do not even try to argue otherwise. Nor could they: No federal appellate court has upheld such a comprehensive prohibition on abortions before viability under current law.'

'Taken together, the Act is a breathtaking act of defianceof the Constitution, of this Court's precedents, and of the rights of women seeking abortions throughout Texas.'

Justice Kagan, also appointed by ex-President Obama, claims Texas's law has a 'clear' and 'undisputed' conflict against Roe v. Wade.

She accused the Supreme Court majority of only hastily reviewing the case and then only 'barely bothers to explain its conclusion.'

Kagan blasted the court's 'shadow-docket decisionmaking' which she claims is responsible for increasingly 'un-reasoned, inconsistent, and impossible to defend' rulings.

Biden released a forceful statement attacking the Supreme Court on Thursday morning

Justice Breyer wrote, 'The very bringing into effect of Texass law may well threaten the applicants with imminent and serious harm.'

President Joe Biden released a forceful statement Thursday directing the executive branch to undermine the Supreme Court after it refused to take up the case.

'The highest Court of our land will allow millions of women in Texas in need of critical reproductive care to suffer while courts sift through procedural complexities,' Biden wrote.

He ordered the White House Counsel's office to mount a response to the court's decision, guided by the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Justice.

The law, known as the 'Texas Heartbeat Act', bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is normally after six weeks and before many women even know they are pregnant.

It makes no exceptions for rape or incest and allows Texans to report people, including Uber drivers, who help or take women to get abortions. The only exemption is if there is a danger to the woman's health.

Biden vowed to directly challenge the Supreme Court, by ordering the agencies to apparently circumvent the ruling and 'ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe.'

Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented. The other justices - all appointed by Republican presidents - allowed the law to stand. From left: Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, Stephen Breyer, Amy Coney Barrett, and Sonia Sotomayor

He asked the White House to look at 'what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas' bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties.'

Biden, the second Catholic president in US history, has been criticized by church officials in the past because his pro-choice stance goes directly against Catholic doctrine.

And Biden's directive to circumvent the court has already spurred outrage among Republicans in Congress.

'President Biden is the most anti-life President in modern history. He continues to betray Americas founding principles by refusing to protect the right to life. Now he has ordered the federal government to attack a state that seeks to protect that most precious right,' Rep. Andy Biggs told DailyMail.com in a statement.

'This abhorrent act by the Biden administration is inhumane and an abuse of power. I will continue to fight alongside the pro-life community to defend the rights of the most vulnerable in our society.'

Rep. Jim Banks told DailyMail.com that Biden is the 'most radically pro-abortion president in American history.'

GOP House lawmakers Andy Biggs (left and Jim Banks (right) criticized Biden for his threat to circumvent the Supreme Court and Texas state law

'His administration has pushed abortion on pro-life states and organizations and exported abortions abroad, violating conscience rights and costing countless unborn lives. On the bright side, this wont be the last abortion case the Supreme Court hears this year,' Banks said.

Vice President Kamala Harris joined Biden in bashing the court's decision and called it a 'bounty law.'

'This decision is not the last word on Roe v. Wade, and we will not stand by and allow our nation to go back to the days of back-alley abortions. We will not abide by cash incentives for virtual vigilantes and intimidation for patients,' Harris wrote in a Thursday statement.

'We will use every lever of our Administration to defend the right to safe and legal abortionand to strengthen that right.'

Attorney General Merrick Garland reaffirmed the DOJ would take the matter up, stating: 'The Justice Department is deeply concerned about Texas SB8. We are evaluating all options to protect the constitutional rights of women, including access to an abortion.'

And members of Congress are also up in arms over the decision.

Progressive 'squad' members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush are leading calls to pack the Supreme Court after it declined to block the Texas abortion law in a 5-4 decision.

Ocasio-Cortez and Bush are leading renewed calls to expand the Supreme Court to tip its current conservative majority in the wake of the 5-4 ruling

Abortion rights supporters gather to protest Texas SB 8 in front of Edinburg City Hall on Wednesday

Ocasio-Cortez lashed out against the Supreme Court early Thursday morning over its refusal to block the law called on Democrats to 'abolish the filibuster and expand the court.'

In a Twitter post published just after midnight, the progressive lawmaker accused Republicans of overturning landmark case Roe v. Wade.

'Republicans promised to overturn Roe v Wade, and they have,' Ocasio-Cortez wrote. 'Democrats can either abolish the filibuster and expand the court, or do nothing as millions of peoples' bodies, rights, and lives are sacrificed for far-right minority rule.'

She added that it 'shouldn't be a difficult decision' for her colleagues.

Hillary Clinton invoked Roe v. Wade on Thursday and accused the Supreme Court of 'gutting' the 1973 case.

'Last night, the Supreme Court officially overturned five decades of settled law and permitted Texas' unconstitutional abortion ban to stand,' she wrote.

'Yes: They gutted Roe v. Wade without hearing arguments, in a one-paragraph, unsigned 5-4 opinion issued in the middle of the night.'

Cori Bush said the ruling embodied 'far-right extremism' on Wednesday.

'In the span of one week the Supreme Court forced 11 million households to face eviction and effectively overturned Roe v. Wade in the middle of the night.

'This is what far-right extremism looks like. We need to expand the court.'

The two squad members expressed outrage at the Supreme Court's ruling on Twitter

Biden tears into the Supreme Court for declining to block Texas abortion law in ruling that will 'unleashes unconstitutional chaos' The Supreme Court's ruling overnight is an unprecedented assault on a woman's constitutional rights under Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land for almost fifty years. By allowing a law to go into effect that empowers private citizens in Texas to sue health care providers, family members supporting a woman exercising her right to choose after six weeks, or even a friend who drives her to a hospital or clinic, it unleashes unconstitutional chaos and empowers self-anointed enforcers to have devastating impacts. Complete strangers will now be empowered to inject themselves in the most private and personal health decisions faced by women. This law is so extreme it does not even allow for exceptions in the case of rape or incest. And it not only empowers complete strangers to inject themselves into the most private of decisions made by a womanit actually incentivizes them to do so with the prospect of $10,000 if they win their case. For the majority to do this without a hearing, without the benefit of an opinion from a court below, and without due consideration of the issues, insults the rule of law and the rights of all Americans to seek redress from our courts. Rather than use its supreme authority to ensure justice could be fairly sought, the highest Court of our land will allow millions of women in Texas in need of critical reproductive care to suffer while courts sift through procedural complexities. The dissents by Chief Justice Roberts, and Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan all demonstrate the error of the Court's action here powerfully. While the Chief Justice was clear to stress that the action by the Supreme Court is not a final ruling on the future of Roe, the impact of last night's decision will be immediate and requires an immediate response. One reason I became the first president in history to create a Gender Policy Council was to be prepared to react to such assaults on women's rights. Hence, I am directing that Council and the Office of the White House Counsel to launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision, looking specifically to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to see what steps the Federal Government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe, and what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas' bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties. Advertisement

The Supreme Court formally refused Wednesday to block a Texas law banning almost all abortions after six weeks, less than a day after the nation's most restrictive reproductive rights legislation took effect in the southern state.

The decision spurred outrage among pro-choice advocates and renewed long-running progressive calls to expand the Supreme Court to allow President Biden to tip the majority with more liberal justices.

Court-packing was a divisive topic in the 2020 election and used as a cudgel against Biden by former President Trump and other Republicans.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi also panned the Supreme Court as 'cowardly' in a Thursday statement and vowed Congress would take up the Women's Health Protection Act which would 'enshrine into law reproductive health care for all women across America.'

Other Democratic lawmakers are agreeing with Pelosi and appealing to Congress to pass the legislation to protect abortion access on the federal level.

'Our liberty, our humanity, and our bodily autonomy are NOT up for debate. In light of Texas' draconian ban and the Supreme Court's inaction, our pro-choice majority Congress must pass The Women's Health Protection Act,' Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Bush and Ocasio-Cortez's fellow squad member wrote on Twitter.

A number of Democratic lawmakers called on Congress to act on a federal law protecting abortion access

Senator Amy Kolbuchar joined Ocasio-Cortez in invoking Roe v. Wade when she called for Congress to act.

'If you ever questioned where these five Justices would be, now you know. We must put Roe into law now. There is no time to lose,' Klobuchar wrote on Twitter.

Senator Elizabeth Warren shared a clip of herself advocating for a federal abortion law during the 2020 Democratic primary, also writing: 'We can't rely on the courts to protect our rights. It's time for national laws to ensure reproductive freedom.'

New York Rep. Yvette Clarke released a statement blasting what she called the 'malicious abortion ban.'

'If SCOTUS will not protect our reproductive rights, Congress must by passing the Women's Health Protection Act,' Clarke wrote.

Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal struck a deeply personal note in response to the Texas law, sharing a 2019 New York Times op-ed in which she publicly revealed for the first time that she had an abortion.

The Women's Health Protection Act of 2021: Democrat-backed law for no time limits on abortions 'prior to fetal viability' Allows abortion nationwide without time limits 'prior to fetal viability' and even afterwards if the abortion provider deems the pregnancy would pose a risk to the patient's life or health Prohibits arbitrary requirements on abortion procedures and unnecessary tests Prohibits abortion providers from requiring in-person visits before the procedure if they aren't medically necessary Restricts abortion providers from giving the patient 'medically inaccurate information' during or after services Prevents states from issuing arbitrary credential requirements for medical facilities providing abortions Allows abortion providers to provide immediate services if they deem a delay would risk the patient's health Prohibits limits on what medically-approved drugs abortion providers can prescribe Advertisement

'I decided I could not responsibly have the baby. It was a heartbreaking decision, but it was the only one I was capable of making,' she wrote after detailing an intense struggle in having her first child.

'These reproductive choices  especially in situations involving trauma, be it rape or a desperate prognosis for the baby  are deeply private and personal, and should be made only by the pregnant person.'

Rep. Val Demings, who helped introduce the Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 alongside Rep. Judy Chu, also joined calls for its passage.

'This would stop lawmakers in Texas, or Florida, when they try to attack a women's right to make her own decisions. The Senate should pass our legislation,' Demings wrote.

Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders wrote on Twitter Wednesday, 'This Supreme Court's refusal to overturn Texas' law banning abortion is outrageous. Women get to control their bodies, not politicians and not judges.'

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a moderate Democrat, also criticized Texas's bill and said women had a 'constitutional right' to make their own health care choices.

'With this decision, five Justices are choosing to disregard 48 years of precedent and denying millions of Americans their right to make their own choices about both their health and future. It's clear that we must work at every level of government to continue our fight to protect a woman's right to choose,' Gottheimer wrote.

Rep. Ilhan Omar posted a statement to Twitter on Thursday claiming 'Those saying Trump's far-right appointees would overturn Roe v. Wade were right.'

And another Biden official also voiced her opposition. Top White House aide Susan Rice said she was 'outraged by the Supreme Court's short-sighted and far-reaching ruling last night' on Thursday.

'This is an all-out assault on women's reproductive rights. We will pursue EVERY avenue to protect women and providers from this extreme and unconstitutional Texas law,' Rice wrote.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the ruling at a Thursday briefing by a reporter who asked about Biden's pro-choice stance despite his Catholic upbringing.

'I know you have never faced those choices, nor have you ever been pregnant but for women out there who have faced those choices, this is a difficult thing,' Psaki replied.

Psaki was also asked about Biden's Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court, which he convened by executive order in April to address the issue of court packing.

'They're going to examine a range of questions about the future of the court, including term limits, including court expansion, and several additional topics,' she said.

She stated the Biden administration has not reached out to the commission since the Texas ruling but that Biden 'looks forward to reviewing their work when it's completed.'

While similar laws have passed in a dozen Republican-led conservative states, all had been stymied in the courts.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick lauded its passage as a' victory' shortly after midnight Wednesday morning

'This lifesaving legislation reflects Texas' pro-life beliefs and our continued commitment to protecting the most vulnerable,' he wrote.

The justices in a 5-4 vote denied an emergency request by abortion and women's health providers for an injunction barring enforcement of the new law which President Biden said on Wednesday 'blatantly violates Roe v. Wade'.

The law is the most dramatic restriction on abortion rights in the United States since the high court's landmark decision legalized abortion across the country in 1973.

'In reaching this conclusion, we stress that we do not purport to resolve definitively any jurisdictional or substantive claim in the applicants' lawsuit. In particular, this order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas's law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts,' the court said in the unsigned order.

University of Texas women rally at the Texas Capitol to protest the law on Wednesday

Governor Greg Abbott signed the measure into law on Wednesday

The five conservative justices backed the law Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented.

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the court's order 'stunning,' saying her colleagues had 'opted to bury their head in the sand' over a 'flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights.'

Texas lawmakers wrote the law to evade federal court review by allowing private citizens to bring civil lawsuits in state court against anyone involved in an abortion, other than the patient.

Other abortion laws are enforced by state and local officials, with criminal sanctions possible.

After a federal appeals court refused to allow a prompt review of the law before it took effect, the measure's opponents sought Supreme Court review.

The law bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected - sparking some women to scramble for 11th hour terminations before midnight.

The legislation, signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is typically in the first six weeks and before most women even know they're pregnant.

The law also allows private citizens, rather than government officials, to enforce the law by suing anyone involved in the procedure from an abortion clinic to someone driving a woman to a procedure appointment.

Biden promised to fight for women's constitutional rights enshrined under Roe v Wade.

'The Texas law will significantly impair women's access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes,' the president said.

He added: 'And, outrageously, it deputizes private citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone who they believe has helped another person get an abortion, which might even include family members, health care workers, front desk staff at a health care clinic, or strangers with no connection to the individual.'

The law forced many women throughout the state to flock abortion clinics to get the procedure done, with some only finding out they were pregnant in the past week.

Such was the case for a 21-year-old woman who spoke with Jezebel about her experience scrambling to get an appointment so she wouldn't have to travel out of state or continue with her pregnancy.

The woman, referred to only as Jen out of fear she would be targeted by anti-abortion activists, said she learned last week that she was eight weeks pregnant.

Jen, a sex worker and employee at a Texas donut shop, told the news outlet that she wouldn't be able to afford to schedule the procedure outside of Texas and, even if she could, would take an even bigger blow to her income from taking off work to do it.

Within the last week, she recalled being turned away from nearly every abortion clinic in her area as they were all fully booked.

A Texas law banning most abortions in the state took effect on Wednesday

Pro-choice activists urged the Supreme Court to intervene to ensure that women's protections are upheld

Abortion providers said the law would ban 85 percent of abortions and force many clinics in Texas to close

Jen finally scheduled an appointment at the Houston Women's Clinic and had her procedure done a few hours before Wednesday's deadline.

She told the news outlet, 'I know Texas is very conservative, and I figured there might be a lot of judgment and it might be a little hard, but I never seriously considered it that I wouldn't be able to get an abortion at all.'

When she got the clinic, she described the waiting room being at maximum capacity.

'They were going full throttle trying to get to everyone,' she said.

'Honestly, I would not have been able to go out of state - even the cost of the actual abortion dented my pocket a lot,' she said.

'The first appointment was $100 and the second one was $500 . . I'm just so happy I was able to do it the day before the ban and it's so sad that women here are going to have so much trouble now.'

Biden vowed that his administration would protect women's abortion rights, but he made no mention of the challenge at the Supreme Court, amid fears by activists that a more conservative bench was poised to uphold further restrictions on abortions.

Abortion providers who asked the Supreme Court to step in said the law would rule out 85 percent of abortions in Texas and force many clinics to close.

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, criticized the court's inaction.

'In refusing to intervene last night, the Supreme Court tipped the scales of justice in favor of one of the most draconian state abortion bans in history,' she said.

'[The law] strips away abortion access for most Texans.

'The Supreme Court has put the health and safety of Texans  especially people with lower incomes and people of color  in jeopardy.'

Texas state Rep. Donna Howard, center at lectern, stands with fellow lawmakers in the House Chamber as she opposes a bill introduced that would ban abortions as early as six weeks (May 2021)

Planned Parenthood is among the abortion providers that have stopped scheduling abortions beyond six weeks from conception.

At least 12 other states have enacted bans on abortion early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.

What makes the Texas law different is its unusual enforcement scheme.

Rather than have officials responsible for enforcing the law, private citizens are authorized to sue abortion providers and anyone involved in facilitating abortions.

Among other situations, that would include anyone who drives a woman to a clinic to get an abortion.

Under the law, anyone who successfully sues another person would be entitled to at least $10,000.

Abortion opponents who wrote the law also made it difficult to challenge the law in court, in part because it's hard to know whom to sue.

Texas has long had some of the nation's toughest abortion restrictions, including a sweeping law passed in 2013 that the Supreme Court eventually struck down but not before more than half of the state's 40-plus abortion clinics closed.

Lawmakers also are moving forward in an ongoing special session in Texas with proposed new restrictions on medication abortion.

This is a method using pills that accounts for roughly 40% of abortions in the U.S.

The Texas challenge seeks to prevent judges, county clerks and other state entities from enforcing the law.

A federal judge rejected a bid to dismiss the case, prompting an immediate appeal to the Louisiana-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which halted further proceedings.

Texas abortion clinic terminated 67 pregnancies in just 17 hours as women raced to get procedure before new law went into effect Reporting by Mansur Shaheen A frantic scene formed at an abortion clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, as dozens of women congregated in a last ditch effort to get an abortion. Whole Womans Health (WWH) in Central Texas worked to terminate 67 pregnancies in 17 hours after an all-hands on deck approach to help women seeking care. The strictest abortion law in the nation went into effect at midnight, and many local women flocked to the clinic for their last chance to have the procedure in their home state while they still could. The frenzy occurred Tuesday night, August 31, after the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) had still not ruled on an emergency appeal to halt the law until further review. On Wednesday night, the SCOTUS ruled not to place a stay on the law, allowing it to go into effect while it undergoes judicial review. Whole Woman's Health Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas (pictured) performed 67 abortions in a matter of only 17 hours as many women arrived in a last ditch effort to get the procedure before a new restriction went into effect at midnight Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder of WWH, notified people via Twitter that her clinic would perform abortions up until the midnight deadline 'We have staff and doctors providing abortions in Texas - still at this hour - and they are all in to provide care until 11:59 tonight. Our waiting rooms are filled with patients and their loved ones. Right now,' Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO and Founder of WWH wrote on the companies Twitter page. The 19th reports that the clinic was surrounded by both patients and protesters. Marva Sadler, an administrator at WWH, told the 19th that her staff that her team had to perform almost eight abortions an hour during the final hours in order to help everyone. Not everyone could get the procedure they wanted, though. One woman, The 19th reports, arrived for an abortion, telling the staff she was going to prison soon and did not want to deliver a child in jail. Texas law already required a woman to get a first appointment with a doctor to discuss the procedure 24 hours they actually got the abortion done. The new bill allows any woman who gets an abortion after six weeks to be sued by any private American anywhere in the country. Many women do not even know they are pregnant yet at six weeks (file photo) She was coming in for only her first appointment, though, and was unable to have the termination. The woman dropped to her knees, begging Sadler for help, according to the report, but the physicians were legally unable to help her. She was 12 weeks pregnant, meaning she would be unable to have the procedure done in Texas once the law went into place. Senate Bill 8, was passed by the Texas state legislature in May, and was set to go into place starting on September 1. It is a 'heartbeat' bill, that prevents a woman from getting an abortion after the fetus first has a detectable heart beat. This is generally at six weeks after the woman last experienced her menstrual period, a point where many women may not yet know they are expecting. Under the law, any private citizen, anywhere in the nation, could file a lawsuit of up to $10,000 against any Texas woman who received an abortion after six weeks. Anyone who is deemed to have assisted in the abortion process, from a doctor who performed or consulted with the woman about the procedure, a friend who gave the woman monetary or transportation assistance to get the abortion, or anyone else who in any way helped the woman. Abortion advocates filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to prevent the law from taking effect pending judicial review. The SCOTUS declined the injunction by a 5-4 vote, with all three liberal justices on the bench and conservative Chief Justice John Roberts voting in favor, and five conservative justices ruling against. Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented. The other justices - all appointed by Republican presidents - allowed the law to stand. From left: Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, Stephen Breyer, Amy Coney Barrett, and Sonia Sotomayor Opponents of the law argue that it violate precedent set by Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 SCOTUS decision that ruled abortion bans violated a person's constitutional rights. The law is vague, they also argue, and who exactly can be sued is not formally laid out. Advocates for the bill argue that the law does not violate Roe v Wade, as the government itself is not banning abortion. Women will still be allowed to receive the abortion after six weeks, but doing so would open themselves and anyone involved to a private lawsuit. Texas is now the only state that has a law in place that could restrict a woman's right to an abortion before 20 weeks. Mississippi joins Texas as the only states with restrictions before 22 weeks. The law could still be struck down by the high court in the future, though it will still be in effect until any such decision is made. Advertisement
An abandoned six-day old elephant has been treated for an inflamed belly button after it was rescued from woodland in China.

The baby male elephant was found on Sunday in China's Yunnan province after being left behind by its herd in Xishuangbanna.

In June, another elephant became separated from its group in Yunnan province after the herd travelled hundreds of miles from their nature reserve, near China's border with Myanmar, in a widely-reported journey that went viral online.

Pictured: The abandoned six-year- old baby elephant that was found with a swollen belly button and nursed back to heath on Sunday in China's Yunnan province after being left behind

Speaking about the baby elephant found on Sunday, one of the rescuers told CCTV: 'When we arrived at the scene, we found that its belly button was a bit inflamed.'

Bao Mingwei, director of the Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center, added: 'We used anti-inflammatory drugs to treat the infection around the umbilical cord.

'We measured some basic data including its body temperature and its heart rate,' he added.

State television footage showed rescuers tending to the elephant, before moving the calf to a rescue centre in a truck.

Done footage initially showed the herd of elephants grazing and drinking from a river, before the video cut to showing rescuers caring for the calf.

Mingwei, along with with a group of rescuers and veterinarians, are seen taking the elephant's temperature and squeezing water into its mouth to nurse him back to health.

Pictured: The elephant is nursed back to health by workers from the Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center. The baby male elephant was found on Sunday in China's Yunnan province after being left behind by its herd in Xishuangbanna, according to Tuesday's CCTV report

Pictured: Rescuers care for the elephant as it is treated for an inflamed belly button

Pictured: Drone footage of the baby's herd, which wandered off and left the six-year-old male behind. Luckily, he was rescued by a group of animal workers who treated him

After some care, it is shown getting back to its feet, before being led down a train towards the truck to be taken away to the centre.

Conservation efforts in Yunnan have seen China's remaining native elephant community numbers double over the past decade.

Meanwhile, the space available to them has gradually shrunk over the years, with the tropical forests of Xishuangbanna replaced with banana, tea or rubber plantations or used to plant lucrative raw materials for traditional Chinese medicine.

Elephants in China are of the Asian elephant variety, one of three living species currently recognised, the other two being the African bush elephant and the African forest elephant.

They are found throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the north, Sumatra in the south, and to Borneo in the east.

Last month, a different herd of wandering elephants in China that captivated the world when they went on a 17-month, 300-mile trek finally went home.

The elephants were spotted early August near Ganzhuang community in Yuanjiang county, Yuxi city, Yunnan Province. They are around 125 miles from their home nature reserve after a 17-month trek

Drone footage that went viral shows the Asian elephants sleeping with their babies on June 7

During their journey, The 14 Asian elephants have given birth to two babies, caused more than 760,000 of damage, gone viral for taking a nap, sucked in 400 emergency personnel, some 120 vehicles, and an armada of drones on their odyssey.

The trunk-swaying convoy got underway in March last year, leaving their long-standing natural habitat to traverse busy highways, city centres and housing estates, in a journey which stumped scientists.

On the way, they raided shops, smashed doors, stole food, entered people's homes and even took a group nap in a widely-shared photo that was taken earlier in August, which scientists now believe demonstrated how exhausted they were.

After reaching the outskirts of Kunming, a booming metropolis filled with businessmen and tourists, they turned south again.

It's common knowledge that elephants are incredibly intelligence creatures, something which makes the unprecedented journey as mystifying as it is is fascinating.

During their journey, The 14 Asian elephants have given birth to two babies, caused more than 760,000 of damage, gone viral for taking a nap, sucked in 400 emergency personnel, some 120 vehicles, and an armada of drones on their odyssey
A Scottish Tory was forced to apologise to Nicola Sturgeon today for accusing the First Minister of making the country welcoming to all outsiders 'except if you're English'.

MSP Tess White admitted her heckling at First Ministers Questions had been 'over the line' after the SNP leader said she had been 'deeply offended'.

During First Minister's Questions on Thursday, Ms Sturgeon was responding to a question about alleged anti-Irish chanting by Rangers fans before the Old Firm game against Celtic at the weekend, in which they were heard to sing 'the famine is over, why don't you go home'.

Ms Sturgeon condemned anti-Irish racism and anti-Catholic prejudice, but after she said Scotland 'is home' to anyone who chooses to live here, she was heckled by Ms White, the North East MSP.

The Tory later told the Daily Record: 'My comments during First Minister's Questions were over the line and I would like to withdraw them and apologise to both the chamber and the First Minister.'

MSP Tess White admitted her heckling at First Ministers Questions had been 'over the line' after the SNP leader said she had been 'deeply offended'.

During First Minister's Questions on Thursday, Ms Sturgeon was responding to a question about alleged discriminatory chanting by Rangers fans in which they were heard to sing 'the famine is over, why don't you go home'.

The row was sparked when Scottish Labour's Pauline McNeill asked about the 'public displays of anti-Irish racism and anti-Catholic prejudice' that resulted in three arrests and Rangers FC confirming indefinite bans for participants.

Ms Sturgeon said: 'There is never, ever any excuse or justification for hatred or bigotry and I unequivocally condemn anti-Irish racism and anti-Catholic prejudice

'It should be called what it is, and it should be called out.

'Scotland is a diverse, multicultural society. This diversity strengthens us as a nation, and that's why it's so important that we tackle all forms of prejudice and discrimination.

'I take the view that anybody who chooses to live in Scotland - whether they and their families have been here for generations or whether they have come to Scotland very recently - is home.'

After the heckling, a riled Ms Sturgeon said: 'I have just had a comment made to me from a sedentary position.

'I would not normally do this but I am so deeply offended by the comment that I do want - after this session - to take it up with you (the Presiding Officer) so that, with your permission, the member may be asked to reflect on that and to withdraw that comment.

'It was a comment that would have been unacceptable in any context, but in the context of what we are discussing right now I am deeply aggrieved that any member thought that was an appropriate thing to say.'

In a post-FMQs briefing, Ms Sturgeon's spokesman told reporters: 'The First Minister has been to see the Presiding Officer personally about this matter.'

He added that while heckling in the chamber is a normal event at Holyrood, 'there are some things like this which cross the line and are unacceptable'.

Earlier on Thursday, Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland of Police Scotland's Greater Glasgow division confirmed officers had made 'the first of what I expect to be numerous arrests following the disgraceful racial conduct' by Rangers fans en route to Ibrox on Sunday.
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One of missing chef Claudia Lawrence's closest friends says she has abandoned all hope of someone coming forward to give up the secret of where she is - but warned: 'One day their luck may run out.'

Jen King spoke emotionally about her 'unresolved grief' at the disappearance of a faithful friend who propped her up when she needed help.

And the 36-year-old digital marketer says she can't let go of the possibility Claudia started a secret new life, however unlikely it seems.

She and Claudia were close friends who lived together before they got homes opposite each other on York's Heworth Road.

Jen was also a barmaid at the Nag's Head in Heworth, the centre of Claudia's social life which was only a few yards from her front door.

Claudia failed to arrive for work at the University of York in March 2009 and has not been seen or heard from since.

Police last month launched a new hunt for Ms Lawrence and are currently searching land in Sand Hutton, north Yorkshire.

Speaking to MailOnline about her friend's disappearance, Jen said: 'In all likelihood someone out there knows what happened but I don't hold out any hope of them coming forward having got away with it for this long.

Jen King (pictured left with Claudie Lawrence (right) in 2009) spoke emotionally about her 'unresolved grief' at the disappearance of a faithful friend who propped her up when she needed help.

North Yorkshire Police search teams continue to search a partially drained lake near York yesterday as part of the investigation to find Claudia Lawrence

Police preform a fingertip search at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits, near York, in the search for Claudia Lawrence

'Someone has either been incredibly clever or incredibly lucky and I hold onto the hope that one day their luck runs out.

Chef Claudia Lawrence failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009 and is presumed dead by officers

'I live constantly in a state of unresolved grief. You wonder 'is she dead 'and the next thought is 'I don't want her to be dead' and that's how it goes on.

'You find yourself running through all kinds of scenarios. Did she do it to herself? Was she injured accidentally and not found.

'Each one is as unbelievable as the next, but your friend suddenly going missing for 12 years is unbelievable in itself.'

A visit from the police just before they began their search of gravel pits at Sand Hutton, east of York, on August 24 dredged up a now-familiar turmoil.

Jen said: 'The police came to see me as they started the search of the gravel pits, it was just to forewarn me and tell me what they were planning to do.

'I was grateful for that because every time anything happens to do with Claudia it is a shock and it brings up all the feelings and thoughts that are always there below the surface.

'They didn't tell me why they were searching there but I'm glad they're still actively looking for her after all this time.

'I can't think of any link Claudia had with Sand Hutton or the area around it but of course she could have gone walking there or arranged to meet someone there for a walk.

The disappearance of Claudia Lawrence 2009 March 18 - Miss Lawrence speaks with her parents over the phone and, at 8.23pm, sends her friend a text. She has not been seen or heard from since. March 20 - Miss Lawrence's father, Peter, contacts North Yorkshire Police after his daughter fails to keep an arrangement to meet a friend at the Nags Head pub. She also fails to attend work. March 23 - Mr Lawrence describes his daughter's disappearance as a 'living nightmare' during a news conference in York. April 24 - Detectives say that Miss Lawrence's disappearance is being treated as a suspected murder investigation. A 10,000 reward is offered for information that could lead to the conviction of those responsible. 2010 May 6 - Mr Lawrence calls for an urgent independent inquiry into the police investigation of his daughter's disappearance and suspected murder. July 29 - Police confirm they are reducing the number of officers dedicated to the inquiry into Miss Lawrence's disappearance. 2013 October 29 - A new forensic search of Miss Lawrence's home is announced as police launch a fresh review of the case. 2014 March 19 - Five years on from Miss Lawrence's disappearance, officers discover at her home the fingerprints of people who have still not come forward to the investigation. May 13 - A 59-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murder. He is released on police bail and eventually released without charge on November 17, 2014. 2015 March 23 - A man in his 50s is arrested on suspicion of murdering Miss Lawrence and is released on police bail the following day. April 22 - Three more men, all in their 50s and from the York area, are arrested on suspicion of murder and are released on bail. September 17 - A file of evidence on four men arrested on suspicion of murder is sent by North Yorkshire Police to the Crown Prosecution service (CPS) so it can consider whether to bring charges. 2016 March 8 - Police say the CPS has decided the four men will not face charges. 2017 January 17 - Mr Lawrence says he is 'hugely depressed and disappointed' as the investigation into his daughter's disappearance is scaled down. 2019 March - Nearly a decade on from her disappearance, Miss Lawrence has still not been found. Her father says in an interview that 'it's very difficult' to conceive of her still being alive. July - The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill, also known as Claudia's Law, came into force. This followed years of campaigning by Mr Lawrence and allows relatives to take control of their missing loved ones' financial matters. 2021 February 15 - The death of Peter Lawrence in announced. March 18 - Speaking after taking over the police investigation, Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox said it is not too late for people to come forward and stop the 'unrelenting anguish' caused to the chef's loved ones. August 24 - A new search operation is announced at the gravel pits at Sand Hutton, about eight miles from York. Advertisement

'We were close friends but we didn't know where each other was 24 hours a day.'

She said the search has left her with mixed feeling and a realisation that she doesn't necessarily want the 12 year mystery to be solved.

Jen said: 'It's a very strange feeling, waiting for some kind of resolution to this because you realise when something like this search happens that you don't necessarily want a resolution if it means my friend is found at the bottom of a pond.

'There's no good kind of closure that could come from that, it's a horrible thought.

'I feel - and I know her mother does as well - that there is still some hope that Claudia is out there living her life. It's a question of faith.

'You think, maybe she found someone and that person wanted her all to himself and she's out there somewhere and she's OK, maybe happy.

'I also live with a lot of guilt because Claudia was always there for me and when I wonder if she needed me to be there for her and I wasn't.

'There were no missed phone calls from her or messages but it's still something I think about.

'She was a wonderful friend and I reached a point in my life when I really needed her and she was there for me.

'We moved in together and shared a house which was a really happy time.

'We then ended up living opposite each other and I still look across the road at the house where she lived.

'That house itself doesn't mean all that much because Claudia actually didn't like it, she was still searching for her perfect home.

'But I have still thought about her every day for the past 12 years. I wonder where she would be now if she hadn't gone missing.

'She would be 46 now. Would she be married? Would she have kids? These things have been taken away from her in all probability.

'Claudia was a clever girl but I don't think she could have managed to get out of the country without her passport, which was left behind and an adult would struggle to start a new life in this country.'

The search continued at the gravel pits yesterday. Drone shots show three officers sifting through the mud and gravel at the side of the pits, once the site of excavations for a brickworks which were flooded to make fishing lakes.

Senior officers believe their search can still solve York's most enduring missing person mystery.

Claudia failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009, and was reported missing by her father Peter Lawrence two days later, after her friends said they had not heard from her.

In the twelve years since her disappearance, nine people have been questioned by officers, but no charges have ever been brought.

The case - which is being treated as a suspected murder - has never been closed by North Yorkshire Police.

Her father Mr Lawrence - who campaigned tirelessly for Claudia's Law, which allows relatives to control of their missing loved ones' financial matters - died in February aged 74, without finding out what happened to her.

His friend Martin Dales said earlier this year that there could be one or more people 'at large' who knew what happened to her.

Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox said: 'I thank the public for the positive responses and new information received in support of the current phase of the investigation.

'Our focus is on finding Claudia and bringing those responsible for her disappearance and suspected murder to justice.'

It comes as police continuing the hunt for Claudia Lawrence were yesterday drained a fishing lake in their latest bid for clues.

Six specialist officers were pictured working in Sand Hutton, North Yorkshire - which is eight miles from the missing chef's York home - after they began searching the area around the gravel pit just days ago.

Experts used machinery to remove mud, rotten vegetation and rocks from beneath the surface of the water, while officers on land conducted fingertip searches through the leafy woodland as the hunt intensified.

The owners of the land carried out a study into the terrain and surroundings two years ago and the results, which were recently passed to police, are believed to have triggered the new searches.

Pumps have been used to drain the lake in Sand Hutton, North Yorkshire to make it easier to hunt for clues into Claudia's disappearance

Detectives left the smaller of the two lakes empty as Yorkshire Police's probe escalated on Tuesday, September 1

The police searches started earlier this week with no official announcements made before expert officers arrived at the scene

Detectives left the smaller of the two lakes empty, as Claudia's mother Joan, 78, reiterated her fear of bad news as the police probe escalates.

She told The Mirror: 'As a mum, hearing about a lake being drained and a fingertip search being carried is just a nightmare.

'No parent should ever have to endure this. I'm left wondering every day what is going on and what might be found.

'Would it be her rucksack, her phone or anything at all?'

Specialist officers and staff, including underwater search teams, and forensic experts have spent recent days at the site.

The fishing spot near York, is being searched by Yorkshire Police officers investigating the suspected murder

Police search woodland and drain a lake at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits, near York, in the search for Claudia Lawrence on August 27

Claudia Lawrence's route home from work and matched by her now missing mobile phone

Joan revealed she was not informed by police that they were planning to drain Sand Hutton's gravel lakes, and suspects they are working on a new line of investigation.

'The police must know something to go to all this work,' she told the Mirror.

'They know something and I don't  the not knowing is awful. I can't get on with life while Claudia is missing.

'It affects every minute of my day. I've started having really awful nightmares again. This is the reality of living with a missing child and a live investigation.

'I am begging anyone with any information to come forward and end this eternal pain I have to endure constantly.'

Miss Lawrence, who lived by herself in the Heworth area of York, failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009 and was reported missing by her father Peter Lawrence two days later, after her friends said they had not heard from her.

In the twelve years since her disappearance, nine people have been questioned by officers, but no charges have ever been brought.

The case - which is being treated as a suspected murder - has never been closed by North Yorkshire Police.

Police believe Ms Lawrence  who worked at York University  was murdered, although no body has ever been found.

Her father Mr Lawrence - who campaigned tirelessly for Claudia's Law, which allows relatives to control of their missing loved ones' financial matters - died in February aged 74, without finding out what happened to her. His friend Martin Dales said earlier this year that there could be one or more people 'at large' who knew what happened to her.

Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox said: 'I thank the public for the positive responses and new information received in support of the current phase of the investigation.

'Our focus is on finding Claudia and bringing those responsible for her disappearance and suspected murder to justice.'

It came as Claudia's mother Joan Lawrence said she feared the double killer Christopher Halliwell could be connected to the case.

Keen fisherman and cabbie Halliwell, 57, is behind bars for life for murdering Sian O'Callaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20, after snatching them from nightclubs.

But many connected to his case believe he has further victims, including Ms Godden's mother who has previously said she knew of a witness who saw Halliwell talking to Claudia back in 2019 before she disappeared.

Stephen Fulcher  the detective superintendent who caught the killer  has also gone on record to say there were 'clear indications' he had other victims, although did not go as far as name them.

The date of the year Claudia disappeared, March 18, 2009, is also the same date years later Halliwell abducted and killed Sian.

It is thought the day is significant because he was dumped on that same day by an ex over a decade ago.

Joan explained: 'Something always bothered me about Halliwell and leaves me feeling very uneasy.

'The police may not have proved he had anything to do with my daughter's disappearance, but they haven't disproved it either,' she added to the Mirror.

Earlier this week, Joan Lawrence said she has been doing everything to keep herself busy after police scoured woodland and a fishing lake eight miles from her York home yesterday.

She explained: 'It's been truly awful and every parent's worst nightmare.

'I'd rather have no news than bad news, but I do dread there being bad news. I pray for answers every day. I am really thrown by what is happening now.

'They've made me nervous. What are they searching for? The bag, for the phone? For her? I'm worried about my daughter but it's always been my instinct that she is still alive. I can't give up hope. That's what keeps me going.'

She said the constant stress she has lived with for 12 years since Claudia's disappearance has left her with alopecia and having to wear wigs.

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 last week.

Experts explained they expected the specialist divers to dredge the lake to conduct 'fine fingertip searches' and use 'underwater metal detectors' to scour the area for evidence.

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.

The force said it could not disclose what had led officers to the location eight miles from York

Joan Lawrence said she feared killer Christopher Halliwell could be connected to the case after learning of lake development

Halliwell, 57, is behind bars for life for murdering Sian O'Callaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20, in two brutal attacks

Police divers have been searching the waters at a fishing lake at Sand Hutton in an effort to crack the 12-year-old case

Officers used large sticks to rake back swathes of leaves and grass to look for any clues

Claudia Lawrence (right, with her father Peter) was reported missing after she failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009

'I would imagine they are searching with some very good intelligence.'

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.'
A hospital in Georgia made the rare decision to allow news crews in this past week and the cameras got a rare look at the toll the pandemic is still taking.

Two people died in the first 15 minutes of CBS46 in Atlanta's visit to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville on Monday alone.

They also spoke to a nurse who had worked at the hospital for six years but quit the weekend before over the stress.

Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville made the rare decision to allow news crews in this past week and the cameras got a rare look at the toll the pandemic is still taking

At least 73 people died of Covid at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in August alone, which makes the hospital's death toll in August 75.

At the time of the news crew's visit, at least 248 Covid patients were fighting for their lives in the hospital, with 6,000 hospitalized across the state, down from a peak of about 350 in January.

As of Thursday, at least 22,740 people have died from Covid-19 in Georgia. Deaths are rising to 99 per day.

As of Thursday, at least 22,740 people have died from Covid-19 in Georgia. Deaths are rising to 99 per day

Georgia ranks eighth in the country in total deaths from Covid since the pandemic began.

The state has seen 1,403,582 positive tests for the virus.

Amber Rampy, a hospital nurse, having worked the last 20 months in the Covid-unit of a hospital, simply walked out and quit last Friday, not being able to take the stress any longer.

Amber Rampy, a hospital nurse, having worked the last 20 months in the Covid-unit of a hospital, simply walked out and quit, not being able to take the stress any longer

'I just left on Friday because I can't do it anymore. I just can't. Although I'm used to individuals dying, I'm simply not used to this many.'

Like many medical professionals, Rampy thought the worst of the pandemic was behind her.

Dr. Deepak Aggarwal, who also works at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, said the numbers are rising again and could hit dangerous levels.

Doctors at the hospital say they could be facing 450 to 500 hospitalizations from Covid soon, well above their peak of 350 in January

'If the current modeling holds were looking at 450 to 500 hospitalizations on average per week,' Aggarwal stated.

Officials add that while they haven't had to turn anyone away yet, they have been forced to treat some Covid patients in the backs of EMS trucks.

'We haven't had to turn anyone away and we're very fortunate,' Dr. Aggarwal said.

At least 73 people died of Covid at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in August alone, which makes the hospital's death toll in August 75

However, staff is having to get creative to keep up with the pace of people being hospitalized, using the trucks as well as hospital hallways to deal with extra patients.

The hospital invited the media in to specifically highlight the current fourth wave of Covid that's killing more younger people than previous waves did.

'Now they're like 45 and their kids are like 12 and you have to tell them, 'daddy's dying',' Rampy said.

Dr. Deepak Aggarwal said the Covid numbers are rising again at the hospital and could hit dangerous, record levels

Officials at the hospital say they have been forced to treat some Covid patients in the backs of EMS trucks

The nurse, who had been working for Northeast Georgia Medical Center for over six years, according to her LinkedIn account, said she has stopped asking if patients were vaccinated.

'Individuals make poor selections, you need to take care of them. However, it's overwhelming,' Rampy stated.

Rampy does hope that sharing her expertise would be the push some individuals need to get the shot.

Total coronavirus infections in the United States is edging close to 40 million
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Defiant Afghan women held a rare protest Thursday saying they were willing to accept the burqa if their daughters could still go to school under Taliban rule.

'It is our right to have education, work and security,' the group of around 50 female demonstrators chanted, waving placards on the streets of Afghanistan's western city of Herat.

During the Taliban's first stint in power, before being ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001, women and girls were mostly denied education and employment.

Burqas became mandatory in public, women could not leave home without a male companion, and street protests were unthinkable.

'We are here to ask for our rights,' Fereshta Taheri, one of the demonstrators, told AFP news agency by phone.

'We are even ready to wear burqas if they tell us, but we want the women to go to school and work,' the photographer and artist added.

Defiant Afghan women held a rare protest Thursday saying they were willing to accept the burqa if their daughters could still go to school under Taliban rule

'It is our right to have education, work and security,' the group of around 50 female demonstrators chanted, waving placards on the streets of Afghanistan's western city of Herat

During the Taliban's first stint in power, before being ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001, women and girls were mostly denied education and employment

'We are even ready to wear burqas if [the Taliban] tell us, but we want the women to go to school and work,' one protester said

Herat, an ancient Silk Road city close to the Iranian border, has long been a cosmopolitan exception to more conservative centres, though some women already wear the burqa.

The Taliban, who seized power last month after a lightning military campaign, are in discussions about the make-up of a new government.

They have pledged their leadership will be 'inclusive', but many doubt women will find a place in Afghanistan's new administration.

'We follow the news, and we don't see any women in Taliban meetings and gatherings,' said Herat protester Mariam Ebram.

The group have now promised a softer brand of rule, pledging that women will be allowed to work but within the limits of Sharia law.

The last time the Taliban were in power, burqas became mandatory in public, women could not leave home without a male companion, and street protests were unthinkable

Former government minister Nehan Nargis, speaking to the BBC late Wednesday from Norway where she fled to last month, said Afghanistan had changed from when the Taliban were last in power and people had different expectations for the country after years of nascent democracy

'We want to be part of the government - no government can be formed without women. We want the Taliban to hold consultations with us,' one protester said

Pictured: A member of the Taliban looks on as protesting Afghan women pass through the streets of Herat on Thursday

The rebranding is being treated with scepticism, with experts questioning whether it will be a short-term bid to seek international recognition and a continuation of vital aid.

'The talks are ongoing to form a government, but they are not talking about women's participation,' Basira Taheri, one of the rally's organisers said.

'We want to be part of the government - no government can be formed without women. We want the Taliban to hold consultations with us.'

She described how 'most of the working women in Herat are at home', out of fear and uncertainty.

Ebram said that those who had returned faced resistance from the new Taliban forces in control.

'Some women, like doctors and nurses who dared to go back to work, complain that the Taliban mock them,' Ebram said.

'The Taliban don't look at them, they don't talk to them. They only show their angry faces to them.'

Pictured: An Afghan protester (left) speaks with a member of the Taliban (right) during a demonstration in Herat on Thursday

'People are much more aware, they have different aspirations for Afghanistan now, and expectations from government,' former government minister Nehan Nargis said in an interview, noting social media now helped bring like-minded activists together

Primary school age children including girls have returned to school, but the Taliban says further education is on hold until after the formation of a government

Primary school age children including girls have returned to school, but the Taliban says further education is on hold until after the formation of a government.

Former government minister Nehan Nargis, speaking to the BBC late Wednesday from Norway where she fled to last month, said Afghanistan had changed from when the Taliban were last in power.

'People are much more aware, they have different aspirations for Afghanistan now, and expectations from government,' she said, noting social media now helped bring like-minded activists together.

The Taliban's rebranding as a more liberal version of its past incarnation is being treated with scepticism, with experts questioning whether it will be a short-term bid to seek international recognition and a continuation of vital aid

Pictured: Protesters speak to Taliban members and other men during a demonstration in the city of Herat on Thursday

The Taliban, who seized power last month after a lightning military campaign, are in discussions about the make-up of a new government. They have pledged their leadership will be 'inclusive', but many doubt women will find a place in Afghanistan's new administration

'The Afghan people... have collectively raised their voice very strongly using the platform of social media for their issues and causes... and they will continue to use that,' Nargis said.

Basira Taheri said they would continue to protest until their demands were met.

'The women of this land are informed and educated,' she said. 'We are not afraid, we are united.'

Herat's demonstrators said they hoped their example would inspire others across the country.

'We will continue our protests,' Basira Taheri said. 'We started it in Herat, it will soon expand to other provinces.'

Herat, an ancient Silk Road city close to the Iranian border, has long been a cosmopolitan exception to more conservative centres, though some women already wear the burqa including the woman in blue (centre)

Herat's demonstrators said they hoped their example would inspire others across the country
Nearly every person arrested this year by a Beverly Hills task force was black, according to a new class-action lawsuit led by a black couple who say their arrest was part of a campaign to arrest black people for trivial reasons at disproportionate rates.

Filed Monday by famed civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump and Bradley Gage, the complaint alleges that 105 of 106 people arrested between March 2020 and July 2021 by the city's 'safe streets task force' were black.

The one outlier, according to the complaint, was a dark-skinned Latino man 'who looked black.'

Those arrested by the Rodeo Drive Task force were scootering, roller skating, driving, jaywalking a few feet off the crosswalk and, in one case, holding a Versace bag.

Beverly Hills Police Chief Dominick Rivetti said the force was assembled to combat a rise in burglaries, shoplifting, 'street gambling, public intoxication, marijuana smoking and more,' and a 'significant increase in calls for service in our business community.'

He said in the statement that an 'unprecedented' 13 firearms were seized by the task force from people walking along the luxury store-lined shopping area.

Khalil White (far left) and Jasmine Williams (far right) are being represented by famed civil rights lawyer (center right) and Bradley Gage (center left) in their lawsuit against the city of Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills Police Department Chief Scott Dowling and two unnamed police officers

The couple spearheading the suit, Khalil White (left) and Jasmine Williams (right) of Philidelphia, were detained 'without any reasonable suspicion or probable cause' by police while they were riding a scooter while on vacation on September 7, according to the complaint

Gage said that the true impetus for the task force were in response to protests over the police killing of George Floyd and suspicion that money obtained through unemployment fraud was being used to make purchases at the ritzy stores, according to Yahoo! News.

'Gee, that's suspicious - black people shopping in Beverly Hills,' said Gage of the department's approach to combatting that suspected fraud.

The Beverly Hills police 'had made up their mind that this black man was going to jail because this is Operation Safe Streets,' said Crump, who represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

The couple spearheading the suit, Khalil White and Jasmine Williams of Philidelphia, were vacationing in Beverly Hills last Fall. On September 7, they were detained 'without any reasonable suspicion or probable cause' by police while they were riding a scooter, according to the complaint.

When the they protested and 'cit[ed] the continuous racial profiling of people of color,' the complaint alleges, police 'decided to ratchet up their invocation of police powers,' and began 'questioning [the pair] as though they were suspects in a crime.'

White and Williams were asked to give police their driver's licenses so they could be run through a criminal database.

The Beverly Hills police 'had made up their mind that this Black man was going to jail because this is Operation Safe Streets,' said Benjamin Crump (pictured), who represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor

The couple objected and reiterated that they hadn't committed a crime - then, they were 'handcuffed and placed under arrest on multiple fabricated charges.'

When Williams asked officers for her purse to retrieve the key to her hotel room while White was being handcuffed, the complaint said, she was pushed into a police car and handcuffed.

Ultimately, all charges against the pair - White was charged with resisting arrest and both were charged for falsely identifying themselves to police - were dropped after they being reviewed by prosecutors. White paid a $25,000 bond to get out of jail.

Rivetti said that officers had told the couple that it was illegal to ride a scooter on the sidewalk earlier that day and, in their second encounter with police, White and Williams provided officers with false information.

'That day was very terrifying,' Williams said at a press conference yesterday. 'I don't want this to keep happening to anyone. It's not right. I don't want this to happen to anyone - I want it to be prevented.'

The lawyers are seeking class-action status for the suit, although White and Williams are the only two named plaintiffs.

The other 104 unnamed individuals, Gage said, were amassed with the help of unidentified, retired Beverly Hills police officers who were outraged with the task force's behavior and spoke out about the racial breakdown of the group's arrests.

Specifically, the lawsuit names the City of Beverly Hills, Police Captain Scott Dowling and two sergeants who are only denoted with initials in court documents.

'Dowling directed his subordinates to seize, interrogate, use force, falsely arrest, and maliciously prosecute African Americans who traveled to Rodeo Drive,' the lawsuit states. His intended to to 'keep out African Americans, who were deemed criminals.'

The suit lists a number of apparently racially-motivated detainments and arrests carried out by the group, including that of then-vice president of Versace, Salehe Bembury, who was followed by police while carrying a Versace bag.

Body camera footage from the October of 2020 incident shows the offending unit approaching Bembury for jaywalking, with one officer commenting, 'How come you did that? You didn't want to wait for the light?'

Officers almost immediately asked for then vice-present of Versace Salehe Bembury's (pictured) ID and whether he had weapons in his possession. They began searching his person while he iterates repeatedly that the he is complying and feels uncomfortable

'I literally designed the shoes that are in this bag, and I'm being... searched,' Bembury can be heard saying to officers on the body camera footage. When he took out his phone to record, one officer tried to discourage him, saying 'right now, you're being detained.'

The officers almost immediately asked for Bembury's ID and whether he had weapons in his possession. They began searching him person while he repeatedly tells the cop that the he is complying and feels uncomfortable.

'I literally designed the shoes that are in this bag, and I'm being... searched,' he can be heard saying to officers on the body camera footage. When he took out his phone to record, one officer tried to discourage him, saying 'right now, you're being detained.'

'I'm in Beverly Hills right now and I'm getting searched for shopping at the store I work for and just being black,' said Bembury in an Instagram video that he posted at that point in his interaction with police. He then asks if he's 'good to go.'

'You're making a completely different narrative,' one officer can be heard saying in the video.

This is one of many times that the Beverly Hills Police Department (pictured) has been accused of racial profiling

This is not the first time the Beverly Hills Police Department has been accused of racial profiling. In 1995, six black people, five of whom were teenagers, sued the department in a similar class-action lawsuit, accusing the department of stopping and harassing Black people without 'reasonable suspicion.'

In 2000 a settlement was reached, which included the launch of the city's Human Relations Commission, which handles issues of racial profiling.

In June of 2015, officers in the department posted the video 'Yellow Fever with Soul,' which poked fun at blacks and Asian Americans, to Youtube. Comments were made in the video about slavery, and a Black man was featured with a chicken leg in hand.

In 2020, the department's previous Chief Sandra Spagnoli, retired in 2020 after she was accused in over a dozen lawsuits of making racist comments having sex with officers who were later promoted.

The creator of the film 'Yellow Fever' film, Stanley Shen, ultimately promoted to detective, chosen over a female officer married to a Black man, according to the complaint.

The city of Beverly Hills has not disputed the racial breakdown of the data included in the lawsuit. According to The Guardian, a spokesperson said that the force has been disbanded after 16 months in operation.
Half of all 16 and 17-year-olds have already got their Covid vaccine, NHS England revealed today.

Latest figures showed 620,000 teenagers in the age group are registered as having received one dose.

It comes less than a month after the JCVI  which is advising Britain's roll out  recommended they were inoculated.

Officials said appetite for jabs among young people had been 'strong' since the drive began at the start of August.

Separate data from Public Health England (PHE) showed vaccines have already prevented 140,000 hospitalisations across the country.

The agency's weekly report highlights just how well vaccines are already working at preventing serious disease and death, amid mounting calls for a booster programme to be launched.

Experts are warning England faces a third wave of infections as schools return this week and next. No10's top scientists are still deliberating on whether to roll out jabs to 12 to 15-year-olds.

This graph shows the number of first doses dished out by age group. The NHS does not split age groups into individual units. It shows more than 620,000 have already been inoculated among under-18s

The above graph from the PHE report shows vaccine uptake by age group as a percentage of that age group. It reveals an uptick among under-18s

Covid vaccines have prevented 143,600 hospital admissions, PHE says More than 140,000 hospital admissions in England are estimated to have been prevented by the vaccine rollout. The latest estimate of 143,600 is a sharp rise on the previous one of more than 82,100. The new figures, from Public Health England (PHE), have been hailed as showing the 'vital role' vaccines play in preventing severe disease. The organisation said approximately 36,100 admissions were estimated to have been prevented in those aged 65 to 74, while for 75 to 84-year-olds the figure was 58,800, and it was 48,700 in those aged 85 and over. Estimates for the number of deaths in England directly averted by the vaccine rollout are unchanged at between 102,500 and 109,500. Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant epidemiologist at PHE, said: 'These figures show the vital role that vaccines play in preventing hospitalisations and, in turn, reducing the pressure on the NHS. 'The vaccine helps protect you and those around you. To gain maximum protection, it is important that you get 2 doses of the vaccine.' Health Secretary Sajid Javid said a 'wall of defence' is being built with every dose given. He said: 'Jab by jab we are building a wall of defence that has already saved more than 105,000 lives and prevented 143,000 hospitalisations in England alone. 'Do not delay  please come forward and get both of your vaccines as soon as you can.' Advertisement

NHS England figures also revealed almost two-thirds of this age group have already been inoculated in Wales.

In Scotland half have got their first doses, while in Northern Ireland 40 per cent have come forward for their jab.

The 1.2million teenagers in the age group in England are being offered first doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna Covid vaccines.

The JCVI is yet to rule on whether 16 and 17-year-olds should also be given second doses.

Britain's medical regulator  the MHRA  has said both jabs are safe for the age group and effective against infection, hospitalisation and death.

But it is recommended that under-40s get an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine because of concerns over very rare blood clots.

NHS England figures showed 640,000 doses have been dished out to under-18s to date. The number is higher because jabs are also available to over-12s who live with a vulnerable adult or have a condition that puts them at risk from the virus.

More than 48.1million people in Britain have got their first dose  or 88.6 per cent ofunder-16s  and 43million  or 79.2 per cent  have got their second.

Dr Kanani said: 'Uptake among young people continues to be strong and thanks to the non-stop efforts of NHS staff and volunteers half of all 16 and 17-year-olds have had their vaccine since becoming eligible last month.

'(This) gives them the best possible protection against coronavirus.'

She added: 'As school and college terms are due to start back shortly, it is really important that young people continue to come forward for their life-saving vaccine and visit the NHS grab-a-jab finder to find a convenient site, with walk-in vaccinations taking place at nightclubs, university campuses and places of worship this weekend.

'It has never been easier to drop in and get your vaccine: it is safe, effective and will provide vital protection for you and your family and friends.'

Local NHS teams and volunteers will be administering jabs at sites including the G-A-Y nightclub in London, the Hindu Temple in Crawley and the University of Kents Canterbury Campus this weekend.

When the JCVI announced its recommendation to extend the vaccine rollout to 16 and 17-year-olds, it said it would make further recommendations at a later stage on when youngsters should get their second dose.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said today: 'It is fantastic to see the enthusiasm of young people to get the jab and great news that more than half of 16 to 17s in England are now vaccinated with a first dose as they return to colleges and sixth-forms.

'Thank-you for playing your part in helping us live safely with this virus so we can continue to enjoy the freedoms we missed like seeing friends and family.'

It came as a separate report from PHE said more than 140,000 hospitalisations had been prevented by vaccines.

The organisation said approximately 36,100 admissions were estimated to have been prevented in those aged 65 to 74, while for 75 to 84-year-olds the figure was 58,800, and it was 48,700 in those aged 85 and over.

Estimates for the number of deaths in England directly averted by the vaccine rollout are unchanged at between 102,500 and 109,500.

Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant epidemiologist at PHE, said: 'These figures show the vital role that vaccines play in preventing hospitalisations and, in turn, reducing the pressure on the NHS.

'The vaccine helps protect you and those around you. To gain maximum protection, it is important that you get 2 doses of the vaccine.'

Mr Javid said a 'wall of defence' is being built with every dose given.

He said: 'Jab by jab we are building a wall of defence that has already saved more than 105,000 lives and prevented 143,000 hospitalisations in England alone.

'Do not delay  please come forward and get both of your vaccines as soon as you can.'
A Florida teen accused of murdering his classmate by stabbing her 114 times has been caught on camera saying he believes 'demons are going to take his soul away'.

Aiden Fucci, 14, made the bizarre remark on Wednesday during a pretrial hearing over the brutal slaying of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey, which took place in St. Johns on May 9.

Fucci - who has been charged with first-degree murder - attended the hearing virtually from a meeting room at Duval County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond.

'Please don't let the demons take my soul. The demons are going to take my soul away,' Fucci could be heard mumbling in the recorded hearing.

'Why am I here? I just want to talk to my mom and dad. What's going on? What's going on?' he subsequently asked.

Fucci was also seen in the clip rocking back and forth on a prison chair with a confused look upon his face.

A forensic psychologist who is not affiliated with the murder case told NEWS 4 it is likely Fucci will now receive a 'mental competency evaluation' given his behavior at the hearing.

Fucci has not given a motive for his alleged murder of Baily, who was his classmate at Patriot Oaks Academy in St. Johns.

The hearing was adjourned until October 28.

Aiden Fucci, 14, made the bizarre remark on Wednesday during a pretrial hearing over the brutal slaying of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey, which took place in St. Johns on May 9

Aiden Fucci, 14, made the bizarre remark on Wednesday during a pretrial hearing over the brutal slaying of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey, which took place in St. Johns on May 9

Last week, prosecutors released surveillance video from the night of the murder which allegedly shows Fucci and Bailey walking together toward a wooded area in their neighborhood of St Johns shortly after midnight.

Less than two hours later - just before 2am - the same surveillance camera caught Fucci running in the opposite direction.

At the same time, prosecutors also made public video which was captured from inside Fucci's home after the murder.

It purportedly shows Fucci's mom, Crystal Smith, going upstairs and picking up her son's blue jeans, before allegedly scrubbing blood off of them.

When police searched Fucci's home, they allegedly found a Buck knife sheath in his room, as well as shoes and a shirt with blood on them.

Those jeans - as well as the drain in Smith's home, later tested positive for blood

Smith has been charged with one felony count of evidence tampering.

A neighbor's camera captured what police said was the last time Bailey was seen alive on the morning of May 9, walking with Fucci towards a wooded area in St Johns, Florida

Meanwhile, prosecutors have painted a picture of Fucci as a disturbed young teenager.

Smith has been charged with evidence tampering, a felony, in connection with Bailey's killing

According to separate court documents, one of Fucci's female friends told police that the teen frequently talked about killing people.

She also said Fucci would 'take his knife out and pretend to stab her with it' and that he would 'draw graphic pictures depicting mutilated bodies'.

The friend also told detectives that Fucci often heard voices when he was angry that would tell him to kill people.

When detectives searched Fucci's home, they uncovered a notebook filled with 'violent' drawings of women, including one that showed a female with red Xs on her breasts and severed arms with blood pouring out.

Prosecutors also obtained a Snapchat video of Fucci smiling as he sat in the back of a cop car after he was taken in for questioning by police the day after the murder 'Guess who's in a f***ing cop car... tripping, dude,' says in the clip.

He also snapped a selfie in the reflection of the police video with the caption: 'Hey guys has inybody (sic) seen Tristyn lately?'

Fucci posted this Snapchat selfie from the back of a police car after he was taken in for questioning on May 10 - a day after Bailey's body was found dumped in a wooded area near his home with 114 stab wounds

Fucci initially was arrested on a second-degree murder charge and held in a juvenile justice center the day after Bailey's body was found.

Authorities said his DNA was found on Bailey's body.

Prosecutors later upgraded the charge to first-degree murder.

Fucci has pleaded not guilty to murder and remains jailed without bail. Smith was released after posting $25,000 bond.
Four people are dead after a private jet crashed into a factory in Farmington, Connecticut Thursday morning.

Two pilots and two passengers were killed when the plane hit the ground and slid into German manufacturer Trumpf near the small Robertson Airport after witnesses there said it had trouble getting off the ground.

The Cessna Citation 560X was headed to Dare County Regional Airport in North Carolina when it crashed at about 10am.

'That we can confirm that no one was injured inside was a silver lining to this tragedy,' Farmington Police Lt. Tim McKenzie told reporters Thursday afternoon, calling it 'miraculous' that none of the estimated 100 employees inside were hurt.

No one was taken to the hospital, McKenzie said earlier.

The Thursday morning plane crash in Farmington, Connecticut sent flames into the sky

Two pilots and two passengers were confirmed dead by the afternoon, according to police

The plane reportedly crashed into the ground before sliding onto the factory building ahead

Gov. Lamont said 'insularly fires' broke out inside the Trumpf facility, where no one was hurt

The Cessna Citation 560X averages $2.5 million and can carry up to nine passengers

Witnesses say the plane struggled to take off from the airport earlier in the day, according to reporter Caitlin Francis of WSFB. It hit the ground before eventually crashing into the factory building.

Photos from the scene show smoke billowing up as a mangled plane appears to rest next to the charred side of the building.

Cessna Citation 560Xs go for as much as $2.5 million, according to LibertyJet.com. The popular aircraft has capacity for nine passengers.

The plane crashed in the small town of Farmington about a mile down the road from an airport

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont thanked first responders at the scene and added that the plane probably had mechanical issues and hit a power line after taking off from the nearby airport.

'It's a chemical facility inside so there's a lot of other insularly fires going on. Our amazing first responders were here almost immediately, but there was not much to save in terms of the folks on the plane,' Lamont told WTNH.

'I'm feeling the tragedy. I'm feeling it's a state that's had a lot of loss recently.'

Earlier in the day, a state trooper was admitted to the hospital in critical condition after his police cruiser was swept away in flood waters at 4am in Woodbury, according to the Hartford Courant.

The governor said the National Transportation Safety Board was on its way.

A website for Trumpf describes the Farmington campus as a 'state-of-the-art training facility, where more than 25 full-time instructors teach hands-on classes for programming, maintenance, and equipment operation in a 48,000 sq ft fabrication shop.'

'The production of solid-state laser sources and flatbed laser-cutting machines is also carried out in the Farmington facility, to better serve the needs of customers in North America.'

A spokeswoman for the company directed all questions to the Farmington Fire Department.

A reporter for WTNH said the building was empty at the time, but no one aboard the plane survived.

Police released little information about the crash Thursday morning

'Police sources tell me a jet engine took off from Robertson Airport in Plainville and lost power. Sources say no one was inside the building at the time but sadly no one on the plane survived,' Samaia Hernandez tweeted at 10.55am.

A witness at a nearby company, Image First, told WTIC-TV that they heard a loud explosion and ran out to see the smoke.

Farmington is located in Hartford County, about 10 miles southwest of the state capital of Hartford. The 25,000-person town is about two hours from Boston and three hours from New York City.

'We are responding to a plane crash into a building at 111 Hyde Rd. Media can stage at the intersection of New Britain Ave and Hyde Rd for now,' the Farmington Police Department tweeted at 10.10am.

'Any updates will be on our Twitter page. Please avoid the area so emergency crews can evacuate the immediate area.'
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Democrats all the way up to President Biden are warning the worst is yet to come after Hurricane Ida flooded the northeast and killed at least 26, as they push for costly climate change measures.

'This is yet another reminder that extreme storms and the climate crisis are here,' Biden said in an address on Hurricane Ida's devastation.

'Floods are going to happen with increasing frequency,' he continued. 'For us, this isn't about politics. Hurricane Ida didn't care if you were a Democrat or Republican. This destruction is everywhere.'

Biden said that when the Senate returns to Washington he would direct them to pass the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation plan as part of his 'Build Back Better' agenda.

'Experiencing all this flooding in NYC right now and thinking about all the politicians who told me that pursuing a Green New Deal to adapt our nat'l infrastructure to climate change is 'unrealistic' & 'too expensive.'' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, N.Y., wrote on Twitter. 'As if doing too little is the responsible, adult thing to do?'

'Members of both parties engage in misleading rhetoric and funny math to convince the public we are addressing climate change more than we are - & that includes parts of the current infrastructure plan,' Ocasio-Cortez said. 'We need a Green New Deal now.'

'Global warming is upon us not a coincidence,' Sen. Chuck Schumer, N.Y., said in a press conference Thursday. 'It's going to get worse and worse and worse.' The majority leader used the moment to push for the infrastructure deal and budget reconciliation plan making their way through Congress.

'That's why it's so imperative to pass the two bills, the infrastructure bill and the budget reconciliation bill.'

'Woe is us if we don't recognize that these changes are due to climate change. Woe is us if we don't do something soon,' he said.

The $3.5 trillion budget plan, focused on 'human infrastructure,' would allocate almost $200 billion to be distributed by the Energy Committee, another $67 billion for Environment and Public Works and $135 billion for Agriculture, with a focus on reducing carbon emissions. The plan furthers President Biden's agenda of a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030.

The president, giving remarks on the hurricane, refused to take questions and turned his back on reporters again after he finished his address

QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: People stand inside a subway station as water runs past their feet during flash flooding caused by storm Ida

NEW YORK CITY: Trains were seen being swamped with cascades of water, while subway stations were completely flooded

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday night's storm was the 'biggest wakeup call' to act on climate change.

'A horrifying storm unlike anything we've ever seen before The brutality of storms now. It is different. This is the biggest wake up call we could ever get. We're going to do a lot things differently and quickly.'

New York's new governor Kathy Hochul said that 'Because of climate change, unfortunately this is something we're going to have to deal with with great regularity.'

'Those saying we werent prepared for the climate crisis were right. Those saying Trumps far-right appointees would overturn Roe v. Wade were right. Those saying Afghanistan would take decades and cost trillions of dollars were right. Trust organizers,' Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., wrote on Twitter, also referring to a new Texas law banning abortion after 6 weeks and the US withdrawal out of Afghanistan.

At least 26 people have been killed in the Northeast, including a family of three with a two-year-old boy who drowned in a New York City basement, after the tail-end of Hurricane Ida crept up on the tri-state area on Wednesday night bringing a month's worth of rain in less than a day, flooding homes while people slept and tearing up parts of New Jersey with tornadoes.

'Look, anybody's a global warming denier, take a look at what's going around,' Democrat Stephen Sweeney, president of the New Jersey senate, said in a press conference Thursday.

Sweeney said: 'you might had an occasional storm and wasn't anything. These things are getting stronger and there's more damage. We got to do something because it's too late now.'

Nine people were killed in New York City as water rushed into basement apartments in Brooklyn and Queens and people all over the city became stranded in flooded subway stations. MTA bus drivers were deployed to the stations to pick people up who were stranded and get them to safety.

Eight of the NYC victims died in flooded basement homes. One person was found in the backseat of a car on Thursday morning, at around 10am.

Ocasio-Cortez said the floods represented an 'inequality crisis.'

'How the climate crisis is an inequality crisis: Many of these deaths occurred in basement dwellings, many of which are illegal and growing in # due to the unaffordable housing crisis, but do not meet safety standards required to keep people safe in incidents like flash floods.'

Central Park Lake flooded into Bethesda Terrace on Wednesday night. This was the view at the iconic fountain on Thursday morning

Basement apartments all over New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania flooded on Wednesday when the storm hit

QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: Members of the FDNY are pictured in waist-high water as they rescue a woman from her car

People view a flooded street in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath

'Knowing tornadoes are near our homes, seeing flash floods overtake our streets, I am beyond concerned for the future as these isolated storms turn ceaseless. Whoever needs further proof of a looming climate disaster, look outside,' New York Rep. Yvette Clarke wrote on Twitter.

Fourteen people died in New Jersey - nine were swept away in cars that became submerged in the water and five died in an apartment complex in Elizabeth.

A 19-year-old man died in Maryland when the Rock Creek River burst its banks and flooded nearby homes, and one person died in Upper Dublin Township near Philadelphia, the town's mayor announced on Thursday without giving further details.

The two-year-old in New York City was found dead alongside a 48-year-old woman and 50-year-old man in an apartment in Woodside, Queens. They had all become trapped in their basement apartment. They were among the eight dead in New York City, which also includes an 86-year-old woman who died in her basement apartment in Elmhurst, Queens.

More people have now been found dead in New York City from Ida than in Louisiana, which had days to prepare for the storm.

Meanwhile, President Biden declared an emergency in California over the Caldor wildfire, which has burned over 200,000 acres and forced tens of thousands to evacuate.

Last month a grim United Nations report predicted the earth is likely to warm by 2.7F within the next 20 years  a decade earlier than previously expected  and heatwaves, flooding and droughts will become more frequent and intense.

On Aug. 9, 234 experts warned in the report that the US is headed for disaster. Flooding, deadly fires and heat waves will not only become the norm but will intensify in a warming world, warns the 3,949-page assessment.

Humans have already heated the planet by roughly 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1C), since the 19th century, largely by burning coal, oil and gas for energy  with the US being one of the world's top producers.

Scientists had expected temperatures to rise by 2.7F (1.5C) above pre-industrial levels between 2030 and 2052 but now believe it will happen between this year and 2040.
Vinay Prasad, associate professor of epidemology at UC San Francisco

A UC San Francisco professor of epidemiology condemned the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's call for children ages 2 and up to wear masks in school, saying the policy would do more harm than good to a child's development and the national vaccination effort.

In a column for The Atlantic, Vinay Prasad warned state leaders that forcing young students to wear masks could hinder their language, social and cultural development skills.

He claimed that the trade off for the minimal protection offered by masks against COVID-19 was not worth it.

'No scientific consensus exists about the wisdom of mandatory-masking rules for schoolchildren. The World Health Organization, which recommends that children 12 and older wear masks under the same circumstances that adults do, specifically advises against masking kids age 5 and younger,' Prasad wrote.

Prasad said that while concerns of children not being able to breathe behind masks was a bit exaggerated, so too is the idea that masks provide major benefits to combat COVID in the classroom.

He criticized the effectiveness of most masks, as prevailing research has shown that the popular blue surgical masks do little to contain aerosols.

A study from the University of Waterloo found that the blue masks were only 10% effective at filtering aerosols from the mouth and nose, where the tighter fitting N95 and KN95 masks filtered more than half.

Students in New York City Schools have had to wear masks for more than a year. Pictured, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, center, with students at P.S. 5 on Aug. 17

Parent Melissa Jean, right, reads to her son's Pre-K class as they all wear masks at Phyl's Academy, in Brooklyn on March 24, 2021

Melanie Raybon, right, stood in line with her classmates at Ochard Knob Middle School in Tennessee on Aug. 12. Students have the choice not to wear masks in the state

The study from the University of Waterloo revealed that N95 masks did the best job in containing aerosol droplets, making them the go-to mask for indoors

Other studies around the world have come to the same conclusion, and Prasad noted a different study in Spain that looked at infection rates between masked and unmasked five- and six-year-old students.

The results of the study showed that the older, masked students, still transmitted rates higher than their younger, unmasked counterparts.

Prasad added that the masks faced another challenge, the fact that 'little kids fidget with their masks.'

'In addition to recommending masks for young kids, CDC guidelines also urge masks for most vaccinated caregivers who work in infant day-care centers.

'Many studies support the importance of babies seeing caregivers' faces, and prior to the arrival of COVID-19, many American professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, strongly agree' he wrote.

Two out of every five parents oppose all masks in schools, no matter the child's vaccination status, and just under half of U.S. K-12 parents want all students masked in the classroom, according to new survey from Gallup.

A small number - 11 percent - say mandates should only apply to unvaccinated students.

Students at Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor K-8 Center in Florida are wearing their amid the ongoing dispute of policies between the state and federal government

About half of K-12 parents want all children to wear masks at school, according to Gallup polling. 41 percent want no students wearing masks and 11 percent want only the unvaccinated to mask up

Similarly, 48 percent of parents want all teachers and staff masked, while 38 percent want no teachers masked and 13 percent want mandates only for unvaccinated teachers.

Prasad also warned that the push for masks could turn people off of COVID-19 vaccinations.

'The evidence that supports vaccination is indisputable, in the form of multiple randomized studies, whereas the evidence to support school mask mandates for young kids is fragmentary at best,' he wrote.

'The problem with overselling unproven recommendations is that it risks turning people away from well-grounded ones.'

Prasad noted that because students had never had to deal with face coverings in the past, it is difficult to assess just how much children are being affected.

He ultimately urged researchers to rigorously test policies that mandate all kids to wear masks to fully understand the effects so they can be properly weighed against the dangers of COVID.

Dr. Brooke Decker, left, director of Infection Prevention in Pittsburg argues with anti-mask advocate Dana Gibson as Pennsylvania imposed a masking mandate for all students

Pro-masking advocates protested against the state's push away from the policy in August

States continue to be divided over whether or not to pass sweeping policies on students wearing masks. Pictured, Santa Fe South High School students in Oklahoma City

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania became the latest state to require masks inside all public K-12 schools - joining states like New York and California.

Meanwhile, leaders in Florida, Texas, and other conservative-led states have banned local and school mask requirements.

In Florida, the debate over mask mandates has grown particularly heated, as Governor Ron DeSantis' administration strips funding from districts that institute mask requirements.

DeSantis stripped funding even though a Florida state judge ruled DeSantis' mandate ban unconstitutional. The governor promised to appeal the ruling, expecting that it will be overturned.

Meanwhile, President Biden's administration is investigating five state bans, as Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona says that they may constitute civil rights violations for students with disabilities.

Debates over masking and vaccinations grow as the delta variant continues its spread across the country.

The U.S. reported nearly 40,000,000 new cases over the last 30 days and more than 638,000 deaths, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Nearly 75% of eligible adults have at least taken one jab of the vaccine.
A grieving North Carolina mother appealed to other parents to urge their children 'to put down their guns' after her own teenage son was shot and killed at school on Wednesday.

The victim of North Carolina's second school shooting in three days was identified as William Chavis Renard Miller Jr, a student at Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr.

The gunman was taken into custody hours later. Law enforcement officials arrested the suspect without incident.

The suspect, an unnamed 15-year-old boy, so far has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and weapons offenses.

William Chavis Renard Miller Jr (left and right) was shot and killed by a classmate at their Winston-Salem, North Carolina, high school on Wednesday

A North Carolina high school student was shot dead by a fellow student at lunchtime Wednesday - the second school shooting in the state in three days

A Forsyth County Sheriff directs law enforcement officers on the scene at Mount Tabor High School Wednesday

During a press conference on Thursday, which was attended by North Carolina Gov Roy Cooper, a visibly shaken Sheriff Kimbrough relayed a message from Miller's mother, Shannon Clark, urging other parents to tell their children they loved them.

'I didn't get a chance to tell my baby I love him,' Clark was quoted as saying.

Kimbrough added that the victim's mother, who he said has been crying since getting the tragic news yesterday, also asked him 'tell the mothers to tell their babies to put their guns down because it's senseless.'

Law enforcement officials and Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill refused to answer any questions about the facts of the case, citing an ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, relatives and friends have been leaving messages of love and support on Clark's Facebook page by the dozens.

'No Mother should have to bury their child,' one supporter wrote. 'My heart goes out to you & your Family.'

Members of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol talk in a shopping center parking lot in Winston-Salem. The troopers were part of the law enforcement response to the shooting

Law enforcement officers search the Foxhall neighborhood behind Mount Tabor High School during the hunt for the gunman

Parents were overcome with emotion as they arrived to be reunited with their children following the deadly school shooting

Azucena and Raul Tavira hold one another as they wait to see how to meet with their children, Ariana and Alan Jaimes-Tavira

Kiwannie James Sr. wipes his eyes as he waits to get word about his son, Kiwannie James Jr, near the intersection of Polo Road and Petree Road in Winston-Salem

Another message read: 'That could have been my son at that school today. I am so sorry Shannon Clark.'

Winston-Salem Schools Superintendent Tricia McManus said of Miller that 'he was a great kid and very much loved by his parents and teachers.'

Miller, pictured as a younger boy, is survived by his mother and three siblings

Miller is survived by his mother and three siblings, including an older sister, a younger brother and a baby sister.

This is not the first time that the family has been impacted by gun violence.

When Miller was just a baby, his father and namesake, William Chavis Miller, was killed in a shootout in Winston-Salem January 2006. He was 22 years old.

According to court documents, the elder Miller was ambushed and shot in retaliation for an earlier incident, in which he had allegedly opened fire from an AK-47 on a rival.

During a press update on Wednesday, Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson gave a rundown of afternoon's events but had to stop and collect herself after she said, 'A student was found with a gunshot wound.'

The chief struggled to get the words out. 'He succumbed to his injuries.'

Kimbrough Jr. said, 'I haven't cried in awhile, but I haven't stopped crying since I left the hospital ... While I'm sad, I'm sure mad as hell.'

He had an emotional talk with Miller Jr.'s mom at the hospital.

'She said, "Mr. Kimbrough, my baby." I told her I was going to do everything I could to find who's responsible for this,' Kimbrough Jr. said.

'I wasn't going to give his name. My first responsibility is to the family in times like this, and she said, "Say his name."'

Police said they don't know the shooter's motive or what led up to the shooting.

Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson gave a rundown of events of the afternoon, but she had to stop and collect herself after she said, 'A student was found with a gunshot wound.' The chief struggled to get the words out. 'He succumbed to his injuries'

Parents and community members of Winston-Salem, North Carolina hold hands as they pray for this situation

Anxious parents stand in the parking lot of a shopping center in Winston-Salem after the school shooting

A student's parent - Tracy Bush - spoke to DailyMail.com while she waited to be reunited with her daughter.

'I turned into the mom from "Terms of Endearment" - I started screaming and crying, telling them I'm not leaving without my daughter,' Bush told DailyMail.com after she first got to the school.

'Other parents were doing the same thing. They let some of us in but nobody is with their kid.'

'Everyone here is safe,' Bush told DailyMail.com at 3:10pm.

'Parents are in one area in the office hall, and students are on lockdown thru the school. Sheriff's officers are here, and they keep checking to make sure the doors are locked.'

There's a large police presence including multiple agencies outside of the Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Wednesday afternoon

The suspect remains on the loose. Police are still on scene around Mount Tabor High School

Around 2:40pm - there was a 'disturbance' at Harris Teeter, where parents were told gather to pick up their kids.

There were reports that parents saw the suspect running through the area and chased after him. That was around 2:40pm.

About an hour later, police officers and school officials lifted the lockdowns and started reunifying students with their parents.

Meanwhile, frantic parents seeking information sifted through rumors before the lockdowns were lifted shortly before 4pm.

'Give us a chance to give you the facts,' Kimbrough Jr. said. 'There are many rumors spreading. We are committed to being transparent and will share confirmed information as appropriate.'

This is the second school shooting in North Carolina this week.

On Monday, a 15-year-old was arrested and accused of shooting a fellow student during a brawl at New Hanover High School in Wilmington - about 240 miles Northwest of Mount Tabor High School.

The suspect was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder. The victim from that shooting is in stable condition.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said, 'We must do more to keep our kids safe at school, including keeping guns out of the wrong hands with universal background checks.'

One student was shot at Mount Tabor High School in North Carolina on Wednesday

Gov. Roy Cooper issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, saying, 'For the second time this week, we have seen a shooting in a North Carolina school.'

'Our prayers are with the victims, their families and all the students of Mt. Tabor High School in Winston-Salem,' the governor said.

'I have been briefed by law enforcement, and the Department of Public Safety is ready to provide any support necessary.

'We must work to ensure the safety of students and educators, quickly apprehend the shooter and keep guns off school grounds.'

State Sen. Paul Lowe, whose district includes the Mount Tabor High School, said he's 'disheartened' after hearing about shooting.

'My thoughts and prayers are with the staff, students and families of Mount Tabor High School and our Forsyth County Community,' Lowe said.

'While the situation remains fluid and the shooter remains at large, I encourage all to listen to local authorities and remain safe.'
A makeshift boat packed with 13 Cuban migrants landed in the Florida Keys before they were arrested by US Border Patrol - the latest desperate refugees in a growing wave who risk their lives to flee the economically-ravaged country.

The group filled the boat with supplies they used to survive the 90-mile voyage from Cuba to a Key West beach before they were detained by customs agents on Tuesday.

Agents responded to Higgs Beach at about 6:45 a.m. to find a dozen men and one woman who said they had left Cuba the day before, Adam Hoffner, the agencys spokesman, told the Miami Herald.

He expects the migrants to be deported back to Cuba, where they can face jail or even harsher punishment from the Communist regime.

Their detention marks the second time in four days that Cubans have made it to the shore of the Florida Keys, the Herald reports, as migration attempts skyrocket across the island nation.

The migrants traveled from Cuba to the Florida Keys in a makeshift boat filled with supplies they needed for the trek

Border Patrol Chief Agent Thomas G. Martin announced on Twitter on Tuesday that 13 Cuban migrants who arrived in the Florida Keys have been detained

On Saturday, the Coast Guard said, a good Samaritan spotted a man floating on a raft near Fowkey Rocks, a few miles from Key Biscayne.

The man said he had been adrift for 10 days after he left Cuba with three other people who died on the journey, and needed immediate medical help.

And on Friday, another 14 immigrants made it to the Upper Keys in a rustic wooden boat, and told officials they were at sea for six days.

Federal officials say there has been a spike in migration from Cuba, which has been wracked by street protests not seen since before former leader Fidel Castro came into power. The United States Coast Guard has stopped 648 Cubans in Florida's waters - more than the previous three years combined - since last October 1.

The Coast Guard stopped just 49 migrants from Cuba in the fiscal year that ended in September 2020. In 2019, they stopped 313 and in 2018 they stopped 259.

The number of Cubans making the dangerous journey across the Florida Straits fell significantly after former President Barack Obama ended the so-called 'wet foot, dry foot' policy in early 2017, according to federal data obtained by the Herald.

The policy allowed Cuban migrants who set foot on United States land above the high-water mark to stay in the country and apply for permanent residency, but in turn required those caught at sea to be returned to Cuba.

Before it was overturned, the Herald reports, immigration authorities in South Florida were dealing with multiple landings or attempted landings each week.

In 2016, there were 5,396 migrants stopped in the waters, compared with just 1,486 the year after.

The rule change has forced many Cuban migrants to find a different path for asylum into the United States, not unlike the large numbers of Venezuelans and Central Americans crossing the US-Mexico border.

Customs and Border Protection data obtained by the Washington Post shows that Cubans have made 26,000 attempts to cross the land border this fiscal year, up from 14,000 all of last year.

Javier Fernandez, a former Democratic state representative from Miami, said the rise of the progressive wing in his party may be at play for turning away Cubans coming by sea instead of land.

'There's a concern by some in the party that if we condemn what happens in Cuba, that we're somehow making a moral judgment on the most progressive elements of our party who have described themselves as Democratic Socialists,' he told Politico.

'That concern ... is a false equivalence that only hurts Democrats here in the United States and in South Florida in particular.'

This undated photo from 2004 shows two Cubans off the coast of Key West, Florida who tried to sail into the United States in a truck converted into a pontoon boat

The Mariela Boatlift in May 1980 brought more than 100,000 Cubans to the US

Havana, Cuba is about 90 miles southwest of Key West

But now, more and more Cubans are once again attempting to flee to the United States by boat amid an economic crisis exacerbated by COVID-related mandates, increased sanctions from the former Trump administration and cutbacks in aid from Venezuela, according to WINK.

United States officials are now worried Cubans could flee from the island en masse  creating a crisis akin to the 1980 Mariel Boatlift, when Fidel Castro opened the port at Mariel for people who wanted to leave.

More than 100,000 Cubans rushed into the United States at the time, setting off a political crisis for the government of U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Cuban officials are now saying there are 'symptoms' of a possible migratory crisis, but say it could be stopped if President Joe Biden undoes his predecessors sanctions.

'The situation we have now is the result of a number of negative factors,' Jesus Perz Calderon of the United States Department at Cuba's Foreign Ministry told WINK.

'In the first place, the deterioration of the economy as a result of COVID-19 ... but at the same time the resurgence of an economic war of blockades against Cuba by the US.'

The combination led to widespread protests across the island nation last month, with many calling for 'libertad,' as others tried to flee the country.

Cuban migrants blocked the border crossing bridge last December demanding they be allowed to cross into the United States and claim asylum

A man is arrested during a demonstration against the government of President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana last month

The head of Biden's Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, who was born in Havana, has warned Cubans away from US shores.

'Let me be clear: If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States,' Mayorkas said. 'Any migrant intercepted at sea, regardless of their nationality, will not be permitted to enter the United States. This risk is not worth taking.'

He said 20 people died in recent weeks during their boat trips, and noted: 'Our priority is to preserve and save lives.'
Johnny Carson York Jr. was charged after allegedly chasing after his parents with an ax

A 45-year-old West Virginia man faces charges for allegedly chasing his parents with a 10-pound ax - and later shooting at his father with a bow and arrow - after they asked him do a household chore.

Johnny Carson York Jr. became aggressive August 27 after his father asked him to pack some yard items into a shed during a rainfall, to prevent them from getting wet, according to a criminal complaint.

Rather than complying with the simple request, the younger York allegedly threw a lighter at his dad, and confronted his parents a few minutes later with a 10-pound maul ax.

'York Jr. charged him with the maul and swung it in an attempt to strike him and his wife,' said a criminal police complaint obtained by DailyMail.com.

As the elderly couple fled in horror and called 911, their son allegedly confronted them a second time - this time with a bow and arrow.

The victims told police that York Jr. fired the weapon at his dad, but investigators said the arrow was still nocked in the bow when they arrived.

The man's parents told police their son also broke their 55-inch television.

The shaken folks also told investigators that they filed a domestic violence complaint against their son earlier that day due to previous acts of domestic violence.

At the time of the alleged attack, he had not yet been served.

After he was arrested, York Jr. made some shocking statements from the back of the police cruiser, the criminal complaint said.

The alleged incident happened at 108 Ramey Street, near Bramville, West Virginia, after York Jr. was asked to put away some tools in the shed

'I had to kill them to get the demons out,' he allegedly said.

He reportedly added: 'I feel like I have to kill everyone I see.'

York Jr. was charged with assault, brandishing deadly weapons, and destruction of property. He is awaiting arraignment at Southern Regional Jail.
Months after a trans woman allegedly exposed herself in front of several spa-goers at Wi Spa in Los Angelesincluding an underage girlcharges have finally been filed, with serial sex offender Darren Agee Merager, 52, being identified as the sole suspect in the highly publicized incident.

What's more, in addition to being a suspect in the case, Merager is facing multiple felony charges of indecent exposure in regards to a separate incident in Los Angeles.

In addition to charges stemming from the Wi Spa altercation, she is also facing six felony counts of indecent exposure over a separate locker room incident in December 2018.

Darren Merager, 52, is also accused of indecent exposure to women and children in a changing area at a swimming pool in West Hollywood Park

The incident led to months of protestssome of them violentas progressives clashed on their interpretations of the strange alleged occurrence

Back in June, a group of women complained that Merager, who identifies as female, allegedly exposed her penis at the Wi Spa in Los Angeles to themwith one of them being an underage girl

In that particular incident, Merager is accused of indecent exposure to women and children in a changing area at a swimming pool in West Hollywood Parkeerily similar to the occurrence at the spa.

'Merager claims to identify as female so he can access women's locker rooms and showers,' reads an internal flyer by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that was sent to law enforcement departments in Southern California in late 2018, in regards to the indecent exposure at West Hollywood Park.

Despite a checkered background, though, Merager is maintaining her innocence in the Wi Spa debacle, telling The New York Post that she is actually the victimof transphobic harassment.

Back in June, a group of women complained that Merager, who identifies as female, exposed her penis at the Los Angeles spa.

The incident led to months of protestssome of them violentwith a multitude of media outlets declaring the alleged assault an example of bias against the transgendered; or worse, that it didn't even happen.

However, on Monday, charges of indecent exposure were filed against Merager, following an investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Sources close the case but not authorized to speak publicly told The Post that four women and a young girl came forward to allege that Merager was partially erect in the women's section of Wi Spa.

On June 23, a group of women attending the spa confronted staff over accusations that a person exposed their penis in the women's section.

Video of the interaction was posted the following day on Instagram by a woman using the name 'Cubana Angel.'

So far, the LAPD have confirmed very few details about the concerning incident, saying only that the investigation is 'ongoing.'

However, this week, a warrant was issued in Los Angeles County for the arrest of Merager, who resides in Riverside, based on five felony counts of indecent exposure in connection with the Wi Spa incident.

Merager has not been arrested.

Merager is a tier-one registered sex offender with two prior convictions of indecent exposure stemming from incidents in 2002 and 2003 in California

The Mail also recently reported that Merager had previously exposed himself to another underage girl back in 2020, also at Wi Spa, when the girl and her mother visited the establishment last January.

'Everything about the Wi Spa was a bunch of garbage and lies,' Merager told The Post. She added that she is legally female, and was in a jacuzzi in the women's section when she was accosted by 'Cubana Angel.'

'She never saw me naked.' she added. 'I was underwater with water all the way up to my chest.'

Merager also denied ever being erect or around children at the spa. She says she is the target of an organized effort of sexual harassment by transphobic women at the Wi Spa.

Merager added that this incident in conjunction with her other open cases involving accusations of indecent exposure show a 'pattern of abuse' from a state and society that punishes transgender people.

'You allow [trans women] to go in there [women's spaces] and then people simply claim indecent exposure and you're arrested,' she added.

Merager also stated she is now speaking with progressive California lawmakers, like state senator Scott Wiener, in the hope that they change state law to better protect trans people's rights.

'If you go into an area where you're expected to be nude, there has to be an indecent exposure exemption,' she told The Post, adding that she may file complaints or lawsuits for the discrimination she says she has been made to suffer by law enforcement and women in the Wi Spa.

Law-enforcement sources revealed that Merager is also tier-one registered sex offender with two prior convictions of indecent exposure, stemming from incidents in 2002 and 2003 in California.

Merager declined to comment on those particular convictions when asked by The Post. What's more, in 2008, she was convicted for failing to register as a sex offender.

She says she has been in contact with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office since learning of the warrant and plans to turn herself in.
A Tennessee father-to-be sent three schools on a brief lockdown after firing three shots during his baby boy's gender reveal celebration.

Murfreesboro Police cited Basem Hanna with unlawful discharging of a firearm inside city limits after the shots were fired around 1.30pm on Wednesday.

A neighbor of Oak Hill Drive called 911 and alerted police of the incident.

Police said Hanna fired the shots from his backyard, before leaving to a store on Lascassas Blvd, where he left the gun.

Hanna told police he wasn't aware he couldn't fire the gun inside city limits and didn't intent to harm anyone, as he was just trying to celebrate the news of his child being a boy.

'There was a language barrier, so with the help of a translator from Middle Tennessee State University, officers explained to Hanna that he couldn't fire his handgun in his back yard which is within city limits,' said Public Information Officer Larry Flowers, 'He had no intent to harm anyone.'

Oakland High and Middle schools went on precautionary lockdown amid fears of an active shooter in the area.

The lockdown was lifted shortly after, once officers realized the shots had been fired by the expectant father, who was on a call with relatives in Egypt, telling them about the good news.

'During the phone call the expectant father stepped outside and fired celebratory rounds into the air and the expectant mother screamed out of excitement of the news of a baby boy,'

Officers locked down nearby schools as a precaution as they sorted out the situation,' police said.

Murfreesboro police released a statement revealing that father-to-be, Basem Hanna fired shots during a gender reveal celebration, which led to three nearby schools going on lockdown

Oakland High and Middle Schools went on lockdown after the fires were shot

Police initially believed there was an active shooter in the area, but when they figured out who had shot the fires, the lockdown was lifted

After Murfreesboro police released the statement on Facebook, many users shared their opinions on the incident.

'What goes up must come down. He should not be allowed to now lawfully carry that gun. And for the record, I'm not anti-gun. I'm just anti those who abuse ownership,' Amy Hindman commented on the post.

Some hoped the parents were more careful for the sake of the yet-to-be-born baby.

Mike McQueen said: ' I hope he has better sense raising a child!'

Other voiced their frustration at gender reveal parties.

'Good grief with the gender reveal madness!' said Beth Waters.

In recent years, gender reveal parties have become popular amongst expectant parents, who often display over the top celebrations to mark the finding of their babies' gender.

The unidentified Tennessee father is the last to join a trend of gender reveal parties gone wrong.

Social media users voiced their frustrations at the lengths some parents go with gender reveal parties, often causing harm to themselves, guests or bystanders

Amy Hindman condemned the Hanna's actions, adding that he should not be allowed to carry a gun

Chasity Garret questioned the Murfreesboro Police citation for the man, suggesting that reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon aligned more with what the man had done

Beth Waters voiced her frustration at famous trend of gender reveal parties

In July, the couple whose gender reveal party sparked a wildfire in California that killed a firefighter and burned more than 22,000 acres was charged with involuntary manslaughter, three felony counts of recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury, four felony counts of recklessly causing a fire to inhabited structures and 22 various misdemeanor counts related to the fire.

Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. and Angela Renee Jimenez pleaded not guilty to charges involving the El Dorado Fire which killed firefighter Charles Morton, 39.

Thirteen other people were injured and five homes were destroyed.

The El Dorado Fire erupted on September 5 when the couple and their young children staged a baby gender reveal at El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains.

A smoke-generating pyrotechnic device was set off in a field and quickly ignited dry grass on a scorching day. The couple frantically tried to use bottled water to douse the flames and called 911, but strong winds stoked the fire as it ran through wilderness on national forest land, about 75 miles east of Los Angeles.

The blaze blackened nearly 36 square miles of land in San Bernardino and Riverside counties before it was finally extinguished on November 16.

Firefighter Charles Morton, 39, was killed battling the blaze. Morton had worked as a firefighter for 18 years mostly with the U.S. Forest Service

CREEK FIRE: Firefighter Ricardo Gomez sets a controlled burn with a drip torch while fighting the Creek Fire in Shaver Lake, California last September

GLASS FIRE: A woman wearing flame-resistant clothing photographs an airplane as it drops red fire retardant on the Glass Fire at a vineyard in Deer Park, California last September

And in April, a gender reveal party sparked fears of an earthquake when it shook entire towns on the New Hampshire-Massachusetts boarder, after 80lb of explosives were employed and caused a massive blast.

Anthony Spinelli, a 28-year-old Kingston, New Hampshire man, pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from the explosion that was heard by nearby residents in the two states.

Residents had complained that the foundations to their homes were damaged after the shockwaves rattled properties within a 20-mile radius of the Torromeo quarry.

The explosives were set off with blue chalk to announce a baby boy, according to police.

Jenna Karvunidis, the self-proclaimed inventor of gender reveal parties, has pleaded with expectant parents to stop risking their lives and others over this types of celebration.

'For the love of God, stop burning things down to tell everyone about your kid's penis. No one cares but you,' Karvunidis wrote in a post 2020.

'Excuse me for having a cake for my family in 2008,

'Just because I'm the gEnDeR rEvEaL iNVeNtoR doesn't mean I think people should burn down their communities. STOP,' she added.

The shockwaves caused by the gender reveal explosion were so strong that this video doorbell visibly shook

Residents who live near the property claim that the explosion was so powerful that it has caused structural damage to the foundations of their properties

The force of the explosion was so large that its shockwave could be felt over state lines in Massachusetts

Cops in Kingston, a New Hampshire town not far from the Massachusetts border, received a flurry of 911 calls from terrified homeowners after shockwaves rattled properties within a 20-mile radius of the Torromeo quarry

Law enforcement experts say 80 pounds of Tannerite is enough to cause substantial damage to a house. Pictured: Kingston Police Department

Officers in Kingston, a town not far from the Massachusetts border, received reports of a loud explosion on Tuesday evening around 7pm. They responded to Torromeo quarry (pictured) where they found people who acknowledged they were holding a gender reveal party with explosives
Norway has become the latest country to sign off on plans to roll out Covid vaccines to children under the age of 16.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg said there were 'more advantages than disadvantages' to giving youngsters the jab.

From next week, youngsters aged 12 to 15 in Norway will be invited to come forward for the Pfizer vaccine.

The Scandinavian nation was one of several EU members to ban AstraZeneca's jab permanently over its rare link to blood clots.

The move to routinely jab children brings Norway in line with the likes of France, Spain, Italy, the US and the Netherlands.

Speaking at a press conference today, Ms Solberg said: 'The professional advice is that 12 to 15-year-olds will get more advantages than disadvantages from a vaccine.

'There is a lot of infection among children and young people. Vaccines will contribute to this group being able to have a more normal everyday life.'

Britain's vaccine advisory panel has so far resisted calls to vaccinated under-16s, making the country an international outlier.

Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg said there were 'more advantages than disadvantages' to giving youngsters the jab

Norway, like other European nations, has chosen Pfizer's vaccine because it is the jab with the most safety and efficacy data on children.

If the UK's advisory panel were to recommend vaccinating children it is likely the rollout would use the same vaccine.

But the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  an independent body  is still weighing up the risks and benefits of vaccinating children.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson vows to 'move heaven and earth' to avoid shutting British schools again Gavin Williamson today vowed to 'move heaven and earth' to avoid shutting schools again amid fears of a big bang in cases now that classrooms are going back. The Education Secretary said he was 'absolutely' certain pupils will sit exams as normal this year after the fiasco caused by the pandemic this summer and last. But he admitted face masks and other restrictive measures could make a comeback this winter if infection rates start to spiral. Mr Williamson even refused to rule out classes taking place outside but claimed it was 'not something that we'd be expecting to see an awful lot of'. Schools have been left to work with local public health teams to decide what action is best to keep pupils safe this time around. Mr Williamson also backed calls for vaccines to be given to healthy children aged 12 to 15 to help keep transmission low in schools. He put pressure on No10's vaccine advisory board to come down in favour of the move despite the group having serious reservations about the benefit. Advertisement

In guidance published in July, the group said the small risk of heart inflammation from vaccines outweighed the tiny threat coronavirus poses to them.

It was also not convinced that vaccinating children solely to protect adults justified the move and raised doubts about the true prevalence of long Covid in youngsters.

All 16 and 17-year-olds in the UK 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.

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 myocarditis in young people.

The JCVI said in July there was a risk of the heart inflammation in about one in 20,000 young people after being fully immunised with Pfizer's vaccine.

The Moderna jab, which works in a very similar way, is thought to carry the same risk.

It ruled against recommending the vaccine to healthy children then because the risk of dying from the virus for them is lower than one in a million.

Meanwhile, Ms Solberg also revealed that the final easing of lockdown curbs in Norway is being delayed until more people are fully vaccinated.

Restrictions such as limits on social groups were expected to be lifted around September 12. A new date has not been set.

But the Government said it will still press ahead with loosening the rules for live events.

From this weekend, indoor venues will be allowed 5,000 entrants instead of 3,000 and outdoor events will be allowed to hold 10,000, up from 7,000.

It came as the UK Education Secretary today ramped up pressure on the JCVI to give the go-ahead to plans to vaccinate children.

During a round of interviews this morning, Gavin Williamson said he 'very much hoped' the group would come down in favour of routinely inoculating youngsters aged 12 to 15.

He suggested the delayed decision was making parents anxious about sending their children back to classrooms this week after the summer break.

'I think parents would find it deeply reassuring to have a choice of whether their children should have a vaccine or not,' he told BBC Breakfast.

Covid cases skyrocketed in Scotland when classes went back after the summer break in mid-August.

And there are fears of a similar big bang in cases now that schools across the rest of the UK have started to restart.

The country is already recording 35,000 infections each day and hospitalisations are creeping up.
A MS-13 gang member is set to die in jail for planning the murders of two teenagers who were lured to a New York City suburb wooded area and attacked with machetes.

Kevin Lopez-Morales, 23, was sentenced to life in prison by Nassau County Judge Patricia Harrington on Wednesday.

He could be eligible for parole in 24 years. Morales admitted two second degree murder charges on September 9, 2019.

Lopez-Morales and other MS-13's Hollywood Clique members were able to lure Josue Amaya-Leonor, 19, to the wooded area of the Roosevelt Preserve in Long Island and promised him marijuana before they hacked him with a machete on September 4, 2016.

Amaya-Leonor, who was viewed as a rival of the gang, was then buried by Lopez-Morales and his co-defendants. His body was located on May 30, 2018.

The cases against Lopez-Morales' co-defendants are still pending.

Lopez-Morales also was guilty of killing 15-year-old Angel Soler on July 21, 2017.

Kevin Lopez-Morales, 23, was sentenced to life in prison by Nassau County (New York) Judge Patricia Harrington on Wednesday. A member of the MS-13, Lopez-Morales pleaded guilty in June 2019 for the September 4, 2016 murder of Josue Amaya-Leonor and the killing of 15-year-old Angel Soler on July 21, 2017. He could be eligible for parole in 24 year.

Josue Amaya-Leonor, 19, was lured by MS-13 gang members to the wooded area of the Roosevelt Preserve in Long Island. He was promised marijuana before he was hacked with a machete on September 4, 2016

Angel Soler (right) died at the age of 15 on July 21, 2017 in Long Island, New York, after he was savagely beaten by the MS-13. His remains were found buried under cement in a wooded area in the town of Roosevelt in October of that same year. At the time of his disappearance, his mother Supaya Soler (left) told Telemundo that her son had arrived from Honduras as an unaccompanied minor in 2015, fleeing his native country because of gang violence. Before his death, the high school student had told her that he had been threatened by the MS-13

He and fellow gang members David Sosa-Guevera, Victor Lopez and Dennis Lopez attacked the high school student with a machete and buried his body under cement in a remote wooded area in the town of Roosevelt.

The body of Soler - a native of Honduras who in 2014 arrived to the United States as an unaccompanied minor - was recovered on October 19, 2017 near the Southern State Parkway.

At the time of his disappearance, Soler's mother had told Telemundo that he had been threatened by the gang and informed the police that she feared he had fallen into their hands.

Sosa-Guevera was sentenced to 24 years to life in prison and Victor Lopez was sentenced to 23 years to life. Dennis Lopez also received a 23 years to life sentence.

'Kevin Lopez-Morales and his co-defendants acted as friends to two young men but lured them to their deaths over perceived slights to MS-13,' Nassau County District Attorney's Office Acting DA Joyce A. Smith said. 'MS-13 has left behind many grieving families on Long Island, but their attempts to destroy our community have not and will not be successful. We continue to spend any and all necessary resources to eliminate this vicious and unthinkable gang violence in our communities."

Lopez-Morales is the second MS-13 member to received a life sentence in less than a week.

Samuel 'Little Chickie' Ponce was one of five MS-13 gang members who ambushed and murdered alleged rival Bryan Lemus, 18, on August 23, 2016. Ponce was sentenced to life in prison August 25, but he could be out in nine years

Samuel 'Little Chickie' Ponce, 20, was sentenced August 25 for his role in the machete killing of an 18-year-old Bryan Lemus in a Nassau County park in 2016.

Ponce, who was 15 at the time of the cold-blooded killing, could be out in nine years.

MS-13 - which reportedly committed over two dozen murders between 2016 and 2017 - became a frequent target of former President Donald Trump as he sought to toughen the nation's immigration laws.

In May 2018, Trump alleged that 'we have people coming into the country or trying to come in, we're stopping a lot of them, but we're taking people out of the country. You wouldn't believe how bad these people are,' said President Trump during a White House meeting in May with California lawmakers that opposed sanctuary city policies.

'These aren't people. These are animals.'

Also known as the Mara Salvatrucha, the gang was founded in Los Angeles between the 1970s and 1980s to provide protection for immigrants from El Salvador against rival gangs.

The gang's presence quickly spread to El Salvador as many members were deported, thus expanding the MS-13 influence to neighboring countries in Central America.

The notorious street gang throughout the years expanded across the United States, entrenching itself in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Mississippi and Virginia.
A federal judge on Thursday ordered a QAnon supporter who played a prominent role in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol to return to jail after he was caught going online to watch Mike Lindell spout false conspiracy theories about the presidential election.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly said that Doug Jensen, 42, of Des Moines, Iowa, had violated the strict conditions that were set when he released Jensen from jail on July 13, including prohibitions on accessing the internet and using a cellphone.

Kelly ordered marshals at the federal courthouse in Des Moines, where Jensen attended Thursday's hearing, to immediately take him into custody as he awaits trial.

Prosecutors had moved to revoke Jensen's pretrial release on August 19, days after a federal officer found Jensen in his garage using an iPhone to watch news from Rumble, a streaming platform popular with conservatives.

Capitol riot suspect Doug Jensen, pictured above in a QAnon shirt confronting the Capitol Police on January 6, was ordered back to jail on Thursday

Jensen, 42, has admitted to violating the conditions of his release by watching MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's cyber symposium on 2020 election fraud

Jensen's attorney, Christopher Davis, argued that it was 'Orwellian' for the government to seek to jail a man who was sitting in his garage listening to the news.

According to prosecutors, Jensen initially claimed that the phone belonged to his daughter, then that his wife left the news on for him when she left for work, reported The Daily Beast.

Jensen ultimately acknowledged that he had earlier watched two days of the cyber symposium sponsored by Lindell, the founder and CEO of MyPillow and a staunch supporter of Donald Trump who used the chaotic event to push baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election's outcome was changed by Chinese hackers.

One of the highlights of the 72-hour symposium hosted in Sioux Falls was when Lindell fled the stage when he found out he has lost a bid to dismiss a $1.3billion lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems over voter fraud claims.

On Thursday, Judge Kelly noted that he had released Jensen from jail on July 13 after Jensen claimed he had an awakening behind bars and realized the QAnon conspiracy theory to which he adhered was a 'pack of lies.'

A federal judge ruled that Jensen should be returned to custody until trial

The judge said he put in place the strict conditions, including the internet ban, because Jensen had previously spent years following online conspiracies and acknowledged he had become a 'true believer' and 'digital soldier.'

'Two weeks after swearing to this court, he would obey its order, he was back to [his] habits,' Assistant US Attorney Hava Mirell said in court on Thursday. 'His violations were swift and blatant.'

Kelly also noted that it was significant that Jensen's violations were caught during the first unannounced visit to his home by pretrial services officers.

'It's now clear that he has not experienced a transformation and that he continues to seek out those conspiracy theories that led to his dangerous conduct on Jan. 6,' Kelly said. 'I don't see any reason to believe that he has had the wakeup call that he needs.'

Kelly said it was unlikely that Jensen would be able to follow any other conditions of release barring internet use and that he had lost confidence in Jensen's wife to serve as his third-party custodian.

Prosecutors contended that she had facilitated his violations by leaving the phone on when she left for work.

Davis, Jensen's attorney, had asked the court to give his client another chance, noting that his client acknowledged the violations. He argued that Jensen had complied with other release conditions, including staying home on electronic monitoring and avoiding drug use, and that his violations in no way endangered public safety.

Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodwin, left was praised for diverting the mob, led by Jensen, away from the Senate Chamber

Jensen's attorney painted him as a victim who was fed various conspiracy theories and 'lies' by 'very clever people'

Jensen was among the first people to enter the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection, crawling through a broken window. On Thursday, prosecutors cited new video evidence to claim he was also among the last to leave over an hour later, scuffling with officers on his way out.

He told investigators he positioned himself as one of the riot leaders because he was wearing a shirt promoting QAnon and he wanted the theory to get the credit. Jensen was widely photographed during the attack.

Jensen had a knife in his pocket when he led a crowd of people toward Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, who was by himself and had only a baton. The crowd chased Goodman up a flight of stairs toward the Senate chamber as Jensen ignored Goodman's orders to stop and put his hands up.

A federal judge said Jensen could not have coordinated the attack because 'he had no basic understanding of where he even was that day.' This screenshot comes from a video where Jensen refers to the US Capitol as 'the f***ing White House'

Before his July release, Jensen had spent six months in jail after he was arrested January 8. He faces the prospect of years in prison, and lawyers on both sides said Thursday they were unsure if the case could be resolved in a plea or would go to trial.

Jensen is charged with seven counts, including aggravated assault, obstruction of a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, unlawfully entering a restricted building while carrying a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct.
Taliban fighters 'were creating as much problems as they could' to prevent Americans, Afghan-Americans and Afghan allies from leaving Afghanistan before the U.S.'s August 31 pull-out.

The Washington Examiner interviewed evacuees who had reached out to Congressional offices to get help fleeing the country, including one Afghan-American citizen who had sought help from the office of Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican.

That citizen had been told by the State Department to go to the Interior Ministry for help, only to encounter a Taliban guard who told him, 'Go and tell the State Department to f*** themselves.'

Afghans walk past a Taliban military checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday. More anecdotes are coming out about how the Taliban 'were creating as much problems as they could' to prevent Americans, Afghan-Americans and Afghan allies from departing the country

A group of Taliban fighters patrol in front of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday. Citizens trying to leave the country told Congressional offices that they were fired at and beaten by Taliban fighters

The citizen, his wife and four small children made it to the United States by showing up at the Kabul airport - the same day as the ISIS-K terror attack.

During a firefight, in which guards shot at people's feet to disperse the crowd, he told the Examiner he made a run for it.

'I know it was stupid, but I took just my chance. I ran toward the soldiers. I had my passport in my hand - shouting that I'm an American citizen.'

Another U.S. citizen in Kabul also reported being fired upon at the airport by the Taliban.

The citizen was on the phone with Bacon's deputy chief of staff Felix Ungerman, a retired Air Force colonel.

'He goes, "Oh my God, he's shooting." And I said, "Please get away from there, go get to safety,' Ungerman told The Examiner. 'His phone cut off while I could hear gunshots going off, and I couldn't get in touch with him again. I tried calling his cellphone every couple of hours to see if I could get him, tried an email, sent him a text message.'

Ungerman didn't hear from the citizen for several days.

'[H]e actually texted me back and said, "Yeah, I'm OK, but now what do I do?" I'm like, "You get to somewhere safe, and you stay there until we can - our government can offer some solutions to help you,"' Ungerman said.

One major problem, the Examiner also reported, was that members of the Taliban didn't want to let Afghan-Americans through, even if they showed up to the Kabul airport with their blue U.S. passports.

And another source told the publication about a group of American citizens showing up to the airport - the Taliban only let a few people through, before beating the rests and firing gunshots over their heads.

The U.S. government has estimated only 100 or 200 Americans remain in Afghanistan, however Senate Republicans - led by Sen. Tom Cotton - demanded Thursday to know the number of Americans, Green Card holders and people eligible for special immigrant visas were left behind.

On Wednesday, a State Department official said a 'majority' of SIV applicants didn't make it out of Afghanistan before the U.S. pull-out.
The U.S. must rebuild fragile alliances with partner nations or risk rivals such as China moving into Afghanistan to collect strategic assets including Bagram Air Base, according to Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations.

The fate of the base, abandoned by U.S. troops in the middle of the night at the start of July, has been seized on by President Biden's critics to symbolize what they say was an ill-thought out withdrawal.

And now the base, which was once the hub of America's war in Afghanistan, could be a prize for rivals seeking to extend their reach.

'We need to watch China, because I think you are going to see China make a move for Bagram Air Force Base,' said Haley in an interview with Fox News as she made the case for reconnecting with allies who felt let down by a precipitous withdrawal.

Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, warned that China was eying Bagram Air Base, which was once the hub of the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan

U.S. forces slipped out of Bagram at night on July 1 without even informing the Afghan commander who was due to stake over the vast air base

Blast walls and a few buildings can be seen at the Bagram air base after the American military left the base, in Parwan province north of Kabul, Afghanistan. Their departure marked the effective end of the 20-year U.S. war in the country

The Biden administration was criticised for giving up Bagram air base before withdrawing American civilians and Afghan allies. The move left U.S. forces reliant on a civilian airport, with a single runway in the heart of a city controlled by the Taliban

'I think they are also making a move in Afghanistan and trying to use Pakistan to get stronger to go against India.

'So, we have got a lot of issues. The biggest thing he should do is strengthen our allies, strengthen those relationships, modernise our military, and make sure we are prepared for the cyber-crimes and the terrorist crimes that are headed our way.'

While Western nations were evacuating their embassies, the Chinese mission kept operating. Their security guards simply change from Afghan government security forces to Taliban gunman.

The Taliban has already begun talking up plans for cooperation with Beijing.

A Taliban spokesman told an Italian newspaper that Afghanistan's new rulers will rely primarily on financing from China as it seeks to head off a looming humanitarian crisis and begin reconstruction.

'China is our most important partner and represents a fundamental and extraordinary opportunity for us, because it is ready to invest and rebuild our country,' Zabihullah Mujahid told La Repubblica in an interview.

He also praised the New Silk Road  an infrastructure initiative with China is using to open up trade routes  and said Beijing investment could help reopen copper mines.

'You have potentially gifted Afghanistan to China,' said Jim Carafano of the conservative Heritage Foundation. 'This has huge strategic implications.

The territory would provide a land bridge into central Asia for China as it seeks to extend its influence.

For the time being, he added, Beijing is likely to use public diplomacy and investment as part of a long game rather then making a sudden push for assets on the ground.

But Bagram held huge propaganda value for all of Afghanistan's players.

'The picture of a Chinese plane delivering humanitarian aid to the Taliban landing at Bagram air base - who wouldn't want that photograph,' he said.

'But that's different to basing stealth fighters at Bagram.

'What is correct is that there's a China strategic dimension to all of this.
A 71 year-old father has been named as the man killed by an alligator after Hurricane Ida flooded his Louisiana home.

Timothy Satterlee was seized by the creature at his home in Slidell, Louisiana, in the early hours of Monday as his horrified wife looked on.

Satterlee's spouse, who has not been named, tried to save him, but the creature had torn off Satterlee's arm, and she was unable to do so.

His remains have not been found. WWL news reporter Erika Ferrando said she'd been told by locals that Satterlee was 'a very kind and beloved father.'

Search crews with a cadaver dog looked in vain for traces of Timothy Satterlee, 71, on Wednesday, St. Tammany Parish sheriff's Capt. Lance Vitter revealed on Thursday.

'They searched until it got dark yesterday, and unfortunately we still haven't located Mr. Satterlee,' Vitter said. 'There is a high probability that he is deceased, but we can't make that call until we recover the body.'

Timothy Satterlee, pictured with his wife, right. He was killed in an alligator attack in Slidell, Louisiana, during Hurricane Ida on Monday

Deputies are seen parked close to where Satterlee was killed by the gator in Slidell, Louisiana, in the early hours of Monday

A flooded street is seen in Slidell, Louisiana, where 71-year-old Timothy Satterlee was attacked by an alligator during Hurricane Ida

Satterlee's wife heard splashing on Monday, and walked outside their home on Avery Road to see the gator attacking her husband inside the family's flooded shed, reported WWL.

The home is located near Lake Pontchartrain in the New Orleans suburb of Slidell, authorities said.

Satterlee's wife told deputies that she was able to pull her husband up a flight of stairs, but after seeing the extent of his injuries she got in a canoe and went for help.

The gator is then feared to have returned to finish Satterlee off.

At the time of the incident, the couple's home was surrounded by floodwaters and had no cell service.

By the time the wife returned to the house with deputies in tow, her husband was gone but blood was found at the scene.

The area where the attack happened is surrounded by marshland and is known to have large alligators (stock image)

Searchers spent six hours that day looking for the missing man, but to no avail.

Neighbors told WWL alligators are common in the area and are known to approach people because some feed them.

Hurricane Ida hit Sunday with 150mph winds was tied for the fifth-strongest hurricane ever to hit the mainland US.

The storm caused widespread power outages and wrecked havoc on water systems, leaving 600,000 customers without running water.

At least seven deaths were blamed on the storm in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, before the remnants of the weather system moved east, dumping record-breaking rain in a region that had not expected a serious blow and killing at least 28 people from Maryland to New York.
Kara Sullivan, 48, the owner travel company Tahoe Lifestyle Vacations, is refusing to leave her South Lake Tahoe home as the Caldor Fire rages just a few miles away

Ash falls from a sky so heavy with smoke that the town of South Lake Tahoe sits in permanent twilight.

The streets, houses, restaurants, and stores are all deserted. Boats bob on the empty lake that would have been thronging with tourists enjoying Labor Day weekend and the sun burns red above.

But unlike her neighbors, Kara Sullivan is going nowhere.

Looking out over the scene from her waterfront property on the edge of town, the 48-year-old remains defiant in the face of the wildfire evacuation order that has seen more than 22,000 residents flee in the past two days.

Speaking to DailyMail.com Sullivan said: 'I've lived here since I was 18 years old and I'm not going anywhere.'

Sullivan, who owns Tahoe Lifestyle Vacations, admitted that for all her bravado the past few days have been stressful and worrying.

'A couple of days ago it was a little stressful. Everyone was freaking out; everyone was scrambling to get all their stuff and get out,' she said.

'It's really hard to think that the hikes that I've walked for years up at Desolation Wilderness are burning and who knows what it will look like when they finally put this fire out. But I just don't want to leave.'

Sullivan told DailyMail.com she has lived at her waterfront property (pictured) for 30 years and does not want to leave it behind

If the time does come to evacuate, she plans to sail to the other side of the lake on her boat docked outside her home (pictured) she says

The Caldor Fire consumes trees near South Lake Tahoe, California on Wednesday, September 1

Sullivan, whose brother-in-law is a California firefighter, says she has been monitoring the situation, 'almost minute by minute' and despite the dire warnings issued earlier this week she's refusing to budge and remains confident in her decision.

She admitted that family and friends have asked her to leave and that she has considered quitting her home for their sake.

But, pointing out across the water she said: 'That's my boat out there. If it comes to it, I'll get in that boat and sail across to the other side of the lake!'

'I really don't think the fire is going to make it here. The firefighters are doing an incredible job and I think South Lake Tahoe will be fine,' she added.

Certainly, the resort town seemed to get a reprieve of sorts late Wednesday when firefighters expressed relief that wind gusts that have hampered their efforts to tamp down the blaze had not pushed it closer to homes.

But by Thursday morning, the Caldor Fire had engulfed 210,259 acres according to Cal Fire's own website having been active for 19 days.

It continues to burn across two counties  El Dorado and Amador  with just 25 per cent of the inferno contained.

Brian Long, 22, has been a firefighter for four years and is a Dozer Boss in charge of one of the hundreds of teams carving out a secondary line around South Lake Tahoe in a desperate bid to shore up the frontline efforts.

Fire officials dealt with a two-week old blaze they said was 'more aggressive than anticipated,' and continued to edge toward the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe which sits on the California-Nevada border. Now, they are trying to steer the Caldor fire into the Tamarack Fire

Brian Long, 22, a four-year firefighter, is a Dozer Boss in charge of one of the hundreds of teams carving out a secondary line around South Lake Tahoe in a desperate bid to shore up the frontline efforts

Virgil Myers (pictured) and his men are in the shadow of that front line, hosing down hotspots near Echo Lake, barely three miles south of South Lake Tahoe

He told DailyMail.com: 'We plan out a good line so that we can protect structures  houses and so on  and we make a fire break. We push the ground and soil and trees and everything back so that there's just bare mineral soil left.'

The one he and his crew were working on was 'four blades wide,' he said, and the hope is that, should the fire make it this far  the very outskirts of the town  it would not jump and flare up beyond it.

'We're kind of carving out a secondary line around several little towns - kind of like a catcher's mitt,' he said.

'It's the secondary line for now but often the secondary line becomes the primary one so we just have to work and hope.'

Virgil Myers and his men are in the shadow of that front line, hosing down hotspots near Echo Lake, barely three miles south of South Lake Tahoe.

He told DailyMail.com: 'This was all burning yesterday, and you think it's out but be careful where you stand. The roots are still burning, and you step in the wrong place you step in a three- or four-foot hotspot that's a hole and you'll fall right in.'

A bear crosses the I-89 near Blitzen Road in South Lake Tahoe as firefighters drive by in their truck

The Caldor Fire has now scorched more than 207,931 acres and is just 23% contained as it burns southeast of Lake Tahoe

As he spoke, he aimed his hose at the scorched and still smoking earth. Pockets of fire flared up behind him and embers fell from the trees.

'We're doing this because of the proximity of the houses,' he said.

A residential neighborhood of pretty Hansel and Gretel-like houses sat directly across the road from where Myers worked.

Abandoned like so many of the little towns and neighborhoods, decks sit empty and doors and windows shuttered up while the occupants pray that they have homes to return to when their nightmare is over.

As Myers spoke a bear lolloped out of the forest, in front of a fire truck and across the road, disappearing between the houses.

The 1-50 that leads into South Lake Tahoe is almost entirely shut off with stretches of it unsafe due to falling trees and rockslides.

The towns are eerily quiet and the fire, with its flare ups and the cracking of falling trees, echoes across the empty stretches of road.

The Caldor wildfire is seen above from a satellite in space. It continues to approach the southern edge of Lake Tahoe

The fire has burned over 191,000 acres, destroyed more than 700 structures and prompted authorities to order the evacuation of the city of South Lake Tahoe

Firefighters Lane Bennett, 23 and Sam Huettinger, 27, are based in North Lake Tahoe and just two of the thousands of men and women drafted in on this effort.

Covered in soot and clearly exhausted the men joined their fellow firefighters lining up in the dark for a dinner of barbecue ribs and mac and cheese as well as pizza and fruit and muffins. Others worked into the night.

They spoke to DailyMail.com as they stood in the chow line at Lake Valley Fire Department just outside South Lake Tahoe.

According to Huettinger: 'We've been working 16-hour shifts  so pretty regular for us. Our day starts at 6am and we just push through.'

The men had been battling the fire at Echo Lake, Wednesday. Bennett said, 'It was pretty active there, but we had a good line and good control and structure with trucks in there.'

None have any idea how long they will be called on to fight this fire but, Bennett said, that is not his concern, 'We just keep going, doing what we do till it's done.'
President Joe Biden's approval rating continued its downward trend since the chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan with a new poll out Thursday showing 51% disapprove of his job.

His approval rating sat 43% in the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll - a six point slide since the poll was last conducted in July.

Respondents gave the president low marks for his handling of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which saw 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing and thousands of Afghani allies left behind.

Only 32% approved of Biden's handling of the draw down, with 61% disapproving.

Additionally, an overwhelming 71% think the war in Afghanistan was a failure and a mere 20% called it a success.

President Joe Biden's approval rating continued its downward trend since the chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan - above Biden at Dover on Sunday for the dignified transfer of the remains of fallen service members

The president's approval rating has gone under water as part of the fallout from Afghanistan. He began August with an average job approval rating of 51.5%, down from 54% at the start of May.

But it dropped to as low 41% in a USA Today poll at the end of August.

Biden defended his handling of the situation in remarks earlier this week, where he called the evacuation an 'extraordinary success' and argued his hands were tied in the situation due to an agreement former President Donald Trump made with the Taliban.

Respondents in the poll were split on the next steps for Afghanistan: 38% think the U.S. should have withdrawn but left some troops, 37% think it should have pulled out completely, and 10% said no troops should be withdrawn.

The U.S. has completely left Afghanistan and set up its diplomatic base in nearby Qatar.

The poll consisted of 1,241 U.S. adults conducted between August 26 and August 31. The margin of error is 3.8 percentage points.
As State Department personnel and military members were ferrying Americans and Afghans to the Kabul airport during the chaotic evacuation, the CIA oversaw an evacuation to get Afghan commandos and US citizens out of the country.

The effort use as an organizing point the CIA's secret Eagle Base  which was deliberately destroyed in an explosion just days before the last US troops left Afghanistan.

It succeeded in getting at least 1,000 Afghan commandos and service members out of the country, Politico reported.

A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. After the fall of the Afghan government, the CIA oversaw an evacuation to get Afghan commandos and US citizens out of the country using a CIA base as a staging facility

It all took place during a few frantic weeks in August around the time of the fall of the U.S. backed government in Kabul.

Some of the evacuees were flown between the base, housed in a former brick factory, and the Kabul airport located less than three miles away, according to the report after August 15th, when the government fell.

The military confirmed two instances of US troops going 'outside the wire' of the Kabul airport during the frantic last days before the US troop pullout, but generally sought to avoid giving detailed information about evacuation operations.

The Eagle Base, which also served as a staging area for the operations, was destroyed through a 'controlled demolition' just days before the final troop withdrawal, the New York Times reported.

In this Aug. 24, 2021, file photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, families walk towards their flight during ongoing evacuations at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The CIA oversaw missions to get an estimated 1,000 Afghan commandos and family members out of the country

In this Aug. 16, 2021 file photo, U.S. soldiers stand guard along the perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan

Special operations Blackhawk takes off fast in Afghanistan

The facility was ensconced in 10-foot walls, was used for training Afghan commandos deemed to be the most effective fighters in an Afghan military that collapsed, and was located near a secret detention facility where an Afghan man died in CIA custody early in the war.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki during her briefing Wednesday revealed new details of efforts to get American and Afghans out, even while dodging a question about an estimated 100 Afghan workers for Voice of America, Radio Free Liberty, and Radio Azadi, the Afghan branch of the broadcast service.

'I think it's important to remember, again, 120,000 people made it out of the airport and the country, and our commitment to people who want to evacuate, once we leave: American citizens, journalists, Afghan partners who have stood by our side, is enduring and remains,' she said.

Without speaking to the fate of the journalists, she then spoke about 'some of the ways that we worked to get American citizens out,' including the 'muster points.' She said State officials would 'blast notifications through a variety of channels' to people who would then travel by bus into the airport in convoys or travel on foot.

She said there were 'multiple opportunities for each of these muster points at various times. 'We also talked people through one-on-one walking to the airport,' she said. She called it 'incredibly labor intensive.'

She said in 'limited cases' where people were 'trapped or in immediate danger' US security forces 'went beyond the wire, sometimes in a helicopter, to pick people up safely.' She said they were 'dangerous missions.'
An ex-con who sprinted and lunged at an NBC news reporter during live coverage of Hurricane Ida from the Mississippi coast was arrested in Ohio by United States Marshals on Thursday.

Benjamin Eugene Dagley, 54, was tracked to the Dayton area and handcuffed as he exited a store, federal officials said.

Dagley was driving the same white pickup truck he was seen jumping out of in the now notorious video before he lunged at NBC's Shaquille Brewster as he covered the storm from a beach in Gulfport, Mississippi, on Monday.

Brewster was updating residents about the aftermath of the hurricane when Dagley could be seen running up behind the reporter, shouting and lunging at him before the footage cuts away.

'This violent fugitive was attempting to flee from his charges in Gulfport,' United States Marshal Pete Elliot told Cleveland 19, 'but the swift work of our task force members resulted in a timely arrest.'

Dagley is facing two charges of assault, as well as charges for disturbing the peace and violating an emergency curfew in the aftermath of the Category 4 hurricane.

Benjamin Eugene Dagley, of Ohio, was tracked to the Dayton area on Thursday and was arrested in connection with an assault on an NBC reporter trying to cover the aftermath of Hurricane Ida

Footage of the incident shows NBC reporter Shaquille Brewster covering the aftermath of Ida, which had come ashore as a Category 4 hurricane the previous night, when a man, who was identified by police as Dagley, parked his pickup truck and began sprinting at him

Dagley runs up to the crew shouting, 'Y'all reporting this accurately right?' as Brewster has his crew shift the camera away from the man

Dagley, however, continues to shout and the segment ends just as he lunges towards Brewster, shouting, 'Report accurately!'

Chicago 19 News reports that the United States Marshals arrested Dagley on Thursday

After the incident on Monday, Gulfport police were called to investigate the alleged assault, and in a release sought the public's help in finding Dagley, whom they discovered is currently on probation for previous charges in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Dagley was arrested in 2017 for drilling holes into storage tanks at an electroplating company he once owned, according to Cuyahoga County court records and previous news reports,

Among the conditions of his probation, authorities said, was a restriction on travel.

The incident sent a security guard to the hospital after he was exposed to the toxic chemicals, according to Cleveland.com, and in 2018 he pleaded guilty to felonious assault, inducing panic and vandalism related to the incident.

Court records show his case was reopened for a possible parole violation on Thursday, and on Tuesday Cuyahoga County called on the local sheriff's office to issue a warrant for Dagley's arrest.

Brewster tweet shortly after that he and his crew were unharmed in the incident

Footage of Dagley interrupting the broadcast was shared widely on social media, and shows him pulling up in his white Ford F150 behind Brewster, getting out and sprinting towards him.

Brewster was reporting on how life had begun to return to normal that morning in the areas around where the storm made impact just hours prior.

'Just a couple of minutes ago people were walking their dogs. They're back on the beach right now. That's the sense you're getting,' he says as the man approaches from behind.

'The rain has stopped, the wind is still going there, and I think we have a random person going around.'

Police were seeking the public's help tracking down Dagley, and shared a photo of his pickup truck (pictured)

Dagley can be heard shouting at the reporter and his camera crew as he approaches, saying: 'Y'all reporting this accurately right?'

Brewster attempted to continue the segment, asking the crew to turn the camera away from Dagley as he shifted his position away from him.

Dagley, however, continued shouting, and Brewster eventually told anchor Craig Melvin that he will need to cut the broadcast short.

'Craig I'm gonna toss it back to you, because we have a person who needs a little help right now,' he says as Dagley lunges at him, shouting, 'report accurately!'

The broadcast cut away just as Brewster raised his forearm to defend himself.

Gulfport police had sought the public's help identifying Dagley after the incident, and they reported in a release that he may have also violated his parole in Ohio by traveling to Mississippi

'Hey, hey, hey,' Melvin says.

'We're going to check in with Shaq Brewster just to make sure all is well. There's a lot of crazy out there, a lot of crazy.'

Moments after, Brewster tweeted out that he and his crew were alright.

'Appreciate the concern guys. The team and I are all good!' he wrote.

MSNBC President Rashida Jones released a statement regarding the incident, calling Brewster a 'consummate professional.'

'Like the consummate professional, he did not let someone intimidate him from doing his job. We're glad he and the team are safe, and we couldn't be more proud and supportive of their work,' she said.
A California teacher who displayed an Antifa flag in his classroom and said he wanted to turn his students into 'revolutionaries' was put on unpaid leave and will be fired by the school district for 'clear violations of political activity.'

Parents at Inderkum High School in Sacramento had called on the district to fire AP Government teacher Gabriel Gipe after he was caught on video on Tuesday discussing the flag with Project Veritas, a far-right media group.

'I have an Antifa flag on my [classroom] wall and a student complained about that  he said it made him feel uncomfortable. Well, this [Antifa flag] is meant to make fascists feel uncomfortable, so if you feel uncomfortable, I don't really know what to tell you,' Gipe said.

'I have 180 days to turn [students] into revolutionaries.'

Gipe was found to have used stamps of communist leaders, including Josef Stalin, in the classroom. He is pictured with a tattoo of the Soviet Union's emblem on his chest

Gabriel Gipe displayed an Antifa flag, left, and a poster of Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong in his classroom at Inderkum High School, in Sacramento, California

Garbriel Gipe was caught talking about his political ideology with Antifa and how he discusses it with students in a conversation with Project Veritas, a far-right media outlet

The teacher also had posters of Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong in the classroom and had offered extra-credit to students who attended protests, the New York Post reports.

Gipe also had stamps with images of Josef Stalin, Fidel Castro and Kim Jung Un to mark student's school work this year.

The Natomas Unified School District said that while it understood the context in which Gipe was interviewed by Project Veritas, steps were taken to remove the teacher from the district.

'Natomas Unified will be taking the legally required next steps to place the teacher on unpaid leave and fire the teacher.

'The actions and approaches taken by one teacher do not represent the overall staff, students and school community. To those who have felt uncomfortable at any time in the past 3 years, we apologize,' the district added.

The district also said Gipe's encouragements for students to attend protests for extra credit were both 'unprofessional and irresponsible.'

Gabriel Gipe, pictured wearing a derogatory shirt against police during a protest. The teacher offered his students extra credit if they attended protests, too

Project Veritas attempted a follow up interview with Gipe about the calls for him to be fired

Project Veritas has declined to release the full, unedited version of their interview with Gipe. The outlet has been accused in the past of publishing misleading content.

Gipe had said he was harassed by the media outlet when they did a follow up report on him, stopping him on the street as he was walking his dog.

The move to fire Gipe came after parents complained to the school district on Wednesday during a board meeting, urging the board to fire Gipe.

'The school district has failed in my opinion,' Luis Ortega, a resident of the district whose son recently graduated from Inderkum High School, told the NY Post.

'Everything has been brought to light and like everyone is saying, it doesn't end with Mr. Gabriel Gipe. There are some deep-rooted issues within the district.'

Paizly Gomez, another parent in the district, said that Gipe crossed a line with what he was doing in the classroom.

'I'm all for freedom of speech,' Paizly Gomez, a concerned parent, told KCRA 3. 'I'm not going to deny that, but, when you are a teacher, your job is academics. You are not here for morals, values, political views -- anything like that is not welcome in the school unless it's a private school.'

In their investigation into the incident, the district said Gipe ultimately violated 2020 guidelines that prohibited teachers from certain political actions while in school.
Jacob Anthony Chansley, 33, has reached a plea deal with prosecutors

The US Capitol riot suspect known as the 'QAnon Shaman' has reached a plea deal with prosecutors and is set to appear in court on Friday.

Jacob Anthony Chansley, 33, is due to appear through videolink in federal court in Washington, DC at 11am on Friday for a plea agreement hearing, according to court documents.

The terms of the plea deal were not immediately available. Chansley, who was arrested in January at his home in Phoenix, faced six charges in the case and a potential sentence of up to 28 years.

Chansley, who became the face of the Capitol riot due to his outlandish garb, had been a public supporter of the QAnon conspiracy theory that casts Donald Trump as a savior figure and elite Democrats as a cabal of Satanist pedophiles and cannibals.

In a statement to DailyMail.com on Thursday, Chansley's attorney Albert Watkins insisted that his client now rejects the QAnon theory and pleaded that the word be dropped from his infamous moniker.

'Mr. Chansley, a long avowed and practicing Shaman, has repudiated the 'Q' previously assigned to him and requests future references to him be devoid of use of the letter 'Q',' said Watkins.

Watkins confirmed that there is a plea agreement in place but declined to reveal any details of the deal. He insisted that his client is non-violent and struggles with mental health issues, and asked for 'patience and compassion'

Chansley, who became the face of the Capitol riot due to his outlandish garb, now rejects the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to his attorney

Chansley faced years in prison if found guilty, and has now reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He is due to appear in court for a plea agreement hearing on Friday

Chansley's attorney Albert Watkins (above) confirmed that there is a plea agreement in place but declined to reveal any details of the deal. He insisted that his client is non-violent and struggles with mental health issues, and asked for 'patience and compassion'

'The path charted by Mr. Chansley since January 6 has been a process, one which has involved pain, depression, solitary confinement, introspection, recognition of mental health vulnerabilities, and a coming to grips with the need for more self-work,' said Watkins.

'It is imperative that patience and compassion be accorded those, who like Mr. Chansley, were non-violent, peaceful and possessed of genuine mental health issues which rendered them more vulnerable to the propaganda of the day but who, at the end of day, seek to be accountable for their actions,' added the attorney, who is based in St. Louis.

Watkins said in July that Chansley was considering a plea deal after officials at the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) diagnosed him with transient schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety.

Watkins said his client has expressed some delusions including 'believing that he was indeed related directly to Jesus and Buddha.'

Watkins says the BOP's findings, which have not yet been made public, suggest Chansley's mental condition has deteriorated due to the stress of being held in solitary confinement at a jail in Alexandria, Virginia.

'As he spent more time in solitary confinement... the decline in his acuity was noticeable, even to an untrained eye,' Watkins stated.

'What we've done is we've taken a guy who is unarmed, harmless, peaceful... with a pre-existing mental vulnerability of significance, and we've rendered him a chocolate soup mess,' Watkins said.

Chansley shot to worldwide infamy when he stormed the Capitol sporting face-paint, a fur hat and holding a Star-Spangled spear

Prosecutors said Chansley went into the Capitol carrying a US flag attached to a wooden pole topped with a spear, ignored an officer's commands to leave, went into the Senate chamber and wrote a threatening note to then-Vice President Mike Pence

The BOP in 2017 was faulted by the Justice Department's inspector general for its use of special housing units to confine inmates with mental illness, and the BOP agreed to place limits on the amount of time inmates remain in restrictive housing and to ensure they have meaningful human contact.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic led the BOP to step up its use of solitary housing units as a way to quarantine inmates to contain the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile Watkins says Chansley's 2006 mental health records from his time in the U.S. Navy show a similar diagnosis to the BOP's.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office declined to comment on the case.

Meanwhile, Watkins did not say what specific charges Chansley was considering pleading guilty to, but defendants negotiating plea deals typically seek to plead to a less serious charge to reduce their potential prison sentences.

Watkins said authorities will need to determine how Chansley can get access to the treatment he needs to 'actively participate in his own defense.' Pleading guilty to a charge negates the need for a trial, but defendants still have to be declared mentally competent to do so.

Watkins said the BOP's evaluation of his client did not declare Chansley to be mentally incompetent, and he does not expect Chansley to be ordered to undergo what is known as competency restoration treatment.

A colorful and outspoken attorney, Watkins previously released a video that he says shows his client preventing a rioter from stealing a muffin from the U.S. Capitol on January 6, as well as a bizarre high school essay in which he describes his goals as a spiritual 'master'.

Attached as an exhibit to a defense motion is an essay that Chansley wrote in high school, declaring his career choice was to be 'a Christ, a Buddha, or a Muhammad'

Watkins' defense motion contains a link to a YouTube video titled 'Jake Stops Muffin Stealing,' which appears to show Chansley clad in his distinctive fur-and-horns headgear yelling 'Hey, hey hey!' at a rioter entering a break room in the Capitol.

The court documents describe the video as showing Chansley 'thwarting a crime (theft) by yelling at another person in the Capitol who was attempting to steal a muffin from a breakroom in the Capitol.'

'It demonstrates and reinforces my clients long-standing status as a peaceful, non-violent person who sought to thwart a theft and support the need for those in the Capitol to be respectful of law enforcement,' Watkins said of the new video in a statement to DailyMail.com.

Chansley and his bulldog attorney Watkins have previously referenced the muffin theft intervention in interviews, but the new video is the first footage of the incident to emerge publicly.

'I also stopped people from stealing and vandalizing that sacred space, the Senate. Okay? I actually stopped somebody from stealing muffins out of the break room,' Chansley told 60 Minutes from behind bars in March.

'And I also said a prayer in that sacred chamber. Because it was my intention to bring divinity, and to bring God back into the Senate.'
Forensic experts will use breakthrough DNA technology on the fragmented human remains of the unidentified 1,109 victims at the World Trade Center with the hope of providing closure for their families as the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks approaches.

The technique called Next-Generation Sequencing, or NGS, uses a device about the size of a desktop printer, which analyzes different components of DNA than longer-standing methods - instead of using the nucleus of a cell the machine looks at genetic materials found in mitochondria.

While experts have said that some of the remains have been rendered unidentifiable by the damage they're incurred, the new technology could identify samples that could not previously be analyzed.

Presently, the unidentified 7,882 fragments of the victims are stored in a 2,500- square-foot repository on bedrock between the two footprints of the Twin Towers at the National September 11 Memorial Complex - a total of 21,906 fragments were recovered.

Of the 2,754 victims of the September 11 attacks, the remains of 1,644 have been identified - Michael Haub, a member of FDNY's Ladder Company 4, was the last identified victim in 2019

Mark Desire, head of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner's missing persons and body identification unit, told Newsday that his office could start using the process by the end of the calendar year.

The technology is already used by the Department of Defense, which identified the remains of hundreds of veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War since 2016.

Of the 2,754 victims of the September 11 attacks, the remains of 1,644 have been identified. Michael Haub, a member of FDNY's Ladder Company 4, was the last identified victim in 2019.

Mark Desire, chief of the OCME's missing persons and body identification unit, told Newsday that his office could start using the process by the end of the calendar year. The announcement comes days before the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

The new NGS system uses a device (pictured), about the size of a desktop printer, which analyses different components of DNA than longer-standing methods.

OCME staff has worked hard to 'provide the highest levels of care, security and the safest environment for the remains,' Desire said.

'Under the professional auspices of OCME, the Repository provides a dignified and reverential setting for the remains to repose - temporarily or in perpetuity - as the work to identify the 9/11 victims continues,' according to the memorial's web page.

Most of the remains housed there are are bone fragments, some of the most difficult materials from which to retrieve DNA. Those that were not destroyed were severely degraded from the force of the buildings' collapse and exposure to fire and jet fuel.

Mitochondria, the component of DNA that is analyzed using the new technology, are very numerous, increasing the possibility that they are still intact in damaged forensic material.

Then, the machine uses magnetic probes specific to DNA from the mitochondria to 'amplify' them into clusters of millions of identical copies so they can be photographed.

Scientists then use the same enzymes that living things use to make DNA naturally to add missing bases that are dyed with bright colors, allowing researchers to 'read' the genetic material.

'An even better analogy would be taking five different cake batters, swirling them into one cake pan, being able to eat the cake and be able to discern the flavors, just by eating it,' said Jonathan Kui, DNA lab supervisor at the OCME, to Newsday.

He said that with NGS, as many as 30 samples can be processed at a time, compared with one under older methods.

The results can then be compared to over 17,000 reference samples from family members and victims' personal effects.

Neither the OCME nor the National September 11 Complex's press departments responded to DailyMail's requests for comment by press time.

'We feel a sacred obligation to continue our work,' said Barbara Sampson, the city's Chief Medical Examiner, to the New York Times in 2018.

Presently, the remains are stored in a 2,500 square-foot repository on bedrock between the two footprints of the Twin Towers, at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum (pictured)

'We feel a sacred obligation to continue our work,' said Barbara Sampson, the city's Chief Medical Examiner

Pictured are two magnum revolvers encrusted in melted concrete, which are on display at the 9/11 Tribute Museum (right) and other artifacts recovered from the site of the 9/11 terror attacks (left)

In the past 20 years since the attack, 48 victims have been identified using dental x-rays, 15 were identified by others viewing their corpses, seven were named using objects and clothing on their person, 33 using fingerprints, 9 using photos and 3 using other methods, according to the September 11 Families Association.

The lion's share, a whopping 800, have been named using DNA testing.

Other indicators, like tattoos and personal effects, were combined with DNA testing to get a positive ID for 633 victims.

The OCME began training to use the new technology in 2018, but COVID-19 delayed the approval process.

'As a forensic scientist, youre trained to be neutral and unbiased,' Desire said in 2018 to the New York Times.

'But with the World Trade Center investigation, its a different kind of case and when you meet with the families and the hugs and the thank you's, it gets emotional with them and it really helps with that drive to keep improving that process.'

Presently, unidentified remains of 9/11's victims are stored in a 2,500 square-foot repository on bedrock between the two footprints of the Twin Towers, at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

Of the 2,754 victims of the September 11 attacks, the remains of 1,644 have been identified - Michael Haub, a member of FDNY's Ladder Company 4, was the last identified victim in 2019

A helmet and turnout coat belonging to firefighter Jonathan Lelpi and the badge and gun belonging to police office John Perry, both who died in the September 11 attacks, on display at the 9/11 Tribute Museum

A giant photograph at the 9/11 Tribute Museum shows the cloud of debris that hung over Lower Manhattan after

Dr. Timothy McMahon, director of the Department of Defense DNA operations for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, called the new technology a game-changer.

'Will it solve all cases? Probably not,' McMahon said. 'But even if it leads to 20 percent identification, that is significant. You are bringing closure to someones family on this.'

Rosemary Cain of Massapequa, New York, whose firefighter son, George, perished in the twin towers, said she has received some remains but would welcome more.

'If there is the tiniest little morsel of my son, yes, I want him back. He belongs to me,' Cain told Newsday.

Each victim's family has the option to choose not to be notified, should their loved one's remains be identified.

One Long Island woman in Nassau County who lost her husband in the attack told Newsday, however, that she would 'not [be] opposed to it at all.'

A belated identification, she said, would allow her to host a long-overdue burial.
Psaki snapped at a male reporter asking about Biden's abortion views

White House press secretary Jen Psaki snapped at a male Catholic TV reporter questioning how President Biden squares his abortion views with his faith, telling him: 'I know you've never been pregnant.'

'Why does the President support abortion when his own catholic faith teaches it is morally wrong?' Owen Jensen, reporter for Catholic television network EWTN, asked the press secretary on Thursday afternoon.

'He believes it's a woman's right, it's a woman's body and it's her choice. It's up to a woman to make those decisions and a woman's decision to make with her doctor.'

'I know you have never faced those choices, nor have you ever been pregnant but for women out there who have faced those choices, this is an incredibly difficult thing the president believes that right should be respected.'

Psaki snapped after the Supreme Court refused to block one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, where terminating a pregnancy is illegal after 6 weeks' gestation.

Psaki was asked if the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling came as a shock to the White House.

'You can never predict rulings. We certainly know the make up of the court,' she said.

She was also asked if Biden's position on court packing has changed given the most recent ruling. 'He's waiting for the conclusion of this report,' she said.

Biden, the second Catholic president, meets with Pope Francis. Some have pressed the president to square his views on abortion with his Catholic faith

Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented. The other justices - all appointed by Republican presidents - allowed the law to stand. From left: Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, Stephen Breyer, Amy Coney Barrett, and Sonia Sotomayor

Biden appointed a commission to study the Supreme Court in April, which is considering proposals including to increase the number of justices, impose term limits, curtail the courts jurisdiction, or mandate that only a supermajority of the courts members can invalidate an act of Congress.

Texas abortion clinic terminated 67 pregnancies in just 17 hours as women raced to get procedure before new law went into effect A frantic scene formed at an abortion clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, as dozens of women congregated in a last ditch effort to get an abortion. Whole Womans Health (WWH) in Central Texas worked to terminate 67 pregnancies in 17 hours after an all-hands on deck approach to help women seeking care. The strictest abortion law in the nation went into effect at midnight, and many local women flocked to the clinic for their last chance to have the procedure in their home state while they still could. The frenzy occurred Tuesday night, August 31, after the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) had still not ruled on an emergency appeal to halt the law until further review. On Wednesday night, the SCOTUS ruled not to place a stay on the law, allowing it to go into effect while it undergoes judicial review. Whole Woman's Health Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas (pictured) performed 67 abortions in a matter of only 17 hours as many women arrived in a last ditch effort to get the procedure before a new restriction went into effect at midnight Advertisement

Biden promised such a commission as progressive Democrats pushed expanding the Supreme Court when the Senate confirmed Justice Amy Coney Barrett just weeks before the election.

Psaki said agencies across the White House and Department of Justice were working quickly to determine 'what, if any, steps can be taken here to protect a woman's right to choose and access to healthcare for women in Texas.'

Other abortion laws are enforced by state and local officials, with criminal sanctions possible.

After a federal appeals court refused to allow a prompt review of the law before it took effect, the measure's opponents sought Supreme Court review.

Biden released a forceful statement Thursday directing the executive branch to undermine the Supreme Court after it refused to take up a case regarding Texas's restrictive new abortion law.

'The highest Court of our land will allow millions of women in Texas in need of critical reproductive care to suffer while courts sift through procedural complexities,' Biden wrote.

He ordered the White House Counsel's office to mount a response to the court's decision, guided by the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Justice.

The law, known as the 'Texas Heartbeat Act', bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is normally after six weeks and before many women even know they are pregnant.

It makes no exceptions for rape or incest and allows Texans to report people, including Uber drivers, who help or take women to get abortions. The only exemption is if there is a danger to the woman's health.

Biden vowed to directly challenge the Supreme Court, by ordering the agencies to apparently circumvent the ruling and 'ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe.'

He asked the White House to look at 'what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas' bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties.'

Biden, the second Catholic president in US history, has been criticized by church officials in the past because his pro-choice stance goes directly against Catholic doctrine.

Attorney General Merrick Garland reaffirmed the DOJ would take the matter up, stating: 'The Justice Department is deeply concerned about Texas SB8. We are evaluating all options to protect the constitutional rights of women, including access to an abortion.'

President Joe Biden speaks to a priest as he leaves St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del., after attending a Mass, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021

The justices in a 5-4 vote denied an emergency request by abortion and women's health providers for an injunction barring enforcement of the new law which President Biden said on Wednesday 'blatantly violates Roe v. Wade'.

'In reaching this conclusion, we stress that we do not purport to resolve definitively any jurisdictional or substantive claim in the applicants' lawsuit. In particular, this order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas's law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts,' the court said in the unsigned order.

The five conservative justices backed the law Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented.

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the court's order 'stunning,' saying her colleagues had 'opted to bury their head in the sand' over a 'flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights.'

In her dissenting opinion on Wednesday Sotomayor accused the court's conservative majority of 'burying their heads in the sand.

'The Act is clearly unconstitutional under existing precedents,' the Obama appointee wrote. 'The respondents do not even try to argue otherwise. Nor could they: No federal appellate court has upheld such a comprehensive prohibition on abortions before viability under current law.'

'Taken together, the Act is a breathtaking act of defianceof the Constitution, of this Court's precedents, and of the rights of women seeking abortions throughout Texas.'

Justice Kagan, also appointed by ex-President Obama, claims Texas's law has a 'clear' and 'undisputed' conflict against Roe v. Wade.

She accused the Supreme Court majority of only hastily reviewing the case and then only 'barely bothers to explain its conclusion.'

Kagan blasted the court's 'shadow-docket decision making' which she claims is responsible for increasingly 'un-reasoned, inconsistent, and impossible to defend' rulings.

Texas lawmakers wrote the law to evade federal court review by allowing private citizens to bring civil lawsuits in state court against anyone involved in an abortion, other than the patient.

Progressive 'squad' members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush are leading calls to pack the Supreme Court after it declined to block the Texas abortion law in a 5-4 decision.

Ocasio-Cortez and Bush are leading renewed calls to expand the Supreme Court to tip its current conservative majority in the wake of the 5-4 ruling

Abortion rights supporters gather to protest Texas SB 8 in front of Edinburg City Hall on Wednesday

Ocasio-Cortez lashed out against the Supreme Court early Thursday morning over its refusal to block the law called on Democrats to 'abolish the filibuster and expand the court.'

In a Twitter post published just after midnight, the progressive lawmaker accused Republicans of overturning landmark case Roe v. Wade.

'Republicans promised to overturn Roe v Wade, and they have,' Ocasio-Cortez wrote. 'Democrats can either abolish the filibuster and expand the court, or do nothing as millions of peoples bodies, rights, and lives are sacrificed for far-right minority rule.'

She added that it 'shouldn't be a difficult decision' for her colleagues.

Hillary Clinton invoked Roe v. Wade on Thursday and accused the Supreme Court of 'gutting' the 1973 case.

'Last night, the Supreme Court officially overturned five decades of settled law and permitted Texas' unconstitutional abortion ban to stand,' she wrote.

'Yes: They gutted Roe v. Wade without hearing arguments, in a one-paragraph, unsigned 5-4 opinion issued in the middle of the night.'

Cori Bush said the ruling embodied 'far-right extremism' on Wednesday.

'In the span of one week the Supreme Court forced 11 million households to face eviction and effectively overturned Roe v. Wade in the middle of the night.

'This is what far-right extremism looks like. We need to expand the court.'

The two squad members expressed outrage at the Supreme Court's ruling on Twitter

Biden tears into the Supreme Court for declining to block Texas abortion law in ruling that will 'unleashes unconstitutional chaos' The Supreme Courts ruling overnight is an unprecedented assault on a womans constitutional rights under Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land for almost fifty years. By allowing a law to go into effect that empowers private citizens in Texas to sue health care providers, family members supporting a woman exercising her right to choose after six weeks, or even a friend who drives her to a hospital or clinic, it unleashes unconstitutional chaos and empowers self-anointed enforcers to have devastating impacts. Complete strangers will now be empowered to inject themselves in the most private and personal health decisions faced by women. This law is so extreme it does not even allow for exceptions in the case of rape or incest. And it not only empowers complete strangers to inject themselves into the most private of decisions made by a womanit actually incentivizes them to do so with the prospect of $10,000 if they win their case. For the majority to do this without a hearing, without the benefit of an opinion from a court below, and without due consideration of the issues, insults the rule of law and the rights of all Americans to seek redress from our courts. Rather than use its supreme authority to ensure justice could be fairly sought, the highest Court of our land will allow millions of women in Texas in need of critical reproductive care to suffer while courts sift through procedural complexities. The dissents by Chief Justice Roberts, and Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan all demonstrate the error of the Court's action here powerfully. While the Chief Justice was clear to stress that the action by the Supreme Court is not a final ruling on the future of Roe, the impact of last night's decision will be immediate and requires an immediate response. One reason I became the first president in history to create a Gender Policy Council was to be prepared to react to such assaults on women's rights. Hence, I am directing that Council and the Office of the White House Counsel to launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision, looking specifically to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to see what steps the Federal Government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe, and what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas' bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties. Advertisement

The Supreme Court formally refused Wednesday to block the Texas ban less than a day after the nation's most restrictive reproductive rights legislation took effect in the southern state.

More moderate Democrats instead pushed for codifying Roe v. Wade through an act of Congress.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi also panned the Supreme Court as 'cowardly' in a Thursday statement and vowed Congress would take up the Womens Health Protection Act which would 'enshrine into law reproductive health care for all women across America.'

Other Democratic lawmakers are agreeing with Pelosi and appealing to Congress to pass the legislation to protect abortion access on the federal level.

'Our liberty, our humanity, and our bodily autonomy are NOT up for debate. In light of Texas' draconian ban and the Supreme Court's inaction, our pro-choice majority Congress must pass The Women's Health Protection Act,' Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Bush and Ocasio-Cortez's fellow squad member wrote on Twitter.

A number of Democratic lawmakers called on Congress to act on a federal law protecting abortion access

Senator Amy Klobuchar joined Ocasio-Cortez in invoking Roe v. Wade when she called for Congress to act.

'If you ever questioned where these five Justices would be, now you know. We must put Roe into law now. There is no time to lose,' Klobuchar wrote on Twitter.

Senator Elizabeth Warren shared a clip of herself advocating for a federal abortion law during the 2020 Democratic primary, also writing: 'We cant rely on the courts to protect our rights. Its time for national laws to ensure reproductive freedom.'

New York Rep. Yvette Clarke released a statement blasting what she called the 'malicious abortion ban.'

'If SCOTUS will not protect our reproductive rights, Congress must by passing the Womens Health Protection Act,' Clarke wrote.

The Women's Health Protection Act of 2021: Democrat-backed law for no time limits on abortions 'prior to fetal viability' Allows abortion nationwide without time limits 'prior to fetal viability' and even afterwards if the abortion provider deems the pregnancy would pose a risk to the patient's life or health Prohibits arbitrary requirements on abortion procedures and unnecessary tests Prohibits abortion providers from requiring in-person visits before the procedure if they aren't medically necessary Restricts abortion providers from giving the patient 'medically inaccurate information' during or after services Prevents states from issuing arbitrary credential requirements for medical facilities providing abortions Allows abortion providers to provide immediate services if they deem a delay would risk the patient's health Prohibits limits on what medically-approved drugs abortion providers can prescribe Advertisement

Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal struck a deeply personal note in response to the Texas law, sharing a 2019 New York Times op-ed in which she publicly revealed for the first time that she had an abortion.

'I decided I could not responsibly have the baby. It was a heartbreaking decision, but it was the only one I was capable of making,' she wrote after detailing an intense struggle in having her first child.

'These reproductive choices  especially in situations involving trauma, be it rape or a desperate prognosis for the baby  are deeply private and personal, and should be made only by the pregnant person.'

Rep. Val Demings, who helped introduce the Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 alongside Rep. Judy Chu, also joined calls for its passage.

'This would stop lawmakers in Texas, or Florida, when they try to attack a women's right to make her own decisions. The Senate should pass our legislation,' Demings wrote.

Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders wrote on Twitter Wednesday, 'This Supreme Court's refusal to overturn Texas law banning abortion is outrageous. Women get to control their bodies, not politicians and not judges.'

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a moderate Democrat, also criticized Texas's bill and said women had a 'constitutional right' to make their own health care choices.

'With this decision, five Justices are choosing to disregard 48 years of precedent and denying millions of Americans their right to make their own choices about both their health and future. It's clear that we must work at every level of government to continue our fight to protect a woman's right to choose,' Gottheimer wrote.

Rep. Ilhan Omar posted a statement to Twitter on Thursday claiming 'Those saying Trumps far-right appointees would overturn Roe v. Wade were right.'

And another Biden official also voiced her opposition. Top White House aide Susan Rice said she was 'outraged by the Supreme Courts short-sighted and far-reaching ruling last night' on Thursday.

'This is an all-out assault on womens reproductive rights. We will pursue EVERY avenue to protect women and providers from this extreme and unconstitutional Texas law,' Rice wrote.

While similar laws have passed in a dozen Republican-led conservative states, all had been stymied in the courts.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick lauded its passage as a' victory' shortly after midnight Wednesday morning

'This lifesaving legislation reflects Texas pro-life beliefs and our continued commitment to protecting the most vulnerable,' he wrote.

University of Texas women rally at the Texas Capitol to protest the law on Wednesday

Governor Greg Abbott signed the measure into law on Wednesday

Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed the legislation in May.

The law also allows private citizens, rather than government officials, to enforce it by suing anyone involved in the procedure from an abortion clinic to someone driving a woman to a procedure appointment.

Biden promised to fight for women's constitutional rights enshrined under Roe v Wade.

'The Texas law will significantly impair women's access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes,' the president said.

He added: 'And, outrageously, it deputizes private citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone who they believe has helped another person get an abortion, which might even include family members, health care workers, front desk staff at a health care clinic, or strangers with no connection to the individual.'

A Texas law banning most abortions in the state took effect on Wednesday

Pro-choice activists urged the Supreme Court to intervene to ensure that women's protections are upheld

Abortion providers said the law would ban 85 percent of abortions and force many clinics in Texas to close

Biden vowed that his administration would protect women's abortion rights, but he made no mention of the challenge at the Supreme Court, amid fears by activists that a more conservative bench was poised to uphold further restrictions on abortions.

Abortion providers who asked the Supreme Court to step in said the law would rule out 85 percent of abortions in Texas and force many clinics to close.

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, criticized the court's inaction.

'In refusing to intervene last night, the Supreme Court tipped the scales of justice in favor of one of the most draconian state abortion bans in history,' she said.

'[The law] strips away abortion access for most Texans.

'The Supreme Court has put the health and safety of Texans  especially people with lower incomes and people of color  in jeopardy.'

Texas state Rep. Donna Howard, center at lectern, stands with fellow lawmakers in the House Chamber as she opposes a bill introduced that would ban abortions as early as six weeks (May 2021)

Planned Parenthood is among the abortion providers that have stopped scheduling abortions beyond six weeks from conception.

At least 12 other states have enacted bans on abortion early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.

What makes the Texas law different is its unusual enforcement scheme, where private citizens sue those assisting with abortions.

Under the law, anyone who successfully sues another person would be entitled to at least $10,000.

Abortion opponents who wrote the law also made it difficult to challenge the law in court, in part because it's hard to know whom to sue.

Texas has long had some of the nation's toughest abortion restrictions, including a sweeping law passed in 2013 that the Supreme Court eventually struck down but not before more than half of the state's 40-plus abortion clinics closed.

Lawmakers also are moving forward in an ongoing special session in Texas with proposed new restrictions on medication abortion.

This is a method using pills that accounts for roughly 40% of abortions in the U.S.

The Texas challenge seeks to prevent judges, county clerks and other state entities from enforcing the law.

A federal judge rejected a bid to dismiss the case, prompting an immediate appeal to the Louisiana-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which halted further proceedings.
Greece's new outspoken health minister today apologised for past remarks that saw him accused of antisemitism by the country's Jewish community.

Athanassios Plevris, 44, who heads up Greece's Covid response, also reiterated his 'absolute respect' for Holocaust victims and his opposition to antisemitism in a statement.

The controversial lawyer had faced a public backlash over disparaging comments he made when acting as defence counsel for his far-right father during a 2009 trial.

He had defended his father - Constantinos Plevris - and his eye-opening comments suggesting the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland should be kept in good condition 'so it could be used again', arguing such views should not be considered hate speech or incitement.

It comes as the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece expressed their concern over his Cabinet appointment on Tuesday and demanded an immediate apology from him.

Athanassios Plevris, 44, who heads up Greece's Covid response, also reiterated his 'absolute respect' for Holocaust victims and his opposition to antisemitism in a statement

His father, Constantinos, had suggested the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland (pictured) should be kept in a good condition so it could be 'used again'

Plevris reiterated on Wednesday he had 'absolute respect' for Holocaust victims and reaffirmed his opposition to antisemitism as his critics pointed to comments he made 12 years ago.

A KIS statement had summoned Plevris to apologize for remarks he made as defense lawyer in a 2009 court case against his extreme far-right father, Constantinos Plevris, who was charged with incitement to racist hatred or violence over a book called 'Jews: The Whole Truth.'

KIS quoted the health minister as having said then, commenting on a reference to the Nazi Auschwitz death camp: 'What incitement is this? Is it that one is not allowed to believe and want to believe that "I want to exterminate someone?"'

Plevris said Wednesday that KIS' objections to his court comments were 'understandable' and that he 'fully disagrees' with his father's views.

He has repeatedly said he rejects the political views of his father, who was eventually acquitted.

'I never wanted to insult the Jewish people, and I apologize if I did,' the 44-year-old lawyer said.

'I am certain that...as health minister, I will leave not the slightest grounds for reservation for those who doubt my respect for the Holocaust, and they will see that under no circumstances do I harbor antisemitic sentiments.'

The controversial lawyer (pictured, right, in 2015) faced a public backlash over disparaging comments he made when acting as defence counsel for his far-right father during a 2009 trial

The new minister joined the governing center-right New Democracy party in 2012 and before then was elected as a lawmaker with a small populist right party.

He was first elected to the Hellenic Parliament during the 2007 parliamentary election, before then holding office within the European Parliament in June 2009.



Plevris, who lies well to the right of New Democracy's general line, was given the health portfolio - his first Cabinet position - during a government reshuffle in Athens on Tuesday.

He had previously faced criticism over a 2013 television speech in which he suggested migrants should be 'banned' from essential services, including health and education.

'When you are here there will be no social benefits,' he explained.

'You will not be able to eat, drink, you will not be able to go to the hospital... They must have a worse time  from their countries  they will live here!'
An heavily drunk Ohio man called 911 to claim his dog had shot itself in the face after telling the stunned operate he trained his Boxer to bring him his gun, police said.

Jonathan George, 31, quickly recanted the wild tale when pressed by police and admitted to being drunk before being arrested for shooting the 4-year-old pooch named Lula, officials said.

The dog survived the bullet to the face but lost an eye.

'(He) said his dog shot itself and he trained the dog to bring a gun to him,' Norwalk Police Captain Jim Fulton. 'The dog had the gun in its mouth when it went off accidentally. The officers didnt believe that story.'

31-year-old Jonathan George (pictured) was charged with three misdemeanors, including handling a firearm while intoxicated, cruelty to animals and discharging a weapon

4-year-old Lula, a boxer, lost an eye after receiving emergency surgery following Monday's shooting

Capt. Fulton stated that George eventually admitted to accidentally shooting his dog in the jaw.

He was charged with three misdemeanors, including handling a firearm while intoxicated, cruelty to animals and discharging a weapon in a municipality, according to Fox News 8.

Fulton revealed that George was intoxicated when he spoke to officers, prompting them to test his blood alcohol content level.

'His BAC was 1.7, so thats a little over twice the legal limit for driving. Shouldnt be drinking and handling firearms bottom line.'

Lula miraculously survived the gunshot, however she did lose an eye following emergency surgery after Monday's shooting, the outlet reports.

Meanwhile. the Huron County Humane Society, who oversaw Lula's medical care, managed to raise over $2,000 for Lula's surgeries, about a grand short of the procedure's total cost of $3,000, her foster parents at the animal shelter told Fox News 8.

'Im not sure why somebody would be intoxicated and playing with a gun,' Daphne Nelson, a humane investigator for Huron County, told the outlet.

'That just doesnt make sense to me. I wish that Goddards Law did apply in this instance but because there was no knowing intent, we cant go after Goddards Law.'

Pictured: Daphne Nelson, a humane investigator for Huron County, walks Lula following surgery after Monday's shooting

Nelson added that Lula still had bullet fragments in her head after the shooting

Goddard's Law was signed into law back in 2016, after Dick Goddard lobbied state lawmakers for five years to make the abuse or neglect of animals a fifth-degree felony, Fox News 8 reported at the time.

Nelson revealed that bullet fragments still remain in Lula's head despite surgery, and will likely need additional procedures in the future.

She added that any funds raised that aren't used for Lula will be allocated for other animals and pets in critical condition at the Huron County Humane Society.

'She is definitely a fighter. She is definitely a well-socialized dog, she seems to love everybody. She loves attention and if youre not petting her, shes fussing,' said Amanda Fearing, manager at the Huron County Humane Society.

To donate, visit the Huron County Humane Societys Facebook page.
The identity of a Kansas grandmother who is now the first recorded COVID-19 death in the United States has been revealed, after her cause of death was changed to be the virus on May.

For over a year, it was believed that the first COVID-19 death in the country had been Patricia Dowd, a California woman who died from the virus on February 6, 2020.

But an investigation by the Bay Area News Group revealed that five January 2020 deaths had recently been listed as COVID-19-related- the earliest was Lovell Brown, from Leavenworth, Kansas, who died at the age of 78 on January 9, 2020, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Her identity didn't become public due to patient privacy laws, and relatives of Brown were not alerted of the change on her death certificate.

Brown's daughter, Peaches Foster, requested a copy of her mother's amended death certificate after she was contacted by The Mercury News through the Funeral Home that handled Brown's funeral services.

An intensive care doctor changed the cause of Brown's death just three months ago, on May 12, from 'acute stroke and chronic obtrusive lung disease' to 'COVID-19 Pneumonia,' The Mercury News reported.

It is unknown why they did so a year after Brown's death.

The identity of the first COVID-19 death was revealed to have been Lovell Brown, from Kansas. She died at Providence Hospital after experiencing COVID-19-related symptoms on Christmas 2019

Brown died at age 78 on January 9, 2020, but her cause of death had initially been listed as 'acute stroke chronic obtrusive lung disease.' It is not known why it was changed to 'COVID-19 pneumonia' three months ago, a year after Brown's death

Foster tried to contact the doctor but was told he was busy treating COVID-19 patients.

She reportedly told her brother that she believed their mother could have died from COVID-19 in March 2020, as the country entered lockdown and cases spiked across the states.

Before her death, Brown experienced COVID-like symptoms including headaches, cough, fever and body aches.

The symptoms had started back in Christmas 2019, when she complained to family members that she couldn't taste the food they had brought to her at the nursing home where she resided.

Brown had pre-existing conditions that could have potentially increased the severity of her symptoms.

She suffered from diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had suffered from lung cancer years ago.

The Center for Disease Control has recorded 5,450 COVID-19 deaths in the state of Kansas since the pandemic started

The US has recorded over 640,000 deaths since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

The CDC has reported that there are currently over 39 million cases of COVID-19 in the US

Covid-19 cases and deaths have spiked during the summer, as the very infectious Delta variant became the most common in the US

She was initially taken to Saint John Hospital after she began having trouble to breathe, and was then transferred to the intensive care unit at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, where she died.

Ten months after Brown's death, her sister and brother-in law perished from COVID too.

Although it is suspected that the disease was already in the US in December 2019, without a tissue or blood sample from Brown, who was cremated, it is impossible to confirm the cause of her death.

Sam Allred, a spokesperson for Providence Hospital, told The Mercury News that they would help Foster navigate the change on her mother's death certificate, and the reason behind it happening a year later.

'We'll work with her to try to get any answers we can,' he said.

The five amended COVID-19, January 2020 deaths in California, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Wisconsin and Kansas have altered the national perception of the events that unfolded in the initial stages of the pandemic, when the virus was novel and many patients were misdiagnosed, or stayed home and attributed the symptoms to a cold.

California has registered 5,450 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic started, according to the Center for Disease Control.

There are currently 373,171 cases of COVID-19, and 12,810 hospitalization in the state, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Former licensed nurse Nathan Sutherland on Thursday pleaded guilty to sexual assault and abuse of a vulnerable adult for impregnating a woman in a vegetative state in 2018

A former nurse at an Arizona long-term care facility pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually assaulting a female patient in a vegetative state, who later became pregnant and gave birth to a boy.

Nathan Sutherland, a licensed practical nurse at the care home, also admitted to an "abuse of a vulnerable adult" charge stemming from his treatment of the woman.

He is expected to be sentenced to 5  to 10 years in prison as part of the plea agreement, sparking outrage from a former colleague who called the deal a 'slap on the wrist.'

The abuse of a vulnerable adult charge brings lifetime probation.

"This man did a heinous crime and he's getting a slap on the wrist and it's not right and everyone I talked to that worked at Hacienda, they're furious. None of us can believe that's all he's going to get is a slap on the wrist," said Davena Ballard, a former nurse at a Hacienda-affiliated program, according to KPHO-TV of Phoenix.

The pregnancy was discovered in December 2018 when an employee at the Hacienda Healthcare facility in Phoenix was changing the then-29-year-old victim and noticed she was in labor.

Employees told police that they had no idea the woman, who is quadriplegic and mentally disabled, was pregnant.

Sutherland was arrested in January 2019 after police collected DNA from all 36 male staff members at his workplace, and his sample matched the victims son.

The surprise birth triggered reviews by state agencies, highlighted safety concerns for patients who are severely disabled or incapacitated, and prompted the resignations of Haciendas chief executive and one of the victims doctors.

Sutherland, pictured in court in 2019, is scheduled to be sentenced in November

The victim had be a patient at Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix for 26 years. Her medical conditions stem from a brain disorder that caused motor and cognitive impairments and vision loss

It led to a lawsuit from the victims parents that alleged Sutherland had cared for their daughter on hundreds of occasions from 2012 through 2018, despite promises from the state  which contracts with companies like Hacienda to provide services to people with developmental disabilities  that only women would tend to her.

An expert on behalf of her family has said many of Sutherlands encounters with the patient occurred overnight, when fewer staff members and visitors were around.

Lawyers for the family also said Hacienda missed dozens of signs that the woman was carrying a baby, pointing out that she had gained weight, had a swollen belly and missed menstrual periods in the months before the child was born.

They said the victim, who has a feeding tube and whose nutrition was reduced in response to her weight gain during the pregnancy, delivered the boy while severely dehydrated and without pain medications.

Sutherland is a devout Christian and a father of four. He was moonlighting as a Christian rapper, touring churches in Phoenix

The victim lived at Hacienda for 26 years, until the childs birth. Her medical conditions stem from a brain disorder that caused motor and cognitive impairments and vision loss. She was also left with no functional use of her limbs.

Sutherland, described as a devout Christian rapper and father-of-four, initially pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault and abuse of vulnerable adult charges.

Hacienda Healthcare's former CEO Bill Timmons has pleaded guilty to two counts of felony fraud

State records show he was first became a clinical nursing assistant in 2005, before becoming an licensed practitioner nurse in 2011. He had worked at Hacienda for eight years.

Sutherland was fired from his job and voluntarily surrendered his nursing license after his arrest.

He is due back in court for a hearing on October 4, followed by his sentencing on November 4.

The boy Sutherland had fathered with the severely disabled patient was being raised by his maternal grandmother and was said to be doing well.

A judge has approved a $15million settlement against a doctor who cared for the woman for 26 years while she lived at Hacienda Healthcare. The doctors insurer has argued it has no obligation to pay that amount.

The state of Arizona, which contracts with companies like Hacienda to provide services to people with developmental disabilities, settled last summer for $7.5million.

Earlier this year, Hacienda Healthcare's former CEO Bill Timmons pleaded guilty to two counts of felony fraud.
President Trump said that his one-time close ally and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley can't decide how she feels about him.

'Every time she criticizes me, she uncriticizes me about 15 minutes later,' the former president told Vanity Fair.

Haley, like a number of other Republicans, is rumored to be considering a 2024 run for the GOP nomination, but will have to wait until after Trump has decided if he is running.

Meanwhile, Trump kept up his criticism of his vice president Mike Pence, saying that he shot any chance at the nomination by certifying the vote count in Congress in January.

'Mike hurt himself very badly when he didnt send the numbers back to the legislatures,' Trump said.

Trump tapped Haley for UN ambassador, where she served from Jan. 2017 to Dec. 2018, and even made the role a Cabinet position.

Upon her resignation, the New York Times editorial page noted Haley was 'that rarest of Trump appointees: one who can exit the administration with her dignity largely intact.'

Trump tapped Haley for UN ambassador, where she served from Jan. 2017 to Dec. 2018, and even made the role a Cabinet position

The former South Carolina governor was largely loyal to Trump, even parroting the possibility of election fraud in the weeks following Nov. 3.

She called Trump after the election. 'I want to make sure you're okay,' she told him. 'You're my president, but you're also my friend.'

But after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Haley distanced herself, appealing to a more centrist base.

'He was badly wrong with his words yesterday. And it wasn't just his words. His actions since Election Day will be judged harshly by history,' Haley told a Republican National Committee in Florida on Jan. 7.

A month later, she took it even further, telling Politico: 'When I tell you I'm angry, it's an understatement. I am so disappointed in the fact that [despite] the loyalty and friendship he had with Mike Pence, that he would do that to him. Like, I'm disgusted by it.'

Haley, who hadn't spoken to Trump since that the riot, was doubtful that he would ever run again.

'I think he's going to find himself further and further isolated,' Haley said. 'I think his business is suffering at this point. I think he's lost any sort of political viability he was going to have. I think he's lost his social media, which meant the world to him. I mean, I think he's lost the things that really could have kept him moving.'

'Every time she criticizes me, she uncriticizes me about 15 minutes later,' the former president said of his former UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, left

Haley, right, has said she won't run for the presidency if Trump does in 2024, and will instead support his bid

'He's not going to run for federal office again,' Haley said.

But Haley told the Associated Press in April she would back Trump and would not run if he did.

At that time she also defended Trump amid his attacks on Pence and Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

'I think former President Trump's always been opinionated,' Haley said, asked about his comments and if they hurt the GOP.

'Just because he left being president, that's not going to stop. But I think what he also talked about were all the successes that he had in the administration. And I think that's what Republicans are uniting on. ... Every day Biden and Kamala Harris are in office unites the Republicans.'

Haley is now stuck in limbo along with every other Republican considering a run for the presidency.

'It's a holding pattern,' a frustrated Haley adviser told Vanity Fair. 'It's unlike any previous race.'

Trump refuses to say whether he'll run in 2024, but told Fox News' Sean Hannity in August: 'Let me put it this way, I think youll be happy and I think a lot of our friends will be very happy.'

Insiders believe he is basking in the 'will he or won't he' agony other prospective Republicans are grappling with.

'Knowing Trump, hell dangle it right up to the New Hampshire primary filing deadline,' one Trump confidant said.


The White House said on Thursday that ISIS-K continued to pose 'active' threats even as at least 100 Americans remain stranded in Afghanistan and the U.S. guards against the threat of terrorists using charter flights out of Kabul to launch an attack.

During her regular briefing, President Biden's Press Secretary Jen Psaki said diplomatic efforts continued to rescue Americans left behind.

But she raised fears that ISIS-K, the local offshoot of the Islamic State behind the suicide attack on Kabul airport last week that killed 13 Americans, remained a potent threat with ambitions to attack U.S. personnel on military bases outside Afghanistan.

'We are in close touch from the State Department, from our diplomatic officials, with all of these individuals working in close coordination with them to determine how they can leave the country,' she said .

But she denied reports that the U.S. was thwarting rescue efforts by preventing charter flights taking off from Kabul.

She said there were no longer personnel on the ground in Afghanistan and that the U.S. 'don't control the air space.'

White House Press Secretary said, 'there continue to be active ISIS-K threats,' as she discussed efforts to rescue more than 100 Americans still in Afghanistan and the use of charter flights to get people out

Afghan evacuees get in a plane to the United States at the US Air Base Ramstein, Germany on August 26, 2021. - The Ramstein Air Base, the largest U.S. Air Force base in Europe hosts thousands of Afghan evacuees

Refugees receive instructions from a US navy soldier as they disembark from a US air force aircraft after a flight from Kabul at the Rota naval base, southern Spain, on August 31, 2021

'We couldn't prevent a charter flight from taking off,' she said, 'but what is important for people to understand is where we have some concern.'

It was difficult to know who was on board and who was organizing the flights, she said.

'These charter flights are landing on US military bases, and we have to be very careful,' Psaki said.

'I think it's understandable we have concern about flights where we don't have that level of information and understanding about the manifests, what the protocols are that are under way.

'There's also a question ... there continue to be active ISIS-K threats.'

'There's also question of where these flights go where they land.

'We know ISIS-K has a keen interest in attacks against aviation targets, and our personnel on the ground and our personnel on the ground in our military bases and these are among the risks that we take into account.'

Extracting the remaining Americans is a priority for an administration facing intense criticism for ending the evacuation without bringing everyone home.

Kabul airport stands idle after a frantic two-week operation to rescue more than 120,00 people.

A Qatari team arrived there on Wednesday amid talks to get it back into operation.

'We are working very hard (and) we remain hopeful that we will be able to operate it as soon as possible,' said Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at a news conference.

For now that leaves foreign nationals and vulnerable Afghans trying to navigate land crossings out of the country, and at risk of terrorist attack.

Until recently, officials were focused on Al Qaeda, whose leader is believed to be in Afghan territory.

The attack last week, however, has brought renewed focus to ISIS-K, which is though to number a few hundred fighters.

It grew rapidly from its inception around 2015 as the advances of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria meant commanders in Afghanistan could enjoy prestige and funding from Middle Eastern benefactors.

But the Taliban hit back, clearing many of its strongholds last year.

That shared enmity could offer Pentagon strategists or the CIA a foothold in Afghanistan with which to hunt down the people behind the suicide attack on Kabul airport.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said Wednesday it was 'possible' the U.S. will work with the Taliban to address that threat.
A horse breeder who reportedly moonlighted as the leader of a criminal gang linked to Mexico's top two drug cartels was arrested in Colombia on Monday.

Nestor Tarazona Enciso, 56, was taken into custody by the Colombia National Police on Sunday in Pereira, the capital of central western state of Risaralda.

Authorities said he was wanted for 'money laundering and illicit enrichment' activities that were the byproduct of his role as the leader a gang known as 'Los Puntilleros.'

It loaned its services to the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel - two transnational criminal organizations which are at war which each other over drug smuggling routes to the United States.

Renown Colombian horse breeder Nestor Tarazona Enciso was arrested in Pereira, Colombia, on Monday. Authorities allege he oversaw a gang that provided its services to the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel - Mexico's top two drug trafficking organizations

In December 2009, the United States Department of Treasury sanctioned Nestor Tarazona Enciso under the Kingpin Act, and accused him of proving 'material support' to Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel

Tarazona Enciso served a lengthy prison sentence in the United States for cocaine trafficking and was deported to Colombia in 1995.

In December 2009, the United States Department of Treasury sanctioned him under the Kingpin Act, and accused him of proving 'material support' to Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel.

Colombian authorities argue that Nestor Tarazona Enciso kept a low profile in Colombia by breeding fine step horses and exotic birds.

Colombia authorities have accused Nestor Tarazona Enciso of laundering money for the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel - two transnational criminal organizations which are at war which each other over drug smuggling routes to the United States

His two livestock companies, Agropecuaria La Cruz S.A. and Criadero Las Cabanas Ltda., were also designated by the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control because they were reportedly used to launder money for the cartel.

Colombian authorities argue that Tarazona Enciso kept a low profile in Colombia by breeding fine step horses and exotic birds.

He reportedly increased his illicit net worth to over $4million since 1999.

Tarazona Enciso allegedly cut ties with El Chapo following his arrest in February 2014 and provided his gang's helping hand to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Startup founder Jennifer Moody spoke out to DailyMail.com about how her dreams were dashed in an alleged scam

A startup founder who is suing Shark Tank stars Kevin O'Leary and Kevin Harrington has spoken out, after accusing them in the suit of endorsing a scheme to rip off fledgling businesses.

The lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles accused Harrington and O'Leary of fraud and negligence for their alleged endorsement of InventureX and Ideazon, companies that promised to market and launch crowdfunding campaigns for startups. Both men deny the claims against them.

The founder of lead plaintiff Bucket Social, 29-year-old Jennifer Moody, said in an interview with DailyMail.com that her life savings of $6,000 -- including cash gifts from her recent wedding -- were wiped out in a deal with InventureX.

Moody, like the other 19 plaintiffs in the suit, said she decided to work with the company after seeing videos of Harrington and O'Leary endorsing that firm or Ideazon.

In reality, the suit alleges, the two companies were 'intertwined' entities staffed by fictitious employees, whose photos on the companies' websites were actually stock images. The lawsuit claims the companies took fees but never delivered the promised crowdfunding launches.

'I was devastated,' Moody said. 'I felt this was my one chance to get my company going, and I felt humiliated and a failure when no campaign happened.'

Harrington and O'Leary have slammed the allegations against them as false, with both men saying that they had no involvement in the fraud, claiming their names and likenesses had been used without permission.

Twenty startups are suing suing Shark Tank stars Kevin O'Leary (left) and Kevin Harrington (right), accusing them of endorsing a scheme to rip off fledgling businesses

Moody, said in an interview with DailyMail.com that her life savings of $6,000 -- including cash gifts from her 2019 wedding (seen above) -- were wiped out in a deal with InventureX

O'Leary, a Montreal native, has been seen on the ABC series Shark Tank since 2009, while Harrington, a Cincinnati native, was seen on the series in its first two seasons.

The suit claims O'Leary 'endorsed the primary executives of both companies in the scam' including 'referring to them by name', and claims that Harrington is a 'partner and primary executive' of InventureX.

An attorney for Harrington, Steve Mandell, slammed the allegations against him as false in a statement to DailyMail.com, saying that his client had no involvement with InventureX other than making a video for them, and that he had been 'taken advantage of' by the alleged fraudsters.

'Kevin never had any business arrangement or contract with any of the Plaintiffs. This should be a dispute between the Plaintiffs and InventureX,' Mandell said.

'Kevin simply did a video for this Company. Kevin has never owned any piece of the Company nor served any executive role within the Company,' he added.

The attorney said that Harrington was 'disturbed by the accusations and has been taken advantage of as a businessman' and intends to 'defend the allegations contained in this complaint vigorously.'

O'Leary told DailyMail.com in a statement: 'It appears that someone has been using my name and likeness without my knowledge, permission, or consent.'

'Ive never heard of any of these purported companies and have never conducted business with any of the plaintiffs who filed this suit,' the star added.

'Obviously, I want to get to the bottom of it too, as my rights have been violated. We will make sure that the bad actors are held accountable,' O'Leary said.

Just hours after the suit was filed, the websites of both InventureX and Ideazon announced that the companies had shut down, with one citing 'the economic slowdown'. The companies could not be reached for comment.

Harrington (left) slammed the allegations as false through his attorney, saying he had never partnered with InventureX, merely made a video for them. O'Leary (right) said 'someone has been using my name and likeness without my knowledge'

Hours after the suit was filed, InventureX announced that it was shutting down

Ideazon made a similar announcement, blaming the 'economic slowdown'

The new lawsuit was filed by 20 frustrated startup founders who collectively lost some $400,000 in the alleged scam, and lead attorney for the plaintiffs Tre Lovell said that there could be hundreds of more potential victims.

The suit accuses O'Leary of negligently endorsing the fictitious executives of InventureX and Ideazon with video messages.

'Everybody has virtually the same story, they were kind of lured in to work with these companies based on the the purported involvement of Harrington and endorsement of O'Leary,' said Lovell, a Los Angeles attorney.

'They paid their money, and were excited to get their campaigns launched, and out of 20 clients zero campaigns were launched,' he said.

'These are upstart entrepreneurs -- they're not wealthy, and some put their last dollars into these campaigns and these dreams, and that is the real egregious and disgusting aspect of what happened here,' added Lovell.

Ideazon and InventureX 'turned out to be nothing less than facades designed to lure in unsuspecting victims, extract their money and then virtually disappear under the guise of delays, minimal to no performance, and no results,' the plaintiffs said in their legal complaint.

The legal complaint stated the investors 'were lured by the involvement, endorsement and credibility' of the Shark Tank stars and 'bought into the dream, paid their money, and then went through agonizing months, if not years, of frustration and distress of trying to get their products launched and businesses started with no results.'

Before it was taken down, the Ideazon website displayed the company's 'executive team'

Images from the lawsuit show that the executives on the Ideazon website were stock images

The complaint suggests that the executive team of the company is fictitious

Moody, the lead plaintiff and founder of Bucket Social, told DailyMail.com about how her dreams were dashed in the alleged scam.

The young entrepreneur from Detroit said that she came up with the idea for her app after seeing exotic and interesting travel locations on social media, but being unable to find the original post or remember the location.

She planned to launch an app that would archive posts of interest from different social media site and map them for users, allowing them to visualize their bucket list of world travel destinations.

'This was two months before my wedding day, and I was more obsessed with this app than my wedding day,' she recalled. Moody noted that she did not come from a wealthy background, and took on a second job to help pay for her wedding.

She said that she was convinced to team up with InventureX after being led to believe that Harrington was a partner in the company, and seeing video and marketing materials containing O'Leary's endorsement of the firm.

The lawsuit says that purported InventureX executive Mark Campbell told Moody on a phone call that she was a great candidate for InventureX, and that Kevin Harrington himself was going to be reviewing her project

After sending her a proposed contract, InventureX also sent Moody a video of Harrington 'stating that he saw her project and was excited to work with her,' according to the complaint.

Moody worked a second job to pay for her wedding (above) and save up to launch her app, but says that her savings were wiped out by fraud

'This was a big step for my husband and I, we took our wedding gift money and savings, and cashed out our stocks,' she said in an interview.

'I tried to do my due diligence and look into this company,' she recalled. 'It was a big deal to see Kevin Harrington on this website endorsing it.'

But after paying the $6,000 fee to InventureX, Moody says that things fell apart.

The company began demanding a $500 monthly fee, according to the complaint, and endlessly delayed the start of her crowdfunding campaign -- kicking back the date five times, and not launching it to date.

'This case arises from a diabolical and brazen scam to defraud what is believed to be hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent, hard-working entrepreneurs out of their last dollar,' the complaint states.

It adds: 'Make no mistake; this is a structured fraud scam from beginning to end.'

The case is Bucket Social, et al. vs Kevin Harrington, et al. case number 21STCV32370 in Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists successfully hijacked four California-bound planes, with the intention of crashing them into iconic buildings.

By 9.30am the World Trade Centre, one of New York City's most famous landmarks, had been hit, hundreds killed and many more trapped in the floors above.

Flight 77 had been hijacked and was en route for the Pentagon; Flight 93 also had terrorists at the controls. Al-Qaeda's mission was going exactly to plan.

9.31am: Terrorist Ziad Jarrah is at the controls of Flight 93. He is out of breath after struggling with the pilots as he attempts to speak to the 33 passengers on board over the intercom, but as he is unfamiliar with the controls he inadvertently transmits his message to air traffic control instead: 'Ladies and Gentlemen.

Here the captain, please sit down keep remaining sitting. We have a bomb on board. So, sit.'

But there is no bomb  his aim is to crash the plane on either the Capitol or the White House.

Firefighters and emergency crews at the scene of the United Airlines Flight 93 crash on September 11, 2001

A dramatisation of United Airlines Flight 93 crash during the September 11 attacks

At 9.50am Tom Burnett tells his wife Deena: 'We're going to take back the airplane. I'll be home for dinner. I may be late, but I'll be home'

9.32am: The cockpit voice recorder starts recording the output of the microphones in the pilots' headsets. It picks up the sound of a woman, probably a flight attendant, held captive in the cockpit. Jarrah tells her: 'Don't move! Shut up! Sit, sit, sit down!'

The woman pleads: 'Please, please don't hurt me.' A hijacker shouts at her: 'Down! No more!' The woman calls out: 'Oh, God! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!' Then there is the sound of a snap, the sound of a struggle and the woman crying.

9.35am: Equities trader Welles Crowther, 24, his face covered by a red bandana, has been helping people escape the South Tower of the World Trade Centre.

He guides tax official Ling Young to the stairs and follows her down, carrying a woman on his back. When they reach cleaner air, Welles goes back up. He'll save at least ten people today.

Cantor Fitzgerald brokers at the top of the North Tower are losing hope. It's hard to breathe because of the smoke and the stairwells are impassable. They are connected to their London office via squawk boxes.

One says: 'Tell my wife and children I love them. I'm never getting out of here.'

Paul Lynn in London remembers: 'There was a deathly silence on the trading floor. From that moment we sat, as the world did, and watched the tragedy unfold on TV. I had close friends there, we all did, we were the kind of firm where people knew each other well.'

None of Cantor Fitzgerald's 658 employees survive.

9.37am: On Flight 93 a hijacker in the cockpit says that they won't have any more problems with the female hostage. 'Everything is fine. I finished.' The woman is not heard again.

At the Pentagon Fire Station, firefighter Alan Wallace sees Flight 77 hit a road sign and then crash into the west side of the Pentagon just above ground level, setting off a fireball 200 feet high. The 64 people on the flight are killed, as are 125 Pentagon staff. Alan dives under a van to escape the flames.

9.40am: Christine Olender, the assistant general manager of the Windows On The World restaurant, at the top of the North Tower, repeatedly phones the police for advice as the restaurant is full of smoke. She asks permission to break a window.

Officer Ray Murray tries to reassure her and says: 'You do whatever you have to to get to the air.' On his video monitor Ray can see bodies on the ground at the foot of the North Tower and suspects that everyone in Windows On The World is doomed.

In 1996, from his base in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Al Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden and his right-hand man, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, began planning 'the Planes Operation'

Pictured: Explosions rock the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, after the towers were hit by two planes

At 9.08am at the Emma Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, President Bush is reading to a class of children, watched by reporters. White House Chief of Staff Andy Card whispers in his ear: 'America is under attack'

9.42am: All 4,546 flights in U.S. airspace are ordered to land at the nearest airport. Only Flight 93, the remaining hijacked plane, ignores the instruction.

On board, Tom Burnett calls his wife at their home in San Ramon, California. Deena tells him: 'They're hijacking planes all up and down the East Coast . . . they've already hit both towers of the World Trade Centre.'

Tom goes quiet and then says: 'Oh my God, it's a suicide mission!' Passenger Linda Gronlund leaves a message on her sister Elsa's answerphone. She has the presence of mind to give her the combination for her safe at home. She ends: 'I love you and I hope that I can talk to you soon. Bye.'

9.44am: Rumours of more hijacked planes spread around Washington. At the U.S. Capitol, a police officer is running through the corridors shouting: 'There's a plane coming! Get out!'

For the first time in history the building is evacuated. Lawmakers and their staff rush outside and Senate and House leaders are led to underground bunkers.

In Row 32 of Flight 93, software salesman Todd Beamer has failed to get through to his home, so, desperate to talk to somebody, he reaches an Airfone supervisor named Lisa Jefferson.

Shaken by a sudden lurch of the plane, he asks Lisa to say the Lord's Prayer with him. Then Todd recites Psalm 23: 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil . . .'

9.50am: The passengers on Flight 93 know their plane is going to be crashed into a building. They are forming a plan to fight back.

Todd Beamer asks phone supervisor Lisa Jefferson to make a call for him if he doesn't make it: 'Would you tell my wife and family how much I love them?'

Tom Burnett tells his wife Deena: 'We're going to take back the airplane. I'll be home for dinner. I may be late, but I'll be home.'

The group aim to overpower the hijackers and try and land the plane safely, probably by using the skills of two passengers: Donald Greene, who has a licence to fly small planes, and Andrew 'Sonny' Garcia, a former air traffic controller.

Sonny manages to get through to his wife, but after only a second they're cut off. All she hears is her name: 'Dorothy.'

Pictured: People flee the area in New York as the second tower at the World Trade Center collapses

9.55am: In the North Tower there are now firefighters as high as the 54th floor, checking each level as they climb. The planes have severed key structural elements in both towers, but crucially they have also torn away vital fireproofing protecting the steel in the impact zones.

The heat generated by the combustion of fuel oil, oxygen and building materials is weakening the unprotected steel. It can no longer support the weight of the floors above. A helicopter pilot reports that the top storeys of the North Tower are 'glowing red'.

9.56am: Airfone supervisor Lisa Jefferson hears screams down the phone, then Todd Beamer saying: 'Are you guys ready? Let's roll!'

Flight attendant Sandra Bradshaw is in the galley on the phone to her husband, preparing boiling water to throw at the hijackers.

They tell each other how much they love each other and their children, then Sandra says quickly: 'Everyone's running up to first class. I've got to go. Bye.'

9.57am: The cockpit flight recorder picks up the sound of a struggle outside the door and a man screaming.

A hijacker says in Arabic: 'Let's go guys! God is Greatest! God is Greatest!' and then Tom Burnett's voice is heard, shouting: 'In the cockpit! In the cockpit!' Jarrah shouts: 'Hold the door! Hold from the inside!' He starts to rock the wings to throw the passengers off balance.

9.59am: Near the top of the South Tower, Kevin Cosgrove, insurance executive and a father of three, calls 911 in desperation. The operator reassures him that help is at hand. Kevin says: 'Doesn't feel like it, man, I got kids. There's smoke really bad . . . We're young men, not ready to die.'

There is a pause and the operator says: 'Hello?' Kevin then says: 'Hello there's three of us, two broken windows . . . Oh God! Oh!' The line goes dead as the roof collapses and the South Tower falls. The quarter-mile high building collapses in just ten seconds.

Pictured: Civilians run away from the World Trade Center after two planes slam into the twin towers

Welles Crowther is in the lobby with a group of firefighters getting ready to go up into the South Tower once more, when it collapses. In March 2002, his body will be found in the wreckage, together with the firefighters.

Four years later Welles will be made an honorary member of the New York Fire Department.

His family found a number of red bandanas in his apartment and one is on display in the 9/11 Memorial Museum. People on the streets of Lower Manhattan flee the giant dust cloud  some dive under cars and others into the Hudson River. Those who can't outrun the cloud are plunged into darkness and start choking. A seismograph 265 miles away picks up the shock wave from the falling South Tower.

10.00am: The Flight 93 passengers haven't yet managed to break down the cockpit door. The cockpit recorder picks up a male passenger shouting desperately: 'In the cockpit! If we don't, we'll die!'

Jarrah pitches the nose of the plane up and down. The passengers have a food trolley to batter down the door. An American voice says 'Roll it!' and there is the sound of plates and glass crashing. Jarrah shouts that they should cut off the oxygen. Washington is now only about 100 miles away.

10.02am: A fire chief orders the immediate evacuation of the North Tower, but not everyone hears the order, either because the radios don't work or they are off-duty firefighters without radios. Sixty off-duty firefighters die on 9/11.

One fire chief on the 35th floor takes matter into his own hands, travelling the stairwells shouting through a megaphone: 'All FDNY [Fire Department of New York], get the f**k out!' About 6,000 civilians of the 7,500 in the North Tower have been successfully evacuated.

10.02am: The Flight 93 passengers have broken into the cockpit and are fighting for the controls. 'Turn it up!' one shouts. 'Down, down, pull it down! Pull it down!' a hijacker yells. The plane is plunging to the ground. 'No!' a passenger shouts.

The Boeing 757 flips sideways and then completely upside down. As the struggle continues, one of the hijackers whispers in Arabic: 'God is Greatest! God is Greatest!'

10.03am: Flight 93 cuts through power lines and slams into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The entire cockpit breaks off and disintegrates; the rear of the plane shatters as it plunges into the ground. The courageous passengers made sure the plane never reached Washington.

Pictured: President Bush speaking to Vice President Dick Cheney onboard Air Force One on September 11, 2001

Pictured: A firefighter prays after the World Trade Center buildings collapsed on September 11, 2001

Airfone supervisor Lisa Jefferson is still on the line, calling out Todd Beamer's name. She stays on the phone for 15 minutes. Deena Burnett listens for Tom's voice for three hours, 'waiting for him to call back to tell me he had landed the plane and everything was fine . . .'

10.28am: Firemen on the ground notice that the antenna on top of the North Tower is starting to move back and forth. FDNY Lieutenant Mickey Kross and his men are in the process of evacuating the tower and have reached the third floor of Stairwell B. Suddenly he hears 'a tremendous roar' heading right for him.

Then Mickey is hit by a fierce wind that starts to lift him off the ground, so he crouches down as small as he can: 'I tried to crawl into my fire helmet  that's what I wanted to do, just to protect myself.'

The North Tower is collapsing on top of him. He knows this could be the end. 'I was a little angry. Like, why me?' Then everything goes dark. In the silence after the fall of the North Tower, there is the sound of scores of high-pitched locator alarms worn by firemen and triggered when an officer falls and doesn't move.

10.35am: In Kinderhook, New York, Anne Mulderry has just finished a yoga class near her retirement home.

She stops off at the Post Office and sees that she has a package. She says to the woman behind the counter that she hopes it's something fun. 'I hope so too on a day like this,' replies the woman, and tells Anne about the World Trade Centre attack.

Anne freezes  her son Stephen works there.

She rushes home and sees that her answerphone is blinking. It's a message from Stephen calling from the conference room: 'Mom, my building's been hit by a plane. And right now . . . I think I'm OK, I'm safe now but it's smoky. I just want to say how much I love you and I will call you when I'm safe. OK mom? Bye.'

Anne said later: 'There was a catch in his voice that allowed me to know that . . . he knew he was facing death.'

Emergency crews run through the streets as the World Trade Center's Tower collapses

11.02am: New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani orders the evacuation of Lower Manhattan.

It is over an hour since the third aircraft, Flight 77, crashed into the Pentagon, killing the 64 people on board and 125 military and civilian staff. Marines are still going in and out of the wreckage of the building, pulling out survivors, and the centre courtyard is being used for triage. The firefighting operation at the Pentagon will last for 36 hours.

12.30pm: Trapped in the rubble of the North Tower, FDNY Lieutenant Mickey Kross and his men have been calling 'Mayday' on their radios for two hours. Finally, they get a response: 'Where are you?'

All flights in U.S. airspace are now grounded. In Britain, all flights over London are banned, and special security measures have been placed around the Stock Exchange and Canary Wharf.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has cancelled his speech to the Trades Union Congress and is phoning world leaders, including French president Jacques Chirac, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister.

Pictured: Taliban fighters on top of a Humvee parade along a road in Kandahar on September 1, 2021, after the US pulled its troops out of Afghanistan

1.30pm: Many anxious parents have been collecting their kids from school early. Deena, the wife of Tom Burnett, who played a key role in the storming of the cockpit of Flight 93, decides to let her children stay put. She recalled: 'Being there was better than seeing me fall apart.'

The school headmaster had called earlier and said that the children were fine and that they didn't know that their father's plane had crashed. Deena decides to go to church.

2.30pm: After being trapped for four hours in what remains of Stairwell B, enough dust and smoke have cleared for Mickey Kross to see an opening about 30 feet above: 'A 110-storey building on top of us and we can see the sun.' Rescuers lower a rope and 12 firefighters, one police officer and three civilians are lifted out.

Mickey makes the perilous journey through the mountains of steel and deep holes in the ground to a Fire Department command post. He sees his name on a list of missing, presumed dead and crosses it out.

5.20pm: The adjacent 47-floor building known as Seven World Trade Centre has been severely damaged by debris from the Twin Towers and collapses. The Fire Department has lost so many men that they let the building burn  there is no one inside.

Many families are still hoping their loved ones are alive. Rosemary Dillard, whose husband Eddie was on Flight 77, keeps calling his mobile phone and his pager.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who earlier had helped with the rescue at the Pentagon, gives an order that September 12 is to be a normal working day: 'I want everybody here reporting for work.'

6.30pm: President Bush is in the presidential helicopter Marine One over Washington; it is flying low and zig-zagging to deter a ground attack. He can see smoke rising from the Pentagon. Bush turns to his chief of staff Andy Card and says: 'You're looking at the first war of the 21st century.'

7pm: At the scene of the crash of Flight 93, the FBI and the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department are searching for wreckage and human remains.

Splinters of metal are embedded in trees, and clothing hangs from branches; on the ground are oxygen masks, shoes, dollar bills, seat buckles and a bank card belonging to Ziad Jarrah that will provide a vital clue to how the attacks were financed.

They will eventually find flight attendant Sandra Bradshaw's flight log together with a photo of her family, an ID badge belonging to Todd Beamer  the man who said 'Let's roll!'  and co-pilot LeRoy Homer Jr's wedding ring inscribed with a Bible verse about faith, hope and love, 'and the greatest of these is love'.

7.45pm: On the steps of the east front of the U.S. Capitol, Members of the House and Senate gather to speak to the Press. They declare their full support for President Bush, but some criticise the intelligence community for failing to stop the attacks.

The lawmakers know about Flight 93 and that the bravery of the passengers prevented the Capitol becoming a target. They spontaneously start to sing 'God Bless America'.

8pm: American airspace has been closed since the morning, so hundreds of planes have been re-routed.

Thirty-nine have landed at the international airport at Gander, a small town in Newfoundland, Canada, with a population of only 10,000. The people of Gander are mobilising, doing what they can for the 7,000 stranded passengers from more than 100 countries  donating toiletries, organising vital prescriptions and providing toys for the children.

The planes were carrying in their holds nine dogs, ten cats and a pair of rare Bonobo monkeys; they, too, are being taken care of.

The passengers will be stranded in Gander for five days and all are put up in local homes. The story inspires the hit musical Come From Away.

8.30pm: President Bush addresses the nation from the Oval Office, calling the attacks 'evil, despicable acts of terror' and declaring that the United States, its friends and its allies would 'stand together to win the war against terrorism . . . America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time.

None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.'

11.30pm: A few people are being pulled alive from the rubble of the Twin Towers. Police Officer William Jimeno is badly injured and is taken to a nearby hospital, where he expects to see thousands of survivors being treated. William says to the nurse: 'Where is everybody?' She replies: 'You're it.'

The fires are still burning at Ground Zero. They will burn for another three months.

AFTERMATH

Nearly 3,000 people from 90 nations were killed on September 11, spanning ages from two to 85. The remains of 1,109 men and women are still unidentified.

Approximately two billion people, almost a third of the world's population, witnessed the tragedy via television, radio and the internet. When he visited Ground Zero for the first time, President Bush said angrily: 'The people responsible for this have got to pay.'

On May 2, 2011, Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy Seals in Pakistan; his right-hand man, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is awaiting trial at Guantanamo Bay. He faces the death penalty.

Jonathan Mayo is the author of D-Day Minute By Minute (Short Books, 8.99).
The Delta variant of Covid-19 has ripped up the script in Victoria as health authorities brace for cases to continue to soar.

Victoria has turned its back on Covid zero in favour of vaccinations, with tough restrictions to stay until at least 70 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully inoculated.

There is some reprieve from Friday, including the reopening of playgrounds for children aged 12 and under, with certain rules such as QR code check-ins and masks for their one permitted supervisor.

Health Minister Martin Foley said Burnet Institute research had suggested the state's lockdown had avoided a further 6000 cases in the past month, but now was the time to pivot

Of the 176 new cases on Thursday, 67 were located in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, 61 in the west, 22 in the east and south, and 13 in the regional town of Shepparton.

'This virus is here, right now, and it is spreading fast,' Acting Chief Health Officer Ben Cowie told reporters.

'The increasing case numbers are a herald of what our health system is going to be faced with in the coming weeks and months.'

More than 3000 people were swabbed as part of day 13 testing in Shepparton on Thursday, which could further lift case numbers on Friday.

There is some reprieve from Friday, including the reopening of playgrounds for children aged 12 and under, with certain rules such as QR code check-ins and masks for their one permitted supervisor

Health Minister Martin Foley said Burnet Institute research had suggested the state's lockdown had avoided a further 6000 cases in the past month, but now was the time to pivot.

'You've got to follow the advice of the science. Delta has changed the script,' he said.

To aid Victoria's quest to ramp up vaccinations, the interval between doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has been halved to six weeks.

The move, effective immediately, makes the wait time between AstraZeneca doses the same as for Pfizer and will help the state reach its 80 per cent double dose target faster.

While clinical trials have shown AstraZeneca is most effective with a 12-week second dose interval, Prof Cowie said the state needed to strike a balance between long-term efficacy and increasing protection against the Delta variant.

The move, effective immediately, makes the wait time between AstraZeneca doses the same as for Pfizer and will help the state reach its 80 per cent double dose target faster

The Victoria government late on Thursday announced a tightening of border restrictions, including a ban on crossing to use physical recreation facilities.

The number of communities in the border bubble has also been reduced with Greater Bendigo, Greater Shepparton, City of Benalla, Buloke, Loddon, Yarriambiack and two NSW LGAs, Broken Hill and Edward River, no longer defined as cross border communities.

The Specified Worker List has also been reduced and testing obligations for those entering on a Specified Worker Permit have been extended.
Millions of elderly Britons will get third doses of the Covid vaccine this autumn, Boris Johnson said last night.

But it may be weeks before the final details of the booster programme are set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The Prime Minister confirmed yesterday that top-up doses will go ahead this month, adding that the UK needs to go faster on vaccinating 16 and 17-year-olds.

The NHS had originally been instructed to start giving boosters to up to 32million people from Monday, but ministers are still waiting for the JCVI to sign off the programme.

Mr Johnson said: The priorities now are the older generation going into autumn and winter, and we have always said there would be a booster programme in September  in this month  and we are going ahead with that.

Boris Johnson confirmed plans to offer top-up doses of the vaccine will go ahead this month

What I would also say is 16 to 17-year-olds are eligible, they have been approved, they are a very important group for potential transmission ... It is very encouraging to see more and more 16 to 17-year-olds taking the jab, but we need to go faster with those.

He added: I would just urge everybody who hasnt yet had a jab to go and get one.

Members of the JCVI said many millions are likely to get third jabs, including the elderly, clinically vulnerable and healthcare workers.

But they are yet to decide which age groups should be included and whether patients should mix and match vaccines, for example receive a Pfizer jab after two first doses of AstraZeneca.

The JCVI is facing mounting political pressure to speed up its decision-making. MPs and scientists have warned there is no time to lose in boosting the immunity of the vulnerable and elderly with the threat of a resurgence of coronavirus in the winter.

They are pointing to the situation in Israel, where the case rate is currently the highest in the world, but where over-12s are being offered third doses  helping to curb hospital admissions.

Members of the JCVI said many millions are likely to get third jabs, including the elderly, clinically vulnerable and healthcare workers

However, the JCVI say they need to see initial findings from the Cov-Boost study, due next week.

The trial by University Hospital Southampton has looked at nearly 3,000 Britons to test their immune response to third doses.

Yesterday Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the JCVI, said a decision might take weeks. I think its highly likely that there will be a booster programme, he said. Its just the question of how we frame it.

On Wednesday it was announced that third doses will be offered to half a million people with severely weakened immune systems, who were not sufficiently protected by two doses.

The decision was made separately to deliberations over boosters, which top up someones immune response.

Yesterday Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New And Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, said the JCVI should not wait too long to make a decision.

He said: If we wait for everything [studies] to report before making a judgment, we may well be past the time when we should have been making a decision.
The CSIRO health director has urged Australians to strongly consider getting the AstraZeneca vaccine after a new study showed it was more effective than Pfizer.

Dr Rob Grenfell said the vaccine had proven to last longer and offer better protection than its competitor based on the latest statistics from the UK.

'The UK has been the test bed for the vaccine schedule we've got here in Australia, so they've both used Pfizer and AstraZeneca,' he said on Channel Nine's Today Show on Friday.

'Remarkably, AstraZeneca was better. It actually performed better in reducing hospitalisations and deaths. And more importantly the immunity developed from the AstraZeneca appears to be longer than the Pfizer.'

The CSIRO health director has urged Australians to strongly consider getting the AstraZeneca vaccine after a new study showed it was more effective than Pfizer

Dr Rob Grenfell said the vaccine had proven to last longer and offer better protection than its competitor based on the latest statistics from the UK

Pfizer and AstraZeneca are the two most readily available vaccines in the UK.

The country has ordered 135 million doses of Pfizer and 100 million doses of AstraZeneca.

Nearly 89 per cent of people aged 16 and over have received their first jab while more than 79 per cent have been fully vaccinated in the UK.

The vaccination rates outpace Australia with only 7.2million - or 35 per cent - of residents double-jabbed.

Today Show host Allison Langdon partly blamed vaccine hesitancy for the slow rollout saying that residents were still choosing to wait for the Pfizer vaccine instead of AstraZeneca.

'You still do have an issue with vaccine hesitancy when it comes to AstraZeneca,' she said. 'I mean, everyone is waiting for the Pfizer.'

Dr Grenfell said residents were risking their lives by putting off the life-saving jabs.

'You're dicing with your own life here,' Dr Grenfell said. 'Get a vaccine as soon as possible. There's plenty of AstraZeneca in the system.

'For any 50 year olds and above out there who are saying, "I'm going to wait for the Pfizer", you're in fact waiting for a vaccine that's not as good for you, in your age group, than the AstraZeneca,' he said.

Australians over 60 have been warned they will be pushed to the back of the queue if they opt out of the AstraZeneca and choose Pfizer instead.

Right now, there are three million locally produced doses of the AstraZeneca available to residents over the age of 60. If they wait for Pfizer they risk waiting until Christmas to get the jab.

The vaccination rates outpace Australia with only 7.2million - or 35 per cent - of residents double-jabbed

Today Show host Allison Langdon partly blamed vaccine hesitancy for the slow rollout saying that residents were still choosing to wait for the Pfizer vaccine instead of AstraZeneca

The federal government intends to send a letter to the 586,713 people aged between 60 and 69 who have not yet been vaccinated.

It will warn the group that 'people over 60 have a greatly increased risk of getting severe disease with Covid-19 and must be vaccinated as soon as possible'.

'The recent outbreaks of the new more infectious strains of the Covid-19 virus, with some tragic deaths in Sydney, make it even more important that Australians over 60 get vaccinated now,' the letter reads.

'We have expanded the number of community pharmacies who are administering the highly effective AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine around the country  This gives you, your family, and your loved ones more opportunities to get vaccinated.'

Dr Grenfell said Australians should get their hands on any vaccine that is available saying both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca were incredibly effective.

'Both the vaccines are really, really effective at stopping getting hospitalised or dying from the Delta strain,' Dr Grenfell said.
Two top private schools are changing their names after discovering their founder was a shareholder in a slave trading company, the Mail has learned.

Haberdashers Askes Boys School and Haberdashers Askes School for Girls yesterday confirmed the name of 17th century merchant Robert Aske will be removed from their titles.

In addition, the motto Serve and obey will be ditched by the schools because it has possible slave connotations.

In March the 21,000-a-year schools, based in Elstree, Hertfordshire, announced they were considering the move after finding out that Aske invested 500  then a large sum  in the Royal African Company, which shipped 100,000 slaves from Africa between 1672 and 1698.

Haberdashers Askes Boys School (pictured) and Haberdashers Askes School for Girls confirmed the name of 17th century merchant Robert Aske will be removed from their titles

Robert Aske provided 300 years of education Robert Aske Thousands of pupils now attend 13 Haberdashers schools across the country  a far cry from the institutions humble beginnings. When Robert Aske, pictured, died in 1689 he bequeathed 20,000 for the education of children. The original school started with 20 boys, aged nine to 15, from poor families at an almshouse in Hoxton, east London. Girls were admitted in 1874 and the almshouse was divided into two to separate the genders. Two buildings were established in 1898 with the boys in Hampstead, north London, and the girls in Acton to the west of the capital. Meanwhile, the schools raised academic standards and allowed pupils to study aged of 18. The boys school was relocated in 1961 to Hertfordshire, with the girls joining as an official sister school in 1974. There are currently 13 Haberdashers schools in areas including London, Kent and Shropshire. Not all bear Askes name. Advertisement

In a letter to former pupils yesterday, the heads of the schools wrote: Many feel that, regardless of its size, Askes investment was offensive, unacceptable and at odds with our beliefs and values today.

Others feel strongly that through his legacy Robert Aske benefited generations of children, that historic acts should be viewed in the context of their time and that changing names could be perceived as tokenistic or an attempt to deny history.

'At an individual school level, we will no longer use the Aske name.

The schools, whose ex-pupils include Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen, comedian David Baddiel and TV host Vanessa Feltz, will also introduce a revised and more diverse curriculum...that places greater emphasis on ethnic minority history, the impact of colonialism and the challenges of integrating different faiths, ethnicities and origins into society.

The original school was founded in 1690 after Aske created a charitable foundation from his estate and the letter acknowledged the lasting impact on the education of thousands of children since then.

It concluded that the legal and collective name of the schools should retain the Aske name.

Aske is reported to have held 500 of original Royal Africa Company stock. The companys origins date back to King Charles II, who granted a charter to expand the transatlantic slave trade.

The schools board chairman Simon Cartmell had written to parents announcing the initial consultation, saying: It is clear to us all that the role of the Royal African Company and the other companies involved in the slave trade was deplorable and abhorrent.

'Such activity sits in stark contrast with the values which underpin the activities and philosophy of the company, its schools and beneficiaries today.

It was also confirmed the motto Serve and obey  inspired by Christian values to serve the Lord and obey the Ten Commandments  would no longer be used.

The letter stated: It was felt that its 16th century origin requires explanation in todays world and could be interpreted very differently in the context of slavery, multi-faith diversity, marriage vows, emancipation and equality.

Both the girls school and boys school (pictured) alsoconfirmed they would implement a more 'diverse curriculum' that places greater emphasis on ethnic minority history and the impact of colonialism and challenges of integrating different faiths, ethnicities and origins into society

It will be replaced by Together, Boundless. Aske died in 1689 and left 20,000 in his will to the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers to establish a chapel and school in east London.

The school moved to Elstree in 1961. Several other schools around the London area have Haberdashers Askes in their titles, but they are not thought to be planning similar name changes.

The move comes amid a series of consultations launched by British institutions after last years Black Lives Matter protests.

Thirty schools plan to erase the names of Sir Francis Drake and others linked to slavery and creating the British Empire.
Most keen sailors develop sea legs. Katie McCabe seems to have come into the world with hers fully formed.

When her parents returned home to Britain in 2008 after an epic three-year honeymoon on the high seas, they did so with a toddler who had learned to walk on a boat.

Hazel and David McCabe, both keen sailors, had started married life with a crazy idea to cross the Atlantic.

Theyd upped sticks, sold their boat trip business in Devon, and took off in a converted trawler. They kept going, eventually completing a 14,000-mile odyssey.

Now Katie, who is still only 14, is at it too, at the tiller of her very own boat.

Atlantic swell: After leaving Milford Marina, we were greeted by 3-metre seas. But we were sailing nicely'

When we speak, she is fresh from her own record-breaking adventure. A fortnight ago she became the youngest person to sail around Britain single-handedly, in her 26ft vessel, breaking the record previously held by Timothy Long from Aylesbury who made the voyage when he was 15.

Her 54-year-old father had to be close behind, in his bigger boat, for insurance purposes  in case I crashed into a million-pound yacht, she explains, breezily  but close in nautical terms still means a couple of miles away.

At night, in the pitch black, it did feel like I was VERY alone, she admits.

Its an extraordinary achievement, even for seasoned sailors. The trip, which started in her home town on June 30, took almost two months (although two weeks of that were spent dockside, waiting for weather).

Along the way she encountered everything from schools of dolphins, hypnotic to watch, to puffins and seals  who can scare the life out of you when they pop up  to massive tankers, that make you feel very small indeed.

Solo sailing is not for the faint-hearted. Katie knew she would need to spend between eight and 15 hours at sea a day.

A fortnight ago she became the youngest person to sail around Britain single-handedly, in her 26ft vessel

She charted her journey herself, although her father checked over her calculations at each leg. Mostly they moored up at harbours along the route in the evenings, but at several points had to sail through the night, an eerie and unnerving experience.

And though it was summer, it was a British summer so there were very difficult sea conditions to negotiate, particularly in Scotland where she faced three-metre waves, and had to cover a 170-mile stretch in one go.

The longest period at sea was 32 hours, she says, by the end of that I was exhausted and there hadnt been time to put my protective gear on. I got pretty wet.

What an ordeal. And all during the summer holidays, when most teenagers cannot be dragged out of bed, or prised off their mobile phones.

Most people her age (any age, really) would be terrified, but Katie has taken it all in her stride. She knows what she is doing, says Hazel, 49, and shes very determined. Shes seen it all through and we are very proud.

Today, Katie has the air of someone who has found her place of contentment. And its not on land. Theres nothing else like it, she says, recalling the cocoon of life at sea. Out there youre completely alone with your thoughts.

Maybe her sense of adventure is in the genes. Katie was conceived in the Caribbean as her parents pootled around Barbados, Tobago, and the British Virgin Islands.

Hazels first maternity check-up was in Canada. There was a brief moment of worry when it seemed there might be complications with the birth, so they followed medical advice to return to the UK, where Katie was born.

Within two weeks, however, the whole family had flown back to the Caribbean. As ever with the McCabes and their extraordinary lifestyle, that trip slotted around the weather forecast.

We had to get back because we only had a small window before the start of the hurricane season, says Hazel matter-of-factly.

Katie does not remember her first storm, but her parents do. They were heading to Bermuda.

She was only five weeks old so that was quite scary. It was one of our worst storms, says Hazel. Luckily a friend had come with us so I was spared the night watches and could look after Katie.

Even when the family returned to Britain  for Katie and her little brother Reuben, now 11, to go to school  they did so with only one foot on land. While home is officially Topsham in Devon, every holiday has been spent at sea. They have gone off-grid twice since, for a year at a time, once sailing to Morocco and the Canary Islands, and once travelling to Spain and Portugal.

Solo night sail: I had my first night sail on July 13. Alone in the pitch blackness... It can be dead calm but if there is a noise it startles you.

The children have had stints being home-schooled, at sea, and once spent several months at school in Spain.

Until last year, even when they were in the UK, they lived on a boat, albeit one that was moored up for most of the year. Getting to school involved a dinghy ride.

Katie could hoist a sail herself before she left primary school, so her parents werent hugely surprised when she asked, aged 12, if she could get her own boat.

They agreed she could spend 800 of her own money on a battered wooden one that needed rebuilding, on the agreement she would do the work herself. She did. She asked for replacement engine parts for Christmas. Most teenage girls would not be thrilled at unwrapping a new alternator, but Katie was.

She replaced planks herself, weatherproofed and painted her boat, named Falanda, choosing a v; ivid turquoise.

Friends at sea: Having them travel alongside is a lovely thing, Katie says of the pods of dolphins that joined her'

Then came the challenge that made even her mother baulk. Katie, by now sleeping in her somewhat cramped vessel overnight, announced she wanted to sail around Britain. On her own.

There was a bit of a difference in opinion there, she admits, when I ask if her parents were immediately supportive. Dad was all for it, but Mum wasnt keen.

Last year the family did a trip to the Scilly Isles to (quite literally) test the waters. While the rest of the family went in the bigger family boat, Katie sailed on her own. Even her more cautious mother was impressed by her skills. I passed the Mum test, she says.

Now what? There will clearly be more adventures ahead. Katie has already done a follow-up jaunt to France, squeezed in before she returned to school.

This time her mum went, too (on Katies boat, not travelling behind). Well, it wasnt quite to France, she clarifies. Because of Covid we couldnt get into France but we had to go almost there, and turn and come back.

The ultimate case of the adventure being in the journey, rather than the destination.

Katie raised more than 15,000 through her trip for Sea Shepherd UK. seashepherd.org.uk
Republican lawmakers are going after President Biden and House Speaker Pelosi for attempting to circumvent Texas' new restrictive abortion law after the Supreme Court declined the case in a 5-4 decision and allowed the law to go into effect.

Biden released a forceful statement Thursday directing the executive branch to undermine the Supreme Court after it refused to take up the case.

He ordered the White House Counsel's office to mount a response to the court's decision, guided by the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Justice.

Biden vowed to directly challenge the Supreme Court, by ordering the agencies to apparently circumvent the ruling and 'ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe.'

He asked the White House to look at 'what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas' bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties.'

Republican lawmakers accused him of abusing his power.

'Just last week, Democrats were calling for the expansion of the court as a result of a ruling over the eviction moratorium that did not go in their favor. This week its because the court came down on the opposite side of their radical, pro-abortion agenda,' Kansas Senator Roger Marshall told DailyMail.com.

'Whether its a federal takeover of elections, eliminating the filibuster, or packing the court, Democrats will stop at nothing to rig our system of government in their favor because they cannot win on merit alone,' Marshall wrote.

Biden released a forceful statement ordering HHS, DOJ and the office of White House Counsel to look into federal avenues to expand abortion access for Texas women

In response to the Supreme Court decision Speaker Pelosi said she would bring legislation protecting abortion rights to the House floor for a vote when they return in just days

Rep. Andy Biggs wrote in a statement to DailyMail.com, 'President Biden is the most anti-life President in modern history. He continues to betray Americas founding principles by refusing to protect the right to life. Now he has ordered the federal government to attack a state that seeks to protect that most precious right.'

'This abhorrent act by the Biden administration is inhumane and an abuse of power. I will continue to fight alongside the pro-life community to defend the rights of the most vulnerable in our society.'

Rep. Jim Banks told DailyMail.com that Biden is the 'most radically pro-abortion president in American history.'

'His administration has pushed abortion on pro-life states and organizations and exported abortions abroad, violating conscience rights and costing countless unborn lives.,' the Congressman said in a statement.

Banks added a prediction: 'On the bright side, this wont be the last abortion case the Supreme Court hears this year.'

GOP House lawmakers Andy Biggs (left and Jim Banks (right) criticized Biden for his threat to circumvent the Supreme Court and Texas state law

The law, known as the 'Texas Heartbeat Act', bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is normally after six weeks and before many women even know they are pregnant.

It makes no exceptions for rape or incest and allows Texans to report people, including Uber drivers, who help or take women to get abortions. The only exemption is if there is a danger to the woman's health.

Pelosi panned the Supreme Court as 'cowardly' in a Thursday statement and vowed Congress would take up the Women's Health Protection Act which would 'enshrine into law reproductive health care for all women across America.'

The Women's Health Protection Act of 2021: Democrat-backed law for no time limits on abortions 'prior to fetal viability' Allows abortion nationwide without time limits 'prior to fetal viability' and even afterwards if the abortion provider deems the pregnancy would pose a risk to the patient's life or health Prohibits arbitrary requirements on abortion procedures and unnecessary tests Prohibits abortion providers from requiring in-person visits before the procedure if they aren't medically necessary Restricts abortion providers from giving the patient 'medically inaccurate information' during or after services Prevents states from issuing arbitrary credential requirements for medical facilities providing abortions Allows abortion providers to provide immediate services if they deem a delay would risk the patient's health Prohibits limits on what medically-approved drugs abortion providers can prescribe Advertisement

The bill would prohibit states from imposing arbitrary requirements on abortion providers and what procedures can be used if both are on par with normal health care standards. It also would allow abortion nationwide without time limits 'prior to fetal viability' and even afterwards if the abortion provider deems the pregnancy would pose a risk to the patient's life or health.

While the move was lauded by a number of progressives, several Republican lawmakers vowed to vote against such a measure.

'Congress must be a voice for the voiceless. I am appalled by Speaker Pelosis decision. We all should be,' Illinois Rep. Mary Miller wrote on Twitter.

Mississippi House lawmaker Michael Guest accused Pelosi of undermining states' rights.

'Speaker Pelosi has already announced her plan to undermine states rights and attack Texass new abortion law,' he said in a statement. 'I will vote against any bill that would undermine states rights and the pro-life movement.'

Rep. Billy Long of Missouri said the legislation 'must be stopped.'

Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer unleashed on their conservative colleagues for what they call a 'flagrantly unconstitutional' decision not to challenge the law.

In her dissenting opinion on Wednesday Sotomayor accused the court's conservative majority of 'burying their heads in the sand.

'The Act is clearly unconstitutional under existing precedents,' the Obama appointee wrote. 'The respondents do not even try to argue otherwise. Nor could they: No federal appellate court has upheld such a comprehensive prohibition on abortions before viability under current law.'

'Taken together, the Act is a breathtaking act of defianceof the Constitution, of this Court's precedents, and of the rights of women seeking abortions throughout Texas.'

Justice Kagan, also appointed by ex-President Obama, claims Texas's law has a 'clear' and 'undisputed' conflict against Roe v. Wade.

She accused the Supreme Court majority of only hastily reviewing the case and then only 'barely bothers to explain its conclusion.'

Kagan blasted the court's 'shadow-docket decisionmaking' which she claims is responsible for increasingly 'un-reasoned, inconsistent, and impossible to defend' rulings.

Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented. The other justices - all appointed by Republican presidents - allowed the law to stand. From left: Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, Stephen Breyer, Amy Coney Barrett, and Sonia Sotomayor

Justice Breyer wrote, 'The very bringing into effect of Texass law may well threaten the applicants with imminent and serious harm.'

Biden, the second Catholic president in US history, has been criticized by church officials in the past because his pro-choice stance goes directly against Catholic doctrine.

Vice President Kamala Harris joined Biden in bashing the court's decision and called it a 'bounty law.'

'This decision is not the last word on Roe v. Wade, and we will not stand by and allow our nation to go back to the days of back-alley abortions. We will not abide by cash incentives for virtual vigilantes and intimidation for patients,' Harris wrote in a Thursday statement.

'We will use every lever of our Administration to defend the right to safe and legal abortionand to strengthen that right.'

Attorney General Merrick Garland reaffirmed the DOJ would take the matter up, stating: 'The Justice Department is deeply concerned about Texas SB8. We are evaluating all options to protect the constitutional rights of women, including access to an abortion.'

And members of Congress are also up in arms over the decision.

Progressive 'squad' members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush are leading calls to pack the Supreme Court after it declined to block the Texas abortion law in a 5-4 decision.

Ocasio-Cortez and Bush are leading renewed calls to expand the Supreme Court to tip its current conservative majority in the wake of the 5-4 ruling

Abortion rights supporters gather to protest Texas SB 8 in front of Edinburg City Hall on Wednesday

Ocasio-Cortez lashed out against the Supreme Court early Thursday morning over its refusal to block the law called on Democrats to 'abolish the filibuster and expand the court.'

In a Twitter post published just after midnight, the progressive lawmaker accused Republicans of overturning landmark case Roe v. Wade.

'Republicans promised to overturn Roe v Wade, and they have,' Ocasio-Cortez wrote. 'Democrats can either abolish the filibuster and expand the court, or do nothing as millions of peoples' bodies, rights, and lives are sacrificed for far-right minority rule.'

She added that it 'shouldn't be a difficult decision' for her colleagues.

Hillary Clinton invoked Roe v. Wade on Thursday and accused the Supreme Court of 'gutting' the 1973 case.

'Last night, the Supreme Court officially overturned five decades of settled law and permitted Texas' unconstitutional abortion ban to stand,' she wrote.

'Yes: They gutted Roe v. Wade without hearing arguments, in a one-paragraph, unsigned 5-4 opinion issued in the middle of the night.'

Cori Bush said the ruling embodied 'far-right extremism' on Wednesday.

'In the span of one week the Supreme Court forced 11 million households to face eviction and effectively overturned Roe v. Wade in the middle of the night.

'This is what far-right extremism looks like. We need to expand the court.'

The two squad members expressed outrage at the Supreme Court's ruling on Twitter

Biden tears into the Supreme Court for declining to block Texas abortion law in ruling that will 'unleashes unconstitutional chaos' The Supreme Court's ruling overnight is an unprecedented assault on a woman's constitutional rights under Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land for almost fifty years. By allowing a law to go into effect that empowers private citizens in Texas to sue health care providers, family members supporting a woman exercising her right to choose after six weeks, or even a friend who drives her to a hospital or clinic, it unleashes unconstitutional chaos and empowers self-anointed enforcers to have devastating impacts. Complete strangers will now be empowered to inject themselves in the most private and personal health decisions faced by women. This law is so extreme it does not even allow for exceptions in the case of rape or incest. And it not only empowers complete strangers to inject themselves into the most private of decisions made by a womanit actually incentivizes them to do so with the prospect of $10,000 if they win their case. For the majority to do this without a hearing, without the benefit of an opinion from a court below, and without due consideration of the issues, insults the rule of law and the rights of all Americans to seek redress from our courts. Rather than use its supreme authority to ensure justice could be fairly sought, the highest Court of our land will allow millions of women in Texas in need of critical reproductive care to suffer while courts sift through procedural complexities. The dissents by Chief Justice Roberts, and Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan all demonstrate the error of the Court's action here powerfully. While the Chief Justice was clear to stress that the action by the Supreme Court is not a final ruling on the future of Roe, the impact of last night's decision will be immediate and requires an immediate response. One reason I became the first president in history to create a Gender Policy Council was to be prepared to react to such assaults on women's rights. Hence, I am directing that Council and the Office of the White House Counsel to launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision, looking specifically to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to see what steps the Federal Government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe, and what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas' bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties. Advertisement

The Supreme Court formally refused Wednesday to block a Texas law banning almost all abortions after six weeks, less than a day after the nation's most restrictive reproductive rights legislation took effect in the southern state.

The decision spurred outrage among pro-choice advocates and renewed long-running progressive calls to expand the Supreme Court to allow President Biden to tip the majority with more liberal justices.

Court-packing was a divisive topic in the 2020 election and used as a cudgel against Biden by former President Trump and other Republicans.

Other Democratic lawmakers are agreeing with Pelosi's move to take up the Women's Health Protection Act.

'Our liberty, our humanity, and our bodily autonomy are NOT up for debate. In light of Texas' draconian ban and the Supreme Court's inaction, our pro-choice majority Congress must pass The Women's Health Protection Act,' Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Bush and Ocasio-Cortez's fellow squad member wrote on Twitter.

A number of Democratic lawmakers called on Congress to act on a federal law protecting abortion access

Senator Amy Kolbuchar joined Ocasio-Cortez in invoking Roe v. Wade when she called for Congress to act.

'If you ever questioned where these five Justices would be, now you know. We must put Roe into law now. There is no time to lose,' Klobuchar wrote on Twitter.

Senator Elizabeth Warren shared a clip of herself advocating for a federal abortion law during the 2020 Democratic primary, also writing: 'We can't rely on the courts to protect our rights. It's time for national laws to ensure reproductive freedom.'

New York Rep. Yvette Clarke released a statement blasting what she called the 'malicious abortion ban.'

'If SCOTUS will not protect our reproductive rights, Congress must by passing the Women's Health Protection Act,' Clarke wrote.

Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal struck a deeply personal note in response to the Texas law, sharing a 2019 New York Times op-ed in which she publicly revealed for the first time that she had an abortion.

'I decided I could not responsibly have the baby. It was a heartbreaking decision, but it was the only one I was capable of making,' she wrote after detailing an intense struggle in having her first child.

'These reproductive choices  especially in situations involving trauma, be it rape or a desperate prognosis for the baby  are deeply private and personal, and should be made only by the pregnant person.'

Rep. Val Demings, who helped introduce the Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 alongside Rep. Judy Chu, also joined calls for its passage.

'This would stop lawmakers in Texas, or Florida, when they try to attack a women's right to make her own decisions. The Senate should pass our legislation,' Demings wrote.

Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders wrote on Twitter Wednesday, 'This Supreme Court's refusal to overturn Texas' law banning abortion is outrageous. Women get to control their bodies, not politicians and not judges.'

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a moderate Democrat, also criticized Texas's bill and said women had a 'constitutional right' to make their own health care choices.

'With this decision, five Justices are choosing to disregard 48 years of precedent and denying millions of Americans their right to make their own choices about both their health and future. It's clear that we must work at every level of government to continue our fight to protect a woman's right to choose,' Gottheimer wrote.

Rep. Ilhan Omar posted a statement to Twitter on Thursday claiming 'Those saying Trump's far-right appointees would overturn Roe v. Wade were right.'

And another Biden official also voiced her opposition. Top White House aide Susan Rice said she was 'outraged by the Supreme Court's short-sighted and far-reaching ruling last night' on Thursday.

'This is an all-out assault on women's reproductive rights. We will pursue EVERY avenue to protect women and providers from this extreme and unconstitutional Texas law,' Rice wrote.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the ruling at a Thursday briefing by a reporter who asked about Biden's pro-choice stance despite his Catholic upbringing.

'I know you have never faced those choices, nor have you ever been pregnant but for women out there who have faced those choices, this is a difficult thing,' Psaki replied.

Psaki was also asked about Biden's Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court, which he convened by executive order in April to address the issue of court packing.

University of Texas women rally at the Texas Capitol to protest the law on Wednesday

'They're going to examine a range of questions about the future of the court, including term limits, including court expansion, and several additional topics,' she said.

She stated the Biden administration has not reached out to the commission since the Texas ruling but that Biden 'looks forward to reviewing their work when it's completed.'

While similar laws have passed in a dozen Republican-led conservative states, all had been stymied in the courts.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick lauded its passage as a' victory' shortly after midnight Wednesday morning

'This lifesaving legislation reflects Texas' pro-life beliefs and our continued commitment to protecting the most vulnerable,' he wrote.

The justices in a 5-4 vote denied an emergency request by abortion and women's health providers for an injunction barring enforcement of the new law which President Biden said on Wednesday 'blatantly violates Roe v. Wade'.

The law is the most dramatic restriction on abortion rights in the United States since the high court's landmark decision legalized abortion across the country in 1973.

'In reaching this conclusion, we stress that we do not purport to resolve definitively any jurisdictional or substantive claim in the applicants' lawsuit. In particular, this order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas's law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts,' the court said in the unsigned order.

Governor Greg Abbott signed the measure into law on Wednesday

The five conservative justices backed the law Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented.

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the court's order 'stunning,' saying her colleagues had 'opted to bury their head in the sand' over a 'flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights.'

Texas lawmakers wrote the law to evade federal court review by allowing private citizens to bring civil lawsuits in state court against anyone involved in an abortion, other than the patient.

Other abortion laws are enforced by state and local officials, with criminal sanctions possible.

After a federal appeals court refused to allow a prompt review of the law before it took effect, the measure's opponents sought Supreme Court review.

The law bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected - sparking some women to scramble for 11th hour terminations before midnight.

The legislation, signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is typically in the first six weeks and before most women even know they're pregnant.

The law also allows private citizens, rather than government officials, to enforce the law by suing anyone involved in the procedure from an abortion clinic to someone driving a woman to a procedure appointment.

Biden promised to fight for women's constitutional rights enshrined under Roe v Wade.

'The Texas law will significantly impair women's access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes,' the president said.

He added: 'And, outrageously, it deputizes private citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone who they believe has helped another person get an abortion, which might even include family members, health care workers, front desk staff at a health care clinic, or strangers with no connection to the individual.'

The law forced many women throughout the state to flock abortion clinics to get the procedure done, with some only finding out they were pregnant in the past week.

Such was the case for a 21-year-old woman who spoke with Jezebel about her experience scrambling to get an appointment so she wouldn't have to travel out of state or continue with her pregnancy.

The woman, referred to only as Jen out of fear she would be targeted by anti-abortion activists, said she learned last week that she was eight weeks pregnant.

Jen, a sex worker and employee at a Texas donut shop, told the news outlet that she wouldn't be able to afford to schedule the procedure outside of Texas and, even if she could, would take an even bigger blow to her income from taking off work to do it.

Within the last week, she recalled being turned away from nearly every abortion clinic in her area as they were all fully booked.

A Texas law banning most abortions in the state took effect on Wednesday

Pro-choice activists urged the Supreme Court to intervene to ensure that women's protections are upheld

Abortion providers said the law would ban 85 percent of abortions and force many clinics in Texas to close

Jen finally scheduled an appointment at the Houston Women's Clinic and had her procedure done a few hours before Wednesday's deadline.

She told the news outlet, 'I know Texas is very conservative, and I figured there might be a lot of judgment and it might be a little hard, but I never seriously considered it that I wouldn't be able to get an abortion at all.'

When she got the clinic, she described the waiting room being at maximum capacity.

'They were going full throttle trying to get to everyone,' she said.

'Honestly, I would not have been able to go out of state - even the cost of the actual abortion dented my pocket a lot,' she said.

'The first appointment was $100 and the second one was $500 . . I'm just so happy I was able to do it the day before the ban and it's so sad that women here are going to have so much trouble now.'

Biden vowed that his administration would protect women's abortion rights, but he made no mention of the challenge at the Supreme Court, amid fears by activists that a more conservative bench was poised to uphold further restrictions on abortions.

Abortion providers who asked the Supreme Court to step in said the law would rule out 85 percent of abortions in Texas and force many clinics to close.

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, criticized the court's inaction.

'In refusing to intervene last night, the Supreme Court tipped the scales of justice in favor of one of the most draconian state abortion bans in history,' she said.

'[The law] strips away abortion access for most Texans.

'The Supreme Court has put the health and safety of Texans  especially people with lower incomes and people of color  in jeopardy.'

Texas state Rep. Donna Howard, center at lectern, stands with fellow lawmakers in the House Chamber as she opposes a bill introduced that would ban abortions as early as six weeks (May 2021)

Planned Parenthood is among the abortion providers that have stopped scheduling abortions beyond six weeks from conception.

At least 12 other states have enacted bans on abortion early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.

What makes the Texas law different is its unusual enforcement scheme.

Rather than have officials responsible for enforcing the law, private citizens are authorized to sue abortion providers and anyone involved in facilitating abortions.

Among other situations, that would include anyone who drives a woman to a clinic to get an abortion.

Under the law, anyone who successfully sues another person would be entitled to at least $10,000.

Abortion opponents who wrote the law also made it difficult to challenge the law in court, in part because it's hard to know whom to sue.

Texas has long had some of the nation's toughest abortion restrictions, including a sweeping law passed in 2013 that the Supreme Court eventually struck down but not before more than half of the state's 40-plus abortion clinics closed.

Lawmakers also are moving forward in an ongoing special session in Texas with proposed new restrictions on medication abortion.

This is a method using pills that accounts for roughly 40% of abortions in the U.S.

The Texas challenge seeks to prevent judges, county clerks and other state entities from enforcing the law.

A federal judge rejected a bid to dismiss the case, prompting an immediate appeal to the Louisiana-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which halted further proceedings.

Texas abortion clinic terminated 67 pregnancies in just 17 hours as women raced to get procedure before new law went into effect Reporting by Mansur Shaheen A frantic scene formed at an abortion clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, as dozens of women congregated in a last ditch effort to get an abortion. Whole Womans Health (WWH) in Central Texas worked to terminate 67 pregnancies in 17 hours after an all-hands on deck approach to help women seeking care. The strictest abortion law in the nation went into effect at midnight, and many local women flocked to the clinic for their last chance to have the procedure in their home state while they still could. The frenzy occurred Tuesday night, August 31, after the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) had still not ruled on an emergency appeal to halt the law until further review. On Wednesday night, the SCOTUS ruled not to place a stay on the law, allowing it to go into effect while it undergoes judicial review. Whole Woman's Health Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas (pictured) performed 67 abortions in a matter of only 17 hours as many women arrived in a last ditch effort to get the procedure before a new restriction went into effect at midnight Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder of WWH, notified people via Twitter that her clinic would perform abortions up until the midnight deadline 'We have staff and doctors providing abortions in Texas - still at this hour - and they are all in to provide care until 11:59 tonight. Our waiting rooms are filled with patients and their loved ones. Right now,' Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO and Founder of WWH wrote on the companies Twitter page. The 19th reports that the clinic was surrounded by both patients and protesters. Marva Sadler, an administrator at WWH, told the 19th that her staff that her team had to perform almost eight abortions an hour during the final hours in order to help everyone. Not everyone could get the procedure they wanted, though. One woman, The 19th reports, arrived for an abortion, telling the staff she was going to prison soon and did not want to deliver a child in jail. Texas law already required a woman to get a first appointment with a doctor to discuss the procedure 24 hours they actually got the abortion done. The new bill allows any woman who gets an abortion after six weeks to be sued by any private American anywhere in the country. Many women do not even know they are pregnant yet at six weeks (file photo) She was coming in for only her first appointment, though, and was unable to have the termination. The woman dropped to her knees, begging Sadler for help, according to the report, but the physicians were legally unable to help her. She was 12 weeks pregnant, meaning she would be unable to have the procedure done in Texas once the law went into place. Senate Bill 8, was passed by the Texas state legislature in May, and was set to go into place starting on September 1. It is a 'heartbeat' bill, that prevents a woman from getting an abortion after the fetus first has a detectable heart beat. This is generally at six weeks after the woman last experienced her menstrual period, a point where many women may not yet know they are expecting. Under the law, any private citizen, anywhere in the nation, could file a lawsuit of up to $10,000 against any Texas woman who received an abortion after six weeks. Anyone who is deemed to have assisted in the abortion process, from a doctor who performed or consulted with the woman about the procedure, a friend who gave the woman monetary or transportation assistance to get the abortion, or anyone else who in any way helped the woman. Abortion advocates filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to prevent the law from taking effect pending judicial review. The SCOTUS declined the injunction by a 5-4 vote, with all three liberal justices on the bench and conservative Chief Justice John Roberts voting in favor, and five conservative justices ruling against. Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented. The other justices - all appointed by Republican presidents - allowed the law to stand. From left: Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, Stephen Breyer, Amy Coney Barrett, and Sonia Sotomayor Opponents of the law argue that it violate precedent set by Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 SCOTUS decision that ruled abortion bans violated a person's constitutional rights. The law is vague, they also argue, and who exactly can be sued is not formally laid out. Advocates for the bill argue that the law does not violate Roe v Wade, as the government itself is not banning abortion. Women will still be allowed to receive the abortion after six weeks, but doing so would open themselves and anyone involved to a private lawsuit. Texas is now the only state that has a law in place that could restrict a woman's right to an abortion before 20 weeks. Mississippi joins Texas as the only states with restrictions before 22 weeks. The law could still be struck down by the high court in the future, though it will still be in effect until any such decision is made. Advertisement
A family at the centre of a coronavirus scare on the Gold Coast has tested negative to the virus, a school principal has told parents in a letter.

The family was ordered into hotel quarantine, with some of them unwell after reportedly returning from Melbourne without quarantining.

Separately the Queensland government reported a new locally acquired case of Covid-19, a truck driver who is now in NSW.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the driver, who lives at Windaroo, returned a positive result amongst 10,433 virus tests in the 24 hours to 6.30am on Thursday.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the driver, who lives at Windaroo, returned a positive result amongst 10,433 virus tests in the 24 hours to 6.30am on Thursday

The 46-year-old man was infectious in the community in Logan and the northern Gold Coast between August 28 and September 1.

He is the second truck driver to test positive in as many days.

'We are contacting him to find where he has been in Queensland,' Ms Palaszczuk told parliament on Friday.

'This is an addition to the truck driver reported yesterday.'

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said the Gold Coast family of five were ordered into hotel quarantine after the children told their classmates they had been to Melbourne.

She said early indications are the family returned to the state undetected via an inland route without going into hotel quarantine.

Some family members were unwell with symptoms and the situation had been complicated by an initial refusal to cooperate with health authorities and contact tracers.

The school, the Australian International Islamic College at Carrara, sent all students home on Thursday

'Some of the family members are unwell, but we don't know if it's Covid (so) we have to treat it as if it is,' Ms D'Ath told parliament.

The school, the Australian International Islamic College at Carrara, sent all students home on Thursday.

'I've had to ask that all children who attend that same school need to go into quarantine until we're able to get a test result from these two children,' Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said on Thursday.

By late Thursday afternoon, health authorities had confirmed all family members had been tested.

Late on Thursday the principal of the school, Christine Harman, said she had been informed the results for all the family members had come back negative.

'Having conferenced with Queensland Health they have deemed that there is no risk of exposure at our Carrara campus and the need for students and staff to isolate has been lifted,' she said in a statement.

Ms Palaszczuk is waiting for further modelling on what will happen to unvaccinated 0 to 12-year-olds if borders reopen as vaccination rates increase

The first truckie tested positive in NSW after being infectious while in Queensland last Thursday.

He visited service stations at Archerfield in southern Brisbane, Goondawindi and Bundamba, near Ipswich, on August 26.

He later tested positive when he returned to NSW, and Queensland authorities are trying to track down anyone who may have come into contact with him.

The latest Covid-19 case comes with Queensland's border shut to NSW for all but essential workers who have had at least one vaccine.

Ms Palaszczuk is waiting for further modelling on what will happen to unvaccinated 0 to 12-year-olds if borders reopen as vaccination rates increase.

'The prime minister undertook to get some further work done, is my understanding,' she told parliament.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg earlier urged premiers not to delay opening up.

'My message to the premiers and the chief ministers is very clear: Do not delay the inevitable. You have to learn to live with Covid. Covid may come to your state within a week, it might be a month, it might be a little bit after that. But the reality is we can't eliminate the virus,' he told Nine's Today program on Thursday.

Just under 52 per cent of eligible Queenslanders have had one vaccine and 32.28 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Daniel Andrews has unveiled details about Victoria's roadmap out of lockdown with more freedoms for those who roll of their sleeves.

The Premier revealed plans of a 'lockout' roadmap for the unvaccinated to be locked out of pubs, sporting events, cinemas and outdoor dining as the state's latest coronavirus outbreak exploded with 208 cases and one new death.

Friday's grim figures come as playgrounds reopen under strict rules, a day after Melburnians in their sixth lockdown flocked to the beach to enjoy the spring sunshine.

A man aged in his 60s Altona in Melbourne's west has died, the third fatality in the current outbreak after two earlier this week- the first deaths in Victoria in 2021.

Fully vaccinated Victorians will soon be able to move freely in outdoor venues when the state gets closer to the 70 per cent double-dose target.

'We will have a situation where the economy is operating for the vaccinated, not everywhere and not at full capacity, but some outdoor drinking and dining, things like that will be absolutely possible and the preference will be it may only be for those who are double dosed vaccinated,' Mr Andrews said on Friday.

Unvaccinated Victorians will be banned from sporting events once 70-80 per cent of the the state's population is fully vaccination (pictured cricket fans at the Women's T20 World Cup final at the MCG in March 2020)

Melbourne will hit 235 days in lockdown on September 23, when the city will set an unwanted world record

More than 58 per cent of eligible Victorians had received their first dose, while 36 per cent are now fully vaccinated.

The Premier made no apologies for the planned lockout proposed to come into effect once 70-80 per cent of Victorians are fully vaccinated.

He warned the unvaccinated will be able to visit 'very, very limited' places.

'That might seem harsh but I've said this before and make the point again, I won't lock the whole state down to protect people whole state down to protect people who won't protect themselves,' Mr Andrews said.

'By the time we get to 70-80 per cent, everybody who wants to be vaccinated I think will have been given an opportunity to do so.

'If you are unvaccinated and you could be, then the chances of you booking a ticket at a sporting event, going to a pub or all manner of different places, will be very limited.'

'They will be locked out of a whole range of venues because they could be vaccinated and they have chosen not to. That is the greatest incentive, to get our freedoms.'

Talks are already underway with a number of industries in relation to vaccinated economy pilots to ensure the technology works, which will happen 'very soon'.

AFL fans desperate to return to the footy next season will need to be fully vaccinated (pictured Essendon Bombers fans celebrating their round six win against Collingwood at the MCG)

Mr Andrews also hinted some restrictions announced earlier this week will be eased earlier if 70 per cent of eligible Victorians get their first dose before September 23, despite the explosion of cases.

They include the reopening of state parks and outdoor gyms and construction sites to operate at 50 per cent capacity.

Up to three hours of exercise will also be allowed while the dreaded 5km travel radius will be doubled once the 70 per cent first dose target is reached.

Vaccine data forecasts the state will reach the milestone four days earlier on September 19.

'The quicker we get to 70 per cent and the more vaccinations are taken, the quicker we can make the changes, perhaps earlier,' the Premier said.

'There are others that we can add to that list, knowing it was a moderate list that was considered safe either chief health officer.

'There may be some other things like outdoor recreation activity and things of that nature, potentially some other industry settings.

'Again, it will need to be modest because of the situation we are in but we will have more options once we reach that 70 per cent first dose.'

Families flocked to reopened playgrounds on Friday as the state recorded 208 new cases (pictured a playground in Brunswick on Friday)

Melburnians flocked to the beach on Thursday to enjoy the sunshine, despite the state's growing outbreak

Mr Andrews urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

'That is the point I am making in terms of AstraZeneca,' he says.

'As I stand here today there are 50,000 appointments available, go and get an appointment today. Go online, book an appointment and then when you turn up, have a conversation, make an informed choice and hopefully get the vaccine that is available right now.'

It's not currently known whether Victoria's latest facility was vaccinated or had underlying health conditions.

The source of more than half of the 208 cases remain a mystery with 96 linked to the current outbreak.

Health officials are yet to reveal how many of the new cases were infectious in the community.

Playgrounds have reopened but under strict rules, where children aged under-12 can only be supervised by one parent or carer, who must be masked at all times.

It's the highest number of cases recorded in more than 12 months and brings the number of active cases across the state to 1180.

More than 48,500 Victorians came forward for testing while another 33,500 rolled up their sleeves for the Covid jab.

Outdoor drinking and dining (pictured in St Kilda in 2020) will return once 70 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated

A day earlier, Melburnians enjoyed the second day of spring at St Kilda and other beaches, despite 176 new cases.

A strong police presence kept a close eye on beachgoers enjoying the 27C sunshine and fined those not wearing mask.

A large crowd also descended on Elwood, where beachgoers were seen drinking alcohol on the sand and dancing to music played through portable speakers as other gatherings enjoyed picnics on the nearby grassed area, the Herald Sun reported.

Many others flocked to Point Ormond Lookout to watch the sunset.

Rain kept beachgoers away on Friday, where Melbourne will reach a top of 22C.

But the drop in temperature hasn't kept families away from playgrounds, which have reopened for the first time in weeks.

More than 70 exposure sites were announced late Thursday as the growing list surged past more than 1,000 venues, including a fertility clinic in the same building as Victorian parliament's press gallery.

Around 50,000 priority vaccine appointments will be opened up for bookings for senior high school students from Monday.

QR codes have been erected at reopened playgrounds (pictured) for families to check in

Pop-up vaccine hubs will be set up at schools including Gladstone Park Secondary College and Roxburgh College.

The state has 1180 active coronavirus cases, including 1176 locally-acquired cases and four in hotel quarantine.

Only 96 of the new cases have been linked to known outbreaks, with the source of the remaining 112 infections under investigation.

It comes as hundreds of oral and allied health professionals and students have been given the green light to administer COVID-19 vaccines as the state ramps up its rollout.

The state government has confirmed dentists, dental hygienists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists and podiatrists, as well as nursing, midwifery and pharmacy students, will be trained to prepare and administer the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.

The emergency workforce will be able to assist at state-run hubs, as well as GPs and pharmacies while supervised by an experienced immuniser.

Many beachgoers were spoken to by police on Thursday for not wearing a masks

Melburnians will record their 235th day in lockdown on September 23, when the city will set an unwanted world record that surpasses the grim 234 days of lockdown set by the Argentina capital Buenos Aires.

Melbourne will see some restrictions eased on September 23 - the date where 70 per cent of eligible Victorians are expected to have received their first vaccination jab - but the bulk of measures look set to remain for months to come.

Worryingly, Victoria's outbreak of the Delta variant is spreading faster than it did in NSW, prompting health officials to slash the time between AstraZeneca jabs from 12 weeks to six.

Of the 176 new cases on Thursday, 67 were located in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, 61 in the west, 22 in the east and south, and 13 in the regional town of Shepparton.

'There is not one corner of metropolitan Melbourne that is not touched by this virus. We have been seeing and continue to see high case numbers in the suburbs to the north and west of Melbourne,' Acting Chief Health Officer Ben Cowie told reporters.

'This virus is here, right now, and it is spreading fast.

'The increasing case numbers are a herald of what our health system is going to be faced with in the coming weeks and months.'

Melbourne youngsters bored in lockdown are delighted playgrounds have finally reopened (pictured, youngsters in Brunswick on Friday)

He had a chilling warning for those who are young and healthy and not taking Covid seriously.

'Young and fit people do catch COVID. And some of them get really sick and tragically, some of them lose their lives,' Professor Cowie said.

Melbourne epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely warned Victorian case numbers could explode and surge past 2000 a day next month.

'The case numbers are going up at about five per cent per day,' Professor Blakely told the Herald Sun on Thursday.

He added Victoria 'will probably have 2000 cases a day in late October or early November when the vaccine coverage catches up' if infections continue on this trajectory.

Many Melburnians in their sixth lockdown defied restrictions by not wearing a mask (pictured police speaking to a group of friends at St Kilda

Why Victoria banned playgrounds Playgrounds were shut down during Victoria's latest outbreak to punish the parents, not because kids were spreading Covid. Victorian children who have spent months living in fear of becoming infected at their local playground were this week told there was no real evidence they were going to catch Covid-19 playing on the swings. In a stunning admission sure to enrage Melbourne families, Victoria's Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton admitted on Wednesday the parks were banned for the last month to get at parents. It is not the first time Professor Sutton has taped-up Victorian playgrounds because of their supposed threat to children. Last year he closed them for months during Victoria's second deadly wave, which killed more than 800 after leaking out of his own bungled hotel quarantine scheme. There is some reprieve from Friday, including the reopening of playgrounds for children aged 12 and under, with certain rules such as QR code check-ins and masks for their one permitted supervisor On Wednesday, the professor told long suffering Melbourne parents the actual reason he closed playgrounds in the first place was because of them. 'My advice on playgrounds originally was because we saw that people were using it as a loophole to have de facto meetings across households, neighbourhoods, families,' he said. We have suspicions about transmission occurring at playgrounds, Brett Sutton 'In allowing playgrounds to open again, absolutely with the wellbeing and considerations of kids in mind, but we're going to have QR codes as a mandated requirement.' Melbourne parents had pleaded with Premier Daniel Andrews to introduce such a scheme back on August 16, when he announced for the second time the only avenue of enjoyment many kids had would be banned. Their calls had fallen on deaf ears at the time as Professor Sutton claimed he was acting on evidence that playgrounds were a serious transmission risk to children who played at them. 'We are investigating a potential transmission in a playground,' he claimed. 'It is not definitive and maybe we will not be able to make it definitive but it looks like there has been transmission in a playground.' Advertisement

More than 3000 people were swabbed as part of day 13 testing in Shepparton on Thursday, which could further lift case numbers on Friday.

Health Minister Martin Foley said Burnet Institute research had suggested the state's lockdown had avoided a further 6000 cases in the past month, but now was the time to pivot.

'You've got to follow the advice of the science. Delta has changed the script,' he said.

To aid Victoria's quest to ramp up vaccinations, the interval between doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has been halved to six weeks.

The move, effective immediately, makes the wait time between AstraZeneca doses the same as for Pfizer and will help the state reach its 80 per cent double dose target faster.

While clinical trials have shown AstraZeneca is most effective with a 12-week second dose interval, Prof Cowie said the state needed to strike a balance between long-term efficacy and increasing protection against the Delta variant.

The Victoria government late on Thursday announced a tightening of border restrictions, including a ban on crossing to use physical recreation facilities.

The number of communities in the border bubble has also been reduced with Greater Bendigo, Greater Shepparton, City of Benalla, Buloke, Loddon, Yarriambiack and two NSW LGAs, Broken Hill and Edward River, no longer defined as cross border communities.

The Specified Worker List has also been reduced and testing obligations for those entering on a Specified Worker Permit have been extended.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

Federal Labor has distanced itself from Annastacia Palaszczuk's rogue demands that children under 12 should be vaccinated before she opens her border.

In the Queensland Parliament on Wednesday the premier claimed children under 12 were 'most vulnerable' and said she would 'stand strong' on borders 'until I can get answers' on how unvaccinated kids would be affected by an outbreak.

Her own health department says 'serious illness remains extremely rare in children' and Australia's top doctors say children under 12 do not need to be vaccinated before the country can open up.

Federal Labor's Deputy leader Richard Marles rejected Ms Palaszczuk's comments and backed the national plan to start relaxing restrictions once 70 per cent are jabbed.

'I would be distancing myself from the comments of Annastacia, is the honest answer to that question,' he told the Today Show on Friday.

'We need to be following the health advice when it comes to the impact and who we should be vaccinating when.

'We don't want to be spending an extra day in lockdown.

'But at the end of the day, you can understand why states that don't have Covid want to stay in that situation.'

Queensland has been resisting calls from the Federal Government to open its state border when enough people are vaccinated and wants to keep Covid out.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said Queensland would not need such harsh restrictions once 80 per cent are vaccinated but said case numbers would also affect decision making on bringing down the border.

'Certainly at 80 per cent we'll need less restrictions but... we'd need to make decisions based on the situation in NSW, the relative situation here in in Queensland, the vaccination rate in both locations as well as the effectiveness of our other public health measures,' he told ABC radio on Friday morning.

Sydney residents (pictured) are blocked from entering Queensland under the premier's border ban

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on Thursday slammed Ms Palaszczuk, saying no vaccinations had been approved for children under the age of 12 anywhere in the world.

'In fact, I think the best response in a way is what has been written by Queensland Health in their ''Covid-19 and Kids: What you need to Know'' document dated 5 August 2021: serious illness remains extremely rare in children,' Mr Hunt told reporters.

'I also quote: ''Even children with serious underlying conditions will mostly only experience a mild illness with Covid-19''.'

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg agreed, claiming Ms Palaszczuk's reasoning for keeping the border shut was a 'desperate denial of the reality... not based on the medical advice.'

The Queensland premier has signalled she could delay easing restrictions once COVID-19 vaccination coverage targets are hit due to her fresh concerns about unvaccinated children (families and friends catch up at the border, above)

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly also shut down Ms Palaszczuk's controversial claims on kids.

He said there have been 3,815 cases of Delta virus infection in children under the age of 12 but only 134 hospitalisations, a 3.5 per cent hospitalisation rate.

'And we know from New South Wales data that most of the kids that have been admitted to hospital have been for social reasons, not because they are particularly unwell  their parents are sick and can't look after them,' he said.

'So the hospitalisation rate is small and most of those are not because of severe illness. There have only been three children under the age of 12 admitted to intensive care. Three out of 3,815, way less than one in 1,000.'

Professor Kelly said there have been no child deaths in Australia and said the best way to protect kids was for adults to get jabbed.

'We're not ignoring children. Children are part of the whole plan, not only in the vaccination and soon the vaccination of 12-to-15-year-olds, but also in the way we're looking at that cocooning effect that we can get from vaccination as it increases and it is increasing incredibly rapidly now right across Australia.'

He added: 'We need to start to learn to live with this virus.'

The Queensland Premier was also blasted over false claims that more than 2,000 people would die in a month after opening up.

On Thursday morning she Tweeted that '80 people will die each day' if the state follows the NSW model of living with Covid with high vaccination rates.

'That's 2,240 who will die each month,' she claimed.

Families are being forced to meet over plastic barricades at the Queensland/NSW border because of Annastacia Palaszuck's rules (above)

Ms Palaszczuk's maths was misleading because the daily death figure is a worst case scenario modelled by the Doherty Institute based on a 70 per cent vaccination rate and partial contact tracing effectiveness.

Ms Palaszczuk got the figure from one graph in the Doherty modelling which said that with 70 per cent vaccinated and partial contact tracing, daily deaths would peak at 80 after six months.

She then assumed there would be 80 deaths per day for a whole month when in fact this scenario is highly unlikely because the vaccination rate would not stay stuck at 70 per cent.

There is nowhere in the Doherty modelling that predicts 2,240 deaths a month.

The modelling says that 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.

Ms Palaszczuk Tweeted that '80 people will die each day' if the state follows the NSW model of living with Covid. Her claim has been shut down

Ms Palaszczuk came under fire from Greg Hunt (pictured on Thursday) for spouting unfounded fears about children

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt slammed Ms Palaszczuk and said she was trying to scare the public for her own political gain.

'Selectively misusing the Doherty modelling breaches good faith and damages public confidence,' he said on Thursday afternoon.

Mr Hunt also tore into Premier Palaszczuk for banning residents returning from Covid-ravaged NSW.

The move has left a three-year-old boy, Memphis, separated from his parents north of the border for two months - and stopped people entering Queensland for healthcare.

'This is a profound moral failure. Let these people in for medical treatment and for a three-year-old to be fully reunited with their family,' Mr Hunt said.

It comes as the Federal Government urges premiers to stick to the national re-opening plan which relaxes restrictions in two stages when 70 and 80 per cent of over 16s are vaccinated.

The plan states that Australia stops suppressing Covid cases when 70 per cent are vaccinated and instead learns to live with the virus.

Western Australia, Queensland and the ACT have walked back from the plan by either vowing to continue suppressing cases or insisting that children are vaccinated.
A Los Angeles high school was placed on a lockdown order on Thursday afternoon after one person was found shot outside and another was found outside a nearby kindergarten, cops said.

An officer with the Los Angeles School Police Department was on patrol outside of Santee High School in downtown Los Angeles for the school's early dismissal when they were notified that a shooting had just happened around 2 p.m. local time.

The officer ran to the scene in front of the school, near the football field, where they found a male student who had been shot in the leg and applied a tourniquet, the department said in a statement posted to Instagram.

The student was taken to a local hospital in stable condition by paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department.

About half an hour later, the LASPD responded to reports of a second gun shot victim found outside the Maple Primary Center - a school for students in kindergarten and first grade - about a mile away, the agency tweeted.

The second gunshot victim was also transported to local hospital for treatment, though their condition remains unknown.

Students outside of Santee High School where a shooting occurred on Thursday

Santee High School in downtown Los Angeles was placed on a lockdown on Thursday

The officer ran to the scene in front of the school, near the football field, where they found a male student who had been shot in the leg and applied a tourniquet, the department said in a statement posted to Instagram

The LASPD, a separate entity from the LAPD, maintains a police force of 211 sworn officers and 25 non-sworn school safety officers, as well as 32 civilian support staff

The LASPD said it remained unknown if the two shootings were connected.

A suspect, who has not been arrested, has been described by the LASPD as a Hispanic man with tattoos on his right arm - wearing dark blue clothes with green shoes and driving a black sedan.

The LASPD had previously said that the suspect was riding on a light blue bike.

The lockdown for the Santee Education Complex has since been lifted, police said.

Officers with the LASPD are seen setting up a perimeter outside of the school as it went on lockdown

A gunshot victim had been found along the perimeter of the high school on Thursday

A second gunshot victim was found outside a nearby school for children in kindergarten and first grade

The LASPD noted that officers with the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as the Los Angeles Fire Department, also responded to the shootings

The LASPD noted that officers with the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as the Los Angeles Fire Department, also responded to the shootings.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the LASPD and the LAPD for more information and additional comment.

The LASPD, a separate entity from the LAPD, maintains a police force of 211 sworn officers and 25 non-sworn school safety officers, as well as 32 civilian support staff.

It is the fifth largest police department in Los Angeles County, and the 14th largest in California, according to its website.
Prince Harry is given a full head of hair in a new royal biopic  despite having thinning locks in real life.

However, his balding brother William is portrayed by an actor who has lost most of his hair.

New pictures show American newcomers Jordan Dean and Sydney Morton playing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the US TV film Meghan and Harry: Escaping the Palace.

Pictured: New pictures show American newcomers Jordan Dean and Sydney Morton playing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the US TV film Meghan and Harry: Escaping the Palace

Prince Harry, left, and Prince William stand together during the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday

The movie reimagines the couples decision to quit royal life. William is played by US actor Jordan Whalen, while Singapore-born Laura Mitchell takes on the role of Kate.

The film, which has been dubbed cheese at its finest, features Harry and Meghans bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Other scenes include a dream sequence in which Harry has a nightmare that his wife dies in a car crash  like his mother Princess Diana.

The film will be seen in the US on Monday and in the UK at a later date.

The film features Harry and Meghans bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey (pictured)

Pictured: Prince William is played by US actor Jordan Whalen, while Singapore-born Laura Mitchell takes on the role of Kate in the film which has been dubbed cheese at its finest

Prince Harry will target Camilla Parker Bowles in his upcoming memoir and may name 'royal racist' because his publisher wants 'names and specifics to get their money's worth', ex-royal butler Paul Burrell claims

Duke of Sussex, 36, has been secretly working on book for nearly a year

Sources said he oversaw bidding and told publishing houses to begin at 18m

Publishing tell-all with Penguin Random House in 2022 after signing 4 book deal

Former royal butler Paul Burrell says they'll 'no doubt want their money's worth'

By Hayley Richardson for MailOnline

Prince Harry will take aim at stepmother Camilla Parker-Bowles and may name the 'royal racist' because his publishers 'want their money's worth', according to Paul Burrell.

The ex-royal butler said the Duke of Sussex is 'set to reveal any Camilla secrets' after the Duchess of Cornwall 'stepped into Diana's shoes' as his father's wife.

He added that Prince Charles, 72, would be 'livid' if his son paints her in a bad light in the tell-all, due to be published in 2022 as part of a lucrative four-book deal believed to be worth up to 29million.

Speaking to Closer magazine, Princess Diana's former butler, 63, said: 'The publisher, Penguin, will no doubt want their money's worth in this book deal. That means they won't want vagueness  they'll want names and specifics.'

Prince Harry (pictured) will take aim at stepmother Camilla Parker-Bowles and may name the 'royal racist' because his publishers 'want their money's worth', according to Paul Burrell

He added that Harry 'could very well name' the alleged racist within the Firm, whom he and Meghan Markle claimed raised concerns about how dark their son Archie's skin might be before he was born during their Oprah Winfrey interview earlier this year.

Paul added that he personally doesn't believe there is any racism in the Royal Family, having 'never got a hint of anything' during his decade working in the Palace.

He went on to claim Harry will 'no doubt' go into depth about his feelings after his mother's tragic death in the tome, and the subsequent events.

Paul suggested Harry 'may go for Camilla' after the reports she was involved in his parents' marriage and then 'stepped into Diana's shoes as Charles' wife'.

Paul suggested Harry 'may go for Camilla' after the reports she was involved in his parents' marriage and then 'stepped into Diana's shoes as Charles' wife'

'I suspect Camilla will be in his sights, so I'd say Harry's set to reveal any Camilla secrets,' he told Closer. 'He's already said he enjoys The Crown, which painted Camilla as the "wicked stepmother" in a way. Charles will be livid if he does go there.'

Harry reportedly did not warn his father about his plan to write an explosive Megxit memoir, which he has been working on for over a year.

The Duke has been collaborating with Pulitzer-winning ghostwriter J. R. Moehringer in a rare move from a senior member of the royal family.

The first draft of the manuscript, currently untitled, is said to be almost completely written and is due to be submitted in October.

The proceeds of the deal are likely to be worth millions and, although the exact financial terms were not disclosed, Prince Harry will donate proceeds to charity, according to Random House.

Royal experts have questioned Harry's motive for writing the book, pointing out he is already wealthy and has previously spoken at length about Megxit.

Royal experts have questioned Harry's motive for writing the book, pointing out he is already wealthy and has previously spoken at length about Megxit (pictured during the Oprah interview with Meghan)

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline Harry was 'exorcising his demons' with the book - but queried how one-sided it would be.

Harry previously said: 'I'm writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become. I've worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned  I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think.

'I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I've learned over the course of my life so far and excited for people to read a firsthand account of my life that's accurate and wholly truthful.'

Prince Harry signed up to the book deal despite issuing repeated calls for his family's privacy to be respected.

A statement from the publisher about the upcoming book read: 'In an intimate and heartfelt memoir from one of the most fascinating and influential global figures of our time, Prince Harry will share, for the very first time, the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him.

'Covering his lifetime in the public eye from childhood to the present day, including his dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the frontlines of Afghanistan, and the joy he has found in being a husband and father, Prince Harry will offer an honest and captivating personal portrait, on that shows readers that behind everything they think they know lies an inspiring, courageous and uplifting human story.'

Markus Dohle, CEO of Penguin Random House, said: 'All of us at Penguin Random House are thrilled to publish Prince Harry's literary memoir and have him join the world-renowned leaders, icons, and change-makers we have been privileged to publish over the years.

'Prince Harry has harnessed his extraordinary life experience as a prince, a soldier, and a knowledgeable advocate for social issues, establishing himself as a global leader recognized for his courage and openness.

'It is for that reason we're excited to publish his honest and moving story.'

Last night Prince Harry used a live video message from his LA mansion to launch a new assault on the media and lecture on inequality in a surprise speech to VIPs including Piers Morgan hours after the ex-GMB host won a thumping victory for free speech over Meghan.

Dressed in a black tie and tuxedo, the Duke used his big screen speech beamed to the GQ Awards in London to blame 'those who peddle in lies and fear' in the 'news media and social media' for vaccine hesitancy.

Watching was MailOnline columnist Piers Morgan, who yesterday won a resounding victory for free speech after regulator Ofcom ruled he had not broken the broadcasting code for his comments on the Duchess of Sussex following her bombshell Oprah interview.

This morning he tweeted an image of Harry live from California with the hashtag #awks - a nod to his free speech win.

Harry, who referred to Britain as 'our nation' in his address, delivered a chiding speech urging governments to do more to vaccinate poorer countries, warning 'until every community can access the vaccine and until every community is connected to trustworthy information about the vaccine, then we are all at risk'.

Speaking from his Montecito mansion more than 5,000 miles away, the beleaguered Prince lectured his star-studded London audience on 'media misinformation' and the importance of sharing vaccines.

Harry later presented the Heroes of the Year Award to Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, Professor Catherine Green and the team behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

After being invited on the the stage by Harry, Professor Green told the crowd: 'I promised Sarah I wouldn't get too p***ed, and I promised I wouldn't swear, but there was no f***ing chance of that because I'm so starstruck'.

Harry's live speech was at 11pm London time (3pm LA time), and Mr Morgan left the venue at around 11.15pm, after the duke had finished and handed out the award.
Dogs have basic mind-reading abilities and can tell whether or not human actions are intentional, a new study shows.

Researchers in Germany compared dogs' spontaneous reactions to intentional and unintentional human behaviour with pieces of food passed through a glass barrier.

They found dogs responded differently depending on whether the actions of the experimenter were deliberate or not.

The results suggest canines can master a basic component of the Theory of Mind  the ability to read others' intentions - which was previously regarded as uniquely human.

Scroll down for video

For the experiments, dogs of various breeds were sat on the opposite side of a transparent barrier to the experimenter, who fed them food

THEORY OF MIND: AN OVERVIEW Theory of mind (TOM) refers to the ability to understand the desires, intentions and beliefs of others. It's a skill that develops between 3 and 5 years of age in typically developing children. TOM research investigates how we ascribe mental states to other persons and how we use the states to explain and predict the actions of those other persons. It looks at understanding of people as mental beings, who have beliefs, desires, emotions, and intentions, and whose actions and interactions can be interpreted and explained by taking account of these mental states. Theory of mind is impaired in some people with autism. A 2021 study suggests dogs may have at least one aspect of TOM - the capacity to recognise intention-in-action. Source: Spectrum News/IEP Advertisement

The research was conducted by experts at the University of Gottingen and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

'Dogs in our study clearly behaved differently depending on whether the actions of a human experimenter were intentional or unintentional,' they say in their paper.

'The capacity to recognise human intentional action would have been of immense value for dogs' common history with humans.'

The ability to recognise another's intentions  or at least conceive of them  is a basic component of Theory of Mind.

Researchers wanted to know if dogs have one of the basic components of Theory of Mind  the ability to tell the difference between something done on purpose and something done by accident.

To answer this question, the researchers conducted an experiment that examined how dogs reacted when food rewards were withheld, both intentionally and unintentionally, using the 'unable versus unwilling' paradigm.

This paradigm works by examining whether test subjects react differently towards a human experimenter who either intentionally (the unwilling condition) or unintentionally (the unable condition) withholds rewards from them.

Despite being an established paradigm in studies of human and animal cognition, the unable versus unwilling paradigm had never been previously used to investigate dogs.

The experiment was conducted with 51 dogs  27 female and 24 male  of various breeds, each of which was tested under three conditions.

In each condition, the dog was separated from the human tester by a transparent barrier. The experimenter fed the dog pieces of dog food through a long vertical gap in the middle of the barrier.

In the 'unwilling' condition, the experimenter suddenly withdrew the reward through the gap in the barrier and placed it in front of herself.

In the 'unable-clumsy' condition, the experimenter brought the reward to the gap in the barrier and 'tried' to pass it through the gap but then 'accidentally' dropped it.

In the 'unable-blocked' condition, the experimenter again tried to give the dog a reward, but was unable to because the gap in the barrier was blocked.

In all conditions, the reward remained on the tester's side of the barrier.

Dogs were fed through the gap before the experimenter started to withhold the reward intentionally or unintentionally

'If dogs are indeed able to ascribe intention-in-action to humans, we would expect them to show different reactions in the unwilling condition compared to the two unable conditions,' said study author Dr Juliane Brauer at Max Planck Institute.

'As it turns out, this is exactly what we observed.'

The primary behaviour measured by the researchers was the time dogs waited before approaching the reward that they'd been denied, by walking around the barrier to the experimenter's side.

The researchers predicted that, if dogs are able to identify human intentions, they would wait longer before approaching the reward in the unwilling condition, where they were not supposed to have the reward, than in the two unable conditions in which the reward was, in fact, meant for them.

Dogs went around the partition to access the withheld rewards faster when these were withheld unintentionally than when they were withheld intentionally

Not only did the dogs wait longer in the unwilling condition than in the unable conditions, but they were also more likely to sit or lie down  actions often interpreted as appeasing behaviours  and stop wagging their tails.

'The dogs in our study clearly behaved differently depending on whether the actions of a human experimenter were intentional or unintentional,' said study author Britta Schunemann.

The team said further study is needed to address alternative explanations, such as behavioural cues on the part of experimenters or knowledge transfer from prior dog training.

'Nevertheless, the findings present important initial evidence that dogs may have at least one aspect of Theory of Mind  the capacity to recognise intention-in-action,' the paper, published in Scientific Reports, concludes.
Undeterred by travel restrictions brought on by Covid-19, a bridesmaid has appeared at her friend's wedding in Canada as a hologram.

Like Princess Leia in Star Wars, bridesmaid Sarah Redington was beamed in full wedding regalia, holding a glass of champagne, live from London.

Redington 'virtually' attended the wedding of her best friend Brittany Smith to Jeffrey Gallant at Kurtz Orchards in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada last month.

Her amazingly lifelike projection was seen in video footage delivering a short message before disappearing in a flash of light, as if she'd been teleported.

It remains unclear how much the hologram cost.

Pictured is the hologram of bridesmaid Sarah Redington as she virtually appears at her friend's wedding

Groom Jeffrey Gallant surprised his bride (left) with the projection (right), which was enabled by Toronto-based firm ARHT Media

The couple had originally set their their wedding date for May 29 this year, but ongoing restrictions due to coronavirus pushed it back to August 14.

However, the groom came up with a novel way to surprise his bride.

'I don't know how the idea of a hologram came to mind, but a lot of us know that this technology exists,' the groom told the New York Times.

'My aunts told me they felt like they were on Star Trek.'

Video footage showed Gallant surprising his new bride at their wedding reception with the hologram, which also delivered audio to the guests.

The real-life Sarah Redington, dressed in full wedding getup, appears in front of a green screen in London

'Husband of the year': The groom, Jeffrey Gallant, organised the stunt as a surprise for his new wife, Brittany Smith (both pictured). He said his aunts 'felt like they were on Star Trek'

Redington  who was seen appearing in front of a green screen in London  delivered both a toast, which she had prerecorded, and then a live chat with her best friend.

The stunt was made possible by ARHT Media, a Toronto-based holographic company that usually works to beam presenters and celebrities at events.

The firm says it can beam people into one or multiple venues at the same time 'from anywhere, to anywhere in the world via the internet'.

'You capture people in one part of the world, you beam them anywhere else in the world where they can have two-way interactions in real time with very little latency,' Larry O'Reilly, CEO at ARHT Media, told CBC.

The hologram appears and disappears in a flash of light, as if bridesmaid Redington had teleported herself

ARHT Media previously beamed a projection of physicist Stephen Hawking in front of a Hong Kong audience, who discussed his career and answered questions about the possibility of life on other planets.

Holograms perform one of the most complex manipulations of light  they enable the storing and reproduction of all information carried by light in 3D.

A typical lens-based photograph encodes the brightness of each light wave, meaning a photo can faithfully reproduce a scene's colours, but it ultimately yields a flat image.

In contrast, a hologram encodes both the brightness and phase of each light wave to deliver a truer depiction of a scene's parallax and depth.
If you're irritated by the mere sight of people fidgeting, a new scientific study suggests you're not alone.

Researchers in Canada recruited 4,100 participants who were asked to self-report whether they have sensitivities to seeing people fidget.

They found that around one in three people  37.1 per cent  experienced the psychological phenomenon known as 'misokinesia, or a 'hatred of movements'.

Misokinesia is a psychological response to the sight of someone else's small but repetitive movements, the experts say, and it can seriously affect daily living.

Misokinesia - the 'hatred of movements' - is a psychological response to the sight of someone else's small and repetitive movements (concept image)

MISOKINESIA: HATRED OF MOVEMENTS Misokinesia - or the 'hatred of movements' - is a psychological phenomenon that is defined as a strong negative affective or emotional response to the sight of someone else's small and repetitive movements. This could be in the form of seeing someone mindlessly fidgeting with their hands or an object about their person. Misokinesia differs from misophonia', which refers to getting annoyed by noises other people make. Source: misokinesia.ca Advertisement

Misokinesia differs from misophonia, which refers to getting annoyed by noises other people make, rather than actions that are perceived visually.

The new study was conducted by PhD student Sumeet Jaswal and Professor Todd Handy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, who claim that misokinesia has barely been studied until now.

'I was inspired to study misokinesia after a romantic partner told me that I have a fidgeting habit, which I wasn't aware of,' said Dr Handy.

'She confessed that she experiences a lot of stress whenever she sees me or anyone else fidget.

'As a visual cognitive neuroscientist, this really piqued my interest to find out what is happening in the brain.'

The team asked their 4,100 participants  both students and other members of the general population  to self-report whether they had sensitivities to seeing people fidget.

This was determined through questions including 'Do you ever have strong negative feelings, thoughts or physical reactions when seeing or viewing other people's fidgeting or repetitive movements (e.g., seeing someone's foot shaking, fingers tapping, or gum chewing)?'

'Our prevalence rates in the study came from asking several different groups of people about their sensitivity to fidgeting,' Dr Handy told MailOnline.

37.1 per cent was the average calculated between the two groups that were asked the most basic yes/no question assessing misokinesia sensitivity, he said.

The study authors say: 'Among those who regularly experience misokinesia sensitivity, there is a growing grass-roots recognition of the challenges that it presents as evidenced by on-line support groups'

NEURONS AND MIRROR NEURONS A neuron, also known as nerve cell, is an electrically excitable cell that takes up, processes and transmits information through electrical and chemical signals. It is one of the basic elements of the nervous system. In order that a human being can react to his environment, neurons transport stimuli. The stimulation, for example the burning of the finger at a candle flame, is transported by the ascending neurons to the central nervous system and in return, the descending neurons stimulate the arm in order to remove the finger from the candle. Mirror neurons, meanwhile, are a class of neuron that fire both when we execute an action and when we observe someone else executing it. Advertisement

Researchers then assessed the emotional and social impacts of misokinesia in the people who did report signs of the phenomenon.

'They are negatively impacted emotionally and experience reactions such as anger, anxiety or frustration as well as reduced enjoyment in social situations, work and learning environments,' said Dr Handy.

'Some even pursue fewer social activities because of the condition. We also found these impacts increase with age and older adults reported a broader range of challenges.'

As to why people are impacted negatively when they see others fidget, the researchers aren't sure, but it's possible 'mirror neurons' may provide an answer.

Mirror neurons activate when an individual moves, but they also activate when the individual sees others move  and they've previously been implicated in human responses such as sympathy.

The researchers are now hoping to find out whether 'mirror neurons' may be at play for individuals who suffer from misokinesia in future studies.

'These neurons help us understand other people and the intention behind their movements,' said Jaswal.

'They are linked to empathy. For example, when you see someone get hurt, you may wince as well, as their pain is mirrored in your own brain and that causes you to experience their emotions and empathise with them.'

Concept image shows the causes of misophonia, which refers to getting annoyed by noises other people make, rather than actions. Note that misokinesia, or a 'hatred of movements', is a different condition

'A reason that people fidget is because they're anxious or nervous so when individuals who suffer from misokinesia see that, they may mirror it and feel anxious or nervous as well.'

For members of the public who experience misokinesia, Dr Handy offers them the following message: 'You are not alone'.

'Your challenge is common and it's real,' he said. 'As a society, we need to recognise that a lot of you suffer silently from this visual challenge that it can adversely impact your ability to work, learn in school and enjoy social situations.

'It's a widely shared challenge that no one has ever really talked about. By starting this discussion, there is reason for hope in better understanding and outcomes.'

The study was published in Scientific Reports.
A four year-old girl in California has discovered two colonies of stingless bees, which were thought to have disappeared in the U.S. 70 years ago.

Annika Arnout made the remarkable discovery at a location she has refused to disclose, in a bid to keep the bees at her 'secret place' safe, CBS News reports.

The stingless bees, which live in Brazil and are significantly smaller than a honey bee, were brought to the US in the 1950s in an unsuccessful bid to help boost the size of fruit and vegetable crops.

A 4-year-old girl, Annika Arnout, has discovered two colonies of stingless bees, thought to have disappeared in the U.S. 70 years ago

Arnout found the stingless bees in an undisclosed location, what she calls her 'special place'

Dr Martin Hauser, a senior insect biosystematist at California's Department of Food and Agriculture, who obtained specimens of the discovery, said the U.S. government contacted a Brazilian researcher decades ago to help pollinate crops around the country.

'He [the Brazilian researcher] sent them in the '50s to Gainesville, Florida, Logan, Utah, and Davis and Palo Alto,' Hauser said. 'And he said all the bees died in one year.'

'They didn't like the cold weather in Utah. They couldn't compete in Florida,' he added.

The bees - which despite their names, do have stingers, though they can not be used for defense - were also sent to Stanford professor Dr George Shafer for further analysis.

Stingless bees (bottom) generally live in Brazil and are significantly smaller than a honey bee (top)

The experts are confident that these bees are descendants of the ones that were brought to the U.S. in the mid-20th century, as Hauser admitted he had not heard of them until 20 years ago.

He received an inquiry from a pest control person in Palo Alto, Richard Schmidt, who sent them to the Santa Clara County agricultural department for further examination.

'I hadn't seen them before,' Schmidt told the news outlet.

'They didn't know what they were. And so, they sent it to the state.'

There are more than 300 species of stingless bees in Brazil, including this unnamed species, which was first described in 1900 by a German researcher.

Some have suggested the bees be known 'Annika's Bees' in honor of Arnout.

About 20 percent of the neotropical stingless bees known to science are found in Brazil, with the vast majority of them capable of producing honey, according to a 2019 study.

About 20 percent of the neotropical stingless bees known to science are found in Brazil. (A) Nannotrigona testaceicornis; (B) Tetragonisca angustula; (C) Scaptotrigona sp.; (D) Melipona rufiventris; (E) Melipona quadrifasciata

In 2008, scientists learned that stingless bees have 'cultural significance' to the Enawene-Nawe tribe in western Brazil, citing 48 species referenced by the tribe

In 2008, scientists learned that stingless bees have 'cultural significance' to the Enawene-Nawe tribe in western Brazil, citing 48 species referenced by the tribe.

In July 2020, scientists discovered that some species of stingless bees make honeycomb which resembles the molecular structure of crystals.

It's likely there are many more species to be discovered, according to a 2014 study.

Pictures of the stingless bees discovered by Arnout were posted to iNaturalist by her caregiver, biologist Targe Lindsey.

Dr Hauser added he was 'very impressed' Annika has found two colonies, while 'all the scientists found none.'

Upon meeting her, he gifted a bug book which he wrote: 'To Annika, for many more discoveries to come.'
Apple is in Japan meeting with Toyota executives about producing its long-rumored Apple Car by 2024, according to a media report.

Executives at Apple, the world's most valuable company by market cap, are meeting with the Japanese automaker in Asia, as it tries to lay the groundwork for suppliers to help build the vehicle in the next few years, DigiTimes reported.

The firm, led by Tim Cook, is also said to have met with South Korea's SK Group and LG Electronics last month on the secretive project.

Apple is meeting with Toyota executives about producing the Apple Car by 2024

Apple executives are reportedly in Asia, trying to get suppliers to build the car, having met with SK Group and LG Electronics

DailyMail.com has reached out to Apple and Toyota with a request for comment for this story.

Apple has been working on a car project since 2014 under the code name Project Titan.

Cook, who helms the normally secretive company, confirmed in 2017 that Apple was working on a car-related project.

We're focusing on what we talked about we're focusing on publicly is We're focusing on autonomous systems,' Cook said in an interview with Bloomberg.

The tech giant has been working on a car project since 2014 under the code name Project Titan. In 2017, CEO Tim Cook confirmed Apple was working on a car-related project

'Clearly, one purpose of autonomous systems is self-driving cars  there are others. And we sort of see it as the mother all AI projects.'

'It's probably one of the most difficult AI projects to work on. So autonomy is something that is incredibly exciting for us. But we'll see where it takes us  we're not really saying from a product point of view what we'll do. It's a core technology that we view as very important.'

In January, Hyundai confirmed that it was in talks with Apple about building a self-driving electric car, but eventually backtracked after the comments made headlines.

In February, Apple was purportedly getting ready to invest $3.6 billion in Kia Motors to help building electric vehicles in 2024, though that has yet to be confirmed.

Apple has long been rumored to be working on a passenger vehicle.

In December 2020, Reuters reported that Apple's Car would include a new 'breakthrough battery technology',' known as 'monocell,' that could radically reduce cost and increase the vehicle's range before a recharge is needed.

A Reuters source said the technology is 'next level,' adding it is like 'the first time you saw the iPhone.'

It remains unclear who would assemble such a car, but analysts have said they expect the company to rely on a manufacturing partner to build vehicles.

'We continue to strongly believe Apple ultimately announces an EV strategic partnership in 2021 that lays the groundwork to enter the burgeoning EV space,' Wedbush analysts said in a note to investors earlier this year.

In February, Bloomberg reported that Apple has an initial target of 100,000 cars per year, a far cry from the 1.6 billion Apple devices in active use Cook told investors earlier this year.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously said the car would have a 300 mile range and go from 0 to 60 in less than 3.5 seconds.
SpaceX showed off a new picture of the glass dome that ordinary people will be able to view space from in its upcoming civilian Inspiration4 mission.

The window, known as a cupola, will let the four astronauts on the first all-civilian mission to orbit have a panoramic view of space in the modified Crew Dragon craft.

Those four crew members 'visited the flight-hardware Cupola in California before it was shipped to Florida for integration with Dragon Resilience,' Inspiration4 said in a tweet Wednesday night.

Scroll down for video

SpaceX showed off a new picture of the glass dome that every day people will be to view space from in its upcoming Inspiration4 mission, later this month

Arceneaux was named to the team in February, while Proctor was announced in March

A look at Dragons Cupola, which will provide our Inspiration4 astronauts with incredible views of Earth from orbit!



The crew visited the flight-hardware Cupola in California before it was shipped to Florida for integration with Dragon Resilience. pic.twitter.com/9ivMZrS1ip  Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) September 1, 2021

The four members are 29-year-old St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital physician assistant Hayley Arceneaux, pilot Dr Sian 'Lee' Proctor, U.S. Air Force veteran Christopher Sembroski and Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman.

An 'accomplished jet pilot' according to Inspiration4's website, Isaacman, the commander of the mission, is funding the trip in a private deal made with SpaceX.

He is also attempting to raise awareness for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and help it hit its $200 million funding target, half of which will come from him.

In February, Inspiration4 aired a Super Bowl ad raising awareness for the trip and the research being done by St. Jude's.

Proctor and Sembroski were announced in March, while Arceneaux was named to the mission shortly after the advertisement aired in February.

Arceneaux will be the first bone cancer survivor to travel to space.

SpaceX is attempting to launch the Crew Dragon Resilience on September 15, from a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Unlike the flights that Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos took earlier this summer, this flight from Musk's SpaceX will go into orbit

The Inspiration4 mission Dubbed Inspiration4, the mission is designed primarily to raise awareness and support for the pediatric cancer center, which successfully treated Arceneaux for bone cancer when she was a child. Although this is not the first time civilians have travelled to space, it is the first mission manned solely by civilians. The four-person team, which will be under the command of Isaacman, will be launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket on its voyage. Dragon will only orbit Earth for three days, completing one orbit every 90 minutes along a customized flight path as it travels at more than 17,000 miles per hour. Its progress will be carefully monitored at every step by SpaceX mission control. Advertisement

Unlike the flights that Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos took earlier this summer, this flight from Musk's SpaceX will go into orbit.

It is aiming for an altitude of 335 miles, 75 miles higher than the International Space Station and on a level with the Hubble Space Telescope.

SpaceX's other Dragon capsules have docking capabilities at the top of the nose cone to allow it to merge with the ISS.

Since Inspiration4 is not going to the ISS and staying in orbit, it allowed engineers to tweak the design.

The craft's bathroom will also be near the cupola, with Isaacman saying in March: 'When people do inevitably have to use the bathroom, they're going to have one hell of a view.'

When SpaceX first showed off the glass dome in March, CEO Elon Musk said the window would give the crew the 'probably most 'in space' ... feel' they could have in a glass dome.

Dragon will only orbit Earth for three days, completing one orbit every 90 minutes along a customized flight path as it travels at more than 17,000 miles per hour.

Its progress will be carefully monitored at every step by SpaceX mission control and upon completion, the craft will reenter Earth's atmosphere off the coast of Florida.

The Inspiration4 crew have received commercial astronaut training by SpaceX on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft, orbital mechanics, operating in low gravity and other forms of stress testing before traveling.

When SpaceX first showed off the glass dome in March, CEO Elon Musk said the window would give the crew the 'probably most 'in space' ... feel' they could have in a glass dome

'There will be several months of training,' Isaacman previously told DailyMail.com.

Last month, Arceneaux gave details of her training, which included centrifuge training, studying and 'spending lot of time in the simulator.'
Karl Stefanovic knows a thing or two about career comebacks, having returned to the Today show in a blaze of glory last year just 12 months after being sacked.

And the Nine presenter has shared his thoughts on the possibility of Piers Morgan returning to breakfast television, after he sensationally quit GMB in March.

Stefanovic, 47, hinted he wouldn't be surprised to see Morgan, 56, return to the anchor's chair, saying the outspoken journalist seems to be 'circling with intent'.

It comes after Britain's TV watchdog cleared Morgan of any wrongdoing on Wednesday, after receiving more than 50,000 complaints for his comments about Meghan Markle following her explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.

'Circling with intent': Today host Karl Stefanovic (L) has shared his thoughts on the possibility of Piers Morgan (R) returning to breakfast television, after he sensationally quit GMB in March

During a segment on Today about Ofcom's ruling, Nine's Europe correspondent Carrie-Anne Greenbank noted that while ITV said it wouldn't be rehiring Morgan, GMB hadn't found a permanent replacement for him either.

Co-host Ally Langdon remarked: 'That kind of says everything, that does. He's pushing his price up!'

Stefanovic, who is known to be friends with Morgan, added wryly: 'He's circling with intent, old Piers.'

It comes after Morgan said the number of job offers he has received 'accelerated' after his comments about the Duchess of Sussex were found not to have breached the UK's broadcasting code.

'Says everything': During a segment on Today about Ofcom's ruling, Nine's Europe correspondent Carrie-Anne Greenbank (right) noted that while ITV said it wouldn't be rehiring Morgan, GMB hadn't found a permanent replacement for him either. Co-host Ally Langdon (centre) remarked: 'That kind of says everything, that does. He's pushing his price up!'

His remarks on Good Morning Britain on March 8 about Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey sparked more than 50,000 complaints, the most in watchdog Ofcom's history, but the program was cleared on Wednesday.

One of the complaints was from the Duchess herself, who personally contacted ITV's left-leaning chief executive Carolyn McCall and appealed to her as a fellow mother.

Morgan left the show shortly afterwards, saying he did not believe the claims made by Meghan during the interview and refused to apologise.

Speaking outside his London home on Wednesday, he said he would make a decision 'quite soon' about where his next job will be.

He added: 'I have had loads of offers and they have accelerated in the last 10 hours, as you can imagine, and I will take my free speech campaign around the world and all I require is to have an employer who believes in it as passionately as I do.'

Morgan's next move: Stefanovic (left), who is known to be friends with Morgan, added wryly: 'He's circling with intent, old Piers'

He said the rise in Good Morning Britain's ratings during his stint on the program means he is a 'valuable commodity', adding: 'I'm considering some very interesting offers right now and I will make a decision quite soon.'

Morgan had questioned whether the ruling meant he could return to Good Morning Britain on ITV, but it's understood the broadcaster has no plans to invite him back to the program.

However, ITV will continue to work with him on his celebrity interview program Piers Morgan's Life Stories.

Vindicated: It comes after Britain's TV watchdog cleared Morgan of any wrongdoing on Wednesday, after receiving more than 50,000 complaints for his comments on GMB about Meghan Markle following her explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey

During Meghan's interview with Winfrey, she said she was ignored when she raised concerns about her mental health and suicidal thoughts, and alleged that racist comments had been made before the birth of her son Archie.

Discussing the interview on GMB the following day, Morgan said: 'I'm sorry, I don't believe a word she says. I wouldn't believe her if she read me a weather report.'

Ofcom said his comments were 'potentially harmful and highly offensive' but were thoroughly challenged by his co-host Susanna Reid and ITV News's royal editor Chris Ship during the broadcast.

The judgment said: 'The code allows for individuals to express strongly held and robustly argued views, including those that are potentially harmful or highly offensive, and for broadcasters to include these in their programming.

'The restriction of such views would, in our view, be an unwarranted and chilling restriction on freedom of expression both of the broadcaster and the audience.'

Morgan hailed the decision as a 'landmark ruling'.

'This is Ofcom saying I and any other broadcaster is entitled to say to a public figure, "I don't believe you,"' he added.

'Because if they had gone the other way and said I had to believe Meghan Markle even when she was lying, where does that leave us with Government ministers who I was challenging during the pandemic?'

He added: 'Good Morning Britain had plenty of people trashing me on those two days. I was quite happy about that, you didn't get me moaning saying, "Oh, that's so unfair, how dare you not believe me."

'Doesn't work both ways, does it?'

Claims: During Meghan's interview with Winfrey, she said she was ignored when she raised concerns about her mental health and suicidal thoughts, and alleged that racist comments had been made before the birth of her son Archie

Ofcom's ruling was welcomed by ITV.

The broadcaster said the judgment 'sets out clearly that it was the balance and context the program makers provided which was key in mitigating against the potential for harm and offence which could have been caused by Piers Morgan's comments'.

It added: 'It is because of the program's editorial decisions and the opposing views which were forcefully expressed by other presenters and guests that the program did not breach Ofcom's rules.'

Morgan's comments were criticised by mental health charity Mind, and Ofcom has said a significant number of complaints claimed his remarks could dissuade viewers experiencing suicidal thoughts from seeking help, for fear of not being believed or taken seriously.

Asked whether the ruling could have been different if his views had not been challenged by his colleagues, he added: 'Maybe, but what I would say is you're implying that their opinion is somehow more valid than mine.

'Why was Susanna Reid's opinion that she believed Meghan Markle more valid than my opinion that I didn't?'

Discussing the interview on GMB the next day, Morgan said: 'I don't believe a word she says. I wouldn't believe her if she read me a weather report.' Pictured with co-host Susanna Reid

A statement from Ofcom said: 'This was a finely balanced decision. Mr Morgan's comments were potentially harmful and offensive to viewers, and we recognise the strong public reaction to them.

'But we also took full account of freedom of expression. Under our rules, broadcasters can include controversial opinions as part of legitimate debate in the public interest, and the strong challenge to Mr Morgan from other contributors provided important context for viewers.

'Nonetheless, we've reminded ITV to take greater care around content discussing mental health and suicide in future. ITV might consider the use of timely warnings or signposting of support services to ensure viewers are properly protected.'

A summary of the Ofcom ruling added: 'This program focused on the interview between Oprah Winfrey and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

'It contained statements about suicide and mental health which had the potential to be harmful and highly offensive.

'However, our decision is that overall the program contained sufficient challenge to provide adequate protection and context to its viewers.

'We also considered that the comments about race in the program could have been potentially highly offensive, but that the comments were sufficiently contextualised. Therefore, our decision is that the program did not breach the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.'

PIERS MORGAN: Ofcom's vindication of me is a resounding victory for freedom of speech
The Bachelor's Jimmy Nicholson was forced to confront Jay Lal after her friend let slip she'd moved to Sydney to get over her break-up with 'somebody famous'.

But viewers were left underwhelmed on Wednesday night when the nutritionist, 31, finally revealed the identity of her supposedly high-profile ex: The Bachelor New Zealand star Moses Mackay.

The Kiwi version of The Bachelor doesn't air in Australia and is rarely, if ever, reported on in the Australian media, meaning its stars can hardly be considered 'famous' here.

Disappointed: Bachelor fans were underwhelmed when Jay Lal (left) revealed on Wednesday the identity of her 'famous' ex boyfriend: The Bachelor New Zealand star Moses Mackay (right)

'We're throwing the word "famous" around way too liberally here,' one fan tweeted.

'Like famous famous or New Zealand famous?' wrote a second.

'I definitely wouldn't call someone who was pre-Bachelor when you were dating someone famous,' tweeted another.

'There's actually only one famous Kiwi, and it's Lorde. Did Jay date Lorde?' a fourth viewer asked.

'New Zealand famous doesn't count': Viewers felt cheated when the nutritionist told Jimmy Nicholson she used to date Moses, who starred on the Kiwi version of the dating show

Others questioned her motivation for signing up to the show.

'Jay moved to Sydney to start fresh from her boyfriend, the New Zealand Bachelor, and the first thing she does in Sydney is apply to be on The Bachelor...' one wrote.

Moments before Wednesday's rose ceremony, Jimmy pulled Jay aside to ask her about her the rumours following hometown visits.

Confronted: Wednesday night's episode saw Jimmy pull Jay aside to get to the bottom of rumours she was only on the show to gain followers. He also asked about her 'famous' ex

Not impressed: 'It does look suss. Is Jay here for me? Or is she just here to bag herself another Bachelor?' Jimmy told producers

'He's the Bachelor New Zealand,' she told Jimmy.

'It does look suss. Is Jay here for me, or is she just here to bag herself another Bachelor?' Jimmy later said to the producers.

For weeks Jay had been plagued by rumours she only signed up for the show to boost her social media profile.

Suspicious minds: For weeks Jay had been plagued by rumours she only signed up for the show to boost her social media profile

She told The Daily Telegraph on Thursday it was 'upsetting' to be perceived that way.

'I just wouldn't put myself through that situation for 1,000 followers or a blue tick on Instagram. It is not worth it,' she said.

'I find that very offensive that people would think I was there for those reasons because I do feel like Jimmy and my connection was genuine.'
Arabella Chi and Molly Smith led the celebrity arrivals at the Rise Of The Footsoldier Origins: The Tony Tucker Story premiere in Leicester Square on Wednesday night.

The Love Island stars, 28, and 25, both wowed in colourful suits, which they layered over busty crop top co-ords.

They stepped out to show their support for the fifth installment of the Rise Of The Footsoldier franchise which is set to star Vinnie Jones as the titular gangster.

Stunning: Arabella Chi (L) and Molly Smith (R) led the celebrity arrivals at the Rise Of The Footsoldier Origins: The Tony Tucker Story premiere in Leicester Square on Wednesday night

Arabella looked flawless at the star-studded premiere as she showcased her assets in a coral orange velour bralette.

She layered the skimpy top underneath a vibrant pink blazer, which she paired with matching knee-length shorts and white strappy stilettos.

The reality star cinched in the ensemble with a chunky white belt and accessorised further with a chain strap shoulder bag.

Arabella accentuated her natural beauty with a bronzed makeup look for the outing and added layers of lipgloss to her pout.

Wow: Arabella looked flawless at the star-studded premiere as she showcased her assets in a coral orange velour bralette

Stylish: She layered the skimpy top underneath a vibrant pink blazer, which she paired with matching knee-length shorts and white strappy stilettos

Meanwhile, Molly opted for a full length lilac trouser suit which was embellished with tiny gem stones across the material.

The blonde bombshell let her golden tresses cascade past her shoulders in big boundy waves as she worked her angles for the cameras and showcased her abs.

Molly toted a chic rectangle white leather handbag and completed the outfit with a pair of silver hoop earrings.

Turning heads: Molly opted for a full length lilac trouser suit which was embellished with tiny gem stones across the material that showcased her impressive abs

The premiere was also attended by many of this year's Love Island cast, including Rachel Finni, Amy Day and AJ Bunker who posed together before the screening.

AJ showcased her phenomenal figure at the event as she posed in a thigh-skimming coral pink dress and strappy heels.

Amy showcased her curves in a midriff-baring jumpuit and styled her chestnut tresses in large waves.

And Rachel set pulses racing in a white bodycon dress with cut out details along the torso as she worked her angles for the camera.

New faces: The premiere was also attended by many of this year's Love Island cast, including Rachel Finni, Amy Day and AJ Bunker who posed together before the screening

Work it: AJ showcased her phenomenal figure at the event as she posed in a thigh-skimming coral pink dress and strappy heels

Turning heads: Amy flaunted her curves in a midriff-baring jumpuit and styled her chestnut tresses in large waves

Strike a pose: Rachel set pulses racing in a white bodycon dress with cut out details along the torso as she worked her angles for the camera

Also at the screening from this year's series was Lucinda Strafford who put on a stylish display in a silk white co-ord that wrapped aroud her torso as she posed.

Following his recent split from Liberty Poole, Jake Cornish also attended the event in an all-black shirt and chinos ensemble that he completed with a pair of boots.

Elsewhere at the premier, TOWIE's Clare Brockett and Chloe Brockett also opted for all-black ensembles and showcased their signature curves in slinky black mini dresses.

Really: Also at the screening from this year's series was Lucinda Strafford who put on a stylish display in a silk white co-ord that wrapped aroud her torso as she posed

Suave: Following his recent split from Liberty Poole, Jake Cornish also attended the event in an all-black shirt and chinos ensemble that he completed with a pair of boots

Chic: TOWIE's Clare Brockett and Chloe Brockett also opted for all-black ensembles and showcased their signature curves in slinky black mini dresses

Priscilla Anyabu cut a stylish figure as she attended the event in a houndstooth suit and black stilettos.

And Sam Gittins looked similarly smart in an off-white suit as he stepped out for the photo call before the screening.

Nina Naustdal put on a very glamorous display in a floor length floral gown with a sheer train and feather shoulder details.

Fashion forward: Priscilla Anyabu cut a stylish figure as she attended the event in a houndstooth suit and black stilettos

Pose: Sam Gittins (R) looked similarly smart in an off-white suit as he stepped out in blue suede loafers for the photo call before the screening

Eye-catching: Nina Naustdal put on a very glamorous display in a floor length floral gown with a sheer train and feather shoulder details as she beamed for cameras

And Lizzie Cundy looked as glamorous as ever when she stepped out in a glittering baby pink maxi dress and matching fluffy heels.

Meanwhile, Rachel Warren garnered attention in an asymmetrical gold sequin dress with a cheeky side split up to her thigh.

The actress, who plays Lucy in the franchise, grinned as she celebrated the release of her latest project.

Still got it: Lizzie Cundy looked as glamorous as ever when she stepped out in a glittering baby pink maxi dress and matching fluffy heels

Golden girl: Rachel Warren garnered attention in an asymmetrical gold sequin dress with a cheeky side split up to her thigh

And Annabel Dimmock and Chris Hughes put on a loved up display at the event as they held hands while they worked their angles for the cameras.

Chris looked preppy in a nanvy blazer with red stripes and a pair of matching blue trousers as he cosied up to his girlfriend in a thigh-skimming white sequin mini dress.

The pair looked happier than ever as they grinned and prepared to kiss in front of onlookers during the outing.

Cute: Annabel Dimmock and Chris Hughes put on a loved up display at the event as they held hands while they worked their angles for the cameras
Kim Kardashian may still be able to see a path forward with her estranged husband Kanye West.

The 40-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star is 'open' to reconciling with the billionaire rapper, a source told E! News on Wednesday.

'Kim is not rushing the divorce,' the source explained. 'She and Kanye are in a good place right now and she is not on a rushed timeline to push the divorce forward.'

Open to love: Kim Kardashian, 40, is 'open' to reconciling with her estranged husband Kanye West, 44, a source told E! News on Wednesday; seen at the Met Gala in 2016 in NYC

The new information arrives after many of Kim and Kanye's fans speculated that a reconciliation might be in the works after she made an appearance in a Balenciaga Couture wedding gown during his third public listening party for his new album Donda.

The show-stopping event came just after the hitmaker lit himself on fire and stumbled around a replica of his childhood house, which had been erected in the center of Chicago's Soldier Field.

After he was extinguished, the now maskless Kanye recreated his wedding to Kim in front of the crowd.

The exes were also seen together in Malibu earlier in August for lunch together, and they have continued to spend time with their four children as a family.

Symbolic display: Kim wore a wedding gown to Kanye's third Donda listening party in Chicago. 'She and Kanye are in a good place right now and she is not on a rushed timeline to push the divorce forward'

The source added that Kim and Kanye 'are finally in a great place and Kim wants to enjoy this time and be a family unit.'

The Jesus Walks rapper is also reportedly looking to get back together with his reality star wife.

'Kanye has expressed that he wants her back, and Kim is open to it, but wants to focus first on rebuilding their foundation and friendship back stronger,' the insider continued.

The shapewear mogul is apparently 'really happy' that they're coparenting so well at the moment, which is a necessity 'for the sake of the kids, who are really close to their dad.'

Another insider told the publication that Kim was looking forward to being part of Kanye's listening parties, especially her onstage appearance for the final event before the Sunday release of Donda.

'She respects and trusts him fully as a creative, so when he asked her to be part of his performance art performance, she happily wanted to support him,' they revealed.

The source said the two 'are finally in a great place,' and other sources say Kanye would also like to get back together with his wife; seen in 2019 in LA

Last week, a source clarified to TMZ that the A-list couple were not back together, despite their listening party display.

Kim has also accompanied their children to previous events, though they were only part of the audience.

Also on Wednesday, a source close to Kanye shared with Us Weekly that he 'wants to get back with Kim' and 'sees the two of them together and wants to make that a reality now.'

'He has been trying to get back in her good graces again and it seems to be working,' the insider claimed.

Still, their divorce appears to be proceeding, though the couple could choose to pause it in the future.

Back on? 'He has been trying to get back in her good graces again and it seems to be working,' an insider told Us Weekly; seen November 6, 2019

Kim and Kanye tied the knot back in 2014 at the Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy, where Kim was dressed in a custom-made gown by Givenchy Haute Couture.

The parents share four children: North, eight; Saint, five; Chicago, three; and Psalm, two.

Following the release of his epic album Donda, which is nearly two hours long, fans began to track clues about Kanye's relationship to Kim from the confessional lyrics.

In the song Lord I Need You, Kanye appears to raise concerns about infidelities in a relationship, as he raps: 'Three hours to get back from Palm Springs, huh? / Who you know spend an hour in Walgreens, huh?'

Kim's mother Kris Jenner owns a $12 million home in Palm Springs where the whole family have spent considerable time, and it takes around two hours to travel there from Los Angeles.

However, he also raps on the same song, 'But you came here to show that you still in love with me,' and Kim has supported Kanye at all of his listening parties.

Other lines peppered throughout the album allude to domestic arguments and a diminished sex life, though his lyrics aren't necessarily autobiographical.
Idris Elba's wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba suffered an award fashion faux-pas by showing up to the GQ Men of the Year Awards in same dress as Anne-Marie, 30.

Sabrina, 31, who was hosting the star-studded ceremony with her husband didn't let the coincidence dent her confidence on the red carpet at Tate Modern on Wednesday evening.

Luckily both women looked incredible in the stunning black leopard print ensemble which was embellished with a sizzling side slit.

Matching: Idris Elba's wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba suffered an award fashion faux-pas on Wednesday evening by showing up to the GQ Men of the Year Awards in same dress as Anne-Marie, 30

Sabrina completed the off-the-shoulder figure hugging gown with evening gloves and accessorised with a sparkling diamond bracelet and rings.

The beauty paired the dress with black strappy heels and styled her raven locks up in a chic bun.

She opted for glamorous make-up which enhanced her naturally flawless features complete with a bold red lip.

Idris looked dapper in a classy black suit, shirt and tie and paired his outfit with smart black shoes.

Stunning: Luckily both women looked incredible in the stunning black leopard print ensemble which was embellished with a sizzling side slit

Work it! Anne-Marie also wowed in the sizzling gown as she strutted down the star-studded red carpet

Changed: Sabrina later changed into her third ensemble of the night and turned heads in a chic black skin-tight dress which donned a plunging neckline

Anne-Marie also wowed in the sizzling gown as she strutted down the star-studded red carpet.

The blonde beauty oozed confidence in black platform heels and she accessorised with a statement BVLGARI Fioever diamond necklace and matching white gold earrings.

Sabrina later changed into her third ensemble of the night and turned heads in a chic black skin-tight dress which donned a plunging neckline.

She accessorised with large gold hoop earrings and the beauty was beaming next to her husband as they posed for pictures inside the venue.

She added hight to her frame in black open toe heels and her sleek raven locks were fell loose.

Cute: She accessorised with large gold hoop earrings and the beauty was beaming next to her husband as they posed for pictures inside the venue

Style: She added hight to her frame in black open toe heels and her sleek raven locks were fell loose

The 24th GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2021 in association with BOSS saw a slew of stars scooping top prizes on Wednesday night as the ceremony saw the return of in-person attendees following the Covid pandemic.

The star-studded ceremony was hosted by actor Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina, with presenters including Winnie Harlow, Gary Lineker, Emma Corrin and Mabel announcing the winners of the coveted awards.

As well as receiving one of GQ's coveted trophies, winners were treated to a 12,000 goodie bag, with treats such as dinner and a night's stay in the swanky Nobu Hotel, a 200 Boss watch, a bottle of 80 Porte Noire Champagne and a flight on a semi-private plane.

Other prizes also include membership to the prestigious Ivy Club, a luxury facial with Fatma Shaheen, founder of Skin Design London, and an array of skincare delights.

Sabrina, 31, who was hosting the star-studded ceremony with her husband didn't let the coincidence dent her confidence on the red carpet at Tate Modern on Wednesday evening

Wow! Sabrina completed the off-the-shoulder figure hugging gown with evening gloves and accessorised with a sparkling diamond bracelet and rings

It had been previously announced that Sir Anthony Hopkins would receive The Legend Award, and ahead of the ceremony the Oscar winner gave an interview with the publication.

During the interview he urged budding actors 'not to waste their money' on acting school.

He insisted: 'Don't waste your money. They're failed actors that set themselves up as gurus.'

He added when speaking to the magazine ahead of its ceremony: 'There's one very well-known actor with an acting class here in Los Angeles and he's the star of the show!

Gorgeous: The beauty paired the dress with black strappy heels and styled her raven locks up in a chic bun

Pose: The blonde beauty oozed confidence in black platform heels and she accessorised with a statement BVLGARI Fioever diamond necklace and matching white gold earrings

'And all these other students sitting around paying their fees and he's the star! He's on stage with them, interrupting them, being rude to them. No, you don't do that.'

Anthony also candidly discussed his decision to leave the National Theatre, explaining: 'That's one of the reasons I left the National Theatre  we had a particular director who was very picky.

'And that's one of the reasons that I would be angry. This was in my days of raging paranoia and I warned one director, ''You ever speak to me like that again I'll punch your face in''.'

He then quipped: 'Obviously, I don't do that any more.'

Awards: It had been previously announced that Sir Anthony Hopkins would receive The Legend Award, and ahead of the ceremony the Oscar winner gave an interview with the publication

It was announced in July that Idris and his wife Sabrina would present the ceremony, with the actor saying: 'In their various ways, the GQ Men Of The Year award winners have kept all of our spirits up throughout one of the most difficult years and we are very much looking forward to celebrating with them  and hosting a great party!'

Ahead of this year's awards, Nick Sargent, chief business officer of culture at Conde Nast Britain and publishing director of British GQ, said: 'After the unprecedented year weve had, Im thrilled to announce the return of the Men Of The Year Awards for 2021 as a live event.

'Even though our virtual event last year was a huge success, its exciting to be able to come together again in person to celebrate the incredible talent who best represent GQ and continue to push the boundaries on the worlds cultural stage. It will be a night to remember.'

Last year's GQ Men Of The Year was presented by Jack Whitehall and took place virtually due to the Covid pandemic, with many stars accepting their prizes in pre-recorded clips that formed the ceremony, which was streamed live on YouTube.

Hosts: The star-studded ceremony was hosted by actor Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina
Emma Corrin flashed her leg tattoo as she left the GQ Men Of The Year Awards at the Tate Modern gallery in London on Wednesday night.

The Crown actress, 25, teased a glimpse of her inking which showed a woman in floral pantaloons and a ruffled neck jacket as she sat in the back of a taxi barefoot.

Emma had arrived for the star-studded ceremony in a quirky sheer cape dress which she paired with a black bodysuit underneath.

Inking: Emma Corrin flashed her leg tattoo as she left the GQ Men Of The Year Awards at the Tate Modern gallery in London on Wednesday night

Back in April, Vanity Fair asked Emma is she had ever got a tattoo which she regrets, to which the actress simply responded: 'No'.

Tattoo: The inking showed a woman walking in floral pantaloons

For the star-studded ceremony, Emma posed for a series of snaps with fashion designer Harris Reed- who she presented the Breakthrough Designer award to.

Emma's blonde locks were swept back into a chic quiff and her neutral makeup enhanced her flawless features.

The exceptionally talented designer, Harris looked effortlessly chic in black tailored trousers and a satin blazer with sheer arms.

He wowed in a statement fathered head piece and donned bold green eyeshadow.

Ditching the heels: Emma left the venue barefoot after a night partying in heels

Home time: Her pal carried the goodie bag as they headed to the car

Stunning: Emma Corrin wowed in a sheer black cape dress

Emma was later seen leaving the awards barefoot as she walked to a waiting car.

The 24th GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2021 in association with BOSS saw a slew of stars scooping top prizes on Wednesday night as the ceremony saw the return of in-person attendees following the Covid pandemic.

The star-studded ceremony was hosted by actor Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina, with presenters including Winnie Harlow, Gary Lineker, Emma Corrin and Mabel announcing the winners of the coveted awards.

Style: The Crown actress, 25, arrived at the Tate Modern gallery in London in the quirky ensemble which she paired with a black bodysuit underneath

Beautiful: Emma's blonde locks were swept back into a chic quiff and her neutral makeup enhanced her flawless features

Winner! The star posed for a series of snaps with fashion designer Harris Reed- who she presented the Breakthrough Designer award to-before leaving the venue barefoot

As well as receiving one of GQ's coveted trophies, winners were treated to a 12,000 goodie bag, with treats such as dinner and a night's stay in the swanky Nobu Hotel, a 200 Boss watch, a bottle of 80 Porte Noire Champagne and a flight on a semi-private plane.

Other prizes also include membership to the prestigious Ivy Club, a luxury facial with Fatma Shaheen, founder of Skin Design London, and an array of skincare delights.

It had been previously announced that Sir Anthony Hopkins would receive The Legend Award, and ahead of the ceremony the Oscar winner gave an interview with the publication.

Barefoot! Emma was later seen leaving the awards barefoot as she walked to a waiting car

During the interview he urged budding actors 'not to waste their money' on acting school.

He insisted: 'Don't waste your money. They're failed actors that set themselves up as gurus.'

He added when speaking to the magazine ahead of its ceremony: 'There's one very well-known actor with an acting class here in Los Angeles and he's the star of the show!

Pose: The exceptionally talented designer Harris looked effortlessly chic in black tailored trousers and a satin blazer with sheer arms, adding jewellery from his forthcoming Missoma line

Achievement: Sir Anthony Hopkins, 83, is set to win The Legend Award at Wednesday's GQ Men Of The Year Awards and has urged actors 'not to waste their money' on acting school

'And all these other students sitting around paying their fees and he's the star! He's on stage with them, interrupting them, being rude to them. No, you don't do that.'

Anthony also candidly discussed his decision to leave the National Theatre, explaining: 'That's one of the reasons I left the National Theatre  we had a particular director who was very picky.

'And that's one of the reasons that I would be angry. This was in my days of raging paranoia and I warned one director, ''You ever speak to me like that again I'll punch your face in''.'

He then quipped: 'Obviously, I don't do that any more.'

Interview: The Oscar-winning star insisted in his interview: 'Don't waste your money. They're failed actors that set themselves up as gurus'

GQ MEN OF THE YEAR 2021: THE WINNERS BAND OF THE YEAR WINNER: Wolf Alice BOSS BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR OF THE YEAR WINNER: Kingsley Ben-Adir BOSS LEADING MEN OF THE YEAR WINNER: Paul Bettany DEEZER BREAKTHROUGH MUSIC ARTIST OF THE YEAR WINNER: Arlo Parks DESIGNER OF THE YEAR WINNER: Brunello Cucinelli GAME CHANGER OF THE YEAR WINNER: Dame Vivienne Westwood HEROES OF THE YEAR WINNERS: Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, Dr Catherine Green and the team behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine ICON WINNER: Sacha Baron Cohen INSPIRATION OF THE YEAR WINNER: Gareth Southgate JAGUAR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT OF THE YEAR WINNERS: Team GB & Paralympics GB LEGEND WINNER: Sir Anthony Hopkins MADDOX GALLERY ARTIST OF THE YEAR WINNER: Beeple OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION WINNER: Bobby Gillespie PERONI NASTRO AZZURRO BREAKTHROUGH DESIGNER OF THE YEAR WINNER: Harris Reed SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR WINNER: Ed Sheeran STANDOUT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR WINNER: Rege-Jean Page TELEVISION ACTOR OF THE YEAR WINNER: Adrian Dunbar WRITER OF THE YEAR WINNER: Quentin Tarantino Advertisement

It was announced in July that Idris and his wife Sabrina would present the ceremony, with the actor saying: 'In their various ways, the GQ Men Of The Year award winners have kept all of our spirits up throughout one of the most difficult years and we are very much looking forward to celebrating with them  and hosting a great party!'

Ahead of this year's awards, Nick Sargent, chief business officer of culture at Conde Nast Britain and publishing director of British GQ, said: 'After the unprecedented year weve had, Im thrilled to announce the return of the Men Of The Year Awards for 2021 as a live event.

'Even though our virtual event last year was a huge success, its exciting to be able to come together again in person to celebrate the incredible talent who best represent GQ and continue to push the boundaries on the worlds cultural stage. It will be a night to remember.'

Last year's GQ Men Of The Year was presented by Jack Whitehall and took place virtually due to the Covid pandemic, with many stars accepting their prizes in pre-recorded clips that formed the ceremony, which was streamed live on YouTube.
Just over two years after his superhero sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home hit theaters, Jake Gyllenhaal ran into a familiar face in Venice... sort of.

The 40-year-old actor was vacationing in Venice, Italy, when he noticed a cosplayer dressed as his Spider-Man: Far From Home character Quentin Beck, a.k.a. Mysterio.

Gyllenhaal took to his Instagram to share a snap of him in a gondola in one of Venice's famed canals, with the cosplayer in the background.

Familiar: Just over two years after his superhero sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home hit theaters, Jake Gyllenhaal ran into a familiar face in Venice... sort of

Cosplayer: The 40-year-old actor was vacationing in Venice, Italy, when he noticed a cosplayer dressed as his Spider-Man: Far From Home character Quentin Beck, a.k.a. Mysterio

He also shared a close-up shot of the man in his full costume, while others looked on.

'Ran into an old friend in Venezia,' Gyllenhaal said in the caption of his post, which lead to a few comments from celebrity friends.

Josh Gad responded simply, 'Take. Him. Out,' while Deadpool comic book creator Rob Liefeld added, 'You can totally take that guy!'

Reactions: Josh Gad responded simply, 'Take. Him. Out,' while Deadpool comic book creator Rob Liefeld added, 'You can totally take that guy!'

Gyllenhaal's character Quentin Beck was originally believed to come from Earth-833, part of the 'multiverse,' in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

While Beck portrayed himself as a hero named Mysterio, though he was ultimately revealed as a disgruntled former employee of Tony Stark who specialized in optical illusions.

Parts of Spider-Man: Far From Home were actually filmed in Venice, with the story revolving around Peter Parker (Tom Holland) going on a European summer trip with his classmates.

Mysterio: Gyllenhaal's character Quentin Beck was originally believed to come from Earth-833, part of the 'multiverse,' in Spider-Man: Far From Home

Disgruntled: While Beck portrayed himself as a hero named Mysterio, though he was ultimately revealed as a disgruntled former employee of Tony Stark who specialized in optical illusions

Gyllenhaal will next be seen in The Guilty, a new thriller that reunites him with Southpaw director Antoine Fuqua.

The Guilty follows a disgraced cop who has been demoted to dispatch duty whose life is turned upside down when he gets a call from a kidnapped woman.

Gyllenhaal stars alongside Paul Dano, Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough, Peter Sarsgaard and Bill Burr in the Netflix film, debuting October 1.

Coming soon: Gyllenhaal will next be seen in The Guilty, a new thriller that reunites him with Southpaw director Antoine Fuqua

Demoted: The Guilty follows a disgraced cop who has been demoted to dispatch duty whose life is turned upside down when he gets a call from a kidnapped woman

He has a number of projects in various stages of development, including one movie arriving next year.

The actor stars in director Michael Bay's Ambulance, with Eiza Gonzalez, Yahya Abdul-Mateen III and Garret Dillahunt, in theaters February 22.

He also stars in The Division with Jessica Chastain, which is currently in pre-production.
Bindi Irwin and her husband Chandler Powell recently celebrated their baby Grace Warrior tuning five months old.

And on Wednesday, they gave fans another glimpse at their life with their daughter by sharing a series of sweet family photos.

'Sometimes, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart,' Bindi, 23, captioned a photograph of her cuddling up to her brother Robert, mum Terri, husband Chandler and her little girl.

Happy family: On Wednesday, proud parents Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell gave fans another glimpse at their life with their daughter by sharing a series of sweet family photos featuring Bindi's brother Robert and mum Terri

Earlier in the day, proud dad Chandler, 24, proved just how much passion for wildlife runs in the family, by posting two photos of his tot reaching out to a plush owl toy.

'Grace Warrior teaching me how to wrangle an owl on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve. Our girl is a Wildlife Warrior for sure!' he wrote alongside the photo.

Chandler was seen smiling from ear-to ear-as he bonded with Grace.

On August 25, the couple paid tribute to their only child as she celebrated reaching five-months old.

'She loves being outside on adventures with us, cuddling up to hear a good story, feeling/grabbing everything around her and giggling,' Bindi began her message.

Wildlife warrior: Earlier in the day, proud dad Chandler, 24, proved just how much passion for wildlife runs in the family, by posting two photos of his tot reaching out to a plush owl toy

Daddy's girl: Chandler was seen smiling from ear-to ear-as he bonded with Grace

'Every day she reminds us of the magic in even the simplest of things,' she added.

Chandler, 24, also shared an identical photo of his adorable daughter enjoying the great outdoors.

Cute! On August 25, the couple paid tribute to their only child as she celebrated reaching five-months old. Bindi, 23, shared a series of photos of Grace smiling in a onesie with a pink bow on her head while strapped into her tiny camping chair next to a river

'Five months of sunshine with our happy girl,' the former pro wakeboarder wrote.

'Recent weeks have been filled with smiles, laughter, rolling around and grabbing everything within reach.

'We love you, Grace,' he added.

Happy couple: Bindi first met Chandler in 2013, when the American former wakeboarder went on a guided tour of Australia Zoo in Queensland

Bindi first met Chandler in 2013, when the American former wakeboarder went on a guided tour of Australia Zoo in Queensland.

The pair married in a makeshift ceremony at Australia Zoo in March last year.

They welcomed daughter Grace Warrior in March 2021.
Selling Sunset's Heather Rae Young showed off her amazing figure in a grey tank top and skintight black leggings with the word 'radiant' down the side.

As she went for a jog around Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon, the 33-year-old reality star rocked a pair of oversized shades and her blonde hair in a low ponytail.

She appeared to blocking out the rest of the world as she listened to music or a podcast through her AirPods while running full speed ahead.

Going for a run: As she went for a jog wearing AirPods, the 33-year-old reality star rocked a pair of oversized shades and sneakers

While giving a glimpse of her toned midriff, Young looked as fit as ever after teasing she'll be walking down the aisle with fiance Tarek El Moussa 'soon.'

Her run comes after an exciting weekend spent with loved ones at her bridal shower at the Fig & Olive restaurant in Newport Beach on Sunday.

'First photo describes my mood for the entire day,' Heather caption a photo of herself in the dress that looked like it could double as a flirty wedding dress.

Fit: Selling Sunset's Heather Rae Young shows off her lean figure in a grey tank top and black leggings with the word 'radiant' down the side

While speaking about being surrounded by her closet friends and family, Young said she was 'beyond blessed to have been showered with so much love' at the luncheon.

Tarek met Heather at a Fourth of July party in 2019 and proposed one year later on Catalina island in California.

While no exact date has been revealed yet, Young recently saying she's getting hitched 'so soon.'

She has the look! The 40-year-old reality star looked stunning in a strapless white dress that made the most of her curvy shape and long, toned legs. 'Today was a dream,' she said on social media

'Tarek and I are on the same page with everything we want and everything else weve left up to our amazing wedding planners,' she gushed. 'Were just excited to spend the rest of our lives together and thats really what we want the whole day to be celebrating.'

Though the couple have imminent plans to tie the knot, they have had to start their wedding planning all over recently.

In early August, Young revealed she and El Moussa had to let their wedding planner go because she was so stressed by how the planning was going.

Blessed: Tarek met Heather at a Fourth of July party in 2019 and proposed one year later on Catalina island

A big, intimate wedding: The Christmas in Compton actress also revealed that the couple wants a big wedding with friends and family, but one that also feels 'really intimate'

The Christmas in Compton actress also revealed that the couple wants a big wedding with friends and family, but one that also feels 'really intimate.'

This will be Young's first wedding but not El Moussa's.

The HGTV star was previously married to his co-host on Flip or Flop Christine Haack from 2009 to 2018. They have two children together, 10-year-old Taylor El Moussa and Brayden, aged five.

He has kids: The HGTV star was previously married to his co-host on Flip or Flop Christine Haack from 2009 to 2018. They have two children together, 10-year-old Taylor El Moussa and Brayden, aged five

In an interview with PEOPLE last month, Young said she enjoyed being a 'bonus mom' and called the kids her babies.

'That's true. They're my babies and I love them. I'm just so happy and fulfilled. We're crazy busy right now.

'We're focused on our careers, as well, so a baby is just not in the cards right now. But you never know what's going to happen.'
A look at Kim and Kanye's love story

2004: First meeting

Kim and Kanye first met on a music video shoot when the KUWTK star was working as Brandy's stylist and Kanye was working on a song with the songstress.

At the time she was still married to Damon Thomas, who she wed in 2000, and Kanye was dating model Alexis Phifer.

Kanye was dating model Alexis Phifer

Speaking about their first meeting on the Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10 year anniversary special, Kim said: 'I met him I think in 2002 or 2003. He was recording a song with Brandy, and I was her friend...

'I vividly remember hanging out with him and then they did a video together, so I'd see him a few times...

'He was asking his friends: 'Who is this Kim Kardajan?' He didn't know what my name was'.

She later told Vogue Arabia in 2019: 'This was before you released your first album and you were known as a music producer. I was really shy...

'You thought I was Brandys assistant, which I wasnt. Ever since you said that, its everywhere like Kim is Brandys assistant. I was her friend and stylist. [laughs]...

'I thought you were attractive, nice, very charming, really funny, powerful  I was in awe of you, but I was really shy, quiet, and a little nervous, to be honest.'

Later on that year, Kim split from Damon, who she wed when she was just 19 after eloping. She attributed domestic violence for the split - a claim he has always staunchly denied .

Kim wrote in the divorce papers: 'Before we left out home, Damon hit me in the face and cut my lip open.. I fell into the bed frame and banged my knee hard. I was limping when we went skydiving.'

Sealing the deal: West's crush on Kardashian only grew over the years as the rising star began getting photographed next to her boss-turned-friend Paris Hilton; Paris and Kim pictured in 2006

2006: Heads turned further

Kanye's huge crush on Kim only grew over the years as the rising star began getting photographed next to her boss-turned-friend Paris Hilton.

In an interview with Ryan Seacrest in 2013, Kanye revealed that he truly fell for his future wife after he got a glimpse of a certain photo of her next to her pal Paris in Australia.

He said: 'I just knew I wanted her to be my girl for a long time. 'I remember I saw a picture of her and Paris Hilton, and I remember telling my boy, 'Have you seen that girl Kim Kardijon?''

Despite his growing attraction to Kim, Kanye went on to propose to longtime girlfriend Alexis in August of 2006.

The proposal was slightly more low-key than his eventual proposal to Kim many years later.

Kanye popped the question to Alexis over a lobster and pasta dinner during a vacation to Capri.

Tradgedy struck the following year however, when Kanye's beloved mother Donda passed away.

Following a number of procedures for liposuction, a tummy tuck, and a breast reduction, the following day she experienced a sore throat, pain and tightening in her chest, before collapsing. A friend who was with her called 911 and West was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead in the emergency room.

After her death, Kanye seemed keen to honour her wishes of his marriage as he said of tying the knot to Alexis: 'I'm just going to go and get married  I'm not going to make a big deal out of it...

'I wouldn't get married to prove anything to anyone. It's for me, for stability in my life, and I'm so happy that I found someone that I really love, that challenges me, that keeps my life interesting, that's just as crazy as I am.'

Working together: Kanye asks Kim to appear in his infamous hip-hop puppet show Alligator Boots, where she would be playing the part of Star Wars' Princess Leia; Kim and Kanye pictured in 2008

2008: A split, Princess Leia and two new loves

In April, Kanye calls off his year-and-a-half engagement to Phifer, as confirmed by Phifer in a statement to People, in which she said: 'It's always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends'.

Shortly after, Kanye asked Kim to appear in his infamous hip-hop puppet show Alligator Boots, where she would be playing the part of Star Wars' Princess Leia.

Although the show was rejected by Comedy Central, Kardashian still had fond feelings for the project as she shared behind the scenes pictures from the set of Alligator Boots to social media in 2018.

Kim wrote on her website: 'We had met before this project (back in 2003), but I would say this is when we first really connected. These pics are SO funny!'

At the time of filming Alligator Boots, Kim was in a relationship with New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, who she started dating in 2007.

Meanwhile, Kanye became involved with model Amber Rose in September of that year.

Future couple? In February, Kim and Kanye reunite with one another at the Y-3 show in New York City. Kim attended the show with boyfriend Reggie, while Kanye arrived solo and snagged a seat next to the couple and actress Milla Jovovich

2009: A fashionable meet and a mysterious mention

In February, Kim and Kanye reunite with one another at the Y-3 show in New York City. Kim attended the show with boyfriend Reggie, while Kanye arrived solo and snagged a seat next to the couple and actress Milla Jovovich.

In April, during his appearance on Keri Hilson's hit track Knock You Down, appears to reference his looming crush on Kim and his jealousy over her relationship with Reggie.

He rapped: 'You were always the cheerleader of my dreams / Seem to only date the head of football teams/...

'And I was the class clown that always kept you laughing / We were never meant to be, baby we just happened'.

Kanye and Amber also part ways in July of that year

2010: The end of two love stories

In March, after three years of dating, Kim and Reggie split up for good. Reports at the time blamed the pressures of fame.

They had briefly split in August 2009 before reuniting, however he was unable to reconcile himself to Kim's rising star.

An insider told e! online: 'They do truly love each other and there's no bad blood... They're even open to the idea of reconciling down the road, but need to be apart right now.'

Kanye and Amber also part ways in July of that year.

Following their split, Amber blamed Kim for the split, saying: 'Kim is one of the main reasons why me and Kanye are not together. She's a homewrecker!'

In the years after his split from Amber, Kanye has openly criticised the model - most famously saying in a 2015 interview that he had to take '30 showers' after dating her and reportedly branding her a 'prostitute'.

In December, as Kim filmed the music video for her single Jam (Turn It Up), Kanye was present on set. Famously, Kardashian's mother Kris Jenner snapped at him for checking out her daughter's famous derriere by bluntly saying, 'Don't be looking at her a**'.

The songwriter snapped back: 'I've never seen it actually.'

In August 2011, Kim and Kris wed during a lavish, televised ceremony in Montecito, CA

2011: A Hump(hries) in the road

In May 2011, Kim got engaged to her NBA star boyfriend Kris Humphries, who she started dating in October of 2010.

In August that year, Kim and Kris wed during a lavish, televised ceremony in Montecito, CA. The eye-popping nuptials were attended by 450 guests and cost approximately $10million,

In an explosive twist in the tale, after just 72 days of marriage, Kim filed for divorce on October 31.

Kim later revealed that she had misgivings about the marriage but felt she must go forward due to surrounding pressures.

She said: 'There was all this attention on the wedding, and I thought 'maybe it was just the pressure of the show giving me this anxiety.'

'The night before, my mom pulled me aside, off camera, and was like, 'This isn't it for you,''

'I felt like, if I pulled out now, everyone's going to think I just did it for the show. Then afterwards, people were saying, 'You have to stay married for a year,' but I physically couldn't do it. When I made the decision [to divorce], everyone said it was made up for the show. Everyone really wanted to take me down.'

Kris said of the split: ''It's never easy to go through the embarrassment of something like that  with your friends, with your family . But when it plays out so publicly, in front of the world, it's a whole other level. It was brutal'.

During his appearance on Kocktails with Khloe, Kanye revealed to Khloe that he tried to talk Kim out of moving forward with her marriage to Kris.

Shortly after, rumors began to swirl that Kim had taken her friendship with Kanye to the next level.

Early snap: Kim confirmed her romance with Kanye in June 2012 and they announced they were expecting their first child that December

2012: It's TRUE and there's a baby

They finally got together eight years after meeting.

In March, The rumored couple let it be known they were spending time with each other when Kim sat front row at Kanye's runway show during Paris Fashion Week.

The following month, after months of rumors and rumblings, Kim and Kanye made their relationship official as they held hands in New York City.

In May they took things a step further and make their red carpet debut at the Cannes Film Festival during the premiere for the film Cruel Summer.

In December, the Stronger rapper joyously reveals that his is expecting his first child with Kim during a New Year's Eve concert in Atlantic City.

The rapper said 'stop the music', then announced 'make noise for my baby mama right here,' with a wide smile. Kanye's announcement prompted a flurry of excited tweets from the audience

Taking to her official website, Kim also confirmed the pregnancy, writing: 'It's true!! Kanye and I are expecting a baby...

'We feel so blessed and lucky and wish that in addition to both of our families, his mom and my dad could be here to celebrate this special time with us. Looking forward to great new beginnings in 2013 and to starting a family.'

2013: A star is born... North West is here and a wedding on the way

Epic proposal: In October, Kanye made proposal history when he asked Kim for her hand in marriage with a sparkling 15-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond ring

On June 15, Kim welcomed their daughter North West.

Weeks later, the KUWTK star showed off a picture of her and Kanye's baby girl, while appearing on her mother Kris' short lived talk show.

In October, Kanye made proposal history when he asked Kim for her hand in marriage with a sparkling 15-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond ring.

The proposal was a total surprise and went down at the AT&T Park baseball park in San Francisco, which Kanye rented out for the occasion.

He had arranged for the words 'PLEEESE MARRY MEEE!!!' to flash up on the giant scoreboard at the ballpark.

Despite his bravado, Kanye admitted prior to the proposal he was nervous, saying: 'I was talking to a cousin, I said, 'What do you think she's gonna say?'...

'I'm not arrogant about love and feelings at all . . . I knew I wanted her to be my girl for a long time

In November, the couple then made headlines around the globe when shortly after their engagement, Kim famously appeared nude while straddling Kanye on a motorbike in his Bound 2 music video.

2014: The wedding

In May the following year, the couple tied the knot at the Renaissance fortress in Florence, Italy

In May the following year, the couple tied the knot at the Renaissance fortress in Florence, Italy. The lavish affair saw 200 people in attendance and Kim walked down the aisle in a stunning Maison Margiela bridal gown.

They were wed under the direction of Rich Wilkerson Jr, a pastor from North Miami. Speaking moments after the ceremony to E! News, Kim's mum Kris said she was 'beyond bursting with happiness for Kim, Kanye and baby North'.

'Such a magical, romantic wedding!' she added. 'I feel blessed to have my new son and his family as part of ours.' And Kanye seemed equally ebullient, with a source telling MailOnline he gave an eight-minute speech to the gathered guests.

'I just wanna stop the music a second 'cos my baby's coming back with a new dress on. Here she is - Kim Kardashian West,' he said, introducing his bride.

After the ceremony, the guests broke bread together sitting family style on a 70-metre-long marble banquet table - a gift from master craftsman Gualtiero Vannelli who used marble from the Tuscan quarry in Carrara, according to Us Weekly.

During the ceremony Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli serenaded Kim and Kanye with several of his songs, including Con te Partiro. Among the stars at the nuptials were Steve McQueen, Lala Anthony, Jaden Smith and Joe Francis.

2015: Saint West

In December, Kim and Kanye welcomed their second child, son Saint West, on December 5, 2015.

In May, in wake of her first wedding anniversary with Kanye, Kim confirmed to Glamour that she was expecting her second child with the Grammy winner.

'North has taught me patience. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her. And nothing I wouldn't do for my husband. She's empowered us to want to be the best parents and the best spouses,' said the star.

In December, Kim and Kanye welcomed their second child, son Saint West, on December 5, 2015.

Eager to share her newborn with her massive Instagram following, Kim shared a portrait of Saint to the platform.

Kim later discussed life with two young children, saying of North: 'I don't know if it's because she's the older sister. I don't know what it is. I thought it was a phase. She does not like her brother and it's so hard for me...

'She would get so jealous when I would breastfeed and all that kind of stuff. And now, the phase isn't going away.'

Famed and adored for her seeming diva ways, Kim continued to give insight into life with North, saying: 'She thinks she's outsmarting me.

'Like, she'll have a tea party and say, 'No boys allowed.' Dad can't come too then -- no boys. And she'll slam the door on her brother's face and he'll just start crying.'

2016: Kim's trauma and trouble in paradise

In 2016, Kim was left traumatised when burglars broke into her Paris apartment during Fashion Week, tied her up and stole $10million of jewellery in October 2016 (pictured before the raid)

In 2016, Kim was left traumatised when burglars broke into her Paris apartment during Fashion Week, tied her up and stole $10million of jewellery in October 2016.

In 2018, she finally learning to be 'okay' with the horrifying experience because she has 'learned so much from it'.

The reality star was robbed by five armed men wearing ski masks and clothes with police markings in the ordeal.

At around 3am, the robbers entered the building after the concierge let them in.

Handcuffed and at gunpoint, the concierge led them to the starlet's flat.

Kim reportedly 'begged for her life' and told the gunmen she had children at home when two of them entered her room and held the gun to her head.

The men stole a jewellery box worth 6 million ($6.7 million/ 5.24 million) and a ring worth 4 million ($4.5 million/ 3.5 million), prompting fears that the valuables were personal ones, and not just jewellery Kim was borrowing for fashion week.

Kim also lost two of her prized smart phones  ones that are likely to contain a great deal of personal information.

As she recovered from the trauma of the robbery, Kim faced further plight when later that year, the couple were faced with allegations of 'friction' due to Kanye's online behaviour.

After Kanye went on a number of Twitter tangents, insiders said: ' What causes friction in the marriage, however, is Kanye's compulsive tweeting.

'Kim can't stand it. She is all for self-promotion, but doesn't approve of Twitter drama'.

Despite this, they denied they were having issues with Kim saying 'there's just nothing to really report on'.

2017: Baby number three

The couple hired a surrogate to carry their third child. It was first reported in July that Kim opted to go the surrogate route due to health complications during her first two pregnancies

The couple hired a surrogate to carry their third child. It was first reported in July that Kim opted to go the surrogate route due to health complications during her first two pregnancies.

Kim, who suffered with life threatening placenta accreta when carrying North and Saint, is said to have been referred 'by an agency' to find the right surrogate.

TMZ claimed the famous duo paid $45,000 for the surrogate to carry their third child, before revealing the lady in question is an African-American college graduate in her Twenties who has been married for five years with two children.

'The entire family is over the moon. Kim had been looking for a surrogate for months until recently when she found the perfect candidate,' a source told People.

The singer added: 'They want everything to be perfect and for the baby to be extremely healthy.

'They don't want any complications and Kim is providing an ideal eating regimen and diet so everyone knows what the baby is consuming before it's born.'

Prior to hiring their surrogate, Kim spoke to her sister Kourtney about the perks of surrogacy, saying: ''If you use a surrogate, nobody has to know the whole time...

'You could have a baby for a year and nobody would even know.'

2018: Chicago is here

In January, their daughter Chicago was born

In January, their daughter Chicago was born.

Kim delightedly announced the news, confirming in a statement : 'We're so in love. Kanye and I are happy to announce the arrival of our healthy, beautiful baby girl'.

Three days after the birth, Kim revealed that the couple had decided to call their newborn daughter Chicago.

She shared a picture of the name, captioned with the date and time of the tot's birth, plus her weight  7lbs, 6oz.

She shared a post which explains how to pronounce the shortened version of Chicago's name.

The informative messages said: 'And to everyone who thinks it's literally pronounced as CHI. No. It's 'Shy'.'

When grilled on the unusual name: 'Everyone asks me where we came up with that,' Kim said about her baby girl, whom she regularly calls 'Chi.

'Kanye is originally from Chicago, and the city is really connected to his memory of his mom. So, we went with Chicago.'

2019: The brood continues to grow and Sunday Service arrives

In May, they then welcomed another son Psalm West by a surrogate and later renewed their wedding vows

In May, they then welcomed another son Psalm West by a surrogate and later renewed their wedding vows.

She announced Psalm's arrival on Mother's Day with a picture of the baby asleep.

Kris later explained what the name meant, saying: 'The inspiration was the Book of Psalms in the Bible. I think it's just a wonderful way to celebrate how they feel. And he's such a blessing, so it's perfect. He's just adorable.'

Kim had spoken earlier about moving on to having four children.

She said: 'I think that, [for] anyone that has three, I do recommend going for the fourth. You're already there. You're so close. It feels so balanced. It feels like there's a partner for everyoneno one's left out. Everyone gets along now.'

The biblical name came around the same time as the launch of Kanye's Sunday Service, in which he delivered his own religious service each Sunday at his home since the beginning of 2019.

The biblical name came around the same time as the launch of Kanye's Sunday Service, in which he delivered his own religious service each Sunday at his home since the beginning of 2019

Kim discussed the services and detailed what they meant to Kanye, saying: ''Kanye started this, I think, just to heal himself. It was a really personal thing, and it was just friends and family...

'He has had an amazing evolution of being born again and being saved by Christ...

'For the most part, it's just a musical ministry. Kanye doesn't have his 501 [registered non-profit exempt from federal tax] yet to make it an official church, but it is for God and it is a Christian church. It started off healing for him and it's become something that he really wants to share for everybody else.'

Kanye himself spoke about Sunday Service, telling David Letterman: 'It was really an idea that we had to open up our hearts and make music that we felt was as pure and as positive as possible...

'And just do it for an hour every Sunday. And just have somewhere where people can come together and just feel good with their families.'

On July 4, Kanye announced he was entering the 2020 presidential race and Kim - as well as Elon Musk - backed him

2020: Kanye's troubles and Kim's birthday

On July 4, Kanye announced he was entering the 2020 presidential race and Kim - as well as Elon Musk - backed him.

Later that month, on July 19 he held a campaign rally in South Carolina, wearing a bullet-proof jacket marked 'security' and with '2020' shaved into his head.

In a rambling speech, he revealed he and Kim had considered aborting North and also claimed abolitionist Harriet Tubman 'never actually freed the slaves'.

On July 22, he fired off a series of tweets claiming Kim was trying to have him locked up on medical grounds, that he had been 'trying to get divorced' since Kim allegedly met rapper Meek Mill at the Waldorf Hotel and called mother-in-law Kris Jenner 'Kris Jong-Un'.

Kim subsequently released a statement saying Kanye was suffering a bi-polar episode at the time. It was later revealed he was holing up at his Wyoming ranch and Kim was seen in tears as she visited him,

In October, Kim and Kanye through the stunner an elaborate 40th birthday festivities, which included dinner at candlelight with her nearest and dearest on a private island.

After the event, Kim shed light on some of the precautions she had everyone take in order to safely celebrate her big day, which included a two week quarantine prior to the party.

She penned: '40 and feeling so humbled and blessed. There is not a single day that I take for granted, especially during these times when we are all reminded of the things that truly matter,' she wrote.

Virtual: Kim Kardashian revealed on Thursday that she received a hologram of her late father Robert from husband Kanye West , in celebration of her 40th birthday

'For my birthday this year, I couldn't think of a better way to spend it than with some of the people who have helped shaped me into the woman I am today. Before COVID, I don't think any of us truly appreciated what a simple luxury it was to be able to travel and be together with family and friends in a safe environment...

'After 2 weeks of multiple health screens and asking everyone to quarantine, I surprised my closest inner circle with a trip to a private island where we could pretend things were normal just for a brief moment in time. We danced, rode bikes, swam near whales, kayaked, watched a movie on the beach and so much more.

'I realize that for most people, this is something that is so far out of reach right now, so in moments like these, I am humbly reminded of how privileged my life is. #thisis40.'

During the trip, she received a hologram of her late father Robert from husband Kanye.

Famed attorney Robert Kardashian, who tragically passed away from esophageal cancer in July of 2003 at the age of 59, was brought back to virtual life for the unconventional gift, which a number of fans have branded 'creepy'.

Among the statements made by the virtual incarnation of the late Kardashian patriarch were that his famous daughter was 'all grown up', while he also hailed Kanye, 43, as 'the most genius man in the whole world'.

The two-and-a-half minute video showed the late Kardashian wearing a beige suit jacket layered over a crisp white dress shirt as he seemingly spoke directly to Kim.

'Happy Birthday Kimberly,' greeted the hologram. 'Look at you! You're 40 and all grown up. You look beautiful just like when you were a little girl. 'I watch over you and your sisters and brother and the kids everyday. Sometimes I drop hints that I'm around,' noted hologram Robert, who made reference to something the Kardashians refer to as a 'big peefee'.

2021: The end?

The couple have been rocked by claims that their six-year marriage is over, with sources saying 'divorce is imminent' for the power couple.

Several sources have claimed that Kim is preparing to file for divorce from her rapper husband while he is said to be fed up with the whole Kardashian clan.

The rumors of a split follow a rocky year for the couple where they were spotted having 'crisis' talks after Kanye accused Kim of trying to 'lock me up' and said he wanted to divorce her in a series of rambling Twitter posts while he was said to be in the grips of a bipolar episode.

Kanye also made a failed run for the White House in 2020 and during his first presidential campaign rally told attendees that Kim had considered aborting daughter North.
The Bachelor's Abbie Chatfield is set to undergo several tests after a breast cancer scare.

On Thursday the 26-year-old shared a health update with fans after noticing a dimple on one of her breasts, and said while her doctor thinks she will be fine, they advised her to 'get some tests done'.

'Hey everyone, firstly my doctor said that everything should be fine, but it's probably just scarring that I've had on my titty,' she said.

Health update: The Bachelor 's Abbie Chatfield is set to undergo several tests after a breast cancer scare. Abbie told her fans that while her doctor thinks she will be fine, they advised her to 'get some tests done'

Abbie also shared a 'fun fact', telling her followers she has 'scarring all the way through my left nipple'.

On Wednesday, Abbie broke down in tears in an Instagram video after noticing a small dimple on her breast and asked fans for advice.

'Hey besties, has anyone ever had a dimple on their breast that didn't end up being breast cancer because I'm kinda freaking out right now,' an emotional Abbie asked.

'If any doctors could reply to me or anyone that's had a dimple on their breast like a normal cheek dimple that would be great.'

'Has anyone had a dimple on their breast?' On Wednesday, Abbie broke down in tears in an Instagram video after noticing a small dimple on her breast and asked fans for advice

'I'm really scared': She then went on to admit she'd been so concerned about the matter, it was taking a toll on her mentally

She then went on to admit she'd been so concerned about the matter, it was taking a toll on her mentally.

'I am literally having a panic attack and I normally post this but I'm honestly about to lose it and I've booked an appointment tomorrow so no one tell me go to a doctor.

'It's just at the moment it's hard to get appointments and I'm really scared,' she added referencing the New South Wales lockdown.

She continued:' Right now all I'm doing is googling and all that's coming up is severe breast cancer and I'm not copping.'

Hours later, the Im A Celebrity winner revealed that she had spoken to a doctor via phone and the appointment has helped ease her anxiety.

'The doctor said it could be one of many things including trauma/scarring,' she said at the time.

She also took it upon herself to remind followers to regularly get their breasts checked.

'Going to GP tomorrow. Thank you for the messages, feeling better. Gonna leave that up though as a reminder to do a breast check.'
She has been living it up in Capri in recent days.

And Demi Rose shared another update from her sun-soaked trip on Wednesday, as she put her ample assets on display during a lunch date.

The Instagram model, 26, wowed in a deeply plunging dress which flaunted her cleavage, as she posed against a stunning seascape backdrop.

What a life! Demi Rose shared another update from her sun-soaked trip on Wednesday, as she put her ample assets on display during a lunch date

Demi wore her brunette locks swept back off her face with a hairclip, in a half up half down style - while accessoirsing with circular sunglasses.

In front of her Demi placed a white Dior bag, which was no doubt full of her essentials for her day out in the sunshine.

In another snap she displayed the effect of her dresses' full skirt, which boasted semi-sheer square print detailing all over.

Stunning: The Instagram model, 26, wowed in a deeply plunging dress which flaunted her cleavage, as she posed against a stunning seascape backdrop

Designer: In a third image the influencer posed in front of a Dior store

In a third image the influencer posed in front of a Dior store.

It comes after Demi posed up a storm in a barely-there illusion swimsuit in sizzling snaps shared to Instagram on Tuesday.

She oozed confidence as she seductively lounged on a daybed while soaking up the sun during a trip to Capri.

Wow! It comes after Demi posed up a storm in a barely-there illusion swimsuit in sizzling snaps shared to Instagram on Tuesday

Demi gazed into the camera as she displayed her killer curves in the skimpy swimwear which featured nude and black panels, giving the illusion of her wearing very little to protect her modesty.

The stunner's brunettes tresses were styled to the side in loose waves, while she added a pop of colour with a sweep of bold red lipstick.

Demi looked quite at home as she posed for the images in front of the idyllic backdrop, captioning her post: 'Jadior Capri'

Cheeky! She oozed confidence as she seductively lounged on a daybed

Demi has been modelling for the last eight years and credits her career for being a 'blessing' after being subjected to bullying when she was younger.

Speaking to Radio 1 Newsbeat, Demi previously revealed: 'I always wanted to get into modelling and when I eventually got there I classed it as a blessing because I grew up being bullied and didn't have many friends at all.'

In 2019, both of Demi's parents died, just seven months apart and the star said going into lockdown straight after their deaths was 'a time of reflection.'

Work it: Demi displayed her killer curves in the skimpy swimwear which featured nude and black panels, giving the illusion of her wearing very little to protect her modesty

'Having to deal with my parents' house and selling their stuff - it was a really sad place for me.

'I wanted to go and travel but I had three months in London, which was a lot of facing what I had been through and was a time of reflection.'

Her latest shoot comes after she was seen teasing her OnlyFans page to her Instagram followers, after signing up to the X-rated content-sharing platform.

Model behaviour: The stunner's brunettes tresses were styled to the side in loose waves, while she added a pop of colour with a sweep of bold red lipstick

Demi told fans she was ditching her profile's subscription fee for a limited period.

OnlyFans is an online platform, known for its X-rated content, that allows public figure to charge fans a fee to their profile, where they often shares pictures and videos deemed too provocative for other social media sites.

Demi previously charged fans for access to her content - with costs ranging from $22.22 (16) a month or $119.99 (around 86) for six months.

She's not the only famous face who uses the platform, with celebrities including Bella Thorne, Cardi B and Danniella Westbrook signing up to the service.
Lindy Rama-Ellis (formerly Klim) is moving up in the world, thanks to reality TV veteran Kourtney Kardashian's wellness website POOSH.

In June, the ex-wife of swimmer Michael Klim, 44, celebrated a business milestone after her vaginal pampering brand Fig Femme was snapped up by POOSH, becoming the first Australian label to be featured on the site.

And on Thursday, Kourtney gave Lindy's brand a plug by including Fig Femme products in an article about vaginal health and 'natural ways to balance the vagina's pH'.

Success story! Lindy Rama-Ellis (left) is moving up in the world, thanks to reality TV veteran Kourtney Kardashian's (right) wellness website POOSH

Kourtney spruiked the article on her personal Instagram page, after which Lindy excitedly re-shared the post to her own Stories.

'Fig Femme featured in Poosh,' she wrote, adding a photo of the article and three Fig Femme products that had been touted as examples of vaginal health products.

Lindy went from an Olympian's ex-wife to Australia's hottest vaginal wellness expert overnight following the launch of her vagina mask brand Fig Femme in July 2020.

Promotion: On Thursday, Kourtney gave Lindy's brand a plug by including Fig Femme products in an article about vaginal health and 'natural ways to balance the vagina's pH'

Celebrity-approved: Kourtney spruiked the article on her personal Instagram page, after which Lindy excitedly re-shared the post to her own Stories

Products from the range include a 'Refresh Daily Wash' for your intimate parts, the 'Revive Hydrating Mist' for eliminating odour-causing bacteria, and the 'Restore Mask', which is a luxurious sheet mask for the vulva.

While Lindy has urged fans to take 'vaginal wellness' seriously, Australian sexologist Dr Nikki Goldstein thinks otherwise.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia about Fig Femme, Dr Goldstein argued that gynaecological problems and concerns should always be dealt with by medically trained professionals, not 'intimate wellness' companies.

The product you didn't know you needed: Lindy went from an Olympian's ex-wife to Australia's hottest vaginal wellness expert overnight after the launch of her vagina mask brand last July

Unique brand: Products from the range include a 'Refresh Daily Wash' for your intimate parts, the 'Revive Hydrating Mist' for eliminating odour-causing bacteria, and the 'Restore Mask', which is a luxurious sheet mask for the vulva

'If there is something that doesn't feel or seem right, it's a doctor that needs to be consulted, not a beauty brand,' she said.

Nikki also suggested that 'intimate' beauty products are problematic because they suggest that there is something inherently wrong with a natural-looking vagina.

'Whilst I encourage more open and positive talk about women's sexuality and their bodies, I am concerned that vulva masks might make many women feel more self conscious about this part of their bodies, [and making women believe] there is now something they need to do to improve it,' she warned.

'Consult a doctor, not a beauty brand:' Leading sexologist Dr Nikki Goldstein (pictured) previously slammed Lindy Klim's vagina mask range, which claims to 'improve the appearance of genitals' and treat itchiness

However, a Fig Femme spokesperson rejected Nikki's assertions, telling Daily Mail Australia the vulva masks are meant to 'empower' women.

'The purpose of our masks is to nourish, soothe and aid post-pregnancy recovery, whilst also encouraging an open and honest self-care routine that helps facilitate self-confidence and aid a sense of empowerment for women over their own body,' they said.

They also rejected Nikki's suggestion that the masks are a way to profit from female insecurities.

'We are proud of our progressive product and we take pride in encouraging an open and honest dialogue, promoting female self-confidence, breaking down the typical taboo connotations associated with the notion of vulva shame and any female insecurities,' the spokesperson said.

'It's okay to have blemishes on your vulva': Nikki also suggested that 'intimate' beauty products are problematic because they suggest that there is something inherently wrong with a natural-looking vagina
Kevin O'Leary and Kevin Harrington of the ABC show Shark Tank have been named in a lawsuit from 20 people accusing them of promoting a 'predatory fraud scheme' involving startup firms focused on crowdfunding.

O'Leary, 67, and Harrington, 64, are accused of misleading entrepreneurs into investing into a pair of crowdfunding-based firms, named Ideazon and InventureX, according to legal docs reviewed by TMZ.

The 20 people suing claim that O'Leary and Harrington said that they could be featured on Shark Tank for their investments, but nothing panned out.

The latest: Kevin O'Leary, 67, and Kevin Harrington, 64, of the ABC show Shark Tank have been named in a lawsuit from 20 people accusing them of promoting a 'predatory fraud scheme' involving startup firms focused on crowdfunding

The plaintiffs called the investment a 'diabolical and brazen scam to defraud what is believed to be hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent, hard-working entrepreneurs out of their last dollar' in their legal complaint, Radar reported.

Ideazon and InventureX 'turned out to be nothing less than facades designed to lure in unsuspecting victims, extract their money and then virtually disappear under the guise of delays, minimal to no performance, and no results,' the plaintiffs said in their legal complaint, according to the outlet.

The legal complaint stated the investors 'were lured by the involvement, endorsement and credibility' of the TV personalities and 'bought into the dream, paid their money, and then went through agonizing months, if not years, of frustration and distress of trying to get their products launched and businesses started with no results.'

The plaintiffs said in legal docs their effort to recoup the monies led to more 'agonizing frustration' as they were subjected to 'more lies and deception ... money lost, time wasted and dreams gone.'

O'Leary (center) appears on Shark Tank with (L-R) Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Daymond John

O'Leary, a Montreal native, has been seen on the ABC series from 2009-2021

O'Leary appeared in a video to promote the investments, the plaintiffs said, as he's a 'partner and primary executive' of InventureX and 'endorsed the primary executives of both companies in the scam.'

O'Leary, a Montreal native, has been seen on the ABC series since 2009, while Harrington, a Cincinnati native, was seen on the series in its first two seasons.

The business-based reality competition also features entrepreneurs including Daymond John, Robert Herjavec, Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran and Lori Greiner.
Actress Sarah Paulson stood out from the crowd in a shimmering Alexandre Vauthier gown as she attended the premiere of the Impeachment: American Crime Story.

While strutting down the blue carpet wearing a pair of black stiletto heels, the Golden Globe winner smiled brightly as she held onto a chic clutch.

For the star-studded event Los Angeles, the 46-year-old star sported a glamorous makeup look, including blush, rosy lipstick and a smokey eye.

Beaming: Sarah Paulson stood out from the crowd in a shimmering gown as she attended the premiere of Impeachment: American Crime Story

Character: Paulson plays Linda Tripp on the series. The former White House employee secretly recorded Monica Lewinsky's confidential phone calls about her relationship with President Clinton

Paulson wore her bright blonde bob in soft waves and red nail polish on her fingers on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the acclaimed actress responded to the criticism surrounding her decision to portray Linda Tripp in Impeachment: American Crime Story, which revolves around the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal.

For the role, she gained 30lbs, wore a nearly five pound 'fat suit', prosthetic teeth, prosthetic nose, and a wig to emulate Tripp's signature '90s-style helmet of blond hair.'

Glowing: While strutting down the blue carpet wearing a pair of black stiletto heels, the Golden Globe winner smiled brightly as she held onto a chic clutch

Elegant: For the star-studded event Los Angeles, the 46-year-old star sported a glamorous makeup look, including blush, rosy lipstick and a smokey eye

Critics believe by taking the role, Paulson prevented a worthy actor, with Tripp's larger body shape, from getting the role in what will be the third season of the FX true crime anthology American Crime Story.

In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Paulson didn't shy away from the controversy, admitting that she understands the criticism about the padded suit.

'It's very hard for me to talk about this without feeling like I'm making excuses. There's a lot of controversy around actors and fat suits, and I think that controversy is a legitimate one,' she explained

Glamorous: Paulson wore her bright blonde bob in soft waves and red nail polish on her fingers

Role of a lifetime: The Run star underwent a major transformation to portray Linda Tripp for Impeachment: American Crime Story

'I think fat phobia is real. I think to pretend otherwise causes further harm. And it is a very important conversation to be had. But that entire responsibility I don't think falls on the actor for choosing to do something that is arguably  and I'm talking about from the inside out  the challenge of a lifetime.'

She continued, 'I do think to imagine that the only thing any actor called upon to play this part would have to offer is their physical self is a real reduction of the offering the actor has to make.'

'I would like to believe that there is something in my being that makes me right to play this part. And that the magic of hair and makeup departments and costumers and cinematographers that has been part of moviemaking, and suspension of belief, since the invention of cinema,' she surmised.

Controversy: Paulson's choice to wear a fat suit for the role sparked controversy earlier this week

'Was I supposed to say no [to the part]? This is the question.'

Being more informed on the issues, Paulson went on to admit that she would have, in fact, responded differently to being offered the role of Linda Tripp.

'I think the thing I think about the most is that I regret not thinking about it more fully. And that is an important thing for me to think about and reflect on. I also know it's a privileged place to be sitting and thinking about it and reflecting on it, having already gotten to do it, and having had an opportunity that someone else didn't have,' the Emmy winner shared.

'You can only learn what you learn when you learn it. Should I have known? Abso-f***ing-lutely. But I do now. And I wouldn't make the same choice going forward.'

Tripp was a White House employee in the George H. W. Bush administration, and kept her job when Bill Clinton became president in 1993. During the summer of 1994, senior White House aides wanted Tripp removed, so they arranged a job for her in the public affairs office in the Pentagon.

Tripp secretly recorded Monica Lewinsky's confidential phone calls about her relationship with President Clinton. In January 1998, she gave the tapes to independent counsel Kenneth Starr in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

The scandal that proceeded resulted in President Clinton being impeached, but not removed from office.

Criticism: In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Paulson admitted that she understands the criticism about the padded suit: she is pictured with Beanie Feldstein, who plays Lewinsky

Impeachment: American Crime Story will premiere on FX on September 7th

Impeachment: American Crime Story is based on Jeffrey Toobin's book - A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story Of The Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down A President (1999).

Along with returning cast members Paulson (Linda Tripp), Annaleigh Ashford (Paula Jones), and Judith Light (Susan Carpenter-McMillan), the upcoming season includes new cast members Beanie Feldstein (Monica Lewinsky), Clive Owen (President Bill Clinton), Edie Falco (Hillary Clinton), Margo Martindale (Lucianne Goldberg).

The cast also has Billy Eichner (Matt Drudge), Cobie Smulders (Ann Coulter), Taran Killam (Steve Jones), Mira Sorvino (Marcia Lewis), Colin Hanks (Mike Emmick), Elizabeth Reaser (Kathleen Willey), Dan Bakkedahl (Kenneth Starr), Kathleen Turner (Susan Webber Wright), and Anthony Green (Al Gore).

Impeachment: American Crime Story will premiere on FX on September 7th.
Clive Owen looked dapper as he walked the red carpet in West Hollywood, California on Wednesday evening at the Impeachment: American Crime Story premiere at the Pacific Design Center.

The English actor, 56, who portrays former President Bill Clinton in the FX mini-series, donned a dark blue plaid Giorgio Armani suit with a light blue shirt and dark blue tie.

The Academy Award-nominated actor had his brown locks neatly combed at the debut of the latest Ryan Murphy project, a new look at Clinton's 1998 impeachment amid his sexual interactions with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

The latest: Clive Owen, 56, looked dapper as he walked the red carpet in West Hollywood, California on Wednesday evening at the Impeachment: American Crime Story premiere at the Pacific Design Center

Clinton infamously said he 'did not have sexual relations with that woman' in regards to Lewinsky, leading to impeachment from the House of Representatives until he was cleared by the Senate.

Owen last month told Vanity Fair that he was surprised when executive producers Murphy and Brad Simpson pitched the presidential role to him.

'To be honest with you, I said to them, why are you coming to me?' he said. 'One: Im English. And two: I dont really look like him.'

Simpson told the outlet that casting the role of the 42nd commander in chief 'one of the biggest casting challenges of the show,' as 'Clinton is one of the most recognized men in the world, and has a distinct look and voice.'

Hail to the chief: The English actor portrays former President Bill Clinton in the FX mini-series

The Oscar nominee donned a dark blue Giorgio Armani plaid suit with a light blue shirt and dark blue tie

Owen last month said he was surprised when executive producers Murphy and Brad Simpson pitched the presidential role to him.

Simpson continued: 'We needed to find someone who could evoke that, without just doing an imitation,' he said. 'Clive has this great physicality - tall with big hands and an intense presence. You feel it when he walks into a room. His eyes are alive, like Clintons, and you also see immense depth behind them.

'With Clive you sense that there are layers and layers behind whatever he says or does in a scene.'

Owen told the outlet of Murphy's vision for the show, 'He was very clear that they were going to take a very particular look at the way the women were treated. In effect, its a period piece because it was so long ago.

'Looking at it from a modern perspective - and actually playing out the story and seeing how everybody was treated - everybody would say that Monica Lewinsky was treated pretty appallingly.'

The actor smiled as he made his entrance into the screening

The actor walked with confidence at the premiere in Southern California

The ensemble cast of the show features Beanie Feldstein in the role of Lewinsky; Sarah Paulson as former Lewinsky confidante Linda Tripp; Edie Falco as then-First Lady Hillary Clinton; Billy Eichner as journalist Matt Drudge; Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones, who had sued Clinton for sexual harassment; and Betty Gilpin as media pundit Ann Coulter.

Lewinsky is a producer on mini-series, which is based on A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President, the 1999 book from Jeffrey Toobin.

The mini-series in the latest American Crime Story from Murphy detailing a major 90s news story, as past installments include The People vs. O.J. Simpson and The Assassination of Gianni Versace.

Impeachment: American Crime Story begins airing on FX September 7.
Tim Bailey has taken a dig at television executives almost a year to the day after he was axed from Channel 10 due to budget cuts.

The weatherman, 58, who had worked at the network for almost three decades before being made redundant, shared a photo on Twitter on Wednesday of himself standing near a squadron of pelicans.

Showing he hasn't lost his sense of humour about his departure, Bailey captioned the post: 'Hanging out with some TV execs.'

'Hanging out with TV execs': Ex-weatherman Tim Bailey has taken a dig at television executives on Twitter almost a year to the day after he was axed from Channel 10 due to budget cuts

He added a crying-with-laughter emoji and two see-no-evil emojis.

Bailey, along with at least 24 other Channel 10 employees including Studio 10 host Kerri-Anne Kennerley and journalist Natarsha Belling, was given his marching orders in a brutal afternoon of budget cuts last August.

They all left the network the following month.

Bailey later described the sacking as a deep betrayal that rattled him immensely.

'A knife through the back and through the heart, it's the best description of it,' he told 9Honey.

However, Bailey wasn't unemployed for long, as he received a call from Ben Fordham who offered him a job at 2GB just half an hour after 10 announced he'd been fired.

Boned: Bailey, along with 24 other Channel 10 employees, was given his marching orders in a brutal afternoon of budget cuts last August. He left the network the following month

Describing his job at 2GB as a 'second chance', Bailey told The Sunday Telegraph: 'Ten letting me go turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.

'Which is kind of funny when you think about it but also goes to show, if you stay positive, you never know what's around the corner.'

He left his role at 2GB in July this year, quitting due to an interstate move.

Announcing the news live on air, Bailey said he'd decided to hang up the microphone after relocating from Sydney to the Gold Coast with his wife, Samantha.

'Thanks for picking the phone up': Bailey wasn't unemployed for long, as he got a call from Ben Fordham (left) who offered him a job at 2GB shortly after 10 announced he'd been fired

'I'm very fortunate, my beautiful and brilliant wife has a very big job in medical technology and she liked the sound of living on the Gold Coast, so she found us a house that is basically the house of our dreams,' Bailey told Fordham.

'Benny, I love you, but I love wife, wine, bike and board a little bit more.'

The weatherman went on to thank his colleagues at 2GB, saying he 'loved every second' of his time working there.

'Thank you for picking the phone up, mate, when I was at my lowest. And thank you for picking the phone up today. Good on ya, Benny boy!' he said.
Georgia has been under 'a slight risk for severe weather' over the past few days as remnants of Hurricane Ida continue to sweep up the east coast.

And Cardi B took to her Instagram Story on Wednesday evening to give her fans a look at the flooding she is currently experiencing at her Atlanta home.

'Storm is no joke,' captioned the 28-year-old rapper as she slowly panned over a large puddle of water stemming from a flooded guest bathroom.

Uh oh! Cardi B took to her Instagram Story on Wednesday evening to give her fans a look at the flooding she is currently experiencing at her Atlanta home due to remnants of Hurricane Ida; Cardi pictured in 2020

Audibly upset and unsure of what to do next, Cardi labeled the entire situation 'so f***ing whack!' while continuing to capture the flooding on film.

As she got closer to the source, Cardi exclaimed, 'Oh my God, it's starting to stink.'

According to Fox 5 Atlanta north Georgia and metro Atlanta experienced the strongest effects of Hurricane Ida, now classified as a tropical depression, on Tuesday, August 31.

There was a possible threat of 'spin-up tornadoes and damaging winds' and the outlet predicted that 'rainfall could be heavy.'

No joke! 'Storm is no joke,' captioned the 28-year-old rapper as she slowly panned over a large puddle of water stemming from a flooded guest bathroom

A Flash Flood Watch was put in place on the morning of Tuesday, August 31 and lasted until 2PM on Wednesday, September 1 'for counties west of Atlanta and north into the mountain.'

Luckily for Cardi and her mega-mansion, the remainder of the week is expected to be 'drier and much more pleasant,' while other East Coast states remain in danger of flash flooding.

The WAP rapper and her husband Offset purchased a $5.8million mansion in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta, in December of 2019.

Whack: Audibly upset and unsure of what to do next, Cardi labeled the entire situation 'so f***ing whack!' while continuing to capture the flooding on film

At-risk area: Georgia has been under 'a slight risk for severe weather' over the past few days as remnants of Hurricane Ida continue to sweep up the east coast

The home boasts 22,000 square feet with five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and four half-baths at the couple's disposal.

The entire property sits on 5.84 wooded acres, according to Realtor.com

Cardi and Offset's purchase came after two-years of house hunting, which the female MC blamed on her and her husband's differing tastes.

'Houses that [Offset] liked there was always a room I didnt like that we couldnt agreed on. And a couple houses that I liked [Offset] said NO because the areas they [were] in are not [too] good,' she explained via Instagram Story in 2019.

Major: The WAP rapper and her husband Offset purchased a $5.8million mansion in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta, in December of 2019; Offset and Cardi B giving tour of their house in December 2019

Expecting: The couple, who wed in 2017, are currently expecting their second child together. They already share three-year-old daughter Kulture; Cardi pictured in Rumors music video

The couple, who wed in 2017, are currently expecting their second child together. They already share three-year-old daughter Kulture.

Cardi put her burgeoning baby bump on display during a surprise appearance with Offset at the Hot 97 Summer Jam at Met Life Stadium on August 23.

For their surprise performance, the expectant star rocked a thigh-skimming minidress, a checkered jacket and open-toed black black stiletto booties.

The Money hitmaker's bump was on full display in her skintight frock, which she accessorized with a few chain necklaces and matching bracelets.

Surprise! Cardi put her burgeoning baby bump on display during a surprise appearance with Offset at the Hot 97 Summer Jam at Met Life Stadium on August 23
They're currently in Australia to film the new scripted Tiger King TV series on the Gold Coast.

But on Wednesday night, American actors Kyle MacLachlan and William Fichtner were spotted enjoying some time off and thrilling locals by posing for some fan pictures.

Kyle, 62, was all smiles as he put his arm around a bevvy of busty beauties for a photo at Reef Seafood & Sushi in Brisbane.

Hollywood Down Under: Joe Exotic star Kyle MacLachlan, 62, appears to be settling into life down under. Pictured with fans in Brisbane on Wednesday

Dressing up for the occasion, the Twin Peaks star wore a button-up blue shirt teamed up with white trousers and grey sneakers.

He completed his look wearing reading glasses.

The US star is best known for playing Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks in the early 90s and then Trey MacDougal in Sex And The City in 2000-2002.

Fan friendly! Meanwhile, William Fichtner, 64, best known for his role as Alexander Mahone on Prison Break, opted for a casual look and was dressed in an all-black ensemble

Meanwhile, Fichtner, 64, opted for a casual look and was dressed in an all-black ensemble with red sneakers.

Since arriving in Australia, Kyle has shared a video of him practising his Australian slang.

In a hilarious clip posted to Instagram, the actor crammed in as many Aussie phrases as possible as he sent a message to his fans.

'G'day from Sydney!' Since arriving in Australia, Kyle has shared a video of him practising his Australian slang

Kyle sat in front of the camera with Sydney's Centrepoint Tower in the background, and said: 'G'day from Sydney! It's Kyle MacLachlan, I'm here in quarantine for the next few weeks, and I'm doing okay despite being isolated in my room'

'Crikey, my day is choc-a-block. Fair dinkum.'

'Once I put on my dacks, from brekky to arvo and even to din-din I'm flat out. There's heaps to do, and even though it's not hard yakka, I'm no bludger. I reckon it'll pay off.'

The Aussie way! In a hilarious clip posted to Instagram, the actor crammed in as many Aussie phrases as possible as he sent a message to his fans

Kyle travelled to Australia earlier this year to film the scripted Tiger King TV series, which began filming in Brisbane last month.

The show, based on true events, follows Carole Baskin (played by Kate McKinnon), a big cat enthusiast, who learns that fellow exotic animal lover Joe 'Exotic' Schreibvogel is breeding and using his big cats for profit, then sets out to shut down his venture, inciting a quickly escalating rivalry.

Kyle will play Carole's husband Howard Baskin in the series.
The Bachelor alum Kelley Flanagan revealed in a new Instagram video that she has been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

The 29-year-old attorney from North Barrington, Illinois was a contestant on Peter Weber's season of The Bachelorette in 2019, finishing in fifth place.

She took to Instagram on Monday, revealing she, 'just got some not so good news' in the caption of her post.

Revealed: The Bachelor alum Kelley Flanagan revealed in a new Instagram video that she has been diagnosed with Lyme disease

Pete's season: The 29-year-old attorney from North Barrington, Illinois was a contestant on Peter Weber's season of The Bachelorette in 2019, finishing in fifth place

Instagram: She took to Instagram on Monday, revealing she, 'just got some not so good news' in the caption of her post

'I know I've shared so many of my health tips and tricks, have always told you that my body is super sensitive and Ive always knew something was a little bit off,' she added.

'When I would consistently see how my body would react to things compared to family/friends, I decided to finally get tested for serval different things and tested positive for Lyme disease and several other co-infections,' she continued.

Flanagan said the diagnosis was both, 'a blessing and a curse,' a blessing because now she can, 'target why I feel off so often,' and a curse because this means, 'several different lifestyle changes will have to happen along with, 'extensive research on how to help/hopefully cure this!'

Health tips: 'I know I've shared so many of my health tips and tricks, have always told you that my body is super sensitive and Ive always knew something was a little bit off,' she added

Blessing and curse: Flanagan said the diagnosis was both, 'a blessing and a curse,' a blessing because now she can, 'target why I feel off so often,' and a curse because this means, 'several different lifestyle changes will have to happen along with, 'extensive research on how to help/hopefully cure this!'

'I know this is going to be tough for me seeing what my brothers have gone through mentally and physically but Im going to put so much of my time and energy into figuring this out and combatting this. Love all of you and lets take on this new journey,' she concluded in her caption.

She began her three-minute video by saying, 'Hi. Not having the best day today, but umm... sorry.'

She started sniffling and took several seconds to compose herself before continuing, 'So I know that like...' before breaking down again.

Not the best day: She began her three-minute video by saying, 'Hi. Not having the best day today, but umm... sorry'

'I'm pretty honest with you guys about what's going on in my life,' she said through tears to her 802K followers.

'I always talk about like health and... how I just like always felt my body is so much more sensitive and super reactive to a bunch of things and... oh s**t... I just got the results back and I tested positive for Lyme,' she said.

Flanagan added that two of her brothers have Lyme disease and, 'a lot of their symptoms sounded really similar to me, because I have always had like something off since I was young.'

Positive: 'I always talk about like health and... how I just like always felt my body is so much more sensitive and super reactive to a bunch of things and... oh s**t... I just got the results back and I tested positive for Lyme,' she said

Symptoms: Flanagan added that two of her brothers have Lyme disease and, 'a lot of their symptoms sounded really similar to me, because I have always had like something off since I was young'

She added that she thinks she may have had Lyme, 'for awhile,' but she's not quite sure at this time.

'It's not the end of the world, but it's definitely going to be a lot of changes and I guess I'm gonna just incorporate you guys in it,' she said.

She added she wasn't sure how to do this, so she just said she tested positive, and, 'I guess taking you on this journey of me figuring it out.'

'I hope you guys have a good day. I'm trying to stay positive,' she said, as the video came to an end.

Not sure: She added that she thinks she may have had Lyme, 'for awhile,' but she's not quite sure at this time
A new online petition calling on Facebook to ban anti-vaxxer influencers on Instagram has been launched.

The Change.org petition has called out NRL WAG Taylor Winterstein and YouTuber Anna-Rose Richards in particular for their scientifically debunked advice to followers amid the ongoing Covid pandemic.

'These "wellness influencers" are dangerous and selfish,' reads the petition.

Dangerous advice: The Change.org petition has called out NRL WAG Taylor Winterstein (right) and YouTuber Anna-Rose Richards (left) in particular for their scientifically debunked advice

The influencers 'use their large social media platforms on Instagram to encourage their followers to reject mask wearing, ignore medical advice from health care professionals, use unproved Covid "cures" like Ivermectin and encourage natural immunity.'

The petition continues, 'They financially profit from the mistrust and falsehoods they share by increasing their audience and secure brand endorsements as they weaponise mental health and push their damaging rhetoric to tens of thousands of followers.'

'They are anti-science and share information connected to far-right extremist movements veiled by wellness and spirituality messages.'

At the time of writing, the petition had nearly 6000 signatures in 48 hours.

Uneducated: The influencers 'use their large social media platforms on Instagram to encourage their followers to reject mask wearing, ignore medical advice from health care professionals'

Calling on the Facebook-owned Instagram to 'remove their platforms,' the petition says that 'so many of us have reported their accounts and posts to Instagram on multiple occasions but our requests have been ignored.'

Footy WAG and influencer Winterstein became the face of the anti-vaccination movement after she revealed in 2019 she would not immunise the children she shares with former Penrith Panthers player Frank Winterstein.

She and Frank are no strangers to promoting misinformation about health on social media, often sharing bizarre posts questioning the existence of Covid-19, the safety of vaccines and slamming lockdown restrictions.

Definitely not doctors: Formers Wests Tigers club receptionist Taylor pictured with her former NRL player husband Frank, both of whom offer medical advice online

The formers Wests Tigers club receptionist was also an ambassador for the anti-vaccination film Vaxxed, and runs workshops about the so-called 'dangers' of vaccinations and scientific medical research.

Last year, Taylor controversially claimed that the government's decision to lockdown the nation was not to 'help the healthcare workers' as advertised, but was an attempt to 'manipulate the masses' and 'use this PLANdemic to justify fast-tracked vaccines and vaccine mandates.

Although absolutely none of her claims are scientifically proven, Taylor insisted that she had 'collected the crucial information needed to help break the coronavirus 'scam-demic.'

Covidiot: Winterstein became the face of the anti-vaccination movement after she revealed in 2019 she would not immunise her children

Meanwhile podcaster Anna-Rose Richards counts actress Isabel Lucas among her fans.

Last month, the Australian star reacted to Anna's shameful video claiming a student died from a Covid-19 vaccine he never actually received.

St Pius X College student Tom Van Dijk, 17, died at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a swim with his family on August 21.

Podcaster Anna Richards falsely claimed the champion swimmer and musician died shortly after receiving a dose of Pfizer vaccine in a video on Instagram.

False: Anti-vaxxer Isabel Lucas (pictured) has thanked podcaster Anna Richards for posting a shameful video linking tragic death of student, 17, to a Covid jab he didn't even get

'What Australia is seemingly find doing to our kids,' she captioned the post.

Former Home and Away star Isabel responded to the shameful video by commenting on the post: 'Thank you'.

'Always sending you love,' Anna replied.

False reports have circulated online claiming Van Dijk died shortly after receiving a dose of Pfizer vaccine.

However, the Chatswood school's principal John Couani revealed that the student had not even received his first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

'We have had a tragic loss [but] he did not have Covid-19 and did not die as a result of the vaccine,' Mr Couani told The North Shore Times.

'We are a community in terrible grief and sorrow, but there is a lot of misinformation that needs to stop.'

Mr Couani said other rumours on social media that the school pressured students to get vaccinated against the virus were overwhelming and 'horrific'.

'The school did not force students to be vaccinated... the school is not in a hotspot or local government area of concern... we've made no statement calling for vaccinations of students,' he said.

Response: Isabel responded to the shameful video by commenting on the post: 'Thank you'

One bizarre post on Facebook falsely claimed a 'suppression order' was preventing the school or the media from identifying the teenager.

Another post incorrectly stated the 17-year-old died 'shortly after' receiving a jab of the Pfizer vaccine at western Sydney's Homebush mass vaccination centre.

Mr Couani described Tom in a letter sent to the wider school community as an 'incredible young man who was loved by all'..

'He helped others, was a friend to everyone in Year 12 and had some many incredible gifts as a high achieving academic student, champion swimmer and an accomplished violinist,' Mr Couani said in the statement.

'There are many students in the younger grades who would know Tom, and all will attest to his strong but gentle nature and the care he gave to younger student.'

He said the teenager had told his parents before his death he wanted to donate his organs to help others in need.

Activism: Isabel has a long history of activism dating back to 2007, when she and fellow actress Hayden Panettiere joined activists on surfboards to try and stop a pod of dolphins being slaughtered in Japan

Last year, Isabel made headlines when she shared dangerous anti-vaccination views on Instagram, while commenting on a post by fellow conspiracy theorist Pete Evans.

Throwing her support behind the disgraced former MKR judge, she wrote: 'Freedom of choice is every human's right. I don't trust the path of vaccination.'

Anti-vaxxers spread conspiracy theories with no basis in scientific fact.

Isabel has a long history of activism dating back to 2007, when she and fellow actress Hayden Panettiere joined activists on surfboards to try and stop a pod of dolphins being slaughtered in Japan.

The coronavirus vaccine is a vital measure being taken to protect the community from the spread of the virus.

Covid-19 can cause serious illness, ongoing health problems and even death.
Mira Sorvino had heads turning on Wednesday evening as she walked the red carpet at the premiere of her highly anticipated new limited series Impeachment: American Crime Story.

The 53-year-old actress was a blond bombshell with her thick golden curls, while she cut an elegant figure in a sheer black dress at West Hollywood Pacific Design Center.

Sorvino makes up part of the all-star cast as Marcia Lewis, the writer and mother to Monica Lewinsky, who found herself wrapped up in President Bill Clinton's impeachment scandal.

Back in black: Mira Sorvino, 53, cut an elegant figure in a low-cut sheer black dress as she walked the red carpet for the West Hollywood premiere of Impeachment: American Crime Story on Wednesday

Mira put on a busty display in her low-cut dress, which was decorated with lovely floral designs.

The layered look was covered with a tiered and pleated sheer layer that reached nearly down to the ground.

The 5ft10in Mighty Aphrodite star towered in a matching set of black open-toe platform heels.

She completed her look by styling her blond tresses in thick curls that rested gently on her shoulders.

Covered up: The layered floral dress was covered with a tiered and pleated sheer layer that reached nearly down to the ground

Standing tall: The 5ft10in Mighty Aphrodite star towered in a matching set of black open-toe platform heels, and she wore her blond locks in thick curls

Impeachment follows earlier seasons devoted to the murder trial of O. J. Simpson and the killing of legendary fashion designer Gianni Versace by serial killer Andrew Cunanan.

The latest edition stars Beanie Feldstein as Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern who carried on an affair with Bill Clinton in the mid-1990s.

After the affair was exposed, Clinton was later impeached by the House of Representatives for lying about it under oath, though he was not convicted in the Senate and was able to serve out his second term.

Clive Owen stars as the former President with the aid of extensive makeup and prosthetic effects, while Sarah Paulson rounds out the leads as Linda Tripp, the former friend of Lewinsky who exposed the affair via surreptitiously taped conversations.

Impeachment attempts to make the women of the scandal the focus, and Mira was seen at the premiere posing with Feldstein, as well as Paulson, Annaleigh Ashford, who plays Paula Jones, and the real-life Lewinsky.

Ripped from the headlines: The latest edition of American Crime Story stars Beanie Feldstein as Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern who carried on an affair with Bill Clinton in the mid-1990s

Stacked cast: Sarah Paulson (Center) stars as Linda Tripp, Lewinsky's former friend who exposed her affair. The real-life Lewinsky (second to left) is a producer. Also seen is Annaleigh Ashford (Far left), who plays Paula Jones

Mira is nearly unrecognizable in Impeachment thanks to makeup and hair changes to help her look like Lewis.

She appeared to undergone some makeup or prosthetic effects to make her face more closely resemble Lewis', and stills from the show appear to show her with more pronounced bags under her eyes.

She also used a short blond wig to match the writer's easily identifiable look.

Lewis was best known for writing a single book, a gossipy biography of the Three Tenors, which included Luciano Povarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.

What a difference: Mira is nearly unrecognizable in Impeachment thanks to makeup and hair changes to help her look like Lewinsky's mother Marcia Lewis. She appeared to have bags under her eyes and wore her blonde hair short

Pulled into it: Lewis wrote a gossipy biography of The Three Tenors, and journalists later compared an unproven rumor that she started of an affair she had with Placido Domingo to her daughter's affair; seen in 1998

While promoting her book, Lewis hinted at an unproven affair with Domingo years earlier  which is not written about in the biography  and that salacious detail was used to help promote the book.

But after Lewinsky's affair with Clinton and her conversations about it were exposed, journalists drew sexist parallels between the rumor that he started and her daughter's affair with Clinton.

Sorvino previously worked with Impeachment producer Ryan Murphy for his Netflix series Hollywood, which imagined a fantasy version of Tinseltown through rose-colored glasses.

So far, Impeachment has a modestly fresh Rotten Tomatoes score, with 65 percent of surveyed critics approving, indicating mixed reviews.

Several critics singled out Feldstein, Paulson and Owen's performances, even as they criticized the show for its histrionic scenes and overly flashy casting.
They've been engaged for over a year.

And, Brooklyn Beckham couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he held hands with his fiancee Nicola Peltz while leaving dinner in Hollywood, on Wednesday.

The budding photographer, 22, looked enamoured with his model fiancee, 26, who stepped out wearing low-key ensembles, with Nicola flaunting her figure in a fitted black cardigan and a pair of mom jeans.

Loving life: Brooklyn Beckham, 22, couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he held hands with his fiancee Nicola Peltz, 26, while leaving dinner in Hollywood, on Wednesday

Nicole looked effortlessly cool in her ensemble, which teased a hint of cleavage thanks to the low square neck of her top while accessorising with a multilayer pearl necklace.

The aspiring director boosted her height with a chunky black pair of platform boots, and carried her belongings in a sleek handbag while promoting her upcoming film with a Lola James cap.

Her soon-to-be-husband slipped into indigo jeans and box fresh white trainers, while wearing an edgy black T-shirt and an NY cap.

Brooklyn - who is the oldest of David and Victoria Beckham's four children - popped the question to Nicola last June.

Gorgeous: Nicole looked effortlessly cool in her ensemble, which teased a hint of cleavage thanks to the low square neck of her top while accessorising with a multilayer pearl necklace

Happy days: The budding photographer looked enamoured with his model fiancee who stepped out wearing low-key ensembles

Walk that walk: The aspiring director boosted her height with a chunky black pair of platform boots as she left the eatery

Sleek: She carried her belongings in a sleek handbag while promoting her upcoming film with a Lola James cap

Exactly 12 months after he got down on bended knee, he shared a gushing Instagram post, telling his followers how Nicola made him 'a better person'.

Brooklyn wrote: 'This exact day 1 year ago I asked this gorgeous woman to marry me.

'She makes me a better person everyday and is my best friend. I can't imagine my life without you because you continuously make me laugh and smile x happy 1 year baby.'

Brooklyn confirmed the news he'd proposed to Nicola with a sweet Instagram post at the time.

Leading the way: Her soon-to-be-husband slipped into indigo jeans and box fresh white trainers, while wearing an edgy black T-shirt and an NY cap

Hometime: The couple left the restaurant together and made their way to Brooklyn's car

In the driver's seat: The pair climbed into Brooklyn's vehicle after enjoying dinner together

Elegant: Nicola covered her nose and mouth with a black silk face mask

Sharing a stunning snap of the couple, he wrote: 'Two weeks ago I asked my soulmate to marry me and she said yes.

'I am the luckiest man in the world. I promise to be the best husband and the best daddy one day. I love you baby xx.'

In October it was claimed that the pair planned to exchange vows in two celebrations on both sides of the Atlantic.

It's thought that Brooklyn will have his brothers Romeo, 18, and Cruz, 16, as his best men for the ceremony.

Proud mum Victoria is said to be designing Nicola's wedding gown.
The whiteboard 'cheating scandal' has rocked the contestants and production of The Block for the past week.

Host Scott Cam is set to hand down a 'penalty' to the contestants involved in the controversy - Luke and Josh Packham, and Tanya and Vito.

In a newly released promo for Sunday's episode on 9Now, which has been dubbed 'the scolding of the century', the 58-year-old did not mince his words when he laid down the law to the contestants at Block HQ.

'The scolding of the century': The Block's Scott Cam is set to hand down a 'penalty' for contestants involved in the controversial 'cheating scandal'

'I've been asked by many that a penalty be levied I've thought long and hard about this and I've come to a decision,' he said.

The clip then cuts to Josh, who said: 'Whatever the punishment is we'll take it on the chin.

'If it's getting kicked off The Block it's getting kicked off The Block,' the former Love Island star conceded.

Elsewhere, Scott and co-presenter Shelley Craft spoke to Tanya and Vito at their worksite for clarity about their part in the scandal.

Josh said in a piece-to-camera: 'Whatever the punishment is we'll take on the chin.' Pictured are Josh and Luke Packham

Embroiled: Also involved in the controversy are Tanya and Vito Guccione

'You guys had the production schedule for three weeks,' Scott said.

'Well that's the theory,' Tanya answered, but Scott hit right back saying: 'No it's not. That's a fact.'

Shelley also called out the twins for also having the schedule, telling them: 'You're being charged guilty of cheating.'

Elsewhere, Scott and co-presenter Shelley Craft spoke to Tanya and Vito at their worksite for clarity about their part in the scandal

Difference of opinion: Scott scolded them for having the production schedule for three weeks. 'Well that's the theory,' Tanya answered, but Scott hit right back saying: 'No it's not. That's a fact'

The scandal unfolded when veteran couple Ronnie and Georgia revealed to producers that Josh and Luke Packham had a copy of the production schedule.

The schedule gives an advantage as it allows for all kinds of preparations to be made in advanced ahead of room reveals and challenge days.

Foremen Keith and Dan interrogated builders and tradies on what they knew until it was eventually revealed that the photo originated from Tanya and Vito.

Admission: In a previous episode, Tanya confessed to producers that she had the photo in the first instance which was sent to her by a mysterious 'ex-tradie'

Tanya confessed to producers that she had the photo in the first instance which was sent to her by a mysterious 'ex-tradie.'

Last week, Scott spoke to Who magazine about the scandal, saying: 'I was very disappointed, and I was angry to be quite frank with you.'

Scott said he was particularly upset because the cheating impacted the 'build of The Block' and the 'integrity' of the competition.

'It affected the integrity of it and I think jeopardised this season,' he remarked.

The Block continues Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine
Fredrik Eklund enjoyed a day out with his son Freddy on Wednesday as he continues to sun himself in Greece.

The Million Dollar Listing star, 44, looked in full holiday mode as he flashed his pecs in a floral shirt.

Fredrik walked along the beach with his young son before enjoying a meal with a group of friends in Mykonos.

Holiday mode: Fredrick Eklund enjoyed a day out with his son Freddy on Wednesday as he continues to sun himself in Greece

Pairing his Hawaiian shirt, he donned peach coloured swimming trunks and black Dolce and Gabbana sliders.

The Swedish real estate broker carried everything he needed in an oversized tote bag which he carried in his right hand.

He held on to his son's hand, who was wearing sky blue swimming shorts.

The Million Dollar Listing star, 44, looked in full holiday mode in a floral shirt while enjoying a meal with friends in Mykonos

Fredrik shares twins Freddy and Milla with husband Derek Kaplan, 46, but only he and Freddy made the trip to Greece.

He has been sharing images from his sun drenched holiday on the Mediterranean.

In a lengthy caption accompanying some of their precious moments together, Fredrik gushed that his son said 'this is the best trip of his life,' as he spoke of all the 'little things' they had enjoyed together.

He shared snaps of the pair in their finest vacation wardrobe taking in various sunsets and touring the local sights, as well as some cute solo shots of Freddy with a grin plastered on his face.

Beach watching: The father son duo have been enjoying their trip on the Mediterranean. Freddy looked out at the pristine shore as he was still wet from the sea

Fast little one: Freddy donned a hat as he headed toward the beach during the fun day out with his dad

'It's the little things we've done together,' his caption began as he ran through a list of moments they had shared.

That included 'waking up in the same bed, blueberry pancakes by the pool, holding hands through town, taking long bubble baths together, and ordering gelato three times a day.'

The reality star also shared that they had watched 'every Spider-Man,' his son had learned to 'swim without floaters' and they had taken in the local cuisine - 'incredible pasta and white fish ('with ketchup Dada'), he added of his son's palette preferences.

Good eats in Greece: The pair both enjoyed a tasty mean of crab meat pasta (L) and a tomato, olive and feta salad (R)

Drink up: Eklund had a virgin cocktail that had lemons inside with crushed ice

The pair also shopped for dresses for sister Milla.

And they had dance parties on the terrace, and also more philosophical discussions like 'how the sun dips behind the ocean and why the stars come out,' as well as 'what happens when we go to heaven.'

Greece holds a special place in the family's heart as Fredrik and husband Derek first met there in 2010.

In 2015 the couple decided to hire a surrogate who became pregnant with twins, but suffered a miscarriage during her first trimester.

His pretty pal: And he was also seen with real estate agent Julia Spillman-Gover
She recently enjoyed a sun-soaked holiday to Dubai with her family.

And despite being back in the UK, Danielle Lloyd was reminiscing about sunnier climes on Wednesday, when she shared a gorgeous Instagram photo of herself from their recent trip while celebrating her seventh month of pregnancy.

Showing off her baby bump in a chic bikini, the star, 37, worked her best angles while standing in her hotel's luxury swimming pool, writing: 'Seven months pregnant and sad it's gone so fast!...

Seven months: Danielle Lloyd, 37, was reminiscing about sunnier climes on Wednesday, when she shared a gorgeous Instagram photo of herself from their recent Dubai trip

The doting mother wrote: 'Seven months pregnant and sad it's gone so fast! Knowing this will be my last pregnancy makes me feel emotional, it's so magically [sic] what the human body can do. We can't wait to meet you baby girl'

'Knowing this will be my last pregnancy makes me feel emotional, it's so magically [sic] what the human body can do. We can't wait to meet you baby girl.'

The soon-to-be mother-of-five beamed from ear-to-ear in the snap, and kept the sunshine at bay behind a stylish pair of sunglasses.

With her glossy hair piled on top of her head in a bun, Danielle accessorised with a delicate necklace and behind her, her family's enormous hotel loomed.

The star rested her hands by her side in the snap and flaunted her beautiful baby bump.

The doting mother shares sons Archie, 10, Harry, nine, and George, seven, with ex-husband Jamie, and Ronnie, three, with husband Michael O'Neill.

Family: The doting mother shares sons Archie, 10, Harry, nine, and George, seven, with ex-husband Jamie, and Ronnie, three, with husband Michael O'Neill (pictured)

It comes after Danielle hit back at a fan last month after it was alleged that she was seen 'smashing' cocktails while at the pub with her ex husband Jamie O'Hara.

Danielle's plight began when a follower wrote on Instagram: '@lavelsbylux was in the same pub as her, she was with her children and ex husband and she was smashed...

'Can assure you they wasn't cocktails. I didn't think it was her until someone told me it was and when I looked on Instagram saw she was pregnant.'

They later penned: 'Bet you've got a hangover after your antics the other night'.

Holiday: Danielle has shared several snaps from her family's Dubai trip on social media over the last week

Danielle responded by sharing screenshots on her stories and writing: 'Kids was with their dad at the weekend but I certainly wasn't! We don't even speak so think you got the wrong girl! Must of been another blonde!...

'Honest to god I don't even get people - you don't even follow me. Why do I have to wake up to messages like this, what is wrong with people?? Don't have to explain myself but haven't had a drink in eight months.

'I was teetotal before I was pregnant! Seriously don't get why these idiots think I know I'll wake up at 6am and make some s**t up and post absolute c**p'.

The family holiday comes after Danielle was rushed to hospital after collapsing at home and her sons called an ambulance for her.

Danielle revealed to OK! that she fell ill at her house and began feeling pains in her stomach.

The Liverpool-born star explained she went to the toilet and while she was in there she passed out, with her sons forced to knock on a neighbour's door for help to call out an ambulance.

'It was really traumatic,' Danielle told the publication about the July incident. 'I had really low blood pressure, I was so worried for the baby and it was obviously so terrifying for the boys, but I'm so proud of them.'

Thankfully, after several tests, she was given the all clear to leave the hospital.
Isabelle Huppert cut a chic figure as she stepped out for the 78th Annual Venice Film Festival in typically chic attire on Thursday.

The French actress, 68, wowed in a grey chevron print jumpsuit for the outing. The stylish ensemble oozed androgynous chic with a dropped waist and wide leg.

The 2021 Venice Film Festival will take place from 1-11 September, and is considered one of the world's oldest awards ceremonies and one of the 'Big Five' events.

Stylish ensemble: Isabelle Huppert, 68, cut a chic figure as she stepped out for the 78th Annual Venice Film Festival on Thursday

Stepping off the water taxi, Isabelle carried her belongings in a small grey bag which she held in her hand, and waved with the other.

Shading from the Italian sun, she framed her face by donning chic oversized sunglasses.

Isabelle's flame-red locks were swept into a side parting and styled in soft Hollywood glamour waves while she opted for relaxed black sandals on her feet.

The star is known for portraying dastardly characters and she recently said she would like to play a Disney villain.

Wow: The French actress wowed in a grey chevron print jumpsuit for the outing. The stylish ensemble had a dropped waist and a wide leg, which oozed androgynous chic

However, the actress would like to make any potential character a bit 'more lovable' if she appeared in film by the legendary studio.

She told Variety: 'Its scarier when you make them a bit more lovable and attractive and more manipulative instead of doing it like a classical villain.'

The jury of this year's festival is headed by Parasite director Bong Joon Ho, who said he is 'honoured to be woven into its beautiful cinematic tradition.

'As president of the jury  and more importantly as a perpetual cinephile  I'm ready to admire and applaud all the great films selected by the festival. I'm filled with genuine hope and excitement.'

The jury is also comprised of director Saverio Costanzo, actress Virginie Efira, star Cynthia Erivo, actress Sarah Gadon, documentarian Alexander Nanau, and director Chloe Zhao.

Chic: She carried her belongings in a small grey bag which she held in her hand

This year's festival has also invited two Afghan filmmakers, Sahraa Karimi and Sahra Mani, to discuss the Taliban's takeover of the country, with 'particular attention to the situation of filmmakers and artists,' in a panel taking place on 4th September.

The topic of the panel will be 'the dramatic situation of Afghan filmmakers and artists in general, the need for the creation of humanitarian corridors and the guarantee of the granting of political refugee status, as well as concern for their future and the need to provide for their accommodation once they arrive in Europe.'

Oscar-winning Italian director Roberto Benigni, who helmed the acclaimed Life is Beautiful, will also be honoured with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

In a statement he said: 'My heart is full of joy and gratitude. It is an immense honour to receive such an important recognition of my work from the Venice International Film Festival.'

Stunning: Shading from the Italian sun, she framed her face by donning chic oversized sunglasses

This year's festival has also seen the grand return of its star-studded red carpet premieres, after last year's event was drastically scaled back due to the Covid pandemic.

Last year's occasion saw a significantly smaller number of guests in attendance, will all red carpet arrivals required to adhere to social distancing, with temperature checks and mask wearing mandatory at the event.

Despite its return, this year's festival is still adhering to strict Covid guidelines, following a rise in cases in Italy.

Public access to the red carpet is banned, and more than 10 testing stations have been set up.

All attendees must show proof of a negative test or vaccination to enter a screen, and masks are required indoors.
Brooke Cleal was shattered when Jimmy Nicholson brutally dumped her on The Bachelor finale.

But the 27-year-old occupational therapist did not let the heartbreak weigh heavily on her as she bravely broke her silence about the end of her journey on the show.

In an Instagram post shared shortly after the finale aired on Thursday, she began: 'Where do I even begin? What a love story. What a rollercoaster. What an experience.'

'Where do I even begin?' The Bachelor's Brooke Cleal has bravely broken her silence about being brutally dumped by Jimmy Nicholson in the finale on Thursday

'From the moment I met you on the red carpet @Jimmynicholson, you had this cool way about you that instantly made me the quirk ball between us (thanks).

She went on to say she was thankful for the fun dates they enjoyed that were full of laughter.

The brunette beauty also spoke of leaving the show following her grandfather's passing and said: 'It left me questioning if I should return to the mansion.'

Brooke said it took plenty of 'courage, strength and confidence' to decide to go back, adding: 'It's unpredictable and theres no right way of doing it.'

'What an experience': In an Instagram post shared shortly after the finale aired on Thursday, she began: 'Where do I even begin? What a love story. What a rollercoaster'

Despite their tearful end on the show, Brooke wished nothing but the best for Jimmy and winner Holly Kingston.

'I wish nothing but the best for the beautiful, down to earth couple, and I am so happy you both found love,' she wrote.

Brooke also shared praise for the other Bachelorettes, crew, as well as her friends and family for their support.

'I am so happy you both found love': Brooke went on to wish the best for Jimmy and winner Holly Kingston, calling them a 'beautiful, down to earth couple'

End of the road: Jimmy broke Brooke's heart in the finale, telling her: 'There was just too many unknowns for us,' before sending her home in tears

She also paid a special tribute to her 'number one supporter' her late grandfather, saying: 'I still miss dearly and grieve daily.'

'Here's to new beginnings,' the Bachelor runner-up added.

Jimmy broke Brooke's heart in the finale, telling her: 'There was just too many unknowns for us,' before sending her home in tears.

Perfect match: Jimmy Nicholson declared his love for Holly Kingston during Thursday's highly anticipated finale of The Bachelor

Put a ring on it: Jimmy gifted the marketing manager with a ring, which he explained represented his commitment to her and their relationship

He declared his love for Holly Kingston and said: 'When I think of a future with you, it's exciting, it's fun, it's passionate. You make anything we do incredible and you light up any room you're in.'

He then gifted the marketing manager with a ring, which he explained represented his commitment to her and their relationship.

'I want you to know that I am in love with you and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for both of us,' he continued.
Scott Disick was 'embarrassed' when Younes Bendjima leaked his messages about Kourtney Kardashian.

The Flip It Like Disick star seemingly reached out to his ex-partner's former flame earlier this week to criticize the brunette beauty's public displays of affection while on vacation with new boyfriend Travis Barker, only for the model to share their exchange on Instagram.

Scott  who has Mason, 11, Penelope, nine, and Reign, six, with the reality star  allegedly sent Younes a paparazzi shot of Kourtney and the Blink-182 rocker, 45, making out on a boat and wrote a message which read: 'Yo is this chick ok!???? Broooo like what is this. In the middle of Italy.'

Ouch: Scott Disick was 'embarrassed' when Younes Bendjima leaked his messages about Kourtney Kardashian. Seen in 2019

However, the ex-boxer hit back at Scott and insisted he doesn't care what his ex gets up to as long as she is 'happy'.

Younes wrote back: 'Doesn't matter to me as long as she's happy. PS: i ain't your bro.'

He captioned the screenshot: 'Keep the same energy you had about me publicly, privately.'

And insiders admitted Scott was caught off guard by Younes' actions and insisted he'd only sent the message during a 'heated moment'.

A source told Us Weekly magazine: 'Scott was definitely embarrassed by Younes sharing his DM.

He is jelly of this: The Flip It Like Disick star seemingly reached out to his ex-partner's former flame earlier this week to criticize the brunette beauty's public displays of affection while on vacation with new boyfriend Travis Barker, only for the model to share their exchange on Instagram

'He didn't realize when he messaged him that that would happen. He DMed him when he was in a heated moment and was just looking for him to react the same way being that they both dated Kourtney.'

Meanwhile, it has been claimed Kourtney wasn't 'shocked' by Scott's comments as he notoriously had a 'difficult time' with accepting that Kourtney has moved on, even though he's currently dating Amelia Hamlin.

A source said: 'She was surprised, but not shocked. Scott has always had a difficult time accepting that Kourtney is happy with someone else. He is especially threatened by her relationship with Travis.'

Kourtney is also said to be 'disappointed' in Scott, 38, because they have been 'doing well co-parenting' a source told People.

Busted: Scott  who has Mason, 11, Penelope, nine, and Reign, six, with the reality star  allegedly sent Younes a paparazzi shot of Kourtney and the Blink-182 rocker, 45, making out on a boat and wrote a message which read: 'Yo is this chick ok!???? Broooo like what is this. In the middle of Italy'

The insider added: 'Yet, he and Kourtney have been getting along. Kourtney is disappointed that he engages in drama when they have been doing well co-parenting.

'She doesn't get why he felt the need to reach out to Younes. She will confront him about it.

'For now, she continues to enjoy her trip with Travis.'

Her answer: Kourtney shared this kissing image after Scott's crude comments

They sure are having fun: And the siren shared this image of an unmade bed in Paris that she had slept in with Travis

The ex factor: Kourtney and Scott dated on-off from 2006 to 2015 and share three children together

Kourtney and Scott first began dating in 2006 and were in a very on-off relationship for nearly decade that was wrought with cheating. They finally called it quits in 2015.

Kourtney and Travis  known lovingly as 'Kravis' have gotten serious to the point where marriage has been spoken about as well as the possibility of moving in together.

The pair splashed out on a Palm Springs house for their blended families and a source told The Sun this week that they are trying to navigate combining their families in LA.

But he has his own honey: Disick is dating model Amelia Hamlin, the daughter of Lisa Rinna

'Kourtney and Travis are loved up but what's causing a headache is the plans to combine the two families. Right now Kourtney and Travis live minutes away from each other, but they want to move in together to start a new chapter, and that means all their kids need to be involved in the plan too.'

It was also added that 'Kourt wants Travis to be step-dad to her kids,' and she has already stepped up as a support system for his kids with ex Shanna Moakler: Landon, 17, Alabama, 15, and Atiana De La Hoya, 22.

The pair took their love overseas this week, in what marks the drummer's second flight and first to Europe after a harrowing 2008 plane crash killed four people and left him with burns on 65% of his body.

He credited his girlfriend with giving him the strength to tackle his fears  which first began with a trip to Mexico  as he gushed 'With you anything is possible.'
Dani Dyer is refusing to take her son Santiago, seven months, to visit his dad Sammy Kimmence in prison, according to reports.

The former Love Island star - who split from Sammy, 24, in July after he was sentenced to three-and-a-half years behind bars for posing as an investor - is said to consider jail both a 'toxic environment' and 'scary place'.

However, Dani, 25, has reportedly been speaking to Sammy via phone, but she has told him he won't be seeing his son 'for the foreseeable future'.

Reports: Dani Dyer, 25, is refusing to take her son Santiago, seven months, to visit his dad Sammy Kimmence, 24, in prison, according to reports

A source told The Sun: 'Dani isn't punishing him still further by not visiting him because she knows he's got a right to see his son - even if he is banged up.

'But prison is such a scary place and she really can't bring herself to think about talking Santi into such a toxic environment or allowing someone else to take her child to jail on a visit.'

They added: 'She knows all eyes will be on her once she walks into the visiting hall and needs to think carefully about how she can steel herself to make the visit  if that even happens.'

MailOnline has reached out to Dani's representatives for comment.

Ex: The Love Island 2018 star split from Sammy (pictured) in July after he was sentenced to three-and-a-half years behind bars for posing as an investor

Her disgraced ex-boyfriend was last month ordered to pay almost 55,000 by handing over clothes, Louis Vuitton bags and designer trainers after he scammed two elderly men out of 34,000.

He will start paying the debt by handing over 5,099-worth of valuables including various fashion items, jewellery and a 699 personal number plate.

Three pairs of valuable trainers made up the 'vast bulk' of the sum, a court was told today.

Crime: Kimmence duped Peter Martin, 91, and Peter Haynes, 81, by persuading the vulnerable pensioners to let him invest their money for them and then splashed their cash

Kimmence duped Peter Martin, 91, and Peter Haynes, 81, by persuading the vulnerable pensioners to let him invest their money for them and then splashed out on expensive restaurants, hotels and clothes.

Speaking in August, Dani praised her 'amazing supportive' family as she detailed being a single mum to Santiago.

In a candid chat with fans, Dani was asked directly if she was struggling being on her own with her son.

The first time mum replied that it is 'hard' but she is grateful to have a 'support system' around her.

Family: Speaking in August, Dani praised her 'amazing supportive' family as she detailed being a single mum to Santiago
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's FBI Agent is in pursuit of two rival art thieves played by Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot in the first Red Notice trailer, which dropped Thursday.

'Been tracking your scores for a while now,' Johnson's John Hartley, the world's greatest tracker, says in the preview.

'Every city, every heist, and now that you've been tagged [by Interpol] with red notices, you become the world's most wanted criminals. And I'm the only one who can bring you in.'

'The world's greatest tracker': Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's (pictured) FBI Agent is in pursuit of two rival art thieves played by Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot in the first Red Notice trailer, which dropped Thursday

Hartley catches up to both criminals at a black-tie gala where he shares a dance with Gadot's Sarah Black before whispering: 'We both know that this whole thing is going to end with you in handcuffs.'

Black nonchalantly replies: 'Promises, promises.'

Later, Black directly challenges Hartley to arrest her as Reynolds' wisecracking character Nolan Booth attempts to steal a golden egg.

That's when Black brings out her inner-Wonder Woman and expertly attacks both men.

Johnson's John Hartley says in the preview: 'Been tracking your scores for a while now'

He continued: 'Every city, every heist, and now that you've been tagged [by Interpol] with red notices, you become the world's most wanted criminals. And I'm the only one who can bring you in'

Hartley catches up to both criminals at a black-tie gala where he shares a dance with Gadot's Sarah Black before whispering: 'We both know that this whole thing is going to end with you in handcuffs'

Black nonchalantly replies: 'Promises, promises'

Black manages to handcuff Hartley to Booth and then kicks their wrists, forcing them to headbutt each other and fall to the ground.

'Help me catch her and I will help you,' Hartley later tells Booth in his jail cell.

The men then team up to find and apprehend Black in Rawson Marshall Thurber's action-packed buddy comedy, which premieres November 12 on Netflix.

Confrontation: Later, Black directly challenges Hartley to arrest her as Reynolds' wisecracking character Nolan Booth attempts to steal a golden egg

Leggy: That's when Black brings out her inner-Wonder Woman and expertly attacks both men

Knockout: Black manages to handcuff Hartley to Booth and then kicks their wrists, forcing them to headbutt each other and fall to the ground

Hartley later tells Booth in his jail cell: 'Help me catch her and I will help you'

Ryan, Gal, and Dwayne reportedly earned $20M each to star in the $200M-budget thriller - which is the biggest budget yet for a feature film on the streaming giant.

'Life doesn't always imitate art,' the Canadian 44-year-old tweeted on Thursday.

'But I'd wear a tux and do karate with @TheRock and @GalGadot everyday if I could.'

Premieres November 12 on Netflix! The men then team up to find and apprehend Black in Rawson Marshall Thurber's action-packed buddy comedy

Cashed in: Ryan, Gal, and Dwayne reportedly earned $20M each to star in the $200M-budget thriller - which is the biggest budget yet for a feature film on the streaming giant
He shot to stardom in the Irish group, Boyzone.

And Ronan Keating confessed on Thursday that he was told off for trying to grab a selfie with the Queen, before he remembered another embarrassing interaction during his career and shot down the possibility of a Boyzone reunion.

The pop sensation, 44, discussed the popular boyband and his life-defining moments during an interview to promote Omaze and their work with Cancer Research UK.

Tell all: Ronan Keating confessed on Thursday that he was told off for trying to grab a selfie with the Queen, before he remembered another embarrassing interaction during his career and shot down the possibility of a Boyzone reunion

Recalling the time he went to Ascot Paddocks Livery, he said: 'I've been lucky enough to go there. I was actually in the paddock when the Queen was there.

'I tried to take a selfie but they grabbed my phone off me, I didn't know you couldn't take a selfie with the Queen, who knows!'

Revealing another cringe-worthy experience, he added: 'I was doing this photoshoot with this very famous photographer.

'I walked into the room and I was very young at the time and it was during the early albums and I was trying to be quite cool with this photographer.

Whoops! The pop sensation, 44, said he was unaware that he couldn't take a selfie with Her Majesty (pictured in 2021) and that Royal officials grabbed his phone during the awkward exchange

'I wanted him to think I was cool and he says, "Hey Ronan what do you think of this room?" and I said, "Yeah I like it."

'He said, "Any ideas for what we can do a photo on?" and I said, "Yeah maybe a photo on the mangetout over there," and he said, "I think you mean the chaise longue?" and I thought, "Oh god this couldn't be any worse."'

Ronan didn't reveal the photographer or the exact date the embarrassing moment took place, but it likely occurred in the mid 90s when the band released their albums, Said and Done and A Different Beat.

Taken aback: Remembering the moment he said: 'I tried to take a selfie but they grabbed my phone off me, I didn't know you couldn't take a selfie with the Queen, who knows!'

According to the star, he beat 600 hopefuls to a place in the boyband.

He explained: 'When I was in Boyzone, I mean it was auditions, there was 600 lads there and they picked me, I guess I won the lottery right there.'

Boyzone was created by Louis Walsh and originally featured six members. Mark Walton was part of the group but he left after six months while Richie Rock was dropped from the band.

The most famous line-up included Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, Mikey Graham, Ronan and Shane Lynch.

Blunder: According to Ronan, he once mistakenly called a chaise longue a mangetout during a photoshoot with a cool photographer he was trying to impress (pictured in 1995)

According to Ronan, he still keeps in touch with previous bandmates via Whatsapp, but they don't plan on reuniting on stage.

He continued: 'Boyzone has a Whatsapp group but it changes because people leave all the time. It's like the story of a boyband, people leave and then we start a new one and then they come back and then someone else leaves.

'So yeah, the Boyzone Whatsapp group changes monthly, the name, the title, the people. But yes, it exists.

'There's plans for another Boyzone Whatsapp group but no reunion.'

However, he confirmed he is working on solo material which he plans on releasing in November.

Dream team: Ronan was in Boyzone with (left to right) Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham

'I'm trying to fit in an album which is coming out in November,' said Ronan. 'Which I've nearly finished the vocals on and then I'm touring January/February next year.

'Thank god. I postponed it three times so finally fingers crossed I will be touring in January and February across the UK and in Ireland.'

When asked who is best friend in the showbiz industry is, Ronan responded: 'I suppose Gary Barlow is probably one of my best mates.

'Gary and I are good pals, we are cut from the same stone. There is definitely rivalry between Gary and I when we start counting The Brits and MTV awards. He's got a few more than me, he wins every time but I still think competition is important.'

Shot down: He confirmed they still keep in contact via text before adding: 'There's plans for another Boyzone Whatsapp group but no reunion'

Ronan teamed up with Omaze to promote their stunning million-pound, five-bedroom house draw in aid of Cancer Research UK.

The online fundraising platform have offered a 3.5million house in Ascot through the prize draw, to support the charity and its pioneering research into preventing cancer.

For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org
Tiffany Haddish looked stunning at the Venice Film Festival photo call for the new movie The Card Counter.

The actress, 41, wore a green, spaghetti strap dress to the event. She also donned a pair of beautiful hoop earrings and a matching necklace to boot.

She posed alongside the director of the film, Paul Schrader, as well as her co-stars Tye Sheridan and Oscar Isaac.

An American in Venice: Tiffany Haddish looked stunning at the Venice Film Festival photo call for The Card Counter on Thursday at the Venice Film Festival

They work well together: Here the siren is seen with her arm around her costar, Oscar Isaac of Star Wars fame

The Card Counter, set for a September 10 United States release, centers around a former military interrogator turned gambler who plays high-stakes card games while also haunted by his past.

Haddish plays La Linda, an agent for Oscar Isaac's professional gambler. In an interview with ABC News, the Night School star revealed that she didn't like what she heard about gambling agents from some professional gamblers she knows.

'It sounded like a bunch of slimy people to me. I wasnt feeling that. I was like, "Im not making her slimy, thats for sure,"' the comedian said.

A close gambler-agent relationship: In The Card Counter, Haddish plays a gambling agent to Oscar's professional gambler with a haunted past

Not a dramatist: While the Los Angeles native hasn't had much experience with dramatic acting, her comedic background seems to be part of the reason Schrader decided to cast her

The cast: from left, Isaac, director Paul Schrader, Haddish and Tye Sheridan

While the Los Angeles native hasn't had much experience with dramatic acting, her comedic background seems to have played in her favor.

Director Paul Schrader explained that he likes to cast comedic actors because, 'You cast a comic, they will break something in a role, even if it isnt laughs. They will make themselves interesting. It's in their DNA.'

Haddish isn't abandoning comedic acting by any means though. The Girls Trip actress is set to appear in Easter Sunday, a film based on stand-up comedian Jo Koy's life experiences. In addition, she will take a lead role in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, a film about Nicholas Cage becoming an informant for the CIA.

The Grammy-winner is also rumored to be in Disney's Haunted Mansion Reboot.

Busy as always: The actress has a number of projects on the horizon including The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Easter Sunday, both comedies

A Disney woman? Haddish is rumored to be part of Disney's Haunted Mansion remake

The actress' personal life is going as well as her career right now. The actress recently marked her one-year anniversary with legendary rapper Common, and her beau opened up about their relationship on TODAY last month.

The Oscar-winner showered his lover with compliments on the show calling her a 'queen' and 'a wonderful human being.'

'She's able to enjoy life,' the rapper said. 'The joy that she brings as a comedian and as a person is inspiring me to bring more joy to people through music.'
Cameron Boyce died on July 6, 2019 at the age of 20 due to an epileptic seizure.

And over two years after his tragic passing, the trailer for his final role, a teen thriller called Runt, has been released.

The late Disney star, who is known for his roles in The Descendants franchise and the series Jessie, plays the role of a bullied teen named Cal.

Final role: Cameron Boyce died on July 6, 2019 at the age of 20 due to an epileptic seizure. And over two years after his tragic passing, the trailer for his final role, a teen thriller called Runt, has been released

The trailer, which was released on Wednesday, opens with Cameron's character waking up for another day of school with his beloved dog besides him.

Cameron asks his crush, who is a popular girl at school with a boyfriend, to go with him at Homecoming dance, which leads to a series of violent events.

His character Cal gets beat up by and thrown into a trash bin, which they rolled down the stairs.

He gets beat up again before the popular girl invites him to a party, leading to even more violence.

RIP: The late Disney star, who is known for his roles in The Descendants franchise and the series Jessie, plays the role of a bullied teen named Cal

Opening scenes: The trailer, which was released on Wednesday, opens with Cameron's character waking up for another day of school with his beloved dog besides him

Where the trouble started: Cameron asks his crush, who is a popular girl at school with a boyfriend, to go with him at Homecoming dance, which leads to a series of violent events

Adults also try to step in and help but the violence gets worse, with the trailer closing with Cal starting a fire in one of the bully's car.

Runt also stars Nicole Elizabeth Berger, Jason Patric, Brianna Hildebrand, Tichina Arnold, Seth Lee, Aramis Knight and Mitch Silpa.

The film was directed by William Coakley, his feature film debut. from a screenplay Coakley wrote alongside Armand Constantine and Christian van Gregg.

Thriller: Adults also try to step in and help but the violence gets worse, with the trailer closing with Cal starting a fire in one of the bully's car

Runt is Cameron's final role before his passing; he died on July 6, 2019 at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 20.

The film was in post-production at the time of his death.

He was found unresponsive and after emergency responders arrived, he was pronounced dead on the scene.

Three days after his passing, his family confirmed his death was due to his health condition, epilepsy, which caused an epileptic seizure.

Always remembered: Runt is Cameron's final role before his passing; he died on July 6, 2019 at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 20; seen June 16, 2019

He posthumously appeared in Descendants 3, as well as the limited series Mrs. Fletcher and the drama Paradise City, which aired in March 2021.

He became a household name for his role in the Disney Channel show Jessie as Luke Ross and as Carlos, the son of Cruella de Vil, in the Descendants franchise.

Runt debuted at the 2020 Mammoth Film Festival.

Runt will be shown in LA and NYC beginning October 1 and available on demand on October 19.
She always turns heads with her glamorous and vibrant ensembles.

And Kris Jenner didn't disappoint on Thursday as she rocked a colourful pyjama-style top and matching trousers for a boat ride with her beau Corey Gamble in Italy.

The Kardashian matriarch, 65, looked effortlessly stylish in her loose-fitting ensemble as she appreciated the sights that Portofino has to offer.

Showstopping: Kris Jenner stood out from the crowd in a colourful co-ord during a boat ride with her boyfriend Corey Gamble in Italy on Thursday

Kris accesorised tastefully with a black handbag and timeless necklace while protecting herself from the novel coronavirus with a black face mask.

Her signature cropped hairdo was parted to the side and she shielded her eyes from the sun with black shades.

Meanwhile Corey, 40, cut a casual figure in a green tee as he was seen sporting reflective sunglasses for the boat journey.

The outing comes after news that Kanye West has sparked speculation he cheated on estranged wife Kim Kardashian, the daughter of Kris, after the birth of their first two children.

What a pair! Meanwhile Corey, 40, cut a casual figure in a green tee as he was seen sporting reflective sunglasses for the boat journey

The rapper's track Hurricane has sent tongues wagging with its lyrics which allude to him confessing his infidelity, reports PageSix.

'Here I go actin' too rich / Here I go with a new chick / And I know what the truth is / Still playin' after two kids / It's a lot to digest when your life always movin'' raps the 44-year-old hitmaker, who premiered his album Donda on Sunday, August 29.

'The song is in a way his testimony of everything he did wrong and taking accountability for their marriage breakdown,' one source said of the song's potential meaning.

Another told PageSix the 'new chick' mentioned in Hurricane's lyrics is not a nod to West's fling with Russian supermodel Irina Shayk, who he reportedly split from last month.

'If you look closer to the lyrics he is referring to his infidelity during his marriage with Kim, even after two kids,' the outlet's insider continued.

Kim and Kanye famously tied the knot on May 24, 2014 during a lavish ceremony held in Florence, Italy.

The wedding came nearly one-year after the KKW Beauty founder and the Stronger hitmaker welcomed their first child together, daughter North West, now eight.

Kardashian would then give birth to the now estranged couple's second child, son Saint, five, in December 2015.

They would go on to welcome two more children, daughter Chicago, three, and son Psalm, two, via surrogate in 2018 and 2019.
Kourtney Kardashian's children greeted their mother with rose petals on the driveway and homemade Welcome Home signs as she returned home from her romantic trip to Europe with boyfriend Travis Barker.

In video posted to her Instagram Stories, Kourtney's daughter Penelope, nine, and son Reign, six, ran into her arms after scattering flowers across the pavement and hanging the colorful signs on the garage door.

The 42-year-old couldn't have looked any happier to finally be reunited with her children after her PDA-packed journey with Travis and a bit of drama involving the father of her kids, Scott Disick.

Warm welcome! Kourtney Kardashian's children greeted their mother with rose petals on the driveway and homemade Welcome Home signs following her romantic trip to Europe with boyfriend Travis Barker

In the heartwarming video, the children set the bowls they may have used to scatter the flowers onto the ground before rushing into their mother's arms.

Kourtney tightly hugs her children, obviously over the moon to be back with them.

That wasn't the only treat awaiting Kourtney.

The kids appeared to have strewn even more decorations in their dining room in addition to setting a table decorated with flowers.

Reunited! Kourtney tightly hugs her children, obviously over the moon to be back with them

Aww! The children ran into their mother's arms as she arrived at their house

They also hung up the signs they had made using construction paper.

One was decorated with tie-dye stickers while another was hand-drawn with pompoms strung across the top.

The warm welcome was the cherry on top of a magical few days exploring Italy and Paris with her love.

Here she comes! In the heartwarming video, the children set the bowls they may have used to scatter the flowers onto the ground before rushing to their mother

She's back! The warm welcome was the cherry on top of a magical few days exploring Italy and Paris with her love

Kourtney has been spotted kissing her beau all over Europe as of late, but as it turns out not everyone was pleased by the love fest.

Kourtney's ex Scott, whom she shares Penelope, Reign, and Mason, 11, with, blasted her public displays of affection with boyfriend Travis in a leaked message he sent to her other ex-boyfriend, Younes Bendjima.

'Yo is this chick ok!???? Broooo like what is this. In the middle of Italy,' Scott messaged Younes, along with a photo of the couple making out on a boat.

Greetings! Kourtney was also surprised by a beautifully set table and more decorations hanging in her home

Pretty as a petal: Rosebuds were placed at each plate while a small display of pink flowers sat at the center of the table

Yum! Kourtney noshed on pint-sized pancakes after returning home

However, the ex-boxer hit back at Scott and insisted he doesn't care what his ex gets up to as long as she is 'happy'.

Younes wrote back: 'Doesn't matter to me as long as she's happy. PS: i ain't your bro.'

Younes posted a screenshot of the exchange onto his Instagram Stories, where he wrote of it: 'Keep the same energy you had about me publicly, privately.'

Insiders admitted Scott was caught off guard by Younes' actions and insisted he'd only sent the message during a 'heated moment'.

'Is this chick ok!?' Kourtney's ex Scott Disick, whom she shares Penelope, Reign, and Mason, 11, with, blasted her public displays of affection with boyfriend Travis in a leaked message he sent to her other ex-boyfriend, Younes Bendjima

A source told Us Weekly: 'Scott was definitely embarrassed by Younes sharing his DM.

'He didn't realize when he messaged him that that would happen. He DMed him when he was in a heated moment and was just looking for him to react the same way being that they both dated Kourtney.'

It has also been claimed that Kourtney wasn't 'shocked' by Scott's comments as he notoriously had a 'difficult time' with accepting that Kourtney has moved on, even though he's currently dating Amelia Hamlin.

Good memories: On Friday Travis shared this image with Kourtney where they were drinking from the same cup

A source told People: 'She was surprised, but not shocked. Scott has always had a difficult time accepting that Kourtney is happy with someone else. He is especially threatened by her relationship with Travis.'

Kourtney is also said to be 'disappointed' in Scott, 38, because they have been 'doing well co-parenting' a source told the website.

The insider added: 'Yet, he and Kourtney have been getting along. Kourtney is disappointed that he engages in drama when they have been doing well co-parenting.

'She doesn't get why he felt the need to reach out to Younes. She will confront him about it.

'For now, she continues to enjoy her trip with Travis.'
He filed for a marriage license last week in the state of Colorado with his bride-to-be Francie Fane.

And on Wednesday, Dog the Bounty Hunter, 68, was seen sharing a kiss with Francie ahead of their reported scheduled wedding on Thursday.

The sighting comes amid an onslaught of family drama involving daughter Bonnie Chapman who had been uninvited from the impending nuptials over an ongoing rift.

Kiss kiss: He filed for a marriage license last week in the state of Colorado with his bride-to-be Francie Fane. And on Wednesday, Dog the Bounty Hunter, 68, was seen sharing a kiss with Francie ahead of their reported scheduled wedding on Thursday

The reality star was seen kissing his bride-to-be and sharing an intimate moment while out and about in Colorado.

The duo were joined by pals for a dinner on Wednesday night, with Dog grinning ear to ear during the outing one day before their wedding.

Dog enjoyed a smoke break with pals just outside the restaurant.

Dog - whose real name is Duane Lee Chapman - was first revealed to be in a romance with Francie, a 52-year-old rancher from Colorado - in March 2020 - 10 months after his late wife Beth passed away after a battle with Stage 4 lung cancer.

A moment: The sighting comes amid an onslaught of family drama involving daughter Bonnie Chapman who had been uninvited from the impending nuptials over an ongoing rift

Close: The reality star was seen kissing his bride-to-be and sharing an intimate moment while out and about in Colorado

Lifestyle: Dog enjoyed a smoke break with pals just outside the restaurant

On Friday the reality star filed for a marriage license in the state of Colorado, ahead of their September 2, wedding per TMZ.

The news comes amid an onslaught of family drama involving daughter Bonnie Chapman, 22, (who he shares with late wife Beth) who had been uninvited from the impending nuptials over an ongoing rift.

On August 22, Dog's step daughter Cecily and daughter Bonnie (who he shares with late wife Beth) told TMZ that they had been uninvited to the wedding.

Both had initially theorized that it may have been because they may have 'reminded him a little bit too much of their mom,' before things turned ugly.

Smiling: Dog and his fiancee chatting intimately

Interesting: Dog - whose real name is Duane Lee Chapman - was first revealed to be in a romance with Francie, a 52-year-old rancher from Colorado - in March 2020 - 10 months after his late wife Beth passed away after a battle with Stage 4 lung cancer

Close: On August 22, Dog's step daughter Cecily and daughter Bonnie (who he shares with late wife Beth) told TMZ that they had been uninvited to the wedding

Having fun: The duo were joined by pals for a dinner on Wednesday night, with Dog grinning ear to ear during the outing

Catching up: The group chatted away as he smoked a cigarette outside.

Leaving: The star seen leaving the venue

On the go: The busy reality star was chatting on his way out

Another one: Francie was seen beaming ear to ear as she chatted with friends

At the time Cecily had reached out to her stepfather Dog about not getting invited to the wedding but she alleged she never received a text back, and Bonnie had yet to confront him.

Bonnie had later followed up with the publication about a second theory and said that her involvement with Black Lives Matter fractured she and Dog's relationship.

She also added that she believed her ongoing involvement with Unleashed TV  a network that purportedly fired her dad over his use of 'epithets'  was another point of contention.

Getting hitched! The 68-year-old reality star filed for a marriage license with bride-to-be Francie Frane in the state of Colorado amid ongoing family drama that has caused two of his daughters to turn on the pair

Airing it out: Bonnie had not confronted her dad about her lack of wedding invite at the time of the August 22 TMZ article but things turned ugly and she ended up blasting Dog with accusations he cheated on her mom Beth and said he used 'racial and homophobic epithets' towards cast members on her show The System

Following her statements, Bonnie received a text message from Dog's fiancee Francie allegedly confirming she had not been invited to their wedding due to her activism work and failure to condemn the streaming platform that allegedly fired her father over the use of 'epithets'.

Bonnie still works with UTV on their own show The System, which focuses on dismantling systemic racism.

Following the message, Bonnie took to Facebook to blast her father in a lengthy statement where she accused him of racism, homophobia, and cheating on his late wife 'all the time,' even when she was 'sick in the hospital.'

Beth's daughter: Cecily, the daughter of Dog's late wife Beth had originally theorized that she and her sister were not invited to the September 2 wedding because they bore a striking resemblance to their mother

Focused: He cut a casual figure as he smiled with Francie

Solo: He sat down for meal soon after

Beth and Dog were married from 2006 to her passing in June 2019 at the age of 51 from lung cancer.

In the post she also brandished him as having 'racist ways,' said he sat idly by when her life was 'threatened on several occasions by QAnon wackos,' and said she felt inclined to speak out to honor her mom's legacy as she would have not 'stand for this.'

Bonnie also claimed Francie traveled on a plane 'knowing' she was infected with COVID-19 and attended events as she wrote: 'She didn't seem to care about the thousands of people she could have infected.'

'If my dad and his new wife want to travel to right-wing churches attacking gay people and advancing QAnon theories, he can certainly do that, but I'm going to stand by the memory and legacy of my mom, Beth Chapman. Her memory, and the values she stood for, are worth fighting to advance,' another excerpt read.

A representative for Dog denied Beth's allegations in a statement obtained by E!: 'Bonnie's allegations are false and a misguided attempt to derail our wedding.'

In August, Dog struck an optimistic note while speaking with Us Weekly about his upcoming nuptials.

'I have a large family and most of them are going to be here for it. I love all my kids and it's going to be great to have so many people here to celebrate,' he told the site.

'We've spent so long on this to ensure it's going to be just perfect and believe me, nothing is going to get in the way of us,' he added.

The reality star added it was sad his daughters Cecily and Bonnie were attempting to 'bring a cloud over our wedding.'

Dog - who is a father of 13 - denied his daughters claims he was fired over using racist/homophobic language, calling the accusations a 'false' attempt to mess with the wedding.

He also told TMZ his daughters are being 'groomed' by his shady former associates, pleading: 'Please pray for Bonnie and Cecily to be released from whatever hold these people have on them.'

Protective: Francie confirmed that the sisters had not been invited to the wedding via text because they continued to 'align' themselves with people from the network that she says 'tried to ruin his career'

'Despite the sadness, we feel at this rift in our family, Francie and I are looking forward to celebrating our wedding next week with the rest of our family and close friends.'

And his other daughter Lyssa also appeared to have his back as she said tearfully on social media this week: 'Bonnie and Cecily are loved by our family. We are heartbroken that bad people are using them to get revenge on Dad.'

'Everything Bonnie is alleging has been put in her head by ex-business partners of my father who are angry they couldnt ride his coattails any longer. Dad quit when he realized they were con men,

Chapman has been married five times and has 13 children. His first child is Christopher Michael Hecht, whose mother is Debbie White.

He two children with his first ex-wife, La Fonda Sue Darnell: they are sons Duane Lee Chapman, II (born in 1973) and Leland Blane Chapman (born in 1976).

With second ex-wife Ann Tegnell, Dog welcomed three children: Zebadiah Chapman (born in 1980, but is deceased) Wesley Chapman (also born in 1980), and James Robert Chapman (born in 1982).

With third ex-wife, Lyssa Rae Brittain, he had daughter Barbara Katie Chapman (born 1982; she is deceased), son Tucker Dee Chapman (born 1983) and Lyssa Rae Chapman (born 1987).

Dog had two children with Beth: Bonnie (born 1998) and Garry (born 2001).

He adopted Cecily Barmore-Chapman (born 1993) who Beth had with her ex-husband.
Matt Dillon put on a united display with his girlfriend Roberta Mastromichele as they attended the premiere for The Hand of God during the 78th Venice International Film Festival on Thursday.

The actor, 57, looked ever-suave as he cut a black suit, complete with a coordinating bow tie, while his girlfriend exposed her decolletage in a plunging plum-and-pink gown.

Having swept his brown locks into a sleek, gelled-back look, the Wayward Pines star framed his face with a pair of onyx shades while flashing a beaming smile for the cameras.

What a pair! Matt Dillon looked suave in a black suit and bow tie while girlfriend Roberta Mastromichele oozed glamour in a plunging plum gown as they attended The Hand of God's premiere in Venice on Thursday

Suited-and-booted: The actor, 57, looked ever-suave as he cut a black suit, complete with a co-ordinating bow tie, while his beau exposed her decolletage in a plunging plum-and-pink gown

Oozing glamour, Roberta styled her wavy walnut tresses into a middle parting for the exclusive night out and had flawlessly applied a full face of makeup.

The 45-year-old actress populated her fingers with a collection of rings and affectionately held the Hollywood veteran's hand as she swept her way over the red carpet.

Matt rose to prominence in the late '80s with roles in films such as the Outsiders and Rumble Fix.

Wow! Oozing glamour, Roberta styled her wavy walnut tresses into a middle parting for the exclusive night out and had flawlessly applied a full face of makeup

Dapper: Having swept his brown locks into a sleek, gelled-back look, the Wayward Pines star framed his face with a pair of black shades

Pearly whites: He flashed a beaming smile for a crowd of excited fans

Looking good: The Hollywood star removed his cool shades as the photographers continued to take their shots

In 2006, he received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for his critically-acclaimed role in Crash opposite Sandra Bullock.

Since then, he has gone on to star in dozens of films including the gruesome flick The House That Jack built in 2018

The Hand of God is an upcoming Italian drama film, selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the renowned film festival.

Adorable: Roberta looked lovingly into her other half's eyes as they soaked up the attention

Centre of attention: They looked like quite the power couple as they posed up a storm for onlookers

Impressive: Roberta worked with the likes of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in 2010's The Tourist

Set for a limited theatrical release on 24 November, the masterpiece inspired by the late the Diego Maradona will hit the small-screen on Netflix on 15 December.

Director Paolo Sorrentino, 51, told Variety, 'Aside from all the things I've said before about Maradona, he involuntarily saved my life.

'I lost my parents when I was 16 in an accident with the heating system in a house in the mountains where I always used to go to with them.

'That weekend, I didn't go because I wanted to go watch Maradona and S.S.C Napoli play a match in Empoli, and that saved me.'
Scheana Shay fiance's Brock Davies has two children that he hasn't spoken to in four years, according to her friend and co-star Lala Kent.

The shock revelation emerged during the bombshell trailer for the new season of Vanderpump Rules, which was released on Thursday.

'Brock has two kids,' Kent, 31, says during a conversation with Katie Maloney. 'He hasn't spoken to them in four years.'

Bombshell: Scheana Shay and Brock Davies' family life come under the spotlight in the new trailer for season nine of Vanderpump Rules

Shock claim: Lala Kent says Brock hasn't spoken to two of his children in four years

Scheana, 36, and Brock, 31, welcomed their first child together, Summer Moon, in April.

He also has an older son, Eli, and a daughter, Winter, from a previous relationship. They live in Australia with their mother and stepfather.

But sources have told Page Six that Lala's remark was taken out of context.

Insiders say the pandemic has disrupted Brock's ability to visit his children.

Baby love: Scheana, 36, and Brock, 31, welcomed their first child together, Summer Moon, in April

'Brock has two kids': Kent, 31, says during a conversation with Katie Maloney

No slowing them down! Despite being filmed during a pandemic, the next season of Vanderpump Rules looks like it'll be as wild as ever

'It's a complicated family matter,' the insider told Page Six. 'The pandemic hindered travel between the US and Australia, where the kids live.'

'Fans will get a better picture of the full story  which is more than the teaser clip  when the show premieres.'

Despite being filmed during a pandemic, the next season of Vanderpump Rules looks like it'll be as wild as ever.

Wild times: Whether they were at the pool or the bar, cameras captured the stars getting loose all over the place

Let the good times roll! Tom Maloney drank from a beer bong during a bash with friends

Whether they were at the pool or the bar, cameras captured the stars getting loose all over the place.

But motherhood has obviously changed things for Scheana and Lala.

'I'm definitely am the happiest I've ever been,' Scheana said while cradling her newborn daughter Summer.

Giddy up! The stars get down at a country themed bar

Whoa! Ariana Madix screams as man seemingly exposes himself to her during a party

Wine not! Lisa Vanderpump raised her glass as she danced the night away with her co-stars

Yet that tender moment was juxtaposed with a scene of Scheana sobbing during a gathering with her friends.

'I like want to go home with my baby, I don't even want to be here anymore,' Scheana told her friends.

And business partners Tom Schwartz and Tom Maloney are at odds again over the launch of another new bar.

Cheers! The women clink glasses as they enjoy a posh tea party-esque gathering outdoors

Maternal bliss: But motherhood has obviously changed things for Scheana and Lala

'Schwartz and I are opening up our own bar!' Tom enthusiastically says as a shot of the men inspecting their Mexican hotspot appears.

But the excitement soon fades following a rude awakening by Lisa Vanderpump.

'It's a complete s**t show,' the Bravo legend informed the duo.

Losing their buzz: Business partners Tom Schwartz and Tom Maloney are at odds again over the launch of another new bar

Lowering the bar: 'It's a complete s**t show,' the Bravo legend informed the duo

Not only that, but the men grapple over the prospect of bringing Katie on board.

'Keep her out of it!' Maloney groans.

'If I want Katie to come and f**king train staff, she's going to do it,' Schwartz shot back.

'Listen to my husband's f**king ideas!' Katie is seen shouting at Maloney in a separate scene.

Heated: 'Listen to my husband's f**king ideas!' Katie is seen shouting at Maloney in a separate scene

Standing up for herself: Raquel is seen defiantly telling James: 'First and foremost, it's my body'

Cruel: But the DJ harshly fires back: 'I'm the one that has to look at your face'

Not only are the two Toms battling it out, but so are James Kennedy and his fiancee Raquel Leviss.

Raquel is seen defiantly telling James: 'First and foremost, it's my body.'

But the DJ harshly fires back: 'I'm the one that has to look at your face.'

Things escalate at a party when James tells Raquel and Charli Burnett: 'Sorry you guys are so dumb you can't figure it out.'

That seemed to be the last straw for Raquel, who left the gathering despite the others attempting to coax her back in.

'Was that a bit much?' James asked.

Vanderpump Rules premieres on Tuesday, September 28 at 9pm ET/PT on Bravo.

Harsh: James tells Raquel and Charli Burnett: 'Sorry you guys are so dumb you can't figure it out'
Demi Moore looked to be taking in the beauty of Venice, Italy on Thursday afternoon.

The St Elmo's Fire actress, 58, was spotted at a lunch meeting with a tanned young man who had thick blonde hair as well as another man.

The ex-wife of Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher was chic in a short beige dress - which flashed her toned legs as she walked - as she sipped on iced coffee while chatting with her pals then looking at a book.

In Italy: Demi Moore was in one of the most beautiful cities in the world on Thursday but seemed to have business instead of sight seeing on her mind

Trio: The St Elmo's Fire actress, 58, was spotted at a lunch meeting with a tanned young man who had thick blonde hair as well as another man in Venice, Italy

The looker was seen sitting at the table with a bottle of water and an iced coffee in front of her as she wore dark oval sunglasses with her long raven hair worn down and straight.

At one point she opened a leather bound book and then wrote in it as she smiled.

The blonde man had on a blue and white striped shirt with white shorts and black lace up high top booties.

Easy day: The ex-wife of Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher sipped on iced coffee while chatting

Heated discussion? The Hollywood icon seemed to get passionate as she spoke

Looking good: She touched her sunglasses as she kept talking to the two men

He had on sunglasses as he sat next to Moore.

Later he and Demi were seen walking down the street with a gray-haired woman in a long blue dress with white sneakers.

At this point Demi's dress could be seen better. It buttoned down the front and had a slit exposing her bare legs. She added brown Birkenstocks and had a white purse worn crossbody style.

Hold up y'all: At one point she raised her hands as she spoke; the man in the black shirt seemed to have painted his nails blue

Come again: And the Striptease actress also leaned forward to get her point across to the man

There was a green shopping bag over her shoulder as she seems to have gone to a few boutiques.

A black face mask kept her safe.

Last week the siren showed off her pooches on National Dog Day. Moore had one of the best posts as she was seen with all nine of her furry little friends.

The paw pride was strong with GI Jane star Moore. The brunette beauty was seen at home near a dog bed as all the little ones posed away like pros.

'Dinnertime with the crew,' said the Indecent Proposal star who has homes in Idaho and Los Angeles.

Way to go: There was also white wine on the table but it did not like Demi was drinking

Light makeup: Demi did not seem to have much makeup on except for some lipstick

Drink up: The New Mexico native had rings on he fingers and drop earrings on

She wore a white T-shirt and jeans with leopard print socks.



Moore has three daughters - Rumer, 32, Scout, 29, and Tallulah, 27 - that have all grown up and left her nest.

But that does not mean the A list actress is not busy playing mom at home.

She is a devoted fur parent.

In May she posed with nine pups. 'Tonight's dinner guests!' joked the author as she kneeled down in her dining room to feed the little pooches.

A big smile: There was some levity at the table too as the three smiled and laughed

Book time: She looked at a leather bound book then wrote in it as she smiled

And now the time has come: The mother of three pulled her hair back as she seemed ready to move on with her day

It is not known if they are all hers. Some may belong to daughter Tallulah as she said in the comments box: 'Is that Winston far back??'

Movie producer friend Allyn Stewart replied: 'Tallulah you are so cute. Yes that's Winston! He's joined the pack. Congratulations BTW!'

She was congratulating Tallulah on her engagement to Dillon Buss.

Idaho has the highest percentage of households in the US with dogs, according to a 2018 report from the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Cute dress code: The Inside Out author was chic in a short beige dress which flashed her toned legs as she walked

Details: And the star added a white crossbody purse with Birkenstock sandals. The blonde man had on a blue and white striped shirt with white shorts and black lace up high top booties

Moore has been spending time in her home in Idaho in the past year.

She purchased the property when she was wed to Willis because it felt like 'home,' she detailed in her memoir Inside Out which also described her painful childhood that included poverty, addiction and sex abuse.

Also this year Moore and her daughters appear in Andie Swim's summer campaign.

The actress - who has Rumer, 32, Scout, 29, and Tullulah, 27, with ex-husband Bruce Willis - suggested her offspring join her in the swimwear brand's 'Together' project to mark the 'pivotal summer' following the coronavirus pandemic.

President and chief executive officer of Andie Swim, Melanie Travis explained: 'I reached out to her and asked how she would feel about partnering for a campaign in this historic, pivotal summer, what I hoped would be coming out of a global pandemic, and she was excited to think about it with me, and here we are.

'Somewhere along the way she [Moore] said, 'What about if we included my daughters in here?''

Family time. In 2003 when she was with Ashton Kutcher, she was seen with ex Bruce Willis and their three kids: Rumer, 32, Scout, 29, and Tallulah, 27

The trio donned Andie's hero suits, including The Amalfi, The Malibu and The Tulum, for the photoshoot which was captured by Cass Bird at her home in East Hampton, New York.

Travis continued: 'They were very game, they stayed for a while out east. We had a great time. We weren't originally going to shoot at Cass' house, but the spirit of this brand is about community and our people and having fun, and Cass said, 'Let's shoot in my backyard.''

Demi first joined Andie Swim in 2017 as an investor and has since become an advisor to the brand with her insights on products and marketing.

Four paws up Demi: National Dog Day was a great excuse for Moore to pose with all nine of her furry little friends

Fur parent: Moore in May revealed she is a devoted fur parent as she is taking care of nine small dogs inside her Idaho mansion

Now, she is thrilled to be able to 'seize opportunities' with her daughters.

The Ghost star told WWD: 'Over the past year, connection has become more crucial than ever. I've been a supporter of Andie from the beginning as an investor, and now, more than ever, felt like a perfect time to join them in welcoming a summer of freedom and togetherness.

Especially sharing it with my daughters. It was important to me to include my daughters in this campaign, and I hope others seize opportunities in their lives to create meaningful connections and celebrate every moment with the people they love.'
They're heading down the aisle soon.

And Heather Rae Young was simply glowing during a cute-as-can-be bridal shower hosted by PETA and Kindred Spirits Care farms in Chatsworth, California on Thursday.

The Selling Sunset beauty, 33, enjoyed a glass of champagne while she and her fiance Tarek El Moussa, 40, played around with some farm animals.

Animal lovers: Heather Rae Young and fiance Tarek El Moussa got treated to a fun bridal shower at Kindred Spirits Care farm thrown by PETA on Thursday

The duo were dressed for fun, donning simple black duds for the day at the animal sanctuary.

She flattered her figure in a chic black jumpsuit while sweeping her hair away from her face in French braids to reveal delicate Gucci diamond earrings.

Adding a bit of pizazz to her look, Heather donned fun boots adorned with pearls.

Meanwhile, Tarek sported a shirt with the name of late Ramones bassist Dee Dee on Ramone on it and continued to keep things edgy with a beard and dark sunglasses.

Oink: The Selling Sunset beauty fed the pigs strawberries and beamed

To love! The couple shared a passionate kiss at the farm

Tying the Flip Or Flop star's look together were leather sneakers and a spendy wristwatch.

The couple looked smitten as they shared a passionate kiss in front of a poster that showed Heather, a longtime vegan, sporting a cauliflower wedding dress.

'Say "I Do" to vegan!' the poster read.

And the animal lover looked thrilled to spend time with the livestock, seen beaming as she fed a pig a strawberry and later offered a goat a cookie straight from her mouth.

So fun: The Flip Or Flop star looked like he was having a great time

Watch out Tarek! Heather fed a goat a cookie straight from her mouth

Heather's partnership with PETA comes while the star wraps up planning on their wedding, which she teased will feature a delicious vegan wedding cake.

'I definitely want a chocolate peanut butter cake, so Tarek and I already did some taste testing,' she dished in a video, adding: 'We have not finalized what we're gonna do but we're definitely gonna do a big vegan cake.'

Tarek met Heather at a Fourth of July party in 2019 and proposed one year later on Catalina island in California.

The wedding should take place this fall in California.

Animal free: The couple looked smitten as they shared a passionate kiss in front of a poster that showed Heather, a longtime vegan, sporting a cauliflower wedding dress

While no exact date has been revealed yet, Young wrote on Instagram that the couple are getting hitched 'so soon.'

She also enjoyed a separate shower with her Selling Sunset friends in Newport Beach over the weekend.

Tarek shot to fame besides ex-wife Christina Haack on the HGTV home renovation scene via their house flipping show Flip Or Flop.

The pair, who share a daughter Taylor, 10, and a son Brayden, five, still work together on their show despite officially splitting five years ago.

Aww: Tarek met Heather at a Fourth of July party in 2019 and proposed one year later on Catalina island in California

Though they still work together, things are said to be less than friendly between the exes.

Earlier this summer El Moussa went insulting tirade against his ex-wife, reportedly berating her in front of workers on set, and allegedly calling her 'crazy' and declared that he was 'winning.'

He is also said to have compared her to his current fiancee with Christina, calling Heather 'richer and hotter', and claimed Christina was a 'washed up loser' and that he 'enjoyed' watching her 'fail.'


10-time Grammy nominee Nicki Minaj was shocked to hear her son - nicknamed 'Papa Bear' - speak for the first time in a cute video she posted on Thursday.

'Papa, say me and mommy laughed at that. Booboo, what you doing? Say hi!' the 38-year-old first-time mother cooed.

At that, Nicki's baby boy - turning one on September 30 - replied: 'Hi!'

Milestone: 10-time Grammy nominee Nicki Minaj was shocked to hear her son - nicknamed 'Papa Bear' - speak for the first time in a cute video she posted on Thursday

Minaj (born Onika Maraj) was rendered speechless raising her red-manicured hand to her mouth.

Most babies understand a few basic words by nine months old, but they generally don't begin speaking until age one.

The Trinidad-born, New York-raised star continued to urge her precious child to say more words like 'I know I'm a cute boy' to no avail.

Nicki - who has no nanny - also joked Thursday that Papa was her 'new furry friend' from the 'local shelter' and even superimposed a dog on his shoulder.

The 38-year-old first-time mother cooed: 'Papa, say me and mommy laughed at that. Booboo, what you doing? Say hi!'

At that, Nicki's baby boy - turning one on September 30 - replied: 'Hi!'

Genuine surprise: Minaj (born Onika Maraj) was rendered speechless raising her red-manicured hand to her mouth

Ahead of schedule! Most babies understand a few basic words by nine months old, but they generally don't begin speaking until age one

Joining Minaj's side in the videos was her manager-turned-husband of 22 months - Kenneth 'Zoo' Petty - who's registered as a sex offender in California and New York.

Nicki was only 16 when she first met the 43-year-old ex-con, who served a combined 11 years in prison for raping a 16-year-old girl in 1995 and shooting a man to death in 2002.

The Whole Lot of Money rapper next plans on hosting the sixth season reunion of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Potomac, which tapes in October.

'I'll be hosting the reunion. [Let me know] what y'all want me to ask [child],' Minaj - who boasts 261.5M social media followers - wrote on July 29.

'You a cute boy?' The Trinidad-born, New York-raised star continued to urge her precious child to say more words like 'I know I'm a cute boy' to no avail

'Visit your local shelter today!' Nicki - who has no nanny - also joked Thursday that Papa was her 'new furry friend,' even superimposing a dog on his shoulder

Problematic: Joining Minaj's side in the videos was her manager-turned-husband of 22 months - Kenneth 'Zoo' Petty - who's registered as a sex offender in California and New York

Yikes! Nicki was only 16 when she first met the 43-year-old ex-con, who served a combined 11 years in prison for raping a 16-year-old girl in 1995 and shooting a man to death in 2002

'My questions will be well thought out, too. Mixed with funny & epic of course.'

Nicki teamed up with Young Thug to perform Always Love You on the legendary Elton John's 16-track 32nd studio album The Lockdown Sessions, which drops October 22.

The former Red Lobster waitress hasn't released a full-blown record since her fourth studio album Queen in 2018.

'What y'all want me to ask?' The Whole Lot of Money rapper next plans on hosting the sixth season reunion of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Potomac, which tapes in October
Treading lightly on Tanna We go on a new ecotourism adventure tour in North Tanna
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Dancehall popstar Shenseea will be performing at the 365Live Labor Day Edition Concert in Miami this weekend.

Set for Sunday, September 5 at the outdoor venue of Oasis at Wynwood, Miami, Shenseea will join a star-studded lineup including Trey Songz, The City Girls, Chinese Kitty, Mariah Angeliq, with host Yes Juelz.

The Labor Day Edition Concert will be a benefit concert with part proceeds going to the victims in Haiti through The Jack Brewer Foundation. Founded in 2006, the Jack Brewer Foundation is dedicated to bringing resources to the most underserved through its programs in Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, India, China, and the United States. Supported by the unity of influencers, the Jack Brewer Foundation has delivered over $70 million in medical aid and helps bring medical care to over 10,000 women and children around the world.

On August 14, 2021, Haiti was struck by a massive earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.2, taking the lives of at least 2,207 persons. Listed as the deadliest earthquake and deadliest natural disaster of 2021, it is the worst earthquake to strike Haiti since the 2010 earthquake. The foundation will aid Haiti with food, shelter and supplies needed to fix infrastructure, such as hospitals that are currently without electricity and running water.

Another portion of the proceeds of the concert will support the launch for 365Live.com for its ticket platform as well as their website, which is based around creating and selling events.

More details: https://365live.com/event/detail/27

The show will take place between 7pm to 12am, with a holding capacity of 2,000 people. There will be an after-party for the show at Vendome Nightclub, hosted by French Montana.
DARIEN  First Selectman Jayme Stevenson has declared a local emergency for the town following the widespread flooding overnight into Thursday.

Stevenson said in a release that the town experienced catastrophic flooding from Tropical Storm Ida. She said the town received more than eight inches of rain between 7 p.m. on Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday.

Early on Thursday, Stevenson reported on Twitter that the town had received 8.94 inches of rain during that time.

Darien, along with communities across the tri-state region, is experiencing unprecedented flooding tonight, Stevenson tweeted overnight. Many roads are impassable making travel around town impossible. Stay off the roads so emergency workers can respond as needed.

On Thursday, Stevenson said the Emergency Operations Center was fully activated and operating without interruption overnight. The towns sheltering plan was also activated to host evacuated residents Wednesday night.

Darien Police responded to 21 weather-related incidents, including two rescues for vehicles in floodwater, she said.

We have a number of downed trees, utility wires and road closures of Casement Street and Tokeneke Road at the I-95 interchange where the roadway has washed out, Stevenson said in her update. Several small bridges to homes have been damaged. Thankfully no Darien residents or emergency responders were injured in the storm.

Pictures filled social media of flooded streets and partially submerged cars.

Stevenson shared a picture of the Post Road underpass, saying she had never seen it this flooded before.

Eversource reported 253 customers, or about 3.12 percent of the town, didnt have power shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday. That number rose to 370, or about 4.57 percent of the towns customers around 5 p.m.

The town also announced Pear Tree and Weed Beaches were closed for swimming on Thursday because of the heavy rains

Stevenson said Ida brought the same amount of rainfall Tropical Storm Elsa did on July 9 but in half the time, which caused much higher flood levels.

She said while Elsa caused significant localized damage in Darien, it didnt rise to the level of a state emergency declaration.

Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state emergency for Ida on Thursday, which Stevenson said she wasnt surprised to see.

We are confident the impacts of Ida will trigger a Gubernatorial Emergency Declaration given the devastation statewide, she had said Thursday morning.

Anyone whose home or business has storm damage is encouraged to document it with a date and time stamped photographs and email them to DarienEOC@darienct.gov.

Town officials have requested onsite administrative support from Dariens Regional Department of Emergency Management to help and will advise the community if and when in-person assistance is available.

Our Emergency Management Team, town hall staff and I are here to help if you need help, Stevenson said.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri man who has been in prison for more than 40 years for a triple murder that many legal and political officials believe he did not commit will have to wait several more weeks before a court hearing that could lead to his release.

Kevin Strickland's chance of being released seemed to be improving earlier this week, when a judge scheduled a hearing for Thursday for prosecutors to argue that he should be free. Strickland has been imprisoned since 1979.

But Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office, which has argued that Strickland is guilty, filed an emergency motion Wednesday to delay the hearing to provide more time for preparation, and a Missouri Court of Appeals panel ruled in Schmitt's favor.

Instead, during a hearing Thursday, Circuit Judge Judge Kevin Harrell set a Sept. 13 court date for attorneys to argue over motions Schmitt filed in the case. But the date for a hearing that could lead to Strickland's freedom was not set, The Kansas City Star reported.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said it was disappointing that Stricklands innocence claim was not heard Thursday and that her office is pushing for an evidentiary hearing to be set as soon as possible.

Its just when, Peters Baker said. While it is not yet too late, its late. This is late.

Peters Baker announced in May that she and others believe Strickland is innocent because evidence used to convict him in the Kansas City killings on April 25, 1978, has been disproved or recanted.

The Star reported a year ago that two men who pleaded guilty to the killings swore that Strickland was not with them and two other accomplices during the crime.

Under a new law that took effect Saturday, Peters Baker filed a motion Monday to have a hearing to allow her office and the attorney general's office to present arguments before Harrell would determine whether Strickland should be released.

During the Sept. 13 hearing, Harrell will consider Schmitt's motion that the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County and its judges will recuse themselves from Stricklands proceedings because of perceived bias in favor of Strickland's release.

One of Stricklands attorneys, Bob Hoffman, of the law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, said the delay means Strickland will miss his mothers funeral Saturday.

Peters Baker and Stricklands attorneys have argued that the new law does not give the attorney generals office authority to request discovery or file motions in the case. But the appeals court on Thursday rejected that argument, which will allow Schmitt to file a motion requesting discovery by Friday evening.

Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, a Democrat from Independence who sponsored the new law, said the legislation was not intended to allow the attorney generals office to file motions in relation to the hearing.

The appeals court ruling sets dangerous legal precedent that the attorney general is using to needlessly delay justice for the wrongfully imprisoned, Rizzo said in a statement Wednesday.

The new law also could spur action in St. Louis, where Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has said she believes Lamar Johnson has been wrongfully imprisoned for 26 years for the 1994 killing of 25-year-old Marcus Boyd in an alleged drug dispute.

The Missouri Supreme Court in March ruled against Gardner's motion for a new trial in March after Schmitt's office argued successfully that Gardner lacked authority to seek a new trial so many years after the case was adjudicated.

Gardners spokeswoman said in a text Wednesday that Gardner is finalizing next steps in this case and will be presenting evidence in court to deliver the justice that Lamar Johnson deserves. Spokeswoman Allison Hawk declined further comment.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  The Democratic-led Legislature voted Wednesday to extend an eviction and foreclosure moratorium for commercial and residential tenants who fell behind on their rent because of hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, had called the Legislature to return for an extraordinary session to pass the legislation, which will put evictions on hold until Jan. 15. She is expected to sign it once lawmakers send it to her.

New York's previous eviction moratorium, which included foreclosure protections for property owners, expired Tuesday.

In an Aug. 12 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court nixed part of the moratorium that allowed tenants to pause eviction proceedings simply by filing a form declaring theyd had a COVID-related financial hardship or that moving in a pandemic would prove a health risk. The court said that landlords should have the ability to challenge those hardships in court.

New York is poised to change how the moratorium works in light of that ruling. Landlords will be able to challenge hardship declarations and direct judges to require tenants with hardships to apply for rental assistance.

Hochul said the legislation will stand up to legal scrutiny. The Senate passed it 38-19.

But the leader of the Rent Stabilization Association, the largest organization of landlords in New York, vowed Wednesday to sue to block the moratorium in federal court.

This is blatant contempt of SCOTUS order," the group's president Joseph Strasburg, whose organization, along with five individual landlords, challenged the states eviction ban, said.

Strasberg said the new moratorium would be too similar to the old one. He criticized it for lacking an income limit, and said it shouldn't be up to landlords to prove tenants don't have a hardship.

Months ago, lawmakers had expected New York wouldnt still need an eviction moratorium this fall because the state approved a $2.4 billion fund expected to help as many as 200,000 households late on their rent.

But New York has released only a small percentage of that money so far: $230 million to over 15,000 households as of Wednesday.

Hochul has vowed to get the money out more quickly. The legislation also boosts the fund to $2.6 billion.

Meanwhile, she's urging tenants to apply for rental assistance. Those who qualify for months of back rent can receive up to a year of protection from eviction for having failed to pay that rent.

Under the new legislation, courts will be able to look up whether a tenant has applied for rental assistance.

And landlords will be able to launch eviction proceedings against such tenants who are a nuisance or has inflicted substantial damage to a property.

Republicans blasted Democrats for pushing the bill through with little time for lawmakers to read it over, and without setting aside funds for extra months of rental relief.

This legislation will only ensure that landlords will have to reach deeper into their own personal savings and loans to cover mounting expenses, including mortgages, utilities and property taxes, Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick, ranking Republican on the Assembly Housing Committee, said.

The bill passed Wednesday will also set aside $150 million more in rental assistance for tenants above the income threshold and for small landlords whose tenants have left the unit. Another $25 million will cover legal counsel for tenants unable to afford counsel in eviction proceedings.

Separately, the legislation will also allow state and local bodies to hold meetings remotely without allowing members of the public to attend in-person.

And the Senate approved Hochul's nomination of former Assemblymember Tremaine Wright and former Drug Policy Alliance policy coordinator Christopher Alexander to oversee the state's recreational pot sales program  a step her predecessor, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, didn't take in his final months in office.

There is no reason why simple announcements in terms of who the executive director is and who the chairperson is were not done in time, but Im going to make up for that lost time, and I want those decisions made, Hochul said Tuesday night.

The move drew praise from the industry group representing medical cannabis growers, who are lobbying the state to also expand medical licenses.
Renting out your garage is not the answer
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Dr Mahamudul Islam Chowdhury is a globally famous doctor and locally known as "DOCTOR OF HUMANITIES ".The background of this title is very interesting. For his patient friendliness, versatile influence on increasing health awareness among rural people, arrangements for home visits to treat covid-19 infected poor patients and humanitarian work them such as providing free medicines to needy people, he is honoured with the title ' DOCTOR OF HUMANITIES '.

During the peak of Covid-19 infection, Dr Mahamudul Islam Chowdhury got a humanitarian vibe which encouraged him to strengthen courage to serve humanity facing the danger of the covid-19 pandemic. To save the lives of covid-19 infected patients, he devoted his precious time and countless efforts. At present, he is working as a medical officer of a dedicated covid-19 hospital which is Chittagong general hospital, situated at Chittagong in Bangladesh. Earlier he is appointed in Binajuri union sub-centre of Raozan upazilla, Chittagong in 2019 and then transferred to Cox Bazar Sadar hospital in 2020.

As an entrepreneur, Dr Mahamudul Islam Chowdhury is really successful, established "YOUNGSTAR HEALTH CLUB ", a non-profit social organisation to spread vibes of a healthy lifestyle and to expand helping hands to the poor people. Through his influential social media-based Community across Bangladesh, he is raising health awareness among poor uneducated people. For these contributions, he was awarded the 2019 World Star for Quality Leadership Award.

He is a professional musical artist, known across Bangladesh, a sensation over social media for his heart touching romantic songs. His latest release "healing lifestyle " is available on amazon music. He also wrote some books about a healthy lifestyle.

A doctor who is a worthy entrepreneur and musical artist is rare nowadays. All of these criteria make him roaring news on many notable national and international print publications such as daily star, prothom-alo, risingbd and others.

Nur Mohammad Chowdhury and Begum Shahajahan are his proud parents. On 21st May 1991, he was born and then raised in Kadalpur, a village of Chittagong district. Dr Mahamudul Islam Chowdhury was very ambitious from the early age of his life. Later Dr Mahamudul moved to Sylhet city to fulfil his ambitions as a doctor which brought him a very impressive educational background. He Successfully achieved the "Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)" graduate degree in 2015 from Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College, CCD (on diabetes) & CMU (on ultrasonography)

Dr Mahamudul Islam Chowdhury has already become a member of an elite group of social media influencers with his exceptional lifestyle and inspiring contributions which deserve roaring popularity across the globe.

Disclaimer: No Deccan Chronicle journalist was involved in creating this content. The group also takes no responsibility for this content.
SEBI barred KSBL from taking new brokerage clients after it was found that the brokerage firm had allegedly misused clients' securities to the tune of over Rs 2,000 crore. (PTI Photo)

Hyderabad: The city police on Thursday arrested two senior executives of scam-hit Karvy Stock Broking Pvt Ltd for allegedly involving in diverting funds raised from banks by pledging clients' securities as collaterals.

According to a police press release, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Chief Executive Officer and G. Krishna Hari Chief Financial Officer of Karvy were arrested basing on a complaint by IndusInd bank.

The police had earlier arrested C Parthasarathy,Chairman of Karvy, on charges of defaulting a loan to the tune of Rs 137 crore to IndusInd Bank.

In November 2019, SEBI barred KSBL from taking new brokerage clients after it was found that the brokerage firm had allegedly misused clients' securities to the tune of over Rs 2,000 crore.

In November 2020, Bombay Stock Exchange declared Karvy Stock Broking as a defaulter and removed the brokerage house from its membership after a similar action was initiated by the National Stock Exchange.
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government will shortly set up 60 more walk-in liquor stores  in addition to the existing 40  to sell premium brands of liquor for catering to needs of high-end customers and tourists in the state.

Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL) is working out modalities to set up such stores. Each store, located in urban centres at popular tourist destinations  will be spread over 1,000 square feet. Private premises with requisite infrastructure, like racks, chillers and cash counters, will be hired in urban centres; and at locations belonging to AP Tourism Development Corporation at tourism centres. A good number of premium liquor brands, such as Black Dog and Chivas Regal, will be sold in these walk-in stores.

APSBCL authorities are on the lookout for suitable and viable premises to set up these walk-in stores. Monthly rentals for these stores are expected to range between minimum Rs. 75,000 to maximum Rs. 10 lakh and above, especially in metros like Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. Each store will have a supervisor and two to three salespersons depending on its location and volume of daily business.

Unlike regular government retail liquor outlets, where medium brands and cheap liquor and beer are being sold in 180 ml bottles for Rs. 150, walk-in liquor stores will sell premium brands of 750 ml liquor bottles at a minimum cost of about Rs 1,000. Each person will be sold only three bottles of liquor irrespective of volume as a thumb rule established by AP High Court.

AP earns nearly Rs. 2,000 crore per month from its 2,934 government retail liquor outlets. Government is expecting additional revenue of nearly Rs. 100 crore from the new premium stores.

APSBCL managing director D. Vasudeva Reddy said, Our intention is to ensure availability of premium brands of liquor in these stores in the wake of criticism that our retail liquor outlets are not selling such brands. Revenue is not the motive behind them.

Beverages corporation authorities say walk-in liquor stores with good ambience will allow customers to step in and pick their choice of liquor brand, unlike retail outlets where none is allowed inside.

Like in retail outlets, consumption of liquor will not be allowed in walk-in stores.
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday advised officials to provide certifications to organic producers to help them get good prices and announced that the YSR Agri Testing Labs would be launched in December.

The Chief Minister asked officials to initiate steps for betterment of services in RBKs and get ISO certification. At a review meeting on agriculture, the CM asked official agencies to encourage millets cultivation as it is more profitable compared to paddy cultivation.

Jagan said the officials must explain to farmers that cultivation of millets would give them good returns. Also, ensure that they get better remunerative prices for their crops, he said.

As regards the Agricultural Advisory Board meetings, the CM asked officials to resolve the issues brought up by these boards and help farmers overcome difficulties. The officials informed the CM that over one lakh farmers are behind the agriculture advisory boards.

Reviewing the performance of the Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), the chief minister said fertilizers, pesticides and seeds sought by the farmers should be made available at the RBKs within the stipulated time and the quality should be ensured. A system should be in place to resolve the farmers' issues directly through the RBK centers by using Artificial Intelligence, he said.

Jagan advised the officials to create awareness among farmers on natural farming. Hire buildings on rental basis for setting up small godowns to store seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, he said.

The chief minister said there should be continuous monitoring and review of the performance of RBKs. The YSR Agri-Testing Labs must be launched in December this year.

As for the YSR Polambadi programme, the CM said the government is conducting a Polambadi programme on 15 types of crops and asserted that the schedule of farming activities should be displayed at all RBKs. Besides these, he emphasized on the need to get certification for organic agricultural products and asked the authorities to ensure farmers get a better price for such products.

The chief minister stressed on e-cropping bookings and said farmers must be given a physical receipt along with digital acknowledgment, listing out all e-crop details. The entire process must be done in a transparent manner and officials must be cautious during the registration.

In addition to making heavy machinery available at the Community Hiring Centers, officials must ensure all the necessary farming tools are available to the farmers at the RBKs by the next Rabi season.

He advised officials to fill the 2038 vacant posts in village secretariats with agriculture assistants.

Besides these, the Chief Minister asked officials to replace a dysfunctional transformer with a new one immediately, and told them to study the causes of transformer burning and load issues. Farmers have no objection in fixing meters, as these would help them know the extent of their power usage and this would increase the accountability among the officials.

He said the government is spending a lot for providing quality power to farmers by strengthening the feeders and also bringing in a 10,000 MW solar project for uninterrupted free power supply and free electricity to farmers.
Vijayawada: CBI to conduct a preliminary investigation to file an FIR against AP Minister for education, Audimulapu Suresh and his wife Vijayalakshmi who is an IRS officer . The Supreme Court directed the CBI to conduct primary inquiry and to file FIR on the registration of the Disproportionate Assets (DA) case against IRS officer TN Vijayalakshmi and her husband minister for education Audimulapu Suresh. It may be recalled that minister Suresh challenged that registration of case against them without primary inquiry in the Telangana Court and it was struck off by the THC. But the CBI went to the Supreme Court challenging the THC decision and the Apex Court directed the CBI to file an FIR after conducting a preliminary inquiry in the case.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said as it asked the CBI to file its reply on whether preliminary enquiry (PE)was conducted before registration of the Disproportionate Asset (DA) case against an IRS officer and her husband Audimulapu Suresh, who is presently Andhra Pradesh Education Minister.

A bench of Justice DY Chandrachud, Vikram Nath and Hima Kohli agreed with the submission of Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for CBI, that the High Court while hearing the petition seeking quashing of the FIR against the accused has gone into the merit of the case.

Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for the accused IRS officer TN Vijayalakshmi and her husband, said that no PE was conducted by the agency and an FIR was registered on the basis of source information but they never disclosed the source.
Mitra was 65 and had been ailing. (Photo: File | PTI)

New Delhi: Former Rajya Sabha MP and senior journalist Chandan Mitra passed away on Wednesday night in Delhi.

He was 65 and had been ailing.

His son Kushan Mitra confirmed the death on Thursday morning.

"Since it is already out there; Dad passed away late last night. He had been suffering for a while," he tweeted.

Mitra, who was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha from August 2003 to 2009, had resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on July 18, 2018. He then joined the All India Trinamool Congress.

BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta expressed his condolences for his close friend.

"I lost my closest friend--editor of Pioneer & former MP Chandan Mitra--this morning. We were together as students of La Martiniere & went on to St Stephen's & Oxford. We joined journalism at the same time & shared the excitement of Ayodhya & the saffron wave," Dasgupta tweeted.

"I am posting a photograph of Chandan Mitra and me together during a school trip in 1972. Be happy my dear friend wherever you are. Om Shanti," he added.
The court appreciated the efforts made by the government, the GHMC and the police at last year's Ganesh festival and said they should be continued this year. (DC Image)

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday advised that the Ganesha festival celebrations be held without the usual pomp at in view of the pandemic.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) M.S. Ramchandra Rao and Justice Vinod Kumar said it would issue related directions on September 6.

The bench directed the GHMC commissioner, Pollution Control Board, the police commissioners in the GHMC limits and the Baghyanagar Ganesh Utsav Committee to file suggestions or measures that are implementable in relation to the smooth conduct of the festival.

The court appreciated the efforts made by the government, the GHMC and the police at last year's Ganesh festival and said they should be continued this year.

The court observed that there was the need to effect restrictions on the erection of pandals in public places, the number of idols coming from far-off places to Hussainsagar, movement of contract carriage vehicles, number of people accompanying each Ganesh idol on immersion day.

The court said police should ensure is physical distancing, and less sound pollution from the pandals.

Stating that the court was not against religious celebrations, Acting Chief Justice Ramachandra Rao said, We are all in the midst of the pandemic and a third wave is feared, and there are many new mutations of the virus. So, this situation calls for restrictions.

Justice Rao asked senior counsel L. Ravichander, who represented the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Ustav Committee, to counsel his clients in this regard.

The bench faulted the central and state pollution control boards, GHMC and the government for remaining silent against the violators of the High Court directions on immersion of Ganesha idols in the Hussainsagar.

The law grants power to PCB to take stringent action against the violators who are polluting the lake by immersing the idols made of plaster of Paris, synthetic colours etc. PCB has teeth under the act, but it not using it. Be a proactive PCB, rather than an inactive PCB, the Acting CJ said.

I have noticed that very good beautification work was done at Tank Bund. But, it will all be spoiled at the time of immersions of idols with actions like erection of cranes and presence of vehicles carrying idols and the heavy crowds there. With these, all the public money spent for the beautification will turn waste. So, the GHMC should go for alternatives, ACJ Rao said.
Kashmiri separatist patriarch Syed Ali Shah Geelani who passed away after a prolonged illness late Wednesday night was buried quietly in a Muslim cemetery located a couple of hundred yards from his residence in Srinagars Hyderpora area early Thursday.

The locals said that the 92-year-old fiery politician was laid to rest in haste under tight security in the mazaar adjacent to a mosque and a Sufi shrine between 3.30 am and 4 am. The police sources said that a mass burial was disallowed in anticipation of possible anti-India protests and in view of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Syed Geelanis son Dr. Nayeem Geelani, however, alleged that the police snatched his body after the family sought time for the funeral till, at least, 10 am Thursday so that our close relatives who had not come to our place yet too could have a last glimpse of Abba, join the namaz-e-janaza and be present at the burial.

The family claimed that the separatist leader had expressed the will that he should be buried at Srinagars Idgah Mazaar-e-Shohada (martyrs cemetery) but the authorities categorically refused to permit it and said that they wanted him to be laid to rest at the nearby Muslim cemetery within one hour and if the family was not willing they could not do it themselves. Nayeem alleged that the police then snatched the body and forcibly buried it after pushing and overpowering the family members and even scuffled with the women.

His younger brother Dr. Naseem Geelani said, Nobody from the family was present for his burial. We dont know who gave him the gussal (last bath), who offered namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayer) for him and who buried him. We saw Abba Jans grave only at 10 am and offered fateha.

The Kashmir police denied the allegations. Its twitter handle quoted Inspector General of Police, Vijay Kumar, as saying, Reported allegations against the police are baseless. In fact, the police facilitated in bringing the dead body from the house to the graveyard as there was apprehension that miscreants might take undue advantage of the situation. Relatives participated in the last rites.

Kumar had at around 11 pm on Wednesday turned up at Syed Geelanis house to request the family that it should ensure minimum participation of people in the funeral owing to COVID-19 protocol.

Syed Geelani's Pakistan-based representative Abdullah Gilani had earlier in a tweet said that he would be laid to rest at Mazaar-e-Shohada in Srinagars Idgah grounds.

But the family sources said that Geelani's kin were warned by the authorities against seeking to make his funeral a political manifestation. They were also strictly told that chanting of any political slogans during the funeral would invite legal action.

Soon after the news about Syed Geelanis death broke, major cities and towns of Kashmir Valley including capital Srinagar were brought under curfew-like restrictions and the internet services and voice calling on mobile phones except in the state-owned BSNL were snapped "as a precautionary measure". Security was beefed up also in Jammu region particularly Muslim-majority Chenab valley and Pir Panjal region.

Fear and tension that had gripped the Valley particularly Srinagar, however, eased by Thursday afternoon and soon some areas witnessed partial opening of shops. The police sources said that the security restrictions may remain in force in the Valley for, at least, three more days and that during this period no mourning rallies or similar public gatherings would be allowed in order to maintain peace and in view of the pandemic.

Amid reports of angry crowds taking to streets at a few places, the police authorities have warned that "anti-national, anti-social and disruptive elements who will try to seize the opportunity to create disturbances or law and order situations will be dealt with severely under law".

Family sources stated that Geelani, who was suffering from multiple ailments, complained of severe chest pain on Wednesday afternoon, following which he developed serious complications by the evening. They added that he breathed his last at 10.30 pm.

He had chest congestion and breathing problems and his condition worsened by this evening, the sources said.

He was under house detention for the past eleven years, the sources added.
Udhagamandalam: The District Sessions Court here on Thursday posted the hearing of the Kodanad heist and murder case for October 1, giving four weeks' time for the prosecution to submit a status report after inquiry with more witnesses.Though police was expected to submit the report on August 27, after interrogating key accused Sayan and the brother of the late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's car driver, who died in a car accident, the case was adjourned for today as a case was pending in the Madras High Court.

Since the lawyers representing the government sought time to submit the status report after interrogating a few more persons reportedly involved in the case, including the Kodanad estate manager, the Judge C Sanjai Baba allowed time and posted the hearing to October 1.

Sayan and another accused Walayar Majoj were produced before the court amid police protection, particularly the former, who had sought protection claiming that he was receiving threat calls.

Being a sensational case, a large number of media persons from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka and locals assembled on the court premises and officials had to ask them to follow Covid-19 protocols.

Om Bahadur, the watchman of Kodanad Estate, belonging to the late chief minister, was found hanging dead on a tree with his throat slit and another watchman lying with serious injuries. One of the rooms of the guest house inside was found broken open on the night of April 24 in 2017 and police had registered a burglary and murder case.

Earlier on August 27, the court had adjourned the case to September 2 after the AIADMK lawyers cited a case in the High Court and argued that the matter cannot be taken up by the lower court.
Adilabad: Only 24.04 percent of students have turned up at private and government-run schools on the first day of their reopening after 16 months in Adilabad district on Wednesday. Students' attendance was, however, higher at government schools when compared to private and aided ones.

Managements of some private schools postponed their reopening by a week saying due to heavy rains students may face health problems because of seasonal diseases.

Teachers and students of some government schools faced problems due to rainwater seeping into classrooms and workers busy clearing the water.

As per official sources, attendance at private schools had been 15.26 percent, against 29.17 percent in government schools of Adilabad district. Only 19,113 students out of 65,522 students enrolled attended their classes on the first day in government schools. Only 5,841 students of total 38,288 enrolled attended aided and private schools.

Mohd. Aslam, headmaster of Hameedpura Government Primary School in Adilabad town, said only 12 students of total 141 attended school on Day 1. He hoped the number of students will improve gradually. He said many students may not have turned up because of heavy rains.

Students at government schools could be seen happily enjoying their mid-day meals after a long time. Student Rehan, studying in Class 1, had been enthusiastic about attending his school in Hameedpura. His house is just behind the school. The boy was busy eating his mid-day meal along with fellow students in the veranda of his school.
HYDERABAD: Union minister for civil aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia wrote to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao requesting his personal intervention in strengthening aviation infrastructure in Telangana.

In a letter to the Chief Minister on Thursday, Scindia drew Raos attention to the issue of extension of the period of concession agreement for Hyderabad International Airport Limited (HIAL). He mentioned that a concession agreement (CA) dated December 20, 2004, was signed between ministry of civil aviation and HIAL for development, construction, operation and maintenance of the Hyderabad International Airport.

In terms of clause 13.7.1 of CA, M/S HIAL requested for extension of its concession period for another 30 years beyond the initial 30 years, i.e. beyond March 23, 2038, till 23.03.2068.

The state government was requested to re-examine the request of the HIAL for extension of the period of concession agreement and furnish its recommendations to the ministry of civil aviation, Scindia noted in his letter.

Scindia also underscored the issue of operationalisation of Warangal airport and its inclusion under Regional Connectivity Scheme RCS-UDAN. He mentioned that Warangal airport was within 150 km aerial distance of Hyderabad International Airport and could be developed with mutually agreeable solutions, to be explored by the Telangana government in collaboration with the HIAL and Airports Authority of India (AAI).

It may be recalled that, when the state government in undivided Andhra Pradesh and GMR group entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2004 for the development of the international airport at Shamshabad, a clause was incorporated in the agreement that no new airport would be permitted within 150 km radius of the RGIA for a period of 30 years. The international airport at Shamshabad became operational in March 2008.

This rule was incorporated to safeguard the business interests of the GMR group as the airport was developed by it investing several thousands of crores of rupees.

The Telangana government has now proposed to develop six new airports in the state. Of them, two airports in Warangal and Mahbubnagar are falling within the radius of 150 kms of Hyderabad airport, for which the state government needs to seek exemption from the Centre.
Sebi has shortlisted five companies, including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Wipro, for the implementation of the data analytics projects for tracking possible market manipulations like insider trading and front running.

Capgemini Technology Services India, Larsen & Toubro Infotech and NEC Corporation India too have been shortlisted.

These five companies "have been shortlisted for further process", the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in a public notice dated August 31.

Read more: Irish data privacy watchdog fines WhatsApp 225 million

The regulator, in June, had invited expression of interest (EoI) from "reputed and reliable solution providers for implementation of data analytics project and building of data models at Sebi".

The move was part of the capital markets regulator's effort to address and handle challenges arising out of technological advancements in the markets.

While inviting EoI, the regulator had said it was looking to leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning to address critical challenges for data analytics impacted by the processing of a vast amount of data, either structured or unstructured.

As a precursor to this project, a data lake with an analytics platform has been set up by the markets regulator.

The selected agencies are expected to build analytical models, with artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Further, the analytics development will be done as per the regulators requirements. This includes developing new models, implementing analytics projects, enhancement of a model in terms of adding new data sources in existing models, among others.

In addition, the analytics development would include establishing linkages between various entities in the market, automated extraction of details from documents filed with Sebi and prediction of market manipulations such as insider trading and front running.
Redmond-based technology major Microsoft, earlier this week announced to release the much-awaited Windows 11 OS on October 5, and now, the company has revealed that it has some brand-new hardware to showcase later this month.

Microsoft took to Twitter to confirm to host the Surface product event on September 22 at 11:00 am ET (8:30 pm). The teaser image on the event landing page gives away the hint that new Surface hardware is on its way to the market.

The device seems to be a slim tablet with a detachable keyboard and a movable stand in the back panel.

Speculations are rife that it might be the Surface Duo 2. It is said to come with Qualcomms Snapdragon 888 octa-core processor with a 5G modem, and an NFC (Near Field Communication) chip for contactless payments. It is also expected to feature a triple camera module.

With online learning becoming the new normal around, this new device is well placed to find traction from consumers, particularly parents and college.

In free time, it can be a really good gadget to binge on multimedia content on OTT (Over-The-Top) apps and also do explore e-commerce apps for shopping.

We just have to wait and see what Microsoft has in store for the fans.

Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.
The Sarakki Signal flyover, first proposed in 2004, is still awaiting a green signal from the Karnataka government.

The 1.2-km-long flyover is aimed at decongesting the perennially choked roundabout that links the busy Kanakapura Road with the Outer Ring Road in South Bengaluru and is estimated to cost Rs 136 crore.

The Road Infrastructure Department of the BBMP had initially proposed to build a four-lane, 439-metre-long flyover below the existing metro viaduct. But the flyovers length was increased to 1.2 km by the BBMPs project wing in order to meet traffic bottlenecks that may arise in the future.

Besides Sarakki Signal, it will connect Ilyas Nagar, 35th Main Road and JP Nagar Bus Stand.

The flyover would be 5.5 metres to 6.5 metres tall beneath the metro viaduct that passes through the traffic junction at a height of 13.5 meters from the ground.

The BBMP prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and sent it to the government for approval. But the government rejected it over technical reasons. The BBMP has requested a review of the decision and is awaiting a response, said Lokesh M, Chief Engineer (Projects), BBMP.

Civic officials said financial constraints and a delay in grant approvals prevented the government from okaying the project. Lokesh said several letters had been written to the ministers concerned seeking approval for the project.

People living along Kanakapura Road were relieved when the project was announced but its slow progress and the governments prolonged silence have upset them.

Abdul Aleem, of Changemakers of Kanakapura Road, a group of resident welfare associations, urged the government to take up the project on priority.

He described Sarakki Signal as perhaps the second Silk Board junction of Bengaluru with traffic jams spanning as long as one to one-and-a-half-kilometres on the narrow Kanakapura Road.

Aleem said the situation would only get worse in the coming days because many group housing and apartment projects were nearing completion along Kanakapura Road.

Madhusudhan A S, a techie who regularly commutes on the stretch, says that it takes almost 40-45 minutes to pass through Sarakki Signal during peak hours even during the pandemic when the traffic is thin. It gets far more difficult during a regular traffic day, he added, urging the government to fast-track the flyover.
A smart wearable that scans your body, tracks skin hydration, extracellular and intracellular water, bone density and other parameters, making it all accessible through a mobile app.

A Bengaluru-based health tech startup, InBioZ has made a working model of this device, arguably for the first time in the country.

The device looks like a smartwatch, but comes with an additional leg band.

While the smart wearable scans the upper body, the leg band tracks the lower body. The band needs to be worn only for 10-15 seconds about twice a week for its data to be transferred to the wearable via Bluetooth, explained InBioZ co-founder Souvik Mazumdar to DH.

The system, he says, has already been tested on 150 people in multiple gyms across Bengaluru and Delhi. Beyond fitness, the device is also linked with parameters critical for tracking kidney ailments and dialysis. We have tied up with a city-based hospital for monitoring dialysis patients.

The device has been calibrated against standard systems such as the InBody-230 with the sample size of the gym users. Clinical trials will begin soon in association with a city-based hospital.

The overall accuracy is about 94%. We have also got the necessary safety certifications since it features battery and Bluetooth, says Mazumdar. InBioZ has also applied for a patent in India.

Conceptualised last year, the smart wearable is likely to be market-ready within the next two months. The related mobile app, InBioZ is already available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The device will be upgraded with more features soon. We are working with scientists in the city on the biophysics and electronics features.

Integrating healthcare-related technology, wearables have become much more than smartwatches in recent years. From fitness trackers to ECG and blood pressure monitors, the wearables have seen a slew of upgrades.
With an average of 10 flights and about six train loads of passengers entering Bengaluru from Kerala every day, municipal authorities are struggling to screen passengers. But a hastily introduced policy on quarantine means thousands of travellers are being improperly screened or not at all.

According to an order issued on August 30, the government announced a seven-day quarantine for students and residents of Karnataka who had returned from Kerala, which is experiencing a renewed Covid-19 surge. Six out of 10 new cases in India currently are in Kerala.

Returnees and visitors are also required to have a mandatory RT-PCR negative certificate dated not earlier than 72 hours.

However, as of Wednesday, scores of travellers from Kerala continued to arrive by road, rail and air only to find little or no quarantining. Sources at Kempegowda International Airport said no instructions or preparations had been laid out at the airport to screen travellers for quarantining. Travellers are only required to have a negative RT-PCR certificate, the airport said.

Also read: 'Kerala needs strict containment steps, strategic lockdown to curb Covid-19 cases'

Rail passengers without a negative RT-PCR certificate are being tested in the mornings and the evenings. However, there is no afternoon testing. Even among those being screened, none faced quarantine, sources said.

On the Bangalore Malayalees Facebook group, for example, posts noted that those arriving by train had been freely allowed to go home without quarantine. All had negative RT-PCR certificates and there was no institutional quarantine for anyone, reported one member of the group.

Tushar Girinath, Principal Secretary, (Revenue Department), who had signed the August 30 order clarified that it specified that long-term students returning to the state from Kerala and returnees living in Karnataka faced institutional quarantine. In the case of students, they have to be quarantined by their college and in the case of employees, their companies have to certify that they are going into quarantine. Short-term visitors who are coming for only a few days are exempt, he told DH.

A subsequent order issued by Jawaid Akhtar, Principal Secretary (Health) on Wednesday, clarified that only constitutional functionaries, healthcare professionals and their spouses, children below the age of two, people with a dire emergency, short-term travellers and students arriving for short-stints such as taking exams are exempt, as are passengers in transit to and from Kerala.

However, Dr K Sudhakar, Health Minister, told DH that quarantine applies to everyone, including all short-term visitors. A circular to this effect will be drafted, he said.

All travellers from Kerala are to go into designated hotels or Covid care centres for seven days. The list of designated quarantine centres will be made public in a day or two, he added.

For R Muraleedhar of the Karnataka-Kerala Travellers Forum (KKTF), the erratic quarantining measure is emblematic of a policy that is already difficult to enforce. The quarantine, if it does happen, will impose hardships on Kerala residents living in Karnataka. At the same time, I am getting reports that people are bypassing the problem by arriving in Karnataka through Tamil Nadu, he said.

This was confirmed by an IT engineer who travelled to the city on Tuesday from Kerala. At the Attibele checkpost, nobody stopped our car even though it has Kerala licence plates, he said.
Bengaluru Urbans booming economy and cultural tolerance have acted as a magnet for people seeking a better life, with data revealing that the tech hub is the most linguistically diverse district in the country.

Data culled from the 2011 census revealed that the city is home to 107 scheduled and non-scheduled languages, attesting to its cosmopolitanism. But an expert also noted the Karnataka governments inability to create an alternative to the state capital that is grappling with a host of infrastructure problems.

At second place is Pune, where 90 and 100 languages are spoken followed by several districts in the Northeast, owing to indigenous language diversity.

Dr Mudit Kapoor, Associate Professor of economics at the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi centre, who helped to put together the analysis, said the intent was to determine diversity at the district level as part of preparations for a large study on migration and population mobility between 2011 and 2021.

There are 121 scheduled and non-scheduled languages in India. We wanted to determine where these languages are spoken. We also wanted to see where people are moving to, he said, adding that the research team was astonished to find that Bengaluru was the most culturally diverse district.

According to data, Kannada was listed as the mother tongue of 44.62 per cent of the citys population. Among scheduled languages, Kannada shares space with Hindi, Maithili, Malayalam, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Urdu, Konkani, Santali, Marathi, Manipuri and Nepali.

The non-scheduled languages include English, Kabuli, Pashto, Tibetan, Arabic, Nishi, Mundari, Lushai, Nicobarese, Sherpa, languages from Nagaland among others.

What makes Bengaluru stand out is that the data clearly shows that much of the country is not linguistically or culturally diverse. In the south alone, data shows that Kerala is not very diverse and neither is Tamil Nadu, barring Kanchipuram and Chennai, Dr Kapoor said.

Experts said this is due to Bengalurus thriving economy and its reputation for cultural tolerance.

Speaking as an independent expert, Professor C M Lakshmana of the Population Research Centre, Institute for Social and Economic Change, partly attributed Bengalurus linguistic diversity to its thriving IT and construction sectors, which has drawn in a mass of people, while Dr Kapoor also pointed to Bengaluru being an education hub.

In other states, developed second and third-tier cities have helped to balance migration, but in Karnataka the inevitable destination is Bengaluru, Professor Lakshmana said.

This is because investments by economic migrants require infrastructure. But our second- and third-tier cities have not developed. Hence, 37 per cent of Karnatakas population is concentrated in Bengaluru. This is something the state government has to address.

An anthropologist at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) added that Bengalurus growth is also due to its land use policies and reputation for infrastructure.

The city is expanding because it is able to absorb surrounding land for new populations, said Dr Sanghamitra Sheel Acharya of the School of Social Sciences, JNU.
The New Development Bank (NDB) set up by the BRICS group of nations said on Thursday it had admitted the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Bangladesh as members in its first expansion push.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - a group of major emerging economies known as BRICS - launched the bank in 2015 and started formal talks with potential new members last year.

"New members will have in NDB a platform to foster their cooperation in infrastructure and sustainable development," said NDB President Marcos Troyjo in a statement.

"We will continue to expand the banks membership in a gradual and balanced manner," he said.

Since launch, the Shanghai-headquartered lender has signed off some 80 projects worth $30 billion in all of its five member countries stretching across sectors from transport, water and sanitation to clean energy or digital and social infrastructure.
For years, Shanghai artist "Cracks" has kept her diagnosis of bipolar disorder hidden from all but her closest friends and family because of a Chinese cultural stigma surrounding mental illness.

Despite mounting stress in a fast-modernising China, mental illness is rarely spoken about publicly, forcing millions to cope alone.

"They think we're crazy, that we can't assimilate in society, that we belong only in mental hospitals," said the 24-year-old, who asked for her real name to be withheld.

A previous work contract stated that any history of mental illness could result in dismissal.

So she hid her illness and the extreme mood swings it triggers in her, with lows that are "desperate, painful and hopeless" and laced with thoughts of suicide.

The pseudonym "Cracks" springs from her artwork, which she views as opening a crack to "let light in" to her life.

The black-and-white sketches portray a single female surrounded by clawing hands or sharp jaws. It's the only way to express her pain and "feel normal".

Read | Mental health of children: Not a teeny-weeny issue

Research published in The Lancet medical journal in 2019 suggested that more than 16 percent of the population in China -- around 220 million people -- had experienced a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at some point in their life, and that the vast majority had never received any treatment.

The government last year signalled concern, pledging to increase awareness and treatment but providing few specifics.

Chinese culture still views mental illness as a shameful sign of weakness, said Chen Mengyuan, a social worker and the curator of a mental health-themed art exhibition in Shanghai displaying the work of "Cracks" and 80 other artists to raise awareness.

Shanghai psychoanalyst Luo Gaoyu said therapy in China remains in its infancy, with patients themselves often sceptical of its efficacy and wary of embracing it due to the stigma.

Treatment success is never guaranteed, she said, so societal acceptance is crucial.

Despite a younger generation slowly shining a light on the issue, there are still too few experienced mental health professionals, said Luo, 25.

"Having a small number of teachers bring up a large number of students -- that's fundamentally a problem," she said.

China must address mental health as an important part of overall public welfare, said a psychiatrist at a nationally recognised Chinese institution.

Otherwise, people "will not be treated, will continue to be in pain and unable to live and work well", said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pressures related to careers, the cost-of-living and other stressful issues are also mounting in rapidly developing China.

Read | Put your mental health first

Young people are particularly vulnerable, often facing additional pressure from parents to buy a home and produce grandchildren, exacerbating issues like anxiety and insomnia, say experts.

"Young people in China are different from those overseas," often subverting their mental health needs to please parents, said Luo.

Chen, the exhibition curator, said that if they do open up to parents, "it is like admitting they are not an outstanding person, or not sound. Or they worry their parents may blame them."

"Of course, this is even less conducive to recovery."

Many elderly or rural Chinese still view psychological treatments with suspicion.

Luo said her own father looks down on her career, suggesting that she switch to something like the civil service.

Chen Qi, another artist in the exhibition, creates paintings reflecting his struggles with anxiety.

His mother blames him, saying he had "chained himself up" in a cage of his own making.

"We have to talk about this," Chen said.

"If we don't, a whole group of people will never be seen."
Domestic flights from Kabul airport will resume on Friday, the Doha-based al-Jazeera channel reported on Thursday, citing an Afghan civil aviation official who expected international flights "to take time".

Al-Jazeera earlier reported a Qatari technical team was assessing damage at the airport with plans to bring it back into operation "soon".
A Saudi opponent has spoken of the alleged role of Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman in supporting the ISIL elements during the August 26 Kabul airport attack, Iran's Mehr News reported.

According to the opponent, sources close to the Saudi government in Bin Salman's offices and ministries have confirmed the Saudi Crown Prince's support for the ISIL terrorist group in the Kabul airport bombing, the report said.

Also read: Those left in Afghanistan complain of broken US promises

As he described, Bin Salman sought to show that the Taliban are incapable of ensuring Afghan people's security and prove that under the Taliban, Afghanistan will be a hub of terrorism, the report said.

A "complex attack" on Thursday (August 26) at the airport in Afghanistan's capital caused a number of US and civilian casualties, the Pentagon had said.
Food could run out this month in Afghanistan, a senior UN official warned Wednesday, threatening to add a hunger crisis to the challenges facing the country's new Taliban rulers as they endeavour to restore stability after decades of war.

About one third of the country's population of 38 million is facing emergency or crisis levels of food insecurity, according to Ramiz Alakbarov, the local UN humanitarian coordinator. With winter coming and a severe drought ongoing, more money is needed to feed the population, he said.

The UN's World Food Program has brought in food and distributed it to tens of thousands of people in recent weeks. But of the $1.3 billion needed for aid efforts, only 39% has been received, he said.

Also read: Will the world formally recognise Taliban?

The lean winter season is fast approaching, and without additional funding, food stocks will run out at the end of September, Alakbarov said.

The Taliban, who seized control of the country ahead of the withdrawal of American forces this week, now must govern a nation that relies heavily on international aid and is in the midst of a worsening economic crisis. In addition to the concerns about food supplies, civil servants haven't been paid in months and the local currency is losing value. Most of Afghanistan's foreign reserves are held abroad and currently frozen.

Mohammad Sharif, a shopkeeper in the capital of Kabul, said that shops and markets there have supplies, but a major concern is rising food prices.

If the situation continues like this and there is no government to control the prices, that will cause so many problems for local people, he said.

In the wake of the US pullout, many Afghans are anxiously waiting to see how the Taliban will rule. When they were last in power, before being driven out by the US-led invasion in 2001, they imposed draconian restrictions, refusing to allow girls to go to school, largely confining women to their homes and banning television, music and even photography.

But more recently, their leaders have sought to project a more moderate image. Schools have reopened to boys and girls, though Taliban officials have said they will study separately. Women are out on the streets wearing Islamic headscarves  as they always have  rather than the all-encompassing burqa the Taliban required in the past.

The challenges the Taliban face in reviving the economy could give Western nations leverage as they push the group to fulfill a pledge to form an inclusive government and guarantee women's rights. The Taliban say they want to have good relations with other countries, including the United States.

But many Afghans fear the Taliban won't make good on those pledges and also are concerned that the nation's economic situation holds little opportunity. Tens of thousands sought to flee the country as a result in a harrowing airlift.

But thousands who had worked with the US and its allies, as well as up to 200 Americans, remained in the country after the efforts ended with the last US troops flying out of Kabul international airport just before midnight Monday.

President Joe Biden later defended his handling of the chaotic withdrawal and evacuation efforts, which saw spasms of violence, including a suicide bombing last week that killed 13 American service members and 169 Afghans. He said it was inevitable that the final departure from two decades of war would be difficult.

He said he remains committed to getting the Americans left behind out if they want. The Taliban have said they will allow people with legal documents to travel freely, but it remains to be seen whether any commercial airlines will be willing to offer service.

Bilal Karimi, an official member in the Taliban spokesman's office, said Wednesday that a team of Turkish and Qatari technicians arrived in Kabul to help get the airport up and running again.

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Unprecedented mapping of habitats in the Amazon basin shows a majority of species threatened with extinction suffered habitat loss due to fires over the last two decades, a study said on Wednesday.

Researchers used remote forest fire sensing data to model impact over time and compared the devastation with the estimated geographic ranges of over 11,500 plant and 3,000 vertebrate species.

The results showed that about 150,000 square kilometres (58,000 square miles) of the Amazon rainforest have experienced fires since 2001, damaging the habitats of up to 85 per cent of the fraile ecosystem's threatened species.

Looking at fire trends and taking into account drought, the scientists uncovered an unmistakable link with human activity, especially deforestation.

"We found that the fires and their impacts are correlated with forest policy regimes in the region," Xiao Feng, author of the study published in Nature, told AFP.

In Brazil, where most of the Amazon basin is located, policies to reduce deforestation were put in place in the mid 2000s.

But President Jair Bolsonaro has pushed to open protected forests to agribusiness and mining, presiding over a surge in deforestation since taking office in January 2019.

"The impact (of fires) was lower during 2009-2018, but we observe an uptick in 2019, which coincided with the relaxation of the forest policies in the region," Feng said.

Fire-impacted areas were estimated to be 20-28 per cent higher than expected, affecting the habitats of over 12,000 plant and animal species.

To show the impact of fires on Amazon biodiversity, Feng and his team used a vast plant species database, as well as expert maps of animal habitats from the IUCN.

Based on conservative estimates of the geographic ranges for each species, Feng and his team built up what they described as "the largest and highest-resolution data set of range maps that currently exists for the Amazon basin".

Overlaying these maps with fire-impacted forest zones based on satellite data produced a grim picture for biodiversity.

For every 10,000 square kilometres of burned forest, about 30 additional plant species and 2.5 additional animal species suffered significant habitat loss.

The damage, the study notes, will likely get more intense as fires move from the perimeter to the ecologically-rich heart of the Amazon basin.

Asked to cite one case in particular, Feng hesitated.

"I hope people care about this not because of a few species that people love or care about," he said.

"Rather that the fires and deforestation have been and are still impacting the great Amazon biodiversity, nonstop."

Fires are often set in the Amazon to clear land.

"Slash and burn is one common way of deforestation," Feng confirmed, "but the fires can spread into standing forest, intentionally or unintentionally."

Fragmented forests with more edges, thinner canopies and less interior moisture are especially vulnerable to new fires that are likely to be more intense.

Scientists note that the last four months of 2019 saw fewer fires than expected.

This coincided with efforts by the government to ramp up fire fighting and enforcement of existing policy after international backlash, the study says.

But Feng and others worry that the huge and increasing cumulative impact of fires will soon reach a point of no return.

With its rich, high-density forests, the Amazon is still one of the Earth's most important carbon sinks, providing crucial protection against global warming and degradation of air quality.

But deforestation and fires increase the chances of the Amazon transforming from tropical forest to savannah.

"If this happens, it will be a tragedy," said Feng. "Having effective forest policy will help delay, if not prevent, the coming of the tipping point."
There is no rush to recognise the Taliban either by the United States or many of the countries that it has spoken to, the White House said asserting that such a move would be dependent on what they deliver on the expectations of the global community.

There's no rush to recognition from the United States or any country we have spoken with around the world. It will be very dependent on their behaviour and whether they deliver on what the expectations are of the global community, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference on Wednesday.

At a separate news conference, the State Department echoed the same view. We will continue to have conversations that serve our interests, as well as our allies and partners, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria J Nuland told reporters.

But the first thing we want is to see them live up to the obligations that they have under the UN Charter, as well as the public statements that they themselves have made about their expectation for an Afghanistan that respects human rights, respects international law, allows international citizens and Afghans who wish to leave, she said in response to a question.

The US obviously had contacts with the Taliban during the withdrawal, she said.

Also read: Will the world formally recognise Taliban?

We had it during the effort that we were trying to midwife a negotiation. Those conversations have continued intensively to enable the evacuation of -- that we undertook, and to try to get the kinds of guarantees of safe passage, etc., and tolerance, and to talk about the standard set in the UN Security Council resolution to talk about the terrorist threat as well because the expectation is that they claim to be able to control the security of Afghanistan, Nuland said.

The United States, she said, stands by the latest UN Security Council resolution. Those are the international community's expectations and the UNSC's expectations for a Taliban-led government, and the way it will govern, and the way it will interact with the international system, she said.

I think we need to see them live up to their own commitments and live up to the standards set by the UNSC before we go very far down this road, she added.

Americas relationship with the Taliban, she said, will be guided by what they do not by what they say. Now, there are some urgent questions, like the humanitarian condition of the people of Afghanistan. So, we are looking at those kinds of things, how we can continue to provide humanitarian aid without benefiting any government that is formed, she said.

Those kinds of things are natural. But we have made no decisions about any of the rest of it, and we certainly won't unless and until we see the kinds of behaviour expected in the UN Security Council resolution, Nuland said.

Also read: Is Taliban a terror group? Omar Abdullah asks Centre to clarify

Responding to questions at the White House, Psaki noted that no one anticipated that the Taliban would be able to take over the country as quickly as they did or that the Afghan National Security Forces would fold as quickly as they did. She was responding to questions on the transcripts of a phone call between President Joe Biden and his then Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani in July, during which both leaders appeared completely unaware that the Taliban would take over.

The president has consistently conveyed, and I just noted an example publicly, that the Afghan leadership at the time needed to do exactly that, lead. They needed to come together in a cohesive manner. They needed to be united," she said.

"They needed to show the country and the Afghan people, they were going to fight and they were going to lead through this transition even as the US forces left, Psaki added.
A Qatari aircraft landed in Kabul Wednesday carrying a technical team to discuss the resumption of airport operations after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.

"A Qatari jet carrying a technical team has landed in Kabul earlier today to discuss the resumption of operations in the airport," the source told AFP.

"While no final agreement has been reached regarding providing technical assistance, Qatar's technical team has initiated this discussion based on the other sides' request.

Read more: In Afghanistan's Panjshir, anti-Taliban forces fight on

"Talks are still ongoing at the level of security and operation."

The source said that the goal was to resume flights for both humanitarian aid and to provide freedom of movement, including the resumption of evacuation efforts.

More than 123,000 foreign nationals and Afghans fled the country in a frenzied airlift operation that wound up on Tuesday, but many more are desperate to depart.

US officials have said Kabul airport is in a bad condition, with much of its basic infrastructure degraded or destroyed.

Taliban fighters celebrated with gunfire on Tuesday after the last US forces abandoned Kabul following a two-decade war.

Qatar hosted negotiations between the Taliban and the United States in recent years and was a transit point for about 43,000 evacuees from Afghanistan.

The US invaded Afghanistan and toppled its Taliban government in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks by Al-Qaeda, which had sought sanctuary in the country.

Western capitals fear Afghanistan could again become a haven for extremists bent on attacks.

Gulf countries, including Qatar, have been instrumental staging posts for evacuation flights for Western countries' citizens as well as Afghan interpreters, journalists and others.
Western Union announced on Thursday that it would resume its money transfer service to Afghanistan, allowing vital remittances into the country as it faces economic hurdles following the Taliban's takeover last month.

"Western Union is pleased to share that it is resuming its money transfer services into Afghanistan, starting September 2, so that our customers can once again send money and support their loved ones at this time," a spokesperson said.

"We understand the urgent needs of our customers and their families and are committed to supporting them," the spokesperson said, adding that Western Union would waive transfer fees from September 3 through 17.

Read more: Opponent says Saudi Crown Prince had role in Kabul airport attack

Remittances from Afghans living abroad are crucial for the impoverished country's economy and amounted to almost $789 million in 2020, according to the World Bank -- some four percent of the country's estimated $19.8 billion GDP that year.

The Washington-based development bank last week announced it would suspend aid to the country, saying it was "deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and the impact on the country's development prospects, especially for women."

The IMF announced shortly after the Taliban's takeover that it would suspend its assistance to the country, citing uncertainty surrounding its leadership.

The Islamist militants, who have pledged a softer brand of rule than during their brutal reign of 1996-2001, are expected to soon form a new government.
The United States and its allies may have left Afghanistan in the hands of the Taliban but they still have "leverage" to make the Islamist militants honor commitments to allow people out of the country, according to US President Joe Biden.

This was echoed by US officials and other Western leaders, who believe the Taliban can be pressured into abandoning their past violence and support for terrorism with carrot and stick measures given Afghanistan's outsized dependence on imported energy, food and foreign aid - and its shaky economy

Also Read | No rush for US to recognise Taliban: White House

Here are some of the most important levers the West has to press the Taliban into honoring women's rights and cooperating with other countries:

Billions in gold, foreign exchange and special reserves

The United States has an outsized role to play in deciding what happens to Afghanistan's $9 billion in gold and foreign currency reserves. Of that, $7 billion is held in the United States, with $1.3 billion in other international accounts and some $700,000 by the Bank for International Settlements, the Afghan central bank governor tweeted

After the Taliban takeover, the US government blocked the group from accessing any central bank assets held by the Afghan government by the New York Federal Reserve or elsewhere in the United States, an administration official said and the assets remain frozen.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) suspended Afghanistan's access to IMF resources on Aug. 18, including $440 million in new emergency reserves.

Washington is under pressure from some humanitarian groups, Afghan central bank officials and foreign governments, including Russia, to ease the freeze in assets and allow some dollar shipments, a move that would likely come with stiff conditions.

The Taliban is likely to turn to narcotics or weapons trafficking instead, a Russian official said on Monday.

Reliance on imports

Afghanistan relies on imports for the lion's share of the food and fuel consumed and clothing. It imported $8.6 billion in goods in 2019, topped by peat, wheat and petroleum, according to World Bank data. Some 70 per cent of electrical power is imported at an annual cost of $270 million.

Also Read | US touts leverage but influence on Taliban seen as limited

The Taliban cannot pay for such imports without access to dollars and Afghanistan's foreign currency reserves; it had enough reserves to pay for an estimated two days of imports when overseas assets were frozen. The US and allies could condition access to dollar transactions or reserves on Taliban behavior.

Foreign aid

The US plays a major role here too, given its influence at both the World Bank, which oversees the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund, and the IMF, and because of the billions it has given the Afghan government and NGOs on the ground.

The World Bank cut off funds to Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. The future of the Fund is unclear.

Last week, the US Treasury issued a limited new license for the government and partners to give humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, a step that could encourage other governments to do the same.

Before Aug. 15, grants to Afghanistan totaled around $8.5 billion a year, or about 43 per cent of its gross domestic product. They funded 75 per cent of public expenditure, 50 per cent of the budget and about 90 per cent of government security spending.

Any resumption of Afghanistan's access to these resources is likely to be made conditional on Taliban behavior.

Financial Sanctions

The Taliban as a whole, and individual Taliban leaders, are already subject to US and United Nations sanctions that effectively ban their access to dollar transactions and the US financial system.

Western financial institutions are avoiding doing business with the Taliban, so they don't run afoul of US law. Unwinding these sanctions would require a lengthy and complex process by the US Treasury, administration officials say, but the department could grant licenses for more transactions based on Taliban behavior.

Withholding private banking sector support

Pressure is building on Afghanistan's private banking sector given the freeze in dollar shipments. All of the 12 banks operating in Afghanistan require overseas banks to process dollar transactions, and three are state-owned, making them directly controlled by the Taliban.

Citibank and others have halted such support to avoid any possible sanction violations.

The Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce, which includes Afghan commercial banks and corporate investors, is urging US officials to allow a limited infusion of cash to regenerate public confidence and avoid possible panic and violence.

Remittances

Afghanistan also relies heavily on remittances, with such payments from migrant workers overseas accounting for about 4 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.

Western Union, the world's largest money transfer firm, and Moneygram have both suspended such services, shutting off the flow of funds that many families rely on to pay for food. Reopening these services would require an easing of US financial sanctions.
By Steven Erlanger,

The Americans have left 20 years after invading, the Afghan government has dissolved and the Taliban are newly in charge of some 40 million people in one of the poorest countries, ravaged by decades of violence and upheaval. Foreign powers must now decide how to deal with an organisation that remains on terrorist watch lists around the world.

What happens now?

Why are other countries so interested in Afghanistans future?

Three main reasons: counterterrorism, a trove of natural resources and humanitarian aid.

It is in much of the worlds interest to ensure a stable Afghanistan that doesnt become a haven for terrorists, as it was when the Taliban were in power from 1996 to 2001. They shielded al-Qaida and its leader, Osama bin Laden, before and after the 9/11 attacks, leading to the US-led offensive in Afghanistan. Though the Taliban are presenting a more moderate face this time around, they never broke with al-Qaida.

Another terrorist organisation, Islamic State Khorasan or ISIS-K, an Afghan branch of the Islamic State group, established itself during the US occupation, fought with the Taliban and attacked US forces. Whether the Taliban can control this group is a matter of widespread concern.

The countrys neighbours will be watching closely how a Taliban-led government performs. China, Afghanistans richest and most powerful neighbour, shares a short, remote border with Afghanistan, which under the Taliban in the 1990s served as a haven for Uyghur militants from Xinjiang, the far western Chinese region. China, like Russia, has kept its embassy in Kabul open.

Also read: Is Taliban a terror group? Omar Abdullah asks Centre to clarify

Pakistan, which sees Afghanistan as a strategic bulwark against India, also enjoys close ties with the Taliban, partly as a way to isolate the groups Pakistani branch, which wants to overthrow the Pakistani state.

Foreign powers are also grappling with the humanitarian catastrophe they left behind, raising the prospect of a new refugee crisis. The swift Taliban conquest of the country has driven thousands of people to flee.

The departure of foreign troops left behind many thousands  possibly hundreds of thousands  of people affiliated with the US presence in the country, many of whom fear reprisals and want to leave. Hundreds of thousands of people are internally displaced and thousands more are stuck at land borders hoping to escape.

The United Nations says more than 18 million people  nearly half the population  require aid and half of all Afghan children younger than 5 suffer acute malnutrition amid the second drought in four years. And then there is Covid-19.

And, of course, several countries have commercial interests in the estimated $3 trillion in mineral reserves in Afghanistan including gold, copper and lithium.

What must the Taliban do to achieve international recognition?

Much of the world is watching to see what kind of government the Taliban forms and how it behaves. The United States and European Union have urged the Taliban to form a more inclusive leadership representing women and the countrys ethnic and religious minorities.

During the last period of Taliban rule, only a handful of countries recognised their government. But their control is more widespread now, and foreign officials have been dealing with Taliban representatives for some time.

Also read: Taliban says it has surrounded Afghan resistance fighters, calls for peace

The Taliban will be judged on their actions  how they respect the international commitments made by the country, how they respect basic rules of democracy and rule of law, said Peter Stano, a spokesperson for the European Union. The biggest red line is respect for human rights and the rights of women, especially.

The United States has said the Taliban will be judged on whether they allow freedom of travel for Afghans and foreigners with valid documents, womens and minority rights and, probably more important for Washington, whether the Taliban prevent international terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a base.

Every step we take will be based not on what a Taliban-led government says, but what it does to live up to its commitments, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Diplomatic recognition would help open direct channels for development aid and sizable loans from countries and institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

How much leverage do the United States and its allies have over the Taliban?

Most of the leverage can be measured in dollars.

The Afghan economy, so dependent on foreign aid and spending, is grinding to a halt, with cash running out, government salaries stopped and prices rising fast. Given the need for imports of food, medicine and energy, with fears of widespread hunger and disease, the West hopes the Taliban will be more receptive toward demands for moderation.

For now, the United States, European Union and Britain have suspended their considerable aid programs, and Afghanistans central bank reserves, nearly all held abroad, have been frozen. The IMF has withheld $400 million that it was scheduled to deliver to the old government this month.

US and allied officials say they want to continue providing humanitarian aid, no matter what political system emerges in Afghanistan. Most of the aid could be channelled through United Nations agencies or through a possible new trust fund from the World Bank, so countries would not give directly to the Taliban.

The most powerful leverage that the United States and the rest of the world have against the Taliban are terrorism sanctions, which prohibit contributions of money, goods and services. Some of those sanctions have complicated aid efforts even by charitable groups that try to keep their political neutrality and simply aid those in need.

Given the Talibans history of human rights abuses and reliance on illicit finance, sanctions are likely to remain in place for now.

Will the Taliban claim Afghanistans UN seat?

The once-unthinkable prospect of a Taliban envoy representing Afghanistan at the United Nations, a powerful symbol of international legitimacy, appears to be one step closer. But big hurdles remain.

An official application has yet to be submitted and must undergo review by a rotating nine-member group of countries that currently includes the United States. For now, the toppled Afghan governments UN ambassador holds the seat.

Diplomats say any Taliban request for the seat would be premature. We are not in a place yet where we are prepared to recognise the Taliban, said the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Will the world take responsibility for those left behind?

No one is sure.

The United States and 97 other countries said they would continue to take in people fleeing Afghanistan and had secured an agreement with the Taliban to allow safe passage. The Talibans chief negotiator announced in late August that the group would not stop those with foreign passports and Afghans with valid visas from departing, but that remains to be seen.

There have been numerous reports of Taliban fighters searching for people who have held major posts in the old government or who have aided NATO forces. Some have been killed; others are in fear of their lives. The main international airport in Kabul is not functioning and prospects for reopening remain unclear.

The main land crossings are also mostly shut. The United Nations estimates that 500,000 Afghans could flee the country by the end of the year, especially into Pakistan and Iran.

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When President Joe Biden served as Barack Obamas vice president, he was often a lonely dissenter in White House debates about military intervention, never more so than on Afghanistan, where he strongly opposed the Pentagons 2009 troop surge and was overruled by Obama and his generals.

Now, Biden is commander in chief, and in pressing to conclude the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, even at the price of a frantic, bloodstained evacuation, he has put himself at odds with much of the foreign policy establishment, on the right and left, in Washington and across Europe.

Critics have piled on Biden, not just for the messiness of the departure but also for his repudiation of the principles that drove the mission in Afghanistan. While the president sees the United States belatedly ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries, as he put it Tuesday in a defiant defense of his decision, critics see a dangerous US retrenchment that could leave the world in deeper disarray.

This was a political decision, pure and simple, said Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Biden, he said, ignored the advice of his own top generals and his own intelligence community.

Also read: No rush for US to recognise Taliban: White House

Even Bidens fellow Democrats have delivered harsh assessments, whether about the failure to foresee the swift collapse of the Afghan Army  which led Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., to call for congressional hearings  or about the evacuation, which Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., called a disaster of epic proportions, leaving some Americans and Afghan allies behind.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote that Bidens decision to withdraw was a cynical political calculation, driven by an imbecilic political slogan about ending the forever wars, as if our engagement in 2021 was remotely comparable to our commitment 20 or even 10 years ago.

But it is precisely the long-standing, deep-rooted nature of the beliefs that Biden is challenging, analysts said, that has made the backlash against him so ferocious.

Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the doctrine of an aggressive, expeditionary foreign policy  in which all options, including military force, are invariably on the table  has become a bipartisan article of faith in Washington. The news media, which covered those wars, played a significant role in amplifying these ideas.

NATO allies, which fought alongside the United States in Afghanistan, went along, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Blair, a Labour Party leader, backed a Republican president, George W. Bush, in invading Iraq.

Obama, who famously once said he was not opposed to all wars, just dumb wars, stopped short of pulling troops out of Afghanistan long after he concluded that the mission  to transform the country into a stable democracy  was a futile effort. Even President Donald Trump, who made a career of thumbing his nose at the foreign policy establishment, deferred to his generals when they warned him not to withdraw all US forces.

You have a president who is willing to stand up to the Washington foreign policy establishment in a way that Trump or Obama or George W. Bush were not, said Vali R. Nasr, a former Obama administration official who teaches at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. To me, that does require introspection on the part of the foreign policy establishment.

Also read: Biden plays the long game as he justifies the end of the Forever War

While Biden may have antagonised foreign policy elites, his determination to extricate the United States from costly entanglements overseas plays better with average Americans. The harrowing images of the evacuation have damaged his approval ratings, but polls suggest that many, if not most, share his conviction that the country does not have a compelling reason to stay in Afghanistan.

Biden is an unlikely insurgent. A longtime senator who chaired the Foreign Relations Committee, he embraced the post-World War II vision of a globally active United States. He prized his Rolodex of world leaders and relishes mingling at elite gatherings, like the Munich Security Conference. He also voted for the Iraq War.

Yet in his years as vice president, Bidens disenchantment with military adventures emerged as one of his core beliefs. In addition to opposing the Afghanistan surge, he resisted the NATO intervention in Libya and advised Obama to hold off on the commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden. (He later changed his story to suggest he was privately supportive.)

Biden was really the lone dissenting voice on Afghanistan, not just at the table but in the foreign-policy establishment, of which he was clearly a member, said Ben Rhodes, who served as a deputy national security adviser to Obama. He wasnt just some knee-jerk progressive.

For all their differences, Nasr said there was a thread of skepticism about military intervention that connected Obamas reluctance to deploy troops, Trumps isolationist slogan, America First, and Bidens blunt declaration that helping the Afghan people was not a vital national security interest of the United States.

The president, Nasr said, has also shown a willingness to disregard the views of European allies, a factor that helps account for the frustration in London, Berlin and other capitals, where Bidens election had been celebrated after Trumps browbeating. The NATO campaign in Afghanistan was a credit to the solidarity of the alliance, which made Bidens lack of consultation all the more stinging.

There is serious loss of trust, and that will require a significant reassurance effort by Washington, said Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to the United States who chairs the Munich Security Conference.

He likened the messy evacuation from Kabul to Obamas drawing of a red line in Syria if President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons  a threat that Obama failed to carry out. It does not pose an existential threat to the alliance, Ischinger said, but it raises doubts about Americas credibility.

Tom Tugendhat, a Conservative lawmaker in Britain who has been sharply critical of Biden, said the US retreat from Afghanistan was a propaganda victory for the Chinese, who brandished it against an insecure Taiwan, suggesting the United States could not be trusted to uphold its security commitments. It could also embolden extremist forces in Africa and other contested spaces, he said.

Also read: War is over but not Biden's Afghanistan challenges

If we dont make clear we have the strategic patience to endure, Tugendhat said, we could see others fail.

At home, foreign policy experts criticised Biden for presenting a false choice when he said the United States could redirect the resources spent in Afghanistan to the geopolitical competition with China and Russia. The challenge posed by those rivals, they said, is not going to be overcome by pulling 2,500 troops out of Kabul.

While Americas serial failures in Iraq and Afghanistan raise legitimate questions about the foreign policy establishment  some have taken to calling this loose confederation of think tank experts, former officials and commentators the Blob  experts warned there was a danger of overcorrecting.

The foreign policy establishment did get it wrong in Iraq, where the US overreached, said Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. We got it wrong in Libya, we got it wrong in Vietnam. But over the last 75 years, the foreign policy establishment has gotten most things right.

My biggest concern is that the United States may now be entering an era of underreach, said Haass, who served in the George W. Bush administration. History suggests theres just as much risk in underreaching as overreaching.

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In a relief to foreign nationals stuck in India due to Covid-19 pandemic, the government on Thursday extended their visas till September 30.

A Home Ministry spokesperson said the decision was taken because a number of foreigners who came to India on various types of visas prior to March, 2020 got stranded in the country in the absence of flights to their destinations due to the pandemic.

The central government had facilitated the stay of such foreign nationals within India by giving deemed extension of their regular visa or e-visa or stay stipulation period on gratis basis without levy of any overstay penalty.

Read: Amid new Covid strain fears, India makes RT-PCR test compulsory for those arriving from 7 more nations

"This facility which is presently available till August 31, 2021 has now been extended by the central government till September 30, 2021. Such foreign nationals will not be required to submit any application to the FRRO/FRO concerned for extension of their visas till September 30, 2021," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson made it clear that Afghan nationals, already in India on any category of visa, will be granted extension of visa under guidelines issued separately for Afghan nationals.

Before exiting the country, the foreign nationals may apply online for an exit permission on e-FRRO portal which would be granted by the authorities on gratis basis without levy of any overstay penalty.

The spokesperson said that if someone wanted visa extension beyond September 30, they may apply on the online e-FRRO platform on payment basis, which would be considered by the authorities, subject to the eligibility as per the guidelines.
India's immediate focus is to ensure that Afghan soil is not used for terrorist activities directed against it, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday, two days after the Indian envoy to Qatar held talks with a top Taliban leader in Doha.

MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India used the meeting in Doha to convey its concerns over the possible use of the Afghan territory for anti-India activities and to bring back the remaining Indians from Afghanistan.

Read | Qatar working with Taliban to reopen Kabul airport 'as soon as possible'

"We received a positive response," he said referring to the meeting between Indian Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal and Taliban leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai.

To a volley of questions on whether India would recognise a Taliban regime in the backdrop of the meeting between the two sides, Bagchi said: "It was just a meeting. I think these are very early days."

Asked whether India will have more meetings with the Taliban, the MEA spokesperson said he does not want to speculate. "I would not like to speculate on the future. I have no update to share on that," he said. On bringing back the remaining Indians from Afghanistan, Bagchi said India will be able to revisit the matter once the Kabul airport resumes operation.
The Congress party in Goa should decide on the contours of a poll-alliance with NCP as well as other like-minded parties right away, the national party's general secretary Praful Patel told reporters on Thursday.

Addressing a press meet here, Patel also said that his party is in informal touch with the Congress leadership over forming an alliance in the state ahead of the 2022 assembly polls, but added that if the alliance does not come through, the NCP would not hesitate to try other political options.

"Congress should reach out to NCP and if they have other minded parties in mind in September itself, so that every party has a few months to prepare in those assembly segments so that there is a better chance of success," Patel said.

The NCP leader said that a decision on whether to go-ahead with the alliance should be made by the Congress within "10 to 15 days", which would help the opposition parties to "work unitedly" to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"We have spoken to the Congress informally and we have indicated that we have been in alliance in past in Goa together and it would be better and in the interest of the overall politics in Goa that all like-minded parties like Congress, NCP should work together and have an alliance like in the past," Patel also said. The NCP had tied up with the Congress and other regional parties to cobble up an alliance government from 2007-2012.

Patel also said that he was in contact with leaders of other political parties in Goa, including the Goa Forward party, which is headed by former deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai.

"I have met Vijai Sardesai and he has also told me that he is also waiting to hear from the Congress party. Let us see now what happens. I do not want to comment beyond this. It is important that all political forces who are like-minded should come together as soon as possible in the interest of the state and politics of Goa," Patel also said.

A Congress-NCP alliance would be crucial to the fortunes of the Congress party, which is gearing up to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the coastal state.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will discuss the implementation of the National Education Policy-2020 with Vice Chancellors of 45 central universities on Friday.

This will be the first formal meeting of the Minister with the vice-chancellors in a group, an Education ministry spokesperson said.

The minister would also discuss setting up an Academic Bank of Credit, multiple entry, exit system for academic courses, open and online education and the start of the new academic session.

Also on the agenda are the steps taken by the universities to fill the backlog of vacancies of teachers of SC, ST, OBC and economically weaker section categories.

Also read: Delhi University approves implementation of NEP, 4-year undergraduate course from 2022-23 session

Issues such as glue grants for educational institutions and celebrations of 75 years of Independence will also come up for discussion.

The Academic Bank of Credit has been set up with an aim to provide students with mobility of not only moving between institutes while pursuing one degree but also offers the flexibility of leaving a course and rejoining it after taking some time off from where a student had left it.

It also supports the multiple entries and exits systems as offered under the National Education Policy (NEP) which enable a student to get appropriate certification who decides to leave a programme after a certain time period.

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Mizoram on Thursday accused Assam police of assaulting and kidnapping a civilian construction worker from the disputed border between the two states which had earlier seen a shoot-out between their police forces in July.

In a letter written to his counterpart in Assams Hailakandi district, Mizorams Kolasib Deputy Commissioner H. Lalthlangliana alleged that one Lalnarammawia, operator of an earth excavator was blindfolded and kidnapped at gun point by Assam Police personnel in commando fatigues from Aitlang area, a few kilometers from Mizorams Vairengte village.

The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon, when Lalnarammawia and others were working at a road construction site, the letter said.

Read more: NHRC issues notices to Centre, Assam, Mizoram on border clash

An excavator had been hired by farmers for road construction. Assam police went to the spot, disrupted construction work and damaged the earth excavator, the letter alleged.

Policemen also snatched the excavators key from the operator, who was blindfolded and kidnapped, the Mizoram official said.

The JCB operator was blindfolded and kidnapped with a gun pointed at his head by Assam Police wearing Commando uniform. He was then dragged to the river and threatened. His mobile phone along with JCB keys were taken by the Assam Police, the letter claimed.

Terming the incident as serious and setback to recent peace initiative, Lalthlangliana cautioned that it could further the situation, already tense as both states have deployed large numbers of armed policemen there.

The Kolasib DC urged his Hailakandi counterpart to intervene and take necessary action against those involved in the kidnapping. He also urged Assam officials to return the items allegedly taken away by Assam police to the earth excavator operator at the earliest.

After simmering tensions for several months over a border dispute, at least six Assam Police personnel and one civilian were killed and more than 50 people injured in a fire-fight between the police of the two states on July 26.

The two states share a 164.6-km border between Assam's Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts, and Mizorams Kolasib, Mamit and Aizawl districts. Both states have differing interpretations of their territorial border.

While Mizoram believes that its border lies along an inner line drawn up in 1875 to protect tribals from outside influence, Assam goes by a district demarcation done in the 1933.
Tripura assembly Speaker Rebati Mohan Das on Thursday resigned from his post before being appointed as the vice-president of the BJP's state unit.

Das said he has resigned voluntarily as he is interested to work for the party.

"I requested the party to bring me back to organisational works. I thank party president (Manik Saha) and Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb for giving me the opportunity to work for the organisation, he told a press conference

Saha, who was present at the press conference, announced that Das was appointed as the vice-president of the party's state unit.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha MP Pratima Bhowmik relinquished the post of the BJP Tripura unit vice-president on Thursday.

She became Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment in July.
With Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan declaring a day of official mourning on the demise of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, India on Thursday said it was the Pakistani PM's statement and it had no comments to offer.

Geelani, 91, died at his home in Srinagar on Wednesday night after a prolonged illness. The pro-Pakistan separatist leader, who spearheaded separatist politics for over three decades in Jammu and Kashmir, was buried at a mosque near his residence.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was "deeply saddened" to learn about Geelani's death.

"The Pakistan flag will fly at half-mast and we will observe a day of official mourning," Khan said.

Asked about Khan's statement at an online media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "I don't have an immediate comment on this. It is his statement. They had given him 'Nishan-e-Pakistan', their wish, what can I say."

Asked about reports of vandalising of temple and breaking of idols in Pakistan, Bagchi said India has issued many statements on attacks on minorities in Pakistan and has raised such issues with them in the past.

On the resumption of air bubble with Bangladesh, the MEA spokesperson said talks are underway and proposals are being discussed.

To a separate question on Vishal Jood, who is lodged in an Australian prison reportedly over his alleged hand in a series of hate attacks on suspected pro-Khalistan Sikhs in Sydney this year, Bagchi said a judgment has been passed in the case on Thursday and the ministry is ascertaining its details.
In controversial remarks, BJP General Secretary D Purandeswari on Thursday said if her party workers "spit", Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his cabinet will get "swept away".

Purandeswari, in-charge of Chhattisgarh, made the remarks while exhorting BJP activists to work with a resolve to bring the party in power in the state in the 2023 assembly polls.

The comments triggered a controversy with Bahgel reacting by saying that "if anyone spits on the sky, it falls on one's own face".

Read more: Congress brings Priyanka in panel to plan 'sustained agitations on national issues'

While addressing BJP workers on the concluding day of the three-day- long 'chintan shivir (brainstorming session) of the party here, Purandeswari said, We appeal to you (activists) to work with a resolve. If you turn back and spit, then Bhupesh Baghel and his entire cabinet will be swept away. With this resolution you have to work and with your hard work, the BJP will definitely be elected to power in 2023.

The BJP is a party with different principles, whose workers serve the poor, destitute and helpless with selfless and dedicated spirit, she said. Every worker is respected in the BJP even if they hail from a small town or village, the former Union minister added. She said an answer will be received immediately if you ask who will become the next Congress president.

However, this was not the case in the BJP where any worker who deserves can rise to become the party president, Purandeswari said. She said winds of change in the state have started blowing from Bastar, a tribal dominated region. The ruling Congress has "cheated" the people of Chhattisgarh and they will give the party a befitting reply, she added.

Reacting to her "spit" remarks, Chief Minister Baghel said he did not expect such a statement from the BJP leader. What reaction should I give to such a statement? I did not expect that D Purandeshwari's mental state would stoop down to this level after joining the BJP. She was well when she was with us (Congress) as Union Minister of state.. he said while talking to reporters here at the helipad.

If (anyone) spits on the sky, it falls on one's own face, Baghel added. Purandeswari quit the Congress in 2014 and joined the BJP. She was a minister in the Congress-led UPA government.

The saffron party, that ruled the state for 15 years before being ousted from power by the Congress in the 2018 polls, organized a brainstorming session for the first time in the politically significant and tribal-dominated Bastar region since the formation of the state in 2000. The conclave is being seen as an exercise of the party to regain its tribal vote base in the region where it had put up a dismal show in the 2018 assembly elections.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday transferred the chief medical officer of Firozabad, where 41 people, mostly children, died of suspected dengue and viral fever.

A team of the ICMR reached Firozabad on Wednesday night to take stock of the situation, which has caused widespread concern.

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties expressed concern over the situation, with the Samajwadi Party alleging that people are suffering due to poor health services.

According to a government order, Dr Dinesh Kumar Premi will be the new CMO of Firozabad. He till now held the charge of the additional CMO in Hapur.

CMO Neeta Kulshresth has been transferred from Firozabad as senior consultant of Aligarhs Malkhan Singh District Hospital, the order said.

The order, however, did not mention the reason for the transfer.

Additional Director (Health) of Agra Division A K Singh and Firozabad Government Medical College Principal Sangeeta Aneja told reporters that 41 people, mostly children, died due to viral fever and suspected dengue in the past over 10 days.

Earlier on Tuesday, Firozabad BJP MLA Manish Asija had claimed that 44 people died of suspected dengue in the district since August 22-23.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has claimed that 56 people have died. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath too had on Monday visited some dengue patients.

"Till now, 32 children and seven adults have died," the chief minister had said after the visit, adding that the death of children will be probed to ascertain its reason by a team from King George's Medical University in Lucknow.

Following the CMs visit, Singh and Aneja, along with other senior health officials, visited affected areas of Firozabad and also enquired about the patients admitted to hospitals.

At a joint press conference, the two officials said among the dead, 36 belonged to urban and five rural areas.

They said dehydration, stomachache, blood shortage and drop in platelet count along with high fever have been noticed among the victims.

The additional director said a 18-member medical team including members from Agra, Meerut and Kanpur has reached Firozabad to assist in tackling the disease.

In addition, a surveillance team is moving around in the affected areas of Firozabad to know about the mosquitoes spreading the disease.

Aneja said 538 people got themselves examined at the medical college of Firozabad and 126 of them were found suffering from dengue.

None of the samples have tested positive for Covid-19, Aneja said.

Children are falling ill after sudden drop of water in the body and infection in the stomach, Aneja said.

The health officials said along with Firozabad, the spread of dengue is also suspected in Mathura and it is doubted that the disease could have been triggered by animals.

"We are probing this and a 11-member team of the ICMR will be reaching Firozabad tonight and look for the variant causing the health problem," they said.

They said of 300 beds available in the medical college, 240 are occupied at present. An additional 100 beds are being added to cater to the surging numbers of patients.

A total of 35 samples have been sent to the KGMC, Lucknow, and reports are expected to arrive by Wednesday night.

A few other samples have also been dispatched to a national virology laboratory in Pune.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav attacked the BJP government, alleging that people are suffering due to poor health service.

Due to rain and waterlogging, vector-borne disease are spreading rapidly. The number of patients infected with such diseases is increasing continuously, he said.

"No efforts have been made by the government to check the spread. Neither fogging was done timely nor proper arrangements of treatment are available," Yadav said in a statement in Lucknow.

"Even after 56 deaths due to dengue and viral fever in Firozabad, the administration is sleeping. Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, and adjoining districts are in the grip of typhoid. About 100 people have been affected by typhoid in Lucknow so far," he said.

The BJP government, which is busy campaigning, should wake up from its slumber and ensure quality medical facilities for children and elders, who are affected by these diseases, he added.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati also expressed concern over deaths of several children.

She also raised the issue of floods in parts of the state and asked the state government to take a serious note of the situation or else it would go out of hands.

Interacting with party workers in the state capital to take feedback on the prevailing political situation in the state, she asked them to extend help to the affected people.
India is ready to partner with like-minded nations towards development in technology-embedded governance, Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said on Thursday.

Participating in the UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development ) high-level policy dialogue, the Minister highlighted that India is poised today as one of the largest connected countries in the world in terms of Internet connectivity with around 80 crore people online and one of the worlds largest rural broadband connectivity projects being executed.

He also shared that the distance between the citizen and government has been bridged tremendously over the last 6 years by leveraging technology and public digital platforms including digital identity, digital payments systems and digital literacy and thus preventing the leakage of social subsidies.

Ministers from India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka shared policy experiences towards digital inclusion & social empowerment at the policy dialogue. The webinar was a pre-event organised in the run-up to the 15th session of the Ministerial Conference of the UNCTAD.

Also read: Govt should have power to take down harmful content, says Rajeev Chandrasekhar

While talking about the story of India's digitisation drive, Chandrasekhar said that Indias success story of digitalisation is driven by the public and private sector in the global technology eco-system in terms of providing innovative solutions to the worth.

He also said that India has successfully showcased a technology-led model of governance by embedding technology into the governance and transforming the lives of people and India is ready to partner with all like-minded nations towards development in technology-embedded governance.

India advocated for harnessing digital technologies and public digital platforms towards technology embedded governance and social inclusion at the UNCTAD High-level Policy Dialogue.

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India's Oil and Natural Gas Corp is evaluating the purchase of stake in Russia's massive Vostok Oil project, a company official said on Thursday, as the two countries seek to deepen their economic ties in the energy sector.

Vostok is one of Russia's biggest oil projects, comparable in size with the exploration of West Siberia in the 1970s or the US Bakken oil province over the past decade.

"We are still in the evaluation stage ... We are looking at it (Vostok Oil), it is a very large complex project," AK, Gupta, managing director of ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas investment arm of ONGC, told Reuters.

Read more: Megha Engineering starts handing over 'indigenously' developed oil rig, part of Rs 6000 crore deal, to ONGC

He did not give any further details on the deal.

Russian oil major Rosneft is in talks with several players about participation in Vostok, which according to initial estimates could require the investment of more than 10 trillion roubles ($137 billion).

Global commodities trader Trafigura has a 10 per cent stake in Vostok Oil and a consortium of traders Vitol and Mercantile & Maritime have shown interest in taking a 5 per cent stake in the project.

Indian Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who is in Russia for an economic forum, met Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov and Rosneft chief Igor Sechin. The forum in the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok was also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Look forward to further strengthening strategic cooperation across the entire value chain of the energy sector with Russia," Puri said on Twitter after meeting Shulginov.

Gupta said Russia was a "preferred destination" for energy investment by India.

ONGC Videsh owns 26 per cent stake in Russia's Vankor field and a 20% stake in Sakhalin-1 project. In 2009, it acquired Imperial Energy, an independent exploration and production company in Russia.

Russia aims to begin shipping oil from the planned Vostok project in 2024 via the Northern Sea Route, an alternative to the Suez Canal which shortens travels to markets in Asia.

Vostok Oil consists of the Vankor cluster, the West-Irkinsky area, the Payakha group of fields and the East-Taimyr cluster.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that other than Jammu and Kahmir, there has been no major terror strike in India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, and asserted that terrorists were scared of the BJP government at the Centre.

Addressing Gujarat BJP leaders on the second day of the party's three-day state executive meeting at Kevadia in Narmada district, Singh also slammed the Congress, saying the party was not sensitive enough towards the Army jawans as it kept the issue of One Rank-One Pension (OROP) unresolved for 40 years.

We have not let terrorists succeed in their designs. That is why other than Jammu and Kashmir and some nearby areas, there has been no major terrorist incident in the country in the past seven years, Singh said.

Read more: All is not well in J&K: Farooq Abdullah on violence against elected representatives

It seems that terrorists are now scared of the BJP government. This is not a small thing," he said.

"Terrorists now realise that they are not secure even in their safe havens. What we did (surgical strike in PoK) after the Uri attack gave a clear message to the world that we can kill terrorists on this side as well as by crossing the border if need arises," Singh said.

Had the previous Congress governments been sensitive towards Army jawans, the issue of OROP, which the soldiers had been demanding for 40 years, would have been resolved, he said.

The Congress did not accept their demand, he added.

"But Modiji implemented it (OROP) immediately. This shows the difference between a Congress government and a BJP government," he said.

Singh attacked the Congress and its leaders, saying that they only used Mahatma Gandhi's name, but failed to follow in his footsteps. Issues like Ram temple at Ayodhya are not mere slogans but BJP's commitment, he said.

"We always fulfil what we promise. These are not mere election slogans...it's our cultural commitment. Now, no force can stop the construction of a grand Ram temple. We had sacrificed three of our state governments after the structure (Babri mosque) was razed. Though the Centre had dismissed three of our governments, we never diluted our commitment and movement," Singh said.
The Allahabad high court has said that eating beef can't be a "fundamental right" and that the cow should be declared a "national animal", amid alleged incidents of lynching of cattle traders in different parts of the country.

A single judge bench headed by Justice Shekhar Yadav made the observations on Wednesday while declining bail to a Muslim man, who was accused of slaughtering a cow in Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh in February this year.

"Fundamental right is not a special right for beef eaters. Those who worship the cows and are dependent on them also have a right to life. Eating beef can never be a fundamental right. The right to life cannot be snatched just because someone finds something tasty," the court said.

The HC further noted that it is not only Hindus who have understood the importance of cows, Muslim rulers also considered it as an important part of India's culture during their reign.

For example, Babur, Humayun and Akbar prohibited the sacrifice of cows in their religious festivals, the court said.

The ruler of Mysore, Hyder Ali, made cow slaughter a punishable offence, the HC added.

The court said that the government should enact a law by bringing a Bill in the Parliament declaring the cow a 'national animal' making its rearing a fundamental right. "The government should enact strict laws against those who harm the cows and also against those who, though talk about sheltering and protecting the cows but in effect only want to make money on this pretext," it added.

The court said that protection of the cows was not connected to any specific religion. "Cow is the symbol of our culture and to protect and conserve the culture is the responsibility of every citizen, irrespective of his religion," it went on to say.

The court also referred to the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan. "There are hundreds of examples that the foreigners made us slaves whenever we ignored our culture. We should not forget about the Taliban and its victory in Afghanistan," it remarked.

The court referred to the vedas and other ancient Hindu epics, texts in other religions, including Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikkhism and Christianity, and said that killing of the cows had been barred in all of them.

"Freedom fighter Mangal Pandey had rebelled when he came to know that cow fat was used in the pin of the grenades," it observed. The court also said that several members of the Constituent Assembly had favoured including cow protection in the list of fundamental rights.

With PTI inputs

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Despite the pandemic effect on the economy, 396 students of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) have received placement offers ranging from Rs 3.50 to Rs 17.71 lakhs per annum, for the 2020-21 year.

This is the highest number of placements in the university's history, coordinated through the campus Placement Guidance Advisory Bureau (PGAB).

Over 221 students were placed in 132 companies through the campus placements just before the Covid-19 lockdowns earlier this year. From May 2021, companies conducted video interviews and online assessments as they could not physically visit the university campus.

The final tally was 396 students placed with 213 companies, UoH officials said.

It is gratifying to note that against the heavy odds such as Covid-19 lockdowns, PGAB secured record placements for the 2020-21 batch University students. We are confident that the successfully placed students will continue to keep the flag of UoH flying high,Professor Salman Abdul Moiz, Professor-in-charge for PGAB said.

The hiring firms included many reputed organisations, in the public and private sectors, and in various fields like TCS, GE, One Convergence, Deloitte, Dr Reddys, Bridge i2i, Blaize, Techsophy, Phenom People, ICICI Bank, Tech Mahindra, Elastic Run, Azentio Software Pvt Ltd, UBS, Global Data, Jocata, Cargo flash Ltd, Brane Enterprises Pvt Ltd, Accenture, Mercedes-Benz, Pega System, Cognizant, Team F1, Thought Works, Manthan School.
Tamil Nadu will soon bring legislation seeking exemption from National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission into medical and dental colleges and send it to the President of India for his assent, the Health Department said on Thursday.

Presenting the departments policy note in the Assembly on Thursday, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said a Committee of Secretaries has suggested promulgating an Act, similar to Tamil Nadu Act No.3/2007, indicating the need for elimination of NEET in medical education.

This will ensure social justice and protect all vulnerable student communities from being discriminated in admission to medical education programmes, the Minister said in his note. He also noted that Tamil Nadu has been consistently opposing NEET for admission to medical courses.

Recalling that the Government constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of retired High Court judge, Justice A K Rajan, Subramanian said the committee undertook a detailed study on whether the NEET based admission process has adversely affected the social, economic and federal polity and the students of rural and urban poor.

The AIADMK government in 2017 passed two bills seeking exemption from NEET but were rejected by the Centre. NEET is an emotive issue in Tamil Nadu with over a dozen students choosing to end their lives due to failure in the exam or due to fear of facing the test.

He said 11 new government medical colleges are being established in Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, The Nilgiris, Dindigul, Tiruppur, Namakkal, Nagapattinam, Krishnagiri, Tiruvallur, Kallakurichi and Ariyalur with an intake of 150 MBBS seats each.

Administrative and financial sanctions have been accorded for construction of buildings and creation of new posts as per the National Medical Commission norms. Now the construction of buildings are in progress, he said.

On Covid-19, the Minister said vaccination is being given a full thrust on a drive mode to mobilize the general public to come forward for vaccination. With the vaccine drive, and continued vigil, it is hoped that the impact of Covid-19 will come down further in the coming days, he said, adding that currently Tamil Nadu has a storage capacity of around 1794.75 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO).
The Uttar Pradesh government's Cabinet on Thursday approved various proposals including tender documents related to the Ganga Expressway.

Giving information about the decisions taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state government's spokesperson and Cabinet Minister Siddharth Nath Singh said that in the coming times, the network of Expressway will play a big role in making UP a $1-trillion economy.

"The Ganga Expressway will be the country's largest expressway being built through a state. Till now, 92.02 per cent land has been acquired for Ganga Expressway.

"Tender documents, both RFQ (request for proposal) and RHP (request for quotation), are being brought out. This expressway is of six lanes which can be increased to eight lanes," he said.

The Ganga Expressway is being planned between Meerut and Prayagraj and it will be 594-km long.

"There are four packages of the expressway and, the cost of each package will be from Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 5,800 crore. The entire process of tender will be completed within 60 days. The Cabinet has approved it all so that its work on it could start soon," Singh added.

He said the construction of the Ganga Expressway will be done on the public-private partnership (PPP) model, and the maximum speed of vehicles on this expressway has been fixed at 120 kmph.

"There will also be an airstrip on it. The chief minister has also said places where industrial clusters is to be made should be earmarked. Provision has also been made for public facilities on the expressway at nine places. In future, it will be increased further," the minister said.

The estimated total cost of civil and construction work on Ganga Expressway project is Rs 36,230 crore, and Rs 19,754 crore will be spent on civil works. There is also GST of Rs 2,371 crore on this.

"This makes the total to Rs 22,125 crore and a provision of Rs 9,255 crore has been made for the purchase of land," he said.

Singh said that in the Cabinet meeting, approval was also given on various matters regarding the construction of an airport in Lalitpur.

A state airport is being built at Lalitpur, which will be for small aircraft in the first phase; and in the coming time, it will be made an airport of international standard as a defence corridor is being built there, he said.

Along with this, a bulk drug park is also being prepared there. In view of this, this airport will become important, he added.
As an Islamic government once again takes charge in Kabul, the problem before it is not merely how to form an "inclusive government" but how to create an inclusive state. This can only be done by restructuring the Afghan polity. But are the Taliban up to the challenge?

Since the overthrow of the monarchy, every Afghan regime has been obsessed with replicating a unitary state, with Kabul reigning supreme over the regions. This is an unrealistic dream today after education, and social change has fired the political aspirations of Afghanistan's diverse ethnic groups (Uzbek, Tajik, Turkmen, Bloch, Aimaq, Nuristanis, etc.), and religious minorities (Hazara and Qizilbash Tajiks Shias in the main but also Ismailis, Bahais and those of Indic religions).

The mindset of the dominant Pashtun community, which sees itself as the natural ruler of Afghanistan, will, however, be a major hurdle in any restructuring of the Afghan state. Kabul has traditionally been ruled by a Pushtun leader. Even the US chose Pushtuns - Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani - as presidents. The US sponsored a Pashtun candidate despite allegations that the presidential elections had been repeatedly fixed and results manipulated.

The Taliban are predominantly Pashtun and subscribe to the idea of a unitary state headed by an unelected supreme leader. Like their predecessors in Kabul, they refuse to acknowledge that ethnic divides in Afghanistan have historically proved to be stronger than the bonds of Islam. However, they are being nudged in the direction of greater inclusivity by Pakistan, their puppet master. This would mean that, unlike the last time they were in power, they could accommodate the ethnic minorities.

"Warlords" in Afghanistan represent the ethnic elite in the provinces where they are in the majority. Aware of Pakistan's clout, a delegation of Afghan ethnic leaders made a beeline to Islamabad to plead for power-sharing. Among their number were the two brothers of the late Ahmad Shah Massoud  Ahmad Wali Massoud and Ahmad Zia Massoud (Tajiks from Panjshir), Mohammad Yunus Qanooni (former vice president and a Tajik from Panjshir), Salahuddin Rabbani (former minister and son of former president Late Burhanuddin Rabbani, a Tajik from Badakshan), Abdul Latif Pedram (a Tajik from Badakshan), Khalid Noor (son of former Balkh Governor Atta Mohammad Noor, a Tajik from Balkh), Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq (former vice president and a Hajara from Balkh) and Mohammad Karim Khalili (former vice president and a Hajara from Wardak).

These leaders are remnants of the erstwhile Northern Alliance (or descendants of those who led it). They seek accommodation in power with the Taliban regime. Indeed, Wali Massoud pragmatically announced that his nephew and son of the late Ahmad Shah Massoud would accept a "good" government if it were formed in Kabul. He thereby tried to reject the claims of the Panjshir resistance group led by former vice president Amrullah Saleh who has claimed to be Acting President of Afghanistan after President Ashraf Ghani fled. There are reports that Uzbek leader "General" Abdul Rashid Dostum has also sought dialogue with the Taliban.

Whether the Taliban will accommodate such traditional ethnic elites to gain international legitimacy remains to be seen. But it is unlikely that the Afghan ethnic divide will be bridged by only forming short-term power-sharing arrangements with new or old leaders who have been a part of the US-sponsored regimes. The minorities will remain restive and fearful of the Taliban and their policy of Islamicisation unless they get a share in state power  both as an ethnicity as well as regions that they have historically inhabited (e.g. Hazaras in Hazarajat, Uzbeks in Balkh, Tajiks in Panjshir, etc.). The previous stint of Taliban led regime from September 1996 to October 2001 did not accommodate their aspirations.

Will the Taliban be more open to federalism through sharing power with the ethnicities/regions this time around in the interests of stability? Despite a medieval mindset, there is nothing in Islam that prevents fashioning a federal state. Next door Pakistan is both Islamic as well as a federal state.

Some Afghan political intellectuals have propounded a federal polity as the solution for Afghanistan. Hussain Yasa, a political activist and Hazara public intellectual, argues that the idea is "more natural" as "the major communities have their geography with their culture and historical backgrounds within their natural boundaries" and that they had inhabited these regions "for centuries even before Afghanistan came into being." He admits that "there are pockets of mixed population in each and every part of Afghanistan, but still that is not a substantial barrier against this idea."

However, there have been no takers for a federal polity even among the non-Taliban regimes. Power-sharing has never permeated the ethnic population. Without fundamental restructuring of the political system, the present Taliban regime will rule over an unstable country - not based on consent. And governance based on fear is always fragile.

(The writer is a Delhi-based journalist)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
Within a short span, after Apple launched the company's first propriety Watch series in 2015, it dethroned Swiss brands and became a numero uno watch brand in the world. And, it continues to be at the top to date.

One of the primary reasons for the overwhelming appeal from consumers is that Apple Watches come with some of the most advanced biometric health and fitness tracking technology on a wrist-gear.

Apple Watches come with optical and electrical heart sensors to power ECG (Electrocardiogram) to track AFib (AAtrial Fibrillation), Irregular Heart Rhythm. Also, the latest Watch Series 6 boasts a SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation) tracker, Most importantly, the watchOS and hardware have deep integration making it one of the most intelligent smart wearables in the market.

It is why Apple Watches save human lives with timely alerts that make headlines the most around the world than any other brand.

In the latest instance, Apple Watch has saved a woman in Arizona from a life-threatening heart condition.

70-year old Yolie De Leon was all geared up to go on her morning walking and before she could set foot outside, she suddenly felt a little flutter in her chest that made her take some rest.

She wasn't sure what was happening and then, she activated the ECG app on Apple Watch. Within few seconds, it alerted her that the resting heart rate was at 174 bps (beats per second) indicating irregular heart rhythm, and seek urgent medical attention.

"It(Apple Watch) said my heart rate was at 174. You are an AFib and call your doctor immediately," De Leon said to FOX Television Stations.

She took the advice seriously and went to the local health centre. After a battery of tests, doctors confirmed De Leon did have the life-threatening heart condition AFib and was hospitalised for a week to recover.

Afib is a deadly heart condition, which never shows any clear symptoms at the beginning; but, when they do appear, people will feel palpitations, shortness of breath, and fatigue.

Im glad I reacted so quickly because it was life-threatening, Arizona resident Yolie De Leon revealed. https://t.co/kkXdi6GKnG  FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) August 27, 2021

If not treated on time, it will lead to stroke, irregular heartbeat, other health conditions, and eventually death. AFib is said to be the second most common cause of death in the world.

De Leon sent an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook describing her story and thank him for bringing the life-saving feature on Apple Watch. To her surprise, Cook last Sunday replied that he was glad Apple Watch was able to help her get timely medical aid.

"Thanks for sharing your story with us. It inspires us to keep pushing forward," said Tim Cook in an email reply to De Leon.

Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.
The management of historical 12th-century Mahathobhara Mahalingeshwara temple in Puttur taluk of Karnataka's communally-sensitive Dakshina Kannada district has banned vehicle parking by non-Hindus, stirring up a controversy.

Those not belonging to the Hindu religion are not allowed to park their vehicles in the Devamaru Gadde area which lies in front of the temple, as per a signboard set up by the management. It warns that legal action will be taken against those who violate the guidelines.

Mahalingeshwara temple comes under the state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

As the step by the temple authorities was termed a sign of intolerance, temple management President Maliya Keshava Prasad sought to clarify that if people from other religions parked their vehicles in the land belonging to the temple, "it caused trouble for Hindu devotees who visited the temple".

"Many devotees have complained about it. The signboard has been installed for the convenience of Hindu devotees. It is also a precautionary measure to avoid untoward incidents. The Bajarang Dal and Hindu Jagaran Vedike activists have filed complaints. We have also received individual complaints," he said.

"They (non-Hindus) used to overspeed in the Chariot lane near the temple. People used to sit in the parked cars causing inconvenience to Hindu devotees. We are planning to erect a wall around the temple to avoid the problem," he claimed.

Talking to IANS, Dakshina Kannada's Superintendent of Police, Sonawane Rishikesh, said that the temple comes under the Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and they will initiate action according to procedure.

The police is not aware of the development and has not initiated any action, he said.

"So far, the Police Department has received no complaint in this regard. We will definitely look into it and inquire if it is required," he added.

Meanwhile, sources said that the district administration has issued a notice to the temple management in this regard and is inquiring into the matter.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday lauded Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for his "small but significant moves" in a short time and said those monitoring Karnataka from the national capital say that the BJP has strengthened its position in the state by installing him.

"Bommai has made some small but significant beginning. He has stopped the tradition of receiving police guard of honour, put a brake on many VVIP practices and he has taken certain steps for transparency.

It is a very short time since Bommai took over but people who are sitting in Delhi and closely watching the developments in Karnataka, say that the BJP has strengthened its position by installing him as the Chief Minister," Amit Shah said at an event here.

Read more: UP Assembly polls will be decisive, pave way for LS elections: Keshav Maurya

In his maiden visit to Karnataka after Bommai took over as Chief Minister on July 28, the BJP leader exuded confidence that the party would come back to power by winning the Assembly election due in 2023.

"Bommai has experience of running the government and leading a decent public life, and he being in the BJP for a very long time, I have full confidence that under his leadership the BJP will come back to power with full mandate (in 2023)," Shah opined.

The Home Minister also heaped praises on former Chief Minister and BJP stalwart B S Yediyurappa, whose resignation as Chief Minister on July 26, brought Bommai to power.

"I am confident that Yediyurappa did not leave any stone unturned for the development of villages and farmers. If a new era of development has started in Karnataka, it happened in the BJP government during the tenure of Yediyurappa," Shah said.

According to him, Yediyurappa himself had decided to give new faces a chance to lead Karnataka and the BJP leadership decided to give the responsibility to Bommai.

Speaking about the Covid-19 management, Shah praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the best handling of pandemic and bringing out the country to a good extent from it with public support.

He said the entire world was watching with surprise how a nation of 130 crore population will face the challenge.

"However, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the nation abided by the lockdown norms initially and then carried out the biggest vaccination drive of the world in India.Today we can proudly say that if there is a nation, which has given maximum vaccines, it is India," Shah said.

The Home Minister also pointed out that the country broke its own previous record of one crore jabs on a single day by vaccinating 1.36 crore people on a single day a couple of days ago.

Speaking about the vaccination drive in Karnataka, Shah said the state has vaccinated almost 90 per cent of its eligible population by carrying out 5.2 crore inoculations.

"Over four crore people have received the first dose while 1.16 crore people have taken the second dose. It is an example what a government can do by taking along people," he explained.

Noting that the economically weaker section was hit hard due to the pandemic, the Home Minister said the BJP government at the Centre gave five kg rice to each member of BPL families for 10 months from May last year.

According to him, 80 crore people from weaker sections had received five kg rice every month for 10 months.

Shah added that the Prime Minister has also announced financial packages to deal with any further wave of Covid-19.

Recalling the oxygen crisis during the second wave of Covid-19, the Home Minister said many new oxygen plants which came up in a very short period have started operations.

Exuding confidence that India will be self reliant in oxygen production in the event of any epidemic outbreak in future, Shah said the country will not require to go anywhere for oxygen.

Seeking public support in the fight against Covid-19, Shah expressed his disappointment over vaccine resistance among some communities. He said it is everyone's responsibility to make sure that no one in the family, friends, and neighbourhood is left without vaccine.

"The 'mantra' to win the battle against coronavirus is the vaccine," Shah said.

He appealed to BJP activists to work with people in spreading awareness about the vaccine and take those people to the vaccination centre who have not taken it.
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A 26-year-old man from Curran, County Derry, who hid from police in a dog kennel has been handed a probation order.

James Irons, of Toberhead Road, Curran, entered guilty pleas to two counts of assaulting police and one count of resisting police in relation to the incident on October 5 2020.

The court heard how police had attended an ongoing domestic incident and after searching the house, located the defendant in a dog kennel at the rear of the property.

Irons kicked out at officers from the kennel and attempted to drag one of them inside, before lifting a nearby brick and motioning to throw it at the police.

While in custody, the defendant also punched a police officer in the thigh.

Responding to a question on his living arrangements, Irons, who currently resides in Belfast, said he intended on moving back to the County Derry area.

I'm a country boy and would like to be closer to my family, he told the court.

Judge Mullan imposed a 12-month probation order on the defendant and warned he would be brought back for re-sentencing if he did not comply with the order.
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Armaan Kohli drug case: Former Bigg Boss contestant to remain in judicial custody for 14 more days

A Mumbai court on Wednesday sent Bollywood actor Armaan Kohli, arrrested in a drugs case, to 14-day judicial remand at the end of his NCB custody. Kohli, soon after being remanded to judicial custody, moved a bail plea before the court.

The actor was placed under arrest on August 28 after being questioned by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) following recovery of drug from his house in suburban Juhu. He was produced before the court at the end of his NCB custody on Wednesday. The court sent the 49-year-old actor to jail under judicial custody as no further remand was sought by the apex drug law enforcement agency.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Armaan Kohli (@armaankohliofficial)

Earlier, the NCB had told the court it had seized more than one gram of cocaine from the actor's house during a raid. The central agency had told the court that there was evidence to suggest Kohli, booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, was associated with an international drug syndicate.

An alleged drug peddler, Ajay Raju Singh, who was arrested by the NCB along with the actor and booked under the NDPS Act, too, was sent to 14-day judicial custody by the court.

Kohli has featured in the Salman Khan-starter "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo", among other Hindi, films and was also one of the contestants of TV reality show 'Bigg Boss'.
Kangana Ranaut v/s Javed Akhtar: HC reserves order to quash criminal defamation proceeding against the actress

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on a plea filed by actor Kangana Ranaut seeking quashing of criminal defamation proceedings initiated against her by a metropolitan magistrate's court in the city on a complaint filed by Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar.

Ranaut, through her counsel Rizwan Siddiquee, had challenged the defamation proceedings initiated earlier this year, saying the magistrate's court in suburban Andheri had failed to apply its mind to the case. Ranaut said in her plea the lower court did not independently examine the complainant or witnesses named in the complaint against her, but it instead relied merely upon the discretion of the Juhu police and initiated the case against her. On Wednesday, Siddiquee told a single bench presided over by Justice Revati Mohite-Dere that the police inquiry into Akhtar's complaint was "one-sided." "My witnesses were never examined. The magistrate should have ensured that no party is harassed," Siddiquee told the HC.

Akhtar's counsel Jay Bharadwaj, however, told the bench that the magistrate had ordered the police inquiry after going through Akhtar's complaint and excerpts of the interview in which Ranaut had made the alleged defamatory comments. He further said the police had summoned witnesses and concerned persons, including Ranaut, to ensure its inquiry was impartial, but the actor never responded to the summons.

Akhtar filed a criminal complaint against Ranaut in November last year before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate for allegedly making defamatory and baseless comments against him in a television interview given to journalist Arnab Goswami. In December 2020, the court directed the Juhu police to conduct an inquiry into Akhtar's complaint. The police subsequently informed the court that an offence of defamation, as alleged by Akhtar against the actor, was prima facie made out, and further probe into the same was required. The court accordingly, initiated criminal proceedings against Ranaut and issued summons to her in February this year. As per section 202 of the CrPC, a magistrate, on receipt of a complaint of an offence of which he or she is authorised to take cognisance of, can inquire, or direct the police to see if an actual case is made out, before issuing summons to an accused person.

The high court is likely to pass an order on Ranaut's plea on September 9.
Sidharth Shukla death: Bigg Boss host Salman Khan says 'gone too soon', Varun Dhawan writes, 'today heaven has gained a star'

The untimely demise of Sidharth Shukla has left his fans and family in a state of deep shock. Several of Sidharths co-contestants from Bigg Boss expressed their grief on social media and now Bigg Boss host and Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has tweeted mourning the loss.

Condoling the death of Bigg Boss 13 winner, Salman wrote in a tweet, Gone too soon Siddharth.. u shall be missed. Condolences to the family .. RIP. The superstar is busy shooting for the next leg of his film Tiger 3 in Turkey with the team.

Gone too soon Siddharth.. u shall be missed. Condolences to the family .. RIP  Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) September 2, 2021

Sidharth had made his Bollywood debut with Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya in 2014. His co-star Varun Dhawan from the film remembered the actor and paid a heartfelt tribute on social media. He shared a picture with Sidharth from the promotions of the film which also featured Alia Bhatt and wrote, Rip brother u are loved by so many and u touched so many with ur kind heart and beautiful personality. Today heaven has gained a star and we have lost one. My deepest condolences to the family and loved ones.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by VarunDhawan (@varundvn)

Sidharth Shukla died on the morning of September 2 after suffering a heart attack. The family has told the Mumbai Police that they suspect no foul play and that the actor was under no mental pressure.
Nashville-style spicy fried chicken replacing Mels Diner; premade meals for Rosh Hashanah; Souley Vegan stretches out in Oakland; Dutch Bros Coffee expanding; and more Dish.
Samsung Galaxy S22+ is rumoured to be launched in October 2021 & is expected to run on Android 11 OS. The Smartphone is expected to be made available only in one color i.e. Black & will have a built in fingerprint sensor as the primary security feature, along with the host of connectivity options in terms of 3G, 4G, GPS, Wifi, NFC Bluetooth capabilities. The phone will come with 128 GB of internal storage.

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Smartphone is tipped to be powered by Octa core Qualcomm Snapdragon 895 Processor. A 6 GB of RAM will help phone run smoothly even the most memory intensive applications without showing any signs of lag.

The phone in all probability will come with a powerful 4500 mAh battery to support it's 6.5 inch screen, having a resolution of 1080 x 2400.

Samsung Galaxy S22+ is speculated to boast of a 50 megapixel rear Camera.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved the city of Seattle's request to use the Priority Hire Program, requiring that the contractor repairing the West Seattle Bridge hire from local economically distressed communities as it works to reopen the bridge by mid-2022. Kraemer North America was picked in May to finish the final phase of repairs to the high rise span of the bridge.

We're grateful to the U.S. Department of Transportation for this approval. Hiring local workers will bring direct and tangible relief to communities in West Seattle and the Duwamish Valley, said Seattle Department of Transportation Director Sam Zimbabwe in a news release. Additionally, having access to federal funding will reduce the city's financial burden as we repair the bridge and advance our economic recovery from the pandemic.





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SEATTLE  A corner development site at 6015 15th Ave. N.W. sold for just over $2.7 million, according to King County records.

The seller was the Menand family, which had owned the property in for decades.





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SEATTLE  A small apartment building at 210 10th Ave. E. sold for a little over $5 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Pacific Sun Enterprises, which acquired the property in 1991 for about $876,000.





. . .
Reliance buys rights to manufacture consumer electronics brands BPL, Kelvinator

Reliance Retail, the retail arm of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has acquired the licence to manufacture consumer electronics products like TV and fridge under iconic brands BPL and Kelvinator, in a move that will expand Reliance groups business into new areas.

Reports said the company is likely to launch online sales of these brands when e-commerce majors like Amazon and Flipkart start discount sales  a development that augures well for the Indian consumer.

The festive season sales that come with special discounts and bonuses, are likely to be restricted to online sales due to the still persistent pandemic caused by the Wuhan virus.

Reports citing industry executives said that Reliance Retail has raised the order volume between 70 to 400 per cent of last years festive season order against 40 to 70 per cent increase in orders placed by sellers on Amazon and Flipkart.

Reliance is also reported to be working on an aggressive marketing and distribution strategy to revive the two iconic Indian brands across channels  both offline and online.

Reliance will be manufacturing and selling BPL products, which may include air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, television sets, fans and light bulbs. Besides, Reliance may start production of new products under the brand, say reports.

Reliance Retail operates online shopping platforms like JioMart and Ajio and also runs a wide network of dedicated physical stores across the country which covers segments such as fashion, grocery, daily use essentials, electronics etc.

Reliance, which started its e-Commerce portal last year, is still evolving and the company may also scale up operations to thwart competition.
RIL set to acquire Europe's top solar panel maker REC Group for $1.2-1.5 bn: report

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), which is in a flux as it enters new industry vectors with force, is reported to be looking to acquire Europe's largest solar panel manufacturer, REC Group, for $1.2-1.5 billion.

A successful deal would help bolster the business portfolio of Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd (RNESL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd.

Mukesh Ambani-led RIL is said to be in negotiations with global banks to raise $500-600 million for financing the acquisition. The remaining funds will be met through equity issue, the reports say.

REC Group, which is based in Norway and registered in Singapore, is an international 'member' of the China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina).

The company produces silicon material for photovoltaic (PV) applications and multi-crystalline wafers, as well as solar cells and modules for rooftop installations, industrial and solar parks.

REC Group has been present in India for a little over a decade and has been a supplier to power utilities such as Greenko and scaled projects of the Department of Atomic Energy and Eenadu Group, among others.

Subsequently, it entered the rooftop solar panel segment, supplying mainly to industrial users such as Capgemini, Infosys, BMW and Wonder Cements, among others.

Early this month, Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd, along with strategic investors Paulson & Co Inc and Bill Gates, and a few other investors, announced an investment of $144 million in Ambri Inc, an energy storage company based in Massachusetts, USA. The investment will help the company commercialise and grow its long-duration energy storage systems business globally.

RNESL will invest $50 million to acquire 42.3 million shares of preferred stock in Ambri.

Based on patented technology and designed to last between 4-24 hours, Ambris long-duration energy storage systems will break through the cost, longevity and safety barriers associated with lithium-ion batteries used in grid-scale stationary storage applications. They will enable a crucial energy storage solution capable of supporting the increasing amounts of renewable energy being integrated into electric power grids.

RNESL and Ambri are also in discussions for an exclusive collaboration to set up a large scale battery manufacturing facility in India, which could add scale and further bring down costs for Reliances green energy initiative.

Addressing shareholders in June this year, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani had announced plans to build a Giga factory in Jamnagar for the storage of intermittent energy, as part of the Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex project.

We are exploring new and advanced electro-chemical technologies that can be used for such large-scale grid batteries to store the energy that we will create. We will collaborate with global leaders in battery technology to achieve the highest reliability for round-the-clock power availability through a combination of generation, storage, and grid connectivity, Ambani had announced.

Reliance plans to spend Rs60,000 crore to construct four Giga factories to make integrated solar PV modules, electrolysers, fuel cells, and batteries to store energy from the grid. These plants will be located at the new 5,000-acre Green Energy Giga Complex in Jamnagar
Centre approves highest ever fair and remunerative price of Rs290/qtl for sugarcane

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved fair and remunerative price (FRP) of Rs290 per quintal of sugarcane for sugar season 2021-22 (October - September), for a basic recovery rate of 10 per cent.

The FRP provides for a premium of Rs2.90/qtl for each 0.1 per cent increase in recovery over and above 10 per cent, and reduction in FRP by Rs2.90/qtl for every 0.1 per cent decrease in recovery.

However, the government said there would be no deduction in case of sugarcane by mills where recovery is below 9.5 per cent. Such farmers will get Rs275.50 per quintal for sugarcane in ensuing sugar season 2021-22 in place of Rs270.75/qtl in current sugar season 2020-21.

The cost of production of sugarcane for the sugar season 2021-22 is Rs155 per quintal. This FRP of Rs290 per quintal at a recovery rate of 10 per cent is higher by 87.1 per cent over production cost, thereby giving the farmers a return of more than 50 per cent over their cost.

In the current sugar season 2020-21, about 297.6 million tonnes of sugarcane worth Rs91,000 crore were purchased by sugar mills, which is an all time high level and is the second highest after the record procurement of paddy at Minimum Support Price.

Keeping the expected increase in the production of sugarcane in the ensuing sugar season 2021-22, about 308.8 million tonnes of sugarcane is likely to be purchased by sugar mills. The total remittance to the sugarcane farmers will be about Rs1,00,000 crore. The government through its pro-farmer measures will ensure that sugarcane farmers get their dues in time.

The FRP approved shall be applicable for purchase of sugarcane from the farmers in the sugar season 2021-22 (starting 1 October 2021) by sugar mills.

The sugar sector is an important agro-based sector that impacts the livelihood of about 5 lakh sugarcane farmers and their dependents and around 5 lakh workers directly employed in sugar mills, apart from those employed in various ancillary activities, including farm labour and transportation.

The FRP has been determined on the basis of recommendations of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and after consultation with state governments and other stake-holders.

In the last 3 sugar seasons 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, about 6.2 lakh tonnes, 38 lakh tonnes and 59.60 lakh tonnes of sugar has been exported. In the current sugar season 2020-21 (October  September 2021-22), against the export target of 6 million tonnes, contracts of about 7 million tonnes have been signed and more than 5.5 million tonnes have been physically exported from the country, as on 23 August 2021. Export of sugar has improved liquidity of sugar mills enabling them to clear cane price dues of farmers.

The government is also encouraging sugar mills to divert excess sugarcane to ethanol, which is blended with petrol, which not only serves as a green fuel but also saves foreign exchange on account of crude oil import. In the last 2 sugar seasons, 2018-19 and 2019-20, about 3.37 lakh tonnes and 9.26 lakh tonnes of sugar has been diverted to ethanol. In the current sugar season 2020-21, more than 2 million tonnes of sugar is likely to be diverted. In the ensuing sugar season 2021-22, about 3.5 million tonnes of sugar is estimated to be diverted and by 2024-25 about 6 million tonnes of sugar is targeted to be diverted to ethanol, which would address the problem of excess sugarcane as well as delayed payment issue because farmers would get timely payment.

In the past 3 sugar seasons about Rs22,000 crore revenue was generated by sugar mills/ distilleries from sale of ethanol to oil marketing companies (OMCs). In the current sugar season 2020-21, about Rs15,000 crore revenue is being generated by sugar mills from sale of ethanol to OMCs at 8.5 per cent blending rate. This is expected to significantly increase in the next 3 years as we go upto 20 per cent blending by 2025.

In the previous sugar season, 2019-20, about Rs75,845 crore of cane dues were payable, out of which Rs75,703 crore has been paid and only Rs142 crore arrears are pending. Even, in the current sugar season 2020-21, out of cane dues payable of Rs90,959 crore, Rs86,238 crore of cane dues have already been paid to farmers. Increase in export and diversion of sugarcane to ethanol is ensuring timely cane price payments to farmers.
Finance minister launches Rs6,00,000-cr National Monetisation Pipeline

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday launched the asset monetisation pipeline of central ministries and public sector entities, National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP Volumes 1 & 2), which aims at monetising under-utilised brownfield assets, to raise around Rs6 lakh crore.

The pipeline has been developed by NITI Aayog, in consultation with infrastructure sector ministries, based on the mandate for Asset Monetisation under Union Budget 2021-22. NMP estimates aggregate monetisation potential of Rs6 lakh crores through core assets of the central government, over a four-year period, from FY 2022 to FY 2025.

However, the unlocking of capital or asset monetisation envisages a structured contractual partnership as against privatisation or slump sale of assets.

Volumes 1 and 2 of the report on NMP, released on Monday, included assets such as roads, transport and highways, railways, power, pipeline and natural gas, civil aviation, shipping, ports and waterways, telecommunication, food and public distribution, mining, coal and housing and urban affairs.

Asset monetisation, based on the philosophy of creation through monetisation, is aimed at tapping private sector investment for new infrastructure creation. This is necessary for creating employment opportunities, thereby enabling high economic growth and seamlessly integrating the rural and semi-urban areas for overall public welfare, the finance minister said while launching the pipeline.

Sitharaman further enumerated the reforms and initiatives undertaken by the present government towards accelerated infrastructure development and for incentivising private sector investments. This included the recent Scheme of Financial Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure, which incentivizes state governments to recycle state government-owned asset for fast-tracking greenfield infrastructure.

The strategic objective of the programme is to unlock the value of investments in brownfield public sector assets by tapping institutional and long-term patient capital, which can thereafter be leveraged for further public investments, vice chairman, NITI Aayog, said at the launch. He emphasised on the modality of such unlocking, which is envisaged to be by way of structured contractual partnership as against privatisation or slump sale of assets.

NMP is envisaged to serve as a medium-term roadmap for identifying potential monetisation-ready projects, across various infrastructure sectors.

The NMP is aimed at creating a systematic and transparent mechanism for public authorities to monitor the performance of the initiative and for investors to plan their future activities. Asset monetisation needs to be viewed not just as a funding mechanism, but as an overall paradigm shift in infrastructure operations, augmentation and maintenance considering private sectors resource efficiencies and its ability to dynamically adapt to the evolving global and economic reality. New models like Infrastructure Investment Trusts and Real Estate Investment Trusts will enable not just financial and strategic investors but also common people to participate in this asset class thereby opening new avenues for investment. I hence consider the NMP document to be a critical step towards making Indias Infrastructure truly world class, CEO, NITI Aayog said.

NMP is a culmination of insights, feedback and experiences consolidated through multi-stakeholder consultations undertaken by NITI Aayog, ministry of finance and line ministries. Several rounds of discussion have been held by NITI Aayog with the stakeholders. The pipeline has been deliberated at length in inter-ministerial meeting chaired by cabinet secretary. This is therefore a whole of a government initiative.

Secretaries of all infrastructure ministries affirmed their resolve towards achieving their respective targets set under NMP, working jointly with NITI Aayog and ministry of finance.

As part of a multi-layer institutional mechanism for overall implementation and monitoring of the asset monetisation programme, an empowered core group of secretaries on asset monetization (CGAM) under the chairmanship of the cabinet secretary has been constituted. The government is committed to making the asset monetisation programme, a value-accretive proposition - both for the public sector and private investors/developers - through improved infrastructure quality and operations and maintenance. This is aimed at achieving the broader and longer-term vision of inclusiveness and empowerment of common citizens through best in class infrastructure.

Union Budget 2021-22 has identified monetisation of operating public infrastructure assets as a key means for sustainable infrastructure financing. Towards this, the Budget provided for preparation of a National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) of potential brownfield infrastructure assets. NITI Aayog in consultation with infra sector ministries has prepared the report on NMP.

NMP aims to provide a medium term roadmap of the programme for public asset owners; along with visibility on potential assets to private sector.

The pipeline has been prepared based on inputs and consultations from respective ministries and departments, along with the assessment of total asset base available therein. Monetisation through disinvestment and monetisation of non-core assets have not been included in the NMP. Further, currently, only assets of central government line ministries and CPSEs in infrastructure sectors have been included. Process of coordination and collation of asset pipeline from states is currently ongoing and the same is envisaged to be included in due course.

The framework for monetisation of core asset monetisation has three key imperatives. These include selection of de-risked and brownfield assets with stable revenue generation profile with the overall transaction structured around revenue rights. The primary ownership of the assets under these structures, hence, continues to be with the government with the framework envisaging hand back of assets to the public authority at the end of transaction life.

Considering that infrastructure creation is inextricably linked to monetisation, the period for NMP has been decided so as to be co-terminus with balance period under National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP).

The aggregate asset pipeline under NMP over the four-year period, FY 2022-2025, is indicatively valued at Rs6 lakh crore. The estimated value corresponds to ~14 per cent of the proposed outlay for centre under NIP (Rs43 lakh crore). This includes more than 12 sector ministries and more than 20 asset classes. The sectors included are roads, ports, airports, railways, warehousing, gas and product pipeline, power generation and transmission, mining, telecom, stadium, hospitality and housing.

The top 5 sectors (by estimated value) capture ~83 per cent of the aggregate pipeline value. These include roads (27 per cent) followed by railways (25 per cent), power (15 per cent), oil and gas pipelines (8 per cent) and telecom (6 per cent).

In terms of annual phasing by value, 15 per cent of assets with an indicative value of Rs 0.88 lakh crore are envisaged to be rolled out in the current financial year (FY2021-22). However, the aggregate as well as year-on-year value under NMP is only an indicative value with the actual realization for public assets depending on the timing, transaction structuring, investor interest etc.

The assets and transactions identified under the NMP are expected to be rolled out through a range of instruments. These include direct contractual instruments such as public private partnership concessions and capital market instruments such as Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvIT) among others. The choice of instrument will be determined by the sector, nature of asset, timing of transactions (including market considerations), target investor profile and the level of operational/investment control envisaged to be retained by the asset owner etc.

The monetisation value that is expected to be realised by the public asset owner through the asset monetisation process, may either be in form of upfront accruals or by way of private sector investment. The potential value assessed under NMP is only an indicative high level estimate based on thumb rules. This is based on various approaches such as market or cost or book or enterprise value etc as applicable and available for respective sectors.

The programme is envisaged to be supported through necessary policy and regulatory interventions by the government in order to ensure an efficient and effective process of asset monetisation. These will include streamlining operational modalities, encouraging investor participation and facilitating commercial efficiency, among others. Real time monitoring will be undertaken through the asset monetisation dashboard, as envisaged under Union Budget 2021-22, to be rolled out shortly.
Govt launches e-Shram portal for registration of unorganised workers across the country

The government on Thursday announced the launch of e-Shram, a portal that will help build a comprehensive National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW) in the country.

Minister for labour and employment Bhupender Yadav formally launched e-Shram portal and handed it over to the states/UTs. The portal will be a game changer where more than 380 million workers would register themselves, he said.

For the first time in the history of India, a system is being made to register 380 million unorganised workers. It will not only register them but would also be helpful in delivering of various social security schemes being implemented by the central and state governments, the minister said while also emphasising that it is another key milestone towards furthering the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards the welfare of the unorganised workers, who are the nation builders.

Yadav also said that every unorganised sector worker registered in the e-Shram portal would be entitled to a Rs2 lakh accidental insurance cover. If a worker is registered on the e-Shram portal and meets with an accident, he/she will be eligible for Rs2 lakh on death or permanent disability and Rs1 lakh in case of partial disability.

Highlighting the features of the e-Shram portal, minister of state for labour and employment and petroleum and natural gas, Rameswar Teli, said the portal, which inter-alia aims to create a national database of all unorganised workers and appealed to the people across the country to be part of this campaign and get all unorganised workers registered on the e-Shram portal and become a partner in fulfilling the much-needed goal of the Government of India.

Both ministers also interacted with workers from Ajmer, Dibrugarh, Chennai and Varanasi who virtually connected from the Common Service Centres and shared their experiences and expectations.

Upon registration, the worker will be issued an e-Shram card with unique Universal Account Number (UAN) and will be able to access the benefits of the various social security schemes through this card anywhere anytime, Apurva Chandra, secretary, labour ministry, said..

Registration under the e-Shram portal is totally free and workers do not have to pay anything for his or her registration at Common Service Centres (CSCs) or anywhere, he added

The demonstration of the portal has already been given to all states/ UTs during the first and second pre-launch meetings held with them during July/ August. Detailed guidelines for operationalisation of portal and mobilisation of workers have also been issued.

The union labour minister on Tuesday also interacted with leaders of major central trade unions of the country, including Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hindu Mahasabha (HMS), Centre for Indian Trade Union (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), Self-employed Womens Association (SEWA), United Trade Union Centre (UTUC), National Front of Indian Trade Unions (DHN).

Trade union leaders expressed the hope that this will be a game changer for the well-being of unorganised workers who are the nation builders of the country and offered their unflinching support to the honorable cause of registering unorganised workers in the e-Shram portal.
India targets $46 billion worth of exports to ASEAN in FY22: minister

India has set a landmark export target of $46 billion in is trade with the Association of South East Asian countries, union minister of state for commerce and industry Anupriya Patel said while inaugurating the `India-ASEAN Engineering Partnership Summit on Tuesday.

The forum was organised by Engineering Exports Promotion Council (EEPC) with support from the ministry of external affairs and the Department of Commerce.

The summit offers an important platform for engagement of Indian industry on India-ASEAN partnership in engineering trade and investments. It will also be instrumental in achieving the export target set by the government both in terms of engineering as well as merchandise exports, she said.

The minister congratulated EEPC for organizing the summit with one of the largest trade partners, ASEAN. Patel said that trade is an important engine of growth for India and ASEAN. She said engineering exports constitutes one-fourth of the merchandise exports and is the largest foreign exchange earners among all export sectors and the performance of engineering exports has been remarkable in the last few years.

ASEAN, with over 15 per cent share in Indias global engineering shipment, is likely to be a key region to focus with a target of around $16 billion of exports for 2021-22.

As one of the largest destinations for Indian exports, ASEAN will be an important region for India with an export target of $46 billion in meeting the global export target of $400 billion in financial year 2021-22, se said.

ASEAN as a region is the third largest export destination of Indian engineering products after the EU and North America. Among the ASEAN member nations, Singapore and Malaysia are major export destinations for Indian engineering products.

Further, in her address, Patel said that both India and ASEAN have large share of skilled population, robust service and manufacturing sectors and there are many complementary sectors and products available for greater cooperation. With a combined economy of approx. $5.8 trillion, there is significant potential for enhancing trade and investment partnership between India and ASEAN.

She said the Indian government has taken numerous measures to make the country an even more attractive destination for foreign direct investment. Patel further said that Prime Minster Narendra Modi has set a target of $400 billion of merchandise exports for fiscal 2021-22 and also envisioned a roadmap to achieve this milestone.

The government has recently approved the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme worth US$ 26 billion covering 13 sectors, including electronics, pharmaceuticals, solar modules, specialty steel, automobiles, and medical devices for attracting investment and enhancing Indias manufacturing capabilities, as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan.

Supported by the ministry of commerce and industry and ministry of external affairs, the four-day India-ASEAN Engineering Partnership Summit is expected to see the participation of over 300 delegates from the Indian industry. A sizable number of delegates from ASEAN countries will also join the summit. The summit will also cover B2B meetings, interactions etc. The thematic sessions will cover a range of topics, including country sessions, and emerging areas of cooperation like Industry 4.0, integration of MSME in the regional value chain.

The government of Tamil Nadu joined the event as Partner State and the government of Haryana as Focus State.

This year is special for both partners as it marks the 25th anniversary of India-ASEAN dialogue partnership and 10 years of the Strategic Partnership.

An E-Book on India-ASEAN trade and investment emphasizing engineering and MSME sector was also launched during the inaugural session. The book covers several important aspects of enhancing bilateral trade and investment and also provides exhaustive information on India and ten ASEAN nations.
RBI raises Indo-Nepal NEFT transaction ceiling to Rs2 lakh, removes cap of 12 remittances a year

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to review the scheme in order to boost trade payments between the two countries, as also to facilitate person-to-person remittances electronically to Nepal.

Accordingly, the ceiling on remittance per transaction has been raised from Rs50,000 to Rs2 lakh. RBI also removed the cap of 12 remittances in a year per remitter.

However, for all remittances by way of cash from walk-in customers or non-customers banks will keep the ceiling of Rs50,000 per remittance with a maximum of 12 remittances in a year.

The charges for transactions up to Rs50,000 will continue as applicable at present while for transactions beyond Rs50,000, the charges prescribed by SBI will apply.

The banks have been asked 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.

RBI launched the Indo-Nepal Remittance Facility Scheme (Scheme) 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 the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) ecosystem available in the country for origination of such remittances and entailed a ceiling of Rs50,000 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 (SBI) in Nepal, ie, Nepal SBI Bank Limited (NSBL) or through an agency arrangement.
RBI awaiting government policy directive for digital currency trials: report

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is seeking policy action by the government on digital currency, RBI governor Shantikanta Das told the Hindu Business Line in an interview, even as a CNBC report said the central bank may launch its first digital currency trial programs by December.

RBI has conveyed its concerns to the government and the matter is under consideration. So, some policy action from the government is expected to come from the government side, according to edited excerpts of the interview published by the RBI.

Central banks of major economies, including those in China, Europe and the UK are exploring options for issue of digital currencies, either to commercial lenders or to the public directly.

These central bank digital currencies (CBDC), however, would essentially be the online versions of their respective fiat currencies and would be legal tender in digital form. In Indias case, it would be the digital rupee.

CBDCs differ from cryptocurrencies as they would be fully regulated and under a central authority, typically the central banks.

Also, instead of being a tradeable asset with wildly fluctuating prices, central bank digital currencies would function more like their fiat counterparts, and would have widespread acceptance.

We are being extremely careful about it because its completely a new product, not just for RBI, but globally, CNBCs Tanvir Gill quoted Das as saying in a pre-recorded interview on Thursday.

The CNBC report said RBI is studying various aspects of a digital currency, including its security, impact on Indias financial sector as well as how it would affect monetary policy and currency in circulation.

Das said the central bank is also exploring the choice between having a centralised ledger for the digital currency or the so-called distributed ledger technology (DLT).

DLT allows multiple participants to access, share and record transactions simultaneously while a centralised ledger means the database is owned and operated by a single entity, the central bank or any other authorised agency.

I think by the end of the year, we should be able to  we would be in a position, perhaps  to start our first trials, Das told CNBC.

Central banks across the world have stepped up efforts to rein in cryptocurrencies that have been mushrooming over the past year following a decline in cash usage and growing interest in digital currencies.

The Peoples Bank of China has taken a lead with real-world trials being carried out already in place across several cities. The European Central Bank and Bank of England are also looking into a digital euro and a UK CBDC, respectively, according to the CMBC report.

RBI said it had, on 31 May, issued a circular in the form of guidelines to all banks on cryptocurrencies, which the Supreme Court had struck down. The issue is in limbo as banks cannot take action on the basis of a circular already struck down by Supreme Court.

In the now defunct circular, RBI had mentioned that banks are required to follow all the due diligence requirements with regard to KYC and other aspects while opening an account, including accounts for doing crypto business.
Prosus to acquire 100% equity in BillDesk, merge with PayU

Dutch tech giant Prosus today announced a $4.7 billion all-cash deal to acquire BillDesk, a payments provider based in India. Prosus, which already operates global fintech and payments app PayU, plans to combine BillDesk with PayU, which already has a strong presence in India.

PayU Payments Private Limited (PayU), a subsidiary of Prosus, has entered into an agreement with the existing shareholders of IndiaIdeas.com Limited (BillDesk) to acquire 100 per cent of the equity in BillDesk, the company stated in a communication to shareholders.

The proposed acquisition will make PayU one of the major online payment providers globally with some $147 billion in payment volume annually.

Prosus said the proposed all-cash deal, one of the biggest ever made by Prosus, and one of the biggest M&A deals in India, will give its fintech holdings in India a cumulative investment value of over $10 billion.

The proposed acquisition will require approval from Indias anti-trust regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI). In a call with reporters on Tuesday, Prosus and PayU executives said they dont expect much hurdle in receiving the approval as PayU and BillDesk offer complimentary businesses. BillDesks network is used by Indias largest banks and by a large number of merchants across utilities, telecom, insurance, mutual funds, travel and e-commerce verticals.

BillDesk, founded in 2000, caters to the needs of digital consumers, merchants and government agencies and enterprises in the country.

According to the FY21 annual report of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the number of transactions for digital retail payments in India has grown by more than 80 per cent from 24 billion in 2018-19 to 44 billion in 2020-21.

Over the next three years, RBI expects more than 200 million new users to adopt digital payments with the average annual transactions per capita rising ten-fold from 22 to 220.

PayU India and BillDesk run complementary businesses in the digital payment industry. Together, the two expect to create a financial ecosystem handling four billion transactions annually - four times PayUs current level in India.

The proposed acquisition will require approval from Indias anti-trust regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI). In a call with reporters on Tuesday, Prosus and PayU executives said they dont expect much hurdle in receiving the approval as PayU and BillDesk offer complimentary businesses. BillDesks network is used by Indias largest banks and by a large number of merchants across utilities, telecom, insurance, mutual funds, travel and e-commerce verticals.

Payments and fintech is a core segment for Prosus and India remains our number one investment destination, said Bob van Dijk, group CEO of Prosus, in a statement. PayU, formed out a combination of various interests in fintech and payments that Naspers (and Prosus) had acquired over several years, is currently active in some 20 markets.

Within that, PayU has positioned itself as a strong player. Specifically, it has been highly competitive in the Indian online merchant acquiring market  both on price and in-field sales effort. PayU India has a dominant share in the payments gateway business where it traditionally competed with BillDesk and CCAvenue (owned in part by Infibeam)  and of lately, Sequoia Capital India-backed RazorPay.

BillDesk has been around since 2000 and its investors had included Visa, General Atlantic, and the State Bank of India. PitchBook estimated that its valuation was around $1.53 billion in 2019 when it last raised money. Tracxn estimated that the founders still owned just under 30 per cent of the company ahead of this acquisition.

BillDesk, already a big contractor for several government departments, is among the firms that has applied for the license of NUE, a new retail payments networks proposed for India that is expected to compete with established UPI railroads. BillDesk has teamed up with Amazon, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Pine Labs, and Visa for the licence.

Anirban Mukherjee, CEO of PayU India, suggested during an analysts call that Prosus may explore expanding BillDesks business outside of the worlds second most populous nation.

We believe this transaction will stimulate both innovation and competition within Indias digital payments industry, said Laurent Le Moal, CEO of PayU, in a statement. This will not only help to strengthen Indias digital economy, but also bring financial services to those who may have historically been excluded. This ambition is fully aligned with the Government of Indias vision of Digital India and is a key objective for PayU across all the communities we serve globally.

Closing of the acquisition is subject to satisfaction of customary conditions precedent, including approval by the Competition Commission of India.

PayU today said that its domestic and cross-border payments business as of March 2021 was up 51 per cent year-on-year across its operations in India, Latin America and EMEA, a mark of the overall boom that we have seen in the global digital payments market in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other businesses that PayU operates include credit solutions across India and five other markets. Prosus itself is also an active investor, with stakes in remittance company Remitly and others  representing a pipeline for strategic partnerships, but also potentially future acquisitions.
IIT Ropar's startup company introduces world's first plant based smart air-purifier

Budding scientists of Indian Institutes of Technology, Ropar and Kanpur and faculty of management studies of Delhi University have developed a living-plant based air purifier `Ubreathe Life that amplifies the air purification process in the indoor spaces. These indoor spaces can either be hospitals, schools, offices and homes.

IIT Ropars startup company, Urban Air Laboratory, which developed the product, claims it to be worlds first, state-of-the-art Smart Bio-Filter that can make breathing fresh. It has been incubated at IIT Ropar, which is a designated iHub - AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub) by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

The technology works through the air-purifying natural leafy plant. The room-air interacts with leaves and goes to the soil-root zone where maximum pollutants are purified. The novel technology used in this product is Urban Munnar Effect along with patent pending `Breathing Roots to exponentially amplify the phytoremediation process of the plants. Phytoremediation is a process by which plants effectively remove pollutants from the air.

Ubreathe Life effectively improves indoor air quality by removing particulate, gaseous and biological contaminants while increasing the oxygen levels in the indoor space through specific plants, UV disinfection and a stack of pre-filter, charcoal filter and HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter fitted in a specially designed wooden box. There is a centrifugal fan which creates a suction pressure inside the purifier, and releases purified air, formed at the roots, through the outlet in 360 degree direction. The specific plants tested for air-purification include Peace Lily, Snake Plant, Spider plant etc and all have given good results in purifying indoor-air.

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, the indoor air spaces are five times more polluted than outdoor air space. That is a cause of concern especially in the present SARS-CoV-2 pandemic times. A research, which has recently been published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), calls upon the governments to alter building designs by fixing air changes per hour (a measure of room ventilation with outdoor air). Ubreathe Life can be a solution to this concern.

This tested product Ubreathe Life can be a game changer for maintaining clean air indoors. Reason being, the new research also suggests that Covid-19 vaccination by itself may not guarantee safety at workplaces, schools and even closed fully air-conditioned homes unless air filtration, air purification and indoor ventilation becomes part of the building design. The results of testing, conducted by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories and the Laboratory of IIT Ropar maintains that the AQI (Air Quality Index) for a room size of 150 sq ft drops from 311 to 39 in 15 minutes after using Ubreathe Life, claims Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT, Ropar. He claims that this is first ever living plant based air-purifier in the world that can be a game changer.

Sanjay Maurya, CEO, Ubreathe, claims that the product has certain biophilic benefits, such as supporting cognitive function, physical health, and psychological well-being. Thus, its like having a bit of Amazon forest in your room. The consumer need not water the plant regularly as there is a built-in water reservoir with a capacity of 150 ml, which acts as a buffer for plant requirements. He says that the device supplies water to the roots whenever it gets too dry.

Recommending this researched product, Dr Vinay and Dr Deepesh Agarwal from AIIMS, New Delhi said that the Ubreathe Life infuses oxygen in the room making it conducive to patients with breathing issues.

Ahuja claims that IIT is capable of producing the product in large quantity to market it.
St Louis Secondary School in Dundalk has benefitted from an integration project run by the Department of Justice and Equality.

Sonya Mc Eneaney, St Louis Secondary Schools EAL (English as an Additional Language) teacher pursued the funding to offer assistance to students in the school.

She did so with a changing Ireland in mind where there are large numbers of students in every school in the country for whom English is not a first language.

Sonya was delighted to receive 4,700 in funding .

The projects granted funding are small community based projects. A maximum grant amount of 5,000 could have been awarded so Principal Michelle Dolan was delighted when Sonya gave her the good news about the award for St Louis.

I heard about the grant on a teachers forum, said Sonya McEneaney, and I realised that the funding could make a real difference to St. Louis.

We have a diverse school community with students from many different cultures and backgrounds and its important to us that interculturalism is present in communal areas.

The project Library Update aimed to create a dedicated welcoming space within the school library for multilingual resources which will help to improve literacy skills and encourage independent learning. Books in mother tongue languages, talking pens, picture dictionaries, novels about migration and refugees, dual language materials and devices will all be available in this space.

Due to the pandemic the school library was converted into a classroom so weve had to alter our plans slightly. However this did not prevent us from creating a wonderful space.

We are delighted to have it ready to welcome our students in September.
Calls have been made for community groups and charities in Louth to get a budget break to recover from the massive demand placed on their services during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Community Foundation in Ireland has called for voluntary, community and charity groups in Louth to be given a break in Octobers budget so funds can go to services rather than taxes.

The group are calling for a rise in the tax credit on donations for charities from the current 31% rate, saying that an increase would see money go to community services.

Alongside this, they are also seeking for 1 to be spent on every person in Ireland over the next three years (15 million), to be matched by private donors, to increase awareness for climate action in communities.

Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of The Community Foundation for Ireland said that people in Louth have helped greatly with donations to community groups.

In Louth and across the country private, corporate and family donors have giving like never before, as has the public through events like RTE Does Comic Relief, said Ms Charlton.

It has been a privilege to turn this generosity into support in communities in Louth and across the country.

However, Ms Charlton says that the money available to community groups is outstripped by the assistance required for people on the ground in communities.

However, it is also true that every-time we are in a position to offer funding the demands from those providing support on the ground far exceeds the money available.

Ms Charlton called on Louth TDs to support their budgetary measures and to introduce their policies to improve community groups.
Louth Fianna Fail Senator Erin McGreehan has welcomed the announcement that as part of the governments plan to tackle the sharing of intimate images without consent, victims can now report the sharing of illegal content online to Hotline.ie/report.

Hotline will help to get images and video removed from the internet.

The reporting mechanism is one aspect of a new Department of Justice awareness campaign to highlight that sharing or threatening to share intimate images of another person without their consent is a form of abuse, and there are now laws in place to stop it with penalties of up to seven years in prison.

Senator McGreehan commented: This is a very welcome announcement it follows on from the Government legislating for this last year with the legislation known as Cocos Law.

We now live in a digital world and respect for one another should always be a priority. However, as we know people constantly disrespect, bully, threaten, and harass online. Cocos law was very much needed and long overdue, it was legislation that Fianna Fail campaigned for during the last Dail term and I am glad in Government they delivered.

This campaign makes the law more effective and empowers victims to report.

Cocos Law, otherwise known as the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act, which was enacted on 10 February 2021, created new offences which criminalise the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.

Bringing Cocos law into operation and launching an awareness campaign was a key action contained in Justice Plan 2021, which was launched by Minister McEntee earlier this year.

Independent research commissioned by the Department of Justice found that one adult in 20 claims to have had an intimate image of themselves shared to an online or social media site without consent.

This rises to one in 10 among 18-24 and 25-37 year olds.
Robin Carnahan, the administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration, left, talks with U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., during a news conference, Wednesday Sept. 1, 2021, near the Canadian border in Highgate Springs, Vt. Carnahan and Leahy visited the port of entry with Canada to promote a $3 billion plan to build or modernize more than 30 land ports of entry across the U.S.
Claremont, NH (03743)

Today

Cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Where are the best places to shop? Who gives the best haircut? Who cooks the best burger? Vote today for "Best of the Eagle-Tribune."

Vote!
Sebastian - Mr. Leonard "Lenny" James Despensa, 78, died September 3, 2021 at Cleveland Clinic - Indian River Hospital in Vero Beach, FL. He was born December 24, 1942 in New York, New York and lived in Sebastian, Florida since 2018, after moving there from Methuen, MA. Leonard was a veteran
SANTA FE  The Public Education Department announced Thursday that new guidance will not require schools to go into remote learning should the campus pick up four rapid responses inside 14 days, as was required last school year.

Instead, the department plays to work with schools to implement enhanced COVID-safe practice that will maintain in-person learning as much as possible.

Schools that collect multiple rapid responses within a 14-day period will still be posted on the states rapid response watchlist. A rapid response is defined as one or more cases, whether student or staff, that were infectious while on campus.

Our medical advisors have noted that schools currently are not hotbeds of COVID-19 infections, Education Secretary Designate Kurt Steinhaus said in a Wednesday PED release. At this point, we are not closing schools. The caveat is that the virus could change things, but we need to do whats best for kids, which is to keep in-person learning to the extent possible.

Carolyn Graham, director of communications for the PED, said the department has no specific thresholds for what virus changes could lead to a new push back into remote learning, but our medical team continues to monitor this virus and the effectiveness of our response to it.

Clovis Schools Superintendent Renee Russ, who shared concerns at the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce board meeting Wednesday about state-mandated remote learning, said the new guidance was a positive development.

Russ told The News the district continues to offer remote learning, and has about 150 students participating. But that offering is specifically tailored to students who choose online learning with clearance from parents or guardians.

This is a very different scenario than what was faced last year when campuses had to continually and unexpectedly transition back and forth between in-person and remote learning settings, Russ said. The updated guidance received from NMPED today will help us have fewer disruptions to learning other than dealing with quarantining and isolation that result when there is a positive case on campus.

A total of 18 schools, none in Curry or Roosevelt counties, have voluntarily implemented temporary moves to remote learning this school year.

According to the states Rapid Response Watchlist Friday afternoon, seven area schools had multiple rapid responses in the last 14 days. Barry Elementary has recorded three while Texico High School, Clovis High School Freshman Academy, Yucca Middle School and La Casita, Highland and Mesa elementary schools have each recorded two.
TEXICO  Law enforcement has issued an arrest warrant for a Texico man accused of child abuse leading to the death of his daughter.

Christian Alonzo, 20, faces charges of abuse of a child and tampering with evidence stemming from the April 26 death of 5-month-old Pryncess Alonzo. Local authorities said Tuesday they were not sure if Alonzo had been served with the warrant. He was last known to be living in Arkansas, the childs mother said.

According to the warrant filed in Curry County Magistrate Court:

 A sheriffs deputy was dispatched at 10:30 p.m. April 26 to an apartment building in Texico, and upon arrival observed a woman attempting CPR on a baby later identified as Pryncess. The baby was transferred to Plains Regional Medical Center, where the time of death was called at 11:02 p.m.

 In an interview with the parents, Christian Alonzo said he discovered Pryncess was blue in the bassinet about 30 minutes after he had fed her and put her to bed. He said he checked on the child frequently and noticed something wrong a few minutes before the 911 call was placed.

 The deputy noted that in a separate interview with Alonzo, his story changed slightly with each question asked and that he appeared emotionless throughout the interview. The warrant said Alonzo was also emotionless during a May 25 interview following funeral services, and that between the incident and the funeral he stayed with relatives out of state.

 An autopsy report arrived July 20, with the cause of death ruled as homicide by manner of blunt force trauma. The findings stated there were numerous fractures consistent with child abuse.
 

140 million EBRD loan to modernise district heating and hot water supply in Ukraines capital

Kyiv committed to developing Green City Action Plan targeting decarbonisation

EBRD financing backed by grants from Sweden and USAID

The residents of Kyiv will benefit from upgraded and more reliable provision of district heating and hot water supply thanks to a 140 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to Kyivteploenergo, the heating and hot water utility serving the Ukrainian capital. The loan will finance the modernisation of existing combined heat and power plants and selected boiler houses as well as the installation of a new dispatching and monitoring system.

The EBRD funding will be co-financed by a joint contribution from Kyiv municipality and Kyivteploenergo of at least 26 million to finance the district heating network replacement. This new equipment will be fully compliant with the EU Industrial Emissions Directive .

The improvements will enhance energy and resource efficiency as well as the quality and reliability of heating and hot water supply to residential and non-residential customers. The investments will result in annual savings of more than 193,000 tonnes of CO 2 equivalent and 25,000 cubic metres of water yearly.

The project will be part of Kyivs Green City Action Plan (GCAP). The municipality is currently developing a comprehensive investment programme promoting decarbonisation and sustainability.

The plan is part of Kyivs commitment to improving the urban environment and peoples lives under the EBRD Green Cities initiative, a sustainable urban development programme that Kyiv joined in 2019.

The development of the GCAP and of a feasibility study for the modernisation of the district heating system are supported by the government of Sweden with a 700,000 grant.

In addition, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded three financial audits of Kyivteploenergo in line with the International Financial Reporting Standards and the development of design documents necessary for the project. It also helped the utility to implement international accounting standards, automate financial reporting, establish an anti-corruption programme and conduct gender equality training.

USAID will continue working with Kyivteploenergo to develop a plan for decarbonisation by 2060, enhance internal audit and compliance functions, optimise operational performance and improve the internal code of conduct to promote social inclusion and gender equality.

Ukraine is a top-three investment destination for the EBRD. In the past two years alone, the Bank has committed 2 billion to the economy. The EBRD finances infrastructure, energy efficiency and energy security, and agricultural and industrial projects, as well as smaller businesses in the country. It combines the investments with support for policies that promote a more enabling business environment. Greening the economies where it invests is among the EBRDs top priorities.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is continuing its support for leading microlending institution IMON International (IMON), which is responsible for a quarter of microlending operations in Tajikistan and the provision of financial services to more than 100,000 microbusinesses and individual borrowers. Following the acquisition of IMON by international shareholders in June 2021, the EBRD is pledging new financial resources of US$ 4 million, which will help promote green investments and create new opportunities for women-led small businesses in the country.

The financial package consists of a US$ 3 million loan under the Banks Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF). Up to US$ 2.25 million will be for the EBRDs own account while the remaining US$ 0.75 million will be provided as concessional financing by the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The Banks part of the loan will be disbursed in somoni, which will help borrowers limit foreign exchange risks.

GEFF will support Tajik small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and households willing to invest in green technologies. It is part of the EBRDs plan to increase its climate and environmental finance and make more than 50 per cent of its annual investment green by 2025. GEFF, supported in Tajikistan by GCF and the Republic of Korea, will also use funds from the European Unions Enhanced Competitiveness of Tajik Agribusiness Programme (ECTAP), which promotes competitiveness in the agribusiness sector.

The remaining part of the package of up to US$ 1 million will be provided under the EBRDs Women in Business programme in Central Asia (Women of the Steppe Programme) supported by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), and Switzerland through the Small Business Impact Fund (SBIF). The programme will help promote womens entrepreneurship and business activity by assisting with access to finance, know-how and technical advice. Imon will also benefit from technical support to enhance the services it offers to women-led businesses.

To date, the EBRD has invested 801 million through 145 projects in Tajikistans economy.
The Government has launched its flagship programme to tackle the housing crisis, pledging to end homelessness by 2030.

In what is described as the largest ever housing budget in the history of the State, the Housing for All plan aims to build 33,000 homes every year for the public and private sector.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the plan is unprecedented in our countrys history, in terms of its scope, its scale and its ambition.

Mr Martin said it represents a direct and radical intervention in the housing market by the State.

The plan, unveiled on Thursday afternoon by the Government, aims to address challenges facing first-time buyers, renters, low income households and people experiencing homelessness.

Read more: What's in the Housing for All plan and how will it help people find homes?

The strategy states that Ireland needs an average of 33,000 homes constructed every year until 2030 to meet targets set out for additional households.

The plan includes the aim of building 90,000 social houses, 36,000 affordable homes, around 18,000 cost rental homes, and 164,000 private ownership and private rental homes by 2030.

The project has more than 20 billion in funding through the Exchequer, the Land Development Agency (LDA) and the Housing Finance Agency over the next five years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4qXy5zYHng

The Taoiseach said that as part of the strategy a Housing for All delivery group will be established. It will be chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and which will involve all departments.

Mr Martin promised transparency and regular updates to the plans progress. There is nowhere to hide, he said.

We have come up to with a strategy that is equal to the challenge we face.

'Radical' plan

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar described the housing plan as radical.

The Fine Gael leader said ministers aim to build possibly the highest number of social homes in the States history.

This document is a radical new departure in housing policy in Ireland, both in terms of content and scale, but it also builds on the progress that we made in recent years, Mr Varadkar said.

We have now a rent freeze in real terms, building on the rent pressure zones. We have the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, which is now going to be extended and expanded and made more attractive, helping more people to get a mortgage that they can afford.

We have Help To Buy, which gives people tax back to go towards their deposits. Housing First is going to be scaled up to help reduce homelessness. The social housing programme is going to be scaled up even more.

Not that long ago, in 2016 we only built about 600 social houses in the State, that went up to 6,000 just before the pandemic, and were now planning 9,000 next year, possibly the highest in the history of the State.

'Most ambitious' plan

Minister for Housing Darragh OBrien said: It is only by taking measures across all aspects of our housing system that we can begin to improve the situation of all our citizens.

He described it as the most ambitious housing plan in the history of our State.

It is the largest State-building plan in our history. He described it is a fully-funded plan that would involve all parts of Government.

I believe in homeownership and this plan supports it, he said. Were empowering our local authorities to get back building again.

The success of the plan will be crucial for the future fortunes of the three Coalition parties.

The Cabinet provided the final sign-off on the plan earlier on Thursday before Minister for Housing Darragh OBrien formally launched it alongside Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan.

Opposition criticism

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald criticised the plan, saying it is not the solution the country needs.

The big question is this  has it been worth the long wait? she said. Sadly, this answer is no. It wont ensure that houses are affordable for ordinary workers, it wont tackle extortionate rents, it wont end the scandalous housing waiting lists.

This plan is not the solution or the change that our people want or need. In fact, it is a blueprint for more of the same. The same failed policies that created this crisis in the first place.

The same broken Fianna Fail-Fine Gael policies that put the interests of wealthy developers, of international investment funds and big landlords ahead of the housing needs of ordinary families and workers.

What a lack of ambition and wasted opportunity.

Sinn Fein housing spokesman Eoin O Broin said he had a sense of deja vu as he was listening to details contained in the Housing for All plan.

All of the claims of the biggest housebuilding programme in the history of the State, and the largest housing budget were made both by Simon Coveney and then Eoghan Murphy during the course of Rebuilding Ireland, the Dublin TD said.

Labour housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan said the Housing for All strategy was heavy on aspiration but lacks ambition on State-led delivery. She said it required detailed study and that implementation will be key.

Industry response

James Benson, director of the Irish Home Builders Association, welcomed the plan. We hope [the plan] goes some way towards meeting the challenges we currently face in terms of supply and affordability.

The numbers contained within the plan are ambitious with 33,000 homes set to be delivered per annum up to 2030. Our members will be working hard to supply these much-needed homes however it is important that issues such as planning and infrastructure, which are impeding delivery, are also tackled.

The Irish Planning Institute (IPI) also tentatively welcomed the Housing for All Strategy.

Dr Conor Norton, president of the IPI, said: Overall we feel that the strategy announced by Government today represents a welcome shift in public policy towards the delivery of housing for our citizens.

As planners we emphasise that delivery of housing must be part of a larger placemaking approach to development that is place-based and plan-led.
Effingham, IL (62401)

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Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

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Elkhart, IN (46516)

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Mostly cloudy. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low around 60F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

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Washington, MO (63090)

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Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 63F. N winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

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Two more EV charging points installed in Douglas



By Chris Cave - Local Democracy Reporter

Two new public charging points in Douglas will soon be available to electric vehicle owners.

It will take the total number installed in the capital to ten.

Green Party member Falk Horning chairs the authoritys Environmental Services Committee.

He says most of the infrastructure is the responsibility of central government but added more charging points will be needed as demand grows.

At the moment we have multiple points installed in Douglas, Mr Horning said.

There are four in Chester Street car park, two at the NSC, we have two at the MUA which is just outside of Douglas, and now new we have two outside the Sea Terminal.

He continued: The councils remit basically is concentrated on the off-street car parks that the council controls; which would be Shaws Brow and the Bottleneck.

Apart from that we dont really have control over such things they are very much between the national government departments, which would be the DOI and MUA.


UCM to host Higher Education Awards Ceremony

Following the success of last years University College Isle of Man (UCM) Higher Education (HE) Awards ceremony, UCM announces once again that Manx students who have studied in the UK and beyond are invited to take part in their annual HE awards ceremony on the Island.

The Higher Education Awards celebrates the hard work and overall achievements of UCMs graduating higher education students, and this year, will also recognise the hard work of other Manx graduates.

Jo Pretty, Principal of UCM said, The feedback we received from Manx students who attended the ceremony last year was so positive, it was a memorable occasion for all and an opportunity for non-UCM graduates to celebrate their academic success with their family and friends. We felt it was important to continue with the offer again this year and hopefully this is a start of a wonderful tradition!

Although most universities will now be running live graduations, following changes in restrictions due to the pandemic, we felt that it would still be beneficial and special to invite Manx graduates to our ceremony as it will give them a choice of where they can celebrate.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, it is believed that UCM was the only higher education provider in Britain, which hosted a live, non-socially distanced ceremony last year for its students.

Dr Allinson, Minister for the Department of Education, Sport and Culture said I am very grateful that our island is able to celebrate the achievements of our higher education students again this year and host a truly inclusive Manx graduation ceremony. It will give students who have studied at UCM or further afield the chance to receive their degree in front of family and friends.

All returning Manx higher education students who have completed their degree programmes and are interested in taking part in the UCM Higher Education Awards ceremony to be held on Friday 8th October 2021 at the Villa Marina, Douglas, are requested to express their interest by contacting UCM at marketing@ucm.ac.im.
Athens, AL (35611)

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Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

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Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Virgin Galactic is having a particularly bad day. Reuters reports the Federal Aviation Administration has barred Virgin from flying SpaceShipTwo while the agency investigates an anomaly in the descent of Richard Branson's spaceflight. The regulator wants to be sure the "mishap" leading to the aircraft's deviation from its cleared route won't hurt public safety. Officials didn't estimate when Virgin might resume flights.

We've asked Virgin for comment. The space tourism firm previously acknowledged that the flight went off-course, dipping below the intended airspace for one minute and 41 seconds. However, it also maintained that it didn't fly outside the "lateral confines" of the allowed airspace.

This comes at an unfortunate time for Virgin. The company just announced its first flight carrying commercial research, with a launch due in late September or early October  that schedule might be in doubt if the FAA probe lasts long enough or prompts significant changes to the plan. It could also add another delay to Virgin's first space tourist flights, now slated for early 2022. That's concerning for a company that's bleeding cash and might not turn a profit until it's carrying passengers.

Update 9/2 5:22PM ET: A Virgin spokesperson told Engadget the company was cooperating with the FAA, and stressed that it was taking the deviation "seriously." You can read the full statement below.

As we have previously stated, we are working in partnership with the FAA to address the short time that the spaceship dropped below its permitted altitude during the Unity 22 flight. We take this seriously and are currently addressing the causes of the issue and determining how to prevent this from occurring on future missions. Although the flights ultimate trajectory deviated from our initial plan, it was a controlled and intentional flight path that allowed Unity 22 to successfully reach space and land safely at our Spaceport in New Mexico. At no time were passengers and crew put in any danger as a result of this change in trajectory, and at no time did the ship travel above any population centers or cause a hazard to the public. FAA representatives were present in our control room during the flight and in post-flight debriefs.
WhatsApp isn't just catching flak from users over its data sharing with Facebook. The Financial Times reports the Irish Data Protection Commission has fined WhatsApp 225 million ($266.8 million) for not sharing enough details of how it shares European Union users' data with Facebook. The messaging service allegedly failed to live up to its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) transparency obligations.

The Commission also said the data sharing itself violated GDPR. WhatsApp was merely storing "pseudonymous" phone number data, for instance, rather than truly anonymizing it. While the numbers were stored using lossy hashes, WhatsApp had the hash key needed to decrypt that info  it could tie that number to a specific person if it wanted.

The ruling asked WhatsApp to both improve its transparency and bring the data sharing in line with the GDPR. The Irish agency initially planned to fine WhatsApp 50 million ($59.3 million) for breaking GDPR, but hiked the punishment after Germany and other countries accused the Commission of being lenient on privacy violations.

WhatsApp unsurprisingly planned to appeal the decision. It claimed that it met transparency requirements in 2018 (around when the investigation began) and that the fines were "entirely disproportionate." It maintained that it strived to offer "transparent and comprehensive" information to users.

The fine is the latest in a string of penalties for tech giants over violations. Amazon faced a record $888 million fine in July over GDPR issues, and Twitter was asked to pay 450 million ($533.6 million) when it failed to report a data leak within 72 hours. WhatsApp's fine is light by comparison, then, although it's arguably grappling with a larger blowback over its data policies.
Enid, OK (73701)

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Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph..

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Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph.
Enid, OK (73701)

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Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph..

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Enid, OK (73701)

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Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph..

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Joe Rogan, a famous comedian and podcast host, reveals he contracted COVID-19 and is currently taking medication meant for animals.

The commentator recently took to his Instagram to post a video saying he's positive for the virus and he needs to push back his "Sacred Clown Tour" to October.

"I got back from the road Saturday night, feeling very weary, I had a headache, and I just felt... just run down." He said. (watch the full video below)

He mentioned that his symptoms got worse throughout the night, then he tested positive the following day.

Following this, Rogan went on to say he's been taking "all kinds of meds," which include Z-Pac, prednisolone, and the ever-controversial ivermectin, which is used to deworm horses.

According to CDC, the Food and Drug Administration has warned the public not to use the drug to treat the virus.

In addition, the National Institutes of Health's COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel said there are no further research and data to recommend the drug for treatment.

Misuse and overdose are the leading adverse effects associated with ivermectin as it is easily accessible at retail pharmacies.

Rogan told his 13 million followers that he's feeling better now, "Here we are on Wednesday and I feel great, I really only had one bad day. Today I feel good, I actually feel pretty f*****g good." (via The Hollywood Reporter)

The podcast host did not reveal whether he's vaccinated or not.

READ NOW: NeNe Leakes' Husband, Gregg, Dead Days After RHOA Star's Heartbreaking Video Calling Out Fans Went Viral

Joe Rogan Previously Made Headlines For Vaccine Remarks

In early reports, Rogan was under fire for his comments saying healthy people should not take the vaccine.

"If you're a healthy person, and you're exercising all the time, and you're young, and you're eating well, like, I don't think you need to worry about this." he said during an episode of his Spotify podcast.

The comedian's remarks were not well-received by the public, leading them to label him as selfish.

Anthony Fauci, a renowned infectious disease doctor, also slammed the UFC Commentator when he was a guest on Today Show, saying Rogan is worried about himself. However, he can still get infected if he put himself at risk. (watch his interview above)

READ ALSO: Parvati Shallow Granted Restaining Order Against Ex John Fincher, After Requesting Him to Stop 'Attacking' Her
2021-09-01

Maeci

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, held a telephone conversation with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. The agenda included support and cooperation between Italy and the United Nations in Afghanistan on the humanitarian situation, assistance to Afghan refugees in neighbouring countries, multilateral coordination and the role of UNHCR in the implementation of Italy's strategy in the area.
2021-09-01

Maeci

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, attended the ceremony in honour of US veteran Martin Adler. In 1944, Adler, who took part in the Allied offensive in Italy, rescued three children he found hidden inside a wicker basket.
2021-09-02

Maeci

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, will be in Brdo today and tomorrow to attend the informal meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European Union (Gymnich).

The meeting will focus on Afghanistan and its rapidly deteriorating political and security situation, as well as the risks to which the stability of the entire region is exposed. The meeting will provide an opportunity for ministers to reflect on the EU's role in the Afghan situation and on the possibility of defining joint sustainable initiatives involving key partners.

The agenda will also cover the EU's strategic approach with the Gulf countries and relations with China.

Minister Di Maio will also have a series of bilateral talks on the sidelines of the meeting.
2021-09-02

Maeci

Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, met the Malian Minister responsible for humanitarian action, solidarity, refugees, and displaced people, Oumarou Diarra, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Minister Di Maio, who did his first mission in Sub-Saharan Africa as Foreign Affairs Minister in Mali, stressed Italys commitment to the Country and the region of the Sahel, also in terms of Italys multilateral agenda for its year of G20 Presidency. He specifically referred to the recent opening of the Italian Embassy in Bamako, the commitment on a humanitarian and development level, cooperation on the question of migration, and the growing contribution to combating terrorism, as well as its participation in the Takuba Task Force. Its coordinated action with major partners in Europe and in the Coalition for the Sahel, was also added to with the recent nomination of Emanuela Del Re as the new EU Special Representative for the Sahel.

The discussions also centred on the political situation in Mali following the Military Coups last May, and the importance of an integrated, multi-dimensional approach to security, aimed at creating the conditions for inclusive stability in a key Country for the stability of the Sahel. Minister Diarra wished to thank Italy for its sincere and sound partnership built up in recent years, for our Countrys contribution to the Takuba Task Force, and for its concrete support of local populations.
Apple Inc has relaxed its App Store rules that prevent media companies from providing users with a link to create paid accounts, helping them bypass the in-app commissions.

The step is the second concession to regulators and companies within a week as Apple has been tackling legal and regulatory challenges posing the App Stores.

Reports say that the relaxations won't extend to developers taking other forms of payment inside apps on the iPhone.

With every purchase, Apple takes commissions between 15%-30% from in-app purchases. It also obstructs developers from giving users payment alternatives to bypass Apple's payment system. The company has announced that it will relax the rule early next year after Japan Fair Trade Commission conducted an investigation. App developers can now share a single link to their website that will help users set up their accounts.

The rule will be applied globally.

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QuEST Global, a global product engineering and lifecycle services company, announced the appointment of Yumi Clevenger-Lee as global Chief Marketing Officer. Yumi will be responsible for marketing strategy, brand positioning, advertising and corporate communications to build the QuEST brand across geographic regions, industry verticals, and services. She will be based out of Connecticut, USA, and will report directly to Ajit Prabhu, Chairman & CEO, QuEST Global.

A marketing veteran, Clevenger-Lee joins QuEST Global with 17 years of experience in consumer packaged goods. Her vast marketing experience includes new product innovation, reinventing brands through purpose, developing engaging campaigns and creating new communication and business models. With her marketing expertise, she has built many well-known brands around the world including S. Pellegrino, Perrier, Cheerios, and Green Giant. She is a passionate brand builder, focused on delivering a superior and consistent brand experience and emotionally connecting with consumers.

Yumi has robust global experience spanning her career. Before joining QuEST, she was the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Nestle Waters North America, where she was responsible for a $4.5B portfolio of 16 brands. Previously, she served as the Director of Marketing for the Latin America region of Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), Head of Innovation globally based in Switzerland for CPW, and led the Cheerios brand for General Mills Canada. She earned a Bachelors BSBA degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Extending a warm welcome to Clevenger-Lee on joining QuEST, Ajit Prabhu, Chairman & CEO, QuEST Global, said, For almost 25 years, QuEST has established itself as a reliable brand that is trusted by its customers. We are excited to welcome Yumi to QuEST Global. She is known as a passionate brand builder who has been instrumental in developing strategies that have helped organizations accelerate growth. I believe under her able leadership and in-depth understanding of marketing, we will be able to further strengthen the QuEST brand and drive growth across our engineering services portfolio.

Commenting on her appointment, Clevenger-Lee said, I am excited to join such a fast-growing organization. QuEST has an excellent track record of helping its clients reinvent their businesses through innovation. With a strong vision to build solutions that advance the way we live, work, travel, and engage with each other, I look forward to helping QuEST strengthen its global leadership to be both a force for growth and a force for good.

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Airlines are steadily adding flights from San Antonio International Airport, but its post-pandemic recovery rate remains well behind the national average  and is being eclipsed by increases at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

That could spell long-term trouble for San Antonio.

Airlines are adding flights out of Austin at the expense of San Antonio, said Austin Horowitz, aviation consultant with ICF.

In the shorter term, though, the news is good. Flights are resuming to the New York City area and San Francisco, and first-time service to Boston is beginning this fall.

Still, the number of scheduled departures is down 25 percent in September and 24 percent in October from the same pre-pandemic months in 2019, according to information from aviation data provider OAG.

That puts San Antonios rebound well behind the national average. Airports across the U.S. in September and October will be down just 14 percent from the same months in 2019.

In part, you can blame booming Austin-Bergstrom for the San Antonio airports lagging numbers. The number of flights departing from the Austin airport will be up 10 percent this month from September 2019. Theyre scheduled to be up 14 percent in October.

Airlines dont offer many explanations for such decisions, but consultants say demographic realities such as San Antonios high poverty rate play a role. Horowitz said airlines see Austin as a faster-growing and more lucrative market  and figure San Antonio residents will make the 70-mile drive if they want more flight choices.

Aviation consultant Henry Harteveldt summed up Austins position this way: Its the story of Cinderella at the ball.

Other numbers also make the difference clear. On an average day this month, passengers will have a choice of 89 departures out of San Antonio. At Austins airport, theyll have their pick of 205.

Still, travelers flying out of San Antonio should see more choices in coming months.

San Antonio airport officials have announced that United Airlines on Wednesday will resume daily service to Newark Liberty International Airport, which serves the New York City area. United plans to increase the service to twice daily by the end of October.

United joins American, which resumed service last month to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

United is also resuming flights to San Francisco six times weekly this month, increasing to daily in October, airport officials said. And its added one more flight to Denver, making five daily departures to that city.

Another addition: JetBlue Airways is set to begin flying from San Antonio for the first time Oct. 31. Its scheduled to fly daily to JFK and Boston Logan International Airport.

Southwest Airlines, meanwhile, is increasing frequency to El Paso from weekends only to one or two flights a day in September, October and November. Its service to Dallas Love Field will increase from a maximum of six daily departures last month to as many as seven a day in September and eight in October. And in November, its planning to start weekly service to Colorado Springs, Colo.

Southwest had been scheduled to begin weekend service to New Orleans this month, with plans for daily service in November. But those plans are on hold after Hurricane Ida.

However, its not a total gain for Southwest passengers flying from San Antonio.

A spokesman said the carrier  the airports largest  flew 38 flights a day in August on Sundays, its peak day, compared with what will be 35 flights on Sundays in September and October.

From Monday through Friday, the airline had 32 flights a day in August. Thats scheduled to increase to 33 a day in September and October.

September is traditionally the lightest month of the year for airline traffic, so schedule reductions now are common  even without the pandemic.

Southwest said recently that it was cutting its systemwide September schedule by 1 percent, or 27 flights a day, and its October schedule through Nov. 5 by 4.5 percent, or 162 flights. The airline attributed the cuts to demand falling as COVID-19 cases rise and to the need to fix operational issues that caused flight cancellations and delays over the summer. Southwest flight attendants and pilots had complained about being overworked because of staffing shortages.

Across the U.S., airlines have even busier schedules planned. Airlines nationally will be back to flying 93 percent of their pre-pandemic schedules in November, according to published schedules. By December, theyll be up to 98 percent.

At San Antonio International, the number is forecast to be 87 percent of 2019 flights in November and 88 percent in December.

Meanwhile, Austins airport is expected to continue topping 2019 levels, with 27 percent more flights in November and 32 percent more in December.

But consultants cautioned that the November and December schedules could be cut if the delta variant of the coronavirus causes further declines in demand.

The real question is how much of this will stick, Horowitz said of scheduled flight additions.

The San Antonio airports monthly statistical report, released Wednesday, showed a July passenger count of 809,204. That was 84 percent of the pre-pandemic July 2019 count.

San Antonio International Airports strong growth towards recovery seen during the spring has continued into the summer as travelers continue to return to the skies, said San Antonio Aviation Director Jesus Saenz Jr.
LOCKHART  In 2003, the Texas Senate passed a resolution proclaiming Lockhart to be the Barbecue Capital of Texas. But that was just the official recognition of a title granted long ago to this small Central Texas town by generations of barbecue pilgrims following the gospel of smoked meats.

Located in Caldwell County about 18 miles east of San Marcos, Lockharts barbecue history dates back to 1875, when Jesse Swearingen opened a meat market where he sold barbecue beef and pork, according to a 1930 story in the Lockhart Post Register. But what keeps the crowds visiting today is that three of the states best barbecue restaurants  Blacks Barbecue, Smittys Market and Kreuz Market  are there, all within walking distance from one another, giving visitors a chance to indulge in what locals call the Trinity Tour.

The barbecue here is old-school. It honors its long history by sticking to the same basic techniques and cuts that have kept Lockhart synonymous with destination barbecue for decades.

But in the past 12 years, the entire barbecue landscape of Texas has changed, transforming into a high-dollar delicacy with many pitmasters now considered chefs in their own right and premium wagyu beef increasingly common on blackboard menus.

The shift really started in 2009, when Aaron Franklin founded Franklin BBQ in Austin in a trailer. The lines and the sellouts started immediately. Because Franklin BBQ, now a brick-and-mortar, opened in a major college town with a rapidly expanding population, it exposed country-style barbecue to a whole new demographic  and it helped that it was delicious.

In 2011, Bon Appetit magazine proclaimed it the best barbecue in America. Franklin went on to win Best Chef: Southwest by the prestigious James Beard Foundation in 2015. It seemed by then that everyone wanted a piece of Texas barbecue  literally.

On ExpressNews.com: 52 Weeks of BBQ: Naming the best of the best San Antonio barbecue

Esquire magazine journeyed south to San Antonio in 2013 and proclaimed the now-closed The Granary Cue & Brew to be the future of barbecue because it transformed from traditional barbecue by day to gourmet barbecue by night, using brisket and other smoked meats in cheffed-up entrees usually placed on a white tablecloth. That same year, Texas Monthly magazine hired writer Daniel Vaughn as it first  and so far only  barbecue editor to cover the growing Texas scene.

Barbecue started to finally get the same respect that the established, traditional chef-driven restaurants received over the years, said Esaul Ramos, pitmaster and co-owner of 2M Smokehouse. We learned that certain cuts of meats respond better to lower temperatures, then discovered tricks to crank up the heat at certain points during the cooking process, and how to load up the pit for optimal airflow and flavor.

Ramos, who like Franklin gets long lines every day at his restaurant, was a 2020 semifinalist for Best Chef: Texas by the Beard Foundation.

Under the warmth of the media spotlight, new barbecue restaurants pushing the envelope of technique and flavor sprouted all over the state. Thanks to joints such as 2M Smokehouse and the now-closed Kings Hwy Brew & Q, San Antonio got a reputation for barbecue with a Tex-Mex twist, stuffing sausage with Oaxaca cheese and jalapenos, elevating barbacoa beyond the weekend Big Red specials and tricking out tacos with top-grade brisket.

But Lockhart has stood up to and faced down the whiz-bang wagyu and elevated everything that seems to define the current era. Its still the barbecue king, and its retained its throne by doing exactly the same thing it has been doing for more than 100 years: making good barbecue without any fuss or flourish.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

Scott Hinojosa, a general manager at Kreuz and a Lockhart native, said, What we do now is the same experience that I remember when my grandfather used to take me here. The key is consistency, and the goal is for everything to keep tasting the same.

Erika Vermillion, a Victoria-based barbecue fanatic, agreed that Lockhart is still hanging on strong.

The Austin (barbecue) scene will provide good food, but youll sweat your butt off waiting for it at a place like Franklin. San Antonio is starting to take on more of a Tex-Mex spin on barbecue thats excellent, and Houston is definitely carving an identity. You dont have to make the trip to Lockhart anymore to have great barbecue, but I still highly recommend it.

On ExpressNews.com: Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q in a San Antonio barbecue showdown

So you can start driving before dawn to stand in line for hours for a taste of brisket in Austin or plan to arrive at Snows BBQ in nearby Lexington at 4 a.m. and hope you are early enough to get the full menu. Or you can mosey on over to Lockhart, where you can walk right into one of the original Lockhart Three, get your barbecue by the pound and sit a spell.

Lockharts lasting influence

There are generally four styles of Texas barbecue. In East Texas, hickory wood is often the anchor to meats that are cooked until the meat shreds. South Texas relies heavily on mesquite wood, and barbacoa is often the star of the menu. West Texas likes high-heat cooking thats more akin to grilling than smoking.

But Lockhart in Central Texas cooks its meats low and slow over oak wood, and its best known for its sausage. The barbecue here, an area steeped in German heritage, got its start out of meat markets and grocery stores. Cuts that didnt sell, such as shoulder clod, pork shoulder and even brisket back then, were cooked and sold to the public for cheap. Eventually, those early barbecue dishes grew popular enough to be their own businesses.

You now see many small barbecue joints serve their meat on butcher paper instead of plates. You also see meats weighed and priced by the pound. That started back in the grocery days when butcher paper was the packaging the stores had on hand and all the food got weighed.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

Ernest Servantes, pitmaster and co-owner of the Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin, is considered one of the top competition barbecue authorities in the nation, and lines form in front of his restaurant every day. But still, his heart remains in Lockhart.

My style is different, and Im like the new era of barbecue, but you cant beat the kings, Servantes said. You are transformed to the past because they never changed anything, because they didnt have to.

On ExpressNews.com: Review: Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin is making some of the San Antonio area's best barbecue

In 1900, the Kreuz Market grocery store was founded; it started selling barbecue shortly after. In 1948, Edgar A. Smitty Schmidt, a longtime butcher at Kreuz, bought the building and continued to offer barbecue. When he died in 1994, it sparked a family feud because he left the building to daughter Nina Sells but the business itself to sons Rick and Don.

They had a falling out, and Nina renamed her barbecue business Smittys Market in 1999, the same year Rick and Don opened Kreuz Market about a mile away.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

Blacks first opened in 1932 and has been continuously operated by the same family for four generations. The pits built by Edgar Black Jr. in 1949 are still in use.

Grant Pinkerton is another big name in the Texas barbecue scene as owner and operator of the two Pinkertons Barbecue restaurants, in downtown San Antonio and in Houston. When he decided to open his Houston location in 2016, he first went to Lockhart to decide how to blend the old with the new.

I remember absorbing what parts I wanted to carry over ... what feels like the true barbecue experience, Pinkerton said. A no-brainer was to make sure the meat was cut in front of you so it wasnt coming from some kitchen in the back, and you could see it weighed on the scale.

Servantes said his first experience of eating Lockhart barbecue at Smittys in 2007 is what made him want to learn more about it and be a pitmaster himself.

It helped show me the way, Servantes said. I remember walking in, seeing all the smoke, and not even knowing how to order and couldnt figure out why there werent any plates. But I still go to Lockhart regularly.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

Boom for Lockhart

On a typical Saturday, all the famous joints do strong business, mostly families making the trek from other parts of the state or beyond. There are lines, but they are modest. Patrons usually get their food and get a table within about 20 minutes.

They cook big in Lockhart, and Smittys burns through 80 to 100 briskets on a Saturday, a number that would be the envy of most barbecue outlets elsewhere. And unlike those other places, sellouts here are rare, so visitors can feel confident theyll get to eat no matter when they arrive.

While Lockhart has always been a popular barbecue destination, the overall boom in Texas has boosted business in this town of 13,000, too. And more tourism means more businesses opening to cater to them.

Billy Calzada, Staff / Staff photographer

On ExpressNews.com: Among San Antonio's best barbecue restaurants are 3 new places that opened in the last year

Kim Clifton, director of operations for the Lockhart Chamber of Commerce, said that in the past five years, nine new businesses have opened in the downtown area in the barbecue triangle, which now includes the towns only tattoo parlor, a record shop, cafes and a newly opened restaurant and bar named the Old Pal Texas Tavern, where you can wash away your troubles  or more likely, cleanse the palate from smoked meats.

People are coming to Lockhart for the barbecue but are realizing there is more to this town than that, Clifton said. Barbecue isnt all of what we are, but we dont mind the attention because of it.

It was the Trinity Tour that lured the Bateses of Gainesville, Fla., for a recent visit on their way to Colorado.

We planned out our trip and factored in that we absolutely had to go to Gruene Hall, and we had to get some barbecue in Lockhart along the way, said James Bates, who was with his wife, Tina. We absolutely had to come here, because this is the mecca of barbecue.

They started at Kreuz Market, a cavernous place the size of a Home Depot, and polished off a plate of sausage, brisket and ribs. They then moved to Smittys Market and did the same. Full from all that meat, they finished off their trip with some banana pudding from Blacks.

Over at Lillys Bar, around the block from Blacks, owner Lydia Serna said, Theres no doubt we get customers that are on the crawl and want stop in here for a beer in between barbecue visits.

On ExpressNews.com: South Texas barbecue is all about the mesquite. Heres how to use it

The Taste Test

I recently visited Blacks, Smittys and Kreuz recently. I have to admit I got giddy just entering the Lockhart city limits.

If Lockhart had been eligible for the 52 Weeks of Barbecue series in 2018, all three would have been in the Top 15 list at the end. None of these ranked among the best barbecue Ive ever had, but the charm of walking from one place to the next with a happy belly in such a historic setting made it one of the best barbecue experiences Ive had.

Chuck Blount /Staff

For a taste of history, order the shoulder clod at Smittys. Before brisket got popular, shoulder clod was the in meat, and Smittys serves it up like a lean, smoked steak. For brisket, Kreuz is the best, with tender, fatty slices encased in a peppery bark.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

But the standout everywhere was the sausage. Blacks, Smittys and Kreuz all make their own  a rarity in the barbecue world. They favor a pork-beef blend heavy on the beef, all juicy in a casing with a snap like a whip crack. Smittys is the winner here, but its a photo finish.

No matter what you order, though, it will be a lesson in barbecue history.

No matter how Texas barbecue evolves, I still tell people to go to those places in Lockhart, Servantes said. Its almost like you are tasting history, and once you have that, you can appreciate the new twists that people like myself and others are bringing to the barbecue culture.

And no matter what the future holds for Texas barbecue, old-school Lockhart will continue to reign.

cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver
Theres this thing I do when Im reviewing a restaurant where I list everything I ate and sort it into a liked it or didnt like it pile. Its a shorthand way to track what I think of a place before I dig into the details.

With The Hayden, the Jewish-style deli and diner that opened on Broadway near Alamo Heights in October, the list came out exactly even, half good and half bad. Thinking about the Seinfeld references on the menu  Elaines Big Salad and the Costanza and Larry David sandwiches come to mind  I had an epiphany: Just like Jerry in the Seinfeld episode where he always wins and loses exactly the same amount, The Hayden is Even Steven.

Itd be funny if it werent frustrating, because nobody wants to play the odds when dinners on the line  or lunch, or breakfast. The Hayden does it all, plus brunch on the weekends, playing off a greatest hits collection from diners and delis in the Northeast, Chicago and Florida: bagels and lox, chopped liver, potato latkes, pastrami sandwiches, stroganoff, meatloaf, even matzo ball soup.

At The Hayden, Even Steven played his game with stakes big and small.

On the smaller side, it meant two elements on the same dish canceling each other out, like the pile of over-salted arugula that swamped a competently grilled sirloin steak. Moving up the scale, it meant two dishes clashing on the same table, like a bowl of rich, Jersey-grade chopped liver with endearing iron flavor surrendering its goodwill to a sloppy plate of pastrami poutine fries with a scorched-earth salt assault.

Mike Sutter /Staff

On ExpressNews.com: Bill Miller Bar-B-Q vs. Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q in a San Antonio barbecue showdown

But Even Steven played his cruelest game when the stakes were high.

At dinner, the meatloaf was stiff, burned at the edges and smothered by an acrid, overcooked tomato sauce, and a honey mustard salmon fell apart in dry, beige splinters that neither honey nor mustard survived.

But at lunch pastrami was the guest of honor at a soup-and-sandwich party, playing tart sauerkraut off lush Swiss cheese between slices of grilled rye. The Hayden brines and smokes its own pastrami like a good brisket, like a deli descended from the Hill Country heavens.

A big bowl of matzo ball soup radiated with proper chicken stock, a bounty of pulled chicken and veggies and fat globes of matzo with a textural alchemy like tamales and dumplings rolled into one. That sandwich and that soup? Lunch accomplished.

Mike Sutter /Staff

But Even Stevens roll-of-the-dice clattered across most of the menu, with snake eyes following sevens over and over.

Mike Sutter /Staff

At breakfast, a less-salty version of the pastrami gravy that wrecked the fries sanctified a pair of hearty Southern biscuits. At lunch, the Larry David sandwich brought Nova lox and smoked redfish together in harmony on a sweet challah bun. That lox, cured with beets for resonating sweetness, also starred alongside one of The Haydens true winners: a potato latke pressed in a waffle iron, its ridges and ramparts a haven for robust housemade applesauce.

On ExpressNews.com: Review: Mama's Cafe country diner comes roaring back after 2-year absence from San Antonio

But then came a barbacoa stroganoff that missed the chance to bring the fatty lushness of barbacoa together with the brown gravy glory of stroganoff, instead coming off as an underdressed pile of egg noodles harboring dry fibers of brisket. And a mottled brown shower of crumbled rye crouton dust cast a messy pall over Elaines Big Salad, already hamstrung by mushy, overripe tomatoes and a wet chop of smoked turkey.

Mike Sutter /Staff

Well go ahead and give Even Steven the day off to talk about dessert, because The Haydens chocolate babka was an unqualified success, a perfect yin-and-yang of chocolate and moist cake finished off with coffee ice cream, and the key lime pie showed off the kind of altitude and attitude that wins county fair bakeoffs.

Thats the kind of reliability The Hayden needs. But Ill say this for Even Steven: At least he has a nice place to sit. The Haydens part 1980s fern bar, part retro diner and part San Antonio icehouse. Its a winning, endearing combination of style, mindful service and a sense of humor.

I just wish I could say the same for the food. Because in the give-and-take world of Even Steven, no one really comes out on top. They just break even.

msutter@express-news.net | Twitter: @fedmanwalking | Instagram: @fedmanwalking
21 Pro Video

A 4-year-old girl is in the ICU after nearly drowning in her backyard pool Wednesday evening on the Northeast Side, San Antonio police said.

When officers arrived in the 5200 block of Prince Valiant, near Walzem Road, they found the girl's mother and uncle attempting to revive the girl.
FARGO, N.D. (AP)  Republican Gov. Doug Burgum pleaded Wednesday for North Dakotans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying in his first coronavirus briefing in more than five months that hospitals are becoming overwhelmed.

North Dakota ranks 42nd in the country in vaccination rates and is trending worse than during the peak of the winter outbreak. The surge is being driven by the highly contagious delta variant, which was first confirmed in the state in late June.

Part of the reason we're having this press conference today is that we do have a hospital capacity issue that is present and looming, Burgum said. We want to make sure that North Dakotans know that the risk is real.

State health officials say the cases are matching low vaccination numbers, with one in every 180 vaccinated people testing positive for COVID-19 and one in 16 unvaccinated people testing positive. One in about 2,700 fully vaccinated citizens have been hospitalized and one in about 16,000 fully vaccinated residents have died. Active cases stand at 2,443, up 188 from Tuesday, and 135 people are hospitalized with the virus.

We are actually on a trend line that looks less attractive and less promising than we were a year ago, Burgum said.

Patients in hospitals are younger and healthier, in several cases with no underlying conditions. Doctors are worried about the state's capacity for pediatric intensive care. Sanford Health has restored its ethics committee in preparation for decisions on who gets the next bed or ventilator and how many patients the system can handle with limited staff.

Some hospitals started to cut back on elective surgeries or are asking patients to talk with their doctors about timing of the procedures.

Burgum emphasized personal responsibility and said it's not about what government says, it's what people do. The governor added that delta is more serious than other variants and encouraged vaccine-hesitant residents to talk to their health professionals.

Yes, we are still taking about COVID, Burgum said. Delta is different.

Contrary to popular belief, according to Dr. Jeffrey Sather, chief of medical staff at Trinity Health in Minot, it's not a case of deja vu from the last outbreak.

In some ways, you want to say here we go again, but it's not, Sather said, noting that hospitals throughout the state have been stressed for the last 18 months. He said Trinity has been getting calls from patients in Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Minnesota.

Capacity isn't a day-by-day issue, it's really hour by hour, Sather said
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  A former Georgia prosecutor was indicted Thursday on misconduct charges alleging she used her position to shield the men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery from being charged with crimes immediately after the shootings.

A grand jury in coastal Glynn County indicted former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson on a felony count of violating her oath of office and hindering a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor.

The indictment resulted from an investigation Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr requested last year into local prosecutors' handling of Arbery's slaying after a cellphone video of the shooting and a delay in charges sparked a national outcry.

"While an indictment was returned today, our file is not closed, and we will continue to investigate in order to pursue justice, Carr, a Republican, said in a statement.

Arbery was killed Feb. 23, 2020, after a white father and son, Greg and Travis McMichael, armed themselves and pursued the 25-year-Black man in a pickup truck after spotting him running in their neighborhood outside the coastal city of Brunswick, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Savannah.

A neighbor, William Roddie Bryan joined the chase and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery at close range with a shotgun. The McMichales said they believed Arbery was a burglar and that he was shot after attacking Travis McMichael.

Police did not charge any of them immediately following the shooting, and the McMichaels and Bryan remained free for more than two months until the cellphone video of the shooting was leaked online and Gov. Brian Kemp asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to take over the case.

Both McMichaels and Bryan were charged with murder and other crimes in May 2020 and face trial this fall. Prosecutors say Arbery was merely jogging in their neighborhood and was unarmed when Travis McMichael shot him. They say there is no evidence Arbery had committed a crime.

Greg McMichael had worked as an investigator in Johnson's office, having retired in 2019. Evidence introduced in pretrial hearings in the murder case shows he called Johnson's cellphone and left her a voice message soon after the shooting occurred.

Jackie, this is Greg, he said, according to a recording of the call included in the public case file. Could you call me as soon as you possibly can? My son and I have been involved in a shooting and I need some advice right away.

A record of Greg McMichael's cellphone calls that day does not show that Johnson called him back.

The indictment says Johnson showed favor and affection toward Greg McMichael in the investigation and interfered with police officers at the scene by directing that Travis McMichael should not be placed under arrest.

Johnson did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment Thursday afternoon. She has previously insisted she did nothing wrong, saying she immediately recused herself from the case because Greg McMichael was a former employee.

Im confident that when the truth finally comes out on that, people will understand our office did what it had to under the circumstances, Johnson told The Associated Press in November after she lost reelection.

Lee Merritt, an attorney for Arbery's mother, said in a statement Thursday that prosecutors must be held accountable when they interfere with investigations in order to protect friends and law enforcement.

Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, posted her reaction on Facebook: Former DA Jackie Johnson....Indicted!!! JusticeForMyBaby!!!!

In his call for an investigation into prosecutorial misconduct, Carr asked the GBI not only to investigate Johnson's actions related to the killing but also those of Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill. No charges have been announced against Barnhill.

After the shooting, Johnson called Barnhill to handle questions from police about how to handle the shooting.

Carr ended up appointing Barnhill to take over on Feb. 27, four days after the shooting. In his letter ordering an investigation last May, Carr said he was never told that Barnhill had already advised police that he did not see grounds for the arrest of any of the individuals involved in Mr. Arberys death.

Barnhill later recused himself as well, after Arbery's family learned his son worked for Johnson as an assistant prosecutor. But before he stepped aside, Barnhill wrote a letter to a Glynn County police captain saying the McMichaels were following, in hot pursuit, a burglary suspect, with solid first hand probable cause, in their neighborhood, and asking/ telling him to stop.

It appears their intent was to stop and hold this criminal suspect until law enforcement arrived. Under Georgia Law this is perfectly legal, Barnhill advised in the letter, referencing Georgia's Civil War-era citizen arrest statute.

That law was repealed in May 2021, with overwhelming support from Republicans and Democrats, as a reaction to Arbery's death.

Johnson told the AP in May 2020 that Glynn County police contacted two of her assistant prosecutors on the day of the shooting. She said it was the officers who represented it as burglary case with a self-defense issue.

"Our office could not advise or assist them because of our obvious conflict, Johnson said.

Johnson blamed the controversy over Arbery's death for her election defeat last year after a decade as top prosecutor for the five-county circuit in southeast Georgia. She was defeated by independent candidate Keith Higgins, who had to collect thousands of signatures to get on the ballot.

___

Associated Press writers Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Aaron Morrison in New York contributed to this report.
A Texas talk show host for the far-right website InfoWars was arrested last month in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according the the Department of Justice.

Jonathon Owen Shroyer, the host of "The War Room with Owen Shroyer," was charged with knowingly entering a restricted building and two counts of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. The FBI arrested him Aug. 23 in San Antonio.

The Austin-based website features videos promoting conspiracy videos that have been banned from other online and social media sites for hate speech and misinformation, including false theories about 9/11, the Sandy Hook massacre and the coronavirus.

On ExpressNews.com: Fort Worth motorcycle repairman among 56 Texans facing charges in connection with Capitol riot

According to the FBI, there is livestream footage showing Shroyer marching to the Capitol with a crowd of people. Once inside, Shroyer is seen standing above the crowd on the west side of the building near the inauguration stage, the FBI said.

The FBI said it is aware of additional photos and videos of Shroyer in restricted areas, including a video submitted anonymously that shows Shroyer at the top of the Capitol stairs and someone in the crowd calling his name.

The day before the riot, Shroyer posted a video on the InfoWars website saying that he was going to Washington, D.C., to stop the certification of the Electoral College, court documents said. Speaking from the Freedom Plaza in the capital, he said that "Americans were ready to fight" and that they were the "new revolution" set to restore and "save the republic," according to the court docs.

On ExpressNews.com: InfoWars pundit ejected from Texas Ranger game for 'Trump Won' flag

Shroyer is no stranger to controversy.

In December 2019, he was arrested for disorderly and disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds after disrupting a House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing, according to court documents. During the hearing, Shroyer can be heard yelling "Jerry Nadler and the Democrats on this committee are committing treason in this country."

As he was being escorted out of the room by police, he continues to yell that former President Donald Trump is innocent of allegations that he solicited foreign interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, footage of the hearing shows.

On ExpressNews.com: Rolexes, designer clothes: San Antonio banker trafficked cocaine on the side

Shroyer received a deferred prosecution agreement in the case for a four-month period that included he not use any loud, threatening or abusive language or engage in any disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and doesn't parade or demonstrate inside the Capitol. The agreement was in effect at the time of the Jan. 6 riot.

In August, weeks before he was arrested by the FBI, Shroyer was ejected from a Texas Ranger game after hanging a banner in the upper stands that read "Trump Won, Save America."

He is the second InfoWars employee to be arrested in connection with the riot. Samuel Montoya, of San Antonio, was charged in April after allegedly recording the shooting of Ashli Babbitt, the woman was who shot and killed by Capitol police during the riot.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net
HOUSTON (AP)  An Instagram influencer from Texas has been found dead in her apartment and the Florida man investigators believe killed her then stabbed himself to death, authorities said.

The body of Jenae Gagnier, 33, was found in her apartment in Richmond, Texas, on Sunday. Known online as Miss Mercedes Morr, she had amassed 2.6 million followers on Instagram.

Gagniers father told multiple news outlets that he rushed to his daughter's apartment on Sunday, concerned that he had been unable to reach her on the phone all weekend.

I know my daughter and when I got to my daughters house and it was locked up and shes not answering my phone call, which is not like her, I knew something was up. So I didnt hesitate to kick the door down, said Mark Gagnier. What I saw, I wouldnt want any parent to go through.

He found his daughter dead at the bottom of the stairs.

I walk in and Janaes on the floor, and her clothes are all torn up and stuff, Gagnier said.

The Medical Examiners office determined Gagnier died by strangulation and traumatic concussion.

The Richmond Police Department on Monday identified the suspect in her killing as 34-year-old Kevin Alexander Accorto, whose last known address was in Florida. The medical examiner determined he stabbed himself to death.

Mark Gagnier said he found Accorto upstairs.

I go upstairs, guy upstairs with a knife in him, still alive, the father said.

Richmond police have yet to determine a motive in the killing and an investigation is ongoing.

Police said Gagnier and Accorto had no personal relationship, and her parents said they believe he was crazed Instagram follower.

Unfortunately, someone basically was stalking, and killed my baby, said her mother, Jeanetta Grover.
Police Chief William McManus testified Thursday that a fired San Antonio police detective trying to get his job back through arbitration was on a list of cops deemed too untrustworthy to testify in court.

Often referred to as do not call lists or Brady lists, such records are maintained by prosecutors to track the names of officers with credibility issues who are likely to be challenged in court.

What use to you is an officer who has been placed on a do not call list? City Attorney Logan Lewis asked McManus.

None, McManus responded, adding that such cases are typically dismissed.

Being on the do not call list, is Daniel Pue able to fulfill the essential duties of being a San Antonio police officer? Lewis asked.

No, McManus answered.

Now Playing: SAPD detective Daniel Pue was arrested on Jan. 7, 2019 after a neighbor had called 911 to report he was hitting a woman outside his residence. Video: San Antonio Express-News

The chiefs testimony Thursday is part of the arbitration hearing that will determine whether Pue, who is accused of repeatedly punching a woman with whom he had an affair, can get his job back. Under the citys contract with the police union, an officer can appeal any discipline issued by the chief. An independent arbitrator reviews the case to determine whether the discipline was fair.

On ExpressNews.com: Fired S.A. detective, accused of punching women, said he was trying to keep a crazy chick away

It also provided a rare glimpse at who is on the do not call list, which is kept secret in many jurisdictions. The Bexar County District Attorneys Office has declined in the past to release two lists it maintains, citing attorney-client privilege, after a San Antonio Express-News reporter submitted an open records request for the information.

Pue, 37, was arrested Jan. 7, 2019, after a neighbor called 911 to report that he was hitting a woman outside his home. Later, a judge dismissed the charge at the request of a special prosecutor who said the woman was uncooperative.

Nevertheless, McManus fired Pue for allegedly violating a handful of department rules.

McManus said he based his decision, in part, on recommendations from the Complaint and Administrative Review Board, which issues recommendations to the chief on how to punish officers accused of misconduct.

Pue faced 10 allegations of wrongdoing, and the board recommended that McManus issue an indefinite suspension  tantamount to firing  for five of those allegations. McManus said that was unusual.

On ExpressNews.com: Investigator challenges truthfulness of fired San Antonio police detective accused of punching woman

Earlier Thursday, arbitrator Edward Valverde watched and listened to video and audio clips of Pue, who is married, talking to investigators.

In one interview after he was arrested, Pue described the woman he had an affair with as controlling and manipulative.

He said the woman, with whom he had been in a relationship for over five years, would force him to buy her gifts. At one point, he said, she told him she had ovarian cancer, which he later learned was not true.

I felt trapped throughout the situation, Pue said. I wanted out. I wanted her to be with someone else.

Pue said he couldnt break up with the woman, who is his cousin, because she would threaten to expose their relationship to his wife or their family. She would also threaten his job, Pue said.

She is not that nice, Pue said. She would get drunk and hit me at the bar. I couldnt distance myself. It wasnt that simple.

On ExpressNews.com: Three San Antonio police officers, fired by SAPD, were later hired in Leon Valley. Heres why.

He described his arrest  and the subsequent investigation by the San Antonio Police Departments Internal Affairs Unit  as a cancer that is eating at me.

I want this in my past, Pue said. This has sent me into despair. I cant eat. I cant drink. I havent drank since that day  not a drop. I want this out of my life.  I need my name cleared, and I need to get back to work, wherever that might be.

Eight months after he was arrested, Pue was hired as a reserve officer by the Leon Valley Police Department. Leon Valley Police Chief David Gonzalez said Wednesday that Pue no longer works at the department.

Pue is now a reserve officer in the city of Grey Forest, a small community in the Hill Country, according to records from the states licensing agency.

The move enables Pue to keep his peace officer license as he appeals his firing. Without an affiliation with a police department, Pue could have had his license revoked after two years under state law. It also allows Pue to work off-duty jobs in traffic control for private companies during his appeal.

eeaton@express-news.net
The most restrictive abortion law in the nation took effect in Texas on Sept. 1, a measure that medical experts say will effectively stop most abortions.

The law bans the medical procedure after about six weeks of pregnancy. Thats before many women know theyve had a missed period or might be pregnant.

Exceptions are allowed for medical emergencies but not for rape or incest. In a first nationwide, the law also hands enforcement to private citizens, allowing them to sue an abortion provider or anyone else who helps someone get an abortion  such as the secretary at a clinic or the Uber driver who took someone to an appointment.

Reproductive care providers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block the law, but the court didnt intervene. This comes as the court is expected to weigh in on a Mississippi law that bans abortion at 15 weeks, which seeks to challenge Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.

We know there's going to be a lot of uncertainty and anxiety in the months to come, and we want to build a network of people who can help us report on what this abortion ban means to Texans. We want to hear from attorneys; medical professionals; patients who've sought or are worried about their ability to seek abortion care; reproductive health advocates; and anyone else who can help us understand what's happening.

If you'd like to help inform our reporting and serve as a source, please email marina.riker@protonmail.com.
Conservationists celebrated last week when the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted to acquire Honey Creek Ranch  a tract north of San Antonio that had been proposed for a 1,600-house subdivision.

But their hurrahs may have been premature.

A contract between the lands owners and a water supply company may prevent the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department from acquiring the land and repurposing Honey Creek Ranch from a planned development to a park  and complicating a decision on the property's use.

Honey Creek is one of the last remaining pristine waterways in the region, flowing through 2,000 acres of Honey Creek State Natural Area and Guadalupe State Park into the Guadalupe River. And the thought of runoff and wastewater from a development at its headwaters left many community members and activists concerned over Honey Creeks water quality and ecosystem.

To address those worries, a collaboration between the TPWD, The Nature Conservancy and the propertys owners  Ronnie and Terry Urbanczyk  crafted a deal in favor of conservation.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

On ExpressNews.com: Texas Parks and Wildlife votes preservation over development for Honey Creek Ranch

There is another step, though. Flagstone Water Company LLC  an affiliate of Texas Water Supply Company LLC in Boerne  has not amended or voided its contract with the Urbanczyks to supply water to the new development. In the contract, the owners agree to buy 16.3 million gallons of water per year initially, increasing to 325 gallons a year over the next decade.

While the TPWD could use some water for park bathrooms, water fountains and other amenities, its not nearly as much as the contract with Flagstone calls for, David Holmes, the representative for the Urbanczyks on the Honey Creek case, said Monday night during a meeting with the community, according to an article in the San Antonio Report. But a scaled-back water agreement could meet everyones needs.

If the agreement can be modified for less water at Honey Creek Ranch, the TPWD might be able to work with it, Holmes said. A modified contract could also benefit Urbanczyk, who plans to build commercial businesses on about 40 acres spanning State Highway 46.

Our efforts to protect the recreational and biological significance of Honey Creek are decades long, said Carter Smith, executive director of the TPWD. We remain steadfast in working productively with all parties involved to protect Honey Creek and to expand the State Park and Natural Area.

Negotiations over Honey Creek are ongoing, with a resolution on what will happen at Honey Creek Ranch expected in two to three weeks.

A special meeting of the city of Bulverdes planning and zoning commission is scheduled for Thursday night to discuss the master development plan for Honey Creek Ranch. The commissioners recommend rejecting that plan.

Weve worked with many partners over the years on complicated land transactions that benefit people and nature. The Honey Creek Ranch acquisition is no different, said Suzanne Scott, the state director for The Nature Conservancy in Texas.We are committed to continuing the ongoing negotiations with all parties to ultimately protect Honey Creek.

Elena Bruess writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. elena.bruess@express-news.net
A Kendall County man facing federal human smuggling charges has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for a separate charge of sexually assaulting a boy.

Geovanni Jesus Alvarez-Rodriguez, 26, began molesting the child, B.A., when B.A. was 9 or 10 years old, according to the Kendall County District Attorneys Office.

The case began when B.A. made an outcry to sheriffs investigator Anita Seamans that he was molested by Alvarez-Rodriguez, prosecutor Nick Socias said

Sentencing began Aug. 25, and included additional allegations, such as testimony from probation officer Mario Paredes that Alvarez-Rodriguez told him to shut your mouth before I slap the (expletive) out of you, according to the DAs office.

Alvarez-Rodriguez testified that Kendall County is corrupt, while his lawyer, Alfonso Cabanas, asked for five years in prison.

State District Judge Kirsten Cohoon sentenced Alvarez-Rodriguez to 40 years in prison. He will have to serve at least 20 years before he is eligible for parole.

Cabanas said Wednesday the victim, now about 17, later told police that he made up the allegations to get out of his own troubles.

The victim recanted several times, and law enforcement did not believe him then, Cabanas said in an interview.

Cabanas said Alvarez-Rodriguez plans to appeal.

After the boy made his outcry, he was interviewed by an expert from the Kids Advocacy Place, and detailed how the assaults progressed and the pain he suffered, Socias said. Alvarez-Rodriguez later confessed about his crime to Constable Brian Vaughan and Seamans.

After Alvarez-Rodriguez was arrested, the boy recanted and said he made everything up.

But during the trial, two members of local childrens advocacy centers, Stephenie Cantu, the program director for Kids Advocacy Place, and Randy McGibney, the COO of ChildSafe, provided expert testimony that noted victims get cold feet.

About 1 in 4 children who disclose sexual abuse will eventually recant, Cantu said in a statement. This is due to a number of reasons, most commonly being pressure from family members or the offender, but also stress from the judicial process, financial strain, wanting to return to the state of secrecy, etc.

A jury on May 27 found Alvarez-Rodriguez guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Alvarez-Rodriguez was transferred to federal custody, where he awaits sentencing in Del Rio in November for his guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to transport four undocumented immigrants. He was caught in January 2019 at the Uvalde Border Patrol station.

guillermo.contreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland
A special education teacher at Legacy of Educational Excellence High School died Thursday morning from COVID-19 complications, according to North East ISD.

Laurie Marrero, 71, had been a teacher at LEE for 29 years and had not reported to school this academic year as she battled the virus, said Aubrey Chancellor, a spokesperson with the school district.

On ExpressNews.com: Who's enforcing Gov. Abbott's ban on school mask rules? Not Abbott.

"She was an amazing teacher that deeply cared about her students, and has been with the district for a very long time and has made a significant impact on many students and staff members," Chancellor said.

A parent of a former student of Marrero remembered the teacher for being patient with his child, who has a learning disability in math. Joseph Trevino said Marrero was a big help with his daughter's studies.

"My daughter is very emotional about (Marrero's death)," Trevino said. "When I spoke with her earlier, she just couldn't believe it."

Courtesy of Joseph Trevino

In an email sent to parents on Thursday, LEE principal David Crowe said crisis counselors will be available at the high school on Friday.

"I know that this is a difficult time for all of us, as Laurie loved this school so much and was loved by all of us here at LEE," Crowe said in the email.

Malak.Silmi@express-news.net
If ever there was a tipping point in the argument to expand the U.S. Supreme Court, a new law in Texas that bans abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy is it.

On Wednesday, Texas became the most radical anti-abortion state in the country by effectively eliminating the legal right to an abortion and the right of women to maintain autonomy over their own bodies.

Because the Supreme Court was silent on an attempt to block the measure, at least by my Wednesday deadline, it stopped abortions in the nations second-largest state.

If not reversed  and the Supreme Court may not offer respite  the law will strip women of child-bearing age, their partners and their families of another way to plan their families and better provide for them.

If allowed to stand, the law will force women to carry unwanted pregnancies to term.

The law bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy or when a fetal heartbeat is detected. Banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy is especially insidious because many women dont know theyre pregnant until after that point, especially women who have irregular menstrual periods.

Experts say 85 to 90 percent of Texas women who obtain abortions are at least six weeks into their pregnancies.

The Supreme Courts silence was cruel to the 7 million women of reproductive age in Texas, and most especially to victims of rape and incest.

The law, known as Senate Bill 8, isnt just anti-women. Its anti-health, anti-poverty and anti-people of color.

The latter will be more severely affected because theyre most likely to lack health insurance and may not have the time and money to leave the state for a safe, legal abortion.

The truth is abortions, potentially unsafe ones, will continue despite whatever laws are enacted.

This dystopian view brings us jarringly close to Margaret Atwoods visions in The Handmaids Tale.

SB8 went into effect along with other equally draconian measures that illustrate a Republican Party desperately trying to mark its territory and keep its grip on power, even though time and population shifts arent on its side.

Other bills curtail voting rights in various ways and limit how race and racism is discussed in the classroom. Texas doesnt want to deal with its dark history even as it continues to write newer, darker chapters.

The 87th Legislature even passed a law that punishes homeless people for setting up tents. It also continued to expand guns in public by allowing permitless carry.

Heres the truth about abortion: Everyone in Texas, whether theyre aware of it or not, knows someone who has had an abortion, paid for one, or aided someone in need of one.

The law permits anyone to sue an abortion provider or anyone that helps a woman get an abortion in Texas, where providers and even patients face potential harassment and violence from the most extreme anti-abortionists.

In a conference call with journalists Wednesday, abortion providers and defenders said that potentially hundreds, even thousands of lawsuits, could be filed over the same abortion.

Even if a defendant were able to win every single case, theyd face the burden of having to defend themselves without the ability to recuperate legal costs.

Plaintiffs, however, could get at least a $10,000 reward for every successful lawsuit they file, turning them into bounty hunters.

Lawyers for abortion providers do not believe the law affects the right to self-managed abortion, in a reference to medication that safely terminates a pregnancy.

But on Monday, House Republicans gave preliminary approval to a bill that would bar such abortions after seven weeks of pregnancy. The bill seeks to punish doctors who help patients get those pills with up to two-year prison terms.

The Twitterverse condemned the Supreme Court for effectively overturning Roe vs. Wade with its silence, allowing the bill to become law.

On the ground, clinics worked until right before midnight Tuesday to perform legal abortions. Wednesday morning, abortion clinics were fielding calls from patients confused that they couldnt be served.

State GOP leaders will continue to fail us, thats certain. Meanwhile exhausted, depleted Texans have to keeping fighting the good fight to restore their rights.

Texas also gave President Joe Biden all the more reason to follow through on a proposal to expand the Supreme Court. That could undo the damage his predecessor did by unfairly loading it with ring-wing ideologues.

eayala@express-news.net
Wednesdays lawsuit challenging Greg Abbotts planned redistricting special session has been nearly eight months in the planning stages. But its fitting that it was filed this week.

After all, this is the week in which the full force of Texas Republican brazenness slapped us across the face and made our state the object of national derision.

This week, GOP lawmakers passed their prized voting-restriction bill (which empowers partisan poll watchers to harass voters at election sites and makes it a felony for a county to merely send an unsolicited application for a mail ballot to a voter).

This week, a statewide anti-abortion bill went into effect that clearly violates the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and empowers vigilante anti-choice activists to sue anyone who they suspect of performing an abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected (generally about six weeks after conception). In a nonsensical 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court, packed with three anti-choice ideologues appointed by Donald Trump from 2017-2020, let the Texas law stand.

Its against this backdrop that the redistricting complaint landed Wednesday in an Austin federal court. The suit was filed by two Democratic state senators  San Antonios Roland Gutierrez and Austins Sarah Eckhardt  and joined by the Tejano Democrats organization.

The lawsuit is based on a little-known provision of the Texas Constitution (Article 3, Section 28), which stipulates that the Legislature must draw up new maps for Texas House and Senate districts at its first regular session after the publication of each United States decennial census.

The inclusion of the word regular is the key to this lawsuits argument. The constitution makes no suggestion that its permissible for state legislative districts to be redrawn during a special session.

The next regular session of the Texas Legislature wont occur until 2023, so Gutierrez and Eckhardt are asking the federal courts three-judge panel to draw interim maps that can be used in this states 2022 midterm elections.

Were not asking the federal court to interpret that law, Gutierrez said. That law is fairly clear. Were saying, The Legislature cannot act and therefore you must act.

Gutierrez credits his attorney, Martin Golando, with spotting the constitutional provision early this year. Golando is a former chief of staff for state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio. In that role, Golando specialized in helping Martinez Fischer identify arcane parliamentary rules for the purpose of blocking objectionable bills.

Gutierrez came up with the idea of adding Wallace Jefferson, a former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, to the legal team.

I thought it was important to have someone with his constitutional authority, Gutierrez said.

In previous decades, census data generally has been provided to the state either before or during a legislative session. In this case, however, delays with the administration of the 2020 census by former President Donald Trumps administration meant the final numbers didnt come in until August 12, 2 months after the completion of the Legislatures regular session.

Of course, if this issue amounted to nothing more than a legal technicality, its doubtful that either Gutierrez or Eckhardt would have been motivated to file this complaint. After all, it took a June special session to complete the 2011 Texas redistricting process and no one raised any big objections about it.

This year is different. Texas Republicans were simultaneously bitter and emboldened over a 2020 election in which they lost the presidency but managed to maintain their strong majorities in both chambers of the Legislature.

Also, in the decade since Texas last dealt with redistricting, the U.S. Supreme Court has gutted the enforcement provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, meaning this state wont need to go through a federal preclearance process to alter its maps. For Texas Republicans, that means an invitation to push gerrymandering as far as they can go.

I would feel much more comfortable having a nonpartisan three-judge panel drawing maps than the Republican-controlled body that seems to be enamored with gerrymandering things so they can stay in power, Gutierrez said.

The latest census found that 95 percent of the states population growth came from people of color, who overwhelmingly identify as Democrats. The states population also is increasingly concentrating in big cities, where Democrats hold solid pluralities.

The world is changing on the Republican Party in Texas, Gutierrez said. I dont know how much of rural Texas you can bring into these districts, how much you can break county-line rules so they can stay in power.

The gerrymandering that has happened in Texas is strictly for one purpose. That purpose is so the Republican Party can stay in control in a state that is more and more obviously looking like theyre losing control of large municipalities.

ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
Associated Press file photo

While there is a lot that has divided Americans lately, there is one thing society can agree on: the ice cream machines at McDonald's always seem to be broken.

The Federal Trade Commission has officially launched an investigation into why there never seems to be any frozen desserts at the fast food chain.
COVID-19 is far from the equalizer we all initially imagined.

The only shared experiences in this pandemic are that it has upended life as we knew it, and we all have a moral responsibility to do all we can to keep each other safe. And even this moral responsibility isnt shared.

The economic hardship for many families is severe, but this is not a shared experience for those who can safely work from home. Many families were struggling before, and the pandemic has added to their burdens.

When I saw that District 7 and District 5 City Councilwomen Ana Sandoval and Teri Castillo were hosting a housing, utility and legal assistance clinic Saturday at St. Marys University, I had to go. I had to meet people and hear their stories. I had to see how they were being treated and if they were getting help.

The crowd was staggering.

On ExpressNews.com: Preyor-Johnson: Mass celebration of love a blessing in these painful times

Some waited in line for hours. In their hands were raffle tickets, but these werent numbers for prizes  they were for lifelines. Some people had already been evicted. Others were on the cusp of losing their shelter and utilities. All were desperate for help.

Yuri Villarreal, a small-business owner who had COVID in August and had to quarantine and temporarily close her business, said six of the eight people in her home had the virus. At the clinic, she got her son Filiberto Phil Guerrero, 12, vaccinated; and then she tried to get help for her mortgage, but none was available, so she tried to secure other assistance.

I am going to figure it out, she said.

The city has disbursed more than 70 percent of its budget for emergency housing assistance to more than 45,000 households, many that make little or no income, said Edward Gonzales, assistant director of the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department. He leads San Antonios Emergency Housing Assistance Program, or EHAP, an award-winning program.

I witnessed a couple who had been evicted get told they shouldnt have left their apartment before securing emergency rent relief. For them, it might be too late.

I met Renee Southerland, a single mom of three trying to make it through the final 13 weeks of her graduate program so she can become a social worker to help others.

I want to inspire single parents and normalize getting help. There shouldnt be a stigma attached to it, she said.

I met Marc Mohr, who said he worked a job through a temp agency, but at the six-month mark, he was let go.

It is very, very hard, he said.

I met Viridiana Zapata, a mother of three who had worked as a provider for her grandfather, but he passed away. She recently found a job at a hospital, but it is as needed. At the clinic, she was told she would get assistance for her electric bill, which was more than $1,000.

The stories residents told me at the clinic make it clear: Our community is under tremendous pressure, Sandoval, who represents District 7, said. We need to do everything we can to help residents stay in their homes. What we saw Saturday is only the tip of the iceberg.

On ExpressNews.com: Preyor-Johnson: Mathis, please get vaccinated

While some cities and states have been slow to disburse federal funds, San Antonio has been working quickly, paying out more than $135 million in housing-related assistance to more than 45,000 households.

The average earnings of those receiving assistance is 30 percent of area median income, or about $26,500 for a family of four.

Gonzales said when officials train EHAP staff, they advocate patience for people who call or apply multiple times out of desperation. Communication is key; tell people its not the final hour until the constable shows up to evict them. That until the judge says they are evicted, stay in place because its much easier to keep them housed than to rehouse them.

EHAP staff see furlough and unemployment letters as documents and proof of actively searching for jobs. Gonzales said there are all kinds of circumstances. Single mothers on the verge of being evicted who hadnt applied for help; people who thought they could catch up on their own, but couldnt. They try to help all who qualify, and people who get help are beyond grateful. Ive seen several thank you notes, Gonzales said.

The stories of those most burdened by the pandemic are filled with despair, which is why its so important that these efforts offer them a glimmer of hope.

Nancy.Preyor-Johnson@express-news.net
If you have looked for a place to rent recently, none of what we have to say will be surprising. If you are living in an overcrowded or cramped apartment, the rent has gone up or your landlord has decided now is a good time to sell, you know there is a housing crisis.

If you are being taxed out of your home because you live in an older part of town that has become trendy, and there is little left for repair and rehab, particularly if you are a senior or on a fixed or low income, then you know there is a housing crisis.

The San Antonio Board of Realtors reports that housing prices and housing scarcity have risen dramatically, particularly for those who make less than the San Antonio-New Braunfels regions median income of $74,100 for a family of four.

We need help.

Bexar County, which has $388 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, as well as the ability to offer tax abatements and fee waivers, can help.

In a recent meeting, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff expressed interest in providing tax abatements to small landlords in return for assuring affordability.

County funds should be used with city funds to fill the holes in our housing system, including producing new units at deeper affordability levels (for those at 30 to 50 percent or below the area median income), rehabilitating housing and providing permanent supportive housing.

Of the 24 multifamily projects the county has funded through tax abatement agreements since 2006, all were market-rate. Not one project provided workforce housing. Although the newly formed Bexar County Public Facility Corp., or PFC, a nonprofit Commissioners Court formed in January to build mixed-income housing with a narrow focus on supporting historic or cultural significance, is admirable in its intent, it does not begin to address affordable housing needs.

While there is a critical need for new affordable housing, the studies and recommendations the city has produced over the past several years point to an equally important idea: the protection and preservation of existing affordable housing.

If we want to combat displacement and economic segregation, and if we want to stabilize neighborhoods and assure that the most vulnerable  such as elders, the disabled and low-income legacy homeowners  in rapidly changing neighborhoods are protected, then it is extremely important the county assist the city by investing in programs that help people stay in their homes.

This can be done by funding qualified home repairs and rehabilitation, preventing displacement and also stabilizing a neighborhood. If our neighbors are forced out, where will they go?

The county has spent millions of tax dollars on market-rate housing (not to mention hotels and other businesses) for almost two decades. It has spent to support the San Antonio Spurs. Now it is time for the county to spend our tax dollars to help meet the challenges of the affordable housing crisis in San Antonio.

Cynthia Spielman and Velma Pena are members of the Westside Neighborhood Association Coalition and Tier One Neighborhood Coalition Steering Committee.
Protests against San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg briefly interrupted Thursdays City Council meeting as residents blamed him for prioritizing development over preventing evictions.

Heedless of Nirenbergs requests for silence, audience members chanting something that sounded like No evictions now! were escorted out of City Hall to scattered applause.

Bruce Davidson, Nirenbergs spokesman, declined to comment on the protest.

The nationwide eviction moratorium implemented in September 2020 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, expired on July 31, putting hundreds of thousands of households at risk for eviction. The CDC effectively reinstated the moratorium in counties with high rates of COVID-19 transmission, including San Antonio, through Oct. 3, but the ban was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court last week.

Barring further intervention, local tenants delinquent on rent payments are in immediate danger of homelessness.

The meeting agenda included possible approval of an application for the Eviction Protection Grant Program at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. If approved, the city could receive up to $3 million earmarked for eviction prevention measures for two years starting Oct. 15.

Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

Comparing the plight of poor people locally to that of refugees from Afghanistan, resident Linda Ortega  one of several who spoke at the meeting, expressed profound dissatisfaction with what she described as Nirenbergs affinity for developers. Addressing her comments to the mayor himself, she said, All the displacement, all the suffering thats going on, and you continue to advocate for developers, you continue to open your doors  our doors  to those who would harm our people. Yes, you.

Ortega ended her statement by starting a chant.

Evictions are violent! We will not be silenced! she repeatedly shouted as Nirenberg called the next speaker, Albert Campbell, to the podium.

Campbell echoed Ortegas concerns in similarly blunt terms, even accusing Nirenberg of running a dictatorship.

Developers dont care about us, and they can get us out from our neighborhoods by raising house taxes, state taxes, school taxes, any way they can to connive to be able to line their pockets with more profits, Campbell said.

Kayla Miranda has firsthand experience with the traumatic process of being thrown out of a house or apartment. In October 2019, she said she was evicted from her current apartment for nonpayment of pet fees. The incident spurred her to cofound the Coalition for Tenant Justice, a local organization that advocates for affordable housing.

While Miranda said the end to the nationwide moratorium is a huge issue, she also believes the community already has been having problems with evictions because landlords were finding loopholes. Her own brother was evicted over attorneys fees during the moratorium, she said.

Like several other speakers, Miranda referenced the recent replacement of Ruth Rodriguez, one of two tenant commissioners on the San Antonio Housing Authority board. Miranda later said Rodriguez was the only person on the entire commission that ever goes out to any of the properties, speaks to any of the tenants, tries to help, tries to do anything.

All the other commissioners ignore us, she added.

Miranda also pointed to a letter Nirenberg wrote in 2020 supporting the demolition of Alazan Courts, San Antonios oldest public housing community. Miranda and a group of community members successfully worked to save the complex.

Still, she said, not enough money in the upcoming 2022 bond program is being set aside for those that need the most help, and thats because grassroots advocates for affordable housing are being replaced by development-friendly representatives like Shirley Gonzales, who pushed for economic development as the former District 5 councilwoman. Nirenberg recently tapped Gonzales as chair of the citys Housing Commission.

San Antonios economy depends on tourism, Miranda said, noting that when people visit, theyre spending money at local hotels and restaurants.

Its not the CEOs and the owners of those businesses that is making people feel welcome to San Antonio, she said. Its the people barely making a little over minimum wage  the maids, the waiters, the waitresses, the bartenders. The very people that need help that need affordable housing, that cant afford to rent a market-rate apartment are the people that, on their backs, thats where the citys funds come from.

Thats how the city functions as a hospitality city, and all of these people are being ignored. 

caroline.tien@hearst.com
Texas Senate Republicans made a last-minute effort on Wednesday to allow for audits of the 2020 election and those in the future, just hours after the chamber finally sent the GOPs priority elections bill to the governors desk.

Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, introduced Senate Bill 97 on Tuesday, and it was fast-tracked to a committee hearing Wednesday morning with just days left in the special legislative session in Austin. The bill would introduce a new civil process for candidates, elected county chairs of political parties and others to request a review of the 2020 election results or any future election irregularities.

Thats really what this audit bill does, is that it looks at whatever issue there is in the field and measures it and fixes it, Bettencourt said. Its as simple as that. Its the fact that weve got some type of irregularities in nearly every election, and sometimes theyre greater than others. We should have a process that allows for the irregularities to be researched.

The legislation would allow certain stakeholders to make a written request for an explanation and supporting documentation for alleged disparities in results or other election documents. The requests would be local, pertaining to the specific county where concerns are raised.

TEXAS TAKE: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday

County clerks must answer those requests within 20 days of receipt. That process repeats, this time with a 10-day deadline, if the complaining party is not satisfied with the explanation provided. After that, the complainant can go to the secretary of state with the audit request, and that office would decide whether the information provided was sufficient.

If not, the secretary would launch an audit of the identified irregularity at the countys expense.

Texas currently has a process to evaluate election disparities through criminal complaints, but there isnt an equivalent civil remedy, Bettencourt said.

Harris County targeted

In an interview, Bettencourt said the legislation targets Harris County, which had discrepancies at four early voting sites that used drive-thru voting during the 2020 election. Those precincts had initially recorded 1,884 more votes than people who signed into electronic poll books to vote, he said. (Drive-thru voting will soon be illegal in Texas, per the GOPs new voting law awaiting Gov. Greg Abbotts signature.)

Bettencourt said the state doesnt have the ability to audit Harris Countys results to understand what went wrong unless it files criminal charges. His bill would create a civil method to review such irregularities.

Bettoncourt insisted that the legislation isnt a Texas-sized attempt to rehash or contest the presidential election, as supporters of former President Donald Trump have done in Arizona. Rather, SB 97 would address specific issues that pop up across the state and correct them before they occur again, he said.

This is not about having an Arizona-style audit, Bettencourt said.

Trump won Texas and its 38 electoral votes. Officials from the secretary of states office have declared the 2020 elections here were smooth and secure.

The Senate committee approved the bill after a roughly two-hour-long meeting. It will need approval on the Senate floor before it heads to the House, where it would also need a committee hearing and a floor vote before heading to the governors desk.

With the session set to end this weekend, its unlikely that the bill will make it to the finish line. A spokesman for House Speaker Dade Phelan did not respond to a request for comment on the legislation.

The effort is, at least in part, a continuation of Texas Republicans nearly year-long push to question the results of the 2020 general election. Trump has falsely claimed that he lost his re-election bid because of widespread voter fraud.

During the first special session in July, state Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, introduced broad legislation proposing a forensic audit of votes cast in Texas 13 most populous counties during the 2020 election. His bill never saw a committee hearing.

Toths proposal would have focused heavily on counties where President Joe Biden won a majority of ballots cast. When The Washington Post asked whether hed consider including smaller counties, Toth infamously replied: Whats the point? I mean, all the small counties are red.

cayla.harris@express-news.net
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Attorneys for three former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death asked a judge Thursday to bar their upcoming trial from being livestreamed, saying some witnesses wont testify if the proceedings are broadcast.

The request from attorneys for Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao is an about-face from their earlier request to have the trial publicly broadcast, and is opposed by prosecutors and news outlets including The Associated Press. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said he would rule on the issue later.

Lane, Kueng and Thao are scheduled to stand trial next March on charges of aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyds May 2020 death. Their co-defendant, Derek Chauvin, was convicted in April of murder and manslaughter after weeks of proceedings that marked the first time in Minnesota that a criminal trial was livestreamed in its entirety.

Before Chauvins trial, attorneys for all four men requested the trials be broadcast, but attorneys for Lane and Kueng now say worldwide publicity from televised coverage of Chauvins trial crushed their clients right to a fair trial. Attorneys Earl Gray and Tom Plunkett wrote that the public's access led some witnesses to decline to testify for the defense, noting that one witness in the Chauvin trial had been harassed and another faced professional scrutiny.

Cameras in the Chauvin Courtroom brought us to the dangerous pass where people are deterred from testifying for the defense because they fear the wrath of the crowd, they wrote.

Thao's attorney, Robert Paule, said in court that he would join the other former officers' objections to audio-video coverage. None of the defendants attended the hearing.

Minnesota court rules usually ban cameras at criminal trials unless both sides agree to them. Cahill ordered the trials to be broadcast live because of the intense global interest in the case and limited courthouse space due to the pandemic. The livestreaming was widely praised and has led the state to consider expanding its rules for broadcasting future court proceedings.

Cahill said Thursday that issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic might change again before the March trial. But even without the pandemic, he said, physical space will be an issue and the court will be unable to accommodate many spectators. He also said security is a concern.

Cahill asked Plunkett which fact witnesses are refusing to testify and Plunkett objected to the question, saying it would be unfair for the defense to discuss trial strategy at this point. Cahill didn't order him to disclose the information, but he said the testimony of witnesses during Chauvins trial would have been reported regardless of the livestream.

The judge also said use-of-force expert Barry Brodds suggestion that Floyd could have been resting comfortably on the pavement was the soundbite of the day. Brodd was one defense expert who was harassed after Chauvin's trial.

Plunkett disagreed, saying the call to action is different for someone who is watching something live rather than reading a report.

Prosecutors initially opposed livestreaming Chauvin's trial but now say it was the right move  protecting everyone during the pandemic, allowing for meaningful public access and letting people watch the fair administration of the justice system.

They favor livestreaming the second trial as well, saying defense claims that audio-video coverage would deny them a fair trial are unconvincing. They say there is no concrete evidence that any witnesses are refusing to testify for the defense  and if that is the case, reluctant witnesses can be compelled to appear.

Indeed, if Defendants have difficulty finding expert witnesses  and there is no evidence that they cannot secure experts  that difficulty is a product of their overwhelming guilt, prosecutors wrote.

Attorneys for the media coalition also say the court should allow audio-video coverage, arguing that even if the trial is not televised, witnesses will still face publicity and scrutiny because their names and the content of their testimony will be reported. The media attorneys also contend that barring cameras would mean the public couldn't fully monitor what was going on.

Leita Walker, a media attorney, said the media wants maximum transparency in all cases, but especially this one that has the potential to tear the fabric of this community. She said had Chauvins case ended with a different verdict, the livestream would have helped build public trust.

During the hearing, Gray dropped his earlier request that the state provide all use-of-force reports since July 2016 in which another officer intervened in force used by a colleague, because he is pursuing information from the city himself. An officers duty to intervene came up often during testimony in Chauvins trial.

Cahill also denied a defense request to rule that a potential expert witness for the state coerced Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker to change his findings by noting that neck compression was a factor in Floyd's death. Paule said the state failed to take action after prosecutors learned former Washington, D.C., medical examiner Dr. Roger Mitchell threatened to write an op-ed critical of Baker's findings. The state ultimately did not call Mitchell as a witness in Chauvin's case.

I'm not finding any coercion at all, Cahill said, but he ordered the state to provide the defense with materials about their exchanges with Mitchell, and he said the defense could question Baker about any possible coercion during cross-examination at trial.

Cahill also denied a defense request to sanction the state after information about a plea deal for Chauvin  which was ultimately rejected by former U.S. Attorney William Barr  was leaked to The New York Times. Cahill said Thursday that he doesn't believe the state was the source of the leak. He quashed a defense subpoena to have state Attorney General Keith Ellison testify about it.

Chauvin has been sentenced to 22  years in prison. All four former officers also face federal charges alleging that they violated Floyds civil rights.
Friday, Sept. 3 7:45 a.m.

The death toll from Ida in the northeast has risen to 46 people killed across five states, the Associated Press reported. The deaths include 23 people in New Jersey, many who were killed when their vehicles became flooded by rising waters.

Among those killed was Connecticut State Police Sgt. Brian Mohl, whose vehicle was swept away by the Pomperaug River in Woodbury early Thursday.

Friday, Sept. 3, 7:30 a.m.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority said it expects to have fully-restored service on the New Haven line Friday. Trains will run on an enhanced weekend schedule, the agency said in a statement.

Our crews have made extraordinary progress over the last 24 hours in extremely difficult conditions following unprecedented rainfall throughout the region, Catherine Rinaldi, President of MTA Metro-North Railroad, said in a statement Thanks to their work through the night and day we are able to restore train service on the Harlem and New Haven lines, and they continue to work tirelessly so we can restore full service as soon as possible. I cannot thank our crew members enough for the heroic work they have been doing and will continue to do.

The Harlem line has not been fully restored and MTA officials said service on the Hudson line remains suspended.

The New Canaan and Danbury branch lines still require clean up work, according to the MTA, while bus service for the Waterbury branch will resume Friday.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 6 p.m.

Some parts of Connecticut were slammed with almost 7 inches of rainfall Wednesday night, according to recent weather reports.

Seymour in New Haven County saw 8.7 inches  the largest reported amount Wednesday night, according to Gary Lessor, the chief meteorologist at Western Connecticut State University.

Lessor said the state hasnt seen so much rain since Hurricane Floyd in 1999.

Fairfield County saw as little as 3.9 inches in Ridgefield and as much as 6.9 inches in Stamford. In New Haven County, rainfall ranged from almost 4.4 inches in Branford to 6.5 inches in Milford to Seymours 8.7 inches. Middlesex County had almost 7 inches in Middletown and 3.7 inches in Moodus, Lessor said.

New London County saw the highest rainfall overall as a county, with Ucasville reporting the largest rainfall for the area at 8.58 inches, Lessor said.

Though there were no tornadoes in Connecticut, there were seven in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas, including New Jersey.

In that regard, We were definitely lucky, Lessor said.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 4 p.m.

A 26-year veteran of the Connecticut State Police was pronounced dead early Thursday after he was found in a river inundated by remnants of Hurricane Ida, officials announced.

This is the 25th death in the line of duty for the Connecticut State Police, according to Colonel Stavros Mellekas.

Officials said they will not be releasing the name of the sergeant as some family members have not yet been notified.

The senior sergeant was working a midnight shift with Troop L. The sergeant sent an emergency call to the troop around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, saying his car was in swift water and he was in distress, Mellekas said.

That was the last they heard of him, Mellekas said.

Police, fire departments, dive teams other first responders came to the scene around 4 a.m., according to Mellekas.

Officers in a helicopter found the sergeants vehicle submerged in a river near Jacks Bridge Road in Woodbury.

The sergeant was found about an hour later in the river. He was transported via a Lifestar helicopter to Yale New Haven Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Thursday Sept. 2, 3 p.m.

Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency late Thursday morning after Ida flooded the state Wednesday night.

Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo is also considering declaring a state of emergency for the city.

We had a tremendous amount of rain in Danbury over a short period of time onto already full reservoirs, full lakes, full streams and little rivers, he said. That amount of rain has to go somewhere. It spills over. It spilled onto the roadways.

The flooding closed seven roads Thursday morning, the city said on Facebook. At least two main roads remained closed as of 1:30 p.m.

Water from a pond near the Glen Apartments flowed into the roadway and some of the buildings, too, forcing some residents to evacuate, said Matt Cassavechia, the citys emergency management director. Around 1 or 2 a.m.  at the height of the heavy rain  firefighters went door-to-door to evacuate residents and make sure everyone was safe, he said.

Many of the residents stayed elsewhere, but at least 20 people were moved to the War Memorial, where the city had already set up a shelter, he said.

The Connecticut State Police received 621 calls for service between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 6 .m. Thursday.

Bridgeport dispatch alone received more than 200 calls for service during the storm Wednesday night, according to the citys Director of Communications Rowena White.

Most of the calls were related to flooding and vehicles stuck on the roads. Some 60 streets had extensive flooding conditions, White added.

First responders were able to perform 20 water rescues and help with stranded cars submerged in water at 45 locations, White said.

The storm also resulted in numerous downed tree branches. Coupled with the high flood waters, the storm wreaked havoc throughout the city and its parks. The citys Public Facilities department is cleaning up Thursday to ensure everything is in good shape Friday for Labor Day weekend, White said.

Residents and business owners should document and report any damages that may have occurred from the storm to their insurance companies, as well as photos and estimates, White said.

Residents and businesses in Bridgeport with uninsured damage or loss from the storm should call the Emergency Operations Center at 203-579-3829. The phone line will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Bridgeport residents and business owners can also report damages by clicking here.

The deadline to report uninsured damages to the EOC is Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Danbury residents and business owners are encouraged to fill out this form to report damages.

Filling out the form does not guarantee residents will be reimbursed, Cavo said.

These damage reports will be used in the hopes of possible financial reimbursement from FEMA, White said.

Thursday Sept. 2, 11 a.m.

RegalCare, a nursing home on King Street in Greenwich, was evacuated during the storm, police said. There were no problems with the transportation, according to police.

Thursday Sept. 2, 9:45 a.m.

Flooding continues to impact I-95 in New York near the Connecticut border.

Flooding has been reported on the north and south bound sides just after Exit 18b in White Plains. Stop and go traffic has been reported along the southbound side into the city.

A Connecticut DOT spokesman said flooding reported overnight on I-95 in Bridgeport was cleared. No major issues remain on Connecticut's highways, only secondary roads, the spokesman said.

Thursday Sept. 2, 9:45 a.m.

In Danbury, a section of Newtown Road in Danbury is closed, with an estimated three to four feet of water across four lanes of traffic. Police have blocked off the road from Taco Bell to Walmart.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 9:30 a.m.

In New Milford, a pool of water two feet deep at its center has closed part of Route 7 near the Big Y grocery store. The flooding appeared to have impacted a nearby service station as well.

River Road, which follows the eastern bank of the Housatonic River, has been closed all the way up to the Gaylordsville village in New Milford, according to Mike Boucher, highway foreman for the town. In multiple spots the rain has washed out the raod, he said.

He estimated clearing tree damage would take a few days, while repairing gravel roads could take a week.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 8:55 a.m.

In Stamford, police Sgt. William Garay said the city is still dealing with the fallout of Thursday nights storm.

Theres a ton of cars underwater that were still looking to get towed, he said.

The areas around East Main Street, Newfield Avenue, Rocky Rapids Road and Farms Road were particularly hard hit. The latter three roads remain closed due to flooding, Garay said.

In addition to flooding, Garay said the department has also been responding to reports of trees downed by heavy winds Thursday night.

Stamford has 631 reported power outages, which is the fourth most reported outages in Eversources coverage area, behind Monroe, Redding and Killingsworth, as of 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 8:16 a.m.

More than 30 closures have been reported along state roads, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, many for roadway flooding.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 7:51 a.m.

New York transportation authorities are still reporting stop and go traffic along I-95 South in Rye, just over the state line, where flooding has caused delays. Several disabled vehicles and motor vehicle accidents have also been reported along I-95 south.

Connecticut traffic cams show cars backed up to the north of Stamford as far as Darien, with lighter traffic to the south before the New York border.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 7:40 a.m.

The University of Connecticut said its Stamford campus will be closed Thursday due to travel difficulties in the area.

All online classes will be held as scheduled, and employees telecommuting due to COVID-19 should work as normal, Stephanie Reitz, a UConn spokeswoman, said.

The universitys other campuses are following their normal schedule, and UConn facilities did not experience any significant water damage or flooding, said Reitz.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 7:20 a.m.

Danbury schools were closed Thursday morning due to the storms impact on the area. Thousands were without power in the Danbury area and some local streets were without power. Redding led the area with power outages as of 7:30 a.m. with 965, while Ridgefield had 554 and Southbury had 445.

Urban and small stream flooding will continue for several hours after the rain tapers off, the city said in a statement. If you absolutely have to travel this morning you may experience numerous detours causing traffic disruption. Walking or driving through flood waters is extremely dangerous..

Thursday, Sept. 2, 7:08 a.m.

In New Milford, power outages and flooding have closed schools, the Northville Volunteer Fire Department said on Facebook. Flooding has also closed Danbury Road between Peagler Hill Road and Sunny Valley Road.

Please consider taking today to stay inside, flooding conditions are still evolving and getting worse, the post said.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 7 a.m.

In Harwinton, Leadmine Brook road is closed due to flooding at the Leadmine Brook bridge.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 5:33 a.m.

Connecticut Department of Transportation

In Bridgewater, flooding trapped at least one person in their home. Video showed flood waters surging around the home overnight.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 5:33 a.m.

MTA officials are asking New Yorkers not to attempt to travel until further notice after at least six subway trains that became stuck by rising waters were evacuated.

In a statement, acting MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said it had been a historic and challenging night for the region.

Our concern is for those who were in trains stuck after up to six inches of rain fell within hours, and top priority is working with first responders to safely evacuate everyone from the system, Lieber said. New Yorkers should not attempt to travel until further notice.

Lieber said the transit service will be deploying pumps and sending workers out when safe to do so in order to restore service.

As of a little after midnight, Metro-North Railroad had suspended all trains on all its lines, citing safety reasons due to rising waters. The MTA is providing some limited bus and subway service, while trains on the Long Island Rail Road shut down after trains reached their final destinations.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 5:20 a.m.

Statewide outages stand at over 19,000 early Thursday morning.

Eversource, the states largest electrical supplier, reported 17,253 customers out around the state. United Illuminating reported 2,483 customers out in its service area comprising parts of lower Fairfield and New Haven counties.

In Norwalk, 1,189 were reported to be without power, according to Eversource. In Monroe, there were 935 outages reported  nearly 12 percent of Eversources customers in the town.

Killingworth, Redding and Torrington each reported outages totaling over 700 as of early Thursday morning.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 12:58 a.m.

More than 15,000 power outages have been reported as of 12:58 a.m. Eversource, which supplies power to most of the state, had more than 14,100 customers without power, with more than 1,000 outages in Ridgefield, Bristol and East Haddam.

United Illuminating, which provides power to parts of Fairfield and New Haven counties, reported more than 1,600 outages, the bulk of which were in Trumbull and North Haven.

For live outage updates, go to our tracker.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 12:55 a.m.

Towns and cities in southwestern Connecticut were reporting numerous flooded roads as a powerful band of weather swept through the area around 11 p.m.

A video on social media showed feet of standing water on I-95 in Bridgeport. Hamden officials said a tree fell on Route 15 and it was shutdown between exits 60 to 71.

Norwalk has several streets closed because of flooding. Bridgeport emergency offcials are reporting vehicles in water in a several of locations across the city.

Fairfield police put out an urgent message on Twitter saying: FLOODING: Numerous flooded streets. Do not attempt to cross water covered roadways. Remain home and off roads if possible.

The National Weather Services New York office, responsible for forecasting across much of southern Connecticut, has warned residents to avoid flooded areas.

We are seeing way too many reports of water rescues and stranded motorists. Do not drive through flooded roadways. You do not know how deep the water is and it is too dangerous. Turn Around Don't Drown.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 12:15 a.m.

The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for along the coastline until 6 a.m. They are urging people to stay off the roads.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 11:19 p.m.

Issues are being reported with 911 in Fairfield County. Greenwich police have asked residents to call the department directly at 203-622-8001.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 11:15 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of Fairfield and New Haven counties until 12:30 p.m. The National Weather service warns that a line of storms could bring wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 10:52 p.m.

Amid deteriorating conditions, Metro-North has suspended all train service along the New Haven Line. Metro-North said it would update the situation when more information was available.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 10:41 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of Fairfield and New Haven counties until 11:15 p.m. The National Weather service warns that a line of storms could bring wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 10:38 p.m.

Some towns in southwestern Connecticut are reporting dangerous conditions along roadways as rain and wind picks up.

In Darien, town police tweeted: The Darien Police Department is reporting zero visibility driving conditions and flooding situations in several locations. NON-EMERGENCY travel is highly discouraged! Stay home and stay safe. DO NOT drive through flooded areas!

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 10:20 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood emergency for Fairfield and New Haven counties until 12:30 a.m.

This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW! Life threatening flash flooding of low water crossings, small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses, the alert from NWS read.

The warning from NWS, one of the strongest possible when flood conditions are present, has seldom been issued in the past.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 10:15 p.m.

More than 4,600 power outages have been reported as of 10:15 p.m. Eversource, which supplies power to most of the state, had more than 3,100 customers without power, mostly in southwestern Connecticut.

United Illuminating, which provides power to parts of Fairfield and New Haven counties, reported more than 1,500 outages, the bulk of which were in Trumbull.

For live outage updates, go to our tracker.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 10 p.m.

Harwinton in Litchfield County has experienced about 4.25 inches of rainfall so far as of 10 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Boston.

Multiple downed trees are causing delays for the Harlem and New Haven lines, as well as the New Canaan Branch service, MTAs Metro-North Railroad announced via Twitter Wednesday night.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 9:30 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for southern Fairfield County until 10:30 p.m Wednesday, the National Weather Service said in its 9:25 p.m. update.

A severe thunderstorm was spotted moving northeast, bringing 60 mph wind gusts. Residents should expect trees and power lines to get damaged, the weather service said.

These thunderstorms will hit Greenwich around 10 and move eastward, reaching Fairfield and Westport around 10:30 p.m., the weather service said.

As of 9:37 p.m., Eversource reported 1,250 outages. There were 227 outages reported in Redding, 206 in Weston, 146 in Southbury and 124 in Stamford.

United Illuminating reported 1,282 outages as of 9:38 p.m. Most of these  1,068  were reported in Trumbull. There were also 113 outages in Bridgeport.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 9 p.m.

The National Weather Service has extended the flash flood warning for Fairfield County to midnight.

As of 8:59 p.m. Wednesday, 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain had already fallen in the area, and flash flooding is already occurring, the weather service said.

Meteorologists expect 1 to 2 additional inches of rainfall are possible.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 8:45 p.m.

Eversource reported 382 power outages  171 of which were in Weston and 64 in New Milford  as of 8:37 p.m.

United Illuminating reported 43 power outages around 8:30 p.m. All but one of the outages were in West Haven.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 8:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for west central Tolland County, as well as Hartford, Litchfield and Fairfield counties.

The flash flood warning in Fairfield County is in effect until 10 p.m. Wednesday, while the warning in Litchfield County goes until 11:45 p.m.

The flash flood warning in Hartford and Tolland counties is in effect until 2 a.m. Thursday.

As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, up to 1.5 inches of rain has already fallen in Hartford and Tolland counties. Litchfield County and the surrounding area had between 1 and 2 inches of rainfall, and Fairfield County had between 0.5 and 1 inch of rain, according to the weather service.

Torrential rain in southern New York is expected to move toward northern Connecticut, bringing up to an additional 4 inches to Hartford and Tolland counties, the weather service said.

Litchfield should expect between 1 and 3 more inches of rainfall, and Fairfield County can expect up to 2 inches of extra rainfall, the National Weather Service said.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 8 p.m.

As Post-Tropical Cyclone Ida approaches, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven and New London counties. The watch is in effect until 1 a.m.

There have been reports of up to 2.5 inches of rainfall in parts of northern Connecticut, while the coast has seen under 1 inch, according to the Milford Fire Department.

The Brookfield Volunteer Fire Company said it has extra emergency medical personnel on staff to help with the fallout from tonights weather.

The Connecticut State Police warned residents to stay safe. Police recommend drivers reduce their driving speeds, illuminate car headlights and avoid driving vehicles through standing water.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven, and New London counties. The watch is in effect until 1 a.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 5:30 p.m.

The state could experience heavy rain and flash flooding Wednesday into early Thursday as remnants of Post-Tropical Cyclone Ida extended into the region, the National Weather Services New York office said.

A flash flood watch went into effect at 8 a.m. Wednesday for the entire state. It expires at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Ida first made landfall near the Louisiana coast on Sunday as a hurricane. The storm slammed the Louisiana region, and on Wednesday morning, the track of the storm showed it moving northeast near Tennessee. By 5 p.m., the storm was near Pennsylvania and Maryland, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Ida is slated to bring thunderstorms, gusty winds and about 3 to 6 inches of rainfall to Connecticut. The rain could fall at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour at times, the weather service said in a 4:53 p.m. forecast.

The most rainfall is expected to come during the evening  potentially bringing 3 to 4 inches in some areas  according to the weather service.

Meteorologists with the weather service are also forecasting major flooding on the Yantic River near Norwich and moderate flooding on the Farmington River near Simsbury.

There is also a low risk for a tornado tonight, the weather service said.

Sacred Heart University in Fairfield recommended that its students not travel Wednesday night unless they absolutely have to, the university said in a tweet Wednesday.

The rainfall should begin to taper off Thursday morning into the early afternoon.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Virginias Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that the state can remove an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a prominent spot in the state's capital city, saying values change and public policy changes too in a democracy.

The 7-0 decision cited testimony from historians who said the enormous statue was erected in 1890 to honor the southern white citizenrys defense of a pre-Civil War life that depended on slavery and the subjugation of Black people.

More than a century later, its continued display communicates principles that many believe to be inconsistent with the values the Commonwealth currently wishes to express," the justices said.

The decision came in two lawsuits filed by Virginia residents who sought to block Gov. Ralph Northam's order to remove the bronze equestrian sculpture, which shows Lee in military attire atop a massive stone pedestal.

Virginia promised to forever maintain the statue in the 1887 and 1890 deeds transferring its ownership to the state. But the justices said that obligation no longer applies.

Those restrictive covenants are unenforceable as contrary to public policy and for being unreasonable because their effect is to compel ... the Commonwealth to express, in perpetuity, a message with which it now disagrees, the justices wrote.

Northam announced his decision in June 2020, 10 days after George Floyds death under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer sparked protests over police brutality and racism in cities nationwide, including Richmond. The nationally recognized statue became the epicenter of a protest movement in Virginia after Floyds death.

Separate lawsuits were filed by a group of residents who own property near the statue and by William Gregory, a descendant of signatories to the 1890 deed that transferred the statue and land it sits on to the state.

Gregory argued the state agreed to faithfully guard and affectionately protect the statue. And five property owners argued Northam is bound by a 1889 joint resolution of the Virginia General Assembly that accepted the statue and agreed to maintain the monument to Lee.

Plaintiffs' attorneys told the justices during a June 8 hearing that the governor exceeded his authority under Virginia's Constitution. Attorney General Mark Herrings office countered that a small group of private citizens cannot force the state to maintain a monument that no longer reflects its values.

The high court sided with the governor, citing historians who testified the statue was erected as a monument to the Confederacy's Lost Cause and is now widely seen as a symbol of racial injustice.

Democracy is inherently dynamic. Values change and public policy changes too. The Government of the Commonwealth is entitled to select the views that it supports and the values that it wants to express," Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn wrote.

Virginia Democrats cheered, while Northam's statement called the ruling a tremendous win for the people of Virginia.

One of Virginia's most powerful Black lawmakers, state Sn. Louise Lucas, tweeted, For far too long, the Lee statue stood tall in our capital and represented nothing but division and white supremacy -- but it is finally coming down.

Patrick McSweeney, an attorney for the residents, declined immediate comment, saying his clients have to review the decision. He did not say whether they are considering appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Gregory's attorney, Joseph Blackburn Jr., did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

I think this is the end of the line for the plaintiffs, said University of Virginia law professor Richard Schragger, who has followed the cases closely. He said the property owners lawsuit contains one contracts claim under the U.S. Constitution that could be a basis for an appeal, but he didn't think it would succeed.

Northam's office said the state had begun work on logistical and security preparations ahead of the removal, but no action on the statue was expected until at least next week.

The state has already put together detailed plans for the removal that include the extrication of a time capsule believed to be tucked inside the base.

The 21-foot (6-meter) statue is expected to be cut into pieces for transport to an undisclosed storage site.

The Northam administration has said it would seek public input on the statues future. For now, the 40-foot (12-meter) pedestal will be left behind amid efforts to rethink the design of Richmond's Monument Avenue. Some racial justice advocates don't want it removed, seeing the graffiti-covered pedestal as a symbol of the protest movement that erupted after Floyds killing.

The Lee statue was the first of five Confederate monuments erected on the avenue at a time when the Civil War and Reconstruction were long over, but Jim Crow racial segregation laws were on the rise.

When the statue arrived in 1890 from France, where it was created, thousands of Virginians used wagons to help pull its pieces more than a mile to where it now stands. White residents celebrated the statue of the Civil War hero and native Virginian, but many Black residents have long seen it as a monument glorifying slavery.

Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy for most of the Civil War. The city has removed more than a dozen other pieces of Confederate statuary on city land since Floyds death, which prompted the removal of Confederate monuments in cities across the country.
FAIRFIELD  First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick is urging residents to be respectful after several heated incidents erupted in town over state and local mask mandates.

I realize tensions in our community are high and residents are feeling the stress of living in a pandemic for 17 months, I understand, because I feel it too, Kupchick said in her recent town update.

Police were recently called to a school board meeting over the issue.

Kupchick said while debate is an important part of democracy, Farfield must act like a community. She said she was disappointed in some residents behavior on social media and when tempers flared at the school board meeting. She added that threatening messages and wishing COVID-19 on someones child because there is a difference in opinion is not acceptable.

We are better than this, Kupchick said. The beauty of Fairfield should not just be on the surface, it must be reflected in our behavior and in our respect for one another.

Her update also addresses concerns many people have shared in response to Gov. Ned Lamonts executive order requiring masks be worn in schools through Sept. 30, as well as the towns mask mandate, which went into effect Aug. 23.

She makes it clear that no town has the authority to override the governors statewide executive order and explained the reasoning for the towns mandate.

While Kupchick said everyone is advocating for what they believe is in their familys best interest, as a first selectwoman responsible for 61,000 residents, she felt the temporary mask policy could help reverse the spike in the towns COVID-19 transmission and hospitalizations.

The amount of new cases have steadily increased in the state over the last few weeks. As of Tuesday, Connecticut had more than 373,000 positive cases and a daily positivity rate of 2.97 percent, according to Governor Lamonts recent press release. In the reporting period between Aug. 8 and Aug. 21, Fairfields average daily rate was 15.4 per 100,000 people with 81 cases reported in the first week and 53 reported in the second, according to the state Department of Public Health.

A total of 360 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in the state with 78 of them coming from Fairfield County, the third highest behind Hartford and New Haven counties, according to the state.

These numbers along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moving Fairfield County into the most-severe high transmission category and the state moving the town into the red category, prompted Fairfields mask mandate.

I felt it would be irresponsible to not implement a temporary mask policy, while the delta variant is moving through our community, Kupchick said. A big consideration for me was that the increase in all of the metrics could impact the return to full in-person learning or put our most vulnerable residents at risk.

I understand the frustration of people who were told if you get the vaccine you wont have to wear a mask anymore, and then received revised guidance that said you should wear a mask whether you are vaccinated or not. I am frustrated too, she added.

Kupchick said vaccines have proven to be the most effective means to prevent serious illness and hospitalizations, but masks can be an added layer of protection. While vaccine breakthrough cases have occurred in Connecticut, Kupchick said in the majority of these cases, symptoms have been mild and have not resulted in severe illness or hospitalizations.

The most severe cases tend to be in unvaccinated individuals, Kupchik said.

When broken down by age group in Fairfield, residents 12 to 17 years old are 64 percent vaccinated, ages 18 to 24 are 54 percent vaccinated, ages 25 to 44 are nearly 75 percent vaccinated, ages 45 to 64 are just under 86 percent vaccinated and residents 65 and older are 93 percent vaccinated.

I have done my best to guide our town through the pandemic and make thoughtful decisions, Kupchick said. I know any decision I make has broad reaching implications, and I dont make decisions of this magnitude without serious contemplation.
With less than two weeks to go until Election Day in the California recall, Gov. Gavin Newsom has carved out a more comfortable lead than voter surveys showed just two weeks ago, according to a new poll from the Trafalgar Group, a Republican firm.

The most recent poll, conducted Aug. 26-29 among 1,088 likely voters, gives Newsom a nearly eight-percentage-point margin on the top-line question that will determine whether he remains in the governors mansion or is ousted by voters. It showed that 52% of Californians say they intend to vote no on whether to remove Newsom while 44.4% said they would vote yes, with just 3.7% remaining undecided. The poll has a margin of error of just below three percentage points.

Newsom has been facing a far more competitive challenge than expected in solidly blue California. Over the last month, the first-term governor has repeatedly pleaded for national Democratic Party help as polls showed a dead heat on the question of whether to remove him from office.

Initial plans for Vice President Kamala Harris to hold a rally this past Friday for Newsom were scrapped after news that 13 American service members and as many as 180 Afghans were killed in a terror attack at the Kabul airport. White House officials have said that President Biden will stump for Newsom, but time is running out and its unclear whether those plans remain in the wake of the chaotic and deadly Afghanistan withdrawal.

On the second question, regarding whom voters would select as a replacement if Newsom were removed, the new Trafalgar poll shows conservative talk show host and surprise GOP frontrunner Larry Elder expanding his lead to 29% among the more than 40 certified candidates running. Previous polls showed Elder leading but with support hovering in the low 20% range.

The candidate with the next highest level of support is little-known Kevin Paffrath, a 29-year-old real estate broker who hosts a YouTube channel about personal finance, stocks, taxes and real estate with 1.6 million subscribers. Paffrath is the only competitive Democrat in the mix to replace Newsom, who managed to prevent any high-ranking Democratic officials from challenging him. Paffrath has the support of 22% of likely recall voters, according to the Trafalgar poll.

The next tier of candidates, all Republicans, poll only in single-digit territory. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and businessman and perennial political candidate John Cox are tied with 4.1% support, while reality TV personality and former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner is at 1.1%. Former GOP Rep. Doug Ose, who represented the Sacramento area in Congress for multiple terms, ended his campaign in mid-August after suffering a heart attack. Ose garnered just 0.2%.

The Trafalgar survey found that the race could still prove competitive between Paffrath and Elder if a majority of voters want Newsom ousted. Some 30.3% of those polled remain undecided on who they want as a potential replacement, and 9.1% indicated they would like to support someone else.

The polls partisan breakdown largely reflects the states registered voters. Trafalgar surveyed 48.1% likely Democratic voters, 25.7% Republicans and 26.2% of those selecting no party preference when registering. Democrats make up 46.5% of the California electorate while Republicans account for 24.2% and those expressing no party preference constitute 23.3%.

California GOP officials say Republicans remain highly motivated to remove Newsom after the governor instituted strict COVID stay-at-home orders and public school closures. But so far, Democrats are dominating in the all mail-in ballot election. (Every registered voter was sent a ballot to return by mail or at drop-off locations by Sept. 14.)

As of Wednesday morning, more than twice as many Democrats had voted than Republicans, with liberal regions of the state, such as the Bay Area, having the highest rate of returns, according to state officials and political data researchers. Nearly 4.7 million Californians had cast their ballots as of Wednesday morning, including 2.5 million Democrats compared to 1.1 million Republicans.

More Republicans distrust mail-in voting systems, and in the 2020 election they were much more likely to vote in-person on Election Day. Recall organizers are pressing Republicans not to wait until the last minute to cast their votes despite that widespread distrust.

While the Democratic turnout advantage so far is an encouraging sign for Newsom, there are also red flags. Latino voters are underperforming expectations, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday. While these voters constitute more than a quarter of the electorate, they make up less than a fifth of the people who have returned their ballots so far.

Republicans have been courting the Latino vote, with Elder and Faulconer airing Spanish-language ads. Elder also focused his message on Hispanics during a Wednesday press conference, advocating for school choice and blaming teacher unions for failing 6 million children who attend public school across the state, the majority of whom are Latino.

Citing statistics published by the California Department of Education, Elder said only 28% of Latino public school students meet or exceed state math standards while 60% of Latino students do not meet state reading standards.

This is not acceptable, he said.

Elder argued that families should be able to embrace all the school-choice opportunities that will move Latino students forward, along with African American students, who suffer the same type of fate.
Parents of school-age children are increasingly anxious as the new school year approaches. Indeed, amid new and recycled policies surrounding the COVID-19 Delta variant, battles with local public school bureaucracies are intensifying.

While most governors and state-level authorities have so far avoided reentering the fray with statewide masking and vaccination mandates for students, the pressure is mounting  especially from teachers unions. Earlier this month, Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf told school districts to make up their own mind. But Wolf changed his tune just days after Pennsylvania teachers unions called for mask mandates in all K-12 schools.

The media and academic world, meanwhile, continue to stoke fear to strengthen their case for stringent policies. If masks are optional, theyre not going to wear them, Penn State University professor Casey Pinto recently warned on the danger of schools as COVID-19 super-spreaders.

While some Pennsylvania school districts plan on voluntary masking this autumn, a growing number will impose strict masking policies regardless of vaccination status and despite the Delta variants posing little threat to those under age 18. And with the CDCs Delta-motivated flip on guidelines, the national media is even trumpeting calls for children to wear N95 masks all day.

Pennsylvania parents are vying for influence over how district bureaucrats and teachers unions will shape the school year. As the Bucks County Courier-Times recently reported, Parents on both sides of the issue are refusing to back down.

At a school board meeting in suburban Philadelphias Central Bucks, parents found themselves on opposite sides of masking rules. The media wants you to believe that we are a ticking time bomb of death, said Donna Sheenan, a Doylestown resident.

Another Central Bucks parent, Liz Dooley, remarked, I dont see why we cant continue to wear a mask for a few more months just to protect people who really need it.

Even as parents debate policies surrounding in-person education throughout Pennsylvania and around the country, the potential for school shutdowns looms large. While studies abound showing the alarming emotional and academic setbacks that students have suffered since last year  especially low-income and minority students  both the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) are preparing for a return to remote instruction. AFT president Randi Weingarten hedged her bets last month, telling MSNBC that were going to try to open up schools, making clear that reopening was not guaranteed.

Instead of backing down, Pennsylvania parents are fighting for in-person education, using what they view as the most effective tool at their disposal: political spending.

Since the last school year ended, we have been preparing for the possibility of additional school closures this fall, said Clarice Schillinger, executive director of the Back to School PA political action committee.

Formed by concerned parents at a kitchen table, Back to Schools mission is to elect school board candidates committed to keeping classrooms open.

Every child in Pennsylvania deserves a proper education, and to ensure that happens weve got to keep these schools open, said Schillinger. We know it can be done safely, as we saw last year when most private and many public schools around the world were in-person full time.

It remains to be seen how successful these parents will be at influencing public school policies and elections. Its already clear, though, that parents are pushing back against the domineering public school bureaucracy and embracing the notion that they should be the determining voice in their childrens education.

National polling shows increased support for education policies that allow funding to follow students wherever they go. Last year, an American Federation for Children poll showed 69% approval of school choice among all voters. June numbers show that this approval has grown to 74%. Responding to this rapidly growing support, 18 states have enacted 30 new or expanded educational choice programs this year.

Pennsylvania, as a microcosm of the United States, mirrors this demand. A 12-month tracking poll shows 65% of adults  and 73% of parents  support education savings accounts that would give parents control over educational funding. And last year, virtual charter schools saw an incredible 59% enrollment increase due to the pandemic.

As the Keystone State navigates dramatic changes to its educational system, the power remains in the hands of bureaucrats instead of parents  but even high-ranking officials cant deny the need for options. At a Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee hearing, chairman Scott Martin asked state Education Secretary Noe Ortega what he would tell families unhappy with their local schools COVID policies. Ortega, a Democrat and stalwart supporter of teachers unions, replied to the straightforward question with a double negative: Were never going to not encourage folks to take advantage of the options in front of them.

The right answer  the one that an increasing number of parents wants to hear  is that the government will start removing roadblocks so that they can choose the education they want for their own children.
An academy has launched to help farmers get to grips with livestock enterprise management solutions  from implementation on farm to levelling up their digital record keeping and insight-driven decision making.

The Academy, run by agri-tech company AgriWebb, is an education programme that upskills farm owners, managers and employees, so that their business can achieve more with digital.

It consists of a series of online courses based on AgriWebb features, that will support users to increase their knowledge and optimise their adoption of livestock enterprise management technology.

For larger enterprises, the AgriWebb Academy helps to ensure that all staff are using the programme to its full potential.

AgriWebb, launched in the UK last year, now has more than 1,400 users on over 850 UK farms, spanning large enterprise operations to individual farm businesses.

It seeks to enable farmers to uncover powerful insights from on-farm data, transforming everyday information into a clear path to future success.

With more actionable insights in their hands, farmers can use AgriWebb to increase the profitability, efficiency, and overall sustainability of their farming enterprise.

Initial AgriWebb data from the past 30 days shows that completion of the Academy courses builds livestock farmers ability and confidence to use digital on farm.

Individual animal setup and digital record keeping increased 180% among users who have completed the training.

Beth Cambidge, customer success manager at AgriWebb said: We want to support more UK farmers to build their digital skills, to increase profitability and utilise farm data to help reduce their businesss carbon footprint.

"With the Academy, current users can expand their knowledge at their own pace, while new users will quickly master the facets of AgriWebb that are most relevant to them.

What courses does the Academy cover?

 Farm Mapping  successful farm management is centred around every farms map. Learn how to mark out paddocks for your property and add farm infrastructure.

 User Management  adding staff and trusted advisors to a farm management platform helps farmers to reap more dividends across their operation.

 Task Management  understand how to manage day-to-day operations with GPS-enabled tasks and streamlined staff management to increase productivity.

 Flock and Herd Management  record animal management practices at flock and herd level as they happen. Understand how to track livestock movements with a simple drag-and-drop method offline, in the paddock.

 Individual Animal Management  learn how to set up livestock with their unique ID tags and interpret the data to uncover more opportunities to improve productivity and profitability. Support environmental sustainability by eliminating underperforming animals.

 Inventory Management and Reporting  learn how to keep track of animal treatments and chemical inventory, logging batch numbers, withholding and expiry dates to stay compliant. Plus, how farm management software can help you to be prepared for on farm audits with accurate and simplified reports.
Farmers in Northern Ireland are being reminded that the closing date for the fifth tranche of the Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) Wider level is just days away.

The scheme offers the opportunity to carry out environmental works on farms, such as creating buffers for watercourses and planting hedges and trees.

Farmers can choose up to four options from the seventeen General Wider Options, and they may also choose any, or all, of the three Stand Alone Options.

The scheme's agreements will start in the new year and run for five years to 31 December 2026.

All environmental work undertaken by farmers is fully funded through the scheme.

The Department of Agriculture (DAERA) has confirmed the closing date for applications is midnight on Friday 10 September 2021.

A spokesperson said: There is usually a last minute rush to make applications in time for this scheme and we would urge potential applicants to submit applications early.

Amendments can be made up to the closing deadline if necessary, but submitting early avoids the risk of missing out due to potential issues with internet service or power disruptions.

Applications can only be made online but help is available through the EFS Helpline number 0300 200 7842.
Mexico has officially opened its doors to British pork for the first time in a deal that could be worth 50 million over the first five years of trade.

It follows over four years of negotiations and inspections by the Mexican National Department for Health, Safety and Agricultural and Food Quality (SENASICA).

The body inspected numerous UK premises, which led to a decision to approve four processing facilities and four associated cold stores in England and Wales.

Mexico is the second Latin American market open for British pork, after the Dominican Republic.

Global UK pork exports were worth over 421 million to the economy in 2020, reaching 75 export markets worldwide.

According to the AHDB, access to the Mexican market alone is estimated to be worth 50m to UK pork producers over the first five years of trade.

The development will be seen as positive news for UK food and drink exports, following access given for UK beef to the US, UK poultry, beef and lamb to Japan, and pork to Taiwan.

Defra Secretary of State George Eustice said it was 'great' to see another market open its doors to 'high quality, high welfare UK produce'.

Access to the Mexican market, with its substantial demand for high-quality pork, will be a welcome boost for our pig farmers and producers.

This is a significant development, which will reinforce our global reputation for quality food and drink."

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss added that the development was a 'huge win' for the country's farmers and food producers.

British businesses can look forward to the benefits of a new and ambitious trade agreement with Mexico which we will be negotiating this year," she said.

Pork will join a broad range of livestock genetics that the UK already successfully exports to Mexico.

Access for bovine embryos was secured in 2020, joining bovine semen, a market worth over 130,000 annually over the last five years. Consequently, UK cattle breeds are helping to develop Mexican herds.

In addition, the UK has a well-established ovine genetics export market, with award-winning rams and ewes being bred in Mexico.
UK scientists will investigate adopting a technique to speed up Miscanthus breeding in an effort to meet climate change targets.

Researchers at Aberystwyth University will make the case for integrating a technique called genomic selection into the Miscanthus breeding programme.

Miscanthus is a highly productive perennial grass that requires very low inputs and is being bred by scientists in Aberystwyth as a biomass crop.

It produces 12-15 tonnes of biomass each year even when grown on land that is less suitable for food production.

The crop is harvested in spring and the biomass is currently sent to power stations to produce renewable electricity.

Plant breeding is a process of crossing parent plants that have specific desirable traits, in order to create offspring with improved traits.

In the case of Miscanthus, these traits include yield of biomass, ability to withstand drought and frost, and suitability for growing with low nutrient inputs.

The project is part of a 4 million UK government package to boost biomass production, which was announced last week.

Dr Judith Thornton from Aberystwyth University explained that genomic selection was a way of accelerating a key stage of the breeding process.

"The idea is to create a model of how molecular markers in the plant genome are associated with physical characteristics in the adult plant," she added.

"We would then use this model to predict how good a plant will be, whilst it is still a seedling, instead of having to wait for it to mature into an adult plant.

"This would allow us to speed up the development of new Miscanthus varieties that are high yielding and suitable for a range of environmental conditions and future climate scenarios."

Dr Thornton added: "Miscanthus biomass can provide not only renewable electricity but also the negative emissions needed to decarbonise the economy.

"If we can improve the varieties of Miscanthus available on the market, the job of meeting carbon budgets will be made much easier."
UK food and drink exports to the EU have fallen more than a quarter since 2019 due to the impacts of the pandemic and new Brexit trading arrangements.

Overall sales of UK food and drink are down 2bn compared to pre-Covid levels due mainly to the sharp drop in sales to the EU, according to new figures by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

Exports to nearly all EU member states have fallen significantly, including a loss of more than 0.5bn in sales to Ireland, while sales to Germany, Spain and Italy are each down around a half since H1 2019.

The loss of UK exports to the EU contributed to reduced demand for EU ingredients for use in UK manufacturing, while import substitution by UK manufacturers and retailers also had an impact.

Imports from the EU are likely to deteriorate further in 2022 after the UKs full border controls are in place, the FDF explained in its report.

Products of animal original were heavily impacted, with a large fall in imports of pork (-19.6%), cheese (-17.6%) and chicken (-17.9%).

Despite this, sales of UK food and drink to non-EU countries were up 13%, accounting for 47% (4.3bn) of all UK food and drink exports in the first half of 2021.

This was driven by a return to growth in China, Singapore, Australia, Japan and the Gulf region, an increase which means that non-EU exports are now almost back to pre-Covid levels.

But while the FDF's head of international trade Dominic Goudie said this return to growth in exports to non-EU markets was 'welcome news', it did not make up for the 'disastrous' loss of 2bn in sales to the EU.

"It clearly demonstrates the serious difficulties manufacturers in our industry continue to face and the urgent need for additional specialist support," he said.

At the same time, we are seeing labour shortages across the UK's farm-to-fork food and drink supply chain, resulting in empty spaces on UK shop shelves, disruptions to deliveries and decreased production.

"Unless steps are taken to address these issues, the ability of businesses to fulfil vital export orders will be impacted.
NFU Scotland has written to the UK government calling for 'immediate action' as the labour crisis affecting the agricultural, food and drink sectors deepens.

In its letter to Kevin Foster MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Future Borders and Immigration, the union highlighted the 'huge losses' some firms are experiencing.

A shortage of both permanent and seasonal workers, combined with a lack of haulage drivers and processing staff, is currently having a detrimental impact on businesses in Scotland.

In the letter, NFU Scotland called for a 12-month Covid recovery visa for the supply chain to deal with these pressures on the industry and allow employers to expand recruitment to EU and other overseas workers.

It also asked the UK government to commission an urgent review by the Migration Advisory Committee on the needs of the agricultural, food and drink sectors.

In the past week, food and drink organisations have written to both UK and Scottish governments calling for action on tackling the labour crisis ahead of the crucial Christmas season.

It comes as Scottish grower co-operative East of Scotland Growers recently described how labour and haulage issues had already seen four million heads of broccoli and cauliflower wasted.

Andrew Faichney, Managing Director, said: "Our losses to date are somewhere in the region of 2,500,000 heads of broccoli and 1,500,000 heads of cauliflower  half of which will have been harvested then dumped out of store, with the other half being ploughed in.

"Ignoring harvesting, haulage, and packaging, this carries a direct growing cost of somewhere in the region of 1.1 million.

"This cost will continue to rise as we go through this week until the freezing of our crops can begin."

NFU Scotland president Martin Kennedy urged the UK government to act as the current disruption would 'only worsen'.

"The ramifications are already in plain sight, focussed on empty supermarket shelves, and the impacts are now being felt by consumers," he said.

The implications of this ongoing shortage for business and the economy have been steadily building and the impact can no longer be absorbed by farmers and the food and drink industry.

NFU Scotland calls on government to take immediate action on labour to ensure that agriculture can continue to sustainably produce high quality food and drink for our country and our exports.

"This is vital for our farmers, rural communities, the wider supply chain and for our consumers.
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We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
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A lot has been talked about Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer Tiger 3. The team was shooting in Russia and now comes the turn of the baddie of the film  Emraan Hashmi to join the team.



Emraan Hashmi is said to be the negative character in Tiger 3 who will lock horns with Salman Khan for the first time and has bulked up his body for it. However neither the makers nor the actor has confirmed about him being a part of the film, but today he drops yet another hint. Emraan Hashmi shared a selfie at wee hours on social media where we see him at the airport in a black tee and with a sexy pair of shades. The actor has captioned this picture saying, Catching a red eye flight to !! . Now that's a stylish way to announce your departure for Turkey.







Salman Khan and Katrina who were shooting for Tiger 3 in Russia, have just moved to Turkey for their next schedule. No wonder even Emraan Hashmi is moving to the same spot. According to reports in E Times, the team will shoot in Istanbul and will have some high octane action-sequences. Now we cant wait to see some pictures of Emraan and Salman from the set that can create a rage on social media.





From the films Russia schedule, several pictures went online where Salman Khan was seen in an unrecognizable avatar. The film is directed by Band Baaja Baaraat fame Maneesh Sharma.



View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emraan Hashmi (@therealemraan)




Sophia Bush, Martin Sheen, and Yalitza Aparicio Martinez to Join ILO Director Guy Ryder, Brid Gould of Sodexo, Saadia Zahidi of the World Economic Forum, and Sharan Burrow of ITUC on Stage with Workers

Worldwide, Sept. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Essential workers from North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia will meet with global business and government leaders to discuss a framework for a just economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the first global summit of its kind Sept. 8-10.

Days before world representatives gather for the United Nations General Assembly, the Essential for Recovery Summit will center the demands of care workers and the 61% of workers worldwide who work in the informal economy, including domestic workers, agricultural workers, street vendors, and home-based workers.

Click here for the full release in English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Hindi. (https://essentialforrecovery.org/press/)

Follow this link to register for the summit. (https://essentialforrecovery.org/)

"Essential workers deserve more than our praise. They deserve our action. They have taken care of us-and ensured that others were fed and cared for-at great risk and cost to their lives, and now world leaders must take action to make sure it's not just the privileged or well-connected who get to recover," said Sophia Bush, a prominent American actress and social activist working to protect and advance women's and girls' rights globally, who will serve as the host of the event.

Despite the life-threatening disparities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, workers around the world continue to fight for their rights in the workplace: far too many workers continue to endure limited access to healthcare, lack of social protections, dangerous work conditions including exposure to COVID-19, and frequent harassment and violence while working.

In conversations with cultural influencers like Martin Sheen and Yalitza Aparicio Martinez, and powerhouse leaders of worker movements like Ai-jen Poo in the U.S., Myrtle Witbooi in South Africa, and Carmen Britez in Argentina, essential workers will discuss the necessity for an ambitious social contract that puts the wellbeing of workers at the heart of government spending and corporate behavior, rather than piecemeal interventions or austerity measures similar to those that followed the collapse of financial markets in 2008.

###

About Essential For Recovery:

The Essential for Recovery Summit is led by non-profit labor organizations - including HomeNet International, International Domestic Workers' Federation, International Trade Union Confederation, Solidarity Center, StreetNet International, UNI Global Union, and Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing- and supported by the Open Society Foundations.
LAWSUIT FILED: JTR Transportation Corp. Sued For Injuries Caused By August 14th Thruway Rollover. Supreme Court Westchester County Index No. 61952/2021

Manhattan, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2021) - New York Personal Injury Attorney Glenn A. Herman has filed a lawsuit against JTR Transportation Corp and the driver of one of their buses after an accident caused 57 hospitalizations. Because the total cost of the plaintiffs' injuries exceeds the jurisdiction of lower courts, the lawsuit has been filed with the Supreme Court of the State of New York.

Anyone who was injured as a result of the August 14th accident is encouraged to contact Mr. Herman's law firm to learn more about how they can recover the cost of the injuries and losses suffered as a result of the accident.

What is this lawsuit about?

On August 14th at approximately 12:30pm, a tour bus operated by JTR Transportation Corp rolled off of the highway, reportedly due to the driver's inattention and lack of training. The tour bus was on its way to Niagara Falls. 57 people, including the driver, were taken to the hospital with serious injuries as a result of the accident.

The accident occurred on westbound I-90 (the New York State Thruway) near exit 40. The bus landed on its side on the westbound side of the highway. First responders reported that all of the vehicle's windows were blown out.

"You could tell when you saw the tracks it left that the bus had been on quite a ride. I've been doing this for 30 years. This is something I have never seen in terms of the number of people injured," Port Byron Fire Chief Corey Rooker told syracuse.com (1).

Who is eligible for compensation?

Anyone who was injured as a result of the turnover may be eligible for compensation. This means that any of the passengers of the tour should contact an attorney as soon as possible to discuss their legal options.

"The preliminary reports from some of the passengers have indicated that there were no other vehicles involved in this terrifying crash. While other causes cannot be ruled out at this time, driver negligence is most likely the cause of the bus going off the highway and overturning. In these types of cases, the issue of legal liability, or responsibility, lies with the bus company, who is responsible for the actions of the driver. Therefore, the passengers only need to show the extent of their harms and losses to obtain a financial recovery," Glenn Herman, New York City Bus Accident Attorney stated.

Contact Herman & Herman PC Personal Injury Attorneys

Each year, millions of people in the United States are injured in accidents. Many of these accidents are unfortunately caused by preventable carelessness. The law protects those harmed by negligent parties and allows the injured person to seek compensation for their suffering. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident resulting from negligence or intentional harm, you may be entitled to receive just compensation for your physical, psychological and economic injuries.

Glenn & Robin Herman take the time to properly evaluate all of the details of each case to ensure that all of their clients receive the compensation they deserve. The law firm is dedicated to obtaining the very best recovery possible for you through experienced, professional and aggressive representation.

https://hermannyc.com/free-case-consultation/





Glenn A. Herman

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MANHATTAN

589 8th Avenue,

21st Floor, Suite D, New York, NY 10018

T: 212-966-1928

For information related to this lawsuit and or other questions, media contact:

RJ

212-966-1928

Sources:

1) https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/investigators-describe-chaotic-scene-of-ny-thruway-tour-bus-crash/3222102/

Attorney Advertising. The information on this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls and e-mails regarding your individual situation. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Some cases may be handled with co-counsel.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95257
DAESUNG, one of the world's leading companies specialized in automated system of agriculture, announced that it has decided to exhibit its SMARTHIVE automated Hive Controller at the AGRI WEEK TOKYO 2021, the largest agricultural trade show in Japan, and CES 2022. The SMARTHIVE Hive Controller was honored with the Innovation Awards at the CES 2021.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210901005494/en/

DAESUNG SMARTHIVE Automated Hive Controller which was honored with the Innovation Awards at the CES 2021 will be exhibited at the AGRI WEEK TOKYO 2021 and CES 2022. The SMARTHIVE Hive Controller is a portable smart beekeeping system that safely takes out honeycombs from beehives, brushes bees and stacks honeycombs outside beehives in approximately a minute. It boasts a lightweight of 9 kg without corrosion, and even a novice can use it alone to extract honey as its operation method is simple. Using this automated hive controller, beekeeping farms in Korea could reduce working time by 50% compared to the existing products, and it enabled one to extract honey alone. The Controller was highly evaluated at international trade shows, pitchings and IR held in 2021. The company continues to attain significant achievements, including signing the MOU with the Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Since its launch in 2021, the automated Hive Controller of DAESUNG has been recognized by beekeeping farms in Korea for its efficiency and technological capability. Headquartered in Jeonju with production facilities in Daejeon, DAESUNG is constantly developing smarter beekeeping systems as a leading bee farming equipment manufacturer.

The SMARTHIVE Hive Controller is a portable smart beekeeping system that safely takes out honeycombs from beehives, brushes bees and stacks honeycombs outside beehives in approximately a minute. It boasts a light weight of 9 kg without corrosion, and even a novice can use it alone to extract honey as its operation method is simple. Furthermore, it can be used for any beehives with identical widths though their sizes are different. For the power supply, both an adapter and battery pack (optional) can be used.

Using this automated hive controller, beekeeping farms in Korea could reduce working time by 50% compared to the existing products, and it enabled one to extract honey alone.

As two brushes attached inside the equipment and their front/rear covers can be easily removed, one can clean and sanitize them in a speedy and convenient way after use. And its waterproof feature allows one to wash inside the product with water.

The automated Hive Controller of DAESUNG was highly evaluated at international trade shows, pitchings and IR held in 2021. Among others, at the VIVA TECH 2021 held in France, Yann Gozlan, President of Creative Valley, commented "DAESUNG's technology is very impressive. It is an important technology that attracts our attention." The company continues to attain significant achievements, including signing the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia.

In addition, DAESUNG also provides an automated smart beehive gate featuring the function of detecting hornets. The automated beehive gate reduces inconveniences of opening and closing a large number of beehive entrances manually that takes over one hour on average in doing so for some 200 beehives. While opening and closing beehive entrances are simple works, they should be repeated numerous times, requiring significant time and workforce for large beekeeping farms, small and mid-sized farms as well as urban bee farms.

The Automated Beehive Gate of DAESUNG can be controlled remotely using an application on a smartphone. The application is able to control individual beehive entrances separately or multiple entrances simultaneously. Its automatic remote-control feature and that of pre-setting operation time add convenience in use. Coupled with the hornet sensor applied vision technology, it enables to prevent damages on bees by automatically closing beehive entrances when the sensor detects any hornets.

As it allows for deploying and linking with beehive water feeder and pollen trap, which are used to be installed at an entrance of beehives, the Automated Beehive Gate of DAESUNG is an innovative product that maximizes efficiency by adding smart technologies to beekeeping.

Innovative beekeeping technologies of DAESUNG can be found at AGRI WEEK TOKYO 2021, and for more information on DAESUNG, please visit its website or YouTube channel.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210901005494/en/

Contacts:

DAESUNG

Hyuk Jeong

+82-10-5937-4504

ceo@smarthive.co.kr
HONG KONG, Sept 2, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - The office of the future must be an inspiring physical space that facilitates communication, cooperation and collaboration in order to encourage employees to come into the office, according to the latest case study by The Executive Centre ("TEC"), the leading premium flexible workspace and Standard Chartered Bank.Modern technology and globalised communication systems have allowed us to become a more agile and mobile workforce, and these trends have accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The workforce culture today is increasingly championing flexible working practices as the Future of Work. Standard Chartered Bank is leading the shift for multinational corporates towards adopting a flexible work culture through an extensive review and analysis of their portfolio and employee needs.Sheridan Perkins, Property Program Director of Future Workplace, Now at Standard Chartered Bank said, "Initially, we assumed maybe 50% of our employees wanted Flex, but actually from our survey we found that over 75% wanted it. Typically, this was 2-3 days at home and 2-3 days at the office or a third space. Despite some regional nuances, this finding was reasonably consistent across all regions."The case study reviews the learnings from Standard Chartered Bank's exercise and provides a roadmap for other organisations that realise the value of flexibility but find it challenging to create an architecture to empower change.One of the key learnings is that for companies to successfully transition towards flexible working practices, they need to understand their business requirements and priorities first, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution. They must also interview and collaborate with their employees extensively, conduct research to make informed decisions, seek external consultations from multiple industry partners, and understand where their operations need to be geographically and how the occupants will use that space. While the company approach must be tailored, there were three factors that all companies should consider in their workplace strategy: Physical, Digital and Social.-- Physical transformation: As people will be coming into the workplace to perform activities that they cannot do at home, office design will become one that facilitates communication, cooperation and collaboration.-- Digital transformation: With an increasing demand to work flexibly and remotely, technology and digitalisation of workflows will play a pivotal role in enabling day to day productivity.-- Social transformation: As the office will become a place where employees choose to work from, greater incentives will be needed to attract people into the office.For its Greater Bay Area location, Standard Chartered Bank realised it required private office spaces andmeeting rooms in a CBD location which would allow for multiple business units to operate, and a flexibility to scale up or down as their business needs changed. The Executive Centre's flexible workspace solution gave them the ability to mitigate their risks and reduce costs while remaining in the heart of Guangzhou's central business district."As a solution, flexible workspaces provide ready to use, fully furnished and serviced workspaces for the headcount that's needed at hand. This ability to scale up or down or move locations at relatively short notice is a highly intelligent way for companies to address their workspace requirements," said Paul Salnikow, Founder & CEO of The Executive Centre.Shelley Boland, Head of Property Asia Pacific, Standard Chartered Bank added, "The talent of the future are expecting flex; whether that's flexible work hours or locations. Successful adopters of flex will be those that have the foresight to model and visualise how workplace changes may affect business outcomes, operations and employees, and be agile enough to constantly evolve their workspace to those needs. We see flexible office spaces playing a greater role in that strategy."See the full case study from the below link for more insights and best practices from Standard Chartered Bank and The Executive Centre's Future of Work collaboration.https://tinyurl.com/3vkbezynAbout The Executive CentreThe Executive Centre (TEC) opened its doors in Hong Kong in 1994 and today boasts over 150+ centres in 32 cities and 14 markets. It is the third largest serviced office business in Asia with annual turnover in excess of US$237 million.The Executive Centre caters to ambitious professionals and industry leaders looking for more than just an office space - they are looking for a place for their organisation to thrive. TEC has cultivated an environment designed for success with a global network spanning Greater China, Southeast Asia, North Asia, India, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, and Australia, with sights to go further and grow faster. Each Executive Centre offers a prestigious address with the advanced infrastructure to pre-empt, meet, and exceed the needs of its Members. Walking with Members through every milestone and achievement, The Executive Centre empowers ambitious professionals and organisations to succeed.Privately owned and headquartered in Hong Kong, TEC provides first class Private and Shared Workspaces, Business Concierge Services, and Meeting & Conference facilities to suit any business' needs.For more information please visit www.executivecentre.comPress EnquiriesFinsbury Glover HeringSheena Shah / Crystal ChowSheena.Shah@fgh.com / +852 3166 9855Crystal.Chow@fgh.com / +852 3166 9838Source: The Executive CentreCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
SYDNEY, Australia, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arowana's private credit investment arm has reached an agreement with ICAM Duxton STC Holdings Pty Ltd ("ICAM" or "the Borrower") regarding the early settlement of its secured infrastructure debt facility for the Lucky Bay Port in South Australia. This has enabled co-investors with Arowana to realise a return in excess of the target IRR of 15%.



Lucky Bay provides an alternative grain supply channel for grain growers and other commodity suppliers on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. It is run by ICAM Duxton Port Infrastructure Trust (IDPIT) with ICAM as the fund manager and T-Ports as the operator, specialising in innovative logistical solutions for the export of Australian commodities. T-Ports was established by IDPIT in 2018 to initiate construction and project management of the Lucky Bay Port Facility development, with ICAM securing private debt and equity capital. The Lucky Bay Port generates road freight savings for grain growers from the Eyre Peninsula of up to $15 per tonne and 4,600 tonnes of CO2 emission savings annually.

Kevin Chin, Founder and CEO of Arowana, commented, "We are pleased to have had the opportunity to provide financial support for the development and growth of a pioneering and innovative port infrastructure project in Lucky Bay, South Australia. During the process, we were very impressed with how the ICAM and T-Ports management teams relentlessly overcame challenges posed by unexpected weather conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic in particular. As a B Corp as well as being seasoned operators who understand business challenges, we were happy to be a responsible and reasonable lending partner during challenging episodes. We would like to congratulate them on the successful close of their recent equity raising and we will be willing them every success going forward."

ICAM's Managing Director, Freddy Bartlett said, "Our team has shared a close working and commercial relationship with the team at Arowana in bringing this greenfield port infrastructure project to operational completion. This combined group has collaborated to work through the hurdles of a new start up infrastructure entity and the recent global challenges posed by COVID. We are extremely appreciative of the continued support from Arowana in helping to bring this South Australian port towards its ultimate growth potential."

"This transaction showcases the mutual success that can be achieved through close collaboration, open communication, and a deep understanding of the transaction's operating and financial conditions and constraints which serve as a crucible for innovation in response to the inevitable challenges that no investment is immune to. It has been a pleasure to work with the ICAM and T Ports management teams," said Johann Kenny, a senior director at Arowana who oversaw the investment and led the negotiations on the early settlement.

About Arowana

Arowana is a global B Corp certified group that has a number of operating companies and investments, including in electric vehicles, renewable energy, vocational & professional education, technology and software, venture capital and impact asset management. Arowana's purpose is to grow people, companies and value.

About ICAM

ICAM is an alternative investments fund manager specialising in off-market sourcing, structuring and active management of real estate and infrastructure assets.

ICAM has an institutional grade investment team bringing a sound investment philosophy, strong commercially focused risk adjusted investment process, proven strategy and an attractive track record. ICAM specialises in the investment and management of real assets in sectors such as commercial office, strategic retail, mixed use development, seniors living and port infrastructure investments.


Overview of a Car Carrier



NYK's LNG fueled car carrier SAKURA LEADER



System overview

TOKYO, Sept 2, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), a major global shipping company, today announced the introduction of Fujitsu's quantum-inspired Digital Annealer technology to significantly streamline complex stowage planning for car carriers, leveraging the technology's world-class combinatorial optimization capabilities. The Digital Annealer will play a role in automating aspects of the stowage planning process for NYK's dedicated car carriers, an enormously complex task involving a vast number of possible stowage patterns depending on the number of vehicles loaded, models of vehicles, and the number of ports called along the shipping route. After successful initial tests, Fujitsu and NYK have launched a real-world operational trial of the technology on September 1st with an aim to commence full-scale operational use in April 2022.In initial tests, NYK contributed its decades of industry experience to work with Fujitsu to develop a new algorithm for the Digital Annealer, which the partners leveraged to successfully reduce the time it takes to create a stowage plan for a dedicated car carrier from 6 hours to 2.5 hours per ship. The companies anticipate that this will result in a potential reduction of 4,000 working hours per year, allow for agile responses to sudden changes in plans, and prevent variations in stowage plan quality from person to person based on their relative experience and skill.Moving forward, Fujitsu and NYK will continue working together to further improve the system by increasing processing speed and improving the accuracy of output results during trial operations. The two companies ultimately aim to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the automobile shipping supply chain, improving the efficiency of cargo handling and ship operations to contribute to the realization of a more sustainable future.BackgroundNYK operates a global automobile shipping business that links Japan and other parts of the world--each ship in its fleet of car carriers holds more than several thousand vehicles. Cars are loaded one by one onto these car carriers at predetermined distance in accordance with a prepared stowage plan. When a car carrier with a maximum loading capacity of about 7,000 cars and 12 decks loads and unloads more than 60 types of cars of different heights and widths while calling at more than 10 ports, for instance, the number of possible patterns for loading and unloading can exceed 10 to the 2,000th power. Planners face many complexities and challenges when creating stowage plans that can satisfy conditions including how to load vehicles at a loading ratio close to the maximum capacity of the ship or how to secure enough space on the ship to safely load and unload the car carriers.Traditionally, professional planners can only successfully create these plans after gaining considerable experience and mastering stowage patterns and arrangement methods to create stowage plans that fulfill these rigorous standards. Nevertheless, issues including individual differences in the quality of stowage plans due to the relative experience and skills of each planner, as well as significant increases in workload arising from alterations to stowage plans due to sudden changes in conditions, mean that it can take up to six hours to create a plan for just one vessel, posing an ongoing challenge to efforts to streamline the process.Fujitsu's Digital Annealer Dramatically Streamlines Stowage PlanningIn order to solve these problems, NYK has introduced Fujitsu's Digital Annealer to help optimize its stowage planning. Fujitsu's Digital Annealer is a computing architecture inspired by quantum phenomena, offering users the ability to rapidly solve complex combinatorial optimization problems at speeds significantly faster than general purpose computers and without the added complications and costs typically associated with quantum computing methods. With the introduction of the Digital Annealer, Fujitsu built a cloud-based system that automatically completes the work of planning the optimum stowage position of a vehicle that takes into account of various conditions, which is the most important task of creating a stowage plan. This is accomplished by drawing on information from NYK's internal systems on the size of vehicles to be loaded and the port to be loaded, and using the Digital Annealer to solve the problem, a process that takes approximately 30 minutes.In preliminary trials prior to the introduction of this system, Fujitsu and NYK were able to reduce the work required by experienced planners to create a loading plan from as much as six hours per vessel to about 2.5 hours.The companies anticipate that this will enable planners to reduce their stowage planning time by 4,000 hours or more per year, resulting in a possible expansion of business opportunities arising from the speed of decision making, as well as significant effects such as enabling planners to more efficiently respond to sudden changes in plans and reducing the variability of stowage planning quality due to differences in planner experience.Future PlansNYK is promoting the further improvement of highly safe navigation and efficiency through the digitization of ships, as well as the reduction of environmental impact in accordance with its concept of "Digitalization and Green", in order to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the future, NYK aims to improve efficiencies in cargo handling operations by creating higher precision loading plans by deepening synergies between the newly developed system and its individual in-house systems.Fujitsu will continue to play an active role in NYK's digitization efforts, delivering new value and the enhancement of competitiveness in all industries through Digital Annealer and the achievement of the SDGs for society as a whole.(1) quantum-inspired technology:A number of acceleration technologies inspired by quantum technology, but not quantum effects.Fujitsu's Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 represent a set of common goals to be achieved worldwide by 2030. Fujitsu's purpose -- "to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation"--is a promise to contribute to the vision of a better future empowered by the SDGs.About NYKNippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) was founded in 1885 and is one of the world's leading transportation companies. At the end of March 2020, the NYK Group was operating 784 major ocean vessels, as well as fleets of planes and trucks. The NYK Group is based in Tokyo, employs about 35,000 people worldwide, and has regional headquarters in London, New York / New Jersey, Singapore, and Shanghai. On February 3 2021, NYK announced the NYK Group ESG Story, which aims to further integrate ESG into the company's management strategy. In order to continue to be a corporate group that remains essential to society and industry, the NYK Group aims to be a sustainable solution provider that creates new value while maximizing profits and achieving social and environmental sustainability from a long-term perspective.For more information go to www.nyk.comAbout FujitsuFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 126,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (US$34 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.Source: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
The fresh capital will help enhance Skit's voice technology, developing personalised solutions while making strategic headway in global markets, like the US

WestBridge Capital joins existing investors, including Exfinity Ventures and Kalaari Capital, amongst others, to accelerate the company's rapid growth

NEW YORK and BANGALORE, India, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading voice AI company, Skit formerly known as Vernacular.ai, has secured USD 23 million as part of its Series B funding, to fuel the next level of growth and product evolution. The investment was led by WestBridge Capital with participation from Kalaari Capital and Exfinity Ventures, Angelist syndicate led by Aaryaman Vir Shah from Prophetic Ventures and Letsventure syndicate led by Sense AI. The capital will be used for sales & marketing, building delivery capabilities, R&D to speed up innovation and further enhance the company's products while expanding globally.

The fundraising follows a Series A announcement in May 2020, led by Exfinity Ventures and Kalaari Capital, AngelList, with IAN Fund and LetsVenture also participating in the round. This Series B funding brings the startup's total raise to USD 30 million. The company plans to double down and scale operations in both Indian and global markets. Since the last fundraise, Skit has been able to increase its revenue and customer growth by over 4x building a strong partner network across industries such as banking, insurance, ecommerce, consumer durables, travel & logistics, among others. The company has strengthened its workforce by over 6x to prepare for future growth.

Commenting on the capital raise, Sourabh Gupta, CEO and Co-founder of Skit said, "This investment comes when we are making strategic inroads into the US and SouthEast Asian markets. Clients and investors alike have recognized the uniqueness and superiority of our product and continue to show confidence in our growth path. The global contact center market size is expected to grow steadily and reach a value of 496 billion US dollars by 2027. To address this sizable growth, we at Skit are using voice bot innovation and our market observations to personalize caller experiences at customer contact centers, and deliver upto 50% cost reduction and superior customer experience. We are driven by the passion of our clients and our team to change the way businesses interact with their customers."

"We are delighted to back Sourabh and Akshay as they continue to help global companies transform how customer service is delivered. Skit's success in helping India's largest companies, positions them well to enter the US market where there is a massive need for voice AI solutions," stated Sashi Reddi, Venture Advisor to Westbridge Capital.

With the fresh funding, Skit will potentially address the over $300 billion voice customer service market globally with its AI-based voice automation platform - Vernacular Intelligent Voice Assistant (VIVA). VIVA helps enterprises improve engagement strategies by utilizing speech recognition and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) technology. With over 10 million hours of training data, VIVA has been deployed to help enterprises boost customer stickiness and loyalty through a deep understanding of the customer's context and intent. Skit was founded in 2016 by IIT Roorkee alumnus, Sourabh Gupta and Akshay Deshraj.

About Skit

Skit is an AI-first SaaS voice automation company. Its suite of speech and language solutions enable enterprises to automate their call center operations. With over 10 million hours of training data, its product - Vernacular Intelligent Voice Assistant (VIVA) can currently respond in over 16+ languages, covering over 160+ dialects and replicating human-like conversations. Skit serves a variety of enterprise clients across diverse sectors such as banking and financial services, including insurance, securities and NBFCs, food and beverage, ecommerce, automotive, and travel and tourism. Few prominent clients include Axis Bank, Hathway, Porter and Barbeque Nation. In May 2020, the Bangalore based start-up secured its Series A funding of USD 5.1 million and recently raised a Series B round of USD 23 million, and has grown to over 150 employees. The company has been featured as one of the top-notch start-ups in the Cisco Launchpad's Cohort 6, and is a part of the World Economic Forum's Global Innovators Community. The voice AI leader has also been listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia start-ups 2021 for its remarkable industry innovation, and recently been awarded 'Tech Startup of the Year' in Artificial Intelligence 2021 by Entrepreneur India, further underscoring its market dominance and unparalleled expertise. The company is now expanding in the United States and Southeast Asian markets in a bid to take its unique platform to global enterprises.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1606721/Skit_Logo.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1606722/Sourabh_Gupta_and_Akshay_Deshraj.jpg
LONDON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- During a government programme, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit revealed that the construction of a state-of-the-art hospital has now been completed. The highly anticipated Marigot Hospital, which covers 40,000 square feet, will have a 75-bed capacity and host several high-quality facilities and services. This will include an ambulatory service, emergency care, intensive care, maternity and paediatric care, laboratory, radiology services and a trauma centre. The hospital will be a significant addition to Dominica, particularly during a time in which the world still grapples with COVID-19.

Prime Minister Skerrit described the hospital as an 'edifice of magnificence', noting that citizens in the district will benefit greatly from it: "We are now moving to have it furnished and put the equipment in," he said. "Very soon, we will move towards the formal commissioning of the hospital."

Funded by Dominica's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme, the hospital is part of its broader mission to strengthen its healthcare infrastructure. Aside from Marigot Hospital, Dominica's CBI Programme also funds several health centres across the island to provide essential services to local communities.

Access to high-quality healthcare services has become increasingly critical during the COVID-19 crisis, particularly as countries across the globe grapple with successive lockdowns and aggressive variants. This has led many high net-worth individuals to seek out countries that can provide additional security. CBI Programmes have become a popular route to achieving this as they give applicants a straightforward and swift path to second citizenship once investing in a country's economy.

Dominica's CBI Programme continues to be one of the most attractive options on the market. The annual CBI Index has ranked the programme as the world's best for the fifth consecutive year, citing reasons such as its transparency, affordability and efficient processing for its appeal amongst investors. Applicants can either contribute to the country's government fund or buy into pre-approved real estate options.

After undergoing the nation's multi-tiered vetting process, those that are successful gain access to increased travel freedom to over 140 countries, a second home in a stable democracy with strong ties to the United States, as well as the ability to pass citizenship down through descent.

+447867942505, pr@csglobalpartners.com, www.csglobalpartners.com
Beter Bed Holding N.V. (BBH) - the Netherlands' leading sleep specialist in retail, wholesale and B2B - today announces that Beter Bed, its Benelux brand, introduces a new proposition: Leazzzy, Beter Bed's sleep subscription. This next step in the subscription market is in line with BBH's strategy to increase its focus on innovations and the development of Sleep-as-a-Service.

Sleep easy, join Leazzzy

With Leazzzy, Beter Bed enters the subscription market. Via a monthly payment method, customers subscribe to a high-quality box spring. With this additional business model, Beter Bed will tap into a new customer segment: customers opting for monthly payment convenience, carefree sleeping, and additional services during the subscription period. Leazzzy will extend the Beter Bed customer base by capturing those customers that prefer not to make a one-off investment, but do value the importance of high-quality sleep.

This innovative concept is brought to market through a new online platform: www.leazzzy.nl . The platform allows customers to find more information about the service, and directly request a box spring lease subscription. Leazzzy is powered by Beter Bed and will therefore be displayed in the Beter Bed stores, and the first can be found in the experience store in Groningen. From the physical store, the customer is guided towards the online platform via a QR code, making optimal use of the power of an omni-channel customer journey.

Subscription and sustainability

The subscription model also provides significant benefits from a sustainability perspective: by including the retrieval and disposal of the product after the subscription period as part of its offering, the possibility for the product to reach the end of its lifetime and consequently ending up as waste is minimised. At the same time this opens up the ability to explore the refurbishment, reuse and recycle possibilities, and guarantee the best possible solution in line with BBH's CSR strategy.

John Kruijssen, CEO of BBH: "Leazzzy is a subscription model that builds long-term, dynamic customer relations. This allows us to provide additional services to improve the quality of sleep during the subscription period. Leazzzy's payment convenience ensures that "sleep better, live better" is available in a fitting format for everyone. We are happy to add this proposition to our current offering, as we know the positive impact of a good night's sleep on people's health and well-being."



About Beter Bed Holding

Beter Bed Holding (BBH) is the Netherlands' leading sleep specialist in retail, wholesale and B2B.

Our mission is simple. We believe that the better we sleep, the happier, healthier and more productive we are. And we won't rest until everyone gets the high-quality sleep they deserve.

Listed on Euronext Amsterdam, BBH operates the successful retail brands Beter Bed, Beddenreus and the new subscription brand Leazzzy.

In addition, through its subsidiary DBC International, BBH has a wholesale business in branded products in the bedroom furnishings sector, which includes the well-known international brand M line.

With 3 distribution centres, a fleet of 80 vehicles, 134 stores and a fast-growing online presence, our team of over 1,000 dedicated employees served nearly 200,000 customers in 2020, generating over  200 million in revenue.

Providing expert sleep advice is at the very heart of our strategy, and thanks to our revolutionary Bedmatch tool, our sleep consultants help customers to get the perfect night's sleep. BBH is proud that M line is the official sleep supplier of AFC Ajax, TeamNL, Jumbo-Visma and the KNVB.



For more information

Press enquiries: Uneke Dekkers / CFF Communications

T +31

For the PDF of the press release please click on the link below. Press photos can be downloaded here .

Attachment
EQS Group-News: TERRAOIL SWISS AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

Closing of Prosecutor's Investigation Regarding the Covid-19 Credit of Terraoil Swiss AG



02.09.2021 / 07:37





Zug, Switzerland, Sep. 2, 2021 - Terraoil Swiss AG, an E&P company with a strong focus on the Mediterranean, today announced that the Prosecutor's Office of the Canton of Zug (Staatsanwaltschaft Zug) has closed its investigation against members of the Executive Management.

As previously announced by the Company in its April 8, 2021 business update and June 30, 2021 prospectus furnished to the SIX Exchange Regulation, an investigation was initiated by the Prosecutor's Office of the Canton of Zug. On August 30, 2021, the Company received the investigation closing order (Einstellung) from the Prosecutor's Office. Based on the findings and analyses in the review, the Prosecutor's Office has concluded that there was no violation in connection with the Executive Management's activities and decisions relating to the application and use of a Covid-19 credit and therefore formally closed its investigation (equalling an acquittal/ dismissal of the investigation). An official press release from the Prosecutor's Office on the closing of the investigation can be accessed here.

Meanwhile, the Board of Directors has also reviewed the Company's compliance policies, procedures, and internal controls in light of the investigation. The Board has concluded that there is no need for updating such policies, procedures, and internal controls. The credit was obtained legitimately, and its proceeds were used in accordance with the legally intended purpose.

Chief Executive Officer, Peter Krempin commented:

"We are extremely relieved with this decision as it proves that the communication we have received over the years from various tax authorities and auditors, has been correct and there was no misconduct from the Company's side.

"The coronavirus crisis has injected real urgency into our work as management team and the strength of our recovery will depend crucially on how well we can access the investment opportunities and market financing we need. Moreover, the investigation obviously has taken a big toll on our Company and our employees; hence we are most pleased that we can now fully focus on the future to make our business more sustainable, digital, inclusive, and resilient. We also look forward to a final decision of the Albanian courts by year-end so finally paving the way for completion of the PSA's with Albpetrol, taking over the operations of Cakran, Gorisht and Amonice following our successful bid for these oilfields in 2018."



If you are an Terraoil shareholder and would like additional information, contact Peter Krempin either via email investors@terraoil.swiss or by telephone at +41 71 544 01 20.

About Terraoil Swiss AG

Terraoil is an international E&P company with a focus to identify and rapidly advance undeveloped transformational production potential through state-of-the-art technology with comparably low production cost.

https://terraoil.swiss

Terraoil forward-looking statements

This media release serves informational purposes and constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation or an advertisement to buy any shares of Terraoil Swiss AG in any jurisdiction. This media release does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Article 35 et seqq. of the Swiss Federal Act on Financial Services. Investors should base their decision to purchase shares of Terraoil Swiss AG exclusively on the official prospectus, which is available electronically and free of charge under https://terraoil.swiss/prospectus. The shares described in the prospectus will publicly be offered in Switzerland only. In addition, investors should seek advice from their bank or their financial adviser. This media release and the information contained therein are not being issued in the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, or the European Economic Area and must not be distributed within or to such countries or via publications with a general circulation in such countries.

This media release contains forward-looking statements such as projections, forecasts, and estimates. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those anticipated in this media release. Readers should therefore not rely on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this media release are based on the views and assumptions of Terraoil Swiss AG as of this date and Terraoil Swiss AG does not assume any obligation to update or revise this media release.
The fund aims to support local companies throughout post-Covid recovery

Regulatory News:

Tikehau Capital (Paris:TKO), the global alternative asset management group, present in Belgium since 2015, has been appointed by the Belgian federal authorities to manage the Belgian Recovery Fund, which will allocate up to 350 million to finance Belgian companies negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. This mandate confirms Tikehau Capital's active role to finance Europe's economic recovery.

Following a broad international consultation, the Federal Holding and Investment Company ("SFPI-FPIM") appointed Tikehau Investment Management, Tikehau Capital's asset management subsidiary, as manager of the Belgian Recovery Fund, to support the Belgian economy and businesses across the country.

The fund will grant subordinated and/or convertible loans over the next five years to companies active in Belgium. The SFPI-FPIM will commit 100 million in the fund, and up to 250 million will be raised from Belgian and international institutional investors.

This success is a recognition of the expertise of Tikehau Capital's local investment teams, led by Edouard Chatenoud, Head of Benelux, which have an established track record in financing Belgian companies.

Tikehau Capital is already involved in several similar initiatives in Europe and this success confirms its role as a key player in financing the economy and the post-Covid recovery.

Antoine Flamarion and Mathieu Chabran, co-founders of Tikehau Capital stated: "Tikehau Capital is committed to playing a leading role in financing the economic recovery in Europe and we recognise the importance of this project for the Belgian economy and employment in the region. This initiative has a particular resonance for Tikehau Capital as Belgium is one of the first countries in which we established an on-the-ground presence, and we are delighted to receive the support of the Belgian government and the nation's federal institutions. It is an honour to offer the expertise of our pioneering private debt teams for this ambitious programme and share our experience in managing public funds through this public-private partnership to drive Belgium's economic recovery."

According to Koen Van Loo, CEO, and Celine Vaessen, Chief Investment Officer, at SFPI-FPIM: "Since the beginning of the pandemic, SFPI-FPIM has injected more than 400 million to support several dozen Belgian companies in its historical investment sectors such as aeronautics and life sciences, which were strongly impacted by the health crisis. We have also continued to invest in the recovery, with new participations such as Univercells and ExeVir Bio, which are developing solutions related to vaccination and anti-Covid treatments. Following a market consultation, we are delighted to have chosen Tikehau Capital to manage the Belgian Recovery Fund, given its solid track record in Belgium and the expertise of their teams."

ABOUT TIKEHAU CAPITAL

Tikehau Capital is a global alternative asset management group with 30.9 billion of assets under management (as of 30 June 2021). Tikehau Capital has developed a wide range of expertise across four asset classes (private debt, real assets, private equity and capital markets strategies) as well as multi-asset and special opportunities strategies.

Tikehau Capital is a founder led team with a differentiated business model, a strong balance sheet, proprietary global deal flow and a track record of backing high quality companies and executives.

Deeply rooted in the real economy, Tikehau Capital provides bespoke and innovative alternative financing solutions to companies it invests in and seeks to create long-term value for its investors, while generating positive impacts on society. Leveraging its strong equity base (2.8 billion of shareholders' equity as of 31 December 2020), the firm invests its own capital alongside its investor-clients within each of its strategies.

Controlled by its managers alongside leading institutional partners, Tikehau Capital is guided by a strong entrepreneurial spirit and DNA, shared by its 629 employees (as of 30 June 2021) across its 12 offices in Europe, Asia and North America. Tikehau Capital is listed in compartment A of the regulated Euronext Paris market (ISIN code: FR0013230612; Ticker: TKO.FP).

For more information, please visit: www.tikehaucapital.com

DISCLAIMER:

This document does not constitute an offer of securities for sale or investment advisory services. It contains general information only and is not intended to provide general or specific investment advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future earnings and profit, and targets are not guaranteed.

Certain statements and forecasted data are based on current forecasts, prevailing market and economic conditions, estimates, projections and opinions of Tikehau Capital and/or its affiliates. Due to various risks and uncertainties. actual results may differ materially from those reflected or expected in such forward-looking statements or in any of the case studies or forecasts. All references to Tikehau Capital's advisory activities in the US or with respect to US persons relate to Tikehau Capital North America.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210901006071/en/

Contacts:

PRESS CONTACTS:

Tikehau Capital: Valerie Sueur +33 1 40 06 39 30

UK Prosek Partners: Henrietta Dehn +44 7717 281 665

USA Prosek Partners: Trevor Gibbons +1 646 818 9238

press@tikehaucapital.com

SHAREHOLDER AND INVESTOR CONTACT:

Louis Igonet +33 1 40 06 11 11

shareholders@tikehaucapital.com
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Imbio, Inc. announced today that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, a public body of the Department of Health in England providing evidence-based technology recommendations by independent committees, released their Medtech Innovation Briefing titled: "Lung texture analysis for measuring interstitial lung diseases." The MIB states that Imbio's Lung Texture Analysis (LTA) algorithm could be an effective addition to standard care in assessing interstitial lung disease.

The fully-automated Lung Texture Analysis algorithm applies advanced computer vision to transform a standard medical imaging chest CT into a detailed map and quantification of the lung textures that are key to identifying interstitial lung diseases and other fibrotic conditions. LTA provides an intuitive texture overlay on the patient scan to highlight abnormalities and increase diagnostic confidence, and includes a detailed physician report of each patient analysis. LTA is based upon technology known as CALIPER in multiple peer-reviewed publications.

The Briefing included a description of the LTA technology, how it is used, its potential patient and system impact, along with a review of relevant published evidence and likely costs of using the technology. Clinical experts also provided comments including:

The improved accuracy of diagnosis and reduction in individual variation between CT reporting could provide huge benefits for people.

Improved diagnostic accuracy would allow earlier treatment, potentially improving quality of life and survival in people with interstitial lung disease.

LTA may help to standardise the level of reporting through objective quantification of CT scans in people with interstitial lung disease.

Dr. Graham Robinson, President of the British Society of Thoracic Imaging and co-founder of Heart & Lung Imaging Ltd explains, "At the Royal United Hospital in Bath, UK and at Heart & Lung Imaging Ltd ( www.heartlunghealth.com ) we have been using Imbio's LTA for both routine clinical practice and research activity for some time. It is an exciting, intuitive and genuinely useful product in the ILD space."

"Imbio is pleased to receive support for the use of Lung Texture Analysis from a world-renowned source of clinical expertise such as NICE," said Dave Hannes, CEO at Imbio. "This briefing is a great milestone for the technology and for the centers that could benefit from the added value of providing a more effective patient care path due to improved diagnostic accuracy that LTA can provide."

The NICE briefing can be accessed here: Summary | Lung Texture Analysis for Measuring Interstitial Lung Diseases | NICE

About Imbio

Imbio is a leader in fully-automated AI image analysis for chronic pulmonary conditions. Imbio's regulatory cleared solutions transform the way patients are discovered, diagnosed, and treated, enabling physician productivity and more personalized care for patients. Lung Texture Analysis is CE Marked and can be accessed directly through Imbio or through one of our partners such as Siemens Healthineers syngo.via and Wellbeing Software . For more information, please visit www.imbio.com.

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A World First for the Telecommunications Industry, Vodafone has chosen London AdTech Startup Playrcart to work alongside existing partner JustPremium to streamline the ordering of SIM cards online into a one step process

LONDON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Playrcart (www.playrcart.com), the startup turning digital ads into instantly transactional storefronts, is proud to announce a new partnership with JustPremium, a GumGum company (www.justpremium.com) and Vodafone.

The partnership between Playrcart and JustPremium will focus on maximising the ROI of digital advertising placement for Vodafone's assets. With Playrcart, impressions convert into higher consumer attention, more interactions and more successful checkouts.

Playrcart's technology combined with JustPremium's creative delivers a solution that allows prospective Vodafone customers in need of a new SIM who encounter digital Vodafone advertisements, to order a SIM card online without ever leaving the ad itself. This move turns SIM orders into a simple one step process, cutting store visits and lengthy checkout processes in favour of a rapid experience to better match the expectations of the digital user of today.

This collaboration is the latest for Playrcart, who has recently activated partnerships with high profile organisations, including Warner Bros, Walgreen Boots Alliance and AB InBev for Corona Beer. Playrcart will be announcing further partnerships in the near future with other industry-leading brands.

"Since founding Playrcart we've been very confident that our adtech solutions would contribute considerably to the disruption of traditional advertising,' said Glen Dormieux, Founder and CEO of Playrcart. "Our partnership with JustPremium and Vodafone is yet another proofpoint that global companies are embracing that change and are looking for innovative ways to bring products to customers."

Rob Garber, Managing Director UK & BE at JustPremium, comments: "The shift from physical retail outlets to e-commerce has expedited over the past 18 months, and it's incredibly important that new technology allows brands to facilitate this greater digital demand in a seamless way - which is exactly the solution Playrcart offers. Their technology allows brands to sell products and services directly via an advert, and we're excited that Vodafone are leading the charge with this, via JustPremium's suite of High Impact formats."

"Playcart's integration with JustPremium has allowed us at Vodafone to maximise and essentially evolve what is possible through our digital advertising," comments Richard Kanolik - Programmatic Lead Vodafone . He continues: "Simplifying the e-commerce journey so that the user is now able to convert within an already engaging rich media ad will inevitably lead to an increase in ROI."

About Playrcart

Playrcart is the company that enables customers to instantly purchase products and services directly within rich media such as video and gifs, banner ads, as well as via live streams. Its transactional ad format maintains the engagement experience derived from compelling content, while enabling a clear call to action.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - ScreenPro Security Inc. (CSE: SCRN) ("ScreenPro" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has promoted Ms. Kozovski, Vice President of Operations, as the Company's Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), effective September 1, 2021. She has a proven record in operations within the Company with great understanding of the Company's daily operations.

Mr. Andrew Ryu, interim CEO, has been working closely with Ms. Kozovski over the last few months. Mr. Ryu will step down as interim CEO and continue in his position as Executive Chairman of the Company to continue helping the Company's transition and growth. The Company would like to thank Mr. Ryu for his time stewarding the transition of the Company.

Ms. Kozovski has over 20 years corporate experience holding leadership roles for large global companies including CN Rail and TD Bank, and was most recently a Principal at a large global search firm. Lena has worked extensively with senior C-Suite, board members, and investors internationally, supporting their talent management needs and strategic hiring and critical recruiting projects as well as Diversity and Inclusion projects. Lena holds a Human Resources Management (HRM) degree from the School of Business Management at Ryerson University in Toronto and has completed several certificates and courses aligned with her current role.

Lena Kozovski, incoming CEO of ScreenPro Security commented, "I greatly appreciate the opportunity to lead ScreenPro during this time as we implement on our vision of becoming a leader in life sciences and wellness. We are fortunate to have a board with great depth, decades of operating experience and complete knowledge of our businesses. Our team is working hard to establish ScreenPro as the go to company for patient COVID-19 testing, and by looking to the future with concierge medical services and establishing new businesses, while supporting the team, the board and stakeholders throughout the organization wherever possible," added Ms. Kozovski.

About ScreenPro

ScreenPro is a Screening and Medical Technology company. ScreenPro provides turnkey screening solutions with alerting software, GoStop. ScreenPro's unique access to multiple manufacturers of high quality test kits and its strategic partnership with Labs in Vancouver and Ontario allows ScreenPro to be a nationwide provider of a full-service testing solutions across Canada. In addition, ScreenPro has its own nursing professionals, and access to high quality PPEs to ensure that its clients are protected in all aspects of their testing needs. GoStop's passport was developed with a privacy preserving approach that will enable individuals to use the alerting software and downloadable app with authentication certificates. The alerts can be scheduled on an on-demand, daily, weekly, or monthly basis and can be used also for vaccine scheduling..

For additional information on ScreenPro and other corporate information, please visit the Company's website at www.screenprosecurity.com.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") nor it's Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information please contact:

Jamie Hyland, Director

Email: info@screenprosecurity.com

P. (604) 442-2425

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information, including statements relating to expectations regarding the future development of ScreenPro's business. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. The actual results of ScreenPro could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which ScreenPro operates, prevailing economic conditions, changes to ScreenPro's strategic growth plans, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of ScreenPro. Management of ScreenPro believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents ScreenPro's expectations as of the date hereof and is subject to change after such date. ScreenPro disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation.

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95264
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Lagardere SA said that it has agreed to sell a 22.36% stake in Lagardere Travel Retail Asia to e-commerce company JD.com Inc. and public-investment firm China Jianyin Investment. Upon the completion of the deal, JD.com will have a 18.63% stake in Lagardere Travel Retail Asia, while China Jianyin Investment will hold a 3.73% stake.The tr The transaction is scheduled to complete in September 2021. The deal involves cash contributions totalling about 94 million euros, and will have a favourable net effect of approximately 79 million euros on the Lagardere group's net debt. Lagardere Travel Retail Asia covers the division's North Asia business--mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan. It has operations in 32 airports and 28 high-speed train stations with a network of 480 stores across all segments, generating total revenue of 148 million euros in 2020. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
HONG KONG, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Project Ark and Lay's Romania are bringing the world something it can never have too much of: SMILES. Lay's, a PepsiCo brand, has launched an "ImpactNFT" composed from over 3,000 smiles from Lay's lovers.

The ImpactNFT is a first-of-its-kind for Lay's, and PepsiCo, incorporating social marketing with blockchain technology to deliver both community and environmental impact to blockchain natives, conscious consumers and the public. To guarantee a negligible carbon footprint, Project Ark will mint Lay's NFT on the Polygon network- a Layer 2 protocol offering fast, economic and energy-efficient transactions backed by the security of Ethereum.

Lay's first ImpactNFT is available on the official Lay's OpenSea Page.

The "Smiles by Lay's" NFT is part of "Share smiles with Lay's" campaign celebrating the simple power of "we" in Romania with magnetic smiles. The ImpactNFT showcases the key elements of the campaign: education, social and environment. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to Let's Do It, Romania! , i'Velo by GreenRevolution , The Adi Hadean Association, and Teach For Romania , four organizations with practical, hands-on solutions addressing some of Romania's biggest educational, ecological and social issues.

"The SMILE ImpactNFT is an example of cross-industry partnership that can drive social impact in a creative way that adds ongoing value," Max Song, CEO of Carbonbase and Founder of Project Ark , "There are clear synergies between minting NFTs and making the world better."

"The Smiles by Lay's is a celebration of all the people and communities that got together through the Share Smiles with Lay's campaign in Romania," said Vlad Vladescu, Senior Brand Manager Lay's Romania, "We're excited to transform this campaign into digital art."

Amartya Hari Pilaka, Polygon's NFT Lead, said, "We are built for minting NFTs with a positive impact. Our partnership with Project Ark fits perfectly within our ethos of energy-efficiency and accessibility."

Project Ark is an innovative blockchain-powered conservation platform built between Carbonbase and the World Wildlife Fund Panda Labs. A founding member of the Impact NFT Alliance , Project Ark has created an online marketplace for ImpactNFT s which fund animal and environmental conservation efforts around the world. Ark's most recent ImpactNFTs include their WWF Egg Genesis Drop , SnarkySharkz and Purple Penguins .

Contact: joe.pan@carbonbase.co / Telegram: @JoeZPan/ +12135382821

Project Ark : https://project-ark.co/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeAreProjectArk

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3DEGTZJ68J

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weareprojectark/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Project_Ark

Impact NFT Alliance: https://www.impactnft.org/

About
Flag raised to the future of Scotch whisky tourism to mark launch of pioneering attraction

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Diageo's Johnnie Walker Princes Street, the eight-floor new visitor experience for the world's best-selling Scotch whisky, has today been launched in the heart of Scotland's capital city.

Four and a half years in the making, Johnnie Walker Princes Street is the centrepiece of Diageo's 185million pound investment in Scotch whisky tourism in Scotland - the largest single investment programme of its kind ever seen in Scotch whisky tourism.

To mark the opening a Johnnie Walker flag was raised above the landmark building by Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive, Diageo, and Barbara Smith, Managing Director of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, against the backdrop of Edinburgh's iconic skyline, including the world-famous Edinburgh Castle.

Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive, Diageo said: "This is a proud day for everyone. Last year Johnnie Walker celebrated 200 years since founder John Walker opened the doors to his small grocery store and today represents the next chapter of the incredible story. Johnnie Walker Princes Street is a landmark investment in Scotch whisky and into Scotland and it sets a new standard for immersive visitor attractions. It celebrates Scotland's remarkable heritage, our incredible skilled whisky-makers, and looks to the future by engaging new generations of consumers from around the world in the magic of Scotch whisky."

Facts about Johnnie Walker Princes Street visitor experience:

Set over 71,500 sq ft, it takes the concept of personalisation to a scale never before seen in a global drinks visitor experience.

Visitors on the Johnnie Walker Journey of Flavour tour will have their personal flavour preferences mapped with drinks tailored to their palate.

With more than 800 flavour combinations available in the innovative dispensation systems, one person could visit Johnnie Walker Princes Street every day for more than two years and not have the same experience twice.

every day for more than two years and not have the same experience twice. Over 150 diverse and talented new employees, speaking 23 languages between them, will bring to life the 200-year story.

The cellar has become a true whisky treasury with some of the most unique whisky casks in the world gently maturing and waiting to be sampled by guests.

The building - formerly a traditional department store for almost 100 years - will contain a state-of-the-art experiential retail space where shoppers can select from rare and exclusive whiskies, fill their own bottles and have them personalised.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street opens its doors with a Green Tourism Gold Award - the highest sustainability accolade for a visitor attraction. The building includes roof terrace planters to provide herbs for garnishes and infusions for drinks, a sedum roof covering and bird boxes to encourage biodiversity.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street is crowned by two world-class rooftop bars and a terrace with breath-taking views of the Edinburgh skyline, including the Explorers' Bothy whisky bar stocked with 150 different whiskies, and the 1820 cocktail bar where drinks are paired with a carefully curated menu sourced from, and representing in culinary form, the four corners of Scotland.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street is also committed to contributing to the community by offering its award-winning hospitality training programme for unemployed people in its special Johnnie Walker Learning for Life academy. The building can also host events in its 200-capacity space.

Barbara Smith, Managing Director of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, said: "We're thrilled to be opening the doors and helping to re-build the tourism and hospitality industry after a very difficult 18 months. The story of the world's best-selling whisky has been brought to life with flair and imagination and we have built a team which includes some of the most talented individuals in their fields. We are now ready to welcome visitors and begin telling the next chapter of how we are woven into the fabric of Scotland's history and communities."

In 2019, the Scotch Whisky industry attracted a record 2.16 million visitors and Johnnie Walker Princes Street, and Diageo's 185m tourism investment programme aims to help rebuild Scotch whisky tourism for the future. The investment includes the transformation of distillery visitor experiences around Scotland, including Glenkinchie, Clynelish, Cardhu and Caol Ila - the Lowland, Highland, Speyside and Islay homes of Johnnie Walker, linked to Johnnie Walker Princes Street to form a world-class network of attractions the length and breadth of Scotland.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street will open its doors to the public at 1 pm on Monday 6th September. Tickets for tours start from 25 per person, including a 90-minute tour and three personalised Scotch whisky samples (all samples are provided with carefully controlled measures and non-alcoholic alternatives available to all guests).

To book and for more information visit www.johnniewalkerprincesstreet.com. For more information on Johnnie Walker please visit: www.johnniewalker.com

http://www.apmultimedianewsroom.com/multimedia-newsroom/johnnie-walker-princes-street

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Financial year 1 July 2020-30 June 2021



The return on equity holdings was excellent 40.6 per cent in the financial year and the net asset value increased by EUR 2,189 million from EUR 6,572 million to EUR 8,761 million

Solidium's result for the financial year was EUR 197 million

Solidium's Board of Directors proposes that a dividend of EUR 368 million be paid to the owner

Six-month period 1 January-30 June 2021

The return on Solidium's equity holdings in the review period was 23.7 per cent

Solidium's CEO Antti Makinen comments:

"Solidium's financial year was characterised by a sense of optimism as the pandemic slowing down enabled the world economy to start recovering and the outlook for businesses took a positive turn. The more upbeat condition of national economies was also reflected in our portfolio companies: the upward trend helped their valuations grow but they also improved their operative activities.

During the financial year, Solidium increased its holding in Nokia, Nokian Tyres and TietoEVRY, and reduced holdings in Outokumpu and SSAB. In the beginning of the financial year Solidium sold its shares in Neles to Valmet. Significant events occurred also within the portfolio companies, as Konecranes and Cargotec announced their agreement to combine through a merger. Furthermore, just after the end of the financial year, Valmet and Neles announced their plan to merge.

During the past financial year, we decided to take a more in-depth look into the companies' carbon balance. We concluded a project that benchmarks the carbon dioxide intensity of our portfolio companies against companies in the same industries globally.

In accordance with its mandate, Solidium pays to the State the dividends it receives from the portfolio companies. The coronavirus pandemic still affected the dividend payment of listed companies. In the Annual General Meetings in the spring of 2021, dividends were still not paid by all of our portfolio companies. Therefore, the dividends before tax we received during the financial year decreased from the previous financial year's EUR 230 million to EUR 219 million."

SOLIDIUM'S HOLDINGS

Development of holdings and key indicators

The value of Solidium's all holdings (equity holdings and money market investments) was EUR 9,593 million on 30 June 2021 (EUR 7,841 million on 31 December 2020 and EUR 6,950 million on 30 June 2020). The return on all holdings was 23.0 per cent over the review period of six months, and 39.2 per cent for the past financial year. More detailed information on the investment key indicators are attached.

Equity holdings

The value of Solidium's equity holdings was EUR 9,024 million on 30 June 2021 (EUR 7,620 million on 31 December 2020 and EUR 6,799 million on 30 June 2020). The total return of Solidium's equity holdings was 23.7 per cent during the review period and 40.6 per cent for the past financial year. During the financial year the best returns were generated by Metso Outotec (101 per cent), Outokumpu (99 per cent) and Konecranes (85 per cent).

Money market investments

Solidium's money market investments amounted to EUR 569 million on 30 June 2021 (EUR 222 million on 31 December 2020 and EUR 151 million on 30 June 2020). The return of money market investments was 0.3 per cent during the review period and 0.8 per cent for the past financial year.

Distribution of profit to Solidium

During the financial year, Solidium received a total of EUR 219 million before taxes as dividends distributed by its portfolio companies (1 July 2019-30 June 2020: EUR 230 million) and after taxes EUR 200 million (EUR 206 million). The dividend income received by Solidium was approximately 2.4 per cent proportioned to the value of equity holdings on 30 June 2021. Nokia, Outokumpu, and SSAB decided not to pay dividend for the financial year 2020.

Proposal for the distribution of profit

The Board of Directors proposes that a dividend of EUR 368 million would be paid, which consists of dividends after tax from the financial year 2020-2021 EUR 200 million and undistributed dividends from the previous financial year 2019-2020 EUR 168 million.

Participation in nomination boards and board elections

A central aspect of Solidium's corporate governance model is to actively influence the board composition of the portfolio companies. Therefore, Solidium participated actively in the work of nomination boards preparing board elections during the financial year. Solidium's aim is to form a board composition which best serves the goal of shareholder value creation and needs of the company.

Representatives of Solidium have served as the chairman of the shareholders' nomination boards of Elisa, Metso Outotec, Nokian Tyres, Outokumpu, TietoEVRY and Valmet, and as a member of the shareholders' nomination boards of Kemira, Konecranes, SSAB, and Stora Enso. The nomination boards prepared proposals for the election and remuneration of board members to the Annual General Meetings in 2021.

In accordance with Solidium's strategy, the long-term objective is to have a seat in the board of each portfolio company. In the AGMs in spring 2021, Solidium's CEO Antti Makinen was re-elected to the boards of Metso Outotec and Stora Enso. In Stora Enso, Makinen was selected as chairman of the board. Investment Director Annareetta Lumme-Timonen was re-elected to the board of SSAB. In addition, among Solidium's board members, Aaro Cantell is a member of the board of Valmet, Jannica Fagerholm is a member of the board of Sampo and Timo Ahopelto in the board of TietoEVRY.

Share transactions

During the financial year, Solidium purchased Nokia's shares for EUR 115 million, Nokian Tyres' shares for EUR 76 million, and TietoEVRY's shares for EUR 26 million. As a result of the share purchases, Solidium's holding in Nokia increased from 4.8 per cent to 5.3 per cent, in Nokian Tyres from 6.8 per cent to 8.8 per cent, and in TietoEVRY from 10.0 per cent to 10.9 per cent during the financial year. In addition, Solidium participated in Outokumpu's

private placement to institutional investors with EUR 10 million.

In July 2020, Solidium sold its shares in Neles to Valmet for EUR 190 million. In February 2021, EUR 24 million worth of Outokumpu shares were sold. Following the sale of shares and participating the private placement of Outokumpu, Solidium's holding in Outokumpu was reduced from 21.7 per cent to 18.9 per cent. In April 2021, Solidium reduced its holding in SSAB by placing 65 million B shares in SSAB to the market. The proceeds of the SSAB sales totalled approximately EUR 277 million. Following the Equity Offering, Solidium's holding in SSAB decreased from 12.6 per cent to 6.3 per cent of the issued and outstanding shares, and from approximately 9.8 per cent to approximately 8.0 per cent of the votes.

Company events

On 1 October 2020 Konecranes and Cargotec announced a plan to combine the companies through a merger, which was approved by the extraordinary general meetings of the companies on 18 December 2020. The combined company will become the leading global player in port equipment and services, and other material flow related equipment and service businesses. Solidium supports the transaction as we believe that the synergies arising from Konecranes' and Cargotec's complementary offering as well as capabilities in technology and services will increase shareholder value. The current target is to complete the transaction by the end of the first half 2022. The timetable was prolonged due to certain competition authorities opened a phase II review, which is common in large transactions.

Events after the reporting period

After the end of Solidium's fiscal year in July 2021 Valmet and Neles announced a merger plan, which is expected to be completed in January 2022. Solidium considers Neles to be an attractive partner to support Valmet's growth and undertook to vote in favor of the combination in the extraordinary general meeting of Valmet. Pursuant to the terms of the transaction, Solidium would own 9.1 per cent of the merged company and would continue as Valmet's largest shareholder.

SOLIDIUM OY'S EVENTS

Annual General Meeting

Solidium's Annual General Meeting was held in Helsinki on 30 November 2020. The Annual General Meeting adopted the company's financial statements for the financial year 1 July

2019-30 June 2020 and discharged the members of the Board of Directors and the CEO from liability. The Annual General Meeting decided not to distribute profits to the owner. For a term ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting, the following persons were re-elected to the Board of Directors: Harri Sailas (Chairman), Aaro Cantell (Vice-Chairman), and Timo Ahopelto, Jannica Fagerholm, Marjo Miettinen, Laura Raitio and Kimmo Viertola as Board members.

Financial key indicators

Solidium's net profit for the financial period was EUR 197 million. Solidium's operating expenses were EUR 4.4 million, resulting in a management cost ratio of operations of 0.06 per cent. Solidium's net asset value increased as a result of the value changes of equity investments by EUR 2.2 billion and was EUR 8.8 billion at the end of the review period.



1 July 2020-

30 June 2021 1 July 2019-

30 June 2020 Operating profit, EUR million -4.4 -3.8 Profit for the period, EUR million 196.7 210.6 Return on investment at fair value, % 39.2 -7.9 Management cost ratio of operations, % 0.06 0.05 Net asset value, EUR million 8 760.6 6 572.1 Interest-bearing liabilities, EUR million 0.0 0.0 Equity ratio, % 91 95 Distribution of profit, EUR million 368.0* 0.0 Average number of employees 12 12

* The Board of Directors' proposal





Solidium's Annual Report in English is available on Solidium's website at

http://www.solidium.fi/en/publications-and-media/annual-report/ .

This report is unaudited.

Attachment Solidium's holdings on 30 June 2021



Solidium Oy

Further information: CEO Antti Makinen, tel. +358 10 830 8905

Solidium is a limited liability company wholly owned by the State of Finland. Its mission is to strengthen and stabilise Finnish ownership in nationally important companies and increase the value of its holdings in the long term. Through its stakes, Solidium is a minority owner in twelve listed companies: Elisa, Kemira, Konecranes, Metso Outotec, Nokia, Nokian Tyres, Outokumpu, Sampo, SSAB, Stora Enso, TietoEVRY and Valmet. The market value of Solidium's total investments is approximately 10.1 billion euros. Further information: www.solidium.fi.

Attachment
LONDON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Whisky cask experts Spiritfilled are constantly searching for the best and most unique stock on the market. They have now launched their own series of independent bottlings: Mythical Beasts. This series features the best single cask whiskies, coupled with exquisite artwork. The first release in the series is a 12-year-old Caol Ila finished in a Pedro Ximenez sherry cask.

Mythical Beasts Caol Ila is a 12-year-old Islay whisky. Spiritfilled transferred this single malt into a Pedro Ximinez Sherry Cask for finishing. Pedro Ximinez is an intense, sweet, dark sherry, which compliments the Caol Ila well. The PX cask underwent a special process called New Era Of Cask (NEOC). This cutting-edge process brings out the full flavour of the sherry cask into the whisky. There were 260 bottles produced at a cask strength of 56.3% ABV. The whisky is natural colour and bottled without chill filtration.

This delectable scotch combines classic Islay notes with the best PX profile. Ian Wisniewski, spirits writer and broadcaster, provides these tasting notes:

Nose: Initial earthiness. Black olives in brine, followed by burnt toast, barbecue and asphalt notes. Then caramel and toffee apples add richness, with Brazil nuts at the edges.

nuts at the edges. Palate: Gentle, yielding mouthfeel, like silk draped across the tongue. Toasted, barbecue notes emerge spanning the palate. As the barbecue notes intensify, juicy, citrus top notes appear. These continue with creamy vanilla and caramel. There is a base layer of dry oak and digestive biscuits.

Finish: Dryness and toastiness build up into barbecue notes. Light maltyness and oak follow, and finally fruity sweetness.

The Mythical Beast featured on the first release in the series is the Qilin. The Qilin combines the essence of Scotland with the spirit of Asia. An equine form, it gallops through wild Eastern forests. Sporting a majestic horn and a wreath of divine flames, it mirrors the Unicorn, the symbol of Scotland. The Qilin represents wisdom, justice and truth. Legend has it that all who commune with the Qilin reap the rewards of its benevolent spirit, finding good fortune and prosperity. Rich in character, the Qilin brings elements of ancient mythology into the modern age.

Russell Spratley, Director, said: "We pride ourselves in finding the best casks for our clients. Sometimes, while we're out searching for gems, we find something that we fall in love with. We're delighted to launch our new independent bottlings, and we can't wait to share these rare casks with other whisky lovers.

Russell adds: The 'New Era Of Cask' process we've used for this release has brought out the full flavour profile of the PX cask into the whisky. We're the first company to ever use this process in Scotch whisky. With this fantastic outcome, this certainly won't be the last time!"

Spiritfilled's Mythical Beasts Caol Ila is available to buy on spiritfilled.co.uk . It retails for 85 per 700ml bottle, while limited stocks last.

CONTACTS

Russell Spratley: russell@spiritfilled.co.uk or 07894 075842

Website: spiritfilled.co.uk

Social Media: @spiritfilledltd

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Energy Web to provide the open-source operating system, Microsoft to provide cloud services, and PXiSE to provide market logic software, with local aggregators Mondo and network operators AusNet

MELBOURNE, Australia and ZUG, Switzerland, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), Australia's power system and market operator, has announced the architecture and technology partners for Project EDGE, a flagship initiative enabling distributed energy resources (DER) to provide both wholesale and local network services at enterprise scale within an off-market trial environment. The DER Marketplace solution will be developed in partnership with local market participants AusNet Services and Mondo, and technology providers Energy Web, PXiSE, and Microsoft.

Australia leads the world in adoption and deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs), with nearly one in four homes featuring rooftop solar, and up to 40% in some states (South Australia and Queensland).

Combined with the rapid growth of energy storage, demand-side management, and utility-scale renewable generation, the Australian grid is transforming into a decentralized system in which consumer-owned DERs play a pivotal role. This has created challenges for AEMO and distribution network operators in balancing and protecting the grid, but also creates new opportunities for consumers and other market participants to create value by supporting the energy transition with their DERs.

In response, AEMO has established a DER program to enable the transition from one-way energy supply to a world-leading system that maximizes the value of DER for all consumers through digitization and integration of DER into Australia's power systems and markets.

Under project EDGE, AEMO is collaborating with Mondo and AusNet Services, with input from the broader energy industry, to demonstrate via a proof-of-concept trial how aggregated fleets of DER can deliver multiple energy services at scale at both wholesale power system and local network levels.

This project will provide AEMO and its partners with technical and operational experience to inform evidence-based changes to regulatory and operational processes to effectively manage Australian electricity grids and markets with increasing levels of DER participation. Additionally, EDGE will focus specifically on understanding consumers' perspectives and preferences in selling their DER capacity to aggregators for use in energy markets.

AEMO Chief Markets Officer, Member Services, Violette Mouchaileh, said: "Project EDGE aims to build understanding of and inform the most efficient and sustainable way to integrate DER into the electricity system and markets, allowing all consumers to benefit from a future with high levels of DER. There is no existing product that meets all high-level requirements for the DER Marketplace, so Project EDGE is at the leading edge of product development in this space."

Jesse Morris, CEO of Energy Web Foundation, added: "Australia is way ahead of the curve in the deployment of DERs. AEMO's vision and ambition in future-proofing its energy grid can be replicated as other countries pursue similar decarbonization goals. This shared challenge is what makes an open-source infrastructure purposefully designed for the energy sector the best solution for tomorrow's energy markets."

The EDGE Project is being supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), with AEMO receiving almost $13 million in funding for the project. ARENA CEO Darren Miller said at the time that this landmark trial would provide the blueprint for integrating DER into the grid.

Australia's EDGE project will begin testing services in April 2022, with project completion in March 2023.
As Qualitest continues its growth trajectory, Anbu Muppidathi, former Global Head of Cognizant's Enterprise Cloud Application Services practice, becomes the new Qualitest CEO

LONDON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualitest ( https://qualitestgroup.com ), a leading AI powered quality engineering firm, announced that Anbu Muppidathi is stepping into the role of CEO, succeeding Norm Merritt. Anbu joined the firm as the CEO (designate) in February this year.

A technology veteran with more than 30 years of experience in business transformation and technology modernization, Anbu brings world-class go-to-market and operational expertise that helps Qualitest continue its growth trajectory. Anbu most recently served as the Global Head of Cognizant's Enterprise Cloud Application Services practice. Prior to that, he was the Global Head of Cognizant's Quality Engineering and Assurance practice.

"We could not be more excited to have Anbu lead us on our journey to be the preferred quality orchestrator for our clients, enabling them to modernize and most-effectively run their businesses using world-class software," Norm Merritt said. "Anbu's depth of experience in the space, along with his ability to take companies to the next level, is what we need as we make some bold moves to solidify our position as the best quality assurance and engineering firm in the world."

When Norm joined Qualitest as CEO in September of 2018, the company was at an important inflection point in transforming from a founder-led business into a global leader in quality assurance. Three years later, the company is in an excellent position following five acquisitions and strong organic growth. Norm will now move to a non-executive board seat.

"This is a pivotal point for Qualitest as we continue to grow organically and transform our business to make our customers stronger," Anbu Muppidathi said. "Qualitest is a trusted and modern quality engineering partner, helping customers modernize their businesses to provide superior customer experience while achieving speed, quality and efficiency. I am very excited to lead the company into the next generation of the digital engineering landscape."

About Qualitest:

Founded in 1997, Qualitest offers a wide range of AI-powered quality engineering solutions, designed to mitigate the business risk associated with digital adoption. Qualitest achieves this by deploying engagement models tailored to the precise quality engineering needs of technology platforms in the financial services, telecom, healthcare, insurance, tech, media, and utilities industries. It has operations in the US, UK, India, Israel, Germany, Romania, Argentina, Mexico, and Portugal, and serves over 250 blue-chip customers worldwide. Qualitest is majority-owned by international private equity group Bridgepoint, which acquired the company in October 2019 via its 5.7 billion flagship fund BE VI. To learn more about Qualitest, visit www.qualitestgroup.com.

Qualitest Media Contact

Lauren Perry

SlicedBrand for Qualitest

lauren@slicedbrand.com

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- Alphagreen joins EIHA, the only pan-European membership association in the industrial hemp sector

- A strong alliance forged to grow cannabis compliance outlooks in the EU and UK and gain new industry insights for the Alphagreen business intelligence product

- The health-tech platform and industry veteran EIHA will exchange knowledge and best practices

LONDON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alphagreen , Europe's leading marketplace for cannabis and wellness products, has announced its membership with the European Industrial Hemp Association ( EIHA ), strengthening its position as a leader in the European and UK cannabis space.

The partnership comes at a pivotal moment in the UK and European cannabis sectors, as post-Brexit political unrest between the UK and EU could mean a renewed divide in cannabis regulation. With strong ties to brands in the UK and central Europe, both Alphagreen and EIHA share a common interest in bridging the gap between diverse geographies and unifying the hemp industry on a larger scale with a focus on regulatory compliance.

EIHA, which was founded 20 years ago and sits in Brussels at the heart of EU policy-making, is on a mission to steer and promote hemp farming, processing, and trading in the European Union. Having built an impressive network of farmers, producers, and traders of hemp and hemp-derived products in Europe, EIHA continues to strengthen the voice of the stakeholders they represent in order to achieve fair legislation and reform on hemp-related policies.

Last year an industry newcomer, now a global B2C platform with the largest selection of certified CBD products in the UK and Europe, Alphagreen raised a total of 3.5m Seed capital and plans to continue on its path to utilise key data and analytics from its platform in order to advance and promote the cannabis industry as a link between consumer, brands, retailers, suppliers, and all compliant key industry players.

"It is a pleasure to welcome Alphagreen as an associate member of the EIHA", says Lorenza Romanese, EIHA Managing Director. "If we want to see a thriving hemp sector in Europe, we need to collaborate by sharing knowledge, data, best practices, and aligning our policy and business strategies. We need to work towards building the future of hemp together."

CEO and co-founder of Alphagreen, Alexej Pikovsky, is confident that this collaboration will be pivotal in helping to create a more stable industry. "Alphagreen prides itself on being the trusted e-commerce platform for products in the pain, sleep and anxiety space. For us, quality and safety are non-negotiable. In this emerging industry, we aim to help brands and customers alike, by providing effective and reliable products and services, which will hopefully also aid the FSA to regulate the currently tumultuous landscape in a timely manner."

The partnership between Alphagreen and EIHA is another step forward in simplifying consumer access to the best CBD brands and is sure to continue driving industry growth. The goal is improved consumer safety and better guidance for brands facing the EU and UK FSA standards. This cooperation is a new frontier in strengthening ties in the cannabis industry between the EU and UK.

About Alphagreen Group:

Alphagreen Group is an e-commerce platform and technology provider focused on next-generation health and wellbeing products including CBD and other alternative healthcare products. Alphagreen Group consists of the alphagreen.io marketplace, the business intelligence product, NUOPTIMA - a specialised marketing agency, and a portfolio of brands in the wellness space.

Founded in 2019, Alphagreen was born from a passion for health and wellbeing, combined with technology and innovation. The brainchild of entrepreneurs Alexej Pikovsky and Viktor Khliupko, Alphagreen is working to simplify the entire shopper experience across self-care wellness sectors including sleep, pain, and anxiety.
MOSCOW, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) announces the real world data of the Ministry of Health of San Marino on the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine confirming its high efficacy during the vaccination campaign in the country including against new variants of COVID.

The efficacy of Sputnik V was measured based on the monitoring of COVID cases between 25 February and 23 August, 2021. Overall efficacy over 21 days after administering the first dose was estimated at 94.8% while efficacy against hospitalizations estimated at 95.9%. Sputnik V is the most efficient vaccine against hospitalizations with COVID-19 in the country.

San Marino was the first country in Europe to defeat COVID and lift restrictions thanks to inclusion of Sputnik V in the national portfolio. Over 70% of the adult population has been vaccinated with Sputnik V.

The Russian vaccine is demonstrating high safety profile with data published in EClinicalMedicine (an open access clinical journal published by The Lancet, one of the world's most respected medical journals). In particular, Sputnik V shows high tolerability profile in =60 age group with nearly all reported adverse events following immunization being mild or moderate and lasting less than 2 days.

Sputnik V has a number of key advantages:

Efficacy of Sputnik V is 97.6% based on the analysis of data on the coronavirus infection rate among those in Russia vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020 to March 31, 2021 ;

The Sputnik V vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years.

Sputnik V has pioneered the use of heterogeneous boosting (two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination among COVID vaccines). This approach provides for immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.

The safety, efficacy and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades.

There are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V.

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is Russia's sovereign wealth fund established in 2011 to make equity co-investments, primarily in Russia, alongside reputable international financial and strategic investors. RDIF acts as a catalyst for direct investment in the Russian economy. RDIF's management company is based in Moscow. Currently, RDIF has experience of the successful joint implementation of more than 80 projects with foreign partners totaling RUB 2.1 tn and covering 95% of the regions of the Russian Federation. RDIF portfolio companies employ more than 800,000 people and generate revenues which equate to more than 6% of Russia's GDP. RDIF has established joint strategic partnerships with leading international co-investors from more than 18 countries that total more than $40 bn. Further information can be found at www.rdif.ru

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ThinkMarkets branches into liquidity provision with a brand-new multi-asset offering via its prime broker partnerships.

LONDON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After celebrating a decade in the market as a retail brokerage, ThinkMarkets has now introduced Liquidity.net, a foray into multi-asset liquidity provision aimed at servicing institutional and professional clients. Liquidity.net is a registered trading name in the UK with the Financial Conduct Authority and has established offices in London and Dubai.

Integrating a list of top-tier technology vendors into the offering, Liquidiy.net aims to service banks, brokers, hedge funds, and asset managers by leveraging its prime broker relationships. Liquidiy.net's unique Multi-Asset Pricing engine allows for unique price formation and the addition of new liquidity into the market as well as pricing alongside Tier-1 liquidity. Aside from the traditional prime of prime partnership, Liquidity.net provides a white label offering through MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and Integral.

With an impressive offering including FX, CFDs, commodities and cryptocurrencies, Liquidity.net's ability to deliver exceptional service is backed by a secure and reliable infrastructure established by ThinkMarkets over the past decade.

With several datacentre locations across all major trading centres worldwide, the firm aims to bridge the gap between Prime Brokers and institutional clients. Liquidity.net has partnered with Equinix to manage data center locations via its robust global infrastructure, resulting in reliable connections and lightning-fast execution speeds. Liquidity.net has also partnered with the industry's leading third-party providers, including: oneZero, Spotex, Integral, Fastmatch, and EuronextFX.

Commenting on the launch, Co-founder & Director of ThinkMarkets, Faizan Anees said: "We are thrilled to expand our business with an institutional offering. Our prime broker relationships enable us to deliver customized & tailored trading conditions to all participants in the institutional and professional marketplace. With an established team of professionals and a tried and tested infrastructure, we stand ready to meet the needs clients have in the market."

To establish Liquidity.net as the leading multi-asset liquidity provider, ThinkMarkets assembled a team of financial and technology experts, with over 100 years of combined industry experience. The team is led by Mukrram Ali, whose wealth of expertise will drive the growth effort for Liquidity.net across multiple continents. Most recently, Mukrram Ali held a senior role at one of the leading bridge-technology providers, complementing his vast experience in institutional trading services at leading FX providers. Commenting on his appointment as Managing Director for Liquidity.net, Mr. Ali said, "I'm delighted to join ThinkMarkets to head Liquidity.net. We are strongly committed to disrupt the market with reliable infrastructure, top-tier prime broking relationship, and our ability to provide access to a unique liquidity offering for our clients."

About Liquidity.net

Liquidity.net is a multi-asset liquidity provider headquartered in London and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) offering services to Professional Clients only. Owned by ThinkMarkets, the company is led by established industry professionals with offices in London, and Dubai. Liquidity.net has datacenter locations across all major global financial centres and a multitude of technology provider partners, the company delivers an integrated offering to banks, brokers, hedge funds, and asset managers. For more information, please visit https://www.liquidity.net

About ThinkMarkets

ThinkMarkets is a premium, multi-asset, online brokerage established in 2010 with offices in London, Melbourne, and Tokyo and hubs in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and South Africa. As a regulated company, ThinkMarkets operates with several financial licenses around the globe and delivers some of the industry's most recognised trading solutions, including its award - winning platform, ThinkTrader. ThinkMarkets provides quick and easy access to a wide range of markets including forex, equities, CFDs on equities, cryptocurrencies, commodities, indices, futures and more. For more information please visit: https://www.thinkmarkets.com/uk/

Media contacts:

Victor Golovtchenko,

+44 203 514 2374

pr@thinkmarkets.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/835251/ThinkMarkets_Logo.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607401/Liquidity_Logo.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607400/Mukrram_Ali.jpg


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar climbed against its major counterparts in the Asian session on Thursday, as vaccinations across the country picked up pace and recent economic data topped forecasts.



Australia has reached a milestone by administering 20 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.



The states of Victoria and New South Wales have brought forward their vaccination targets to reduce the outbreak of the Delta strain of COVID-19.



Australian economy grew better than expected in the second quarter, according to a data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics earlier this week.



The economy expanded by 9.6 percent on year in the second quarter, beating forecasts for a gain of 9.2 percent following the 1.1 percent increase in the previous quarter.



Separate data showed that Australia posted a seasonally adjusted merchandise trade surplus of A$12.117 billion in July.



That beat forecasts for a surplus of A$10.2 billion and was up from A$10.496 billion in June.



Exports climbed A$2.090 billion or 5.0 percent on month to A$45.951 billion, while imports were up A$1.087 billion or 3.0 percent on month to A$33.834 billion.



The aussie rose to more than a 2-week high of 1.6031 against the euro, fresh 3-week high of 0.7389 against the greenback and a 1-1/2-month high of 0.9316 against the loonie, off its early lows of 1.6092,0.7356 and 0.9284, respectively. The next possible resistance for the aussie is located around 1.58 against the euro, 0.71 against the greenback and 0.95 against the loonie.



The aussie advanced to a 3-week high of 81.32 against the yen and a 3-day high of 1.0436 against the kiwi, after falling to 80.88 and 1.0411, respectively in early deals. The aussie may challenge support around 83.00 against the yen and 1.06 against the kiwi.



Looking ahead, Eurozone PPI for July is due in the European session.



U.S. and Canadian trade data for July, U.S. weekly jobless claims for the week ended August 28 and factory orders for July will be released in the New York session.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
LESHAN, China, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 8th Sichuan International Travel Expo is scheduled to be hosted at Leshan from September 2nd to 5th, 2021 with online and offline marketing channels in a diverse, flexible, and feasible manner. During the Expo, an indoor exhibition zone and outdoor exhibition ground will be set up at the main venue. With over ten events on the program, travelers will be able to experience the unique charm of the Expo.

Travelers can not only visit the majestic Leshan Giant Buddha and elegant Mount E'mei but taste distinctive local food like roasted sweet-skin duck, tofu pudding, and Qiaojiao beef. The food in Leshan is different from that in other parts of China as it strikes a perfect balance in rendering unique tastes in a universally appealing fashion.

Such balance derives from the unique culture and history of Leshan. Being a small city surrounded by three rivers at the southwest of Sichuan Basin, Leshan enjoyed convenient water transportation in ancient times. Food customs from varied places mingled here and gave birth to all manner of delicious food, including roasted sweet-skin duck, Bo Bo chicken, tofu pudding, Qiaojiao beef, Xiba tofu, hot pot, and fried snacks.

The joy of food at Leshan is often found along the process of "exploration". Restaurants spread out the city and are immersed with local surroundings. Wandering around the small city known for its slow-pace lifestyle, you will be amazed by the delicious food which you find just around the corner.

Spicy and tong-numbing Sichuan cuisines are easily available at Leshan. Food with sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, or salty taste is also within your reach. The inclusiveness in food with varied tastes is another example of middle way and harmony, a traditional philosophy which Chinese people holds dear to their heart.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607315/Leshan_food.jpg
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - MAX RESOURCE CORP. (TSXV: MXR) (OTC Pink: MXROF) (FSE: M1D2) ("Max" or the "Company") is pleased to report initial assay results for "SP", a new target located midway along the CESAR North 80-kilometre-long belt, in line with the four previous discoveries the URU, CONEJO, AMN and AMS zones, within the wholly-owned CESAR project in North Eastern Colombia (refer to Figures 1 and 2).

Table 1. Rock sample results of 1.0% copper and above.

Copper Silver Width Sample # 4.8% 51 g/t 25-metre 876502 1.0% 6 g/t 25-metre 876509 6.3% 47 g/t 0.5-metre 867233 12.4% 162 g/t float 876130

Presently, the SP target spans over 1.6-kilometres and is open in all directions. The reconnaissance composite grab sampling over 25-metres averaging 4.8% copper and 51 g/t silver is considered very significant, as is indicates the presence of a higher copper and silver grades within each 25-metre interval. This first pass sampling program is to be followed up with trenching and detailed chip channel sampling.

"In 2021 alone, Max's in-country team have now identified three new copper-silver discoveries spanning along the CESAR North 80-kilometre-long belt, showing the importance of identifying the extent of the copper-silver rich mineralization," commented Max CEO, Brett Matich.

"In addition to these new results, Max looks forward to reporting continued results from the CONEJO and URU zones located along the CESAR North 80-kilometre-long copper-silver belt," he continued.

"World demand for copper continues to increase because it is the key metal for the green revolution's move to electric vehicles, solar, wind and clean power grid infrastructure. Combined with copper's declining reserve base, new discoveries of copper are essential to replace depleting reserves. The potential district-size of the CESAR discoveries positions Max to take advantage of the copper shortfalls," he concluded.

Max interprets the sediment-hosted stratabound copper-silver mineralization in the Cesar basin to be analogous to both the Central African Copper Belt (CACB) to the south and the Polish Kupferschiefer to the north. Almost 50% of the copper known to exist in sediment-hosted deposits is contained in the CACB, including Ivanhoe Mines Ltd (TSX: IVN) 95-billion-pound Kamoa-Kakula copper deposits in the Congo.

Kupferschiefer, the world's largest silver producer and Europe's largest copper source, is a mining orebody of 0.5 to 5.5-metres thick at depths of 500-metres, grading 1.49% copper and 48.6 g/t silver. The silver yield is almost twice the production of the world's second largest silver mine.

Source: Central African Belt Descriptive models, grade-tonnage relations, and databases for the assessment of sediment-hosted copper deposits with emphasis on deposits in the Central Africa Copperbelt, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia by USGS 2010. Kamoa-Kakula by OreWin March 2020. World Silver Survey 2020 and Kupferschiefer Deposits & Prospects in SW Poland, September 27, 2019. Max cautions investors that the presence of copper mineralization of the Central African Copper Belt and the Polish Kupferschiefer are not necessarily indicative of similar mineralization at CESAR.





Figure 1. SP copper-silver rich mineralization (876502)



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://www.maxresource.com/images/gallery/MXR_News_35.jpg





Figure 2. SP mineralized rock samples (876130 and 876233)



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://www.maxresource.com/images/gallery/MXR_News_36.jpg

QUALITY ASSURANCE

All CESAR rock chip samples are shipped to ALS Lab's sample preparation facility in Medellin, Columbia. Sample pulps are then sent to Lima, Peru, for analysis. All samples are analyzed using ALS procedure ME-MS41, a four-acid digestion with inductively coupled plasma finished. Over-limit copper and silver are determined by ALS procedure OG-62, a four-acid digestion with an atomic absorption spectroscopy finish. ALS Labs is independent from Max.

Max uses standard chip and channel sampling where possible, but also relies on composite grab sampling. Max considers composite grab samples to be representative but cautions investors that individual grab samples can be selective and may not be representative of continuous mineralization at CESAR.

QUALIFIED PERSON

The Company's disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Tim Henneberry, P Geo (British Columbia), a member of the Max Resource Advisory Board, who serves as a qualified person under the definition of National Instrument 43:101.

CESAR COPPER-SILVER PROJECT IN COLOMBIA - OVERVIEW

CESAR lies along the copper-silver rich 200-kilometre-long Cesar Basin in northeastern Colombia. This region enjoys major infrastructure resulting from oil & gas and mining operations, including Cerrejon, the largest coal mine in Latin America, now held by global miner Glencore (refer to Figure 3).





Figure 3. CESAR Project location.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://www.maxresource.com/images/gallery/MXR_News_37.jpg

Due to the district-scale and copper-silver prospectivity of the Cesar Basin, Max has implemented a multi-faceted exploration program for 2021:

Advanced Drill Core Analysis and Modelling: ongoing interpretation of seismic sections and analysis of historical drill holes are all being integrated into our structural modelling of the Cesar Basin, in collaboration with Ingenieria Geologica Universidad Nacional de Colombia ("IGUN") in Medellin (January 7, 2021 NR).

Geochemical and Mineralogical: research programs by the University of Science and Technology ("AGH") of Krakow, Poland. AGH bring their extensive knowledge of KGHM's world renowned Kupferschiefer sediment-hosted copper-silver deposits in Poland to the CESAR project.

Geophysical: Fathom Geophysics is interpreting seismic data, funded by the Company in collaboration with one of the world's leading copper producers.

Proprietary Field Exploration & Techniques: Max's in-country exploration teams continue to target new copper-silver stratabound mineralized zones.

CESAR North 80-kilomtre-long-copper-silver zone: In 2020, Max discovered both the copper-silver rich AMS (previously named AM South) zone and the AMN (previously named AM North) zone 40-km north, collectively spanning over 45-km, highlight values of 0.1 to 34.4% copper and 5 to 305 g/t silver over intervals ranging 0.1 to 25.0-metres; In March 2021, Max's announced the CONEJO discovery, now spanning 3.2-km by 1.6-km and open in all directions. CONEJO returned values greater than 5.0% copper from 23 rock panels varying from 5.0m by 5.0m to 1.0m by 1.0m, 66 rock panel samples returned values over 1.0% copper (March 24, 2021 NR): 12.5% copper + 84 g/t silver over 5.0-metre by 5.0-metre 10.5% copper + 50 g/t silver over 3.0-metre by 2.0-metre 10.4% copper + 95 g/t silver over 5.0-metre by 5.0-metre 10.2% copper + 62 g/t silver over 5.0-metre by 5.0-metre 10.0% copper + 80 g/t silver over 5.0-metre by 5.0-metre 8.7% copper + 89 g/t silver over 5.0-metre by 5.0-metre 8.4% copper + 60 g/t silver over 5.0-metre by 5.0-metre 7.9% copper + 21 g/t silver over 5.0-metre by 5.0-metre 7.7% copper + 84 g/t silver over 5.0-metre by 5.0-metre 7.4% copper + 47 g/t silver over 5.0-metre by 5.0-metre



The 2021 URU discovery is located 30-km south of CONEJO, now expanded to 12-km and open in all directions. URU appears to have major-scale potential; Thirteen rock samples over widths ranging from 10 to 25-metres returned values of 2.0% copper and above, thirty-seven returned values greater than 1.0% copper, with highlight values of 5.7 % copper and 37 g/t silver: 4.3% copper and 8 g/t silver over widths of 10-metres 3.9% copper and 7 g/t silver over widths of 10-metres 3.6% copper and 12 g/t silver over widths of 10-metres 3.0% copper and 6 g/t silver over widths of 10-metres 3.0% copper and 37 g/t silver over widths of 10-metres



Late April 2021, Max identified the SP target, which lies along the mid portion of the CESAR North 80-km belt, in line with the four previous copper discoveries URU, CONEJO, AMN and AMS; Exploration continues on the CONEJO and URU zones; In addition, Max has initiated the process of mineral claim approvals and drill permitting;



CESAR West: Max has identified copper porphyry-style mineralization along a significant target zone.

ABOUT MAX RESOURCE CORP.

Max Resource Corp. is a copper and precious metals exploration company, engaged in advancing both the newly discovered district-scale CESAR copper-silver project (100% owned) in Colombia and the newly acquired RT Gold project (100% earn-in) in Peru. Both projects have potential for the discovery of large-scale mineral deposits; both stratabound-type copper-silver in Colombia and high-grade gold porphyry and massive sulfide in Peru.

Max Resource was awarded a Top 10 Ranked Company in the Mining Sector on the TSX Venture 50 for 2021, achieving a market cap increase of 1,992% and a share price increase of 282% in 2020.

For more information visit: https://www.maxresource.com/

For more information visit: www.tsx.com/venture50

TSX Venture 50 for 2021 video: MAX Resource Corp. (TSXV: MXR) - 2021 TSX Venture 50 - YouTube

For additional information contact:

Max Resource Corp.

Tim McNulty

E: info@maxresource.com

T: (604) 290-8100

*The Venture 50 ranking is provided by TSX Venture Exchange Inc. ("TSXV") for information purposes only. Neither TMX Group Limited nor any of its affiliated companies guarantees the completeness of this information and are not responsible for any errors or omissions in or any use of, or reliance on, this information. The Venture 50 program is not an invitation to purchase securities listed on TSX Venture Exchange. TSXV and its affiliates do not endorse or recommend any of the referenced securities or issuers, and this information should not be construed as providing any trading, legal, accounting, tax, investment, business, financial or other advice and should not be relied on for such purposes."

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.

Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the TSXV. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the commercialization plans for Max Resources Corp. described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95288
Evrima Plc - Issue of New Equity in Brokered Placing

THE DIRECTORS OF EVRIMA PLC CONSIDER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT TO CONTAIN INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF REGULATION (EU) NO. 594/2014 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF 16 APRIL 2014 ON MARKET ABUSE AS IT FORMS PART OF RETAINED EU LAW AS DEFINED IN THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018. BY PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, THE INFORMATION SET OUT WITHIN IT IS DEEMED NOW TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

Evrima plc

AQSE: EVA

("Evrima" or the "Company")

Evrima Completes Equity Financing, led by the Directors and its Corporate Broker, Peterhouse Capital Limited, to Raise Gross Proceeds of 720,000

Particulars of the Regulatory Announcement

The Equity Financing Directors Participation and Related Party Disclosure Chief Executive Officer's Statement Admission and Total Voting Rights

The Equity Financing

Evrima has raised 720,000 before expenses through a placing (the "Placing") of 14,400,000 new ordinary shares of 0.1 p each at five pence (0.05) per share (the "Placing Shares"), conditional upon admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AQSE Growth Market ("Admission").

Alongside each Placing Share subscribed, subscribers will receive one warrant to subscribe for one additional new ordinary share, exercisable at 10 pence (0.10) for a period ending three years from the date of Admission ("Warrants"). Should subscribers in the Placing elect to exercise their Warrants in full during their currency, for each new ordinary share so subscribed at 10 pence, they shall be issued with one replacement warrant ("Replacement Warrants") granting the right to subscribe for one further new ordinary share with an exercise price of 20 pence, exercisable for three years from the date of issue of the Replacement Warrant.

The Placing was conducted with a range of existing shareholders and new investors and was led by the Directors and the Company's corporate broker, Peterhouse Capital Limited, which has acted as sole broker to the Placing.

The Company has issued to Peterhouse Capital Limited 500,000 broker warrants on the same terms as those which attach to the Warrants that are being issued to Placing participants in tandem with the Placing Shares.

2. Directors' Participations & Related Party Disclosure

The participations of Simon Grant-Rennick and Burns Singh Tennent-Bhohi in the Placing represent dealings in the capital of the Company by Directors; by virtue of Guy Miller's common directorships of it and of the Company, the participation of Gledhow Investments plc is a transaction with a related party. The commercial terms of the Placing subscriptions by Directors and by the related party disclosed here are identical to those attaching to other subscribers' subscriptions.

Upon allotment of the Placing Shares, the shareholdings of the participating Directors and related party mentioned above shall be as follows:

Director/Related Party Shares Currently Held Placing Shares After Allotment Percentage of Enlarged Issued Share Capital Simon Grant-Rennick* 3,540,000 2,000,000 5,540,000 14.05% Burns Singh Tennent-Bhohi 700,000 2,000,000 2,700,000 6.85% Gledhow Investments plc** 1,700,000 2,000,000 3,700,000 9.38%

* Simon Grant-Rennick is an adviser to Alpha Corporate Services (Bermuda) Ltd. although he has no beneficial interest in that entity. Upon Admission, Alpha Corporate Services (Bermuda) Ltd. will be interested in 4,540,000 shares, representing 11.51% of the Company's share capital as enlarged by the Placing. Simon Grant-Rennick has also subscribed personally for 1,000,000 shares in the Placing and upon Admission will be interested in 1,000,000 shares representing 2.54% of the Company's share capital as enlarged by the Placing.

** Guy Miller, a Director, is also a director of Gledhow Investments plc (AQSE: GDH).

3. Burns Singh Tennent-Bhohi, Chief Executive Officer's, Statement

"I wish to take this opportunity to thank my Board colleagues, existing and new shareholders and the Company's broker, Peterhouse Capital, for their enthusiastic support of this financing.

In July 2020, the Board and investors recapitalised the Company at three pence per share and adopted an investment strategy focusing on identifying opportunities in the natural resource sector.

In the last year, the Company has established a clear and simple investment strategy which is creatively to source, structure and execute investment transactions in base and industrial metals opportunities, in Botswana.

To date we have amassed positions in Premium Nickel Resources Corporation, Eastport Ventures Inc. and Kalahari Key Minerals Exploration. These are active exploration and development companies operating in Botswana, with interests that expose the Company to early-stage exploration, development assets and previously producing mines with many hundreds of millions of dollars in capitalised expenditures that are being redeveloped for fast-track production. This blend of varying risk exposures provides a balanced pool of assets which should offer the Company clear paths to realising value.

The Directors expect the Company will experience a highly active period from now until the year-end, as certain investees reach pivotal points in their development paths. In addition to existing interests, Evrima is also considering parallel investment opportunities that could provide direct exposure to projects strategically located and positioned within our investees' licence areas. This ability and access should enable the Company to create leverage through direct asset investment while retaining the ability to predetermine capital commitments contingent on the success and performance of our investees."

4. Admission of Shares and Enlarged Voting Rights

Application will be made for Admission, which is expected to occur on or around 15thSeptember 2021. No application shall be made to admit to trading on AQSE Growth Market or to any other forum of quotation either the Warrants (which are not divisible or transferable) or (if, as and when issued) the Replacement Warrants.

Following the Admission of the 14,400,000 Placing Shares, Evrima's issued ordinary share capital shall consist of 39,436.73 divided into 39,436,728 ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each. 39,436,728 will therefore represent the total number of voting rights in the Company and, following Admission, should be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculation by which they may determine whether they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the Financial Conduct Authority's ("FCA") Disclosure and Transparency Rules. The Placing Shares shall rank pari passu in all respects with the existing ordinary shares of the Company.

London, 2ndSeptember 2021

The Directors of the Company, who have issued this RIS announcement after due and careful enquiry, accept responsibility for its content.

REGULATORY ANNOUNCEMENT ENDS

Enquiries :

Company:

Burns Singh Tennent-Bhohi (CEO & Director)

burns@evrimaplc.com



Simon Grant-Rennick (Executive Chairman)

simon@evrimaplc.com



Keith, Bayley, Rogers & Co. Limited (AQSE Corporate Adviser):

Graham Atthill-Beck: +44 (0) 7506 43 41 07; Graham.Atthill-Beck@kbrl.co.uk; blackpearladvisers@gmail.com

Peterhouse Capital Limited (Corporate Stockbroker):

Lucy Williams: +44 (0) 20 7469 0930

Duncan Vasey: +44 (0) 20 7220 9797 (Direct)
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 5.00 am ET Thursday, Eurostat releases euro area producer price data for July. Economists expect the PPI to rise 11 percent annually after climbing 10.2 percent in June. Ahead of the data, the euro held steady against its major counterparts. The euro was worth 1.1846 against the greenback, 130.33 against the yen, 0.8595 against the pound and 1.0845 against the franc as of 4:55 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - Navigator Acquisition Corp. (TSXV: NAQ.P) ("Navigator" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding letter of intent ("LOI") dated August 30, 2021, with PJSC "ORG" ("ORG"), a public joint-stock company duly incorporated under the laws of Russian Federation, which will result in the acquisition by Navigator of the wholly-owned subsidiary of ORG, MCC "Arifmetika" LLC ("Arifmetika"). The LOI states that ORG shall incorporate a holding company ("HoldCo") which shall hold 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Arifmetika. The holders of the issued and outstanding shares of HoldCo, or the issued and outstanding shares of Arifmetika, as applicable, will exchange all of the issued and outstanding securities of Arifmetika in exchange for securities of the resulting issuer (the "Transaction").

The Transaction is intended to constitute Navigator's Qualifying Transaction pursuant to Policy 2.4 (Capital Pool Companies) of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") Corporate Finance Manual. In connection with the Transaction, the Company intends to apply to list its common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Transaction is subject to the approval of the TSX-V and Toronto Stock Exchange, execution of a definitive agreement and other closing conditions customary for a transaction of this nature. Navigator, upon completion of the Transaction, is referred to in this news release as the "resulting issuer".

Arifmetika is a leading microlending company operating in Russia for more than 11 years. Further information about Arifmetika, including financial information, will be provided in a subsequent news release. Arifmetika's principal assets, equal to approximately C$44,311,087.47 based on its audited accounts for the year ended December 31, 2020. Arifmetika's current liabilities, equal to approximately C$2,478,084.38 based on the audited accounts, primarily comprise interest-bearing loans and borrowings. As of the date of the audited accounts, Arifmetika had revenues of C$46,795,923.16 and had net revenue equal to approximately C$10,953,527.33.

Transaction Structure

The LOI contemplates that the holders of the issued and outstanding shares of HoldCo or Arifmetica, as the case may be, will exchange such shares for common shares in the capital of the resulting issuer, resulting in the issuance by the resulting issuer of approximately 224,927,143 common shares.

Upon completion of the Transaction, the resulting issuer will hold 100% of the issued and outstanding securities of Arifmetika and it is anticipated that the resulting issuer will apply to list on the Toronto Stock Exchange, in addition to changing its name and trading symbol to a name and trading symbol acceptable to Arifmetika and the applicable regulatory authorities. The LOI was negotiated at arm's length and the parties are currently negotiating the terms of a definitive agreement.

Upon completion of the Transaction, the resulting issuer is expected to have 241,857,143 common shares outstanding (undiluted).

Certain of the resulting issuer shares issued to the principals of Arifmetika that will become management of the resulting issuer will be subject to escrow in accordance with Toronto Stock Exchange policies.

Management and Board of Directors

Upon completion of the Transaction, it is expected that certain current members of Navigator's board of directors and certain senior officers will resign, and the board of directors and management team and the resulting issuer will be reconstituted to comprise of five members to be nominated by ORG and two members to be nominated by Navigator. Navigator will provide further details regarding the proposed insiders of the resulting issuer in due course.

Conditions of Transaction

Upon completion of the Transaction, the parties anticipate that the resulting issuer will be listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Completion of the Transaction will be subject to certain conditions, including, but not limited to, (a) receipt of all necessary approvals of the boards of directors of Navigator and Arifmetika; (b) approval of the Transaction by the TSX-V as Navigator's qualifying transaction; (c) Arifmetika satisfying the initial listing requirements set by the Toronto Stock Exchange; and (d) the parties' entry into a definitive agreement in furtherance to LOI.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship of a Qualifying Transaction is required by the TSX-V unless the transaction qualifies for an exemption from the sponsorship requirement. Navigator intends to apply from a waiver from the sponsorship requirements. However, there is no assurance that such waiver will be obtained.

Additional information

Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by Navigator with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available on its SEDAR profile.

About MCC Arifmetika LLC

Arifmetika is a leading microlending company operating in Russia for more than 11 years.

It uses modern algorithms to manage risks for providing its clients with customized solutions to meet their needs. Its management team manages business processes and consists of 300 professionals, including key specialists who have many years of experience in the microfinance sector.

Arifmetika is currently developing a high-tech platform for disbursing online loans and is a leader in terms of the number of service points among federal companies in the microfinancing market. It manages more than 600 service points in 258 localities of Russia. Arifmetika has its own IT infrastructure, including three data centers in Moscow, Khabarovsk, and Novosibirsk. It uses artificial intelligence and big data solutions to analyze the customer base and develop new products and blockchain to protect personal data.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

NAVIGATOR ACQUISITION CORP.

Kyle Shostak

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

For further information contact:

Kyle Shostak

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Navigator Acquisition Corp.

(212) 909-5870 (office), (917)-514-1310 (mob)

Statements in this press release regarding Navigator which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, such as the completion of the proposed Qualifying Transaction. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties such as the risk that the closing may not occur for any reason. Forwarding-looking statements in this news release include the statements that: (i) the parties anticipate that the resulting issuer will be listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange; (ii) describes the terms of the financing.

Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements due to factors such as: (i) the decision to not close the Qualifying Transaction for any reason, including adverse due diligence results and TSX-V refusal of the Qualifying Transaction; (ii) adverse market conditions; and (iii) the need for additional financing. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update any changes to such statements.

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSX-V acceptance and if applicable pursuant to TSX-V requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative.

The TSX-V has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

Neither TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95127
Venture Global set to become America's top LNG supplier to Poland

WARSAW, Poland, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Venture Global LNG and PGNiG (Polish Oil and Gas Company) finalized an agreement under which PGNiG will purchase an additional 2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Venture Global for 20 years. Cargoes will be supplied from Venture Global's Calcasieu Pass LNG and Plaquemines LNG export facilities. The documents were signed during a ceremony at the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

"Venture Global is proud to expand our existing partnership with PGNiG to provide a clean and reliable supply of American LNG to Poland. Since 2018, our two companies have significantly increased our cooperation, nearly tripling the volume of LNG Venture Global will export to PGNiG. Poland will lower its carbon footprint and diversify its energy mix by incorporating more American natural gas into its portfolio. Pivoting towards cleaner natural gas from the United States will not only increase Poland's energy security but also decrease its carbon emissions, and Venture Global looks forward to supporting our partner PGNiG in these efforts for years to come," commented Mike Sabel, Chief Executive Officer of Venture Global LNG.

"The import of LNG allows PGNiG to diversify sources and routes of supply of natural gas. This way we can provide Polish customers with energy security - constant and uninterrupted gas deliveries. This is particularly important considering that natural gas will be a bridge fuel in the process of energy transition of the Polish economy. At the same time, access to American LNG gives us opportunity to develop trade of this fuel on the global market - for this purpose we will charter LNG carriers to transport liquefied natural gas. In this respect, we value cooperation with Venture Global LNG, as it brings us the possibility of achieving our strategic goals," commented Pawel Majewski, the President of the PGNiG Management Board.

Today's announcement amends the existing Sales and Purchase Agreements signed by the companies in 2018, increasing the volume of LNG purchased from Calcasieu Pass LNG to 1.5 MTPA and the volume from Plaquemines LNG to 4 MTPA. This brings the total volume of LNG PGNiG has committed to purchase from Venture Global facilities to 5.5 MTPA, for 20 years on a free-on-board basis (FOB).

About Venture Global LNG

Venture Global is a long-term, low-cost provider of U.S. LNG to be sourced from resource rich North American natural gas basins. Venture Global is currently constructing or developing 70 MTPA of production capacity in Louisiana to provide clean, affordable energy to the world.

About PGNiG

Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG SA) deals with exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil and - through its branches and key companies from the Capital Group - with import, storage, sales, distribution of gaseous and liquid fuels, production of heat and electricity as well as geophysical and drilling services. Its subsidiaries and branches carry out exploration and production activities in Norway, Pakistan and UAE, natural gas sales in Europe and LNG trading. It is involved in projects with biomethane as well as storage and distribution of hydrogen. It develops competences in generating power from renewables.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/825434/VENTURE_GLOBAL_LNG_INC___Logo.jpg
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2, 2021/PRNewswire/ -- Luxury fashion destination FORWARD [FWRD], part of REVOLVE Group, Inc. (NYSE: RVLV), announces Kendall Jenner as the new Creative Director. With elevated, modern identities and a deeply-rooted Los Angeles DNA, the pioneering relationship between FWRD and Kendall Jenner is unparalleled.

"I grew up loving fashion and have been incredibly fortunate to work with some of the most brilliant people in this business. As FWRD's Creative Director, I am excited to help curate the site's offering with emerging designers and brands." - Kendall Jenner, Creative Director FWRD

The celebrity, entrepreneur, and renowned supermodel paired with the always on-trend FWRD make for a genuinely organic partnership that will deliver a next level fashion experience for shoppers. Jenner has paved her way as a pivotal force in fashion and is no stranger to creating global trends. With her guidance, FWRD will advance the future of luxury fashion commerce and the next wave of must-have designers and trends in the market.

As the new Creative Director, Jenner will be in charge of the look and feel of the site, curation of brands sold on the site, monthly edits of must-have trends, styles, and looks, as well as marketing ideas, brand partnerships, and brand activations. Jenner will be kicking off her new role during New York Fashion Week in September 2021.

"Kendall as the Creative Director for FWRD is the perfect choice as we continue to invest in the next generation luxury consumer. We have always had an extreme admiration for Kendall's style, creativity, and overall exquisite taste. Her multifaceted experience in the fashion industry and the vision she has outlined for the FWRD business has the potential to transform our business and the luxury business as a whole." Michael Mente, Co-CEO and Co-Founder REVOLVE Group.



"Kendall is the epitome of luxury fashion, and there isn't a better fit for this position. As leaders in the industry and innovators in marketing, we are always looking for fresh ideas, staying ahead of the curve, and being at the forefront of style trends. The world looks at Kendall to lead the industry, and we are beyond excited to have her vision for FWRD come to life." Raissa Gerona, Chief Brand Officer REVOLVE Group.

For more details, visit FWRD.com and REVOLVE.com .

About FORWARD:

Translating the brick-and-mortar boutique into a singular online shopping experience, FORWARD transcends traditional e-commerce with its combination of first-class customer service and an elite roster of designers. Ranging from iconic Maisons de couture to the latest emerging talents, all of the style's leading names are here, shot in ever-evolving, consistently chic, and stylishly striking editorial imagery. For more information, please visit www .fwrd.com @fwrd.

About Kendall Jenner:

As one of the world's most recognized supermodels, Kendall Jenner plays a pivotal role in defining the ongoing evolution of the fashion industry. Throughout her career, she has worked with fashion's most respected creatives, such as Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, Inez & Vinoodh, Mert & Marcus, and the late great Karl Lagerfeld. Kendall has appeared on the covers of the most prestigious fashion magazines; including three American Vogue covers, as well as all international additions. Kendall has graced the catwalk for top designers such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Miu Miu, Versace and has been selected as the face of brands like Calvin Klein, Fendi, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Versace, Burberry, and many more. In 2017, she was named Fashion Icon of the Decade at the Fashion Media Awards.

She is one of the most followed global presences on social media. As a measure of her impact, TIME Magazine named Kendall as one of the 'Most Influential Teens.' Utilizing her extensive online and offline reach, Kendall has partnered with both Rock The Vote as well as Vote Save America to encourage young voters to head to the polls. Additionally, she has contributed to institutions including the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and organizations such as Charity: Water.

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 Kendall Jenner's role with FWRD and the anticipated impact of her contributions on our business and the luxury fashion industry. 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 on our current expectations. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results or outcomes and the timing of events could di?er 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 e?ective manner; the strength of our brand; competition; system interruptions; our ability to ful?ll orders; and other risks and uncertainties included under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our ?lings 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 quali?ed in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to re?ect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1606220/FORWARD_Kendall_Jenner.jpg
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - SKRR Exploration Inc. (TSXV: SKRR) (OTC Pink: SKKRF) (FSE: B04Q) ("SKRR" or the "Company") announces that it will commence drilling on or about September 15, 2021 on the 100% owned Manson Bay gold project (the "Manson Bay Project") located in the Trans Hudson Corridor in east-central Saskatchewan, approximately 40km northwest of the historic mining center of Flin Flon, on the Manitoba border. The Manson Bay Project consists of 13 mineral claims compromising a total of approximately 4,293 hectares.

The Company has approved a $1,000,000 budget to explore the Manson Bay Project for late summer - fall of 2021. The program includes an airborne VTEM "Versatile Time Domain Electromagnetic" survey, a 1700m 9-hole drill program as well as mapping, prospecting and soil grid surveying.

2021 Manson Bay Drill Program

QB Drilling has been contracted to conduct a 1700m, 9-hole NQ core drill program at the Manson Bay Project. The primary focus of the drilling will be to test the historic Manson Bay Gold Zone, where historic drilling by HudBay Minerals (1985) and MinGold Resources (1987-88) outlined the Manson Bay Gold Zone, with highlights such as drill hole MBO-15 intersected 15.39 g/t Au over 10.03m including a high-grade interval of 23.13 g/t Au over 6.40m. Drill targets are still being finalized, but it is expected that seven (7) holes will test within the known Manson Bay Gold Zone, with the aim to confirm and expand upon historic results, and two (2) step-out holes contingent on results from the summer mapping and soil geochemistry surveys.

The 2021 Manson Bay drilling targets are based on a comprehensive compilation and modelling of all available data including historic drilling, and from the recent fieldwork completed by SKRR.

2021 VTEM Airborne Survey

Geotech Ltd. has been contracted to conduct a 223 line-km, 100m line space, VTEM helicopter supported airborne survey to be flown over areas of the property which will compliment and tie in to historic VTEM survey flown in 2008. The VTEM survey allows for the simultaneous measurement of chargeability, conductivity and magnetic susceptibility in underlying bedrock beneath overburden and lake cover. This essentially provides a geophysics tool to map the subsurface lithology, structure, hydrothermal alteration, all of which can associated with structurally controlled mineralization such as that seen at the Manson Bay Gold Zone. Thus, the VTEM survey can assist in providing an overall picture of the subsurface geology and the ability to target features associated with mineralized trends and thus used to help target drill holes. A review of the 2008 survey results, shows very good correlation to magnetic and electromagnetic "EM" highs and the Manson Bay Gold Zone.

Manson Bay Gold Zone Details

The mineral occurrence located on the Manson Bay Property referred to as the Manson Bay Gold Zone is documented in the Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index ("SMDI") as occurrence #2280. Staking and exploration on the Manson Bay and Manson Bay South properties dates back to 1953. Kay Lake Mines Ltd. acquired the property in 1955 and conducted an electromagnetic survey in 1955, and in 1956 followed up with a diamond drill program to test the anomalies along the northeast shore of Manson Bay. Hudson Bay Exploration optioned the property in 1983 and completed 3 drill holes. Drill holes MBO-1 and 2 intersected the mineralization described by this showing. Discovery drill hole MBO-1 encountered an 0.8 ft intersection that returned 0.04 oz./ton Au, 4.38 oz./ton Ag, 5.81% Cu and 0.60% Zn. Between 1987 and 1988, Mingold Resources Limited completed a further 43 drill holes (MBO-4 to MBO-46) to outline a gold-copper rich zone of mineralization. Mingold estimated reserves for this ore shoot of 660,000 tons grading 0.10 oz/ton (3.4 g/t) Au* to a depth of 400 feet (down dip) at the end of this drill program.

Geologically, the area straddles the transition zone between the highly metamorphosed (upper amphibolite facies) Amisk Group interlayered volcanics and metasediments to the south and the Kisseynew gneiss belt derived wackes (garnetiferous quartz-feldspar-biotite-hornblende gneiss, quartz-feldspar- hornblende-garnet biotite gneiss, biotite migmatite, and sericitic quartz- feldspar-biotite schist) to the north and to the east. Pegmatite and calc-silicate gneiss are found in almost all drill holes.

Structurally, the showing area occupies the core of the Schotts Lake anticline. The host rocks have a northeast strike and dip 20to 30SE. Lineations indicate a plunge of 21 to 40NE.

The Manson Bay Gold Zone showing consists of a silicified horizon within a northeast-trending shear zone. Mineralization has been traced over a strike length of 2400 ft (731.5 m) within this silicified shear zone. The mineralized horizon is a quartz-rich gneiss that contains hornblende-feldspar-biotite and locally chlorite and tourmaline crystals. Minerals present include trace to 15% pyrite, trace to 20% pyrrhotite, up to 10% graphite, trace to 12% chalcopyrite, trace to 10% sphalerite, trace galena and associated gold mineralization.

Delineation drilling, at 100 to 200 ft (30.5 to 61.0 m) centers, has outlined an area approximately 300 ft by 500 ft (91.4 m by 152.4 m) where an average 12 ft 3.65 m) width grades between 0.092 and 0.679 oz./ton Au (11 intersections). Other zones of less significant Cu-Au mineralization have been located along strike.

The above results were summarized from the SMDI descriptions and assessment reports filed with the Saskatchewan government. SKRR cautions that historical results were collected and reported by past operators and have not been verified nor confirmed by a Qualified Person, but form a basis for ongoing work at the Manson Bay Project. Further work (including drilling) is required by SKRR in order to verify the historical work on the Manson Bay Project. Management cautions that past results or discoveries on proximate land are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved on the subject properties.





Manson Bay Project

To view an enhanced version of this map, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6952/95275_77773211e46d290e_002full.jpg

Beaver Creek Precious Metals Summit

SKRR is pleased to announce that Sherman Dahl, Chief Executive Officer and Director, will attend the 2021 Beaver Creek Precious Metals Summit in-person from September 8 to 11, 2021.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ross McElroy P.Geol, a director of the Company and a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. McElroy verified the data disclosed (unless indicated otherwise) which includes a review of the sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information and opinions contained therein.

About SKRR Exploration Inc.:

SKRR is a Canadian-based precious metal explorer with properties in Saskatchewan - one of the world's highest ranked mining jurisdictions. The primary exploration focus is on the Trans-Hudson Corridor in Saskatchewan in search of world class precious metal deposits. The Trans-Hudson Orogen - although extremely well known in geological terms has been significantly under-explored in Saskatchewan. SKRR is committed to all stakeholders including shareholders, all its partners and the environment in which it operates.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Sherman Dahl

President & CEO

Tel: 250-558-8340

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information or statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, statements that address the planned drilling and geophysical survey on the Manson Bay Project and the expected outcomes, attending the precious metals conference, other statements relating to the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, its projects and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of metals, the ability to achieve its goals, the ability to secure equipment and personnel to carry out work programs, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. There is a possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, adverse weather conditions, decrease in the price of gold and other metals, equipment failures or failure to obtain the necessary equipment, adverse weather and climate conditions, failure to maintain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, the impact of Covid-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Company's ability to operate, failure to maintain community acceptance (including First Nations), increase in costs, litigation, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95275
Signed up 54 new enterprise customers in the region; Enterprise enrollment up 44.3% YoY

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE: COUR), one of the world's leading online learning platforms, today announces several new enterprise customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In the first half of 2021, more than 130 companies across the region launched, renewed or expanded their enterprise learning programs using Coursera for Business. The growth represents 54 new customers, including Lycamobile, Checkatrade, Eurowag, and Scania.

According to PwC's 2021 Global CEO Survey, a 'skilled, educated and adaptable workforce' is now a top business imperative for CEOs across EMEA. Coursera for Business is helping companies address these needs by providing job-based skills development to employees. In the first half of the year, enrollment in EMEA increased by 44.3% year-on-year as companies doubled down on their digital transformation efforts, including demand for technology, data science, and business skills.

"The business landscape is changing at an unprecedented rate, driven by increasing automation and adoption of digital technologies," said Anthony Tattersall, Vice President of EMEA at Coursera. "We are excited to partner with leading companies across EMEA and bring new innovations to better prepare workers for the new economy.

New offerings like Academies and SkillSets have further advanced the enterprise learning experience delivered through Coursera for Business. These resources are helping organizations target the right skills for their employees while benchmarking and measuring the impact of their upskilling efforts.

In EMEA, WPP's AI Academy, for example, is upskilling the workforce with critical digital skills, helping agencies like Mindshare and Xaxis drive greater value for customers. The Academies are powered by recent platform innovations known as SkillSets. These are expert-curated, AI-driven content recommendations that help employees develop specific skills for specific roles. Ericsson and Sber are among the first to adopt SkillSets in EMEA.

'Our partnership with Coursera adds to our employees' seamless learning experience, enriching customer, technical and human-centric skills and contributing to personal and professional growth,' said Navanit Narayan, Lyca Group CEO.

'As part of our digital transformation journey, we are delighted to partner with Coursera to support our employees in their upskilling and reskilling journey,' said Rowan Laurence??, Engineering Director at Checkatrade.

In a world that's changing rapidly, every organisation has a role to play in bridging the skills-gap. By partnering with Coursera, organisations across EMEA are showing their commitment to helping employees develop high-demand skills needed for the workforce of the future. Learn more about Coursera for Business today.

About Coursera

Coursera was launched in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 87 million registered learners as of June 30, 2021. Coursera partners with over 200 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, Guided Projects, and bachelor's and master's degrees. Institutions around the world use Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students in fields such as data science, technology, and business. Coursera became a B Corp in February 2021.

Source Code: COUR-IR

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005221/en/

Contacts:

Coursera Media Contact:

Alexandra Sanpera Iglesias

press@coursera.org
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ceylon Graphite Corp. ("Ceylon Graphite") (TSX-V: CYL) (OTC: CYLYF) (FSE: CCY) is pleased to announce The Company has entered into a 6-month marketing and consulting contract with Toronto based marketing firm, North Equities Corp. North Equities Corp. specializes in various social media platforms and will be able to facilitate greater awareness and widespread dissemination of the Company's news.

The Company will pay, as approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, C$100,000 plus GST for the services under the Agreement and 800,000 options. The options are excercisable at a price of C$0.14 and expire in 5 years. North Equities currently owns zero shares of the Company.

Donald Baxter, Ceylon's CEO commented, "We are excited to engage North Equities to enhance our exposure on various social media and marketing platforms and communicate this exciting story to a much wider audience."

About Ceylon Graphite Corp.

Ceylon Graphite is a public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, that is in the business of mining for graphite, and developing and commercializing innovative graphene and graphite applications and products. Graphite mined in Sri Lanka is known to be some of the purest in the world and has been confirmed to be suitable to be easily upgradable for a range of applications including the high-growth electric vehicle and battery storage markets as well as construction, healthcare and paints and coatings sectors. The Government of Sri Lanka has granted the Company's wholly owned subsidiary Sarcon Development (Pvt) Ltd. an IML Category A license for its K1 mine and exploration rights in a land package of over 120km. These exploration grids (each one square kilometer in area) cover areas of historic graphite production from the early twentieth century and represent a majority of the known graphite occurrences in Sri Lanka.

Further information regarding the Company is available at www.ceylongraphite.com

Don Baxter, Chief Executive Officer

info@ceylongraphite.com

Corporate Communications

+1(604) 765 8657

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This news release contains forward-looking information as such term is defined in applicable securities laws, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. The forward-looking information includes statements about Ceylon Graphite's grids, Ceylon Graphite's plans to undertake additional drilling and to develop a mine plan, and to commence establishing mining operations. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to Ceylon Graphite, including the assumption that, there will be no material adverse change in metal prices, all necessary consents, licenses, permits and approvals will be obtained, including various Local Government Licenses and the market. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking information include, among other things, an inability to reach a final acquisition agreement, inaccurate results from the drilling exercises, a failure to obtain or delays in obtaining the required regulatory licenses, permits, approvals and consents, an inability to access financing as needed, a general economic downturn, a volatile stock price, labour strikes, political unrest, changes in the mining regulatory regime governing Ceylon Graphite, a failure to comply with environmental regulations and a weakening of market and industry reliance on high quality graphite. Ceylon Graphite cautions the reader that the above list of risk factors is not exhaustive.
... as it drives forward with UK growth and European expansion

Cazana is one of the leading data insights platforms in the European automotive industry

Expert team of 50 including data scientists engineers, enhancing Cazoo's capabilities

Cazana products include real-time valuations, pricing trends stock management tools

Extensive dataset of over 500 million historic vehicle prices from more than 40 countries

Platform and data tools used by vehicle manufacturers, lenders, fleet owners insurers

Combines Cazoo's leading retail platform brand with Cazana's leading data products

Deal enhances Cazoo's pricing data and tools to optimise both vehicle buying and selling

Cazoo (NYSE: CZOO), the UK's leading online car retailer, which makes buying or selling a car as seamless as ordering any other product online, today announced that it has acquired Cazana, owner of one of the most comprehensive vehicle pricing datasets globally and one of the leading data insights platforms in the European automotive industry.

Founded in 2012, Cazana has grown to a team of more than 50 staff including world-class data scientists and engineers headquartered in London. Cazana has built an extensive dataset of over 500 million historic vehicle transactions from over 40 countries including the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy and its tools are used by car manufacturers, lenders, fleet owners and insurers.

Cazana's products include real-time vehicle valuation, pricing and stock management tools, and the acquisition by Cazoo will combine its market leading brand, proposition and platform with Cazana's extensive data, products and expertise. This deal will enhance Cazoo's data team and capabilities and allow it to further optimise its car buying and pricing across the UK Europe for the benefit of consumers.

Cazoo is one of the fastest growing businesses in Europe and is pioneering the shift to online car buying and selling and this acquisition follows its recent listing on the NYSE. Cazoo has already sold over 35,000 cars in the UK since its launch less than 2 years ago as consumers have embraced the selection, transparency and convenience of buying and selling used cars entirely online.

Cazoo has recently launched an all-inclusive monthly car subscription service for new cars as well as its used car buying service in the UK and is gearing up to launch its proposition later this year in both France and Germany. Cazoo owns and fully reconditions all of its cars before offering them on its website for either delivery or collection in as little as 72 hours and has thousands of cars available at any time.

Under the terms of the agreement Cazoo acquired Cazana for approximately 25m in cash. Cazana's subsidiary Car Classic did not form part of this transaction and CEO Tom Wood and COO Chris Varin will remain with the Car Classic business. The transaction is expected to have an immaterial impact on Cazoo's FY2021 operating results.

Alex Chesterman OBE, Founder CEO of Cazoo said: "Cazana has built one of the leading data insights platforms, providing tools which are used by manufacturers, lenders, fleet owners and insurers in the automotive space. This acquisition will enhance our data team and capabilities and enable us to further optimise our buying and pricing of vehicles across the UK and Europe. I am looking forward to welcoming the Cazana team to Cazoo as we continue our mission to deliver the best car buying and selling experience to consumers across Europe."

Tom Wood, CEO of Cazana said, "I am very proud of what we have built and what the Cazana team has achieved over the past few years. We now have comprehensive vehicle data across Europe and our extensive dataset, products and tools are highly valued by our customers. Cazoo has a clear vision and strategy to provide the best full stack car buying and selling experience across Europe and by joining forces, the Cazana team, data and products will continue to play a key part in accelerating the digital transformation of the industry. Chris and I are excited to be continuing our journey leading Car Classic whilst supporting the integration of the Cazana business with Cazoo over the coming months."

About Cazoo www.cazoo.co.uk

Our mission is to transform the car buying and selling experience across the UK Europe by providing better selection, transparency, convenience and peace of mind. Our aim is to make buying or selling a car no different to ordering any other product online, where consumers can simply and seamlessly buy, sell, finance or subscribe to a car entirely online for delivery or collection in as little as 72 hours. Cazoo was founded in 2018 by serial entrepreneur Alex Chesterman OBE is backed some of the leading global technology investors and trades on the NYSE under the symbol CZOO.

About Cazana www.cazana.com

Cazana was founded in 2012 and was borne from a frustration in the accuracy of traditional vehicle valuation data. We wanted to better understand the data being used to calculate values and identify how valuations were trending over time. We took a blank sheet of paper to the problem of vehicle valuations and started by aggregating classified ads to create a unique pricing index, powered by Machine Learning. Today Cazana has over 50 full-time employees, data in over 40 countries globally and is a key UK valuation provider, powering millions of monthly vehicle transactions for customers in the automotive retail, lending, insurance, manufacturing and fleet sectors.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbour" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The expectations, estimates, and projections of the business of Cazoo may differ from its actual results and, consequently, you should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (1) realizing the benefits expected from the business combination with Ajax I (the "Business Combination"); (2) achieving the expected revenue growth and effectively managing growth; (3) executing Cazoo's expansion strategy in Europe; (4) acquiring and integrating other companies; (5) achieving and maintaining profitability in the future; (6) having access to suitable and sufficient vehicle inventory for resale to customers and for Cazoo's subscription offering and refurbishing and selling inventory expeditiously and efficiently; (7) expanding Cazoo's subscription offering; (8) increasing Cazoo's service offerings and price optimization; (9) effectively promoting Cazoo's brand and increasing brand awareness; (10) expanding Cazoo's product offerings and introducing additional products and services; (11) enhancing future operating and financial results; (12) acquiring and protecting intellectual property; (13) attracting, training and retaining key personnel; (14) complying with laws and regulations applicable to Cazoo's business; (15) successfully deploying the proceeds from the Business Combination; and (16) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in the registration statement on Form F-4 and the proxy statement/prospectus included therein filed by Cazoo Group Ltd (f/k/a Capri Listco). The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the disclosure included in other documents filed by Cazoo from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Cazoo assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Cazoo gives no assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005091/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations:

Cazoo: Robert Berg, Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Finance, investors@cazoo.co.uk

ICR: cazoo@icrinc.com

Media:

Cazoo: Lawrence Hall, Group Communications Director, lawrence.hall@cazoo.co.uk 020 3920 0013
Javier Cavada to remain on the board as non-executive director effective January 1, 2022

Highview Power, a global leader in long duration energy storage solutions, announced its executive succession plan with the appointment of Adrian Katzew, founder and former CEO of Zuma Energia, as the next CEO of the Highview Power global group of companies. Katzew will commence his role with Highview Power October 1, 2021, in the role of Deputy CEO and CEO Designate.

Image: Adrian Katzew

Working with the close support of Highview Power's chairman, Colin Roy, and its current CEO, Javier Cavada, during a three-month transition period, Katzew will assume full leadership on January 1, 2022. At that time, Cavada will step down from his executive responsibilities but continue serving Highview Power as a non-executive director of the board. Cavada will also take on a new executive role with an outside organisation at that time.

"Adrian is a highly respected energy executive, who brings with him charismatic leadership, boundless energy, a wealth of varied experiences across several relevant sectors and a catalogue of personal successes and first-to-do achievements. Most relevant for Highview Power today, he has deep experience developing and building profitable, large-scale renewable assets," said Roy. "It is in the nature of technology growth companies that they require different types of leaders for different stages of development. Now is the time for us to capitalise on our first-mover advantage as we build out the project pipeline, construct our plants and expand the capabilities of the company across key global markets."

"We are currently witnessing an unprecedented transformation of energy systems across the globe for renewable energy sources, and Highview Power's long duration storage is a critical piece of the solution," said Katzew. "Highview Power's liquid air energy storage technology is positioned to be a catalyst for decarbonisation and to be one of the global energy storage leaders in driving energy transition forward. I am impressed by the Highview team and board and look forward to leading the company in this critical next phase."

Katzew is a globally recognised leader in the renewable energy sector, having built organisations that have financed, invested, constructed, and operated large-scale renewable energy projects across more than 10 countries. He has also been an active promoter of public policy initiatives to further sustainable energy solutions. As founder and CEO of Zuma Energia, Katzew established the company as a leader in the Mexican renewable power sector. Katzew then oversaw the successful exit of Zuma by its owners, Actis and Mesoamerica.

Before Zuma, Katzew held senior positions at leading global companies in the renewable energy industry. At Vestas, he oversaw operations in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. At First Solar, Katzew was responsible for the commercial strategy in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and at Banco Santander, he led global project and acquisition finance activity for the renewable energy sector.

Katzew earned his master's degree in business administration from Harvard University and an honours bachelor's degree in economics from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada.

"Javier has done an incredible job in establishing our unique technology and securing our first large commercial projects. He has been a critical part of our success and I am very pleased he will remain closely associated with Highview as a non-executive board member and tireless proponent of the company in the future," said Roy. "Any company would be very fortunate to have secured a leader of Javier's ability. We wish him great success in his new role."

"It has been an honour to lead this company and bring it from R&D into full scale commercialisation. As the company moves into a stage of large growth, it is the perfect time for a leader who can capitalise on all the progress we have made, and I believe Adrian has the experience, skills and passion to take us there. I look forward to supporting him during the transition and beyond through my board position," said Cavada.

About Highview Power

Highview Power is a designer and developer of the CRYOBattery, a proprietary cryogenic energy storage system that delivers reliable and cost-effective long duration energy storage to enable a 100 percent renewable energy future. Its proprietary technology uses liquid air as the storage medium and can deliver anywhere from 50 MW/300MWh to more than 200 MW/2000MWh of energy and has a lifespan of over 30 years. Developed using proven components from mature industries, it delivers pumped-hydro capabilities without geographical constraints and can be configured to convert waste heat and cold to power. For more information, please visit: http://www.highviewpower.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005207/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact Highview Power:

Wendy Prabhu, Mercom Communications

HighviewPower@MercomCapital.com

+1 512 215 4452
Clevenger-Lee is a seasoned consumer packaged goods marketer with 17 years of brand-building experience at Nestle Waters and General Mills.

SINGAPORE, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- QuEST Global, a global product engineering and lifecycle services company, announced the appointment of Yumi Clevenger-Lee as global Chief Marketing Officer. Yumi will be responsible for marketing strategy, brand positioning, advertising and corporate communications to build the QuEST brand across geographic regions, industry verticals and services. She will be based out of Connecticut, USA, and will report directly to Ajit Prabhu, Chairman & CEO, QuEST Global.

A marketing veteran, Clevenger-Lee joins QuEST Global with 17 years of experience in consumer packaged goods. Her vast marketing experience includes new product innovation, reinventing brands through purpose, developing engaging campaigns and creating new communication and business models. With her marketing expertise, she has built many well-known brands around the world including S. Pellegrino, Perrier, Cheerios, and Green Giant. She is a passionate brand builder, focused on delivering a superior and consistent brand experience and emotionally connecting with consumers.

Yumi has robust global experience spanning her career. Before joining QuEST, she was the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Nestle Waters North America, where she was responsible for a $4.5B portfolio of 16 brands. Previously, she served as the Director of Marketing for the Latin America region of Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), Head of Innovation globally based in Switzerland for CPW, and led the Cheerios brand for General Mills Canada. She earned a Bachelors BSBA degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Extending a warm welcome to Clevenger-Lee on joining QuEST, Ajit Prabhu, Chairman & CEO, QuEST Global, said, "For almost 25 years, QuEST has established itself as a reliable brand that is trusted by its customers. We are excited to welcome Yumi to QuEST Global. She is known as a passionate brand builder who has been instrumental in developing strategies that have helped organizations accelerate growth. I believe under her able leadership and in-depth understanding of marketing, we will be able to further strengthen the QuEST brand and drive growth across our engineering services portfolio."

Commenting on her appointment, Clevenger-Lee said, "I am excited to join such a fast-growing organization. QuEST has an excellent track record of helping its clients reinvent their businesses through innovation. With a strong vision to build solutions that advance the way we live, work, travel, and engage with each other, I look forward to helping QuEST strengthen its global leadership to be both a force for growth and a force for good."

About QuEST Global

For more than 20 years, QuEST Global has been a trusted global product engineering and lifecycle services partner to many of the world's most recognized companies in the Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Energy, Hi-Tech, Medical Devices, Rail, and Semiconductor industries. With a presence in 13 countries, 54 global delivery centers, and 11,250+ personnel, QuEST Global is at the forefront of the convergence of the mechanical, electronics, software, and digital engineering innovations to engineer solutions for a safer, cleaner, and sustainable world. QuEST Global's deep domain knowledge and digital expertise help its clients accelerate product development and innovation cycles, create alternate revenue streams, enhance consumer experience and make manufacturing processes and operations more efficient.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607416/Yumi_Clevenger_Lee_QuEST_Global.jpg
GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lifestyle product retailer MINISO (NYSE: MNSO) is further strengthening its business foothold in Europe as it has announced the opening of a new store in Seville, the capital city of Andalucia in southern Spain on August 26. The opening of the new location in Spain, the 36th in the country, is followed by the unveiling of the Oxford flagship store in the UK on August 27, then the franchise store opening in Sardinia on August 28, which is the brand's fifth store in Italy within just four months.

The continued implementation of MINISO's strategy to ramp up store expansion in Europe came amid the industry-wide drop-off in consumer spending across the continent due to a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In August, WHO European Region reported the updated number of coronavirus cases, adding yet another layer of uncertainty to the already depressed retail landscape.

Despite the sprawling impact of the pandemic on the retail industry, MINISO, with its dedication to high-quality, unique designs and affordable prices, seized a renewed market opportunity by capturing the heart of young European customers who prefer a good and safe in-store shopping experience and better value for money

MINISO's surging popularity among Millennials and Generation Z in Europe owes to its extensive partnership with IP licensors, which helps the brand continue pumping out products with fresh and innovative designs. "Young consumers value experiences and individual expression that represent their identities. They love newness and novelty. So, innovation has been at the forefront of our product development, and we are committed to offering services and products that exceed the expectations of our consumers," said Robin Liu, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of MINISO.

The brand's increasing popularity among young consumers, in turn, has also given MINISO the confidence to invest more in the region. It also jumped at the opportunity brought about by massive business shuttering during the height of the pandemic, which has allowed the company to open new stores at premium shopping destinations.

For new stores opened during the pandemic, MINISO follows strict preventive measures, including social distancing, facial covering, and regular disinfection, to maintain a safe indoor shopping experience for consumers.

Meanwhile, to boost sales and offset the negative business impact of the pandemic, not only did MINISO release new products with competitive prices but also launched online campaigns in partnership with Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs) and influencers on social media to increase the brand's engagement with young consumers. The company has established extensive cooperation with celebrities, influencers and KOCs as part of its global marketing strategy to attract more young people and identify potential customers

"More MINISO stores will come to Europe before the end of this year. In spite of the challenges ahead due to the pandemic, we believe that MINISO will as always spot new growth opportunity in this changing market climate," Vincent Huang, Vice President and General Manager of MINISO Overseas Business said.

About MINISO Group

MINISO is a lifestyle product retailer, offering high-quality household goods, cosmetics, food, and toys at affordable prices. Since its first store opened in Guangzhou in 2013, MINISO has opened more than 4,587 stores in over 95 countries and regions. With a focus on sleek design and fun trends, its mission is to enable everyone to enjoy life's little surprises.

For more information, please visit

https://www.instagram.com/miniso.official/

www.miniso.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607308/image1.jpg


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - With 198025 new cases of coronavirus infections reporting in the United States on Wednesday, the national total has increased to 39,396,408, as per the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.



1973 additional casualties took the national COVID death toll to 642,081.



Texas reported the most number of cases - 26,427 - and most COVID-related deaths - 328.



California continues to be the worst affected state in terms of both the COVID metrics - 4,383,450 cases 66,029 deaths.



The number of people hospitalized due to infection in the country has reached 101,343, an 18 percent increase in a fortnight, according to data compiled by New York Times.



Contrary to the Biden administration's description of COVID as a 'pandemic of the unvaccinated,' in Louisiana, state data suggests that about 10 percent of hospitalized patients are vaccinated.



31,137,936 people have so far recovered from the disease in the country.



As per the latest data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 174,600,017 people in the United States, or 52.6 percent of the population, have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. This includes 81.8 percent of people above 65.



205,527,578 people, or 61.9 percent of the population, have received at least one dose.



A total of 371,280,129 vaccine doses have been administered so far nationally.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
New Economy Observer (NEO) today announces the full launch of its digital media platform covering the present and future of sustainability and investment, bringing fresh stories and perspectives from contributors around the globe to illuminate the issues shaping tomorrow's world amid the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy.

Led by long-time Bloomberg reporter and energy specialist Stephen Bierman, NEO serves an audience of retail and institutional investors, financial institutions and corporates as well as general public readers looking for fresh news and sharp analysis on sustainable business and investing.

NEO's energy section focuses on major petroleum producers in transition, the growth of investment in alternative energy sources such as wind and solar, as well as hydrogen and other new "clean commodities". Other cornerstone themes include investor shifts to ESG assets, sustainable lending, breakthrough tech in consumer industries, and even the exploration of outer space, plus an opinion section that welcomes guest contributions. NEO also has a focus on the growth markets shaping the future of the global economy such as China, Russia and India as the so-called "emerging market" category is replaced by greater integration and a global context.

Editor Stephen Bierman brings two decades of experience from Bloomberg News and other publications, with a particular focus on energy. He is supported by a group of contributors including seasoned and aspiring journalists and researchers from around the world.

NEO launched in beta in early 2020 amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic as a digital publication covering investments in the energy transition, the rollout of "green" technologies across industries, and trends in the global pivot to sustainability.

The publication is accredited with Google News and Factiva and also has a content-sharing agreement with BNE Intellinews, a business publication focusing on compelling investment stories from markets across Eurasia, MENA and Africa.

NEO can be found online here and on Twitter, Facebook and Medium

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005090/en/

Contacts:

Stephen Bierman

editorial@neweconomy.site
National Health Care Institute of the Netherlands-supported study to evaluate role of the HeartFlow Analysis in reducing unnecessary invasive procedures

HeartFlow, Inc., the leader in revolutionizing precision heart care, today announced that physicians at Erasmus MC Hospital (Rotterdam NL) have enrolled the first three patients in the FUSION (Addition of FFRct in the diagnostic pathway of patients with stable chest pain to reduce unnecessary invasive coronary angiography) randomized controlled trial. The FUSION trial, which is supported by the National Health Care Institute of the Netherlands (subsidieregeling Veelbelovende zorg: Zorginstituut Nederland ZonMw), will evaluate whether the use of the HeartFlow FFRct Analysis as part of a coronary diagnostic pathway is effective in reducing unnecessary invasive coronary angiograms (ICAs).

Each year, 180,000 patients in the Netherlands visit a cardiologist with complaints of chest pain.1 As part of the diagnostic pathway, patients typically receive a coronary computed tomography angiogram (CTA) to determine if there is a stenosis or narrowing in the coronary artery. The degree to which a narrowing is causing chest pain is not always clear from a coronary CTA alone and patients are often sent for an ICA. Over half of patients who undergo an ICA are found to have no coronary disease or only non-obstructive disease2, making the ICA unnecessary in retrospect.

"By combining the functional information provided by HeartFlow FFRct with the anatomical information from the coronary CTA, we will be better able to assess non-invasively which patients require further invasive investigation," said Ricardo Budde, MD, PhD, Associate Professor and Principal Investigator of Cardiovascular Imaging, Erasmus MC Hospital. "With the FUSION trial, we anticipate a 33% reduction in unnecessary ICAs which we believe will lead to cost savings for the overall healthcare system."

The FUSION trial is planned to enroll 528 patients from six Dutch hospitals including Erasmus MC, UMCG, UMC Utrecht, the Admiraal de Ruyter Hospital in Goes, St Jansdal in Lelystad and Gelre hospitals Apeldoorn. Patients whose CTA shows coronary artery disease will be randomized between the HeartFlow FFRct arm or the ICA arm. The primary endpoint is the rate of unnecessary ICAs as reflected by ICAs without an obstructive coronary stenosis defined as an anatomical narrowing >50% or invasive FFR =0.80. Once the trial is complete, it is anticipated that the data will support insurance reimbursement in the Netherlands for the HeartFlow Analysis.

"Both in clinical trials and real-world clinical practice, we have seen that the use of the HeartFlow Analysis in a coronary diagnostic pathway delivers a significant reduction in invasive angiograms which are in retrospect unnecessary," said Campbell Rogers, MD, FACC, Chief Medical Officer, HeartFlow. "We anticipate the FUSION trial will deliver similar outcomes to our previous studies and look forward to working with the National Health Care Institute to make the HeartFlow Analysis available to patients in the Netherlands in the near future."

About the HeartFlow FFRct Analysis

Starting with a standard coronary computed tomography angiogram (CTA), the HeartFlow Analysis leverages deep learning and highly trained analysts to create a digital, personalized 3D model of the heart. The HeartFlow Analysis then uses powerful computer algorithms to solve millions of complex equations to simulate blood flow and provides FFRct values along the coronary arteries. This information helps physicians evaluate the impact a blockage may be having on blood flow and determine the optimal course of treatment for each patient. A positive FFRct value (=0.80) indicates that a coronary blockage is impeding blood flow to the heart muscle to a degree which may warrant invasive management.

Data demonstrating the safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the HeartFlow Analysis have been published in more than 425 peer-reviewed publications, including long-term data out to five years. The HeartFlow Analysis offers the highest diagnostic performance available from a non-invasive test.3 To date, clinicians around the world have used the HeartFlow Analysis for more than 100,000 patients to aid in the diagnosis of heart disease.

About HeartFlow

HeartFlow is the leader in revolutionizing precision heart care, uniquely combining human ingenuity with advanced technology. HeartFlow's non-invasive HeartFlow FFRct Analysis leverages artificial intelligence to create a personalized three-dimensional model of the heart. By using this model, clinicians can better evaluate the impact a blockage has on blood flow and determine the best treatment for patients. HeartFlow's technology is reflective of our Silicon Valley roots and incorporates over two decades of scientific evidence with the latest advances in artificial intelligence. The HeartFlow FFRct Analysis is commercially available in the United States, UK, Canada, Europe and Japan. For more information, visit www.heartflow.com.

Nederland Z. Verbetersignalement pijn op de borst (verdenking) stabiele angina pectoris. 2017 12-12-2017. Patel, et al. N Engl J Med 2010. Patel, et al. AHJ 2014. Danad, et al. JAMA Cardiology 2017. Driessen, R., et al. Comparison of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography, Fractional Flow Reserve, and Perfusion Imaging for Ischemia Diagnosis. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019;73(2),161-73.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005108/en/

Contacts:

For Investors:

Leigh Salvo or Jack Droogan

Gilmartin Group

Investors@heartflow.com

For Media:

Jennie Kim

HeartFlow

jekim@heartflow.com
DETROIT, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RPM is proud to welcome Rick Grubb as the company's Chief Information Officer. As a senior IT leader familiar with leading large global teams, including over 170 engineers in his previous role with GE Healthcare and GE Aviation, Grubb will enhance the existing technology offering and help scale the company's services to meet the demanding needs of an everchanging logistics landscape.

Reporting directly to RPM's CEO, Sergio Gutierrez, Grubb will sit on the executive leadership team and work closely with the team to identify short- and long-range strategic opportunities and implement agile methodologies. "I am really excited to become part of the RPM team and apply my experiences to help lead the company's digital evolution," said Grubb.

Grubb has proven success, blending technical expertise and a keen business sense with visionary leadership to drive cultural and digital transformation. Before joining RPM, he was at General Electric since 2011, moving from principal architect in CRM to IT leader in Sales and Marketing to senior director of Software Engineering for GE Healthcare and then for GE Aviation.

"Rick's experience applied to logistics will be powerful and will add components to enhance our service offerings and create an authentic differentiator to better support our employees and customers. Our commitment to full transparency and digitalization paired with his innovative approach, will allow us to achieve a state-of-the-art efficiency model. I'm excited to have Rick on our team," says CEO Sergio Gutierrez.

ABOUT RPM

RPM is one of the fastest-growing logistics companies in the world, specializing in Freight and Finished Vehicle transportation, delivering thousands of units per month. Our core competency is addressing our customer's shipping needs by matching available trucking capacity and meticulously facilitating every transport tender with the very best tech-enabled logistics execution.

We understand that our company's strength comes from our team of dedicated individuals who work better together, embrace change, who are tenacious, persistent, measured, disciplined, loyal, and value trust earned when the job is complete.

RPM has made Inc. Magazine's annual Inc. 5000 list eight straight years and made their Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest in 2020 and 2021. Some other accolades include being named by Food Logistics as a Top Green Provider, Great Places to Work-certified, Crain's Top 200 Private Companies, Named by Transport Topics as a Top 50 Freight Broker three consecutive years in a row, awarded the honor of Entrepreneur Magazine's Top Company Cultures in 2018, Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces in 2017, "Cool Places to Work in Michigan" by Crain's Detroit Business in 2015, 2016, and 2017. We have also received Entrepreneur Magazine's 360 award in 2016 and 2018.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1606102/RPM_Freight_Grubb.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1321431/RPM_Logo.jpg
NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As per the report published by Market Research Store, global demand for Mining Equipment market was valued at approximately USD 75.7 Billion in 2019, and is expected to generate revenue of around USD 109.4 Billion by end of 2026, growing at a CAGR of around 5.4% between 2020 and 2026.

Mining equipment play an important role in the development of the country as well as company. They are used for extraction of the metal and nonmetals residing inside the earth crust. Mining equipment include mining drills and tools, earth movers, crushing equipment and machines, feeding & conveying equipment, and others. Mining equipment required for the operation depends on the substance to be mined as well as the terrain. There are two type of mines and surface mine and underground mine and hence the equipment required for the both are different.

Some main participants of the mining equipment market are AB Volvo, Doosan Corporation, Deere & Company, Caterpillar Inc., Hitachi, Ltd., Epiroc AB, Komatsu Ltd, Bradken Limited, Liebherr-International AG, Metso Corporation, Sandvik AB, CNH Industrial NV, Wirtgen Group Holding GmbH, RCR Tomlinson Limited, and Astec Industries Incorporated among others.

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Increasing Capital Expenditure in the Emerging markets

Emerging countries of APAC and Africa have excessive reserves of mineral resources and increasing investment in mining sector in this region is driving the market of the mining equipment. Industrial growth rate in the emerging markets of India and china is fuelling the demand for industrial investments. Thus, to satiate the demand for these industries large excavations of metal and nonmetallic resources are under taken. Similarly, Rising concern for energy security among the nation states has led to increased government support to private players to undertake resource exploration. Thirst for new resource sites and partnerships with other economies are driving the market of mining equipment market. With sales more than doubling between 2009 and 2019, China is by far the largest national market for mining equipment. Rapid increases in industrial production and construction investment, as well as government attempts to improve the mechanization of China's mines, have traditionally resulted in explosive productivity, and progress will continue to be above average.

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APAC Region Projected To Dominate Global Mining Equipment Market Growth

Geographically, Asia Pacific is leading the global market share in 2019 and is expected to maintain the same trend over the forecast period. Continuous development in infrastructure is fuelling the market growth. Thereby, high requirements for power and cement industries are aiding the growth in the metals and mining business. Henceforth, certain factors in this region are catering to the growth of the market in recent years. North America is projected to register higher CAGR growth due to advances in car technology, and the region has large deposits of gold, copper, and iron that provide future opportunities for exploration

Browse the full "Mining Equipment Market, By Product (Mineral Processing Equipment, Surface Mining Equipment, Mining Drills & Breakers, Underground Mining Equipment, Crushing, Pulverizing, & Screening Equipment, and Others), By Application (Metal, Mineral, and Coal): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2020 - 2026." Report at https://www.marketresearchstore.com/inquiry/mining-equipment-market-828545

The global Mining Equipment market is segmented as follows:

By Product:

Mineral Processing Equipment

Surface Mining Equipment

Mining Drills & Breakers

Underground Mining Equipment

Crushing, Pulverizing, & Screening Equipment

Others

By Application:

Metal

Mineral

Coal

By Region

North America

The U.S.



Canada

Europe

France



The UK



Spain



Germany



Italy



Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China



Japan



India



South Korea



Southeast Asia



Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

& GCC



South Africa



Rest of Middle East & Africa

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ELGIN, Scotland, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Whisky creators Gordon & MacPhail today revealed the unique jewel-like decanter and oak pavilion designed by world-renowned architect and designer Sir David Adjaye OBE to celebrate their release of the oldest single malt Scotch ever bottled - Generations 80-Years-Old from Glenlivet Distillery.

The design is a celebration of the artistry, craft and care that went into the single malt it encases. Its unique form represents Gordon & MacPhail's history of repeatedly pushing the boundaries in terms of long-term whisky maturation, where experimentation, patience, and quality have remained the foundations for progress since 1895.

The creative theme for the ground-breaking release - 'Artistry in Oak' - bears tribute to both the precious and rare liquid, carefully nurtured in an oak cask by four generations of the family that owns Gordon & MacPhail, as well as its stunning presentation. Never before has oak and single malt spirit been combined for eight decades and the historic liquid has been described by renowned whisky writer Charlie MacLean as "truly, one of the finest I've ever encountered."

Ewen Mackintosh, Managing Director at Gordon & MacPhail, comments, "It is often quoted that the maturation of whisky over very long periods of time is more art than science. The decanter and oak pavilion that David has created for our historic release is a true reflection of this art; the presentation is itself a work of art. I'm sure George Urquhart and his father John, who had the extraordinary foresight to lay down spirit from the Glenlivet Distillery in a bespoke Gordon & MacPhail cask to be enjoyed after their lifetime, would love the design. It pays tribute to their craft and vision."

"Oak is a primary material, produced from the planet," explains David Adjaye. "I appreciate its preciousness as an integral part of the whisky-making process. I wanted to create a design that pays tribute to the role oak plays in transforming liquid into an elixir with almost magical properties."

The jewel-like decanter contains lenses to provide focus on the richly coloured liquid. A generous volume of crystal balances both heft and delicacy, and provides a beguiling, tactile presence.

"The gentle combination of liquid, weight and form invokes a sense of care, responsibility and slowness. As you pour, a sense of time fades and all that is understood is the preciousness of each drop," adds Adjaye.

Designed to appear as hewn from a single solid block of crystal, the decanter's curving core needed to be individually hand-blown by experienced artisans overseen by Glencairn Crystal Studio, experts in ultra-premium decanters and another family business based in Scotland.

"The ambition was to create a vessel in which Gordon & MacPhail's unique experience and tradition is transmitted and incorporated," remarks Adjaye. "The vertical struts of the outer pavilion are reflective of trees in an oak forest from which the staves of the original cask were hewn. A pivotal moment in the design narrative is the relationship between the light and shadow as the casing recreates the sunlight as it shines through oak trees within a natural forest setting. The act of opening the pavilion becomes a ceremonial and sensorial process."

While similar, no two decanters are exactly the same, reflecting the complexity of the process and its organic nature.

The oak pavilion is constructed from sustainably sourced oaks grown less than five miles from makers, Wardour Workshops, another family-owned company, based in Dorset, South West England.

Co-founder at Wardour, Dom Parish, comments, "Oak has this wondrously enduring quality that lasts forever."

Only 250 70cl decanters have been created. Decanter #1 is being auctioned by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on 7 October 2021 with a framed cask end from the original cask and a lithograph of the original concept drawings signed by David Adjaye. Auction proceeds (minus costs) are being donated to local Scottish charity Trees for Life whose mission is to rewild the Caledonian forest.

"The donation will help the Trees for Life nursery which grows 100,000 rare and native trees, including oaks, from seed each year," continues Ewen Mackintosh. "It's fitting that this whisky will provide a legacy for all that will last for generations."

Public showcases of the decanter and oak pavilion will be exhibited from early September 2021 in Sotheby's London, New York and Hong Kong galleries, in addition to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre as part of Sotheby's 2021 Hong Kong Autumn Sales Series preview exhibition.

GORDON & MACPHAIL GENERATIONS 80 YEARS OLD FROM GLENLIVET DISTILLERY: AVAILABLE FROM 3 SEPTEMBER 2021

Price on application via gordonandmacphail.com

For details of Sotheby's Hong Kong auction of decanter #1, visit sothebys.com

Video - https://youtu.be/sSoAVR_8JFc

Video - https://youtu.be/zKzx8h4DLDQ

Video - https://youtu.be/ySw5MhQhDUw

Video - https://youtu.be/8DvUtR-3Q9s

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1600981/Jewel_like_decanter.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1600982/Generations_80_Years_Old_from_Glenlivet_Distillery_decanter.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1600983/Sir_David_Adjaye.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1531008/Gordon_MacPhail_Logo.jpg
BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (JKS) said its principal operating subsidiary, Jinko Solar Co., has signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. to establish a long-term strategic joint partnership. The agreement will cover areas such as the promotion of carbon neutrality in the industrial chain, global solar-plus-storage business development, and the development of solar-plus-storage integrated solutions. The companies plan to build a new energy technology ecosystem and promote the use of solar in the energy field in the future, contributing to the realization of carbon neutrality. 'With JinkoSolar's PV technology, global network and business operation model combined with CATL's advanced patented technologies in the field of energy storage and innovative models, we can provide more effective solutions for global customers,' said Kangping Chen, CEO of Jinko Solar Co. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - Kuya Silver Corporation (CSE: KUYA) (OTCQB: KUYAF) (FSE: 6MR1) (the "Company" or "Kuya Silver") announces that on September 1, 2021, the Company issued 671,141 common shares to First Cobalt Corp. ("FCC"), for the initial earn-in payment under an option to acquire up to a 70% interest in certain silver mineral exploration assets in Ontario (the "Initial Earn-In Payment").

On March 1, 2021, the Company completed an agreement (the "Agreement") to acquire from FCC certain silver mineral exploration assets (the "Kerr Assets") located in the historic Cobalt, Ontario silver mining district, as well as an option (the "Option") to acquire up to a 70% interest in the balance of FCC's silver mineral exploration assets (the "Remaining Assets") and to form a joint venture with, Cobalt Industries of Canada Inc. ("CIC"), a wholly owned subsidiary of FCC.

The Agreement provides that the Company may, in lieu of making the Initial Earn-In Payment of CAD $1,000,000 in cash, issue an equivalent value in common shares of the Company, using the 20-day volume weighted average closing price (the "20-day VWAP"). After the close of trading on August 31, 2021, the Company determined the 20-day VWAP to be CAD $1.49, and on that basis, issued 671,141 common shares to FCC, at the direction of CIC. The common shares are subject to a four-month and one day resale restriction expiring January 2, 2022.

Having made the Initial Earn-In Payment, the Company expects to negotiate and enter into a joint venture agreement with CIC for the joint exploration and development of the Remaining Assets. To fully exercise the Option, the Company must pay CIC an additional CAD$1,000,000 in cash or issue to CIC the equivalent value in common shares, and complete work commitments of CAD$4,000,000, in tranches over the next three years, and otherwise in accordance with the other terms set out in the Agreement.

The entire 10,000-plus-hectare land package, consisting of the 100%-owned Kerr Assets (referred to as the "Kerr Project"), together with the joint venture with CIC, is referred to as the Silver Kings Project, and the joint venture itself is referred to as the Silver Kings JV.

Silver Kings JV Update

Since entering into the Agreement, and as part of the $500,000 flow-through funding provided by FCC under the terms of the transaction, Kuya Silver has completed an extensive compilation and reinterpretation of historical data from the district, including publicly available information and data from FCC's 2017-18 exploration programs. Kuya Silver has prioritized targets for high-grade silver potential and is conducting surface work, including detailed mapping, geophysics and geochemistry in order to refine drill targets.

David Lewis, P.Geo., Kuya Silver's Exploration Director, commented, "Our understanding of the structural and geochemical controls on silver vein emplacement in the Silver Kings JV area have been refined significantly since the last major exploration program in 2017-18 by FCC. To date, we have completed a property-scale, high-resolution digital elevation LiDAR survey to provide better confidence with structural mapping, several geophysical test surveys, significant XRF analysis of rocks and potentially mineralized structures, and we are finalizing a second soil sampling grid to refine specific areas for drilling.

"Our major exploration areas include: the Silver Centre area, which produced more than 22 million ounces of silver at the Keeley-Frontier mines and other smaller mines; the Schumann Lake area, which lies at the intersection between an arch-like structure with comparable geometry to the Kerr Lake Arch (>54 million oz Ag in combined mines) and the trend of the veins from the Beaver-Temiskaming mines (>19 million oz Ag), and the New Lake Creek area, where exploratory drilling by FCC in 2018 intersected both silver and cobalt. These three areas host relatively untested, buried structural targets that are of comparable dimensions and geometry to the major silver-cobalt deposits in Cobalt, Ontario and lie entirely within the property boundary." (See Figure 1)

Figure 1: Property Map showing targets mentioned in Press Release



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5945/95233_249d2412a4a1a864_001full.jpg

Kerr Project Update

Kuya Silver completed the initial 3,300 m drill program on the 100%-owned Kerr Project in June and is currently awaiting assay results. The strategy on the initial drill program for the Kerr Project is to systematically follow up on historical intersections of high-grade mineralized structures that have the potential to host significant tonnage. David Stein, Kuya Silver's President and CEO, stated, "At our newly defined North Drummond target, we intersected several mineralized veins, including a mineralized vein in hole 21-KERR-002 (see Figure 2) at a vertical depth of 140 m, with assay results pending. This intersection is located near FCC drillhole FCC-18-0093*, which intersected 2.2 metres of 515 g/t silver and 0.61% cobalt (including 0.7 metres of 1,460 g/t silver and 1.81% cobalt) from 172.1 m. This mineralized vein intersection in hole 21-KERR-002 is particularly encouraging, as it was following up on intersections to the north and away from the historic mine workings of the main Drummond Vein, and with potential to extend the structure vertically and laterally." (*Note: Individual assays were capped at 1500 g/t silver in hole FCC-18-0093)

Figure 2: Distinctive Pinkish Dolomite Veins Are Known to Host Mineralization in the Cobalt Camp (scale card for reference)



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5945/95233_249d2412a4a1a864_002full.jpg

43-101 Technical Report on the Silver Kings Project

Kuya Silver is pleased to have engaged InnovExplo of Val-D'Or, Quebec, to complete a NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Silver Kings Project (including both the 100%-owner Kerr Project and Silver Kings JV). The report will focus on the exploration potential of the Silver Kings Project and progress is well underway.

National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. David Lewis, P.Geo., Exploration Director of Kuya and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Kuya Silver Corporation

Kuya Silver is a Canadian-based mineral exploration and development company with a focus on acquiring, exploring, and advancing precious metals assets in Peru and Canada.

For more information, please contact the Company at:

Kuya Silver Corporation

Telephone: (604) 398-4493

info@kuyasilver.com

www.kuyasilver.com

Reader Advisory

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information," including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may," "would," "could," "will," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "must," "next," "potential," "progress," and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking information. Investors are cautioned that statements including forward-looking information are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking information as a result of various factors, including but not limited to fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market and business conditions. There can be no assurances that such forward-looking information will prove accurate, and therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of the risks and uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95233
Mississauga, Ontario and Sacramento, California--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc. (CSE: BEE) (OTCQB: BEVVF) (CVE: BEE) (the "Company" or "BVT") today announced that it will host a virtual Investor Day on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, from 2:00PM Eastern (1:00PM Central / 12:00PM Mountain / 11:00AM Pacific / 8:00PM Central European) to 4:30PM Eastern.

This virtual event will feature presentations from BVT's management team and a moderated Q&A session. The topics covered will include:

Corporate overview of the business strategy by Ashish Malik, CEO

US commercialization progress by Ian Collinson, Sales Manager

Field interviews by US Territory Managers with growers, a beekeeper and a pest control advisor

EMEA strategy and update by Christoph Lehnen, Business Manager for EMEA

Attendees can expect to gain valuable insights and knowledge about the Company's business strategy and progress in key markets around the world.

"We are coming off strong Q3 results where we just reported an almost 50% increase in revenue for the 9 months in FY2021 (as invoiced in US Dollars) confirming the strong traction in our commercialization efforts in the US, and we are progressing with our geographic and portfolio expansion projects," said Ashish Malik, CEO of Bee Vectoring Technologies. "This Investor Day is a unique opportunity to gain insight into not only our plan for the future, but also our day to day operations and learn directly from the BVT team and our clients about why BVT will play an important role in the future of agriculture."

The video webcast of the event will be broadcast online. For the full agenda and to register for BVT's Virtual Investor Day, visit https://www.beevt.com/investors/2021investorday. Participants will receive an email confirmation with a unique access code and web link to access the virtual conference online.

The event will conclude with a live Q&A session with BVT management when participants will be able to ask questions via the moderator. Those wishing to submit questions beforehand can do so by emailing - info@beevt.com - with the subject line reading 'BVT 2021 Virtual Investor Day.' Submitted questions will be read out by the moderator during the Q&A portion of the webcast.

Please access the webcast 10 minutes prior to the start of the call to download and install any necessary audio/visual software. Following the call, a replay of the webcast will also be available on the Company's website at the same link.

About Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc.

BVT, an agriculture technology company, is a market disruptor with a significant global market opportunity in the $240 billion crop protection and fertilizer market. BVT has pioneered a natural precision agriculture system that replaces chemical pesticides and wasteful plant protection product spray applications by delivering biological pesticide alternatives to crops using commercially grown bees. BVT's award-winning technology, precision vectoring, is completely harmless to bees and allows minute amounts of naturally-derived pesticides (called biologicals) to be delivered directly to blooms, providing improved crop protection and yield results than traditional chemical pesticides - and improving the health of the soil, the microbiome and the environment. Currently, BVT has over 65 granted patents, over 35 patents pending in all major agricultural countries worldwide, and has US EPA registration of its Vectorite with CR-7 (EPA Registration No. 90641-2) for sale as a registered biological fungicide for use on the labeled crops.

Additional information can be viewed at the Company's website www.beevt.com. To receive regular news updates from the Company, subscribe at www.beevt.com/newsletter.

Company Contact:

Ashish Malik, President & CEO

info@beevt.com

Investor Contact:

Babak Pedram, Investor Relations

Virtus Advisory Group

Tel: 416-995-8651

bpedram@virtusadvisory.com

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "potential", "will", "seek", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions as they relate to the Company, "annual revenue potential", are intended to identify forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect the Company's current views and intentions with respect to future events, and current information available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including: planted acres, selling price of competitive chemical pesticides and the US to Canadian dollar exchange rate. Material factors or assumptions were applied in providing forward-looking information. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information to vary from those described herein should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize. These factors include changes in law, competition, litigation, the ability to implement business strategies and pursue business opportunities, state of the capital markets, the availability of funds and resources to pursue operations, new technologies, the ability to protect intellectual property rights, the ability to obtain patent protection for products, third-party intellectual property infringement claims, regulatory changes affecting products, failing research and development activities, the ability to reach and sustain profitability, dependence on business and technical experts, the ability to effectively manage business operations and growth, issuance of debt, dilution of existing securities, volatility of publicly traded securities, potential conflicts of interest, unlikelihood of dividend payments, the potential costs stemming from defending third-party intellectual property infringement claims, the ability to secure relationships with manufacturers and purchasers, as well as general economic, market and business conditions, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's Filing Statement dated August 14,2020, filed with the CSE and securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com. Should any factor affect the Company in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, the Company does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law. All figures are in Canadian dollars.

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95277
Holy Crap Breakfast Cereals continues growth trajectory adding 36 new Longo's locations

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - Plant&Co. Brands Ltd. (CSE: VEGN) (FSE: VGP) (OTCQB: VGANF) ("Plant&Co" or the "Company"), a modern health and wellness company curating delicious plant-based foods, is pleased to announce increased production at its Gibson, BC production facility to fulfill orders from recently introduced Longo Brothers Fruit Markets ("Longo's") and Highland Farms.

Longo's was founded by brothers Tommy, Joe, and Gus who opened their first store in 1956. The family grocer has expanded over the years to include 36 locations throughout the greater Toronto and Hamilton areas in Ontario. The Longo family continues to grow with many members of the third generation building careers within the business while championing the founders' vision. In early 2021, Sobeys' parent company acquired a 51% stake in Longo's and its Grocery Gateway e-commerce business.

Holy Crap now offers five distinct flavours in Canada all of which contain certified organic, non-GMO, kosher and gluten free ingredients, such as hemp seed, buckwheat, chia seeds, and gluten-free oats. The tasty, nutrient-packed breakfast cereals have high levels of essential amino and fatty acids, a kick of fiber, and are free from the top nine allergens and free from any additives like added flavors, preservatives, chemicals, color, salt, or oils.

"With 36 locations throughout the greater Toronto and Hamilton area we are delighted to be available in Longo's," said Donna Reddy, President of Plant&Co. "Specialty grocery markets like Longo's are interested in our Holy Crap Breakfast Cereals because they care about the quality of product they sell to their customers. Our cereals are organic and made with gluten free ingredients, so customers know exactly what they are getting. Our customers constantly tell us that Holy Crap helps with their overall digestion. Additionally, with all of the emerging science around the connection of the gut and mind, we are happy to help maintain a healthy gut which helps create a happy mind. With sales numbers climbing, we continue to focus on expanding Holy Crap's distribution."





Holy Crap Breakfast Cereals - healthy gut, healthy mind!

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Holy Crap breakfast cereal is a high-quality product that tastes greats, helps maintain a healthy gut, and makes consumers feel good inside and out. Once featured on CBC's Dragons' Den, Holy Crap continues to focus on creating innovative brands and products inspired to improve lives through simple, quality ingredients. Holy Crap products are manufactured in Gibsons, British Columbia and are available at more than 750 locations across Canada including many well-known Canadian retailers such as Whole Foods, Save-On-Foods, London Drugs, and now Longo's as well as online through its website at www.holycrap.com and through www.amazon.ca.

About Longo's

Longo Brothers Fruit Markets Inc., known simply as Longo's, is a privately-owned chain of retail supermarkets in Southern Ontario, Canada. Its corporate office is located in Vaughan and it operates 36 locations throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Longo's was founded in 1956 by brothers Joe, Tommy, and Gus Longo, who immigrated to Canada in 1951 from Termini Imerese, Sicily. In March 2021, the Empire Company, parent company of Sobeys, acquired a 51% stake in Longo's and its Grocery Gateway e-commerce business.

About Holy Crap Foods Inc.

At Holy Crap Foods Inc. our mission is to create products that create a healthy gut through simple, quality ingredients that ultimately feed the connection between gut and mind. Holy Crap is an organic breakfast cereal for today's consumer that expects their food to work hard for them. Our great tasting cereal helps maintain a healthy gut which creates a happy mind. For more information on the healthy and high-quality breakfast cereals visit: www.HolyCrap.com.

About Plant&Co

Plant&Co. Brands Ltd. (CSE: VEGN) (FSE: VGP) (OTCQB: VGANF) is modern health and wellness company curating delicious plant-based foods. It offers a growing number of delicious plant-based food products through two leading plant-based brands Holy Crap Foods Inc. and YamChops, the vegan butcher. For more information please visit: www.HolyCrap.com www.YamChops.com www.PlantandCo.com.

For additional information, please contact:

Shawn Moniz

Chief Executive Officer

Plant & Co. Brands Ltd.

ir@plantandco.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Plant&Co. Brands described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95283
The Luxury today announced that the development of its new venture, Luxandia is currently at 40%, with a full launch scheduled for late Spring 2022. Luxandia will be a global virtual reality space dedicated to the online luxury industry, presenting some of the world's biggest luxury brands in retail areas, from automotive to watches.

LONDON, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Luxandia offers a unique opportunity for luxury brands, who will be able to showcase their products and services. These can be sold using regular currency or the company's own cryptocurrencies, The Luxury Coin (TLX) and the upcoming in-world Luxandia cryptocurrency Lusso (LSO). The project is unique in the virtual reality space and the first to bring the $224.8 billion luxury industry to the metaverse.

"Luxandia is going to be the leading luxury virtual space in the emerging metaverse. Our vision is of an immersive, interconnected virtual world of luxury. We are starting with virtual luxury malls where brands can rent retail space and consumers can enter that same space through their laptop, but that is only the beginning," said Catalin Dascalu, CEO of The Luxury.

"As we continue to build out the world of Luxandia, we will also be enabling support for an app and virtual reality 3D glasses, allowing people to explore online stores just like they would in real life. The possibilities are endless, including an online 3D cinema where you can watch films surrounded by the atmosphere of a real cinema or a visit to an auction house to bid on NFT art. The only limit is the imagination - and the communities on Luxandia will be free to explore the possibilities that they can imagine."

Until recently, the metaverse was a concept only dreamed about in sci-fi, most notably Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel Snow Crash and Hollywood director Steven Spielberg's 2018 movie Ready Player One. Today, however, that is all changing as virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D glasses, and other digital technologies make it increasingly possible to explore entire new spaces without ever leaving your home.

The metaverse can be considered as complete and explorable digital worlds, much like the MMORPG Second Life or the virtual world of Decentraland, a project run on the Ethereum blockchain. People can buy and sell property and goods in both worlds, living a rich 'virtual life.'

Business is also moving in on what has traditionally been seen as gamers' virtual reality space. Facebook launched the 3D glasses virtual reality Horizon Workroomsapp to help remote workers collaborate in cyberspace conference spaces using personalized avatars.

For many big tech leaders like Zuckerberg, the metaverse isn't a fantasy - it's the future of the internet, with endless implementations such as allowing people to venture into space without leaving home, thanks to 3D, 360-degree space walk experiences. Medical professionals are also discovering that virtual reality can ease diagnostic tests and treatments for patients, with promising research into the positive impact virtual reality systems can bring to patients entering into the fearful tedium of an MRI scan.

For The Luxury CEO Catalin Dascalu, progress in creating the metaverse is all about collaboration and cooperation rather than 'competitive rivalries.' By working together, tech companies can create a metaverse that matches the ambitious vision of a new and unlimited virtual space for work and play for humanity.

"Luxandia will be open to integration with other, similar projects. We believe in the power of collaborative innovation, not competitors," added Dascalu. "We look to projects like the Aura Blockchain Consortium and how a common purpose has pulled businesses together for progress, rather than getting lost in sometimes petty competitive rivalries. This is the way forward."

Those interested in experiencing the latest evolution of the emerging metaverse can get an early taste for Luxandia, with a waiting list expected to open in ONE month, allowing 1,000 to become beta testers of the virtual world from December 1, 2021.

Luxandia marks another bold venture from The Luxury into the world of cryptocurrency and the blockchain. The project follows The Luxury Bank, which aims to make using cryptocurrency for everyday purchases as simple as using a credit card.

For more information about Luxandia and to sign up for the waiting list when available, please visit https://theluxurybank.com/. For all general and media inquiries, please contact Aiham Saleh at +44 330 808 6781 or email pr@theluxurybank.com







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Luxandia

Image captured from inside Luxandia

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COEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2021 / New Jersey Mining Company (OTCQB:NJMC) ("NJMC" or the "Company") today announced it will seek shareholder approval for a name change and reverse stock split to meet the share price requirements of the NYSE American Exchange.

NJMC President and CEO John Swallow stated, "Following a considerable amount of thought and feedback (especially as NJMC's largest shareholder), I/we feel the time is right for New Jersey Mining Company to seek a listing on a higher exchange, specifically the NYSE American Exchange. This has been a topic of discussion and on my mind for a while. And over the last couple of years, the number of conversations with institutional investors, investment advisors and other wealth management folks that are not currently permitted to invest in our shares due to share price and higher exchange listing requirements, has increased significantly.

To accomplish our up-listing goal, we will undertake a 1 for 14 reverse stock-split. Keep in mind, I am typically not fond of reverse stock splits, however I believe under the right circumstances and timing they can work as a launch pad for the next phase of a company. And it is not difficult to see that, with our asset base and what is happening in the world, that this is one of those times. As a firm believer in free-markets and a fellow investor/shareholder, I feel the rules that pre-judge perceived riskiness of a company by share price alone is shortsighted and illogical. That being said, I also believe that disconnects can sometimes result in opportunity and we have waited patiently for the correct time to up-list (for the Company, the markets, politically and globally) to arrive. The assemblage of our extensive gold holdings, growing gold production profile and nationally recognized rare earth element projects is by design - and all of us stakeholders deserve the flexibility and exposure a higher exchange listing can bring.

Regarding our name change proposal; after working through a bout of wistful nostalgia we have arrived at the appropriate name for the Company. And while 'New Jersey Mining Company' has served us well, if we are to be honest that name is not the best representation of our Company, people or assets. Therefore, to more accurately reflect our Company as well as the proposed NYSE/Amex listing, we are also seeking shareholder approval to change the name of the Company to 'Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.'. We feel this name better reflects we are an actual Idaho company and that our assets and operations are located in Idaho (the 7th best mining jurisdiction in the world). Furthermore, Idaho Strategic Resources more accurately represents our focus on gold as a proven and strategic store of value, along with the potential of our rare earth element properties to provide a domestic source of the strategic critical minerals required of a low-carbon future. I don't know of too many listed U.S. based Gold/REE companies with our asset/production/growth profile and I believe this is also an opportunity worth pursuing for our stakeholders."

The special meeting of the shareholders is scheduled for October 6, 2021 at 9:00 am Pacific Time at the Company's Corporate office located at 201 N. 3rd St., Coeur d'Alene, ID and The Company's proxy materials have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

Important Information about the Reverse Split and Name Change Proposal

This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in connection with the proposal to be submitted to New Jersey Mining Company's shareholders at its special meeting seeking approval to effect a reverse stock split of the Company's issued and outstanding common stock at a ratio of one-for-14 (the "Reverse Split Proposal"). In connection with the Reverse Split and Name Change Proposal, New Jersey Mining Company has filed a preliminary proxy statement on Schedule 14A with the SEC. Shareholders of NJMC are urged to read the preliminary proxy statement and all other relevant documents filed with the SEC when they become available, including the Company's definitive proxy statement, because they will contain important information about the Reverse Split Proposal.

About New Jersey Mining Company

Headquartered in North Idaho, New Jersey Mining Company is the rare example of a vertically integrated, operating junior mining company. NJMC produces gold at the Golden Chest Mine and recently consolidated the Murray Gold Belt (MGB) for the first time in over 100-years. The MGB is an overlooked gold producing region within the Coeur d'Alene Mining District, located north of the prolific Silver Valley. In addition to gold, the Company maintains a presence in the Critical Minerals sector and is focused on identifying and exploring for Critical Minerals (Rare Earth Minerals) important to our country's defensive readiness and a low-carbon future.

New Jersey Mining Company possesses the in-house skillsets of a much larger company while enjoying the flexibility of a smaller and more entrepreneurial corporate structure. Its production-based strategy, by design, provides the flexibility to advance the Murray Gold Belt and/or its Critical Minerals holdings on its own or with a strategic partner in a manner that is consistent with its existing philosophy and culture.

NJMC has established a high-quality, early to advanced-stage asset base in four historic mining districts of Idaho and Montana, which includes the currently producing Golden Chest Mine. Management is stakeholder focused and owns more than 15-percent of the issued and outstanding shares NJMC common stock.

The Company's common stock currently trades on the OTC-QB under the symbol "NJMC."

For more information on New Jersey Mining Company go to www.newjerseymining.com or call:

Monique Hayes, Corporate Secretary/Investor Relations

Email: monique@newjerseymining.com

(208) 625-9001

Forward Looking Statements

This 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 that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Such statements are based on good faith assumptions that New Jersey Mining Company believes are reasonable, but which are subject to a wide range of uncertainties and business risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the risk the reverse stock split does not increase the liquidity of the Company's common stock, or meet all of the NYSE American Exchange application requirements and is approved for listing on the NYSE American Exchange, that the mine plan changes due to rising costs or other operational details, an increased risk associated with production activities occurring without completion of a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability, the Company's rare earth elements projects are advanced, the risks and hazards inherent in the mining business (including risks inherent in developing mining projects, environmental hazards, industrial accidents, weather or geologically related conditions), changes in the market prices of gold and silver and the potential impact on revenues from changes in the market price of gold and cash costs, a sustained lower price environment, risks relating to widespread epidemics or pandemic outbreak including the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of COVID-19 on our workforce, suppliers and other essential resources and what effect those impacts, if they occur, would have on our business, including our ability to access goods and supplies, the ability to transport our products and impacts on employee productivity, the risks in connection with the operations, cash flow and results of the Company relating to the unknown duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other uncertainties and risk factors. Actual results, developments and timetables could vary significantly from the estimates presented. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. NJMC disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE: New Jersey Mining Company

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/662488/New-Jersey-Mining-Company-Seeking-Shareholder-Approval-for-Name-Change-and-Reverse-Stock-Split-to-Qualify-for-NYSE-American-Exchange
BAE Systems has confirmed its bid submission to provide the combat-proven CV90 to the Czech Ministry of Defence for the BMP II Replacement Program. In partnership with state-owned defense integrator VOP CZ s.p., the team's offer will ensure the production and delivery of the CV90 MkIV Infantry Fighting Vehicle on schedule and to budget, as well as support the sovereignty of the Czech Army and Czech industry in the service and future development of the vehicle.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005479/en/

BAE Systems has submitted its Best and Final Offer for the combat-proven CV90 to the Czech Ministry of Defence. (Photo: BAE Systems)

BAE Systems Hagglunds, the manufacturer of the CV90, has delivered multiple CV90 export programs to European customers. The team's highly successful and proven industrial cooperation approach is closely aligned to the Czech Republic's industrial aspirations, including the co-development and delivery of tracked combat vehicles with VOP CZ s.p.. BAE Systems also has arrangements with more than 30 state- and privately-owned companies, as well as ongoing and planned future collaboration with Czech Academia including the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU).

"We are confident that the advanced capabilities of the offered CV90 MkIV is the best choice for the Czech Army, to protect its soldiers and secure the future of its nation's defense forces as well its defense industry," said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hagglunds. "BAE Systems' successful industrial cooperation goes beyond the mechanical assembly of the vehicle or the creation of new factories. Our offering is based on Czech defense industries playing a high-value and strategic role in the development, production, training, and support of the vehicle and all its variants."

The CV90 MkIV offer also includes the most recent turret configuration designed to provide increased capabilities through the integration of the latest generation of sensors and active survivability systems, added weapon capabilities, and enhanced crew and squad ergonomics. Built on combat-proven experience and data analysis from the CV90's seven existing users, the improved CV90 MkIV turret also reduces cognitive load on crews through greater use of A.I. to meet the growing needs of the modern battlefield.

"We believe our strategic relationship with VOP CZ s.p., combined with the modern, combat-proven CV90 MkIV, is the right formula for a successful program in the Czech Republic," concluded Gustafsson-Rask.

The CV90 is in operation with seven nations: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. With close to 1,300 CV90s of numerous variants in service, the vehicle has a combat-proven track record and is designed to accommodate future growth to meet evolving missions.

For CV90 imagery, please visit: https://baesys.resourcespace.com/?c=6290&k=c9a568357b.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005479/en/

Contacts:

Ola Thoren, BAE Systems Hagglunds

Office: +46 660 80506; Mobile: +46 708 335000

ola.thoren@baesystems.se

Rebecca Surtees, BAE Systems, Inc.

Mobile: +44 (0)7825 948274

rebecca.surtees@baesystems.com

www.baesystems.com

@BAESystemsInc
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc. (CSE: VEGI) (OTCQB: VGGIF) ("Boosh" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that effective September 1, 2021 Dave Richardson will serve as Special Advisor to Boosh's management team and its board of directors.

As the Special Advisor, Mr. Richardson will assist Boosh's management team with overall business development, and expansion plans through mergers & acquisitions throughout Canada and the US.

Mr. Richardson has an extensive background assisting emerging growth companies in numerous industries including the plant-based food sector. Mr. Richardson has experience as an investor, executive and founder of multiple technology companies. He is a proponent and defender for sustainability as well as the environment and is an Advisory Board member to several innovative green technology companies, as well as serving as a Director for GreenPower Motor Company.

"I think the opportunity is significant for Boosh to continue and expand their unique brand of 100% plant-based, non-GMO, gluten free frozen and refrigerated products throughout Canada and the US. I'm impressed with the sensible manner that management has controlled their cash resources, their development of a very strong and growing list of customers and the company's excellent market penetration in a very short amount of time," states Mr. Richardson.

"Dave has an extensive network in the food industry, a long history of providing financial and consulting support to emerging growth companies and is passionate about creating sustainable products and services. With his national and international business expertise, we are honored that he's offering his leadership and guidance to Team Boosh," states CEO, Jim Pakulis.

In consideration of Mr. Richardson's services, the Company has issued to Mr. Richardson 200,000 warrants exercisable at $0.90 per share. As well, Mr. Richardson purchased the right to exercise 200,000 warrants exercisable at $0.50 per share directly from CEO Jim Pakulis' personal holdings.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Jim Pakulis

Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: (833) 882-6674

www.Booshfood.com

Investor Relations

Contact - Edge Communications Group

Email: invest@booshfood.com

Telephone: (236) 237-1315

www.Booshfood.com

About Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc.:

Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Boosh Food (www.booshfood.com), is the gateway to experiencing high quality, non-GMO, gluten free, 100% plant-based nutritional comfort foods for the whole family. We currently offer six frozen meals which are sold throughout Canada, and now we're expanding our meals to include three refrigerated products. Boosh, good for you and good for planet earth.

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Forward looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the Company's proposed use of the proceeds of its initial public offering. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95273
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - Battery Mineral Resources Corp. (TSXV: BMR) ("Battery" or "BMR" or the "Company") is pleased to announce encouraging initial drill core assay results from the 2021 exploration and in-fill drill program at the Punitaqui mine complex ("Punitaqui") in Chile. Punitaqui is a recently producing copper and gold mine which is slated for resumption of production mid-2022.

Highlights

Assay results (see Table 1) have been returned for the first three holes with encouraging results as follows (gold values pending): Drillhole SAS-21-05: 9 meters ("m") at 2.06% copper and 20.5 grams per tonne silver ("g/t Ag") Drillhole SAS-21-01: 3m grading 1.52% copper and 2.0g/t silver

Currently, three drills are operating on-site, and a fourth drill will arrive shortly.

are operating on-site, and a fourth drill will arrive shortly. 2,501 meters of diamond core drilling in 14 drill holes have been completed, or are in progress, at San Andres.

Nine drill holes have reached target depth and six have intersected significant mineralization.

Samples from eight drill holes have been submitted to ALS for geochemical analysis.

The San Andres drill program is designed to confirm and extend the resource definition drilling to the north and the south and extend mineralization at depth.

Recent but historic drilling at Sand Andres reported values including SAS-20-07 which resulted in 2.69% copper over a true width of 15.6 m (see Table 2).

The San Andres target is one of several historic zones identified by BMR with established underground access for infill and extensional drilling.

San Andres is the "normal" fault displaced upper portion of the adjacent Cinabrio copper deposit that is part of Punitaqui and was operated for nine plus years by Glencore and Xiana Mining.

Battery CEO Martin Kostuik states, "We are pleased to announce these initial very encouraging copper intercepts from our Punitaqui drilling program. Earlier wide-spaced historic drilling has identified an 800m long zone that is open at depth and in both directions along strike at San Andres. The SAS-21-05 intercept grading 2.06% Copper over a 9-meter downhole interval complements historical drill results and confirms the high-grade nature of the San Andres disseminated sulphide mineralization. We believe these results demonstrate that this drilling program has the potential to provide the Company with an additional source of copper and gold ore along with existing ore at the adjacent Cinabrio mine. We look forward to providing further exciting updates for the drill program in the coming weeks."

San Andres Drill Program

Sample assay results were received for the first three holes of the eight drillholes currently dispatched for analysis (see Table 1 below).

Drillhole SAS-21-01: was designed to test San Andres targeted mineralized horizon 30m north of historic hole SAS-20-07 which intersected a true width of 15.6m of 2.69% copper. The hole intersected a late andesite dyke at the target depth and exited the dyke near the bottom of the Targeted Stratigraphic Unit ("TSU") cutting 3 m of the favourable stratigraphy which contained both disseminated and veinlet occurrences of chalcopyrite and bornite. Although much of the drill hole intersected the dyke, the lower section yielded high-grade copper mineralization which returned results of 3m grading 1.52% copper and 2.0g/t silver.

Drillhole SASA-21-02: intersected the TSU 30m south of historic hole SAS-20-07. The hole intersected the same late-stage andesite dyke at the target depth and exited the dyke near the bottom of the TSU, cutting 8.7m of the favourable stratigraphy which had abundant pyrite and minor copper mineralization. An updated re-interpretation of the San Andres zone geology has been completed and the three dimensional geological model is being updated with the new interpretations and new drilling information.

Drillhole SAS-21-05: intersected the TSU 30m south of historic hole SAS-17-06 that returned a true width section of 7.3m grading 1.73% copper. The hole intersected the TSU between 186.6m to 234.9m (Figure 2). The drilled section consisted of shales, volcanoclastic sandstones, conglomerates and tuff breccia. Disseminated sulphide mineralization occurred throughout the section with the most intense sulphide concentration noted between 200.0m - 210.0m and 220.0m - 229.0m which yielded a 10m interval grading 0.52% Cu and 8.70g/t silver and a higher-grade interval that assayed 9.0m grading 2.06% copper and 20.5g/t silver. Sulphide mineralization consisted of chalcopyrite and bornite that occur as disseminated sulphides and within veinlets.

Table 1: San Andres Drilling Significant Assays Received to Date (gold values pending)

Drillhole

Number From

(m) To

(m) Sample

Interval

(m) Copper

Cu (%) Silver

Ag (g/t) SAS-21-01 180.2 183.2 3.0 1.52 2.00 SAS-21-02 185 188 3.0 0.04 1.00 SAS-21-05 200 210 10.0 0.52 8.70 including 203 207 4.0 0.87 4.00 and 220 229 9.0 2.06 20.50

Table 2: San Andres Significant Historical Drillhole Intercepts

Drillhole

Number From

(m) To

(m) Sample

Interval

(m) Copper

Cu (%) SAS-17-04A 209 213 4.0 2.52 SAS-17-05 229.15 234 4.85 1.80 SAS-17-06 189 197 8.0 2.30 216 220 7.0 1.87 SAS-20-07 180 196 16.0 2.52 SAS-50 128 139 11.0 2.39 SAS-20-01 186 197 11.0 2.16 SAS-20-08 183 200 17.0 1.74





Figure 1: Punitaqui Geology with Deposits and Drill Targets

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6076/95281_ce050770546f49e7_002full.jpg





Figure 2: SAS-21-05 Drillhole Cross Section 2070N

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6076/95281_ce050770546f49e7_003full.jpg

Background - San Andres Target

The San Andres target is part of the Punitaqui project which is situated within a 25km long mineralized district that is a classic IOCG and mantos style copper belt that is comprised of mantos and structural controlled copper-gold-silver veins. San Andres is a zone of copper mineralization located 500m southwest of the high-grade Cinabrio deposit mined by Glencore and Xiana Mining.

Prior to 1998, only limited extraction of high-grade copper oxides was undertaken at San Andres by small groups of local miners. In 2000 a Chilean national company La Empressa Nacional de Mineria ("ENAMI") developed two underground exploration drives targeting copper sulphides. In 2005, via an option process, San Andres became part of the Punitaqui mine complex.

In 2007, a ground geophysical induced polarization ("IP") survey was completed on 250m - 500m spaced lines across the San Andres-Cinabrio area. The results of the IP survey line across the southern end of the San Andres zone identified a strong chargeability anomaly interpreted to represent potential extensions of the copper sulphide mineralization at depth and along strike. Historic wide-spaced drilling completed by the previous operators between 2011-2017 totaled 58 holes for 5,927m.

San Andres is a tabular sedimentary horizon within a volcanic sequence. This sedimentary horizon is variably mineralized and has a variable width ranging from 5m - 30m. It consists of an interlayered volcano-sedimentary sequence composed of dark colored laminated and unlaminated shales, volcanoclastic sandstone, conglomerates and breccias and tuff breccias. There is a variable component of syngenetic pyrite. The horizon dips 40 to 50 degrees to the east and is cut-off at depth by the moderately west dipping San Andres fault.

Mineralization consists of veinlets and irregular disseminations in both the fine and coarse-grained clastic rocks and locally within the volcanic rocks above and below the host unit. The host horizon is also cut and offset by other faults with a wide range of orientations. The fundamental orientations identified to date include:

moderately west dipping splays of the San Andres fault, generally with downward and westward movement

steep dipping northeast to northwest trending faults with both sinistral and dextral offsets

Faults parallel and sub-parallel to stratigraphy

Other Corporate Matters

BMR has appointed Harbor Access LLC as Investor Relations Advisor to support management with their investor relations program and investor outreach. The initial contract is for six months with a monthly retainer of $6,000. Harbor Access is a recognized advisor to venture companies, with offices in the US and Canada and a wide network of institutional investors in Canada, US and Europe.

BMR has also engaged Investing News Network (INN), a destination web site for the investment community. INN is an online source of investor-focused news and educational content on topics within the resource, cannabis, tech and life science sectors. Investors can view our company profile in the "battery metals" section of INN's website.

Lastly, in an effort to increase investor awareness and knowledge about Battery Mineral Resources and the rapidly growing global battery mineral industry, BMR has engaged Cambridge House International, and will be featured in multiple one-on-one interviews with its CEO Jay Martin. Videos of the interviews will be posted on the Cambridge House International YouTube channel.

Quality Control

Sample preparation, analysis and security procedures applied on the BMR exploration projects is aligned with industry best practice. BMR has implemented protocols and procedures to ensure high quality collection and management of samples resulting in reliable exploration assay data. BMR has implemented formal analytical quality control monitoring for all field sampling and drilling programs by inserting blanks and certified reference materials into every sample sequence dispatched.

Sample preparation is performed by ALS Global - Geochemistry Analytical Lab in La Serana, Chile and sample analyses by ALS in Lima, Peru. ALS analytical facilities are commercial laboratories and are independent from BMR. All BMR samples are collected and packaged by BMR staff and delivered upon receipt at the ALS Laboratory. Samples are logged in a sophisticated laboratory information management system for sample tracking, scheduling, quality control, and electronic reporting. Samples are dried then crushed to 70% < -2 millimeters and a riffle split of 250 grams is then pulverized to 85% of the material achieving a size of <75 microns. These prepared samples are then shipped to the ALS Laboratory in North Vancouver for analyses by the following methods:

ME-MS61: A high precision, multi-acid digest including Hydrofluoric, Nitric, Perchloric and Hydrochloric acids. Analysed by inductively coupled plasma ("ICP") mass spectrometry that produces results for 48 elements.

ME-OG62: Aqua-Regia digest: Analysed by ICP-AES (Atomic Emission Spectrometry) or sometimes called optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) for high levels of Co, Cu, Ni and Ag.

Certified standards are inserted into sample batches by ALS. Blanks and duplicates are inserted within each analytical run. The blank is inserted at the beginning, certified standards are inserted at random intervals, and duplicates are analysed at the end of the batch.

Additional Information

Michael Schuler, Battery Mineral Resources Corp. Chile Exploration Manager, supervised the preparation of and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release pertaining to the Punitaqui Exploration Drill Program. Mr. Schuler is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Scientific and technical information pertaining to the cobalt resource at McAra was extracted from the Company's NI 43-101 "Technical report on Cobalt Exploration Assets in Canada" dated as of May 26, 2020 with an effective date of March 31, 2020, prepared by Glen Cole (P. Geo) of SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc.

About Battery Mineral Resources Corp.

Battery is a multi-commodity resource company which provides investors with exposure to the world-wide trend towards electrification. Battery is engaged in the discovery, acquisition, and development of battery metals (cobalt, lithium, graphite, nickel & copper), in North and South America and South Korea with the intention of becoming a premier and sustainable supplier of battery minerals to the electrification marketplace. Battery is the largest mineral claim holder in the historic Gowganda Cobalt-Silver Camp, Canada and continues to pursue a focused program to build on the recently announced, +1-million-pound cobalt resource at McAra by testing over 50 high-grade primary cobalt silver-nickel-copper targets. In addition, Battery owns 100% of ESI Energy Services, Inc., a pipeline equipment rental and sales company with operations in Leduc, Alberta and Phoenix, Arizona. Finally, Battery is currently developing the Punitaqui Mining Complex, and pursuing the potential near term resumption of operations at the prior producing Punitaqui copper-gold mine. The Punitaqui copper-gold mine most recently produced approximately 21,000 tonnes of copper concentrate in 2019 and is located in the Coquimbo region of Chile.

For further information, please contact:

Battery Mineral Resources Corp.

Martin Kostuik

Phone: +1 (604) 229 3830

Email: info@bmrcorp.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections of the Company on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to complete exploration and development activities, risks related to share price and market conditions, the inherent risks involved in the mining, exploration and development of mineral properties, government regulation and fluctuating metal prices. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Battery undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements contained herein whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95281


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - PolarityTE, Inc. (PTE) announced Thursday the appointment of Richard Hague as Chief Executive Officer, the election of David Seaburg to the Board of Directors, and the appointment of Ryan Mathis as Chief Medical Officer.



Hague joined the company in April 2019 as Chief Operating Officer and served in the Office of the Chief Executive beginning in August 2019 until April 2020, when he also began serving as the Company's President.



Before joining PolarityTE, Hague was the Chief Commercial Officer at Anika Therapeutics and Vice President of Sales and Marketing at TEI Medical.



With PolarityTE's transition away from a commercial enterprise and towards a clinical research and development stage company, the Board elected David Seaburg to rejoin as a director. Seaburg will become the Chair of the Board's Strategic Review Committee and is expected to participate in the Company's corporate strategy and capital formation activities.



Seaburg joined PolarityTE in August 2018 as a director and subsequently joined the management team in January 2019, serving as President of Corporate Development until August 2019, when he joined the Office of the Chief Executive, before being named Chief Executive Officer in April 2020.



Meanwhile, Mathis has been with the Company since December 2017, serving in roles of increasing responsibility including Vice President of Clinical Operations and, most recently, Vice President of Commercial Strategy.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

POLARITYTE-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
Denver shows support for sexual assault survivors with a scannable mural providing free resources for survivor care and healing

DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2021 / Denver sexual assault survivors have a new way to locate a sexual assault exam or find holistic support after an assault. This weekend, a mural entitled "Celebrating Our Strength" was unveiled at Gamma Gallery , 3000 Brighton Blvd., Denver, Colorado, hosting a message of support and a scannable QR code with on-demand survivor resources.

Since 77% of sexual assault survivors never report or receive care , survivors in Denver are addressing the access gap with the mural to promote consent and the strength of sexual assault survivors. The scannable mural provides quick access to an Exam Location Map, helping survivors instantly locate the closest care centers offering sexual assault exams. It also provides access to virtual Healing Circles for survivors, run by Leda Health. The mural spotlights a message of support from the community, including signatures from survivors and allies and a note that reads "All of us who signed believe you."

Leda Health is a survivor-run company building trauma-informed tools for care and healing. Leda's free, virtual healing circles incorporate sexologists and holistic leaders who use art, music, movement, and meditation to help survivors explore the diversity of healing after assault in small groups online. Leda Health launched Healing Circles at the start of COVID-19 to address the increased need for survivor support during the pandemic when sexual assault rates rose and in-person care declined by 53% . Leda launched a virtual Exam Location Map earlier this summer to help survivors quickly locate the closest care centers offering sexual assault exams. Both resources are available for free at Leda.co or by scanning the mural at Gamma Gallery.

Leda Health partnered with Denver mural artist and sexual assault survivor SoulfulArt , aka Valeriya Mushkaeva, to create "Celebrating Our Strength," inspired to show support for survivors who may feel reluctant to reach out for help.

Leda Health's co-founder, CEO, and sexual assault survivor Madison Campbell commented on the event, saying, "As a survivor, I know it's really hard to find support. We want every survivor who sees this mural to know that there is a community here who supports you, believes you, and wants you to heal. The free resources will expand, but the message will stay the same: We believe you. You'd be surprised how important it is to hear that as a survivor, and how rarely you do."

The mural was finalized last weekend with help from the Denver community at a free public art event sponsored by Leda Health.

To learn more about sexual assault or resources being built for and by survivors, view Leda Health's Media Kit or Leda.co . For more information on how your business or university can partner with Leda Health, please contact Claire Courtney, the CMO of Leda Health at claire@leda.co .

SOURCE: Leda Health

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/662486/Leda-Health-and-SoulfulArt-Unveil-Community-Consent-Mural-With-Scannable-Resources-for-Sexual-Assault-Survivors
ST. AUGUSTINE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2021 / With summer in full swing, so is the push for hazmat employers to keep pace with federal and international hazmat training requirements. As an organization dedicated to educating shippers, supply chains, and their hazmat employees involved in the handling, shipping, and/or transport of dangerous goods, Hazmat University is proud to help keep its customers safe and compliant.

This month Hazmat University highlights the importance of general awareness training for hazmat employers and their employees.

Dangerous Goods General Awareness Training Course: an introduction

Presented by Hazmat University, the hazmat General Awareness Training Course is an online self-paced training created with the goal of familiarizing course participants with the regulations and requirements associated with the transportation of hazardous materials or dangerous goods.

Coursework prepares and empowers employees with the knowledge necessary to accurately identify and recognize articles and substances in the transportation workplace, and act accordingly in compliance with both domestic and international requirements.

Participants who take the online general awareness training stand to familiarize themselves with a broad range of valuable information regarding the various regulated functions associated with hazardous materials and their transport in commerce, including but not limited to:

Identification

Packing

Marking

Labeling

Placarding

Documentation

General handling

Ensure safety and security of hazmat in commerce

As part of this coursework, participants will gain an understanding of those requirements set forth in the IATA DGR, Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations, and the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.

Online Hazmat General Awareness Training: the ideal participant

Organizations dealing with the transportation of hazardous materials are keenly aware of the regulations regarding hazardous material training and certifications for hazmat employees directly dealing with transport. However, General Awareness training is also an appliable and valuable training for those who may not be directly involved in the handling or transportation of hazardous materials, but who work for a company that is involved in such transportation.

According to Hazmat University, such employees may benefit from knowledge that enables them to identify dangerous goods or hazardous materials being processed or undeclared hazmat sent or received in various stages of the supply chain.

Ideal Participants Include:

Mail room or postal workers

Sales personnel

Receptionists

Warehouse employees

Managers

And more

Anyone working at a company dealing with the transportation of hazardous materials, but who is not assigned a role or duty of directly handling such goods is an ideal candidate for general awareness training , according to Hazmat University.

Helping Hazmat Employers and Employees Stay in Compliance

Because of the significant risks involved with the shipping of hazardous materials, both domestic and international regulations require all hazmat employees, regardless of their role within the organization, to receive General Awareness and Security Awareness training a minimum of once every 2 to 3 years.

Applicable Regulations

49 CFR, Subpart H mandates that every hazmat employee be provided with education and general awareness training to familiarize themselves with the appropriate Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). Similar requirements have also been established by the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code and by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Hazmat General Awareness Course: Overview

General Awareness Training online coursework educates its audience with a wide array of topics related to hazardous materials preparation and transportation. Examples include identification, classification, labeling and handling of hazardous materials, as well as how to identify and react to incidents involving hazardous materials.

Apart from the 49 CRF requirements by ground, the Hazmat General Awareness Training also covers information outlined in the IATA DGR transport by air and IMDG Code transport by ocean.

Lastly, the course covers Safety and Security Awareness Training to familiarize employees with the risks associated with transport and the situational awareness necessary to prevent, identify and react to such risks.

Course Objectives Overview:

Upon completion of this course, participants should be aware of:

Definition of Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods

Regulations and training requirements overview

Fines and penalties

Classification

Identification

Packing

Labeling

Marking

Documentation

Placarding

Safety, Security and Emergency Response

About Hazmat University

Hazmat University is a Florida-based B2B education company with an online school dedicated to helping hazmat employers and their hazmat employees stay up to date on the training developed and made available by the Bureau of Dangerous Goods.

Their online self-paced format provides a flexible and convenient means of staying current with required training designed to comply with federal and international regulations with respect to shipping hazardous materials by ground in accordance with the U.S. Department of Transportation under Title 49 CFR, by air as detailed by IATA/ICAO DGR and by vessel, in alignment with the IMDG (IMDG) Code.

Those interested in learning more about Hazmat University or courses are encouraged to contact them via their official website www.HazmatUniversity.com .

September is Compliance Month

When you purchase any course during the month of September, you will receive 15% off by using coupon code Compliance15 at checkout.

Be Confident. Be Competent. Be Compliant. 

Media Contact:

Company Name: Hazmat University

Contact Person: Sonia Irusta

Phone: (609) 493-4971

Address:1093 A1A Beach Blvd, STE 102

Website: www.hazmatuniversity.com/

SOURCE: Hazmat University

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/662514/Hazmat-University-Discusses-the-Importance-of-General-Awareness-Training-for-Hazmat-Employers
Saint-Gobain Life Sciences broadens its bio-process portfolio and single-use capabilities with addition of Equflow

Saint-Gobain Life Sciences announced today the acquisition of Equflow B.V., located in Oss, Netherlands.

Equflow is a leading designer and provider of Flowmeters, produced for a broad range of commercial and industrial applications, primarily serving the single-use bioprocessing market. The acquisition expands Saint-Gobain's product capabilities within its Bio-Process Solutions (BPS) business.

"We are pleased to welcome Equflow into our organization and are excited by the possibilities this addition creates for our customers," said Jean Angus, President and CEO of Saint-Gobain Life Sciences. "While we see opportunities to leverage Equflow's fluid measurement technologies across all of our businesses, we are particularly eager to expand our capabilities in the single-use space."

With some inherent overlap of customers and geographies, the addition of Equflow's Flowmeters and sensors to Saint-Gobain's BPS portfolio complements its single-use fluid management solutions.

"It was important for us to find a partner that understands our applications, customers, and markets," said Daniel van Beek, CEO of Equflow B.V. "With Saint-Gobain, we know we have the support and expertise of a global manufacturer, while maintaining our ability to innovate and create custom solutions that meet our customer's needs."

ABOUT SAINT-GOBAIN LIFE SCIENCES

Dedicated to improving the quality of life, Saint-Gobain Life Sciences develops and manufactures high-performance components and integrated solutions that touch a broad range of patient care, from the development of new therapeutic cancer treatments to biopharmaceutical production, on through to intravenous therapies for drug delivery.

Along with material science expertise and collaborative design services, our focus on global quality and regulatory affairs allow us to be the trusted partner to organizations reaching every part of the globe. Combining our technical expertise, global manufacturing capabilities and research and development resources, Saint-Gobain Life Sciences is dedicated to meeting the evolving needs of bioprocess, medical and pharmaceutical customers around the world. Saint-Gobain Life Sciences is part of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain.

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and solutions for the construction, mobility, healthcare and other industrial application markets. Developed through a continuous innovation process, they can be found everywhere in our living places and daily life, providing wellbeing, performance and safety, while addressing the challenges of sustainable construction, resource efficiency and the fight against climate change. This strategy of responsible growth is guided by the Saint-Gobain purpose, "MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME", which responds to the shared ambition of all the women and men in the Group to act every day to make the world a more beautiful and sustainable place to live in.

38.1 billion in sales in 2020

More than 167,000 employees, located in 70 countries

Committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050

https://www.biopharm.saint-gobain.com/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005253/en/

Contacts:

Media:

Colin Reynolds:

484.753.3606

Colin.Reynolds@saint-gobain.com
Scientific and business leaders will reinforce our expertise as we develop data science and machine learning solutions for genomic medicine.

WhiteLab Genomics, a technology development company specialized in engineering data science solutions for the discovery and development of genomic medicine, today announced the expansion of its Scientific and Strategic Advisory Boards.

Dr. Nicole Paulk from the University of California San Francisco will join the Scientific Advisory Board

Nicole Paulk, PhD is an Assistant Professor of AAV Gene Therapy at the University of California San Francisco, Department of Biochemistry Biophysics. Dr. Paulk is a pioneer in next-generation AAV gene delivery and gene editing platforms. She has developed therapies for gene repair and gene transfer for numerous rare diseases and cancer, and has applied high-throughput comparative proteomic and epigenomic approaches to address challenges in fundamental AAV biology. Dr. Paulk earned her B.S. in Medical Microbiology from Central Washington University, her PhD in Viral Gene Therapy from Oregon Health Science University, and completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship in Human Gene Therapy at Stanford University.

Dr. Nicole Paulk: "I'm positively delighted the join the visionary team at WhiteLab Genomics in their mission to develop and bring greater machine learning and data science solutions to the field of gene therapy. As the field continues to grow rapidly, these transformative technologies will be urgently needed to help companies scale and keep up with the demanding pace of innovation."

David Del Bourgo: "We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Paulk to our SAB. Her deep expertise in AAV gene therapy and position as a known thought leader will help WhiteLab continue to bring critical data science solutions to the field of gene therapy."

Jean-Pascal Tranie, President of Aloe Private Equity, Cofounder of DiogenX, will join the Strategic Advisory Board

Jean-Pascal Tranie is the President of Aloe Private Equity, a fund management company specialized in digital technologies, healthcare, and climate change. He cofounded several companies including Diogenx a preclinical biotech company for diabetes. In the early '00s, he was CEO of Viventures, a large European venture capital fund. Mr Tranie graduated from Ecole Polytechnique and l'Ecole National d'Administration before being appointed CEO of Veolia Energy in Germany, and then the Vivendi Multimedia Director (Numericable, Havas, UGC, Cegetel, Babelsberg).

Mr. Tranie: I am very happy to contribute to WhiteLab's mission to bring innovative data science solution for genomic therapies. DNA and RNA therapies are facing tremendous growth and the need for AI and Machine Learning solutions is only increasing to accelerate discovery and development. WhiteLab is greatly positioned to become a leader in this field."

Dr. Magali Richard, Co-Founder and Deputy CEO of Home Biosciences, CEO of One Biosciences, will join the Strategic Advisory Board

Dr. Magali Richard has 15 years of experience in biotechnology, spanning both academia and industry. Dr. Richard graduated from Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole des Mines de Paris, and holds a PhD in Molecular Biology. From 2009 to 2011 she was Scientist at Biomarin, pursuing in the rare diseases space. Then, Dr. Richard spent six years at Boston Consulting Group (2011-2016). From 2016 to 2019, she was Chief Strategy Officer of DBV Technologies, member of the Executive Committee. Since 2020, Dr Richard is Co-Founder and Deputy CEO of Home Biosciences, the first venture builder dedicated to biotechnologies in Europe, teaming with academic and scientific teams to build, operate and fund successful biotechs that will discover and develop life changing therapeutic solutions. She is the CEO of One Biosciences, a biotech founded by Home Biosciences with Institut Curie, leveraging the power of single-cell omics data to discover new therapeutic solutions and biomarkers.

Dr. Magali Richard: DNA and RNA are therapeutic modalities that are changing the landscape of medicine. Moving those technologies from breakthrough scientific innovation to life changing therapies available for all patients encompasses multiple challenges for the biotech and pharma ecosystem. The data-driven approaches developed by Whitelab Genomics are concrete solutions to accelerate the pace of R&D in this field and ease the development of those modalities into therapies for the patients.

David Del Bourgo: "We are honored and delighted to welcome Dr. Magali Richard and Jean-Pascal Tranie to our Strategic Advisory Board. Their experience and leadership in the field of healthcare and technology are outstanding and will greatly contribute to support our mission to become a leader in data science solutions dedicated to the discovery and development of genomic therapies.".

About White Lab Genomics

WhiteLab Genomics is specialized in data science and machine learning solutions for genomic medicine. The company's proprietary platform allows for multi-parameter analysis of complex biological data to discover new DNA and RNA therapies and optimize their developments. WhiteLab Genomics was founded in 2019 by experienced professionals in the field of biotechnology and data science. Today, the start-up has locations at Station F in Paris and at the Evry Genopole France's first biocluster.

https://www.whitelabgx.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005489/en/

Contacts:

Press

Beyond Communication

Najette Chaib nchaib@beyondcom.fr +33 6 18 38 11 14

WhiteLab Genomics

David Del Bourgo contact@whitelabgx.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - David H. Brett, President & CEO, EnGold Mines Ltd., (TSXV: EGM) ("EnGold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will be restarting its exploration program on September 7, 2021.

"With the challenges of BC's extremely active 2021 wildfire season now behind us, EnGold will be relaunching its exploration program at Lac La Hache next week," said EnGold VP of Exploration, Rob Shives, P.Geo. "We are particularly excited about the deep, alkalic porphry drilling at Ann North that will soon be underway. Following up on the high grade gold results at Road Gold is also on the near-term horizon."

In addition, the Company announces that it will not be proceeding to close the second and final tranche of the Company's previously announced $8,000,000 non-brokered flow-through financing. Under the first tranche closing which was announced on August 11, 2021, the Company received proceeds of $4,000,000 from the issuance of 8,000,000 flow-through units at a price of $0.50 per unit. Each unit consisted of one flow-through common share and one half of one warrant, whereby each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one non-flow-through common share at a price of $0.75 per share for a period of two years from the date of issuance.

"EnGold is well funded for a robust, long-term program of exploration at its 100% owned Lac La Hache copper gold property," said EnGold President and CEO David Brett. "The board of directors is in unanimous agreement that the Company is well positioned to secure any required additional funding for the project in the future at terms that are favourable for EnGold shareholders."

Rob Shives P.Geo., VP Exploration and a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release.

About EnGold

EnGold is a Vancouver-based copper, gold, silver, magnetite exploration company focused solely on its 100% owned Lac La Hache property in the Cariboo region of BC which hosts the Spout Copper Deposit, the Aurizon Gold Deposit and the G1 Copper Deposit and other targets within a large porphyry mineralizing system. With world class infrastructure at its doorstep, Lac La Hache is a great location to be exploring.

EnGold Mines Ltd.

David Brett

President & CEO

For further info contact David Brett, 604-682-2421 or david@engold.ca

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the expected use of proceeds of the financing. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which EnGold will operate in the future. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, amongst others, the global economic climate, dilution, share price volatility and competition. Although EnGold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. EnGold does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95282
Plymouth, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - Plymouth Rock Technologies Inc. (CSE: PRT) (OTCQB: PLRTF) (FSE: 4XA) (WKN# A2N8RH) ("Plymouth Rock", "PRT", or the "Company"), a leader in developing detection apparatus and unmanned technologies, is pleased to announce the sale of custom drones to Survey-AR to deliver a drone swarm test capability.

The project will assess an autonomous drone swarm system to optimize weather and air quality monitoring in atmospheric boundary layer environments with particular importance in urban and industrial areas. The project will further review market validation/value of identified segments as well as take advantage of critical feedback to further evolve drone swarming capabilities. Plymouth Rock Technologies will be supplying a fleet of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) which will autonomously operate together to form a 'swarm.'

"Drone swarms are, in every sense, transformational technology," stated Carl Cagliarini, Chief Strategy Officer of PRT. "They can substitute humans in dangerous or hostile environments, from the front line of a warzone, through to the detection of commercial gases. In sufficient numbers, they can collect information from multiple locations and directions, integrating it to form insights not otherwise possible. That information can inform decision makers who cannot enter the environment nor capture information from multiple angles and perspectives."

"We are delighted to be selected to undertake this task. Drone swarming capabilities have been used in theme park light shows, where the drone intelligence is limited to a simple LED light and a set manoeuvre. This effort differs greatly by the fact that this is a drone swarm collecting and compiling data through a series of sensors and utilizing AI to turn the data collected into actionable intelligence," stated Dana Wheeler, President & CEO of PRT.

About Survey - AR

We are highly innovative, experienced and technically competent team of environmental consultants, surveyors, scientists, sensor technologists, pilots, games engine developers and data experts. We are dedicated to finding solutions that increase understanding, awareness and insight. We are obsessed in extracting the greatest value from data and ensuring it is accessible and useable for operation and management across the asset lifecycle.

https://www.surveyar.co.uk

About Plymouth Rock Technologies Inc.

We are on a mission to bring engineering-driven answers to the most critical problems that threaten our safety. We work with government, law enforcement and military to innovate solutions for national security, defense and space systems.

The Company is developing the next generation of threat detection solutions and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

The PRT X1 is a purpose-built multirotor UAS, utilizing Artificial Intelligence, cutting-edge sensors and the latest FLIR dual-camera module as standard, offering thermal capabilities alongside 1080p HD real-time air-to-ground streaming and 4K video recording, with the ability to mount multiple, various sensors, modules and payloads.

Our advanced threat detection methods fuse artificial intelligence with augmented reality interfaces to eliminate human operating error. Plymouth Rock products, both airborne and land-based, will scan for threat items at greater 'stand-off' distances than current existing technologies. Our unique radar imaging and signal processing technology creates new opportunities for remotely operated, non-intrusive screening of crowds in real time.

Plymouth Rock's core technologies include: (1) UAS platforms engineered to conform to H.R.4753 - Drone Origin Security Enhancement Act ("X1") ("XV"); (2) Millimeter Remote Imaging from Airborne Drone ("MIRIAD"); (3) A compact microwave radar system for scanning shoe's ("Shoe Scanner"); (4) A compact modular radar utilized for a variety of applications, from aircraft to weapon detection ("CODA").

www.plyrotech.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dana Wheeler

President and CEO

+1-774-404-7685

info@plyrotech.com

Investor Information:

Tasso Baras

+1-778-477-6990



tasso@plyrotech.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95199
Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") advises that an aggregate of 480,000 options were granted to certain directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The options are exercisable at a price of C$1.30 per share and expire five years from September 1, 2021, the date of grant. One third of the options will vest after six months, with one third vesting every six months thereafter until fully vested.

# # #

About Ucore Rare Metals Inc.

Ucore is focused on rare and critical metals resources, extraction, beneficiation and separation technologies with potential for production, growth, and scalability. Ucore has a 100% ownership stake in the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Earth Element (REE) Project in Southeast Alaska. Ucore's vision and plan is to transition to become a leading advanced technology company that provides metal separation products and services to the mining and mineral extraction industry.

Through strategic partnerships, this vision includes disrupting the People's Republic of China's dominance of the US REE supply chain through the development of a heavy rare earth processing facility - the Alaska Strategic Metals Complex in Southeast Alaska and the long-term development of Ucore's heavy rare earth element mineral resource property located at Bokan Mountain on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska.

Ucore is listed on the TSXV under the trading symbol "UCU" and in the United States on the OTC Markets' OTCQX Best Market under the ticker symbol "UURAF".

For further information, please visit www.ucore.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release (other than statements of historical facts) that address future business development, technological development and/or acquisition activities (including any related required financings), timelines, litigation outcomes, events, or developments that the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. In regard to the disclosure in the "About Ucore Rare Metals Inc." section above, the Company has assumed that it will be able to procure or retain additional partners and/or suppliers, in addition to IMC, as suppliers for Ucore's expected future Alaska Strategic Metals Complex ("Alaska SMC"). Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be found to prepare a new National Instrument 43-101 technical report that demonstrates that the Bokan Mountain Rare Earth Elements project ("Bokan") is feasible and economically viable for the production of both REE and co-product mineral materials and metals and the then prevailing market prices based upon assumed customer off-take agreements. Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be secured to develop the specific engineering plans for the Alaska SMC and its construction. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, without limitation: Ucore's wholly-owned subsidiary, Innovation Metals Corp. ("IMC"), failing to protect its intellectual property rights in RapidSX; RapidSX failing to demonstrate commercial viability in large commercial-scale applications; Ucore not being able to procure additional key partners or suppliers for the Alaska SMC; Ucore not being able to raise sufficient funds to fund the specific design and construction of the Alaska SMC and/or the continued development of RapidSX; adverse capital-market conditions; unexpected due-diligence findings; the emergence of alternative superior metallurgy and metal-separation technologies; the inability of Ucore and/or IMC to retain its key staff members; a change in the legislation in Alaska and/or in the support expressed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority ("AIDEA") regarding the development of Bokan and/or the Alaska SMC; the availability and procurement of any required interim and/or long-term financing that may be required; and general economic, market or business conditions.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined by the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CONTACT

Mark MacDonald

Vice President, Investor Relations

Ucore Rare Metals Inc.

+1 902 482 5214

mark@ucore.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95299.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2021 / Cielo Waste Solutions (TSXV:CMC)(OTCQB:CWSFF)(WKN:C36) ("Cielo" or the "Company") is pleased to announce:

Letter of Intent with Kodiak Chemical Solutions

Cielo has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") with Kodiak Chemical Solutions ("Kodiak"). Kodiak is a Western Canadian based company interested in the purchase of Waste Derived Naphtha ("WDN") for uses including but not limited to paraffin solvents, diluents, cleaning fluids, paint and ashphalt diluents and any other uses in their discretion. Kodiak wishes to purchase, from Cielo, WDN from all of Cielo's Alberta production facilities. The material terms of the LOI are to be mutually agreed upon and set out in a definitive agreement, anticipated to occur prior to the end of 2021. This LOI does not conflict with a previously announced and existing memorandum of understanding with Elbow River Marketing, which is an offtake agreement for diesel fuels.

Lionel Robins, SVP Global Development & Indigenous Relations for Cielo, stated: "We believe the demand for naphtha in the current market is growing and seeing this demand further increases Cielo's growth opportunity, as we can profitably produce more types of fuel. We now see the opportunity to have a WDN fuel that could demand a premium over its fossil-based counterparts. The price discussed with Kodiak will move with the weekly market price, and we expect that to generate a profitable revenue stream with good margins."

Brian Venance, President of Kodiak Chemical Solutions, stated: "As the demand for energy continues to ramp up, Kodiak continues to look for and source sustainable alternatives where possible. Cielo's WDN fuel is an alternative many of our customers are wanting and willing to pay for in the growing demand for sustainability and climate change."

Operational Update

As to its operational update, and as previously announced, Cielo has hired 3 engineering companies to look for any improvements that can be made to the Aldersyde facility. Cielo has these engineers focused on the main pieces of the process, which include the reactor design and waste recovery to obtain optimized and enhanced performance.

Reactor Enhancements - Optimization of distillate production and achieving a steady-state production profile are priorities. Reactor modifications are anticipated to result in improved distillate production and carrier fluid efficiencies.

Waste Recovery - Cielo is working on modifications, including the implementation of a centrifuge system to the waste recovery process.

Desulfurization - The catalyst, intended for use in Cielo's desulphurization process, designed by the University of Calgary, and produced in China, was not complete when it arrived to the Aldersyde, Alberta facility. The catalyst required further work and was sent to Texas, USA for catalyst activation and stabalization. Commisioning of the desulphurization process equipment is expected to be completed by the end of September, 2021.

New Corporate Office

Cielo is in the process of executing a commercial lease for corporate office space in downtown Calgary, Alberta. The lease is expected to be finalized in September 2021.

Don Allan, President and CEO of Cielo, commented: "We are delighted to have signed this LOI with Kodiak and look forward to working with them to build out our WDN business. I would also like to thank Kodiak Chemical Solutions and Brian Venance for their commitment and interest in our Waste Derived Naphtha." Mr. Allan continued: "The process improvements our engineers are working on are creating better optimization of our process facility which is beneficial prior to building multi million dollar facilities. We believe this is the right thing to do for our shareholders, investors, and financial lenders." Additionally, Mr. Allan stated: " The move to downtown Calgary from Red Deer will allow Cielo to expand and attract additional talent required for the anticipated growth of the Company. The inducements offered were quite competitive and Cielo is delighted to have the opportunity to support the recovery and transformation of downtown Calgary."

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Don Allan"

Don Allan, President / CEO / Director

Company Contact:

Raphael Bohlmann SVP Corporate Development/Investor Relations

Email: rbohlmann@cielows.com

Telephone: 1-(403)-348-2972 ext:105

Website: www.cielows.com

For further information please contact:

Investor Cubed Inc. (Canada):

Neil Simon, CEO

Email: info@investor3.ca

Telephone: 1-(647) 258-3310

RB Milestone Group LLC (USA):

Trevor Brucato, Managing Director

Email: cielo@rbmilestone.com

New York, NY & Stamford, CT

About Cielo Waste Solutions Corp.

Cielo is a publicly traded company with a proprietary technology that transforms certain types of landfill garbage into high-grade diesel, kerosene (aviation jet and marine fuel) and naphtha. Cielo's proven and patented technology is currently being deployed in the Company's Aldersyde, Alberta facility, where wood waste is currently being converted into renewable fuels. Cielo's experienced management team is well positioned with strategic partners in place to expand aggressively across Canada, into the US and then globally. The waste/feedstock that will be used in the Company's green facilities is the world's widely available and inexpensive feedstock, including household, commercial, construction garbage, used tires, railway ties, telephone poles, as well as all types of plastic, some of which currently cannot be recycled or deposited into landfills. Cielo's goal is to manufacture waste to fuel while ridding the world of unwanted and problematic garbage.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

This News Release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should" or similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes.

Forward-looking statements are subject to both known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. CIELO is making forward looking statements including but not limited to matters related to the signing of an LOI with Kodiak Chemicals, such as the entry into a definitive agreement and the purchase by Kodiak of WDN at future times, the operational update including the timing of the completion of desulfurization system commissioning and commercialization generally, and the signing of a commercial lease for premises in Calgary, Alberta. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.

Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are described herein. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual performance and results to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required by law, neither the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such statements to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise. The TSXV, OTCQB and, WKN, have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this News Release.

SOURCE: Cielo Waste Solutions Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/662519/Cielo-Signs-Letter-of-Intent-for-Offtake-Agreement-Provides-Operational-Update-and-Announces-Office-Move
DUBLIN (dpa-AFX) - The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced Thursday a conclusion to a GDPR investigation it conducted into WhatsApp Ireland Ltd. It has imposed a fine of 225 million euros on WhatsApp. In addition to the imposition of an administrative fine, the DPC has also imposed a reprimand along with an order for WhatsApp to bring its processing into compliance by taking a range of specified remedial actions. The DPC's investigation commenced on December 10, 2018 and it examined whether WhatsApp has discharged its GDPR transparency obligations with regard to the provision of information and the transparency of that information to both users and non-users of WhatsApp's service. This includes information provided to data subjects about the processing of information between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies. Following a lengthy and comprehensive investigation, the DPC submitted a draft decision to all Concerned Supervisory Authorities (CSAs) under Article 60 GDPR in December 2020. As the DPC failed to reach consensus on the draft decision, with objections from eight CSAs, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted a binding decision on July 28, 2021 and this decision was notified to the DPC. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
"Unity 23" Test Flight Will Mark First Research Customer Mission

Partnership with Italian Air Force Marks First Mission of Its Kind led by European Country

Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) (the "Company" or "Virgin Galactic"), a vertically integrated aerospace and space travel company, today announced the manifest for the next rocket-powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo Unity from Spaceport America, which will be the first commercial, human-tended research mission for the Company.

The "Unity 23" mission will be the 23rd flight for VSS Unity and will carry three paying crew members from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council. The goal of the mission is to evaluate and measure the effects of the transitional phase from gravity to microgravity on the human body. Other payloads on board will study the effect of the microgravity environment on a range of chemical and physical properties. By testing and evaluating physiological and technological responses in sub-orbital flight, the mission aims to produce insights relevant to current and future spaceflight systems and technologies.

The crew will be:

Col. Walter Villadei, Italian Air Force. Col. Villadei, a space engineer and cosmonaut, will serve as mission lead, tending to the rack-mounted payloads during the weightless portion of the flight. He will wear a cutting-edge smart suit, incorporating Italian fashion style and technology, to measure his biometric data and physiological responses.

Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi, Physician, Italian Air Force. Lt. Col. Landolfi will conduct tests measuring cognitive performance in microgravity. In addition, he will activate syringe payloads from his seat to investigate how certain liquids and solids mix in microgravity.

Pantaleone Carlucci, Aerospace Engineer and National Research Council researcher. Mr. Carlucci will wear sensors that examine heart rate, brain function and other human performance metrics in microgravity.

Beth Moses, Chief Astronaut Instructor, Virgin Galactic. Ms. Moses will serve as cabin lead in space, calling out key mission phases and cabin instructions and overseeing the safe and efficient execution of the flight timeline. She will not interact directly with the Italian experiments.

The pilots for this mission are Michael Masucci and CJ Sturckow flying VSS Unity and Nicola Pecile and Kelly Latimer flying VMS Eve.

The Company is targeting a flight window in late September or early October 2021, pending technical checks and weather. Audiences around the world will be invited to participate virtually in the Unity 23 flight and witness the commercial research mission with the Italian Air Force through a live stream available on VirginGalactic.com.

Michael Colglazier, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Galactic, said: "Being selected by the Italian Air Force to support their microgravity research is a testament to the unique scientific capabilities of our spaceflight system. We're proud to be facilitating cooperation between spacefaring nations and industry pioneers to expand human knowledge, and demonstrate the intrinsic value of our offering to government and scientific partners. This flight will be remembered as an important milestone in unlocking the transformative potential of repeatable and reliable access to space for years to come."

Sirisha Bandla, Head of Virgin Galactic Research and Vice President of Government Affairs, said: "The commercial space industry is providing scientific opportunities that were unthinkable a decade ago. By offering routine access to space, with a flight profile that can be tailored to the payloads on board, we are offering novel prospects for researchers to conduct microgravity science and technology development. We're proud to be ushering in a new era in human-tended spaceflight research and helping the Italian Air Force build on their 60-year legacy in space innovation."

Lieutenant General Alberto Rosso, Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, said: "The Italian Air Force has always placed great importance on the understanding of space and aerospace. Aerospace is the natural operational extension of our institutional duty. Strength in this domain is an asset for the Country and is critical to its protection and safety, which is why the Air Force places great emphasis on further deepening its knowledge. With this mission, the Italian Air Force aims to start exploring potential implementations for this kind of vehicle both civilian and military and to further opportunities for technological, scientific and industrial growth. We are thrilled to entrust this important mission to a flight pioneer such as Virgin Galactic."

You can download all press materials including images and broll from the Virgin Galactic Press Assets

About Virgin Galactic Holdings

Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. is a vertically integrated aerospace and space travel company, pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals and researchers with its advanced air and space vehicles. It is developing a spaceflight system designed to connect the world to the wonder and awe created by space travel and to offer customers a transformative experience. You can find more information at https://www.virgingalactic.com/

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws with respect to Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (the "Company"), including statements regarding the Company's spaceflight systems, markets and expected flight schedule. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to the factors, risks and uncertainties included in Amendment No. 2 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and the Investor Relations section of our website at www.virgingalactic.com. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and, except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005219/en/

Contacts:

For media inquiries:

Aleanna Crane Vice President Communications

Virgingalacticpress@virgingalactic.com

+1 575 800 4422

For Investor Relations inquiries:

Seth Zaslow Vice President Investor Relations

seth.zaslow@virgingalactic.com

+1 714 732 4780
VALLETTA, Malta, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On the 28th September 2021, Revered DJ, broadcaster, and dance pioneer Pete Tong will be in Malta together with The Heritage Orchestra (HER_O) and conductor Jules Buckley, in a concert which will see some of the timeless classics making a well-deserved comeback.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8945851-visitmalta-announces-pete-tong-classics-an-iconic-electronic-music-event/.

Pete Tong Classics promises to be an iconic classical electronic music event which is inventively bold and brightly reimagined.

Three albums in with Classic House, Ibiza Classics and Chilled Classics, Tong and co are owning the dancefloor and the concert arena in a wholly fresh, forward-thinking way.

"Although it feels surreal, but we are more than happy to have reached this important milestone. Months and weeks of sacrifices by the Maltese public have brought us here, in a position where we can organise a controlled seated event of this scale, following all the regulations, and ensuring everyone's safety. We are honoured to be bringing Pete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra to Malta in what promises to be an innovative experience for all those attending," said Johann Buttigieg, CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority.

Tickets for the Pete Tong's Classics Live from Malta can be purchased under this link. Early Booking is highly recommended since the number of available tickets is limited.

OTHER EVENTS:

September is packed with musical events in Malta. First, we have Joseph Calleja, Malta's famous tenor, who will be opening this eventful month on the 4th of September with Malta's Philharmonic orchestra and their very own Eurovision Star - Destiny Chukunyere.

After Joseph Calleja we have Tony Hadley hosting It's a Kind of Magic - The Queen Story, a 60-piece BBC Concert Orchestra that promises a spectacular explosion of sound through some of the world's greatest rock anthems. The event will be held on the 24th of September, more info can be found under this link.

COVID-19 GUIDELINES

Events are being organised following the COVID-19 protocols currently in place by the Health Authorities. The maximum safety of the musicians, the performers and the audience remain a top priority throughout.

For this reason, when booking tickets online at visitmalta.com - which can be up to a maximum of 6 people per group, people will also be asked to confirm that they are in possession of a valid COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate.

There will be maximum groups of 6 seats with 2m distance between groups, and overall bubbles will be of a maximum of 340 people. Each bubble will have its own queuing system and amenities. Temperature will be checked upon entrance and an approved vaccine certificate needs to be presented together with an Identification Document.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B002QEipNw

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607467/VisitMalta_Pete_Tong.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1492931/VisitMalta_Logo.jpg
New Partnership Bolsters ExaGrid Presence in DACH Region

ExaGrid, the industry's only Tiered Backup Storage solution, that is has begun a new strategic partnership with TIM AG, a value-added distributor in the DACH region. TIM AG provides system vendors in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with many levels of support. In addition to tapping into new markets and technologies, TIM AG helps to build solid strategic alliances and sustainable business plans.

"With ExaGrid, we extend our portfolio in the DACH region with an innovative tiered backup solution for midrange and enterprise storage segments. In addition, ExaGrid offers our retail partners a solution to recover from a ransomware primary data encryption event," said Jorg Eilenstein, who sits on the Board of Directors at TIM AG.

"We are looking forward to work with TIM AG, one of the leading value-added distributors in the DACH region. As a channel development partner and service provider, TIM offers a long-time experience in data center solutions and partner enablement. We create additional value and flexibility with our unique Tiered Backup Storage solution to support partners in projects and expanding their further data center business," said Werner Van Unen, ExaGrid's Area Vice President of Sales in EMEA.

ExaGrid Tiered Backup Storage Built for Backup

ExaGrid provides Tiered Backup Storage with a front-end disk-cache Landing Zone, the Performance Tier, which writes data directly to disk for the fastest backups, and restores directly from disk for the fastest restores and VM boots. The long-term retention data is tiered to a deduplicated data repository, the Retention Tier, to reduce the amount of retention storage and resulting cost. This two-tiered approach provides the fastest backup and restore performance with lowest cost storage efficiency.

In addition, ExaGrid provides a scale-out architecture where appliances are simply added as data grows. Each appliance includes processor, memory and network ports, so as data grows, all resources required are available to maintain a fixed-length backup window. This scale-out storage approach eliminates expensive forklift upgrades, and allows for mixing appliances of different sizes and models in the same scale-out system, which eliminates product obsolescence while protecting IT investments up front and over time.

About TIM AG

Since 1985, TIM AG has been supporting as a channel development partner to help select and realize data center solutions. The broad range of products and services encompasses innovative technologies from leading IT manufacturers. TIM AG provides services and powerful resources from various manufacturers in the DACH region, which are used throughout the entire project cycle, thereby ensuring decisive competitive benefits for its partners. TIM also helps to develop new markets and technologies, to force strong, strategic alliances, and to sustainably expand the business. The company has experienced continuous growth for many years in the DACH region and is regularly awarded for its achievements by system house partners and manufacturers.

About ExaGrid

ExaGrid provides Tiered Backup Storage with a unique disk-cache Landing Zone, long-term retention repository, and scale-out architecture. ExaGrid's Landing Zone provides for the fastest backups, restores, and instant VM recoveries. The retention repository offers the lowest cost for long-term retention. ExaGrid's scale-out architecture includes full appliances and ensures a fixed-length backup window as data grows, eliminating expensive forklift upgrades and product obsolescence. ExaGrid offers the only two-tiered backup storage approach with a non-network-facing tier, delayed deletes, and immutable objects to recover from ransomware attacks. Visit us at exagrid.com or connect with us on LinkedIn. See what our customers have to say about their own ExaGrid experiences and learn why they now spend significantly less time on backup in our customer success stories.

ExaGrid is a registered trademark of ExaGrid Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005513/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Mary Domenichelli

ExaGrid

mdomenichelli@exagrid.com
Salt Lake City, Utah--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - Today, Ms. Kristy Hunt, the new President of Green Star Products, Inc (OTC Pink: GSPI) stated that the Company is entering the lucrative CBD Oil and Cannabis markets.

Ms. Hunt went on to say that Green Star has long been planning this move, with its Micronutrient Growth (MNG) technology, however, the pandemic had delayed it until now. Multiple recent inquiries into the availability of the product, as well as legislative changes in the cannabis industry, have signaled that the time to act is upon us.

Over the years, different versions of the GSPI MNG technology have been successfully tested in the field on terrestrial plants such as: corn, winter wheat, tomatoes, cannabis, etc., and on a grand scale on commercial algae growth. Please see pictures, reports, and videos on gspiusa.com website.

Growth increase in terrestrial plants was approximately 50%, and growth increases in algae averaged 100% to 200% depending on species. Algae growth was also confirmed at the University of Baja California and at MRIGlobal. See pictures and reports on gspiusa.com website.

During the pandemic, research continued on diverse varieties of CBD and THC cannabis plants with great success. Side by side images can been seen on the website that display the growth increases achieved by the MNG formula.

Besides growth increase, the MNG growth formula also has other major attributes associated with it as follows:

Cannabis plants are known for high water consumption, a major concern in California, where the cost for water for cannabis growers can be enormous. Cannabis plants using our MNG formula, categorically required 50% less water. Seeds in water with MNG added sprouted in 2 to 3 days versus 7 to 10 days normally. The MNG growth formula is all natural and organic. GSPI has created an organic spray that also contains the MNG which has been shown to repel a variety of insects and worms that plague the cannabis growth industry.

Ms. Hunt further commented, "It is now my job to take this abundance of information and revolutionary research and commercialize it. I am already planning to have the blending and bottling performed by outside vendors under contract, thereby minimizing capital outlay for equipment and plant facilities."

"We are also working on the branding, labeling, and marketing of these different products. Target date for our product release party is Thanksgiving 2021, although commercial sales may start sooner."

In conclusion, Green Star Products will handle both retail and commercial sales and may also sign-up independent dealers with connections in the industry.

About Green Star Products:

Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC Pink: GSPI) is an environmentally friendly Public Company creating innovative and cost-effective products to improve the quality of life and the environment. For more information, please go to our website: https://www.gspiusa.com/.

Forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, its dependence on third-party suppliers, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic filings.

CONTACT:

Kristy Hunt, President

Green Star Products, Inc.

kristy@gspiusa.com

https://www.gspiusa.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95291
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2021 / Axion Trade, one of the leading prime brokerages in the United States and the United Kingdom, is expanding its services to the APAC region to serve the region's increasing demand for trade liquidity from the institutional and retail sector.

Axion Trade's prime brokerage offering provides a platform for institutions such as hedge funds, family offices and smaller retail brokerages to offload much of their back-end operations to focus on client acquisition and dictating investing objectives and strategies. With its partnerships with top tier liquidity providers, Axion Trade is well prepared to serve even the most demanding clients in Asia.

"Our prime brokerage offerings, coupled with our retail market expansion plan, creates the synergy needed to provide the best opportunities and resources for our clients", said Amos Tsai Wang, Managing Director of Axion Trade.

"Many of our clientele in the APAC region are becoming increasingly sophisticated and transforming their business model to keep up with the surge in market activity this year. With higher focus on cost reduction, the demand for prime brokerage services increased tremendously and we intend to come in fast to fill in the market gap," added Wang.

The expansion of prime brokerage operations to the APAC region also allows both institutional and retail clients to take advantage of the vast network of payment processing options offered by Axion Trade. With the recent surge in cryptocurrency trading activity, Axion Trade will also offer cryptocurrency deposit and withdrawal methods in the APAC region, allowing institutions to expand their clientele by leveraging the growing popularity of digital currencies. It is now among the few licensed brokerages that provide its clients with cryptocurrency payment methods.

"Our decision to embrace cryptocurrencies as a funding option has been in the works for some time. We can see that the increasing demand for digital currencies as a payment method is backed by many major companies such as PayPal and Visa. We believe that many of our clients will be using cryptocurrencies as their preferred funding method in the next few years as digital currencies become mainstream," explained Wang.

Media Contact:

Brand: Axion Trade

Contact: Oliver Elmhirst

Email: Oliver.Elmhirst@axiontrade.net

Website: https://axiontrade.net/

Telephone: +44 800 060 8702

SOURCE: Axion Trade

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/662522/Axion-Trade-to-offer-Prime-Brokerage-Services-in-Asia
Zurich, 2 September 2021 - Swiss Re today announced plans to create a central cyber underwriting team. John Coletti will join Swiss Re as Head of Global Cyber. Maya Bundt, the current Head of Cyber Solutions, has decided to take on a newly created role at the Swiss Re Institute's Cyber Centre of Competence.

The central cyber underwriting team will assume global responsibility for Swiss Re's underwriting and product development activities in the cyber space. By creating more dedicated cyber capabilities, Swiss Re aims to further strengthen its client offering as well as its position as a thought leader in the market.

John Coletti will join Swiss Re as Head of Global Cyber in early October. He is joining from AXA XL, where he has served as the Chief Underwriting Officer for Cyber since 2012. He is a respected leader in the cyber insurance market and was one of the pioneers in this dynamic line of business. With his expertise, John Coletti will help Swiss Re to address the complex nature of cyber risk, including important industry issues such as ransomware and risk aggregation. John Coletti will report into Gregory Schiffer, Head of Global Specialty, and will be responsible for Swiss Re's global cyber business, which includes portfolio ownership, global underwriting activities as well as cyber product development.

Swiss Re's Head of Global Specialty Gregory Schiffer said: 'With John Coletti, we have been able to attract another experienced leader in the cyber insurance market. At the same time, I would like to thank Maya Bundt for her leadership, and the innovation and successes that have already been achieved in our cyber business.'
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - Los Andes Copper Ltd. (TSXV: LA) ("Los Andes" or the "Company") announces that in accordance with the terms of the US$5,000,000 8.0% convertible debenture issued to Queen's Road Capital Investment Ltd. ("Queen's Road Capital") on June 2, 2021 (the "Convertible Debenture") and the terms of a trust indenture entered into between the Company and Computershare Trust Company of Canada dated June 2, 2021 (the "Trust Indenture"), the Company has elected to issue 6,645 common shares in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares") at a deemed price of US$5.58 (C$7.03) to Queen's Road Capital as payment for US$37,079.10 (C$46,714.35) in interest owing on the Convertible Debenture.

Under the terms of the Trust Indenture, interest on the Convertible Debenture is payable quarterly, five per cent in cash and three per cent in shares, at the 20-day volume weighted average price prior to the interest payment date.

The issuance of the Common Shares as payment for interest owing on the Convertible Debenture is subject to the terms and conditions of the Trust Indenture as well as the receipt of all requisite approvals, including, without limitation, the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSX-V").

About Queen's Road Capital Investment Ltd.

Queen's Road Capital Investment Ltd. is a leading financier to the global resource sector. The company is a resource focused investment company, making investments in privately held and publicly traded resource companies.

It is intended that the company will acquire and hold securities for both long-term capital appreciation and short-term gains, with a focus on convertible debt securities and resource projects in advanced development or production located in safe jurisdictions.

Queen's Road Capital Investment Ltd. is listed on the TSX-V under the ticker: QRC.

About Los Andes Copper Ltd.

Los Andes Copper Ltd. is a development company with a 100% interest in the Vizcachitas Project in Chile. The Company is focused on progressing the Vizcachitas Project, which is located along Chile's most prolific copper belt, into production.

Vizcachitas is a copper-molybdenum porphyry deposit, located 120 km north of Santiago, Chile, in an area of good infrastructure. The National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") compliant report titled "Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Vizcachitas Project" (the "PEA"), dated June 13, 2019, prepared by Tetra Tech, highlights that the Vizcachitas Project has a post-tax NPV (8% discount rate) of approximately USD$1.8 billion and an IRR of 20.77%, based on a USD$3 per pound copper price. The Vizcachitas Project has a Measured Resource of 254.4 million tonnes at a grade of 0.439% copper and an Indicated Resource of approximately 1.03 billion tonnes at a grade of 0.385% copper. The PEA can be found on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

The PEA is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

The Company is currently undertaking the Pre-Feasibility Study of the Vizcachitas Project. With the incorporation of a highly experienced management team, Vizcachitas is incorporating changes to position itself on the forefront of global environmental trends for mining. The conversion to dry-stacked filtered tailings will result in a substantial reduction in water consumption and will discard the use of tailings dams, thus reducing Vizcachitas' footprint, environmental impact and seismic risks.

Additionally, there is significant exploration upside at Vizcachitas with the potential to increase the mineral resource base beyond the initial 45-year mine life modelled in the PEA. Part of this upside has been further delineated in the geological mapping and geophysics work program completed during the 2020 Chilean winter season.

Los Andes Copper Ltd. is listed on the TSX-V under the ticker: LA.

Qualified Persons

Antony Amberg CGeol FGS, the Company's President and CEO and Magin Torres, the Company's Senior Metallurgist who is a Qualified Person in Extractive Metallurgy under the Chilean Mining Commission, QP Registration No. 0409, are the qualified persons under NI 43-101 who have reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

For more information please contact:

Fernando Porcile, Executive Chairman

Tel: +56 2 2954-0450

Antony J. Amberg, President & CEO

Tel: +56 2 2954-0450

Blytheweigh, Financial PR

Megan Ray

Rachael Brooks

Tel: +44 207 138 3203

E-Mail: info@losandescopper.com or visit our website at: www.losandescopper.com

Follow us on twitter @LosAndesCopper

Follow us on LinkedIn Los Andes Copper Ltd

Certain of the information and statements contained herein that are not historical facts, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the Securities Act (British Columbia), Securities Act (Ontario) and the Securities Act (Alberta) ("Forward-Looking Information"). Forward-Looking Information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend"; statements that an event or result is "due" on or "may", "will", "should", "could", or might" occur or be achieved; and, other similar expressions. More specifically, Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such Forward-Looking Information. Such Forward Looking Information includes, without limitation, the timing of and ability to obtain TSX-V and other regulatory approvals and the prospects, details related to and timing of the Vizcachitas Project. Such Forward-Looking Information is based upon the Company's assumptions regarding global and Chilean economic, political and market conditions and the price of metals and energy and the Company's production. Among the factors that have a direct bearing on the Company's future results of operations and financial conditions are changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, a change in government policies, competition, currency fluctuations and restrictions and technological changes, among other things. Should one or more of any of the aforementioned risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from any conclusions, forecasts or projections described in the Forward-Looking Information. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise Forward-Looking Information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95263
-- Analysis from the largest known, ongoing, retrospective, explorative, single-arm, pan-European multicenter study of ECP in heart transplant patients suggests potential for ECP in the treatment of acute cellular rejection, antibody mediated rejection and prevention of rejection --

-- Company awards educational grant to advance knowledge of ECP immunomodulation in solid organ transplantation during the Science Slam Symposium at the ESOT Congress 2021 --

DUBLIN, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (OTCMKTS: MNKKQ), a global biopharmaceutical company, announced today interim results1 from a retrospective, explorative, single-arm, pan-European multicenter study to evaluate the real world use of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) and therapy-related outcomes in heart transplant patients. The first results from the largest known study of ECP in heart transplantation patients were reported during a late-breaking oral presentation at the 20th Congress of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) in Milan, Italy.

The interim analysis examined data from medical charts of 71 patients who received ECP treatment following heart transplantation at four medical centers in Germany, France and Hungary between 2015 and 2021. Of the 71 patient charts examined, 51 patients (72 percent) were no longer receiving ECP treatment and treatment was ongoing for 20 patients (28 percent). Mean follow up time was two years from the start of ECP treatment to last visit. Median time from heart transplant to start of ECP was eight months, and on average, 26 individual ECP treatments were performed over a mean duration of nine months. The three main reasons to start ECP treatment were: acute cellular rejection (ACR) in 31 patients (44 percent), antibody mediated rejection (AMR) in 15 patients (21 percent) and prevention of rejection (PR) in 16 patients (23 percent).

Forty-eight of the 51 patients had graft function measurements at the start and end of ECP treatment and of these, 29 patients (60 percent) showed improved graft function at the end of ECP treatment. Improvement in graft function was defined as at least 15 percent-point increase in ejection fraction and/or improvement in at least one grade of ACR, AMR, Chronic Allograft Vasculopathy (CAV), or stable CAV, or at least one New York Heart Association (NYHA) class lower, without any worsening in any of the other parameters. The remaining 19 patients (40 percent) showed stable graft function at the end of ECP treatment.

Study limitations include that, as an explorative single-arm study, comparative effectiveness cannot be assessed. The study relied on real world medical charts which could be missing data or may have used site-specific measurement schedules and procedures. There was no source data verification and low patient numbers limited analysis by reason to start ECP treatment. Due to the retrospective nature of this analysis, it is hypothesis-generating; no formal conclusions should be drawn. In addition, the assessments of ECP treatment were completed at different time points. The ECP treatment platform varied based on the treatment center. Dosing and frequency of treatment varied, with no minimum amount of treatment required. Not all benefits from this analysis may be solely attributable to ECP treatment as patients may have been on multiple therapies at the time of ECP treatment.

In a sub-analysis of patients grouped by the three main reasons to start ECP treatment, rejection improvement from the start to end of ECP treatment was demonstrated in 17 of 21 ACR patients (81 percent) and five of seven AMR patients (71 percent). In the PR group, 12 patients (75 percent) remained free from any biopsy-proven rejection after starting ECP over a mean follow-up of 2.8 years. Four patients (25 percent) developed ACR.

Among the 71 patients reviewed, eight (11 percent) had at least one ECP-related safety event. In total, six patients (8 percent) had complications with venous access, two (3 percent) had hypotension events and two (3 percent) had unspecified events. The interim analysis showed overall survival was 93 percent among all 71 patients. Five patients died, three with a functioning graft. No deaths were deemed related to ECP treatment.

The findings from the interim analysis are limited to trends relative to the study's endpoints of efficacy and are not necessarily indicative of the final results to be announced from the completed analysis.

The study was funded by Mallinckrodt.

"These results suggest that ECP has the potential to be an effective treatment for acute cellular rejection, as well as an option for antibody mediated rejection with and without donor specific antibodies, and in rejection prevention in heart transplantation," said presenting author, Markus Barten, M.D., Surgical Director of Heart Failure Clinic, University Heart Center Hamburg. "We are encouraged by the results of this multicenter study and believe that additional data around the efficacy and safety of ECP as a potential treatment option may be warranted to help advance the scientific understanding of ECP in heart transplant patients."

Mallinckrodt also awarded a 50,000 educational grant to ESOT supporting its commitment to advancing education and research in transplantation. The 2021 winner, determined by an ESOT jury, was awarded during the Science Slam Symposium at the ESOT Congress 2021 on Tuesday, August 31st. The educational grant award was established to recognize and support researchers who are working to advance the knowledge of ECP immunomodulation in solid organ transplantation within the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

"As a pioneer in ECP immunomodulation, Mallinckrodt is committed to furthering understanding of the use of ECP in heart transplant patients and its potential to improve clinical outcomes in this patient population," said Steven Romano, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Mallinckrodt. "Organ rejection after heart transplantation due to ACR or AMR is a therapeutic challenge for clinicians and patients, and modalities that can improve graft function and prevent rejection are greatly needed."

About Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP)

ECP, a blood based immunomodulatory therapy developed more than 30 years ago, is recommended by the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT)2 and other clinical societies3,4,5 as an adjunctive therapy for the prevention and treatment of ACR after heart transplantation. Additionally, ECP may be considered to treat AMR with or without donor specific antibodies.6,7 In countries where it is approved, ECP is used to treat a range of immune-mediated diseases, including skin manifestations of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), organ transplant rejection and other autoimmune diseases. During ECP treatment, a small amount of white blood cells is collected and treated with a drug that is activated by ultraviolet light.

ABOUT MALLINCKRODT

Mallinckrodt is a global business consisting of multiple wholly owned subsidiaries that develop, manufacture, market and distribute specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. The company's Specialty Brands reportable segment's areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics and gastrointestinal products. Its Specialty Generics reportable segment includes specialty generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com.

Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELATED TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release includes forward-looking statements related to an ongoing, retrospective study in ECP. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: final results of the underlying study; satisfaction of regulatory and other requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; changes in laws and regulations; and other risks identified and described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Mallinckrodt's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, all of which are available on its website. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONTACT

Media Inquiries

Tara DiFlumeri

Senior Vice President, Green Room Communications

908-577-4531

tara@greenroompr.com

Investor Relations

Daniel J. Speciale

Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations Officer

314-654-3638

daniel.speciale@mnk.com

Government Affairs

Derek Naten

Vice President, Government Affairs & Patient Advocacy

derek.naten@mnk.com

Mallinckrodt, the "M" brand mark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners. 2021 Mallinckrodt. EU-2100165 09/21

References

1 Real World Use and Clinical Impact of Extracorporeal Photopheresis in Heart Transplant Patients - Results From a European Multi-Centre Study. Presented at: European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) Congress 2021; Aug. 29-Sept. 1; Milan, Italy.

2 Costanzo MR, et al. The International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation Guidelines for the care of heart transplant recipients. J Heart Lung Trans. 2010:29(8);914-956.

3 Alfred et al. The role of extracorporeal photopheresis in the management of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, graft-versus-host disease and organ transplant rejection: a consensus statement update from the UK Photopheresis Society. Br J Haematol. 2017;177(2):287-310.

4 Padmanabhan et al. Guidelines on the Use of Therapeutic Apheresis in Clinical Practice - Evidence-Based Approach from the Writing Committee of the American Society for Apheresis: The Eighth Special Issue. J Clin Apher. 2019;34:171-354.

5 Knobler et al. European dermatology forum - updated guidelines on the use of extracorporeal photopheresis 2020 - part 2. Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2021;35(1):27-49.

6 Colvin et al. Antibody-mediated rejection in cardiac transplantation: emerging knowledge in diagnosis and management: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2015;131(18):1608-1639.

7 Barten et al. Transplant Rev (Orlando). The clinical impact of donor-specific antibodies in heart transplantation. 2018;32(4):207-217.

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Chemonics International and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have entered a formal agreement bringing together decades of international development expertise and technical know-how to advance technology solutions underpinning the clean energy transition.

Under this agreement, the organizations will begin work immediately on the recently awarded USAID Sri Lanka Energy Program. This program will support transforming Sri Lanka's power sector into a market-based, secure, reliable, and sustainable system by mobilizing investment to deploy advanced technologies, increase flexibility, and enhance competitiveness.

The agreement puts Chemonics and EPRI in a position to assist countries' transition to a cleaner and more reliable, affordable, and integrated energy sector. The organizations plan to exchange expertise to help modernize the electric system in emerging markets and respond to critical needs around the world.

Commenting on the unique collaboration, Matthew Mendis, Managing Director of Chemonics' Energy Team, said, "As the costs of renewable energies, including wind and solar, decline, the global energy sector finds itself at an important crossroads. We are pleased to work with EPRI and look forward to together helping countries around the world transition towards clean energy solutions."

Rob Chapman, EPRI Senior Vice President of Energy Delivery and Customer Solutions, added, "This agreement is a natural extension of EPRI's work with hundreds of organizations around the world to advance energy technologies for society's benefit. By drawing on EPRI's and Chemonics' combined expertise, we are better positioned to help emerging economies overcome a range of energy challenges."

The organizations' focus extends to a variety of new and existing energy technologies, including renewable energy, power management and distribution systems, energy storage, energy and building efficiency upgrades, and transportation electrification.

The world's preeminent independent, nonprofit energy research and development organization, EPRI fulfills its public-purpose mission by collaborating with more than 450 companies in 45 countries.

Chemonics, founded in 1975, is a global development firm that has worked in more than 150 countries across all sectors of development, designing projects that address complex problems with a multi-disciplinary approach.

Requests for comments or interviews may be submitted to Jane Gotiangco, Director of Strategic Communications, Chemonics International.

About Chemonics:?From our founding in 1975, Chemonics has worked in more than 150 countries to help its clients, partners, and beneficiaries tackle the world's toughest development challenges. We work alongside key stakeholders to help build reliable supply chains using data and end-to-end visibility, applying innovative techniques and technologies to expand our global supply chains' reach to the farthest corners of the world to ensure sustainable systems that improve lives worldwide.

About EPRI: The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI, www.epri.com) conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery, and use of electricity for the benefit of the public. An independent, nonprofit organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, health, safety, and the environment. EPRI's members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States, and international participation extends to 45 countries. EPRI's principal offices and laboratories are in Palo Alto, California; Charlotte, North Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Lenox, Massachusetts.

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HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2021 / Silver Tiger Metals Inc. (TSXV:SLVR and OTCQX:SLVTF) ("Silver Tiger" or the "Corporation") today announces its ambition to become a global leader in the transition to a clean economy in the junior mining sector. Committed to creating long-term value for all its stakeholders, Silver Tiger grows its plans to embed Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles and standards into its business strategy, operations, and management systems from the outset, aiming to move beyond compliance toward sustainable operational excellence.

Opportunities in the Clean Economy

Investing in sustainability during the early stages of a mining project can significantly improve socio-economic and environmental outcomes and can reduce the lifecycle impacts and costs of a project. As Silver Tiger's activities are currently pre-operational, there will not be a need to modify, retrofit or replace existing mining infrastructure in order to improve environmental and social outcomes.

Silver Tiger's CEO, Glenn Jessome, stated, "As silver becomes increasingly critical in the transition to a clean economy, Silver Tiger is well-positioned to be at the forefront of this growth opportunity." Glenn Jessome continued, "Silver offers tremendous investment opportunities in terms of its intrinsic and stable value. It is also an important strategic and industrial metal that serves a vital role in the development and growth of many lower-carbon technologies, including those supporting solar energy and the electric automotive industry."

Developing a Comprehensive ESG Strategy

Silver Tiger has established a board-level Safety, Environmental and Social Sustainability (SESS) committee that will oversee the development of a comprehensive ESG strategy over the next 12 months. The SESS Committee is responsible for ensuring that the company's business is conducted in ways that are principled, transparent and accountable to all stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, local communities, governments and the environment.

To progress its ambition to become a leader in ESG in the junior mining sector Silver Tiger plans to:

identify and evaluate opportunities with the potential to tackle site-specific material ESG issues drawing on leading approaches to sustainability, such as the circular economy and net positive business models;

identify feasible sustainable mining practices throughout all processes in the exploration and potential extraction, refinement and transport of metals. For example, low-carbon mining technologies that could allow Silver Tiger to set an ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) target in line with international best practice;

identify opportunities to reduce resource requirements, increase operational efficiencies, and support social and cultural priorities in the El Tigre region ; and,

; and, evaluate innovative technologies, processes and operational models that could improve resource efficiency, diversify revenue streams, close material loops, improve diversity, equity and inclusion, improve health and safety and reduce or avoid negative externalities.

Aligning with Global Mining Standards

In addition to compliance with Mexico's environmental laws and regulations, Silver Tiger aims to implement best practices in international mining standards that are most relevant to its operations as a junior miner. The World Gold Council Responsible Gold Mining Principles, the protocols and indicators Toward Sustainable Mining (TSM) and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) will be considered to refine and strengthen Silver Tiger's approach to sustainable operational excellence and future ESG disclosures.

Silver Tiger aims to align with the TSM, specifically the TSM protocols and indicators for Water Stewardship, Energy and GHG Emissions Management, Tailings Management and Indigenous and Community Relationships. Considering the historic mining practices at El Tigre, Silver Tiger aims to achieve transparency and accountability around waste management informed by the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management by the International Council on Mining and Metals.

Next Steps

In September 2021, Silver Tiger will release a comprehensive ESG Strategy Roadmap. This roadmap will outline the steps Silver Tiger will take to develop its ESG strategy over the next 12 months. In 2022 Silver Tiger will release a robust ESG strategy in line with its ambition to be a leader in the clean economy transition in the junior mining sector globally. This will include Silver Tiger's approach to sustainability reporting and ESG disclosures which will allow stakeholders to track Silver Tiger's progress towards achieving this ambition. Silver Tiger will explore leading global reporting frameworks, including the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB), the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to develop its approach for disclosures based on its environmental, social and economic impact and best practice.

Exploration Update

Silver Tiger has continued to drill throughout the rainy season at El Tigre. There are currently 4 drill rigs operating with a 5th drill rig in process of being added. Drilling is being conducted on the Sooy Vein, the Benjamin Vein and the Seitz Kelly Vein. Extensive mapping and sampling is also being conducted on the northern and southern ends of the property.

About the El Tigre Historic Mine District

Silver Tiger Metals Inc. is a Canadian company whose management has more than 25 years' experience discovering, financing and building large hydrothermal silver projects in Mexico. Silver Tiger's 100% owned 28,414 hectare Historic El Tigre Mining District is located in Sonora, Mexico. Principled environmental, social and governance practices are core priorities at Silver Tiger.

The El Tigre historic mine district is located in Sonora, Mexico and lies at the northern end of the Sierra Madre silver and gold belt which hosts many epithermal silver and gold deposits, including Dolores, Santa Elena and Las Chispas at the northern end. In 1896, gold was first discovered on the property in the Gold Hill area and mining started with the Brown Shaft in 1903. The focus soon changed to mining high-grade silver veins in the area with production coming from 3 parallel veins the El Tigre Vein, the Seitz Kelley Vein and the Sooy Vein. Underground mining on the middle El Tigre vein extended 1,450 meters along strike and was mined on 14 levels to a depth of approximately 450 meters. The Seitz Kelley Vein was mined along strike for 1 kilometer to a depth of approximately 200 meters. The Sooy Vein was only mined along strike for 250 meters to a depth of approximately 150 meters. Mining abruptly stopped on all 3 of these veins when the price of silver collapsed to less than 20 per ounce with the onset of the Great Depression. By the time the mine closed in 1930, it is reported to have produced a total of 353,000 ounces of gold and 67.4 million ounces of silver from 1.87 million tons (Craig, 2012). The average grade mined during this period was over 2 kilograms silver equivalent per ton.

The El Tigre silver and gold deposit is related to a series of high-grade epithermal veins controlled by a north-south trending structure cutting across the andesitic and rhyolitic tuffs of the Sierra Madre Volcanic Complex within a broad silver and gold mineralized prophylitic alteration zone developed in the El Tigre Formation that can be up to 150 meters wide. The veins dip steeply to the west and are typically 0.5 meter wide but locally can be up to 5 meters in width. The veins, structures and mineralized zones outcrop on surface and have been traced for 5.3 kilometers along strike in our brownfield exploration area. Historical mining and exploration activities focused on a 1.6 kilometer portion of the southern end of the deposits, principally on the El Tigre, Seitz Kelly and Sooy veins. The under explored Caleigh, Benjamin, Protectora and the Fundadora exposed veins continue north for more than 3 kilometers. Silver Tiger has delivered its maiden 43-101 compliant resource estimate and is currently drilling to update its resource estimate and publish a PEA.

VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation - Silver Tiger's El Tigre Project

VRIFY is a platform being used by companies to communicate with investors using 360 virtual tours of remote mining assets, 3D models and interactive presentations. VRIFY can be accessed by website and with the VRIFY iOS and Android apps.

Access the Silver Tiger Metals Inc. Company Profile on VRIFY at: https://vrify.com

The VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation for Silver Tiger Metals Inc. can be viewed at: https://vrify.com/explore/decks/492 and on the Corporation's website at: www.silvertigermetals.com.

For further information, please contact:

Glenn Jessome

President and CEO

902 492 0298

jessome@silvertigermetals.com

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT:

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, resources and reserves, the ability to convert inferred resources to indicated resources, the ability to complete future drilling programs and infill sampling, the ability to extend resource blocks, the similarity of mineralization at El Tigre to Delores, Santa Elena and Chispas, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of Silver Tiger, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "may", "is expected to", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans", "projection", "could", "vision", "goals", "objective" and "outlook" and other similar words. Although Silver Tiger believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Silver Tiger's expectations include risks and uncertainties related to exploration, development, operations, commodity prices and global financial volatility, risk and uncertainties of operating in a foreign jurisdiction as well as additional risks described from time to time in the filings made by Silver Tiger with securities regulators.

SOURCE: Silver Tiger Metals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/662538/Silver-Tiger-Sets-Ambition-to-be-a-Leader-in-the-Junior-Mining-Sector-in-the-Transition-to-a-Clean-Economy
Blue Planet Investment Trust Plc - Result of AGM

Blue Planet Investment Trust plc (LSE:BLP)

Company Number: SC192153

Thursday, 2nd September 2021

Results of Annual General Meeting

Blue Planet Investment Trust plc advises that at its Annual General Meeting held today at 11:00am, Resolutions numbered 1 through to 10 were passed.

The following proxy votes were cast:

Ordinary Resolutions In Favour % Votes Cast Chairman's Discretion % Votes Cast Against % Votes Cast 1. To receive the accounts for the year to 30 April 2021 together with the Directors and Auditors reports. 15,998,115 84.5 118,724 0.6 2,816,695 14.9 2.To declare a dividend on the ordinary shares in respect of the financial year ended 30 April 2021. 18,064,342 95.4 93,784 0.5 783,506 4.1 3.To approve the Directors remuneration report. 15,764,629 83.3 96,518 0.5 3,069,118 16.2 4. To re-elect Mr Russell Frith as a Director of the Company. 15,819,350 83.7 93,940 0.5 2,976,118 15.8 5. To re-elect Ms Victoria Killay as a Director of the Company. 15,810,059 83.7 93,940 0.5 2,988,745 15.8 6. To re-elect Mr Kenneth Murray as a Director of the Company. 15,820,372 83.8 93,940 0.5 2,967,094 15.7 7.To re-appoint the auditors and authorise Directors to fix remuneration. 18,134,982 96.0 86,784 0.5 677,957 3.5 8.To authorise Directors to allot relevant securities. 18,507,055 98.1 86,784 0.5 266,249 1.4 Special Resolutions 9.To empower Directors to allot equity securities and sell relevant treasury shares. 18,502,818 98.1 86,784 0.5 279,673 1.4 10.To authorise the Company to make market purchases as specified in the Notice of the Annual General Meeting. 18,588,950 98.4 91,969 0.5 200,883 1.1

NOTES:

1. The current issued share capital of the company is 49,474,863.

2. Where shareholders have appointed the Chairman of the meeting as their proxy, with discretion as to voting, those votes have been cast in favour of resolutions 1 to 10.

3. At the date of the AGM there were shares disenfranchised under the Company's Articles of Association due to a failure to comply with the Companies Act 2006. Had they been included in the vote above all resolutions would still have been passed.

4. A vote "withheld" is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the votes "for" and "against" a resolution.

In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.2, a copy of resolution 9 & 10 has been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and is available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

A copy of these resolutions are also available from www.blueplanet.eu

For further information, contact the Company Secretary,

Blue Planet Investment Management Ltd, on 0131 466 6666 or info@blueplanet.eu

END
Regulatory News:

Plant Advanced Technologies PAT (Paris:ALPAT) (Euronext Growth- Paris FR0010785790 ALPAT), a plant biotech company based in Lorraine, France, is an award winner at the Trophees de la Sante event in the Health and Environment Category

This first award ceremony co-organized by the EBRA media group, France's leading regional daily press group, and the Welcoop Cooperative, a major player in the French healthcare system in the form of a cooperative of pharmacists, honored companies intervening in the health sector in the Grand Est region on Thursday, August 26, 2021 at the Zenith in Nancy. Among the hundred or so companies from the region nominated, seven were selected in the different categories by the jury members, healthcare sector stakeholders and journalists specialized in the health sector and innovation.

For PAT, this award is a testimony to its achievements as an innovator in health, and in particular, for its TEM1657 drug candidate for the treatment of psoriasis currently in preclinical development with its pharmaceutical subsidiary Temisis, as well as its role as a dynamic contributor to the regional economy.

As a reminder:

Through its discovery of an original mechanism of action, the company's drug candidate is today a "First in Class" molecule with anti-inflammatory properties.

At the end of 2020, a first investor contributed 640,000 (with a 1.6 million contribution from PAT) resulting in a pre-money valuation for Temisis of 40 million.

Phase I clinical trials are planned for 2022.

Jean-Paul Fevre, CEO of Plant Advanced Technologies PAT commented: "Our company and research teams are honor to receive this prize in the Health and Environment category which recognizes our work in the discovery of innovative plant-based molecules to meet the global health challenges of our time.

______________________________

About PAT

Plant Advanced Technologies (PAT) is a plant biotechnology company specialized in the identification, optimization and production of rare new active plant compounds for cosmetics, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and fine chemicals markets. PAT possesses unique plant-based expertise with a portfolio of worldwide patents.

Plant Advanced Technologies PAT is listed on Euronext Growth- Paris

ISIN: FR0010785790 Ticker: ALPAT

Reuters ALPAT.PA Bloomberg: ALPAT: FP

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005620/en/

Contacts:

PAT Marketing Communications Department - Anne Musci

+33 (0)7 69 82 06 44 communication@plantadvanced.com

PAT Investor Relations - Louis-Nicolas Vallas

+33 (0)6 20 64 32 86 42 investisseur@plantadvanced.com

FIN'EXTENSO Financial Communications - Isabelle Aprile

+33 (0)6 17 38 61 78 i.aprile@finextenso.fr
POXEL SA (Euronext: POXEL FR0012432516), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments for chronic serious diseases with metabolic pathophysiology, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and rare disorders, today announced that Elizabeth Woo has joined the Company as Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, Public Relations and Corporate Communications, based in the Boston area.

"We are delighted to welcome Elizabeth to Poxel in a senior leadership role as we continue to advance the Company and grow our US presence," said Thomas Kuhn, CEO of Poxel. "Elizabeth has a long history of working with the biotechnology financial community and a strong track record of raising the visibility to help build successful biopharmaceutical companies in the US. Elizabeth will also work closely with members of the leadership team headquartered in France."

"Poxel is at an important inflection point as the Company expands development and commercialization efforts into rare diseases, complementing its existing platforms in NASH, which are both therapeutic areas that leverage Poxel's metabolic pathophysiology expertise and heritage," commented Ms. Woo. "I am excited to work with the experienced team at Poxel as the Company approaches multiple key data readouts anticipated over the next 12 to 18 months."

Ms. Woo has 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Her experience in strategic investor and corporate communications spans the full life cycle of drug development and commercialization. Early in her career at Biogen, she held a series of progressively responsible management and executive roles over a 12-year period and served as Vice President, Investor Relations. Ms. Woo also served as Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at Flex Pharma. In addition to her corporate roles, she has advised, through her investor relations consulting practice, privately held and publicly traded biotech companies, including Ironwood and Cubist. Ms. Woo obtained an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and holds a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.

About Poxel SA

Poxel is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments for chronic serious diseases with metabolic pathophysiology, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and rare disorders. Poxel has clinical and earlier-stage programs from its adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator and deuterated TZD platforms targeting chronic and rare metabolic diseases. For the treatment of NASH, PXL065 (deuterium-stabilized R-pioglitazone) is in a streamlined Phase 2 trial (DESTINY). PXL770, a first-in-class direct AMPK activator, has successfully completed a Phase 2a proof-of-concept trial for the treatment of NASH, which met its objectivesFor the rare inherited metabolic disorder, adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), the company intends to initiate Phase 2a proof of concept studies with PXL065 and PXL770 in patients with adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN). TWYMEEG (Imeglimin), Poxel's first-in-class lead product that targets mitochondrial dysfunction, has been approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in Japan With this approval, Poxel is entitled to receive milestones, sales-based payments and royalties from Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma. Poxel has a strategic partnership with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma for Imeglimin in Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan and nine other Southeast Asian countries. The Company intends to generate further growth through strategic partnerships and pipeline development. Listed on Euronext Paris, Poxel is headquartered in Lyon, France, and has subsidiaries in Boston, MA, and Tokyo, Japan.

For more information, please visit: www.poxelpharma.com.

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice and (ii) factors beyond the Company's control. These statements may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as "target," "believe," "expect," "aim," "intend," "may," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "project," "will," "can have," "likely," "should," "would," "could" and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control that could cause the Company's actual results or performance to be materially different from the expected results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005541/en/

Contacts:

Poxel SA

Catherine David

Investor Relations Communication Manager

catherine.david@poxelpharma.com

+33 7 64 57 61 78

Elizabeth Woo

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations Communication

elizabeth.woo@poxelpharma.com

Investor relations Media EU/US

Trophic Communications

Stephanie May or Valeria Fisher

poxel@trophic.eu

+49 171 185 56 82 or +49 175 804 1816

Investor relations Media France

NewCap

Emmanuel Huynh or Arthur Rouille

poxel@newcap.eu

+33 1 44 71 94 94
The company sees virtual summits as a bridge to accelerate growth internationally

Generis Group, a leader in virtual and in-person business summits, expands its operations into international markets by launching its first-ever European event.

"The decision to expand into Europe is in response to the high demand for our product domestically and abroad, where we've developed many strong partnerships over the years," said Francesco Scalzo, Chief Executive Officer at Generis Group. "As we move forward to service new markets, we're working closely with our partners around the world to bring our events closer to them."

The first event in Europe will be the Virtual European Biomanufacturing Summit on February 8-10, 2022. It will bring together more than 200 high-ranking international decision-makers in biomanufacturing, including executives in manufacturing, quality, and supply chain, as well as leading figures from academia, industry associations, and regulatory authorities. It is the twin event to the American Biomanufacturing Summit that has been held for 8 years, and akin to the American Pharma Outsourcing Summit, which is also part of Generis Group's growing life sciences events portfolio.

"The launch of this event comes at a time when providing access to life-saving therapies is more important than ever," said Jason Cheddie, Chief Operating Officer at Generis Group. "Throughout the pandemic, we've helped connect businesses through our virtual events. As a company, we've also harnessed our digital capabilities and perfected our virtual event delivery. We fully plan to retain virtual events moving forward, and this will be the first of many that we hold in different regions around the globe as we continue to expand our reach."

As Generis accelerates into Europe, the company is looking to hire driven professionals, including several Inside Sales Business Development Executive positions. Applications or requests for a full list of job opportunities can be submitted to careers@generisgp.com.

More information on the Virtual European Biomanufacturing Summit, including speakers, the agenda, and sponsorship opportunities can be found at www.biomaneurope.com.

About Generis Group

Generis Group is an award-winning B2B event organizer providing a platform uniquely designed for executives and professionals to connect. Since 2013, the company has grown to a team of 50 strong, with a portfolio of 11 events servicing various industries, including aerospace, automotive, biotechnology, F&B, IT, manufacturing, medical devices, packaging, pharmaceuticals, and supply chain.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005567/en/

Contacts:

Mark Blendheim

Head, Content and Communications

647-792-8504

press@generisgp.com
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "bbb-" (Good) of Net Insurance S.p.A. (Net Insurance) (Italy). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect Net Insurance's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as adequate, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

The company's balance sheet strength, which is assessed as adequate, reflects its risk-adjusted capitalisation, which is considered to be at the strongest level, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). Offsetting factors includes the composition of Net Insurance's investment portfolio, which includes material exposure to Italian sovereign debt, and the company's small capital base, which increases the potential for volatility in risk-adjusted capitalisation. Dependence on reinsurance is high, although the risks associated with this dependence are partially mitigated by the excellent credit quality of its reinsurance panel.

Net Insurance's operating performance, which is assessed as adequate, is supported by an emerging trend of good technical results, with the company reporting technical profits in four of the past five years following a sustained period of losses. For the five-year period ending in 2020, the non-life combined ratio was 90.5%, as calculated by AM Best. Non-technical performance has been volatile and heavily influenced by the effects of an alleged fraud loss in 2017 and subsequent recovery efforts. AM Best expects the company's prospective performance to remain positive, underpinned by technical profitability.

Net Insurance has a leading profile as a specialist in the Italy's Cessione del Quinto (CQ) loan insurance market. The company leverages its expertise and innovative approach to compete against the CQ market's larger players. Net Insurance is making ongoing investments in its distribution capabilities as it looks to continue its growth in other business lines. AM Best considers the company's narrow focus and geographic concentration to be offsetting factors in the business profile assessment.

Net Insurance's ERM is assessed as appropriate. Since 2019, the ERM programme has been strengthened, concurrent with the current management team's tenure and the company's acquisition by Archimede SPAC. The company's ERM framework includes a clear risk appetite and risk tolerance statements, as well as appropriate control systems.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright 2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005687/en/

Contacts:

Lucio Savastano

Associate Financial Analyst

+31 31 20 308 5430

lucio.savastano@ambest.com



Pierre Tournier

Associate Director

+31 20 308 5423

pierre.tournier@ambest.com



Christopher Sharkey

Manager, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

christopher.sharkey@ambest.com



Jim Peavy

Director, Communications

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644

james.peavy@ambest.com
Press Release

September 2, 2021 - N 23

SCOR announces changes toitsGroup Executive Committee



SCOR today announces changes to its Group Executive Committee that reflect the importance of transformation and sustainability in the next phase of its strategic development. All internal promotions, these changes highlight the Group's deep talent bench.

The new composition, proposed by Laurent Rousseau, Chief Executive Office of SCOR, was supported by the Nominations Committee of the Board of Directors and approved by the entirety of the Board.

The following Group Executive Committee members continue to serve in their current capacity:

Ian Kelly , as Group Chief Financial Officer.

, as Group Chief Financial Officer. Jean-Paul Conoscente , as Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global P&C.

, as Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global P&C. Brona Magee, as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global Life.





The following Group Executive Committee members have expanded responsibilities:

Francois de Varenne , Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global Investments, will oversee an enlarged area of leadership including Investments, Technology, Budget, Group Project Office and Group Corporate Finance. In his new role, he will be in charge of the Group's transformation.

, Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global Investments, will oversee an enlarged area of leadership including Investments, Technology, Budget, Group Project Office and Group Corporate Finance. In his new role, he will be in charge of the Group's transformation. Claire Le Gall-Robinson, Group General Secretary, responsible for Governance, Sustainability, Legal and Compliance functions, is appointed Group Chief Sustainability Officer. In addition to her existing responsibilities, she will be in charge of Human Resources, Communications and Hub operations in this new and expanded role.

The following Group Executive Committee members have new responsibilities:

Frieder Kn upling , previously Group Chief Risk Officer, is appointed Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global Life, succeeding Paolo De Martin, who has decided to pursue a new direction in his career, having successfully served as Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global Life since 2014.

, previously Group Chief Risk Officer, is appointed Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global Life, succeeding Paolo De Martin, who has decided to pursue a new direction in his career, having successfully served as Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global Life since 2014. Romain Launay , previously Group Chief Operating Officer, is named Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global P&C and CEO of Specialty Insurance.

, previously Group Chief Operating Officer, is named Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global P&C and CEO of Specialty Insurance. Fabian Uffer, previously Group Head of Risk Modelling, in charge of the Group's internal model, succeeds Frieder Knupling as Group Chief Risk Officer and joins the Group Executive Committee.





Laurent Rousseau, Chief Executive Officer of SCOR, comments: "The breadth of global experience, the diverse backgrounds, the strong expertise, the knowledge of the industry and the leadership qualities of the members of this renewed Group Executive Committee give me a high degree of confidence in our ability to successfully pursueSCOR's development.These internal promotions bear witness to the depth of SCOR's talent pool and the strong competencies of our rising leaders. I am confident that this new organization willensure managerial continuity while reflecting the strategic importance of transformation and sustainability for the Group.We are mobilized to accelerate the company's profound transformation provided for in the "Quantum Leap" strategic plan andaccelerate long-term value creation for all our stakeholders. I have shaped this Group Executive Committee -both the members and the allocation of responsibilities - with a view to ensuring that we will work and act as one team toexecute SCOR's strategyand, together with our more than 3,000 employees, writethe next chapter of SCOR's success story."

Denis Kessler, Chairman of SCOR, comments: "I have every confidence in this Group Executive Committee's ability to continue the long-term development of the Group for the benefit of all stakeholders. On behalf of the Board, as well as on my own personal behalf, I thank Paolo De Martin for his marked contribution to the Group's development since he joined SCOR in 2007.After having successfully served as Group CFO, he has been instrumental in the expansion of the Group's global franchise over the past seven years as CEO of SCOR Global Life. I wish Paolo every success for the next step in his career."

Biographies

Jean-Paul Conoscente, an American and French citizen, is a graduate of the University of California Berkeley (Master of Science in Structural Engineering) and the Ecole des Travaux Publics, Paris (Engineering Diploma in Civil Engineering). He started his career in earthquake engineering in California and then in CAT Modeling as the European head of the Modeling firm EQECAT. He subsequently held several senior positions with AON Benfield as a reinsurance broker in London and Paris, and then with AXA Re in Paris as the Global Head of Property. In 2008, he joined SCOR in New York as Chief Underwriting Officer for the Americas for SCOR Global P&C; he helped transform SCOR's team and portfolio in the Americas before taking on the role of CEO of SCOR's P&C U.S. Operations in 2016, then CEO of Reinsurance globally in 2018. In 2019, he wasappointed CEO of SCOR Global P&C and member of the Group Executive Committee.

Ian Kelly, a British citizen, is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Having begun his career with Prudential, he subsequently joined the London-based Life reinsurance department of the Gerling Group, which later became Revios UK, holding the role of Chief Accountant. Following the acquisition of Revios by SCOR, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the UK operations in 2007. In 2009, Ian was appointed Director of General Accounting and Group Reporting, with responsibility for the consolidation of financial reporting of the SCOR Group. Ian strengthened his strategic, regulatory and financial experience within SCOR with his appointment as Head of Group Financial Planning and Analysis in 2011. Maintaining responsibility for the financial planning of the Group, Ian was named Head of Investor Relations in 2016 before being appointed Group Chief Financial Officer and member of the Group Executive Committee in 2020.

Frieder Knupling, a German citizen, has been a member of SCOR's Group Executive Committee since 2010, serving first as Deputy CEO of SCOR Global Life, then as Deputy Group Chief Risk Officer and finally as Group Chief Risk Officer. Before this, he held various actuarial, risk and finance roles at SCOR, Revios and Gerling Global Re. He holds academic degrees in Mathematics and Physics, and a PhD in Economics. He is a fellow of the Deutsche Aktuarvereinigung (DAV).

Romain Launay, a French citizen, is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique, of the Ecole des Mines de Paris and of the Centre des Hautes Etudes de l'Assurance. Having occupied various positions at the French Ministry for Economy and Finance between 2004 and 2009, he became Advisor to the Prime Minister in 2009. He joined SCOR in February 2012 as Senior Advisor to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, before being appointed Group General Secretary in May 2014. In February 2016, Romain Launay was appointed Group Chief Operating Officer.

Claire Le Gall-Robinson, a French citizen, is a lawyer admitted to the Paris and New York Bars and a graduate of Harvard Law School (Master of Laws) and the Paris II- Pantheon Assas University (Corporate and Tax law, Major de promotion). She practiced for more than 17 years in leading U.S. law firms Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Prior to joining SCOR in 2016 as Group General Secretary, she was a partner of the UK law firm Gowling WLG. She has taught at the Sciences Po Law School since 2010. She has authored articles on various topics relating to corporate law and co-authored a book on commercial law published by Editions Dalloz. In March 2021, she was appointed to SCOR's Group Executive Committee.

Brona Magee, an Irish citizen, holds a Bachelor of Actuarial and Financial Studies from University College Dublin. From 2006 to 2011 she worked for Transamerica International Reinsurance Ireland, which was acquired by SCOR in 2011. She was CFO for SCOR Global Life Reinsurance Ireland from 2011 to 2013. In 2013, she moved to the United States to take the position of Chief Financial Officer, Americas at SCOR Global Life and in 2015 was promoted to Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Americas. In February 2017, she returned to Dublin and became Chief Actuary for SCOR Global Life. She was appointed Head of Client Solutions and a member of SCOR Global Life's Executive Leadership Team in November 2017. In September 2018 she was appointed Deputy CEO and Head of Global Markets for SCOR Global Life and became a member of the Group Executive Committee. Brona Magee is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland.

Fabian Uffer, a Swiss citizen, started his career in 2003 as a life actuary in the insurance industry at Allianz Suisse. Following this, he worked at a startup company named CelsiusPro and developed a weather derivative pricing engine. In 2009 Fabian Uffer joined SCOR in the P&C Risk Management department. He then transitioned to Group Financial Modelling and Risk Analysis, where he held various positions including Head of Risk Modelling. In 2021 he was appointed Chief Risk Officer. Fabian studied at the University of Waterloo and holds a Master's in mathematics from the ETH Zurich. He is a fully qualified actuary of the Swiss Association of Actuaries.

Francois de Varenne, a French citizen, is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and a civil engineer of the Ponts et Chaussees. He holds a PhD in finance and graduated as an actuary from the Institut de Science Financiere et d'Assurances (ISFA). Francois de Varenne joined the Federation Francaise des Societes d'Assurances (FFSA) in 1993 as Manager of Economic and Financial Affairs. In London, beginning in 1998, he served successively as Insurance Strategist with Lehman Brothers, Vice-President for asset management solutions, and structured transactions specialist in insurance and reinsurance companies at Merrill Lynch and then at Deutsche Bank. In 2003, he became Managing Partner of Gimar Finance & Cie. He joined the Group in 2005 as Director of Corporate Finance and Asset Management. In September 2007, he was named Group Chief Operating Officer. In October 2008, Francois de Varenne was appointed Chief Executive Officer of SCOR Global Investments.

*

* *

Contact details

Media Relations

Lauren Burns Carraud

+33 (0)1 58 44 76 62

lburns@scor.com



Investor Relations

Olivier Armengaud

+33

www.scor.com

LinkedIn: SCOR| Twitter: @SCOR_SE

SCOR, a Global Tier 1 Reinsurer

SCOR, the world's fourth largest reinsurer, offers its clients a diversified and innovative range of solutions and services to control and manage risk. Applying "The Art & Science of Risk", SCOR uses its industry-recognized expertise and cutting-edge financial solutions to serve its clients and contribute to the welfare and resilience of society.

SCOR offers its clients an optimal level of security with its AA- rating or equivalent from S&P, Moody's, Fitch and AM Best. The Group generated premiums of more than EUR 16 billion in 2020, and serves clients in more than 160 countries from its 36 offices worldwide.

For more information, visit: www.scor.com.

Attachment
New webinar series: Administrative Violence and the Tai Ji Men Case

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 02, 2021titled "Safeguarding Freedom of Religion or Belief with Love and Conscience," emphasizing the importance of human rights and conscience:



Today, we are discussing cases of violations of freedom of religion, freedom of belief, and freedom of thought in the context of human dignity, which is related to the dignity of the legal system, freedom of conscience, and the rights and well-being of all people. Only those who can uphold their faith and belief, who will not compromise with any force of evil, and who will protect basic human dignity, safeguard their conscience, and defend human rights with love and conscience, are practitioners of self-betterment that can tell right from wrong, stand tall, and are brave and fearless!

Dr. Hong and Tai Ji Men have been persecuted by a few rogue bureaucrats in Taiwan for 24 years, and they have been devoted to promoting human rights and religious freedom in the past few years. On this special day, CESNURco-hosted four webinars under the theme of " Administrative Violence and the Tai Ji Men Case ," where religious freedom experts, scholars, and Tai Ji Men members discussed the case .

The webinars opened with a video presentation of a recent Tai Ji Men's demonstration in Washington, D.C. Tai Ji Men is a spiritual organization with academies in Taiwan and the United States. It has been religiously persecuted in democratic Taiwan by means of unlawful taxation. Despite the fact that Tai Ji Men was found not guilty of tax evasion or any other charges by Taiwan's Supreme Court in 2007, rogue bureaucrats continued to levy unwarranted taxes on Tai Ji Men and even illegally auctioned and confiscated their land intended for a spiritual retreat last August.

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and former chair of U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said, "In Taiwan, the long running attack against the Tai Ji Men community by bureaucratic despots within the tax administration have led many religious freedom experts around the world to condemn this form of administrative religious persecution."

Thierry Valle, president of the ECOSOC-accredited NGO CAP-LCabout the Tai Ji Men case and other unjust cases to the 47th Session of the United Nations' Human Rights Council. The statement, published on June 21, 2021, indicated that in various countries, taxation has been used as a weapon to discriminate against religious and spiritual minorities.

Kenneth Jacobsen, a law professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a former advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton, has studied in depth the Tai Ji Men case. He said, "I would ask as I've asked before for the president of Taiwan and for others that are in positions of power to do the right thing, to remove this blemish that remains on a very disturbing unfair illegal unlawful case that should have been never brought in the first place that has gone on far too long. And with a stroke of a pen could be eliminated and finally concluded. And I think the government of Taiwan should do that, and they should do it now."

Willy Fautre, director of HRWF, explored many forms of religious or belief-based violence, including taxes. He said, "Some scholars suspect that the case against Tai Ji Men was fabricated because of alluring bonuses granted to officers of the National Tax Bureau and the Enforcement Agency for the enforcement of auctions."

Eric Roux, chairperson of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom, emphasized that when injustice occurs in a democracy, the impact can be worse than in a totalitarian state because it lowers the global standard of democracy and sends the message that injustice is unimportant and that the world has no way of holding it accountable.

Prof. Chang Chia-Lin from Taipei's Aletheia University urged the Taiwanese government to end the persecution, asking, "Is our government going to follow the example of an authoritarian regime and continue to persecute Tai Ji Men , which promotes conscience, acts of kindness, peace, and love?"

Rosita Soryte, a member of the Scientific Committee of European Federation for Freedom of Belief, said that it is clear that institutional violence was used against Tai Ji Men . Taiwan needs international support all the time, and this unjust case is severely harming Taiwan's international reputation, said Soryte, urging the Taiwanese government to cancel the unjustified tax bill and return the unlawfully confiscated land to Tai Ji Men.

According to Dr. Chun-Chieh Hwang, a law professor at Taiwan's National Chung Cheng University, the confiscation of Tai Ji Men's land last August was not just a violation of property rights, but also of cultural and religious rights. He believes International experts should inform Taiwanese authorities that the situation violates universal human rights. He described Tai Ji Men as a beneficent organization and expressed his hope that its message of peace for Taiwan and the world will resonate around the world.

Hans Noot, president of the Gerard Noodt Foundation for Freedom of Religion or Belief, criticized the lack of accountability in the case: "It sends the message to the public that the national tax office can get away with impunity, and it is above the law rather than a servant of the law and the people. The message too is that religious freedom and freedom of expression is all relative in Taiwan."

Prof. Lin, Jun-Lin, chairman of Chinese Orthodox Alliance, said, "I implore our government to allow people to live and work in peace and happiness, as well as enjoy complete freedom of religion or belief, which will aid the government in calming the people's hearts. Don't put us all in danger and disturb our peace of mind. Hurry up and return justice to Tai Ji Men , which is the same as returning justice to all of us. We are always with you, Tai Ji Men members. Your business is already the business of all people!"

Kang Shih-Ju, a former Taiwanese legislator, advocated for the Tai Ji Men case to be resolved, saying, "No matter what your political party is, I would admire you if you could put an end to such a clear and simple case. I would be convinced that the 'transitional justice' you are talking about is really related to human rights."

Brenda Chen, a graphic designer and a Tai Ji Men member in Northern California, told how she left Taiwan to escape the nightmare that Prosecutor Hou Kuan-jen had created for her when he illegally detained her father, Dr. Hong, his wife, and another disciple in 1996. Her father, who passed away seven years ago, lost his career and reputation as a result of Hou's defamation. They were also discriminated against by their relatives.

A shocking video was introduced by Konrad Swenninger, founder of Soteria International in Denmark. In the video, tax collector Shih Yueh-sheng revealed that he was pressured by prosecutor Hou Kuan-jen to give false testimony against Tai Ji Men 24 years ago. The prosecution relied mainly on the tax collector's fraudulent testimony to indict Tai Ji Men, and the National Taxation Bureau imposed unjustified taxes on Tai Ji Men based solely on this false indictment.

In the video, Shih Yueh-sheng said that there was no evidence to substantiate the allegation of tax evasion against Tai Ji Men , and that he advised the Investigation Bureau's field office at the time that issuing tax bills to Tai Ji Men would be problematic because it was unclear how to compute the tax amount. Although the Investigation Bureau's field office knew it was illegal, it still insisted on asking him to do it! Shih Yueh-sheng said Hou Kuan-jen fabricated the case .

"It proves that what happened was not a mistake," Prof. Massimo Introvigne, a lawyer, sociologist, and managing director of CESNURand cancel the 1992 tax bill, give back to Tai Ji Men their sacred land, I don't know what more is needed. It's a general principle of the law all over the world that when new elements emerge even final decisions can and should be revised. Revision is a fundamental principle of justice."

To help the audience better understand the case, several videos were presented, including a video titled "18 Years of State Violence Turn a Sweet Home into Ruins," -- the story of Tai Ji Men's academy on Lai-nan Street in Kaohsiung before and after the organization's persecution began; a music video titled "The Truth of the Tai Ji Men Case," succinctly summarizing the case; and a music video titled "No Way," announcing Tai Ji Men members' determination to continue the fight for the truth and justice and their declaration that in no way will they compromise or back down.

"Human rights offenders are frequently governments," said Dr. Hong, the leader of Tai Ji Men, in his speech in support of the World Humanitarian Day on August 19, and he urged people to follow their conscience: "The ultimate judge of the universe is conscience. It is never too late to awaken our conscience and change our ways to atone for our mistakes. Throughout our lives, we should seek the truth, distinguishing true from false, right from wrong, and good from bad, and defending righteousness and justice without fear, despite the obstacles that lie ahead."

About Action Alliance to Redress 1219 : Action Alliance to Redress 1219 is a group of international and Taiwanese legal, religious, and human rights specialists working to restore the truth about the ongoing persecution of Tai Ji Men in Taiwan by a small group of bureaucrats that has lasted for 25 years, as well as their misuse of authority and violations of the law. In addition to rectifying the Tai Ji Men case and revealing the truth, it is also committed to defending religious freedom, speaking out for related injustices in Taiwan. The Alliance calls on those in power not to ignore people's fundamental human rights and demands that perpetrators be held accountable to protect democracy, the rule of law, and justice.

Media Contact:

Lily Chen

Representative

admin@act1219.org

626-202-5268

https://act1219.org/eng/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0342b956-f707-492d-b5a1-e10a1197e6d6




DGAP Voting Rights Announcement: QIAGEN N.V.

QIAGEN N.V.: Release according to Article 40, Section 1 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] with the objective of Europe-wide distribution



02.09.2021 / 22:02

Dissemination of a Voting Rights Announcement transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The AFM (the Netherlands Authority For the Financial Markets) has informed us on August 31, 2021 that a notification related to our institution has been released by the AFM. The following notification has been disclosed in the relevant register on the AFM website: Date of transaction: 27 aug 2021

Person obliged to notify: BlackRock, Inc.

Issuing institution: Qiagen N.V.

Registration Chamber of Commerce: 12036979

Place of residence: VENLO Distribution in numbers Type of share Number of shares Number of voting rights Capital interest Voting rights Manner of disposal Settlement Ordinary share 32.952.575,00

35.236.861,00 Real Real Indirectly - BlackRock, Inc. Contract for difference 117.211,00 117.211,00 Potential Potential Indirectly - BlackRock, Inc. In Cash Ordinary share

730.880,00 730.880,00 Potential Potential Indirectly - BlackRock, Inc. Physical Delivery

Distribution in percentages Type Total holding Directly real Directly potential Indirectly real Indirectly potential Capital interest 14,64 % 0,00 % 0,00 % 14,28 % 0,37 % Voting rights 15,63 % 0,00 % 0,00 % 15,27 % 0,37 % QIAGEN N.V. is not responsible for the accuracy and correctness of the notification above. The content has been taken from the relevant register of the AFM:

https://www.afm.nl/en/professionals/registers/meldingenregisters/substantiele-deelnemingen/details?id=115308



02.09.2021 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.dgap.de


TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2021 / Grid Metals Corp. (TSXV:GRDM)(OTCQB:MSMGF) ( ("Grid " or "Company"), a battery metals exploration and development company, is pleased to announce that Emerging Markets Consulting, LLC (EMC) has been retained to provide investor and public relations services. EMC specializes in helping small and mid-sized public companies establish brand awareness and increase market share to its customer base while improving visibility to the institutional and retail investment community.

"With the rapidly developing market for nickel, copper, cobalt, and lithium in electric vehicles and greentech and its strong portfolio of properties Grid will benefit from rising awareness of its potential" said Robin Dunbar President and CEO of Grid.

James Painter, President of EMC, said, "We are pleased to work with Grid. We have conducted our due diligence on the Company and have been very impressed with the management, share structure and overall business strategy."

About Emerging Markets Consulting LLC

Based in Orlando, Florida, Emerging Markets Consulting, LLC (EMC) brings over 40 years combined experience in the investor relations industry. EMC is an international investor relations firm with affiliates around the world. EMC is relationship-driven and results-oriented with the goal of seeking attractive emerging companies and concentrating its resources and efforts to serve a limited number of high-quality clients.

For more information, visit EMC's website at www.emergingmarketsllc.com Under the terms of the agreement EMC will be paid a total of US$60,000 for the 2 month term of the engagement. Source of funds is the working capital of the Company. .

About Grid Metals Corp.

Grid Metals Corp. is an exploration and development Company focused on battery metals and platinum group metals at its properties located in Canada. Grid has a NI 43-101 compliant resource of nickel copper cobalt and platinum group metals at its Makwa Mayville project in Manitoba. Drilling results are pending from its Bannockburn Nickel Project south of Timmins Ontario where the Company is targeting bulk tonnage nickel mineralization and the Company has an active field program at its the East Bull Lake Palladium Property near Sudbury Ontario.

To find out more about Grid Metals Corp., please visit www.gridmetalscorp.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Grid Metals Corp.

Robin Dunbar - President, CEO & Director Telephone: 416-955-4773 Email: rd@gridmetalscorp.com

David Black - Investor Relations Email: info@gridmetalscorp.com

We seek safe harbour.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of the Securities Act (Ontario) (together, "forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements may include the Company's plans for its properties, the overall economic potential of its properties, the availability of adequate financing and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward- looking statements to be materially different. Such factors include, among others, risks and uncertainties relating to potential political risk, uncertainty of production and capital costs estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, physical risks inherent in mining operations, metallurgical risk, currency fluctuations, fluctuations in the price of nickel, cobalt, copper and other metals, completion of economic evaluations, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, the inability or failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis, and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the most recent financial period and Material Change Reports filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This news release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements.

SOURCE: Grid Metals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/662603/Grid-Metals-Retains-Emerging-Markets-Consulting-LLC-for-Investor-Relations-Advisory-Services
Results of an expert roundtable meeting now published in Journal of Drugs in Dermatology concluded that dermatologists need to place greater emphasis on managing persistent facial erythema (or neurovascular dysregulation) of rosacea1.

It is estimated that 16 million Americans suffer from rosacea 2

New guidance states that persistent facial erythema is now a primary diagnostic criteria for rosacea 3

In a large patient survey, persistent facial redness was reported to be the most troublesome symptom of rosacea 4

Rhofade (oxymetazoline 1% hydrochloride) cream is one of only two topical treatments approved by the FDA to treat this aspect of the disease1

CHARLESTON, SC / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2021 / EPI Health announced today the publication of the results of an expert roundtable meeting, conducted by the 3 in the Journal of Drugs and Dermatology.1 The roundtable was supported by an educational grant from EPI Health.

A new classification system for rosacea was recently introduced, with a shift from the previous subtype approach to one that recognizes that rosacea is a single disorder with several potential phenotypes. It recognizes phymatous changes and the presence of erythema as being the primary diagnostic signs of the disease3.

"We know from various studies and research that rosacea patients find their erythema very troublesome, and that it negatively affects their quality of life," explained Julie Harper MD of the Dermatology and Skin Care Center of Birmingham, Alabama, and immediate past President of the American Acne and Rosacea Society. "Despite this impact, facial erythema is often not taken seriously by physicians, even though we have therapies that can specifically address this aspect of the disease."1

The authors acknowledged that the initial patient visit may be lengthy, and that having a comprehensive treatment plan that patients adhere to can ensure they maintain remission from the signs of rosacea which may even help prevent progression of the disease. It was mentioned in the publication that long-term use of topical alpha adrenergic agonists (such as Rhofade) appeared to improve baseline (pre-dose) redness over time.1

"EPI Health is proud to support the dermatology community by enabling publications such as this, and the sharing of important information that can have a beneficial impact on patient management," shared Mike Vecchiolla, Head of Scientific Affairs for the company. "We appreciate our partnership with the NRS, and the resources they provide for patients with rosacea."

About RHOFADE Cream

RHOFADE is the only FDA-approved alpha 1 agonist indicated for the topical treatment of persistent facial erythema associated with rosacea in adults.

The National Rosacea Society (NRS) estimates that approximately 16 million Americans are affected by rosacea. Persistent facial redness (erythema) is cited as the most common sign of rosacea and may resemble a flushing or sunburn that does not go away. Typical triggers include sun exposure, stress, weather, food, and exercise. In an NRS survey, nearly 90% of rosacea patients said this condition had lowered their self-confidence and self-esteem, and 41% reported it had caused them to avoid public contact or cancel social engagements.1

For more information, please visit www.rhofade.com.

RHOFADE (oxymetazoline hydrochloride) cream, 1% Indication and ISI5

Indication

RHOFADE (oxymetazoline hydrochloride) cream, 1% is indicated for the topical treatment of persistent facial erythema associated with rosacea in adults.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Potential Impacts on Cardiovascular Disease

Alpha-adrenergic agonists may impact blood pressure. RHOFADE should be used with caution in patients with severe or unstable or uncontrolled cardiovascular disease, orthostatic hypotension, and/or uncontrolled hypertension/hypotension. Advise patients with cardiovascular disease, orthostatic hypotension, and/or uncontrolled hypertension/hypotension to seek immediate medical care if their condition worsens.

Potentiation of Vascular Insufficiency

RHOFADE should be used with caution in patients with cerebral or coronary insufficiency, Raynaud's phenomenon, thromboangiitis obliterans, scleroderma, or Sjogren's syndrome. Advise patients to seek immediate medical care if signs and symptoms of potentiation of vascular insufficiency develop.

Potential Impacts on Cardiovascular Disease

Alpha-adrenergic agonists may impact blood pressure. RHOFADE should be used with caution in patients with severe or unstable or uncontrolled cardiovascular disease, orthostatic hypotension, and/or uncontrolled hypertension/hypotension. Advise patients with cardiovascular disease, orthostatic hypotension, and/or uncontrolled hypertension/hypotension to seek immediate medical care if their condition worsens.

RHOFADE may increase the risk of angle closure glaucoma in patients with narrow-angle glaucoma. Advise patients to seek immediate medical care if signs and symptoms of acute angle closure glaucoma develop.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

The most common adverse reactions for RHOFADE were: application site dermatitis 2%, worsening inflammatory lesions of rosacea 1%, application site pruritus 1%, application site erythema 1%, and application site pain 1%.

This summary is not comprehensive. Please see www.RHOFADE.com for full Prescribing Information.

About EPI Health

Based in Charleston, South Carolina since 2017. EPI Health is committed to being a valued leader in dermatology by providing safe, beneficial, and effective medications to the dermatology community and the patients they serve, while enriching the lives of our employees through an enjoyable and rewarding and work environment. Our core values include Collaboration, Trust, Accountability and Transparency. Our wide portfolio of products serves the dermatology community across rosacea, acne, dermatosis and now psoriasis.

For additional information, please visit www.epihealth.com.

Gallo et al. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021 Aug 1;20(8) National Rosacea Society (https://www.rosacea.org) Gallo et al J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018 Jan;78(1):148-155 Baldwin et al Dermatol Ther. 2019;9(4):725-734 Prescribing information for RHOFADE Nov 2019

Contact information for EPI Health, Inc.

Samantha Widdicombe

949-331-0269

swiddicombe@epihealth.com

SOURCE: EPI Health, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/662624/New-Expert-Roundtable-Publication-from-National-Rosacea-Society-Emphasizes-Importance-of-Treating-Erythema-of-Rosacea
VIA optronics AG (NYSE: VIAO) ("VIA"), a leading supplier of interactive display systems and solutions, today announced that it will report its second quarter 2021 financial results before the opening of the US financial markets on Thursday, September 9, 2021.

VIA will host a conference call to discuss its results and will provide a corporate update at 2:30 p.m. Central European Time 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time the same day. The dial-in numbers for the call are +1 760-294-1674 (USA), +44 203-059-8128 (UK), or +49 695-660-36000 (Germany). Please ask to be connected to the VIA optronics AG call.

The live webcast of the call can be accessed at the VIA Investor Relations website at https://investors.via-optronics.com, along with the company's earnings press release. An archived version of the webcast will be available on the VIA Investor Relations website.

About VIA:

VIA is a leading provider of interactive display systems and solutions for multiple end-markets in which superior functionality or durability is a critical differentiating factor. Its customizable technology is well-suited for high-end markets with unique specifications as well as demanding environments that pose technical and optical challenges for displays, such as bright ambient light, vibration and shock, extreme temperatures and condensation. VIA's interactive display systems combine system design, interactive displays, software functionality, cameras and other hardware components. VIA's intellectual property portfolio, process know-how, and optical bonding and metal mesh touch sensor and camera module technologies provide enhanced display solutions that are built to meet the specific needs of its customers.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005773/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations:

The Blueshirt Group

Monica Gould

Monica@blueshirtgroup.com

212-871-3927

Lindsay Savarese

Lindsay@blueshirtgroup.com

212-331-8417

Media Contact:

Alexandra Muller-Plotz

AMueller-Ploetz@via-optronics.com

+49-911-597 575-302
Transformational Acquisition Creates Vertically-integrated Healthcare Company with Next-Generation Diagnostic Capabilities and Advanced Telemedicine Platform

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2021 / StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd (TSX:SZLS)(OTC PINK:SZLSF) ("StageZero" or the "Company"), a healthcare company working to reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases through early detection and intervention, today announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of the business of Health Clinics Limited (the "Acquisition"). The Acquisition was completed through the acquisition of all of the shares of Clinics Operations Limited, a provider of specialist clinical services across Europe and North America, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Health Clinics Limited, and the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Health Clinics USA, Corp. ("HC USA"), a company in which Health Clinics Limited holds significant ownership interest.

"This acquisition is a transformational milestone in the history of StageZero Life Sciences," said StageZero Life Sciences Chairman & CEO James Howard-Tripp. "The combination of StageZero and Health Clinics has created a one-of-a-kind, vertically-integrated healthcare company offering next-generation diagnostic capabilities, clinically-validated and personalized adjuvant protocols, an advanced telemedicine platform and a broad physician network to provide continuity of care for any patient, anywhere. As a combined company, we are excited to provide a complete solution to help patients reduce the risk of developing and slowing the progression of cancer through early interventions. We are now an integrated company and as of today will generate consolidated revenue."

StageZero acquired all of the shares of Clinics Operations Limited by issuing today 12,400,000 StageZero common shares. StageZero is obligated to issue an additional 2,500,000 StageZero common shares, contingent upon Clinic Operations Limited obtaining a Care Quality Commission license in the United Kingdom. A further 8,000,000 common shares are issuable by StageZero contingent upon the achievement of certain milestones and StageZero shareholder approval. StageZero, through its newly formed subsidiaries Care Oncology Physicians, PC and Care Oncology, Inc., acquired substantially all of the assets of HC USA by issuing today 100,000 StageZero common shares.

For more information concerning the Acquisition, please see the Company's news release dated August 16, 2021.

About StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd.

StageZero Life Sciences is dedicated to improving quality of life through proven technology and personalized care plans, allowing people to take control of their health. StageZero helps reduce the risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases by delivering early detection and intervention solutions. The company's end-to-end care model is personalized, proven, and puts people first.

The Company's next-generation test, Aristotle, is the first-ever multi-cancer panel for simultaneously screening for 10 cancers from a single sample of blood with high sensitivity and specificity for each cancer. Aristotle is integrated with Care Oncology's AVRT program, a comprehensive telehealth program that uses advanced diagnostics, proven clinical protocols, and physician supervision to help patients stay well and prevent the development of cancer and other chronic diseases. Care Oncology practices provide treatments that complement and enhance the effect of traditional, standard of care cancer therapies. StageZero also operates a CAP accredited and CLIA certified high-complexity reference laboratory in Richmond, Virginia. In addition, leveraging its specialty in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for the early identification of cancer through blood, StageZero provides both COVID PCR testing (swab and saliva) and blood test analysis (Antibody testing).

For more information, please visit www.stagezerolifesciences.com.

About Health Clinics Limited

Founded in London, England in 2013, Health Clinics Limited (HC) specializes in chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, using telemedicine to provide specialist clinical services across Europe and North America. HC provides two main clinical offerings: 1. Under the trade name Care Oncology Clinic (COC), HC provides a patented and safe adjunctive treatment for all cancer types; 2. Under the trade name AVRT (pronounced "avert"), HC clinicians provide a managed clinical service to help patients reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases, including cancer, using a proportionate and tolerable protocol.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release related to StageZero, Health Clinics Limited, Health Clinics USA Corp., Care Oncology US and Care Oncology UK, and their respective businesses and the proposed Acquisition are forward-looking statements and are prospective in nature. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe" or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the proposed Acquisition, the satisfaction of closing conditions, including TSX approval, the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease and the establishment of treatment protocols. These statements reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events, but involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected herein. Such risks include the risk that, that integration of the acquired businesses into StageZero's business will not achieve the intended results, and other risks and uncertainties described in StageZero's ongoing quarterly filings, annual reports and annual information form. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Investor Relations Contact

Rebecca Greco

Tel: 1-855-420-7140 ext. 1838

rgreco@stagezerols.com

Media Contact

Kristin Villiotte

SHIFT Communications

kvilliotte@shiftcomm.com

SOURCE: StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/662629/StageZero-Life-Sciences-Completes-Acquisition-of-the-Health-Clinics-Business
HOUSTON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Shell Offshore Inc. (Shell), a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, conducted an initial flyover of our assets in the path of Hurricane Ida. During this initial flight, we observed damage to our West Delta-143 (WD-143) offshore facilities. When it is safe to do so, we will send personnel offshore to provide a closer inspection of these facilities to understand the full extent of the damage and the degree to which our production in the Gulf of Mexico will likely be impacted.

The WD-143 facilities serve as the transfer station for all production from our assets in the Mars corridor in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico to onshore crude terminals.

Our Perdido asset in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico was never disrupted by the hurricane, and our floating production, storage and offloading vessel, the Turritella (also known as Stones) is currently back on line. All of our other offshore assets remain shut in and remain fully evacuated at this time. At the early phase of assessment and recovery, approximately 80% of Shell-operated production in the Gulf of Mexico remains off line.

In our initial flyover, we did not observe any visible structural damage to the rest of our offshore assets. When we are able to safely deploy personnel offshore to these assets, we will conduct additional inspections and work to restore production as soon as possible.

As we assess the impact of Hurricane Ida on our Upstream and Downstream businesses, our top priorities continue to be the protection and recovery of our people and assets, the community and the environment.

Cautionary note

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this press release "Shell", "Shell Group" and "Group" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. 'Subsidiaries', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this press release refer to entities over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as "joint ventures" and "joint operations", respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as "associates". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This press release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "aim", "ambition", 'anticipate', 'believe', 'could', 'estimate', 'expect', 'goals', 'intend', 'may', "milestones", 'objectives', 'outlook', 'plan', 'probably', 'project', 'risks', "schedule", 'seek', 'should', 'target', 'will' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this press release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell plc's Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this press release and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, September 2, 2021. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

The content of websites referred to in this press release do not form part of this press release.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this press release that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449079/shell_oil_company_logo.jpg
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2021) - West Vault Mining Inc. (TSXV: WVM) (OTCQX: WVMDF) ("West Vault" or the "Company") announces that R. Michael Jones has resigned from the Board of Directors and as the Company's President and CEO, effective September 1, 2021. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Jones for his contributions to the Company over the years.

The Company also announces the appointment of Sandy McVey as the Company's CEO on an interim basis. Mr. McVey will retain his role as the Company's COO. He joined the Company in 2012, spearheading the acquisition of the Company's flagship property, the Hasbrouck Gold Project, and has overseen its subsequent permitting, mine design and construction-readiness planning. He has over 30 years' experience in management of underground and surface mines, and mine and heavy civil construction in Canada, USA, UK, and Africa. Mr. McVey is a Professional Mining Engineer and a registered Project Management Professional.

The Board of Directors of the Company is currently in the process of identifying and appointing a new CEO and Director for the Company.

About West Vault Mining Inc.

Located in Nevada, the Hasbrouck Gold Project is permitted for construction and operations. West Vault is focused on maximizing shareholder value for its 100% interest in the Hasbrouck Gold Project.

On behalf of the Board of

West Vault Mining Inc.

Frank Hallam

Chief Financial Officer

Investor Relations

Kris Begic

(604) 685 8311/info@westvaultmining.com

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This press release may contain forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws including, without limitation, statements regarding the appointment of a new director and CEO and the status of the Hasbrouck Gold Project. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "postulate" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Although West Vault believes that such information as set out in this press release is reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and estimates will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95336.
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Australia will on Friday release July numbers for retail sales, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Sales are expected to sink 2.7 percent on month after falling 1.8 percent in June. Australia also will see August results for the services and composite indexes from Markit Economics, as well as for the Performance of Construction Index from the Australian Industry Group. In July, the services index score was 44.2, the composite was at 45.2 and the construction index was at 48.7. Japan will see August results for its services and composite PMIs from Jibun Bank; in July, their scores were 47.4 and 48.8, respectively. Singapore will release July figures for retail sales; in June, sales climbed 1.8 percent on month and 25.8 percent on year. China will see August results for the services and composite PMIs from Caixin; in July, their scores were 54.9 and 53.1, respectively. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Pixalate, a Palo Alto CA-based fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for Connected TV (CTV) and Mobile Advertising, raised $18.1m in funding.

The round, which brought total funding raised to date to $22.7m, was led by Early Palantir and Google Investor with participation from Western Technology Investment (WTI) and Javelin Venture Partners.



The company intends to use the funds to expand its global product offering to support data privacy and compliance risks, focusing on emerging international regulatory obligations such as GDPR, CCPA, and the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in digital advertising.

Led by Jalal Nasir, founder and CEO, Pixalate provides a fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for Connected TV (CTV) and Mobile Advertising. Its system of coordinated solutions across display, app, video, and OTT/CTV enables detection and elimination of ad fraud. Pixalate is an MRC-accredited service for the detection and filtration of sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) across desktop and mobile web, mobile in-app, and OTT/CTV advertising.

The companys solution empowers organizations to navigate the complex CTV and Mobile ad supply chain by analyzing 5+ million apps that span multiple app stores, including Roku TV, Amazon FireTV, Google Play, and Apple App Store. In addition, Pixalate analyzes over 2 billion IP addresses  consisting of both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses  across 300 million CTV devices and 80 million domains. It detects and reports more than 40 types of invalid traffic (IVT), including sophisticated invalid traffic detection (SIVT)  most commonly attributable to malicious ad fraud  and holds Media Rating Council, Inc. (MRC) Accreditation across 20+ measurement areas (over 45+ reported metrics), including 12 distinct Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) measurement metrics.

The company recently opened new London-based operations provide on-the-ground support to new and existing EMEA customers.



FinSMEs

02/09/2021
Speakeasy Co., a San Diego CA-based e-commerce platform for the beverage alcohol industry, raised $2M in seed funding.

The round was led by Trog Hawley Capital LLC with participation from Revolutions Rise of the Rest Seed Fund.

The company intends to use the funds to further accelerate growth and bolster services for brand partners and invest in people, technology, offerings, and logistics.

Led by Josh Jacobs, Co-Founder and CEO, and Michael Bowen, Co-Founder and COO, Speakeasy Co. provides an e-commerce and fulfillment platform servicing the Wine & Spirits industry.

Since January 2020, the company has scaled from roughly 40 to over 280 brands on the platform as of August 2021. Speakeasy Co. partners include many emerging brands and major suppliers, spanning ready-to-drink beverages, wine, beer, spirits as well as Tesla Tequila.

FinSMEs

01/09/2021
The foreign exchange markets are an integral part of the global financial systems and have a massive impact on equities and bonds alike. The current market volatility fueled by the resurgence of COVID-19 cases along with integral international developments has impacted several reserve currencies adversely.

For example, the rapid spread of the Delta variant caused an uptick in the number of infections which touched a six-month high in the United States. This combined with the countrys recent withdrawal from Afghanistan has caused the US Dollar to decline over the past couple of days. As a result, the US Dollar Currency Index declined 0.11% on Friday.

However, following strong job growth estimates and US central bank projections regarding the timeline of the monetary policy tapering, the US Dollar improved slightly. Moreover, the flash crash in gold has resulted in exchange rate gains in reserve currencies.

Given the highly dynamic forex markets and complexities of currency trading, consulting financial journals and publications can help traders identify the current market trends. These should help traders make informed decisions regarding forex trades.

Here we look at the top six financial journals that provide readers with a ton of information on forex market trends and dynamics.

Plus500

Plus500 is an online contract for differences (CFD) trading platform that facilitates forex trades. The website regularly publishes reports that highlight the key industry developments, allowing traders to identify the key potential market movers and industry trends.

As an authorized and regulated trading website, Plus500 is a forex trading platform renowned for its competitive spreads and zero commission charges. Further, the companys News and Market Insights section covers breaking news from all major markets all around the world, impacting reserve currencies and burgeoning currencies simultaneously.

It also highlights the implications of macroeconomic events impacting the global financial markets.

The Plus 500 platform also provides users with cheating tools that display more than 100 technical indicators. You can also save chart templates for future references while leveraging over 21 other tools to gain insights into the forex market.

In fact, Plus500 is a publicly listed company that trades on the London Stock Exchange. Valued at a market cap of $1.5 billion, this stock has returned a stellar 1,100% to investors since going public eight years back.

Seeking Alpha

Seeking Alpha is among the worlds largest financial platforms where millions of investors connect daily to discover and share new investing ideas to make well-informed investment decisions.

Available on mobile, tablet or desktop, 20 million people use Seeking Alpha every month. Seeking Alpha has extensive coverage of multiple asset classes including stocks, ETFs and mutual funds to commodities, forex and cryptocurrency, written by investors for investors; over 7,000 contributors publish 10,000 investing ideas each month. An investment thesis undergoes a comprehensive editorial review to ensure and maintain the platforms quality standards.

Seeking Alpha aims to level the playing field by providing exclusive tools, available only to Wall Street professionals (until now), into the hands of individual investors. Advanced charting, data visualizations, technical and fundamental analysis add clarity and enable informed, data-driven decision-making. Seeking Alpha provides investors with breaking news, analysis and newsletters to follow their investments and the markets. It also has a suite of subscription plans that address specific investing styles and user needs.

Investing.com

Another popular financial markets platform is Investing.com that provides users with real-time data, quotes, charts, financial tools and analysis reports. It covers 250 exchanges all around the world and is available in 44 language editions.

Investing,com has over 46 million monthly users and more than 400 million sessions making it one of the top financial websites on the planet.

Investing.com provides analysis for over 300,000 financial instruments while offering tools such as customized portfolios, personal alerts, financial calculators and market insights without any subscription fees.

Here, you will get in-depth analysis of the equity markets, commodities, cryptocurrencies, forex, bonds, and ETFs as well as sophisticated instruments such as futures and options.

Bottom Line

Foreign exchange trading is immensely complex, as multiple factors influence the currency exchange rates globally. Thus, being updated with the latest market movement that might drive forex is the key to becoming a successful forex trader. The news publications and magazines listed above are known for their quality coverage of the forex markets, and hence, should be followed by traders worldwide.
Tampa, FL (33646)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
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Paxton, IL (60957)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Department in Mississippi on Wednesday announced the loss of one of its own.

Cpl. Robert Verzal died Sunday after being hospitalized several weeks with COVID-19, the department said. He was 39 years old and was with the sheriff's department for 10 years.

Verzal was the lead correctional deputy at the adult detention center in Jackson County.

Funeral arrangements include visitation from 10 a.m. to noon at Heritage Funeral Home at 9721 Highway 65 in Moss Point. A service will be held from noon to 12:30 p.m. with burial following at Jackson County Memorial Park in Pascagoula.

"We are all very saddened by Deputy Verzal's passing," said Sheriff Mike Ezell. "We at the sheriff's department have lost a loved and respected member of our family. I ask that you please keep Corporal Verzal's wife, Julie, their family and friends, and his fellow deputies in your prayers."
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -- The Mobile County Sheriff's Office collected supplies for victims of Hurricane Ida Thursday morning.

People dropped off donations before deputies headed off to make their special delivery.

MCSO loaded up a truck full of essential supplies collected from the community to send off to Tangipahoa Parish in Louisiana.

"They'll be providing three meals a day for the public safety personnel, we'll be set up there at the Ponchatoula Police Department."

The Tangipahoa Parish was hit hard with wind damage as Hurricane Ida moved through Southeast Louisiana, leaving a path of destruction. Many were left to pick up the pieces.

A feeling Joann Scarpa knows all to well, she said she experienced Hurricane Fredric back in 1979 in Mobile and dropped off cases of water at the Sherriff's Office to send to the parish, in hopes of paying it forward.

"We went many days without power, without water and things like that and people we very generous to us," said Scarpa, "we just try to do back good things for other people too".

For Brittney Catchings, her friend lost everything in the monster storm, she said she felt inclined to help others in the same situation.

"I can give as much as I can, you know as often as I can to help them but words can't help them," said Catchings.

Catchings said many people forget about supplies for babies and knew she had to donate items for infants.

"I felt it and I was like I need to donate baby items, so I just bought what I could," said Catchings, "It's so important that you do this though, if you can please, please donate."

MCSO said this is their fourth year providing disaster relief, and will continue to lend a helping hand when needed.

A second crew will leave next Thursday to bring more food and supplies to the parish.

If you would like to donate, you can drop off donations at:

Mobile County Sheriff's Office

510 South Royal St

Mobile, AL 36603

Southside Sub-Station

Theodore Oaks

5808 US Highway 90 W. suite A

Theodore, Alabama 36582

Northside Sub-Station

10121 Moffett Road

Semmes, Alabama 36575
President Joe Biden said Thursday he had spoken to the governors of New York and New Jersey after remnants of Hurricane Ida caused dangerous flash floods and tornadoes across the Northeast.

"There's a lot of damage, and I made clear to the governors that my team at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, is on the ground and ready to provide all the assistance that's needed," Biden said, speaking from the White House.

"My message to everyone affected is we're all in this together. The nation is here to help. That's the message I've been making clear to the mayors, governors, energy and utility leaders in the region who my administration has been working closely with over the past few days," Biden said.

Biden said since the hurricane made landfall, more than 6,000 members of the National Guard have been activated in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas and other states to support search and rescue efforts.

"We know that there is much to be done in this response on our part. We need to get power restored. We need to get more food, fuel and water deployed," Biden said.

The President said he gets hourly updates on relief efforts from FEMA "well into the night," and said his team would be working "around the clock until the critical needs of the region are fully met. And we will meet them."

Biden said his team has been working with private companies to accelerate the restoration of power and cell phone services.

"It's beginning to get back up, but there's a long way to go," Biden said.

Biden will be traveling on Friday to Louisiana to meet with Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, and parish presidents, mayors and local officials representing the affected areas. He said the governor encouraged the President to come and assured him his visit would not disrupt recovery efforts on the ground.

New York declared a state of emergency early Thursday morning. At least 11 people have died in New York City, New Jersey and Maryland.

Biden met on Monday with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and governors and mayors from states and cities affected by Ida after the storm made landfall on Sunday in Louisiana and caused catastrophic damage.

Residents are now facing gas shortages and dwindling supplies, and power outages in some Louisiana parishes could last at least a month.

The President on Monday spoke about the number of actions the federal government had taken, including working with private sector energy providers to restore power to the more than one million Louisianans that at the time were without electricity.

Ahead of the storm, Biden approved the state of Louisiana's request for a major federal disaster declaration and the state of Mississippi's request for an emergency declaration. He said these declarations allowed federal aid to be ready ahead of time to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Ida.

The President visited FEMA's headquarters in Washington on Sunday to receive a briefing on the storm. While there, Biden warned the hurricane was life-threatening and that the devastation was likely to be immense.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire

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FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2021, file photo, people prepare doses of a COVID-19 vaccine at the Martin Luther King Senior Center, in North Las Vegas. Nevada health officials are reporting about one in six people statewide has received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine since shots became available in mid-December. Washoe County coronavirus response official James English told reporters Monday, March 8, 2021, to expect vaccinations to "ramp up" during the next couple of weeks. (AP Photo/John Locher,File)
The full statement

To the FCPS Community:

I hope my message to you this evening finds you and your loved ones well and safe. I wanted to update the community regarding this afternoons dismissal from schools.

As we mentioned in a message to our community yesterday, we were aware that the remnants of Hurricane Ida would bring rain to our community over an extended period of time. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, we closely monitored weather and road conditions throughout the county, just as we would with any other inclement weather situation. We also closely monitored the forecast.

Initial school dismissals proceeded normally until drivers were met with unexpectedly hazardous road conditions. As middle and some elementary school buses were beginning their routes, very heavy rain overtook our entire county. The sudden hazardous road conditions led to many challenges.

The Frederick County Sheriff's Department informed us that buses needed to be removed from the roads, leading many elementary school buses to return back to schools where our school administrators ensured that students were able to safely unite with families. One bus encountered high water in the Thurmont area, leading to a response by fire and rescue crews. All students and one driver on this bus were safely evacuated and united with their families.

Our decision to remain open for a full day led to last-minute changes for families, along with stress and anxiety for many. For that, I am deeply sorry. My first priority is to keep students and staff safe. I am grateful that everyone was able to get safely to their homes.

I want to thank the many staff members who stayed at school working diligently to ensure our students were cared for while waiting for their families. I also want to thank our bus drivers and bus assistants who demonstrated what incredible professionals they are. Finally, I am grateful to our law enforcement and first responders who supported us during the flash flooding this afternoon.

Sincerely,

Terry Alban
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We love coffee so much we went into business, Steven Rojas said. Everyone in the family has some kind of involvement in the company.

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Rojas describes himself as a retail man and distributor of coffees, while Avery Rojas works behind the scenes. The family converted its home garage into a roastery, and received a permit to go into the business of roasting and selling coffee beans.

We have been certified and allowed to do what we love so passionately," Steven Rojas said. "Its not a storefront; we bypassed that cost."

Rojas sources his coffee beans from 30 countries, mostly in Latin America and Africa. He seeks out organically and sustainably farmed beans that he roasts to light, medium, medium-dark and dark levels, and offers in various styles, including single-brew pods and single pour-over packets. Customers can order the roasted beans and other merchandise at weekend-roasters.com.

Soon the website will also offer a way for customers to order coffee beverages to pick up at the roastery, or to be delivered from our home to your home, Rojas said. From their farm to our roast to your cup.
NEW DELHI (AP)  More students in India will be able to step inside a classroom for the first time in nearly 18 months Wednesday, as authorities gave the green light to partially reopen more schools despite apprehension from some parents and signs that infections are picking up again.

Schools and colleges in at least six more states are reopening in a gradual manner with health measures in place throughout September. In New Delhi, all staff must be vaccinated and class sizes will be capped at 50% with staggered seating and sanitized desks.

In the capital only students in grades nine through 12 will be allowed to attend at first, though it is not compulsory. Some parents say they will be holding their children back, including Nalini Chauhan, who lost her husband to the coronavirus last year.

That trauma is there for us and that is what stops me from going out. We dont go to malls. We dont go shopping. So why schools now? she said.

Life has been slowly returning to normal in India after the trauma of a ferocious coronavirus surge earlier this year ground life in the country to a halt, sickened tens of millions, and left hundreds of thousands dead. A number of states returned last month to in person learning for some age groups.
Crime

top story centerpiece

Former Mercyhealth vice president charged in kickback scheme

MADISON

The U.S. Attorney in Madison on Wednesday charged a former Mercyhealth official and the operator of a former marketing firm in a kickback scheme that officials said defrauded the Janesville-based health system of more than $3 million.

The Western District U.S. Attorneys office, in a six-page charging document, lays out details of how former Mercyhealth vice president Barbara Bortner, 57, Milton, and marketing firm operator Ryan Weckerly, 46, Sycamore, Illinois, are suspected of creating business bank accounts to sock away checks and cash theyd siphoned off in a five-year-long scheme involving inflated billings by Weckerly.

Bortner, a 30-year employee of Mercyhealth, was charged in federal court Wednesday with wire fraud and tax evasion. Weckerly was charged with aiding and abetting in the preparation of a false income tax return.

Bortner and Weckerly both waived their rights to indictment by a grand jury and agreed to plead guilty, according to the release.

The wire fraud and tax charges stem from Bortner and Weckerlys involvement in a kickback scheme while she was the vice president of marketing at Mercyhealth, the U.S. Attorney said in the release.

Javon Bea: $3 million Mercyhealth fraud being investigated by U.S. Attorney Mercyhealth CEO Javon Bea said the U.S. Attorneys Office in Madison is now investigating what he calls a $3-million kickback scheme thats left longtime Mercyhealth executive Barb Bortner fired.

Janesville-based Mercyhealth is a multi-billion dollar nonprofit hospital and health care group that operates more than a half-dozen hospitals and more than 60 clinics across southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, including Mercyhealth Hospital and Trauma Center, Janesville.

Weckerly was owner of Morningstar Media Group, a marketing agency based in Sycamore, and his company did business as health and wellness publication InVironments Magazine, the charging documents said.

Beginning in February of 2015, Bortner and Weckerly devised a plan whereby he would submit inflated invoices to Bortner for his marketing work for Mercyhealth, the release states.

Bortner and Weckerly agreed that he would provide monetary kickbacks to Bortner for the funds he received from the inflated invoices, the release continues. In return, Bortner agreed she would continue to use Morningstar Media Group as the primary marketing agency for Mercyhealth. The kickback scheme continued until June of 2020 and involved over $3 million.

Bortner failed to report her income from the kickbacks on her federal tax return in 2018, according to the release.

Weckerly was charged with aiding and abetting because he gave Bortner a false Form 1099 for 2019 that underreported her compensation from Weckerly by excluding the amount of money received in the kickback scheme, according to the charging documents.

Weckerly wrote 103 checks that totaled more than $2 million to Bortner and also gave her cash. Bortner deposited much of the money in an account she created at the Bank of Milton, one of the charging documents states.

The Bank of Milton account was in the name of WeInspire LLC, the document states.

According to the charging document, Bortner created WeInspire to make it appear that she was performing legitimate work for InVironments Magazine.

In reality, Bortners creation of WeInspire was an attempt to disguise the source of the kickback payments from Weckerly, the charging document continued.

Mercyhealth CEO Javon Bea previously told The Gazette that Bortner had clearance from Mercyhealth to authorized up to about $10,000 of marketing invoices at one time. Bea indicated that might have allowed the scheme to roll out incrementally over a five-year span.

He said earlier that Mercyhealth believes Bortner was the only Mercy employee involved.

The charges against Bortner and Weckerly were the result of an Internal Revenue Service investigation.

Bea indicated he learned of the fraud in early August and fired Bortner at that time. Mercyhealth also dissolved a partnership with a vendor believed to be involved in the scheme.

Mercyhealth fires Vice President suspected in $3 million fraud with vendor Mercyhealth has terminated one of its vice presidents, Barb Bortner, after the Janesville-based health care groups said it learned Bortner was involved in a $3-million fraudulent invoice and kickback scheme with a vendor.

Bea told The Gazette that Mercyhealth officials were disappointed and shaken by the fraud, both because of Bortners longevity with the health care group, but also because shed been a big presence at Mercy and a trusted member in its administrative inner circle.

Mercyhealths most recently available tax records show Bortner was being paid a $350,000 annual salary as the head of Mercys marketing division.

Bea said Bortner started out at Mercyhealth as an associate in the marketing department and moved up through the ranks.

According to the timeline laid out by the U.S. Attorney, the fraud Bortner and Weckerly are accused of continued to roll out through the summer of 2020.

That means the scheme would have overlapped a period in 2020 when Mercy laid off dozens of staff and chopped executive pay.

At that time, the health care group indicated it was weathering significant revenue losses from delinquent Medicaid repayments in Illinois. Mercyhealth had to scuttle patient surgeries for weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Bortner has not responded to multiple requests for comment by The Gazette.
Gillette, WY (82718)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 49F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 49F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
New York, Sept. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Middle East and Africa Modular Combat Turret Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis By Type and Platform" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06103225/?utm_source=GNW

On the other hand, an unmanned turret does not house any crew, it only houses weapons and other supporting systems. Crewmembers that would typically be placed within the turret are either accommodated in the hull (gunner/ commander) or replaced entirely (autoloaders instead of human loaders). Since, the unmanned turret does not have an enclosed space for the crew, the space can be utilized to hold other things, including ammunitions and larger guns. The space can also be eliminated entirely, making the turret much smaller and compact. Unmanned turret can also be situated in an entirely isolated area from the crew members, thereby protecting crew in case of any ammunition explosion in the turret. Witnessing the opportunity, several suppliers are now offering unmanned turrets. For instance, Elbit Systems Ltd. provides unmanned turret that encompasses a broad range of weapon systems, advanced electro-optics (EO), and countermeasures. The turret can be configured with various types of cannons (25 or 30 mm), coaxial machine guns (7.62 mm), and guided anti-tank missiles. Additionally, technological changes in older or existing fleet is among the other factors expected to fuel the demand for modular combat turrets in MEA during the forecast period.

Based on platform, the MEA modular combat turret market for the land segment is expected to grow fastest during the forecast period.The modular combat turrets are available in ground-based platform.



Kent Periscopes has received a production phase contract to provide their Sabre sight as an auxiliary gunners sight (AGS) on MCT-30 turrets to Armscor as a part of its Project Hoefyster deliveries to the South African Army.In addition, Denel Land Systems designed and produced Badger to fulfill the demands of a modern army engaged in both peace-keeping operations and high-intensity warfare.



The new modular combat vehicle (MCV) is a platform designed by Patria, which has been fully optimized by Denel Land Systems to fulfill the South African Armys specific needs. This new localized vehicle includes turret variants known as Badger as a part of Armscors Project Hoefyster, which looks ahead to replace old Ratel Infantry Combat Vehicle.

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to have a negative impact on the MEA modular combat turret market in the coming years.Since the outbreak of the pandemic, all manufacturing processes have been negatively impacted to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus and comply with the social distancing norms imposed by local and federal government bodies.



These factors disrupted the supply chain of armored vehicles, naval warfare systems, and aircraft or aircraft components across the world, which thereby directly impacted the MEA modular combat turret market.Pertaining to the closure of borders of countries, the supply chain of several components and parts have been disturbed, which has restrained the market growth.



The demand for advanced defense equipment and components, such as modular combat turret, for modernizing and strengthening the military vehicles has weakened over the past couple of months. This has resulted in a loss of business among the local and international modular combat turret manufacturers in MEA.

The overall MEA modular combat turret market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources.To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market.



The process also serves the purpose of obtaining an overview and forecast for the MEA modular combat turret market with respect to all the segments pertaining to the region.Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate the data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic.



The participants of this process include industry experts such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, along with external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders, specializing in the MEA modular combat turret market. BAE Systems, Curtiss-Wright Corporation, Elbit System Ltd., Jenoptik AG, Leonardo S.P.A, Moog Inc., Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi A.S, and Rheinmetall AG are among the key players operating in the market.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06103225/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire -- FuelPositive Corp. (TSX.V: NHHH) (OTCQB: NHHHF), a growth stage company focused on licensing, partnership and acquisition opportunities building upon various technological achievements, today announces that it has been featured in a broadcast via NetworkNewsAudio (NNA), a solution that delivers additional visibility, recognition and brand awareness in the investment community via distribution to thousands of syndication points. The audio press release covers FuelPositives recent announcement that it commissioned emissions reduction and carbon credit specialist Andre Mech to conduct an analysis of Canadas green off-peak electricity capacity and to determine the fuel needs and the carbon emissions of the Canadian transportation sector.



To hear the audio production, visit: https://nnw.fm/gYASe

To read the original press release, visit: https://nnw.fm/Yvz2e

Switching from fossil fuels to carbon-free ammonia offers a viable, economical transition strategy for Canadas transportation sector as we adopt new practices to address climate change, commented Ian Clifford, CEO of FuelPositive. Many people dont know it, but planes, trains, ships, trucks and other vehicles can be converted to run on ammonia  just as easily as they can be converted from gasoline and diesel to run on propane. The transportation sector just didnt see a benefit to switching to ammonia until now, because the production of traditional ammonia results in massive carbon emissions. But, when you use our carbon-free NH3 made from green electricity rather than traditional ammonia, it means we can move people around and transport goods with no pollution.

The findings of Mechs analysis were startling. Canada has enough off-peak green electricity today to provide non-polluting, carbon-free NH3 fuel to power 63% of all the passenger cars, light trucks, passenger aviation, buses, light rail, motorcycles, freight trucking, freight aviation, rail, marine and other sector vehicles in the country. But even more exciting, Canada has enough off-peak green electricity to provide carbon-free NH3 to power 100% of the needs of passenger and freight aviation and rail, passenger bus, freight trucking, freight rail and freight marine shipping in Canada  all regulated industries that are notoriously high greenhouse gas emitters with significant government mandates to decarbonize.

The analysis outlines the opportunities and needs at the provincial and territorial levels, said study author Andre Mech. Three provinces  Manitoba, Quebec and Newfoundland & Labrador  already generate enough renewable electricity to cover their passenger aviation, passenger rail and freight transportation fuel requirements using FuelPositives carbon-free NH3 system. In a national strategy, they would be green ammonia suppliers. The remaining provinces and territories would be green ammonia consumers. According to Mech: The good news is that there are suppliers and consumers. That tells us that there is a market for green ammonia within Canada itself.

About FuelPositive Corp.

FuelPositive Corp. is a Canadian growth-stage technology company committed to providing commercially viable and sustainable, cradle to cradle, clean energy solutions, including carbon-free ammonia (NH3), for use across a broad spectrum of industries and applications. By focusing on technologies that are clean, economically advantageous/realizable and that leverage existing infrastructure, the company aims to change the course of climate change through practical solutions that can be implemented now. For more information, visit the companys website at www.FuelPositive.com

About NetworkNewsAudio

NetworkNewsAudio (NNA), one of 50+ brands within the InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN), allows you to sit back and listen to market updates, CEO interviews and AudioPressRelease (APR) productions. These audio clips provide snapshots of position, opportunity and momentum. NNA can assist by cutting through the overload of information in today's market, while bringing its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. IBN is where news, content and information converge. IBN is a comprehensive provider of news aggregation and syndication, enhanced press release services and a full array of social communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and distribution company with an extensive team of journalists and writers, IBN has the unparalleled ability to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public with an ever-growing distribution network of 5,000+ key syndication outlets across the nation.

For more information, visit: www.NetworkNewsAudio.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the InvestorBrandNetwork website applicable to all content provided by IBN, wherever published or re-published: https://IBN.fm/Disclaimer

Forward-Looking Statements

This 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. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters set in the company's SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

Corporate Communications

InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN)

Los Angeles, California

www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com

310.299.1717 Office

Editor@InvestorBrandNetwork.com
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Silver Bull Resources, Inc. (OTCQB: SVBL, TSX: SVB) (Silver Bull or the Company) is pleased to announce the timing and additional details regarding the previously announced distribution (the Distribution) to Silver Bull shareholders of shares of Arras Minerals Corp. (Arras).



Pursuant to the Distribution, shareholders of Silver Bull common stock as of September 10, 2021 (the Record Date) will be entitled to receive one common share of Arras for each share of Silver Bull common stock held as of that date. The Distribution is scheduled to occur on September 24, 2021 (the Distribution Date).

Immediately following completion of the Distribution, Silver Bulls shareholders will be issued shares in Arras so that, collectively, they will own approximately 84% of Arras, on a non-diluted basis, and Silver Bull will own approximately 4% of Arras, on a non-diluted basis. The remaining approximately 12% of Arras will be held by those who participated in Arras private placement in April 2021.

In connection with the approval of the Distribution by the board of directors of Silver Bull, Silver Bull and Arras entered into a separation and distribution agreement, dated August 31, 2021, setting forth the principal actions to be taken in connection with the Distribution and providing a framework for the relationship between the parties after the Distribution.

The Toronto Stock Exchange (the TSX) has decided to implement due bill trading in connection with the Distribution. Each due bill will represent an entitlement to an Arras share to be distributed pursuant to the Distribution and will attach to each Silver Bull share between the opening of trading on September 9, 2021 and the closing of trading on September 24, 2021, allowing Silver Bull shares to carry the value of the entitlement to the Arras share until the Distribution is made. As such, Silver Bull shareholders who sell Silver Bull shares up to the end of trading on the Distribution Date (i.e., when Silver Bull shares trade with an attached due bill representing an entitlement to Arras shares to be distributed pursuant to the Distribution) will be selling their right to receive Arras common shares in the Distribution. Ex-distribution trading (i.e., where Silver Bull shares trade without an entitlement to Arras shares to be distributed pursuant to the Distribution) will commence at the opening of trading on September 27, 2021. The due bill redemption date (i.e., the date when holders of due bill entitlements are expected to settle their entitlements) will be September 28, 2021. It is expected that the OTCQB marketplace will also implement due bills trading.

Most Silver Bull shareholders hold their Silver Bull shares through a bank or brokerage firm. In such cases, the bank or brokerage firm would be said to hold the shares in street name, and ownership would be recorded on the banks or brokerage firms books. If a Silver Bull shareholder holds Silver Bull shares through a bank or brokerage firm, the bank or brokerage firm will credit the shareholders account for the Arras common shares that the shareholder is entitled to receive in the Distribution. If Silver Bull shareholders have any questions concerning the mechanics of having shares held in street name, they should contact their bank or brokerage firm.

In connection with the Distribution, all registered Silver Bull shareholders holding physical share certificates or shares in book-entry form with the Companys transfer agent (Olympia Trust Company) will be issued Arras shares in book-entry form only, which means that no physical share certificates will be issued. For questions relating to the transfer or mechanics of the Distribution, please contact Olympia Trust Company by telephone at 1-833-684-1546 (toll free in North America) or by online inquiry at cssinquiries@olympiatrust.com.

Upon the consummation of the Distribution, Arras will not be listed on a public stock exchange but will report under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. The Arras shares distributed to Silver Bull shareholders, though freely transferable in the United States, may be illiquid until such time as the shares are listed or a trading market develops, if at all. The Distribution of Arras shares by Silver Bull will constitute a distribution of securities that is exempt from the prospectus requirements of Canadian securities legislation. As such, the first trade in Arras shares in Canada will be a distribution for the purposes of Canadian securities laws and subject to prospectus requirements unless certain conditions are satisfied. Until such conditions are satisfied, Arras shares may only be resold in Canada pursuant to an exemption from prospectus requirements. Silver Bull warrants and options will also be adjusted pursuant to the Distribution. For further details regarding the Canadian resale restrictions on the Arras shares distributed by Silver Bull and the adjustments being made to Silver Bull warrants and options in connection with the Distribution, please refer to the Registration Statement on Form 20-F of Arras filed on September 1, 2021 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar (the 20-F).

Tax Implications

The following discussion is qualified in its entirety by the discussion of tax matters set forth in the 20-F. Silver Bull shareholders entitled to receive the Distribution of Arras shares should make reference to that discussion for further details regarding the tax consequences of the Distribution.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the receipt of Arras common shares by Silver Bull shareholders should be treated as a distribution of property in an amount equal to the fair market value of the common shares received. The Distribution of Arras common shares should be treated as dividend income to the extent considered paid out of Silver Bulls current and accumulated earnings and profits. Distributions in excess of Silver Bulls current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of the holders basis in its Silver Bull shares and thereafter as capital gain. Silver Bull will not be able to determine the amount of the Distribution that will be treated as a dividend until after the close of the taxable year of the Distribution because its current year earnings and profits will be calculated based on its income for the entire taxable year in which the Distribution occurs. However, based on current projections, it is reasonably expected that a portion of the Distribution of Arras common shares should be treated as a return of capital rather than a dividend.

For Canadian tax purposes, the Distribution of Arras shares will be considered a dividend in kind on the Silver Bull shares to shareholders resident in Canada. Such shareholders will be required to include in computing their income for a taxation year the amount of such dividend (equal to the fair market value of the Arras shares received). A dividend in kind of the Arras shares paid in respect of the Silver Bull shares to a shareholder who is not a resident of Canada will not be subject to Canadian withholding tax or other income tax under the Income Tax Act (Canada).

The portion of the Distribution treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes that is made to non-U.S. holders will generally be subject to U.S. federal gross-basis income tax at a rate of 30%, or a lower rate specified in an applicable income tax treaty. This tax is generally collected by way of withholding. Because the amount constituting a dividend will not be known at the time of the Distribution, Silver Bull or the applicable withholding agent is generally required to withhold on entire amount of the Distribution. Silver Bull or the applicable withholding agent may obtain the funds necessary to remit any such withholding tax by asking the non-U.S. holder to provide the funds, by using funds in such holders account with the applicable withholding agent or by selling (on such holders behalf) the portion of Arras common shares otherwise distributable to such non-U.S. holder needed to pay that tax, together with associated expenses.

EACH REGISTERED HOLDER OF SILVER BULL COMMON STOCK THAT IS A NON-U.S. HOLDER WILL HAVE THE OPTION TO PROVIDE THE FUNDS NECESSARY TO REMIT ANY APPLICABLE WITHHOLDING TAX TO THE IRS. IF SUCH FUNDS, TOGETHER WITH ANY OTHER REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION TO BE PROVIDED FROM SUCH HOLDER, ARE NOT RECEIVED BY SEPTEMBER 17, 2021, THEN, IF APPLICABLE, A PORTION OF THE ARRAS COMMON SHARES OTHERWISE DISTRIBUTABLE TO SUCH HOLDER WILL BE WITHHELD AND SOLD (ON SUCH HOLDERS BEHALF) IN ORDER TO PAY ANY APPLICABLE WITHHOLDING TAX.

As this Distribution, as described above, is reasonably expected to result in a taxable dividend, the Company or an applicable withholding agent generally will be required to withhold with respect to the Distribution being made to certain non-U.S. holders. The Company implores shareholders who have not yet provided proof of their tax residency to do so by filing the appropriate forms with their bank, brokerage firm or for those who hold physical share certificates or in book entry form with the Companys transfer agent, Olympia Trust Company, prior to the Record Date.

Benefits of the Transaction

The Distribution is expected to:

provide investors with the potential for greater value than a single company, by unlocking a premium value for the Beskauga and Sierra Mojada projects separately;

create two separate companies that have clear commodity and regional demarcation, allowing for targeted branding and marketing;

allow each company flexibility in allocating resources and deploying capital in a manner consistent with the separate business strategies;

broaden the appeal of the potential investor base for both companies, with Kazakhstan appealing to European and Middle Eastern investors and Mexico potentially appealing to North American investors; and

facilitate the ability of the companies to separately finance the Beskauga and Sierra Mojada projects based on the unique characteristics of each project and jurisdiction.

Tim Barry, President, CEO and director of Silver Bull states, We continue to believe greater value will be created with two independent companies compared to the value that would be achieved by keeping the two sets of assets in a single company. Both the Beskauga and Sierra Mojada projects have NI 43-101 compliant resources as well as exploration upside and we believe the split will allow each company to execute its own unique business strategy and achieve a premium for any success in resource development and exploration. With continued strong metal prices and demand for commodities, we are confident that now is the right time to separate the projects in different companies.

Beskauga Deposit, Kazakhstan: The Beskauga deposit is an open pittable gold-copper-silver deposit with a NI 43-101 compliant Indicated Mineral Resource of 207 million tonnes grading 0.35 g/t gold, 0.23% copper and 1.09 g/t silver for 2.33 million ounces of contained gold, 476.1 thousand tonnes of contained copper, and 7.25 million ounces of contained silver and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 147 million tonnes grading 0.33 g/t gold, 0.15% copper and 1.02 g/t silver for 1.56 million ounces of contained gold, 220.5 thousand tonnes of contained copper, and 4.82 million ounces of contained silver.

The constraining pit was optimised and calculated using a NSR cut-off based on a price of: $1,500/oz for gold, $2.80/lb for copper, $17.25/oz for silver, and with an average recovery of 81.7% for copper and 51.8% for both gold and silver. Mineralization remains open in all directions as well as at depth.

Table 1. Pit-constrained Mineral Resource estimate for the Beskauga copper-gold project

CATEGORY TONNAGE (MT) CU % AU G/T AG G/T AU (MOZ) CU (KT) AG (MOZ) Indicated 207 0.23 0.35 1.09 2.33 476.1 7.25 Inferred 147 0.15 0.33 1.02 1.56 220.5 4.82

For a full summary of the Beskauga resource please refer to the Companys press release dated January 28, 2021 and filed on the Companys profile at www.SEDAR.com , or by visiting the following link:

https://www.silverbullresources.com/news/silver-bull-announces-maiden-ni-43-101-resource-of-2.33-million-ounces-of-gold-476-thousand-tonnes-of-copper-in-the-indicated/

Sierra Mojada deposit, Mexico: Sierra Mojada is an open pittable oxide deposit with a NI 43-101 compliant Measured and Indicated global Mineral Resource of 70.4 million tonnes grading 3.4% zinc and 38.6 g/t silver for 5.35 billion pounds of contained zinc and 87.4 million ounces of contained silver. Included within the global Mineral Resource is a Measured and Indicated high grade zinc zone of 13.5 million tonnes with an average grade of 11.2% zinc at a 6% cutoff, for 3.336 billion pounds of contained zinc, and a Measured and Indicated high grade silver zone of 15.2 million tonnes with an average grade of 114.9 g/t silver at a 50 g/t cutoff for 56.3 million contained ounces of silver. Mineralization remains open in the east, west, and northerly directions.

The constraining pit was optimised and calculated using a NSR cut-off based on a silver price of US$15/oz, and a zinc price of US$1.20/lb and assumed a recovery for silver of 75% and a recovery for zinc of 41%. Approximately 60% of the current 3.2 kilometer mineralized body is at or near surface before dipping at around 6 degrees to the east.

CATEGORY TONNES (MT) AG (G/T) CU (%) PB (%) ZN (%) AG

(MOZS) CU

(MLBS) PB

(MLBS) ZN

(MLBS) MEASURED 52.0 39.2 0.04 % 0.3 % 4.0 % 65.5 45.9 379.1 4,589.3 INDICATED 18.4 37.0 0.03 % 0.2 % 1. 9 % 21.9 10.8 87.0 764.6 TOTAL M&I 70.4 38.6 0.04 % 0.3 % 3.4 % 87.4 56.8 466.1 5,353.9 INFERRED 0.1 8.8 0.02 % 0.2 % 6.4 % 0.02 0.04 0.4 10.7

For a full summary of the Sierra Mojada resource, please refer to the Companys press release dated October 31, 2018 and filed on the Companys profile at www.SEDAR.com , or by visiting the following link:

https://www.silverbullresources.com/news/silver-bull-resources-announces-5.35-billion-pounds-zinc-87.4-million-ounces-silver-in-updated-sier r a-mojada-measured-and/

Sierra Mojada is currently under an illegal blockade from a group called Sociedad Cooperativa de Exploracion Minera Mineros Nortenos, S.C.L. (Mineros Nortenos).

In 2014, Mineros Nortenos filed a lawsuit against Silver Bulls Mexican subsidiary Minera Metalin. In the lawsuit, Mineros Nortenos sought payment of a capped 2% production royalty, including interest at a rate of 6% per annum since August 30, 2004, even though no revenue has been produced from the applicable mining concessions. Mineros Nortenos also sought payment of wages to the Mineros Nortenos members since August 30, 2004 under this agreement, even though a mineral processing plant was never built and none of the individuals were hired or performed work for Silver Bull under this agreement and Silver Bull did not commit to hiring them.

To date, Mineros Nortenos has lost three separate rulings on its lawsuit. In an attempt to force Silver Bull into making a settlement, Mineros Nortenos has undertaken to illegally block access to the project since September 2019. To ensure the safety of all involved, Silver Bull has elected to halt all operations on the project until a resolution can be found.

Post-Distribution of Arras Shares

Following the Distribution, Silver Bull will focus on the Sierra Mojada asset and surrounding area in Mexico and continue to manage the joint venture option with South32. It will continue to trade under the symbol SVB on the TSX, and SVBL on the OTCQB. The current management and board are expected to remain in place to continue to run the Company.

Arras will focus on the Beskauga deposit and the exploration licenses held in the surrounding area. In addition, current Silver Bull management and board have been appointed as management and board of Arras, along with G. Wesley Carson as an additional independent board member.

Both companies will remain headquartered in Vancouver.

The technical information of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Tim Barry, a Chartered Professional Geologist (CPAusIMM), and a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Tim Barry

Tim Barry, CPAusIMM

Chief Executive Officer, President and Director

INVESTOR RELATIONS:

+1 604 687 5800 info@silverbullresources.com

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors concerning estimates of Measured, Indicated, and Inferred Resources: This press release uses the terms measured resources, indicated resources, and inferred resources which are defined in, and required to be disclosed by, NI 43-101. We advise U.S. investors that these terms are not recognized by the SEC. The estimation of measured, indicated and inferred resources involves greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic feasibility than the estimation of proven and probable reserves. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that measured and indicated mineral resources will be converted into reserves. The estimation of inferred resources involves far greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic viability than the estimation of other categories of resources. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that estimates of inferred mineral resources exist, are economically minable, or will be upgraded into measured or indicated mineral resources. Under Canadian securities laws, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies.

Disclosure of contained ounces in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations, however the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute reserves by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Accordingly, the information contained in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies that are not subject NI 43-101.

Cautionary note regarding forward looking statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and Silver Bulls future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act, and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the expected timing, mechanics, income tax consequences, benefits and other aspects of the proposed Distribution, expected post-Distribution management focus, and the Mineral Resource estimates for the Beskauga and Sierra Mojada projects. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about Silver Bulls exploration projects, the industry in which Silver Bull operates and the beliefs and assumptions of Silver Bulls management. Words such as expects, anticipates, targets, goals, projects, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates, continues, may, variations of such words, and similar expressions and references to future periods, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, including such factors as whether the Distribution is ultimately achieved, in the manner and on the timeline currently contemplated, or at all, whether some or all of the expected benefits of the Distribution will be achieved, the impact of the Distribution on Silver Bull shareholders, whether managements focus will be as described in this news release following the Distribution, the results of exploration activities and whether the results continue to support continued exploration activities, unexpected variations in ore grade, types and metallurgy, volatility and level of commodity prices, the availability of sufficient future financing, and other matters discussed under the caption Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the interim periods ended January 31, 2021, April 30, 2021, and our other periodic and current reports filed with the SEC and available on www.sec.gov and with the Canadian securities commissions available on www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Dallas, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Briggs Equipment, an ESOP-owned, full-service material handling solutions company is celebrating its 125th anniversary across its footprint throughout the month of September.

Founded in 1896 by C.H. Briggs and J.C. Weaver in Dallas, Texas, Briggs-Weaver Machine Manufacturing company had a vision of becoming the nations best industrials supplier. From servicing parts and repairs in Texas to providing service across the country, Briggs Equipment has grown today to 29 locations and almost 1,000 team members.

In 1952 Charles A. Sammons, founder of Sammons Enterprises, acquired Briggs-Weaver with the desire to push the boundaries of the machine manufacturing industry and create strategic partnerships with key manufacturers. A pivotal moment in the companys history took place in 1978 when Sammons launched the companys Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), creating a new ownership model for the company. Today, the ESOP model continues to shape the way company leadership makes decisions as well as day-to-day operations.

Briggs Equipment has been an integral part of the Sammons Enterprises portfolio since 1952, said Darron Ash, Senior Vice President of Sammons Enterprises. I applaud all of the team members whose dedication to customer solutions has been a cornerstone to success for the last 125 years.

From its first partnership in 1953 with railcar mover company Trackmobile, to continued expansion with key material handling manufacturers, Kalmar Ottawa, Hyster, Yale, JCB, Polaris, Karcher, and Princeton, Briggs Equipment has stayed focus on delivering expert service, parts, equipment, and rentals to their expanding customer base. With the quick growth of Briggs-Weaver, Sammons Enterprises formed Briggs Equipment in 1996 to expand the material handling side of the business.

It is a privilege to carry the torch of a company that has navigated the ever-changing needs of business for the last 125 years. Every team member should be proud of the part they have played in this long-term success. Briggs Equipment is powered by the hard work of our team members and their dedication to continuing the tradition of providing complete solutions to our customers with a safety-first focus, said Dan Lister, President of Briggs Equipment.

Throughout the history of Briggs Equipment, it has been the teams dedication to providing quality service that has driven new partnerships and continued growth. A front-line focus on providing best-in-class material handling solutions to our customers and having the most knowledgeable team in the industry will be the foundation for the future, Lister added.

###

About Briggs Equipment

Briggs Equipmenta wholly-owned subsidiary of Sammons Industrialis a leading provider of premium materials-handling equipment with operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and Mexico. Briggs Equipments US operations are headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with 29 locations in the south and southeast US. Briggs Equipment is a full-line materials handling distributor, offering sale of new and used equipment, long and short-term rentals, parts and service solutions and fleet management programs. For more information, visit www.briggsequipment.us.

About Sammons Industrial

Sammons Industrial, a Sammons Enterprises, Inc. wholly-owned subsidiary, is the parent company of the Enterprises industrial investments and operating companies. This includes a group of global materials handling companies operating under the Briggs Equipment trade names in the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Republic of Ireland. In addition, Sammons Industrial owns SitePro Rentals, a general equipment rental business in the US, and has investments in other industrial ventures in the hydrogen fuels and warehouse-designed racking sectors.

About Sammons Enterprises

Sammons Enterprises, Inc., is a diverse holding company composed of financial services, industrial equipment, real estate investments, and infrastructure businesses operating in five countries. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Sammons was established in 1938. With almost $6 billion in annual revenues and over $120 billion in assets, Sammons is one of the largest privately-held companies in the United States. For more information, visit www.SammonsEnterprises.com.

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September 2, 2021

Amsterdam, the Netherlands  Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced that it has completed the sale of the Domestic Appliances business to Hillhouse Investment, a global investment firm. The results of this transaction, which Philips announced on March 25, 2021, will be reported under discontinued operations in the third quarter of 2021. Philips received cash proceeds after tax and transaction-related costs of approximately EUR 3 billion.

The transaction values Domestic Appliances, a global leader with EUR 2.2 billion sales in 2020 in kitchen, coffee, garment care and home care appliances, at an enterprise value of approximately EUR 3.7 billion. The total deal value amounts to approximately EUR 4.4 billion resulting from an additional 15-year brand license agreement with annual payments that represent an estimated net present value of approximately EUR 0.7 billion.

I am pleased that in line with our plans we have completed this transaction and concluded our major divestments, said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips. I am confident that the Domestic Appliances business will be able to expand on its market leadership with the support of Hillhouse Investment. In the past 12 months, Philips has further strengthened its portfolio with the launch of new products and solutions, as well as the acquisitions of Intact Vascular in image guided therapy, and BioTelemetry and Capsule Technologies in connected care. We are executing on our strategy to deliver integrated solutions that support professional healthcare customers achieve the Quadruple Aim and consumers with their health.

We are in a great position to continue bringing meaningful innovations to the consumers home in areas such as kitchen, coffee, garment care and home care appliances, said Henk de Jong, CEO of Domestic Appliances. We look forward to embark on this new partnership with Hillhouse Investment, building on our longstanding consumer, customer and partner relationships, as well as our market leading positions across our portfolio and the brand license partnership with Philips.

Following the sale of Domestic Appliances, Philips EUR 3.2 billion Personal Health businesses will continue to shape its important role in the companys integrated health continuum approach through products and solutions that support healthy living and prevention of diseases. Philips is a global leader in oral healthcare, personal care and mother & child care, areas that are essential building blocks of consumer health.

For further information, please contact:

Ben Zwirs

Philips Global Press Office

Tel.: +31 6 15213446

E-mail: ben.zwirs@philips.com

Derya Guzel

Philips Investor Relations

Tel.: +31 20 59 77055

E-mail: derya.guzel@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum  from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2020 sales of EUR 17.3 billion and employs approximately 77,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Forward-looking statements

This release contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements made about the strategy, estimates of sales growth, future EBITA, future developments in Philips organic business and the completion of acquisitions and divestments. By their nature, these statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements.

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Pune, India, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Effective planning and implementation of security measures across social media accounts is anticipated to encourage growth in the global social media security market . Fortune Business Insights shared this information in a report, titled Social Media Security Market: Global Market Analysis, Insights, and Forecast 2019-2026. This report is will offer valuable insights into the drivers enabling growth in the market. Security measures help to protect the integrity of social media by protecting social media content against any threats. In addition to this, they also protect IT infrastructure of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others from cyber-attacks. These attacks include Trojans, viruses, phishing, password attacks, and malware. Social media security helps to secure encryption details, internet access, and password of users.

North America to Show Impressive Growth Opportunities On Account ofSoaring Popularity of Social Media Platforms

Presently, North America for a considerably high share in the global social media security market. The region is projected to emerge dominant throughout the forecast period. The early adoption of social media platforms will stoke growth of the market in this region. However, the region also witnessed repeated incidents of privacy breach in social media platforms. Soaring cases of cybercrime have compelled organizations as well as individuals to invest in social media security solutions. Another factor driving the market in North America is the rising need from organizations to secure their confidential data on these platforms and monitor their social media activities.

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The increasing penetration of social media usage in emerging countries is likely to boost the market in Asia Pacific. Regulatory reforms on social media security and privacy in Asia Pacific are expected to give impetus to the market. Countries such as Japan and China old a strong position in the market. Moreover, some of the leading players are planning to join hands with governments of Japan, China, and other countries to deploy the best cyber security solutions.

Rising Adoption of IoT and Cloud Computing Solutions to Spur Growth in the Market

The rising number of IT investments across the world is expected to reshape the IT sector, said a lead analyst at Fortune Business Insights. This, coupled with rising adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) will boost social media, in turn fuelling the demand for social media security solutions, he added.. Also, the rising use of social media platforms by corporates is compellingorganizations to install social media security systems. The rising social media security awareness among users is likely to fuel demand for social media security services.

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Contrary to this, as social media penetration is increasing across the globe, governments are not able to frame common laws pertaining to its usage. Some of the servers are more prone to cyber-attacks as the hardware and software installed in them are outsourced. Misuse of social media platforms is another threat faced by organizations that can damage their reputation in the coming years.

Leading Companies to Capitalize on their Distribution Channel to Gain Competitive Edge

Several leading players are focussing on the adoption of strategies to maintain a stronghold in the global market. These strategies include partnerships, collaborations, new product launches, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and business expansions. Some of the leading players operating in the global social media security market are Hootsuite Company, Sophos Group plc, Trend Micro Inc., SolarWinds Inc., Proofpoint, Inc., Digital Shadows Ltd., CA Technologies, KnowBe4, Inc., LookingGlass Cyber Solutions, maloon GmbH (Social Hub), Bowline Security Inc., and SecureMySocial.

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Some of the strategies adopted by companies are:

RiskIQ and Precise Technologies partnered together in June 2018. The main objective of this partnership was to help RiskIQ expand its distribution channel in Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa (excluding South Africa).

Tech Mahindra and LookingGlass Cyber Solutions joined hands together in May 2018. LookingGlasss aim is to improve and offer best solutions on threat intelligence to its customers.

In June 2018, KnowBe4 announced the launch of a product called reached Password Test (BPT) to enhance its password identification feature.

Digital Shadows expanded its business operations in March 2018 and launched new offices in Germany and Singapore.

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We are delighted to announce these phenomenal results from our Kobada Gold Project in Mali. With the inclusion of significant exploration drilling within our oxides and fresh rock, we have achieved a substantial increase in total resource to more than 3.1 million ounces, which includes a 44% increase in Measured and Indicated resource of 1.71 million ounces, and a 26% increase in Inferred resource of 1.43 million ounces, commented Danny Callow, CEO of African Gold Group



Highlights:

A 44% increase in the Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource to 1.71 million Au ounces.

A 26% increase in the Inferred Mineral Resource to 1.43 million Au ounces.

Significant additional upside in the Inferred Mineral Resource.

Gosso target drilling confirmed that the mineralisation and grades are higher than that observed at the Kobada main shear with an average grade of 1.11 g/t.

Confidence in the geological model continues to increase with every exploration campaign and holes drilled over the Kobada Gold Project.

Recent metallurgical test work completed as part of the feasibility study has revealed the sulphides are free milling and treatable through the same process circuit.

Revised Kobada definitive feasibility study expected by the end of September 2021.



TORONTO, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- African Gold Group, Inc. (TSX-V: AGG, OTC: AGGFF, FRA: 3A61) (AGG or the Company) is pleased to announce an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for its Kobada Gold Project (the Project or Kobada) located in southwestern Mali, Africa. The MRE update is based on additional drilling completed on the Kobada main shear from September 2020 until January 2021, which will form part of a revised definitive feasibility study (expected to be delivered by the end of September) (the 2021 DFS). Additionally, the Company has engaged various advisors to outline potential corporate opportunities.

The drilling campaign was focused on the gap area and the northern portion of the Kobada main shear, as well as testing the Gosso target for future potential. The drilling has once again increased the confidence in the geological model even further and resulted in a substantial increase in the Mineral Resource Estimate.

Danny Callow, CEO of African Gold Group, commented:

With very little additional drilling on the Phase 4A drill programme, we have proven the continued significant upside in our Kobada asset. These results are substantially better than those in the July 2020 Definitive Feasibility Study, and we are very excited to see this continued growth in measured and indicated resources. From this new drilling, we have added additional shallow, easily accessible inferred resources, and through further targeted drilling programmes, in Phase 4B and 4C we believe there is substantial further upside in resource growth.

We have always stated that there is significant upside in Kobada, and with more than 50 km of shear zones still untested with the drill bit, we believe we are sitting on a substantial world class resource.

2020 Drilling Campaign

The 2020 drilling campaign, running from September 2020 until January 2021, consisted of 43 drillholes totaling 6,364 m. Of these, four drillholes (522 m) were drilled at the Gosso target and the remaining 39 drillholes (5,842 m) were drilled in the gap area and northern extents of the northern domain of the Kobada main shear. The Gosso drillholes were all completed using diamond drilling while the Kobada drilling was a combination of diamond drilling (8 holes @ 1,258 m) and RC drilling (21 holes @ 2,890 m) with selected RC drillholes being completed with diamond tail (10 holes @ 1,221m RC and 473 m diamond) to drill into the sulphides.

The main focus of the 2020 drilling campaign was to confirm the geological model and improve the confidence in the model even more to enable additional Mineral Resource conversion of the oxides to the measured and indicated resource categories. The drilling was also used to test and confirm the depth extension of the lateritic (soft) material, the transition zone and the sulphides at depth.

For the Kobada main shear drilling, 34 drillholes intersected the mineralised zones and had an average accumulated mineralisation width of 29m @ 1.22 g/t. This drilling has significantly contributed to the increase in the indicated resource in the northern domain of the Kobada main shear. The drilling also highlighted areas of deeper weathering with oxide material extending further down to a depth of approximately 160 m in places, approximately 60 to 80 m deeper than originally anticipated.

The Gosso drillholes confirmed the mineralisation observed in the historical drillholes with the four drillholes having an average accumulated mineralisation width of 12 m @ 1.11 g/t.

Figure 1: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/42a59cfd-0722-4d87-b6ff-73f7076b31fd

Figure 2: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3767dd3c-1416-45a6-94c0-81c676d44a53

Mineral Resource



The geological model was revised with the additional 2020 drilling campaign information. The biggest impact was in the inferred category of the wireframes, the deepening of the oxide and sulphide transition depth, and not modelling the weathering zones as individual subdomains. The model is divided into five structural and grade-constrained domains which are further split into weathering zones of laterite, saprolite, transition and sulphide. The 2020 Definitive Feasibility Study used a sub-domaining for the weathering profile. However, this was reinvestigated and the mean gold grades per weathering profile show a natural decrease with depth and the log probability plots of the total composites show a good correlation and do not indicate that the orebody should be split into sub domains for estimation purposes. Drillholes were composited to a 1 m length to standardise the sample support size. A capping analysis of the 1 m composited data was conducted per domain to identify any outliers in that dataset. The outlier grade results were capped per domain and the capping represents the 99th or 98th percentile. The search ellipse for the domains were set from the strike and dip directions obtained from the orebody wireframe generation and variograms were generated for all domains. The block model was based on the kriging neighbourhood analysis (KNA) and had a parent estimation cell of 5 m x 10 m x 10 m in the x, y, and z. Grade estimation was conducted using Ordinary Kriging (OK) based on the variograms and the estimation was done per structural domain.

Geological losses of 5% for measured, 10% for indicated and 15% for inferred have been applied to the Mineral Resource. Only resources falling within a resource open pit shell based on a gold price of USD 1,800 / oz have been declared.

Figure 3: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7dd6eb1c-ae66-46ea-8db7-978d05e7b860

Figure 4: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0f008d9c-f769-4e3a-806e-9b5a397ce7a0

The two tables below detail the updated Mineral Resource Estimate for 2021.



Mineral Resource Classification



Tonnes Au Au Au Mt g/t kg koz Measured 21.40 0.83 17,784 572 Indicated 40.15 0.88 35,425 1,139 Measured & Indicated Total 61.54 0.86 53,209 1,711 Inferred Total 42.03 1.06 44,564 1,433 Notes: Mineral Resource cut-off of 0.35 g/t Au applied. A gold price of USD1,800/oz was used for ultimate optimisation. Columns may not add up due to rounding. Mineral Resources are stated as inclusive of Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources are reported as total Mineral Resources and are not attributed. Geological losses have been applied.

Table 1: Kobada Project Mineral Resources as of 1 July 2021

Rock Type



Mineral Resource Classification



Tonness Au Au Au Mt g/t kg koz Laterite











Measured 0.33 0.79 258 8 Indicated 1.18 0.90 1,062 34 Measured & Indicated Total 1.51 0.87 1,320 42 Inferred 1.30 1.01 1,308 42 Oxide











Measured 11.73 0.88 10,308 331 Indicated 16.16 0.94 15,113 486 Measured & Indicated Total 27.89 0.91 25,421 817 Inferred 10.83 1.14 12,373 398 Transitional











Measured 1.89 0.84 1,595 51 Indicated 4.43 0.89 3,936 127 Measured & Indicated Total 6.33 0.87 5,531 178 Inferred 4.60 0.95 4,345 140 Total Excluding Sulphides











Measured 13.95 0.87 12,161 391 Indicated 21.78 0.92 20,110 647 Measured & Indicated Total 35.73 0.90 32,271 1,038 Inferred 16.72 1.08 18,027 580 Sulphide











Measured 7.45 0.76 5,623 181 Indicated 18.37 0.83 15,315 492 Measured & Indicated Total 25.81 0.81 20,938 673 Inferred 25.31 1.05 26,537 853 Total Including Sulphides











Measured 21.40 0.83 17,784 572 Indicated 40.15 0.88 35,425 1,139 Measured & Indicated Total 61.54 0.86 53,209 1,711 Inferred 42.03 1.06 44,564 1,433 Notes: Mineral Resource cut-off of 0.35 g/t Au applied. A gold price of USD1,800/oz was used for ultimate optimisation. Columns may not add up due to rounding. Mineral Resources are stated as inclusive of Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources are reported as total Mineral Resources and are not attributed. Geological losses have been applied.

Table 2: Kobada Mineral Resources per Weathering Zone as of 1 July 2021

The increase in the Mineral Resource from 2020 to 2021 is primarily due to the improved gold price which improved the reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction by allowing for a larger and deeper resource pit to include more sulphides, the additional drilling information which improved geological confidence and assisted in converting Inferred Mineral Resource to Indicated Mineral Resource.

Year



Resource Classification



Tonnes Au Au Au Mt g/t Kg Koz 2020











Measured 23.25 0.79 18 379 591 Indicated 19.70 0.95 18 673 600 M&I Total 42.95 0.86 37 053 1 191 Inferred 26.71 1.33 35 421 1 139 Variance



M&I Total 43 % 0 % 44 % 44 % Inferred 57 % -20 % 26 % 26 % 2021











Measured 21.40 0.83 17 784 572 Indicated 40.15 0.88 35 425 1 139 M&I Total 61.54 0.86 53 209 1 711 Inferred 42.03 1.06 44 564 1 433

Table 3: Kobada Mineral Resource Reconciliation

Quality Assurance / Quality Control

The 2020 drilling campaign was undertaken by AMCO and supervised by Minxcon (Pty) Limited of South Africa. The drilling was a combination of diamond drilling (NQ) as well as RC drilling. Diamond drilling core was split and either sampled in one metre intervals or along lithological or structural contacts. The RC drilling was sampled in one metre increments and riffle split for assay samples. All samples were analysed at SGS (Bamako) Laboratory, a certified commercial laboratory. A strict QA/QC program was applied to all samples; which include insertion of either certified reference material (CRMs), a blank sample or duplicate every 10th sample (i.e. a rate of 10% of submitted samples). The gold analyses were by fire-assay on 50 grams aliquot with AAS finish.

Upside Potential

Upside potential remains at the Kobada main shear to upgrade some additional inferred mineral resources to indicated. In addition to this, the Kobada Project has significant upside potential in the 55 km strike of potential mineralised shear zones. Of these, the Gosso Target is the more advanced with limited drilling completed (21 drillholes) with mineralisation in 16 of these drillholes with the latest 2020 drilling confirming mineralisation at this target. Initial field investigations by the AGG geologists, in early 2021, has highlighted the potential at the Kobada Est targets where artisanal mining has exposed mineralised structural features.

Figure 5: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/64e09f48-8b00-40a0-abb0-bcd17308c7e9

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed, prepared and approved by Dr. Andreas Rompel, PhD, Pr. Sci. Nat. (400274/04), FSAIMM, Vice President Exploration of AGG, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and by Mr. Uwe Engelmann (BSc (Zoo. & Bot.), BSc Hons (Geol.), Pr.Sci.Nat. No. 400058/08, MGSSA), a director of Minxcon (Pty) Ltd and a member of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions.

About African Gold Group

African Gold Group is a TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V: AGG) listed exploration and development company with a focus on building Africas next mid-tier gold producer. The Company has a highly experienced board and management team with a proven track record in the African mining sector operating mines from development through to production. AGGs principal asset is the Kobada Project in southern Mali, which is in an advanced stage of development having completed the 2020 Definitive Feasibility Study and is targeting gold production of 100,000 oz per annum. As well as the initial Kobada Gold Project, other exploration locations have been identified on the Kobada, Farada and Kobada Est concessions, offering potential for an increase in resource. For more information regarding African Gold Group visit our website at www.africangoldgroup.com.

For more information:

Danny Callow

President and Chief Executive Officer

+ (27) 76 411 3803

Danny.Callow@africangoldgroup.com Daniyal Baizak

Vice President, Corporate Development

+1 (647) 835 9617

Daniyal.Baizak@africangoldgroup.com Scott Eldridge

Non-Executive Chairman of the Board

+1 (604) 722 5381

Scott.Eldridge@africangoldgroup.com Camarco (Financial PR)

Gordon Poole / Nick Hennis

+44 (0) 20 3757 4997

AfricanGoldGroup@camarco.co.uk

Cautionary statements

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding, the MRE, the 2021 DFS, engagement of advisors, upside potential at the Kobada Gold Project and drilling and explorations plans of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or 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 AGG to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages and other risks of the mining industry. Although AGG has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. AGG does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.
Portland, OR, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the South East Asia and Australia green building material market generated $15.3 billion in 2020, and is expected to garner $38.5 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 9.7% from 2021 to 2030. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chain, regional landscape, and competitive scenario.

Decrease in emission from green building materials and low operation cost drive the growth of the South East Asia and Australia green building material market. However, cost concern and market barriers restrains the market growth. On the other hand, growth in construction sector creates new opportunities in the coming years.

Download Sample PDF (171 Pages PDF with Insights): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/13420

Covid-19 Scenario:

The outbreak of covid-19 majorly impacted the construction sector, owing to which, the green building material market witnessed declined demand growth in South East Asian and Australian regions. Increase in the risk of infection among the workforce resulted in delayed construction projects, especially during the initial stage.

Several green building materials manufacturers in these regions either suspended or declined their operations which impacted the supply chain. Also, the decreased purchasing potential of suppliers affected the market throughout the pandemic.

On the other hand, the government bodies are taking initiatives for mass COVID vaccination drives. The businesses are permitted to remain active under precautionary measures. This factor is assisting the construction industry to continue their operations and the green building material market, therefore, is expected to recoup henceforth.

Request the Covid19 Impact Analysis @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/13420?reqfor=covid

The report offers detailed segmentation of the South East Asia and Australia green building material market based on product type and country.

Based on product type, the exterior product segment contributed to the highest share in 2020, accounting for more than one-thirds of the total share, and is expected to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. However, the solar products segment is projected to manifest the largest CAGR of 10.8% from 2021 to 2030.

Based on country, Singapore contributed to the largest share in 2020, holding for more than one-fourth of the total share, and is projected to continue its dominant share by 2030. On the other hand, the market across Philippines is projected to portray the highest CAGR of 11.8% during the forecast period. The research also analyzes regions including Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia.

Leading players of the South East Asia and Australia green building material market analyzed in the research include PT Bakrie & Brothers Tbk, Siam Cement Group, PT Modern Panels Indonesia, Brickworks Building Products Ltd., Kee Kiong (A2Z) SDN BHD, Aathaworld Sdn Bhd, Interface Inc., James Hardie Australia Pty Ltd., GreenPan, and CSR Limited.

Interested in Procuring this Report? Visit Here: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/south-east-asia-and-australia-green-building-materials-market/purchase-options

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New York, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Middle East and Africa Artwork Management Software Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis By Deployment and Application" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06103211/?utm_source=GNW

Throughout the pharmaceutical industry, packaging & labeling is highly recognized as a mission-critical process, which assists the organization to frame strategic goals for attracting more customers. Frequent label changes are a matter of course and new rules & regulations emerge with rising frequency. This factor will help in making the use of an artwork management system to lower human errors, reduce discrepancies in processes, and improve label quality & business agility. Additionally, the medical device companies have to comply with regulatory requirements such as the European Unions MDR systems and Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD), and Food and Drug Administrations?Unique Device Identification?(UDI) and Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) to maintain the smooth operations of pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors. Therefore, the manufacturers are reviewing medical device packaging and barcode labeling processes to comply with the emerging regulatory requirements.

South Africa, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, and Kuwait are the main countries facing the economic effects of COVID-19 outbreak in Middle East and Africa.It is becoming clear with the outbreak spreading through the above-mentioned countries that a few can avoid its effects, posing major challenges for sectors such as food & beverage, retail, and pharmaceutical.



The COVID-19 outbreak has highly disrupted the supply and demand gap in the adoption of artwork management tool in MEA countries.

Based on application, the Middle East & Africa artwork management software market is segmented into life sciences, retail, manufacturing, and others.The market for the retail segment is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period.



The consumer goods and retail segment consist of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies across the globe.These companies are integrating the artwork management software solutions in their systems to merge project information and communication in one platform.



This will also improve the accuracy and consistency, thereby reducing packaging errors and recalls and launching new products faster. Implementing an artwork management software in the consumer goods and retail sector enables real-time collaboration and optimizes workflow processes, which is creating high demand for the software among FMCG industries

The Middle East & Africa artwork management software market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources.To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market.



The process also serves the purpose of obtaining an overview and forecast for the Middle East & Africa artwork management software market with respect to all the market segments.Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants to validate the data as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic.



The participants of this process include industry experts such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, along with external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders, specializing in the Middle East & Africa artwork management software market. enLabel Global Services; Karomi Inc.; Loftware, Inc.; Freyr.; Esko-Graphics BV.; Twona.; Kallik; and Lascom are among the leading companies in the market.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06103211/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________
LONDON, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Luxandia offers a unique opportunity for luxury brands, who will be able to showcase their products and services. These can be sold using regular currency or the company's own cryptocurrencies, The Luxury Coin (TLX) and the upcoming in-world Luxandia cryptocurrency Lusso (LSO). The project is unique in the virtual reality space and the first to bring the $224.8 billion luxury industry to the metaverse.

"Luxandia is going to be the leading luxury virtual space in the emerging metaverse. Our vision is of an immersive, interconnected virtual world of luxury. We are starting with virtual luxury malls where brands can rent retail space and consumers can enter that same space through their laptop, but that is only the beginning," said Catalin Dascalu, CEO of The Luxury.

"As we continue to build out the world of Luxandia, we will also be enabling support for an app and virtual reality 3D glasses, allowing people to explore online stores just like they would in real life. The possibilities are endless, including an online 3D cinema where you can watch films surrounded by the atmosphere of a real cinema or a visit to an auction house to bid on NFT art. The only limit is the imagination - and the communities on Luxandia will be free to explore the possibilities that they can imagine."

Until recently, the metaverse was a concept only dreamed about in sci-fi, most notably Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel Snow Crash and Hollywood director Steven Spielberg's 2018 movie Ready Player One. Today, however, that is all changing as virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D glasses, and other digital technologies make it increasingly possible to explore entire new spaces without ever leaving your home.

The metaverse can be considered as complete and explorable digital worlds, much like the MMORPG Second Life or the virtual world of Decentraland, a project run on the Ethereum blockchain. People can buy and sell property and goods in both worlds, living a rich 'virtual life.'

Business is also moving in on what has traditionally been seen as gamers' virtual reality space. Facebook launched the 3D glasses virtual reality Horizon Workrooms app to help remote workers collaborate in cyberspace conference spaces using personalized avatars.

For many big tech leaders like Zuckerberg, the metaverse isn't a fantasy - it's the future of the internet, with endless implementations such as allowing people to venture into space without leaving home, thanks to 3D, 360-degree space walk experiences. Medical professionals are also discovering that virtual reality can ease diagnostic tests and treatments for patients, with promising research into the positive impact virtual reality systems can bring to patients entering into the fearful tedium of an MRI scan.

For The Luxury CEO Catalin Dascalu, progress in creating the metaverse is all about collaboration and cooperation rather than 'competitive rivalries.' By working together, tech companies can create a metaverse that matches the ambitious vision of a new and unlimited virtual space for work and play for humanity.

"Luxandia will be open to integration with other, similar projects. We believe in the power of collaborative innovation, not competitors," added Dascalu. "We look to projects like the Aura Blockchain Consortium and how a common purpose has pulled businesses together for progress, rather than getting lost in sometimes petty competitive rivalries. This is the way forward."

Those interested in experiencing the latest evolution of the emerging metaverse can get an early taste for Luxandia, with a waiting list expected to open in ONE month, allowing 1,000 to become beta testers of the virtual world from December 1, 2021.

Luxandia marks another bold venture from The Luxury into the world of cryptocurrency and the blockchain. The project follows The Luxury Bank, which aims to make using cryptocurrency for everyday purchases as simple as using a credit card.

For more information about Luxandia and to sign up for the waiting list when available, please visit https://theluxurybank.com/. For all general and media inquiries, please contact Aiham Saleh at +44 330 808 6781 or email pr@theluxurybank.com







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Luxandia

Image captured from inside Luxandia

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Attachment
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y., Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Monaghan Medical Corporation (MMC), a leader in the development, manufacture, and marketing of respiratory devices including the AeroChamber Plus Flow-Vu VHC, AeroEclipse II Nebulizer, and Aerobika Oscillatory Pep Device, is the recipient of the 2021 Zenith Award presented by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC). It is the seventh consecutive year MMC has received this prestigious honor.



The Zenith Award is a peoples choice award of excellence given annually by members of the respiratory care profession. Recipients of the award are manufacturers, service organizations and/or supply companies that are selected based on such criteria as outstanding service, quality, accessibility, truth in advertising, and support to the respiratory care community.

The award will be presented at the AARCs 67th International Respiratory Convention & Exhibition which is being held virtually in November.

This award is so meaningful to our company but even more so this year as it is voted on by respiratory therapists who are still navigating through difficult and unprecedented times, said Dominic Coppolo, MBA, RRT, FAARC, Vice President Clinical Strategy and Development at MMC. Our entire organization is incredibly humbled and honored to receive this award and we will continue to be responsive and seek innovative solutions to help respiratory therapists care for their patients.

With more than 47,000 members, AARC is the leading national and international professional association for respiratory care whose ranks include respiratory therapists and allied health professionals that assist physicians in the treatment of lung disorders and related ailments. The AARC encourages and promotes professional excellence, advances the science and practice of respiratory care, and serves as an advocate for patients, their families, the public, and the profession.

Headquartered in Plattsburgh, New York, Monaghan Medical Corporation is a leader in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of respiratory devices to manage acute and chronic pulmonary illnesses and disease processes like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MMCs mission is to provide the respiratory community with the finest, most researched, and most innovative devices to help people breathe easier.

MMC focuses on developing cost-efficient, outcome-based solutions for its customers, and continues to introduce new products and product enhancements to support its mission to ensure device quality for patients. The companys strength lies in product development around core capabilities in mechanical design complimented by collaboration with a state-of-the-art Global Aerosol and Research Laboratory.

To learn more about Monaghan Medical products, visit www.monaghanmed.com.

Contact:

Dominic P. Coppolo, Vice President Clinical Strategy and Development

Monaghan Medical Corporation

800-343-9071

dcoppolo@monaghanmed.com

http://www.monaghanmed.com
English Lithuanian

Siauliu Bankas AB, company code 112025254, address of the head office Tilzes str. 149, Siauliai, Lithuania.

Siauliu bankas AB has received the notification of manager on transactions in securities issued by the bank (see attachment).

Director of Securities Operations Department Jolanta Dobiliauskiene is authorized by the Issuer to provide additional information and is available on tel.: +370 41 595669.





Attachments
English French

TORONTO, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As part of Sunwings enduring commitment to health and safety, the company has announced it is requiring that all new and existing employees across all Canadian divisions be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The new policy aligns with the Government of Canadas recent announcement that it intends to require vaccination across all federally regulated industries later this fall. Employees will have until September 13, 2021 to provide proof of their full vaccination status or their intention to vaccinate. For employees who are not yet vaccinated and plan to get vaccinated, they will also be required to provide proof of their full vaccination status no later than October 18, 2021.



The health and safety of our employees and customers is our top priority at Sunwing, commented Stephen Hunter, CEO of Sunwing Travel Group. Vaccinations are proven to be the most effective tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting broader public health. As a Canadian company, we want to continue to do our part to help end this pandemic, protect our families and those vacationing with us, and to support the travel industrys full recovery.

The policy will apply to employees across all Canadian divisions, including those who will be working from home on a part time or full time basis, as per vaccination guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada for the entire population. Accommodations will be made for those with qualifying medical or religious exemptions.

Since the onset of the pandemic, Sunwing has been committed to ensuring health and safety in the workplace and throughout the customers vacation experience. The Safe with Sunwing program was developed last summer under the advisement of global healthcare leader Medcan. In addition to advising on the Safe with Sunwing program, Medcan experts led by Dr. Peter Nord, Chief Medical Officer at Medcan and Sunwings acting Chief Medical Advisor, also provide ongoing support for employee and customer health and safety. Whats more, Sunwing was the first Canadian airline to use AEGIS Microbe Shield treatment on all its aircraft and has hosted vaccination awareness sessions for employees in the winter and spring, with additional sessions expected in the coming weeks.

About Sunwing

The largest integrated travel company in North America, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from airports across Canada to popular sun destinations across the U.S.A., Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. This scale enables Sunwing to offer customers exclusive deals at top-rated resorts in the most popular vacation destinations as well as cruise packages and seasonal domestic flight service. Sunwing customers benefit from the assistance of the companys own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey. The company supports the communities where it operates through the Sunwing Foundation, a charitable initiative focused on the support and development of youth and humanitarian aid.

For more information:

Melanie Anne Filipp

Director, Corporate Communications & Media Relations

Sunwing Travel Group

1-800-387-5602 | media@sunwing.ca

https://www.facebook.com/SunwingVacations

https://twitter.com/SunwingVacay

https://www.instagram.com/sunwingvacations

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzjZ-lcuaqBQH7Sq0u3ru7A

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/66b078f0-3573-4866-87a2-21ba2669eba8
English Lithuanian

As initiated and decided by the Board of AB Amber Grid, legal entity code 303090867, office address at Savanoriu pr. 28, LT-03116 Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania (the Company), the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company will be convened on, 27 September 2021, 10.00 a.m.at the Company's head office (address: Savanoriu pr. 28, Vilnius). It is recommended for the all shareholders to participate in the meeting by completing the general ballot paper and submitting it in advance to the Company in advance.

Draft Agenda of the Meeting:

1. Regarding the change of the registered office of AB Amber Grid.

Shareholder registration will commence at 9.15 a.m., 27 September 2021.

Shareholder registration will be closed at 9.45 a.m., 27 September 2021.

The Record Date of the General Meeting of Shareholders: 20 September 2021. To be entitled to attend and vote at the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, persons must be registered shareholders of the Company at the end of the Record Date of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.

To be entitled to participate and vote at the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, persons must provide their identification documents. Persons who are not shareholders of the Company, shall in addition to the aforesaid documents present documents certifying their right to vote at the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.

A possibility of participating and voting in the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders by electronic means of communication shall not be provided.

On 2 September 2021, the Board of the Company approved the draft agenda and draft decisions of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders:

Draft decision:

1. To change the registered office address of AB Amber Grid (legal entity code 303090867) from Savanoriu pr. 28, Vilnius LT- 03116, to Laisves pr. 10, Vilnius LT-04215.

The shareholders may familiarize themselves with the Draft Resolutions of the General Meeting of Shareholders and supplementary material thereof, also with the implementation of the shareholders rights on the Central Database of Regulated Information www.crib.lt and at Companys website www.ambergrid.lt.

The shareholders of the Company, whose shares are entitled to at least 1/20 of the total number of votes, shall have the right to supplement the agenda for the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. The proposal to supplement the agenda shall be submitted in writing and sent by registered mail or delivered to the head office of the Company to the address: Savanoriu pr. 28, LT-03116 Vilnius (the Head Office). Draft Resolutions on the proposed issues or, when it is not mandatory to adopt resolutions, explanatory notes on each proposed issue of the agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders must be presented alongside with the proposal. The agenda will be supplemented if the proposal is received not later than on 13 September 2021.

The shareholders entitled to at least 1/20 of the total number of votes shall have the right, at any time before the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders or during the Meeting, to propose in writing new draft resolutions on the items put on the agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. Such a proposals must be executed in writing and sent to the Company by registered mail or delivered to the Head Office of the Company. The proposal submitted during the course of the Meeting must be executed in writing and handed over to the Secretary of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.

The shareholders shall have the right to submit questions to the Company in advance, but not later than on 21 September 2021, in relation to the issues on the agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on 27 September 2021. Questions must be executed in writing and delivered to the Company by registered mail or to the Head Office of the Company. The Company will not present any answer to the question submitted by a shareholder personally to him in the case relevant information is available on the Companys website.

Any shareholder shall be entitled to authorize a natural or legal person to participate and vote in his name at the General Meeting of Shareholders. The proxy of the shareholder must present the document confirming the persons identity and the certified Power of Attorney issued and valid in accordance with the law, which must be delivered to the Head Office not later than before the end of the registration of the attendees of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. During the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, the proxy exercises the same rights as the shareholder he is representing should. The form of the Power of Attorney to represent at the General Meeting of Shareholders is available on the website of the Company: www.ambergrid.lt.

On the issues on the agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, the Shareholders may vote in writing by filling in a General Ballot Paper. On the shareholders request, the Company, not later than 10 days before the day of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, will send a General Ballot Paper by registered mail free of charge or submit it in person against signature to the shareholder. The shareholder or his proxy must undersign the filled in General Ballot Paper. If the General Ballot Paper is signed by a person who is not a shareholder, a document certifying his right to vote must be appended to the filled in Ballot Paper. The duly filled in General Ballot Paper must be delivered to the Company by registered mail or submitted against signature at the Head Office not later than before the end of registration of the attendees of the General Meeting of Shareholders. The form of the General Ballot Paper is available on the website of the Company: www.ambergrid.lt.

On the day of convocation of the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Shareholders the total number of shares was 178 382 514. All these shares grant voting right.

Information referred to in Articles 26 and 261 of the Law on Companies of the Republic of Lithuania shall be available on the website of the Company: www.ambergrid.lt. Information about the additions to the agenda, as well as decisions made by the general meeting shall be also available on the Central Database of Regulated Information www.crib.lt.

Annexes:

1. Amber Grid Power of Attorney Form;

2. Amber Grid Shareholder Ballot.

More information:

Laura Sebekiene, Head of Communications of Amber Grid,

+370 699 61 246, l.sebekiene@ambergrid.lt

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SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovaccer Inc., the Health Cloud company, today announced the appointment of Sonali Damle as Chief People Officer. Sonali brings more than 20 years of experience building high performance, innovative teams in fast-growing global organizations.

As a key member of Innovaccer's executive leadership team, Sonali will play a crucial role in supporting the company's rapid growth and will be responsible for overseeing the company's people strategy, including operations, recruitment, learning and development, and diversity and inclusion efforts.

"Sonali's experience will be invaluable to Innovaccer as we scale the business to meet truly extraordinary demand from providers, payers, life sciences, and digital health innovators who want to build the future of health on the Innovaccer Health Cloud," said Abhinav Shashank, Innovaccer's CEO. "She has a stellar track record building successful organizations in mission- and culture-driven companies where motivated, collaborative, innovative people can thrive."

Prior to joining Innovaccer, Damle spent 14 years at Bain & Company in multiple roles, including Global Head of the Bain Capability Network, Executive Vice President of Bain Innovation Exchange, and head of Talent and Operations. Before that, she founded Intercorp Consulting Ltd., a design and analytics firm with locations in the U.S., India, and Singapore. Damle is also a board member at the Wharton Club of Houston and advisory board member of 2 startups.

Damle graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture (Summa Cum Laude) from University of Pune; earned a Masters at Washington State University, with a focus on virtual reality; and earned an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

About Innovaccer

Innovaccer Inc., the Health Cloud company, is a leading San Francisco-based healthcare technology company committed to helping healthcare care as one. The Innovaccer Health Cloud unifies patient data across systems and settings, and empowers healthcare organizations to rapidly develop scalable, modern applications that improve clinical, operational, and financial outcomes. Innovaccer's solutions have been deployed across more than 1,000 care settings in the U.S., enabling more than 67,000 providers to transform care delivery and work collaboratively with payers and life sciences companies. Innovaccer has helped organizations integrate medical records for more than 24 million people and generate more than $600 million in savings. Innovaccer is recognized as a Best in KLAS vendor for 2021 in population health management and is the #1 customer-rated vendor by Black Book. For more information, please visit innovaccer.com .

Press Contact:

Sachin Saxena

Innovaccer Inc.

sachin_saxena@innovaccer.com

415-504-3851

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This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Phoenix, AZ, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Data gathered by ToxICs Fentanyl Analog Study was reported in the CDCs August 27, 2021 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Notes from the Field: Illicit Benzodiazepines Detected in Patients Evaluated in Emergency Departments for Suspected Opioid Overdose  Four States, October 6, 2020March 9, 2021.

This publication presents a detailed evaluation of 21 suspected opioid overdoses in which illicit benzodiazepines were detected. Approximately 1/3 of cases did not respond to naloxone, the antidote for opioid overdose. With the growing death toll from illicit benzodiazepines increasing over 500% between 2019-2020, additional investigation of co-exposure in opioid overdose is critical to prevent further mortality.1

Prescription benzodiazepines are sedative drugs commonly prescribed for anxiety and seizures. According to the report's first author, Kim Aldy, DO, Illicit benzodiazepines are unlawfully manufactured. The toxicity of these illicit benzodiazepines when consumed with opioids has not been well delineated. Concurrent exposure to both illicit benzodiazepines and opioids may increase overdose risk and/or make treatment for opioid overdose increasingly difficult.

About ToxICs Fentanyl Analog Study: Funding for this study was made possible through a subcontract to the Icahn School of Medicine on a R01 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The 5-year study, entitled "Predicting Medical Consequences of Novel Fentanyl Analog Overdose Using the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC), includes 9 geographically diverse ToxIC sites around the country. Now in the 2nd year, this study has over 400 cases that are being utilized to characterize the novel synthetic opioids used, evaluate the optimal treatments, and track regional trends in fentanyl analog overdoses.

For more information on the ToxIC Fentanyl Analog Study and to see quarterly toxicology testing reports released by Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE), view the ToxIC Fentalog Study website.

The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) is a professional, nonprofit association of physicians with recognized expertise and board certification in medical toxicology. Our members specialize in the prevention, evaluation, treatment, and monitoring of injury and illness from exposures to drugs and chemicals, as well as biological and radiological agents. ACMT members work in clinical, academic, governmental, and public health settings, and provide poison control center leadership.

1Liu S, ODonnell J, Gladden RM, McGlone L, Chowdhury F. Trends in Nonfatal and Fatal Overdoses Involving Benzodiazepines  38 States and the District of Columbia, 20192020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:11361141. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7034a2

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Chicago, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Montessori Academy (AMA), formerly South Loop Montessori School, has announced that it has rebranded to better reflect its growing community of families, educators and students and commitment to the Montessori philosophy, as well as developments within the schools and an additional campus set to open in Chicagos Uptown-Andersonville neighborhood this fall.

"We are excited to reintroduce families to our schools with an identity that celebrates our Montessori way of life," said Mahdi Dadrass, CEO and Co-Founder of American Montessori Academy. "Our updated brand reflects growth and the strength of our community who not only persevered through pandemic-related challenges, but uncovered innovations in Montessori education and helped bring new concepts to life that cultivate meaningful and rewarding school experiences for children."

The renaming to American Montessori Academy (AMA) comes after the pandemic emerged and the schools re-licensed as Emergency Child Care Centers (ECCC) with a mixture of on-campus and remote learning. The school was recognized as a leading example of excellence for operations amid the COVID-19 outbreak and introduced new protocols and resources.

AMA launched its @Home Remote Learning program to continue instruction with one of the only online education platforms that is truly Montessori-driven for students learning across the country. It features a constantly evolving curriculum on a custom developed platform with video content, online lessons, and learning sessions that mimic a classroom experience as best as possible. The school also piloted a subscription Montessori Box that delivers Montessori Materials that children are naturally drawn to work with to hone developmental moments and important concepts and skills.

When AMA welcomed students back to the campus in-person at full capacity in late 2020, the school leadership resumed plans to expand operations with a new campus in the Uptown-Andersonville neighborhood. The additional facility will feature eight state-of-the-art Montessori classrooms, uniquely designed to the needs of its students with defined spaces for each part of the curriculum, as well as an expansive natural playground and other attributes of a 21st century learning environment in which children will grow to their fullest potential.

The newly constructed school will serve more than 140 children ranging from 8 weeks to 9 years of age. Applications for student pre-enrollment are being accepted on the AMAs new website  available online at AMAschools.com  which also reflects the updated brand and offers more resources for parents. For example, virtual campus tours have been made available, updates to better integrate with remote learning, and ongoing insights and school news will be posted regularly, as well as other key information about the school and Montessori Method.

About American Montessori Academy

American Montessori Academy is a network of independent learning institutions that aim to deliver the highest standard of Montessori education by meeting the academic, social, emotional, spiritual and intellectual needs of children 8 weeks to 9 years of age. It offers year-round, all-day programs based upon the Montessori Method in stimulating learning facilities, located in Chicagos South Loop and Andersonville neighborhoods, with affiliates on the North Shore, and at home through engaging remote learning curriculum and delivered learning materials with the subscription AMA Montessori Box. It is a Full Member School of the American Montessori Society (AMS), a member of the Association of Illinois Montessori Schools and is registered with the Illinois State Board of Education, with programs licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

Contact American Montessori Academy

https://amaschools.com/

Media Contact:

Luke Cushman

for American Montessori Academy

info@amaschools.com or 847-894-7196

###

For more information about American Montessori Academy, contact the company here:



American Montessori Academy

Mahdi Dadrass

(312) 431-8050

info@amaschools.com

47 W Polk St,

Chicago, IL 60605
ZUG, SWITZERLAND, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZUG, SWITZERLAND 2nd Sept 2021 -- DoinGud, an NFT ecosystem focused on inspiring creativity and positive social impact, today announced the first creators-activists, Lauren YS, Jules Muck, Allison Bamcat, debuting on DoinGuds NFT platform and seizing the moment to drive impact through their chosen social causes.

These creators join a burgeoning roster of critically acclaimed artists from H+ Creative (Blunt Action, Mishko, Post Wook, Renderfruit, Skeeva) as well as Shinji Murakami, Chris McCann, Jermaine Rogers, Emek, Ben Heim and Agoras 3m+ member photographer community. Each one of these creators sits at the forefront of their craft and the center of DoinGuds ecosystem in driving positive change.

Launching in September, DoinGud and its impassioned creators are normalizing social impact through creativity that stimulates continuous giving. DoinGud is reimagining the creator and giving economy, incentivizing creators to allocate a minimum of 5% of primary NFT sales, plus 2.5% of future sales to vetted social impact organizations of their choice, all traceable via on-chain records.

As an NFT social platform and marketplace with every facet of its model geared towards developing a better world, DoinGud supports a flourishing movement of creators creating, and collectors buying NFTs that align with their worldview and values.

Meet the NFT creators bringing awareness and creativity to marginalized communities

Venice-based muralist Jules Mucks work spans a Lesbos Syrian Refugee Camp mural covered by National Geographic and portraits of police brutality victims for BlackLivesMatter. The intersection of her craft and unique personal journey spurred her to found nonprofit Muck Recovery to support others. Muck Recovery offers a safe space to create art helping people get sober and stay sober.

Jules hopes to scale Muck Recovery to open the door for many others to get started through her drops on DoinGud. I always want to get involved in the injustice my friends or I see. Selling NFTs grows a sustainable income, raises awareness to fringe issues and fuels Muck Recovery in supporting others to get started, said Jules Muck. Through DoinGud, Jules plans to stream a portion of her NFT proceeds to Bridge Cities Alliance, the non-profit behind Pride on the Port San Pedro event dedicated to bridging the gaps in L.A.'s LGBTIQ+ community and empowering marginalized communities.

A multidisciplinary creator paying it forward

LA-based artist Lauren YSs murals can be found around the world and at festivals like Art Basel Miami, Pow!Wow! and many others. They have earned a reputation and word-of-mouth following from their symbolic works that focus on queer worlds, non-binary identities, and their mixed Asian-American heritage. Some of their recent works including a mural calling for an end to Asian hate and Queer to Stay mural in West Hollywood.

My partner and I started non profit Squidtropica giving out microgrants to uplift others like me, Bipok, queer, and asian backgrounds. I want to be a sustainable mechanism of good where the tentacles support other people that are intersectionally-disadvantaged. Where the monetary and culturally good is shared, said Lauren YS. Lauren joined DoinGud to stream a portion of their creations to the International Chinese Fine Arts Council dedicated to Stop Asian Hate.

NFTs enable creators to monetize their work and level the playing field, taking out traditional gatekeepers in the art world. Aside from financial autonomy, accessibility and diversity are central to the ethos of DoinGud.

Diversity drives the limitless potential of climate-positive art

DoinGud has joined forces with H+ Creative for its launch drop, a visionary artist firm and creative studio specializing in various types of media, such as 2D, 3D, AR, and more. H+ is an entrepreneurial powerhouse thats female-operated and owned, representing some of the top talent in the digital arts and NFT spaces.

For their debut drop on DoinGud, H+ Creative has curated a selection of incredible creators for their Utopian Dystopia collection. Renderfruit was one of the first women pioneering 3D digital art in a unique surrealist style. Mishko is the original legend behind spell-binding typography thats exploded in popularity the last few years. Post Wooks surrealist art blends time travel with other-worldly landscapes. Skeeva brings a distinct layer of complexity to his digital creations through the use of masterful textures and patterned wearables. Blunt Action manifests retro vibes and iridescent environments with their futuristic and complex digital works.

H+ Creatives drop will support the Open Earth Foundation, a US-based nonprofit, raising funds to develop open digital infrastructure for tracking global progress of the Paris Agreement and avoiding the existential risk of climate change.

Empowering creators to build towards a better future

Allison Bamcat, brings significant NFT chops to DoinGuds launch lineup. An OG NFT experimenter, tipped as the death metal Lisa Frank, surrealist painter-muralist Bamcat has sold out many 1/1 releases including a recent 1xRUN drop. Active in her local community via Spray CLA (refreshing areas after covid), and Waterdrop LA (delivering fresh water to the homeless), Bamcat believes many artists use art to heal. Seeing NFTs less for the monetary gain and more so the creative gain, Bamcat loves seeing how NFTs are evolving artists and taking them to the next level. Bamcat has joined DoinGud to continue to contribute to her community, both online and offline.

Chris McCann won second prize for the 2016 National Geographic photographer of the year for the environmental category for his work depicting salt mining near the Facebook headquarters. Drones are a unique tool, allowing me to show very diverse perspectives and the reality around us, said Chris Mccann. His work consistently pushes boundaries and perspectives while allowing him to tell complex narratives often around wildlife, climate, and life. Chris is donating the majority of sales to Trees for the Future, Virunga National Park, and Solar Electric Light Fund.

What unites our launch creators beyond their incredible talent is their desire to be a beacon of change. Were seeing a continuous trend where creators feel compelled to support, nurture, and give to others, and the DoinGud approach is to facilitate this. I feel extremely fortunate to be working with our featured drop creators who not only showcase a beautiful variety of different mediums, but are at the forefront of our mission to normalize social impact via creativity,  said Kyle Gordon, Co-founder and Curator at DoinGud.

DoinGuds altruistic ecosystem will be progressively open to everyone. Anyone may list their own NFT release, and can choose: list independently, or, partner with galleries that feature curated collections. Galleries, exhibitions, and drops dedicated to specific niches and themes such as photography, fine art, or collectible avatars will appear in the near future. The creator ecosystem will bring a large audience from the crypto-native and traditional creative worlds together in one place, with the common mission of doing good.



For the latest news on the platform launch, launch creators and future drops follow @doingudhq

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LOS ANGELES, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Chaos announced that '24 Hours of Chaos, its annual community livestream, is returning September 9-10 with over 60 new virtual talks from 3D artists and designers around the globe. Beginning at 18:00 (GMT+1) in Western Europe, every two hours viewers can connect with a different set of artists from nearly every continent. Twelve shows will be broadcast live, totaling 24 hours of presentations streamed for free on YouTube, Twitch and Facebook.

Created in partnership with SiNi and Autodesk, 24 Hours of Chaos will feature in-depth presentations, behind-the-scenes demonstrations, discussions, quizzes and giveaways with CG innovators, giving audiences a chance to discover new talent, analyze global trends and learn techniques they can start putting into practice right away.

The speakers have been drawn widely from the architecture, design, visual effects and gaming worlds to show the full breadth of 3D visualization. While many talks have ties to Chaos workflows, the event also seeks to highlight other inspiring voices from around the 3D world, including Exceptional Minds, who run a non-profit academy and post-production studio for autistic artists.

The current speaker list includes:

VFX/Animation: Weta Workshop, Framestore, FuseFX, a52, Realtime, Vetor Zero, Anymotion Studio, Chocolate Tribe, Triggerfish Animation, Made by Radio, Colorbleed, Hai Five Animasjon AS, Manhole VR, Goodbye Kansas Studios

Architecture: The Boundary, SHoP Architects, Okdraw, Beauty and the Bit, Edge Dimension, FQuattro, Renderinc, Lab Visualizacion, ArmyOne, 4pixos Academy, SHL Asia, Trace Image, ArchiRenders, Warren and Mahoney, Hoyne

Gaming: Playside Studios, Virtually Human, IO Interactive

Educators: Net-Info, Harbin Institute of Technology, CommonPoint., Watch Me Animate, School-ing

While the event is live, everything will be archived so viewers can easily catch up on any shows they missed. Live viewers, however, will also have the opportunity to win free licenses and swag. For more information or to see the full list of community partners, please visit the 24 Hours of Chaos website.

Livestream Links :

About Chaos

Chaos is a world leader in computer graphics technology, empowering artists and designers to create photorealistic imagery and animation across all creative industries. Chaos develops 3D rendering and simulation software that is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. In 2017, the firms physically based renderer, V-Ray, was honored with an Academy Award for its role in the widespread adoption of ray-traced rendering for motion pictures. Today, the companys advancements in ray tracing, cloud rendering, and real-time visualization are shaping the future of design communication and storytelling. Founded in 1997, Chaos is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Prague, Seoul, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. For more information visit chaosgroup.com.

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Las Vegas, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DRI is proud to welcome long-time education fundraising professional Kristin Ghiggeri Burgarello, who will serve as Director of Advancement. In her role, Burgarello will lead fundraising efforts for DRI in collaboration with the DRI Foundation.

Burgarello comes to DRI from the University of Nevada Reno (UNR), where she spent the last 17 years in development and alumni relations roles, including her last role as Executive Director of Development and previous role as Director of Development of the Reynolds School of Journalism. While at UNR, she helped secure major gifts to support buildings, student needs, faculty support, planned gifts, diversity initiatives, and many other key areas of support for the University. She also worked collaboratively with the deans and development directors in the College of Engineering, College of Science, College of Liberal Arts, Reynolds School of Journalism, Libraries, and Honors College to raise substantial funds to support their areas on campus.

We are happy to welcome Kristin to our DRI family, said DRI President Dr. Kumud Acharya. Kristins expertise will be key in elevating DRIs research, science-based results and their global implications to a broader support base. Our team of more than 450 scientists, engineers, and staff are currently conducting important environmental research aimed at preventing and fighting wildfires; the human health effects of air pollution and COVID; drought and the impacts to our drinking water levels and resources; and extreme weather. We look forward to expanding awareness of these and other imminent challenges through Kristins focused approach.

In her role at DRI, Burgarello will focus on creating a culture of philanthropy that will direct awareness of critical environmental issues and the necessity to fund the life-saving research at DRI that aims to solve these and many other challenges affecting not only Nevada, but the Western region, country, and world.

Kristins accomplishments in raising significant funds to support endowed scholarships, capital funds, planned gifts and many other fundraising needs are impressive and equally impressive are the strong relationships she has built through the years both on and off campus in Nevada and across the country, said DRI Foundation Chair Mike Benjamin. We are excited to have her expertise in-house as we broaden our outreach to address significant environmental challenges happening on a global scale.

I would like to thank President Acharya, Foundation Chair Benjamin, and the DRI Foundation Trustees for this amazing opportunity, said Burgarello. Also, I would like to personally thank DRIs current donors and friends with whom I am eager to work to build upon their many contributions. I am thrilled to be able to combine my passion for DRIs mission with my experience in fundraising and relationship-building, to create awareness for DRIs work, not only at home in Nevada but across our nation, and beyond. Today more than ever as we face serious environmental challenges that threaten our very way of life, we need to invest in the critical research and ensuing solutions being developed at DRI right now. I look forward to connecting donors and friends with DRI to support our very timely and important environmental research.

For more information on the work of DRI please visit https://www.dri.edu. Anyone interested in making a gift in support of DRI may contact Kristin Burgarello at (775) 673-7386 or Kristin.Burgarello@dri.edu.

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The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is a recognized world leader in basic and applied environmental research. Committed to scientific excellence and integrity, DRI faculty, students who work alongside them, and staff have developed scientific knowledge and innovative technologies in research projects around the globe. Since 1959, DRIs research has advanced scientific knowledge on topics ranging from humans impact on the environment to the environments impact on humans. DRIs impactful science and inspiring solutions support Nevadas diverse economy, provide science-based educational opportunities, and inform policymakers, business leaders, and community members. With campuses in Las Vegas and Reno, DRI serves as the non-profit research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education. For more information, please visit www.dri.edu.

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New York City, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Join Michael Zeldin for this extraordinary 90-minute conversation with Max Weinberg, Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame drummer from Bruce Springsteens E Street Band, as they discuss Maxs musical career, his thoughts on music and drumming, his recollections of other great drummers, especially the late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, and much more.

Special Guest

Max Weinberg, Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame drummer from Bruce Springsteens E Street Band

Max the Mighty Max Weinberg. A bundle of drive, neurosis and wily suburban street smarts, and source of great humor, Max found a place where Bernard Purdie, Buddy Rich and Keith Moon intersected and made it his own. The soul of dedication and commitment, each night in the midst of the continuous hurricane our sets are designed to be, the sheer physical pressure of three hours of nonstop, steamrolling rock music lies upon his shoulders more heavily than anyone elses. Onstage, Max goes beyond listening to what Im saying, signaling; he hears what Im thinking, feeling. He anticipates my thoughts as they come rolling full bore toward the drum riser. Its a near telepathy that comes from years of playing and living together. Its a real-world miracle and its why people love musicians. They show us how deeply we can experience one anothers minds and hearts, and how perfectly we can work in congress. With Max at my back, the questions are answered before theyre asked.

There are twenty thousand people, all about to take a breath; were moving in for the kill, the band, all steel on an iron track, and that snare shot, the one Im just thinking about but havent told or signaled anyone outside of this on-fire little corner of my mind about, the one I want right . . . and there it is! Rumble young man, rumble!

-Bruce Springsteen Born To Run (2016)

Max Weinbergs Jukebox

A truly interactive experience, Weinberg invites the audience to create the set list, in real time, that he and his crack four piece group will play that night. Performing songs from the glory days of rock and roll your guests get to choose from a video menu of over 200 songs  everything from the Beatles to the Stones to Bruce and The E Street Bands biggest hits  and hear the group play em the way they want to hear them played!

Thats rightthe crowd gets to yell out their choices and Max plays them! This unique approach is fun and satisfying. How many times have you attended a show where you yearned to hear your favorite performer play your favorite song? With Max Weinbergs Jukebox your dream will be realized.

MaxWeinberg.com

Podcast Host

Michael Zeldin

Michael Zeldin is a well-known and highly-regarded TV and radio analyst/commentator.

He has covered many high-profile matters, including the Clinton impeachment proceedings, the Gore v. Bush court challenges, Special Counsel Robert Mullers investigation of interference in the 2016 presidential election, and the Trump impeachment proceedings.

In 2019, Michael was a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he taught a study group on Independent Investigations of Presidents.

Previously, Michael was a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice. He also served as Deputy Independent/ Independent Counsel, investigating allegations of tampering with presidential candidate Bill Clintons passport files, and as Deputy Chief Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Foreign Affairs Committee, October Surprise Task Force, investigating the handling of the American hostage situation in Iran.

Michael is a prolific writer and has published Op-ed pieces for CNN.com, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Hill, The Washington Times, and The Washington Post.

That Said With Michael Zeldin is available on these podcast networks;
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the Delta variant raging as well as wars and man-made and natural disasters reoccurring in various regions of the planet, global citizens hearts are filled with anxiety. On August 22, the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, the leader of Tai Ji Men, delivered a speech titled Safeguarding Freedom of Religion or Belief with Love and Conscience, emphasizing the importance of human rights and conscience:



Today, we are discussing cases of violations of freedom of religion, freedom of belief, and freedom of thought in the context of human dignity, which is related to the dignity of the legal system, freedom of conscience, and the rights and well-being of all people. Only those who can uphold their faith and belief, who will not compromise with any force of evil, and who will protect basic human dignity, safeguard their conscience, and defend human rights with love and conscience, are practitioners of self-betterment that can tell right from wrong, stand tall, and are brave and fearless!

Dr. Hong and Tai Ji Men have been persecuted by a few rogue bureaucrats in Taiwan for 24 years, and they have been devoted to promoting human rights and religious freedom in the past few years. On this special day, CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions), and Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), and the Action Alliance to Redress 1219 co-hosted four webinars under the theme of  Administrative Violence and the Tai Ji Men Case , where religious freedom experts, scholars, and Tai Ji Men members discussed the case .

The webinars opened with a video presentation of a recent Tai Ji Men's demonstration in Washington, D.C. Tai Ji Men is a spiritual organization with academies in Taiwan and the United States. It has been religiously persecuted in democratic Taiwan by means of unlawful taxation. Despite the fact that Tai Ji Men was found not guilty of tax evasion or any other charges by Taiwan's Supreme Court in 2007, rogue bureaucrats continued to levy unwarranted taxes on Tai Ji Men and even illegally auctioned and confiscated their land intended for a spiritual retreat last August.

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and former chair of U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said, "In Taiwan, the long running attack against the Tai Ji Men community by bureaucratic despots within the tax administration have led many religious freedom experts around the world to condemn this form of administrative religious persecution."

Thierry Valle, president of the ECOSOC-accredited NGO CAP-LC (Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberte de Conscience), stated that his NGO submitted a written statement about the Tai Ji Men case and other unjust cases to the 47th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The statement, published on June 21, 2021, indicated that in various countries, taxation has been used as a weapon to discriminate against religious and spiritual minorities.

Kenneth Jacobsen, a law professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a former advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton, has studied in depth the Tai Ji Men case. He said, I would ask as I've asked before for the president of Taiwan and for others that are in positions of power to do the right thing, to remove this blemish that remains on a very disturbing unfair illegal unlawful case that should have been never brought in the first place that has gone on far too long. And with a stroke of a pen could be eliminated and finally concluded. And I think the government of Taiwan should do that, and they should do it now."

Willy Fautre, director of HRWF, explored many forms of religious or belief-based violence, including taxes. He said, Some scholars suspect that the case against Tai Ji Men was fabricated because of alluring bonuses granted to officers of the National Tax Bureau and the Enforcement Agency for the enforcement of auctions.

Eric Roux, chairperson of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom, emphasized that when injustice occurs in a democracy, the impact can be worse than in a totalitarian state because it lowers the global standard of democracy and sends the message that injustice is unimportant and that the world has no way of holding it accountable.

Prof. Chang Chia-Lin from Taipeis Aletheia University urged the Taiwanese government to end the persecution, asking, Is our government going to follow the example of an authoritarian regime and continue to persecute Tai Ji Men , which promotes conscience, acts of kindness, peace, and love?

Rosita Soryte, a member of the Scientific Committee of European Federation for Freedom of Belief, said that it is clear that institutional violence was used against Tai Ji Men . Taiwan needs international support all the time, and this unjust case is severely harming Taiwans international reputation, said Soryte, urging the Taiwanese government to cancel the unjustified tax bill and return the unlawfully confiscated land to Tai Ji Men.

According to Dr. Chun-Chieh Hwang, a law professor at Taiwan's National Chung Cheng University, the confiscation of Tai Ji Men's land last August was not just a violation of property rights, but also of cultural and religious rights. He believes International experts should inform Taiwanese authorities that the situation violates universal human rights. He described Tai Ji Men as a beneficent organization and expressed his hope that its message of peace for Taiwan and the world will resonate around the world.

Hans Noot, president of the Gerard Noodt Foundation for Freedom of Religion or Belief, criticized the lack of accountability in the case: "It sends the message to the public that the national tax office can get away with impunity, and it is above the law rather than a servant of the law and the people. The message too is that religious freedom and freedom of expression is all relative in Taiwan."

Prof. Lin, Jun-Lin, chairman of Chinese Orthodox Alliance, said, I implore our government to allow people to live and work in peace and happiness, as well as enjoy complete freedom of religion or belief, which will aid the government in calming the people's hearts. Don't put us all in danger and disturb our peace of mind. Hurry up and return justice to Tai Ji Men , which is the same as returning justice to all of us. We are always with you, Tai Ji Men members. Your business is already the business of all people!

Kang Shih-Ju, a former Taiwanese legislator, advocated for the Tai Ji Men case to be resolved, saying, No matter what your political party is, I would admire you if you could put an end to such a clear and simple case. I would be convinced that the transitional justice you are talking about is really related to human rights.

Brenda Chen, a graphic designer and a Tai Ji Men member in Northern California, told how she left Taiwan to escape the nightmare that Prosecutor Hou Kuan-jen had created for her when he illegally detained her father, Dr. Hong, his wife, and another disciple in 1996. Her father, who passed away seven years ago, lost his career and reputation as a result of Hou's defamation. They were also discriminated against by their relatives.

A shocking video was introduced by Konrad Swenninger, founder of Soteria International in Denmark. In the video, tax collector Shih Yueh-sheng revealed that he was pressured by prosecutor Hou Kuan-jen to give false testimony against Tai Ji Men 24 years ago. The prosecution relied mainly on the tax collector's fraudulent testimony to indict Tai Ji Men, and the National Taxation Bureau imposed unjustified taxes on Tai Ji Men based solely on this false indictment.

In the video, Shih Yueh-sheng said that there was no evidence to substantiate the allegation of tax evasion against Tai Ji Men , and that he advised the Investigation Bureau's field office at the time that issuing tax bills to Tai Ji Men would be problematic because it was unclear how to compute the tax amount. Although the Investigation Bureau's field office knew it was illegal, it still insisted on asking him to do it! Shih Yueh-sheng said Hou Kuan-jen fabricated the case .

It proves that what happened was not a mistake, Prof. Massimo Introvigne, a lawyer, sociologist, and managing director of CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions), said of the video, adding, It was a deliberate framing of Tai Ji Men for obscure motivations through false documents, false accusations, and a false tax investigation that never happened. Now if this is not enough to reopen the Tai Ji Men case and cancel the 1992 tax bill, give back to Tai Ji Men their sacred land, I don't know what more is needed. It's a general principle of the law all over the world that when new elements emerge even final decisions can and should be revised. Revision is a fundamental principle of justice.

To help the audience better understand the case, several videos were presented, including a video titled 18 Years of State Violence Turn a Sweet Home into Ruins, -- the story of Tai Ji Mens academy on Lai-nan Street in Kaohsiung before and after the organization's persecution began; a music video titled The Truth of the Tai Ji Men Case, succinctly summarizing the case; and a music video titled No Way, announcing Tai Ji Men members determination to continue the fight for the truth and justice and their declaration that in no way will they compromise or back down.

Human rights offenders are frequently governments, said Dr. Hong, the leader of Tai Ji Men, in his speech in support of the World Humanitarian Day on August 19, and he urged people to follow their conscience: The ultimate judge of the universe is conscience. It is never too late to awaken our conscience and change our ways to atone for our mistakes. Throughout our lives, we should seek the truth, distinguishing true from false, right from wrong, and good from bad, and defending righteousness and justice without fear, despite the obstacles that lie ahead.

About Action Alliance to Redress 1219 : Action Alliance to Redress 1219 is a group of international and Taiwanese legal, religious, and human rights specialists working to restore the truth about the ongoing persecution of Tai Ji Men in Taiwan by a small group of bureaucrats that has lasted for 25 years, as well as their misuse of authority and violations of the law. In addition to rectifying the Tai Ji Men case and revealing the truth, it is also committed to defending religious freedom, speaking out for related injustices in Taiwan. The Alliance calls on those in power not to ignore peoples fundamental human rights and demands that perpetrators be held accountable to protect democracy, the rule of law, and justice.

Media Contact:

Lily Chen

Representative

admin@act1219.org

626-202-5268

https://act1219.org/eng/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0342b956-f707-492d-b5a1-e10a1197e6d6




CALGARY, Alberta, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XORTX Therapeutics Inc. (XORTX or the Company) (CSE: XRX) (OTCQB: XRTXF), a pharmaceutical therapeutics company focused on developing innovative therapies to treat progressive kidney disease, is pleased to announce the results of the Companys Special Meeting of Shareholders held earlier today (the Meeting). A total of 72,768,832 common shares of the Company were voted at the Meeting, representing approximately 66% of the total number of issued and outstanding shares. At the Meeting, all resolutions were approved close to unanimously, with 99.7% of the shares voted in favour of the consolidation resolution and 98.8% of the shares voted in favour of the two resolutions to amend the articles of the Company to provide for the addition of an advance notice provision and a choice of law/forum provision.



Dr. Allen Davidoff, XORTXs CEO stated, The outcome of this Special Meeting is an important milestone for the Company and could not have been achieved without the strong support we have received from shareholders today. The positive results emerging from the Meeting, now permit XORTX management and the board of directors to advance the Company forward with a solid mandate. We look forward to advancing our clinical study plans and bringing clinically meaningful therapeutic options to individuals with kidney disease.

About XORTX Therapeutics Inc.

XORTX Therapeutics Inc. is a pharmaceutical company with two clinically advanced products in development  XRx-008 for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD), XRx-101 for Coronavirus / COVID-19 infection and XRx-225 is a pre-clinical stage program for Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy (T2DN). XORTX is working to advance its clinical development stage products that target aberrant purine metabolism and xanthine oxidase to decrease or inhibit production of uric acid. At XORTX Therapeutics, we are dedicated to developing medications to improve the quality of life and future of patients. Additional information on XORTX Therapeutics is available at www.xortx.com.

For further information, please contact:

Allen Davidoff, CEO Nick Rigopulos, Director of Communications adavidoff@xortx.com or +1 403 455 7727 nick@alpineequityadv.com or +1 617 901 0785

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.



This news release includes forward looking statements that are subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes that any such intentions, plans, estimates, beliefs and expectations in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such intentions, plans, beliefs and expectations will prove to be accurate. The Company cautions readers that all forward looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Companys future operations and business prospects, are based on assumptions none of which can be assured, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward looking statements. Readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Any forward looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in the forward looking statements. The Company assumes no obligations to update any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
English French

BEAMSVILLE, Ontario, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At surface level, any organization participating in the Canadian economy is characterized by their consumers and sales  ultimately the bottom line is the object of examination. There is seldom a pause to consider the immense contributions that one organization, let alone an industry makes during any given year. The Canadian Vaping Association has assessed that every $1 spent in the industry is worth $2.70 to the Canadian economy. The significant impact reverberates further when professionals are hired externally by the industry. A flavour ban would have severe economic consequences on an economy that is currently perturbed.



As per Health Canada, the estimated annual [tobacco-related] morbidity cost is $2,600 (2019 dollars) for an adult aged 27 and older who smokes. This amount is significantly reduced when a person vapes, as vaping is up to 95% less harmful. An individual that reduces traditional cigarette use through vaping is exposed to less chemicals, as combustion caused by smoking is considerably more damaging. This cost, and burden on the economy, is alleviated by those who vape rather than smoke cigarettes.

In Canada, an industry survey found that vapers spend an average of $1200 per year on products. Among the expenses that contribute to the economy, there are the employee salaries that account for $276 (23%) and a variety of taxes, including provincial, federal, and corporate income tax, which together amount to $360 (30%).

Through combining the annual morbidity cost, salaries, and taxes perspective is gained on the amount that is restored to the nation. Every $1 spent in the vaping industry is worth $2.70 to the Canadian economy. This amount does not include the services of external professionals including accountants, lawyers, software firms, graphic designers, and so on. The vaping industry plays an integral role in the currently fragile economy and a flavour ban would jeopardize much more than the individual vendor. said Darryl Tempest, Executive Director of the CVA.

The looming concern rests in the flavour ban in Nova Scotia, where almost 90% of specialty vape shops closed within a 3-month period. It serves as a pointed warning that a national flavour ban could potentially echo similar damages through the entire Canadian vaping industry and the Canadian economy.

Contact info:

Darryl Tempest

Executive Director

647-274-1867

dtempest@thecva.org
FITCHBURG, Wis., Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Saturday, September 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the community is invited to attend Kids Building Wisconsin (KBW), a free event for children ages 3-12 to explore the vast possibilities of a career in construction. The majority of the event is held outdoors, and the event is following COVID-19 CDC guidelines that do not require masks for outdoor activities.

Where: McKee Farms Park | 2930 Chapel Valley Rd., Fitchburg, WI

When: Saturday, September 11 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Free parking and shuttle provided (masks are required on the shuttle and any indoor exhibits).

The seventh annual KBW, organized by the non-profit organization of the same name, will feature 40+ fun and educational hands-on activities. Highlights include boom lift rides, big construction equipment, the Home Depot and the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenter's kids building workshop, nail hammering contests, painting activities, burn trailer demonstrations, virtual and augmented reality activities, and much more.

"We are really looking forward to our 2021 event," says Robert Thayer, Board Member. "We canceled the 2020 event and postponed this year's event - it usually occurs in May every year - to keep the safety and wellbeing of attendees top of mind. We are grateful for our exhibitors and sponsors who continue to see the value this event brings to the construction industry," Thayer continued.

The outdoor event is made possible by 57 area sponsors that represent all sides of the industry. Additionally, masons, bricklayers, operating engineers, carpenters, laborers, contractors, and industry professionals will be on-hand to share their expertise and excitement for construction with attendees. Our interactive exhibits will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for kids to explore, and prizes given to all children for participating. In addition, the first 3,000 kids in attendance will receive a free hard hat. On-site food sold by Roman Candle and glitter tattoos round out the fun.

About Kids Building Wisconsin

Kids Building Wisconsin is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to laying the groundwork to combat the skilled worker shortage in Wisconsin, elevating the image of the construction industry, and celebrating those in it.

Robert Thayer, Board Member

(608) 204-7244

info@kidsbuildingwi.org

###

Related Images



Building a Toolbox

Over 40 interactive exhibits including building your own toolbox.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment
Record second quarter sales exceeded high end of revenue guidance range

Record second quarter GAAP EPS of $3.05 and adjusted EPS of $3.24 exceeded high end of earnings guidance range

Raises full-year EPS guidance to $6.03 - $6.28 on a GAAP basis and $6.45 - $6.70 on an adjusted basis

ATLANTA, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oxford Industries, Inc. (NYSE:OXM) today announced financial results for its fiscal 2021 second quarter ended July 31, 2021. Due to the material impact of COVID-19 on the Companys business in fiscal 2020, this release includes comparisons of fiscal 2021 results to both fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2020.

Consolidated net sales in the second quarter of fiscal 2021 were $329 million compared to $192 million and $302 million in the second quarters of fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019, respectively. Earnings on a GAAP basis increased to $3.05 per share compared to a loss of $0.37 per share in the second quarter of fiscal 2020 and earnings of $1.76 per share in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. On an adjusted basis, earnings increased to $3.24 per share compared to a loss of $0.38 per share in the second quarter of fiscal 2020 and earnings of $1.84 per share in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. Both net sales and earnings per share exceeded the Companys guidance issued on June 9, 2021.

Thomas C. Chubb III, Chairman and CEO, commented, We are extremely pleased to be reporting record second quarter results driven by excellent performance in all five of our brands  Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, Southern Tide, The Beaufort Bonnet Company, and Duck Head. Double-digit sales growth in all brands, combined with record gross margin and careful expense control, contributed to record operating margin and earnings per share for the quarter. All of our direct to consumer channels performed well led by our highly profitable, full-price ecommerce business, with sales growth of 49% compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2019. As we head into the second half of the year, while being mindful of the ongoing COVID-related challenges in supply chain and store and restaurant operations, we believe that our focus on executing our long-term strategic initiatives will continue to drive strength in our business. We are grateful to our incredible team of women and men for all they do to deliver happiness to our customers and long-term value to our shareholders.

Summary of Results

Net Sales by Operating Group Second Quarter ($ in millions) 2021 2020 2019 Tommy Bahama $208.8 $95.3 $188.9 Lilly Pulitzer 87.3 73.9 75.6 Southern Tide 14.6 8.8 12.5 Lanier Apparel (exiting) 8.5 8.5 20.5 Other 9.4 5.6 4.6 Total Company $328.7 $192.0 $302.0

Second Quarter of Fiscal 2021 Compared to Second Quarter of Fiscal 2019

Full price direct to consumer sales grew 20% to $223 million compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2019, with growth in all branded businesses.



Restaurant sales grew 26% to $26 million compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2019. Every location that operated in both fiscal periods posted positive comps relative to fiscal 2019, with most at double-digit percentage increases. The quarter also benefited from the operation of five additional Marlin Bar locations. The Companys New York restaurant remains closed.



Wholesale sales of $62 million were 20% lower than the second quarter of fiscal 2019. Excluding Lanier Apparel, which the Company is exiting in fiscal 2021, wholesale sales decreased 6% compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2019.



Gross margin increased to 63.8% compared to 59.5% in the second quarter of fiscal 2019, fueled by strong full price sales, a shift in sales mix towards direct to consumer channels, and higher initial gross margin. On an adjusted basis, gross margin increased to 64.3% compared to 59.8% in the second quarter of fiscal 2019.



SG&A was $146 million, or 45% of sales, compared to $143 million, or 48% of sales, in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. Increased performance-based incentive compensation and advertising expense were partially offset by decreases in other employment costs due to reduced headcount and lower occupancy costs. On an adjusted basis, SG&A was $144 million, or 44% of sales, compared to $143 million, or 47% of sales, in the second quarter of fiscal 2019.



Operating income increased to $68 million, or 20.7% of sales, compared to $40 million, or 13.3% of sales, in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. On an adjusted basis, operating income increased to $72 million, or 22.0% of sales, compared to $42 million, or 13.8% of sales, in the second quarter of fiscal 2019 with operating margin expansion in all operating groups.



The effective tax rate in the second quarter of fiscal 2021 was 24% compared to an effective tax rate of 25% in the second quarter of fiscal 2019.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

On a FIFO basis, inventory decreased 34% compared to August 1, 2020. Excluding Lanier Apparel, which the Company is exiting, inventory decreased 26% compared to August 1, 2020. Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, and Southern Tide each lowered inventory levels year over year with conservative purchases of seasonal inventory and higher than expected first half sales. Ongoing enhancements to enterprise order management systems are also contributing to a more efficient use of inventory. On a LIFO basis, inventory decreased 48% and, excluding Lanier Apparel, decreased 39% compared to August 1, 2020.

As of July 31, 2021, the Company had a strong liquidity position with $180 million of cash and cash equivalents and no borrowings outstanding under its revolving credit agreement. In the first half of fiscal 2021, cash provided by operating activities was $149 million compared to $24 million in the first half of fiscal 2020.

Outlook

The strength and profitability of the Companys direct to consumer business, which contributed to its outstanding first half results, is expected to continue in the second half of 2021. For the full fiscal year, the Company now expects net sales in a range of $1.085 billion to $1.105 billion as compared to sales of $1.12 billion in 2019. In fiscal 2021, GAAP earnings per share are expected to be between $6.03 and $6.28. Adjusted earnings per share are expected to be between $6.45 and $6.70. This compares to a loss on a GAAP basis of $5.77 per share and an adjusted loss of $1.81 per share in fiscal 2020, and earnings of $4.05 per share on a GAAP basis and $4.32 per share on an adjusted basis in fiscal 2019.

For the third quarter, the Company expects net sales to be between $220 million and $230 million compared to net sales of $175 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 and $241 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019. The Company expects earnings per share on a GAAP basis in a range of $0.17 to $0.27 in the third quarter of fiscal 2021. On an adjusted basis, earnings per share for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 is expected to be in a range of $0.20 to $0.30. This compares with a loss of $0.64 per share on a GAAP basis and an adjusted loss per share of $0.44 in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, and earnings of $0.10 per share on both a GAAP and an adjusted basis in the third quarter of fiscal 2019.

The Companys effective tax rate for the full year fiscal 2021 is expected to be approximately 23%.

The Company noted that it anticipates a third quarter, pre-tax gain of approximately $11 million on the September 1, 2021 sale of its minority ownership interest in an unconsolidated entity, which is not included in the Companys financial outlook above.

Capital expenditures in fiscal 2021, including $16 million in the first half of fiscal 2021, are expected to be approximately $40 million, primarily reflecting investments in information technology initiatives, new Marlin Bars, and retail stores. Capital expenditures were $29 million in fiscal 2020 and $37 million in fiscal 2019.

Dividend

The Company also announced that its Board of Directors has approved a cash dividend of $0.42 per share payable on October 29, 2021 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on October 15, 2021. The Company has paid dividends every quarter since it became publicly owned in 1960.

Conference Call

The Company will hold a conference call with senior management to discuss its financial results at 4:30 p.m. ET today. A live web cast of the conference call will be available on the Companys website at www.oxfordinc.com. A replay of the call will be available through September 16, 2021 by dialing (412) 317- 6671 access code 13722351.

About Oxford

Oxford Industries, Inc., a leader in the apparel industry, owns and markets the distinctive Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, Southern Tide, The Beaufort Bonnet Company, and Duck Head brands. Oxford's stock has traded on the New York Stock Exchange since 1964 under the symbol OXM. For more information, please visit Oxford's website at www.oxfordinc.com .

Basis of Presentation

All per share information is presented on a diluted basis.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

The Company reports its consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). To supplement these consolidated financial results, management believes that a presentation and discussion of certain financial measures on an adjusted basis, which exclude certain non-operating or discrete gains, charges or other items, may provide a more meaningful basis on which investors may compare the Companys ongoing results of operations between periods. These measures include adjusted earnings, adjusted earnings per share, adjusted gross profit, adjusted gross margin, adjusted SG&A, and adjusted operating income, among others.

Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in making financial, operational, and planning decisions to evaluate the Companys ongoing performance. Management also uses these adjusted financial measures to discuss its business with investment and other financial institutions, its board of directors and others. Reconciliations of these adjusted measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP are presented in tables included at the end of this release.

Safe Harbor

This press release includes statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Generally, the words "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "project," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which typically are not historical in nature. We intend for all forward-looking statements contained herein, in our press releases or on our website, and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf, to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (which Sections were adopted as part of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, without limitation, the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on our business, operations and financial results, including due to uncertainties about scope and duration, future store closures or other restrictions (including reduced hours and capacity and/or operating requirements) due to government and health department mandates and/or recommendations, the effectiveness of store and restaurant re-openings (including impacts on consumer traffic) and supply chain disruptions, any or all of which may also affect many of the following risks; demand for our products, which may be impacted by competitive conditions and/or evolving consumer shopping patterns; macroeconomic factors that may impact consumer discretionary spending for apparel and related products; supply chain disruptions, including the potential lack of inventory to support demand for our products, which may be impacted by capacity constraints, closed factories, and cost and availability of freight deliveries; costs of products as well as the raw materials used in those products; expected pricing levels; costs and availability of labor; the timing of shipments requested by our wholesale customers; expected outcomes of pending or potential litigation and regulatory actions; the impact of any restructuring initiatives we may undertake in one or more of our business lines, including the process, timing, costs, uncertainties and effects of our ongoing exit of the Lanier Apparel business; cybersecurity breaches; changes in international, federal or state tax, trade and other laws and regulations, including the potential increase in the U.S. corporate federal income tax rate and/or imposition of additional duties; the ability of business partners, including suppliers, vendors, licensees and landlords, to meet their obligations to us and/or continue our business relationship to the same degree in light of current or future financial stress, staffing shortages, liquidity challenges and/or bankruptcy filings; weather; fluctuations and volatility in global financial markets; retention of and disciplined execution by key management; the timing and cost of store and restaurant openings and remodels, technology implementations and other capital expenditures; acquisition and disposition activities, including our ability to timely recognize expected synergies from acquisitions; access to capital and/or credit markets; the impact of tax and other legislative changes; changes in accounting standards and related guidance; and factors that could affect our consolidated effective tax rate, including estimated Fiscal 2020 taxable losses eligible for carry back under the CARES Act. Forward-looking statements reflect our expectations at the time such forward-looking statements are made, based on information available at such time, and are not guarantees of performance. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these expectations could prove inaccurate as such statements involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our ability to control or predict. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties, or other risks or uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial, materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected. Important factors relating to these risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for Fiscal 2020, and those described from time to time in our future reports filed with the SEC. We caution that one should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We disclaim any intention, obligation or duty to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.









Oxford Industries, Inc. Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands, except par amounts) (unaudited) July 31, August 1, 2021

2020

ASSETS Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 180,389 $ 97,089 Receivables, net 48,522 28,133 Inventories, net 77,330 148,578 Income tax receivable 18,085 787 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 24,720 23,830 Total Current Assets $ 349,046 $ 298,417 Property and equipment, net 157,380 180,284 Intangible assets, net 155,747 156,739 Goodwill 23,897 23,866 Operating lease assets 212,217 254,230 Other assets, net 33,462 39,013 Total Assets $ 931,749 $ 952,549 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY Current Liabilities Accounts payable $ 62,116 $ 47,904 Accrued compensation 34,027 14,332 Current portion of operating lease liabilities 58,523 65,653 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 65,518 45,812 Total Current Liabilities $ 220,184 $ 173,701 Long-term debt  65,000 Non-current portion of operating lease liabilities 215,434 255,935 Other non-current liabilities 21,389 18,471 Deferred income taxes 1,043 7,892 Shareholders Equity Common stock, $1.00 par value per share 16,895 16,876 Additional paid-in capital 158,083 151,720 Retained earnings 302,456 267,273 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (3,735 ) (4,319 ) Total Shareholders Equity 473,699 431,550 Total Liabilities and Shareholders Equity $ 931,749 $ 952,549





Oxford Industries, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except per share amounts) (unaudited) Second Quarter First Half Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 Fiscal 2019 Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 Fiscal 2019 Net sales $ 328,672 $ 191,988 $ 302,000 $ 594,434 $ 352,331 $ 583,973 Cost of goods sold 119,046 87,251 122,175 218,223 153,520 238,379 Gross profit $ 209,626 $ 104,737 $ 179,825 $ 376,211 $ 198,811 $ 345,594 SG&A 146,367 115,663 143,403 283,492 238,664 283,217 Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets     60,452  Royalties and other operating income 4,737 2,909 3,837 10,170 6,799 7,624 Operating income (loss) $ 67,996 $ (8,017 ) $ 40,259 $ 102,889 $ (93,506 ) $ 70,001 Interest expense, net 211 676 419 463 1,334 1,090 Earnings (loss) before income taxes $ 67,785 $ (8,693 ) $ 39,840 $ 102,426 $ (94,840 ) $ 68,911 Income tax provision (benefit) 16,325 (2,606 ) 10,004 22,498 (21,969 ) 17,418 Net earnings (loss) $ 51,460 $ (6,087 ) $ 29,836 $ 79,928 $ (72,871 ) $ 51,493 Net earnings (loss) per share: Basic $ 3.09 $ (0.37 ) $ 1.78 $ 4.81 $ (4.40 ) $ 3.08 Diluted $ 3.05 $ (0.37 ) $ 1.76 $ 4.75 $ (4.40 ) $ 3.05 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 16,637 16,547 16,760 16,615 16,580 16,736 Diluted 16,859 16,547 16,907 16,825 16,580 16,878 Dividends declared per share $ 0.42 $ 0.25 $ 0.37 $ 0.79 $ 0.50 $ 0.74





Oxford Industries, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands) (unaudited) First Half Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 Cash Flows From Operating Activities: Net earnings (loss) $ 79,928 $ (72,871 ) Adjustments to reconcile net earnings (loss) to cash flows from operating activities: Depreciation 18,935 23,092 Amortization of intangible assets 440 559 Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets  60,452 Equity compensation expense 3,901 3,566 Amortization of deferred financing costs 172 172 Deferred income taxes 2,231 (8,648 ) Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions and dispositions: Receivables, net (16,617 ) 30,152 Inventories, net 46,083 3,986 Income tax receivable (110 ) 75 Prepaid expenses and other current assets (4,352 ) 1,584 Current liabilities 24,373 (3,609 ) Other balance sheet changes (5,999 ) (14,186 ) Cash provided by operating activities $ 148,985 $ 24,324 Cash Flows From Investing Activities: Purchases of property and equipment (16,223 ) (13,722 ) Other investing activities (2,000 ) (3,000 ) Cash used in investing activities $ (18,223 ) $ (16,722 ) Cash Flows From Financing Activities: Repayment of revolving credit arrangements  (170,312 ) Proceeds from revolving credit arrangements  235,312 Repurchase of common stock  (18,053 ) Proceeds from issuance of common stock 663 766 Repurchase of equity awards for employee tax withholding liabilities (2,983 ) (1,870 ) Cash dividends paid (13,353 ) (8,429 ) Other financing activities (749 ) (459 ) Cash (used in) provided by financing activities $ (16,422 ) $ 36,955 Net change in cash and cash equivalents $ 114,340 $ 44,557 Effect of foreign currency translation on cash and cash equivalents 36 72 Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of year 66,013 52,460 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period $ 180,389 $ 97,089





Oxford Industries, Inc. Reconciliations of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Information (in millions, except per share amounts) (unaudited) Second Quarter First Half AS REPORTED Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 % Change Fiscal 2019 % Change Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 % Change Fiscal 2019 % Change Tommy Bahama Net sales $ 208.8 $ 95.3 119.2 % $ 188.9 10.6 % $ 365.5 $ 182.2 100.6 % $ 353.6 3.4 % Gross profit $ 133.4 $ 53.6 148.9 % $ 114.5 16.5 % $ 234.9 $ 105.3 123.2 % $ 218.0 7.7 % Gross margin 63.9 % 56.3 % 60.6 % 64.3 % 57.8 % 61.7 % Operating income (loss) $ 47.3 $ (12.7 ) NM $ 23.2 103.8 % $ 68.0 $ (36.1 ) NM $ 38.4 77.0 % Operating margin 22.7 % (13.3 )% 12.3 % 18.6 % (19.8 )% 10.9 % Lilly Pulitzer Net sales $ 87.3 $ 73.9 18.2 % $ 75.6 15.6 % $ 160.9 $ 123.0 30.8 % $ 148.2 8.6 % Gross profit $ 61.9 $ 44.1 40.4 % $ 51.8 19.4 % $ 113.1 $ 75.8 49.2 % $ 97.3 16.2 % Gross margin 70.8 % 59.6 % 68.6 % 70.3 % 61.6 % 65.7 % Operating income $ 25.8 $ 16.3 58.5 % $ 20.4 26.1 % $ 45.7 $ 20.4 124.0 % $ 35.7 28.1 % Operating margin 29.5 % 22.0 % 27.1 % 28.4 % 16.6 % 24.1 % Southern Tide Net sales $ 14.6 $ 8.8 65.5 % $ 12.5 17.0 % $ 30.1 $ 17.1 75.6 % $ 26.6 13.0 % Gross profit $ 8.2 $ 3.0 176.3 % $ 6.1 33.9 % $ 16.5 $ 4.5 264.6 % $ 13.3 23.8 % Gross margin 56.4 % 33.8 % 49.3 % 54.8 % 26.4 % 50.0 % Operating income (loss) $ 3.0 $ (1.0 ) NM $ 1.8 60.9 % $ 6.2 $ (64.3 ) NM $ 4.4 42.6 % Operating margin 20.2 % (11.1 )% 14.7 % 20.6 % (376.0 )% 16.4 % Lanier Apparel Net sales $ 8.5 $ 8.5 0.5 % $ 20.5 (58.5 )% $ 20.5 $ 19.2 7.0 % $ 46.6 (56.0 )% Gross profit $ 5.8 $ 1.5 272.5 % $ 5.8 (0.4 )% $ 10.1 $ 4.4 128.9 % $ 13.0 (22.7 )% Gross margin 67.9 % 18.3 % 28.3 % 49.0 % 22.9 % 27.9 % Operating income (loss) $ 0.9 $ (6.1 ) NM $ 0.4 NM $ 1.7 $ (8.8 ) NM $ 1.8 (3.5 )% Operating margin 10.0 % (72.6 )% 2.0 % 8.3 % (45.7 )% 3.8 % Corporate and Other Net sales $ 9.4 $ 5.6 68.0 % $ 4.6 103.1 % $ 17.4 $ 10.8 61.4 % $ 9.0 93.6 % Gross profit $ 0.4 $ 2.6 NM $ 1.6 NM $ 1.7 $ 8.9 NM $ 4.0 NM Operating loss $ (8.9 ) $ (4.5 ) NM $ (5.6 ) NM $ (18.7 ) $ (4.7 ) NM $ (10.2 ) NM Consolidated Net sales $ 328.7 $ 192.0 71.2 % $ 302.0 8.8 % $ 594.4 $ 352.3 68.7 % $ 584.0 1.8 % Gross profit $ 209.6 $ 104.7 100.1 % $ 179.8 16.6 % $ 376.2 $ 198.8 89.2 % $ 345.6 8.9 % Gross margin 63.8 % 54.6 % 59.5 % 63.3 % 56.4 % 59.2 % SG&A $ 146.4 $ 115.7 26.5 % $ 143.4 2.1 % $ 283.5 $ 238.7 18.8 % $ 283.2 0.1 % SG&A as % of net sales 44.5 % 60.2 % 47.5 % 47.7 % 67.7 % 48.5 % Operating income (loss) $ 68.0 $ (8.0 ) NM $ 40.3 68.9 % $ 102.9 $ (93.5 ) NM $ 70.0 47.0 % Operating margin 20.7 % (4.2 )% 13.3 % 17.3 % (26.5 )% 12.0 % Earnings (loss) before income taxes $ 67.8 $ (8.7 ) NM $ 39.8 70.1 % $ 102.4 $ (94.8 ) NM $ 68.9 48.6 % Net earnings (loss) $ 51.5 $ (6.1 ) NM $ 29.8 72.5 % $ 79.9 $ (72.9 ) NM $ 51.5 55.2 % Net earnings (loss) per diluted share $ 3.05 $ (0.37 ) NM $ 1.76 73.3 % $ 4.75 $ (4.40 ) NM $ 3.05 55.7 % Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted 16.9 16.5 1.9 % 16.9 (0.3 )% 16.8 16.6 1.5 % 16.9 (0.3 )%





Second Quarter First Half ADJUSTMENTS Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 % Change Fiscal 2019 % Change Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 % Change Fiscal 2019 % Change LIFO adjustments(1) $ 4.4 $ (0.4 ) $ 0.7 $ 7.4 $ (3.6 ) $ 0.8 Lanier Apparel exit charges in cost of goods sold(2) $ (2.6 ) $ 0.0 $ 0.0 $ (2.1 ) $ 0.0 $ 0.0 Tommy Bahama Japan SG&A charges(3) $ 0.0 $ 0.0 $ 0.6 $ 0.0 $ 0.0 $ 0.6 Amortization of Lilly Pulitzer Signature Store intangible assets(4) $ 0.0 $ 0.1 $ 0.1 $ 0.0 $ 0.1 $ 0.2 Amortization of Southern Tide intangible assets(5) $ 0.1 $ 0.1 $ 0.1 $ 0.1 $ 0.1 $ 0.1 Southern Tide impairment charges(6) $ 0.0 $ 0.0 $ 0.0 $ 0.0 $ 60.2 $ 0.0 Lanier Apparel intangible asset impairment charges(7) $ 0.0 $ 0.0 $ 0.0 $ 0.0 $ 0.2 $ 0.0 Lanier Apparel exit charges in SG&A(8) $ 2.4 $ 0.0 $ 0.0 $ 3.2 $ 0.0 $ 0.0 Impact of income taxes(9) $ (1.1 ) $ 0.1 $ (0.2 ) $ (2.2 ) $ (9.1 ) $ (0.3 ) Adjustment to net earnings(10) $ 3.1 $ (0.2 ) $ 1.2 $ 6.4 $ 48.0 $ 1.4 AS ADJUSTED Tommy Bahama Net sales $ 208.8 $ 95.3 119.2 % $ 188.9 10.6 % $ 365.5 $ 182.2 100.6 % $ 353.6 3.4 % Gross profit $ 133.4 $ 53.6 148.9 % $ 114.5 16.5 % $ 234.9 $ 105.3 123.2 % $ 218.0 7.7 % Gross margin 63.9 % 56.3 % 60.6 % 64.3 % 57.8 % 61.7 % Operating income (loss) $ 47.3 $ (12.7 ) NM $ 23.8 98.8 % $ 68.0 $ (36.1 ) NM $ 39.0 74.3 % Operating margin 22.7 % (13.3 )% 12.6 % 18.6 % (19.8 )% 11.0 % Lilly Pulitzer Net sales $ 87.3 $ 73.9 18.2 % $ 75.6 15.6 % $ 160.9 $ 123.0 30.8 % $ 148.2 8.6 % Gross profit $ 61.9 $ 44.1 40.4 % $ 51.8 19.4 % $ 113.1 $ 75.8 49.2 % $ 97.3 16.2 % Gross margin 70.8 % 59.6 % 68.6 % 70.3 % 61.6 % 65.7 % Operating income $ 25.8 $ 16.3 57.9 % $ 20.5 25.6 % $ 45.7 $ 20.5 122.6 % $ 35.9 27.5 % Operating margin 29.5 % 22.1 % 27.2 % 28.4 % 16.7 % 24.2 % Southern Tide Net sales $ 14.6 $ 8.8 65.5 % $ 12.5 17.0 % $ 30.1 $ 17.1 75.6 % $ 26.6 13.0 % Gross profit $ 8.2 $ 3.0 176.3 % $ 6.1 33.9 % $ 16.5 $ 4.5 264.6 % $ 13.3 23.8 % Gross margin 56.4 % 33.8 % 49.3 % 54.8 % 26.4 % 50.0 % Operating income (loss) $ 3.0 $ (0.9 ) NM $ 1.9 58.6 % $ 6.3 $ (4.0 ) NM $ 4.5 41.2 % Operating margin 20.7 % (10.3 )% 15.3 % 21.1 % (23.1 )% 16.9 % Lanier Apparel Net sales $ 8.5 $ 8.5 0.5 % $ 20.5 (58.5 )% $ 20.5 $ 19.2 7.0 % $ 46.6 (56.0 )% Gross profit $ 3.2 $ 1.5 104.5 % $ 5.8 (45.3 )% $ 7.9 $ 4.4 80.2 % $ 13.0 (39.2 )% Gross margin 37.3 % 18.3 % 28.3 % 38.6 % 22.9 % 27.9 % Operating income (loss) $ 0.7 $ (6.1 ) NM $ 0.4 66.0 % $ 2.8 $ (8.6 ) NM $ 1.8 58.0 % Operating margin 7.8 % (72.6 )% 2.0 % 13.6 % (44.7 )% 3.8 % Corporate and Other Net sales $ 9.4 $ 5.6 68.0 % $ 4.6 103.1 % $ 17.4 $ 10.8 61.4 % $ 9.0 93.6 % Gross profit $ 4.8 $ 2.2 NM $ 2.3 NM $ 9.2 $ 5.2 NM $ 4.8 NM Operating loss $ (4.6 ) $ (4.8 ) NM $ (4.9 ) NM $ (11.3 ) $ (8.4 ) NM $ (9.4 ) NM Consolidated Net sales $ 328.7 $ 192.0 71.2 % $ 302.0 8.8 % $ 594.4 $ 352.3 68.7 % $ 584.0 1.8 % Gross profit $ 211.4 $ 104.3 102.6 % $ 180.5 17.1 % $ 381.5 $ 195.2 95.5 % $ 346.4 10.1 % Gross margin 64.3 % 54.4 % 59.8 % 64.2 % 55.4 % 59.3 % SG&A $ 143.9 $ 115.5 24.5 % $ 142.7 0.9 % $ 280.1 $ 238.4 17.5 % $ 282.3 (0.8 )% SG&A as % of net sales 43.8 % 60.2 % 47.2 % 47.1 % 67.7 % 48.3 % Operating income (loss) $ 72.2 $ (8.3 ) NM $ 41.7 73.2 % $ 111.5 $ (36.4 ) NM $ 71.7 55.5 % Operating margin 22.0 % (4.3 )% 13.8 % 18.8 % (10.3 )% 12.3 % Earnings (loss) before income taxes $ 72.0 $ (8.9 ) NM $ 41.3 74.4 % $ 111.1 $ (37.8 ) NM $ 70.7 57.2 % Net earnings (loss) $ 54.6 $ (6.2 ) NM $ 31.0 75.9 % $ 86.3 $ (24.9 ) NM $ 52.9 63.2 % Net earnings (loss) per diluted share $ 3.24 $ (0.38 ) NM $ 1.84 76.1 % $ 5.13 $ (1.50 ) NM $ 3.13 63.9 %





Second Quarter Second Quarter Second Quarter Second Quarter Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 Fiscal 2019 Actual Guidance(11) Actual Actual Net earnings (loss) per diluted share: GAAP basis $ 3.05 $ 2.11-2.31 $ (0.37 ) $ 1.76 LIFO adjustments(12) 0.19 0.00 (0.01 ) 0.03 Amortization of recently acquired intangible assets(13) 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 Tommy Bahama Japan charges(14) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.03 Lanier Apparel exit charges(15) (0.01 ) 0.04 0.00 0.00 As adjusted(10) $ 3.24 $ 2.15-2.35 $ (0.38 ) $ 1.84 First Half First Half First Half Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 Fiscal 2019 Actual Actual Actual Net earnings (loss) per diluted share: GAAP basis $ 4.75 $ (4.40 ) $ 3.05 LIFO adjustments(12) 0.33 (0.14 ) 0.04 Amortization of recently acquired intangible assets(13) 0.01 0.01 0.01 Tommy Bahama Japan charges(14) 0.00 0.00 0.03 Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets(16) 0.00 3.02 0.00 Lanier Apparel exit charges(15) 0.05 0.00 0.00 As adjusted(10) $ 5.13 $ (1.50 ) $ 3.13 Third Quarter Third Quarter Third Quarter Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 Fiscal 2019 Guidance(17) Actual Actual Net earnings (loss) per diluted share: GAAP basis $ 0.17-0.27 $ (0.64 ) $ 0.10 LIFO adjustments(12) 0.00 (0.25 ) 0.00 Amortization of recently acquired intangible assets(13) 0.00 0.01 0.01 Lanier Apparel exit charges(15) 0.03 0.45 0.00 As adjusted(10) $ 0.20-0.30 $ (0.44 ) $ 0.10 Fourth Quarter Fourth Quarter Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 Fiscal 2019 Guidance(17) Actual Actual Net earnings (loss) per diluted share: GAAP basis $ 1.12-1.27 $ (0.74 ) $ 0.90 LIFO adjustments(12) 0.00 0.00 0.03 Amortization of recently acquired intangible assets(13) 0.00 0.01 0.01 Tommy Bahama Japan charges(14) 0.00 0.00 0.13 Information technology project write-off(18) 0.00 0.71 0.00 Lanier Apparel exit charges(15) 0.00 0.12 0.00 Change in fair value of contingent consideration(19) 0.00 0.03 0.02 As adjusted(10) $ 1.12-1.27 $ 0.13 $ 1.09 Full Year Full Year Full Year Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2020 Fiscal 2019 Guidance(17) Actual Actual Net earnings (loss) per diluted share: GAAP basis $ 6.03-6.28 (5.77 ) $ 4.05 LIFO adjustments(12) 0.33 (0.39 ) 0.06 Amortization of recently acquired intangible assets(13) 0.01 0.02 0.03 Tommy Bahama Japan charges(14) 0.00 0.00 0.16 Information technology project write-off(18) 0.00 0.71 0.00 Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets(16) 0.00 3.02 0.00 Lanier Apparel exit charges(15) 0.08 0.57 0.00 Change in fair value of contingent consideration(19) 0.00 0.03 0.02 As adjusted(10) $ 6.45-6.70 $ (1.81 ) $ 4.32 (1) LIFO adjustments represents the impact resulting from LIFO accounting adjustments. These adjustments are included in cost of goods sold in Corporate and Other. (2) Lanier Apparel exit charges in cost of goods sold relate to charges resulting from the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2020 decision to exit the Lanier Apparel business, which is expected to be completed during the Second Half of Fiscal 2021. These charges include amounts related to estimates of inventory markdowns and costs related to the Merida, Mexico manufacturing facility, which ceased operations in Fiscal 2020. These charges are included in cost of goods sold in Lanier Apparel. (3) Tommy Bahama Japan SG&A charges represents the SG&A impact of the restructuring and exit of the Tommy Bahama Japan operations, which was completed in the First Half of Fiscal 2020. These charges are included in SG&A in Tommy Bahama. (4) Amortization of Lilly Pulitzer Signature Store intangible assets represents the amortization related to intangible assets acquired as part of Lilly Pulitzer's acquisition of certain Lilly Pulitzer Signature Stores. These charges are included in SG&A in Lilly Pulitzer. (5) Amortization of Southern Tide intangible assets represents the amortization related to intangible assets acquired as part of the Southern Tide acquisition. These charges are included in SG&A in Southern Tide. (6) Southern Tide impairment charges represents the impairment related to goodwill and intangible assets related to Southern Tide. These charges are included in impairment of goodwill and intangible assets in Southern Tide. (7) Lanier Apparel intangible asset impairment charges represents the impairment related to a trademark acquired in a prior year. This charge is included in impairment of goodwill and intangible assets in Lanier Apparel. (8) Lanier Apparel exit charges in SG&A relate to the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2020 decision to exit the Lanier Apparel business. These charges consist of termination charges related to certain license agreements and employee charges for severance and employee retention. These charges are included in SG&A in Lanier Apparel. (9) Impact of income taxes represents the estimated tax impact of the above adjustments based on the estimated effective tax rate on current year earnings in the respective jurisdiction. (10) Amounts in columns may not add due to rounding. (11) Guidance as issued on June 9, 2021. (12) LIFO adjustments represents the impact, net of income taxes, on net earnings (loss) per share resulting from LIFO accounting adjustments. No estimate for LIFO accounting adjustments is reflected in the guidance for any future periods. (13) Amortization of recently acquired intangible assets represents the impact, net of income taxes, on net earnings (loss) per share resulting from the amortization of intangible assets acquired as part of the Lilly Pulitzer Signature Store and Southern Tide acquisitions. (14) Tommy Bahama Japan charges represents the impact, net of income taxes, on net earnings (loss) per share of the restructuring and exit of the Tommy Bahama Japan operations. (15) Lanier Apparel exit charges represents the impact, net of income taxes, on net earnings (loss) per share resulting from the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2020 decision to exit the Lanier Apparel business. These charges include amounts related to estimates of inventory markdowns, costs related to the Merida, Mexico manufacturing facility, employee charges, termination charges related to certain license agreements, operating lease asset impairment charges and fixed asset impairment charges. (16) Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets represents the impact, net of income taxes, on net earnings (loss) per share resulting from the impairment charges in Southern Tide and Lanier Apparel. Due to the non-deductibility of $18 million of Southern Tide goodwill amounts, the effective tax rate on these impairment charges for goodwill and intangible assets was 17%. (17) Guidance as issued on September 2, 2021. Guidance for Fiscal 2021 and the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2021 do not include an estimated pre-tax gain of approximately $11 million on the September 1, 2021 sale of the minority interest in an unconsolidated entity. (18) Information technology project write-off represents the impact, net of income taxes, on net earnings (loss) per share resulting from a charge in the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2020 for the write-off of previously capitalized costs related to a project that was abandoned. (19) Change in fair value of contingent consideration represents the impact, net of income taxes, on net earnings (loss) per share relating to the change in the fair value of contingent consideration related to the TBBC acquisition.




VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ValOre Metals Corp. (ValOre; TSXV: VO; OTC: KVLQF; Frankfurt: KEQ0, the Company) today provided an update on resource expansion drilling at the Trapia 1 and Trapia 2 target areas (Trapia), of ValOres 100%-owned Pedra Branca Platinum Group Element (PGE, 2PGE+Au) Project (Pedra Branca) in northeastern Brazil.



PGE assay results from ValOres 2020 and 2021 Trapia drill programs illustrate the significant potential for resource expansion. We have now tripled the strike length of known PGE mineralization at Trapia 1 and increased Trapia 2 strike length by a factor of five, stated ValOres VP of Exploration, Colin Smith. We eagerly await the recalculation of Trapias resource estimates, which we expect to initiate in Q4, 2021.

Highlights of 2020 and 2021 Resource Expansion Drilling at Trapia 1 and Trapia 2:

Tripled known strike length of drill-confirmed PGE mineralization at Trapia 1, from 155 metres (m) to 470 m, and increased strike length by a factor of over five at Trapia 2, from 90 m to 490 m;

Established a new PGE zone 400 metres (m) to the northeast and along trend from current Trapia 2 resource area;

Confirmed and broadened up-dip surface PGE mineralization outside of the currently defined Trapia 1 resource;

Intercepted thickened, high-grade PGE mineralization down-dip and outside of currently defined resources at both Trapia 1 and Trapia 2.

Table 1: Summary of 2019 Trapia Inferred Mineral Resources and 2020-2021 Drill Upside

Deposit Tonnage

Pd Grade

(g/t) Pt Grade

(g/t) Au Grade

(g/t) 2PGE+Au Grade

(g/t) 2PGE+Au

(Ounces) Pre-ValOre DDHs

in 2019 Inferred

Pit-Constrained Resource 2020-2021 DDHs

(>10 gram x metre 2PGE+Au intercepts) Trapia 1 2,600,000 0.71 0.36 0.03 1.09 92,000 7 14 of 23 Trapia 2 1,700,000 0.79 0.31 0.04 1.14 62,000 3 8 of 14 Trapia West 1,800,000 0.63 0.45 0.03 1.12 64,000 7 did not drill TOTAL 6,100,000 0.71 0.37 0.03 1.11 218,000 17 22 of 37

Resource Expansion Drilling at Trapia

ValOres 2020 and 2021 drill programs have successfully extended PGE mineralization outside of the inferred resources at both the Trapia 1 and Trapia 2 deposits. Figures 1a and 1b show the location of the 2020 and 2021 core drill holes within the Trapia 1 (5,280 m in 23 holes) and Trapia 2 (2,240 m drilled in 14 holes) target areas.

Table 1 (above) summarizes the Trapia 2019 pit-constrained NI 43-101 inferred resource and illustrates the PGE resource expansion potential from ValOres 2020 and 2021 drill core assay results. A 10 gram x metre 2PGE+Au threshold was applied, based on the two lowest gram x metre assay intervals of resource holes, drill hole DD09TD03 (7.53 gram x metre hole in Trapia 2 resource) and drill hole DD09TU08 (9.61 gram x metre hole in Trapia 1 resource).

At Trapia 1, the strike length of drill-confirmed PGE mineralization has tripled from 155 m to 470 m, as corroborated by 14 drill intercepts of PGE mineralization in 15 drill holes (2020 and 2021) south of the 2019 inferred resource, including:

Drill hole DD20TU20: 76.74 m at 1.25 g/t 2PGE+Au from 176.81 m

Drill hole DD21TU22: 59.20 m at 1.09 g/t 2PGE+Au from 172.80 m

Drill hole DD21TU25: 57.35 m at 1.00 g/t 2PGE+Au from 238.15 m

Drill hole DD20TU13: 61.85 m at 0.81 g/t 2PGE+Au from 217.15 m

The strike length extension was accomplished after ValOres geologists reinterpreted the structural and geological model at Trapia 1 and established that the PGE-mineralized intrusion was not truncated by a fault along the southern resource margin, as previously interpreted by past operators, but remained fully intact and stepped down by 40 to 50 m. As such, historical resource expansion holes to the south of the stepdown were stopped short of the PGE-bearing ultramafic (UM) intrusion. Strike potential of the mineralized UM target remains open in both directions (north-northeast and south-southwest). See Figure 2 below for a plan map of 2020 and 2021 core drill holes at Trapia 1, compared with the 2019 inferred resource holes.

ValOre drilling has also confirmed and broadened the up- and down-dip high-grade PGE mineralization outside of the currently defined resource area, including the up-dip, surface PGE intercept in drill hole DD20TU10, which graded 52.37 m at 1.24 g/t 2PGE+Au from 0.45 m; and down-dip drill holes DD20TU12, with 100.42 m grading 0.76 g/t 2PGE+Au from 93.15 m, and DD21TU21 which graded 1.29 g/t 2PGE+Au over 71.90 m from 134.95 m depth.

Figure 2: Plan Map of 2020 and 2021 Core Drill Holes at Trapia 1, Compared with 2019 Resource is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/532f32f4-ff70-4a16-9ffa-62251f131219

At Trapia 2, ValOres 2020 and 2021 core drilling has increased the drill-confirmed PGE-mineralized strike length by a factor of greater than five times, from 90 m to 490 m. This includes a new PGE zone situated 400 m to the northeast and along trend from current resource area, supported by six PGE drill intercepts in seven core holes from 2020 and 2021. In addition, geological continuity of the UM host rocks was established for over 800 m of geological trend, which remains open in both directions. See Figure 3 below for a plan map of 2020 and 2021 core drill holes at Trapia 2, compared with the 2019 inferred resource holes.

ValOres 2020 and 2021 drilling produced the top two core holes to date from a 2PGE+Au gram x metre interval perspective at Trapia 2, and five of the top six, including:

Drill hole DD21TD14: 11.27 m at 2.10 g/t 2PGE+Au from 152.48 m (released today)

Drill hole DD21TD16: 45.45 m at 0.61 g/t 2PGE+Au from 178.55 m (released today)

Drill hole DD21TD17: 21.60 m at 0.49 g/t 2PGE+Au from 43.80 m (released today)

Drill hole DD20TD13: 45.62 m at 0.54 g/t 2PGE+Au from 9.10 m

Drill hole DD20TD07: 52.15 m at 0.49 g/t 2PGE+Au from 4.85 m



Figure 3: Plan Map of 2020 and 2021 Core Drill Holes at Trapia 2, Compared with 2019 Resource is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/10b10828-330d-4656-9ffc-5a22747c7139

Table 2 summarizes significant PGE assay results from 2020 and 2021 Trapia 1 and Trapia 2 core drilling.

Trapia Target Areas and the 2019 Mineral Resource Domain

Trapia is one of five currently defined PGE deposit areas at Pedra Branca, which together host an inferred resource totalling 1,067,000 ounces of 2PGE+Au contained in 27.2 million tonnes (Mt) grading 1.22 g/t 2PGE+Au. Summary Table of the 2019 Inferred Resource and Pedra Branca Resource Estimate NI 43-101 Technical Report, May 2019.

The Trapia mineral resource comprises three separate UM intrusive areas within a 2-kilometre radius: Trapia 1, Trapia 2 and Trapia West. Specifically, Trapia 1 represents 92,000 ounces of the aggregate Trapia inferred resources of 219,000 ounces at 1.10 g/t 2PGE+Au (6.2 Mt), and Trapia 2 represents 62,000 ounces of the aggregate Trapia inferred resource.

Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QA/QC) and Grade Interval Reporting

CLICK HERE for a summary of ValOres policies and procedures related to QA/QC and grade interval reporting.

Qualified Person (QP)

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in NI 43-101 and reviewed and approved by Colin Smith, P.Geo., ValOres QP and Vice President of Exploration.

About ValOre Metals Corp.

ValOre Metals Corp. (TSXV: VO) is a Canadian company with a portfolio of highquality exploration projects. ValOres team aims to deploy capital and knowledge on projects which benefit from substantial prior investment by previous owners, existence of high-value mineralization on a large scale, and the possibility of adding tangible value through exploration, process improvement, and innovation.

In May 2019, ValOre announced the acquisition of the Pedra Branca Platinum Group Elements (PGE) property, in Brazil, to bolster its existing Angilak uranium, Genesis/Hatchet uranium and Baffin gold projects in Canada.

The Pedra Branca PGE Project comprises 39 exploration licenses covering a total area of 39,987 hectares (98,810 acres) in northeastern Brazil. At Pedra Branca, 5 distinct PGE+Au deposit areas host, in aggregate, a current Inferred Resource of 1,067,000 ounces 2PGE+Au contained in 27.2 million tonnes grading 1.22 g/t 2PGE+Au (CLICK HERE for ValOres July 23, 2019 news release). All the currently known Pedra Branca inferred PGE resources are potentially open pittable.

Comprehensive exploration programs have demonstrated the "District Scale" potential of ValOres Angilak Property in Nunavut Territory, Canada that hosts the Lac 50 Trend having a current Inferred Resource of 2,831,000 tonnes grading 0.69% U 3 O 8 , totaling 43.3 million pounds U 3 O 8 . For disclosure related to the inferred resource for the Lac 50 Trend uranium deposits, please CLICK HERE for ValOre's news release dated March 1, 2013.

ValOres team has forged strong relationships with sophisticated resource sector investors and partner Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) on both the Angilak and Baffin Gold Properties. ValOre was the first company to sign a comprehensive agreement to explore for uranium on Inuit Owned Lands in Nunavut Territory and is committed to building shareholder value while adhering to high levels of environmental and safety standards and proactive local community engagement.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Jim Paterson

James R. Paterson, Chairman and CEO

ValOre Metals Corp.

For further information about ValOre Metals Corp., or this news release, please visit our website at www.valoremetals.com or contact Investor Relations at 604.653.9464, or by email at contact@valoremetals.com.

ValOre Metals Corp. is a proud member of Discovery Group. For more information please visit: discoverygroup.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Although ValOre believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements have been based on factors and assumptions concerning future events that may prove to be inaccurate. These factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information to ValOre. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. A number of important factors including those set forth in other public filings could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the future operations of ValOre and economic factors. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release and, except as required by applicable law, ValOre does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. ValOre undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of ValOre, or its financial or operating results or (as applicable), their securities.
DALLAS, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NexPoint Strategic Opportunities Fund (NYSE:NHF) (NHF) today announced the extension of the offering period for its previously announced offer to purchase any and all Shares of Beneficial Interest (the Shares) of United Development Funding IV (UDFI or the Company) at a price of $1.10 per Share upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase and in the related Assignment Form for the offer (which together constitute the Offer and the Tender Offer Documents). The Offer is now scheduled to expire at 12:00 midnight, Eastern Time, at the end of the day on October 1, 2021, unless the Offer is extended or earlier terminated. The Tender Offer Documents are available at www.UDFITenderOffer.com, or from the information agent for the Offer, as discussed below.

As previously announced on December 14, 2020, the Offer is conditioned upon, among other things, the satisfaction or waiver of the following conditions: (i) there shall not have been threatened, instituted, or pending any action or proceeding before any court or any governmental or administrative agency (a) challenging the acquisition of shares pursuant to the Offer or otherwise relating in any manner to the Offer, or (b) in the sole judgment of NHF, otherwise materially adversely affecting the Company; (ii) NHF shall have received all required governmental approvals, if any, for the Offer; (iii) NHF shall have had the opportunity to conduct sufficient due diligence to determine whether the offered price per share is reasonable given the current financial condition and results of operations of UDFI; (iv) the Board of Trustees of UDFI shall have waived in writing the ownership limitations set forth in Article VII of the Declaration of Trust of UDFI as such limitations would otherwise apply to the Offer; and (v) NHF shall have received satisfactory evidence that UDFI has continued to qualify as a real estate investment trust (REIT) under federal tax laws and thereby to avoid any entity-level federal income or excise tax.

On January 8, 2021, UDFI announced that it had reduced the percentage of outstanding Shares that a shareholder may own from 9.8% to 5.0%. The Company took such action in an effort to frustrate the Offer. It also announced it amended the Companys bylaws to require that certain legal actions could be brought on behalf of or against UDFI only in certain courts in Maryland. NHF and its advisors are reviewing these actions and their legality under applicable law.

Shareholders should read the Offer to Purchase and the related materials carefully because they contain important information. Shareholders may obtain a free copy of the Offer to Purchase and the Assignment Form from D.F. King & Co., Inc., the information agent for the Offer (the Information Agent), by calling toll-free at (800) 331-7543. THE OFFER WILL EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, EASTERN TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON OCTOBER 1, 2021, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED OR EARLIER TERMINATED.

About the NexPoint Strategic Opportunities Fund (NHF)

The NexPoint Strategic Opportunities Fund (NYSE:NHF) is a closed-end fund managed by NexPoint Advisors, L.P. that is in the process of converting to a diversified REIT. On August 28, 2020, shareholders approved the conversion proposal and amended the Companys fundamental investment policies and restrictions to permit the Company to pursue its new business. The Company has since realigned its portfolio so that it is no longer an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act). On March 31, 2021, the Company filed an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) for an order under the 1940 Act declaring that the Company no longer operate as an investment company (the Deregistration Order). During the SECs review process, the Company will continue to be structured as a closed-end investment fund. The Company has also completed the repositioning of its investment portfolio sufficient to achieve REIT tax status and is operating during its 2021 taxable year so that it may qualify for taxation as a REIT.

For more information visit www.nexpoint.com/nexpoint-strategic-opportunities-fund

About NexPoint Advisors, L.P.

NexPoint Advisors, L.P. (the Investment Adviser) is an SEC-registered adviser on the NexPoint alternative investment platform. It serves as the adviser to a suite of funds and investment vehicles, including a closed-end fund, interval fund, business development company, and various real estate vehicles. For more information visit www.nexpoint.com



Risks and Disclosures

This document is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any common stock of UDFI or any other securities. The offer to purchase common stock of UDFI will only be made pursuant to the Offer to Purchase, the Assignment Form and related documents. THE TENDER OFFER MATERIALS (INCLUDING THE OFFER TO PURCHASE, THE ASSIGNMENT FORM AND CERTAIN OTHER TENDER OFFER DOCUMENTS) WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. STOCKHOLDERS OF UDFI ARE URGED TO READ THESE DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT SUCH STOCKHOLDERS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING TENDERING THEIR SHARES. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of these statements (when available) by directing such requests to the Information Agent, by calling toll-free at (800) 331-7543.

###

Media Contact

Lucy Bannon

lbannon@nexpoint.com
RADNOR, Pa., Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Annovis Bio, Inc. (NYSE: ANVS) (Annovis) on behalf of those who purchased or acquired Annovis securities betweeen May 21, 2021 and July 28, 2021, inclusive (the Class Period).



Investor Deadline Reminder: Investors who purchased or acquired Annovis securities during the Class Period may, no later than October 18, 2021 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. For additional information or to learn how to participate in this litigation please contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP: James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453; toll free at (844) 887-9500; via e-mail at info@ktmc.com; or click https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/annovis-bio-inc-anvs?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=annovis

Annovis is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company that is developing therapies addressing neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimers disease (AD), Parkinsons disease (PD), and Alzheimers disease in Down syndrome. Its lead compound is ANVS401 (Posiphen), an orally administrated drug which purportedly inhibited the synthesis of neurotoxic proteins that are the main cause of neurodegeneration. Annovis was conducting two Phase 2a clinical studies. The trial conducted in collaboration with the Alzheimers Disease Cooperative Study examines 24 early AD patients, whereas the AD/PD trial examines 14 AD and 54 PD patients. Both are double-blind, placebo-controlled studies and were purportedly designed to measure not only target, but also pathway validation in the spinal fluid of patients.

The Class Period commences on May 21, 2021, when Annovis issued a press release entitled Annovis Bio Announces Positive Phase 2 Data  ANVS401 Improves Cognition in Alzheimers Disease  Patients Cognition Improved 3.3 Points on ADAS-Cog11. Then, on June 1, 2021, Annovis issued a press release entitled Annovis Bios ANVS401 Improves Speed and Accuracy in Alzheimers and in Parkinsons Patients.

The truth regarding ANVS401 emerged on July 28, 2021. After the market closed, Annovis reported interim clinical data from its Phase 2a trial. Among other things, Annovis reported that AD patients 25 days after treatment failed to show statistically significant improvement compared to the placebo. Annovis also reported that, although patients showed cognitive improvements in certain areas, the results were not statistically significant.

Following this news, Annoviss share price fell $65.94, or 60%, to close at $43.50 per share on July 29, 2021.

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, the defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) Annoviss ANVS401 did not show statistically significant results across two patient populations as to factors such as orientation, judgement, and problem solving; and (2) as a result of the foregoing, the defendants positive statements about Annoviss business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

Annovis investors may, no later than October 18, 2021 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed as a lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class members claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Communicating with any counsel is not necessary to participate or share in any recovery achieved in this case. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com.

CONTACT:

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

James Maro, Jr., Esq.

280 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

(844) 887-9500 (toll free)

info@ktmc.com
Local nonprofit is helping those affected in Haiti by the August earthquake
Goshen, IN (46526)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, with mostly cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, with mostly cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
The Governors Official Program is comprised of a wide range of constitutional and legal duties and ceremonial and community engagements. Each year, the Governor hosts thousands of visitors to Government House to take part in investiture and award ceremonies, Open Days, receptions and meetings, and travels widely throughout Queensland to support the activities of Patron groups. View a chronological record of the Governors daily program below.

On Wednesday, in the morning, at, Lissner, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC CVO received a briefing from Charters Towers Regional Council representatives.

Following, at Richmond Hill, His Excellency visited All Souls St Gabriels School, and addressed students and guests; planted a tree and unveiled a plaque; and read a book.

Following, at Battle for Australia Memorial, Chermside, His Excellency was represented by Honorary Aide-de-Camp, Commander Peter Tedman DSM OAM at the Battle for Australia Commemorative Service, and laid the first wreath.

Following, at Charters Towers, His Excellency toured Dillingas Dreaming Studio.

Following, at Charters Towers, His Excellency toured Towers Arts Studio.

In the afternoon, at Charters Towers Regional Council Chambers, Lissner, His Excellency received, over a working lunch, Charters Towers Regional Council, Mayor, Cr Frank Beveridge, Deputy Mayor, Cr Sonia Bennetto, and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Aaron Johansson.

Following, at Charters Towers, His Excellency undertook a tour of the town, and met community members and local business owners.

Following, at QCWA Charters Towers Branch QCWA Charters Towers Branch, Charters Towers City, His Excellency toured the facilities, met with members, and addressed guests.
Valtteri Bottas is under a lot of pressure at Mercedes. The Finn has been a driver with the German team since 2017 but could well not return to the world champions after this season. George Russell is knocking on the door to take over the seat, but in the press conference prior to the Dutch Grand Prix, where Formule1.nl were present, he makes clear that he has no news to share.

"This weekend I don't have any news yet, maybe I already know where I ride, maybe not. I don't want to say much more about it. Things are going in the right direction at the moment and I am happy and excited". If Bottas continues to drive in Formula 1 next year, he will be the only Finn at the top of motorsport.

Bottas the only Finn in F1 next year?

Kimi Raikkonen announced on Wednesday evening that he is entering his last Formula 1 season. The Alfa Romeo driver thus brings an end to his impressive career, which Bottas himself respects."He is a big star in Finland and a legend in the sport. He has always had respect for his competition."

Valtteri Bottas remains coy on if he knows where he'll be racing next year



"Maybe I do, maybe I don't! I don't want to say much more. But things are going in the right direction. And I'm happy and I'm excited."



...and says there'll be no news this weekend #F1 #DutchGP  Autosport (@autosport) September 2, 2021
Whenever there is a large amount of Verstappen fans present, orange flares are set off in the stands. We have seen so many at Spa, twice in Austria, and in all probability, the fans with fireworks will be there again at Zandvoort. However, not every Formula 1 driver is happy about this. Some are even calling for them to stop.

The criticism on the use of the torches by fans was sparked by Mick Schumacher, who made his plea to the journalists of Autosport his plea. "I hope they're not as many flares because like in Spa, it just all came on to the track."

Schumacher continued: "It also smells very badly, and it sits in the cockpit all the time. So yeah, guys, let's keep it to a minimum, please." Esteban Ocon, driver at Alpine and brand new race winner, concurs with Schumacher's opinion. "We couldn't see anything in one corner the whole race," he believes.

Tastes like orange

In the other camp, we find, among others, Sebastian Vettel. Looking ahead to the race weekend in the dunes, he hopes to spot the flares precisely. "Taste a lot of orange," jokes Vettel
Williamsburg, NM (87901)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
ExxonMobil Catalysts and Licensing LLC has introduced ExxonMobil Renewable Diesel process technology (EMRD) to help meet the evolving needs for mobility, while utilizing renewable feedstock. This new process technology converts feedstocks including, but not limited to, vegetable oils, unconverted cooking oil and animal fats, into renewable diesel.

One challenge when converting vegetable oils and fats into renewables diesel is the high cloud point of n-paraffins, making selection of the right process technology and dewaxing catalyst critical for meeting diesel cold flow specifications.

The EMRD process is a two-stage process in which hydrotreating and dewaxing are controlled separately. ExxonMobil offers EMRD, a proprietary process technology, and BIDW, a proprietary bio-dewaxing catalyst, to produce renewable diesel from bio-feedstocks. When combined they offer a range of benefits that can help refiners enhance renewable diesel production, while helping to meet stringent seasonal product specifications.





Benefits include:

Two-stage process has a higher diesel yield versus a single stage process.

BIDW dewaxing catalyst has exceptional ability at deep delta cloud to retain diesel product and avoid cracking.

A separate hydrotreating step enables better control, optimization, and flexibility compared to a single stage process, with the ability to remove contaminants before the dewaxing catalyst.

BIDW dewaxing catalyst has a high selectivity to isomerization, which consumes less H 2 than cracking.

Additionally, the EMRD process provides the potential to produce jet fuel as a secondary product with added fractionation.

The EMRD process is an integrated solution that leverages ExxonMobils Bio-Isomerization Dewaxing (BIDW) catalyst. This provides refiners and biofuel producers with powerful dewaxing in both winter and summer modes. Improved yields were demonstrated during testing of BIDW catalyst versus other internally formulated zeolite-based alternatives.

Due to significant interest in producing renewable jet fuel as a primary product, ExxonMobil is also developing advanced catalyst and process technology solutions that will offer EMRD process licensees flexibility to tailor the amount of jet fuel versus diesel produced.
Neste is the first company in Finland to provide a service for companies and other organizations to monitor their climate emissions caused by the use of transport fuels.

According to Nestes industry survey conducted in August 2021, the use of Neste MY Renewable Diesel has increased rapidly in the public sector, goods transport, and the manufacturing industry, while growth has remained moderate in other sectors.

Road transport accounts for more than 90% of the total transport emissions in Finland. This means that Finlands ambitious goal of being carbon neutral by 2035 requires the use of all available solutions. Nestes new service supports companies in monitoring their emissions and emissions reductions, and encourages them to replace the use of fossil fuels.

One of our strategic climate commitments is to help our customers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 million tons annually by 2030. We have seen a significant demand for emissions monitoring and reporting to support companies reach their emissions reduction goals. The legislation sets requirements for emissions calculations, and the pressure to understand and reduce emissions is highlighted not only in bidding processes, but also by consumers. It is a wonderful opportunity to offer this customer-driven solution for verifying the impact of climate actions. Heidi Peltonen, Team Lead for sustainable partnerships in Marketing & Services, Neste

The digital service helps companies monitor their consumption of Neste transport fuels, the resulting greenhouse gas emissions, and emissions reductions achieved through the use of renewable diesel over a specific time period. The service uses graphs and maps to illustrate the geographic and chronological distribution of consumption and emissions, and provides benchmarking data on each companys road transport emissions in their respective sector. The services reporting features will later be expanded to other applications, such as electricity and renewable fuel oil.

Nestes recent industry survey indicates that the use of renewable diesel in the public sector has more than tripled from 2019 to mid-2021 when the total annual consumption of diesel is considered. At the same time, the proportion of renewable diesel from the total consumption of diesel has doubled in the manufacturing industry and increased by more than five-fold in the goods transport.

The use of fossil diesel in transport will decrease in the future, while the demand for renewable diesel will remain high as the electrification of heavy transport vehicles cannot follow the pace of private cars. Some sectors are showing rapid changes, while others are taking their first steps in emissions reductions. Companies need solutions that are available right now, but also solutions that help in the longer term. By supporting companies in calculating their emissions reductions and by providing benchmarking data, we believe that making lower-emission choices becomes easier. We are the first company in Finland to launch this type of a service, and we are exploring our opportunities to expand it to other regions, such as the Baltics, too. Heidi Peltonen

In addition to the newly-launched emissions calculation and reporting service, Neste also supports the electrification of the transport sector by piloting Finlands first charging service intended for logistics companies in cooperation with Niemi Services Ltd. The aim is to launch a commercial electric charging service in the Finnish market by the end of 2021.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  House Democrats have promoted Republican Rep. Liz Cheney to vice chairwoman of a committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, placing her in a leadership spot on the panel as some Republicans are threatening to oust her from the GOP conference for participating.

Cheney, a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, has remained defiant amid the criticism from her own party, insisting that Congress must probe the Capitol attack, in which hundreds of Trump's supporters violently pushed past police, broke into the building and interrupted the certification of Joe Biden's presidential election victory.

We owe it to the American people to investigate everything that led up to, and transpired on, January 6th," Cheney, R-Wyo., said in a statement as Democrats announced her promotion on Thursday. We will not be deterred by threats or attempted obstruction and we will not rest until our task is complete.

Cheney's appointment as vice chairwoman comes amid an effort by some Republicans to oust Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois from the GOP conference because they accepted their appointments to the panel from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A draft letter by Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs to Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy obtained by The Associated Press calls Cheney and Kinzinger two spies for the Democrats whom Republicans cannot trust to attend their private meetings.

Biggs, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is calling on the conference to change its rules to state that any Republican who accepts a committee assignment or serves on a committee without a recommendation from GOP leadership shall immediately cease to be a Member of the Conference. McCarthys office did not respond to a request for comment about Biggs' proposal.

Cheney, who was already booted from her position as GOP conference chairwoman earlier this year, has been undeterred by the criticism, despite serious primary challenges back home. The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney has formed the unlikely alliance with Pelosi in what she has framed as an existential fight for the party and for democracy itself.

Every member of this committee is dedicated to conducting a non-partisan, professional, and thorough investigation of all the relevant facts regarding January 6th and the threat to our Constitution we faced that day," Cheney said in the statement. I have accepted the position of Vice Chair of the committee to assure that we achieve that goal.

As the committee has met privately, Cheney has worked closely with Democrats in determining the direction of the probe. The committee's chairman, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, said in the statement announcing Cheney's appointment that Democrats are fortunate to have a partner of such strength and courage and that Cheney's insights have shaped the early work of the panel.

Cheney has demonstrated again and again her commitment to getting answers about January 6th, ensuring accountability, and doing whatever it takes to protect democracy for the American people," Thompson said.

The vice chair position, usually reserved for a member of the Democratic majority, gives Cheney a top role on the panel after McCarthy decided not to appoint any of his members to the committee. McCarthy pulled all five Republicans he had chosen after Pelosi rejected two of them, and he has harshly criticized Cheney and Kinzinger for participating at her request.

The committee's work is just getting started and could last months or years. Thompson issued broad requests for information last week to law enforcement agencies and social media companies about the planning of the insurrection, and this week he asked technology and telecommunications platforms to preserve personal communications surrounding the attack.

In July, the panel held an emotional first hearing with four police officers who battled the insurrectionists and were injured and verbally abused as the rioters broke into the building and repeated Trump's lies about widespread election fraud.

At the hearing, Cheney expressed to the officers deep gratitude for what you did to save us and defended her decision to accept an appointment on the committee.

The question for every one of us who serves in Congress, for every elected official across this great nation, indeed, for every American is this," she said then. "Will we adhere to the rule of law, respect the rulings of our courts, and preserve the peaceful transition of power?
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  A Democratic state senator has demanded an explanation after an exhibit on the gay rights movement in Kansas City was removed from the state Capitol following Republican complaints.

Kansas City Sen. Greg Razer, the only openly gay member of the Missouri Senate, said Thursday that he was appalled when he was told the exhibit, Making History: Kansas City and the Rise of Gay Rights, had been removed from the Missouri State Museum at the Capitol.

State Parks, which is part of the Department of Natural Resources, oversees the museum. Razer said he reached out to DNR Director Dru Buntin and State Parks Director David Kelly asking what had happened.

Connie Patterson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources, said in a statement that the exhibit was removed because the department did not follow a state law that requires it to coordinate activities at the museum with the Board of Public Buildings.

Patterson said Gov. Mike Parson was not aware of the exhibit until his office received several complaints about it.

We take seriously our commitment to telling Missouris stories and regret that we neglected to follow" state law, Patterson said.

Razer said he spoke Thursday afternoon to Buntin, who gave him the same reason as Patterson for the removal and would not commit to reinstating the exhibit, The Kansas City Star reported.

My guess is, and obviously he would not give me a straight answer on this, is they never go to the board to get permission to put up a temporary exhibit, Razer said. Theres always rotating temporary exhibits.

Instead, Razer said the state pulled the exhibit after complaints from Republican lawmakers, and now Ive found out and made a stink out of it and they found this way out.

The display consisted of banners, curated by Missouri-Kansas City history students, that recount the activism of the city's LGBT community. It was on display for only four days before it was taken down, even though it had been scheduled to be remain until Dec. 26.

There is NOTHING controversial about an exhibit that explains how members of the LGBT community fought to end persecution and demand rights as citizens, Razer tweeted on Thursday. Im extremely disappointed and angry that @mostateparks may think otherwise.

On Tuesday, Uriah Stark, legislative aide for state Rep. Mitch Boggs, a Republican from La Russell, posted pictures of the exhibit on Facebook and questioned why the taxpayer-funded museum is pushing the LGBT agenda in our state Capitol?

The next day, Stark thanked several of our great elected officials for having the exhibit removed, specifically mentioning Republican Reps. Ann Kelley, of Lamar, and Brian Seitz, of Branson, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Seitz, who said he had not seen the exhibit, said he called the museum's curator to ask why that exhibit was placed there at this time, what was the purpose behind the exhibit, and just see who made the call as far as putting that at the Capitol. He said his phone call was not returned.

Rep. Kelley did not respond to requests for comment, The Star reported.
Samsungs Internet browser is one of the more feature-complete Chromium forks out there with support for add-ons (including ad blockers), customizable UI and so on. The developer team behind it is working on version 16, which will bring a number of improvements to the browsers core and its interface. So, whats new?

For starters, the app is now based on Chromium M92, which has faster and more efficient phishing detection. You can read this blogpost for more. Samsung added some safety features of its own, including giving Smart Protect the ability to detect and block tracking pixels. Those are 1x1 px images that are invisible, but help third-party servers track which web pages you have visited.

Next up, the address bar has been enhanced to show more information. It shows data in the following order: 1) answer suggestions (e.g. the forecast when you search for weather), 2) related search suggestions and 3) suggestions from your bookmarks and history.



The Samsung Internet 16 browser is improving the usability of the address bar

The suggestions have switched from a simple list to using the chip UI element, which allows the browser to fit more items on the screen.

Finally, there is Page zoom. Unlike regular pinch zooming, this keeps everything on the screen, so you dont have to pan to the side to view things that were pushed off screen. It works similarly to increasing the text size, but it also enlarges other elements on the page proportionally. Heres a demo:

You can take the new features for a spin with the Beta version, which is available through the Galaxy Store and the Play Store. You dont need a Samsung device to download this and the beta installs as a separate app, so it wont overwrite the stable Internet app if you already have it.

Source | Via
Qualcomms Snapdragon Wear 4100 series chipsets feel painfully outdated in terms of efficiency, especially since they target the form factor that is the most constrained in terms of battery. The company allegedly has a new design in the pipeline that will address that concern, though it feels like a half measure.

The Snapdragon Wear 5100 will feature four Cortex-A53 cores, according to WinFuture. For comparison, Samsungs Exynos W920 has two Cortex-A55. Thats less performance overall, but a boon for power efficiency, which is key. According to ARM, the A55 delivers up to 18% more performance at 15% better power efficiency when compared to its predecessor, the Cortex-A53.

Qualcomm is reportedly testing the chip in several configurations. Some have 2GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 8GB or 16GB of eMMC storage.

The new design will also feature an improved AON co-processor, which can handle simple background tasks, e.g. counting steps and refreshing the Always On display when needed, while drawing much less power than the main CPU cores.

The Snapdragon Wear 3100 and 4100 series supports Wear OS 3.0

Of course, most of the Exynos chips efficiency comes from being manufactured on a modern 5nm node. The Wear 4100 series was made on an age-old 12nm process. The info available so far points to Qualcomm tasking Samsungs foundries to produce the 5100 chip, unfortunately its not clear which node will be used.

Interestingly, Chinas SMIC is also mentioned  the company has a 14nm foundry up and running and is supposed to have a sub-10nm line ready to go. This would allow Chinese makers to source smartwatch chips locally instead of importing from Samsung or TSMC.

The chipset will support two cameras  one 16MP and one 5MP. Some kids watches have two cameras, one for photos and one for video calls with mom and dad. This could also come in handy in other low-power applications.

By the sound of it, it will be a while before the Snapdragon Wear 5100 is ready for launch. Qualcomm will probably try to secure orders from Chinese brands, which are the biggest smartphone vendors aside from Samsung and Apple (but those two prefer to use their own chipsets).

Source
After David Santos high school graduation, he decided to join the military because it had many similarities to team sports, such as working with like-minded people who focus on winning, teamwork, structure, discipline and physical fitness.

But most importantly, he wanted to be a part of the U.S. Army to serve and protect citizens freedoms and way of life.

The 42-year-old lieutenant colonel recently graduated from the U.S. Army War College in July. The Mangilao resident currently has dual responsibilities as commander of the 105th Troop Command during weekend drill assemblies and has a full-time job as the Guam National Guard J5/7 director of Strategic Plans, Policy and Exercises.

The John F. Kennedy High School graduate was commissioned through the Army ROTC program at the University of Guam, where he graduated from in 2000.

My parents didnt want me to join the Army because of their fear of the unknown such as deployments, and I dont blame them, Santos said. My mother begged me to try going to school with the hopes that I would change my mind.

Santos mother gave him $700 to sign up for classes, and he honored her request. Santos explained that he would try, but he would enlist in the Army if the school werent for him after the semester.

After applying for the four-year ROTC Board of Regents Scholarship, Santos was selected and signed a contract to join the Army after graduation. As a contracted cadet with ROTC, Santos enlisted in the Guam Army National Guard with the Simultaneous Membership Program.

My parents had no choice at that point but to support my decision because I was going to school and had to join the Army afterward, he said. My decision to join the National Guard was based on opportunities to further my education and serve my island and nation at the same time.

The Guam National Guard has allowed Santos to travel the world, attend professional and leadership schools, serve with Guam National Guard Soldiers on multiple deployments and exercises and create lifelong friendships.

In May 2019, Santos entered the U.S. Army War College. The institution provides graduate-level instruction for senior military officers from all services and civilians to prepare them for senior leadership assignments and responsibilities.

His experience was challenging and required balancing preparations for his unit and family for a deployment.

My priority was to prepare my unit, soldiers, families and employers for the upcoming deployment, Santos said. I would spend my evening hours reading and writing assignments. I didnt get much sleep, but it was required to meet the demands of my duties and responsibilities.

COVID-19 didnt make it any easier for Santos unit and his U.S. Army War College experience. Upon redeployment, his unit was the first to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine in El Paso, Texas. They were confined, isolated and housed in a temporary base with limited amenities.

While in quarantine, I had to complete my 24-hour exam by my bed in an open bay with soldiers, Santos said. Although the setting was not conducive for a 24-hour written exam, I had no choice but to push through and remain disciplined and focus on the task to complete my exam. It was mentally and physically draining because I had to block everything around me.

The U.S. Army War College has boosted Santos confidence as a leader, provided him with the foundation to analyze and recommend options towards solving complex problems, and taught him that time must be managed wisely.

Time is something we can never get back, Santos said. Managing and appreciating the time that we must accomplish our obligation as a service member, son, father or husband is vital to success in anything that you do in life.

Santos advises teenagers interested in joining a branch of the military not to be afraid of the unknown and to give it a try.

Joining the military is one of the most honorable professions, Santos said. It is about being part of a winning team with a purpose to serve and protect our freedoms and our way of life for future generations to enjoy.
Southern High School graduate David Sanchez, now a University of Pittsburgh professor, has come home with a dozen students in tow to study sustainability solutions on the island.

He and his team of 12 Pittsburgh students are working on the ongoing sustainability project with the University of Guam as part of a study-abroad program.

The great-grandson of Guam education pioneer Simon Sanchez, he is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, and assistant director at the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation.

After visiting family in June, he coordinated the study-abroad program in August.

He said that the ongoing project is about nurturing excellence in sustainability research and sustainability education. He traveled across the world but decided to take a deeper look at Guam.

"With that initiative, the first step for me was creating and reading organic connections at home," David Sanchez said. "I spoke to the sustainability committee at the University of Guam, and I've been connected with them individually. I brought some of my students, and the idea for that is to nurture long-term collaboration."

From an engineering perspective, he said that Guam has a convergence of physical phenomena rarely seen throughout the world.

"It has one of the unique aquifers, with the highest seismic acceleration, highest rainfall and intensity, significant solar radiation, solar availability and accelerated corrosion," he said. "All of these things are happening on a small island."

He believes that all those factors present unique constraints that engineers must critically think through, making them more adept at engineering. He and his team are looking at sustainability on the island, and they often look at the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

"When you look at those goals, many of those tug on different systems, and for us, the whole idea was to come here and take a look at different systems," David Sanchez said. "We do not just automatically say, 'Here's a solution that should be used everywhere,' because a solution on Guam is likely not going to look the same as a solution in California or Pittsburgh. A lot of it is driven by context, community, culture and environment."

The challenges that Sanchez focused on with his team covered energy, water, traditional medicine and buildings on Guam.

"In innovation and entrepreneurship, they talk about this in terms of customer-client discovery, and this is really just listening and learning from those who are in the trenches about what are the significant challenges that they see," Sanchez said. "I carved out a certain problem after listening and talking to many different community members, and this is a chance to guide students to talk with different stakeholders about how to create some solutions with the community and network for the community."

The project is still ongoing, and Sanchez and his team plan to come back in the future to discuss their plan with the committee members.

"The project is multifaceted with energy and is looking at critical redundancy," Sanchez said. "Should there be 100% renewable energy? How do you go ahead and maintain the same reliability, reduce costs and keep maintaining your critical infrastructure? What are some concepts that can change the building paradigm and incorporate local materials while at the same time meeting all the standards from an engineering standpoint?

For those who want to engage in sustainability, Sanchez encourages them to reach out to different leaders on the island, who are doing "very unique and cool things at the same time."
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claimants lined up outside the Dededo Library and filled out forms, despite moments of pouring rain Tuesday, 
The Guam Environmental Protection Agency failed in its duty to prevent the contamination that occurred at Marbo Cave in Mangilao, Sen. Joanne Brown said on Thursday.

Guam EPA issued a notice of violation in late July to Samsung E & C America, Inc. for failing to comply with local soil erosion and sediment control regulations during its construction of a solar farm in the Marbo area. Subsequently released images showed that the freshwater in the historic Marbo Cave was covered in a layer of mud.

Brown, a former deputy administrator of Guam EPA spoke during a public hearing for Bill 164, which would remove the $125,000 cap on fines that the agency can issue to violators of erosion regulations. According to primary sponsor Speaker Therese Terlaje, the statutory cap prevented the agency from issuing an estimated $18 million fine over the solar plant violations.

Guam EPA Chief Engineer Brian Bearden testified on behalf of the agencys administrator, Walter S. Leon Guerrero, and said that the agency was in full support of lifting the cap.

Following up on violations was extremely resource consuming for the agency, he said.

We looked earlier this year, before the Marbo Cave incidents, in trying to establish an enforcement program at Guam EPA, that would be self-funding on the fees collected. But our calculation was that we would have to be able to achieve, at a minimum, four of these complete $125,000 capped fees a year just to be able to fund for people to help us follow up on these, these situations.

Most violators chose to appeal the fine, which could drag on for months or years, Bearden said. According to him, about a dozen violations had been issued while he was working with Guam EPA, but they only collected on the total amount three times.

So to be able to eliminate that cap on the fee is very critical to us because you know moving forward, even if we are able to settle a larger amount, well be able to truly make a great impact at Guam EPA, he said, and they might actually be able to hire additional inspectors and be more proactive about regulations.

Local diving instructor Farron Taijeron testified in support,and showed lawmakers an underwater video of the cave taken in late July which showed that sediment had collected under the surface of the caves water, about a foot thick of it, he said. Taijeron said he felt insulted when he learned that the assessed multi-million dollar fine would be knocked down to just $125,000.

If doing the right thing isnt enough to compel compliance from violators, then maybe the fear of punishment proportional to the level of negligence will, he said.

Brown was in support of removing the cap, but said, I dont buy the explanation about the limitations. And granted, I know Guam EPA has limitations.

I think we can understand smaller projects, backyard situations, overflowing septic tanks, and things of that nature, how every project isnt going to be in the forefront of Guam EPAs mind. But major development projects, certainly anything the size and the magnitude of the Marbo Cave project, Guam EPA should have been far more engaged in doing field inspections.

Damage should have been minimized, as it was often irreversible once done, she said.

The senator stated that she would save the rest of her comments for an oversight hearing on the project, which Sen. Sabina Perez said would be forthcoming.

Bearden requested that lawmakers consider removing the cap on fines for violations of water quality standards and septic system regulations, also. Those were statutorily limited to $1,000 per day, a measure that had been set in the 70s, he said.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said she might spend more than $30 million on the All-RISE program, if necessary, but said Guam lawmakers should try to provide any additional money for the program instead of relying on the use of federal pandemic grants.

The program, created by executive order, authorizes $800 payments to applicants whose adjusted gross income is less than $40,000 per year, and $1,600 to joint filers whose adjusted income is less than $80,000 per year. Leon Guerrero authorized Rev and Tax to spend $30 million for the program, out of the $604 million in American Rescue Plan funds for Guam controlled by the governor.

The Department of Revenue and Taxation started accepting program applications Wednesday morning, which resulted in a crush of residents trying to be among the first in line in the event funding runs out for the program. The executive order states payments will be issued to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis, up to $30 million. Thats 37,500 individual recipients of $800.

Leon Guerrero, during an interview Thursday on Newstalk K-57, said she doesnt know if $30 million will be enough, as it depends on how many eligible people will apply.

Although 20,534 applications were submitted on the first day, online or in person, the number of applicants slowed significantly by Wednesday afternoon, and at times, there was no one in line. The governor said she expects the number of applicants will continue to decline in the coming days.

The numbers are not as accurate and as detailed right now, because we have to see what the amounts are, she said.

Leon Guerrero said if the actual program costs are $5 million or $10 million more, shes going to find it, Whether we go down to the Legislature and ask the Legislature to find that amount of money  thats an option, too. The senators need to get on board, also, and look at what they have in the revenue stream.

The senators have to look, also and see what other local funds there might be to be able to continue (giving) these monies to all of our eligible people, she said.

She said the $30 million cap on ARP funding for the program is based on the cap stated in the RISE Act, which was passed by lawmakers last year. The governor did not implement the RISE Act and instead created the All-RISE program, incorporating portions of the RISE Act, and increasing eligibility to government employees and government retirees.

ARP funding

Leon Guerrero said one of the reasons for the cap is because the ARP funding is needed for other purposes, including keeping Guam residents safe and keeping the economy going.

Some of the projects already announced include a program through the Department of Labor to subsidize the salaries of newly hired workers. It is projected to cost between $22 million and $26 million, depending on participation. The labor director said the program could launch in October.

The Guam Economic Development Authority also announced a $30 million plan to give recovery grants of as much as $50,000 to small businesses, using ARP funding.

My plan for the (American Rescue Plan) is almost finalized. Im going to probably release it as soon as I get some of the technical stuff that were working with, with the U.S. Treasury, the governor said.

The governor last month said she is waiting for federal officials to confirm whether as much as $300 million in Guams ARP funding can be spent to build a new Guam Memorial Hospital.

Using that money might be unnecessary, however, if hospital funding for Guam and other territories is included in the federal governments Fiscal 2022 budget, which currently is being negotiated in Congress.

The plan of the ARP is definitely just to give it all back to the people of Guam, whether in terms of utilities, whether in terms of infrastructure, whether in terms of income subsidies  all that  thats what its for, the governor said.
In response to overcrowding at Global Dorm in Maite, government agencies and non-profit organizations are moving forward with plans for another homeless shelter and working on referrals for emergency Section 8 housing vouchers.

This was discussed during a meeting of the Interagency Council for Coordinating Homelessness Programs on Thursday.

The idea in the next couple of months is to have them move to permanent housing, because to be in a temporary facility for that long is really not a good thing, said Office of Homelessness Assistance and Poverty Prevention Executive Director Sarah Thomas Nededog.

Why someone becomes homeless is complex, Nededog said, but there are three common reasons residents reported as to why they are at Global Dorm: overcrowding in households; not being able to afford water and power; and being asked to leave because of non-compliance to rules and regulations by landlords.

The task force has been regularly discussing plans to build another homeless shelter for those who cannot stay in Global Dorm  which currently is full.

Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio said there are 164 people living in the shelter, including 101 children.

A long-awaited price quote on flood insurance that was needed before construction can begin on the new shelter was given to the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority by Moylans Insurance, said GHURA Executive Director Ray Topasna.

Tenorio said that his office received the quote, and it has been sent to the Guam General Services Agency for two more insurance quotes to be in compliance with procurement law.

The government of Guam is going to purchase flood insurance so that Catholic Social Services, which is the subrecipient of the Department of Housing and Urban Development award, can move in and try and get their second shelter up, Tenorio said.

To help families living in Global Dorm and others in the community find affordable housing, non-profit groups and agencies are issuing referrals for 87 emergency Section 8 housing vouchers.

GHURA entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Guam Homeless Coalition in July to help issue referrals by identifying those who need them.

So far, 62 referrals have been received by GHURA, which would be for about 71% of the emergency vouchers. Topasna said 44 interviews have been completed and six people have received a Section 8 voucher.

Its actually tracking pretty well, said Topasna.

Nededog said her office has been working to help issue referrals and applications for the vouchers, but it isnt going as quickly as she would like.

Our members have been processing a lot of the emergency housing voucher applications and submitting those to GHURA, said Guam Homeless Coalition chairperson Samantha Taitano.

Other ways to help Global Dorm residents apart from housing also were discussed during the meeting.

Nededog said that she and Taitano are collaborating with the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center to create a plan to focus on clinical issues clients are experiencing at Global Dorm.
The Department of Public Health and Social Services is trying to determine if the federal government will further compensate Guam students who are missing meals because of the latest school shutdown.

We dont know yet, said Public Health spokeswoman Janela Carrera. That will be a decision for the (U.S. Department of Agriculture). If there is an opportunity for it, we will definitely work with them again for coverage for this school year.

All public school students who were enrolled in Guam Department of Education schools last school year are eligible to receive food stamp cards worth a total of $1,243.32, to compensate them for the free school meals they missed because of the pandemic. All Guam DOE students are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch at school because of the islands high poverty rate.

The USDA in July approved the government of Guams plan to give public school students as much as $36.7 million in food stamp money in connection with the federally funded Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program. As many as 28,000 students are eligible.

Even if you graduated, if you attended school during that time frame (school year 2020-21) then you are eligible for the benefit, said education Superintendent Jon Fernandez. My understanding is that there will possibly be additional benefits from the summer, as well as possibly for this current school year.

It is my understanding the P-EBT program is authorized for this current school year, Fernandez said. It would basically depend on the period of time when schools shut down and no face-to-face learning is taking place.

Distribution

Public Health, working with Guam DOE and the Guam National Guard, has been distributing the P-EBT cards since Aug. 9, at the Micronesia Mall.

The P-EBT cards will be loaded with food money in four installments this month, totaling $1,243.32. Thats based on 157 missed serving days last school year, at $7.97 per day.

The installments will be released:

Sept. 11, $422.41.

Sept. 18, $310.83.

Sept. 25, $294.89.

Sept. 30, $215.19.

The money on the cards expires after a year if not used.

About 85% of DOE students returned to face-to-face instruction last month, but Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero on Aug. 27 ordered face-to-face instruction to stop indefinitely because of a rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. None of the new cases has been linked to school contact, according to the governor, who said she closed campuses in an abundance of caution.

Food bags

Guam DOE, starting next Tuesday, will resume distributing Grab N Go food bags for public and private school students, ages 18 and under. Each daily food bag contains a breakfast and lunch.

Receiving the food bags doesnt impact eligibility for the P-EBT program.

The bags will be distributed at a dozen different schools from 11 am. until 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, or while supplies last.
COVID-19 vaccines are supposed to be highly effective at keeping vaccinated people out of the hospital, but Guams current COVID-19 hospitalizations tell a different story.

Overall, about 42% of those hospitalized for COVID-19 on Guam are people who were vaccinated, according to the Joint Information Center, which reported 50% of those currently hospitalized at GRMC  11 of 22 patients  are vaccinated.

According to the Department of Public Health and Social Services, it will take more hospitalization data, over a longer period of time, to get an accurate picture about the effectiveness of vaccines at preventing hospitalizations here.

Just as important, according to Public Health, is data that shows being vaccinated has kept people from dying. Twenty-five people have died of COVID-19 so far this year, compared with 125 last year. Guams first COVID-19 vaccines were administered in December 2020.

Daily counts can fluctuate;  it is the overall trend that is important, Dr. Ann Pobutsky, territorial epidemiologist at Public Health, said about COVID hospitalizations. What is also important is not daily numbers but also rates, and how these change over time, particular in relation to what else is going on in the community, not just the hospital (i.e. the 2021 August surge).

The data that we have for the hospital census is a very small window of information, said Public Health spokeswoman Janela Carrera. So its hard to see, in a small frame, exactly what were looking at here. In order to do trend analysis, you have to have more data.

If you look at what is going on with the U.S., there is a clear trend when you look at states with high vaccination rates compared to those with low vaccination rates, Pobutsky said. Vaccination does provide protection by limiting severe illness/ hospitalization and mortality. Even so, vaccines arent 100%.

Pobutsky noted that a fully vaccinated elderly woman, with severe multiple co-morbidities, died in July of COVID-19. Hers was the only recent reported death of a vaccinated resident, Pobutsky said.

The recent spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Guam has been linked to large social gatherings, including a wedding reception in a ballroom and a birthday party, according to Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, who said thats why her recent executive order now limits the size of social gatherings.

Residents are not allowed to congregate in groups larger than 10 people, all of whom must be vaccinated.

The executive order also indefinitely closed schools, grades K-12, to face-to-face instruction.

I dont think the infection was spread through the schools. They were from households, coming in from the outside. But we wanted to prevent any kind of internal community spread with the schools, the governor said.

Leon Guerrero, who spoke Thursday morning on K-57 radio, said her administration will monitor pandemic numbers during the next week to 10 days before deciding whether to take additional restrictive measures.

You could close parks. Of course, the ultimate is to again close all non-essential businesses, (like) we have had in the past. Im trying to avoid that as much as I can, Leon Guerrero said.

Were monitoring the hospital cases, also. Not just the hospital cases, but the severity of the illnesses there, she said.
I have been discussing across several columns the impact of World War II on the CHamoru people, and how the way we talk about the war has a ve
The inability of Guam residents to have full access to federal support programs, has split families up, attorney Rodney Jacob said during a 
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For many, the events of Sept. 11, 2001, seem recent, as if they could have just ha
Throughout Perry County and across the state, COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise, and according to local healthcare officials, this trend will follow in the coming weeks. With the increase of cases and community transmission levels, local healthcare providers are continuing to promote COVID-19 vaccination efforts throughout Perry County.

During the Aug. 24 Chamber of Commerce meeting, Kentucky River District Health Department Public Health Director Scott Lockard spoke to chamber members about the status of COVID-19 in the area and what they can do to help.

The status of COVID in our community, as we look right now, we are seeing our most challenging time here in this district of Kentucky in Perry County that we have seen since the pandemic began. Overall in our seven county district we have, as of Aug. 20, 11,239 total cases and unfortunately 201 people have passed away from COVID, said Lockard. Current numbers of active cases that were working in Perry County is 484.

In addition to the overall case numbers, Lockard said, the KRDHD has also been looking at the hospitalizations due to COVID-19.

One of the metrics that we look at too which is always concerning is the number of patients in our hospital, said Lockard. He continued, stating that COVID-19 can, and has, easily overwhelmed the healthcare system. Like right now we have 38 patients over here in Hazard ARH that are being treated for COVID, 10 patients in ICU and eight patients on ventilators. The usage of ventilators in the state of Kentucky is the highest it has ever been since the pandemic started. The number of patients in the ICU is the greatest it has ever been since the pandemic has started. Last week we had 904 cases, new cases, in the district in our seven counties.

This large increase in cases in such a short time, he said, has left the contact tracing team behind on reaching out to positive case individuals and those who may have been in contact with them.

With 900 new cases in a week, its just totally overwhelmed our resources and our system. We can not even call all the new cases at this point, Lockard said. Were at the highest incidence rate in some of our counties in the Kentucky River District that weve ever been throughout the pandemic. One of the reasons for this is that the Delta variant is the newest variant of the COVID virus that we are dealing with.

Lockard said previous variants affected two or three people when someone had it. The Delta variant, he said, is far more transmissible.

For every infection of Delta were seeing on average seven other people infected, said Lockard.

This, he said, leads many healthcare officials to believe the numbers are going to continue increasing for a while longer.

Were going to continue to see cases increase. According to the trend lines we have not plateaued yet. There are some medical experts that think this surge will last potentially another two to six weeks so this is going to continue to happen, said Lockard.

Although the cases are continuing to increase throughout the area, Lockard said there is hope and people should continue to wear masks, get the vaccine and get tested when they suspect they have been exposed to COVID-19.

Masking helps us contain the virus, said Lockard. Of course the best way to take care and provide ourselves the most protection possible is the vaccination.

We truly think theres light at the end of the tunnel, some very exciting things happening right now. The FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine, so the Pfizer vaccine has truly been the most studied vaccine of these COVID vaccines, Lockard said. Like any vaccine there is a remote possibility of potential side effects, but most of those are mild and the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the negatives.

This week, the CDC reported that in Perry County 56.3 percent of the total population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 46.8 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. According to the Kentucky River District Health Department, the Perry County Health Department has the highest vaccination rate in the Kentucky River District. As of Aug. 30, Perry County, said the KRDHD, has administered approximately 52.7 percent of the population vaccinations, while Lee County has 44.6 percent; Letcher County has 43.4 percent; Wolfe County has 44.1 percent; Leslie County has 42.9 percent; Knott County has 39.9 percent; and Owsley County has 34.5 percent. As of Aug. 30, the KRDHD said that Perry County has had 3,890 total cases, 70 COVID-19 related deaths and has an incidence rate of 200.8. Overall, the KRDHD has had 12,594 total cases and 206 deaths due to COVID.

Officials with the Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center announced that as of 9 a.m. Aug. 31, there were 171 patients positive for COVID-19 in ARHs 13 hospitals in WV and KY. Nine of those have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and 162 are unvaccinated, said ARH officials.

KRDHD officials encourage community members to reach out to their care provider and schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
(The Center Square)  As Louisiana continues to recover from Hurricane Ida, lost economic activity could develop into a major concern without timely federal support, placing additional burdens on taxpayers and local governments.

Nearly one million electricity customers remained without power as of Wednesday afternoon, including nearly all of New Orleans and 10 surrounding parishes in southeast Louisiana, according to poweroutage.us. Another seven parishes are at least 60% without power.

Emergency distribution sites for basic necessities such as water, tarps and food rations are available in place of shuttered or damaged grocery stores in devastated communities. A real-time Walmart store map shows 26 locations remain closed from greater Baton Rouge to New Orleans and throughout the southeast region.

As relief efforts focus on survival needs, the storms impact on residents, businesses and local economies could lead to significant government revenue losses and associated services without immediate federal recovery aid.

Federal funds are the key, said John Gallagher, executive director of the Louisiana Municipal Association.

Based on pervious storms, sales tax revenues decline from businesses being shut down, evacuations and damaged property, he said.

Once the recovery starts and federal funds come in to help rebuild and communities start opening up, I think youll see an increase in sales tax revenues, Gallagher said.

According to the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit, Louisiana has the highest combined state and local sales tax in the country at 9.55%. The revenue raised from taxing applicable goods is used to fund public services.

The more widespread the damage and the longer the natural disaster recovery persists, the less sales tax is collected. At the same time, the Louisiana Department of Revenue is issuing relief initiatives aimed at easing taxpayer obligations.

A department spokesperson offered two examples: one extending tax filing and payment deadlines to Louisiana residents and business owners, and another exempting nonresident employees and businesses from income taxes for activities directly related to the Hurricane Ida recovery.

President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Louisiana on Sunday, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist state and local recovery efforts.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster, a news release said.

An attempt to gauge funding timelines and dollar amounts was submitted to FEMA, however a representative was not able to respond by time of publish.

Youre always concerned, especially in devastated places. Whats the storms footprint going to look like when they come back? Gallagher said. But once the federal funds start coming into these communities and federal resources help citizens rebuild, people are going to go to those local stores and buy appliances, lumber and other things.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, several families and individuals faced food insecurity as a result of loss of employment, loss of homes, loss of loved ones and other circumstances. In an effort to help replenish and restock the shelves of local food pantries, AEP Kentucky Power, along with multiple community partners, participated in the Power Up the Pantry event, taking up donations of non-perishable food items, toiletries and money on Thursday, Aug. 26. Donations will benefit Gods Pantry Food Bank and Facing Hunger Food Bank community agencies.

Drives were set up at various locations and took place all day. Locations included the ARH Medical Mall off of Black Gold Blvd in Hazard; as well as in Ashland, Pikeville and Prestonsburg. In Hazard, officials with the event said they collected approximately 1,926 pounds of food; 2,800 pounds of soap and cleaning supplies; and $600 of monetary donations.

Shane Allen, Kentucky Power customer service account manager, said Kentucky Power is grateful to be able to hold the event and help the community.

KY Power tries to do this every year, said Allen. We just try to make it a great event once a year to gather as much donations of food or other supplies  also monetary donations  whatever we can get from the community, he said.

Allen said Kentucky Power likes to start talking to schools and businesses around a month before the event so there is more time for donations to be gathered before the drop off date. Supporting partners that worked with Kentucky Power during the event included Anthem, Gods Pantry, Big Sandy Community and Technical College, WYMT, Facing Hunger and Appalachian Regional Healthcare.

We like to see the food pantry be replenished in our area because there are a lot of folks out there that go hungry night to night, and we just like to make sure we do our part to help as much as possible, said Allen.

Michael Halligan, CEO of Gods Food Pantry, said the pantry was glad to participate again and help refill the shelves of the New Hope Food Pantry in Gorman Hollow. We are so thankful for AEP Kentucky Power, ARH Medical Plaza, Anthem, WYMT and a host of other sponsors who are putting on Power Up the Pantry again this year, said Halligan. All of the food and funds we collect, all of those products and financial donations support food pantries and meal programs in the counties we collect them in, he said. In Perry County, he said, donations will benefit the New Hope Food Pantry.

Throughout the day of the event, Halligan said there were multiple truck loads delivered to the pantry. Over the course of the day weve already had four truck loads of product that we have collected here at the site at the Medical Mall, said Halligan. We estimate right now that were at about 135,000 meals between the food and the funds that have been donated so far, he said.

Halligan said after last years event was canceled, he is thankful to see the event return and the community come to help following the increasing numbers of food insecurity being reported across the state.

The first Power Up the Pantry was in 2019. We had planned to do it last year, but with COVID-19 being so uncertain and none of us really knowing exactly how to navigate through the pandemic when it first started, AEP Kentucky Power made the decision, appropriately so, to cancel last years event, said Halligan. Following the pandemic, he said, more people faced food insecurity.

Across central and eastern Kentucky, 16.5 percent of folks who live in central and eastern Kentucky are food insecure. Thats a quarter of a million people. Here in Perry County its 21 percent, almost 6,000 people, said Halligan. Those are before the pandemic. Most of the estimates that we have right now would suggest that need is up 15 percent above pre-pandemic levels. The need is daunting, and its so heartbreaking to see people who dont know where their next meal might come from and not have nutritious food on their tables, he said.

Often times a person is one unfortunate circumstance away from hunger. It could be loss of job  many people have seen that during the pandemic. It could be an unexpected medical event or situation  many people have seen that during the pandemic too. It could be loss of a loved one or it could be separation from a loved one. There are all kinds of circumstances that people find themselves in through no fault of their own where theyre not sure where their next meal will come from. Weve seen during the pandemic people that never dreamed theyd be hungry come to us and say they dont know what to do, said Halligan.

Events like Power Up the Pantry, said Halligan, show hope for the area.

One of the blessings of events like this is we see the spirit of the community. Kentuckians helping Kentuckians. Folks here in Perry County who know they can help someone who doesnt have nutrition to put at their table to have a nutritious meal, Halligan said.
Layla, 11, is among top Braille readers in the U.S.

Layla Hildenbrand, shown taking one of the tests in the Braille Challenge, finished third in the national competition.

MILLS RIVER  Layla is a typical 11-year-old, if a precocious one. She likes to read, play piano and in her free time hang out with friends at the neighborhood pool.



Because of a condition called leber congenital amaurosis, Layla has been blind since birth, though lacking sight has not slowed her down. She finished third in her age category last month in the National Braille Challenge, held virtually this year from the Braille Institute Los Angeles.

The daughter of Jason and Stacie Hildenbrand of Mills River, Layla learned Braille very early and began reading at around age 2 or 3. She started school at Helping Hands preschool, where she first met Rachel Harris. Harris is Laylas TVI, or teacher of students with visual impairments.

Shes still her TVI today, Stacie Hildenbrand said. Shes a fabulous TVI.

Hildenbrand also credits Angie Russell, a Braille specialist for the Henderson County school system, for helping Layla.

She is the one who makes sure all print material is put in Braille for Laylas school work, she said. She is another fantastic resource and reason why Layla has been successful in her education career.

Mainstreamed at Glenn Marlow Elementary School in Mills River, Layla has thrived. Harris regularly monitors classes to make sure all Laylas material was in Braille or a tactile form.

She also helps teach teachers how to adapt material for Layla and then at Glenn Marlow, all the teachers and John Hart, the principal, were amazing at challenging her, taking blindness out of the situation and still teaching the child like they would all the other kids and then Rachel kind of adapted the materials, Hildenbrand said. They really challenged her, shes been in the AIG classes. Academically, shes top of her class.

After winning the Braille Challenge for all of North Carolina in February, Layla competed at the national level along with the 49 other finalists from across the U.S. Canada. The challenge tests reading comprehension, speed and accuracy, proof reading and charts and graphs. Layla is a veteran of the national challenge; this year was the third time shes made it.

She was shocked (that she won) because she said the tests were very hard and she was very very proud to score third place, her mom said. In addition to a trophy, she won an iPad that is adapted for use by blind students.

Layla has been taking piano since she was four, and also enjoys swimming and has taken gymnastics in the past. She has a younger sister, Natalie, who is 8. She is definitely a great role model and Natalie wants to be just like her big sister, Hildenbrand said. Tracie works as a substitute teacher at Glenn Marlow and Rugby and Jason is a sales rep for a national roofing products company.

Layla starts classes next week to Rugby Middle School, where Harris and Russell will continue to monitor her courses.

We have always believed that her blindness would not limit her abilities and success, Hildenbrand said. And we are beyond proud of her for placing third in the Braille Challenge national competition and we know that despite her blindness she will be able to achieve any goal she sets her mind to.

Layla has already formed some ideas about what those goals might be.

She wants to be an author or a dolphin trainer, Hildenbrand said. On a trip to Clearwater, Florida, the family met Winter, the inspiration for Dolphin Tale, the 2011 movie about a dolphin that loses her tail in a crab trap and gets a prosthetic one.
A MAN has been found guilty of sending a racist Christmas card.

Bryan Olliver, 48, of Bensgrove Way, Woodcote, sent a card with a picture of a smiling monkey to Michael Reads home on Christmas Eve 2019.

Michael Read said he thought his family was in danger as the card was racist towards his partner, Heidi Price, who is half Jamaican. Oxford Magistrates Court heard that the card, which was bought on eBay, was traced back to Ollivers PayPal account and delivery address. Olliver denied that he had bought the card and suggested someone else had done him up.

Four months later, Mr Read was riding his bicycle in Woodcote when he was spat on by Olliver as he drove past in his van.

The spit landed on his right forearm and tracksuit bottoms.

Mr Read said he was surprised as he hadnt had any contact with Olliver since the pair worked together about 10 years before. A month later, on May 15, Olliver spat on Mr Reads mother, Angela, as she was walking her dog.

She said she was flustered, scared and worried as it was the start of the coronavirus pandemic but no spit landed on her.

Mrs Read said she recognised Olliver as she used to be a dinner lady at Langtree School in Woodcote where he was a pupil.

Olliver was foud guilty of malicious communication, assault by beating and assault.

He will be sentenced on Wednesday, October 20.
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Fredrick Lee Woodson, of Hugo, Oklahoma, died Sept. 9, 2021, and was born in Greenville, Texas on Feb. 3, 1952 to Ott and Aline Woodson. He married Kathie Thomas on Oct. 5, 1993 in Nashobia, Oklahoma. Fredrick enjoyed tinkering on motors and loved the outdoors. Fredrick also loved taking car
Anderson, IN (46016)

Today

Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 64F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 64F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
This article originally appeared on Alma. Light spoilers ahead for "The Chair."

"The Chair," Netflix's new six-part dramedy set in the English department of a fictional Ivy League school, is about a lot of things: existing as a woman of color in academia, workplace sexual tension, parenthood, grief, Sandra Oh's incredible double-breasted jackets.

It's also about a casual Nazi salute - if there is such a thing - which occurs during the first episode and reverberates throughout the rest of the series.

That moment, replayed and refracted, becomes a way for the show's writers to explore cancel culture on college campuses. It's a narrative device, but it's also very similar to a real event that occurred a few years ago at a prestigious New York City private school - the very one that Jewish co-creator Amanda Peet attended.

In February 2018, Ben Frisch was teaching pre-calculus at the high school where he'd taught for three decades, Friends Seminary in Manhattan. In demonstrating an obtuse angle, he found himself inadvertently in the posture of a "Heil Hitler" salute. Horrified, Frisch, grasping for a way out, called it out: "Heil Hitler!" he said. The joke fell flat.

Then, Frisch tried to explain: Until recently, making fun of Nazis was common, a Mel Brooks-inspired form of humor. Now, of course, any reference to Nazism was taboo. The class moved on, resuming discussion of math. As in "The Chair," that seemed to be that. At first. But soon after, Friends' principal, Bo Lauder, fired Frisch.

This incident and its aftermath were complicated by Frisch's own Jewish heritage: Though, like Friends Seminary, Frisch is Quaker, his father was Jewish, and two of his great-grandmothers died at Auschwitz. Much of the student body rushed to his defense. They taped petitions to the principal's door, staged sit-ins, wore "Bring Back Ben" pins, and protested. Per the New York Times: "In a commencement address, the senior Benjamin Levine offered a thinly veiled critique of the administration: 'It's so much easier and simpler to decide someone is racist or ignorant or naive - or antisemitic - than to engage in the messy work of trying to communicate and understand when conflicts arise.'" One protest sign read: "Firing a Trade Unionist Jewish Son of a Holocaust Survivor For Having a Mel Brooks Sense of Humor is Antisemitic."

Anyone who's seen "The Chair" will note where these stories align. Like Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass), the charmingly disheveled and wildly popular professor who makes this gaffe in the show, Frisch was well-liked, as shown by the ensuing wave of support. (Dobson, who is also a successful novelist, has an almost cultish student following.) Where the stories diverge is in the student reaction to the incident: In "The Chair," after the salute is surreptitiously recorded on several students' phones during the lecture (of course), the clip goes viral, devoid of all context, and starts a campus-wide protest for "No Nazis at Pembroke." One Jewish student, a Professor Dobson devotee, even lists off statistics about the recent rise in antisemitic incidents in an attempt to help him understand why reactions are so strong.

As mentioned, co-creator Amanda Peet attended Friends Seminary (albeit before the 2018 incident with Frisch). Peet's Jewish identity is important to her: Born to a Jewish mother and a Quaker father, she's married to Jewish writer and former "Game of Thrones" showrunner David Benioff. In 2015, she wrote a children's book about being Jewish during Christmas time.

Though Peet has yet to mention Frisch in interviews around "The Chair," this story, of another Jewish Quaker at her alma mater, may have inspired her.

In the Times piece about Frisch, Jonathan Mahler wrote: "That no one has accused Frisch of being an antisemite was beside the point: His invocation of the Nazi salute in a classroom full of high school students, regardless of his intentions, was enough to end his career." Without spoiling too much, this very same question - of intent versus action - plays a key part in the fate of the fictional Bill Dobson.

But back to real life: In the end, after a union-supported hearing, Ben Frisch got his job back; he is once again teaching at Friends Seminary. It's unknown if he's watched "The Chair."
The permanent display at the Manchester Jewish Museum in England celebrates the blue-collar roots of the community, when many of its members worked in steel and textile.

(JTA) - Even before its $8.35 million renovation, the Manchester Jewish Museum was a remarkably eye-catching institution.

Housed in a former synagogue on a busy road in an industrial part of northern England's largest city, it stood out from the car washes, supermarkets and hardware stores of Cheetham Hill Road thanks to its red-brick facade. The look marries Victorian architecture and the Moorish style favored by the members of the Portuguese-Spanish Sephardic Jewish community that built it in 1874.

As it expanded and gentrified, the Jewish community of Manchester  a diverse group with many blue-collar laborers from across the United Kingdom and Eastern Europe who converged because of the city's steel production and other industries  moved to leafy suburbs north of the bustling center.

But the synagogue building, the oldest surviving in Manchester, remained a communal symbol long after its congregation disintegrated in the 1980s. It became a museum, the only one in the country housed inside a synagogue.

Now, thanks to a substantial grant from the U.K. National Lottery and other contributors, the museum has been modernized and reopened, with a large extension boasting a massive exterior with Moorish-style decorations on rust-colored metal. The renovations celebrate the passage of time and the Jewish communities' industrial credentials while complementing the building's trademark color.

"It's a big moment for us," Max Dunbar, the museum's chief executive, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency ahead of the reopening on July 2, which follows two years of renovations.

It's also a big upgrade, adding a kosher-style vegetarian cafe - the menu recounts the history of the Jewish dishes it advertises. There's additionally a "learning kitchen" where visitors can experience how Jewish foods are made in participatory workshops.

The museum's content has been tightened, adapted and presented in a more people-oriented manner that propels the museum, which even Dunbar described as having been "very tired and dated," into the 21st century.

Despite having many fans and volunteers, the museum prior to the renovation featured displays that felt archival, including a prayer shawl with a laminated piece of paper alongside giving some basic information about the artifact, or impersonal notes offering dates and statistics.

Those laminated texts have migrated to high-quality information boards, and the content has been reworked.

Among the more gripping artifacts on display is a dress that belonged to Helen Taichner, a Holocaust survivor who arrived in Manchester in 1946 after hiding in a coal cellar in her native Polish city of Katowice. The dress - featuring a bulky and inelegant flower pattern for a teenager - hangs alongside Taichner's passport and leather documents satchel, underlining her foreignness and the contrast between her young age and the horrors she had experienced.

Her diary is also on display.

"My happiness knows no bounds," she wrote on the day that she received her visa to enter the United Kingdom.

That part of the display "explores why various Jewish people came to Manchester, just showing the global reach and the global roots of Manchester's Jewish communities," Dunbar said. "But then in a personal way, through people's own life stories rather than a dry academic manner."

Not everything is entering the 21st century. The renovated museum remains low-tech by design, offering few touchscreens or other electronic displays.

"You go to a lot of museums these days, and there are computer screens everywhere and buttons and flashing lights," Dunbar said. But at the Manchester Jewish Museum, "there's a lot of wood in there, a lot of soft furnishing. We want it to make people feel relaxed and comfortable in the space, so they can really embrace and listen to the stories and learn about the stories."

One impressive vintage item on display was discovered during the renovations: a time capsule made of thick glass containing newspapers, synagogue documents and a handful of coins from the 1870s. Community members had stuffed the capsule in a wall and it was exposed last year, much to the delight of city archaeologists and the museum's management.

The final section of the museum consists of quotes by 16 Mancunians written by hand on chalkboards. Each quote  one reads "I'm not going to meet God without knowing him before I get there" - has a serial number that visitors can look up in a listening station. The idea is for visitors to search a quote and put on headphones to know more about the story behind it, explained Alexandra Grime, a museum curator.

At the heart of the permanent display is the historic interior of what once was the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Manchester. Small in dimensions with only about 100 seats, the synagogue makes up for its humble size in atmosphere. Boasting burgundy carpeting and elaborate golden decorations around the elevated women's section, its wooden pillars and mahogany pews are washed by emerald-tinted light filtering in through the windows' painted glass depictions of biblical scenes.

Unlike many Jewish museums in Europe, the Manchester Jewish Museum is no relic of an extinct community.

About 30,000 Jews call the Manchester area home, making the city the second-largest Jewish community in the U.K. after London. (The capital's rising housing prices are part of the reason for Manchester's growth.) The growing population is located mainly in the suburb of Prestwich, with waiting lists for desired Jewish schools and even kindergartens. It also has kosher sushi takeaway, among other kosher restaurants.

Joel Chester Fildes The former Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue comprises the heart of the display of the Manchester Jewish Museum in England.

This suburban revival is referenced in parts of the museum's display. But the museum also preserves the memory of times when its building used to be the center of Jewish life in the area. A giant map of the old Jewish neighborhood with the museum at its center is featured on the atrium floor. The area still has Torah Street  the only one in the United Kingdom.

The museum's atmosphere and design philosophy reflect how many Mancunians, including Jews, cherish the city's informal, chummy and accessible feel compared to the big metropolis of London.

"We don't want it to feel, you know, like a sort of inhospitable, slightly functional institution," Dunbar said of the renovated museum. "That's not who we are. We're sort of a home, a home away from home in a way, and with food at the heart of that, and with these nice, relaxed informal spaces, we can deliver that vision and hope people feel at home when they come here."
By Yosef Lindell

(JTA)  When a local Orthodox synagogue asked me to lead Yom Kippur prayers six years ago, one aspect of the request stood out: Was I comfortable using the High Holyday Prayer Book translated and edited by Philip Birnbaum?

The archaic spelling of Holyday is a tipoff to the books longevity. First published in 1951 by the Hebrew Publishing Company, this Hebrew-English prayer book, or machzor, has been used by multiple generations of worshippers in Orthodox and, to a lesser extent, Conservative synagogues. It is the prayer book I used as a child; my earliest High Holidays memories include counting the number of pages in the Birnbaum machzor until services would end.

In the ensuing years, a bounty of new translations has appeared, with modern typefaces, helpful commentary, user-friendly language and supplemental readings meant to open doors into prayer for the uninitiated or easily distracted.

Yet come Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I will lead the services from a Birnbaum covered in brown paper and penciled notations of what to say and what to skip. Remarkably, 70 years after its publication, the Birnbaum Machzor is still here, outlasting its publisher, author and even its own copyright. On the occasion of its anniversary, we ought to consider its remarkable longevity and what its future might hold.

Philip (or Paltiel in Hebrew) Birnbaum immigrated to the United States from Poland in 1923 at the age of 19. While teaching Hebrew school in Birmingham, Alabama, he obtained an undergraduate education at the Southern Baptist-affiliated Howard College (now Samford University). After moving to the East Coast, he received his doctorate in Jewish history from Dropsie College in Philadelphia in 1942.

Throughout his career, Birnbaum forged connections with rabbis and academics affiliated with both the Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary of America and the Orthodox Yeshiva University. In 1944, the Hebrew Publishing Company  a fixture on the Lower East Side of Manhattan that printed everything from prayer books to greeting cards to Yiddish translations of Jules Verne  published his abridged version of Mishneh Torah, Maimonides seminal code of Jewish law. Given the success of the volume, the companys president asked Birnbaum to translate the siddur, or daily prayer book.

Birnbaums edition of the siddur, first published in 1949, outsold every other English translation and turned Birnbaum into a household name among Orthodox synagogue-goers. His 1951 machzor had a similar trajectory, rapidly becoming a High Holidays mainstay. In the 1960s, Birnbaums publisher reported that he saw the machzor on the shelf in faraway Hong Kong and Tokyo.

A few years ago, when my grandfather gave me a small 1903 machzor that had been in the family, I began to understand the appeal of the Birnbaum machzor. The 1903 prayer book, with the unwieldy name Form of Prayers for the Day of Atonement, is hardly usable. It includes a hodgepodge of Hebrew and Yiddish instructions and inconsistently sized texts that sometimes lack vowels. Its head-scratching English rendition of the Song of Glory (Shir HaKavod or Anim Zemirot) begins, Sweet hymns I will sing, and songs will I indite, for unto thee my soul panteth.

To make matters worse, it sent me flipping frantically back and forth searching for the next prayer to say.

Birnbaums introduction to his translation speaks directly to my experience with the 1903 machzor and its ilk.

The worshipper is not called upon to search from page to page and to commute from reference to reference, he wrote about his own work. Birnbaum lamented the gross carelessness of earlier machzorim that included pages broken up by several type sizes which have a confusing effect on the eyes of the reader and translations that were a vast jungle of words from which a clear idea only rarely emerges.

Not all of Birnbaums predecessors were guilty of these faults. The 1904 British machzor translated by Arthur Davis and Herbert Adler, which also was used in the United States, was well-organized and exquisitely translated. Yet it came in three hefty volumes and still suffered from a generous dose of what Birnbaum derided as Bible English. To a lesser extent, these archaisms also plagued the one-volume machzor published by Morris Silverman in 1939 and which for decades was the official machzor of the Conservative movement.

The Birnbaum machzor took hold because it outshone its competition, but its staying power can be explained by simple economics. Once a synagogue purchased copies for its congregants, switching to a different book was an expensive proposition. Further, the machzor is used only a few times a year, so it wears out at a fraction of the rate of a Shabbat prayer book or synagogue Bible.

Also, unlike much of its competition, the one-volume Birnbaum machzor includes the services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. While the ArtScroll daily siddur, published in 1984 by Mesorah Publications, quickly replaced the Birnbaum siddur in a vast number of Orthodox congregations, the ArtScroll machzor, with separate volumes for Rosh Hashanah (1985) and Yom Kippur (1986), did not meet with quite the same success. I suspect that a number of congregations could not justify the expense of purchasing so many new books when their Birnbaums were holding up just fine.

Indeed, when Dr. Birnbaum died in 1988, heralded in The New York Times as the most obscure bestselling author, his machzor was still going strong. The Hebrew Publishing Company continued to reprint it into the mid-1990s. The publisher ceased to exist sometime around the turn of the 21st century and the machzors copyright was not renewed. It is now in the public domain and can be perused online. What other book enjoys such widespread popularity 25 years after going out of print?

Yet without much chance of being reprinted, the machzors reign may at last be drawing to a close. Birnbaums frequent use of thee and thou sounds archaic and off-putting. Rabbi David Wolkenfeld of Anshe Sholom Bnai Israel in Chicago put it well when he wrote in 2016 that the Birnbaum prayer books were state of the art when they were first published and have been sanctified by the prayers of three generations of worshippers, but the translation now appears stilted. And unlike more recent translations, there is virtually no commentary that might help the novice or veteran worshipper find deeper meaning in the unfamiliar holiday prayers.

Extensive commentary and contemporary readings for the novice or veteran worshiper are a signature of newer translations like Mahzor Lev Shalem (2010), which has replaced Birnbaum, Silverman and the 1972 Jules Harlow machzor in Conservative synagogues within the past few years. The Orthodox Koren Publishers at last released a one-volume machzor in 2018, with commentary by the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. I suspect many Orthodox holdouts will abandon the Birnbaum for the Koren sooner or later. Some have already begun.

But although congregants may of course opt to bring a different machzor, theres been no official change yet at the synagogue where I will again lead the services this year.

For nearly two thousand years, Birnbaum wrote in the machzors introduction, the Hebrew prayers have helped to keep the Jews alive, saving them from losing their language and identity.

Indeed, on the Days of Judgment, when we contemplate a turbulent past and an uncertain future, the prayer book is a stable text to which we can attach our hopes, dreams and aspirations. But the prayers are also complex and confusing, even to the initiated. For 70 years  indeed, for a lifetime  the Birnbaum machzor has been a sure-footed guide.

And thats perhaps another reason why it has lasted as long as it has. When everything around us is changing so rapidly, we often find solace in those things that stay the same. Just as there are certain tunes we associate with the Days of Awe, there are also certain books. For many, the Birnbaum machzor has long been among them.

So this year, I will take comfort in the venerable book whose tearstained pages have weathered tragedy, war and illness as I pray for the people of this fractured world to be inscribed in the Book of Life.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
(JTA) - Ed Asner, the Emmy award-winning Jewish actor who trademarked a gruff, flawed, and loving persona as Lou Grant in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and co-starred in the Pixar fan favorite animated movie "Up," has died at 91.

"We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully," the family said Sunday on Asner's Twitter account. "Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head - Goodnight dad. We love you."

Asner, who once told The Forward he was "too much of a Jewish bourgeoisie" to play conventional roles, was an established character actor when he signed on in 1970 to "The Mary Tyler Moore" show to play her boss at a local TV news operation in Minneapolis.

There were occasional hints throughout the Mary Tyler Moore series that the Lou Grant character was Jewish. In one episode, a toxic character suggests he get together with Mary Richard's friend, Rhoda Morgenstern, who is explicitly Jewish, because they're both "earthy."

In 1977, after the Minneapolis TV station fires all but one of the fictional "Mary Tyler Moore" characters, the Lou Grant character moves to Los Angeles to helm a print newsroom in a spinoff show "Lou Grant." Asner is the only actor to have won two Emmys for playing the same character in two series.

The hour-long "Lou Grant," considered one of the truest TV depictions of how news is gathered, abandoned the light sardonic touch its sitcom predecessor had in depicting journalists. In a newsroom modeled on the Washington Post depicted in 1976 in "All the President's Men," Grant's character template was Harry Rosenfeld, the Post's Jewish city editor known for simultaneously berating and nurturing young reporters.

Each episode grappled with an ethical dilemma. In one memorable episode based on a true story, a reporter assigned a profile of a local neo-Nazi discovers that he is Jewish. The neo-Nazi beseeches the reporter not to reveal the truth; the reporter consults with Grant, who counsels her to include the information. The neo-Nazi kills himself, and Grant and the reporter are left to wonder if they made the right decision.

With such open-ended stories, "Lou Grant" heralded the transition from the pat moralistic TV dramatic fare that prevailed until the 1970s to the more fraught and ambiguous fare that has flourished since the 1980s. CBS canceled the series in 1982; it claimed ratings was a factor, but conservative groups had threatened to boycott the network because of Asner's real-life activism. As president of the Screen Actor's Guild, Asner spoke out against the Reagan administration's backing of right-wing insurgents in Central America.

As Asner aged, many of his characters were more explicitly Jewish, from Joe Danzig, a worn-out principal at a troubled inner-city high school in "The Bronx Zoo," in 1988, to Sid Weinberg, the abusive stepfather in the recent "Karate Kid" reboot, "Cobra Kai."

Asner acted until the end, and the Internet Movie Database lists more than a dozen roles that are in production or post-production, or that had yet to film. Beginning in 2016, he toured the country playing a Holocaust survivor in "The Soap Myth," a run interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

As a public persona, Asner was unabashedly Jewish. In 1981, he headlined a PBS documentary on Passover, and in 2012, he made a Jewish Hanukkah pitch for a charity that distributes cattle to impoverished communities. He joined Jewish Voice for Peace initiatives in speaking out against Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

"I'm amazed by Israel's militaristic achievements and accomplishments, and yet I think I gloried more at the Jewish image of the Children of the Book," he told the Los Angeles Jewish Journal in 2005, after receiving an activism award from a Jewish group.

In 2019, Asner narrated "The Tattooed Torah," an animated version of the children's Holocaust education tale. "This little Torah is the story of our people, tattoos and all," Asner says in the narration.

Grant, born and raised in Kansas City to Jewish immigrant parents, told interviewers that his parents practiced a "midwestern" form of Orthodox Judaism, observing many of the religious laws but driving to synagogue. More substantially, he said they instilled in him a belief that Jewish practice was inseparable from activism.

"I was raised to believe that giving back to your community is the good and right way above all, and that we were needed to uphold the faith, and if we upheld it, we would be doing right," he told the Jewish Journal.

Grant was at times a go-to villain: Playing a murderous thief in 1975 and again in 2012, he is perhaps the only actor to straddle the original "Hawaii Five-O" action TV series and its most recent iteration.

But his trademark was a deeply flawed character who finds redemption in an unlikely place or relationship. In the "Mary Tyler Moore" pilot, Grant badgers job applicant Mary Richards with personal questions: Why did she never marry, what religion is she? When she stands up for herself and says his questions are inappropriate, Grant delivers the one-two that would come to define his characters.

"You know what? You've got spunk," says Asner, as Grant. Moore, as Richards, grins. Grant follows up: "I hate spunk." Yet he hires her.

He reprised that journey, from cynic to believer, in 2009's "Up," the Disney/Pixar feature in which he voices Carl Fredricksen, an elderly man broken and embittered by widowerhood and a modern world seemingly intent on crushing him, who embarks on a balloon journey to South America with a young stowaway.

Like his characters, he told The Forward in 2012 that he had experienced an arc from self-righteousness to self-questioning.

"My self-examination could have been more rigorous," he said. "I could have been braver, better, more rehearsed for life."

Asked if he had a wish, he told the Jewish newspaper: "Bury my ashes in Mount Scopus."
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (l) meets President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, Aug. 27, 2021. It was their first face-to-face meeting at the White House.

WASHINGTON (JTA) - In his first meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, President Joe Biden said that although he prefers diplomatic means to keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, he is not afraid to "turn to other options" on the issue.

The pledge captured what both men, who are in varying degrees of political precariousness right now, hoped to extract from the meeting: A bigger focus on what they agree on than what they disagree on, and the start of a new era in relations between Israel and U.S. Democrats.

"We're going to put diplomacy first and see where that takes us," Biden told the press alongside Bennett during a break in their meeting on Friday. "But if diplomacy fails," he added, his voice raising in volume, "we're ready to turn to other options."

For Biden, it was a welcome momentary distraction from the chaos unfolding in Afghanistan. The meeting, originally planned for Thursday, was delayed after bombings at the Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. troops.

Back home, Bennett is presiding over a fractious political coalition with a single vote majority, struggling to control a new COVID-19 surge that has dented his popularity and dealing with the fallout of an embarrassing phone call, in which he confused the name of a fallen soldier.

But for a few hours on Friday, the two leaders were able to pivot to Iran and other issues of import to Israel - a significant gesture on Biden's part, given his preoccupations with the Afghanistan situation. Pro-Israel officials briefed on the meeting said that it went well for a first visit; there was chemistry between the two men, and it went longer than planned.

Bennett opposes Biden's efforts to reenter the Iran nuclear deal - the diplomacy Biden referred to - but unlike his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, he is realistic about the prospects of dissuading Biden from trying. So extracting a robust promise from Biden to consider "other options," including possible military ones, will allow Bennett to claim he influenced the president.

"The Iranians are spinning their centrifuges in Natanz and Fordow," Bennett said, referring to two uranium enrichment facilities. "We [have to] stop it, we both agree. So we've developed a comprehensive strategy that we're going to be talking about with two goals. The first goal is to stop Iran on its regional aggression and start rolling it back into the box. And the second is to permanently keep Iran, away from ever being able to break out the nuclear weapon."

Beyond Iran, Biden also emphasized the defense assistance the United States delivers to Israel, and reiterated a pledge to fully restore Israel's Iron Dome capability, after the short range anti-missile defense system was depleted by Hamas rocket fire during the latest Gaza conflict, in May.

"We're also going to express the unwavering commitment we have in the United States to Israel's security, and I fully, fully, fully support Israel's Iron Dome system," Biden said.

Bennett thanked Biden for the support, and returned to the prevalent theme of his visit: reestablishing amicable ties between Israel and both parties in the United States, after years of tensions between Netanyahu and Democrats.

"You are going to write yet another chapter in the beautiful story of the friendship between our two nations, the United States of America, and the Jewish and democratic state of Israel," Bennett told Biden.

Biden made clear that there was still lingering bafflement - if not anger - among Democrats at the hostility Netanyahu evinced toward Biden's old boss, former President Barack Obama, who launched the most generous defense assistance package to Israel in history, $3.8 billion a year.

"You give me credit, much of which should go to Barack Obama," Biden said.

"Please thank him as well," Bennett said.

Only Biden mentioned a peace deal with the Palestinians, and in passing - his aides have said that they recognize that substantive moves toward peace are not in the cards right now, particularly given the unwieldy political coalition Bennett leads at home. They talked more about each country's respective battle to combat the resurgent coronavirus.

Afghanistan, and more specifically the Taliban, have historically not posed issues for Israel. Bennett began the talk by expressing condolences for the dead in Afghanistan, but he also used the moment to get back to his main concern.

"These days illustrate what the world would like if Iran or a radical Islamic regime acquired a nuclear weapon," he said.
(JTA)  Israels Chief Rabbinate has asked Pope Francis to retract a recent comment about Jewish law that it said might lead Catholic listeners to derogatory conclusions about Jews.

Rabbi Ratzon Arusi, chair of the Chief Rabbinates Commission for Interreligious Affairs, sent a letter to the Vatican expressing concerns about an Aug. 11 lecture there on God giving the Torah to the Jews, Reuters reported Wednesday. The Torah is the name given to the first five books of the Jewish Bible.

God offered them the Torah, the Law, so they could understand his will and live in justice, Francis said in the homily, according to a translation of his remarks provided by the Vatican. We have to think that at that time, a Law like this was necessary, it was a tremendous gift that God gave his people.

What he said next is the objectionable part: The Law, however, does not give life, it does not offer the fulfillment of the promise because it is not capable of being able to fulfill it, the pope said. The Law is a journey, a journey that leads toward an encounter  Those who seek life need to look to the promise and to its fulfillment in Christ.

The letter from Arusi was addressed to Cardinal Kurt Koch, whose department at the Vatican handles Jewish relations.

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, Arusi was quoted by Reuters as writing.

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.

Arusi asked to convey our distress to Pope Francis and requested the pope act to ensure that any derogatory conclusions drawn from this homily are clearly repudiated.

Kochs office told Reuters on Wednesday that he was considering [the letter] seriously and reflecting on a response.

Francis enjoys a good reputation when it comes to Catholic-Jewish relations. He co-authored a book with a rabbi many years ago when he was still the archbishop of his native Buenos Aires. Last month, Francis acted to restrict the use of the Latin Mass, a liturgical form that calls for the conversion of Jews and refers to Jewish blindness.
RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA)  Hackers posting death threats, including Ill enter synagogues and kill everyone, broke into the online mourning ceremony for a former Jewish school principal in Rio de Janeiro.

Death to Jews, Ill explode, Sieg Heil and dirty Jews were also part of the attack during the shiva session Sunday on Google Meet in honor of Dora Fraifeld, a beloved figure at the pluralistic Eliezer Max School for nearly 40 years. Fraifeld died last week.

The hackers also used scenes of Adolf Hitler along with Nazi symbols and slogans, as well as pornography and loud music, in threatening Jewish community members and institutions.

The session, which had some 50 participants, was terminated and continued on a different link.

Brazilian authorities are investigating.

Eliezer Max President Daniel Orlean told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the school often uses Google Meet.

As the intention was to reach a larger audience, the link was disclosed on our social networks and this lapse allowed the invaders easy access to the event, the school wrote in an email to students and their families and in WhatsApp groups.

Rio State Deputy Atila Nunes, a longtime activist against religious intolerance, filed a formal complaint in the Rio State Assembly aiming to launch a probe of the antisemitic attack.

Authorities from federal, state and municipal circles must take a stand against antisemitism and the persecution of minorities, Alberto Klein, president of the Rio Jewish federation, wrote on social media.

The ceremony was held in partnership with the Associacao Religiosa Israelita, Rios largest shul with some 1,000 families. Known by the acronym ARI, the temple is affiliated with the Reform movement.

The most shocking thing is that it took place in the midst of a religious service, a mourning ritual, in honor of an educator who dedicated her life to preparing generations to become creative adults, anchored in the ancient Jewish tradition and inserted in society, Diane Kuperman, a human rights activist and former vice president of the Jewish federation, told JTA.

The episode drew major media coverage.

Our concern is that with the approach of the Jewish New Year, the face-to-face and virtual ceremonies will be intensifying and, with that, the risk of new attacks, Klein told O Globo newspaper. These are terrorist actions, as they generate panic, fear, and terror.
The COVID pandemic saw a dramatic increase in the availability of fresh produce to be rescued: the fruits and vegetables that hotels, restaurants and caterers could not use.

When Israel came to a standstill in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID pandemic, shops, restaurants and offices shut down as part of a nationwide lockdown.

But for Israel's hungry, there was no break.

On the contrary, the closure of corporate dining facilities, restaurants, hotels and military base cafeterias left them more vulnerable because suddenly there were no excess meals from these institutions to donate.

For Leket, Israel's leading food rescue organization, this was an immense challenge. The main sources of surplus food for the hot meals that Leket provides daily to tens of thousands of needy Israelis had vanished overnight.

"People needed to eat now, not later. We had to act immediately," Leket CEO Gidi Kroch said. "We had to come up with some out-of-the-box approaches and dig deeper for new sources of food because it quickly became evident that COVID was changing the world - perhaps long term."

Even before the pandemic, nearly 20 percent of Israel's population of 9.2 million was food insecure. The pandemic, which put some 1 million Israelis out of work, pushed an additional 150,000 Israelis into food insecurity, according to Leket, including middle-class families who had not required assistance in the past.

For Leket, which before the pandemic provided nutritious meals to some 175,000 Israelis every week, that meant an increase to 246,000 people each week. This at a time when many of the organization's 330 direct-service nonprofit partners, such as free community restaurants, meals-on-wheels operations and afterschool programs, were forced to close because of COVID restrictions.

There was one bright spot, however.

Suddenly there was a dramatic increase in the availability of fresh produce to be rescued: all those fruits and vegetables that hotels, restaurants and caterers weren't using. With some help from partners like the Israel Defense Forces, McDonald's, Strauss foods and Coca-Cola, which donated trucks for picking up and delivering the excess produce, Leket swung into action.

The food was brought to municipal distribution centers, where local volunteers delivered it to the needy households.

In one initiative, employees from the Israel Electric Company, which before the pandemic donated 500 surplus meals daily to Leket from its cafeterias, delivered boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables to Holocaust survivors living in government-subsidized housing in the Haifa area.

"We felt terrible that we had no extra food to give Leket, so we turned to them and asked if we could help in another way," said Ohad Levy, information technology director of the company's power grid division. "Fortunately we were able to 'adopt' Holocaust survivors and deliver produce boxes to them at least once a month."

Levy added, "I know from my own childhood what it is like not to have enough food. So I pressed hard with IEC management to establish a food rescue program. It's about providing proper nutrition for kids and dignity for older people."

Leket was founded in 2003 by Joseph Gitler, an American immigrant, with the goal of reducing food waste and addressing food insecurity in Israel. It does this by harvesting surplus agricultural produce and collecting cooked meals, then sorting and distributing them to the needy throughout the country. Leket donates only food that is nutritious and meets food safety regulations.

In 2020, Leket supplied a total of 2.3 million hot meals and salvaged 41 million pounds of fresh produce from 600 farmers.

The first year of the pandemic turned out to be one of Leket's most critical ever.

To address the challenge of fewer prepared meals, Leket launched a meal purchase program with caterers that enabled them to bring their workers back from furlough to help cook the meals. A specific fundraising drive by Leket paid for the initiative.

The food was prepared for distribution by nonprofit community partners or handed out at central distribution points. For homebound clients, Leket staff and volunteers provided door-to-door delivery, supplying them with six to eight meals that could be refrigerated and heated up as necessary. The number of people on Leket's daily food program rose from 9,000 before 2020 to 13,000 during the height of the pandemic.

A year ago, Leket launched a "Meal for Two" initiative that purchased nutritious cooked meals from struggling restaurants, benefiting both the beleaguered restaurants and the needy. Leket also entered into a partnership with a local salad company to use Leket's excess carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggplants to prepare salads for beneficiary agencies.

"A lot of donors disappeared when COVID hit, but Leket stuck with us big time," said David Agaev, director of Echpat, an organization that houses and rehabilitates homeless people in South Tel Aviv. The group uses food handouts to convince homeless people to avail themselves of units in the organization's 12 apartment complexes.

"We build trust through food," Agaev said. "When people are on the street they'll take water and a fruit or vegetable from you."

Leket currently provides prepared food to 164 residents of Echpat's apartments, saving Echpat $5,600 per month in food costs, according to Agaev.

"During COVID, as more people became homeless, Leket's staff was available to us even on weekends," Agaev said. "They are already planning with us for Rosh Hashanah."

With COVID infections mounting and Israel reinstating many pandemic-era restrictions and considering another national lockdown, Leket officials are concerned about the continued growth of food insecurity. Food rescue should be a central solution, they said.

"The government must get involved," Kroch said. "It needs to acknowledge the need for food rescue as part of the government's nutritional sustenance programs and help finance it."

In the meantime, Leket is raising additional money to provide cooked meals to Israelis for the upcoming High Holidays and making contingency plans to provide food packages that can last for a week in the event of another holiday lockdown. By Rosh Hashanah, Leket will have rescued 18,000 tons of agricultural produce and collected 1 million meals for the needy this year.

This story was sponsored by and produced in partnership with Leket, Israel's leading food rescue and relief organization. This article was produced by JTA's native content team.
Jewish Academy of Orlando has extended recess for all grades back to 45 minutes. In addition to extended recess time, lunch for all grades is 30 minutes, and a mid-morning break of 15 minutes is included in the daily schedule.

In recent years, many schools have lessened the amount of time that students spend in free play. In fact, experts find that the decrease may be significantly impacting the social and emotional development of our children. Comparatively speaking, recess only became mandatory in Orange County in December 2016, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Both Seminole and Orange counties require only twenty minutes. Jewish Academy of Orlando offers more than double that time for recess.

The Power of Play, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics posits that

"Children need to develop a variety of skill sets to optimize their development and manage toxic stress.

Play enhances brain structure and function.

Play promotes executive function (i.e. focus on the process of learning, rather than the content presented), which allows individuals to pursue goals and ignore distractions."

Children need a balanced curriculum that includes the importance of playful learning for the promotion of healthy child development.

Citing Yogman's The Power of Play, The New York Times reports that, "Kids develop 21st-century skills in play," skills that include social and emotional development and that "are crucial for adults in the new economy, that help them collaborate and innovate."

"I am thrilled that JAO has extended recess time for their students. Schools are so focused on academic performance and student output yet overlook the importance of the social-emotional learning piece that is fostered through recreational activity. High expectations are demanded of young students, but we must remember that they are still children and deserve to take breaks. I believe that JAO has mastered the holistic approach to educating mindful, well-rounded children," stated Chelsea Quereau, Counselor.

Recess and play may also help prevent mental health disorders in children. Education Week cited Dr. Peter Gray, a research professor at Boston College as explaining that "Rates of depression and anxiety among young people in America have been increasing steadily for the past 50 to 70 years." He continues to explain that "Today, by at least some estimates, five to eight times as many high school and college students meet the criteria for diagnosis of major depression and/or anxiety disorder as was true half a century or more ago." With the decline the amount of time students spend in free play, it is suggested that "Free play and exploration are, historically, the means by which children learn to solve their own problems, control their own lives, develop their own interests, and become competent in pursuit of their own interests"

According to Amy Polacek, Principal, "Jewish Academy of Orlando truly believes in educating the whole child, and we have a dual-focus as educators. We foster both academic excellence and social-emotional growth, cultivating values of kindness, self-awareness, mindfulness, and character." Polacek added, "While we are extremely proud of our students' academic achievements, we are focused on graduating children that are happy, confident, love to learn, and know how to get along with their peers; students that are ready for the world!"

Jewish Academy of Orlando serves central Florida students of all faiths from transitional kindergarten through fifth grade. The school delivers a whole-child education fostering academic excellence and character education rooted in Jewish values. Jewish Academy of Orlando is accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools.

To learn more about Jewish Academy of Orlando, please visit: jewishacademyorlando.org or follow the school on Facebook facebook.com/JewishAcademyOrlando.
By Philissa Cramer

(JTA)  Jewish communities around the world are reactivating their refugee-support networks as they prepare to help resettle Afghans who have fled the Taliban takeover of their country.

In recent weeks, tens of thousands of Afghans have been airlifted from Kabul after the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan with the U.S. exit from the country after 20 years. Many will spend time in another country while they wait to be admitted to the United States, but some are already arriving  and needing support as they adapt to a sudden relocation and a new country.

The importance of welcoming strangers is so deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and experience that immigration issues have long enjoyed a bipartisan consensus in Jewish communities even amid deep polarization on other topics. Many cities have social services agencies that began to support Jewish immigrants and now work with new arrivals of all backgrounds, often coordinating with HIAS, formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, to identify refugees and meet their needs.

Those agencies  and the Jewish communities that support them  are now scrambling to prepare for a wave of new arrivals as the United States wages an around-the-clock effort to remove as many people as possible who supported the U.S. military mission in advance of an Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

In California, Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley and Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay are preparing to support 130 families, according to J., the Jewish News of Northern California. The East Bay organization has been helping Afghans resettle for years, but has never tried to support so many families so quickly, the newspaper reported.

This whole thing has been just super expedited, the groups senior director of development, Holly Taines White, told J. Doing this work is deeply rooted in our history and our values.

White noted that the new arrivals hold whats known as special immigrant visas, or SIVs, because they collaborated with the United States, meaning that many have experienced trauma throughout the upheaval in their country.

Every single SIV weve resettled has had threats against them or their family members, or had a family member killed, or had a family member kidnapped, or had a friend who also worked with the United States who was pulled out of their house and killed on the street, White told the newspaper.

In Southern California, Jewish Family Service of San Diego told the Times of San Diego it has resettled 74 Afghans since Aug. 6 and is preparing for an untold number of additional arrivals.

Most cases are assigned to JFS with little more than 24 hours notice before arrival, though all have prior connections  whether family or friends  to the San Diego region, Etleva Bejko, the director of refugee and immigration services for the nonprofit organization, told the paper.

As of last week, Jewish Community and Family Services of Pittsburgh had already learned that it would resettle two Afghan families, including one that arrived on a tourist visa and now will be able to stay in the country. But it anticipated that the number would rise.

Were planning as if were going to receive more than a handful of families, the local groups director of refugee and immigration services told the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. We wont see hundreds of people arriving at the same time, but this is going to be a slow process of refugees arriving for a long time.

In Tampa, Florida, Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services has resettled six Afghan families and expects four more next week, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The group pays for housing until refugees can begin working, but a representative told the newspaper that the tight housing market has made it challenging to find apartments for the new arrivals.

Jewish Social Services, the only refugee resettlement agency in Madison, Wisconsin, has resettled 61 refugees from Afghanistan since 2017, including 14 in the past three months. Its expecting an influx now, the group told WMTV, a local TV station.

Were reaching out to potential landlords, were reaching out to hotel managers to say this is what we expect to happen, we dont know when its going to happen, we dont know for how long its going to be happening for, but as our partner, we would like you to know about it, the groups executive director told the TV station.

Jewish social services groups in Kansas City, Delaware and Seattle have all told local news organizations that they are standing by to support refugees who arrive in their areas.

Efforts to support Afghan refugees span the globe. In England, British Jews are drawing on their collective memory of the Kindertransport, which brought children from Germany to England during the Holocaust, as they gather money and goods for refugees who arrive there. The Bushey United Synagogue in Hertfordshire told the local Jewish News it had experienced an overwhelming response after asking for donations to support 30 Afghan families in the area.

We recognize that our grandparents came into this country as refugees and all were trying to do is pay it back forward, the synagogues rabbi told the BBC.
The Maitland Public Library was awarded a $900 grant from the Florida Humanities Council in support of a Florida Talks Speaker Series titled Calling Our Culture. This series will bring three high-quality humanities programs to Maitland in September, including Jews of Florida: Centuries of Stories, with a discussion led by Marcia Jo Zerivitz. These programs will explore our states rich heritage, promote civic engagement, and bring the latest academic research to our community. Funding for this program was provided by Florida Humanities and sponsored in part by State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

Maitland Public Librarys Calling Our Culture programs are designed to explore the complexities of different cultures within our community, through the humanities. Each program will be featured in a hybrid format. The programs are:

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m .: The Destruction of Rosewood with Vincent Adejumo. In this portion, Adejumo will give a critical analysis of Rosewood, a predominantly Black community destroyed in 1923 during a racially motivated attack, and other majority-Black cities in Florida within the context of group economics and how that tradition among African Americans was destroyed.

Wednesday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m .: Stories of Florida  Con Sabor! with Carrie Sue Ayvar. In this portion, Ayvar will explore how Floridas stories have never been the same since Ponce De Leon first arrived on our shores in 1513. Flowing seamlessly between Spanish and English, these personal, historical and traditional Florida tales take the audience on a journey into the imagination that connects the people and cultures of Florida, con un poco de sabor Latino  with a bit of Latino flavor!

Wednesday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m .: Jews of Florida: Centuries of Stories with Marcia Jo Zerivitz. In this portion, Zerivitz will present a 60-minute PowerPoint presentation based on the authors seminal book, the first comprehensive history of the Jews of Florida from colonial times to the present  a sweeping tapestry of voices spanning centuries. Despite not being officially allowed to live in Florida until 1763. Jewish immigrants escaping expulsions and exclusions were among the earliest settlers. They have been integral to every area of Floridas growth, from tilling the land and developing early communities to boosting tourism and ultimately pushing mankind into space. You will meet contemporary Floridian Jews  names that are recognized globally  and pioneers who impacted history beginning 257 years ago and possibly in 16th century Florida.

Learn more about the Calling Our Culture programs at the Maitland Public Library at http://www.maitlandpubliclibrary.org/events/category/adults.
(JTA)  The owners of a Ukrainian cafe housed in a former synagogue said they worked two lightning bolts into the logo to advertise the reenergizing qualities of the coffee there.

Instead they waded into a political minefield because they ended up reproducing the symbol of the SS, Nazi Germanys murderous elite force.

On Tuesday, the owners said the whole thing is a case of a font gone wrong and apologized to anyone whose feelings may have been hurt. It was a trial that was never fully implemented, they said, and will drop the logo.

Cafe Escobar in Chervnitsi, near Lviv, introduced the logo on July 25 in a video that showed a filter holder emblazoned with the letters Essco, in which the Ss closely resemble the SS logo also designed to evoke two lightning bolts.

The SS symbol is offensive to many throughout Europe, but especially in Ukraine. During World War II, local men from the countrys west were drafted into an SS unit, the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division, also known as the 1st Galician.

Reviled by some for the many murders perpetrated by its troops, the soldiers of the 1st Galician are also celebrated as heroes in Ukraine today, principally for fighting the Soviet Union. Ukraines ongoing conflict with Russia, which began in 2014, has mainstreamed the glorification of the 1st Galician and other Nazi collaborators while also launching a polarizing debate in society.

Eduard Dolinsky, the director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, has been spearheading efforts to delegitimize Nazi imagery and homage to collaborators in Ukraine, and on Monday he posted Cafe Escobars promotional material on his Facebook page. The picture featured an attractive young woman studying a menu emblazoned with the logo.

A coffeeshop with the symbols of the Nazi SS is located in Chernivtsi on Synagogue St. 31, Dolinsky wrote in typical understatement on his page, which has more than 23,000 followers.

Those followers reacted less reservedly, accusing the owners of fascist sympathies and referring to the pictures as evidence of moral degeneration.

Cafe Escobar declined a request for comment by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The cafe has preserved some of the Hebrew text on the walls from when it was the Great Synagogue of Chervnitsi, an eclectic building from 1853 combining baroque and Classicist elements. Its promotional material has featured the Hebrew-language writings.

In its post Tuesday, the cafe said the logo situation was a big misunderstanding.

In fact, this is a case of a font gone wrong. It was a trial, the owners said in the Facebook post. In our imagination, we saw two lightning bolts as a symbol for energy, but the font was chosen unsuccessfully.

The logo and font, they said, have nothing to do with SS. 

We didnt make any Nazi references, we assure you! And sorry if this caused negative emotions. We apologize to anyone whose feelings may have been hurt.
(JTA)  Israeli leaders rarely criticize a law passed by an ally government as outright antisemitic.

But thats what Foreign Minister Yair Lapid did on Aug. 14 in response to a newly passed law in Poland that indirectly makes it impossible for Jews and others to sue for property stolen from their families in World War II.

Poland today approved  not for the first time  an immoral, antisemitic law, he said in a statement.

Poland, which faces continual criticism throughout the European Union for its restrictive abortion and media policies, has drawn criticism from around the world over the law. But Lapid, who also took the opportunity in his statement to call Poland an anti-democratic, non-liberal country that does not honor the greatest tragedy in human history, went a step further with his rhetoric.

Experts in Israel-Poland relations have taken notice.

Monitoring Lapids reaction to the law felt like watching a child smash an intricate structure that took years to construct, said Ami Mehl, an Israeli diplomat who helped establish ties with Poland as it broke away from the communist bloc in the 1980s. I cant understand it, Ive never seen anything like it.

Its not the first time Lapid has used such charged rhetoric in bringing up the Holocaust to critique an ally countrys past on the international stage. The foreign minister, who is slotted to take over as prime minister in 2023, is deeply influenced by his familys Holocaust past. His father survived the genocide in Hungary, where pro-Nazi puppet governments helped exterminate Jews, and he has made it a personal cause to attempt righting the wrongs of the Holocaust.

The Holocaust defined my father, and through him, it defined who I am, Lapid said at a 2014 commemoration ceremony in Israel.

A year earlier, during an official visit to Hungary for an event on fighting antisemitism when he was finance minister, he said this in a speech to the parliament: Guests are not supposed to embarrass their hosts, but wed be defeating the purpose of this whole event if we ignore the fact that the Holocaust could not have happened without the active help of tens of thousands of Hungarians and the silence of millions more.

He added: There is a stain on the honor of this house which weve spent years trying to ignore, but history has taught us that ignoring it is never the right policy.

The Israel-Poland partnership is a strategic one that has been built painstakingly over decades. In addition to its long Holocaust shadow, Poland was among the first Eastern bloc countries to break free of Russias embrace and needed to tread carefully in befriending Israel. It once was a rock-solid friendship: Poland was one of Israels staunchest advocates in the oft-critical European Union.

In the wake of Israels fury over the new law, Poland recalled its ambassador to Israel. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said it has been decided to safely bring back home the children of Polands ambassador to Israel amid concerns about growing hatred towards Poland and Polish citizens in Israel. And the Polish deputy foreign minister appeared to threaten the future of the annual school trips taken by tens of thousands of Israeli students to former death camps in Poland, saying they are not being done in the right way.

A similar diplomatic crisis erupted in 2018 following the passage of a law that outlaws rhetoric blaming the Polish nation for Nazi crimes. Israels prime minister at the time, Benjamin Netanyahu, sharply condemned the law, but he brokered a diplomatic compromise: A joint statement by both countries acknowledged collaboration by some Poles during the Holocaust and the rescue of Jews by others.

The document came under fire in both countries and split Israels Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, but it at least allowed things to move forward in a cordial manner, Mehl said.

Lapid, then leader of the opposition, made a series of assertions that were squarely rejected by prominent Holocaust scholars from across the globe. Among his claims: There were Polish death camps and no law can ever change that; Poland was a partner in the Holocaust; and Hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered without ever meeting a German. The Auschwitz Museum compared his wording to Holocaust denial.

(The Nazis killed 3 million non-Jewish Poles in addition to 3 million Polish Jews  about half of all Jewish Holocaust victims were Polish.)

This time Lapid  the former journalist who assembled the variegated coalition of parties that unseated Netanyahu in June  is in power, and his rhetoric is so harsh that it could be undoing decades of partnership, Mehl said.

Other Israeli diplomats agree and have been vocal in accusing Lapid of overreacting. Unnamed diplomatic sources told the Israel Hayom newspaper that Lapid is needlessly damaging relations with the EU.

But his verbiage is also garnering support from some who have long urged the Israeli government to take a firmer line on the politicization of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. They include the prominent Nazi hunter Efraim Zuroff and Moshe Feiglin, a former conservative Israeli lawmaker and frequent critic of Lapid. Feiglin praised Lapids principled, instinctive stance on Poland.

For years, right-wing Polish lawmakers have stoked a wave of nationalism that has put debates over Holocaust memory front and center in the political realm. The subject featured prominently in the 2020 presidential elections: The campaign of incumbent Andrzej Duda of the ruling Law and Justice party accused a liberal rival, Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, of seeking to satisfy Jewish claims. Duda would go on to win a second term.

Zvi Mazel, an Israeli former senior diplomat, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he can understand Lapids desire to fight for the memory and rights of victims of the Holocaust in Poland and in East Europe, where there was unspeakable antisemitism and where there are attempts to cover up that reality.

But, Mazel added, there is a lot at stake. Poland was a key ally of Israel in the European Union, and Hungary, where many of the same trends occur, still is. Israel needs those friends to break up the critical approach of the Western states and prevent it from becoming consensus and policy.

Jewish community leaders in Poland, who have tended to be critical of the Law and Justice partys policies involving World War II history, have not exactly backed Lapid publicly.

Edward Odoner, vice president of TSKZ, a major Jewish communal group, told Israels Channel 12 that the fight seems strange and contrived to him because the law on property claims affects mostly Polish non-Jews who lost property during communism.

For me it is a mystery, he told Channel 12. Why there is so much noise around this?

Last week, the Board of the Jewish Religious Community in Warsaw published a statement in which it refrained from laying blame on either Israel or Poland, merely stating they expect from both governments that they will soon return to dialogue, resolve contentious issues and stabilize relations.

Piotr Kadlcik, a former president of the Union of Jewish Religious Communities in Poland, told JTA that Lapid used words that he should not have used. But it is a duty of Jewish state to defend Jews against injustice.

Queried for a reaction to the criticism of Lapid, Israels Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote to JTA that his stance is principled, and was the result of consideration and consultation.

The decline in relations with Poland began when Poland began in 2018 to pass laws whose purpose is to harm the memory of the Holocaust and the Jewish People, the ministry said. The State of Israel will not tolerate disrespect for the memory of the victims. The foreign ministry and minister acted to prevent further deterioration. Unfortunately, the authorities in Poland chose not to listen.
(JNS) German Chancellor Angela Merkels coalition partner, the largely pro-Iranian regime Social Democratic Party, is polling even with her Christian Democratic Union ahead of the Sept. 26 federal election.

A profound insight about left-wing Jew-hatrednamely, that antisemitism is the socialism of foolsis frequently attributed to the German Social Democrat August Bebel (1840-1913). It still rings true regarding great swaths of German left-wingers.

Over the last four years of Merkels fourth and last term (she is not running for re-election), the Social Democrats have contributed to the rise of German antisemitism and delivered repeated shots in the arm to the worlds worst sponsor of terrorism, Holocaust denial, and lethal anti-Jewish, anti-Israel sentiment and action: the Islamic Republic of Iran.

If the Social Democrats secure representation in the next federal government, then it will be business as usual, continuing the trajectory of a party that was born in the ideas of the enlightenment and reform but has degenerated into a force hostile to Israel and Jews.

Let us consider one of the most egregious examples. Germanys Social Democratic foreign minister, Heiko Maas, has consistently sent high-level diplomats to Tehrans embassy in Berlin to celebrate the Islamic Revolution that ushered in the radical clerical regime in 1979.

That a politician like Maas, who said he went into politics because of Auschwitz, is mainstreaming a regime that denies the Holocaust while all the time issuing genocidal statements about bringing about a second one is telling.

The Social Democratic president Frank-Walter Steinmeier infamously sent a telegram on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the 1979 revolution to Irans then-President Hassan Rouhani, congratulating the mullah regime in the name of the German people.

It should be noted that Merkel objected neither to Steinmeiers telegram nor to Maass foreign ministry participating in an event celebrating the clerical regime.

Merkels chief priority was to preserve her coalition and not to pick fights with the Social Democrats. Her other main priority was to advance Germanys commercial interests, even at the expense of her pledge to Israel that the security of the Jewish state is non-negotiable.

Germany remains the Islamic Republics most important European trade partner. In 2019, Maas sent a top diplomat to a seminar designed to help companies bypass U.S. sanctions targeting Irans regime.

Bjorn Stritzel, a security and foreign-affairs journalist for the Berlin-based Bild, Europes best-selling newspaper, wrote at the time about the seminar that the business with Iran takes place with the blessing of the German Foreign Ministry. This is not only shameful but a slap in the face of all freedom-loving Iranians.

Last week, the German journalist Wolfram Weimer described Maas as the worst foreign minister since 1945.

Maass record on delegitimizing Israel and endangering Jewish security certainly justifies Weimers blistering critique.

He did not object when his Ambassador to the United Nations Christoph Heusgen likened Israel to the jihadi terrorist movement Hamas at the U.N. Security Council. Heusgens appalling parallel earned him a spot on the Simon Wiesenthal Centers worst outbreaks of anti-Israelism and antisemitism in 2019.

A year later, another foreign minister employee, Andreas Gorgen, the director-general for cultural affairs and communication, was included in the 2020 list for his advocacy of the BDS campaign targeting Israel.

Jusos, the Social Democratic Partys youth movement, also earned a spot on the Wiesenthal list for its resolution declaring solidarity with the youth wing of Fatah, the main faction of the PLO, as a sister organization. Fatah Youth seeks the dissolution of Israel. In one instance at a demonstration in 2018 in the disputed West Bank, Fatah Youth members wore fake explosive belts and chanted slogans calling for Israels destruction.

When I asked Michaela Engelmeier, a Social Democratic politician who became the general secretary of the German-Israeli Friendship Society (DIG), about the antisemitic bill of particulars regarding her party, she refused to comment and blocked me on Twitter.

When Social Democrats like Engelmeier, who plays a leading role in a moderately pro-Israel group that is financed by Germanys government, remain silent, it only sets the stage for more Social Democratic-animated antisemitism.

To be fair, Engelmeiera former member of the German National Judo Teamhas done some decent work in criticizing Muslim-majority countries like the Islamic Republic that engage in antisemitism by refusing to compete against Israeli athletes.

Sadly, there are no robust countervailing forces within Engelmeiers party to undercut its growing anti-Jewish problem.

The Social Democrats needto borrow a phrase from the founder of modern socialism, Karl Marxto engage in ruthless criticism of their promotion of intense antisemitism with a view of reversing their pro-Iranian regime and pro-Palestinian terrorism policies. Regrettably, the perversely modernized version of the socialism of fools has carried on into a third century in Germany.

Benjamin Weinthal is a research fellow for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal.
This article originally appeared on Alma.

A year ago, I was watching Schitts Creek with my wife. It was the last season, second to last episode, so things were already emotional.

Then there was that scene.

The one where David is sitting on the car with his best friend Stevie and looking at the house that his soon-to-be husband Patrick had wanted to buy for him before David had told him that they were moving to New York. Patrick, the hunky good boy that he is, had agreed to, and David was now looking at another reality he might live if he chose to stay in Schitts Creek. And he was crying.

Its at this point that Stevie asks him, What is it about New York?

After some needling, its clear that David is dying to go back to prove to his former friends, the ones who cant even come to his wedding because they had a rave to go to, that he was someone. In his words, I want those people to know that Im not a joke and that Ive won.

Stevie can hardly handle it. She points out the house and says, David, look at this place. Youve won.

It was at that point that I broke down. In a moment, I went from tearing up due to the beauty of the scene to suddenly feeling completely overwhelmed with a sense of deep familiarity. My wife, Rivka, paused the episode right as David fell into Stevies arms and bawled. And that was when I turned toward her and fell into her arms and cried in a way I hadnt in ages, letting out something I had been holding onto for a very long time. I cried and cried, holding onto her, letting the snot and the tears come out, finally.

Rivka looked at me and asked what was going on.

Im David, I said.

Last summer, almost exactly one year ago, my family and I had moved across the country. We brought our three daughters from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the center of the Chabad Hasidic community that I had struggled and failed to reform, to our new home in Long Beach, California.

For a while, such a move felt unimaginable. We had dedicated our lives to this community, and to the Orthodox world at large. We had given everything to be part of it, and we felt that even when things were challenging, we were part of a divine mission to make it better.

It started with joy: We wanted to build a community for creative Jews, a place where they could express what was in their hearts freely. But we quickly learned that there were certain things in the hearts of some of our fellow writers and community members that the larger community did not think should be expressed, like feelings about laws of family purity, hiding a lack of belief, modesty, childhood abuse, queer issues, Donald Trump, racism and the act of expression itself. As our community grew, we spoke more openly about the backlash we and those we cared about were experiencing. And in turn, this led to further backlash. But rather than give in, all of this caused us to invest further. We turned our home into a community center, made it our full-time jobs, and started to become more vocal as activists, joining and helping lead communities like Torah Trumps Hate that invested heavily in transforming the Orthodox narrative around politics after the 2016 election.

It was the only way I could make sense of things, even when they got dark: I was brought into this community by God, and so the difficulties I faced in it were just difficulties I was meant to face and do something about.

When we finally faced up to the reality that no change was coming, and that even if it was, our attempts to build something there was breaking us down and hurting our family, I agreed to make the move my work had been asking me to do for a few months.

The move, by any objective measure, was an incredible moment for my family. We were no longer living in a shoebox but in a charming house, a dream I had had since Rivka and I married. We were a few minutes from the beach. We found a school that was diverse and Jewish (the biggest fear we had was losing the vibrancy of the Jewish education we had found in Brooklyn). We were no longer constantly broke.

And as for me, I was no longer in a community that proved toxic to me. I had finally left, finally broken free, finally had the space to be and think and act however I wanted without a community looking over my shoulder. I could finally heal.

And yet, part of me felt defeated. Broken.

In many ways, the haredi Jewish world creates an impossible situation for those who wish to make change: We are taught that change can only happen from within, and yet are simultaneously told when we try to make that change that we are traitors. The reformers within the community learn early that the most effective way to make change is quietly. I had many moderate haredi leaders whisper this to me when Id write yet another screed about what I saw as the failures in our community. We are also taught to be deeply phobic about the very idea of leaving, which connects to our belief that staying within is the only way to make change.

And yet, it is this very determination to stay that forces us to work within a system designed to quiet dissent. So, when we leave, despite the fact that it is, in fact, a form of liberation, it can feel like an utter failure. Like weve lost. Like weve given up.

I suppose this was all swirling in my head when David shared his thoughts with Stevie. I spent years, years of my life, believing that the only way to win was to stay. I had bought into a lie, one that kept me in a place that only hurt me, my family and the people I cared about. I was like David: determined to attach myself to New York, if only to prove to them that, in the words of David, Im not a joke. And that Ive won.

Yet there was also life asking me, Why do you want to go back to a place thats done nothing but hurt your feelings?

Thats what an abusive relationship is. It convinces you that the only way to make things right is to stay. And thats why I cried when Stevie cried out to David, Look at this place! Youve won!

I also have my own charming little home, one that I was lucky enough to have chosen with my wife. I didnt need to justify myself to anyone. I didnt need to win anything. I didnt need to prove that I wasnt a joke.

I chose this life, and that is what matters. That the agency in my heart, in my soul, had finally been acted upon to its full completion. I was no longer doing half measures: I was out. Thats winning. Thats enough.

I rewatched Schitts Creek a month or so ago. And there I was, again, watching this episode with Rivka almost exactly one year later. Again, I found myself collapsing in tears. But this time, the tears were sweet: tears of victory. It was a year later, and already things were so much better than they had been. Rivka had recently told me that I was healthier than she had seen me our entire marriage. When my parents came to visit, they mentioned that I seemed so much calmer, that I had always seemed agitated and anxious when they visited us in New York. I was more present with my daughters than I had ever been. And while we miss having a Jewish community, we are also excited to now join one with intentionality, forethought and agency.

I built a life here. My family is healthier, happier. We are living a life of freedom, one that weve chosen. We won.

Published by Alma, a 70 Faces Media brand

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
(JNS) Any notion that the worst days of Islamist terrorism are long behind us was brutally shattered at Kabul Airport on Thursday, as twin bombs ripped indiscriminately through Afghan civilians and U.S. and other foreign servicemen trying to complete the desperate evacuation of thousands of people for whom Taliban rule represents the most terrible fate.

Gen. H.R. McMaster, a former U.S. national security advisor who served as deputy commander of the international force in Afghanistan, put it succinctly in the hours that followed the bloodshed in Kabul. Maybe this moment is the time that we can stop our self-delusion that these groups are separate from one and other and recognize that they are utterly intertwined and interconnected, and what we are seeing is the establishment of a terrorist, jihadist state in Afghanistan, McMaster, a visceral critic of the US withdrawal strategy pursued by both the Trump and Biden administrations, observed in a BBC interview. And all of us will be at much greater risk as a result.

His underlying argument is that talking up divisions between the Taliban and fellow Islamist fanaticssuch as ISIS-K, the Afghan branch of the Daesh terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria that carried out the Kabul Airport bombingelides the point that these groups are united in their fundamental worldview. On the ideological front, the late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Ladens promise of a war against crusaders and Jews still holds firm, which means terrorism against Western interests and Western targets, most of whom will be defenseless civilians. It also means, for those unfortunate enough to live under the direct rule of the Islamists, that ordinary Muslims will continue to be their principal and most numerous victims.

The intertwined connections described by McMaster inside Afghanistan can be seen in the region more

In the past, many analysts have scorned the contention that there could be a strategic connection between the austere Sunni Islam adhered to by the Taliban and the Shiite millenarian Islam that defines the Tehran regime. It is also true that the Taliban and the Iranians have come to blows in the distant past, as evidenced in the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif in 1998 following the kidnapping of a group of Iranian diplomats by Taliban fighters.

Even so, what unites them is, in the last analysis, more important than what divides them. Taliban delegations have visited Iran on at least two occasions this year, in January and in July, with the outgoing foreign minister Javad Zarif recently praising their noble  jihad against the foreign occupiers. In part, the Iranians are simply betting on the right horse, correctly deducing that further conflict with the Taliban is unnecessary given that the Taliban are once more the masters of Afghanistan. But more significantly, they share the common goal of banishing the United States and its allies from the region, including the State of Israel and, one assumes, those conservative Gulf Arab states that have made their peace with the Jewish state.

Which brings me back to Irans new cabinet. It is not surprising that the Islamic Republics new president, Ebrahim Raisia sadist who, as a regime prosecutor in the 1980s, supervised beatings, rapes and mass executions of prisonerswould appoint a bunch of thugs to his cabinet. But what is alarming is the silence of Western states on the unmistakable message that this cabinet sends. For this is not an occasion to defer to the principle of not commenting on political appointments in other countries.

Irans new defense minister is Ahmad Vahidi, who is returning to the post for the second time in his career, having previously occupied it during the term of the Holocaust-denying former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The vice president for economic development is Mohsen Rezaei, a fierce devotee of the Islamic Republics founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, and the commander for 17 years of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Both Vahidi and Rezaei are fugitives from justicespecifically, for their roles in the July 1994 Iranian-sponsored bombing of the AMIA Jewish Center in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, the bloodiest act of antisemitic terrorism in more than half a century, in which 85 people lost their lives and more than 300 were wounded. Both of them were among the subjects of six red notices that were issued in connection with the AMIA atrocity by Interpol, the international law-enforcement agency, in 2007. More than a quarter of a century after the AMIA bombing, Vahidi and Rezaei sit in Tehran, secure and stony-faced, serving a daily reminder that justice has never been delivered to those who died or lost their loved ones on that terrible morning in Buenos Aires.

Poking the international community in the eye by placing two terrorists in the cabinet isnt the ultimate goal here, though. Like all authoritarian states, the Iranian regime enjoys political theater, bloodthirsty rhetoric and the grandstanding that goes with it, but these are a means to an end. Vahidi and Rezaei are in the cabinet because there is a job to do, and Raisiand behind him Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneihas judged that they are the right men to do it.

Across the Middle East and the Islamic world, extremist regimes and terrorist groups are rejoicing in the fact that the U.S. presence and reputation in their region is a shadow of what it was just 10 years ago. They are not wrong; the options of America are largely restricted to diplomacy and sanctions. In that light, there is no reason for the Biden administration to continue its talks with the Iranians in Vienna over their nuclear program unless it wants to look even more gullible in the eyes of Americas Islamist adversaries. It also needs to review the existing sanctions on Iran and extend these where necessary. Should Vahidi or Rezaei surface as official guests of a U.S. allyTurkey being the obvious examplethen the United States should make its displeasure known.

None of these moves can be said to be game-changers. But they speak to the lack of a broader vision for the Middle East on the part of successive U.S. administrations, save for the ambition of getting out of the region as quickly as possible. As McMaster reminded us amid the carnage of Kabul Airport, the region wont let us go so easily.

Ben Cohen is a New York City-based journalist and author who writes a weekly column on Jewish and international affairs for JNS.
(JNS) Three decades have passed since the Crown Heights pogrom, and any assessment of the memory of that tragic event must start with an acknowledgment that New York City is a very different place than it was in August 1991. Its also true that the series of events that set in motion three days of violent rioting during which African-Americans targeted ultra-Orthodox Jews were complicated, as well as the result of a set of circumstances that were in some ways peculiar to that time and place.

Distance from the trauma has also induced a fair amount of revisionism that has only grown over the years. Many claim that to call it a pogrom is an exaggeration in spite of the fact that Jews were set upon and one29-year-old Australian graduate student Yankel Rosenbaumwas murdered simply because he was identifiably Jewish.

That point was made in an anniversary article published in The Forward, whose main conceit was to claim that the voices of black Jews have not been sufficiently heeded. The claim that the rioters targeting Jews were not against Jews per se, but merely those they identified as white and members of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, is absurd. Thats especially true since the same piece in which a black familys heroism in shielding white Jews by hiding them in their carlest they be torn apart by the rampaging mobis lauded also depicts a scene that could easily be transposed to similar events in tsarist Russia or British Mandate Palestine when Jews were slaughtered just because they were Jews.

Nor is this new. As an analysis published in The Wall Street Journalnoted, efforts to downplay the murderous nature of the riots or their anti-Jewish intent have been legion. From the start, publications like The New York Times and others sought to shift the blame for what happened to the Jews. The hatred and prejudice against Jews shown by the rioters was pushed aside by those eager to blame what happened on their behavior, or their supposed greater influence and affluence. Posing a moral equivalence between an unfortunate traffic accident that caused the death of a black child7-year-old Gavin Catoand the cold-blooded stabbing of Rosenbaum continues to be put forward in order to alter the understanding of what actually happened.

Equally important was the attempt to deny the way certain local black leaders, such as Revs. Herbert Daughtry and Al Sharpton, helped incite the rioters with inflammatory rhetoric about Jews being diamond merchants who were getting away with murder.

Since then, Daughtry, who had previously led a racist boycott of businesses owned by Korean-Americans by local blacks, has been largely forgotten. Sharpton has undergone a drastic makeover in the mainstream press from shameless liar and race-baiter to a supposedly respectable civil-rights leader and cable-TV commentator. Their roles in this drama are largely forgotten by everyone but students of history. The same can be said for the role played by the late Mayor David Dinkins (New Yorks first black mayor) and his Police Commissioner Lee Brown, whose initial refusal to send in police officers to stop the rioters, rather than merely attempt to contain them, allowed the terrorizing of Jews to continue from Aug. 19 through Aug. 21.

Equally forgotten is the way an instance of jury nullification led to the acquittal of the member of the mob who actually murdered RosenblumLemrick Nelson Jr., who had literally been caught with the knife stained with his victims blood. Subsequently, Nelson was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison on a charge of violating Rosenblums civil rights; however, his initial acquittal must be understood as evidence that sympathy for the rioters was greater among some New Yorkers than for their victims.

As shocking as the spectacle of a mob of people attacking Jews in Americas largest city in full view of the television cameras, the passage of 30 years has rendered it ancient history to most people. That is certainly true of the vast majority of American Jewry that is non-Orthodox, whose reactions to the pogrom were muted at best at the time, and now consider itif they think of it at allas irrelevant to their current concerns.

The reason why the Crown Heights riots resonate so much today is not just because we should continue to honor Rosenblums memory, but because what happened in 1991 was a harbinger of the ideas that are behind the contemporary surge in antisemitism.

A look back at the rhetoric used then (and even today by those who seek to minimize or rationalize the anti-Jewish violence) shows that it was primarily focused on the notion that the ultra-Orthodox, and in particular, the Chabad movement, whose members lived in Crown Heights and were the targets of the mob, possessed a degree of white privilege that blacks were denied.

This should sound very familiar to us in 2021. In the last year since the death of George Floyd, the idea of white privilege has not only served to justify last years riots, committed in the name of the Black Lives Matter movement, but remains key to understanding the dialectic of critical race theorya toxic patent nostrum that has migrated from the fever swamps of academia to mainstream discourse.

Critical race theory divides us all into groups in which we are either victims or possessors of privilege who benefit from what we are told is structural racism embedded into everything that happens in society. Nor is it an accident that the Black Lives Matter movement and its theorists, like Ibram X. Kendi, are prominent advocates of the notion that Jews, who come in all colors and nationalities, are white, and that the State of Israel is an expression of oppressive white privilege.

Myths about Jewish privilege helped justify an anti-Jewish riot in 1991, even though that was patently absurd since the Jews of Crown Heights had so little privilege that they were not even able to get the city government and police to take their plight seriously for days. But the same myths about privilege and conspiracy theories by latter-day race-baiters helped fuel not only the appalling attacks on Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn in 2019, but also the anti-Jewish violence that took place on the streets of American cities in May of this year in reaction to the fighting between Israel and Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Some may argue that the particular circumstances that created the pogrom in Crown Heights are not likely to recur. The truth is that the same justifications for antisemitic violence used then are no longer relegated to the margins of society, and are now treated as respectable ideas taught on college campuses and given deference by the press and government. A three-day riot against Jews may not be imaginable today, but Americans witnessed weeks of riots in the name of the BLM movement last summer with police similarly unwilling to step in to stop them. Not only is it easy to imagine a new round of Jewish violence in America, weve already witnessed it happen again with many Jews as indifferent to it today as they were to what happened in Crown Heights.

That means that not only are we still obligated to remember the events of August 1991, but we should also understand that far from being marooned in a dark past, the lies that helped kill Yankel Rosenblum have actually gained traction among intellectuals and popular culture. We ignore the consequences of legitimizing critical race theory and its advocates at our own peril.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNSJewish News Syndicate. Follow him on Twitter at: @jonathans_tobin.
President Joe Biden used his first meeting with a foreign leader since ending the war in Afghanistan to send the message that the United States  unburdened of its forever war is determined to become a more reliable ally to its friends
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Election 2020 - Key topics series

The APG of East Central Minnesota Editorial Board has identified four key topics that we feel are important to our readers. Over four weeks, we will present editorials on these topics and compare and contrast what candidates for federal office believe about these issues, and what the Editorial Board recommends as the best solutions. The four topics are:

Racial equity/police reform

Health care

Economy/recovery

Climate change/environmental issues

We will be encouraging readers to make their own choices as they prepare to vote, but we hope this process provides important information before ballots are cast.

Throughout this series, we welcome your reactions. Please share with the board at editorial.board@apgecm.com.
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Anchor/Multimedia Journalist

Hello! I am the weekend anchor as well as a reporter for Your News Now! You can reach me with news tips (or just to say hello!) at khonigford@wlio.com.
Appointment

2 September 2021

Radisson Blu Mall of America announces the promotion of Chef Dinesh Jayawardena to regional executive chef. Jayawardena held the position of executive chef at Radisson Blu Mall of America since 2015. He brings extensive culinary experience to his new role with proven success developing the FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar brand - Radisson Blu's signature farm-to-table restaurant concept - across the U.S.

In Jayawardena's new role, he oversees culinary operations at three regional properties under the Radisson brand, including Radisson Blu Mall of America, Radisson Blu Downtown Minneapolis, and Radisson RED Minneapolis. This includes all food and beverage for meetings, events, and room service, as well as branding and menu development for FireLake's two Minnesota locations.

Jayawardena has nearly three decades of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Originally from Sri Lanka, he took a life-changing journey in 2001 as the first culinary consultant to travel to the U.S. from his home country. At the time, Jayawardena worked for a private Minneapolis restaurant in the Uptown food district. He briefly returned to Sri Lanka to sharpen his skills at the iconic colonial Mount Lavinia Hotel under Master Chef Publis Silva before traveling back to Minnesota. Jayawardena worked his way through the culinary discipline holding various positions including overnight baker, line cook, pastry chef, sous chef, banquet chef, and executive sous chef. In 2012, he became the Club Chef for the exclusive Legends Club of Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, and the stadium's other two premium restaurants. Jayawardena joined the pre-opening team for Radisson Blu Mall of America's FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar in 2013 where he worked as executive sous chef. He quickly moved up the ladder and was promoted to lead the hotel's culinary team as executive chef in 2015.

When he's not developing new recipes, Jayawardena enjoys mentoring young culinary professionals and sharing the principles he learned at the onset of his career. His experience growing up in Sri Lanka continues to influence Jayawardena, and he enjoys sharing this knowledge with his hospitality community.
Supplier News

2 September 2021

ATLANTA, GA, United States - Shiji Group, a leading provider of hospitality technology solutions, has announced its further expansion in the Americas market, with the addition of a new leader and operating unit in Canada.

Broadening the companys commitment to the Americas, the newly established Shiji Canada organization will allow Shiji to provide localized sales, services, and support to accommodate Shijis growing customer base in the region.

To lead this development, Shiji Group has hired Mark Scott, an industry veteran, as the General Manager of Shiji Canada. Mark brings over twenty years of experience within the hospitality industry and his experience and knowledge of the Canadian market will be a valuable asset to the Shiji team and its customers.

Canada continues to become an increasingly important market for the hospitality industry, including major brands, regional chains, and independent operators, and we are eager to officially establish ourselves in Canada to meet the growing demand for our advanced hospitality technology solutions. We are looking forward to serving our existing customers in Canada, as well as welcoming new customers to the Shiji Group family, said Dan Bell, Senior Vice President for the Americas, Shiji Group.

I am thrilled to be joining the Shiji team and look forward to serving our customers, as well as assisting the industry in recovering through these challenging times through our innovative solutions, services, and support. After being in the industry for over 20 years and working with several legacy technology providers in the industry, I can see how bringing Shiji Groups suite of enterprise-level tools to the Canadian market is going to help the local market in shifting away from legacy, in the best possible way, said Mark Scott, General Manager, Shiji Canada.
Opinion Article

2 September 2021

"The customer is not always right, but your job is never to show them how they're wrong. Your job is to be professional, courteous, accommodating  even (and especially) under stress."  Steve Dorfman, Driven to Excel.

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When consumers know they are always right, they may breed a sense of superiority or entitlement, expecting the frontline employees to comply with any customer behaviors. A report shows that 98% of service employees had experienced unpleasant customer behaviors; over 50% of employees encountered rude customers at least once a week. In a more recent case, a female customer pulled out a gun and fired shots at Burger King because she felt it took too long to receive the order.

In organizational research, consumers' unpleasant behaviors toward the service staff are often referred to as either consumer incivility or consumer mistreatment. Current literature has identified customer mistreatment's negative effects on employees' psychological states and work-related intentions/behaviors. Still, the link between customer mistreatment and employees' customer-focused voice behavior is under-researched. In the business setting, companies want to promote employees' customer-focused voice behavior, through which they can gain first-hand knowledge about their customers and identify potential issues for service improvement.

The empirical study about customer mistreatment and employee customer-focused voice

The hypotheses being tested

I worked with Dr. Yung-Kuei Huang at National Ilan University in Taiwan on a project entitled Customer mistreatment and employee customer-focused voice: The bright and dark sides of felt trust. We published this study in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

H1: Customer mistreatment is negatively related to customer-focused voice

H2: Customer mistreatment is negatively related to organizational-based self-esteem (OBSE).

H3: OBSE is positively related to customer-focused voice.

H4: OBSE mediates the negative effect of customer mistreatment on customer-focused voice.

H5: The negative effect of customer mistreatment on OBSE is weaker for employees who feel more trusted by their supervisors.

H6: The negative relationship between customer mistreatment and customer-focused voice through OBSE is weaker for employees who feel more trusted by their supervisors.

In this research, OBSE is referred to as the self-perceived value that individuals have of themselves as important, competent, and capable within their employing organizations. Felt trust is about employees perception of their supervisors positive expectations and willingness to be vulnerable to their actions.

The data and the analysis

We collected 319 valid paired responses from 319 frontline employees and 118 supervisors from 33 four-star or five-star hotels in Taiwan. We asked frontline employees to rate customer mistreatment they experienced, their OBSE, felt trust by their supervisors (two dimensions of felt reliance and felt disclosure), and customer-focused voice behavior. Furthermore, employees customer-focused voice behavior was also assessed by their immediate supervisors. We tested the hypothesis with regression analyses.

The key research findings

Customer mistreatment and customer-focused voice

We did not confirm the direct negative relationship between customer mistreatment and customer-focused voice (not supporting H1). On the contrary, we observed a significant, positive relationship between customer mistreatment and supervisor-rated customer-focused voice after controlling for the effect of OBSE. Then, our sample rated hotel facilities and amenities as the most frequent cause of mistreatment incidents. Such findings suggest that customer mistreatment can inform frontline employees of the areas that need improvement. It is also plausible that frontline employees might want to speak out about facilities and amenities (instead of themselves).

OBSE's mediating effect

OBSE indeed mediates the negative effect of customer mistreatment on customer-focused voice (supporting H2, H3, and H4). Frontline employees may perceive customer mistreatment as negative feedback or embarrassment that poses a threat to their OBSE. Lower OBSE may, in turn, discourage them from voicing the service issues or making suggestions for improvement.

Felt reliance vs. felt disclosure

The implications

Contrary to our predictions in H5 and H6, felt reliance intensifies customer mistreatment's negative effect on OBSE and its indirect, negative effect on both self-rated and supervisor-rated customer-focused voice through OBSE. Felt disclosure marginally significantly buffers the effect of customer mistreatment on OBSE, but it does not affect the mediating relationship between mistreatment and either self-rated or supervisor-rated customer-focused voice through OBSE. In order words, H5 was partially marginally supported, but H6 was not supported. It can also be concluded that felt reliance and felt disclosure have different moderating effects on (a) customer mistreatment and OBSE and (b) customer mistreatment and customer-focused voice through OBSE.

Besides this study's theoretical contributions to organizational literature, businesses can draw a few managerial implications from the research findings. For example, we recommend managers take the following actions (exclusive content that is not available even in the original research article).

Encourage employees to share their experience of customer mistreatment during daily briefing sessions or meetings to prevent them from building up their negative feelings (or OBSE) at work (drawing from the result of H1).

Acknowledge the negative impacts of customer mistreatment on employees to lower its negative effect on OBSE (from H2).

Educate employees that customer mistreatment might also help improve customer service (from H2).

Let employees know they should not take customer mistreatment personally (from H2).

Establish a support system within the organization that makes employees feel valued and appreciated, allowing them to feel more open to sharing their suggestions and feedback (from H3).

Solicit feedback and suggestions from the employees who demonstrate high OBSE (from H4).

Reassure that employees reputation is not judged based on isolated incidents (from H5).

Encourage supervisors and employees to share one or two critical life events during orientation or networking events to foster trust among them (from H6).

Organize socialization events among supervisors and employees to build personal bonding (from H6).

The conclusion

This research suggests that it is critical to distinguish the two dimensions of felt trust, including felt reliance and felt disclosure. Felt reliance refers to employee's perceptions of supervisors' willingness to depend on their work-related decisions and actions. Felt disclosure embodies employees' perceptions of supervisors' willingness to share sensitive information and personal views and work.

On the one hand, it can be beneficial for managers and supervisors to rely on frontline employees to make work-related decisions or actions. On the other hand, they shall probably not share too much personal information or feelings at work. Would you agree?

Meanwhile, what strategies does your organization employ to minimize the negative effects of customer mistreatment? What are the effective ways to promote employees' customer-focused voice behavior?
WASHINGTON  House Democrats moved ahead Thursday on raising royalty rates and other fees for oil and gas drilled on federal lands and waters, as they seek to fund projects protecting coastal areas from rising sea levels and flooding caused by climate change.

Under the Democrats' reconciliation bill, which they can pass on a straight party-line vote, the onshore and offshore royalty rate would increase from 12.5 percent to 20 percent.

At a hearing in the House Natural Resources Committee Thursday, chairman Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said the increase would raise billions of dollars to help fund projects including a Civilian Climate Corps that would hire young people to work on projects battling climate change and protecting public lands.

"Today we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance a bold ambitious investment in the United States," he said. "The president has asked us to draft a spending framework that will confront the damage being done by climate change and put the country on a sustainable path that will create millions of jobs."

The United States collects $4.2 billion a year in royalties and fees from oil and gas companies producing on federal lands and waters.

With that figure set to increase significantly, industry lobbyists attacked the spending bill as likely to make offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico less attractive, pushing companies to fields overseas.

"Louisianans are in the earliest stages of sorting through the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and now have to worry about the possibility of a federal budget that attacks their economy and jobs," said Erik Milito, president of the trade group National Ocean Industries Association. "The practical and obvious consequences of more restrictive and less competitive terms for offshore oil and gas leasing and production include the exporting of American jobs and energy production to foreign countries like Russia and China."

Citing the hundreds of thousands of people along the Gulf Coast without power and the chaos in Afghanistan after the pullout of U.S. troops, Republicans urged Grijalva to postpone Thursday's hearing so they could focus on those matters.

Girjalva pressed ahead, leaving Republicans to argue against a spending bill they appear to have little power to stop.

"At best this package is an example of partisan overreach," said Rep Bruce Westerman, R-Ark. "At worst it is a means to hamstring the economy, cripple American energy production and make the U.S. dependent on foreign adversaries."
Gerald Herbert, STF / Associated Press

Houston oil-field services company Dril-Quip will promote its Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Bird to become its new chief executive starting Jan. 1.

Bird, 54, succeeds CEO Blake DeBerry, who plans to step down on Dec. 31 after 33 years with the company. DeBerry said he plans to work closely with Bird over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition.
As utility crews strive to restore power to New Orleans, one of hurricane-ravaged Louisianas most pressing needs is fuel.

Its impacting all of our recovery efforts, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday in a press conference. Fuel just isnt available to us the way we would want it to be.

Its a painful irony for a state that, most of the time, supplies much of the U.S. with gasoline and diesel. Louisianas refineries represent nearly one-fifth of the countrys crude-processing capacity. Many fuel producers shut their plants there as Hurricane Ida roared ashore Sunday, leaving supplies pinched. And widespread damage to the electricity grid has cut off their power.

Edwards said he had spoken with the White House to enlist President Joe Bidens help bringing fuel to the region. The president plans to visit Louisiana Friday, he said, to see Idas destruction first-hand and discuss recovery needs.

Quite frankly, we need bulk fuel brought in before the refineries come back up on their own, because we dont know when thats going to be, Edwards said. We need the rest of the country to give up a little bit of their fuel to come back to Louisiana.

Exxon Mobil Corp., which is currently in the process of restarting its Baton Rouge refinery, said its working with independent distributors and wholesale customers to help meet consumer demand, without detailing how its supplying the fuel. The company said it has supplied more than 230,000 barrels of fuel over the past nine days, or roughly 25,000 barrels a day. But that amount pales in comparison to the states 3.4 million barrels of daily crude-processing capacity.

Efforts to restore the power grid, meanwhile, made slow progress Wednesday, with electricity service restored to a small section of New Orleans.

Electricity came on for about 11,500 customers starting at about 1 a.m. local time, according to Deanna Rodriguez, president of Entergy New Orleans. The company has managed to repair one of the eight transmission lines that went down during the storm, and its now bringing in power from east of the city.

In the coming days and into the weekend, well start to see a lot of progress, Rodriguez said during a press conference Wednesday.

The company plans to restore power by going substation to substation, working around the city in a loop from east to west. Were not picking neighborhoods, she said. Were following the flow of electricity.

The storm, with winds of 150 miles (240 kilometers) per hour, took down more than 2,000 miles of transmission lines, plunging more than 1 million homes and businesses into the dark.

More than 990,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana remain without electricity, including 89% of New Orleans, according to PowerOutage.us.

Those outages have affected not just the refineries that produce fuel but the gas stations that distribute it. Early Wednesday afternoon, 58% of the gas stations in New Orleans and 54% of sites in Baton Rouge were not pumping gasoline, according to retail tracker GasBuddy.

The number is expected to fall as power is restored to the businesses. Texas refiners are expected to increase production to supply Louisiana by pipeline, with the Colonial Pipeline across the state having resumed operations Monday night.
Dylan McEwan / Dylan McEwan

Night Moves Hospitality has scored a coup in recruiting Belly of the Beast chef/owner Thomas Bille to open a contemporary Mexican-American restaurant, Chivos, in the former Calle Onze space.

Bille has been working his magic up in Old Town Spring since he arrived from Los Angeles and a stint as executive sous chef at the celebrated Otium there.
In January 2001, 17-year-old Elias Garcia enlisted in the Marines Corps.

By August of that year, he was on his way to serve on duty in Japan.

That had been part of the plan.

I had wanted to be able to travel and go to college. I never thought wed go to war, the Clear Lake area resident now says.

Everything changed

Less than a month later, on Sept. 11, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City were attacked by suicide bombers associated with al-Qaeda.

Distracted by other duties, Garcia didnt believe the news at first, and it wasnt until the next morning that he understood what had happened.

After that, everything changed, he said. Garcia and his unit was immediately sent to Africa on a nine-month search mission to track down family members of Osama bin Laden, who had been pegged as the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. Garcia was later stationed in Washington D.C., to protect the Pentagon and the White House as part of a task force ready to respond to chemical and biological hazards.

In 2007, Garcia, who by then was a staff sergeant, was sent to combat in Iraq and later, Afghanistan.

Now 38, Garcia said he hasnt talked about the war in a long time. He isnt planning to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11 as much as to reflect on his place in the conflict that stretched over two decades and how it changed his own trajectory.

He had joined military service for its opportunities, but the result left conflicted emotions and lingering scars, both physical and psychological. Garcia was medically retired from the Marines in December 2014. He had suffered injuries in both Africa  when he his vehicle was hit by bombs  and again in Afghanistan  when his vehicle rolled after being attacked.

Im glad were out, he said of the recent evacuation of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Twenty years is long enough.

Garcia met Army vet Raul Moreno at VFW Post 7109 in Pearland. Spaces like that are where vets like them can open up about their experiences in combat, Moreno said.

Moreno, 39, joined the Army because of 9/11. He had just graduated from high school when the Twin Towers were hit, but for personal reasons, had to wait a few years to join. Serving from 2005 to 2015, Moreno saw combat in Iraq. Like Garcia, he suffered injuries and lost friends in the war.

Watching recent television news footage of planes leaving Afghanistan, his thoughts were on the 13 servicemen killed Aug. 26 by a suicide bomb attack during the evacuation.

I think it could have been done differently, he said. Did I want to see the war come to an end? Yes, it was about time, but we didnt have to lose those men.

Morenos Army uniform remained in storage for years after his service ended.

For the longest time, I didnt hang it up, he said. I received a certificate of appreciation from President Obama and never hung that up until I started to work on myself.

But that took a while, he said. Even when bin Laden was killed, it was just another chapter of a book, not a closure, Moreno said.

Emotional during singing of National Anthem

The war was more a painful memory than it was something I wanted to remember, Moreno said.

When he returned home to stay, Moreno struggled with civilian life. He couldnt sleep and used alcohol to numb the physical and mental affects of combat experience.

I would drink until I passed out and would always use the excuse that it made me feel better, he said.

Two years sober now, Moreno is still dealing with the aftereffects.

When I got back, I wasnt right, but I feel within the last two years, Im more myself, he said. I havent quite reached me at that full level, but Im headed in the right direction.

Moreno, whose birthday is July 4, owns his own military apparel shop in Pearland. He has constant migraines and suffers back and shoulder issues, but said he takes it in stride now. At a recent Houston Astros game, he said he found himself getting choked up during the singing of the National Anthem.

Even with all the things I went through and the struggles, I have no regrets, he said of his service. It was some of the best and worst times of my life. Whenever I reconnect with my vet brothers and sisters, we pick up conversation like it was just yesterday. Besides my family, they are the only people I say, I love you to. The times I spent with them even under difficult circumstances are the memories I enjoy.

On Morenos bucket list is a trip to New York City with his children to see the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

I havent been able to go yet, but I pride myself on teaching my kids historical things  like (the battles of) San Jacinto and Alamo, he said. I want to take them to New York so they can see the after effects of 9/11 because Im not sureits taught enough (in schools).

Garcia, a father of three, is a roofer who is hoping to start his own business. He remembers how he had his life all mapped out when he joined the Marines before 9/11 redirected them.

He did get to travel (while serving) and considered it an honor to serve on a task force protecting the White House and the president, and he eventually went to college with costs covered by the military when he got back.

We formed a brotherhood and sisterhood

But the other side of that coin is the price he and his fellow vets paid. Garcia lost 13 men in one unit at one point, and still suffers the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and injuries that have required multiple surgeries. He also hears of the suicides among his vet family.

Like Moreno, Garcia mourns the loss of the those who died amid the evacuation.

And like his fellow vet, he said he would do it again, even with all the personal fallout.

Did I sometimes I ask myself, Why am I here?  Yes, because lot of us had mixed feelings about the war, he said. (When we enlisted), we signed the papers, but we all had the right to have open minds. I served under three presidents, and it didnt matter what people on the outside were thinking about the war or the politics of it or who was president. We formed a brotherhood and sisterhood and had a mission and did what was asked of us. In the end, I dont feel it was a waste of time, and dont have any regrets, but it took its toll.

yorozco@hcnonline.com
Iris Apfel, the beloved fashion icon with the oversized glasses and chunky jewelry, has turned 100.

The centenarian posted on Twitter on Sunday, Its not every day that you get to turn 100 May the celebrations commence! Apfel spoke with the Chronicle in November 2020, calling herself an accidental icon with the style motto of more is more and less is a bore.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Iris Apfel discusses her new coloring book and living in color

I try to live well, help people, think positive, eat well. Dont eat junk food; dont smoke or do more than social drinking  the usual common sense. Theres no magic formula. You just have to try to do your best, she said.

And what brings her joy?

Being alive, she said. Thats a blessing right now, and a lot of people dont understand that. Theyre foolish. Life is very precious, and its a great gift.
Watch for monarch butterflies fluttering on their vibrant black-and-orange wings during their autumn migration through Texas to a winter home in Central Mexico.

Theyll fly in zigzagging patterns on wings fluttering between 300 to 720 times a minute. Those flashy orange wings warn predators that monarchs have a vile taste and could be toxic.

Roughly 90 percent of monarchs breeding in the eastern half of North America will follow two migratory pathways through Texas.

Monarchs breeding along the East Coast follow a path down the Texas Coast. Theyre already arriving in Houston.

Monarchs breeding in central North America follow a broad Monarch Highway that stretches diagonally from North Texas down the Interstate 35 corridor through the Hill Country to the border between Laredo and Del Rio. Theyre already arriving in Dallas.

Both pathways lead to the mountainous forests of Central Mexico in the state of Michoacan, where monarchs will enter a state of diapause or non-breeding during winter. Mexicos wintering monarchs are the great-great-grandchildren of North Americas breeding monarchs.

Theyre called the Methuselah Generation because theyre the only ones that live long enough to make the journey to Mexico. Summers preceding generation of breeding monarchs spent their lives as larvae and metamorphosed into winged creatures to live and breed for only a few weeks.

Monarch butterflies Southbound monarch butterflies burgeon in September with numbers peaking by early October. Some monarchs reside along Texas coastal regions, and some southbound migratory monarchs spend the winter along the coast. Most western monarchs spend winters along the California Coast and some eastern monarchs spend winters in Florida. Help monarchs thrive by planting green milkweed (Asclepias virdis), whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillate) and zisotes milkweed (Asclepias oenotheroides.) Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica,) should be trimmed to the ground during winter. Track their migration at journeynorth.org/monarchs. See More Collapse

Its mindboggling how monarch butterflies arriving in Mexico will have made the journey for the first time. How summers breeding monarchs pass these precise routes onto their migratory progeny is among the great mysteries of nature.

We have a clue about their navigational acumen. Monarch brains have a neural network functioning as a magnetic compass activated by the antennaes sunlight magnetosensors that signal autumns shortening daylight, which begins orienting monarchs southward.

Mexicos wintering monarchs will return to North America when springs lengthening daylight reactivates their magnetic compass. But most wont make the journey back to the breeding grounds  only a few will breed in the lower tier of their range.

Others will stop along the northbound route to breed and lay eggs before dying. Then, new generations of monarchs will hatch and continue migrating along a route theyve never traveled to ancestral breeding grounds theyve never seen.

Sadly, monarch populations have declined by 80 percent; it may soon be designated an endangered species. The causes of monarch decline include loss of habitat to development, agricultural pesticides and insufficient milkweed to sustain breeding.

Gary Clark is the author of Book of Texas Birds, with photography by Kathy Adams Clark (Texas A&M University Press). Email him at Texasbirder@comcast.net.
It might seem like an unlikely partnership  a university and church coming together to start a medical clinic.

But not to Dr. Shainy Varghese, who will head the new University of Houston College of Nursing Health Clinic.

Nursing is caring, Varghese said. Giving back to the community is the calling of a nurse. And its the same for a church.

Ever since writing her doctoral dissertation on the topic in 2009, Varghese has had a vision to create a telehealth clinic. It wasnt until her connection with St. Pauls United Methodist Church, however, that a path forward became apparent.

This has been a dream for a few years now, Varghese said. Finally, its coming to fruition. A lot of small pieces have come together.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Real conversations between a Houston doctor and her COVID patients

Now, Varghese has a pastor at her side, volunteers from the congregation and the support of the University of Houston.

The clinic will open Sept. 13.

At its launch, the clinic will be staffed by University of Houston professors and nurses; nursing students will join the staff once it is up an running.

The clinic will offer free, basic health care services once a week.

When patients make an appointment, nursing students will be their first interface, answering questions, coordinating medical records and providing care. They will also facilitate teleheath meetings between patients and doctors when needed.

This clinic, with its focus on accessible health care for those in need, could break the mold, explained the Rev. Andrew Wolfe, associate pastor of congregational care at St. Pauls.

We dont think its been done before, he added. Its at least the first in Houston.

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A serendipitous meeting

Both Wolfe and Varghese, a nurse practitioner who heads her own pediatric clinic and professor at UH College of Nursing, are convinced that providence played a role in bringing them together.

Wolfe had been searching for a way to expand what congregational care meant at the church.

I wanted to create something that would affect every stage and age of life, said Wolfe, who is especially interested in health care and ending the inequity of accessibility to medicine in Houston.

When a mutual friend  Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houstons Kim Mabry  introduced Varghese and Wolfe in 2018, everything fell into place.

It was before most people understood or had even heard of telemedicine, Wolfe said. Still, he was intrigued by Vargheses vision of how telehealth could reach people in need and address obstacles to care, such as access and transportation. And he had just the place in mind where a clinic could take shape.

MORE BELIEF: Houston's faith community prepares to receive Afghan refugees

The Abraham Station on St. Pauls campus, a multipurpose building, was only partially in use.

Originally an optometry office, all of the rooms, once dedicated to exams and discussions with doctors, were still there, waiting.

And it was just the right size, Wolfe said.

At that time, the space served as a part-time afterschool program and Sunday school location. Another section of the building housed the Emergency Aid Coalition (EAC), a nonprofit, interfaith organization that provides food, clothing and assistance to the working poor.

Varghese immediately saw potential. People come to the EAC for food and clothing, she said. But they dont have any health care.

A clinic could bridge the gap, providing medical attention to those in need, especially homeless individuals.

We wanted to bring care to them, Varghese said. And theyre going there anyway.

Creating a clinic

Another key piece of the puzzle was the commitment of the University of Houston, Varghese explained. And College of Nursing dean Kathryn Tart led the charge.

Dean Tart is a visionary leader, Varghese said.

Tart herself had been hoping to start a nurse-managed clinic since a 2015 strategic plan.

Its something that the staff and faculty wanted, Tart said. But I wondered, How are we going to do it?

Vargheses concept, now with the space at St. Pauls, became the answer.

University faculty are supposed to guide us into the future, Tart said. Theyre not looking at what we can do today but what its going to be 10 years from now. Our faculty really have an eye to the future.

The Humana Institute stepped forward to provide funding for medical equipment, and the Texas Methodist Foundation and private donors covered operating costs for the first year.

The University of Houston provided support on a number of levels, from offering security officers to helping with the real estate, Tart added. And the College of Medicines Dr. David Buck joined as collaborating physician.

MORE FROM LINDSAY PEYTON: How one Houston doctor provides hope for families across the nation

Tart sees more opportunities for the university in the future, including reaching out to social work, pharmacy and medical students. The College of Optometry has already expressed interest in getting on board.

But the first order of business is ensuring that the clinic is sustainable.

Our goal is starting it, being there, seeking funding for the second year and then continuing to build, Tart said. We can be part of the care for this population that absolutely needs it. Thats what we believe in.

Desire for service

The College of Nursing, the EAC and St. Pauls all have a similar mission.

We all have a desire for service, said Tart. And we also have a desire to make sure our students are successful.

By creating the clinic as a teaching tool, nursing students will be better equipped to provide medical care in the future. And by working with the EACs clients, they will gain knowledge of working with homeless and working-poor populations, Tart explained.

We want our own students to learn how to care for this population, she said.

In addition, the new operation can demonstrate the efficacy of a nurse-managed clinic, Tart added.

Were meeting our strategic plan, and were helping the church meet its ministry mission, she said.

For St. Pauls, having a clinic on campus is an ideal way to serve neighbors in need.

We can provide care to the most vulnerable in our society, said Wolfe. Taking care of them is more important than we may realize. Its a basic right to get quality health care.

Wolfe hopes that the clinic will expand over time, both in the number of days open and services provided. He envisions that the church could, one day, earn a reputation as the place to go for accessible health care.

My hope is that a family could come into the church to get groceries from the EAC and then pop in to have a doctors appointment right there, he said. It can be a one-stop shop.

He also believes that other churches could replicate the model.

With telemedicine, you can put a clinic anywhere, Wolfe added. There are just so many creative ways to make this work  and for the church to be a part of that, now thats really cool.

Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer.
Sidelined from travel in the pandemic, Emily Chambers turned to a catalog of products and artisans she had been keeping for years as she journeyed across Italy, Spain and Oaxaca, Mexico. Holding a masters degree in world culture and literature, with an interest in Latin American art and art history, the avid explorer says, I kind of seek things out.

Chambers began to reach out to some of the makers  many in remote locales  and discovered more through Instagram. The result is Butaque, an online collective of handmade glassware, textiles and ceramics made using techniques known only by a single family or featuring a craft honed in a specific region.
Wednesday marked the beginning of The Howard Hughes Corporations annual Fall Giving Drive  a month-long event that raised more than $90,000 last year alone.

The drive helps support local nonprofits and is among the corporations most impactful outreach efforts, Heath Melton, executive vice president of master planned communities, residential, said in a Howard Hughes press release.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 10 Houston communities are among the top selling in United States

During the drive, which lasts throughout September, Howard Hughes will donate $500 per home sold in the Bridgeland and The Woodlands Hills communities to a participating charity on the buyers behalf.

The organizations benefiting from this years Fall Giving Drive are Operation FINALLY HOME, Cy-Fair Educational Foundation, Willis ISD Education Foundation, Montgomery County Food Bank, and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

When homebuyers choose to purchase a home in our master planned communities, they are making an immediate positive change, Melton said. It is our hope this will encourage new residents in their philanthropic efforts and levels of volunteerism with these vital and important non-profits.

In July, Afghanistan veteran, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Stephen Netzley and his daughter Mrazy entered their completed brand-new Bridgeland home, provided mortgage-free through Operation FINALLY HOME.

On HoustonChronicle.com: SSG Netzley home dedicated in Bridgeland

Operation FINALLY HOME partners with different entities, including sponsors, builders and developers, to provide homes for U.S. military heroes and spouses of fallen soldiers, states the press release.

The Cy-Fair Educational Foundation, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, has awarded scholarships to more than 2,100 Cy-Fair ISD graduates, totaling over $10 million. The organization has also provided over $3.5 million to help support staff development in the district.

In the past three years, the giving drive has raised enough money to help fund scholarships for more than 180 students, according to the foundations executive director, Marie Holmes.

50th Anniversary: Cy-Fair Educational Foundation work has been 'golden'

As a result of the funds weve received from Fall Giving Drive over the last three years, Howard Hughes contributions have provided the opportunity for 184 students to receive scholarships that allowed them to take dual credit classes and three Cypress-Fairbanks ISD graduating seniors have received college scholarships, she said.

The Willis ISD Education Foundation is a nonprofit that promotes educational excellence and opportunities with the help of community partners.

The Montgomery County Food Bank works with pantries, school districts, retailers, wholesalers and other community partners to provide food for people in need. Last year alone, the organization provided more than 11 million meals.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has invested approximately $1.3 billion to help fund research to find cures for blood cancer, according to the organizations website. The nonprofit also offers support and resources for patients and their families to help enhance their quality of life.

Community partnerships are hugely important to our organization and a big reason why we can help so many people in need during a difficult time in their lives, said Tracie Morden, campaign development manager for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are thankful for Howard Hughes, Bridgeland, and The Woodlands Hills for their efforts to raise much needed funds to continue our mission in cancer research and direct assistance to patients.

Howard Hughes conducts the annual giving drive in partnership with many of their home builders  including Beazer Homes, Coventry Homes, David Weekley Homes, Gehan Homes, Highland Homes, M/I Homes, Perry Homes, Ravenna Homes, Tri Pointe Homes and Westin Homes  each of which have contributed $2,500 to this years drive.

Philanthropic efforts like the giving drive are part of The Howard Hughes Corporations HHCares initiative  the companys corporate social responsibility program, explains the press release.

The Fall Giving Drive is mutually beneficial for our charities and newest residents in our award-winning communities, said Jim Carman, president, Houston Region for The Howard Hughes Corporation. The initiative is a perfect example of our HHCares program and community-focused philanthropy as Howard Hughes as an organization remains committed to giving back to those in need through the non-profit organizations that bring out the best in our neighborhoods.

mfeuk@hcnonline.com
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP)  A court hearing that could have determined whether a Missouri man who has been in prison for more than 40 years would go free must be postponed, the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.

A hearing was scheduled for Thursday in Jackson County Court for a judge to hear arguments on whether Kevin Strickland, 62, should be exonerated for a triple murder conviction and released from prison, where he has been since 1979.

But Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed an emergency motion Wednesday seeking to have the hearing delayed and the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District ruled in his favor. Schmitt has said he believes Strickland is guilty.

The appeals court ordered attorneys for Schmitt's office and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker to meet with Circuit Judge Kevin Harrell Thursday to reschedule the hearing.

Schmitts spokesman Chris Nuelle said in a statement that a jury convicted Strickland of killing three people, and noted that the Missouri Supreme Court previously declined to hear Stricklands case.

Those victims deserve justice, Nuelle said.

Peters Baker has argued that evidence used to convict Strickland has been disproved or recanted since his conviction in 1979, which she called a profound error. Several legal and political officials have also called for Strickland's release.

Prosecutors said the only person to identify Strickland as the shooter later recanted and sought help to have Strickland released. Two men who were sentenced to prison for shooting the victims have also said that Strickland was not there when John Walker, 20; Sherrie Black, 22; and 21-year-old Larry Ingram, were killed.

Under a new state law that took effect on Saturday, Peters Baker filed a motion asking a judge to exonerate Strickland. Judge Harrell then scheduled Thursday's hearing and also set a hearing for Friday to announce his decision on Strickland's fate.

A funeral for Strickland's mother, who died last week, is scheduled for Saturday, The Kansas City Star reported.

Peters Baker's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the appeals court ruling.

In his emergency motion, Schmitt argued the quick scheduling of Thursday's hearing did not give his office time to prepare or to depose witnesses. He also said the scheduling of a hearing on Friday  during which Strickland was ordered to appear in court  undermined the appearance that justice is being fairly administered in this case.

This Court appreciates the significant public interests involved in this proceeding, and the Circuit Courts efforts to resolve this proceeding swiftly, the appeals court order reads. Nevertheless, in order to permit the Attorney General to meaningfully participate in the hearing, he must be given notice sufficient to allow his office a reasonable opportunity to prepare for the hearing, given the extensiveness of the relevant record, and the complexity and gravity of the issues involved.

Schmitt also filed a motion earlier in the week asking that all the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County judges be removed from the case, citing an appearance of favoring Strickland's freedom. But Harrell ruled that Schmitt did not have standing to file motions pertaining to the evidentiary hearing.

The appeals court disagreed, saying Schmitt's office has the right to file motions in the case. It ordered Harrell to rule on all of Schmitt's previous motions.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP)  An inmate who climbed a Delaware corrections center fence and ran off in April surrendered to authorities on Wednesday, correction officials said.

Marquise Allen, 23, turned himself in to the Wilmington Police Department and was apprehended, the Delaware Department of Correction said in a news release. Allen had climbed the perimeter fence at the Plummer Community Corrections Center on April 29, officials said.
DETROIT (AP)  DTE Energy, under fire for summer power outages in southeastern Michigan, said Wednesday it would spend millions more to trim trees.

The utility said it would spend $70 million through 2023 on top of $190 million set aside for tree trimming each year. Tree trimming reduces the risk of branches falling on power lines during storms.
MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP)  A private prison company says an investigation is underway after a Mississippi inmate was found dead in his cell.

Management & Training Corporation said in a news release Wednesday that Robert Williams, 29, was found Tuesday at East Mississippi Correctional Facility.
CHICAGO (AP)  More than 25 Illinois schools are reporting COVID-19 outbreaks, mostly in districts that are complying with Gov. J.B. Pritzkers school mask executive order.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday identified 26 schools with COVID-19 outbreaks. The outbreaks reported by the department include those that have been identified by the schools local health department to have at least two COVID-19 cases among people who may have a shared exposure on school grounds and come from different households.
Houston Fire Department

Fire officials are fighting a three-alarm warehouse fire in west Houston Thursday morning, according to Houston Fire Department.

There werent any injuries reported when the department tweeted about the blaze around 9:44 a.m.
Bill Merrell knew something needed to be done to protect the Texas coastline from the moment he looked down from a building on Galveston Island and saw the raging waters below. It was September 2008, and Hurricane Ike had pushed in a storm surge as high as 20 feet on nearby Bolivar Peninsula. Its force wiped out communities, with bodies found in the debris.

The Dutch wouldnt have put up with this, Merrell said to his wife.

Thirteen years later, the Houston region still relies on the 17-foot high Galveston seawall that was first built after the catastrophic 1900 hurricane and dunes that are continually damaged. The Texas City levee defends against surge in Galveston Bay.

Merrells early imagining of the so-called Ike-Dike, inspired by barriers in the Netherlands, evolved into a massive, multi-billion dollar plan. A final version of what is now the Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Texas Study is set to be released Sept. 10, then sent to Congress for approval and funding.

Still, it may not be enough  and is certainly no cure-all, especially as climate change worsens the regions luck, bringing rising seas and hurricanes expected to be stronger.

The more than $23 billion Galveston barrier system portion of the project wont protect against the most powerful hurricanes. (And the cost estimate in the final report is expected to go up.) But the price of providing additional protection could be more than politicians and taxpayers want to pay.

You could guarantee the people that you are never going to flood, said Chris Sallese, who served as district commander for the Army Corps in Galveston between 2010 and 2013, but is that what youre willing to pay for?

On HoustonChronicle.com: How Houston floods

The Army Corps uses a cost-benefit analysis, among other factors, to decide what to design. The centerpiece of the plan is an ambitious gate system that would stretch from the east end of Galveston Island across the mouth of the bay to Bolivar Peninsula. Its meant to stop storm surge as high as 22 feet from pushing into the bay and up the industry-lined Houston Ship Channel.

The agency argues that building to that height is the best use of money, even as sea levels rise, returning $2 for every $1 spent and paying for itself after one storm. This assumes a moderate level of sea rise. Merrell, a marine sciences professor at Texas A&M University at Galveston, hopes it will be designed in a way that can be strengthened if conditions change or new technologies develop.

Even then, a bad combination of events could still overcome it.

There could be bigger storms that hit it, and you would have what they call over-topping, basically spillage into the bay, said Kelly Burks-Copes, the Corps project manager. But we have to assess and trade off the return on investment for building bigger and bigger and bigger.

The proposed gates are expected to take up to 20 years to design and build. How useful they will be then  or over the half-century or more that the structure is then expected to operate  remains to be seen. Its impossible to predict sea level rise exactly. The Dutch barriers are built to a significantly higher standard.

The Coastal Texas Study may not even meet the protection level for every 100-year-storm, or storms with a 1 percent chance of occurring in a year, Merrell said.

Obviously places like Houston with all the refineries and everything ought to be protected against a bigger storm; everybody will admit that, Merrell, 78, said. One of the oddities about this particular Corps project is that it didnt even reach the 100-year protection, which is sad. Thats not all that much protection.

The proposal illustrates the balance that Houston leaders must strike between what one is willing to pay for and what one is willing to risk. Planners argue the barrier will still lessen damage and reduce the number of people in harms way, even if a stronger storm hits.

The draft plan put the Galveston barrier systems price tag at $23.5 billion, of which the federal government would fund 65 percent. (A few billion more was earmarked for environmental restoration.) The rest would fall to a taxing district created by the Texas Legislature, the Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District. A board is building the agency from scratch to raise funds and operate the system. It can also propose an alternate plan but would have to cover additional costs for it.

Houston Chronicle

On HoustonChronicle.com: How do you build and maintain the 'Ike Dike'?

Leading the board is Michel Bechtel, mayor of Morgans Point, which sits at the start of where the ship channel winds past communities. Bechtel believes surge can sure as hell be mitigated, even though the deepened channel is expected to act like a straw and draw surge up. He thinks the draft proposal was too weak.

The board will have to look at it real hard and basically say: Is this strong enough? Bechtel said. Is this the best we can do?

Critics worry that while the gates will be 22 feet high, the second, taller line of dunes on Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula will only rise 14 feet. Clint Dawson, chair of the aerospace and engineering mechanics department at the University of Texas, modeled a Category 5 storm striking a barrier uniformly at that lower height and still saw significant flooding.

Properties at risk of being inundated include industrial sites with those familiar round chemical storage tanks. Surge can also send debris into them, causing damage, or dislodge and push them somewhere else.

Blake Eskew, a former consultant in the oil and gas industry, counted 2,900 tanks at risk with a capacity of more than 4 billion gallons of product.

Dawsons modeling was used by a team at Rice Universitys Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, which is working on a proposal that could provide additional protections sooner. The Army Corps plan includes some measures to protect against surge in the bay; Rices plan calls for a barrier system extending up the middle of the bay toward the ship channel. (Its still trying to get funding from the city of Houston and Harris County for further study.)

With the Coastal Texas plan, there remain concerns from the granular to the big picture  about harm to fish and oysters, beach access and those vulnerabilities to storm surge whipped up in the bay. Step back even more and the calculation gets further complicated by this huge factor of how climate change will alter what defenses communities need.

Specifically: Sea levels are getting higher as ice sheets melt and oceans warm, expanding the size of the water molecules.

Amanda Fuller, Texas Coast and Water program director for the National Wildlife Federation, said she believes the decade-plus-long debate over the Ike Dike has have missed the point. The state remains behind on the conversation that really matters  about curbing emissions, investing in renewable energy and focusing on nature-based solutions, she said.

This project isnt going to save the area; its only going to buy time.

This has really been a major distraction, honestly, of how do we find the Band-Aid solutions so that we can all go on living our lives without having to tackle these much bigger, long-term questions that are really policy-oriented questions at the state level, Fuller said, adding, This is a Band-Aid. This is not a silver bullet.

emily.foxhall@chron.com

emily.foxhall@chron.com | Twitter: @emfoxhall
One week after hitting an eight-month peak, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas have slowed, though its still unclear whether the slowdown is evidence the region has entered an expected plateau phase of the pandemics fourth wave.

As of Wednesday, 13,790 people were in Texas hospitals for COVID, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. That marks a modest, 1 percent, drop since the previous Wednesday, when the state recorded its highest daily total since mid-January, with 13,932 hospitalizations.

Houston-area hospitals have seen similar slowdowns of hospitalizations in recent days: On Wednesday, 3,346 people were being treated for the virus in the areas nine-county region tracked by DSHS, a 4 percent decrease from the week prior, when that number stood at 3,490.

Roberta Schwartz, executive vice president of Houston Methodist Hospital, welcomed the slowdown but said its too early to say whether the fourth wave is receding.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Expert: The pandemic's next stage is endemic COVID. Here's what that would look like.

Every time we think we are (past the worst), we take a momentary pause and go back up to where we were, she said Wednesday. We havent yet fully crested, so its not exactly a plateau.

On Tuesday, The Texas Medical Center reported 387 new hospitalizations  the most in one day since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

Hidalgo said a hospital official called it "the most difficult period of the worst health crisis that has ever faced this nation. The delta variant had already overwhelmed

And on Thursday, Methodist reported 924 hospitalizations for COVID  its highest daily total since at least Aug. 19, according to data provided by the hospital.

This week, an additional 1,300 nurses arrived in Harris County to assist local healthcare providers, some of which have experienced labor shortages that have exacerbated bed shortages, sometimes to fatal ends.

Hidalgo said the need to bring in so many nurses shows how dire the situation is locally, and cited the recent death of an Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient who died from a gallstone last month after trying to seek treatment at various Houston-area hospitals.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 'I will die before I get vaccinated': FDA approval only strengthens skepticism for some Houstonians

This should not happen anywhere in America, but especially not in Harris County and especially not when we have a vaccine that is readily available, that is free and works, she said.

Hidalgo said there were some signs that the fourth wave was peaking.

But the numbers are catastrophically high right now, she added. They are off the charts. Right now, the work needs to continue to bring those numbers way down.

Hidalgo again stressed vaccines as the best way to slow the highly-contagious delta variant.

As of Thursday, 68.7 percent of all eligible Texans  those aged 12 or older  have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and 57.4 percent are fully vaccinated. In Harris County, 72.7 percent of those over the age of 12 have received at least one dose, and 60 percent are fully vaccinated, according to DSHS.

Harris County administered about 108,000 first and second vaccine doses per week in August, nearly double the weekly count in mid-July. Hidalgo has credited that uptick in part to a county program that gives $100 cash cards to those who receive their first dose.

That program was set to end Tuesday, but was extended through Sept. 14 this week.

Vivian Ho, a health economist at Rice University, said its possible hospitalizations will begin to stabilize in the region as more people are vaccinated or develop full antibodies from vaccines they received within the last few weeks.

But other factors may disrupt that trend, including an influx of Louisianans displaced by Hurricane Ida, and rising caseloads related to reopening Texas schools last month.

Wed love to have a steep decline, she said, but weve got a lot of factors going against us.

robert.downen@chron.com
Will this pandemic ever end? How much harder does the delta variant make reaching herd immunity? Might the delta surge just peter out soon? Epidemiologist Catherine Troisi, with the University of Texas School of Public Health, spoke with us Wednesday.

Is this pandemic ever going to end?

It depends on what you mean by end. Is the virus going to disappear? Probably not.

Now, viruses surprise us. But if I were a betting person, I would bet a lot of money no.

Whats probably going to happen is, its going to become what we call endemic instead of epidemic. Endemic means that its around but at a lower level, sort of like the flu in a regular year.

If its endemic, we could still have another pandemic: Thats what happened H1N1, an influenza variant, in 2008. Most people didnt have immunity, so it spread very quickly.

There are always going to be people who are susceptible to this virus. Newborn babies, for instance: If their mom has been vaccinated, they get antibodies for a little bit of time, but they lose those antibodies. And infants and children may be susceptible, depending on when we can vaccinate. There are certain people who cant be vaccinated  not many, but some. And then there are people who dont respond well to the vaccine, immunocompromised people and probably older folks.

And then of course, there are people who dont get vaccinated. They will remain susceptible. Natural immunity does not seem to provide long-lasting immunity: Even if you get infected, theres always the possibility of reinfections.

So the viruses is going to be here. How we as a society respond to this is pretty much up in the air. It looks as though we are simply going to decide Were done with the pandemic. We are tired of taking precautions, and were just going to go back to life as usual.

People will get sick, hospitals will be crowded, and people will die from preventable infections. But we as a society seem to be headed that way.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Montgomery County sets record highs in COVID cases, hospitalizations

Youve been called to testify as an expert witness on epidemiology lately. Could you talk about that?

I testified recently in a couple of lawsuits about masks or face coverings in schools. The governors ban on mask mandates is really up in the air. Some school districts are ignoring it, and some courts have ruled that this exceeds the governors emergency powers.

I testified as to the need and effectiveness of face coverings in schools. We cant vaccinate children under the age of 12 right now, but its very important kids get back to school. They lost a lot last year academically  never mind socially. So going back to school is good.

But we need to protect them. And the best way to protect them, since we dont have a vaccine, is through face coverings.

How effective have masks been against the delta variant?

Well, theyre not perfect. We use the term face coverings. But that covers a wide range  everything from the N95, which is the gold standard, down to a single layer of cloth or a gaiter. The best is three layers  either two layers of cloth and a filter or three layers of cloth.

Effectiveness also depends on how the mask is fitted. If its gapping at your cheeks, air and potentially viruses getting in. I see people who are quote-unquote wearing a mask, but its underneath their nose. The virus enters and exits your body through your nose! It can come in through your mouth, but the main route is through your nose. So by wearing a mask only over your mouth or even worse, only over your chin, doesnt do much. You have to wear that mask properly.

Masks, when worn properly, when thick enough to stop you from breathing in or exhaling virus, work very well. Many studies have shown this.

Absolutely no studies have shown that masks hurt children. Children adapt to the masks very quickly, and masks protect them from a disease that not only can put in the hospital, but can have long-term implications. We know that long COVID can happen in children. Why would you want to take that chance with a virus that can infect basically every organ in your body?

Could you give us an overview of whats going on now with COVID in the Houston area?

Were seeing a lot of infections. Our hospitals and our emergency departments are full. The husband of one of my students had acute appendicitis last week and spent the whole time before and after surgery in the emergency department because there werent any rooms for him.

You may have heard about someone from Bellville  a military veteran  who died because the hospital had no room for him.

That was because of a gallstone, right? Something that shouldnt have killed him?

Right. It was very treatable and should not have killed him.

You dont want to get COVID now, and you also dont want to have a stroke or heart attack or be in an auto accident, because the hospitals are full and our medical staffs are overwhelmed. They have been at this for 18 months, and the burnout is incredible.

Now, in the last seven days, we have seen a plateau in new hospital admissions, which might be good. Seven days isnt enough to really tell. But if it truly is plateauing, its plateauing at a very high level of cases.

And I think that we are going to see an increase in cases in the next couple of weeks because of kids going back to school. Weve already seen a huge number of cases in children. Children may be less likely to spread it for various reasons, and thats great. But if you have enough kids infected, some are going to bring it home to Mom and Dad, or worse, Grandma and Grandpa.

I think were in for a rough fall. I feel like a harbinger of doom.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Fort Bend County schools report more than 2,000 COVID cases

You mentioned that medical workers are burned out. Epidemiologists have been at this for 18 months as well.

Yeah. Our public health practitioners and health departments have been working nonstop for 18 months  and besides COVID, they have to do their regular jobs as well. TB cases dont go away. HIV doesnt go away. Syphilis hasnt gone away: Weve seen an increase in syphilis. And never mind the work they do with chronic diseases.

Lately Ive read hopeful stuff that points out that in some countries, such as England, for reasons for reasons not well understood, delta somehow just petered out after two months. What do you think of that? Is it likely to happen here?

I think it was John McCain who said that when he was a prisoner of war, the prisoners who didnt do well were the ones who said, Oh, Im going to be out by Easter! And Easter came and went.

Then they said, Im going to be out by Fourth of July! And the Fourth of July came and went.

The prisoners who did well  the ones who were more resilient  were more realistic. They werent despondent. They had hope. But it was realistic hope.

Now, it would be wonderful if the virus disappears. But it hasnt disappeared from England. They simply have made different choices. They have decided that they are going to act like nothing is happening, and they are willing to put up with a certain number of cases and deaths.

It also helps that Great Britain has the National Health Service, so everybody has access to medical care; we dont have that here. Weve seen throughout that the pandemic has a disproportionate effect on more vulnerable communities, such as people of color. Those are the people who are really going to suffer.

So back to your question: Do I think that in two months, the pandemic is going to disappear? I would be very surprised if that happened.

So heres my ray of hope: More people are getting first vaccinations in Harris County. How good is our vaccination rate now? And where do we need it to be?

Right now around 60 percent of people in Harris County are vaccinated. Thats not high enough.

Thats 60 percent of people eligible for the vaccine? Not counting kids 12 and under, who arent eligible?

Yeah. And kids 12 and under are a significant proportion of the population in Texas. So its something over 50 percent of the total population.

Is that enough to stop transmission?

No, because first of all, there are pockets of unvaccinated people. So even if 90 percent were vaccinated, but that 10 percent all congregated together, theres a possibility of spread.

With the original virus, we used to say that to get herd immunity, we would need maybe 70 percent or even 80 percent of people vaccinated. But the delta variant is much more infectious than the original virus.

So for delta, were estimating that we need 95 percent of people vaccinated to reach herd immunity. We cant reach 95 percent if we cant vaccinate children.

So yeah, 60 percent of eligible people vaccinated is better than it was before, but were not there yet.

At least the people who did get vaccines are now protected. They may get sick, but the odds that theyd be hospitalized or die are much reduced.

On HoustonChronicle.com: COVID spikes in Texas nursing homes

What else is on your mind these days?

I am part of the new Texas Public Health Institute, with the University of Texas and other partners. It was approved by the state legislature, and funding hopefully will be coming during this special session or the next one.

One of the things the institute is going to be looking at is detecting outbreaks before they become pandemics. Can we put better surveillance systems in place to have earlier detection of a potential pandemic in Texas?

One of the reasons this would be is important in Texas is, were on the border. With border states, theres a possibility of an outbreak coming over the border.

Now, let me just say, to dispel misinformation out there, it is not asylum seekers who are bringing COVID into the United States. That is simply not true. But with a new infection, its possible.

Were also a big agricultural state, and maybe 60 to 70 percent of new emerging infections come from animals to people. So its important not just to look at people who are getting sick, but also at animals that are getting sick, and to ask, could this be transmitted to humans?

What does that kind of surveillance look like? Youre not mounting some Big Brother camera over my doorbell?

Absolutely not. And Im glad you brought that up. In public health, we use the term surveillance, and we know what it means. My husband the political scientist pointed out to me one time that maybe we shouldnt be use the word surveillance because it makes people outside of our field think of the NSA tapping your phone. That is certainly not what we mean.

One of the things that is in place now, but could be improved on, is our hospital data. We dont attach peoples identifying information. But we might know that were seeing more than the usual number of admits to an emergency department for, lets say, a neurological condition. Were not looking for specific diseases. Were looking for syndromes  say, a gastrointestinal condition.

We also monitor drugstores. In the 90s in Milwaukee, there was an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis. Its a gastrointestinal illness that causes diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. They detected it because drugstores couldnt keep Pepto Bismol on their shelves. So now we monitor drugstore sales.

Again, were not looking for personal information. We dont know that Cathy Troisi went in there and bought Pepto Bismol. We simply know that usually, this CVS or Walgreens sells 10 bottles of Pepto Bismol a day, and all of a sudden theyre selling selling 50. Then epidemiologists will go in and ask, Whats happening here?

Were also looking at putting community health workers on the ground. Community health workers are people who come from a community and have training in health. (Interestingly, Texas is one of the few states that requires community health workers to be certified.) Then they work in their community, with people who share their culture.

Since they work in those communities, and can be the eyes and ears of whats happening  Mr. Jones is sick with a GI illness, and Mrs. Smith is sick with the same thing.  they notice patterns.

So the idea is that, even if were never really free of COVID, maybe we can prevent the next thing?

Im not sure we can prevent it.

Give me some hope!

No, no, no. Prevent means it never happens. We can contain it.

So then I dont end up stuck in my house for two years?

Exactly. Maybe we prevent the spread, and it stays a localized epidemic.

Weve learned a lot from this pandemic. But of course, the next pandemic wont look like this one. Probably we will be able to apply some of the lessons, but other things wont work with a new pandemic.

What have we learned from this pandemic?

We need to improve funding for public health. Between 2008 and the onset of COVID, the U.S. lost 50,000 local public health workers.

In 2001, a lot of money was put into preparedness. That helped shore up public health laboratories and bought some public health workforce. Then the money went away.

This is what happens in public health. The issue with public health is that if were doing our job, you dont see it. You dont see the pandemic we prevented. You dont see the people who didnt get sick from contaminated water. So its easy to cut funding.

Who decides on funding? Politicians. Legislators. Legislators want to get re-elected. And in general  maybe not during the pandemic, but in general  the public cares more about the potholes that they see every day.

I mean, thats the truth! Ive done these community meetings.

MORE FROM LISA GRAY: Dr. Peter Hotez's battle against the 'anti-science confederacy' is a lifetime in the making

Nobody there is asking about preventing an unexpected flu outbreak?

Exactly. Nobody asks about a disease unless people are already getting the disease.

Also, with public health  especially when youre talking about chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease  youre not going to see results in six months. Its a long-term thing, and it can be hard to measure. Its hard to measure who didnt get lung cancer.

Legislators are more apt to fund things that they can point to: Look, I fixed these potholes! rather than I gave some money to the health department, and in 10 years, were going to see a decrease in lung cancer.

So the funding for public health has been very cyclical. I hope we learn from the pandemic that it needs to be sustained at a higher level.

Does your husband the political scientist have any suggestions about changing that? I would love to hear your dinner conversations.

[Laughs.] My husband studies international relations  how war happens  so lately hes been in the media, talking about Afghanistan. He jokes that he and I study two of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.

But I actually dont know what he thinks about public health funding. He leaves the public health stuff to me, and I leave international relations to Well, actually, thats not true. I have opinions on international relations. Im an armchair international relations person.

But he knows better than to be an armchair epidemiologist?

Exactly.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

lisa.gray@chron.com, twitter.com/LisaGray_HouTX
Angleton and Livingston ISDs announced this week they temporarily were shutting down their schools, the first Houston-area districts to halt all in-person learning amid rising numbers of COVID-19 cases among students and staff, but possibly not the last.

With reported cases increasing rapidly since schools in the Houston region reopened last month, some districts are discussing contingency plans for closing campuses and, in some cases, shifting to online learning.

Already a handful of districts temporarily have shuttered individual classrooms or entire schools, prompted by the number of student infections, the number of kids having to quarantine or staff shortages caused by illness or quarantines.

With little guidance from the Texas Education Agency on metrics and thresholds that should trigger closures, school districts are making those calls on their own or relying on local health authorities. Among the factors being considered are rates of infection, teacher staffing  including the availability of substitutes  and student absences.

According to TEA, many districts have built time into their calendars in anticipation that a temporary shutdown due to COVID may be necessary.

The agency has been coordinating with (districts) experiencing the need to close to ensure they have the information necessary to plan, adjust, and prepare to provide the required minimum of 75,600 operational minutes, the agency said in an emailed statement.

At the start of the school year, TEA funded limited virtual learning for up to 20 days for students out due to COVID. The agency initially said there would be no remote learning because Texas lawmakers had not funded it during the regular legislative session earlier this year. On Wednesday, however, lawmakers nearing the end of their second special session sent a bill to Gov. Greg Abbott to fund remote education until 2023.

Districts across the state, including three in the Houston region, already have begun switching some classes and schools to virtual-only due to outbreaks of the virus. Angleton ISD in Brazoria County announced Tuesday it was shutting down in-person instruction for the entire school system through the end of the week.

It was a shortage of teachers that prompted Livingston ISD, northeast of Houston, to close its schools next week, from Sept. 7 through the 10th. It will not switch to online learning for those days.

Elsewhere in the state, Connally ISD in central Texas closed its five campuses near Waco for the week after two teachers died of COVID, as have a handful of east Texas districts and others in rural areas of the state.

Area districts that are mandating the use of face masks by students and staff, including Houston, Spring and Texas City ISDs, said they are not in talks about shutting down schools and are focusing on keeping in-person learning safe.

We do not anticipate school closures, reads Houston ISDs COVID protocols. However, should conditions change and an HISD school or building need to close, the determination will be made on a case-by-case basis by the superintendent in consultation with HISD Health and Medical Services and the Houston Health Department.

Fort Bend ISD already has temporarily shut down two elementary schools and one pre-kindergarten class this school year due to the spread of COVID. Pecan Grove Elementary went virtual-only for one week starting Aug. 24, and Oakland Elementary did the same starting Aug. 26. A pre-K class at Rita Drabek Elementary also ended in-person class for a week starting Aug. 26.

The districts decision to move to distance learning was based on the number of student and staff absences, spokeswoman Sherry Williams said.

The decision is made based on continuity of business, in other words, can in-person instruction continue in the affected classroom or school based on the number of students and/or staff members who are absent, she said in an email. Fort Bend ISDs Incident Command System team meets every day to review local, county and regional data, analyze operations and then examine actions the District may have to take to pivot students from in-person learning to remote learning due to COVID-19.

The Fort Bend County Health authority issued guidance last month urging school systems to require masking. However, Fort Bend ISD only required masks in its buildings for three days. The district on Saturday announced it would switch back to optional masking, citing the ongoing legal battle over Gov. Abbotts order banning mask mandates in public schools.

By Wednesday afternoon, the district reported 3,230 cumulative COVID cases since school started for the districts more than 77,000 students on Aug. 11. This years cumulative cases already surpass the 2,136 reported during last school year.

On Wednesday, Pearland ISD announced it would close Rustic Oak Elementary School through at least Sept. 7 because of an increase in positive cases. The districts decision to close campuses is triggered when there is more than a 5 percent increase in new cases within 14 days, according to its website.

There were 312 active cases in the 21,000-student district by Wednesday afternoon

Clear Creek ISD temporarily has moved four elementary school classes to virtual learning due to community outbreak of the virus since its school year began Aug. 17. Two of the classes are now back in-person.

The district on Wednesday was at stage three of its COVID response due to those outbreaks, according to its website. During this stage, the school system will increase mitigation strategies until the attendance rate increases by at least 5 percent for two weeks.

In Conroe ISD, officials have discussed possible closures, but Director of Communications Sarah Blakelock said they are working to avoid that scenario if at all possible.

A variety of contingency plans have been discussed should a campus need to close due to staff absences, said Blakelock.

The 65,000-student district reported 1,538 active cases on Wednesday afternoon. Of those, 1,367 were students and another 826 students were symptomatic and isolating but had not yet tested positive. More than 7,590 students were marked absent and there were 190 unfilled substitute teaching positions in the district Tuesday.

Texas City ISD will look at closing a campus if 10 percent of student enrollment is out sick, said Melissa Tortorici, director of communications for the district.

The district, with more than 8,000 students, reported 7 cumulative COVID cases since its school year began. It is requiring masks.

Galveston ISD will shut down schools when 10 percent or more of a facilitys occupancy have COVID, as outlined in its safety protocols online. At that point, a campus will be closed for a minimum of two days. The entire district would close for at least 10 days if more than four campuses have positive cases in more than 10 percent of students and staff.

Administrators in Spring Branch ISD have not yet discussed the possibility of closing campuses or individual classes, Terry Abbott, executive director of communications for the district, said this week. Abbott said the 35,000-student district will use guidance from local health authorities in making those decisions.

We did not have to shut down any schools last year and we do not anticipate that we will have to this year, he said.

By Wednesday afternoon, the district had 395 active COVID cases. Two elementary schools in Spring Branch ISD  Rummel Creek and Valley Oaks  reported 25 or more students had tested positive.

hannah.dellinger@chron.com

alejandro.serrano@chron.com
Prairie View A&M University band director Timmey Zachery walks to the front of the stage, and as he lifts his hands, dozens of students raise their instruments  many reading music notes from their phones. Down the hall, the drum line rumbles, sounding almost like thunder.

Then, an angelic version of Chopped and Screwed by R&B artist T-Pain reverberates through the hall. It already sounds of triumph, but Zachery pushes the Marching Storm band.

Thats very nice, very nice tone. But, he says to the student band. Can we make it more musical?

On the Texas Southern campus, Ocean of Soul band members hold their instruments high, bodies rolling to the music that blasts through Third Ward at sunset.

We so fly that we cant come down! We make em sea-sick when they come to H-town. They say we are the ocean. There aint nobody realer. Band after band, (we) smashin like M.J.s Thriller! the band calls out.

Its a sign that band is back in the Houston area  but some would say, it never left.

Now Playing: The annual football matchup between Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M also features a showcase and a showdown between each university's marching bands: TSU's Ocean of Soul and the PVAMU Marching Storm Video: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle, Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle

The pandemic allowed the band to sit back and realize that this is something really important to them, said Kayla White, a senior and lead band captain of the Marching Storm. Most people get their drive from being in band, so taking a year off from something you really love, hungry and ready to work.

The rival student marching bands, created at Texas only two public historically Black universities, have been practicing largely behind the scenes and through computer screens due to restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. But this Saturday, both bands will perform at BBVA Stadium for the first time in months at the Labor Day Classic.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Lack of funding, resources biggest challenges for athletics at historically Black colleges

The tradition, which takes place every Labor Day weekend, feels like a holiday in itself, said William Scott, one of Marching Storms drum line captains. The Classic is typically defined as the official kickoff of football season for the TSU Tigers and the Prairie View A&M Panthers, but for the Ocean of Soul and Marching Storm  its the local battle of the bands. The goal is to outdo the other and leave with bragging rights. The results? High energy and family-fun entertainment.

Its an exciting environment. With two HBCUs performing, it feels like family, said Kaelyn Scurlock, captain of Ocean of Souls dance team. But when we go out on the field, its battle mode. It doesnt matter how big or how small we are. We never turn down a good challenge.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

And many band members say that this year will be different than what most Houston fans have experienced pre-pandemic.

Ocean of Soul, composed of around 160 members, is returning with a refreshed sound, new routines, formations and fresh faces, according to Brian Simmons, who arrived at TSU this summer as the bands youngest director in history.

This weeks show will just be a dedication to TSU in all of its excellence, said Simmons, hinting at songs by Ed Sheeran and Stevie Wonder. Were going to be all over the place with our selections. We love to touch on a little bit of everything in pop culture, whether new, old, far or right here in Houston.

Junior drum major Patrick Patrong said the pandemic forced many people to be more creative, so expect a show, he said.

We always bring Houston swag  that really sets us apart, affirmed Scurlock, a finance major. Were excited to be back performing and to have a football season. Were excited to do what we love.

The Marching Storm, which is made up of 310 members, is in the best shape its ever been, said Zachery, who has directed the band for nearly a decade.

Karen Warren / Staff photographer

This iteration of the Marching Storm sounds better than any other version Ive had, he said. Where we are now is outpacing any of my previous bands as far as marching as far as playing, just the overall development of the band.

Twin brothers and drumline captains Sheldon and William Scott, 22, said it felt like something was missing during the year the band didnt perform live. But the engineering majors said the band has proven that its more dedicated ever  particularly considering the imposed lifestyle changes during the pandemic. Members of the Marching Storm are required to be tested three to four times weekly and are asked to largely keep their social interactions within the band. They must be vaccinated if they opt to travel with the team.

We got through it and made the most of the situation, said Sheldon, which is a testament to the bands unique history.

On HoustonChronicle.com: A history of funding failures at Texas HBCUs

Founded in the late 1890s, Prairie View A&Ms band underwent various names before earning its identity as the Marching Storm under the tutelage of late band professor George Edwards, Zachery said.

We understand what being in the Marching Storm means. The name comes not from a physical storm but is rooted in all the things weve had to go through to be a band, to find scholarships, to recruit people to come to the school. Its not about a physical storm. Its all the struggle and strife, Zachery said. Even through our cloudiest days, we are the storm.

White was captivated with the band during a visit to campus in high school. It sold her on attending Prairie View.

Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Ever since then, its been my happy place. The music we play, the smile we put on peoples faces, the rush I get when were on the field, the march, the final result of everybodys reaction, White said.

Ocean of Soul was founded at TSU, then the Houston College for Negroes, during the 1945-1946 academic year. It wasnt until 1969, under the leadership of Benjamin J. Butler II that the band was reborn under its current name, which was coined by a radio show host who said the band was a mountain of soul for Houston. The only thing bigger than a mountain was an ocean.

Junior drum major Patrick Patrong, who assists the director and works to keep the crowd hyped during band performances, said HBCU bands differ in the soul that they exude. Typically, many high schools and predominately white colleges follow a corps band style, which focuses largely on music. Show style like that of Marching Storm and Ocean of Soul work to make the crowd feel whats on the page through sound and movement, he said.

The band also performs in what they call five quarters  which include performances before the game begins and during each of the games four quarters to help rev up the football team, Zachery said. And while halftime at other schools might be used to get food, at HBCUs, halftime is the bands game time.

There isnt a soul that moves. Its time to play, he says. Its where we display musicianship and a careful balance between entertaining and relatable with a combination of hip-hop, pop and nostalgia.

Fifth quarter, which follows the game, is, too, all about the band  a final show, leaving the audience to decide who wins. Though the judging isnt official  Zachery wishes it was. It would make us both better bands, he said. But its all about tribalism and its all in fun.

Still, fans serve as the tough critics. If you miss a note or a step, you become something else. Its a very fine line to what excellence means, Zachery said.

While the bands make their performances seem like effortless fun, to get to this stage takes blood, sweat and tears, students say.

Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Band is a hobby for many Prairie View students (most who major in the sciences), but its also an academic program that operates much like a college athletics team and a family  not surprising considering the time they spend together to perfect their performances.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas Southern's flight program prepares future pilots for a changing industry

For many students, the band is like a second home.

These are my little brothers and sisters, Scott said pointing at a field full of bandmates. We all we got. We all we need, every day!

Camp at Prairie View A&M starts in the summer, requiring students to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to work out and continue the day with practice and drills that last until around 11:30 p.m. Practice during the school year also takes up five to six hours of their evening  meaning students often have to manage their time, ensuring they get their school work done.

The physical aspect of the band is also demanding, requiring instrumentalists to be strong enough to hold up their instruments and dance, and for others, like drum majors, to do scene-stealing moves like Matrix-like backbends. Memory is also a must for the field show, the music for different routines and dance moves, White said.

Motivation is what comes easy, most say.

As it relates to us beating up on Texas Southern, thats the one game that I dont have to pump the kids up, Zachery said. They are on self-inflate.  Theres a special enthusiasm for facing our rivalry institution.

Its no doubt that fans, too, are revving up for the return  though some band members, knowing hurricane season and Houstons fickle September weather, worry that weather could impede Classic plans. So far, the forecast for Saturday look clear.

And, whats a little rain to a marching storm or an ocean?

brittany.britto@chron.com
The Harris County District Attorneys Office on Thursday publicly challenged positive reports on bail reform, contending that the federally mandated changes to bail practices on lower-level cases led to increased recidivism and higher crime.

The federally appointed monitors who did the assessments first heard of the 56-page report to Harris County Commissioners Court through members of the media. They defended their reporting process as thorough, leading several local criminal justice leaders to turn the tables and criticize District Attorney Kim Oggs own presentation of the data.

In her report issued amid rising community concerns about violent crime and offenses committed by defendants out on bond, Ogg questioned the validity of data used in separate reports from the countys Justice Administration Department and a team of monitors overseeing the bail settlements implementation.

The monitors reported that while bail reform resulted in fewer people jailed and more released on cash-free bonds, incidents of recidivism remained low. That conflicted with prosecutors day-to-day assessments of bails effects on crime, Ogg said, so she had her office replicate the data for her own analysis.

According to Oggs analysis, increasing numbers of defendants have had new criminal cases filed against them while on misdemeanor bonds, going from 5.639 defendants before bail reform in 2018 to 10,555 defendants in 2020. Bond failures (bond forfeiture, revocation or failing to follow terms of bond, such as not showing up to court) have increased, and so has crime, she said.

This report confirms the experiences of prosecutors, police and crime victims, Ogg wrote. Bail reform, as presently practiced in some Harris County courts, will continue to be a driving factor in the crime crisis gripping our community.

Oggs report assessed recidivism among felony defendants as well as misdemeanor defendants  although reform has only occurred on the misdemeanor level. Her analysis also assessed crime trends with the backdrop of bail reform; crippling criminal case backlogs began after Hurricane Harvey and rose during the same time period.

Brandon Garrett, a Duke University law professor leading oversight for the seven-year federal consent decree, said his team underwent a serious research process to get their results.

We are sorry not to have had a prior opportunity to review the District Attorneys report. The first we heard about it was from the Chronicle reporter late this afternoon, when we lacked the opportunity to review it, Garrett said in a statement. As representatives of the federal court, our independent team of data scientists from Duke University and Texas A&M University have one goal and one goal only, which is to report the data to the federal judge in a true and accurate form. Obviously, we take any public statements by a county official questioning the integrity of a federal court report very seriously.

A full accounting of the state of misdemeanor bail reform in Harris County required careful analysis and we look forward to sharing additional reports as part of our court appointed role, he said.

District attorneys office spokesman Dane Schiller clarified that both the Justice Administration Department and the monitors had been contacted and knew a report was underway. He added that the monitors had declined to give them their own federal reports before they were filed publicly, because the DAs office wasnt a party in the lawsuit.

The county struck its agreement in 2019 with the ODonnell consent decree, remedying Harris Countys unconstitutional bail practices  namely, the countys reliance on cash bail for lower-level crimes and tendency to keep people in jail solely because they were poor and could not afford bail.

The settlement led to more prompt releases for most misdemeanor defendants, shifting the standard from cash bail to personal recognizance, or releases not requiring cash.

In her report, Ogg criticized the monitors for using extraneous cases  in which people were jailed, not indicted and not on bond  to assess reform. Garrett on Thursday said it would have been misleading to omit those cases in a determination of the overall state of crime and recidivism in Harris County.

Ogg also took aim at a February 2021 memo from the Justice Administration Department, which analyzed crime trends and concluded there is no evidence that increases in violent crime can be traced to bail reform.

The Harris County Justice Administration Department was only notified of our colleague, Harris County District Attorney's Offices Bail, Crime & Public Safety report through media outlets this afternoon, officials said in a statement. Due to the late notice, JAD is unable to provide a response at this time. We look forward to collaborating with our colleague and reviewing this report.

Since misdemeanor bail reform, debate over recidivism has largely focused on felony defendants, who have their own reform case ongoing in the federal courts. Many local criminal justice stakeholders agree that misdemeanor bail reform was not a driving factor in defendants rising reoffenses while on bond. But Ogg has been vocal in her disagreement with that assessment.

The district attorney, who ran in 2016 on a Democratic reform platform, opposed the bail reform settlement at the end of court negotiations because she feared it wouldnt do enough for public safety.

Nisha Randle, spokeswoman for Commissioner Rodney Ellis, noted that Oggs report was not completed by an independent group and instead by an interested party  her office. Four employees and one consultant are cited at the end of the document.

Bail reform leaders meanwhile stood behind Garrett and the other monitors. Elizabeth Rossi, senior attorney at Civil Rights Corps, which sued the county over misdemeanor bail, called the monitors some of the countrys leading social scientists.

Misdemeanor bail reform has been an overwhelming success: increasing public safety, saving money, and keeping families together, Rossi said. For the last several years, at every turn, Kim Ogg and her allies in the for-profit bail corporations and police unions have spewed false information about bail as part of an attempt to keep the costly and disastrous money bail system churning, because they all benefit from it. Ogg's self-serving advocacy around cash bail has been shameful.

Andy Kahan, a vocal opponent of bail reform and director of victim services and advocacy at Houston Crime Stoppers, had the exact opposite view.

All of us at Crime Stoppers were like Yes. This validates everything weve been saying, Kahan said. Frankly, its pretty damning.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com
Harris Countys 482nd district court heard its first cases Wednesday morning after nearly four decades of population growth in the county without the creation of any new criminal district courts.

The new court begins as judges, prosecutors, administrators and defense attorneys battle a massive backlog in the criminal courts, with almost 98,000 docketed cases near the end of July. Almost 54,000 of those cases were felonies, according to the Harris County District Attorneys Office.

The 22 existing felony judges were each juggling an average of 2,392 cases on their dockets at the end of July, county data shows. The new court had 2,442 active cases on its new docket Wednesday, taking around 111 cases from each existing courts docket, according to felony court administrative judge Kelli Johnson.

Gov. Greg Abbott on June 18 signed the 482nd district court into law. He has not yet selected a judge, and the 11th Administrative Judicial Region of Texas will make a jurist available until an official appointment takes place, said Harris County district court administrator Clay Bowman.

In the meantime, jurists will rotate weekly, with Susan Brown, the presiding judge of the judicial region, serving this week, said court coordinator Ralph Ramon. The court reviewed 50 cases on its first day, he said.

All of the 22 current felony judges are elected Democrats, meaning Abbott could appoint a lone Republican to the bench.

The last criminal district seat was created in 1984 with the 351st district court, Bowman said. The estimated population that year in Harris County was 2,757,361, according to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. The U.S. Census counted 4,731,145 people in the county in 2020.

The current backlog has soared from the 38,000 cases pending before Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Flooding during the hurricane caused the 20-story county courthouse to shut down for a year.

Delays of months or even years in cases awaiting trial can adversely affect the lives of both victims and those accused, said David Villalobos, coordinator of criminal justice reform efforts at nonprofit Texas Organizing Project.

A lot of times folks have a pre-trial probation (measure) such as an ankle monitor or meetings with probation officers, and that can inhibit their ability to consistently maintain a job, Villalobos said.

INVESTIGATION: As killings tied to defendants out on bond rise in Houston, crime data reveals a crisis in courts

We think the addition of a new district court is a good start in addressing the backlog as long as it is properly staffed, stated district attorneys office spokesperson John Donnelly in an email Wednesday. We would welcome the addition of more courts and appropriate staff for them as well.

Johnson, the felony court administrative judge, said shes grateful for the cases absorbed by the new court, but more capacity is needed. The court system is asking commissioners to fund two more visiting judges and their staff for at least six months, at a cost of about $890,000, according to commissioners court documents.

A little over 100 cases per court is not even going to make a dent. Unfortunately we needed a lot more district courts, she said.

The district attorneys office transferred some prosecutors to work cases at the new court until it hires for the new positions with funding that arrived Tuesday, Donnelly said. The office has repeatedly asked the Harris County commissioners court to fund more prosecutors, he said.

In 2019, District Attorney Kim Ogg said staff was overburdened and asked the county for $21 million to fund over 100 new prosecutorial positions, expanding the countys number of prosecutors by a third.

Oggs proposal was criticized by advocates for criminal justice reform and county commissioners rejected the request, though later that year they approved a narrower request for seven prosecutors and three investigators.

Commissioners in July unanimously agreed to a $2.5 million plan to address the backlog by adding three visiting felony court judges who will serve for six months with a potential extension. The plan also funds nine prosecutors and three investigators.

Alleviating our unacceptable and dangerous case backlog in the criminal courts is the most impactful thing we can do right now to reduce and prevent crime in Harris County, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said at a July 20 news conference about the plan. Justice delayed is justice denied. Justice denied for the victims of crime and denied for those who are accused of violent crime, some of whom are inevitably innocent.

Still, Villalobos said relying on beefing up courts, police or prisons should not be the primary response to increased criminal cases entering the system.

We also want to make sure all Texans constitutional rights are preserved and protected  a lot of times weve seen people treated like case numbers and offered deals to dispose of the case, not thinking through the negative impact it has on their future for housing, for jobs, he said.

Non-incarceration alternatives must be pursued especially for people who pose no threat to public safety, he said, including, he added, those accused of felony possession of drugs or other crimes without victims.

Villalobos also pointed to programs to reduce poverty and pandemic job losses, both major factors in the rise in violent crime that has added to the case backlog, he said.

Weve seen that incarceration has not been too successful at keeping our neighborhoods safe, he said. We keep going to the same institutions that have existed historically, but we havent gone to the root causes of the issues.

Samantha Ketterer contributed to this report.

charlie.zong@chron.com
Bill Nelson is no stranger to NASA  he spent years advocating for the agency as a U.S. senator. But it was only this year, after becoming head of NASA, that he truly understood the difficulties of working with the Office of Management and Budget and fighting the institutional resistance to human spaceflight.

We have to fight these battles every day out in the public and those who say, Well, weve got so many other priorities. Which in fact we do, Nelson said. But a nation that ceases to be adventurers and explorers, that stops to seek a continuous frontier, is a nation that is growing inward instead of outward.

Communicating that message and getting support for NASA is one of Nelsons priorities as the 14th NASA administrator. The former Florida senatore was sworn into this position on May 3, 2021.

MORE ON NELSON: Former Sen. Nelson, Biden's NASA nominee, gets a warm reception in Senate

Nelson visited NASAs Johnson Space Center this week with Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. They met with employees, tasted delicacies sent to astronauts on the International Space Station and visited Mission Control.

They even got a few minutes to speak with current astronauts orbiting the Earth as well as Apollo-era astronauts here in Houston. Retired astronauts Fred Haise and Walter Cunningham, as well as former flight director Gene Kranz, met with the administrator.

Im ready to go down there and suit up, as Pam is as well, Nelson said Thursday during a media event. But we know that this is a whole new generation of explorers. And what we want to do is build on the shoulders of those that we met with today, the Apollo generation, and we want this to be the Artemis generation. We want this Artemis generation to soar, which is going back to the moon and to Mars.

Both Nelson and Melroy trained at the Johnson Space Center prior to their spaceflights. Nelson, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, flew on the space shuttle in 1986. He orbited the earth 98 times over six days and conducted 12 medical experiments. Melroy, a former NASA astronaut, logged more than 38 days in space and was one of only two women to command a space shuttle.

The Johnson Space Center plays a very important role, Nelson said. I had the privilege of spending some time here, and I discovered my fondness for chicken fajitas here. Ive had many, many pleasant memories here.

As part of NASAs mission to return to the moon, the Johnson Space Center is working on new exploration suits that will allow astronauts to walk on the moon. The center is leading development of the Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts to the moon and the Gateway outpost that will orbit the moon. It is also partnering with Marshall Space Flight Center on the Human Landing System, where SpaceX - and later other commercial companies - is developing a lunar lander that will lower astronauts to the moon.

The Johnson Space Center also leads International Space Station operations and missions, and it partners with the Kennedy Space Center on NASAs Commercial Crew program, where SpaceX (and one day Boeing) owns and operates the spacecraft carrying astronauts to the International Space Station.

Congress has authorized the International Space Station through Sept. 30, 2024, though Nelson believes it will be extended to 2030.

COMMERCIAL SPACE STATIONS: What happens when NASA retires the International Space Station?

That ought to give us another nine years to build up that commercial space industry and their activities in low-Earth orbit with a future commercial station, or stations, he said.

Then NASA can turn more of its attention  and funding  to the moon and Mars.

Melroy was reluctant to predict the future of commercial space. She said the past 10 years have already exceeded her expectations.

Our commercial space industry in the United States is the envy of the world, she said. My most optimistic goals for the commercial space industry have been far outstripped in these 10 years.

andrea.leinfelder@chron.com

twitter.com/a_leinfelder
School districts in Texas can require students to stay home if an individual in their household tests positive for COVID-19 under new guidance released by the Texas Education Agency Thursday.

The guidance also recommend that school systems require not fully vaccinated staff who were in close contact with an infected individual to stay off campus for the duration of the stay-at-home period, but stopped short of mandating that, writing this is a local employment policy decision.

School systems may choose to require household-based close contact students to stay at home during the below stay-at-home period if they are in an area with high or rising COVID case rates, reads the guidance. This applies specifically to students who are close contacts because an individual who lives in the same household is COVID-19 positive.

The stay-at-home period is 10 days.

The recommendations marked a change from the agencys last guidance, released in August, which said parents of students determined to be close contacts of an infected individual could opt to keep those kids at home. Parents still maintain that liberty under the new guidance, however school districts now can require students who live with COVID-positive individuals to stay at home.

In cases when it is permitted, parents who opt to send their children to school in the two weeks following exposure are encouraged to closely monitor their children for symptoms, the new guidance reads.

The new guidance arrived as districts in the Houston region settled into the new school year amid a surge of COVID-19 driven by the highly contagious delta variant. A few districts have recorded outbreaks of COVID-19 or coronavirus-related staffing shortages that have prompted campus and district-wide closures.

The states education agency did not change its posture on mask requirements, saying again that it will not enforce a gubernatorial order prohibiting such mandates due to ongoing litigation.

Further guidance will be made available after the court issues are resolved, TEA officials wrote.

Meanwhile, children younger than 12 remain unable to receive a vaccine.

Inger Chandler, mother of two students in Klein ISD, said the new guidance fixed a big problem she worried about, but said it seemed like a dangerous idea to give districts the discretion.

I appreciate the fact TEA finally put into writing a policy that seemed obvious to everyone already, she said. The risk you run when you leave it up to districts to decide, you have inconsistent policies at a time when were facing the most rapid spread of this virus weve seen so far.  It seems like a dangerous decision when were talking about our most vulnerable population: children who cannot be vaccinated.

Requiring students who live with ill individuals to stay home appeared an obvious idea to other parents, too.

Jenn Jacome, who has a 6-year-old daughter born with two holes in her heart, pulled her child out of Fort Bend ISD to enroll in private school this year because she feared the district was not doing enough to prevent the spread of COVID.

The mother of two said she would never send her child to school if someone in her household had the virus.

I care just as much about the classmates of my children as I do about my own children, she said. I want to do everything possible to protect other kids, too.

alejandro.serrano@chron.com
More than 100 Afghans who were evacuated from Afghanistan and admitted to the U.S. under humanitarian parole have arrived in Houston, adding urgency to the governments piecemeal approach to resettling evacuees without visas.

At YMCA International Services in Houston, 10 Afghan parolees showed up with no work authorization and without access to many standard refugee benefits, according to the agencys refugee program coordinator Kerry Spare.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston confirmed 136 Afghan parolees have arrived in Houston since mid-August. The Alliance has welcomed six parolees.

For now, parolees arent eligible for the same social programs as Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders who worked for the U.S. military and have completed the visa process for themselves and their families.

No food stamps, no Medicaid, no enrollment into employment programs, no refugee cash assistance program, Spare said. None of that at all.

The U.S State Department could not immediately be reached for comment.

REFUGEE AGENCY: Hundreds of Afghans coming to Houston may not be eligible for public benefits

She said Houstons five refugee agencies are anticipating a proposed 3,000 parolees to arrive between Sept. 1 and the end of March, which is more than triple the total number of refugees, from all countries, resettled in the state of Texas in 2020. Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston previously estimated 1,500 to 2,500 parolees would be coming to Houston.

In addition to the expected 3,000 Afghan parolees, refugee agencies will also be managing incoming Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders, not to mention all other refugees from other countries. In addition to parolees, Spare estimates an additional 100 to 200 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders will come to Houston in September.

An estimated 50,000 parolees are headed to cities nationwide.

To manage the influx of newcomers, Spare said refugee agencies will depend on private donations, like mattresses and furniture, and connections to affordable housing. She said Congress needs to expand benefits eligibility for Afghan parolees, so they can afford housing, food and health care.

Because people are going to start coming in. If the processes and the government are not set up yet in time, these people are going to be homeless, said Spare, I'm worried about medical, personally. If they come here and get COVID, what do we do with them?

She added that many Afghans arrive with large families  some include pregnant mothers.

Though Afghan parolees have been promised work authorization, the 10 people who came to YMCA offices did not have work permits. Work authorization can be an 8 to 10 month process through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, so Spare fears some families may have minimal access to cash, with no work access or public benefits.

Thats going to be a big, big issue if they cant work, she said, though she hopes there will be more clarity in the future about the systems in place to help Afghans become self-sufficient. Afghans and other refugees have a track record of hard work and upward social mobility when given the tools to succeed.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

Unless legislative or executive action is taken, Afghan parolees could end up in a similar situation to other groups with precarious futures in the U.S. and no path to citizenship, like those protected by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and by Temporary Protected Status.

Spares account underscores the uncertainty within the current evacuation and resettlement process, which has historically been coordinated and methodical. Its yet another example of the U.S. governments scramble to evacuate and provide refuge for tens of thousands of Afghans  a rescue effort that has left thousands behind in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a meeting Wednesday with Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, Houston-based veterans and Afghan advocates questioned the governments commitment to fleeing Afghans, many who are eligible for Special Immigrant Visas but were left behind.

Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holder Khalil Arab said hes spent the last two weeks coordinating with friends and family to secure a safe escape for the wives of a few Afghans in Houston  including his sister-in-law. Since then, he said more people have reached out asking for help, desperate.

I got at least over 60 people on the list. Most of them are qualified (Special Immigrant Visa holders), (with) pending interviews or some of them are actually green card holders, said Arab, theyve just been stuck there with no way out. They have no idea what to do.

Arab, who received threats from the Taliban back in Afghanistan for his work with the U.S. military, now fears for his parents lives.

In the listening session, Fletcher reaffirmed her commitment to Special Immigrant Visa holders, American citizens and other stranded Afghans, even though the military evacuation has ended.

We owe you and we want you to reunite with your family and we want to be able to bring them here, Fletcher said.

Her office has tried to secure safe departures for some vulnerable Afghans, but has not received confirmation as to how many people were safely flown out.

elizabeth.trovall@chron.com
A Texas talk show host for the far-right website InfoWars was arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to the Department of Justice.

Jonathon Owen Shroyer, the host of "The War Room with Owen Shroyer," was charged with knowingly entering a restricted building and two counts of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. The FBI arrested him Aug. 23 in San Antonio.

The Austin-based website features videos promoting conspiracy videos that have been banned from other online and social media sites for hate speech and misinformation, including false theories about 9/11, the Sandy Hook massacre and the coronavirus.

On HoustonChronicle.com: You were not there. Texas lawmaker defends Jan. 6 rioters at U.S. Capitol

According to the FBI, there is livestream footage showing Shroyer marching to the Capitol with a crowd of people. Once inside, Shroyer is seen standing above the crowd on the west side of the building near the inauguration stage, the FBI said.

The FBI said it is aware of additional photos and videos of Shroyer in restricted areas, including a video submitted anonymously that shows Shroyer at the top of the Capitol stairs and someone in the crowd calling his name.

The day before the riot, Shroyer posted a video on the InfoWars website saying that he was going to Washington, D.C., to stop the certification of the Electoral College, court documents said. Speaking from the Freedom Plaza in the capital, he said that "Americans were ready to fight" and that they were the "new revolution" set to restore and "save the republic," according to the court docs.

On HoustonChronicle.com: InfoWars pundit ejected from Texas Ranger game for 'Trump Won' flag

Shroyer is no stranger to controversy.

In December 2019, he was arrested for disorderly and disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds after disrupting a House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing, according to court documents. During the hearing, Shroyer can be heard yelling "Jerry Nadler and the Democrats on this committee are committing treason in this country."

As he was being escorted out of the room by police, he continues to yell that former President Donald Trump is innocent of allegations that he solicited foreign interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, footage of the hearing shows.

On HoustonChronicle.com: FBI Houston arrests man in connection with January riot at U.S. Capitol

Shroyer received a deferred prosecution agreement in the case for a four-month period that included he not use any loud, threatening or abusive language or engage in any disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and doesn't parade or demonstrate inside the Capitol. The agreement was in effect at the time of the Jan. 6 riot.

In August, weeks before he was arrested by the FBI, Shroyer was ejected from a Texas Rangers game after hanging a banner in the upper stands that read "Trump Won, Save America."

He is the second InfoWars employee to be arrested in connection with the riot. Samuel Montoya, of San Antonio, was charged in April after allegedly recording the shooting of Ashli Babbitt, the woman was who shot and killed by Capitol police during the riot.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net
While Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is speaking out against mask mandates in schools and suing to stop some Texas school districts from enacting them, in reality his order banning such mandates has gone largely unenforced  so much so that the federal government doesnt consider it active.

Abbott threatened $1,000 fines for officials who try to impose mask mandates, although no such fines have been handed down. And if he wanted to, Abbott could send state troopers or deputize the Texas National Guard to enforce his order, as he has done on the border, but he hasnt. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, meanwhile, has a published list of 88 non-complying cities, counties and school districts, is fighting in court with at least six of them and has sent letters threatening more legal action to others.

But in the court filings from the lawsuits, Paxton has acknowledged that neither he nor Abbott will directly enforce the ban on mask mandates, instead leaving it to local district attorneys, some of whom are already on record saying that they dont intend to prosecute.

Abbotts own Texas Education Agency on last month said the ban on mask mandates would not be enforced until the courts have resolved legal challenges to his authority to do it. And the federal Department of Education recently chose not to open an investigation into the matter in Texas, even as it launched probes of five other states with active bans.

LAST WEEK: As COVID cases rise, Houston-area school districts prepare shutdown contingencies

The conflicting local rules and governors orders  along with a morass of preliminary court decisions  have caused widespread confusion among parents, and left it open for the more than 1,000 Texas school districts to do what they want in the short term.

There have been 73,749 cases of COVID-19 among Texas schoolchildren since early August, state data show, and 16,213 among staff. Numbers peaked in the week from Aug. 22 to 29, with more than 40,000 positive cases that week alone.

Still, Abbott keeps saying he is holding his ground on an issue he has made a priority, despite the increasing number of school districts defying him.

Their perfect world is just to put out the mandate to tell the world theyre cracking down on activist governments trying to strip away their individual liberties, said Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, who is fighting in court against Paxton to keep its mask mandate in place. But then when lawsuits are filed, they kind of pick and choose what lawsuits theyre engaging with.

Its perfect because they can have their cake and eat it, too, he said.

Renae Eze, a spokeswoman for Abbott, reiterated that the governor believes now is the time for personal responsibility rather than mask mandates.

We are all working to protect Texas children and those most vulnerable among us, but violating the governors executive orders  and violating parental rights  is not the way to do it, she said. The governors executive orders, having the full force and effect of law, are enforceable by state and local law enforcement, and our office continues working with the office of the attorney general to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans. The best defense against this virus is the COVID vaccines, and we continue to strongly encourage all eligible Texans to get vaccinated.

LAST WEEK: Number of reported COVID cases among Texas students nearly triples in a week

Abbotts approach to the situation is politically beneficial to him as he faces conservative primary challengers, several political scientists said; and if he were to endorse mask mandates, it could be harmful to any presidential hopes he has for 2024.

But in the long run, they warn that a situation where local governments feel empowered to openly flout Abbotts orders could be damaging to him.

This is a political liability, especially as it drags on, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. The longer this drags on, the harder for the governor to explain his position and continue to hammer local governments on the decision.

He has put his marker down

The five largest counties in the state are Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar and Travis. The district attorneys for Harris and Bexar counties have already announced they dont intend to prosecute school districts over mask rules, and a prosecutor with Travis County said the office would remain focused on violent crime, although they would evaluate the situation on a case-by-case basis.

Tarrant County did not respond to a request for comment, and a spokeswoman for Dallas County said: This issue is working its way through the civil courts. At this point in time  until thats concluded and depending on how thats concluded  theres no reason to consider a position on that.

At a House Public Education Committee hearing last month, Rep. Steve Allison, a San Antonio-area Republican, acknowledged theres an appearance of dysfunction in government over the mask orders and Abbotts ban.

The committee met that night to consider dueling bills that would either ban mask mandates or empower school districts to enact them. The sponsors of each of the bills  Rep. Harold Dutton, a Houston Democrat, and Rep. Jeff Leach, a Plano Republican  said they were considering merging their bills into one allowing schools to require masks but also allowing parents to opt out, as with childhoood vaccine requirements.

Theres a healthy tension in conservative thought between local control and individual freedom, said Brendan Steinhauser, a Republican political consultant, and Abbott is attempting to strike a balance and allow parents to make the ultimate decisions for their children.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Its complicated, its patchwork, its a mess. Youve got all these different entities just sort of battling back and forth over this stuff, said Steinhauser, who does not work for Abbott. I think he has put his marker down; he has invested time and money and oxygen on this policy and this message, and I havent seen him really backtrack.

I think that youre in pretty safe grounds as the governor of this state to say that generally communities should decide, however parents should ultimately be the arbiters of this decision.

A Texas Politics Project poll conducted from Aug. 20 through 30 found that found that 56 percent of Texans supported mask mandates in school, while 35 percent opposed. A national Ipsos poll last week found 66 percent of Americans disapproved of bans on local mask mandates. The same poll, however, found that 57 percent of Republicans support them.

Abbott is currently facing several conservative primary challengers as he seeks his third term, and his name has been tossed around  along with Florida Gov. Ron Desantis  as a potential 2024 presidential contender.

He backed himself into a corner once he prohibited masks, once he didnt allow municipalities to impose these mandates, so on and so forth, said Jeronimo Cortina, another political science professor at the University of Houston. In that particular stance, theres no way he can backtrack himself and go somewhere else, because he would be attacked  especially by his primary challengers.

However, Cortina noted that when the United Kingdom saw a surge in delta variant cases, the influx in cases decreased nearly as rapidly as it arrived. As long as Abbott holds the fort, hes also buying time for the Texas wave to subside.

Then Abbott could say, I told you so. We dont need government mandates; we need personal responsibility; we dont need the government telling you what to do, Cortina said.

edward.mckinley@chron.com
It is tempting, now that the U.S. military has completed its evacuation of approximately 125,000 people out of Kabul, to view the Afghanistan story in our rear-view mirror  time for retrospectives and analysis of President Bidens pullout and the devastating circumstances of those left behind under a Taliban regime.

For tens of thousands of Afghans suddenly in unfamiliar countries, a new story is just underway. Hundreds of people who have never heard of Buffalo Bayou will soon find themselves navigating H-E-B aisles and finding new jobs.

Led by a skilled platoon of nonprofits and other organizations, many in the Houston region can be of service to our newest neighbors. We can, together, commit ourselves to living out a doctrine of welcome for the Afghans who risked so much to help America on the battlefield.

Heres what they need most:

Gift cards, be they the Visa or grocery store variety, are the biggest need for Refugee Services of Texas, according to development director Ashley Faye. She said Texans have been generous in donating various materials, and so its good ol fashioned cash thats currently needed most to help Afghans get settled.

As more people come, well definitely need more volunteers, said Faye, whose organization provides job placement, cultural orientation, language classes and other services. Our goal is to help them become self-sufficient as quickly as possible.

Ali Al Sudani, chief programs officer for Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, said Tuesday that a considerable portion of Afghans coming to Houston and the U.S. will be designated as parolees, meaning they were in the lengthy process of obtaining a Special Immigrant Visa for Afghans who worked with the U.S. military and their immediate family members, but had not yet completed the process. It will be a while before theyre eligible for various public benefits, Al Sudani said, making financial and logistical support right now particularly vital.

In the last four weeks, Interfaith Ministries has welcomed 50 people and 12 families from Afghanistan, Al Sudani said, and he expects his organization will ultimately assist hundreds of refugees in the coming weeks and months. About 18 percent of Special Immigrant Visa holders from Afghanistan and Iraq are resettled in Texas, according to the South Texas Office for Refugees.

They put themselves at risk to support our troops  thats why we all need to step up and do our part, says Haala Binyam, a former SIV program participant from Iraq who is now director of refugee resettlement at The Alliance, which also expects to assist hundreds of Afghan refugees. Its a special experience for me to help because Ive seen it and I lived it. The Alliance also expects to work with hundreds of Afghan allies in the next few months.

Houstons five main refugee agencies anticipate about 3,000 parolees to arrive between Sept. 1 and April 1, which is more than three times the number of refugees from all nations that resettled in Texas last year.

The Alliance and YMCA International Services told the Chronicles Elizabeth Trovall Wednesday that some parolees who have arrived in Houston dont have work authorization permits, which they are eligible for but could take months to receive.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston details on its website various sponsorship levels for Texans to support refugees. One donation might provide someone attire for a job interview, transportation to that interview and some work supplies once theyve been hired. Another donation can buy a family a set of cooking materials  mixing bowls, a frying pan, serving spoons, a boiling pot, a rice cooker  to help their new house or apartment smell and taste like home.

Such sponsorships can help a family build a new life here. Our donations bring kids toys, students new backpacks and families new clothes.

Multiple group leaders said financial donations and volunteers are more pressing needs than donations of materials, primarily due to lack of storage. But creative options for giving are plentiful:

Band together with a few others to buy a laptop.

If youre a mental health professional, offer a few mental health counseling sessions.

People with rental units can make them available to relocating families.

For employers out there with help wanted signs up, refugees, by and large, make great employees.

Long after media attention lurches toward the next crisis, Afghans new to this city and country will still be getting adjusted, starting new jobs and finding their way. Cynthia N. Colbert, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities, said the organizations in town that support refugees work closely together and need the Houston regions residents to buy in.

We have so many cultures and people from all over the world living here, and that makes Houston beautiful. I believe Houston will welcome these Afghan refugees with open arms, Colbert said.

Its one of the things Houston does best.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

Nearly 12,000 Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas and others have resettled since 2007 in Houston, a long-established national hub for refugee resettlement. One of them is Omer Yousafzai, owner of the Afghan Village restaurant in southwest Houston. He told the Chronicle recently that he arrived in the U.S. in 2001 as a student and became a citizen after seeking asylum.

I only had a couple hundred dollars, maybe more or less, in my pocket when I came to the U.S. and now I have over maybe 30, 40 people working for me in different areas, Yousafzai said. Im the living example of American Dream.

Our city is welcoming, vibrant, diverse and big-hearted. Were also being torn in a lot of directions right now. Its up to each of us who can give to turn our thoughts and prayers for the Afghan people, and our good intentions, into actions, whether that means buying a gift card or volunteering.

To the hundreds of Afghans here or on their way to southeast Texas, welcome. Were glad youre here. We know youve endured trauma and grief on your long journey. We want to help because thats what neighbors are for.

Interfaith Ministries, Refugee Services of Texas, Houston Welcomes Refugees, YMCA International Services, Catholic Charities, The Alliance and Combined Arms are among the leading organizations working to help Afghan allies in Houston.

Its our time to be of service, Houston, to these heroes building new lives here. They fought for a country that, they were told, stood for democracy, opportunity and compassion. Lets show them its true.
For two decades, Ive worked on abortion care in Texas. Its my lifes calling and is rooted in absolute love and acceptance. Im also a Texan, a Black woman and mother of six children, including a daughter. I am no stranger to navigating the fear and trauma inflicted on Black people throughout Texas and throughout this country. Each day I summon up the courage to show up as a front-line health care worker to provide an essential service, even when Im unsure of what anti-abortion protestors may do as I pass them to go inside. Just as I fear for myself and my children, I now fear for my patients and staff.

Senate Bill 8, Texas newest abortion restriction is the most extreme and radical 6-week ban this country has ever seen. It adds a cruel new twist: allowing private citizens, like anti-abortion protestors, to sue anyone they believe has helped a Texan obtain an abortion past the legal 6-week limit and potentially receive a $10,000 bounty. It is the latest attack by conservatives to push abortion access out of reach altogether. Its no surprise it was passed during the same legislative session in which Republicans were working to pass a Jim Crow-style elections bill that will restrict voting access. People of color  my family, friends, and neighbors  will suffer the most at the hands of these lawmakers who will stop at nothing to maintain power and control over our bodies.

In my professional life, I oversee all clinical services at Whole Womans Health, an organization that manages four clinics providing abortion services in Texas. In 2013, the Legislature passed medically unnecessary laws to chip away at Texans rights and the Supreme Court struck down laws in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt. These lawmakers keep trying every session. They are trying to tip the scales to keep mostly white, mostly male people in charge to oppress our most personal decisions.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

Far-right Republican state leaders tout that they have constituents in mind, but, if that were true, they would trust doctors to do what is best for patients. In the past decade, Texas has enacted 26 abortion restrictions, including SB 8 . The constant doubling down on anti-abortion tactics can cause confusion and heighten anxieties due to the already complex abortion care landscape in the state. Being a Black mother and an abortion provider takes a huge mental toll. My staff and I worry time and time again whether the latest restriction will take power away from patients to build a future they desire and know is best for them. Nearly 80 percent of patients we have seen since SB 8 was signed into law in May have asked whether abortion is still legal. Despite their confusion, they are still showing up  because, at the end of the day, they still need access to the abortion care our clinics offer.

SB 8 does not reflect the kindness, respect and decency of Texans, particularly for people working hard to provide the moral good that is abortion care. Keeping our doors open for Texans who need us is my number one priority, and finding innovative ways to do that has become a daily battle. Its a battle many abortion providers in the South know all too well.

Abortion bans like SB 8 tear apart the strong communities our staff and patients are a part of and contribute to daily. For community members who are Black, immigrants, or low-income  groups that have higher rates of abortion due to a wide variety of health care disparities  the burden is even greater. Just this month, shocking research found that if SB 8 is enforced, driving distances to receive abortion care will increase 20-fold. Meaning, Texans will be up against even more financial and logistical barriers than they already face, which could push abortion out of reach entirely. Forced parenthood will drive families futher into poverty and cause irreparable damage to the next generation of children born. Instead of moving closer to an authoritarian regime, conservatives in Texas could focus on addressing underlying health care disparities.

I know how devasting this law will be on the people across the state because theyre the same folks Ive devoted my life to serving. Ive chosen to fight back because Texans dont deserve to suffer from the harsh conditions created and exacerbated by the politicians responsible for this heinous law and others like it. I fight back because my patients are making health care decisions that they have every right to make. I fight back because my children deserve respect, freedom of choice and the same health care rights that other Americans have.

Im an individual plaintiff in the case to block SB 8  to stand up for my family and community  and Im asking the Supreme Court justices to do the same. The court did not act in time to keep SB 8 from going into effect and Whole Woman's Health is being forced to comply with this radical and extreme law. Im calling on the court to act without any more delay.

Sadler is the Director of Clinical Services for Whole Womans Health. Sadler is an individual plaintiff in the case challenging Texas 2021 6-week abortion ban and was with Whole Womans Health during the landmark 2016 Supreme Court case Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt.
While Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is speaking out against mask mandates in schools and suing to stop some Texas school districts from enacting them, in reality his order banning such mandates has gone largely unenforced  so much so that the federal government doesnt consider it active.

Abbott threatened $1,000 fines for officials who try to impose mask mandates, although no such fines have been handed down. And if he wanted to, Abbott could send state troopers or deputize the Texas National Guard to enforce his order, as he has done on the border, but he hasnt. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, meanwhile, has a published list of 71 non complying cities, counties and school districts; is fighting in court with at least six of them and sent letters threatening more legal action to others.

But in the court filings from the lawsuits, Paxton has acknowledged that neither he nor Abbott will directly enforce the ban on mask mandates, instead leaving it to local district attorneys, some of whom are already on-record saying that they dont intend to prosecute.

Abbotts own Texas Education Agency on Aug. 19 said that the ban on mask mandates would not be enforced until the courts have resolved legal challenges to his authority to do it. And the federal Department of Education chose Monday not to open an investigation into the matter in Texas, even as it launched probes of five other states with active bans.

LAST WEEK: As COVID cases rise, Houston-area school districts prepare shutdown contingencies

The conflicting local rules and governors orders  along with a morass of preliminary court decisions  have caused widespread confusion among parents, and left it open for the more than 1,000 Texas school districts to do what they want in the short term. Meanwhile, more than 14,000 Texas students tested positive for COVID-19 last week, and some school districts are already shutting down from outbreaks.

Still, Abbott keeps saying he is holding his ground on an issue he has made a priority, despite the increasing number of school districts defying him.

Their perfect world is just to put out the mandate to tell the world theyre cracking down on activist governments trying to strip away their individual liberties, said Christian Menefee, civil attorney for Harris County, which is fighting in court against Paxton to keep its mask mandate in place. But then when lawsuits are filed they kind of pick and choose what lawsuits theyre engaging with.

Its perfect because they can have their cake and eat it, too, he said.

Renae Eze, a spokeswoman for Abbott, reiterated that the governor believes now is the time for personal responsibility rather than mask mandates.

We are all working to protect Texas children and those most vulnerable among us, but violating the governors executive ordersand violating parental rightsis not the way to do it, she said. The governor's executive orders, having the full force and effect of law, are enforceable by state and local law enforcement, and our office continues working with the office of the attorney general to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans. The best defense against this virus is the COVID vaccines, and we continue to strongly encourage all eligible Texans to get vaccinated.

LAST WEEK: Number of reported COVID cases among Texas students nearly triples in a week

Abbotts approach to the situation is politically beneficial to him as he faces conservative primary challengers, several political scientists said, and if he were to endorse mask mandates, it could be harmful to any presidential hopes he has for 2024.

But in the long run, they warn that a situation where local governments feel empowered to openly flout Abbotts orders could be damaging to him.

This is a political liability, especially as it drags on, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. The longer this drags on, the harder for the governor to explain his position and continue to hammer local governments on the decision.

He has put his marker down

The five largest counties in the state are Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar and Travis. The district attorneys for Harris and Bexar counties have already announced they dont intend to prosecute school districts over mask rules, and a prosecutor with Travis County said the office would remain focused on violent crime, although they would evaluate the situation on a case-by-case basis.

Tarrant County did not respond to a request for comment, and a spokeswoman for Dallas County said: This issue is working its way through the civil courts. At this point in time  until thats concluded and depending on how thats concluded  theres no reason to consider a position on that.

On Monday at a House Public Education Committee hearing, Rep. Steve Allison, a San Antonio-area Republican, acknowledged theres an appearance of dysfunction in government right now over the mask orders and Abbotts ban.

The committee met that night to consider dueling bills that would either ban mask mandates or empower school districts to enact them. The sponsors of each of the bills  Rep. Harold Dutton, a Houston Democrat, and Rep. Jeff Leach, a Plano Republican  said they were considering merging their bills into one allowing schools to require masks but also allowing parents to opt out, as with childhoood vaccine requirements.

Theres a healthy tension in conservative thought between local control and individual freedom, said Brendan Steinhauser, a Republican political consultant, and Abbott is attempting to strike a balance and allow parents to make the ultimate decisions for their children.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Its complicated, its patchwork, its a mess. Youve got all these different entities just sort of battling back and forth over this stuff, said Steinhauser, who does not work for Abbott. I think he has put his marker down, he has invested time and money and oxygen on this policy and this message, and I havent seen him really backtrack.

I think that youre in pretty safe grounds as the governor of this state to say that generally communities should decide, however parents should ultimately be the arbiters of this decision.

Theres not much relevant public polling available, although a national Ipsos poll last week found that 66 percent of Americans disapproved of bans on local mask mandates. The same poll, however, found that 57 percent of Republicans support them.

Abbott is currently facing several conservative primary challengers as he seeks his third term, and his name has been tossed around  along with Florida Gov. Ron Desantis  as a potential 2024 presidential contender.

He backed himself into a corner once he prohibited masks, once he didnt allow municipalities to impose these mandates, so on and so forth, said Jeronimo Cortina, another political science professor at the University of Houston. In that particular stance, theres no way he can backtrack himself and go somewhere else, because he would be attacked  especially by his primary challengers.

However, Cortina noted that when the United Kingdom saw a surge in delta variant cases, the influx in cases decreased nearly as rapidly as it arrived. As long as Abbott holds the fort, hes also buying time for the Texas wave to subside.

Then Abbott could say, I told you so. We dont need government mandates, we need personal responsibility, we dont need the government telling you what to do, Cortina said.

edward.mckinley@chron.com
Gov. Greg Abbott had the lowest approval rating since February 2016 and his highest disapproval numbers during his tenure as governor, The Texas Politics Projects August polling found.

The poll queried 1,200 registered voters in Texas, finding that 50 percent disapproved of Abbotts job performance and 41 percent approved. Nine percent didnt know or did not have an opinion, the lowest such number of Abbotts time in office. The margin of error was 2.83 percent, and the poll was conducted from Aug. 20 through Monday, Aug. 30.

The Texas Politics Project, which is housed at the University of Texas-Austin, has been conducting surveys since 2008, and has measured Abbotts approval since November of 2015. Abbotts previous high for disapproval was April 2021, at 45 percent.

The poll also found that 52 percent of respondents said Texas was headed in the wrong direction, the highest such number it has posted. A spokeswoman for Abbott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Everywhere you look in the poll theres just signs that the mood here is very dour. And when you have one party that owns the policy environment, thats not good news, said James Henson, director of the poll. The Republicans have had a pretty easy ride for the two-decades-plus theyve been in power in the state. And theres now a convergence of factors thats really going to test their ability to govern. And weve seen a very clear approach to that in this last legislative session, and it doesnt seem to going over very well.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

A total of 68 percent of those polled named four problems as the most significant facing Texas today: 23 percent said COVID-19, 20 percent said border security, 15 percent said immigration and 10 percent political corruption/leadership. Henson pointed to those issues, as well as political polarization and lingering questions about the governments response to the February ice storm, as melding together to form an overall mood of political unease.

The Legislature is currently in a special session called by Abbott, where the House and Senate are grinding through a list of the governors priorities, including measures to add election security and restrict voting practices, an expansion of virtual learning, an extra pension benefit check for retired public school employees, funding for border security and a border wall.

These findings come as Texas faces a surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, with the hospitals overflowing more with the sick than at any other point in the pandemic. The surge is driven by flagging vaccination rates compared to other states, as well as the spread of the delta variant, which is significantly more transmissive than previous strains of the virus.

Days before the poll was launched, Abbott himself tested positive for the virus  the night after he held a packed, indoor, maskless rally with supporters.

The poll also asked whether respondents approved of Abbotts handling of COVID-19 specifically, and the findings closely mirrored his overall approval numbers: 53 percent disapproved, 39 percent approved and the rest didnt know or had no opinion.

The election isnt tomorrow, its not until next year, but its been a long time since there was a widespread sense in the state that things arent going well, and I think were seeing more indications of that, Henson said.

edward.mckinley@chron.com
The Supreme Court voted 5-4 late Wednesday to allow Texas' virtual abortion ban to remain in effect, denying an emergency appeal from abortion providers who had hoped to halt it.

The abortion ban went into effect Sept. 1, along with a slew of other laws, leaving women who seek the procedure in Texas vulnerable. Here are seven things to know about the abortion ban and how it affects Texas women and abortion providers.

NEW TO TEXAS: These 16 Texas laws went into effect Sept. 1, from open carry to abortion ban

What the new law does

The abortion ban makes it illegal for women in Texas to have an abortion six weeks into pregnancy, or as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected. This is usually before most women even know they are pregnant. It is the strictest abortion law in the United States, and it affects 7 million women of reproductive age.

No exceptions made

The ban does not make exceptions for victims of rape or incest.

$10,000 reward

The ban gives private citizens the power to sue abortion providers and anyone involved in helping a woman receive an abortion, including family members and anyone who drives a woman to get an abortion in Texas. Residents who successfully sue another person may be rewarded with up to $10,000. Since the bill's enactment, several websites have been created for individuals to report anyone suspected of violating the ban.

If an abortion provider is sued, that provider is prohibited from recouping legal fees even if they win the lawsuit. This has some providers considering shutting down all their services.

What about Roe V. Wade?

The ban is the most significant challenge to the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 that legalized abortion. If Roe v. Wade is reversed, House Bill 1280, also known as the abortion "trigger" law, could completely ban abortions in Texas, even before six weeks. If overturned, the trigger law would take effect in the 30 days following.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

How abortion providers are responding

Abortion providers in Texas were swarmed with people asking how to obtain services on Wednesday, the Houston Chronicle reported. Some providers are still offering to provide services to women in early pregnancy, while most others are offering to help connect women with resources to obtain care out of state. This puts low-income women and women of color most at risk, as they are typically the ones who cannot afford to travel out of state to receive services. Advocates worry about returning to a period when women pursued unsafe abortions.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas abortion clinics brace for near shutdown as new law is enacted: 'We have to comply'

Abortion clinics across the Texas border are already seeing a spike in demand from women searching for services.

Now Playing: Here's what it sounded like to be on hold with Planned Parenthood on September 1. Video: Laura Duclos, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast

Biden's response

President Joe Biden has spoken out against the ban, calling it "an unprecedented assault on constitutional rights." Biden's administration is calling on Congress to codify Roe v. Wade and is looking into steps the federal government can take "to insulate those in Texas from this law and ensure access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday the House will vote on a measure to codify Roe v. Wade when Congress returns from recess later this month.

Where the ban stands now

The Supreme Court's vote is not the last word on whether the law will remain in effect. Other legal fights are expected to continue over the coming weeks.

rebecca.hennes@chron.com

The Chronicle's Jeremy Blackman, Benjamin Wermund and Taylor Goldenstein as well as the Associated Press and Texas Tribune contributed to this report.
The Texas Senate on Wednesday approved a $1.8 billion border security bill aimed at deterring migrants from attempting to cross the states southern border, cementing a key piece of Gov. Greg Abbotts agenda ahead of his re-election bid next year.

House Bill 9, which easily sailed through both Republican-controlled chambers of the Legislature, gives Abbott more than $1 billion to construct a barrier along parts of the Texas-Mexico border and more than $450 million to continue deploying a surge of National Guard members and Department of Public Safety troopers to the region.

The funds will support Abbotts Operation Lone Star initiative, which calls for state law enforcement officers to jail migrants caught crossing the border on state trespassing charges. The plan broadly expands the states role in immigration enforcement, which is typically left to the federal government, though Abbott has argued his new approach is necessary to handle a steep increase in border crossings since President Joe Biden took office.

IN-DEPTH: Belying political hype, migrant surge is largely invisible in border communities

When launching Operation Lone Star in March, Abbott blamed Biden for ending a Trump administration policy that required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases passed through the courts. The U.S. Supreme Court has since ordered Biden to reinstate the policy.

We dont want just to arrest somebody to have them released, Abbott said when announcing his border plan earlier this year. We want to arrest somebody and have them prosecuted, to be put in jail, to stay in jail  to create an environment where people will choose they dont want to come across the border into the state of Texas anymore, because its not what they were expecting, its not the red carpet that the federal administration rolled out for them.

Republican Senators echoed Abbotts points on Wednesday, arguing that the Legislature was compelled to act.

The horrors that are happening at the border are not staying at the border. Theyre coming to a town near you, said state Sen. Jane Nelson, a Republican from Flower Mound who carried the bill in the Senate. We cant solve every issue today. We must do what we can to assist those on the front lines. They are begging for our help, and everything in this bill is designed to do that.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Eight of the 13 Democrats in the Senate opposed the bill, arguing that a barrier along parts of the southern border would do little to stop drugs and cartel members from coming across.

They generally acknowledged the state has a role to play in addressing problems at the border, but disagreed with the overall spending plan, raising intense opposition to the border barrier plan.

At a time when we have not adequately addressed our electric grid, properly funded our response to COVID-19, expanded Medicaid or resolved problems at all levels of education, there are so many better ways to spend this level of funding at the border, said state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo. The notion that walls or fences will solve our border problems is outdated and false. Drugs are smuggled into the United States from Mexico mostly through our ports of entry. That is where more money should be expended.

Democrats also balked at the bills $1.8 billion cost, which lifts Texas border security budget for the next two years to about $2.9 billion  more than triple the previous amount. The new funding comes out of an extra $8 billion lawmakers have to spend after Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar issued a revised revenue estimate in July.

Sarah Hicks, Abbotts policy and budget director, has acknowledged the overall cost of the project will exceed $1 billion, especially if officials were to cover all 733 miles of border where DPS officials say some kind of barrier may be necessary. The entire Texas-Mexico border spans 1,254 miles.

State Sen. Nathan Johnson, a Dallas Democrat, said Republicans likely would not have pumped so much state money into border security if those extra funds had become available at the beginning of the spring session, instead of over the summer after lawmakers had already passed the state budget.

Its only because at the end of it, in this special session, we have a new pot of money that we get to play with, were going to throw $2 billion of it at the border, Johnson said. We dont really have any evidence that were spending it in an intelligent way.

The unprecedented spending plan marks Texas most aggressive approach yet to border security, far removed from the $220 million two-year budget former governor Rick Perry signed into law 10 years ago. It also ends a period of level border security spending over the last several years, when lawmakers have approved roughly $400 million a year to send state law enforcement to the region, prosecute border-related crimes and even remove of an invasive weed that provides cover for smugglers, among other expenses.

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a passionate supporter of Trump and his immigration approach, touted the sharp increase in border spending under his watch.

Before I became Lt. Governor, the Texas Legislature spent very little on border security. I have been committed to securing our border from day 1, Patrick said in a statement after the bill passed. Texas taxpayers should not have to pick up the tab for what the administration should be doing, but we have no choice.

The border package also aims to provide relief for the network of courts and detention facilities that are tasked with processing and detaining migrants arrested on state charges. That includes $32 million for the Office of Court Administration to hire new visiting judges, public defenders, court inerpreters and other court staff.

The Department of Criminal Justice, which currently sends migrants to a single detention facility in Frio County, will receive funds to convert up to three more facilities. And a $170 million carveout will establish and staff three county-level processing and intake centers along the border, according to Hicks of Abbotts office.

Another $100 million will help local law enforcement agencies cover costs associated with the border crisis, Hicks said. At least $14 million of that funding must go to counties adjacent to the border, under an amendment by state Rep. Eddie Morales Jr. of Eagle Pass  one of the few Democrats who supported the bill.

The final spending package includes a Democratic amendment that prevents the state from building any section of the border barrier on land acquired through eminent domain. But Republicans overall rejected nearly every attempt to amend the bill.

Zaffirini criticized Republicans for not allowing Democrats who represent border districts to actively help craft the legislation. She noted that several jails in counties that narrowly miss touching the border are ineligible for the funds earmarked for border counties, even though they are closer to the border than other jails that may receive the funds.

This doesn't make any sense, Zaffirini said. It is an example about how those of us who know the region, its strengths and its challenges, could help craft legislation that is more insightful, more appropriate, and more helpful."

jasper.scherer@chron.com
A bill that would forbid large social media companies from blocking users based on their viewpoints or locations is headed to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign the measure into law.

House Bill 20, which passed the lower chamber Thursday, is a priority of Republicans who have accused Facebook, Twitter and other platforms of censoring or silencing conservatives  including former president Donald Trump. They have pointed in recent weeks to Twitters decision to allow the Taliban to post on the site while Trump remains banned for inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol in January with false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Under the new state law, social media companies with more than 50 million monthly active users will be prohibited from banning or suspending users based on their viewpoint. They also cannot remove or deny equal access or visibility to content based on a users viewpoint.

An earlier version of the bill also would have barred companies from adding an addendum to a post, as Twitter began doing to some of Trumps tweets last year, but that language was removed in a last-minute amendment.

TEXAS LEGISLATURE: 7 things you should know about Texas virtual ban on abortions after 6 weeks

Social media companies have defended their approach, arguing that they are trying to clamp down on misinformation  particularly about the 2020 election  and incendiary posts that may provoke violence. The companies have also come under fire from liberals who say they have let misinformation spread unchecked and are still not doing enough to address the issue.

The bill also establishes a mechanism for users or the Texas attorney general to sue social media platforms thought to be violating a provision of the law and obtain a court order reinstating the account or post.

House Bill 20 is all but certain to face legal opposition from industry groups who challenged a similar law enacted in Florida earlier this year. A federal judge temporarily struck down that law in June, finding that the measure violated social media companies First Amendment rights.

Democrats in both chambers of the Texas Legislature opposed House Bill 20, arguing it would prevent social media companies from removing content they deem to be harmful.

Republicans noted that the bill allows social media platforms to remove content that directly incites criminal activity or consists of specific threats of violence targeting a person or group based on their race, color, disability, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, or status as a peace officer or judge.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Companies may also remove content that meets the standards of unlawful expression in the U.S. and Texas Constitution or under federal or state law.

Republicans rejected amendments from Democrats that would have allowed social media platforms to block content that includes the denial of the Holocaust or promotes vaccine disinformation or terrorist groups and acts.

The bills author, state Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, was suspended from Twitter for six months over an exchange with Democrat Beto ORourke spurred by the former congressmans comment during a 2019 presidential debate in Houston.

"Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47," O'Rourke said as he discussed his plan for a mandatory gun buyback program for assault weapons.

Cain responded on Twitter: My AR is ready for you Robert Francis.

If Abbott signs the bill into law, it will take effect three months after the legislative session ends.

The bill passed the Legislature along mostly party lines, though state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, joined Senate Democrats in voting against it.

Two Republicans  state Reps. Giovanni Capriglione of Southlake and Charlie Geren of Fort Worth  voted against the bill in the House on Thursday. Two other Republicans  state Reps. Dan Huberty of Houston and Lyle Larson of San Antonio  also opposed the measure in an earlier vote.

A prior version of the bill cleared the Senate but died in the House during the spring.

jasper.scherer@chron.com
Two Democratic state senators and an activist group have filed a federal lawsuit against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, alleging that the Texas Constitution doesnt allow redistricting for the Legislature to be done during a special session, putting the onus on a federal judge to draw new political maps in the meantime.

In a suit filed in federal court in Del Rio on Wednesday, Sens. Sarah Eckhardt, of Austin, and Roland Gutierrez, of San Antonio, and Tejano Democrats state that the law only allows the process to occur during the first regular session after the U.S. Census Bureau releases its decennial data.

Considering he is a licensed Texas attorney for over 35 years, a former judge, and a former Texas Attorney General, the Governor is well aware of this and is deliberately ignoring the law in a desperate, illegal scheme to try to keep his party in power, Gutierrez said in a statement.

Abbott, whose office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has said he will call a special session for redistricting this fall. Legislative hearings have already begun, and more are scheduled for later this month.

The suit would not affect the timing of congressional redistricting, which is not addressed in the Texas Constitution, according to Michael Li, redistricting and voting counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU.

READ MORE: Show me your maps: 2021 Texas redistricting starts with less oversight, transparency concerns

The Census Bureau was supposed to deliver the data at the end of March, but due to pandemic-related delays, did not release it until mid-August. Eckhardt and Gutierrez argue that the next opportunity, then, would be the regular session in 2023.

One of the plaintiffs attorneys, Wallace B. Jefferson, is a former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, a Republican. The legal team could not be reached for comment.

The suit asks the court to issue an injunction barring the Legislature from moving forward with its redistricting process and to create an interim map for the 2022 cycle.

Political maps routinely elicit lawsuits against the state alleging discrimination against minority voters. Federal judges, as recently as 2017, have repeatedly found that the Republican-controlled Legislature drew political districts with racially discriminatory intent.

Texas has seen major growth in its urban centers in the last decade, and as the latest census data shows, that growth is overwhelmingly being driven by people of color. The demographic changes present a challenge for the Texas Republicans leading the state, who are widely expected to do everything in their power to retain their majority.

For nearly 20 years Texas Republicans have manipulated the redistricting process to disenfranchise minority voters and Democrats to maintain a tenuous hold on the state legislature, but that all ends now, Eckhardt said in a statement. We will continue to demand that they start following both the intent and the letter of the law. Partys over.

The plaintiffs say they need the relief because the Texas House and Senate districts they live in are overpopulated or malapportioned.

The disparity in the populations of the those districts violate the one person, one vote guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment thats protected by the Civil Rights Act, they wrote.

Acting Secretary of State Jose A. Esparza is also named as a defendant in the suit. His office also did not respond to a request for comment.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
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Berkshire Money Management had offered to host a fundraiser the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention on its 26-acre property but the event was denied a permit. So instead, the company's CEO made a large donation.

Berkshire Money Management Donates $10K to Suicide Prevention Group

DALTON, Mass.  Berkshire Money Management CEO Allen Harris is donating $10,000 to the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention after the nonprofit was denied a special permit for a fundraiser on the financial company's property.

The Dalton Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday decided that a haunted-trail fundraiser for suicide awareness called "Purgatory Road" was not eligible for permitting under zoning bylaws.



Harris said he will contribute by pledging $10,001  the extra dollar out of personal preference  to the organization.



"The donation is really because I feel like the town let down Purgatory Road, this is a major fundraiser for them and there was no real reason, I feel, to not have the event," he said.



"This is an event that has been put on for eight years, I know has run very professionally and in addition to the layer of professionalism that the organization would have brought, we had an event planner working in conjunction as an addition to it."



The event had been held on a farm residence on Cleveland Road for eight seasons prior and collectively raised around $175,000. The new location was proposed to be held at professional investment firm's 26-acre property on Main Street, the former Crane Model Farm.



Four abutters called in to oppose the permitting, saying the event does not belong in an R-1 zoned area.



Though they supported the cause, concerns were voiced about the allowance of the event possibly decreasing property values, tarnishing the character of the neighborhood, and bringing in troublesome residents from surrounding areas.



Harris said that unfortunately, sometimes the loudest voices are the ones that are heard in small-town panels.



He cited various successful events that BMM hosted in the summer of 2020 to get people out of the house in a safe and socially distanced way. These included movie showings and live music.


NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  A project to divert stormwater from Wood Street to a catch basin on Ashton Avenue was approved by the Conservation Commission on Wednesday.

The notice of intent was submitted by Waterfield Design Group of Winchester on behalf of city of North Adams. Jacob Murray, engineer with Waterfield, presented the plan to the commission at the public hearing.

Of interest to the commission, is a wetland and flood plain on the west side of Ashton Avenue and a mountain channel on Wood street.

"The situation is that currently there is a 12-inch and 15-inch to a 24 to a 30-inch drainage pipe that collects a mountain channel coming down Wood Street, and that directs it to some clogged 54-inch culverts that are underneath Ashton Avenue," Murray said. "These pipes are undersized for carrying the capacity for significant storm events, potentially, like one that is going on right now (heavy rain from Hurricane Ida). ...

"What happens is that in those events, this overflow comes down like a river through Wood Street, hits the curb here, and ends up flooding out both the old [Blackinton] mill building as well as the McClain property here and the garage, heading down into the tail race before it hits Ashton Ave."

The plan is to replace the existing pipes with a 60-inch pipe down Wood Street and then mostly along the same track, until it crosses under Massachusetts Avenue to the south before the intersection with Ashton to avoid a 24-inch water line.

"What will happen here is that instead of having this flooding river during significant events, it'll all be able to be captured in the pipe and then outlet to Ashton Avenue," Murray said, adding that to make the improvements, there will also have to be a retaining at the outlet and a riprap spillway that will disturbe about 150 square feet of wetlands.

That area will be replicated in the same area on a small upland and about another 10 square feet will replaced by riprap to prevent erosion and solids going into the wetland ecosystem. This will also increase flood storage during severe storms.

Chairman Jason Moran asked why the application stated it "emergency road repairs" and thus was exempt from state stormwater standards.

Murray said it functions as a road and is in need of emergency repair because of the flooding situation.

"As you're well aware, most stormwater reports cover situations of how to handle new impervious area, and none of that is occurring at this site," he said. "So going through all the standards is pretty minimal, given the fact that there's nothing new being created."

Moran also asked about how the system would be taken offline to prevent damage if there rains during the replacement. Murray said a bypass would have to be put in place but the work would largely be done during good weather. The flood level at the outlet has also been determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be lower than any existing building in the area.

"You guys are doing a wonderful job for the protection of Wood Street, Mass Ave, and Ashton," Moran said, but "because you are introducing, while the amount of water may still be getting to the same location, the velocity of the water that's going to be going there now is going to certainly be increased with the pipe size."

The 25-30 foot long riprap channel will dissipate much of that energy, said Murray, "By the time it starts getting beyond the riprap, it will be at a velocity that's not going to be scouring the sides or bottom of the existing culverts."

That will of course require that the inlets be cleaned and maintained, he said.

Commissioners also asked about the invasive species in that area. Murray said they would be removed from the area being disturbed by the project but if the city had a budget, there could be more extensive species removal.

"There may be the opportunity for more invasive species removal, as other other areas get disturbed but that's in the future and that's not associated with the project," he said.

Murray expected the project to be bid out to begin in the spring and said Waterfield would be on site at least once a week and would be there for the more "significant items" such as the entrance and exit installations.

The commission approved the project and set conditions that some erosion control be maintained, particularly near the McClain building where there is a manhole, removal of invasive species in the work and replication areas with a five-year standard monitoring report. The commissioners also asked for an effort to do the work during low water or dry periods.


Andy Cambi was appointed interim director of public health by the board effective Sept. 11. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Director of Public Health Gina Armstrong and Chairman Dr. Alan Kulberg both announced their resignations to the Board of Health on Wednesday.

Armstrong submitted her resignation with a final day of Sept. 10 and Senior Sanitarian Andy Cambi was appointed as the interim fill-in.

She said she needs more balance in her life and to spend more time with her family.

"I'm sure you know that this is a really hard decision for me," Armstrong said to her colleagues, adding that she loves the work she has done in public health with both the administration and community partners.

Kulberg submitted his resignation effective at the adjournment of Wednesday's meeting. In February, he stepped away from his role as the medical adviser to the city's COVID-19 Task Force.

Reportedly, he was trying to retire from his career before the pandemic began but stepped in to serve on the task force and at the vaccine clinics.

"It's been a pleasure working with the health department, it's been a real pleasure working with Armstrong, whom I've learned a lot," Kulberg said.

"She's been a consummate professional and I'm proud to say that not only have I enjoyed working with her, she's another friend, she's leaving a health department that's very sad about her departure but I wish her the very best in in the future."

The search for a permanent replacement for Armstrong is being led by Director of Human Resources Michael Taylor, who will work closely with the board in the process.

The length of time that is expected to fill the position is not yet determined but the board expressed full confidence in Cambi's ability to lead public health efforts, unanimously appointing him interim director with a start date of Sept. 11.

"He is soft-spoken and yet as soft-spoken as he is, he's a very effective person when it comes to the administration and carrying through on all these responsibilities," Kulberg said. "So I'm quite happy that he has agreed to serve as interim director."

Armstrong assured the board that she is working with the city to make her transition as smooth as possible and to have her work covered because she is dedicated to the progress they have made in the department.

Armstrong has been director of public health since 2013. She was previously the deputy director of Columbia County (N.Y.) Healthcare Consortium for 13 years.

Members of the board expressed gratitude for both departing leaders and thanked them for their elevated service to the community.

Armstrong also gave a COVID-19 update during this meeting, revealing that the 14-day case average is continuing to increase.

Pittsfield is currently in the yellow incidence category for having 10 or more average cases per 100,000 people. The positivity rate is just below 3 percent and there are around 74 estimated actively contagious cases in the city.

Armstrong said they are keeping close track of hospitalization rates with daily information from Berkshire Health Systems. There were around 10-12 cases of hospitalization last week that included people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

Of those hospitalized population, only two were vaccinated and were older.

The city's Biobot sewage testing has shown a 25 percent increase in virus concentration meaning the uptick has likely not peaked yet. Armstrong said the sewage concentration levels usually rise before cases do and it is a good way to predict the coming weeks.

In response to the rise in cases, the BHS contact tracing team is expanding.

Vaccination rates have stayed rather constant over the last several weeks with 72 percent of the city getting their first dose and 63 percent fully vaccinated. There was reportedly some progress in vaccination numbers last week.

State-wise, Berkshire County is still vaccinated at a higher rate than central Massachusetts.

Armstrong said the age groups that need the most encouragement for vaccination are 20- to 29-year-olds. If residents have any concerns or want more information, she highly suggests having a conversation with a physician, who will be able to provide the best data.

As of right now, the city is following state guidance in accordance with masking, recommending that all individuals regardless of vaccination status mask indoors in public areas. Armstrong said she and Mayor Linda Tyer have not discussed a mask mandate.
Name: Roger Hale

Organisation: BigID

Job title: CSO

Date started current role: February 2021

Location: Texas

Roger Hale is the CSO of BigID, a company reimagining data management, and is responsible for leading initiatives related to security and risk management, compliance and product innovation. Hales 35 years of extensive infosec experience spans VC, cloud services, data management and regulatory compliance with former positions including CISO in Residence at YL Ventures, VP and CISO at big data company Informatica, as well as senior leadership positions at Symantec and Lending Club.

What was your first job? My first career job was as a mainframe developer. But growing up in rural Idaho, my actual first job was as a farmhand on a dairy farm. Still today I can diagram the correct process for milking a cow by hand.

How did you get involved in cybersecurity? There was no information security career path when I started 35 years ago, but one of my strengths was building operational and repeatable processes. When HIPAA and Sarbanes Oxley both started to have an impact on technology, companies were looking for how to attest and provide security compliance. Thats really about implementing operational processes that fail closed (or protected) rather than fail open (or unprotected). So I got into security because of a legal and internal audit asking us to meet regulatory compliance. Meeting compliance regulations became an expanded scope of responsibility in my roles, whether appdev or IT infrastructure, and it continued to grow in priority and criticality, until the industry carved out the security responsibilities as a separate role.

What was your education? Do you hold any certifications? What are they? I attended both Utah State University and DeVry Institute focused on Computer Information Systems. My part-time college job became my full-time developer career when my employer had a new initiative building an electronic catalog and just-in-time fulfillment system in the retail automotive industry. Today I hold the ISC2 CISSP and CISSP-ISSMP as well as the ITSM certifications.

Explain your career path. Did you take any detours? If so, discuss. There was no career path in information security back in the late 80s. My career evolved from being a mainframe developer, into client server technologies even back in the 10baseT days before fast ethernet (I remember when Windows for Workgroups was announced). As technology became more portable, my career pivoted with technology to support IT infrastructure and corporate systems technology. And as perimeters, or rather barriers, to technology were overcome, my career continued to pivot to the greater challenges and leading-edge technology. Today, those challenges are in data protection, whether it is information security, data privacy, or data governance.

Was there anyone who has inspired or mentored you in your career? I dont like this question because it asks me to select one yet my career has been influenced by so many people both inside the tech industry and beyond. I strive to find and learn from every interaction I have, whether personal or professional; however, my goal is to balance my quality of life and not focus solely on any specific aspect of my career or my personal life.

What do you feel is the most important aspect of your job? Relationships are most important. A CSOs role isnt solely to protect the company. A CSO in any organisation is a business enabler and to facilitate this, the CSO needs a voice at the table when business decisions are being made. To do that, he or she must be a trusted partner to the rest of the executive team.

What metrics or KPIs do you use to measure security effectiveness? The answer is not straightforward because it depends on the industry as well as an organisations operations. The metrics of the efficacy of a security program has foundational components across all industries, but the devil is in the context of specific industry and operational practices.

I measure my program by its maturity across the domains of data protection that are relevant to my organisations business model. In the case of BigID, we provide an on-prem and cloud service. Our customers' data protection requirements, and the ability to provide that assurance to customers, is paramount to BigIDs service offerings. Our security program and the effectiveness of our controls provide that assurance to our customers.

Is the security skills shortage affecting your organisation? What roles or skills are you finding the most difficult to fill? There has always been a skills shortage in information security. Thats why I believe we need to think outside the box. We need to stop putting artificial barriers in place that limit who is considered qualified for an information security role... For example, quite often I see requirements like must have a college degree, or must have seven years of information security experience. In our hiring practices, we can learn from the amazing story of the past 30 years of technology advancement: thinking outside the box and taking chances. One of the best security operations directors I know is someone I transitioned from IT operations. Ive watched a technical customer success manager grow her career into the senior director of security engineering. I would encourage others to stop looking for that perfect candidate and instead evaluate a candidates qualifications the same way we evaluate new tech. Lets find the candidate who meets at least 70% of our needs but who demonstrates the ability to grow into the other 30% - look for the critical soft skills and then invest in the training to bring those people up to speed on the more technical job skills.

Its most difficult to find people with the soft skills. For instance, people who understand that they dont have to be right every time. These are collaborative thinkers who realise it is more important to listen and learn about why business requirements are important rather than focus on the technical win. You can have the best technical solution, but if people dont want to use it, or they dont respect you enough to listen to you, it is of no value. Im looking for the people who dont live in a black and white world, but who instead understand that context is everything. I can train for the technical skill set. What I am searching for are strong values, willingness to learn and adapt, and solid leadership skills.

Cybersecurity is constantly changing  how do you keep learning? In every conversation, in every news feed, I am active in the industry. This includes everything from our disparate conferences, to sharing information with my peers, and advising new tech startups either from introduction by their investors or directly. I believe that if you work in high tech, your job is to stay ahead of the technology and the industry pivots. If you dont extend yourself to be open to interactions with your peers across the industry, youre not only hurting yourself, youre also hurting your organisation. We are hired to be THAT subject matter expert. I dont know everything, but through my network, I bet I can find someone who knows THAT.

What conferences are on your must-attend list? Im finding that the more localised regional conferences have really been providing value during the transition to virtual, and I sit on the advisory board for the SF Evanta CISO org. The larger conferences are always a must attend not just for the knowledge but for the peer network. My list always includes RSA, BlackHat / DefCon, IAPP, and because I am in the technology space, Gartners conferences.

What is the best current trend in cybersecurity? Its hard for me to bet the best, but immutable infrastructure is a great trend. Immutable infrastructure sets up DevOps and InfoSec for success. The other I love is orchestration and SOAR beyond the scope of the SOC. With all of the privacy regulations and the added questions about data usage, the automated validation of business process orchestration is very helpful. The worst? Calling it CyberSecurity. Especially in the information security field, cybersecurity is buzzword bingo. Our services have been transitioning from the historical datacenter to distributed cloud services (Im not fond of the word cloud either by the way). By calling it cyber, you now have a redundancy of controls because the controls for the cyber go beyond just the internet access component. Today, data protection is cybersecurity, but cybersecurity may not include all of data protection. A better phrase is information security. We protect the information where it resides, how it travels, and how it is acted upon.

What's the best career advice you ever received? You should be more afraid of inaction than of taking the wrong action. Ive made many decisions, both personal and professional, that, in hindsight, were not the best decision, but in retrospect, not making a decision would have been worse.

What advice would you give to aspiring security leaders? Build your network and go out of your way to help others, including your peers. Be courageous and take the risk. Dont be afraid to be vulnerable and to ask for help.

What has been your greatest career achievement? If you look at my profile, you can see that I am a builder CSO. The roles I have taken have a common theme of transforming, greenfield, or pivoting organisations. That means building and mentoring teams. Im humbled by the fact that many of my teams have been willing to follow me across multiple organisations. My greatest career achievement is most certainly my ability to build teams and mentor them.

Looking back with 20:20 hindsight, what would you have done differently? I would have gotten my own ego out of my way earlier(Joking -but there is always some truth to the jokes we tell). I have always been a private person, so I didnt believe in the relationship building and vulnerability components of leadership early in my career. I felt that work was work and personal was everything outside of work. In hindsight, I wish I would have learned thats not the case before social media conflated the two.
Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases Washington states most populous county is reinstating outdoor mask mandates for large outdoor events and strongly encouraging people to wear masks in other outdoor settings when they cant remain six-feet apart
The Port of Shelton continues to grow and expand and Executive Director Wendy Smith and Port Commissioner Dick Taylor talk about the progress with Jeff Slakey. They are working on new CERB funding and the company that makes Squirrel Suits is coming to the Port.
Late Wednesday night, Apple released a press statement that announced the company had resolved an investigation by the Japan Fair Trade Commission and will now allow developers of "reader" apps worldwide to include a link to their website so that users can "set up or manage" an account. It's a relatively small change that affects a relatively small number of apps, but--make no mistake--it is a big deal in one important way.

The change comes after Apple previously announced that it had agreed to a settlement with developers in a class-action lawsuit. In reality, that settlement did little other than provide $100 million to a fund that is supposed to go to developers. In reality, almost a third will go straight to the plaintiff's lawyers.

Apple said one of the terms of the settlement was that it was clarifying that developers could communicate with their customers via email, to inform them of alternative payment options. That's barely a concession for reasons I wrote about at the time.

This, however, is an actual change that users will notice when it goes into effect in 2022. Even if it doesn't affect the vast majority of apps, for the ones it does, it will improve the user experience significantly. Here's how Apple described it in the release:

The update will allow developers of "reader" apps to include an in-app link to their website for users to set up or manage an account. While the agreement was made with the JFTC, Apple will apply this change globally to all reader apps on the store. Reader apps provide previously purchased content or content subscriptions for digital magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, and video.

This means that Netflix and Spotify can now include a link to their website within their apps. It isn't clear how much developers can say about why you might want to click that link. That seems like it could be important, and I think it's curious that Apple was very careful to say that it is only allowing developers to "share a single link to their website to help users set up and manage their account." For example, can a developer tell a user "click here to sign up?"

To be clear, this is about the least Apple could do to fix the most egregious of its guidelines. A better option would have been for developers to include a web view within their app for users to sign up or manage their accounts.

Apple is clearly not ready to go that far, and since Netflix and Spotify (and other reader apps) already don't allow in-app subscriptions, this move doesn't even cost Apple any potential revenue. Still, this is the first time Apple has done something to fix one of the very worst things about the user experience on the iPhone.

For years, if you downloaded Netflix, the only thing you see when you launch the app is a button that says "Sign In" below text that says: "Trying to join Netflix? You can't sign up for Netflix in the app. We know it's a hassle. After you're a member, you can start watching in the app."

The thing is, Netflix couldn't tell you how to sign up. It couldn't tell you to visit Netflix.com to sign up. It was also barred from explaining why you can't sign up in the app.

You can't sign up within the app because Netflix would have to give Apple a 30 percent cut of your subscription. Instead, you just got the least helpful sign-in screen imaginable.

That's a problem for Netflix. As hard as it is to believe, there are people who aren't yet subscribed to the streaming video service. The fact that it isn't clear how to do that in the app is a really poor experience for those people.

For the rest of us, it's not great either. You can't manage or make changes to your account within the apps, meaning you have to instead log on via a web browser. That might seem like a minor inconvenience, but, again, the point is that the experience is made worse simply because Apple won't allow developers to communicate basic information to users or potential users.

That's why it was bad for Apple, more than anything. It was a bad experience for users. The rules and guidelines Apple makes for iOS apps directly affect the experience of using an iPhone. Until now, that experience was worse because of Apple's zero-tolerance policy towards anything that might possibly deprive it of even a dime of in-app transaction revenue.
A first trailer has been released for My Son, a forthcoming film in which James McAvoy fully improvises the lead role.

McAvoy was never given a script during filming, the clip, unveiled on Wednesday, explains. The goal was for the actor and the audience to both uncover the mystery at the exact same time.

My Son is a remake of the 2017 French thriller Mon Garcon. McAvoy stars as Edmond Murray, a father whose seven-year-old son goes missing from a campsite in an apparent kidnapping. Claire Foy stars as his characters ex-wife.

Ive managed to have an experience that no actor gets to have, McAvoy says at the beginning of the trailer. I hope well give the audience something really tangible that they can hang on as this thriller rattles along.

Murray, McAvoys character, is seen in the trailer driving in the Highlands and finding out about his sons disappearance.

Mr Murray, I have to tell you that we are investigating every hypothesis  including kidnapping, a police officer tells him. Would you say your work was dangerous?

A 2017 review by The Hollywood Reporter of Mon Garcon, starring French actor Guillaume Canet as the lead, praised the use of improvisation in a thriller, noting: The actor [Canet] apparently improvised his scenes, which were shot in order without Canet knowing what was coming next, and as gimmicky as that sounds, the stress ultimately pays off.

My Son will air on 15 September on Peacock in the US. A UK release date has yet to be confirmed.
Mark Ruffalo has called for mass civil disobedience in response to new legislation banning most abortions in Texas.

The actor spoke out on Thursday afternoon, the day after the Supreme Court declined to block the law.

He shared a tweet from the Texas nonprofit RAICES, which provides legal services to immigrants.

In the tweet, the organisation pledged to not obey this archaic and sexist law, adding: Weve funded & supported access to abortions for immigrants in Texas for years and will continue to do so. Some laws are meant to be broken.

Ruffalo expressed his support in his own tweet which read: This should be how every womens rights and abortion rights groups, organisations, and individuals should all react to this bill, making it impossible to enforce.

Mass civil disobedience is in order.

The new Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks  before some people know they're pregnant.

It allows any private citizen to sue Texas abortion providers who violate the legislation, as well as anyone who aids or abets someone getting the procedure.

The law does not make exceptions for rape or incest. The person bringing the lawsuit  who needs to have no connection to the person getting an abortion  is entitled to at least $10,000 in damages if they prevail in court.

Essentially, the Supreme Court has now given other states a roadmap for circumscribing Roe v Wade," Steven Schwinn, a constitutional law professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, told The Associated Press.

Roe v Wade is the landmark Supreme Court decision which made access to safe and legal abortions a Constitutional right in the US.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah has called out sections of Indian Muslims who are celebrating the Talibans return to power in Afghanistan, saying its dangerous.

In a video message on Twitter, the 71-year-old actor said: The Talibans return to power in Afghanistan is a cause of concern for the whole world. However, the celebration of the barbarians by some sections of Indian Muslims is no less dangerous, he said.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen actor also stated that those who are celebrating the Taliban should question whether they want a reformed, modern Islam (jiddat pasandi modernity), or live with the old barbarism (vaishipan) of the past few centuries.

The Uttar Pradesh-born actor additionally discussed his relationship with God and revealed that he personally doesnt need a political religion.

May God not bring a time when it changes so much that we cannot even recognise it, he said in Hindi.

He added: I am an Indian Muslim, and as Mirza Ghalib said years ago, my relationship with God is informal. I dont need a political religion.

On 15 August, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and officially declared it an Islamic Emirate after president Ashraf Ghani fled to Tajikistan.

The operation swiftly followed the withdrawal of American troops from the country last month at the order of Joe Biden.
Dir: Destin Daniel Cretton. Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Menger Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Leung. 12A, 132 mins.

For decades, Hollywood has cribbed from East Asian cinema  greedily adopting its aesthetics, with no care for its history or legacy. Its blockbuster factory line has churned out shoddy facsimiles to please audiences who, like director Bong Joon-Ho once warned, refuse to overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles. But while therell never be any substitute for the artistic output of an entire corner of the globe, Marvels latest, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, at least functions as one of the better distillations of its essence. It draws from Chinas wuxia genre  martial arts epics that gained worldwide recognition thanks to the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon  and Jackie Chans expansive oeuvre, but does so with rare sincerity.

Obviously, theres the importance here of who is being represented in front of and behind the screen  Shang-Chi is the first Asian lead in Marvels cinematic universe, played by Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu. At his side are two legendary figures of Hong Kong cinema, Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh. And behind the lens (serving also as co-writer) is Destin Daniel Cretton, who brings with him the thoughtful, detailed character work of Short Term 12 and Just Mercy.

But the success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also has much to do with how Cretton and his team are able to negotiate themselves around the strict, and often suffocating, demands of the Marvel framework. Our hero will still, eventually, have to battle some gargantuan, world-threatening entity, but not only does it take a less visually bland form than were used to, the path to reach it feels refreshingly unconventional. Shang-Chi is, primarily, a story about family, and how grieving parents can all too easily push their trauma onto their children.

The parent, in this case, is Leung, a movie star of such dazzling magnificence that it takes a moment to even process the fact that hes been added to Marvels grand slate. His presence alone seems to transform Shang-Chis drama into something worthy of attention. His eyes still carry the collective soulfulness of every role hes played, from Infernal Affairs to In the Mood for Love, coupled with a languid confidence that plays beautifully in his characters array of tailored suit jackets. Leung plays Wenwu, the man whose identity Ben Kingsleys The Mandarin appropriated in Iron Man 3, and whose hand has been quietly guiding history for thousands of years  all thanks to the power and immortality granted to him by ten magical rings of unknown provenance.

Shang-Chi is the first Asian lead in Marvels cinematic universe, played by Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu (Disney)

Those megalomaniac tendencies were softened at some point in the Nineties, when he met Jiang Li (Fala Chen), fell in love, and had two children: Shang-Chi and Xialing (Meng'er Zhang). That bliss proved to be short-lived. When we first meet Shang-Chi, hes entirely estranged from his family and living in San Francisco, happy to pursue a quiet and aimless existence with his childhood best friend Katy (Awkwafina). Soon, as can be expected, the past comes calling. Theres nothing particularly revolutionary in that story, but Liu makes for an extremely likeable (and thanks to the actors extensive martial arts training, capable) hero who confronts his chosen destiny with the vague befuddlement of a guy who lives in a converted garage. He also makes for a great double act with Awkwafina, who helps ground the films more outlandish, fantastical concepts by refocusing much of the films energy back to its core theme of identity  in a cultural sense, or in the way family defines a person.

Even the films fight sequences bristle with emotion  as acts of flirtation, rage, or even love. Overseen by Andy Cheng and the late Brad Allan, two of Jackie Chans close collaborators and part of his world-famous stunt team, theyre simply mesmerising to watch  and, for once, havent been completely obscured by choppy camerawork and the heavy hand of an editor. And while, yes, the film does inevitably fall prey to CGI overload, its relative faithfulness to the wuxia tradition at least spares us another battle in a concrete car park or exploding aircraft carrier.

Production designer Sue Chans gorgeous, detailed interiors, and the occasional appearance by a creature from Chinese myth (including the equally awe-inspiring and adorable jiuweihu, the nine-tailed fox), adds a much-welcome dose of colour to the mix. These smaller details may not feel like enough to break the Marvel mould in themselves, but they do add up  and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings feels all the better for it.
Pro-Pakistan Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani passed away at the age of 92 in the Indian federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday due to age-related ailments.

Geelani, the face of Jammu and Kashmir's movement against the Indian rule for over three decades, had retired from politics last year. He was placed under house arrest for almost 12 years for leading anti-India protests.

Following his death, fresh restrictions were imposed, mobile phone and internet connections were snapped across the union territory  a measure that is often undertaken by the administration to prevent potential violence. All roads leading towards his Hyderpora residence were sealed off and guarded with heavy deployment of security forces in riot gears.

Geelani was buried at a graveyard near his house before dawn on Thursday in presence of only his close relatives and neighbours. They snatched his body and forcibly buried him. Nobody from the family was present for his burial. We tried to resist but they overpowered us and even scuffled with women, his son Naseem Geelani told the Associated Press.

Tributes poured in from Kashmiri leaders and Pakistan-based politicians who mourned Geelani's death.

Mehbooba Mufti, the former chief minister of the erstwhile state, tweeted that she was "saddened" by his demise. She wrote: "We may not have agreed on most things but I respect him for his steadfastness and standing by his beliefs. May Allah Ta'aala grant him jannat and condolences to his family and well-wisher."

Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan declared Thursday as a day of official mourning for the "freedom fighter." He wrote: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the demise of Mujahid-e-Kashmir Syed Ali Gilani, who has been fighting for his people and their right to self-determination throughout his life. He was captured and tortured by the occupying Indian state but remained steadfast".

In 2020, he was awarded the Nishan-i-Pakistan, the highest civilian award that Pakistan gave to the likes of Nelson Mandela.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both countries since the partition in 1947.

The patriarch of Kashmir's politics served as a legislator for over 15 years, representing Jamaat-i-Islami, an Islamic political party in Kashmir, which was banned by the Indian government in 2019. Geelani was put under house arrest on 5 august 2019 after the prime minister Narendra Modi-led government stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its quasi-autonomous status and bifurcated the state into two federal territories.

Geelani led a faction of the hardline umbrella group of over 20 separatist parties  All Parties Hurriyat Conference  but walked out of it after 27 years of association in 2020 citing "conspiracy against his leadership."
Indian foodtech company Zomato has defended two recent commercials after they were heavily criticised online for appearing to glorify the gruelling working conditions for its drivers.

The first advert, which has been viewed more than 16 million times on YouTube alone, features Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan who opens the door to a soaking wet delivery agent.

In the advert, Roshan asks his Zomato driver for a selfie in return for delivering the actors food despite the pouring rain. At that moment the driver receives another job, to which he rushes away leaving the Bollywood star selfie-less. A second advert starring the actor Katrina Kaif follows a similar premise, and has more than 24 million views.

The tag-line? Every customer is a star, and Zomato drivers are committed to making on-time deliveries  in the face of rain, shine, and even a Bollywood celebrity.

That was the idea behind the adverts, at least, but they they ended up leaving customers with a bitter taste. Many commentators online have called the adverts tone-deaf, especially given Zomato, Swiggy and other Indian food delivery services have been ranked among the worst companies for worker conditions, according to 2020 Fairwork India.

Then in a first-of-its-kind social media protest that began at the end of July, delivery executives took to Twitter to anonymously document the dismal conditions under which they were allegedly being made to work.

Allegations against Zomato included a lack of compensation for record-high petrol prices, absence of first-mile pay, lack of long-distance return bonus, and daily earning caps, even as the number of orders skyrocketed during the ongoing Covid pandemic.

Zomato on 30 August released a Twitter statement in response to the criticism against these ads. The statement clarified that the goal of the ads was not to divert the conversation around gig worker payouts or working conditions but make delivery partners the hero of the ad.

The recently-listed foodtech giant said it believed the ads were well-intentioned but ultimately misrepresented. It added that the companys delivery partner Net Promoter Score  an indicator of whether they would be likely to recommend Zomato to others  has risen from -10 per cent to 28 per cent, and that Zomato would publish a blog explaining why it believes its riders are compensated fairly very soon.

Online, the statement was slammed as a classic non-apology. Twitter user Shoeb Khan wrote: Your ad was insensitive and in poor taste and you need to pull them back asap if you really care about feedback.

Journalist Sohini Chattopadhyay wrote that the Zomato statement was itself confirmation that those ads were stinkers. Sucharita Tyagi called the Kaif advert bafflingly tone deaf, and Ankur Pathak said it was romanticising exploitative labour policies.

Some asked the Deepinder Goyal-led company to re-evaluate top executives salaries, while others accused the company of wasting money on ads with Bollywood celebrities instead of fairly paying its employees.

Goyal has not yet publicly commented on the backlash.
 Close UK will not recognise Taliban, Dominic Raab says

Even the Taliban was surprised by the speed at which they took over Afghanistan last month, foreign secretary Dominic Raab claimed while speaking at a press conference in Pakistan.

I think there was a common widespread surprise at the speed with which the consolidation of power happened, he told reporters in Islamabad, adding I suspect the Taliban and ordinary Afghans were taken by surprise.

Mr Raab has maintained that the the pace of the Talibans takeover of Kabul was unpredictable, despite being warned in July that the extremist group could return to power as a result of foreign troops vacating the country.

Meanwhile, experts have warned that millions of pounds worth of British arms exported to Afghanistan could end up in the hands of the Taliban and terrorist groups in the region.

Katie Fallon, a coordinator for the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), called on the government to urgently investigate which end users now have control over these military goods, which amount to 151m worth of weapons, ammunition and other equipment since 2008.

Labour has similarly pointed to the risk that of British weapons falling into the hands of the Taliban or the Afghan affiliate of Islamic State, Isis-K. There is a clear risk of high-tech equipment falling into the hands of the Taliban, or worse, Isis-K and other terror groups, shadow defence secretary John Healey said.

Sign The Independents petition urging the UK to take in more refugees from Afghanistan here.
The situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating at a pace few would have imagined in the aftermath of President Joe Bidens decision to pull out US forces at speed.

The Taliban is in control of the country 20 years after being overthrown by American and British forces, with its fighters patrolling the streets of Kabul and the countrys president, Ashraf Ghani, fleeing abroad.

For the people of this land battered by decades of violence, most of it brought about by foreign powers near and far, there is now darkness only too visible.

The Taliban offensive, with its devastating consequences, began after Mr Biden withdrew 2,500 American forces from Afghanistan in great haste, forcing British and other Nato forces to leave as well. Afghans point out ruefully that the president is now prepared to deploy almost twice as many troops for the safety of a handful of Americans than he was to keep a country from the grasp of jihadists.

In an example of the monumental failure of US intelligence about what was to befall Afghanistan, President Biden declared just five weeks ago the likelihood theres going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.

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As the outcome unfolds, questions will continue to be asked about the Wests mission in this country. What exactly has been achieved by Americas longest war, the trillions of dollars spent and hundreds of lives of US, British and allied servicemen and women lost?

What about the Afghan people, which the intervention was , meant to be about. Has the chance to shape their lives and that of their society disappeared forever?

The Independent has provided decades of award winning journalistic coverage from the ground in Afghanistan. And now we are holding a webinar Afghanistan: An abandoned nation? to discuss the future Afghanistan faces and what lessons can be learned from the past.

The panel will be hosted by foreign editor David Harding and the panel will consist of foreign correspondent and commentator Patrick Cockburn, Camelia Entekhbifard, editor of Independent Persian, and Lieutenant General Sir Simon Mayall, a commander who was the Middle East advisor in the Ministry of Defence and myself, the Defence and Diplomatic Editor.
British nationals stranded in Kabul have said they fear for their lives after being left behind by the UKs chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Thousands of UK citizens remain trapped in the country following the Talibans takeover despite Boris Johnsons government promising the lions share of people had been rescued.

In interviews with The Independent, two Britons spoke about their despair at being left behind and the fear that is gripping their families as they hide from the Islamist militant group.

One British national, Aman*, is stranded in Kabul with his wife after the couple travelled to Afghanistan last month for their wedding. The said they are running out of money and are scared they will be thrown out on to the streets because they can no longer pay their rent.

The couple have been told by the Foreign Office that they should flee to a land border but, without any cash, they are stuck in Kabul and are unable to leave.

Aman, a restaurant owner from Manchester, told The Independent: Its hard to get food and basics. Every day we are facing a difficult situation. The rent is due so we have to pay $700 tomorrow, but we only have $50 left. We dont know what we are going to do.

Banks are closed, Western Union isnt working and Moneygram is closed. We have friends who are trying to send us money but we cant receive it.

Aman travelled to Afghanistan in early August for his wedding and had booked flights to return to the UK last week with his wife. Following the fall of Kabul, his flights were cancelled and he was left to battle for an evacuation spot.

He tried to get to the British evacuation centre at the Baron Hotel in Kabul multiple times last week but couldnt get close to the gates because of the crowds outside.

We feel like we are in hell, he said. The charities here are very poor and they can only help us for one or two days, not any longer. And all of the Afghan people are in the same situation.

He has also spoken to other British nationals in the same situation, adding: I spoke to one guy last night who has completely run out of money. He hasnt had any money for food for the last three days.

Aman has tried to seek help from the British embassy, and from his local MP in Manchester, but the latest advice from the Foreign Office is to leave Afghanistan by land border and come back to the UK through a third country.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has flown to Doha to discuss the safe passage of British nationals with Qatari officials, who have a close relationship with Taliban leadership.

It is hard to leave Afghanistan because we havent got any money to leave, Aman said. Currently Pakistan is not providing visas to foreign citizens so the problem is that the border is closed.

Diplomats are gone from here and so we dont know what we are going to do. We are in a critical position every day and every moment we think we are going to die. We have no idea what our future will be.

Another stranded Briton told how troops said he would have to leave his family behind if he wanted to escape Afghanistan. Asif* worked as radiologist in the NHS before deciding to move to Kabul in April to help their struggling health service.

Following the fall of the city to the Taliban, he went to the airport for five days in a row in the hope of getting onto one of the UKs evacuation flights but was unable get through the vast crowds of people with his family and young child.

He told The Independent: On one occasion I managed to push through and I got to the gate. I spoke to a British officer and told him that my family was right at the back because they couldnt walk through the crowd as it was life-threatening. He told me he couldnt do anything and that if I wanted to get in I would have to leave my family behind.

He also tried getting to the Baron Hotel evacuation centre but had no luck. While he was there he saw other embassy cars driving their nationals straight into the compound. I saw many cars and other vehicles going through the gate, he said. I spoke to one of the drivers through a friend and he told us that the cars had been hired by different embassies - the French and German embassies - and they are taking their nationals from locations around Kabul straight to the hotel to get flights.

The guards would literally fire into the air and people would move and then the cars would go through. When I heard about this, I asked the British embassy if they could do something like that.

I even offered to organise it myself but they said it couldnt be done and I wasnt allowed.

Asif travelled to Afghanistan with his family earlier in the year to help build a new cancer centre in Kabul and said he had not anticipated Afghanistans rapid fall into Taliban hands.

He is now living in fear of his life and has already had to move locations once because of Taliban searches. Im living in fear every second that something will happen to my family, he said.

Asif, originally from Birmingham, added: There are many other Brits in Kabul. I saw about 20 to 30 families on the day of the Baron Hotel bombing and told them that we had been warned not to be near there because of the terrorist attack.

Due to family connections, Asif is at an increased risk of being targeted by the Taliban. He said: I dont know how to express my feelings at the moment because every minute there is a possibility of militants coming and knocking on my door.

Yesterday they killed an engineer who I knew. They shot him in the face. I found out through mutual friends that he had been killed. We are all living in fear.

The Guardian reported that MPs are trying to rescue an estimated 7,000 constituents and family members trapped in Afghanistan. The cases of at least 5,000 at-risk people have been passed to the Foreign Office but only a fraction have received a reply, MPs said.

Giving evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on Wednesday, Mr Raab said he could not say precisely how many Afghans who were entitled to come to the UK have been left behind.

He also admitted that only twenty Foreign Office staff were processing cases at the evacuation centre in Kabuls Baron Hotel last week.

*Names have been changed to protect interviewees identities
Britain does not intend to recognise the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan any time in the near future, but will start direct engagement with the Islamist group on a range of urgent issues including getting evacuees out of the country.

Speaking in Doha during a visit to the region, the foreign secretary held that there was a need to adjust to the new reality and for a dialogue to begin with the Taliban following their seizure of power.

Dominic Raab stated the UKs position as the Taliban prepared to unveil a new government in Afghanistan and name their top religious leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, as the countrys supreme authority.

The foreign secretary, facing severe censure at home over his handling of the Afghan crisis, sought to show that the UK is playing a forward role as the international community tries to find a strategy to deal with the extraordinary triumph of the militant group and the challenges that has brought.

Mr Raab met the foreign minister of Qatar, the country which has hosted the Talibans political office for eight years, and which is rapidly becoming the diplomatic hub in dealing with what is unfolding in Afghanistan. The US and the UK have transferred their Kabul embassies to Doha and other states are expected to follow.

Mr Raab, who will travel next to Pakistan, said the UK is attempting to build a regional coalition to exert the maximum moderating influence on the Taliban, and praised Qatar as an influential player in the coalition.

Boris Johnsons government has been fiercely attacked for leaving many people entitled to refuge in Britain trapped in Afghanistan, and the foreign secretary acknowledged that getting safe passage for them was a priority.

Taliban fighters wave as they patrol in a convoy along a street in Kabul on Thursday (AFP via Getty)

Asked whether he felt any personal guilt about those in danger from the Islamists being left behind, with many of them forced to go into hiding, Mr Raab said that the UK had airlifted about 15,000 people in the last fortnight.

The foreign secretary was also asked about the fate of contractors, including guards, who used to work at the British embassy in Kabul. He said there was a sense of responsibility towards those who believed they should be able to go to the UK, but offered no detail on what was being done to help those people.

The behaviour of the Taliban on the issue of allowing people to leave will be a key point in establishing their legitimacy, Mr Raab told journalists, adding that it was vital to establish channels to pass on messages to the group.

We will not be recognising the Taliban. But we do see the need to be able to have direct engagement, otherwise we cant provide messages, we cant listen to the response, he said.

We need to adjust to the new reality and our immediate priority is to secure the safe passage of those remaining British nationals, but also the Afghans who worked for the United Kingdom and indeed others who may be at most risk.

Demonstrators, including former interpreters for the British army in Afghanistan, hold placards as they protest opposite the Houses of Parliament in London (AFP via Getty)

There were also other important issues that needed to be addressed, said Mr Raab. His discussions in Qatar have included efforts to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorism, prevent a humanitarian crisis, preserve regional stability, and safeguard womens rights.

The UK, he said, would judge the Taliban on their deeds and not their words, and urged the group to form an inclusive government with minorities and women. He added: We also all want to avoid a humanitarian disaster and that requires a permissive environment.

Meanwhile, the Qatari government is in talks with the Taliban to open Kabul airport. The Qatari foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said there was not yet a clear indication of when this would happen. But he added: We are working very hard. We remain hopeful that we will be able to operate it as soon as possible. Hopefully in the next few days we will hear some good news.
The Taliban are preparing to unveil a new government in Afghanistan and name their top religious leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada as the country's supreme authority.

Taliban official Ahmadullah Muttaqui on social media said the "ministry of information and cultural affairs has made arrangements for the upcoming ceremony in the presidential palace" where the announcement of the new government will be made.

"Consultations are almost finalised on the new government, and the necessary discussions have also been held about the cabinet. The Islamic government that we will announce will be a model for the people. There is no doubt about the presence of the commander of the faithful in the government. He will be the leader of the government and there should be no question on this, Anamullah Samangani, said to be a high-ranking member of the Taliban, told Afghanistans Tolo News.

Important positions in the Islamic government are expected to go to Akhundzadas deputy Sirajuddin Haqqani and the son of the movements founder, Mawlawi Muhammad Yaqoub.

Influential leader Sadar Ibrahim, who has been the acting interior minister since the Talibans takeover, is also likely to land a key position.

The insurgent group has reportedly appointed governors, police chiefs and commanders for each province. They had earlier said the sharia law  a legal system derived from the Quran  would be reinforced in the country.

During the Talibans previous rule in the country between 1996 to 2001 they had imposed a radical version of this law.

The Ashraf Ghani-led Afghan government collapsed on 15 August after the Taliban swept across the country following Washington's withdrawal of US troops. The US ended its ground involvement in the 20-year-long conflict after the last C-17 flight with soldiers took off from Kabul at midnight on Monday.

The instability in the country over the past month has led to the collapse of the economy, one among a host of issues that will be challenges for the incoming government to tackle.

Millions of citizens are staring at a food shortage as the UNs food stockpiles are likely to run out by the end of this month.

At least one-third of the conflict-torn countrys population currently is not sure that they will have a meal every day or not, said Ramiz Alakbarov, the UNs resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan.

At least $200m is needed only for the food sector to be able to provide food to the most vulnerable, he added.

Conflict-torn Afghanistan is in dire need of funds and the Taliban are unlikely to get swift access to around $10bn in assets that are held abroad by the central bank. The Taliban-appointed central bank head has sought to reassure banks that they want a fully functioning financial system.

The countrys real gross domestic product is expected to shrink by 9.7 per cent this year, with a further drop of 5.2 per cent in the next financial year, according to a report by Fitch Solutions.

Meanwhile, Afghan women staged a protest in the western city of Herat on Thursday, demanding womens representation in the new government.

Rights activists, former government employees and students raised slogans, including no government is sustainable without womens support and violation of womens rights is equal to the violation of human rights.

Additional reporting by agencies
The Caldor Fire in California has destroyed at least 700 homes and forced at least 50,000 people to flee the popular tourist town of Lake Tahoe.

FIre crews have been battling to save the town from being wiped off the map by the fire, which has already torched more than 200,000 acres.

Since at least Monday, fire crews have been patrolling the empty streets of Lake Tahoe neighbourhoods to ensure that embers drifting in from the Caldor wildfire do not ignite structures. With most of the city's population gone and unable to respond to fires, the crews are left not only monitoring the blaze, but also monitoring the city.

According to The New York Times, firefighters have cleared an area of forest about eight miles south of the lake's shores. They hope that the break will stop the fire from encroaching further on Lake Tahoe and the town situated around the lake. Thankfully, firefighters say the blazes move toward the resort town has stopped, at least for the time being.

As of Thursday morning, the blaze has been 23 per cent contained.

Fire crews feared that strong winds on Wednesday night might fuel the fire and encourage its advancement toward Lake Tahoe. Thankfully those conditions did not prevail and the resort town was spared.

I think it can breathe a sigh of relief, Dave Lauchner, a spokesman for Cal Fire Team 6, told CNN. But you don't want to assume you're completely out of the woods yet. It's still a long firefight ahead of us. There's a lot of things this fire can still do.

Lake Tahoe has generally escaped the threat from larger fires because it is surrounded by mountains. The solid granite insulation is often enough to keep the flames at bay, but the Caldor fire pushed past the stone on its way toward the lake.

The fire is also pushing east, forcing evacuation orders in Douglas County, Nevada. The creeping blaze prompted one of the iconic Stateline casinos  the MontBleu  to close on Wednesday afternoon. In a statement explaining the decision, the casino said it would reopen as soon as it was safe to do so.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has also shut down the casino floors of the other Stateline casinos due to the fire.

At its current size, the Caldor fire is now the 15th largest in California's state history. More than 4,200 firefighters have been assigned to combat the blaze.

Despite the fire's continued spread, there is good news for some affected residents.

On Wednesday, Cal Fire downgraded evacuation orders to warnings for some residential areas facing less of a threat from the fire.
New Yorkers are going to have to face more severe impacts of the climate crisis, like those of Hurricane Ida, with increasing regularity, warned the states new governor Kathy Hochul.

"Because of climate change, unfortunately, this is something we're going to have to deal with great regularity, Governor Hochul said at a press conference on Thursday.

She also said that any intelligence failures in terms of our preparedness would be investigated by officials, before praising the efforts of emergency responders.

Both Governor Hochul and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared emergencies on Wednesday night after the storm dumped historic levels of rain, leading to deadly flash flooding. In Manhattans Central Park 3.15 inches of rain fell in just one hour.

The death toll in the region has risen to at least 14 people including a two-year-old boy.

New York Police Department reported that at least eight people were killed when their basement apartments flooded. In Elizabeth, New Jersey, five people were found dead after an apartment complex flooded, according to a city spokesperson.

A 70-year-old man died when his vehicle was swept away by floodwaters in Passaic, New Jersey. Firefighters in scuba gear attempted to reach trapped drivers in places where the water level reached up to six feet.

More than 200,000 homes in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were left without power following the extreme weather.

Several factors linked to the climate crisis are helping to fuel more powerful, destructive storms like Ida, scientists say.

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the worlds leading authority on climate science, found that storms with sustained higher wind speeds  in the Category 3-5 range  have likely increased in the past 40 years.

The ocean absorbs more than 90 per cent of the excess heat caused by greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and that warm water feeds hurricanes. As the planet heats up, more moisture is held in the atmosphere, which means that storms also bring the potential of a lot more rainfall.

Global sea-level rise is compounding the danger of storm surge. The sea level off New Yorks coast is up to nine inches higher than it was in 1950.

"We are in uncharted territory," tweeted NYC Council member Mark Levine, We are beyond NOT ready for climate change.

Gov. Hochul, who took over after Andrew Cuomo resigned last month, said that she had spoken to President Joe Biden who offered any assistance that New York needs.

Travel advisories remain in place for the New York area and drivers were advised to stay off city streets and highways while clean-up continues.

Parts of the New York subway system were suspended and other parts were running with major delays following flooding. flights were also delayed and cancelled at LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports.

We ask all New Yorkers to check on neighbours and loved ones, especially those who are elderly or disabled, along with those living in flood-prone locations and basements, the NYPD said in a statement.

Parts of New England remained under a flash flood warning on Thursday. In Portsmouth, Rhode Island, a road crumbled under torrential rain.

"Remember to elevate items stored in your basement. If you have a sump pump, check that it is working," the City of Boston tweeted.

Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday with sustained wind speeds of up to 150 mph. More than a million people lost power when Ida toppled thousands of transmission lines and knocked 216 substations offline.

Utility companies warned that thousands could remain in the dark and without air conditioning or running water for several weeks amid stifling heat and humidity.
A 70-year-old man has died after his vehicle was swept away by floodwaters when Tropical Storm Ida slammed into the Northeast on Wednesday.

Firefighters in scuba gear attempted to reach trapped drivers after the water level reached up to six feet in Passaic, New Jersey amid dangerous flash floods.

His family was rescued, they were all in the same car. Unfortunately, the car was overtaken by the waters, and the firefighters who were being dragged down under the vehicle were unable to get him out, Passaic Mayor Hector Lora told CBS2.

The body of the man, who has not been identified, was found in the water later that night. His 66-year-old wife and son, 25, survived the ordeal.

Mayor Lora said that two people are still missing and rescue efforts are ongoing in the floodwaters in Clifton.

The torrential rainfall began around 6pm, breaking the banks of the Passaic River, around 17 miles northwest of New York City.

Drivers were forced to abandon vehicles which quickly became overwhelmed by the rising water. Bergen and Essex counties in northern New Jersey also saw up to ten inches of rain.

The death toll in the region has risen to at least 14 people including a two-year-old boy.

More than 200,000 homes in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were left without power following the extreme conditions.

Governors of both New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency in the wake of the disaster.

A 40mph tornado swept through Mullica Hill, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, damaging around 100 homes, the National Weather Service reported.

Newark Liberty International Airport temporarily canceled flights and some areas of the airport including the baggage claim have been closed due to flooding.

In New York City, Central Park had 3.15 inches of rain in one hour, breaking the previous record of 1.94 inches on 21 August.

Ida is now expected to bring rains to Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for those areas.

Several factors linked to the climate crisis are helping to fuel more powerful, destructive storms like Ida, scientists say.

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the worlds leading authority on climate science, found that storms with sustained higher wind speeds  in the Category 3-5 range  have likely increased in the past 40 years.

And as the planet heats up more moisture is held in the atmosphere, which means that storms bring the potential of a lot more rainfall.
If youre craving comfort food and a crisp glass of wine in a foreign land right now, who could blame you after the 18 months weve had? But if travelling abroad is too daunting to contemplate at the moment, a new soothing French food show, Michel Rouxs French Country Cooking, might suffice in the meantime.

Decorated two-star Michelin chef Michel Roux Jr takes viewers on a culinary journey of the Provence region, cooking classic, simple dishes that let the ingredients shine, and meeting the food producers behind the local fare.

And it seems we have it all wrong when we think of French food. Theres a misconception in thinking that all French food is really rich and heavy, thats definitely not true, the 61-year-old says. Yes, there is that element to it but its not what people are eating every day. Every day, people are eating very simple food.

Theres a misconception in thinking that all French food is really rich and heavy, thats definitely not true (Michel Rouxs French Country Cooking/ Food Network/PA)

Another myth about French cookery, he says, is that its difficult to cook, which its not. At its heart, French food is based on seasonality and local produce and its just easy. He shares recipes in the show that he calls achievable and inspiring, so if youre new to French cookery theres no need to feel daunted.

What the French do so well, he says, is eat locally. Nine out of 10 [times] it will be local  the French are very fervent about that  they like to eat local food. It could be just the cheese made in their village  they wont eat the cheese made in the village 10 minutes down the road. They want to support their local farmer or producer.

So theres a focus on that in the show, whether it be a bull farmer, to make bull stew, a small biodiverse vineyard, or a producer of the most amazing lavender honey youve ever tasted.

A guinea fowl dish with olives (Michel Rouxs French Country Cooking/ Food Network/PA)

He says: Just connecting with local producers is so enlightening and very important.

It may be more steeped in tradition in France but Roux Jr says attitudes are changing in the UK to reflect these values too, particularly since the pandemic hit. I think theres been a change in the UK with that and its great to see. Were finding more and more small producers, small farmers, more little marketplaces and more independents opening. I think as a consumer we should help these guys out  buy in small independent shops and support them with our cash.

Eating seasonally, he says, is just as important. I get excited about wild mushroom season; September and October, thats the time to get out there and forage and find those beautiful treasures. While filming the show, the tomatoes were in season  sweet and fragrant and incredible  as were courgettes and melons.

Provence, in the south-east of the country, means a lot to Roux Jr; he owns a holiday home here, his wife is from the region and the Roux family of course hail from France, and although he was born in Kent, France feels a lot like home.Early memories of France are of family and eating together around the table as children and adults  the way it should be. Food and sharing food, brings people together, and the food that Im cooking on the show is exactly that  its sharing food, its food I cook on a regular basis for my friends and family, he says.

Provence, in the south-east of the country, means a lot to Roux Jr (Michel Rouxs French Country Cooking/ Food Network/PA)

It hasnt been an easy time for the Roux family though; [The pandemic] has been challenging on the business front, but also challenging on a personal front because I lost my uncle (Michel Roux, 78, in March 2020) and my father (Albert Roux, 85, in January 2021), as well as all the issues with Covid and lockdown, losing two pillars of the Roux family was not easy, he reflects.

But a new member of the family arrived in May, [My] little grandson helps a lot to keep me going whenever I feel down in the dumps. Ill just have a look at the latest video or photo of him and that brings a big smile to my face.

Michel Rouxs French Country Cooking premieres at 9pm on Thursday 9 September on Food Network and discovery+.
The whistleblower who exposed in 2019 that Apple contractors listened to users Siri recordings without their knowledge or consent has gone public to protest the lack of action taken against the technology giant.

In a letter, sent to all European data protection regulators, Thomas le Bonniec said that Apple had conducted a massive violation of the privacy of millions of citizens.

He wrote that although news of the case had already gone public, the technology giant has not been subject to any kind of investigation to the best of my knowledge.

Mr Le Bonniec, who was hired by one of Apples subcontractors in Ireland called Globe Technical Services, had to listen to recordings from users and correct transcription errors. Listening to hundreds of recortings from Apples iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches, many of them were taken outside of any activation of Siri  meaning that users were not aware of the action.

As well as recording their owners, Apples devices also picked up speech involving relatives or children of the owners who divulged names, addresses, messages, searches, arguments, and conversations without their knowledge that it was being recorded.

This covered personal information, including "cancer, referring to dead relatives, religion, sexuality, pornography, politics, school, relationships, or drugs, Mr le Bonniec said.

The letter also stated that workers on another project, Development data, also had access to these recordings. This project entailed tagging words in the recordings to be linked to user data. This includes phone contacts, locations, or music.

In other words, staff assigned to the project had access to personal user information, and used it to be able to link it to Siri commands. This means that users' playlists, contact details, notes, calendars, photos, maps, etc. were gathered in huge data sets, ready to be exploited by Apple for other projects, the letter stated.

In August 2019, as a response to this news, the Cupertino company fired 300 workers with only one weeks notice and said it was reviewing its audio program. Mr Le Bonniec said that nothing has been done to verify if Apple actually stopped the programme, with sources reportedly telling him that Apple has not taken action.

Apple touts its privacy practises compared to competitors such as Google, but has often been criticised for using such principles as a marketing tool, especially on political grounds.

I believe that Apple's statements merely aim to reassure their users and public authorities, and they do not care for their user's consent, unless being forced to obtain it by law Mr le Bonniec wrote.

When asked for comment, Apple directed us to its August Newsroom post from 2019 and its Ask Siri Dictation & Privacy support page.

We have reached out to the company for a statement.
With pupils returning to school across the UK, scientific experts have said there is much uncertainty over how Covid infection rates will be impacted in the coming weeks.

In England and Wales, face masks and social distancing is no longer a requirement in schools and self-isolation rules also differ from nation to nation. Face masks are still required in schools in Scotland until the end of September.

The relaxing of Covid-19 restrictions combined with most children under the age of 18 being unvaccinated could result in a likely increase in positive cases when schools reopen, said Dr Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at the University of Leicester.

As each UK nation has different rules for handling positive cases of coronavirus in schools, parents will need to stay on top of what to do if someone in their childs class tests positive for the virus.

Heres everything you need to know:

England

Students in England are urged to take rapid lateral flow tests twice a week. If someone in your child tests positive, NHS Test and Trace will inform other students or their parents that they have been in close contact with a positive test.

Your child will be advised and encouraged to take a PCR test if they are identified as a close contact. However, they should continue attending school as normal while waiting for the results of the PCR test.

They also will not have to wear a face covering within school, but it is expected and recommended that face masks are worn on public transport.

According to government guidance, other members of your household will not be required to self-isolate if they are fully-vaccinated, are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons, or below the age of 18.

If there is an outbreak of positive Covid cases in the school, you may be advised that some control measures will need to be temporarily reintroduced.

Scotland

Schools in Scotland reopened in mid-August and are believed to have contributed to the rapid rise of Covid infections in the country.

If a positive Covid case is identified in school, the school should be contacted by Test and Protect to identify potential close contacts. Parents will then be sent a warn and inform letter about the case.

According to the BBC, some schools have decided to inform parents if there has been a case in individual classes. If you have been informed of a positive case in your childs school, you will be asked to watch out for Covid-19 symptoms and continue at-home testing for secondary school students.

However, your child will not be asked to self-isolate and will likely not be identified as a close contact.

The definition of a close contact in Scotland has changed, and will no longer include students in the same classroom.

Instead, guidance from the Scottish government says that close contacts are likely to be parents and siblings, those who have stayed overnight and those who have had clear, prolonged contact.

However, if your child is identified by NHS Test and Protect as a close contact, they will have to self-isolate immediately and book a PCR test. If the PCR test returns negative and your child does not have symptoms, they can return to school, but if it is positive, they will have to stay in self-isolation in line with NHS guidance.

Wales

In Wales, the Test, Trace and Protect (TTP) system will get in touch with contacts from a school where a student has tested positive only if they meet the definition of a close contact.

According to guidance, this is likely to be a small number of individuals who would be most at risk of contracting Covid-19 due to the nature of their contact.

If your child has been identified as a close contact of a positive case in their school, they will be offered a PCR test  however, these are not mandatory to take but are recommended.

Children without symptoms who have not been advised to self-isolate can continue attending school, but if they test positive for the virus or show any symptoms, they should stay at home and isolate.

All adults who have been fully vaccinated are no longer required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact.

Northern Ireland

Pupils in Northern Ireland will not have to self-isolate after coming into contact with a coronavirus case if they have recently tested positive for the virus themselves.

New guidance by the Public Health Agency (PHA) issued last week says that pupils can stay in school as long as they do not show any symptoms, but must avoid visiting care homes and hospitals.

The guidance states: Pupils who are close contacts but have already had a positive test result in the previous 90 days and have no new symptoms do not need to arrange a PCR test or self-isolate.

This is because it is possible for PCR tests to remain positive for some time after Covid-19 infection due to residual virus fragments (which are not infectious).

However, students identified as a close contact who have not had a positive PCR test in the previous 90 days will be advised to self-isolate until they have taken a PCR test.

If the test returns negative, they can go back to school and do not have to self-isolate for 10 days. They are advised to take another test on day eight.

If you are fully vaccinated, you will not have to self-isolate even if your child is a close contact of a positive Covid case at school.
The student year for universities across the UK is due to start around mid-September, and students will spend the next couple of weeks preparing to begin or resume their higher education.

After a year and a half of remote learning, self-isolating in student accommodation, and general uncertainty about the future, university students can look forward to a more normal academic year this year as most coronavirus restrictions have lifted.

The UK government has removed requirements for social distancing and face coverings in higher education settings and in-person teaching is allowed without any other restrictions.

However, the risk of catching Covid-19 still persists and experts believe infection rates will rise as schools, colleges and universities reopen this month after the summer holidays.

Heres everything you need to know about what to do if you catch Covid while at university:

How often should I take a Covid test?

Once you arrive at university, students are encouraged to take two lateral flow tests between three to four days apart to reduce the risk of transmission following the movement of students across the country.

After that, universities have been told to continue asking students to test twice-weekly, whether at home or at on-site facilities, and to report their results to NHS Test and Trace whether positive, negative or void.

What happens if I test positive?

If you have tested positive for Covid-19 via a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within the last 90 days, you do not have to take another test if you show no symptoms of the virus. If you are fully vaccinated, below the age of 18, or unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons, you will not have to self-isolate.

However, if you test positive after taking a lateral flow test, you will have to follow national guidelines for people who received a positive Covid test result.

The guidelines state that you should you should stay at home and self-isolate even if you do not have symptoms. You should arrange for a PCR test and stay at home until the test kit or your test site appointment arrives, and while waiting for the result.

You can only leave home for specific reasons, such as to go to a test site. You are strongly urged not to go to work, school or public areas, and not to use public transport or taxis.

If you are notified by NHS Test and Trace of a positive result, you must complete your full 10-day isolation period.

What are the rules for self-isolation?

According to government guidance, your self-isolation period starts on the day your test was taken, if you are asymptomatic, or the day your symptoms began.

If you receive a request via text, email or phone to log into the NHS Test and Trace service website, you should do so to provide information about your symptoms and close contacts. The system can then identify anyone who has been in contact with you while you were infectious.

Other members of your household will also be required to self-isolate if you test positive for Covid-19, unless they are fully vaccinated. If they are fully vaccinated, they will not be required to self-isolate but will be advised to have a PCR test as soon as possible.

You can return to classes and your normal routine after 10 days if your symptoms are gone and you dont develop any other symptoms.

Is there a fine if I dont self-isolate?

Possibly. Failure to comply with self-isolation may result in a fine starting from 1,000, says government guidance.

Do I have to take another test after isolating?

If you have just finished self-isolating after receiving a positive result from a PCR test, you should not take another PCR test for 90 days as it is possible for PCR tests to remain positive for some time after infection.

You can continue carrying out twice-weekly lateral flow tests following your isolation period. If you test positive from a lateral flow test within 90 days of a previous positive PCR test, you and your household should self-isolate again.
Doctors and virologists have warned against the use of certain drugs, including ivermectin, for treating Covid-19, after US comedian, podcaster and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) commentator Joe Rogan revealed that he had self-administered them following his coronavirus diagnosis.

The 54-year-old host of Spotifys most popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, revealed that he had tested positive for Covid last weekend, resulting in the cancellation of an upcoming tour date.

Rogan, who told his estimated 11 million followers in April that young, healthy people did not need to get the vaccine, prompting a wave of condemnation, confirmed in an Instagram video on Wednesday that he had contracted the infection.

I got back from the road Saturday night feeling very weary, he said.

I had a headache, and I just felt just run down. Just to be cautious, I separated from my family, slept in a different part of the house and throughout the night I got fevers and sweats and I knew what was going on.

The influential host who admitted he is not an authority on health went on to say that he had immediately thrown the kitchen sink at the virus. Among the medications he claimed to have used was ivermectin, a drug used to deworm animals and treat parasitic infections such as river blindness, spread by flies.

But what is ivermectin? Heres everything you need to know.

What is ivermectin and is it safe?

A bottle of invermectin (invermectina) (AFP via Getty Images)

Ivermectin is a drug sometimes given to humans in small doses for scabies and other parasites, such as river blindness. It is more commonly used to treat worms in animals.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), side effects can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and even death.

The FDA clearly states that while there are approved uses for ivermectin in people and animals, it is not approved for the prevention or treatment of Covid-19.

Elsewhere, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends not to use ivermectin in patients with Covid-19.

What has stoked the interest in ivermectin?

A 2020 peer-reviewed Australian study found that ivermectin could kill Covid in a lab, prompting some commentators to promote the drug as a solution for the infection in humans, despite the researchers warning against this and globally trusted health organisations strongly advising against its use for such a purpose.

Dr Peter English, retired Consultant in Communicable Disease Control and Immediate past Chair of the BMA Public Health Medicine Committee explains that this study was an in vitro study, and can only tell us what might happen in a laboratory.

He tells The Independent: In vitro findings frequently fail to translate into clinical effects; and studies have failed to find any benefit for this (potentially harmful) drug in real patients.

Despite this, there has been a sharp rise in the use of the drug to treat the virus, prompting an increase in calls to health professionals with reports of overdoses and side effects.

Dr Shawn Varney, a toxicologist and medical director for the South Texas Poison Center, told the New York Times: Everyone wants some cure for Covid because its such a devastating illness. I plead with people to stop using ivermectin and get the vaccine because its the best protection we have at this point. Everything else is risk after risk.

And in response to the drugs popularity, the FDA tweeted the following message to its followers in August: You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, yall. Stop it.
The Duchess of Cornwall has shared her personal recipe for a classic Victoria Sponge cake to celebrate the return of Poetry Together tea parties.

Camilla, 74, posted a photo on the official Clarence House Instagram page of herself holding her Victoria Sponge cake, along with ingredients and instructions for fans to make it themselves.

Her recipe revealed that she sometimes swaps out the usual jam and cream filling with lemon curd or Nutella for an interesting twist on the traditional dessert.

The caption read: In celebration of the return of Poetry Together tea parties this year, the Duchess has shared her recipe for a Victoria Sponge for young and old(er!) alike to enjoy after reciting a poem by heart together.

Launched by Gyles Brandreth in 2019, the Poetry Together initiative aims to unite people of all ages through the power of poetry  and not forgetting plenty of tea and cake!

A version of the recipe posted on the Poetry Together website adds: The Duchess loves poetry. And chocolate, too. You can make a chocolate version of the Poetry Together cake if you like.

Simply omit the vanilla essence and add one tablespoon of cocoa powder to the basic ingredients.

The initiative connects schools with local care homes and sees pupils and residents memorising the same poem. They will then recite the poem in front of an audience and celebrate with a tea party afterwards.

The recitals take place any time from National Poetry Day, which falls on the first Thursday of October.

This year marks the return of in-person poetry recitals and tea parties for the initiative, which was forced to hold them virtually last year due to coronavirus restrictions.

The website said: In the middle of Lockdown #2 in the autumn, poetry champions still found time to organise their recitals, Wasting no time in shifting online, poetry video recordings and virtual tea parties began to zoom in from all over the country.

In the end, almost 300 schools and care homes signed up to give their pupils and residents a chance to celebrate connection, language and creativity in a time of difficulty.

Camilla is a prominent supporter of literacy projects across the UK and is the royal patron of the Royal Society of Literature.

When Poetry Together first launched, the duchess attended one of the tea parties and recited the opening lines from Matilda by Hilaire Belloc with four children from Knightsbridge School.
Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them, Margaret Atwood once famously said.

This is just one of the many quotes included in my free weekly women-focused newsletter which launched at the end of May. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Michelle Obama, Angela Davis, and Audrey Lorde are just some of the other forces of nature who have been quoted.

But while each Independent Women newsletter contains a rousing quote which from a wide array of formidable women from different moments in history, each email also contains a stark statistic about gender inequality.

Take the fact that less than two in ten of landholders in the world are women. Or that a third of women in the world will suffer physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives. Or that one in three girls in the UK has been harassed in their school uniforms.

The newsletter, which lands in your inbox every Thursday morning, come rain or shine, provides a succinct round-up of The Independents most razor-sharp opinion pieces and hardest-hitting news stories; exploring issues that shatter and ignite the lives of women in the UK and around the world.

Alongside personal anecdotes and analysis, I have used the newsletter to delve deeper into news stories, interviews, features and investigations of my own. These have covered everything from domestic abuse homicides to the terrifying situation women and girls in Afghanistan are facing this very moment, the neglected and rarely discussed plight of being conceived by rape, spiralling gambling addiction among women, the fears quarantine hotel costs risk forced marriage victims dying in honour killings, the dark threats and sexual abuse women gamers endure, and much more.

But there have also been positive stories about breastfeeding mothers managing to challenge 'ludicrous' jury service rules and hopes around free period products being provided across England and Wales going forward.

And I am now very chuffed to announce that the newsletter which is penned by me - Maya Oppenheim - the only Womens Correspondent to exist in a UK news outlet - will now be taken over by a series of high-profile guest-editors. While there is not yet a complete list of the women who will be taking the reigns of the newsletter every eight weeks, as I am still waiting on some big names to confirm, I have included an incomplete list below. It goes without saying their guest-editorship will give them a chance to talk about an issue or a personal experience close to their heart.

As ever, feedback is always appreciated and you can contact me via maya.oppenheim@independent.co.uk if you have anything you want to say. Or if better still, you have any burning desires or bright ideas for issues to be explored in future stories or newsletters.

Finally, thank you so much to those who have subscribed, and for those who are interested in doing so, you can sign up and check out The Independents full range of other newsletters by clicking here. Hasta la vista! I hope!

Deborah Frances-White - London-based comedian who hosts popular podcast The Guilty Feminist

Shannon Watts - US gun violence prevention activist and founder of Moms Demand Action, which is Americas biggest grassroots group fighting against gun violence

Jess Phillips - Labour MP and Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence Safeguarding

Recommended The dark threats and sexual abuse women gamers endure

Ebtisam Al-Saegh - Leading Bahraini womens rights defender who is often described as the voice of political prisoners in Bahrain

Marsha DeCordova - Labours Shadow Women and Equalities Minister

Shon Faye - Writer and presenter who wrote The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice

Lina Al-Hathloul - Saudi activist who campaigned for the release of her imprisoned sister who is famous Saudi womens rights campaigner Loujain Al-Hathloul

Zarah Sultana - Labour MP who at the age of just 27 is one of the youngest in parliament

Rachel Clarke - NHS palliative care doctor and best-selling author
UK food and drink exports to the European Union have plummeted by 2bn in the past year as Brexit frustrates key supply chains.

Exports to Germany, Spain and Italy were all down by more than a third in the past year, according to new analysis from the Food and Drink Federation.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the increased barriers to trade due to the UK leaving the European Union are driving the fall.

Imports from the EU also shrank by 11.2 per cent (or nearly 1.7bn) in a year, according to the analysis, which compared the first six months of this year with the same six months in 2020.

This meant less pork, cheese, and chicken was imported from EU countries last year and the products all saw a reduction of just under 20 per cent.

Industry experts predict that there will continue to be a fall in the amount of French beef, German cheese, and other products on supermarket shelves in 2022, after the UKs full border controls are put in place.

The shrinking market with the European Union was supplemented by a growing reliance on China, Singapore, Australia and Japan.

Dominic Goudie, head of international trade at the Food and Drink Federation, said: The return to growth in exports to non-EU markets is welcome news, but it doesnt make up for the disastrous loss of 2bn in sales to the EU.

It clearly demonstrates the serious difficulties manufactures in our industry continue to face and the urgent need for additional specialist support.

Mr Goudie pointed to competing crises in the sector, saying: At the same time, we are seeing labour shortages across the UKs farm-to-fork food and drink supply chain, resulting in empty spaces on UK shop shelves, disruptions to deliveries and decreased production.

He warned: Unless steps are taken to address these issues, the ability of businesses to fulfil vital export orders will be impacted.

UK exports to neighbouring Ireland, our biggest export market, were also down by more than 500m compared to pre-Covid figures. Food and drink sales to France actually saw an increase of 14.4 per cent compared to 2020, but were down 11.9 per cent compared to pre-Covid levels.

This has caused a loss of 132m of exports.

John Whitehead, of the Food and Drink Exporters Association, said: So many factors continue to impact on the drop in value of UK food and drink exports, with supply chain challenges and the inability to connect face-to-face with customers adding to the difficulties.

It is therefore pleasing to see growth in sales to non-EU countries. However, this in no way replaces the loss of 2.2bn sales to the EU since 2019.

Mr Whitehead blamed the complexity of trading with the EU for pushing businesses to move their operations into Europe and for importers looking for alternative suppliers.

Sales of UK food and drink to non-EU countries were up by 13 per cent compared to the same six months last year. This surge was driven by a return to growth in China, Singapore, Australia, Japan and the Gulf Region.

Sales to China increased by nearly 100m and the fastest-growing markets were in Colombia, up by 142.6 per cent, and Mexico, up by 111.2 per cent.

A UK government spokesperson said: Given the impact of the global pandemic, which has affected trade and depressed demand, it is still too early to draw any firm conclusions on the long-term impacts of our new trading relationship with the EU.

Overall exports to the EU have increased throughout the year, with the latest monthly trade stats for June showing another rise.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Wednesday renewed her efforts to force the states attorney general from office after he hit and killed a pedestrian last year, delivering to the House speaker an external hard drive containing the crash investigation file.

The House had indicated earlier this year that it might resume talks of impeachment after the trial against Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg concluded. That happened last week when the Republican attorney general pleaded no contest to a pair of traffic misdemeanors for a crash last year that killed Joseph Boever, who walking on a rural highway on Sept. 12.

Ravnsborg avoided jail time but was sentenced to fines totaling over $4,500 for making an illegal lane change and using a cellphone while driving. Investigators said his car had swerved onto the shoulder of the rural highway where Boever was walking and found that Ravnsborg had been on his phone about a minute before the crash.

The Republican governor has applied maximum pressure on Ravnsborg to step down, but so far he has resisted those calls and insisted he can carry forward in his office.

The remarkable detail in this investigation file will assist the House in its important work of considering whether to proceed with impeachment articles for the Attorney General," Noem said in a statement.

House Speaker Spencer Gosch said he would be evaluating the investigation, but he had not determined the process in the House and what information would be publicly released.

Noem's secretary of public safety, Craig Price, said in a publicly-released letter to House Speaker Spencer Gosch that he believed the attorney general should have been charged with 2nd Degree Manslaughter.

In my opinion as a 24-year law enforcement officer, and in the opinion of the highly trained highway patrol officers involved in this investigation, Mr. Ravnsborg should have been charged with 2nd Degree Manslaughter, Price stated. The prosecution team was well aware of that position."

Hyde County Deputy States Attorney Emily Sovell, who brought the misdemeanor charges, said in February the evidence simply didnt support felony charges of vehicular homicide or manslaughter, which could have meant years of prison time.

The governor's office released a list of 65 items it was including in the investigation file, including cellphone data, interviews and crime scene mapping.

Politics never entered into this investigation, Price said in his letter.

However, Ravnsborg has charged that the investigation was exploited by partisan opportunists." He did not name the governor, but his attorney, Tim Rensch, did. He said last week Ravnsborg was not treated fairly by the governor, who oversaw the crash investigation.
Thai lawmakers on Tuesday began a no-confidence debate targeting Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and five of his Cabinet members, with the opposition focusing on charges the government bungled its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The debate is scheduled to last four days, with voting by the lower house set for Saturday. Organizers of ongoing anti-government street protests have vowed to step up their own separate efforts during the debate to force Prayuth out of office.

His coalition government is generally expected to turn back this weeks challenge, even though it has come under intense criticism for failing to secure timely and adequate supplies of COVID-19 vaccines.

Sompong Amornvivat, leader of the main opposition Pheu Thai party, kicked off the debate with a fierce attack, charging that Prayuth is a power-crazed arrogant person unsuitable to lead the country.

If we let him continue his leadership, it will lead to more people being infected and losing their lives, said Sompong. There wont be enough crematoriums in service and there will be no way to stop the spread of the disease.

He drew an objection from a government member of parliament when he said the situation recalled a saying that A stupid leader will lead us all to death, because a stupid person with power is the worst danger.

This is the third no-confidence debate faced by Prayuth since he came to power after a 2019 general election. He also served as prime minister in a military government in 2014-2019 after seizing power in a coup as army commander.

A third wave of the coronavirus arrived in April and spread rapidly, accounting for 97% of the more than 1.17 million confirmed cases since the pandemic began, and more than 99% of the 11,495 total deaths.

Prayuths administration was largely successful at keeping the coronavirus at bay last year, although lockdowns and travel restrictions devastated the economy, particularly the key tourism industry, which virtually collapsed after most foreign visitors were barred entry. The governments handling of the economy also promises to be a hot subject of debate.

I think everyone can feel the same hopelessness and doubt about how our economy will recover, Pichai Naripthaphan, deputy leader of the opposition Pheu Thai party, told The Associated Press ahead of the debate. He noted that Thailands economy is forecast to grow the slowest this year of all Southeast Asian nations. We hope that this no-confidence motion will lead to some changes  either a Cabinet reshuffle or the coalition parties withdrawal  later.

Digital Economy Minister Chaiwut told reporters ahead of the debate that he is ready to field the oppositions questions.

He said the government is focusing on solving the COVID-19 problems as soon as possible so that people can live their lives normally, and if there is a political change, that effort might falter.

It is not the time to focus on politics, he said. If the overall situation improves next year, then we can discuss political changes.

Chaiyun Chaiyaporn, a political scientist at Bangkoks Chulalongkorn University, said he does not believe the debate can break up the ruling coalition and bring down the government. He suggested that the targeted ministers will be able to successfully defend their handling of the pandemic.

The debate by the opposition parties may reduce Prayuths legitimacy among the public, but not among the coalition parties. I think their relationship remains strong, he said.

In addition to Prayuth, the opposition plans to grill government ministers belonging to three main coalition parties. They are Deputy Premier and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob from the Bhumjai Thai Party, Labor Minister Suchat Chomklin and Digital Economy Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn from the ruling Palang Pracharath, and Agriculture Minister Chalermchai Sri-on from the Democrat Party.

Prayuth and Anutin will likely bear the brunt of the oppositions attack, since they are the ones most closely associated with COVID-19 policy.
Taiwan received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines Thursday after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China

Taiwan had been unable to buy the vaccine itself directly from BioNTech, the German company that had partnered with U.S.-based Pfizer to develop the mRNA vaccine.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen earlier accused China of blocking Taiwan from getting the Pfizer vaccine through BioNTech, saying that they had all but signed the contracts when the deal was delayed indefinitely. China has denied any interference.

Eventually, two private companies, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. and Hon Hai Precision Electronics, as well as a Buddhist organization Tzu Chi, stepped in to buy the vaccines and donate them to Taiwan.

The three organizations bought a total of 15 million doses. The flight carrying the first 930,000 doses arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on Thursday morning.

Even their arrival has been dogged by politics. Local media at first reported Taiwan was getting doses ahead of schedule because they weren't needed in mainland China, where the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has not yet been cleared for use.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said last week that he had been told by TSMC that the vaccines would have simplified Chinese labels from China. Taiwan uses traditional, rather than simplified, Chinese characters. However, he emphasized that what mattered was the safety and the quality of the vaccine, not the labeling.

Chinese company Fosun Pharma has distribution rights for the vaccine in Greater China, a phrase Beijing says includes Taiwan. Fosun said on its social media Wednesday that it had supplied the batch of vaccines that was due to arrive.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be given to 12-17-year-olds, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control had said.

Taiwan has been using AstraZeneca, Moderna and the domestically made Medigen vaccine in its campaign so far and has vaccinated 43% of its population with at least one dose. The island's policy is to give out first doses widely.
Police have drained a lake in North Yorkshire as they intensify their search for Claudia Lawrence, the chef who disappeared 12 years ago.

Six specialist officers were seen carrying out a fingertip examination of a lakes bed in the middle of a Yorkshire woodland.

Ms Lawrence, 35, was last seen on the afternoon of 18 March 2009 as she walked towards her home in Heworth, near York.

That night she called both of her parents, who said she seemed in good spirits, but was never heard from again. The following morning she did not arrive or her 6am shift at the University of York, where she worked as a chef, and her phone was deliberately turned off at about 12.10pm.

Investigators at North Yorkshire Police have this week been searching the Sand Hutton gravel pits near York, and a lake that is around seven miles from where Ms Lawrence was last seen. Officers have drained the smaller of two lakes in the area, a popular angling site.

The search teams are also using ground-penetrating radar equipment and cadaver dogs trained to find human remains.

Claudia Lawrence went missing in York 12 years ago (Family handout/North Yorkshire Police/PA)

Ms Lawrences mother, Joan, 78, told The Mirror she had been suffering awful nightmares as the search intensifies. She begged anyone who could connect the lakes to her daughters appearance to come forward.

She said: As a mum, hearing about a lake being drained and a fingertip search being carried out is just a nightmare.

No parent should ever have to endure this. Im left wondering every day what is going on and what might be found.

Would it be her rucksack, her phone or anything at all? 

She added: The police must know something to go to all this work. They know something and I dont - the not knowing is awful. I cant get on with life while Claudia is missing.

It affects every minute of my day. Ive started having really awful nightmares again. This is the reality of living with a missing child and a live investigation.

I am begging anyone with any information to come forward and end this eternal pain I have to endure constantly.

Earlier this week Joan Lawrence said that soon after her daughter vanished, a scruffy-looking man with a spade was spotted in the woods half a mile from the current search site.

She said villagers had come to her claiming that they had seen strange activity involving a man with a spade acting very suspiciously.

Ms Lawrences mother has also urged the police to investigate convicted double murderer Christopher Halliwell in relation to her daughters disappearance.

The chef disappeared two years to the day before Halliwell killed Sian OCallaghan, 22, after abducting her in Swindon, Wiltshire.

He was convicted for OCallaghans murder and also for the murder of Becky Godden-Edwards, 20, but he has a secret trophy store of 60 items of womens clothing suggesting he had many more victims.

However North Yorkshire Police privately downplayed Halliwells links to Claudia Lawrences disappearance.

A source close to the original investigation told The Sun that police have always thought the person responsible for the chefs disappearance was known to her.

It was someone she knew in the local area, they said. Some of the people interviewed by police were hiding something, they werent being completely truthful, that was clear.

That view didnt change for several years, but obviously the breakthrough detectives wanted never came.

Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox, speaking about the current investigation, said: The searches which have commenced here today at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits are in relation to the disappearance and suspected murder of Claudia Lawrence more than 12 years ago.

I cannot say at this stage how long the search will take to complete however I anticipate that specialist officers and staff including underwater search teams and forensic experts are likely to be here for a number of days.

Last week, police were seen scouring the former gravel pit and the surrounding woodland.

Officers raked trees and the undergrowth in search of clues. They also strimmed a strip of land and dug a 3ft hole.
An alleged neo-Nazi terror plotter has told a court he wanted to execute an Asian boy because he was angry over Christmas coronavirus restrictions.

Matthew Cronjager, 18, is accused of preparing acts of terrorism and running a social media channel that encouraged attacks.

He allegedly tried to pay someone to make a 3D gun and drew up plans for a weapons storage bunker to be used by the far-right group he was part of.

The Old Bailey heard that Mr Cronjager also said he wanted to execute a school friend after being told he had slept with white girls.

Ive found someone I want to execute, he wrote in December. Hes a sand n*****r that f**ked a white girl. In fact I think three of them.

The messages, which were sent to an undercover police officer posing as a fellow neo-Nazi, showed Mr Cronjager discussing using a conventional shotgun, or manufacturing 3D-printed firearms for himself and the rest of the lads.

Giving evidence to the Old Bailey on Thursday, Mr Cronjager said he made the statements because he was angry.

Asked if that was because his friend was Asian and had slept with white girls, he replied: That wasnt the main source of my anger but that was the straw that broke the camels back, the [other source] was the change in government legislation that I wasnt going to see people over Christmas.

The defendant said he had wanted to spend Christmas with his girlfriend and was upset that he couldnt because of a last-minute change by ministers.

The teenager told the jury that in the moment he wanted to kill the boy but would not have gone through with it.

He said: In anger I thought I did [want to kill him], I wouldnt say I actually did, I was venting my anger through that frame of Im going to kill him.

Prosecutor Alistair Richardson previously told the Old Bailey that Mr Cronjager held fascist beliefs and hated Jews, Muslims, non-white people and the LGBT+ community.

He wanted to bring about his own revolution, based on his own racist ideology, Mr Richardson told jurors.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. 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To that end, he sought to produce a firearm, using a 3D printer, he made plans for storage of firearms, in preparation for his violent acts, and he provided instructions and funds to others, in order to secure the manufacture of a firearm.

The court heard that the storage bunker was to be used by a neo-Nazi group that Mr Cronjager was part of on the encrypted Telegram messaging app.

He told the court that he was the UK leader of the group, and that the international leader had asked him to find storage for a shipment of real firearms from Europe.

Mr Cronjager admitted drawing a plan for the bunker, including space for weapons, ammunition, clothes, food and water, but said no work had been started on it.

Asked if he wanted to use the items to attack black people, Asian people, Jewish people and the government, he replied: They would have been used in that way if they had been used yes.

The teenager said members of the neo-Nazi group discussed using the shipment of guns for terror attacks but that he did not want that to happen.

When asked about messages where he talked of wanting to conduct at least one offensive action within two years, Mr Cronjager said he was just blowing hot air. None of this seemed real to me, he added.

The teenager admitted being a neo-Nazi at the time but said he was trying to move away from his hateful beliefs and leave the group.

He told the court he had felt sad, isolated, unwelcome and unhappy when he started researching extreme right-wing material online, and wanted to feel powerful and respected within the groups he joined.

When he was arrested at his family home in Essex, he claimed he was part of antifa and had infiltrated the neo-Nazi group he led to destroy it.

Mr Cronjager admitted that was a lie on Thursday, telling the court: It was a panicked statement and I would retract it if I could.

The defendant, of Ingatestone in Essex, denies preparing acts of terrorism and disseminating terrorist publications that encouraged attacks through a library on the encrypted Telegram app.

He previously pleaded guilty to four separate offences of possessing information useful to a terrorist. The trial continues.
The attorney general has been asked to consider whether a neo-Nazi student was given an unduly lenient sentence for a terror offence.

Ben John was handed a suspended prison sentence for possessing a terrorist document, meaning he will not be jailed unless he breaks the conditions imposed by the court.

Judge Timothy Spencer QC ordered the 21-year-old to exchange extreme right-wing material for literary classics at a sentencing hearing on Tuesday.

Have you read Dickens? Austen? Start with Pride and Prejudice and Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Think about Hardy. Think about Trollope, the judge was reported to have said.

On 4 January you will tell me what you have read and I will test you on it. I will test you and if I think you are [lying to] me you will suffer.

Reports of the sentencing sparked fierce debate, and comparisons with sentences given to other young people for the same offence.

The counter-extremist organisation Hope Not Hate sent a letter to the attorney general on Wednesday calling for a review under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme.

Chief executive Nick Lowles wrote: A suspended sentence and a suggested reading list of English classics for a terror conviction is unduly lenient for a crime of this nature.

This sentence is sending a message that violent right-wing extremists may be treated leniently by the courts. That is a dangerous message to send when the far right poses the fastest-growing terror threat today.

Mr Lowles argued that lenient sentences could lead young people not to fear repercussions from accessing terrorist and extremist content online.

A spokesperson for the Attorney Generals Office said: We have received a request for the sentence of Ben John to be considered under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme. The law officers have 28 days from sentencing to consider the case and make a decision.

If the request is granted, the sentence will be assessed by Court of Appeal judges and may be changed.

Judge Spencer labelled John a sad fantasist, saying he did not have any terrorist motivations himself and was not likely to cause harm.

Leicester Crown Court heard John had amassed a wealth of white supremacist, antisemitic and satanic material, as well as explosives manuals.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty UK news in pictures 28 July 2021 Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status PA UK news in pictures 27 July 2021 A view of one of two areas now being used at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, for boats used by people thought to be migrants. 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Following a trial in August, a jury convicted him of one count of possessing information useful to a terrorist over a document containing instructions on how to construct various explosive devices.

John was acquitted of six other counts of the same offence, after saying he did not know what the documents contained.

At the time of his arrest in January 2020, John was studying for a criminology and psychology degree at the University of Leicester.

Judge Spencer rejected his claims that the research was a mere academic fascination, and found that he had aligned with extreme ideologies.

John was given a two-year prison sentence, which was suspended for two years, and must fulfil the terms of a five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order and tagged curfew.

He was released from custody at the sentencing hearing, having been held on remand since 11 August because he had broken his bail conditions.

Detective Inspector James Manning, of Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands, said: John possessed a wealth of National Socialist and antisemitic material which indicated a fascination and belief in a white supremacist ideology, along with support for an extreme satanic group [the Order of Nine Angles] which is increasingly of concern for law enforcement agencies.

The terrorist material he was found in possession of is extremely dangerous, and he acquired this to further his ideology. It indicates the threat that he and other followers of this hateful ideology pose to national security.
The Independent has launched a petition urging the UK government to be more ambitious in its plans to take in Afghan refugees following the Taliban seizing power and withdrawal of western troops.

Our Refugees Welcome campaign backs calls by charities for Downing Street to re-settle those who fear for their lives under the Taliban regime.

We are asking you to sign our petition urging Boris Johnson to offer sanctuary to as many Afghans as possible and for local authorities and charities devoted to their welfare to be given proper support.

So far, the government has pledged to help those who worked for the UK, including interpreters and their families. It has also pledged to take in another 5,000 people over the next year, including women and children, with a limit of 20,000 over the long term.

However refugee charities have warned the commitment falls far below what is needed to meet the scale of the immediate crisis.

We are calling on the government to go further and faster in providing safe haven to people who fear for their future after international forces pulled out of the country after 20 years.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable and first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign in the wake of the Syrian crisis in 2015.

Afghans are now facing a similar plight. You, our readers, have already shown your strength of feeling in letters and on social media. Heres a chance to have your voice heard by adding your signature below.

We thank you for your support.

To receive weekly updates on this petition sign up to our weekday Inside Politics newsletter by clicking here.
A new criminal offence of pet abduction is to be introduced following a surge in thefts during the pandemic, as the government looks to crackdown on offenders.

The new offence will recognise animals as companions and as sentient beings, rather than solely as property, as the law currently does.

Justice secretary Robert Buckland said the changes would better reflect full impact of pet theft. I think the message is going out loud and clear that this is a serious matter, the cabinet minister told BBC Breakfast.

Mr Buckland added: I felt theft wasnt an adequate way to described the impact of this particular crime on owners and indeed the pets themselves. Its important that we work really hard on the way these offences are detected and investigated.

It follows the recommendation from the governments Pet Theft Taskforce, launched in May in response to skyrocketing rates of pet abduction during the pandemic.

The group was tasked with making recommendations to make it more difficult for thieves to steal and sell pets, whilst making it easier for the police to catch them.

The taskforce determined that dognapping comprised the majority of pet abductions during the pandemic, accounting for seven out of 10 thefts. Reports of stolen dogs rose by about 20 per cent from 2019 levels, with some 2,000 complaints in 2020.

The group believes the rise in pet abductions was driven by a surge in demand for canine companions beginning in the first national coronavirus lockdown last April.

This surge in demand caused prices for the most sought-after breeds to rise steeply, some by nearly 90 per cent, creating a lucrative black-market industry for organised criminals.

Currently, pet theft falls under the Theft Act 1968 which considers a stolen pet to be a loss of property to its owners, with a maximum jail sentence of seven years. But there is limited evidence that such harsh punishments are ever handed down, as sentence severity is partially determined by the monetary value of items stolen.

As a new, separate criminal offence, stolen pets would be recognised as sentient beings. The offence will also recognise the emotional distress caused to both the animal and the owner, and will prioritise the welfare of the stolen pet. A maximum jail term for the offence has yet to be confirmed.

Other taskforce recommendations include requiring more details when registering microchips, particularly when transferring a dog to a new owner; enabling easier access to microchip databases to make it easier to register pets, and track those that have been lost or stolen; and raising awareness around prevention measures and ongoing police initiatives.

Home secretary Priti Patel said that the new law would give police an additional tool to bring thieves to justice whilst raising awareness about the crime.

Stealing a pet is an awful crime which can cause families great emotional distress whilst callous criminals line their pockets, Ms Patel said.

The new offence of pet abduction acknowledges that animals are far more than just property and will give police an additional tool to bring these sickening individuals to justice.

Chris Sherwood, RSPCA chief executive welcomed the plans that recognised the seriousness of pet theft. He said: Pet theft can leave families in utter turmoil and have serious welfare implications for animals ripped away from everything they know.

The new Pet Abduction Offence will acknowledge the seriousness of this crime and we hope will encourage courts to hand down much tougher sentences to pet thieves, he added.

Taskforce partner Deputy Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman said that police forces would now be better able to respond to pet theft, through the specific crime that recognises pets as valued members of the family with a significant emotional impact.

She also urged anyone purchasing a dog to use the Blue Cross or RSPCA website ensure they were buying from a responsible and genuine seller. She added that police continue to advise all dog owners to remain vigilant and avoid leaving their pet unattended in public.

The new pet abduction offence is expected to be brought in through primary legislation in due course, potentially being added to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is currently making its way through parliament.

Diane James, from the Blue Cross national pet charity which has campaigned on the subject, said: We hope changes to sentencing laws are brought in swiftly but would still advise owners to continue to be vigilant and follow advice to prevent becoming a victim of this abhorrent crime.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has flown to Qatar to hold talks about the governments top priority of safely evacuating British nationals and Afghan interpreters from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Mr Raabs trip follows a grilling from MPs, where he was asked about a Foreign Office document from July  weeks before his holiday in Crete  suggesting the Taliban could advance rapidly across Afghanistan.

A statement from the Foreign Office said the ministers immediate priority was to help any remaining UK nationals and Afghans who supported the British mission to get to the UK.

The foreign secretary will meet the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the deputy prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during his visit to Doha.

Mr Raab will be briefed on talks between UK officials and the Taliban, and is expected to discuss the prospect of persuading the new regime to reopen Kabul airport.

The Foreign Office said Mr Raab will discuss four key priorities for Afghanistan while in Doha, which include preventing Afghanistan becoming a haven for terrorists, responding to the humanitarian plight, safeguarding regional stability, and holding the Taliban to account on human rights.

The British embassy to Afghanistan is now up and running in Doha, the Foreign Office said. Sir Nick Kay, former UK ambassador to Afghanistan, said he is sure there will be discussion quite soon about the options for restoring a British diplomatic presence within Kabul.

As Mr Raab visits Doha, Foreign Office minister Lord Ahmad will travel to Tajikistan to discuss safe passage of those fleeing from Afghanistan. Boris Johnson is meanwhile expected to visit troops in the south east of England who helped with the evacuation.

On Wednesday, Mr Raab told the Foreign Affairs Committee he could not give a definitive answer of how many people in Afghanistan who would be eligible for settlement in the UK under existing schemes have been left behind.

Mr Raab faced sustained questioning from MPs on how the UK failed to predict the speed at which the Afghan government would fall to the Taliban, which seized Kabul on August 15.

He told them the intelligence assessment was that given the troop withdrawal by the end of August, youd see a steady deterioration from that point and it was unlikely Kabul would fall this year.

But a Foreign Office document called a principal risk register, from 22 July, appeared to warn Afghanistan could fall to the Taliban much sooner than the UK had previously predicted.

The document reportedly stated: Peace talks are stalled and US Nato withdrawal is resulting in rapid Taliban advances. This could lead to: fall of cities, collapse of security forces, Taliban return to power, mass displacement and significant humanitarian need. The embassy may need to close if security deteriorates.

However, a Foreign Office spokesman said it was wrong and misleading to suggest the document was at odds with our detailed assessments of the situation in Afghanistan or our public position throughout the crisis.

They added: "The July document makes clear that our central planning assumption at the time was that the peace process in Afghanistan would run for up to a further six months."

Mr Raab was also pressed by MPs about his holiday to Crete in mid-August as the Taliban surrounded Kabul, but he refused to offer further details, labelling the questions a fishing expedition.

Labour MP Lisa Nandy MP, shadow foreign secretary, said the committee hearing had been a staggeringly poor showing from a foreign secretary who is completely out of his depth.

She added: Despite his own departments clear warnings weeks before Kabul fell, the foreign secretary was asleep at the wheel.

The Conservative chair of the Commons Defence Committee Tobias Ellwood told The Independent that Mr Raabs appearance had bolstered his demand for a public inquiry into the UKs handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, defence secretary Ben Wallace appeared to strike back at Mr Raabs assertion that intelligence was to blame for the UK being caught out by the speed of the Taliban takeover.

In an interview with the Spectator magazine, Mr Wallace said: Ive already seen some lines about the failure of intelligence. History shows us that its not about failure of intelligence, its about the limits of intelligence.
Boris Johnson has poured cold water on the chances of early Covidvaccinations for Englands teenagers, insisting that his priority going into the winter is to start a programme of booster jabs for the elderly this month.

Cabinet ministers Sajid Javid and Gavin Williamson have been piling pressure on the governments vaccination advisers to give the green light to jabs for 12-15 year-olds, with the education secretary declaring the NHS and schools were ready and eager to start the programme.

But senior government sources rejected suggestions of frustration at the slow pace of decision-making by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), despite concern over a spike in Covid-19 driven by this weeks return to school by children in England.

Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson warned of a significant surge in case as pupils went back into classrooms without the bubbles and mandatory face-masks which were in place during the spring term.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats demanded the immediate installation of air purifiers in every classroom, after warnings that children may have to be taught outside this winter to get the ventilation needed to stem the spread of the disease.

Lib Dem education spokesperson Daisy Cooper told The Independent that the government had so far funded ventilators in only 20 schools in a pilot scheme in Bradford, when a purifier for every classroom would cost only 140m.

This Government is happy to dish out 1.6 billion in dodgy PPE contracts for their cronies, but its refusing to stump up the cash for ventilators to keep our children safe and our schools open, said Ms Cooper.

Children will not learn if theyre hungry or cold, but after the free school meals scandal and slashing catch-up funding, Gavin Williamson is - unbelievably - proposing that young children sit outside in the freezing cold to learn maths. Parents are rightly anxious about their children losing valuable time in the classroom, and they will simply not understand why, once again, the government is so slow to act. 

Official guidance released ahead of the start of term said schools should consider outdoor classes if five pupils or staff - or 10 per cent of the total - test positive in a 10-day period.

The NASUWT teaching union warned against official complacency in the face of a possible rise in cases in schools.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty UK news in pictures 28 July 2021 Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status PA UK news in pictures 27 July 2021 A view of one of two areas now being used at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, for boats used by people thought to be migrants. PA UK news in pictures 26 July 2021 A woman is helped by Border Force officers as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel, following a small boat incident in the Channel PA UK news in pictures 25 July 2021 Vehicles drive through deep water on a flooded road in Nine Elms, London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 24 July 2021 Utilities workers inspect a 15x20ft sinkhole on Green Lane, Liverpool, which is suspected to have been caused by ruptured water main PA UK news in pictures 23 July 2021 Children interact with Mega Please Draw Freely by artist Ei Arakawa inside the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London, part of UNIQLO Tate Play the gallery's new free programme of art-inspired activities for families PA UK news in pictures 22 July 2021 Festivalgoers in the campsite at the Latitude festival in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk PA UK news in pictures 21 July 2021 A man walks past an artwork by Will Blood on the end of a property in Bedminster, Bristol, as the 75 murals project reaches the halfway point and various graffiti pieces are sprayed onto walls and buildings across the city over the Summer PA UK news in pictures 20 July 2021 People during morning prayer during Eid ul-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, in Southall Park, Uxbridge, London PA UK news in pictures 19 July 2021 Commuters, some not wearing facemasks, at Westminster Underground station, at 08:38 in London after the final legal Coronavirus restrictions were lifted in England PA UK news in pictures 18 July 2021 A view of spectators by the 2nd green during day four of The Open at The Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 July 2021 Cyclists ride over the Hammersmith Bridge in London. The bridge was closed last year after cracks in it worsened during a heatwave Getty UK news in pictures 16 July 2021 The sun rises behind the Sefton Park Palm House, in Sefton Park, Liverpool PA

General secretary Patrick Roach said: .We only need to look across the border to Scotland to see that there has been a steep increase in Covid cases among school-age pupils within just a couple of weeks.

In the event of rising case numbers, ministers will need to consider the reintroduction of the requirement for pupils to self-isolate when they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. This should be supported by an extended programme of on-site testing in schools, rather than relying on a less effective system of home testing.

Mr Williamson said he would move heaven and earth to avoid shutting schools again, and did not rule out using outdoor lessons to ensure this.

He said that both the health service and schools are ready to deliver a programme of jabs for teenagers at pace as soon as the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations gives its approval for under-16s to receive the inoculation.

A source close to the JCVI has indicated that the advisory panel was resisting intense pressure to give the go-ahead to teenage jabs because of concern about disrupting possible booster programmes for older people.

Concern that immunity from early jabs last winter may now be waning was fuelled by a report from the London Medical Laboratory warning that antibody levels among over-70s is tumbling.

Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the Zoe study and professor of genetic epidemiology at Kings College London, said that around 30 per cent of new Covid cases now involve fully-vaccinated people, adding: Weve seen evidence that the protection provided by vaccines is wearing off.

JCVI deputy chair Prof Anthony Harnden said it was highly likely that a booster programme for older people would be decided over the next few weeks.

And Mr Johnson indicated that booster jabs will come first, responding to a question on when younger teenagers would start receiving the vaccine by saying: The priorities now are the older generation going into autumn and winter. Weve always said that there will be a booster programme in September - this month - and were going ahead with that.

Mr Williamson insisted there was no either/or decision between vaccinating teens and providing booster jabs, as capacity was available to do both. He said he was waiting with bated breath for the JCVI to give approval for 12-15 year-olds.

School leaders had experience in organising vaccinations and had systems of consent in place to get approval from parents, he said, adding: Were ready  if were get the get-go from the JCVI, were ready.

Covid cases among under-18s in Scotland have skyrocketed since schools returned three weeks ago, reaching double their level at the height of the last peak.

And Prof Ferguson said there were concerns over the end of the summer holidays having a similar impact in England, especially with the more transmissible and now-dominant Delta variant.

If an unvaccinated population of 5 or 10 per cent all got Covid in a short period of time there would be a large number of deaths and the health service would be at risk of being significantly overwhelmed, said the epidemiologist, whose forecasts informed the government decision to impose the first lockdown in 2020.

With widespread vaccination it was possible to keep hospitalisations and deaths to a level which the government regards as acceptable even with high case numbers, he said. But he added: That only holds for so long.

Some 38,154 new cases and 178 deaths were recorded across the UK on Thursday, as the recent rise in cases linked to the 19 July reopening of society continued to show signs of levelling off.

Responding to Lib Dem calls for air purifiers, a Department for Education spokesperson said: Ventilation is just one measure we are advising schools to take, alongside on-site testing and increased hygiene, to strike the balance between keeping staff, students and families safe and minimising disruption to education.

Schools have clear guidance on how to maintain good ventilation and keep classes warm enough, and the 300,000 carbon dioxide monitors we are providing - backed by 25 million - will begin rolling out from next week, giving schools another tool in their arsenal to keep the virus out of classrooms.

There will be no lessons taking place outside in the rain, but clear and proportionate contingency measures are in place if schools do see an increase in cases.
Boris Johnsons government is currently in dispute with several companies over 1.2bn worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) deemed substandard or undelivered, it has emerged.

The government hopes to recover costs and is considering legal action over 40 separate contracts covering 1.7 billion items of PPE, a health minister has admitted.

Lord Bethell said the health department was still is discussions over masks, gowns, google and gloves which have not been delivered or failed quality tests.

Labours deputy leader Angela Rayner claimed ministers had abused taxpayers money. She told The Independent: It is well past time that the government clawed back the taxpayers money that they have wasted on unsafe PPE and handed out to their cronies.

Ms Rayner added: Ministers must immediately publish details of every pound and penny that they have wasted and regularly update the public on how much taxpayers money they have recouped.

The Good Law Project campaign group said the contracts in question amounted to 10 per cent of the 12bn spent on PPE at the peak of the pandemic  condemning the scale of waste overseen by ministers.

In April, the Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove told MPs that that less than 0.5 per cent of the PPE procured did not meet the standards that we had set out.

Jo Maugham, director of Good Law Project, said Mr Goves remarks cant be squared with todays revelation that 10 per cent of the value of the PPE we bought was the subject of potential litigation.

He said: I suspect that even this 10 per cent figure is a grave underestimate of the scale of waste induced by governments insistence on contracting with associates of ministers.

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) told The Independent that 7.6 per cent of the governments overall PPE stock could not be supplied to frontline healthcare settings. We are currently pursuing many options to repurpose and recycle items that are in this category, said a spokesperson.

It follows accusations of cronyism over the Conservative governments procurement process during the pandemic, with Labour claiming contracts had been rife with conflicts of interest.

Last years damning report by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that firms pushed through a VIP lane were 10 times more likely to have been given contracts to supply PPE.

The NAO also found that just over 12bn was spent on 32 billion bits of PPE between February and July 2020, criticising insufficient checks which meant many of the items could not be used.

In July it emerged that a former Tory councillor was given a 120m government contract for protective shields which were left unused because of concerns about their quality.

Lord Bethells admission about the scale of disputes with suppliers came in a written response to Lib Dem peer Lord Lee, who asked how much had been reclaimed from firms providing equipment found to be not fit for purpose.

The health minister replied: The department is working through all its personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts to identify instances where products have not been delivered or failed quality tests and will seek to recover the costs for undelivered or substandard PPE.

Lord Bethell added: As of 27 July 2021, the department was engaged in commercial discussions  potentially leading to litigation  in respect to 40 PPE contracts with a combined value of 1.2 billion covering 1.7 billion items of PPE.

Baroness Sal Brinton, the Lib Dems health spokesperson in the Lords, said: it was shocking that the government was having to consider legal action over such a large amount of taxpayers money.

She added: This latest admission reveals the scale of the issue  Ministers need to come clean about how we ended up in this situation and what safeguards they are going to put in place to prevent this from happening again.

A DHSC spokesperson said: There are robust processes in place to ensure government spending always provides value for money for the taxpayer.

The government spokesperson added: We have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to source life-saving PPE to protect health and care staff, and have delivered over 13 billion items to the frontline. As the National Audit Office recognised, all NHS providers they spoke to were able to get the equipment they needed in time.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has called for the creation of an international coalition, including regional states as well as Western powers, to exert maximum moderating influence on the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

Speaking during a visit to Gulf emirate Qatar, Mr Raab said that the UK will be pragmatic and realistic in its approach to the Taliban and sees scope for engagement and dialogue with the militant group, but would not be recognising the new regime in Kabul.

Qatar is understood to have used its links with the Taliban leadership to exert pressure for the group to co-operate with the evacuation of international forces from Kabuls airport following the fall of the Afghan capital.

Amid reports that the airport is already reopening for domestic travel, Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said he was hopeful of good news within the next few days on the restoration of international flights, which could hold the key to the removal of thousands of Afghans left behind in last weeks evacuation.

Mr Raab said he felt a responsibility to those still waiting to leave for the UK either via the airport or by crossing the borders into neighbouring countries.

We need to adjust to the new reality and our immediate priority is to secure the safe passage of those remaining British nationals, but also the Afghans who worked for the United Kingdom, and indeed others who may be at most risk, said the foreign secretary.

We're working closely on that and looking at the practicalities of how that can work. The UK sent a rapid deployment team to this region, because we want to make sure working with third countries that we can process, both the nationals but also the Afghan workers.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty UK news in pictures 28 July 2021 Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status PA UK news in pictures 27 July 2021 A view of one of two areas now being used at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, for boats used by people thought to be migrants. 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The bridge was closed last year after cracks in it worsened during a heatwave Getty UK news in pictures 16 July 2021 The sun rises behind the Sefton Park Palm House, in Sefton Park, Liverpool PA

On his first trip to the region since the fall of Kabul on 15 August, Mr Raab made clear he is hoping to forge a common front with Afghanistans neighbours on dealing with the Taliban and holding them to account over commitments to inclusive government, human rights and respect for women and girls.

I think it'll be important to build an international coalition, and our Qatari friends are clearly an influential lynchpin player in that, he said. We are working with our G7 presidency, our Nato membership, we secured with the French, the Germans and the other members of the Security Council a resolution which provided a good framework that all countries should be able to agree on as a way to move forward.

Now we need to get wider buy-in from the regional countries involved.

I think above all we need to put a grouping together that can exert maximum moderating influence on what the Taliban does next. We'll certainly keep working with all of those partners... to make sure that we can preserve the gains that have been made in Afghanistan over the last 20 years and continue to support the Afghan people.
The SNP has indicated that Nicola Sturgeons government would be ready to negotiate any proposal to move Trident overseas in the event of Scottish independence, amid reports the nuclear subs could be docked in US or France.

The UKs nuclear deterrent could be moved abroad in the event Scotland opts for a breakaway, according to a report detailing secret government contingency plans.

Referring to the report in the Financial Times about the possibility of the stockpile being moved overseas, SNP MP Stewart McDonald, the partys defence spokesperson, said: An independent Scotland will not be home to nuclear weapons.

Negotiating their removal will be one of the most important tasks a newly independent Scotland will face, and capitals across Europe will be looking to Edinburgh for assurance that we will be a reliable and trustworthy partner.

The SNP frontbencher added: Safety and security will be the top principle that informs the process of the departure  which will happen at pace.

The Royal Navys base at Faslane on the west coast of Scotland is home to the UKs nuclear submarines, but senior officials told the FT they could be moved to naval bases in the US or France if Scotland votes Yes in a second referendum on independence.

The newspaper also reports that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) could keep them within an independent Scotland by creating a new British Overseas Territory some have described as a nuclear Gibraltar.

Mr McDonald made clear an independent Scotland would not accept any proposal to keep Trident north of the border. With a clear cross-party majority of Scotlands elected politicians opposed to Trident, there is no possible parliamentary arithmetic that would allow these weapons to be kept at Faslane.

The preferred option would be to move the nuclear deterrent to the Royal Navy base at Devonport in Plymouth, according to the report.

However, a spokesman for the MoD denied there are any plans to move the submarines. The UK is strongly committed to maintaining its credible and independent nuclear deterrent at HM Naval Base Clyde, which exists to deter the most extreme threats to the UK and our NATO allies, said a spokesman.

There are no plans to move the nuclear deterrent from HM Naval Base Clyde (Faslane), which contributes to Scotlands and the wider UKs security and economy, and its supporting facilities are safe for local communities.

A Scottish government spokeswoman said: The Scottish government firmly oppose the possession, threat and use of nuclear weapons and we are committed to the safe and complete withdrawal of Trident from Scotland.
The fall of Afghanistan is only the beginning of a new stage of chaos that could see the US and China drawn into conflict, a leading parliamentarian has warned.

The chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tom Tugendhat, said it was absolutely predictable that Taliban victory would lead to regional instability and the export of terrorism to countries including the UK.

But he also warned that Beijing could see the display of American weakness as a moment when China should flex its muscles militarily, leading to the danger of confrontation in a flashpoint like Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Mr Tugendhat, a former soldier who served in Afghanistan, told a seminar hosted by the Policy Exchange think tank that the US president, Joe Biden, would be wrong to believe that the withdrawal of the final American troops from the country meant the war was over.

This isnt over, said the MP. This is only the beginning of a new stage of chaos.

Inside Afghanistan, the Taliban was already turning on itself, with signs of disunity between different parts of the movement raising the prospect of chaos streaming over the border into neighbouring states, said Mr Tugendhat.

And he warned: Whenever you have an Islamist extremist movement owning a piece of territory  whether its a nation state or whether its only a partial piece of one  we know what follows.

Its absolutely predictable we end up with a violent extremist terrorist group harboured there exporting violence, and some of that violence comes to us. I see absolutely no reason to expect that what were going to see out of Afghanistan is going to be different.

The Taliban victory would inspire terrorist violence in areas like Xinjiang, Chechnya and North Africa, he said.

But he said he was very concerned over Chinas interpretation of the retreat as a sign of failure and weakness on the part of the US.

There is a possibility that China reads this weakness and decides that this is now, therefore, the moment at which it can flex its muscles, he said. And the US, feeling that otherwise it will look weak, will feel that it has to respond.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty UK news in pictures 28 July 2021 Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status PA UK news in pictures 27 July 2021 A view of one of two areas now being used at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, for boats used by people thought to be migrants. 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There is also of course the possibility that the US, feeling that it has to demonstrate that this isnt a moment of weakness, will seek to invest greater efforts into alliances, which China will read as aggression.

So this is one of those moments where its not the balance of power that triggers conflict, it is the imbalance of power. Its the moment when parties have a different perception of each others strengths and weakness that conflict is likely to arise, and at a moment like this, there is the strong possibility that thats exactly what were going to see.

Mr Tugendhat said that defeat in Afghanistan was a choice that we have made and which was contributed to by three successive US presidents  Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

The reality is defeat was not inevitable. Defeat is a choice in a conflict like this and it is a choice that we have made, he said.

The reality is this is a decision made by not only this president but two former presidents, to effectively announce the departure, sign the instruments of surrender and then withdraw in three different terms. That is an extraordinary thing for three successive US administrations to do.

This is a staggering moment  but lets not pretend this is only an American failure, because the reality is that this was a Nato operation.

The former national security adviser Mark Sedwill told the seminar that the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan was an act of strategic self-harm that would fuel terrorism worldwide.

This is in my view a bad policy, badly implemented. It is an act of strategic self-harm, said Lord Sedwill.

It was not inevitable that either this decision had to be taken or indeed it had to be implemented in the way it was.

The former cabinet secretary, who served as an ambassador to Afghanistan, said: The Talibans victory in Afghanistan will undoubtedly fuel extremism and terrorism worldwide, whether or not it is directed from there.

So the security threats have undoubtedly gone up and of course the wider geopolitical consequences are obvious.

If you are one of our authoritarian adversaries you will be right now going around the rest of the world to those countries that are in play and saying to them, You see, we told you so. We have the strategic patience and they dont.

The former Nato secretary general George Robertson, who led the alliance when the Taliban was initially toppled in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, said that it was time to reassemble the coalition of western and regional powers that united successfully in 2001 to root terrorism out of the country.

Lord Robertson told the seminar that he felt shame, dismay and a lot of sadness to see advances in Afghanistan undone by what he termed a hasty, crassly handled surrender to the people that we fought and defeated 20 years ago.

He said: Nato and the west, whatever we like to think, have been weakened. That remarkable solidarity of 20 years ago has been damaged. And the mighty United States of America has been humiliated.

The coalition of self-interested neighbours, which we assembled in 2001 with a United Nations mandate was quite incredibly over the years allowed to wither. I think its necessary that it is reassembled, because nobody  even those countries who are cheering today  will be safe with Isis-K, al-Qaeda and the general ragbag of jihadi extremists who have now assembled in Afghanistan.

The tentacles of radical jihad will not stay in just one country.

Lord Robertson warned that European members of Nato must take the lesson from the US retreat that they can no longer rely on Washington for their defence.

Nato, and indeed the European Union, have got to look very, very seriously at the security world post-Afghanistan, he said.

It is a fact  and this applied during the Trump administration as well as this one  that we cannot any longer rely on the American umbrella being there in all situations, at all times.

Therefore a much more serious approach has now got to be taken to the idea of alliance solidarity, and the European role within it, if were going to keep our people safe.
Family members of victims of the 9/11 attacks asked a US government watchdog on Thursday to investigate their suspicions that the FBI lied about or destroyed evidence linking Saudi Arabia to the hijackers.

The request in a letter to Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz said circumstances make it likely that one or more FBI officials committed wilful misconduct with intent to destroy or secrete evidence to avoid its disclosure.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on the letter.

The latest in a series of requests over the 20 years since Islamist militants crashed civilian airliners in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, seeks evidence including phone records and a videotape of a party in California attended by two of the hijackers more than a year before the attacks.

Given the importance of the missing evidence at issue to the 9/11 investigation, as well as the repeated mishandling by the FBI of that evidence, an innocent explanation is not believable, said the letter, signed by about 3,500 people  families of victims, first responders and survivors.

It asked Horowitz to investigate FBI statements made in response to a subpoena from the families that the agency lost or is simply no longer able to find key evidence about the individuals who provided substantial support inside the US to the 9/11 hijackers.

Saudi Arabia has said it had no role in the hijacked plane attacks. The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Our government is either lying about the evidence it has or it is actively destroying it, and I dont know whats worse, Brett Eagleson, son of 9/11 victim Bruce Eagleson, said in an interview.

Family members of victims have long sought US government documents, including secret law enforcement and intelligence reports, related to whether Saudi Arabia aided or financed any of the 19 people associated with al Qaeda, the group given safe haven by the Taliban in Afghanistan at the time.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. A US government commission found no evidence that Saudi Arabia directly funded al Qaeda. It left open whether individual Saudi officials might have.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed, including more than 2,600 at the World Trade Center, 125 at the Pentagon, and 265 on the four planes.

The families of roughly 2,500 of those killed, and more than 20,000 people who suffered injuries, businesses and various insurers, have sued Saudi Arabia seeking billions of dollars.

Last month, many families asked President Joe Biden to skip 20-year memorial events unless he declassified documents they contend will show Saudi Arabian leaders supported the attacks.

Three days later, the Justice Department said in a court filing that it had decided to review earlier claims of privilege it had made about why it could not release some information requested by families.

My administration is committed to ensuring the maximum degree of transparency under the law, Biden said on 9 August in a statement welcoming the departments commitment to a fresh review.
Conservative political commentator Candice Owens, known for her objections to the Covid jab, has claimed that she was denied the coronavirus test due to her political beliefs.

Holy crap!! I just received an e-mail from a Covid testing facility that they are refusing to administer a test to me because they dont like my politics, tweeted Ms Owens on Wednesday. Im banned from making sure I dont accidentally spread Covid?

Much to the anger of many health workers, Ms Owens has previously called herself proudly unvaccinated and unmasked.

The political commentator then tweeted the email she received from a rabid activist, who she wrote, clearly isnt stable enough to work in health and is a danger to the Aspen community.

Ms Owens published the email she allegedly got from the clinic: We cannot support anyone who has pro-actively worked to make this pandemic worse by spreading misinformation, politicising and discouraging the wearing of masks and actively dissuading people from receiving life-saving vaccinations.

Posted to the commentators social media accounts the alleged email continues: My team and myself have worked overtime, to exhaustion, unpaid and underpaid this past year, spending our own capital to ensure that our community remains protected. It would be unfair to them and to the sacrifices we have all made to serve you.

As the Delta variant sweeps through the US, states are struggling to cope with the number of patients being admitted to hospitals and the pressure on health workers. Some states, including Florida, have had shortages of ICU beds in recent weeks. In August, the nations Covid cases reached their highest point since January, with more than 100,000 people hospitalised with Covid-19.

Coronavirus vaccines are not 100 per cent effective at preventing infection, but vaccines protect people from getting infected and severely ill, and significantly reduce the likelihood of hospitalisation and death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The best way to slow the spread of Covid-19 and to prevent infection by Delta or other variants is to get vaccinated, states the national public health agency.

If you dont get vaccinated, you are taking resources from people who have diseases or injuries or illnesses, Dr. Vincent Shaw, in Louisiana, told AP. Covid doesnt call people who have had strokes, who have had heart attacks, who have had other horrific or traumatic things happen and say, yall take the week off. I am going to take over the ER and the ICU.

More than 53 per cent of the US population has been vaccinated to date.

The Independent has contacted Candace Owens and the lab accused of refusing treatment for further comment.
China needs to expand its efforts to reduce carbon emissions to help hold back the rise in global temperatures, U.S. envoy John Kerry said Thursday.

The State Department said Kerry told Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng in a virtual meeting that there is no way for the world to solve the climate crisis without Chinas full engagement and commitment.

China is the worlds largest carbon emitter, producing an estimated 27% of global greenhouse gases, followed by the United States.

Kerry is in the eastern Chinese port city of Tianjin for talks on stronger efforts to curb rising temperatures to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.

Global decarbonizing efforts will come under the spotlight at a U.N. conference to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in late November known as COP26.

Secretary Kerry emphasized the importance of the world taking serious climate actions in this critical decade and strengthening global climate ambition," the State Department said in a statement.

China's official Xinhua News Agency quoted Han as telling Kerry that China had made huge efforts" in tackling climate change and had achieved remarkable results."

China hopes the American side will create the appropriate circumstances for jointly tackling climate change based on the spirit of the conversations between their leaders," Xinhua quoted Han as saying.

Kerry made a stop in Japan on Tuesday to discuss climate issues with Japanese officials before heading to China.

On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned Kerry that deteriorating U.S.-China relations could undermine cooperation between the two on climate change.

Such cooperation cannot be separated from the broader relationship, Wang told Kerry by video link.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained by disputes over trade, technology and human rights. However, the two sides have identified the climate crisis as an area for possible cooperation following U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to rejoin the the 2015 Paris climate accord.

China obtains roughly 60% of its power from coal and is opening more coal-fired power plants, while also committing to reducing its use of the fossil fuel.

Beijing has pointed to historical U.S. emissions as a reason to resist action while making advances in solar power and other renewable energy sources. The country has set a target of generating 20% of its total energy needs from renewables by 2025, becoming carbon-neutral by 2060 and reducing total emissions starting from 2030.

Biden has announced a goal of cutting up to 52% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030  double the target set by then President Barack Obama in the Paris agreement. The 2030 goal vaults the U.S. into the top tier of countries on climate ambition.
A 53-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for beating his 12-year-old grandson to death with a mallet, sledgehammer, two belts, a coat rack, and a cane, after accusing him of stealing money from his wallet, a local report said.

The man, Andrez D Martina, was charged with five felonies, including first degree intentional homicide, and faces a prison sentence for life.

On Saturday, Mr Martina woke up in the middle of the night and thought some money was missing from his wallet. At the time, he was hosting his two grandsons - aged 12 and 8 - after coming back to Milwaukee from Indiana in a bid to strengthen his bond with the two kids.

Suspecting the two kids of having something to do with the missing money, he started assaulting them.

His aim shifted to the elder one  Andre R Smith  who was then beaten to death in his grandfathers house on 46th street on Milwaukees north side.

Next day, Mr Martina sent a text message to the childs grandmother Illysha McCroy accusing the 12-year-old of stealing. On being asked where the boy was, he said the child was hurt, the report said.

Ms McCroy then rushed to the house with her daughter and her partner who then rushed Andre to Childrens Wisconsin hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival.

The attack on the child was witnessed by his disabled great-grandmother who could not intervene.

According to her, the child made two desperate attempts to escape the beating  with the first one being running out of the home, and the second time locking himself in the bathroom. Mr Martina overpowered the child in both the attempts by dragging him back in the house and then picking the lock of the bathroom, she said.

The younger sibling suffered a broken finger and bruising.

Talking to the police, Mr Martina admitted to killing his grandchild, stating that he had warned the kids in the past. If you lie, if you mess up in school, if you steal, Im going to kill you, the complaint with the police read.

Mr Martina said he lost control while beating the 12-year-old and will have to deal with this for the rest of his life, the report said.

This is not the first time he has been charged with homicide. Online police records show that the man was previously convicted in a first-degree reckless homicide in Milwaukee County in 1990.

Homicides targeting younger people are on the rise in Milwaukee where the city has seen at least nine such incidents in the last week of August, with seven victims falling in the 12-19 years age group.

According to Ms McCroy, Andres grandmother, the child had seen trauma and crisis therapists for the last year, after experiencing a rough childhood.

The child had started showing progress.

Calling him a bright kid with an infectious smile, she said: I was gradually getting him back to trying to be a kid. He was that light in a dark place, even though he had a rough childhood. He was just bright. I dont see how people can harm kids ... but especially not Andre. That smile he had was so infectious.
What is life worth? asks Washington lawyer Kenneth J. Feinberg (Michael Keaton) in the opening scenes of the based-on-a-true-story drama Worth, while writing the question on a blackboard for a room full of law school students.

To Feinberg, it's not a trick question or a moral one. It's a calculation. There are legal parameters and predictions of future earning power that dictate the answer.

The answer is a number, he says. "And thats the job

In Sara Colangelo's Worth," which premieres Friday on Netflix Feinberg's formulas are dramatically tested in extraordinary tragedy. After Sept. 11, Feinberg is among those brought to Washington to advise on compensation for the families of the victims. The idea floated is that Congress for the first time, should create a fund for the families affected. It's done partly out of genuine compassion for a horrific loss  government-sponsored charity as one calls it  and partly to avoid an avalanche of civil suits that could cripple the airline industry. It's national mourning plus business interests.

And it's that collision that Colangelo intelligently mines in Worth, a somber procedural about the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund that details the complicated messes that result when government bureaucracy meets human lives that aren't so neatly computed.

The movie is based on Feinberg's own thoughtful account of his experience, his 2005 book What Is Life Worth? Seeing a way to serve his country, Feinberg, a mediator who had resolved the Agent Orange class-action suit, took the job pro bono, knowing full well that weighing the value of janitors alongside CEOs would be a thankless task. In Worth, he takes a grateful call from President George W. Bush, who says he wouldn't wish the job on his worst enemy.

Feinberg has two years to figure out who deserves what  a steep assignment considering his staff begins without a simple list of the victims. I doubt that many, in the aftershocks of Sept. 11, were closely following the fund, or that still more would think its administration would make a riveting movie. When Sept. 11 has turned up in film, audiences haven't often followed. Not-entirely-accurate thrillers ("Zero Dark Thirty") have found more attention than denser tales that weed through the complicated aftermath ("The Report ).

But arriving almost exactly on the 20-year anniversary of Sept. 11, Worth is a well-acted, humanistic film that takes a humble path to a historical trauma. Capturing how individual lives are shaped, warped and maybe manage to claw out something good in a dehumanizing bureaucracy might not seem the stuff of movies. (Though one of the great films, Akira Kurosawa's To Live, does just that.) Yet Worth builds its case steadily, gently grappling with life and death, value and money in America. It doesn't go as deeply as it could into the moral implications of the entire enterprise. But Colangelo ("The Kindergarten Teacher") and screenwriter Max Borenstein (who has penned most of the recent Godzilla films) are attuned to the many soulful dimensions of the story.

Feinberg's principal opponent is Charlie Wolf (Stanley Tucci), a widower who vehemently disagrees with Feinberg's calculations. But everything that comes at Feinberg is an argument, in some form, that families don't fit formulas. His aim to bring an objective, clinical calculus to inherently personal and emotional losses is gradually ground down by the many family members that push their way through his door, including a Staten Island firefighter's widow (Laura Benanti, terrific). Sooner than their boss does, members of Feinberg's legal team  Amy Ryan and the especially good Shunori Ramanathan  come to the conclusion that nothing about death and grief can be impersonal.

But as good as the supporting cast is, Keaton holds the movie together. Like many of his best roles, it's a subtly smart performance resistant to the film's inclinations to sentimentality. A story about the victims of Sept. 11 maybe ought not to focus on a lawyer dispensing the cash. But Keaton  a truly great actor in his responsiveness to those around him  makes a compelling, initially tone-deaf listener to the stories that filter through Worth.

Worth, a Netflix release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for some strong language and thematic elements. Running time: 118 minutes. Three stars out of four.

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
At least nine people are feared dead after relentless rain from tropical storm Ida continued to fall into the early hours of Thursday and drenched the New York area, leaving major roads and subway stations submerged under water.

The governors of New York and New Jersey were forced to declare a state of emergency, with New York City (NYC) mayor Bill de Blasio doing the same and labelling Ida an historic weather event.

At least 3in (8.91cm) of rain fell in just one hour in New Yorks Central Park, according to the US National Weather Service, surpassing the 1.94in that fell in one hour during tropical storm Henri on 21 August.

Police in New York City reported seven deaths, including a 50-year-old man, a 48-year-old woman and a 2-year-old boy who were found unconscious and unresponsive late on Wednesday inside a home.

They were pronounced dead at the scene, officers said. A further two deaths occurred in New Jersey, NBC New York reports.

Follow live updates on storm Ida as flooding continues

Almost all subway lines in NYC and New Jersey Transit rail services were suspended late on Wednesday, while non-emergency vehicles were banned from the streets until 5am on Thursday. A travel advisory was put in place after the ban expired, however officials continued to advise non-emergency cars remained off streets and highways.

Flash-flood emergencies have also been issued by the National Weather Service, stretching from just west of Philadelphia to northern New Jersey.

New Yorks FDR Drive, a major road on the east side of Manhattan, and the Bronx River Parkway were completely flooded by Wednesday evening.

Firefighters rescued a man from a car stuck in deep floodwaters on the parkway. Footage captured by New York TV station WABC-TV showed firemen carrying the man from his vehicle to dry ground after his SUV became one of many vehicles stuck in the water there.

At least one person was killed in flash flooding that inundated the New Jersey city of Passaic, mayor Hector Lora told CNN, who reported that the vehicle the man was travelling in was swept away by the water, causing firefighters to be swept under the vehicle.

A father navigates heavy rains and flooded walkways at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, in New York, while carrying his child (EPA)

Mr Lora said the body of a man in his seventies was eventually retrieved from floodwaters.

The incident contributed to governor Phil Murphys decision to declare a state of emergency in all of New Jerseys 21 counties, urging people to stay off the flooded roads.

Meteorologists warned that rivers likely will not crest for a few more days, sparking concerns about the possibility of further widespread flooding.

Videos posted to social media show cars on streets almost entirely covered by water, while one striking clip, posted by the New TR News Agency, shows NYCs Jefferson Street station being flooded by burst pipes.

Storm damage from Ida astounded officials three days after it pounded southern Louisiana, as reconnaissance flights revealed entire communities devastated by wind and floods.

Tornadoes spawned by the storm ripped through parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, images on social media showed.

A worker unblocks drains on a street affected by floodwater in Brooklyn, New York early on Thursday (AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the roof collapsed at the Postal Service building in Kearny, New Jersey, last night with people inside, police sergeant Chris Levchak said. Rescue crews were on scene into the early hours of Thursday but there has so far been no update on the number of people injured.

Elsewhere, at least nine homes were destroyed in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, Philadelphias NBC10 television station reported.

A man walks down a flooded street in the aftermath of storm Ida, on Wednesday, in Lafitte, Louisiana (AP)

It comes after a grim two weeks in the US, which has seen 20 killed in flooding in a small Tennessee town, wildfires threatening Lake Tahoe, tropical storm Henri in the northeast and Idas landfall in Louisiana, leaving dozens of residents without power.

Experts believe tropical storm Henri, which hit the northeast of America a little more than a week ago, and caused major flooding, left parts of the region such as New York and New Jersey more vulnerable to Ida.

Additional reporting by agencies
The public defenders representing the alleged Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz have called for the judge to prohibit prosecutors from referring to the murder of 17 students at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School as a "massacre" or other "inflammatory" terms on the grounds it violates his right to a fair trial.

Mr Cruz is accused of killing his classmates in the 14 February, 2018, mass shooting.

His attorneys also asked for the judge to ban prosecutors and witnesses from calling Mr Cruz "the killer," "an animal," or "the thing," saying he should only be referred to by his name or as "the defendant."

"Can those terms be used outside the courtroom? Yes. Everyone has a First Amendment right to refer to Mr Cruz in any manner they see fit," Melissa McNeill, one of Mr Cruz's attorneys, said. "However, the rules inside a courtroom are different."

She justified her request by noting that the US and Florida supreme courts have ruled that death penalty cases have stricter standards than normal trials and that reaching a verdict must be based solely on the law and not on outside influence or bias.

Prosecutors pushed back on Ms McNeill's request, noting that Mr Cruz used the language himself while he filmed a cellphone video before the shooting. In the video, Mr Cruz calls himself the "next school shooter" and says "this is the day of my massacre."

Nicole Chiappone, one of the prosecutors, argued that if Ms McNeill disagreed with the use of a term during the trial, she should object to it and allow the judge to make a decision.

She said that referring to the mass shooting as an "incident" or "tragedy" minimises the deaths of the 17 students.

The families of the students who were killed in the shooting were incensed by the defence's request.

"The thing that murdered 17 innocent children and staff in the Parkland school massacre is upset that he is being called the killer," Max Schachter, whose son Alex was killed in the shooting, tweeted. "He should be treated the exact same way he brutally murdered my Alex."

Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow was also among those killed, expressed his outrage to the Sun Sentinel.

"Why are they wasting the court's time with this? They've got nothing better to do than argue about what to call him?" he said.

Delays, primarily caused by the coronavirus pandemic, have kept Mr Cruz's trial in limbo for more than a year.

Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz, who is prosecuting the case, urged the judge to bring the case to trial.

"There are 17 families who are waiting for this to get going," he told the judge.

Mr Cruz will also go to trial on 4 October for attacking a Broward County jail guard in 2018. Video captured the attack, in which Mr Cruz charges the guard and begins beating him. The defence plans to argue that the guard mistreated and harassed Mr Cruz, prompting the attack.
The owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma will get immunity from future lawsuits under a potentially $10bn plan approved by a federal bankruptcy judge.

The Sackler family will give up ownership of the company and contribute $4.5bn, and in return, they will be shielded from civil lawsuits over the companys role in the opioid crisis that killed a half-million over the past two decades.

They would not be given immunity from any criminal charges that may be brought forward in the future.

Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy two years ago facing about 3,000 lawsuits from individuals, hospitals, unions, local governments and states that accused the company of fueling the opioid crisis by aggressively pushing sales of the OxyContin painkiller.

As part of the deal, a compensation fund will be set up to deliver between $3,500 to $48,000 for victims of the opioids.

US Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain gave conditional approval of the plan submitted by Purdue Pharma after a 6.5 hour hearing on Wednesday, with the formal decision to be entered on Thursday.

Mr Drain said bitterness from the outcome of the case would be completely understandable.

"But one also has to look at the process and the issues and risks and rewards and alternatives of continued litigation versus the settlement laid out in the plan, he said.

The attorneys general of Connecticut, where the company is based, the District of Columbia and Washington state announced they will consider appealing the ruling.

"[The Sacklers] should not be allowed to manipulate bankruptcy laws to evade justice and protect their blood money, Connecticuts William Tong said.

Purdue Pharma said in a statement that the settlement averts years of value-destructive litigation and ensures that billions of dollars will be devoted to helping people and communities who have been hurt by the opioid crisis.

None of the four Sackler family members who testified at the hearing offered an explicit apology, with former Purdue president and board chairman, Richard Sackler, testifying that he, his family and the company were not responsible for the opioid crisis.

Mr Drain gave conditional approval pending technical changes to clarify the Sackler family would only be protected from lawsuits involving lawsuits, and a procedural change from non-opioid claims.

A forced apology is not really an apology, so we will have to live without one, Mr Drain said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The critical question left in the California recall election that could remove Gov. Gavin Newsom isnt whether someone likes the first-term Democrat  its who is going to take the time to vote.

At this point, its all about turnout.

Mail-in ballots went to all 22 million registered voters in mid-August for the unusual, late-summer election. More than 4.6 million have been returned so far and while it's not known how they voted, information is available on their political affiliation, age and ethnicity.

The data shows Democrats are off to an encouraging start, turning in more than twice the number submitted by Republicans a rate that largely mirrors the party's registration edge in the state. More than a third of those who have voted are 65 or older.

But with less than two weeks left before the Sept. 14 election, many unknowns remain.

Some of the states most inconsistent voters  younger people and Latinos who lean Democratic  arent showing up in expected numbers. Will that change? And will many Republicans wait to vote in person rather than send in mailed ballots? That's what happened in 2020 and it helped the GOP re-capture several U.S. House seats in the heavily Democratic state.

Because of the oddly timed election  scheduled at the tail end of summer amid a pandemic  it's difficult to be confident about who will vote. The exact number is really anybodys guess, said Mindy Romero, director of the University of Southern Californias Center for Inclusive Democracy. She called a recall election its own unique animal.

Driving voter turnout is a crucial factor but its not a precise science. Newsom and his Republican rivals, including conservative talk radio host Larry Elder and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, are competing with a host of distractions as they seek to win over votes, from back-to-school preparations to massive wildfires burning in Northern California

Celebrities, political and not, are being enlisted in the fight, with former progressive presidential candidates and U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren cutting ads opposing the recall while Elder counts actors Chuck Norris and Dean Cain among his supporters.

Potential voters are being hailed with texts, digital ads, emails and TV commercials  and visits at their front doors from volunteers  all in hopes of spurring them to fill out the two-question ballot that could end Newsoms term and replace him with one of dozens of candidates. His rivals range from the obscure to the famous, notably, former Olympian and reality TV personality Caitlyn Jenner

In an email this week, the Orange County Republican Party warned that Democrats were leading in turnout in the critical swing county by 8% and called on volunteers to knock on voters doors or make phone calls in the closing sprint to Election Day.

This campaign will be won by turnout, the party said, noting that 175,000 voters had been reached with a recent digital ad campaign flogging Newsom. The party was aiming for an election day stampede to the polls.

This is where Republicans have traditionally turned the tide: in person, the email said.

The recall was largely driven by frustration with whipsaw coronavirus restrictions that shuttered businesses and schools. Those who want Newsom removed turned in more than 1.7 million valid signatures to get the question before voters.

The embattled Newsom remains a prohibitive favorite in liberal-leaning California, where Democrats hold every statewide office and a super-majority in the Legislature.

In the recall, voters are asked two questions: Should Newsom be removed? And who should replace him?

In a deeply polarized political environment similar to the 2020 presidential election, Democrats are more likely to vote for Newsom and Republicans are more likely to vote against (him), said Joshua Spivak, senior fellow at the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College who specializes in recall elections. With a huge advantage for Democrats in registration the more polarized the electorate, the better for Newsom.

Polling released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California was encouraging for the incumbent.

The survey found 58% of likely voters oppose the recall, with 39% supporting it. The survey also found 60% approve of the way he's handled the pandemic.

Newsom's comfortable margin in the poll of 1,706 adults conducted Aug. 2029 stood out among other findings that suggested mixed views of his leadership. For example, voters were about equally divided on whether the state was headed in the right or wrong direction.

Among potential replacement picks, Elder held a commanding edge, piling up 26% support among likely voters. Faulconer was far back at 5%, followed by businessman John Cox and state Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, each with 3%, the poll found. Jenner received just 1%.

Newsom has urged his supporters to vote no on the recall and leave the second question blank. The idea is to not provide any sense there's a suitable replacement among the 46 candidates. The survey found 25% said they will not vote for a possible successor.

Despite Newsom's edge on the recall question, the poll found Democrats are less energized than Republicans and independents. When asked if they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting in the election, 54% of GOP voters and 53% of independents said yes, compared to 40% among Democrats.

In another push to round up support, campaigns are dispatching regiments of door-knockers, hoping to make a connection with indifferent or wavering voters in the run-up to the election.

In Sacramento last weekend, volunteers opposed to the recall were distributing flyers that featured a silhouette of former President Donald Trump and the plea, Stop the Republican power grab! Another volunteer crew gathered there Monday, planning to target Democrats who hadnt submitted their ballots.

Volma Volcy, field director for the Sacramento Central Labor Council, said he recently encountered a barber who didnt know about the recall  or even that hed been mailed a ballot. Volcy later instructed him on the steps to vote, after the barber located the missing ballot.

A lot of people are not paying attention, which is why weve got to talk to people seven to 10 times, Volcy told a group of organizers.

Volunteer and union member Mitchell Bechtel has been warning members of his ironworkers union that womens rights could be endangered if Elder takes charge. One of his messages: You might not love Gavin, but the alternative is infinitely worse.

Instagram has become another popular platform to influence voters, especially for celebrities. Singer Katy Perry recently posted a slideshow warning Red Alert! CA is about to get a Republican governor. Vote No on the recall. It warns Californias progressive stances on climate change, gun control and health care are at risk.

Elder has been sharpening his message to lure Latino voters and residents alarmed over rising crime rates, saying he would push back against efforts to defund police departments.

I want to do something about the outrageous rise in crime, he told reporters Wednesday. Crime disproportionately affects people living in the inner city; many of those are Hispanic.
George W Bush has defended his decision to invade Afghanistan after 9/11 attacks on America, years after his administration claimed they have eliminated the Taliban and al-Qaeda from Afghanistan.

The former US president gave a first hand account of the happenings of the deadliest day in the history of the country in 2001, speaking in a new documentary 9/11: Inside the Presidents War Room on BBC.

I made some big decisions. Starting with the big thought of America being at war, Mr Bush said on the show, in first comments ahead of the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

And those decisions were not made out of anger, they were made with a goal in mind, which was to protect the American people. I think I was right, he added.

Less than a month after the attacks that killed 2,996 people, Mr Bush declared a war on terror to begin the 20-year-long war in Afghanistan which has killed 2,800 US military personnel and allies soldiers as well as civilians.

The war ended with the Doha agreement and finally the Taliban seizing power in Afghanistan.

You know, there werent any other attacks on America, Mr Bush said when he was asked if his decisions post 9/11 made the world a safer place.

Well let the historians sort all that out. Lets just say this - Im comfortable with the decisions I made.

Mr Bush, like many others, believed it was a pilot error when he was first told about the attack when he was with first-graders at a school in Florida , participating in a reading exercise called The Pet Goat .

At first I thought it was pilot error, Mr Bush said. I couldnt imagine anything other than a lousy pilot getting loose.

On that morning, the CIA briefing by then-deputy director of the intelligence agency Mike Morell had no important announcement.

Mr Morell told the BBC that Mr Bush was in a very good mood that day.

There was absolutely nothing in the briefing about terrorism, Morell said. It was focused primarily on what was happening in the West Bank and Gaza, Mr Morrel said.

It was when he left for the school and was with children, he was told by Karl Rove, senior advisor to the president at the time, about the first attack.

[She] says we dont know if its commercial, or private prop or jet. Thats all the details she had, Mr Rove said about his assistant.

So I went over - the president was 10 feet away or so  and I walked over and told him. And he had a quizzical look of his face, and he said: Get more details.

Mr Bush continued with the class and listened to the children read when his aide Andrew Card whispered in his ear that the second tower had been hit, the infamous moment caught on video.

It was now clear that the country was under attack. Mr Bush finished the reading exercise for children, sitting there for seven minutes.

He then setup a situation room at the school and boarded Air Force One, before they got to know it was next target.

There was a call into a switchboard that said Angels next. And Angel was the code word for Air Force Once, Mr Bush said.

All the weapons were taken away from the people on the aircraft to make sure no one conducts an inside job and take down Air Force One.

In 2011, America killed terrorist Osama bin Laden in neighbouring Pakistan but the war continued.
A key player in a North Carolina ballot fraud probe that led to a new congressional election was sentenced Thursday to six months in prison for obtaining illegal Social Security benefits while concealing payments for political work he performed.

Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., 65, of Bladenboro, had pleaded guilty to two counts in June on the day his federal trial was supposed to begin. He faced a maximum combined sentence of 15 years in prison for his offenses of theft of government property and Social Security fraud.

U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle also told Dowless he must pay $8,600 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Raleigh, which prosecuted Dowless.

Dowless' sentencing was delayed last week because he had been hospitalized that day, an attorney said. Dowless attended Thursday's sentencing in Greenville

The federal case was tangentially related to the ballot probe by the State Board of Elections and local prosecutors. Dowless and others still face state charges involving balloting during the 2016 and 2018 elections, with a possible trial by year's end.

A document filed before his anticipated fraud trial on four counts said prosecutors had evidence showing Dowless received at least $135,000 in checks for his work on state and federal campaigns during 2017 and 2018.

At the time he applied for Social Security retirement benefits in 2018, he claimed he wasn't working and had not worked for the past two years, the document said. He had previously applied for disability benefits and received them for several years, prosecutors said.

Dowless had been working in 2017 and 2018 in part for 9th Congressional District candidate Mark Harris a Republican Witnesses told state officials Dowless gathered hundreds of absentee ballots from Bladen County voters with the help of his assistants. Those workers testified they were directed to collect blank or incomplete ballots, forge signatures on them and even fill in votes for local candidates.

Harris appeared to get the most votes in the November 2018 race, but the State Board of Elections ordered a new election, which was won by a subsequent GOP nominee, Dan Bishop.
The Biden administration has reportedly lost contact with nearly 40 per cent of migrant children released from custody.

It leaves the federal government unable to contact thousands of unaccompanied minors who entered the country illegally even as authorities investigate whether the migrants are being trafficked and exploited for child labour, according to a report.

According to data obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request by Axios, calls made to released children or their sponsors from January to May went unanswered up to 37 per cent of the time.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made 14,600 calls to check in with the minors 30 days after their release from child migrant detention centres, Axios reported.

Of those, the Department was unable to reach the child or their sponsor in 4,890 instances. The ratio of unanswered calls grew from 26 per cent in January to the height of 37 per cent in May.

The full picture of lost children could be considerably higher as the reported number of calls outlined in the FOIA data is less than half of those reportedly released from custody.

While the HHS data showed less than 15,000 follow-up calls, Axios reported that the Department discharged 32,000 children between the inauguration of Joe Biden in January and the end of May.

Coinciding with those five months, more than 65,000 unaccompanied minors illegally crossed the southern border with Mexico, the report said.

The scale of misplaced children comes as the US Justice Departments Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit warned some migrant children may have been released to labor traffickers and put to work in poultry plants and agricultural processing facilities, according to Bloomberg Law.

An internal email obtained by the outlet showed the Justice Department wrote to the FBI, the Labor Department, the Department of Homeland Security and HSS on 21 July warning them of "indicators of labour exploitation".

Some of these situations appear to involve dozens of unaccompanied minors all being released to the same sponsor and then exploited for labour in poultry processing or similar industries without access to education, wrote the DOJs Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit director Hilary Axam.

HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the FOIA call data, but a spokesperson told Axios that many sponsors, often relatives, dont want to be contacted and do not return calls.

While we make every effort to voluntarily check on children after we unite them with parents or sponsors and offer certain post-unification services, we no longer have legal oversight once they leave our custody, the spokesperson said.

The Safety and Well Being Follow Up Calls are required by the Departments Office of Refugee Resettlement as part of its process to close case files on the children.

The purpose of the call is to determine whether the child is still residing with the sponsor, is enrolled in or attending school, is aware of upcoming court dates, and is safe.

HSS stopped sending children to at least two agriculture-dense areas under federal investigation for trafficking, according to anonymous sources quoted by Bloomberg.

Enterprise, in Alabama, and Woodburn, in Oregon, were both flagged as suspicious after HSS released dozens of children to the same sponsors, with the DOJ reportedly saying there were a significant numbers of minors and sponsors involved".
Madison Cawthorns alarming behaviour should be censured by Republicans, his home town paper has written.

The congressman from North Carolina has been widely condemned after he said that there could be bloodshed over elections in the future.

The remarks were slammed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and branded insane by Representative Adam Kinzinger, who is a fellow Republican.

Mr Cawthorn has also been criticised for describing those arrested after the 6 January pro-Trump insurrection in Washington DC as political prisoners.

Now the editorial board of The Charlotte Observer has called for Republicans in their state to censure the first term lawmaker.

His fellow Republicans, including those in North Carolina, should respond, the paper stated.

They should join Democrats in condemning Cawthorn and, in a bipartisan effort, censuring him in the US House.

The newspaper also pointed to Mr Cawthorns antics such as his formal request that the US cabinet invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Joe Biden as president.

A member of Congress cannot formally make such a request and Cawthorn even misspelled the name of vice president Kamala Harris in his letter.

The newspaper added that Mr Cawthorns election to Congress is a sign of such national polarisation that GOP supporters would rather vote for a person with a glaringly thin resume and a bloated history of lying than for a Democrat.

Republicans surely would rather not target one of their own and face the possible wrath of their base, not to mention the former president, the board wrote.

But Cawthorn can no longer be dismissed as a silly Congressman braying from the mountains of North Carolina. His rhetoric is dangerous, not only to his party but his country.

Its time to stop ignoring him.

Luke Ball, a spokesman for Cawthorn, has said that the bloodshed comment was meant as a call to restore election integrity and that the lawmaker strongly states that election integrity issues should be resolved peacefully and never through violence.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda signed a declaration Thursday calling for a 30-day state of emergency in areas along the country's border with Belarus to stop migrant crossings. Parliament is expected to formally approve the move on Monday. In that case, Poland will become the third European Union member to impose a state of emergency in areas bordering Belarus  after Lithuania and Latvia did so earlier this summer for the same reason.

That will allow Polish authorities to limit the movements of civilians, including journalists and activists, in a 3-kilometer (nearly 2-mile) wide strip along the border. Polish authorities say it will ensure greater security for Poland and the rest of the EU, especially with Russian military exercises planned to begin in September which will also include maneuvers in Belarus.

Here is a look at the standoff on the EU's eastern border, in which would-be asylum seekers have been caught up  including a group now trapped between Polish and Belarusian border guards.

HOW IT STARTED

Months ago, neighboring countries charge, Belarus' authoritarian regime began to encourage people from Iraq and elsewhere hoping to reach Europe to come to Belarus. Then, Belarusian forces allegedly shepherded them to its borders with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.

European leaders believe the migrants, who also come from Afghanistan, Syria and Africa, are being used to destabilize the EU in revenge for sanctions the bloc has imposed on President Alexander Lukashenko's regime, which is backed by the Kremlin.

Those sanctions have come in reaction to a disputed election last year that gave Lukashenko a sixth term, and the ensuing harsh repression of domestic opponents. More sanctions were imposed after Minsk forced the landing of a Ryanair plane in May and arrested a dissident journalist on board.

Lithuania and Latvia have published what they say are videos of Belarusian forces in riot gear pushing the migrants toward the border.

Referring to Belarus actions at the border, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month that she strongly condemned using people, refugees or people from other countries who are in distress, as a hybrid weapon.

EUROPE AND MIGRATION

Europe is still trying to absorb large numbers of migrants who arrived in recent years, with more than 1 million immigrating in 2015 alone. Whether to welcome or rebuff people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa is a question that has deepened political divides within European nations and among the 27 EU member states, and given a boost to anti-immigrant political forces.

The border standoff comes as the Taliban have taken over Afghanistan, creating worries about another wave of migrants and asylum seekers.

European countries have evacuated some Afghans who have worked with their NATO or other missions in Afghanistan and are offering protection to those who have helped their countries. But the bloc also wants to avoid large numbers of people arriving illegally.

THE RESPONSE

Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have been fortifying their borders with Belarus, and have managed recently to stop thousands of those trying to enter their countries. Hundreds have also been detained and put in closed centers. Some have applied for asylum but it is unlikely that many will receive it after entering the EU in an illegal manner.

There have been reports that some people have also managed to go undetected and made their way to Germany or elsewhere in Western Europe  the typical destination for refugees in Europe.

Lithuania said last week that it had sent home 14 Iraqis who crossed from Belarus last month and many more would follow them soon.

STRANDED GROUP

While the new border barriers have stemmed crossings, one group of migrants has been stuck in a no-man's land between armed Belarusian and Polish forces, sleeping in tents for more than three weeks.

Because they are cut off, reporters are not able to approach and question them directly, and information provided by the government and human rights activists is impossible to verify.

Poland's border guards on Thursday said that there are about 24-30 people there and that Belarusian guards regularly bring them warm meals, drinks, firewood, cigarettes and sweets.

A Polish refugee rights group which has set up camp close to the border to monitor the situation says there are more than 30 Afghans who lack food, drink water from a dirty creek and are becoming increasingly ill.

Human rights lawyers and activists have urged Polish authorities to allow the group access to doctors and the right to apply for asylum.

INTERNAL DISSENT

Polish media have broadcast images of razor wire being rolled out at the border, and soldiers and border guards standing just feet from migrants without giving them aid.

That has drawn condemnation from rights activists and others.

A prominent former anti-communist dissident, Wladyslaw Frasyniuk, said he believed soldiers behaved like a pack of dogs that surrounded poor, weak people.

Polish government officials have lashed back, accusing critics of siding with Belarus in its hybrid war against the country. Some government supporters have used the term useful idiots to refer to protesters  among them 13 activists who tried to cut the razor wire border barrier last weekend and now face prosecution.

The government argues the state of emergency is to protect Poland's security in the face of a military exercise in Belarus this month, and also to limit political actions along the border.
Federal officials suspect that far right extremists groups will hold a rally on the west lawn of the US Capitol building on 18 September, seeking justice for hundreds arrested for riots in January, according to a report.

The US Capitol Police, in a bid to thwart a potential security threat to the building, are discussing if the large perimeter fence  seen outside the Capitol after riots on 6 January  needs to be erected back up, an Associated Press (AP) report stated. Officials are also discussing other security plans, the report said.

Police and intelligence officials are concerned about the presence of extremist groups at the rally. Some members of far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers face some of the most serious charges seen so far, despite constituting just a fraction of the rogue crowd of 600 people during the January riots.

The rally Justice for J6 by conservative activists is scheduled to take place on the West lawn of the Capitol and will demand the release of those arrested. It has been called by former President Donald Trumps campaign official Matt Baynard who is calling the suspects political prisoners, a report said.

Hundreds of protestors stormed the Capitol building and inflicted serious damage amounting to more than $1 million in January. More than 50 people were charged for using a deadly or dangerous weapon or for causing seriously bodily injury to an officer. More than 535 people have been arrested for participating, and another 300 are still being hunted by the FBI.

The riots overwhelmed the police force, injured over 100 officers, and enforcement agencies came under heavy scrutiny for intelligence failure.

Being viewed as a major security concern, the rally comes in the wake of troubling incidents around the US Capitol, with the most recent being the pick-up truck parked near the Library of Congress on 19 August and a man claiming he had a bomb and a detonator. The Capitol police immediately rushed to evacuate nearby buildings, including the Library of Congress Buildings and the Cannon Office Building.

In another unexplained and concerning event, police found unexploded pipe bombs lined around the Capitol.

The incidents sparked a debate on fencing the iconic buildings and its grounds even as some say they do not want access to be sealed off.

The Capitol Board Police, which includes Sergeant at Arms of the US House of Representatives, the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the US Senate, and the Architect of the Capitol, will consider the decision on erecting the fence again, closing off the Capitol.

Capitol Police chief Tom Manger said that the department is closely monitoring 18 September and planning accordingly.

Yogananda Pittman, the police official who led the intelligence operations on 6 January, has been made the in charge of intelligence, AP reported.

Heightened security measures include activation of Metropolitan Police Departments entire force and deputing specialised riot officers on standby, confirmed law enforcement officials.
Polish president Andrzej Duda has signed a government proposal to initiate a state of emergency at the countrys border with Belarus to combat a wave of illegal immigration.

Poland accuses Belarus of waging hybrid warfare against its EU neighbours by shepherding migrants from the Middle East towards its borders with Schengen Zone countries Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said a state of emergency is needed to seal the Polish border in response to the actions of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenkos regime.

The situation is still a crisis, due to the fact that the Lukashenko regime decided to push people  mostly from Iraq  into the territories of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, in order to introduce a destabilising element into our countries, said Morawiecki.

The state of emergency in an area 3 kilometres deep by the Belarusian border will see a list of activities restricted, including public gatherings and excursions near the border.

Barbed wire has become a new symbol of Poland Statement by a group of 32 Afghan migrants

A state of emergency has not existed in Poland since the fall of communism in 1989. And although the government points out that Lithuania and Latvia have already introduced similar measures, the step is being seen by many as further evidence of Polands unsympathetic attitude towards refugees.

A moral drama unfolding at Polands Usnarz Gorny has seen a group of 32 Afghan migrants camped in no mans land between Polish and Belarusian border guards for weeks on end. Lawyers representing the group described their conditions to The Independent as extremely inhumane, and their story has become a national scandal.

Polish opposition MP Franek Sterczewski made headlines by attempting to run past border guards to take supplies to the group, while this week border guards detained 13 people trying to destroy the barbed wire fence keeping the migrants out.

Barbed wire has become a new symbol of Poland, the group said in a statement to the press.

Polish society is anti-immigrant, so the government will make an effort to maintain this spectacle on the border as long as possible, exploiting the topic to scare people and distract the media from scandals related to the government Renata Mienkowska, political scientist at University of Warsaw

Polish border police say over 3,200 people attempted to enter the country from Belarus illegally in August alone. Most of these were migrants from war-torn countries in the Middle East, duped by the Belarusian regime into believing the countrys EU borders are an open gateway to the Schengen Area.

Experts note that the migrant crisis plays into the conservative governments hands.

The situation on the Polish border is a gift from God for the Polish government, Renata Mienkowska, a political scientist from the University of Warsaw, told The Independent.

Polish society is anti-immigrant, so the government will make an effort to maintain this spectacle on the border as long as possible, exploiting the topic to scare people and distract the media from scandals related to the government, she added.

Polish soldiers construct a barbed wire fence on the border with Belarus in Zubrzyca Wielka near Bialystok, eastern Poland, on 26 August 2021 (AFP/Getty)

Indeed, polls have shown a boost in support for the ruling PiS party since the migration crisis began.

Opposition parties have railed against the governments state of emergency, though, describing the step as unjustified, unhelpful and dubious from a constitutional viewpoint.

By taking this step, the Polish government is actually fulfilling the expectations of Lukashenko, who wants to destabilise the EUs eastern border and split up EU unity, said Renata Mienkowska.

Perceptions were not helped by interior minister Mariusz Kaminski mistakenly referring to a state of martial law in the affected border regions multiple times during a government press conference on Tuesday.

Reponses to the state of emergency illustrate the febrile nature of the debate over illegal immigration in Poland. The government may not want to bow to the actions of Lukashenkos regime  but others do not want barbed wire and humanitarian disaster to become symbolic of the countrys response to those seeking a better life.
Abdul Kareem Buri and his family climbed mountains, crossed deserts, braved bandits and snuck past the itchy fingers of armed border guards from several nations to make their way from their war-stricken village in the northernmost reaches of Afghanistan to this lakeside town in Turkey.

But now, having made it from his Taliban-controlled village in northern Afghanistan to relative safety, he and his family find themselves trapped, short of financial resources, and living in the shadows in this eastern Turkish city near the Iranian border.

It was very difficult, and when we arrived we spent three days living on the streets, he says. But we can never go back home.

A world exasperated by refugees and the fallout of humanitarian crises is coldly brushing off Afghans fleeing war, political repression and grinding poverty in their country. The governments of Iran, Turkey and Greece  the countries Afghan migrants have several decades traversed to get to Europe  are openly collaborating to prevent Afghans from reaching their cities.

We have sufficiently carried out our moral and humanitarian responsibilities regarding migration Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu

Austrias foreign interior minister Karl Nehammer has said he wants to keep Afghan refugees in their own region while advocating deportation centres along Afghanistans borders so that those who have been denied asylum can be shipped abroad. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Europe alone cannot shoulder the consequences of the Afghan crisis and must protect itself from irregular migrations.

Afghans fleeing their nation have received a similarly icy response from Turkey, which already hosts the worlds largest refugee population. At least 300,000 Afghans live in Turkey, along with more than 3 million Syrian refugees.. The nation is building a three-meter high concrete barrier along its Iranian border to prevent border crossings.

We have sufficiently carried out our moral and humanitarian responsibilities regarding migration, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sunday after talks with his German counterpart, Heiko Maas. It is out of the question for us to take an additional refugee burden.

Afghan refugees in Van Show all 29 1 /29 Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van A group of Afghan refugees are seen tracking from the Iranian border to the town of Tatvan Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van The mountain area in the Turkish Iranian border Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Parts of the 64 km wall Turkey is building on its border with Iran Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Children are seen playing in the women and families section of Van Deportation Centre, run by the Directorate General of Migration Management Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Mehmed Demirkol, a local villager who provides passer by Afghan refugees with food and water Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Abdulkerim Buhri (35) with his son Fazil Ahmed (8) and nephew Mohammad (18 months). Fazil lost his arm when their house was hit by a mortar 1 and half years ago Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van The mountain area in the Turkish Iranian border where Turkey is building a 64 km long wall Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van A group of Afghan refugees are seen tracking from the Iranian border to the town of Tatvan, a distance of over 200km Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Abdullah Matin (17) an Afghan refugee, is seen in the abandoned building he shares with Dost Mohammad (21) Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van The women and families section of Van Deportation Centre Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van August 2021 Van, Turkey Abdulkerim Buhri (35), his wife Bibi G l (30), his late brothers pregnant wife Nesrin G l (38) and their children pose for a portrait in the Van apartment they have been staying for nearly a mouth. They are an ethnically Tajik family from the Takhar region of Afghanistan. Their home in Afghanistan was hit by a mortar, killing 2 children and seriously injuring one Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van The Van Deportation Centre Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van The Van Deportation Centre Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van A model cell in the Van Deportation Centre Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Yeni Mahalle, a district of Van popular with PKK sympathizers and human traffickers. Most safe houses where Afghan refugees stay while they wait to be transported to western parts of Turkey are here Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Irregular immigrants arrested by the security forces are housed here until they are deported or other action is taken Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van The unidentified persons section of a cemetery in Van Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van The unidentified persons section of a cemetery in Van Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Yeni Mahalle, a district of Van Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Dost Mohammad (21), an Afghan refugee from Bagalan poses for a portrait in the abandoned building he lives with Abdullah Matin (17) Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van The hairdresser in the Van Deportation Centre Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van A group of Afghan refugees are seen tracking from the Iranian border to the town of Tatvan Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van An arts class in the Van Deportation Centre Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van he Van Deportation Centre Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Parts of the 64 km wall Turkey is building on its border with Iran Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van The abandoned building Dost Mohammad (21) and Abdullah Matin share (17) Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van A group of Afghan refugees are seen tracking from the Iranian border to the town of Tatvan Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Death certificates belonging to Abdulkerim Buhris two children he lost when a mortar hit their house in Afghanistan Yusuf Sayman Afghan refugees in Van Afghan refugees in Van Mehmed Demirkol, a local villager who provides passer by Afghan refugees with food and water Yusuf Sayman

On Tuesday, European officials huddled in panic over the prospect of a fresh wave of refugees coming to their borders via Turkey. Greece is erecting a metal wall, unfurling barbed wire and deploying drones and cameras to prevent Afghans from crossing its border.

While some Afghans may be escaping economic deprivation, others have legitimate asylum claims. A member of Afghanistans Uzbek minority, Buri had reason to fear the Taliban. His relatives had spoken against the group and many had served in the Afghan National Army. In areas under Taliban control, everything is lifeless, he says. A local teacher and her husband tried to attend work but were prevented, the man taken away and tortured. He struggled to make enough money as a farm labourer to eke out a living for his family and that of his brother, who was killed several months ago.

But the last straw came some months ago when a stray mortar struck their home during one of the many clashes between the Taliban and Afghan forces over control of their village. Two of his late brothers children were killed and his son lost his left arm.

 Turkey builds wall to stop illegal Afghan refugees finding asylum

Buris wife, their several children and his slain brothers pregnant wife and her children began the perilous journey from Afghanistan to Turkey, crossing Pakistan and Iran. It was really a horrible journey, says Nasrin-gol, Buris sister-in-law. We didnt know where we were half the time. I fell several times. But I didnt really want to stay in Afghanistan. I want a better life for my children and to educate my daughters.

Many dont survive the journey. A cemetery in Van contains the graves of scores of people whose bodies were found in the Taurus Mountains along the Iran-Turkey border. Handwritten grave markers designate their location and the date they were found. Many drowned trying to cross Lake Van, a 74-mile body of water that lies to the west of the city.

The unidentified persons section of a cemetery in Van. Most people buried here are Afghan refugees who lost their lives during the long walk from the Iranian border into Turkey (Yusuf Sayman)

Its a very sad situation, says Mahmut Kacan, a Van-based attorney who handles immigration and human rights cases. Some die by freezing. Some die by wild animal attacks. Many people die of traffic accidents because the smugglers stuff them into cars.

The Turkish government is at pains to show a public fed up with immigrants from Syria and Afghanistan that it is stepping up efforts to prevent them from entering the country. Along the border, Turkish soldiers and gendarmerie have increased patrols and sped up efforts to build the concrete barrier.

Authorities recently took a group of journalists on an extensive tour of the deportation facility in Van, showing the hair salons, childrens play areas and even classrooms they offer unauthorised migrants held in detention before they are shipped back to their countries.

A Turkish language class in the Van deportation centre, run by the Directorate General of Migration Management, is seen during a press trip (Yusuf Sayman)

For now Turkish officials concede they are not able to fly people back to Afghanistan, with flights to the country suspended. They are anticipating bigger numbers of arrivals in the coming days. We havent seen the wave yet from the fall of Kabul, Cuma Omurca, director of immigration in Van Province. The people you see now are those who could foresee what was going to happen.

Buri and his family number 11 people. They live crammed in an apartment then rent for 61 a month in Vans bustling city centre. On the day journalists visited, the youngest, aged 18 months, was suffering from a fever.

Abdullah Matin (17) and Dost-Mohammad (21), Afghan refugees in Van, are seen in the abandoned building they live in (Yusuf Sayman)

They are luckier than most Afghan refugees in Turkey. As members of Afghanistans ethnic Uzbek community their values are more in tune with Turkey and Central Asia and they speak a Turkic language  Abdul Kareem has even managed to find a job paying about 4.39 a day as a dishwasher and short-order cook at a local restaurant.

Most who make it across the border find themselves on the run, living in hiding. After handing all of his money to an unscrupulous smuggler who abandoned him, Dost-Mohammad, 21, from the city of Baghlan, had settled down in an abandoned house in Van that was slated for demolition.

We just walk around and hide, and when we see the police we run, he says.

Abdul Jalil Hazargol, a 30-year-old Kabul resident, says he fled the Afghan capital in early August as the Taliban encircled the city. He had worked for international forces at Bagram Airbase several years and was terrified the Taliban would find his employment record.

The borders are dangerous. The mountains are high. There is no food Abudl Jalil Hazargol, Kabul resident who fled, via Pakistan and Iran, to Turkey

He joined other migrants from Afghan districts near Jalalabad, Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar. They traversed the mountains, made their way through Pakistan, across Iran and climbed across the wall erected by Turkey, paying smugglers along the way.

On a recent day last month, he and a group of 10 other Afghans were sneaking across farmlands, drinking water from streams. He hopes to make his way to Istanbul and find work.

If I had one piece of advice for other Afghans it is dont come, because there are many dangers, he says. The borders are dangerous. The mountains are high. There is no food.

A group of Afghan refugees are seen trekking from the Iranian border to the town of Tatvan, a distance of over 200km. The refugees need to walk to avoid detection by security forces (Yusuf Sayman)

The Turkish government has threatened to prosecute anyone who transports unauthorised migrants on human trafficking, but that doesnt prevent Turks from helping them. During a trek through farmlands, Hazargol and his fellow travellers happened upon Mehmet Demirkol, a 40-year-old resident of a village outside Tatvan, on western edge of Lake Van.

Im a human being with feelings first and foremost, says Demirkol, a member of Turkeys embattled Kurdish minority. They are hungry people fleeing from war. Both intellectually and belief wise, we know they need help. Were humans. We understand what hungry people go through. Weve been there.

Sign The Independents petition urging the UK to take in more refugees from Afghanistan here.
Bulgaria has made the US a red zone, meaning that travellers coming from the country, regardless of vaccination status, are barred unless they meet strict exemption criteria.

The change was introduced on 1 September, shortly after the European Union removed the US from its white list of destinations considered highest risk.

Please note that the current Bulgarian entry requirements are based on the country of departure only  not on citizenship and not on countries through which you transit, read the statement.

That means US citizens starting their travel from Green or Orange Zones may enter Bulgaria under the conditions listed in the new Health Order of the Bulgarian Ministry of Health.

Exemptions to the travel ban include Bulgarian citizenship, being the immediate family member of a citizen, medical professionals and researchers, foreign officials and diplomats, students with certain visas and humanitarian workers.

Following the EUs change of advice on the US, Italy was the first European nation to update its travel rules, making a negative test on arrival mandatory for all US tourists, as well as imposing five days of quarantine on unvaccinated American visitors.

The US is seeing its fourth wave of high cases  last week, the number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 rose above 100,000 for the first time since January.

The country has been hit hard by the Delta variant, which seems to be sweeping quickly through the unvaccinated population, with the vaccination rate moving slower than in other countries.

Around 62 per cent of US citizens aged 12 and older have had at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 70 per cent of all adults in the European Union are now fully vaccinated.
Ever since the latest travel update on 26 August, there have been hints that international travel is starting to open up again, albeit cautiously.

On Tuesday, Canada started receiving fully vaccinated international visitors, a move that countries such as Switzerland, Germany and Belgium have also embraced.

US travellers have had a step backwards, however, as the EU moved the country to its unsafe list due to the high number of Covid cases - prompting countries including Italy, Denmark and Sweden to up their restrictions for testing and quarantine for travellers from the States.

Meanwhile, many of Europes most popular destinations remain on the amber list, with the country waiting to see if any will move to green at the next travel update - expected next Wednesday or Thursday (15 or 16 September).

So, should you ignore the risk and book your next holiday? Join me today, Friday 10 September, at 12 noon, when Ill be on hand to answer your travel questions about all the latest rules and restrictions.

Register to submit your question in the Comments below. If youre not already a member, click sign up in the Comments box to leave your question.

Dont worry if you cant see your question  they will be hidden until I join the conversation to answer them.

Then join us live on this page from 12 noon-1pm today, as I tackle as many questions as I can within an hour.
This week saw the most annoying political fight on Twitter start up all over again: the one about the relitigation of the 2016 Democratic presidential primary. As Texas abortion ban went into effect, extremely online liberals chose not to blame themselves for failing to take out Governor Greg Abbott in 2018 when he was up for reelection, and not to blame the Texas Democratic Party for losing Latino voters in the Rio Grande Valley to Donald Trump because of lackluster outreach and a bad message. No, they once again chose to blame supporters of Senator Bernie Sanderss 2016 primary challenge against Hillary Clinton.

Its an easy line of attack, particularly as some of Sanders biggest supporters openly shouted the slogan Bernie or Bust. The hard feelings are compounded by the fact Democrats lost to Donald Trump, who in turn got to appoint three Supreme Court Justices  Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett  who joined with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito in deciding against an emergency appeal on the Texas law.

Losing campaigns are never fun and its easy to point fingers in the aftermath, especially when the consequences reverberate throughout the country. But the data does not bear this out. There are plenty of people to blame for the Supreme Courts actions and Texas passing this legislation, but Bernie Sanders and his supporters are far from the top of the list.

First, a study from a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2017 found that roughly one in ten Sanders supporters voted for Trump. That same study found that most Sanders-Trump supporters were not Democrats, whereas most Sanders-Clinton supporters were Democrats  so it is extremely unlikely that all of those voters would have pulled the lever for her come November 2016. If anything, it shows Sanders had a false sense of Democratic hunger for a Clinton alternative.

Comparatively, depending on the study you read, roughly 24 or 25 percent of all people who voted for Clinton in 2008s Democratic primary voted for John McCain rather than Barack Obama. However, there have been far more bitter primaries in the past, including those between Ronald Reagan and George H W Bush (who became running-mates in the general election) or or Clinton and Obama (who made her his first Secretary of State.) Lest we forget, Bob Dole  also running against Bush  told him to stop lying about my record in a heated exchange in 1988.

Clintons most diehard supporters might feel slighted that Sanders made a contest out of what was supposed to be a coronation and Sanders was undoubtedly out of line when he said the person who would have been the first woman president was not unqualified . But this is more about bitter primary feelings than it is about how many Sanders supporters would have backed Clinton in actuality.

Furthermore, the number of Sanders-Trump voters is minuscule compared to the number of people who voted for Obama in 2012 and then voted to Make America Great Again in 2016. The University of Virginias Center for Politics estimated there were roughly 8.4 million Obama-Trump voters. In Wisconsin, where Trump became the first Republican since Reagan to win the state, 22 counties voted for Trump that had previously voted for Obama. Iowa had 31 counties flip. But Obama-Trump voters dont provoke the same kind of anger because they dont allow people to rehash their petty personal feuds.

The Texas Democratic Party also deserves plenty of blame for self-inflicted wounds that allowed for Republicans to dominate. In 2018, Beto ORourke got within striking distance of defeating Ted Cruz and Democrats flipped two House seats. But Texas Democrats fielded a weak candidate in Lupe Valdez, whom Abbott beat by double digits on election night just two years after Clinton got within single digits of Trump in the state.

Texas Democrats had another opportunity to stop the abortion bill last year when they had a legitimate shot to flip the Texas statehouse. But instead, as Texas Monthly noted when it anointed the party its dubious 2021 Bum Steer of the Year award, Democrats targeted 22 seats when they only needed to flip 9 and they absolutely flopped. Furthermore, Texas Democrats poor message and lackluster campaigning cost the party Latino voters , which is a death sentence in the state.

Despite Texas Democrats continued preening and making a trip to Washington to fight Republican voter laws, the party has consistently failed to field a qualified candidate. By comparison, the Florida Democratic Party, which loses probably as much as its Texas counterparts do, has two credible Democratic candidates running to challenge Ron DeSantis in 2022.

Given the makeup of the Supreme Court and the fact that it ruled only 5 to 4 while Roberts sided with liberals, many are probably rueing the fact then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rammed Barretts nomination through the Senate right before the election, when Ruth Bader Ginsburgs body wasnt even cold. But for all of Ginsburgs monumental accomplishments as both a lawyer and a jurist, she showed stunning levels of hubris by refusing to resign from the court during Obamas presidency when Democrats still had a Senate majority. When she was asked why she shouldnt give up her seat, Ginsburg simply said , Who you would prefer on the court?

It is understandable that Ginsburg, who spent decades fighting for womens equality, would want to keep doing so. But, as a longtime friend of the late arch-conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, she had to know that conservatives would play hardball with her seat and that given her age and health, she risked Republicans replacing her and erasing her legacy later down the line.

Texas abortion law understandably elicited strong feelings from activists  especially given the current makeup of Congress, it is unlikely it or the White House can or will do anything to protect the rights of those who seek an abortion. But at this point, all of the arguments about the Sanders-Clinton primary are just as busted as the calls for Bernie or Bust.
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Bad news for Facebook-owned WhatsApp doesn't seem to stop coming in. Now, the messaging giant WhatsApp has been fined a record 225 million (1947 crore) for data privacy infringements in Ireland. The fine was imposed by the Data Protection Commission (DPC) on Thursday, September 2.

This marks the largest fine ever imposed by the DPC and also the second-largest penalty under European Union data laws. Besides imposing the hefty fine, the DPC also ordered WhatsApp to comply with EU data protection laws and to enforce corrective measures.

Reuters

What is WhatsApp's next move?

Ireland's RTE reported that Facebook-owned WhatsApp is currently planning to appeal the ruling and feels the fine is disproportionate. DPC is the lead authority on WhatsApp across the European Union.

The initial probe was launched by DPC three years ago when new data protection laws were introduced by the EU. In the inquiry, DPC assessed whether WhatsApp was in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in terms of data.

Reuters

Also read: WhatsApp Banned Over 3 Million Accounts In June-July: How To Avoid WhatsApp Ban

The regulation requires users of WhatsApp to be informed of how their data is used and processed by the company. Earlier, the DPC has proposed a smaller fine of 50 million, which was disputed by 40 authorities in the draft conclusion of the investigation.

Deciding on the huge WhatsApp fine took time

The DPC was unable to reach a conclusion, after which the case was referred to the European Data Protection board (EDPB) in early 2021. The EDPB ruling was revealed in July-end, which the DPC is enshrined with enforcing now.

In a statement, the DPC announced the fine amount on Thursday. Sadly for WhatsApp, the company had set aside only 77.5 million for a potential fine.

Reuters

The company has reiterated its commitment to privacy protection, but governments are increasingly wary of trusting tech companies.

Also read: WhatsApp Won't Force Users To Accept Its Privacy Policy: Here's Why



Facebook is also under the radar of antitrust agencies in the US and also faced a challenge in India after the introduction of new Information Technology rules that require companies to give information to the government about privacy guidelines, removal of content, and grievance redressal. Last December, Twitter was fined 450,000 for a data breach in Ireland by EDPB.

Also read: WhatsApp Testing Message Reactions, New UI Colours In Beta Versions Of App

Do you think the fine is justified? Should companies like WhatsApp be held up to certain data protection standards? Let us know how you feel about WhatsApp in the comments below. For more on tech, science and space, keep reading Indiatimes.com!
As the international militant group, the Taliban cemented its control over Afghanistan, it is the women of the country who are staring at a dark future.

When the militant group ruled the nation between 1996-2001, girls' schools were closed, women were prevented from travelling and working, and were forced to wear an all-covering burqa in public.

Women who broke the rules sometimes suffered humiliation and public beatings by the Taliban's religious police under the group's strict interpretation of Islamic law.



So, naturally, every woman residing in the country is scared whether she would lose all the rights she had gained in the past 20 years. The most important one being her right to education.

Some gutsy women didn't want to stand back and watch their hard work turn to dust. They staged protests against the militant group on the streets of Kabul for basic rights such as education, work and political participation. However, the majority of them fear the outcome of these protests considering what happened in the past.

These brave women took to the streets in Kabul to protest against Taliban. They simplify asking for their rights, the right to work, the right for education and the right to political participation.The right to live in a safe society. I hope more women and men join them. pic.twitter.com/pK7OnF2wm2  Masih Alinejad  (@AlinejadMasih) August 17, 2021

However, they don't want to just sit back and do nothing. A powerful picture that emerged on the internet is proof that history may have repeated but people will not hold back like the last time.

A picture shared by Turkish novelist Elif Shafak shows a secret school for girls in the city of Herat, Afghanistan. In the picture young girls can be seen with notebooks. However, their classrooms are in dark rooms and basements. This picture was apparently shared with her by New York Times journalist, Farnaz Fassihi.

She wrote, "This photo is so powerful and utterly heartbreaking. Secret school for girls in dark rooms and basements in Herat. Life for women and girls under the Taliban."

This photo is so powerful and utterly heartbreaking. Secret school for girls in dark rooms and basements in Herat. Life for women and girls under the Taliban. (Thank you @farnazfassihi for sharing) #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/y7inCqXnuO  Elif Shafak (@Elif_Safak) September 1, 2021

People on the internet lauded these girls spirits and wished them safety. Many were heartbroken to see how these girls have to study in a dingy room to get a basic education.

Salute to them.  Jhangir Shah Kakar (@JhangirShahKaka) September 1, 2021

Things might change this time.  Augustus (@whisper01326122) September 1, 2021

Bless you all ,praying   for you all. Xx  Mandy Watson (@MandyWa72512349) September 1, 2021

Someone pleaseee save them!!!  Gillu Venkatesh (@GilluVenkatesh) September 1, 2021



Let's hope these young girls remain safe, sound and continue to not lose hope.
Chian has banned reality talent shows that promote sissy men and instead asked broadcasters to promote content that shows masculine men.

According to an AFP report, Chinese state regulators asked TV producers and show-makers to stop making content that shows effeminate men and vulgar content and instead should make programmes that show men in a strong and masculine form.

"Broadcast and TV institutions must not screen idol development programmes or variety shows and reality shows," China's broadcast regulator, the National Radio and Television Administration said, in a raft of new regulations.

Reuters

This, the report says, is to crack down on "immoral" pop culture Beijing believes is leading young people astray.

Programme-makers in recent times introduced shows that promoted idol development. Such formats are quite popular in countries like North Korea and Britain and Chinese show makers have successfully localised them.

In addition, Chinese filmmakers have brought the TV programme format where people from humble and poor backgrounds were shown making to the top list after the rigorous training and public votes.

Reuters

Though quite popular among the masses such programmes have also faced criticism for showing men and women indulging in activities that many say go against Chinese culture.

Above all the fandom these idols are getting is not sitting well with Chinese authorities who see that as a bad effect on society and a potential threat to the communist government.

Recently, fans of a Canadian-Chinese pop star and former idol Kris Wu who was sent to jail on rape charges designed a "prison break" to free him. Although the star denied any role, the attempt by his fans infuriated the Chinese government and they vowed to curb the behaviours of China's "chaotic" fandoms.

Now this decree from the high command in the Chinese government is being seen as an attempt to stifle any attempt to disturb the status quo in China i.e stronghold of President Xi Jinping.
File photo of industrialist Prakash Hinduja (right) with his brother Ashok Hinduja waiting for the start of a luncheon meeting hosted by King Juan Carlos of Spain in Mumbai on Oct. 25, 2012. (Indranil Mukherjee/AFP via Getty Images)
A study led by Yales Kevin Sheth has shown that a portable MRI device can help identify symptoms that can provide potentially life-saving information. There is no question this device can help save lives in resource-limited settings, such as rural hospitals or developing countries, said Sheth. (yale.edu photo)
Forney, TX (75126)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.
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If you think Sonoran Restaurant Week is only about Mexican food, you may do a double take when you see dishes inspired by Moroccan, Jamaican, French, and Indonesian traditions on display during the annual event.
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 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 Champlains 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.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Fraud Abuse Molestation
A young lifeguard was killed and seven other people, including three other lifeguards, were injured when lightning struck a Jersey Shore beach Monday afternoon, authorities said.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy confirmed that a lifeguard in Berkeley Township was killed in the afternoon.

It marked the second death of a young lifeguard at the Jersey Shore in a little over a week.

Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy said the others were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Our hearts are with the family and friends of the young lifeguard killed by todays horrific lightning strike on the beach in Berkeley Township, and we pray for a full recovery for those injured, Murphy, the states Democratic governor, wrote on Twitter. Ive spoken to Mayor Carmen Amato and offered the full support and assistance of our administration during this difficult time.

Amato said his townships beaches will be closed Tuesday through Thursday as crisis counselors are made available to beach staff and lifeguards. Four of those struck were lifeguards and four others were beachgoers.

This is a tragic and heartbreaking day for our town and the entire Jersey Shore, Amato said in a statement. This young person was out there every day protecting the lives of others. Our lifeguard teams, like so many along the shore, develop special connections with our community throughout the summer, which makes this loss even greater.

On behalf of myself and our entire community, I offer our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of this young man, he said.

The identities of the lifeguard who died, as well as the others hurt by the lightning strike were not immediately released.

A handwritten note in purple ink was left with flowers Monday night at the base of a lifeguard stand at the beach.

We were at the beach today and are grateful for what youve done for us by keeping us safe at the beach, the note read. We are so sorry for your loss.

Police were called at 4:31 p.m. to a beach on 21st Avenue in Berkeley Township, near the entrance to Island Beach State Park, which is just south of Seaside Park.

Pete Tortorelli was tending an outdoor bar a block away from the beach when, he said, lightning struck seemingly out of nowhere.

It looked a little cloudy in one direction but clear as anything in the other direction, and it was the first lightning of the day, he said. Literally two minutes after I saw the lightning, every cop car in this town was screaming down the street.

Thomas Taberoni was at a beachfront house 100 yards (90 meters) away from the lifeguard stand, noticing that it was beginning to get cloudy, when he heard what he described as the loudest noise he had ever heard.

Have you ever been to an air show when they break the sound barrier with that boom and you werent prepared for it? he asked. This was like 100 times louder than that.

Lynda McHugh had just left the beach when she saw two large bolts of lightning come straight down. Within moments, people were running up the ramp from the beach and down the wooden stairs to safety.

Police said in a Facebook post that they were investigating reports of lightning strikes in the township, and would release further information as it becomes available.

A police dispatcher said she could not release any information other than what the department had posted on Facebook. Messages have been left for police commanders.

On Aug. 20, 16-year-old lifeguard Norman Inferrera III died a day after an accident in Cape May, on New Jerseys southern tip. A lifeboat he was rowing was struck by a wave and flipped over, knocking him unconscious, authorities said.

And on Aug. 12, a 13-year-old boy died after he was struck by lightning at Orchard Beach in the Bronx in New York City. Carlos Ramos was one of a group of people gathered at the beach who were struck by lightning during a fast-moving storm. Six others also were injured in that lightning strike.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Andrew Horton, the former CEO of Beazley, officially became QBEs new group CEO on Sept. 1  an appointment that was originally announced in March. Also on Sept. 1, QBE Re announced the appointment of SiriusPoints Tracey Gibbons as head of QBE Re, Bermuda.

Andrew is an inclusive and collaborative executive, known for driving positive change and high performance. With more than 30 years experience across insurance and banking, his deep understanding of the insurance landscape and the opportunities and challenges across each of our markets, see him well placed to build QBE for the future, said QBEs announcement on Twitter, which welcomed Horton to the company. (See below for Hortons biography).

QBE had a management reshuffle in October 2020 after the former CEO Pat Regan was forced to step down, following a complaint from a female employee in the United States.

Gibbons joins from SiriusPoint where she was senior vice president. She brings over 30 years experience to the role and a remit to develop the Bermuda product offering to QBE Res platform, having held senior roles at Third Point Re and Allied World. In her new role, she will report to Steve Postlewhite, managing director, QBE Re.

David Carys role will also expand, as senior vice president, underwriting manager, and head of Property and Casualty Bermuda, he will assume responsibility for the day-to-day line management of the growing underwriting team in Bermuda.

QBE Re also welcomes Greg van der Made as treaty underwriter to the Bermuda office as part of the expanded focus. van der Made joins from SiriusPoint and will focus on building the regions specialty and property reinsurance book in his new role.

Were seeing increased demand from our Global clients for specialty reinsurance and property business in Bermuda and see a renewed opportunity under multiple lines within Traceys and Davids leadership. With the addition of the new team members, we are excited about continuing our long-standing commitment to this market, commented Postlewhite.

Andrew Hortons Biography

Horton joined Beazley as finance director in June 2003 and became CEO in 2008. During his tenure as CEO, the company profitably grew by around 10% per annum and it successfully added international operations on what had been a purely London-based company, said QBE in its announcement about the appointment. Prior to Beazley, Horton spent 15 years in the banking industry at ING, Nat West and Lloyds Bank in a variety of finance roles, ultimately being the UK chief financial officer for INGs wholesale banking division.

He qualified as a chartered accountant with Coopers and Lybrand in 1987. Horton completed a Bachelor (Hons) of Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and was a non-executive director of investment management firm, Man Group from 2013 to 2020.

Source: QBE Insurance and QBE Re

Related:

Topics Bermuda
This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Mosaic Insurance with London-based roles, MGA Alta Signa with a role in Germany, and Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance in Spain.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Mosaic Hires Executives Glover as CUO and White as Underwriting Director, Both From Hamilton

Leading insurance market executives Tim Glover and David White have joined Mosaic Insurance, as chief underwriting officer and underwriting director, respectively.

Based in London, both will also be members of the specialty insurers leadership team.

Glover has more than 30 years experience in the London and global insurance markets. In 2004, he was one of the founders of Pembroke Managing Agency and Syndicate 4000, which became a top quartile-performing Lloyds business. While there, he held several key roles, including active underwriter, chief underwriting officer, and chief executive officer. When the business was sold to Hamilton Managing Agency in 2019, he became CEO and a member of Hamilton Groups executive leadership team. Glover began his career at RM Pateman Managing Agency, and previously also worked at Hiscox and SVB syndicates.

At Mosaic, Glovers role as CUO encompasses oversight of underwriting activities, portfolio management, claims, reinsurance, pricing and reserving.

White has worked in the Lloyds market since 1985, initially as a broker, and started his underwriting career at SVB in 1999. He was one of the founding underwriters of Pembroke Syndicate 4000 in 2004, establishing its professional lines division which he ran for a decade. He held a number of roles with Ironshore and Pembroke Managing Agency, later acquired by Hamilton Group, including head of distribution, chief underwriting officer, and director of the managing agency; he also served on boards of U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries.

At Mosaic, Whites role as EVP focuses on underwriting portfolio development and governance throughout regional offices. He will have particular responsibility for underwriting discipline within Mosaics syndicated capital management and consortia operations.

Bermuda-based Mosaic combines Lloyds Syndicate 1609 with a wholly owned syndicated capital management agency, enabling the company to identify, source and underwrite business on behalf of itself, along with other trade-capital partners. Its six lines of business launched to date include: transactional liability, cyber, political risk, political violence, financial and professional lines.

***

MGA Alta Signa Names AIGs Lange as Senior Underwriter in Germany

Alta Signa Europe B.V., the Belgium-based MGA, announced a key appointment to its growing business in the DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) region.

Based in Munich, Germany, Thomas Lange joins Alta Signa in DACH as senior underwriter and he will be responsible for managing commercial D&O and financial institutions business with a focus on large clients in Germany and Austria. His appointment is subject to regulatory approval and is consistent with Alta Signas close-to-source underwriting approach to meet the needs of clients and broker partners.

Lange was previously with AIG where he was most recently senior underwriter, Financial Institutions and D&O. Prior to this, he was with Munich Re as casualty treaty and financial lines facultative underwriter. Lange began his career as a claims lawyer and is a qualified lawyer.

This is the latest in a series of underwriting appointments for Alta Signa in the DACH region following the arrivals of Anna-Marie Schmidt in July and Wolfgang Polzer in August.

About Alta Signa

Over the last 12 months, Alta Signa launched in Belgium and set up branches in France, Spain and Italy. In addition to DACH, Alta Signa is working towards opening a branch in the Netherlands which is currently awaiting regulatory approval.

Alta Signa is dedicated to the Continental European Specialty Insurance market where it aims to be the preferred trading partner of regional, national and pan-European insurance brokers servicing commercial and corporate clients locally.

Alta Signa Europe BV/SRL is a company authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Market Authority (Belgium) to act as a mandated underwriter and reinsurance intermediary. Alta Signa Europe BV/SRL is registered in Belgium.

***

BHSI Names QBEs Gallegos as Country Manager, Spain

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) recently announced it has added Constanza Gallegos to its leadership team in Europe as country manager, Spain.

Gallegos has nearly 24 years of experience in the European insurance industry. Most recently, she was head of Distribution, Europe, at QBE Insurance, where she spent 14 years in increasingly senior positions. She holds Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Economics & Bachelor of Business Administration degrees from Universidad Pontificia Comillas.

She is based in BHSIs office in Madrid and can be reached at +34 671 543 523 or constanza.gallegos@bhspecialty.com

Topics AIG
South African insurer Discovery scrapped its annual dividend again on Thursday and said it may have to raise equity capital to cover costs linked to its investment in Chinas Ping An, sending its shares down 8%.

The company, which ties premium rates to its clients lifestyles, has not paid a dividend since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold last year and said ongoing uncertainty over the impact of the virus meant it would continue to withhold payments for now.

Its growth-driving partnership with Ping An, meanwhile, would require 1.5 billion rand ($104 million) more capital from Discovery to meet regulatory requirements.

Chief Executive Adrian Gore said it would likely seek to fund this via an equity raise, not debt, with the proceeds ring-fenced for this purpose.

On dividends, he said the insurer had never been a big dividend payer, preferring to invest capital in growth, and there was still uncertainty around the impact of COVID-19.

We dont believe as an insurer facing mortality claims we know fully the playout, he told Reuters in an interview, adding the restoration of dividends would be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Discovery had already flagged a more than tenfold rise in headline earnings per share (HEPS)  the main profit measure in South Africa to 454.7 cents, compared to 45 cents a year earlier.

The main driver of the rise was the impact of changes in its economic assumptions. On a normalized basis its HEPS fell by 9% to 518.7 cents, compared to 570.7 cents last year.

Discovery also said it would make COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for its employees from January.

Gore said that employees who decline could be dismissed after a lengthy process to establish whether an accommodation needs to be made for, for instance, religious beliefs.

If  not, and you just dont believe in vaccines, then you cant work at Discovery, he said.

The insurer will also give vaccinated new clients better premiums. Existing members will be given incentives via its rewards program Vitality, which awards members points for desirable behavior that can get them benefits ranging from cheaper insurance to free coffees, Gore said.

(Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Wendell Roelf, Barbara Lewis and David Evans)

Topics Carriers
South Dakotas attorney general was ticketed for going 57 in a 35 mph zone just days before he pleaded no contest to traffic charges for a car crash that killed a pedestrian last year.

Jason Ravnsborg, the states top law enforcement officer, received a ticket late Sunday, Aug. 22 in Hughes County, where he lives. He was charged with Speeding on Other Roadways  a second-degree misdemeanor  and fined $177.50. Dakota News Now first reported the ticket. Ravnsborg has not paid the fine or admitted guilt.

On Aug. 26, the Republican attorney general pleaded no contest to a pair of second-degree misdemeanors for a crash last year that killed Joseph Boever, who walking on a rural highway. He avoided jail time but had to pay over $4,500 in fees.

Circuit Judge John Brown tried to order Ravnsborg to do a significant public service event in each of the next five years near the date of Boevers death. Ravnsborgs attorney, Tim Rensch, objected to that order, arguing that the punishment timeline exceeded the maximum 30-day jail sentence allowed by law. Rensch said he heard from the judge that extended public service would not be a part of Ravnsborgs punishment, South Dakota Public Broadcasting reported.

Ravnsborg was not charged with speeding in the fatal crash. Prosecutors said he was going two miles over the 65 mph speed limit at the time of impact, but they decided that didnt justify a traffic charge. Instead, they charged him with making an illegal lane change, using a phone while driving and careless driving. Prosecutors dropped the charge of careless driving as part of the plea deal.

Fines, but no Jail Time for South Dakota AG in Pedestrian Death

Before the crash last year, Ravnsborg had accumulated eight traffic tickets over seven years, including six speeding tickets in different counties. However, he was not in danger of losing his drivers license.

The attorney generals chief of staff, Tim Bormann, declined to comment on the ticket, saying it was a personal matter for Ravnsborg. Mike Deaver, who has been acting as Ravnsborgs spokesman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Prosecutors said Ravnsborg was on his phone roughly one minute before last years crash, but phone records showed it was locked at the moment of impact. Ravnsborg told investigators that the last thing he remembered before the crash was turning off the radio and looking down at his speedometer.

Gov. Kristi Noem has renewed pressure to force the attorney general from office, even as he has repeatedly defended his job performance. After the trial concluded last week, she said she would hand over the crash investigation file to the House speaker to consider impeachment charges.

Rep. Will Mortensen, a freshman Republican legislator from Hughes County, had introduced impeachment proceedings in February. But impeachment quickly stalled in the House, and lawmakers said they would revisit the matter after the trial concluded. Mortensen said lawmakers were still considering whether to move forward with impeachment.

I continue to be hopeful that the attorney general will step down, he said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics South Dakota
USA Gymnastics could be near the final stages of the legal fallout of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.

The organization and hundreds of women who claim they were abused by the former national team doctor or others affiliated with the national governing body filed a joint $425 million settlement proposal in U.S. Bankruptcy Court that could put an end to years of litigation.

After extensive discussions, this plan has been jointly proposed by USA Gymnastics and the Committee, and it is supported by many of the involved insurers, USA Gymnastics said in a statement. We anticipate that this plan will be confirmed later this year and greatly appreciate all parties efforts to get to this point.

The proposal was put together by the USA Gymnastics and the Survivors Committee. It still needs to be approved by the survivors and any other creditors.

While its unclear how much each survivor would receive under the proposed agreement, the sum is significantly higher than the $215 million settlement offer USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee put together in February 2020.

Michigan State University, where Nassar worked for decades, agreed in May 2018 to pay $500 million to more than 300 women and girls who said they were abused by Nassar.

There is a two-step voting process for claimants to determine whether to accept the offer. At least half the claimants who vote have to approve the agreement, and the majority needs to represent at least two-thirds of the monetary value of the settlement.

Survivors have been in mediation with USA Gymnastics since the organization filed for bankruptcy in December 2018.

Nassar is serving decades in prison for sexual assault and possession of child pornography in Michigan. Hundreds of athletes have come forward over the last five years saying Nassar abused them under the guise of treatment, including seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles and six-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman.

Votes must be in by November 8, with any written objections to the proposal due by Nov. 19. A confirmation hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8-9.

USA Gymnastics president Li Li Leung expressed optimism during the U.S. Olympic Trials in June that mediation with the survivors would be completed by the end of the year.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AM Best assigned a Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of a- (Excellent) to ASMI Auto Insurance Co., ECMI Auto Insurance Co. and ESMI Auto Insurance Co. The companies are collectively known as the ASMI Auto Group and are domiciled in Northbrook, Illinois.

The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect ASMI Auto Groups balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, very limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

The ratings also reflect the risk management and service agreement support of its ultimate parent, The Allstate Corporation (Allcorp). The ratings do not assume any further capital support from Allcorp or its affiliates to the ASMI Auto Group.

As of June 30, 2021, ASMI Auto Groups risk-adjusted capitalization remains at the very strong level, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). The groups conservative investment allocation and adequate liquidity metrics further support the overall balance sheet assessment.

The very limited business profile of ASMI Auto Group is reflective of its run-off nature, as it was created to house certain inactive Michigan auto policies with active injury claims that represent the majority of Allcorps Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) recoverables. AM Best therefore anticipates that operating performance will be primarily driven by net investment income and will be consistently and modestly profitable.

Risk management for the group is integrated with Allcorp under the corporate-wide ERM framework. The ratings also consider the overall integration that ASMI Auto Group benefits from through various administrative and servicing agreements that are expected to be maintained between the group and Allstate Insurance Co.

Source: AM Best

Topics Auto AM Best
Louisiana residents still reeling from flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Ida scrambled on Sept. 1 for food, gas, water and relief from the sweltering heat as thousands of line workers toiled to restore electricity and officials vowed to set up more sites where people could get free meals and cool off.

There was a glimmer of hope when power company Entergy announced its crews had turned power on for parts of eastern New Orleans, but did not specify how many homes and businesses had lights. Still, power and water outages affected hundreds of thousands of people, many of them with no way to get immediate relief.

I dont have a car. I dont have no choice but to stay, said Charles Harris, 58, as he looked for a place to eat on Aug. 31 in a New Orleans neighborhood where Ida snapped utility poles and brought down power lines.

Harris had no access to a generator and said the heat was starting to wear him down. New Orleans and the rest of the region were under a heat advisory, with forecasters saying the high temperatures and humidity could make it feel like 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius).

New Orleans officials announced seven places around the city where people could get a meal and sit in air conditioning. The city was also using 70 transit buses as cooling sites and was to have drive-thru food, water and ice distribution locations set up on Sept. 1, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. Distribution locations were also being set up in other parts of the state, the governor said.

Ida was the fifth most powerful storm to strike the U.S. when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 150 mph (240 kph). The hurricane likely caused $50 billion or more in total damage, Karen Clark of the risk modeling company Karen Clark and Company told The Associated Press.

Idas Inland Path May Reveal Hidden Risk, Test Mapping Methods of Hurricane Floods

The mayor estimated about half of New Orleans population evacuated before Ida struck. Those remaining worked to slowly restore a sense of order. In parts of the city, flags hung from dangling power lines to help drivers avoid them. In one neighborhood, someone decorated the downed lines with strands of tinsel in an echo of Mardi Gras.

City crews removing debris from roads and cutting up fallen trees had some streets almost completely cleared, while others remained cluttered with obstacles.

A few corner stores were open. Many were taking cash only, though some had working ATM machines. In many areas, National Guard soldiers or law enforcement stood posted at pharmacies and gas stations, where drivers waited in long lines for fuel.

A nighttime curfew in New Orleans took effect Aug. 31 in an effort to prevent crime. Police Chief Shaun Ferguson said there had been some arrests for stealing.

Though some lights were back on Wednesday, a statement from power company Entergy said reconnecting all of New Orleans will still take time given the significant damage to the citys power grid.

The company said it was looking to first restore power to critical infrastructure such as hospitals, nursing homes and first responders.

The number of deaths from the hurricane climbed to at least five in Louisiana and Mississippi when Jefferson Parish authorities confirmed a woman was found dead in her home in the community of Lafitte. Jefferson Parish sheriffs Capt. Jason Rivarde said the woman was found during rescue operations Monday. He gave no further details.

The dead include two people killed Monday night when seven vehicles plunged into a 20-foot-deep (6-meter-deep) hole near Lucedale, Mississippi, where a highway had collapsed after torrential rains. Among them was construction worker Kent Brown, a well-liked 49-year-old father of two, his brother Keith Brown said. Gov. John Bel Edwards said he expects the death toll to rise.

Hopes that the New Orleans airport would reopen Wednesday were short-lived, with airport officials saying in a statement plans to resume limited flights had been pushed back to Thursday. The airport has been closed since the storm hit.

The New Orleans airport, closed since the storm hit, planned to reopen Wednesday for very limited flights, an airport statement said. Only American Airlines had flights scheduled Wednesday, but officials hope for more normal operations later in the week, it said.

Ida caused massive flooding and structural damage in Houma, LaPlace and other communities outside New Orleans.

The barrier island of Grand Isle, which bore Idas full fury, is uninhabitable, with every building damaged, Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng told a news conference. There were also numerous breaks in the levee system and a strong odor of natural gas, she said.

More than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi were left without power when Ida slammed the electric grid, toppling a major transmission tower and knocking out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations.

An estimated 25,000-plus utility workers labored to restore electricity, but officials said it could take weeks.

Kisha Brown, a medical receptionist who rode out the storm with her two daughters at her apartment, was among hundreds of people who turned to one of the sites in New Orleans distributing free meals. She lost power and said her food supply was dwindling. Her other main concern was the heat.

My last resort would probably be to go to the hospital, she said. Theyll let me in if I show my ID.

Other residents relied on generators, raising safety concerns. Paramedics took 12 people  five adults and seven children  from a single home to hospitals Wednesday to be treated for carbon monoxide poisoning, New Orleans Emergency Medical Services said in a statement. Officials pleaded with people to keep generators outdoors and away from open windows.

About 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of the city in the town of LaPlace, Enola Vappie and her sons sat in her carport hoping to catch a breeze as the temperature inside her damaged home creeped up without power to run air conditioning.

Vappie, 78, was one of about 441,000 people statewide without water after flooding and power outages crippled treatment plants. She was thinking about what shell do when it comes back.

I cant wait to have a good bubble bath, she said. I might live in that tub.

Deslatte reported from Thibodaux, Louisiana. Associated Press writers Janet McConnaughey, Rebecca Santana and Stacey Plaisance in New Orleans; Jay Reeves in Houma, Louisiana; Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee; and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana
John Peter Smith Hospital (JPS) in Tarrant County, Texas, will 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, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas reported.

The settlement resolves a whistleblower suit filed in 2018 by JPSs former Director of Compliance Erma Lee, whose complaint asserted that the hospital improperly appended billing modifiers -25, -59, and -XU to hundreds of claims in order to obtain payments to which it was not entitled.

Used properly, these 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.

In her amended complaint, filed in September 2020, Lee alleged that she alerted hospital leadership that JPS had been improperly adding these modifiers to claims between 70 and 95 percent of the time, in essence routinely double billing for certain aspects of patients care. Nevertheless, she claimed, JPS failed to reimburse payors for overpayment stemming from these improperly coded claims.

When company executives ignored this whistleblowers concerns about improper billing, she took them to the court, said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah. We are proud of the citizens who speak out to protect our federal healthcare programs.

The allegations resolved by this settlement were originally filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which permits private persons with evidence of fraud to sue on behalf of the government and to share in any proceeds.

Under the Act, the United States may intervene in such an action or permit the whistleblower to pursue it. Although the United States elected not to intervene in the case, it investigated Lees allegations and worked collaboratively with the relator and her counsel in their pursuit and resolution of this case.

Lee will receive $912,635 as her statutory share of the settlement proceeds.

This matter was handled on behalf of the government by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Robbins on behalf of the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services.

The case is captioned United States ex rel. Lee v. Tarrant County Hospital District, case no. 4:19-CV-00412-P (N.D. Tex.). The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only and do not constitute a determination of liability, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Source: U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas

Topics Lawsuits Texas Claims
Two people were killed and at least 10 others were injured when seven vehicles plunged, one after another, into a deep hole where a dark, rural highway collapsed as Hurricane Ida blew through Mississippi, authorities said Tuesday.

Torrential rain may have caused the collapse Monday night, and the drivers may not have seen that the roadway in front of them had disappeared, Mississippi Highway Patrol Cpl. Cal Robertson said. The George County Sheriffs Department received the first call about a crash at about 10:30 p.m.

Robertson told The Associated Press that some of the vehicles ended up stacked on top of each other as they crashed into the abyss, which opened up in a rural area without street lights. Ida dumped as much as 13 inches (33 centimeters) of rain as it blew through Mississippi, the National Weather Service said.

You can imagine driving at night with heavy rain coming down, Robertson said. Its just nothing but a wall of water, your headlights kind of reflecting back on you.

State troopers, emergency workers and rescue teams responded to Highway 26 west of Lucedale, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of Biloxi, to find both the east and westbound lanes collapsed. Robertson said the hole removed about 50 to 60 feet (15 to 18 meters) of roadway, and is 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) deep.

The vehicles were later lifted out by a crane, leaving some debris at the bottom of the hole. A drone video published by the Biloxi Sun Herald showed how a raised berm beneath the road washed away, leaving a red-clay scar that runs for hundreds of feet, from a cemetery on one side into a wooded area on the other.

It is a slide, which means the ground under the roadway and embankment was super-saturated and we can tell right now thats what caused the slide, Kelly Castleberry, district engineer for the Mississippi Department of Transportation, told the newspaper.

Jerry Lee, 42, of Lucedale, was pronounced dead at 1:20 a.m., George County Coroner DeeAnn Murrah told the Sun Herald. Murrah said she was notifying the family of the other person killed before releasing that persons name.

George County High School said one of its students, a senior, was hospitalized with critical injuries after crashing into the hole. School was closed Tuesday because the collapsed highway created problems for buses and other traffic.

Mississippi southern district Transportation Commissioner Tom King said he didnt know anything unusual about the soil conditions where the highway caved in.

We just got bombarded here in south Mississippi with rain, King told The Associated Press.

King said work crews were checking other highways in areas that received heavy rain from Ida.

Between 3,100 and 5,700 vehicles drive along the stretch of two-lane highway on an average day, according to Mississippi Department of Transportation data.

Its going to take us a while to redo it and make it right again and make it safe for folks to go over, King said of the collapsed roadbed.

Hurricane Ida blasted ashore Sunday as a Category 4 storm, one of the most powerful ever to hit the U.S. mainland. It knocked out power to much of southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi, blowing roofs off buildings and causing widespread flooding as it pushed a surge of ocean water that briefly reversed the flow of the Mississippi River.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Mississippi
Though estimates of Hurricane Idas impact on the insurance industry vary, both AM Best and S&P Global Ratings say losses will be manageable for insurers and that no rating actions are expected as a result of the powerful storm that swept ashore in Southeast Louisiana on Aug. 29.

CoreLogic, a California-based provider of global property information and analytics, estimates that Idas overall economic losses  both insured and uninsured  on residential and commercial properties in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama will be between $27 billion and $40 billion.

CoreLogic estimated insured wind losses for those three states at between $8 billion to $12 billion. Insured residential and commercial property flood losses  for both storm surge and inland flooding  are pegged at $6 billion to $9 billion for the same area. Uninsured flood loss will likely come in at between $8 billion and $12 billion, CoreLogic said.

Of the three states, Louisiana is expected bear the brunt of the losses  more than 90%  primarily in the nine parishes in the New Orleans-Metairie-Hammond metropolitan area, as well as in Ascension, Lafourche, Livingston and Terrebonne parishes, according to CoreLogic.

In a media announcement released Aug. 31, Karen Clark & Co. estimated insured losses in the U.S. from Hurricane Ida will near $18 billion for damage to privately insured residential, commercial and industrial properties and automobiles. Boats, offshore properties and National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) losses are not included in Karen Clark & Co.s initial estimate.

The catastrophe risk modeling firm noted that the Southeastern Louisiana parishes of Terrebonne, Lafourche and Jefferson suffered major wind damage from the Category 4 storm. Multiple commercial buildings including schools and hospitals in the area experienced shattered windows and major damage including complete roof and wall collapse, the firm said in a media release. In addition, while New Orleans improved levee system generally performed well, a small levee near Lafitte overtopped, resulting in extensive inundation, and LaPlace, located near the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, also experienced significant flooding.

Idas Inland Path May Reveal Hidden Risk, Test Mapping Methods of Hurricane Floods

Hurricane Ida made landfall on the Southeast Louisiana coast on Aug. 29 as a swift-moving Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of around 150 mph. Ida hit the state on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrinas landfall as a Category 3 storm in the same geographic region. While Katrinas winds were not as intense as Idas, the slow-moving 2005 hurricane covered a more widespread area and ushered in a much higher storm surge. Katrina was blamed for 1,800 deaths and caused levee breaches and catastrophic flooding in New Orleans.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, Katrina remains the costliest U.S. hurricane on record. The massive 2005 storm caused $65 billion in insured losses when it occurred, an amount that includes losses from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), according to the I.I.I. In 2020 dollars, losses resulting from Katrina totaled $86.6 billion.

AM Best surmised that the commercial lines sector could be significantly affected due to Hurricane Idas path, which veered toward the New Orleans area. Property damage and business interruption losses may contribute more heavily to overall losses than did Hurricane Laura last year, which had a greater impact on personal lines business. Louisiana insurers are already trying to move past a 2020 spike in weather-related losses, with more than 300,000 claims attributable to Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Zeta, AM Best said in its commentary on Hurricane Ida.

The ratings agency also noted that a surge in demand for materials and goods post-Hurricane Ida could increase the level of (re)insured losses meaningfully, especially in light of a 5.4% rise in the U.S. consumer price index from roughly a year ago.

Even so, AM Best said Hurricane Idas total losses are not expected to impact overall capital levels due to the number of regional players in the market who will likely be able to cede off larger losses to the reinsurance sector.

S&P Global Ratings reported on Sept. 1 that the primary causes of damages from Ida would likely result from wind and rain, rather than storm surge. S&P said that among the P/C insurers it rates, direct premiums written are split roughly 60/40 between personal and commercial lines, so the most affected line will be residential property. But commercial property losses will be substantial and could be exacerbated by the widespread extended power outages across much of southeastern Louisiana, including New Orleans.

The ratings firm added it did not expect significant losses in the auto insurance sector because areas identified as most vulnerable to flooding were under mandatory evacuation orders.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has estimated that about half of New Orleans residents evacuated before the storm.

Extended power outages in Louisiana and Mississippi are expected to have a negative impact on claims. Like S&P Global and AM Best, Moodys Investor Service has noted that commercial lines will be particularly affected by power outages as commercial policies typically cover business interruption claims.

The Associated Press reported that more than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi were left without power when Ida slammed the electric grid, toppling a major transmission tower and knocking out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations.

Entergy Corp., the primary electricity provider in Southeast Louisiana said on Sept. 1 that power had been restored to 172,000 out of the nearly 950,000 Entergy customers that were affected by Ida. The company said in the Sept. 1 report on its website that it expected complete restoration in Mississippi that day. In the Greater Baton Rouge area, customers who can safely accept power are expected to be restored by Sept. 8, Entergy said.

Topics Louisiana Profit Loss Market
An accidental gas leak led to last weeks explosion at a Chandler strip mall print shop that left four men with serious burns, federal authorities said.

Gabriel Pinon, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said in a statement that the findings by the ATF National Response Team and investigative partners determined that the explosion was caused by an unintentional natural gas leak ignited by an independent ignition source.

Investigators, who ran into some delays while investigating the cause of an explosion, still have not determined what that ignition source was, however.

Officials with Southwest Gas said in a statement Tuesday that the company is committed to determine the facts behind the unintentional natural gas leak which investigators have cited as a contributing factor to this incident. We are also committed to immediately implementing any operational enhancements resulting from the investigation.

Multiple agencies including the ATF, the Chandler police and fire departments and Southwest Gas probed the explosion scene to determine the cause.

Police said no foul play was found after a fuel-air mixture explosion occurred at the Platinum Printing building around 9:30 a.m. last Thursday.

Four men suffered second-degree burns to their hands, arms and legs, including two brothers who own the print shop  29-year-old Dillion Ryan and 39-year-old Andrew Ryan.

Police said 29-year-old Parker Milldebrandt was inside the print shop at the time of the explosion and also was injured along with 58-year-old Glenn Jordan, who was inside the Eyeglass Repair business to the west of the print shop.

Dr. Kevin Foster, director of the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health in Phoenix, said all four victims will need surgery and extended hospital stays but are expected to recover despite burns on up to 30% of their bodies.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Fraud Arizona
A magnitude 4.7 hit in a remote area of northeast Nevada, where officials said they had no immediate reports of damage or injuries, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed.

The USGS said temblor struck about 10:20 a.m. about 46 miles east of Elko, where a sheriffs office dispatcher said she had no calls or reports of an earthquake.

In Wells, about 13 miles north of the Clover Valley epicenter, town employee Jessica Solis-Morgan said she felt a rumble and a shake like a train rolling past on nearby tracks, and then realized it wasnt a train.

Solis-Morgan recalled a 6-magnitude earthquake in February 2008 that damaged hundreds of structures in Wells, including the historic El Rancho Hotel and Casino.

In Spring Creek, homeowners association President Jessie Bahr told the Elko Daily Free Press she felt the association building shake.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Earthquake Nevada
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Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020
Here is a selection of people starting new roles with ElectroRoute, An Post, Bank of Ireland, Folk Wunderman Thompson, EY and Johnson Hana.

Donal Flynn has been appointed as managing director of finance and operations with Irish energy trading and services firm ElectroRoute. He will take up the role in December. He joins from Glen Dimplex, where he served as group CFO for five years. Prior to that was executive director for group finance at ESB for a further six years. Donal was also previously CFO at Airtricity (now SSE Airtricity). This appointment marks a professional reunion with several of the senior management team of ElectroRoute, who worked together to contribute to the growth of that company before setting up ElectroRoute in 2011. ElectroRoute co-founder and current CFO, Bernie Fitzpatrick, will now move to business development director, focused on growth into the Japanese market.

Carol Bolger has been named as chairperson of the board of An Post for a five-year period. She is a chartered director, an assessor with the Institute of Directors board evaluation service and a tutor on the chartered director programme. She was appointed to the board of An Post in 2017. She is a non-executive director on the board of BCMGlobal ASI, chair of Utexam Solutions and chair of the audit committee of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine. She has broad banking experience in COO and director roles with Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank. She is a certified bank director and holds qualifications in finance and strategy and innovation. She is an also an executive coach and a fellow of the Institute of Banking.

John OBeirne has been appointed as director of business banking with Bank of Ireland. He moves into his new role following four years as the bank's director of products and digital banking, where he led a portfolio of key business units including mortgages, savings and deposits, loans and credit cards. He returned home to work for Bank of Ireland in 2007, having previously worked for Bank of Ireland while based in London from 2003. He has held a range of senior roles at the bank including director of European real estate, head of credit risk, and head of mortgages. John will now focus on growing Bank of Irelands business lending operations, leading the end to end business banking customer experience.

Read More Employers preparing responses to staff's remote work requests

Eimear Fitzmaurice has been appointed as head of planning in Dublin with global marketing agency Folk Wunderman Thompson, whose headquarters is in New York. She joined Folk in 2019, and has driven the strategic direction of clients including Vodafone, An Post and Brennans Bread. She also played a key role in the team working on An Posts Address Point, winner of Folk's first Cannes Lions award. Eimear's appointment follows a number of other appointments in planning and strategy over the last 18 months, with Kim Comiskey joining Folk as a senior strategist in March 2020 from Jump! Innovation; Tara Finnegan also joined as a strategic planning director from Rothco, part of Accenture Interactive, where she led the planning for Failte Ireland, AIB and Bord Bia.

Colin Ryan has been appointed as EY's Ireland Financial Services (FS) country leader. He succeeds Eoin MacManus, who is now leader of EYs Global NextWave Simplification strategic initiative. Colin will oversee financial services, an integral part of the firms EMEIA financial services organisation. He is currently consulting leader for EY Ireland FS, and has worked in technology and public sector clients for more than 20 years. Colin joined EY in 2015 to lead the Ireland FS Performance Improvement (PI) business. Under Colins leadership, the practice has doubled in size, winning and delivering several high-profile tech-enabled engagements and significant cross-functional, cross-border regulatory and compliance driven programmes for clients including PTSB, AIB and Bank of Ireland. EY Ireland Financial Services employs more than 700 people, including 30 partners.

Barry Quinn has been appointed as a senior advisor with outsourced legal services provider Johnson Hana. He will work alongside the firm's executive team, delivering on-demand lawyer and managed legal services including technology solutions, project management services and skilled legal teams for assignments. He was previously senior vice-president with Axiom, a specialist in on-demand legal talent provision. He has also worked in a variety of roles with SEI, the wealth and investment management solutions providers. He brings an in-depth understanding of on-demand legal talent, deployment of legal technology, and management of service provider-client relationships. Other recent appointments include Sinead Garnett, director of legal operations and solutions; Alan Dalton, commercial director; and Jason Nagle, strategic advisor. The company's clients include Bank of Ireland, ESB, Twitter, Airbnb, and Tesco.
Irish Ferries is facing having to pay compensation to thousands of passengers whose trips were cancelled on sailings between Ireland and France in the summer of 2018 following a ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU.

The Luxembourg-based court ruled on Thursday that the EU regulations governing compensation payable to sea passengers affected by cancelled sailings applied to the Irish Ferries situation.

The CJEU rejected the claim by Irish Ferries that the regulations imposed considerable financial burdens on the company which were entirely disproportionate.

The court also clarified that the regulations meant Irish Ferries should pay any additional costs incurred by passengers who availed of re-routing options.

The case arose out of a legal row between Irish Ferries and the National Transport Authority over passenger rights in the event of the cancellation of sailings which was referred to the CJEU by the High Court in Dublin on foot of an application by the ferry company.

Read More Setback for Irish Ferries in bid to avoid compensating 20,000 passengers hit by cancelled sailings

Irish Ferries was forced to cancel its 2018 summer sailings between Dublin and Cherbourg due to the delay in the delivery of a new 144m vessel, the W B Yeats, from a Germany shipyard.

All sailings on the route were cancelled in two tranches after delivery of the W B Yeats, which was scheduled for May/June 2018, ultimately did not take place until December 12, 2018  200 days behind its original due date.

The company was unable to charter a replacement vessel and had to offer and arrange alternative sailings on its other ship, the Oscar Wilde, between Ireland and France or re-routing via Britain.

Irish Ferries claimed a decision by the NTA in January 2019 requiring it to pay compensation to many of the 20,000-plus passengers who had to change their travel plans was invalid, irrational, disproportionate and in breach of its rights under the Constitution and EU law.

It claimed EU regulations on sea passenger rights did not require compensation to be paid when cancellations were announced at least seven weeks before the scheduled sailings and only applied to passengers affected by imminent sailing who are at or travelling to a port.

The CJEU rejected the claim by Irish Ferries that the delayed delivery of the W B Yeats constituted extraordinary circumstances which removed its obligation to pay compensation to affected customers.

The court stated that passengers were also not required to submit a compensation claim in the form of a complaint within two months from the cancelled sailing to avail of their sea passenger rights.

The company had argued that not all passengers who were re-routed via Rosslare or Roscoff incurred extra costs as some would have been closer to those ports than Dublin or Cherbourg.

In January 2019, the NTA declared that Irish Ferries had failed to comply with its obligations to reimburse any additional costs incurred by re-routed passengers.

It directed the company to pay compensation to passengers impacted by the cancellations who had to travel from either Rosslare or Roscoff instead of Dublin or Cherbourg and faced delays to their original travel plans as a result of the re-routing.

The NTA also required Irish Ferries to pay compensation to impacted passengers who had requested compensation.

Figures show 82% of passengers took up the option of alternative sailings between Ireland and France with 3% using the landbridge option via Britain, while 15% opted for a full reimbursement.

All passengers were also offered a 150 voucher for sailings with Irish Ferries in 2019.
The case against a 61-year-old man charged with having thousands of images of child sexual abuse in Cork city more than three years ago has been put back to January of next year.

Garda Neil Walsh originally charged William Sweetnam with an address at an apartment on Grand Parade, Cork, with two counts related to the possession of images of child sexual abuse.
A 76-year-old Cork man who met an American woman through Facebook went on to let his bank accounts be used for money-laundering where more than 120,000 was sent through fraudulent means from Sweden and France.

James ORourke of Rosebrien, Newlands Field, Graball Bay, Crosshaven, County Cork, pleaded guilty to two counts of money-laundering arising out of this investigation.

Detective Garda James OReilly testified at Cork Circuit Criminal Court that the 76-year-old man had no previous convictions and signed pleas of guilty to these matters at an early stage.

The sums of money lodged in his accounts consisted of 52,000 sent from Sweden to the defendants Bank of Ireland account in April 2020. Around this time two sums were sent from France to his Allied Irish Bank account, namely sums of just over 29,000 and 40,000.

Gardai were alerted by the two banks and the defendant was questioned by gardai. Mr ORourke said he was in full control of the two accounts in Cork.

On investigation it transpired that the 52,000 came from a company in Sweden and the other sums came from a company in France. Det. Garda OReilly said both companies had been victims of email re-direct fraud, and complaints were made to the police authorities in those countries.

All of the money from Sweden was sent on to a Lithuanian bank account very soon after it landed in the defendants account in Cork.

In terms of any benefit he derived from the monies lodged in his accounts, Judge Sean O Donnabhain was told that James ORourke had withdrawn 1,570 from the monies sent from France.

Defence barrister Brian Leahy said the defendant was fully co-operative during interview.

He got involved in this scam via Facebook. He invested 2,000 in a programme to feed homeless people in Nigeria having been told he would treble his investment and get 6,000 back. He did this to supplement a meagre pension.

He would not be hugely savvy with the internet and he was sucked into a Facebook friendship and believed there was easy money to be made, the barrister said.

The judge remarked:

That would be alright for a 15-year-old to say something like that but your lad is 75 years old.

Mr Leahy said someone could get caught up in something like this for a variety of reasons. Judge O Donnabhain said greed would be one reason.

Referring to the 1,500 benefit which the defendant derived from the money-laundering, the judge said ORourke would have to attend to that before sentencing in one weeks time.
Joshua Allen, the eldest son of well-known chef Rachel Allen, is appealing a two-month prison sentence he has received following his conviction for minor drug possession.

Mr Allen (21) of Ballynamona in Shanagary, Co. Cork, is on bail pending the appeal which followed his conviction for possession of 280 of cocaine in East Cork.

He had pleaded not guilty to a charge that on July 10, 2020 at the Pontoon, Midleton, Co Cork he had unlawfully in his possession a controlled drug, namely cocaine contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act.

At a sentencing hearing in Midleton District Court today, Judge Alex Gabbett said that Mr Allen had been released from Cork Prison in May 2020 in relation to a previous offence and within five weeks the possession case arose.

He said that the seriousness of the matter was compounded by the fact that Allen has failed to accept responsibility for possession of drugs at the Pontoon. He stated that the Probation Report also indicated that Mr Allen was at a high risk of reoffending.

"Making huge strides"

Don Ryan, solicitor for the defence, said that his client was making huge strides in his life - particularly over the last number of months. He told the court that Allen was training five days a week in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as well as completing two days a week of farmwork.

He has also set up his own stone carving business after finding that he has a flair for such craftsmanship. Mr Ryan said that Allen had cut ties with anyone involved in drink and drugs.

He has cut all of that out of his life. He couldnt be doing what he is doing if that was in his life. He is doing well. He has made huge efforts. He is following up with Cuan Mhuire (Addiction) aftercare by Zoom on Saturdays.

Mr Ryan emphasised that the Covid situation was very alive when Mr Allen was released from prison and that the normal follow-up with the Probation Service wasnt available. However, a representative of the Probation Service refuted this suggestion saying over-the-phone supports were available at that time.

Mr Allen is now engaging in counselling. Mr Ryan said that Allen was channelling all his energy into martial arts and stone carving.

He has done a lot over the last six to nine months. He is getting orders (for his stone carving.)"

Joshua Allen arriving with his father Isaac at Midleton District Court, Co. Cork, today.

Judge Gabbett said that Mr Allen put himself in a position of being caught with drugs when he was out on a licence with a year to serve. He said that this wasnt wise and that the Probation Service indicated that Allen had a difficulty with conforming to rules and testing boundaries.

Looking at the stone carving portfolio put together by Allen, Judge Gabbett said that he undoubtedly had a flair for the work.

It is the first time in his life that he has put himself to some degree of productivity. Unfortunately for him he finished education at 15.

"He has made certain strides. But I dont accept that probation services werent available. He has an enormous amount of support. After Judge Gabbett sentenced Mr Allen to two months in prison Mr Ryan entered an appeal and the young man was released on bail on his own bond of 400.

Previous suspended sentence

Meanwhile, the conviction is a triggering offence in respect of an outstanding suspended sentence over a previous drugs matter.

Mr Allens case will now be listed for September 7 next at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. The court will rule on a 15-month suspended sentence which Allen faces from a previous and separate 2019 cannabis conviction.

Mr Allen has six previous convictions for drugs-related offences all arising from a single incident two years ago. Mr Allen had received a 15-month custodial sentence with 15 months suspended at Circuit Court level in 2020 after he pleaded guilty to possession of over 22,000 worth of cannabis for sale and supply.

Details of today's case

The case for which Mr Allen received a two-month sentence for today involved an incident at about 11.25pm on July 10, 2020, in Midleton. He had entered a not guilty plea in relation to this offence and still maintains his innocence.

Det. Garda Kieran Crowley previously told the court that a complaint was made about noise at the Pontoon. He was in a patrol car and went to investigate with other gardai.

He found about 40 young people gathered at the Pontoon. He saw a man who was standing with two females. As he approached the young man, who he identified as Allen, walked away and discarded a plastic item in long grass.

Mr Ryan maintained that because of the poor lighting his client was wrongfully identified as having drugs in his possession.

Judge Gabbett said that Det. Garda Crowley was a "very experienced garda" who "saw what he saw." He convicted Mr Allen of the drugs possession following a lengthy hearing earlier this year.
An Afghan teenager has returned to Limerick with his mother after making a dramatic escape from Kabul Airport.

Fazlahamd Saay, 16, and his mum Najiba landed in Dublin Airport before being driven back to Limerick. Fazlahamd described how at Kabul Airport families and young children were also desperately trying to flee Afghanistan.

"It was hard to see. There were a lot of people who had children who were trying to get out. I felt really sad for them," Fazlahmad said.

The teenager had travelled with his mum on August 4 to visit family in Afghanistan, which last month has been taken over by Taliban forces. It was the first time since they arrived in Limerick two-and-a-half years ago that they were able to visit home, due to the restrictions on travel as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But just 10 days after their arrival, Taliban forces began to take over the country, as Britain and America withdrew troops. This led the pair to face a battle to escape their homeland, while Fazlahamd's father, Salim, a lecturer at the University of Limerick (UL) watched on helplessly from the family home at St Lawrence Park in the city.

(Left to right) Salim, Nasim, Hasina, Tunaj, Fazlahamd, Najiba and Enaj Saag at home in Limerick. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

The dramatic return to Ireland took place late last week.

"For the last two-and-a-half years we have been here. My wife Najiba wanted to meet her sisters again. For her and my child, it was their first trip. She was waiting for the second vaccine. So when she received it, we were able to arrange the trip," he said.

Mr Saay admitted he thought the Taliban takeover was coming, but he did not expect it to happen so quickly. Fazlahamd and his mother tried to return from Afghanistan on August 14, but were unable to do so, with the capital Kabul falling just days later.

They were then faced with switching houses between different relatives and friends on a regular basis, as the Taliban searched homes.

Following lobbying from UL president Professor Kerstin Mey and assistance from the Irish government, including Limerick TD Niall Collins, the mother and son headed to Kabul Airport once again.

Fazlahamd, a student at Sexton Street CBS, recalled how they left their family home in Afghanistan for the three-hour journey, taking backstreets in order to avoid security checkpoints. When they eventually reached Kabul Airport, they had another agonising 12-hour wait until they were able to get on a flight.

"It took a while to find a soldier. In the crowds, we were walking through to gates, but they were crowded. Eventually, we found an American soldier, and showed our passports and Irish immigration cards. When he saw these, he got us on the flight," the teenager said.

In order to get back to Ireland, the family flew via Georgia, Finland and the Netherlands, before landing in Dublin at 2.30am last Friday morning before being driven back to Limerick. Salim still has family in Afghanistan and is concerned for their welfare, having lost communication with them.

"We don't know if they are safe or not. We are very worried. It's very hard," he added.

To see the land he grew up in being taken over by these forces is also very tough for Salim.

"I'm 40 years old. I worked in Afghanistan, I grew up in Afghanistan and spent 15 years teaching there. We were full of hope.

"It's so hard to see after 20 years, everything being demolished. People were the hope of Afghanistan and now they are leaving the country. Sometimes I don't want to look at the news, because it's just so hard," he added.

Salim praised the welcome he and his family have received in Ireland, having also lived in Estonia, South Africa, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Finland in his time. "This is a nice country," he said, "the culture suits me."

Sadly, he never feels he can return to his homeland.

"There's no hope any more in Afghanistan. We know there has been a big change.

The Taliban, you know, when they see nice things, they just destroy them. They've destroyed roads, schools, different things.

Asked if he has any resentment towards the British and American governments for pulling troops from the territory, he said: "I think it was a big opportunity for Britain and the USA to have land in the country.

"It borders China, Iran and Russia. It was an opportunity for the countries to have political influence in the area."

Fazlahamd and Najiba Saag after escaping from Kabul talking to Niall Collins TD with Cllr Azad Talukder and Salim, Nasim, Hasina, Tunaj and Enaj Saag at their home in Limerick. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Minister of State for Higher Education Niall Collins said: "Every county in Ireland has an obligation to its citizens - and people who live here - to protect them and safeguard them so it was a big humanitarian undertaking for government given the size of us as a state and given the resources we have available to us.

"The government had to use a lot of our contacts and goodwill from other countries like France, Germany and the UK in terms of partnering up and helping them with the evacuation."

"Part of what I was concerned about was that the narrative was to do with Irish citizens, which is fine. But there are also people like Salim who live here and have a right of residency here and they would have been lost in the narrative."
ON July 10, Abraham Sokhaya Nkomo died of Covid-19 in Pretoria, South Africa.

Abe Nkomo, as he was popularly known, was a giant of South African public life: A physician, an anti-apartheid organiser, a member of parliament, a diplomat, and a long-time public health activist.

He received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on June 9. On June 24, his family noticed he had developed flu-like symptoms, and moved him to a hospital after he tested positive for Covid.

At first, he seemed to be beating the infection. Soon, however, his oxygen levels dropped and he needed a ventilator. He was then shifted into ICU, where his condition declined rapidly.

In the weeks leading up to his death, thousands of kilometres away, his youngest son, Marumo Nkomo, a councillor at the South African Mission in Geneva, was in frenzied talks at the World Trade Organisation. As the trade representative for his country, Nkomo and his boss  the head of the mission, Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter  were pushing the WTO to endorse a global waiver of pharmaceutical monopolies so that poor countries around the world could produce the vaccines they need. (Less than 3% of the African continent has been vaccinated to date, because rich countries have bought up and hoarded nearly the entire global supply).

As his fathers condition deteriorated, Nkomo made the decision to fly home. Ten minutes after his plane touched down in Johannesburg, his brother called to tell him their father had died.

The story of the Nkomos lays bare the cruelty of this moment. As the richest countries on Earth (and the corporations domiciled within them) lock horns with some of the poorest, the ensuing standoff is taking an intensely personal toll.

Dr Abe Nkomo was a slight man who was a giant in the hearts of people living with HIV, Zackie Achmat, the legendary South African activist, told us.

Achmat, who founded the Treatment Action Campaign and ignited a global movement against pharmaceutical monopolies on Aids medicines in the early 2000s, said that when Dr Nkomo ran the South African parliaments health committee he had offered crucial support.

He fought for our access to medicines and championed legislative changes in the late 1990s that gave us the right to live. He fought against pharmaceutical industry profiteering. He understood the emergency we were in.

Dr Nkomo was in good health and remained active until the very end of his life. He navigated the pandemic cautiously, avoiding large events, except once, when he travelled to Johannesburg for the funeral of his brother, who also died from Covid-19.

Had he lived in the UK, the US, or Germany, Nkomo, who was 80, could have been fully vaccinated by January. Had he lived in India, he could have been vaccinated by March, in time for the onslaught of the Delta variant.

Instead, because he lived in South Africa, he received his first dose in June  and did not live to get his second.

Every time I open my Facebook page, I learn that at least three or four people I know have died of Covid, Achmat said. It pains me that Dr Abe Nkomo, who did so much for public health in this country, did not get his vaccine in time.

When South Africa and India proposed a waiver of pharmaceutical monopolies at the WTO in October 2020, it was to avoid exactly the situation were now in. Vaccines are in short supply owing to corporate monopolies that restrict who can make them, while existing supplies have been largely bought up by rich countries.

The resulting global shortage is leading to deaths in poor countries that were wholly avoidable. Every rich country was initially against the waiver when it was first proposed, including the US government, then led by the Trump administration.

Never mind that a majority of the worlds population wanted the waiver; as long as rich countries opposed it, the WTO  which works on a consensus model in which every member country must agree for a proposal to move forward  could not even begin discussing it. Never mind, too, that vaccinating more people everywhere is also good for people in rich countries. The less virus circulating, the lower its chances to mutate or evolve.

In May this year, the US government changed course and announced its support for a waiver, effectively giving the proposal a chance to live. It was a welcome move, but the euphoria was fleeting. The UK has continued to object, as has Switzerland and the EU, where Germanys opposition has been particularly loud. The opposition to our proposal is mainly ideological, Mlumbi-Peter told us.

When her office put forward the proposal in October last year, she was working with Mustaqeem de Gama, the former South African trade representative who Marumo Nkomo replaced this year. But what we had in mind was to save peoples lives. If we were ideological, we would not be negotiating. We are prepared to compromise, but not to the extent that we end up with something that is meaningless. Our goal is to unlock global production.

Unlocking global production has taken on a new urgency. Until recently, one theory was that western pharmaceutical companies would be done supplying rich countries soon, and could then concentrate on poor countries in the coming year. That theory imploded when rich countries authorised booster shots for some of their populations in the last few weeks, effectively delaying a first dose for the majority of the world in order to administer a third to a minority who are already vaccinated.

This week, the WTO will reopen for business after its customary summer holiday. Discussions on the waiver of pharmaceutical monopolies will begin immediately. Mlumbi-Peter is clear about what needs to happen.

She wants the WTO to urgently formulate a response appropriate for the emergency we are in. There has been no real engagement, she says. We need an actual text-based negotiation. We need a clear political message from the US saying they want to see an outcome; we dont see the EU moving without the US. That would help us create a credible WTO response to Covid-19.

As things stand, the burden of lifting global monopolies on coronavirus vaccines rests largely on Mlumbi-Peter and Marumo Nkomos shoulders. They have worked through devastating personal losses and professional hostility with an unflappable persistence.

When, and if, they win, it will be too late to save the loved ones they have already lost in the pandemic.

But it will still be in time for the rest of the unvaccinated world.

Achal Prabhala is co-

ordinator of the AccessIBSA

project, which campaigns for access to medicines in India, Brazil, and South Africa.

Chelsea Clinton is an

adjunct associate professor at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health and

the vice chair of the Clinton Foundation in New York City

Guardian
A super tasty Kinsale harbour heritage home, renovated by entrepreneur Colum Sully OSullivan who made some of his money from the Cully & Sully brand, could be Munsters fastest takeaway multimillion-euro property.

The worldclass job done on the Georgian Raffeen House will put it right to the top of the wishlist of the very wealthy who are on the hunt for a waterfront Irish property and may be unperturbed by its 4.9m launch price.

The understated, luxury Kinsale period home, with adjoining lofted boathouse at Scilly, looking south over the harbour and Kinsale marina, has water frontage, a floating pontoon and very unusually even owns a section of the harbour and the water which laps over it.

Undoubtedly, its one of Kinsales very best houses thanks to its exceptional position in a town not short of superlative properties, and record-topping sale prices to match its St Tropez-like lifestyle and seafaring comparisons.

It joins 14 other 1m+ Kinsale properties currently up for sale, with a handful of them in the 3m to 6m price bracket, but it may leapfrog over most of those to sell in jig-time, and maybe for over 5m into the bargain?

Oceanbreeze in Kinsale, which has a 5m price tag

Raffeen House is listed internationally with joint agents Ron Krueger of Engel & Voelkers, and Marcus Magnier of Colliers who between them netted 5.5m this time last year for West Corks Horse island, which was sold practically sight unseen to an Asian buyer at the global pandemics height.

It joins the exalted price company of the likes of Ballinacurra House, at 6.35m; Oceanbreeze at 5m, a property called Constantia Farm launched earlier at 5m but appears to be off-market now; and Walton Court at Oysterhaven, guided at 4.5m in two lots, with the main house and courtyard sale agreed at c 2.5m.

Raffeen House was bought by Cully & Sully food company co-founder Colum OSullivan in 2013 for 1.5 million in an off-market deal from a family who had links to it for over 100 years. He purchased the property after selling Cully & Sully to US-based organic food giant Hain Celestial in 2012 for an undisclosed multi-million euro sum.

'Sully, his wife UCD law lecturer Joanne Blennerhasset, and their children Chloe and James moved in after a year-long restoration which added 21st-century comforts to Georgian grace and good taste. And added value.

It got a painstaking conservation job carried out under expert architectural guidance, and has five bedrooms, 3,500sq ft, and a half-acre, plus planning is granted to convert the upper floor of the stone and slate-topped lofted boathouse to a glass-fronted loft apartment almost hanging over the water.

The couple say they are looking for another project, aiming to stay in the Kinsale area where theyve made huge use of the propertys water frontage, with a small family fleet of kayaks, a RIB, a single scull and a Rankin dinghy. Its next owners are likely to have bigger boats.
The authoritarian leader of Belarus said that the country will soon receive a large batch of Russian weapons, including dozens of combat jets, helicopters and top-of-the-line air defence missile systems.

President Alexander Lukashenko announced the expected acquisition as Russia and Belarus prepare to conduct joint war games starting next week that are set to involve about 200,000 troops.

The announcement highlights Moscows growing support for Mr Lukashenko, whose election to a sixth term in August 2020 triggered months of protests and allegations of a rigged vote from the Belarusian opposition and the West.

Russia has staunchly backed the longtime president as his government faced a series of bruising sanctions from the United States and the European Union.

The sanctions were imposed in response to a brutal crackdown on the post-election protests, including the arrests of more than 35,000 people and police beating thousands of demonstrators.

Seeking to secure Moscows support, Mr Lukashenko has cast the sanctions as part of an alleged plot by the West to oust him and undermine Russia.

He has described this months upcoming military exercises as part of joint efforts to counter Western pressure.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (Andrei Stasevich/AP)

We effectively have a single army, with the Belarusian military forming its backbone in the western direction, Mr Lukashenko said.

If, God forbid, a war starts, the Belarusian army will be the first to engage in the fight, and the western group of Russias armed forces will join quickly after to form a joint defence.

Moscow has granted Belarus a new 1.5 billion US dollars loan and criticised Western restrictions.

Mr Lukashenko said that Russia also will shortly provide Belarus with dozens of warplanes and helicopters and air defence weapons, possibly including the state-of-the-art S-400 missile system.

We even could get the S-400s.

We badly need them, he said.

The two ex-Soviet neighbours have a union agreement that envisages close political, economic and military ties.

In the past, Mr Lukashenko often accused Moscow of forging plots to force Belarus abandon its independence, but he has dropped such rhetoric after his crackdown on protest made him a pariah in the West and forced him to rely squarely on the Kremlins support.

Mr Lukashenko said that he would discuss a package of agreements intended to bolster Russia-Belarus integration during a visit to Russia next week, but he emphasised that it would not erode Belarus independence.

There is no talk about the loss of sovereignty, he said.

But despite his assurances, the planned manoeuvres and Mr Lukashenkos efforts to forge closer ties with Russia have fuelled concerns of the Belarusian opposition that the president might sacrifice the countrys independence in exchange for Moscows support.

Lukashenko is getting drawn into a military confrontation with the West and is trading in sovereignty, but his legitimacy is dubious and we wont recognise any documents or treaties that would give up or limit Belarus sovereignty, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger in the August 2020 election, said in a telephone interview.

Any agreements with Russia that would deprive us of an independent future will be reviewed.
Burma German Food Giant Metro Ends Operations in Myanmar

Feature: A Metro cold storage truck delivers food items. / Metro

German wholesale food distribution company Metro is ending its operations in Myanmar due to the volatile business environment. Metro is the latest international company to leave the country following the militarys February 1 coup.

The company currently employs 131 people in Myanmar. It announced on Wednesday that it will terminate its operations by October.

Metro officially launched in Myanmar in March 2019. It has a 5,900-m2 warehouse situated in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone outside Yangon. It offers one-stop food service distribution for hotels, restaurants, catering firms, independent small retailers and offices entirely through e-commerce and delivery systems.

The wholesaler said that the reason for discontinuing its business in Myanmar is due to the volatile investment and business environment, which is expected to continue for some time.

We made this decision with regret because we started in 2019 with positive expectations in this interesting market and were able to quickly build a stable customer base, Kubilay Ozerkan, Operating Partner for Metro businesses in Asia, said in a press release issued Wednesday.

Unfortunately, the significant changes in business conditions in Myanmar give us no other option than to cease the business.

15 foreign companies have suspended or stopped their operations in Myanmar since the coup. Prior to the military takeover, a majority of foreign businesses were planning to maintain or increase their operations and investments in the country.

Last month, US pretzel company Auntie Annes and the Taiwan bubble tea franchise KOI The also left Myanmar. The Norwegian telecommunications group Telenor announced on July 8 that it had agreed to sell its Myanmar operation.

Metro operates in 34 countries worldwide. The company generated annual sales of 7 million in Myanmar in 2019-2020.



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Burma High-Profile Monk Accompanies Myanmar Junta Deputy Chief on Russia Trip

Military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and his wife Daw Kyu Kyu Hla are seen with Sitagu Sayadaw after making a donation to the Sitagu International Buddhist Academy in 2019. / MNA

One of Myanmar regime leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaings favorite Buddhist monks, Sitagu Sayadaw, is accompanying the juntas No. 2 man on his current trip to Russia, seemingly providing further confirmation of the popular opinion that he is close to the junta leaders.

Regime spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun confirmed that the monk is traveling with Vice Senior General Soe Win, who is now in Moscow to attend the closing ceremony of the International Army Games-2021. They both left for Russia on Wednesday.

The reason behind the monks Moscow mission is not known yet. His sudden trip to Moscow at this time is quite unusual for a Buddhist monk, because the clerics are not supposed to travel until next month, after Lent is over.

The spokesperson told The Irrawaddy that the 84-year-old monk is now staying at the Myanma Theravada Buddha Vihara Monastery in Moscow, to which Min Aung Hlaing and his wife, among others, are donors.

Once highly venerated by many Buddhists in Myanmar for his outspokenness against dictatorship, the monk, who is also known as Ashin Nyanissara, has fallen into disgrace in the eyes of his former followers since the February coup due to his near total silence on Min Aung Hlaings deadly crackdowns on regime opponents.

While many young Buddhist monks were taking to the streets nearly every day against the regime, Sitagu Sayadaw never failed to receive Min Aung Hlaing and his wife at his monastery at Sagaing Hill. When Min Aung Hlaing took blessings from Myanmars senior monks for his construction of the worlds largest Buddha statue in Naypyitaw in March, Sitagu Sayadaw was there. At the time, nearly five dozen protesters were gunned down by the regimes troops across the country.

Long before Min Aung Hlaing came to power, the monk publicly said he wished then President U Thein Sein would be re-elected when the quasi-civilian government led by former generals was in power from 2011 to early 2016.

Since that time, he has been seen by some as sitting on the fence.



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Myanmar Junta Grows Bananas to Boost Food Security
Burma Myanmar Junta Grows Bananas to Boost Food Security

A banana plantation in Myanmar. / GNLM

Myanmars military is growing bananas at its barracks, including its regional headquarters, said regime spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun.

The entire Tatmadaw [military] has started to grow tissue-culture bananas. The cultivar we are growing is different from those being grown by China [in Myanmar]. We grow phee gyan, he said.

The Tatmadaws lab and research unit researched growing phee gyan bananas with the tissue-culture method. It was successful, and we can now grow tens of thousands of saplings of the same size, he added.

The banana project followed coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaings instruction in June.

The Tatmadaw is cultivating tissue-cultured bananas of the phee gyan and Thihmway varieties, which are nutritious and beneficial for health, and will distribute the saplings at reasonable prices to ministries to grow bananas in states, regions, districts and townships. Doing so will be of great benefits for the country, he told management committee members of the State Administration Council (SAC), the regimes governing body.

He said banana saplings would be sold at low prices to the public for food security. The Defence Ministry says it will sell the public saplings for 400 kyats (24 US cents).

According to an unverified letter that leaked on social media, electricity offices across the country were asked by the chief engineer of the Naypyitaw Electricity Supply Enterprise (NESE) to report the number of banana plants and the amount of land available to the Naypyitaw headquarters by Sept. 1. The letter said the ministry was following SAC instructions.

The Irrawaddy was unable to reach the NESE but an official at the Ministry of Electricity and Energy in Naypyitaw said no instruction had been received.

The banana plantation project reminds many of a failed project to grow castor oil trees under the previous military regime of dictator Than Shwe.

The then regime ordered that castor oil trees be grown across the country, including in schools, to produce biofuel for energy security. The scheme failed to produce biofuel and wasted time and money.

The planned banana project contradicts plans to create a market economy and will fail, said an economist, who did not want to be named.

A governments role in a market economy is to encourage businesses and create an environment in which firms can operate freely and to fulfill other requirements. The senior general should have offered support to develop the private sector. If the government sells products itself, it wont be successful. It will only increase corruption, he said.

Chinese-owned farms grow tissue-culture (thee hmwe) bananas in Kachin and northern Shan states. Though the farms create jobs and contribute to the economy, residents have complained about the excessive use of pesticides and environmental damage.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Troops Burn Donated Food for IDPs

Smoke from Wun Chone village in Pauk Township, Magwe Region, on Thursday morning. / Pauk Hittai

Myanmar junta troops burned donations of rice, other food and tarpaulins intended for more than 2,000 internally displaced people from Kin Ma village in Magwe Region, which was burned down by regime forces, and have planted landmines in the area.

In mid-June, almost the entire 240-house village in southern Pauk Township was burned down by junta troops after they suffered heavy casualties during a firefight with civilian resistance fighters near the village.

On Tuesday morning, more than 130 junta soldiers used artillery and raided Kin Ma. More than 2,000 villagers fled to forests.

Before leaving the village monastery on Wednesday morning, junta troops burned the monasterys possessions and 34 rice bags, other food and tarpaulins donated for the homeless villagers, according to residents.

The troops also destroyed two bags of rice with battery acid.

Kin Ma villagers said an unidentified, charred body was found under a burned motorbike near the monastery.

Villagers said the body is believed to be one of two residents who was seized by troops while heading to Kin Ma.

Two landmines, allegedly laid by regime soldiers, were found in the village. Villagers fear returning because they suspect more explosives will be hidden, a young Kin Ma villager told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.

The juntas atrocities are unacceptable. We will be pleased when the whole dictatorship disappears, a villager said.

On Thursday morning, around 60 junta troops deployed at Wun Chone villages monastery near Kin Ma on Tuesday burned fleeing villagers possessions, according to residents.

Last week, hundreds of junta troops in two detachments raided around 30 villages and scoured forests for civilian resistance fighters in southern Pauk Township while heading to Wun Chone and Kin Ma.

More than 30,000 villagers fled into forests to avoid the raids. Around 11 junta troops were killed by resistance landmines on August 27 and 29, according to the Peoples Defense Forces in Pauk.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Under Pressure to Pardon Ultra Nationalist Monk U Wirathu

U Wirathu at an anti-constitutional amendment rally on May 5, 2019 in Yangon / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars military regime is under pressure to pardon and release ultra nationalist monk U Wirathu, who is facing a sedition charge for inciting disaffection with the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) government in May 2019.

The controversial monk is charged with sedition under Section 124(a) of the Penal Code. However, because the sedition charge was filed by the former government, rather than an individual, it cannot be summarily dismissed, a source close to the regime told The Irrawaddy.

A number of notorious nationalists who faced the same charge were released by the regime within two months of the February 1 coup. They include U Hla Swe, a former lieutenant colonel and member of the militarys proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party, U Htay Aung and Michael Kyaw Myint, the general secretary of the ultra nationalist Yeomanry Development Party.

But those nationalists were reportedly prosecuted by individuals and not by the government. Lawyers say that U Wirathu will have to go on trial and his release will be subject to the decision of the judge.

The sedition charge can be settled if the lawsuit is filed by individuals. But the monk was charged by the government, so it cant be dropped, said lawyer U Myint Aung, citing the countrys Criminal Code of Procedure.

Under the law, the defendant can only be released when the court rules that he is not guilty. In Sayadaw U Wirathus case, it is more difficult because the prosecutors no longer exist. It is a procedural problem, said a source close to the regime.

The junta could scrap the lawsuit against U Wirathu, but it is concerned that lawyers will use that decision as a precedent in future cases, resulting in legal complexities. An additional problem is that the regime has suspended all trials during the current COVID-19 surge. U Wirathu caught coronavirus while detained in prison.

Sayadaw has recovered from COVID-19. But he cant use one of his arms and the State Administration Council (SAC) is treating him at a military hospital instead of sending him back to prison, said the source.

In a video circulated on social media last month and reportedly recorded on May 8, the firebrand monk said that the ousted NLD government had organized his trial via video conferencing despite the COVID-19 outbreak, but that there had been no court hearings since the coup, even in March and April when there were no coronavirus cases in the country.

U Wirathu said that he was remanded in custody again and again by district judges via video conferencing, but there was never any court hearing. His case has finally reached Yangons Western District Court and the judge was now only waiting for orders from above, he added.

The NLD government detained and degraded and persecuted a monk. The SAC is doing the same things, but is also driving a monk crazy. U Hla Swe was granted bail, so I thought it was my turn next week. But I was remanded instead, the monk complained in the video.

He went on to say that he felt like the SAC was waging psychological warfare against him. The monk, once a staunch supporter of the Myanmar military, added that he had put his faith in the regime because the NLD had already knocked him out once, but that now it felt like the SAC has knocked him out twice.

In May 2019, the then Yangon regional government filed a case for sedition against U Wirathu on behalf of the NLD government for attempting to incite disaffection with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD government. The monk was on the run for over a year before turning himself in to the police in November last year.

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Burma Obituary: Myanmar Democracy Activist, Writer Maung Moe Thu Dies

Maung Moe Thu

Maung Moe Thu, a prominent writer, director and former political prisoner who worked closely with detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the founding of the National League for Democracy (NLD), died peacefully aged 85 at his Yangon home on Wednesday.

He took an active part in the pro-democracy movement in 1988 as the secretary of the writers union together with former major and well-known writer Maung Thaw Ka and journalist Hanthawaddy U Win Tin. He was a member of Daw Aung San Suu Kyis inner circle during the founding of the NLD.

He actively worked for the party, collecting donations to rent an office, finding artists to draw the partys flag and accompanying Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in her campaigns.

When she was put under house arrest for the first time on July 19, 1989, Maung Moe Thu was taken to Insein Prison for the first time together with journalist Maung Wuntha and U Win Htein because of the party slogan: Lets always defy any law that oppresses the people.

He was released in 1992 but the military regime barred him from engaging in any form of artistic expression. As a supporter of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, he was detained for a second time under Article 5 of the Emergency Provision Act in 1996 and spent four years in prison. He was allowed to attend his wifes funeral in December 1999.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told him at the funeral: Neither of us has been dutiful to our spouses.

Some eight months earlier, her husband, Michael Aris, died in England. Aris repeatedly tried to visit before he died but was denied a visa.

After his release from prison in 2000, Maung Moe Thu worked as an editor and columnist for magazines and painted. He was affectionately referred to as Bagyi Moe or Uncle Moe while staying involved in literature, movies, art, sculpture, music and politics. He served as consultant editor for the D-Wave Journal published by the NLD and patron of the Hanthawaddy U Win Tin Foundation.

He directed numerous films and videos and wrote scripts. He wrote many poems, novels and translated books with Leon Uris 1958 bestseller Exodus his most popular translation.



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Analysis Talking to Dead People: What Did Chinas Envoy Learn in Myanmars Capital?

Chinese Special Envoy Sun Guoxiang talks to the media ahead of a peace conference in Naypyitaw in 2018. / The Irrawaddy

Sun Guoxiangs recent visit to Myanmar ended discreetly. Beijing said on Tuesday that its special envoy for Asian affairs had been in Myanmar from Aug. 21 to 28 at the invitation of the regime. He met with junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Minister for Foreign Affairs U Wunna Maung Lwin and Minister for the Union Government Office Lieutenant General Yar Pyae. The regime denied his request to meet with detained ousted State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, however.

Interestingly, the regime has remained tightlipped about the visit. Normally, the presence of such a high-profile foreign dignitary in Myanmar would be front-page news in the juntas dailies, but it was the Chinese side that eventually revealed the trip. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a press conference on Tuesday that the special envoy exchanged views with [regime officials] on the political landscape in Myanmar and China-Myanmar cooperation in combating COVID-19.

The most interesting message from China regarding the visit came later in Wangs statement, when he stressed, We will work together with the international community to play a constructive role in Myanmars efforts to restore social stability and resume democratic transformation at an early date.

It was the last remarkto resume democratic transformation at an early datethat caused Myanmar observers ears to prick up.

During his meetings with junta officials, it is believed Sun also raised border security issues. Fighting between regime troops and ethnic armed groups in the northern and northeastern parts of the country near the Chinese border has intensified recently. Regime leaders remain suspicious of Chinas covert support for insurgents on the border.

In his meeting with Lt-Gen Yar Pyae, the two sides discussed the issue of ethnic insurgents in the north. It is likely that, as it has in the past, China will provide a venue to hold talks between ethnic armed groups and the military junta.

Playing it safe

Since the coup, Myanmars giant and powerful neighbor China has played an active role in the Myanmar crisis, asking regional grouping ASEAN to play a mediator role. The visit to Myanmar by the blocs special envoy remains in limbo for various reasons, though he recently held a virtual meeting with activists and scholars who fled the country to escape political repression.

In May, Zhang Jun, Chinas UN ambassador, urged stronger diplomatic efforts to resolve the chaos that has engulfed Myanmar since the Feb. 1 military coup, warning that further violence could lead to a deterioration in the situation and even a civil war.

Calling Myanmar a friendly neighbor, Zhang said China strongly backed diplomatic efforts by ASEAN.

We should really be creating a more favorable environment for bringing the country back to normal and finding a political solution through dialogues among the relevant political parties within the constitutional and legal framework, he said.

According to diplomatic sources, however, in Naypyitaw, Sun was surprised by the degree of hostility displayed by Min Aung Hlaing toward the National League for Democracy (NLD), the ousted ruling party that many believe is facing possible dissolution. Moreover, the Chinese were taken aback by the juntas hatred for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

He was very upset to learn of the juntas hardline stance toward the NLD and Aung San Suu Kyi, said a diplomat in Yangon.

Stonewalling

The Myanmar military has not released any official statement on Suns visit. A source close to the junta said the envoy was tactful in engaging the regime leader, but according to unconfirmed reports Min Aung Hlaing was upset to hear from the Chinese envoy that Beijing still views Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as an important, necessary figure.

Before Suns visit, The Irrawaddy published a report indicating that China had asked the junta not to dissolve the NLD. Chinese officials have conveyed to the regimes leaders Beijings message that it wants to see the NLD continue to exist as a political party, they said.

Soon after the regime ousted Myanmars elected government in February, Chinas state-run Xinhua news agency described the militarys seizure of power by force of arms as a cabinet reshuffle. Since then, anti-China sentiment in Myanmar has hit fever pitch due to Beijings failure to condemn the military crackdown and the mounting perception that it has fully sided with the junta.

Myanmar has seen anti-China demonstrations, and factories owned and run by Chinese companies have been attacked. Chinas image has been shattered and will be hard to repair in the eyes of Myanmar citizens, who deeply loathe the military junta.

The key takeaways from Suns visit are that China encouraged Myanmar to resume democratic transformation at an early date, and that the envoys request to see Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was declined, though the regime may decide to hold talks on Chinese soil with several armed ethnic insurgent groups based in the north of Myanmar.

Sun has returned to Beijing to report what he saw and discussed in Naypyitaw. One thing should be clear to him by now, as it has long been clear to the neighboring Thais and others: Myanmar people are not good at negotiatingthe word compromise is seemingly not in the dictionary. To quote the late Singapore statesman Lee Kuan Yews characterization of dealing with a previous Myanmar military regime, talking to the generals is like talking to dead people.



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Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi arrives for the second meeting of the 21st-Century Panglong Peace Conference in Naypyitaw in 2017. / The Irrawaddy

Current Position of PPST members

Some troops of the KNU, Myanmars oldest ethnic armed group, restarted fighting with the Myanmar military prior to the coup, but this intensified after February 1. The KNU has offered sanctuary and military training to anti-coup activists and overrun army bases in their areas of operation to demonstrate its solidarity with the anti-coup movement. The CNF has also actively collaborated with locally-formed Peoples Defense Forces to resist the militarys brutal assault on the pro-democracy protests in Chin state. That has provoked a brutal reaction from the junta, which has ferociously retaliated with airstrikes.

The internal political dynamics inside the signatory bloc are profoundly complex. The RCSS/SSA-S, one of the largest groups among the NCA signatories, has been reluctant to stand decisively with one side  whether the junta or the anti-coup movement  although its leader, Yawd Serk, has vocally protested the coup and supported the anti-coup movement since February 1. Myanmar analyst David Scott Mathieson pointed out that it is more likely that Yawd Serk is prevaricating, waiting to see which side will prevail so he can cut a deal with them. In the six months since the military takeover, the RCSS/SSA-S has focused more on fighting other ethnic groups, such as the TNLA and SSPP/SSA-N, than with the junta as it seeks greater control of territory and resources.

Meanwhile, other groups in the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), the coordinating body of the NCA signatories, are tentatively working with the regime or have remained silent on the coup. The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), the Karen National Liberation Army/Peace Council (KNLA/PC) and the New Mon State Party (NMSP) met with the juntas council in April, while the Arakan Liberation Party together with KNLA/PC attended the Armed Forces Day parade on March 27. Recently, Naing Hong Sa, the chairman of the NMSP changed the tone to call for unity between the ethnic armed groups and the Bamar people fighting the military dictatorship but it is not clear yet what the NMPSs attitude will be going forward. The All Burma Students Democratic Front, Pa-O National Liberation Army and Lahu Democratic Union have remained quiet on the coup. As a bloc, the PPST officially declared the temporary cessation of the NCA implementation and peace negotiations with the junta on July 7. Moreover, Yawd Serk stepped down as the head of the PPST.

In its latest statement issued on 5th August, however, the PPST did not even mention the phrase federal democratic union despite typically  albeit feebly  having recited that mantra in all its past statements. The KNU and some smaller groups may still believe in the federal vision. Padoh Saw Taw Nee, the KNUs foreign affairs head, told the author that the KNU leadership still firmly believes in federalism as they know historically and empirically that it is the best way for the country. But he admitted that even some Karen people are suspicious as to whether federalism will be the best option for them. Some ethnic armed groups, especially smaller ones, in the signatory bloc have been struggling for their survival instead of thinking about the political future of the country, and some have become disillusioned with the concept of federalism in the current tumultuous period.

This point is obviously reflected in the response of the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) to the federal democracy charter drafted by the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw formed by the deposed parliamentary members of the NLD. The federal democracy charter released on March 31 received muted and reserved approval from the EAOs. PPST spokesperson Colonel Khun Oakkar said NCA signatory EAOs welcome the federal democracy charter, but need time to examine the finer details immediately after its release. So far, there have been no official endorsement from those EAOs. AA chief Maj. Gen. Tun Myat Naing was more open in his response to the federal promises made by the Bamar politicians, saying that the NLD government after 1988 promised federalism and they pledged this to the ethnic people but, after they came to power, they didnt keep their promise.

Myanmar and Federal Discourse

The failure of the NLD to keep that promise is one of the key reasons for the suspicions of the ethnic minorities about the federal goal, and one of the main obstacles to forging an inter-ethnic alliance in the current anti-coup struggle. The word federalism has been politically taboo in Myanmar since the 1962 coup, with the then coup leader General Ne Win justifying the military takeover by citing the risk of Myanmar disintegrating or fragmenting territorially due to the federal proposals of the ethnic minorities. Under military rule, the use of the word federalism could lead to a lengthy term of imprisonment. The word was only revived as a dominant political discourse following the political opening up of 2011, especially in peace negotiations with the EAOs. The Myanmar military, which has long been inimical to the concept of federalism, eventually agreed to establish a federal system in the country but the militarys interpretation of federalism is within the framework of the 2008 constitution. In the first 21st century Panglong conference held in August-September 2016, the military tried to assert that the 2008 constitution was written with federal characteristics, and took a firm stand on its position to uphold the military-drafted constitution.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the NLD, reiterated federalism as a political solution to Myanmars longstanding ethnic conflicts after her partys entry into parliament in 2012. However, the NLDs position on federalism is very general and vague and its leaders have rarely articulated any detailed policy on this controversial political concept. U Tun Myint (Taung Gyi), a veteran politician who attended the 1948 Panglong Conference, once wrote a letter criticizing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for her failure to articulate the NLDs policy on federalism. When he asked her during a meeting in 1989 whether the new union that your partys statement talks about building up in the future is federal or unitary, she retorted, We just referred to the Union. Federal or unitary systems are theory and they are different from practice. Now, I could not say exactly what type of Union it will be. It will be negotiated in the national conference and I will accept what everyone else agrees to. U Tun Myint suggested that the NLD, as a leading party of Myanmar, should have a detailed policy on how the future union will be formed instead of accepting and following agreements of others. [U Tun Myint (Taung Gyi), A piece of brick and a grain of sand of a Shan politician, pp. 533-542]

The NLDs lack of a detailed policy on federalism was echoed by other analysts two decades later. In its 2015 manifesto, the NLD stated its goals as the establishment of a federal democratic union based on the principles of freedom, equal rights and self-determination  through solidarity with all ethnic groups. In two speeches during a campaign tour for the 2015 election to the Pa-O autonomous zone in Shan State, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi reportedly referred to a federal Union no fewer than 31 times. But after the NLD came to power, it failed to take the necessary steps to advance the federal future. The NLD government in 2015 surprised many by appointing its representatives and party members as the chief ministers of all the states and regions, even where the NLD had won a minority of state seats, without consultation with its once-allied ethnic parties. Ethnic political leaders have been critical of the NLDs policy of going it alone, saying it does not augur well for the move towards a federal Union.

That was exacerbated by the deteriorating relations between the NLD and the ethnic minorities due to the NLDs missteps to impose its political hegemony through Burmanization and centralization projects. The NLD tried to impose its political hegemony in ethnic regions by erecting statues of General Aung San, father of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and a key political symbol of the NLD, in Kayah State and other states with sizeable ethnic minority populations. The plan to erect the statue sparked opposition and protests in Kayah and the NLDs local officials made the situation worse by violently cracking down on the demonstrations. There were also protests in Mon State when the NLD decided to change the name of a bridge in Mawlamyine to the General Aung San Bridge. During the NLDs reign in power, its intentional silence about, and sometimes tacit endorsement, of the militarys brutal offensives in ethnic regions also triggered resentment among the ethnic minorities toward the NLDs promises of federalism. It is fair to say that the AA and the Rakhine people have become disillusioned with the idea of federalism since the NLDs time in power.

On the other hand, the diverse ethnic political forces have not delivered much thought to the precise institutional arrangement of any federalist state. Most of the EAOs prefer a more decentralized federal union, in which the ethnic states have a high degree of autonomy and self-determination consistent with the 1947 Panglong agreement. However, as the veteran analyst Bertil Lintner once wrote, they need to answer the questions of What kind of federal union would they (EAOs) want? How should power be divided between the states and the central government? What exactly is the federal army some of the groups have talked about? In the political and academic spheres, different federal systems such as the territorial, ethnic, symmetric, asymmetric, dual, cooperative and creative have been proposed and discussed, but so far no consensus has been reached. The multi-ethnic inhabitants of the states and the recent initiatives by certain groups such as AA in favor of confederation have complicated the issue even more, and now the coup has further aggravated the situation.

Ultimately, the militarys coup has put the country on a path towards becoming a failed state running the risk of disintegration and territorial fragmentation. Without political solidarity among the diverse political and ethnic groups or a shared political vision, the anti-coup movement is highly unlikely to overcome the current political crisis of the country.

Federalism has been much anticipated as a shared political vision to forge political solidarity between the pro-democracy and federal proponents. However, at this crucial moment, the attraction of federalism has been woefully diminishing even among its former champions and there are obviously growing tendencies toward confederation and separate states. The coup has definitely put Myanmar into a political black hole, but the future of the country looks even bleaker, particularly due to the lack of consensus among the anti-junta political stakeholders on the vision they are striving for and on the future country they are trying to build up. Myanmar will continue to head only in a dire direction if the shared vision on the future of the country is not revamped and re-envisioned soon.

Ye Myo Hein is the executive director of the Tagaung Institute of Political Studies and a fellow with the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

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Key Biscayne is Changing -- Islander Vol 1., No.1, 1966

Growth and change are evident almost everywhere on our small island. New shops, businesses, homes, and lovely apartments continue to make their appearance. With the opening of the new state park, our community will be host to a greatly increased number of visitors, both winter and summer.

An island-wide publication has become a definite necessity. Not only do we need to welcome our visitors and inform them of community facilities, shops, and special events, we also need a source of local information to help us maintain our identity as a community.

Key Biscayne is an island of unlimited potential. We have our tropical beauty and our provincial charm. We also have a fascinating history that is appealing to visitors and residents alike. We are continuing to build our own island traditions. A point has been reached where we must be able to share ideas and suggestions with each other in order to create the kind of community that we want.

The Islander is just a beginning, but perhaps it can help bring our homes, churches, schools, shops, activities, and dreams closer together.

Holiday Colony -- By Ana Merselius

The general superintendent of the Mackle Company, Robert Jones, supervised the building of some 350 Mackle houses before he decided to become an independent builder. His company, Jones and Frederick Company, bought a 33-acre tract east of Crandon Boulevard from the Mathesons, bounded by East Enid Drive and East Heather Drive.

He built 56 houses and named the area Holiday Colony. Mainly 4/2 homes, they started at $19,500. The project was financed by banker Baron Hirschmeier.

We had problems selling the houses in the beginning, said Mr. Jones. The mosquitoes were bad at that time, but we still had a lot of fun. He remembers how they used to catch lobsters in Hurricane Harbor.

When Holiday Colony was first built, the homeowners had a 50-foot easement south of the Silver Sands Motel, where they formed their own Holiday Colony Beach Club and built a chickee hut on the beach. Don Berg, president of the Holiday Colony Homeowners Association in 1965, explained that residents were offered the opportunity to buy the land for $50,000 with a $5,000 down payment and the balance to be paid in 10 years. They were not interested in buying at that time, so we lost our rights to the easement, said Mr. Berg.

Churches -- by Ana Merselius

The early settlers were of different religious faiths and, with urbanization, several different congregations were established.

The Community Church was the first church building on the island, constructed in 1953 on land donated by the Mackle Company. Fifty-three residents held the first service in 1951 on the Matheson Plantation, in a shed used to crush coconuts. Services were later held on the porch of the Mashta House. After the new church building was erected on Glenridge Road, it served as the meeting place for many island organizations.

In 1952, Father George Cummings was tasked with creating a Catholic parish on Key Biscayne. Encouraged by an enthusiastic group of local families, he said the first midnight mass on the Key in the old Mashta House. The parish had only 40 families, but they were all very active.

In 1953, Monsignor Bernhard McGreneham was assigned the mission of building a permanent church structure and, by Easter of the following year, the first mass was celebrated in the new Harbor Drive church building on a parcel of land donated by the Mackle Company. Archbishop Hurley dedicated the new church to St. Agnes on January 21, 1955.

The Presbyterian congregation was organized in June 1955, and the first meetings were held in the Captains Room at the Jamaica Inn. The space was provided by the owner of the Inn, Hugh Matheson. The congregation later met at the school while planning their own building. The first worship service in the new church building on Harbor Drive was celebrated on Easter Sunday, 1962.

The Rev. Richard D. Maholm held the first service for St. Christophers-by-the-Sea Episcopal congregation on Christmas Day 1959 with 96 persons attending. For seven years, the group met in a refurbished frame building on the Matheson Estate. On Christmas Eve 1966, the first service was held in the new church building on Harbor Drive, designed by Miami architect Robert M. Little.

#islanderthrowback
Huntsville, TX (77320)

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Madrona Tasting Room, located at the site of a former winery on County Road 1 in Chenango Forks, will offer even more of its signature New York State-made wine, beer, and spirits at new locations in Endicotts Little Italy neighborhood as well as in Downtown Owego.
Ithaca, NY (14850)

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Tea shop T2 Tea, in collaboration with e-commerce and digital specialist Amblique, has selected Fluent Commerces distributed order management system Fluent Order Management to enhance its customer experience both in-store and online.

The new platform will be launched in phases in Australia in time for the Christmas retail rush. Working with Amblique, Fluent Commerce will enhance the in-store and online experience for T2 customers by providing real-time availability from the T2 retail store network in each country and optimising delivery times for online orders.

This reduces T2s lead time from order placement to delivery, providing accurate delivery time for customers.

Phase one will enable the Ship from Store capability for selected Australian stores. The second phase will extend this same offering across T2 Teas stores in New Zealand, UK and US, as well as incorporating the existing Click & Collect solution into the Fluent Commerce platform across all stores.

To achieve the best customer experience and deliver high quality products at a global scale, we needed an order management system that would not only deliver but enhance the experience for our customers in several ways, explains T2 Tea global director retail and e-commerce Todd Foster.

This includes faster and more efficient shipping and an integrated real-time view of our online and instore stock and activity. I believe that our collaboration will help us deliver on our promise to our customers and lead to many efficiencies, which were not previously within our reach, says Foster.

For T2 Tea, the new system will reduce the cost of delivery and increase efficiency by eschewing single warehouse dispatch model.

Instead, T2 will use Fluent Commerce distributed order management system to create a ship-from-store capability  matching stock and stores with customer location.

We are proud to be supporting an iconic Australian retailer and we look forward to helping T2 Tea successfully implement the Fluent Commerce platform across its network of Australian stores, comments Amblique CEO Stephanie Byrne on the partnership.

Im pleased that were able to work together again for T2 Tea, which is such a respected Australian brand. Its good to see T2 Tea planning for the future and investing in systems that will help them respond much more quickly to changing circumstances and give them the flexibility they need, concludes Fluent Commerce CEO Graham Jackson.

T2 Tea opened its first store in Fitzroy, Melbourne in 1996. It has more than 75 stores worldwide, including over 60 stores in Australia and New Zealand.
Semiconductor company Qualcomm Technologies and manufacturer ZTE are conducting tests of the IMT-2020 (5G) promotion group for 200MHz carrier bandwidth over 5G mmWave to showcase its features in anticipation of 5G mmWave rollouts in China.

The tests were conducted using a smartphone form-factor test device powered by the flagship Snapdragon X6F Modem-RF System, and ZTE mmWave AAU network infrastructure equipment.

This marks the first connection in China using 5G NR standalone dual-connectivity (NR-DC, or FR1+FR2 DC) with one 200MHz carrier in the 2GHz (n258) mmWave band and one 100MHz carrier in the 3.5GHz (n78) band, achieving a peak downlink speed of over 2.43Gbps using a single device.

In the tests, the companies also achieved a peak downlink speed of over 5Gbps using a single device employing carrier aggregation with four 200MHz carriers in the 26GHz (n258) mmWave band and successfully tested two 200 MHz mmWave carriers on the uplink. The standalone (SA) uses a 5G Core (5GC) network that allows network slicing and lower latency.

China has been pushing ahead with 5G development on a stable track, and mmWave will be a key focus of 5G in the future, explains China Communications Standards Association (CCSA) Council secretary general Wen Ku.

For the next step of 5G, we should fully leverage the advantages of 5G mmWave technology to unlock higher benefits and empower a digital, intelligent society. CCSA will support and advance the development of mmWave technology for enhanced 5G network experiences in China, Ku says.

This milestone underscores important progress towards 5G mmWave commercialisation in China to unleash the full potential of 5G and drive mmWave adoption globally, says Qualcomm Technologies senior vice president product management Yan Chenwei.

As a component of New Infrastructure, mmWave is one of important means for the communications industry to meet the network capability requirement for use cases in key sectors, says ZTE vice general manager RAN product Tang Xue.

With broader 5G opportunities enabled by mmWave, we will join hands with partners to continuously drive mmWave development, create ultimate experiences and usher in a wonderful 5G era, Xue says.

5G mmWave is a key aspect of the 5G global standard, Qualcomm says. It allows mobile operators to use vast spectrum resources in bands above 24GHz to deliver massive network capacity and extreme multi-Gigabit performanceup to 10Gbps with the Snapdragon X65 to help operators meet everyday data demandsin industrial, enterprise and consumer scenarios.

Analysis by GSMA Intelligence in 2021 shows that 5G mmWave and sub-6 deployments are more cost-effective than sub-6 only in a variety of scenarios including dense urban and enterprise settings.

The global 5G mmWave ecosystem is now mature, Qualcomm says, with more than 120 5G mmWave commercial and pre-commercial devices supporting the technology including smartphones, PCs, hotspots, modules and customer premise equipment (CPE), according to GSMA.

According to Qualcomm Technologies, 5G mmWave commercial deployment keeps gaining momentum. There are commercial 5G mmWave deployments in the United States and Japan.

Commercial 5G mmWave networks are also live in Australia, Southeast Asia, and Europe. China is conducting 5G mmWave end-to-end tests to accelerate the maturity of technology and product, which enables the industry to pave the way for 5G mmWave commercialisation.
While the world is still looking at self-driving vehicles, Japan is hard at work on autonomous cargo container ships, already planning a 236 mile trip next February into busy cargo lanes with a vessel that has no crew.

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, otherwise known as NYK, Japan's largest shipping company, will be sending a cargo ship 236 miles from Tokyo to the port of Ise. The ship will have no crew on board and will be entirely self-piloted, relying on satellite guidance, onboard sensors, and artificial intelligence making decisions based on these inputs.

While previous organisations have attempted autonomous shipping expeditions, Nippon Yusen says this is the first to venture out into traffic, mixing with other ships along busy lanes.

Nippon Yusen states 70% of maritime accidents involve human error, so autonomous shipping can eliminate this and arguably prove safer.

Nippon Yusen aims to have Japan lead the world in autonomous cargo shipping.

The business has 55 container ships that can carry almost 4,699 million tons to 100 countries, along with 396 bulk carriers, 110 car carriers, 78 tankers, and 45 other vessels.

The company is also looking to create a super eco ship by 2030 that reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 69%, making greater use of wind, solar, and fuel-cell technology.
GUEST OPINION by Sabyasachi Goswami, Commercial Leader, Commercial Services, APAC Rockwell Automation: The pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of the global manufacturing and supply-chain processes long hidden beneath the surface.

Cybersecurity has been a decades-long grey rhino in the wings of this black swan event. Last year, a Tokopedia data breach jeopardised more than 15 million user accounts, and cybercrime accounted for 43 percent of all crime in Singapore. Interconnectivity in a digital landscape may bring greater agility and convenience to manufacturers but the same benefits apply to malevolent players which are now no longer encumbered by geography.

Much like multi-layered anti-COVID measures, from defense (face masks and hand sanitisers) to prevention (lockdowns), rapid detection (PCR kits), and a cure (vaccines and antiviral drugs), corporations need to apply the same robust approach to protecting critical infrastructure.

Convergence of IT and OT

Increased interconnectivity also extends to hackers. Companies need to understand that there is no air gap between Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT)  the technology directly monitoring and or controlling industrial equipment, assets, and processes. These are not separate entities but two halves of a whole enterprise.

While many have taken measures to secure IT, their OT systems remain under-protected, becoming a convenient backdoor for hackers to breach. Ransomware incidents have become increasingly frequent in manufacturing. Ransomware attackers can penetrate a chink in the armour within minutes and spend months dormant. They silently infiltrate the entire network and stay undetected for months while gathering data and critical information before striking.

A recurring issue in OT security is legacy infrastructure, built decades before high-speed internet was commonplace. This means older machinery, equipment and computer systems are a worrying blind spot to IT and security operations teams and can also result in exposure. For example, a factorys central conveyor belt might still run on an outdated edition of Windows XP no longer supported by its developer, nor compatible with the latest updates and protections.

There is a lot of complexity in the OT layer for manufacturers to address, alongside balancing the costs to modernise. This process is often deprioritised and delayed. Modernisation takes time and requires multi-year transformation. But by making these changes now, organisations can immediately adopt best practices to build a holistically secure IT/OT network environment to neutralise potential threats.

The myth of the panacea

Similar to how we have managed to bring disease outbreaks such as polio and smallpox under control, a multi-layered defence strategy is needed to detect and deter malicious players. Organisations should start with a holistic enterprise-wide security assessment that includes:

An inventory of authorised and unauthorised devices and software

An inventory of authorised and unauthorised devices and software Detailed observation and documentation of system performance

Identification of tolerance thresholds and risk and vulnerability indications

Prioritisation of each vulnerability based on impact and exploitation potential

Mitigation techniques required to bring an operation to an acceptable risk state

To develop a robust safety net, organisations must account for software, networks, control systems, site-infrastructure nuances, policies, procedures, and even employee behaviours. Rockwell Automation has defined five core security principals when developing a control system:

1. Secure network infrastructure  A resilient industrial network security system limits access to authorised individuals and protects data against manipulation or theft. With telecommuting becoming the norm, security systems must account for the remote connectivity of people, processes, and information. Networks used in large-scale industrial applications can harness cloud technology, data analytics, and mobility tools to optimise systems monitoring.

2. Authentication and policy management  Often overlooked when developing safety controls around user authentication is the need to minimize potential exposure to threats from internal resources. Management user accounts should be integrated with a means of centralised control. Scalable solutions should also be planned to allow for flexible workflows around disconnected environments, guest user access, and temporary privilege escalation before the necessity arises.

3. Content protection  Automation equipment such as controllers often contain sensitive information. Smart industrial systems require a common, secure environment to protect an organisations intellectual property while maintaining productivity and quality.

4. Tamper detection  Unwanted activity and modifications within operational systems can be quashed through speedy detection, recording, and a strong coordinated response. Measures to deter and address potential threats should include a means to centrally record and track all user actions, regular backups of operating asset configurations and electronic files, as well as a meticulous inventory of all devices on a plant floor.

5. Robustness  Plant machinery, operation systems and data storage units can be brought together under a single-system architecture that allows for centralised monitoring and reporting. By leveraging Converged Plantwide Ethernet (CPwE), multinational corporations can achieve greater flexibility, visibility, and efficiency required to remain competitive while retaining full control over their digital assets.

Prevention is always better than cure

Placing equal importance on cybersecurity advancements is essential to future-proofing an organisation. Investing in IT alone can capture short-term growth prospects but leave these gains vulnerable to an overnight cyberattack. Much like how vaccines are crucial to herd immunity, a modern enterprise is only as strong as its weakest link. The best defence is a good offence, via a comprehensive network security system.
Software and technology provider servicing the Australia and New Zealand markets Lancom Technology has announced Philll Claxton has returned to the company as its new Chief Technology Officer.

Claxton re-joins Lancom Technology from HappyCo, a San Francisco based SaaS provider, where he was Vice President of Product & Growth.

Previously with Lancom Technology between 2006-2015, Claxton co-founded DeskDirector, Lancom Technologys service ticket SaaS product, before leaving to join IT Glue as their Chief Operating Officer.

Lancom says that in his role Claxton will set the technical direction for the fast-grocompany and take the lead on talent development with the goal of creating new, profitable products and services.

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Caxton has become a member of the Lancom executive leadership team and plays an active part in defining and executing the companys strategy.

Waruna Kirimetiyawa, Chief Executive of Lancom Technology said: Im really excited to welcome Phill back to Lancom Technology. His wealth of experience, deep technical knowledge and proven track record of innovation will be a significant value-add to both our customers and our company.

Lancom says Claxton brings with him more than 30 years of industry experience having also worked for five years in the UK for Omnicom Media Group.

Its great to be back at Lancom Technology. I loved my time here previously and truly believe in our purpose of developing and managing technology to create leverage for our customers, said Claxton.

Technology is a passion of mine and helping solve real world problems with software is where I like to focus. Im excited to be able to do that at Lancom, its a perfect fit for me.
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Ray Ploof, 61, passed away in his home in Jacksonville, TX, Wednesday, August 25, 2021. He was born in Burlington Vermont August 20, 1960. Ray was a member of Central Baptist Church. He was a talented machinist who worked in maintenance. He was well loved by everyone he met. Left to cherish 
Evan Robinson-Johnson covers issues residents face on a daily basis, from smoky skies to housing insecurity. Originally from New England, he has settled in east Jackson and avoids crowds by rollerblading through the alleyways.
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Available July 16, 2021 - The annual Journal Inquirer Discovery edition features an in-depth summary of all 18 towns' services, schools, contacts, clubs, and important locations - plus articles and art!
The trial of two Swedish men accused of belonging to an international drug trafficking network has opened in Tehran, Iranian government media reported Thursday.

State daily Iran said that the two men, identified as Stephen Kevin Gilbert and Simon Kasper Brown, were brought before the 15th chamber of the capitals revolutionary tribunal.

The judiciarys Mizan Online agency said the pair entered Iran as tourists, but that one was arrested with almost 10 kilos (22 pounds) of opium resin and the other with 21,000 tramadol painkiller tablets.

Judicial authorities had announced their arrest in July 2020 as part of the dismantling of an international drug trafficking gang, without naming them or giving details of the arrests.

The Tehran trial begins as a former senior Iranian judicial official faces war crimes and murder charges in a Stockholm court.

Hamid Noury, 60, is being prosecuted for his suspected involvement in mass executions of Marxist and other left-wing prisoners in summer 1988.

The trial is taking place under the so-called universal jurisdiction principle which allows Sweden and some other countries to try people on such serious charges, even if the alleged crimes happened elsewhere.

Noury was arrested in November 2019 at Stockholms Arlanda airport while visiting Sweden.
SIMBA Chain, a platform for the development and deployment of decentralized applications (dApps) Across multiple blockchains, Today announced that it has raised US$25 million in a Series A financing led by Valley Capital Partners.

As a startup company incubated at the University of Notre Dame, SIMBA Chain provides a simple, time-saving and energy-saving method for deploying blockchain technology in the safest and most complex environments.

Its state-of-the-art technology automatically generates a powerful API series that supports permissions and public blockchains, allowing customers to launch blockchain applications without hiring expensive consultants or consuming valuable technical expertise.

Moreover, because SIMBA Chain allows users to choose from a wide range of blockchain technologies and has portability across these chains, the company provides a level of flexibility and customization that traditional blockchain methods cannot support.

The technology of SIMBA Chain is Currently using It is favored by the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps, Boeing and many commercial application customers.

The demand for the Web3 smart contract platform in all our markets is faster than we expected. Users across multiple spectrums have accepted and verified the SIMBA Chain model, which simplifies the development of smart contracts. The market is also actively responding to our many Blockchain support, including Ethereum, avalanche, RSK, Stellar, etc., make SIMBA Chain-based applications highly portable and sustainable. 

-Joel Neidig, CEO and co-founder of SIMBA Chain

With additional funds, SIMBA Chain plans to expand the scale of sales, marketing and development, and invest resources in emerging enterprise-level opportunities, such as irreplaceable tokens.

The SIMBA Chain team expects that companies, academic institutions and others will use its software to manage and monetize digital and physical assets and business models that do not yet exist today.

In the past 18 months, SIMBA Chain has achieved the following milestones:

Revenue increased by 360%.

Work with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps to complete paid projects to develop blockchain-based security solutions that are critical to U.S. national security and warfighter efficiency.

It has signed contracts with more than 30 higher education institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, and these institutions use the SIMBA Chain platform in their business schools and law schools.

More than 6,000 users.

Developed a digital market using non-fungible tokens for a major university.

Participants in the A series also include Notre Dame Pit Road Fund, Elevate Ventures, Stanford University Law School Venture Fund, and affiliates with Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts (KKR), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, SpaceX, Gap, Estee Lauder, AppLovin, and Microsoft , Moelis & Company, Stanford University, Golden State Warriors, founder of Lightspeed Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates and others.
Sign up for myFT Daily Digest and be the first to learn about climate change news.

China warned the United States that its strategic misjudgment has exacerbated bilateral tensions and could disrupt high-level talks aimed at addressing the threat of global climate change.

The climate envoys of the worlds two largest economies, John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua, are meeting in Tianjin in northeastern China. The Biden government called on the Xi Jinping government to increase its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Meeting between Biggest polluter happened at Increase strain The United States and China are arguing about Beijings suppression of democratic movements in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, and the South China Sea, as well as technology and the origin of the coronavirus.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with Kerry via a video link on Wednesday and warned that cooperation will not continue without a better relationship.

According to Chinese official media reports, Wang added that the major strategic misjudgment of the United States has led to the sudden deterioration of bilateral relations in recent years and that the ball is now in the US court.

However, Kerry stated that the United States is still committed to cooperating with the world to tackle the climate crisis and encourage [Peoples Republic of China] Take additional measures to reduce emissions, a State Council spokesperson said.

Respected

Since Joe Biden became president, relations between the two countries have been difficult, with few high-level meetings. At the end of July, during talks between Chinas Deputy Foreign Minister Xie Feng and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, China stated that the relationship between the two countries was at a dangerous stalemate.

But people have always hoped that climate change may provide opportunities to improve relationships.

The Garrigues meeting was held after discussions in Shanghai in April, which led to a joint statement highlighting the commitment to specific actions in the 2020s to reduce emissions in accordance with the 2015 Paris Agreement targets. According to the agreement, countries have vowed to limit global warming to far below 2C, preferably around 1.5C, compared to pre-industrial levels.

Li Shuo, an energy policy officer for the campaign organization Greenpeace, pointed out that the Shanghai meeting covered most of the unresolved fruits before more substantive negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement on recent emissions reductions.

Tianjin is more difficult in many aspects, not just bilateral relations, but further advancement in climate requires the courage of both parties, Li said.

Glasgow will host the COP26 United Nations Climate Conference next month, and countries are expected to pass more ambitious climate goals at the meeting.

Climate capital Where climate change meets business, markets, and politics. Explore the UKs Financial Times report here. Are you curious about the environmental sustainability commitment of the Financial Times? Learn more about our science-based goals here

Beijing is trying to position itself as a global leader in tackling climate change, and Xi Jinping last year pledged to achieve net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2060.

But China has been under pressure to advance its peak emissions target from 2030 to the middle of this decade. Critics say the continued dependence of the Chinese economy on the coal-fired power industry may undermine its promises.

I believe Kerry will promote Chinas ambitions, including [emissions] Peak before 2025 and reduce coal at home and along the Belt and Road, Li said, referring to Xi Jinpings ambitious transnational infrastructure investment projects. But I doubt that when Kerry is here, China will immediately make Response. 
Finally, New York began to formalize the cannabis industry by appointing the chairman of the Cannabis Control Board (CCB) and the executive director of the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM).

Consistent with her public statement, Governor Kathy Hochul initiated the process Via callback The New York legislature held a special meeting to consider several major issues, including the appointment of CCB and OCM.

Therefore, on September 1, 2021, the New York Legislature Officially recognized Appointed Tremaine Wright as Chairman of CCB and Christopher Alexander as Executive Director of OCM. Please meet our new chairman and executive director and briefly introduce their respective backgrounds and a summary of the main responsibilities of each role:

Chairman of CCB: Tremaine Wright

What we know:

Ms. Wright is a native of Brooklyn and an attorney who was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2016. Her area encompasses the Bedford-Stevenson neighborhood of Brooklyn and the northern part of Crown Heights. She graduated from Duke University and the University of Chicago Law School, and practiced in the Brooklyn Legal Services Department.

With an excellent educational background and experience as a practicing lawyer, as well as her legislative experience, Ms. Wright seems very suitable for formulating MRTA rules and regulations, with a focus on social and economic equity plans.

Common responsibilities of the chairman of CCB and CCB:

Restrict or unrestrict the number of registrations, licenses, and licenses for each type of license issued within a state or any political division.

Establish standards and requirements for medical marijuana, marijuana for adults and marijuana products, and cannabinoid marijuana and cannabis extracts.

Create registration, permit and permit application forms and all reports deemed necessary by CCB.

The general power to exercise the powers and obligations required to establish an MRTA, even if not specifically listed.

Establish minimum standards for certified employees in positions requiring advanced training in the cannabis industry.

Advising OCM and/or urban development companies in providing low-interest or zero-interest loans to qualified social and economic equity applicants.

Approve any price quotas or price controls set by the executive director

Approve OCMs social equity plan.

After receiving OCMs advice and related application information, a preliminary decision is made on whether the registration, license, or license should be issued, rejected or retained for further action.

Full discretion to revoke, cancel or suspend licenses and impose civil penalties (by hearing)

OCM Executive Director: Christopher Alexander

What we know: Mr. Alexander is also a native New Yorker and lawyer. Mr. Alexander is the head of government relations and policy for the cannabis company Vill LLC, a multi-state cannabis company based in Canada. He is also the Deputy Legal Counsel of the New York State Senate and the Policy Coordinator of the Drug Policy Coalition.

As the policy coordinator of the Drug Policy Alliance, Mr. Alexander should be very suitable to solve the complex problems of the implementation of New York cannabis regulations. He has also participated in the negotiation and drafting of multiple versions of the MRTA, which should also help to develop a set of complementary and consistent rules and regulations for the industry.

Responsibilities of OCM Executive Director:

The powers of the Marijuana Administration Office are exercised by the executive director.

The general power to promote the objectives of the MRTA, even if not specifically listed.

Keep records, including the names of officers and directors of the companys licensees and the locations of all licensed premises.

Inspection or provide inspection facilities authorized by MRTA

Prescribe the application form for licenses and permits.

Decentralize power.

Perform the duties assigned by CCB.

Provide advice and assistance to China Construction Bank.

Post guidance and advice

While we await a better understanding of Ms. Wright and Mr. Alexander (especially their plans for New York rules and regulations), it is very exciting that Governor Hochle initiated this process. After the MRTA was promulgated in March, the cannabis industry in New York finally took a tangible step forward, and we look forward to more positive developments by the end of the year.
The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly. Workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri man who has been in prison for more than 40 years for a triple murder that many legal and political officials believe he did not commit will have to wait several more weeks before a court hearing that could lead to his release.

Missouri prosecutor files motion to free longtime inmate LIBERTY, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri prosecutor has filed a motion asking a judge to exonerate a m

Kevin Strickland's chance of being released seemed to be improving earlier this week, when a judge scheduled a hearing for Thursday for prosecutors to argue that he should be free. Strickland has been imprisoned since 1979.

But Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office, which has argued that Strickland is guilty, filed an emergency motion Wednesday to delay the hearing to provide more time for preparation, and a Missouri Court of Appeals panel ruled in Schmitt's favor.

Instead, during a hearing Thursday, Circuit Judge Judge Kevin Harrell set a Sept. 13 court date for attorneys to argue over motions Schmitt filed in the case. But the date for a hearing that could lead to Strickland's freedom was not set, The Kansas City Star reported.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said it was disappointing that Stricklands innocence claim was not heard Thursday and that her office is pushing for an evidentiary hearing to be set as soon as possible.

Its just when, Peters Baker said. While it is not yet too late, its late. This is late.

Peters Baker announced in May that she and others believe Strickland is innocent because evidence used to convict him in the Kansas City killings on April 25, 1978, has been disproved or recanted.

The Star reported a year ago that two men who pleaded guilty to the killings swore that Strickland was not with them and two other accomplices during the crime.

Judge sides with AG, postpones Strickland evidentiary hearing The Court of Appeals has sided with the AG's office, meaning Strickland will have to stay in jail longer.

Under a new law that took effect Saturday, Peters Baker filed a motion Monday to have a hearing to allow her office and the attorney general's office to present arguments before Harrell would determine whether Strickland should be released.

During the Sept. 13 hearing, Harrell will consider Schmitt's motion that the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County and its judges will recuse themselves from Stricklands proceedings because of perceived bias in favor of Strickland's release.

One of Stricklands attorneys, Bob Hoffman, of the law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, said the delay means Strickland will miss his mothers funeral Saturday.

Peters Baker and Stricklands attorneys have argued that the new law does not give the attorney generals office authority to request discovery or file motions in the case. But the appeals court on Thursday rejected that argument, which will allow Schmitt to file a motion requesting discovery by Friday evening.

Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, a Democrat from Independence who sponsored the new law, said the legislation was not intended to allow the attorney generals office to file motions in relation to the hearing.

The appeals court ruling sets dangerous legal precedent that the attorney general is using to needlessly delay justice for the wrongfully imprisoned, Rizzo said in a statement Wednesday.

Jackson County prosecutor files motion to free Kevin Strickland after 43 years in prison for triple murder Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker filed a motion in Circuit Court on Saturday morning to free Strickland, citing "clear and convincing evidence that he is actually innocent," according to a statement released by the prosecutor.

The new law also could spur action in St. Louis, where Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has said she believes Lamar Johnson has been wrongfully imprisoned for 26 years for the 1994 killing of 25-year-old Marcus Boyd in an alleged drug dispute.

The Missouri Supreme Court in March ruled against Gardner's motion for a new trial in March after Schmitt's office argued successfully that Gardner lacked authority to seek a new trial so many years after the case was adjudicated.

Gardners spokeswoman said in a text Wednesday that Gardner is finalizing next steps in this case and will be presenting evidence in court to deliver the justice that Lamar Johnson deserves. Spokeswoman Allison Hawk declined further comment.
"About Time" actor Lee Sang Yoon is set to return to the small screen as a third-generation conglomerate in the new SBS TV's fantasy romance comedy-drama series "One the Woman".

He will be starring in the drama alongside actors Lee Honey, Lee Won Geun, and Jin Seo Yeon.

Lee Sang Yoon Flaunts Undeniable Charisma in 'One the Woman'

Actor Lee Sang Yoon showed off his charisma and hot defense in the newly released stills from the forthcoming fantasy romance comedy-drama "One the Woman".

In the new drama, Lee Sang Yoon will take on the role of Han Seung Wook, a third-generation conglomerate who has a very pleasant personality and unmatched looks but has a tragic and sullen past.

Han Seung Wook has been pushed out of the succession after his father's passing, who was the next heir to the Hanju Group, a leading conglomerate in South Korea.

After losing his first love and fiancee Kang Mi Na, played by Lee Honey, he leaves for the United States and tries to succeed on his own feet.

On September 1, "One the Woman" released a new set of stills featuring the charisma of Lee Sang Yoon. In the stills, Han Seung Wook unexpectedly subdues a passenger with a power-up at the airport, raising curiosity.

Han Seung Wook returns to Korea and witnesses a sea of passengers. As he approaches the airport ticketing counter, a passenger unexpectedly makes a fuss. He then quickly grabs him and pins his arm behind his back.

The undeniable charisma oozes as he looks at the passenger with his knitted eyebrows. The new stills raised potential viewers' curiosity and anticipation.

'One the Woman' Production Team Thoughts on Lee Sang Yoon

Actor Lee Sang Yoon's filming took place at Incheon International Airport in June. As soon as he arrived at the filming set, the actor kindly acknowledged the staff with a smile.

According to the production team, the actor showed tension and detailed action in each scene, shooting earnestly with high quality acting skills that fully embody the charisma and presence of Han Seung Wook.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Lee Honey Shows Off Two-Tone Charms in New Character Poster in Upcoming Drama 'One the Woman'

The "One the Woman" production team said, "Lee Sang Yoon will show a 200% synchronicity rate with his character. Please look forward to seeing Lee Sang Yoon in "One the Woman"."

'One the Woman' Production and Premiere Date

The forthcoming romance drama series "One the Woman" starring Lee Sang Yoon, Lee Honey, Lee Won Geun, and Jin Seo Yeon is helmed by filmmaker Choi Young Hoon, who showed his directing skills with "Good Casting".

It is written by screenwriter Kim Yoon and produced by Studio S and Gil Pictures. It follows the story of a prosecutor who lost her memories and is now living a double life as an heiress to a conglomerate in South Korea.

Na Young Hee, Kim Chang Wan, Kim Won Hae, and Jung In Gi will also be participating in the rom-com drama series.

"One the Woman" will be broadcasted for the first time on September 17 at 10:00 p.m. KST on SBS.

ICYMI, here's the teaser of the upcoming drama:

Follow KDramastars for more Kdrama, KMovie, and celebrity news updates!





KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
Ryu Jun Yeol stuns fans with his straight off the runway look as he graces GQ Korea.

The 34-year-old actor showed off a different aura illustrating his exquisite style with a touch of roughness, maturity, and classiness rolled into one.

His latest appearance is in collaboration with the magazine and high-end jewelry brand Clash de Cartier, flaunting their newest collection.

In one photo, the "Hit-and-Run Squad" star dons an all-black ensemble exuding his dapper aura while capping the look with rhodium-plated 18-carat white Clash de Cartier rings detailed with Tahitian pearls, onyx, and diamonds.

Ryu Jun Yeol and Jeon Do Yeon Attends 'Lost' Press Conference with PD Hur Jin Ho

His latest campaign shoot comes ahead of Ryu Jun Yeol's new drama "Lost" opposite Jeon Do Yeon.

Both lead stars alongside PD Hur Jin Ho graced the event as they gave the media a hint of the much-awaited melodrama.

The duo showed off their on-screen chemistry, suggesting the rapport between their characters while stimulating the curiosity of the fans.

"Lost" release date is slated on September 4, airing every Saturday and Sunday via JTBC and iQiyi.

The upcoming K-drama follows the story of individuals who believe that they haven't reached any achievement or failed to become anything throughout their lives despite their eagerness for the spotlight.

In the drama series, Jeon Do Yeon took on the role of a 40-something ghostwriter named Boo Jung, who feels lost and disoriented in life amid her struggling marriage.

Meanwhile, "Reply 1988" star plays Kang Jae, who owns a service company where his employees play different roles for their clients.

Ryu Jun Yeol on Working Alongside Jeon Do Yeon

According to a Korean media outlet, the 34-year-old actor went to describe his experience for the upcoming melodrama.

During the media conference, Ryu Jun Yeol confessed that he struggled a lot during the filming session but was thankful for his co-star for comforting him.

In addition, he also shared what he thinks of "The Good Wife" actress.

He went on to describe Jeon Do Yeon as a "good actor" with her long career in showbiz.

To recall, JTBC's new K-drama "Lost" is both their comeback project in the small screen.

His latest appearance before the soon-to-be-released drama was the 2016 rom-com "Lucky Romance" Hwang Jung Eum and "Doom at Your Service" star Lee Soo Hyuk.

Like Ryu Jun Yeol, the 48-year-old beauty took a five-year hiatus in K-drama land after starring in the mega-hit series "The Good Wife."

Based on the drama's still cuts and captivating trailers, "Lost" is definitely a must-watch movie this September.

According to one outlet, the production team lauded the duo for their impeccable performance portraying Kang Jae and Boo Jung.

"'Lost' is heartbreaking but heartwarming, and viewers will become deeply immersed in how the two characters change through each other.

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Geca Wills
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- An official with the Oregon Nurses Association said roughly 111 PeaceHealth nurses are on unpaid administrative leave following yesterday's deadline for caregivers to show proof of vaccination or an exemption.

Myrna Jensen with the Oregon Nurses Association said the union supports full vaccination for its members. But they are still advocating for those who choose not to get the shot.

"We need to be there to support them as we can, to advocate for them if we need to, and to work with PeaceHealth to get some of those folks back into the hospital," Jensen said.

PeaceHealth did not confirm the number, but an official did say that as of today, between 350 and 500 caregivers remain unvaccinated in its hospitals, clinics and administrative settings.

That includes 250 to 375 unvaccinated caregivers within PeaceHealths four Lane County hospitals, the official said.

PeaceHealth added that a "significant number" of caregivers submitted proof of vaccination or a request for an exemption in the past 24 hours.

PeaceHealth said it would have more specific numbers by "early next week."

They said the vaccine requirement applies to all PeaceHealth employees, including front desk workers and volunteers.

Even if an employee has a qualifying exemption, they still won't be allowed inside a PeaceHealth facility. Remote work may be an option and other accommodations may be made like a leave of absence.

PeaceHealth officials told KEZI they respect each individual's choice. But "they also care about the safety and well-being of their patients, caregivers, and communities and want to ensure that everyone working inside their facilities is vaccinated."

PeaceHealth said their department leaders are making themselves available 24/7 right now to address staffing needs and other issues.
GRANTS PASS, Ore.  Asante Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass continues to suffer under a nearly month-long surge in hospitalized COVID-19 patients  one that has resulted in hundreds of canceled procedures, a desperate need to expand bed capacity to meet those needs, and a recent spike in deaths.

For the second time in less than a month, doctors and administrators from Asante joined a conference call with the media on Wednesday to deliver a complete view of the dire situation.

"For Asante specifically, we're almost three times what we saw in the winter surge, that's the kind of patient volume we're seeing now," said Win Howard, CEO at Asante Three Rivers. "We planned over the last 18 months for this day, you know, if we were going to get to this point, and I prayed it wouldn't happen  and it is happening, it has happened. We're at an absolute crisis of nothing like we ever thought was going to happen."

Asante Three Rivers currently has 146 inpatients, which is only possible because the hospital received emergency approval from the Oregon Health Authority to expand their license from 125 beds to 177 beds. Of those 146 inpatients, 78 patients  more than half  have COVID-19, and 91 percent of those are unvaccinated.

As a system, Asante has recorded 28 deaths from COVID-19 in the last seven days.

Even with a recent expansion of their Emergency Department, Asante is seeing between 10 and 20 "boarders"  patients who have been evaluated and admitted  per day, with a capacity of 30 beds in the entire department.

"So these are patients who are sick enough, that need to be admitted, that we purely do not have physical space for," said Laura Magstadt, vice president of Nursing at Three Rivers. "We started this morning, I believe we were at ten boarders, that number just moments ago was right around twelve or thirteen, I believe. We've sort of been living at that ten-to-twenty range in a thirty-bed ED."

Three Rivers' intensive care unit, originally a 12-bed unit, has been expanded to a 22-bed unit by having two patients share what were intended to be single rooms, separated by partitions. Ages of the ICU patients range from 32 to 78, and 90 percent of these patients are unvaccinated. All of the ICU patients have COVID-19.

"We have so many critically ill patients that unfortunately that was one of our only options," Magstadt said.

Two medical surgical (med surg) units at Three Rivers are completely full of COVID-19 patients, while a third surg unit is full of other patients. The COVID-19 patients in these surg units range in age from 27 to 97, many of them in their middle ages.

Outpatient care beds, which usually serve as temporary recovery spaces for people just coming out of surgery, are now long-term beds for inpatients. Because so many elective procedures have been canceled, the surgeons and staff that would otherwise have been performing those outpatient procedures have been reassigned to other duties.

Some things are starting to improve, Magstadt said. One of the biggest problems has been an ongoing bottleneck in transferring patients to long-term or hospice care after receiving treatment. Asante is now working with Oregon state officials to help solve the issue and find places for these patients, 15 of them at Three Rivers.

Magstadt said that the National Guard reinforcements have been incredibly helpful as well. There are 116 guardsmen at Asante facilities in southern Oregon  doing everything from washing dishes and cleaning rooms to running supplies and answering phones.

Staffing continues to be one of the biggest issues with the current surge. While beds can be "made" to a certain extent by converting rooms to other uses, staff cannot be similarly conjured out of thin air. With the recent announcement that Oregon has contracted several medical staffing agencies, Magstadt said that Asante expects to get 40 out-of-state nurses coming aboard today, followed by dozens more this week.

Jackson and Josephine counties continue to have the highest hospitalization numbers in the entire state of Oregon, according to OHSU's most recent modeling. Those are expected to peak early next week  but, general surgeon Dr. Estin Yang pointed out, the model shows that hospitals will continue to be at crisis capacity into mid-October even as hospitalizations gradually fall.

The downstream impacts will disproportionately land on people who require elective surgeries. Until Asante is out of that crisis capacity that started at the beginning of August and will likely continue into October, procedures will continue to be postponed. This includes cancer patients, people at risk of stroke or heart attack, and those who could lose a limb.

Dr. Megan Frost, another general surgeon at Three Rivers, said that calling patients to tell them that their procedures will have to wait for weeks or months is incredibly difficult. While some urgent cases are still getting called in for operations, the vast majority have been postponed.

"To say that my patient with cancer isn't as important right now as a patient in the hospital with COVID . . . that doesn't feel right, it doesn't sit with us very well," Frost said. "So I want to make clear that when we say we're canceling all our elective cases, these are still people with life-threatening conditions that we're having to delay their care."
MEDFORD, Ore.  More people died of the coronavirus in Jackson County during the month of August than in any other month so far during the pandemic, Jackson County Public Health announced on Wednesday.

"During the month of August, there have been 50 COVID-19 related deaths reported in Jackson County," the agency said in an update. "This is the highest number of COVID-19 related deaths reported in a month for Jackson County. The total number of COVID-19 related deaths that occurred in August may change depending on when death reports are provided to Jackson County Public Health."

Accompanied by the news for August was a report on Wednesday of 4 more COVID-19 deaths in the county, bringing Jackson County's death toll to 210 since the beginning of the pandemic. Two of the fatalities were patients at Asante Rogue Regional, and two at Providence Medford Medical Center. The youngest was a 68-year-old man, and all of them had underlying conditions.

As of Wednesday morning, there were 223 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between Jackson and Josephine counties. Of those patients, 64 were in an intensive care unit.

Public health officials continue to encourage that people get vaccinated against COVID-19, particularly focusing Wednesday on people who are pregnant or are looking to get pregnant, which is an area where a considerable reservoir of vaccine hesitancy remains.

The CDC recommends coronavirus vaccination during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or for those trying to get pregnant or might become pregnant in the future. Pregnant people are more likely to experience serious illness with COVID-19 compared to others in their age group.

"If youre pregnant, you may be wondering about vaccination. Getting vaccinated during pregnancy doesnt just protect yourself, but it can protect your baby as well," Jackson County Public Health said.

Like with the COVID-19 vaccine, flu and tetanus shots encourage the body to create protective antibodies to ward off the associated disease. During pregnancy, some of those antibodies are passed on to the baby  particularly important because newborns cannot get vaccines of their own during the first few months of life.

During an Asante press conference with the media on Wednesday, obstetrician Dr. Justin Shelton directly addressed the issue of vaccine hesitancy and pregnancy. Shelton cited a new study that found COVID-19 not only disproportionately impacts pregnant people by producing more serious forms of the illness, but it has also produced a marked increase in pre-term deliveries and other complications.

"A lot of folks have commented 'this hasn't been studied well in pregnancy, we don't know the adverse effects to the baby,' and that's simply not true," Shelton said. "We've had probably the best study in all of obstetric medicine with this COVID vaccine.

"Most studies looking at medicine during pregnancy have a cohort size of about 30 to 40,000 patients  in good studies. With the v-safe study, with the COVID vaccine, during pregnancy there's 178,000 pregnant patients to-date. And the vaccination has shown no adverse effects to the baby, no increased risk for pre-term delivery or pre-term labor, and it does not effect your placenta or future fertility  any claims that have been made that the vaccine affects your fertility or ability to become pregnant in the future are completely false and not founded in science."

Shelton went on to say that he and his colleagues in obstetrics at the Womens Health Center of Southern Oregon strongly recommend that people speak with their physicians about getting vaccinated to keep both the patient and their family safe.
MEDFORD, Ore. -- A Covid-19 patient was able to return home after spending 45 days in the hospital between the Intermediate Care Unit and the Intensive care unit at Asante Rogue Regional in Medford.

Newswatch 12 first learned about 54-year-old Paul Rutter's battle with Covid-19 in August. Back then, he was unable to speak and couldn't do an interview, but since using multiple forms of therapy to recover, he was able to use his voice again.

He and his wife, Kim Rutter work in health care and were diagnosed with Covid at the same time. Prior to the diagnosis, they were weighing the risks and benefits of receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. Two weeks before Paul's health began to spiral, Kim had received her first dose.

She detailed his experience going between hospitals for weeks on end.

"Back in July, Wednesday the 14th, he started coming down with a little cough. On Thursday, he didn't feel really good, so I had him go to urgent care. They tested him for Covid and he was positive for Covid. We both wound up positive with Covid on Friday. Come Monday, he wasn't doing any better, so I called 911 because his oxygen was pretty low. They transported him to Asante Rogue Regional to the ER and at that time they transported him to Ashland. At that time, that was the designated Covid hospital."

Paul Rutter was in Ashland for a week while doctors and nurses worked on maintaining his oxygen level, but his oxygen kept desaturating and he was eventually put on a ventilator on July 19.

It was then that Rutter was sent back to Asante Rogue Regional in Medford where he was placed in the ICU and placed on a ventilator for 9 days. He was eventually able to come off of the ventilator.

Though he was no longer reliant on the ventilator to breathe, he spent time on several floors of the hospital from the IMCU, to the rehabilitation area of the hospital to regain his strength.

Rutter said he used to be a competitive swimmer and sang in choirs, and having his lungs weakened by Covid pneumonia has been the most frustrating for him. He added though he was very active in his everyday life, all the odds were stacked against him.

"I was considered very high risk for not coming off the vents. I'm a type 2 diabetic, hypertension, overweight. I had all the markers for not coming off the vent. For me to be able to do that, it's a miracle."

Both Rutter and his wife were grateful to the staff that helped him recover.

"They've been real good to us. From day one, everyone has been upbeat, friendly, doing everything they can to get me better."

Rutter mentioned the physical therapy crew that has pushed him to regain his strength. With everyone's help, he said he got out of the hospital as planned.

Kim said if they were able to go back in time and get the vaccine sooner, they likely would have.

Paul Rutter told Newswatch 12, "I still know, to some people, it's a choice. But from what I've been through, they don't want themselves or a family member to have to go through this. The vaccine will lessen the symptoms, so hopefully they don't end up in the hospital, they'll have more like flu like type symptoms."

Rutter said he advocates for getting the shot and hopes that anti-mandate protesters are careful and protect their families.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.  Fifty airmen from the Klamath County-based 173rd Fighter Wing have deployed to the Eugene area, providing logistical support for overwhelmed hospitals. The activation was first announced by Governor Kate Brown in mid-August as a means of aiding healthcare systems overburdened with COVID-19 patients and struggling with staffing shortages.

"Oregon hospitals are at maximum capacity and our communities have asked for help from the National Guard, said Col. Micah Lambert, vice commander of the 173rd. Our activation can provide assistance that increases capacity and patient care. While the tasks we are being asked to perform are not direct patient care, this support will free up medical professionals and provide additional beds; that could be lifesaving.

Brown's announcement called for up to 1,500 members of the Oregon National Guard to respond across the state. More members of the 173rd are on standby in case they are requested by hospital systems through the state Office of Emergency Management.

Kingsley Field said that the airmen will work in non-clinical roles, including material handling, equipment support, COVID-19 testing support, laundry and custodial services, and any other activities they are tasked with to help hospitals in the Springfield-Eugene area.

"Our Airmen are highly capable, skilled, educated, and multifaceted individuals, noted Lambert. We are teachers, private business owners, mechanics, students, commercial pilots, executives; we are in the community and we are your neighbors. We are citizen Airmen and ready to serve when called.

The airmen currently out on deployment are from a number of Kingsley Field career fields, including maintenance, medical, logistics, communications, and public affairs. While some airmen help with this task, others are working on separate missions from state and federal authorities.

Right now Team Kingsley has members serving as hand crews on wildfires, we have liaison officers assigned to fire incident command centers and members manning fire security checkpoints, said Lambert. Our specialties and training for emergency response provide a unique capability to assist our communities. Concurrently we have our full-time force at Kingsley Field focused on F-15 pilot training and ensuring we provide the future of Air Superiority to the United States Air Force.

Lambert said that the Kingsley team is uniquely qualified to support this mission. Always ready Always there; that is the National Guard motto and it is being clearly demonstrated throughout Oregon this year, he said.

While many Oregon guardsmen have careers in the medical field or as first responders, they will not be called upon for this mission or for wildfire fighting tasks.

"We all understand the burden that this places upon our members and their civilian employers, added Lambert. Thank you to all the employers who have National Guard members working for them and support their service.
By Aya Elamroussi, CNN

(CNN) -- The winds fueling the massive Caldor Fire in California may subside in the coming days, bringing the possibility of lighter fire activity after the blaze drove thousands out of their homes this week.

"The issues and conditions that weather was causing, especially for the last couple of days, are going to be mitigated by much lighter winds across the fire," Incident Meteorologist Jim Dudley said in an update.

"Firefighters will work today to bolster lines where large pockets of previously unburned fuel threaten existing control lines," Cal Fire reported Thursday.

The glimmer of good news comes after firefighters made some progress in taming the Caldor Fire, which had ballooned to 210,259 acres as of Thursday morning, with containment reaching 25%, according to Cal Fire.

The fire has been burning for nearly three weeks and is threatening the tourist city of South Lake Tahoe as it marches toward Nevada's border.

South Lake Tahoe was spared Wednesday as the fire remained in the mountains, away from the main portion of the tourist city, "which is a very good thing," Dave Lauchner, a spokesman for Cal Fire Team 6, told CNN.

"At this point, we've been able to keep it out of South Lake Tahoe," Lauchner said. "We're hoping to keep it up on the hill," he added.

Still, the fire remained active Wednesday due to dry conditions and strong winds.

"These strong winds increased fire behavior dramatically along the northern area of the fire," Cal Fire said in an update.

The flames forced the evacuation of thousands of people from South Lake Tahoe this week and pose a risk to 32,387 structures after destroying 622 homes, officials said.

The city, normally bustling with vacationers, was a gray ghost town Tuesday, with empty parking lots, closed roads and shuttered businesses as the fire's thick smoke hovered over the area.

Overall, more than 59,000 people have been placed under evacuation orders in the state, according to the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

In neighboring Nevada, evacuation warnings were also issued for Douglas County as the Caldor Fire inches toward the state's border, according to Cal Fire.

Gov. Steve Sisolak declared a state of emergency Monday in anticipation of flames crossing state lines. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also declared a state of emergency for the counties surrounding Lake Tahoe.

Wednesday, the White House approved Newsom's request for a presidential emergency declaration to receive direct federal aid for the Caldor Fire. The move will "supplement state, local and tribal government emergency services for the protection of lives, property, public health and safety," Newsom's office said in a news release

Massive fire prompts evacuation warnings, again

As California battles 15 large active fires, one in particular has been devastating to communities.

The Dixie Fire -- the state's largest active fire -- has seared 859,457 acres stretching across five counties since it began on July 14. As containment reached 55% as of Thursday, the Lassen County Sheriff's Office issued new evacuation orders and warnings, according to Cal Fire.

The fire's east zone was fueled by aggressive 40 mph winds, Cal Fire said, noting, "The fire was moving too fast to put personnel directly in its path."

The fire has destroyed 1,282 structures and threatens 12,738 others. The cause is still under investigation.

California's wildfire season been devastating this year, with 1.87 million acres up in flames from 6,983 fires so far, according to Cal Fire.

The US Forest Service moved to temporarily shutter all national forests in California as resources are stretched thin. The closures will last until at least September 17, the US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region said this week.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW)  Meet 3-year-old Avery Burrell and her mom Melody  they're from Grants Pass. They were at Doernbecher Children's Hospital this past weekend for Avery's chemo treatment. She has a form of leukemia.

They were in Portland because of a staffing shortage at the hospital where she's normally seen . . . in Medford.

"It was very hard. It was very stressful," said Melody. "I felt like my heart was in three different places with my husband being here, my youngest being with Grandma and then even Avery . . . just watching what she has to go through. Its a lot."

Sick COVID patients, most unvaccinated, have overwhelmed the hospitals in both Grants Pass and Medford. Only Medford, 30 miles from their home, offers the cancer treatment Avery needs.

Like many others around Oregon, the hospital has lost workers during the pandemic. Some have left the business  others transferred to clinics with more stable hours and less stress. A spokeswoman said it's left the pediatric area without enough staff at times.

As a result, the family drove 243 miles to Portland to get Avery's treatment on time.

"Thats hard as a parent to hear. That were like fighting day by day on, you know, whether if the treatment works or not. If were too late because we couldnt get in because of Covid . . . you know, it's a lot. Its hard. It's a lot of emotions, said Melody.

Avery's dad, Ryan, said he's not angry with those who are getting sick, but he is frustruted with healthcare leaders.

"It's not a resentment thing toward the people that are actually sick themselves. Its more just resentment toward the organization inside the healthcare system to make this happen and or not," Ryan said.

The hospital spokeswoman said that they have hired six new nurses in the past couple months, are using traveling nurses and still trying to hire more.

In the meantime, the family is mentally preparing for another trip to Portland.

"For us to be told that we . . . you know it's just gonna get worse and we cant go to the place that were supposed to go to to get treatment, thats just a little insane, Melody said. "Theyre basically saying theres no room for us because of whats going on."
By Ariane de Vogue, CNN Supreme Court Reporter

(CNN) -- A controversial Texas law that bars abortions at six weeks went into effect early Wednesday morning after the Supreme Court and a federal appeals court failed to rule on pending emergency requests brought by abortion providers.

The lack of judicial intervention means that the law -- which is one of the strictest in the nation and bans abortion before many people know they are pregnant -- goes into force absent further court intervention.

The law allows private citizens to bring civil suits against anyone who assists a pregnant person seeking an abortion in violation of the ban.

No other six-week ban has been allowed to go into effect -- even briefly.

"What ultimately happens to this law remains to be seen," said CNN Supreme Court analyst and University of Texas Law School professor Steve Vladeck, "but now through their inaction the justices have let the tightest abortion restriction since Roe v. Wade be enforced for at least some period of time."

The case comes as the justices are poised in the upcoming term to rule on the constitutionality of a Mississippi law that bars abortion at 15 weeks.

Under the Texas law, abortion is prohibited when a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is often before a woman knows she is pregnant. There is no exception for rape or incest, although there is an exemption for "medical emergencies."

Abortion providers asked the justices to block the ban while legal challenges played out because they argued that if it were allowed to go into effect it would "immediately and catastrophically reduce abortion access in Texas," ultimately forcing many abortion clinics to close.

They argued if the law were allowed to take effect it would have the impact of "barring care for at least 85% of Texas abortion patients" and would mean that lawsuits could be filed against a broad range of people including a person who drives their friend to obtain an abortion, someone who provides financial assistance and even to a member of the clergy who assists a patient.

President Joe Biden lambasted the law, calling it "extreme" and a blatant violation of constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade.

"The Texas law will significantly impair women's access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes," Biden said in a statement Wednesday.

"My administration is deeply committed to the constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade nearly five decades ago and will protect and defend that right," he added.

Abortion access had already been curtailed by the ban by the time Wednesday morning rolled around. Whole Woman's Health -- which operates clinics in McAllen, McKinney, Austin, and Fort Worth, and led the federal lawsuit challenging the ban -- said that it was only offering the procedure if "if no embryonic or fetal cardiac activity is detected in the sonogram."

Tuesday night, two hours before the ban was set to go into effect, one of the clinics -- Whole Woman's Health -- reported that it was providing abortions. "Our waiting rooms are filled with patients," the clinic tweeted, adding that "anti-abortion protestors are outside, shining lights on the parking ...we are under surveillance." In another tweet, the clinic said, "This is what abortion care looks like. Human Rights warriors."

The Supreme Court's failure to respond prompted a furious backlash from supporters of abortion rights just after the law went into effect.

"Access to almost all abortion has just been cut off for millions of people, the impact will be immediate and devastating," the ACLU said in a tweet.

Novel legal strategy

In the novel legal strategy, the state Legislature designed the law to prevent government officials from directly enforcing it. The move was meant to make it much more difficult to bring a pre-enforcement challenge because there are not the usual government officials to hold accountable in court.

Instead, the law allows private citizens -- anywhere in the country -- to bring civil suits against anyone who assists a pregnant person seeking an abortion in violation of the ban.

Opponents say the law is part of a new wave of laws put forward by states hostile to abortion rights and will inspire other states to follow suit.

Lawyers for Texas officials urged the justices to allow the law to go into effect, saying that the clinics had not shown that they will be "personally harmed by a bill that may never be enforced against them."

The case comes as the justices have already agreed to consider a Mississippi law during their upcoming term that bars most abortions at 15 weeks. Supporters of abortion rights say the Mississippi and Texas laws are a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 opinion legalizing abortion nationwide prior to viability, which can occur at around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

The clinics initially filed suit not only against Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, but state judges and clerks in Texas with the jurisdiction to enforce the law. They also targeted Mark Lee Dickson who serves as the director of Right to Life East Texas.

In briefs, the providers said that patients "who can scrape together resources" will be forced to attempt to leave the state, and others will be forced to "remain pregnant against their will."
MEDFORD, Ore. -- The FBI came to Medford in August to discuss it's hate crime awareness campaign with community influencers.

Special Agent Kieran Ramsey in Charge of the Portland Field Office, spoke to media about statistics found by the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

In Oregon, there were 271 single bias incidents reported in 2020, and 170 single bias incidents reported in 2019. In Oregon, there were 360 reported victims in 2020, and 242 reported victims in 2019.

Nationally, there were 7,554 single bias incidents reported in 2020, and 7,081 single bias incidents reported in 2019. There were also 10,528 reported victims in 2020, and 8,812 reported victims in 2019.

The FBI had some major take aways from the data. The bias motivator in about 70% of Oregon incidents was race, ethnicity, or ancestry. Victims perceived as Black were the racial group targeted most frequently.

Religion was the motivator in about 10% of cases. Victims perceived as Jewish were the religious group targeted most frequently.

Sexual orientation was the motivator in about 10% of reported Oregon incidents.

Gender identity was the motivator in about 3% of reported Oregon incidents.

There are a number of federal laws that give FBI the ability to investigate hate crimes. Those laws generally require some kind of criminal act and a finding that the person committing the act did so because the person was motivated by bias.

The criminal act can include offenses such as murder, assault, arson, and it generally requires the use or threat of force or violence.

For an incident to qualify as a federal hate crime, the subject(s) must have acted wholly or in part based on the victims actual or perceived status. This is generally consistent with state law.

Under federal law, bias motivators include:

 Race

 Ethnicity

 National origin

 Disability

 Religion

 Gender

 Gender identity

 Sexual orientation

Anyone who has information about or believes they are a victim of a federal hate crime should contact the FBI by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.
Hopkinsville, KY (42240)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 68F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 68F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
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F- you! I wont do what you tell me! the lyrics blare into my teenage ears, as I lip-synch to the rock band Rage Against the Machines song Killing In the Name. Its 1992, and my Walkman is attached to the waistband of my Seattle Blues. It would take at least a decade to fully understand the meaning of those lyrics. Nearly thirty years later, this line rattles through my head on a near-daily basis as I move through our hospitals COVID ward. Only its a line thats been reappropriated for a different cause, an anti-vaccination one. When a patient or a staff member let me know that the government cant make them get vaccinated, the chorus plays in my head. An equivalent to a slap across my face.

As a semi-professional hugger, I was relegated to time out when COVID hit. My patients asked not to be examined, trainees could no longer fist bump, and embracing friends was not an option because we no longer socialized. Without any special training, we had to figure out how to meet the needs of our family, community, and patients. We had to adapt. As physicians, there were hours of planning, learning the new guidelines and protocols, schedules with backups drafted and redrafted, as we waited for the floor to fall out. Our work lives became consumed by COVID-19, and for many of us, this bled into our personal lives. Early on in the pandemic, we wondered if we were carrying the virus home in our hair, if we should microwave the mail and wash our bananas.

I used to bribe myself with a treat for keeping it together. Go a whole week without completely losing it and you can buy a grocery store orchid, I cooed. I never made it a full week, yet it didnt stop me from rebelliously buying orchids. My house began to resemble a funeral parlor in Hawaii or a nursing home. We pressed on at work as we planned our COVID-19 units and created a policy for how to triage ventilators when we ran out. Nothing was straightforward. We were living in a gray zone as we lost patients, colleagues, family, and neighbors to the virus. I lost sleep and became annoyingly anxious and isolated. I hated it. As my tolerance for Zoom meetings waned, my drinking habits spiraled alongside my anxiety. I was lonely. I ate hors doeuvres for dinner and watched ridiculous amounts of TV geared toward interior design. I gained weight and lost my ability to concentrate. I needed to dissociate, yet the reality was I had to be ready for a surge, to provide coverage when staff got sick or we got busier.

By December, my anxiety had turned into full-fledged depression when something amazing happened. Emails from leadership announcing a vaccination rollout. It was good news. Great news, like winning something or having people clap for you. As a medical doctor, I was going to be offered the vaccine first. As the months rolled by so would my family and neighbors. It was what our psyche desperately needed, reprieve. My depression was abating. We were part of history. I posted my first shot, me flexing a deltoid on Instagram. I was ecstatic and it was short-lived.

I was naive to think the rest of the country or even my own family would agree with me about how remarkable this opportunity was. My family and other anti-vaccination folks didnt need scientific data or evidence to shun the vaccine, they had a belief. It was mind-boggling, yet we health care workers slogged onwards, and watched ourselves go from hero to villain for promoting vaccines, or being anti-ecomony for wearing a mask to the grocery store. I have experienced terrorizing fear, gut-wrenching heartbreak, dark depression, and anger as I argued my stance that real patriots get vaccinated.

All the while Rage Against the Machine played in my head. I hear the refrain every time I have a conversation with a staff member or a patient who is waiting to get vaccinated or just doesnt believe in COVID. I hear those lyrics when I open up the news and a politician is suggesting vaccine volunteers should be shot, or extremist conspiracy theories are played as a loop on prime time.

I feel beaten down, but I am no longer angry. I dont have any fight left. Logic left months ago and no one from the anti-vaccination camp can hear me anyway. When it comes to anti-vaccination arguments, Ive set up home with apathy. I no longer engage in motivational interviewing to understand. I dont pitch to their civility, sell to their humanity, or pique empathy in my arguments for vaccination. I care for unvaccinated patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who want other people to start taking this virus seriously. I shake my head. Its up to them to spread the message, I cant carry all the luggage. When they ask for a vaccine I have to tell them its too late to prevent this bout of pneumonia.

How we repair and heal will be up to all of us. Can we suspend our politics and our beliefs? Can we align our values to truly care for and respect each other? Rage Against the Machine valued accountability and demanded this from the police and government. By aligning their values they stood up fiercely for their community. This song doesnt belong to the people who refuse to listen to science. Thirty years later Im taking it back, and Im justified. This song is mine, and its how I heal.

Amy Cowan is an internal medicine physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Planning board OKs South Dade megaplex

Rendering provided by Aligned Holdings South Dade Logistics and Technology District is projected by the developer to create more than 17,000 new jobs. Map provided by Aligned Holdings The project would take place in three phases on 794 acres of farmland south of Floridas Turnpike near Homestead Air Reserve Base.

In an 8-2 vote, the Miami Dade Planning Advisory Board approved with conditions Aligned Holdings request to develop a technology center on 794 acres of agricultural land just northeast of the Homestead Air Reserve Base in an area outside of Miami-Dade Countys Urban Development Boundary.

The project will now head to the Miami-Dade County Commission, where a supermajority vote ultimately will be required for it to proceed.

Basically, they are asking to expand the Urban Development Boundary by 794 acres to include this application site and to rezone it as a special district rather than agriculture, said Jerry Bell, assistant director of planning.

In being designated as a special district, or the South Dade Logistics and Technology District, the applicant is required to put together a comprehensive infrastructure plan, which staff said was lacking, particularly in Phase 3.

The first phase of the project proposes 2,980,000 square feet of warehousing mixed with 20,000 square feet of retail. The second phase proposes 2,900,000 square feet in warehousing, a 3,000-square-foot bank, a 32,000-square-foot restaurant, a 6,600-square-foot convenience store, a 38,400-square-foot retail center and a 150-room hotel.

The third phase also includes a bank, restaurant, convenience store and hotel, but increases warehousing to 9,305,000 square feet and includes 78,400 square feet of retail. Up to 84 single-family residences are also being proposed.

The planning board approved the project, even though staff recommended denying the project and rezoning request and not transmitting it to the commission.

Staff also identified 202 parcels inside the Urban Development Boundary that would be suitable for the project.

Aligned Holdings proposed site, although outside the Urban Development Boundary, falls within Urban Expansion Area Number 3, an area that is prioritized for future growth once there is a demonstrated need to move the boundary, according to Bell.

Thats a very important point, he said. Phase 3 of the application is not under contract by the applicant. There are no guarantees as to how and when it will be developed except it cant exceed a certain cap. This is the fundamental issue with the application. We dont know how or when it will be developed.

Amazon, UPS and FedEx have found adequate sites within the boundary not too far from the Aligned Holdings site.

I want to point out that the county had received 48 letters in support of the application and eight in opposition. This district represents the first major effort for economic development and sprawl remediation in south Miami-Dade County in decades, said Jeffrey Bercow, a land use attorney representing the applicant.

Environmental groups objecting to the project say the area, which is next to wetland protection zones, is critical for filtering and recharging the Biscayne Aquifer, which provides drinking water to the region.

Bercow said the marl soil farmland is no longer viable and that theres high unemployment in the area. He added that South Dade residents have long commutes for work and this would create local job opportunities. The completed project will create an estimated 17,446 permanent jobs, according to application paperwork. Bercow added that the project would have a positive environmental impact.

Seasonal (water) drawdowns are having a negative impact effect on Biscayne Bay. We will be reducing pollution loads into the bay by 79% and drawing only about 6% from the Biscayne Aquifer of what agriculture does, he said. We would eliminate phosphorus and nitrogen runoff. We would be reducing that to 25%.

He also said that the project would mitigate urban sprawl.

Planning advisory board member Robert Alonso said he applauds the developer for investing millions of dollars into the area.

I drive in that area on my way to the Keys and wherever, he said. That northbound traffic is just insane. Theres thousands and thousands of homes and apartments, but theres no jobs out there. Affordable housing is south. People are having to commute two hours north to work.

Board member Horacio Carlos Huembes said Miami-Dade needs to plan for growth and do so properly.

I think this one makes sense and Im in support of it, he said.

Opposed to the project was board Chair Lynette Cardoch.

Im going to have an unpopular opinion, she said. I love the idea of this project but the way its been cobbled together, I cant support it.

The board ultimately supported the project, with the condition that the Miami-Dade County Commission impose additional requirements for Phase 3 infrastructure that would include roads, water and sewer, elevation of the property and consistency with Phases 1 and 2.

The Aligned Holdings application is scheduled for a transmittal hearing at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 9.

If the commission approves transmittal, the application will then be sent to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and other agencies for review and comment in accordance with the states growth management requirements.

Comments from the reviewing agencies are due back in 30 days. After comments are received and addressed, Aligned Holdings will be scheduled for the final adoption hearing before the commission.

tjava@keysnews.com
EUGENE, Ore.  The three largest local governments in Lane County are not requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but some have yet to rule out a mandate.

Representatives of Eugene, Springfield and Lane County governments said vaccines are not currently required as a condition of employment. Meanwhile, the City of Portland announced this week employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 18 or face termination. Other cities such as Baltimore, Tucson and Cincinnati have announced similar mandates for employees.

The City of Eugene has over 1,500 employees. Spokesperson Laura Hammond said there is no vaccine requirement, but some employees like first responders are required to get the vaccine under a directive by Gov. Kate Brown.

The city will continue to encourage and support employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine while closely monitoring lead agency guidance and requirements as well as the business need related to specific city services, Hammond said in an email.

The city said a decision about a mandate would largely be up to the city manager in consultation with the city council.

The City of Springfield, with roughly 400 employees, said a mandate is not currently being considered.

Weve been actively encouraging city staff to get vaccinated. While the city has not implemented a vaccine requirement, most members of Eugene Springfield Fire Department will need to comply with the mandatory vaccination outlined in the governors order, said Springfield spokesperson Amber Fossen.

Lane County said no decision has been made with regard to a required vaccination for county employees. Any requirement would need a vote by the Lane County Board of Commissioners. Because a vaccine requirement could be paired with discipline for employees who dont comply, it would also require negotiation with labor unions representing county employees.
LEBANON, Ore. -- A man and his son are accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from their 81-year-old relative in Lebanon.

Sheriff Jim Yon said detectives arrested Michael Alan Gunnett, 58, and Michael Shane Gunnett, 38, both of Lebanon, after a lengthy investigation into money stolen from Michael Alan Gunnetts mother, who has since died.

Detectives started digging into the theft case in November 2020. Financial records were subpoenaed, and detectives reportedly determined that the woman's son had taken more than $220,000 over three years and her grandson had taken more than $115,000 over a year and a half.

The elder was charged with six counts of first-degree aggravated theft and first-degree criminal mistreatment, and his son was charged with three counts of first-degree aggravated theft and first-degree criminal treatment. They were both taken to the Linn County Jail.
ROSEBURG, Ore. - A Roseburg doctor recently published a blog post where he advocates the use of Ivermectin when treating COVID-19 patients, despite the CDC recently warning against using it.

Dr. Tim Powell, medical director of Evergreen Family Medicine, expressed his thoughts in a post on the medical office website.

"Early outpatient treatment works. At Evergreen Family Medicine, we are aggressive in those stratified to be at risk in this early phase. We believe Regeneron, Ivermectin, anticoagulation, and judicious use of steroids and active monitoring is keeping patients out of the hospital, the post reads.

RELATED: CDC WARNS AGAINST USE OF ANTI-PARASITIC DRUG IVERMECTIN FOR COVID-19, AS CALLS TO POISON CONTROL CENTERS INCREASE

Regeneron is a monoclonal antibody treatment that has been given emergency use authorization from the FDA.

Other hospitals like PeaceHealth RiverBend are offering a monoclonal antibody IV therapy, or REGEN-COV, as a treatment, but not Ivermectin.

KEZI 9 News reached out to Powell's office but has yet to hear back.

You can read the full blog post HERE.

CDC WARNS AGAINST IVERMECTIN

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have sent a health advisory to doctors and the public about the "rapid increase" in prescriptions for the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin, CNN reports.

The CDC also cautions about an increase in reports of severe illness caused by the drug to poison centers.

Ivermectin is used to treat parasites such as worms and lice in humans and it is also used by veterinarians to de-worm large animals.

For months, conservative media -- including Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham -- have talked about how it could be used to treat Covid-19. It's a popular topic on Twitter. Ivermectin has been called a "miracle drug" in congressional hearings. Even Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson has been touting its benefit to treat Covid-19 cure.

Normally, about 3,600 prescriptions are written for ivermectin in a week, the CDC said. This rose more than tenfold by the week of January 8, when 39,000 prescriptions were written. "Since early July 2021, outpatient ivermectin dispensing has again begun to rapidly increase, reaching more than 88,000 prescriptions in the week ending August 13, 2021. This represents a 24-fold increase from the pre-pandemic baseline," the CDC said.

GoodRx a company that tracks drug prices has seen a similar sharp increase in prescriptions filled for ivemectin. From the company's data for August, so far they've seen 20 times the average level of fills in 2019.

The US Food and Drug Administration has cautioned people against using ivermectin to treat Covid-19. Last Saturday the FDA tweeted: "You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it."

Calls to poison control centers have increased three-fold, compared to the number of calls about the drug before the pandemic, the CDC said.

Some examples of these calls included an adult who wanted to prevent Covid-19 and had to be hospitalized for nine days after drinking a cattle formula. Another person who bought pills online to treat their Covid-19 infection was hospitalized after taking five tablets a day for five days.

The CDC reminded doctors that ivermectin is not authorized or approved for use in Covid-19 patients. Doctors did investigate the possibility, but clinical trials of the drug "yielded insufficient evidence" to treat Covid-19. Scientists would need to perform more clinical trials to see if it actually worked to treat the disease. Overdoses of the drug can cause stomach problems, nerve damage, seizures, disorientation, coma and death.

The CDC advisory reminded the public that vaccination rather than treatment "is the safest and most effective way to prevent getting sick and protect against severe disease and death" from Covid-19.
In the last year we've lost thousands of family members, friends and co-workers to COVID-19. We'd like to give you a chance to honor their memory.

Share a Memory
Funding of 200,000 has been awarded to Ballytobin Solar Ltd for the development of Callan Community Solar Park under the LEADER Programme, Fine Gael TD John Paul Phelan has confirmed.

The allocation is part of a 268,371 package for rural development projects in Kilkenny, awarded by the Department of Rural and Community Development. Funding for the Callan project will be used to build the new solar park, purchase equipment, marketing, training and pay for costs relating to connecting the park with the national grid, Deputy Phelan said.

A number of Kilkenny LEADER Partnership projects aimed at developing rural towns and providing basic services for hard-to-reach communities were approved funding under the latest allocation:

 SEROI (Social & Economic Return on Investment)+Central Trainer initiative funding of 16,628 to engage a trainer to provide overall coordination support for this co-operation project in all partner Local Action Group (LAG) areas and to provide recommendations on a training framework which can be piloted in LAG regions across Europe.

 SEROI+ Ireland Training Coordinator  funding of 14,968.57 towards engaging a trainer to coordinate project actions in each LAG territory and engage with communities/stakeholders in each local area.

 SEROI+ Tool Calculator Cooperation Analysis & Development - 5,625 towards the SEROI planning and evaluation tool on the overall value and return on investments to a community.

This co-operation project will implement a programme of training supports to communities and stakeholders in the LAG focused on developing an SEROI+ methodology in relation to the LEADER programme to support the EU's evolving Smart Village concept, which will lead to the development of the SEROI+ Smart Village model.

 An additional 7,078.50 was approved under the Rural Towns initiative, towards developing a SMART Village Training Curriculum Cooperation Project targeted at rural communities.

 Funding of 24,071 was approved to deliver a Smart Villages Training Programme to communities in rural areas in Kilkenny.

This funding will support locally-led projects which focus on empowering local communities, embracing new opportunities in the green economy, supporting remote working and the digital transformation of rural areas across Kilkenny, Deputy Phelan concluded.
The Mayor of Kilkenny has thanked State Street for selecting the Marble City for its new cybersecurity and technology unit, which will create 400 new jobs.

State Street will establish a new specialist 400-strong team in Ireland to provide technology infrastructure and cyber security to support group operations globally.

Welcoming the news, Mayor of Kilkenny, Andrew McGuinness said, This is great news for Kilkenny with such a huge investment and job creation announcement that will benefit everyone. As Mayor, I want to thank State Street for making such a substantial investment into Kilkenny and wish them every success.

Ireland has been selected in large part due to the availability of relevant and skilled technology talent  existing and emerging (from universities and third level institutions)  as well as the need to have a location outside the US for time zone support purposes.

The new unit will be located at IDA Ireland Business and Technology Park in Kilkenny where State Street already employs approximately 600 staff.

Deputy John Mc Guinness also welcomed the announcement.

This is fantastic news for Kilkenny as one of the largest job announcements in recent history with the creation of 400 jobs. It will be a huge boost to our local economy, he said.

State Street are now in the process of developing a new state of the art office complex at their current location, representing a huge investment in Kilkenny, he added.

Reflective of new ways of working post COVID and of staff preferences for flexibility and remote working, the new office could see office occupancy levels of up to 200% whilst drawing on a potentially broader staff pool along the east coast and midlands.
MASON CITY, Iowa - A 63-year-old man was shot and seriously injured after a shooting northeast of Mason City on Thursday morning.

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office said a reported shooting call came in at 6:22 a.m. from the 19000 block of 290th St., which is north of the NIACC campus.

A male victim was located and taken to the hospital for serious injuries. The injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

"At this time it appears this was a targeted incident and no further dangers exists to the public," the sheriff's office said Thursday afternoon.

No arrests have been made.
MASON CITY, Iowa - MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center was placed on a brief lockdown Thursday morning "due to a potential threat in the area."

MercyOne told KIMT that the lockdown has been lifted.

"MercyOne is committed to the safety of our patients, visitors, colleagues, physicians and communities we serve," MercyOne said.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  A federal judge on Thursday ordered a prominent participant in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to return to jail after he was caught accessing the internet to watch false conspiracy theories about the presidential election.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said that Doug Jensen, 42, of Des Moines, Iowa, had violated the strict conditions that were set when he released Jensen from jail on July 13, including prohibitions on accessing the internet and using a cellphone.

Kelly ordered marshals at the federal courthouse in Des Moines, where Jensen attended Thursday's hearing, to immediately take him into custody as he awaits trial.

Prosecutors had moved to revoke Jensens pretrial release on Aug. 19, days after a federal officer found Jensen in his garage using an iPhone to watch news from Rumble, a streaming platform popular with conservatives.

Jensen acknowledged that he had earlier watched two days of the cyber symposium sponsored by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, an ally of former President Donald Trump who used the event to push false theories that the presidential election's outcome was changed by Chinese hackers.

Kelly noted that he had released Jensen from jail on July 13 after Jensen claimed he had an awakening behind bars and realized the QAnon conspiracy theory to which he adhered was a pack of lies. The judge said he put in place the strict conditions, including the internet ban, because Jensen had previously spent years following online conspiracies and acknowledged he had become a true believer and digital soldier.

Kelly said it was significant that Jensen's violations were caught during the first unannounced visit to his home by pretrial services officers.

Its now clear that he has not experienced a transformation and that he continues to seek out those conspiracy theories that led to his dangerous conduct on Jan. 6," Kelly said. I don't see any reason to believe that he has had the wakeup call that he needs.

Kelly said it was unlikely that Jensen would be able to follow any other conditions of release barring internet use and that he had lost confidence in Jensen's wife to serve as his third-party custodian. Prosecutors contended that she had facilitated his violations by leaving the phone on when she left for work.

Jensen's attorney, Christopher Davis, had asked the court to give his client another chance, likening Jensen's internet use to an addiction. He argued that Jensen had complied with other release conditions, including staying home on electronic monitoring and avoiding drug use, and that his violations in no way endangered public safety.

He said his client acknowledged the violations but said that it was Orwellian for the government to seek to jail a man who was sitting in his garage listening to the news.

Jensen was among the first people to enter the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack, crawling through a broken window. On Thursday, prosecutors cited new video evidence to claim he was also among the last to leave over an hour later, scuffling with officers on his way out.

He told investigators he positioned himself as one of the riot leaders because he was wearing a shirt promoting QAnon and he wanted the theory to get the credit. Jensen was widely photographed during the attack.

Jensen had a knife in his pocket when he led a crowd of people toward Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, who was by himself and had only a baton. The crowd chased Goodman up a flight of stairs toward the Senate chamber as Jensen ignored Goodman's orders to stop and put his hands up.

Before his July release, Jensen had spent six months in jail after he was arrested Jan. 8. He faces the prospect of years in prison, and lawyers on both sides said Thursday they were unsure if the case could be resolved in a plea or would go to trial.

Jensen is charged with seven counts, including aggravated assault, obstruction of a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, unlawfully entering a restricted building while carrying a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct.
The Mower County Sheriff's Department is seeking a thief, or thieves, that stole copper from EDF Renewable Services wind turbines in Dexter, Minnesota, this past week.

In addition to stolen copper, extensive damage was found on roughly 10 to 15 turbines.

Mower County has roughly 270 wind turbines.

The total estimate for damages and loss of copper is around $38,000, according to the Mower County Sheriff's Department.

Mower County Sheriff Steve Sandvik said community members should keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.

"If people see vehicles that are not labeled, or seem suspicious, we ask that they contact our non-emergency number and notify the Sheriff's office," Sandvik said.

Copper prices have recently increased, hitting an all-time high in May at $4.90 per pound.
MASON CITY, Iowa  North Iowa Community Action Organization is now accepting applications from victims of storm and flood damage in Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Kossuth, Mitchell, and Worth counties.

Money was authorized by Governor Reynolds disaster proclamations. The Iowa Individual Assistance Program provides grants up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or a maximum annual income of $43,920, for a family of three. Assistance is also available from the Individual Disaster Case Management program.

Applications can be submitted for grants for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and for the expense of temporary housing.

The grant application and instructions are available at the Disaster Assistance link on the Iowa Department of Human Services website: www.dhs.iowa.gov/disaster-assistance-programs.

North Iowa Community Action Organization will have additional forms to complete. The organization is located at 100 1st St NW Suite 140 in Mason City, phone number 1-800-873-1899.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  Stealing copper is costing a Rochester man thousands of dollars.

Chad Charles Westby, 43, was sentenced Thursday to five years of supervised probation and ordered to pay $10,548.77 in restitution. Westby pleaded guilty in July to one count of third-degree burglary.

Rochester police say Westby and Ron Allen Degener, 56 of Rochester, were arrested on January 1 for stealing copper wiring, pumps, and other parts from the old AMPI plan.

Degener has pleaded not guilty to third-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. No trial date has been set.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Rochester's Overland Elementary School opened its doors to students for the first time today.

Students, teachers, and parents lined the Overland sidewalks this morning eager to start the 2021-2022 school year.

As the school year begins, some parents share both excitement and hesitation as the delta variant of the coronavirus continues to spread.

"The delta is scary," said Rochester Resident Nasiveh Farahani. "I think everyone is scared. I don't know what happens but being at home for a year - for a kid - is so much, so much. Emotionally and socially they need it. So, let's see what happens."

Last Thursday, Rochester Public School released an in-depth plan to address the pandemic.

Face coverings are required in all RPS schools - and Overland is no exception.

As RPS continues to monitor the effects of the virus, the smiles and excitement of the students do no seem to be going anywhere.

"We are really happy with Overland Park," said Farahani. "You know it's beautiful and the staff is great."
AUSTIN, Minn.  A woman accused of being a Mower County meth dealer will stand trial in 2022.

Shawn Marie Stellmach, 46 of Rose Creek, was arrested in February and charged with first-degree sale of drugs.

The Austin Police Department says a confidential informant gave Stellmach money on November 20, 2019, before she left for the Twin Cities to pick up a quantity of methamphetamine. Stellmach then allegedly sold the informant 23.535 grams of meth on November 21, 2019.

Stellmach is now scheduled for a trial starting on March 28, 2022.
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) -- It's been a flood of memories for U.S. Army veteran Charles Mullenger since the Talibans takeover of Kabul and the mass evacuations that followed.

Last few weeks Ive pretty much done nothing but think about this, said Charles Mullenger.

For him, and other former combat soldiers, this week marked a gut-wrenching conclusion in a 20-year war to stop terrorism and give freedom to Afghan citizens.

Theres grief, there's remembering, there's some indignation, said Mullenger. Im still struggling with whether it was all worth it.

'He's been my light;' Father of fallen Marine speaks on son's service and sacrifice For the first time, the father of fallen Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz spoke at length about his son's service and his sacrifice.

Mullenger was a Captain at the conclusion of his over five-year stint in the U.S. Army. He spent a year in combat during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and saw the death of some of his own peers. Yet, serving his country is something he would do again in a heartbeat.

Creating a place of freedom for the wonderful people we were supported by over there. The girls who were able to go to school, the families that we saw operating in a normal lifestyle that may not be the way we see it now with the Taliban taking over, he said. It's just a very difficult time to look back everything we accomplished and see it be stripped away that quickly."

The fight for those families at home, however, is still not over.

The International Institute of St. Louis tells News 4 many evacuees are still in neighboring countries or other locations awaiting the vetting process through the State Department.

IISTL is one of the last pieces of a very large puzzle. As we've been saying it's not a matter of if but when these new arrivals will be coming to St. Louis. We're still in that waiting pattern currently.

Mullenger says he is doing his part now to raise money for when these refugees finally do call St. Louis home.

Were looking to raise $250,000, weve raised $30,000 in the first few days since opening the GoFundMe, which just proves the city of St. Louis and so many people are really willing to help those who have supported us over the last 20 years in bringing them to a new way of life here, Mullenger said.

Mullenger's GoFundMe in a way is a tribute to the blood, sweat, and tears dedicated over the last 20 years to build up a nation state now out of reach.

[The Taliban] say theyre going to be different. I hope that is true, but Im not very confident in that, said Mullenger.

He hopes that the citizens of St. Louis will open their arms to Afghan refugees in the same way soldiers felt those open arms returning home.

We gave them a sense of freedom over the last 20 years, and they deserve that same sense of freedom, and I think theyll find that in St. Louis, he said.

IISTL says theyve received 53 Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) cases thus far this year. They are preparing for possibly 50 in the month of September alone, but that number has not been confirmed yet. Those 50 could range from refugees coming from Afghanistan as well as people from other countries currently seeking refuge in the U.S. St. Louis is prepared to take in up to 1,000 Afghan refugees.
ST. LOUIS (AP/KMOV.com) -- Children are making up an increasing number of patients filling Missouri hospitals during the summer COVID-19 surge, and some doctors worry that the return to school will lead to more illnesses.

The fast-spreading delta variant combined with low vaccination rates across Missouri to create a new wave of the COVID-19 outbreak that began in June and still persists. One difference this time: Children are more prone to get sick.

Statistics from the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force show 31 patients age 18 or younger hospitalized  the most since the pandemic began. Ten of the children are so sick they are in intensive care units.

Head of St. Louis Pandemic Task Force concerned about rising COVID-19 numbers in kids Dr. Clay Dunagan, the head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, says he is concerned more children could be hospitalized for COVID-19 if stricter mitigation strategies aren't enforced in schools.

St. Louis isn't alone.

In the Kansas City area, Childrens Mercy Hospital reached its capacity on Monday. Dr. Barbara Pahud, director of research for infectious diseases, urged parents to have their kids take precautions as they return to school, including vaccinations for those 12 and older.

Hospital leaders in Springfield are also worried about the ramifications of thousands of unmasked students gathering in schools  only a handful of southwestern Missouri districts require masks. Leaders of both hospitals in Missouri's third-largest city are bracing for the worst.

My fear is that we will see an increase in cases in the next one to two weeks and we are preparing as a hospital facility at Mercy and CoxHealth for that surge," said Dr. Kayce Morton, a pediatrician at CoxHealth.

Pahud agreed the new school year is cause for worry.

If we open schools up without social distancing, without vaccination, without masks, we are going to see problems. We are going to see children land in the hospital and that's the last thing we want to do, Pahud said during a Monday briefing.

Missouri continues to lag well behind the national average in vaccinations. Information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that while 52.6% of all Americans are fully vaccinated, just 45.3% of Missourians have completed their shots.

The Missouri Foundation for Health and pediatricians from throughout the state recently launched an informational campaign that seeks to increase adult vaccinations to help protect children from COVID-19. The concept is simple: Fewer sick adults means fewer opportunities for kids to catch it.

Vaccination is our best tool to decrease COVID and get it out of here and keep our kids safe, Morton said.

Missouri reported 2,245 newly confirmed cases on Thursday and 10 new deaths. Since the onset of the pandemic, Missouri has confirmed 634,296 cases and 10,632 deaths.
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Kokomo, IN (46901)

Today

Thunderstorms, some locally heavy early, then cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low around 60F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming N and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms, some locally heavy early, then cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low around 60F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming N and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Kokomo, IN (46901)

Today

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low near 60F. WSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low near 60F. WSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Mark Schmitz took time to speak to reporters for the first time about his son's service and sacrifice. His son, Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, was one of 13 service members killed by a suicide bomber at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
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President Moon Jae-in has made public the names of seven newborn puppies of a dog from North Korea, saying that local government authorities in South Korea can adopt them if they want.







Moon received two Pungsan hunting dogs from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a "peace gift" when they had summit talks in Pyongyang in 2018. Moon has since been raising the dogs at the Cheong Wa Dae presidential compound in Seoul.







In June, one of the dogs, named Gomi, gave birth to seven puppies, sired by another Pungsan dog, Maru, which Moon had been raising since before becoming president.







Moon wrote on his social media accounts Wednesday that all seven of the puppies "have grown healthily." He unveiled their names  "Areum," "Daun" and "Gangsan," which mean "beautiful rivers and mountains" in Korean.







The four others are named ""Bom," "Yeoreum," "Gaeul" and "Gyeoul," which stand for spring, summer, autumn and winter in Korean, respectively.







Moon added that local governments can adopt the puppies.







Gomi gave birth to six puppies in November 2018, just two months after arriving in Seoul. They were adopted by the city authorities of Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon and Gwangju months later. (Yonhap)


gettyimagesbank



South Korea said Wednesday 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will come from Romania starting this week as part of a vaccine cooperation program with the eastern European country.



The first shipment of 526,500 Pfizer doses will arrive Thursday, followed by the remaining Pfizer shots and 450,000 from Moderna on Sept. 8, according to health authorities.



The government bought the Pfizer doses from Romania, and the Moderna shots will be provided in exchange for medical supplies to the European nation.



"The vaccine cooperation is part of efforts to boost global solidarity and efficiency in tackling the pandemic," health authorities said.



The vaccines from Romania will be used to inoculate people aged between 18 and 49.






Yoon Seok-youl, a presidential contender of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during his meeting with party members of North Chungcheong Province in Cheongju, Tuesday. Yonhap



Yoon, Hong slammed for inappropriate references to Philippine president



By Kang Seung-woo



With smear campaigns intensifying ahead of next year's presidential election, some presidential hopefuls are committing a diplomatic discourtesy by belittling the head of a friendly nation while criticizing other contenders.



Critics urge them to hold their tongues to avoid damaging diplomatic relations with allies and hurting national interest.



On Wednesday, Yoon Seok-youl, the leading contender of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), referenced Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in his criticism of pro-capital punishment remarks by Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the same party. Hong, a five-term lawmaker, had posted on Facebook that if he is elected president, he would call for the death penalty for a man accused of beating his 20-month-old stepdaughter to death.



"Seeing a possible head of government mentioning law enforcement, it sounds like Duterte's style of governing a country," Yoon said.



In response, Hong said Yoon, a former prosecutor general, was a puppet of the Moon Jae-in administration, calling for his self-reflection.



"It is absurd to see Yoon compares my stance toward the death penalty to Duterte's governing style," Hong said.



Saying that the former prosecutor general led a massive investigation into some 1,000 conservative figures, five of whom committed suicide, during his time as prosecutor general under the Moon administration, Hong claimed "President Moon is Duterte" and that Yoon was Moon's puppet.



Amid the war of words between Yoon and Hong, Jang Seong-min, a former lawmaker and another PPP presidential hopeful, said Yoon should apologize for his remark mentioning the Philippine president.



"Yoon damaged national interest by calling out the head of Korea's friendly nation," he said.









"Yoon needs to visit the Philippine ambassador to Korea and apologize for his remark."



According to Jang, there are more than 85,000 Koreans residing in the archipelago nation and Yoon's deriding of Duterte may place them at risk.



"It is the result of ignorance," Jang said.



According to him, the Philippines established diplomatic ties with Korea in March 1949, becoming the first Southeast Asian nation to do so. In addition, the Philippines dispatched 7,429 troops to the Korean War and the two countries have sought to enhance bilateral cooperation.



"Korea and the Philippines are brothers by blood. Are they (Yoon and Hong) making the friendly country into an enemy?" Jang said.





Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the People Power Party stages a protest against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's push for a "fake news" bill in front of Cheong Wa Dae, Sunday. Yonhap
In this file photo, taken June 23, 2017, Hyunmoo-2, a new home-grown ballistic missile with a range of 800 kilometers, is test-fired from a mobile launch pad at a test site of the Agency for Defense Development in Anheung. South Korea has been developing a massive ballistic missile as powerful as a tactical nuclear weapon, sources said Sept. 2.



South Korea has been developing a massive ballistic missile as powerful as a tactical nuclear weapon, sources said Thursday, after the full lifting of U.S.-imposed restrictions on missile development.



The surface-to-surface missile, which can carry a warhead of up to 3 tons with a flight range of 350-400 kilometers, is in the last stage of development and the timing of its deployment will be determined after several test-firings, according to the sources.



Unveiling its defense blueprint for 2022-2026 earlier in the day, the defense ministry vowed to develop new missiles "with significantly enhanced destructive power," deploy new interceptors against long-range artillery threats and upgrade the Patriot system.



That suggests the new ballistic missile could be put into operation before 2026.



The envisioned missile is designed to destroy underground missile facilities and bases by penetrating underground tunnels so as to effectively nullify nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) ahead of their launches. They can also reach all areas of North Korea if fired from around the inter-Korean border, the sources said.



Last year, South Korea successfully developed the ground-to-ground Hyunmoo-4 missile, which has a range of up to 800 km and is capable of carrying a warhead weighing as much as 2 tons.



"We will develop stronger, longer-range and more precise missiles so as to exercise deterrence and achieve security and peace on the Korean Peninsula," the ministry said in a release.



The comprehensive mid-term defense plan calls for spending 315.2 trillion won ($273 billion), a 5.8 percent on-year hike on average, over the next five years.



Of the total, 106.7 trillion won was allocated for improving defense capabilities, while the remaining 208.5 trillion won was set aside for force management, according to the ministry.



The move came after the recent lifting of U.S. curbs on the country's missile development.



In May, Seoul and Washington agreed to lift the "missile guidelines" restrictions that had barred South Korea from developing or possessing ballistic missiles with a maximum range greater than 800 kilometers.



"Following the termination of the guidelines, we will exercise deterrence against potential threats and improve strike capabilities against main targets," the ministry said, vowing to deploy various surface-to-surface and ship-to-surface missiles with enhanced destructive power.



North Korea continues to improve its nuclear and missile capabilities amid stalled denuclearization talks with the United States.



On Friday, an International Atomic Energy Agency report said it has detected "deeply troubling" indications that a key nuclear reactor at the North's main Yongbyon complex has been in operation since July.



"In order to shut out provocations at a long distance, we will sharply increase the number of interceptors targeting mid- and long-range missiles," the ministry said, referring to its push to develop its own interceptor system like Israel's Iron Dome.



To better detect such threats across the Korean Peninsula, the military will deploy additional missile early warning radar systems and strengthen its surveillance capabilities, it said.



South Korea is also pushing to expand its presence in the space sector with an eye to deploy a new radar system to monitor space objects by the early 2030s.



Other space projects include an envisioned deployment of a military surveillance satellite and the development of ultra small-sized satellites.



For the Navy, the country will build more 3,000-ton or larger submarines and replace aging frigates with new ones with improved operational and combat capabilities, the ministry said.



The Navy recently received the country's first 3,000-ton-class indigenous submarine capable of firing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).



As part of efforts to enhance the country's defense technology, the ministry will increase the research and development budget from 4.3 trillion won this year to 7.1 trillion won in 2026.



Of the total, at least 80 percent will be spent domestically to support the local defense industry, it said.



To counter nontraditional security threats such as COVID-19, the ministry plans to establish an infectious disease research center under the military's medical research institute by next year and expand the number of medical personnel.



The ministry also said it will push to raise soldiers' average daily meal cost from 11,000 won in 2022 to 15,000 won in 2024, after coming under criticism over service members' poor living conditions.



The monthly wage for rank-and-file soldiers will also increase, with an Army sergeant's salary to reach 1 million won by 2026 from the current 608,500 won, it said. (Yonhap)






By Jung Da-min







President Moon Jae-in is seeking to rehome seven puppies of the North Korean Pungsan breed, saying local government bodies can adopt them if they wish.







The seven puppies were sired by his own Pungsan-breed dog named Maru, and born to one of two dogs, also Pungsan-breed, gifted to him by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three years ago, named Gomi.







On Wednesday, Moon made public the names of the seven puppies, uploading photos of them with him and first lady Kim Jung-sook on Facebook.







Three puppies have been named "Areum," "Daun," and "Gangsan," with "areumdaun" meaning beautiful and "gangsan" meaning rivers and mountains in Korean. The other four puppies have been named after the four seasons in Korean: "Bom," "Yeoreum," "Gaeul" and "Gyeoul."







After arriving in South Korea from the North in September 2018 together with another dog named Songgang, Gomi gave birth to six puppies in November that year. Named "San," "Deul," "Hae," "Gang," "Dal," and "Byeol" meaning mountain, field, sun, river, moon and star in Korean, respectively, the puppies were later adopted by city governments of Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon and Gwangju.


Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung, front row, fourth from right, and Institute for Global Economics Chairman Jun Kwang-woo, front row, fifth from right, pose with participants in a conference held by the two institutions at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Shinhan Financial Group



Global, regional cooperation recommended as solution to multiple challenges



By Park Jae-hyuk



Korea should play a bigger role in fighting climate change and in protecting biodiversity, as well as in helping developing countries end extreme poverty and become part of the digital world, according to the recommendation of one of the world's most renowned economists, Thursday.



Jeffrey Sachs, a Columbia University economics professor and director of the Center for Sustainable Development, emphasized that global and regional cooperation, the transfer of know-how, goodwill and finance are required for the international community to overcome the multiple challenges of this pandemic era.



"All of this, therefore in conclusion, requires Korea's success, its inspiration, and its global role and leadership," he said in an opening keynote speech livestreamed during the international conference held in Seoul by the Institute for Global Economics and Shinhan Financial Group.



The economist made note of the fact that the Korean New Deal is based on both digital and green platforms, saying that the policy is a "hallmark," along with the European Green Deal, in the global efforts to move forward towards a more eco-friendly world.



At the same time, Sachs recommended strong regional cooperation among Korea, China and Japan in Northeast Asia in order to bring "enormously beneficial" innovation by putting an end to post-World War II legacies.



Some of his opinions were shared by Mark Carney, the UN special envoy on climate action and finance, who previously served as the Bank of England governor.



During an online speech delivered at the conference, he underscored the necessity of an alliance of all stakeholders, including governments, businesses and individuals, for the international community to achieve net-zero emissions.



Regarding the digital transformation, the former U.K. central bank chief ruled out the possibility of the central bank digital currency (CBDC) threatening the status of the U.S. dollar.



KKR Co-Chairman George Roberts, who offered a pre-recorded speech for the event, introduced the private equity firm's efforts to reduce carbon emissions from its portfolio companies, including Oriental Brewery (OB), which it resold to AB InBev in 2014.



"Just by changing the heating and cooling systems in the brewery, this resulted in many different savings," he said.



Financial Services Commission Chairman Koh Seung-beom and Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol, who both oversee the nation's financial policies, vowed in the conference that they will help guide Korea's transformation into an environmentally sustainable, digital society.



Shinhan Chairman Cho Yong-byoung said in his welcoming address that the banking group's corporate philosophy will be transformed into one oriented around the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) principles.



Their speeches were followed by four sessions in which the global experts and industry insiders discussed the best ESG practices for sustainable growth, prospects for U.S.-China relations, digital platform economies and the roles of finance to cope with the climate crisis.



National Pension Service Chairman Kim Yong-jin and Korea Investment Corp. CEO Jin Seung-ho, both of whom delivered their speeches during the first session of the event, spoke about the willingness of the two state-run institutions to increase investments that take into account the ESG factors.


By Javier Solana





MADRID  The narrative is becoming a trope: the United States and China are locked in a battle for global supremacy in myriad fields such as technology, commerce, defense, cyberspace, and even outer space. Few pundits question the general consensus that Sino-American relations will shape the history of the twenty-first century. But analyzing today's geopolitical scene as a byproduct of a two-horse race is utterly simplistic and antiquated.







Our world is better described not in black and white, but as a kaleidoscope of shifting patterns. One key source of color is the European Union. In the current international environment, the EU is less noticed than it should be, but more noticed than it thinks.







True, Europe lags behind the U.S. and China in developing strategic technologies such as semiconductors and quantum computing. When the EU addresses the rest of the world, it often sounds more like a cacophony than a symphony. The rare harmonious choruses are frequently muffled. And many of the bloc's citizens, perhaps recalling a time when Europe was home to the world's undisputed great powers, now tend to disdain the EU's contributions and belittle its room for maneuver.







But we Europeans should give ourselves more credit. Even skeptics must recognize that, at the very least, we have established a single market whose regulation depends exclusively on EU institutions. But while the EU's commercial impact should therefore be measured in aggregate form, traditional analytical frameworks give primacy to states. This approach, together with the Sino-American "trade war," has led us to exaggerate the economic weight of the U.S. and China, to Europe's detriment.







So, let's look at the facts. The EU is the world's largest merchandise exporter, and the second-largest importer (slightly behind the U.S.). In services, Europe leads in terms of both exports and imports. Furthermore, the EU rubs shoulders with the U.S., and is far ahead of China, as both a provider and recipient of foreign direct investment (excluding investments among member states). And when it comes to official development assistance, the EU has a clear lead, boasting a collective total more than double that of the U.S.







One common criticism of the EU is that it lacks "hard power." There is some truth to this. After all, the EU was never intended to be a military alliance; it is not North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Afghan debacle underlines the need to build up Europe's military capabilities, which remain far too fragmented and dependent on the U.S. But they are by no means irrelevant, as evidenced by our numerous deployments abroad.







Moreover, we should not overlook the economic dimension of hard power. Collectively, it is the EU, not China that has the world's second-largest economy, in nominal terms. Add to that its trade and investment ties, and the EU has little to envy in its competitors.







As for the "soft power" of attraction and persuasion, it may appear too ethereal to matter in a global context marked by stark geopolitical tensions. But soft power reflects the political, social, and economic trends that determine the short- and long-term performance of any country or bloc. Here, too, the EU looks to be in good shape.







The Soft Power 30 index assesses countries according to six categories: cultural reach and appeal, digital infrastructure and capabilities in digital diplomacy, human capital and educational attractiveness, business friendliness and capacity for innovation, diplomatic network, and the quality of political institutions. By this measure, five of the world's top ten countries  and 16 of the top 30  are EU members. The U.S. ranks fifth, and China 27th.







That was in 2019, when the list was last compiled. Today, the same index would surely assign greater weight to public health. And while the EU, with its first-rate health systems, has suffered more than expected from the COVID-19 pandemic, its vaccination campaign is proceeding apace.







Despite a slow start, the vaccination rate in the bloc's four most populous countries  Germany, France, Italy, and Spain  has now surpassed that of the U.S. And Europe's commitments to supply vaccines to the rest of the world are becoming more ambitious. Add to that the massive COVID-19 joint recovery fund, and the EU's pandemic performance begins to look more respectable.







The EU is also demonstrating global leadership in other crucial areas, particularly the green transition. Long at the forefront of environmental regulation, the European Commission has now announced the so-called Fit for 55, a strategy for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels). If adopted, this will most likely shape rules and standards in the rest of the world, via what Columbia University's Anu Bradford has dubbed the "Brussels effect."







This effect exemplifies the EU's modus operandi: Operating behind the scenes to make change that is felt, if not necessarily seen. Though Europe continues to occupy a vulnerable position in certain global supply chains, and though we have neglected some conflicts that affect us directly (such as in Syria and Libya), its impact is far from negligible.







The world tends to appreciate  albeit quietly  the EU's influence, because it is generally based on incentives, rather than sanctions. Moreover, its influence stems from a multilateral and cooperative approach. And its influence breaks the Sino-American contest's stifling grip on the global system.







Europeans must not reject complacency by embracing declinism, but rather by conducting a level-headed assessment of our strengths and weaknesses. As our athletes' brilliant performance at this summer's Tokyo Olympics should remind us, Europe remains a force to be reckoned with. And if we are to further secure our global standing, we must learn to live by the following maxim: the EU is greater than the sum of its parts.







Javier Solana, a former EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, secretary-general of NATO, and foreign minister of Spain, is president of EsadeGeo  Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics and distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (




Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies. Scattered thunderstorms this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. Scattered thunderstorms this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies. Scattered thunderstorms this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. Scattered thunderstorms this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Auburn, IN (46706)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) - A group of doctors and nurses that normally respond around the world to help in natural disasters is doing what they can to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon.

On Thursday and Friday, Medical Teams International is on the Oregon coast to offer free services in a mobile clinic. Medical Teams International is known for their response to areas around the world that need help in times of crisis and natural disasters.

Over the last few weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the state's health care system, so Medical Teams International are setting up mobile clinics to help stop the spread. They're hoping by offering both free dental care and COVID vaccinations in one spot that it will encourage more people to get vaccinated.

"Normally, it takes a couple of weeks to get things together but we are small, nimble and agile, and thats what we do at medical teams is respond," said Cindy Breilh, Executive Director of Medical Teams International. "We're here to join in the fight to end COVID and to get our country back on its feet, and really to prevent people from getting seriously sick. This is a life-saving effort."

Clatsop County, which is only 56 percent vaccinated, recently experienced an outbreak of cases and asked Medical Teams International to respond with a mobile clinic. Thursday, they are set up at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria until 2 p.m. On Friday, the team will be at Jewell School in Seaside from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Medical Teams International plans to host upwards of 20 vaccine clinics in Oregon and Washington to get more people vaccinated against the coronavirus.
(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) Historians have selected a few St. Joseph artifacts to feature in a statewide digital exhibit for Missouri's bicentennial.

To celebrate Missouri's 200 years of history, historians throughout the state curated a virtual gallery to tell the story of Missouri and its people.

The collection is called 'Show Me Missouri' which is made up of 200 objects highlighting different regions and eras. Three of those pieces selected are from the St. Joseph Museum.

"It was important for us at the St. Joseph Museums to make sure that St. Joseph's history was told and that we are represented in the state," said Sara Wilson, Executive Director of the St. Joseph Museum.

Executive Director of the St. Joseph Museum, Sara Wilson, said she was surprised at the items selected from her staff's submission, but was thrilled to see one of Wilson's favorite pieces, "Dueling Pistols."

"A group of 14 Indians had traveled in 1844 to the courts of Europe and met with the King of France. The King of France gifted these pistols to their Chief, White Cloud, so we're really fortunate to have them in our collection," said Wilson.

The pistols also tell a broader story of one man's path to freedom.

There was a gentleman who came to St. Joseph, his name was Jeffrey Deroine. He came to St. Joseph as a slave of the citys founder, Joseph Robidoux. Jeffrey was fluent in many different languages: Spanish, English, French and several Native American dialects and was actually able to gain his freedom because of his skills as an interpreter. He then traveled with the 14 Indians to the courts of Europe where he met with the King of France, said Wilson.

The other two pieces selected from the St. Joseph Museum was an urban renewal map of the city of St. Joseph and a map of the 1951 flood and how it impacted the Missouri River.

Now, Missourians can scroll through 200 years of history online to see how much life has changed and the artifacts cementing the state's path forward.
BILLINGS - Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has scheduled three week-long Billing-area hunter education classes in September and October.

According to a release, the classes are set for:

 FWP Regional headquarters at 2300 Lake Elmo Drive in Billings Heights with registration and orientation at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday Sept. 14 and classes running 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 20-24. The final class on Sept. 24 will meet at 6 p.m. and include a field exercise at Lake Elmo State Park.

 Shepherd Elementary School in Shepherd with registration and orientation at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 4, with classes running nightly from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 11-15 and a field exercise at Lake Elmo State Park in Billings Heights the morning of Saturday, Oct. 16.

 Yellowstone Rifle Club at 7212 Molt Road with registration and orientation at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 4, with classes running nightly from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 11-15 and a field exercise at Lake Elmo State Park in Billings Heights the morning of Saturday, Oct. 16.

Those interested in taking a class may register online at http://fwp.mt.gov and follow the links to Education, Hunter Education and Find and Class.

You can also register at the school during registration and orientation night. Those younger than 18 need the signature of a parent or guardian.

Montana law requires anyone born after Jan. 1, 1985, to complete a hunter education class or qualify as a youth apprentice hunter before purchasing a Montana hunting license.

Hunter education classes are taught by certified volunteer instructors. They are free and open to all people who will be old enough to hunt this fall.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- APTIM has been awarded the first ever Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract issued by the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Marine Minerals Program for Geophysical, Geological, and Environmental Data Collection and Analysis supporting Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Marine Minerals Stewardship, including sand and gravel for use in coastal restoration and beach nourishment projects, as well as strategic, critical, and other hard minerals.

The first of its kind award, valued at up to $25 million over five years, builds upon APTIMs extensive marine minerals mapping and data management experience over the last 30+ years and covers potential work across all of the United States OCS, including the Atlantic, Pacific, Alaska, and Gulf of Mexico Coasts as well as the OCS of US Pacific and Caribbean island territories.

APTIM is proud to add BOEM to our growing mission of supporting critical programs for the Federal government stated Alan Weakley, President of APTIMs Government Strategic Business Unit. APTIM is very excited to win this award and looks forward to assisting BOEM scientists with the significant growth of the Marine Minerals Program, supporting both coastal restoration and resilience as well as the Marine Minerals Programs new focal area of critical/hard minerals added Beau Suthard, Program Director and National Coastal Market Lead for APTIM.

The scope of work includes identification, characterization, and delineation of sand to further the Marine Minerals Program's development of a National Offshore Sand Inventory, as well as other marine minerals in support of development of a future National Offshore Critical Mineral Inventory. It includes synthesis of existing resource evaluation and environmental data and information, new geophysical and geological data acquisition and processing, as well as studies and monitoring needed to evaluate the potential impacts to sensitive habitats, biological communities, and cultural resources that may result from mineral exploration or extraction activities.

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About APTIM

APTIM is a leading global provider specializing in engineering, program management, environmental services, disaster recovery, complex facility maintenance, and construction services. We are committed to accelerating the transition towards a clean energy and low carbon economy. Our passionate team is helping build a sustainable future by enabling our clients to meet bold goals to reduce carbon and energy use, monitor and protect coastal communities against the threats of rising sea level and flooding, make cities and infrastructure more resilient against the threats of a changing climate, and restore contaminated ecological systems in hundreds of communities every day.

Jenny Riley APTIM 8338627846 jenny.riley@aptim.com
(The Center Square)  The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a new Texas law banning abortions once a heartbeat is detected in a ruling late Wednesday.

The law went into effect Wednesday, making Texas the first state to effectively ban a majority of abortions from being performed in the state.

The justices ruled 5-4 in an unsigned opinion, denying a request for injunctive relief or to vacate stays of the district court proceedings. The majority of justices wrote that the petitioners did not meet the burden required to prove the complex and novel antecedent procedural questions they raised.

The ruling added that it is unclear whether the named defendants in this lawsuit can or will seek to enforce the Texas law against the applicants in a manner that might permit our intervention and noted that Texas "has said that neither it nor its executive employees possess the authority to enforce the Texas law either directly or indirectly.

Likewise, it remains unclear if under existing precedent the court could issue an injunction against state judges asked to decide a lawsuit under Texass law.

Roughly 85% of abortions are performed after six weeks of pregnancy, around the time when a babys heartbeat can first be detected. The new Texas law requires doctors to determine if a heartbeat can be detected before performing any procedure. If it is detected, abortions and abortion-inducing drugs are prohibited. Penalties carry fines and jail time for abortionists.

The court's ruling added: We stress that we do not purport to resolve definitively any jurisdictional or substantive claim in the applicants lawsuit. In particular, this order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texass law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts.

Although the order was unsigned, the majority included Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

The four dissenting were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, who each wrote separate statements.

Roberts suggested that the case is not closed. In his statement, he said that while the court denied the emergency relief requested, the ruling is emphatic in making clear that it cannot be understood as sustaining the constitutionality of the law at issue.

The petitioners are continuing with their lawsuit in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in response to the ruling that No freedom is more precious than life itself. Starting today, every unborn child with a heartbeat will be protected from the ravages of abortion. Texas will always defend the right to life.

President Joe Biden said in a statement that he's asked the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to see what steps the federal government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by [Roe v. Wade], and what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas' bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties.

Petitioner Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said, We are devastated that the Supreme Court has refused to block a law that blatantly violates Roe v. Wade. She also called on Congress to pass a national law, the Womens Health Protection Act, to codify abortion rights. Northup said they have the majority of votes needed in the House and 48 votes in the Senate.

We are devastated by todays ruling, Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Womans Health, the lead plaintiff in the case, said in a statement. Our patients are scared and confused and desperately trying to figure out what they can do to get an abortion. We dont know what will happen next. Our staff and providers are so afraid.

Texas Right to Life hopes to replicate the Texas law nationwide.

The Texas Heartbeat Act is the strongest Pro-Life law to take effect since the unjust ruling of Roe v. Wade (1973), the group said in a statement.

The law is different from laws passed in other states that seek to limit abortions because it prohibits state officials from enforcing the law and relies solely on civil liability. Anyone can attempt to enforce the law by suing abortion providers or anyone who aids someone in getting an abortion in the state after a heartbeat is detected. Doctors and those aiding and abetting them who violate the law can be sued multiple times for a minimum of $10,000 per violation.
HELENA, Mont. - Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen announced on Wednesday the start of National Voter Registration Month.

Since 2002, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) has recognized September as National Voter Registration Month to encourage Americans to register to vote or update their voter registration information.

Registering to vote and making sure your information is current is the first step in ensuring your voice is heard on Election Day, Secretary Jacobsen said. Were excited to work with NASS and our fellow secretaries and election officials to encourage Americans to register to vote ahead of upcoming elections.

Eligible Montanans are encouraged to submit a voter registration application to their county election office. Previously registered voters do not need to re-register, but should confirm their information is accurate and up-to-date.

For more information, you can visit the election and voter services page on the Secretary of States website.

National Voter Registration Day will be recognized on Tuesday, Sept. 28.
BOZEMAN, Mont.  A staffing shortage of workers is being felt by some of the biggest school districts in Montana when it comes to substitute teachers and behind-the-classroom jobs forcing some districts to incentivize hiring.

I reached out to human resource directors at some of the biggest school districts across the state from Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Missoula, Helena and Great Falls asking what jobs they are still in search of filling and if they have gone as far as providing certain incentives.

Right now, across the state there are over 200 openings for support staff positions within the six mentioned school districts as schools bring back in-person learning this year.

Currently, the shortage being felt is coming from the positions we didnt think about or possibly even need during the uncertain COVID-19 pandemic 2020-2021 school year.

The most common needs are for substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, school lunch workers, custodians and even bus drivers.

Both Bozeman Public Schools and Missoula County Public Schools are offering signing bonuses and retention bonuses if you stay with the district for a certain amount of time.

In a Facebook post, Bozeman Public Schools said they are looking for special education paraprofessionals, custodians, food service employees and substitute teachers and will have signing bonuses in place for new employees hired between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31.

Bozeman Public Schools Human Resources Director Pat Strauss said special education paraprofessionals, custodians, food service employees would receive $250 signing bonus and an additional $250 bonus for successful employment after six months while substitute teachers would receive an additional $500 bonus for successful completion of 60 days of substitute work.

Missoula County Public Schools Human Resource and Labor Relations Executive Director David Rott said they have around 30 open hourly positions with retention incentives of $250 for part-time and $500 for full-time workers.

Billings School District lists the most openings right now with 49 support staff jobs available along with 10 substitutes and several other openings.

Butte School District listed the lowest amount with just nine openings but Human Resource Assistant Aaryn Hayden mentioned the very important need for a school psychologist.

Great Falls Public Schools Human Resource Director Kerry Datillo said they did incentive hiring last year during the COVID-19 pandemic school year which helped, but she now estimates having around 50 support staff positions open.

Datillo said they only have 24 category positions posted online but it is actually more. For example, under the category of paraprofessional they have 11 openings.

Helena Public Schools Human Resource Administrator Stacy Collette said they currently have 11 vacancies with teacher aide positions and paraprofessionals and are promoting flexible schedules and paid time off.

Contrary to other school districts, Helena Public Schools are completely staffed with custodians but are short 21 bus drivers and 10 bus aides as well as a school psychologist.

The good news? All school districts said full time teacher positions were not a concern at any school district and each say they can still function not being fully staffed An obvious downside is the risk of burn out with full time teachers.

When asked about challenges with hiring in their respective areas, both the Bozeman School District and Missoula County Public Schools gave examples of potential candidates for employment who couldnt afford to live within city limits and mentioned the challenge of competitive wages advertised by national fast-food chains and other business around town.

Each school district mentioned in this article is embedded with a hyperlink which will take you to employment opportunities provided by the district.
What was your favorite memory from summer 2021? Did you have a song of the summer you kept on constant repeat?
ROME, SEP 2 - The Lazio regional administrative court (TAR) on Thursday rejected a plea from teachers who were suspended because they did not have the COVID-19 Green Pass vaccine passport showing they had been immunized from the virus. The TAR said education authorities had acted correctly in suspending the teachers. It said the right not to get vaccinated was "not absolute". Anti-vax teachers are among the many Italians who have been protesting against the Green Pass. Government tensions rose Thursday after a rightwing League MP voted against the government's Green Pass vaccine passport on Wednesday night. Claudio Borghi voted against the government having made the passport compulsory for long-distance trains and buses and domestic airline flights, a move that has sparked widespread protests by anti-vaxxers. On Thursday Borghi tried to row back his vote telling La Stampa newspaper: "The Green Pass is substantially a disguised obligation. It was not a vote against the Green Pass, but one to improve it". Centre-left Democratic Party (PD) leader Enrico Letta slammed Borghi's vote saying "it is a choice that puts the League out of the government majority. Clarification is needed". The nationalist League retorted "It's Letta who is out of this world!" League leader Matteo Salvini said "if the State imposes the Green Pass, let it also guarantee rapid COVID tests, free for all". Planned protests against the Green Pass on trains largely failed to materialise, apart from a 30-strong demo outside Rome's Termini Station including militants from the far-right Forza Nuova movement. In Naples only two demonstrators came to the main rail station while in Genoa about a dozen protesters turned out, and in Turin one man was arrested. In Rimini, an anti-vax stronghold, just a handful of 'No Green Pass' protesters made it to the station. (ANSA).
ROME, SEP 2 - Italian police on Thursday arrested four people on suspicion of taking part in an alleged 'punitive' racial attack on a man on the outskirts of Rome at the end of July. The four allegedly punched, ran over and followed the victim onto bus where they stabbed him several times, police said. The four men are aged between 29 and 34, police said. The live in the La Rustica district. Police said the alleged attack had the "clear aim" of punishing the man after a string of robberies in the area. The robberies and burglaries had caused alarm in the area. The men were placed under house arrest. (ANSA).
PORDENONE, SEP 2 - A Chinese takeover of a drone plant in northern Italy has broken Italy's armaments law, and may have also infringed 'golden power' rules on strategic companies, police sources said Thursday Finance guard tax police have cited six managers, three Italians and three Chinese, in the operation. The company near Pordenone produces military drones, airplanes and space vehicles. Since it supplies the Italian military, it is subject to special checks and vigilance. Two major Chinese state-owned companies have taken a majority stake via an offshore company. The firm has already been in the cross-hairs of Italian tax police for an alleged violation of an Iran arms embargo by selling drones to the Islamic Republic. The company has denied the charges. (ANSA).
The newest area Chapter of National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), Wazhazhe, held their first fundraiser, Afternoon Tea, on Saturday, Aug. 21 in cooperation with the Camden County Historical Society.

Nearly $800 was raised and will be used in the Lake Area community to promote the pillars of the DAR, which are Historic Preservation, Education and Patriotism. Over 70 ladies gathered to enjoy Earl Grey, Scones and Spill the Tea. Among the guests was Ms. Morgan Meyr Lake. Ms. Lake is National Chair, DAR School Committee, MSSDAR Missouri State Regent-2016, and a member of NSDAR President General VanBurens America 250! Membership Task Force.

DAR is one of the largest womens lineage-based, patriotic, nonprofit organizations in the world, with more than 185,000 members in nearly 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad. Founded in 1890, the DAR is committed to preserving the memory and spirit of those who contributed to American independence.
LAKE GENEVA  A man has been charged after he reportedly resisted arrest and threatened to kill officers after being kicked out of a Downtown Lake Geneva bar.

Lukas Cobian, 26, of the W1100 block of Poplar Drive, Genoa City, is being charged with threat to a law enforcement officer; resisting an officer; and disorderly conduct.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police were called to Champs Bar and Grill for a report of a disorderly man who had been kicked out of the bar by bouncers on July 31.

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The man, identified as Cobian, began to walk back towards the bouncer when officers announced their presence and began to escort Cobian away from the bouncer by the arm. Cobian reportedly turned around and put his hands on the officer escorting him.

Police forced him to the ground but Cobian reportedly began to fight the officer. Cobian was instructed to stop resisting and turn onto his stomach, but refused to comply and continued to fight police. Bystanders reportedly stepped in to help subdue Cobian and he was eventually taken into custody.
Disguised in high sounding euphemisms, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is damaging our society. Its adherents know they could not sell this neo-Marxist idea to Americans so they speak of social justice, inclusion, and equity (easily confused with the American ideal of equality).

However, CRT actually is an American version of European neo-Marxism. Original Marxism focused on material conditions and the class struggle, neo-Marxism focuses on the power of systems of beliefs that convince the oppressed that the existing social order of the oppressor is inevitable.

CRT tells us the oppressed are Black Americans, the oppressors white Americans and the oppressive beliefs are the American ideals of equality of opportunity, effort by the individual and outcome based on merit.

In <&underline>Critical Race Theory an Introduction</&underline> (I would strongly advise readers to peruse this), Richard Delgado, one of the movements founders, wrote that CRT, questions the very foundation of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning,  and neutral principals of constitutional law. These ideas are questioned because they are not based on race.
Homestead Nutrition opened the doors on its new location in New Holland, Pa., which will allow the livestock nutrition and agronomy company to consolidate its operations at one site.
The spotted lanternfly was first found in the United States three years ago in Berks County, and since then its fed on more than 70 plant species, including fruit trees, basil, blueberries, cucumbers, horseradish and various hardwoods.
The parallels between Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Katrina are stark. Look no further than the severe and destructive flooding that both storms have left along the Gulf Coast and the sheer number of evacuations due in part to a respective lack of preparation.

Perhaps its because of those similarities that an ABC World News Tonight anchors use of the word looting on Twitter to describe a scene amid Houstons floodwaters reminded many of a debate that raged 12 years ago.

#Breaking We're witnessing looting right now at a large supermarket in the NE part of Houston & police have just discovered a body nearby  Tom Llamas (@TomLlamasABC) August 29, 2017

As Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast in 2005, two images surfaced that would fuel conversation around race and perception in the coming days, weeks and years.

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The controversy centered on two photos and their respective captions. One from Associated Press photographer Dave Martin showed a young black man wading through water while holding a bag and a case of soda. The accompanying description stated that he was looting. A second photo from Chris Graythen for Getty Images showed a similar scene, but this time it was a white couple clutching bags of food. Their actions were labeled as finding.

Remember this after Katrina? The difference between "looting" and "finding" is often black and white pic.twitter.com/nZoaP0KJ2l  Steadman (@AsteadWesley) August 29, 2017

The photos quickly sparked criticism for what many believed to be race-fueled descriptions based on implicit bias. The conversation played out across the Internet, even taking the prime-time stage when Kanye West spoke on the matter during a telethon to benefit victims of Katrina. The outrage was so memorable that five years later, the Newseum in Washington featured the photos and backlash in its Katrina exhibit.

At the time, the Associated Press stood by its description, pointing to its guidelines for justification of using the word looting rather than carrying. An AP spokesman told Salon that the photographer saw the person go into the shop and take the goods, and thats why he wrote looting in the caption.

Getty also stuck by its description to use finding. In a blog post days later, Graythen further explained his reasoning.

These people were not ducking into a store and busting down windows to get electronics. They picked up bread and cokes that were floating in the water. They would have floated away anyhow.

Graythen wrote that his description had nothing to do with race, and added that when he later saw both white and black individuals actually looting a store, he did include that in his caption.

This time around in the wake of Harvey, there was no photo or mention of race. Anchor Tom Llamas simply described a situation in a tweet, later deleting the original and tweeting again, adding that the people he saw looting had covered their faces.

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Let me clear this upwe were w/police who had discovered a dead body & mentioned we saw ppl w/faces covered going into a supermarket nearby pic.twitter.com/bfM5WCCO1e  Tom Llamas (@TomLlamasABC) August 29, 2017

Still, the added context and the absence of racially charged images did not preclude criticism. As Katrina demonstrated, the term has a loaded meaning for many people, regardless of the reality behind the situation.

colleen.shalby@latimes.com

Twitter: @cshalby

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Gonpo Tso was born a princess.

As a young woman, she dressed in fur-trimmed robes with fat ropes of coral beads strung around her neck. She lived in an adobe castle on the edge of the Tibetan plateau with a reception room large enough to accommodate the thousand Buddhist monks who once paid tribute to her father.

Then, one night in 1958, when she was 7, Gonpo returned from an outing to find the Peoples Liberation Army encamped in front of her house. Chinese soldiers were taping over windows and doors. Women were rushing from room to room in tears trying to pack up the familys possessions.

While her father was summoned to a party meeting, Chinese Communist officials ordered Gonpo, her mother and sister into a Russian-made jeep and drove them away from lands ruled by her family for generations.

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Her expulsion began a decades-long odyssey to some of the most godforsaken stretches of China. Along the way, she worked in the most menial of jobs, almost losing her feet from frostbite as she milked cows on a farm near the Soviet border; she has endured wrenching ruptures from almost everyone she ever loved.

When people hear I am the daughter of a king, they imagine I must be really spoiled, but they dont know what I have experienced. Gonpo Tso

When people hear I am the daughter of a king, they imagine I must be really spoiled, but they dont know what I have experienced, Gonpo says here in the mountaintop town that the Dalai Lama has transformed into the capital of a Tibetan exile government.

Now in her early 60s, Gonpo is a broad-hipped woman with a gap-toothed, girlish smile. She is shy and at first demurs when asked about her past.

I try not to talk about it because it makes me sad, she apologizes.

Nevertheless, she serves tea and unshelled peanuts to visitors who drop in unannounced at the tiny walk-up apartment where she has lived alone for two decades, thousands of miles from her husband and daughter.

When she finally agrees to a rare interview, she doesnt allow herself to cry. But her eyes remain moist as she tells her story, as though she lives in a perpetuity of grief.

It is a story filled with many reversals of fortune, a one-woman window on the tortured history between China and Tibet.

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Gonpo is the heir to a now-defunct kingdom known as the Mei that until the mid-20th century was centered in Aba, a predominantly Tibetan city in Chinas Sichuan province.

 On the cusp of the Dalai Lamas 80th birthday, many Tibetans wonder whether their struggle for autonomy and religious freedom will soon be lost. Desperation can be seen in the number of self-immolations that have occurred since the religious uprisin

Until the 1950s, the area was ruled by Gonpos family. Although the Chinese referred to her father as a tribal chieftain, Tibetans used the word gyalpo, or king, and referred to his holdings as the Mei kingdom.

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By whatever name, the king reported neither to the Tibetan government in Lhasa nor to Chinese authorities. His constituents maintained a fierce independence, often fighting with other Tibetan rulers who coveted their land and the yak and sheep that were their livelihood.

Gonpo remembers being confined to the second-floor family quarters as a young girl, unable to go out and play because of her royal status. The most fun she had was during holidays, when her father received monks from nearby Kirti Monastery.

It was fun. Sometimes the young monks would bring a ball and we would kick it around the house, she recalls.

The three-story adobe house where the family lived still stands. The high, padlocked walls surrounding it are patched with yak dung, and grass grows from the roof. It was used as a warehouse for decades. Last year, the local government erected a plaque and is discussing renovations to turn it into a tourist attraction.

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Her father, Rapten Tinley, a tall, slim man with high cheekbones and furrowed brows, appears in photos seeming to carry the weight of the world.

A few years ago, neighbors erected a small shrine to the king over a stream next door.

The people were very loyal to the king, says Amdo Gelek, an amateur historian from Aba who now lives in exile in Dharamsala. He says his own father was a general in the kings militia. He tried to protect his people from the Chinese until the very end.

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In 1949, Mao Tse-tungs Communists established the Peoples Republic of China, and the following year his Peoples Liberation Army invaded central Tibet. Having seen the ease with which the Chinese rolled into Lhasa, Gonpos father instructed his people to not resist the Chinese.

He was a progressive thinker, Gonpo says, not as attached to the perquisites of power as other Tibetan elites. (He used to tell me to be humble and had me do chores at home with the servants, she says.) He initially thought the Chinese Communists could bring much-needed reform to Tibet. He attended a series of meetings in 1954 in Beijing, where he also met the young Dalai Lama, who was being wooed by Mao.

The honeymoon came crashing to an end in 1958, when the Communist Party enacted what it called its democratic reforms. Gonpos father was forced to abdicate.

Sego, a neighbor in his 70s who was one of Gonpos childhood friends, remembers young Gonpo as a girl who never behaved like a princess.

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Sometimes she could be naughty, but she was very kind. She wanted to help clean and help with the elderly. She would give away her clothes.

Everybody in the village was in tears the night they left, he remembers.

Exile took them to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. While Tibetans back in Aba starved as a result of forced collectivization of their farmlands and animals, Gonpo initially lived in comfort. She and her older sister attended an elite Chinese elementary school and then a high school in Beijing for ethnic minorities. Her father was appointed to Chinas Peoples Consultative Congress, held up as a model minority, but the familys situation rapidly deteriorated.

In 1966, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution to shake up the power structure. Gonpo was on summer holiday, visiting her parents and sister in Chengdu, when she was instructed to return immediately to Beijing. Her father and mother saw her off at the train station, thrusting a large bag of candies in her hands and instructing her to share with her seatmates.

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She would never see her parents again.

Back at school, 15-year-old Gonpo became a target of the zealous student revolutionaries known as Red Guards.

They called her into the schools courtyard, where she was forced to stand bend over at the waist with her hands clasped behind her. Classmates pounded her with their fists and kicked her, screaming abuse.

She was a class enemy, they yelled. Her father was an oppressor who used to eat from the skulls of vanquished enemies. Her family, they said, had a telegraph that they used to send secret messages to the Dalai Lama, who had fled to exile in India seven years earlier.

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In October 1966, two months after Gonpo returned to school, her mother was traveling to visit relatives north of Chengdu and disappeared during an overnight stop. Her hotel room door was found ajar, and the sash to her chuba, a Tibetan robe, was found lying on the floor, but no body was ever located.

A few days later, her father, searching for his wife, jumped into a river and drowned in an apparent suicide.

Your parents are no more, a classmate informed Gonpo. You are not allowed to cry because your father was a counter-revolutionary and a reactionary.

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It was almost a relief in 1968 when Gonpo learned that she would be exiled more than 2,000 miles away to work on a military-run farming compound in Xinjiang, a few hours from the Soviet border.

She got up before dawn to milk the cows, then walked more than 10 miles to the fields, part of the way through marshland. There, she learned that her only remaining family member, a sister who had become a doctor, had died of smallpox.

... in the larger scheme of things, the issue of Tibet was bigger than family things. Gonpo Tso

The one bright spot on the farm was a handsome young Han Chinese man who had also been exiled as a class enemy, although his background wasnt deemed as bad as hers. When Gonpo was given a quota of milk to sell, he would get his friends to buy from her.

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It took a few years to realize that it was love, not pity.

Ethnically mixed marriages were unusual in the era, and authorities disapproved of the relationship. The couple were not given permission to marry until 1976, the year Mao died. By then, the Cultural Revolution was over and a period of relative liberalization had begun.

Gonpo and her husband were allowed to move to his hometown, Nanjing, in eastern China. Gonpo went to teachers college and afterward got a job teaching music and Chinese in elementary school. She had two daughters and settled into a quiet life, her colleagues unaware of her background.

One day, she says, a large chauffeur-driven car that belonged to the provincial leader pulled up in front of the school. As teachers and students watched agape, Gonpo was ordered to hop in and report to the Communist Party offices. A Tibetan member of the Chinese Cabinet had discovered her identity and instructed Communist Party officials to give her special treatment.

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Within days, Gonpo and her family were assigned a new apartment in an elite building.

You better take it because the political winds around here change faster than the summer weather, her father-in-law advised. She was given half a dozen official positions.

It was the 1980s, and the Communist Party was making efforts to co-opt Tibetans. Gonpo was allowed to visit Aba in 1984, for the first time since her expulsion, and she was stunned by the level of destruction. At the main crossroad, where Kirti Monastery was once the centerpiece of town, there was only rubble.

Gonpo says she leaned against the ruins of a gate and wept.

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Seeing her cry, people nearby became curious. Who was this stranger?

Gonpo was initially reluctant to answer, but eventually mustered the courage. I am the daughter of the king, she said.

The Tibetans rushed toward her, hugging her.

It was like we were long-lost relatives, she says. All we could do was hold each other and cry.

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Gonpo was not unhappy in China. She loved her husband. But she felt her heritage slipping away beneath the trappings of an increasingly cushy life. She had forgotten so much Tibetan that she needed an interpreter in 1987 when she met in Beijing with the Panchen Lama, the highest-ranking figure after the Dalai Lama.

What kind of Tibetan girl are you? she remembers the Panchen Lama asking her. He suggested that she go on a pilgrimage to India, the birthplace of Buddhism and the home of the Dalai Lama in exile.

When Gonpo left for India in 1989, she took the older of her two daughters, then 10, but left her husband and 9-year-old in Nanjing with promises to return after a few months. Once in Dharamsala, she started Tibetan lessons with Kirti Rinpoche, the head of the Kirti Monastery who was also in exile. The Dalai Lama nominated her to serve in the parliament-in-exile.

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The months stretched into years and then decades. Her older daughter would grow up and move to New Delhi. Gonpo would not see her husband and younger daughter again until 2005, when they came to visit her in India.

I was the only living child of the Mei king. I felt duty bound to stay here, Gonpo says.

Personally my husband and I were sad. But he understood too that in the larger scheme of things, the issue of Tibet was bigger than family things,' she says. On the rare occasions that our family can get together, we cry a lot.

The last few years have brought more pain. Of 135 people who have died through self-immolation protesting Chinese domination in Tibetan communities, more than 30 were current or past Kirti monks. At least eight were from Meruma, a cluster of tiny villages within Aba county where her fathers key officers and retinue had been based. According to a local historian, several of the self-immolators were grandchildren of those officers.

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It is so hard even to talk about those precious lives that we are losing one after another, Gonpo says.

Nonetheless, having been educated within the Chinese Communist system, Gonpo isnt particularly anti-Chinese. The only thing that makes her raise her voice is the continuing Communist Party campaign against the Dalai Lama.

That breaks my heart, she says. It pains all Tibetans. I dont understand why the Chinese dont understand this only causes them more problems.

Gonpo reports to work daily as a translator of documents from Chinese to Tibetan at the Central Tibetan Administration, the exile government. Trudging up and down the hill ever so slowly on her frostbite-damaged feet, she is a familiar figure in Dharamsala, where everybody now addresses her by her title: princess.

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At first, it just seemed cool.

When facial recognition cameras were installed at a century-old high school here in eastern China, students got in and out of campus, picked up lunch, borrowed books and even bought drinks from a vending machine just by peering into the cameras.

No more worrying about forgetting to carry your ID card.

But last March, the cameras appeared in some classrooms  and they did a lot more than just identify students and take attendance.

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Using the latest artificial intelligence software, the devices tracked students behavior and read their facial expressions, grouping each face into one of seven emotions: anger, fear, disgust, surprise, happiness, sadness and what was labeled as neutral.

Think of it as a little glimpse of the future.

While American schools, as well as students and parents, are worrying about the increased emphasis on standardized tests  and the loss of classroom freedom that comes with teaching to the test  China has carried things to a whole new level.

Trump takes softer approach to restricting Chinese investment, backs bipartisan legislation expanding reviews 

Here, the surveillance cameras took the data on individual facial expressions and used that information to create a running score on each student and class. If a score reached a predetermined point, the system triggered an alert. Teachers were expected to take action: to talk to a student perceived to be disengaged, for example, or overly moody.

School administrators reckoned the data could provide feedback for teachers as well, about their lectures and classroom management, though they spoke of no immediate plans to use those details as part of their evaluations.

Most students came to hate the constant monitoring  and the consequences that followed when the machines reported scores suggesting individuals or entire classes werent paying attention.

Some students went so far as to figure out how to game the system by feigning what the cameras designers wanted to see.

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If you feel angry, you need to control yourself, said Zhu Juntao, 17, using his two forefingers to press up the ends of his mouth, as if smiling. He says he was never called out by a teacher, but others were.

Parents had mixed reactions, but enough of them complained about what they saw as an intrusion on privacy that school administrators last month hit the pause button on the cameras.

Not that those officials have given up on the system. It just needs further studying and some tweaking, says Zhang Guanchao, the schools deputy principal, who believes its a useful tool for teachers.

Hopefully we will bring the system back to campus in September, he said this week as students were wrapping up finals.

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When an Indian hospital was running out of oxygen, these doctors tried to help. So why were they sent to jail? 

Facial identifying technology has been developing rapidly and is being deployed in more places around the world. Some U.S. airports and law enforcement agencies now use such systems to screen travelers and detect wanted people. Britain and Russia are among others trying the software as part of their overall policing and surveillance efforts.

But no country has been employing facial recognition as aggressively as China. That reflects the central governments intense focus on public security and monitoring of residents, particularly in Chinas far west Xinjiang region, where Beijing is using highly sophisticated facial recognition, iris scanners and other artificial intelligence software to keep tabs on  and watch for any separatist activities from  its Muslim Uighur population.

At the same time, Beijing is making a big push in artificial intelligence. China has set a goal of being the worlds AI leader by 2030 and is investing heavily to support start-ups, research and more use of smart surveillance technologies. State media said recently that Beijings subway system plans to install facial recognition cameras along with palm scanners this year, ostensibly to ease congestion by allowing riders to gain faster entry  but also giving authorities another tool to monitor the population.

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In Beijing and throughout China, closed-circuit cameras and other surveillance devices are so ubiquitous that theyve become part of the landscape. If facial recognition helps with public safety, some say, thats a good thing.

Perhaps people would behave themselves more, said Xia Chuzi, a 19-year-old student interviewed in Beijing.

Chen Hong, another Beijing resident, said his main worry is whether AI technology will work properly in identifying faces correctly. Im not concerned about privacy, said the 24-year-old, who installs high-speed internet equipment for a living.

Zhu Juntao, a 10th-grader at Hangzhou No. 11 High School, says most of his classmates want to get rid of the schools emotion-tracking cameras. (Don Lee / Los Angeles Times )

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Hangzhou, a top tourist destination about 100 miles southwest of Shanghai, is now one of the countrys leading tech hubs, thanks in part to e-commerce giant Alibaba. Also based in the city is Hikvision, the worlds largest maker of video surveillance products.

Hikvision supplied the face-recognition devices to Hangzhou No. 11 High School. Rolling them out to schools across the country would be highly lucrative. The partially state-owned company did not respond to requests for an interview.

Experts say technologies recognizing or verifying faces is one thing, but monitoring emotions with AI devices takes it to a whole other level. They include not just cameras but hats and caps with sensors to monitor brain waves that detect shifts in a persons mood.

Human rights and privacy advocates see such emotional surveillance as part of Chinas widening security control regime, an increasingly Orwellian world in which people cant escape the eye of government and the pressures of conformity in social behavior.

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Its an incredibly dangerous precedent to affix somebodys behavior or certain actions based on emotions or characteristics presented in their face, said Clare Garvie, an associate at the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown University Law Center.

Educators in China have been sharply critical of the Hangzhou school, not only for invading students privacy  neither they nor their parents were asked to give consent  but for charging ahead with a unproven system that purports to improve student performance.

Even assuming the machines can accurately read facial emotions, its far from clear how outward expressions are related to learning, says He Shanyun, an associate professor of education at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou.

She thinks facial recognition is flawed in another way: It doesnt account for different personalities and a Chinese culture that may be predisposed to a stoic face. Even if an AI device can help a teacher, He says, you shouldnt use it to punish students or put a simple label on them.

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Zheng Suning, a 10-grader at Hangzhou No. 11, speaks proudly of her school. It was founded in 1904 but is now one of the most high-tech in the country. We have visitors regularly, she said.

School administrators, however, declined a request for a tour.

Zheng recalls the trouble when she had misplaced her school ID. Now shes a little self-conscious about her face flashing before others but says its exceptionally convenient. You show your face to the machine, and they bring out your lunch tray, she said.

Still, the 16-year-old dreads a return of the AI cameras in the classroom.

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Like most other high school students in China, Zheng and her classmates are in school from early morning to late at night. On top of that, Zheng takes private tutorial lessons twice a week lasting two hours each. She says maybe the cameras will help her be a better student, but she worries they will add more stress. She doesnt know how she could avoid not looking sleepy.

Im already so tired, Zheng said.

Then theres the matter of faking expressions and behavior students think the cameras look for. No matter how tired or boring the lecture was, they said the trick was to look straight ahead.

Some students pretend to be very focused, said Chu Haotian, 17. Fellow 10th-grader Zhu Juntao added: Even though youre a good student, you may not have a good expression.

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Facial recognition cameras havent been installed in every classroom at the school yet. And they monitored only 10th-graders  and only for about two months before their use was suspended.

Educators worry the emotion-monitoring will encourage excessive attention on outward behavior or become an active means of social control. Thats partly why Xiong Bingqi, an education professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University, calls it black technology.

The cameras have a very bad influence on students development, he said. The cameras just shouldnt be used any longer.

It was a bad idea from the beginning, Xiong added. What they did was take advantage of students. New technology shouldnt be an excuse to do this kind of thing.

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U.S.-Taliban counterterrorism coordination could take place after U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley suggested that the government should consider doing this to prevent further Islamic State militant attacks on Afghanistan civilians.

According to USA Today's latest report, the last American troops already left the chaotic country, allow U.S. President Joe Biden to meet the Aug. 31 deadline he recently promised to the Taliban groups.

Biden said that he pulled out the nation's soldiers from Afghanistan since the United States already spent trillions of to protect the country. He added that it seems like even with the huge budget and major support that America gave to Afghanistan, the leaders did nothing to improve their own defenses.

The American leader added that it is time for Afghanistan to defend itself from terrorist attacks. However, the U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley explained that the government should still coordinate with the Taliban to fight against terrorism in the country, especially since the American troops are no longer stationed there.

US-Taliban Coordination To Prevent Terrorism Attacks?

According to A.P. News' latest report, Milley stated that the United States still needs to work with the Taliban, even if their groups are considered "ruthless."

READ MORE: California Family Left Behind in Afghanistan After U.S. Withdrawal, 7 Others Rescued

"In war, you do what you must in order to reduce risk to mission and force, not what you necessarily want to do," explained that American general.

On the other hand, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that it is still hard to predict the future of the Taliban in Afghanistan. He reiterated that people should not make their own conclusions so that Afghanistan's current issue would not become worst.

Questions Currently Asked About Afghanistan

After the U.S. troops completed their withdrawal, many Americans, as well as other residents from various countries, are now asking some questions about Afghanistan.

They are seeking answers because they are saddened that Afghans could suffer from the leadership of the Taliban group. NPR provided some of the questions that are now asked by the public:

What happens to Afghan refugees and visa holders?

Will the exit affect Biden politically long term?

What does the exit mean for Biden's approach to the world?

What happens to the Americans still in Afghanistan?

If you want to see more details about these questions, all you need to do is click this link. On the other hand, Joe Biden still hasn't confirmed if he would consider the suggestion of Milley. Right now, the best thing you can do as a U.S. resident is to wait for the president's actual announcements.

READ NEXT: Taliban Conduct House-to-House Executions After U.S. Exit From Afghanistan as Chilling Audio Provides Glimpse of Afghans' Fear
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are still fighting each other for various reasons. SpaceX's CEO is the most vocal one about their feud since he usually tends to hit Amazon's boss on Twitter.

Now, Musk jokingly said that he wants to hit Bezos' head with his space lasers. He tweeted this after Ashlee Vance, a popular American business columnist, tagged the billionaire in a post, Blue Origin hiring former Amazon consultants, who are linked to the JEDI contracting process.

"At what point does @elonmusk have a Falcon Heavy hover over Bezos's house all day?" asked Vance on Twitter, which was answered by Musk 21 hours later.

"Maybe zap him on the head with our space lasers," said the popular tech CEO via his official Twitter account.

Elon's funny post was able to generate more than 190 retweets, 40 quote tweets, and 2,500 likes. On the other hand, many fans also ride with his joke. In the comment section, one of the Twitter users said that he heard SpaceX lasers can grow back hair.

Maybe zap him on the head with our space lasers   Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 1, 2021

Meanwhile, another commentator added that if Musk would really fire his lasers on Jeff's head, he would not be able to grow his hair back for good.

Elon Musk Firing Lasers on Bezos Head?

According to Futurism's latest report, it would certainly not happen since that is inhumane, and many authorities would be going after Musk if he decided to make his joke a reality.

READ MORE: Demi Lovato Admits Sliding Into 'Schitt's Creek' Star Emily Hampshire's DMs, Who Now Confirms She's Pansexual

But, some of the publishing sites explained that if Musk did fire lasers on Bezos, his deadly lasers would be hard to detect since his SpaceX's lasers are not publicly documented.

Nope, it won't, but Elon has a pretty sweet hair transplant surgeon he could recommend to Jeff  Pinon Frijoles (@pinon_frijoles) September 1, 2021

Right now, the giant space agency's satellites are integrated with laser terminals, allowing them to communicate with one another more efficiently and smoother. But, these technologies are still not designed to harm people, especially other billionaires.

Why Are They Fighting With Each Other?

There are many reasons why these two billionaires are not on good terms. But, the latest issue between them is Bezos' lawsuits against SpaceX.

The Verge reported that Musk even criticized the Amazon CEO since he is continuously filing cases against SpaceX. He even stated that Jeff retired because he wants to have a "full-time job," accusing SpaceX.

The latest case he filed against the giant space agency is against their satellite constellation.

READ NEXT: Viral TikTok Leak Room Allegedly Posts Peyton Meyer's NSFW Videos and Photos With His New Girlfriend
Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell said President Joe Biden will not be impeached over his handling of the U.S. troops' exit from Afghanistan.

However, he urged Americans to hold the president accountable at the "ballot box" in the 2022 midterm and 2024 presidential elections, The Daily Wire reported.

McConnell noted that he thinks the best way to remove the president is through the ballot box. The Senate Minority leader said since the House and the Senate are both Democratic-controlled, impeachment will not happen under the normal process.

The House of Representatives is responsible for the decision on whether to impeach a president or not. The Senate, on the other hand, is in charge of holding the ensuing impeachment trial.

The Senate also votes to convict or acquit the commander-in-chief of the charges. Under the Biden administration, Democrats lead both chambers of Congress.

READ NEXT: Taliban Conduct House-to-House Executions After U.S. Exit From Afghanistan as Chilling Audio Provides Glimpse of Afghans' Fear

Impeachment of Joe Biden

Senators Josh Hawley and Marsha Blackburn had urged the president to resign last week, while Senator Rick Scott urged Vice President Kamala Harris and the cabinet to oust Joe Biden by invoking the 25th Amendment, Newsweek reported.

Republicans in the House have continued to call for Biden's impeachment, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introducing three articles of impeachment against the president last week.

Rep. Lauren Boebert took the same step on Tuesday, calling for the impeachment of the president and Kamala Harris. Boebert suggested that the two Democratic leaders be replaced with the secretary of the state.

Forty-two percent of American adults have said that Joe Biden did a "poor" job in withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, while 29 percent called his decision "fair," and 27 percent found it "good" or "excellent," under new poll research by the Pew Research Center.

Joe Biden Over Afghanistan

Joe Biden continued to defend his decision to leave Afghanistan, saying that there is nothing low grade, low risk, or low cost about any war.

Biden said it is time to end the war in Afghanistan, The New York Times report. The Democratic leader noted that he believed that he had made a wise decision with all of his heart.

He refused to admit any sort of faults as the Taliban celebrated their "independence" from America with gunfire heard across Kabul. But Joe Biden has expressed remorse for the loss of lives after suicide bombers caused an explosion at the Kabul airport.

He vowed retaliation to anyone responsible for the attack, saying that they will not forgive nor forget. The president said that they will hunt those responsible for the attacks and make them pay.

The explosions at Hamid Karzai International Airport had killed 11 Marines and one Navy medic, while 15 Americans were wounded. Meanwhile, the number of Afghan civilians who were killed and injured remains unknown.

Joe Biden said the choice over Afghanistan was between leaving or escalating. He noted that he was not going to extend this "forever war."

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Admits Donald Trump's Deal With Taliban Resulted in a Year Without Combat Death in Afghanistan

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Calls for President Biden's impeachment over Afghanistan withdrawal handling - From Sky News Australia






The World Health Organization (WHO) has added the COVID variant "Mu" to its variants of interest watchlist after fears that the virus strain could resist immune defenses provided by vaccines.

WHO said the "Mu" variant, also known as B.1.621, was added to its watchlist after it was detected in 39 countries and for its certain worrisome features, The Blaze reported.

According to the agency's health bulletin, the Mu variant has a constellation of mutations with possible immune escape properties.

Early data shows that the variant may evade or be resistant to vaccine immune defenses, similar to the Beta variant. However, more studies are still needed to confirm the theory.

The WHO noted that its increasing prevalence in Colombia and Ecuador was a cause for continued monitoring despite declining global prevalence.

READ NEXT: How Dangerous Is the New C.1.2 COVID Variant? Here's What the WHO Says

Mu COVID Variant

The Mu variant was first discovered in Colombia in January 2021. Cases of the variant have also been reported in the U.K., Europe, U.S., and Hong Kong.

The Guardian reported that it was gaining ground in Colombia and Ecuador, with 39 percent and 13 percent prevalence, respectively.

At least 32 cases of the Mu variant were found in the U.K. A Public Health England report noted that most of the cases were found in London in July, with most of the infected people in their 20s.

In addition, some of those people who tested positive for the Mu variant received one or two doses of the COVID vaccine. The WHO said the Mu variant would be monitored for any changes.

In the U.S., Mu seems to be most prevalent so far in Florida, particularly in the Miami area with the frequent travel in those areas, Fortune reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also identified the Mu variant as a variant of interest. However, it has not yet moved it to the level of a variant of concern.

The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention also recognized that it could have a significant impact. It added that the data is still early to confirm.

COVID Vaccine Effectiveness

Pfizer's vaccine effectiveness had declined over time, with about 84 percent for vaccinated people in four to six months after getting their second dose, according to company CEO Albert Bourla.

Pfizer's vaccine was strongest at 96.2 percent, which was noted between one week and two months after receiving the second dose, according to CNBC.

The Pfizer CEO said they had seen data from Israel showing a decline in immunity. The decline has affected what used to be what was 100 percent against hospitalization. He added that after six months, the vaccine's effectiveness declined to the 90s and mid-to-high 80s.

The Pfizer CEO noted that the company is planning to formally send data to U.S. regulators about the pros of a third COVID vaccine dose by mid-August.

READ MORE: More Than 5,000 Students in a Single Florida School District Quarantined or Isolated Due to COVID

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: World Health Organization is Monitoring a New COVID Variant Called 'Mu' - From WXYZ-TV Detroit Channel 7






Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, said Wednesday that the administration of President Joe Biden is trying to hide the poor conditions at migrant holding facilities in the state.

During a press conference with Republican representatives Nancy Mace and Chip Roy in Laredo, Texas, Ted Cruz shared his observations to reporters after traveling with Border Patrol agents in Laredo and seeing the crisis firsthand.

Ted Cruz Reveals Poor Conditions at Texas Migrant Facilities

According to Fox News, Ted Cruz told the media about his recent trip to a migrant holding facility in Donna, Texas, which he described as a "giant tent city." He said it was packed with children, without regard for COVID restrictions.

The Texas Senator noted that they're packed "so tightly there's no room to move." He suggested it could be a breeding ground for COVID-19 transmission.

Based on a National Review report, during the processing, thousands of migrants who illegally crossed the border into the U.S. tested positive for COVID-19, multiple outlets also confirmed.

READ NEXT: Florida Restaurant Owner Refuses to Serve Pres. Joe Biden Supporters: 'Take Your Business Elsewhere'

Ted Cruz Blames Joe Biden on Man-Made Disaster at Texas Migrant Facility

The Texas Senator said children at the Donna facility were only three inches apart, and they were side by side. He added that there were no beds, no cots, no mats, and children were only sleeping on the floor. Children were also wrapped up in reflective emergency blankets.

Ted Cruz accused the Biden administration of trying to hide the poor conditions at the Donna migrant holding facility by not allowing the media to enter inside. The Texas Senator said the administration was hiding the disaster that they created at the facility.

Ted Cruz said even Border Patrol agents were frustrated with the lack of response from the Biden administration about the border crisis.

"Morale has never been lower than right now because the Biden administration won't let ICE do its job," Cruz noted.

On the other hand, Roy highlighted the crisis' toll on the City Under Seven Flags. Roy showed his frustration and said the state of Texas is under siege, and the good people of Laredo were suffering as they were deployed on the front lines of that attack.

Mace weighed in and expressed that she was "shocked" about what she saw at the border. Cruz and Roy planned to have a trip around Texas to learn more from local officials and stakeholders about how the current border crisis was affecting them.

Ted Cruz emphasized that it is so maddening that this crisis is man-made. The Texas Senator noted that it resulted from deliberate choices by Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Addresses End of U.S. War in Afghanistan, Signs Bill to Provide Assistance for Returning Americans

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Sen. Ted Cruz: Surge Of Migrants At U.S.-Mexico Border Is 'Direct Consequence' Of Biden Policies - From NBC News
A White House official said they were appalled and horrified that President Joe Biden left Americans stranded in Afghanistan.

An administration official told Politico that they were stunned by Biden's decision to leave Americans behind as the Taliban takes control of the country and reportedly conducted house-to-house executions.

"I am absolutely appalled and literally horrified we left Americans there," the official said, adding that it was a hostage rescue of thousands of Americans in the disguise of noncombatant evacuation operations (NEO).

The White House official noted that the U.S. has failed that "no-fail mission." Another White House official told Politico that the mission was not accomplished if there were Americans left behind in Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, Joe Biden touted one of the "biggest airlifts in history." The president said more than 120,000 individuals were airlifted to safety from Kabul, adding that no nation has ever done anything like that in all of history. Biden also called the mission an "extraordinary success."

READ NEXT: Sen. Mitch McConnell Says Pres. Joe Biden Won't Be Impeached Over Afghanistan, Says Hold Him Accountable at 'Ballot Box'

Stranded Americans in Afghanistan

At least 32 California students are still stranded in Afghanistan after the U.S. military's evacuation flight left the Kabul airport, according to The Blaze.

San Juan Unified School District near Sacramento said 29 district students are stranded in Afghanistan. On the other hand, Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon noted that three students from the same family were still in Afghanistan.

Reports said at least 24 students and 16 parents from the Cajon Valley district had visited Afghanistan this summer. They were trapped in the country as the Taliban took over.

Aside from the American citizens trapped in the war-torn country, thousands of Afghan nationals who worked alongside the U.S. are being targeted by the Taliban.

One Afghan, whom the Americans called Reggie, said he's now in constant fear at his home in Kabul. He noted that since the militant group's take over, he cannot sleep even for a minute, NPR reported.

Reggie was an interpreter for nine years for the U.S. Army. He said there are pictures of him with members of the U.S. military online.

Reggie noted that the Taliban would not forgive him if they found out. He said the Taliban forces move through his neighborhood on Sunday, shortly after the city's police abandoned the nearby station.

Reggie noted that the Taliban fighters are driving around and speaking to residents, telling them not to worry and that they were there to protect the people.

The interpreter said he's standing in front of his house but did not feel safe. Reggie added that there's not a single moment that he can feel relaxed.

The U.S. and The Taliban

Top Pentagon officials said Wednesday that the U.S. might work with the Taliban against ISIS-K in Afghanistan. However, they also said the Taliban is a "ruthless group from the past," according to Fox News.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Miley made their first public remarks since the withdrawal of the U.S. military.

Miley confirmed that it is "possible" to have coordination between the U.S. and Taliban in fighting ISIS-K. Austin noted that the Pentagon is doing "everything" to remain focused on ISIS-K.

He said they would hold the ISIS-K accountable for what they've done "in the time of our choosing, in the future." ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack at the Kabul airport last week that killed 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghan citizens.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Admits Donald Trump's Deal With Taliban Resulted in a Year Without Combat Death in Afghanistan

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Officials Say U.S. Will Keep 'Leverage' Over Taliban After Aug. 31, as GOP Slams Biden's Strategy - From Washington Post






After nine months of investigation, federal authorities handed down six separate indictments Tuesday regarding a drug trafficking ring operating from California to western Pennsylvania.

Agencies involved in the nine-month investigation include the U.S. Attorney's office, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), DuBois City, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pittsburgh Police Department.

Drug Trafficking Ring Dismantled

According to WJAC, 47 individuals were named in six separate indictments. The suspects were allegedly involved in a drug trafficking ring operating from California to western Pennsylvania, including Clearfield and Jefferson counties.

Based on the indictments, the defendants were charged not only with narcotics trafficking but also money laundering and firearms violations.

Investigators noted that the defendants operated across the country and distributed drugs locally in the counties of Clearfield, Jefferson, and Allegheny.

In the lead indictment involving 37 suspects, they allegedly distributed over more than 550 grams of methamphetamine and 500 grams of cocaine.

READ NEXT: Last Crewman From 'Cocaine Ship' Bust at Philadelphia Port Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Prison

Individuals Behind California-Pennsylvania Drug Pipeline Charged

Acting U.S. Attorney Steve Kaufman said the defendants in the lead indictment were all arrested Tuesday morning. However, he noted that federal authorities were still looking for four of the defendants that were charged.

Clearfield County District Attorney Ryan Sayers said the operation dismantled the drug pipeline of traffickers that cut the supply chain. Sayers noted that the major drug bust helped slow down the suffering and death in the local area.

He added that it would also create a huge impact on the drug treatment they were trying to impose in Clearfield County that recently started, CBS 21 reported.

Jefferson County District Attorney Jeff Burkett noted that the operation was a culmination of a major drug investigation that involved the collaboration of several states and federal agencies. Burkett said that all parties worked hand-in-hand in order to protect the citizens of Jefferson County.

Furthermore, Burkett commended and applauded the effort of the DEA, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen Kaufman, the State Police of Pennsylvania, and the many other law enforcement agencies that participated in the operation.

He emphasized that by spearheading the effort, they have stopped the operations of the drug trafficking ring that caused the suffering of locals. Burkett also mentioned that it was very gratifying to see that many agencies were working so hard together for such a great cause.

Meanwhile, federal authorities noted that the law provides for a minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and up to life, a fine of not more than $10,000,000, or both for all defendants. The arrested suspects' ages range from 23 to 60 years old.

From 2020 through August 2021, officials said that multiple Pennsylvania residents and people from the west coast were arrested in relation to distributing multiple substances including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and marijuana.

READ MORE: Dominican Republic Seizes 57 Packages of Cocaine in Puerto Haina Oriental to Be Shipped to Philadelphia

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Drug Pipeline From California To Western Pennsylvania Dismantled, 47 Indicted - From CBS Pittsburgh
An Oklahoma lawmaker, who went "dark" during a rogue mission to rescue five Americans in Afghanistan, said Wednesday that he's safe and on his way back to the U.S.

New York Daily News reported that Rep. Markwayne Mullin said he's returning to the U.S. after diplomats and the Pentagon told him to leave the evacuations to the professionals. The Republican lawmaker posted a message on Instagram to announce that he's heading home.

"I am heading home... Have we been helping get Americans out of Afghanistan, yes. Is the mission continuing, yes. Am I missing, no," Mullin said. He added that he did "go dark for a little" because "it wasn't safe to communicate."

The Blaze reported that the Pentagon earlier denied the Oklahoma lawmaker's request to travel to Afghanistan from Greece last week. The congressman tried again on Monday and allegedly threatened U.S. Embassy officials when they turned him down.

Reports said the Oklahoma lawmaker planned to charter a helicopter and visit Afghanistan from neighboring Tajikistan to rescue five Americans who were left behind.

Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin Slams Joe Biden for His Handling of the Afghanistan Evacuation

In his Instagram post, Markwayne Mullin has criticized President Joe Biden for his handling of the evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies during the U.S. military's withdrawal in Afghanistan.

The Republican lawmaker noted that the Biden administration lied to the American people about Americans being left behind in Afghanistan.

Mullin's communications director Meredith Blanford said that the Oklahoma lawmaker was never in danger, Fox News reported.

Blanford noted that Markwayne Mullin and the Office of Oklahoma's Second District would continue to do anything in their power to bring home all Americans from the war zone.

The communications director also said that Mullin's top priority will always be the safety and security of the American people.

Markwayne Mullin had traveled to Afghanistan through Tajikistan. He then ran into trouble at the U.S. embassy when he tried to get a large sum of cash into Afghanistan, so he could hire a helicopter to enter Afghanistan in hopes of rescuing a woman, who is a U.S. citizen, and her four children.

Mullin had reportedly sought the ambassador's assistance in bypassing Tajikistan's laws on cash limits and had allegedly threatened the ambassador and staff when they refused him.

According to the Georgian Embassy, the Oklahoma lawmaker was reported to be at Tbilisi in the country of Georgia over the weekend.

READ NEXT: National Security Officials Warn Pres. Joe Biden of Another Terrorist Attack Before U.S. Troops Leave Afghanistan

Americans in Afghanistan

Samiullah Naderi is among the U.S. citizens or possibly among thousands of green card holders stranded in Afghanistan. Naderi and his family returned to Kabul with no clear plan on how to get back to Philadelphia.

He was told that no more people would be allowed to enter the Kabul airport gates on Monday, The New York Times reported. Naderi noted that all flights were closed and that he was scared.

Joe Biden said 90 percent of Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave were able to go. The White House later corrected it to 98 percent.

Joe Biden noted that the U.S. government had warned Americans several times, 19 to be exact, to leave Afghanistan since March.

U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken said that about 6,000 Americans had been evacuated after August 14. The huge majority of those were dual U.S.-Afghan citizens.

However, that was not the case for Naderi. Immigration and refugee advocacy groups estimated that thousands still remained in the country.

Congress has demanded the U.S. military to stay in the war-torn country until all U.S. citizens, and those Afghans eligible for special U.S. visas have been evacuated.

READ MORE: Taliban Got Hold of a U.S.-Made Super-Surveillance System

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Oklahoma Congressman Mullin Safe - From KJRH -TV






A Florida court has dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Twitter filed by the Delaware computer repairman who caught media attention during the Hunter Biden laptop story.

The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, which means it cannot be filed again as the plaintiff was ordered to pay Twitter's attorney's fees, Law and Crime reported.

In February, John Paul Mac Isaac filed a lawsuit against Twitter. He argued that Twitter's move to lock The New York Post's account while its staffers tried to post and disseminate its expose regarding Hunter's laptop contents was similar to calling him a hacker.

According to the lawsuit, Mac Isaac noted that Twitter limited the distribution of the story by others on its social media platform.

Twitter has released a series of high-profile tweets about its decision to restrict access to Post's article on Hunter's laptop contents. Twitter said it was based on interactions the plaintiff had with Rudy Giuliani's former attorney Robert Costello.

The court ruled in Twitter's favor and granted their motion to dismiss the case because none of the firm's explanations identified Mac Isaac.

Twitter has also won its arguments for attorney's fees by claiming that the lawsuit was a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP), which is a legal action intended to chill free speech.

READ NEXT: New Video of Hunter Biden Shows the President's Son Saying Russian Drug Dealers Stole His Laptop for Blackmail

Case of John Paul Mac Isaac Against Twitter Involving Hunter Biden's Laptop

The Delaware computer repair shop owner argued that the tech giant had defamed him by implying that he was a hacker, Washington Examiner reported.

Twitter had labeled the contents of Hunter Biden's laptop as being hacked materials, which he denied. He said that it had caused damage to his reputation, and he was forced to shut down his business in part.

Mac Isaac has also asked Twitter to publicly retract the false statements and issue an apology to him publicly. His lawyer argued that "Twitter knew or should have known" that its statement that the Post's story contained hacked materials would cause harm to his client.

Hunter Biden's Laptop Contents

Claims of corruption about President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden surfaced in a bid to damage Biden's presidential campaign after the contents of his laptop caught the attention of the public and media.

Among the allegations include that Joe Biden, as vice president, has shaped U.S. foreign policy in Ukraine to benefit Hunter Biden, Baltimore Sun reported.

The president has declined that he knew something about his son's business activities in Ukraine. However, reports suggested that the former vice president has met with an adviser to a Ukrainian energy company, whose board Hunter Biden was part of.

Hunter's lawyer, George Mesires, said the alleged meeting has never happened.

Mac Isaac had come to get Hunter's laptop when it was left at his shop in April 2019 and was asked to recover any data.

Mac Isaac said the man who had given the laptop had come to his shop twice but never returned to retrieve the computer or an external hard drive on which its contents had been stored.

The repair shop owner noted that he was not sure whether the man who came to his shop was Hunter Biden. But, the man, when asked to fill out a work order, identified himself as Hunter Biden.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden, a 'Direct Beneficiary' of His Son Hunter Biden's Foreign Deals, Says Head of Government Accountability Institute

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Twitter Bans Hunter Biden Report, Suspends Trump Campaign and Press Sec. Accounts - From Yahoo Finance






Portland, TN (37148)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Laois has been called out by the Irish Times for having no shelter for women who need to escape domestic violence and other abuse in the home.

Laois is one of nine counties in Ireland that has failed to provide a domestic violence refuge, despite extensive nationwide Garda operations throughout the pandemic.

Ireland has a total of 21 refuges with 139 units, of which eight are communal, consisting of shared bathrooms and kitchen spaces.

An Irish Times Editorial this referenced this as "a type of accommodation considered not fit for purpose in a refuge setting."

It called out nine counties that have failed to provide a domestic violence refuge are: Carlow, Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon and Sligo.

On April 1, 2020 Gardai launched Operation Faoiseamh, in line with surging reports of domestic violence incidents throughout the first lockdown. The purpose of the nationwide operation was to provide "enhanced proactive support to victims of domestic abuse."

Phase one saw a total of 8,229 attempts to contact victims of domestic abuse between January and May 2020. The second phase of the operation, which began on May 30, 2020, led to 107 prosecutions. The third phase placed an emphasis on providing resources in incidents where domestic violence legislation had been breached.

The Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence entered into force on July 1, this year.

At the time the Laois Offaly TD and the then Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan said: Protecting and supporting victims has been a key priority for this Government. Domestic and sexual violence are pernicious and widespread evils, affecting all social classes and genders.

"The entry into force of the Istanbul Convention sends an important message that Ireland will not tolerate violence against women and domestic violence. It is further proof of our commitment to protecting and supporting victims of this violence."
The latest Government plan provide badly needed homes will tackle the housing crisis and be positive for Laois according to Minister of State at the Department of Finance Sean Fleming.

The Fianna Fail TD for Laois Offaly welcomed the publication of the Governments new housing plan for Ireland, Housing for All.

The Governments plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. The Government claims the plan provides for an optimal mix of social, affordable and private housing for sale and rent.

It says these measures are supported by over 4 billion in guaranteed State funding every year, the highest ever level of Government investment in building social and affordable housing. The coalition says the plan also includes measures to support availability of the land, workforce, funding and capacity to enable both the public and private sectors to meet the targets.

Commenting following the publication of the plan Minister Fleming said the plan delivers on a promise.

When we entered Government, Fianna Fail promised to tackle the housing crisis. Our plan, Housing for all, marks a step change in how housing will be delivered in this country," he said.

The TD added that Laois will feel the benefit.

This will have a major positive and significant impact in County Laois. The plan is radical, realistic and will deliver for ordinary people. It will be measured not only by housing delivery but also by the services people can access in their area.

Laois has one of the fastest growing populations in the country and will need greater investment into the future. The Government will soon release an ambitious long term investment plan for education, healthcare and transport. I am confident Laois will benefit from significant investment by the State in the coming years, he said.

He said Housing for All contains four pathways to a better future:

 To supporting homeownership and increasing affordability

 To eradicating homelessness, increasing social housing delivery and supporting social inclusion

 To increasing new housing supply

 To addressing vacancy and efficient use of existing stock

MORE BELOW PICTURE

Government launches Housing for All  a New Housing Plan for Ireland Pic shows ( l to r ) Taoiseach, Micheal Martin TD, Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for the Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, Eamon Ryan TD and Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh OBrien TD at todays launch of Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland. PIC: MAXWELLS

The following is a Government summary of what Housing for All means:

For First-Time Buyers

The largest ever housing budget in the history of the State to transform our housing system, with over 15.5bn in funding through the Exchequer and LDA over the next five years.

Supporting an unprecedented 4,000 Affordable Purchase homes on average every year for families, couples and single people

A new Local Authority-led Affordable Purchase Scheme, targeting average prices of 250,000.

A new First Home Shared Equity Scheme for private developments.

A reformed Local Authority Home Loan.

An Owner Occupier Guarantee in housing developments to secure homes exclusively for first-time buyers and other owner-occupiers.

20% of all developments set aside for affordable and social housing.

For Renters

An average of 2,000 new Cost Rental homes every year with rents targeted at least 25% below market level.

Extended Rent Pressure Zones to 2024 and rents linked to the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices.

New Short-Term Lettings regulation through a Failte Ireland registration system.

Indefinite tenancies to strengthen security for renters.

Minimum Building Energy Rating standards for private rental dwellings.

Upfront deposit and rent payments capped at two months value.

For Low-Income Households

Provide over 90,000 social homes by 2030, including an average annual new build component of over 9,500 units to 2026, the highest number in the history of the State.

End long term leasing by Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies through phasing out new entrants and focus on new build to provide social housing homes

Strengthened Mortgage to Rent scheme, to ensure that it meets the needs of those in long-term mortgage arrears.

Reformed Tenant Purchase Scheme.

Revision and reform of income eligibility for social housing.

For People Experiencing Homelessness

Work towards eradicating homelessness by 2030.

Increased Housing First targets to 1,200 tenancies over five years for homeless people.

Establish a New National Homeless Action Committee.

Expand Street Outreach Teams for rough sleepers nationwide.

Individual Healthcare Plans.

For those Trading Up and Rightsizing

Over 300,000 new homes by 2030.

For People Starting again

A Fresh Start principle for applications to State affordable housing and loan schemes. People who are divorced and have no interest in the family home or who have undergone insolvency proceedings will be eligible to apply to those schemes.

For Communities

Radical new modern Kenny Report style powers to ensure sharing of the increase in land values from re-zoning decisions and greater community gain.

Ending Strategic Housing Developments, returning planning decisions to Local Authorities and reforming the judicial review process.

A new tax to activate vacant land for residential purposes

An amended Fair Deal scheme to stop penalising sale and rental income.

For Towns and Cities

A new Croi Conaithe (Cities) Fund to increase owner-occupier apartment development in city centres.

Increased funding capacity for the LDA for strategic development of public lands for affordable and social housing in city and town centres.

Targeted funding via URDF and RRDF to support the Town Centre First approach, as part of the wider objectives for the regeneration of cities, towns and rural areas.

Planning exemptions for above shop conversions and guidance relating to protected structures.

A nationwide Local Authority led Compulsory Purchase Order scheme to purchase vacant units.

For Rural Communities

New County Development Plan guidance to ensure appropriate zoning and density levels.

A new Croi Conaithe (Towns) Fund to service sites in regional towns and villages.

A new CPO programme to tackle vacancy in towns and villages

New rural housing guidelines to give certainty for development of one-off homes.

For Construction Workers

27,000 new construction jobs to meet required annual output levels.

Stability and certainty in the building sector through a long-term funding pipeline.

New apprenticeship opportunities and a targeted campaign at school leavers to build up capacity in the sector.

A new Construction Technology Centre to drive innovation and productivity in the sector.
Several local politicians have identified school places as a critical priority for the new Dail and Seanad terms.

As many children returned to classes this week, TDs and Senators contacted by the Leader insisted that new school facilities, particularly secondary level, are urgently needed in County Kildare.

South Kildares Independent TD Cathal Berry said: I will continue to advocate for badly needed new secondary schools in both Portarlington and the Curragh/Newbridge area.

North Kildare TD and Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said that community facilities such as school places will be high on her list.

She said: Ensuring fair play for Kildare with regard to national resources that goes across many issues but it is an ongoing issue I will focus on.

Looking for objective resource allocation we have a growing population we need the facilities and services to go with housing development.

Sinn Fein TD for South Kildare Patricia Ryan said that school places was one of a number of immediate priorities for her.

She commented: I have a long list of priorities for the forthcoming term, including the immediate priorities of school bus services, school places and the cutting of the PUP from September 7.

Meanwhile Senator Mark Wall claimed it is unacceptable that dozens of new homes continue to be built around Newbridge and Kildare town without enough secondary school places.

He said: Im still getting so many calls from parents that have not secured a place for their child.

Last week the Minister for Education once again informed me that the new school to be located at the Curragh has still not secured a site, this is simply not good enough.

We are now heading for three years since this school was announced.

We cannot continue to build houses in Newbridge, Kildare town and all there hinterlands without having enough secondary school places for those coming to live here and for those already living here. I have contacted the Minister for Education once again on this issue.

Senator Wall also said he will continue to exert pressure on projects such as St Pauls Secondary School in Monasterevin and the Model School Athy.

The Dail will be returning from its summer break on Wednesday, September 15 while the Seanad resumes on Tuesday, September 21.

Many TDs and Senators have still been working over the summer holidays.

Oireachtas Committees involving TDs and Senators have continued to sit regularly in recent weeks.
A man who arrived in Ireland recently was facing allegations of breaching the Public Order Act and criminal damage a day later, it was alleged at Naas District Court on August 26.

Maciej Gordecki, 37 , whose address was given as no fixed abode and 108 St Andrew's Road, Bedford, is being prosecuted for allegedly breaching the Public Order Act at Main Street, Newbridge and criminal damage at Newbridge garda station, both on August 20.

Garda Tom Ryan told of calling to an address at Ramblers Court in Newbridge to get identity documents for the defendant but he said an eastern European woman lives there with her daughter.

Read more Kildare news

He said he thinks the defendant arrived in Northern Ireland by ferry from Scotland on August 19.

Gda Ryan also said that enquiries had been made with the Polish and UK police about the defendant.

Opposing a bail application, Garda Ryan said the defendant appears to have no address here.

Garda Ryan said he understands the defendant has resided in the UK for the past thirteen years and he believes he is a flight risk.

Barrister Mark Gibbons said he was applying for bail because the defendant is now readily identifiable and it appeared he had been caught red handed.

Mr Gibbons also said he is not known to the gardai.

Judge Miriam Walsh said she fears the defendant is a flight risk and adjourned the case to September 9.
College students searching for accommodation have been warned to be aware of potential bogus letting agents, by the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA)

The PSRA has previously received reports of fake letting agents targeting students at this time of year. Such bogus agents often set up online and may claim to hold a PSRA licence.

As the start of the college year approaches, the search for student accommodation will be a high priority for many students. For those students engaging with a letting agent in their search for accommodation, it is important that they ensure that the agent is licenced by the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA).

The PSRA advises students to be aware to the risk of bogus letting agents attempting to extract financial payments from prospective tenants. In some instances, these bogus agents may claim to have a valid PSRA licence number.

All Property Services Providers (Letting Agents, Auctioneers, Estate Agents and Management Agents) operating in the Republic of Ireland must hold a PSRA licence to provide a property service. Licensed Property Services Providers are regulated by the PSRA, ensuring that the consumer is protected.

When using a property service provider, clients should ask to see the property service providers licence and note the details, in particular the licence number. The individual licence is a credit card size licence, which contains the licensee name, photographic identification and a unique 6 or 12 digit PSRA licence number, always beginning with a double zero.

Clients can then check this number on the PSRA Register of Licensed Property Services Providers to ensure that the licence is not only valid and in date, but that the providers details match those on the Register.

The Register can be found on the PSRAs website, www.psr.ie

The CEO of the PSRA, Ms Maeve Hogan said: Students starting and returning to college need to be vigilant of bogus letting agents when searching for accommodation. A key action that students should take to help safeguard themselves against rental scams is to check that the letting agent they are using is licensed. Using a licensed agent provides consumer protection and if something does go wrong, a client may be entitled to compensation from the PSRA compensation fund.

If you are in any doubt as to whether a letting agent is licensed, you can contact the PSRA on 046 9033800 or info@psr.ie

Unlicensed letting agents, auctioneers, estate agents and management agents are breaking the law and do not provide any consumer protection. Anyone aware of unlicensed operators is urged to contact the PSRA at info@psr.ie
The Leaving Cert results, do you remember your own?

An early trip with a parent to the school gate, walking through the hallways of your now past life to collect the brown envelope

and nervously sliding the paper out subject by subject.

This year it falls later, with us students having to prolong our anxious wait until this Friday. CAO college course offers will then be issued next Tuesday, September 7.

As one of this year's cohort, the biggest worry has been the lack of college places. The Central Applications Office (CAO) has reported a record number of 84,000 applicants, which was made up of level 8, 7 and 6 applicants.

With approximately 52,000 level 8 course places and over 70,000 applicants, this means that around 1 in every 4 applicants to a level 8 course will not receive an Irish college course offer.

Many Irish students have also opted to apply to Eunicas and UCAS in order to study abroad, so that statistic will hopefully be much lower.

This year's examination process for Leaving Cert students was an option between an Accredited Grade awarded by our teacher or to sit the formal examination in an adapted form with subject specific coursework. There was also the opportunity to opt for a mixture of both, in which scenario the best of both grades will be rewarded come tomorrow.

Now, after the last two years of uncertainty and disruption, we dont expect the usual rites of passage you may consider to be normal coming to the end of a Leaving Cert cycle.

There will be no trip to the school, no shrieks of euphoria, relief or even heartbreak in the hallways or no awkward encounters with teachers you probably think you should have spent more time studying with.

All sixty thousand of us will be behind our computers, bringing flashbacks of online schooling, logging into the Candidate Self Service Portal at 10am.

Once results are received, it is a waiting game until Tuesday at 2pm to see if we have been successful in our endeavours. Once those offers come through I can only imagine it will be a scramble for accommodation across the country that is already both unaffordable and lacking in supply.

I hope that I never have to spend so much time on Daft.ie ever again, than I have over the past few weeks.

But, what about the usual celebrations of results nights? For most of the summer, Galway and coastal towns along the Wild Atlantic Way have been the destination of choice for many my age, so I imagine no major change. I am equally sure that some of us will opt to spend a night with family, possibly out for dinner, after finally getting a greater supply of vaccines

among our age group in the past few weeks.

Trying to sum up the hyperobject that has been Leaving Cert 2021 has been difficult. As a student, I feel somewhat like a professional yoyo-er - with all the ups and downs.

If you happen to know any students receiving results, I would encourage you to send a message of support beforehand. The past year has been a long, isolated and challenging road for students and I am sure they will greatly appreciate it.

To any fellow student reading this, regardless of what happens there is support there for you. From support to aid in finding accommodation with each colleges students union or setting time to tend to your well being through Text 50808, it is always there.

And remember, as we will forever be told, what is for you wont pass you.

*Caillum Hedderman is a former student of John the Baptist Community School in Hospital. He is one of more than 2,600 students in Limerick who will receive their Leaving Cert results this Friday.
HOMEOWNERS in West Limerick are being forced to use silicone glue to prevent draughts in their pyrite-hit houses, a councillor has claimed.

At a special Adare-Rathkeale district meeting this month, members were told that there had yet to be any appointment of inspectors to assess houses which may qualify for funding from government.

It was last year when Limerick householders who homes were damaged by pyrite could formally apply for grants for works to remedy the damage following a move by Housing Minister Darragh OBrien.

But inspectors are yet to be put in place to assess claims, something that was met with shock, amazement and criticism by Fianna Fail councillor Kevin Sheahan.

I have said as chairman this item should remain on the agenda until we see movement. In other words, we want an update at our September meeting  and that means we want action, Cllr Sheahan said.

He said he expects council to put in place someone with the qualifications of at least an engineer.

That person should visit these properties and decide which if not all of them have suffered from this pyrite issue. I have seen two of them myself  one is in an atrocious condition. One of them is outrageous. When you use silicone to block out the draft coming in, its awful, he said.

He said for homeowners, pyrite damage is more than heartbreaking.

It must prey on peoples nerves quite a lot. If I was livng in one of the homes in particular and saw a heavy storm being threatened, I would genuinely be living in fear of one of the gable ends of my home coming in on top of me, he said.

There are believed to be well in excess of 20,000 properties in Ireland which are contaminated with pyrite back-fill.

This takes place when the material oxidises after it comes into contact with air and moisture.

Through a chemical reaction the back-fill will expand and structurally damage the foundations, floors and walls in the house.
Vale via New Zealand and Alaska: Couple with far ranging roots settle and establish sheep farm in Vale
A panel of OPEC+ ministers recommended that the group should stick to its existing schedule for gradual monthly oil-production increases after a brief video conference.

The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, which oversees the cartels production cuts, endorsed the continuation of 400,000 barrel-a-day monthly supply boosts, delegates said. The panels online talks lasted less than 30 minutes, in contrast to the drawn-out negotiations seen at the cartels previous meeting in July.

The full meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies is now underway, delegates said.

With crude prices mostly recovered from their mid-August slump and the supply outlook relatively tight for the rest of the year, the group has little reason to change the established schedule of gradual monthly supply hikes.

OPEC and allies including Russia are in the process of rolling back the unprecedented output cuts implemented at the depths of the Covid-19 crisis last year. About 45% of the idle supply has already been revived, and in July the group laid out a plan for gradually returning the remainder through to September 2022.

There were some questions about that schedule when oil markets wobbled over the summer as the resurgent pandemic threatened demand in China and the US. But fuel use proved resilient and OPEC-watchers had widely expected the group to stick with its plan.

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Singapore will become the first major financial hub in Asia to allow blank-check companies to list.

On Thursday, the Singapore Exchange released new rules for special-purpose acquisition companies to be listed on its main board, concluding a monthslong consultation process just as American regulators step up scrutiny of the investment vehicles.

The framework follows a public consultation launched in March. The most marked revision to the draft rules, after considering feedback from investment firms, banks, lawyers and others, was halving the minimum market capitalization requirement of a SPAC to 150 million Singapore dollars, or the equivalent of about $111.6 million.

We want the SPAC process to result in good target companies listed on SGX, providing investors with more choice and opportunities," Tan Boon Gin, chief executive of the exchanges regulatory arm, said in a statement.

The revised market-cap threshold is more in line with that in the U.S., where the floor for listing on boards run by the Nasdaq Stock Market and the New York Stock Exchange ranges from $50 million to $100 million.

The threshold strikes a balance between attracting high-quality sponsors and ensuring the businesses to be merged with the SPACs remain sizable, the SGX said. In a SPAC, a sponsor refers to the management team of the shell company that is given the task of finding another company, also known as a target, to merge with.

SPACs are shell companies that first raise money from public investors and list on stock exchanges, then hunt for private companies to merge with. They have been touted as a more streamlined alternative to initial public offerings and for a time, they took Wall Street by storm. However, since April, a more critical attitude from the Securities and Exchange Commission has put new issuances on ice.

Singapores framework formalizes some common U.S. market practices into rules that attempt to protect investor interests. For example, it requires SPACs to merge with an operating business within two years of listing, with a one-year extension in certain cases.

It also includes a number of provisions that reflect heightened scrutiny in the U.S. on issues like financial projections made by companies that merge with SPACs, as well as the accounting treatment for warrants, which are a common part of deal structures. For instance, disclosures and due diligence for companies intending to merge with SPACs in Singapore must be at the same level as IPOs.

Requirements like this will increase sponsors skin in the game and their alignment with shareholders interest," Mr. Tan said in the statement.

The exchange and other market participants expect the new rules to bring a string of deals to Singapore. The consultation was launched shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported that Grab Holdings Inc., a Southeast Asian ride-hailing giant based in Singapore, was planning to go public in the U.S. via a SPACshowing this deal structure has appeal for some large businesses in Southeast Asia.

We are actively engaging with potential sponsors and are expecting a robust pipeline of Asian-focused SPACs," said Mohamed Nasser Ismail, the exchanges head of equity capital markets.

Frank Troise, chief executive of Singapore-based SoHo Advisors, a boutique advisory firm, said: There is going to be a flurry of SPAC activities coming to Singapore. Weve seen serial U.S. sponsors who pulled back U.S. listing efforts and are now shifting their focus here."

Elsewhere in the region, both South Korea and Malaysia allow SPAC listings, but neither market has hosted a deal in years, according to Dealogic data. The Hong Kong stock exchange, which has seen a boom in Chinese IPOs, was asked by the citys government early this year to explore allowing SPACs.

The exchange, which spent years ridding itself of shell companies that have low trading volumes or, in some cases, have allowed problematic companies to join the market, hasnt provided any update on its plans to introduce SPACs.

The new rules represent a significant strategic step forward for SGX relative to Hong Kong," Mr. Troise said.

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Thirteen years ago, Afghan interpreter Mohammed helped rescue then-Sen. Joe Biden and two other senators stranded in a remote Afghanistan valley after their helicopter was forced to land in a snowstorm. Now, Mohammed is asking President Biden to save him.

Hello Mr. President: Save me and my family," Mohammed, who asked not to use his full name while in hiding, told The Wall Street Journal as the last Americans flew out of Kabul on Monday. Dont forget me here."

Mohammed, his wife, and their four children are hiding from the Taliban after his yearslong attempt to get out of Afghanistan got tangled in the bureaucracy. They are among countless Afghan allies who were left behind when the U.S. ended its 20-year military campaign in Afghanistan on Monday.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki thanked the interpreter for his service Tuesday and said the U.S. remains committed to getting Afghan allies out of the country. We will get you out," Ms. Psaki said after a Wall Street Journal reporter read to Ms. Psaki Mohammeds message to the president. We will honor your service."

Mohammed was a 36-year-old interpreter for the U.S. Army in 2008 when two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters made an emergency landing in Afghanistan during a blinding snowstorm, according to Army veterans who worked with him at the time. On board were three U.S. senators: Mr. Biden, the Delaware Democrat, John Kerry, (D., Mass.) and Chuck Hagel, (R., Neb.).

As a private security team with the former firm Blackwater and U.S. Army soldiers monitored for any nearby Taliban fighters, the crew sent out an urgent call for help. At Bagram Air Field, Mohammed jumped in a Humvee with a Quick Reaction Force from the Arizona National Guard working with the 82nd Airborne Division and drove hours into the nearby mountains to rescue them, said Brian Genthe, then serving as a staff sergeant in the Arizona National Guard who brought Mohammed along on the rescue mission.

Mohammed spent much of his time in a tough valley where the soldiers said he was in more than 100 firefights with them. The soldiers trusted him so much that they would sometimes give him a weapon to use if they got in trouble when they went into tough areas, Mr. Genthe said.

His selfless service to our military men and women is just the kind of service I wish more Americans displayed," Lt. Col. Andrew R. Till wrote in June to support Mohammeds application for a Special Immigrant Visa.

Mohammeds visa application became stuck after the defense contractor he worked for lost the records he needed for his application, Mr. Genthe said. Then the Taliban seized Kabul on Aug. 15. Like thousands of others, Mohammed said he tried his luck by going to the Kabul airport gates, where he was rebuffed by U.S. forces. Mohammed could get in, they told him, but not his wife or their children.

Army veterans called lawmakers and issued dire appeals to U.S. officials for help. If you can only help one Afghan, choose [Mohammed]," wrote Shawn OBrien, an Army combat veteran who worked with him in Afghanistan in 2008. He earned it."

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Mr. Biden, who was then running for vice president, often spoke of the helicopter incident and the trip as a way of burnishing his foreign-policy credentials.

If you want to know where al Qaeda lives, you want to know where [Osama] bin Laden is, come back to Afghanistan with me," he said on the campaign trail in October, just months after the February rescue. Come back to the area where my helicopter was forced downin the middle of those mountains. I can tell you where they are."

The trip to Afghanistan was on one of the many overseas trips the three senators took together.

Their Army helicopters emergency landing in a valley about 20 miles southeast of Bagram Air Field wasnt in an area that was Taliban-controlled, but it wasnt exactly friendly. The day before, the 82nd Airborne had killed nearly two dozen Taliban insurgents in a major fight about 10 miles away, said soldiers who fought there at the time.

While trying to stay warm in the helicopter, the three men joked about throwing snowballs at the Taliban, the senators said later.

We were going to send Biden out to fight the Taliban with snowballs, but we didnt have to do it," Mr. Kerry said after they were rescued.

Instead, Mohammed joined the Army Humvees and three Blackwater SUVs as they barreled through thick snow to find the helicopters. The senators were sped back to the U.S. base with the convoy, said Matthew Springmeyer, who was leading the Blackwater security in the helicopters that day.

Mohammed stood guard with Afghan soldiers on one side of the helicopters while members of the 82nd Airborne protected the other side, said Mr. Genthe. When curious locals came too close, Mohammed would use a bullhorn to tell them to go away. They stayed out there for 30 hours in the freezing temperatures until the U.S. military could get the helicopters back in the air and the soldiers back to Bagram.

Now, Mohammed is in hiding. I cant leave my house," he said on Tuesday. Im very scared."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text

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This mosaic of a bird was spared an iconoclasm that caused other mosaics to be defaced in the 6th century.

Archaeologists have discovered a 1,500-year-old church in Israel dedicated to an unknown martyr that had animal mosaics that had been erased. The sizable church has Greek inscriptions that say that it was dedicated to a "glorious martyr" but doesn't say who this martyr was.

At the time the church was built, the Byzantine Empire controlled Israel, and an inscription in the church states that the church was expanded during the reign of Emperor Flavius Tiberius, who ruled from 578 to 582. Israel and neighboring areas were conquered by the Islamic Rashidun Caliphate between 634 and 638. But despite the growth of Islam in the area the church flourished, and it was not abandoned until the 10th century, archaeologists found.

The church was found during excavations carried out in 2017, before construction took place in the area. It is located about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Jerusalem in the Judean Hills, Benyamin Storchan, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority who led excavations at the church, wrote in an article published in the Fall edition of the magazine Biblical Archaeology Review. Storchan named the building the "Church of the Glorious Martyr."

Related: The Holy Land: 7 amazing archaeological findings

"In its earliest phase [in the fifth century] the Church of the Glorious Martyr consisted of a simple, modest chapel inside a cave chamber," Storchan wrote in the article, noting that in the sixth century it was expanded into a sizable above-ground church decorated with mosaics. People then converted the cave chamber into a tomb that may have held the remains of the unknown martyr.

This image shows a mosaic and inscription found in the church. Inscriptions say that the church was expanded in the 6th century and was dedicated to a "glorious martyr" whose name is unknown. (Image credit: Photograph: Assaf Peretz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority. )

Iconoclasm

The church bears the scars of an ancient iconoclasm  an intentional destruction of specific artifacts and images. Archaeologists found that some of the mosaics were originally decorated with zoomorphic (animal-like) images, but these had been deliberately erased. The mosaics "had been defaced by iconoclasts in antiquity, replacing the zoomorphic forms with random tesserae [mosaic tiles or stones] to blur the original design," Storchan wrote in the article.

"I believe that the iconoclasm at the Church of the Glorious Martyr was done during the 6th century," Storchan told Live Science in an email, noting that the act was likely carried out because of "Christian internal reforms," or changes in rules. However, while iconoclasts destroyed the zoomorphic images they left other images of animals alone. "We can see this, as the chapel floor which [depicted] many birds was not defaced and dated to the late 6th century," Storchan said.

This image shows the virtual reconstruction of part of the church (Image credit: Image courtesy Biblical Archaeology Review)

Who is the martyr?

While archaeologists don't know the martyr's identity, one possibility is that it was dedicated to a man called Zechariah, a name used several times in the Bible. Ancient records indicate that the tomb of a Christian martyr by that name was found nearby in the fifth century, and texts claim that a shrine dedicated to Zechariah is located in the vicinity of the excavation site, meaning this church could possibly be that shrine. However, even if the church was dedicated to Zechariah the surviving texts don't clarify which Zechariah it was.

This large 1,500 year-old church was found during rescue excavations in Israel in 2017. The church was dedicated to a martyr whose name is unknown. (Image credit: Photograph: Assaf Peretz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority. )

Zechariah was a common name in the Bible, Storchan wrote in the article, noting that Zechariah could also be the name of an unknown religious figure not described in the Bible.

Ultimately, archaeologists aren't even sure that the church was dedicated to a martyr named Zechariah.

"We do remain hopeful, however, that with the ongoing study of the thousands of artifacts uncovered during the excavations, new and important clues will reveal the true identity of the mysterious Glorious Martyr," Storchan wrote in the article.

Originally published on Live Science.
Dog owners are used to coming home to ecstatic, tail-wagging pooches. Tail wagging is common in our canine companions, but did they pick it up just for us, or do wolves , their wild ancestors and modern-day relatives, also get their waggle on?

The short answer is that yes, wolves wag their tails. "Most of the time, you see them wag their tails with so-called greeting behavior," Sarah Marshall-Pescini, a senior researcher at the domestication lab in the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna in Austria, told Live Science. "Greeting behaviors are effectively behavior shown mostly by subordinate individuals towards dominant individuals, and particularly during reunions after separation."

Wolves don't always stay in their packs and may split off into smaller hunting units or even just wander off by themselves. The tail wagging and other greeting behaviors emerge when they reunite, so it's similar to what dogs do with humans and other dogs, Marshall-Pescini said.

Related: Do animals hug each other?

Wolf packs typically include a male-female breeding pair that leads its offspring and nonbreeding adults, according to the U.S. National Park Service . Tail wagging during greetings is one of many ways wolves communicate their status in the pack.

A wolf keeps its tail low and wags quite rapidly to show subordination. Dominant and subordinate behaviors like this are easy ways to show which wolf has priority access to resources, such as food. "Ultimately, it avoids conflicts," Marshall-Pescini said. "It is a way to clearly define each other's roles and not have to argue about things every time that they come up."

The breeding male and female are the highest-ranking members of the pack, and the rest of the hierarchy is determined by age, with the older offspring above the younger offspring. Marshall-Pescini explained that the family dynamics are similar to those of human families in some ways. "I think if you ask any younger [human] sibling, they will say, 'Oh yes, my older brother is definitely the dominant [one] in the family.' And it is the parents that have to sort of negotiate the sharing of resources."

Where does tail wagging come from?

Wolves' tail wagging is normally combined with lip licking, in which a subordinate wolf tries to lick the lips of a more dominant wolf. These behaviors start when wolves are puppies. In wolf society, the adults and older siblings leave the puppies behind to go hunting. The puppies then greet the older wolves upon their return.

"What you will see is this horde of puppies running towards the adults and showing this greeting behavior  so this low tail wagging and this lip licking," Marshall-Pescini said. But it's not just to show status; the lip licking plays a role in how the puppies get fed.

From 3 weeks of age, wolf puppies stop relying so much on their mother's milk and start eating meat regurgitated by adult members of the pack, according to the International Wolf Center in Minnesota. Lip licking involuntarily elicits a regurgitation behavior in adult wolves, so the greeting behavior helps the puppies get a meal. Wolf pups make the switch from regurgitated meat to regular meat when they are about 6.5 weeks old, according to the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web , but continue doing the lip licking and tail wagging greeting behaviors to show status.

Rather than running up to their more dominant pack members as wolves do, domestic dogs wag their tails to greet humans and often try to lick our faces instead, unless we train it out of them. "The dogs learned that, OK, the face licking maybe is not appreciated, and we kind of remove it. But they definitely still have all sorts of greeting behaviors, including the tail wagging," Marshall-Pescini said.

Originally published on Live Science.
An artist's illustration of a futuristic spaceship orbiting Earth. The Chinese proposal aims to look into the feasibility of building mega spaceships that are over half a mile long.

China is investigating how to build ultra-large spacecraft that are up to 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) long. But how feasible is the idea, and what would be the use of such a massive spacecraft?

The project is part of a wider call for research proposals from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a funding agency managed by the country's Ministry of Science and Technology. A research outline posted on the foundation's website described such enormous spaceships as "major strategic aerospace equipment for the future use of space resources, exploration of the mysteries of the universe, and long-term living in orbit."

The foundation wants scientists to conduct research into new, lightweight design methods that could limit the amount of construction material that has to be lofted into orbit, and new techniques for safely assembling such massive structures in space. If funded, the feasibility study would run for five years and have a budget of 15 million yuan ($2.3 million).

Related: Interstellar space travel: 7 futuristic spacecraft to explore the cosmos

The project might sound like science fiction, but former NASA chief technologist Mason Peck said the idea isn't entirely off the wall, and the challenge is more a question of engineering than fundamental science.

"I think it's entirely feasible," Peck, now a professor of aerospace engineering at Cornell University, told Live Science. "I would describe the problems here not as insurmountable impediments, but rather problems of scale."

By far the biggest challenge would be the price tag, noted Peck, due to the huge cost of launching objects and materials into space. The International Space Station (ISS), which is only 361 feet (110 meters) wide at its widest point according to NASA , cost roughly $100 billion to build, Peck said, so constructing something 10 times larger would strain even the most generous national space budget.

Much depends on what kind of structure the Chinese plan to build, though. The ISS is packed with equipment and is designed to accommodate humans, which significantly increases its mass. "If we're talking about something that is simply long and not also heavy then it's a different story," Peck said.

Building techniques could also reduce the cost of getting a behemoth spaceship into space. The conventional approach would be to build components on Earth and then assemble them like Legos in orbit, said Peck, but 3D-printing technology could potentially turn compact raw materials into structural components of much larger dimensions in space.

An even more attractive option would be to source raw materials from the moon , which has low gravity compared with Earth, meaning that launching materials from its surface into space would be much easier, according to Peck. Still, that first requires launch infrastructure on the moon and is therefore not an option in the short term.

Big spaceship, big problems

A structure of such massive proportions will also face unique problems. Whenever a spacecraft is subjected to forces, whether from maneuvering in orbit or docking with another vehicle, the motion imparts energy to the spaceship's structure that causes it to vibrate and bend, Peck explained. With such a large structure, these vibrations will take a long time to subside so it's likely the spacecraft will require shock absorbers or active control to counteract those vibrations, he said.

Designers will also have to make careful trade-offs when deciding what altitude the spacecraft should orbit at, Peck said. At lower altitudes, drag from the outer atmosphere slows vehicles down, requiring them to constantly boost themselves back into a stable orbit. This is already an issue for the ISS, Peck noted, but for a much larger structure, which has more drag acting on it and would require more fuel to boost back into place, it would be a major concern.

On the flip side, launching to higher altitudes is much more expensive, and radiation levels increase quickly the further from Earth's atmosphere an object gets, which will be a problem if the spacecraft houses humans.

But while building such a structure might be technically possible, it's not feasible in any practical sense, said Michael Lembeck, a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who has worked on both government and commercial space programs.

"It's kind of like us talking about building the Starship Enterprise," he told Live Science. "It's fantastical, not feasible, and fun to think about, but not very realistic for our level of technology," given the cost, he said.

Given the research project's tiny budget, it is likely only meant to be a small, academic study to map out the very earliest contours of such a project and identify technological gaps, Lembeck said. For comparison, the budget to build a capsule to take astronauts to the ISS was $3 billion. "So the level of effort here is extremely small compared to the outcomes that are desired," he added.

There are also questions about what such a big spacecraft would be used for. Lembeck said possibilities include space manufacturing facilities that take advantage of microgravity and abundant solar power to build high-value products like semiconductors and optical equipment, or long-term habitats for off-world living. But both would entail enormous maintenance costs.

"The space station is a $3 billion a year enterprise," Lembeck added. "Multiply that for larger facilities and it quickly becomes a rather large, expensive enterprise to pull off."

China has also expressed interest in building enormous solar power arrays in orbit and beaming the power back to Earth via microwave beams, but Peck said the economics of such a project just don't stack up. Peck has done some back-of-the-envelope calculations and estimates it would cost around $1,000 per watt, compared with just $2 per watt for energy generated from solar panels on Earth.

Perhaps the most promising application for such a large space structure would be scientific, Peck said. A space telescope of that scale could potentially see features on the surface of planets in other solar systems. "That could be transformative for our understanding of extrasolar planets and potentially life in the universe," he added.

Original article on Live Science.
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Lorenzo Spina, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, and formerly Research Fellow, Monash University

How rare is our solar system? In the 30 years or so since planets were first discovered orbiting stars other than our sun, we have found that planetary systems are common in the galaxy. However, many of them are quite different from the solar system we know.

The planets in our solar system revolve around the sun in stable and almost circular paths, which suggests the orbits have not changed much since the planets first formed. But many planetary systems orbiting around other stars have suffered from a very chaotic past.

Related: Will our solar system survive the death of our sun?

The relatively calm history of our solar system has favored the flourishing of life here on Earth. In the search for alien worlds that may contain life, we can narrow down the targets if we have a way to identify systems that have had similarly peaceful pasts.

Our international team of astronomers has tackled this issue in research published in Nature Astronomy. We found that between 20% and 35% of sunlike stars eat their own planets, with the most likely figure being 27%.

This suggests at least a quarter of planetary systems orbiting stars similar to the sun have had a very chaotic and dynamic past.

Chaotic histories and binary stars

Astronomers have seen several exoplanetary systems in which large or medium-sized planets have moved around significantly. The gravity of these migrating planets may also have perturbed the paths of the other planets or even pushed them into unstable orbits.

In most of these very dynamic systems, it is also likely some of the planets have fallen into the host star. However, we didnt know how common these chaotic systems are relative to quieter systems like ours, whose orderly architecture has favoured the flourishing of life on Earth.

Binary stars form at the same time from a single cloud of gas, so they usually contain exactly the same mix of elements. (Image credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Alves et al.)

Even with the most precise astronomical instruments available, it would be very hard to work this out by directly studying exoplanetary systems. Instead, we analysed the chemical composition of stars in binary systems.

Binary systems are made up of two stars in orbit around one another. The two stars generally formed at the same time from the same gas, so we expect they should contain the same mix of elements.

However, if a planet falls into one of the two stars, it is dissolved in the stars outer layer. This can modify the chemical composition of the star, which means we see more of the elements that form rocky planets  such as iron  than we otherwise would.

Traces of rocky planets

We inspected the chemical makeup of 107 binary systems composed of sunlike stars by analysing the spectrum of light they produce. From this, we established how many of stars contained more planetary material than their companion star.

We also found three things that add up to unambiguous evidence that the chemical differences observed among binary pairs were caused by eating planets.

First, we found that stars with a thinner outer layer have a higher probability of being richer in iron than their companion. This is consistent with planet-eating, as when planetary material is diluted in a thinner out layer it makes a bigger change to the layers chemical composition.

[2108.12040] Lorenzo Spina, Parth Sharma, Jorge Melendez et al.: Chemical evidence for planetary ingestion in a quarter of Sun-like stars https://t.co/SQzTYph2ON https://t.co/6OpNci45gc #astro_ph_SRAugust 30, 2021 See more

Second, stars richer in iron and other rocky-planet elements also contain more lithium than their companions. Lithium is quickly destroyed in stars, while it is conserved in planets. So an anomalously high level of lithium in a star must have arrived after the star formed, which fits with the idea that the lithium was carried by a planet until it was eaten by the star.

Third, the stars containing more iron than their companion also contain more than similar stars in the galaxy. However, the same stars have standard abundances of carbon, which is a volatile element and for that reason is not carried by rocks. Therefore these stars have been chemically enriched by rocks, from planets or planetary material.

The hunt for Earth 2.0

These results represent a breakthrough for stellar astrophysics and exoplanet exploration. Not only have we found that eating planets can change the chemical composition of sunlike stars, but also that a significant fraction of their planetary systems underwent a very dynamic past, unlike our solar system.

Finally, our study opens the possibility of using chemical analysis to identify stars that are more likely to host true analogs of our calm solar system.

There are millions of relatively nearby stars similar to the sun. Without a method to identify the most promising targets, the search for Earth 2.0 will be like the search for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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This artists illustration shows a dim, cold brown dwarf in space. Brown dwarfs form like stars, but do not have enough mass to ignite nuclear fusion in their cores  the process that causes stars to burn. As a result they share some physical characteristics with massive planets, like Jupiter.

Astronomers have taken the first detailed look at a mysterious Milky Way object known as "The Accident"  and discovered that it's even more perplexing than previous studies indicated.

The Accident is not quite a star (scientists can tell from its dim glow that there's no nuclear fusion powering the object), and it's not quite a planet, either. According to a study published June 30 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters , The Accident is something in between  a rare class of object known as a brown dwarf, or a failed star.

Brown dwarfs can be up to 80 times larger than Jupiter, but they typically hold just a tiny fraction of the mass of Earth 's sun, according to Brittanica . Astronomers suspect that these objects start their lives like stars but don't accumulate enough mass to sustain nuclear fusion in their cores; instead, brown dwarfs slowly cool and dim over millions or billions of years until they're nothing more than dull red or purple embers.

While brown dwarfs are far too dim to see with the naked eye, scientists have detected about 2,000 such objects in the Milky Way using infrared telescopes, like NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE). The Accident turned up in one such NEOWISE survey of the sky, when a citizen scientist caught a glimpse of the object swooping across the screen and photo-bombing a different group of brown dwarf candidates. (This accidental discovery gave the object its nickname).

The Accident baffled scientists after its surprise discovery; it didnt look like a typical brown dwarf. The object appeared faint in some infrared wavelengths, suggesting it was a very cold and old brown dwarf, but it appeared bright in other wavelengths, indicating that it was a warm, young brown dwarf.

"This object defied all our expectations," leady study author Davy Kirkpatrick, an astrophysicist at Caltech in Pasadena, California, said in a statement .

This mosaic shows the entire sky imaged by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Infrared light refers to wavelengths that are longer than those visible to the human eye. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA)

This contradiction puzzled astronomers and sent them on a hunt to examine the illogical object with NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, as well as the infrared telescope at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. With this extra data, the researchers learned that The Accident is even stranger than they previously believed.

For one thing, it's moving fast. Located about 50 light-years from Earth, The Accident zooms through our galaxy at about 500,000 mph (800,000 km/h), which is much faster than a typical brown dwarf. According to the astronomers, this fact likely means that The Accident is very old and has been jostled around by the gravity of larger objects for billions of years, accelerating its movement.

The elements in the object's atmosphere are also puzzling. Based on the wavelengths of infrared light being emitted by The Accident, astronomers learned that the object is low in methane  a common gas in brown dwarfs with temperatures similar to The Accident, the team wrote. Because methane is composed of hydrogen and carbon , a methane scarcity suggests the object initially formed 10 to 13 billion years ago, when the Milky Way was filled almost entirely with hydrogen and helium but little carbon. (Carbon came later, as the oldest stars exploded and spread the element throughout the galaxy).

All this suggests that The Accident is an exceptionally old, incredibly cold brown dwarf that formed when the galaxy was poor in methane  making the object more than double the median age of all other known brown dwarfs.

"It's not a surprise to find a brown dwarf this old, but it is a surprise to find one in our backyard," said study co-author Federico Marocco, an astrophysicist at Caltech. "We expected that brown dwarfs this old exist, but we also expected them to be incredibly rare. The chance of finding one so close to the solar system could be a lucky coincidence, or it tells us that they're more common than we thought."

Finding more ultra-old, ultra-cold brown dwarfs could be challenging, the researchers said, given how dim they appear even to the most sophisticated infrared telescopes. But with more eyes on the stars than ever before  thanks to trained astronomers and citizen scientists  it's only a matter of time before someone sees another accident.

Originally published on Live Science.
Angler Tom Bosworth holds the tortilla-like fish he caught before throwing it back into Tampa Bay. (Image credit: Tom Bosworth)

When people go fishing, they expect to catch fish, not tortillas.

One Florida angler, however, caught a little bit of both: a fish that looks just like a flour tortilla (albeit, an oblong one).

"What the heck is that?" Tom Bosworth, an angler and retiree who lives near Tampa Bay, remembered thinking. "There's 200 species of fish out in Tampa Bay and that's one of the stranger ones I ever caught."

Related: In photos: 'Faceless' fish rediscovered after more than a century

Bosworth caught the fish on March 31, while fishing with two friends. However, the fish was identified publicly only recently  as an orange filefish (Aluterus schoepfii)  in an Aug. 27 Facebook post by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC).

Back in March, Bosworth had no idea what he had caught. He recalled picking up bait before the fishing trip and being disappointed that it was small. But that may be why he caught the fish  Bosworth switched to a smaller hook to accommodate the tiny shrimp bait, which may be why he caught the orange filefish, which has a very tiny mouth.

In fact, "we were about ready to call it quits for the day," when Bosworth decided to try to snag one more fish. When he felt a tug on the line, he looked down and thought the ghostly white fish was a plastic bag. "OK, I'll pull the trash out today," he recalled thinking.

Once he reeled in the catch, he realized it was a white fish covered with orange speckles. "The three of us looked at it and went 'What is that?'" Bosworth told Live Science. They took a few photos and released the roughly 22-inch-long (55 centimeters) fish back into the bay, where it swam away.

Orange filefish (Aluterus schoepfii) come in many colors and patterns. Here, a juvenile orange filefish (not the one that Bosworth caught) swims next to the algae sargassum. (Image credit: Wild Horizons/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Curious about the tortilla-like fish, Bosworth emailed his photos to the FFWCC, which identified the species. It's far from the first time a member of the public has asked about the orange filefish; every year, about three people send photos of these fish to the FFWCC, asking experts to identify them, Eric Post, an ichthyology collection manager at the FFWCC told Live Science.

While not as common as Tampa Bay's mangrove snapper or spotted seatrout, the orange filefish isn't an uncommon catch, Post said. In spite of its name, the orange filefish comes in a variety of colors and patterns, from olive-gray to orange to white colors and from light speckles to complex patterns, according to the Florida Museum . These fish typically live in seagrass beds, where they graze on algae and other vegetation. They can be found on both sides of the Atlantic.

The orange filefish even has a secret defensive tool. When it feels threatened, it dives into a nearby crevice or hole and raises its rigid dorsal spine  a thin, antenna-like protrusion at the top of its head. This spine keeps the fish wedged in its hidey-hole until the danger passes. If a predator, such as the inshore lizardfish (Synodus foetens) or sooty tern (Sterna fuscata), is trying to eat it, the orange filefish can use this erect spine to keep it out of the predator's mouth, Post said.

But while some predators may find orange filefish tasty, most humans do not. These fish have tough, leathery skin and don't have much meat on them, Post said. What's more, because orange filefish eat algae, they've been associated with human cases of ciguatera (sig-wah-TARE-ah), when a person becomes ill after eating reef-dwelling fish that contains algal toxins, according to the Florida Museum and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

Instead, most people encounter the orange filefish in aquariums.

"It's certainly one of the most interesting fish I ever caught," Bosworth said.

Originally published on Live Science.
The largest Martian meteorite on Earth, Taoudenni 002. (Image credit: Maine Mineral and Gem Museum)

The largest piece of Mars ever to fall to Earth is being displayed for the first time.

The hefty chunk of Mars weighs 32 pounds (14.5 kilograms) and measures 10 inches (25 centimeters) across at its widest point. It was unveiled Wednesday (Sept. 1) at the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel, which also houses approximately 6,000 extraterrestrial rocks, including the largest piece of moon rock and the oldest igneous rock, formed from volcanic activity, in the solar system .

The lump of rock wound up on Earth after a large asteroid or comet blasted it off the Martian surface.

"Martian rocks can fall to Earth as meteorites ," Carl Agee, director of the Institute of Meteoritics at the University of New Mexico, told Live Science. "They are ejected off Mars by large, energetic impact events."

Related: 7 most Mars-like places on Earth

The Martian rock, named Taoudenni 002, is "by far the largest complete uncut Martian meteorite on Earth," said Agee, who was involved in confirming the rock did indeed originate from the Red Planet.

There are around 300 pieces of Martian rock on Earth, totaling around 500 pounds (227 kg). However, collectors often break them apart to sell them separately, so the actual number of known Martian meteorites on Earth is between 100 and 150, Agee said.

After powerful impacts eject the rocks from Mars, they drift through space and eventually end up on an Earth-crossing orbit around the Sun.

A local meteor hunter discovered Taoudenni 002 near a desert salt mine in Mali before world-leading meteorite dealer Darryl Pitt acquired it for the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in April 2021. "The meteorite fall was not witnessed, but it was likely recent," Agee said. "In the last few 100 years perhaps," due to its well preserved condition, he added.

After acquiring the meteorite in Mali, Pitt sent a small sample of the rock to Agee to confirm its origin.

Martian meteorites have specific chemical signatures, and the minerals and elements in Taoudenni 002 perfectly matched the known Martian minerals, Agee said.

"It is a shergottite, which is the main type of Martian meteorite," Agee said. "It contains the minerals olivine, pyroxene and shock-transformed feldspar," which formed from the Mars impact that ejected it.

The meteorites' composition also hinted at how the rock was created. "It most likely was formed in a volcanic episode on Mars more than 100 million years ago," Agee said.

Even larger Martian rocks may be hidden on Earth, Agee said, potentially "buried under a sand dune in the Sahara , or deep in the ice in Antarctica , or perhaps at the bottom of the ocean."

Originally published on Live Science.
Denham Springs, LA (70726)

Today

Rain likely. Potential for flooding rains. Low 71F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Rain likely. Potential for flooding rains. Low 71F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.
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Prosecutors have decided not to file a charge against Britney Spears for allegedly swatting her housekeepers phone in a dispute at her home last month.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said there was insufficient evidence that a crime had occurred, and noted the lack of injury to the housekeeper or damage to the phone.

The housekeeper called the authorities on Aug. 16, after a fight over the veterinary care received by Spears dog.

During the argument, Spears was alleged to have slapped a phone out of the housekeepers hand, the D.A.s office said Wednesday. The housekeeper indicated that the screen protector to the phone was damaged. The housekeeper had no visible injuries.

Mathew Rosengart, Spears attorney, expressed appreciation that the D.A.s office rejected the case, and again called it tabloid fodder. He also alluded to the medias past treatment of Spears, which has been the subject of reappraisal in the wake of Framing Britney Spears, the documentary about her conservatorship.

If this involved Jane Doe rather than Britney Spears it would not have been pursued or covered at all, Rosengart said in a statement. Anyone can make an accusation but this should never have made it this far and we are glad the DAs Office has done the right thing. Sadly, it is apparent that some have learned nothing from the past, and we sincerely hope the media and others will be more respectful of Ms. Spears in the future.

Rosengart is seeking to have Spears father removed as the conservator of her estate. A hearing is set on that matter in Los Angeles probate court on Sept. 29. Her father, Jamie Spears, has said he is willing to step aside, but has not offered a timetable and suggested that he would do so once an overall agreement is negotiated.

In a filing earlier this week, Rosengart said there is no need to negotiate, and urged Judge Brenda Penny to remove him at the hearing.

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One would think that our culture has evolved to a point beyond turning to the guy who starred as the electrician in NewsRadio for medical advice. One would, however, be incorrect.

For the past 18 months, Joe Rogan, the host of a wildly successful podcast that Spotify acquired in a much-ballyhooed deal, has been platforming misinformation about Covid-19 to his nearly 11 million listeners per episode, downplaying the effects of the virus, inviting guests on to promote unproven treatments, and dismissing the importance of the vaccine. Yesterday, however, he announced in an Instagram video that he himself had contracted COVID-19. We immediately threw the kitchen sink at it, all kinds of meds he said in the video when discussing his treatment. As a result, he says in the video, here we are on Wednesday and I feel great.

Among the treatments that Rogan promoted on his Instagram video were monoclonal antibodies (which Trump received when he contracted Covid), as well as the corticosteroid prednisone. I feel good. I feel pretty fucking good, he says in the video. But most media reports of Rogans Covid-19 diagnosis focused on the fact that he had said he had also taken ivermectin. An anti-parasitic drug, ivermectin is perhaps best known as a deworming medication for horses or dogs (though it is indeed prescribed to humans in tablet form to treat parasitic infection, or in topical form to treat conditions like rosacea). As Rolling Stone has previously reported, in recent months ivermectin has been promoted heavily by right-wing media personalities like Laura Ingraham as a potential treatment for Covid-19, despite the fact that there is little consistent evidence to support its use in this regard; as a result, people have been buying the drug in bulk, raving about its efficacy in private Facebook groups and griping about its side effects after taking too high a dose (which include uncontrollable defecation). The FDA has warned against taking ivermectin as a treatment for Covid, saying that overdoses could lead to side effects such as dizziness, seizures, and increased vomiting; and some states have reported that people taking overdoses of ivermectin has led to an increase in poison control calls.

Arguably and no one has been more successful at promoting ivermectin than Rogan himself. In an April 23rd episode of his podcast, the earliest example that could be found by Rolling Stone, he accused Twitter of preventing him from sending a private direct message containing a link to a video about the drug, echoing a common narrative on the right that the media is censoring discussion of any vaccine alternatives. This doctor was saying ivermectin is 99 percent effective intreating Covid, but you dont hear about it because you cant fund vaccines when its an effective treatment, he says on his podcast. I dont know if this guy is right or wrong. Im just asking questions. When asked about these comments, Angelo Carusone, the head of media watchdog group Media Matters, saw it as another example of his seeding distrust in the vaccine. Its sort of an offhanded way of hitting the vaccines and the broader narrative about vaccines, he says.

Two months later, on June 22nd, Rogan hosted Dr. Bret Weinstein and Dr. Pierre Kory, both public champions of ivermectin as a Covid-19 treatment. Kory is the president of the Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance, an organization that pushes for the use of ivermectin in Covid-19 treatment; after YouTube demonetized his channel for publicly promoting ivermectin, Weinstein moved to the fringe platform Odysee. In the episode, Weinstein and Kory pushed the claim that the media and government are censoring information about ivermectin in order for Big Pharma to profit off the Covid-19 vaccine. You have a drug thats good enough to end the pandemic at any point you wanted, Weinstein said. Who decides to prioritize business interests ahead of that? I find it hard to imagine. Clips from the episode have widely circulated on YouTube and TikTok, with one video on the latter platform garnering 2.6 million views before it was removed for violating TikTok guidelines against medical misinformation. Joe Rogan really did us dirty, Abbie Richards, a misinformation and disinformation researcher who focuses on TikTok, previously told Rolling Stone about ivermectin misinformation on the platform.

Rogans promotion of ivermectin is part and parcel with him using his platform to spread Covid-19 misinformation by featuring guests such as conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, as well as publicly dismissing the importance of getting a vaccine back in April. If youre, like, 21 years old, and you say to me, Should I get vaccinated? Ill go No,' he said in the episode. (He later attempted to clarify his comments, calling himself not an anti-vaxx person and a fucking moron.) As Carusone sees it, the fact that he uses his guests to espouse these views while oftentimes refraining from promoting them himself, lends him sufficient cover to avoid being branded as a purveyor of misinformation, says Carusone. Promoting ivermectin as a treatment for his own case of COVID-19 helps to reinforce the narrative that its an effective medication in treating the virus, and that theres no harm in people trying it. His audience is huge and theyre engaged, he says. And theyre already so hopped up on alpha brain that this is the kind of stuff they love.

In response to Rogans promotion of ivermectin, some on social media have called for Spotify (which acquired the show exclusively in 2020 in a reported $100 million deal) to boot him from the network, thus limiting his reach. Theres some evidence that Rogans influence has actually diminished since the Spotify deal  a Verge investigation from last month, for instance, indicated that his audience may have waned after he made the move  but hes still one of the most popular podcasters in the world, who has used his platform to undermine public health. The fear is that [Rogan contracting Covid] is gonna give him the direct personal experience to talk about how he had Covid, it wasnt that bad, and they treated him with all the options that are available, he says. For him its gonna end up being a validation piece.
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A book of dreams, teenagers searching for buried treasure and a quest to digitally manufacture spiritual enlightenment constitute the intriguing ingredients of Karmalink, a fresh and highly entertaining sci-fi mystery-adventure set in a near-future Phnom Penh. Driven by Buddhist concepts of karma and rebirth, and underscored by commentary on Cambodias past, present and potential future, this striking feature debut by U.S. filmmaker Jake Wachtel takes viewers on a fascinating and frequently wondrous expedition to a place where science and metaphysics intersect.

Karmalink should enjoy a strong festival run and broad VOD distribution following its world premiere at Venice Critics Week. It has theatrical potential, especially in regional markets with substantial Buddhist populations. U.S. and Cambodian release details are yet to be announced.

Phnom Penh might not seem like the obvious setting for science-fiction (indeed, this is the first sci-fi film ever made in Cambodia), but it proves to be an ideal backdrop for a tale that anchors its high-concept premise in centuries-old spiritual beliefs. Some pockets of the rapidly developing city already resemble one of those gleaming new worlds from a sci-fi movie. Minor cgi enhancement of skylines and selected streetscapes, and signs advertising the Phnom Penh to Beijing Bullet Train are all thats required to give the film a convincing futuristic ambience.

Theres a strong retro-future feel to the surroundings of Leng Heng (Leng Heng Prak), a-13 year-old boy from the crowded working class community of Tralop Bek. Along with his sisters and mother (Sveng Socheata), Heng lives with his grandmother (Oum Savem). The elderly woman wears a high-tech headset provided by Dr. Sophia (Cindy Sirinya Bishop), a smiling neuroscientist studying memory loss.

While Leng Hengs mother leads a protest group resisting forced relocation of Tralop Bek residents to make way for yet more urban development (always a hot-button issue in Phnom Penh), the boys most immediate concern is making sense of his dreams and how they relate to his past lives. The object Leng Heng most frequently draws in his book of dream memories is a gold Buddha statue that was stolen and buried by a thief (Ros Mony, aka Rous Mony) many centuries ago.

Like most smart kids in adventure movies, Leng Heng rallies his pals and hatches a plan. All they need to do is follow clues in his dreams and retrieve the valuable artifact, thus providing financial security for their families while Leng Heng gains closer understanding of his previous incarnations. The boys have enthusiasm but lack project management and detective skills.

Answering Leng Hengs call for help is Srey Leak (Srey Leak Chhith), a clever young orphan known for her ability to find things and trade them for a profit. After negotiating highly favorable financial terms for herself, Srey Leak marshals the plan and the lads with delightful, no-nonsense authority. In a beautiful little moment that says so much about the films Buddhist outlook, Srey Leak tells Leng Hengs mother shes helping him to sort out his past lives in the same matter-of-fact way that kids elsewhere might talk about doing math homework together.

As the treasure hunt gathers pace, the screenplay by Wachtel and Christopher Sean Larsen gradually increases the prevalence and importance of traditional sci-fi elements. Part of the youngsters investigations involve nanobugs, small electronic devices which attach to the forehead like a third eye and allow users to see into dreams and experience convincing augmented reality. These augmented hipsters are ruining everything, Srey Leak complains.

Most important is the emergence of Dr. Vattanak Sovann (Sahajak Boonthanakit), a brilliant neuroscientist who escaped his homeland during U.S. bombings in the 1970s. Glimpsed earlier with his body hooked up to a bank of electronic instruments, Dr. Sovann is playing an increasingly important role in Leng Hengs dreams and appears to have a connection with Dr. Sophias research.

At this point Karmalink becomes a magical spiritual mystery tour, with Leng Hengs dreams intensifying and characters such as the statue thief reappearing in different guises, and also in the boys present-time reality. With expert cutting by editors Harrison Atkins and Stephanie Kaznocha, its easy to make sense of everything, even as the narrative leaps about in time, dreams criss-cross with reality and Dr. Sovanns quest to synthesize spiritual enlightenment comes into focus. Adding to the mystery is the question of whether Dr. Sovann is alive, dead or somewhere in-between.

such as the gap between rich and poor, the potential dangers of artificial intelligence and the clash between materialism and spirituality. The many years Wachtel spent living in Cambodia and developing this film has paid off handsomely. He captures the essence of life in an economically disadvantaged community without ever indulging in poverty porn, and elicits marvelously natural performances from his lead actors who were both students in a film class he taught. The films shining emotional heart is the friendship and camaraderie that grows between Srey Leak and Leng Heng during their grand adventure.

Terrific use is made of locations, including train tracks and rusty old carriages abandoned near Phnom Penhs recently restored and re-activated railway station. Best of all is the setting of key sequences in the citys National Olympic Stadium complex. A masterpiece designed by revered architect Vann Molyvann, the venue hosted glorious events during Cambodias 1960s Golden Age and was the scene of appalling horrors during the 1975-79 rule of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime.

Nicely shot by Robert Leitzell with earthy tones in street scenes and a cooler palette for sequences involving Dr. Sovann, Karmalink is very well served by Ariel Marxs score, which features zippy, rapid-fire rhythms in early sections and moves to moody, sculptured metallic sounds as the storys AI-related components come to the fore.

Tragically, young star Leng Heng Prak has since passed away. End credits note that Karmalink is in loving memory of him.

Reviewed online, Aug. 31, 2021. (In Venice Film Festival.) Running time: 102 MIN. (Original title: Chiet krawy)

Running Time: Running time: 102 MIN.

Production

(U.S.-Cambodia) An XYZ Films, LevelK presentation of a Valerie Steinberg Prods. production, in association with 802 Films, LittleBIG Films. (World sales: LevelK, Copenhagen.) Producer: Valerie Steinberg. Executive producers: Todd Brown, Nate Bolotin, Joe & Freddi Felt (cq). Co-producers: Sok Visal, Christopher Rompre.

Crew

Director: Jake Wachtel. Screenplay: Jake Wachtel, Christopher Sean Larsen. Camera: Robert Leitzell. Editors: Harrison Atkins, Stephanie Kaznocha. Music: Ariel Marx.

With

Srey Leak Chhith, Leng Heng Prak, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Cindy Sirinya Bishop, Ros Mony, Sveng Socheata, So Sokvan, Chear Sreng, Chea Samneang, Mo No, Li Ty, Tommy Henderson, Randall Henderson, Oum Savern, Pen Pisey, Chhith Sreyneat, Chhith Morokort. (Khmer, English dialogue)

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A major push to hold the Sackler family legally accountable for their role in the opioid crisis essentially ended today when a U.S. Bankruptcy Court ruled that the familys company, Purdue Pharma, creators of the addictive painkiller OxyContin, would be dissolved and the family owners would pay $4.5 billion to address the opioid pandemic, while protecting the family from future liability.

The resolution ends thousands of lawsuits brought against the drugmaker and its owners by state and local governments, tribes, hospitals, and individuals, and it releases the family from current and future civil suits against them for their role in the opioid crisis, which has killed more than 500,000 people nationwide. The family will dole out the billions of dollars over nine years, with most of the funds going toward addiction treatment and prevention programs.

The resolution comes nearly two years after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Many states attorneys general objected to the plan before its approval, and in recent months, Congressional Democrats introduced legislation to try to stop the Sacklers from using corporate bankruptcy as protection against personal liability. Washington States attorney general has already filed an appeal to the decision, with more expected.

Purdue and the Sacklers have a long history of litigation. In 2007, the company pleaded guilty to a felony charge for misrepresenting the addictiveness of OxyContin. In 2020, it pleaded guilty to more felony charges that theyd marketed drugs to high-volume providers despite suspecting the providers were distributing them illegally. Between 2008 and 2017, as legal pressure on the company increased and after Sackler family members speculated by email with a financial adviser about the security of the familys wealth, the family took more than $10 billion out of the company and moved it to trusts and holding companies. Half of that $10 billion went to taxes or was reinvested in the business. [W]hat do you think is going on in all of these courtrooms right now? David Sackler wrote in 2007. Were rich? For how long? Until which suits get through to the family?

They will remain one of the nations wealthiest families.

Correction: This story previously stated that the Sackler family was ordered to pay billions of dollars; they are contributing it as part of the settlement.
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Director Michale Boganim explores her fathers role in Israels own Black Panther movement in her new Venice documentary: The Forgotten Ones (Mizrahim, Les Oublies de la Terre Promise).

The 1950s movement sprang from the Mizrahim community  Jews who were ethnically cleansed from North Africa and the Middle East  who sought refuge in Israel. Battling discrimination, Mizrahi Jews looked to the U.S. Black Panther movement for inspiration, Boganims father and his friends fought back, politically and otherwise.

In the documentary, Boganim embarks on a road trip to search for some of her fathers colleagues, taking a tour of Israels history and meeting with three generations of Mizrahim in the process.

Boganim, who was born in Israel and later studied in France, won the Gras Savoye award for her student film Dim Memories, which was selected for Directors Fortnight in Cannes. Her first fiction feature, Land of Oblivion, which starred Bond actor Olga Kurylenko, premiered at Venice and the Toronto Film Festival.

Boganims next project will be the historical drama Tel-Aviv/Beirut about two women  Lebanese and Israeli  who embark on a road trip together against the backdrop of the 1982 and 2006 Israeli-Lebanese conflicts.

The international cast, which consists of Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese actors, includes Zalfa Seurat, Sarah Adler (Foxtrot), Shlomi Elkabetz (Our Boys), Younes Bouab (The Unknown Saint) and Sofia Essaidi (La promesse)

The Forgotten Ones world premiers at the Venice Film Festivals Venice Days strand this week. Reservoir Docs is handling sales.

Check out an exclusive clip from the documentary above.

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When YouTube Music launched its Premium service  then called YouTube Key, if memory serves  back in 2014, people wondered why anyone would pay for what they can get for free, albeit with advertising. Well, the formula worked for Spotify and its apparently working for YouTube as well: Lyor Cohen, the companys global head of music, announced that the service has passed 50 million subscribers for YouTube Music and its Premium services, including trialists  nearly 20 million more than the last time the company revealed its subscribers last October.

While global market leader Spotify still has a healthy lead  its most recent total paid subscribers was around 165 million, announced earlier this year  No. 2 Apple Music may feel YouTube nipping at its heels: Its total, last announced in June of 2019, was 60 million. Amazon Music, No. 3, was at 55 million when the number was last updated in January of 2020, although its service is bundled with the extremely popular Amazon Prime.

YouTube Musics growth is impressive, especially considering Cohens claim, announced in a blog post early Thursday, says the company is seeing impressive growth in countries like South Korea, India, Japan, Russia, and Brazil, markets that streaming services have seen as areas of exceptional growth opportunity.

Weve got killer products in YouTube Music and YouTube Premium that deliver truly unique value to artists and creators and the best experience for music fans and video lovers, Cohen wrote. Were in our own lane.

He doubled down on his comments by including statements from the heads of the worlds largest music companies, all of whom congratulated the company on the milestone.

Universal Music chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge said, Our trailblazing agreement over three years ago with YouTube established a foundation for their commitment to subscription that led to the launch of YouTube Music. Today, that approach was more than validated as their service passed the 50 million subscriber milestone.

Warners CEO of recorded music, Max Lousada, said, We live in a highly visual attention economy, and YouTube has led the way in UGC and fan expression. Music has always been a pivotal part of their platform, so its great to see them become a dynamic force in subscription streaming too. We look forward to collaborating on many more creative campaigns that amplify our artists and ignite cultural moments all over the world.

Lenzo Yoon, CEO of Hybe (formerly BigHit) said, Congratulations to YouTube on achieving this milestone. YouTube has enabled our artists to reach global audiences and connect with their fans, especially amidst the global pandemic. We are thankful and excited about the opportunities YouTube brings to the music industry, and hope to continue to work with YouTube in enabling our artists to reach more audiences around the world with their music and to engage and connect with their fans globally.

Denis Ladegaillerie, CEO of Believe, said, It has been phenomenal to see YouTube hitting 50 Million Paid subscribers, in such a short time frame. This significant milestone is a testament to the product development, innovation and user journey experience the YouTube team has developed to attract users to become fully paid subscribers. It has also been fantastic to see YouTube Music proving to be a catalyst to drive paid streaming monetisation, especially in emerging markets which were previously under monetised. This is indeed great news for Artists and Labels to better monetise their content, and we look forward to further partnering with YouTube on how we can support them in their growth efforts across their portfolio of products to better serve and develop our artists and labels.

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The getaway driver in the fatal shooting of a woman reported about two weeks ago at a north Laredo home has been indicted.

On Wednesday, a grand jury charged Jose Angel Chavez-Ramirez, 37, with murder  a first-degree felony that carries a punishment of up to life in prison or five to 99 years in prison  and a maximum fine of $10,000.

Chavez-Ramirez, of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, is also facing federal charges for the smuggling attempt of 10 individuals who had crossed the border illegally. He remains in federal custody.

Laredo police on Friday released images of two men involved in the homicide in hopes of obtaining assistance from the community.

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Authorities identified one suspect as Jael Elian Madrigal Mendez, 21, while the other Hispanic male suspect remains unidentified. Both are believed to be from Nuevo Laredo. Both are considered armed and dangerous.

LPD encourages the community to report their whereabouts at 795-2800 or Laredo Crime Stoppers at 727-TIPS (8477). Information provided via Crime Stoppers could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Callers will remain anonymous.

Men running

The case unfolded at about 4:32 p.m. on Aug. 10, when officers responded to a report of two men seen running away from the 1200 block of Brown Drive. Officers could not locate the men but did discover a blue Nissan Sentra with the trunk and passenger door open.

Authorities discovered two handguns in plain view located on the floorboard of the passenger side, according to court documents. Police then received a call regarding the front door of a home in the 9000 block of Cornell Drive being open for more than an hour, authorities said.

Following a welfare check, police discovered a woman lying face down in a pool of blood in the living room. She was later identified as Sylvia Adriana Medrano Gonzalez, 51.

Five casings were recovered from inside the residence and an additional one just outside the front door. Further investigation revealed that the Nissan located by the 1200 block of Brown was the possible suspect vehicle related to the homicide at the home on Cornell.

Surveillance video from the area recorded two men fleeing the home on Cornell. Both were observed inside the Nissan driving south on Cornell and then abandoning the vehicle on Brown. They fled on foot afterwards, according to court documents. According to police, surveillance video from the area showed the men exiting the Nissan and approaching the home on Cornell.

Gunshots were heard on audio recorded from surveillance cameras, according to police. Those men were later identified as Madrigal Mendez and a Hispanic unidentified male. They entered a maroon Chevy Tahoe driven by Chavez-Ramirez with a rusted roof at the Family Dollar on 9105 McPherson Rd., according to police.

On Aug. 12, a vehicle pursuit ensued with the Tahoe at about 5:26 p.m. until the vehicle stopped at the intersection of Plum Street and North Martin Avenue, where 10 migrants exited the Tahoe and ran in several directions.

In a post-arrest interview, Chavez-Ramirez stated that he did pick up two men from the Family Dollar on McPherson.

Jose (Chavez-Ramirez) stated he dropped off the two male subjects by the Lafayette Bridge, states the arrest affidavit.

Federal charges

At about 10:35 p.m. Aug. 12, police contacted the U.S. Border Patrol regarding 10 migrants they had in custody.

Chavez-Ramirez admitted he had transported multiple migrants in his vehicle that he recently purchased for $1,200. He added that he did expect to get paid for the smuggling attempt, states a federal criminal complaint filed against him on Monday.

Chavez-Ramirez stated he had loaned his vehicle to a person. This person returned the vehicle loaded with migrants, according to court documents. He met this person underneath the Lafayette Bridge in west Laredo.

Chavez-Ramirez stated that as he traveled to the eastside of town, he observed a police unit begin to follow him. Chavez-Ramirez stated he attempted to speed away from the police and it was then that police began to pursue him, states the affidavit.

Chavez-Ramirez admitted he evaded police while he looked for a good spot to abandon the vehicle and then flee on foot. Chavez-Ramirez stated he hid underneath a vehicle, but a short time passed before police found him and he was taken into custody.
At United High School on Wednesday morning, Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza was honored with a ceremony paying tribute to his service after he was one of the 13 U.S. service members killed in an attack last week in Afghanistan.

One of many local tributes for the Marine, it gathered family members, veterans, other members of the community and young cadets in the schools Junior ROTC program.

I told the principal that I want to do a ceremony with the boots and flags, and she agreed. I told my cadets that we were going to do a ceremony, and they were very excited to do it, and I was very proud of them, said Major Jose Loya, a retired Air Force veteran and the Junior ROTC senior instructor at United. I feel it helped them in a way also feeling as part of the community, and it helps them to understand better the sacrifice that the military has to make.

United High School activities coordinator Patricia Martinez said once they got the idea from Loya, they were excited to honor Espinoza with the event.

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We wanted to honor him and his family for the sacrifice that he made, Martinez said. Major Loya really wanted to do this, and he came to me and the principal with the idea, and it was something that we thought would be very nice for him, his cadets and for the school as we wanted to recognize the sacrifices that are made by soldiers in this country.

For Martinez, holding an event like this was also important because her office has constant communication and activities with local military.

As the activities coordinator, we work with recruiters every year for graduation and are in constant communication with them as they approach our students and speak to them and give them presentations on how their scholarships are going to help them, so its an important thing that we honor them at graduation, Martinez said. Plus, to see that sometimes they are going to get their education, yes they are going to get their training, but also there is always that chance that they might be going to war. And that is what happened with this young man, and he was so young as he was from the class of 2019, so it definitely touched all of us as we work with these kids so much.

Martinez said supporting these children and their parents through programs like this and honoring them while they are in active duty is a way to show pride and celebrate the legacy of Espinoza.

I think it is very important that we show support to his parents, show pride in the commitment that these young men and women do at the end of their senior year and they begin their careers as adults, Martinez said. It is very important for us American citizens to see the value in this commitment and this sacrifice of their life knowing full well that there is always a chance that they might go to battle, and that they do it for their country, they do it for themselves and do it for their families. There is just so much to admire in these young men and women. This is the least we could do.

Loya said there were a lot of mixed feelings with his cadets, but most expressed some form of satisfaction knowing they were showing appreciation and love for the service of their fellow Laredoan.

They were very proud, and at the same time they were very sad as it was very emotional for a lot of them. Some tried to cheer up each other, but most of them were overcome with emotion, Loya said. It is difficult, the passing of Corporal Espinoza, because his mother showed up and his stepfather was here, and it was tough for me included because it was very emotional as I was reading my speech. I am a 29-year-old veteran and an active duty person in the Air Force, and I have experienced this. It is a tough thing to do as a military family. This is something I felt that I had to do for the family, the military family and my cadets.

According to Loya, during his teaching in classes all of the cadets demonstrated great pride for what Espinoza did. While few of his cadets go into military service with about 150 doing so during his years in teaching, he said Espinozas legacy will inspire many.

Martinez said the event and the death of Espinoza show students the world is more interconnected than they think.

We have the TV monitors in our cafeteria, and we always have it on CNN or MSNBC, and what we have been hearing so much is what is happening in Afghanistan, and you look at it and think that it is so far away and it doesnt really pertain to us, Martinez said. But, when you look at what happened and it came straight here as those 13 service members that sacrificed their lives and their hearts, one of them was ours. So, I think it really affected the kids. It happens so far away it seems like they might be a bit desensitized, but this truly has made them aware of how we are all connected, and people from Laredo are all over the world.

Loya said he is saddened Espinoza had to suffer his death just a few days before the end of the war in Afghanistan.

How ironic and terrible that one of the last lives lost in the 20-year-old war was somebody from Laredo, Loya said. I wanted to show them that no matter where they are at, the military is everywhere, and we are a family. No matter what, when we hear about a fallen soldier or anybody then we all are heartbroken, and this is the thing that I talked about with the cadets. The mother said she was very thankful for this ceremony. Its the least that we can do.

Martinez said the legacy of Espinoza will live on forever in the minds and hearts of the people of the community.

As a person who works at a school district, we grow to love our kids and show them that we have great respect for their families, and all we want is them to have beautiful futures, Martinez said. So every day we give it a 100% so we can be part of that future and that future legacy.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  As a member of the Hazara minority in Afghanistan, Azim Kakaie would have had no access to higher education under the Taliban. Instead, over the past two decades he turned a love for aviation into an air-traffic control job in Kabul, he said Thursday.

Kakaie was working at the airport as the swift takeover by the Taliban engulfed Kabul last week. He had to board an evacuation plane before his family could join him. This week he became the first Afghan refugee to arrive in Utah since the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

I had to abandon everything that I had made in 34 years of my life. Start from zero, he said.

Kakaie boarded a plane quickly because he was already at the airport, but his wife had to try for days, enduring beatings from Taliban fighters at checkpoints that blocked her from the airport, he said. Finally, on the fourth day she was able to get through along with two other relatives  just 30 minutes before a devastating suicide bombing killed over 160 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops. One, Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, was from Utah.

Those young American heroes, he said. That is going to be in my heart for the rest of my life.

Shes now in Germany, along with her mother and his brother, who hope to join him in Salt Lake City. He landed late Wednesday night in Utah's capitol, where the jagged mountains and desert climate reminded him of home. Hes looking forward to building a life in the U.S. and finding a job, but he's still concerned for his family back home, including his mother.

Im worried a lot. I cannot say when I am by myself, how much I cry. I dont know whats going to happen. Thats the only time that Im deep under pressure, he said.

The U.S. and its coalition partners have evacuated more than 100,000 people from Afghanistan since the airlift began Aug. 14, including American citizens and many Afghans who helped the U.S. during the 20-year war.

About 200 Afghan refugees are expected to eventually be resettled in Utah, where there is already an Afghan community of a few thousand people, said Aden Batar, director of migration and refugee services for Catholic Community Services in Utah.

The resettlement effort has public support from Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, who cited the historical migration of members of the conservative states predominant faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as he asked the Biden administration to send refugees there.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden will visit Louisiana on Friday to survey the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and speak with local and state leaders, the White House said Wednesday. Biden will also deliver a speech Thursday outlining his administration's response to the storm.

Ida was the fifth most powerful storm to strike the U.S. when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 150 mph (240 kph), likely causing tens of billions of dollars in flood, wind and other damage, including to the electrical grid.

More than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi were without power after Ida toppled a major transmission tower and knocked out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations. New Orleans was plunged into total darkness at one point; power began returning to the city on Wednesday.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden absolutely would not visit Louisiana if his presence would take away from relief efforts.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards suggested the visit would be crucial for the president to understand the destruction by seeing the widespread damage for himself.

Theres nothing quite like visiting in person, Edwards told reporters Wednesday following a briefing with local elected officials in Jefferson Parish, which took direct blows from Ida. When you see it for yourself, it is just so much more compelling.

Asked what type of assistance he planned to request from Biden, Edwards said, Quite frankly, the list is going to be very, very long. But he said a priority would be for a housing program to help people rebuild.

The White House says Biden has been getting regular updates on the storm and its aftermath. He has held several conference calls with governors and local officials to discuss preparations and needs after the storm, and has received briefings from FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

FEMA had sent tons of supplies, including generators, tarps and other materials to the region before the storm, and federal response teams are working on search and rescue.

Authorities blame the storm for at least six deaths.

Biden's trip Friday to the Gulf region will cap a difficult stretch for the president, who oversaw the chaotic exit of the U.S. military from Afghanistan after a 20-year engagement. That included the deaths of 13 U.S. service members helping evacuate more than 120,000 Americans, Afghan allies and others fleeing life under Taliban rule.

As Ida bore down on the Gulf Coast on Sunday, Biden was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the return of the remains of the 13 U.S. servicemen and women who were killed in suicide bombing last week at Afghanistan's airport in Kabul, where the evacuations were taking place.

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Associated Press writer Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, La., contributed to this report.
An alleged human smuggler led law enforcement on a pursuit that ended with a crash about 17 miles north of the Interstate 35 checkpoint, according to an arrest affidavit.

Isiah Ray Torres was charged with transport, attempt to transport and conspire to transport migrants.

The case unfolded at about 2:58 p.m. Aug. 28, when a blue Ford F-150 drove north on the west access road of mile marker 28 of I-35. A U.S. Border Patrol agent began following the Ford.

Near mile marker 29 on the west access road, the F150 hit a large bump in the road, causing the vehicle to bounce. At that time, the (agent) observed four human silhouettes appear in the back seat of the F150, states the affidavit.

The people quickly attempted to hide. The agent attempted to pull over the vehicle on mile marker 31 to no avail. Near mile marker 38, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper attempted, but failed, to stop the vehicle using a vehicle immobilization device.

Agents said F-150 continued driving north on I-35 until it collided with a commercial truck near mile marker 46. Authorities identified the driver as Torres after he surrendered to law enforcement. Agents said he was transporting six migrants.

Homeland Security Investigations special agents responded to further investigate the human smuggling attempt. In a post-arrest interview, Torres stated that a man offered him $2,000 for each migrant he could smuggle from Laredo to San Antonio. Torres added that he picked up the migrants at the end of Philadelphia Street, states the affidavit.

Torres said he drove on the west access road of I35 to bypass the (Border Patrol) checkpoint, the affidavit states.
SRINAGAR, India (AP)  Indian authorities cracked down on public movement and imposed a near-total communications blackout in disputed Kashmir on Thursday after the death of Syed Ali Geelani, a top separatist leader who became the emblem of the regions defiance against New Delhi.

Geelani, who died late Wednesday at age 91, was buried in a local graveyard in a quiet funeral organized by authorities under harsh restrictions, his son, Naseem Geelani, told The Associated Press. He said the family had planned to bury him at the main martyrs graveyard in Srinagar, the regions main city, as specified in his will but were not allowed to do so by police.

They snatched his body and forcibly buried him. Nobody from the family was present for his burial. We tried to resist but they overpowered us and even scuffled with women, Naseem Geelani said.

The Press Trust of India news agency reported that officials buried Geelanis body and prohibited any mass funeral in anticipation of anti-India protests.

Police in a statement late Thursday denied Geelani's forcible burial and called it baseless rumors by some vested interests.

Such baseless reports which are as a part of false propaganda to incite violence are totally refuted by the police, the statement said. As a matter of fact, police instead facilitated in bringing the dead body from house to graveyard as there were apprehensions of miscreants taking undue advantage of the situation.

As most Kashmiris remained locked inside their homes, police and soldiers patrolled the tense region. Government forces placed steel barricades and razor wire across many roads, bridges and intersections and set up additional checkpoints in towns and villages in the Kashmir Valley.

Authorities shut down most cellphone networks and mobile internet service in a common tactic employed by India to head off mass protests.

The police statement said the restrictions and internet shutdown will continue Friday.

India clashes erupted at least at three places in Srinagar as dozens of young men, shouting pro-freedom slogans and eulogizing Geelani, defied security restrictions and threw stones at government forces. Police and soldiers fired tear gas to quell the protests.

There were no immediate reports of injuries in the clashes.

Geelani spearheaded Kashmirs movement for the right to self-determination and was a staunch proponent of merging Kashmir with Pakistan. He strongly opposed any dialogue with New Delhi, a position rejected by successive Indian governments who often dubbed him a hard-line politician.

Geelani was also the face of Kashmir's civilian defiance against Indian rule. He led a faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an association of various Kashmiri political and religious groups that was formed in 1993 to spearhead a movement for the regions self-determination.

The group used civil disobedience in the form of shutdowns and protests as a tactic to counter Indian rule. The alliance split in 2003, when a group of its leaders led by Geelani walked out after other leaders decided to hold talks with the Indian government.

For many in Kashmir and beyond, Geelani was an enduring icon of defiance against India.

Farmer Mohammed Akbar said Geelani's death filled him with remorse but also anger after he learned that Geelanis body had been buried by authorities who excluded Kashmiris and his extended family from participating in the last rites.

They are looking at ways to humiliate us, Akbar said as he held his grandson in his arms. They are even scared of dead Geelani.

Pakistan observed a day of official mourning and flags flew at half staff on orders by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Its foreign ministry condemned the non-public burial by Indian authorities.

Pakistan strongly condemns the barbaric act of snatching of the mortal remains of the iconic Kashmiri leader by Indian police, the ministry said in a statement in Islamabad.

It said the Indian government was so afraid of Syed Geelani and what he stood for that they have now resorted to this inhuman act even after his passing away. This shows the degree of callousness on part of the Occupation Forces.

Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan, which both claim the region in full but rule only parts.

Rebels have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebel goal that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

New Delhi accuses Pakistan of sponsoring Kashmiri militants, a charge Pakistan denies. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.

Tensions flared in the region in 2019 after New Delhi stripped Kashmirs semi-autonomy, scrapped its statehood and removed inherited protections on land and jobs. Authorities have since brought a slew of new laws, which many critics and Kashmiris liken to the beginning of settler colonialism.

___

This story has been updated to correct that Syed Ali Geelani was 91 when he died, not 92.

___

Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
During the Wednesday weekly COVID-19 media briefing, officials stated that four more deaths were reported locally including an unvaccinated 20 year old. This again prompted health officials to encourage the community to get their vaccine as the delta variant continues to impact younger populations.

For school age pediatric cases  age 17 and below  987 were reported locally in August, the highest number since the start of the pandemic, according to Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino.

An increase is expected within the next two weeks. This is why has the city and hospitals have prepared a plan to address pediatric cases in the event transfers to external hospitals with pediatric ICUs become unavailable.

As for the recent quarantine orders, Trevino said that he and the health department are monitoring the situation at the schools and giving more assurances as time goes on. He added that he met with LISD this weekend and provided guidance.

This weekend, both LISD and UISD opted to disregard Trevinos quarantine notice due to what they believe was unreasonable number of COVID-19 cases that did not warrant full campus closures.

Trevino said that he agreed with medical professionals in the community and the state health commissioner that the quarantine was reasonable due to the number of overall pediatric cases and the citys lack of a pediatric ICU.

As of now, he said that parents will be the deciding factor. As he believes the ongoing trend warrants virtual instruction, parents will have to decide whether or not they send their child to school. It is also important to note that school districts have to adhere to the Texas Education Agency guidelines.

When asked about the arena and the mass gatherings they garner, Trevino simply said he was against large gatherings amid the pandemic.

Regarding the city, Laredo Health Department Director Richard Chamberlain said that over 3,300 new infections were added in August with a large portion made up of children between ages 0-17. A total of 380 cases were children that were eligible for vaccination, with 72% of them unvaccinated.

Chamberlain added that parents need to enforce masks when the family is out of their homes in environments with strangers, schools and/or indoor areas. Its been repeated that protecting children below the eligible age of vaccinations can be done by wearing masks and vaccinating those around the child.

Fire Chief and Emergency Coordinator Guillermo Heard said that while active cases have trended downward, there are still 80 individuals hospitalized  30 in the ICU and 22 are intubated. As a way to mitigate and protect oneself, he encouraged residents and children older than 12 to go to the infusion center when necessary.

As of Tuesday, 197 individuals have taken advantage of the center. With a positive PCR test and a valid physician order, evaluations will take place at the center if needed.

Trevino also spoke about the use of test positivity as a direct indication of new infections and how he does not recommend it for single locations such as businesses and environments of high transmissions. He said that test positivity is not reflective of infection unless someone knows who gets tested and why, referencing the rise in pediatric cases in August.

The COVID situation is exacerbated by the delta variant and the unvaccinated.

While there is a scarce amount of information regarding the Nuevo Laredo positivity rate, vaccination rate, hospitalization rate and other metrics, Trevino said that ensuring that Laredos sister city is vaccinated and prepared in the case of a border reopening is ideal. However, as more vaccine drives are held, a better picture of the Mexican border communitys COVID situation will form.

This is vital as having two populations collide  one vaccinated and another not  would result in increased positive cases and possibly create a new variant.

After five vaccine drives along the border, Trevino will host one for Matamoros in the near future.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador highlighted his campaign against government corruption and downplayed the work that remains to be done in the areas of security and reducing poverty in his third state of the nation address Wednesday.

Nearly midway through his six-year term, Lopez Obrador remains popular despite stubbornly high levels of violence and rising inflation in an economy emerging from recession.
FILE - In this July 27, 2021 file photo, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., listens to testimony from Washington Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges during the House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Democrats have promoted Republican Rep. Liz Cheney to vice chairwoman of a committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. They're placing Cheney in a leadership spot on the panel as some members of the GOP caucus are threatening to oust her for participating. Cheney is a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump and has remained defiant amid the criticism from her own party. (Jim Bourg/Pool via AP)
This is Zechariah Cartledge, a 12-year old who runs a mile for every first responder who has been injured or passed away in the line of duty. Here he is at Niagara Falls shortly after presenting a first-responders flag to the family of Judy Spencer, a fallen firefighter who lost her life tragically while answering a call. (Photograph submitted)
The Irish Wheelchair Association, based in Kenagh, Co Longford, has been allocated 55,654.20 towards the purchase of a bus with adaption.

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has this morning (Thursday, September 2) announced the provision of 747,000 to fund 14 vehicles for community-based organisations providing vital services in rural areas nationally.

Under the 2021 CLAR programme, the funding will support organisations that provide free transport for cancer patients so that they can attend medical appointments.

The vehicles will also be used to assist people who are wheelchair-bound or have other mobility issues.

They will also be used to transport people to day care centres to give respite to family members who are caring for loved ones.

Announcing the funding, Minister Humphreys said: This funding will ensure some of the most vulnerable people in our communities can access vital supports or attend medical appointments.

It also reflects a commitment in the Governments rural development policy, Our Rural Future, to improve transport and accessibility in Rural Ireland.

The organisations receiving this funding are voluntary and community-based. They provide their services free of charge and I want to commend them for the invaluable work they do.

Minister Humphreys added: Some of the organisations benefiting from this funding are bringing people to day care services to give respite to families who are caring for loved ones with a physical disability or a learning disability. This respite is vital for the families wellbeing and I am delighted that my Department can provide this assistance.

Todays announcement is in addition to funding of 4.2m for 104 projects which Minister Humphreys recently announced under CLAR for school and community safety measures, and outdoor community recreation facilities.

Further announcements under the CLAR programme will be made by Minister Humphreys in the coming weeks.

Details of the successful projects can be found at: https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/bd890-clar-2021-funding-approvals/
AN Taoiseach Micheal Martin has confirmed that the country's National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) will soon cease to exist.

Mr Martin made the revelation following previous reports from last week that NPHET was set to disband soon, and his most recent public message outlining the easing of Covid-19 restrictions throughout the country.

An Taoiseach told RTE's News at One programme that NPHET, and by extension the vaccine taskforce, will gradually be transitioned into the normal functions of the Department of Health and the HSE.

In addition, Mr. Martin said that "the legacy of the pandemic needs to include a stronger public health function," and stressed that it was critical to deal with the pandemic over the coming months, as "we are not going to eliminate the virus" from Ireland.

Other notable announcements from An Taoiseach include the budget for public health being doubled and 150 posts being allocated.

One of these posts includes the first ever consultant posts in public medicine, while a role of director of public health medicine is to be created.

Mr Martin further expressed cautious optimism, adding: "without question, we must evaluate how we performed and learn lessons to equip us for the next emergency, be it a pandemic or something else."

A stronger public health function has to be one of the 'key legacies' of the pandemic, the Taoiseach has said.@MichealMartinTD also said NPHET will be 'streamlined into Government structures' | Read more: https://t.co/MuQbOHc90W pic.twitter.com/LkBWzYXQd4 September 1, 2021

Despite the Taoiseach's reassurances, NPHET recently claimed that Ireland could see up to 3,000 cases of COVID-19 a day by mid-September.

NPHET was created on January 27 last year within the Department of Health, and was tasked with providing guidance on the development and implementation of a strategy to contain Covid-19 and curb the spread of the virus.
Ireland has today taken over the rotating role of President of the United Nations Security Council for the month of September.

Irish Ambassador to the United Nations, Geraldine Byrne Nason, called the presidency "a huge responsibility" in a video posted on Twitter and outlined the importance of bringing states together this month.

Today Ireland begins a new role on the #SecurityCouncil:



President for the month of September!



Learn more about our presidency from #TeamIreland #IrelandUNSC @dfatirl pic.twitter.com/G8ZYg5dmU2 September 1, 2021

Ireland has accepted the role at a turbulent time, what with the recent withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan and its consequences.

The subject is likely to be the focus of meetings for the next few weeks, with Ambassador Nason recently calling for the protection of women in Afghanistan.

It's the fifth time Ireland has assumed the role and Ambassador Nason said Ireland will "spare no effort".

Speaking on Twitter, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said we will "steward" the Security Council's work in countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Today, Ireland takes over the Presidency of the UN Security Council



As President, we will steward the Security Councils work on challenges such as Syria, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. #IrelandUNSC @irishmissionun



More info: https://t.co/MWXZWum4N6 pic.twitter.com/fsjoZqwOxW September 1, 2021

Ireland began its two-year term on the UN Security Council in January.
One of the world's leading providers of financial services to institutional investors will establish a new, 400-strong team in Ireland.

State Street Corporation have revealed that its latest venture will be done in a proactive move to provide technology infrastructure and cyber security services to support group operations globally.

The new unit will be located at IDA Ireland Business and Technology Park in Kilkenny, where State Street already employs approximately 600 out of its 2,000 staff in Ireland, and where the firm is in the process of developing a new state-of-the-art office.

State Street will employ up to 400 people across a variety of high value, experienced and graduate level roles over the next two years, including:

Programming

Cybersecurity Operations Analysts

Cybersecurity Instrumentation Engineers

Data Scientists

Cybersecurity Architects (Network, Identify Access Management and BlockChain)

Cybersecurity Forensics/Investigations

Penetration Testers and I.T. Governance

Risk and Compliance experts

Tadhg Young, State Street's head of Ireland, said about the news: "We are very pleased that Ireland and Kilkenny will benefit from this very substantial investment and the addition of high value, sustainable jobs."

"Todays jobs announcement, alongside plans for our new state-of-the-art office development in Kilkenny, marks a further strengthening of our presence and commitment to the region for years to come."

He elaborated: "Irelands tech ecosystem and financial services credentials alongside Kilkennys central location and access to talent from third level institutions in Dublin, Carlow, Waterford and beyond were all compelling factors in our location decision."

"I wish to thank the IDA for their continuing support of State Street, and I strongly encourage anyone seeking a new career opportunity in a great location and with great prospects for professional development to check out our new roles."

Leo Varadkar, Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, also welcomed the news, referring to it as "a fantastic boost for Kilkenny."

The Tanaiste said: "Irelands highly skilled and experienced workforce continues to attract the very best investment across the country. This announcement is further evidence of the phenomenal work the IDA is doing to attract and retain FDI in Ireland  the new unit will be based in the IDAs Kilkenny Business Park."

"I wish all involved every success," he concluded.

The Corporation's announcement coincides with the first anniversary of State Streets support for the Rethink Ireland 1.5 million Ability to Work Fund.

In Ireland, State Street is the largest provider of fund administration and custody services with $1.7tn in assets serviced across all asset classes. The Irish group also manages $317bn within its investment management division SSGA.

The fund, which is managed in association with the Department of Social Protection & the Department of Rural and Community Development, was set up tp develop the talents and skills of those living with a disability.

State Street celebrates both 25 years in Ireland and 20 years in Kilkenny this year.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: September 02 2021

The $8.6 million project along State Route 25 added approximately 300 new pedestrian safety enhancement measures.

Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that work has been completed on projects that will enhance safety for pedestrians along the 90-mile corridor of State Route 25 and portions of three other roads in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

The projects, both completed on time and under budget, added more than 250 new curb ramps, more than 1,800 feet of new or upgraded sidewalks, and dozens of new traffic signals and signs that will improve travel conditions for both pedestrians and motorists on some of Long Island's busiest roadways. All enhancements were designed to meet modern safety standards.

"If we are serious about securing a greener future for all New Yorkers, making our streets safer and more walkable needs to be at the top of our agenda," Governor Hochul said. "More and more people are taking to the roads again as our state continues coming back from the pandemic, and we must continue working to improve accessibility and make our streets and highways more accommodating to all modes of transportation."

The $8.6 million project along State Route 25 added approximately 300 new pedestrian safety enhancement measures - both large and small - along the entire stretch of the road from the New York City border to Orient Point. The project cost was approximately $1 million less than the initial estimated costs. Enhancements include:

131 new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramps.

12 upgraded traffic signals and 2 new traffic signals with audible signals.

49 new crosswalks and 59 upgraded crosswalks, each with highly reflective pavement markings.

45 new reflective pedestrian crossing signs.

Additionally, approximately 1,000 feet of new sidewalk were constructed along State Route 25 in the Town of Brookhaven, providing pedestrian accommodations in areas adjacent to the westbound lanes in Selden and Coram that had previously lacked them. Two new traffic signals at Adirondack Drive in Selden and North Howell Avenue in Centereach will also serve to calm traffic and accommodate foot traffic coming to and from area shopping centers and residential developments. The North Howell Avenue signal will also provide improved roadway access for the Centereach Fire Department.

At Court Street in the Town of Riverhead, a new signalized pedestrian crossing will help motorists navigate the intersection while beautifying with colored traffic signal masts and fresh concrete around the northeast corner near the historic World War I memorial.

A second $2.7 million project - about $600,000 less than expected - constructed 123 new ADA-compliant curb ramps on State Route 24 (Hempstead Turnpike) in the Town of Hempstead, State Route 25A (Main Street) in the Town of Huntington, and State Route 27 in the Town of Southampton. Nearly 800 feet of new sidewalks were constructed, over a dozen pedestrian crossing signals were modernized, and new pedestrian crossing signs were added at several locations throughout these thoroughfares.

Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, "Safety is the number one priority of the Department of Transportation. Unfortunately, too often motorists are traveling at unsafe speeds or they are distracted, resulting in devastating motorist-pedestrian crashes. In addition to promoting safe driving and enforcement, these projects exemplify New York State DOT's efforts to build safer corridors in communities across New York. A 21st Century transportation network demands that we go beyond just motor vehicles and accommodate all modes of transit so that communities continue to prosper and grow."

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said, "Improving conditions on our roadways for motorists, while enhancing pedestrian safety, is an economic shot in the arm for many small businesses. I thank Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Department of Transportation for ensuring the on-time completion of this project."

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said, "Infrastructure and public safety remain a top priority, and these critical enhancements will help ensure pedestrian safety on some of our busiest roads. I want to thank Governor Hochul for recognizing the continued need to invest in Long Island's infrastructure as we work to build a 21st century transportation network across Suffolk County."

Motorists are urged to slow down and drive responsibly throughout the work zone. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual's driver license.
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(Alliance News) - Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC reported strong results for the first half of 2021, helped by its acquisition of Sydney-based bottling peer Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd.

The Uxbridge-based soft drinks company made pretax profit of EUR455 million in the six months ended July 2, more than doubling from EUR211 million a year prior. Revenue was EUR5.92 billion, up 22% from EUR4.84 billion.

It said that the successful integration of Coca-Cola Amatil, which expanded its distribution in Australia, the Pacific and Indonesia, helped to enhance top-line growth, operating margin and free cash flow generation.

CCEP bought Coca-Cola Amatil from its independent shareholders and US brand owner Coca-Cola Co. The deal valued Amatil at AUD9.77 billion, about GBP5.40 billion, and completed in May.

Volume in the period was up 18%, with 1.23 billion unit cases selling compared to 1.04 billion in 2020.

Operating profit climbed 94% to EUR520 million from EUR268 million. Operating expenses were up 11% at EUR1.56 billion from EUR1.40 billion.

"Together with The Coca-Cola Company and our other franchise partners, our collective focus on our core brands alongside solid in-market execution has served us well, growing share both instore and online," said Coca-Cola EP Chief Executive Damian Gammell.

"We are resolved in our determination to move further and faster towards a stronger and even more sustainable future."

Two of the company's manufacturing sites in Spain and Sweden were certified carbon neutral in the half-year.

Coca-Cola EP plans to announce its full-year dividend in the third quarter.

Looking forward, it expects full-year revenue growth between 26% and 28% on a comparable basis and operating profit growth of 40% to 44%.

"Whilst we are reassured by the pace of recovery and are cautiously optimistic, our strong H1 performance and full-year guidance for 2021 demonstrate our confidence in the future of our business," added Gammell.

Shares in Coca-Cola EP were flat at EUR48.83 in London on Thursday morning.

By Josie O'Brien; josieobrien@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - EnQuest PLC on Thursday reported a swing to profit in the first half of 2021 but warned full-year production may be at the lower end of the guidance range.

The oil and gas production company, which has operations in the UK's North Sea and Malaysia, booked pretax profit of USD49.1 million in the six months to June 30, swung from a loss of USD373.4 million last year.

Revenue was up 9.7% at USD481.3 million from USD438.7 million. EnQuest said revenue grew on the back of materially higher oil prices being partially offset by lower production.

The company's net debt reduced to USD1.18 billion at June 30 from USD1.27 billion at December 31 due to strong free cash flow generation. Total cash and available facilities was USD303.4 million at June 30 compared to USD284.1 million at December 31.

"The group delivered strong free cash flow in the first half which reduced net debt," said Chief Executive Amjad Bseisu.

"Performance at Kraken has been good with the FPSO performing well, while production at PM8/Seligi has been better than expected as a result of the acceleration of initial restoration activities following the riser detachment."

Looking forward, EnQuest expects 2021 average net production to be at the lower end of the guidance range of 46,000 to 52,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. This reflects expected performances at Magnus, the Greater Kittiwake Area and PM8/Seligi over the course of the second half of the year, it says.

The oil and gas producer declared no interim dividend.

Shares were down 8.9% at 23.00 pence in London on Thursday.

By Josie O'Brien; josieobrien@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Berkeley Energia Ltd - clean energy company focused on bringing wholly owned Salamanca project in Spain into production - Pretax loss in year to June 30 widens to USD55.0 million from USD42.9 million year before. Exploration & evaluation expenses slips to USD5.3 million from USD5.8 million and fair value movement on liabilities down to USD18.3 million charge from USD41.1 million charge, but books USD20.4 million impairment charge versus zero year before.

"Subsequent to the end of the year, the company reported that the board of the Nuclear Safety Council had issued an unfavourable report for the grant of the Nuclear Safety Council II," company says.

It adds: "The company has however taken steps to overturn the NSC II decision following the submission of an 'Improvement Report' to supplement the company's initial NSC II application, along with the corresponding arguments that address all of the issues raised by the NSC, and has requested its reassessment by the NSC.

"The Improvement Report includes technical arguments that, in the company's view, will clearly demonstrate that the project is compliant with all requirements for NSC II."

Current stock price: 15.52 pence

Year-to-date change: down 52%

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
2 September 2021

Domino's Pizza Group plc

Disposal of Switzerland Business

On 9 August 2021, Domino's Pizza Group plc ("DPG" or the "Company") announced that it had reached agreement to sells its entire shareholding in Domino's Pizza GmbH ("Domino's Switzerland").

The Company can advise that the transaction to sell Domino's Switzerland completed on 31 August 2021.

The disposal of Domino's Switzerland is the final part of DPG's planned exit from all directly operated international markets and allows management to focus on its core UK and Ireland operations, as announced by the Company in October 2019.

Contacts

For Domino's Pizza Group plc:Investor Relations

Will MacLaren, Head of Investor Relations +44 (0) 7443 192 118

Media:

Tim Danaher, Samantha Chiene - Brunswick +44 (0) 207 404 5959

About Domino's Pizza Group

Domino's Pizza Group plc is the UK's leading pizza brand and a major player in the Irish market. We hold the master franchise agreement to own, operate and franchise Domino's stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. We also have an associate investment in Germany and Luxembourg.
Jefferson, GA (30549)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Summer dresses have taken on a black look this year. So many have bought the cotton black look or the lacy black one. It is not a colour we associate with summer but in these days of uncertainty anything goes. A wedding I was recently involved with is one where the bride wore black and the groom a white tuxedo. They were playing their own game with colour and making wedding pictures ready for the glossy magazine they both worked for. This was a few months ago, so circa 2021, a bride in Soller wore black.

Soller has huge stories as part of its history which are well catalogued. Many know about the mass migration from Soller when the orange harvests failed. They know too of the wonderful houses that the returners built when they made their money and came back to the Hidden Valley. From 1850 onwards men left the Soller valley and relocated to France and Belgium.

This was to escape the severe poverty of the Soller valley, this migration was assisted by the Church and local priests. The priests set up connections with communities in France who could offer them work and accommodation. As these boys grew older they wanted to marry and many of them wanted a girl from home. The priests of France and Soller got busy again and began a matchmaking service along strict lines. Girls who wanted to marry had few options as the Soller Valley was bereft of young men.

Their families contacted their friendly Mr Fix it Matchmaker - Vicar Fiquet  to organise love and marriage. Vicar Fiquet was a local man who was the priest of Soller for many years and he evolved an introduction service that resulted in 1671 weddings. He would arrange a written connection between the families he thought would fit and then invite the men to Soller for five days. On day one the introductions took place with the girl sitting in an upstairs window and the boy walking the street below so that they could take a peep at each other. After that viewing the girls family would consult the priest and take it to the next level with a chaperoned meeting arranged for the next day. On day three the wedding took place at 7 am.

The bride wore her Sunday black dress and the boys the best suit they could borrow. The wedding celebrations were cut short because the girls would be required to be back at work in the fields by 8 am. On day four the wedding breakfast for family and friends took place.

Ensaimada and hot chocolate for all and then the couple left to prepare for their journey. On day five they left for their new home in France. The girls had hardly been outside Soller and didnt know when they would be back again, these partings were excruciatingly sad. The writings of the times talk of the valley of tears which accompanied them on their journey.

The black wedding dresses this story talks of are the girls Sunday best and easily made beautiful with the addition of flowers, particularly orange blossom, when it was in season.

The black wedding dresses of the aristocracy of the time were an altogether different story and can still be seen in the Possession Museums of Mallorca. The finest black silk and lace plus diamond and pearl buttons were stunning. Black for the peasant girls was a sign that they could use the dress again for other occasions such as going to Church. The lace creations of the rich shouted money, style and extravagance. The only thing the two types of dresses had in common was the colour.

The weddings of Mallorca this year represent the style and choices of those coming out of a pandemic crisis. Some are making new statements in what they wear and what they say in their vows. The world has turned on its axis in the last 18 months and many are using their special occasions to put theirs back on track.

This black trend in summer dresses and wedding dresses is happening for a reason. Black symbolises power, mystery, strength, elegance, formality, and sophistication. Its a positive, empowering colour, especially for women. It photographs beautifully and is positively edgy. Spanish brides often wear black gowns and lacy mantillas. The black colour is said represent the devotion of brides to their partner until death. All sorts of interesting reasons why the brides, are again, wearing black in Mallorca.
Manchester Center, VT (05254)

Today

Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
GRAND RAPIDS  Six professionals representing the Manistee County Child Advocacy Center attended the 11th annual conference of the Children's Advocacy Centers of Michigan, held Monday and Tuesday in Grand Rapids.

Manistee County Sheriff's Office Deputy Alex Schajter; Christina Thompson, MCCAC forensic interviewer; Chelsea Medacco, MCCAC outreach specialist/advocate; Kelli Petit, trauma therapist; Ludington Police Department Det. Mikki Hecko; and Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Department of Public Safety Sgt. Matthew Umlauf attended the two-day event at the DeVos Place Convention Center.
Real Madrid launched an outrageous bid of 200 million euros for Kylian Mbappe this summer, but they'll be forced to wait another year to make the signing as PSG refused to answer. In the end, only Eduardo Camavinga was signed. But, with a number of strikers available this summer, there were other names who could have benefitted Real Madrid for less than 200m euros.

There was a lot of talk over Erling Haaland, although Borussia Dortmund's position on him seems to be the same as PSG's on Mbappe. Harry Kane had looked for an exit from Tottenham this summer, while Robert Lewandowski was reported to want out of Bayern Munich. Even Raheem Sterling could have been a viable option, after a successful summer with England at Euro 2020.

Haaland and Pogba

Chelsea were the main team keen on Haaland this summer, but after buying Romelu Lukaku for a hefty 115m euros they are unlikely to launch an attack for the Norwegian next summer.

The healthy relationship between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund also means that the Spanish capital may be the most likely destination for Haaland.

Manchester United's Paul Pogba's contract also runs out in 2022, which will make him available as a free agent and there is no doubt Real Madrid will be keen to tie him down to a spell in Spain as well.

As it stands, Real Madrid's stance on Mbappe is clear. They want to see him wearing their white jersey. Despite slight worries that he may renew his contract in Paris, it seems unlikely from an outside perspective given his attitude towards the end of the summer transfer window.
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Robert Elton Rector, 84 yrs of Wilburton, Ok passed away at His home in Wilburton, Ok on Friday, September 3, 2021. Memorial Services will be on Friday, October 1, 2021 at 2 pm at the Waldrop Funeral Home Chapel in Wilburton, Ok Officiating will be Mr. Jay Caudill. Services are under the dir
Deadline Reminder: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Reminds Investors of Looming Deadline in the Class Action Lawsuit Against Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (YMM)
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ATLANTA  The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday sided with Georgia in a lawsuit Florida filed in 2013 over the allocation of water that flows between the two states. In a unanimous 9-0 opinion written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the court ruled that Florida failed to prove its allegations that Georgias water consumption from the []
Bob Barr represented Georgias Seventh District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. He served as the United States Attorney in Atlanta from 1986 to 1990 and was an official with the CIA in the 1970s. He now practices law in Atlanta, Georgia and serves as head of Liberty Guard.
Meadville, PA (16335)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low near 65F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low near 65F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
TORONTO

Sept. 2, 2021

Julie Martin

Canada

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

1pm EDT

12pm CDT

10am PDT

Strategies used to mitigate threats in 2020 & 2021

How to continue successfully navigating the transition period

Cutting-edge small & mid-size oncology biotech trials: where to run them & decision factors for our choice of regions in 2021-2022

Ayesha Rashid

/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Despite the many adaptations that have emerged over the course of 2020 and into 2021 to ensure oncology clinical trials are not disrupted, the number one challenge remains: adequate site selection.Recent global events have created opportunities to reconfigure and transform how clinical trials operate. There are a number of 'next normal' business considerations to be addressed as the industry moves forward into a post-COVID era., CEO & co-Owner of Scimega Research looks to the future and how to identify key operational process and adaptations to help US sponsors optimally navigate the 'new normal' in clinical trial operations inand other geographic areas. In this webinar, Julie will share strategies for how to leverage lessons learned in 2020 and put these into action to maximize clinical development progress in 2021-22.Register for the live webinar onat) to learn more about:Bonus Offer: Register now and receive immediate access to the white paper Expert Guidance to Key Advantages of Canadian Regulatory Landscape. For more information, or to register for this event, visit Optimally Navigating the 'Next Normal' for Oncology Clinical Trials.ABOUT XTALKSXtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.com For information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/, Xtalks.com, +1 (416) 977-6555 x 272, arashid@xtalks.comSOURCE Xtalks.com
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"The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape. Preliminary data presented to the Virus Evolution Working Group show a reduction in neutralization capacity of convalescent and vaccine sera similar to that seen for the Beta variant, but this needs to be confirmed by further studies," the UN health agency said.As of August 29, over 4,500 sequences (3,794 sequences of B.1.621 and 856 sequences of B.1.621.1) have been uploaded to open-access database GISAID (Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data) from 39 countries.While the global prevalence of the Mu variant among sequenced cases has declined and is currently below 0.1 percent, the prevalence in Colombia (39 percent) and Ecuador (13 percent) has consistently increased, the WHO said."The epidemiology of the Mu variant in South America, particularly with the co-circulation of the Delta variant, will be monitored for changes," the health agency added.There are four coronavirus variants of concern, as deemed by the WHO, with the Alpha variant -- first recorded in Kent, England -- seen in 193 countries, Beta in 141, Gamma in 91 and Delta in 170 countries, while Mu is the fifth variant of interest.Source: IANS
The Khans have dominated Bollywood for the better share of their careers and people have followed like demigods, even wanting to own things they have used in their movies. Time and again, there have been auctions wherein filmmakers or stylists have sold clothes or accessories used by the actors at insane prices.

Well, if you have seen Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), you cant forget Salman Khans towel dance in the song Jeene Ke Hain Chaar Din. His hook step became really famous and even the song was very popular as you could hear it at all the parties. But did you know that Salmans towel in the song was auctioned at an insane amount?

Reportedly, Salman Khans towel from Jeene Ke Hai Chaar Din was sold at a whopping price of Rs 1.42 lakh. Yes, that's right. We too were shocked after we got to know about the amount. We have heard of clothes and jewelry but a towel getting sold at this price proves that people are crazy about their favourite star Salman.

 T-Series

On the work front, Salman Khan is busy shooting for his upcoming movie Tiger 3. Maneesh Sharmas directorial is the third installment of the popular action-thriller franchise. The film has been in talks since its inception. Salman and Katrina were earlier in Russia but now they have moved to Turkey for the shoot.



A source close to the film earlier revealed details about Salman and Katrina's film. Salman and Katrina will land in Russia first and then head to multiple shooting destinations like Turkey and Austria. Aditya Chopra and Maneesh Sharma didn't want to compromise on the film's scale despite the pandemic, and they have planned 'Tiger 3' to be a visually spectacular theatrical experience. Thus, this schedule will add a lot to the film's visual extravaganza, and some never seen before action sequences will be filmed, said the source.

Excited about his upcoming film? Let us know in the comments section below.
The untimely death of popular Indian actor and Bigg Boss winner Sidharth Shukla is still a hard one for people to fathom. I mean, at the age of just 40, we figured that the amazingly talented star had so much to offer.

 Instagram/Sidharth Shukla

Unfortunately, he passed away after reportedly suffering a massive heart attack, leaving behind his mother and two elder sisters. All that is left for us to do is to pray for strength for his family in this torrid time.



While we still try to get used to the idea that we would never be seeing his smiling face on tv screens again, unfortunately, there is a long list of Bollywood stars who had sadly passed away after suffering from heart attacks. Here are some of them:

Bollywood Actors Who Died Of Heart Attack

Here is the list of Bollywood Actors Who Died From Heart Attacks :

1. Sridevi

 Instagram

One of the finest and influential actresses in Indian cinema, Sridevi had worked in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada language films, having around 300 films under her belt. However, on 24th February, 2018 the actress's body was found in a bathtub in Dubai's Jumeirah Emirates Tower hotel room after suffering from a reported cardiac arrest.



Her untimely death sent shockwaves not only across India but the rest of the world as well, after which crowds were seen gathered outside her Mumbai home.

2. Om Puri

 Twitter

Om Puri was an actor who was lauded by different generations for being one of the finest performers in the Hindi film industry. The Padma Shri-winning actor had worked in critically acclaimed films like Ardh Satya, Paar, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, along with a few Hollywood films as well.



However, on 6th January, 2017, he sadly passed away after a massive heart attack following which he was awarded an honorary OBE for his contribution to the British film industry.

3. Inder Kumar

 BCCL

Bollywood actor Inder Kumar won the heart of fans with his performances in movies like Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, Agnipath, Tumko Na Bhool Payenge and Salman Khan's Wanted. But the actor's life was cut short at the age of 44 after he suffered a heart attack at his residence in Mumbai late at night on 28th July, 2017.



4. Reema Lagoo

 Twitter

We all remember Reema Lagoo from 90s movies like Salman Khan's Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Saath-Saath Hain and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.



She was also a star performer of the hit Saas-Bahu comedy show, Tu Tu Main Main and had been working in the TV industry constantly. However, on May 18th, 2007, Reema passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest in the morning at the age of 59.

5. Razzak Khan

 Twitter

Let's admit it! Our lives were made a lot lighter whenever we saw Razzak Khan on the TV screens. Khan was a very popular comic actor who did a wide range of movies through the 90s and 2000s.



He had also been working on Comedy Nights With Kapil. But sadly, on 1st June, 2016, Razzak breathed his last after suffering a heart attack.

5. Sudha Shivpuri

 Twitter

Remember Baa from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi? Throughout the show, actors kept on leaving and returning, but Baa played by Sudha Shivpuri remained the same.



The veteran actress had gone on to do movies like Insaaf Ka Tarazu, Hamari Bahu Alka, Hum Dono and The Burning Train. Unfortunately, she had not been keeping well since the start of 2013 and on May 20th, 2014, passed away after suffering from a heart attack.

6. Vivek Shauq

 YouTube

Can you remember him and not have a smile on your face? Yeah, Vivek Shauq was one such actor who had impeccable comic timing. He had worked in movies like Aitraaz, 36 China Town, Dil Hai Tumara, Tango Charlie and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.



But sadly, on January 10th, 2011, Vivek passed away from septicemia after already suffering a heart attack a week earlier.

7. Farooq Sheikh

 Twitter

Farooq Sheikh was one popular actor who is remembered for wonderful films like Angoor, Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chashme Baddoor. Apart from being an actor, he was a philanthropist and a popular television presenter and hosted Jeena Issi ka Naam hai where he interviewed many Bollywood celebrities.



Unfortunately, he passed away after suffering a heart attack on 27th December, 2013 while he was on a family holiday in Dubai.

8. Dev Anand

 BCCL

Without a shadow of a doubt, Dev Anand was one of the biggest stars Bollywood has known and is rightfully up there as a Hall of Famer. The actor through his work in Indian cinema for around 65 years and 116 films, had garnered prestigious awards like Padma Bhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke.



Sadly, the actor passed away at the age of 88 on 4th December, 2011 in his hotel room in London.

9. Zohra Sehgal

 BCCL

Zohra Sehgal's legacy will forever remain etched in Indian cinema's history due to her role as an actress, dancer, and choreographer. She had worked in a lot of films over a period of more than 60 years with films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Veer Zara still remembered for her performances.



However, she passed away on July 10th, 2014 at the age of 102 after suffering a cardiac arrest.

10. Rajesh Vivek

 Twitter

Rajesh was a part of the film that went on to the Oscars, Aamir Khan's Lagaan. Apart from that, Rajesh was known to be a truly talented artist with his roles in movies like Swades still fondly remembered by fans.



But unfortunately, on 14th January, 2016 Rajesh, when he had been shooting for a film in Hyderabad, he suffered a heart attack and passed away at the age of 66.
We have all witnessed the sad developments in Afghanistan where the Taliban has finally taken control of the country.

 Reuters

If you had turned on the news on your TV or kept up with the latest reports on the terrible things happening in Afghanistan, especially the graphic video of the kids falling from the US airplane, it surely would have had an adverse impact on you.



Now, at a time when men, women, and children alike are facing the wrath of the Taliban in the country and everything that they stand for is at stake, there is still a section of people celebrating these latest developments.

Yes. As per reports, a certain section of Indian Muslims have been celebrating the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and have apparently been vocal about their support for their return to power for the first time since 2001.

However, for those many people, a warning has been issued by none other than veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah.

 Twitter

The 71-year-old theatre and film actor released a video of his take on the celebrations and labeled them 'dangerous'.



"Even as the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan is a cause for concern for the whole world, celebrations of the barbarians by some sections of Indian Muslims is no less dangerous," he said in a video shared on social media.

Shah also said that the very people who are currently celebrating the Taliban's return to power should instead question themselves if that's how they'd want things for themselves in the future.

"Do they want to reform their religion or live with the old barbarism?" the actor questioned the section of people. Shah then also went on to describe the difference between what he referred to as "Hindustani Islam" and the Islam practiced in other parts of the world.

"May God not bring a time when it changes so much that we cannot even recognize it," he concluded in the video.

Before their return to power recently, the Taliban had held the reigns over roughly three-quarters of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and enforced a strict interpretation of Sharia.

However, it was then overthrown by US-led forces for harboring Al Qaeda that was behind the deadly 9/11 Attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.

 Reuters

Now, while the world is fearing for the lives of Afghanistani people, the Taliban leaders have claimed that, unlike last time, they will respect human rights and won't allow terrorists to operate from within the country.


Euleen Rickard, co-founder of the McLean County History Museum and Regional Family Research Center, during her visit to the facilitys annex dedicated to her and her late husband, Alvin, in November 2020.
: $443.02 per tonne, up $11.99 per tonne: $403.85 per tonne, up $7.33 per tonne: $262.11 per tonne, up $2.09 per tonne: $225.39 per tonne, up $10.49 per tonneIn the cfr market, the offer price for second-tier hard coking coal Affinity was $410 per tonne cfr China, a trading source in Australia heard on late Wednesday September 1.

With the premium hard...
West Nile virus survey in ruffed grouse begins third study year

West Nile virus survey in ruffed grouse begins third study year

Michigan DNR: Julie Melotti, 517-336-5042; Minnesota DNR: Charlotte Roy, 218-328-8876; Wisconsin DNR: Alaina Gerrits, 608-513-6739 Natural Resources

Sept. 2, 2021

The study of West Nile virus in ruffed grouse will resume this fall in Michigan, after a one-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with Minnesota and Wisconsin natural resources departments, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources began this multiyear study in 2018 to better understand the prevalence and distribution of the virus in ruffed grouse in the Upper Great Lakes region.

Results from previous study years suggest that while the virus is present in the Great Lakes region, grouse exposed to the virus can survive and develop antibodies as an immune response. In 2019, 20 of the 281 samples collected tested positive for exposure to the virus. Viral antibodies were confirmed in seven birds and likely in 13 additional birds. Only one juvenile male tested positive for the virus. In 2018, 28 of 213 samples were positive for exposure to the virus, with viral antibodies confirmed in nine birds and likely in 19. Four samples were positive for the virus.

"Though the virus can impact the ruffed grouse population, the impact appears to be minimal in Michigan," said Julie Melotti, a laboratory technician at the DNR Wildlife Disease Laboratory. "In the Upper Peninsula, the overall health of the grouse population is more dependent on high-quality habitat, such as areas of regenerating aspen stands near stands of mature timber. In these areas, grouse are more likely to be healthier and have stronger immune responses to disease, inclement weather and other limiting factors."

Sample kits have been distributed to grouse hunters in key West Nile virus surveillance areas to collect samples for viral analysis. The samples will be analyzed for antibodies, which indicate exposure to the virus, and heart tissue will be examined to screen for current presence of it. Sample kits were not distributed in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but recently have been distributed to Michigan hunters for data collection during the 2021 season. Hunters who have kits remaining from past seasons are welcome to use them and submit additional samples. Hunters who provide email contact information with their samples will be notified of their results next fall.

West Nile virus was first detected in ruffed grouse in Michigan in 2002. Transmitted by mosquitoes, the virus can cause inflammation of the brain, brain lining, and spinal cord and heart lesions in infected birds. Grouse that have contracted the virus may fly erratically, act abnormally, or appear sick, thin and in poor condition. However, these symptoms are not always present in infected grouse. If you find a bird that appears thin or sick, please report your observations to the Wildlife Disease Lab at 517-336-5030 or through the online reporting system Eyes in the Field.

While most humans that contract West Nile virus are generally symptom-free, about one in five will develop a fever with other flu-like symptoms. While spending time outdoors during periods when mosquitoes are active, the DNR recommends using an insect repellent or keeping exposed skin covered. To learn more about the West Nile virus study in ruffed grouse or about the virus in Michigan, see the West Nile Virus and Ruffed Grouse FAQ.

Note to editors: Accompanying photos are available below for download. Caption information follows.
Sept. 1, 2021

Proposals accepted through Nov. 1

Michigan's Invasive Species Grant Program is now accepting proposals for the 2021 funding cycle, with an anticipated $3.6 million available to applicants.

The program - a joint effort of the Michigan departments of Natural Resources; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Agriculture and Rural Development - is part of a statewide initiative launched in 2014 to help prevent, detect and control invasive species in Michigan.

An invasive species is one that is not native and whose introduction causes harm, or is likely to cause harm, to Michigan's environment, economy or human health.

"By engaging the public more actively and encouraging innovative new methods of keeping our Great Lakes water and land healthy this program will continue to be an asset in the battle against invasives," said Liesl Clark, EGLE director.

Program handbook, webinar

The 2021 grant program handbook outlines program priorities and application guidelines. Applicants also can take advantage of a webinar Wednesday, Sept. 8, to learn more about general grant information, the application process and 2021 priorities.

Both the handbook and webinar registration information are available at Michigan.gov/MISGP. A recorded version of the webinar will be available at this website after Sept. 8.

2021 priorities

The program supports projects that will prevent the introduction or spread of invasive species by engaging the public in prevention practices and reducing the risk of moving invasive species into high-risk areas.

Proposals aiding early detection and response efforts for species on Michigan's Watch List and proposals increasing regional or statewide response preparedness for new or emerging invasive species are also requested.

To manage invasive species already established in Michigan, the program targets proposals for novel and efficient control techniques and projects that improve detection and control methods through increased understanding of species biology and ecology. Proposals to develop or improve tools, such as risk assessments and prioritization models, to inform management and control decisions also are encouraged. Support is offered to Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas across the state to implement strategic plans for outreach, detection and control of regional priority species.

Program progress

The Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program supports projects throughout the state that prevent, detect, manage and eradicate invasive species on the ground and in the water. Total program funding is set by the Legislature and the governor during the annual budget cycle.

In the last seven years, the program has awarded over $25 million to 173 projects, resulting in management of invasive species including hemlock woolly adelgid, phragmites and red swamp crayfish on more than 60,000 acres of land and water statewide. Highlights of the 2020 invasive species program are available in the Michigan Invasive Species Program Annual Report, which includes program-funded projects. Regional Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas operate in all of Michigan's 83 counties, assisting the public in identifying and managing invasive species. Contact information for individual CISMAs can be found at Michigan.gov/Invasives in the Take Action section.

Important program dates and information

Local, state, federal and tribal units of government, nonprofit organizations and universities may apply for funding to support invasive species projects in Michigan. Full project proposals are due Nov.1. Award announcement is anticipated in March 2022.

Grant requests for general projects can range from a minimum of $25,000 to a maximum of $400,000. CISMAs can request up to $60,000 for annual implementation of prevention, detection and control activities and up to $40,000 for specific survey and treatment projects. Applicants must commit to providing a minimum of 10 percent (in the form of a local match) of the total project cost.

Competitive applications will outline clear objectives, propose significant ecological benefits, demonstrate diverse collaboration and show strong community support.

New this year, all applications must be submitted through the MiGrants online system. Applicants can access the system at MiGrants.Intelligrants.com or follow the link at Michigan.gov/MISGP.

Michigan's Invasive Species Program is cooperatively implemented by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

/Note to editors: Accompanying photos are available below for download. Suggested captions and photo credit information follow:

Tree injection: A certified pesticide applicator prepares a pesticide injection for a hemlock tree infested with hemlock woolly adelgid.

Crayfish: A team from DNR, EGLE and Michigan State University looks for red swamp crayfish in burrows./
MDHHS updates 'Do Not Eat' advisory for deer near Clark's Marsh

Advisory now applies to smaller area based on recent PFAS data analysis

MDHHS updates 'Do Not Eat' advisory for deer near Clark's Marsh

Advisory now applies to smaller area based on recent PFAS data analysis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sept. 2, 2021

Contact: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112

LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is reducing the coverage area of its 'Do Not Eat' advisory for white-tailed deer taken from the Clark's Marsh area in Oscoda Township in Iosco County. The advisory now applies to deer taken from within a three-mile radius of the marsh instead of the previous five-mile radius.

The original five-mile 'Do Not Eat' advisory was issued in 2018 after tissue from one of 20 deer taken near Clark's Marsh showed extremely high levels of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), a type of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), which is associated with harmful health effects in people, including reduced fertility, thyroid disease and liver damage.

"As we have now gathered additional data about deer, PFAS levels and their proximity to Clark's Marsh, we have updated our health advisory," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS. "We will continue to monitor PFAS levels in wildlife to help protect the health and safety of Michiganders who hunt and fish in this area."

In 2020, an additional 44 deer were collected around Clark's Marsh. Muscle and liver samples from these deer were tested for PFAS. Deer from the 2020 collection

had various PFAS, including PFOS, in their muscle and liver samples. After analyzing the available data from 2018 and 2020, MDHHS discovered a relationship between detections of PFOS in a deer and the deer's proximity to Clark's Marsh.

The data showed that deer living closer to the marsh were more likely to have PFOS in their livers. The finding is included in the 2021 report PFAS levels in Michigan Deer from the Oscoda Area, Iosco County.

A map of the new advisory area is located online.

A 'Do Not Eat' advisory for all fish and aquatic or semi-aquatic wildlife taken from Clark's Marsh remains in place. This includes fish, aquatic and semi-aquatic mammals (including muskrats), amphibians (including frogs), mollusks (including snails), reptiles (including turtles) and arthropods (including crayfish).

In addition, MDHHS continues to recommend people do not eat organs from any fish, deer or other wild game in the state because many chemicals, including PFAS, can accumulate in the organs of wildlife.

For more information, visit Michigan.gov/PFASResponse.

For more information about wild game consumption, visit Michigan.gov/EatSafeGame.

For health-related questions, please contact MDHHS at 800-648-6942.

# # #
Hartford Police Officer Sent to Trial in Excessive Force Case

Hartford Police Officer Sent to Trial in Excessive Force Case

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622



September 2, 2021

LANSING - A judge ruled there is enough evidence to send a Hartford officer to trial for misconduct and assault and battery, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today. Matthew Mistretta, 31, was arraigned in May on the following in the 7th District Court of Van Buren County: two counts of assault and battery, a 93-day misdemeanor; and

one count of misconduct in office by a public official, a five-year felony.

Mistretta was charged as a result of several public integrity investigations conducted by Nessel's Public Integrity Unit (PIU).

Following a preliminary hearing Thursday, Judge Arthur Clarke bound the case over to circuit court.

"My office will continue to hold public servants accountable who fail to uphold the integrity of their oath to protect and serve," Nessel said.

Last August, Hartford Police Officer Mathew Mistretta conducted a traffic stop on a truck that was speeding and being driven erratically.

Bystander video of the resulting incident showed Mistretta removing a male driver from the truck, shoving him into the side of the truck to handcuff him and then slamming him onto the hood of the patrol car. Mistretta then proceeded to take the individual to the ground and knelt on him in a similar manner to the George Floyd murder.

At no point during the arrest was the man resisting or obstructing Mistretta, according to video evidence. A passenger in the truck reported hearing the driver tell Mistretta he couldn't breathe.

Mistretta's first circuit court appearance is set for Sept. 20 at 1:45 p.m. before Judge Kathleen Brickley.

###
Katie Volmering was recently named the new district manager for the Huron Conservation District.

Volmering is taking over for Jeannette Renn, who retired after being with the district for nearly 49 years.

The board of directors would like to congratulate Renn on her retirement and thank her for the years of service and dedication to the district, a district press release read.

Volmering is no stranger to farming. Growing up in Minden City, Volmerings family owned and operated a cash crop and cattle farm.

I grew up on a farm with my parents and my sisters, Volmering said. I worked on the farm and I always knew I wanted to go back into the ag industry.

After graduating high school Volmering attended Michigan State University where she earned a bachelors of science with a focus on crop and soil sciences. From there, Volmering worked in agricultural sales and as an agricultural education assistant before joining the conservation district.

It wasnt only Volmerings love for agriculture that prompted her to return to the Thumb after graduation, but also her husband Troy, who she married in 2014. Volmering lives in Harbor Beach with her husband and their three sons. They farm with her husbands family where they raise beef cattle and grow cash crops such as sugarbeets, corn, wheat and dry beans.

Ag is such a huge part of this county, Volmering said. Everywhere you turn there is someone that is connected to the agricultural industry. I cant even tell you how many jobs are ag-related in Huron County.

Volmering has worked with the district since Aug. 2020, when she started at the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program technician.

She estimates the Huron Conservation District has performed almost 200 MAEAP farm verifications.

The MAEAP addresses farmstead, cropping, livestock and forest, wetlands and habitat systems. This is achieved by evaluating different systems and finding ways to improve to reduce erosion and runoff into ponds, rivers, streams and lakes.

The Huron Conservation Districts mission is to maintain the economic viability of the agricultural communities, the recreational opportunities, and the tourism trade in Huron County, while improving and protecting water quality in the Saginaw Bay. We will address drainage, ice and flooding issues. We will encourage all land users and homeowners to adopt and support conservation practices. We will work toward improving, protecting, and maintaining wildlife habitat.

Volmering said the districts mission is achieved education on conservation practices such as reduced tillage, planting of cover crops and nitrate testing.

She said the education of practices on how to increase efficiency and sustainability are important.

Farmers are doing a lot of very sound conservation practices and a lot of those practices benefit the environment, Volmering said.

For more information on the Huron Conservation District visit huroncd.org or call 989-269-9540 ext. 3.
MORLEY  Last week, amid continued chaos and confusion in the wake of the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, 13 United States service members lost their lives in a suicide bomb attack at the Kabul Airport.

Eleven Marines, two soldiers and one sailor  all of them heroes in their own right  were taken from their families without ever getting a chance at a proper goodbye.

Some of them had posted to their social media accounts or reached out to family members in recent days to assure them that everything was going to be fine.

In the days that have followed since the attack in Kabul, the names of those 13 Americans, along with their military branch and rank of service, have been made available to the public.

As the families of these individuals mourn their sudden loss, an outpouring of love and support has hit the airwaves and gone viral. Bars, restaurants and VFW halls across the country have decided to pay tribute to the fallen in their own special way, but one trend has quickly taken hold as the most popular and symbolic.

Images of 13 ice cold glasses of beer resting atop an unoccupied table have stolen the day, as well as the hearts of Americans everywhere, including Mecosta County.

The Morley American Legion Post #554 followed suit and posted a tribute of its own to its Facebook page.

Morley Sons of the American Legion Commander Danny Peacock said he, too, wanted to show his support for the troops.

One of our bartenders brought that up to me at first, and I thought that was an awesome idea and something we should do, Peacock said.

Since the post hit Facebook, it has accrued more than 143 likes, 41 shares and an ever-growing list of positive comments.

Peacock said he was happy to see the community latch on and spread the message of positivity in such a dark time in the countrys history.

I feel like, the more people who can be enlightened, the better off were going to be in the long run, Peacock said.

Danny Peacock runs the Legion, served in the U.S. Navy and has a litany of relatives who have also served their country with honor.

The 13 service members were: Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo; Sgt. Nicole L. Gee; Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover; Cpl. Hunter Lopez; Cpl. Daegan W. Page; Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez; Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza; Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz; Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum; Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola; Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui; Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak; and Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss;

The post can be found on the Morley American Legion Post #554 Facebook page.
BRDO CASTLE, Slovenia (AP)  Still reeling from the European Union's shortcomings in Afghanistan, officials from the 27-nation bloc on Thursday discussed ways to improve their response to future crises and not be so reliant on the U.S.

Afghanistan has shown that the deficiency in our strategic autonomy comes with a price," EU top diplomat Josep Borrell said following talks in Slovenia with defense ministers that also involved NATO and UN officials. And that the only way forward is to combine our forces and to strengthen not only our capacity, but also our will to act."

During their meeting, European defense ministers looked at ways to improve the blocs operational engagement and develop a rapid response force capable of operating in difficult military theaters. They also discussed plans for the so-called strategic compass, a document aiming at harmonizing crisis management and defining defense ambitions for the bloc that is expected to be drafted before the end of the year.

Their foreign affairs counterparts later met for a debate on the future relationship the EU wants to develop with the Taliban. Borrell said the bloc needs to take into account the country's new political reality and to define how it will engage with the new rulers.

The EU has set conditions for working with the Taliban, including the respect of human rights and the safe passage of those still willing to leave the country.

Certainly we have to develop an engagement with the Taliban for many issues, Borrell said, adding that the most pressing issue was to bring help to those looking for a way out.

Borrell insisted that the people leaving the war-torn country should not be treated as migrants but considered as asylum seekers amid fears in many member states that an Afghan refugee crisis could soon develop in Europe.

One EU official with direct knowledge of the ministerial discussions said there was a general consensus among defense ministers to acknowledge the fiasco that followed the withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan.

The Talibans takeover and the rushed airlift operation that followed the U.S. decision to pull out have laid bare the EUs dependency on its ally. Without American support, European countries wouldn't have been able to guarantee the safe exit of their citizens or even their troops.

The strategic situation, the geostrategic changes, show that now we need a stronger Europe, said Claudio Graziano, the chairman of the EU military committee. The situation in Afghanistan, Libya, Middle East, Sahel, show that now its the time to act starting with the creation of a rapid European entry force able to show the will of the European Union to act as a global strategic partner. When if not now, later would be late.

But finding a consensus among the 27 EU member states to create such a standby EU force of around 5,000 troops is not an easy task.

European countries on the border with Russia often oppose the idea of autonomy, for instance Poland and the Baltic nations. EU heavyweight Germany is also a strong supporter of using NATO for security operations and keeping the U.S. defense umbrella in Europe.

We don't have yet a complete unanimity, I would be lying to you if today everybody agreed on that explicitly," Borrell said.

He added that in light of the disengagement of the U.S. on the international scene, the EU has no other option than to increase its capacity to act independently.

It's nothing against NATO, it's nothing against the EU-US alliance, it's a way of becoming stronger, facing our responsibilities and mobilizing the resources in order to face the challenges that we will have to face," he said.

The EU is already endowed with rapid reaction teams  so-called battlegroups  each made up of about 1,500 personnel. But they have never been used in major crises, and the bloc doesn't deploy EU missions to active conflict zones.

German defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said the focus now would need to be on the kinds of troops needed to conduct a mission such as the U.S. military-run evacuation from Kabul airport.

Its not about what NATO does or what the EU does, she added. To some extent its about what we as Europeans do in NATO.

Slovenian Defense Minister Matej Tonin, whose country currently holds the EUs rotating presidency, said defense ministers also debated how to send soldiers abroad even without consensus, by lifting the unanimity requirement.

Maybe the solution is we invent a mechanism where a classical majority will be enough and those who are willing will be able to go, he said. If a majority within the European Union decides to send somewhere the troops, they can go in the name of the European Union. And the countries which will participate in these groups will be lets say the willing countries. So that we dont force the countries who dont want be part of that mission.

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Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this story.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it's possible the United States will seek to coordinate with the Taliban on counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan against Islamic State militants or others.

Milley did not elaborate, and his comment Wednesday did not appear to suggest immediate plans to work with the Taliban.

U.S. military commanders coordinated daily with Taliban commanders outside the Kabul airport over the past three weeks to facilitate the evacuation of more than 124,000 people. But that was a matter of convenience for both parties and not necessarily a sign that they will pursue, or even want, a regular relationship in the future.

The U.S. military ousted the Taliban from power in the fall of 2001 and fought against them for the 19 years that followed.

The extent and nature of a U.S.-Taliban relationship, now that the war is over, is one of the key issues to be worked out. The U.S. diplomatic presence in Kabul has been moved to Doha, Qatar. President Joe Biden has noted several times recently that the Taliban are avowed enemies of the Islamic State group in Afghanistan, suggesting a shared interest with the United States.

At a Pentagon news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Milley called the Taliban ruthless adding, Whether or not they change remains to be seen. He suggested that the recent cooperative arrangement with the Taliban at Kabul airport was not necessarily a model for the future.

In war you do what you must in order to reduce risk to mission and force, not what you necessarily want to do, Milley said.

Biden has promised further targeting of the IS group in Afghanistan in response to the IS suicide bombing last week at a Kabul airport gate that killed scores of Afghans and 13 American service members. On Saturday the U.S. military carried out a drone strike in Afghanistan that it said killed two IS planners. On Tuesday, Biden said, To ISIS-K: We are not done with you yet, referring to the IS group.

Targeting Islamic State militants or other extremist groups, such as al-Qaida, will be more difficult with no U.S. military forces on the ground and no friendly government forces with which to share intelligence on extremist networks. But the Biden administration asserts that it can contain these groups by monitoring and potentially striking with assets based elsewhere in the region.

Although the Taliban oppose IS, it's far from clear that they will be inclined to work with the U.S. military or the Central Intelligence Agency now that they have regained power in Kabul. Milley has recent experience with Taliban leaders; twice last year, most recently in December, he met face-to-face with them in an attempt to slow their attacks on the U.S.-backed Afghan government, which collapsed in mid-August, triggering the frantic U.S.-led evacuation.

Austin sounded at least as skeptical as Milley regarding the possibility that the coordination in recent days at the Kabul airport suggests a future relationship with the Taliban.

I would not make any leaps of logic to broader issues, said Austin.

Both Austin and Milley commanded troops in Afghanistan during the 20-year war and their comments at Wednesday's news conference largely focused on tributes to those who served in Afghanistan, including those who died or were wounded. They also thanked all who contributed to the final airlift, which Austin called the largest evacuation of civilians in American history.

Milley and Austin urged war veterans to view their service as worthwhile and appreciated by the American public, while acknowledging that the memories can be painful.

War is hard. Its vicious. Its brutal. Its unforgiving, Milley said. "Yes, we all have pain and anger. When we see what has unfolded over the last 20 years and over the last 20 days, that creates pain and anger.

With the U.S. involvement in the war over and all American military out of the country, Biden is grappling with the prospects of a new relationship with the Taliban. He has tasked Secretary of State Antony Blinken with coordinating with international partners to hold the Taliban to their promise of safe passage for Americans and others who want to leave in the days ahead.

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, has described the U.S. relationship with the Taliban during the evacuation as very pragmatic and very businesslike, saying they helped secure the airport. But other reports from people in Afghanistan described shootings, violence and Taliban moves to block desperate Afghans from getting through the gates.

Biden in an address to the nation Tuesday defended his decision to end America's longest war and withdraw all U.S. troops by an Aug. 31 deadline.

I was not going to extend this forever war, Biden declared from the White House. "And I was not going to extend a forever exit.

Biden is coming under heavy criticism, particularly from Republicans, for his handling of the evacuation. But he said it was inevitable that the final departure from two decades of war, first negotiated with the Taliban for May 1 by former President Donald Trump, would have been difficult, with likely violence, no matter when it was planned and conducted.

To those asking for a third decade of war in Afghanistan, I ask, What is the vital national interest?" Biden said. He added, "I simply do not believe that the safety and security of America is enhanced by continuing to deploy thousands of American troops and spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan.

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Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (AP)  Federal prosecutors urged a judge Thursday to reject claims by a former New York doctor that his guilty plea in state court in a sex abuse case means he cant be prosecuted in federal court on sex assault charges.

In papers in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors defended their charges against Robert A. Hadden, calling it an absurd contention" to say they can't prosecute because Hadden in 2016 pleaded guilty under a state plea deal, admitting to forcible touching and one count of a criminal sex act.
TOKYO  Moderna Inc. and its Japanese partner are recalling more than 1 million doses of the U.S. drug makers coronavirus vaccine after confirming that contamination reported last week was tiny particles of stainless steel.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. is in charge of sale and distribution in Japan of the Moderna vaccine. The two companies said an investigation at a Spanish factory that produced the vials in question concluded the contamination occurred in the process of putting stops on the vials.

The companies on Aug. 26 announced suspension of 1.63 million doses produced at the line after reports of contamination. Japanese officials said about a half million people had received shots from the Moderna vials before the problem surfaced.

The trouble comes at a time Japan is pushing to accelerate vaccinations amid rising infections that are straining the Japanese health care system.

Pharmaceutical and health ministry officials say they do not believe the high-grade stainless steel poses health risks.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 WHO launches hub in Berlin to help prevent future pandemics

 Vaccinations in rural India increase amide supply concerns

 Sound bite pandemic of the unvaccinated captures part of story

 France starts COVID-19 booster shot campaign for elderly

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronvirus-vaccine

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

TAIPEI, Taiwan  Taiwan has received its first Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China.

Taiwan had been unable to buy the vaccine itself directly from BioNTech, the German company that partnered with U.S.-based Pfizer to develop the vaccine.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen accused China of blocking the deal while China denied any interference.

Two private companies and a Buddhist organization stepped in to buy the vaccine doses and donate them to Taiwan. The doses that arrived Thursday will be given to 12- to 17-year-olds.

Taiwan has been using AstraZeneca, Moderna and the domestically made Medigen vaccine to give 43% of its population at least one dose.

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TORONTO  Ontario is the fourth Canadian province to announce residents will have to show proof of vaccination against the coronavirus to enter restaurants, theaters, gyms and other indoor public venues.

Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday that the vaccination certificate program will take effect Sept. 22.

Initially, residents will show a PDF or printout of the vaccination receipt they received when they got the irshots, along with a government-issued piece of ID such as a photo health card or drivers license.

The province is expected to launch a system in late October that will send everyone a QR code to accompany their vaccination receipt. It will also launch an app that will allow service providers to scan the QR codes as proof of vaccination.

British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba have also implemented some form of vaccine certificate program.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  An Oklahoma judge on Wednesday said she will temporarily block a state law banning public school mask mandates, but students or their parents can opt-out of the requirement if they choose.

Judge Natalie Mai said she will issue a temporary injunction that will go into effect next week when she issues a written order detailing her ruling.

Mai said she is blocking the law because it applies only to public, not private, schools and that schools adopting a mask mandate must provide an option for parents or students to opt out of the requirement.

The ruling drew praise from Gov. Kevin Stitt, who signed the law and opposes mask mandates without exemptions, and Dr. Mary Clarke, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which joined the lawsuit brought by four parents who oppose the law.

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BERLIN  The head of the World Health Organization says he opposes widespread use of boosters for healthy people for now, underscoring the need to get doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to poorer countries.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke in Berlin on Wednesday. He says the U.N. health agency last week witnessed the first decline in new global cases in more than two months.

He says that this is obviously very welcome but it doesnt mean much, since many countries are still seeing steep increases and shocking inequities in access to vaccines.

Tedros says he is calling for a moratorium on booster shots at least until the end of September to allow those countries that are furthest behind to catch up.

He says third doses may be necessary for the most at-risk populations, where there is evidence of waning immunity against severe disease and death.

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LONDON  Britain is offering a third dose of a coronavirus vaccine to up to half a million people who have severely weakened immune systems to give them additional protection.

The governments vaccine advisers says people over 12 years old with conditions such as leukemia, advanced HIV and recent organ transplants will be offered a third jab.

Professor Wei Shen Lim of the official Joint Committee on Vaccine and Immunization says the move aims to reduce the risks of hospitalization and death for the severely immuno-suppressed, a population estimated at 400,000 to 500,000 people, or less than 1% of the total population.

The offer is separate to decisions on a wider vaccine booster program, details of which havent been confirmed. Health Secretary Sajid Javid says that booster program, which prioritizes older age groups, is still planned to start this month.

More than 78% of Britains population over age 16 have received both doses of the vaccine. The governments vaccine advisory committee hasnt decided whether to include all healthy teens age 12 to 15.

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MADRID  Spain has reached its initial goal of fully vaccinating 70% of its population for the coronavirus, according to the health ministry.

Despite a slow rollout of vaccines at the start of the year, Spains public health care system has fully vaccinated more than 33 million people. Over 92% of those over 40 years old are fully covered.

Health Minister Carolina Darias says vaccinations will continue because of the coronavirus, which is forcing certain health restriction to remain in place.

Also, Spains board of vaccine experts has recommended a third shot of vaccine be administered to those people with weak immune systems, such as transplant recipients. Its national and regional health authorities will take up the issue on Sept. 8 when they hold their weekly meeting on the pandemic.

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BERLIN  The World Health Organization has inaugurated a new hub in Berlin meant to better prepare the globe for future pandemics.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday launched the new WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn says its part of an effort to build a world safer from upcoming pandemics in the future. The German government is investing $100 million in the facility.

It aims to promote better information-sharing and analysis, leading to better coordinated decision-making after the patchy global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Michael Ryan, the WHOs emergencies chief, says the faster we identify new infectious disease risks, the faster we can respond.

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NEW DEHLI  More students in India can return to a classroom for the first time in nearly 18 months.

Authorities have given approval to partially reopen more schools despite apprehension from some parents and signs that infections are rising.

Schools and colleges in at least six more states will reopen in a gradual manner with health measures in place throughout September. Activities have been slowly returning in India after the trauma of a ferocious coronavirus surge this year brought daily life in the country to a halt, sickened tens of millions and left hundreds of thousands dead.

A number of states returned last month to in-person learning for some age groups.

Daily new infections have fallen sharply since their peak of more than 400,000 in May. On Saturday, India recorded 46,000 new cases, the highest in nearly two months.

Meanwhile, India has dramatically increased vaccination rates in its vast rural areas, where around 65% of its nearly 1.4 billion people live in villages served by fragile health care systems. Even though demand for vaccines has been increasing in villages, supply constraints continue for the worlds largest maker of vaccines. Experts say its unlikely the country will reach its objective of vaccinating all adults by the end of 2021.

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WARSAW, Poland  Polands health minister says rising coronavirus cases mean citizens should remain vigilant.

Adan Niedzielski commenting Wednesday on latest figures that show 366 new infections, compared to 234 a week ago, and five deaths from COVID-19.

Its a 50% increase, and maybe its good because its a sign that will remind us about the need for discipline because the pandemic is still with us, Niedzielski said on radio RMF FM.

He says almost half of the 38-million nation has been fully vaccinated and should reduce the number of hospitalizations and deaths.

Vaccinations are a gift for us from the science and we should use it as a precaution, Niedzielski said.

Poland has registered nearly 2.9 million infections and 75,300 confirmed deaths.

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PARIS  France has started administering coronavirus booster shots to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions.

The move is meant to shore up their vaccine protection against the highly contagious delta variant. People can get the shot on the condition a minimum six-month period has passed since they got fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

The Health Ministry says about 18 million people are eligible for the booster shot.

France has been facing increased cases since July, with a slight decrease in recent weeks  from 23,000 per day around mid-August to the current 17,000. Health officials are concerned about a reversal of the trend as children return to school on Thursday.

Almost 44 million people, or 65% of the French population, are fully vaccinated.

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TIRANA, Albania  Albanian health authorities started compulsory vaccination for the medical staff, teachers, professors, and students on Wednesday.

They are obliged to hand over the vaccination passport until the end of the month or show results from periodical coronavirus tests. Those who decline will be fined ($29-$48).

The month of September is open for anyone 18 and older to get a shot. With the end of the tourist season comes the return of those entering the country to show a vaccination passport or negative virus test in the last 72 hours.

Albania has seen a significant surge of the daily virus cases in August. About one-fourth of the 2.8 million population has been fully vaccinated.

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ATHENS, Greece  Staff at public hospitals have held protests around Greece on the deadline to comply with a vaccination mandate for health care workers or face suspension without pay.

The government says the measure is needed to safeguard hospitals amid a third major surge in COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. But health care unions say it is unnecessary, noting that an estimated 95% of doctors and 90% of other staff at the countrys largest hospitals are fully vaccinated.

Infection levels spiked in August to the highest level recorded in the country, and pressure on hospitals has been building in recent weeks.

Nearly 64% of Greeces adult population is fully vaccinated, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, while the European Union average reached 70% Tuesday.

Health care unions in Greece say they support the governments vaccination campaign but oppose mandates. A three-hour work stoppage at public hospitals is planned Thursday.

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ISTANBUL  A Turkish family that lost eight members to COVID-19 over a five-month period is calling on scientists to examine their genetic make-up to determine if they are more prone to the virus.

Burak Genc, 24, was the first in the family to die, in early November last year, followed by his father Muhammet six days later. Within six weeks they were followed by four other relatives, who are believed to have contracted the virus at the funerals or during visits to pay their condolences.

Two more members of the family died in February and April. After alerting the authorities, the remaining 25 members of the family were vaccinated and they have not suffered a loss since.

According to Turkish Health Ministry data, 60% of over-18s have received two doses of vaccine. However, the country has experienced rising case numbers since restrictions were relaxed in July, and daily infections hover around 20,000. Some 21,900 cases were recorded on Tuesday and there were 252 confirmed deaths.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer celebrates Michigan's Hispanic population by proclaiming September 2021 as Hispanic Heritage Month.

Michigans Hispanic and Latino residents are an essential part of our states cultural and economic fabric, Whitmer said in a statement. I am proud to proclaim September as Hispanic Heritage month and celebrate alongside a community filled with rich tradition as we continue to ensure that Michigan is a welcoming and inclusive place for all.

The month of September recognizes and celebrates the contributions of Hispanic and Latinos in Michigan and the United States. Michigans Hispanic and Latino population has grown from 2010 to 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Hispanics and Latinos make up 5.6% of the states residents, up from 4.4% in 2010.

Governor Whitmers proclamation establishing September as Hispanic Heritage Month is very exciting! Michigans Hispanic population is dedicated to building Michigans future, and we are honored to have a Month of official celebration, said Jesse Venegas, chair of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in a statement. We will take this opportunity to continue to celebrate the contributions of Hispanics in arts, sciences, labor, agriculture, business, and civil rights. The Hispanic and Latino community in Michigan is woven with many threads from many nations and cultures, but we all stand together as Michiganders! Adelante!

With more than 60 million Hispanic Americans residing in the United States, Hispanic Americans make up the largest minority group in the nation and have significantly contributed to our government, culture and economy over generations, according to the State of Michigan. Hispanic Americans have provided Michigan and the United States with unique social and cultural influences, fundamentally enriching the extraordinary character of our state and nation.

Michigan is fortunate to count among its population a large number of residents of Spanish and Latin American descent, who grow businesses, offer innovative ideas, strengthen our economy, create jobs, and contribute to our daily lives. During this month, Michigan's Hispanic American community will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month through a series of special events featuring Hispanic history, food, dance, and art, celebrating the rich tradition and many contributions this community has made to the state of Michigan, according to Michigan.gov.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  The United Nations' stockpiles of food in Afghanistan could run out this month, a senior official warned Wednesday, threatening to add a hunger crisis to the challenges facing the country's new Taliban rulers as they try to restore stability after decades of war.

About one third of the country's population of 38 million doesn't know if they will have a meal every day, according to Ramiz Alakbarov, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief in Afghanistan.

The U.N.'s World Food Program has brought in food and distributed it to tens of thousands of people in recent weeks, but with winter approaching and a drought ongoing, at least $200 million is needed urgently to be able to continue to feed the most vulnerable Afghans, he said.

By the end of September, the stocks which the World Food Program has in the country will be out, Alakbarov told reporters at a virtual news conference. We will not be able to provide those essential food items because well be out of stocks.

Earlier, U.N. officials said that of the $1.3 billion needed for overall aid efforts, only 39% has been received.

The Taliban, who seized control of the country ahead of the withdrawal of American forces this week, now must govern a nation that relies heavily on international aid and is in the midst of a worsening economic crisis. In addition to the concerns about food supplies, civil servants havent been paid in months and the local currency is losing value. Most of Afghanistans foreign reserves are held abroad and currently frozen.

Khalid Payenda, Afghanistan's former acting finance minister, on Wednesday detailed a country existing in a dangerously fragile state.

Speaking at Georgetown University in Washington, Payenda said the Afghan currency had yet to crash because money exchanges had been shuttered. But its value could plunge by more than 100%, said Payenda, who described former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as withdrawn and paranoid ahead of the Taliban takeover.

I think the war had a toll on his psyche and he saw everything with suspicion, Payenda said.

Part of the chaos reflects the speed at which the Taliban took control of the country, with Payenda saying he thought the prior government could have been sustained for two or three more years because of commitments by international donors.

I did not expect it to be this quickly, Payenda said. Nobody actually did.

Mohammad Sharif, a shopkeeper in the capital of Kabul, said shops and markets there have supplies, but a major concern is rising food prices.

If the situation continues like this and there is no government to control the prices, that will cause so many problems for local people, he said.

In the wake of the U.S. pullout, many Afghans are anxiously waiting to see how the Taliban will rule. When they were last in power, before being driven out by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, they imposed draconian restrictions, refusing to allow girls to go to school, largely confining women to their homes and banning television, music and even photography.

But more recently, their leaders have sought to project a more moderate image. Schools have reopened to boys and girls, though Taliban officials have said they will study separately. Women are out on the streets wearing Islamic headscarves  as they always have  rather than the all-encompassing burqa the Taliban required in the past.

The president of the United Nations Security Council said Wednesday that the real litmus test for the new Taliban government will be how it treats women and girls. Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland, which holds the councils rotating presidency, said the protection and promotion of human rights for women must be at the very heart of our collective response to the crisis.

The challenges the Taliban face in reviving the economy could give Western nations leverage as they push the group to fulfill a pledge to form an inclusive government and guarantee womens rights. The Taliban say they want to have good relations with other countries, including the United States.

Many Afghans fear the Taliban won't make good on those pledges and are concerned that the nation's economic situation holds little opportunity. Tens of thousands sought to flee the country as a result in a harrowing airlift.

But thousands who had worked with the U.S. and its allies, as well as up to 200 Americans, remained in the country after the efforts ended with the last U.S. troops flying out of Kabul international airport just before midnight Monday.

President Joe Biden later defended his handling of the chaotic withdrawal and evacuation efforts, which saw spasms of violence, including a suicide bombing last week that killed 13 American service members and 169 Afghans. He said it was inevitable that the final departure from two decades of war would be difficult.

He said he remains committed to getting the Americans left behind out if they want. The Taliban have said they will allow people with legal documents to travel freely, but it remains to be seen whether any commercial airlines will be willing to offer service.

Bilal Karimi, an official member in the Taliban spokesman's office, said Wednesday that a team of Turkish and Qatari technicians arrived in Kabul to help get the airport up and running again. Alakbarov, the U.N. humanitarian official, said the United Nations is asking for access to the airport so it can deliver food and other supplies directly to the capital.

The Taliban also have to contend with the threat from the Islamic State group, which is far more radical and claimed responsibility for the bombing at the airport. The Taliban have pledged they won't allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for attacks on other countries  a key U.S. demand since the militants once harbored the al-Qaida leaders who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks.

In the wake of last week's bombing, American officials said drone strikes targeted the Islamic State groups affiliate in Afghanistan, and Biden vowed to keep up airstrikes.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday it was possible that the U.S. will have to coordinate with the Taliban on any counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan in the future.

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Faiez reported from Istanbul and Lederer from the United Nations. Associated Press writers Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul and Lolita C. Baldor and Josh Boak in Washington contributed.

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More AP coverage of Afghanistan: https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Family members of the 34 people killed in a fire aboard a scuba diving boat off the California coast two years ago have sued the U.S. Coast Guard for lax enforcement of safety regulations that they say doomed the passengers.

A lawyer who filed the wrongful death lawsuit late Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles said the Coast Guard has repeatedly certified passenger boats that are fire traps.

Had the Coast Guard properly inspected Conception, it never would have been certified, never set sail, and these 34 victims would not have lost their lives, attorney Jeffrey Goodman said in a statement. "Sadly, certifying noncompliant vessels is commonplace at the Coast Guard. The time has come for the Coast Guard to be held accountable for its failures to protect those victims and prevent future maritime disasters on Americas waterways.

A Coast Guard spokesman declined to comment, citing a policy not to discuss pending litigation.

The Conception caught fire hours before dawn on Sept. 2, 2019, killing all 33 passengers and one crew member who were sleeping below deck in a bunk room. It was one of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent U.S. history.

Capt. Jerry Boylan and four crew members who were asleep on the upper deck awoke to flames on the main deck below. They couldn't extinguish the fire or rescue anyone and jumped into the ocean to survive after Boylan made a breathless mayday call.

One of those surviving crew members, Ryan Sims, who broke a leg while jumping, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

Boylan has pleaded not guilty to federal manslaughter charges for misconduct, negligence and inattention by failing to train his crew, conduct fire drills and have a roving night watchman on duty when the fire ignited.

The National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of the disaster did not find the cause of the fire, but it blamed the vessels owners for lack of oversight and said failing to post a night watch allowed flames to spread quickly.

The NTSB faulted the Coast Guard for not enforcing the night watch requirement and criticized it for insufficient rules on smoke detectors and emergency escapes. The board made several recommendations for the agency to improve safety aboard passenger vessels.

The Coast Guard, which has routinely ignored past NTSB safety recommendations, said earlier this year it would make some of the suggested changes.

The Conception had passed its two most recent safety inspections, according to Coast Guard records.

But the lawsuit said the Coast Guard negligently and carelessly certified the boat despite clear violations that included an overloaded electrical system that may have sparked the blaze. It said wiring was not up to marine standards and included cheap wire available in hardware stores.

Because the boat burned and sank, no cause for the fire was found. But investigators said it began in an area where passengers had plugged in phones, flashlights and other items with combustible lithium ion batteries.

The lawsuit said the boat's fire detection and suppression systems were out of compliance, and the two means of escape from the bunkroom violated Coast Guard regulations because they led to the same place.

They had two different ways to get out of the bunk room, but both led to the galley, Goodman said. When the fire's in the galley, how does that help?

Family members of the dead have also sued the company and family that owned the vessel for wrongful death.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  A Tennessee man has been charged with taking part in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, federal court documents showed.

Christopher Michael Cunningham of Nashville was charged Aug. 30 in District of Columbia federal court with illegally entering a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in the Capitol building, and other charges, court records showed.
Your recent article regarding the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti this past week was an incredibly important piece that spoke to the importance of environmental issues and the drastic role we humans play in the matter. As written, we can look all the way back to the Haitian colonial era to see the role human behavior played in some of the most devastating natural disasters the nation has since faced. Reading this article served as a stark reminder that we must act now against the issue for climate justice. I hope we can all call on our elected representatives in Washington to address this crisis.

I am from Middletown and over the years have seen the impacts of climate change and diminishing air quality in our city. Unfortunately, its not only in our community. Similar issues are affecting people all over Connecticut, as well as the entire country.
Editors note: This weeks column is written by Middlesex United Way Board of Directors member Meghann LaFountain.

In 2017, LaFountain started her law firm, LaFountain Immigration Law, and is committed to helping those facing challenges with immigration. She was awarded the honor of Outstanding Woman Scholar from UConn School of Law, and served as the vice chairwoman of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers and treasurer of the Middlesex County Bar Association.

She is actively involved in various groups throughout the county, including the Middletown Rotary Club, Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce and the World Affairs Council. She is also past chairwoman of the Middlesex United Way Womens Initiative.

This week, she will be sharing more information on the violent developments in Afghanistan and offer suggestions of how we can directly help.

 Kevin Wilhelm, Middlesex United Way president and CEO

MIDDLETOWN  A topic that has been in the news a lot recently is the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and subsequent takeover of the country by the Taliban, which is creating a humanitarian crisis for hundreds of thousands of people still trapped in Afghanistan.

The U.S. relied on the support of Afghans for its military operation in the country over the last two decades, employing or contracting with many of them as interpreters, drivers and embassy staff, among other positions, and training many for the Afghan military.

As the Taliban takes over the country, it is targeting these individuals, often going from house to house and stopping people at checkpoints to search for any ties that they may have to the U.S. government, its operation in the country, or to the U.S. in general. If these connections are found, the individuals risk being beaten, kidnapped or killed.

The Taliban also haves a history of suppressing womens rights. Under Taliban rule previously, women were forbidden from working and girls could not attend school. Access to medical care was limited or nonexistent. Women could not leave their homes without a male accompanying them and they had to wear a burqa, covering them from head to toe.

Acting out against these restrictions often resulted in beatings or death. It is feared that these repressive practices will return with the Taliban now, taking away all of the gains that have been made for gender equality in Afghanistan since the end of the Taliban regime.

Women have already been told not to leave their homes, as the Taliban forces may mistreat them, and women fear the kidnapping of girls of marrying age who will be forced to marry Taliban fighters.

In the last few weeks, human rights advocates and immigration attorneys have tried to expedite the evacuation of these at-risk individuals from the country, in addition to the evacuation of the thousands of U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and families of citizens and permanent residents who live there.

There are programs in place for Afghans to apply for visas to or parole into the United States. Many require sponsorship by individuals or organizations in America. Sadly, time is running out for much more to be done. Time is of the essence.

For those who are evacuated, many will need assistance as they establish their lives in the U.S. They will need access to housing, clothing, food and school supplies. Thankfully, there are many refugees assistance programs in place to start with this help, but community members can provide support as well.

Those who know someone who is trying to get out of Afghanistan, or would would like to help support an individual or family looking to resettle in Connecticut, please contact LaFountain Immigration Law, at 100 Riverview Center, Suite 280, Middletown by calling 860-215-4034 or emailing MEL@LaFountainLaw.com.



In our history of assisting those in need, Middlesex United Way served as the fiduciary for the Middletown Refugee Resettlement Coalition, whose goal was to help home and facilitate refugees settlement into the community until December 2020.

The Middlesex United Way is honored to have LaFountain as a board member and proud of her and her firms accomplishments, not only with the crisis in Afghanistan, but assisting immigrants from all over the world.

Wilhelm is president and CEO of Middlesex United Way in Middletown.
Venice, FL (34285)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 74F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 74F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Search efforts Wednesday afternoon had so far failed to find five U.S. sailors who were lost nearly a day before off the coast of San Diego when a helicopter fell off an aircraft carrier into the sea, according to the Navy.

One sailor who was aboard the helicopter was rescued and taken ashore in stable condition, the Navy Third Fleet said in the Facebook update Wednesday.

Lt. Sam Boyle, a Navy spokesman, declined to say what caused the MH-60S Seahawk to fall from the ships flight deck, citing an ongoing investigation. The incident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday when the helicopter was involved in what the Navy said were routine operations on the USS Abraham Lincoln about 60 nautical miles off the coast.

Read Next: US, Taliban Cooperation 'Possible' After War's End, Joint Chiefs Chairman Says

A spokesman for the Coast Guard confirmed that one of its helicopters was also assisting in the search and rescue effort, which kicked off immediately Tuesday with units from the aircraft carrier and the USS Cincinnati, a littoral combat ship, Boyle said.

Another Facebook post on the incident said that the mishap also left five sailors from the Abraham Lincoln injured but in stable condition. Two were taken ashore for treatment while the other three had minimal injuries, the update said.

The Navy said all affected family members have been notified following the incident Tuesday.

The Abraham Lincoln just completed the Navys largest shipyard period in April that was aimed at extending the life of the 33-year-old ship.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: Safety Report Urges Aviators to Show 'Moral Courage' and Recognize Shortcomings
One of the Pentagon's oldest advisory committees has been spared from elimination after female veterans in Congress got wind of the move and protested.

In an Aug. 14 memo obtained by Military.com, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the reinstatement of the 70-year-old Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, known as DACOWITS, which was dissolved at the start of this year as part of a sweeping review of the Pentagon's 42 advisory committees.

"In its 70-year history, DACOWITS has contributed significantly to the Nation, our Armed Forces, and more importantly, to our Service women who serve today, in the past, and in the future," the memo, addressed to the under secretary of defense for Personnel and Readiness, a position freshly filled by Gil Cisneros, states. "I request you target the DACOWITS' work to its core elements and, when appropriate, task work to other DoD Federal advisory committees better suited to address broad, DoD-wide policy issues."

Read Next: Sailors and Marines Have 90 Days to Get Vaccinated or Face Punishment

Austin's wholescale dissolution of the committees and launch of the review was widely seen as an annulment of outgoing President Donald Trump's last-minute efforts to pack multiple advisory panels, including the Defense Business and Defense Policy boards, with his acolytes.

Military.com exclusively reported in June that the Pentagon's Manpower and Reserve Affairs office had called for DACOWITS to be replaced by a committee that would cover a wider spectrum of issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion -- a move that critics said would dilute focus and overtax members who volunteer their expertise.

Committee supporters have pointed to DACOWITS' track record as a reason to keep the group: Of more than 1,000 recommendations made since 1951, some 98% have been at least partially implemented by the Defense Department or through acts of Congress, according to a historical review published earlier this year. And while substantial barriers to women's military service have been pulled down in the last decade, most notably the longstanding prohibition on their serving in ground combat and special operations roles, advocates point to the military's struggles to retain senior women and curtail sexual assault as evidence of the work still to be done.

Following the Military.com report, all six female veterans in Congress, led by Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, sent a letter to Austin saying the elimination of DACOWITS could "harm women in the Armed Forces by eliminating an important advocacy component."

"We believe we can tackle diversity, equity, and inclusion without disbanding one of the military's most effective tools to advance women," the lawmakers wrote.

In a late August interview, Luria, a retired Navy commander, recalled how the options available during her military service had been radically changed in 1994, while she was a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, with the overturning of the Pentagon policy barring women from serving in fighter aviation and other direct combat units. DACOWITS was instrumental to that change. Luria said the integration of women into previously closed jobs and fields today continues to require close attention and oversight.

"I just think that the work of DACOWITS is so important because these challenges are always present and always evolving," she said.

Queries to the Defense Department about Austin's reasoning for restoring the committee did not receive an immediate response, but officials indicated a Pentagon announcement would be forthcoming soon about all the committees dissolved in the review. While Austin's move to start fresh with advisory committees was likely a response to Trump, it also highlights his interest in positioning the Pentagon to be conversant in a broader range of issues related to diversity and equality. For example, in one of his earliest reversals to Trump-era policy, Austin established new rules in March enabling transgender individuals to serve in uniform.

In his August memo, his support of DACOWITS' continuation is qualified by concerns about the committee's need to modernize and improve diversity of representation in membership. DACOWITS will resume operations, he said, only after its charter has been amended and approved by the Pentagon -- a process, along with new member confirmation, that likely will take the remainder of the year to complete.

"I appreciate the deep, valuable expertise that former DACOWITS members provided to the Department, but I am concerned that we are missing opportunities that promote diversity of background, experience, and thought in support of the DACOWITS mission," he wrote.

Of the 21 committee members who served in 2020, 12 were retired officers who attained the rank of colonel or captain or above; five were men; four were retired senior enlisted troops; at least nine were people of color; and just two were civilians who had never served in uniform. The extent of the committee's LGBTQ representation is not clear.

Recent committee members who spoke with Military.com were supportive of efforts to improve diversity and entertain issues affecting transgender troops, but adamant that DACOWITS should retain its tight focus on barriers to women's service.

"There were enough issues that still remain with women being able to serve to their best ability that it was necessary to keep it separate," said Judy Fedder, a retired Air Force lieutenant general who had been nearing the end of her DACOWITS term. "During the four years I was on the committee, the 'Me Too' movement was being spotlighted. That issue alone is enough to demonstrate the necessity of keeping service women's issues separate and distinct from that overall focus on diversity."

Retired Marine Col. John Boggs, one of the few men on the panel, warned that military leaders should be cautious about trying to reduce committee membership or resources in efforts to find efficiencies.

"Sometimes, expediency leads to collateral damage. DACOWITS was clearly collateral damage," he said. "What DACOWITS does right now it does very well. ... They're doing God's work for the DoD."

-- Follow Hope Seck on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

Related: Female Vets in Congress Decry Proposal to Disband Pentagons Advisory Panel on Women
WASHINGTON  The U.S. Coast Guard says it is investigating reports of possible oil spills resulting from Hurricane Ida after the publication of aerial photos by The Associated Press.

Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer 3rd Class Gabriel Wisdom said Thursday that aircraft were being dispatched to investigate reports of a miles-long slick in the Gulf of Mexico south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

Wisdom said aircraft would also fly over a major oil refinery along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans after a report of a rainbow-colored sheen in the floodwaters.

The AP first reported Wednesday about the possible spills after reviewing aerial images of the disaster zone taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The NOAA photos show a black and brown slick floating near a large rig with the name Enterprise Offshore Drilling painted on its helipad. The company, based in Houston, said Thursday that its Enterprise 205 rig was safely secured and evacuated prior to the storms arrival and that it did not suffer any damage.

Enterprise personnel arrived back at the facility on September 1 and confirmed the integrity of all systems and that no environmental discharges occurred from our facility, the company said in a statement.

Aerial photos also showed significant flooding to the massive Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. In some sections of the refinery, a rainbow sheen was visible on the water leading toward the river.

In statements issued after the storm Monday and Tuesday, Phillips 66 said it was assessing conditions at its refinery, but gave no indication of any environmental hazards.

After the AP sent Phillips 66 photos Wednesday showing extensive flooding and what appeared to be petroleum in the water, the company confirmed it had discovered a sheen of unknown origin in some flooded areas of Alliance Refinery.

At this time, the sheen appears to be secured and contained within refinery grounds, Phillips 66 spokesman Bernardo Fallas said Wednesday evening. Clean-up crews are on site. The incident was reported to the appropriate regulatory agencies upon discovery.
The families of the 34 people who died in the Conception dive boat fire off the California coast in 2019 are suing the U.S. Coast Guard for allowing the tour boat to operate despite having faulty electrical and safety systems, the complaint alleges.

The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court for the Central District of California on Wednesday, argues that the Coast Guard is liable for the deaths of the 33 passengers and one crew member because it "failed to perform adequate inspections, allowing Conception to sail with these hazardous and ultimately deadly conditions."

The dive boat was anchored about 20 miles southwest of Santa Barbara, off Santa Cruz Island, when it caught fire on Sept. 2, 2019, at around 3 a.m. A National Transportation Safety Board report on the accident suggested that the ship's electrical system or charging batteries onboard the ship were likely causes of the fire.

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However, the report also faulted the crew for not setting a roving patrol and the ship for having inadequate fire-detection systems and a design in which escape hatches exited to the same space. In the case of the Conception, both escape routes led to a fire-filled space, trapping the passengers below deck.

The lawsuit, citing the Suits in Admiralty Act, argues that the blame for these shortcomings lies with the Coast Guard since the service inspected and certified the ship "even though her electrical wiring and systems, her fire detection and suppression systems, her passenger-accommodation escape hatch, her watch logs and training logs were in open and obvious violation."

Typically, private citizens can't sue a branch of the armed services, although there are limited exceptions.

The complaint notes that after the fire, the Conception's sister ship, the Vision, was inspected by the Coast Guard. There, it "discovered numerous glaring deficiencies in [the ship's] wiring and electrical systems, fire detection and suppression systems, and passenger accommodation escape hatch."

The two ships were owned by the same company and were built and laid out similarly.

"Sadly, certifying non-compliant vessels is commonplace at the Coast Guard," Jeffrey Goodman, one of the lawyers representing the families, said in a statement on the case. "Had the Coast Guard properly inspected Conception, it never would have been certified, never set sail, and these 34 victims would not have lost their lives."

While the Coast Guard did not comment on the lawsuit, a press release put out Thursday said that the branch is starting a program of at-sea safety checks.

The goal is "to bridge gaps that were identified following the fire onboard the passenger vessel Conception which resulted in the tragic deaths of 34 people," Rear Adm. Brian Penoyer, the commander of the Coast Guard district along the Pacific, said in the press release.

In a separate legal action, Jerry Boylan, the Conception's captain, is facing 34 charges of "Seaman's Manslaughter" in federal court. His trial is underway; he has pleaded not guilty, court records show.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: Coast Guard, National Guard Forces Begin Rescues and Aid in Response to Hurricane Ida
The 2022 National Defense Authorization legislation, passed by the House Armed Services Committee early Thursday morning, would push the Pentagon to explain how it plans to put a better, more powerful engine in the Air Force's F-35A Lightning II fighter jet.

The legislation calls on the Pentagon to tell lawmakers how it would integrate the propulsion system being developed under the Adaptive Engine Transition Program into all F-35As, beginning in fiscal 2027, as well as its schedule for doing so.

The Air Force in 2016 awarded a pair of billion-dollar contracts, one to General Electric Aviation and another to Pratt & Whitney, to develop a new, cutting-edge engine as part of that program. The turbine engine, now being tested, would have improved fuel efficiency and increased thrust, the service said in a press release at the time.

Read Next: US, Taliban Cooperation 'Possible' After War's End, Joint Chiefs Chairman Says

The report on the new engine would be due two weeks after the White House submits its fiscal 2023 budget next year.

In a background briefing with reporters Aug. 27, an aide to the committee's Democratic members said this provision was not intended to box the Air Force in but allow it to move to the program's entirely new engine. The service instead could look at upgrading the F-35's current F135 engine, the aide said, as long as it finds a way to increase competition in the propulsion purchasing process.

In a July hearing, Air Force Lt. Gen. Eric Fick, the F-35's program executive officer, said that, while he was impressed by what he saw on a recent tour of a GE facility working on the new engine, there is still "a lot of work to be done" before it can become a reality.

The bill also will allow the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps to buy 80 F-35s in all. The Marine Corps flies the F-35B version, and the Navy flies the F-35C.

And the legislation shows lawmakers' continued concern with the costs necessary to keep the advanced fighter flying. It would require Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to brief the committee by March 1 on the Defense Department's plans to increase competition in the program, such as by getting parts and equipment from other contractors besides the original manufacturers, and reduce costs by 2026.

It also would order the Pentagon to further study, and then fix, problems with the F-35's pilot breathing system, which have led to episodes in which pilots didnt get enough oxygen.

Apart from the F-35, the legislation would allow the Air Force to buy 12 F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets, an extra request from service that wasnt included in its proposed budget. The F-15EX is an updated version of the fourth-generation F-15E Strike Eagle fighter, which will allow the Air Force to retire its aging F-15C and D models.

The committee also adopted an amendment from Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., that would add almost $24 billion to the Pentagon's budget. Rogers' amendment would provide another nearly $118 million for spare engines for the Marine Corps' F-35B, as well as $129 million more for depot support to maintain the jet.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

Related: Air Force Could Ditch Oldest F-35 Jets as Part of Fighter Downsizing, General Says
The House Armed Services Committee wants to bar private citizens from bankrolling National Guard missions.

As part of the fiscal 2022 defense authorization legislation it passed early Thursday, the committee included an amendment from Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, that would prohibit Guard troops from taking part in interstate deployments when the mission is paid for by private funds.

The issue of private funding of National Guard missions became a public controversy this summer, after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, announced that about 50 Guardsmen were deploying to the southern U.S. border. The Willis and Reba Johnson's Foundation, a private trust in Tennessee, provided $1 million to South Dakota to cover the cost of a deployment of up to two months' duration. Willis Johnson is a billionaire who has donated heavily to conservative causes.

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Noem's office pointed to state laws covering gifts to the governor and state to make the case that the donation was legal. But Democrats in South Dakota soon began investigating and questioned whether the laws Noem cited actually applied.

Escobar said that allowing missions to be funded through private donations opens the Guard to being used for political purposes.

"I don't believe that our National Guard should be up for auction, or up for sale," she said.

Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., objected to the amendment, calling the suggestion the Guard is up for sale an "absolutely ridiculous accusation."

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., also raised concerns that the amendment could limit governors' authority and ability to manage their National Guard units.

Escobar's amendment carves out an exception for deployments that are a response to major declared disasters or emergencies. But during the hearing, she made it clear that private donations should be used only as a last resort, if there were no other resources available to fund a necessary deployment.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

Related: Democrats Raise Ethical Concerns Over GOP Donor's $1 Million Funding of Border Deployment
House lawmakers have backed legislation prohibiting dishonorable discharges for troops who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine, as the Navy gave its sailors 90 days to get the shot this week and the Army and Air Force were poised Thursday to enforce their own timetables.

Legislation sponsored by Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., an Army veteran, requires only honorable discharges for anyone who is separated from the military over refusing to be vaccinated. It was added to the fiscal 2022 defense authorization bill, passed by the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

"No American who raises their hand to serve our Nation should be punished for making a highly personal medical decision," Green said in a statement after the committee vote. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in August after allowing emergency use beginning in December 2020, saying it is safe and effective for those 16 years old and over.

Read Next: Sailors and Marines Have 90 Days to Get Vaccinated or Face Punishment

The Navy became the first service to enforce a timeframe for vaccinations in a series of memos on Tuesday and Wednesday following the FDA approval and an order by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for all troops to be vaccinated. The Army and Air Force are expected to give soldiers and airmen a deadline "very, very soon," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said during a briefing with reporters Thursday.

But troops who refuse to be inoculated may not necessarily face dishonorable discharge, or even separation, according to Kirby.

The Pentagon has repeatedly stopped short of saying it will boot troops for refusing the shot. Commanders will have a range of options that stop short of punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Kirby said. The services also will allow religious exemptions to the vaccine.

"The secretary expects that the department leadership will implement these mandatory vaccines with skill but also ... professionalism and compassion," Kirby said. "When an individual declines to take a mandatory vaccine, they will be given an opportunity to talk to both medical providers as well as their own chain of command so that they can fully understand the decision they are making."

The House legislation barring dishonorable discharges now must go to a vote in the full chamber. The House version of the massive, must-pass defense authorization bill also must be reconciled with the Senate version in conference, where controversial measures often are eliminated.

In any case, the bill is unlikely to be signed into law until months after all the military services are enforcing COVID-19 inoculations.

Military.com reported on a Marine corporal who said she was discharged for refusing to wear a mask, possibly the first service member to be pushed out of the military in connection with COVID-19 rules.

According to the Pentagon, roughly 63% of all U.S. forces had received at least one dose or were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Aug. 18.

-- Travis Tritten can be reached at travis.tritten@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @Travis_Tritten.

Related: Marine Corporal Discharged over Refusal to Wear a Mask
THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The international team investigating the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine seven years ago appealed Thursday for Russians in the city of Kursk to come forward with information about the deployment of the missile that investigators say downed the plane, killing all 298 people on board.

The call for witnesses included an emotional video featuring the parents of one of the victims, 29-year-old Australian Victor Oreshkin.

His mother, Vera Oreshkin, called her son a gift from God.

This tragedy has blown a hole in my heart and it will never be filled. Ever, she says in the video.

The appeal comes days before the resumption on Monday of the trial of three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with multiple murder for their alleged role in shooting down on July 17, 2014, the Boeing 777 that was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

The plane was blown out of the sky over conflict-torn eastern Ukraine, where government forces were battling pro-independence rebels.

None of the suspects has been extradited to the Netherlands to face justice and the trial that started in March 2020 is continuing in their absence. It is expected to continue into next year.

Investigators say the Buk missile and its launcher, known as a Telar, were trucked into Ukraine from the Russian 53rd Anti Aircraft Missile Brigade, which is based in Kursk. Russia has steadfastly denied involvement in downing the plane.

The appeal says that the information now sought is not to bolster the case against the four suspects on trial, but for the investigation into who ordered the missile sent to Ukraine and the crew of the Telar.

Speaking in Russian, Oreshkin says: The truth must be established and made known to everybody.

Her husband, Serge, holding a framed photograph of their son, adds: We would like to see somebody take the responsibility for what happened.

Investigators said they are seeking pictures, videos, relevant email messages or military orders.

In an open letter to the citizens of Kursk, the investigators said: Our investigation is already at a very advanced stage, but it is not yet complete. We would like to hear from everybody, also from the Russian soldiers, about what really has happened.
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea -- South Korea will spend nearly $125 million more this year to station American troops on the peninsula, according to a new cost-sharing deal that took effect Wednesday.

The Special Measures Agreement between South Korea and the United States determines the cost split for keeping roughly 28,500 U.S. troops in the country and employing South Korean civilians on U.S. military bases.

Seoul is expected to contribute $1.02 billion for 2021, a 13.9% increase to the $896.62 million it spent the previous year. The renewed agreement will retroactively apply to South Korea's contribution from last year, which was carried over from 2019 after negotiations for the agreement's renewal became deadlocked during President Donald Trump's administration.

Under the new six-year arrangement, Seoul's future contributions will be proportional to its overall defense budget, which has risen in recent years. In the past, South Korea's Special Measures Agreement contributions were determined separately.

The Ministry of Defense is expected to ask the National Assembly for a 4.5% increase to this year's overall defense budget of $43.7 billion, according to local news reports. That will also increase South Korea's contribution to the Special Measures Agreement.

Shin Beomchul, director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, described the new agreement as "stable" and equitable for the time being.

"A majority of South Korean people support a strong alliance, so they agreed to increase the amount of budget," Shin told Stars and Stripes on Thursday.

However, the agreement may become inequitable due to the new provision that connects the Special Agreement to the overall defense budget, Shin said.

"It should not depend on the annual defense budget, but on the annual price increase," Shin said.

The ruling Democratic Party shared similar concerns, saying in a Tuesday statement that "synchronizing annual increase [rates] with the national defense budget could lead to excessive contributions."

The "South Korean government must negotiate annual increase rates of the agreement aside from national defense budgets in coming negotiations," the party's statement said.

South Korea's revised contribution is a modest increase from the estimated 13% hike Seoul initially offered the U.S. during negotiations last year, but far less than the amount sought by Trump. He described South Korea's past contribution levels as "peanuts" and demanded that it spend as much as $5 billion to keep U.S. troops on the peninsula.

The State Department during Trump's administration argued the U.S. "invests significant military resources" to maintain its presence in South Korea, namely, to deter threats from North Korea.

"Sustaining the costs of our global military presence is not a burden that should fall on the U.S. taxpayer alone but is a responsibility that should be shared fairly with allies and partners who benefit from our presence," the department said in 2019.

South Korean lawmakers from the National Assembly overwhelmingly supported the deal in a 133-11 vote Tuesday afternoon.

Following the vote, the ruling Democratic Party issued a statement saying the two countries are "now in a position to manage the alliance with more stable manner, without any necessity of yearly renegotiations."

"Unlike Trump administration's inequitable requests to demand sharp increases in the past, two countries came up with relatively reasonable results," the party's statement said Tuesday.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a separate statement Wednesday, said the new agreement "is expected to provide conditions for stable stationing of U.S. Forces Korea and greatly contribute to the enhancement of the ... alliance."

Some lawmakers, such as Justice Party leader Bae Jin Gyo, voiced their opposition to the agreement.

"The value of the [South Korea]-U.S. alliance would be damaged and only unequal ... relations would be left," Gyo said in a speech at the National Assembly on Tuesday. "We cannot, and must not, agree on the unreasonable demand that asks South Korea to raise its contribution, which is defense costs being used by the U.S. for the U.S.'s investments ..."
Sailors and Marines now have 90 days to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk disobeying a lawful order, a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the maritime branches' top leaders said in a series of messages released Tuesday and Wednesday.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger told their service members that they are ordering any sailor or Marine who has not received the shots to get them now.

"The order to obtain full vaccination is a lawful order," Gilday, the Navy's top officer, wrote in his message.

For sailors who refuse the shots, Del Toro's message lays out a series of steps the Navy will take to convince them to get vaccinated.

First, commands should "provide counseling regarding refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine [to] include access to a healthcare professional to answer questions regarding the risks of COVID-19 and the benefits of COVID-19 vaccinations," the message says. After that counseling, however, the person will receive a note in their service record ordering them to get vaccinated, the message adds.

Read Next: House Committee Pushes for a Review of the Afghan War and Withdrawal, Approves a Commission

Service members who remain unvaccinated after 90 days will be referred to the COVID Consolidated Disposition Authority, or CCDA, the message explains.

The new CCDA will decide what happens to sailors who refuse the vaccine. Although this new position will be able to use "the full range of administrative and disciplinary actions," Del Toro noted that "until further notice" he is not letting the CCDA start "non-judicial punishment, courts-martial, or administrative separation in cases of Navy Service Members refusing the vaccine."

For Marines, the process is a bit simpler: Get the shot or your commander will decide a punishment for failing to follow a lawful order.

Although the commandant's message did not specifically mention it, Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Andrew Wood noted that Marines will be offered the same access to medical professionals to answer their questions and concerns as their Navy counterparts.

To date, Military.com has reported on only one person who has been forced out of the service for violating COVID-related rules. A Marine corporal received a general discharge in late July 2021 after she refused to wear a face mask despite being unvaccinated.

According to the latest Department of Defense data, the Navy has fully vaccinated 85% of its sailors and the Corps has fully vaccinated 64% of all Marines.

The total number of COVID deaths in the military was at 40 as of Sept. 1, according to the DoD.

The mandatory vaccine policy marks a sharp departure from the previous approach to getting sailors and Marines vaccinated, which left it up to individual commanders. The result of that approach has been vaccination rates that vary widely between commands and services. To address lagging rates, some commands offered incentives such as four-day weekend passes for getting vaccinated. Meanwhile, some Navy commanders described reaching out to experts or doctors to assuage concerns individual sailors had over the vaccines.

Chaplain leaders in the Navy previously noted that they have seen a surge in interest over religious exemptions to the vaccine. While that avenue remains open to sailors and Marines, Capt. Richard Ryan, the chaplain overseeing the Pacific fleet, told Military.com last month that though chaplains in individual Navy commands will be charged with determining the sincerity of sailors' beliefs, the deputy chief of naval operations for manpower, personnel, training and education ultimately will decide who gets an exemption and who doesn't.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: Marine Corporal Discharged over Refusal to Wear a Mask
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A survey conducted by the income-tax (I-T) department in February 2021 on JM Financial Asset Management (AMC) Ltd (JMFL) found several lapses, including manipulated accounting methodology to inflate artificially distributable surplus and payout dividend to investors. Days before the survey, Bhanu Katoch, who has been named as responsible for the planned loss by some key persons, resigned as chief executive (CEO) of JM Financial.

The survey was conducted as part of the reopening computation of JM Financial's income for accounting year (AY) 15-16 and AY16-17 for the alleged adjustment in a short-term capital loss arising from redemption of mutual fund (MF) units against the long-term capital gains arising from the sale of shares.

According to the survey, by deploying unfair and manipulative methods, JMFL rigged distributable surplus. It says, "While accounting net asset value (NAV), JMFL credited income equalisation reserve (IER) account instead of unit premium reserve (UPR) against the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) guidelines. After declaring a dividend, since there is not enough money to distribute, the capital amount introduced by clients is distributed back to them as a tax-free dividend. Balance is redeemed at a loss since NAV will go down and investors book a short-term capital loss, which looks genuine but is actually fictitious and pre-planned!"

JMFL was aware of the scheme and indulged in it purposefully to avail fictitious loss, the note from the I-T department says.

As per SEBI, UPR should be treated at par with unit capital and cannot be utilised to declare dividends and the AMC cannot distribute dividends from UPR. The AMC can distribute only from the surplus generated by realising gains on investments or dividends received from equity markets in which it had invested. This means the AMC has to invest and make a profit to distribute.

However, the survey says that JMFL did not follow the SEBI direction as "first it artificially rigged distributable surplus and then applied the said ratio to future allotted units before the planned dividend distribution rate."

Key persons responsible for the management of MF admitted during the survey that due process of dividend distribution as mandated by regulator SEBI was not followed by them.

Further, the sales team told the I-T dept about passing on hints to distributors about prospective dividend distribution much in advance to lure prospective clients. These key persons also admitted to creating documents to show that the SEBI guidelines are followed.

In a communication on 5 February 2021, JMFL informed investors about the resignation of Mr Katoch. It says, "The investors are hereby informed that Mr Bhanu Katoch has ceased to be the chief executive officer of JMFL consequent upon his resignation from the services of the Company."

As on 30 September 2014, JM Balance Fund-Dividend Option Regular scheme had assets under management (AUM) of Rs3.30 crore. And in just two months till 30 September 2014, the distributable surplus of the scheme increased to Rs16.13 from Rs7.82 per unit by realising profitable open positions.

Next month, in just 14 days, the scheme received an inflow of Rs1,310 crore, taking its closing AUM on 31 October 2014 to Rs1,364 crore.

In December, the scheme received another tranche of inflow of Rs427 crore in just 11 days till 25 December 2014. The closing AUM as of 25 December 2014 stood at Rs1,776.84 crore.

Between 10th March and 25 March 2015, the scheme received another inflow of Rs1,417.31 crore in 16 days. "In fact, the scheme received an inflow of Rs1,087.25 crore on 25 March 2015, on the date of dividend distribution. The AUM reached its peak of Rs3,021.68 crore on that date," the note on the survey says.

On that day, JM Financial declared a dividend of Rs8.87 per unit or nearly 40% of the unit value of the scheme, taking the total dividend payout to about Rs1,221.44 crore. After the payout of the dividend, the unit value of the scheme decreased to Rs13.07 from Rs22.02.

In this process, the note on the survey says, SEBI guidelines on crediting a portion of capital into unit premium reserve were violated.

As per the recorded statements from key persons of JM Financial, "..due process of dividend distribution, as mandated by SEBI guidelines were not followed in letter and spirit. Merely chain of documents was created so as to impress upon SEBI that the guidelines were being followed.

"Given the above," the survey says, "it can be safely deduced that by deploying unfair and manipulative methods, the mutual fund house has rigged up distributable surplus, in a planned manner."

To reduce their tax liability, the investors entered these 'sham transactions' and received dividends and short-term capital loss. "As a result, the dividend is not eligible for deduction under section 10(35) of the I-T Act and short-term capital loss is also not eligible for adjustment with other capital gains, being generated on account of the sham transaction. In fact, being distributed out of capital itself, such dividend should be reduced from the cost of investment with the resulting reduction in short term capital loss."

"The conduct of JM Financial highlights that it was well aware of the scheme and indulged in it purposefully to avail fictitious loss...I have reason to believe that by way of the aforementioned modus operandi, the assessee has claimed fictitious short term capital loss and therefore, the assessee has understated his income and/or has claimed excessive loss and accordingly, it is a fit case for the issue of notice under section 148 of the I-T Act," the survey note from the I-T department says.

Moneylife had sent an email to JM Financial seeking their response on the survey conducted by the I-T department, action, if any, taken on senior executives and if SEBI has sent any notice to the fund house.

In an email reply, the JM Financial spokesperson says, We wish to clarify that the Income Tax department carried out a survey seeking some information with respect to third party investments in JM Financial Mutual Fund schemes. JM Financial Asset Management Company officials provided the information sought by the department and extended complete cooperation with regard to the same. JM Financial Asset Management has always discharged its fiduciary duties and responsibilities in earnest, and consistently followed the accounting methodology and practices in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. As a policy, we do not comment on matters pertaining to regulatory authorities.
The Madras High Court (HC), while dismissing a case against IL&FS Transportation Networks India Ltd (ITNL) and its former directors Ravi Parthasarathy, Hari Sankaran and Ramchand Karunakaran, has asked the companys debenture-holders to approach the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). The SFIO is conducting a comprehensive probe of Infrastructure Leasing and Finance Ltd (IL&FS), the parent of ITNL.

The three former directors of ITNL had approached the HC to quash the case filed against them by the economic offences wing (EOW) of Chennai police under the Tamil Nadu Protection of Interests of Depositors (In Financial Establishments) (TNPID) Act of 1997.

However, justice M Dhandapani says ITNL could not be described as a financial establishment or the companys debentures could not be termed as deposits as defined under the TNPID Act.

In the present case, the debentures had been issued at a face value of Rs10 lakh, and they were primarily aimed at corporates, who were well aware of the nuances of such business transactions and the risks associated therewith. Therefore, the debentures would not fall within the definition of deposit under the TNPID Act, the bench says.

The HC kept the order limited to the three directors of ITNL, since the companys parent IL&FS was not a party in the matter. "This Court, by quashing the case relating to TNPID Act, by no stretch, is giving a clean chit to the petitioners herein, as persons who are beyond a pale of doubt. This Court has only quashed the case against the petitioners on the ground that the investigation under the TNPID Act by the 1st respondent is not sustainable..."

In his order, justice Dhandapani noted that ITNL debenture-holders could approach the SFIO, which is conducting a comprehensive probe of the economic offence of IL&FS.

However, the HC says, "in the larger interest of all the stakeholders, who have an association with the IL&FS and group companies in one form or the other, the central government having already assigned investigation with SFIO, which investigating agency, as stated above, is vested with jurisdiction and wider powers of investigation to deal with an infraction under any law in addition to its exclusive jurisdiction under the Companies Act, it is well open to the intervenors to approach SFIO and submit an appropriate representation for the relief aforesaid in accordance with law..."

The bench also noted that the economic offence committed by IL&FS, and its group companies is to the whopping tune of Rs91,000 crore and above, which has a spiralling and cascading effect on the economic growth of the country, which had resulted in the central government interfering in the administration of IL&FS and its group companies by filing the petition before NCLT for reconstitution of the board, which has been discussed above.



"The various orders passed by the Tribunal at the interference of the central government clearly show that all is not well with IL&FS and its group companies and also the persons who were manning the said companies, of which the petitioners also formed a part then. Though the petitioners had come out of the post of directors, it is not to be forgotten that the action by the central government in filing petition before the NCLT and ordering of investigation by SFIO clearly show the economic imbalance, which the group companies had created in derailing the economy of the country. Finding has been rendered by NCLT that the petitioners were within the committee of directors, who were at the helm of affairs in running IL&FS and its group companies," the Madras HC says.

Ravi Parthasarathy, former chief of the crisis-hit IL&FS, is undergoing treatment for cancer at Apollo Cancer Hospital in Chennai as per the HC order. The EOW had arrested him in the Rs200 crore cheating and criminal breach of trust case filed by 63 moon technologies ltd. But more about it later.

In July this year, senior counsel B Kumar, representing Mr Parthasarathy, had requested the Madras HC that the former chief of IL&FS is suffering from cancer, which has spread to his lungs, for which he needed to schedule and undergo a biopsy test.

In his order issued on 6 July 2021, justice Dhandapani had said, Considering the medical condition of Mr Parthasarathy, as pointed out by the senior counsel, and there being no objection on the part of the interveners as also the law enforcing agency in permitting the petitioner to take treatment at a private hospital, this Court permits the petitioner to take treatment at Apollo Cancer Hospital, Chennai, as suggested by the senior counsel for the petitioner and the expenditure incurred for the same will be borne by the petitioner.

Coming back to the case filed by 63 moon technologies, it had alleged offences of cheating and criminal breach of trust in the repayment of Rs200 crore invested by the company in debentures of ITNL.

During 2014 and 2015, ITNL had notified issuance of 1,000 and 2,000 non-convertible debentures with a face value of Rs10 lakh each, aggregating Rs100 crore and Rs250 crore, respectively, on a private placement basis.

To lure investors, ITNL falsely promised guaranteed annual return of up to 11.8% payable half-yearly until redemption to its investors against their deposits with ITNL. We relied on the representations and assurances made by the ITNL and key managerial personnel and invested Rs200 crore in debentures, 63 moon technologies had stated in its complaint.

In 2018, IL&FS defaulted on its obligations, and ITNL too defaulted in repaying interest on debentures to investors.

Earlier in January this year, the EOW had arrested Ramchand Karunakaran, former managing director, and Hari Sankaran, former vice-chairman and director of ITNL from Mumbai.
The introduction of the RTI Act has meant great things for the common citizen in India. Since I was the chief central information commissioner (CIC), transparency has improved, but it can be much better with suo moto disclosure of information under Section 4 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The power to seek accountability is now in the hands of the people, says Wajahat Habibullah, Indias first CIC. He was speaking at a new RTI series called Conversations on RTI with Shailesh Gandhi, launched by Moneylife Foundation.

While information has been a fundamental right since the Indian Constitution was established, the RTI Act was codified with rules and regulations in 2005. Mr Habibullah, a former officer from the Indian Administrative Services (IAS), headed the first-ever central information commission and helped set up the institution, frameworks and ensured it was strong.

Calling him one of the best bureaucratic commissioners, Mr Gandhi, a former central information commissioner and RTI activist, kick-started the conversation by asking Mr Habibullah about his vision for the RTI Act and how it has turned out in 2021.

When I was appointed the chief information commissioner, I had taken up that role over another as the vice-chancellor of a university. When I became chief information commissioner, I was confused because I was not clear on what exactly we had to do for the Right to Information. This was because in my opinion, the government was fully transparent. But it did not take me long to realise how wrong I was, Mr Habibullah says.

Elementary information was always available, as I had assumed. But the information that was supposed to be in the knowledge of the public was not in the public domain. Once I joined and started working on this, my first job was to see that transparency came into governance. But as it grew, I realised this was not just a simple law. It was an event, a revolution and a movement, no less, he added.

Mr Habibullah completed his five-year tenure as CIC in 2010. He says over the next decade he was expecting transformed governments, transformed social and political relations. However, he says, There has been much progress, but this is nowhere close to what I had expected it to be when I left the Commission.

While we still have a long way to go, Mr Habibullah shared with us the happy news that the Commission was the first to introduce a video conferencing facility.

We were the first to introduce extensive use of video conferencing. At that time, I was in touch with high courts and the Supreme Court to make their proceedings accessible through video-conferencing. My colleagues in the information commission felt that it was not going to work, but these same colleagues went far ahead of me in its use by the time I had left, Mr Habibullah pointed out.

Official file noting is an essential part of information seeking in RTI. However, during the initial days, there was a lot of noise and controversy about sharing official file notings under RTI, Mr Gandhi recalled. I know there is an interesting story behind it, I have heard you recount it. Would you like to share it, he asked Mr Habibullah.

The first CIC responded by saying, Official file notings as per my reading of Section 2 of the RTI Act, are information. Interestingly, when I started ruling that file notings are information and should be given, there was an adverse reaction. The government started questioning who had given me the right to rule this way? I said, am I not the chief information commissioner? Do I need your permission to rule that file notings are in fact information?

In June 2009, Mr Habibullah, the then chief information commissioner, issued notices to two officers of the department of personnel & training (DoPT), saying they would be prosecuted for not following the CIC orders. Under pressure from the CIC, the Union government then decided to make available file notings of government decisionsexcept those taken by the 18 exempted organisationsunder the RTI Act.

Mr Gandhi then discussed the amendments in the RTI Act. Everybody in power does not like RTI. This might be an exaggeration, but most people in power dislike the RTI. The previous governments tried to amend the Act but abandoned the effort following adverse reactions from activists. However, this government did not listen to the people and went ahead with the amendments, Mr Gandhi pointed out.

While it might be true to an extent, Mr Habibullah says he remained optimistic. He says, RTI has revealed a certain level of skulduggery and corruption in the government. It is important that the right under RTI came at the right time. There were standard corruption levels you could expect, you had to pay so much to get work done, and these procedures of government were standardised in that way.

The RTI, however, acted as a counter to this chain. You had to give reasons as to why you were doing something or not doing something. So, of course, there was an adverse reaction in some levels of government. However, in some other levels, it invoked the reaction that the RTI Act gave strength to ascertain their opinions, Mr Habibullah further commented.

Sharing his closing thoughts before the open question & answer (Q&A) session, the former chief information commissioner says, Transparency from RTI has introduced you to information that you earlier felt to be inaccessible. For example, RTI has now made it routine for a person to find the status of your application on things like driving licenses, passports, ration cards and other such documents.

Sucheta Dalal, the founder-trustee of Moneylife Foundation, asked both Mr Habibullah and Mr Gandhi about their thoughts on first-line regulators refusing to share information and come under RTI. She says, Mr Habibullah, you and Mr Gandhi were part of the Commission, and it is going to be 16 years since the enactment of the RTI Act, and I think it was during your tenure that the decision was taken to bring certain organisations like National Stock Exchange and Indian Banks Association (IBA) under the ambit of RTI. Most of these organisations, however, have gone to court. Even though they have lost in front of single judge benches, they are gaming the system to buy time. But dont you think the ministries can easily issue a notification and say that the public organisation has to come under the Act. Why are they allowed to misuse the system?

Mr Habibullah replied, The law itself states that every law is subject to the RTI Act. Unfortunately, courts have ruled in their favour, going against the ruling that the RTI is a fundamental right. Your question is a good one, but again it will depend on the courts. So I think what needs to be developed and what I thought would have been developed by now is the total atmosphere of transparency and openness in society. That has not happened.

We still operate in a colonial structure, which is based on mistrust. And this structure is now stationed at the centre of the system, which depends on not trusting each other. It has to depend on mutual trust. The RTI Act is an instrument to this. If we use RTI Act as an instrument and not a weapon, the jammed doors may be opened for information, he added.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal, a noted RTI activist from Delhi, pointed out the lack of uniformity in the websites for filing RTI at different states and the fee charged for appeals. For example, he says when one files an RTI application on the Odisha government portal, the applicant is required to send printout of the application by post to the concerned public information officer (PIO).

Mr Habibullah suggested appealing to the chief information commission, which, in turn, can write to the state information commission of respective states for making the necessary changes in their portal so that such issues would not occur.

There is a delay in hearing and disposing appeals at the state and central information commission. According to Mr Habibullah, there is an additional load on the commissions in terms of an increased number of appeals. The reason is, Section 4 of the RTI Act, where the public authority is required to put all information in the public domain, is not being followed by everyone. If the information is made available transparently by public authorities, then there would be fewer people filing applications and seeking information under the RTI Act. So, public authorities must comply with Section 4 of the RTI Act fully. Otherwise, an amendment could be introduced in the Act to fix the time limit for disposing of appeals at the commissions.

You can watch the entire recording here:
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EAST ROCKHILL  There are exceptions to the state mandate that face masks be worn in schools, but it "is not a mask optional policy," the Pennsylvania Department of Education said in a September 10 message to chief school administrators, prompting discussion at the public committee meetings 
Sayre, PA (18840)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Moultrie, GA (31768)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
NEW YORK (AP)  The remnants of Hurricane Ida blew through the mid-Atlantic states Wednesday with at least two tornadoes, heavy winds and drenching rains that collapsed the roof of a U.S. Postal Service building, left cars and roads underwater and sent garbage floating through the streets of New York.

Social media posts showed homes reduced to rubble in a southern New Jersey county just outside Philadelphia, not far from where the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado Wednesday evening. Authorities did not have any immediate information on injuries.

Other video showed water rushing through Newark Liberty International Airport as the storm moved into New York on Wednesday night.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, tweeted at 10:30 p.m. that all flights were suspended and all parking lots were closed due to severe flooding. All train service to the airport also was suspended.

The National Weather Service recorded 3.15 inches of rain in New Yorks Central Park in one hour, far surpassing the 1.94 inches that fell in one hour during Tropical Storm Henri on the night of Aug. 21, which was believed at the time to be the most ever recorded in the park.

New York's FDR Drive, a major artery on the east side of Manhattan, was underwater by late evening and subway stations and tracks became so flooded that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended all service. Videos posted online showed subway riders standing on seats in cars filled with water.

Other videos showed vehicles submerged up to their windows on major roadways in and around the city and garbage floating down a street in Queens.

At the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Queens, television footage showed fans who had watched matches under the Arthur Ashe Stadium's retractable roof slogging through several inches of water as they left.

Few parts of the region were untouched, and residents huddled inside and endured the anxiety brought on by tornado warnings that gradually moved north and east with the storm.

The roof collapsed at the Postal Service building in Kearny, New Jersey, with people inside, police Sgt. Chris Levchak said. Rescue crews were on scene into the night, with no immediate word on the number of people or severity of injuries.

Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in all of New Jerseys 21 counties, urging people to stay off the flooded roads. Meteorologists warned that rivers likely won't crest for a few more days, raising the possibility of more widespread flooding.

Soaking rains prompted the evacuations of thousands of people after water reached dangerous levels at a dam near Johnstown, a Pennsylvania town nicknamed Flood City.

Ida caused countless school and business closures in Pennsylvania. About 150 roadways maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were closed and many smaller roadways also were impassable. Several thousand customers were still without power late Wednesday night.

Some areas near Johnstown, whose history includes several deadly floods, saw 5 inches or more of rain by mid-afternoon, an inundation that triggered an evacuation order for those downstream from the Wilmore dam. Nearby Hinckston Run Dam was also being monitored but appeared stable by late afternoon.

Both dams were considered high-hazard dams that are likely to kill someone were they to fail.

Evacuees were taken to a nearby high school with help from the Red Cross, National Guard, local transit authority and school transportation services, he said.

The 1889 Johnstown flood killed 2,200 people, a disaster blamed on poor maintenance on the South Fork Dam on the Little Conemaugh River. It sent a 36-foot wall of water roaring into a populated area at 40 mph (65 kph).

High water drove some from their homes in Maryland and Virginia. The storm killed a teenager, two people were not accounted for and a tornado was believed to have touched down along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

The National Weather Service had predicted flooding from what remained of Hurricane Ida, saying steep terrain and even city streets were particularly vulnerable to a band of severe weather that extended from the Appalachians into Massachusetts.

Flash flooding knocked about 20 homes off their foundations and washed several trailers away in Virginia's mountainous western corner, where about 50 people were rescued and hundreds were evacuated. News outlets reported that one person was unaccounted for in the small mountain community of Hurley.

Water had almost reached the ceilings of basement units when crews arrived at an apartment complex in Rockville, Maryland, on Wednesday. A 19-year-old was found dead, another person was missing and about 200 people from 60 apartments near Rock Creek were displaced, Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said Wednesday.

In many years I have not seen circumstances like this, Goldstein said.

Tropical Storm Larry was strengthening and moving quickly westward after forming off the coast of Africa earlier Wednesday. Forecasters predicted it would rapidly intensify in a manner similar to Ida, becoming a major hurricane with top wind speeds of 120 mph (193 kph) by Saturday. Kate remained a tropical depression and was expected to weaken without threatening land.

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This story has been corrected to show that the rainfall from Tropical Storm Henri in Central Park occurred on Aug. 21, not Aug. 22.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is asking for the publics help in solving the murder of 82-year-old Jose Jasso of Pecos.

Last week, DPS released their third episode of Cold Case Investigations of the Texas Rangers, which highlighted Jassos murder. The YouTube show was inspired by the success of series like Unsolved Mysteries and other true crime shows in bringing attention to cold cases and unearthing new details.

On March 23, 2010, DPS responded to Jassos ranch in Pecos after his remains were discovered that day, Texas Ranger Phillip Breeding said in the episode. Evidence at the scene pointed to an altercation between Jasso and another individual, and foul play was suspected in his death.

RELATED: DPS seeking new information in 12-year-old Midland cold case

Jassos home on the ranch was burned down and his 2000 Chevrolet truck was missing when officers arrived. Two days later, his truck was found abandoned at a business in Odessa.

A witness who knew Jasso told investigators he saw a woman driving Jassos truck before his remains were discovered. He provided a composite sketch of a woman wearing sunglasses with her hair in a ponytail.

Someone in Pecos knows what happened to Mr. Jasso, Breeding says in the episode. Eleven years later, were still not any closer to solving it than we were back then. We need you to come forward and help us give this family some closure.

Jassos son, Jose Luis Jasso, described his father as strong-bodied and kind, and someone who went to church every Sunday and Wednesday.

If anybody knows anything, I want to know, Jose Luis Jasso said. I want to know who killed my father.

RELATED: DPS asking for tips to solve 36-year-old homicide case in Van Horn

There have been suspects identified in the case, but no one has been charged with any crimes, according to information about the investigation on the DPS website. Jasso was a personable man with a large family and had no known enemies.

Texas Crime Stoppers is offering a $3,000 reward to anyone who comes forward with information that leads to the arrest of the person responsible.

A new episode of Cold Case Investigations about unsolved cases in Midland, Odessa and the surrounding region will premiere each month.

Anyone with information on Jassos murder is asked to contact the Texas Rangers at 1-800-346-3243.
Macromill Adds Taiwan Data to Weekly Consumer Survey

Tokyo-based online specialist Macromill has included Taiwan in its weekly consumer survey, adding to existing coverage of China, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.



Macromill, which merged with Netherlands-based online research and analytics firm MetrixLab in 2014, is headquartered in Tokyo, Rotterdam and San Francisco, with 27 offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia, including Singapore and Mexico. The firm's Macromill Weekly Index Asia (MWIA) provides businesses with free access to data on current consumer sentiment and consumption trends across the region.



Launched last year, MWIA collects data through online consumer surveys, with questions relating to expected change in consumption, details about purchases and planned purchases, examination of whether consumer sentiment is positive or negative, and feedback on consumers' perception of the state of economies. The resulting dataset works with business intelligence tool Tableau, allowing users to collect, organize and analyze information by sorting data by date of survey, region, gender, age, and other attributes.



In a statement, Macromill said: 'One year has passed since the launch of MWIA and we are delighted that it has supported so many businesses in their decision-making. To further meet our users' needs, we have included Taiwan in surveys and are now publishing data on six countries. Taiwan is one of the most important markets in Asia, and many Japanese companies have established a presence there'.



Web site: www.macromill.com .




Timothy Joel Murr, Passed away on August 23rd, 2021 at the age of 67. Funeral services will be at Keefeton Free Will Baptist Church on Saturday, September 18th, 2021 at 2pm.
Four Horry County schools have now made the move to virtual learning as the county sees a rise in COVID-19 cases.

School officials announced Thursday that Whittemore Park Middle would go virtual beginning Friday, Sept. 3, due to cases an increase in cases. The school will remain virtual until Sept. 17. As of Thursday morning, the school has 36 COVID-19 cases among students and one faculty case, according to Horry County Schools' online dashboard.

On Wednesday, Loris Middle School announced it was moving to distance learning on Sept. 2. The announcement came a day after Conway High School announced it was moving to distance learning, starting Sept. 1, and Aynor Middle was the first to go to distance learning through Sept. 13.

As of Monday, a total of 249 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in Horry County, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) said Wednesday.

From Sunday, Aug. 22 to Saturday, Aug. 31, there were a total of 1,772 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county, with 18 total deaths. The number of confirmed cases in the past week is a near 23 percent increase from the previous week, which saw 1,441 confirmed cases.

According to the Horry County Schools COVID-19 dashboard, there were 980 confirmed cases among students as of Tuesday afternoon. Ocean Bay Elementary has the most confirmed cases with 49. St. James Middle is next with 43.

Nearly 10,000 of Horry County students are currently in quarantine, meaning over 20% of the student body is home.

On Wednesday afternoon, Horry County Schools Board Chairman Ken Richardson posted a statement to his personal Facebook page for parents.
Fall wont be fun for seasonal allergy sufferers this year, with forecasters calling for a heavy pollen season from mid-October through mid-November.

The weather service AccuWeather said pollen counts will be high in most of Illinois. Ragweed and mold, which can be caused by accumulations of damp leaves, will be some of the biggest contributors, according to its fall outlook.

Ragweed is a major pollen producer in the U.S. because a single plant can produce billions of pollen grains that are carried by the wind. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said ragweed is the largest contributor to autumn allergies.

Forecasters expect a mild autumn in terms of temperatures, which could delay the hard freeze needed to kill off remaining pollen and bring some relief, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alan Reppert.

National Weather Service records show west-central Illinois usually experiences its first freeze in mid-October. The first freeze  when the temperature dips to 28 degrees or below  usually comes in late October or the first part of November but can vary from the average from year to year.

Most of the rest of the nation is likely to experience a moderately severe fall allergy season, although the extreme west and areas around the Great Lakes will be affected less.

The drought may be a bit of a help to the pollen season in the Southwest, though, as the lack of rain is hindering any weed or grass from growing, Reppert said.

Although the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology estimates 23 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, this year brings an added caution because the symptoms can mirror those of COVID-19, particularly the Delta variant.

Dr. Murray Ramanathan, director of Johns Hopkins Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, told AccuWeather there are some simple ways to distinguish between the two.

Theyre both conditions that can cause very similar symptoms: stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat, drainage, Ramanathan said. The kind of tell-tale signs of allergy that might be different than COVID-19 symptoms are really itchy eyes, itchy nose, itchy throat.

Allergy symptoms also dont include such things as a fever or the loss of taste or smell.

If you feel like youre getting worse, its reasonable to get tested for COVID, especially if symptoms are progressive, he said. The last thing you want to do is chalk it up to allergies and continue thinking its allergies and then it be COVID.

Wednesday marked the meteorological start of autumn, but astronomical fall will arrive at the fall equinox on Sept. 22.
Provided

Chloe Allen of Jacksonville has been named to summer semester presidents list at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

To earn presidents list honors, a student must earn a perfect grade point average.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Californias Sept. 14 recall election could remove first-term Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office. Just over 5 million mail-in ballots  the form of voting most Californians use  already have been returned out of 22 million sent to registered voters.

The contest is unfolding as the state sees a surge in coronavirus cases from the delta variant and the return of masks and other mandates and restrictions in many places. There are raging wildfires in Northern California, crime rates have been spiking and a homeless crisis continues unabated.

Republicans are hoping for an upset in a heavily Democratic state, where the GOP hasnt won a statewide election since 2006. The election is being watched nationally and the outcome could influence the 2022 elections, when a closely divided Congress again will be in play.

How did California arrive at this point? Here are some answers:

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WHAT IS A RECALL ELECTION?

California is one of 20 states that have provisions to recall a sitting governor, 19 through elections. The state law establishing the rules goes back to 1911 and was intended to place more power directly in the hands of voters by allowing them to remove elected officials and repeal or pass laws by placing them on the ballot.

Recall attempts are common in the state, but they rarely get on the ballot and even fewer succeed. The only time a governor was recalled was 2003, when Democrat Gray Davis was removed and voters replaced him with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. A federal judge in late August rejected a lawsuit that sought to block the election on constitutional grounds.

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WHY IS THERE A RECALL DRIVE AGAINST NEWSOM?

The answer is simple and complicated.

The simple part: Californians grew angry during the pandemic. Whipsaw stay-at-home orders by Newsom, crushing job losses from business closures, shuttered schools and the disruption of daily life soured just about everybody. Many of lifes routines were cut off at some point if not altogether, whether trips to the beach or lunches at a favorite taco joint.

The complicated part: In a state with nearly 40 million people, there are many grievances, including Californias wallet-sapping taxes, rising food and gas prices, the threat of water rationing to contend with a long-running drought, a homeless crisis and the continuing menace of wildfires. As governor, Newsom is a ready target for that resentment from voters who are looking for someone to blame.

He is also being hit by fallout from a multibillion-dollar fraud scandal at the state unemployment agency while weathering a public shaming for going mask-less while dining out with friends and lobbyists at an exclusive restaurant last fall, while telling residents to stay home for safety.

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HOW DOES THE ELECTION WORK?

There are two questions: Voters are being asked if Newsom should be removed, yes or no, and then who should replace him. They will choose from dozens of replacement candidates. If a majority of voters approve Newsoms removal, the candidate who gets the most votes on the second question becomes governor. If Newsom is recalled, his replacement could be elected with just a fraction of the votes. With dozens of candidates dividing those ballots, its possible a winner could get 25% or less.

Statistics compiled by Political Data Inc., a firm that gathers voting information for Democrats, independents and academics, found that just over 5 million voters have returned mail-in ballots, which would equal about a 23% turnout rate with voting continuing through Sept. 14. Senior citizens are voting in their usual high numbers, while younger voters are mostly ignoring the contest so far.

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WHAT REPLACEMENT CANDIDATES HAVE ENTERED THE RACE?

There are 46 names on the certified ballot, including former Congressman Doug Ose, who withdrew because of health reasons. The 24 Republican candidates include talk radio host Larry Elder; Kevin Faulconer, the former San Diego mayor; businessman John Cox, who was defeated by Newsom in 2018; Caitlyn Jenner, a reality TV personality and former Olympian; and Assemblyman Kevin Kiley.

There are nine Democrats, 10 independents, two Green Party members and one Libertarian. No Democrat with political stature decided to run  the best-known Democratic candidate is real estate agent and YouTube personality Kevin Paffrath. Most of the candidates are largely unknown and have not mounted credible campaigns.

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WHAT ARE CANDIDATES PROMISING?

Elder, who polls have leading the field of possible replacements, has promised to bring a fresh eye and common sense to Democratic-dominated Sacramento and has said he would swiftly lift state mask and vaccine mandates. Kiley has said he would immediately end the pandemic state of emergency, which would automatically wipe out all state and local orders issued under it.

Faulconer has proposed ending the state income tax for individuals making up to $50,000 and households up to $100,000 as part of a plan to make the state more affordable for the middle class. Cox sought to gain attention by campaigning with a 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) Kodiak bear, which he said represented the need for beastly changes in the state, and also is calling for a historic-sized tax cut.

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WHAT IS NEWSOM SAYING ABOUT THE RECALL?

For months, Newsom steered around questions about a possible recall election, saying he wanted to focus on the coronavirus, vaccinations and reopening schools. But in March, he launched an aggressive campaign strategy and began running ads attacking the recall and doing national TV and cable interviews. The main committee opposing the recall had raised nearly $50 million by the end of July. Newsom has acknowledged that people were anxious and weary after a difficult year dealing with the virus and restrictions.

Newsom, who was elected in a 2018 landslide, sees the recall as an attack on Californias progressive policies. Democrats say the effort to remove him is being driven by far-right extremists and supporters of former President Donald Trump. The recall is backed by state and national Republicans, but organizers argue they have a broad-based coalition, including many independents and Democrats.

More recently, Newsom has focused his attacks on Elder, calling him more extreme in many ways than former President Donald Trump. Elder dismisses such criticism as a political ploy to divert attention from Newsom's record on crime and homelessness.

The governor spent much of 2020 on the defensive. But he has benefitted from a record state budget surplus that allowed him to tour the state to announce vast new spending programs, including $12 billion to fight homelessness; checks up to $1,100 for millions of low and middle-income earners who struggled during lockdowns; and $2.7 billion to pay for all of the states 4-year-olds to go to kindergarten for free.

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HOW PRECARIOUS IS NEWSOMS HOLD ON HIS JOB?

In the depths of the pandemic, Newsoms popularity was tumbling and he appeared imperiled, with widespread unrest over long-running school and business closures. Many business owners were infuriated by what they saw as Newsoms heavy-handed restrictions that had some open and close several times. Others rebelled against mandatory mask-wearing rules.

Earlier this year, a reopened economy and the astounding windfall of tax dollars helped Newsom recover his standing. However, when Newsom fully reopened the state on June 15, virus cases were near record lows. Since then, cases have been climbing, particularly among the unvaccinated.

Los Angeles County, which accounts for a quarter of the states population, reimposed a mask mandate on people who are indoors at public places, even if theyre vaccinated. California also is requiring K-12 students to wear masks when they go back to classrooms. Such an order could hurt Newsom, especially among those who felt he didnt do enough to reopen schools last year.

Newsom himself has been warning the race is close, and Democrats fear many of their voters are shrugging at the contest while Republicans and conservatives are eager to vote.

Still, Newsom has an advantage over his GOP foes  California is one of the countrys most heavily Democratic states. Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by nearly 2-to-1, and the party controls every statewide office and dominates the Legislature and congressional delegation.

Republicans last won a statewide election in 2006, when Schwarzenegger was reelected.

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See APs complete coverage of the California recall election: https://apnews.com/hub/california-recall
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Health officials are warning Wisconsin residents to get vaccinated, wear masks and avoid indoor gatherings over the Labor Day weekend as the delta variant drives the state's COVID-19 case average to levels not seen in months.

Wisconsin's seven-day case average stood at 1,699 as of Wednesday, the highest average since Jan. 15, when it stood at 1,990 cases, the state Department of Health Services reported. COVID-19 hospitalizations have spiked since early July as well. The Wisconsin Hospital Association reported 934 inpatients on Tuesday, the most since February.

We're in the beginning or somewhere in the middle of the second great surge of COVID cases in Wisconsin, state epidemiologist Ryan Westergaard told reporters during a conference call Wednesday afternoon. It might approach last fall. The slope is still going up. Right now is really the time to refocus on this. Lets use all the tools we can to make our activities, our gatherings, as safe as we possibly can.

Most patients are not vaccinated. The DHS estimates that the case rate stands at about 370 among every 100,000 people who arent fully vaccinated compared to 125 cases among every 100,000 people who are.

Wisconsin, like most of the rest of the country, saw a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths last fall before vaccines were introduced. The numbers dropped substantially earlier this summer as more people got shots. The tables turned again in July, though, when the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, began to spread across the state.

The hospital association's executive director, Eric Borgerding, said COVID-19 treatments have improved since last fall and fewer people are dying. The seven-day average of deaths stood at six on Tuesday, according to state data. The seven-day average of deaths hovered around 25 in January.

But Borgerding said hospital workers who struggled through last November's surge have burned out and are leaving their jobs rather than face another flood of patients. Almost every hospital that belongs to the association has turned to employment agencies to supply them with temporary workers, he said.

(The worker shortage) is an in-your-face issue, Borgerding said. It was bad in the fall. It's worse today. The fall really tested the resiliency of our workforce and here we are again. We have a fantastic health care system in Wisconsin but the resilience is not infinite. That's a factor in all of this that people need to understand.

State health officials admonished people to get vaccinated, wear masks indoors everywhere and celebrate Labor Day with outdoor activities. A little more than 51% of the states eligible population had completed their shots as of Tuesday.

Truly," Westergaard said, vaccination is the number one most potent tool we have.

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Follow Todd Richmond on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trichmond1
JERSEYVILLE  Jersey County Sheriffs Department is investigating a report that raw sewage was being dumped into Piasa Creek.

Chief Deputy Mark Marshall said the investigation is just starting, so there is little information available.

He said a witness reported a truck pulling a tank dumping sewage into the creek near what is referred to as the fishing hole off Beltrees Lane, about 1 mile from Illinois Route 3.

He said illegal dumping has been an issue in that area for some time.

Over the years, weve had cars dumped there, he said. Its just a bad spot.

Anyone with information can call the sheriffs department at 618-498-6881.
Getty Images

The Jacksonville Public Library is partnering with the state to host a free COVID-19 vaccine clinic from 3 to 7 p.m. Sept. 14.

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines will be available for those 12 years old or older. Registration is required by going to bit.ly/2VfW4C4. Those who cannot schedule an appointment online can call 217-243-5435 for assistance.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden used his first meeting with a foreign leader since ending the war in Afghanistan to send the message Wednesday that the United States  unburdened of its forever war  is determined to become a more reliable ally to its friends, in this case Ukraine.

Biden played host to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a long-sought Oval Office meeting and tried to reassure him that his administration remains squarely behind the Eastern European nation.

Biden didn't mention Afghanistan in his brief appearance with Zelenskyy before cameras.

But he highlighted his concerns about Russian aggression in the region. Biden, in making his case to end the war in Afghanistan, repeatedly said winding it down would allow the U.S. to put greater focus on combating malevolent acts from adversaries Russia and China.

The United States remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression and for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, Biden said.

The Ukrainian leader, who had found himself ensnarled in Donald Trumps first impeachment, arrived at the White House looking to Biden for increased military aid and backing for his countrys bid for NATO membership.

The meeting was postponed two days while Biden and his national security team were consumed by the military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The withdrawal, which concluded Monday, left behind many Afghans who had worked with the Americans and their allies and who now fear Taliban rule. This led to criticism that the U.S. was less than a reliable international partner, something Biden was eager to counter.

The optics of the moment did not go unnoticed by the Ukrainian president. At a difficult time for the world and the United States ... still you found time for us and we're thankful for this indeed, Zelenskyy said.

In advance of the sit-down, the Biden administration said it was committing up to $60 million in new military aid to Ukraine. The administration said the aid was necessary because of a major increase in Russian military activity along its border and because of mortar attacks, cease-fire violations and other provocations.

The package includes more Javelin anti-tank missiles, which Kyiv sees as critical to defending against Russia-backed separatists. The U.S. has overall committed more than $400 million in military aid this year.

Zelenskyy thanked Biden for the aid.

The war in Donbas is in its eighth year, and we have lost 15,000 people, Zelenskyy said in a reference to the conflict in Ukraines eastern industrial heartland.

In their private talks, Zelenskyy and Biden also discussed Washingtons decision not to block the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would carry Russian natural gas directly to Germany, bypassing Ukraine. The pipeline is vehemently opposed by Ukraine and Poland as well as both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, with Zelenskyy describing it as a powerful geopolitical weapon for Russia.

Zelenskyy, a television actor new to politics, took office in May 2019 anxious to firm up his countrys relationship with the United States. Instead, he almost immediately found himself under pressure from Trump envoys and soon Trump himself, who in the phone call that led to his first impeachment asked Zelenskyy to do us a favor.

In that now famous July 2019 call, Trump asked Zelenskyy to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who had served on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.

Trumps European Union envoy, Gordon Sondland, later told impeachment investigators that Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani explicitly sought a quid pro quo in which an Oval Office visit would be contingent on Zelenskyy announcing the politically charged investigation Trump wanted.

Was there a quid pro quo? Sondland asked. With regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.

Besides the coveted invitation to the White House, Sondland also said it was his understanding that Trump had held up nearly $400 million in military aid until Ukraine announced the investigation.

Allegations that Trump withheld congressionally approved military aid while seeking Ukraines help for his reelection campaign formed the basis of the the first impeachment case against him. Trump was acquitted by the Senate. The Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy never happened.

With Biden, Zelenskyy now has a president with a long history of involvement in Ukraine, one who has supported its determination to break free from Russia, shore up its young democracy and be more fully welcomed into the Western club.

As vice president, Biden was the Obama administrations point person on Ukraine and pushed for tougher action against corruption. He once boasted of his success in getting Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor, who had blocked some corruption investigations. Trump later twisted this by insisting, wrongly, that Biden had done so to protect his son and the energy company on whose board he served.

Zelenskyy is the latest Ukrainian president to promise to tackle systemic corruption and then struggle once in office. Biden administration officials wanted assurances that Zelenskyy remains committed to following through on various reforms.

To that end, a joint statement issued following Wednesday's meeting highlighted the need for Ukraine to move quickly to select a new specialized anti-corruption prosecutor and pass legislation to enshrine the authority of the head of the country's National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the process for selecting that agency's successor.

Zelenskyy came to Washington saying he wanted a clear statement from Biden on whether he supported eventual NATO membership for Ukraine. NATO members are wary given Ukraines simmering conflict with Russia.

Zelenskyy said he and Biden talked about Ukraine's prospects at length during their two-hour meeting. I feel that the president supports Ukraines bid for membership in NATO, Zelenskyy told Ukrainian reporters, but he added that the time frame remains unclear.

The White House also announced Wednesday that Ukraine agreed to join a secure communications line through the National and Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, which serves to minimize the risk of armed conflict. The center includes 50 international partners.

Nord Stream 2, the pipeline being built under the Baltic Sea, is the most significant issue of tension in the relationship. By allowing Russia to bypass Ukraine, it also could potentially deprive Ukraine of the billions of dollars in transit fees it now earns for pumping Russian gas to Europe.

While the U.S. also opposes the new pipeline, worried that it would give Russia too much power over European energy supplies, Biden agreed in July not to penalize the German company overseeing the project.

The joint statement said the U.S. would work to secure Ukraine's supply of gas and prevent the Kremlins use of energy as a geopolitical weapon. The two countries also agreed to improve corporate governance at Ukraine's state-owned energy companies and attract the foreign investment needed for Ukraine to become energy independent.

Zelenskyy expressed satisfaction at the outcome. He said Biden guaranteed that if Russia creates a dangerous situation for Ukraine or causes energy prices to rise, the U.S. will impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2.

I consider it a big victory for us, the Ukrainian president said.

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Associated Press writers Josh Boak in Washington, Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed reporting.
The rise in new COVID-19 infections across west-central Illinois is showing few signs of slowing amid a huge spike statewide.

The entire region is considered at high risk for the spread of the coronavirus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nationwide, 94.04% of counties are in the highest risk category  2.52% more than the previous week. Just 77 of the 3,143 counties in the nation, or 2.39%, are at a low risk for the spread of the virulent disease.

Statewide, the Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday saw its highest single-day increase since late January. There were 5,178 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases reported within 24 hours  the first time since late January that the single-day number has been above 5,000.

Since March 2020, there have been 1,528,120 COVID-19 cases and 23,979 deaths  26 of which were recorded Wednesday.

Morgan County saw cases spike during August, hitting the highest point the week of Aug. 23 before starting to return to a pre-spike level last week.

Twelve new diagnoses were made Wednesday, bringing the total in the county since March 2020 to 4,758, with 120 cases active and 11 people hospitalized because of COVID-19. There have been 117 deaths since the pandemic began.

While many of the initial cases of the virus were among those 60 and older, health officials have expressed concern that they are seeing positive cases in younger people, particularly children.

Ten of the 12 cases reported Wednesday in Morgan County were in those in their 40s or younger; two were in people 70 or older.

A similar trend is being seen in Pike County, where 84 new cases and one additional death were confirmed in the past week. Sixty of those cases were in people in their 40s or younger  including 14 teens and eight people 9 or younger  and 24 involved those between age 50 and 89, according to Pike County Health Department.

There were 320 lab-confirmed positive tests in August, according to the county health department, with 20% involving children. The county said that, as of Tuesday, there were nine people hospitalized with the coronavirus, three of them on ventilators.

Since March 2020, there have been 2,346 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases and 63 deaths in Pike County. A probable case is one in which a direct household contact of someone testing positive is exhibiting the same symptoms.

Greene County recorded 91 cases and two additional deaths between Aug. 24 and Tuesday. Since March 2020, there have been 1,831 COVID-19 cases and 54 deaths in the county.

Brown County saw 17 new cases between Friday and Tuesday, according to Brown County Health Department; 13 were in people in their 40s or younger and eight were in children.

Since March 2020, there have been 977 COVID-19 cases and seven deaths in the county.

Since Friday, Cass County has recorded 28 new cases and said one person is hospitalized with the disease.

There have been 2,307 coronavirus cases and 38 deaths in Cass County since March 2020.

Scott County, which was the last county in the state to record a COVID-19 infection, has reported 33 new cases and one additional death since Aug. 23. Since March 2020, there have been 658 coronavirus cases and four deaths in the county.
Getty Images

CARROLLTON  A mosquito pool has tested positive for West Nile virus in Greene County, according to the county health department.

The specific location was not identified.
Not guilty plea entered for Marilyn Manson on misdemeanors View Photo

LACONIA, N.H. (AP)  An attorney has entered a not guilty plea on behalf of musical artist Marilyn Manson, who is accused of approaching a videographer at his 2019 concert in New Hampshire and allegedly spitting and blowing his nose on her.

Manson, whose legal name is Brian Hugh Warner, surrendered in July to police in Los Angeles in connection with a 2019 arrest warrant in the case. The allegations were detailed in a police affidavit that was released along with a criminal complaint.

Manson was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from the alleged altercation on Aug. 19, 2019, at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford. The misdemeanor charges can each result in a jail sentence of less than a year and a $2,000 fine if convicted.

An arraignment hearing on the charges was scheduled for Thursday, but an attorney for Manson filed the not guilty plea and a wavier of arraignment in Laconia District Court. A case status hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 27.

Susan Fountain, a videographer, was in the venues stage pit area at the time of the alleged assault. Her company, Metronome Media, was contracted by the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion for the concert season.

According to the affidavit, Manson approached Fountain the first time, put his face close to the camera and spit a big lougee at her. She was struck on both hands with saliva.

Manson allegedly returned a second time, covering one side of his nostril and blowing in Fountains direction. Fountain put down her camera and went to the restroom to wash her hands and arms that had Mansons bodily fluids on them.

Manson also has faced abuse accusations  unrelated to the New Hampshire allegation  in recent years. He has denied wrongdoing.

In February, actor Evan Rachel Wood publicly accused Manson, her ex-fiance, of sexual and other physical abuse, alleging she was manipulated into submission during their relationship. Months later, Game of Thrones actor Esme Bianco sued Manson in federal court in Los Angeles, alleging sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Bianco and Wood have spoken publicly.

In 2018, Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to file charges against Manson over allegations of assault, battery and sexual assault dating to 2011, saying they were limited by statutes of limitations and a lack of corroboration. The accuser in that case was identified only as a social acquaintance of Manson.
The Latest: Moderna, Japan partner recall 1.6 million doses View Photo

TOKYO  Moderna Inc. and its Japanese partner are recalling more than 1 million doses of the U.S. drug makers coronavirus vaccine after confirming that contamination reported last week was tiny particles of stainless steel.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. is in charge of sale and distribution in Japan of the Moderna vaccine. The two companies said an investigation at a Spanish factory that produced the vials in question concluded the contamination occurred in the process of putting stops on the vials.

The companies on Aug. 26 announced suspension of 1.63 million doses produced at the line after reports of contamination. Japanese officials said about a half million people had received shots from the Moderna vials before the problem surfaced.

The trouble comes at a time Japan is pushing to accelerate vaccinations amid rising infections that are straining the Japanese health care system.

Pharmaceutical and health ministry officials say they do not believe the high-grade stainless steel poses health risks.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 WHO launches hub in Berlin to help prevent future pandemics

 Vaccinations in rural India increase amide supply concerns

 Sound bite pandemic of the unvaccinated captures part of story

 France starts COVID-19 booster shot campaign for elderly

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronvirus-vaccine

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

TAIPEI, Taiwan  Taiwan has received its first Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China.

Taiwan had been unable to buy the vaccine itself directly from BioNTech, the German company that partnered with U.S.-based Pfizer to develop the vaccine.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen accused China of blocking the deal while China denied any interference.

Two private companies and a Buddhist organization stepped in to buy the vaccine doses and donate them to Taiwan. The doses that arrived Thursday will be given to 12- to 17-year-olds.

Taiwan has been using AstraZeneca, Moderna and the domestically made Medigen vaccine to give 43% of its population at least one dose.

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TORONTO  Ontario is the fourth Canadian province to announce residents will have to show proof of vaccination against the coronavirus to enter restaurants, theaters, gyms and other indoor public venues.

Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday that the vaccination certificate program will take effect Sept. 22.

Initially, residents will show a PDF or printout of the vaccination receipt they received when they got the irshots, along with a government-issued piece of ID such as a photo health card or drivers license.

The province is expected to launch a system in late October that will send everyone a QR code to accompany their vaccination receipt. It will also launch an app that will allow service providers to scan the QR codes as proof of vaccination.

British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba have also implemented some form of vaccine certificate program.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  An Oklahoma judge on Wednesday said she will temporarily block a state law banning public school mask mandates, but students or their parents can opt-out of the requirement if they choose.

Judge Natalie Mai said she will issue a temporary injunction that will go into effect next week when she issues a written order detailing her ruling.

Mai said she is blocking the law because it applies only to public, not private, schools and that schools adopting a mask mandate must provide an option for parents or students to opt out of the requirement.

The ruling drew praise from Gov. Kevin Stitt, who signed the law and opposes mask mandates without exemptions, and Dr. Mary Clarke, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which joined the lawsuit brought by four parents who oppose the law.

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BERLIN  The head of the World Health Organization says he opposes widespread use of boosters for healthy people for now, underscoring the need to get doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to poorer countries.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke in Berlin on Wednesday. He says the U.N. health agency last week witnessed the first decline in new global cases in more than two months.

He says that this is obviously very welcome but it doesnt mean much, since many countries are still seeing steep increases and shocking inequities in access to vaccines.

Tedros says he is calling for a moratorium on booster shots at least until the end of September to allow those countries that are furthest behind to catch up.

He says third doses may be necessary for the most at-risk populations, where there is evidence of waning immunity against severe disease and death.

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LONDON  Britain is offering a third dose of a coronavirus vaccine to up to half a million people who have severely weakened immune systems to give them additional protection.

The governments vaccine advisers says people over 12 years old with conditions such as leukemia, advanced HIV and recent organ transplants will be offered a third jab.

Professor Wei Shen Lim of the official Joint Committee on Vaccine and Immunization says the move aims to reduce the risks of hospitalization and death for the severely immuno-suppressed, a population estimated at 400,000 to 500,000 people, or less than 1% of the total population.

The offer is separate to decisions on a wider vaccine booster program, details of which havent been confirmed. Health Secretary Sajid Javid says that booster program, which prioritizes older age groups, is still planned to start this month.

More than 78% of Britains population over age 16 have received both doses of the vaccine. The governments vaccine advisory committee hasnt decided whether to include all healthy teens age 12 to 15.

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MADRID  Spain has reached its initial goal of fully vaccinating 70% of its population for the coronavirus, according to the health ministry.

Despite a slow rollout of vaccines at the start of the year, Spains public health care system has fully vaccinated more than 33 million people. Over 92% of those over 40 years old are fully covered.

Health Minister Carolina Darias says vaccinations will continue because of the coronavirus, which is forcing certain health restriction to remain in place.

Also, Spains board of vaccine experts has recommended a third shot of vaccine be administered to those people with weak immune systems, such as transplant recipients. Its national and regional health authorities will take up the issue on Sept. 8 when they hold their weekly meeting on the pandemic.

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BERLIN  The World Health Organization has inaugurated a new hub in Berlin meant to better prepare the globe for future pandemics.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday launched the new WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn says its part of an effort to build a world safer from upcoming pandemics in the future. The German government is investing $100 million in the facility.

It aims to promote better information-sharing and analysis, leading to better coordinated decision-making after the patchy global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Michael Ryan, the WHOs emergencies chief, says the faster we identify new infectious disease risks, the faster we can respond.

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NEW DEHLI  More students in India can return to a classroom for the first time in nearly 18 months.

Authorities have given approval to partially reopen more schools despite apprehension from some parents and signs that infections are rising.

Schools and colleges in at least six more states will reopen in a gradual manner with health measures in place throughout September. Activities have been slowly returning in India after the trauma of a ferocious coronavirus surge this year brought daily life in the country to a halt, sickened tens of millions and left hundreds of thousands dead.

A number of states returned last month to in-person learning for some age groups.

Daily new infections have fallen sharply since their peak of more than 400,000 in May. On Saturday, India recorded 46,000 new cases, the highest in nearly two months.

Meanwhile, India has dramatically increased vaccination rates in its vast rural areas, where around 65% of its nearly 1.4 billion people live in villages served by fragile health care systems. Even though demand for vaccines has been increasing in villages, supply constraints continue for the worlds largest maker of vaccines. Experts say its unlikely the country will reach its objective of vaccinating all adults by the end of 2021.

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WARSAW, Poland  Polands health minister says rising coronavirus cases mean citizens should remain vigilant.

Adan Niedzielski commenting Wednesday on latest figures that show 366 new infections, compared to 234 a week ago, and five deaths from COVID-19.

Its a 50% increase, and maybe its good because its a sign that will remind us about the need for discipline because the pandemic is still with us, Niedzielski said on radio RMF FM.

He says almost half of the 38-million nation has been fully vaccinated and should reduce the number of hospitalizations and deaths.

Vaccinations are a gift for us from the science and we should use it as a precaution, Niedzielski said.

Poland has registered nearly 2.9 million infections and 75,300 confirmed deaths.

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PARIS  France has started administering coronavirus booster shots to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions.

The move is meant to shore up their vaccine protection against the highly contagious delta variant. People can get the shot on the condition a minimum six-month period has passed since they got fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

The Health Ministry says about 18 million people are eligible for the booster shot.

France has been facing increased cases since July, with a slight decrease in recent weeks  from 23,000 per day around mid-August to the current 17,000. Health officials are concerned about a reversal of the trend as children return to school on Thursday.

Almost 44 million people, or 65% of the French population, are fully vaccinated.

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TIRANA, Albania  Albanian health authorities started compulsory vaccination for the medical staff, teachers, professors, and students on Wednesday.

They are obliged to hand over the vaccination passport until the end of the month or show results from periodical coronavirus tests. Those who decline will be fined ($29-$48).

The month of September is open for anyone 18 and older to get a shot. With the end of the tourist season comes the return of those entering the country to show a vaccination passport or negative virus test in the last 72 hours.

Albania has seen a significant surge of the daily virus cases in August. About one-fourth of the 2.8 million population has been fully vaccinated.

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ATHENS, Greece  Staff at public hospitals have held protests around Greece on the deadline to comply with a vaccination mandate for health care workers or face suspension without pay.

The government says the measure is needed to safeguard hospitals amid a third major surge in COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. But health care unions say it is unnecessary, noting that an estimated 95% of doctors and 90% of other staff at the countrys largest hospitals are fully vaccinated.

Infection levels spiked in August to the highest level recorded in the country, and pressure on hospitals has been building in recent weeks.

Nearly 64% of Greeces adult population is fully vaccinated, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, while the European Union average reached 70% Tuesday.

Health care unions in Greece say they support the governments vaccination campaign but oppose mandates. A three-hour work stoppage at public hospitals is planned Thursday.

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ISTANBUL  A Turkish family that lost eight members to COVID-19 over a five-month period is calling on scientists to examine their genetic make-up to determine if they are more prone to the virus.

Burak Genc, 24, was the first in the family to die, in early November last year, followed by his father Muhammet six days later. Within six weeks they were followed by four other relatives, who are believed to have contracted the virus at the funerals or during visits to pay their condolences.

Two more members of the family died in February and April. After alerting the authorities, the remaining 25 members of the family were vaccinated and they have not suffered a loss since.

According to Turkish Health Ministry data, 60% of over-18s have received two doses of vaccine. However, the country has experienced rising case numbers since restrictions were relaxed in July, and daily infections hover around 20,000. Some 21,900 cases were recorded on Tuesday and there were 252 confirmed deaths.

By The Associated Press
Vatican exonerates Brooklyn Bishop accused of sexual abuse View Photo

NEW YORK (AP)  The Vatican has concluded that allegations of sexual abuse dating back a half century against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn do not have the semblance of truth, but an attorney for the accusers said they would press forward with their civil cases.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, said Wednesday that the Vatican has closed its investigation into allegations made separately by two men, who accused the bishop, Nicholas DiMarzio, of abusing them a half century ago when he was a priest in New Jersey.

DiMarzio denied the accusations made by his accusers, both of whom have filed civil claims against him.

I repeat what I have said from the beginning. There is no truth to these allegations. Throughout my more than 50-year ministry as a priest, I have never abused anyone, DiMarzio said in a statement. He said he fully cooperated with the investigation.

I remain focused on leading the Diocese of Brooklyn as we are emerging from the darkness of the Coronavirus pandemic, he said. I ask for your prayers as I continue to fight against the lawsuits stemming from these two allegations, and as I now look forward to clearing my name in the New Jersey state courts.

The Vaticans handling of the case was being closely watched because it was among the first to come under new procedures put in place two years ago by Pope Francis to address allegations of sexual abuse against some of the churchs highest ranking clergy.

Critics, including the lawyer for his accusers, expressed concern that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, comprised of other bishops, would lack impartiality.

The investigations concerning the credibility of my clients were subjective and biased because the investigators were controlled by and paid for by the Catholic Church, said the mens attorney, Mitchell Garabedian.

The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, which rendered the decision, is in the business of continuing the secrecy of clergy sexual abuse by hiding the truth, Garabedian asserted.

One of his accusers, Samier Tadros, said the abuse began when he was 6 years old and a parishioner at Holy Rosary Church in Jersey City.

Tadros, who is now 48, has demanded $20 million in compensation.

The Associated Press does not typically identify victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Tadros has done.

In response to the allegations, Dolan hired a law firm to conduct an investigation. That inquiry was led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh.

The findings were then forwarded to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for its review, which determined that the accusations were baseless.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, more commonly known as SNAP, said it was not surprised by the Vaticans actions and urged New York Attorney General Letitia James to conduct its own investigation.

Given Bishop DiMarzios high rank in the Catholic Church  and especially given the fact that he had been tapped by Vatican leaders to investigate other prelates accused of wrongdoing  we believe true transparency and accountability will need to come from secular officials in New York and New Jersey, not Rome, SNAP said in a statement.

The Attorney Generals Office did not have immediate comment.

Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a Boston-based group that has amassed a vast online archive of documents and reports alleging sexual wrongdoing by Catholic clergy, questioned the Catholic Churchs transparency in the matter and called on the Church to release all documents related to its investigation.

Even if their investigation was thorough, she said, only Cardinal Dolan had the power to filter and interpret the evidence before sending it to the Vatican.

Given the findings of the Vatican body, Dolan said in his announcement, it will not authorize any further canonical process to address the accusations.

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN

Associated Press
The Latest: Nevada hospitals see severe shortage of nurses View Photo

LAS VEGAS  Nevada hospitals are seeing a severe shortage of nurses and some northern Nevada hospitals are nearly out of staffed beds for patients, state health officials said Thursday.

Nevada had a shortage of nurses even before the pandemic, when each wave of cases and crush of hospitalizations left nurses demoralized and drove some to leave the profession.

Nevada, like other states, is struggling to attract traveling nurses to help bolster their staffs.

Dr. Chris Lake with the Nevada Hospital Association said Thursday the issue has been compounded by the number of people who are unvaccinated and end up in the hospital or intensive care unit.

About 53% of all eligible Nevadans are fully vaccinated.

Lake said northern Nevada has been further squeezed by the major wildfire bearing down on South Lake Tahoe, which prompted the citys hospital to evacuate dozens of its patients to nearby hospitals.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 J&J vaccines made in Africa will stay in Africa

 EU agency says to focus on vaccines first not booster shots

 12 million French children back to school, wearing masks

 What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19 vaccines?

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronvirus-vaccine

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ATLANTA  U.S. states with high COVID-19 vaccination rates are protecting children from hospitalization, according to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cases, emergency room visits and hospitalizations are much lower among children in communities with higher vaccination rates, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Thursday at a White House briefing.

In August, the hospitalization rate among children was nearly four times higher in states with the lowest vaccine coverage compared to states with high coverage, Walensky said.

The hospitalization rate in unvaccinated adolescents was nearly 10 times higher in July than among fully vaccinated adolescents, Walensky said, citing a second study. Both papers are set to be published Friday in the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Children under age 12 are not yet eligible for the shots. Vaccination of adults and teens slows the spread of the virus in a community, making it less likely a child will catch it from someone close to them.

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OFALLON, Mo.  Children are making up an increasing number of patients filling Missouri hospitals during the summer COVID-19 surge, and some doctors worry that the return to school will lead to more illnesses.

The fast-spreading delta variant combined with low vaccination rates across Missouri to create a new wave of the COVID-19 outbreak that began in June and still persists. One difference this time: Children are more prone to get sick.

The number of children in the St. Louis region hospitalized with COVID-19 reached a record 31 on Wednesday before dipping slightly to 27 on Thursday. Ten of the sick children, ages 18 and under, remain in intensive care units.

In the Kansas City area, Childrens Mercy Hospital reached its capacity on Monday. Dr. Barbara Pahud, director of research for infectious diseases, urged parents to have their kids take precautions as they return to school, including vaccinations for those 12 and older.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska  Alaska officials are hoping a weekly lottery prize will encourage more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Alaska Chamber and state officials announced Thursday that they will offer $49,000 each for one newly vaccinated adult and one youth weekly through Oct. 30. The younger winners will receive their winnings through an Alaska educational savings plan, where the money is invested for their education. Their parents or guardians will also receive $10,000 cash, if they are also vaccinated.

The Anchorage Daily News reports that people who were vaccinated before Thursday wont be left out. There will be a one-time prize of $49,000 awarded to an adult and to a young person who rolled up their sleeves earlier.

Funding for the $1 million campaign came from federal CARES Act funding, through the state health department.

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HONOLULU  Hawaii will be strictly enforcing gathering rules over the Labor Day holiday weekend as the state goes through a record surge of coronavirus cases, officials said.

State law enforcement officials said that anyone planning to gather for parties should reconsider, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

To those individuals organizing or publicizing these gatherings  stop it, said Jason Redulla, chief of the state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.

Last weekend a party of about 300 to 400 people was broken up at an Oahu beach. No one has been cited for breaking local COVID-19 restrictions, which allow no more than 25 people to gather outdoors, but several people received citations for having audio equipment and generators without a permit.

Organizers could still face consequences.

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WASHINGTON  Dr. Anthony Fauci says it is likely Americans will need to get a third dose of vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Fauci spoke at a White House briefing, saying a final determination would be made by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the nations top infections disease expert says his professional experience leads him to believe a third dose of mRNA vaccines will be required to provide long-term protection against the coronavirus.

The U.S. is preparing for boosters for all Americans who received the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna between five and eight months after their second dose, pending approval by the FDA. The U.S. is still studying the need for a booster dose of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

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ROME  Italian Premier Mario Draghi called COVID-19 vaccine opponents cowardly for threatening or harassing Italian ministers, governors, journalists and doctors.

I must express my full solidarity to those who have been the target of violence, hate, by the so-called no-vaxers, Draghi said at a news conference in Rome on Thursday. This violence is particularly hateful, cowardly when used against those who are providing information and to persons on the front line of fighting the pandemic.

Italy requires doctors, nurses and other health care workers to be vaccinated. Teachers and other school personnel need a Green Pass, which certifies they have received at least one vaccine dose, recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months or tested negative in the previous 48 hours.

Recently at a Green Pass protest, a TV journalist was yanked by her hair by a demonstrator, and at a separate rally, a newspaper reporter was repeatedly punched in the face by a school attendance taker.

An infectious disease specialist in Genoa has reported to police dozens of threats to him and his family.

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SEATTLE  Washington states most populous county is reinstating outdoor mask mandates for large events and encourages people to wear masks in other outdoor settings when not 6 feet apart.

The Public Health office of Seattle & King County says starting Sept. 7, there will be a requirement for masks for outdoor events of 500 or more people. The directive applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated over age 5. King County, which includes Seattle, is home to about 2.2 million people.

Last week, more than 70% of people 12 and older had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The county health agency noted the regions high vaccination numbers but says, there are still approximately 750,000 people in King County who remain unvaccinated and susceptible to COVID-19.

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina  Few places in the world have soccer fans more passionate than those in Argentina.

Its been 20 months since the government banned spectators at stadiums. Theyll finally get their chance next week when Argentina plays a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia.

President Alberto Fernandez has approved spectators for the match, though fans can fill only 30% of the 70,000-seat Monumental Stadium.

Argentina has registered 5.1 million cases and more than 110,000 confirmed deaths.

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PRISTINA, Kosovo  Kosovar authorities on Thursday sent mobile teams around the country to make the coronavirus vaccine available to the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian minorities.

The Health Ministry called on the people to get vaccinated. Shots were given to 900 people in those communities, who make up about 2% of the countrys 1.8 million population.

Some 300,000, or about 17% of the population, are fully vaccinated. The government postponed the start of school due to the recent surge of the daily virus cases. On Thursday, there were 1,612 new cases and 32 confirmed deaths.

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MARSEILLE, France  Twelve million children in France are back to school and wearing masks.

They must wear a mask from age 6 because of rules aimed at slowing down the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus. France is averaging about 17,000 confirmed cases each day, down from more than 23,000 in mid-August.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited a primary school in the southern city of Marseille. He was greeted with a fist bump by children and teachers. He praised it a victory to open school, saying we must continue to live, educate and learn with the virus.

Macron urged teenagers to get the vaccine, open to those 12 and older. Schools are organizing vaccinations for those who want to get the shot. More than 63% of people aged 12-17 have received at least one shot, and 47% are fully vaccinated.

Along with other European countries, many in France are concerned the end of the summer break will bring a new surge in cases in schools and other locations.

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BRUSSELS  The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is urging countries to ramp up primary coronavirus vaccine programs and downplayed the need for booster shots among the general public.

The EUs infectious diseases agency says approved vaccines are currently highly effective in limiting the impact of COVID-19. But the agency says extra doses should be considered for people with weak immune systems.

On Wednesday, France became the first large EU country to give booster shots to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions amid the spread of the delta variant. Spanish health authorities are considering similar action.

Many countries are struggling to administer first doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and the World Health Organization had called for a moratorium on boosters. It also urged governments to donate vaccines to needy countries.

The European Commission said Thursday the bloc has enough shots on order should boosters be broadly required.

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NICOSIA, Cyprus  Cyprus will begin administering booster shots against COVID-19 to people over 65, those with weakened immune systems and health care professionals.

Cypriot Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela made the announcement on Thursday after the European Unions infectious diseases agency urged countries to focus on their primary vaccination programs and downplayed the need for booster shots.

Hadjipantela says booster shots will be given to those who are eligible once a six-month period elapses from the time they completed their vaccination. He says expanding the booster shot program to include other age groups will depend on the recommendation on a committee of medical experts.

The minister says Cyprus has the second-lowest COVID-19 mortality rate behind Finland among all EU member states. Currently 74% of Cyprus adult population is fully vaccinated, while 78% has received at least one shot.

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KAMPALA, Uganda  The African Unions COVID-19 envoy says vaccine doses produced by a plant in South Africa will no longer be exported to Europe after the intervention of South Africas government.

Strive Masiyiwa told reporters Thursday that South African drug manufacturer Aspen, which has a contract with Johnson & Johnson to assemble the ingredients of its COVID-19 vaccine, will no longer ship vaccine doses out of the continent and that millions of doses warehoused in Europe will be returned to the continent.

That arrangement has been suspended, he said, adding that J&J doses produced in South Africa will stay in Africa and will be distributed in Africa.

He said the issue had been corrected in a positive way, with Aspens arrangement with Johnson & Johnson changing from a contract deal to a licensed arrangement similar to the production in India of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Masiyiwa said the Aspen product will be African branded.

Johnson & Johnson was criticized heavily for shipping doses to countries in Europe, which have already immunized large numbers of their people and have even donated vaccines to more needy countries.

Africa has fully vaccinated under 3% of its 1.3 billion people. Vaccine production within the continent is seen as key to meeting the stated target of vaccinating 60% of the people.

The continent has reported more than 7.8 million cases, including 197,150 confirmed deaths.

By The Associated Press
Tuolumne Public Health reports three deaths due to COVID-19, a man in his 50s, a woman in her 60s, and a man in his 70s. Public Health officials say, we continue to experience a high rate of new cases and heavy impact to our healthcare system. There are 34 new community cases, 240 active community cases including 16 who are hospitalized. The total current case rate, a 14-day rolling average for Tuolumne County is 52.9 per 100,000 population down from a high of 67 last week. Health Officials detail, Choosing to help the Public Health Department slow the spread of COVID-19 helps protect you, your family, and your community. We all need to work together to slow the spread of COVID-19. We strongly encourage everyone to be part of the solution and answer the phoneit may be the health department calling to let you know your test result came back positive for COVID-19, or that you have been in close contact with someone who has it. For more information on contact tracing click here , for isolation and quarantine information go here .

The new cases include 5 cases age 17 or under and 9 cases age 60 and older. The gender and age breakdown is; 2 girls and 1 boy age 0-11, 1 girl and 1 boy age 12-17, 2 women and 2 men age 18-29, 3 women and 2 men age 30-39, 3 women and 1 man age 40-49, 4 women and 3 men 50-59, 5 women and 1 man age 60-69, 1 woman and 1 man age 70 to 79 and 1 man age 80 to 89. There were no new Sierra Conservation Center inmate cases. The California department of corrections reports 33 active cases, the most at one correctional facility in the state, at the Sierra Conservation Center (SCC).

Of the 34 new community cases, 32 were unvaccinated, and three who passed away were also unvaccinated.

Public Health continues to strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated, as the most important step to reduce the spread of disease and prevent serious illness and death, as well as to reduce the impact on the healthcare system. In addition, the continued practice of other preventive actions like wearing a mask in public, keeping your distance, avoiding crowds, washing hands, and staying home when sick will help slow the spread of the virus.

Calaveras County Public Health reports two deaths, a woman in her 40s and a woman in her 60s. Health and Human Services Agency Director, Cori Allen says I urge us to come together in a way that can build community, strength, and a network of support. This may be a time to launch a kindness campaign and to consider the critical work being done by our medical providers, school nurses, Public Health staff and hospital staff day in and day out who have been tirelessly dedicated to preventing this very spread for 18 months without break. she adds There are no words to describe the overload hitting our health systems at this time. There are 88 new Covid cases since yesterday. There are 114 active cases including 9 Covid hospitalizations. There are 15 new cases age 0-17 and 9 new cases in individuals 65 years old and older. Since the pandemic began Calaveras has had 390 Covid-19 positive people who are 17 and under and 544 Covid-19 positive people 65 and over.

Mariposa Public Health reports 9 new Covid cases since yesterday. There are 59 active cases including 11 Covid hospitalizations. Mariposa Public Health shares, We are starting to see a plateauing of cases reported, and even a *hint* of a downward trend.

COVID-19 Testing If you believe you have been exposed to COVID, please schedule an appointment to get tested 5 days after exposure. If you are having any symptoms, please get tested right away. The State testing site, is open 7 days a week beginning from 7 AM to 7 PM at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds. Results through the LHI State testing site are turning around quickly at this time, currently between 24-48 hours. Due to increased demand, appointments should be made rather than walking in. Appointments can be scheduled at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. Testing is also available through, some pharmacies, at Rapid Care or the hospital emergency department if you are experiencing any symptoms, or contact your healthcare provider.

COVID-19 Vaccines Vaccine appointments can be made at local pharmacies and through myturn.ca.gov or by calling 833-422-4255. Anyone 12 and older is eligible for the COVID vaccine, Pfizer is approved for anyone over age 12. Call or email with any questions you may have Tuolumne is available at (209) 533-7440 Health@tuolumnecounty.ca.gov, Mariposa at (209) 259-1332 or mariposacovid19@gmail.com more numbers are available on our COVID-19 page here.

County/Date

Tier Color Active

Cases New Cases

Total Cases COVID

Deaths Amador 8/31 160 43 2,652 44 Calaveras 9/1 114 88 2,835 63 Mariposa 9/1 59 9 825 10 Mono 9/1 40 7 1,198 5 Stanislaus 9/1 3,235 283 67,757 1,150 Tuolumne 9/1 240 34 5,732 92
Hannah Bannah by Sandy Lee View Photo

Local resident Sandy Lee has now authored three childrens books, including her latest Hannah Bannah.

Lee was Thursdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day.

Hannah Bannah by Sandy Lee, has been released just in time for the return to school. The book is based on a true story and is inspired by her little brown dachshund named Hannah.

According to Lee, Little Hannah does very different things than any other dog that weve ever had before. She is the cutest little dog and her personality makes us love her even more. In this book, Hannah is questioning why she does different things. Ultimately, the book teaches a child that it is okay to be different.

Lees other childrens books include Hermie the Bug and Remembering Grandma. Each of her books is personally based on her own relatives, pets, and creatures. Every book contains a lesson for the individual child.

Hannah Bannah is now available in Sonora at Mountain Book Shop, The Candy Vault and the Thirsty Prospector. The book can also be ordered online at www.amothersquest.com. The online option includes free shipping for residents of Tuolumne County, as Lee will personally deliver the book to you.

A portion of every copy of Hannah Bannah, goes toward The American Cancer Society.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Caldor Fire Map View Photo

The counties of Amador, Alpine, El Dorado and Placer are included in a Presidential Disaster Declaration that will help those jurisdictions recoup costs associated with fighting the Caldor Fire.

The incident, which has spurred the evacuation of South Lake Tahoe, and other nearby areas, is over 210,000 acres and 25-percent contained. Calmer winds and the return of moderate humidity have helped firefighters recently slow the spread of the flames.

The Presidential Declaration came after Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency related to the fire on Monday. Newsom says, Our continued partnership with the federal government is critical to protecting communities and ensuring impacted Californians have the supports they need to get back on their feet.

The Associated Press reports that officials were initially hoping to have the fire contained by this past Monday, after it ignited on August 14. However, there were challenges in getting resources because they were tied up on the larger Dixie Fire burning to the north.
Texas bans most abortions, with high court mum on appeal View Photo

The nations most far-reaching curb on abortions since they were legalized a half-century ago took effect Wednesday in Texas, with the Supreme Court silent on an emergency appeal to put the law on hold.

If allowed to remain in force, the law, which bans most abortions, would be the strictest against abortion rights in the United States since the high courts landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.

The Texas law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and before most women know theyre pregnant.

Its part of a broader push by Republicans across the country to impose new restrictions on abortion. At least 12 other states have enacted bans early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.

What makes the Texas law different is its unusual enforcement scheme. Rather than have officials responsible for enforcing the law, private citizens are authorized to sue abortion providers and anyone involved in facilitating abortions. Among other situations, that would include anyone who drives a woman to a clinic to get an abortion. Under the law, anyone who successfully sues another person would be entitled to at least $10,000.

Starting today, every unborn child with a heartbeat will be protected from the ravages of abortion, Abbott said in a statement posted on Twitter. Texas will always defend the right to life.

But protests were quick.

President Joe Biden said in a statement that the law blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade and upheld as precedent for nearly half a century. He said the law outrageously gives private citizens the power to bring lawsuits against anyone who they believe has helped another person get an abortion.

Likewise, the American Medical Association said it was deeply disturbed by this egregious law and disappointed by the Supreme Courts inaction.

The law not only bans virtually all abortions in the state, but it interferes in the patient-physician relationship and places bounties on physicians and health care workers simply for delivering care, said a statement from Dr. Gerald E. Harmon, the AMA president.

In a phone call with reporters, Marc Hearron, a lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights, said the abortion providers his group represents were still hoping to hear from the Supreme Court but as of now, most abortion is banned in Texas.

Clinics have said the law would rule out 85% of abortions in Texas and force many clinics to close. Planned Parenthood is among the abortion providers that have stopped scheduling abortions beyond six weeks from conception.

Abortion opponents who wrote the law also made it difficult to challenge in court, in part because its hard to know whom to sue.

Abortion rights advocates say it will force many women to travel out of state for abortions, if they can afford to do so and also navigate issues including childcare and taking time off work. The Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, says if legal abortion care in Texas shuts down, the average one-way driving distance to an abortion clinic for Texans would increase from 12 miles to 248 miles.

Already, abortion clinics beyond the Texas border are feeling the impact. At the Trust Women clinic in Oklahoma City, there had been 80 appointments scheduled over the past two days, more than double the typical number of patients, said Rebecca Tong, co-executive director of the clinic. Two-thirds of those patients were from Texas, another sharp increase, and the earliest opening was now three weeks out.

Oklahoma has just barely enough clinics for the amount of people here, Tong said. If anyone is thinking, Oh, they can just go out of state, itll be so easy, a lot of clinics in the Midwest and South, we dont do abortion care five days a week.

Late into the night Tuesday before the ban took effect clinics in Texas were filled with patients, said Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Womens Health, which has four abortion clinics in Texas.

Twenty-seven women were still in the waiting room after 10 p.m. at one clinic, leaving doctors crying and scrambling over whether they would see all of them in time, she said. The last abortion at one of her clinics finished at 11:56 p.m. in Fort Worth, where Hagstrom Miller said anti-abortion activists outside shined bright lights in the parking lot after dark looking for wrongdoing, and twice called police.

This morning I woke up feeling deep sadness. Im worried. Im numb, she said.

The law is part of a hard-right agenda that Texas Republicans muscled through the statehouse this year ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, when Abbott is up for a third term as governor.

Another law taking effect Wednesday ended required firearm training and background checks to carry handguns in public in Texas, and GOP lawmakers on Tuesday approved election changes that will further tighten what are already some of the strictest voting laws in the nation.

Texas has long had some of the nations toughest abortion restrictions, including a sweeping law passed in 2013. The Supreme Court eventually struck down that law, but not before more than half of the states 40-plus clinics closed.

Lawmakers also are moving forward in an ongoing special session in Texas with proposed new restrictions on medication abortion, a method using pills that accounts for roughly 40% of abortions in the U.S.

Even before the Texas case arrived at the high court the justices had planned to tackle the issue of abortion rights in a major case that will be heard after the court begins hearing arguments again in the fall. That case involves the state of Mississippi, which is asking to be allowed to enforce an abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

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AP writer Paul J. Weber reported from Austin, Texas.

By JESSICA GRESKO, PAUL J. WEBER and MARK SHERMAN

Associated Press
Trails where California family died closed to the public View Photo

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Federal officials closed a portion of trails at a national forest in Northern California where a family and their dog mysteriously died last month, citing pending toxicology reports on nearby water.

There was no clear cause of death, prompting authorities to treat the area as a hazmat scene.

Investigators are considering whether toxic algae blooms or other hazards may have contributed to the deaths and are awaiting the results of water tests taken from the area where the family was found.

The area north of Fresno in the Sierra National Forest will be closed until Sept. 26 to provide for public safety due to unknown hazards found in and near the Savage Lundy Trail, according to the order. Rangers can reopen the trails if conditions change, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday.

John Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and their dog were all found dead on Aug. 17 on a hiking trail near the national forests Hites Cove. A family friend had reported them missing.

The remote area where the bodies were found had no cellphone service. The FBI is trying to access Gerrishs cell phone, which was found in his pocket, the newspaper reported.

We are uncertain of the causes of death. We still havent gotten the results from the case, said Leak Pen, assistant recreation officer at the Bass Lake Ranger District, which oversees that portion of the Sierra National Forest. So, as a precaution, lets go ahead and close it because we know theres some form of hazard to the public.

Toxicology reports are still pending, leading investigators to wait to list a cause of death, but last week they ruled out any weapons being used or dangerous gases from a mine along the trail.

Pen said one water test has come back positive for harmful algae bloom. Others have turned up no toxic substances and still other tests are outstanding. Officials had already warned hikers of such blooms a month before the deaths along the south fork of the Merced River, so that result is not a surprise. Such freshwater blooms are not known to kill humans.

Because of the heat theres a chance they may have drank the water or tried to treat the water, but we dont know, Pen said. Its very mysterious, and were all just waiting for the results.

The closure affects nine trails, six picnic sites and the dirt Forest Road that leads to the Hites Cove trailhead. The district took two weeks to close the trail to figure out the logistics of shuttering such a large area and when they realized answers for the deaths were still far off, Pen said.

The Sierra National Forest closure coincides with a statewide shutdown of all 20 million acres of national forestlands in California through Labor Day due to dangerous fire conditions and taxed firefighting crews.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polish President Andrzej Duda declared a state of emergency in areas along the border with Belarus Thursday, following a surge in illegal migration.

Poland is now the third European Union member to impose a state of emergency in areas bordering Belarus  after Lithuania and Latvia did so earlier this summer arguing that they face a hybrid war attack.

The state of emergency lasts 30 days and will also allow Polish authorities to limit the movements of journalists, activists and other civilians in a 3-kilometer (nearly 2-mile) wide zone along the border.

Polish authorities say it will ensure greater security for Poland and the rest of the EU, also citing Russian military exercises planned in September which will include maneuvers in Belarus.

Here is a look at the standoff on the EU's eastern border, in which would-be asylum seekers have been caught up  including a group of Afghans now trapped between Polish and Belarusian border guards.

HOW IT STARTED

Months ago, neighboring countries charge, Belarus' authoritarian regime began to encourage people from Iraq and elsewhere hoping to reach Europe to come to Belarus. Then, Belarusian forces allegedly shepherded them to its borders with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.

European leaders believe the migrants, who also come from Afghanistan, Syria and Africa, are being used to destabilize the EU in revenge for sanctions the bloc has imposed on President Alexander Lukashenko's regime, which is backed by the Kremlin.

Those sanctions were in reaction to a disputed election last year that gave Lukashenko a sixth term, and the ensuing harsh repression of domestic opponents. More sanctions were imposed after Minsk forced the landing of a Ryanair plane in May and arrested a dissident journalist on board.

Referring to Belarus actions at the border, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin last month that she strongly condemned using people, refugees or people from other countries who are in distress, as a hybrid weapon.

EUROPE AND MIGRATION

Europe is still trying to absorb large numbers of migrants who arrived in recent years, with more than 1 million immigrating in 2015 alone. Whether to welcome or rebuff people fleeing war and poverty is a question that has deepened political divides within European nations and among the 27 EU member states, and boosted anti-immigrant political forces.

The border standoff comes as the Taliban have taken over Afghanistan, creating worries about another wave of migrants and asylum seekers.

European countries have evacuated some Afghans who have worked with their NATO or other missions in Afghanistan and are offering protection to those who have helped their countries. But the bloc also wants to avoid large numbers of people arriving illegally.

THE RESPONSE

Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have been fortifying their borders with Belarus, and have managed recently to stop thousands of people trying to enter. Hundreds have also been detained and put in closed centers. Some have applied for asylum but it is unlikely that many will receive it after entering the EU in an illegal manner.

There have been reports that some people have made their way undetected to Germany or elsewhere in Western Europe  the typical destination for refugees in Europe.

Lithuania said last week it had sent home 14 Iraqis who crossed from Belarus and many more would follow them soon.

WHAT BELARUS SAYS

Belarus top diplomat on Thursday rejected accusations that the ex-Soviet nation has used refugees against the EU.

Theyre saying in the West nowadays that Belarus unleashed a hybrid war on the European Union. It's ridiculous to hear. Belarus, of 10 million (population), unleashed a hybrid war on the 500-million European Union, Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei told reporters on Thursday.

Makei said Belarus has been offering to hold consultations with the EU on the issue of illegal migration, but the European Union is categorically refusing to.

STRANDED GROUP

While the new border barriers have stemmed crossings, one group of migrants has been stuck in a no-man's land between armed Belarusian and Polish forces, sleeping in tents for more than three weeks.

Reporters are not able to approach and question them directly, and information provided by the government and nongovernmental organizations has been difficult to verify.

Poland's border guards on Thursday said there are about 24-30 people there and that Belarusian guards regularly bring them warm meals, drinks, firewood, cigarettes and sweets.

The U.N. refugee agency said there are 32 men, women and children from Afghanistan there. The UNHCR said in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that it sent a team, along with the Belarusian Red Cross, to deliver food, water, blankets and other aid on Wednesday, its second visit in one week.

INTERNAL DISSENT

Polish media have broadcast images of razor wire being rolled out at the border, and soldiers and border guards standing just feet from migrants without giving them aid.

That has drawn condemnation from many.

Prominent former anti-communist dissident Wladyslaw Frasyniuk said he believed soldiers behaved like a pack of dogs that surrounded poor, weak people.

Polish government officials have lashed back, accusing critics of siding with Belarus. Some government supporters have used the term useful idiots to refer to protesters  among them 13 activists who tried to cut the razor wire border barrier last weekend and now face prosecution.

The government argues the state of emergency is needed to protect Poland's security in the face of a Russian military exercise in Belarus this month, and to limit political actions along the border.

___

Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.
BERLIN (AP)  A court on Thursday rejected a bid by German train operator Deutsche Bahn for an emergency injunction to stop a strike by many train drivers that has disrupted rail traffic in the country for a third time this summer.

Deutsche Bahn said it considers the latest strike by the GDL labor union to be illegal. The government-owned company noted that it has increased its offer in an effort to restart negotiations with the union and is now offering a one-time coronavirus bonus of up to 600 euros ($700).
On his 13th day working in San Antonio, Mike Ramseys voice booms  its only slightly muffled by his face mask  across his downtown office. Hes talking fast, over the noise of traffic on West Houston Street nine stories below.

Last year, when the same stretch of Houston Street was still a ghost town because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramsey was leading the workforce development department at St. Petersburg College in Florida.

Ramsey is now responsible for rolling out the four-year, $200 million Ready to Work job-training initiative that voters approved by a 3-1 margin last November. The city of San Antonio hired Ramsey last month to run its newly formed Workforce Development Department, which will oversee the program.

Ramsey, a Louisiana native, is friendly and self-assured, and his thundering laugh cuts through conversation. He was a high school teacher in Florida before he led career and workforce education for Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa Bay. He also served in the Navy in the 1990s.

Now, Ramsey is in a tough spot. Though he only arrived in South Texas in mid-August, he has had to answer why the first year of the job training effort  called Train for Jobs SA  has fallen short.

Ramsey, however, is optimistic about Ready to Works prospects.

On ExpressNews.com: Rollout of San Antonio's $200 million job training effort pushed to 2022

Wave of layoffs

After the pandemic struck San Antonio and threw about 150,000 workers out of their jobs, Mayor Ron Nirenberg scrapped plans to revamp public transit in the city. Instead, he focused on launching a job-training program to help unemployed workers in San Antonio not only find work but also better-paying jobs than theyd had before.

San Antonio lags in educational attainment. In Bexar County, 28 percent of people 25 and older hold bachelors degrees or higher, compared with 32 percent in Harris and Dallas counties and 52 percent in Travis County, according to the U.S. Census.

And the median household income in Bexar County  about $59,000  trails the statewide median of $64,000. Households in Fort Worth and Austin bring in median incomes of $70,000 and $80,000, respectively.

Nirenberg said 10,000 San Antonians would get help from Train for Jobs SA in the first year, which didnt happen.

Ready to Work is the successor program to Train for Jobs. Out-of-work residents will be able to pursue bachelors and associate degrees through Ready to Work. Nirenberg said 40,000 San Antonio families would get a new economic start though the larger, four-year program.

Train for Jobs was funded with $65 million from the city, and it was designed to be a short-term initiative that provides months-long training courses to get workers new credentials and quickly back into jobs. Train for Jobs started a year ago and had placed 467 participants in new jobs as of mid-August. Nearly 3,100 people had either enrolled in or completed some training by then.

Thats far from 10,000 gainfully employed workers.

When you set a specific target like 10,000 jobs, people are going to hold you to that, said Sonia Rodriguez, a leader of the grassroots advocacy group COPS/Metro. Theres some lack of clarity around what are general targets versus hard, measurable ones.

COPS/Metro has tracked the citys development of the job-training initiative since its inception in spring 2020. The group has called for the city to bring in more outside expertise from successful workforce-development programs around the country to help craft Ready to Work.

You have to do your homework first, said Virginia Mata, another COPS/Metro leader. Because this could become a national model for so many major cities, so were setting the path here.

Ramsey contends the first-year results were positive  considering city staffers developed a novel, large-scale job training program in a matter of months that provided training for thousands of residents.

We were all wearing masks  everyone was afraid to go back out into public  so you had a lot of hesitancy from individuals who may have been laid off or may have had kids at home, Ramsey said.

Theres no road map to develop a job-training program amid a pandemic, he said. So its easy to point fingers and say, Look how many people got placed and how much money was spent. But its apples to oranges based upon what workforce development initiatives actually look like during a time when youre not in the middle of a pandemic.

Fresh start

The city of San Antonio planned to transition from Train for Jobs to Ready to Work this month. But officials pushed the start of Ready to Work to early 2022 so the city would have more time to contract with outside organizations to help run the program.

In December, the city plans to award three contracts to nonprofits to implement Ready to Work, market the program and evaluate how workers fare after they complete training.

Once its rolled out, Ramsey will be overseeing one of the largest worker-training efforts a U.S. city has ever undertaken with taxpayer funding.

In November, San Antonio voters approved a -cent sales tax that will generate about $40 million annually for SA Ready to Work.

In the first year, 60 percent of Ready to Work participants will be able to train for occupational certificates and credentials. The other 40 percent can pursue college degrees.

Ramseys department is working to help trainees find the right career and then connect them with local employers who  the hope is  will pay them more than they were making before training.

So far, the median pay for the nearly 500 workers who have gotten hired after going through Train for Jobs is $14 an hour, below the municipal governments minimum wage of $15 per hour.

Ready to Works longer-term training is expected to help workers get jobs that pay more compared with shorter training courses, Ramsey said.

A big piece of that is making sure that the training programs are aligned to higher-paying jobs, he said.

Greater: SATX, formerly known as the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, is creating a database of jobs available in San Antonio, and training providers will be able to access it to tailor their training.

The city has maintained the $15 wage target for the workforce development initiatives  which it, so far, has failed to meet  since it began the job-training push in spring of 2020. But it has shifted its goals for other aspects of the program.

The initial target of training 50,000 workers over the five-year effort was cut to 37,000, including 5,000 next year, city officials said in May. Ramsey declined to say what his goal is for the number of workers he wants to see complete training and get a job.

I dont want to get caught up in Well, how many people is that, Mike? because Im still evaluating that. I dont want to give an aspirational number that we wind up not hitting, Ramsey said. Were going to do our best to make sure we have a solid foundation and that this program is going to be sustainable.

Ramsey said the goal for Train for Jobs was to get 50 percent of trainees placed into jobs. So far, about 51 percent of the 911 workers who have finished training have gotten jobs.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio hires new director to lead the city's $200 million job training program

Nationwide, job training is typically provided through local workforce development boards, such as Workforce Solutions Alamo in San Antonio. But training programs through state and federal agencies have generally underperformed. Roughly a third of adult U.S. workers who went through government-funded job training in 2019 landed jobs, according to the Department of Labor.

I believe were going to greatly exceed that, Ramsey said.

Project Quest  which COPS/Metro established in the mid-1990s  is a San Antonio-based training program viewed as a nationwide gold standard for local workforce development. The program has placed 90 percent of its participants into jobs, mostly in health care, that pay more than four times what participants previously earned.

It costs $10,500, on average, over nearly two years to get a Project Quest participant through training and into a job.

Ready to Work will provide $4,000 to $6,000 for each participant annually, depending on how much they need for tuition, emergency assistance and other expenses.

It costs real money to help people get from unemployment to a decent-paying job, said Heath Prince, a workforce and education researcher and director of the Ray Marshall Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Prince didnt fault the city for not hitting its 10,000-trainee target. He said the city could ramp up to train that many workers annually in a couple of years.

Its disappointing only 3,000 have been trained so far, but theres nothing typical about the last year weve gone through, Prince said. And 10,000 is a good start. I dont think its overly ambitious given the number of people who lost their jobs because of the pandemic.

Despite the rocky first year for the citys worker training initiative, Ramsey is confident Ready to Work will be a success when its rolled out next year.

Were going to help your family members, your neighbors, the people you know who live in your community, achieve economic stability, he said. Five years from now, this program will be a model for other cities to follow.

diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net
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Joe Rogan, the mega-popular podcaster who has questioned the necessity of the COVID vaccine on his show, revealed to his fans that he was sick from coronavirus and has to postpone a live show. Rogan took to Instagram on Sept. 1 to share a message titled I GOT COVID. My apologies, but we have to move the Nashville show to Sunday, October 24.

Much love to you all.

Along with the announcement was a video, where the comedian said that he was feeling very weary, I had a headache, and I just felt just run down after a string of tour dates in Florida. He quarantined from his family, tested positive for COVID, and then threw the kitchen sink at it, all kinds of meds. He then proceeded to list said medicine: Monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, Z-Pak, prednisone, everything. I also got an NAD drip and a vitamin drip and I did that three days in a row. Here we are on Wednesday, and I feel great.

Ivermectin, one of the drugs Rogan listed, is not recommended as a treatment of COVID. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a page on their website titled Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19.

Watch the video below:

In April, Rogan was criticized for comments he made on his Joe Rogan Experience podcast when he said, Im not an anti-vax person. In fact, I said I believe theyre safe and I encourage many people to take em. I just said, I dont think that if youre a young, healthy person, that you need it.

He later walked back the statement, saying, Im not a doctor, Im a fucking moron, and Im a cage-fighting commentator whos a dirty stand-up comedian Im not a respected source of information  even for me.

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On Wednesday, September 1, local vegan fast food chain Project Pollo introduced a new seasonal offering that attempts to inspire a non-dairy pumpkin spice fantasy  an autumn feeling that that seizes you by the throat, and catches you thinking about slipping into a little sweater  even when your car thermometer reads 94 degrees.

During lunch, I drove to my nearest drive-thru location and bagged one for myself.

The "Pumpkin Swirl Shake," available now through November 27, is conceivably something of a dream for oat milk PSL lovers.

I don't even really like pumpkin spice lattes or the whole Pinterest subculture surrounding them, but I do appreciate a slice of good pumpkin bread and a season-to-season changing of the guard  when we get to redesign our wardrobes and reset.

I was also excited by the fact that the Project Pollo shake is made using Oatly, one of my favorite alternative milks.

I figured that when it came down to it, there was something special for me at the end of that drive-thru line, hiding at the bottom of that 16-ounce compostable cup.

Camille Sauers

After some idle time in line, I finally purchased my shake for a total of $5.95. The first thing I noticed was that it didn't have a lid. Sitting in my hot car, feeling beads of sweat starting to accumulate above my brow, I realized that consuming the top layer was the first order of business in a race against the clock.

The initial spoonful was a little slice of heaven, a custardy Thanksgiving pie complete with whipped cream and notes of nutmeg and cinnamon. I was lifted up and beamed down somewhere in New England, gearing up to go apple picking after warming my hands on a cup of coffee in a cozy seaside diner overlooking a wharf. Unfortunately, I was soon brought back to my reality, an unshaded parking lot off the bustling center of San Pedro Avenue in San Antonio, when some vegan pumpkin swirl dripped on and lightly stained my pants.

Horrible. I just thrifted these trousers.

As I gave it a few more tastes, I realized that the autumn feeling was growing increasingly harder to access. All I could focus on was the fact that my phone was on low battery, and my sinking suspicion the shake was more akin to a slimy chilled cake batter, that perhaps could have benefited from some texture, or chunks of flaky crust. It reminded me less of New England and more of impending stomach issues.

Camille Sauers

It became abundantly clear that fall isn't here yet for me after all.

I took the shake home, had a little bit more, and gave up, slightly saddened that my midday treat couldn't take me where I wanted to be. My roommate on the other hand thoroughly enjoyed the remnants, so ultimately, maybe a pumpkin swirl sort of drink just isn't right for me.
A Texas woman is suing Starbucks after suffering burns from a coffee ordered a Houston-area location of the coffee giant.

Mary Simms was in the drive-thru of a Tomball Starbucks on April 14 when a barista told her she had been given the wrong drink, McClatchy News' Kaitlyn Alanis reports.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed in Harris County District Court, Simms was handing the hot drink back to the barista when the lid came off the cup and the drink spilled in her lap.

"As a result of the spill, [Simms] sustained first and second-degree burns causing severe personal injuries and damages," the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit claims Starbucks created a "dangerous condition" with the drink's temperature and "failing lid," then failed to warn Simms. She is seeking $75,000 for personal injuries and damages.

Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement that its drinks "are served at a temperature within industry standards, and our partners take great care to ensure the beverages are safely handed off to the customer," according to Alanis.

Simms may have a chance of winning against Starbucks. In 2017, a Florida woman won $100,000 in a lawsuit against Starbucks after her coffee cup lid popped off while receiving the drink and spilled in her lap, giving her first- and second-degree burns.

It's also not the first time the Houston area has been in a legal battle with Starbucks. Another woman sued the company over the temperature of its hot coffee in 2016. And in 2005, the coffee company sued a Galveston bar owner who was selling "Star Bock" beer. He was ultimately allowed to sell the beer, but only in Galveston.
On Wednesday, September 1, Janie Esparza, of historic San Antonio institution Janies Record Shop, passed away at the age of 94, just four days shy of turning 95.

As a fixture in the Tejano and Conjunto music world, Esparza was widely adored, and received countless awards for her impact on the community.

She was a super lady, she was always there to welcome you with open arms and whatever you needed with a big old smile, always smiling and always singing, says Ruben Ramos, Tejano Music Awards Hall of Famer.

She was like family to me, says Ramos, who is also known as "El Gato Negro" and for Grammy award-winning band, The Mexican Revolution.

Ron Cortes /For the Express-News

After raising 14 kids, Esparza received her GED, briefly worked as a secretary, then found her natural calling working in a record store.

A prolific music lover, she was finally able to open her own Tejano and Conjunto record shop in 1985 to great success, proving all the naysayer's wrong. Janie's is currently owned and operated by her children Robert Esparza and Becky De Leon.

She loved music, she knew music very well. She basically had a photographic memory. Once she heard something, it would not go away, she would always remember it, says Robert Esparza, Janie's son.

Ron Cortes /For the Express-News

Robert recalls that Janie adored all types of music, from classic crooners like Javier Solis to 80s icons like Lionel Richie. Through the years, customers visiting the shop would find Janie sitting in her little chair behind the scenes, enjoying a different record every day. Whenever she was being flattered by an award, Robert explains that Janie was always humble, and never wanted to be bothered with all the pomp and circumstance.

In 2003, Esparza became the only record shop owner to be inducted into the Hispanic Music Hall of Fame. In 2011, she earned a Tejano Music Association Lifetime Achievement award, and the following year, she was honored by being included in the San Antonio Conjunto Hall of Fame.

I loved bragging about her, you know shes my mom, but everybody loved her, says Robert, "We're very proud to call her our mom."

Today the phone at Janie's has been ringing off the hook, with calls from friends across San Antonio and across the country whose lives Janie touched.

Ron Cortes /For the Express-News

Once you meet her she really does make an impression on you," Robert continues.

Ron Cortes /For the Express-News

On August 1, on the 36th anniversary of the shop, musicians from across the country congregated at the Thirsty Horse Saloon to celebrate and support Janie's Record Shop's legacy through a benefit concert, with artists David Lee Garza y Los Musicales, Ruben Ramos, Los Desperadoz, LaDezz, Rick Fuentes.

Janie was unable to attend at the time, due to her declining health, but her beloved record shop continues to live on. In fact, it's expanding, according to Robert, with plans to open a performance stage for artists in the community to perform and debut new music.

"She knew every artist, from Isidro Lopez to Beto Villa, she was like a music library, says Ramos.

We will miss her very much, but we know she will be there as long as the family keeps the shop open and continues her legacy.

Janie's Record Shop is located on 1012 Bandera Road.
With pandemic era eviction moratoriums scratched, San Antonio is seeking a $3 million grant as thousands face removal from their homes.

The City Council applied for a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Eviction Protection Grant Program, a request that came in from the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department. The funding, when approved, will be used starting October 2021 through October 2023.

District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo says the grant allows NHSD to add five full-time housing navigators to the Justice of the Peace courts, where eviction hearings take place.

Funds will also help NHSD's partners the Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid and the San Antonio Legal Services Association to add four full-time attorneys and three paralegals to the Know Your Rights training program.

The Supreme Court ended the nationwide pandemic era ban on evictions on August 26.

NHSD Director Vero Soto says 10,500 households facing eviction and believes up to 40,000 individuals will be impacted by this grant.

"There's still quite a few families who are falling through the cracks," Castillo says. "It is incumbent on local leaders to ensure that families can remain in their homes to protect themselves from this pandemic and houselessness."

She says landlords can evict tenants for disconnected utilities. She says there are about 68,000 CPS Energy and 46,000 San Antonio Water System delinquent customers facing disconnection. The Express-News reported on August 24 that the number of delinquent residential CPS Energy customers ballooned to about 73,000. MySA contacted CPS Energy to confirm these numbers.

Since March 2020, landlords have filed about 13,000 eviction lawsuits, according to state court data.

Soto says NHSD having housing navigators at the courts is key to reaching those who may not have access to the internet, but the housing navigation team does in-person events in areas where known eviction cases are filed.
Education Images/Education Images/Universal Image

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP)  Authorities at Grand Canyon National Park said Wednesday that they are scaling back the search for a Texas man who has been missing for nearly three months.

Park officials said 49-year-old Charles Lyon of Tyler was last seen at a hotel in Tusayan on June 10.
In a bench ruling delivered over several hours on Wednesday, a U.S. judge approved a Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan widely criticized for giving the Sackler family immunity from civil lawsuits related to the companys drug OxyContin and and profiteering that critics say escalated the nations opioid epidemic.

The deal grants releases from liability for harm caused by OxyContin and other opioids to the Sacklers, hundreds of their associates, as well as their remaining empire of companies and trusts, NPR explained.

In a statement condemning the development, Rick Claypool, a research director for the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said that allowing the billionaires at the root of the opioid crisis to walk free while thousands of its victims are in prison is a catastrophic injustice.

Purdue Pharma is the reason the Sackler family are billionaires, and after todays settlement they will remain billionaires, Claypool continued. The greed of some Sacklers fueled an opioid epidemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans, gripped millions in the claws of addiction, devastated communities across the country, and cost over $2.5 trillion.

The researcher noted that meanwhile, on any given day, 450,000 incarcerated people are serving time for nonviolent drug crimes.



The Biden administration has the authority to pursue leniency for nonviolent drug offenders, whose unnecessary and cruel incarceration must be replaced with support to help communities heal the raw wounds the opioid epidemic left behind, Claypool said.

The administration also has the authority to continue the last administrations criminal investigation and indict any member of the Sackler family who committed crimes while pursuing opioid profits, he added. On both fronts, the administration should exercise its authority without delay.

Judge Drain says todays settlement does not immunize the Sacklers from *criminal* liability. So @TheJusticeDept should continue the last admins criminal investigation & indict any Sackler family member who committed crimes while pursuing opioid profits https://t.co/3ufpJveplK  Rick Claypool (@RickClaypool) September 1, 2021

As Reuters detailed, the bankruptcy plan, valued at more than $10 billion, will dissolve the drugmaker and shift assets to a new company owned by a trust rather than the Sackler family members.

Reuters continued:

The Sacklers have denied allegations, raised in lawsuits and elsewhere, that they bear responsibility for the U.S. opioid epidemic. They have said they acted ethically and lawfully while serving on Purdues board. The Purdue bankruptcy plan includes a $4.5 billion contribution from Sackler family members. The contribution is in the form of cash that would be paid over roughly a decade and also includes $175 million in value from relinquishing control of charitable institutions.

Judge Robert Drain of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, New York, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, provisionally approved the plan, saying he wanted modest adjustments, according to the New York Times.

Journalists live-tweeting the orally delivered ruling reported that Drain declared that this is not the Sacklers plan, despite the civil immunity from opioid cases being a key goal of family members.

But @npr reporting and testimony during the trial have shown a key provision of Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan from start was immunity from opioid lawsuits for the Sacklers, which they demanded from the outset. Sackler family set to win their core goal. 19/  Brian Mann (@BrianMannADK) September 1, 2021



Adam Levitin, a Georgetown Law professor specializing in bankruptcy, pushed back against Drains criticism of reporters, academics, and lawmakers and argued that the plan aligns with what the Sacklers wanted.

Drains shifting the goal posts and setting up a strawman, he said. No one informed is claiming that the Sacklers are getting criminal immunity. Theyre just keeping a multi-billion dollar fortune despite having wrought terrible harm to millions of people.

OK, then Im misleading the public: this plan _is_ the Sacklers plan. The plan hews to the term sheet that was negotiated by Purdue _when it was fully under the control of the Sacklers._ #purduepharma 2/  Adam Levitin (@AdamLevitin) September 1, 2021



Brian Mann of NPR noted that although Drain said the plan wasnt defined by the Sacklers, he also acknowledged at length that members of the family placed their wealth (which [the judge] estimates at $11 billion) offshore where there is a substantial issue of collectability.'

It is incredibly frustrating that people can send their money offshore, said Drain. The judge also highlighted the lack of apology from the Sackler family, adding that a forced apology is not really an apology, so we will have to live without one.

Journalist Gerald Posner, author of the book PHARMA, shared various lines of the bench ruling, including Drains point that prosecutors could pursue criminal claims against the Sacklers.

I believe some of the Sackler parties have liability for some of these claims Bitterness over the outcome of this case is completely understandable If any prosecutor wants to pursue a criminal claim, they can  Gerald Posner (@geraldposner) September 1, 2021



Though the Sacklers have never been charged and maintaintheir position that the family has no responsibility for the opioid crisis, NPR noted last week that Purdue Pharma has pleaded guilty twice to criminal wrongdoing in its marketing of OxyContin, first in 2007 and again last year.

The outlet also reported Tuesday on Purdue Pharmas stealth campaign aimed at preventing a potential appeal of the bankruptcy settlement by the U.S. Justice Department.

According to Reuters, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is also preparing to appeal if necessary.
Yves here. We had warned that efforts to impose Covid vaccine mandates, as the Biden Administration has announced for nursing homes receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds, was certain to exacerbate existing staffing shortages. Hospitals have already suffered resignations of nurses and doctors due to burnout and their own fears of contracting Covid. One of our aides quit her job in a local hospital last month. Her floor supposedly had a specialized role, but she said the facility was fabulously disorganized so they got all kinds of patients.

Her floor was converted to a Covid floor: Two cases the first day. Four the second, Eight the next. I could see where this was going. I resigned.

This article is frustratingly misleading by omission on several issues. First it does not acknowledge weak efficacy of the existing vaccines against Delta infections, particularly after a few months (the vaccines do still appear to offer solid protection against hospitalizations until they start to wane, which again appears to be much sooner against Delta than the officialdom wants to admit). Second is that the CDC has stated that vaccinated Covid positive cases carry similar amounts of virus in their nasal passages. Viral loads for Delta are so high that later papers trying to argue the the virus in vaccinated patients is somehow less potent did not impress our GM: Yeah, it got 2x more contagious, the vaccinated are only 1.8x more contagious, we are winning

That is a long-winded way of saying that having hospital staff vaccinated is a good ideafor them! Adequate staffing, high grade PPE, and negative pressure rooms are oddly being downplayed as important patient protections in these discussions. And hazard pay. Many hospitals are paying huge amounts for traveling nurses, when bonuses for working a certain number of days a month would keep at least some staffers from leaving.

And why is this article silent on why nurses, who by virtue of seeing how devastating Covid can be, should be in the front of the line to volunteer for getting vaccinated yet many still havent? This is a huge CDC failure and the article going soft by being complicit isnt helping.

We reviewed in our post on the Biden Administration nursing home mandate why some staffers still have not gotten vaccinated. Recall that nurses and other support staff, like cooks and cleaners, are the backbone of hospitals, and they skew female and young. As we wrote:

Lets look at a few of the cohorts that are on the vaccine hesitant to anti-vax spectrum that have good odds of quitting: Reproductive age women whove heard of cases menstrual period disruption post vaccination. The CDC has simply ignored this issue, which doesnt engender confidence in women whove heard about these problems. The lack of interest reeks of gender and class bias. Well off women could store their eggs before getting a shot and then get IVF later. Or they could afford a fertility doctor if they had issues, whether or not due to the vaccination. Lower income women dont have these fallbacks. And these changes are frequent enough to not be rare (like the roughly one in a million J&J blood clots) even if not common. And they are in many case alarming. From WBRC last month: Katharine Lee noticed changes in her menstrual cycle not long after getting her COVID-19 vaccine. When we were going through ethics approval, Katie and I had a discussion about how many people we anticipated would participate and the number we put in was 500 and that was being optimistic, said Kate Clancy, PhD, Director of Graduate Studies, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Illinois. We hit 500 I think in the first couple of hours and in fact, were in the thousands within 24 hours. Their research survey launched a few weeks ago and has nearly 130,000 replies from women sharing their menstrual experiences after vaccination Among those people, just broadly what we can say, is for the most part their experience is that their period is heavier, but we do also see some people with lighter periods, and really the most important finding for us, is not just looking at the experiences of people who are currently menstruating, but looking at people who are not currently menstruating. Clancy said women who are on-long active contraceptives or women who are postmenopausal are reporting breakthrough bleeding. Some experts (of course men!) have tried to depict these results as stress-driven, but stress if anything leads to late and/or light periods, not early and heavy ones. And since when do post menopausal women have heavy breakthrough periods? Even some of our male readers have heard about this syndrome. From Isotope_C14: With the quality of data being collected by CDC and VAERS I dont know how any person could hang a flag to either side Anecdotally, all the girls that run the bar that I shouldnt go to have incredibly whacked long-term symptoms. All of them are under 30. Most of them are having bizzare menstrual problems. One, who is utterly adorable and reminds me of a young Terry Farrell hasnt had her time of the month in 55 days. He also mentioned how odd it was to have women who were just a bit over half his age tell him about their periods, which he took as an indicator of how much it was on their minds.

Back to the current post. Weve since heard of two cases who havent menstruated in months post vaccination. Their specialists dont know what to do since their hormones look fine. Anecdata like that gets around.

The CDC should have gotten on top of this issue immediately and gathered data on prevalence, in particular how often this was happening and how quickly the irregular periods resolved, and how many had continuing issues. The CDC then could easily have put up comparative data on the odds of this result versus the odds of bad outcomes from getting Covid, not just death but all of the other types of damage, starting with long Covid, which appears to hit women more often then men.

Pretending that this isnt happening only feeds distrust. As one hospital worker put it: Most people who want to have kids will gladly tell the boss to take the job and shove it  and they are.

By Lauren Weber, correspondent for Kaiser Health News, a former health policy reporter for HuffPost, and a 2017 USC Annenberg Health Journalism National Fellow. Originally published at Kaiser Health News

In the rural northeastern corner of Missouri, Scotland County Hospital has been so low on staff that it sometimes had to turn away patients amid a surge in covid-19 cases.

The national covid staffing crunch means CEO Dr. Randy Tobler has hired more travel nurses to fill the gaps. And the prices are steep  what he called crazy rates of $200 an hour or more, which Tobler said his small rural hospital cannot afford.

A little over 60% of his staff is fully vaccinated. Even as covid cases rise, though, a vaccine mandate is out of the question.

If that becomes our differential advantage, we probably wont have one until were forced to have one, Tobler said. Maybe thats the thing that will keep nurses here.

As of Thursday, about 39% of U.S. hospitals had announced vaccine mandates, said Colin Milligan, a spokesperson for the American Hospital Association. Across Missouri and the nation, hospitals are weighing more than patient and caregiver health in deciding whether to mandate covid vaccines for staffers.

The market for health care labor, strained by more than a year and a half of coping with the pandemic, continues to be pinched. While urban hospitals with deeper pockets for shoring up staff have implemented vaccine mandates, and may even use them as a selling point to recruit staffers and patients, their rural and regional counterparts are left with hard choices as cases surge again.

Obviously, its going to be a real challenge for these small, rural hospitals to mandate a vaccine when theyre already facing such significant workforce shortages, said Alan Morgan, head of the National Rural Health Association.

Without vaccine mandates, this could lead to a desperate cycle: Areas with fewer vaccinated residents likely have fewer vaccinated hospital workers, too, making them more likely to be hard hit by the delta variant sweeping America. In the short term, mandates might drive away some workers. But the surge could also squeeze the hospital workforce further as patients flood in and staffers take sick days.

Rural covid mortality rates were almost 70% higher on average than urban ones for the week ending Aug. 15, according to the Rural Policy Research Institute.

Despite the scientific knowledge that covid vaccinations sharply lower the risk of infection, hospitalization and death, the lack of a vaccine mandate can serve as a hospital recruiting tool. In Nebraska, the state veterans affairs agency prominently displays the lack of a vaccine requirement for nurses on its job site, The Associated Press reported.

It all comes back to workforce shortages, especially in more vaccine-hesitant communities, said Jacy Warrell, executive director of the Rural Health Association of Tennessee. She pointed out that some regional health care systems dont qualify for staffing assistance from the National Guard as they have fewer than 200 beds. A potential vaccine mandate further endangers their staffing numbers, she said.

Theyre going to have to think twice about it, Warrell said. Theyre going to have to weigh the risk and benefit there.

The mandates are having ripple effects throughout the health care industry. The federal government has mandated that all nursing homes require covid vaccinations or risk losing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, and industry groups have warned that workers may jump to other health care settings. Meanwhile, Montana has banned vaccine mandates altogether, and the Montana Hospital Association has gotten one call from a health care worker interested in working in the state because of it, said spokesperson Katy Peterson.

Its not just nurses at stake with vaccine mandates. Respiratory techs, nursing assistants, food service employees, billing staff and other health care workers are already in short supply. According to the latest KFF/The Washington Post Frontline Health Care Workers Survey, released in April, at least one-third of health care workerswho assist with patient care and administrative tasks have considered leaving the workforce.

The combination of burnout and added stress of people leaving their jobs has worn down the health care workers the public often forgets about, said interventional radiology tech Joseph Brown, who works at Sutter Roseville Medical Center outside Sacramento, California.

This has a domino effect, Brown said: More of his co-workers are going on stress and medical leave as their numbers dwindle and while hospitals run out of beds. He said nurses aides already doing backbreaking work are suddenly forced to care for more patients.

Explain to me how you get 15 people up to a toilet, do the vitals, change the beds, provide the care youre supposed to provide for 15 people in an eight-hour shift and not injure yourself, he said.

In Missouri, Tobler said his wife, Heliene, is training to be a volunteer certified medical assistant to help fill the gap in the hospitals rural health clinic.

Tobler is waiting to see if the larger St. Louis hospitals lose staff in the coming weeks as their vaccine mandates go into effect, and what impact that could have throughout the state.

In the hard-hit southwestern corner of Missouri, CoxHealth president and CEO Steve Edwards said his health system headquartered in Springfield is upping its minimum wage to $15.25 an hour to compete for workers.

While the estimated $25 million price tag of such a salary boost will take away about half the hospital systems bottom line, Edwards said, the investment is necessary to keep up with the competitive labor market and cushion the blow of the potential loss of staffers to the hospitals upcoming Oct. 15 vaccine mandate.

Were asking people to take bedpans and work all night and do really difficult work and maybe put themselves in harms way, he said. It seems like a much harder job than some of these 9-to-5 jobs in an Amazon distribution center.

Two of his employees died from covid. In July alone, Edwards said 500 staffers were out, predominantly due to the virus. The vaccine mandate could keep that from happening, Edwards said.

You may have the finest neurosurgeon, but if you dont have a registration person everything stops, he said. Were all interdependent on each other.

But Californias Brown, who is vaccinated, said he worries about his colleagues who may lose their jobs because they are unwilling to comply with vaccine mandates.

California has mandated that health care workers complete their covid vaccination shots by the end of September. The state is already seeing traveling nurses turn down assignments there because they do not want to be vaccinated, CalMatters reported.

Since the mandate applies statewide, workers cannot go work at another hospital without vaccine requirements nearby. Brown is frustrated that hospital administrators and lawmakers, who have zero covid exposure, are the ones making those decisions.

Hospitals across the country posted signs that said Health care heroes work here. Where is the reward for our heroes? he asked. Right now, the hospitals are telling us the reward for the heroes: If you dont get the vaccine, youre fired.
(Natural News) By now youve 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 behemoths proprietary, take-it-or-leave-it software. This new offensive is tentatively slated to begin with the launch of iOS 15?almost certainly in mid-September?with the devices of its US user-base designated as the initial targets. Were told that other countries will be spared, but not for long.

(Article by Edward Snowden republished from EdwardSnowden.Substack.com)

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 doesnt 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 its 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 iPhones 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 shouldnt worry: Apple feel[s] very good about what theyre doing.

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 companys users, but to reassure the companys 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 whove 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 Im confusedor maybe I just think different.

Read more at: EdwardSnowden.Substack.com and PrivacyWatch.news.
(Natural News) President Joe Bidens disastrous pullout from Afghanistan has fulfilled a prophecy made by Osama Bin Laden back in 2002.

The letter by the late Al-Qaeda leader was written in Arabic before being translated and posted by The Guardian in November of 2002. Here, Bin Laden offers this prophecy: If Americans refuse to listen to our advice  then be aware that you will lose this Crusade Bush began, just like the previous Crusades.

On Sunday, Aug. 29, The Center of Security Policys John Rossomando reposted the 2002 letter from Bin Laden with his own prediction  that Bin Ladens prophecy will be how jihadists see Bidens Afghan disaster for years to come.

#Biden has fulfilled Osama Bin Laden's prophecy. This is how this #AfghanistanDisaster will be portrayed by #jihadists for decades to come. https://t.co/X7HArHDeBK pic.twitter.com/QY5ZP1KxvD  John Rossomando (@JohnRossomando) August 29, 2021

Talibans return will be seen by jihadists as justifying their actions

Bin Ladens 2002 letter paints Al Qaedas  and by extension, the Talibans  fight against the United States and her allies as a struggle against oppressors.

Because you attacked us and continue to attack us, Bin Laden wrote.

He then listed examples, going as far back as the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Here, Bin Laden stated that the U.S. has fabricated lies about the Jews having a historical right to Palestine, as it was promised to them in the Torah.

Other examples that Bin Laden listed include the U.S.-led U.N. intervention in Somalia, the supposed support for Russian atrocities against Muslims in Chechnya, claimed Indian oppression against Muslims in Kashmir and Israeli aggression in Lebanon.

He then states that these have put an obligation on them to fight against governments allied with the U.S.

While he didnt name the country in this context, it can be easy to draw a line from what Bin Laden wrote here and the events in Afghanistan. By bringing up Bil Ladens letter, Rossomando is pointing out that jihadists will make that connection. That the fall of the Afghan government in the middle of the botched withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country was prophesized by Bin Laden in 2002.

This then raises the specter of increased activity from jihadists who will see Afghanistan as a victory, as proof that their fight against America and her allies is just and that victory is achievable. (Related: Countries in Central Asia and Europe are worried Afghanistan chaos will spread.)

Will the Taliban harbor terrorists again?

With the Taliban once again in power in Afghanistan, the question now becomes whether the country will once again become a safe haven for terrorists.

In February of 2020, President Donald Trump negotiated an accord with the Taliban where the group agreed to not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including Al Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.

Indeed, some experts are saying that the Taliban may not be as quick to support other terrorists. John Sawer, former head of the United Kingdoms foreign intelligence service MI6 said the group would have learned some lessons in the last 20 years.

To have a friend of terrorists, which Taliban have been, running a whole country is not a good thing, Sawers stated.

That said, questions remain whether the Talibans fighters in Afghanistan share the same views as its leadership, which has been at the negotiating table in Qatar.

The question is always how much control the leadership negotiating in Doha has over the fighters, Sawers points out. Since traditionally in civil wars those on the battlefield have more power than those who sit in five-star hotels.

Other experts, especially in Washington, arent as optimistic.

The terrorism risk to the United States is going to get dramatically worse, argues former State Department coordinator for counterterrorism Nathan Sales, now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Sales says that with the Taliban back in power, it is virtually certain that Al Qaeda will re-establish a safe haven in Afghanistan and use it to plot terrorism against the United States and others.

Follow Collapse.news for more about the fallout from Afghanistans collapse.

Sources include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

TheGuardian.com

Twitter.com

NYTimes.com
(Natural News) Japans health ministry has placed a moratorium on the administration of Modernas Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine after two young men died following the jab.

The Japanese government is concerned about the recent discovery of strange contaminants in Modernas injection vials, which were discovered to be magnetic.

The two deaths fit the profile of vaccine-induced myocarditis, which seems to be a trend, particularly among men who get injected for the Fauci Flu. Both men died just days after receiving their second Moderna syringe, prompting immediate action from the government.

Some 1.63 million doses of Moderna shots that were shipped to 863 vaccination centers across Japan were tossed, followed by the Japanese government launching an investigation.

At this time, we do not have any evidence that these deaths are caused by the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna and its Japanese partner, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., announced following the news.

It is important to conduct a formal investigation to determine whether there is any connection.

One public health official also took Modernas side by immediately telling the public not to jump to any conclusions that the deaths were caused by the injections.

There may only be a temporal relationship between vaccination and death, stated Fumie Sakamoto, the infection control manager at St. Lukes International Hospital in Tokyo, defending the pharmaceutical giants.

How many more people need to die before covid vaccines are taken off the market?

This is typically what happens whenever people die from vaccines, by the way. Big Pharma immediately and emphatically denies any wrongdoing, blaming everything and everyone else besides themselves for the deaths.

Big Pharma only cares about profit, after all, and could not care less about people becoming seriously injured or dying from its products.

It could not be more obvious, though, that these two deaths were directly caused by Modernas contaminated vials, which contain mystery ingredients that are magnetic  and who knows what else.

The Japanese government admits that the two men both developed a severe fever the day after they received their second doses of Moderna. Just two days later, they both died.

It is unclear if uncontaminated doses of Moderna killed the two men from the usual side effects or if the magnetic contaminant did the dirty deed. In either case, Moderna shots have taken even more lives, as has come to be the norm.

There are also reports of additional contamination in some Moderna doses, which the Japanese government is describing as black substances.

Some regions of Japan have flat-out banned all further use of Moderna shots while the rest of the country is trying to root out only those shots that contain contaminants.

Truth be told, all Moderna injections are contaminated with deadly substances that reprogram human DNA and cause it to manufacture spike proteins, not to mention new variants of the Chinese Flu.

We are just now seeing the first of the mass die-offs, wrote one commenter at Zero Hedge. Sad that so many fell victim to this scam. Just a darn good thing we have FEMA camps set up with a good supply of casket liners.

Is anyone else not sold on the idea that the two men died because the shots were contaminated and not just because they had an adverse reaction from the normal shots, resulting in death? asked another, bringing up an interesting point about how the jabs are inherently deadly even without contamination.

Obviously they died because of climate change and assumed genders, joked another, pointing out the lunacy and derangement of modern-day thinking about pretty much everything.

The latest news about Moderna can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com

ZeroHedge.com
(Natural News) Chief Medical Advisor to the White House Dr. Anthony Fauci said the United States is on track to administer Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine booster doses every eight months.

On Sunday, Aug. 29, Fauci appeared on the program of mainstream media outlet NBC News, Meet the Press. He claimed that the federal government is strongly considering providing COVID-19 booster doses to Americans eight months after they get their last dose of the vaccine. (Related: Scientists warn push for COVID-19 booster shots not based on scientific data; politics and profits now driving vaccine policies.)

But after the intervention of President Joe Biden, Fauci agreed that the government can be flexible about this issue. While the plan will not change right now, it could be amended soon based on the data. Biden reportedly wants Americans to be given booster doses possibly as soon as five months after their last dose.

Were still planning on eight months, said Fauci to Meet the Press host Chuck Todd. That was the calculation we made.

But Fauci added that the countrys public health authorities are open to any variation of this timetable based on the data.

If the federal governments plans are not interrupted, the rollout of booster COVID-19 doses could begin as early as the week of Sept. 20.

Later on in the interview, Fauci admitted that the COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. are not very effective. He did this by admitting that he was certain the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require a third dose, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine required a second.

We were dealing, Chuck, with a total emergency situation, said Fauci. If we had the grace to be able to do this in a very slow, measured manner, the phase two study would have given various intervals of dosing.

It is entirely conceivable that when all is said and done the standard regime will be a three-dose shot for [Pfizer and Moderna] and a two-dose shot for Johnson & Johnson.

Fauci tried to rationalize this sudden change by claiming that the country leaders priorities are saving lives and not providing the country with accurate data regarding the COVID-19 vaccines.

We were having to save lives and we needed to do it very quickly. So, I dont think there was anything errant or wrong in the way we started it with two doses, he said. But at least now were being very open and flexible that we may need that third dose.

Biden pushing Fauci to require booster COVID-19 doses

Fauci and other public health officials have outlined a schedule for administering additional COVID-19 doses. Biden has publicly asked these officials if the gap between the booster doses could be shortened. He did this after a visit by the Israeli prime minister.

On Friday, Aug. 27, Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the White House. After receiving advice from the prime minister, Biden asked his health officials to consider if following Israels timetable regarding the administering of booster doses is viable.

Were considering the advice youve given that we should start earlier, said Biden to Bennett. Should it be as little as five months? Thats being discussed.

It should be noted that Israel, one of the worlds most vaccinated countries with 60 percent of its population fully vaccinated, is currently dealing with a massive post-vaccine COVID-19 outbreak. The country recently passed one million total COVID-19 cases, with nearly 11,000 Israelis testing positive on Monday, Aug. 30.

As of Tuesday morning, Israel has over 83,000 active COVID-19 cases, and over 7,000 people have died of COVID-19 there.

The booster doses would have to be first approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The latter is a committee within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that advises vaccination policies.

The push by so-called public health experts and leading Democrats to mandate COVID-19 booster doses has been strongly criticized by many conservatives and Republicans. Notably, former President Trump called the plan a money-making operation by Pfizer.

Think of the money involved, said Trump in early August. An extra shot  How good a business is that? If youre a pure businessman, youd say, you know what, lets give them another shot. Thats another $10 billion of money coming in. The whole thing is crazy.

Learn more about the governments push to force Americans to get injected with more doses of the deadly COVID-19 vaccines by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

InfoWars.com

Bloomberg.com

BusinessInsider.com

NYTimes.com

TimesOfIsrael.com
(Natural News) Despotic people tend to telegraph their future actions like inexperienced fighters tend to telegraph their punches; its not as if the intentions of totalitarians are obscured or hard to predict. In some cases they may even believe that they can be as obvious as they wish because they assume no one will ever try to stop them. Theyve been destroying lives for so long they adopt a sense of superiority, as if they are untouchable.

(Article by Brandon Smith republished from Alt-Market.us)

In my extensive study of psychopathy I find that, unfortunately, the primary catalyst for the exploitation and victimization of large populations of people is that many of them cant wrap their heads around the idea of an organized conspiracy of human monsters. They refuse to acknowledge the existence of the evil right in front of them, so the evil is able to go unopposed for long stretches of time. There is ALWAYS a moment, though, when psychopaths push the wrong people too far. They just cant help it, and this is when they find themselves on the business end of a noose or the barrel of a gun.

When it comes to organizations of psychopaths, the same moment also eventually arrives, it just takes longer for the public to comes to grips with the necessity of it.

In terms of the Great Reset agenda, medical tyranny using covid as a rationale is clearly a key ingredient to the future objectives of the power elite. At the beginning of the pandemic lockdowns last year I made several predictions and warnings. I said that the mandates and lockdowns for most people around the world would never go away, and I called this Wave Theory; the use of intermittent moments of limited freedom followed by increasingly more aggressive restrictions.

This cycle is meant to condition the public to the idea that governments are allowed to micromanage our daily lives, that this is normal, that it is for our own good and that we should enjoy the short moments of liberty or normalcy they so graciously let us to have.

I have warned consistently that all governments around the world would eventually try to adopt proof of vaccination requirements in order for people to participate in everyday activities such as going to public venues, going to school, shopping in stores or even getting a job. The mainstream media and governments consistently claimed last year that vaccine passports were not going to happen, and that the very notion was a conspiracy theory. Now, the vaccines passports are being implemented in numerous countries including some parts of the US and anyone who stands against them is called a conspiracy theorist.

You see how that works? If you expose the truth of an authoritarian plot the establishment lies and calls you a conspiracy theorist. Once the establishment admits to the plot and you refuse to comply with it those same liars call you a conspiracy theorist AGAIN, as well as a terrorist.

Yes, this was also predicted by myself and others at the beginning of the pandemic. We said that the people that fight against vaccine passport tyranny would be quickly labeled as traitors and terrorists putting others at risk because we are too selfish to bow down and take the experimental jab or submit to the lockdowns. This is exactly what has happened, with the DHS recently announcing that one of the warning signs of a potential terrorist includes opposition to covid mandates and vaccines.

I also predicted that the ultimate goal of the covid agenda will be to create domestic travel restrictions and state and city checkpoints, not to mention covid camps or prisons for the unvaccinated. In the US the DHS is admitting that they are entertaining the concept of interstate travel limits and a papers please system to prevent Americans from moving around freely. The state of New York hinted at covid camps many months ago, but the real plan is being revealed overseas in other Western nations like Australia and New Zealand.

And here is where we find the telegraphed punches

I have specifically examined Australia and New Zealands fast track covid tyranny plans a year ago in my article The Totalitarian Future Globalists Want For The Entire World Is Being Revealed and I noted that whatever happens in these countries along with certain countries in Europe is going to be tried in the US in the near term. The main difference being that these measures cannot be fast tracked in the same way in the US because Americans are heavily armed and have the ability to bury the establishment six feet under if we organized to do so.

This is why vaccine passports are still only incremental in the US and are not being pushed in the vast majority of the nation. This is why outside of major cities most Americans completely ignore the mandates and have been doing so for many months.

In my area I dont think I have seen more than two people a day wearing a mask anywhere. The sight of it is so bizarre that it stands out almost immediately. I once even witnessed a woman in a mask (an obvious tourist) in line at the grocery store look around herself and realize NO ONE else was wearing one. She suddenly started making weird and very vocal excuses for her mask to all the people in line, claiming that she actually hates the smell of detergents and that was why she was wearing it.

The difference between free rural areas and the dystopian cities is stark.

Frankly, I dont care if someone wears a mask or not. Its a placebo that does nothing to stop the transmission of the virus, but if it makes them feel better then more power to them. The issue is when these scared and pathetic people try to project their delusions onto everyone else. Covids median death rate of 0.26% is so small it boggles my mind that so many people in blue states and counties are terrified of it. I dont think they understand the basic statistics of the situation  99.7% of the population has little to fear from covid.

This is the data according to the CDC and dozens of mainstream and independent medical studies, but you will never hear these numbers in the media. They will talk of infection numbers and deaths, but they refuse to put the deaths in perspective with the statistics. Why? Because then the public fear would go away, and the establishment needs to ramp up the fear so that they can continue to take away our freedoms in the name of safety.

I have been hearing a rather naive argument lately that countries like France are putting Americans to shame because they are in the streets protesting the lockdowns and passports. They are saying Americans will never fight back. What these people do not understand is that in most of the US there ARE NO LOCKDOWNS and there are no mandates. The government declares them, sure, and we just ignore them. There are only pockets of leftists in certain states and counties that actually follow and enforce these rules. The conservative population is fully ready and prepared to stop the agenda cold when the government actually tries to enforce it, and they will certainly try.

Here is where we need to understand the horrifying developments in Australia and New Zealand: The lockdowns are now normalized in these places and the governments need no real excuse for them. They simply announce there are a handful of covid cases and that lockdowns must return. Travel is strangled and basic rights and freedoms are nonexistent. The New Zealand Prime Ministers latest speech on the restrictions says it all:

The main message here being that social interaction is forbidden. Just stay in your bubble and follow the mandates without question. And, even if you are vaccinated these rules still apply to you. The beauty of the covid restrictions is that they are a perfect excuse for a tyrannical government to block public assembly, which helps prevent the organization of resistance.

The globalists need the lockdowns to go on forever. In Australia and NZ the assertion is that anyone that breaks them will be targeted for punishment up to and including being locked up in a military run covid camp. These are the same measures that Biden and the globalists within the establishment would like for the US. Its not conspiracy theory, its conspiracy reality.

This brings me to the Afghanistan situation, and some people might suggest that it has nothing to do with covid tyranny, but bear with me. Again, its a matter again of predicting future events according to telegraphed punches as well as historic examples.

The question Im hearing most when it comes to Afghanistan is how is it possible for a group of tribal cave people to defeat the most advanced military in the world. I think this conundrum needs to be explored when it comes to covid tyranny because if the epic might of the US military was not enough to hold back the Taliban, how do the globalists plan to enforce covid lockdowns in America?

Lets be clear first that there are many people that argue that the US military was not allowed to win in Afghanistan. This is a misrepresentation of reality. The fact of the matter is, winning was ALWAYS IMPOSSIBLE in Afghanistan. The establishment knew this 20 years ago when they first sent American troops in. They did not need to sabotage the US mission in Afghanistan, because losing in Afghanistan was inevitable anyway.

The occupation of an entire nation in order to diminish a large insurgency and impose a cultural shift is an effort that must be accomplished swiftly or not at all. The monetary cost is crippling, the human cost is staggering and the amount of resources needed to maintain subjugation is exponential. The truth is, the longer an occupation goes on without the total elimination of the insurgency, the less likely it is to succeed. The problem is, in order to completely eliminate the insurgency, you would have to wipe out most of the population using tactics that are grotesque; tactics that only inspire MORE insurgency.

Ill repeat the message here because I dont think some people get it: The conspiracy to trap the US in failure was completed 20 years ago the moment we committed to the invasion of Afghanistan. It was all downhill from there and there was no way to win.

I have also heard it said that its impractical to compare an Afghan insurgency to an American rebellion against tyranny because the Taliban is made up of fighters that far superior in ability to any patriots in the US. In other words, some people think the Taliban are some kind of super soldiers. This is an idiotic take. I think the following video makes my point for me:

These are not the brightest bulbs in the bunch nor are they unstoppable berserkers. Their training is sub-par and the majority of combat incidents with the Taliban note their habit of not even looking down the sights on their rifles when they shoot. This leads us to a logical query when it comes to the covid gulag the globalists want to transplant to the US  If the low rent fighters of the Taliban can fend off the modern military might of the US, then how in the hell do the globalists expect to control an American insurgency made up of trained combat veterans and experienced civilian shooters using guerrilla tactics?

Who are they going to get to do this? Who is stupid enough to take the job of demanding papers and enforcing checkpoints and arresting those that dont comply in predominantly conservative regions with more guns than people and enough ammo to fight at least a couple world wars? I suspect that expensive contractors would be the only answer outside of foreign forces, and even then, I would not want to be in their shoes when the sleeping giant of American rebellion stirs.

I guess the lesson I am deriving from these examples is that the globalists are going to try to enforce the covid mandate agenda and passport tyranny no matter what. They cannot stop the process which they have set in motion. The events in Australia and NZ show that their addiction to totalitarianism is insatiable and it demands they pursue increasing control regardless of the cost. They are telling us exactly what they are about to do.

The events in Afghanistan show that such control is nearly impossible to maintain over a population that is armed and that, in the US at least, they will ultimately losebadly. Even if they use unmitigated terror tactics, they will still lose as long as Americans continue to fight. The laws of attrition always prevail, and technological superiority means nothing. To summarize, the fight is already won, but the struggle has just begun.

Read more at: Alt-Market.us and MedicalTyranny.com.
(Natural News) Leftists are now demanding that physicians who either question the accepted science (not the real science) regarding COVID-19, COVID vaccines, masks and other aspects of the pandemic be stripped of their licensure in the latest attempt to use the virus to forward their countercultural revolution.

And of course, the garbage mainstream media is in the tank for these leftist revolutionaries because they believe theyre going to have some sort of special place in the new authoritarian American.

The New York Times gave us a glimpse of whats going on:

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.

And because his views are popular, the Times, as well as a growing number of medical organizations that used to be run by practitioners and scientists who did not accept that science is settled or believe that there is no more we can learn, want to punish doctors like him for what is nothing less than wrong think.

Describing what Stock is saying as false and misleading information about the virus and vaccines  as if the moron reporter knows better  the paper is pushing the official views of medical organizations also run by leftists including the Federation of State Medical Boards, which represents the groups that license and discipline doctors.

Last month, the board recommended  that states consider action against doctors who share false medical claims, to include suspending medical licenses or revoking them altogether, the Times reported. The message: If you dare discuss or offer a view, even one based on legitimate scientific evidence, that differs from the official ones on COVID-19, we should have the right to take away your ability to make a living, even though you may be right and you spent a decade going in major debt to pass medical school.

This is Stalinesque; its nothing less than what Chinas Communists do to people in that country who refuse to toe the party line on everything.

The American Medical Association says spreading misinformation violates the code of ethics that licensed doctors agree to follow, the Times added, but failed to explain, in context, that what an official board views as misinformation really isnt  its just a different viewpoint and in the case of COVID-19, one that is based on personal research and scientific findings that dont gibe with the vaccinate everyone crowd.

When a doctor speaks, people pay attention, Dr. Humayun Chaudhry, president of the Federation of State Medical Boards, told the Times. The title of being a physician lends credibility to what people say to the general public. Thats why it is so important that these doctors dont spread misinformation.

Again, this isnt about misinformation, its about stifling information under the guise of curbing misinformation.

News sites like this one constantly publish accurate, verifiable information but were treated as disinformation factories simply because we refuse to tout only the official, accepted views of the deep state.

Its the same with physicians now who disagree that vaccines are the only way to curb the spread of COVID in the face of new infections even among the vaccinated.

Americans are increasingly living in a country dominated by a few Marxist tyrants in key positions. We cannot allow them to continue setting the course for our republic.

Sources include:

MSN.com

Vaccines.news
(Natural News) A leading conservative medical and health freedom organization is criticizing mainstream media outlets in the United States for ignoring alternative, cheap, effective and early treatment options for Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). This organization has accused media outlets of being in the pockets of Big Pharma.

The group in question is Americas Frontline Doctors (AFLDS). It is a non-partisan and not-for-profit organization that represents individuals from a range of medical disciplines. All of their members have practical experience with healthcare and medicine. The organizations current goals involve the promotion of solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These solutions include providing Americans with science-based information regarding the coronavirus and combating the COVID-19 pandemic using evidence-based solutions that do not compromise peoples Constitutional freedoms. The group wants these solutions to be available for all Americans who need them.

The group is also concerned about protecting physicians from potential government overreach and advocating for healthcare policies that protect the physician-patient relationship.

Also of note is the organizations fight against media censorship of alternative and early treatment options for COVID-19 and the medical cancel culture of physicians that promote these treatments.

AFLDS criticizes mainstream media for not talking about alternative COVID-19 treatments

Recently, AFLDS published a statement in response to what it called inaccurate and slanderous reporting by mainstream media outlets Time Magazine and NBC News.

The AFLDS accused the government of taking a fatalist attitude toward the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has contended that there is nothing that can be done other than masking to protect individuals from COVID-19, wrote the organization.

The human cost of that reckless and unscientific prescription has been massive, wrote the AFLDS.

The organization continued by talking about several licensed physicians who have promoted the use of various combinations of early COVID-19 treatments including hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, antibiotics, zinc and other vitamins.

Unfortunately, AFLDS pointed out that these physicians and their extremely impressive clinical results with using these alternative treatments have not been covered faithfully by mainstream media outlets. The group laments this fact because these medicines are cheap and easily available, but the majority of Americans do not understand their effectiveness against COVID-19 because of unprecedented media censorship.

Globally it is well known that early treatment works but this truth continues to be frantically suppressed by the dishonest American media, continued the AFLDS. The group then proceeded to cite several examples. The statement read:

In India the scientist who withheld this cheap, safe medicine from her people is now facing the death penalty. In Japan the Tokyo Medical Association urged all doctors to prescribe ivermectin. In China [hydroxychloroquine] has been recommended since March 2020.

The AFLDS then highlighted the fact that mainstream media outlets have failed to report the more than 300 scientific studies that show using these early treatment options is very effective against COVID-19. Some of these studies were published in some of the countrys most prestigious medical journals, including the American Journal of Medicine and the American Journal of Therapeutics.

The organization further pointed out that it has been directly attacked by mainstream media outlets as part of an ongoing, orchestrated effort. The AFLDS alleges these media outlets are earning billions of dollars from pharmaceutical corporations and pandemic-related government advertising.

AFLDS continues to encourage the public to remain calm, concluded the organization in its statement. COVID-19 has a very high survivability rate and with an increased effort to protect physician independence and patient choice, we will save even more lives.

Learn more about the medical organizations standing up to mainstream media outlets and big pharma companies attempting to control the narrative regarding COVID-19 by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

AmericasFrontlineDoctors.org

TheTruthAboutCovid.com
(Natural News) Health care workers all across New York State who would rather not get vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) no longer have the option to obtain a religious exemption from the states mandate.

The board of the New York State Department of Health held an emergency meeting and voted unanimously to strip health care workers of their right to just say no to dangerous drug injections on the basis of religious belief. This has left more than 450,000 medical workers across the state vulnerable to forced jabbing if they wish to keep their jobs.

According to Beckers Hospital Review, the Chinese Virus vaccine mandate in New York applies to everyone who works in a hospital, nursing home, diagnostic and treatment center, adult care facility, certified home health agency, hospice, long-term home health care program, AIDS home care program, and licensed home care service agency. Some limited licensed home care service agency workers are also having the jab imposed on them as well.

All employees, members of medical and nursing home staff, contract staff, students, and volunteers who engage in activities such that if they were infected with COVID-19, they could potentially expose other covered personnel, patients or residents to the disease are impacted by the mandate, reports indicate.

Hospital and nursing home workers have until September 27 to get their first dose of a Wuhan Flu shot and show proof of it in order to maintain employment. Employees of the other aforementioned facilities have until October 7 to get their first dose.

New Yorks Department of Health is antichrist

In a statement, New York Department of Health (DoH) attorney Vanessa Murphy proclaimed that the state of New York has no constitutional obligation to honor religious exemptions, even when workers object on the basis of vaccine syringes containing ingredients derived from aborted babies.

Were not constitutionally required to provide a religious exemption, Murphy claims. You see that with the measles and the mumps requirement for health care workers.

In other words, it does not matter if your belief in God prohibits you from taking an injection that violates your faith. In New York, the system of health care imposed by the government does not respect you or God, which means it is an antichrist system of death care.

As far as enforcement goes for the new policy, health care facilities will be tasked with self-policing. This suggests that at least some will defy the states mandate on the grounds that every individual has the God-given right to not be forcibly penetrated with Big Pharma chemicals against his or her will in order to maintain employment.

I think in terms of compliance and enforcement, its at the facility level, Murphy stated. Weve built in provisions to require covered entities upon request to report information to us. I dont know if weve worked out the details of how we would audit or ensure compliance.

Some facilities are already calling on the state government to rescind its ban on the religious exemption, which is sure to drive many high-quality workers out of the workforce.

We really encourage you to consider the shortage, in the emergency situation that we have, stated Al Cardillo, CEO of the Home Care Association of New York State.

Cardillo worries that many health care workers will just up and quit their jobs as opposed to taking the injections that violate their faith.

Investigative journalist Alex Berenson agrees, noting that there is likely to be a significant shortage of nurses in New York come October 1. The current shortage even without the mandate fully in place could be a point of leverage for those opposed to the experimental drug shots to collectively bargain for the mandate to be dropped.

To keep up with the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine genocide, be sure to check out ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Steve Lynch, who ran for governor of Pennsylvania, delivered a rousing speech at a recent Freedom Rally in which he called on men everywhere to band together and take back our country from the Branch Covidians.

Sick and tired of seeing our children, especially, trampled over by the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) tyrants who want children to be masked forever, Lynch says that he is joining up with other men to take back Americas public schools  watch the video below:

"I'm going in there with 20 strong men, I'm going to speak to the school board and I'm going to give them an option. They can leave or they can be removed " said Steve Lynch who is running for PA Governor, "Make men men again", he said during Freedom Rally today. pic.twitter.com/PunzV59AMg  Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) August 30, 2021

Men, where are you? Men, wake up and smell the coffee! Lets go! Make men great again! Make men men again! Lets go! Lynch proclaimed to loud applause.

Men, I need you! When we walk into those school boards, were going to have everything we need to go in there and fight those school boards that voted to put these masks back on the children with no scientific data.

To Lynch, the solution is simple: Just go to the school board meetings and physically remove every single tyrant who refuses to allow children the freedom to breathe without a toxic cloth or plastic obstruction over their faces.

You go into the school boards to remove them, thats what you do, Lynch says.

They dont follow the law. You go in and you remove them. Im going in with 20 strong men and Im going to speak to the school board. Im going to give them an option: They can leave or they can be removed. And then after that, were going to replace them with nine parents and were going to vote down the mask mandates that evening.

Lynch is right: Men need to take action!

Though it is clearly frowned upon in the new America, men being men needs to once again become the norm. We simply cannot allow these covid tyrants, many of whom are women, to push us into the totalitarian chains of a medical police state.

Their main target is children, whom they know are easily impressionable and can be much more easily controlled in the classroom when they are away from their parents. This is why men need to take action now to nip this thing in the bud before it goes any further.

This is how you get stuff done, Lynch says. Forget about your legislators, forget it! Theyre not listening. Youve got to do something.

Its us, its We the People. When I see criminals trying to take my rights and my beautiful children, youre going to have to take my life. Ill die on this hill, theres no way.

Lynch is, of course, being dragged through the mud by the feminist media, which is calling him an extremist for saying what needed to be said a year and a half ago when this nightmare first started.

The good news is that it is not too late. The tyrants are showing their cards like they think they are going to get away with it. Let us show these medical fascists that they will not get away with their desired tyranny, no matter how much they kick and scream about it.

This is probably the best type of action against lawless people in power, wrote one commenter at Citizen Free Press about Lynchs call to action.

He has my absolute support, wrote another.

The local police department is there at all the meetings doing the bidding of their masters, noted another, warning that back the blue no longer applies when so-called law enforcement is tyrannizing We the People with Branch Covidian oppression.

Remove the traitors first and then remove the root cause, wrote another commenter.

To keep up with the latest news about Chinese Virus tyranny, visit Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

Facebook.com

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Freedom-loving Americans need to build a second internet if they wish the United States to survive in this era of increasing left-wing big-tech domination of the nations communications infrastructure, according to tech entrepreneur Martin Avila.

(Article by Matthew Vadum republished from TheEpochTimes.com)

These big tech companies are just gobbling up infrastructure companies, and theyre just trying to own the hard assets, said Avila, CEO of RightForge, which describes itself as the first global internet infrastructure company committed to American principles online.

What were seeing BlackRock do with housing, Big Techs been doing on the real-estate side of the internet. Theres got to be an alternative here because if we lose that, we lose everything: They control it all, Avila told The Epoch Times in an interview.

New York-based BlackRock Inc., run by billionaire Laurence Fink, is the worlds largest asset management firm with a reported $9 trillion in assets under management. Critics say the company has been buying entire neighborhoods in cities like Houston and converting single-family homes into rentals and in the process pushing those with modest resources out of the housing markets.

For years Big Tech has been sorting Americans into groups that can be easily marketed to, and corroding relationships with friends and family members by producing addictive media platforms that can monopolize users time, Avila said. Now that so many people are hooked and driven by a desire to crush support for former President Donald Trump, Big Tech has revealed its true face by shutting down open dialogue in the United States.

Big Tech has made it clear that they want to exclude from public discussion every single person who challenges their authority, holds alternative beliefs, or thinks even a bit differently, he said.

By choosing not to do business with certain users, they are starving individuals, companies, and organizations of the fundamental means required to make a living. They censored newspapers, de-platformed Parler, and prevented the president of the United States from communicating with the American people and the world.

Big Tech has been engaged in a ruthless campaign against the ideals and principles enshrined in our nations founding documents, Avila said. Even worse, Big Tech is not only excising our ideas from societyits eliminating our very ability to formulate and express them.

Silicon Valley has no allegiance to the United States, he said. Instead, it is captive to radical ideologies that repudiate individual liberty, tradition, and transcendent truths.

The recent revelation that American billionaire Jeff Bezoss Amazon Web Services allowed Nida-e-Haqq, an ISIS media organization that promotes content in the Urdu language widely spoken in Pakistan, as well as parts of Afghanistan, to disseminate pro-Taliban propaganda, including praise of the deadly Aug. 26 terrorist attack at the Kabul airport, urgently underlines the need for Americans to be free of the Silicon Valley oligopoly, Avila said.

Amazon only disabled the offending ISIS website after it was caught red-handed and the matter widely reported, he added.

We need a second internet because Amazon will have and host and keep ISIS and Taliban websites up, but at the same time they will deplatform pages and applications like Parler, and until people call them out, theyre happy to keep doing this, Avila said. Theyre constantly looking for ways to shut down conservatives and the American viewpoint. People need to be free to build applications and express American ideas.

Unfortunately, some of the more libertarian elements of the conservative movement have not been helpful in taking on big tech domination, Avila said.

You get the libertarians who hide behind, Well, its a private company. We cant tell them what to do, he said. So then they go and cozy up to China and were told that we cant say anything because theyre private companies? We cant demand that they institute core American principles? This is nuts.

Checking the power of Big Tech wont be easy, but its not impossible, Avila said.

By second internet, Avila said he means an internet infrastructure that is beyond the reach of Silicon Valley companies.

Conservatives have to make sure that were not living on the highways that liberal big tech companies own, because they will put toll booths and guardrails around what were allowed to see.

We need a second internet in which you can use your same websites that you have today. You just want to make sure theyre not housed in a place like Amazon, because what happened to Parler will happen to other organizations.

Avila said it gives him hope that pro-conservative businesses like Black Rifle Coffee Company have become the coffee places preferred to liberal Starbucks in parts of the country, such as the Dallas, Texas area.

People are making choices with their dollars, and people running organizations need to know that the internet, as you know it, the infrastructurethe serversis owned by Big Tech, largely controlled by Big Tech, and there needs to be an alternative. So thats why we built it.

RightForge is able to host websites or build applications for social networks and has servers in every major city in the country, he said.

Avila said RightForges customers cannot be shut down.

You cannot be removed from the internet. You can be removed from a phone if Apple wants to get you out of the App Store. But you cannot be shut down when youre on RightForge. They will not be able to remove you from the internet. You will still be able to exist, gain users, and be completely independent from Big Tech.

And RightForge doesnt moderate content that it hosts, he said.

Im talking to conservative and libertarian organizations that are fighting, pushing back against woke cancel culture, standing up for American values. But well have a platform where anybody can launch any site that they want. The internet should be a place for open debate and free speech and we recognize that sometimes thats uncomfortable.

Of course, well abide by all laws. But from where we stand, thats not the job of a hosting company to moderate the content thats going on it other than for things that are illegal.

Read more at: TheEpochTimes.com and Censorship.news
(Natural News) The Australian federal government passed a controversial new law that gives the countrys law enforcement agencies more online surveillance powers.

Known as the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020 the bill was passed by both the federal House of Representatives and the Senate on Aug. 25. It is now awaiting Royal Assent, the final step before it becomes law.

The new legislation expands the power of law enforcement agencies, notably the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), in three distinct ways.

First, both agencies now have data disruption power. This means the AFP and the ACIC can modify or delete the online data of suspected offenders. Supposedly, they can only do this if the purpose is to prevent the continuation of criminal activity by participants, and be the safest and most expedient option where those participants are in unknown locations or acting under anonymous or false identities.

The second new power is called the network activity warrant. This gives the AFP and the ACIC the authority to monitor the online accounts and activities of suspected offenders to collect more information for an investigation.

Third, the account takeover warrant, grants these law enforcement agencies the power to take control of a suspected offenders online accounts. (Related: These videos prove Australia is a tyrannical police state.)

Anyone enlisted by the AFP or the ACIC to assist them with government hacking is instantly protected from civil liability. Anybody who refuses to assist them or refuses to supply them with the information asked of them can face up to 10 years in prison.

Under our changes, the AFP will have more tools to pursue organized crime gangs to keep drugs off our street and out of our community, and those who commit the most heinous crimes against children, claimed Member of Parliament and Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews.

New online surveillance bill does not protect internet users from government overreach

The passage of the bill has stirred plenty of controversy. Many politicians and internet and privacy activists have spoken out in opposition to the new legislation.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner warned that the new warrant powers could impact the privacy of many people. This includes people without any suspected involvement in criminal activity.

Given the privacy impact of these law enforcement powers on a broad range of individuals and networks, they should be accompanied by appropriate privacy safeguards, said the office back in March when the bill was first proposed.

Opposition Sen. Lidia Thorpe from the state of Victoria pointed out that the data disruption power of the AFP and the ACIC could be used to target anybody.

No one is safe under these laws, said Thorpe. It will affect grassroots communities across the country, it will affect children. It will affect anybody who downloads a movie illegally over the internet  they could go to jail for five years.

Bill Rowlings, CEO of rights group Civil Liberties Australia, called for the bill to be repealed.

These are particularly draconian and particularly bad, so my message would be to throw these out, start again and get some proper consultation from the beginning, he said.

In response to criticisms of the bill, the House of Representatives passed amendments to protect journalists. But many internet activists feel this is not enough and the bill still does not provide adequate protection for vulnerable internet users.

The scope of the new powers is disproportionate compared to the threats of serious and organized cybercrime to which they are directed, said Thorpe. There is a lack of evidence justifying the need for warrants of this nature, beyond those already available.

Learn more about how governments all over the world are passing laws that legalize spying on citizens at Surveillance.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NatLawReview.com

ReclaimTheNet.org
(Natural News) A data breach in Indonesia has exposed the personal records of more than a million Indonesians who were required by the government to use a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) tracking app.

The leak came from the electronic health alert card (eHAC) app. eHAC was mandatory for anyone entering Indonesia from abroad and for anybody who wanted to board domestic flights. Travelers were required to download the app and provide the app with personal data, including contact details and their latest COVID-19 test results.

Researchers from encryption and cybersecurity firm vpnMentor informed the Indonesian government that eHAC became accessible to hackers due to the lack of protocols put in place by the apps developers.

Our team discovered eHACs records with zero obstacles, due to the lack of protocols in place by the apps developers, said the vpnMentor research team. Once they investigated the database and confirmed the records were authentic, we contacted the Indonesian Ministry of Health and presented our findings.

An investigation is being conducted, as well as further examination into the leak, said Anas Maruf, head of the data and information center in the health ministry.

An older version of the eHAC app was decommissioned on July 2. A newer version had its features integrated into Peduli Lindungi, a new app which the government has promoted for contact tracing, tracking COVID-19 vaccination status and as a vaccine passport for entry into malls. (Related: Vaccination tracking apps ineffective, amplify inequalities, pose privacy issues: report.)

Maruf said the potential flaw came from the decommissioned version of eHAC. He assured Indonesians that any flaws in that old app have not been integrated into Peduli Lindungi.

The eHAC from the old version is different from the eHAC system that is a part of the new app, he said. Right now, were investigating this suspected breach.

Despite these assurances, the Indonesian government still believes that eHACs developers are to blame for the leak.

While the investigation is ongoing, Maruf asked Indonesians to delete the old app. VpnMentor researchers said the leak could expose people to phishing or hacking attempts.

Maruf added that the current eHAC system integrated into Peduli Lindungi is now being managed by the government and not by a third party. Thus, he claimed its safety is now guaranteed.

The data leaked included full names, contact information, dates of birth, citizenship status, job status, photographs and passport and national Indonesian ID numbers.

Indonesian government tried to ignore the problem

According to vpnMentors research team, the Indonesian government attempted to avoid talking about the data breach.

The vpnMentor research team said that it did not receive any message from the Indonesian government until late in August, several weeks after the team first informed the health ministry of the breach.

After its first attempts at reaching out to the government failed, vpnMentor instead reached out to other government ministries, including one department that was responsible for responding to cybersecurity threats. The researchers even attempted to contact Google, which hosted eHACs servers.

VpnMentor did not get a reply until Aug. 22. Two days later, on Aug. 24, the old eHAC servers were finally taken down.

The Indonesian government has done little to nothing regarding the leaked data other than to take down the servers and inform the public that the breach occurred.

The vpnMentor researchers warned that private information regarding Indonesian hospitals has also been leaked. This includes the personal information of people working in at least 226 hospitals and clinics all over Indonesia, as well as the names of the people responsible for testing travelers for COVID-19.

The leaked database even had the personal information of an eHAC app users parents or next of kin, as well as the hotels they will be staying in for their quarantine.

Had this data been discovered by malicious or criminal hackers, and allowed to accumulate data on more people, the effects could have been devastating on an individual and societal level, wrote vpnMentor.

Learn more about how governments are using the pandemic to violate peoples privacy by forcing them to use vaccine tracking apps by reading the latest articles at PrivacyWatch.news.

Sources include:

Bloomberg.com

Reuters.com

ZDNet.com
(Natural News) Conservative talk radio host Dr. Steve Hotze is now on Brighteon.TV. Over the past year, Hotze has been an influential force in campaigning against shutdown mandates in the state of Texas. In addition, hes also been fighting against election fraud in Harris County.

Now, he brings that same fire to a new show on Brighteon.TV that airs every Monday, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Natural immunity is better than experimental gene modification disguised as vaccines

For his debut episode on Brighteon.TV, Hotze covers how he plans to focus on health and discuss various health and medicine-related news on the show. In particular, he zeroes in on Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, specifically the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

Hotze says that hell provide his viewers all the information about the experimental gene modification injection that the government is trying to force encourage individuals to take. 

He then brings up how he and his staff treat guests at the Hotze Health and Wellness center in Houston. Specifically, he talks about how he encourages his guests  which is refers to his clients, not patients  to focus on building up their immune health.

If youve got a healthy immune system, good energy levels, he says. Ladies and gentlemen, youre going to be a healthy person.

And what a time to be healthier than the time we have right now, he adds, in reference to the coronavirus pandemic.

He then adds how people wont hear this advice from the mainstream media, who are much more concerned with their vaccine agenda.

Of course youre not going to hear that from anybody in mainstream media or conventional medicine  because it goes against their narrative they want, he says. You take the shot  they want you to take the experimental vaccine.

He then compares experimental mRNA vaccines to a West Texas rattlesnake, because itll bite you and kill you.

FDA has approved killer drugs before, what makes vaccines any different?

As part of his discussion on COVID-19 vaccines, Hotze also touches on the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) recent approval of Pfizer-Biontechs vaccine, called Cominarty.

I trust the FDA approval about as far as I can throw it.

Hotze then mentions how much influence big pharma companies like Pfizer have over the FDA.

Theyre in complete control by the pharmaceutical companies, he explains. And theyre going to approve things that no one should ever take.

He pulls from his own experience as a doctor, explaining how hes seen the FDA approve many drugs quickly that later turned out to have deadly side effects.

Theyve approved drugs over. Ive been medicine now for 46 years and Ive seen so many drugs that have been FDA approved within a year get taken off the market because they were killing people. he explains. He specifically points to the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug rofecoxib, more commonly known as Vioxx, that was taken off the market in 2004 after it was found to cause heart disease.

Vioxx is one of that was an anti-inflammatory drug that was taken off back in the early 2000s that was killing people, causing heart disease. (Related: Mercks Vioxx scandal widens: Drug maker knew Vioxx was deadly for years before risk was made public (opinion).)

During the investigation into Vioxx, it was discovered that the drugs producer, Merck, had used flawed methodologies biased towards exaggerating the drugs positive effects, and downplaying any negative effects that were found. Specifically, they had compared the drug to naproxen, another pain reliever, instead of a placebo as is normal.

Of course, Hotze points out that this is just one example of a drug that the FDA approved that has later killed people.

For more on these drugs and how to remain healthy without them, watch Dr. Steve Hotzes show on Brighteon.TV.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

NPR.org

UCUSA.org
(Natural News) A laboratory virus experiment that cannot be questioned or debated has no resemblance to science. Covid-19 vaccines do not even function like a traditional biologic and cannot be considered a vaccine. This project has not undergone a traditional FDA approval process and was pressured into existence through fraud and coercion. Dr. Anthony Fauci and the National Institutes of Health have repeatedly lied about this laboratory virus experiment and are currently pressure governments and corporations to make spike protein replication mandatory; therefore, this is not a transparent process nor is it an ethical pursuit. When this concoction is forced into the population in the most coercive ways imaginable, it cannot be considered preventative medicine at all. According to former Pfizer chief scientist, Dr. Michael Yeadon, the COVID shots and their endless boosters are depopulation weapons designed to enslave and kill.

COVID shots are wartime weapons, deployed for complete dominion over humans

Its time for the formerly-dubbed fully vaccinated to wake up and realize that there is nothing ethical or scientific about what is being done to them. Just five months after being promised their freedom, the fully vaccinated are now being told they are inadequate, a subhuman species again, without a functioning and capable immune system. Trained to obey coercive authorities and abusive medial edicts, these human test rats are being psychologically controlled and physically restrained to a shortened life of pharmaceutical dependence. As routine boosters are prepared for the population, and the word mandatory is used to force these shots in seasonally, its time to realize this isnt a vaccine and its not protecting anyone. Its a war time weapon, a depopulation program. As vaccine manufacturers reap billions of dollars in extorted taxpayer funds, deploy propaganda and fraud, and fight for dominion over peoples lives, they have become mass murderers.

Dr. Michael Yeadon says theres absolutely NO possible justification for the manufacture of covid-19 vaccines and the upcoming onslaught of booster shots. Longstanding, efficacious treatments and traditional Chinese herbal medicine offers a variety of solution for common respiratory infections, including influenza viruses, enteroviruses like polio, RSV and coronavirus infections. But these treatments have been viciously attacked, censored and suppressed across the medical landscape, as the public health gatekeepers restrain doctors and nurses from treating people early and saving lives. Dr. Yeadon warns that the booster shot was forced into existence and is nothing more than an extermination weapon to destroy innate immunity, spur super viruses into existence, and mass murder human beings. According to the clinical trials, the rate of adverse events is ten times greater after the second shot. What will the third, fourth and fifth boosters do to the population, as tens of thousands have already died off?

The vaccine program is designed for pharmaceutical dependence and depopulation

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says the company has already created a new vaccine development system that can mass produce a new mRNA booster every ninety-five days. Every time a variant appears in the world, our scientists are getting their hands around it, Bourla said. And they are researching to see if this variant can escape the protection of our vaccine. There is a long list of spike protein sequence variations that have been identified around the world. Now that Pfizer has dominion over the regulatory framework and the government, its now imminent that they will conduct yearly forced experiments on the world population, using tweaks in the spike protein to mass replicate the deadly bioweapon into the unforeseeable future.

An August 10 study in the Lancet shows that vaccinated people are more susceptible to the Delta variant. Dr. Peter McCullough, board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and clinical lipidology, explained that there were more than 14 strains of coronavirus in the United States just six months ago. When the vaccines put selective pressure on the amino acids of the spike protein, a new variant begins to emerge, evading immune detection. He referenced a paper by Niessen and scientists from Boston and Rochester, Minnesota, which put over a million sequenced samples to the test. They looked at vaccination rates all over, and the variant proportions, and they concluded that with more than 25% of the population vaccinated, youll encourage a dominant strain to move forward, McCullough said. Theres no doubt that this vaccine program is designed for pharmaceutical dependence and depopulation.

Former Pfizer scientist warns about this medical holocaust:

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

LifeSiteNews.com

ChildrensHealthDefense.org
(Natural News) What we are learning more and more in the age of Donald Trump as a political leader is that he and his lawmaker supporters are far more honest and transparent than their Democratic detractors  and that they have to be, because the deck is stacked against them.

Everyone with an IQ above warm water knows that Republicans face far more scrutiny by the mainstream media and the deep state than Democrats do, so they must be squeaky clean and transparent. That is doubly true for any GOP lawmaker who is allied with the most successful, wrongly impeached president in the history of our country.

Matt Gaetz, a GOP lawmaker from Florida and a big supporter of the president, is one of those figures targeted by the powers that be for his allegiance to Trump. Reports surfaced earlier this year that Gaetz was under federal investigation for allegedly transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of sex  that is, sex trafficking.

Gaetz denied it vehemently and blamed the charges on the partisan political nature of the deep state; thus far, we have no reason to doubt him and every reason to believe him given what those people did to the former president while he was in the Oval Office.

He also explained at the time, as much as his lawyer would allow him to, that he and his father were being extorted by someone over the entire ordeal for $25 million, which none of his political opponents believed.

Now, word comes that Gaetz was the one telling the truth the entire time.

Politico has more details about the plot:

A Florida developer and fraud convict was arrested Tuesday on a charge that he tried to extort $25 million from the father of Rep. Matt Gaetz in exchange for a presidential pardon that would shut down a high-profile, criminal sex-trafficking investigation into the Republican congressman.

Stephen Alford, 62, of Fort Walton Beach, was indicted on charges of wire fraud and destruction of property subject to a seizure warrant.

According to the indictment, in March and April, Alford tried to pressure Gaetzs father, Don, who is quite wealthy, into paying the large sum of money as part of a complex scheme known as Project Homecoming, Politico reported.

The plot would have provided money for a behind-the-scenes operation to rescue a former FBI agent, Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007. Last year, U.S. officials said they believed that Levinson was arrested by the Iranian regime and later perished behind bars, but Iran, of course, has denied that it ever held him. His body has not been found.

The indictment further states that Alford told Don Gaetz, a former Florida Senate leader, he could guarantee that one of his family members would not be sent to prison if the money he demanded was paid. In March, Don Gaetz told the outlet that he agreed to wear a wire at the FBIs request; many of the quotes and details that are contained in the indictment are from the recorded discussions with Alford.

The indictment lists a trio of additional anonymous people; Family Member A is Matt Gaetz.

In a statement, a spokesman for Rep. Gaetz, Harlan Hill, lambasted the baseless allegations about the congressman while linking them to what he described as Alfords extortion attempt. In referencing the indictment, Hill said Alford wasnt acting alone.

The release of the Alford tapes will further exculpate Rep. Gaetz and implicate those with long-standing links to the federal government, Hill added.

Donald Trump endured the most relentless assault by the deep state any president has experienced in the history of our republic, simply because he put America before the globalists special interests.

Its not surprising that his allies have been subjected to the same kind of harassment.

Sources include:

CitizenFreePress.com

Politico.com

NewsTarget.com
(Natural News) On August 27, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) signed a pro-abortion, pro-LGBT sex-ed bill  Senate Bill 818  that includes teaching students how to procure an abortion, obtain transgender hormones, and access HIV drugs.

(Article by Jack Bingham republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

Modernizing our sex education standards will help keep our children safe, claimed Pritzker, adding that the radical new sex-ed curriculum will deliver the bright future our kids deserve.

The bright future, according to the new curriculum, titled the National Sex Education Standards, includes teaching kindergarteners about gender identity, telling third-grade children about the role of hormone blockers on young people who identify as transgender, and informing sixth-graders about pregnancy options, such as abortion.

The bill, which states that the curriculum may not promote any religious doctrine, will require teachers to give students information on how to access abortion clinics, seek out hormone drugs, and get on PrEP (a dangerous, often ineffective pill used to have unprotected sex without contracting HIV).

Despite barring the invocation of religious doctrine, the bill states the new instructions are required to be free of bias against race, cultural background, and religion.

The bill also prohibits bias against sexual behavior and HIV status.

Under the guise of requiring information to be medically accurate, the bill suggests that if any information is not in conformity with the pro-abortion, pro-LGBT, and HIV-normalizing curriculum, it will be disallowed.

According to Breitbart, one of the curriculums creators is the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), which in 2015 partnered with Planned Parenthood and LGBTQ activists to come up with sex-education guidelines and attempt to have them proliferated nationwide.

The SIECUS website lists the organizations most recent legislative effort, The Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act, that has the stated goal of increasing access to sexual and reproductive health care [for children].

Illinois youth will now receive inclusive personal health, safety, and sex education without shame and stigma, stated Planned Parenthood in a tweet praising the bill.

Get your kids out [of schools], rapidly take them over, but do not accept the public school system(s), Texas Congressman Chip Roy (R) tweeted in opposition to the bill.

[The bill] is not age appropriate, it is sexually charged, said Republican State Rep. Tony McCombie.

Monica Cline, a former Planned Parenthood employee who left her position to advocate for pro-life causes, also expressed disgust with the bill.

By looking at the standards and resources the National Sex Education Standards provide, states who encourage adoption of this content are advocating for the abuse of our children by exposing our kids to obscene sexual notions and inappropriate ideas for their age. Put simply, they are enticing and grooming our children for sexual activity, Cline told Breitbart.

The approval of this bill is one of many instances of inappropriate sexual ideas being promulgated in American classrooms.

In Tennessee, a pre-school teacher and self-described professional pervert bragged on social media about her role in the indoctrination of young children with gender and sexual ideologies, while a Massachusetts middle school teacher had a harassment claim levied against her from a cross-dressing school librarian when she opposed sexually explicit and pornographic books being dispensed by the schools library.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com and GenderConfused.com
(Natural News) New Orleans will not have electricity for the next three weeks as Hurricane Ida downed 2,000 miles of power lines across Louisiana. When the storm was at its strongest on Sunday, winds came at 150 mph and picked up just below 157 mph, making it a Category 5 storm  and the fifth-strongest hurricane ever to hit the United States mainland.

Within the first 20 hours, Louisiana saw up to 17 inches of rainfall just west of New Orleans; however, it is expected to rise to a total of 24 inches of rain.

Louisiana officials said that it might take days for utility crews to determine the extent of the damage to the power grid and even longer to restore power to the area. Governor Bel Edwards said that hospitals, especially those overrun with COVID-19 patients, will be prioritized in power restoration. (Related: Hurricane prep checklist: 12 Things to do before hurricane season.)

By 7 a.m. Monday morning, the company said that around 888,000 people were without power in Louisiana as Hurricane Ida snapped cables, damaged buildings and uprooted trees in the state.

Footage of a store being looted was also captured by a drone photographer, with locals being filmed rifling through an ATM and taking drinks. These activities sparked fears of the city being hit by a crime spiral due to prolonged darkness.

The Sewer and Water Board of New Orleans also said that most, if not all of its pumping stations have no power and that its relying on generators to keep pumps working to drain stormwater out of the city and keep bringing drinking water in.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged people and businesses to share the power they have. While the power is dependent on generators, Im calling on all of our people and businesses that have the capacity in the city to be good neighbors  share the power you have, open your businesses with the people to recharge their devices, he said.

Help from federal government underway

President Joe Biden announced that the federal government sent 200 generators to the affected areas as millions of people remain without power in the wake of the hurricane. He also asked for assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration to authorize the use of drones to assess the damage brought to the energy infrastructure. He added that he ordered the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security to make available any satellite imagery that could help assess the extent of the damage.

Moreover, he is activating cooperative cellphone access. This means that if one cellphone carrier loses service, their customers can temporarily switch to another cellphone carrier. This came after AT&T announced that their network had gone down for 40 percent of customers in Louisiana. Combined with power shortages, this could potentially be problematic for hard-hit residents trying to make emergency calls or work from home.

The president told Louisiana and Mississippi mayors and governors that the federal government is ready to provide help when needed. He also said that he expects the death toll to rise as the human cost of the storm begins to emerge.

Residents were asked to refrain from traveling at this time as conditions remain dangerous and can create additional emergencies that could otherwise be prevented. Hundreds of flights were canceled at the Louis Armstrong New Orlean International Airport and those with scheduled flights were asked to make arrangements with their airlines.

Hurricane Ida weakened to a tropical storm as it passed the Mississippi on Monday. However, flood warnings remain in place for Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky as it makes its way northeast through the week. It is expected to weaken further by the time it reaches New England on Thursday.

Get more news and updates regarding the status of Hurricane Ida at ClimateScienceNews.com.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Finance.Yahoo.com
(Natural News) Just a few months ago, the mainstream media praised Israel for its pandemic-ending vaccination campaign. With over 40 percent of the population fully vaccinated in the first quarter of 2021, Israel was well on its way to stopping community spread and clearing out its hospitals.

The nation of Israel imposed some of the strictest lockdowns during that time, violating the Nuremberg Code and segregating the unvaccinated from public life. Israel bought up the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA covid vaccine and began issuing mandatory Green Pass vaccine passports as a requirement for citizens to enter public spaces. By August, Israel had intimidated and coerced its population into having one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with 78 percent of people 12 years of age and older classified as fully vaccinated.

The world was reassured that this rate of vaccination was more than enough to ensure individual and herd immunity. However, infection rates have skyrocketed across the country since then, and Israel is now logging the worlds highest infection rates, with nearly 650 new cases daily per million people. At times, hospitalizations for the fully vaccinated have reached upwards of 95 percent.

Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is failing Israel, with case load and hospitalizations climbing in the vaccinated

By August 15, there were 514 Israelis hospitalized with severe covid-19, a 31 percent increase from just four days earlier. Most of the hospitalized patients had already received at least one vaccine and 59 percent were fully vaccinated.

There are so many breakthrough infections that they dominate and most of the hospitalized patients are actually vaccinated, said Uri Shalit, a bio-informatician at the Israel Institute of Technology. The vaccines do not protect older populations, either  a false promise advertised since the beginning of the vaccine rollout. In fact, of the hospitalized vaccinated patients, 87 percent were 60 or older.

This has not stopped the Israeli government from tripling down with this destructive vaccine program. Israeli officials have already begun to administer a third dose of the failed Pfizer vaccine to the population. Now controlled by the Green Pass vaccine passport system, Israelis are lining up to be inoculated again  like a grim scene of medical experimentation ripped right out of 1940s Nazi Germany. More than 100,000 booster shots are being administered each day, with 2.15 million Israelis having received their third shot.

Despite compounding vaccination, the nation still suffers, with the worlds worst seven-day rolling average number of covid cases per capita. Israel is on track to pass 11,000 daily covid cases  an infection rate that is magnitudes higher than a year before, when everyone in the country was unvaccinated. U.S. health officials have access to this data, but were quick to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and begin pushing for unlawful vaccine mandates across the country. (Related: Pfizers vaccine studies are based on FRAUD and put lives in danger, warns former Pfizer vice president.)

COVID vaccines are mass murder weapons, enslaving, weakening and killing off the world population

Using a non-neutralizing vaccine against a novel, endemic virus only perpetuates the transmissibility of the virus among people. When the spike protein of that virus is forcibly replicated throughout the population, entirely new health problems occur. By placing selective pressure on an amino acid sequence of the virus, and scaling up that attack across the population, these vaccine programs only cause mutations in the viral sequence, leading to new outbreaks and vaccine failure. A study published in the Journal of Infection discusses antibody-dependent enhancement and the serious risks of the vaccine program. Any perceived benefits of vaccination for coronaviruses are short-lived, as artificially-augmented antibody levels wane, making the population more susceptible.

Now living in a medical police state, Israelis are suddenly considered unvaccinated and banned from public spaces if they havent submitted to a THIRD dose of Pfizers spike protein mRNA. As millions more boosters are forced onto the population, its only a matter of time before the infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths go up again, making todays hospitalization rates pale in comparison. How long will government officials keep this cycle of vaccine destruction going, before they face TRIALS for human rights violations and mass murder?

Sources include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com

Science.org

JournalofInfection.org

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) An Australian man clearly in good health was abducted from his home by Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) first responders and taken away to a quarantine camp after testing positive for the Chinese Virus.

The man is obviously not sick and looks like he works out at the gym for several hours a day  you can watch a video of him below. Even so, he was hauled off in a paddy wagon-type vehicle by masked and caped medical workers who ushered him off his property in compliance with Australias new plandemic requirements.

Indefinite stay at Quarantine camppic.twitter.com/PXRDSNFK8j  Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) September 1, 2021

Confused but happy to comply, he heads off for an indefinite stay at quarantine camp, the newscaster in the above video is heard stating like something out of a dystopian sci-fi film.

As it turns out, Australian police are now going door to door abducting anyone whom the government finds out tested positive for the Fauci Flu  even if they are not actually sick.

Police will remove you from your home if you test positive for covid, Citizen Free Press reports about Australias new covid policies.

Is covid ushering in a Fourth Reich?

Australia is busily building new camp compounds for Wuhan Flu patients to live indefinitely until the government decides that it is safe for them to rejoin society.

If and until that happens, residents of these camps will be held there against their will, almost like a prison or a concentration camp. They are not allowed to leave or see visitors and must remain confined inside the compound until the government says otherwise.

Is this the new normal that was warned about all last year? Are people now being hauled off to quarantine concentration camps for cleansing just like the Jews were during World War II?

This time around, the goal seems to be to purge the virus of freedom and liberty from the world and replace it with global tyranny and willing obedience to the government.

Anyone who resists this agenda will likely test positive and be hauled off to a covid reeducation facility to be washed clean of their resistance to the new world order.

It might sound crazy, but this is what is manifesting before our very eyes, starting with Australia. Eventually, the madness will spread elsewhere until every last nation on earth is purged of covid, aka free-thinking humans.

At some point, the excuse that all this tyranny is for public health becomes painfully obvious as the lie that it is. We are far past that point, especially when the peoples lives are being absolutely ruined over a virus that for most people is no worse than the flu, if it even presents symptoms at all.

Never mind that Australia  a nation of 26 million  has only experienced a total of one thousand deaths over the 19 months of this charade, one commenter at Citizen Free Press noted.

Instead, just know that its for his health that this obviously fit man is taken away by a dangerously overweight government worker in protective costume. If this makes sense to you, get tested for a mental disease.

Others drew comparisons to Nazi Germany and the idea of just get in the boxcar. It is for your own good, the Australian government is telling its captives, just like those hauled away to concentration camps were told right before being exterminated.

Confused but happy to comply? Just like cows at a meat processing plant might be confused but happy to comply as they line up to be slaughtered, perhaps? wrote another, comparing the man in the video to a head of cattle that does not have a clue what is coming next.

The latest news about Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) tyranny can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) If you took a Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine, the American Red Cross will not accept blood plasma donations from you due to the inherent toxicity issues caused by the injection.

As it turns out, convalescent plasma should only be collected from the unvaccinated who still have clean blood that has not been contaminated with deadly spike proteins and other chemicals that threaten to kill those who receive blood transfusions.

Thanks to Operation Warp Speed, there is now a massive shortage of pure blood in the United States that has not been tainted with genetic modifications and other damage. Mass vaccination, in other words, is effectively killing people who desperately need unvaccinated blood but cannot find it.

A now-archived document from the American Red Cross explains that anyone who takes any type of COVID vaccine is not eligible to donate convalescent plasma because of the serious risks involved.

One of the Red Cross requirements for plasma from routine blood and platelet donations that test positive for high-levels of antibodies to be used as convalescent plasma is that it must be from a donor that has not received a COVID-19 vaccine, the document explains.

Scientifically speaking, it is critical for those receiving donor blood to have sufficient antibodies directly related to their own immune systems. Tainted blood from vaccinated people does not qualify.

This is to ensure that antibodies collected from donors have sufficient antibodies directly related to their immune response to a COVID-19 infection and not just the vaccine, as antibodies from an infection and antibodies from a vaccine are not the same.

Red Cross discontinues convalescent plasma donation program entirely after FDA rule change

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) apparently thinks differently about vaccinated blood.

A new document on the Red Cross website now explains that because the FDA allows people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine to donate dedicated COVID-19 convalescent plasma, the Red Cross has decided to discontinue its convalescent plasma donation program entirely.

The FDA allows people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine to donate dedicated COVID-19 convalescent plasma within six months of their infection of the virus, based on data that antibodies from natural infection can decline after six months however, the Red Cross has discontinued our convalescent plasma collection program, the new document explains.

In other words, it would appear as though the Red Cross is not comfortable continuing to collect and administer convalescent plasma from people who took the jab, even though the FDA claims that doing so is completely safe.

This type of thing is par for the course for the FDA, which rarely promotes policies that benefit actual human beings. The agency really is nothing more than an extension of Big Pharma that does whatever is necessary to keep the profits flowing  even at the expense of human life.

The antibodies naturally produced by covid infection actually work, wrote one commenter at Citizen Free Press.

The antibodies artificially produced by covid vaccines do not work as well, and actually wipe out the natural covid antibodies. This is why vaccinated people are increasingly becoming significantly ill with covid.

Another commenter wrote that the Red Cross is denying that it does not accept convalescent plasma from vaccinated people, even though the document on its website claims otherwise.

The FDA says that you can donate convalescent plasma within six months of infection, even if youve been vaccinated, this person wrote, calling it a legal lie.

But the Red Cross guidelines prohibit them from using convalescent plasma if the individual has been vaccinated.

The latest news about the how Chinese Virus injections contaminate a persons blood can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

CitizenFreePress.com

Archive.org

RedCrossBlood.org
(Natural News) The South Korean parliament has recently passed a law that will force Google and Apple to open their app stores to alternative payment systems. This threatens the commissions both companies receive on digital sales.

On Tuesday, the National Assembly passed one of the first laws in the world that directly threatens the dominance of tech giants like Google and Apple over how apps on their platforms make digital transactions. (Related: Google, Apple now colluding to work as one company.)

A preliminary committee voted on Wednesday, Aug. 25, to push the bill to a final vote. It was passed thanks to the endorsement of the Democratic Party of Korea, which holds a majority of seats in the National Assembly. It will become law once it is signed by President Moon Jae-in, who is also a member of the Democratic Party.

Anti-Google Law directly attacks revenue of tech giants

The law amends the Telecommunications Business Act. It was nicknamed the Anti-Google Law and the Google Power Abuse Prevention Law by legislators and the South Korean media. The amendment prevents Google, Apple and other large app-market operators from forcing developers to use their in-app billing systems.

The amendment also bans app store operators from placing unreasonable delays in the approval of apps or deleting apps from their stores without reason. This provision was added to head off any potential retaliation against developers that divest from the in-app purchasing systems of the stores.

Failure to comply with the law will result in the violating company getting fined up to three percent of all the revenue it makes in South Korea by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the countrys main media regulator.

The bill was welcomed by groups that represent South Korean internet and technology companies and startups, as well as local content developers and app makers.

Google and Apple have come under intense scrutiny over the very restrictive aspects of their app stores, both in South Korea and in other markets. The passage of the Anti-Google Law marks a milestone, as several other countries around the world are already considering passing similar measures.

Most prominently, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is considering placing regulations on the digital payment systems of Apple, Google and Chinese tech giant WeChat.

As bills with similar implications are being proposed in the U.S. and Europe, South Koreas bill will become a cornerstone for legislating app market platform regulations worldwide, said KCC Chairman Han Sang-Hyuk.

Koreas decision reflects a broader trend to step up regulation of technology-platform businesses, which have been criticized for having too much power, said Yoo Byung-joon, an expert on digital commerce and professor of business at Seoul National University.

Google, Apple claim new law will put Korean users at risk of fraud

In a statement, Apple said the new law will put users who purchase digital goods from other sources at risk of fraud, undermine their privacy protections, make it difficult to manage their purchases and features like Ask to Buy and Parental Controls will become less effective.

Alphabet Inc., which owns Google, claimed the commissions it gets from in-app purchases allow the company to keep its Android operating system free. The company claims this provides developers free access to billions of users.

Well reflect on how to comply with this law while maintaining a model that supports a high-quality operating system and app store, said the company.

During the second quarter of this year, Googles Play store accounted for 75 percent of mobile app downloads globally. Apple accounted for 65 percent of all app-store consumer spending on in-app purchases and subscriptions around the world during the same quarter.

Learn more about the laws and regulations being proposed all over the world to combat the power of tech giants like Google and Apple by reading the latest articles at TechGiants.news.

Sources include:

WSJ.com

TechCrunch.com
(Natural News) Its fascinating that two senior FDA officials who have overseen decades of mass vaccinations have now finally reached the end of their tolerance for crimes against humanity. They resigned earlier this week, citing the astonishing fact that the White House, CDC and UN have conspired to lock the FDA out of vaccine approval decisions, bypassing FDA regulatory authority and pushing vaccines for political reasons that have no scientific basis. (FDA director Woodcock is on board with the crimes, of course, which is why shes fraudulently issuing personal letters to approve vaccines, bypassing the rest of the FDAs regulatory process.)

Apparently, the outrageous vaccine fraud now being committed by the Biden regime was too much for even lifelong FDA vaccine advocates.

Now, Dr. Marion Gruber, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations vaccines office, and her deputy, Dr. Philip Krause have both resigned, accusing the White House and CDC of pushing booster shots without supporting data. But a more informed analysis of the timing of their resignations arrives at the conclusion that they know about the criminal indictments that are coming against the genocidal vaccine mass murderers, and they want no part in the post-vaccine Nuremberg 2.0 trials that will indict and prosecute hundreds of former government officials for their role in crimes against humanity.

After the Nuremberg trials following World War II, several scientists and doctors were sentenced to death for their role in the coordinated mass murder of six million Jews. Today, the CDC, White House, UN and vaccine makers are trying to mass murder billions of human beings.

CHD reports:

Gruber and Krause were upset about the Biden administrations recent announcement that adults should get a COVID booster eight months after they received a second shot, people familiar with the decision told The New York Times.

Neither believed there was enough data to justify offering booster shots yet, the sources said, and both viewed the announcement, amplified by President Biden, as pressure on the FDA to quickly authorize them.

Red Cross says vaccinated cannot donate blood plasma because the vaccine wipes out antibodies

In other fascinating news, the Red Cross has publicly announced that vaccinated individuals are prohibited from donating blood for certain plasma applications because, the vaccine wipes out those antibodies, according to a local newscast (and Red Cross documents, see below).

Listen to the audio of this viral video below, revealing what a local news cast said about the Red Cross banning blood plasma donations by vaccinated individuals:

The Red Cross has confirmed all this in a PDF document from their own website. It explains (emphasis added):

If you receive any type of COVID vaccine, you are not eligible to donate convalescent plasma with the Red Cross. One of the Red Cross requirements for plasma from routine blood and platelet donations that test positive for high-levels of antibodies to be used as convalescent plasma is that it must be from a donor that has not received a COVID-19 vaccine. This is to ensure that antibodies collected from donors have sufficient antibodies directly related to their immune response to a COVID-19 infection and not just the vaccine, as antibodies from an infection and antibodies from a vaccine are not the same.

It looks like people who receive spike protein injections actually have contaminated blood that poses a very real health threat to others.

Covid vaccine antibodies are pathogen themselves, which means your immune system attacks healthy cell tissue

In other shocking news covered by The Epoch Times, new research has found that the antibodies produced in response to covid vaccines are, themselves, pathogenic. From TET:

The researchers data suggests that at least two antibodies that target the spike protein that enables the COVID-19 virus to enter human cells are pathogenicmeaning these antibodies create illness all by themselves.

As the researchers expected, two of the antibodies bound strongly to damaged lung cellsand one of those bound strongly to healthy cells as well. In fact, the antibody that could bind to healthy human lung cells, REGN10987, killed nearly half the pups.

This is a very troubling finding, says Zoey OToole, a vaccine safety advocate who has a background in physics and engineering and who reviewed the study carefully. It should give anyone pause, especially pregnant women.

So even if the vaccines work and produce antibodies, those antibodies can then attack your healthy cells. This explains why so many people who have taken the deadly vaccines are having their brains eaten alive by their own bodies, turning them into real-life vaccine zombies.

Get more details in todays Situation Update  with an apology about the explicit Richard Pryor bit

I cover all this and more in todays Situation Update podcast. An apology is due, in that I had asked my podcast editor to bleep out all the profanity of Richard Pryor in his hilarious bit about Winos vs. Dracula, and he accidentally left a sh#t in the podcast. Plus, Richard Pryor uses the n-word a lot when hes impersonating a crazy wino character, so you will encounter some raw Richard Pryor in this podcast.

If youre wondering what Richard Pryor, winos and Dracula has to do with anything, its because I was wondering if the Red Cross bans blood donations from the vaccinated, will vampires also avoid them?

Its a legit question, I think. And nobody has a more hilarious answer than Richard Pryor.

Hear it all in todays podcast:

Brighteon.com/5697fdbe-528f-4d89-811d-1f520a0c4f0f

Find a new podcast each day  plus amazing interviews  at:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
Three extremely endangered Sumatran tigers were discovered dead earlier this week, leaving only about 400 in the wild. On Thursday, the body of a male cub was discovered five meters (15 feet) from his mother and sibling.

According to Agus Arianto, the head of the conservation organization, they died from infected wounds inflicted by the traps.

Sumatran tigers are the most critically endangered tiger subspecies, having become extinct in Bali and Java and living alone in Sumatra.

The poaching of the tiger family was the latest in a string of endangered animal deaths in Sumatra.

According to TRAFFIC, a worldwide wildlife trade monitoring network, poaching is responsible for about 80% of Sumatran tiger deaths. The habitat of tigers is also threatened by deforestation for palm oil, coffee, and acacia crops.

Also read: Safari Worker in Chile Killed Instantly After Tiger Mauled Her on the Neck

Pandemic Led to Hunt of Endangered Species for Monetary Purposes

Conservationists have cautioned that the Covid pandemic has resulted in a rise in poaching as individuals turn to hunting for a source of income.

Tiger skin, bones, and canine teeth are in high demand as fashion accessories and for use in traditional system of medicine, therefore hunters trap or shoot them.

A decapitated elephant was discovered in a palm farm in East Aceh the same month. An alleged poacher was apprehended, as were four persons accused of buying ivory from the elephant. In June, four men were arrested in Aceh for catching a tiger and selling it remains for around 5,000 on the black market.

The skin, teeth, and bones of a tiger captured from suspected traffickers were shown during a news conference. According to authorities published by the Jakarta Post, the males also had the teeth and bones of a sun bear.

Sumatran Tiger Characteristics

The Sumatran tiger is a tiger subspecies unique to Sumatra, an Indonesian island. It is the tiniest of tigers, due to its evolution on a remote island. The Sumatran tiger's stripes are closer together and its fur is a darker orange than other subspecies, which helps it blend in better with its tropical rainforest habitat.

Sumatran tigers, like other tigers, are carnivores. They will eat any edible animal, no matter how large or small. Fish, monkeys, wild boar, tapirs, and deer are just a few examples. They hunt at night and make one huge kill every week on average.

They can reach speeds of over 40 miles per hour in short bursts, so they must make the most of it. That is why they are ambush predators, stalking their prey stealthily and silently until they are ready to strike. Because of habitat destruction, Sumatran tigers are forced to wander longer distances in search of food, sometimes up to 18 kilometers.

Except during courtship, when a male and female would spend many days together, mating frequently to assure success, Sumatran tigers remain solitary. Before giving birth to a litter of one to six cubs, a female is pregnant for a hundred days. For around two years, the cubs stay with their mothers.

Also read: Sumatran Rhinoceros are Striving for Genetic Diversity Despite Extinction
Gulf Coast residents affected by Hurricane Ida still have a long road to recovery, and presently some families are rushing to buy and store food and gas as supplies in the area become limited.

Residents Faces Limited Supplies

In Algiers, a neighborhood in New Orleans, Yolanda Teague disclosed to Brian Todd from CNN on Tuesday her family's food and drink supplies are getting exhausted.

Teague, together with her boyfriend, eight children, her children's friends that are two in number, are inhabiting a couple rooms in their house with four-bedroom after the roof fell down into the living room. Her son has a heart problem making overheating very dangerous for him.

Teague's immediate concern is keeping him safe, as the state experiences unbearable heat and power outages - and the shop she can access is just open long enough for her family to buy a few drinks.

In Plaquemines Parish which is around 65 miles away, officials disclose to residents they didn't have a schedule for the restoration of power.

The news release reads: "Due to this - supplies such as water, groceries, gasoline and medical supplies have been depleted and will not be readily available."

Also Read: Hurricane Ida is so Powerful, It Reversed the Flow of Mississippi River

Power Outage

As per PowerOutage.US, there was no power in over 980,000 homes and businesses located in Louisiana and over 28,000 in Mississippi Wednesday morning.

Some parishes gave residents a warning that the power interruption could last not less than one month as the state tries to recover from Tropical Depression Ida (now) which caused landfall in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane and led to not less than five confirmed deaths. Three of this death were in Louisiana and two were in Mississippi.

With the heat on its way, the absence of electricity could threaten lives.

Jefferson Parish President named Cynthia Lee Sheng told Don Lemon from CNN of the damage in the region by saying the condition isn't livable, adding that residents who decided to ride out the storm are packing the roads to find their way.

Gas Shortage

The storm left all of New Orleans totally dark, but Mayor Latoya Cantrell said by Wednesday evening there should be "some level of transmission" into the area. Regional energy provider Entergy discloses two potential ways for that to be done: One gets back transmission lines and the other makes a non-permanent "stand-alone grid" for the region.

But there is a long way to go prior to the restoration of most resident's power and until then, many are depending on generators powered by gasoline.

Sadly, majority of the gas stations in Louisiana cities lack fuel in the aftermath of Ida, as per outage figures which GasBuddy compiled. Vehicles in New Orleans were lined up all through the night at the few gas stations in the region that had fuel.

Related Article: Hurricane Ida Dangerously Near Category 5 as it Makes Landfall in Louisiana

For more news, updates about effects of Hurricane Ida and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Scientists monitor movement of Hurricane Ida into the Gulf of Mexico as giant swirling pool of water is headed in its direction.

The warm pool around 125 miles (200 kilometers) across was a warning sign that Ida will boost its power in less than 24 hours. It is feared that the hurricane that slammed the state of Louisiana will turn into Category 4 storm in just a matter of time.

Nick Shay, an oceanographer at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, said that 'eddies' are helping with intensifying the storm into a monster hurricane, forming a circular or loop current.

Basically, when large warm eddies are shed by this current north of the latitude of Fort Myers, Florida, it could generate three of its kind in the Gulf. If by any chance these eddies form during hurricane season, this will impose huge risk to coastal communities around the Gulf.

Relationship of eddy to a passing storm and the problem it causes

Unlike the Gulf common water, temperature is different in subtropical water and it inhibits strong salinity. This retains a considerable amount of heat for warm eddies, wherein when heat at the ocean surface is over about 78 F (26 C), hurricanes can form and intensify.

With aid of satellites and atmospheric data, scientists are able to monitor such phenomenon, which in Ida's case, was going to be a problem.

Hurricane Ida passed over eddy that had surface temperatures over 86 F (30 C). When warm eddies in the wintertime energize its atmospheric frontal systems, this could lead to 'storm of the century', such as the Deep South snowstorms in 1993.

In an effort to determine Ida's impact, scientists measured temperature and salinity about 1,300 to 5,000 feet (400 to 1,500 meters) below the surface over eddy and found that eddy had heat down to about 480 feet (around 150 meters) below the surface. This implies that eddy will continue to warm and provide heat and moisture, supplying Ida with 'enormous fuel', speeding up a storm's pressure.

Also read: Tropical Rainstorm Nora Brings Threat of Flash Floods to Southwestern US

Impact of heat on rapid intensification

Meteorologists learned it the hard way that pools of ocean heat should be kept an eye on, so as not to overlook the development of a tropical storm, like what happened with Hurricane Opal in 1995.

Atmospheric conditions and ocean temperatures are always important factors in monitoring storms significantly. Meteorologists confirm that Ida shares the same signatures with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, way back 2005.

Occurrence of warm eddies are most common right during hurricane season, along the Atlantic Coast, but more concentrated in the Gulf of Mexico and the Northwest Caribbean. If Ida intensifies close to the coast, disastrous effects is expected for coastal inhabitants.

Comparing the temperature measurements taken during Ida and other hurricanes from space would help scientists better understand the role that oceans play in the rapid intensification of storms and the power that global warming holds over this phenomenon.

Also read: Lightning Strike Kills Young Lifeguard, Injures 7 Other People in New Jersey
The Jordanian army has issued a warning to Israeli soldiers to be on the alert for deadly reptiles in nearby rivers. The Israeli National Parks Authority is on the lookout for a crocodile that may have swum across the border.

The parks authority told the station that it had received information that a crocodile could be lurking between Sha'ar HaGolan and Masada, a small northern town (not to be confused with the Dead Sea-area desert fortress).

According to Israeli media, the Jordanian Army informed their Israeli counterparts that a giant reptile had been sighted swimming in the Yarmouk River, which forms part of the boundary between the two countries.

According to Channel 12, the Jordanians noticed the crocodile in a section of the river outside the border fence, therefore there was no risk towards civilians.

Despite occasional conflicts between Jordan and Israel, particularly over access rights to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, the two nations have enjoyed friendly and cooperative relations since a 1994 treaty formally ended the war that began with Israel's founding in 1948.

INPA Movement Towards the Missing Crocodile

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority is a government agency in Israel that administers nature reserves and national parks in Israel, the Golan Heights, and sections of the West Bank. The National Parks Authority and the Nature Reserves Authority merged in April 1998 to become the organization, which had been managing nature reserves and national parks separately since 1964. Shaul Goldstein is the Authority's director.

The INPA said it was working with the army to verify the information and was also checking in with the operators of a crocodile farm that is a tourist attraction, at the Hamat Gader hot springs spa.

According to INPA "The authority is working with the army to get permission to cross the [border] fence in order to carry out searches in the area."

Security coordinators at the Emek Hayarden Regional Council, which controls settlements in the area, were also given the warning. Residents in the region were warned to keep vigilant and follow up on any sightings by security personnel, according to the station.

Crocodiles are no longer native to Israel, having been hunted to extinction in the early twentieth century, but the reptiles are kept on various tourist farms, notably those in Hamat Gader.

Also read: Special Lizard-Like Fossil Older than Most Dinosaurs May Explain the Origin of Lizards

Groups of Crocodiles are Kept as Tourist Attractions

Although there are no wild crocodiles in Israel, the last one was slain by hunters over a century ago, a few locations have captive crocodiles that are used as tourist attractions and activities.

Officials also stated that because the crocodile was sighted behind the wall that runs along the border at this time, there is no threat to Israeli citizens at this time.

One farm in the Jordan Valley made international headlines after it failed as a tourist attraction, leaving the owners with an ever-growing crocodile population (700 crocodiles) that they were unable to dispose of.

Also read: Endangered Sumatran Tiger: Mother and Cubs Found Dead in Traps Set by Poachers
The European Sentinel 2 satellite recorded the dramatic picture from orbit when Italy's Mount Etna volcano erupted over the weekend for the 50th time this year.

#EUSpace for #Volcano monitoring



In 2021 #Etna  is showing a high level of activity



Last weekend, the 54th paroxysm of the year was recorded



The lava emitted during the eruption is visible in the latest @CopernicusEU #Sentinel2 image which was acquired on 30 August pic.twitter.com/GCuEbZ9HbY   DG DEFIS #StrongerTogether (@defis_eu) August 31, 2021

Mount Etna, which towers over the Mediterranean island of Sicily, has had a busy season this year, with the most recent eruption occurring on Sunday (Aug. 29).

According to the European Commission's office of the Director-General for Defence Industry and Space, which posted the image on Twitter, this view was obtained by the Sentinel 2 satellite as it appeared on Aug. 30.

Mount Etna

Mount Etna, often known as Etna, is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, located between Messina and Catania in the Metropolitan City of Catania. It is located above the convergent plate boundary that separates the African and Eurasian plates.

With a present height of 3,357 m (11,014 ft) (July 2021), it is one of Europe's tallest active volcanoes and the tallest mountain in Italy south of the Alps, but this varies with summit eruptions.

According to satellite photos, Mount Etna erupted so intensely in 2021 that it grew 100 feet (30 meters) in height in only six months, and the southeastern crater is now the volcano's highest section.

Related Article: Europe's Most Active Volcano Shows Eruptive Episodes as Earthquake Hits Mt. Etna





Mongibello 's Activity

Mt Etna, also known as "Mongibello," is Europe's biggest and most active volcano. Its regular eruptions are frequently accompanied by huge lava flows, although populated areas are rarely threatened.

Etna is one of the volcanoes with the most extensive historical eruption records, dating back over 2000 years. For years, Mt. Etna has confused geophysicists since it lies alone on Sicily's east coast, spewing lava that is chemically different from that ejected by volcanoes generated by tectonic plate collisions.

Studying Etna

According to researchers, Etna's massive flows result from "slab rollback," in which a piece of the Tyrrhenian plate broke off, swiftly creating a small basin of magma pulled up from under the adjacent African plate.

This magma, or pool of viscous asthenosphere, has erupted from Etna regularly for thousands of years. Mt. Vesuvius, on the other side of the Tyrrhenian Sea from Etna, might be the same type of volcano, but further research is needed.

The majority of the world's volcanoes are found in subduction zones, where one tectonic plate slides beneath another. Partially melting happens in the wedge between the plates as the system converges, and the melted material is ejected via fissures or fractures in the Earth's crust.

A World Heritage Site

Mount Etna is one of the world's most active volcanoes, with eruptions occurring almost constantly. Vineyards and orchards are scattered throughout the lower slopes of the mountain and the vast Plain of Catania to the south, thanks the excellent volcanic soils.

Mount Etna has been declared a Decade Volcano by the United Nations due to its recent activity and proximity to a population. In addition, it was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in June 2013.

Also Read: How Iceland's Newest Volcano Provides Crucial Data About Mars

For more news updates about what's happening to our environment, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Multiple tornadoes may have occurred in New Jersey as Ida's remnants caused quick damages in the state Wednesday evening during an intense flash flood, tornado warnings, and severe thunderstorm.

The Diastrous Tornado

Not long before 6:30 p.m., a confirmed serious and very dangerous tornado was situated over Woodbury Heights, or about 8 miles south of Gloucester City, propelling northeast at 40 mph, the National Weather Service said.

The weather service said it is particularly a dangerous situation. In Burlington County, another tornado appeared to occur, as seen in the multiple footages from the site of the event.

The National Weather Service revealed that a 911 call center got a report of notable damages in the Mullica Hill region, several homes were damaged and trees down on Cedar Road.

At about 6:27 p.m, the weather service got a report of a funnel cloud and ruins in Wenonah Borough in Gloucester County., but it was not instantly known if the tornado that was sighted in Woodbury Heights has something to do with this one.

Also Read: Most Powerful' Tornado in Czech Republic's History Caused Deadly Damage in Its Wake

Effect of Tornado

Footages and pictures on the internet showed severe damage, including homes that were almost destroyed entirely.

Mullica Hill's Harmony Volunteer Fire Company made a report that rescuers from all over Gloucester County were deployed to the worst-hit region. There were reports of so many victims stuck in Harrison Township including Mullica Hill, the fire department said.

In a statement, the county's Office of Emergency Management said: "Gloucester County has experienced devastating storm damage. It is likely that multiple tornadoes have touched down within our communities."

As per the Clearview Regional School District, officials also set up a shelter at Gloucester County Institute of Technology,.

A spokesman for Atlantic City Electric named Frank Tedesco said the power infrastructure in the company had "serious damage" following the tornado event in the area. The spokesman said crews needed to check the damage prior to any estimates on the time service could be restored.

Phil Murphy, the Governor also said he knew of the tornado that happened in Mullica Hill.

Officials Monitor the Situation Closely

Murphy said: "Just spoke with Harrison Township Mayor Lou Manzo about the devastating tornado that ripped through the Mullica Hill community and surrounding area tonight. We're closely monitoring the situation and will do whatever is needed to support the response & recovery in the days ahead."

A spokesman for the Deptford Police Department, Detective Bob Jones, said about 7 p.m. there were no reported injuries in town.

Jones told NJ Advance Media they are taking care of numerous reports of damage in the region of New Jersey Avenue and Cattell Road. Fallen trees and wires, wind damage, etc. Also, they are opening their Emergency Operations Command Center so as to maintain a united command all through the night.

Pictures and footage showed houses without roofs in the region.

Related Article: Severe Thunderstorms Triggered Tornados Wreaking Havoc in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia

For more news, updates about tornadoes and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
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FILE - In this May 15, 2020 file photo, clouds form over vegetation planted in a recently completed "bioswale" at Prentiss Avenue and Press Drive in New Orleans. Hurricane Idas landfall tested the complex system of seawalls, levees and other flood control infrastructure installed to ensure that New Orleans never faces a breach like it did from Katrina. In addition to stronger solid infrastructure, state and federal officials have also invested in natural barriers like wetlands that act as a speed bump and reduce the impacts of a storms. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
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The traditional data center is built on a three-tier infrastructure with discreet blocks of compute, storage and network resources allocated to support specific applications. In a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), the three tiers are combined into a single building block called a node. Multiple nodes can be clustered together to form a pool of resources that can be managed through a software layer.

Instead of a server with 50 cores, 128GB RAM and 1TB of storage, you can have 500 cores with 1.2TB RAM and 10TB of storage across 10 nodes, presented as a pool of resources to mix and match into services that deliver the specific performance characteristics and back-end resources needed for the job at hand. Configuration can be done on the fly, through an easy-to-access interface that lets you build or scale your solution.

The result is that you get better utilization, which eliminates the need for overprovisioning and enables a better total cost of ownership (TCO). Compared to the traditional three-tier architecture, HCI also is typically more compact and consumes less power.

Part of the appeal of HCI is that it combines storage, computing, and networking into a single system to reduce complexity and streamline deployments across data centers, remote branches, and edge locations. But be aware: A bundled, modular approach can provide simplicity at the expense of configurability. Its important to consider issues such as compatibility with legacy infrastructure, scalability limitations and support for cloud tie-ins when youre choosing a platform. This guide will help buyers of hyperconvergence technology navigate the decision process and provide key questions to ask potential vendors.

HCI appliance or software?

Your approach to hyperconvergence will be tied to your existing investment as well as your future plans. Are you buying all new equipment, or do you need to leverage existing infrastructure? Do you have special workload requirements to address?

For enterprises looking to invest in HCI, there are many questions that need to be answered either internally or in discussion with vendors or outside consultants. Among the first choices to make is form factor: Do you want an HCI appliance or a hardware-agnostic software-based solution?

A hyperconverged appliance will provide preconfigured nodes of compute, storage and network resources, packaged in their own chassis. Some leading vendors that sell HCI as an appliance include Cisco (Hyperflex), Dell EMC (VxRail), HPE (SimpliVity), Scale Computing (HC3), Pivot3 (Acuity), and NetApp (NetApp HCI).

Each HCI node includes compute, storage, and networking resourcesthe bundled nodes are the building blocks of the infrastructure. Buyers can make certain configuration selections: You can purchase nodes configured with all high-performance SSDs, for example, or choose GPUs to address specific workload requirements. Scaling capacity is as simple as adding additional nodes to the appliance. Once part of the appliance, you can logically assemble systems for your specific performance characteristics through the orchestration software layer.

One advantage of appliances is they let you to choose fully integrated and performance-tuned hardware right out of the box. Plug them in, turn them on and deploy as you need. For growth, you add more building blocks to the appliance to grow the pool. The appliance vendor assumes responsibility for making sure all software and firmware updates and patches have been tested and certified in advance of deployment, easing the burden of your staff having to track and test across multiple vendors. Downsides of this approach can include vendor lock-in and difficulty integrating existing data-center components.

If you already have a three-tier infrastructure that you want to continue to use, you may want to consider a software-based approach, available from vendors including Nutanix (AOS) and VMware (vSAN). This requires licensing a suite of applications that provide a hypervisor, storage-management, network-management and orchestration software to provision and manage your server, storage, and network components. This approach is hardware agnostic; you can use any hardware so long as it meets the firmware revision requirements of the HCI software suite and is not so old that the software no longer supports it.

A software approach allows you choose and maintain the hardware you want from the vendors you want, creating a truly heterogenous environment. A downside is having multiple vendors to deal with for support, which places greater responsibility on your IT team to resolve integration problems, track bugs and coordinate patches.

Scalability of HCI

The building blocks of HCI are nodes of compute, storage, and network capacity that use virtualization for configuration and an orchestration layer to allow administrators to manage them as a single pool of resources. Its important to understand the minimum requirements and maximum size of these building blocks in order to gauge the cost of future growth.

For example, HCI typically requires that to grow your storage pool, you need to add nodes with compute and network capabilities. Some nodes are limited to a specific type of storageHDD vs. SSD, for example. If you wanted to add network-attached storage (NAS) or a storage area network (SAN), you wouldnt be able to manage them in the orchestration layer and would have to connect them individually to the virtual servers you create.

When thinking about scaling storage, you may not want to add additional CPUs and network ports. Some vendors of either appliance or software-only solutions support disaggregated HCI, which allows the addition of external storage devices such as a SAN into the mix so that you can grow your storage capacity separately from your compute. This is important if you anticipate the two growing in dramatically different proportions or have special performance characteristics you need to address (databases, for example).

Another scalability issue is overhead. The layers of software that abstract the hardware and allow HCI to work need to be considered as you plan for capacity and expansion. Ask your vendor how much overhead to account for.

In addition, make sure youre aware of the upper capacity bounds of the orchestration software. Will you hit a point where you can no longer expand and be forced to create a new pool of infrastructure? Under those circumstances, you will be forced to manage the infrastructures separately and lose some of the benefits of hyperconvergence, such as data protection and live server migrations. Find out if youll be able to move services between the two pools or if youll need to treat them like separate data centers.

Finally, what are the limitations of your license pool? How much can you grow your HCI before you need to go back and write the next check? Anticipating additional license costs and fully understanding what they are is critical to understanding TCO.

HCI orchestration and interoperability

An important consideration of HCI is whether the vendors orchestration layer can support the complexity that comes along with disparately configured hardware.

Ask your vendors: Will the orchestration software be able to mix building blocks of disparate sizes (for example, servers with different core counts and RAM capacity, different disk sizes, and types of storage technologies)? Or do all the building blocks have to be of the same configuration to be added to the HCI? If you want to incorporate any legacy resources, will you need to upgrade (or downgrade) them before they can become part of your HCI pool? It will add to the bottom line if you need to buy additional RAM or storage for your current equipment.

Understanding how the orchestration layer sees equipment can make a big difference when migrating to an HCI. Will the HCI be able to poll the network and easily incorporate existing equipment into the pool of resources? It can be very labor intensive if you have to move existing applications before you can add the applications infrastructure into the HCI pool. Be prepared for extensive and potentially disruptive work if you need to go through a process of moving existing services, then re-initializing and restructuring their underlying hardware into building blocks before the HCI can use them.

Vendor lock-in can also be a concern. Does the solution allow you to add hardware components from any vendor? By abstracting the physical hardware and placing it into an HCI, you need to know if you can add any equipment, both legacy and new. This allows you to expand as you need to and avoid being locked into any specific vendor. Even if you choose to go the appliance route, you may want to incorporate legacy systems that are acquired outside the appliance. You should know if you can continue to use equipment purchased from other vendors or if you are locked into a vendors specific, proprietary solution.

What hypervisor platform will your HCI solution use? Proprietary solutions make it likely you will need to buy future building blocks from the same vendor. That could be desirable, as it gives you one source to contact when you need support, but it also puts you at the mercy of that vendor for availability of equipment and software updates. Many vendors use a common platform, such as VMware or Nutanix AHV, but typically you cant mix and match in the same HCI, so an appliance with a customized hypervisor can be an issue.

Do you have special peripheral requirements? Are you dependent on GPUs, special sensors, or other types of hardware? Make sure you understand if you can build customized nodes and if youll be able to manage any customizations within the HCI or if youll need to build something outside the infrastructure to support them.

Hyperconvergence features to ask about As youre evaluating HCI platforms and weighing investment priorities, here are some areas to dig into. Does the HCI speak natively to public cloud services? If you need to quickly expand services for a short business event (say you run an e-commerce site and need additional web servers for a special event), can you burst capacity into the cloud or will you need to overprovision within the HCI to support the business peaks? Will your orchestration layer be able to treat public cloud resources as if they are just another node in the HCI? Having seamless access to the cloud will allow you to quickly grow and shrink capacity without the costly and time consuming (and potentially disruptive) process of shutting down services and manually migrating them. Some public cloud providers have worked to streamline integration between HCI platforms and the cloud. What are the built-in redundancies and disaster recovery features? Will you need to provide additional building blocks and duplicate hardware for redundancy? Can you use cloud resources for this application? Will your data be automatically striped across multiple nodes, or do you need to add additional software to make that happen? Integrating an HCI with a cloud service can provide a place for data to be stored safely off premises in the event of a disaster. Being able to replicate your services in the cloud, and then activate them in a disaster will dramatically reduce your recovery time objectives (RTO). Can backup appliances or SaaS work within your HCI? You are probably already using some system to back up your data center. Will you be able to attach a tape robot to a node and have it visible through the orchestration layer so you can run a backup system to write to tape if you require? What backup/recovery support is built into your HCI environment if you want to use a SaaS-based product such as Druva or Veeam? Can you attach a backup appliance from vendors such as Commvault, Rubrik or Cohesity? This is becoming a more common feature, where the cloud backup is seen as another tier of storage in the HCI. The backup system runs as a virtual appliance on your HCI and speaks directly to the cloud. What additional storage features are built in to the HCI? Some HCI platforms provide tools that handle data deduplication to conserve storage space or encryption (in transit and at rest) as your data travels through the network for security and compliance. It may be that separate tools are required to do work such as periodic snapshots of your services for quick recovery in the event of a problem. Make sure its clear which features are standard and which require additional tools. How do you handle specific high-performance requirements? Bare metal is faster than HCI as it removes all the abstraction layers that add potential overhead to processor and storage access. But bare metal cant be supported in an HCI, since you cant control the hardware if its not running the abstraction layer software. Thats why it has been common to see large database servers with heavy performance requirements, for example, stay outside an HCI. Disaggregation is starting to solve some of these issues by allowing separate storage, such as a SAN, into your HCI, as well as enabling enterprises to incorporate special hardware building blocks, such as GPUs, to boost performance for specific applications. How will product support work? Do you call a single vendor for hardware support and a different vendor for hypervisor or orchestration support when you buy an appliance? Having support that can look at your problem holistically will bring faster resolution, and nothing is more frustrating than having multiple vendors pointing at each other to solve a problem. Zero-day vulnerabilities are becoming commonplace, and they put the entire enterprise at risk. You should find out how your HCI vendors track for these problems and how quickly they provide tested updates to their customers. Can you update the components of your HCI on separate schedules or do you have to update everything at the same time? It can be advantageous to patch a portion of the infrastructure and test it for issues prior to performing a complete update. Pushing massive updates across the entire infrastructure is sometimes necessary and often disruptive. There are many benefits to building an HCI environment. You will be able to quickly fulfill your server requirements using familiar tools, reduce the time it takes to bring applications online, and ease maintenance requirements. But enabling flexibility upfront shouldnt add complexity on the back end. Make sure the hyperconverged infrastructure you invest in will serve your application needs today and as you grow in the future.
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CHATHAM TWP. - The effects of Tropical Storm Ida are still being felt on the streets of the township.
DARIEN  Alumni will get to reconnect with more classmates than the ones they directly graduated with a special reunion due to COVID.

The classes of 1985 and 1986 from Darien High School have decided to join forces this year and will be holding a joint reunion at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 at the Wee Burn Country Club.

Our class was supposed to have our 35th reunion in 2020, but alas, it was canceled due to COVID, said Dave Lang, president of the class of 85.

Consequently, he had the idea to reach out to the organizers of the 1986 class reunion to see if they might be amenable to teaming up.

The reality of COVID crushed any hopes of the class of 1985 hosting its reunion, said Lora Bates Carr, organizer of the 1986 class reunion.

She explained that Lang found the class Facebook page and reached out with a request to join forces.

It was without hesitation that I said, Absolutely, she said. We may have been different classes, but our friendships, teams, activities and social networks werent limited by our class years.

Beside that, she pointed out, it might actually make for a unique and interesting twist on the reunion.

What could be more fun that all of us together again for a weekend of reconnecting? she said.

Some alumni are already looking forward to it.

DHS class of 1986 was a special class, said Suzy Nolan, currently of New Canaan, who is looking forward to attending the reunion to see old friends, reminisce and laugh.

I have so many great memories from those four years at DHS whether it was in the classroom, on the field or playing music in the cafeteria, she said. The class of 1986 was a close and supportive group of kids.

She does admit, at the same time, that sometimes a reunion can be a little bit unnerving.

I think we all second guess what we have accomplished and how we look, but then were reminded that its such a positive group of people who are just there to catch up and have fun, she said.

Carr said part of the appeal of her class is that the unity extends beyond reunions.

Im sure this holds true for many classes, but for the class of 1986, what makes us special is that we have the ability to pick up right where we left off from five, 10, or even 30 years ago, she said. Though many of us may have moved away, we have a special place for Darien in our hearts.

Class of 1985 member Georgia Gigi McCreery, who has enjoyed a successful writing and producing career in Hollywood, is looking forward to seeing friends.

In hindsight, I left Darien to get inspired and to write comedy, but it turns out the jokes on me because  one of the most inspiring people Ive ever met is from DHS class of 86, she said, referencing graduate Scarlett Lewis.

Lewis, a parent of a Sandy Hook Elementary victim, is an author and activist behind the ChooseLoveMovement.org, which offers free training and education programs centered on emotional wellness and mental health.

As for the class of 85, we succeeded at getting vending machines put in the cafeteria, then used the proceeds to buy a glowing magical orb for the library, McCreery said. Its a meaningful legacy. No doubt were all very inspired by the orb.

Lang also remembered a particularly naughty prank that involved burying someones 69 Mustang in the softball field.

None of our kids can believe we did this, got away with it, and even bragged about it in the local newspaper, he said.

Our class was a special one, Lang said. We have lots of common memories, especially from our senior year, that will bind us forever.

For more information, Carr can be reached at Darien1986@gmail.com, and Lang at DavidLang66@gmail.com.
BERLIN (AP)  Angela Merkel will leave office as one of modern Germany's longest-serving leaders and a global diplomatic heavyweight, with a legacy defined by her management of a succession of crises that shook a fragile Europe rather than any grand visions for her own country.

In 16 years at the helm of Europe's biggest economy, Merkel did end military conscription, set Germany on course for a future without nuclear and fossil-fueled power, enable the legalization of same-sex marriage, introduce a national minimum wage and benefits encouraging fathers to look after young children, among other things.

But a senior ally recently summed up what many view as her main service: as an anchor of stability in stormy times. He told Merkel: You protected our country well.

All the major crossroads you had to navigate ... we never mapped out in any election program  they came overnight and you had to govern well, Bavarian governor Markus Soeder said.

Merkel passed her first test in 2008, pledging at the height of the global financial crisis that Germans' savings were safe. Over the following years, she was a leading figure in the effort to save the euro currency from the debt crisis that engulfed several members, agreeing to bailouts but insisting on painful spending cuts.

In 2015, Merkel was the face of a welcoming approach to migrants as people fleeing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere trekked across the Balkans. She allowed in hundreds of thousands and insisted that we will manage the influx, but ran into resistance both at home and among European partners.

And in the twilight of her career  she announced in 2018 that she wouldn't seek a fifth term  she led a COVID-19 response that saw Germany fare better than some of its peers.

On the international stage, Merkel insisted on seeking compromises and pursuing a multilateral approach to the world's problems through years of turbulence that saw the U.S. drift apart from European allies under President Donald Trump and Britain leave the European Union.

I think Ms. Merkel's most important legacy is simply that, in such a time of worldwide crises, she provided for stability, said Ralph Bollmann, a biographer of Merkel and a journalist with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper.

There was a constant succession of crises that were really existential threats and raised questions over the world order we are used to, and her achievement is that she led Germany, Europe and perhaps to some extent the world fairly safely through that, for all that you can criticize details, Bollmann said.

Before winning the top job in 2005, he noted, Merkel campaigned as a chancellor of change, who wanted to make Germany more modern, seeking deeper economic reforms and a more socially liberal approach than her center-right party had previously taken.

But she ditched much of her economic agenda after almost blowing a huge poll lead by turning off voters with talk of far-reaching reforms, instead embracing what she called an approach of many small steps. Along with a pragmatic willingness to jettison conservative orthodoxy such as conscription when opportune, it enabled her to dominate the center ground of German politics.

Crises consumed so much energy that not much time was left to deal with other issues, Bollmann said. There is plenty of unfinished business: Merkel has conceded that the lack of digitization in our society is a problem, ranging from notoriously patchy cell phone reception to many health offices using faxes to transmit data during the pandemic.

Merkels political longevity is already historic. Among democratic Germany's post-World War II leaders, she lags only Helmut Kohl, who led the country to reunification during his 1982-98 tenure. She could overtake even him if she is still in office on Dec. 17. That's feasible if parties are slow to form a new government after the Sept. 26 election.

Merkel, 67, insists that others must judge her record. Still, she highlighted a few achievements at a rare campaign appearance last month, starting with the reduction of the number of unemployed in Germany from over 5 million in 2005 to under 2.6 million now.

Predecessor Gerhard Schroeder, whose welfare-state trims and economic reforms were beginning to kick in when he left office, arguably deserves part of the credit.

Merkel also inherited a plan to exit nuclear power from Schroeder, but abruptly accelerated it following the meltdowns at Japan's Fukushima plant in 2011. More recently, she set in motion Germany's exit from coal-fueled power.

The chancellor pointed to progress on renewable energy, saying its share of the German energy mix has risen from 10% to well over 40%. Merkel was often referred to as the climate chancellor in her early years, but also has drawn criticism for moving too slowly; her government this year moved forward the date for reducing German greenhouse gas emissions to net zero to 2045, after the countrys top court ruled that previous plans place too much of the burden on young people.

Merkel praised her government's drive to improve Germany's public finances, which enabled it to stop running up new debt from 2014 until the coronavirus pandemic pushed it into huge rescue packages. Opponents argue that it skimped on necessary investments in infrastructure.

I could talk about how we saved the euro, she said, adding that our principle of combining the affected countries' own responsibility with solidarity was exactly the right method to give the euro a future. Merkel's austerity-heavy approach was resented deeply in parts of Europe and controversial among economists, but allowed her to overcome reluctance at home to bail out strugglers.

Whatever the ultimate verdict, Merkel can celebrate a unique end to her tenure: she is set to become the first German chancellor to leave power when she chooses.

___

Kerstin Sopke in Berlin contributed to this report.
On September 2, Crown Princess Victoria visited Vasterbotten county to receive information about the local recovery efforts in the wake of the pandemic. The visit to Vasterbotten was made as part of the Royal Family's ongoing visits to all of Sweden's counties, aiming to provide solidarity with the sectors of the society that were affected by the pandemic.

The Crown Princess' program in Umea and Skelleftea includes a visit to the City Mission, meetings with representatives of infection control in the Vasterbotten Region and high school students at Maja Beskowskolan.

Yesterday Crown Princess Victoria attended the opening of the Sami Parliament in Lycksele. After the opening, the Crown Princess went to the Tonka Bistro Cafe in Umea for dinner.

By Malina Karah blazer and Rosetta pants

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Dagmar Dora gold flower dress
"We're driving to Canada."

That was the first thing I said last month after reading that the Canadian government would open its border to nonessential travel for fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents on August 9, without requiring quarantine.

"That sounds complicated," my husband replied. He had a point: We have unvaccinated 4- and 7-year-old sons and an 11-year-old labradoodle. But after 18 months of pandemic-juggling and bracing for another Covid-affected school year, I needed a break.

I wanted to look at something besides the locust tree outside my window in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. I wanted to be in another country. One we could drive to, since we decided to not fly with our kids while they're unvaccinated. I wanted nice people and respect for Covid precautions. All those wants pointed to one destination: Canada.

So, we went for it. And after a whirlwind planning stage rife with confusion, I'm happy to report that part was notably more stressful than any part of the actual trip.

The toughest things to figure out? What we needed to do to cross the border, and when we needed to do it.

The guidelines seemed to keep shifting and we found contradictory information from various sources, even on reputable media and government sites.

What we learned: The Canadian government website says all travelers, upon arrival, must show a negative Covid-19 molecular test taken in the last 72 hours. And only unvaccinated kids 5-11 need to get retested (once upon arrival and another one on day eight, if the stay is that long), along with anyone else chosen at random.

Some friends in the know warned that a test taken even 72 hours and 10 minutes beforehand would be rejected, so we worked backwards from when we wanted to arrive in Canada and then aimed for several hours earlier in case of border delays.

Border checks

Our local PCR testing site informed us that results could take 24-36 hours, so that part was a bit tricky to plan for. Ironically, we got them within an hour but needed additional help to get printable reports detailing that they were PCR tests. Antigen tests are not accepted.

It hurt our heads trying to figure out how to bring our dog along on a road trip during which we might be in between lodgings on hot August days -- our two Canadian hotels had strict 3 p.m. check-in policies, no earlier -- so poor Ziggy was left Stateside (if you do bring yours, bring a signed rabies certificate from your vet).

The next step was to enter our information on ArriveCAN, the official Canadian government app, within 72 hours before arrival. (The info can also be submitted via the government website and receipt printed off).

I'd read that ArriveCAN hadn't been working well and wasn't properly updated. But I found it to be easy and straightforward. Each traveler's passport and vaccination card needs to be scanned into the app, along with an address of somewhere you'll stay in case you need to quarantine in Canada. You'll also need to know which border crossing you plan on traveling across, the date, and estimated time.

I wasn't sure if I could change entry points later. So for two days, I obsessively refreshed the Canadian government's land border wait time page, which is updated hourly and displays border crossings from East to West (make sure to also check them on the way back). The Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls seemed to have a longer wait in general (30 minutes or more during busy times), so I chose the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, where we'd be stopping overnight, and just hoped I'd chosen wisely.

The Saturday morning of our arrival we encountered a mere half-dozen cars at border control. My body finally started to relax as we inched toward the checkpoint flanked with large red maple leaves, while my husband gently begged me to not blast the Celine Dion I was firing up on Spotify.

We showed the agent our ArriveCAN digital receipts, passport and test results and in return received a PCR test box which I learned, to my surprise, I was expected to personally administer to my 7-year-old at a screening location in a nearby racetrack parking lot.

There was no wait at the site, which tests unvaccinated and randomly selected travelers, but the security guard told me that on the previous day -- a Friday -- there had been a big backup. I swabbed my son under the guidance of a friendly and patient staffer clad head-to-toe in PPE in the searing heat and was on my way. The results would arrive to me digitally on my newly created Switch Health account.

A different world

We drove straight to Niagara Falls, which was crowded but also felt immediately different from the United States.

Everyone is masked inside (and frequently outside), social distancing reminders and hand sanitizer stations are everywhere, and indoor locations have limited capacity. We rode the Ferris Wheel, which offers a glorious view of the falls, and noticed a staff member carefully sanitizing each car in between visitors. While in the long line to board our boat ride to the falls we felt a little squeezed but noticed a staff member reminding people to mask up.

Next, we drove the 90 minutes to our hotel in Toronto, the Bisha, which wasn't overcrowded when we were there midweek but according to the front desk had been at 80% occupancy the previous weekend. Its rooftop pool scene was always lively against the open cityscape.

There was more than enough to keep us busy in the city, even with numerous restrictions and a historic heatwave. We meandered through the Toronto Islands on a rented boat. We took the Centre Island ferry for hours of fun on the Centreville rides (advance online tickets required due to limited capacity).

We wandered through the terrific outdoor Kensington Market. We drove to a mall to absorb some air conditioning and take advantage of beneficial exchange rates to do some shopping.

We took several street cars, nearly empty due to the August holiday period (all of which had seats blocked off for distancing), and booked advance timed tickets to see the CN Tower's glorious 360-degree views.

Throughout it all, I felt comfortable, joyful and relaxed; feelings with which I became gratefully reacquainted after a very long time apart.

But the real highlight was sitting in the "physically distanced" section at the Rogers Center for the Tigers/Blue Jays game, where we cheered Miguel Cabrera's historic 500th home run.

We'd been to Fenway Park in Boston in early July, before Delta took hold, and saw nobody masked anywhere in the stadium. Here, there was limited capacity, and omnipresent signs reminding us that masks were required for everyone, even when seated, unless while eating.

My favorite moment was when the woman who sold us lunch ran after me to offer extra salt and pepper for our fries. Ah, Canada.

Successful trip

There are still some glitches in the international visitor system. I had a minor panic attack when, two days after my arrival, I received an email "Covid-19: Emergency Order to isolate" detailing how all travelers to Canada needed to quarantine for 14 days (I concluded this must have been a mistake, since it went against every other verbal and written instruction I'd received).

It was immediately followed by another email on follow-up testing, which took some careful reading to realize it was a reminder for anyone who had been selected at the border to do randomized testing and had not yet done so, and also for unvaccinated people who were staying in the country for eight days or longer.

Road trips with kids can be a slog during normal times. An international one in the throes of a relentless pandemic added a healthy dose of discomfort and uncertainty. And there were certainly places where physical distancing was more difficult despite all the signage, such as on the Niagara Falls boat ride or the Toronto Islands ferry.

But the benefit of showing more of the world to our children during a time when it has felt so constricted made the small amount of hassle involved worthwhile. A good reminder that fun adventures could be thrown together with little notice, a lot of uncertainty and a sense of humor.

On the morning of our departure, everyone wanted to stay in Canada just a bit longer. It felt calmer, organized, less divided over simple precautions and, yes, safer.

Alas, work and back-to-school preparations beckoned, and so we quickly and easily crossed the empty border at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge (no Covid-related questions asked, and no paperwork required except for passports), and back into a land of fewer, if any, restrictions.

The night we got home, we decided to drive to Montreal in September. I'm counting the weeks already.

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ATLANTA  A Glynn County grand jury indicted former Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson Thursday for misconduct in the investigation of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery last year.

Johnson is charged with violating her oath as a public official and obstructing a police officer. The first charge is a felony punishable by one to five years in prison, while the second is a misdemeanor.

Specifically, Johnson is accused of showing favoritism in the investigation toward suspect Greg McMichael, who had worked as an investigator in her office, and failing to treat Ahmaud Arbery and his family fairly and with dignity, the indictment stated.

The obstruction charge results from Johnson telling two Glynn County police officers not to arrest McMichaels son Travis, according to the indictment.

Our office is committed to ensuring those who are entrusted to serve are carrying out their duties ethically and honestly, said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. While an indictment was returned today, our file is not closed, and we will continue to investigate in order to pursue justice.

Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was gunned down in February of last year. He was jogging in the Satilla Shores neighborhood when the two McMichaels allegedly armed themselves, got into a pickup truck and chased him. They were able to use their truck to cut off his route.

A third suspect, William Roddie Bryan, is accused of joining the chase in a second truck.

All three face state charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony. They also were indicted by a federal grand jury for hate crimes.

Johnson was widely criticized over her handling of the case and lost her bid for reelection last November.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

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A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Champaign, IL (61820)

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A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Considerable cloudiness. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

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A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Considerable cloudiness. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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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).
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mostly cloudy. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

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A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mostly cloudy. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Humanitarian emergencies can significantly disrupt healthcare systems, which has many negative outcomes, including the breakdown of regular vaccination programs. In low to mid-income countries, where humanitarian emergencies are more common, the impact of such emergencies on healthcare systems can be more pronounced, affecting these populations more dramatically. In particular, displaced populations such as refugees are more at risk of missing vital routine vaccinations.

Given that data has shown that refugees are at a greater risk of communicable diseases due to the factors such as living in overcrowded conditions and poor access to adequate nutrition, sanitation, and water, vaccination programs must be made a priority during humanitarian emergencies to reduce rates of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in vulnerable populations.

Image Credit: Riccardo Mayer/Shutterstock.com

Increased prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases in refugees

Measles, polio, and, depending on the global region, cholera, hepatitis A, meningococcal meningitis, and yellow fever are common VPDs that often increase prevalence during humanitarian emergencies.

Recent data has revealed that in refugee and asylum seeker populations, communicable diseases such as latent tuberculosis, active tuberculosis, and hepatitis B are found at higher rates than in the general population (945%, up to 11%, and up to 12%, respectively).

Given the recent surge of refugees into Europe, agencies have investigated the healthcare needs of this population. It has been highlighted that refugees arriving in the EU may not have received vaccinations against VPDs, often due to the endurance of humanitarian emergencies, which makes them more susceptible to contracting VPDs than the native-born population. Offering vaccinations upon arrival is one solution that may be fundamental to reducing VPDs in this vulnerable population.

COVID-19 exacerbated communicable diseases in an at-risk population

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health experts almost immediately advised that prevention was more vital than finding a cure. Rapidly, governments across the globe implemented preventative measures, such as social distancing, regular hand washing and proper sanitation, and the mandatory wearing of face coverings. Unfortunately, these measures were not observed in camps set up to house refugees.

Coxs Bazar, the location of the worlds largest refugee camp that has been housing refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar in 2017 and home to roughly 855,000 Rohingya refugees, is one key example of where refugees were let down during the pandemic. Images of refugees living in confined, crowded spaces emerged. People at Coxs Bazar camp were completely unable to social distance and lacked sufficient access to handwashing stations, triage centers, and spaces to safely self-isolate. Similar scenes were witnessed in other locations across the world.

Refugees usually flee their country of birth due to a humanitarian emergency. They have endured incredible hardships, and at the same time, are disproportionately at risk of contracting diseases due to the conditions in which they are often forced to live. Providing vaccinations to refugees is a major way of preventing illness in this population; it reduces the risk of VPDs that they are usually vulnerable to due to the collapse of healthcare systems in their native country.

A call for equitable access to coronavirus disease 2019 vaccinations

The UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, recently called for international action to achieve equitable access to Covid-19 vaccinations. When the statement was released on World Health Day 2021, 20 countries had already undertaken significant work to start their vaccine roll-out within the refugee population. Countries such as Rwanda, Jordan, Serbia, and Nepal were the first to take action to protect refugees. The UN praised these countries and suggested they provided an example to the rest of the world to run their vaccine programs.

Around 85% of refugees in all parts of the globe live in low- and middle-income countries. Often, the healthcare systems of these countries, in comparison with richer countries, are more fragile and under-funded. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide aid to these countries to help them provide vaccinations to the refugees they host to achieve equitable access to COVID-19 vaccinations and protect refugees.

The COVID-19 humanitarian crisis has also exacerbated getting displaced people to access vaccinations for other VPDs. Therefore, there must also be an investment in the wider healthcare systems of low- and middle-income countries that host refugees to leave no one out of routine vaccination programs.

Summary

Humanitarian emergencies increase morbidity and mortality from VPDs in refugee populations due to numerous factors which facilitate the transmission of communicable diseases such as overcrowding and poor access to food, water, and sanitation. Vaccinations offer protection against these diseases; however, in low- and middle-income countries that host most of the worlds populations, healthcare systems are often already stretched and become mores in times of humanitarian emergencies. Therefore, there is an urgent need to direct more funding to these countries to ensure that vaccinations, including COVID-19, can be equally offered to everyone.

New Vaccination Effort to Save Millions of Children Play

References

A virus that respects no borders: protecting refugees and migrants during COVID-19. World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/a-virus-that-respects-no-borders-protecting-refugees-and-migrants-during-covid-19

Eiset, A. and Wejse, C., 2017. Review of infectious diseases in refugees and asylum seekerscurrent status and going forward. Public Health Reviews, 38(1). https://publichealthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40985-017-0065-4

GHC position paper: COVID-19 vaccination in humanitarian settings. Health Cluster. Available at: https://healthcluster.who.int/publications/m/item/covid-19-task-team-covid-19-vaccination-in-humanitarian-settings

Lam, E., McCarthy, A. and Brennan, M., 2015. Vaccine-preventable diseases in humanitarian emergencies among refugee and internally-displaced populations. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 11(11), pp.2627-2636. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26406333/

Further Reading
A study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System shows that people who have had COVID-19, including those with mild cases, are at an increased risk of developing kidney damage as well as chronic and end-stage kidney diseases.

Research continues to mount indicating that many people who've had COVID-19 go on to suffer a range of adverse conditions months after their initial infections. A deep dive into federal health data adds to those concerns, pointing to a significant decline in kidney function among those dubbed COVID-19 long-haulers  and even among those who had mild infections of the virus.

The data, plumbed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System, show that those infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at an increased likelihood of developing kidney damage as well as chronic and end-stage kidney diseases.

The study is published online Sept. 1 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Known as the silent killer, kidney dysfunction and disease tend to be free of pain and other symptoms  so much so that the National Kidney Foundation estimates that 90% of people with ailing kidneys don't know it. Kidney disease affects 37 million people in the U.S. and is one of the nation's leading causes of death.

Our findings emphasize the critical importance of paying attention to kidney function and disease in caring for patients who have had COVID-19. If kidney care isn't an integral part of COVID-19 post-acute care strategy, then we will miss opportunities to help potentially hundreds of thousands of people who have no idea that their kidney function has declined due to this virus. This is in addition to the millions of Americans who suffer from kidney disease not caused by COVID-19." Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, senior author, assistant professor of medicine,Washington University

The findings coincide with a surge in COVID-19 infections spurred by the delta variant. More than 38 million people have been diagnosed with the virus since the pandemic started.

"Based on our research, we believe that 510,000 of those people who have had COVID-19 may have kidney injury or disease," Al-Aly said.

The researchers analyzed de-identified medical records in a database maintained by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the nation's largest integrated health-care delivery system. The researchers created a controlled dataset that included health information from more than 1.7 million healthy and COVID-infected veterans from March 1, 2020, through March 15, 2021. Of those veterans, 89,216 had confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses and made it through the acute phase (the first 30 days of the disease).

The COVID-19 patients in the study were mostly men and in their late 60s; however, the researchers also analyzed data that included 151,289 women  including 8,817 with COVID-19  and adults of all ages. Among the COVID-19 patients, 12,376 (13.9%) required hospitalization, including 4,146 (4.6%) who were admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).

"The risk of decreased kidney function is highest among people who were in the ICU; however, it's important to note that the risk extends to all patients, even those who had milder cases of COVID-19," said Al-Aly, who is also director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center and chief of the Research and Education Service at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System.

Earlier stages of kidney disease often can be treated with medication.

"It's essential to discover kidney dysfunction before the problem progresses and becomes harder to treat," Al-Aly said. "But kidney problems are silent problems that won't be found until somebody checks the bloodwork. Based on our research, it's especially important that health-care providers do this for people who have had COVID-19. Otherwise, we'll miss a lot of people and, sadly, we'll be dealing with more advanced kidney diseases down the road."

Compared with patients who did not become infected, people who contracted the virus but did not need to be hospitalized for it had a 15% higher risk of suffering from a major adverse kidney event such as chronic kidney disease, a 30% higher risk of developing acute kidney injury, and a 215% (more than twofold) higher risk of acquiring end-stage kidney disease. The latter occurs when the kidneys can no longer effectively remove waste from the body. In such cases, dialysis or a kidney transplant is needed to keep patients alive.

The risk increased for patients hospitalized for COVID-19, and considerably so for those who were in the ICU for the virus: seven times the risk of experiencing a major adverse kidney event, eight times the risk of acute kidney injury and 13 times the risk of end-stage kidney disease.

"People who were hospitalized for COVID-19 or needed ICU care are at the highest risk," Al-Aly said. "But the risk is not zero for those who had milder cases. In fact, it's significant. And we need to remember that we don't yet know the health implications for long-haulers in the coming years."

After the initial 30 days of COVID-19 infection, 4,757 (5.3%) of the patients experienced a decrease of 30% or more in glomerular filtration rates (GFR), which physicians use to assess kidney function and, if applicable, determine the severity of kidney disease. The rate is determined by a simple blood test that measures levels of creatinine, a waste product in the blood that is filtered by the kidneys and discarded into urine.

The researchers found that people who had milder COVID-19 cases had 1.09 times the risk of having an estimated GFR decline of 30% or more. For hospitalized COVID-19 patients not in intensive care units, there was two times the risk of having an estimated GFR decrease of 30% or more, while intensive care unit patients were at three times the risk of experiencing an estimated GFR drop of 30% or more.

"The kidney damage was in excess of reduced function caused by normal aging," Al-Aly explained. "A 60-year-old's kidney function is less robust than the kidneys of a 20-year-old. The kidney function decline we've observed in these patients is not graceful aging. It is not normal anything. It is definitely a disease state.

"Kidney disease is one important facet of the multifaceted long COVID-19," he said. "It is a critical component of the long COVID-19 story, and it must be taken into account when caring for people with long COVID-19."
In a letter to The New England Journal of Medicine, publishing online September 1, 2021, an interdisciplinary team of physicians and public health experts at University of California San Diego measured the effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines among health workers at UC San Diego Health, most notably during the emergence of the highly transmissible delta virus variant and coincident with the end of the state's mask mandate, allowing fully vaccinated persons to forgo face coverings in most places.

The letter's authors report that the effectiveness of both the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines significantly waned over time. Both vaccines were granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration in December 2020, with vaccinations of the UC San Diego Health work force beginning the same month for health care workers with direct, patient-facing duties.

In the letter, the authors note that from March through June 2021 vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infection was estimated to exceed 90 percent; by July, however, it had fallen to approximately 65 percent.

"The decline in effectiveness is not entirely surprising," said co-senior author Francesca Torriani, MD, professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health in the UC San Diego School of Medicine and program director of Infection Prevention and Clinical Epidemiology at UC San Diego Health.

Waning effectiveness over time, combined with the more contagious delta variant and the end of masking mandates, have boosted cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated health workers.

"Clinical trial data suggested decreased effectiveness would occur several months after full vaccination, but our findings indicate that confronted by the delta variant, vaccine effectiveness for mildly symptomatic disease was considerably lower and waned six to eight months after completing vaccination."

UC San Diego Health, with a work force of approximately 19,000, operates a robust SARS-CoV-2 testing program. If an employee reports even one mild symptom of COVID-19 during daily screening or an identified exposure, a test is triggered.

Then and now, UC San Diego Health has maintained rigorous, mandatory masking and transmission mitigation measures throughout its hospitals and clinical facilities. Diagnosed positive cases among health workers have universally been identified as community acquired.

In December 2020, workers at UC San Diego Health, like the population overall, began experiencing a surge of SARS-CoV-2 infections, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The situation improved significantly after UC San Diego Health began to inoculate employees using the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. By March 2021, 76 percent of workers were fully vaccinated, rising to 83 percent by July 2021.

Concomitant with increased vaccination coverage was a decline between March and June in the number of workers reporting at least one symptom of COVID-19 and a positive PCR test. That number declined to fewer than 30 employees per month.

In July 2021, however, cases among this highly vaccinated population began to rise again, coincident with the emerging dominance of the delta variant in San Diego and the ending of California's masking mandate on June 15. By July, 125 workers had been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 and unlike in previous months when approximately 20 percent of these cases involved vaccinated workers, the percentage had risen to 75 percent.

Notably, the vaccines still provide significant protection from severe infection outcomes, such as hospitalization and death. Among the UC San Diego Health employee cases documented, no hospitalizations were reported in vaccinated individuals and only one among unvaccinated persons.

Unlike what was experienced with other variants, with the delta variant parents are frequently getting infected by their young children, ages 5 to 11. Unvaccinated people are seven times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated. More importantly, while children rarely need medical attention, unvaccinated adults are 32 times more likely to require hospitalization compared to those who are fully vaccinated." Lucy Horton, MD, MPH, co-first author, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and director of the UC San Diego Health COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing team

Vaccine effectiveness was linked to the passage of time. For workers diagnosed in July, those who became fully vaccinated in January and February had higher infection rates than those vaccinated later in March through May. The infection rate among unvaccinated persons has remained consistently higher than for any vaccinated group, although the difference in rates between the two groups has decreased over time.

"The dramatic change in vaccine effectiveness from June to July is likely due to a combination of factors," said co-author Nancy Binkin, MD, MPH, professor of epidemiology in the UC San Diego School of Medicine and Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. "It's the emergence of the delta variant and waning immunity over time, compounded by the end of broad masking requirements and the resulting greater exposure risk throughout the community."

Co-senior author Shira Abeles, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases who has led the COVID-19 vaccination effort at UC San Diego Health, said the findings underscore the importance of rapidly reinstating key interventions, such as indoor masking and intensive testing strategies, plus continuing efforts to boost vaccination rates.

"Similar findings are being reported in other settings in the U.S. and internationally, and it is likely that booster doses will be necessary."
A study led by a researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that food insecurity among college students is associated with lower college graduation rates and lower chances of obtaining a bachelor's or advanced degree.

Food insecurity is a household's lack of consistent access to adequate food resources. The study examined a nationally representative sample of 1,574 college students in 19992003 to assess whether they lived in a household experiencing food insecurity. They found that nearly 15 percent of the students qualified as food insecure. Following up on data on educational attainment through 20152017, the researchers found that students in the food-insecure group were more than 40 percent less likely to graduate from college and more than 60 percent less likely to achieve a graduate or professional degree.

Food-insecure students whose parents and grandparents had not attended college fared even worse in terms of educational attainment-;less than half graduated from college.

The study appears online in the September issue of Public Health Nutrition.

These results suggest that we really need robust policies to address food insecurity among college students, especially now with the higher food insecurity levels observed during the COVID-19 pandemic." Julia Wolfson, PhD, study lead author, assistant professor, Department of International Health, Bloomberg School

For the study, Wolfson and her colleagues examined data from a long-running U.S. government-sponsored project called the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, which has followed a nationally representative set of several thousand families in the U.S. since 1968, using annual-;or, since 1997, biennial-;surveys to collect sociodemographic, economic, and health information on family members. The researchers drew from this dataset a sample of 1,574 individuals who were enrolled in higher education at any point during the 19992003 surveys and were still being tracked in the 2015 or 2017 surveys. They classified a student as food-insecure if they or their parents reported being food-insecure at any point when they were college students in 19992003. Most of the students in the sample attended college while living at home as dependents in a household.

Even after adjusting for other factors known to be linked to higher or lower educational attainment, Wolfson and colleagues found a strong inverse association between household food insecurity and educational attainment. Students from food-insecure households were 43 percent less likely to graduate from college, including with an associate's degree; 43 percent less likely to attain a bachelor's degree; and 61 percent less likely to attain a graduate or professional degree, compared to non-food-insecure students.

The analysis suggested that being a "first-generation student"-;the first in a family to attend college-;was another factor strongly associated with lower educational attainment. While 76 percent of students who were "food secure" and not first-generation students graduated from college, only 59 percent of food secure but first-generation students graduated from college-;and less than half, only 47 percent, of food-insecure first-generation students graduated.

The study, Wolfson notes, is thought to be the first to examine food insecurity's effects on educational attainment in a study that tracks data for the same group of people over time. These results suggest that food insecurity is not just associated with but a contributing cause of lower educational attainment.

The study was written with colleagues at the University of Michigan and the Providence VA Healthcare System. The researchers are following up with studies of college-age food insecurity's links to other outcomes such as employment and income.
Amblyopia is the most common cause of vision loss in children, according to the U.S. National Eye Institute. It arises when visual experience is disrupted during infancy, for example by a cataract in one eye. Even after the cataract is removed, vision through the affected eye is impaired because of a failure of this eye to develop strong connections in the brain. The current treatment of covering the "good" eye with a patch to strengthen the amblyopic one, is only partially effective and cannot help after a "critical period" ends before age 8.

In a new study, MIT and Dalhousie University neuroscientists demonstrate that by temporarily anesthetizing the retina of the good eye, they could lastingly improve vision in the amblyopic one even after the critical period in two different mammal species.

The encouraging results support further preclinical testing of the novel therapy, in which the non-amblyopic eye's retina is temporarily and reversibly silenced by an injection of tetrodotoxin (TTX), said Mark Bear, Picower Professor of Neuroscience in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT and corresponding author of the study published in eLife.

"We observed a recovery in every animal," said Bear, a faculty member of MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. "We've done much better than anyone would have anticipated."

The results provide hope that the approach can eventually be translated to people, added Kevin Duffy, Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie.

"These are remarkable data that demonstrate an unequaled profile of recovery," said Duffy, who co-led the study with Ming-fai Fong, a postdoc in Bear's Picower Institute lab. "I am hopeful and optimistic that this study can provide a pathway for a new and more effective approach to amblyopia treatment. I am very proud to have been part of this rewarding collaboration."

A new approach to amblyopia

The new approach is based on decades of underlying neuroscience discoveries led by Bear that have revealed how amblyopia develops. When input from an amblyopic eye is weak, key connections, or "synapses," in neural circuits leading from the eye to the brain's visual cortex wither via a process he discovered called "long-term depression." But theoretical and experimental studies by his lab have also shown that completely but temporarily suspending visual input creates a condition in which the synaptic connections can fully restrengthen, almost as if they are being "rebooted."

In 2016, Bear, Duffy, Fong and colleagues showed they could restore vision in amblyopic mice past the critical period by temporarily inactivating both retinas with TTX. but in the new study they sought to determine whether vision could recover by temporarily suspending retinal activity in just the non-amblyopic eye in older animals, Fong said.

"These differences may seem small, but they are a big deal for a couple of reasons," she said. "First, inactivating both retinas effectively eliminates vision; even if temporary, this presents some practical challenges. Therefore, our ability to limit inactivation just to one eye makes it potentially more tractable for clinical translation. Second, there is currently no treatment for adult amblyopia in humans. In our study we used mature amblyopic animals that are recalcitrant to any other treatment due to the decline in the capacity for plasticity that comes with age."

The authos also sought to confirm their result in more than one species to ensure the effect generalizes to the mammalian brain. There is good reason to think so. Clinical observations in humans show that in some cases when a person with amblyopia loses their non-amblyopic eye to disease or injury, their amblyopic eye can improve even if they are adults.

In the new study the team therefore tested whether administering TTX in the non-amblyopic eye of animal models would produce a full recovery of visual response in their amblyopic eye beyond the critical period. Not only did it do so in each animal tested, but also, visual responses always recovered to normal levels in the eye that received the TTX.

This is a very clear demonstration of how understanding principles of synaptic plasticity can yield a novel therapeutic strategy." Mark Bear, Picower Professor of Neuroscience, The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT

The researchers even showed that neurons that relay visual input to the visual cortex that shrink with amblyopia were able to regain normal size.

The effect of the therapy was stronger and more consistent than in the human clinical cases of non-amblyopic eye loss because once synaptic connections are rebooted for the amblyopic eye and retinal activity returns in the non-amblyopic eye, they become mutually reinforcing, Bear said.

The results lend support for the theory that temporary inactivation of the non-amblyopic eye sets the stage for permanent strengthening of the synapses from the amblyopic eye. This theory holds that when activity is completely absent from the non-amblyopic eye, the degree of input through the amblyopic eye becomes sufficient to trigger synaptic strengthening, or "long-term potentiation."

Next steps

Theory, however, doesn't need to be resolved for the promising results to take next steps toward clinical use the authors noted. Instead, Bear said he plans to pursue new studies to ensure that the approach would be safe and effective for people such as adults for whom patch therapy is no longer plausible.

In addition to Fong, Duffy and Bear, the paper's other authors are Madison Leet and Christian Candler of The Picower Institute at MIT.

The U.S. National Eye Institute, the Beckman Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the JPB Foundation provided support for the research.
A nationwide survey of hospitals has revealed a wide variety of approaches to newborn skincare  including the timing of the first bath  that could ultimately have lasting effects on a baby's health and wellbeing.

Believed to be the first of its kind, the survey sought to document newborn skincare practices at hospitals around the country. Doctors have increasingly come to appreciate the importance of infant exposure to natural skin microbes, but there are no clear evidence-based guidelines for hospitals to follow.

The result, the researchers found, is a mishmash of practices that sometimes break down along regional lines.

The variation in what hospitals are doing for newborn skincare is a direct result of previously not having a good understanding of what really is the best way to care for a baby's skin. The hope now is that this work will challenge us all to take a look at the evidence and incorporate practices that protect babies the most." Ann L. Kellams, MD, Researcher, UVA Children's

Newborn skincare: What's best for baby?

The skincare babies receive in the hours and days after birth has long-term effects, shaping breastfeeding outcomes, infant skin health and even infection rates. For example, children who are birthed vaginally are known to have decreased rates of childhood allergies compared with those born by caesarian section.

That said, there is little hard evidence on health outcomes associated with delayed bathing and other newborn skin practices, such as the use of specific soaps and cleansers. That often leaves doctors with conflicting opinions, often built on anecdote and personal experience.

To get a sense of the practices in place around the country, the researchers sent 16 questions to nursery medical directors at 109 hospitals that are members of the Better Outcomes through Research for Newborns (BORN) network. The questions asked about bathing practices, the products used and the advice given to parents, among other topics.

The responses indicated:

87% of hospitals delay the first bath by at least six hours.

10% send babies home without a bath, a practice more common in non-academic centers and on the West Coast.

There is a huge variety of products and procedures used, though almost all include a "baby" soap containing detergents known to compromise the newborn's skin integrity.

Bathing advice for parents, such as whether they should use soap when washing the baby, is "inconsistent and potentially contradictory" among healthcare providers. This can leave parents confused and uncertain what to do.

The evidence underpinning most hospitals' skincare practices is "scant," the researchers report in a new scientific paper outlining their findings. They are urging the formulation of more consistent guidelines built on hard evidence.

"Given the potential widespread clinical impact of newborn skincare and the paucity of data to support or refute widespread adoption of specific practices, further research is needed to improve and standardize care in U.S. nurseries and mother-baby units," they state.

COVID-19 guidelines may also be needed, they note. "Based on one large case series of maternal hospitals in New York City showing no increased morbidity to newborns, authors recommend that early skin-to-skin contact and delayed bathing can be practiced even in newborns born to mothers infected with COVID-19," the researchers write.

Developing better, evidence-based guidelines in general would benefit all parents and infants, Kellams says. "In the future, we may be seeing a decreased emphasis on soap, an increased emphasis on oil-based cleansing and an increased emphasis on the application of emollients," she said. "Better skin integrity would offer more protection to the babies against infection, development of allergies, etcetera."

Findings published

The researchers have published their findings in the scientific journal Hospital Pediatrics. The research team consisted of Julia A. Wisniewski, Carrie A. Phillipi, Neera Goyal, Anna Smith, Alice E.W. Hoyt, Elizabeth King, Dennis West, W. Christopher Golden and Kellams. The authors thank the members of the BORN network for their participation in the study.
How the cell can mend broken DNA using another DNA copy as template has puzzled researchers for years. How is it possible to find the correct sequences in the busy interior of the cell? Researchers from Uppsala university have now discovered the solution; it is easier to find a rope than a ball if you are blindfolded.

When a DNA molecule breaks in two, the fate of the cell is threatened. From the perspective of a bacterium, fixing the break quickly is a matter of life and death. But to mend the DNA without introducing mistakes in the sequence is challenging; the repair machinery needs to find a template. The process of healing broken DNA using a template from a sister chromosome is known as homologous recombination and is well described in the literature. However, the description usually disregards the daunting task of finding the matching template among all the other genome sequences. The chromosome is a complex structure with several million base pairs of genetic code and it is quite clear that simple diffusion in 3D would not be sufficiently fast by a long shot. But then, how is it done? This has been the mystery of homologous recombination for 50 years. From previous studies, it is clear that the molecule RecA is involved and important in the search process, but, up until now, this has been the limit of our understanding of this process.

Now, a group of Uppsala researchers headed by Professor Johan Elf has finally found the solution to this search enigma. In a study that is published in Nature, they use a CRISPR-based technique to make controlled DNA breaks in bacteria. By growing the cells in a microfluidic culture chip and tracking labeled RecA molecules with fluorescence microscopy, the researchers can image the homologous recombination process from start to finish.

The microfluidic culture chip allows us to follow the fate of thousands of individual bacteria simultaneously and to control CRISPR-induced DNA breaks in time. It is very precise, almost like having a pair of tiny DNA scissors." Jakub Wiktor, Researcher

The label on RecA together with fluorescent markers on the DNA allows the researchers to follow every step of the process accurately; for example, they conclude that the whole repair is finished in 15 minutes, on average, and that the template is located in about nine. Using microscopy, Elf and his team investigate the fate of the break site and its homologous copy in real-time. They also find that the cell responds by rearranging RecA to form thin filaments that span the length of the cell.

"We can see the formation of a thin, flexible structure that protrudes from the break site just after the DNA damage. Since the DNA ends are incorporated into this fiber, it is sufficient that any part of the filament finds the precious template and thus the search is theoretically reduced from three to two dimensions. Our model suggests that this is the key to fast and successful homology repair," says Arvid Gynna, who has worked on the project throughout his PhD studies.

Going from a 3D to a 2D search is indeed a considerable improvement regarding the probability of finding the homologous sequence quickly enough, or in fact, at all. As the Japanese mathematician, Shizuo Kakutani put it: "A drunk man will find his way home, but a drunk bird may be lost forever". With these words, he tried to explain a curious fact; an object that explores a 2D surface by a random walk will sooner or later find its way back to its starting point while in a 3D space, it is likely that it will never return "home".

The Uppsala researchers performed their study in the model organism E. coli, but the process of homology repair is nearly identical for higher organisms such as ourselves, or doves for that matter. DNA damage occurs frequently in our bodies, and without the ability to heal broken DNA, we would be extremely vulnerable to, for example, UV light and reactive oxygen species, and more likely to develop cancer. In fact, most oncogenes are related to DNA repair and the new mechanistic insights might help us understand the causes of tumor growth.
Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have found that children on the autism spectrum who have impaired executive functioning skills, which help control thoughts, emotions, and actions, can face challenges at school that are different from the ones they face at home.

Additionally, as children experience adolescence, problems with executive functioning can worsen, suggesting the need for more intervention supports. This is the first study of its kind to examine how these skills are impacted specifically in a school setting. The findings were published in the journal Autism.

Executive functioning skills encompass a variety of key abilities like keeping information in mind, flexibly shifting focus or breaking from a routine, and ignoring irrelevant information. These skills are often impaired in children on the autism spectrum, and the extent of impairment can predict how they perform in school and their ability to carry out daily activities such as hygiene or keeping their room clean.

While caregivers have identified significant executive function challenges in the home setting, there are no large studies where school personnel rated executive function skills for children on the autism spectrum.

School can be a very different place than home and is arguably one of the most demanding environments on a child's executive function skills-;children have to manage multiple demands from teachers, peers, and themselves for 6 hours with little downtime. This study provided us with further insight into how school-age autistic children are impacted in a different setting and how we might support their success at school." Benjamin Yerys, PhD, Study Senior Author and Psychologist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Autism Research at Children's Hospital of Philadelphis

The study enrolled a total of 337 participants, including 241 patients with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and 96 typically developing patients, between the ages of 6 and 18 over a period of six years. In establishing a baseline, the researchers found that all executive function ratings in both the school and home settings differed between the autistic and typically developing groups.

In the autism group, shifting attention or deviating from routines was identified as a key impairment in both the home and school settings. Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) ratings were able to predict whether children in the autism group could adapt to their surroundings.

However, the older the children were, the wider the gap in executive functioning skills was between the autism and typically developing groups in the school setting, but not in the home setting. This finding suggests that executive functioning impairment, particularly as it relates to being in school, is a critical target for early intervention efforts.

"Our findings provide more evidence of the executive functioning challenges that autistic children experience at school," Yerys said. "The more we know about executive functioning challenges that exist for autistic children across different settings, the more we can develop targeted intervention strategies that take the individual home and the school settings into account."
A team of scientists from the USA and Israel has recently highlighted the importance of a third booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine in achieving additional protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

Background

A considerable reduction in the effectiveness of existing COVID-19 vaccines has been witnessed by many countries with the emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) of SARS-CoV-2. These VOCs contain multiple mutations in the spike-coding genetic region associated with improved viral fitness in terms of higher transmissibility, infectivity, immunogenicity, and virulence.

The majority of the available vaccines, including mRNA-based vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, follow a two-dose regimen administered intramuscularly at a fixed interval.

The mass vaccination programs in Israel primarily include the BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) vaccine that has shown more than 90% efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19. Despite experiencing a drop in infection rate soon after initiation of vaccination, Israel has faced a sharp rise in new infections, including vaccine breakthrough infections during June  July 2021, because of the predominantly circulating delta variant. The emergence of vaccine breakthrough cases could be due to waning vaccine efficacy or immune escape ability of the delta variant.

Given the waning vaccine efficacy, the Israeli government has initiated a third-booster dose vaccination program in August 2021. Initially, individuals aged 30 years or above and high-risk populations have been prioritized for the third booster dose, which is administered at least 5 months after the second dose immunization. Alike Israel, the USA, and UK governments have decided to immunize their residents with a third booster dose.

The study

In the current study, the scientists have examined the efficacy of a third booster dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine in comparison to the original two-dose regimen. In addition, they have collected all vaccine-related information from Maccabi Healthcare Services, which is the second largest health organization in Israel, covering 2.5 million affiliates.

Specifically, they have assessed the marginal benefit of the third dose using two complementary approaches: a test-negative design and a matched case-control design.

The case negative design includes individuals with a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2 as cases and individuals with a negative test result as controls. In the matched case-control design, cases have been defined as individuals who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after the initiation of third dose vaccination programs on August 1, 2021. These individuals did not have a history of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and had received at least two doses of the vaccine. In this design, matched controls have been selected from the entire population.

Important observations

Among individuals who had received two vaccine doses and were tested for SARS-CoV-2, about 5.6% exhibited a positive test result. In contrast, only 3.6% of individuals who had received the third booster dose tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

The frequency of a positive test result was highest among individuals who had not received the third dose or those who had received the third dose within 7 days of testing positive. In contrast, the frequency was lowest among individuals who had received the third dose more than two weeks before testing positive.

Although no marginal effectiveness of the third dose compared to the two-dose regimen was observed within 7 days of the administration, about 48% and 79% increase in marginal effectiveness were observed 7  13 days and 14  20 days after administration of the third booster dose, respectively.

Study significance

The study reveals that the third booster dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine provides additional protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Furthermore, the level of protection offered by the third dose gradually increases over time, reaching the highest level around 2 weeks after administration.

Since the booster vaccination program has been introduced only recently, the study could not provide the long-term effectiveness of the third vaccine dose. Moreover, the efficacy of the third dose against severe COVID-19 has not been addressed in the study.

Overall, the study highlights the significance of a third vaccine dose in counteracting waning vaccine immunity.

*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.
The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been variable between different regions of the world. However, Australia has been among the countries with a relatively low number of deaths.

Study: Does Climate Play Any Role in COVID-19 Spreading?An Australian Perspective. Image Credit: Boyloso/ Shutterstock

A new study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, available on the MDPI website, examines whether the number of infections and the mortality due to the virus is related to the climatic features of a given region, in terms of the temperature, rainfall, sunlight, and ultraviolet index (UVI). The researchers concluded that solar exposure and UVI were linked to the number of cases 19 days from the day of measurement.

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic unevenly affected Australia, with 0.2% of tested individuals testing positive, but with approximately 900 deaths out of about 30,000 cases. The second wave spared the country except for Victoria and New South Wales (NSW).

The cases in Victoria during this surge formed the focus of this study. They began towards the middle of June 2020, peaking in the first week of August 2020 and declining as the borders were closed to almost all travelers. In 2021, cases increased towards the middle of the year, with about 10,000 cases in these two states.

Victoria and NSW are southern states and have the highest number of population centers, with about a quarter of the population of Australia living in Victoria. The link between climate and pandemics is important for public health strategists and government policymakers, especially since respiratory droplets are the major route of spreading this virus. The humidity, ambient temperature, and wind speed are critical factors that affect its spread.

Earlier studies indicated the role of latitude and humidity and the factors listed above in the spread of COVID-19. The current study explores the association between climate and COVID-19 in the specific context of Melbourne, Australia, using data from both the first and second waves.

What were the findings?

The investigators found two waves, one considerably smaller than the other. The first was during the summer, peaking during the autumn, and the second during the winter.

Many studies showed that the spread of the pandemic peaked during colder seasons, while recovery time was shortened with increasing sunlight exposure. Ultraviolet radiation is known to cause the inactivation of viral particles and strengthen the immune system by increasing vitamin D levels. As such, this reduces the infection rate.

Viruses show altered behavior in the environment, depending on the air temperature and humidity.

The researchers found that the length of solar exposure and the maximum UVI were the only factors significantly correlated with the daily confirmed cases. These factors were linked to changes in the number of cases at 0, 1, 5, 18, and 19 days

The cases increased at 1 and 19 days later but decreased at the other three time points. The minimum temperature was correlated to case numbers, negatively at one day and positively at 21 days. Large reductions in the minimum temperature are linked to a drop in cases at 21 days.

What are the implications?

The findings indicate that exposure to sunlight and ultraviolet irradiation may be associated with reduced COVID-19 spread in humans. The reasons may include ultraviolet-induced damage to the lipid envelopes of the viral particles, thus reducing viral viability and infectivity and even inactivating the virus in some cases.

Alternatively, increased ultraviolet exposure via sunlight may improve vitamin D levels and immunity, preventing the infection. Earlier, a study showing simulated solar radiation on SARS-CoV-2 in a simulated suspension showed that 90% of the viral particles were rapidly inactivated within 15 minutes. This indicates negligible fomite involvement in the outdoors environment when exposed to adequate sunlight.

The results from this study have implications in including climate data in future pandemic studies and public health decisions, particularly in Australia.
An international collaboration has discovered and transferred to elite wheat varieties a wild-grass chromosome segment that causes roots to secrete natural inhibitors of nitrification, offering a way to dial back on heavy fertilizer use for wheat and to reduce the crop's nitrogen leakage into waterways and air, while maintaining or raising its productivity and grain quality, says a new report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Growing wheat varieties endowed with the biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) trait could increase yields in both well-fertilized and nitrogen-poor soils, according to G.V. Subbarao, a researcher at the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) and first author of the new report.

Use of wheat varieties that feature BNI opens the possibility for a more balanced and productive mix of nitrogen nutrients for wheat fields, which are currently dominated by highly-reactive nitrogen compounds that derive in large part from synthetic fertilizers and can harm the environment." G.V. Subbarao, Study First Author, and Researcher, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences

The most widely grown food crop on the planet, wheat is consumed by over 2.5 billion people in 89 countries. Nearly a fifth of the world's nitrogen-based fertilizer is deployed each year to grow wheat but, similar to other major cereals, vegetables, and fruits, the crop takes up less than half of the nitrogen applied.

Much of the remainder is either washed away, contaminating groundwaters with nitrate and contributing to algae blooms in lakes and seas or released into the air, often as nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

The study team first homed in on the chromosome region associated with the strong BNI capacity in the perennial grass species Leymus racemosus and moved it from the grass, using "wide crossing" techniques, into the cultivar Chinese Spring, a wheat landrace often used in genetic studies. From there, they transferred the BNI chromosome sequence into several elite, high-yielding wheat varieties, leading to a near doubling of their BNI capacity, as measured through lab analyses of soil near their roots.

The new wheat -; elite varieties from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) into which the BNI trait was cross-bred -; greatly reduced the action of soil microbes that usually convert fertilizer and organic nitrogen substances into ecologically harmful compounds such as nitrous oxide gas, according to Hannes Karwat, a CIMMYT post-doctoral fellow and study co-author.

"The altered soil nitrogen cycle was even reflected in the plants' metabolism," Karwat said, "resulting in several responses indicative of a more balanced nitrogen uptake in the plants."

The scientists involved said BNI-converted wheat in this study also showed greater overall biomass and grain yield, with no negative effects on grain protein levels or breadmaking quality.

"This points the way for farmers to feed future wheat consumers using lower fertilizer dosages and lowering nitrous oxide emissions," said Masahiro Kishii, a CIMMYT wheat cytogeneticist who contributed to the research. "If we can find new BNI sources, we can develop a second generation of elite wheat varieties that require even less fertilizer and that better deter nitrous oxide emissions."

A recent PNAS paper by Subbarao and Princeton University scientist Timothy D. Searchinger mentions BNI as a technology that can help foster soils featuring a more even mix of nitrogen sources, including more of the less-chemically-reactive compound ammonium, a condition that can raise crop yields and reduce nitrous oxide emissions.

Scale out to slow global warming?

The present study comes just as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released its Sixth Assessment Report, which among other things states that " limiting human-induced global warming  requires limiting cumulative CO 2 emissions  along with strong reductions in other greenhouse gas emissions."

Globally, 30% of greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. BNI-enabled wheat cultivars can play an important role to reduce that footprint. Wheat-growing nations that have committed to the Paris Climate Accord, whose provisions include reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2050, could be early adopters of the BNI technology, together with China and India, the world's top two wheat producers, according to Subbarao.

"This work has demonstrated the feasibility of introducing BNI-controlling chromosome segments into modern wheats, without disrupting their yields or quality," said Subbarao. "To realize the technology's full potential, we need to transfer the BNI feature into many elite varieties adapted to diverse wheat growing areas and to assess their yield in many farm settings and with varying levels of soil pH, fertilization and water use."

A project to establish nitrogen-efficient wheat production systems in the Indo-Gangetic Plains using BNI has recently been approved by Japan and is underway, with the collaboration of JIRCAS, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and the Borlaug Institute of South Asia (BISA). Under the project, BNI-converted wheat lines developed from JIRCAS-CIMMYT partnerships will be tested in India, and the BNI trait transferred to popular national wheat varieties.

"The BNI-technology is also featured in Green Technology, a Japanese government policy document for moving towards a zero-carbon economy," said Osamu Koyama, President of JIRCAS, which has also posted a note about the new PNAS study.

"Adaptation and mitigation solutions such as BNI, which help lessen the footprint of food production systems, will play a large role in CGIAR research-for-development, as part of One CGIAR Initiatives starting in 2022," said Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT Director-General.
A recent study looks at the implications of pausing vaccinations against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to blood clotting concerns that occurred around mid-March 2021. While the vaccine's benefits outweigh the risks, the study findings suggest that the pause had no significant impact on the subsequent vaccine uptake in the European countries.

Study: The impact of pausing the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on uptake in Europe: a difference-in-differences analysis. Image Credit: cortex-film/ Shutterstock

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan. Since then, it is responsible for over 4.54 million deaths globally. In an unprecedented timeframe, vaccines against the virus were developed and administered early on in 2020. However, reports of potential blood clot cases in a few vaccinated individuals questioned the safety of the vaccines.

By March 10, 2021, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) reported 30 cases of thromboembolic events among approximately 5 million individuals who were administered the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the European Economic Area (EEA). Despite the observation by EMA that the number of thromboembolic events in vaccinated people is not more than the number commonly seen in the general population, many European countries paused their rollouts of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

In a paper available on the preprint server medRxiv, Scientists from University College London investigated if this pause had any significant impact on the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines - specifically the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

A preprint version of the study is available on the medRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review.

The study

The scientists constructed a longitudinal panel for 28 EEA countries with the vaccine uptake data at three-week intervals from week 3 to 18 of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in 2021. Because the UK is no longer in the EEA, it had different systems for the vaccine rollout. Denmark and Norway did not resume the vaccinations program after the pause. Therefore, the UK, Denmark, and Norway were not included in the study. The control group was the nine countries that did not pause the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

The researchers obtained all the data (collected at the country level) from the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker and Open Data and the World Bank Open Database. They conducted the analysis using STATA 14 (Stata Statistical Software: Release 14. 2015).

The results showed that the COVID-19 vaccination trend in both groups was similar, with no deviation after the pause. However, there was a temporal shift away from using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines in all EEA countries, though the uptake was not significantly different.

The scientists found that pausing the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine resulted in a subsequent 0.52% decrease in the overall population uptake for the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and a 1.49% decrease in the uptake for both doses of the vaccine, comparing countries that paused to those that did not.

Looking at the uptake of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine only, they found the estimates even lower: a 0.56% increase in uptake for the first dose and a 0.07% decrease in uptake for both doses.

Conclusion

Since these findings are not statistically significant, they suggest that the pause had no impact on subsequent vaccine uptake. For both one and two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and at the overall vaccine uptake (including all vaccines) and the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine alone, after pausing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in mid-March, there was no difference in the vaccinations. Notably, this suggests that the public confidence in vaccination was unaltered due to the pause and concerns raised over the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

This analysis suggests that as new COVID-19 vaccines emerge, regulators should be cautious about deviating from usual pharmacovigilance protocols based on potential impacts on public confidence if further investigation on clinical or epidemiological grounds is warranted, the scientists conclude.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
An Australian study conducted at the University of Melbourne describes that the emergence of more deadly variants of concern (VOCs) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with an induction in episodic evolutionary rate. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

Background

Whole-genome sequencing analysis is particularly important for evolutionary and epidemiological monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. Mutations that change transmissibility, infectivity, and immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 are expected to emerge under positive selection pressure and play a key role in viral evolution. With the progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, four VOCs, namely alpha (UK), beta (South Africa), gamma (Brazil), and delta (India), have emerged, which are characterized by a number of defined mutations in the spike protein, such the D614G and N501Y mutations.

The total number of mutations in these VOCs (usually more than 10 mutations) is significantly higher than the number expected under the phylogenetic evolutionary rate (background rate), which allows for the accumulation of about two mutations per month per variant.

In the current study, scientists have investigated whether the emergence of VOCs is associated with an increase in evolutionary rate.

Study design

The scientists analyzed genetic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 publicly available in the GISAID (Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data) database by considering different molecular clock models that estimate the evolutionary rate along branches in phylogenetic trees. The molecular clock models they considered for the analysis include the strict molecular clock, uncorrelated relaxed clock, and a range of fixed local clock models.

The strict molecular clock hypothesizes that all branches in a phylogenetic tree are under a single evolutionary rate. In contrast, the uncorrelated relaxed clock hypothesizes that the evolutionary rates for all branches are independent and equally distributed. The fixed local clock models are operated under a set of background branches and a set of foreground branches with different evolutionary rates.

While considering the fixed local clock models, the scientists hypothesized that the evolutionary rate could vary within VOC clades or along the stem, or only at stem branches. Another assumption was that all VOCs could share the evolutionary rates.

The change in evolutionary rate along the stem branches of VOCs represents a condition wherein a short-term increase in the evolutionary rate may occur prior to returning to the background rate. In contrast, the change in evolutionary rate within VOC clades represents a condition wherein all VOCs have an evolutionary rate that is different from the background rate.

Violin plots for posterior statistics of fixed local clock models (FLC). (A) is for an FLC where the stem branches of VOCs share an evolutionary rate that is different from that of the background. The evolutionary rate for variants of concern (VOC) stem branches is shown in orange and the background in grey. The dashed line represents the mean background rate and the dotted lines are the 95% credible interval. (B) is the ratio of the evolutionary rate for VOC stem branches and the background under the same model and the dashed line represents a value of 1.0 where the background and VOC stem rate would be the same. (C) and (D) show the corresponding statistics for the FLC stems model, where the stem branch of every VOC has a different rate. Abbreviation 'B.' stands for background.

Important observations

The study findings revealed that the evolutionary rate of SARS-CoV-2 varies significantly between variants and that the emergence of different VOCs of SARS-CoV-2 is associated with an increase in episodic evolutionary rate. Specifically, the evolutionary rate was estimated to be 4-fold higher than the background phylogenetic rate that may have lasted several weeks or months.

As estimated in the study, the number of mutations required for the emergence of the alpha variant might have taken 14 weeks to accumulate. Similarly, the mutations required for the emergence of beta, gamma, and delta variants might have taken 4, 17, and 6 weeks to accumulate, respectively.

Study significance

The study highlights the importance of genomic surveillance data and phylogenetic methods in determining the evolutionary rates of viral VOCs. However, the exact mechanism responsible for the evolution of VOCs is still uncertain.

As mentioned by the scientists, the dynamics of viral evolution could be deciphered by dense sampling between transmission chains, especially in regions where the transmission is low and intra-host sequences are available. In addition, it is vital to investigate the impact of natural selection on the emergence and persistence of VOCs.

In the article, scientists have highlighted the need for early detection of VOCs and the evaluation of the conditions that favor the emergence of VOCs.

*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.
An international taskforce created by a UNSW Science psychology researcher has recommended a set of neurocognitive and mental health questionnaires to harmonize the assessment of patients with long COVID.

Some people with long COVID develop difficulties in concentrating which can persist months after infection, Dr Lucette Cysique from the UNSW School of Psychology says. Photo: Shutterstock.

The recommended tests and questionnaires, published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, can be used internationally and in a variety of cultural settings.

Because COVID-19 is a new disease and the research deriving from it is new, we need to develop excellent research methods to address questions, such as: how many people have the problem, how long does it last, how many patients fully recover, do these neurocognitive difficulties precipitate dementia in some people?, lead author and Research Fellow in UNSWs School of Psychology, Dr Lucette Cysique, says. Now we will be able to assess these problems in the best way possible using these expert recommendations.

Dr Cysique, an expert in HIV neuropsychology, last year set up a group made up of members of the NeuroCOVID International Neuropsychological Society special interest group, which is now a taskforce of more than 120 members. She says the NeuroCOVID International Neuropsychology taskforce recommendations encompass brief, medium, and comprehensive evaluations.

The brief evaluation includes a short screening conducted at a patients bedside or by telehealth, and short questionnaire to assess olfaction, taste, and mental health. At the more comprehensive level, there are options for cognitive computerized assessments, standard neuropsychological tests and objective testing of taste and smell. There are also mental health recommendations which cover a wide range of pandemic stress impacts and pre-existing psycho-social vulnerabilities. The recommendations can be applied in all phases of infection as well as in a variety of resource settings.

Dr Cysique and her colleagues trialed the recommended methods in the landmark ADAPT study led by Associate Professor Gail Matthews from the Kirby Institute, who is also Head of Infectious Diseases at St Vincents Hospital. The ADAPT study is following over 150 individuals who have had COVID-19 for up to two years to understand how people recover following their infection.

A significant proportion of individuals continue to have a variety of symptoms, or long COVID, several months after acute infection. Gail Matthews, Associate Professor, Kirby Institute

Researchers within the study are exploring whether abnormalities in the immune response to COVID-19 are driving this new syndrome. When studying a new phenomenon such as long COVID it is critical that we use a set of well validated globally generalizable measures such as these developed by the NeuroCOVID International Neuropsychology taskforce, Prof. Matthews says.

Dr Cysique says the recommended methods showed up to 23 per cent of study participants had neurocognitive difficulties six months after infection. Importantly, we found that these neurocognitive difficulties were not associated with depression or anxiety but were associated with an increased immune response, Dr Cysique says. The use of standard neurocognitive methods was critical in finding this result.

Dr Cysique was one of the first neuropsychologists to recognize that COVID-19 may lead to neurocognitive complications. These complications may result from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, directly infecting the brain or provoking an abnormal immune response, she says. Both mechanisms occur in the context of HIV-related neurocognitive complications, Dr Cysique says.

She says accurately knowing who is experiencing difficulties is the first step for intervention with long COVID. We know that some people develop a brain fog such as difficulties in concentrating and paying attention and this can persist months after infection, Dr Cysique says. In some patients, such difficulties are associated with a feeling of generalized fatigue which can be severe enough that people cannot work as efficiently as they used to.

She says she hopes that the recommendations will lead to the creation of a large global research database which will produce robust research results to determine what is the frequency of neurocognitive problems in people with long COVID.

This will assist in developing an accurate picture of what is the burden of neurocognitive difficulties post COVID, Dr Cysique says. This in turn will assist in patients management and inform health policies.
An Australian study of companies which test and clean up contamination and chemicals left by illegal methamphetamine labs has raised concerns about inconsistent standards, guidelines and operating procedures when making dwellings safe for future use.

The meth testing and decontamination industry has grown rapidly in Australia and New Zealand in response to awareness about this growing public health problem, putting pressure on clean-up companies to set best practice standards within the guidelines, say experts at Flinders University.

"The guidelines are very broad, so business owners must establish and interpret what techniques and chemicals are most effective," says Flinders University researcher Emma Kuhn, PhD candidate and lead author in a new paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Currently the methamphetamine testing and remediation industry has no standardised methods, nor any regulatory organisation to enforce the Australian Government Guidelines, so further reform is required." Emma Kuhn, PhD Candidate and Study Lead Author, Flinders University

"Not only do residents find it difficult to know who to trust with testing a home for possible contamination, but testing and remediation companies appear to find it difficult to operate with little or no regulation in the industry."

While still a relatively new industry, this nationwide study found more than 100 companies are involved in meth testing and remediation.

Most of the companies who took part in the study were small or medium sized businesses who adapt existing cleaning methods to the comply with the Australian Clandestine Drug Remediation Guidelines.

However, this leaves room for manoeuvre and different standards of operating and testing, adds senior author, environmental health researcher Associate Professor Kirstin Ross.

"You wouldn't get an unregulated tradie in to do your wiring or connect up a gas heater so why would you allow an unregulated person to come into your home and spray chemicals around without a clear idea of what they are doing and what effect these chemicals could have on them and the occupants of the home," says analytical and forensic chemist and fellow co-author Associate Professor Walker.

Flinders University environmental health senior lecturer Dr Harriet Whiley and Flinders graduate Dr Jackie Wright, now director of Environmental Risk Sciences in Sydney, also worked on the paper.
The pandemic has made it more difficult for the 430,000+ Australians living with severe mental illnesses who are highly vulnerable to acute illness relapses when their habitual routines and standard health care arrangements are disrupted.

Associate Professor Niranjan Bidargaddi is a computer science engineer and e-health expert who is leading the AI-squared automated treatment adherence and care pattern monitoring project as part of the Digital Health CRC program. His Flinders University research develops and tests real-time cloud-based health applications of Health Records, wearables and apps, and participatory support to identify, monitor and support peoples health problems accurately and continuously, beyond clinics in everyday living environments to lower risk, prevent relapses and improve healthy outcomes. Image Credit: Flinders University

With telehealth solutions now responding to the rising demand for mental health services across the board, a new project led by Flinders University is targeting this more vulnerable group with a digital solution created with their special needs in mind.

The AI2 (Actionable In-time Insights) project aims to change the way healthcare is delivered  both for better mental health service delivery and for wider chronic disease management in the community. Regular remote checks on these patients aim to reduce the number who end up in hospital or emergency departments, adding $2.6 billion to hospital care costs every year.

After extensive research and trials, the AI2 software model is now rolling out across Adelaide and South Australia in partnership with public mental health services linked to the Local Health Networks of Southern Adelaide, Northern Adelaide, Central Adelaide, Barossa Fleurieu and Adelaide Hills, as well as the State Governments Digital Health SA.

The project is led by Flinders University Associate Professor Niranjan Bidargaddi who says that the current monitoring, management, and treatment of chronic mental illness across different parts of the health system is poorly coordinated and inadequate.

In Australia there are about 600,000 people living with a chronic mental illness with multiple morbidities, says College of Medicine and Public Health Associate Professor Bidargaddi, an expert in human-centric digital informatic systems.

Once a patient has sought an initial consultation with a clinician they might be provided with a diagnosis, a mental health care plan and then they are sent off with instructions for treatment such as taking medication or trying therapeutic techniques. Multiple ongoing medical appointments and medications are burdensome for patients to manage on their own.

The problem is that most clinicians dont have the resources to keep track of every patient manually. This can lead to the patient relapsing and potentially becoming hospitalized.

Some estimates suggest that more than 80% of patients with severe mental illness will relapse several times within the first five years of their initial treatment.

Under the latest trial, funded by the $200 million national Digital Health CRC with participants Flinders Uni, SA Health and goAct, mental health services will be transformed to remotely and timely identify and target interventions to mental health patients who may be falling through care gaps, and potentially at increases risk of relapse.

Notably, the AI-squared software will be enhanced to algorithmically trawl through integrated health care interaction data sourced from My Health Record and Electronic Health Records, to flag care gaps and nudge interventions.

Digital Health CRC CEO Dr Terry Sweeney says the Flinders University project is vital research in bringing digital technologies to the forefront of mental health care.

Our new operations in South Australia will extend our work with world-class research partners, working collaboratively with Flinders and our other local and national partners to make an impact to the community and economy." Dr Terry Sweeney, CEO, Digital Health CRC

The tools and resources developed in this project will enable mental health services to run remote check-in on mental health patients and ensuring they are receiving the continuum of care in the community. The program will help people with severe and enduring mental health illnesses who arent confident or dont have access to the internet or smart technologies, Associate Professor Bidargaddi adds.

The tool was tested previously in an eight-month trial involving 304 patients with serious mental health disorders in a Gawler community mental health clinic to put in place interventions, like medication reviews or compliance aids, to prevent deterioration or relapse of their condition. Results of this trial published in the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry suggest digitally automated monitoring is feasible, and the program could be integrated into clinical workflows in mental health services without over-burdening health practitioners.
In general, children are less frequently affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as compared to adults. The infection rates of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the virus responsible for COVID-19, in children are not well known. Whether SARS-CoV-2 infection rates in children reflect community transmission, these rates differ between younger children and adolescents, or if the adult infection rates impact the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, are all open questions that require further investigation.

A population-based study conducted in Belgium assesses the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which is otherwise known as seroprevalence, in a representative sample of children from regions with high and low community transmission.

Study: Age-dependent seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in school-aged children from areas with low and high community transmission. Image Credit: Halfpoint / Shutterstock.com

Importance of seroprevalence studies

Large regional differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection rates have been observed across countries, states, counties, and municipalities. In fact, even a less densely populated country will have large regional differences in infection rates.

To date, there have been few reports on SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in children. Some studies conducted in Spain, the United States, and Switzerland indicate that seroprevalence rates in children are generally lower than those seen in adults.

The Swiss study, for example, found that seroprevalence in younger children is significantly lower than in adolescents when compared to adults. This finding therefore establishes that the risk of infection is lower in younger children. However, as higher age groups are studied, the infection rates more closely resemble those seen in adults.

Data on infection rates in children can guide policymakers in deciding what mitigation measures should be implemented to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within the society, particularly in school settings where children are more likely to be exposed to and spread this virus.

Seroprevalence data collection

In the current study, two municipality regions in Belgium were selected. These regions include Alken, Belgium, which was had the highest SARS-CoV-2 infection rates in this nation, as well as Pelt, Belgium, which has consistently had an infection rate below the national average.

The children included in the current study were divided into two age groups, which included primary (6-12 years) and secondary (12-15 years) aged students.

A total of 360 children, equally distributed within both municipalities, were randomly chosen for the study. Caregivers of the children submitted an online questionnaire that provided information related to their sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and risk factors for infection.

Seroprevalence within blood samples was tested using a commercial semi-quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analyses were employed for data interpretation.

Seroprevalence and risk factors

Primary school children between the ages of 6 and 12 were not found to exhibit any seroprevalence in Pelt; however, this rose to 8.9% when this age group was studied in Alken. Comparatively, 13.3% of secondary school children in Pelt had seroprevalence, whereas 15.4% of children within this age group in Alken had seroprevalence.

No significant gender differences among seropositive children were found in this study.

Of the 294 children who reported no infection prior to this study, 7.5% were found to be seropositive. Additionally, of the 43 children whose parents were not sure whether their child had been infected, 16.3% were found to be seropositive.

Before the study, 60.1% of the children had reported certain symptoms like fever, cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste and smell, headache, runny nose, sore throat, ear pain, muscle pain or weakness, stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, rash, or painful eyes. Even so, none of the children experienced severe symptoms that required hospitalization.

Apart from this data, the researchers also looked at possible risk factors associated with seropositivity. Children whose parents work in the healthcare sector with COVID-19 patients, for example, were more likely to be seropositive. Other risk factors include extracurricular activities for at least 1 hour per week and contact with individuals who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

In this study, the researchers do not find the following factors as a risk for seropositivity:

Country of origin of the child

Family structure

Diversity of age groups in the family

Number of individuals in the family

Employment and education of parents

Family income

Limitations of the study

The seroprevalence survey discussed here provides information regarding infection in the past; however, it provides no insight into the transmission dynamics. Studies investigating transmission dynamics are therefore required to support the decision-making process on appropriate mitigation measures for children.

The current study does not present data that can determine the exact age at which the rate of infections becomes comparable to that of adults. There is a possibility of selection bias in this study because when a family member or a close relative is infected, individuals are more willing to participate in such studies.

Implications of the study

The percentage of seropositive children in a low community transmission region like Pelt was found to be 4.4%, whereas the seropositive rate in a high community transmission region like Alken was reported to be 14.4%. This data demonstrates that seroprevalence in children reflects the local transmission of the virus in the community.

In the low transmission region, none of the primary school children tested were seropositive. Therefore, young children appear to be less susceptible in a community with a low circulation of SARS-CoV-2.
For patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease, the best course of action often involves implanting a drug-eluting stent into the artery where a plaque buildup is blocking blood flow to the heart.

The metallic stent props the artery open while releasing a drug that helps to suppress restenosis -; the re-closure of the artery due to excess tissue growth around the stent. However, the body's response to tissue inflammation and arterial injury around the stent's edges can still sometimes cause restenosis.

In a paper published in the SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics, Suncica Canic, Yifan Wang (both of the University of California, Berkeley), and Martina Bukac (University of Notre Dame) develop mathematical models that represent a drug-eluting stent in an artery and investigate how the stent affects arterial tissue permeability and blood flow. "I believe that our work may help clinical workers understand certain pathologies of stent-related restenosis and eventually improve patient outcomes," Wang said.

To accomplish this objective, the authors used several novel elements that are not present in previous stent models. "For the first time in our study, drug-eluting stents were computationally evaluated based on their performance in moving arteries modeled as poroelastic materials, with arterial wall permeability depending on the deformation of the arterial wall," Canic said. Poroelastic materials are solids with many pores through which fluids can flow, like sponges or the biological tissues that make up artery walls. The degree to which fluids can permeate the tissue wall depends on changes in the volume of the pores.

"We showed that the presence of a stent affects the deformation of the arterial tissue at the stent location, which changes the permeability properties of the tissue," Canic said. "This, in turn, influences how an anti-inflammatory drug that coats the stent penetrates the tissue and prevents inflammation."

The researchers were inspired to follow this line of questioning by their partnership with David Paniagua of Baylor College of Medicine and Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Paniagua, who performs procedures with drug-eluting stents daily, suggested that the authors investigate stent performance and the way in which the coating drugs elute into the tissue.

"I believe that modeling drug-eluting stents helps us better understand their behavior and aids in the clinical decision-making process by providing clinicians with more information," Bukac said.

One remaining challenge in the field of drug-eluting stent design is the "edge effect," in which restenosis may occur at a higher rate near the outer borders of stents. After a stent is implanted, the interior of the artery near its edges continues to decrease in size for some patients, which constricts blood flow.

Canic, Wang, and Bukac utilized two sets of mathematical models to investigate exactly what causes the edge effect. The first is a fluid-structure interaction model, which represents the flow of blood through arteries and the arterial wall tissue's response to the periodic changes in blood flow that occur as the heartbeats.

The second model is a system of advection-reaction-diffusion equations, which represent how the anti-inflammatory drug in the stent coating undergoes chemical reactions, diffuses into the arterial wall tissue, and moves within the interior of the stented artery.

"These two sets of models are coupled," Canic said. "The fluid-structure interaction model 'informs' the advection-reaction-diffusion model about the blood and blood plasma velocity that carries the drug, and enables the elution of the drug into the tissue." The authors defined this coupling on a moving domain to represent the interaction between the flood of blood and the stented artery. Their model could represent five different geometries of metallic stent platforms, as well as two different kinds of coating drugs.

The researchers began by examining the way in which stent implantation altered the permeability of arterial wall tissue, which in turn affects how well the drug is able to elute into the tissue. The models showed that tissue pores expanded between the struts that make up the stent, resulting in increased permeability.

But near the stent's edges, the permeability was low since its rigidity prevents the adjacent tissue from expanding freely. This is clearly problematic. "Lower permeability near the edges of the stent may compromise drug elution in that neighborhood," Canic said.

Canic, Wang, and Bukac next investigated how the different elasticities of the normal artery and the stented artery influenced the dynamics of blood flow. They found that "recirculation zones" form near the stent's edges, where blood circulates in one area instead of flowing down the artery as normal. This phenomenon seems to be caused by the mismatch in elastic properties at the boundaries between the stented and non-stented regions.

The recirculation zones in combination with the low permeability is a dangerous mix -; both contribute to the edge effect, leading to excess tissue growth around the stent that could eventually cause restenosis and re-block the artery.

The researchers are now working to design a stent that could avoid this problem by investigating whether the addition of a coated "stent-graft skirt" near-certain stents' edges may help counter the edge effect and reduce the rate of restenosis. They are collaborating with Paniagua to design the skirt and plan to perform laboratory experiments with the new design.

The work from this study could potentially find applications to help real patients. "This approach could be used in patient-specific situations, like with arterial models that are obtained using medical imaging," Bukac said. And the authors' mathematical modeling approach may also have more far-reaching clinical applications. "I believe that our proposed model can also be adopted and applied to a more general field, such as studying tumor cell growth in tissue," Wang said. In the future, the results from this work may move even beyond creating more effective stents for patients with coronary artery disease.
Announcing a new article publication for Zoonose journal. In this article the authors Cao Chen, Qi Shi and Xiao-Ping Dong from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan, China and China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China discuss the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda Variant in relation to spatiotemporal distribution and potential public health impact.

Various SARS-CoV-2 variants have continually emerged since the summer of 2020. Recently, the spread and potential effects of the Lambda variant on public health have caused great scientific and public concern. The Lambda variant (C.37), first identified in Peru in December 2020, contains a novel deletion (246-252) and two novel mutations, L452Q and F490S, not present in the ancestral strain and other variants.

The Lambda variant was designated a variant of interest in April of 2021. By the end of July, this variant sequence was detected in more than 30 countries worldwide, mostly in South America. In this study the authors analyze the global spatiotemporal distribution of the Lambda variant from the beginning of January to the end of July from publicly available data.

The Lambda variant spread rapidly in Peru and became predominant in March. Circulation of the Lambda variant has also been observed in some neighboring countries, i.e., Argentina, Chile and Ecuador, where it has remained at remarkably low levels. The circulation of the Lambda variant in other countries in South America (e.g., Brazil and Colombia) and other regions of the world has also occurred at very low levels, even though this variant has been known for a long time.

Multivariate linear regression analyses of the proportion of case fatalities attributable to the Lambda variant, the new deaths and the new confirmed cases per million (7-day rolling average) in Peru did not show significant associations. The authors review of the most recent data on the Lambda variant suggest this variant's relatively high infectivity in cultured cells and low neutralizing titers of convalescent sera and vaccine-elicited antibodies in vitro.

However, the exact effects of this variant on clinical severity and vaccine effectiveness remain poorly documented. The currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines are still believed to provide efficient protection against the Lambda variant.
Sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhea is on the rise as a major public health burden worldwide, with around 87 million new infections a year largely caused by the superbug Neisseria gonorrhoeae which experts fear will soon be untreatable.

Flinders University Professor of Microbiology Melissa Brown at her laboratory at Flinders University, South Australia. Image Credit: Flinders University

In a new paper, published in mBio, scientists at Flinders University and the Australian National University have analyzed the prime mechanism for antimicrobial resistance in this crafty organism  paving the way for further developments in treatment options.

Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae has reached an alarming level, says lead author Flinders University Professor of Microbiology Melissa Brown.

The World Health Organization has ranked N. gonorrhoeae as one of 12 antimicrobial resistant bacterial species that poses the greatest risk to human health, motivating medical researchers around the world to pursue alternative treatments.

We need to find the strengths and weaknesses in these species and in this study we have focused on the manner by which drugs are pumped out of these cells which helps the superbug become more resistant and able to survive treatment by multiple drugs. Such treatment failures subsequently lead to increased medical costs and a decrease in human general and reproductive health. Melissa Brown, Professor of Microbiology, Flinders University

Together with ANU colleagues led by Associate Professor Megan OMara, the Australian research team has identified a region unique to the drug pump that plays a role in positioning the protein in the surface of the bacteria enabling it to function optimally.

This could be a future target for antibiotic or antimicrobial development, says first author on the new paper Mohsen Chitsaz, whose PhD study at Flinders University is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

The paper, A unique sequence is essential for efficient multidrug efflux function of the MtrD protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (2021) by Mohsen Chitsaz, Vrinda Gupta, Benjamin Harris, Megan L OMara and Melissa H Brown has been published in mBio (American Society for Microbiology) DOI: 10.1128/mBio.01675-21

Acknowledgements: This study was supported by a Flinders Medical Research Foundation Grant and was undertaken using resources from the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) which is supported by the Australian Government.
As part of a comprehensive plan to improve student well-being on campus, the University of Michigan has adopted the Okanagan Charter (PDF) and joined the United States Health Promoting Campuses Network, a cohort of seven U.S. universities committed to becoming health-promoting institutions.

The Okanagan Charter: An International Charter for Health Promoting University and Colleges calls on postsecondary schools to embed health into all aspects of campus culture and to lead health-promotion action and collaboration locally and globally.

Created in June 2015 at the University of British Columbia, the charter provides institutions with a common vision, language and principles, and calls them to action. The U.S. network allows members to support each other and collaborate on the work of becoming health-promoting campuses.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham was the first in the U.S. to adopt the Okanagan Charter in December 2020. Along with UAB and U-M, the first U.S. cohort of campuses includes: Northern Illinois University; University at Albany, SUNY; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Irvine; University of North Florida; and Western Washington University.

Similar networks are active internationally, including in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, Canada and Latin America.

We are proud to adopt the Okanagan Charter at the University of Michigan. We believe the adoption of the charter in addition to the many health initiatives already underway and in development on campus sends a strong message about the universitys commitment to fostering a healthy campus and environment. Mark Schlissel, President

By adopting the charter, each health-promoting university is making institutional commitments to the charter and its own strategic plan for implementing health promotion on its campus and in its community. By doing so, health-promoting universities and colleges improve the health of the people on their campuses and strengthen the ecological, social and economic sustainability of their communities and wider society.

U-M leaders said the charter has two calls to action that align with the priorities outlined in the recently adopted Student Mental Health Innovative Approaches Review Committee Report and the universitys commitment to a comprehensive systems approach.

To foster conditions that improve mental health on campus, the expanded effort will provide resources for individual action and a framework that supports systemic change, recognizing that both are important to address the current mental health needs of the community.

According to the 2019 American College Health Association Report, issued prior to the pandemic, 3 out of 5 college students experienced extreme anxiety and 2 out of 5 experienced debilitating depression. Continuing impacts of institutionalized racism and the pandemic over the past two years have compounded these concerns.

At U-M, student groups, faculty, deans and student life leaders have advocated for increased resources, and the university has expanded funding for embedded and other counseling and mental health services. Alongside continuing investments, a holistic approach to student mental health and well-being is needed.

To further build the infrastructure needed to comprehensively address the health and wellness needs of the university community in a more strategic manner, U-Ms Student Mental Health Innovative Approaches Review Committee recently published a new report (PDF). It recommends how to strategically position resources to comprehensively meet the emerging needs of students, and how current resources can be improved, expanded, measured, assessed and communicated.

Plans are also in place to expand U-Ms current Student Life Health and Wellness Collective Impact infrastructure to be institution wide and include students, faculty and staff.

We are working to advance a culture of well-being because we recognize the many benefits of doing so for our students, faculty and staff, and also for the larger community, said Robert Ernst, associate vice president of student life for health and wellness, and executive director of University Health Service.

We are working across the entire university to build an ecosystem that helps students develop as whole people who are prepared to thrive in their personal and professional lives.
A researcher at the University of Cincinnati is looking at ways to make products such as anti-aging and skin lightening creams, lotions, and gels more effective.

"We are attacking problems that haven't yet been solved in skin permeation," says University of Cincinnati cosmetic scientist Gerald Kasting, the principal investigator on a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that supports academic and industry partnerships.

Kasting, a professor in UC's James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, and co-investigator Johannes Nitsche at the University at Buffalo have been awarded a three-year, $409,000, NSF GOALI grant, in partnership with the Cincinnati cosmetics giant Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), to determine what happens when certain chemical agents are deposited on the skin.

The funds, Kasting says, come from the government, but a GOALI grant (or Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry) is extra academic support for research that directly impacts the industry. "This is to everyone's advantage because it helps spur academic-industry partnerships."

Skin permeation is a field of study in which Kasting and Nitsche have been engaged for 20 years, with their prior predictive permeation models lauded as among the best in the field of pharmaceutical and cosmetic sciences. Their work spans the study of skin permeation across the board, from beneficial cosmetic products and topical medicines to pollution and hazardous chemical agents in the workplace.

This grant is the third in a series of federal grants that partnered UC's Kasting with P&G and is focused on the skin permeation of chemical agents such as niacinamide, a form of vitamin B, which are used in topical cosmetic creams. The scientific methodology is being split between the two researchers, with UC conducting preclinical experiments on excised human skin and certain skin keratins. Keratins are one of a family of fibrous structural proteins that are the key material making up skin, hair, and nails. Keratin also protects skin cells from damage or stress.

"We image the skin to determine what physical form the chemical agents are in and how that impacts the rate at which they permeate the skin," Kasting says, adding that keratin binding studies are conducted to gauge the influence of skin proteins on permeation rates and their role in what is termed the "reservoir function" of the skin.

The University at Buffalo has responsibility for the computer modeling aspect of the study.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's first term in office has been defined by his response to the covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 65,400 Californians.

The Democratic governor issued the first statewide stay-at-home order in the nation, and his policies kept most public school students at home last year. But his own children attended private school in person and, in a move that has haunted him since, he dined with friends and lobbyists at the ritzy French Laundry restaurant in the Napa Valley in November  even though state guidelines discouraged people from mixing with others outside their household.

More recently, Newsom has required all health care workers to get fully vaccinated by the end of the month. But he has not ordered a new statewide mask mandate, despite the deadly spread of the virus's delta variant.

Newsom has said his policies are driven by science, but they have helped land him in an unexpectedly competitive recall election. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released Wednesday shows that about 58% of likely voters want to keep him in office. Voters, who have been mailed ballots, have until the Sept. 14 election date to return them.

Many of Newsom's Republican rivals, including talk-radio host Larry Elder, businessman John Cox and former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, are focusing their opposition on Newsom's mask and vaccine policies.

Just how much is the pandemic playing into voters' decisions? KHN reporters fanned out across the Golden State  visiting a fire evacuee camp in Placerville, outdoor malls in the Silicon Valley, Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles and an urban park in Sacramento  to find out.

Placerville

In the Sierra Nevada foothills, many voters describe Newsom as a big-city elitist who issued pandemic mandates for the masses but played by his own rulebook.

"RECALL NEWSOM SAVE CALIFORNIA" signs line busy roads and plaster fences and storefronts in Placerville, home to about 11,000 people some 40 miles from California's capital.

Even a few evacuees from the raging Caldor Fire  whose homes and livelihoods are at stake  display anti-Newsom signs on their RVs and vans at their temporary outpost in the Walmart parking lot.

The deep anger facing Newsom in El Dorado County isn't unexpected. The area draws on Gold Rush-era independence: Several businesses flouted public health orders that required masks indoors.

"Whatever edict he put out there never applied to him," said Denise Byer, 55, a volunteer at a wildfire evacuation site whose children missed nearly a year of in-person high school and competitive sports. "His own children went back to school. He's an elite. He's a hypocrite."

That was the overwhelming sentiment at two Placerville evacuation sites, where several people commented but asked not to be identified, some for fear of workplace repercussions. Newsom "sat up on high," said a county worker. The governor wants to impose broad mandates on Californians that should be up to the people, said an evacuee who, like other state workers, must be vaccinated or submit to weekly covid tests. Newsom "has ruled like a king," chimed in an evacuee who didn't know whether his home would survive the fires.

 Samantha Young

Silicon Valley

On a sunny, late-August Sunday, Palo Alto's luxe University Avenue and San Jose's trendy Santana Row, an outdoor shopping mall, were jammed, and the broad streets have been taken over by shopping, outdoor dining and live music. Signs occasionally reminded patrons to mask up in stores, but there was little evidence of the pandemic, and even less of the impending recall election.

Both cities are in Santa Clara County, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-to-1.

When it comes to the recall, there was only one answer: No. Obviously no. Have you seen who he's running against?

"I'm really frustrated that the recall is even happening. The people who are running to replace him are going to undo a lot of his work and make it a lot riskier to be in California," said Meghan Purdy, a 34-year-old product manager in Palo Alto. "I have friends in Texas, and I worry about them. I have a dad in Florida. They have horrible governors, and the fact that it could happen to us is scary."

In a small but crowded park on Santana Row, Michael Burrows, a 56-year-old database administrator, listened to a band while a coffee line snaked around the musicians.

Newsom handled the pandemic as well as he could have, Burrows said. The recall is a waste of time, and anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers are trying to tarnish Newsom's reputation on a national stage, he said.

"Nobody likes to wear a mask  I don't like to wear a mask  but it's what you have to do," Burrows said. "You have to have an adult in the room."

 Rachel Bluth

Los Angeles

The sound of salsa music lingered in the air as people wandered the cobblestone paths along Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. The historical Mexican marketplace was a ghost town of shuttered shops during the height of the pandemic, but now bustles with customers most of them Latino.

Some had no idea about the recall election. Others said they favored the governor but wouldn't be able to vote because they are undocumented immigrants. Most expressed support for Newsom.

Antonio Ramos, 57, and Isabel Ceja, 48, a couple from Novato, California, were visiting family in Los Angeles on Saturday. Some of their relatives have had covid, and they said they know what it's like to worry if they will survive.

"What he's done for the community has been beneficial," Ramos said in Spanish. "Like getting the vaccines out to everyone and the mask mandate. It's for the safety of everyone."

The couple plan to vote against the recall. "I like him because he's Catholic and does everything with transparency," Ceja added. "He isnt two-faced."

Veronica Ayon, 28, a Los Angeles mother of three, disagreed. "I think he says one thing and then does another," she said in Spanish.

Ayon isn't vaccinated but said she always wears a mask. She is breastfeeding her baby girl and fears what a vaccine could do to her. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend pregnant and breastfeeding women get vaccinated.)

She said she will probably vote against Newsom. "He wants to make it mandatory for kids to get vaccinated at 12," said Ayon, whose eldest child is about to turn 12. "She's my daughter. It's my decision."

 Heidi de Marco

Sacramento

In Sacramento's Oak Park, a largely African American, inner-city neighborhood that is rapidly gentrifying, people don't seem motivated to vote. Anti-recall signs backing Newsom pepper grassy lawns in the city's wealthier neighborhoods, but none were visible here, though there are Black Lives Matter signs on nearly every block  a couple of them praising Dolly Parton.

Many Oak Park residents said Newsom has failed them.

"I tore up my ballot and threw it in the trash," said 52-year-old Regina Davis, who gathered with friends at a park filled with people barbecuing and jamming to music  a Sunday tradition in the neighborhood. She backed Newsom in 2018 but said she doesn't plan to vote, arguing that Newsom has prioritized wealthy Californians during the pandemic.

Others said they hadn't decided whether to vote.

"He needs to step up," said Cleo Brown, 39, who supported Newsom when he ran for governor but said she now feels let down because Newsom has not invested in day care and after-school programs that could help her and her two kids, ages 15 and 18.

Her message to Newsom: "Do something for our kids. They're still hurting from the school shutdowns."

Emma Patterson, 57, voted for Newsom in 2018 but said she has other things to worry about than the recall. "He needs us to show up for him, but Black families are struggling," Patterson said.

Her apartment burned down in July, and she's renting a room for herself and her two grandkids for $150 a week. "Voting isn't even on my mind," she said.

 Angela Hart
David E. Carroll, 70, passed away Saturday, September 11, 2021 at Clark Memorial Hospital. He retired as a maintenance supervisor at Colgate. David was a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam-Era. He was an avid outdoorsman. He loved his bourbon, cigars, and most of al
(Newser)  There's a federal appeals court compiling a record like no other, Ruth Marcus writes in an opinion piece in the Washington Post. The 5th Circuit's refusal to hold up the nation's most restrictive abortion law long enough for a district judge to hold a hearing on it is just the latest example from a court that sticks to ideology more than precedent. Republican presidents appointed 12 of the 17 active judges, but the court tilts right even more than that might indicate, one expert said, because the conservative members are way conservative and the liberals aren't way liberal. The result is "as conservative a federal appeals court as any of us have seen in our lifetimes," says Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas.

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Six of the judges were nominated by former President Trump. They include one who said the Supreme Court's ruling backing the right to same-sex marriage "raises a question about the legitimacy of the court." Another, who used the hashtag #CrookedHillary, has said he endorses overturning Roe v. Wade. One of them decried the "moral tragedy of abortion" in an opinion. This court's priorities are pretty clear, and they don't include staying in bounds, as the court above it has demonstrated. The Supreme Court reversed five of seven 5th Circuit decisions in the 2020-21 term and 6 of 7 decisions in the previous term, Marcus notes. "This is a court that goes out of its way to reduce procedural obstacles and give a helping hand for litigants whose causes they favor," she writes.

There's plenty to argue about concerning the Texas law, which Marcus calls not only unconstitutional but "an audacious effort to evade judicial review"it provides for private citizens to sue anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. The 5th Circuit declined to hurry its consideration of the matter and issued an order blocking a federal judge who had already scheduled a hearing from holding it. That let the Texas abortion legislation proceed; it became law Wednesday. "It is lunacy to allow a law to go into effect that no one can reasonably argue is constitutional," Marcus writes. You can read the full piece here. (Read more anti-abortion laws stories.)
(Newser)  Some Republicans are calling for President Biden to be impeached over his handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistanbut Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says it's not going to happen. For starters, he noted at an event in Kentucky on Wednesday, Republicans do not control Congress. "The president is not going to be removed from office. There's a Democratic House, a narrowly Democratic Senate," McConnell said when asked if he supports impeachment, per the Hill. "There isn't going to be an impeachment." Other Republican senators, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Lindsey Graham, have said Biden should either resign or face impeachment over the chaotic exit from Afghanistan, reports CNN.

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McConnell, however, looked ahead to next year's midterm election, when the Democrats could lose their very slender majorities in the House and Senate Republicans. "The report card you get is every two years," McConnell said. "I think the way these behaviors get adjusted in this country is at the ballot box." He added: "Typically there is some buyer's remorse." Sources tell Politico that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is under pressure from conservatives to push for impeachment. So far, he hasn't spoken in support of impeachment, though he has promised that if the GOP retakes the House, the Afghanistan exit will be investigated and there will be a "day of reckoning." (Read more Mitch McConnell stories.)
(Newser)  Florida's Sarasota County School District tightened the rules on medical exemptions to a mask mandate after finding that around a third of exemption forms turned in district-wide had been signed by one chiropractor. An updated form issued this week said the forms can only be signed by medical doctors, osteopathic physicians, or advanced registered nurse practitioners, reports the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. On Monday, when the 90-day mandate took effect, there were dozens of parents lined up outside Dr. Dan Busch's practice in Venice, where forms were being given out for free, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Some parents said they were simply given a pre-signed form and nobody asked to see their children.

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"This is not a political thing. I am not an anti-mask person or an anti-vax person, but I am a pro-freedom, pro-choice person, Busch tells WFLA. Asked whether a chiropractor could effectively diagnose a reason for a mask exemption, he said: "Your dentist could do this, your psychiatrist could do this, your psychologist can do this. You were looking at things like respiratory distress, hypoxia, asthma, anxiety, depressionthere are a lot of qualifying conditions. His attorney, Bryan Kessler, says the policy change unfairly casts doubt on the credentials of chiropractors as medical professionals.

Superintendent Brennan Asplen said Tuesday that the policy was changed so the district can be consistent in its "consideration of whether medical reasons warrant individuals to be exempt from the policy and to prevent abuse." It's not clear whether the more than 500 students who submitted forms signed by Busch will remain exempt. (The state is punishing two districts for imposing mask mandates.)
(Newser)  The first female Afghan journalist to interview a member of the Taliban says she's been forced to leave her country behind. Beheshta Arghand, formerly of TOLO News, fled Afghanistan as part of the US-led evacuation on Aug. 24 and is now in Qatar, per the Guardian. Arghand had spoken with a senior Taliban official live on TV on Aug. 17, after he showed up uninvited at her TV station. "I lost my control," thinking he might ask why she was there, Arghand tells Reuters. Instead, he asked to be interviewed. "[Luckily] I always wear long clothes in the studio because we have different people with different minds," says Arghand, variously described as 22 to 24 years old.

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The interview was "a propaganda coup for the Taliban," suggesting a tolerance for women's rights, per the Guardian. Then the Taliban ordered TOLO News to require all women to wear a hijab and began suspending female anchors at other TV stations. This follows several reports of the Taliban targeting female professionals. The Taliban "don't accept" women, "don't accept you as a human," Arghand says. She adds the group also demanded media end all discussions of their takeover and rule. "When you can't [even] ask easy questions, how can you be a journalist?"

Two days after interviewing the Taliban official, Arghand spoke with Malala Yousafzai, the activist who survived an attempted assassination by a Pakistani Taliban gunman in 2012, in what was touted as Yousafzai's first Afghan TV interview, per CNN. Shortly after, Arghand asked the Nobel Prize winner for help in fleeing Afghanistan. It was Yousafzai who secured Arghand a spot on Qatar's list of evacuees, allowing her and family members to board a Qatari Air Force flight on Aug. 24. Footage has since surfaced of gun-wielding Taliban soldiers standing behind the host of a political debate TV program as he tells Afghans not to be afraid. "This is what a political debate now looks like on Afghan TV," tweeted BBC correspondent Yalda Hakim. (Read more Afghanistan stories.)
(Newser)  Authorities in Missouri are searching for a woman who was mistaken for another inmate and wrongly released from jail over the weekend. Ellen Goblewho was held in Randolph County Jail on charges of resisting arrest, burglary, drug possession, and operating a vehicle without a valid licenselooked almost identical to the inmate due for release, who was asleep two cells away, Sheriff Aaron Wilson tells KRCG. He notes the two women have essentially the same hair color, eye color, height, and weight. When a guard, new on the job, came to collect the other inmate on Saturday, he mistook Goble for her; Goble had been moved out of her usual cell while it was being cleaned.

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Once the guard led Goble out of the cell, the 24-year-old took matters into her own hands. Wilson says she committed identify theft by claiming to be the other inmate and then signing that woman's name during the check-out process. Staff only realized the mistake when other inmates told them Goble had posed as someone else, per KMIZ. Authorities are still searching for the womandescribed as 5'3", 110 to 120 pounds, with brown hair and eyeswho is from Randolph County and believed to still be in the area. Wilson tells KRCG that he expects her to be in custody by the end of the week. Meanwhile, the sheriff's office says it's reviewing its policies and considering new ones to prevent a repeat embarrassment. (Read more mistaken identity stories.)
(Newser)  As of Tuesday, Texans needed to complete training, a written exam, a proficiency test, and obtain a license to openly carry a handgun in public. As of Wednesday, they needn't do any of that. Texans aged 21 and older who are not prohibited from possessing a handgun can carry one openly in public without a permit or training, under a constitutional carry law now in effect, per KTRK. The state House of Representatives passed Bill 1927 in an 82-62 vote in June, shortly before it was signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. He claimed it "instilled freedom in the Lone Star State," per CNN.

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Supporters among his party similarly claimed the bill was needed to remove an "artificial barrier" to Texans' right to bear arms, to allow "the protection of themselves or their families" in public spaces, CNN reports. "If you possess a firearm, you should be able to carry a firearm, said the bills sponsor, state Sen. Charles Schwertner. He said the passage represented "a restoration of the belief in and trust of our citizens." But Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia previously said it would make his job "more dangerous" as officers would have trouble distinguishing a "good guy with a gun from a bad guy with a gun."

"A minimum level of training is not asking too much," Garcia added in a comment echoed by others in law enforcement, many gun owners in the state, as well as gun control advocates. "Just allowing almost anyone to carry a handgun in public, no questions asked, no background check or safety training, is really dangerous," Andrew Karwoski, policy expert at Everytown for Gun Safety, tells CNN. The outlet reports gun violence incidents in Texas are already up 50% this year over the same period in 2019, while there's been a 40% increase in mass shootings this year over the same period last year.

The bill requires the Texas Department of Public Safety to create a free online course on firearm safety and handlingbut people don't have to take it, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The outlet notes Texas, where citizens are already allowed to carry rifles without a license, is "now among at least 20 states that does not require a permit to carry a handgun." The law applies to residents and out-of-state visitors, who must holster visible handguns. Private businesses can block someone from carrying a gun without a license by posting at least three signs, per KXAS. (Read more Texas stories.)
(Newser)  House Democrats have promoted Republican Rep. Liz Cheney to vice chairwoman of a committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, placing her in a leadership spot on the panel as some Republicans are threatening to oust her from the GOP conference for participating. Cheney, a fierce critic of former President Trump, has remained defiant in the face of criticism from her own party, the AP reports. She insists that Congress must probe the Capitol attack, in which hundreds of Trump's supporters violently pushed past police, broke into the building, and interrupted the certification of Joe Biden's presidential election victory.

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"We owe it to the American people to investigate everything that led up to, and transpired on, Jan. 6," Cheney, R-Wyo., said in a statement as Democrats announced her promotion on Thursday. "We will not be deterred by threats or attempted obstruction, and we will not rest until our task is complete." Some Republicans also want to oust Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois from the GOP conference over his acceptance of a committee spot. A draft letter by Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs to Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy calls Cheney and Kinzinger "two spies for the Democrats" whom Republicans cannot trust to attend their private meetings.

Biggs, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is calling on the conference to change its rules to state that any Republican who accepts a committee assignment or serves on a committee without a recommendation from GOP leadership "shall immediately cease to be a Member of the Conference." McCarthy's office did not respond to a request for comment about Biggs' proposal. Cheney has worked closely with Democrats in determining the direction of the probe, and the Democrats' statement praised her determination to get answers about the riot. The vice chair position usually is reserved for a member of the Democratic majority.

(Read more Liz Cheney stories.)
(Newser)  Some GM trucks are being partially built and stored, and some just arent getting built at all. The chip shortage that has been affecting electronics of all sorts since the beginning of the year is affecting auto production again, with GM announcing that it will idle almost all of its North American plants. Factories in Indiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan, Canada, and Mexico will shut down for a week or more, pausing production on several makes and models, the Detroit Free Press reports. The shutdowns begin Monday. Ford is seeing a slowdown, too, cutting shifts or stopping production at several plants, per the AP.

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"During the downtime, we will repair and ship unfinished vehicles from many impacted plants ... to dealers to help meet the strong customer demand for our products," said a GM spokesperson. Some of the continued slowdown also is due to the delta variant surging in southeast Asia and affecting the workforce there. GM, like other automakers, is keeping mum when asked to forecast what the chip shortage and production slowdowns will do to its bottom line. Ford, meanwhile, reported that sales of new vehicles fell by 33% in August thanks in part to the chip shortage, reports CNBC. (Read more semiconductor chip stories.)
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Ida dumps more than 5 inches of rain, river flooding not expected

Larry Deklinski / LARRY DEKLINSKI/STAFF PHOTO Roaring Creek at Knoebels Amusement Resort nears its crest at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Several inches of rain throughout the area causing creeks to swell. Larry Deklinski / LARRY DEKLINSKI/STAFF PHOTO Roaring Creek at Knoebels Amusement Resort nears its crest at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Several inches of rain throughout the area causing creeks to swell. Larry Deklinski / LARRY DEKLINSKI/STAFF PHOTO People walk across Shamokin Creek at Shamokin Wednesday evening. Several inches of rain fell throughout the area, causing creeks to swell. Larry Deklinski / LARRY DEKLINSKI/STAFF PHOTO A vehicle drives over a hump in the intersection of Routes 487 and 54 in Elysburg Wednesday afternoon. A water main break is suspected of causing the traffic hazard. Larry Deklinski / LARRY DEKLINSKI/STAFF PHOTO A vehicle drives through a flooded tunnel at the entrance to Irish Valley Wednesday afternoon as heavy rain falls. Larry Deklinski / LARRY DEKLINSKI/STAFF PHOTO A Pottsville man was transported to a hospital Wednesday afternoon when his vehicle was struck by a branch on Route 54 in Mount Carmel Township. The male driver, whose name was not available, was operating a Jeep Latitude east between Locust Gap and Locust Summit when the branch fell and smashed the front window.

Submerged roadways, downed trees, flooded basements and swollen waterways were the impacts of the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which dumped about 5 inches of rain throughout much of the Lower and Middle Susquehanna valleys Wednesday.

Through 8 p.m. Wednesday, Penn Valley Airport in Selinsgrove collected 4.57 inches of rain while Muir Army Air Field in Ft. Indiantown Gap received 5.65 inches. Harrisburg, meanwhile, shattered its one-day total with 5.82 inches by 5:30 p.m.

The Susquehanna River is not expected to reach flood stage at either Bloomsburg, Danville or Sunbury. The National Weather Service forecasts that the river in Bloomsburg will crest 9 p.m. tonight at 10.9 feet  5.1 feet below the action stage. In comparison, the river reached 32.75 feet on Sept. 9, 2011, when the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee crushed parts of the commonwealth with more than 10 inches of rain.

Light rain spread over the area at about 1 a.m. Wednesday and varied in intensity through the morning. Some local businesses closed their doors and school districts had early dismissals because of the forecast for flash flooding. Southern Columbia will remain closed today while Shamokin, Mount Carmel and Line Mountain will have a three-hour delay.

Moderate to heavy rain fell Wednesday afternoon causing closures and heavy runoff on roads typically plagued by flash flooding. Both ends of Irish Valley Road were over taken by water as was Jepko Road at Richards Covered Bridge, west of Knoebels Amusement Resort, and Eleventh Street in Trevorton.

Roaring Creek, which flows through the park, began to flow onto Knoebels Boulevard and licked the cement bridge leading to the campground at 7:30 p.m., about 30 minutes prior to the rain tapering off. It was unclear Wednesday night if the park itself sustained any damage.

The Elysburg Fire Department Wednesday evening assisted personnel from AQUA America with a suspected water main break at the intersection of Routes 487 and 54. The break, which occurred late afternoon, caused a large hump in the eastbound lane of Route 487.

Firefighters from Elysburg and those throughout the area were also busy pumping out basements and cutting felled trees, some of which impacted electrical lines. Though winds were minimal on Wednesday, 42,014 PPL customers were without power at 10 p.m.

In Mount Carmel, Councilman Robert Shirmer said there multiple calls for pump details at houses in the 400 block of West Fourth, the 400 block of West Fifth and the 100 block of North Beech streets. Firefighters were busy throughout the day removing water, which varied from a few inches to knee-deep.

A flood control project completed in 2016 kept the Shamokin Creek in check. The largely cement culvert saw a several-foot rise in water, but did not come close to breaching the walls.

We had no trouble at all, he said. The water only went up a few feet on the wall.

Northumberland County Public Safety Director Stephen Jeffery said Ida caused many roadways and basements to flood throughout the county, but the area did much better than 10 years ago when Lee caused massive damage.

Mount Carmel is still dealing with some pump issues and there were between 10 and 15 calls in Sunbury. A home on State Street in Upper Augusta Township had about 3 feet of water in it, Jeffery said late Wednesday. All-in-all, we faired out pretty well; however, its still early yet, and people might be trying to digest what happened and determining if they had any major flooding.
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TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain is moving to Green Alert Level from tomorrow while emphasising the importance of following all precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The decision to ease restrictions was made following a review of the average COVID-19 positivity rates by the National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus.

The taskforce also urged citizens and residents to get vaccinated and receive a booster shot if eligible.

At green level, the choice of in-person or remote learning for the new 2021-2022 school year will be left to parents.

Dr Mohamed Mubarak Juma, Director General for Schools Affairs at the Education Ministry, explained that under this level, 100% of students are allowed to attend in-person lessons with consistent use of social distancing of at least half a metre.

He said that the number of staff permitted to return to work in-person at public educational institutions differs depending upon the Ministrys needs across each alert level.

For private educational institutions, the number of returning staff is subject to their discretion.

The Ministry has issued a guide to returning to schools and educational institutions, which includes instructions and guidelines to preserve the health and safety of students and faculty.

Dr Juma assured that Bahrain will continue its efforts to preserve the childrens health, wishing them a successful and safe school year.

Health Ministry Undersecretary for Public Health Dr Mariam Al Hajeri, also taskforce member, stressed the importance of adhering to all precautionary measures to ensure the safe return of students and administrative and educational staff.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Labour and Social Development Minister and Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) Board of Directors Chairman Jamil bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan briefed Indian External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Minister V. Muraleedharan on Bahrains efforts and its most prominent initiatives in the field of workforce protection in line with international labour standards.

Humaidan highlighted the role of the Indian workers in building and advancing Bahrain in various sectors as he received the Indian Minister yesterday.

The meeting reviewed relations between the two countries and ways to develop them and enhance cooperation in human development and social care, and to benefit from leading experiences and investment opportunities that generate quality jobs.

Minister Muraleedharan stressed the deep relations between the two countries, pointing to the development, the growth Bahrain is witnessing in various fields and Bahrains international status in the field of human rights.

He lauded the Bahraini governments efforts and measures to address the pandemic and provide protection for the workforce at their accomodations and work sites and maintain the stability of the labor market, as well as the legislative principles that protect labour rights.

Muraleedharan praised the development of Bahrains legislative structure in the labour field to achieve the protection of basic principles and rights at work, in addition to comprehensive equality between the workers.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

P Unnikrishnan

Bahrains liberal and tolerant policies had made it a preferred destination for the Indian community members, who are an integral part of every organisation in the Kingdom, said V Muraleedharan, Indias Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs.

This was also evident in the exceptional care given by the Government of Bahrain to the expatriate community, of which Indians form the majority, during the difficult times of the Covid-19 pandemic, said the minister, expressing his delight at visiting the beautiful Kingdom of Bahrain.

Speaking to Indian community members during a reception at Gulf Hotel, the minister said Bahrain had provided exceptional care to the expatriate community amid the circumstances brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanked HM King, HRH CP, PM He said: I take this opportunity to thank His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the government and people, for their love, affection and care for the Indian community in Bahrain.

V Muraleedharan also expressed hope that the further easing of travel restrictions will follow, with COVID-19 situation having improved in both India and Bahrain.

We hope to see a further easing of travel restrictions and much more exchanges in future, he said.

India, he said, administered vaccines to more than 640 million people, which is more than half of the eligible population of India.

All there are taken care of while ensuring necessary reforms in sectors including economy, education and agriculture, the minister stressed, adding, as a result, our economy is currently tracking an upward trajectory with the government resuming most of the activities.

The US$84 billion FDI inflow during the pandemic year 2020- 21 itself heralds the strength of the Indian economy and the confidence of investors in it.

Indians, he said, are currently working in all prominent business sectors of Bahrain, and there is hardly any organisation in Bahrain without an Indian expatriate. Double Tax Avoidance On Double Tax Avoidance with Bahrain, the minister said the Indian government is working on such a deal with Bahrain.

India has DTAA with 88 countries, but not with Bahrain, making almost every NRI in Bahrain liable to pay tax in India.

This is going to change soon, said the minister. 750,00 India-owned and Joint Venture Cos He also pointed out that there are over 750,00 India-owned and Joint Venture companies in the Kingdom. Their contributions are not only supporting their organisation but also the overall growth and progress of Bahrains economy.

The regular high-level visits and exchanges have further strengthened and diversified our bilateral ties over the years.

Recalling the visit of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in 2012 and His Majesty the King in 2014 to India, the minister said those visits provided a big boost and momentum to these ties and set the roadmap of our present bilateral relations.

Elevating the bilateral ties to newer heights and diversified areas was the visit of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to Bahrain in 2019, he said.

Today, minister Muraleedharan said, our two countries have joined hands in diverse areas, including defence and maritime security, space and economic and trade sectors such as IT, Fintech, hydrocarbon, renewable energy, health, education and infrastructure. Such is the resilience of our relationship that even during pandemic times not only bilateral interaction in various sectors continued in virtual format, but physical visits also took place, whenever the opportunity arose. Both our Foreign Ministers visited each other countries in November last year and April this year. In the same spirit, we also closely collaborated in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and ensured that connectivity remained open.

Embassies ready to assist V Muraleedharan, the minister, also said that the Indian community residing in Bahrain are an integral part of the two milestone events - The Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav commemorating 75 years of India and the Golden Jubilee of diplomatic relations between India and Bahrain.

The minister further expressed the readiness of the Indian Embassies to assist expatriates in all situations, stressing the importance of social media in communication.

Ensuring the safety, security and well-being of Indian diaspora, in particular our skilled and semi-skilled workers, is the top priority of the Government of India.

During the event, the minister honoured KG Baburajan, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2021 winner.

The award honoured his dedication and exceptional work and services for the welfare of our community in Bahrain.

The minister yesterday also visited KrishnaTemple in Manama, where he held talks with Bob Thaker, the President of Thattai Hindu Merchants Community, Mukesh Kavlani, the Vice President and Jayant Bhati, Treasurer.
Agencies | Seoul

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Korea's Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum has expressed satisfaction with the depth of the increasingly growing relations and outstanding cooperation between Bahrain and Korea in various tracks and fields thanks to the support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and President Moon Jae-in.

The Premier lauded Bahrain's progress and prosperity within the comprehensive development process and its civilized and humanitarian achievements.

He also commended the Kingdom's support to security, peace, the values of tolerance and coexistence, and achievements in confronting the coronavirus pandemic to ensure the health and safety of everyone.

He highlighted the Kingdom's unique humanitarian vision in fighting the pandemic, keenness on cooperation with other countries and the endeavors of the government headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

The Premier praised Bahrain's keenness to enhance cooperation with South Korea in the economic, investment, technological and technical fields, as well its interest in the digital and electronic economy and in continuing to organize cultural events, which contributes to enhancing rapprochement, mutual understanding and cooperation.

Kim Boo-kyum thanked Bahrain for its support to South Korea in maintaining its stability and security and ensuring that the region is free from nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches that threaten security in the region.

The threats are not in line with the international communitys drive to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction and to promote security, peace, stability and prosperity, the Prime Minister said as he received the Bahraini parliamentary delegation visiting Korea.

The delegation is headed by Council of Representatives Speaker Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal.

The Speaker conveyed the greetings and best wishes of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and their emphasis on the depth of the bilateral relations spanning more than four decades.

The Speaker expressed Bahrains appreciation of South Korea's supportive stances and keenness on cooperation in confronting terrorism, ensuring security and stability in the region, and supporting economic, investment, parliamentary, technical and cultural cooperation.

She also stressed the significance of benefiting from the Korean expertise in the health and technology fields, lauded the role of the South Korean community in Bahrain across all areas of the comprehensive development process, and hailed the efforts of the South Korean embassy in Manama in strengthening the distinguished relations between the two countries.
DANBURY  The city doesnt know why a section of Main Street often floods when it rains.

But there may be a way to stop drivers from getting stuck in the standing water.

The city is designing a path that could take drivers from the trouble spot on Main Street to Grand Street, Mayor Joe Cavo said.

Danbury owns a property that connects to Grand Street, where the path could be created for drivers to use in emergencies.

I dont know if it would be considered a road, Cavo said. It may be a pass-through. It would probably have a gate in front of it 99 percent of the time.

After he became mayor in December, Cavo said he and the citys public works director and engineer started talking about how to address the flooding.

A 2017 city report said the intersection of Wooster Street, Main Street and Park Place flood about five times a year during storms.

Its been a long, longstanding problem, Cavo said. That area of Main Street has been problematic for decades.

It came to a head last Monday when the city closed off a section of Main Street near Wooster Street and Elmwood Park due to flooding in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Henri.

Crews built a temporary path between two parking lots so that about 30 cars trapped at the Elmwood Hall Senior Center and Connecticut Institute for Communities Inc. buildings could drive out.

Antonio Iadarola, the citys public works director and engineer, completed plans for his idea last week, but Cavo has yet to review them and does not know if there is a cost estimate.

They think they have a pretty nailed-down process, but now we have to decide if its going to work, how its going to work, Cavo said. With these things come unintended consequences. We have to watch out for that.

Iadarola would need to determine whether public works crews, an outside contractor or both would complete the project, the mayor said.

Stopping the flooding altogether is more complex, Cavo said.

Its hugely complicated, and with that huge complication comes hugely huge expense, he said. Were going to have to figure all of that out.

Thats because the causes of the flooding remain elusive.

Theyre not entirely sure, Cavo said. Theyre so many factors involved in why Main Street floods.

For years, the East Ditch drainage system was blamed.

Its one of those things where if you say it enough times, people start hearing it and believing it, Cavo said. Antonio believes now its not related to the East Ditch.

However, there are problems with the East Ditch, Cavo said. The foundations of houses constructed in the 1800s and early 1900s  before modern building permit processes  block water from flowing through the system, he said.

The culvert system, which was built in the late 19th century is undersized, according to Danburys 2017 Hazard Mitigation Plan. Several 18-inch diameter pipes and a 24-inch diameter pipe flow into one 18-inch pipe, causing backups in heavy rains, the report states.

This could be an entirely separate problem, Cavo said. Trying to identify it is very difficult. Theyre looking into it. Ive talked [Iadarola] about a couple solutions that are kind of futuristic. Its going to take a lot more study.
FARMINGTON  A registered nurse was charged with sexual assault following an accusation that he inappropriately handled a patient during an office visit in town last month, police said.

Steven Lamoureux, 46, an Advance Practice Registered Nurse from Farmington, was arrested by warrant Monday. Police said he performed what he referred to as a relaxation technique on a patient during an appointment at ProHealth Physicians in Farmington on July 19.

Lamoureux is charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and was released on a $100,000 bond, police said.

According to police, Lamoureux had suggested using an alternative relaxation technique to alleviate the patients medically-diagnosed anxiety. The 41-year-old patient told investigators that she disrobed to her underwear and was told to lie down on the table, after which Lamoureux began massaging various parts of her body, police said.

The act that Lamoureux performed was not in accordance with standard medical care and was outside of the scope of his medical license and care, according to police.

ProHealth Physicians did not immediately return a request for comment.

Lamoureux had been involved in a similar incident while he worked at Internal Medicine Practice of Greater New Haven in 2018, officials said. That incident was investigated and closed, according to Department of Public Health spokesperson Christopher Boyle.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health conducted a thorough investigation and it was determined that he did not violate the medical standard of care at the time, Boyle said in a statement.

Lt. Tim McKenzie said police suspect there may be other victims.

We already got another phone call and its kind of confirming our suspicions, McKenzie said.

Police are urging anyone with a similar experience to contact the Farmington Detective Unit at 860-675-2400.
FAIRFIELD  A racist email was sent to Fairfield Woods Middle School staff members last weekend, the principal said. It was the third racist incident the school district has faced in recent months.

In a memo to the school community, Principal Colleen Banick said the incident involved an email sent to staff members last weekend.

The person who sent the email is not affiliated with the school, district or town, Banick said in the email. Banick said school officials said they have identified those involved and have addressed the situation.

We strongly believe that racism has no place here or anywhere in our society, Banick wrote in the memo, obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media. We are working to support those who have been affected by this reprehensible act. As a school community, we must continue to take a stand against intolerance and treat each other with respect and dignity.

Andrea Clark, the school districts director of communication, referred to Banicks statement and declined to comment further about the incident.

In May, officials confirmed high school students from Fairfield Warde and Fairfield Ludlowe were targets of two racist incidents. One of those involved a racist caption on a social media post, officials said.

One student was charged with second-degree breach of peace and ridicule on account of creed, religion, color, denomination, nationality or race in connection with the social media post. School officials said the other incident was handled internally and did not lead to criminal charges.

Greater Bridgeport NAACP officials met with school officials after these incidents in May to implement a diversity training plan. Starting this fall, college students affiliated with their colleges NAACP chapters will meet with high school students to discuss racial insensitivity and bias.
It's hard to believe, but yet another school year is upon us. Kids across the country have either recently returned or are about to return to the classroom. But for many school-age children, the emotional toll of leaving their parents' care for the first time since the start of the pandemic has been overwhelming, leading to an increase in separation anxiety.

According to Dr. Parker Huston, Clinical Director of the On Our Sleeves Program and a pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital, most children at some point suffer from separation anxiety, which is a normal part of childhood development. Kids feel anxious when they first meet a new babysitter or attend their first sleepover, for example.

But these feelings are different from Separation Anxiety Disorder, which Dr. Huston describes as, "when separation anxiety comes to a point where it's limiting functioning." In this case, children might have more irrational fears about being left at school. "Kids will say and think things like, 'My parents are going to die while they're gone.' Or 'I'm going to get kidnapped,'" Dr. Huston says. "There's a lot of really scary thoughts that they have about what will happen."

These emotions are heightened this year specifically because of the pandemic. "I would say over the past 18 months or so, one of the problems we've had is that those normal separations that we typically have from our kids, many of us have not been having nearly as often, if at all," says Dr. Huston. Children have become acclimated to being at home with their family, so the return to school is understandably jarring. Going back to school, Dr. Huston says, is "the first time for many of them where they're out of their parents' care."

With that in mind, he has four basic tips for parents to help their children ease back into the school year.

First, engage in a discussion. Ask your child how they're feeling and if they have any fears or concerns. And instead of trying to solve your child's problem, ask open-ended questions. "A lot of times parents ask a question like 'How are you feeling?' And the kid says, 'I'm a little nervous,' and the parent's response is, 'Well, you shouldn't be nervous, because...' Then they try and convince them that they're being irrational," Dr. Huston says. "But being irrational is irrational, it doesn't respond to us saying, 'Your teacher's nice' or 'Your friends are there.' It's an irrational fear. You want to just listen and see how deep the problem goes."

Dr. Huston says it's better to instead ask more probing questions such as, "What do you think would happen while you're at school? What do you think's going to happen when I go back to work? What are you going to feel?"

Second, rehearse the re-entry to school to get your child acclimated. Walk them to school and show them the door they'll use to enter the building. Talk through what the drop-off procedure might look like. "The more known it is ahead of time, the less scary it could be," Dr. Huston says.

Third, create a routine or ritual that will give your child a sense of consistency. It could be that every day at drop off you pull up to the school, give a quick hug, and send your child off. It might be that you have a special handshake or high five. The routines can be small, but can still have an enormous impact on helping to lessen your child's anxiety.

Finally, communicate with the school. Dr. Huston points out that schools often have "more experience than parents with dealing with separation anxiety. So they probably have ideas that you may never think of that could work."

If you want to find a product that might help your child transition back into the school year, Dr. Huston says there are a number of items that may be useful.

GoNoodle, which many children use both at home and school, offers a number of free mental health resources created in collaboration with Nationwide Children's Hospital's On Our Sleeves program. Featuring videos and mental health guides (in both English and Spanish), the resources are a great way to help kids explore, understand, and communicate their feelings.

When Dr. Huston's daughter was in first grade, she wore a locket with a family photo in it to school each day. Having a personalized photo locket or keychain can remind the child of their family throughout the day and provide a sense of calm.

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For kids who want to feel even more connected to their parents, bracelets that both the parents and child wear throughout the day can be helpful. This one from Etsy comes with a note to remind the child that "we'll wear the big bracelets and we'll think of you. The small one is yours, so you will think of us, too."

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Packing your child's favorite treat for lunch with a sweet note on personalized family stationery can be a nice way to break up the day.

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Tactile objects are also helpful. Worry stones  either loose or on a necklace  or pocket holders can be another great way to ease anxiety. Dr. Huston says the trick with these objects is to remember that the items themselves won't get rid of the anxiety; rather, the item is meant to reframe your child's thinking and trigger them to think about something other than their worries. So if your child is afraid they may never see you again, when they touch the item they should instead think, "I can't wait to see Mom and Dad later on and tell them about my day."

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The youngest of kids may benefit from reading a book with their parents. Ariella Prince Guttman's new picture book Wherever You'll Be is a sweet, rhyming reminder that even when children and parents are apart, they are always in one another's hearts and minds.

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Meanwhile, older kids may find solace in journaling. Dr. Huston shared that in some cases, parents may want to consider trading a journal back and forth with their child. The child can write in a journal during the day while the parent writes in it at night. He says it's a way for both parties to forge a deeper connection and share their thoughts in a meaningful way.

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Whatever tactic you choose, remember that this is a school year that will be stressful for many, so patience and communication are key.



Sandra Ebejer lives in upstate New York with her husband, son, and two cats who haven't figured out how to get along. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Real Simple, Writer's Digest, Shondaland, and others. Read more at sandraebejer.com.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar is set to pay an official visit to Slovenia, Croatia and Denmark from today, as part of a tour to review the bilateral relationship with the three Central European countries.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar is set to pay an official visit to Slovenia, Croatia and Denmark from today, as part of a tour to review the bilateral relationship with the three Central European countries. A Ministry External Affairs (MEA) statement said this visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the progress in Indias bilateral ties with these three countries, and strengthening multifaceted relationship with the EU.

Slovenia currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and has invited EAM to attend an informal meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of EU Member States on September 3, MEA said. EAM will also hold a bilateral meeting with the Foreign Minister of Slovenia Dr Anze Logar, apart from calling on the Slovenian leadership. EAM will attend the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) being held in Slovenia, and participate in the panel discussion on Partnership for a Rules-Based Order in the Indo-Pacific.

He will also hold discussions with his EU counterparts on issues of mutual interest.

During his visit to Croatia on September 3, EAM will hold bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman, and call on the Croatian leadership. During his visit to Denmark on 4-5 September, EAM will co-chair the 4th round of the Indo-Danish Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) along with Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod.

The JCM will undertake a comprehensive review of our bilateral cooperation under the Green Strategic Partnership, which was established during the Virtual Summit in September 2020. EAM will also call on Danish dignitaries.
The European Union has said that it is in no hurry to recognise or establishing official relations with Taliban. The EU mission in Afghanistan has evacuated 520 members and Afghan support staff, including family members, from Kabul.

The European Union is in no hurry to recognise the Taliban nor to establishing official relations with the group, said Gunnar Wiegand, the European Commissions managing director for Asia and the Pacific on Wednesday. We need to communicate with the Taliban, we need to influence the Taliban, we need to make use of the leverages that we have but we will not rush into recognizing this new formation nor to establishing official relations, Sputnik quoted Wiegand as saying at a joint session of the European Parliaments committees with the delegation for relations with Afghanistan.

Earlier, Wiegand said the EU mission in Afghanistan has evacuated 520 members and Afghan support staff, including family members, from Kabul. He further stated that the EU mission in Afghanistan would continue its work in Brussels. They will return to Afghanistan when the situation permits, Sputnik reported.

Meanwhile, the United States forces left Afghanistan on Tuesday morning, marking the end of a chaotic and messy exit from Americas longest war. Earlier today, US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin III said that the United States has evacuated about 6,000 American citizens and a total of more than 124,000 civilians from Afghnaistan.

Austin also honours those who died over the course of the war in Afghanistan. Our forces risked their own lives to save the lives of others, and 13 of our very best, paid the ultimate price, he said.
Haibatullah Akhunzada will be the Head of the new Afghan government. Reports also indicate that there will also be a Prime Minister post in the next government.

The Taliban on Wednesday informed that supreme leader Haibatullah Akhunzada will be the Head of the new Afghan government. Reports also indicate that there will also be a Prime Minister post in the next government, Tolo News reported.

Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, will also be the leader of the new government, Anamullah Samangani, a member of the Talibans cultural commission informed.

The Islamic government that we will announce will be a model for the people. There is no doubt about the presence of the Commander of the Faithful (Akhunzada) in the government. He will be the leader of the government, he added.

Meanwhile, the Taliban will also announce the formation of a new government in the country on September 3, Sputnik reported. Earlier on August 31, Stanekzai had met the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China Zhou Jian in Doha to discuss the Afghanistan situation.

Meanwhile, the head of the political office of the Taliban Mullah Baradar has also been appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, local media informed. Although the Taliban say consultations have been finalised on the formation of the new government but discussions have not been held over the systems name, the national flag or national anthem, reported Tolo News.
The Taliban on Wednesday said that the negotiations with the leaders of the Panjshir province have gone in vain as it is the only province that is still out of the Taliban's reach in the country.

The resistance forces in Afghanistans northeastern province of Panjshir said on Wednesday that they would continue fighting the Taliban as their negotiations did not lead to any results, Sputnik reported. The Taliban on Wednesday said that the negotiations with the leaders of the Panjshir province have gone in vain as it is the only province that is still out of the Talibans reach in the country.

Talibans commission for guidance and encouragements head Mullah Amir Khan Motaqi said that negotiations with the tribal elders and leaders failed and asked the people of Panjshir province to motivate their leaders, Afghanistans Khaama Press reported.

The Panjshir valley lies in the Hindu Kush mountains, approximately 90 miles north of Kabul. The Taliban have been unable to take this major holdout of resistance after steamrolling across pro-government troops in a matter of months. The situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating after the Taliban seized control of the war-ravaged country on August 15.

Ahmad Massoud (the son of famous Afghan commander Ahmad Shah Massoud and one of the leaders of the resistance against the Taliban) and Amrullah Saleh (former Afghan government first vice president) are presently in Panjshir valley and trying to mount a challenge to the Taliban.

Motaqi has stressed that the occupation has ended and it is the great pride for entire Afghanistan but people in Panjshir province are still against the Taliban. On August 15, the Taliban captured Kabul soon after President Ashraf Ghani fled the nation. So far, the Taliban have controlled all the regions apart from the Panjshir province.
NEW HAVEN  Peter Emerson is just the sort of neighbor Tweed New Haven Airport needs, and Sean Scanlon was glad to meet him.

Emerson, a web page designer in his 30s, came to his front porch on Stuyvesant Avenue when Scanlon knocked on the door recently. Hi, how are you? Im Sean Scanlon, Im the executive director of the airport down the street.

Scanlon has plied these neighboring streets all summer, hitting hundreds of houses as the Tweed authority pushes for a 43-year lease with a private operator, Avports.

The conversation flowed easily. Emerson moved here from Vermont with his wife, whos doing post-doctoral work at Yale. A hobbyist pilot himself, Emerson strongly supports a planned airport expansion. Sometimes he walks the three blocks to the fence with his little boy, hoping to see a plane land or take off.

Emersons brother, Jamie, staying with the family in coronavirus, has used the airport, with its very limited service to Philadelphia on American Airlines. If I could get over to England from here, that would be great, Jamie Emerson mused.

I dont think thats in the cards for us, Scanlon responded, but we want to get you to a couple more places than where we go now.

A few days later, upstart airline Avelo announced three Florida destinations from Tweed, starting this fall.

The brothers would love to see a coffee shop with work spaces down at the terminal. Stay tuned for that, thats in the works, Scanlon said.

This is state Rep. Sean Scanlon, Democrat of Guilford, co-chairman of the powerful finance committee in the Connecticut General Assembly  who could teach a master class on door-knocking. But out here, in his day job, hes Sean the executive director of the Tweed airport authority.

Tagging along with him for a couple of hours on a recent midday in August, I see a different picture than what emerges from the endless meetings and hearings, online and in person, about the planned expansion.

Certainly there are strong opponents  we visited with Toni Ginnetti, a longtime resident two doors up from the airport, who calls the expansion horrible  but there are many who favor the plan, many who have a concern or two, and many who are, believe it or not, unconcerned about an issue generating so much heat on both sides.

Weve been here for like 40 years almost. And in years past, we heard more planes coming over the house, said neighbor Fran Ruggiero, a couple of blocks up from the perimeter fence.

Shes right. Back in the late 80s and 90s, many more planes did come in and out of Tweed, with several airlines operating. Scanlon fosuses on the technology.

Its just that over time, the planes get quieter, he tells Ruggiero.

Oh.

Just then a plane lands, though not one of the commercial airliners.

See, thats what Im saying, these dont bother me in the least, Ruggiero said. You get used to it.

Tweeds goal is for an expanded runway and more flights on bigger jetliners, with the terminal moved to the East Haven side of the airport  an investment of as much as $100 million by Avports, which is owned by an affiliate of the investment bank Goldman Sachs.

Its a stretch to say the regions economy hinges on this Tweed expansion. But clearly, a metro area the size of New Haven needs a more robust airport. The lack of one hurts growth, making it more likely that a company such as Alexion Pharmaceuticals will uproot its headquarters for Boston, as did happen.

Neighbors on Stuyvesant Avenue and surrounding streets, and on the East Haven side, have legitimate concerns. The outright opponents are going to lose this battle, as they should, but Tweed owes it to everyone to make the problems as minimal as possible  from wetlands destruction to noise to traffic to wafting fumes.

And Scanlon is the point man. If youre saying, oh, sure, an influential Democrat wins a plum public sector post, which was held before him by another influential Democrat, former Sen. Tim Larson of East Hartford, you might be right. But consider: Political skills matter if your job is to bring as many people together as possible.

Not that Scalan was going to win over Ginnetti, whose husband, Ronald Arena, a chemist, studied fumes in the airports heyday and served on a liaison committee.

I know your mother, Ginnetti says to Scanlon, whose mom is an event planner. And you were here many years ago helping her for my husbands birthday party. You were a teenager.

Scanlon agrees to return to talk with Arena and look at his research. But Ginnetti is clear, later, to me, about her opposition.

I think its terrible. I think more planes means more pollution, Ginnetti said. Everybody is going to be breathing more fumesAre we never supposed to go into our backyard? Never supposed to go for a walk?

Tweeds immediate goal is approval of the lease by the New Haven Board of Alders, a vote that could happen Sept. 23. Just this week, the Alders finance committee agreed to advance the plan to the full board after opponents aired their views.

But Scanlon, as he approaches neighbors, isnt talking about those goals. Unlike in his campaigns, hes not asking for support or a vote, at least not directly. This is more of a general outreach, letting people in the neighborhood know hes the face of the place.

He figures he spent two to three hours out on the surrounding streets, two to three times a week, for most of the summer.

Pretty much not a day goes by when I dont talk to at least one neighbor, he said.

One man, who didnt want to give his name, had talked with Scanlon about Lyft and Uber drivers parking on the residential street  a problem Scanlon said he fixed  but didnt know the manager he reached was the same person who now approached him in his front yard.

They dont bother us, the man said of the planes, generally.

Just the fumes, his wife added.

For most every point opponents raise, Scanlon raises a possible solution, often involving technology. Were not trying to turn it into like LaGuardia or JFK, we just want to have more service from New Haven, in fitting with the community, right? Thats all were trying to do, he told one homeowner.

Its a science and an art thats new, in some ways, for Scanlon. When I run for state Rep., you walk up to the house and I know the persons name, I know their age, I know their party affiliation, I know if theyve ever supported me in the past because we just have that information logged. In this job I go completely blind into these houses.

He actually told one homeowner he doesnt like to fly.

Despite the opposition, Scanlon has a claim in his airport job that he cant make as a politician in Guilford.

Ive never had somebody slam the door in my face and say Get off my lawn. 

dhaar@hearstmediact.com
DENVER (AP)  A lawyer for a 22-year-old man accused of shooting 10 people to death at a Colorado supermarket in March is raising questions about whether he is mentally competent to proceed with the case, according to a notice filed in court Wednesday.

Details on the concerns about Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissas mental health and how it might affect his ability to understand and participate in court proceedings are not known because the motion is sealed as required under state law.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection has requested that telecommunications and social media companies preserve the personal communications of hundreds of people who may have somehow been connected to the attack. It's a sweeping public demand from Congress that is rare, if not unprecedented, in its breadth and could put the companies in a tricky position as they balance political and privacy interests.

The committee, which is just beginning its probe, did not ask the 35 companies to turn over the records  yet. In letters Monday, the panel asked them to confidentially save the records as part of the investigation into the violent mob of former President Donald Trumps supporters who stormed the building that day and interrupted the certification of President Joe Bidens victory.

Republicans immediately criticized the request, which includes Trump himself, along with members of his family and several Republican lawmakers, according to a person familiar with the confidential request and who requested anonymity to discuss it.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who is hoping to become speaker of the House if his party wins the majority in the 2022 elections, directly threatened the companies, tweeting that a Republican majority will not forget if they turn over information.

A look at what the panel is asking for, why lawmakers want it and the potential legal issues surrounding the request:

WHAT THE COMMITTEE WANTS

The committee sent letters to the 35 companies Monday, part of its larger probe into what happened that day as the Trump supporters beat police, broke through windows and doors and sent lawmakers running for their lives. The letters request that the companies preserve metadata, subscriber information, technical usage information, and content of communications for the listed individuals from April 2020 to Jan. 31, 2021.

The request includes the content of communications, including all emails, voice messages, text or SMS/MMS messages, videos, photographs, direct messages, address books, contact lists, and other files or other data communications."

The panel released the letters publicly but withheld the list of individuals, who Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said last week numbered in the hundreds.

The companies that received the letters range from social media giants Facebook, Twitter and TikTok to telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon to conservative and far-right platforms Parler, 4chan and theDonald.win.

The panel has also requested that 15 social media companies provide records about misinformation, foreign influence and domestic extremism on their platforms related to the 2020 election. But the requests to preserve personal communications raise unique questions about the relationship between the technology companies and Congress.

WHY THEY WANT IT

Democrats have said they will examine all aspects of the attack  including what Trump was doing in the White House as it unfolded. Several Republican lawmakers talked to the president that day, and many of them have strongly supported his lies about widespread fraud in the election.

In the days immediately following the attack, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested that some Republican lawmakers might have been connected to the far-right supporters who stormed the building or were involved in the planning. There is no evidence thats true, but Democrats have said that they will look into all possible leads.

In the letters, the committee wrote that the inclusion of any individual name on the list should not be viewed as indicative of any wrongdoing by that person or others.

GOP PUSHBACK

McCarthy issued a blistering statement on Twitter Tuesday evening, saying the Democrats efforts would put every American with a phone or computer in the crosshairs of a surveillance state run by Democrat politicians.

He also said that if the companies turn over private information they are in violation of federal law and subject to losing their ability to operate in the United States.

It is unclear what federal law the companies would be violating and how they would be subject to losing their ability to operate. McCarthys office did not respond to a request for comment.

TO COMPLY OR NOT TO COMPLY?

If the committee does eventually ask for records, the decision on whether to comply, even partially, could be difficult for companies that want to cooperate but are also wary of turning over private communications of lawmakers to their political rivals. And because the request would be from Congress, and not law enforcement, the issue becomes more complicated.

Telecommunications and technology companies field requests all the time from law enforcement and the courts to turn over private information, and they often comply. But even though the committee has the power to subpoena, the calculation on whether to cooperate with Congress is often as much of a political question as it is a legal one. Democrats are in the majority, but Republicans could take over with a favorable election map in 2022. There are also regulatory and public relations factors. Its highly likely that the issue could be tied up in courts.

Its as much about the law as it is about the optics, says G.S. Hans, a law professor at Vanderbilt University who specializes in First Amendment law and technology policy. He says the companies are likely talking about this from the general counsels office but also from their lobbying arms, because I think its both things at once.

The sweeping preservation request from Congress, he says, is a new situation for many of them.

Most of the companies on the list contacted by The Associated Press did not respond or declined to comment on the request  including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Twitch, Twitter and TikTok.

Two companies, Reddit and Facebook, sent short statements saying they will comply with the committees requests.

___

Associated Press writers Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, California; Tali Arbel in Phoenix; Michael Liedtke in San Ramon, Calif.; Matt OBrien in Providence, Rhode Island; and Joseph Pisani in New York contributed to this report.
BURNSIDE, Ky. (AP)  Police and members of an animal rescue group have removed 150 neglected animals from a pet shop in southern Kentucky.

Local authorities in Pulaski County, including the Burnside Police Department, served a search warrant on the pet shop, Tim's Reptiles and Exotics on Wednesday morning. A media release from the Humane Society of the United States said dozens of snakes, lizards, turtles, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils and fish were found living in filthy, poor conditions.
MIDDLETOWN  Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo on Thursday praised Gov. Ned Lamont for overcoming obstacles in the initial development of pandemic landlord and tenant assistance program, which has now become a national model.

While it took months for Connecticut to roll out the federal support program, as of September 1, 9,388 tenants and 3,742 landlords have received grants including nearly $73 million in rental assistance, with another $38.9 million pending.

The key, Adeyemo said during a round table discussion in the senior citizens center here, was President Joe Bidens goal to make it easy to free up the money and get it to owners and tenants alike. When the president came into office he asked us to simplify the program as much as possible, Adeyemo said. What weve been doing since then is working in partnership with the states to make sure they take advantage of the flexibility we have built into our guidance.

Extra documentation and other requirements when the program started last year, he said, slowed down the relief programs throughout the country, and have now been dropped.

Ill walk away from today realizing that here in Connecticut you have found a way to use the flexibility provided by the federal government in a way that assures people get the resources they need, Adeyemo said. There is clearly more we need to do. I will be referring people to the state of Connecticut when they ask me how can we do this, when Im talking to other governors, when Im talking to other mayors, when Im talking to housing commissioners.

Adeyemo joined Lamont, U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, state Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno and other officials in a tour of a recreational vehicle retrofitted to become a mobile registration vehicle for the UniteCT, program, which depends on tenants and landlords to work together. The average assistance is about $7,500. Another 1,500 people have obtained help in paying their overdue utility bills, Mosquera-Bruno said.

Hayes said that Connecticuts success in helping navigate the pandemic, in stabilizing both families and communities, seems to be above and beyond what Congress had contemplated with the original assistance plans. I think thats our next phase of work: creating a path to home ownership, Hayes added. Right now, so much of our attention and energy is focused on what is happening right now, but we also have to be mindful of how do we prevent these types of situations from happening in the future. How do we reach out into communities before they get into an eviction, or the problem of being housing insecure.

Hayes called the assistance program unprecedented in American history, and the project itself has expanded from rental relief to helping landlords as well. This has been an evolving situation, she said. It wasnt like we legislated it, allocated funds and walked away from it. From the beginning to now, every time we heard about a potential barrier or problem or something that people were facing, we went back and said we need to tweak this or we need to change this part of these programs or this part of the law, based on what we were hearing.

She said as recently as July, when the eviction ban was set to expire, Congress came back and made adjustments.

I salute what Congress and the feds and we tried to do, which is make this money into a partnership between tenants and landlords, Lamont said. That took a little more work and it was a little over-burdensome at the beginning, but we wanted to have a sustainable solution to allow our landlords to stand on their feet and allow a lot of tenants to get back on their feet.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
WEST HAVEN  As Mayor Nancy Rossi and challenger John Lewis, former executive assistant to Rossis mayoral predecessor Ed OBrien, debated ahead of the Sept. 14 Democratic primary, several major themes emerged.

The two are seeking their partys nomination to run against Republican Barry Lee Cohen and OBrien on the Action and Accountability party line in Novembers mayoral election.

During the debate, held by the University of New Havens Mayors Advisory Commission, Rossi painted a picture of where she would take the city under a third term while Lewis drilled down on what he sees as missed opportunities and mistakes of Rossis leadership.

Although the two candidates traded responses to questions for more than two hours, three major themes emerged from the debate.

Economic development

Rossi, in her first term, beginning in 2017, was about straightening out the citys budget after she inherited a multimillion-dollar deficit, collaborating with state officials after the city was placed under the Municipal Accountability Review Board because of an excess of deficit bonding. Her second term, she said, has been about addressing quality of life issues. For her third term, Rossi said she wants to tackle economic development.

She said when she first took office absolutely no one would come here and we wouldnt have any economic development here because of the poor economic condition of the city.

Now, with an established rainy day fund and with the receipt of some state bonding money, Rossi said she sees that dominoes are beginning to fall. Developers are calling daily, she said, and the city recently has seen the sale of several blighted, economically unproductive areas in high-visibility areas such as the former Staples building on Sawmill Road, which will become a 7-Eleven gas station and convenience store, and the former sites of Chicks Drive-In and Debonair Motel on Beach Street.

But Lewis said he believes theres a lot of low-hanging fruit in the city: areas the city has ignored and programs the city has not taken advantage of.

For 14 years nothing has happened with that arts center, he said of a planned arts center at 304 Center St. The arts center is a cornerstone in bringing people back to West Haven.

He also said that the most recent development in the city has been the sale of privately-owned properties to other private buyers. He said he sees economic development opportunity in creating a building in space used for the City Hall parking lot. Lewis said he also would seek a bioscience enterprise zone designation from the state to support entrepreneurship near the University of New Haven and the Engineering and Science University Magnet School on its campus.

I think 7-Eleven is great, but whats going to happen to the Shell and the convenience store, the Dunkin Donuts? 7-Eleven is going to win, so well have two vacant properties on each side. We have to think about the future of West Haven, he said.

Lewis also criticized the appearance of the former Silvers building downtown.

Branding is the key, folks. We have no brand right now, he said.

Rossi said her administration has considered plans to beautify the old Silvers building by painting its windows to at least make it look more appealing to people passing by.

We are doing our absolute best throughout the city to tell people we want you here, we welcome you here and we want your business here, she said.

Rossi said she also is working with the citys finance director to finalize a plan for spending the American Rescue Plan Act funding, which will require approval by the City Council. She said funding for completing the arts center is a strong consideration for inclusion in that plan.

Budgeting

Rossi spoke of the citys financial outlook positively, saying the city was in a deficit when she took office that taxpayers are still paying for, but she has gotten a handle on the budget and righted the ship. Getting the financial train back on track was what she cited as her greatest accomplishment as mayor.

Although she acknowledged residents are unhappy with taxes  something she said is a result of having to shoulder the burden of past deficit bonding  she said the citys tax rate and all fire district tax rates went down this year.

Lewis said the citys budget has improved only because of one-time funds such as federal coronavirus aid and money received from the state because of the citys financial outlook.

Rossi said all of the citys financial decisions have received approval from the MARB, so she deferred to the experts about the citys budgeting.

Lewis also received several questions about his role in the OBrien administration and its deficit bonding. When asked by moderator UNH associate professor Chris Haynes what he would do differently if he could revisit that administration, Lewis said he would not go backwards, I would move forward.

This has happened, it took place. I was not the mayor, I served at the pleasure of the mayor, he said.

Going forward, he said, would mean listening to experts and other City Hall officials.

Measure twice and cut once, he said.

Transparency

The issue of transparency came up multiple times during the debate.

When asked about his plans for transparency and community engagement, Lewis said he would be in constant contact with residents as mayor, seeking their input.

We want to reach the Latino, the Turkish, the African American, the male and female. Every person in the city, we want to hear what they have to say: what are your challenges? No idea will be dismissed, all ideas, good or bad, wed love to hear them, he said. The city wont be run by a few select people.

He said the community should be more involved in the present discussions about how the city will use its coronavirus recovery funding from the federal government.

Rossi said that, as mayor, she has done active community outreach with regular town hall meetings.

It is important people know whats going on, she said.

Lewis charged Rossi with not providing regular updates to the public during the pandemic.

It did not come with a handbook or a directory on how to handle it, Rossi said of the pandemic. We worked very diligently to keep everyone safe.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
NEW HAVEN - Artist Kwadwo Adae attended city schools and was taught about historical area figures such as Eli Whitney, but doesnt remember hearing a word about notable New Haven son, Edward Alexander Bouchet, the first Black doctoral recipient in the United States.

I could have used a role model of color in science, Adae said of Bouchet, who earned his Ph.D. in physics in 1876. This should have been a name I knew growing up.

Now thanks to Adaes insight, Bouchets face, name and accomplishments will be known where its needed most.

He has almost completed a colorful, 9-foot-by-36-foot mural on the side of Community Baptist Church at the intersection of Dixwell Avenue and Henry Street.

Contributed photo

The popular muralist has worked on the piece with the help of one of his sons, Kwasi, 16.

Bouchet, born in New Haven in 1852, attended Hopkins School, where he was class valedictorian, and graduated Yale University, class of 1874, receiving his doctorate two years later. He died in 1918 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

Once described as off the scale brilliant, Bouchet was the sixth person in the Western Hemisphere to earn a doctorate in physics.

His concentration was on the refraction of different kinds of glass, his thesis on measuring refractive light.

The new mural reflects Bouchets work with light, depicting three images of him: one darker one to look like an old-fashioned photograph, one in warm red to yellow tones and another in tones from purple to green.

In the finishing touches, facts about Bouchet will be added.

Contributed photo

The mural already caught the eye of scientist Ainissa G. Ramirez, who said she was driving down Henry Street like she usually does and saw this magnificent mural.

I knew it was Bouchet and wondered who else knew about this hidden figure of New Haven, she said, noting she had heard about him only because she was a professor at Yale and at one point saw a portrait of him.

When I saw the mural, I snapped a picture and posted a tweet about it on Twitter. I got 1,500 likes on that tweet and also found out who was the muralist, Ramirez said.

Ramirez, a science writer based in New Haven and author of the book, The Alchemy of Us, said she drove down Henry Street on another day and introduced herself to Adae and his son and took photographs. She told them she would let people know about the mural and contacted the Register.

The reason why this personally resonates with me is because I, too, am a Black scientist. I got my Ph.D. from Stanford in materials science over 120 years after he (Bouchet) did. We are connected, Ramirez said. He is my academic ancestor and the fact that Bouchet is finally being recognized makes me happy on a very deep level. He was born ahead of his time. The very least I could do is make sure that many people know about him.

Adae, owner of Adae Fine Art Academy, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian history/public health in 1998 from the University of Rochester; after spending time in the corporate world, he decided to follow his true passion and in 2005 earned a Master of Arts in painting from New York University.

Adae, a Bethany resident who has numerous notable murals here and abroad, including in India and Guatemala, has said hes inspired to contribute to the discourse of public art.

His murals, including the one featuring Bouchet, often are funded by grants from various organizations, this time including Yale University, New Havens Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism, and Neighborhood Housing Services New Haven.

Kwadwo Adae s project is aligned to cultural equity and it a great example about what we mean when we say that we need to preserve Black and brown history, cultural heritage and share stories that are important to our residents, said Adriane Jefferson, director of the Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism.

Contributed photo

For over a year the Department of Cultural Affairs has been focused on cultural equity and ensuring that everyone has access to the arts and that includes being aware and intentional about where we have art show up as well as having art that is relevant to the community that it is placed in, Jefferson said.

Jim Paley, executive director of Neighborhood Housing Services, said the location of Adaes mural on the border of the Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhoods is absolutely perfect, because they historically are African-American neighborhoods.

The decision to honor Dr. Bouchet is truly remarkable in that he was a scholar too often overlooked in the history of New Haven and his contributions to science and academia are significant, Paley said. His intellectual prowess deserves recognition, especially in the African-American community.

Adae said art is a powerful tool of language that allows people to be heard and said hes committed to painting public art in places that formerly were red-lined communities, such as Newhallville.

Public art allows him to amplify the voices and beauty that already reside in these spaces, he has said.
NEW HAVEN  At least four New Haven Public Schools students have been confirmed with cases of COVID-19, according to officials.

A student each in the Davis Street Magnet and the Edgewood Magnet had cases confirmed (Wednesday), the district said in an email. Two students in the Beecher Magnet school also had tests confirmed, according to the district.

Nine Davis students were quarantined for exposure to the student whose case was confirmed, according to the district. Three Edgewood students and six Beecher students initially were quarantined, the district said.

In a later update, the district confirmed that, in addition to two students at Beecher, as third individual at the school tested positive for COVID-19. The individuals have been instructed by the New Haven Health Department to remain home in isolation for 10 days, and have been provided with additional instructions to follow prior to returning to school, district spokesman Justin Harmon said.

Because there were two students in the same Beecher classroom, the classroom was quarantined based on the definition of an outbreak, according to the district. Based on CDC guidelines, a classroom outbreak is defined as two or more COVID-19 cases from separate households over a 10-day period in the same classroom or cohort, according to the district.

Further, COVID cases were confirmed Thursday at each of Barack H. Obama Magnet University School, Wilbur Cross High School, and Bishop Woods Architecture and Design Magnet School, according to Harmon. Twelve individuals were quarantined as a result, eight at Obama, two at Wilbur Cross, and two at Bishop Woods, according to Harmon.

Students returned to school from the summer break on Monday.

The New Haven Public Schools follow CDC guidance and Connecticut state mandates in addressing the Covid pandemic, according to the email.

Among precautions taken in city schools, face coverings are required for all in school buildings and on school buses, with scheduled mask breaks.

Any student quarantining at home will have asynchronous instruction, meaning they will complete assignments posted online by the teacher and not receive live instruction, according to officials.

The district has promoted vaccines among staff and students age 12 and up, holding 100 clinics and multiple ways for students and staff to get the shot.

As of August 26, the city Covid positivity rate was 19.4 per 100,00, according to state data. That rate was for the period August 8 to August 21, according to the state data.

As city officials announced Wednesday that health inspectors will be cracking down on the city mask mandate, Health Director Moritza Bond said New Haven recently saw two additional deaths as a result of COVID-19, bringing the total number of pandemic-related deaths in New Haven to 211.

About 70 percent of the school districts work force is vaccinated, based on self-reported data, according to officials.

By Sept. 27, according to a new state requirement, all staff must all be vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19.
Its been an especially rainy summer in Connecticut, though the state hasnt actually seen a hurricane this year.

Actually, a hurricane hasnt made landfall in Connecticut in 36 years when Gloria tore through the state in 1985.

Thats not to say Connecticut hasnt had storms. Quite the opposite, according to Gary Lessor, of Western Connecticut State Universitys weather center. There has been no shortage of tropical storms, depressions and the remnants of hurricanes.

Seems like were getting tropical storm after tropical storm, he said.

This year has seen nine named storms so far, including Fred, Henri, Elsa and now Ida, which Lessor said was somewhat unprecedented. The fact that four of those have or will affect Connecticut is also rare.

I dont recall being impacted by four tropical systems in a year, especially not considering theres only been nine so far this year, Lessor said.

This has been a particularly rainy summer. There were 15.7 inches of precipitation in Fairfield County between May and July, the last full month for which data is available, 120 percent of normal.

That holds true across the state. Precipitation in Litchfield County was 134 percent of normal between May and July, 124 percent of normal in New Haven County and 119 percent of normal in Middlesex County.

But, by the time these storms made it to Connecticut, none of these were hurricanes, Lessor said. You could go decades between hurricane strikes in Connecticut without a doubt.

There was Hurricane Bob in 1991 but, as Lessor noted, it made landfall in Rhode Island: Gloria was the last true direct-landfall Connecticut hurricane, he said.

Long Island is in the way, but the real reason Connecticut hasnt seen so many full-strength hurricanes is the water temperature.

The current water temperature in the Long Island Sound is 75 or so degrees, and while that may be warm and enjoyable, its a bit too cold for hurricanes.

For a hurricane to form, everything has to be perfect, Lessor said. It wants 80s, 90s, the warmer the better.

The water in the Gulf of Mexico off the shore of Galveston is currently a balmy 89 degrees, which explains why Ida is doing its voodoo so well.

Thats why the Gulf coast gets hammered on a fairly regular basis, Lessor said.
HONOLULU (AP)  A police captain on the Hawaii island of Kauai has filed a lawsuit alleging his police chief discriminated against him for being Japanese American, including an episode when the chief squinted his eyes, bowed repeatedly and said he couldn't trust Japanese people.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu last week names Police Chief Todd Raybuck, Kauai County, the Kauai Police Department, the Kauai Police Commission and multiple unnamed individuals to be determined.

The police commission in April suspended Raybuck without pay for five days for making discriminatory comments after an investigation found he mocked people of Asian descent.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit, 55-year-old Paul Applegate, is part Japanese and has worked for the police department since 2000.

His lawsuit alleges multiple instances of Raybuck  who became Kauai's police chief in 2019 after he retired from 27 years as a police officer in Las Vegas  squinting his eyes at Applegate and mocking Asians.

The lawsuit alleges the department internally announced a white officer had been selected as assistant chief of the administrative and technical bureau even though no formal selection process had taken place. When Applegate applied for the job anyway, Raybuck interviewed him one-on-one even though prior department practice called for two people to conduct such interviews.

When Applegate met with Raybuck afterward to discuss the selection process, criteria and scoring, the lawsuit said the chief mocked the appearance of Japanese people.

Chief Raybuck proceeded to squint his eyes and repeatedly bow to plaintiff, stating that he could not trust Japanese people because they do not always tell the truth, the lawsuit said. He then stated that the Western culture tells it like it us, whereas the Japanese culture says yes, yes, yes to your face even when they think the person's idea is stupid."

Alden Alayvilla, a spokesperson for Kauai County, said the county was unable to comment because of pending litigation. Coco Zickos, a spokesperson for the police department and Raybuck, said neither could comment because of pending litigation.

The lawsuit said Applegate filed complaints with the Kauai Police Commission, the county and the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission.

When the police commission suspended Raybuck, the police department said the chief would be required to complete Equal Employment Opportunity anti-discrimination training and cultural sensitivity training.

The department didnt provide details about the violations found by the commissions investigation, only the dates: Nov. 13, 2019 and July 29, 2020. These dates correspond with episodes detailed in Applegates lawsuit.

Raybuck said in a statement upon his April suspension that he values and appreciates diversity in the workplace and community.

I accept responsibility for my comments and will continue to use this experience to expand my cultural awareness and increase my knowledge and understanding of different cultures, he said.

Applegates lawsuit said Raybuck continued to discriminate after returning from his suspension. The lawsuit said Raybuck denied Applegates request to be temporarily assigned with pay to an assistant chief position while an assistant chief was temporarily assigned to the chiefs office. Other officers were treated differently, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said that in June, Raybuck brought three individuals on to his command staff  all of them white.

The lawsuit seeks damages and attorneys fees.
A small jet crashed shortly after taking off from a small airport in Connecticut on Thursday morning, killing all four people aboard, officials said.

The jet took off just before 10 a.m. from the Robertson Airport before crashing into the building at Trumpf Inc., a manufacturing company, Farmington Police Lt. Tim McKenzie said.

It appears there was some type of mechanical failure during the takeoff sequence that resulted in the crash behind us, he said.

The plane, a Cessna Citation 560X, was headed to Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, North Carolina, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Two pilots and two passengers were killed, McKenzie said. Their names were not immediately released.

The crash set off chemical fires inside the Trumpf building, Gov. Ned Lamont said. Everybody who was in the building has been accounted for, with two employees suffering injuries the company said were not serious, according to officials.

Authorities are trying to identify the dead on the plane, parts of which protruded from the building or were scattered on the lawn outside, Lamont said.

It was just a ball of fire, an explosion, and then the chemical fires afterwards," he said.

I think they are still trying to identify who was there, identify the next of kin before we can say anything else," he said. "I just know it was incredible. The thing was filled with jet fuel."

Farmington is in central Connecticut, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southwest of the state capital of Hartford.

McKenzie said an intense fire burned for over 20 minutes.

Caleb Vaichaus, who works near the crash site, said he ran to the scene after hearing a loud explosion and seeing billows of black smoke from the Trumpf building.

I ran straight toward it to see if I could help. I got as close as I possibly could and the flames were extremely hot and the fire was just getting bigger," he told WTIC-TV.

___ The headline on this story has been corrected to show that the four who were aboard died, instead of four passengers dying.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines Thursday after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China.

Taiwan had been unable to buy the vaccine itself directly from BioNTech, the German company that had partnered with U.S.-based Pfizer to develop the mRNA vaccine.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen earlier accused China of blocking Taiwan from getting the Pfizer vaccine through BioNTech, saying that they had all but signed the contracts when the deal was delayed indefinitely. China has denied any interference.

Eventually, two private companies, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. and Hon Hai Precision Electronics, as well as a Buddhist organization Tzu Chi, stepped in to buy the vaccines and donate them to Taiwan.

The three organizations bought a total of 15 million doses. The flight carrying the first 930,000 doses arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on Thursday morning.

Even their arrival has been dogged by politics. Local media at first reported Taiwan was getting doses ahead of schedule because they weren't needed in mainland China, where the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has not yet been cleared for use.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said last week that he had been told by TSMC that the vaccines would have simplified Chinese labels from China. Taiwan uses traditional, rather than simplified, Chinese characters. However, he emphasized that what mattered was the safety and the quality of the vaccine, not the labeling.

TSMC said Thursday that they would remove the simplified Chinese labels after the vaccines arrived.

Chinese company Fosun Pharma has distribution rights for the vaccine in Greater China, a phrase Beijing says includes Taiwan. Fosun said on its social media Wednesday that it had supplied the batch of vaccines that was due to arrive, complete with an image of the shipment that displayed their logo prominently.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be given to 12-17-year-olds, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control had said.

Taiwan has been using AstraZeneca, Moderna and the domestically made Medigen vaccine in its campaign so far and has vaccinated 43% of its population with at least one dose. The island's policy is to give out first doses widely.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a nurse staffing crisis that is forcing many U.S. hospitals to pay top dollar to get the help they need to handle the crush of patients this summer.

The problem, health leaders say, is twofold: Nurses are quitting or retiring, exhausted or demoralized by the crisis. And many are leaving for lucrative temporary jobs with traveling-nurse agencies that can pay $5,000 or more a week.

It's gotten to the point where doctors are saying, Maybe I should quit being a doctor and go be a nurse, said Dr. Phillip Coule, chief medical officer at Georgia's Augusta University Medical Center, which has on occasion seen 20 to 30 resignations in a week from nurses taking traveling jobs.

And then we have to pay premium rates to get staff from another state to come to our state, Coule said.

The average pay for a traveling nurse has soared from roughly $1,000 to $2,000 per week before the pandemic to $3,000 to $5,000 now, said Sophia Morris, a vice president at San Diego-based health care staffing firm Aya Healthcare. She said Aya has 48,000 openings for traveling nurses to fill.

At competitor SimpliFi, President James Quick said the hospitals his company works with are seeing unprecedented levels of vacancies.

Small to medium-sized hospitals generally have dozens of full-time openings, and the large health systems have hundreds of full-time openings," he said.

The explosion in pay has made it hard on hospitals without deep enough pockets.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly lamented recently that the state's hospitals risk being outbid for nurses by other states that pay a fortune. She said Wednesday that several hospitals, including one in Topeka, had open beds but no nurses to staff them.

In Kansas City, Missouri, Truman Medical Centers has lost about 10 nurses to travel jobs in recent days and is looking for travelers to replace them, said CEO Charlie Shields.

He said it is hard to compete with the travel agencies, which are charging hospitals $165 to $170 an hour per nurse. He said the agencies take a big cut of that, but he estimated that nurses are still clearing $70 to $90 an hour, which is two to three times what the hospital pays its staff nurses.

I think clearly people are taking advantage of the demand that is out there, Shields said. I hate to use `gouged as a description, but we are clearly paying a premium and allowing people to have fairly high profit margins.

In Texas, more than 6,000 travel nurses have flooded the state to help with the surge through a state-supported program. But on the same day that 19 of them went to work at a hospital in the northern part of the state, 20 other nurses at the same place gave notice that they would be leaving for a traveling contract, said Carrie Kroll, a vice president at the Texas Hospital Association.

The nurses who havent left, who have stayed with their facilities, they are seeing these other people come in now who are making more money. It provides a tense working environment," Kroll said.

The pandemic was in its early stages when Kim Davis, 36, decided to quit her job at an Arkansas hospital and become a travel nurse. She said she has roughly doubled her income in the 14 months that she has been treating patients in intensive care units in Phoenix; San Bernardino, California; and Tampa, Florida.

Since Ive been traveling, Ive paid off all my debt. I paid off about $50,000 in student loans, she said.

Davis said many of her colleagues are following the same path.

Theyre leaving to go travel because why would you do the same job for half the pay? she said. If theyre going to risk their lives, they should be compensated.

Health leaders say nurses are bone-tired and frustrated from being asked to work overtime, from getting screamed at and second-guessed by members of the community, and from dealing with people who chose not to get vaccinated or wear a mask.

Imagine going to work every day and working the hardest that you have worked and stepping out of work and what you see every day is denied in the public," said Julie Hoff, chief nurse executive at OU Health in Oklahoma. The death that you see every day is not honored or recognized."

Meanwhile, hospitals are getting squeezed by the revolving door of departures and new hires from traveling agencies.

Coule cited a recent example in which his hospital in Georgia hired a respiratory therapist through an agency to replace a staff member who had decided to accept a traveling gig. The replacement came from the same hospital where his respiratory therapist had just gone to work.

Essentially we swapped personnel but at double the cost, he said.

Patricia Pittman, director of the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at George Washington University, said many nurses still harbor resentment toward their employers from the early stages of the pandemic, in part from being forced to work without adequate protective gear.

The nurses say, Hey, if I am not going to be treated with respect, I might as well go be a travel nurse,'" she said. 'That way I can go work in a hellhole for 13 weeks, but then I can take off a couple months or three months and go do whatever.'"

___

Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas, and Kunzelman from College Park, Maryland.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Millions of jobless Americans who have depended on federal unemployment aid as a financial lifeline are about to lose those benefits just as the delta variant of the coronavirus poses a renewed threat to the economy and the job market.

Two programs  one that provides jobless aid to self-employed and gig workers, the other to people whove been unemployed for more than six months  will expire Monday. As a result, 8.9 million people will lose those weekly benefit payments, according to an estimate by Oxford Economics.

An additional 2.1 million people will lose a $300-a-week federal supplemental unemployment payment, which also expires Monday. These recipients will, however, continue to receive state unemployment benefits.

The cutoffs come as employers have been steadily hiring and laying off fewer workers. The number of people applying for jobless aid dropped 14,000 last week to 340,000, the Labor Department said Thursday, to the lowest level since the pandemic struck in March of last year.

Still, the number of people who will lose financial support starting next week is much higher than during previous cutoffs of expanded unemployment aid. After the Great Recession in 2008-2009, for example, when jobless aid was extended to 99 weeks, that extension lasted through 2013. When that benefits program finally ended, just 1.3 million people were still receiving aid.

The current expanded jobless aid programs were created in the financial rescue legislation that was enacted after the pandemic erupted and was extended by President Joe Biden last March. Lawmakers generally expected that by September, with more Americans vaccinated and employers stepping up hiring, the pandemic would fade and the economy would fully recover.

While the economy is rebounding, economists worry that the delta variant may slow hiring and growth. When the government releases the August jobs report Friday, some analysts expect it to show a slowdown in hiring.

Next week's cutoff of unemployment checks for millions will abruptly erase a vital source of income for many.

We were a thriving middle-class family 18 months ago, said Chenon Hussey of West Bend, Wisconsin. Were going to fall off the map" when the federal benefits end.

Hussey, 42, who works part time for a county government, is trying to revive a small motivational speaking business that was crushed by the pandemic. Her husband, a master welder, has been laid off three times during the health crisis.

The federal benefits, she said, have been the bridge from absolute poverty for us. Without them, Hussey said, their monthly income will drop by $2,800. They wont be able to afford the intensive care that their daughter, who has developmental disabilities, needs. They may have to move her to a group home, which is what we never wanted for her.

Their cars are paid off, but the mortgage remains a struggle.

Its going to take us a while to get through it, she said. We are positive in the fact that were both willing to do what we need to do.

Twenty-five states have already ended the $300 weekly supplement and nearly all of those have also stopped the two emergency federal programs, ending payments for about 3.5 million people, Oxford Economics estimates. Those early cutoffs occurred after some businesses complained in the spring and summer that they couldn't find enough people to hire.

Nearly all the 25 states are run by Republican governors  except for Louisiana  and most asserted that the $300-a-week in supplemental federal aid was discouraging the unemployed from taking jobs. Posted job openings  a record 10.1 million in June  have been rising faster than applicants have lined up to fill them.

Yet research has found that the early cutoffs of federal jobless aid have led to only a small increase, at most, in hiring. A study by Kyle Coombs, an economist at Columbia University, and Arindrajit Dube, an economist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, found that in states that kept the federal benefit programs, 22% of people receiving benefits in April had found work by the end of July. In states that cutoff aid, that figure was nearly 26%, a modest increase.

Other research has found even less impact: In a report last week, economists Peter McCrory and Daniel Silver of J.P. Morgan found zero correlation between job growth and state decisions to drop the federal unemployment aid, at least so far. They warned that the loss of income from a cutoff of unemployment checks could itself lead to job losses, potentially offsetting any gain" from encouraging more people to go back to work.

Most economists cite other factors that have made it harder for businesses to fill jobs at the pay they are offering: Many of the unemployed don't want to take jobs in service industries such as restaurants and hotels, out of fear they will contract COVID-19. In addition, many women have dropped out of the job market to care for children and have struggled to find or afford child care.

Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a think tank, estimates the expiration of the benefit programs will reduce aid payments by $5 billion a week, likely weakening spending.

We are all tired of the pandemic, but that doesnt mean we forgo taking the steps that we need to keep people afloat, Stettner said.
BOSTON (AP)  A question that would require voters to present an ID and a second that would grant new benefits for drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft while stopping short of declaring them employees have cleared an initial hurdle on their way to next years ballot.

Other proposed initiatives that received a constitutional green light from Attorney General Maura Healeys office Wednesday would legalize the sale of fireworks in Massachusetts, create a whale safe fishing act, allow for the return of happy hours, and create a Right to Counsel Program for those facing eviction.

The questions were among 16 proposed laws and one proposed constitutional amendment that met the requirements for ballot initiatives outlined in the Massachusetts Constitution, according to Healey's office. Another 13 proposed were deemed unconstitutional.

The Massachusetts Constitution requires proposed initiatives be in the proper form to present to voters, not be substantially the same as any measure on the ballot in either of the two preceding statewide elections, contain only subjects related to each other and not involve topics specifically excluded from the ballot initiative process.

One of the thorniest questions is the one being pushed by some gig workers and a coalition of app-based businesses including Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart.

Supporters say the proposal would set a minimum earnings guarantee for workers, extend new benefits including health care stipends, paid sick time and paid family and medical leave and occupational accident insurance, and protect drivers from discrimination. At the same time, workers would remain as independent contractors instead of employees.

Critics, including labor unions, said the measure would create a second class status for drivers, delivery workers, and other app-based workers in Massachusetts while allowing big tech companies to avoid paying taxes and pushing a false choice that drivers can only maintain scheduling flexibility by surrendering other worker rights.

Other questions allowed to move ahead Wednesday would ban hospital CEOs from working with medical device or pharmaceutical companies and increase the statewide limits on the combined number of licenses any one retailer can have for the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Another ballot question that passed the constitutional test is backed by the conservative Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance and would roll back the Transportation and Climate Initiative, a pact signed in 2020 by the governors of three New England states  Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island  and the mayor of Washington, D.C., aimed at reducing transportation pollution.

The TCI ballot question would allow ordinary residents to decide if the state should artificially limit the supply of gasoline and diesel fuels in order to increase fuel costs with hopes to drive down usage, said Paul Diego Craney, a spokesman for the group.

The group Transportation for Massachusetts said the multi-state pact is aimed at reducing carbon emissions while generating investments in clean transportation alternatives. The ballot question would threaten efforts to address extreme weather events fueled by climate change and could damage other efforts to eliminate pollution from transportation, the group said.

Among the questions that failed the constitutional test according to Healey are proposals that would make it a felony to target an individuals ability to make a living due to postings on social media, ban smoking in multi-family housing units, and require that if a child is born alive, all reasonable steps must be taken to preserve the childs life.

Voters or petitioners who take issue with the AGs certification decisions can ask the Supreme Judicial Court for a review.

Passing the constitutional test is just the first step on a long journey to the 2022 ballot.

Supporters must now collect the signatures of more than 80,200 registered voters by Dec. 1. Once these signatures are collected, the proposal will be sent to state lawmakers. If the Legislature fails to enact their proposal before May 4, supporters have to collect an additional 13,300 signatures by July 6 to secure a place for the initiative on the November 2022 ballot.

The decisions do not reflect her offices support or opposition to the questions, Healey said.

A petition cannot be approved if it relates to religion, religious practices or religious institutions; the powers, creation or abolition of the courts; the appointment, compensation or tenure of judges; a specific appropriation of funds from the state treasury; or if it infringes on other protected constitutional rights, such as trial by jury, freedom of the press and freedom of speech, Healeys office said.
BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP)  The Great State of Maine Air Show this weekend will feature aerial acrobats, all manner of vintage and modern planes, and the Navys flight demonstration team.

But drones are not welcome.
WEST HAVEN  The citys centennial fireworks and a Doobie Brothers tribute concert are set as highlights for a weekend of festivities marking West Havens 100th anniversary, according to organizers.

The fireworks and concert, held by the West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee and the Savin Rock Fireworks Committee, are part of a six-month series of free events commemorating the communitys 1921 birth and its incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticuts youngest municipality, organizers said in a release.

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, the centennial committees honorary chairwoman, said the fireworks, dubbed They Will Be Heard on the 3rd, will launch off Bradley Point at 8 p.m. Friday. The rain date is Saturday.

This event is going to feel more like the Fourth of July than the end of summer, Rossi said in the statement. The centennial committee wanted a capstone celebration to close out an entire season of concerts. I hope everyone comes out to enjoy the fun and community spirit the committee has been generating.

The display was moved from July 3 to Labor Day weekend to safely accommodate the many spectators expected, according to the city.

According to centennial committee Chairwoman Beth A. Sabo, the citys commissioner of human resources, Gail Hande will push a button to help launch the fireworks.

Sabo said Hande, of West Haven, was among dozens of supporters who purchased a $10 centennial lawn sign and was entered into a raffle for a chance to push the button. Handes name was drawn in the raffle at the centennial concert Aug. 28, according to Sabo.

Police will close Captain Thomas Boulevard and Ocean Avenue, from Kelsey Avenue to South Street, at 5 p.m. Friday. The roads will reopen around 10 p.m., according to police and the city.

Police will strictly enforce all beach regulations, which are posted at each access point along the shoreline, as well as these restrictions:

 All bags will be subject to search before entering the beach area.

 No alcoholic beverages will be allowed on the beach.

 No disorderly or obscene conduct will be tolerated.

 No open fires or cooking will be allowed on the beach.

Before the fireworks, there will be funk and rock music played by the Kathy Thompson Band on a portable stage in front of Savin Rock from 6 to 8 p.m., according to the city.

Food trucks will be parked on the north side of Captain Thomas Boulevard, from Dyke Street to Platt Court, with a variety of foods and desserts for sale, according to the city.

On Sept. 5, the West Haven Centennial Concert Series will culminate in Old Grove Park at 7 p.m. with a two-hour show by the group What a Fool Believes, with a Doobie Brothers experience. The rain date is Sept. 9.

The show is co-sponsored by the West Haven Veterans Council and West Haven Vietnam Veterans.

For a list of centennial events, visit: www.cityofwesthaven.com/343/Centennial-Events.
Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. Low 64F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. Low 64F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
No fewer than 25 bandits have been killed and 66 criminals arrested within three weeks across the Northwest, the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, ...





No fewer than 25 bandits have been killed and 66 criminals arrested within three weeks across the Northwest, the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has said.

DHQ said troops of Operation Hadarin Daji killed the bandits and arrested the criminals alongside their collaborators within the last three weeks.

Brigadier-General Bernard Onyeuko, DHQ spokesman, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja.

Onyeuko also disclosed that two armed robbers were neutralised and 13 bandits informants arrested by the troops.

He said: In operation HADARIN DAJI, troops have sustained their operations against the bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements in the North-West Geo-political zone.

Troops within the period arrested criminal informants/collaborators whose activities have been causing setbacks for own troops operations in the zone. A total of 15 armed bandits, 2 armed robbers were neutralized, 13 bandits informants arrested, 15 motorcycles were recovered, 2 AK 47 rifles recovered, 33 kidnap victims rescued, 66 criminal elements were arrested and some vandalized railway sleepers/tracks were recovered within the period in focus.

The operations that led to the significant results were carried out at Gidan Zuma village under Kwatarkwashi District and Bakinwa in Gusau LGA; Matuzgi and Gora Namaye village in Maradun LGA of Zamfara State; and along Gurbi  Shimfida Road in Jibia LGA of Katsina State. Other locations where significant results were recorded include; Magam village in Tangaza LGA of Sokoto State, Faskari Town and Batsari/Ruma general area in Batsari LGA and Jibia Town in Jibia LGA of Katsina State.
Embattled Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus has denied claims of being suspended at his Ward 5 in Ikuru town, A...

Embattled Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus has denied claims of being suspended at his Ward 5 in Ikuru town, Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Reports making rounds on social media claimed that Secondus suspension was announced by the Ward Chairman of the Party, George Christopher, at the partys extraordinary meeting at the partys secretariat at Ikuru town, Andoni Local Government Area.

The chairman said eleven executive members out of the 17 endorsed Secondus suspension from the party.

According to him, the national chairman had not attracted development to the area despite his high political profile and inability to manage the party.

Suspension of Prince Uche Secondus was done by the Ward executive after a duly constituted Ward meeting called by the Secretary on the instructions of the Chairman, according to the Constitution of our great party.

Until further notice, our brother, Prince Uche Secondus remains suspended. I want to thank you for coming and reaffirming the suspension of Uche Secundus, he said.

However, when contacted, his media aide, Ike Abonyi refuted the claims adding that it never happened.

I can confirm that the story is false and you can quote me anywhere. Im currently in Port Harcourt and theres no such thing as him being suspended, he said.
The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to end the ongoing industrial action embarked upon b...





The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to end the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) without further delay.

Ooni Ogunwusi made the call on Thursday at Ile Oodua Palace, Ile-Ife, during the inauguration of the South-West Traditional Leaders Committee on Public Health Delivery, by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire.

Describing the strike action as highly unfortunate, the Ooni, who is the co-Chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, noted that health workers are essential service providers who should not abandon their duty posts no matter what.

I am aware of your relentless efforts towards ending the strike as quickly as possible but Nigerians cannot wait any further. The strike action has brought a lot of hardships to Nigerians especially the poor and other vulnerable persons who cannot afford privately owned health facilities which obviously is now the alternative, Ooni admonished.

Speaking further on roles of traditional rulers in efficient public health delivery, Ooni Ogunwusi noted that the relevance of kings and chiefs across the country particularly can be attested to by their roles in the fight against the Ebola virus disease, polio and others.

We are the closest to our people, palaces have no doors and that is why it is easy for information to reach all of our subjects immediately we send them. They believe us so much too by the virtue of our tradition and we are upholding these good traits.

The newly inaugurated Southwest Traditional Leaders Committee on PHC Delivery is indeed going to formalize the enormous works of traditional rulers across Yoruba land and I can assure you that Nigerians are going to benefit immensely from this initiative, the Ooni added.

In his response, the Minister of Health promised that efforts would be doubled to ensure that the current industrial action being embarked upon by health workers would be brought to an end.

This is a time when we face different challenges in the health sector due to the adverse effect of COVID-19, it is not the best time for doctors to be going on strike. We are working to ensure that they resume soonest and I want to assure Nigerians that this would be achieved very soon, he said.
Nigerias consulate general in New York has raised an alarm over a fake website for passport applications. The consulate in a statem...

Nigerias consulate general in New York has raised an alarm over a fake website for passport applications.

The consulate in a statement issued on Wednesday, urged Nigerians to always seek proper guidance on passport applications, NAN reports.

According to the statement, the website directs passport applicants to make payments through Zelle using telephone number 770-510-9332.

The attention of the consulate has been drawn to the operations of a website, www.nigerianpassports.com purporting to be a platform for processing Nigerian passports.

The consulate wishes to state that this website is fake and set up to defraud applicants for Nigerian passport.

While the consulate liaises with local authorities and the Nigeria Immigration Service Headquarters, in Abuja, to investigate this fraudulent website, the general public is reminded that the global website for applications for Nigerian passport remains portal.immigration.gov.ng..

For the consulate in New York, the website is www.nigeriahouse.com.

All enquiries to the consulate may be channelled through the following email address: cgnny@nigeriahouse.com, the statement said.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Thunderstorms likely late. Low around 65F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Thunderstorms likely late. Low around 65F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
With the 2019 hurricane season set to begin Saturday, federal, state and city officials gathered at City Hall on Tuesday to urge residents to start preparing now, stressing that a last-minute increase in strength or shifts in a storm's track can leave little time to react when a storm is bearing down on southeast Louisiana.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell was among two dozen leaders taking turns to say their respective organizations are ready for the storm season. Although 2019 is predicted to be an average season in terms of the number of storms, she noted, it takes only one storm to wreak havoc and threaten lives and property.

"We're urging residents throughout our city to be prepared, not just in terms of a five-day (plan); we need a three-day," she said, noting that New Orleans was spared last year when a rapidly strengthening Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle. "Michael taught us that sometimes we have to act even faster; we won't have 70 hours to prepare."

Cantrell said its not so much the strength of a particular storm that matters, but how much water its expected to bring. Its the water that has the greatest impact on our city and on our people, she said.

Ghassan Korban, executive director of the Sewerage & Water Board, said the agency recently brought back online a major pump at Station 4 in Gentilly, putting that station at full capacity.

"That puts us at 116 of 120 pumps that are ready and available to be used at a moment's notice," he said, adding that the agency "has never been as ready, ever."

Can't see video below? Click here.

Korban said the system has one turbine down  Turbine No. 4 on South Claiborne Avenue  but expects to have it back in service by Thursday and is in "very good standing" in terms of power supply.

Cantrell said the height of the Mississippi River is an issue the city is watching closely. The river has been swollen for months by water flowing downstream from up north, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has opened the Bonnet Carre Spillway twice this season, for the first time in history.

That spillway is expected to remain open until July, and the Corps is getting ready to open the Morganza Spillway in Pointe Coupee Parish upriver.

Dana Ray, a civil engineer with the Corps, told reporters that despite the river's persistently high level, the Corps doesn't believe water will overtop the levees along the Mississippi if there is an early hurricane.

The system is stronger than it has ever been before, she said.

Other officials representing a raft of public agencies urged residents to assemble their hurricane kits in advance and plan evacuation routes with more than one potential destination. They said residents should make plans for evacuating their family members and pets and should sign up for alerts from the city's Nola Ready initiative by visiting ready.nola.gov or texting their ZIP code to 888777.

People with special needs that require help evacuating from the city should register with Nola Ready or call 311, and 3,500 are on the registry so far.

City Councilwoman Helena Moreno said people who don't need that level of help, but still might require assistance from a family or friend, should make sure that person knows they will be needed.

Be prepared, be ready, have that kit ready to go, and understand things can develop and rapidly intensify, said Ben Schott, meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service in Slidell. As the mayor mentioned, five or seven days may not be available to you. It may be a quick turnaround of only two or three days that you have to take action on your plan.

Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson and Fire Department Chief Tim McConnell urged residents to avoid driving through water and to heed any evacuation orders, and speakers pointed out that proper hurricane evacuation precedes the start of contraflow on the interstate.

Cantrell's administration recently changed the staging area for city-assisted evacuations to the Smoothie King Center, though Cantrell stressed it is for people who need to leave the city. "It's not somewhere to go just to go. Its to get out, she said.
Recovery from Hurricane Ida is still in its early stages, and many parts of southeast Louisiana are only now being reached by officials. A small army of mutual aid groups, churches, nonprofits, individuals and even bands have begun ramping up their efforts to help survivors of the storm, particularly in more rural parishes like Lafourche, in the River Parishes and particularly hard-hit areas in Jefferson Parish, like Grand Isle. Below is a list of some of these groups, which Gambit will update as more organizations begin work.

Because of the uncertain and often in-flux nature of providing relief, we have provided websites for most non-governmental or church organizations. We have also included specific links to donate to these groups for those who are able to help.

To find groups working in New Orleans, please see our list here.

Aid organizations, churches and others working in southeast Louisiana

Jefferson Parish oxygen tanks program

Jefferson Parish officials have set up two sites residents can get free oxygen tanks.

Fire Station 81, 808 MacArthur Ave.

Fire Station 20, 4110 Hudson St.

World Central Kitchen

wck.org

Chef Jose Andres international food assistance organization, which is in town helping feed folks.

Donate: donate.wck.org/give/236738/#!/donation/checkout

The Mutual Aid Response Network

imaginewaterworks.org/mutual-aid-response-network

Led by Imagine Water Works and organizing mutual aid groups across south Louisiana. Will support relief and recovery efforts as well as preparation for the rest of hurricane season.

Donate: Donorbox.org/ida

Lost Bayou Ramblers

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTQ2e4MrcEQ/

The legends of Lost Bayou Ramblers are collecting supplies for residents in Houma, Golden Meadow and the New Orleans area.

Donate: via Paypal or Venmo at @nouveauelectric

Catholic Charities

catholiccharitiesusa.org

Catholic Charities is one of the oldest, largest nonprofit aid groups in the world.

Donate: https://bit.ly/3mW7UfU

Louisiana Bucket Brigade

labucketbrigade.org

The Louisiana Bucket Brigade is organizing aid and relief efforts in the New Orleans area, the River parishes and other parts of southeast Louisiana.

Donate: labucketbrigade.salsalabs.org/standwithus/index.html

Inclusive Louisiana

facebook.com/InclusiveLA/

Inclusive Louisiana describes its mission as creat[ing] a fairer and more inclusive society and to protect the heavens and earth for the generations to come. They are gathering supplies including generators.

Donate: labucketbrigade.salsalabs.org/inclusivedonate/index.html

The Descendants Project

thedescendantsproject.com

The Descendants Project focuses on supporting the Black families and descendants of the Louisiana River Parishes.

Donate: via Venmo at @thedescendantsproject

Down The Bayou Mutual Aid Fund

instagram.com/dtb_mutualaidfund/

Operated by Caroline Guidry, describes itself as No hoops to jump through, no middleman bullshit, just neighbors helping neighbors. Serving Lafourche communities.

Donate: via Cashapp at $dtbmutualaidfund, via Venmo at @DTBMutualAidFund

St. Charles Parish Small Black Neighborhood Ida Relief

Thomjana' Ferguson has started an effort to provide assistance to small black neighborhoods in St. Charles Parish.

Donate: gofundme.com/f/ida-relief-for-small-black-neighborhoods

Another Gulf Is Possible

anothergulf.com/ida/

A women-of-color led, grassroots collaborative of organizations along the Gulf Coast. Their site includes a list of resources for Hurricane Ida response.

Donate: anothergulf.com/ida/

RISE St. James

facebook.com/risestjames/

An environmental justice organization based in St James Parish.

Donate: secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=aYnMTV

Faithpointe Family Fellowship Anglican Relief

An Anglican church in Covington providing food, showers and other support.

985-801-9113

71429 Seeger Rd. Covington, LA 70433

There are also several First Nations in southeastern Louisiana whos lands and people were hit hard by Ida.

United Houma Nation

unitedhoumanation.org/

Donate: unitedhoumanation.org/donate/

Isle De Jean Charles Band of Biloxi Chitimacha Choctaw

Isledejeancharles.com

Donate: Isledejeancharles.com/donate

Gran Caillou/Dulac Band

Gcdbcc.org

Donate: gcdbcc.org/support

Pointe-Aux-Chien Indian Tribe

Pactribe.tripod.com

Donate: pactribe.tripod.com/

Atakapa Ishak Tribe

Atakapa-ishak.org

Donate: atakapa-ishak.org/

Emergency assistance and mutual aid organizations working in New Orleans post Hurricane Ida There's a host of non-profit and mutual aid groups in New Orleans helping people in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. Here's a list of groups to get help from, or to donate to.
A New Orleans 911 operator deliberately disconnected emergency calls without obtaining necessary information or relaying the callers' emergencies to other dispatchers, and she is now facing arrest, according to authorities.

Precious Stephens, 25, is wanted on a count of malfeasance in office, and she remained at large Thursday, police said. She has been fired from her job as a 911 operator, officials said.

Stephens worked for the Orleans Parish Communication District, which dispatches first responders to 911 calls. On Aug. 24, the district reported to police that Stephens had deliberately disconnected 911 calls without obtaining vital information or informing other dispatchers about the callers who were in need of help.

The district conducted an investigation into the quality of a random set of calls when they detected the problems with Stephens during her shifts Aug. 20 and Aug. 21, officials said.

A statement from the district highlighted how its own internal protocols identified the issues with Stephens, who was immediately turned over to police and dismissed from her post.

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"(The district) has and will continue to cooperate with the ... investigation into this matter and dedicated to providing any and all assistance to aid in (the) efforts."

Police asked anyone who knows where Stephens is to call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.

Louisiana law defines malfeasance in office as unlawfully performing a job in public service. It can carry up to five years in prison.

Fired N.O. 911 operator allegedly hung up on callers; actions deemed 'inconceivable' One of the callers reached out to New Orleans police to report that someone was trying to break into her home. Another called because a person wielding a weapon was circling her home.
A crew of Jefferson Parish workers was repairing a Metairie water main broken by Hurricane Ida when a woman pulled up in her car Wednesday, called them f----ng n----rs and demanded that they be arrested. The workers then flagged down sheriff's deputies and reported her harassment, at which point the woman twice struck one officer with her car before another deputy shot her to death, said Sheriff Joe Lopinto and an eyewitness who recorded a series of videos of the beginning of the womans meltdown.

Lopinto gave few details of the confrontation during a brief meeting with news reporters, but he suggested the woman might have been in mental distress. There didnt seem to be a whole lot right with her, he said.

UPDATE: Mentally ill Kenner woman killed by police after hurling racist slurs at workers is identified

+3 Sheriff: JPSO deputy fatally shoots woman in Metairie after she tried to run over other deputy A Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputy fatally shot a woman who twice tried to run over another deputy after she was harassing parish work

Later, Jefferson Parish Coroner Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich said the middle-aged woman  whose name wasn't immediately released  had previously gotten numerous orders of protective custody, which result in mental health commitments. In Louisiana, those orders are issued by coroners, who also handle death examinations.

Many across Jefferson feel desperate after Category 4 Ida knocked out power and drinking water to most of the parish on Sunday, and amid the 18-months-and-counting coronavirus pandemic. But Lopinto said there was no excuse to lose control in the way the workers and deputies described.

People need to have some patience, he said.

The womans deadly encounter with deputies began about 3:30 p.m. when she drove up to the workers in the 6400 block of Park Manor Drive. They were repairing a main to deliver water to homes and businesses. A man recorded the woman yelling to the crew members that they were f----ng n----rs who needed to go back to their countries, according to video recordings shown to The Times-Picayune.

The workers flagged down deputies, who spoke to the woman while she was still in her car, Lopinto said. A video showed her pointing at the workers, again calling them racist names and demanding that the deputies arrest them.

One of the deputies speaking with the woman was wearing street clothes, while the other wore a uniform. Both tried to get her to calm down and leave, said the man, whose account was corroborated by other people on Park Manor.

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Honestly, I thought she was one of [the deputies'] mothers, the way they tried to help her do the right thing, said the man, who would not provide his name or allow NOLA.com to publish the videos because they had been turned over to the Sheriff's Office as evidence.

Eventually, the woman rolled up her window and accelerated her car, hitting and dragging the plainclothes deputy down the street while he had his hand on her car, according to one of the videos. She then led both deputies on a car chase for almost a mile, to Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Lisa Drive, where a traffic jam blocked her progress at 3:52, a Sheriff's Office spokesman said.

She hit the same deputy a second time after he stepped in front of her vehicle. At that point, the other deputy fired his duty pistol as many as nine times, striking and killing her, Lopinto said.

When Lopinto addressed reporters at the scene, her car was still on Veterans, cordoned off by crime scene tape, a body shield and a number of Sheriffs Office vehicles.

Lopinto didnt identify the deputy whom the woman targeted with her car but said he went to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries. He also didn't identify the deputy who killed the woman.

The man who recorded the videos said the workers didnt deserve the treatment they received from the woman. To support his point, he pulled up a video of them going up to residents living near the site of another water main repair and giving them their parish-provided lunches.

But he said he also was upset that the woman let the situation devolve to the point where she paid with her life.

They really tried to help the lady, the man said of the deputies. And she f----d them over.
GOLDEN MEADOW  Jrew Lafonts dad built his second house strong enough to withstand the storm that took the first. But a bigger storm came on Sunday  one that people in south Lafourche Parish say is the worst to hit the area in generations.

My dad didnt build this house with 2x4s  he built it with 2x6s and 2x8s, and he doubled everything, Lafont said before stepping into the open air of what had been a second story, now reduced to a jumble of wet insulation, ductwork and broken boards. There was enough material in here to build another house just like it. It should be a bomb shelter. But its been ripped apart.

The same is true of much of south Lafourche, a remote area that retains strong Cajun folkways. Hurricane Ida made landfall near the mouth of Bayou Lafourche and ran up much of its length, destroying thousands of homes and businesses, flooding roads, snapping power lines and overturning shrimp boats. Port Fourchon, the service hub for most of the oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, suffered enough damage to delay its reopening for several weeks. Leeville, made a veritable ghost town by Hurricane Zeta last year, has likely been erased.

This is the most significant storm to hit Lafourche, said parish administrator Mitch Orgeron at a makeshift emergency command center at a strip mall in Mathews, midway up the parish. My grandfather told me this one was worse than even Betsy.

Many longtime Lafourche residents compare storms to Hurricane Betsy, a 1965 storm that serves as the benchmark for storm severity in the region. But its clear Ida has caused far more damage.

Down past Larose, every other house is without a roof, said Robbie Lee, the parish communications director, describing an area that includes the communities of Cut Off, Galliano, and Golden Meadow, together home to about 15,000 residents. And 80% of the RVs and trailers are flipped or upside down.

The parish government and National Guard have been sending high-water trucks into flooded areas to find people in need of rescue. About 15 people had been relocated to a shelter as of Tuesday. No deaths had been reported.

We started in Raceland and are going door-to-door to see who needs help, said Chris Boudreaux, the parish emergency manager. Its going slow, but its going.

Much of the parish is without power, water and cell service. Even the radio systems used by emergency responders cant be relied upon. The number of reported gas leaks is rising, increasing the risks of fires or explosions.

Most residents heeded a mandatory evacuation before the storm. Now many want to return, but it's a very bad idea, Orgeron said.

"People need to wait, as hard as that is," he said. The all-clear for people to return could take weeks.

The scope of the devastation becomes more clear as crews push south on La. 1, which runs alongside Bayou Lafourche, clearing mile after mile littered with trees, power lines and roof material.

Golden Meadow, the southernmost community within the hurricane protection levee, was battered by sustained winds of 129 mph. The levees, a series of 16-foot-high mounds, were just high enough to withstand Idas 15-foot-storm surge.

The fact that held up against a Category 4  thats unbelievable, said Windell Curole, manager of the South Lafourche Levee District. The wind was terrible, but the flooding was not. Without that levee, itve been three times worse.

Outside the levee, from Golden Meadow to Leeville, everything is flat, Curole said. All the camps and the seafood sheds, that's gone.

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Sidney Loupe decided to ride out Ida in his friends camp in Golden Meadow instead of his RV that sits nearby. He survived  barely.

We went through hell and back, the 75-year-old said on Tuesday of himself and his two Jack Russell terriers, Chuck and Lexi. His friend, who owns the camp, used a tractor to clear away the destroyed front deck, where a sign with the name The Reel Life still hung.

The camp was partly blown off its concrete blocks. Much of the roof was ripped off; daylight streamed into the living room.

As the storm ripped at the house, Loupe had to retreat into the bathroom with his dogs. They took cover in the bathtub with a pillow until his legs started to cramp, then he went to a bedroom where the roof had remained mostly intact.

It wasnt until around noon the next day that he felt it was safe enough to walk outside, shaken but alive. His RV did not blow away, though a large window was shattered by flying wood.

Total devastation, he said he thought when he was able to emerge. Asked whether he believed hed survive, he said: I was doubting it.

One of the more telling signs of the storms power was the way it flipped and crushed travel trailers. At one RV park, the trailers that remained were flipped like toys, while others were turned to splinters and crushed metal.

Many of those hit hardest had little money and few resources before the storm. I bought this (trailer) for $800," said Gil Mousseau, 65, who lives near Lockport in a small trailer that's now smashed like an overripe orange. "I got the baby looking nice and bam! Now Ive got nothing."

Frank Brent, 61, was in the process of buying a property that includes an RV park, a motel and other structures called Jambons Convenience Center. Nine offshore workers were staying in the RV park when the storm approached. They didnt have time to leave, so they all moved into the motel next door, where Brent also took cover.

Much of the roof ripped off there too. Brents room is now covered in insulation and wallboard, the front of the motel torn apart. He and the guests retreated to a concrete area downstairs as the winds whipped around them. Miraculously, no one was hurt.

Ive been through three tornadoes, Brent said. But unlike a tornado, which is over in a few minutes, Ida "went on for six hours. Six solid hours.

Flo Bradford, 73, stayed up through the storm praying on a cross. A day later, she was distributing tarps, food and water with the other members of the Lockport Fire Department.

"Yeah, I roughed it out," she said after barking orders to other volunteers. "I was born on this bayou. When God's ready to take me, I'll be on this bayou. But I'm tired. I'll tell you, it's going to be a two-beer night tonight."
You can chalk up Hurricane Idas devastating rainfall in southeast Louisiana - and now in New York City - at least in part to human-caused global warming, scientists agree.

We expect more extreme rainfall in hurricanes today from climate change, said Allison Wing, a climate scientist at Florida State University. And that rainfall will occur far away from where the storms make landfall, farther inland.

In the LaPlace area, 15 to 17 inches of rain on Sunday and Monday combined with Ida's storm surge to flood the town. LaPlace sits 6.8 to 13 feet above sea level, and the National Weather Service reported that the water level at Pass Manchac, just north of town, reached 6.46 feet above sea level. With waves half again as high likely atop the surge, that conjures an image of water 9.69 feet deep pushing through LaPlace.

Two days later and 1,200 miles from LaPlace, Ida's still soggy remnants dropped 5 to 9 inches of rain Wednesday across parts of New Jersey and New York City, the National Weather Service said, "resulting in considerable to locally catastrophic flooding." Four to 7 inches fell across much of southern Connecticut, northwest Long Island and the lower Hudson River Valley. Some areas saw phenomenal rainfall rates of 3 to 4 inches per hour.

From Maryland to Connecticut, the storm killed 45 people Wednesday night and Thursday - including at least 11 in flooded basement apartments in New York City.

Human-caused global warming has heated the atmosphere, so it holds more moisture. As thunderstorms occasionally grow into hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin and move onshore, the excessive moisture rains out for days on end.

The low end estimate of the increase [in rainfall] is 5% to 7% per 1 degree of warming, said Colin Zarzycki, a climate and atmospheric dynamics research professor at Penn State University. But it can go higher than that.

Stopping this trend is a challenge for the world and, especially, for Louisiana. A recent LSU analysis found that 62% of the state's greenhouse gas emissions - the kind that cause global warming - come from industrial plants that were built in Louisiana in large part because of tax breaks and access to deepwater ports.

More research will be required to determine exactly how much wetter Ida was because of climate change. But theres already a clear history linking intense rain during hurricanes, and at other times, to global warming, said S-Y Simon Wang, a professor of climate dynamics at Utah State University.

Hurricane Harvey [in 2017] in the Houston metro area had a 20 percent increase in its rainfall intensity because of the warming climate, Wang said. He said the Louisiana Flood of 2016 in the Baton Rouge area also was estimated to be 40 percent more intense than it should have been because of global warming.

Other characteristics of Idas fury are a bit more difficult to link directly to climate change, scientists say.

Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist with the National Center of Atmospheric Research, said hurricanes actually perform a role as ocean coolers. They pump heat out of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico and deliver it to the atmosphere, where it disperses or is radiated into space.

But at the height of summer, he said, cooler air from higher latitudes cant filter into the tropics to cool and dehumidify the air, as occurs during the rest of the year.

So hurricanes turn out to be the most efficient mechanism to keep the oceans from getting too hot, he said, pulling heat out of ocean waters yet in the process adding moisture to the atmosphere. That moisture spirals into the storms and forms the heavy rain, Trenberth said, and the latent heat acts as fuel to intensify the storms.

He said the last big cleanout of heat in the Gulf of Mexico was in 2017, when Hurricane Harvey wrung enough up heat and moisture to dump 60 inches of rain on Houston over four days. Ever since, the Gulf heat has been building. By July, he said, the Gulf was exceptionally warm not just at the surface but as deep as 50 meters, or 164 feet.

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The buildup of heat has a substantial climate change component, and as the hurricanes tap the surface waters, the strong winds stir up the waters and normally give rise to a cold wake, that is, colder water pulled to the surface, which reduces the energy needed to keep a tropical storm going. But with exceptionally warm subsurface waters, the hurricane is instead continually fueled and leads to more activity: more intense storm, possibly bigger and longer-lasting.

Idas strength when it hit in Louisiana resulted from meteorologists call rapid intensification: Its wind speed increased from Category 1 to Category 4 strength in just 24 hours, from the time it left the northern tip of Cuba to its landfall Sunday at 11:55 a.m. at Port Fourchon.

Like Trenberth, other researchers point to the higher water temperatures deeper in the Gulf of Mexico as a key factor in rapid intensification. Ida might not have been able to access cooler water that would have reduced its intensification.

But theres a more natural ringer thats likely the cause of the rapid intensification in Ida: the loop current, chunks of the Gulf Stream that break off each year and meander in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf Stream is a 200-meter-deep river of warm water that snakes from the Caribbean Sea around the Florida Keys and up the East Coast. The loops that spin off from it hang onto a portion of that warm water.

This year, Ida traveled directly over part of one of those loops, causing rapid intensification in less than a day as the storm kept pulling up warm water. The loop acted like a burner beneath a pot of boiling water, increasing the energy feeding the storm.

Zarzycki, the Penn State scientist, said theres a chance the Gulf Stream and its loops might be warming a bit as a result of the broader warming of oceans from rising global temperatures. But how big a factor that increase was in intensifying Ida is unclear.

Equally unclear, said Chris Landsea, science officer for the National Hurricane Center, is whether Idas intensity  150 mph at landfall - was significantly more than the historical record for hurricanes. He said research does show that theres likely to be a 5 percent increase in the intensity of hurricanes through the end of the current century, as global temperatures continue to rise.

But he points to other reasons for the seeming trend of more intense storms in recent years: the lack of modern tools to identify tropical storms and hurricanes before 1980, and the dramatic improvement in those tools in identifying storms and their intensities today.

Equally problematic is identifying whether Hurricane Ida, the ninth named storm of 2021, is part of a trend of more named storms every year.

Its awful difficult to pick out any particular storm and say, Well, theres climate change, said Kerry Emanuel, a climate scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I dont consider Ida meteorologically extraordinary. It was on the high end of intense storms, but did not break any records.

Globally, the numbers of storms occurring each year around the globe have been very stable since accurate counts began in 1980, he said. He said a measurably higher number occurring in the Atlantic beginning in the 1970s is actually the result of an environmental improvement: the reduction of particulate matter by stricter environmental laws in the northern hemisphere.

The particulates, a byproduct of burning for industrial processes, actually reduced storm formation before then, a trend mirrored in years when major volcanic eruptions have pumped large quantities of particulates in the air.

Also clearly the result of rising temperatures are present and future increases in the height of storm surge that accompanies hurricanes. On Louisianas coast, surge impacts are expected to increase in future years as the normal water level rises almost 2 feet by 2050, according to a NASA estimate combining subsidence and new sea level projections.

Another key factor is whats in the path of hurricanes such as Ida, said Wang, the Utah State scientist.

If another Katrina hit New Orleans again, theres no question that New Orleans learned from Katrina, strengthened its protections, he said. But other small communities may have built a new school, planned for new generators, taken other steps - which might or might not have been equal to either Ida or a Katrina repeat.

One must always weigh the societal factor when it comes to damage, he said.
Nursing home residents were still being evacuated from a warehouse Thursday afternoon in Independence after four of them died and hundreds were rescued.

About a half dozen ambulances are lined up at the Waterbury Companies warehouse off of Calhoun Street. Residents are being brought out on stretchers.

The Louisiana Department of Health said 843 patients were brought there from seven nursing homes in Orleans, Lafourche, Jefferson and Terrebonne Parishes because of Hurricane Ida. Four have died so far, and 12 required hospitalization.

They said the operators of the site expelled LDH inspectors.

"This is a serious and active investigation," the health department news release said. "We will be taking action against these nursing facilities, and will be making appropriate referrals to law enforcement."

+8 4 nursing home residents dead after Hurricane Ida, 700+ rescued from facility under investigation Four Louisiana nursing home residents have died and several hundred more have needed rescuing after seven nursing homes sent more than 800 pat

The rescue effort involves ambulances and other vehicles from a host of agencies, Acadian Ambulance, the Tangipahoa Sheriff's Office, and transportation vans with FEMA placards in the windows.

The center of Hurricane Ida passed about 15 miles southwest of Independence late Sunday, putting the community in the strongest portion of the storms eyewall. At the time, the National Hurricane Center said the storm was still producing hurricane-force winds above 75 mph.

The affects of the hurricane were obvious in the area, with downed power lines and other debris widespread.

The patients who were brought to the facility came from seven nursing homes. They are:

River Palms Nursing and Rehab in Orleans Parish

South Lafourche Nursing and Rehab in Lafourche Parish

Maison Orleans Healthcare Center in Orleans Parish

Park Place Healthcare Nursing Home in Jefferson Parish

West Jefferson Health Care Center in Jefferson Parish

Maison DeVille Nursing Home in Terrebonne Parish

Maison DeVille Nursing Home of Harvey in Jefferson Parish.

By around 4:30 p.m., all of the ambulances were gone and the rescue effort seemed to be winding down.

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People who lived nearby said they were aware that people were being brought to the facility before the storm. After the storm, they said a huge line of buses showed up to get people out.

Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller said he was notified when the patients were set to be transferred from the nursing homes to the backup location in Independence. He was told the facility was designed to hold between 200 to 400 people.

We were always told it was going to be 300 or so, he said. It turned into 800-plus. When the city realized how many were coming, they started getting concerned.

Over time, Miller said his office began to hear reports about substandard conditions at the facility and started to feed the information to LDH, the fire marshals office and other agencies that oversee the facility.

As reports came out about it, we started pushing it up higher and more often in every one of our update calls, Miller said. Trying to make sure the state understood what was happening. It came in just too late.

He called the situation very, very tragic and unnecessary. Most of the patients have been moved to a special needs shelter at LSU-Alexandria.

Its just so upsetting, he said. As soon as we knew anything about it we worked as hard as we could.

Miller referenced tragedies involving nursing homes after Hurricane Katrina, and said they led to tougher regulations.

"Were going to use this to make better operational situations down the road," he said. "Were not going to let it end like this for anyone else."

Brigette Delatte Hyde, the Tangipahoa Parish Council chairwoman, said she was aware that the residents had been evacuated, but was shocked to find today they were still there.
Four Louisiana nursing home residents have died and several hundred more have needed rescuing after seven nursing homes sent more than 800 patients to ride out the storm in a warehouse in Tangipahoa Parish, where Department of Health investigators were later kicked off the premises.

The Louisiana Department of Health has opened an investigation into the incident, as patients were still being rescued and evacuated from the warehouse by Thursday afternoon. The state said that they had rescued 721 of 843 residents by Thursday morning from the facility in Independence known as Waterbury.

Were really concerned, were really upset and were really focused on making sure that all of these residents are moved to safe places where they can get adequate access to essential services, said Aly Neel, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Health.

Joe Kanter, the state's top health official, said more than 50 patients have been sent to North Oaks Hospital over the past two days. He said some patients arrived covered in urine and feces, and the staff didn't know the patients' medical history or medications.

"We dont think they wouldve died had the storm not happened and they werent evacuated," Kanter said.

"We will be taking action against these nursing facilities, and will be making appropriate referrals to law enforcement, she said.

The patients who were brought to the facility came from seven nursing homes. They are: River Palms Nursing and Rehab in Orleans Parish, South Lafourche Nursing and Rehab in Lafourche Parish, Maison Orleans Healthcare Center in Orleans Parish, Park Place Healthcare Nursing Home in Jefferson Parish, West Jefferson Health Care Center in Jefferson Parish, Maison DeVille Nursing Home in Terrebonne Parish and Maison DeVille Nursing Home of Harvey in Jefferson Parish.

All of the nursing homes are owned by the same man: Bob Dean, known for nursing home ownership and real estate business across Louisiana. Dean did not immediately return messages Thursday.

Kanter said Dean also owned the warehouse where the residents were housed through some shell companies.

Families of several nursing home residents who had been evacuated to the warehouse reached out to The Advocate | The Times-Picayune on Thursday saying they were desperate for information about their loved ones. Five different families said theyd heard no updates on their loved ones whereabouts ever since Hurricane Ida hit and the first they found out their loved ones had been transported to a warehouse was when they saw the news coverage.

River Palms told Stana Ocokoljic they were moving her 68-year-old mother, who is wheelchair bound with dementia, to a sister facility last Thursday.

Come to find out its a warehouse listed under a shell company, said Ocokoljic, who didnt know her mother was at a warehouse or evacuated a second time until she read media reports on Thursday.

Shes afraid her mom is one of the four reported deaths, and at a loss for words at how this came to be.

Even if its not her, its someone elses family, said Ocokoljic, who grew up in Jefferson Parish and now lives in Texas. I am just sitting here in Houston, helpless, praying that she is not among the unfortunate four that passed.

The Department of Health has advised anyone looking for information on the conditions of their loved ones to contact 2-1-1.

Neel said that nursing home patients were transferred to the warehouse on Friday, before Hurricane Ida hit. She said that Department of Health inspected the site on Friday and determined that it was OK.

But complaints began to roll in within the next few days, and Neel said that they made five visits to the site over the next few days. Meanwhile, the complaints became more and more urgent. And once inspectors arrived on the site Tuesday with the State Fire Marshals Office, Deans nursing home management told them that they could not be there and perform their inspection.

Neel said by that point, they confirmed that the situation had deteriorated and that it was no longer safe, that critical services were no longer being adequately provided.

LDH started to move patients out of the warehouse late Wednesday afternoon.

We started with the most medically vulnerable, Neel said, including patients on dialysis. Right now, were really focused on make sure everyone is safe.

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Here's which nursing homes and assisted living centers Louisiana evacuated ahead of Hurricane Ida Ahead of Hurricane Ida making landfall, Louisiana evacuated 22 nursing homes, 18 assisted living facilities and 61 intermediate care facilities.

Of the four people who died, three of them had their deaths classified as "storm related" by the coroner. Definitive causes of death are not yet available. Names and information about the deceased have not been released yet.

Its unclear at this point whether the four patients who have died were found dead at the warehouse, or whether they died later.

I don't know the specifics, but 800 elderly, frail people in a warehouse in an area that was also hit by the storm to some degree, there are a lot of ways it could be unsafe, said Dr. Jennifer Avegno, director of the New Orleans Health Department.

The nursing home residents will now have been moved twice in less than a week. Moving fragile people is always risky, said Avegno.

+3 Hurricane Ida's impacts: New Orleans out of power, roofs ripped off, rising waters All of New Orleans was dark Sunday night after a powerful Hurricane Ida caused "catastrophic transmission damage," knocking out the power to t

Whenever you transport elderly nursing home patients, theres a risk, said Avegno. Just simply taking them out of their environment, putting them on a bus, taking them somewhere that theres not going to be the same level of care, if youre old and frail, that is a stress to your system."

In a warehouse with over 800 other patients, its unlikely that four deaths will be the final toll, Avegno estimated, referencing similar situations in other disasters.

Its really horrendous, the little that I know about it, said Avegno. "I wouldnt want that on my conscience.

Of the seven nursing homes, six received one-star ratings from the Medicare Nursing Home Compare site, which compiles a rating up to five stars. The rating is based on violations documented during federal inspections, staff-to-patient ratios and quality of care measures such as the number of pressure sores and emergency department visits patients had. West Jefferson Health Care Center in Jefferson Parish received two stars.

River Palms, a 186-bed facility, has a one-star rating on the federal Medicare website and three deficiencies in its most recent emergency plan inspection report, conducted in October 2020. All three were related to fire safety and corrected in November 2020.

Over a dozen violations related to patient health at River Palms show that there were issues with hygiene, resulting in patients who went without bathing and had long fingernails with dark-colored material underneath on both hands, according to the inspection report. There were also errors in dispensing treatment and unsanitary conditions in both the bathrooms and kitchen, including expired food, dirty kitchen appliances and dusty fans in the food prep area.

River Palms also had fewer staff members to care for patients, according to the federal inspection reports. Patients got an average of 5 minutes with a registered nurse per day compared to the state average of 20 minutes per day and the national average of 46 minutes per day.

According to an inspection report from Sept. 2019, the 102-bed South Lafourche Nursing & Rehab had eight violations related to patient health. One resident complained she went without a shower for five days. An inspector found another patients catheter was a month past due for changing. A blind resident fell to the floor when the strap of the mechanical lift ripped from the seam, placing the patient in immediate jeopardy, according to a complaint report, because the straps were not checked regularly.

Facilities in an immediate jeopardy situation could lose government funding in a matter of days because of a serious problem that requires correction.

Maison Orleans Healthcare Center bills itself as a 200-bed facility designed to restore each individual's health, according to a description on nursinghomes.com. But short-stay patients were far less likely than patients at other Louisiana facilities to get better. About 39% improved in their ability to get around compared to the 61% state average. Patients got pressure ulcers, indicating a lack of physical therapy to increase blood flow, at nearly four times the rate of the national average. About 5% of patients got a flu shot who needed one compared to around 80% in other facilities.

At the 138-bed Park Place Healthcare in Jefferson Parish, staff told federal inspectors they no longer had enough employees to shower people regularly during a visit in April 2021. One residents hair was matted and smelled of urine, according to the report.

At West Jefferson Health Care Center, a 104-bed facility, an inspection report dated Nov. 6, 2020, found that staff could not explain why a cognitively impaired resident had two black eyes and a bruised and swollen lip. The injuries were not reported or investigated, nor did the patient receive a neurological check as required.

A Feb. 2020 report from Maison DeVille in Houma, certified for 200 beds, noted 13 health inspection violations, many related to basic infection prevention practices. A nurse incorrectly wiped a patient from back to front, which can spread bacteria and cause urinary tract infections. The nurse used the same washcloth to wipe down a catheter.

A second Maison DeVille facility in Harvey, certified for 100 beds, received nine violations related to emergency preparedness in October 2020, including a lack of testing for fire alarm and sprinkler systems. The average number of violations in Louisiana is less than one.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
Entergy officials shared an update about its efforts to restore service to the thousands of Entergy customers who remain without power in the greater New Orleans area.

Many in southeast Louisiana have been without power for five days following Hurricane Ida. Follow the press conference updates below.

Sign up for free text message alerts with the latest Hurricane Ida news during power outages. Click here for New Orleans area updates and here for Baton Rouge area updates.

+3 Is Ida a taste of future? Rapidly intensifying hurricanes will play havoc with evacuation plans Two years ago, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said New Orleans would need to move more nimbly to evacuate before the next major hurricane, after Hurric

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Three days after Category 4 Hurricane Ida knocked out power to all of New Orleans and much of southeast Louisiana, the lights have started to flicker back on in the French Quarter.

Residents started reporting on social media Wednesday night that they once again had power.

Power returns to parts of the French Quarter 3 days after #hurricanida @NOLAnews pic.twitter.com/8ffYyEzuuf  Sophia Germer (@SophiaGermer) September 2, 2021

About 11,500 customers were the first to regain power on Wednesday morning. More than 1 million people were still without electricity as of mid-day Wednesday.

On Wednesday morning, homes in the Little Woods neighborhood of New Orleans East got power, as did the Veterans Affairs hospital in downtown New Orleans and the New Orleans Fire Department.

+8 Entergy says it is slowly turning lights on after first power plant, transmission line restored Entergy slowly started turning on the lights in New Orleans on Wednesday, three days after Hurricane Ida made landfall, as utility workers bro

Entergy New Orleans has approximately 200,000 business and residential customers, all of whom were without power from Sunday night when Ida's catastrophic winds and lashing rain sideswiped the city. Additionally, power was out for about 800,000 Entergy Louisiana customers in other suburban parishes blacked out by the storm, which caused the utility to lose all eight of the major transmission lines that supply the metro area with power.

See more reports of working electricity in New Orleans below.

about one minute ago, we got power in the French quarter #hurricaneida pic.twitter.com/IgDZjRktto  Dylan Waguespack (@DylanMercury) September 2, 2021

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Let there be light! Power back on throughout the French Quarter. Photo of North Rampart at Ursuline from Ian Kramar @WWLTV pic.twitter.com/oQ5c5fQtV8  David Hammer (@davidhammerWWL) September 2, 2021

First light in the French Quarter pic.twitter.com/pFrpHZPwRb  Liam Pierce (@LiamPierce) September 2, 2021

Additional reporting by staff writers Anthony McAuley and Jeff Adelson.
New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) has resumed limited flights on Thursday after a temporary shutdown since Hurricane Ida ravaged the city Sunday, according to the airport's website.

Delta was the first airline to resume flights both in and out of MSY, with three flights departing to Atlanta, per Delta's website. As of a 9:11 a.m. update on the airport's website, it will be the only airline operating on Friday as well.

Very quiet out at Louis Armstrong Intl today. This Delta flight just got in and seems to be about the only thing going. pic.twitter.com/zPU49RVat0  Gordon Russell (@GordonRussell1) September 2, 2021

Jet Blue, Southwest, and Spirit will resume limited service on Saturday. American Airlines will resume limited flights on Sunday.

The website warns that more cancellations may be announced and advises passengers to reach out to individual airlines for the most accurate information before coming to the airport.
Hurricane Larry has formed in the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to strengthen into at least a Category 3 storm, forecasters said Thursday morning.

The storm poses no immediate threat to land.

Forecasters also are tracking a disturbance in the Caribbean that could move into the Gulf of Mexico and the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which have killed at least nine people in New York City and New Jersey.

Here's what to know about the tropics as of 7 a.m. Thursday.

Hurricane Larry forms

Hurricane Larry formed early Thursday over the eastern tropical Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center said.

As of 4 a.m., it was about 545 miles southwest of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands. It's moving west at 20 mph.

It has winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane, and is expected to strengthen to at least Category 3 by Friday night, forecasters said.

It poses no immediate threat to land.

Read the full advisory.

Disturbance in the Caribbean

A disturbance could move into the Gulf of Mexico during the weekend, but forecasters said it isn't likely to have significant development.

It has a 20% chance of developing into a tropical depression within five days.

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The shaded area on the graphic is where a storm could develop and is not a track. The National Hurricane Center releases a track when a tropical depression forms or is about to form.

As of 7 a.m., a small area of low pressure was over northeastern Nicaragua. and part of it could move over the Gulf of Honduras on Friday, forecasters said.

If any development happens, it will be slow, forecasters said.

Regardless of development, heavy rains are possible through the weekend across portions of Central America and the Yucatan peninsula.

Read the full advisory.

Next available name

The next available name is Mindy. Systems are named when they strengthen into tropical storms.

Storms Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Elsa, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Julian, Kate and Larry formed earlier this season. Elsa, Grace, Ida and Larry strengthened into hurricanes.

At least 9 dead in New York City and New Jersey from remnants of Hurricane Ida NEW YORK  The remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped historic rain over New York City, with at least nine deaths linked to flooding in the region, 

Last year, there were so many storms that forecasters ran out of names and had to use the Greek alphabet. It's only the second time in recorded history that the Greek names had been used.

Things have changed for this season. If needed, forecasters will use a list of supplemental storm names instead of the Greek names.

Storm categories

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

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Hurricane Ida provided proof that we can learn from our experiences. But can we imagine better?

Many people know the 112-mile Hoover Dam with a 590-foot drop sitting in the Black Canyon on the Colorado River at the Arizona and Nevada border. During nonpandemic times, its so huge and so amazing that its a tourist attraction.

But Louisianas West Closure Complex is pretty impressive, too.

+2 New Orleans' levee system 'performed exceptionally well' in combating Hurricane Ida If there's a bright spot in the efforts to repel Hurricane Ida's worst in Louisiana, it's likely the complete lack of damage caused by storm s

It took the largest continuous pouring of concrete since the construction of the Hoover Dam to build what is/was the largest drainage pump station in the world. Though the Hoover Dam can move 400,000 cubic feet of water per second, the 19,140 cubic feet of water per second the West Closure Complex can move was enough to deal with the Harvey and Algiers canals during Hurricane Ida. More than 1 billion cubic feet of water was pumped during Ida, according to the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority.

The complex is one part of the 133-mile Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System that protects New Orleans and its neighboring area during 100-year floods and major hurricanes. By all accounts this past week, it did its job when Ida struck. The Crescent City and much of Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes were protected from the type of storm surges that rushed homes, businesses and properties when Hurricane Katrina pushed through 16 years ago. What we learned then was that the government  we the people  hadnt done what needed to be done to protect ourselves and the places we call home. What we learned was that if the government wants to, it can make it happen.

Oftentimes we fight and fuss when something doesnt work. We point fingers at those who were responsible for the fail.

In this case, those involved deserve a Big Thumbs Up and a Huge Hug.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for the more than $14 billion project that saved us from another Hurricane Katrina-like event. Ida didn't challenge the levees the way Katrina did, but the system passed the test. The Corps couldnt have done it without approval and funding by the U.S. Congress. Leaders of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles, and Plaquemines parishes worked with state leaders. The funding included 350 miles of floodwalls and levee reinforcements, more than 70 pumping stations and closing structures and gates. They pushed for more. Much more. They wanted a higher standard of protection. But this is what we got. Its a lot better than what we had in 2005.

The system is a far cry from the days when property owners along the Mississippi River did their best to protect their land and businesses by building levees with little or no reinforcement and without coordinating much with their neighbors. Its no wonder New Orleans sank. What they did was uneven, inconsistent and not coordinated. The challenge required a much broader approach. It took something bigger than a group of landowners to pull off something for the public good. It took something called government.

Yes, we the people are the government.

When we the people come together and determine that something is for the greater good, for the improvement of, for the protection of or for service to all of us, we can make it happen. We simply have to count on our elected and other leaders to understand that we expect them to find a way, to make a way, and get it done.

When anyone in Washington says theyre pushing for infrastructure, dont ignore them. Consider who the infrastructure is meant to protect and serve. Consider why its important. Think about how horrible things were after Hurricane Betsy in 1965 when we had nothing like this. Think about the impact of hurricanes Camille and Katrina. Think about the communities that Ida ravaged because they arent protected by an infrastructure system like the one that did its job.

Think about infrastructure as things seen and unseen, and how they might prevent catastrophes and disasters. Think about infrastructure when you are without power for days and weeks. After hurricanes Gustav in 2008 and Isaac in 2012, there were significant power grid issues and talk about preventing them in the future. The future is now. What do we have? An ongoing power grid mess.

How's our infrastructure look now?

Will Sutton: Cantrell, as David, toppled the Goliath IRS, at least in one case. Let the official campaign begin. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell thinks of herself as a woman of the people, someone who has more in common with folks who work, take care of
Nevada May Anderson (87) passed away peacefully at home in Norman early in the morning on Saturday September 11 2021. A service for mom will be held on a later date.
Harrisburg, Pa. -- As COVID-19 spreads hospitals to capacity, blood is in high demand.

There is a critical shortage of blood across Pennsylvania and the nation, as COVID-19 has prevented some donors from giving blood and impacted the scheduling of blood drives, said Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson.

Blood is essential for surgeries, traumatic injuries, cancer treatment and chronic illnesses, which is why it is so important for individuals to go to their local blood bank or find a blood drive near them and donate. An adequate supply of blood is essential to ensure Pennsylvanians have safe, continuous access to the highest quality of health care.

Blood donations are a critical part of medical care, with many patients who have major surgeries requiring transfusions to replace blood lost during their procedures. Transfusions are also used to help patients who have serious injuries from car crashes or natural disasters and people with illnesses that cause anemia like leukemia or kidney disease.

The American Red Cross, which holds 40 percent of the nation's blood supply, urges any Pennsylvanian who is healthy and eligible to consider making an appointment to donate.

In addition to a lack of donors, there is a shortage of phlebotomists - the people who draw blood. Phlebotomy is a unique skill set that requires specific education and training. Those who are interested in receiving training to become a phlebotomist should contact a Pennsylvania blood center, which can provide assistance.

The blood type most commonly requested and used by hospitals is type O, which can be transfused to patients with any blood type. This makes it ideal to use in emergencies when there is no time to test a patient's blood. Type O-negative is in especially high demand. In order to compensate, some blood centers are closely monitoring type O-negative blood and urging hospitals to use Rh-positive blood whenever possible.

We can no longer assume that blood will be there when it is needed, or that someone else will step up to donate it, Deanna Renaud, Executive Director for the Community Blood Bank of NWPA & WNY said. An adequate blood supply is the responsibility of everyone living in a community. Every donation matters.

Though O-negative is in the highest demand, all blood types are needed to make sure that there is a reliable supply. Most Pennsylvanians are eligible to donate blood if they are:

In generally good health

Age 16 or older

At least 120 pounds

To schedule a donation, visit redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive, call your nearest blood center, or use a Blood Donor app on Facebook, Amazon Alexa, or your mobile phone.
Williamsport, PA (17701)

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'So far, so good': Open container trial sees slight increase in downtown Rome business traffic

John Bailey Crowds gathered on the Town Green on Aug. 6 to take a trip back to the 80s. Electric Avenue, part of the Downtown Rome First Friday Concert Series, brought about nostalgia with the stylings of Devo, The Cars and others.

As the first full month of a 90-day open container experiment downtown wrapped up this week, Romes Downtown Development Authority director deemed it a success.

DDA Director Aundi Lesley said theyve had great feedback from downtown businesses and no major incidents that required police.

Assistant Police Chief Debbie Burnett confirmed that they havent had any major issues with the open container trial. They did have to remind people the first couple nights to use only the approved cups, she said, but they havent had any other problems.

Of the 5,000 aluminum to-go cups donated by the local Ball Corporation plant, about half have been used. Lesley said theyre planning to order more to get through the Oct. 30 deadline.

However, Lesley said Wednesday theyve only seen a slight uptick in customers at downtown businesses.

Aundi Lesley, Rome DDA director

We havent had any significant increases, but thats pretty typical based on open container trials in other small towns, Lesley said.

The DDA is working with 10 restaurants and bars downtown to track sales and the number of customers that come in during the open container trial period.

There will be a more detailed report on the trial later this month at the DDA meeting.

The trial period runs through Oct. 30 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Open containers are permitted only in public places, such as sidewalks and the Town Green, but not in parking lots or the three downtown parking decks.

Once the trial expires, Lesley will gather all the data from the participating businesses and put together a report for the Rome City Commission.

Were hoping to see positive economic development and downtown vibrancy, she said.

Itll then be up to city commissioners on whether to make it permanent.
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Rome, GA (30161)

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Cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

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Rome, GA (30161)

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Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

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News

Revenue plummets at Northwest Ohio Juvenile Detention Center amid COVID

The Northwest Ohio Juvenile Detention Center faces some challenges ahead, and the member counties are being asked to help financially.

The Henry County commissioners met with Fulton County Commissioner Joe Short, who also serves on the detention centers financial committee.

Our local judges and non-member counties have drastically cut back (on sending juveniles to the center), Short said. Theyve done a lot of internal things, such as keeping people in the home with ankle monitors.

He said much of this has been due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the Northwest Ohio Juvenile Detention Center (NOJDC) has seen a decrease in revenue from intakes, causing the facility to dip more and more into its carryover.

In the past, the amount of money that would be associated with their intake was in the neighborhood of $155,000 per year, Short said.

However, he added this was simply estimated and budgeted, as there was no contract.

It was simply something that had held steady until last year, and then it fell off considerably, Short said.

He added the current situation is that the facility has cut into its carryover by about $200,000, and if it doesnt improve that figure could increase to $460,000. That would leave the carryover at just $285,000 at the end of the year.

Solutions being considered include raising the per day rate from the current $101 to $140, though that increase would include a $3 meal charge for dinner and eliminate the overage fee for when counties use more than their allotted beds.

For Henry County, this would result in an increase of about $85,410 for the six beds it is contracted with through the center. Currently, Henry County is charged an estimated $221,190 annually, and that would increase to $306,600.

The non-member rent would also be $140, though Henry County Commissioner Bob Hastedt said he believed non-member counties should be charged more than member ones.

Another proposal would be to raise the tuition fee from $44 per day to $77 per day.

There are also suggestions of charging $60 per hour when a youth needs one on one crisis intervention, a $50 per youth medical fee at intake and $60 per hour for excessive medical attention. These charges would all go toward the county where the youth lives.

In the short-term, commissioners Hastedt and Glenn Miller said the county could use a portion of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds it receives to mitigate COVID-19 issues since the revenue shortfall is largely due to the pandemic.

They suggested all member counties could make a contribution, as was done recently to help the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio (CCNO), which was in a similar situation. The federal funds used came from the Coronavirus Aid, Rescue and Economic Stimulus (CARES) Act funding.

Short said this would help in the short run, but would not address the future.

He also pointed at some capital improvements needed at the facility in the near future, including replacing the chillers for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, updating to LED lights, replacing windows and pavement repairs. He noted the building is 21 years old.

No final decisions have been made and Short will schedule a meeting of the four county joint board  Defiance, Fulton and Williams counties are the other members  in the near future to discuss the proposals further.
Napoleon, OH (43545)

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Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

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Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
According to reports, the next Apple Watch will not support blood pressure monitoring, as the Galaxy Watch4 series already does. Blood sugar, blood pressure and body temperature tracking will be available on future Apple Watch devices though, starting as soon as next year.

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Earlier this week, reports emerged that quality issues had delayed the Watch Series 7, Apple's next set of smartwatches. However, the Watch Series 7 could miss out on a feature that has been rumoured for a while.

According to Mark Gurman, there is 'no chance' that the Apple Watch Series 7 will feature a blood pressure sensor, contrary to Nikkei Asia's point of view. As it stands, the Apple Watch Series 7 appears to offer hardly new health-related features compared to the Watch Series 6. By contrast, the Galaxy Watch4 series can already measure blood pressure and body composition, with some software-related caveats.

However, The Wall Street Journal asserts that Apple will set up in this regard from next year. Apparently, Apple is developing a way to measure body temperature to aid fertility planning, and is revising how its smartwatches monitor irregular heartbeats.
Teal ribbons are being placed throughout Middletown to raise awareness of ovarian cancer.
PNC Bank will bump its minimum pay from $15 an hour to $18 an hour.

The Pittsburgh-based bank, which has branches in Schererville, Munster, East Chicago and Michigan City, will boast its pay by 20% starting Nov. 22 as employers everywhere strive to recruit and keep employees in a tight labor market.

Our employees are our most precious resource, and by investing in them, we invest in our future, said Vicki Henn, executive vice president and chief human resources officer for PNC. PNCs success is dependent on the wellbeing of our employees, so its critical that we continue to offer a total rewards package that includes competitive benefits and pay, reflecting our long-term commitment to their wellbeing.

PNC's new starting wage of $18 an hour will be more than double the national minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. The bank, which also has many branches across greater Chicagoland, said it hopes to improve the financial wellbeing of its employees and attract and retain the best talent to strengthen its position in the marketplace. Its new wage will be one of the most competitive among large banks in the country.
Art Barn School of Art will again host its annual Art Blitz festival, this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the art school's founding and what would have been the 100th anniversary of late founder Jan Sullivan.

The art school at a barn on 69 pastoral acres at 695 N 400 E in rural Valparaiso will host the event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 18 and 19. It will take coronavirus precautions, including requiring masks inside and social distancing of 6 feet apart.

All proceeds from the event support the Art Barn's operations, which include educational programs, classes and an art gallery the public can visit.

"Art Barns beautiful natural setting located at 695 N 400 E, Valparaiso provides the perfect backdrop for the engaging schedule of demonstrations and hands-on art activities for children and adults," Art Barn said in a press release. "The festival will also include live music, food, plus an exhibition of visiting artists from the Region."

The festival and parking are free. Tickets can be purchased for a sampling of Art Barn's educational programs, including classes in drawing, watercolor, oil, pastel, photography and ceramics.
Artist Vincent Van Gogh is certainly all the rage these days. Various exhibits featuring his art work are spotlighted in cities around the world and in new and innovative displays as well.

The exhibit "Van Gogh For All" is currently being housed in a storefront on Chicago's Michigan Avenue. Fans of Van Gogh's work can enjoy the interactive exhibit at 333 N. Michigan Ave., through Sept. 26.

"This offers a different way to engage with the art," said Lou Bank, vice-president of Dolores Kohl Education Foundation. The foundation is the organization that developed and put the exhibit together. Dolores Kohl is the designer of the cultural display.

"Van Gogh For All" is a traveling exhibit. It was previously featured in Chicago and it has also been at the Museum of Fine Art in Houston.

The exhibit, which is featured in several different rooms, details Van Gogh's time in France. Bank said all of the scenes, paintings and objects found in the exhibit are reflective of when the artist was in Aries, Saint Remy and Auvres Sur Oise.
Gov. Eric Holcomb signed an executive order Wednesday that requires K-12 institutions to continue contact tracing, but asked the commissioner of the Indiana Department of Health to reevaluate and modify quarantine parameters for people who adhere to the recommended COVID-19 protocols.

Under the new school quarantine guidance, in settings where everyone is masked, close contacts will be notified and told to monitor for symptoms for 14 days, but wont need to quarantine unless symptoms develop. If they do become symptomatic, they should quarantine and get tested regardless of vaccination status.

In settings where not everyone wears a mask, close contacts will need to quarantine unless they are vaccinated or have had COVID-19 in the past three months. There are three quarantine options for those who need it: 10 or 14 days without a test or seven days with a negative test on days five, six or seven.

Most school districts in Porter County do not have a mask mandate, which means contact tracing will still require symptomatic people who arent vaccinated to quarantine.
The judge further said state code has held since 1884 "that the time of the offense need not be pled perfectly unless time is of the essence of the offense."

"In the case at bar, the amended charging information provides the Defendant with sufficient notice of the charges against him," Fish wrote in his order.

A doctor at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago said the child suffered "the worst brain injury I have ever seen," according to court documents. The doctors determined the injuries were consistent with being shaken and must have occurred during the time he was in the care of Curtis when his former wife and the boy's mother was at her overnight nursing job.

In further arguing for the first two counts to be dismissed, the defense said prosecutors are unable to prove there was "rude, angry or insolent touching."

The boy, who was 6 months old when the alleged abuse is said to have occurred and is now 5 years old, suffered no external injuries or broken bones, according to the defense. While prosecutors say the child's injuries were consistent with being shaken, the defense counters the injuries were also consistent with nearly 50 other medical diagnosis, many of which he was never tested for and none of which would involve criminal behavior.
GARY  The Gary Community School Corp. announced students at West Side Leadership Academy would be attending classes remotely Thursday and Friday as the district works to address school safety concerns, a move that follows a shooting near a bus stop Wednesday that injured a 15-year-old student.

Mayor Jerome Prince addressed the shooting, stating Gary officials and police are partnering with local schools to prevent future crimes.

My family and I join our neighbors throughout Gary and Northwest Indiana in sending our prayers for a full and speedy recovery to the student who was injured in an incident near a Gary Community School Corporation bus stop (Wednesday) afternoon," Prince said in a written announcement.

"My wife and I raised our sons in this community, and we sent them to Gary public schools. We join Gary families in insisting our students are safe on all school properties, buses and other facilities. We will partner with our traditional and charter public schools to do what we can to ensure that level of safety."

The statement ended with Prince saying, "We will get to the bottom of this."
She was buried in the now-razed Crown Point Mausoleum on April 13, 1925, just four days after giving birth and eight days after her 22nd birthday.

While her remains were relocated in October 1944 to Calumet Park Cemetery in Merrillville, her crypt marker from the mausoleum remained in the city.

'An enigma'

How Eberhardt's grave marker ended up in the front yard of a Crown Point home less than a mile from the city's Historic Maplewood Cemetery, where it was originally placed 96 years ago, is a mystery.

Eberhardt, too, is a mystery to those she left behind.

"We don't know anything about our father's family. When his mother died, he was raised by his grandmother," Bedwell said. "There was no association, that we know of, with her family, because my mother never talked about anybody in her family, nor did my great grandmother. So she's kind of an enigma to all of us."

After Carden reached out to Hawes, she was able to pick up Eberhardt's name panel. She, Bedwell and their brother, Kevin, were able to place the grave marker, which was broken up into nine pieces, at its final resting place earlier this month. The stone was made whole on a piece of marble, Carden added.
Ruben Villano, 35, Bridish Crawford's partner; his children Irene Villano, 18, and Eric Villano, 14; and cousin Karlos Villano, 14, of LaPorte, were able to cling to the dam for 22 hours before rescuers came to their aid, Allen said.

Irene Villano said she was able to gain a hold on the dam with a pinkie finger and then her foot, and other family members held onto her.

"It was just like you were standing there, and things were trying to push you and knock you," she said. "It was like rotating around over and over again, and the only way to stop it was if you had something to hold on to."

She watched the sun set and rise again before she and her family members were rescued, Allen said.

Irene Villano said she made it through the ordeal because she had hope, but the loss of so many family members has been "awful."

Deborah Villano, the family's matriarch, said she waited more than three weeks before officials in North Carolina found Teresa Villano's body.

"I don't think anybody should have to go through that," she said. "I prayed every morning that she would be alive, but God took her."

Allen said the family has endured so much tragedy.
The judge said he disagreed with Surfrider's and Chicago's arguments that U.S. Steel's permit violations in late 2018 and 2019  after the company had voluntarily started to implement the plans included in the proposed consent decree  showed the agreement was inadequate.

If the decree had been entered before the violations in 2018 and 2019, U.S. Steel would have faced stipulated penalties for each violation, DeGuilio wrote. U.S. Steel did not have those repercussions to worry about, so "the provisions in the decree were inherently constrained from achieving their full potential," he wrote.

DeGuilio also wrote "pre-judging based on the 2018 and 2019 violations fails to account for the degree of change that had to occur at the facility to ensure it was brought into line with its permit requirement." Surfrider's own expert concluded U.S. Steel appeared to have no preventative maintenance system in place at all before the April 2017 spill, the judge wrote.
MICHIGAN CITY  The City Council is considering a plan to spend $300,000 to help low-income residents fix up homes so they can qualify for a federal weatherization program.

Lee Hoss, weatherization manager for North Central Community Action Agencies, said his organization uses federal grant money to seal air leaks, insulate homes and conduct other energy efficiency repairs for single-family and multifamily homes.

Some homes, however, have leaky windows or roofs, so they dont qualify for the federal program. The citys money would handle those repairs so the homeowners can qualify for the federal help.

If you need new windows but your roof is leaking, you get nothing, council President Michael Mack, D-3rd.

The $300,000 would help 25 to 30 homeowners stay in their homes, Hoss said. Some homes might need the roof patched rather than replaced.

Councilman Bryant Dabney, D-1st, brought the issue to the council. The weatherization team does a full inspection of the house. Homes that dont qualify because of all the heat and cool air escaping are put on a deferred list. Basically theyre out because they cant pay for the necessary repairs, he said.
CROWN POINT  Just one day after announcing a mask mandate, Crown Point Community School Corp. modified its quarantine policy to follow a new executive order that could bring hundreds of students back to the classroom immediately.

Gov. Eric Holcomb signed an executive order Wednesday that requires K-12 institutions to continue contact tracing, but asked the commissioner of the Indiana Department of Health to reevaluate and modify quarantine parameters for people who adhere to the recommended COVID-19 protocols.

Under the new school quarantine guidance, in settings where everyone is masked, close contacts will be notified and told to monitor for symptoms for 14 days, but wont need to quarantine unless symptoms develop. If they do become symptomatic, they should quarantine and get tested regardless of vaccination status.

In settings where not everyone wears a mask, close contacts will need to quarantine unless they are vaccinated or have had COVID-19 in the past three months. There are three quarantine options for those who need it: 10 or 14 days without a test or seven days with a negative test on days five, six or seven.
Union and business groups have expressed concerns about the loss of jobs and the reliability of the electric grid while some consumers groups worry about rate hikes. Meanwhile, environmentalists say Illinois, which relies heavily on nuclear energy and has more reactors than any other state, needs to do more to cut pollution.

"We are out of time to say that we'll solve this problem of our state's biggest polluter later," Juliana Pino of the the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization said during a Tuesday evening Senate committee hearing. "Our climate doesn't have time and the families of those affected by the plant's pollution don't have time."

The latest plan keeps many ideas from previous discussions.

It includes roughly $700 million in state subsidies to bail out three nuclear plants, provisions aimed at expanding renewable energy sources like solar and wind and more ethics and accountability measures. That includes an investigation of how rates were used in connection with a ComEd bribery scandal that led to charges against multiple people and implicated former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
ST. LOUIS  In the rural northeastern corner of Missouri, Scotland County Hospital has been so low on staff that it sometimes had to turn away patients amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The national COVID staffing crunch means CEO Dr. Randy Tobler has hired more travel nurses to fill the gaps. And the prices are steep  what he called crazy rates of $200 an hour or more, which Tobler said his small rural hospital cannot afford.

A little over 60% of his staff is fully vaccinated. Even as COVID cases rise, though, a vaccine mandate is out of the question.

If that becomes our differential advantage, we probably wont have one until were forced to have one, Tobler said. Maybe thats the thing that will keep nurses here.

As of Thursday, about 39% of U.S. hospitals had announced vaccine mandates, said Colin Milligan, a spokesperson for the American Hospital Association. Across Missouri and the nation, hospitals are weighing more than patient and caregiver health in deciding whether to mandate COVID vaccines for staffers.
The coronavirus risk ratings updated weekly by the Indiana State Health Department now put nearly all counties in the higher risk categories for COVID-19 spread as severe illnesses are straining hospitals at levels months earlier than last winters surge.

Those updated ratings placed 13 of Indianas 92 counties in highest-risk red category, with 75 counties with the next-highest orange rating. Only four counties were in the lower-level yellow category. A month ago, just one county was listed as red and 62 had the lowest-level yellow and blue ratings as the highly contagious delta variant was hitting the state.

Holcomb remained firm against reinstating the statewide mask mandate that expired in April, saying it was loud and clear that the public wanted local officials in control of such actions.

New state rules issued Wednesday allow schools to let students deemed as close contacts with someone infected with COVID-19 to remain in school if all adults and students in the classroom correctly and consistently wear well-fitting masks the entire time, during the educational school day. Students would have to quarantine only if they developed COVID-19 symptoms.

Several school boards around the state have faced vocal  and sometimes misleading  opposition to mask requirements.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said the operation is federally funded and comes at no cost to the state.

These are the same folks who, for decades, have assisted and aided us on a very dangerous terrain, Holcomb said during a news conference Wednesday. We need to be there for folks who were there for us. Period.

Asked what the state is doing to ensure the safety of the surrounding community, the Republican governor said he would remain transparent throughout the process to ensure Hoosiers are comfortable.

Lyles said the National Guard has heightened security around the camp and that the refugees were being vetted through a multidimensional process that involves various governmental agencies.

The screening begins when they leave Afghanistan, continues when they land in the U.S. and again when they arrive at Camp Atterbury.

As far as the evacuees presenting a risk to the surrounding community, that risk has been all but eliminated by the vetting process, Lyles said. We know whos coming to Camp Atterbury.

The refugees will also be required to take COVID-19 tests before and during their arrival at Camp Atterbury, Lyles said. He added that any who test positive will be quarantined.
Several school boards around the state have faced vocal  and sometimes misleading  opposition to mask requirements.

Even so, 54% of Indianas public school students were under classroom mask requirements as of Wednesday and at least 60 schools have switched to virtual learning for at least one week because of high numbers of students and staff in quarantine or isolation since the start of the school year, according to the Indiana School Boards Association.

Holcomb said those who have avoided vaccinations need to get the shots.

That is having an adverse effect on others, not just potentially yourself, but others and our economy and our kids education, Holcomb said. So, I would just ask to think beyond yourself.

The governors new executive order, which runs through the end of September, reinstates the states work search requirements for those receiving welfare benefits and the one-week waiting period before the payment of unemployment benefits begins.
The last U.S. forces flew out of Kabuls airport late Monday, ending Americas longest war following an airlift of Afghans, Americans and others escaping a country once again ruled by the Taliban.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said the operation is federally funded and comes at no cost to the state.

These are the same folks who, for decades, have assisted and aided us on a very dangerous terrain, Holcomb said during a news conference Wednesday. We need to be there for folks who were there for us. Period.

Asked what the state is doing to ensure the safety of the surrounding community, the Republican governor said he would remain transparent throughout the process to ensure Hoosiers are comfortable.

Lyles said the National Guard has heightened security around the camp and that the refugees were being vetted through a multidimensional process that involves various governmental agencies.

The screening begins when they leave Afghanistan, continues when they land in the U.S. and again when they arrive at Camp Atterbury.
Recently four members of Porter County Board of Zoning Appeals approved to give an Iowa company special exceptions, variances to build a third gas station at U.S. 6 and Ind. 149 in South Haven. In this growing age of Tesla and hybrid cars, just what we dream for is another gas station. Within 3 miles of this site along U.S. 6 are seven gas stations. A third unneeded station at this intersection will slow down and jam up traffic and make it an even greater dangerous intersection. Traffic deaths happened at this intersection when there was just one barely-used gas station here. About 30 trees and nice greenery which beautifies this corner will get stripped up too. Trees are a noise barrier and clean our air which appeals members didn't bother to discuss and couldn't care less about.
The Crown Point Community School Corp. did the right thing Tuesday when it changed its policy on masks.

Prior to Tuesday, masks were optional. Starting on Wednesday, masks became required for all students and building personnel.

Since the start of the school year in August, nearly 900 teachers and students have been placed in quarantine in Crown Point.

And by the feedback provided to The Times by parents and students, most students had been opting to attend without masks, including in lower grades in which younger students are not yet eligible for vaccination.

Having large numbers of teachers and students out at any one time is a major disruption.

As the Times' education reporter AnneMarie Hilton noted in her story this week on the policy change, "Requiring masks also means the school corporation can follow different quarantine guidelines that could help bring kids back to school sooner."

Doing what's best for students' health and education seems like a best practice for all school corporations.
At the troubled beginning of Europes vaccine rollout, the Republic of San Marino found itself short on promised doses and turned to Russia for help. The tiny city-state, surrounded on all sides by Italy, quickly vaccinated most of its population with the Sputnik V vaccine, reaching levels of immunity that were the envy of larger European nations.

But in a reversal of fortune, the same Sputnik vaccines that liberated San Marinos residents from the virus may now trap them within its narrow borders. Italy is set to introduce a vaccine passport for many social activities that will only recognize vaccines approved by the European health authorities. With Sputnik V not on the list, San Marino is out of luck.

We are stuck here, said Donata Bucci, 57, a shop assistant in a bridal shop in San Marino, who received the Sputnik V vaccine and has held off booking a vacation in a Tuscan farmhouse because of the new requirements. We feel discriminated against.

San Marinos isolation has become a vivid preview of the potential tensions that new vaccine passports and requirements could create in Europe, as millions of travelers who received vaccines that havent been approved by European regulators may be barred from engaging in social activities.
As dockworkers have contracted Covid-19 or have landed in quarantine, loading and unloading at ports has been constrained. The pandemic has sidelined truck drivers, limiting the availability of vehicles that can carry products from ports to warehouses to customers.

Hurricane Ida will almost certainly make this situation worse, as available trucks are diverted en masse toward affected communities to deliver relief supplies. No one questions the merits of this course, but it will leave even fewer trucks available to carry goods everywhere else, intensifying already-profound shortages.

The domestic trucking situation has been bad for some time, and the hurricane will add to that, said Megan Gluth-Bohan, the chief executive of TRInternational, an importer and distributor of chemicals just outside Seattle. Youre going to see more logjams at the ports.

Her company relies on a supplier in Taiwan for hydrocarbon resins, selling them to American manufacturers of paints, varnishes and other coatings. She brings in chemicals from Thailand that are included in industrial cleaning products and imports glycols, which are used in food products, makeup and industrial coatings.

These are the raw materials that make everything, Ms. Gluth-Bohan said.

Ms. Gluth-Bohan was still assessing the impact of Ida on her industry, but it seemed obvious that the rebuilding effort would face challenges as the availability of necessary supplies became even tighter.
Shortly after the final C-17 transport plane left the airport in Kabul, Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., head of the U.S. Central Command, addressed the media. He sought to quickly reassure the American public that, among other things, much of the U.S. militarys equipment that was left behind had been dismantled or destroyed so the Taliban could not use it.

Some of it, General McKenzie acknowledged, had been left at the airport. And on Tuesday, striking images emerged of Taliban fighters inspecting and securing some of the damaged equipment that remained, including dozens of military vehicles and armored S.U.V.s.

Photographs taken Tuesday showed Taliban members looking over remnants of a Blackhawk helicopter and an Afghan Air Force plane, both of which had been deliberately damaged by departing U.S. forces.

U.S. officials said last week that they had conducted a controlled detonation at Eagle Base, the final C.I.A. outpost outside the Kabul airport, to ensure that equipment or information left behind could not be used by the Taliban.

Photos by Victor J. Blue For The New York Times . Text by Thomas Gibbons-Neff , Julian E. Barnes , Farnaz Fassihi and Matt Stevens .
For the briefest of moments, Adriana Brogger entertained the idea that her Instagram posts and other marketing efforts over the summer had caused an explosion in enrollment in the journalism class she teaches at a California community college, to 85 students from 15 only days before. For, like, half a second, the professor said. Then I thought, No, Adriana, this is shady.

Some sleuthing confirmed her suspicions. The new arrivals  whom she and a colleague termed ghost students  often had out-of-state addresses, had no history with the college and answered introductory questions in clearly fake ways, among other red flags.

Over the weekend, Ms. Brogger and the colleague, Tara Cuslidge-Staiano, sent a frustrated email to trustees and fellow faculty members at San Joaquin Delta College, in Stockton, complaining about what they saw as a lack of urgency in addressing a matter that was wreaking havoc on their teaching plans.

These fake students could hurt retention rates and lead to misinformed decisions about which courses to offer next semester, they wrote. Should instructors cancel classes overrun with ghost students and start new ones, even though the semester had already begun? How should they purge these infiltrators? How do they get back to serving real students?
I never met my father. When Sirhan Sirhan murdered him in the kitchen hallway of the Ambassador Hotel in front of scores of witnesses, my mother was three months pregnant with me. Of my 10 older brothers and sisters, Kathleen, the eldest, was 16, and Douglas, the youngest, was little more than 1. I was born six months after my fathers death. My mother and the majority of my siblings agree with what I now write, although a couple do not. But I will say, for myself, while that night of terrible loss has not defined my life, it has had impact beyond measure.

In 1969, when Mr. Sirhan was found guilty by a jury of his peers and sentenced to death, I was barely a toddler. I know, as it is part of the historical record, that my uncle Teddy sent a five-page handwritten letter to the district attorney in a last-minute plea to save the condemned assassins life. The letter invoked my fathers beliefs: My brother was a man of love and sentiment and compassion. He would not have wanted his death to be a cause for the taking of another life.

Despite this plea, Superior Court Judge Herbert Walker upheld the sentence, ruling that Mr. Sirhan should die in the manner prescribed by law, which in California in 1969 was the gas chamber. There was no consideration of future rehabilitation. The courts decision seemed based entirely upon the prevailing conception of justice in California at that time: As my father was taken forever, so too should Mr. Sirhan be.

My fathers murder was absolute, irreversible, a painful truth that I have had to live with every day of my life; he was indeed taken forever. Because he was killed before I was born, it meant I never had the chance to see my fathers face and he never had the chance to see mine. He never tossed me in the air, taught me to ride a bicycle, dropped me off at my freshman dorm, walked me down the aisle.
Texas has always prided itself on respect for its womenfolk. Perhaps thats why the states latest effort to restrict their abortion rights presumes theyre all perfectly capable of both determining theyre pregnant and arranging for an abortion within the first six weeks of pregnancy.

Really. No more abortions after six weeks. The lawmakers theory is that thats when a fetal heartbeat begins  something that perplexed many in the medical community, where people seem to believe a six-week-old embryo is a tiny speck that doesnt yet have a real heart. In fact, it isnt even a fetus until week 9.

But you already know, people, that this sort of argument is not going to get you anywhere. The legislators passing these laws dont seem nearly as interested in medicine as they are in making it to the Supreme Court for the big Roe v. Wade decision most observers feel is coming around the bend.

Theyve got lots of company. Mississippis new 15-week abortion limit got on the launchpad first.

Texas came later, but it did manage to pass a law thats more than twice as restrictive when it comes to the time a woman has to decide whether to proceed with a pregnancy. Imagine the new border signs: Welcome to Texas! The Place That Makes Mississippi Look Reasonable.
Dr. Shoemaker believed that collisions with Earth by comets had been responsible for transporting to the planet water and other elements necessary for life, meaning that humans may truly be made of comet stuff, Ms. Shoemaker wrote in her essay. Dr. Shoemaker also worried that a comet hitting Earth could threaten human civilization. Yet relatively little scientific attention had been paid to the frequency and effects of cometary collision with planets.

As the dark phase of the lunar cycle began, making it easier to see faint objects in outer space, the Shoemakers would travel to an observatory on Palomar Mountain, near San Diego. To locate previously unknown comets and asteroids, they aimed to photograph as much of the night sky as possible. The chirping of birds signaled bedtime.

In the afternoons, Dr. Shoemaker would take the film they had used the previous night and develop it in a darkroom, then turn over the negatives to Ms. Shoemaker. Using a stereoscope, she would compare exposures of the same block of sky at different times. If anything moved against the relatively fixed background of stars, it would appear to float in the viewing devices eyepiece.

Ms. Shoemaker was charged with discerning what was the grain of the film (and perhaps dust on it) and what was an actual image of light emitted by an object hurtling through space. With time, she wrote, I saw fainter and fainter objects.

It took a few years before she found her first new comet, in 1983. By 1994 she had discovered, in addition to hundreds of asteroids, 32 comets, a number considered by the United States Geological Survey and others to represent the world record at the time.
WASHINGTON  The Department of Justice has accelerated an investigation into Googles digital advertising practices and may file an antitrust lawsuit against the internet giant before the end of the year, two people with knowledge of the governments thinking said on Wednesday.

The investigation focuses on Googles power in the digital ad market, looking at how the company uses its dominance in auctions and ad technology to maintain its power, said the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. In recent weeks, the Justice Department has called in more third parties as witnesses and asked for documents and interviews, in a sign it has picked up the investigations pace, the people said.

The department declined to comment. Google said on Wednesday that there was enormous competition in advertising tools, which has made online ads more relevant, reduced fees, and expanded options for publishers and advertisers.

Bloomberg earlier reported on the potential lawsuit.

If the Justice Department pursues the lawsuit, it will be the federal governments second against Google. In federal court in October, the department filed an antitrust lawsuit alleging that Google abused its monopoly in internet search to harm rivals and consumers.
The guy everyone likes best is the most boring guy in the election  maybe in the country. He makes watching water boil seem exciting.

JOHN KORNBLUM, a former American ambassador to Germany, describing Olaf Scholz, a technocrat running to replace Chancellor Angela Merkel by emphasizing stability and calmness over charisma.
WASHINGTON  Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, has threatened to retaliate against any company that complies with the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot, after the panel asked dozens of firms to preserve the phone and social media records of 11 far-right members of Congress who pushed to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Mr. McCarthys warning was an escalation of his efforts to thwart a full accounting of the deadly attack at the Capitol carried out by a pro-Trump mob, and his latest attempt to insulate the former president and Republican lawmakers from scrutiny of any ties to the violence. It came after he led the G.O.P. opposition to the creation of an independent bipartisan commission to investigate the riot, and then pulled five Republican congressmen from the select committee that Democrats created on their own, boycotting the proceedings.

In preservation orders the special committee sent to 35 technology firms this week, members of the panel included the names of hundreds of people whose records they might want to review, among them some of Donald J. Trumps most ardent allies in Congress, according to several people familiar with the documents who were not authorized to speak about their contents.

The 11 Republicans are Representatives Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Jody B. Hice of Georgia, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
WASHINGTON  Just over a day after the last American service member left Afghanistan, the Pentagons top two leaders expressed wariness on Wednesday about continuing to cooperate with Taliban leaders who helped provide safe passage to more than 124,000 people evacuated out of the country.

We were working with the Taliban on a very narrow set of issues, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III told reporters. I would not make any leaps of logic to broader issues. Its hard to predict where this will go in the future with respect to the Taliban.

Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was more blunt in his assessment of the Taliban, which took control of Kabul, Afghanistans capital, two weeks ago after rapidly advancing across the country. American commanders have praised Taliban leaders for their cooperation during the evacuation of Americans and their Afghan allies during the war.

This is a ruthless group, said General Milley, who commanded troops in Afghanistan. Whether or not they change remains to be seen. In war, you do what you must.
Nothing existed at the time, which is staggering to think about because this was only six years ago  there was not one media platform or YouTube channel dedicated to this type of creativity, he said. So I was like, Man, we should do that. And it just took off.

A one-time employee of Vice, where he helped found the electronic music website Thump, Miyashiro had the instincts for identifying and packaging compelling content. After Rich Brian went unexpectedly viral in 2016 with his self-released song Dat $tick, Miyashiro signed him to 88rising. In an equally savvy move, he and his team filmed a video where established rappers reacted to the song. (21 Savage, a skeptic in that video, has since collaborated with Rich Brian and also appears on the Shang-Chi soundtrack.)

Despite its ascendance onto a larger stage, those involved with 88rising stressed that its still an independent brand thats learning how to operate in real-time. It feels like a family; its very tight knit; its not like this major company with thousands of employees, said the 88rising singer Niki, who appears on several songs on the Shang-Chi album. The same people that Ive worked with four years ago are the same people that Im still on a text thread with today.

Though 88rising has steadily grown from those early days, the Shang-Chi album represented a very different kind of assignment. Miyashiro and Cretton said Marvel was mostly hands-off with the music. However, there were some ground rules. None of the songs could include cursing, and Miyashiro had to install a bank vaults worth of security programs on his computer before he could see any material from the movie.

The pandemic threw the process for a loop, too. After the Covid-19 lockdowns began, Miyashiro didnt hear from Cretton for months. Frankly speaking, I forgot about it, he said. The conversation picked back up over the summer, with Miyashiro and Cretton hashing out the loose thematic framework for the album, which parallels the movie: a young Asian American, beholden to his family lineage and expectations, must grow into his own person.
As Greeces most illustrious composer, Mr. Theodorakis wrote symphonies, operas, ballets, film scores, music for the stage, marches for protests and songs without borders  an oeuvre of hundreds of classical and popular pieces that poured from his pen in good times and bad, even in the confines of drafty prison cells, squalid concentration camps and years of exile in a remote mountain hamlet.

He also wrote anthems of wartime resistance and socialist tone poems about the plight of workers and oppressed peoples. His most famous work on political persecution was the haunting Mauthausen Trilogy, named for a World War II Nazi concentration camp used mainly to exterminate the intelligentsia of Europes conquered lands. It has been described as the most beautiful music ever written on the Holocaust.

Mr. Theodorakiss music made him a wealthy Communist. Having paid his dues to society, he did not apologize for his privileged life as a member of Parliament, with homes in Paris, Athens and the Greek Peloponnesus; for being feted at premieres of his work in New York, London and Berlin; or for counting cultural and political leaders in Europe, America and the Middle East as friends.

During World War II, he joined a Communist youth group that fought fascist occupation forces in Greece. After the war, his name appeared on a police list of wartime resisters, and he was rounded up with thousands of suspected Communists and sent for three years to the island of Makronisos, the site of a notorious prison camp. There he contracted tuberculosis, and he was tortured and subjected to mock executions by being buried alive.

Mr. Theodorakis studied at music conservatories in Athens and Paris in the 1950s, writing symphonies, chamber music, ballets and assorted rhapsodies, marches and adagios. He set to music the verses of eminent Greek poets, many of them Communists. He also deepened his ties to Communism: When Greece became a Cold War battleground, he blamed not Stalin but the C.I.A.

He was profoundly affected by the assassination in 1963 of Grigoris Lambrakis, a prominent antiwar activist, who was run down by right-wing zealots on a motorcycle at a peace rally in Thessaloniki. His murder  a pivotal event in modern Greek history that was portrayed in thinly fictionalized form in the Costa-Gavras film as the work of leaders of the subsequent junta  provoked mass protests and a national political crisis.
On some of these issues, Tooze suggests a point of view, especially his belief that constraints on spending are artificial. He writes that the scale of government spending and central bank intervention in 2020 confirmed the essential insights of economic doctrines  like Modern Monetary Theory. He quotes John Maynard Keynes  Anything we can actually do we can afford  and concludes, There is no fundamental macroeconomic limit that anyone can discern. On this, we disagree. Not with the scale of coronavirus response (or the potential scale of future crisis responses), but with the notion that it forever obviates the need for responsible fiscal policy. You dont have to know where the limit is to believe its highly likely there is one.

But resolving policy debates is not Toozes aim. Rather, he largely allows the facts to put the questions he raises into sharp relief. To whose benefit do we mobilize the machinery of the state? Who is left behind? Do those choices contribute to the fracturing of our politics? Was 2020 the death of the orthodoxy that had prevailed in economic policy since the 1980s? Can the democratic, decentralized vision of the West ultimately triumph against Chinas ruthlessly effective regime? Can American democracy survive, and American government function, in our disarticulated state?

And, most urgently, what happens next time? Whether another pandemic, or another deadly wave of this one; nuclear proliferation from rogue states or nonstate actors; extreme weather or simply the irreversible, existential threat of climate change, the next crisis gets closer every day. As Tooze writes, It was those who have for decades warned of systemic megarisks who have been crushingly vindicated. The first of these questions  why do we intervene and for whom?  is perhaps the most important. When the pandemic threatened economic damage so broad that the global financial system itself was imperiled, it was (comparatively) easy to mobilize Western governments to respond with economic policy that was equally broad. The bipartisan CARES Act and its progeny were breathtaking in scope and a dearth of conditions. In Europe, the usual rules on state-funded support were likewise suspended.

At the same time, the exception proves the rule. It took an overwhelming threat to the institutions at the core of our financial system to produce the first meaningful relief in decades for those living in poverty. The coronavirus was wartime, and it remains impossible to imagine similar peacetime spending to combat the entrenched inequality that so threatens our countrys future  and, as Tooze underscores, enormously compounded the pandemics risks to the least fortunate. The question of who benefits, and whom we want to benefit, is a critical question that I believe should underlie all policy issues. Tooze suggests that it is often ignored because Americas policy debates are constrained by inherited orthodoxy. This is core to his implied criticism of traditional concerns about fiscal largess and it connects directly to our political paralysis.

Such a concern is surely correct  even if some readers may disagree on the specifics  but this books great service is that it challenges us to consider the ways in which our institutions and systems, and the assumptions, positions and divisions that undergird them, leave us ill prepared for the next crisis. You dont need to believe that a never-ending cycle of deficit-funded spending, offset by monetary intervention, is sustainable in order to believe that the scale of spending generally contemplated to deal with an existential threat like climate change, or a societal threat like poverty, is woefully inadequate. You can just believe we need to pay for it.
Austin-Healeys Mark I Sprite, a little racer known as a Bugeye, is perhaps not the first car youd consider for a cross-country drive. For one thing, theres no trunk lid (access is from behind the seats), nor external door handles or actual glass windows  there are removable side curtains instead.

Under its hood is a tiny four-cylinder engine with all of 45 horsepower. Getting to 60 miles an hour takes about 20 seconds, and these British roadsters, built between early 1958 and late 1960 (48,987 were made), are not exactly known for reliability.

But their fun factor cant be measured, and Karen and Thomas Jeffrey Larrick of Mount Vernon, Wash., were recently at the Bugeye Guy restoration shop in Branford, Conn., taking delivery of their pale yellow 1958 Sprite, nicknamed Ducky. The couple were near the start of an epic journey  they planned to drive 4,000 miles home, on a route with many stopovers along the way.
The system functions on the premise that people want to send equivalent amounts of money between two locations. Loans and transfers are recorded on ledgers, but money doesnt have to change hands. Those features make it useful for evading taxes, paying bribes and laundering ill-gotten gains.

Hawala was a necessity under the Taliban-led Afghanistan of two decades ago, before the American invasion in 2001, when money from illicit sources greased the countrys financial wheels. In addition to hawala, opium from the countrys vast poppy fields and smuggling brought the country money from the rest of the world, offsetting weak trade. As insurgents, the Taliban funded themselves by taxing smuggled goods like televisions and fuel, in transactions often financed through hawala, and through the drug trade.

But the Afghanistan of 2021 is a country transformed. The economy, though its growth has been unsteady over the past decade, is five times the size it was in the early 2000s. Once scarce in most places, electricity is now widely available. Smartphones and internet access are common.

Foreign money helped. Over the two decades, the United States spent more than $145 billion on reconstruction activities in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. government. Much of it was used to build the Afghan security forces, but funds also went toward large-scale infrastructure projects and an economic support fund. More than three quarters of the Afghan governments $11 billion annual public expenditures was paid for by donor funding.

The Taliban will be hard-pressed to make up that shortfall.

Since taking over Afghanistan, the Taliban have said they will stop production of opium. But for the hawala system to work, Afghanistan must ultimately find sources of hard currency to lubricate the lines of credit that would snake back into the country. With exports in 2019 of about $870 million  mostly carpets, plus figs, licorice and other agricultural products  Afghanistan has little to offer on a large scale that is as lucrative as opium.

The Taliban could see support from governments like Pakistan, Iran and China that might have their own reasons for keeping relations with Afghanistan warm. Trade has already started up again with Iran, said David Mansfield, an independent consultant and an expert on rural Afghanistan, citing satellite imagery of fuel tankers and transit trucks moving across the border. He has estimated that during its insurgency, the Taliban was able to raise more than $100 million a year from informally taxing goods from Iran and southern Afghanistan.

Even if the Taliban raised several multiples more than that, it would mean a return to the minimalist state like the 1990s.
They should not cut these benefits off until there is a vaccine for all the little humans of all ages, because there are parents like me that have children that are high risk for Covid, she said.

Ms. Rinehart is one of nearly half a million Pennsylvanians who will lose their benefits this weekend, according to estimates from the Century Foundation, a progressive research institute. The state has an unemployment rate of 6.6 percent, well above the national rate of 5.4 percent.

Pennsylvania, like the country as a whole, has experienced a significant economic rebound, but a partial one: Domestic tourists this summer again lined up to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and thrill-seekers again rode the roller coasters at Hersheypark. But many downtown offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh remain all but empty, and conventioneers have not yet returned to conference hotels, or to the restaurants and bars that relied on their business. Overall, Pennsylvania has regained about two-thirds of the jobs lost in the pandemic, compared with about three-quarters nationally.

Theres been a partial recovery in a lot of the industries that are shut down, but its not back to where it was, said Barney Oursler, director of the Mon Valley Unemployed Committee, a workers rights group in Pittsburgh. The committee was formed in the 1980s in response to layoffs in the steel industry; it has had a second life in the pandemic, helping thousands of Pennsylvanians navigate the states unemployment system.

Mr. Ocheret, 32, is a professional oboist in Philadelphia. Before the pandemic, he cobbled together a living as a freelancer, performing with symphonies and opera companies up and down the Eastern Seaboard, and picking up the occasional gig with pop artists who wanted onstage orchestra sections. It all dried up almost overnight in March 2020.

Performances began to return this spring, and Mr. Ocheret recently picked up a once-a-week gig that will last into September with an orchestra in New Jersey. But his calendar remains sparse this fall, and without unemployment benefits to fall back on, he isnt sure how he will get by. He has signed up for computer coding courses to give him another option  one that he doesnt want to take, but that he says he may have to consider if the industry doesnt rebound by the end of the year.

I hate to stop doing the thing I love, Mr. Ocheret said. But if things dont start to improve, I may have to do something different.
Facebooks WhatsApp messaging service was fined nearly $270 million by Irish authorities on Thursday for not being transparent about how it uses data collected from people on the service, in a case that represents a big test of Europes ability to enforce its landmark data privacy law.

The 265-page decision is the first major ruling against Facebook under the European Unions far-reaching General Data Protection Regulation, or G.D.P.R., a three-year-old law that many have criticized for not being properly enforced. Irish regulators said WhatsApp was not clear with users about how data was shared with other Facebook properties like its main social network and Instagram.

WhatsApp said it would appeal the decision, setting up what is expected to be a lengthy legal battle.

The G.D.P.R. was heralded as the worlds most comprehensive data privacy law when it was enacted, and championed as a model for the rest of the world to counter the data-hording practices of Facebook, Google and other internet giants. But the law has resulted in few fines or penalties, and many have said it has not fulfilled its promise.
Locast, a nonprofit streaming service that piped local broadcast signals over the internet, is shutting down after a federal judge ruled against the organization in a rare case tackling the legality of network content delivered online.

The organization said it was suspending operations, effective immediately, and it added that Locast was meant to operate in accordance with the strict letter of the law, but had to comply with the ruling, with which it disagreed.

The service was in many ways a quixotic bet on the nature of copyright law. It was started by a Washington lawyer, David Goodfriend, who designed the platform specifically to challenge broadcasters. Do you know youre supposed to get television for free? Mr. Goodfriend said in a 2019 interview.

The four big networks  NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox  are given a free license by the U.S. government to make use of the airwaves. But the companies also charge customers  on the order of at least $12 a month  for what are called retransmission consent fees through their cable and satellite providers. The fees amount to billions of dollars a year for the broadcasters.
The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature this week passed a major bill overhauling election laws in the state, the latest of many to tighten voting rules this year. In Texas, as elsewhere, many businesses and industry groups have spoken out against the move, arguing that it is bad for the economy.

Texas has persuaded many companies to relocate or expand operations there with its business-friendly policies. But in taking a stand on voting rights, some companies have invited scrutiny of their words and actions, especially with political donations. Balancing this against the tightening of some of the countrys strictest voting rules will test companies social pledges with financial imperatives.

There is also the risk of political blowback for speaking out in a state with a Republican governor and a Republican senator embracing restrictive voting rules as a platform for potential presidential runs in 2024.

It is about ensuring that all Texans trust the outcome of every election in Texas, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican who presides over the Texas Senate, said in a statement.
FAIR BLUFF, N.C.  Its been almost five years since Hurricane Matthew flooded this small town on the coastal plain of North Carolina. But somehow, the damage keeps getting worse.

The storm submerged Main Street in four feet of water, destroyed the town hall, the police and fire departments, and flooded almost a quarter of its homes. After two weeks underwater, the roads buckled. The school and grocery store shut, then didnt reopen. When Hurricane Florence submerged the same ground two years later, in 2018, there was little left to destroy.

What started as a physical crisis has become an existential one. The towns only factory, which made vinyl products, closed a few months after Matthew. The population of around 1,000 fell by about half. The federal government tried to help, buying the homes of people who wanted to leave, but those buyouts meant even less property tax, tightening the fiscal noose.

Al Leonard, the town planner, who is responsible for its recovery, said his own job may have to be eliminated, and maybe the police department, too.
The torrential rains on Wednesday that deluged New York and New Jersey, killing more than three dozen, carried a stark warning about climate change: As the planet gets hotter, heavy rainstorms are dumping more water than ever before, threatening to devastate unprepared cities.

Climate scientists have long predicted that global warming would make certain parts of the world wetter overall, in part because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. But simply looking at global averages can obscure a more important reality: The heaviest rainstorms are now more intense and can produce vastly more rainfall in short periods of time. Those extreme events are what can drive catastrophic flooding.

Storm intensity is increasing much faster than the average change in precipitation, said Aiguo Dai, a professor of atmospheric science at the University at Albany, SUNY. And its the intensity that really matters, because thats what we design our infrastructure to handle.
Instead, good wine was something personal, cultural and historic, produced by people with the deepest respect and understanding of their land and vineyards. She once quoted to me Hubert de Montille, an influential vigneron in the Cote de Beaune, with whom she worked.

He said, My vineyards were here before I was born, they will be here after I die, it is up to me to honor or dishonor them, she told me. That still sends a shiver. I didnt realize they had thought about the vineyards so personally.

Ms. Wassermans wisdom was in part the result of timing and experience. She witnessed Burgundys metamorphosis from a weary, insular society, still beholden to suspicion and distrust fomented in World War II, through an unfortunate embrace of modern technology and chemical shortcuts in the 1970s and 80s to, finally, embracing the crucial importance of conscientious agriculture and transparent winemaking, and so becoming the worlds most prized and influential wine region.

In the process, as the greatest wines, the grand crus, reached stratospheric prices, she fought against fetishizing them, promoting instead the regions more earthbound, humble bottles to a world that looked only to the skies.

Ms. Wasserman began her business in the 1970s after an earlier marriage had broken up, leaving her a single mother with two young sons, Peter and Paul. She began selling French barrels to California winemakers. This led to an increasingly clear understanding of the intricacies of Burgundy terroir and wines. Slowly, she transitioned to identifying promising young producers and putting them together with American wine importers.

The content of a barrel in the end was more enticing than a barrel itself, she said on Levi Daltons wine podcast, Ill Drink to That.

Back then, Burgundy was still dominated by big negociants, merchants who bought grapes or wine from vignerons and bottled and sold it under their own labels. The merchants prospered, not the farmers, who were often subject to arbitrary price changes or decisions not to buy grapes at all, if the merchants decided the market warranted such a drastic step.
Nearly 10 million older people are without full immunization. That not only endangers them, but provides opportunities for the coronavirus to keep mutating in the bodies of those with weak immune systems. It could also complicate the planned distribution of third shots.

Last winter, when the vaccines became available, the older cohort got a head start.

They were the first in line, said David Grabowski, a health care policy researcher at Harvard Medical School. Seniors were among those who received priority for appointments, while a federal program brought vaccine clinics directly to nursing homes. And many were inclined to roll up their sleeves.

A lot of older adults realized they were at risk, said Dr. David Nace, a geriatrician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center who researches infections in older adults. We have an older population that recalls what it was like before the polio vaccine or the diphtheria vaccine.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed this populations vaccination rates soaring through the spring, then hitting a plateau. Among 65- to 74-year-olds, 80 percent were fully vaccinated on July 1, creeping gradually to 84 percent by Sept. 1. Among those over 75, about 76 percent were fully vaccinated on July 1 and about 79 percent now.

Those numbers conceal enormous regional variations. Dane County, Wisconsin, which includes Madison, has reached almost universal vaccination for those over 65. But only 76 percent are fully vaccinated in Los Angeles County.

In New York City, rates for those over age 65 range from 81 percent on Staten Island to just 67 percent in Brooklyn. The rate falls below 50 percent in several Alabama counties and below 40 percent in stretches of New Mexico.

Even older people who want the shots can face substantial obstacles. Early on, with local health authorities operating mass vaccination sites, some older adults couldnt manage the online registration, or couldnt get to a center, Dr. Grabowski said.
While I dont exactly agree that the worst of times generate the most compelling art, political turmoil can certainly inspire some of the angriest work. Case in point: the recent surge of class-conscious films by a number of Brazilian directors, such as Kleber Mendonca Filho (Bacurau), responding to the governments austerity policies and its willful neglect of the countrys cultural heritage.

Memory House, by the filmmaker Joao Paulo Miranda Maria, follows suit in somber and surreal fashion, pitting an aging Indigenous Black man from the rural North against the xenophobic inhabitants of an Austrian enclave in the South.

Captured by the cinematographer Benjamin Echazarreta in menacing slow zooms and long, contemplative shots, the film follows Cristovam (the renowned actor Antonio Pitanga), an unfortunate outsider toiling away in a sterile-white milk factory where the employees are overtly likened to the livestock.
We first meet Zaheen, whose rap moniker is Zed, onstage at a club in New York. Wiry and wired, with a whispery intensity and a quick sense of humor  and played by Riz Ahmed with everything he has  Zed is on the verge of a career breakthrough after years of almost-stardom. Hes also about to break up with his girlfriend, Bina (Aiysha Hart), and face an illness that will precipitate a wrenching identity crisis.

But before all that, if you listen to the verses he spits, its clear that the puzzles and paradoxes of identity are the wellsprings of his art. A London-bred son of immigrants from Pakistan, he writes seething, witty rhymes about the complicated history of the skin he lives in. Hes a British citizen descended from colonial subjects; a Muslim who is skeptical of piety and tradition; a man of the 21st century burdened by an earlier eras legacy of partition, displacement and war.

Nothing about Zed is simple, and he revels in his own complexity. Mogul Mowgli, Bassam Tariqs astute, compact fictional feature debut, is a portrait of the artist as a son, brother and patient. Not that hes summed up by such roles, or any others. Only a few fit those words, so Im repping for the rest of us, he raps.
But its just as hard to shake the struggling construction worker who opens the film: To him, it feels like theres a war on. The mans off-the-cuff eloquence suggests that Bridges dutiful approach could use the boost of companion viewing  perhaps Raoul Pecks coruscating analysis of imperialism, Exterminate All the Brutes. (Cornel West does bring on some fire in declaring that capitalisms industrial revolutions occurred alongside the labor of the enslaved and the vast displacement of Indigenous peoples.)

With its alternate ideas for addressing urgent societal and economic needs, Bridges educational documentary helps envision other ways of getting things done, at a time when theres ever more that needs doing.

The Big Scary S Word

Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 22 minutes. In theaters and available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Google Play and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.
You cant blame filmmakers for keeping busy during lockdown. The omnibus film The Year of the Everlasting Storm assembles pandemic-made shorts from around the globe. But with just two decent segments out of seven, this anthology uncannily replicates the sensation of feeling trapped.

The highlights come first and last. Irans Jafar Panahi, who has dealt with the restrictions of filming at home before (he made his extraordinary This Is Not a Film in his apartment, defying a moviemaking ban), delivers a sweet, minor document of a cautious visit by his mother, who arrives wearing what looks like full hazmat gear. She video chats with her granddaughter (spritzing the phone with sanitizer first) and negotiates an accord with Panahis pet iguana, Iggy.
Though Venice is limiting audiences in each theater and requiring moviegoers to wear masks (and to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test), the festival still offers the most glamorous launchpad for movies since Cannes in July. Still, even in ideal circumstances (or especially because of them), it can be daunting to show your film to an expectant international crowd ready to gauge its award prospects.

That goes double when youre first in line. You are more vulnerable if its the opening, said Pedro Almodovar, whose Parallel Mothers was selected as the opening-night entry of the festival. How did he feel in the hours before the premiere? Not nervous, he told me. Just a little exposed.

Fortunately, reviews were strong. This intimate, precisely judged drama stars Penelope Cruz as a Madrid photographer who suspects her newborn baby was switched at birth with the child of an unwed teenage mother (Milena Smit). Though that logline is outrageous, the film is surprisingly down to earth and accessible, even as Cruzs character is driven to increasingly desperate decisions.

I didnt want to ask myself what I would have done in that situation until I had finished the movie, Cruz said at dinner. She and I are very different, but when I look back now, I feel I would have done something similar. The way Pedro wrote these imperfect mothers, it makes it impossible for you to judge them.

Parallel Mothers is Cruzs seventh film with the director. I look at him and feel like he could give his life for the film, she said. Because of that, Cruz was determined to show the camera her most vulnerable depths as an actor: The standard is really high and he gives me a character that is a treasure, so I dont want to disappoint him. I try every day to give him a hundred percent.
Juliette Binoche moves through the French drama Who You Think I Am as if possessed. From moment to moment, her character  an academic with a turbulent inner life  looks tense or wildly happy. Emotion, by turns, lightens and darkens her translucent face, and changes her body, gait and gestures. She laughs, she cries, expands, contracts. At times, she all but floats down the street, buoyed by the love of a younger man. Then again, she may be less high on him, per se, than on how he makes her feel.

Filmmakers can get a lot of mileage just by filling the screen with Binoches face, which is often a movies greatest special effect. Its a lovely face, eternally so, yet while beauty tends to pull us in, it doesnt necessarily hold and bewitch us, keeping us hooked. But Binoche is a virtuoso of sentiment, with a mesmerizing control of her face. She can soften, harden or crumple it into blotchy fragments, and then effortlessly piece it back together, with or without ragged seams. And while shes a great weeper, more impressive is how these inundations, these eddies of feeling, move under her skin.

You get to know Binoches character, Claire, through the modern-era version of the confessional box, a.k.a. a shrinks office. Shes a mess, and a guy is to blame, or so it seems. What transpires proves more complex or at least complicated. There are two guys, Claire tells her new therapist (Nicole Garcia), both perfectly coifed and readily undressed. When the first (Guillaume Gouix), dumped her, Claire reveals, she turned to the modern-era version of the devil, a.k.a. social media, to spy on him. With a seductive photo and a fake identity, Claire transformed into the much younger Clara, sneaking into his life and then into that of the conveniently situated lover No. 2 (Francois Civil).

There are twists and turns, some obvious, others preposterous. Characters come and go (Charles Berling pops in too briefly as Claires ex-husband), and time slips away as Claire giggles, glows, musses her hair and loses her bearings. Throughout, there are gestures toward larger issues, including desire, beauty, gender and age. Theres a lot of talking, some dancing and more talking, this being a French movie. In one funny, pointed scene, Claire drives in circles frantically talking to a lover on her cell while her puzzled, exasperated sons watch, waiting to be picked up. Binoche seems to be having a good time, but her character could have benefited from fewer tears and histrionics.
Eric Adams, who as the Democratic nominee is the likely next mayor of New York City, expressed alarm over the devastation he saw in hard-struck areas from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

In television interviews late on Wednesday and on Thursday, he described his shock. Mr. Adams said he had witnessed flooding in Brooklyn that he hadnt seen before, including flooding on a ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge.

I had to assist some of the motorists, Mr. Adams said. He called on New Yorkers to help their neighbors and said, Its real that global warming is here.

Mr. Adams said that he normally expects flooding in coastal parts of Brooklyn, like Coney Island, but that he was getting reports of inundations in many other neighborhoods as well.
It was impossible, said Ms. Torres, who lives on the first floor. It was like a pool.

The family did not survive.

Darlene Lee, 48, was in a basement apartment that belonged to the super of a condominium in Central Parkway, Queens. Flooding burst through a glass sliding door in the apartment, and quickly filled it with about six feet of murky water.

The water pinned Ms. Lee between the apartments steel front door and the door frame, leaving her wedged and unable to escape.

Patricia Fuentes, the property manager, had just gotten off work when she heard Ms. Lee screaming for help and found her stuck. Ms. Fuentes ran to the lobby to call for aid, and Jayson Jordan, the assistant super, and Andy Tapia, a handyman, jumped through the broken glass door to get to Ms. Lee.

But they could not save her. Ms. Lee was pinned and Mr. Tapia tried to help her keep her above the chin-deep water. Eventually, the men were able to pry her from the door, but it was too late, Mr. Jordan said. Ms. Lee was killed by the storm.
And finally: Black surfers find healing in the waves

The Times Diane Cardwell writes:

On an overcast day on the cusp of summer last year, a group of surfers gathered on a historically Black beach known as the Ink Well in Santa Monica, Calif., with messages written on their boards. They were preparing for a paddle-out  a ritual for surfers to honor the dead  in the aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd. The messages on their boards read Black Lives Matter and listed the names of those killed by law enforcement.

Its just been a battle to survive, all of it, all of the time, just for the right to be, Sharon Schaffer, the first Black woman to become a professional surfer, said that day in an emotional speech. She was referring to the racism shes experienced in surfing and in her career as a Hollywood stunt woman and actor.

I had to develop a voice right away to scream: I got it  its mine, my wave, she said, and the assembled surfers cheered in response. I have a right to be on this wave.

On Presidents Day of this year, an argument in Manhattan Beach, Calif., over wave priority turned ugly when a white man repeatedly called Justin Howze, a Black musician who goes by the name Brick, and his fellow Black surfer, Gage Crismond, a racial slur. The incident inspired Mr. Howze and Mr. Crismond to organize a paddle-out in protest, which attracted well over 100 Black surfers.

These recent paddle-outs raised awareness both of the fact that Black people do indeed surf and that they often do so in the face of hostilities both subtle and overt.

Of course, Black people surf for the same reasons as anyone else  the feeling of weightlessness and propulsion, of being in perfect harmony with the energy of the wave. But surfing with other Black people can also foster a profound sense of healing, of being seen and understood, and of finding kinship through an experience shared with people who know your culture and history in an ocean that your ancestors may have traversed.
For several hours the airport had closed its parking lots and for at least an hour all flights were halted. But officials quickly resumed limited flight operations, urging customers to check with their carrier for flight statuses.

Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency late Wednesday night and asked residents to stay off the roads, stay home, and stay safe. More than 70,000 customers in New Jersey were without power by early Thursday morning, according to reports compiled by PowerOutage.us.
At least one employee at Donald J. Trumps family business testified before a grand jury on Thursday as prosecutors in Manhattan weighed whether to charge a senior executive at the company with tax-related crimes, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The Manhattan district attorneys office is scrutinizing whether the executive, Matthew Calamari, benefited from what prosecutors have described as a 15-year scheme at the Trump Organization to help its top leadership evade taxes by compensating them with off-the-books luxury perks such as free cars and apartments.

The development came two months after the district attorneys office indicted the Trump Organizations chief financial officer, Allen H. Weisselberg, and the company itself over the perks.

Image Matthew Calamari, the chief operating officer at the Trump Organization. Credit... Drew Angerer/Getty Images

It is unclear whether the prosecutors will charge Mr. Calamari, who once worked as Mr. Trumps bodyguard and rose over four decades to become the Trump Organizations chief operating officer.
A very unusual law

Known as Senate Bill 8, the Texas law prohibits doctors from performing abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is usually possible four weeks after conception, or just two weeks after a missed period. Because that is before many even know they are pregnant  and because the law makes no exceptions for rape or incest  it amounts to a nearly complete ban of abortion in Texas.

In its level of restriction, the Texas law is not unprecedented: Several states, including Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio, have passed similar heartbeat bills in recent years.

But two Supreme Court precedents  Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that affirmed that right  forbid states from banning abortion before a fetus reaches viability, or about 20 to 22 weeks after conception, so federal judges blocked those laws from taking effect.

The Texas law, however, was designed to avoid constitutional challenge. As The Timess Adam Liptak explains, plaintiffs seeking to block a law on constitutional grounds would usually name state officials as defendants. But the Texas law bars state officials from enforcing it, effectively circumventing Roe v. Wade.

Instead, the law deputizes private individuals  including individuals outside Texas  to sue anyone who performs the procedure or aids and abets it. The patient may not be sued, but doctors, clinic staff, counselors, people who help pay for the procedure, even an Uber driver who takes a patient to an abortion clinic all could be. Plaintiffs, who do not need to have any connection to the abortion at issue, are entitled to at least $10,000 and attorneys fees. Defendants, on the other hand, have to pay their own way even if they win.
When I and many of my Asian American peers were growing up, we were so hungry to see ourselves represented that wed scream and call the family to join us in the living room when an Asian guest star wandered into a scene on TV or a commercial came on featuring an Asian family. Wed scour celebrities biographies to surface undercover Asians, those with trace evidence of Asian heritage. Phoebe Cates, yes! Joseph Gordon-Levitt, no.

Now here we are, on the cusp of the release of Marvels Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the first big-budget American blockbuster to center on an honest-to-goodness Asian superhero. The film stars Simu Liu, who whirls into action with all the unique splendor promised by a movie that fuses the eye-popping spectacle of Chinese martial arts with Hollywoods unparalleled storytelling technology.

When were first introduced to our titular protagonist  going by the westernized name Shaun  hes depicted as a good-natured, smiling parking valet who nods and stammers when condescended to. He begs his over-the-top BFF Katy (Nora Awkwafina Lum) not to make noise or trouble.
Even though the F.D.A. and independent medical experts have found Covid vaccines to be extremely safe and highly effective, a sizable portion of the eligible population has chosen not to be vaccinated. In this context, Covid-19 vaccine mandates  much like mask mandates  are public health measures necessary to protect people from severe illness and death. They are therefore permissible in many settings where the unvaccinated pose a risk to others, including schools and universities, hospitals, restaurants and bars, workplaces and businesses open to the public.

While limited exceptions are necessary, most people can be required to be vaccinated. Any vaccination mandate should have exceptions for those for whom the vaccine is medically contraindicated, such as people who have allergies to it. The absence of such exceptions would directly undermine the public health goals of a mandate, although other mandatory precautions, like masking, social distancing, regular testing or working remotely, may be appropriate. Where a vaccine is not medically contraindicated, however, avoiding a deadly threat to the public health typically outweighs personal autonomy and individual freedom.

What about those who object to vaccination on religious grounds? Like personal autonomy, religious freedom is an essential right, but not an unfettered license to inflict harm on others. As the Supreme Court explained more than 75 years ago in Prince v. Massachusetts: The right to practice religion freely does not include liberty to expose the community or the child to communicable disease or the latter to ill health or death.

In the employment context, federal law requires religious accommodations in some circumstances, but not if they would cause an undue hardship to the employer. Refusing a Covid-19 vaccination poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others in the workplace and likely amounts to an undue hardship unless the employer can devise some other accommodation for the employee, such as working from home.

Some have objected that in practice, vaccine mandates may have disparate effects on disadvantaged communities or individuals. Such concerns need to be taken seriously. But they dont justify refusals to be vaccinated.

Every effort should be made to ensure that vaccines are equally available to all without obstacles posed by cost, race, immigration status, geography or job responsibilities. Some undocumented people reportedly have been turned away from vaccination sites because they lack a government ID, for instance, while others have confronted obstacles related to cost, transportation or additional requirements imposed by vaccination clinics.

Public health officials should take concrete steps to counter vaccine hesitancy among communities of color whose past discriminatory treatment has understandably sown mistrust. Employers imposing mandates should afford workers paid time off as needed to obtain a vaccine and to manage potential side effects. And people should be permitted to offer written proof of vaccination rather than requiring proof via a smartphone app, so as not to disadvantage those who cant afford a smartphone.
And there is a lucrative reason to try to make it as a senior official at the F.D.A.: It could lead to a cushy second career as a consultant to the drug industry. The revolving door between the F.D.A. and the industry spins so fast, we could tap it as a source of renewable power. Between 2001 and 2010, according to one study, 26 F.D.A. reviewers who worked on cancer and hematology drugs left the agency; more than half of them went on to work or consult for the drug industry. Scott Gottlieb, who ran the agency from 2017 to 2019, is now on the board of directors of Pfizer.

This summer I read Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe of The New Yorker, a superb and infuriating investigation of the Sacklers, the family that owned the company that made the powerful and addictive painkiller OxyContin. Keefe  building upon work by other journalists whove investigated the opioid epidemic, including Barry Meier, a former New York Times reporter  tells a riveting story of a family business driven by greed and willfully blind to its igniting role in an epidemic that killed nearly 500,000 Americans from 1999 to 2019.

Before reading Keefes book, I had been under the impression that the F.D.A.s initial approval of OxyContin and its long neglect of the dangers posed by opioids was a routine story of regulatory mishap  that the agency got it wrong because drugs are complex and unpredictable and regulators arent perfect.

But Keefe makes clear the F.D.A.s mistakes were worse than simple incompetence. The Sacklers company, Purdue Pharma, cultivated close relationships with key F.D.A. officials. Among them was Curtis Wright, the F.D.A. official who oversaw the process for OxyContins review. At times during the review process for OxyContin, Keefe writes, it could seem that Wright had given up his role as impartial federal regulator and become a sort of in-house advocate for Purdue. Within two years of leaving the agency, Wright went to work for Purdue.

Can the F.D.A. be fixed? Perhaps, but it would take rare political courage to enact reforms that might address the agencys deepest problems, like its reliance on drug money to pay for its operations. Most of the political pressure on drug approvals runs in the direction of action; the pharmaceutical industry will always want to sell new products, and patient advocates tend to be desperate for new treatments even if there might be risks to safety.

Sometimes courageous scientists stand firm against these forces. In June, three F.D.A. advisers resigned in protest of the approval for aducanumab. On Tuesday, the agency said that Marion Gruber, the agencys vaccine director, and her deputy, Philip Krause, will soon leave the agency, reportedly in part because they were upset about the Biden administrations recent announcement that Americans should get Covid-19 booster shots.
Helen Kelly

Erie, Colo.

To the Editor:

The self-righteousness of Texas legislators will inevitably be challenged after one of their family members or friends requires an abortion due to rape, incest, teenage pregnancy, a fetus with a severe defect or some other reason thats legally accepted in other states.

Paul L. Newman

Merion Station, Pa.

To the Editor:

Congressional Democrats must use their current majority to codify Roe v. Wade at the national level and pre-empt state laws. The Texas abortion law shows that Republicans will use all of their power to crush civil rights even if it means completely undermining the foundation of U.S. civil law, which is that the party bringing suit must personally have been harmed or represent people who have been harmed by the defendant.

Democrats have the majority now, and so far it seems that they are unwilling to wake up and play hardball. Republicans will continue to roll back civil rights, and Democrats will make symbolic but meaningless gestures in opposition while allowing the Republican efforts to succeed. Its far past time for Democrats to step up and fight for what they believe in.

Adam Colborn

Arlington, Va.

To the Editor:

Since Texas is allowing regular citizens to sue anyone aiding and abetting an abortion, then maybe it can also have a law that would allow Texans to sue people not wearing a mask or refusing to get vaccinated. After all, the legislators are against abortions because they feel it is murdering innocent children. Refusing to take the proper steps to avoid getting and giving to others the potentially deadly Covid-19 is along the same lines.

Linda Drum

Bradenton, Fla.

To the Editor:

Its difficult to imagine this absurd, horrendous law will withstand, ultimately, Supreme Court scrutiny. If it does, then our system of justice is truly lost.
You hear unflattering comparisons with Brown often when you ask around about Newsom. Brown was a more disciplined and experienced leader. He chose his priorities carefully, and he did what he promised. The surplus Newsom is spending is a gift bequeathed by Brown, who persuaded Californias voters to sharply raise taxes on the wealthiest residents. But Brown did little to address the states housing affordability crisis and neither did the Legislature.

Nancy Skinner, a state senator whos been a leader on housing, told me that our shortage has been decades in the making. The mantra, she said, was to just leave it to the cities. For years, the Legislature just urged city governments to be more responsive. We tried to create some incentives. And only in the last five years did we realize this is a statewide crisis and we cant just leave it to local governments to get it fixed. It took the Legislature a long time to get to the place of realizing the urging and carrots didnt do it. We have to do the mandates.

Newsom, to his credit, prioritized housing from the beginning. Early in his term, in 2019, he sued the city of Huntington Beach for allegedly falling short on its housing commitments and threatened to sue dozens more. He made housing the primary focus of his 2020 State of the State speech. But the initial consensus was that he overpromised and underdelivered. There were widespread frustrations that he wasnt tough enough with the Legislature and his interventions were often ineffective. He remains far behind his goal of building 3.5 million new housing units by 2025.

I said the 3.5 million houses was a stretch goal, he protested to me. I said in trying to achieve it, wed find what we were capable of!

To be fair, Newsom couldnt have predicted that the pandemic, which descended on California just weeks after his big housing speech, was coming. Still, in February, I was furious watching Californias political class, including Newsom, fail and fail again to pass major housing legislation. But when the facts change, so must your mind. The Legislature just passed, and Newsom will sign, a series of housing bills that achieve something I never expected to see in California: the end of single-family zoning. S.B.9 allows homeowners to divide their properties into two lots and to build two homes on each of those lots. It wont solve the housing crisis, but its a start.

Newsom and other Democrats are also finally appreciating the depth of the anger even liberals feel about homelessness. People cant take the tents and open-air drug use, Newsom said to me. They cant. Nor can I. They want the streets cleaned up. They want more housing. They dont care about task forces or bills. I think that sense of urgency coming out of Covid sharpens our edges. The five- to 10-year plans, no one is interested in that anymore. Whats the five- to 10-month plan?

In Newsoms case, its using the states budget surpluses to drive a $12 billion investment over two years in permanent residences and mental health care for the homeless. How well it works remains to be seen, but no other state is investing in housing at anything like this scale or speed.
This article is part of our latest Design special report, about homes for multiple generations and new definitions of family.

The Canon de Alacran (Scorpions Canyon) is a rough and craggy valley that butts up to the U.S. border wall, just west of Tijuana, Mexico. It winds through an arid landscape of garbage-strewn arroyos, yucca and sagebrush, without paved roads or sewerage. Roughly 93,000 inhabitants, many of them refugees from Central America, live there in illegal squatter settlements inside roughly built lean-tos, tents and ad hoc shacks made from scavenged refuse.

Up until now, the areas impoverished population has made do with these rudimentary shelters. But deep within the fractured landscape, a bold new experiment in social housing is being realized. Its called El Santuario Frontera, or the Border Sanctuary, a live-work collective for homeless refugees.

The sanctuarys designers, Teddy Cruz, a Guatemalan-born architect, and Fonna Forman, a political scientist from Milwaukee, have been working on both sides of the border for more than a decade, studying the transient population and the process of informal urbanization taking place. Professors at the University of California San Diego, where they lead a cross-disciplinary design practice, Mr. Cruz and Ms. Forman see an increasingly urgent need for humanitarian shelter, as more and more immigrants flee northward, many to escape climate change, drug cartels or political oppression. Some  blocked, deported or caught in the United States immigration system  have been camped at the border for years.
From the moment I stepped down from the podium and looked at my phone, I could feel it, said Ms. Gorman. (Though she wasnt exactly anonymous before  she had been the first National Youth Poet Laureate  her public profile was relatively niche.) At the time it was like a tsunami. It was a lot to take in: to realize what I had done had changed my life. Im still processing it.

The question was: How would she use the spotlight that had been thrust upon her? Because she knew she was going to use it  though she didnt put it that way, exactly. What she said was, All forms of light come with some form of shadows, and that doesnt mean you dont want to walk into the sun.

Still, a product endorsement, historic as it is, is not without risk. For a poet who sees her art as the sharp end of the spear of social change and who has publicly declared her desire to be president to take on what to many will seem a brand ambassadorship is to potentially taint the purity of her own brand with the whiff of commercialism. As Ms. Gorman was aware.

Im never just lending my body or my face, Ms. Gorman said. They are getting my spirit, my breath, my brain. But, she said, rather than letting the world tell me what I should be doing  or not doing  I realized this is my moment to tell the world what it needs to get done. And weaponizing a big brand with a big platform to her own ends was an effective way to do that.

She (and her tightly knit team of agents and managers: literary, speaking, modeling) approached each offer with the same standard: Could it be used to achieve Ms. Gormans stated goal of advancing literacy, equity and access? According to Steven Malk, a senior literary agent at Writers House who has worked with Ms. Gorman for the last three years, she was determined to show this on a major scale.
That surge has gone sluggish. The majority of those nine publications used less Black talent for their covers in the six-month period from March to September of this year when compared to the previous six-month period that came on the heels of the summer of Black Lives Matter protests. (Two exceptions were Vogue Italia and Harpers Bazaar, which used more Black talent over time.)

Diverse covers also do not always reflect a diverse staff. The people creating magazine covers  the models, photographers and hair and makeup artists  are typically freelancers and contractors, hired quickly and employed temporarily. Long-term staffing changes take more time and effort.

Even as Black leaders ascended to top jobs and turned content in a new, more inclusive direction, they werent typically able to make rampant new hires, or wipe out the staffs they inherited and start over. And because of fashions longtime exclusion of marginalized voices, the Black talent pipeline went underdeveloped for years.

When it comes to Black leaders stepping into these roles, a lot of people expect changes overnight, Ms. Ogunnaike said. It doesnt happen overnight.

Chioma Nnadi, the digital director and highest ranking Black editor at Vogue, called it a slow and steady kind of journey.

Radical change actually is incremental, and changing the culture of a company or changing the culture of an industry  it takes a long time, Ms. Nnadi, who stepped into her role last September after six years as the websites fashion news director, said. In order to make lasting change, it cant be a box thats ticked and forgotten about until theres another crisis, or theres another flash point in the news cycle.
We couldnt have been more fortunate with this site, Mr. Krager told me, because we really are across from City Hall and a public library, and walking distance to the downtown main street, which is really cute. Future sites, he said, are likely to be in ex-urban destination-type places, like the Hudson Valley, around Lake Tahoe or near Joshua Tree National Park.

One problem not easily solved is the very idea of senior. Much as the design profession has embraced the term universal design to describe adaptations for disabled people that have made places and things work better for everyone, the Cantina partners are trying to come up with something that works for older people but is sexier and broader than the S word.

The trick might be to create communities that are not just for older residents. Technically, we are allowed to have up to 20 percent of the units be anybody else who isnt 55, said Mr. Viola, explaining the agreement he and his partners made with the town of Buda. I think its a really fun way to both learn more about our target customer, but also start to understand what does intergenerational living look like.

Donna Butts should know the answer. The executive director of an organization called Generations United, she has been promoting the value of interaction between young and old for decades. Her explanation for doing that work is straightforward: I want to help create the world that I want to grow old in, she said. I knew I didnt want to live just with a bunch of old people. I wanted to make sure that there were options.

But there arent nearly as many as there could be. Ms. Butts told me about what might be the countrys most sophisticated approach to intergenerational housing, the university-based retirement community. These are upscale senior apartments, often with medical care in-house, that are on, or adjacent to, a college campus.
A jury of 12 residents of Northern California and five alternates was sworn in on Thursday for the fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder of blood testing start-up Theranos, which is set to begin next week.

The jury consists of seven men and five women.

For two days, Judge Edward Davila of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, federal prosecutors and Ms. Holmess defense lawyers questioned roughly 100 potential jurors over their answers to a 28-page questionnaire that spanned topics including what news outlets they read, whether they knew any potential witnesses and whether they have had negative medical experiences.

The jury will decide the fate of Ms. Holmes, who is battling 12 counts of fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud over false claims she made about Theranoss blood tests and business. Her trial is one of Silicon Valleys most prominent fraud cases and a public fascination with Ms. Holmes has spawned documentaries, a book and a mini-series starring Amanda Seyfried.

Finding jurors who had never heard of Theranos, which collapsed in 2018 after reports that its blood-testing technology did not work as advertised, was a challenge.
LONDON  During a recent performance of Back to the Future: The Musical, at the Adelphi Theater here, the audience couldnt stop cheering.

They cheered a preshow announcement asking everyone to turn off their cellphones, since they werent invented in 1985, the year the original movie was released. They cheered when Marty McFly, the shows main character (played by Olly Dobson), skateboarded onstage in an orange body warmer. And they cheered, again, when he started singing, surrounded by break dancers and women in aerobics getup to complete the 1980s vibe.

But the loudest applause came about 20 minutes in. After three loud bangs and a flash of light, a DeLorean car seemed to magically appear in the middle of the stage, lights bouncing off its steel bodywork and gull-wing doors.

The audience went wild.

Bob Gale, who co-wrote the original movie with Robert Zemeckis and wrote the musicals book, said in a telephone interview that he always knew the car would be vital to the shows success. We knew if we pulled it off, it was going to make the audience go nuts, he said.
Americans will most likely pay significantly more for Covid medical care during this new wave of cases  whether thats a routine coronavirus test or a lengthy hospitalization.

Earlier in the pandemic, most major health insurers voluntarily waived costs associated with a Covid treatment. Patients didnt have to pay their normal co-payments or deductibles for emergency room visits or hospital stays.

Most Covid tests were free, too.

The landscape has since changed, as the pandemic persists into its second year. Federal law still requires insurers to cover testing at no cost to the patient when there is a medical reason for seeking care, such as exposure to the disease or a display of symptoms. But more of the tests sought now dont meet the definition of medical reason and are instead for monitoring.

And insurers are now treating Covid more like any other disease, no longer fully covering the costs of care. Some businesses, like Delta Air Lines, are planning to charge unvaccinated employees higher rates for insurance, citing in part the high hospitalization costs for Covid cases.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.  There were several flare-ups during a dynamic 24 hours along the far-flung fire lines of the Caldor fire. Giant funnels of smoke poured from forested hillsides. But despite the ominous scene, the authorities on Thursday morning said the wind was working in their favor, and that for now, they hoped to keep the blaze from reaching Lake Tahoe.

It was a bit of welcome news for residents who had evacuated the area as the Caldor fire pushed aggressively east toward the border of California and Nevada. It has burned more than 210,000 acres, destroying 811 structures and injuring five people.

I feel relieved down here, but I still have a knot in my stomach for whats going on in the South Lake Tahoe area, said the Rev. Debra Sabino, an Episcopal priest from Placerville, 40 miles northeast of Sacramento, who has been delivering groceries and supplies to evacuees affected by the fire.

She added, Im just worried sick.

On Wednesday evening, President Biden declared the fire an emergency, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts at the fire.
The authorities in Hawaii are struggling to transport tanks of oxygen from the mainland as the states hospitals grow increasingly strained by new coronavirus infections.

Medical authorities are asking people to postpone elective surgeries and the states 223 I.C.U. beds have dwindled to 16 available, said Hilton R. Raethel, the president and chief executive of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

The most critical point for Hawaii that weve experienced during this entire pandemic is right now, he said.

Since July 1, Hawaii has been battling its highest surge in virus infections and hospitalizations, with the seven-day average of reported cases reaching 884 on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database. The seven-day hospitalization average peaked at 427 on Monday. Health experts say the surge is driven by the highly contagious Delta variant and low vaccination rates.
Citing a surge in coronavirus cases driven by the Delta variant, officials in King County in Washington  which includes Seattle and its suburbs  said Thursday that it would require masks be worn at outdoor events that attract more than 500 people.

The mandate begins Tuesday, and it applies to residents 5 years of age and older, regardless of their vaccination status. The county is also strongly recommending masks for everyone over 5 years old in other outdoor settings where people cannot remain at least six feet apart from people outside their household.

County health officials said that hospitals are the most crowded since the pandemic began, and that health care workers were overburdened.

As of Wednesday, the seven-day average of new cases across Washington State has reached a new state record, with 3,465 a day, an increase of 19 percent in the last two weeks, according to a New York Times database. The data also shows that current hospitalizations have grown 35 percent over the same time period, to a daily average of 1,753, and new deaths have jumped 72 percent, to a daily average of 24.
Four Louisiana nursing home residents who were evacuated ahead of Hurricane Ida have died at facility where state inspectors were prevented from conducting a full assessment this week, state officials said on Thursday.

Three of the fatalities have been classified as storm-related by the coroner, though definitive causes of death have not yet been confirmed, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

The deaths occurred at a facility in Tangipahoa Parish, north of New Orleans. Inspectors promptly visited the site but were expelled from the property, state officials said in a written statement. We have significant concerns about conditions in this facility.

More than 800 residents from seven different nursing homes had been moved to the facility in Tangipahoa Parish, and state officials said they are working to find safe placements for them, beginning with the most vulnerable.
She had hoped that might happen by now. Instead, she is scrambling to find a tutor.

Her plan is to wait out the clock: Keep him at home until a vaccine is authorized for emergency use, or until he turns 12 next year, whichever comes first.

Polls show that a considerable number of parents do not intend to get their children vaccinated even when shots become available. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that 25 percent to 30 percent of parents with younger children would definitely not get them vaccinated. A Gallup poll found that 46 percent do not plan to do so.

But millions of other families are in anxious limbo, waiting for a vaccine, as the Delta variant leads to a swell of new cases, including in children.

The timeline for a vaccine for children under 12  initially expected by this fall  appears to have slowed, as officials consider safety, effectiveness and dosage. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nations top infectious-disease expert, recently indicated that a vaccine could become available to young children hopefully by the mid, late fall and early winter. Shots for children ages 5 to 11 are expected first; children as young as six months may have to wait longer.

In interviews, many parents of children under 12 described feeling increasingly desperate, angry and backed into a corner as they reluctantly send their children into the classroom this fall  or resort to drastic actions to keep them safe.
The White House, under pressure to do more to address the global coronavirus pandemic, said Thursday that it will invest $2.7 billion to ramp up domestic production of critical vaccine components as part of President Bidens push to make the United States the arsenal of vaccines for the world.

The money will go to firms doing business in the United States that make supplies necessary for vaccine production, including lipids, bioreactor bags, tubing, needles and syringes, officials said. It will come from funds appropriated by Congress through the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package Mr. Biden signed into law in March.

This new investment will further expand domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity, helping the U.S. deliver on its commitment to be the arsenal of vaccines for the world and preparing America for future vaccination efforts, said Jeffrey D. Zients, Mr. Bidens coronavirus response coordinator, who announced the effort during a briefing with reporters.

Details, however, were scant. The Department of Health and Human Services is in the final stages of awarding contracts for the work, and will make announcements in the coming weeks, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the investment. Neither the official nor Mr. Zients could provide an estimate of how many doses the investment would yield.
I think its a reasonable question, whatever one thinks of the answers the court is reaching in these cases, whether we actually think its healthy for so many major questions affecting so many people to be resolved in this highly compressed, circumscribed, truncated review process, Professor Vladeck said.

The courts increasingly assertive use of the shadow docket has angered some of its members, like Justice Elena Kagan, who wrote in her dissent from the order on Texas law, The majoritys decision is emblematic of too much of this courts shadow-docket decision making  which every day becomes more unreasoned, inconsistent and impossible to defend.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the only conservative who dissented, criticized the process less forcefully, writing that the structure of the new abortion law was not only unusual, but unprecedented, and that while Texas legal arguments may be correct, the questions involved were too weighty to resolve in such a rushed way.

Texas end-run around the courts

Texas law, called S.B. 8, prohibits abortion once cardiac activity is detectable in the embryo  around six weeks gestation, before many people know they are pregnant. (Pregnancies are dated from the last menstrual period, so six weeks generally means four or less after fertilization, and two or less after a missed period.) Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 case that affirmed Roe, protects a right to abortion until the fetus can survive outside the uterus, around 23 weeks gestation.

What distinguishes the Texas law from bans that courts have blocked everywhere else is that, instead of making abortion a crime prosecutable by the government, it lets any citizen sue anyone whom they accuse of aiding or abetting an abortion after the cutoff point  phrasing that includes not only abortion providers but also anyone who, for instance, pays for a procedure or drives a patient to a clinic. Successful plaintiffs will get $10,000 and reimbursement of their legal fees. Defendants who prevail will not be reimbursed.

Already, the law has functionally shut down abortion in Texas.

Outsourcing enforcement of the law was an intentional maneuver to avoid judicial scrutiny by denying providers and patients specific people to sue  a point that Justice Sonia Sotomayor emphasized in her dissent, calling the structure of the law a breathtaking act of defiance by Texas lawmakers and writing that her fellow justices had rewarded the states effort to delay federal review of a plainly unconstitutional statute, enacted in disregard of the courts precedents, through procedural entanglements of the states own creation.

Legal experts said the novelty of Texas argument made it especially remarkable that the court had used the shadow docket to address it, and that it had initially let the law take effect by doing nothing.
But the state Supreme Court, affirming a circuit court ruling, delivered two unanimous decisions in the governors favor on Thursday. Even if those agreements had created restrictive covenants, the justices wrote, they were unenforceable because their effect was to compel government speech, by forcing the Commonwealth to express, in perpetuity, a message with which it now disagrees.

Mr. Northam, a Democrat, welcomed the outcome.

Todays ruling is a tremendous win for the people of Virginia, he said in a statement. Our public memorials are symbols of who we are and what we value. When we honor leaders who fought to preserve a system that enslaved human beings, we are honoring a lost cause that has burdened Virginia for too many years.

He added, Today it is clear: The largest Confederate monument in the South is coming down.

The court relied on the states expert witnesses to conclude that Virginias public policy has substantially changed since the 1890s on issues of race, citing major U.S. Supreme Court decisions that integrated the nations public schools and allowed interracial couples to marry, said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond.

Professor Tobias said that the plaintiffs could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court but that the high court was not likely to take the case because the matter centered on local law.

The Lee statue is larger than life, Professor Tobias said. It took on symbolic significance and actual importance beyond just the statue. It was a symbol of the past that was detrimental to many people who lived in the city.
The only option, she said, is to refer women to clinics hundreds of miles away to states like New Mexico and Colorado. The nearest clinic to McAllen, Texas, a large city in South Texas, is 615 miles away in Baton Rouge, La., a state with its own abortion restrictions.

Because 85 to 90 percent of procedures in the state happen after the sixth week of pregnancy, the Texas law amounts to a nearly complete ban on abortion in Texas, according to lawyers for several clinics.

The law, known as Senate Bill 8 and referred to as the heartbeat bill, prohibits abortions at about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women are even aware they are pregnant. But there is no heart at this stage of development, only electrical activity in developing cells. The heart is not fully formed until later in pregnancy.

Anti-abortion activists in several states said they remained focused on how the Supreme Court would rule on a Mississippi law banning most abortions after 15 weeks. The court will hear the case in its next term, which starts in October. The law has been blocked by lower courts; upholding it would mean overturning Roe v. Wade.

In Texas, anti-abortion groups have prepared for that eventuality.

During this years legislative session, a different abortion bill was also passed and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. It would ban all abortions in Texas from the moment of conception.

Like other similar bills around the country, it is set to take effect if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Susan C. Beachy contributed research.
KOLKATA, India  The tram rattled along College Street, passing dozens of book stalls, and announcing itself with the quaint chime of a bell. A gentle breeze from its open windows and antique ceiling fans cut the humid summer heat.

Sounds and smells from the streets wafted in  fresh fish splayed out on the sidewalk, the muezzins call to prayer  as the tram passed vegetable wagons and ornate colonial buildings.

You get all the flavors of Calcutta here, so its the best way to travel, said a medical student, Megha Roy, riding the tram with two friends. She used the Anglicized version of Kolkata, which residents deploy interchangeably with its current spelling and pronunciation.

The three friends had jumped onboard spontaneously, with no clear idea of where the tram was going, or when it was scheduled to get there. But it didnt really matter. The ride itself was an unexpected treat.
SRINAGAR, Kashmir  Syed Ali Geelani, an influential and uncompromising leader of the separatist movement in Kashmir who refused to engage with India over the future of that troubled Himalayan region, died on Wednesday while under house arrest in Srinagar, Kashmirs biggest city. He was 91.

His death was confirmed by his son Naseem. He did not specify a cause but said his father had been struggling with heart and kidney disease for the past two decades and dementia more recently.

Even in death Mr. Geelani showed he could make the regions Indian-led authorities nervous: They shut down the internet across the Kashmir valley when word of his death spread and beefed up security forces patrolling empty streets.

The police took his body away just hours after he died, Naseem Geelani said, leading to a quiet funeral for a resistance leader who could once summon thousands of people into the streets to protest.
The first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines arrived in Taiwan on Thursday morning, health officials said. The delivery of the 930,000 doses came after a monthslong struggle to acquire BioNTechs vaccines on the island.

In May, President Tsai Ing-wen attributed the delay to Chinas intervention.

A Chinese company, Fosun Pharma, claimed exclusive commercial rights to the distribution of the BioNTech vaccine in Taiwan, whose frosty relationship with China has intensified in recent months. Two Taiwanese corporate giants, a charity organization and a Buddhist foundation stepped into the morass in July to offer a solution.

Foxconn, a major assembler of Apples iPhones, and TSMC, which makes the chips found in Apple devices, agreed with the YongLin Foundation, a charity set up by the founder of Foxconn, to purchase 10 million doses of the BioNTech vaccine from Fosun Pharma and donate them to the Taiwanese government. The Tzu Chi Foundation, a Buddhist organization, agreed to purchase and donate an additional 5 million BioNTech shots from the Chinese company for Taiwans vaccination effort.

Earlier this week, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control released a statement announcing that the BioNTech vaccine would be prioritized for those between the ages of 12 and 17, with leftover doses administered to those between 18 and 22.
Insurgents who seize power tend to quickly convert themselves into a very specific kind of government: party-based authoritarianism.

Think of Chinas Communist Party, a one-time rebellion that took power in 1949. They are tightly unified, with rigid internal hierarchies and a practiced hand at bureaucratic organizing but little tolerance for dissent.

Rebels choose this model for the simple reason that its how theyre already organized.

A successful rebel group is simultaneously a political party, a military organization and a business, Dr. Lyons wrote in a study on how rebels govern.

In power, the discipline and cohesion of rebel groups often make their governments more stable and pragmatic than other types of authoritarianism, perhaps even longer-lived.

They tend to express ambivalence, if not hostility, toward democracy, Dr. Lyons found, even as they claim to represent popular liberation. And their experience in the zero-sum contests of war can lead them to see peacetime competition  elections, protests, dissent  as a threat.

After taking power over China, Mao Zedong invited intellectuals, journalists and others to critique the new government. But, apparently taken aback, he jailed or killed many who had taken up his offer.

Still, while rebel governments capacity for violence can be vast, years of hiding out in villages and mountain passes leaves them keenly aware of the value of cultivating popular support.
This month, several countries have begun or will start giving booster shots to people already vaccinated against the coronavirus, in an effort to bolster immunity in the face of the fast-spreading Delta variant and the change to a cooler season that is likely to bring more people together indoors.

The Czech Republic announced this week that it would offer a booster, beginning Sept. 20, to anyone who had previously been vaccinated with either a single or double dose. The country strongly recommended boosters for people over 60.

Similar policies were recently announced in Germany and France, which are offering boosters to older people and those with underlying health conditions. And Israel is now offering boosters to vaccinated people as young as 12.

In the United States, the Biden administration has said it is planning to offer booster shots to most Americans eight months after vaccination, assuming federal regulators clear them. The F.D.A. will hold a public meeting on the topic Sept. 17.
Her contentious tenure as Denmarks immigration minister included taking out advertisements in Lebanese media warning potential migrants to stay away, planning to house unwanted foreigners on a hard-to-reach Danish island, and celebrating the passage of anti-immigration policies with a cake.

Now, the Danish lawmaker Inger Stojberg is facing accusations that she ordered the illegal separation of couples, some of them with children, who sought asylum in Denmark, in a rare impeachment trial in Copenhagen.

The high-profile case, which began on Thursday, is only the sixth of its kind since Denmarks Constitution came into effect in 1849, and will be decided by a panel of judges from the Supreme Court and others appointed by Parliament. If found guilty, Ms. Stojberg could face fines, a vote in Parliament to remove her as a lawmaker, or a prison sentence.

Appearing Thursday in court, where her arrival was greeted by a small group of supporters waving placards outside, a composed Ms. Stojberg said she expected to be acquitted and that she had acted to split underage girls from older husbands in forced marriages.
BLOIS, France  French Socialists gathered recently in the Loire Valley for a weekend of debate that turned into the virtual anointment of Anne Hidalgo, the charismatic and divisive mayor of Paris, as their candidate for next years presidential election.

Speaker after speaker, gathered in the courtyard of the Chateau de Blois, turned to Ms. Hidalgo to say they dreamed of a Madame la Presidente, stressing the last e-accentuated syllable denoting the feminine form. Up to now, the Fifth Republic has produced eight male presidents over six decades.

That is not the only statistic stacked against Ms. Hidalgo, 62, who was coy about her intentions while leaving little doubt she is preparing to run. Most polls give the left, divided between Socialists, ecologists and far-left parties, less than 30 percent of the vote in a France drifting rightward. The once-proud gauche is in tatters.

I asked Ms. Hidalgo when she would announce her candidacy. I believe in solid foundations, and I am working on that, she said. If the foundation is solid, the house stands up. Her latest book, A French Woman, will be published Sept. 15. It appears likely the announcement will come around that time.
Profits at most U.S. newspaper companies have been on a steady decline for years, as advertising budgets have dried up and print subscription numbers have diminished. A recent analysis by British media trade nonprofit Press-Gazette shows how the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated that death spiral.

The Press Gazettes analysis, which looked only at daily print circulation numbersexcluding digital subscription numbers, as well as Sunday or other weekend editionsfound that the top 25 newspapers in the U.S. saw their daily print circulations drop by 20 percent (or about 840,000 readers) between the first quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of this year, from a combined circulation of 4.2 million to a total circulation of 3.4 million.

National papers suffered the steepest declines. According to the Press Gazette report, the three largest titles in the countryThe Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Todaylost a combined total circulation of more than a half-million between Q1 2020 and Q1 2021.

USA Today fared worst of any paper in the top 25. That Gannett property, with its hotel-heavy distribution, saw year-over-year daily print circulation declines of 62 percent, accounting for an average weekday circulation loss of about 303,000 papers.

The Wall Street Journal, which now boasts the largest daily print circulation in the U.S., lost 21 percent of its circulation since 2020s first quarter, or about 208,000 papers. The New York Times, which has seen marked success focusing on its digital subscription businesses in recent years, saw its print circulation decline by 12 percent or about 48,000 papers.

Other top publishers that took big hits during this period included the New York Daily News (down 29,000, or 30 percent), the Arizona Republic (down 20,000, or 20 percent), the Chicago Sun-Times (down 13,000, or 18 percent) and New Jerseys Star-Ledger (down 10,000 or 15 percent).

The Press Gazettes analysis was based on circulation data supplied by newspaper companies to media transparency non-profit The Alliance for Audited Media.
Offaly is one of nine counties in Ireland that has failed to provide a domestic violence refuge, despite extensive nationwide Garda operations throughout the pandemic.

Ireland has a total of 21 refuges with 139 units, of which eight are communal, consisting of shared bathrooms and kitchen spaces.

An Irish Times Editorial yesterday referenced this as "a type of accommodation considered not fit for purpose in a refuge setting."

The nine counties that have failed to provide a domestic violence refuge are Carlow, Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon and Sligo.

On April 1, 2020, Gardai launched Operation Faoiseamh, in line with surging reports of domestic violence incidents throughout the first lockdown. The purpose of the nationwide operation was to provide "enhanced proactive support to victims of domestic abuse."

Phase one saw a total of 8,229 attempts to contact victims of domestic abuse between January and May 2020. The second phase of the operation, which began on May 30, 2020, led to 107 prosecutions. The third phase placed an emphasis on providing resources in incidents where domestic violence legislation had been breached.

The Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence entered into force on July 1, this year.

At the time, Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan said: Protecting and supporting victims has been a key priority for this Government. Domestic and sexual violence are pernicious and widespread evils, affecting all social classes and genders.

"The entry into force of the Istanbul Convention sends an important message that Ireland will not tolerate violence against women and domestic violence. It is further proof of our commitment to protecting and supporting victims of this violence."
Over the last two months, Tullamore has been the home to Sleepertown, a new mobile public art programme curated by Richard Carr, featuring six diverse sonic artworks at individual locations. This art programme connects a sound installation to a certain location with the help of the Echoes app. This will run until Saturday, 4th September.

Richard Carr, Sleepertown curator and artist, aims to bring together artists in a decentralised way with this project. The Sleepertown programme utilises art to activate spaces within 'Commuter Towns' and in turn connect 'Commuter Towns / Sleepertowns' with one another.

Richard explains to Brendan Fox, Museum of Everyone curator, how Sleepertown is benefitting artists and communities, A lot of these great ideas, great artists and great works can actually work and live in smaller towns or smaller communities so it (Sleepertown) is good as a platform that we are connecting them in some way. At each stop we will 'pick up / commission' an artist from each location along the way.

Sleepertown can be enjoyed at Tullamore Train Station, St Josephs Cemetery, Turas Nua on Tara St, the War Memorial in OConnor Square, Lloyd Town Park, and Charleville Forest. Look for the QR codes or visit www.echoes.xyz and search Sleepertown.

Richard Carr first ran the Sleepertown project in Gorey, which finished in March this year, to bring it to Tullamore for a 3 month period, as part of Offalys Museum of Everyone.

People are asked to visit each location and scan the QR code on a poster that should be in the area, which will bring you to the website to hear the artists work. Alternatively, visit the site above for an audio walk. You are advised to bring a fully charged phone, a good internet connection and an open mind. Each piece has its own story. Each artist is asking you to take time to experience how the sounds can make you feel and see the location differently, in a safe and enjoyable way. For example, Everyone is called Mohamed by Younes Baba-Ali, is an invitation to interact and react - simply by being provoked by the name Mohammed being called, as our body physically and instinctively reacts to the call.

Aoise O'Dwyer and Camilo Gaete Puga joined the Sleepertown project from Tullamore. Aoise, a violist from Tullamore, has worked with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, Camerata Ireland, Wexford Festival Opera Orchestra and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Municipal Theatre of Santiago, Chile. Camilo Gaete Puga is a Chilean musician currently based in Tullamore, graduated with a degree in double bass performance from the Conservatory of the University of Chile in 2018, which included two years of training at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Trees Are Sanctuaries is music inspired by trees. It is composed in three parts, with each part connected to a different group of trees in Lloyd Town Park, Tullamore. The title and the text interspersed through the music come from the 1920 book "Wanderings: Notes and sketches" by Hermann Hesse.

The locations have been carefully chosen by Richard, and aim to open up the experience to the sound installation. The artists are Michael Petry (Director; MOCA London) & John Powell (Oscar Nominated Film Composer), Gabi Schaffner (Artist, Berlin), Younes Baba-Ali (Artist Morocco/Belgium), Carmen Torrano Mellado (Double Bass | Georgian National Philharmonic Orchestra), Joseph Young (Artist UK), Aoise O'Dwyer (Violist Ireland), Camilo Gaete Puga (Double Bass Chilie/Ireland) and Richard Carr (Artist Ireland).

Circa Regna Tonat - It Thunders Throughout The Realm by Joseph Young, dives into the archives of our island, using a poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt (1536) after witnessing the beheading of Anne Boleyn, the reverberations of which act thundered throughout the realm. This can be experienced from the quiet grounds of Charleville Castle Forest.

To find out more about each artist and location, visit www.sleepertown.com and follow their social media channels. Museum of Everyone is kindly supported by the Offaly County Council, the Arts Council of Ireland, Creative Ireland, Games for artists and non-artists and Dotser Cloud Business Solutions. The Museum of Everyone is a platform for potential, collaboration, original thinking and action. Visit www.museumofeveryone.com for more information about more MOE projects, and watch the artist talks on their YouTube channel for in-depth insights into each project. The next stop for the Sleepertown programme will be a location in Italy, where Richard and his chosen artists will create a new experience for that location. Our unique Tullamore experience will run until Saturday, 4th September and is free to experience.
Fine Gael's Simon Harris has defended his fellow party member Simon Coveney over recent allegations levelled at him involving the Katherine Zappone appointment controversy.

Harris, who is the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and former Minister for Health, told told RTE radios Morning Ireland programme that it is his belief that Mr. Coveney, who is the Minister for Defence, did not mislead the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

Minister Coveney, who is a former Tanaiste, previously claimed that he was not lobbied by Katherine Zappone for a government-appointed job at the United Nations.

The Cork native also revealed that he frequently clears his phone of texts following the Merriongate controversy.

Commenting on his colleague's comments, the Greystones TD added that Coveney was "only too willing" to provide clarification about the appointment of Katherine Zappone as UN special envoy.

When asked if this was a resigning matter for Simon Coveney and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, Mr. Harris responded that An Taoiseach Micheal Martin had made it clear that the position of the Government was that lessons had been learned.

Mr. Harris explained: "Everybody (had) fully accepted that the entire process (the appointment) could have been handled differently."

"Its important to allow the Minister to answer questions. He has admitted that the process followed was not right and apologised to the Taoiseach and the leader of the Green party."

Commenting on the latest political storm to rock Fine Gael, Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen recently claimed that the recent debacle has "overshadowed" the work of the government.

He also expressed his view of there existing a double standard within the government, pointing to his own sacking last year as Minister for Agriculture over a drink-driving conviction back in 2016.

In response to his claims, Minister Harris responded that he was unsure if this was the case.

Simon Harris doubled down on his views while speaking to Newstalk radio's Breakfast programme.

Conversely, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has criticised the appointment of Zappone, and referred to it as being "the latest installment of insider, crony, cosy politics around Fine Gael in particular, and with the government more generally."

Ms. McDonald has since called on the Taoiseach to take action over the controversy.
On Saturday, August 14, the streets of Kilcormac were lined with people from all over the country as they stood in the rain to bid one final farewell to Denis ODriscoll, St. Cormacs Park, who sadly passed away on August 12 surrounded by his loving family.

Denis is survived by his wife of nearly 51 years Claire, his sons Proinsias, Donnacha, Eoin and Criostoir and daughter Mary, his ten grandchildren, his sister Mary and brothers Con and Joe and extended family to whom the deepest sympathy is extended.

Although Denis was from Macroom, Co. Cork, he was very much an integrated member of this South Offaly community were he resided since 1970.

Denis worked for the Central Fisheries Board which brought him to work in the Midlands, but due to ill health he was forced to take early retirement in 2002.

He was the founding member of The Kilcormac Ramblers, the Chairman of the Offaly Committee for the Commemoration of Famine Victims, a member of the Historical Society, a member of the Kilcormac Development Association and he was very much involved in the design and development of Irelands first lake for Anglers with Special Needs at Loch An Dochais in Boora Parklands where each May he, along with Bord Na Mona, Kilcormac Development Association and Inland Fisheries Board ran the All Ireland Angling Competition for over twenty years.

Two causes were very close to Denis heart and each year he organised a New Years Day walk to raise funds for Offaly Hospice and each May he organised the Famine Commemoration ceremonies in Kilcormac, Ballyboy, Cadamstown and Rahlein and raised money for Victims of todays Famine.

Denis funeral Mass was celebrated by the very Rev. Fr. Joseph Gallagher, PP Tullamore in The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and afterwards his funeral cortege with his coffin draped in his Cork jersey, brought him home to St. Cormacs Park one last time before he was laid to rest in St. Josephs Cemetery in Kilcormac.

Following the graveside prayers and an oration by his friend Michael Blanch, founding member of the National Famine Commemoration Committee, Mary Cuddy (Nee Ryan) sang that great Cork Famine anthem Skibbereen, which Denis himself had requested of Claire years earlier.

The ODriscoll family would like to say a massive thank you for the support of their extended families, friends, neighbours and entire community during this sad time for the lovely send off for Denis, the husband, the father, the grandfather and the friend.
Independent TD for Laois-Offaly Carol Nolan has welcomed news that the Offaly branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association is set to receive a 55,654 grant for a vehicle with adaption capacity.

Deputy Nolan was speaking after the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys confirmed to her that the Offaly grant will form part of the provision of 747,000 to fund 14 vehicles for community-based organisations that provide free transport for cancer patients so that they can attend medical appointments.

I want to acknowledge and warmly welcome the news today that Offaly Irish Wheelchair Association is set to benefit by this much-needed grant.

"Voluntary bodies like the IWA do enormous work in our communities and are very often the unsung heroes when it comes to offering families vital levels of support at difficult and challenging times in their lives.

"It is so important that we continue to ensure such services are maintained and fully supported so that they can continue to thrive where they are most needed. This is especially true for rural areas who as we all know continue to experience inadequate levels of transport provision generally, concluded Deputy Nolan.
Junior Eurovision is back!

After a year that we all want to put behind us, the singing competition for kids aged 9-14 from all across Europe, could be the breath of fresh air we need.

The search for Ireland's entry for 2021 is on and on 19th December the new Irish star will grace the stage and sing their hearts out for the nation.

It will be up to the judges Niamh Ni Chroinin and Fiachna O Braonain who will choose that lucky person that will represent us in Paris later in the year, along with guest judges Niamh Kavanagh, Brian Kennedy, Mickey Joe Harte, Jedward, Lesley Roy and Linda Martin, with new show presenter Louise Cantillon.

So, does your child have the voice of an angel?

Do you know someone who can hit those notes?

Or are you someone who knows they can rock the audience at this years Eurovision?

If so, head over to the TG4 website for more information on how to apply, and you could be on your way to Eurovision stardom!
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Irrespective of their social, ideological and even religious backgrounds, the younger ones are more curious and interested to know Israel.



Israel and JNU? One could not find two other antitheses. Nothing could be farther from these two. Almost polls part. This has been the situation for a long, at least since the 1980s. Not only Israeli policies and practices came under closer scrutiny and condemnation, but even individuals studying Israel were also vilified, abused and called names.

JNU remained the heartland of uncritical adulation of pan-Arabism and Palestinian nationalism even after the fall of the Berlin Wall when a more nuanced regional appreciation of the Arab-Israeli conflict and an honourable and accommodative settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict became the norm. Prime Minister Narasimha Rao's decision to pursue a balanced approach by abandoning the four-decade-old Nehruvian policy of 'recognition-without-relations' vis-a-vis Israel did not go down well within the campus elites. Despite Yasser Arafat's engagements with Israel, Rao's normalisation with Israel was viewed and presented as afront to Mahatma Gandhi (incidentally by the same forces that depicted him as a stooge of the British) and an unethical policy. The overtures of communist powers Russia and China towards Israel did not bother the hardcore ideologues. More Catholic than the Pope, the campus stalwarts were unmoved or unaware of the giant steps taken by China since the early 1980s.

The Indo-Israeli normalisation in 1992 and the subsequent upward trajectory of the bilateral relations resulted in Jawaharlal Nehru University reformulating its academic approach towards Israel. Despite considerable opposition from Muslim and Left-wing lobbies, in 1999, it created an independent position for Israel studies. Ideologues who framed Israel only through prisms of anti-imperialism, communism and Islamism could not digest this, especially when younger minds were more receptive and open to studying Israel with all its nuances.

The next decade was a struggle between an ideologically driven approach towards Israel and a more holistic understanding of the Jewish state. This contest became acute during the region's periodic upheavals, which inflamed a partisan narrative within the campus ably kindled by ideological linkages and surrogates outside. As a result, Israel and those studying and teaching Israel came under public scrutiny, poster campaigns and criticisms. On occasions, even student council reports criticised the methods of teaching Israel. Moreover, engagements between the students and the Israeli ambassador to India enraged some, and over a decade, such meetings have to be held outside the campus. As one Israeli diplomat lamented, is the JNU campus off-limits to Israeli diplomats?

The anti-Israeli sentiments reached their zenith, and the optional course on the Israeli foreign policy was suspended on the flimsy premise that country-specific courses should not be offered. This logic was presented by the ideologues when there were over a dozen similar country-specific courses for the MA programme in JNU. Some of the prominent faculty signing up for the academic boycott of Israel only made matters worse. Academic freedom in JNU was buried at the altar of ideological prejudices.

But things do change and did change. The arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought a new sense of urgency in the campus. While a person can be pro-Congress and pro-Israel, it is inconceivable that one can be pro-BJP and anti-Israel. Hence, the very same people, who vilified Israel as a 'settler-colonial state' and worked for the suspension of the Israel course began singing a different song. Asked to 'rectify' the anomaly, they restored the MA course and felicitated the expansion of Israeli studies to the BA language programme. This came amidst the lively Hebrew language programme.

A closer look at the campus atmosphere during the past two decades presents an interesting picture. The older generation is ideologically rooted and remains inflexible. This is not the case with the students. Irrespective of their social, ideological and even religious backgrounds, the younger ones are more curious and interested to know Israel. Even student union leaders with strong left-leanings have been studying Israel and interacting with Israel diplomats. The ideological orientation has not diminished their desire to understand Israel. During the past two decades, over 600 students of JNU have studied Israel; not that all of them have become friends of Israel, but they are definitely better informed than before.

Studying Israel also has an international dimension. Students from Muslim-majority countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and Iran do not recognise the Jewish state. Indeed, from the hardcore communists to the nationalists, one could find all ideological shades in the Israeli class. They all share the same passion for understanding Israel. When given passionate, non-confrontationist and holistic treatment, the response of the young minds is stunning. For a long, Israel was the anathema in the JNU campus, but in recent years, the Israel class offers that long-elusive and inclusive middle ground in JNU. Times do change.
New Delhi: It would be imperative to take Indian diplomat Deepak Mittal's meeting with the Afghan representative at Doha as 'just a meeting' and there may not be much merit in speculating about the future course, MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said here on Thursday.

"Let's take the Doha meeting for what it is;...it is just a meeting. These are still very early days," Mr Bagchi told reporters at the weekly briefing.

Answering a volley of questions on whether New Delhi would 'recognise' the new incoming regimein Afghanistan or what is the 'road map' vis-a-vis India's relationship with the Taliban, he said:"Bina sochey toh kiya nahi hoga humney (Certainly, we have not done anything without anythinking)".

"...Our primary concern is that the Afghan soil should not be used for terror and anti India activities, you saw that in our statement this is our focus," he said.

On the future road map, the spokesman said, "Let us see what things pan out".

On whether there are scopes or chances of future meetings with Taliban representatives, the MEA spokesman said, "I have no update to share and I don't want to speculate".

To a question, he confirmed no photo was taken of the meeting but such a decision was taken not out of any serious thinking.

Whether India still considers as 'a terror organisation', he said in the present context- "That's not our focus, the focus is that Afghanistan soil should not be used for terror activities"

He said the government of India is still not aware of what kind of 'representative' government will be coming in Afghanistan.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said not a single major terror attack has taken place in the country ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014. He also said that terrorists were scared of the BJP government at the Centre.

Singh, who was addressing Gujarat BJP leaders on the second day of the party's three-day state executive meeting at Kevadia in Narmada district, slammed the Congress saying the party was not sensitive enough towards the Army jawans as it kept the issue of One Rank-One Pension (OROP) unresolved for 40 years.

"No matter what it takes, we will not let terrorists succeed. Forget about Jammu and Kashmir, no major terrorist attack took place in any part of the country after the arrival of Modiji. This is our major achievement. It seems that terrorists are now scared of the BJP government. This is not a small thing," he said.

"Terrorists now realise that they are not secure even in their safe havens. What we did (surgical strike in PoK) after the Uri attack gave a clear message to the world that we can kill terrorists on this side as well as by crossing the border if need arises," Singh added.

Slamming the previous Congress government on the issue of OROP, the minister said, "But, Modiji implemented it immediately. This shows the difference between a Congress government and a BJP government," he said.




Ever since the high speed with which the Taliban took control of things in Afghanistan long before the US withdrew the forces, 'sickular' elements in India have been pushing the government to recognise the Taliban.

New Delhi: An effort by a section of politicians and so-called intellectual liberals, known for their leanings, to push the Indian government to recognise and have greater engagement with the Taliban has been flayed caustically.

"Mr Kulkarni (Sudheendra), you want to send the Indian embassy back to Kabul. Who looks after the security of Kabul, the Haqani group. They attacked the Indian embassy last year, killed 30 Indians. I know it does not matter to you, you are lofty. You are beyond all this. We are ordinary Indians who get killed," an angry Maj Gen (Retd) Gagandeep Bakshi said, participating in a debate on TimesNow.

In 1999-2000, he said the Indian government was forced to release terrorist Masood Azhar, the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed. Similar things can happen even now if the terror groups take Indian embassy staffers hostage. "Can you wake up to reality...," he thundered, adding, "please listen to your soldiers, we have fought for this country."

The angry outbursts came in reference to an Appeal by Sudheendra Kulkarni and 11 others, including former foreign ministers Natwar Singh and Yashwant Sinha and diplomat-turned-Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar. The letter, among other things, stressed that India should "continue to engage with the Taliban".

The 'appeal' communique welcomed India's envoy to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, meeting Taliban representative in Doha on August 31 and said: "there should be no discrimination on grounds of religion in providing shelter to Afghans who have been forced to leave their country". The 'appeal' signatories include Julio Reberio (a former cop) and Najeeb Jung (former Lt. Governor of Delhi), Saeed Naqvi (writer), former diplomat KC Singh, Gandhian Sandeep Pandey, former MPs Majeed Memon and Shahid Siddiqui. They also say: "No country in the region should be excluded from, nor isolate itself from collaborative efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan and promote national reconciliation."

A visibly disturbed Maj Gen (Retd) Bakshi said, "Why are you (to those who wrote the Appeal) putting Indian lives (at risk) by giving them away so cheap." He, however, said interacting with the Taliban for a limited role to bring back stranded Indians from Afghanistan was okay. Still, he was against the idea of a greater engagement or giving recognition to the Taliban. Asserting that the Taliban are not the ones to be influenced positively by Gandhian philosophy, Bakshi said, "You want to spin Charkha to them, please try it."

Ever since the high speed with which the Taliban took control of things in Afghanistan long before the US withdrew the forces, 'sickular' elements in India have been pushing the government to recognise the Taliban. "Spin the Charkha, while Indians die....," Bakshi said.

In the meeting with Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the head of Taliban's Political Office in Doha, on August 31, Ambassador Deepak Mittal raised India's concern that Afghanistan's soil "should not be used" for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner.

The discussions focused on safety, security, and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan. The travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish to visit India also came up. "The Taliban Representative assured the Ambassador that these issues would be positively addressed," an MEA release said.
Allahabad High Court observed that cows are an integral part of the Indian culture and suggested the Central government to give fundamental rights to the animal and declare it as the national animal.

Dungarpur: Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) President Mahant Narendra Giri on Thursday (September 2) welcomed the decision of Allahabad High Court to observe cows as national animal and urged the Centre to frame a law on the same.

"I urge the central government to frame a law, present it in the Parliament and pass it so that when cows become a national animal people will respect them more," said the ABAP President.

This comes a day after Allahabad High Court observed that cows are an integral part of the Indian culture and suggested the Central government to give fundamental rights to the animal and declare it as the national animal.

Welcoming the court's decision, Giri said, "For us, cows are not animals, they are our mother."

He further stressed that "It is our responsibility to worship cows and serve them."

Highlighting the current state of cows in the country, he urged people to respect cows.

"We are responsible for the state of cows today. We take care of them only as long as it gives us milk. This is wrong," said the ABAP President.

The Court's observations came as a single bench of Justice Shekhar Yadav was hearing the bail application of a person named Javed, who was arrested under the Cow Slaughter Act in Uttar Pradesh. The court rejected the bail application.

Justice Yadav said that the central government should table a bill in Parliament to give fundamental rights to cows. He further said that strict laws should be enacted to punish those harming the animal.

Courtesy: ANI
Guwahati: Taking cognizance of the demands by the Adivasi and Tea tribe community and the Mongoldoi Nagarik Manch, the Assam government on Wednesday decided to rename the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park as Orang National Park. The park is known for the one-horned rhino, tigers, elephants, wild boars, pygmy hogs, and a variety of fish, among a host of other flora and fauna species. In a cabinet meeting on Wednesday chaired by Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the decision was taken to rename the park.

Orang is the oldest game reserve in the state, located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra in Darrang and Sonitpur district. After the decision by the Assam cabinet the parkm will be known as the Orang National Park from now onwards.

Wednesdays decision was taken by the state Cabinet after taking cognizance of the Adivasi and Tea Tribe Communitys demands, a release from the Chief Ministers Office (CMO) said.

The Chief Minister had recently met the representatives of the Tea Tribe and Adivasi community and they had requested that we restore the original name of the park, said Assam government spokesperson and I&PR Minister, Pijush Hazarika, addressing the press after the meeting.

Opposition Congress is not taking the decision well and many party leaders are criticizing the BJP government for the change. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi tweeted: When the next Congress Government is formed in the state of Assam, on the first day we will cancel the decision of the BJP government to remove the name of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from the Orang National Park."

It should be mentioned that, in 1992 Hiteshwar Saikia-led Congress government changed the name from Orang Wildlife Sanctuary to Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary.

Later, however, when it was upgraded to a National Park in 1999, the then Congress government renamed it as Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.




BJP MP Prathap Simha from Mysuru has written to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai urging him to rename the Rajiv Gandhi Nagarhole National Park after field Marshal KM Cariappa.

Earlier, two Residents of the Kodagu district in Karnataka had launched an online petition to rename Rajiv Gandhi. Naveen Madappa Chekkera and Vinay Kayapanda launched an online petition through Change.org and has so far collected 65,000 signatures. The petition has been addressed to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and PM Modi.

Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam Cabinet had recently decided to rename Rajiv Gandhi National Park as Orang National Park. Assam government spokesperson and Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika justified the decision to rename the Rajiv Gandhi National Park as the decision was taken after considering the demands of the Adivasi and tea tribe community.
On his three-national tour of Slovenia, Croatia and Denmark, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar kept himself busy on Wednesday (September 1) and held crucial rounds of tele talks with his counterparts in Iran, Britain and Canada.

New Delhi: Post-US withdrawal from Afghanistan, all matters related to this war-hit country are now the talk of the town, especially at diplomatic levels.

On the eve of his three-national tour of Slovenia, Croatia and Denmark, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar kept himself busy on Wednesday (September 1) and held crucial rounds of tele talks with his counterparts in Iran, Britain and Canada.

"A warm congratulatory call to Iranian Foreign Minister H.. Amirabdollahian," Jaishankar tweeted, adding that both sides agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation. "Discussed pressing regional issues. Appreciate Iran's facilitation of our repatriation flights from Afghanistan," he wrote. He also received a call from the Canadian counterpart Marc Garneau. Both of them had a "good discussion on the challenges of Afghanistan", Jaishankar wrote on the microblogging site.. In another message, the External Affairs Minister wrote: "Nice speaking again to UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. "Conversation focused on Afghanistan related developments," he wrote.

These three interactions have their own significance, respectively, as the three nations are crucial players in regional and global contexts.

Canada has announced that it would not recognise the incoming Taliban-led dispensation in Kabul. "The use of force by the Taliban is completely unacceptable, and that's why today I am announcing that a Conservative government will not recognise the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last month within days of the fall of Kabul.

Iran is always a crucial player in the region as it shares borders with Afghanistan and is strategically not disinclined to have formal ties with the Taliban. The IS considers Shias as infidels, and this never went down well with Iran. Taliban has been a monopoly of Sunnis, and Iran is a well known Shia powerhouse.

The United Kingdom had played a crucial role at the UNSC meeting on August 30, which adopted the resolution on the Afghanistan situation. The UK has also launched talks with the Taliban to secure safe passage out of Afghanistan for a number of British nationals and Afghans. The talks involving UK officials and senior Taliban members are taking place in Doha, Qatar.

On Tuesday, for the first time making it formal, in a statement, the MEA acknowledged that Indian envoy to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, has met a senior Taliban representative, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai. Indian officials, however, say just interaction is not recognition of the Taliban regime by the Modi government.

Meanwhile, all eyes are on Indo-US 2+2 meeting likely to be held soon. The United States would host the crucial meet this year. Coming after the fall of Afghanistan, the meeting would have crucial significance for both sides.

In September 2020, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar hosted the then US Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo, and Secretary of Defence, Mark T. Esper for the meet in New Delhi for the third annual India-U.S. 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The India-U.S. relationship has been elevated now to a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership status.


India's Active Caseload (3,89,583) is 1.19% of Total Cases and Weekly Positivity Rate (2.62%) is less than 3% for the last 69 days with Recovery Rate currently at 97.48%.

In a significant achievement, India's cumulative vaccination coverage crossed the 66 Crore landmark yesterday. With the administration of 81,09,244 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has surpassed the cumulative figure of 66.30 Cr (66,30,37,334) as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 69,60,983 sessions.

The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country.

The recovery of 35,181 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) to 3,20,28,825. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 97.48%.

Sustained and collaborative efforts by the Centre and the States/UTs continue the trend of less than 50,000 Daily New Cases that is being reported for 67 consecutive days now. 47,092 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

The Active Caseload is presently3,89,583. Active cases presently constitute 1.19% of the country's total Positive Cases.

The testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded. The last 24 hours saw a total of 16,84,441 tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 52.48 Cr (52,48,68,734) cumulative tests.

While testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, Weekly Positivity Rate at 2.62% remains less than 3% for the last 69 days now. The Daily Positivity rate stands at 2.80%. The daily Positivity rate has remained below 5% for 87 consecutive days now.

Courtesy: PIB
CM ensures timely completion of the rehabilitation process; Thanked PM for the landmark initiative.

Agartala: Tripura government will now do day-to-day monitoring of the Bru Reang refugee rehabilitation process. Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Dev met union home minister Amit Shah and apprised him with the updates of the rehabilitation process. Taking to Twitter, CM Biplab Dev said, "Held detailed deliberations during the review meeting chaired by Hon. Home Minister, Sh. @AmitShah ji regarding the rehabilitation process of Bru Reang displaced families in Tripura. Day-to-day monitoring will now be undertaken to ensure timely completion of the rehabilitation process."

The resettlement process began as part of the quadripartite agreement signed between the Centre, Tripura and Mizoram governments and the Bru leaders in January last year to provide over 32,000 Brus permanent resettlement in Tripura.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen to resolve the long-pending issue of the Bru Reang refugee. It was his initiative to find an early and permanent solution to the issue. Taking to Twitter about the guidance of the Prime Minister, cm Dev said, "Under the leadership of Hon'ble PM, Shri @narendramodi ji, a landmark decision was taken to resolve the 23-year-old issue of permanent rehabilitation of Bru-Reang displaced families in #Tripura. No stone will be left unturned to ensure effective implementation of the decision."

Twenty-three years after ethnic clashes in Mizoram, which forced 37,000 people of the Bru Reang community to flee their homes to neighbouring Tripura, an agreement was signed in January 2020 to allow 32,000 of them remaining in the camps after nine phases of repatriation to settle in Tripura permanently.

As a part of the quadripartite agreement, resettlement of Bru migrants, living displaced lives for 23 years in Tripura, has already started with granting permanent addresses at Dhalai district to 426 Bru families from Kanchanpur in April 2021.
The app consists Asanas, Pranayam and Dhyana for working professionals to de-stress, refresh and re-focus at their workplace to increase their productivity,

New Delhi: A mobile application with a five-minute Yoga protocol, specially designed for working professionals to de-stress, refresh and re-focus at their workplace to increase their productivity, consists of Asanas, Pranayam and Dhyana, was launched by Union Minister of Ayush Sarbanand Sonowal on Wednesday (September 1).

Listing the benefits of Yoga, Sonowal said, "We know that the corporate professionals often experience stress and also physical problems due to their occupation. Of course, the other professions are also not exempted from such problems. Keeping in view the working population this Y-break has been developed, which will give the employees some solace at the workplace. This Y-break, if practised sincerely, is going to play a major role in the maintenance of the health of the people."

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of AYUSH, in a glittering ceremony that reflected the whole government approach of PM Modi and saw the participation of Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State (I/c) Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi and Minister of State for Ayush and Women and Child Development Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai, Sonowal launched the 'Y-Break' mobile application at Vigyan Bhawan today.

Rijiju appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Ayush in developing this mobile application and said it would "spread like a wildfire".

Courtesy: ANI


The ISI is particularly close to the Haqqani network in the Taliban and trained the founder of the Taliban, Mullah Omar, during the war against the Soviets in the 1980s.

After spending hundreds of billions of dollars towards empowering jihadist groups, which Washington had wrongly perceived as its allies, America has lost the Afghan front. And the unfortunate fact is, days before the US troops were evacuated from Afghanistan, Joe Biden witnessed a jihadist bomb attack by ISIS-K, which has killed 14 American soldiers alongside over 180 Afghan and foreign nationals.

Before the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on American soil, the Afghan Taliban and their Pakistani military patrons are back in Kabul, signalling worldwide terrorism in the coming years. Pakistan military spy agency, Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) has backed the Taliban since the groups origin in the mid-1990, during the Afghans war against Soviet forces. During these years, Pakistani ISI has swallowed hundreds of millions of dollars, which it received from the US and Saudi Arabia, and spends a fraction of the funds towards funding terrorism. Americas involvement in Afghanistan has also helped the Pakistani military establishment and many army officials in making a fabulous fortune, while many Pakistani army officers had to drain out and dump millions of dollars into secret bank accounts.

As Pakistans role in sponsoring terrorism was getting exposed, in September 2001, the ISI briefly removed its experts and assistance, creating the same panic and flight to the Taliban that the US withdrawal just did to the Afghan army. But ISI quickly resumed its role in supporting radical Islamic terrorists, which is continuing till today. Analysts already are seeing Americas retreat from Afghanistan as a victory of the Taliban and Pakistani ISI, which would ultimately backfire and have significant consequences for Pakistan, some of which may be dangerous and violent.

It may be mentioned here that Pakistani ISI trained the founder of the Taliban, Mullah Omar, during the war against the Soviets in the 1980s. When Omar was wounded, he got treatment in a military hospital in Pakistan. After the Soviets retreated out of Afghanistan, Mullah Omar was one of the many Afghan warlords fighting for control of the country.

The ISI trained Mullah Omar, the founder of the Taliban, during the war against the Soviets in the 1980s. When he was wounded, he got medical support. Pakistan provided experts and advisers for the Taliban military, oil for its economy, and their supply route to the outside world.

Following the American invasion of Afghanistan, the Pakistani spy agency hosted Mullah Omar and the majority of his lieutenants. With Pakistans help, Omar rebuilt the infrastructure in the borderlands and gradually stepped up attacks on the US, NATO and Afghan forces. Pakistani aid went far beyond the sanctuary and safe haven for the leadership and cadres and their families  it included training, arms, experts, and help in fundraising, especially in the Gulf states. On occasion, Pakistani advisers accompanied the Taliban on missions inside Afghanistan. The ISI is particularly close to the Haqqani network in the Taliban. Mullah Omar most likely died in Karachi in Pakistan, although his death was not announced for months.

According to counterterrorism experts, Pakistani ISI helped the Taliban with its blitzkrieg this summer. The Talibans seizing of the north reflected memories of its enemies using bases there in the late 1990s to resist the Taliban and the CIA using those facilities to bring down the Taliban in 2001. The plan also prioritized seizing border crossings, especially in the west, which kept Iran from providing aid to its Shiite Hazara allies in Afghanistan.

Although Pakistan has officially claimed to be in favour of a political solution to the Afghan crisis, in reality, Islamabad was always looking for establishing its dominance in the country with the active cooperation from the Taliban, Haqqani Network and other jihadist groups that were maintaining extreme intimacy with Pakistani military establishment and its spy agency.

Pakistan dreams of emerging a second superpower

Islamist parties and jihadist forces in Pakistan, including its Prime Minister Imran Khan, have celebrated the victory of Islam in Afghanistan. There is no doubt that ISI while hailing the fall of Kabul and even seeing hope of Pakistan emerging as a second superpower. Following Americas defeat in Afghanistan, Pakistani ISI would become extendedly enthusiastic about increasing support towards various jihadist and separatist groups inside India with the notorious agenda of destabilizing Indias peace and security.

The victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan has greatly energized Pakistans few more terrorist entities, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), which carried out notorious terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, where Pakistani ISI had supported the attackers with training and funding. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba has been closely linked to the Taliban. Hundreds of LeT jihadists had joined the Taliban during the past years.

According to analysts, another beneficiary of the collapse of the US-backed Afghan government would be the Pakistani Taliban, who have been at war with the Pakistani army for years. Afghan Taliban have a shadowy relationship with their Pakistani counterpart. It is highly anticipated that the Afghan Taliban would offer a safe haven to their Pakistani counterpart following the recent conquest. While Pakistan is currently in celebration mood following the collapse of Afghanistan into the hands of Taliban fighters, in the course of time, the Afghan Taliban would extend fullest support to the Pakistani Taliban in launching terrorist attacks. In that case, Pakistans strategy of sponsoring terrorism would face serious blowback.

Bidens proclamation of hunting down the ISIS-K

Following the recent terrorist attack in Kabul Airport, an angry Joe Biden said the US would hunt down the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), which claimed responsibility for a blast.

ISIS-K, or Islamic State Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the blasts. While the Taliban had promised the US that it would not let Afghanistan become a breeding ground for terror, a few terror groups have already entered the country. Here are the main terror outfits that will try to get a share of the Afghan pie.

The Haqqani Network

One of the Talibans prominent members is Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of prominent mujahideen commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, who leads the Haqqani Network. The Haqqani Network is a group that is known to oversee the Talibans financial and military assets across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Haqqani is currently the deputy leader of the Taliban.

The Haqqani Network is a Sunni-Islamist organization founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani. Jalaluddin Haqqani is said to have connections with former Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. And while the US has said that the Haqqani network and the Taliban are two separate groups, the fact that Sirajuddin Haqqani, in 2015, was named Taliban leader Mullah Ghani Baradar in 2015 cements the relationship between the two groups. The group is said to have a haven in North Waziristan, in Pakistan. In the 1980s, under Ronald Reagens leadership, the US government-funded the network to take down the Soviets from Afghanistan.

The Haqqani Networks ideology is aligned with that of the Talibanto eradicate western influence and establish a state established based on Sharia law. In 20122, the US designated the Haqqani Network as a terrorist organization, and in 2015, Pakistan banned the group as part of the National Action Plan.

Jalaluddin Haqqani commanded a Mujahideen Army from 1980 to 1992, of which Osama bin Laden, founder of Al Qaeda, was said to be a part. Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, a Palestinian Sunni Islamic scholar and an influential Salafist jihadist, was also part of the Mujahedeen army that Jalaluddin Haqqani led. Azzam promoted militant jihad.

Al Qaeda and ISIS-K

Al Qaeda is another group that is very likely to get a footing in Afghanistan once a Taliban government is formed. Currently, Haibatullah Akhundzada is the supreme leader of the group. When Akhundzada was appointed chief of the outfit in 2016, he secured a pledge of loyalty from Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. Ideologically, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are aligned, too.

Also, according to analysts, ISIS commanders and fighters were once part of Al Qaeda or a group affiliated with Al Qaeda. And ISIS leader Shahab al-Muhajir was reportedly a former mid-level Haqqani commander before defecting. Therefore, a connection between Al Qaeda, the Haqqani Network, and ISIS cannot be ruled out. Talibans victory in Afghanistan was celebrated by Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups across the globe, including Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar e Taiba.

Courtesy: Weekly Blitz
Highlighting the atrocities committed by China against Tibetans over the years, Penpa Tsering, President of the Tibetan government-in-exile, said people in Tibet have maintained indomitable courage and determination in the face of China's continued policy to exterminate the region's identity.

Tsering remarks come on the 61st founding anniversary of the Tibetan Parliament in 1960 following the arrival of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and 80,000 Tibetans in exile in India.

On February 3, 1960, the president said the representatives of Tibetans-in-exile gathered for the first time in Bodhgaya and "took Na-gyen Chenmo (great oath) pledging utmost dedication and sacrifice to forge unity and cooperation under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama"

"During that time, the Chinese government pursued its policy of brutal suppression of Tibetan people's peaceful protests and thrust upon them its so-called democratic reform. How China's policies brought tragedy in Tibet as it literally experienced hell on earth is evident in the 10th Panchen Lama Choekyi Gyaltsen's 70,000-character petition to the Chinese government. As a result, the Panchen Lama was sentenced to 14 years in prison and he had to suffer far more cruel treatment during the Cultural Revolution," he said.

Chinese troops occupied Tibet in 1950 and later annexed it. The 1959 Tibetan uprising saw violent clashes between Tibetan residents and Chinese forces.

The 14th Dalai Lama fled to neighbouring India after the failed uprising against Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama, the supreme Tibetan Buddhist leader, established a government-in-exile in India.

There are at present more than 10,000 Tibetans living in Dharamsala alone, and an estimated 160,000 Tibetan exiles around the world.

Tsering has urged Tibetan to not lose their determination.



(ANI)
Joan Ruth (Geurts) Thompson, passed away at the Wesley Acres Health Center in Des Moines Iowa on September 8, 2021, at the age of 86 years. Joan was born on January 14, 1935, to Floris W.A. and Sophia (Vos) Geurts. Joan graduated from Pella High School with the class of 1953 and resided in D
Randy Evans is executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, a 43-year-old nonprofit education and advocacy organization that works for improved government transparency and citizen accountability. He can be reached at IowaFOICouncil@gmail.com.
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I cant remember the last time Ive made a regular Tuesday into a festive Taco Tuesday.

Typically, if my mouth is watering for a taco, my mind immediately goes to a fast-food version with just a glob of ground beef topped with a fistful of lettuce and shredded cheese.

The newsroom crew had talked about checking out Proper Taco, as only one of us had been there before. Since the heat from last week had finally relented and the skies were a soft, clear blue, I decided to walk over and meet a friend at the restaurant, located at 139 Ashman St., right next door to Espresso Milano.

Outdoor spots were limited, but we were able to stake out a shaded table right out front. Although the beautiful weather tempted us too much to stay indoors, I still marveled at the colorful decor in the restaurant. Proper Tacos iconic Day of the Dead skull image was bordered along the booths. Pictures of notable celebrities including former President Barack Obama, Adam Driver and Johnny Depp, all in the process of eating, were posted by the cash register.

The tacos at Proper Taco consist of a six-inch corn tortilla filled with nearly 20 different combinations of meat, salsa, veggies and seasonings. Some have interesting names like Mango Jerry, Odin, Marco and Pollo while others are simply dubbed Jessica, Karen and Benjamin. Nachos, dips and salad fill out the menu listings along with drinks including Mexican Coca-Cola, Jarritos and Topo Chico.

I decided to start slow and steady, not choosing anything too spicy, and went with the Becky: shredded chicken, lettuce, cilantro-lime crema, salsa and cilantro. I had also heard through the grapevine that Proper Tacos queso dip was rather good, so I got a side order of that as well. My lunch companion, who was just as baffled by the extensive menu as I was, randomly chose the Sharon: spicy ground beef chorizo, lettuce, cilantro-lime crema, corn salsa and cilantro.

Our orders came out in short order, each in its own modest cardboard boat. Although tacos are typically eaten by hand, I had to use a fork at the beginning and end to make sure I got all of the delicious fillings; looking back, I couldve and shouldve used some of my nachos, but I didnt think about it until too late.

The chicken was marinated in a savory sauce and was so moist I had to be careful not to spill. The salsa was so smooth and nicely flavored that I consumed it without a second thought  keep in mind, Im not a big tomato fan. But the star of the show was the crema, as it was cool, nicely complimented the meat and combined my two favorite southern flavors, cilantro and lime. My friend seemed to enjoy his own taco, saying it wasnt too spicy.

The chips and queso were in a league of their own. The corn tortilla chips were large and sturdy enough to hold copious amounts of queso or salsa  whichever takes your fancy. Each was well-seasoned with what I can only guess was paprika, as it had a mild taste. I may consider myself a foodie, but I still have much to learn, apparently.

The queso, which was topped with a couple types of cheese and green onion, was the creamiest dip Ive had in a long time. It definitely had a kick that crept in with each chomp and slowly built with each additional bite I took. When it comes to spice, I am more of a short-distance runner and thus wasnt able to finish the dish. Never fear, my companion needed very little incentive to eat the remaining chips and cheese, so very little, if any, went to waste.

Proper Tacos location on the corner of Ashman and Larkin streets and its delicious food make it a great lunch spot for those working downtown or where friends can meet for a bite. Just be sure to stake out a spot to sit first, because you dont want to spill a single bite. Cheers!

Out to Lunch with Tori appears each Thursday in the Midland Daily News. Victoria (Tori) Ritter can be reached at vritter@mdn.net
Triathlons are not for the faint of heart. And the Ironman 70.3 race is not your average triathlon.

An Ironman race is 70.3 miles in total, consisting of 1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles of biking and 13 miles of running. It is the ultimate test of strength where the winner is crowned an Ironman.

The fastest finishers finish in three hours and 45 minutes, said Joel Gaff, race director of Ironman 70.3, but the average is anywhere from five to six hours.

The event was last held in Traverse City in 2019; this year the Ironman 70.3 will be hosted in Frankfort on Sept. 12.

In past years, the race has been held in Traverse City, a big event for a summer populated town.

The decision to hold the race in Frankfort was made by a lot of public officials, like Josh Mills, Frankfort superintendent.

But when asked Why Frankfort, Gaff replied, Why not Frankfort?

With beautiful beaches and a more rural setting, Frankfort was at the top of their destination list.

It was a great first year in Traverse City, said Gaff, but [with Frankfort] we wanted to bring awareness to what Benzie County has to offer.

Frankfort provides the perfect place for the event, he said.

Its smaller, said Gaff, "more efficient for such a large race.

The Ironman 70.3 takes dedication and training. Athletes of all ability levels ranging from 18 to 70 years old spend 10-15 hours a week training.

This race is a big bucket list goal for these folks, Gaff said. Swimming, biking and running workouts add up to a big commitment, especially if one with a full-time job.

Racers from all over the United States will gather in Frankfort for the race of a lifetime this year and for the next three years. A three-year contract to host the event was approved by the Frankfort City Council.

Anyone interested in signing up or for information regarding admission fees as well as the course map, can visit the Ironman 70.3 at ironman.com/im703-michigan.
Rita Mae Brown, who is well known for her The Cat Who Mystery series said, When I got my library card, thats when my life began.

Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451 is quoted as saying Without libraries, what do we have? We have no past and no future.

Albert Einstein said, The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.

With September being Library Card Sign Up Month, the focus is on the Manistee County Library that carries books, movies, audiobooks and so much more for all ages. All are welcome to come in and join in an adventure.

 The Book Thieves: the Nazi Looting of Europes Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance by Anders Rydell and Henning Koch tells the true story of the theft of libraries throughout Europe during World War II. The personal libraries of Jews, Catholics, Communists, Freemasons, liberal politicians and more were confiscated for research by Nazis to further wage intellectual warfare against these very people.Public libraries became the repositories of these items after the war until one of the authors, Anders Rydell encountered one of the lost titles and returned it to its rightful owner. This is the story of what those books mean to families who lost loved-ones in the Holocaust.

 Dewey: the Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicky Myron introduced a kitten found in a book drop to her library where he became a beloved friend to a weary community. Through this book, Dewey became famous worldwide.

 The Infernal Library: on Dictators, Their Books, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy by Daniel Kalder speaks to the written works of such men as Stalin, Khomeini, and many others who have produced memoirs, manifestos, even novels. The author asks the hard questions as to what these books tell us about dictators and what harm might they do?

 The Library Book by Susan Orlean recounts the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public Library and the effect it had on the community. The question still remains, Was it an accident? While investigating the fire, the author speaks to the role of libraries and librarians in people's lives.

 The Madmans Library: the Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History by Edward Brooke-Hitching shines light on the most bizarre and extraordinary books created. Gathering photos and facts about books written in blood, books that are cursed, code books and edible books, this is a fascinating collection.

 Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: a Little Books of Whimsy and Wisdoms from the Files of the New York Public Library is a collection of reference questions asked and answered by the staff of the New York Public Library. Here are over one hundred of the queries asked of the Library staff in the past seventy-five years.

 Public Library: a Photographic Essay by Robert Dawson documents libraries across the country, large and small, that provide countless services to their communities.

 A true library treasure for fiction readers, The Body in the Library: a Miss Marple Mystery by Agatha Christie is a great place to start with library-themed books. A married couple wake one morning to find an unknown woman dead in their library. Miss Marple is called in to investigate before the story spreads throughout the town.

 Jenn McKinlays Library Lovers Mysteries series revolves around library director, Lindsey Norris, who tries to help her employee who is suspected of murder in the first title Books Can Be Deceiving.

 Murder in the Locked Library by Ellery Adams is the fourth title in the Book Retreat Mysteries. A groundbreaking ceremony is disrupted by the discovery of old bones and an old book. Attendees from a Rare Book Conference are intrigued until a body is discovered in a library.

 The Silence of the Library by Miranda James, number five in the Cat in the Stacks series finds librarian Charlie Harris and his sidekick, Diesel, a Maine Coon cat enjoying National Library Week. One of his favorite authors is making a rare appearance which brings out all the fans, including one who will stop at nothing to get the authors unpublished titles.

 Haruki Murakamis Strange Library tells the tale of a young boy who visits the library and is taken to the basement where he is given one month to memorize the books he requested. The boy encounters others as he works his way through a maze to get out of the library. Eventually, he finds his way home and his mother is waiting for him.

 Michigan author Elizabeth Kane Buzzellis series Little Library Mysteries begins in a small Michigan town where a woman, Jenny, discovers her mothers little library has been destroyed. A local man is found dead and her mothers neighbor is a suspect. The two women join forces to uncover the truth. Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern brings to light the relationships sometimes built between staff and patrons. A head librarian who has immersed herself in her job to avoid the unpleasantness of her life suddenly finds herself befriended by a young girl sentenced to community service in the library and a former Wall Street wonder who has lost everything. The three friends work together to overcome their pasts and embark on a brighter future.

 Take your children on their own adventures with these library themed stories. Take a trip back in time with Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children by Jan Pinborough. Meet the woman who decided libraries were not just for adults. Join Anne Carroll Moore on her quest to create the first childrens library. More recently, Little Free Libraries have been popping up in unexpected places.

 Little Libraries, Big Heroes by Miranda Paul introduces Todd Bol, the man who devised a way to bring books to people everywhere.

 Library Lion '' by Michelle Knudsen teaches children that while there are rules in the library, everyone is welcome.

 Our Library '' by Eve Bunting finds the local library headed for closure until the animal friends come to the rescue.

 The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy takes place in a school library, where the librarian is a dragon who doesnt believe children should be allowed near the books. One day, a young girl wanders in and begins reading. She teaches the dragon that books are for everyone.

 Where do you go to get some peace and quiet?' Homer the Cat answers that question in Homer the Library Cat by Reeve Lindbergh. Guess where he ends up? Older children might enjoy

 The Library '' series by D.J. MacHale where a special key is needed to enter and ghosts with unfinished stories reside. A young boy named Marcus, along with his friends, hunt through the Library in search of answers to Marcuss past and find more answers than they expected.

 Soon to be added to our childrens collection are Stanleys Library by William Bee. Join Stanley in his bookmobile as he helps his friends choose their books and then hosts a special event at the main library.

 Larry Gets Lost in the Library by Eric Ode follows a curious dog who wanders into the book mobile unnoticed and ends up in the library building. He encounters many people in his search for his owner.

 Lydia M. Sigwarths Dear Librarian is based on the true story of a young girl whose family had to leave their home. Being homeless, she finally finds her place at the library where she is always welcome.

Library cards are free to all Michigan residents. All six locations are open to the public and offer computers, programming and more. More information can be found online at manisteelibrary.org.

Kim Jankowiak and Becca Brown of the Manistee County Library write the recurring On the Same Page feature that showcases the library's titles available surrounding a revolving topic. Jankowiak is a reference librarian and Brown is a circulation clerk for the library.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that it's possible the United States will seek to coordinate with the Taliban on counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan against Islamic State militants or others.

Milley did not elaborate, and his comment did not appear to suggest immediate plans to work with the Taliban.

U.S. military commanders coordinated daily with Taliban commanders outside the Kabul airport over the past three weeks to facilitate the evacuation of more than 124,000 people. But that was a matter of convenience for both parties and not necessarily a sign that they will pursue, or even want, a regular relationship in the future.

The U.S. military ousted the Taliban from power in the fall of 2001 and fought against them for the 19 years that followed.

The extent and nature of a U.S.-Taliban relationship, now that the war is over, is one of the key issues to be worked out. The U.S. diplomatic presence in Kabul has been moved to Doha, Qatar. President Joe Biden has noted several times recently that the Taliban are avowed enemies of the Islamic State group in Afghanistan, suggesting a shared interest with the United States.

At a Pentagon news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Milley called the Taliban ruthless adding, Whether or not they change remains to be seen. He suggested that the recent cooperative arrangement with the Taliban at Kabul airport was not necessarily a model for the future.

In war you do what you must in order to reduce risk to mission and force, not what you necessarily want to do, Milley said.

Biden has promised further targeting of the IS group in Afghanistan in response to the IS suicide bombing last week at a Kabul airport gate that killed scores of Afghans and 13 American service members. On Saturday the U.S. military carried out a drone strike in Afghanistan that it said killed two IS planners. On Tuesday, Biden said, To ISIS-K: We are not done with you yet, referring to the IS group.

Targeting Islamic State militants or other extremist groups, such as al-Qaida, will be more difficult with no U.S. military forces on the ground and no friendly government forces with which to share intelligence on extremist networks. But the Biden administration asserts that it can contain these groups by monitoring and potentially striking with assets based elsewhere in the region.

Although the Taliban oppose IS, it's far from clear that they will be inclined to work with the U.S. military or the Central Intelligence Agency now that they have regained power in Kabul. Milley has recent experience with Taliban leaders; twice last year, most recently in December, he met face-to-face with them in an attempt to slow their attacks on the U.S.-backed Afghan government, which collapsed in mid-August, triggering the frantic U.S.-led evacuation.

Austin sounded at least as skeptical as Milley regarding the possibility that the coordination in recent days at the Kabul airport suggests a future relationship with the Taliban.

I would not make any leaps of logic to broader issues, said Austin.

Both Austin and Milley commanded troops in Afghanistan during the 20-year war and their comments at Wednesday's news conference largely focused on tributes to those who served in Afghanistan, including those who died or were wounded. They also thanked all who contributed to the final airlift, which Austin called the largest evacuation of civilians in American history.

Milley and Austin urged war veterans to view their service as worthwhile and appreciated by the American public, while acknowledging that the memories can be painful.

War is hard. Its vicious. Its brutal. Its unforgiving, Milley said. "Yes, we all have pain and anger. When we see what has unfolded over the last 20 years and over the last 20 days, that creates pain and anger.

With the U.S. involvement in the war over and all American military out of the country, Biden is grappling with the prospects of a new relationship with the Taliban. He has tasked Secretary of State Antony Blinken with coordinating with international partners to hold the Taliban to their promise of safe passage for Americans and others who want to leave in the days ahead.

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, has described the U.S. relationship with the Taliban during the evacuation as very pragmatic and very businesslike, saying they helped secure the airport. But other reports from people in Afghanistan described shootings, violence and Taliban moves to block desperate Afghans from getting through the gates.

Biden in an address to the nation Tuesday defended his decision to end America's longest war and withdraw all U.S. troops by an Aug. 31 deadline.

I was not going to extend this forever war, Biden declared from the White House. "And I was not going to extend a forever exit.

Biden is coming under heavy criticism, particularly from Republicans, for his handling of the evacuation. But he said it was inevitable that the final departure from two decades of war, first negotiated with the Taliban for May 1 by former President Donald Trump, would have been difficult, with likely violence, no matter when it was planned and conducted.

To those asking for a third decade of war in Afghanistan, I ask, What is the vital national interest?" Biden said. He added, "I simply do not believe that the safety and security of America is enhanced by continuing to deploy thousands of American troops and spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan.

___

Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
Following FDA approval and a unanimous recommendation from the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for those ages 16 and up, the Michigan Department of Health and Humans Services (MDHHS) is renewing its call to Michiganders to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

We now have a fully FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine and ACIP has added its unanimous recommendation, stated Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS. For Michiganders who have been waiting for this approval, now is the time to get the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine and join the more than 4.7 million Michigan residents who are already fully vaccinated. The vaccine is our best defense against the virus and the way we are going to end this pandemic together.
A passionate discussion took place as just over 100 people attended a neighborhood meeting Tuesday evening on the former site of Eastlawn Elementary School, which Midland Public Schools plans to open up to proposals from developers.

The outdoor meeting, near the corner of Eastlawn Drive and Jefferson Avenue, lasted about 75 minutes and was organized by Midland Public Schools (MPS), the City of Midland, and the Midland Area Community Foundation (MACF).

City Director of Planning and Community Development Grant Murschel led the meeting and fielded many questions from residents. MPS Superintendent Michael Sharrow and MACF President/CEO Sharon Mortensen also spoke to those gathered, and Wayne Hofmann of consulting firm HD5 Strategies of St. Charles, which has been contracted by MPS, was also on hand to answer any questions.

During a time set aside for questions and comments, Fred Jones said his family is one of three Black families that live on Princeton Court, which runs off of Jefferson Avenue just to the north of the former school site. He is concerned any redevelopment of the property will bring down property values, raise safety concerns, and compel those families and others to move away.

"I feel like you're trying to surround us with a ghetto," Jones said in reference to what he anticipates will be low-income housing built on the 6.28-acre site. "I feel offended as an African-American."

Another resident said she and her family moved from Grand Rapids to Midland to find a nicer neighborhood to live in. She said she'd like to see a public pool be built on the property, where Eastlawn School was demolished in 2020 after having been open from 1945 to 2017.

"We moved from Grand Rapids to get away from this," she said, also anticipating a low-income housing development that she fears would bring down property values and make the neighborhood less safe. "We'll sell our house if this (redevelopment) goes through."

But Murschel emphasized to the Daily News after the meeting that the intent of MPS, the city and the MACF is to draw people with various levels of income, which could include single-family houses as well as apartments.

"The perception that this would be just a low-income (development) isn't true," he said. "We are wanting to do a mixture of incomes and wanting to look at affordability across a broad mixture of income levels  some low income, but largely middle and upper income, too. We want it to be a mixture, which is very much in line with how that (Eastlawn) neighborhood is currently."

Murschel said he was glad to hear from many residents at the meeting that if redevelopment is to take place, they would like to see single-family homes be at least a significant part of the equation.

"They'd like to see more of the ownership model, which is very similar to what we had envisioned initially, so it was nice to hear more about that and know that's the direction we need to head," he said.

However, the property is not currently zoned for single-family homes, Murschel said, so it would need to be rezoned before such structures could be built there.

"The property is currently zoned as RB residential mutiple-family zoning, and that is something that allows for apartments to be built. It actually doesn't allow for single-family homes to be built by right," he said. "It is the highest-density residential zoning district of the city.

"Based on what I heard (at the meeting), what's allowed there by right under the current zoning is not at all what's envisioned or desired by the neighbors," Murschel continued. "So, making sure we work through and do this whole transaction and project correctly to be able to address some of those concerns is in my mind the better option for us."

Any rezoning petition would have to filed by the property owner, MPS, and would be reviewed by the Midland Planning Commission and Midland City Council.

The rationale for redevelopment

Murschel opened the meeting by explaining the steps that led up to Tuesday's meeting.

He said a 2018 Midland County Housing Analysis, which was funded by the City of Midland Housing Commission, MACF and Dow, determined, among other things, that the city needs economic development and investment in older neighborhoods (such as the Eastlawn neighborhood).

Murschel said that for the past few decades, the city has put a lot of resources into development on its perimeter, which has brought about increased infrastructure expenses.

"We've built on the fringes without investing in the core (of Midland)," he said.

Sharrow then detailed how MPS came to the point of wanting to sell the Eastlawn property to be redeveloped.

The school district commissioned a study of its facilities in 2014, which led to a 2015 bond proposal that passed and funded, among many other things, the renovation of the former Central Middle School into Central Park Elementary. The new school took the place of Eastlawn and Carpenter elementary schools, with Carpenter being converted into a pre-primary school.

Later in the meeting, Sharrow explained that MPS has an interest in bringing more families with elementary school-aged children into the area surrounding Central Park Elementary, which is about a half mile from the Eastlawn site.

Sharrow said Central Park Elementary was built for 850 students but currently has about 720 students and has five empty classrooms.

Mortensen addressed the crowd and, like Murschel and Sharrow, stressed that Midland needs more housing.

"Housing is a definite need," she said. "We need your input. We're really glad you're here. We want to hear from all of you."

Mortensen said that MPS, the city, and MACF are each contributing $1,000 to pay for HD5 Strategies to create a request for proposal (RFP), which will describe the redevelopment project and solicit bids from potential buyers/developers.

But there is no timeline for finalizing the RFP, Murschel noted. MPS, city officials and MACF will meet again to take into account input that residents gave at the meeting.

"We're scheduling a meeting to reconvene and go through what we received input-wise and make sure we're addressing that accurately. And at that point would be the decision as to when we would get that RFP published," he said.

Then a due date will be set for developers to offer bids, after which MPS will weigh each bid and choose one of them, based on the input of each of the three organizations and the Eastlawn neighborhood residents, Murschel said.

Residents voice questions, concerns

During the time set aside in the latter part of the meeting for questions and concerns from residents of the Eastlawn neighborhood, one person asked if other locations in Midland besides the Eastlawn property had been considered as alternatives for this development.

Murschel said no, to which many people voiced displeasure. But he stressed the Eastlawn neighborhood will be involved in the decision-making process regarding the development.

Another person mentioned that the population of Midland County has fallen slightly in the last 10 years and questioned the need for new housing.

Murschel responded that while the overall population has decreased, the number of people in the average household also decreased, from 2.5 in 2000 to 2.3 in 2010, and as a result, there is still a need for new housing.

A young woman said that many young professionals in Midland are not finding new housing affordable and some of them are choosing to live in Bay City instead.

Murschel responded that the intent with this new development is to include housing for a variety of income levels.

The same woman said she has safety concerns about bringing more school-aged children into the neighborhood.

"I don't find this neighborhood walkable. I'm really concerned about more kids walking to school," she said.

An older woman, who said she was a retired teacher, said, "I would like to see a play area for children (built here)," a remark which elicited applause from many of those gathered.

Murschel replied that Midland already has more park space than Bay City, Saginaw and Mount Pleasant combined. But several residents responded to that by saying that there is a shortage of parks in this particular neighborhood. Murschel said he would take that feedback into account as the plans for redevelopment move forward.

Another resident asked whether keeping the Eastlawn property as a green space is "off the table." Murschel answered that the MPS school board has decided that it wants the property to be redeveloped, and the purpose of Tuesday's meeting was to gather input from residents to guide the process of redevelopment.

One woman asked about the possibility of circulating a petition to prevent the Eastlawn property from being redeveloped.

Murschel acknowledged that this is something that could be done.

He later told the Daily News that while a petition is an option, he feels there are "more constructive" ways for residents to engage in the decision-making process.

"They're welcome to take that (petition) option, but I think some of the more constructive things would be to continue to engage in the dialogue," he said. " ... I think it's important to recognize that we're dealing with specific realities, too, of a potential development that has to happen in certain ways just because of the nature of how development works. If we can continue that dialogue and have that back-and-forth, in my perspective, that's going to be a lot more productive than trying to rally petitions that aren't necessarily allowing for that space and that conversation to take place, to be able to really understand and sort through some of the concerns that are out there."

"We want to keep those channels of dialogue open so we can learn from one another."
BEIJING (AP)  Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on Wednesday that deteriorating U.S.-China relations could undermine cooperation between the two on climate change.

Wang told Kerry by video link that such cooperation cannot be separated from the broader relationship and called on the U.S. to take steps to improve ties, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Kerry, who is in the Chinese city of Tianjin for climate talks with his Chinese counterparts, said the U.S. is committed to cooperating with the rest of the world on climate and encouraged China to take additional steps to reduce emissions, the U.S. State Department said.

Kerry, a former secretary of state, also said that China plays a super-critical role in the effort to combat climate change, according to a brief video clip from the meeting shown on CGTN, the international arm of state broadcaster CCTV.

China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, followed by the United States.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained by disputes over trade, technology and human rights. But the sides have identified the climate crisis as an area for possible cooperation.

China and the U.S. have differences on some issues. In the meantime, we share common interests in a range of areas such as climate change," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing Wednesday.

Both sides should maintain dialogue and communication on the basis of mutual respect and carry out mutually beneficial cooperation," Wang said.

The worlds biggest coal user, China obtains roughly 60% of its power from coal and is the worlds biggest source of greenhouse gases. It plans to build more coal-fired power plants but still plans to taper its use of the fossil fuel.

Beijing has pointed to historical U.S. emissions as a reason to resist action while making advances in solar power and other renewable energy sources. China has set a target of generating 20% of the countrys total energy consumption from renewables by 2025, becoming carbon-neutral by 2060 and reducing total emissions starting from 2030.

President Joe Biden has announced a goal to cut up to 52% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030  double the target set by President Barack Obama in the 2015 Paris climate accord. The 2030 goal vaults the U.S. into the top tier of countries on climate ambition.

Kerry has called for stronger efforts to to curb rising temperatures to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. He urged China to join the U.S. in urgently cutting carbon emissions.

Kerry made a stop in Japan on Tuesday to discuss climate issues with Japanese officials before heading to China.

Global decarbonizing efforts will come under the spotlight at a U.N. conference to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in late November, known as COP26.
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.
Leon Jones passed away at his home in Dallas, Texas. He is preceded in death by his twin brother Louis Jones, a son Timothy Jones and his father Elmer Jones. He is survived by his sister, Katie Jones Hodges of Dallas, Texas, a brother Calvin Jones of Dallas and locally by his sister Lois Jon
Jean-Paul Forceville from Le Groupe La Poste has been elected president of the Postal Operations Council of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

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Forceville, who is currently director of European and international relations at La Poste, received 26 votes against the 22 of his Chinese opponent Hongmei Dong. In addition, France was re-elected to the Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council alongside 47 other member countries.

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The UPU is a specialized agency of the United Nations with its headquarters in Switzerlands capital, Bern. Founded in 1874, it is one of the oldest international organizations and is the main forum for cooperation between postal sector players.

Within the UPU, the Council of Administration ensures the continuity of work between congresses, supervises the Unions activities and deals with regulatory, administrative, legislative and legal matters. The Postal Operations Council is the UPU body responsible for technical and operational matters.

Elected for a four-year term, Forceville will carry his vision of the UPU based on multilateralism and dialog. Commenting on his appointment, Forceville said, It is an honor to have been elected to this position. I would like to thank all the countries for the trust they have placed in Le Groupe La Poste and in France. We will all work together to defend UPUs virtuous and ambitious objectives in the interests of its members, customers and citizens.
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
A new scathing report recently published reveals the influence Silicon Valley is having in directing digital policies in Europe, even watering down the new DMA. The report, titled "The Lobby Network: Big Tech's Web of Influence in the EU" points out the known amounts of money pouring in from top tech giants Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft. The report makes it clear that U.S. tech giants have to be stopped and dives deep into various issues they wish the public to know about.

Before reading the report, you should know one of the key players behind publishing the report. One of the two groups who put out this paper is Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) which is funded by the Isvara Foundation who's founder is Ayman Jallad. Another one funding the group is George Soros, a left-wing extremist. Politico wrote about CEO's funding founder Ayman Jallad back in 2017. The report was titled "Mystic money man behind Brussels activists." Politico's cover graphic is presented below.

Ayman Jallad has two battles on his hands. The Syrian-Lebanese businessman is in the challenging business of selling imported Caterpillar tractors in war-torn markets like Gaza, the West Bank and Syria. And from his solar panel-equipped office, located in a warehouse 18 kilometers north of Beirut, hes carrying out a crusade against the European Commission, which he says is "controlled by multinationals."

Among the most vocal critics of NGOs (Non-Profit Organizations) like Corporate Europe Observatory are corporate lobbyists, who accuse them of pushing narrow political ideologies, rather than the public interest they claim to represent.

Markus Beyrer, the director general of BusinessEurope, the blocs largest business lobby stated at the time that "Far from representing the will of the people, some NGOs distort the public debate "with dubious arguments, often fake figures and by fear-mongering tactics. This raises broad questions over their democratic legitimacy and representativeness." You could read more on the Politico article here.

The report about "The Lobby Network" begins by stating that "As Big Techs market power has grown, so has its political clout. Just as the EU tries to rein in the most problematic aspects of Big Tech  from disinformation, targeted advertising to excessive market power  the digital giants are lobbying hard to shape new regulations. They are being given disproportionate access to policy-makers and their message is amplified by a wide network of think tanks and other third parties." Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl profile Big Techs lobby firepower, given it is now the EUs biggest lobby spending industry.

The report further notes that "When you think about digital industry lobbying, you are likely to think of the five digital giants: Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft  sometimes known as GAFAM. Unsurprising, given these billion-dollar companies dominate the global markets, but beyond them are many other industry actors trying to exert their influence on policy-making in the EU.

The digital industry as a whole spends over 97 million lobbying the EU Institutions per year and employs 1,452 lobbyists on its behalf. This vast firepower indicates that the industry sees a lot at stake in the current policy discussions, and it is notable that the tech firms are outspending all other sectors in terms of lobbying.

At the upper end, the top ten invest at least 1 million each on lobbying. There are only six companies that spend more than 2 million. Google, Facebook, and Microsoft stand out with a lobby budget of more than 5 million each.

When comparing corporate lobby spending across sectors, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft remain the top spenders in Brussels. Apple ranks 6th, following Bayer and Shell, whereas Amazon ranks 15th. US tech giants are not only outspending other digital industry actors, they are outspending all actors.

(Click on image to Enlarge)

Big Tech hires professional consultancies to lobby on its behalf. Among the 98 consultancies with a Brussels office, 14 work for the top ten digital companies. In 2019 and 2020, Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Qualcomm hired the most lobby consultancies. These included Fleishman-Hillard, EU-Strategy, and FTI Consulting. Google remains at the top, spending 1.28 million on 12 consultancies, almost a quarter of the companys total lobbying budget. Apple and Qualcomm share the second position, both spending 1.3 million on consultancies. In the case of Qualcomm, this is nearly 75 per cent of its lobby budget.

The rising lobby firepower of big tech and the digital industry as a whole mirrors the sectors huge and growing role in society. It is remarkable and should be a cause of concern that the platforms can use this firepower to ensure their voices are heard  over countervailing and critical voices  in the debate over how to construct new rules for digital platforms.

Watering Down Concrete Measures

In this chapter of the report, they note: "With respect to the obligations that will be imposed on gatekeepers, the devil lies in the details.

Google for instance opposes "overly prescriptive obligations [that] will risk being soon outdated, especially in the sector where technological progress is fast." In other words, Google argues for ex-ante regulation which remains rather abstract and takes a case-by-case approach.

Facebook also seems to believe "that automatic, self-executing rules that are applicable to all companies and irrespective of the market realities in which they operate will lead to unintended, disproportionate, and damaging consequences."

In turn, Apple argues that the Commissions DMA proposal "equates 'size' with 'harm,' and applies a one-size-fits all approach to very diverse products, markets and companies." Its preferred route then is for the proposal to be changed so it would be based on "more differentiation, case-by-case, in assessing the behavior and effects of platforms (and so called gate-keepers); and more differentiation in applying specific obligations" and to increase the regulatory dialogue with the gatekeepers affected with the intent of increasing "the understanding of regulators" and to "enable them to apply the appropriate remedy to a specific situation."

The report makes it clear that in their view "This approach is highly problematic, as it is an attempt to water down the implementation of the concrete rules set out in the DMA. The whole purpose of the Digital Markets Act is to create rules and standards for the behavior of the platforms. Transforming the act into a case by case analysis would be to entirely pervert its purpose."

Too Much Regulation Undermines Innovation

In another chapter of the paper states that "Another argument by the digital industry is that too many rules will stop startups and SMEs from entering digital markets and fostering innovation. For instance this was the argument put forward by the Developers Alliance in its communication with the Commission, which echoed that of the rest of the industry.

Many companies responses to the DMA have been to offer general support as long as it only applies to others. One of the key lines of conflict will be who is defined as a gatekeeper, meaning companies with significant control over a market.

From the Commissions proposal, it is clear that Google, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook will be covered. Beyond them there is some grey area. Smaller platforms, such as Airbnb and Spotify have warned they should not be covered by such rules.

Spotify, for instance, stressed to the Commission the importance of how to define gatekeepers. Spotify, a European platform, emphasized the support for a targeted scope on the big US platforms by key EU member states, such as Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

In other words, the platforms with headquarters in the EU try to play European policy-makers off against US digital platforms, in order not fall under the definition of digital gatekeepers.

Their insistence on maintaining a "targeted scope," covering only a very small number of very large digital platforms, for the DMA has apparently been taken into account by the Commission and also by the European Parliament DMA rapporteur Andreas Schwab (EPP). Schwab made clear in his report on the DMA that he wants a very narrow scope for the gatekeeper definition.

It appears that Spotify is leading European Parliament DMA rapporteur Andreas Schwab by the nose into an anti-US posture, though the EU Commission has been against Big Tech for years, so it's a natural stance to begin with. Though Spotify defining what a gatekeeper is so that they're not included is humorous at the very least. Apple fans are all too aware of Spotify's hatred for Apple and Google, pushing their victim-narrative hard with both U.S. and European political leaders

If this subject matter happens to interest you, be sure to review the full report presented below, courtesy of Patently Apple.

The Lobby Network - Big Tech's Web of Influence in the EU by Jack Purcher on Scribd
The Managing Director of Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) Company Limited, Mr Edwin Provencal, has pledged the commitment of the company to Ghanaians that the measures his team have put in place will contribute heavily to the price of fuel at the pump.



According to him, when the vision of the Minister for Public Enterprises to enhance the efficiency of Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST), Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and Ghana Oil (GOIL) is achieved, consumers will see the benefit at the pump.



We want to make a commitment to the people of Ghana that in the long run, BOST is going to contribute heavily to the price at the pump, because when the vision of the Minister is achieved by enhancing the efficiency of BOST, TOR, and GOILs, the consumer will see the benefit at the pump and that is the commitment we are going to support, he pledged.



Speaking to the media after the presentation of BOST financial and operational performance to the Ministry for Public Enterprises, Mr Edwin Provencal indicated as a development economist that the public sector plays a role in the engine of growth of any economy.



We are happy about the initiative we are putting in place because when the public sector works very well, the private sector will run. When the public sector drags, it brings everybody down; the whole economy grinds to a halt because the public sector is the oil that drives the efficiency of the private sector, he noted.



Mr Edwin Provencal however applauded His Excellency President Akufo-Addo for the confidence he has reposed in him to continue as the Managing Director of Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST).



He further commended the management, board and the union of BOST for the exceptional role they have played to ensure the turnaround of the company; asserting that the big feat the company has chalked speaks volumes of leadership as there has not been any replacement but the same team he met.



This is the same team that has been in place for a while and who have now achieved the turnaround in the company and that gives a very big statement that leadership is key. The leadership of the President is key to the success of BOST, he noted.



Thanking the media, he said that without the press, BOST would never have achieved all the things they have achieved; thus, they have reported to the media truthfully and faithfully and have enjoyed the same coverage from the media.



You have covered our news out there truthfully and faithfully. I remember when we engaged you on the BOST margin, you could see why we needed the BOST margin and you supported and eventually, the regulator gave it the BOST margin. I am sure we can all attest to the numerous projects and the numerous efficiency gain we have achieved for BOST. This could never have been done without the media support, he applauded the media.



The Managing Director of BOST reiterated the commitment of the management team that the company in the next few years is going to make a huge profit and start paying dividends to the government of Ghana.



We want to make a commitment that for the next few years, BOST is going to make a huge profit and start paying dividends to the government of Ghana, he pledged.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Hollard Insurance, a subsidiary of Hollard Ghana wins again, Commercial Line Insurer of the Year, 2021,at the Ghana Insurance Awards held at Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel.



The annual event organised by Xodus Communications Limited sought to honour top-class performance, professionalism, and innovation across the Ghanaian Insurance industry, and to promote the growth of the industry.



Hollard Insurance for the second consecutive time received the Commercial Line Insurer of the Yearaward for its ability to deliver a variety of innovative enterprise-wide and group business solutions.



Commenting on the awards, the Managing Director of Hollard Insurance, Daniel Addo, expressed his appreciation for the honour done the company. He dedicated the win toHollardites, customers, and partners.



We believe this is the beginning of greater things to come. We are proud to lead the industry in mitigating commercial risks with unmatched customer experience. We understand how important economic activity is to the development of our nation, so we do the best we can to provide relevant insurance solutions to support.



Thank you all for joining our journey to become the countrys favourite insurer. Will continue to insure you and everything you love he added.



The unconventional insurance group, Hollard Ghana, with its distinctive purpose to enable more people to create and secure a better future was also recognised Brand of the Year whilst its subsidiaryHollard Life Assurance, in existence for just three years, was adjudged Fastest Growing Company of the Year.



About Hollard Insurance



Hollard Insurance is a subsidiary of insurance group, Hollard Ghana, which combines its deep local knowledge of the market with the world-class expertise of an international insurance brand. With feet firmly planted on Ghanaian soil but Headquartered in South Africa, Hollard delivers innovative insurance solutions customised to the unique risks Ghanaians face. Hollard was previously Metropolitan Insurance which operated in Ghana for over 25 years.



Hollard Insurance offers various non-life products including travel, motor, personal accident, and home insurance, and more. Beyond various nationwide office branches and Hollard 2U franchise shops, Ghanaians can find Hollard at Shell Fuel Station Welcome Shops, Melcom stores and online at www.hollard.com.gh and www.jumia.com.gh for all their insurance needs.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Drama unfolded at the sitting of Parliaments Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in Sunyani last Monday when a former Headmaster of the Nkoranman Senior High School at Seikwa in the Tain District, Mr Joseph Budu, and a retired accountant, Mr Ransford Boahen, were compelled to give evidence about some financial infractions during their tenure of office after they were spotted in the audience listening to the proceedings.



Even though the PACs Chairman, Dr James Klutse Avedzi, had directed that Mr Budu and Mr Boahen as well as Ms Rebecca Owusu, who is still the secretary of the headmaster of the Nkoranman SHS, should be hauled before the committee on Friday, he seized the opportunity to interrogate Mr Budu and Boahene.



That was after a member of the committee and a Deputy Minister of Education, Mrs Gifty Twum Ampofo, had informed the committee that she had been told that both Mr Budu and Mr Boahene were in the audience.



The PAC began a weeklong sitting in Sunyani to deal with the report of the Auditor-General on the pre-tertiary institutions and technical universities in the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo and Ashanti regions for the financial year ending December 31, 2017, last Monday.



Issues



In the report, the Auditor-General reported that 335 students of the Nkoranman SHS had their names in the schools enrolment list but were not in the students ledgers.



In addition, 29 receipts for GH12,604.30 fees paid by 12 students, whose names were not in the students ledger, while the amount collected did not form part of the schools income for the 2017 financial year.



The report explained that those receipts, which were not recorded in the stock register and cash books, differed from the regular official receipts usually issued by the accountant and his assistants.



Scholarships



The report said even though Mr Budu informed auditors that the school had 186 students on scholarship for needy brilliant students, there was no evidence to show for the existence of the scheme or its approval by the Scholarship Secretariat.



The Auditor-Generals report also added that two of the students on the supposed scholarship presented evidence of payment of fees amounting to GH2,804.70 and indicated that they were not aware of any such facility.



The Auditor-General recommended that the matter be reported to the police for further investigation and the three persons be jointly held accountable for the estimated loss of the GH580,836.20.



Earlier, when the current Headmaster, Mr Wadie Ampong, and accountant of the Nkoranman SHS, Mr Clement Ntim Fofie, appeared before the committee, they denied knowledge of financial infractions detected by the auditors and passed the buck to the former administrators of the school.







Source: graphiconline.com









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The Minister for the Public Enterprises and MP for Efia Hon Joseph Cudjoe has said his ministry was established to monitor state owned enterprises to ensure they operate profitably, productively and efficiently.



The Public Enterprise Ministry was established by the President Nana Akuffo Addo when he won his second term with many Ghanaians questioning the importance of such ministry.



However the reason with which the ministry was established has begun to manifest as the sector minister ,Hon Joseph Cudjoe begun visiting state owned companies to ensure they operates profitably for government to get funds for developmental projects for the citizenry.



Hon Joseph Cudjoe today visited the GIHOC Distilleries as part of his monitoring after visiting others like BOST, Ghana publishing, GPHA, and Ghana Water.



Speaking to Peace FM's reporter, Pious Baidoo Banson during his official visit to GIHOC Distilleries, Hon Joseph Cudjoe said data shows clearly that, state enterprises were run down during the NDC era to the extent that, they needed government to assist them financially.



He however said, the good news is that since 2017, the Chief Executives Officers appointed by the Nana Addo led government have turned the tables around hence massive revenues from these enterprises to support the government flagship programs.



He said in line with this, ministry is going to establish Public Enterprise League Table (PELT) to monitor the enterprises and rank them according to their performances.



Citing GIHOC as an example, the minister commended the managing director of GIHOC, Maxwell Kofi Jumah for stabilizing the company by doubling the revenue in line with governments vision to make state owned companied work again.



The Managing Director for GIHOC Distilleries,Hon Maxwell Kofi Jumah said he met a defunct company with 150 workers and 100 contract workers taking salaries as low as 250 cedis.



However, he has managed to turn things around as there are currently 620 workers in Accra alone with branches in Kumase,Techiman,Oti,Cape Takoradi and Liberia and Nigeria branches in the offing.

Source: Atiemo Emmanuel/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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Head of Linguistics at the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Kofi Agyekum, has advised Ghanaians to change their attitude.



One major problem confronting Ghanaians is flooding as almost every time there is a deluge, communities and areas get submerged by the heavy rains.



Unfortunately, properties are destroyed and some lives are lost but it's become a grave matter of concern that flooding is resolved.



On Thursday, 2nd September, 2021, there were hours of rainfall and again some places have reportedly flooded.



Discussing this problem during Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Prof. Kofi Agyekum, popularly called Opanyin Agyekum decried the human activities resulting in the floods.



He recounted how some Ghanaians dump refuse and other materials in gutters, hence choking the drains which causes the floods.



He also expressed worry over other behaviours of some Ghanaians citing that some people will see floods and instead of waiting till it subsides, they rather cross it leading to the loss of lives.



Opanyin Agyekum believed, to avoid flooding and other related problems that occur when there is a downpour, there should be a change of attitude and also a strict enforcement of the laws.



"If we don't strengthen the laws and we leave everybody to do what he/she wants, it will affect us . . . if we don't take our indigenous and cultural knowledge and values back again, we're joking," he said.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The National Lottery Authority has warned the general public against lotto fraudsters using various platforms and communication strategies to dupe unsuspecting Ghanaians.



According to the Director-General of the Authority, Sammi Awuku, the lotto fraudsters have defrauded a lot of Ghanaians through radio and television programs.



We at the NLA do not conjure figures and have never conjure figures and anybody who sits on radio or TV be it religious person or communicator cannot give you the numbers for the day.



Sammi Awuku emphasized that "the numbers are drawn live and is simply a game of chance and so anybody who went on the fact that the person can give you a chance to win is not true; it's simply a game of chance.



The Authority advised Ghanaians to be careful in dealing with such lotto operators.



He made these comments when a delegation from the Nigeria License Lottery Operators paid courtesy call on him at the NLA office in Accra on Thursday, 2nd September.



The Authority took the Nigeria delegation through Ghanas lottery system.



You had a good experience witnessing our draws yesterday and how it is done; it is clear that the system is not fake; that if somebody tells you that these numbers are on social media, just know that it is not true".







Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









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The board chairman of the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Company (GIISDEC) Farouk Aliu Mahama has assured that the newly constituted board will spearhead the growth of the countrys iron and steel industry by harnessing the huge economic prospects of the sector.



According to him, the board will also spearhead the proper management of iron ore deposits in the country to stimulate an increase in foreign direct investment.



Mahama made the comments at the swearing-in of the board of the GIISDEC at the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry in Accra.



He is joined by eight other technocrats drawn from other government institutions and agencies to constitute the new GIISDEC Board.



They include Kwabena Bonsu Fordwor, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GIISDEC; George Mireku Duker representing the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR); Michael Okyere Baafi from the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Martin Kwaku Ayisi, representing the Minerals Commission.



Also on the board are Kay F. Amoah Jnr. (Esq), Ernest Kusi and Madam Hanifa Yahaya (Esq.), all of the presidential nominees.



Members of the new board at a brief swearing-in ceremony held at the conference room of the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources (MLNR) yesterday undertook the oaths of office, allegiance, and secrecy.



Following the swearing, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, charged the chairman and members of the new board to work hard to ensure that the corporation achieves its objectives.







Farouk Aliu Mahama



According to him, President Akufo-Addo, right from the inception of his government, attached great importance to the corporation expectations of which he added are high.



This Corporation is important predominantly because one of the most fundamental pillars on which we can anchor the development of the country is the efficient exploitation of our iron and steel, he stated.



GIISDEC, he stressed, must be fit for purpose if we are going to build the ambitions of the government in the railway, automobile and other industries that depend mainly on the production of steel.



Expressing his confidence in the new board, the minister said, This team should be able to deliver on the goals we have set for ourselves by virtue of the caliber of personalities therein. I believe they have the competencies and abilities to deliver on their mandate.



In his remarks, the Chairman of the new GIISDEC Board, Farouk Aliu Mahama, conveyed the gratitude of the board to the President and the government for the faith reposed in them.



He said with support from government, stakeholders, and allied agencies, we will build on what has been achieved so far, inject more vigor and push further the frontiers of the industry.



Mineral Estimation



He said the new board would hit the ground running by embarking on a mineral resource estimation of Ghanas iron ore deposit across the country.



Strategic master and business plans and calculated roadshows, he stated, will enable us to provide a platform to attract vital investments that will drive economic improvement, job creation, and sustainable value creation in the iron and steel industry for all stakeholders along the chain.



These, he added, were projected to be achieved by the end of 2022.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Ghana Police Service has arrested a self-claimed prophetess allegedly linked to the murder of a 12-year-old boy, Kofi Kuzagbe Tsidi at Mafi Dove in the Central Tongu District, of the Volta Region.



Flora Ekpe was picked up by the Sogakofe Divisional Police Command after the main suspect in the case, Emmanuel Tsidi Doe, 26, alleged he was sent by her to bring a human head for ritual purposes.



Both suspects are currently at the Sogakofe Divisional Police Command, assisting with investigations into the incident.



The deceased was allegedly beheaded by Dovi Tsidi, who happens to be a relative to the deceased at Mafi Aflokofe on Sunday at 9:00 pm.



Speaking to an Accra-based radio station, Citi FM, the Assembly Member for the Mafi Dove electoral area, Mr. Moses Awukuvi, said, the deceased was drowned to ensure that he became weak before he was killed.



The suspect after noticing the community was after him, hid the body of the deceased under the creeks and bolted with the head to a maize farm where he hid the head under some leaves, he stated.



He added that the suspect went into hiding at a prayer camp where he was with a prophetess, Flora Ekpe, who is believed to be associated with the crime.













Source: graphiconline.com









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Police detectives who are fond of speaking the local language, Twi while giving evidence in court have been advised to desist from that act because it brings disgrace to the police profession.



The Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department, COP Isaac Ken Yeboah, said some of the detectives during cross-examination in court as witnesses, prefer speaking in local dialect instead of the Standard English.



He said this is because of the poor command some detectives have in expressing themselves in the English language.



Addressing 95 detectives who took part in an eight week detective course at the Detective Training Academy in Accra, the CID Boss said as a police officer, good report writing, which will be understood by any person who reads it, should be on their fingertips.



When you go to court, to testify, don't go and say, My Lord, please I will speak Twi. It should be out of the question. It brings disgrace to the service, he stated.



He urged the detectives to spend quality time in interrogating suspects and victims in order to come out with good reports.



Criminals will try to influence you to compromise your integrity and your professional ethics but remain resolute and incorruptible, he said, adding You have to be caring and compassionate by taking your work seriously. Pursuing the offender and updating the complainant on the development of the case is the way to go.



The Commandant of the Detective Training Academy, Chief Superintendent Baba Iddirisu, said the detectives were taken through courses including human rights, criminal procedure, child-friendly policing, criminal investigation, human trafficking, cyber crime, statement taking among others.



He said senior police officers, both serving and retired, who are experts in the various fields, were the facilitators of the course.



The overall best detective was Constable Perpetual Deny of Adweso CID Koforidua.

Source: Daily Guide









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Ghana has signed on to the protocol on voluntary registration of copyright and related rights by Member States of the African Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO).



The protocol is aimed at promoting the progress of science and useful arts by securing the exclusive right of authors and inventors to their respective works and discoveries.



Attorney General (AG), Godfred Yeboah Dame, who led Ghanas delegation to Uganda where the protocol was signed, welcomed ARIPOs decision to affirm the regional rule-making in the area of copyright and related rights on the continent.



Speaking at a Diplomatic Conference for the adoption of the draft protocol, in Kampala, Mr. Dame noted that the speed of transmission and republication of literary, artistic and musical works in this digital era presents new challenges to copyright protection and underscores the urgent need to collectively develop new mechanisms in response.



The expression that our destinies as African countries are linked could not have been truer at any time other than now. The quest to protect copyright and related rights on the African continent is a clear manifestation of the reality that, as Africans, we swim in one boat. This reality has been given a shot in the arm by the adoption of the protocols for the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA), whose headquarters my country Ghana has the privilege of hosting, he said.



The AG indicated that Ghanas current Copyright Act makes provision for voluntary registration of works under Section 39 thereof, adding that between 2017 and 2019, Ghanas Copyright Office recorded an average of 800 registered works annually.



He said the Diplomatic Conference by Member States is an acknowledgement that there is value in creative works and, therefore, there is the need to protect same. Copyright is indeed a priceless vehicle to promote cultural independence and diversity.



Certainly, the labours of the mind and productions of the brain are as equally entitled to the benefits of protection and income arising therefrom as the labours of the body are. Authors, composers and producers of works in Africa have a moral, legal and equitable right to the profits of their works and if others pillage and pirate them, the continent should have a sound framework for bringing them to justice. After all, even the Holy Bible prohibits one reaping where one has not sown, Mr. Dame stated.



He further stated that the registration system is important because it stimulates creativity amongst its creators knowing that in the event of an infringement, they have an advantage of establishing a prima facie case of ownership with the evidence of a certificate to show.



He added that Ghana welcomes the ARIPO Regional Voluntary Registration System as a laudable step because voluntary registration has been a core part of Ghanas Copyright system.



It has been a substantial part of the activities carried out by our Copyright Office. I believe that this initiative will foster relationships between Member States in the Region, encourage better collaboration between Copyright Offices in Africa and create increased business opportunities for creators.



I trust that deliberations will be successful and produce an outcome which will usher in a new chapter in the history of Copyright protection on the African continent through the due execution of the Protocol in the coming days, Mr. Dame added.



He signed the Protocol on behalf of Ghana while heads of delegation from other African countries present also signed the Protocol on behalf of their countries.











Source: Daily Guide









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed that, henceforth, no public institution should deal in or allocate any land without the explicit approval of the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.



Nana Akufo-Addo said, "the days when public lands were dissipated without regard for public interest are over.



The President stated this when he inaugurated a 25-member National Lands Commission at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, September 1, 2021.



President Akufo-Addo pointed out that, the duty of the members of the National Lands Commission is to manage public lands.



He emphasised that public lands allocated to state institutions remain public lands, vested in the President and managed by the Lands Commission.



The President also charged the newly-sworn-in members to aggressively pursue the digitisation of the records of the Lands Commission, noting that "most of the reforms needed to build efficient land administration will be within our reach if we are able to move away from manual registration to digital registration."



He further reminded members of the National Lands Commission of the New Lands Act 2020 (Act 1036), which he said, gives a good foundation for the reforms being pursued by the Commission.



President Akufo-Addo also urged the Commission to perform its functions under the general direction of the Sector Minister in accordance with the Constitution.



Describing the task ahead as daunting, he expressed conviction that with focus, good policies and determination, the National Lands Commission will deliver on its mandate and urged them to give maximum support to the Sector Minister, Samuel A. Jinapor to help transform land administration in Ghana.



For his part, the Chairman of the National Lands Commission, Alex Quaynor assured the President that, the Commission was focused on meeting the 30-day turnaround time for registration of title or deeds by the Commission target.



He also expressed the teams appreciation to the President for reposing much confidence in them and pledged to deliver.



He also commended the Vice President, Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia and Mr Jinapor for their unwavering commitment and support to the Commission in ensuring that Ghana gets a robust land administration.





Source: classfmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Assin Fosu Divisional Police Command has arrested 23-year-old Joseph Amoah for allegedly hanging human parts including skulls on his window.



Confirming the arrest to Angel News, Deputy Central Regional PRO of the Ghana Police Service, Inspector Isaac Evans Ettie said that the police proceeded to the scene to effect the arrest after receiving the report that the suspect was hanging human parts on his window for unknown reasons.



He told Angel FMs reporter, Kwame Owusu Asante Shadrack, that photographs of the human parts as well as the scene were taken.



Inspector Evans Ettie added that the human parts have been retrieved and sent to St. Francis Xavier Hospital Morgue at Assin Fosu for investigation.



He concluded that the suspect is in police custody assisting investigations.

Source: angelonline.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.

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The government of New York City, on Thursday, September 2, declared a state of emergency after torrential rain caused heavy flooding resulting to reports of numerous water rescues.



In New York City, a travel ban was implemented until 5 a.m Friday. According to an emergency alert sent by the government to citizens. All non-emergency vehicles must stay off the road, the alert said as the city's subway lines were suspended due to the flooding.



The Metropolitan Transit Authority website announced that only the "7" line and the Staten Island Railway were operating with delays.



"We're enduring an historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Twitter.



"We will have a tough few hours coming up until we get the rain out of here," de Blasio told CNN affiliate WCBS.



"I have never seen this much rainfall this quickly. It is absolutely astounding ... We are talking three inches, four inches in an hour. Unbelievable accumulation."



"The rain was far more than anyone really expected," and left the region in "a very dire situation."



"We can take all the precautions in advance, and we did deploy our assets to be on the ground in anticipation, but mother nature will do whatever she wants, and she is really angry tonight,"



The National Weather Service in New York urged people to stay off the roads.



"We are seeing way too many reports of water rescues and stranded motorists. Do not drive through flooded roadways. You do not know how deep the water is and it is too dangerous," the weather service said.



Rescuers have been removing people from flooded roadways and subways across New York City, the New York Fire Department said.



As at Thursday morning, water rescues were taking place and numerous roads have been closed.



Meanwhile in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency, urging residents to "stay off the roads, stay home, and stay safe."



"Five inches of rain just doesn't happen in this region very often," said CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.



"We could easily see some deadly flash floods like we saw in Tennessee last week."



In Maryland, one person died and another is missing after the remnants of Ida flooded an apartment complex Wednesday, Montgomery County officials said.



While a person died due to flooding in the Guesses Fork area of Hurley, Virginia, the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office said.













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
Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, a Governance Lecturer at the Central University, has advised President Nana Akufo-Addo and his government to give a listening ear to opposing views from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).



The NDC and their 2020 Presidential candidate, former President John Mahama, have been censuring the leadership of President Nana Akufo-Addo.



President Mahama, embarking on a recent Thank You tour, told Ghanaians about how bad the President is doing and therefore called for a change of government, come 2024.



NDC National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi also believes Ghanaians are already tired of the Akufo-Addo administration and can't wait to vote the government out of power.



The alarming case of corruption under this government is such that Ghanaians cannot wait to exact act accountability by voting out the NPP after their eight year tenure in 2024.



Anything short of that will spell doom for the public purse which will be subjected to further abuse should their mandates be renewed beyond 2024, Sammy Gyamfi said during a press conference on Monday.



In a rebuttal, the General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, John Boadu urged Ghanaians not to pay attention to the ''distraction'' by the opposition party saying we are really not worried about his distraction because our president is focused on delivering his mandate''.



He (President Mahama) has no right to deceive the people of this country by twisting facts, John Boadu stressed.



But to Dr. Otchere-Ankrah, the NPP should not always build defence against the NDC.



He advised the President and the NPP to sometimes listen to the NDC stressing the opposition will help the government to stay on the alert.



"Sometimes, it's good to listen to your enemy supposedly or your opponent. It will help you to stay on the alert. It doesn't look good for me. When I go to my hometown, sometimes I have to dodge before I can return from there. There is hardship and we have to fight it head on . . .the sword must cut both sides and we all mustmake sure that we build a nation that we so desire," he said during Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' programme.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has questioned the moral right of former President John Mahama to criticize President Nana Akufo-Addo.



Former President John Mahama, during his recent 'Thank You' tour in Wa in the Upper East Region, accused the President of mismanaging the economy and charged Ghanaians to vote out the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024.



The NPP has no intention of fighting corruption, and so the only way they can be made to account to the people of Ghana is for them to leave office so that the new government will come and audit them and show where they have gone wrong.



Otherwise, all the money they have stolen, they will just walk away with it. If you participate in politics or are a participant in public service, one of the first things you must be willing to do is to be accountable to the people, Mr Mahama said.



He added; The only way they could be accountable is for them to leave office so that the people of Ghana can ask them questions and audit them to make sure they account for the period they were in office.



But Kwamena Duncan wonders why Mr. Mahama is walking free.



Making his submissions on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, he recollected the Airbus scandal citing the Ex-President as receiving kickbacks in the purchase of aircraft for the Ghana Armed Forces and also reminded Ghanaians of some uncouth comments Mr. Mahama made while as President of the Republic.



Further alluding to some corrupt practices involving Mr. Mahama and under his administration, Kwamena Duncan was convinced the former President should be serving a jail term by now.



"President Mahama today has the gut to talk about corruption. If it was elsewhere, President Mahama indeed should be doing some time in the jail," he said.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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President Nana Akufo-Addo has been accused of hiring another private jet which cost the Ghanaian taxpayer millions of cedis.



The NDC North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, alleges that President Akufo-Addo hired a luxurious aircraft on his recent foreign trips to the UK and Germany.



The trips, he said, cost the State 14,000 per hour and a cumulative Gh3.46 million.



Earlier this year, Okudzeto Ablakwa also stirred controversy when he alleged that President Akufo-Addo had hired a private jet at the cost of Gh2.8 million on his travels to France, Belgium and South Africa.



On Tuesday, the North Tongu lawmaker, in a Facebook post, said; ''It has become absolutely imperative to demand a national policy on presidential travels akin to what pertains in other jurisdictions. This is most crucial to avoid the wanton abuse of discretion by President Akufo-Addo at the expense of the suffering taxpayer.



''From our continuous monitoring, President Akufo-Addo still prefers to use VIP charter jets for his European travels despite being in firm possession of Ghana's presidential jet - the Dassault Falcon 900-EXE which remains in pristine condition and can fly non-stop to all those European destinations...For his recent travels to the UK on the 27th of July, 2021 to attend the Global Education Summit and last week's state visit to Germany, he blatantly refused to travel on the presidential jet. Instead, he opted for another top of the range VIP luxury charter jet specifically known to industry players as the Boeing 737-900ER BBJ3.



''If our government is dealing directly with the operators of the LX-DIO then it is costing the Ghanaian taxpayer at least US$14,000 per hour. However, if our government is leasing the aircraft via brokers or middlemen as it has gained notoriety for in many sectors, you shouldn't be surprised the Ghanaian taxpayer is being billed between US$18,000 and US$22,000 per hour.



''Using the conservative rate of US$14,000 per hour, the two trips to the UK and Germany which requires some 28 hours of travel distance in and out plus an additional 13 hours of pick up and drop off time, the taxpayer has been burdened again to the colossal tune of US$574,000.00. At the current exchange rate, that is a staggering 3.46million Ghana Cedis. This unconscionable rape of the public purse just to satisfy the creature comforts of a President who elects to live in vulgar ostentation in a manner that will make even Arabian kings envious cannot be allowed to continue.''



Reacting on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Former Central regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan laughed off Okudzeto Ablakwa's assertions.



According to him, the accusations against the President are crappy.



"It's mind-boggling . . . it's laughable that a Member of Parliament, you are only conjecturing . . . as usual, this is crappy," he stated.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A claim by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that it intercepted one million extra ballots in the Ashanti Region in the heat of the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections has been rubbished by the Electoral Commission (EC), describing it as pure lies.



The NDCs Director of Elections, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, claimed on state-owned GTV Breakfast Show on Tuesday that the party was vigilant in thwarting the so-called plans of the EC, thereby creating the impression that the commission had something sinister under its sleeves against the NDC in the Ashanti stronghold of its NPP opponent.



Interception Claim



Afriyie Ankrah spoke about how the party allegedly intercepted and caused the destruction of over a million extra ballot papers that were heading to the region.



One of the printing houses where Ashanti Region ballots were printed, when the printing is done they are now packaged and recorded and we all sign for it, then it is sent to the region, he claimed.



When it is sent to the region, they will also check and confirm that they have received x amount of ballot papers for this region, for this constituency etc. When that is done, then the remaining ballot papers are burnt and thrashed, he said and continued that then they give you a certificate of disposal signed by all the political parties that we have finished printing and these are the ballots that have been disposed of.



According to him, the team had to return from Kumasi to Accra after a mistake was discovered with the PNC candidates photo.



Mr. Ankrah said they needed to return purposefully to reprint papers for the affected constituency alone.



We came back to the printing house and our guys saw a pack of ballot papers covered and bound in brown envelopes. We checked and there were over one million extra ballots for Ashanti Region alone.



We asked and the woman got confused and said they were for runoff. So we said how can you have a runoff for all the 12 candidates? So we called the Electoral Commission and eventually, we had to insist and we burned them, and I have evidence of that, he claimed.



Repackaged Agenda



The NDCs fresh claim, according to the EC source, is a repackaged agenda, indicating that a similar claim was made in November 2020 ahead of the December 7, 2020 process and was debunked.



The source wondered why the opposition party had rekindled an issue that was never true.



The top official of the EC denied the Afriyie Ankrah theory, describing it as a palpable lie.



It would be recalled that Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, an NDC MP, flaunted ballot papers as being some of the so-called ballot papers which turned out to be bereft of the EC security features, the official said.



Continuing, the official said using fake ballot papers to make a case does not make sense and should be disregarded.



Reform Agenda



The NDC, as part of its effort to push for reforms, has been all over the place trying to get its proposal through.



Curiously, the party has refused to cooperate with the Electoral Commission and has decided to boycott the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) where such decisions are mostly taken.



The NDCs beef is that the EC rigged the 2020 general election in favour of the NPP, a claim which was dismissed by the Supreme Court when its flagbearer John Dramani Mahama went there to challenge the results declared.



Initially, ex-President Mahama claimed he won the election but was denied victory after he and his party had amassed their supporters to hit the streets to cause mayhem around Christmas last year.



However, by the time the case was being heard, the NDCs stance that Mr. Mahama was denied victory had shifted to the argument that none of the 12 candidates that participated in the 2020 Presidential Election got the constitutionally mandatory 50 per cent plus one of the total valid votes.



The NDC also pushed that the Supreme Court should determine whether the Electoral Commission (EC) had to organise a run-off election between Mr. Mahama as petitioner and President Akufo-Addo who was declared winner by the EC on December 9, 2020 after the crucial December 7, 2020 general election.



He was subsequently bounced unanimously by the seven-member panel for failing to adduce evidence to back his claims that no candidate crossed the 50 per cent plus 1 vote needed for the EC to declare a winner.



NDC Proposal



The NDC has put forward some proposals which the party says will bring reforms to the electoral system.



Among the proposals is a demand for the prior-approval of Parliament the appointment of EC members.



They want a repeal of the requirement for the consent of the Attorney General to be given before the prosecution of electoral offences as well as specially-designated courts for electoral disputes and offences before, during and after registration of voters and elections.



The NDC also wants the EC to be allowed by law to apply to the courts to remove names of deceased and other unqualified persons from the provisional register when informed by the relevant authorities.



In a strange move, the NDC wants GBC to comply with the Supreme Court decision for it to provide equal access to all political parties after it flouted the courts decision when the party was in power.



It also wants IPAC to be backed by legislation through an amendment to the Electoral Commission Act, 1993, Act 451 as well as spelling out by law the security responsibilities of the EC (if any), the police and the military during registration of voters, and during and after voting.



The NDC is demanding a legislation to bind the Chairperson of the EC, as the Returning Officer of the Presidential Election, to afford the agents of the participating political parties and candidates full participation in the collation of the presidential election results at the ECs National Collation Centre.



Splitting EC



The NDC is also calling for a split of the EC into two separate bodies namely an Office for the Regulation of Political Parties (ORPP) and an Electoral Commission (EC) by amending the Political Parties Act, 2000, Act 574.



They also want the mandatory requirement for the publication of applicants for recruitment as temporary EC staff for registration of voters and for elections and for allowing the public to object to applicants who have questionable backgrounds or have overt partisan biases must be strictly complied with and the requirement for the list to be posted at the District EC offices.



The NDC wants the EC to comply with the requirement for each political party participating in an election to be provided with a copy of the final voters register and for the EC to make sure that recruitment for the various categories of election officials is made as non-partisan as possible.



They want the list of all polling stations to be used for an election with their names, code numbers and locations to be published in the Gazette and as supplements in the state newspapers not later than 30 days to the election, saying this will require an amendment to the Public Elections Regulations, 2020, C.I. 127.



The NDC said it wants the EC to print the replacement Statement of the Poll Form and Declaration of Results Form in a colour different from the original ones in order to distinguish them and where a replacement Declaration of Results Form is used, the original Statement of Declaration Form should be attached to it.



They also want the BVD printouts for each polling centre to be given to each political party agent or candidates agent and should be posted at the polling station as well as the abolishing of the Regional Collation Centre.







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
A Communication Educator and activist, Professor Kwame Karikari, has challenged state-owned media houses to free themselves from political influence.



He said the state-owned media houses have the responsibility to criticise, question policies and demand accountability from the government without fear, in order to ensure national development and promote democracy.



Prof Karakari, who is also the Board Chairman of the Graphic Communications Group Limited, said this at the Bright Conversation series, organised by MTN Ghana as part of its 25th anniversary.



The event was on the theme, Promoting Professionalism in the era of social media and citizen journalism.



Constitution



Prof. Karikari said the 1992 constitution has mandated the media to educate and hold the government accountable, adding that the National Media Commission was established to protect them (media).



Although he admitted that majority of media practitioners in the country fear the government even in the Fourth Republic, he urged them to publish discerning information, prioritising the public interest.



Unprofessionalism in media



Speaking on the theme, Prof. Karikari indicated that it was wrong for a well established media house to take content or information from social media and publish without authenticating the information.



He said many people resort to the traditional media as their last resort to getting information, hence the need for traditional media houses to always produce true and authentic information.



State-owned media must put themselves in a position of trust and not be corrupted by negative information from social media content," he said.



Media houses



Prof. Karikari said it was expected for some of the private media outlets to demonstrate unprofessionalism due to the short period in which it was established.





Many individuals who have established these media houses have no clue of what journalism is, so they don't care who they employ. Up to today, we have a whole mass of radio and television employees who are not doing real professional work. A lot of the unprofessionalism also has to do with the fact that the media houses are owned by politicians, he added.



He, however, added that state-owned media houses have displayed some high professional standards compared to some private radio and television stations.



Performance of media



Sharing his view on the performance of the Ghanaian media, Prof Karikari said generally, the Ghanaian media has done a commendable job in helping to maintain peace and stability, stating for instance their good reportage on the COVID-19 pandemic.



He further praised them for not causing societal problems by producing content that causes ethnic differences.



The Communication Educator was, however, quick to add that much has not been done on the issue of violence and the economy.



He explained that little reportage has been made on financial investigations to educate Ghanaians against fraudsters among others, encouraging the media to delve into that aspect.



Enumeration



In terms of wages for media practitioners, Professor Karikari said, the inadequate budget and minimum wages of some media media practitioners has given rise to all manner of challenges, one of which he said, was unprofessionalism among media practitioners.



He said it was important for media owners to have adequate resources to organise programmes, conduct research and properly pay their employees.



That is why I have advocated for a media development fund, so that small media owners can tap into it to add up to proving the professional standard of journalism in the country, he said.



He has, however, called on the media to uphold high professional standards to maintain peace and promote growth of Ghana's development in spite of the challenges.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh makes a campaign stop with Bonita Zarrillo (right), candidate in the riding of Port Moody-Coquitlam, in Port Moody, B.C. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019. Two candidates who met in a political duel decided by a slim margin of 153 votes in 2019 are facing each other again on Sept. 20 in British Columbia's Port Moody-Coquitlam riding.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
An Elections Canada voter information card is shown on Tuesday, Aug 31, 2021. Canadians choosing to vote by mail on Sept. 20 has been more of a trickle so far. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Logansport, IN (46947)

Today

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to mostly cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to mostly cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Logansport, IN (46947)

Today

Thunderstorms, some locally heavy early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms, some locally heavy early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
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Itemizer-Observer

POLK COUNTY  The Southwest Polk Rural Fire District took the next step in acquiring a new ambulance last week, but not without drawing opposition from the other area fire chiefs.

Chief Fred Hertel received support from the Polk County Commissioners Aug. 24 to write a letter in support of Southwest Polk Fire District to apply for an ambulance licensure.

He explained Southwest Polk County Rural Fire District EMS is covered under Ambulance Service Area (ASA) 6, which includes Dallas and Falls City.

Dallas covers ambulance EMS calls within Southwest Polk. Using Willamette Valley Communications Center (WVCC) incident data, Southwest Polk provided 418 EMS calls with their Rickreall zone receiving the most calls at 164, followed by 89 in Bridgeport, 85 in Dallas, 52 in Salt Creek and 28 in East Bridgeport. An additional 47 mutual aid calls were made to other surrounding fire and EMS agencies.

Hertel said the added ambulance would cut down on response times.

Its no surprise that our south end in the Bridgeport area where were adding a new station has the longest response times for EMS, and provider as well, at 28:47, Hertel said. We know that in a cardiac arrest the survival mode when you get to five minutes of response time you have a about a 25% chance of survival. So those times need to be as close or lower as we can get it. So, were trying to do a distribution of resources so we can lower those response times.

To continually improve service to residents within the Southwest Polk Fire District, its board is considering the following:

Pursuing ambulance licensure

Pursuing a general operating levy for additional staffing

Continuing to pursue partnerships, mergers and consolidations

The citizens approved a bond measure for the construction of new fire stations on Rickreall Road, Salt Creek Road and on South Kings Valley Highway in Bridgeport.

Those are estimated to be completed by end of summer this year with three new engines purchased in 2020 expected to be placed into service.

Interesting EMS data point found West Valley Ambulance has had a 30% increase in call volume in the last two years and Sheridan has had a 20% increase, Hertel said. Were looking for a way to provide and help with the increasing demand which requires a licensure and a letter of support from the county commissioners.

He added Southwest Polk Fire District is looking to place the new ambulance in Salt Creek to start with.

Commissioner Lyle Mordhorst explained why he was 100% in support of Southwest Polk getting an ambulance in that region.

While I was out at the groundbreaking ceremony in Salt Creek, I made the comment Highway 22 is one of the most dangerous stretches in the state, Mordhorst said. Nothing made more sense than putting a fire station with an ambulance to shorten the time frame. Because the average response time out there is 20 minutes. With a car accident, that can be a difference between a fatality and a just a serious wreck.

But its a long process. Hertel explained. A positive answer on Aug. 24 requires Southwest Polk to next schedule a meeting with the Oregon Health Authority. OHA would in turn review operations of Southwest Polks system and the ambulance itself, which typically takes three months. He added another three months to the estimates due to OHA workload with COVID-19.

However, Dallas Fire & EMS Chief Todd Brumfield spoke out against the commissioners lending their support. In July he, Salem Fire Chief Mike Niblock and Polk County Fire District No. 1 Chief Ben Stange, sent a letter to the commissioners outlining their concerns over approving the request. They argued it would violate the countys own ordinance.

To grant Southwest Polk permission to operate an emergency ambulance service within any of the (seven) established ASAs in Polk County would violate the foregoing limit of one emergency ambulance provider for each ASA, they wrote.

Brumfield said in at the meeting they also had three other concerns. First, he argued, basically Southwest Polk would be operating a roaming ambulance within the county that does not have an assigned service area.

Two, he worried Southwest Polks personnel, being dual role ambulance providers (EMS and fire), if theyre out on a fire apparatus, they would not have an ambulance available.

Third, Brumfield asked the difference between today and July 2019 when Southwest Polk had an ambulance in their area for two years by way of a partnership between Sheridan personnel stationed in Rickreall and with Southwest Polk staff.

There was a partnership with Sheridan West Valley and Southwest Polk for couple years and that educated Southwests board of directors in the benefits of an ambulance, Hertel said. The board is worried about that partnership partially separating on Sept. 30.

County legal counsel Morgan Smith explained why the request for a licensure had to come before an ambulance could be assigned to a service area.

The way the process by statute unfolds is the county dictates service areas for ambulances. However, by administrative rule, we are not permitted to assign an ASA until it is licensed, Smith said. Once there is an additional need demonstrated to the county, we can add that letter of support to the application to OHA. Once it is licensed, then the issue of service area will be providing will go to the ASA for provincial approval for adoption by this county. By then it will have a service area.

Hertel added the ambulance would operate in assigned ASAs upon their request only.

We would not be jumping calls  we operate at the will of ASA providers and responsible parties for those ASAs, Hertel said. Currently, we have several partners in Sheridan, McMinnville, and West Valley who have all said they would use us in that capacity. They would start there and see where it goes from there.

However, that made Brumfield worry the new ambulance would go to services north into Yamhill County more than south to calls in Polk County.

Hertel countered those ASAs are currently responsible for as much geographical area into Polk County as the providers holistically in this county.

The Southwest board of directors is asking for us to operate in Polk County, Hertel concluded.

Polk County Commission Chair Craig Pope said his view is there has to be a licensure process that has to take place before doing anything else.

You already have the vehicle. You have the staffing. There will be a recommendation of the ASA to the board of commissioners. Part of the process will be to get the committee up and running at full strength, Pope said.

I personally could not find myself in a place when I see the kind of response times demonstrated here, I get the mutual aid challenges, but we answer to the citizens, Pope continued. We would be negligent in my view, not to suggest to an opportunity when a fire district says were ready, we want to do it, you just need to tell us yes, I cant find myself in a place where I wouldnt do that.

Im ready to move ahead, said newest commissioner Jeremy Gordon. The ASA question needs to be resolved and be done in a spirit of collaboration. But put public safety before anything. Im ready to move forward.

The licensure request was unanimously approved.
Itemizer-Observer

DALLAS  Next week, Dallas Schools will welcome students back to classrooms full-time after a year and a half of online or hybrid school.

We have a whole bunch of students returning, said Dallas Superintendent Andy Bellando. Our enrollment is staying strong, in fact it is up pretty significantly at the high school.

He said enrollment at the high school might be 100 students higher than anticipated. About 100 students are enrolled in Dallas Virtual Academy, an online format.

The response to that has been pretty good, Bellando said. We are in full throttle mode right now and we are going to be ready for day one.

Part of that readiness is having a plan for dealing with COVID-19 exposures in schools as students will be spending more time in buildings.

Kim Kellison, the director of teaching and learning for the district, said that has been a lot of questions about the process for handling exposures to a student or staff member who has been diagnosed with COVID.

There has been a lot of discussion around what happens if we have an exposure in the district, Kellison said. Its really important that we understand what that process looks like.

She said most of the time, the parents of a student who tested positive for the coronavirus would notify the school.

That would be ideal, and if we werent notified by parents, we could be notified by Polk County, she said.

That information goes to the district nurse, who will manage the case for the school district.

When we have a case that comes into the district, they are communicating back and forth with Polk County about the case, Kellison said.

Polk County is responsible for contact tracing, not the school district, but the school district will provide information to the county about any close contacts with a person who diagnosed with COVID -19.

Kellison said that the district does keep track of student contacts, and where people who are volunteers, contractors, and other guests go in buildings. Classrooms will have assigned seating, which could help limit exposure and prevent entire classrooms from having to isolate.

Kellison said decisions about how many students/staff members will have to quarantine after exposure is up to the county.

If we have kids masked up like they are supposed to be, and we had an exposure in a classroom, we would tell Polk County, because we have a seating chart, who was closest to that student, Kellison said. It might not be the entire class that is quarantined if we mask properly and follow all of our safety procedures. We have a lot of safety procedures and mitigation measures that are in effect and we use those to help lessen the severity of quarantine and exclusions for students in that case.

There are times when students might not be wearing masks, such as when eating lunch, Bellando said.

That could mean that students will be within six feet of each other and not using masks. Kellison said school staff have discussed using other rooms within buildings for lunch, but at this point, classrooms make the most sense.

Its a difficult problem. Its a difficult problem to fix, and we want to make sure that we are doing school as normal as we can, Kellison said. We want kids to be engaged and have a great time and enjoys themselves, but we also want to tend to all of these safety measures. So, we are trying to find the most efficient methods available that will protect our kids and staff.
Itemizer-Observer

POLK COUNTY  As the number of COVID cases continue to rise across the state, local health officials outlined their contingency plans should conditions worsen.

These included opening spaces for COVID treatment within Salem Health facilities, including West Valley Hospital, but at the expense of elective surgeries and infusion services.

Polk County Health Administrator Jaqui Umstead first provided her weekly update of the rising COVID totals to the Polk County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 24. Oregon Health Authority numbers showed for the week of Aug. 15, there were 14,539 positive COVID-19 statewide. Meanwhile, Polk County experienced 326 positive cases and one additional fatality. That brought the countys test positivity numbers to 389 per 100,000, or 12.2%.

Umstead then addressed the impact on hospitals. She said as of Aug. 23, the state had 937 COVID positive patients in hospitals, with 253 in intensive care units (ICU). Locally, there are 13 Polk County residents hospitalized with COVID.

By age group, Umstead said 25% of Polk County cases were in ages 20 to 29, 18% in ages 40 to 49 and 18% in those under age 20. By city, she said West Salem experienced the most cases at 122, followed by Dallas at 104, Monmouth at 42 and Independence at 34. The unvaccinated continue to be the majority of cases reported.

Looking at the chart, you see unvaccinated rates are up in the sharp line with more breakthrough cases with delta, Umstead explained. Thats what we get because its just a more contagious disease.

She added numbers for Aug. 1 through Aug. 14 show 85.6% were among the unvaccinated statewide and from Aug. 1 through Aug. 21, the number of Polk County COVID positive cases sat 82.1%.

Polk Countys number of vaccinated in the older than 18 age group sat at 45,472 or 70.8% of the population.

Throughout the spring, we had a sharp increase in vaccinations. That started to decrease toward end of spring beginning of summer but has started to increase again. Thats definitely a positive, Umstead said.

Commissioner Jeremy Gordon was displeased to hear so many unvaccinated county residents were still proving to be a drain on the health system.

The least we can do as a community is get our vaccination numbers up, he said. Unvaccinated folks are  using their share of medical services that need to be dispersed throughout our communities. We need to get those numbers up. And anything we can do as a local health authority we will continue to do so.

Michael Gay, Salem Health government relations director, said their COVID positive hospitalizations rose from just six last month to 94 last week, a new high water mark for their system. He added this has also impacted their ICU capacity.

We have 30 traditional ICU beds, with a capacity to expand outside those beds. Of those, 24 are COVID positive, 16 on ventilators. Five are non-COVID patients in ICU, Gay said. We are a 494-bed licensed hospital. Today, there are 458 patients in the hospital. Do the math, about 20% of those on any given day are COVID patients.

Gay admitted its a serious situation with a strong surge occurring. Residents are right to fear the circumstances are threatening Salem Health ability to fulfill a certain level of care with their local health systems across Oregon.

Salem Health has been planning for this. Weve built surge plans, worked many scenarios. Were prepared to create room to care for the community, Gay assured. People who need emergency care, are having a medical emergency, we will take care of you. Dont delay care out of fear for capacity issue.

Jennifer Broadus, director of operations at West Valley Hospital, said locally theyve been very busy, hitting as many as 60 patients a day in the emergency department. In addition, West Valley Hospital has been testing eight to 10 patients a day, receiving three or four positive COVID results. Broadus said a large percentage of patients theyre seeing are experiencing respiratory illnesses.

Because West Valley Hospital only has six beds, they have been offloading difficult-to-place patients to Salem.

Weve had 20-some in the ED waiting for beds, Broadus said. Weve had two needing hospitalization. Were in a position for keeping folks several hours, sometimes a day, while they filter in and receive a bed in Salem.

The whole region is full, she added. West Valleys challenge really is getting patients a higher level of care into a bed somewhere else.

Shane Emmert, community director of Polk and Marion counties vaccine clinics, explained West Valley Hospitals surge planning is similar to Salem Healths which utilizes non-traditional spaces within the hospital.

We could add four patients to bring (capacity) to 10 beds utilizing surgery staff only, he said. If we needed to admit more than that, we could pull on infusion and wounds staff. The result could be us canceling elective surgery and being limited in out-patients services. We could admit up to 14 if we close infusion totally.

Emmert said West Valley Hospitals surge plan actually has the ability to go all the way up to 38 patients, but thats using every single available space, rehab gym, rooms in rehab and infusion wound rooms.

The real challenge is we dont have the staff to staff those rooms. It would be very high patient to nurse ratios and would be worst-case scenario for us. We have plans, we just hope and pray we dont have to implement those plans, Emmert said.

The lack of staffing is also compounding Polk County Public Healths ability to contract trace positive cases.

We had six case investigators, temporary public health workers, and were down to one at this point, Umstead told the commissioners. Its a really hard job. Were overwhelmed at this point with cases, as it is across the state.

She added they havent heard back from the state yet for additional help, but have been told Polk County was not the highest priority county.

State resources have been redirected to counties in worse shape than we were, Umstead said.

Chaiman Craig Pope after hearing the testimony concluded, contrary to many media reports, Polk County does not have a systems collapse dealing with the pandemic.

We do have certainly a crisis in hospitals around the state, no question, Pope said. Im always grateful to Salem Health System saying, its taxing us, but were still taking patients. Still caring for people.

He inquired if Salem Healths surge plans included a field hospital at the county fairgrounds.

Gay confirmed a field hospital is not built into the Polk County surge plan.

If we were to set up a field hospital at the fairgrounds, that would rely on outside sources of West Valley and Salem Health, he said.
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 Department

Friday, Aug. 20

At 12:07 p.m., a wallet was found in the 100 block of West Ellendale Avenue.

At 5:16 p.m., a person hit the convenience store building in the 100 block of East Ellendale Avenue. The crash caused minor damage to the vehicle and the wall.

Saturday, Aug. 21

At 5:44 p.m., a theft was reported at Walmart. Under investigation.

At 5:59 p.m., a theft was reported at Walmart. Under investigation.

At 7:26 p.m., a fraud case was reported on West Ellendale Avenue. A person was scammed out of $5,500 through various gift cards.

At 10:27 p.m., Dallas police covered the Polk County Sheriffs Office on a DUI crash on Coville Road.

At 10:50 p.m., a stolen vehicle was reported on Northwest Jasper Street.

Sunday, Aug. 22

At 8:15 a.m., a theft was reported at the Best Western, 200 block of Orchard Drive. A male in a white hoodie distracted the front attendant, then popped the till and took between $140 to $180. Under investigation.

At 1:57 p.m., a theft from Walmart was reported.

At 4:23 p.m., a theft from Walmart was reported. Possible suspect out of Falls City.

At 4:31 p.m., a person was cited and released for taking a soda pop and candy bar from the 76 station, in the 100 block of East Ellendale Avenue.

Monday, Aug. 23

At 11:55 p.m., a person reported the theft of his catalytic converter on Southeast Stettler Street.

At 12:05 p.m., Scott Brown was lodged at the Polk County Jail for retraining order violation, harassment, and stalking.

At 6:36 p.m., a person turned in a real looking claymore gun to police. It was a spring-loaded airsoft gun.

Tuesday, Aug. 24

At 9:21 a.m., Dallas police assisted Polk County Sheriffs Office with a drug investigation on Red Prairie Road.

At 11:28 a.m., police received a report of a rape of a juvenile on Southeast Barberry Avenue. Under investigation.

At 11:59 a.m., a report of a juvenile damaging the bridge in the 100 block of Southwest Wyatt Street. The juvenile ran from the location.

At 12:38 p.m., report of a theft on Southwest Academy Street. It was reported that someone stole a cast iron electric heater and a marijuana pipe.

Wednesday, Aug. 25

At 2:17 p.m., report of a theft on Southwest Walnut Avenue.

At 2:21 p.m., report of a theft in the 100 block of West Ellendale Avenue. A person stole food stamp card and used it in Salem.

At 2:36 p.m., a secret indictment warrant was issued to a suspect in a sex offense case that included sodomy I, sodomy III, sex abuse I, sex abuse III, rape III, online sexual corruption, luring a minor, in the 100 block of Southeast Court Street.

Thursday, Aug. 26

At 8:49 a.m., a hit and run was reported in the 200 block of East Ellendale Avenue.

At 12:10 p.m., James Stanford was lodged in the Polk County Jail for strangulation and assault 4 felony.

At 3:11 p.m., Derrick Wilson was lodged in the Polk County Jail on a felony Polk County warrant.

At 7:46 p.m., report of a theft of unknown items in the 100 block of West Ellendale Avenue. Two females left in a silver sedan.

Polk County Sheriffs Office

Sunday, Aug. 22

At 6:21 a.m., deputies provided additional cover for the county to serve an arrest warrant on a male suspect for multiple felony DV crimes in the 400 block of Osprey Lane in Independence. The deputies assisted in clearing the apartment and locating the suspect asleep in a bedroom. He was taken into custody without incident.

At 6:25 a.m., a deputy investigated a report of a suspicious vehicle in the back parking lot of a business in the 5000 block of Salem Dallas Highway. The occupant was a transient and was just resting.

At 12:23 p.m., a 17-year-old motorist was stopped for speeding 74 mph in a 50-mph zone on Highway 22 at milepost 22. The deputy was unable to print off a speeding ticket but was able to log a electronic citation.

At 4:06 p.m., 22 subjects were warned for shooting firearms on Bureau of Land Management land near Dorn Peak Road and Neuman Road.

At 2:49 P.M., a motorist was cited for speeding 11-20 mph over the posted speed limit at Bowsersville and Orrs Corner roads.

At 7:26 p.m., deputies responded to a two-vehicle crash with injuries at Highway 22 and 55th Avenue Northwest. The driver who caused the crash was cited for careless driving and no operators license.

At 12:40 a.m., a deputy contacted three males at the Eagle Crest overlook in the 3300 block of Eagle Crest Road who had been smoking marijuana. The deputy told them not to drive and call someone to pick them up, adding if he saw a vehicle drive away from the location, hed arrest the driver for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. The deputy determined all three were homeless - couch surfers.

Monday, Aug. 23

At 4:04 a.m., a motorist was stopped for speeding 102 mph in a 55 mph-zone on Highway 22. The driver showed signs of impairment, failed a field sobriety test and was arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant  alcohol. He later registered a BAC of .09%.

At 7:31 a.m., an unknown suspect entered BC Towings storage lot, located at 5032 Salem Dallas Highway, on Aug. 22 at 5:30 p.m. and stole a black Nissan Pathfinder, Oregon plate XGW485. The suspect then used the Nissan to ram the gate to the storage lot, drove through Western Utilities yard and rammed another gate to exit the property. Western Utility has video of the incident but there is no clear view of the suspect.

At 1:25 p.m., a resident in the 3400 block of Osage Drive Northwest reported someone stole the catalytic converter from her Prius sometime between Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday. Damage was estimated at $3,300.

At 2:55 p.m., a mother turned her son in to the PCSO where a deputy arrested him for Rape 1 and two counts of Sex Abuse 1. The deputy transported and lodged the suspect at Yamhill County Juvenile Detention Center.

At 2:31 p.m., a resident in the 8400 block of Crowley Road reported her personal and business bank accounts both had unauthorized transactions resulting in over $6,000 being stolen. No suspects at this time.

At 8:18 p.m., a motorist was cited for speeding 76 mph in a 55-mph zone on Highway 22 near Brown Road.

Tuesday, Aug. 24

At 3:23 a.m., a motorist was cited for speeding 78 mph in a 55-mph zone on Highway 22 at milepost 11.

At 3:51 a.m., a motorist was cited for speeding 65 mph in a 40-mph zone in the 9200 block of Hoffman Road.

At 6:48 a.m., a motorist was cited for speeding 78 mph in a 55-mph safety zone on Highway 22 at milepost 13.

At 4:06 p.m., a Polk County Public Works surveyor reported that someone threw rocks at him while in a driveway in the 7500 block of Hana Road. He suspected kids inside the residence. The children did not admit to throwing rocks. Their parent stated that she would have a talk with her children and that she would have them apologize should the surveyor return.

At 7:41 p.m., a resident in the 1700 block of Best Road Northwest reported one of her neighbors shot her cat with a pellet gun in the shoulder.

At 5:22 p.m., a couple in their RV staying at the fairgrounds, located at 520 South Pacific Highway, captured a black and white dog with an orange harness. A deputy traced the dog back to its owner who was cited for Dog Running at Large.

At 8:04 p.m., a deputy responded to a domestic disturbance in the 24100 block of Salmon River Highway. The wife admitted shoving husband. She was cited for harassment.

At 10:04 p.m., a deputy responded to a report of a driving complaint regarding a semi truck speeding, tailgating, and passing on blind curves in Monmouth. The deputy caught up to it near the Yamhill County line. The deputy eventually stopped and cited the driver into Yamhill County for Following too Close and Fail to Drive Within Lane.

Wednesday, Aug. 25

At 12:16 p.m., a motorist was cited for speeding 89 mph in a 55-mph zone on Highway 22 at milepost 17.

At 3:31 a.m., a motorist was cited for speeding 86 mph in a 55 mph-zone in the 400 block of Pacific Highway North.

At 9:13 a.m., an abandoned vehicle was towed from the 3500 block of Lucas Road.

At 9:16 a.m., deputies responded to a report of a man jumping out in front of cars on Highway 51 at milepost 1. Deputies located the suspect who clearly had a used meth pipe sticking out of his pocket. The subject was arrested on several outstanding warrants.

At 10:12 a.m., a report of a single vehicle, non-injury crash in the 4100 block of Barnhardt Road.

At 9:36 a.m., a deputy cited and released a subject in the 6600 block of Corvallis Road of Theft II and took into evidence a stolen speaker.

At 5:52 p.m. a resident in the 15500 block of Maple Grove Road reported her daughter pointed a gun and threatened to kill her with it. The resident said her daughter chased her outside with the gun and then gone back inside the home. Responding deputies surrounded the house and got the suspect to surrender. She was arrested and charged with Menacing, Unlawful use of a Weapon, Felon in Possession of a Weapon, and Reckless Endangering Another.

At 4:46 p.m., a report of a two-vehicle non-injury crash at Cooper Hollow Road and Kings Valley Highway. The driver that caused the accident was cited for following to close.

At 4:17 p.m., a report of a single vehicle, non-injury crash into a field off Highway 99 at milepost 62.

At 7:35 p.m., a female subject was found behind the VP Fuels stations in the 5000 block of Salem Dallas Highway, overdosing on several different medications she had intentionally taken to end her life. She was transported to Salem Hospital Emergency Department.

Saturday, Aug. 28

At 7:52 a.m., a report of a man holding a rifle on the side of the roadway in the 1500 block of South Pacific Highway. A deputy learned it was a resident shooting gophers with a shotgun on his own property.

At 8:47 a.m., a resident in the 15900 block of West Perrydale Road reported two stray mules wandered on to her property. The owner later retrieved the mules.

At 12:48 p.m., a motorist was stopped for not wearing a seat belt at Senate and Ruge streets. The driver admitted he was driving with a suspended license and was working to pay off $34,000 in fines. He was given an e-citation for driving while suspended.

At 2:03 p.m., a resident reported finding possible human bones on Highway 223 at milepost 12. Deputies invested and determined they were animal bones.

At 4:21 p.m., a deputy observed a propeller-driven boat struggling in the shallows of Willamette River. The deputy escorted the boat to Keizer Rapids, then provided the male, and three child occupants, a courtesy ride to Wallace Marine, where he was going to then drive to pick up his boat.

At 5:46 p.m., a report of shots fired at the Spring Valley Recreation Area in the 9000 block of Wallace Road. A deputy arrived and contacted a family firing pellet and airsoft guns into an unoccupied creek. No firearms were being used.

At 7:17 p.m., a report of a custom-made Chevy pickup bed trailer stolen sometime in the last week from the 17600 block of Falls City Road.

At 8:20 p.m., a report of a single-vehicle accident with no injuries in the 8500 block of Hopewell Road. A deputy noticed the driver had bloodshot, watery eyes and a faint odor of an alcoholic beverage. The driver consented to a field sobriety test. However, the deputy did not have probable cause for the arrest.

At 10:51 p.m., a motorist and juvenile occupants were seen by a deputy drinking from a whisky bottle on Perrydale Road. The driver admitted to being drunk and registered a .08% BAC. He was cited and released for driving under the influence of an intoxicant  alcohol, furnishing, and open container. The two juveniles were cited for minor in possession.

At 10:01 p.m., a report of a stolen motorcycle from the 21300 block of Gooseneck Road.

At 10:21 p.m., multiple reports of gun shots that were actually fireworks in the 200 block of Church Street in Falls City.

Sunday, Aug. 29

At 1:15 a.m., a motorist was observed driving erratically on Highway 22, changing speeds below the limit and weaving within the lane. The driver was stopped but did not display any signs of impairment. The driver told the deputy she did not have a license and the vehicle did not have insurance. She was cited for driving uninsured and received a verbal warning for driving without a license.

At 3:56 a.m., a motorist was pulled over for erratic driving on Doaks Ferry Road near Highway 22. The driver showed signs of impairment and performed poorly on a field sobriety test. He was arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant  controlled substance and possession of methamphetamine.

At 3:54 a.m., a motorist was stopped for failure to drive within lane on Independence Highway near Salem Dallas Highway. The driver refused to complete a field sobriety test. He registered a BAC of .14% and was arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant  alcohol.

At 9:56 a.m., a resident in the 4300 block of Orchard Heights Road reported his neighbors aggressive dog was loose on his property. The dog was located at the property and did not appear aggressive with the deputy. The deputy notified the owner to keep the dog behind the gate and he agreed.

At 11:03 a.m., a man who had been previously trespassed from a property in the 7400 block of Fern School Road was reported being back with a machete. The property owners reported the suspect had come back and was seen rifling through items in the garage. The subject was issued a criminal citation for Trespass II and Theft III and told to leave the property and not return, or face additional criminal charges. He complied.

At 12:14 p.m., a vehicle was broken into in the 2600 block of Salem Dallas Highway. Nothing taken.

At 6:11 p.m., deputies assisted Dallas Police Department locating a wanted subject who had run earlier in the day. Deputies located the male couple times and engaged in small foot pursuits. Taser was deployed once and ineffective. They located male second time by Riverview Park. They challenged with taser and brought the suspect into custody without further incident.

At 7:04 p.m., a deputy following a truck full of hay bails on Highway 22 witnessed one of the bails fall off at milepost 8. The driver was stopped and notified of the situation. Luckily no other vehicles were struck by the hay bail.

At 10:19 p.m., a motorist was cited for speeding 81 mph in a 55-mph zone on Highway 22 at milepost 10.

At 10:36 p.m., a motorist was cited for speeding 75 mph in a 55-mph zone safety corridor on Highway 22 at milepost 10.

Monmouth Police Department

Arrests for August

Justin Jaycox, 31, of Monmouth, was arrested for strangulation, menacing, harassment, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon.

Timothy Smith, 24, of Monmouth, was arrested for driving while suspended.

Matthew Bartow, 32, a transient, was arrested for unlawful entry of a motor vehicle.

Tyler Mcentaffer, 25, of Dallas, was arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant  alcohol, with a BAC of .013%.

Cody Nisly, 34, of Albany, was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

Raymon Beasley, 62, of Hillsboro, was arrested on two outstanding warrants.
Itemizer-Observer

DALLAS  As of Friday, masks are required at outdoor gatherings, a new statewide mandate in response to the increased spread of COVID-19 due to the more contagious delta variant.

Gov. Kate Brown announced the new rule on Aug. 24. It applies to everyone age 5 and older, regardless of vaccination status.

The delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of crisis we have not yet seen in the pandemic, Brown said in the Aug. 24 announcement. Cases and hospitalizations are at a record high.

However, Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton said decisions such as mask requirements should be left to local leaders to implement. He expressed his concerns in a letter posted on the his offices Facebook page.

I believe in local control, as we are most familiar with the needs and desires of our own community at the local level, he wrote in the letter. The state and federal government have more of a one size fits all approach that does not always work for every community, nor is it necessary in every community. What works in Polk County may not be whats best for Multnomah County, Benton County, Marion County and vice versa.

He added that what he believed as state authority overreach is a threat to the Constitution and our representative government.

I am not a doctor, scientist or lawyer, Garton said. I am not going to debate whether you should or should not wear a mask or get a vaccine. My expertise is in law enforcement, not public health. I dont see a need to reiterate statistics pushing one side or another. The bottom line is, I believe medical freedom is a fundemental right.

I trust peoples ability to make their own informed medical decisions, Garton continued. Even if I personally would make a different decision, I respect everyones ability and right to decide for themselves, and I believe these decisions should be free of reprisal.

Garton said he believed the community will get through the pandemic best by working together.

I believe we can eradicate this pandemic with a combination of local control, science, medicine, and common sense, he wrote. Inherently, the citizens of Polk County are kind and compassionate people. We all want to do what is best for the health and well-being of our fellow citizens and this country.

Garton said he will continue to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and the state of Oregon.

I will continue serving my community with integrity and protect the rights, freedom, and liberty of the citizens I serve, Garton wrote.

To read Gartons full letter, go to Polk County Sheriffs Office on Facebook.
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The top contractor at the Savannah River Site will soon require its thousands-strong workforce be vaccinated against COVID-19, a memo reviewed by the Aiken Standard shows.

All regular employees, subcontractors, teleworkers and new hires, among others, will need to get the jabs, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions President and CEO Stuart MacVean wrote in a dispatch to workers. The Pfizer vaccine, greenlighted by the Food and Drug Administration, is available on-site.

OSHA has declared COVID-19 a workplace hazard, and we have been looking at our mitigation control practices to use all the options we have to ensure the safety of our team, MacVean said. The FDA approval for the Pfizer vaccine provides us with the most effective tool to help ensure a safe work environment and better protect us from serious illness due to the virus.

A timeline  or a vaccination deadline  has not yet been set. MacVean promised more information will be forthcoming.

The decision by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the management-and-operations contractor at the Savannah River Site, comes as South Carolina again struggles to stem the spread of the coronavirus, namely the delta variant, which was first identified in India and now dominates cases across the U.S.

More than 130 Savannah River Site workers were quarantined with COVID-19 as of Aug. 27. MacVean in his memo warned they are seeing the highest case rate on-site since the pandemic started and the severity of the illness is particularly difficult for those people that are not vaccinated.

The latest crush of coronavirus has been particularly devastating to those unvaccinated; of the 43 people being treated for COVID-19 at Aiken Regional Medical Centers, 41 are not immunized. Eight are in the ICU. The state health department on Aug. 31 said the overwhelming number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the first two weeks of June 2021 were among residents who were not fully vaccinated. Similar results were found looking at data from mid-July to mid-August.

Eleven of our team members here at the site have been hospitalized in the last two months and four of them have passed because of this terrible disease, MacVean wrote in his memo. The average age of the deceased employees was 48 and we understand that they were unvaccinated.

Exemptions to the SRNS vaccine mandate will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

A healthy and reliable workforce at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions is crucial, as the team handles tritium operations at the site and works on the National Nuclear Security Administrations plutonium pit production endeavor. Both are tied to nuclear weapons and the upkeep of the U.S. arsenal, more broadly. Its work MacVean described as critically important to the country.

The first case of COVID-19 at the Savannah River Site was logged in late March 2020. In a memo that month, MacVean described the pandemic as unprecedented. And that was just the beginning.

Honestly, he wrote at the time, there is really no better word to describe what our country is going through right now.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden on Thursday pledged robust federal help to the Northeastern and Gulf states battered by Hurricane Ida and for western states beset by wildfireswith the catastrophes serving as deadly reminders that the "climate crisis" has arrived.

"These extreme storms, and the climate crisis, are here," Biden said in a White House speech. "We must be better prepared. We need to act."

The president said he will further press Congress to pass his nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill to improve roads, bridges, the electric grid and sewer systems. The proposal intends to ensure that the vital networks connecting cities and states and the country as a whole can withstand the flooding, whirlwinds and damage caused by increasingly dangerous weather. Biden stressed that this was a challenge that transcends the politics of a deeply divided nation because of the threats posed by the storms and fires.

"It's a matter of life and death and we're all in this together," the president said.

Ida was the fifth-most powerful storm to strike the U.S. when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 150 mph, likely causing tens of billions of dollars in flood, wind and other damage, including to the electrical grid. The storm's remnants dropped devastating rainfall across parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey on Wednesday, killing at least 22 people and causing significant disruption to major population centers.

More than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi remained without power after Ida toppled a major transmission tower and knocked out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations. New Orleans was plunged into total darkness; power began returning to parts of the city on Wednesday. Biden is set to visit Louisiana on Friday to survey some of the damage.

Biden said the flooding in Louisiana was less than the region experienced 16 years ago during Hurricane Katrina, crediting federal investments in the area's levee system.

"We know that there is much to be done in this response on our part," Biden added. "We need to get power restored. We need to get more food, fuel and water deployed."

He said he was receiving hourly updates on the disaster response and outlined efforts by the federal government to ease recovery efforts, including by making satellite imagery available to utility companies and waiving some regulatory requirements.

Biden added he directed the Department of Energy to use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure the steady supply of fuel. Crude oil prices have stayed close to $70 a barrel since the storm, despite the disruption to a part of the country that is critical for extracting and refining fossil fuels.

Biden said separately that the Pentagon was assisting with ongoing firefighting operations in California against the Caldor fire.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards suggested Biden's Friday visit would be crucial for the president to understand the destruction by seeing the widespread damage for himself.

"There's nothing quite like visiting in person," Edwards told reporters Wednesday following a briefing with local elected officials in Jefferson Parish, which took direct blows from Ida. "When you see it for yourself, it is just so much more compelling."

Asked what type of assistance he planned to request from Biden, Edwards said, "Quite frankly, the list is going to be very, very long." But he said a priority would be for a housing program to help people rebuild.

The White House says Biden has been getting regular updates on the storm and its aftermath. He has held several conference calls with governors and local officials to discuss preparations and needs after the storm, and has received briefings from FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

FEMA had sent tons of supplies, including generators, tarps and other materials to the region before the storm, and federal response teams are working on search and rescue.

Authorities blame the storm for at least seven deaths.

Biden's trip Friday to the Gulf region will cap a difficult stretch for the president, who oversaw the chaotic exit of the U.S. military from Afghanistan after a 20-year engagement. That included the deaths of 13 U.S. service members helping evacuate more than 120,000 Americans, Afghan allies and others fleeing life under Taliban rule.

As Ida bore down on the Gulf Coast on Sunday, Biden was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the return of the remains of the 13 U.S. servicemen and women who were killed in suicide bombing last week at Afghanistan's airport in Kabul, where the evacuations were taking place.

___

Associated Press writer Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, La., contributed to this report.
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Mainly clear. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 69F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
A tight supply chain is forcing Carnival Cruise Line to again delay the return of sea voyages from the Port of Charleston.

The company said Sept. 2 that cruises on its locally based Sunshine won't resume from Union Pier Terminal until sometime next year. The cruise operator did not give a specific date for the ship's return.

Carnival previously had hoped to have the Sunshine back to cruising by Oct. 31.

Cruises between Charleston and the Bahamas and other Caribbean vacation spots have been idled since mid-March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Miami-based Carnival has pushed back the Sunshine's restart more than a dozen times since then.

The latest announcement comes as Carnival gets ready to put more cruise ships in operation at other locations. Eight of the line's vessels are already welcoming guests while five more will join the fleet before the end of this year.

The new ships will sail from New Orleans, Baltimore, Tampa, Miami and Long Beach, Calif. A sixth ship, will resume operations in January from Mobile, Ala.

Christine Duffy, Carnival's president, said she is "very pleased with the progress of our restart."

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"We are making slight adjustments to our timeline to take into account supply chain realities and ensure that our destination and shore excursion offerings can meet the strong demand we are seeing from our guests," Duffy said in a written statement. "Our teams, ship and shore, are prepared to continue delivering on our great guest experience and manage all health and safety protocols."

The State Ports Authority, which owns and operates Charleston's port, said in a statement that it "continues to support our cruise partner and looks forward to operations resuming."

Carnival is telling guests booked on November and December cruises they will need to present proof of both vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test at check-in. Carnival is working to set up mobile pre-cruise rapid testing sites at all of its homeports as a back-up alternative for vaccinated guests who aren't able to make testing arrangements. Guests also will be asked to wear masks in most indoor venues while onboard.

Along with the 3,002-passenger Sunshine, the restart of four other Carnival ships has been moved to next year: Carnival Liberty at Port Canaveral, Fla.; Carnival Paradise at Tampa; Carnival Ecstasy at Jacksonville, Fla.; and Carnival Sensation at Mobile.

The Sunshine has spent much of the pandemic in the Bahamas. The maritime tracking website VesselFinder said the ship has been moored off the southwest coast of Spain near Cadiz since Aug. 1.
DAVIS STATION  The owner of a cotton gin that's been around for 76 years wants to sell the business to pay off creditors, according to court papers filed less than a month after South Carolina officials opened a criminal investigation and forced the family-run company into bankruptcy.

A lawyer for Rickenbaker Gin said the Clarendon County crop processor wants to "run some bales through the gin in the fall season" to keep it in working order before selling it to cover more than $8.1 million in debts, according to a court filing.

Rickenbaker "has contacted a cotton gin auctioneer who believes the value of the gin may be higher if it operates this fall, rather than sitting idle," Columbia attorney Jane Downey said in the filing. "Larger, more modern gins surround the (Rickenbaker) operation, so with such competition, continued operation is crucial to maximize resale value of the gin."

The sale is part of Rickenbaker's voluntary bankruptcy plan, outlined in a petition filed Sept. 1 in Columbia.

The S.C. Department of Agriculture submitted paperwork on Aug. 11 to force Rickenbaker into bankruptcy involuntarily and liquidate the gin's assets to pay off debts. The state agency is seeking reimbursement of nearly $6.5 million it paid farmers under government programs designed to protect them against losses.

In the meantime, the State Law Enforcement Division has an "active and ongoing" criminal investigation against Rickenbaker to determine what happened to the missing money, said SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby. He declined to elaborate further.

Eva Moore, spokeswoman for the agriculture department, said the state agency is "still talking this through with our attorneys" to determine whether it will pursue the liquidation or let Rickenbaker operate for a few months this fall before shutting down.

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Rickenbaker's voluntary bankruptcy petition sheds little new light on the company's financial condition. The filing shows seven cotton farmers  in addition to the 18 that received money from the agriculture department  are owed $545,215.

The gin operator's other debts include money owed to the state, vendor bills, worker's compensation insurance premiums and a property loan. The Internal Revenue Service has filed a separate claim for $34,138 in unpaid taxes.

Downey told The Post and Courier that she and Rickenbaker's owner are still working to finalize statements showing assets and liabilities. A meeting of creditors is scheduled for Oct. 1 in Charleston.

Downey said in a court filing that Rickenbaker's owner "has been gathering and marketing assets for sale and lease as well as defining its creditor base to be able to orderly pay creditors ... through a structured bankruptcy filing ..." She said the company has filed tax returns, leased its grain bins and "attempted a for sale by owner sale of the gin, however that sale fell through," according to the filing.

In addition to the 18 cotton farmers paid through Agriculture Department programs, 28 grain producers have filed compensation claims against Rickenbaker, which is near Manning. Funds used to compensate the cotton and grain producers are financed by farmer and warehouse assessments, so no tax dollars were involved.

The court actions and criminal investigation are a far cry from Rickenbakers history as a second-generation cotton gin founded by the late Henry Rickenbaker upon his return to South Carolina after World War II. The S.C. Legislature recognized the company in a 2003 resolution for its commitment to the cotton industry in Clarendon County.

Burt Rickenbaker  the founders son and a former president of the Southeastern Cotton Ginners Association  was named Ginner of the Year by that group in 2019. He is listed as the company's current owner on bankruptcy documents.
COLUMBIA  A Lexington County school district is expected to ignore a state law prohibiting mask requirements in the grip of rising COVID cases that have already temporarily shuttered four of its schools.

Lexington Two trustees are expected to approve a temporary mask mandate through Oct. 31 at a meeting Sept. 2, district officials confirmed.

The requirement would cover all visitors and staff on property or buses in the 9,000 student district in the eastern portion of Lexington County.

Across the Congaree River, states of emergency issued by the Columbia city and Richland County councils have led Richland One officials to require face coverings on their properties.

The Charleston County School District also passed school mask requirements, though officials will not penalize students for refusing to wear one.

Leaders in Richland Two, which covers areas north of Columbia, hope to do the same.

Richland Two waiting on a S.C. Supreme Court ruling that would let the district make its own face covering guidelines until the state law's legality is decided. Legislators passed a one-year ban on school district mask mandates as part of the state budget.

In the two weeks since classes began, Lexington Two has already surpassed its COVID peak from last year. More than 16 percent of Lexington Two students are in quarantine, 1,449, with 171 positive cases, according to the districts dashboard as of Aug. 31.

A primary concern of this superintendent is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to see how schools are going to be kept open consistently throughout the 2021-22 school year in the current situation we find ourselves in, Superintendent Nicolas Wade wrote in an Aug. 31 letter to parents.

Wood Elementary is shifting to virtual learning from Sept. 2 through Sept. 15, joining Cayce Elementary, and Northside and Pine Ridge middle schools, which are online only through Sept. 10.

This is a developing story and will be updated.
COLUMBIA  The S.C. Supreme Court unanimously rejected Columbia's new ordinance requiring masks in schools, a move meant to circumvent a one-year ban on such COVID mandates passed by state lawmakers.

The decision came just two days after the state high court heard arguments from attorneys working with S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson, who filed the suit, and lawyers for the state's second-largest city.

The court ruled state law took precedence over the city ordinance passed when schools opened in mid-August amid another surge in COVID cases from the delta variant. Districts were not allowed to require masks on students and staff as part of a budget amendment passed when cases were falling in the spring.

The budget amendment was written with unmistakable clarity, Justice John Kittredge wrote.

We fully recognize that strong and passionate opinions exist on both sides of this debate, Kittredge wrote. Yet, we must remind ourselves, the parties, and the public that, as part of the judicial branch of government, we are not permitted to weigh in on the merits of the facemask debate.

The court rejected Columbias claim the provision violated a rule requiring that state laws address one primary subject, in this case the annual budget bill. The provision is clearly related to spending tax dollars, the court found.

In the wake of the decision, Richland County said it will not longer enforce its similar school mask requirement passed in August. Richland One Superintendent Craig Witherspoon said the districts mask requirement will remain in effect pending the outcome of a separate mask case in the Supreme Court involving Richland School District Two.

The judges did not dismiss the possibility of passing a mask mandate that does not conflict with the state law but said Columbias rule makes clear that school staff paid at least in part with state money would be responsible for enforcement.

State Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, D-Charleston, said he was surprised during the arguments how much the city had relied on the possibility of school staff enforcing the requirement and said school mask requirements could still be possible, suggesting someone could be hired with federal COVID-19 relief money to enforce mask-wearing.

"It may be too tricky for schools to do it all by themselves, but I do think theres a way," said Stavrinakis, an attorney. "The bottom line is, it needs to be third parties, people who dont get paid with state school funds."

Associate Justice George James said the Supreme Court stuck to the legal arguments, not the ongoing public health debate.

"In spite of the explosion of public opinion on masks and mask mandates and the sometimes unfortunate manner in which these opinions are expressed, our focus and our authority are limited to applying the law," he wrote in a separate opinion. "It is not within our power to decree which side of the public health debate regarding masks or mask mandates is correct."

Wilson said he appreciated the high courts quick ruling: "The court emphasized what weve been saying all along, that we are not arguing mask policy, we are arguing the rule of law."

House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, said he agreed with the court's decision and that the Legislature was unlikely going to return for a special session to repeal the budget amendment.

"Theres no consensus on that front, "Simrill said. "I strongly recommend vaccination, wearing masks indoors, for schools to encourage and recommend masking, but there is no consensus to come to Columbia."

Columbias mask requirement covered children under 12 at public and private schools because they cannot receive COVID vaccinations. The ordinance also covered staff and visitors at schools as well as day care centers.

"This is a sad day for children in South Carolina. What is even sadder is the people who have been elected to protect them, who should always and only act to keep them healthy, educated and alive, wont fight for them," Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said. "With record numbers of our children falling ill to this deadly virus, we pray for our children."

The Charleston County School District approved a mask mandate, and Lexington Two School District, where four schools have gone to all-virtual learning with a spike in cases, was poised to do the same later Sept. 2.

The state Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on a suit by Richland Two School District alleging the state's ban on school mask mandates violates students' right in the state constitution to a free education. The case was heard before justices the same day as the Columbia case, Aug. 31.

State public health leaders and S.C. Education Superintendent Molly Spearman have backed letting districts choose to impose mask rules.le

Seanna Adcox contributed from Columbia. This story is developing and will be updated.
GEORGETOWN  Georgetown County is looking to review long-standing fees charged on new construction projects that pay for building parks, roads, libraries and police stations.

State law says impact fee studies must be revised every 15 years, and while that deadline is not quickly approaching, the process takes some time, county planning director Holly Richardson said.

What is updated in the new study will depend on what projects have been completed since the first study was done in 2009, and but it is possible they could be reduced due to lack of previously anticipated growth, Richardson said.

Impact fees intend to make new construction pay for some of the strains new businesses and residents have on certain infrastructure. Typically impact fees can only go towards one-time payments, like building a new library or police station, and cannot be used on yearly revenues like employee salaries.

Georgetown County charges developers for impact fees when the building permit is issued rather than residents themselves, though residents may see the spillover of that fee in their home prices.

State law says the revenue must go to benefit the community that paid it and be used within three years of collection. Fees can go toward public uses, such as building more parks, roads and police stations.

From 2016 to 2020, Georgetown County generated more than $6.5 million in development impact fees.

These fees are often used in communities experiencing extreme growth, but are relatively uncommon among South Carolina counties.

While Georgetown County has not experienced the growth its neighbor Horry County, the Waccamaw Neck communities, like Pawleys Island and Litchfield, have grown tremendously. Those areas of growth carry the bulk of the more than 3,000 residents that have moved into the last decade, bringing its total to 63,404 people.

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The fee amounts are based on the specific use of the building, and do not change depending on where it is in the county. Detached single- and multi-family residential impact fees are currently $3,844 and attached residential impact fees are currently $2,465.

Non-residential impact fees per 1,000 square feet of floor area are currently:

Retail/restaurant: $2,132

Business park: $977

Office: $1,355

Hospital: $1,216

School: $538

Mini-warehouse: $115

Warehousing: $385

Manufacturing: $400

Light industrial: $608

Finally, nursing home impact fees are currently $146 per bed, day care impact fees are currently $110 per student and lodging impact fees are currently $306.

With a new study, any and all impact fees are subject to change.

Richardson said in recent years she has not heard any push back from residents or councilmembers on impact fees, but when they were first implemented, residents were worried they'd drive up home prices and send people to places where there were no impact fees, like neighboring Horry County.

And while Horry County recently passed its own impact fees earlier this year, but many residents considered them to be measly in comparison to what they expected.

At the last minute, Horry County stripped the plan of its transportation and stormwater fees, ones many residents considered to be the most vital. Now, Horry County has impact fees on parks and recreation, public safety and solid waste.

The bidding for firms to conduct a new impact fee study closed Aug. 25, and Richardson said she has not had time yet to look into the three bids received. Ideally, she said she'd like for the new study to be completed and come before council by the end of the current fiscal year, which is June 2022.
A Greenville attorney was suspended Aug. 25 from practicing law for a year and a half after multiple instances in which he failed to provide legal services to clients after accepting payment.

The attorney, Daniel Crawford Patterson, was initially placed on interim suspension in March 2017, and the recently issued "definite suspension" is retroactive to that date, essentially meaning he gets credit for time served. But Patterson will have to receive approval from the South Carolina Committee on Character and Fitness before his ability to practice is reinstated. He will also have to catch up on state bar dues and continued education hours.

According to the suspension order, Patterson failed to communicate with and adequately represent four clients who paid him thousands of dollars between 2012 and 2015. He also failed to cooperate with investigators after complaints were filed, and with a receiver appointed to protect his clients interests after his 2017 suspension.

In 2012, a client paid Patterson $12,000 to put him on retainer. From that time through 2015, he repeatedly failed to communicate with his client about pending cases and did not return the client's messages. In 2013, another client paid Patterson a $12,000 retainer fee and experienced similar problems. When a complaint was filed against Patterson's client, the client notified Patterson within a week. But Patterson did not file an answer for three months, the order states, and failed to attend or notify his client of a hearing, during which his client was ordered to pay about $7,500.

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According to the order, Patterson also failed to communicate with a client during foreclosure proceedings, did not return calls or provide updates to another client who applied to have his business incorporated with the state, and did not appear for an interview into allegations that he violated a family court order. During the investigations into all of these complaints Patterson failed to respond notices.

According to the order, Patterson admitted wrongdoing in relation to all of the complaints. Patterson could not be reached for comment on Sept. 1.

The order states that Patterson must pay for all costs incurred during the investigation and prosecution of the complaints against him within 30 days or provide a plan to do so.
Seven Charleston County schools have shifted to temporary virtual learning because of a rise in COVID-19 cases and quarantines since the start of the school year.

Julian Mitchell Elementary School will transition to virtual learning on Sept. 3. The school is expected to return to in-person learning on Sept. 17.

Murray-LaSaine Montessori on James Island, Chicora Elementary in North Charleston and Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary in West Ashley transitioned to temporary virtual learning on Sept. 2. The three schools plan to return to in-person learning Sept. 16.

On Sept. 1, Sullivans Island and Charles Pinckney elementary schools transitioned to virtual learning. Both schools plan to return to in-person classes on Sept. 15.

Early College High School became the first school to transition to virtual learning this year on Aug. 27. The school is scheduled to return to in-person learning on Sept. 10.

Mitchell serves over 200 students and has reported 14 cases since the start of the school year.

Chicora, which serves around 300 students, has reported nine cases among students and staff since the start of the school year on Aug. 18. Murray-LaSaine, which serves over 350 students, has reported 12 cases. Ashley River Creative Arts, which serves 500 students, has reported 26 cases.

Sullivans Island, which has around 500 students, has reported 22 cases among students and staff since school started on Aug. 18. Charles Pinckney in Mount Pleasant, a school of over 600 students, has reported 32 cases since the start of the school year.

Early College High School has reported 14 cases.

The schools have disinfected their buildings to allow staff members to teach virtually from their classrooms.

The temporary move to virtual instruction will allow us to continue providing quality instruction for students in a safe environment, Sullivans Island Principal Susan King said in the schools letter to families. Given our discussions and review of data with medical professionals, please know this is the best option for our students at this time.

The district quarantines all students and staff members in any classroom with three or more cases of the virus for at least 10 days; however, it does not report the number of students or staff members in quarantine at its schools.

The news comes the same day as health officials from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control say, since Aug. 21, the 11-20 age group has recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in South Carolina. Those ages 0-10 make up the second-highest group.

"While 11- to 20-year-olds account for the highest number of new cases, the highest percentage rise in new cases is in the 0 to 10 age group, a group that unfortunately is not eligible for the vaccine and therefore very vulnerable to infection," said Dr. Jonathon Knoche, a DHEC medical consultant.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 3,554 confirmed, 1,598 probable

Total cases in S.C.: 600,360 confirmed, 140,274 probable.

Percent positive: 17.3 percent.

New deaths reported: 73 confirmed, 13 probable.

Total deaths in S.C.: 9,361 confirmed, 1,323 probable.

Percent of ICU beds filled (with COVID-19 and other patients): 79.9 percent.

S.C. residents vaccinated

In South Carolina, 56.7 percent of people who are eligible for the vaccine have received one shot, and 47.8 percent of eligible residents are considered fully vaccinated.

Hardest-hit areas

Greenville (406), Spartanburg (303) and Horry (249) counties saw the highest totals of newly confirmed cases.

What about tri-county?

Charleston County had 190 new cases on Sept. 1, while Berkeley had 184 and Dorchester had 142.

Deaths

DHEC releases county-level data regarding COVID-19 deaths and the ages of those who have died from the virus on Tuesdays. According to the data published Aug. 31, at least 221 people in South Carolina died from the virus Aug. 22-28, and their ages ranged from young adult (18-34) to elderly (65 and older). Lexington County recorded 25 COVID deaths that week  the highest number in the state. Health officials have reported that the vast majority of patients who are dying from the coronavirus at this stage of the pandemic are unvaccinated.

Hospitalizations

Of the 2,340 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of Sept. 1, 537 were in the ICU and 340 were using ventilators.

Student, teacher and faculty cases

DHEC's school dashboard shows, through Aug. 29, there have been 3,056 probable and confirmed cases among students and employees in the state's public and charter schools during the current school year.

Variants of concern

DHEC sequences a small, random sample of positive COVID-19 cases each week to determine which variants of concern (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) are circulating in the state. According to data published by the agency that is up to date through Aug. 25, 2,089 samples have been identified as variants of concern over the course of the pandemic. More than 842 of those samples have been identified as the delta variant, which health officials say is now the dominant strain in South Carolina.

What do experts say?

An Aug. 30 report from the South Carolina Children's Hospital Collaborative shows that out of the 35 children currently hospitalized due to complications from COVID-19, more than 90 percent were unvaccinated. This total includes nine children in ICUs and four relying on ventilators.

"We can end this pandemic if we increase our vaccination rates," Knoche said. "We need all South Carolinians to do their part in protecting themselves and their loved ones."

Go to vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov to find a vaccine clinic near you.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove incorrect information on the number of cases each school reported at this point last year.
South Carolina recorded over 5,000 newly confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases on Sept. 2, continuing the dangerous trend of rising cases, hospitalizations and deaths among the unvaccinated.

The state also reported 60 newly confirmed and probable deaths on Sept. 2. At this time more than 80 percent of the state's intensive care unit beds are occupied and 25 percent of all inpatients are COVID- positive.

"The answer is vaccination," said Gov. Henry McMaster in a press briefing on Sept. 2. "We need to talk to our friends. Theres ample information available. People need to make their decision. They need to talk to their neighbors, and to their families."

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 3,572 confirmed, 1,657 probable

Total cases in S.C.: 604,166 confirmed, 141,991 probable.

Percent positive: 14.5 percent.

New deaths reported: 44 confirmed, 16 probable.

Total deaths in S.C.: 9,403 confirmed, 1,340 probable.

Percent of ICU beds filled (with COVID-19 and other patients): 82.61 percent.

S.C. residents vaccinated

In South Carolina, 56.9 percent of people who are eligible for the vaccine have received one shot, and 48 percent of eligible residents are considered fully vaccinated.

Hardest-hit areas

Greenville (433), Lexington (269) and Horry (237) counties saw the highest totals of newly confirmed cases.

What about tri-county?

Charleston County had 215 new cases on Sept. 2, while Berkeley had 208 and Dorchester had 172.

Deaths

DHEC releases county-level data regarding COVID-19 deaths and the ages of those who have died from the virus on Tuesdays. According to the data published Aug. 31, at least 221 people in South Carolina died from the virus Aug. 22-28, and their ages ranged from young adult (18-34) to elderly (65 and older). Lexington County recorded 25 COVID deaths that week  the highest number in the state. Health officials have reported that the vast majority of patients who are dying from the coronavirus at this stage of the pandemic are unvaccinated.

Hospitalizations

Of the 2,425 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of Sept. 2, 546 were in the ICU and 373 were using ventilators.

Student, teacher and faculty cases

DHEC's school dashboard shows, through Aug. 29, there have been 3,056 probable and confirmed cases among students and employees in the state's public and charter schools during the current school year.

Variants of concern

DHEC sequences a small, random sample of positive COVID-19 cases each week to determine which variants of concern (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) are circulating in the state. According to data published by the agency that is up to date through Aug. 25, 2,089 samples have been identified as variants of concern over the course of the pandemic. More than 842 of those samples have been identified as the delta variant, which health officials say is now the dominant strain in South Carolina.

What do experts say?

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-NET shows that unvaccinated people are 17 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than people who are fully vaccinated.

Go to https://vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov/ to find a clinic near you.
LORIS  When rural residents think of Horry County, two words tend to come to mind: growth and development.

So when more than 50 people showed up at Cane Branch Baptist Church in Loris on Aug. 31 and spoke against overdevelopment throughout rural parts Horry County to elected officials, it came as no surprise.

Chris Stevens, who organized the event with other rural residents, said Aug. 31 he doesn't want to wait until development is already crawling throughout the area to take action.

And that development is already coming, as Horry County is the fastest-growing county in South Carolina.

Stevens mentioned the S.C. 90 community, which recently got a resolution passed to slow down growth along parts of the jam-packed two-lane corridor, as an example of what western residents don't want to happen.

A solution poised by Stevens is creating a rural heritage areas, like ones established in two areas of the county on S.C. 319 and in Mount Vernon.

Rural heritage areas are additions to the county's comprehensive plan suggesting the respective areas remain rural. Horry County could adopt a new rural heritage plan for the western part of the county but it would be a long-winded process.

"We can't let this part of the county get in that position," Stevens said. "We can't keep making the same mistakes day after day after day and expecting different results  it ain't going to happen."

Rural concerns are not new in Horry County, but were heightened when two proposed projects along U.S. 701 generated conversations from farming family Matthew and Amanda Brown, whose fields would be encompassed by the potential developments. Brown's Farm sits 12 miles northwest of the Horry County seat of Conway along U.S. 701.

Horry County Council gave first reading approval to both projects Aug. 17  farmer Bobby Anderson's request to rezone farmland to build 80 single-family homes just past the intersection of U.S 701 and S.C. 410 and G3 Engineering's request to build 93 single-family homes along U.S. 701 just past S.C. 22.

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The two projects, while just a few miles apart, are represented by two different councilmembers  the Anderson project is represented by Danny Hardee and the G3 Engineering project is represented by Al Allen.

Hardee, who represents residents as east as S.C. 90 to the northwestern portion of the county where Horry touches Marion County, wasn't clear if he opposed the Anderson project but said development is coming to the area either way.

If the county council doesn't rezone the property, Anderson could still develop under current zoning so Hardee showed residents what those options could look like: 50 mobile homes or more than 50 single-family homes on the property.

"It's going to happen," Hardee said of the Anderson project. "I can't tell (Anderson he) cannot do anything."

Later, Allen, who represents the southwestern portion of the county including Aynor, offered a solution for the other project by promising if at least 50 residents living within three miles of the proposed G3 Engineering project showed up to Horry County's next council meeting and spoke against it, he would vote it down and ask the other councilmembers to do the same.

"If you show up and you support us, I promise you, we'll support you," Allen said.

Stevens echoed the sentiment asking residents to show up and make their voices heard.

The next Horry County Council meeting is at 6 p.m. Sept. 7. Both projects should be up for their second reading and public hearing.

Editor's note: This story has been edited to clarify the correct number of homes that could be built under current zoning.
One man was killed and a second injured in a shooting the night of Aug. 31 in downtown Charleston.

Charleston police officers were dispatched around 10 p.m. to North Romney Street for reports of shots fired, according to an incident report.

A 27-year-old Charleston man with a gunshot wound was found on the side of a building at 112 N. Romney St.

Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo ONeal later identified the shooting victim as Anthony Holmes, 27, of Charleston.

Charleston police spokesman Charles Francis said Holmes was rushed to the hospital, where he later died. O'Neal said he was pronounced dead at Medical University Hospital.

A second North Charleston man, age 26, was located by police at the emergency room of Medical University Hospital, the report states.

The case remains under investigation.
The family of a man who died in a double homicide on Johns Island asked the community for prayers at a Sept. 2 news conference, after Charleston police announced they had one person in custody.

Authorities on Aug. 27 arrested William Green, 22, of Johns Island. He is charged with two counts of murder and one count of armed robbery in connection with the July 20 shooting.

Officers arrived around 11:45 p.m. to a home just east of Brownswood Road on Johns Island. The two victims, Taiwan Green and Ravin Smalls, both 24, were pronounced dead at the scene.

It was unclear whether Taiwan Green and William Green are related.

Charleston police Chief Luther Reynolds announced William Greens arrest at a Sept. 2 news conference.

Several members of Smalls family attended, representing both him and his friend Taiwan Green, Reynolds said. Many of the family members cried as Reynolds, Smalls mother and her pastor spoke.

Please just pray for us, said Lesley Smalls Terry, breaking into heavy tears. She emphasized the men hadnt been bothering anyone when they were shot. Reynolds said the victims were ruthlessly gunned down.

The Rev. Ronald Moock, Terrys pastor, spoke next, thanking police for their work in arresting a suspect. Moock said he had spoken with Smalls, who also attended the pastors church, several times before the mens deaths.

(Smalls) used to be a hip-hopper, but he was moving toward gospel, Moock said. He wanted to record a gospel video in our little church on Johns Island. We were working to pull that together. Unfortunately, that will never happen, unless maybe we can do something as a memorial to him.

Reynolds acknowledged at the news conference the public was hearing too often about violence in the Lowcountry, referring to an event a day earlier in which a 46-count indictment was announced against 13 people accused of participating in a violent West Ashley drug-trafficking group, the West Cash Gang.

But it was important to continue to talk about violent crime, Reynolds said, and for people such as Terry to help put a face on this.

What she says is way more important than anything I can say, the chief said, later explaining how there is a story behind every one of these shootings.

Theres a family, theres a mother. Theres a face. Theres a grieving family, and community, and city, that we cant forget, he said. We have to take time occasionally, and were doing that today.

William Green, the suspect, remained at the Charleston County jail. At the time of the double homicide, Green was on probation and was seen as possibly having a firearm because of prior arrests, if that tells you anything, Reynolds said.

The investigation is ongoing. Reynolds urged the public to contact Crime Stoppers if they had additional information relating to the shootings.
A drug-trafficking gang that originated in West Ashley and sold heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines throughout the Lowcountry took a hit, and nine people were arrested, authorities said.

The 46-count indictment, unsealed Sept. 1 in federal court in Charleston, charges 13 people. Nine suspects were arrested that morning, but four remain at large.

The accused members of the violent West Cash Gang also engaged in several shootings and face firearms charges, said interim U.S. Attorney M. Rhett DeHart, who described Operation Cash Out as a multiagency, monthslong investigation.

The defendants were charged in several crimes, some of which date back to at least September 2016, the indictment alleges. The counts include conspiracy to possess and distribute drugs and conspiring to make false statements to licensed firearms dealers. Multiple defendants were charged with being a felon in possession of drugs and firearms. The charges carry as many as five to 40 years in federal prison.

Authorities executed the arrest warrants beginning at 6 a.m. on Sept. 1 in Charleston, Lincolnville, North Charleston and Summerville.

Those in custody were from Charleston, North Charleston and Summerville: Essence Tamia Cemon Ancrum, 24; Jackie Benson, 46; Demetrius Samire Costen, 27; Tevin Jermaine Fulmore, 27; Zyshonne Tremonte Dayon Gantt, 22; Antwan Xavier Grant, 25; Rashad Montez Heyward-Williams, 28; Antonio Snipe Jr., 21; and DeAndre Marquel Williams, 28.

The nine defendants will be arraigned in federal court on Sept. 3, said Nick Bianchi, deputy chief of the narcotics unit for the South Carolina U.S. Attorneys Office. Officers are working on the investigations next step, which is tracking down and apprehending the remaining four suspects, he said.

It was important to announce the nine arrests  even though some defendants remain at large  to get the message out to the public now, Bianchi said.

We want to make sure everybody knows if they havent heard, and particularly sharing the message that the investigation is not over with, he said. We certainly dont want other criminals, especially associates of theirs, to automatically think, If I didnt get arrested today, then Im in the clear.

DeHart spoke at a news conference of what he called a violent crime surge both in the U.S. and South Carolina. The Palmetto State had more homicides in 2020 than any year since 1960, he said.

This increase in murders and violence is driven by drug-trafficking gangs such as the West Cash Gang, DeHart said.

Charleston police Chief Luther Reynolds agreed. "We have a violent crime problem in this country, in this state, in this Lowcountry region and in our city," he said, "and we need to do something about it, and were doing that today.

Other agencies involved in the case included the FBI, Mount Pleasant police, North Charleston police and the sheriffs offices from Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties. They worked on the case about 18 months.

Tom Sondgeroth, the FBIs assistant agent in charge, praised member agencies efforts in Operation Cash Out, but acknowledged the arrests would not end drug dealing or violent crime in the Lowcountry. He maintained the task force would not stop its work.

We will continue to meet those challenges every day. We will not tire, we will not wait, he said. To those that continue to participate in these kinds of criminal endeavors, know that your day of reckoning is also coming.

The investigation was a small measure of justice for local victims of violent crime, Reynolds said.

We need justice for those families, for those victims, for our communities, who are tired of this violence. For those mothers," he said. "If you hear any voice today in this press conference, I hope you hear the voice of the wailing mothers whove lost their children.
A 47-year-old Mount Pleasant man pleaded guilty Sept. 2 to health care fraud after admitting he bilked Medicare out of $194,000.

Joseph Benjamin Barton, a chiropractor who owns and operates of Midlands Physical Medicine LLC in Richland County, admitted to submitting false claims to Medicare for "implantable neuro-stimulator pulse generators," according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Implantable neuro-stimulator pulse generators are surgically implanted devices used to treat chronic pain, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Barton's patients did not receive the alleged services, which were submitted for approval under the name of a doctor no longer affiliated with Barton's practice, according to M. Rhett DeHart, the acting U.S. attorney for South Carolina.

Barton claimed another doctor performed the surgery, but that physician, who lived in Florida, was not a part of the practice and was unaware that Barton had submitted the claims, the release states. Authorities learned it was a physician assistant who was actually using a different device on patients. That device was not covered by Medicare, the release states.

The fraud was committed between June 2016 and February 2017, the release states.

Health care fraud, a felony, is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

Barton is free on a personal recognizance bond while awaiting sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled by U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs, who accepted Bartons guilty plea, court records show.

Barton also was sued in 2018 by a 25-year-old female employee of Midlands Physical Medicine, who claimed the chiropractor sexually harassed her at the clinic. The woman, not identified in the lawsuit, alleged Barton made inappropriate comments about her body, sent her lewd text messages and videos, and inappropriately touched her at the office, according to the civil complaint.

After the woman complained to an office manager about Barton's behavior in 2017, she was fired, the complaint states.

The woman also alleged in the lawsuit that Barton tried to convert her to Scientology, a religion founded by a science fiction author.

The lawsuit was settled in December 2018 for $75,000, court records state.

Barton remains licensed as a chiropractor in South Carolina, according to state records.

The federal fraud case is being investigated by the Office of the Inspector General for United States Department of Health and Human Services. Assistant United States Attorney Winston Holliday is prosecuting the case.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Mostly clear skies during the evening giving way to clouds and a few showers after midnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies during the evening giving way to clouds and a few showers after midnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
Lucille Simmons Whipper was someone who seemed to have lived many lifetimes in the span of just one. She was a model for community activism, for compassion and for turning plans into action.

Early in her life, she was active in the emerging civil rights movement in Charleston and worked toward greater political empowerment, such as voter registration drives. In her professional career, she was a teacher, a guidance counselor and a public school administrator in Charleston County, serving at Haut Gap, Bonds-Wilson and Burke high schools. In the 1970s, College of Charleston President Ted Stern hired her to direct the colleges Head Start program and to develop diversity programs.

In 1985, she was elected the first African American woman to represent Charleston County in the Statehouse, winning District 109. She sponsored and co-sponsored legislation regarding health, womens issues, mental health, education and the environment. She served on the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee; Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee; Rules Committee; Joint Committee on Energy; Joint Committee on State Employees; and the Human Affairs Commission. Her fingerprints, thankfully, are on many bills passed between 1986 and 1996.

Rep. Whipper was also instrumental in seeing her alma mater, the Avery Institute, join the College of Charleston. Because of her influence, the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture was established here in 1985 and officially opened to the public in 1990.

She has received numerous accolades, including two honorary doctorates from the College of Charleston: one in 1992 and another in 2008. In 2020, during the colleges 250th anniversary, she received the Founders Medal, the colleges highest honor.

Lucille Simmons Whipper was a trailblazer not only at the College of Charleston but statewide. She will be greatly missed, but because of her many contributions to the community, her presence will always be felt.

ANDREW HSU

President, College of Charleston

George Street

Charleston

Hicks wrong on 526

Columnist Brian Hicks, in his Sunday column, takes another shot at opponents of Interstate 526.

He posits that refusing to compromise on future road projects will bring nothing but gridlock.

He disregards mountains of accessible data.

I challenge Mr. Hicks to cite evidence to support that expressway building and expansion will provide more than a temporary relief from gridlock.

Agreeing on any sort of scaled-down version of I-526 is not compromise; it is capitulation to the short-term interests of large, development-minded landholders and real estate developers.

This debacles hidden intent is to fuel growth on Johns Island, not to alleviate traffic.

If that were the true objective, proponents would be sharing their evidence of road buildings success in other major cities.

Provide one instance in which a local politician pointed to Atlanta or Charlotte and how great those cities traffic flows were after 50 years of nonstop expressway building, and how beautiful and clean it all is.

Setting aside aesthetic and environmental arguments, I ask proponents to consider a few questions.

Can you explain how it is wise to spend $90 million per mile to reduce commute times for 6-15 years at best?

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Will Johns Islands population explosion increase more as a result of expanded access?

Where will the additional commuters find road space once I-526 becomes gridlocked?

What is the plan for reducing commute times once we reach gridlock?

Failure to address these questions will lead us one step closer to Atlanta-style gridlock, more calls for more roads  and empty transportation coffers.

GARY BROWN

Coker Avenue

James Island

Repeal military use

I know a lot of Americans are saddened by the recent tragedies in Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, we (the United States government) are responsible for much of the mess.

One thing that could help prevent this from happening again is the passage of Senate Joint Resolution 10.

This bill targets 1991 and 2002 authorizations that allowed the president to use military force against Iraq.

Kudos to bill sponsor Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. I hope our congressional delegation gets on board with this legislation. Its time for peace and diplomacy, not aggression or war.

CAROL DOTTERER

Robert E. Lee Boulevard

Charleston

A marriage analogy

Living with a bad marriage is like riding a bike with a flat tire.

LENNY BRANCH

Jasper Boulevard

Sullivans Island
A person walks in floodwaters in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Washington Examiner breaking news reporter Kaelan Deese has a disturbing update on Marine Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller, who last week posted the video seeking accountability for the fiasco in Kabul from his superiors in the chain of command. So far as we know, Col. Scheller is the only military or civilian official to have been held to account. In an update last week, I noted his statement that he had been relieved of his command.

Deeses update derives from social media posts by Col. Scheller himself. Deese does not vouch for the accuracy of the developments that Col. Scheller notes or anticipates. Rather, with the exceptions of the quotes from the Corps spokesman and Corps Commandant, Deese frames these as Schellers claims:

 He has lost his rank (i.e., he is a former Marine Lieutenant Colonel).

 He speculates he might be court-martialed.

 He states that [t]he Marine Corps will assign an investigating officer. Most likely a Colonel.

 Once the investigating officer finalizes his recommendation, the Marine Corps will decide if they should pursue court-martial.

 If court-martialed, I will be found guilty and will probably do some jail time. This will provide me a valuable opportunity to read, write, and contemplate.

 The Marines have confirmed that Schellers situation is currently under investigation according to Capt. Sam Stephenson, a spokesman for the Training and Education Command. Stephenson declined to provide further details to the Examiner on Wednesday.

 Stephensons statement continues: The Marine Corps is not providing any additional information regarding Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller. His situation is currently under investigation and being handled appropriately by his chain of command, and therefore, we cannot comment further.

 Scheller addressed Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger on Facebook: I understand you want to court martial me. On Wednesday, Scheller added, General Burger isnt allowed to comment on the situation or else it will appear as undue command influence.'

 Scheller said he was asked by his commanding officer to be evaluated by mental health specialists on Monday and complied with the order. On Tuesday, he submitted a written request to resign from the Corps to the secretary of the Navy.

 The Examiner contacted the Defense Department for comment but has received no response.

Scheller posted a copy of his August 31 resignation request here. He gives his rank as Lieutenant Colonel. He seeks to resign effective September 11.

Checking his Facebook page, I see he has posted a statement this morning. He writes in part: I want to clarify the purpose of this whole endeavor: accountability. Without accountability, Marines (Americans) cannot heal and the Marine Corps (America) cannot evolve as an organization. I must acknowledge that the rage escalated in my body very quickly, and perhaps my emotions didnt always provide the rational clarity the situation required. But maybe every once in a while a little rage is required too. Whole thing here.

UPDATE: I have been given to understand that Col. Scheller has not lost his rank and that he cannot lose rank at all, unless hes court-martialed and the rank is formally removed and/or reduced by the Secretary of the Navy.
Yes, no matter what

Yes, but it depends on variety

No, for medical reasons, uncertainty

No, principle

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On August 21, 2019, Sabo Nanono, the now former minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, assumed duty at the ministry of agriculture after a shoddy ratification procedure at the Senate ministerial screening session.

Mr Nanono was asked by the senators to take a bow and go because of his affiliation with some lawmakers, under the claim of having wide experience and deep knowledge of the sector even when he studied Business Administration as an undergraduate.

Based on this, many Nigerians were robbed of knowing Mr Nanonos blueprint for the countrys agricultural sector.

On assumption at the ministry where he addressed reporters at that time, rather than sharing his plans for the sector, Mr Nanono said hunger in Nigeria cannot be compared to what is obtained in other countries, and that efforts should be made by the Nigerian government to assist other countries in food supply.

There is no hunger in Nigeria compared to what I saw in India in 1973. What we need is to get our acts together and develop the sector, he said.

Prior to his appointment, President Muhammadu Buhari on August 20, 2019, had ordered the partial closure of the countrys land borders to curb smuggling and as well boost local production of agricultural commodities.

The borders were reopened more than a year later amid the exponential spike in the prices of food, increased calls for reopening of the borders and the imminent takeoff of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement in January this year.

While the rise in the prices of significant staple foods still subsist, the countrys agricultural sector has witnessed little or no improvement under the watch of Mr Nanono before his sack.

The sack

President Buhari on Wednesday announced the sack of Mr Nanono and his counterpart in the power ministry, Saleh Mamman.

Femi Adesina, a presidential spokesperson who confirmed the development in a statement, said the sack of the ministers was sequel to a minor cabinet reshuffle after an independent and critical self-review, that helped to identify weak areas under this government.

Mr Adesina, said: the review helped to identify and strengthen weak areas, close gaps, build cohesion and synergy in governance, manage the economy and improve the delivery of public goods to Nigerians.

In the same vein, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, Minister of Environment, was redeployed to assume office as the Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development, while Engr. Abubakar D. Aliyu, Minister of State, Works & Housing will now be the Minister of Power, Mr Adesina wrote.

The sack of the two ministers is coming two years and few days after they were inaugurated by the president in 2019 alongside 41 of their colleagues.

The two ministers became the first set of ministers to be sacked by the president since he assumed office in 2015. His first set of ministers served out his first term.

Agric ministry under Nanonos watch in brief

Upon resumption, the former minister who hails from Kano expressed high hopes of moving Nigerias agricultural sector forward. This, he said, would require the commitment of all, in order to leave his mark in the annals of the countrys history.

While receiving briefings from agricultural research agencies, Mr Nanono promised to revamp the agricultural research institutes across the country to promote sectoral growth and food security in the country.

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I want to be very serious with the research institutes, so that they will research on improved seeds that will be suitable to our environment, as the institutes are the engine of growth in the sector, he was quoted to have said.

Known for his mantra and affinity for commercial agriculture implementation in Nigeria, the former minister had promised to create over 300,000 jobs via this means, in the bid to mitigate the high level of unemployment in the country.

On his return to Nigeria from Hungary, he commissioned the Hungarian Demonstration plot established at the headquarters of the National Agricultural Seed Council, on October 17 last year.

The 0.4 hectare land commissioned was used to demonstrate the effect of the Hungarian agric invention called Water Retainer (an organic soil conditioner) which involves two Hungarian hybrid maize varieties and two tomato varieties.

With the cooperation of the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), and supervision of the Hungarian Agricultural Innovation Centre (NAIK), the official trials of the tomato varieties were to commence this year.

More so, before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the agriculture ministry flagged off a soft loan scheme with the hope of boosting food crop production and agricultural mechanisation.

This involved the distribution of more than 10,000 tractors, fertilisers, chemicals and seedlings to farmers in the 774 LGAs in Nigeria.

What we need is that the beneficiaries must be genuine farmers and natives of the participating local councils, Mr Nanono said at the time.

In a similar manner, the FMARD initiated the mechanisation hubs in 650 local governments to support the farming communities.

The mechanisation hubs which will be stocked with modern farming equipment, like tractors, power tiller, and harvesters among others, will also serve as centres for training the farmers on modern farming techniques, the minister noted.

Eventually, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a loan facility of $1.2 billion to finance the mechanisation of agriculture in the country.

Moreover, to enhance farmers access to agricultural financing in the country, the federal government earmarked N600 billion for the sector.

While the COVID-19 lockdown measures imposed by the Nigerian government took a toll on agricultural activities and food systems, the government launched the Agriculture for Food and Job Plan, a component of the Nigeria Economic and Sustainability Plan (NESP), to cushion the impacts of the pandemic on the farmers and the economy.

Also, upon the commencement of last years planting season, the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) certified 81,000 metric tons of seeds across the country, so as to enable farmers easy access to viable and high yielding inputs at affordable prices.

In addition, President Buhari directed Mr Nanono and other key players of the sector to join the already existing 12-member Presidential Task Force for COVID-19.

The minister later flagged off the distribution of agricultural inputs to Nigerian farmers across the country.

This, he said, was aimed at boosting agricultural production in the country and averting food scarcity in 2021.

Some of the inputs distributed to the smallholder farmers include varieties of rice, maize, and wheat seeds including cocoa and palm seedlings, among others.

Agric contribution to GDP

Despite the investment in the sector before and during Mr Nanonos reign at the ministry, available data shows that agriculture has grown at the weakest rate under the Buhari administration than any other government since the return of democracy in 1999.

An analysis of the countrys gross domestic products by Statisense, a data analysis platform, showed that the sector grew at an average of 15 per cent in the past five years of this government.

When compared with past administrations, the sector grew by 133 per cent under the Obasanjo administration; 19.1 per cent under President Musa Yaraduas short tenure and 22.2 per cent under Mr Jonathans government.

However, in terms of the agricultural sectors contribution to the Gross Domestic Product(GDP), the Buhari administration has so far done better than only the Jonathan administration, based on an analysis by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism.

Data evaluated by PTCIJ shows that the sector contributed an average of 27.5 per cent under President Obasanjo, 25.6 per cent under President Yaradua, 21.75 per cent under President Jonathan and 21.90 per cent under President Buhari.

Expired policy

With the expiration of the Agricultural Promotion Policy last December, Nigeria currently does not have any officially communicated agricultural policy under Mr Nanono.

Even when it is glaring that Nigerias agriculture sector has the potential to reduce unemployment rate in the country, there is no clear evidence that the minister fulfilled his promise of creating sufficient jobs through the agriculture mechanisation initiative, and many more initiatives as promised.

While it is clear that the APP policy document which lapsed last year has not fulfilled its purpose, a big proportion of foods consumed in Nigeria are still imported, without any significant foreign exchange earnings being made from agriculture.

Speaking about the performance of the former minister when contacted, Simon Irtwange, the national president of the Association of Yam Farmers, Processors, and Marketers, said he believed Mr Nanono had a good intention for the agriculture sector, but that the implementation of his directives were faulty.

If you dont have a way of making sure that your directives are being implemented, the non implementation of your approved instructions will surely manifest in your performance, the professor said.

Corruption den

A PREMIUM TIMES series christened Authority Stealing which exposed illicit transactions flows across ministries and their MDAs, it was discovered that between September and December last year, a total of N3.08 billion was paid into the private accounts of 42 staffers of the Ministry of Agriculture under Mr Nanono.

PREMIUM TIMES observed that several fund disbursements by the nations agriculture headquarters were done through duplicated payments, some for similar purposes to some staffers.

Meanwhile, despite the continuous claims of subsiding of farm inputs for easy access by Nigerian farmers in different zones of the country by the federal government, many smallholder farmers still lament lack of access to inputs and subventions.

Also, there seems to be no distinct database for Nigerian farmers that can serve as a guide to initiate policies that can effectively and efficiently drive sustainable agricultural practices.
Global food commodity prices rebounded quickly in August after a second consecutive month of decline led by sugar, wheat, and vegetable oil, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has said.

Details of this were highlighted in the FAO Food Price Index report released on Thursday. The index tracks the International prices of the most commonly traded food commodities.

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 127.4 points in August 2021, up 3.1 per cent from July and 32.9 per cent from the same period last year.

The rebound in August after two consecutive months of decline was led by strong gains in the sugar, vegetable oils, and cereal sub-indices, it said.

The FAO Sugar Price Index averaged 120.1 points in August, up by 10.5 points (9.6 per cent) from July, marking the fifth consecutive monthly increase and the highest level since February 2017.

The latest hike in international sugar price quotations was prompted by concerns over frost damage to crops in Brazil  the worlds largest sugar exporter, adding to the negative impact of prolonged dry weather conditions.

It said larger monthly price increases were, however, prevented by a decline in crude oil prices and a weakening of the Brazilian Real against the U.S. dollar.

Good production prospects in India and the European Union also contributed to limiting the upward pressure on international sugar prices, the report said.

According to the report, the FAO Cereal Price Index averaged 129.8 points in August, up 3.4 per cent from July and 31.1 per cent above its August 2020 level.

Reduced harvest expectations in several major exporting countries pushed up world wheat prices by 8.8 per cent month-on-month, to 43.5 per cent above their level of one year ago.

It said among other cereals, price trends were mixed in August.

Lower barley production outlooks, especially in Canada and the United States of America, and spillover from rising wheat prices pushed up international barley values by 9.0 per cent since July, to 35.6 per cent above their levels of one year ago.

By contrast, maize prices registered a slight decline of 0.9 per cent.

Improved production prospects in Argentina, the European Union, and Ukraine moderated the effects of lowered production forecasts in Brazil and the United States of America.

International sorghum quotations also fell in August, by 2.5 per cent, though still up 43.3 per cent from the same period last year.

Meanwhile, international rice prices remained on a downward trajectory in August, influenced by efforts to promote foreign sales as well as currency movements, it said.

In the report, the FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index averaged 165.7 points in August, rebounding by 6.7 per cent from Julys five-month low.

The recovery mainly reflected higher palm, rapeseed and sunflower seed oil prices.

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In August, international palm oil quotations reverted to recent historic highs, largely underpinned by protracted concerns over below-potential production and resulting inventory drawdowns in Malaysia.

In the meantime, rapeseed oil prices received support from firm demand in the European Union, amid prospects of tightening global supplies.

As for sunflower oil, international price quotations firmed markedly after falling two months in a row, mainly fuelled by limited export availability in the Black Sea region before the 2021/22 harvests reached the market, the report said.

The report said the FAO Dairy Price Index averaged 116.0 points in August, down marginally from July but still 13.6 per cent above its value in the corresponding month last year.

In August, international quotations for milk powders fell, reflecting the continued weakness in global import demand for spot supplies combined with seasonally rising export availability in Oceania during the new production season.

READ ALSO: Global food prices fall for the second consecutive month in July

By contrast, price quotations for cheese rose, underpinned by increased internal demand and tightened supplies in Europe, offset by a slight decline in prices in Oceania on rising production.

Butter prices also rose slightly, pressured by high import demand from East Asia for near-term deliveries, it said.

According to the report, the FAO Meat Price Index averaged 112.5 points in August, up slightly from July, placing the index 22.0 per cent above its value in the corresponding month last year.

In August, international quotations for ovine and bovine meats increased, principally underpinned by high purchases, mainly by China, and constrained supplies of animals for slaughter in Oceania.

Poultry meat prices also rose, reflecting solid import demand from East Asia and the Middle East and limited production expansions in some major exporting countries owing to high input costs and labour shortages.

By contrast, pig meat prices fell due to Chinas continued decline in purchases and weak internal demand in Europe amidst a slight increase in the supply of slaughter-ready pigs, it said.
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Herbert Wigwe-led Access Bank Plc posted a surge in profit of more than two-fifths in the first half of 2021, finding support from marked improvement in earnings from interest and fees and commission, its two major income sources.

That brought profit to N86.9 billion, which compares with the N61 billion reported in the same period of last year, according to Access Banks income statement obtained from the Nigerian Exchange Limited on Thursday.

Nigerias largest bank by asset achieved this against the background of a similar jump in gross earnings which, rising by 13.6 per cent, came to N450.6 billion.

But the independent auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers, noted with concern sharp increase in the provision made by the bank to make up for loans that could ultimately turn bad in its books, a trend that may keep limiting profit.

Access Bank made an allowance of N28.7 billion for that purpose, way higher than the N16.5 billion of the corresponding period of last year.

The lender is stepping up efforts to grow the contribution of its foreign operations to total profit to 30 per cent, and has completed at least three acquisitions outside its home market Nigeria so far this year taking its total asset to over N10 trillion.

Meanwhile, the Access Bank board announced in a separate document the decision to pay shareholders an interim dividend of N0.30 for every share held by them.

Investors who own the companys shares will by September 16 be eligible for the cash reward.

Shares in Access Bank were quoted at N9.25 per unit in Lagos on Thursday, trading up 2.78 per cent following the news.
The Nigerian government has disclosed its plans to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all federal civil servants.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said this in Abuja on Thursday during a meeting of the Health Commissioners Forum with federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and health partners.

The theme of the forum is Building a stronger health sector in Nigeria through collaboration and strategic partnership.

The meeting was primarily to discuss ways to strengthen the health system at the sub-national levels, with an overall objective of achieving the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Compulsory vaccination

Mr Mustapha, who doubles as the chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC), said the COVID-19 vaccination will be compulsory for federal civil servants once vaccines are available for everyone.

You should, in the course of this meeting, deliberate on the challenges caused by vaccine hesitancy all over the country. It is expected that you will come with policy alternatives as solutions.

Let me state, however, that federal government shall, very shortly, unveil its decision on mandatory vaccination for every employee in its service.

He said the country did not have sufficient vaccines at the moment and so will not institute the mandatory vaccination immediately.

One of the reasons why we want to do that with the federal civil service is because they will be travelling on behalf of the nation.

READ ALSO:

Assuming the American government said, you cant come into their country unless youre vaccinated? So you have to be vaccinated.

Its a sequential thing and we are taking one step at a time, because, we realize we dont have sufficient vaccine in the country at the moment, he said.

Nigeria has, so far, vaccinated less than three million people and has relied on donated vaccines for its citizens.

More Collaborations

Mr Mustapha said collaboration is key to the success of the national response to the pandemic which has infected almost 200,000 persons in the country.

He said all levels of government must work together to achieve a greater impact in the health sector.

He said; Nigeria has a system of government, while you have the federal government, the state governments with their separate responsibilities with that of the local government.

Im so comfortable that the levels of government have their responsibilities assigned to them.

But unless you have a form of partnership between the two types of government, you will find yourself either replicating the same thing or duplicating efforts.

And that would amount to a waste of resources, but if we are collaborating, you will know exactly what each segment is doing and you will be able to apportion resources proportionately, across the board in different responsibilities, he said.

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He noted that the pandemic came with a storm and exposed the weaknesses in the countrys health system.

The story would have been different in the country if not for the collaboration of states and partners, he said.

Mr Mustapha urged all stakeholders to play their roles in a complementary manner to ensure the safety of the lives of Nigerians.

In his remarks, Jeremie Zoungrana, Country Director for Nigeria at Gate Foundation Africa, noted that the countrys response to the pandemic had shown that health is at the forefront of its development objective.

Mr Zoungrana added that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would continue to support Nigeria to strengthen the health system.
The number of people missing across Africa appears to be rising. By the end of June, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had recorded more than 48,000 missing across the continent  an increase of 4,000 since June 2020.

These figures account for just a small fraction of the total. Beyond those documented by the ICRC and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), no reliable information exists on how many are missing and for how long.

Most registered disappearances are connected to armed conflict, situations of violence, natural disasters and migration. Armed conflict in seven African countries accounts for 39,360 (82 per cent) of missing people recorded by the ICRC.

In recent years, governments and humanitarian organisations have intensified efforts to track and identify missing people, prevent disappearances and restore family links. However, the problem seems to be worsening. Greater awareness, more coordinated action and information exchange may help fix it.

Limiting the numbers who go missing is vital. For the ICRCs Regional Director for Africa, Patrick Youssef, this means better collaboration between national authorities, non-governmental organisations, communities and humanitarian actors. He says although initiatives exist in most African countries, they arent always consistent.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) recent resolution on missing migrants and refugees and the impact on their families could help. Maya Sahli-Fadel, ACHPRs Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, told ISS Today that it was important for the commission to take leadership on this issue.

She said the main step was for more African countries to ratify the 2006 International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. She lamented the slow pace of ratification or accession  it took almost four years to get the required 20 ratifications for the convention to enter into force. Of the 98 countries that have signed, only 64 have ratified (18 are from Africa).

Armed conflict and violence are the main reason why people go missing. However, migration is increasingly a cause  and a major concern, says Ms Sahli-Fadel. More and more migrants travel along perilous routes as options for legal migration in and out of Africa diminish. And for various reasons, they lose touch with their families and loved ones.

Some who are smuggled or trafficked across borders are arrested and detained without access to the outside world. Others might not want to contact their families until their situation improves or their immigration status is legalised. Not wanting to expose relatives to investigations or difficulties with authorities and criminal networks is a way to protect loved ones.

Without any information though, families continue to search. Many fear their relatives are dead, and the risks are indeed high. Almost 1 300 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean from Africa to Europe between 1 January and 31 August this year. On other African migration routes, by 31 August the IOM had recorded 513 deaths in 2021.

Mame Bara Ndoye, Secretary-General of Senegals Association of Families of Missing Migrants, says that knowing the fate of missing relatives was critical for many people. He was speaking at a joint ICRCInstitute for Security Studies (ISS) seminar to mark the International Day of the Disappeared on 30 August.

And since most of the missing are men, he said many families left behind were headed by women. In deeply patriarchal societies this brings its own challenges in relation to remarriage, divorce and custody of children, sources have told the ICRC.

These difficulties are also evident in Cameroon, South Sudan and Niger. Maman Aminou A Koundy, an adviser to the Appeal Court of Niamey in Niger, said the role of security services and the judiciary was critical. He emphasised the need for governments to efficiently issue identity and travel documents, document migration and trace missing persons.

Senior officials at the ICRCISS seminar shared this view. Zimbabwe Polices Assistant Commissioner Crispen Lifa called for coordination among police at the regional level and through Interpol in the search for missing people. Beyond the state, he said, community workers should be trained on the importance of information sharing to help locate missing people.

While contexts differ, the same five ingredients are needed for responses to succeed, according to a new ISS-ICRC report on Africas disappeared. First, families have a central role to play. Authorities should support them and provide individual assessments and responses. To do this, governments must acknowledge the tragedy of missing people and deal with the multifaceted needs of their families.

Second, prevention and early action are needed to solve pending cases. Third, strong laws and effective protocols are essential, which means missing people and their families must be recognised under national law. Depending on the circumstances, death certificates or certificates of absence must be issued efficiently, along with services from a well-trained and resourced medico-legal system.

Fourth, authorities should consider establishing national and regional missing persons mechanisms and databases to clarify the fate and whereabouts of the disappeared. Finally, for those missing in the context of migration, committed inter-government efforts from countries along migration routes are vital. Procedures to search for and identify missing migrants are needed, along with information exchange and coordination protocols.

Underpinning all five of these action steps is the understanding that Africa must tackle the plight of missing people and their families, and that states must lead.

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Ottilia Anna Maunganidze, Head of Special Projects, ISS Pretoria

This article is funded by HSF. The opinions and statements in the article do not necessarily reflect those of the HSF. The article is part of a collaboration on missing persons with the ICRC.

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).
On a Friday in May 2020, the second month into the restriction of movement announced by the Nigerian government to curtail the spread of the then-novel coronavirus infection, the cloud thickened in preparation for a downpour.

Joy Caleb and her husband, Fidelis, had almost finished their weekend tasks for the day and their three children were already fast asleep.

With the cold weather and cosy atmosphere as an incentive, the couple ditched their next chore to have an intimate time together.

The session was going on smoothly until Mr Caleb reached for a condom at their bedside drawer.

He ran his left hand through the drawer but felt nothing. He checked a second time, still nothing. He then paused and stood up from the bed to search properly. That was when he realised they had exhausted their stock of condoms.

He immediately dashed to a nearby pharmacy. Unfortunately, the health facility was out of stock.

The two other pharmacies in their area of Kubwa, Abuja, were shut and he could not search further due to the restriction of movement.

President Muhammadu Buhari first ordered the lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory and a few other states on March 29, 2020. This was later extended to other states with flight restrictions that lasted until September 2020.

Though health facilities were exempted from closure, the difficulty in accessing public transportation and products forced many to shut down during the period.

While the lockdown lasted, the scarcity of condoms forced the Calebs to adopt the fertility awareness method. This involves calculating the fertile time of the wifes menstrual cycle; and should they experience a slip, she could use a morning-after pill.

But this was a difficult choice for Mrs Caleb. She said they opted for condoms because other contraceptives gave her hormonal imbalances and uncontrolled weight gain.

However, by the second week of July, Mrs Caleb noticed her period had been late for two months. The pregnancy test kit indicated she was pregnant. She visited the hospital where it was confirmed. This news was a mixed grill for the family; good news at an unexpected time.

I know I should not be saying this because having a child is a thing of joy, but the truth was that we were sadder than being happy. Abortion was not an option because my faith abhors it. So we started preparing for the new arrival, she told PREMIUM TIMES.

Meanwhile, while it was a lack of condoms for Mrs Caleb, for Yuskhalifa Muhammad who also lives in Abuja, the issue was a price increase for condoms.

During the lockdown, I wanted to buy a Kiss condom in the estate where I live but I could not find one. So I trekked for about 20 minutes to other pharmacies in the neighbourhood but still could not get any. At the fourth shop I checked, I noticed that the price had increased by more than 30 per cent, and the money on me could not buy one.

Nakoje Lucious, a student of the University of Abuja, said a higher price and scarcity of condoms discouraged him from sex during the lockdown.

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He said a pack of Gold Circle brand he used to buy for N80 initially increased to N120, and then suddenly, the price jumped N200.

I also use the Kiss brand which was N200 but now it is N300. Since I couldnt buy it regularly like before and I am afraid of unprotected sex, I decided to abstain, Mr Lucious told this reporter on the telephone.

Sharing her experience with this reporter, a sexologist and founder of perhaps Nigerias first sex-positive community  RevaginatedNG, Sanasi Amos, said she received many inquiries suggesting increased use of contraceptives during the lockdown.

Why scarcity?

Findings by this reporter revealed that the ban on international flights and restrictions on cargo vessels across many countries created supply chain problems for contraceptives such as condoms.

Concerned by a possible population explosion, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in a 2020 report titled Condoms and lubricants in the time of COVID-19, lamented that border closing, restrictive measures, delays in processing shipments affected transportation and production of condoms.

UNFPA noted that scarcity would lead to increased incidence of HIV, STIs and unintended pregnancies which are described as risks that affect women and young people.

The global agency, therefore, emphasised the need to ensure the flow of condom supply, distribution, and promotion.

Also in April 2020, Miah Goh, the chief executive officer of Karex, the worlds largest condom manufacturer and supplier of one-fifth of the worlds condom output, warned of a looming global condom shortage as a result of the pandemic.

The world will definitely see a condom shortage. Its challenging, but we are trying our best right now to do whatever we can. It is definitely a major concern- condom is a piece of essential medical advice. While we are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, there are other serious issues that we need to look at, Mr Goh had said.

Dependence on Imports

Health experts warned of dire consequences for countries like Nigeria that depend on the importation of contraceptives.

A pharmacist in Ogun State, Gbenga Toye, said his facility almost ran out of stock of condoms during the lockdown because purchase spiked.

He said a major importer of Kiss and Fiesta brands of condoms in the country experienced difficulties at the port during the lockdown.

The pandemic really affected a lot of commodities including condoms. This was due to the fact that Nigeria depends so much on imports. Most brands of condoms are imported and there were lockdowns in major cities of the world.

Factories were shut down for weeks and even months. The few that were able to ship down to the country had issues to deal with at the Nigerian ports. That also contributed to the hike and scarcity of contraceptives. We were told the reason for the port issues was because there was a long line of cargo to be cleared with few hands available, he said.

According to him, his facility gets a monthly supply of condoms but they started noticing the scarcity around May and June 2020.

There was a huge drop in supplies, as high as 60 per cent. In fact, there was no Gold Circle brand in circulation. Also on demand were oral contraceptives, Mr Toye said.

Ogechi Onuoha, head of marketing and communications, Marie Stopes International Organisation Nigeria (MSION), a family planning organisation, said the law of demand and supply caused the increased price and shortage of condoms during the lockdown.

Increased post-lockdown birth deliveries

During the lockdown, health facilities also stopped a lot of their operations. Consequently, several health issues, including family planning services, were temporarily abandoned.

A UNFPA study updated in March 2021 suggested that if the pandemic continues to disrupt contraceptive use, in 115 low and middle-income countries, about 12 million women may be unable to have access to family planning services, resulting in a possible 1.4 million unintended pregnancies.

Another analysis by Global Financing Facility and the World Banks Development Research Group Health Management Information System (HMIS) further recorded that family planning services in Nigeria decreased by 10 per cent or more in April and 15 per cent in May.

Odunola Olabintan, a medical health trainee at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, said all the health resources were diverted to emergencies.

The only unit that ran for a while was the emergency unit. Services were reduced. Family planning would have taken the back seat in anyones mind even up till now.

Iyanu Bankole, who was then a Medical Doctor at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, corroborated Ms Olabintan; adding that the facility recorded low patronage, although they gave times for visits.

People who came for antenatal services during lockdown greatly reduced because the visits were spaced out. If usually, someone comes every four weeks, the doctor will tell the person to come after eight weeks, unless there is a complaint, Mr Bankole said.

Nigerians felt hospitals were storehouses for the virus, as a result, people used more condoms. But post-lockdown, the number of antenatal visits increased which likely means that contraceptives or family planning failed.

Mr Bankole estimated that antenatal visits at his hospital post-lockdown rose from 40 per cent to 90 per cent.

Similarly, at the National Hospital, Abuja, family planning services such as counselling, procurement and change of contraceptives were limited during the lockdown, Amina Ismail-Are, a gynaecologist at the hospital, said.

The clinics were not running during that time, so people did not have access to family planning services. But afterwards, when the lockdown was eased, we started seeing patients, she said.

A public health practitioner, Angelina Uzor, said her hospital at the Defence Intelligence Agency in Abuja witnessed a rise in birth deliveries from the beginning of 2021, which she linked to the lockdown.

Now, there is a surge in the number of people that come into the hospital due to the pandemic. There are more pregnancies. A lot of people are coming for antenatal services and more people have given birth this year. We can trace all that to the lockdown.

Even around me, I have seen many people put to bed recently. People that got married during the pandemic took in almost immediately. The amount of births from February till now has really increased, she said.

While some hospitals had spaced visits, many patients refused to go to the hospital for fear of contracting COVID-19.

Statistics versus realities of family planning

Data obtained by PREMIUM TIMES from the Federal Ministry of Health on this subject do not tally with findings from interactions with medical experts and sources.

Data collated from hospitals across the country by the ministry showed higher birth deliveries between June and December 2020 with 796,228 births, compared to the first six months of 2021, which reduced by 30,813 births.

Robert Daniel, an official at the health ministrys family health department, however, faulted the data, citing inadequacies in reporting rates from states.

We want to start going to states to conduct data quality assessments to really know what is happening. The births are more than what was indicated, he said.

This inconsistency was further confirmed by data from the National Hospital, Abuja, where births in June 2021 were two times more than the figure given by the ministry.

Local contraceptives

When Kemi Adeyemi was told of the shortage of condoms in her area by her husband, she recalled a discussion with her former neighbours in Kano State that castor oil seeds prevent conception.

She then went to the market to purchase the seeds. She said she has been using the seeds since the lockdown and they work for her.

At some point, she said, she forgot to ingest the seed and feared she would get pregnant but she did not. She also introduced the seeds to her sister-in-law in January who, she said, has testified to its effectiveness.

I have not discovered any side effects. My monthly menstrual flow has been regular. I have not had any issues that I know of. I get it in the market from women that sell herbs. I peel the outer part and eat it. I was told one castor oil seed is durable for a year.

However, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, castor-oil plants produce oil-rich seeds which have poison ricin, considered as one of the most toxic substances. It warned that consumption of chewed seeds can be lethal.

Local herbs as possible solution to population crisis

Abdullahi Maidori, the acting spokesperson of the National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners, said there are local herbal medicines for family planning.

He said the association has identified about 20 plants as local contraceptives, but they can only be used according to an individuals blood group.

Research is ongoing on these medicines at the University of Jos, ABU Zaria, Bayero University in Kano, and UNN. We are partnering with these universities. We have a national plan. There is one that someone can use just five seeds and it can last one for a year without conceiving, Mr Maidori said.

He said the association presented a bill to the National Assembly for consideration and submitted some documents to the Ministry of Health.

The bill is COVID-19 vaccine under traditional medicine. We want to present our herbal medicines for family planning. We have equally taken it to the states. For instance, in Plateau, we are already defending a bill at the Traditional Medicine Board.

In Gombe, Bauchi and Kano states, we have a board for traditional medicine. In Abuja under the Ministry of Health, we have a department called the Council of Traditional Medicine. We want to create state operations of traditional medicines in Nigeria, he added.

Health experts, however, said both the local methods and natural contraception do not prevent sexually transmitted diseases and are thus not medically endorsed.

Mr Bankole explained the required processes the plants must go through to be authenticated.

Most of the drugs we prescribe for our patients, they go through three or more research studies to see how it will affect human beings and the research is done without any bias.

Also, they need to know if it is reproducible such that other women can also use it and then it is made maybe into better materials like drugs or powder form.

Asides from the local methods, some other recognised natural contraception methods are body temperature, cervical (vaginal) mucus discharge to determine ovulation, menstrual cycle, and calendar method. But Mrs Ismail-Are, the gynaecologist, warned that those have a high failure rate.

Funding challenges of contraceptives

Nigerias family planning sector has consistently lamented funding challenges and late budgetary releases.

Some of these commitments include counterpart funding to match grants from foreign donors and funding to improve family planning services

At a webinar organised by Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) and the Development Research and Project Centres (dRPC) experts indicated that in 2017, the Nigerian government committed to set aside $4 million (N1.2 billion then) annually from 2017-2020 to facilitate commodity procurement and distribution to respective states, but only N300 million of the agreed sum was released in 2019.

According to them, the constant delay and inconsistency in funds discharged has created a gap of N2.1 billion.

The Director of the Family Planning Branch in the Family Health Department of the Federal Ministry of Health, Lawrence Anyanwu, in July 2020, said over N2.6 billion had been spent on the family planning programme to procure and distribute birth control devices.

But Sakina Bello, Senior Program Advisor for Reproductive Health of Pathfinder International Nigeria, said while the Nigerian government has made remarkable progress, it needs to do more to address the funding deficit in the sector.

Budgeted funds must be disbursed in a timely manner. In some states, the fund is released very late. They dont do what they are supposed to do. They just rush to do activities they can do, she said.

She canvassed alternative arrangements to provide adequate funding for family planning alongside coordination and involvement of all stakeholders, particularly the private sector.

Mrs Bello also endorsed local production of contraceptives as a solution to the scarcity of imported contraceptives.

That is a conversation that we have been having for years now. Local manufacturing of our contraceptives has a lot of advantages. One, the cost will be less. Two, we will even have job opportunities for our people with government jobs not readily available, she said.

More health experts proffer solutions

To prevent a repeat of contraceptives scarcity and limited health services during a global pandemic, the UNDP advised that condoms access be sustained through private sector outlets and community service points that support physical distancing and exploration of online ordering systems.

Mrs Onuoha of MSION advised the government to strengthen the distribution network of contraceptives at the facility level.

It comes down to putting in place strategies to mitigate things like shortage of condoms or increased price of condoms, such that people can purchase contraceptives through e-commerce platforms and be delivered to them as against walking into pharmacies, she explained.

Ms Amos, the sexologist, recommended that in the event of another health emergency, Nigerians can embrace the use of sex toys as it prevents sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies.

For Olusina Ajidahun, a Registrar in Internal Medicine at the Federal Medical Center, Abeokuta, the government should invest in primary healthcare centres.

The government should invest in more outlets, especially at the level of primary healthcare centres. They are usually the first contact. If we have a lot of those centres, even if there is a pandemic, people can still access these centres to get contraceptives and increase supply.

Mr Bankole called for more adolescent-friendly centres to increase the awareness of family planning at a young age.

(This article is part of Covid-19 Response: Together for Reliable Information; a project implemented by PAGED Initiative and supported by the EU & Free Press Unlimited).
The Senate on Wednesday queried some agencies for failing to remit their excess revenue to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federation.

The agencies are the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Adeola Olamilekan, accused the revenue generating agencies for holding onto funds belonging to the federal government.

He made the allegation during a public hearing on the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) organised by the Committee in Abuja.

The CBN, the panel said, has failed to remit their operational surpluses to the CRF over the years from its yearly budget of about N2.3 trillion budget.

Mr Olamilekans query was sequel to the presentation of the Director General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, who also complained that some agencies had failed to remit revenues.

He said while the federal government is making efforts to grow revenue, some heads of agencies have assumed ownership and are spending such revenues illegally.

He, however, did not name the agencies.

In his reaction, Mr Olamilekan noted that some revenue generating agencies spend their revenues hiding under the disguise that what accrued to them is not enough for them to carry out their functions, and so, they need to augment it with whatever they generate.

For every government agency that exist, it is expected that once you are coming to budget defence with your budget estimates, there should be a corresponding revenue estimate that you are contributing to the budget.

from the preliminary investigation carried out by this committee our findings are not palatable at all. A lot of heads of agencies have taken over the agencies as their personal property.

They have decided to embark on a spending spree with nobody challenging them. We invited some agencies and discovered that since their existence, it was the first time anybody would invite them for an investigative hearing on how they have been doing concerning revenue generation.

I give you an example, out of the 60 GOEs (Government Owned Enterprises), I can conveniently say that agency like the NNPC, I dont know when last they contributed from their excess revenue into the Consolidated Revenue Fund, except recently when they declared profit and I know that profit will translate to payment into the CRF, he said.

The lawmaker further said within the last five to six years, CBN had not contributed anything.

They are here. If that is not a statement of fact, I will back it up with verifiable evidence.

So, all these and more are issues bordering on the idea of lets grow revenue. We are growing the revenue but some people are spending that revenue illegally.

Allegations not true  CBN

The CBN, however, denied the allegation saying it is 100 percent not correct.

The Deputy Governor of the CBN, in charge of Economic Policy, Kingsley Obiora, who represented the CBN governor, faulted the lawmakers claim.

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He insisted that the apex bank has never defaulted in remitting 80 percent of its annual revenue surpluses to the CRF in accordance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

We have in the last five years remitted our surpluses in accordance with the law. The CBN Act 2007 which you graciously passed stipulates that we transmit 75 percent of those surpluses but the Fiscal Responsibility Act which you again graciously passed, demands 80 percent. As responsible government agency, we follow the Fiscal Responsibility Act and we do remit 80 percent of our surpluses every year.

The Ministry of Finance, Accountant General of the Federation and Budget Office will tell you they have no better friend than the Central Bank of Nigeria, he said.

The CBN was thereafter, directed to produce documents to show remittances made by it over the years and make it available to the Committee not later than Friday.

They were also asked produce its audited account in the last five years as well as its position paper on monetary policy point of view on the 2022  2024 MTEF/FSP being considered by the committee.

Customs indicted

In the same vein, the Nigeria Customs was found wanting with regards to revenue remittance.

But this time, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali, expressed frustrations over the inability of his agency to raise enough revenue from taxes on import.

He asked the National Assembly to empower the NCS through appropriate legislation to collect excise duty on carbonated drinks.

Today we have low production within the country and therefore we are unable to expand our excise duty base. We we are supposed to be collecting excise on carbonated drinks.

The policy of government is to reduce consumption of items that are injurious to our health. That is why alcoholic beverages are being taxed and we are collecting it. Tobacco is being taxed and we are collecting it.All other carbonated drinks are also injurious to our health.

So if we tax tobacco and alcoholic beverages, I see no reason why we should not tax the carbonated drinks. We have said this for the past five years I have been on this seat, and up till today we have not been able to get it. The reason I dont know.

My submission is simple. We will continue to rely on the unpredictable atmosphere to collect as much revenue as we can, but for us to be precise and more predictable, we must pay more attention to our industries and extract excise from them. That would be more predictable and much more realisable.

But lawmakers said such an action could lead to the total collapse of the manufacturing sector which is currently struggling to survive the harsh economic situation in the country.

A member of the committee, Tokunbo Abiru, said it is not the appropriate time to implement such a policy in the country.

At a stage where the industries in the country are struggling, equally disposable income is at a very low ebb right now, you dont want to create a situation where peoples ability to produce is reduced.

At the same time, I am mindful of the health implications that you have talked about but note that the people who drink carbonated drinks the most are young people and they still have the energy to burn them out.

The older people drinking them should be guided rather than bringing a punitive policy that would slow down production. I just want us to be careful, this might not be the right time to do this, he said.

Smuggling hampering revenue generation  NNPC

For the NNPC, the Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, in his presentation, lamented that the agency was spending most of its profit that should go into the federation account, to subsidise the petrol which runs into billions of naira every day.

He added that a larger percentage of the 60 million litres of the subsidised petrol being evacuated from the various NNPC depot did not represent the actual consumption saying it was being smuggled outside the country.

Our efforts at raising revenue are being hampered by smuggling, round tripping, and other sharp practises.

There is currently an inter agency collaboration to stop smuggling of the PMS but the reality is that the practice will continue in as much as there is a difference between the amount we sell in Nigeria and the price elsewhere.

It is not beyond government but it is an extremely situation to manage. Any time the NNPC supply 60 million litres of PMS we will record shortage. As far as Sudan, you will see Nigerian subsidised PMS there and thats the reality we are dealing with.

Mr Kyari insisted that the lack of market for the nations crude oil occasionally had affects revenue and sometimes affects the projected oil benchmark.

The development, he said, had also forced Nigeria to embrace the OPEC resolution to cut down production so as to manage the prices in the international market.

While he identified vandalism and insecurity as factors affecting production, he explained that there was not definite time frame to exit the subsidy regime but expressed confidence that the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act will ultimately provide useful solution.

When asked why the NNPC imports petrol at N250 per litre and sells at N162, Mr Kyari said, not providing energy for Nigeria will be a breach of the law which establishes the NNPC.

We will therefore continue to supply PMS to the Nigerian market at sub-market prices. What we have to do is to come back to the National Assembly to see how the narrative could be changed.

He also said the alternative was to sell at the real market price so that money spent on under recovery could be shared to the three tiers of government to build infrastructure and provide other social amenities.
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A member of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Aminu Garba, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of betraying the trust of the people of his home state.

Mr Danmusa, who represents Danmusa local government area in the assembly, was commenting on the worsening insecurity in Nigeria and increase in attacks by bandits in Katsina and the North-west region in general.

In a video clip analysed by PREMIUM TIMES, the lawmaker said the president has abandoned the people of the state.

The people of Katsina gave him (Buhari) the highest votes in Nigeria when he was contesting but what do we have to show for it? Just yesterday, they came into Danmusa town in a locality called Marken Dambi and killed a man and took away his wife and her daughter, yesterday night.

I went for a security meeting at Danmusa with all stakeholders outraged. There is an 80-man security force called special squad. But that does not hinder miscreants from storming in and carrying out their activities.

I specifically told residents of Danmusa to pack their belongings and relocate elsewhere. I do not regret my statement. We were all elected by the same people. I do not have anywhere else to call my town than Danmusa but yet I cannot go there at will.

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Mr Danmusa added that people of his constituency were being killed and an uncountable number of cattle rustled by bandits because security agents in the area are overwhelmed and not combatant enough.

He said President Buhari can bring an end to the insecurity within seven days, adding, however, that the attitude of the president is that of betrayal.

What crime have we committed? The president should listen to us and act because this hide and seek will lead us nowhere. Im calling on all stakeholders; politicians, Islamic scholars, businessmen, emirs to go and tell him the truth.
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Nigerias ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday expelled one of its chapters chairmen for criticising President Muhammadu Buhari.

The partys caretaker chairman of Yola South Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Sulaiman Adamu, was suspended in early August by the state chapter following a leaked audio of him wishing Mr Buhari had died of coronavirus.

The state chapter spokesperson, Mohammed Abdullahi, had described Mr Adamus comments as disturbing but that it would be further investigated.

Consequently, a 7-man disciplinary committee has been set up by the SWC to investigate the issues in the audio clip and make appropriate recommendations for action.

In order to ensure unhindered investigation and fair hearing, the SWC has resolved that the APC Caretaker Chairman, Yola South Local Government (Alh. Suleiman Adamu) who is a member of the State Executive Committee be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation by the 7-man disciplinary committee, the party had resolved in August.

Mala Buni-led interim national caretaker committee of the party, at its 16th meeting on Thursday, said it had ratified the expulsion of the accused following the report of the 7-member disciplinary committee set up to investigate the development.

His expulsion from the party takes immediate effect, APC declared in a statement signed by its interim national secretary, John Akpanudoedehe.

Giving its reasons, the party said Mr Adamus unwholesome utterances about the President in the leaked audio are capable of tarnishing the APC image and cast further doubt on its leadership prowess.

Recall the viral video in which Alhaji Sulaiman Adamu made unwholesome utterances on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Leader of the Party.

He was also found guilty of bringing the image of the party to disrepute thereby creating doubt on his leadership quality and loyalty to the party.

The CECPC calls on party members to always demonstrate self-discipline and restraint by desisting from acts and utterances that are inimical to the interest of the party, Mr Akpanudoedehe concluded.

Not the first

Mr Adamu is not the first person to face serious sanction for criticising Mr Buhari.

The Special Adviser on Media to the Kano State governor, Salihu Yakasai, was sacked in February after berating the APC for the worsening state of the countrys security.

The Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, in his reaction, described his aides comment as unguarded utterances which contradicted the APC.

The aide was arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) for the same reason in March.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, said on Thursday that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has over 13,000 poorly executed and unverified projects despite N6trillion allocation it received from 2001 to 2019.

The federal government is particularly concerned with the colossal loss occasioned by uncompleted and unverified development projects in the Niger Delta region, in spite of the huge resources made available to uplift the living standard of the citizens, Mr Malami said.

Mr Malami spoke as President Muhammadu Buharis representative at the presentation of the report on forensic audit of the NDDC.

The President had in August 2019 ordered the forensic audit of the agency, in response to what the AGF described as the yearnings of the people the Niger Delta region to reposition it for effective service delivery.

Mr Malami . who commended the auditors and assured that all aspects of their report would be strategically implemented without hesitation, noted that the President had directed his ministry to conduct a legal review of the report to ensure justice is done.

He indicated that criminal investigations, prosecution, and recovery of diverted funds would be initiated against suspected looters of the agencys funds.

Mr Buhari administration, which has not constituted a governing board for the agency as statutorily provided since 2015, superintended over the last four years of the 19 years period in the life of the NDDC reviewed by the auditors.

NDDC funds and projects

NDDC is an interventionist agency set up in 2000 to see to the development of the oil-rich Niger Delta region and tackle the ecological problems arising from oil production activities in the mandate states.

The agency has generally fallen short of meeting the expectations of the people of the nine mandate states  Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers.

In its 2020 years of existence, the agency has been at the centre of many mind-boggling unresolved corruption allegations undercutting its capacity to deliver on its mandate to the people of the Niger Delta region.

It is evident that considerable resources have been channeled by the Federal Government to the development of the Niger Delta from 2001 to 2019, Mr Malami said.

According to him, within 19 years, from 2001 and 2019, the federal government approved over N3.3 trillion to the agency as budgetary allocation, and N2.4trillion as income from statutory and non-statutory sources.

This, according to him, brings the total figure to the sum of approximately six trillion Naira given to the Niger Delta Development Commission.

The minister said despite this, We have on record over 13,777 projects, the execution of which is substantially compromised.

Apart from poorly executed or non-execution of contracts, Mr Malami pointed out to the issue of the agency running 362 bank accounts resulting in lack of proper reconciliation of accounts.

The federal government is also concerned with the multitudes of Niger Delta Development Commissions bank accounts amounting to 362 and lack of proper reconciliation of accounts, Mr Malami said.

Action to be taken

Mr Malami said the President had directed that the audit report be forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Justice for a legal review and relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government will be engaged in doing justice to the findings accordingly.

Although he did not give timeline, Mr Malami said criminal investigations, prosecution, and recovery of improperly used funds would be initiated.

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The federal government will in consequence apply the law to remedy the deficiencies outlined in the audit report as appropriate.

This will include but not limited to initiation of criminal investigations, prosecution, recovery of funds not properly utilized for the public purposes for which they were meant for review of the laws to reposition and restructure the NDDC for the efficiency of better service delivery amongst others.

In all these instances of actions, legal due processes will strictly be complied with, he said.

Mr Malami said it is important for the public to be properly informed of what has been spent and how that has been spent by the NDDC.

He said the essence of the forensic audit carried out on the NDDC is to ensure probity and accountability in the use of public funds.

It is against this background that the Federal Government will without hesitation strategically implement all aspects of the audit exercise that will promote probity and greater prosperity for the Niger Delta Region and Nigeria as whole, he said.

According to Mr Malami, the auditors comprised the Lead Forensic Auditors and the 16 Field Audit Firms with a Security Committee for securing the lives and properties of the Audit Firms throughout the duration of the forensic audit exercise.

Suffering golden goose that lays the golden egg

The level of poverty and general deprivation suffered by the people of Niger Delta is at odds with their profile as the region that produces the oil which serves as the mainstay of the Nigerias economy.

Niger-Delta peoples long-suffering condition is largely attributable to official corruption at various levels.

Since 2007, two former governors of states in the region  the late Diepreye Alamieyesegha of Bayelsa State and James Ibori of Delta State  have been convicted of money laundering involving funds they stole from their people.

Some other former governors from the region are under criminal investigations.

Cases of funds diversion and poorly executed contracts are also rife in the NDDC, which is supposed to apply funds directly allocated to it by the federal government to develop the region.

But officials have only become rich at the expense of the long-suffering and poverty-stricken people of the Niger Delta, resulting in myriads of environmental hazards that deprive them of potable water and means of livelihood, mainly fishing and farming.

Read Mr Malamis speech in full:

REMARKS BY ABUBAKAR MALAMU, SAN, HONOURABLE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION AND MINISTER JUSTICE AND REPRESENTATIVE OF PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, MUHAMMADU BUHARI ON THE PRESENTATION OF THE REPORT ON THE FORENSIC AUDIT OF THE NIGER DELTA DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (NDDC)

PROTOCOL

I welcome you all to the presentation of the Report on the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Commission (NDDC), which report I am to receive on behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.

2. You will recall the President had ordered for a holistic forensic audit of the activities of the Commission from inception to August 2019 in response to the yearnings of the people the Niger Delta Region to reposition it for effective service delivery. It is imperative to state that, the call for the audit by the people of the Niger Delta Region arose from the huge gaps between resources invested in the region vis a vis the huge gap in infrastructural, human and economic development.

3. It is on record that between 2001 and 2019, the Federal Government has approved N3, 375, 735,776,794.93 Three Trillion, Three Hundred and Seventy Five Billion, Seven Hundred and Seventy Six Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ninety Four Naira, Ninety Three Kobo as budgetary allocation and N2,420,948,894,191.00 Two Trillion, Four Hundred and Twenty Billion, Nine Hundred and Forty Million, and, Eight Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand, One Hundred and Ninety One Naira as Income from Statutory and Non Statutory Sources, which brings the total figure to the sum of approximately Six Trillion Naira given to the Niger Delta Development Commission.

4. Consequently, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the engagement of a Lead Forensic Auditor, as well as 16 reputable Audit Firms to conduct the audit exercise.

5. The President is delighted that the auditors have now completed this exercise and the Report is today being presented.

6. Furthermore, the President is not oblivious of the interest generated by Stakeholders towards the forensic audit exercise and the agitation for the constitution of the Board of the NDDC. However, this Administration is determined to address challenges militating against the delivery of the mandate of the NDDC to the people of the Niger Delta Region.

7. It is in the broader context of the foregoing developments that the President recently signed into Law the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) which has been a contentious issue over the years for successive Governments, to bring about the prudence and accountability in the Petroleum Sector and to give a sense of participation and ownership to the Host communities.

8. The Report on the forensic audit of the NNDC and your recommendations will therefore be critically analysed for necessary action and implementation. We owe it a duty to the people of the Niger Delta Region to improve their standard of living through the provision of adequate infrastructural and socio-economic development.

9. The welfare and socio- economic inclusion of the Niger Delta Region is paramount to the development and security of the Region and by extension the Country. Funds spent on development activities should as a consequence promote political and socio-economic stability in the Region. Citizens affected by these development projects should also exhibit the ability to contribute to the continuous progress of their immediate and wider communities by engaging in constructive activities that will sustain and supports these development projects.

10. It is evident that considerable resources have been channeled by the Federal Government to the development of the Niger Delta from 2001 to 2019. It is therefore important for the Federal Government and the public to be properly informed of what has been spent and how that has been spent. The essence of the forensic audit is to ensure probity and accountability in the use of public funds. It is against this background that the Federal Government will without hesitation strategically implement all aspects of the audit exercise that will promote probity and greater prosperity for the Niger Delta Region and Nigeria as whole.

11. The Federal Government is particularly concerned with the colossal loss occasioned by uncompleted and unverified development projects in the Niger Delta Region, in spite of the huge resources made available to uplift the living standard of the citizens. We have on record over 13,777 projects, the execution of which is substantially compromised. The Federal Government is also concerned with the multitudes of Niger Delta Development Commissions bank accounts amounting to 362 and lack of proper reconciliation of accounts.

12. The Federal Government will in consequence apply the law to remedy the deficiencies outlined in the audit report as appropriate. This will include but not limited to initiation of criminal investigations, prosecution, recovery of funds not properly utilized for the public purposes for which they were meant for review of the laws to reposition and restructure the NDDC for the efficiency of better service delivery amongst others. In all these instances of actions, legal due processes will strictly be complied with.

13. The President has directed that the forensic audit report be forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Justice for a legal review and relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government will be engaged in doing justice to the findings accordingly.

14. I appreciate the Honourable Minister, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. (Dr.) Godswill Akpabio, his colleague Sen. Omotayo Alasoadura, the Interim Administrator, Management and Staff of the NNDC for their support towards the completion of the audit exercise.

15. My appreciation also goes to the Lead Forensic Auditors and the 16 Field Audit Firms for completing this exercise, as well as the Security Committee for securing the lives and properties of the Audit Firms throughout the duration of the forensic audit exercise.

16. Thank you and God bless Nigeria.
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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has begun phase three tracking of over 118 Executive and Constituency projects worth N4.5 billion in Yobe.

Laban Emmanuel, ICPC Team Leader in the state, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Damaturu.

He said the tracking started on August 31 and would be concluded on September 12.

Mr Emmanuel said projects to be monitored were scattered across 11 local government areas of Fika, Potiskum, Gashua, Jakusko, Nguru, Fune, Yunusari, Yusufari, Gujba, Bursari and Karasuwa.

He said the team of trackers comprised ICPC officials, quantity surveyors, journalists and Civil Society Organisations.

Mr Emmanuel said the same exercise was going on in Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Adamawa, Plateau, Kogi, Benue, Ondo, Osun, Lagos, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Edo, Anambra and Imo States as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

NAN reports that the ICPC, in a recent statement by its spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, said project tracking was initiated by the commission in 2019.

She said the exercise focused on how well money allocated to critical sectors of education, health, agriculture, water resources and power, among other sectors, were utilised.

The first phase of the exercise was held in 2019 in 12 states and the FCT, and saw the tracking of 524 projects.

The second phase in 2020 had about 822 projects tracked in 16 states.

The first two phases led to the recovery of assets worth billions of Naira to the government and return of equipment to communities for whom they were meant.

Also, about 300 contractors returned to site and completed hitherto shoddily done or abandoned projects, she said. (NAN)
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The struggle by the embattled National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, to save his seat has further taken a downward turn as his primary constituency in Rivers State announced his suspension from the party.

Mr Secondus, currently battling court injunctions barring him from office, was declared suspended on Wednesday by Ward 5 of Andoni Local Government Area of the state, which is his primary base, after an extraordinary meeting of the ward executives.

Without detailed reasons, the PDP Ward 5 chairman George Christopher, said Mr Secondus suspension was necessitated after considering issues affecting the party.

The ward executive of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ward 5, Ikuru town; the leaders on the 31st of August, 2021, discussed issues that affect the party.

Suspension of Prince Uche Secondus was done by the ward executive after a duly constituted ward meeting called by the Secretary on the instructions of the chairman, according to the Constitution of our great party.

The party at the ward further reaffirmed his suspension and thanked the party at the local government and state level for agreeing on the suspension, Mr Christopher said in a statement.

Out of the 17 members of the executive, 11 reportedly endorsed the decision to suspend the embattled national chairman.

Reacting, Mr Secondus said through his media office that the suspension was a mere wish of the ward executives as only the National Executive Committee (NEC) could discipline the national chairman.

A statement by his media adviser, Ike Abonyi, said, The media office of Prince Uche Secondus ordinarily should not be responding to every noise in the media being engineered by those who set out to distract and destroy the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but its our responsibility to guide those who are easily persuaded by news in the media hence this response.

Such action is a mere wish as Article 59(3) of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, (the) constitution states clearly that only the National Executive Committee, NEC of the party can discipline the National Chairman or any other National officer of the party.

Members of the public and the media should therefore be wary of agents out to distract PDP from the focus of retrieving our beloved country from the irreparable damage already done to it by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Before his appointment as the PDP national chairman, Mr Secondus had served as Rivers State chairman of the party.

He was also the partys national organising secretary and deputy national chairman.
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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has begun the tracking of constituency and executive projects in Lagos State.

The tracking exercise, which began Wednesday, would last for 12 days, the state commissioner for ICPC, Kabir Elelu, said.

Mr Elelu said a total number of 123 zonal intervention projects are expected to be tracked in Lagos, in the space of 12 days.

According to the state commissioner, the Lagos tracking exercise would be carried out by three teams comprising ICPC staff, quantity surveyors, accountants, civil society organizations, the media, and grassroots community development associations.

The objective of the tracking exercise is to ensure that the Appropriation Act is fully implemented as contemplated by law, monitor the implementation of the projects from inception to completion, make recoveries on projects/contracts confirmed to have been inflated, and investigate fraudulent procurement practices in the award of contracts for constituency and executive projects, Mr Elelu said.

The Lagos teams are tracking projects across the 20 local governments areas and three senatorial districts of the state.

Some of the places visited in the tracking exercise on Wednesday were schools in Lagos Island, Ikoyi, Obalende, and other areas that were listed as beneficiaries of the constituency projects.

The commission had announced the commencement of the third phase of constituency and executive tracking exercise in 17 states and the FCT.

In a statement by the spokesperson of ICPC, Azuka Ogugua, a total number of 1,251 projects will be tracked in the 17 states.

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The projects are 1,024 constituency and 227 executive projects respectively appropriated for in the 2019 and 2020 budget.

The projects are in the critical sectors of education, health, agriculture, water resources and power.

The commission said 524 projects were tracked in the first phase of the exercise in 2019, across12 states and the FCT, while the second phase in 2020 had about 822 projects tracked in 16 states.

The first 2 phases led to the recovery of assets worth billions of naira to the government, return of equipment to communities for whom they were meant. Also, about 300 contractors returned to sites and completed hitherto shoddily done or abandoned projects. The exercise led to revelation that some projects were excellently and completely executed,  the spokesperson said in the statement.
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Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, a former Board of Trustees (BoT) member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has retired from active politics.

Mr Iwuanyanwu, a front line politician in the South-east, disclosed this in Owerri at a news conference on Thursday, saying he was quitting after 43 years in active politics.

He said the countrys security intelligence should immediately profile Nigerians supporting foreign invaders and declare them national saboteurs.

Mr Iwuanyanwu advised the federal government not to romance with the issue of insecurity, adding that the situation in Nigeria has become a national emergency.

Those attacking Nigerians are majorly foreign invaders, I wonder why Nigerian intelligence cannot profile those we call unknown gunmen.

This is the right time for the federal government to establish state police, the Nigerian problem cannot end without restructuring and state police, he said.

He said the federal government should also enact a law empowering state governments to acquire arms and take absolute control of security in their states.

Its very laughable for any governor to advise the people to defend themselves against invaders.

It is not possible to fight invaders operating with automatic rifles with a den gun, so state governors must be allowed to take over the security architecture in their various states, he said.

On restructuring, Mr Iwuanyanwu said the Nigerian economy would continue to experience setbacks if the country was not restructured.

He said with proper restructuring, governors would develop their states at their pace, which he said would guarantee rapid development.

(NAN)
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Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Nigerias South-south, has vowed to bar people who are yet to take COVID-19 vaccine from having access to public places in the state, despite a court order against the plan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the state government had announced plans to make it compulsory for residents to take COVID-19 vaccine and present proof before accessing public places from the second week of September.

A Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, a few days ago, issued a temporary order, restraining Mr Obaseki and the Edo State Government from carrying on with the plan action.

Mr Obaseki, at a news briefing in Benin on Wednesday, however, threatened to impose lockdown in the state, if residents failed to heed his administrations directive and comply with COVID-19 protocols in order to halt the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The attention of (the) Edo Government has been drawn to an order by a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers, directing the government to maintain the status quo on the purported compulsory COVID-19 vaccination for citizens.

To the best of our knowledge, the order is, at best, speculative and preemptive, as the scheduled date for the commencement of enforcement of the directive is the second week of September.

We want to reiterate that our directive on vaccination stands, Mr Obaseki said.

He urged those planning social, religious, political or business events after the second week of September to ensure that both they and their guests were not only vaccinated but possessed vaccination cards as proof.

Anyone without this proof will not be granted access to crowded facilities, he said.

The governor also said the government was commencing intensive enforcement of use of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to curb the current spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths.

It must be stated that there is an obvious misconception that the directive issued by the government was to make vaccination compulsory for all citizens.

Although the governor has the power to make such an order under the Gazetted Quarantine Regulations, this directive is actually only a denial of access to public places of persons who chose not to be vaccinated, he said.

The governments overriding concern, Mr Obaseki said, is the safety and health of the citizens.

He stated that the positivity rate (CPR) for COVID-19 hovered between 15 and 25 per cent, adding that deaths were consistently being recorded daily, with unvaccinated persons accounting for 100 per cent.

Edo has recorded 196 COVID-19-releated deaths so far, the second highest in Nigeria after Lagos State which has recorded 604 deaths, according to the data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

(NAN)
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has written to President Muhammadu Buhari urging him to pardon 70 convicted Nigerian soldiers.

Mr Falana, who defended 58 of the 70 soldiers, said their dismissal from the army was ill-advised by the military authorities.

The dismissed military personnel were tried by General Courts Martial and convicted of mutiny between 2013 and 2014.

In prosecuting the war on terror, the Federal Government deployed thousands of ill-equipped and ill-motivated members of the armed forces to the North-east region to fight the well armed insurgents from 2013-2014, Mr Falana said.

He noted that a large number of soldiers who survived the insurgents onslaught deserted the military.

Mr Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), explained in his letter dated August 25 to Mr Buhari that the convicted troops demanded arms and armament from the military authorities.

Instead of attending to such legitimate demand, the military authorities accused scores of the soldiers of sabotaging the counter insurgency operations of the Federal Government and proceeded to set up courts-martial to try them for mutiny.

Soldiers demands for weapons legitimate

Mr Falana faulted the courts martial for refusing to appreciate that the demand for weapons by the soldiers was justified under section 179 of the Armed Forces Act, (Cap A20) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

According to him, the law permits a soldier, rating or aircraftman, to make a complaint to his commanding officer, and that he shall not be penalised for having made a complaint so far as the complaint does not contravene any provisions of the Act.

The lawyer also said the courts martials decisions convicting and sentencing the soldiers were against judicial precedent.

He said the decisions failed to respect the Court of Appeals 2003 judgement in the case of Segun Oladele, a corporal, and 22 others versus the Nigerian Army quashing the sentence of life imprisonment imposed on the appellants for protesting against the injustice meted out to them by the military authorities.

Why convicted soldiers deserve pardon

The human rights lawyer reminded Mr Buhari of the pardon being granted repentant terrorists by the government, arguing that the soldiers who were convicted of mutiny for demanding for weapons to fight such terrorist deserve to be granted pardon.

In urging the President to pardon the soldiers, Mr Falana pointed out that a presidential panel to probe arms procurement for the military had established instances of diversion of public funds against top military officers.

In the letter, Mr Falana referenced the Arms Procurement Panel instituted by Mr Buhari, which confirmed that the sums of $2.1 billion and N643 billion set aside for the purchase of equipment for the counter-insurgency operations were diverted by some military officers.

The coterie of military officers who cornered the fund deliberately sabotaged the counter insurgency operations of the government of Nigeria, the letter read in part.

He, therefore, said the demand of the soldiers for weapons to fight the insurgents was in order.

Since the highly placed criminal elements who sabotaged the war on terror and exposed our country to eternal shame and ridicule have been identified and made to refund their loot, the convicted soldiers ought to have been released from prison custody.

But the convicts were made to spend the 10-year prison term. Notwithstanding the completion of their prison term the convicted soldiers ought to be granted pardon by Your Excellency, he said.

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As the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic continues its rage in Nigeria, 11 deaths were recorded on Wednesday with 582 new infections.

This is as the federal government mulls the idea of introducing sanctions against the eligible Nigerians who may refuse to take vaccines against the pandemic.

According to an update on its Facebook page, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said the new infections were recorded across 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The centre noted that Wednesdays new cases raised Nigerias total infections to 193,013 while the fatality toll now stands at 2,480.

It added that a total of 11,533 Nigerians are currently down with the disease nationwide, while 173,492 have been cleared and discharged.

Breakdown

A breakdown of the NCDC data revealed that Lagos State in the South-west and Rivers State in the South-south shared more than half of the daily infections on Wednesday.

Lagos, being the epicentre of the disease, recorded 175, while Rivers recorded 124 cases and followed by Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Anambra States which recorded 60, 57, 44 and 25 cases respectively.

Bayelsa and Gombe State followed with 22, 19 cases respectively while Ekiti State and the FCT recorded 12 cases each.

Meanwhile, Kaduna State recorded 11 cases while Kano State reported six cases on Wednesday.

Also, Benue and Plateau state recorded five cases each on Wednesday, with Ogun and Jigawa states following with three and two cases respectively on the chart.

Vaccination: FG talks tough

The Nigerian government on Tuesday hinted that it may sanction eligible Nigerians who refuse COVID-19 vaccination.

The Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, gave the hint at a press briefing.

Mr Shuaib said the government may apply the basic rule of law against such people because they will be endangering the lives of other people.

Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has restrained the Edo State Government and its Governor, Godwin Obaseki, from forcing residents of the state to take COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report by The Nations newspaper.

Mr Obaseki had recently announced in Benin that Edo residents would be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination before they would be allowed into public places like churches, mosques, and malls.
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The Nigerian Army has said its troops have successfully killed six members of the Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP) in gun battles.

Army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, stated this in a statement on Thursday.

The statement said the terrorists were killed in two different locations by two of its formations.

Troops of 25 Brigade operating under the aegis of Joint Task Force, North East, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have neutralised 4 terrorists of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on Wednesday 31 August 2021.

The terrorists who were on espionage along Damboa-Bulabulin- Maiduguri road ran into a fighting patrol team at Kukawa and were neutralised in the fire fight that ensued with the troops.

On further exploitation after the encounter, the gallant troops recovered from the terrorists, four AK 47 rifles and four Magazines, each loaded with 30 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition, the statement said.

According to the army, two other terrorists were eliminated by the troops of 195 Battalion, Sector 1 OPHK in conjunction with elements of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) at Dusman-Muna Garage.

It said: In a separate operation, troops of 195 Battalion, Sector 1 OPHK in conjunction with elements of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) at Dusman-Muna Garage, Borno state have eliminated two ISWAP terrorists in an ambush operation conducted along an identified ISWAP terrorists crossing point at Musari village. The troops also captured and destroyed an ISWAP logistics vehicle conveying assorted goods and contraband items belonging to members of the terrorist group.

The killing of the terrorists comes as hundreds of members of the terrorists group have repented and handed over themselves and families to the authorities.

Boko Haram and ISWAP have terrorised the North-east zone of Nigeria and Lake Chad region for over a decade.

Read full statement:

OPERATION HADIN KAI: TROOPS ELIMINATE SIX ISWAP TERRORISTS Recover Arms Ammunition, other items

Troops of 25 Brigade operating under the aegis of Joint Task Force, North East, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have neutralised 4 terrorists of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on Wednesday 31 August 2021. The terrorists who were on espionage along Damboa-Bulabulin- Maiduguri road ran into a fighting patrol team at Kukawa and were neutralised in the fire fight that ensued with the troops. On further exploitation after the encounter, the gallant troops recovered from the terrorists, four AK 47 rifles and four Magazines, each loaded with 30 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition.

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In a separate operation, troops of 195 Battalion, Sector 1 OPHK in conjunction with elements of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) at Dusman-Muna Garage, Borno state have eliminated two ISWAP terrorists in an ambush operation conducted along an identified ISWAP terrorists crossing point at Musari village. The troops also captured and destroyed an ISWAP logistics vehicle conveying assorted goods and contraband items belonging to members of the terrorist group. Items recovered by troops from the terrorists vehicle are two bags of Hemp (Cannabis Sativa), 2 bags of Detergent,120 packets of mosquito coils, l2 mosquito nets and five textile materials. Other items recovered are two bycicles, two bags of beans, a bag of corn and some quantity of fish.

The Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has commended the troops for their operational exploits and urged them to maintain the aggressive posture in order to decisively root out the terrorists from their enclaves.

*ONYEMA NWACHUKWU*

Brigadier General

Director Army Public Relations

2 Sep 21
An Ikeja Division of the Lagos State High Court has ordered the freezing of assets and funds amounting to N19,178,253,050 allegedly kept in 24 banks by Francis Atuche, the convicted former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB.

The banks include Access Bank Plc, Citi Bank Ltd, Ecobank Nigeria Ltd, Fidelity Bank Nigeria Plc, First Bank Of Nigeria Plc, First City Monument Bank and Globus Bank Ltd.

Others include Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Heritage Bank Ltd, Keystone Bank Ltd, Lotus Bank Ltd, Mainstreet Bank Plc, Polaris Bank Plc, Platinum Mortgage Bank Ltd, Providus Bank Ltd and Stanbic IBTC Nigeria Ltd.

The rest are Standard Chartered Bank, Sterling Bank Plc, Titan Trust Bank Ltd, Union Bank Of Nigeria Plc, United Bank For Africa Plc, Unity Bank Plc, Wema Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc.

Lateefat Okunnu, the judge who convicted the banker in June, made the order sequel to an August 17 application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Charge No. ID/1549/2011 between the Federal Government on the one hand and Mr Atuche and Ugo Anyanwu as first and defendants.

Mr Anyanwu, a former chief financial officer of Bank PHB, is serving time in jail following his conviction and sentencing to six years imprisonment last June 16 for N25.7billion fraud alongside Mr Atuche.

Mrs Okunnu, while sentencing the duo, had ordered that they should make a restitution of N25.7 billion to the Federal Government to replace the funds stolen from the public to bail out the bank.

The judge granted the agencys 12 prayers pursuant to sections 6(d), 20, 24, 26(1), 30 and 34(1) of the EFCC Act and sections 290, 294 and 297 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2015, filed by prosecution counsel led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kemi Pinheiro.

Mrs Okunnu held: An order is made restraining the 1st Defendant (Atuche) whether by himself, or acting through the persons or entities listed or such other persons including but not limited to his family members or agents, from removing, alienating, disposing of, dealing with or diminishing the value of assets, proceeds of economic and financial crimes or otherwise in the name of the 1st Defendant

She noted that the assets or funds included those held indirectly by or for Mr Atuches benefit, whether solely or jointly held, that is located in Nigeria or worldwide.

The judge further froze any bank account being run and operated by Mr Atuche personally or jointly, whether in his personal name or otherwise or with the Bank Verification Number: 22295357230 in any of the respondent banks to the tune of N19,178,253,050.00 only, pursuant to the Restitution Order made by this Honourable Court on the 16 day of June 2021.

She also barred Mr Atuche and his privies  including his lawyers  from presenting to the Respondent Banks any mandate or instruction for the withdrawal of any money and/or funds standing to the credit of any of their accounts to the tune of N19, 178, 253. 050.

In another order, she restrained the banks from honouring any such instruction from Mr Atuche and his privies.

The judge added: A mandatory order of injunction is made directing the named respondent banks to file within 48 hours of service of this Order of this Honourable Court on them returns of the Statements of Account of the 1st Defendant (personally or jointly) whether in his personal name or otherwise or with the Bank Verification Number: 22295357230 and the accounts of persons and entities listed in the afore mentioned Schedules A and B maintained with them

A further order is made directing service of the Order made herein on persons affected thereby including in particular, the persons and entities listed in Schedules A and B. by way of advertisement in either The Punch or Thisday or The Guardian newspaper.

According to the EFCC, 15 persons were used as front by Mr Atuche to launder the funds.

They are: Anthony Atuche, Emeka Patrick Atuche, Paul Okobi, Felix Oyiana, Moruf Kazeem Adisa, Olatunji Abiodun, Daniel Enebeli, Aina Olugbenga, Augustine Nwabueze, Omonua Benedict, Oliver King Nduaaron, Dr. Chris Ike Ogbechie, Mr. Murat Bektaslar, Attah Omataikpo Olukemi and Thomas Etuh.

The 22 firms in which Atuche has interest in directly or indirectly, according to the EFCC, are Aqua Harvest Ltd, Hubmart Stores Limited, Hubmart Limited, Sapphire Capital Management Limited, Homeland Real Estate Company Limited, Malechi Foods Limited, Homeland Meridian Partners Limited, Promise Investment Limited, Temple Cottage Hotel Limited, Wegas Properties Project Limited, Buckhead Construction Limited, Claremount Management Services Limited, Afco Associates Limited, Platinum Capital Limited, Ghazali Yakubu Investment Limited, The Financial (Services) Company Limited, Venture Resources Limited, Elizabeth-A Company Limited, Signature Partners Limited, Purplepay Technologies Limited, Oakwood Asset Management Limited And Conesto Nigeria Limited.

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The Delta State High Court in Asaba has restrained Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, as the caretaker committee chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Other members of his Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC were also affected by the party, Vanguard Newspaper reported.

The judge, Onome Umukoro, also issued an interim order stopping the scheduled APC Local Government Congress in Delta State slated for September 4, 2021.

He then adjourned till September 7 for further hearing.

APC Deputy Chairman, Olorogun Ayomanor, leading other officials of the Delta APC had approached the court to challenge the outcome of the Ward Congresses in the state.

In an ex-parte application, which was heard on Wednesday, the claimants lead counsel, Daubry Richard, prayed the court to grant the seven prayers sought.

He submitted that going ahead with the Saturday, September 4 local government congress in Delta State would cause more damage to his clients.

Plaintiffs prayers

Principal among the prayers sought by the claimants was an order restraining the 2nd  14th defendants/respondents from further acting or parading themselves as the members of the Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC.

They also sought as an alternative prayer, an order of interim injunction restraining the 2nd  14th defendants/respondents from conducting the Local Government and State Congresses slated for September 4, 2021 or any other date, and other congresses of the 1st Defendant in Delta State, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice already filed and served.

The lawyer to the defendants, Robert Emukpoeruo, had initially challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.

He later dropped the challenge to ask that certain parties be joined as co-defendants in the suit.

READ ALSO: Buhari says APC back to life as party names national secretariat after him

In his response the claimants lawyer, Mr Richard, noted that the matter before the court was an ex-parte motion, which did exempts adverse parties from participating in its hearing.

Ruling

In his ruling, Mr Umukoro granted seven days order of interim injunction restraining Governor Buni and the CECPC members from conducting the Local Government and State Congresses slated for September 4, 2021.

The court also barred Mr Buni from parading himself as the chairman of the national caretaker committee of the party, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed and served.

Umukoro also ordered that Mr Buni and others at the national leadership be served originating summons through any officer or staff of the APC at the partys national secretariat in Abuja.

The suit was adjourned till September 7, 2021, for further hearing.

Apart from the suit, there are other ones specifically challenging Mr Bunis competence to lead the party as its chairman given his position as a serving state governor.
The Kogi State Government has threatened to sue the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of mismanagement of a N20bn bailout loan meant to augment payment of workers salaries.

Relying on intelligence, the anti-grant commission had filed an ex parte application before the Federal High Court in Lagos to freeze the states account with Sterling Bank to stop further dissipation of the funds in the fixed account.

The agency accused the Kogi government of keeping the said amount in an interest-yielding account rather than the account opened to cater for workers salaries.

Granting the application, the judge, Tijjani Ringim, on Tuesday, ordered the state governments account frozen and adjourned the matter till December 1 for the report of the EFCC investigation.

Fighting back

The Kogi government, represented by commissioners and aides, at a press conference in Abuja, on Thursday, denied the allegations and threatened to fight the case till a reasonable conclusion.

Leading the conference, the state commissioner for information and communication, Kingsley Fanwo, said the state does not operate any fixed account with Sterling Bank as suggested by the commission to the court which birthed the ex parte order.

Against the anti-graft court approved facts that the government has a sum of N19.3 billion in the fixed account while N666.6 million has been misappropriated by Governor Yahaya Bello-led government, Mr Fanwo countered, insisting that the state has approximately N46 million across its three operational accounts with the alleged bank.

He said the EFCC has failed in its primary assignment and accused it of misleading the court as well as the public.

Mr Fanwo said the state government is preparing to sue not only the commission but perhaps the media houses which he alleged were sponsored by his boss political enemies to tarnish his image.

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Gentlemen of the Press, for the records, the Kogi State Government vehemently denies having the sum of N19,333,333,333.36 or any other sum in a fixed deposit account with Sterling Bank Plc as alleged. The Kogi State Government states that it never gave any instruction to Sterling Bank Plc and the said Bank also did not fix on its behalf, any bailout fund or any other funds.

The Kogi State Government states that as of the 23rd Day of July, 2019 when she utilized the monies for the payment of salaries and allowances to Kogi State civil servants and up to the 31st day of August 2021 when the purported court order was procured, it had approximately N46,000,000.00 cumulatively in the salary and bailout accounts it operates with Sterling Bank Plc, he said, adding that the commission never called nor invite any of its officials for clarity at any point.

To corroborate his claim, the commissioner showed journalists a copy of its bank statement. The bank statement was accompanied by a signed two-page letter where Sterling bank dissociated itself from the EFCCs action.

Kogi does not operate fixed account with us  Sterling

In the signed letter which is in response to the states request, also obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, Sterling bank said it is dismayed by the anti-graft accusation and denied having an application to Kogi state to open a fixed account whatsoever.

With reference to the account number the commission quoted in a submitted document before the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, the bank argued that the mentioned account is an internal digit the organisation uses to monitor Kogi State account.

With this correspondence, we wish to reaffirm Sterlings commitment to upholding and maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct to your honorable self, the government and the people of Kogi State.

In light of the above submissions, permit us to respond to your enquiry as follows:

The Kogi State government does not currently operate or maintain a fixed deposit account with Sterling Bank.

There is no mandate letter from the Kogi State government to open account number 0073572696 with Sterling.

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Sterling Bank account 0073572696 is an internal (mirror) account operated by the Bank for purposes of managing the Kogi State, an extract from a letter dated September 1, and seen by this newspaper read.

The bank, in its subsequent paragraphs, registered the breakdown of the state funds in its three operational accounts.
Governors and others who have worked at the state level and gone on to work at the federal executive level, have seen their appetite for decentralisation or true federalism, greatly reduced For instance, a current serving minister was governor of a State that tussled with the Federal Government on the right of state governments to create local governments. The issue is now moot and the states legal representative that led the challenge, would later emerge as Vice President.

One month from now, Nigerias last batch of states created in 1996, to bring the total to 36, would turn 25 years old.

The last batch of six states  Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Nasarawa, Zamfara, Gombe and Ekiti  was created by the military head of state, General Sani Abacha, on October 1, 1996.

Post-Abacha, agitation for more states has continued, which is hardly surprising for a country with over 300 ethnic nationalities, where diversity has been disastrously mismanaged in recent times.

Till date, no civilian government has created any State and that trend seems set to continue. The exception was in 1963 when the Mid-West Region was created out of the old Western Region after a referendum in the First Republic.

The best that the country can hope for is a more decentralised, hopefully, restructured system. And even that increasingly appears a mirage.

The Exclusive, Concurrent and Residual legislative lists of the 1999 Constitution set the roles of the different tiers of government, with a lopsided and irresponsible tilt in favour of the Federal Government.

The Exclusive List comprises 68 items, apart from 30 others in the Concurrent List on which the Federal Government can also make laws. The large-scale privatisation of Federal Government assets under President Olusegun Obasanjo was supposed to lighten the financial burden of the centre, freeing more resources to the states.

But Abuja still gorges itself on a disproportionate share of the federation revenue, while states with growing populations, failing infrastructure and increasing crises of poverty and insecurity, pay through their noses to fend for themselves.

The move by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to capitalise on the legal loophole in the Value Added Tax (VAT) law presents yet another interesting challenge in the quest for true federalism. VAT, the consumption tax paid across product value chains, was introduced in 1993 under the military.

Even though it has been widely criticised for entrenching a monkey-dey-work-baboon-dey chop pathology, a cynical reference to a system where Lagos, for example, contributes the chunk of the revenue, while others feed off the trough, VAT continues to be an important source of government revenue.

In 2020, the Federal Government increased the VAT rate by 50 per cent and cracked the whip at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to expand its tax base, especially following the collapse in oil revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet, the position of the courts as the final arbiter, while laudable, signifies the limited nature of the countrys democracy and the fact that while debates about decentralisation are here to stay, there is no approach towards how members of the political elite seek to get there.

While the FIRS lists a myriad of taxes under its schedule of fees and those responsible for them, the Constitution is silent on VAT and the argument can be made that it falls under the Concurrent List that state governments can set and collect  a loophole that Rivers State has seized.

But Rivers is not the first or only State to exploit legal loopholes to stretch the definition or boundary of the autonomy of states.

In his time as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos, Professor Yemi Osinbajo led the State in a series of restructuring by litigation to claw back swathes of federal wasteland, in areas such as creation of local governments, physical planning, title registration, registration and production of vehicle number plates, and casino licensing.

Lagos State in 2019 also secured a judgement that upheld its right to charge and collect consumption tax from hotels, restaurants and event centres within the State.

The judgement is based on the principle that the power to impose consumption tax is on the Residual List. This judgement was also given against the FIRS that deemed that it had the right to collect those taxes.

These battles on legal interpretations of the Constitution are cut and dried. The challenge for the right of control over inland waterways in Lagos, for example, was fought in court for over 10 years, before a ceasefire was brokered between the National Inland Waterways Authority and Lagos State.

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Ironically, in 2019, one year after the truce, the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, re-affirmed the right of the Federal Government to control the inland waterways of the State.

Focusing on VAT alone misses the big picture, as it conforms to a long list of issues that state governments have sought to challenge federal authority on. The fact that VAT is the new warfront is a tad ironic, especially in light of the claim by the Federal Government that 85 per cent of receipts are returned to state and local governments.

The other warfronts, from grazing routes, to the Petroleum Industry Act and even internal party discussions on the next president, are other areas that both tiers of government would continue to disagree on.

Yet, the position of the courts as the final arbiter, while laudable, signifies the limited nature of the countrys democracy and the fact that while debates about decentralisation are here to stay, there is no approach towards how members of the political elite seek to get there.

The ongoing constitutional amendment offers a pathway but engagement with the process has been stifled  some argue deliberately  and the countrys history of unsuccessful amendments and conferences in the twilight of unpopular administrations continues.

Only this week, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, invited some state chief judges over the proliferation of conflicting judgements on the status of the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In whose interests were the ex parte orders procured and in which genuine federation will a Chief Justice summon judges of its constituent states to answer a query?

In essence, Nigerias gradual decentralisation is now being championed by state governors, a group that, depending on the weather and time of day, sometimes finds itself conflicted and at other times, incentivised to it. Despite the significant powers they currently possess, they understand that there is room for more. While this is a welcome development, let no one be deceived that they embarked on this mission for altruistic reasons.

State governments control almost half of the countrys revenues, and as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said in her book, Reforming the unreformable, they have little accountability to anyone. A majority of them hold on to the belief that they should control local government funds.

As this same group has sought autonomy from the Federal Government on a range of issues, theyve conversely fought against judicial and legislative autonomy within their states. Its difficult to argue that they act in the national interest or those of even their states.

Last year, the Centre for Advanced Defence Studies (C4ADS) acquired a private database of Dubai real estate owners. The report, done in 2016, found that 35 governors from 15 states were linked to 69 different properties in Dubai.

While Nigerian governors are not the only group of Nigerias political elite in the report, they were the countrys third largest group after suspected PEP proxy and PEP linked government persons.

Governors have acted for themselves and their political cronies, with their end goal being to retain power even after their terms, by becoming godfathers, players on the federal political scene or becoming federal legislators.

Governors and others who have worked at the state level and gone on to work at the federal executive level, have seen their appetite for decentralisation or true federalism, greatly reduced.

For instance, a current serving minister was governor of a State that tussled with the Federal Government on the right of state governments to create local governments. The issue is now moot and the states legal representative that led the challenge, would later emerge as Vice President.

In essence, state governments are challenging the terms on which the country is currently constituted, in whose interests, no one knows. However, these challenges have the opportunity to deepen our democracy but also require that we scrutinise these actions and be wary of an over-reliance on an imperfect judiciary.

Only this week, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, invited some state chief judges over the proliferation of conflicting judgements on the status of the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In whose interests were the ex parte orders procured and in which genuine federation will a Chief Justice summon judges of its constituent states to answer a query?

If the issues were limited to those of a fluid and ever-changing political elite that has seen three sitting governors defect to the ruling federal party in less than a year, then Nigerians should be wary of these developments. But that is not the case; these are symptoms of a much deeper problem.

Azu Ishiekwene is Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP.
From my close observation of JAMBs activities in recent times, I have noticed that the Board has been deploying technology in greater dimensions to improve on its examinations delivery. This has reduced cases of malpractices. For instance, there was a time when it was very easy for people to hire mercenaries to sit for exams on behalf of candidates. But with the use of biometrics, this is no longer feasible

Listening to Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) at the 2021 Policy Meeting, which held virtually on Tuesday, reaffirms my belief that there is nothing peculiar about Nigerias problems. Our challenges are not insurmountable! We only need courageous, sincere and selfless people in leadership positions to tackle them.

Those who have been following the story of JAMB in the last five years will acknowledge that the examination body has recorded some positive changes since the professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies took over as its chief executive officer. Interestingly, Professor Oloyede is the current Secretary General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. But in spite of our societys penchant for reading religious meaning into almost everything, nobody has imputed any form of religious bias against Professor Oloyede in recent times. I guess he must have earned the confidence of Nigerians through his actions.

When the Registrar remitted N7.8 billion to the Federal Government coffers in 2017 as proceeds of the sales of application forms for that year alone, everybody hailed him  Christians, Muslims, traditional worshippers and even atheists. Before then, his predecessor in office had remitted a paltry sum of N50 million to the government purse in five years. It was also on record that the N7.8 billion remitted was not as a result of a hike in the cost of purchasing the University Tertiary Marticulation Examination (UTME) forms, but purely a product of prudent management of the Boards resources.

It is also on record that President Muhammadu Buhari approved a reduction in the cost of the JAMB examination form from N5,000 to N3, 500 in 2018, on the basis of the recommendation of the Education Minister, which I believe must have been initiated by the Registrar. That is the typical example of what a nation gets when competent and honest people are put in charge of its affairs. No wonder, some people had to prevail on Oloyede to accept a second term in office offer, which I learnt that he was very reluctant to take. The truth is, those who lobby and beg for political offices often time do so for personal aggrandisement. Any leader would be too willing to reappoint a person like Oloyede for a second term in office. I read comments like, The first thing this President ever did right, from different social media platforms, following his reappointment. This shows how widely accepted he is among many Nigerians.

In my column on the Hypocrisy of Nigerian leaders last month, I noted that religion and ethnicity have nothing to do with development. I explained that technology has no religious affinity. I mean, nobody cares about the religious background of an innovator, so long as the innovation solves human problems. Or how many people go about researching the religious backgrounds of scientists who provide medical solutions to worlds worst ailments, sicknesses and diseases? The plain truth is that many Nigerians dont care about the religious background of any political office holder; they are only interested in positive changes. The politicians are the ones always playing religious and ethnic cards to achieve selfish ends.

I am particularly impressed with the way JAMB is deploying technology in tackling the challenge of examination malpractice, which was a major problem of the Board in the past. There was a time in the history of this country when there was hardly a correlation between the scores of UTME candidates and their academic performances in higher institutions. Then, JAMB officials, candidates, special centres etc., cheated the system unhindered. I remember a conversation with a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Bamiro, who lamented the rate at which students were dropping out of courses like Medicine and Engineering in the premier university then. These were candidates admitted on the basis of their high scores in UTME. It got so bad that nearly 50 per cent of students admitted for these courses were dropping out in their first year because they couldnt cope with the rigours of academic activities that those courses required. The situation was not peculiar to U.I. alone. This was the reason behind the introduction of the post-UTME.

From my close observation of JAMBs activities in recent times, I have noticed that the Board has been deploying technology in greater dimensions to improve on its examinations delivery. This has reduced cases of malpractices. For instance, there was a time when it was very easy for people to hire mercenaries to sit for exams on behalf of candidates. But with the use of biometrics, this is no longer feasible

Gladly, the situation has now improved. I learnt that there is presently a greater correlation between the performances of students in the UTME and post-UTME, and their performances in university academics. This suggests an improvement in the integrity of the UTME, which is commendable. Of course, I am not in any way suggesting that everything is perfect but we need to acknowledge areas where there have been improvements. Actually, the former Registrar of the Board, Dibu Ojerinde, began the deployment of technology in its exams with the introduction of the Computer-Based Test (CBT) in 2013. However, the CBT didnt totally eliminate examination malpractice because it could not, for example, check cases of impersonation and other ways of cheating. Candidates were still doing all kinds of things to cheat the system. Some used programmable calculators, wristwatches, etc.

From my close observation of JAMBs activities in recent times, I have noticed that the Board has been deploying technology in greater dimensions to improve on its examinations delivery. This has reduced cases of malpractices. For instance, there was a time when it was very easy for people to hire mercenaries to sit for exams on behalf of candidates. But with the use of biometrics, this is no longer feasible as fingerprints must correspond with those of candidates registered for the exams. Some candidates also deceived the system in the past by using wrong names for registration, and this too has been curbed with the introduction of the National Identification Number (NIN) for registration.

It is on record that cases of exam malpractice in 2021 went down drastically as a result of the use of the NIN for UTME registration. There is also a sharp drop in the number of candidates who registered for the UTME this year, in comparison to last year, suggesting that the use of NIN could have discouraged some candidates from registering for the exam. While 2.1 million candidates registered for the UTME in 2020, only 1.4 million candidates registered in 2021. I know that there are still cases of exam malpractices, like candidates colluding with some institutions to input false JAMB scores on the portals and so on; but the most important thing is that as JAMB makes new discoveries, it puts measures in place to check such nefarious activities.

This has always been my point: Corruption is better fought via technology than platitudes. Corrupt people are everywhere. Corruption is not peculiar to Africa. The reason why we see more corrupt cases in Africa is because we create room for corruption to thrive. The more technology we deploy in doing business, the more transparent the system would become and the greater the integrity of the system. If you make it difficult for people to be corrupt, cases of graft will ultimately reduce.

it is gratifying to see that Professor Oloyede has been given another five years to steer the affairs of JAMB. All eyes are on him to take the Board to greater heights and I sincerely hope he will not disappoint his numerous admirers.

Unfortunately here, it seems government deliberately opens up means of chop-chop for unscrupulous Nigerians to exploit others. That is why things that ought to have been automated are deliberated left loose to give some public servants and government agents the opportunity to exploit fellow country folks, etc. For example, its still almost impossible to renew a drivers license or international passport in this country without the human interface. The personnel involved deliberately complicate the process. At the end of the day, people are forced to grease the palms of FRSC, Immigration, Customs, local government officials, etc., to get things done. There was a particular year that I was determined to follow through the so-called official process put in place by the FRSC to renew my licence and I paid dearly for it. I wasted time and energy. The process was too cumbersome and at every point there was always a barrier. Needless to say, I have since learnt my lesson. I also tried once to renew my international passport the official way. It also ended in disaster. As for the National Identification Number (NIN), just pray not to have any problem with the way your name is spelt or arranged. It can take a year to effect the correction.

Nigerias failure in deploying technology is partly responsible for the high number of kidnappings and banditry we experience these days. Or how do we explain a situation where our law enforcement agencies find it difficult to nab criminals that use registered telephone lines to negotiate for ransom from the families of kidnapped victims?

Examination malpractice remains a threat to quality education in any society. JAMB has shown that technologies like facial recognition, biometric systems and CCTV cameras can be used to mitigate examination frauds. Other examination bodies in the country should follow JAMBs footstep and deploy more technology in the delivery of their exams.

Meanwhile, it is gratifying to see that Professor Oloyede has been given another five years to steer the affairs of JAMB. All eyes are on him to take the Board to greater heights and I sincerely hope he will not disappoint his numerous admirers.

Olabisi Deji-Folutile is the Editor-in-Chief, franktalknow.com and member, Nigerian Guild of Editors. Email: bisideji@yahoo.co.uk.

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The Zamfara State House of Assembly say security formations in the state often do not respond to distress calls from communities under attack by armed bandits.

The lawmakers stated this on Wednesday at their plenary presided over by the deputy speaker, Musa Yankuzo.

The lawmakers also passed a resolution calling on the state and federal governments to do more to check insecurity in the state.

The member of the assembly representing Kaura Namoda South, Anas Sarkin-Fada, accused the security agencies of not acting on distress calls, describing the alleged attitude as most unfortunate.

Mr Sarkin-Fada gave an instance of a recent attack at Kyambarawa in his constituency. He said despite numerous calls to the security agencies in the area, no officer responded.

The lawmaker said the bandits took their time to kill and abduct many people in the village, saying the attack could have been prevented if the security personnel responded to the distress calls.

RESOLUTION

The Assembly also passed a resolution urging the executive arm of government to bring an end to banditry in the state

The resolution followed a motion raised by the House leader, Faruk Dosara, under matters of urgent public importance, the assemblys spokesperson, Mustapha Jafaru, said in a statement.

Mr Dosara commended the efforts of the state government in enforcing some emergency measures aimed at checking the activities of bandits in the state.

He called on the people to cooperate with the government and security agencies as the punitive measures announced were meant to end over two decades of insecurity in the state.

Mr Dosara described as unpatriotic the comments of some residents condemning the government for closing down weekly markets in the state and imposing a statewide curfew.

COVID-19 is a case in point The fifth pillar of Islam, Hajj, was halted by Saudi Arabia authorities for fear of infection only and the whole world was also put on a total lockdown but no one said anything, the lawmaker said.

Members of the state House of Assembly are in in full support of the governments laudable security initiatives aimed at getting to the roots of this insecurity menace that has crippled almost all facets of economic activities of our dear state, Mr Dosara added.

In their separate remarks and contributions, Yusuf Alhassan, representing Maru North, Mansur Daki-Takwas, representing Gummi one, Abdulnasir Gayari, representing Gummi 2 and Ibrahim Tukur representing Bakura local government area said the emergency rules were timely .

In his response, the deputy speaker, Mr Yankuzo, commended his colleagues for their contributions on the mater.

The House also at the Wednesdays plenary received the 2020 annual Audit report from the office of the state Auditor general and commit same to the House Committee on Public Accounts for scrutiny and report findings to the House in the next one month.

With yesterdays plenary by the House and subsequent adjournment for today put to rest the baseless and frivolous allegation by some sections of conventional media Houses in the country that the House suspends all plenaries till the abducted father of Mr speaker is released hale and hearty by his abductors about four weeks ago, the statement said.

The spokesperson for the police in Zamfara, Muhammad Shehu, could not be reached on phone for comments on the allegation by the lawmakers that security agents do not respond to distress calls.

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A scandalous controversy is brewing in Akwa Ibom State, over an allegation that a local council chairman had administered fetish oath to extract loyalty from his political supporters.

One person is said to have died as the result of the oath known as mbiam in the local language.

The council chairman, Israel Idaisin, who heads Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has, however, dismissed the allegation as political attack.

He accused the Commissioner of Agriculture in the state, Glory Edet, who hails from Ini, of sponsoring the attack against him.

In a trending clip on some WhatsApp groups, a former councillor in Ini, Ubong George said Mr Idaisin paid him and others to administer the oath to some of his supporters prior to his first term election in 2017.

The video showed a swollen leg of an unnamed man said to be suffering from the effect of the oath.

The mans face was not shown in the video.

Mr George told PREMIUM TIMES that the man in the trending video is Elder Nkwoko.

He said it was the man who prepared and administered the oath, and that he later died. He, however, refused to mention the morgue where he said the mans corpse was deposited.

Mr George said the council chairman had abandoned his supporters since 2017.

I have been loyal to him since 2017. During his first term election as council chairman, he sent us to converge about 35 people to be sure that those people will stand by him. Some of them were delegates, some were ordinary supporters who are strong men from our ward.

In order to convince him that those people are his people, we had to administer mbiam to be sure those people will stand by him. He gave some money for us to convince those people to take that oath, he said.

The chairman, he said, had refused to come to the village to perform some traditional rites that could help defuse the effect of the oath.

He said the chairman rather held a meeting with the boys whom they administered the oath to and gave them N100,00 each.

We asked him why he called the boys without calling those that administered the oath to them, he sent his boys to threaten us that he is going to get us arrested.

As I am talking to you, I am not in my house. I am hiding in the bush because of the police he sent to Ini to arrest us, Mr George said.

PREMIUM TIMES spoke with a PDP youth leader in the area, Titus Charlie, and another former councillor in Ini, Emmanuel Udoh, both said Mr Georges story was true.

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They admitted that they were among those who administered the oath.

Chairmans reaction

The council chairman, Mr Idaisin told PREMIUM TIMES the stories were completely false.

He said the allegation was a political blackmail against him sponsored by the commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Edet.

The House of Assembly member (Emmanuel Ekpenyong) and the commissioner supported me during my election and both are aspiring for the House of Representatives. I have said that I am going to be neutral because the two of them supported me.

But the commissioner is saying that I cant say that because, according to her, she was the one who stood up for me when the governor did not want me. I told her I cant endorse her yet. So she started this blackmail. Where will it take her to?

She thinks that blackmailing me will give her the ticket. Let her win and show me then. So the allegation is purely a political blackmail, he said.

Mrs Edet, who is the dean of College of Commissioners in Governor Udom Emmanuels administration, is one of the longest serving commissioners, having served in the administration of former governor Godswill Akpabio.

The administration of fetish oaths to get political support has been a traditional practice over the years in Akwa Ibom politics.

Governor Emmanuel has repeatedly condemned the practice as being ungodly.

PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately get Mrs Edets comment for this report as the commissioner did not respond to calls and a text message from our reporter.
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The Commissioner for Health in Anambra State, Vincent Okpala, said the state has received 58,100 doses of Moderna and 13,792 AstraZeneca vaccines for the phase II vaccination against COVID-19.

Mr Okpala, a medical doctor, said this on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka.

He called on residents of the state to make themselves available for the vaccination.

According to him, no fewer than 62,000 Anambra residents have so far been vaccinated and are doing well.

Mr Okpala said taking the vaccination would help to contain the spread of the pandemic in the state.

He advised that people should take the fight against the spread of the virus seriously for their lives, those of their relatives and other people.

He said the advocacy for Nigerians to take the jab and observe the safety protocol became necessary, following the spike in the number of cases across the globe.

Mr Okpala said the state recorded 101 cases of the new Delta Variant in the last two weeks.

This deadly Delta Variant that is spreading across the globe needs to be stopped from spreading into our communities.

We are business people. We travel a lot and mingle with people and visit homes after each business trip or vacation.

So, we need to protect ourselves and others, save lives and take vaccines. It is safe, Mr Okpala said.

He said that Governor Willie Obiano recently launched the first dose of the phase two vaccination at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka.

The commissioner called on residents to avail themselves the opportunity to get vaccinated and ignore the fake reports that the vaccines were not safe.

See the taking of the vaccine as important and participate in the exercise not only to save lives of people today but future generations, Mr Okpala said.

He commended the governor for his commitment in ensuring a functional health sector.

(NAN)
National President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Olutoyin Ayinde, has called on the government at all levels to appoint professionals into positions of authority in order to build strong and meaningful governance in the country.

Mr Ayinde made the call in Awka, on Wednesday at the investiture of Okwuchukwu Ulasi, President, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), Anambra chapter.

He said appointment of professionals would provide the leadership and experience required to deliver good governance.

Professionals are important in the success of any government, he said.

Governance is delivered or not delivered by the action and inaction of those in government. Professionals are better positioned to serve in such governments appointments.

Professionals have specialised knowledge, they are competent, reliable, trailblazers, leaders and problem solvers, and will make a difference in whatever assignments they are called to.

They will help the government utilise resources appropriately, to deliver impactful governance and deliver the dividends of democracy, he said.

While congratulating Mr Ulasi on his appointment, Mr Ayinde advised him and his executive members to work with the state government to drive good governance and economic progress.

The Chairman, Anambra State Physical Planning Board, Chike Maduekwe, urged the body of professionals in the state to shun all forms of misconduct.

Embrace standard ethics that will promote the image and integrity of the body.

Do not get the body involved in unnecessary politicking. Be on the side of professionalism and best practices always, said Mr Maduekwe, who chaired the investiture ceremony.

The National President of APBN, Akinloye Oyegbola, in his remarks, urged the association to assist, partner and advise the state government to ensure appropriate policies to deliver good governance.

Come out strong to advise the government on the best ways to surmount the challenges facing Anambra.

Partner with the government to drive economic transformation through formulation of a positive policy framework in all the key sectors of the economy to aid strategic planning, he said.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Ulasi pledged to uphold professionalism through advocacy to drive the growth of the state.

Mr Ulasi said the association would continue to collaborate with the relevant government agencies, the media and others to achieve set goals.

Mr Ulasi is the third chairman of APBN since its 19 years of existence in the state.

(NAN)

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The Ebonyi State Government has condemned a recent attack on military and police formations in the state.

The security personnel were said to have been attacked in Effium/Ezza community, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state, where they were deployed to restore peace and order in the crisis-ridden community.

The state Commissioner for Information, Uchenna Orji, said in a statement on Thursday in Abakaliki that the attack was unwarranted.

Mr Orji said the government condemned the disagreement by people from both Effium and Ezza and the senseless attacks, especially on the security agencies deployed to ensure the security of the people.

We have seen that the stakeholders and youths in the area are not truly committed to peaceful co-existence despite the interventions by government and efforts of security agencies to halt all hostilities in that community.

It is noteworthy to mention that the State Government, in considering the conditions of the people especially the aged and other vulnerable persons, set aside N100 million in the first instance to rehabilitate these helpless people both at Effium and Ezza.

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This assistance is with a view of mitigating the socio-economic conditions of the people.

It is therefore obvious that the stakeholders and the youths are the reason for these lingering disputations.

Let me state it clearly that the government will continue to do everything possible to protect the lives and property of the people of Effium/Ezza, he said.

The commissioner said the state government had taken a decision to withdraw the N100 million pending when the two groups would embrace peace.

The Executive Council further took a decision that without prejudice to the elected public servants, no person from Effium/Ezza-Effium shall be appointed into the state public service till such a time the government is convinced about their commitment to peace in their community.

Government may consider stopping further execution of government infrastructural programmes in that community until total peace is returned, he added.

(NAN)
Plattsburgh, NY (12901)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low around 65F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low around 65F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Development bank established by BRICS begins membership expansion

SHANGHAI, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The New Development Bank (NDB)  established by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in 2015  has admitted the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a new member.

NDB's Board of Governors authorized the Bank to conduct formal negotiations with prospective members in late 2020. After a round of successful negotiations, NDB is increasing its global outreach with the announcement of the UAE, Uruguay and Bangladesh as the first countries admitted into the Bank.

"We warmly welcome the UAE into the NDB family. It's a particular honor that the UAE joins us on the occasion of its Golden Jubilee celebration. These 50 years have seen the UAE rise as one of the world's most innovative and dynamic economies", said Mr. Marcos Troyjo, President of NDB.

"The United Arab Emirates membership in the New Development Bank represents a new step to enhance the role of the UAE economy on the global stage, especially in light of the great capabilities and expertise that the country possesses in supporting infrastructure projects and sustainable development. This monumental step would not have been achieved without the vision and directions of the UAE leadership who believe in the importance of supporting development projects around the world especially in the emerging economies", said H.E. Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs of the UAE.

The UAE will have in NDB a new platform to foster cooperation in infrastructure and sustainable development with BRICS and upcoming new members. Membership to NDB becomes effective once the admitted country completes its domestic processes and deposits the instrument of accession.

Since its establishment six years ago, NDB has approved about 80 projects in all of its member countries, totaling a portfolio of US$ 30 billion. Projects in areas such as transport, water and sanitation, clean energy, digital infrastructure, social infrastructure and urban development are within the scope of the Bank.

NDB's membership expansion is in line with the Bank's strategy to become the premier development institution for emerging economies.

Background information

NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries, complementing the existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development. NDB has an authorized capital of US$ 100 billion, which is open for subscription by members of the United Nations.

SOURCE NDB
The webinar, aimed at professionals from the public and private sectors, will further explore the implications of the events resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic as an economic disruptor and their impact on the acceleration of changes that were previously delayed in terms of digital modernisation in the maritime-port sector.

The panel of experts includes prominent industry leaders from various origins, such as Yann Alix, Executive Director of the SEFACIL Foundation in France and an expert on the Latin American reality; Jorge Duran, Secretary of the Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP) of the Organization of American States; Carlos Martner, Coordinator of Integrated Transportation and Logistics of the Mexican Institute of Transportation (IMT); Sergio Gorgone, Information Systems Manager of the Buenos Aires Port Authority (AGP), who will share with the event's moderator's, Jean Edouard Nicolet from Webb Fontaine and Luis Ascencio, International Transport and Logistics Consultant and director of the portal Porthink.com.

Jean Edouard Nicolet, Business Development Manager for the Latin American and Caribbean region, Webb Fontaine  comments: "Latin American is transitioning to paperless services, technology integration, and public-private partnerships for the creation and management of information systems such as Single Windows and Port Community Systems. The pursuit of better operational integration and cybersecurity in port logistics are critical elements in increasing Trade users' efficiency and competitiveness. Webb Fontaine is perfectly positioned to be a strategic partner for port communities and governments tackling this change management challenge. Webb Fontaine objective is to bring together industry experts in a conversation that can stimulate innovative thoughts and actions."

The "Port Dynamics: Opportunities & Challenges in Latin America" webinar will be broadcast on September 8, 2021, 10:00 AM Panama time. Register here: https://bit.ly/3gJF8LO

These thought-provoking webinars are part of what is intended to be a Think-Tank series aimed at delivering high-impact information, enabling industry and public policy stakeholders to engage in knowledge sharing. updated.

About Webb Fontaine:

Webb Fontaine is a world-leading technology company re-shaping the future of Trade. Trusted by governments globally, Webb Fontaine provides industry wide solutions to accelerate Trade development and modernisation. The company uses unique technology including Artificial Intelligence to enable countries to emerge as leaders in the future of Trade.

www.webbfontaine.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1606590/Webb_Fontaine_Port.jpg

SOURCE Webb Fontaine
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM) today announced details of the inaugural Future Minerals Summit, the first-ever event to offer a 'one-stop-shop' for investors, miners and other industry stakeholders interested in learning more about the mining potential of the Middle East, Central Asia, and North and East Africa.

The Future Minerals Summit will be held under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

"We are putting mining and investment at the heart of the new Saudi economy," said Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar Al-Khorayef. "With an estimated $1.3 trillion mineral endowment, we are looking for investors and partners to work with us to continue to transform the Saudi mining industry in the years ahead."

Scheduled to take place from January 11 to 13, 2022, in Riyadh, invitations have been extended to the world's key mining industry leaders, investors and influencers, and thought-provoking speakers.

"What sets the Future Minerals Summit apart and makes it compelling is the three dynamic regions that co-own the event and are open for business," said Al-Khorayef. "The Summit will provide a platform for governments from across the Middle East, Central Asia, and North and East Africa to come together to discuss investment opportunities and strategic partnerships with global investors with an interest in mining.

"Our ambition is to shape the future of mining by bringing together governments, the private sector, multilateral organizations and NGOs to find solutions and sustainable investment streams to support a dynamic, integrated mining sector in this part of the world and beyond," concluded Al-Khorayef.

The conference program is being built around four pillars:

Defining a New Mining Hub  Showcasing opportunities across the Middle East , Central Asia , and North and East Africa

, , and North and Lands of Opportunity  Outlining partnership opportunities across integrated value chains

Reimagining Mining  Shining a spotlight on innovations that will support mining in the future

Mining's Contribution to Society  Highlighting the industry's vital role in producing the inputs needed to create a circular carbon future, as well as attracting the workforce of the future

In addition to the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, Future Minerals Summit has been endorsed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Investment, and Public Investment Fund.

SOURCE The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM)
MOSCOW, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A working meeting was held between Rosneft Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin, and Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs of India Hardeep Singh Puri.

The meeting discussions covered implementation of joint projects, development of cooperation in the area of oil and gas production, refining and petrochemicals, sales of hydrocarbons.

Rosneft and the Indian partners actively develop the format of integral cooperation throughout the value chain, from oil production to refining and marketing of petroleum products. The projects they jointly develop in Russia include the Vankorneft, Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha, and Sakhalin-1 production assets.

Then, Rosneft is a shareholder of Nayara Energy, the company operating a complex refinery in Vadinar and one of most rapidly developing retail networks in India. The Indian company has already started implementation of the Refinery Upgrade Program: Stage 1 envisages installation of polypropylene production plants for up to 450 thousand tons per annum. Nayara Energy also plans to further expand its retail network in India to 8 thousand outlets in the next 3 years.

"These projects allowed us to take the lead in the investment cooperation between Russia and India, Igor Sechin noted at the meeting. - Mutual investments into projects with engagement of Rosneft and the Indian partners exceed 17 billion dollars. This accounts for more than half of cumulative Russia - Indian investments to date."

The meeting also included a presentation of Vostok Oil, Rosneft's flagship project implemented in North Krasnoyarsk Territory. Igor Sechin took Hardeep Singh Puri through key parameters of the project and its competitive strengths.

Vostok Oil is one of the most promising petroleum projects in the world. It comprises 52 license areas with 13 oil and gas fields located within their boundaries, including those developed with participation of the Indian partners: Vankor, Suzun, Tagul, and Lodochnoe fields, and also some new promising and unique in terms of their reserves fields: Payakhskoe and Zapadno-Irkinskoe.

The resource base of the project exceeds 6 billion tons of premium quality sweet crude notable for its extraordinary low sulfur content of 0.01-0.04%. The high quality of raw products makes it unnecessary to install certain plants at refineries thus allowing to significantly reduce greenhouse emissions of the project. The Vostok Oil carbon footprint makes up 25% vs traditional parameters characteristic of major petroleum projects.

The project production is expected to amount to the tune of 115 million tons of oil by 2033. Vostok Oil has a logistical advantage of supplying raw products produced at its fields in two directions at once, to European and Asian markets.

An important factor contributing to the attractiveness of Vostok Oil is the availability of a unique sustainable economic model of the project. Rosneft has already obtained conclusions of leading international experts confirming the resource base, reservoir engineering methods and economics of the project. Analysts of top investment banks (Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Credit Suisse among them) note a high profitability level of the project.

For reference:

Cooperation with India. Since 2016, the Indian companies (ONGC Videsh Ltd., Oil India Limited, Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroresources) have owned 49.9% in the Vankorneft Subsidiary. Located in the Krasnoyarsk territory, this company develops the Vankor oil and gas condensate field, the largest among the fields discovered and brought into production in Russia for the past twenty five years.

The Consortium of Indian companies (Oil India Limited, Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroresources) also owns 29.9% of Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha (Oil and Gas Production), the company holding development licenses for the Central Block of Srednebotuobinskoe field and the Kurungsky License Area (other stakeholders are Rosneft and BP) .

Since 2001 Indian ONGC Videsh Ltd. has been a participant of the Sakhalin-1 Project (other shareholders are Rosneft, ExxonMobil, and Japan-based Sodeco). In 2020, the project produced 12.4 mln tons of oil and condensate, supplied more than 2.4 bcm of gas to customers.

Rosneft owns a stake (49.13%) in Nayara Energy, an Indian company with first-class assets including a 20 mln tons per annum refinery in Vadinar. It is the second-largest refinery in India and one of the most technologically advanced refineries in the world. Nayara Energy's business incorporates a deep- water port capable of receiving ultra-large VLCC tankers and one of the largest fuel retail networks in India, which already includes about 6,200 outlets.



Rosneft information Division

September 1, 2021

Related Links

www.rosneft.com



SOURCE Rosneft
YOKOHAMA, Japan, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- REPROCELL have signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement with TEXCELL JAPAN, a TEXCELL Group Company, for GMP iPSC - Master Cell Banks (MCB) Manufacturing. The TEXCELL Group (hereinafter "TEXCELL") is a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) headquartered in France and managed by the holding company Soparbiotech International.

In recent years, the movement towards clinical application of iPSCs has been active in the US, Europe, the US, and Japan. In these locations there is now increasing demand for GMP iPSC MCBs that can be used for therapeutic applications.

REPROCELL has established manufacturing pipeline for GMP iPSC MCBs in accordance with the guidelines of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) in Japan. REPROCELL can outsource part of the MCB manufacturing process at TEXCELL's GMP facility, certified by EMA, enabling the establishment of GMP iPSC MCB.

This Strategic Collaboration Agreement supplements the earlier signed Master Service Agreement and strengthens the relationship with TEXCELL as a strategic partner in generating GMP iPSC - Master Cell Bank for REPROCELL clients globally.

"The partnership with TEXCELL will boost our GMP iPSC master cell bank manufacturing capability," said Daisuke Usui, Chief Operating Officer REPROCELL. "TEXCELL has an extensive expertise and robust track record in GMP cell bank manufacturing in compliance with the FDA, EMA and PMDA. TEXCELL's capability, together with REPROCELL's RNA reprogramming stem cell technology, is a great fit for the company's GMP iPSC offerings."

You can find out more about REPROCELL's GMP iPSC MCB service on our website.

About TEXCELL: Established in 1987, TEXCELL provides contract services for viral clearances, viral safety testing and the manufacture of GMP cell banks (Master and Working cell bank)  in accordance with the guidelines of the FDA, EMA, and PMDA verified by regular inspection (inspected by FDA and ANSM for EMA)  to pharmaceutical companies and bioventures in Europe, the US, and Asia as a CMO. For more information visit the TEXCELL website or LinkedIn page.

Contact:

Rama Modali

301-470-3362

[email protected]

SOURCE REPROCELL
Amid the ongoing travel restrictions, the virtual travel industry is booming with countless new ways for people to experience the destinations. Hangzhou 2X2 puts the viewer in control, immersing them into the mysterious world of Liangzhu.

During the process, the local members worked together with Tara Milk Tea  the Australian travel blogger to create her animation character. Communicating in depth via Zoom calls, the two young teams joined to explore this ancient culture and presented it in an engaging, fresh, exciting way.

"For us, it feels like creating a gift for our hometown. During the process, we also got to know more about the city we grew up in", said Fang Chenlin, the director of Cultureclick.

Tara was also amazed by the experience: "Seeing my cartoon character in different Liangzhu customs feels like travelling back in time to feel that history in person."

Themed on the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization, the interactive comics illustrate its social system, daily lifestyle, rice-cultivating agriculture, the peripheral water conservancy system, religious beliefs and more. At the end of every episode, the audience is asked to vote upon two options, deciding the character's next destination.

The program also invites Xia Yong, the Director of the Academic Research Division of Liangzhu Museum, as the special consultant to ensure the accuracy of the historical information.

Apart from the 6-episode comic, Hangzhou 2X2 also launched online interactive games including HZ Coloring Page and Spot Liangzhu. Both games invited people to experience Liangzhu from a fresh perspective.

In 2021, Hangzhou has leapt beyond the traditional tourism marketing scope, opening up new travel possibilities like the playlist  Hangzhou Whisper, the video series  Hangzhou Timelane and more, letting the global fans stay connected with the city in a brand-new way.

For more information: https://youtu.be/4sr0WlrIpK4

SOURCE Hangzhou Tourism Commission
NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Action Against Hunger, a global nonprofit leader in the fight against malnutrition, today warned of alarming levels of food insecurity in Afghanistan and announced that it is resuming its programs as soon as possible, which had been temporarily suspended in recent weeks to ensure the safety of its aid workers.

More than half of the Afghan population  18 million people  depend on humanitarian aid to survive, yet political instability has disrupted the delivery of food, water, healthcare, and other essential services. An estimated 12 million people in Afghanistan are facing a serious food insecurity crisis, and Action Against Hunger's latest nutrition surveys, carried out before the current crisis, indicate alarming rates of child malnutrition.

"The situation is critical. Chronic malnutrition rates of 30% are officially considered an emergency, and we are seeing rates of more than 45% in Ghor province," said Mike Bonke, Country Director for Afghanistan, Action Against Hunger. "With humanitarian aid and the financial system disrupted, an already difficult situation has gotten much worse. We are particularly concerned about rising hunger among vulnerable young children, pregnant women, and new mothers."

Prior to the current crisis, 3.1 million children across Afghanistan were suffering from malnutrition, a life-threatening condition that is preventable and treatable. Nearly half of the children younger than five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition and need lifesaving treatment this year alone, according to the United Nations. Additionally, right now, more than 550,000 people have been displaced within the country, complicating the delivery of essential humanitarian services.

Action Against Hunger is resuming work as soon as possible in the Helmand, Ghor, Daykundi, and Badakhshan provinces. The non-religious, nonpartisan organization focuses on treating and preventing malnutrition, improving health through mobile clinics, promoting agricultural projects to strengthen food security, and implementing water, sanitation, and mental health programs.

"We must separate lifesaving aid from security and other foreign policy issues. We only seek access to respond to urgent humanitarian needs. This is where our principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence are key," said Bonke. "Emergency funding is essential, and we must be able to get it into the country. Decades of conflict have left people unable to provide for themselves, a situation made more difficult by the impacts of COVID-19, climate stress and the economic chaos we are seeing now. We cannot forget the millions of women, men, and children who are facing alarming levels of need. We cannot abandon the people of Afghanistan."

Action Against Hunger was established in response to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan in 1979. More than 40 years later, it is one of the leading organizations working to help the country's most vulnerable people. Last year alone, Action Against Hunger provided direct aid to 190,543 people in the country.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger is leading a global movement to end hunger in our lifetimes. It innovates solutions, advocates for change, and reaches 25 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 50 countries, its 8,300 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. It strives to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.

SOURCE Action Against Hunger
Bob Evans Farms Announces Winners in Fifth Annual Heroes to CEOs Contest, Providing $140,000 of Funding to Veterans Tweet this

This year, in partnership with Bunker Labs, Bob Evans Farms invited military Veteran entrepreneurs to submit their business proposals for a chance to win one of the six grants. Each eligible entry was scored on the following criteria: 1) reason/need for the venture, 2) presentation, 3) feasibility, 4) opportunity and 5) anticipated future success of the business plan submitted.

"Heroes to CEOs provides more than just a grant to servicemen and women; it gives veterans the opportunity to have access to counsel and mentorship from some of the top C-suite level executives in the United States and past winners of Heroes to CEOs," said Mark Delahanty, President and CEO of Bob Evans Farms. "We are inspired by the brave men and women who serve our country and are proud to offer them the opportunity to support them in their entrepreneurial endeavors. We look forward to helping this year's winners along their exciting journey."

Bob Evans Farms has funded a total of $370,000 to Veteran-owned businesses and organizations since the Heroes to CEOs program started in 2017.

For more information on the Heroes to CEOs program visit https://www.bobevansgrocery.com/our-story/our-farm-salutes/ and for more information about Bob Evans Farms visit www.bobevansgrocery.com. For a complete list of finalists, visit https://www.ofsheroestoceos.com/

About Bob Evans Farms, Inc.

Bob Evans Farms, Inc. is a brand born and raised on the promise of farm-fresh goodness. For more than 70 years, the company has been making delicious, quick-to-table, farm-fresh food that is sold in grocery stores all over the country. Today, Bob Evans brand mashed potatoes and macaroni & cheese products are the #1 selling refrigerated side dishes in the United States*. Based in Columbus, Ohio and owned by Post Holdings, Inc., a consumer-packaged goods holding company, Bob Evans Farms is also a leading producer and distributor of refrigerated potato, pasta and vegetable-based side dishes, pork sausage, and a variety of refrigerated and frozen convenience food items under the Bob Evans, Owens and Pineland Farms brand names. For more information about Bob Evans Farms, Inc., visit www.bobevansgrocery.com.

* SOURCE: IRI Total US MULO Latest 52 W/E

SOURCE Bob Evans Farms

Related Links

http://www.bobevansgrocery.com


New Markets Tax Credits helps us support projects that unlock economic opportunity and generational wealth building. Tweet this

Capital Impact Partners is now a 10-time NMTC recipient  with those awards totaling more than $687 million. To date, the organization has used NMTC allocations to support the financing of more than 78 transactions nationally that have increased access to health care, education, healthy foods, affordable housing, and the ability for seniors to age in their communities with dignity.

"Building equitable and inclusive communities requires investment from a broad spectrum of organizations," said Diane Borradaile , chief lending officer of Capital Impact Partners. "The New Markets Tax Credit program helps us bring key partners together to support projects that unlock economic opportunity and generational wealth building."

Today's announcement brings the total amount awarded through the NMTC Program to $66 billion. Historically, NMTC Program awards have generated $8 of private investment for every $1 invested by the federal government. Through the end of fiscal year 2020, NMTC Program award recipients deployed almost $56 billion in investments for communities and businesses earning low incomes, with impacts such as the creation or retention of nearly 871,000 jobs and the construction or rehabilitation of nearly 231.5 million-square-feet of commercial real estate.

"These investments will create jobs and spur economic growth in urban and rural communities across the country," Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Janet L. Yellen said. "Many of the communities that will receive these funds have confronted economic challenges over many decades. Challenges which have been made more difficult by a lack of investment. It's critical that Congress sustain these investments over time by making the New Markets Tax Credit Program permanent."

Creating High Impact Projects through NMTCs:

Capital Impact has deployed a variety of NMTC allocations to help launch projects nationwide. Examples of those high impact projects include:

Co-Locating Services: Health Care & Housing

To better serve homeless individuals residing in Los Angeles' "Skid Row," the new 23,468 sq. ft. Joshua House Health Center was built to replace a much smaller site nearby.

The Federally Qualified Health Center will offer primary care, dental, optometry, and mental health services, as well as a broad array of wellness services. The site will serve 7,000 patients, 2,200 more than in the previous facility. Ninety-nine percent of the clientele lives below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, and the expansion of services is vital to the continued health of the community. In addition, the health center will be co-located with a supportive housing facility, which will provide 55 units of permanent housing for homeless individuals.

Skid Row has the largest concentration of people experiencing chronic homelessness in the country. Estimates of Skid Row's population range from 8,000 to 11,000 people. It is a predominantly Black male population, although the number of women and children has increased in recent years.

Capital Impact joined with the Nonprofit Finance Fund, Los Angeles Development Fund, and U.S. Bank Community Development Corporation on this $25.9 million NMTC transaction.

Healthy Food:

Building in San Francisco, CA - one of the most expensive cities in the country - is a significant challenge. Yet, access to affordable, healthy food is needed more than ever. Meals on Wheels San Francisco (MOWSF) volunteers donate more than 20,000 hours and staff serve nearly 5,000 clientsproviding in-home wellness and safety checks, nutrition counseling, and companionship. With demand rising, MOWSF invested in a new 37,000 sq. foot kitchen facility that could make 10,000 meals in one shift, while having the capacity for two [eight-hour] shifts and maximizing access to seven days a week.

The MOWSF program is very cost effective. It costs about $10 per day for the food and delivery of two meals and safety checks for a homebound senior. Meals can be provided for an entire year for roughly the same cost as one day in a hospital. A 2013 study found that if every state increased the number of older Americans who received meals by just 1 percent, it would save Medicaid more than $109 million in medical costs annually.

Capital Impact joined with JPMorgan Chase, San Francisco Community Investment Fund, Community Vision (formerly known as Northern California Community Loan Fund), and First Republic Bank on this $41 million NMTC project.

Education:

Marygrove Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that was established to operate and steward the 53-acre Marygrove College campus in Detroit after its closure in 2019. Marygrove Conservancy's primary objective is to facilitate the redevelopment of the campus as a cradle-to-career, pre-Kindergarten to graduate degree "P-20" education campus.

The newly constructed single-story building will encompass approximately 29,000 sq. ft. of space designed to support and provide wrap-around services to 144 children (infant to Pre-K) across the socioeconomic spectrum. To ensure income diversity, half of the slots will be federally subsidized through Early Head Start and Head Start programs. The project will create 12 classrooms and will have focused therapy rooms that will include play therapy, health therapy, and sensory rooms.

Starfish Family Services, a respected social service agency and early childhood provider in the metro Detroit market, will operate the site. Starfish is currently working with the University of Michigan to develop a year-round infant/toddler curriculum for the project that is designed specifically for a diverse group of children in an urban setting.

Capital Impact joined with the Northern Trust Company and the Kresge Foundation on this $22 million NMTC project.

Community Hubs:

Small nonprofit organizations serving underinvested communities do not always have the funds to cover operating costs like office space and legal services. In Denton, Texas, the organization Serve Denton helps to fill that gap, enabling nonprofits to be financially self-sufficient and serve their communities while co-located services benefit community members.

With the construction of a new 48,000 sq. ft. hub, Serve Denton will provide space for a Federally Qualified Health Center, a food bank, and many other nonprofit service providers in the area. The organizations will have affordable office space and will share operating costs so that each can focus more funds on its clients.

Capital Impact joined with U.S. Bank to support this $9.5 million NMTC project.

How Do New Markets Tax Credits Work?

Managed by the CDFI Fund, NMTC allocations make their way into the community through the following process :

A community development entity (CDE) submits an application to the CDFI Fund requesting the authority to allocate a specific dollar amount of tax credits.

If its application is approved, the CDE is awarded the authority to allocate tax credits to an investor.

The investor chosen by the CDE receives a tax credit totaling 39 percent of the cost of the investment. The investor can claim that tax credit over a period of seven years.

In exchange for those tax credits, the investor makes a qualified equity investment (QEI) in the CDE.

The CDE must use the QEIs it receives from the investor to finance businesses or real estate projects in communities living with low incomes, where the poverty rate is 20 percent or higher or the median income is 80 percent or lower than the Area Median Income. The CDE also has the option of investing in other CDEs making loans in areas with residents earning low incomes.

About Capital Impact Partners:

Through capital and commitment, Capital Impact Partners helps people build communities of opportunity that break barriers to success. We work to champion key issues of equity and social and economic justice by deploying mission-driven financing, capacity-building programs, and impact investing opportunities.

A nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, Capital Impact has disbursed more than $2.5 billion since 1982. In 2020, Capital Impact launched a new enterprise with CDC Small Business Finance under one leadership team and national strategy to reinvent traditional and mainstream financial systems. Our goal is to ensure these systems equitably serve communities of color to drive community-led solutions that support economic mobility and wealth creation.

Our leadership in delivering financial and social impact has resulted in Capital Impact being rated by S&P Global and recognized by Aeris for our performance. Headquartered in Arlington, VA, Capital Impact Partners operates nationally, with local offices in Austin, TX, Detroit, MI, New York, NY, and Oakland, CA.

Learn more at www.capitalimpact.org and www.investedincommunities.org

SOURCE Capital Impact Partners

Related Links

www.ncbcapitalimpact.org


LAS VEGAS, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cosmoprof North America (CPNA), the leading B2B beauty trade show in the Americas, safely made its return to the show floor for the first time in two years as the first live B2B event within the Cosmoprof international network. The 18th edition welcomed back retailers, distributors, beauty brands, and suppliers under one roof to experience the absolute best in the beauty industry. Through this powerful platform, exhibitors and attendees were able to immerse themselves in the world of beauty again and experience exciting new and returning programs, floor activations, conferences, and an array of networking opportunities with leading industry experts and retailers.

New and established exhibiting companies showed enthusiasm to get back to in-person networking with retailers, distributors, suppliers, and other beauty brands to showcase product launches within the three macro-sectors of the show: Cosmetics & Personal Care (finished products for retail), Professional Beauty (finished products for salons and spas), and Cosmopack (solutions for the entire beauty supply chain). In addition to these larger sections were the return of crowd-favorite special areas Discover Beauty, Discover Beauty Spotlights, Discover Green, The Beauty Vanities, and Tones of Beauty.

The highly anticipated CBD Beauty special area, featuring beauty brands that have CBD as an essential ingredient, made its debut as part of the new larger Green Village, showcasing a select number of green and natural brands. Also making its debut was the Mentorship Program, offering exhibitors the unique opportunity to have one-on-one mentoring sessions with experts in their fields: retail & distribution, branding, funding, exporting, digital marketing & performance, SEO, social media, press, trends, and the multicultural market.

Also for the first time this year, the Italian government sponsored 22 companies in the Italian country pavilion to support their presence and export opportunities to the US market.

The show also saw the return of notable programs such as the Buyer Program, connecting exhibitors with top retailers, professional beauty distributors, and brands including Bloomingdale's, Cos Bar, Cult Beauty, Nordstrom, and The Detox Market. Beyond the trade show floor, 2021 exhibitors and buyers are now able to participate in these impactful programs virtually, demonstrating CPNA's commitment to longevity and promoting inclusive networking opportunities.

Through CosmoTalks, CPNA's conference format that combines creativity, inspiration and business, the trade show hosted more than 10 seminars featuring the beauty industry's elite movers and shakers both in-person and virtually. Highlights of this year's CosmoTalks included 'CBD: The Beauty Ingredient Trend That Keeps Growing' hosted by Happi Magazine, 'Keys to Growth in Prestige Beauty' hosted by The NPD Group, and 'State of the Supply Chain  The Imperfect Storm' hosted by the Independent Beauty Association. Additional speakers included top executives from Revlon, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Redken, Credo Beauty, and more. Entrepreneur Academy, a unique one-day intensive conference offering up-and-coming beauty entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to participate in hands-on workshops, was sold-out.

The Press Zone, featuring beauty influencers, editors, and directors, made a comeback this year. Press including those from consumer publications Ebony, Essence, NewBeauty, and Refinery29 met one-on-one with exhibitors, allowing brands to tell their stories directly to generate additional coverage.

Also returning was CosmoTrends, a report on the most trendsetting products from CPNA exhibitors produced in collaboration with international trend agency BEAUTYSTREAMS. The report, featuring trends on CBD, DIY At-Home Beauty Devices, and Biodegradable Packaging, was supported by a dedicated CosmoTalks session and an on-site installation. Trends could also be found in the Insights Zone (rebranded from Trends Corner in 2019) from leading market and consumer research providers Euromonitor International, The Benchmarking Company, and NellyRodi.

This year's edition exceeded the expectations of organizers with exhibitors and attendees expressing enthusiasm to reconnect in person. The 19th edition of CPNA will be held July 12-14, 2022 in a new location, the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).

About Cosmoprof North America: Cosmoprof North America (CPNA) is the largest and most awarded B2B beauty trade show in North America and the single most important networking opportunity in the US for all sectors of the global beauty industry. CPNA hosts an annual trade show that encompasses all sectors of the beauty industry under one roof. Cosmoprof North America is one of the destinations of the Cosmoprof network, today a 360 worldwide platform for the international beauty community, with shows in Bologna, Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Bangkok, which all together involve over 500,000 professionals and 10,000 exhibitors from all over the world. For more information, please visit www.cosmoprofnorthamerica.com

SOURCE Cosmoprof North America
MANILA, Philippines, Sept. 2, 2021 Cybint , a global cyber education training company, partners with Xepto Education , the leading education tech company in the Philippines, to bring its cybersecurity bootcamp and workshops to the nation. Xepto will be managing the courses together with Mantua Cybersecurity , a major Philippine cybersecurity company offering penetration testing, consulting, and training services.

A ransomware cyber attack costs a Filipino company or organization about $820,000 on average, a report published in May 2021 revealed. On its global list of countries where users face the highest risk of online infection, Kaspersky ranked the Philippines 13th this year. The country's business association is expecting cyber crime to soar even further, an uptick that comes amid a lingering gap in the local cybersecurity talent pool. At the same time, about 44 percent of businesses in the country say that they struggle to hire people with the right cybersecurity skills.

Through this partnership with Xepto, Cybint will work to help the country close this gap, empowering local businesses to prepare their employees for the incoming flurry of cyber attacks. In mid-July, Cybint will launch its Secure Coding workshop in the Philippines, introducing the local Web developers to all the best practises in secure application and website design. Mantua Cybersecurity will provide instructors with rich hands-on experience in the field to make sure those signing up receive the most relevant and industry-proven guidelines. The five-day, forty-hour workshop is designed to deliver the theory of security coding, along with rigorous hands-on training for students. At later stages, the partners are also planning to put Cybint's bootcamp on offer.

Cybint's military-grade course guides the students through the core cybersecurity concepts, tools, and skills, leaving them well-equipped to seek entry-level positions in the field. Since 2014, Cybint has trained over 10,000 individuals across four continents. Some 97 percent of Cybint bootcamp graduates land jobs in cybersecurity shortly after completing the intensive course.

"We are delighted to be bringing our workshops and bootcamp to the Philippines with Xepto," says Roy Zur, Founder and CEO of Cybint. "As businesses move online in the wake of the pandemic, cybersecurity becomes the top priority due to the skyrocketing number of cyber attacks. I believe that in today's world, cybersecurity awareness and skills are a must for any professional, even on non-technical jobs, and we are proud to be delivering these exact skills to our students."

"Our partnership with Cybint is just what we need to train the next generation of local cybersecurity talent," says Paco Sandejas, Ph.D., of Xepto Education. "The demand for professionals in the field is soaring, and Cybint's format is ideal to respond to it lightning-fast, without making any compromises on the quality of the education. Mantua Cybersecurity, for its part, is best-equipped to support the project with trained instructors as it knows the threatscape that Philippine companies are facing inside out. Together, we will help the Philippine businesses bolster their cyber defenses."

About Cybint

Cybint is a global cyber education company with a commitment to reskilling the workforce and upskilling the industry in cybersecurity. With innovative and leading-edge education and training solutions, Cybint tackles cybersecurity's two greatest threats: the talent shortage and the skills gap. The Cybint team is comprised of military cyber experts, industry professionals, and educators united under the vision of creating a safer digital world through education, training, and collaboration. In summer 2021, the company was acquired by ThriveDX, formerly known as HackerU, expanding its educational offering and setting the stage for its further growth into an educational services giant.

For more information, visit www.cybintsolutions.com

About Xepto Education

Founded in 2008, Xepto Education is the leading provider of high-tech solutions and training for educational institutions in the Philippines. Backed by venture companies including Narra Ventures Group, Tallwood Ventures, and Jean Henri Lhuillier Group, the company developed an innovative IT service for educational institutions. Its offering includes training for teachers and lecturers, a "digital classroom," and an online education platform.

For more information, visit https://xeptoeducation.com/

About Mantua Cybersecurity

Mantua Cybersecurity is an enterprise-grade cybersecurity consultancy operating in the Philippines and Singapore. Backed by software and cloud solution provider Stratpoint Technologies and Narra Venture Capital, it offers its customers a diverse range of services, including penetration testing and audit, security monitoring, consulting and compliance, and cybersecurity training.

For more information, visit https://mantuaservices.com/

SOURCE Cybint

Related Links

http://www.cybintsolutions.com/


EINDHOVEN, Netherlands, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report by EIT InnoEnergy, the world's leading sustainable energy innovation engine, reveals that its portfolio of 250+ innovative start-ups and scale-ups is set to save 1.1 gigatonnes of CO 2 e  equivalent to one-third of Europe's 2030 carbon emissions reduction target - and 9.1 billion in annual energy costs by the end of the decade, spearheading the way to a decarbonised Europe.

Despite COVID-19, the carefully selected high-growth sustainable energy technology portfolio has seen rapid expansion. Spurred by increasing societal pressure around the energy transition, along with the EU's 'Fit for 55' legislative package, demand for solutions to tackle the mounting climate challenge has grown rapidly.

Elena Bou, Co-founder and Innovation Director at EIT InnoEnergy, said: "This is an incredible feat for our portfolio  by saving this level of CO 2 emissions we are essentially taking nearly 250 million cars off the road. It is through our global mindset to tackling climate change that we have been able to make such an impact. Despite being early-stage companies, together we've already created 25,000 direct and indirect jobs. Imagine what we can do together as they mature; the possibilities are endless."

Since inception, EIT InnoEnergy has screened more than 5,000 start-ups and has launched more than 300 products to market. Now, 85% of those companies are exporting globally  taking Europe's buoyant sustainable energy innovations worldwide to make an impact on climate change on an international level. As a result, EIT InnoEnergy now has the largest sustainable energy portfolio of any impact investor of its kind globally. Driven by growth across renewables, smart cities and mobility, the portfolio is expected to generate over 600 TWh of power from clean energy sources by 2030.

Bou adds: "The IPCC's latest report sounded 'a code red for humanity'; billions of people are at risk if we do not take immediate action to make deep carbon cuts to stabilise rising temperatures. We know too from the recent IEA report that CO 2 emissions have increased from energy and industry by 60% since 1992.

"Our figures show the outsized impact that sustainable energy start-ups and scale-ups can have, and with the right support, that they will challenge the status quo, helping to make energy affordable, secure and carbon neutral. Equally, entrepreneurs from all walks of life are needed to successfully tackle this challenge, so it is especially rewarding to see more than 80 nationalities represented by our portfolio and that the number of female entrepreneurs has increased in recent years.

"When we invest, we evaluate the potential of those ventures to impact targets. It is part of our due diligence and the investment decision. And, once they are part of our portfolio, we prepare a plan together with the company to boost the case beyond the initial targets. It is not only about selecting and measuring but having an actionable plan together with a venture that focuses on milestones, goals and achievements."

EIT InnoEnergy currently supports ground-breaking start-ups such as Hymeth, Naoden, Cascade Drives, Alpinov X, Wattsun, Nawa Technologies, SciBreak, SunRoof, NabraWind, CorPower, BetterSpace, Vilisto, Duckt and Llewo. The multi-dimensional ecosystem brings together over 500 global stakeholders who contribute to a more sustainable world fostering the Energy Transition.

The full "EIT InnoEnergy Impact Report 2020" is available for download here.

About the report

The report assesses ongoing impact by evaluating and classifying EIT InnoEnergy investments according to the contribution towards different impact goals.

The impact measurement approach for the purpose of this report is twofold: firstly, the contribution of all the portfolio companies to SDG and the secondly, the quantification of impact metrics (economic/social/ environmental) aggregated from all companies in our portfolio. The timeframe considered in the calculations is 2030 for environmental related impact indicators, while for economic and social impact dimensions, realised impact has been calculated. The figures presented in the report are based on the data provided by the companies in our portfolio.

About EIT InnoEnergy

EIT InnoEnergy operates at the centre of the energy transition and is the leading engine for sustainable energy, bringing the technology and skills required to support the green deal and Europe's decarbonisation goals.

Recognised globally as the most active energy investor and one of the largest climate tech and renewable energy tech investors in 2020, EIT InnoEnergy backs innovations across a range of areas. These include, energy storage, transport and mobility, renewables and sustainable buildings and cities  leveraging its trusted ecosystem of 500+ partners and 23 shareholders.

To date, it has invested 560 million in energy innovations, which are on track to generate 72.8 billion in revenue and save 1.1G tons of CO2e annually by 2030. It has 1,400 Master School alumni and has directly and indirectly created 24,930 jobs.

EIT InnoEnergy is the driving force behind several European initiatives, including the European Battery Alliance (EBA), the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Centre (EGHAC) and the European Solar Initiative (ESI).

Established in 2010 and supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), EIT InnoEnergy has offices across Europe and in Boston, US.

www.innoenergy.com

Contact: Megain Buchan, [email protected]

SOURCE EIT InnoEnergy
BOSTON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston announced that Timothy J. Barrett has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2021.

"Tim is a dedicated and consummate professional who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a deep commitment to the Bank's mission, financial success, affordable housing and economic development, and diversity and inclusion efforts during his tenure of more than 10 years," said Martin J. Geitz, chairman of FHLBank Boston's board of directors. "His member-centric approach to the Bank's business will skillfully guide the organization through these challenging times and increase the value of membership. With extensive knowledge of the critical role that FHLBanks play within our financial system, Tim is well respected within the industry and throughout the FHLBank system, and his deep understanding of how varying economic cycles affect the Bank and our members is an invaluable asset."

Barrett joined the Bank in November 2010 as senior vice president and treasurer and was promoted to executive vice president and treasurer in January 2019. Prior to joining the Bank, he served as assistant treasurer at FMR LLC, the parent company of Fidelity Investments from September 2008 to October 2010; as treasurer and chief investment officer at Fidelity Personal Bank & Trust from August 2007 to September 2008; as managing director, global treasury at Investors Bank & Trust from September 2004 to July 2007; in various senior roles in treasury at FleetBoston Financial (including merged entities) from 1985 to 2004; and as an investment manager for Citibank, NA from 1981 to 1985. Barrett received his B.A. from St. Anselm College and his M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

"I am honored to assume this new role as President and CEO of FHLBank Boston and excited for the opportunity to work with a focused team and board to meet the needs of our members that serve communities throughout New England," said Barrett.

Barrett replaces Edward A. Hjerpe III, who has served as President and CEO since July 2009 and announced his retirement in April of this year.

"On behalf of the board and all Bank staff, I extend our sincerest gratitude to Ed for his steady leadership over the last 12 years," said Geitz. "Tenacious and determined, he was instrumental in successfully steering the Bank through the Great Recession, galvanizing a team of dedicated leaders who restored strength and stability to the Bank, designing and implementing our voluntary affordable housing and economic development programs, and, most importantly, providing uninterrupted access to liquidity and funding for our members and the communities they serve."

"I am proud to have served as President and CEO of FHLBank Boston since 2009. It has been the highlight of my career," said Hjerpe. "I have had the privilege of working with some of the finest leaders in the industry including Tim with whom I have worked closely for more than 10 years. I am confident that he is a very capable and experienced leader who will guide the Bank, along with a very strong senior management team, through these challenging times and into a bright future."

About the Bank

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston is a cooperatively owned wholesale bank for housing finance in the six New England states. Its mission is to provide highly reliable wholesale funding and liquidity to its member financial institutions in New England. The Bank also develops and delivers competitively priced financial products, services, and expertise that support housing finance, community development, and economic growth, including programs targeted to lower-income households.

Contact:

Adam Coldwell

617-292-9774

[email protected]



SOURCE Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston
As former Secretary of HHS, Alex Azar led the historic transformation of the healthcare system in the United States and HHS's response to the COVID-19 pandemic as the architect of Operation Warp Speed, which delivered vaccines and therapeutics in record time. Additionally, Azar furthered many important healthcare initiatives such as expanding telehealth, giving patients ownership of their health records, and enabling healthcare provider collaborative care models.

"2021 was a landmark year for the healthcare and clinical research industries with significant progress made in the advancement of research," commented Azar. "There is a crucial need among all industry stakeholders to discuss implementation methods designed to ensure better healthcare initiatives that start with clinical trials. I'm honored to be a part of the 2021 SCRS Global Site Solutions Summit to discuss opportunities to advance the important work and progress the industry has made and how we can move forward together. I also want to thank all of those who made Operation Warp Speed possible, enabling huge clinical trials with unprecedented speed and ensuring appropriate clinical trial diversity."

The annual meeting, which attracts clinical research sites, trial investigators, and healthcare industry executives from around the world, will be held October 1-3, 2021 in Hollywood, Florida. The Global Site Solutions Summit is an opportunity for research sites to share the challenges they face to an audience of pharmaceutical sponsors, contract research organizations (CROs), and clinical technology solution providers as they discuss knowledge and best practices for improving and sustaining clinical research site operations.

"We are honored to have former Secretary Azar as our keynote speaker for the 2021 Global Site Solutions Summit," said Mark Hanley, Chief Executive Officer of SCRS. "It was important to Mr. Azar to thank clinical research sites personally for their hard work and dedication throughout the pandemic."

"Our Summit theme is Sites NOW: Courage and Vision because we want to celebrate the courage shown by clinical research sites and share ideas for the industry's collective vision for the future," commented SCRS Chief Operating Officer, Allyson Small. "The important conversations that will happen at the Summit will help the industry move forward together after a year of many changes."

Registration for the 2021 SCRS Global Site Solutions Summit is open now. Learn more and register for the Summit at sitesolutionssummit.com

About Society for Clinical Research Sites:

The Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS) is a global trade organization founded in 2012 which represents over 9,500 research sites in 47 countries. SCRS' mission is to unify the voice of the global clinical research site community for greater site sustainability. As an influential voice for sites and an active partner in industry-wide initiatives and dialogues focused on improving the clinical research enterprise, SCRS membership provides sites with a community dedicated to advocacy, education, mentorship and connectivity. For more information, visit MySCRS.org.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607473/Alex_Azar.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607474/SCRS_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Society for Clinical Research Sites
DENVER, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gates Industrial Corporation plc (NYSE: GTES), a global manufacturer of innovative, highly engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions, today announced that the Company will participate in the virtual 2021 RBC Capital Markets Global Industrials Conference on Thursday, September 9, 2021. Ivo Jurek, Chief Executive Officer, will present at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.

To access a webcast of this presentation, please visit the Events & Presentations section of the Gates Investor Relations website at investors.gates.com, and click on the event webcast link.

About Gates Industrial Corporation plc

Gates is a global manufacturer of innovative, highly engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions. Gates offers a broad portfolio of products to diverse replacement channel customers, and to original equipment ("first-fit") manufacturers as specified components. Gates participates in many sectors of the industrial and consumer markets. Our products play essential roles in a diverse range of applications across a wide variety of end markets ranging from harsh and hazardous industries such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing and energy, to everyday consumer applications such as printers, power washers, automatic doors and vacuum cleaners and virtually every form of transportation. Our products are sold in 128 countries across our four commercial regions: the Americas; Europe, Middle East & Africa; Greater China; and East Asia & India.

SOURCE Gates Industrial Corporation plc
ATLANTA, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Since the Labor Day holiday weekend is a popular time to spend the final days of summer outdoors, Georgia Power reminds visitors and customers of the recreational opportunities the company offers across Georgia right near home.

As part of the company's commitment to conservation and the outdoors, Georgia Power remains the largest non-governmental provider of public recreation in Georgia, and for years has maintained and operated some 100,000 acres of land, 60,000 surface acres of water and more than 15 lake properties.

As an influx of visitors enjoying boating, fishing and swimming is expected on Georgia Power lakes this holiday weekend, the company encourages giving special attention to water and boating safety tips.

SPLASH Safely

Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death for children 1 to 4 years of age, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health and SPLASH, a longstanding Georgia Department of Natural Resources initiative supported by Georgia Power. Through public outreach, the organizations aim to greatly reduce the number of these deaths and injuries.

SPLASH encourages citizens to follow these tips when enjoying beaches, pools, lakes, rivers and other bodies of water:

S upervision  Designate an adult to watch children at all times. Do not assume someone else is watching.

upervision  Designate an adult to watch children at all times. Do not assume someone else is watching. P revention  Wear personal flotation devices (PFD or life jacket), install fencing around pools, and use drain covers in pools.

revention  Wear personal flotation devices (PFD or life jacket), install fencing around pools, and use drain covers in pools. L ook before you leap  Never jump into water without knowing how deep it is and what is below the surface.

ook before you leap  Never jump into water without knowing how deep it is and what is below the surface. A rm's Length  Adults should be arm's length to children in water, and safety tools such as hooks should be nearby at all times.

rm's Length  Adults should be arm's length to children in water, and safety tools such as hooks should be nearby at all times. S wim Lessons  Knowing how to swim greatly reduces the chance of drowning. Classes are often available through the Red Cross or YMCA.

wim Lessons  Knowing how to swim greatly reduces the chance of drowning. Classes are often available through the Red Cross or YMCA. Have a Water Safety Plan  Know what to do during an emergency

Boating and Water Sports

The company also wants boaters on any of Georgia Power's lakes to have a safe and enjoyable experience by remembering simple safety tips such as:

Wear a Life Jacket  Young or old, and no matter how well you can swim, always wear a life jacket (or other personal flotation device) while on the water.

Young or old, and no matter how well you can swim, always wear a life jacket (or other personal flotation device) while on the water. CPR Basics  Spend a few minutes learning CPR basics. Knowing the proper way to perform CPR can save a life on the lake, or every day. Classes and basic information is available from the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org/cpr) and the American Heart Association (www.heart.org).

Spend a few minutes learning CPR basics. Knowing the proper way to perform CPR can save a life on the lake, or every day. Classes and basic information is available from the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org/cpr) and the American Heart Association (www.heart.org). Unseen Obstacles : For navigation and swimming alike, make sure to recognize that lakes and rivers can produce strong currents, changing and uncertain water depths and hidden natural features just below the surface.

: For navigation and swimming alike, make sure to recognize that lakes and rivers can produce strong currents, changing and uncertain water depths and hidden natural features just below the surface. Watch your Speed  Lakes have speed limits just like roads. Watch for signage and follow the posted instructions.

Lakes have speed limits just like roads. Watch for signage and follow the posted instructions. Light at Night  Make sure your boat is equipped with proper lighting if you are going to be on the water at night.

Get easy access to lakes and recreational facilities online

By visiting the Georgia Power lakes and recreation website at gplakes.com, Georgians can easily find spots to explore or relax outdoors at one of the company's numerous recreational properties. On the site, visitors can also check current lake conditions, purchase a day use or annual pass, virtually explore and reserve camp sites and browse an interactive fish guide for each of the lakes. The site also provides additional water safety tips through its lake safety public service announcement on the Georgia Power YouTube Channel.

You can check out www.georgiapowerlakes.com for more details around each lake's offerings. For the latest on hours of operation, visit the Georgia Power lakes and recreation site.

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


"Supporting the communities that we serve is in Goya's DNA," said Bob Unanue, President and CEO of Goya Foods. "Through our Goya Gives program, our commitment to helping those in need is stronger than ever and we are grateful for the partnerships we have in order to provide the resources that are desperately needed. We send our prayers and love to all those who have been affected by the hurricane."

Goya has always been at the forefront of disaster and humanitarian relief efforts, providing millions of pounds of nourishing food worldwide. Since the start of the pandemic, Goya has donated over 4.5 million pounds of food. During Hurricane Maria, Goya donated over one million pounds of food to the people of Puerto Rico, in addition to the starving people of Venezuela during governmental unrest, to the people of Haiti during the earthquake, and at home during Superstorm Sandy, and Hurricanes Isaac, Harvey, and Irene.

To learn more about Goya Gives, please visit: www.goya.com

About Goya Foods

Founded in 1936, Goya Foods, Inc. is America's largest Hispanic-owned food company, and has established itself as the leader in Latin American food and condiments. Goya manufactures, packages, and distributes over 2,500 high-quality food products from Spain, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central, and South America. Goya products have their roots in the culinary traditions of Hispanic communities around the world. The combination of authentic ingredients, robust seasonings, and convenient preparation makes Goya products ideal for every taste and every table. For more information on Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com.

For more information, contact:

Natalie J. Maniscalco

845.659.6506 / [email protected]

SOURCE Goya Foods, Inc.
NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Religions for Peace , the world's largest and most representative multi-religious coalition, today announced the lineup of speakers for a landmark conference on faith and diplomacy, which will be broadcast live from Lindau, Germany, October 4-7.

Representatives of the world's historic religions, religious youth leaders, and delegates from civil society, government, non-governmental organizations, and multilateral institutions will meet to discuss how the religious and diplomatic communities can collaborate to address our world's most pressing concerns: peace and security, climate change, and humanitarianism.

Delegates for the "Conference of the World Council of Religious Leaders on Faith and Diplomacy: Generations in Dialogue" include religious leaders from the Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Indigenous, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh faiths. Some of the religious and civil society leaders attending include:

Dr. Azza Karam , Secretary General of Religions for Peace; Professor of Religion and Development at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, The Netherlands ; former senior advisor on culture at the United Nations Population Fund (Muslim, United States )

Dr. Jeffrey Sachs , Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University ; President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network; Religions for Peace Ambassador ( United States )

Most Rev. Justin Welby , Archbishop of Canterbury (Christian, United Kingdom )

Rev. Kosho Niwano , Co-moderator and Executive Committee Member of Religions for Peace International; President-Designate, Rissho Kosei-Kai; teacher of the Lotus Sutra (Buddhist, Japan )

Bishop Dr. Munib Younan , Palestinian Bishop Emeritus of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (Christian, Palestine)

H.E. Alice Wairimu Nderitu , Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, United Nations Office of Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect ( Kenya )

Members of the media are invited to attend a press conference on September 15 at 8 a.m. Eastern (2 p.m. CET) to learn about the goals of the event and ask questions of Dr. Karam. Journalists who wish to attend the press conference must RSVP here .

To register for the October 4-7 "Conference of the World Council of Religious Leaders on Faith and Diplomacy: Generations in Dialogue," please visit peace-dialogue-lindau.org/register .

For more information on the conference and Religions for Peace, please view our press kit .

To request an interview with Dr. Azza Karam, Secretary General of Religions for Peace, please contact Elyse Sheppard at [email protected] or 202-471-4228 ext. 127.

About Religions for Peace: Religions for Peace is the world's largest and most representative multi-religious coalition with national member associations, called "Inter-religious Councils" (IRCs) in nearly 100 countries. Since 1973, Religions for Peace has been accredited as a non-governmental organization with the United Nations and is particularly engaged in the areas of transforming conflict, promoting just and harmonious societies, fostering sustainable human development, protecting the earth and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at www.rfp.org .

SOURCE Religions for Peace
SHANGRAO, China, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (the "Company," or "JinkoSolar") (NYSE: JKS), one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world, today announced that its principal operating subsidiary, Jinko Solar Co., Ltd. has signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. ("CATL"). The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. Jia Zhou, president of CATL and Mr. Kangping Chen, CEO of Jinko Solar Co., Ltd., on behalf of both parties.

Under the agreement, the two parties will establish a long-term, stable and solid strategic joint partnership in areas such as the promotion of carbon neutrality in the industrial chain, global solar-plus-storage business development, and the innovation and development of solar-plus-storage integrated solutions.

Mr. Jia Zhou, president of CATL, commented, "With the shared goal of achieving carbon neutrality, we believe that both parties can effectively join forces to carry out comprehensive and in-depth cooperation in the field of solar-plus-storage integration, and create greater value for global customers. This is a great opportunity to further advance on technology innovation, improve efficiency and reduce costs. At the same time, the two companies will bring their industrial resources together to promote solar-plus-storage integration solutions in collaboration with industry partners. We want to help our customers reduce their carbon footprint and lower carbon emissions, and in the process lead by example for the industry to set new green benchmarks."

"We're excited to be in partnership with CATL to jointly develop the global solar-plus-storage market. With JinkoSolar's high-efficiency PV technology, global network and business operation model combined with CATL's advanced patented technologies in the field of energy storage and innovative models, the future is promising and we can provide more effective solutions for global customers. Both parties have their respective advantages, and we can optimize our strengths by integrating resources and synergizing development strategies. We want to build a new energy technology ecosystem and promote the use of solar in the energy field in the future, thus contributing to the realization of carbon neutrality," said Mr. Kangping Chen, CEO of Jinko Solar Co., Ltd.

Looking forward, both parties are confident that they will be able to optimize their respective strengths in PV and energy storage solutions, broaden the horizons of the solar-plus-storage industry, and innovate in multiple fields including technology R&D and alternative business models. Working closely together, both parties will continue to provide more comprehensive new energy solutions for global customers and lead the industry into a new era of carbon neutrality.

About JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world. JinkoSolar distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in China, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, South Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, and other countries and regions. JinkoSolar has built a vertically integrated solar product value chain, with an integrated annual capacity of 22 GW for mono wafers, 11.5 GW for solar cells, and 31 GW for solar modules, as of March 31, 2021.

JinkoSolar has 9 productions facilities globally, 22 overseas subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, India, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Australia, Portugal, Canada, Malaysia, UAE, Denmark, and global sales teams in China, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Ukraine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, South Africa, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Poland and Argentina, as of March 31, 2021.

To find out more, please see: www.jinkosolar.com

Safe-Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "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, 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" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and the Company's operations and business outlook, contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in JinkoSolar's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Ms. Stella Wang

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

Tel: +86 21-5180-8777 ext.7806

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

Related Links

www.jinkosolar.com


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- White collar criminal defense law firm Kaplan Marino announced today that its Partners Nina Marino and Richard Kaplan have been recognized as 'Visionaries' in Business of Law: Trends, Updates & Visionaries, a special feature published this week by L.A. Times B2B Publishing. The feature says attorneys were recognized as visionaries "for their contributions and leadership within their organizations, the legal field, and the community at large."

"This recognition is a testimony to the resolute commitment our firm has to our clients," said Marino. "It is a pleasure to be included among these excellent attorneys."

The publication writes, "Nina Marino's complex litigation and white-collar crime practice is national and international. She negotiates with the U.S. Department of Justice, state Attorneys General, district attorneys, and Interpol in her defense of individuals alleged to be involved with Medicare fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practice Act violations and tax, cyber and other crimes." The feature goes on to say, "Marino has championed women's issues for more than two decades. She has helped change the gender composition of the ABA's educational programming. She is also the founder of the Criminal Defense Law Section of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Women's White Collar Defense Association. In addition, she serves on the board of C5LA, a non-profit focused on creating a path to college for underserved youth."

Criminal defense attorney Richard D. Kaplan manages "serious criminal charges that threaten the livelihood and reputations of white-collar clients, including high-net worth individuals, entrepreneurs, corporations and their officers and executives," reports the feature. "Kaplan's creative strategies during negotiations with authorities have led to numerous acquittals, no-charges-filed, probation and record expungement outcomes for clients. His experience includes a range of allegations: fraud, narcotics, vehicular manslaughter, and domestic violence, among others. Several recent representations have involved #MeToo allegations, building code violations and overcharging claims issued by weights and measures agencies. He has built productive relationships across the legal profession, from the Los Angeles County and City Prosecuting Agencies to the U.S. Department of Justice to the National Conference of Bar Presidents, where he serves as a member of its executive counsel."

Kaplan and Marino's excellence in complex matters have earned them each many professional recognitions. Most recently, Marino was selected to Chambers USA as a leader in Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations in their 2021 rankings. She was also named 'Top White-Collar Lawyer' by the Daily Journal as well as 'Leader in Law' by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Kaplan was recognized earlier this year by the California Lawyers Association and awarded the "2021 Solo and Small Firm Excellence Award." He also was named 'Top Litigator' by the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2021.

About Kaplan Marino

The attorneys of Kaplan Marino are known in California and globally as leaders in the field of criminal defense. By providing creative solutions and drawing on our decades of experience, we give clients the high-quality representation they deserve. For more information, please visit https://kaplanmarino.com/.

SOURCE Kaplan Marino
Dr. Lattanza has dedicated her career to expanding diversity and inclusion in orthopaedic surgery and to caring for diverse and underserved populations, explained Amy L. Ladd, MD, FAAOS, an associate of Dr. Lattanza's from Stanford University Medical Center. She has committed her career to improving the quality of life of her patients and her mentoring of the current and next generation of orthopaedic surgeons will be amplified by many for years to come.

One of Dr. Lattanza's most prolific contributions to diversifying the next generation of orthopaedic surgeons has been through the co-founding of The Perry Initiative. Named for Dr. Lattanza's mentor Dr. Jacquelin Perry, The Perry Initiative has three components: the Perry Outreach Program (POP) a one-day career exploration for young women who may be interested in careers in orthopaedic surgery, engineering, or both; the Medical Student Outreach Program (MSOP), which is a hands-on experience for first- and second-year women medical students; and Orthopaedics in Action (OiA) teaching science through the lens of orthopaedic surgery in junior high and high school classrooms. More than 40% of participants in the POP and MSOP programs are under-represented minorities.

"The Perry Initiative with its breadth of workshops introduces and inspires high school, college, and medical students to pursue STEM-oriented careers, with the ultimate goal of changing the face of orthopaedics and bioengineering to one that is more diverse in gender, ethnic, and racial representation," said Dr. Ladd. "With guidance from Dr. Lattanza, these highly effective pipeline programs  exposing young women to successful surgeons and engineers  have a track record that broadcasts the enthusiasm of the young lives that are forever changed from the experience."

The Perry Programs are held at least yearly in 38 states and have reached more than 14,000 young women. Whereas about 1% of women medical students overall match into orthopaedics, nearly 25% of medical students who are Perry alumni ultimately choose and match into orthopaedics.

Currently serving as President of The Perry Initiative, Dr. Lattanza is also chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the Yale School of Medicine and professor of orthopaedic surgery. Prior to becoming chair at Yale in 2019, Dr. Lattanza was a member of the faculty at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) for 20 years where she was the vice chair of diversity, chief of hand and upper extremity surgery and hand fellowship director. Over the years she has partnered with Nth Dimensions, J. Robert Gladden Society, American Association of Latino Orthopaedic Surgeons (AALOS) and has led diversity efforts and programs through the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), including serving as diversity liaison to the Critical Issues Committee.

In addition to her pioneering work in orthopaedic surgery, including leading a team to perform the first elbow-to-elbow transplant in 2016, Dr. Lattanza has committed herself to embracing diversity, whether it be socioeconomic, gender, race, or other potentially differing situations.

"I became chair, in part, to have more of an impact on the culture of orthopaedic surgery and to make it more welcoming and equitable for everyone," said Dr. Lattanza.

Dr. Lattanza participates annually in the National Caucus on Healthcare Disparities in Musculoskeletal Care and has served on its steering committee. She is past president of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (RJOS), has served as a member of the AAOS Diversity Advisory Board, and has extensive involvement with volunteer and outreach in domestic and international venues. She is also a member of the International Orthopaedic Diversity Association (IODA) and the newly formed Women in Orthopaedics Worldwide (WOW).

"Dr. Lattanza is an exceptional leader and champion of diversity," added Dr. Lattanza's colleague, Thomas Parker Vail, MD, of UCSF. "Her commitment to the profession, her colleagues, and her patients shines through each and every day."

Dr. Lattanza received her medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio (now the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences) and completed an internship at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Upon completing her residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Missouri Kansas City, she completed fellowships in hand surgery at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons/Roosevelt Hospital and in pediatric hand and upper extremity at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas.

About the AAOS

With more than 39,000 members, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is the world's largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. The AAOS is the trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal health. It provides the highest quality, most comprehensive education to help orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals at every career level best treat patients in their daily practices. The AAOS is the source for information on bone and joint conditions, treatments and related musculoskeletal health care issues and it leads the health care discussion on advancing quality.

Follow the AAOS on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn , and Instagram.

SOURCE American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Related Links

https://www.aaos.org/


BROOKVILLE, N.Y., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Long Island University is proud to announce the appointment of Winifred B. Mack, RN, as executive dean of health professions and nursing effective September 1, 2021. Ms. Mack served as senior vice president of health system operations at Northwell Health, and has been a member of the Long Island University Board of Trustees since 2019.

"As a trustee and alumna, Winnie Mack has been a respected advocate and exemplary model of all that is possible with a Long Island University education," said LIU Board of Trustees Chair Eric Krasnoff. "We are proud to share her knowledge to our students and faculty in support of the next generation of outstanding caregivers."

Ms. Mack's appointment comes as Long Island University's national leadership in health care education continues to meet growing demand and provide 360-degree learning experiences for all students. During the COVID-19 pandemic, LIU opened one of Nassau County's only vaccination centers that allowed nursing and pharmacy students to volunteer to administer the vaccine. The University is also at the forefront of innovation in the medical industry featuring a partnership with Fortune Future 50 company Dassault Systemes, creating state-of-the-art laboratories with patented artificial intelligence technology that is revolutionizing health care training, research and drug discovery.

"It is an honor to welcome Winnie Mack to lead the health professions and nursing programs at Long Island University," said Long Island University President Kimberly R. Cline. "Her expertise will be instrumental in growing our proven legacy of educating compassionate and highly skilled health care professionals at a time when our country needs them the most."

With more than 40 years of health care experience as a nurse and administrator, Ms. Mack will oversee all health professions and nursing programs at both the Brooklyn and Post campuses of LIU. She has built a strong reputation as a leader who transforms hospitals into thriving institutions. As executive director of Southside Hospital, she overhauled the community facility into a tertiary university hospital with a Level 1 trauma center. She was also appointed as the interim president and CEO of Nassau University Medical Center specifically to help revamp the public hospital.

"As a proud graduate of Long Island University, I am thrilled to relive my experiences through incoming students and help guide them toward impactful careers," said Winifred B. Mack, RN. "I look forward to enhancing the University's legacy in health care education through innovative programs, high quality teaching and research that prepare students for the future of medicine."

Ms. Mack earned a bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's degree in public administration from Long Island University. Before entering the executive ranks of Northwell Health in 2002, Ms. Mack held high-level administrative and nursing positions at Continuum Health Partners' Beth Israel-St. Luke's Roosevelt Health System, Winthrop-University Hospital, Nassau University Medical Center and Stony Brook University Hospital.

She went on to serve as regional executive director of Northwell's Eastern Region before rising to senior vice president of health system operations. In recognition of her accomplishments, she was presented with Long Island University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013.

She is the founding member of both the North American Transplant Coordinators Organization and the New York Transplantation Society. She is a board member of the YMCA of Long Island, the LIU School of Health Professions and Nursing Advisory Board, and serves as a Long Island Trustee for the Energeia Partnership at Molloy College. She also served as a board member of Nassau Community Colleges' Clinical Technology Program. In 2018, she was named a member of the Hofstra Northwell Hagedorn Honor Society.

Ms. Mack was an Irish Americans in Government Honoree and a YMCA of Long Island Honoree in 2018. She was honored by Long Island Business News with their Top 50 Women Award in 2016, and was the recipient in 2014 of the National Association of Professional Women's Women of the Year Award. In 2012, the Islip Breast Cancer Coalition made her the honoree of their "Evening in Pink," and the YMCA Boulton Center bestowed their Ambassador of the Arts Award upon her in 2011.

About Long Island University

Long Island University, founded in 1926, continues to redefine higher education, with innovative programs and high quality and research. Recognized by Forbes for its emphasis on experiential learning and by the Brookings Institution for its "value added" to student outcomes, LIU offers nearly 250 degree programs, with a network of over 280,000 alumni across the globe. Visit liu.edu for more information.

SOURCE Long Island University

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www.liu.edu


LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Louisville Visual Art (LVA) is thrilled to announce a new program to support Louisville's artists, curators, and organizations by placing original art in accessible spaces at local non-profits and civic buildings. Curate Purchase Inspire (CPI) is an exciting opportunity to support the city's entire visual arts ecosystem thanks to a generous $1 Million gift from local artist and philanthropist, Clare Hirn. It was Clare's dream to start a program to purchase artworks directly from artists at a fair price, and place them in non-profit spaces accessible to the community at large.

Each year, LVA will build a diverse committee of community arts leaders to choose two emerging local curators to spend six months working with a non-profit or public partner to identify local artists' work for purchase and installation in publicly accessible spaces. For the purposes of this program the "curator" applicants are not limited to formally trained or self-taught curators, but could also include artists, designers, writers, or others who are engaged in a creative practice. CPI will set Louisville apart by:

Development of a substantial community art collection, accessible to all citizens of Greater Louisville

$900,000 in artwork purchase funds directly supporting local artists and our creative economy

in artwork purchase funds directly supporting local artists and our creative economy Critical real-world experience and professional development for emerging curators

The local artists whose work is selected will benefit from the sales and be invited to participate in LVA's professional development workshop series that teaches fundamentals of art-related business practices. The non-profit partner will receive the art on permanent loan, with the provision that it must remain on display in a place where the public can view it and to create a healing, contemplative, or inspiring space.

Visual art has the power to transform perspectives and attitudes, and a vibrant art scene nurtures a more compassionate, reflective, and beautiful community. CPI will greatly contribute by building a citywide art collection of regional artworks held in the public trust and displayed on walls of vibrant non-profits throughout Louisville. LVA sees this as an inspiring opportunity to support the city's entire ecosystem of visual creativity.

About Louisville Visual Art:

Now in its 112th year, Louisville Visual Art (LVA) supports the lifecycle of artists in Louisville.

louisvillevisualart.org

SOURCE Louisville Visual Art

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TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945

Now manages nearly 1 million acres in the Western Gulf region on behalf of clients

BOSTON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Hancock Natural Resource Group (HNRG), a company of Manulife Investment Management, announced today the closing of a transaction on behalf of its client, AP3, with TexMark Timber Treasury L.P. (Triple T), a joint venture managed by CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. (NYSE:CTT) AP3 is one of four buffer funds that manage capital on behalf of the Swedish state pension system. Under the terms of the agreement, HNRG acquired more than 300,000 pine timberland acres in eastern Texas through a U.S. subsidiary of AP3. The timberlands are located in 10 counties across the western coastal plain of Texas.

"We're pleased to announce the closing of these timberlands in Texas," said Tom Sarno, global head of timberland investments, Manulife Investment Management. "Our team is very experienced in this region and was able to provide key insight and validate our initial assumptions. We believe the assets are very well positioned to benefit from the already deep markets, reliable off takers, and favorable timber growth attributes with additional opportunities provided by recently announced mill investments in the region. We have confidence that the investment is well positioned for long-term success and we look forward to managing the property on behalf of our client. This marks the fourth timberland acquisition our team has closed in 2021, including two eucalyptus plantations in Brazil and an impact-first investment in Maine along the Quebec, Canada, border."

Manulife Investment Management manages approximately 6 million acres of timberland across the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, and Chile as part of its comprehensive private markets strategies. It also oversees approximately 400,000 acres of prime farmland in major agricultural regions of the United States and in Canada, Chile, and Australia.

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 18 geographies. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We're committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement.

As of June 30, 2021, Manulife Investment Management had CAD$1.0 trillion (US$834 billion) in assets under management and administration. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.

About AP3

AP3 is one of four buffer funds that manage capital on behalf of the Swedish state pension system. The fund had SEK 466,9 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2021. AP3 is tasked by Swedish Parliament with generating maximum possible benefit for the state pension system by managing its fund capital responsibly and delivering strong investment returns at a low level of risk. For more information, see www.ap3.se

SOURCE Manulife Investment Management

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https://www.manulifeim.com/


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Massage Envy  the nation's No. 1 provider of massage and skin care services in the U.S. across its franchise network  announced co-founder, Shawn Haycock will join the team as brand ambassador in the new role of Executive Director of Massage Therapy and Industry Relations.

Haycock was a licensed massage therapist when he co-founded Massage Envy in 2002 and helped it expand from one location in Scottsdale to a network of over 1,100 franchised locations across 49 states. He served with Massage Envy for 19 years before departing in 2020 to pursue consulting and other business ventures.

"I am honored to serve as the Executive Director of Massage Therapy and Industry Relations for the best and biggest massage brand in the category. I look forward to sharing our brand story with the industry," said Haycock. "I have devoted my entire career to improving the profession. We founded Massage Envy to create opportunities for more therapists to pursue their passion and my mission in this new role is to build on that great work."

As part of his responsibilities, Haycock will lead corporate efforts to positively promote the Massage Envy brand.

"We are absolutely delighted to have Shawn back with the brand," said Beth Stiller, Massage Envy CEO. "As our co-founder and through his direct experience as a massage therapist and Massage Envy franchisee, Shawn brings great credibility to the role of representing our brand with trade groups, massage therapy schools, research organizations, and academic institutions. Shawn is a recognized expert who understands this."

About Massage Envy

Massage Envy, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a national franchisor and does not independently own or operate any of the Massage Envy franchised locations nationwide. The Massage Envy franchise network, through its franchise locations, is the leading provider of therapeutic massage and skin care service. Founded in 2002, Massage Envy has more than 1,100 franchise locations in 49 states that have together delivered more than 100 million massages and facials. For more information, visit www.massageenvy.com, or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @MassageEnvy.

SOURCE Massage Envy

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https://www.massageenvy.com


WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Pullman National Monument will officially open its visitor center doors and state historic site grounds on Labor Day weekend, September 4 and 5, 2021, thanks in part to the support of the National Park Foundation and its donors. The celebratory weekend will feature tours, interpretive programming, and a host of events and activities organized by a variety of partners throughout the Pullman neighborhood.

In celebration of Pullman National Monument, NPF and Union Pacific commissioned local Chicago artist Joe Nelson to create this vintage-style poster honoring the stories of Pullman. Image description: The design features a drawing of a Pullman Porter, in uniform and holding luggage, standing in front of illustrations of a historic Pullman sleeping car, the iconic Clock Tower, and four Pullman Porter colleagues, with the words "All Aboard Pullman National Monument" at the top of the poster.

"As we celebrate the opening of Pullman National Monument, we also celebrate the power of working together," said National Park Foundation President and CEO Will Shafroth. "When Pullman National Monument was designated in 2015, the core feature of the site, the historic Clock Tower, and the surrounding grounds required significant restoration. The National Park Foundation, generous donors including a lead gift from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, committed partners, and Pullman community members stepped up to provide critical investment and expertise to the project. The result is that we are together preserving and sharing Pullman's unique history for generations to come."

Funded by the National Park Foundation and its donors and combined with NPS Centennial Challenge and Recreation Fee funds, the visitor center will be located at the Historic Administration Clock Tower Building. It will feature exhibits and programs that share two key moments in American Labor History associated with the Pullman company including the 1894 Pullman Strike and Boycott, and the 1937 African-American Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters union winning the first successful contract with a major company. Visitors can get a glimpse of almost a century of evolving workforce and rail equipment production, learn about the lasting design and architecture of the 1880 Town of Pullman, and how a community works together to preserve an historic district.

"The Pullman National Monument is a community anchor that beautifully honors Pullman's rich history and serves as an attraction for Chicagoans and people across the nation," said Pritzker Traubert Foundation Trustee Bryan Traubert. "The Pritzker Traubert Foundation is proud to invest in infrastructure that supports economic and cultural vitality on the South Side, and is excited to help celebrate the official opening of Pullman National Monument."

In partnership with the National Park Service, National Park Foundation, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources transformed the state-managed 12-acre grounds that are adjacent to the Historic Administration Clock Tower Building and are collectively known as the Pullman State Historic Site. This transformation included restoration of the landscape and ADA accessible improvements.

"The support of the National Park Foundation and its generous donors was critical to the renovation of the Clock Tower Building that is home to the new visitor center and that stands as a testament to the resilience and determination of the many partners who worked for decades to preserve and share this special place in Chicago and American history," said Pullman National Monument Superintendent Teri Gage.

To date, the National Park Foundation has provided more than $10 million to support Pullman National Monument, thanks to many generous donors, including a lead gift from former National Park Foundation Board Director Bryan Traubert of the Pritzker Traubert Foundation. Major support also came from the Union Pacific Foundation; Fund II Foundation; former National Park Foundation Board Director Brien O'Brien and Mary Hasten; Chapman Hanson Foundation; Chicago Department of Planning and Development; former National Park Foundation Board Director Ellen Alberding and Kelly Welsh; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; the Robert R. McCormick Foundation; Searle Funds at the Chicago Community Trust; Walmart; National Park Foundation Board Director Barbara M. Neal; and Ms. Karen Jones Squires and Mr. Jim Squires. The National Park Foundation also provided support for the Historic Pullman Foundation (HPF) in its role as the park's philanthropic partner, enabling HPF to do strategic planning, expand its mission, attract new volunteers and supporters for Pullman National Monument, and develop a new website.

"Fund II Foundation is honored to contribute to the preservation and elevation of the African-American experience at Pullman National Monument," said Fund II Foundation Founding Director Robert F. Smith. "The story of Pullman Porters and the community they built in Chicago and shared on the rails is the story of progress. Pullman Porters helped shape our American history, giving rise to the labor movement and it is important to honor them now and share their stories with current and future generations. I personally am moved by this story; my father and grandfather, both named William Smith; served on the railroad as waiter and porter. So, this is especially sweet."

Beyond financial support, the National Park Foundation also collaborated with Union Pacific to create a vintage-style poster celebrating Pullman National Monument, designed by local Chicago artist Joe Nelson. You can learn more about the poster design and the artist's inspiration on the National Park Foundation's blog.

"The Pullman National Monument is a tribute to African-American Pullman porters who created the first African American union, and the legacy of George Pullman providing a quality passenger rail car, and the nation's first planned community," said Union Pacific Senior Vice President  Corporate Relations, Chief Administrative Officer and Foundation President Scott Moore. "This poster is a nod to the days gone by as we celebrate a time when Union Pacific trains carried people to destinations they couldn't explore any other way, and the role Pullman and his porters played in rail history. While our trains no longer carry passengers, we encourage this generation of explorers to visit national parks and experience the wonder and history."

The National Park Foundation plays a critical role in helping the National Park Service expand people's understanding of and direct access to American history. As such, in addition to Pullman National Monument, the National Park Foundation has also helped preserve places including Camp Nelson National Monument, Cesar E. Chavez National Monument, Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, Freedom Riders National Monument, Stonewall National Monument, and the homes where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born and where he and Coretta Scott King raised their family.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

The National Park Foundation works to protect wildlife and park lands, preserve history and culture, educate and engage youth, and connect people everywhere to the wonder of parks. We do it in collaboration with the National Park Service, the park partner community, and with the generous support of donors, without whom our work would not be possible. Learn more at nationalparks.org.

SOURCE National Park Foundation

Related Links

www.nationalparks.org


Gallium nitride (GaN) is a next-generation semiconductor technology that runs up to 20x faster than legacy silicon and enables up to 3x more power or 3x faster charging in half the size and weight. Navitas' GaNFast power ICs integrate GaN power and drive plus protection and control to deliver simple, small, fast and efficient performance. With over 130 patents issued or pending, and significant trade secrets including a proprietary process design kit (PDK), Navitas believes it has a multi-year lead in next-generation GaN power ICs.

The Deutsche Bank 2021 Technology Conference includes keynotes from Intel, Broadcom and Zoom, panel discussions, and offers investors one-on-one conversations with senior executives of innovative companies at the forefront of the technology sector.

Navitas' co-founder and CEO, Gene Sheridan, will review GaNFast power IC technology and the $13.1B market opportunity in a live presentation with Q&A at 11:50am (EDT) on Thursday September 9th. To participate, and to arrange one-on-one meetings, please contact Donna Lichvar at [email protected].

"We've already shipped over 25 million GaNFast power ICs and that's only 1-2% of today's available market  so a huge growth potential. From tier-1 laptop and phone companies including Dell, Lenovo, Xiaomi, LG and OPPO, we're now expanding quickly into higher-power developments such as with Enphase for solar, and Brusa for EV markets," noted Gene Sheridan. It's a $13 billion GaN electrification opportunity  and we are grateful to Deutsche Bank for this platform to meet with future-thinking investors."

About Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) is a leading provider of financial services to agencies, corporations, governments, private individuals and institutions in the Americas. Having first established a presence in the Americas in the 19th century, the bank began independent operations in the US in 1978, opening its first North American branch in New York City. In October 2001, Deutsche Bank was the first German bank to list on the NYSE and one of the largest foreign-based employers in New York City.

About Navitas

Navitas Semiconductor Limited is the industry leader in GaN power IC's, founded in 2014. Navitas has a strong and growing team of power semiconductor industry experts with a combined 300 years of experience in materials, devices, applications, systems and marketing, plus a proven record of innovation with over 200 patents among its founders. GaN power ICs integrate GaN power with drive, control and protection to enable faster charging, higher power density and greater energy savings for mobile, consumer, enterprise, eMobility and new energy markets. Over 130 Navitas patents are issued or pending, and over 25 million GaNFast power ICs have been shipped with zero reported GaN field failures. On May 7th, 2021, Navitas announced plans to "Go Public at an Enterprise Value of $1.04 Billion via Live Oak II (NYSE: LOKB) SPAC Business Combination.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

The information in this press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, regarding the proposed transaction, the ability of the parties to consummate the transaction, the benefits of the transaction and the combined company's future financial performance, as well as the combined company's strategy, future operations, estimated financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projections of market opportunity and market share, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "could," "should," "will," "may," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "plan," "seek," "expect," "project," "forecast," the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words.

Live Oak II and Navitas caution you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the possibility that the expected growth of Navitas' business will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period, due to, among other things: (i) Navitas' goals and strategies, future business development, financial condition and results of operations; (ii) Navitas' customer relationships and ability to retain and expand these customer relationships; (iii) Navitas' ability to accurately predict future revenues for the purpose of appropriately budgeting and adjusting Navitas' expenses; (iv) Navitas' ability to diversify its customer base and develop relationships in new markets; (v) the level of demand in Navitas' customers' end markets; (vi) Navitas' ability to attract, train and retain key qualified personnel; (vii) changes in trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs; (viii) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Navitas' business, results of operations and financial condition; (ix) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy; (x) the ability of Navitas to maintain compliance with certain U.S. Government contracting requirements; (xi) regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; and (xii) Navitas' ability to protect its intellectual property rights. Forward-looking statements are also subject to additional risks and uncertainties, including (i) changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; (ii) the inability of the parties to successfully or timely consummate the proposed transaction, including the risk that any required regulatory approvals are not obtained, are delayed or are subject to unanticipated conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction or that the approval of the stockholders of Live Oak II is not obtained; (iii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Live Oak II or Navitas following announcement of the proposed transaction; (iv) the risk that the proposed transaction disrupts Live Oak II's or Navitas' current plans and operations as a result of the announcement of the proposed transaction; (v) costs related to the proposed transaction; (vi) failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction; (vii) risks relating to the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to Navitas; (viii) risks related to the rollout of Navitas' business and the timing of expected business milestones; (ix) the effects of competition on Navitas' business; (x) the amount of redemption requests made by Live Oak II's public stockholders; (xi) the ability of Live Oak II or the combined company to issue equity or equity-linked securities in connection with the proposed transaction or in the future; and (xii) those factors discussed in Live Oak II's registration statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-256880) (the "Registration Statement") filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and Live Oak II's final prospectus filed with the SEC on December 4, 2020 under the heading "Risk Factors" and other documents of Live Oak II filed, or to be filed, with the SEC.

If any of the risks described above materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by our forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that neither Live Oak II nor Navitas presently know or that Live Oak II and Navitas currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Live Oak II's and Navitas' expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Live Oak II and Navitas anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause Live Oak II's and Navitas' assessments to change. However, while Live Oak II and Navitas may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Live Oak II and Navitas specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Live Oak II's and Navitas' assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.

Important Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed transaction, Live Oak II has filed the Registration Statement with the SEC, which includes a proxy statement/prospectus of Live Oak II. Live Oak II also plans to file other documents and relevant materials with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. After the Registration Statement has been cleared by the SEC, a definitive proxy statement/prospectus will be mailed to the stockholders of Live Oak II. SECURITYHOLDERS OF LIVE OAK II AND NAVITAS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS (INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND OTHER DOCUMENTS AND RELEVANT MATERIALS RELATING TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION THAT WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND THE PARTIES TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Stockholders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement/prospectus and other documents containing important information about Live Oak II and Navitas once such documents are filed with the SEC through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

Participants in the Solicitation

Live Oak II and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Live Oak II in connection with the proposed transaction. Navitas and its officers and directors may also be deemed participants in such solicitation. Securityholders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of certain of Live Oak II's executive officers and directors in the solicitation by reading Live Oak II's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 25, 2021 and the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction when they become available. Information concerning the interests of Live Oak II's participants in the solicitation, which may, in some cases, be different than those of Live Oak II's stockholders generally, will be set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus relating to the proposed transaction when it becomes available.

Navitas Semiconductor, GaNFast and the Navitas logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Navitas Semiconductor Limited. All other brands, product names and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners.

Contact Information

Stephen Oliver, VP Corporate Marketing & Investor Relations

[email protected]

SOURCE Navitas Semiconductor

Related Links

navitassemi.com


Inspire Downtown is a 17-story iconic high-rise community populated by 247 apartment homes ranging in size from 491 square-foot studios to an expansive 3,700+ square feet tower suite. Also featured onsite are amenities such as a premium-grade flex and fuel studio, coworking lab, and a resort-style lounge pool. These onsite amenities will contribute to Inspire Downtown's vision for the community as a "backyard" extension of San Antonio, one that will continue inspiring the city's vibrant rejuvenation.

"Our block of downtown San Antonio creates a lifestyle for residents to connect to the creative pulse of the city," said Tammie Brown, Community Manager. "From the San Pedro Creek's restoration of the urban environment, to Market Square and the Riverwalk, this Houston Street icon is unique from a lifestyle standpoint, especially considering there are no other multifamily high-rises around us. We're offering something completely unlike other apartment communities. Especially with the addition of The Dandy, an urban dining experience offering premium spirits paired with a well curated menu and complimentary shoe shining service. The development of downtown is booming, and we are happy to offer our residents enticing downtown experiences they can explore as an extension of their upgraded home."

Embodying the downtown culture through a reinvigorated community upgrade/redesign was a major emphasis for the Inspire Downtown renovation vision. For residents, an afternoon swim on the sun-drenched amenity deck overlooking the downtown skyline might be followed by an evening stroll through downtown's new Legacy Park while indulging in the highly acclaimed Pinkerton's Barbecue just 2 blocks away.

Inspire isn't the only building that's taken part of the resurrection of downtown. Just a block away, several resident centric developments are at play. The anticipated Leeds project is sprucing up its facade and undergoing interior renovations that will offer new retail, office, and restaurant space for growing local businesses. The growth continues with Texas Public Radio's move into its new headquarters in the renovated Alameda Theater, a new restaurant space in the famous Kline's building and the upcoming rehabilitation of the Continental Hotel. There are also two new big additions to this small part of downtown including the UTSA School of Data Science and National Security Collaboration Center and the new federal courthouse that are both set to be complete in 2022. Now is the time to plant roots in the urban west corridor.

"We've created a home built around an active urban lifestyle with all the amenities needed for a seamless downtown experience. They're all part of one 'inspired' vision for an apartment high-rise with the downtown blueprints of San Antonio as its guide," said Summer Murray, Senior Regional Property Manager, "We took our name change to heart  downtown was the inspiration at every step, and probably always will be."

From the studios to the penthouses, all with their high ceilings and designer finishes, Inspire Downtown is ideal for all residents, especially those looking for a city backdrop for their bustling lives.

Connect with the Inspire Downtown leasing team for availability information by visiting the community website here: https://inspiredowntownsa.com/contact/

Media Contact:

Danielle Clark

Director of Marketing - Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Greystar
Released in 1981, Architecture & Morality was OMD's third genre-defying studio album. Its iconic use of the Mellotron and choral samples resulted in international critical acclaim and has sold over four million copies worldwide. The three singles from the album, " Souvenir ," " Joan Of Arc," and " Maid Of Orleans," all reached the top 5 in the UK singles chart and sold a total of eight million copies combined. It was an album that further solidified OMD as the Kings of the synth-pop world.

"The success of Architecture and Morality took us all by surprise," Andy McCluskey commented. "Once again, we had followed our raison d'etre of changing musical style, but we seemed to have really hit upon a sound that resonated with a wide audience. The three singles' Souvenir', 'Joan of Arc,' and 'Maid of Orleans' all went top five in the UK. To this day, they remain the "Holy Trinity" in the middle of our live stage performances, and the audience reaction is always rapturous."

Now, for the first time, the band will release the hits as three 12" singles on 45 rpm colored vinyl. The vinyl contains a triple gatefold sleeve, silver-board & emboss detail, and a download card and is available to pre-order now from HERE.

OMD will also embark on a UK arena tour in November, which will see the band perform songs from Architecture & Morality, plus many more from their legendary back catalog. The tour will stop off at London's Eventim Apollo, and two hometown shows at the Liverpool Empire and Olympia. Tickets On Sale Here

Strap in and prepare for nothing but the best from a band who are unquestionably still at the very top of their game.

Tracklisting:

Single 1: Souvenir (Side A)

Souvenir

Motion & Heart (Amazon Version)

Sacred Heart

Single 1: Souvenir (Side B)

Souvenir (Demo)

Choir Song (Rough Mix)

Motion & Heart (Live at Drury Lane, 1981)

Single 2: Joan Of Arc (Side A)

Joan Of Arc

The Romance Of The Telescope (Unfinished)

Joan Of Arc (Live at Drury Lane, 1981)

Single 2: Joan Of Arc (Side B)

Joan Of Arc (Rough Mix)

New Song (Georgia Demo)

She's Leaving (Demo)

Single 3: Maid Of Orleans (Side A)

Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)

Navigation

Sealand (Demo)

Single 3: Maid Of Orleans (Side B)

Submarines

Maid of Orleans (Demo)

Joan Of Arc (Maid of Orleans) (Live at Drury Lane, 1981)

The band will play the following UK arena headline shows in November 2021:



2021 UK Headline Tour Dates

November

Mon 1st GLASGOW, O2 Academy Tue 2nd EDINBURGH, Usher Hall Wed 3rd GATESHEAD, Sage Fri 5th HULL Bonus Arena Sat 6th LEEDS, First Direct Arena Sun 7th CAMBRIDGE, Corn Exchange Tue 9th LEICESTER, DeMontfort Hall Wed 10th CARDIFF, Motorpoint Arena Fri 12th BIRMINGHAM, Resorts World Arena Sat 13th LONDON, Eventim Apollo Sun 14th BOURNEMOUTH, BIC Tue 16th BRIGHTON, Brighton Centre Wed 17th OXFORD, New Theatre Fri 19th MANCHESTER, O2 Apollo Sat 20th MANCHESTER, O2 Apollo Sun 21st LIVERPOOL, Empire Tue 23rd LIVERPOOL, Eventim Olympia

Tickets On Sale Here

www.omd.uk.com





SOURCE UMe
ATLANTA, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OneTrust, the category-defining enterprise platform to operationalize trust, today announced it has been a named Leader for the third straight year in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools*. OneTrust was recognized for its Vendorpedia solutions, including third-party risk management, third-party risk exchange, third-party risk monitoring and questionnaire response automation.

Earlier this year, OneTrust also was the only vendor named as a Gartner Customers' Choice for two years in a row in the Gartner Peer Insights 'Voice of the Customer': IT Vendor Risk Management Tools report*.

Download the report: 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools

IT vendor risk management software provides solutions to manage and automate the vendor lifecycle, address third-party risk and meet regulatory compliance. Gartner's Magic Quadrant helps sourcing, procurement and vendor management leaders evaluate this growing and dynamic market.

In the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools, 17 vendors in the market were evaluated and OneTrust was positioned as a Leader and furthest in completeness of vision.

OneTrust's third-party risk management solution is also recognized by customers in Gartner Peer Insights, "OneTrust VRM is a Must Have For Your Organization! Not only is their product the best in the business, but their knowledgeable staff make implementation easy and set you up for long term success utilizing the platform." - Gartner Peer Insights Review from Security and Risk Management Professional, 30B+ USD Organizations

"This report from Gartner, one of the most respected analyst organizations in the world, we believe, guides our customers that they've invested in one of the top solutions. It's an honor to be a Leader, and even more so to be one for three years running," added Kabir Barday, Chief Executive Officer, OneTrust. "We are well positioned to serve our customers in all markets and will continue to be the long-term partner to manage privacy, security and governance programs throughout the business."

To learn more, download the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools. For additional information or to request demo, visit OneTrust.com.

Resources:

Download the report: 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools

OneTrust, OneTrust Vendorpedia, OneTrust Vendorpedia Third-Party Risk Exchange, and OneTrust Vendorpedia Questionnaire Response Automation are registered trademarks or trademarks of OneTrust LLC or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions.

Gartner , Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management, Joanne Spencer, Ed Weinstein, Aug 30, 2021

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

About OneTrust

OneTrust is the category-defining enterprise platform to operationalize trust. More than 10,000 customers, including half of the Fortune Global 500, use OneTrust to make trust a competitive differentiator, implementing central agile workflows across privacy, security, data governance, GRC, third-party risk, ethics and compliance, and ESG programs.

The OneTrust platform is backed by 150 patents and powered by the OneTrust Athena AI and robotic automation engine, and capabilities include:

OneTrust Privacy - Privacy Management Software

OneTrust DataDiscovery - AI-Powered Discovery and Classification

OneTrust DataGovernance - Data Intelligence Software

OneTrust Vendorpedia - Third-Party Risk Exchange

OneTrust GRC - Integrated Risk Management Software

OneTrust Ethics - Ethics and Compliance Software

OneTrust PreferenceChoice - Consent and Preference Management Software

OneTrust ESG  Environmental, Social & Governance Software

In 2020, OneTrust was named the #1 fastest-growing company in America on the Inc. 500 with a 48,000% three-year growth rate. According to the IDC Worldwide Data Privacy Management Software Market Shares Report, 2020, "OneTrust is leading the market outright and showing no signs of slowing down or stopping."

OneTrust has raised a total of $920 million in funding at a $5.3 billion valuation from Insight Partners, Coatue, TCV, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and Franklin Templeton. OneTrust's fast-growing team of 2,000 employees is co-headquartered in Atlanta and London with additional offices in Bangalore, Melbourne, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Sao Paulo, Munich, Paris, Hong Kong, and Bangkok.

To learn more, visit OneTrust.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

Media Contact

Kathryn Thompson

704-776-8127

[email protected]

SOURCE OneTrust

Related Links

https://onetrust.com/


This year's grant contest launched in early May, and entries to build a new park or provide a makeover to an existing park were gathered from across the country. Following the submission period, 30 finalists were selected to participate in the contest voting period from August 3-31, and more than 62,000 people voted to support their favorite finalist community.

"We've seen an outpouring of support throughout our grant contest this year, and it has been fun to follow along as community members pursue a space where dogs are welcome," says Celeste Vlok, marketing manager for PetSafe brand. "PetSafe is committed to creating safe, off-leash areas for pets and pet parents to enjoy for years to come, and we wanted the final decision to be made by the people using those parks each day. Congratulations to all winners!"

Participants entered to win funds for either a new park or to improve an existing dog park. Finalists were chosen on the level of enthusiasm and support for a dog park project within the community and the impact that a dog park project will have on the community. The five communities with the most votes pursuing a new park will soon receive $25,000 each, and the five communities with the most votes pursuing improvements to an existing local park will be awarded $5,000 each. The following ten communities will receive funding for their dog park project:

New Parks

Binghamton, NY

Carbondale, IL

Creston, IA

Milwaukee, WI

Newport, NH

Existing Parks

Fenton, MI

Horsham, PA

Hudson, NY

Lihue, HI

Tyler, TX

For 2022 PetSafe Bark for Your Park contest announcements, helpful entry tips, and information on all previous contest winners, visit barkforyourpark.com.

About PetSafe

PetSafe is dedicated to keeping pets healthy, safe and happy through innovative product solutions. As an industry leader, PetSafe brand offers behavioral, containment and lifestyle solutions. PetSafe brand is owned by Radio Systems Corporation, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and services over 50 countries globally. For more information, visit petsafe.net.

Media Contact:

Rachel Worley

Senior PR Specialist

615.417.9870

[email protected]

SOURCE PetSafe

Related Links

https://www.petsafe.net


MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Joseph Tarantino, president and CEO of global consulting firm Protiviti, and Robert Hirth, senior managing director, Protiviti, have been named to the NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) 2021 Directorship 100 list. The NACD list recognizes leading corporate directors, corporate governance experts, policymakers and influencers who significantly impact boardroom practices and performance.

"As organizations continue to face the business and cultural challenges presented by the pandemic, market shifts, digital transformation and changes in their workforce, strong governance practices are critical to help steer the ship," said Tarantino. "A robust governance framework is vital to enabling board members to provide oversight and mitigate business and financial risks, especially when members need to react quickly to disruptive events."

A founding member of Protiviti in 2002, Tarantino has served as president and CEO of the firm since 2007. He has more than 40 years of experience working with a broad range of organizations to enhance their business performance through risk management, operational effectiveness and enhanced governance. Tarantino has been recognized four times by Glassdoor as one of its Top CEOs, among several other accolades. A dedicated community leader, he is currently a member of St. John's University's board of trustees and chair of the audit committee and serves on the board and finance committee for Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York. As a CEO committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace, Tarantino is a signatory of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion and the Catalyst CEO Champions for Change.

"It's encouraging to see many companies making environmental, social and governance-related matters integral to formulating and executing strategy," said Protiviti's Hirth, who also currently serves as co-vice chair of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). "Implementing ESG principles throughout the business is a sound approach to grow and strengthen a company, as is consistently reporting those efforts publicly to meet the increasing interest of investors and other stakeholders."

Hirth, also a founding member of Protiviti, served as chairman of COSO (Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission) from 2013-18 and is presently Chair Emeritus. He previously served two terms on the Standing Advisory Group of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and in 2013 was inducted into The Institute of Internal Auditors' American Hall of Distinguished Audit Practitioners.

Directorship 100 honorees will be celebrated at a virtual awards gala hosted by the NACD on November 9, 2021.

About Protiviti

Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and its independent and locally owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, governance, risk and internal audit through its network of more than 85 offices in over 25 countries.

Named to the 2021 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, list, Protiviti has served more than 60 percent of Fortune 1000 and 35 percent of Fortune Global 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index.

All referenced marks are the property of their respective owners.

Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services.

Editor's note: photos available upon request.

SOURCE Protiviti

Related Links

http://www.protiviti.com


"We are honored to once again receive recognition from the Brandon Hall Group," said Jason Mundy, Vice President of Marketing at Qstream. "Qstream's science-based microlearning experience is fast and easy to use for any professional workforce that needs to quickly gain proficiency in critical knowledge when it matters most. Qstream analytics provide deep insights into engagement, retention, and proficiency that enable precise adjustments in learning as well as allowing businesses to measure the impact of their training initiatives."

The 2021 Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Learning Awards are given for work in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, Sales Performance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Future of Work. Winning organizations demonstrated a people-centric approach and best practices in respective HCM categories while driving superior business results under these challenging and unprecedented conditions.

"The Brandon Group Excellence Awards in 2021 is excited to recognize Qstream for its one-of-a-kind analytics and training capabilities," said Rachel Cooke, COO and leader of HCM Excellence Awards Program, Brandon Hall Group. "The proficiency metrics and spaced education model allow organizations to ensure that their people have mastered and retained important training information, especially for critical L&D programs such as compliance training."

Entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts and executives based upon the criteria of fit the need, design of the program, functionality, innovation, and overall measurable benefits.

Qstream's innovative microlearning technology and detailed analytics provide actionable insights by revealing proficiency at the skill, topic, regional and team level. Qstream's bite-sized scenario-based challenges allow your workers to retain and reinforce knowledge effectively on the go. The platform's proficiency analytics allow employees to demonstrate mastery. Through these channels, organizations can ensure that their people have received proper training, including compliance, to drive business strategy forward and lessen organizational risk.

The complete list of Excellence Award Winners can be found here.

About Qstream

Qstream is a microlearning solution proven by science and in practice to boost learner performance through knowledge reinforcement, engagement, and analytics. 600+ organizations rely on Qstream to build high-performance teams by delivering a microlearning experience that reinforces job-critical knowledge in minutes a day, exposing a real-time view of performance readiness.

About Brandon Hall Group

Brandon Hall Group is the only professional development company that offers data, research, insights and certification to Learning and Talent executives and organizations. The best minds in human capital management (HCM) choose Brandon Hall Group to help them create future proof employee development plans for the new era. For the last 27 years we have empowered, recognized and certified excellence in organizations around the world influencing the development of over 10,000,000 employees and executives. Our HCM Excellence Awards was the first to recognize organizations for learning and talent and is the gold standard, known as the 'Academy Awards of Human Capital Management'. Our cloud-based platform delivers evidence-based insights in the areas of Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Acquisition and HR/Workforce Management for corporate organizations and HCM solution providers.

Media Contact

David Resendes

[email protected]

(781) 222-2020

SOURCE Qstream

Related Links

http://qstream.com


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. and HOUSTON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Redwire, a leader in mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space economy, and Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: GNPK) ("Genesis Park"), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced today the completion of their previously announced business combination (the "Business Combination"). The Business Combination was approved by Genesis Park shareholders at an Extraordinary General Meeting held on September 1, 2021.

Upon completion of the Business Combination, the combined company changed its name to Redwire Corporation ("Redwire"). Redwire's shares of common stock and warrants are expected to commence trading on the NYSE on September 3, 2021 under the new ticker symbols "RDW" and "RDW WS," respectively. The transaction values Redwire at a $620 million pro forma enterprise value.

Redwire is a proven leader in the space community, providing complete space infrastructure solutions to its diversified base of customers in the national security, civil and commercial markets. With a highly differentiated strategy that combines deep flight heritage with innovative technology and disruptive IP, Redwire is a proven partner to major DoD, civil and commercial customers on cornerstone space programs, and is also shaping the future space economy with innovative on-orbit 3D printing, advanced robotics, and digitally designed spacecraft.

Peter Cannito, Chairman and CEO of Redwire, said, "This is a thrilling day for our team, and this milestone achievement is the culmination of the hard work and unmatched innovation of our talented employees. We are grateful for the support of our shareholders and to our partners at Genesis Park and AE Industrial Partners for their continued commitment to Redwire. As a public company in this second golden age of space, we will be in an even better position to deliver value to our customers' missions, help to shape the commercialization of the new space economy and, ultimately, accelerate humanity's expansion into space with our growing portfolio of breakout space infrastructure solutions."

Paul Hobby, CEO of Genesis Park, said, "We are pleased to continue supporting Redwire's best-in-class team, and we believe the company is well-positioned as a market leader with plentiful opportunities to drive value for shareholders."

Kirk Konert, Partner at AE Industrial Partners, said, "We are proud to support Redwire's journey to become a public company and beyond. As a purpose-built, pure-play space company with deep heritage and disruptive technology, Redwire has a unique opportunity to drive value as a space industry leader."

Advisors

Jefferies is serving as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal counsel to Redwire. Greenhill and KPMG are serving as financial advisors, Jefferies is serving as sole placement agent for the PIPE and capital markets advisor, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is serving as legal counsel to Genesis Park.

About Redwire

Redwire is a new leader in mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space economy, with valuable IP for solar power generation and in-space 3D printing and manufacturing. With decades of flight heritage combined with the agile and innovative culture of a commercial space platform, Redwire is uniquely positioned to assist its customers in solving the complex challenges of future space missions. For more information, please visit www.redwirespace.com.

About Genesis Park Acquisition Corp.

Genesis Park is a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of Genesis Park, trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbolNYSE: GNPK. GNPK is one of the first aerospace and aviation services special purpose acquisition companies, and pursued and capitalized on the operational and investment experience of the GNPK management team and Board of Directors by focusing on companies that have significant growth prospects in the aerospace and aviation services sector.

About AE Industrial Partners

AE Industrial Partners is a private equity firm specializing in Aerospace, Defense & Government Services, Space, Power Generation, and Specialty Industrial markets. AE Industrial Partners invests in market-leading companies that can benefit from its deep industry knowledge, operating experience, and relationships throughout its target markets. AE Industrial Partners is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing. Learn more at www.aeroequity.com.

Contacts

Media: Austin Jordan

321-536-8632

[email protected]

OR

Investors:

[email protected]

Reevemark

Paul Caminiti/Delia Cannan/Pam Greene

212-433-4600

[email protected]

Forward Looking Statements

This document includes "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "forecast," "intend," "seek," "target," "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "plan," "outlook," and "project" and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Such forward looking statements with respect to revenues, earnings, performance, strategies, prospects and other aspects of the businesses of Genesis Park Acquisition Corp., Redwire or the combined company after completion of the Business Combination are based on current expectations that are subject to risks and uncertainties.

A number of factors could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those indicated by such forward looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: (1) risk that the transaction disrupts current plans and operations of Redwire; (2) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its management and key employees; (3) costs related to the Business Combination; (4) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (5) the possibility that Redwire may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and (6) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC by Genesis Park Acquisition Corp or the combined company. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. and Redwire undertake no commitment to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

SOURCE Redwire; Genesis Park Acquisition Corp.

Related Links

http://www.redwirespace.com/


RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In an interview this week during Mines and Money Online Connect, His Excellency Khalid Al-Mudaifer, Vice-Minister of Mining Affairs for the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, shared with a global audience of investors the reasons why Saudi Arabia is rapidly emerging as a major mining destination.

"Saudi Arabia is very much open for business, and we have taken many transformational steps to make investing in mining more attractive than ever before," said Eng. Al-Mudaifer. "Plus, because of what investors have told us are critical success factors, we have a new national mind-set, deeper understanding of the complexities of mining and a greater focus on stability and predictability. Combined with a rich and diverse geological footprint, a transformed mining sector and a sharp focus on sustainability, we can make a compelling case that Saudi Arabia is a mining country in the making."

The Vice-Minister highlighted three primary attractions for investors: Geology, Mining Ecosystem and Sustainability.

Geology

The Arabian Shield is estimated to contain $1.3 trillion worth of potential mineral value, across numerous commodities, including gold, copper, phosphate, iron ore and rare earth minerals, many of which are critical to the technologies that will drive a sustainable future, and which are in high demand.

worth of potential mineral value, across numerous commodities, including gold, copper, phosphate, iron ore and rare earth minerals, many of which are critical to the technologies that will drive a sustainable future, and which are in high demand. The recently launched National Geological Database provides online access to 80 years' worth of national records of geological, geophysical and geochemical information, including thousands of detailed reports on mining targets and prospects.

Also recently announced, a major Regional Geological Survey Program is now under way and will conduct geophysical and geochemical surveys and create detailed mapping of more than 700,000 square kilometers of the Arabian Shield.

To meet the Paris Agreement goals on climate, the global supply of copper and rare earth minerals will need to increase by 40 percent, while nickel and cobalt needs will go up by 60 percent to 70 percent, and lithium requirements will expand by 90 percent. All of those pivotal elements feature in Saudi Arabia's rich geology

Mining Ecosystem

Saudi Vision 2030 singled out mining to grow to become the third pillar of the country's industrial growth, which led to the development of a comprehensive Mining and Mining Industries Development Strategy, which has identified nearly 40 initiatives, most of which already are up and running.

Saudi Arabia's legal and regulatory framework for mining is being transformed and is now designed to ensure efficient and transparent licensing; simplify doing business; and support a dynamic, sustainable mining industry.

- Based on global best practice, a completely revised Mining Investment Law was issued late last year, and now supports a clear and transparent process for license applications and approvals

- The new "Ta-adin" web-based platform offers a single point of access for mining license applications, issuance and information

- New incentives have been implemented, including the provision of co-funding up to 75 percent of investment, a five-year royalty holiday for miners, discounts on royalties for local downstream production and support for Saudization costs

legal and regulatory framework for mining is being transformed and is now designed to ensure efficient and transparent licensing; simplify doing business; and support a dynamic, sustainable mining industry. - Based on global best practice, a completely revised Mining Investment Law was issued late last year, and now supports a clear and transparent process for license applications and approvals - The new "Ta-adin" web-based platform offers a single point of access for mining license applications, issuance and information - New incentives have been implemented, including the provision of co-funding up to 75 percent of investment, a five-year royalty holiday for miners, discounts on royalties for local downstream production and support for Saudization costs The Kingdom already has attracted significant amounts of domestic and international investment in mining commodities like gold, phosphate and aluminum.

To a degree, this prior success has been based on a variety of 'baked in' advantages for prospective investors, such as:

- High domestic demand for mineral outputs

- Geographic placement in a key part of the world and proximity to end-user markets in major geographies, including MENA, Asia and Europe

- Safety and security, as ranked by the World Economic Forum's security index

- Continuous progress in 'ease of doing business', with the World Bank placing Saudi Arabia in the top 10 in terms of an improving business climate

- Strong infrastructure, including roads, rail, ports and electricity networks, and significant investments in water utilization and infrastructure.

Sustainability

The Mining Sustainability Principle aims to protect the environment and the health and safety of workers in the sector.

The Kingdom has launched the Mining Sector Sustainability Assurance Initiative, which aims to create a sector that is focused on balancing economic value and environmental protection.

The country's new mining law ensures that sustainable practices are a foremost priority for new mining operators as they apply for licenses.

Finally, Vice-Minister Al-Mudaifer announced details of the inaugural Future Minerals Summit (FMS), the first-ever event to offer a 'one-stop-shop' for investors, miners and other industry stakeholders interested in learning more about the mining potential of the Middle East, Central Asia, and North and East Africa.

Planned for January 11 to 13, 2022, in Riyadh, FMS will welcome attendees from around the world, including governments, investors, and mining majors and corporates. The Summit program is being built around four pillars:

Defining a New Mining Hub  Showcasing opportunities across the Middle East , Central Asia , and North and East Africa

, , and North and Lands of Opportunity  Outlining partnership opportunities across integrated value chains

Reimagining Mining  Shining a spotlight on innovations that will support mining in the future

Mining's Contribution to Society  Highlighting the industry's vital role in producing the inputs needed to create a circular carbon future, as well as attracting the workforce of the future

In addition to the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, FMS has been endorsed by the Ministry of Investment, Public Investment Fund and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For more information, visit www.futuremineralssummit.com.

TWEETS

Saudi Arabia emerging as major mining destination for investors due to geology, industry ecosystem and sustainability focus #KSAMining #MinesandMoney Arabian Shield mineral value estimated at $1.3 trillion of minerals that will power a sustainable future #KSAMining #MinesandMoney Transformation of KSA's mining legal and regulatory framework designed to ensure efficient and transparent licensing #KSAMining #MinesandMoney Sustainability is central to the KSA mining sector, demonstrated by its principles and sustainability assurance initiative #KSAMining #MinesandMoney

SOURCE The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM)
NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PROtect, LLC, a leading national safety, reliability, and compliance services firm based in Wichita, KS, successfully consummated its acquisition of Riccardelli Consulting Services, Inc. (RCS), a premier Lehi, UT based provider of advanced and conventional non-destructive testing focused on pipeline integrity for the midstream oil & gas industry.

The combined PROtect, RCS organization will be led by Nathan VanderGriend, President & CEO, and will be significantly enhanced by the addition of Sean Riccardelli to the management team.

"RCS's industry reputation, top-notch team, and proven unmatched service standards make them a great fit," stated Nathan VanderGriend, President & CEO of PROtect. "Furthermore, we believe that this integration will lead to accelerated business growth, providing opportunities for our combined customers to access a more diverse suite of service offerings and expertise."

"We are excited for the new partnership with the PROtect team and excited to have joined forces. Like ourselves, PROtect is a quality-focused organization that strives to exceed the expectations of its customers, offer unique solutions and take care of its employees," said Sean Riccardelli, Owner and President of RCS. "We couldn't be more pleased to find the perfect partner in Nathan and his team. The two companies have shared values and a vision to bring the highest quality services to the industries served to ensure safety, reliability, and compliance of our customer's operations."

The companies will retain all team members and continue to operate out of their current locations. Both companies will also operate under their current brands for the immediate future.

Dentons US LLP served as legal counsel to PROtect. Richards, Brandt, Miller, Nelson served as legal counsel to RCS.

About Spire Capital Partners  Spire Capital (https://spirecapital.com/) is an active and experienced private equity firm with an investment focus in lower middle market companies within the technology-enabled business services, media, communications, and education sectors. Spire Capital was founded on the principle of partnering with management teams and founders to help effectuate the next stage of growth for their companies. Spire professionals have a broad array of past operating, investing, and advisory experiences that they leverage to assist portfolio companies in accelerating growth, guiding strategic direction, and executing their business plans.

Spire Capital is a New York-based investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Act of 1940. Market conditions can vary over time, and past fund performance does not guarantee future fund results.

About PROtect, LLC  Headquartered in Wichita, KS, PROtect, LLC (formerly ERI Solutions, LLC & DBI, Inc.) (https://protect.llc/) is a professional services company that provides safety, reliability, and compliance services to high-hazard industries such as biofuels, chemical, oil & gas, power generation, pulp and paper, and allied industries. Such categories include advanced and conventional non-destructive testing (NDT), mechanical integrity (MI), environmental, health, safety, process safety, and insurance program management. PROtect's engineers, consultants, and technicians dispatch to service our customers from various locations within the continental United States to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery of service.

PROtect also operates ERM SPC, Ltd., a segregated portfolio captive reinsurance company domiciled in the Cayman Islands focused on reinsuring workers' compensation, general liability, and property of qualified risks.

About Riccardelli Consulting Services, Inc. (RCS)  Sean Riccardelli formed RCS (https://rcsnde.com/) in 2007 as a pipeline integrity contractor, providing NDE technical support for anomaly evaluation and In-Line Inspection smart tool validation. RCS leads the industry with the concept of "Integrity Delivers Quality" as the core foundation to who they are. Utilizing and partnering with leading manufacturers and educational facilities, they bring new levels of quality assurance and certification to system integrity and process safety management.

For more details, contact:

Bruce Hernandez

Spire Capital Partners

(610) 397-1704 direct

[email protected]



Justin D. McClarty

PROtect, LLC

(316) 927-4295 direct

[email protected]

SOURCE Spire Capital Partners

Related Links

https://spirecapital.com/


In its August 2021 report, Gartner examined the current state of automation and WLA's evolution into SOAP.

ALPHARETTA, Ga., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stonebranch, a leading provider of service orchestration and automation solutions, announced today that that it has been named a Representative Vendor in the August 2021 Gartner Market Guide for Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms.*

"We believe it's an honor to be recognized by Gartner in both its first and second SOAP Market Guides," said Giuseppe Damiani, CEO at Stonebranch. "In our opinion, being named by Gartner as a Representative Vendor reinforces our platform's value to IT Ops, DevOps, and DataOps leaders who need to orchestrate automated IT processes in real-time across increasingly complex hybrid IT environments."

According to Gartner, "Infrastructure and operations leaders must use platforms for service orchestration and automation to deliver customer-focused agility as part of their cloud, big data and DevOps initiatives." Gartner predicts that, "By year end 2024, 80% of organizations currently delivering workload automation will be using service orchestration and automation platforms to orchestrate cross-domain workloads."

The Stonebranch Universal Automation Center (UAC) enables service orchestration and automation across hybrid IT environments, while empowering developers, data teams, and operational groups to collaborate within a single platform. The UAC goes even further to support self-service automation for line of business users. By centralizing the management of workloads across on-prem, cloud, and containerized microservices, enterprises gain the ability to scale their automation programs and increase observability, auditing, and compliance capabilities.

Read the 2021 Gartner Market Guide for Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms report, courtesy of Stonebranch.

* "Gartner, Market Guide for Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms," Chris Saunderson, Manjunath Bhat, Daniel Betts, Hassan Ennaciri, August 10, 2021.

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

About Stonebranch

Stonebranch builds IT orchestration and automation solutions that transform business IT environments from simple IT task automation into sophisticated, real-time business service automation. No matter the degree of automation, the Stonebranch platform is simple, modern and secure. Using the Stonebranch Universal Automation Platform, enterprises can seamlessly orchestrate workloads and data across technology ecosystems and silos. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with points of contact and support throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, Stonebranch serves some of the world's largest financial, manufacturing, healthcare, travel, transportation, energy and technology institutions.

Media contact:

Scott Davis

[email protected]

SOURCE Stonebranch

Related Links

stonebranch.com


SOUTH BEND, Ind., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Strawberry Fields, an owner and lessor of long-term acute care hospitals, skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in the Midwest and Southern U.S., announced today it has acquired six skilled nursing facilities located in Kentucky and Tennessee.

The purchase price was ~ $81 million and Strawberry Fields used the proceeds of a recently completed 3rd Bond offering on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange to finance this acquisition.

"The acquisition of these six new properties is part of our continued expansion in the Heartland," noted Moishe Gubin, CEO of Strawberry Fields. "This portfolio fits well geographically with our existing Strawberry Fields facilities in Tennessee and Kentucky and will be a great addition to our current operators."

The Kentucky facility will join the Landmark portfolio, which has operations throughout Kentucky, and in Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Michigan. Each of The Waters-branded operators at the five Tennessee facilities, have engaged Infinity Healthcare of Tennessee to provide consulting services.

The properties include:

Landmark of Kuttawa is a 65-bed skilled nursing facility that was built in 1968 and is located at 1253 Lake Barkley Drive in Kuttawa, Kentucky .

is a 65-bed skilled nursing facility that was built in 1968 and is located at 1253 Lake Barkley Drive in . Agape Rehabilitation & Nursing Center (A Water's Community), was built in 2005 and is an 84-bed skilled nursing facility located at 505 North Roan Street in Johnson City, Tennessee .

. Waters of Sweetwater , A Rehabilitation & Nursing Center that is located at 978 Highway 11S, in Sweetwater, Tennessee . This skilled nursing facility is a 90-bed home that was built in 1966.

, A Rehabilitation & Nursing Center that is located at 978 Highway 11S, in . This skilled nursing facility is a 90-bed home that was built in 1966. Waters of McKenzie , A Rehabilitation & Nursing Center that has 72 beds. Built in 1969, this property is located at 14510 Highway 79 in McKenzie, Tennessee .

, A Rehabilitation & Nursing Center that has 72 beds. Built in 1969, this property is located at 14510 Highway 79 in . Waters of Memphis , A Rehabilitation & Nursing Center that was built in 2015 and has 90 beds. This skilled nursing property is located at 6500 Kirby Gate Blvd. in Memphis, Tennessee .

, A Rehabilitation & Nursing Center that was built in 2015 and has 90 beds. This skilled nursing property is located at 6500 Kirby Gate Blvd. in . Waters of Bristol , A Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, is located at 2830 Highway 394 in Bristol, Tennessee . This facility offers 120 beds and was constructed in 2017.

Moishe Gubin concluded, "The completion of this acquisition and this new bond series on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange helps to drive Strawberry Fields' objective of continuously growing our portfolio accretive to shareholder value."

SOURCE Strawberry Fields REIT LLC
DAYTON, Ohio, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tangram Flex, Inc., headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, announces they have been awarded a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II contract to support the Air Force Research Laboratory and greater Defense secure communications community. Tangram Flex will partner with Professor Benjamin Delaware, a programming languages researcher from Purdue University in the Department of Computer Science.





Tangram Flex will work with Purdue University to create a capability for automatically generating efficient and correct program source code for serialization operations within system communications. This will significantly lower the likelihood that adversaries can exploit errors in the processes that translate data and code into formats that can be transmitted between systems.

Even in open architectures, defects in the message serialization process present a significant cyber security vulnerability for Air Force operations as seen from past cyber exploits by advisories. The outcomes of Tangram Flex and Purdue University's work in this project will support a multitude of current and future systems, including those that rely on open architectures, by greatly reducing potential cyber security risks and supporting the security of airborne communications.

"This is an excellent opportunity for our team at Tangram Flex," commented Mr. Ricky Peters, CEO of Tangram Flex. "We look forward to partnering with Purdue University and providing important cyber security capabilities to our nation's warfighters. This work will make Tangram Pro even more powerful in the hands of our engineers as we support our customers' projects."

AFRL and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research process in an attempt to speed up the experience, broaden the pool of potential applicants and decrease bureaucratic overhead. Beginning in SBIR 18.2, and now in 20.C/D, the Air Force has begun offering 'The Open Topic' SBIR/STTR program that is faster, leaner and open to a broader range of innovations.

ABOUT TANGRAM FLEX

Tangram Flex simplifies software integration for mission-critical defense systems. Every system is unique, but the mission is clear: the people on the ground need dependable, adaptable equipment to get the job done. Tangram Flex combines engineering expertise with its Component Software Integration Platform (CSIP), Tangram Pro, to arm engineers with customized toolkits for meeting mission needs.

Tangram Flex is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. For press inquiries, contact Liz Grauel: [email protected]

ABOUT PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today's toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/

SOURCE Tangram Flex

Related Links

https://tangramflex.com/


NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Art Institutes (Ai) is proudly attending New York Fashion Week (NYFW) this September to conduct interviews and cover exclusive fashion shows in an effort to bring all the excitement of the highly anticipated, in-person event to the global Ai community via Ai LIVE.

Ai's Coverage of NYFW 2021

Ai LIVE is the college's digital tv platform, made popular during the onset of the pandemic as a way to connect the Ai audiences in a virtual yet meaningful way. Ai LIVE's energetic host, E. Vincent Martinez, is no stranger to Fashion Week. Martinez, a sought-after media personality and the creator of the interactive lifestyle brand, Fashionado , has conducted exclusive interviews with celebrities and fashion icons and returns to NYFW this year in person.

Ai's extensive global community includes passionate artists, steadfast designers, and determined creatives  many who aspire to attend NYFW someday in person. Until then, Ai LIVE will broadcast exciting interviews with fashion bloggers and creative arts leaders to the school's expansive community of over 753.3k followers eager to follow the event.

Ai Alumni, Johnathan Hayden

Notably, fashion designer, creative director, and alumnus of The Art Institute of Dallas, a branch of Miami International University of Art & Design, Johnathan Hayden, will show his collection at Harlem's Fashion Row (HFR) Forever Renaissance Show and Style Awards. HFR's NYFW 2021 Show , which kicks off Fashion Week on Tuesday, September 7th at 8pm EST, is more than a runway show  it's a family reunion with a vital look at emerging designers of color collections. As a designer of color, Hayden explores his own identity through his brand and admiringly infuses his cultural heritage and respect for STEM and technology into his womenswear designs. Hayden is included in the official IMG / NYFW calendar with an additional digital show scheduled for September 9th at 3:30pm.

In addition to his NYFW appearance, Hayden will be designing a window display at Bergdorf Goodman. The world-famous, Fifth Avenue windows will feature various looks from each designer included in this year's HFR.

Hayden began his fashion career in 2012 earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from The Art Institute of Dallas and went on to earn his MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Hayden has previously credited his education for preparing him for a career in fashion. "[Ai] really prepares its students to enter the industry with practical and real goals, rather than inflated and saccharine dreams of becoming big stars."

Today, Hayden is respected for his dedication to couture techniques and sustainable design and production, and his unique ability to combine the worlds of fashion, art, and technology. In 2016, his work contributed to exploring meaningful applications of technology in fashion including augmented reality showcased at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. By bridging the gap between fashion and technology, Hayden and Ai's design team share a commonality.

Ai LIVE will also bridge this gap between fashion and technology by bringing NYFW 2021 to its global audiences via its social media channels.

NYFW runs from September 8th until September 12, 2021. Follow along with the excitement by visiting Ai on YouTube , Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter .

The Art Institutes (Ai)

The Art Institutes is a system of private schools throughout the United States. Programs, credential levels, technology, and scheduling options vary by school and are subject to change. Not all programs are available to residents of all U.S. states. Administrative office: The Art Institutes, 6600 Peachtree Dunwoody Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30328.  2021. The Arts Institutes International LLC. All rights reserved.

Media Contact:

Lacy Jansson

[email protected]

SOURCE The Art Institutes
With the DoD award, issued on behalf of and in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Thermo Fisher will co-invest with the U.S. government in building a new, state-of-the-art, energy efficient manufacturing facility for pipette tips, which are used in vital disease research and in high volumes for processing of diagnostic tests nationally, including COVID-19, during the pandemic.

The new center of excellence in laboratory consumables manufacturing and operations will be in North Carolina and designed in line with Thermo Fisher's carbon neutrality goals. Construction will be fully completed by Q3 2024, with pipette tip manufacturing starting as early as Q3 2023. The site, expected to create hundreds of new jobs in the region, has the potential for future expansion across a variety of high-demand product lines.

"This award and the resulting capacity ensure that future demand surges in the U.S., from the current COVID-19 pandemic to the next crisis, will be met with greater supply assurance," said Mark Stevenson, executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Supply chain agility is critical to our customers, our government and to the health and safety of our citizens, and we're excited to bring this state-of-the-art capacity online, especially since its efficient design will also showcase our commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050."

Laboratory consumables have been vital in global COVID-19 mobilization, from sample collection vials for diagnostic test kits to lab plastics and materials for vaccine production and biobanking. Since the start of the pandemic, Thermo Fisher has invested more than $180 million to expand its laboratory plastics consumables production and another $600 million to increase global bioprocessing capacity. In addition, the company opened new sites dedicated to manufacturing viral transport media used in COVID-19 sample collection and cGMP plasmid DNA used in mRNA-based vaccines.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $30 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 80,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.

Media Contact Information:

Ron O'Brien

Phone: 781-622-1242

E-mail: [email protected]



Investor Contact Information:

Rafael Tejada

Phone: 781-622-1356

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific

Related Links

http://www.thermofisher.com


KANSAS CITY, Kan. and KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Traditions Health, LLC ("Traditions"), a national hospice and home health provider, announced that is has acquired the Kansas City (Missouri & Kansas) operations of Lumicare Hospice ("Lumicare"). The multi-state footprint strategically expands Traditions' presence to two new states, allowing Traditions to provide a high quality of clinical care to a broader base of patients across the country.

As a leading provider of hospice and home health services, Traditions offers skilled nursing, therapy services, and both physical and spiritual end of life care. The announcement was made by David Klementz, the President and CEO of Traditions. "We are extremely excited to expand our services to a new market. Lumicare shares our mission of providing high-quality care to patients and their families, and we could not be more excited to welcome the employees and patients of Lumicare into the Traditions family," said Mr. Klementz.

Triavo Health acted as the sell-side advisor to Lumicare.

About Traditions Health

Headquartered in College Station, TX, Traditions Health is a leading provider of hospice care, home health care, consulting services and online policy manuals. The company provides care to over 5,000 patients across sixteen states. The company has recently been named to the 2020 Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing businesses. Traditions Health is a portfolio company of Dorilton. For more information, visit our website at www.traditionshealth.com.

About Dorilton Capital

Dorilton is a private investment firm that invests in businesses across a range of industry sectors, working in partnership with management to grow value over the long-term. We provide funding and expertise to drive growth, allowing our companies and our people to achieve their full potential. Learn more at www.doriltongroup.com.

For inquiries or relevant opportunities, contact: Brian Talbott, [email protected]

SOURCE Traditions Health, LLC

Related Links

http://www.traditionshealth.com


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the popular Walmart marketplace training platform, Private Label Legion, the e-commerce market is diversifying, allowing other online platforms to compete with Amazon, which has long dominated the field. The Walmart marketplace is among the online platforms seeking to displace Amazon at the top of the heap.

To find out more about Private Label Legion, please visit https://privatelabellegion.com/ .

Private Label Legion Norman Farrar Michal Chapnick

Over the last decade or so, Amazon has been hogging the limelight in the e-commerce sector. Recently, however, Walmart.com has slowly and steadily upstaged eBay as North America's second largest e-commerce marketplace, registering 5.8% of e-commerce sales in the U.S. Moreover, Walmart.com's e-commerce marketplace sales recorded an increase of approximately 40% in 2019 and 70% in 2020.

Private Label Legion CEO and co-founder Tim Jordan was one of the speakers at the recently held Prosper Show in Las Vegas. Although the show focuses traditionally on selling on Amazon, a session on Walmart was also included this year.

"When I was asked to speak about Walmart.com on the main stage at Prosper, I was somewhat surprised," says Jordan. "The session ended up being one of the most attended, and when I came off of the stage, I was surrounded by 40 or more people that all had questions, experience, or comments about Walmart. I had no idea that so many people were looking for this type of information."

Since Prosper, Tim and his co-founder, e-com expert Norm Farrar have released a series of videos to answer the most common questions about how to sell on Walmart. These videos are currently available at https://privatelabellegion.com/selling-on-walmart/ .

"With the increased demand for sales channels for e-commerce sellers, we believe that there is a void in knowledge regarding selling on Walmart.com. As we survey the e-com landscape," says Farrar, "we feel strongly that Walmart.com is the future hero in the space."

To receive top-class Walmart seller training, please visit Private Label Legion's official website.

About Private Label Legion

Private Label Legion is the community that brings like-minded entrepreneurs together to share ideas, knowledge and to create a solid network.

Contact Name: Michal Chapnick

Contact Email: [email protected]

Contact Phone: 256-277-3897

SOURCE Private Label Legion
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As Hurricane Ida first made landfall, the storm's core packed a punch, flattening houses that withstood Katrina. WeatherFlow's Hurricane Network measured Gusts of up to 172 mph showing that Ida was an extremely dangerous hurricane as it headed towards Baton Rouge. The forecast for New Orleans suggested it would be spared hurricane conditions.

Data captures from Weatherflow's Hurricane Network Flattened houses on Grand Isle where Hurricane Ida made its initial landfall. From NOAA.

As the storm tracked across the Bayou, a process known as an eyewall replacement cycle, where a hurricane spreads its concentrated eyewall energy over a broader area, was taking place in the depths of the storm; it became apparent that New Orleans was increasingly under threat.

"We noticed something odd happening," says Jay Titlow, WeatherFlow Network's Chief Meteorologist from the company's storm operations center. "As the storm came off the Bayou for its second landfall near Houma, LA, the eyewall was no longer packing its previous winds, rather we were observing hurricane force winds in excess of 100 mph in a second, larger eyewall at our weather stations in Dulac and Galliano that flanked the storm. We were also seeing some very destructive gusts in excess of 130 mph."

Eyewall replacement cycles are a phenomenon reserved for hurricane intensification processes over warm ocean waters, and are extremely rare occurrences once a storm has made landfall. WeatherFlow Networks' array of hurricane-hardened weather stations, in partnership with the Florida Coastal Monitoring Program's deployable towers, were in the prime locations to capture this event.

Jay continues, "The broadening of the storm brought widespread hurricane conditions into New Orleans, with our Bayou Bienvenue station reporting 86 mph winds gusting to near 100 mph on the east side of the city. The storm winds covered a wide area, with more than 150 home based Tempest weather stations over a 350 mile wide area measuring winds of 40 mph or more."

Hurricane Ida has now been identified as the fifth-largest hurricane to ever make landfall in the U.S. and contributes to the increasing body of evidence that we are seeing a pattern of bigger, more powerful storms driven by climate change.

WeatherFlow Networks' HurrNet includes 100 specialized weather stations, placed near coastal urban concentrations. While state and federal organizations provide weather monitoring at some key locations, recent years have seen a growing demand for more and better weather data. The HurrNet significantly enhances existing data and fills data voids with the only stations in the world guaranteed to survive and record hurricane force winds.

The ability to closely monitor extreme weather events is essential to reducing the risks associated. You can access more information about the HurrNet here: http://weatherflownetworks.com/hurrnet-the-weatherflow-hurricane-network/

About WFN Holdings, Inc. (WeatherFlow Networks)

WeatherFlow Networks has been installing rugged and reliable weather stations for over 20 years. The weather technology company owns and operates the largest industrial grade private mesoscale observing network (mesonet) in the world. With over 450 stations reporting as frequently as every minute, this network monitors and archives real-time wind and weather conditions along the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf, and Great Lakes of the United States and Canada.

WeatherFlow-Tempest Inc is a WFn affiliate that helps individuals and businesses mitigate and control the impact of weather.

Megan Alba

[email protected]

405-973-8077

SOURCE WeatherFlow

Related Links

http://weatherflownetworks.com/


VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. ("West Fraser" or the "Company") (TSX andNYSE: WFG) today announced that it will host a virtual analyst and investor event on Thursday, September 16. The event will begin at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time/2:00 p.m. Eastern Time and is expected to last approximately two hours.

West Fraser senior management will provide updates on strategic growth initiatives, the Norbord integration, corporate sustainability and capital allocation priorities and will include question-and-answer sessions.

To register for the live video webcast, please visit www.westfraser.com/events/analyst-investor-event or the Company website at www.westfraser.com. A replay will be available following the event.

The Company

West Fraser is a diversified wood products company with more than 60 facilities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe. From responsibly sourced and sustainably managed forest resources, the Company produces lumber, engineered wood products (OSB, LVL, MDF, plywood, and particleboard), pulp, newsprint, wood chips, other residuals and renewable energy. West Fraser's products are used in home construction, repair and remodelling, industrial applications, papers, tissue, and box materials.

SOURCE West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.

Related Links

www.westfraser.com


AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - 154 Agency LLC (154) has announced today that it has reached an agreement with Bizfluence Inc (Bizfluence), to perform all digital marketing and related work.

154 provides social media, creative strategy, public relations, and content marketing. 154 will be assisting Bizfluence as it prepares for its next phase of expansion following a successful crowdfunding round on WeFunder. In addition, 154 has taken over all social media accounts for Bizfluence.

"After a couple of meetings with Bizfluence, I knew we had a social platform with a purpose. I believe they've created a personality filter of sorts and help businesses get to business. Bizfluence is growing rapidly and we are excited that we can contribute to those efforts." stated Johanna Viscaino, Chief Executive Officer of 154. "Our team has specialists that can accelerate this platform's growth through brand marketing, corporate messaging and video content boosts."

"Partnering with 154 has already started showing significant results. We are now represented professionally on most social platforms and are starting to attract attention and increase our daily sign-ups." Stated Joel Wolh, Co- Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Bizfluence. "We're also excited to announce that we are currently rolling out some phenomenal new features, among them: dark mode, post scheduling, gamification, post shares and more."

154's team include digital marketing specialists in specific areas including customer acquisition, video production and social media management and growth. 154's clients include technology, consumer brands, education and life sciences companies.

About Bizfluence Inc

Launched in August 2020 as a LinkedIn challenger hyper-focused on small business professionals, Bizfluence has seen exceptional growth, quickly attracting nearly 10,000 active users and over 35,000 professional posts. Founders Jacob Davis and Joel Wolh opened the initial segment of the company's crowdfunding campaign to Bizfluence users, providing them with a partnership opportunity as the platform continues to grow at an impressive pace. Eliminating the noise and fluff of networking and social media platforms, Bizfluence has distinguished itself with its focus on creating relationships to promote transactions and real business opportunities on a robust platform. SMB's are joining Bizfluence, eager to take advantage of its many business tools as they interact with other platform members. For more information, visit bizfluenceapp.com or download the app.

About 154 Agency LLC

154 Agency LLC is a strategic digital media consulting company. It specializes in brand development, customer awareness, social media management, both social media advertising and google advertising, investor awareness, e-commerce marketing, customer acquisition, video production and SEO optimization. Its clients primarily fall within the education and healthcare industries. For more information, visit www.154agency.com.

SOURCE 154 Agency LLC

Related Links

www.154agency.com


HOUSTON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A-MAX Auto Insurance, an industry leader specializing in providing low-cost insurance to thousands of residents and businesses, is pleased to announce the opening of its newest branch in Houston, Texas.

A-MAX Auto Insurance Is Excited to Announce Their New Office in South Houston A-MAX Auto Insurance Is Excited to Announce Their New Office in South Houston

Located at 9828 Blackhawk Blvd, Ste 120, inside H-E-B, the new office will be the 42nd A-MAX office to open its doors in the Houston area. This addition widens the company's footprint across Texas, now with 194 offices statewide. This new Blackhawk Blvd. office features approximately 400 total square feet within the supermarket giant and will continue to offer excellent service and affordable rates to customers in the surrounding community.

WHAT: Join A-MAX representatives to celebrate the grand opening of their new Blackhawk office.

WHEN: Grand opening celebration, Friday, September 10 from 3 pm - 6 pm

WHERE: 9828 Blackhawk Blvd, Ste 120, Houston, TX 77075 inside of H-E-B

"Houston is a very large and very important market for our company, and having the capability to strengthen our presence even further is something we're all looking forward to," said Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations Rick Genest. "We're continuously looking for opportunities to make day-to-day life easier for our customers, and we're hoping this new office inside H-E-B does just that."

A-MAX is an industry leader in providing excellent service and affordable insurance while keeping each customer's individual needs in mind. Through our customer-focused MAXRespect initiative, it's our ongoing mission to provide a customer experience that keeps our happy customers coming back.

About A-MAX Auto Insurance: A-MAX Auto Insurance is headquartered in Dallas and has offices throughout Texas, including the DFW metroplex, Houston area, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Waco, the Rio Grande Valley, and more. A-MAX acts as an independent insurance agency, which provides the ability to shop for the best prices and coverage options from multiple insurance carriers, including auto, renters, homeowners, and more. For more information or a FREE quote, call 800-921-AMAX or visit an office near you.

Katie Emerline

A-MAX Auto Insurance

972-884-4132

[email protected]

SOURCE A-MAX Auto Insurance
DUBLIN, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Aircraft DC-DC Converter Market by Application, Aircraft Type (Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Air Taxis), Form Factor, Input Voltage, Output Voltage, Output Power, Output Number, Type, and Region - Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global aerospace DC-DC converter market size is projected to grow from USD 0.7 billion in 2021 to USD 1.7 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 10.3% from 2021 to 2030.

The market is driven by various factors, such as introduction to new programs in business jets, rise in aircraft renewals and deliveries, growing demand for unmanned aerial vehicles and increasing demand for military helicopters.

Non-Isolated DC-DC Converters: The largest segment of the Aerospace DC-DC Converter market, by Type.

The non-isolated type DC-DC converter are projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aerospace DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. Non-isolated DC-DC converters in aerospace are used in several sub-systems of UAVs and aircrafts, such as cockpit lighting. In the aerospace and defense industry, 10 to 20 Amp rated non-isolated DC-DC converters are used. These converters can operate in wide temperatures from -40C to 85C. All DC-DC converters used in the aerospace and defense industry are of military standard. Texas Instruments' LM5161 is one such non-isolated aerospace DC-DC converter used in UAVs.

Multiple Power Output: The fastest-growing segment of the aerospace DC-DC Converter market, by Output Number.

Based on the output number, the multiple output DC-DC converters are projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aerospace DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. Multiple output DC-DC converters in the aerospace industry are used in avionics systems in cockpits, where the same voltage level is required for driving many sub-systems. One such sub-system is the cockpit lighting system in aircrafts. They work for input voltage ranges from 18 volts to 32 volts DC and are capable of providing output DC voltage in the range of 3.3 to 18 volts. These converters have an operating efficiency of as high as 98%. RECOM Power's MD200 provides one 5Vdc output and two 12Vdc outputs.

Brick: The fastest-growing segment of the aerospace DC-DC converter market, by Form Factor.

Based on the form factor, the brick DC-DC converter is projected to grow at the highest CAGR for the aerospace DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. Brick DC-DC converters offer products in different sizes, fulfilling the need for a compact DC-DC converter. These can be further categorized into full brick, half brick, quarter brick, eighth brick, and sixteenth brick.

<28v: The fastest-growing segment of the aerospace DC-DC converter market, by Input Voltage.

Based on the input voltage, the <28v segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aerospace DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. DC-DC converters work on input voltages below 28 volts; these are compact and provide single output. They are used in UAVs for applications such as controllers. Crane's MTR 40 is one such aerospace DC-DC converter that works on 16 to 40 volts input voltage and provides 3.3 volts DC output.

15v: The fastest-growing segment of the aerospace DC-DC converter market, by Output Voltage.

Based on output voltage, the 15v output voltage segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aerospace DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. One of the applications where 15 volts DC supply is required is in the Electric Engine Controller (EEC). These 15 volts DC-DC converters are isolated converters. Infineon's Electronic Power Conditioner (EPC) is one such product designed to provide 15 volts regulated DC output for aircrafts.

North America: The largest contributing region in the aerospace DC-DC Converter market.

North America is projected to be the largest regional share of the global aerospace DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. The US is one of the leaders in the aerospace DC-DC converters industry. Major companies such as Advanced Energy(US), Vicor Corp. (US), Texas Instruments(US), Crane Co.(US), XP Power(US), Bel Fuse Inc.(US), and Astronics(US), and small-scale private companies such as Pico Electronics(US), Abbott Tech(US), VPT(US), Martek Power(US), KGS Electronics(US), SYNQOR(US), and AJ's Power Source (US) have their headquarters in the US. The above-mentioned major players continuously invest in the R&D of new & improved designs of aerospace and defense-standard DC-DC converters.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

4.1 Brief Overview of the Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market

4.2 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Aircraft Type

4.3 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Output Number

4.4 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Input Voltage

4.5 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Country

5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.1.1 Introduction to New Programs in Business Jets

5.2.1.2 Rise in Aircraft Renewals and Deliveries

5.2.1.3 Growing Demand for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

5.2.1.4 Increasing Demand for Military Helicopters

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.2.1 Limited Adoption of Drones due to Political, Economic, Social, Technological, and Legal Factors

5.2.2.2 Lengthy Period of Product Certification from Aviation Authorities

5.2.2.3 Defense Budget Reductions in Developed Nations

5.2.3 Opportunities

5.2.3.1 Increasing Environmental Concerns

5.2.3.2 Rising Demand for Business Jets from Emerging Markets

5.2.4 Challenges

5.2.4.1 Restrictions in the Commercial Use of Drones

5.3 COVID-19 Impact Scenarios

5.4 Impact of COVID-19 on the Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market

5.5 Trends/Disruptions Impacting Customers' Business

5.5.1 Revenue Shift and New Revenue Pockets for the Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market

5.6 Market Ecosystem

5.7 Volume Data

5.8 Tariff Regulatory Landscape for the Power Electronics Industry

5.9 Trade Data

5.10 Porter's Five Forces Model

5.11 Technology Analysis

5.12 Use Cases

5.13 Operational Data

6 Industry Trends

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Supply Chain Analysis

6.2.1 Major Companies

6.2.2 Small and Medium Enterprises

6.2.3 End-users/Customers

6.3 Emerging Industry Trends

6.3.1 Reduction in Size

6.3.2 Highly Precise Testing Process

6.3.3 Hvdc to Lvdc Power Conversion

6.3.4 Dc-Dc Converter for Electronic Engine Controller (Eec)

6.4 Innovations and Patents Registrations, 2012-2021

6.5 Impact of Megatrends

7 Aerospace DC-DC Converters Market, by Aircraft Type

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Fixed

7.3 Rotary Wing

7.4 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

7.5 Air Taxis

8 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Form Factor

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Chassis Mount

8.3 Encapsulated

8.4 Brick

8.5 Others

9 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Input Voltage

9.1 Introduction

9.2 <28V

9.3 28-75V

9.4 75-270V

9.5 270-800V

9.6 >800V

10 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Output Voltage

10.1 Introduction

10.2 5V

10.3 12V

10.4 15V

10.5 24V

10.6 48V

10.7 >48V

11 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Output Power

11.1 Introduction

11.2 <10W

11.3 10-29W

11.4 30-99W

11.5 100-250W

11.6 250-500W

11.7 500-1000W

11.8 >1000W

12 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Output Number

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Single Output

12.3 Dual Output

12.4 Multiple Output

13 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Type

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Isolated Dc-Dc Converters

13.2.1 Isolated Dc-Dc Converters Provide Isolation Between the Input and Output Sections of the Device

13.3 Non-Isolated Dc-Dc Converters

13.3.1 Non-Isolated Dc-Dc Converters Can Easily be Fitted into Small-Size Applications.

14 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Application

14.1 Introduction

14.2 Avionics

14.2.1 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters are Used in Several Avionics That are Used in Civil and Military Aircrafts

14.3 Power Distribution Systems

14.3.1 All the Avionics from Aircrafts Get Power from this 28Vdc Network

14.4 Flight Control Systems

14.4.1 Flight Control Systems Refer to the System That Controls All the Functionalities of the Aircraft

14.5 Surveillance Systems

14.5.1 Surveillance Systems in Aviation are Used to Detect Aircraft and Send the Information to the Atc

14.6 Environmental Control Systems

14.6.1 an Environmental Control System is Used to Maintain an Appropriate Temperature in the Cockpit

14.7 Energy Storage Systems

14.7.1 an Energy Storage System Includes Batteries That Store the Power and Supply It to the Network

14.8 Other Systems

15 Aerospace Dc-Dc Converters Market, by Region

16 Competitive Landscape

16.1 Introduction

16.2 Market Share Analysis of Leading Players, 2020

16.3 Revenue Analysis of the Top Five Market Players, 2020

16.3.1 Company Evaluation Quadrant

16.3.1.1 Star

16.3.1.2 Emerging Leader

16.3.1.3 Pervasive

16.3.1.4 Participant

16.4 Competitive Scenario

16.4.1 New Product Launches/Developments

16.4.2 Deals

17 Company Profiles

17.1 Key Players

17.1.1 Tdk-Lambda Corporation

17.1.2 Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd

17.1.3 Infineon Technologies Ag

17.1.4 Advanced Energy Industries Inc.

17.1.5 Vicor Corporation

17.1.6 Pico Electronics

17.1.7 Abbott Technologies

17.1.8 Texas Instruments Incorporated

17.1.9 FDK Corporation

17.1.10 Recom-Power GmbH

17.1.11 Crane Co.

17.1.12 Brightloop Converters

17.1.13 Cincon Electronics

17.1.14 Vpt

17.1.15 Martek Power

17.1.16 Xp Power

17.1.17 Viable Power

17.1.18 Thales

17.1.19 Bel Fuse Inc.

17.1.20 Kgs Electronics

17.1.21 Synqor

17.1.22 Astronics Corporation

17.1.23 Meggitt plc

17.2 Other Players

17.2.1 Tame Power

17.2.2 Aj's Power Source

18 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3agy8s

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LCAV is also proud to solidify partnerships with the Parker Foundation, Inc., Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Lander University, focusing on integrating technology into schools, particularly through the Digital Storygame Project and continuing academic research on technology's usability and effectiveness within the classroom.

We're grateful to The White House, President Biden, and his authorization of the American Rescue Plan, which has provided federal grant funding through the US Department of Education and the US Department of Agriculture for this year's academic endeavor. We're even more thankful and excited to serve Dupont Park Seventh Day Adventist School (a Title 1 institution) and the surrounding 7th Ward community of Washington, D.C. This is an investment in our children, our families, our community, and our economic future.

The Health Technology and Digital Storygame course is slated to begin on September 15th 2021, at the Dupont Park Seventh Day Adventist School, Washington, DC, offering students in 6th-8th grades participation in a weekly course introducing students to an overview of health/wellness topics and the technology used in healthcare for administrative, clinical, and facility needs. The course will include the Digital Storygame Project, which integrates design thinking and coding for students to develop STEM skills.

"LCA Vantage and Lopez Foundation are very excited about this unique and truly impactful opportunity to teach and inspire the next group of innovators, techies, entrepreneurs, and healthcare professionals," said Vince Lopez, Founder/CEO of LCA Vantage and Lopez Foundation, Inc.

LCAV's Parker System will be used in the classroom providing real time engagement with an Electronic Medical Record (EMR), Electronic Health Record (EHR), patient care management portals. Students will learn to analyze the impact of technology on the healthcare system. They will be engaged with the Parker Tech Ecosystem which enables LCAV's hospital facilities, patients, medical professionals, and communities to provide 24/7/365 medical support, prescription drug management, and facility management.

The Lopez Foundation is committed to enriching every student's academic career through our school programs focused in Health & Technology. We believe in preparing our students for future careers in health and technology, preparing them with a modern academic and industry focused education.

About Dupont Park Seventh Day Adventist School (DPAS)

The Dupont Park Seventh Day Adventist School (DPAS) is nestled on the edge of the city in Southeast, Washington, DC, and surrounded by Fort Dupont Park, from which the school derives its name. This Christian institution is the only Seventh-day Adventist school in the nation's capital, and throughout its 103-year history, it has made a significant impact in the community and in the lives of the students who have matriculated through its hallowed halls. From this nurturing, caring environment have come generations of professionals, artist, technicians, leaders, thinkers, and doers...prepared to serve in this world while preparing for the "world to come."

DPAS is currently accepting students in grades Pre-K through 8th grade in person or virtually for the School Year 2021-2022.

About The Digital Storygame Project (DSP)

The Digital Storygame Project was founded in 2015 by Dr. Mike Sell of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is co-led by Dr. Rachel Schiera of Lander University. The project supports Pennsylvania teachers and students in the integration of design thinking, creative coding, and complex decision-making in the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom.

At the heart of the DSP is Twine, an open-source software that enables the creation of digital, interactive storygames that resemble Choose Your Own Adventure books. Most people can learn the basics of Twine in less than 10 minutes. The challenge (and fun!) of Twine comes when students design storygames that achieve specific, rigorous, standards-based learning objectives.

The DSP doesn't train teachers in the conventional sense. Rejecting the "one size fits all" approach to technology fits all learners; the DSP uses an in-classroom workshop model that provides hands-on support to teachers and students. Teachers collaborate with DSP team members to create customized, standards-based learning plans and effective pedagogies to empower their students to design original interactive digital texts using evidence-based practices. While designed originally for the ELA classroom, we are excited to see its application in other learning areas, particularly health and nutrition.

About The Lopez Foundation, Inc.

The Lopez Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit philanthropic organization founded and headquartered in Washington, DC in July 2018. Built on a story of humble beginnings driven to reach the "American Dream" and a universal vision, to Teach, Inspire, Empower, and Lead our future generations.

The Lopez Foundation seeks to relinquish labels and stigmas within our society. To accomplish this goal, we will provide scholarships, Back-to-School supplies, summer academic camps, STEM camps, college-access programs, career planning, and much more.

We are proud to ally with many local, regional, and national partners who help us tackle our mission every day. We are committed to equipping our community with long-term benefits and fair opportunities that prepare and move our students, parents, and staff through life.

The Lopez Foundation is a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. EIN 84-3390366 Donations are Tax-Deductible.

Learn more at www.vincentlopezfoundation.org

About Parker Foundation, Inc.

The Parker Foundation, Inc. is a technology-focused 501(c)(3) nonprofit philanthropic organization founded by the Parker Family and led by Tasha Parker to improve the lives of veterans and underprivileged Americans by offering education and technology training.

The Parker Foundation, Inc. is a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. EIN 38-4165401 Donations are Tax-Deductible.

Learn more at www.parkerfoundation.care

About LCA Vantage Healthcare Corporation (LCAV)

LCA Vantage, we're an innovative technology company advancing healthcare into the next century. We offer affordable Healthcare Subscriptions which provide a full-service suite of clinical care and thru our custom-built technology products and software, we launched Parker Tech creating a SMART Zone ecosystem, therefore enabling hospital facilities, patients, medical professionals, and communities to provide 24/7 365 medical support, prescription drug management, and facility management.

The Parker System is a full-stack, cloud-based digitized medical product, and service created by our team. Our customizable features include Electronic Medical Record (EMR), Electronic Health Record (EHR), patient care management, prescription, drug management, computerized provider order entry (CPOE), automated coding, and billing, as well as AI and analytics for research and development. The Parker System is the only EMR and EHR system on the market that is one hundred percent FHIR compliant and is built and stored on FHIR servers. The Parker System consolidates every piece of data for individual patients, emergency services, and hospital networks under one umbrella.

At LCA Vantage, we simplify the complexities of healthcare while putting the power of choice, flexibility, and affordability back in the hands of our subscribers. We are focused on treating the whole person, not just the symptom.

Learn more at www.LCAvantage.com and www.ourparker.com

SOURCE LCA Vantage Healthcare

Related Links

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ELLISVILLE, Mo., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Antennas Direct and Mohu, the leading HDTV antenna providers, announced a 30% discount on their products for all customers, especially those affected by the Locast service suspension. The coupon code LOCAST30 is valid for TV antennas and accessories on www.antennasdirect.com or www.gomohu.com until September 13th.

Additionally, Antennas Direct is giving away a free ClearStream Eclipse antenna to the first 1,000 people who email [email protected] with a screenshot or photo of the letter they received from Locast announcing its service suspension.

Antennas Direct and Mohu are focused on providing consumers with cutting-edge antennas that provide affordable, reliable access to free broadcast channels. With Locast suspending its service, this leaves many subscribers without the broadcast channels they're used to viewing. Antennas Direct and Mohu hope to solve this disconnect for these cord-cutters.

"Unfortunately, the Locast ruling is yet another example of cord-cutting services creating huge headaches for consumers," said Richard Schneider, CEO and founder of Antennas Direct. "We don't want consumers to suffer or lose access to channels they're used to viewing. HDTV antennas have always provided free access to broadcast networks and we hope to connect with any Locast subscribers to fill that viewing gap."

Antennas Direct and Mohu have a wide selection of indoor and outdoor antenna products to choose from. Top-performing indoor antennas include the Mohu Leaf 50 , the ClearStream Eclipse , and the Mohu Leaf Metro , and popular outdoor antennas include the ClearStream 4MAX , the ClearStream MAX-V , and the Mohu Sail . Consumers who are interested in understanding which antenna is right for them  based on their location  can visit Antennas Direct's transmitter locator and use Mohu's antenna comparison function while shopping online.

For more information about this promotion, visit: Antennas Direct or Mohu 's blog. To learn about Antennas Direct or Mohu, please visit www.antennasdirect.com or www.gomohu.com .

About Antennas Direct:

Antennas Direct is the #1 LEADER in antenna technology with a fresh take on modernization and a foundation built on a culture of innovation and forward-thinking that has been a driving force for over 15 years. The company is the largest manufacturer of over-the-air outdoor antennas specifically tuned for the core-DTV frequencies broadcast in North America. Antennas Direct are the pioneers of the cord-cutting movement, spreading antenna awareness to millions of consumers since 2003. The company has invested major resources into the discovery and implementation of new antenna designs for digital reception. The firm is a member of the Inc. 500|5000 Hall of Fame and Future of TV Coalition. Visit www.antennasdirect.com for more information.

About Mohu:

Mohu, The Cord Cutting Company now owned and operated by Antennas Direct, is part of the largest privately-owned consumer electronics manufacturer in North America. Dedicated to leading the TV cord-cutting revolution, the company's motto is "Be Set Free", making high-quality, easy-to-install, cost-effective HDTV antennas and cord-cutting products which enable consumers to have an exceptional experience without burdensome costs or constraints. Since introducing the world's first paper-thin Leaf HDTV indoor antenna in 2011, Mohu has helped its customers save more than $1 billion by eliminating monthly cable and satellite bills in favor of the TV they want at a cost they can control. For more information, visit www.gomohu.com .

Media Contact:

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FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 2; Released: August 2021 Executive Pool: 11733 Companies: 348 - Players covered include Moderna, Inc.; Pfizer Inc./BioNTech; AstraZeneca/University of Oxford; Johnson & Johnson; CanSino Biologics, Inc.; China National Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (Sinopharm); Sinovac Biotech Ltd.; Novavax, Inc.; Inovio Pharmaceuticals; Sanofi/GlaxoSmithKline; Gamaleya Institute and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Age Group (18 Years & Above, Under 18 Years) Geographies: World; USA; Canada; Japan; China; Europe; France; Germany; Italy; UK; Spain; Russia; Rest of Europe; Asia-Pacific; India; Rest of Asia-Pacific; Latin America; Brazil; Mexico; Rest of Latin America; Middle East; Africa.

Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry



ABSTRACT-



According to the new updated study on COVID-19 Vaccines by Global Industry Analysts (GIA), approximately 53% of world population will be fully vaccinated by the end of the year 2021. This figure is expected to increase to 81% by the year 2022. The rapid vaccination programmes launched around the world has led to millions of people being fully vaccinated, particularly in developed nations. With the rise in vaccination rates, measures designed to limit the spread of Covid-19 like mask mandates and capacity limits have been relaxed. The subsequent relaxation strengthened consumer confidence and allowed economic activity to return to normalcy. However, with the Covid-19 virus rapidly mutating, new variants have emerged in many parts of the world, posing a threat of potential future waves. These new variants are more deadly than the original virus, more easily transmissible and can impact the effectiveness of vaccines. Viruses naturally change over time through the process of mutation. Among the thousands of variants currently circulating around the world, Delta (B.1.617.2), Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), and Gamma (P.1) have emerged as variants of concern, and the reason behind subsequent spike in infections. These variants were first identified in India, the UK, South Africa, and Brazil respectively. The high number of Covid-19 cases also increases the risk of virus mutations, leading to the emergence of new variants. The spread of the Delta variant has forced some countries to step up their vaccination campaigns and bring back curbs on businesses, activity and travel.

Messenger RNA (mRNA)-based Covid-19 vaccine from Moderna and Pfizer stand out not only as frontrunners but also as being more protective against newer variants. mRNA vaccine although never been licensed for use in humans before, is now being approved in the fight against COVID-19 largely because of the speed at which these vaccines can be produced. mRNA vaccines work by introducing a part of mRNA that reacts to the viral protein. It accelerates production of antibodies and trains the immune system to recognize the virus in the future, thereby offering protection. Beyond Covid-19, mRNA vaccines also hold promise for combatting cancer and infectious diseases, such as malaria and flu. Early animal testing has shown that mRNA vaccines demonstrates efficacy against viruses such as influenza, Zika and rabies. mRNA-based vaccine technology is the most preferred platform for developing a vaccine for COVID-19 in part because it offers some advantages in the pace of development, high potency, and potential for low-cost manufacture.

After a sharp drop in cases throughout the first half of the year, cases began to spike again as the Delta variant took over. This variant now accounts for the vast majority of new infections. To a certain extent, current vaccines have been shown to work against mutants. They provide protection against developing severe disease, hospitalization and death due to the variants. This in turn has prompted vaccine makers to pursue booster shots. The leading vaccine makers, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca announced plans to pursue development of booster shots to address the emerging threat of new virus variants. The booster shot will be essential to keep the immune system to the optimum level. A number of wealthy countries like the US, Germany and Israel are considering booster shots to increase protection against Covid-19. Germany is expected to roll out booster shots in September to vulnerable individuals such as pensioners and people with weak immune systems. mRNA-vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna will be offered as booster shots, regardless of the vaccine administered previously.

In India, Bharat Biotech, the makers of Covaxin, received regulator's approval for conducting trials for a third shot that will be administered as a booster dose. While a booster dose is typically an exact replica of the initial vaccine, it can also be tweaked. Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer are working on variant-specific booster shots. Recently, Moderna announced positive initial data from its ongoing phase 2 study. The data revealed that the booster dose increased neutralizing antibody responses against the original virus as well as B.1.351 and P.1, in previously vaccinated individuals. Studies suggest that a third dose can boost also antibodies in the blood of some immunocompromised patients. Despite being fully vaccinated, people with weak immune systems may not have strong defense against new variants. With Covid-19 cases on the rise, millions of cancer patients undergoing treatment, organ transplant recipients and others are still susceptible to severe Covid-19. In response, Israel is administering third doses of the Pfizer vaccine to immunocompromised people, including those who have had heart, lung, kidney or liver transplants and cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Despite the fewer cases of Covid-19 in pediatric populations and adolescents, vaccinating young children and teenagers is crucial to significantly slow the spread of Covid-19 and achieve herd immunity. Young children and particularly adolescents can play a significant role in coronavirus transmission. Studies are underway evaluating vaccine safety for younger children in various countries. Vaccination will allow children to return to in-person teaching safely and ease the burden on parents. Pfizer vaccine is currently authorized for ages 12 and older in the US, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Philippines, Japan, New Zealand, Dubai, UK, and few EU countries. Moderna is seeking approval for teens as young as 12 in the US, Canada and EU. Another mRNA vaccine maker, Novavax is expected to start clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of its vaccine on children, while China has already approved Sinovac's vaccine for emergency use in children as young as three. India vaccine makers such as Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute of India and Zydus Cadila have either initiated clinical trials or are in the process of doing so for their Covid-19 vaccine for children. Young teenagers with chronic health problems such as diabetes, severe asthma, obesity and chronic cardiac disease; compromised immune systems, and those who have organ transplants are more likely to be at risk of severe Covid-19 disease. Australia and the UK authorized the use of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for vulnerable children aged between 12 and 15 years old, as cases of the highly contagious Delta variant rise sharply. So far, data from clinical trials suggest that the Covid-19 vaccines are safe in adolescents. With this in mind, Pfizer and Moderna have moved on to carrying out clinical trials in children as young as 5 years old. The vaccination of vulnerable populations will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the pandemic control and serve as a catalyst to promote rapid economic recovery. More



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The design is a celebration of the artistry, craft and care that went into the single malt it encases. Its unique form represents Gordon & MacPhail's history of repeatedly pushing the boundaries in terms of long-term whisky maturation, where experimentation, patience, and quality have remained the foundations for progress since 1895.

The creative theme for the ground-breaking release - 'Artistry in Oak' - bears tribute to both the precious and rare liquid, carefully nurtured in an oak cask by four generations of the family that owns Gordon & MacPhail, as well as its stunning presentation. Never before has oak and single malt spirit been combined for eight decades and the historic liquid has been described by renowned whisky writer Charlie MacLean as "truly, one of the finest I've ever encountered."

Ewen Mackintosh, Managing Director at Gordon & MacPhail, comments, "It is often quoted that the maturation of whisky over very long periods of time is more art than science. The decanter and oak pavilion that David has created for our historic release is a true reflection of this art; the presentation is itself a work of art. I'm sure George Urquhart and his father John, who had the extraordinary foresight to lay down spirit from the Glenlivet Distillery in a bespoke Gordon & MacPhail cask to be enjoyed after their lifetime, would love the design. It pays tribute to their craft and vision."

"Oak is a primary material, produced from the planet," explains David Adjaye. "I appreciate its preciousness as an integral part of the whisky-making process. I wanted to create a design that pays tribute to the role oak plays in transforming liquid into an elixir with almost magical properties."

The jewel-like decanter contains lenses to provide focus on the richly coloured liquid. A generous volume of crystal balances both heft and delicacy, and provides a beguiling, tactile presence.

"The gentle combination of liquid, weight and form invokes a sense of care, responsibility and slowness. As you pour, a sense of time fades and all that is understood is the preciousness of each drop," adds Adjaye.

Designed to appear as hewn from a single solid block of crystal, the decanter's curving core needed to be individually hand-blown by experienced artisans overseen by Glencairn Crystal Studio, experts in ultra-premium decanters and another family business based in Scotland.

"The ambition was to create a vessel in which Gordon & MacPhail's unique experience and tradition is transmitted and incorporated," remarks Adjaye. "The vertical struts of the outer pavilion are reflective of trees in an oak forest from which the staves of the original cask were hewn. A pivotal moment in the design narrative is the relationship between the light and shadow as the casing recreates the sunlight as it shines through oak trees within a natural forest setting. The act of opening the pavilion becomes a ceremonial and sensorial process."

While similar, no two decanters are exactly the same, reflecting the complexity of the process and its organic nature.

The oak pavilion is constructed from sustainably sourced oaks grown less than five miles from makers, Wardour Workshops, another family-owned company, based in Dorset, South West England.

Co-founder at Wardour, Dom Parish, comments, "Oak has this wondrously enduring quality that lasts forever."

Only 250 70cl decanters have been created. Decanter #1 is being auctioned by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on 7 October 2021 with a framed cask end from the original cask and a lithograph of the original concept drawings signed by David Adjaye. Auction proceeds (minus costs) are being donated to local Scottish charity Trees for Life whose mission is to rewild the Caledonian forest.

"The donation will help the Trees for Life nursery which grows 100,000 rare and native trees, including oaks, from seed each year," continues Ewen Mackintosh. "It's fitting that this whisky will provide a legacy for all that will last for generations."

Public showcases of the decanter and oak pavilion will be exhibited from early September 2021 in Sotheby's London, New York and Hong Kong galleries, in addition to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre as part of Sotheby's 2021 Hong Kong Autumn Sales Series preview exhibition.

GORDON & MACPHAIL GENERATIONS 80 YEARS OLD FROM GLENLIVET DISTILLERY: AVAILABLE FROM 3 SEPTEMBER 2021

Price on application via gordonandmacphail.com

For details of Sotheby's Hong Kong auction of decanter #1, visit sothebys.com

SOURCE Gordon & MacPhail

Related Links

https://www.gordonandmacphail.com/


HOUSTON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- alliantgroup, a management consultancy strengthening American businesses through reinvestment in innovation and job growth, released its "Innovation, R&D & IT Hiring Trends Report," revealing that C-suite executives are taking the challenge to bolster digital transformation efforts seriously but need to ramp up quickly to maintain a competitive advantage.

The study, conducted online with YouGov, a neutral third-party research firm, uncovered not only C-suite sentiment when it comes to digital transformation projects, but also where the opportunities lie for IT consultants to partner with these organizations along their transformation journeys.

INNOVATION AND R&D INVESTMENT CAN NO LONGER BE SIDELINED

With the U.S. dropping out of the top 10 most innovative countries this year according to Bloomberg's 2021 Innovation Index, C-suite executives have quickly learned that investing in innovation can no longer be sidelined. In fact, 29% of those surveyed said that the U.S. is lagging behind other countries when it comes to embracing digital transformation, and one out of five (20%) said that the U.S. isn't embracing new technologies as aggressively as it should be compared to other countries. As the pandemic and scrambled supply chains only make things worse, organizations will need the expertise of IT consultants to bolster their digital transformation initiatives as they catch up on a global scale.

Research and development are critical for the U.S. to regain its top spot as the most innovative country. However, even as nearly 30% of C-suite executives reported having plans to invest in R&D over the next two years, companies too often disqualify themselves from taking full advantage of tax incentives like the R&D credit because of a lack of expertise in tax literacy. This reveals a glaring unmet need where digital transformation consultants can provide undeniable value, especially as more than one out of five C-suite executives (21%) cited leveraging more government support like tax credits to further innovate within their industry.

CUTTING THROUGH (AND JUMPING OVER) THE RED TAPE

In terms of motivation to embark on digital transformation projects, nearly half (46%) of C-suite executives understood that it was a necessity for their company to survive in the long-term. Despite this, efforts to execute hit a dead end as internal bureaucracies are too cumbersome to react. Even as 36% of C-suite executives surveyed cited the pandemic as having accelerated the need for digital transformation across most industries, 29% said it's actually hampered their organization's capacity for digital transformation and a third (33%) reported there, being too much red tape in order to successfully innovate. IT consultants can more easily side-step these internal challenges and enable companies to speed up their goals for digital transformation.

As the pandemic continues to apply pressure on the transition to digital, there's an alarming number of organizations who don't have plans for digital transformation where IT consultants can take the lead. To fill this gap, 38% of C-suite executives said they are prioritizing investment in vendors/third parties to implement/adopt new technologies and enable their digital transformation efforts over the next two years, and IT consultants should take advantage of this massive opportunity.

IT'S NO LONGER AN EMPLOYER'S MARKET

As the nation faces a historic worker shortage, not having the right technical talent will be a blow to many digital transformation initiatives. In fact, 42% of C-suite executives surveyed said access to more talent was the top action their organization will take to innovate, and 31% said not hiring the right talent was one of the biggest mistakes they made when undergoing a digital transformation project. Although 24% said they plan to invest in the community and/or STEM education programs to fill their technical talent pipeline, these hiring pushes will not be immediate and provide a critical window for IT consultancies to offer their own expertise.

In terms of top business priorities, nearly a quarter (24%) of C-Suite executives said that IT is the #1 department for digital transformation projects over the next 2 years. However, there is still a massive gap in existing internal technical resources. More nimble IT consultancies/third-party providers should immediately scale-up their technical expertise to effectively partner with companies as they kick their digital transformation projects into high gear.

RECRUITING MOVES BEYOND SUPERSTAR CITIES

The search for the right technical talent has expanded beyond superstar cities like New York and San Francisco. C-suite executives are now aligning their hiring priorities with larger migration trends in the U.S. following the shift to remote work. Respondents noted finding skilled talent as the number one area that will accelerate digital transformation at 42%, in addition to the top action of expanding tech talent recruiting to outside typical high-tech areas (e.g., San Francisco, New York, and Austin) at 30%. A quarter (25%) even reported opening up offices in these non-high-tech locations to support their initiatives, and IT consultancies would be smart to map their hiring to these areas as well.

Although C-suite executives are seeing the light when it comes to harnessing technical talent, it will take a critical shift in culture. More than a quarter (26%) said their company culture doesn't embrace change and 28% said they can't find the right technology and consulting partners. These internal challenges are ripe for talented IT and change management consultants to step in and better promote themselves as easing the process of digital transformation that can so often be met with resistance.

"Digital transformation is no longer an option  it's a must-have for organizations that want to compete in the post-pandemic economy," said Dhaval Jadav, CEO of alliantgroup. "Nearly half of C-suite executives understand that supporting digital transformation projects is critical for their companies to survive in the long-term. However, challenges from finding and keeping technical talent to choosing which technology to either procure or invest inall while navigating internal bureaucraciescan kill digital transformation projects in their tracks. It's important that organizations have the right partners to help them avoid these potholes on their journey to both digitizing processes, redefining their cultures and adopting new technologies. We at alliantgroup work with clients of all sizes and industries, leveraging our business, organizational and technical expertise to help leapfrog the red tape and help realize organizations' digital transformation ambitions."

About alliantgroup

alliantgroup is a management consulting company with a mission to strengthen American businesses through reinvestment in innovation and job growth. We educate businesses, the industry groups that serve them and the accounting firms that advise them on federal and state credits and incentives that are legislated by our government to keep the U.S. competitive in the global landscape. We are proud to have helped over 20,000 businesses claim nearly $13 billion in credits and incentives. alliantgroup is headquartered in Houston, Texas with additional offices located in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, New York, Irvine, Sacramento, Washington, D.C.; and Bristol and London in the U.K.

For more information, visit alliantgroup and engage with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Methodology

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 101 U.S. adults who are C-level and senior-level non-IT employees at firms with at least 50 employees. Fieldwork was undertaken between 10 - 14 June 2021. The survey was carried out online.

SOURCE alliantgroup

Related Links

http://www.alliantgroup.com


MONTREAL, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Valsoft Corporation Inc. ("Valsoft"), a Montreal-based company specializing in the acquisition and development of vertical market software businesses, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Manus Software & Services Holding BV (Manus Software), an industry leader in workforce management software solutions.

Based in Hendrik Ido Ambacht, in The Netherlands, Manus Software has built a strong reputation of integrating flexible and hybrid solutions to their clients' diverse workforce management systems. The acquisition of Manus Software provides a powerful boost to Aspire Software's (an operating group of Valsoft) presence in the workforce management vertical.

With over 30 years in the industry, Manus Software is a leading solution provider for workforce planning and time management in the European market. Their specialty in optimizing human resources and time evaluation allows for operations to be as efficient, accurate and effective as possible.

"By becoming a member of the Valsoft group, further investments in our product suite and growth are ensured," says Jan-Willem van der Boom, founder and CTO of Manus. "The focus of Manus has always been providing the best possible and most accurate solution to our customers, based on experience and knowledge of our team. I'm glad we were able to take this step and look forward to being closely involved for many years to come."

"I am very happy that Manus has become a part of the Valsoft / Aspire group," said Jan-Willem van Riet, co-owner and CEO at Manus Software & Services Holding BV. "Already during the acquisition process, they showed themselves to be involved and knowledgeable in the field of software development and implementation."

With this latest acquisition, Manus becomes the second company in the workforce management industry to join the Aspire Software family along with Softbrick. Thanks to joining Aspire Software, Manus will now have the opportunity to not only further strengthen their presence in the European market, but to expand globally. Manus Software owners Jan-Willem van Riet and Jan-Willem van der Boom will stay on board to maintain Manus Software's stellar reputation among clients as the company grows.

"For Manus, this gives us the opportunity to make the most of the post-Covid period, in which we expect (and already notice) that a larger number of companies will be needing WFM software to help them get the right employee, in the right moment, for the appropriate amount, with the right skill set in the right place," says van Riet. "Being bigger and better funded, we can bring even better service to our present and future customers from a stronger position."

One of Valsoft's core principles is to invest in established organizations and form an entrepreneurial environment that allows an organization to grow as a leader in its respective industry. Valsoft is not a private equity or venture capital organization, as it aims to sustainably grow organizations through long-term partnerships with existing management.

"Joining forces with Manus Software helps to reinforce our presence and strategy in the workforce management vertical. We are delighted to share the same values with Jan-Willem van Riet and Jan-Willem van der Boom: a passion for innovation, world-class customer experience and a desire to grow." said Michael Assi, CEO of Aspire Software, an operating group of Valsoft. "We look forward to supporting the Manus Software team in furthering their vision and accelerating its growth plan."

Under the Valsoft umbrella of companies, Manus will continue to work with clients to provide fact-based, data-driven solutions and ensure they are as efficient and profitable as possible.

Valsoft was represented internally by General Counsel David Felicissimo and assisted by Pamela Romero and external counsel Joost Houtman of Lexence. Manus shareholders were represented by Hann Oude Grote Bevelsborg of AttLaw.

About Manus Software

Manus is Europe's favourite solution provider for workforce planning and time management. With over 30 years of experience, we are famous for integrating flexible and hybrid connectivity solutions into our clients' diverse workforce management systems. Our solutions are fact-based, data-driven, and always compliant. We are the European thought leader, with a get-the-job-done mentality and sophisticated software solutions. Our unique Evaluated Time functionality helps large international companies comply with local legislation and business rules, allowing our clients to gain control over their business operation.

About Valsoft Corporation

Valsoft Corporation acquires and develops vertical market software companies through which each business can deliver the best mission-critical solutions for customers in their respective industry or niche. A key tenet of Valsoft's philosophy is to invest in well-established businesses and foster an entrepreneurial environment that shapes a company into a leader in its respective industry. Unlike private equity and VC firms, Valsoft does not have a predefined investment horizon and looks to buy, hold, and create value through long-term partnerships with existing management and customers.

About Aspire Software

Buy. Enhance. Grow. Aspire Software, an operating group of Valsoft Corp, is a vertical acquisition software company that owns, operates and manages a portfolio of companies in various industries. Aspire constantly seeks opportunities in various verticals. Aspire's team of entrepreneurs and business builders have an unwavering commitment to developing our brands and expanding into new markets. It is all made possible thanks to its decentralized management strategy and indefinite hold period.

For more information on the companies, please visit https://www.manusplus.com/ , https://www.valsoftcorp.com and https://www.aspiresoftware.com/

SOURCE Valsoft Corporation
NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the largest hearing care provider networks in the United States has arrived in Manhattan.

Audibel, which offers hearing aid fitting and service, hearing aid repair for all brands, hearing screenings, and other audiological care services nationwide, is now accepting patients at its first location in the borough.

Dr. Kelly Laux, AuD, received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications from St. Joseph's College. She achieved her Doctor of Audiology degree from St. John's University and the Long Island Audiology Consortium following a fourth year residency in private practice. She is a New York State licensed audiologist and hearing aid dispenser and she maintains her Certificate of Clinical Competency in Audiology with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

"Manhattan is the city that never sleeps, and people here need our help," according to Keri L. Ruf, MA, Regional Managing Director at Audibel. "Manhattan lives in today's world of technology, and as one of the leading hearing aid technology purveyors, becoming a part of this city is exciting and is just the beginning."

Ruf said that Audibel's Upper East Side location, close to Midtown Manhattan and other popular tourist and business areas, is easily accessible for visitors to the Big Apple who need help with their hearing aids.

"Our Manhattan location works in network with all other Audibel locations, so patients from other states just passing through who need help can come to our Manhattan location as well," Ruf said, adding that the clinic offers a guarantee that all patients will be seen within 72 hours of requesting an appointment.

Audibel offers American-made hearing aids from the Starkey brand. The state-of-the-art technology available in its latest models include AI technology to improve amplification, motion detection technology that can notify a contact in the event of a fall, and full integrations with Apple and Android devices, among others.

"Starkey has dedicated research and development teams in the U.S. that are constantly working on ways to improve their hearing aids," Ruf said.

In addition to offering Starkey hearing aids, Audibel performs repairs on all hearing aid brands.

The Audibel clinic will feature state-of-the-art hearing test technology, and plans are underway to fully renovate the space. The practice will be supervised by Dr. Kelly Laux, Au.D., a New York State licensed audiologist and hearing aid dispenser who has a Certificate of Clinical Competency in Audiology with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

"Dr. Laux brings care and compassion to our patients, and we are excited for her to lead the way in our new practice," Ruf said.

According to Ruf, the practice takes a holistic approach to hearing, ensuring that each patient selects the device that works best for their needs.

"At Audibel, we pride ourselves on provided hearing health care, not just selling hearing aids," said Ruf. "Our goal is to educate every patient on their options. In a big box store, you would come in, get a hearing test, and you'd simply be handed a hearing aid and an invoice. At Audibel, instead, we identify the best solution to help your hearing."

Audibel  Manhattan is located at 30 E. 60th St., Suite 605. Hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The clinic offers a 72-hour guarantee for all appointments. For more information or to book an appointment, visit www.AudibelManhattan.com.

Audibel is a brand of Starkey Hearing Technologies. Recognized across the globe as a premier provider of hearing healthcare, Starkey is the only American-owned provider of hearing technologies. Headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, owned by Bill Austin since 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey has more than 5,000 employees, operates 28 facilities and does business in more than 100 markets worldwide. Learn more at starkey.com.

SOURCE Audibel

Related Links

https://www.audibelmanhattan.com


Organic Corn Chips (Blue): Sold in 8.25-ounce bags, RW Garcia's Organic Corn Chips are a healthier alternative to traditional corn chips and taste great with dips or can stand alone.

Sold in 8.25-ounce bags, RW Garcia's Organic Corn Chips are a healthier alternative to traditional corn chips and taste great with dips or can stand alone. Organic Corn Chips (BBQ and Chili Cheese): Available in 7.5-ounce bags, RW Garcia's Organic Corn Chips offer favorite tastes with natural flavors for supremely satisfying organic snacking.

Organic Corn Chips are sold on Amazon in packs of four for $29.99. The brand will also launch its Yellow Corn Chips and popular cracker varieties in the near future.

"Though we have wide national distribution for many of our chip and cracker varieties, we know that consumer purchasing behavior has increasingly shifted to online, and we want to meet our consumers where they are," said RW Garcia Chief Operating Officer Genelle Chetcuti. "RW Garcia is a natural fit with Amazon, which is a top destination for those looking for the convenience of having delicious snacks with clean ingredients delivered straight to their door."

The first snack company ever to become Non-GMO Project Verified, RW Garcia uses the highest-quality premium ingredients. All its chips and crackers are verified non-GMO, gluten-free certified and kosher; are produced in peanut- and tree nut-free facilities; and contain no additives or preservatives.

About RW Garcia

Founded in 1982 and based in Scotts Valley, California, RW Garcia is a family-owned and -operated artisan maker of high-quality, organic corn chips, tortilla chips and artisan crackers. RW Garcia is committed to sourcing the finest ingredients available and produces all products in its wholly owned tree nut- and peanut-free facilities in Las Vegas and Lincolnton, North Carolina. All RW Garcia products are non-GMO verified, certified gluten-free, low sodium, kosher and free of artificial additives or preservatives. The company is dedicated to making the world a better place through its sustainable manufacturing practices. RW Garcia founders Robert and Margaret Garcia are Specialty Food Association Hall of Fame inductees for their outstanding contributions to the industry. Their distinctive products can be found throughout North America as well as in Europe and Australia. For more information, visit RWGarcia.com or visit the brand on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Media Contact:

Ali Macfadden

[email protected]

214-379-7000

SOURCE RW Garcia
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) today announced it will be participating in the Goldman Sachs 28th Annual Global Retailing Conference, which will be a virtual event this year.

Bruce Thorn, President and CEO of Big Lots, Jonathan Ramsden, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, and Jack Pestello, Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer, are scheduled to participate in a fireside chat on Friday, September 10, 2021 which will be broadcast live beginning at approximately 8:20 AM Eastern Time. A webcast will be available through the Investor Relations section of the company's website at https://www.biglots.com/corporate/investors/.

If you are unable to join the live webcast, an archive will be available at https://www.biglots.com/corporate/investors/ within 24 hours after conclusion of live event, and will remain available through Friday, September 24, 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

http://www.biglots.com


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SOURCE BizVibe

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NEW YORK and PARIS, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Botify, the leading enterprise software company for performance-driven organic search , today announced that it has closed $55 million USD in Series C funding led by InfraVia Growth, with participation from Bpifrance through its Large Venture fund, as well as existing investors Eurazeo and Ventech. Nicolas Herschtel from InfraVia and Antoine Izsak from Bpifrance Large Venture will join Botify's Board of Directors.

The Botify Founders, from left to right: Adrien Menard, Thomas Grange, and Stan Chauvin

This investment round will help Botify scale its solution to meet increased market demand and reflects the strategic role of organic search for long-term, profitable growth. In 2020, businesses spent $47.5 billion on SEO related products and services. The SEO market is projected to grow at a 20% CAGR by 2025 .

"The investment comes on the heels of a year during which online activity accelerated. The pandemic forced brands across all industries to quickly reassess their digital marketing investments or speed up their digital transformations. With the ability to drive sustainable traffic and revenue - and deliver a high ROI, organic search marketing has become a core strategy helping enterprise brands navigate this new world," said Adrien Menard, Co-Founder and CEO of Botify. "The additional funding will assure we can fuel our product innovation, notably in organic search automation, grow our global presence, specifically in APAC, and support our partner ecosystem development."

Since its founding in 2012, Botify has been at the forefront of enterprise SEO, empowering leading companies such as Expedia, L'Oreal, The New York Times, Groupon, Marriott, Conde Nast, Crate & Barrel, Fnac Darty, Vestiaire Collective, and Farfetch, with the most robust set of analytics to understand and improve the discoverability of their websites by search engines, in turn driving traffic and conversions from intent-based consumers. Today, Botify not only delivers insights across the entire search funnel, but also AI-powered recommendations and the ability to automate time- and resource-intensive SEO implementations that drive real business outcomes.

Nicolas Herschtel, Partner at InfraVia, will join Botify's Board of Directors. He commented, "We are very excited to contribute to Botify's high growth and innovation and help them deliver against an ambitious product roadmap. We have been extremely impressed with the founders' vision for the future of search and we are confident that with their unique data model and focus on automation, Botify is well positioned to build upon the market momentum and continue to transform the SEO market."

After getting its start in Europe, Botify entered the US market in 2016 which now accounts for more than 60% of the company's revenue. Building upon the success, Botify is establishing and growing operations in Asia Pacific.

"We have been impressed by Botify's rapid growth and the fact that they are enabling some of the largest and most sophisticated websites in the world to drive measurable revenue growth through organic search. The quality and scalability of the Botify platform sets it apart as a leader within the search landscape. Bpifrance prides itself to back such an innovative company in a fast growing and dynamic market," said Antoine Izsak, Investment Director at Bpifrance Large Venture, who also joins Botify's Board of Directors.

Chloe Giard, Investment Director at Eurazeo, also commented, "It's been incredible to watch Botify's evolution since our first investment in 2016. Not only have they been smart about their product innovation, leveraging the power of AI and machine learning to create even more value and efficiency for their customers, but the strategic partnerships they've forged with the likes of Google Cloud and Salesforce Commerce Cloud are indicative of how integral search has become in today's digital strategies. We're thrilled to continue supporting Botify on its journey to redefine search marketing."

"As an early believer and Series A investor, Ventech has had the chance to support the Botify team in its development in the US from day one," remarked Ventech General Partner Claire Houry. "With organic search marketing stepping into the driver's seat in the race between enterprise brands for category domination, the founders' vision for the future of search combined with analytic superiority and automation affirm our confidence in Botify's ability to be THE global leader in search marketing."

About Botify

Botify is an enterprise software company that helps brands turn organic search into an efficient, measurable, and sustainable channel for both traffic and revenue growth. Powered by a unique unified data model, prescriptive insights, and automated processes, Botify delivers an end-to-end SEO management solution that enables customers to unlock the true growth potential of their website.

Botify is used by 500+ leading global companies across industries including e-commerce, travel, media & publishing, classifieds, and more, including Expedia, Macy's Farfetch, Marriott, L'Oreal, Crate & Barrel, Conde Nast, Groupon, Github, Carvana, FNAC Darty, and The New York Times. Botify also partners with leading technology and services companies such as Salesforce Commerce Cloud, WordPress VIP, Google Cloud, Jellyfish, Chameleon Collective, Foresight Digital, Contentsquare, and iPullRank.

Botify is a fast-growing, VC-backed, SaaS company with $82M in funding and offices in New York, Seattle, Paris, London, and Singapore.

About InfraVia

InfraVia is a leading independent private equity firm, specialized in infrastructure and technology investments. InfraVia supports entrepreneurs and industrial players in their growth and digital strategy, accelerating their transformation in sizeable platforms. Since 2008, InfraVia has raised EUR 5 billion of capital and invested in 30+ companies across 12 European countries. In 2020, InfraVia launched a new investment strategy dedicated to European B2B high-growth tech companies. The team, composed of 8 experienced professionals, plans to make single investments of 10 million to 50 million to help them bridge the funding gap between Venture Capital and Buy-Out stages. www.infraviacapital.com

About Bpifrance

Bpifrance is the French national investment bank. It finances businesses  at every stage of their development  through loans, guarantees, equity investments and export insurances. Bpifrance also provides extra financial services (training, consultancy) to help entrepreneurs meet their challenges (innovation, export). For more information, please visit: www.bpifrance.fr and presse.bpifrance.fr - Follow us on Twitter: @Bpifrance - @BpifrancePresse

About Ventech

Ventech is a Global, Early Stage VC firm based out of Paris, Munich, Helsinki, Berlin, Hong Kong and Shanghai with over 900m raised to fuel globally ambitious entrepreneurs and their visions of the future digital economy.

Since founding in 1998, Ventech has made 200+ investments (Believe, Botify, Mindler, Ogury, Picanova, Speexx, Veo & Vestiaire Collective) and 80+ exits (Webedia, Curse, StickyADS.tv and Withings).

About Eurazeo

Eurazeo is a leading global investment group, with a diversified portfolio of 25.6 billion in Assets Under Management, including 17.8 billion from third parties, invested in over 450 companies. With its considerable private equity, real estate and private debt expertise, Eurazeo accompanies companies of all sizes, supporting their development through the commitment of its nearly 300 professionals and by offering deep sector expertise, a gateway to global markets, and a responsible and stable foothold for transformational growth. Its solid institutional and family shareholder base, robust financial structure free of structural debt, and flexible investment horizon enable Eurazeo to support its companies over the long term.

Eurazeo has offices in Paris, New York, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, London, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Berlin and Madrid.

Eurazeo is listed on Euronext Paris.

SOURCE Botify

Related Links

www.botify.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) announced that it will be participating at two upcoming investor events.

DA Davidson 20th Annual Software and Internet Conference  Virtual Forum

Date: September 9, 2021

Broadridge Chief Financial Officer Edmund Reese and Head of Investor Relations Edings Thibault will host individual meetings with investors. A webcast link to the conference event page will be available on the Company's Investor Relations home page at www.broadridge-ir.com.

Piper Sandler Global Technology Conference - Virtual Forum

Date: September 13, 2021

Broadridge Chief Financial Officer Edmund Reese and Head of Investor Relations Edings Thibault will host individual meetings with investors. Mr. Reese will also participate in a Q&A session with Piper Sandler analyst Chris Donat which will be presented during the conference. A webcast link to the conference event page will be available on the Company's Investor Relations home page at www.broadridge-ir.com.

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with over $5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. In addition, Broadridge's technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of on average more than U.S. $9 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 13,000 associates in 21 countries. For more information about Broadridge, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Investors:

W. Edings Thibault

Investor Relations

(516) 472-5129

Media:

Gregg Rosenberg

Corporate Communications

(212) 918-6966

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.broadridge.com


PHOENIX, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Catholic Education Arizona (CEA), the largest Catholic School Tuition Organization, has raised $1 million in Disabled/Displaced tax credit funding approved by the Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR). This funding will provide tuition scholarships for students enrolled in the 36 Diocese of Phoenix Catholic Schools along with St. Michael's Indian School and Boys Hope Girls Hope of Arizona.

The Disabled/Displaced tax credit allows Arizona corporations to fund scholarships for eligible students who have a current or expired 504 plan, IEP, ISP or MET from an Arizona public school. Additionally, children who have ever been in the Arizona Foster Care system may also qualify for this scholarship. Current legislation provides for $6 million each year to be claimed under the tax credit for qualifying students. "This new funding will provide scholarships to students with disabilities that will give them educational opportunities that will change their lives forever," said Todd Bankofier, Board Chairman of Catholic Education Arizona. "These dollars extend the reach of bringing faith-based education to more and valued students in our community."

Catholic Education Arizona's President and CEO Nancy Padberg, MBA, along with Officers, Board Chairman, Todd Bankofier, Vice Chair Carlos Sugich, Secretary, Bob Venberg and Treasurer, D. J. Cole welcomed three new members to the Board of Directors, Carol Trueg, Nancy Dougherty, and Fr. Paul Ybarra, C.S.C. "We are excited about our new board members and officers," said Nancy Padberg. "This is an accomplished, gifted group with new ideas, expanded networks and energy who will blend naturally with our present board members."

Individuals and corporations continue to support Catholic Education Arizona and The Diocese of Phoenix Catholic High Schools because of their impressive results:

99.4% graduation rate

97% of graduates matriculate to higher education or military service

1000s of hours of community service are conducted annually

Catholic Education Arizona partners with Arizona businesses and individual taxpayers to make private education affordable and accessible. CEA offers taxpayers an opportunity to invest in their community, change lives, serve society and transform culture.

Corporations and LLCs filing as S Corps, C Corps, and insurance companies paying premium tax can direct up to 100% of their state tax liability through participation in the Arizona Low Income and Disabled/Displaced Corporate tax credits through CEA. Join APS, Cigna, Shea Homes, Ewing Irrigation Products, Meritage Homes, Earnhardt Auto Centers, Grand Canyon University, Lumen Technologies, Dignity Memorial and many small businesses making a difference and changing lives.

Catholic Education Arizona is the largest provider of scholarships to families attending Catholic schools. Since 1998, over $288 million has been raised to benefit students and 143,000 scholarships have been awarded. Learn more about how CEA is changing lives one scholarship at a time. Visit www.ceaz.org or call 602-218-6542.

Contact: Debra Preach, Chief Development Officer

Catholic Education Arizona

[email protected]

(602) 218-6542

SOURCE Catholic Education Arizona

Related Links

www.ceaz.org


DUBLIN, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Markets in China" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Overall, the NGS market in China is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.6 percent between 2021 and 2026.

This report analyses the market trends influencing various NGS market segments in China. It also analyses the global market trends, which have an impact in China's NGS market and also compares China's market trends with the trends in key global markets. It covers a detailed analysis of the impact of COVID-19 in each market segment.

Though COVID-19 pandemic impacted the growth during the initial months in 2020, the market segments have recovered. The growth is expected to continue across all the market segments as acceptance of NGS increase among the end-users as NGS become more affordable and simpler.

This report segments China's NGS market with respect to methods, applications, and product as well as service types. The drivers and restraints of segments are evaluated for estimating market sizes, forecasts and COVID-19 impact. The profiles of leading players in the global as well as Chinese markets are studied in detail along with their response to the pandemic and impact on their NGS revenues.

The report also includes a detailed analysis of the regulatory, intellectual property, and the reimbursement landscapes in China that play a major role in shaping the NGS market, particularly related to the clinical diagnostics end-use segments. The report has a total of 365 pages, which includes 79 tables.

There has been a significant reduction in the cost of sequencing per base during the past five years. China has also witnessed a similar trend in the domestic market. In fact, the leading NGS players in China offer NGS products and services at highly competitive rates compared to their counterparts in developed countries. Favourable government policies as well as financial support have played a crucial role in their success, in addition to the relatively lower manpower costs available in the domestic market.

Automated NGS workflow solutions have played a major role in the adoption of NGS in many targeted markets. Integration of the sequencing process with automated sample preparation, library preparation and data analysis steps has helped laboratories to scale up their NGS services, which assisted in reducing their services fees. The advancement in data analysis solutions is another factor that has enabled adoption of NGS by end-users including those involved in non-clinical application areas such as food testing, and forensics.

Significant challenges still exist for NGS that limit their growth potentials. For instance, cost is still much higher compared to the other genomic platforms. In addition to the capital costs associated with establishing NGS workflows, the laboratories also need to budget for high recurring costs for expensive consumables as well as reagents. High costs are also involved in hiring and retaining skilled workforce for NGS operations. The costs for maintaining large data storage and data analysis facilities can also increase the budget significantly.

In terms of application segments, clinical diagnostics applications are expected to drive the demand for NGS in China. The advent of simpler benchtop sequencers has played a critical role in improving precision medicine awareness. As more NGS-based clinical diagnostics enter the market, the demand for NGS-based clinical testing is expected to grow at a CAGR of 25.2 percent during the forecast period.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Market Overview

NGS Workflow and Leading Products in the Market

Library Preparation and Amplification

Sequencing

Data Analysis

NGS Market Trends

Market Drivers

Technological Advancements



Declining Costs



Precision Medicine Focus



Increasing Demand from Clinical Applications Segments



Growing Investments in Companion Diagnostics (CDX) Development

Market Restraints

High Costs Compared to Alternative Genomic Platforms



Lack of Effective Software Solutions for Data Management and Downstream Analysis



NGS Data Management, Interpretation and Sharing: Ethical and Legal Issues



Lack of Geneticists

Influence of China's Regulatory Landscape on Its NGS Market

Government Initiatives Relevant for NGS Market

Regulations and Expert Consensus on Genetic Testing in China

Regulatory Pathways Relevant for NGS-Based Diagnostic Products

Genomic Material and Genomic Data Sharing Policy of China

Lab Developed Tests (LDTS)

Independent Clinical Laboratories (Icls) Offering NGS Services

Negative List

Regulatory Pathway for CDX

Health Insurance Landscape in China and Its Influence on NGS Market

Social Health Insurance Schemes in China

Private Health Insurance

Insurance for Genome Sequencing Services

The NGS Market Landscape in China

NGS Market Size and Growth Forecasts

2. NGS Markets in China by Methods Targeted Genome Sequencing and Resequencing

Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)

WGS-Based Clinical Diagnostics Tests in China

Large-Scale WGS Studies in China

Whole Exome Sequencing (Wes) RNA-Seq

RNA-Seq: An Assessment of the Global Market Trends

Growth of RNA-Seq Demand in China

Transcriptomics Moving from Microarrays to RNA-Seq

Other NGS Methods The Market Size and Growth Trends of the Leading NGS Methods

3. NGS Markets in China by Products and Services Instruments

Single Cell Sequencing

Emergence Domestic Gene Sequencers Challenge Existing OEM Models

NGS Workflow Automation Products

Consumables and Accessories

Bioinformatics Tools for NGS

Primary Data Analysis

Secondary Data Analysis

Tertiary Data Analysis

NGS Service Providers in China

NGS Market Size and Growth Trends in China by Products and Services

Table 20: the NGS Market Size and Forecasts in China by Products and Services (USD, Million)

4. NGS Markets in China by Application Segments Clinical Diagnostics

Oncology

Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing (DTC-GT) Application Segment

Alternative Regulatory Pathways: Trends in the Global as Well as China's DTC-GT Market

DTC-GT Market Logistics Channels of DTC-GT in China

Revenue Generation Models: Global Market Trends Vs Emerging Models in China

Key Focus Areas of DTC-GT in China

Status of DTC Genetic Testing in China

NGS for Research Applications in China

Academic Research

Large-Scale Genome Projects in China

Chinese Genome Databases

Industry R&D

Other Emerging NGS Application Segments: Food Testing, Forensics, Etc. Market Size and Forecasts of NGS in Key Application Segments in China

5. Company Profiles

10x Genomics, Inc

23Mofang

Adicon (Hangzhou Adicon Clinical Laboratories, Inc.)

Agilent Technologies

Amoy Diagnostics Co Ltd.

Annoroad Gene Technology Beijing Co Ltd

Basecare Medical (Suzhou Basecare Medical Device Co. Ltd.)

Berry Genomics Co Ltd

BGI Group

Burning Rock Medical

CapitalBio Corporation

Da An Gene Co., Ltd.

Guangzhou Darui Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (DARUI Biotech;????)

Dian Diagnostics Group Co., Ltd.

Geneseeq Technology Inc

Genetron Health ( Beijing ) Co., Ltd

) Co., Ltd HaploX Biotechnology

Jellyfish Gene (Beijing Jellyfish Technology Co., Ltd.)

KingMed Diagnostics (Guangzhou KingMed Diagnostics Group Co., Ltd.)

Illumina

Novogene Co., Ltd.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Pacific Biosciences

Qi Carbon Technology Co Ltd (QC Technology)

Spacegen (Xiamen Spacegen Co., Ltd.)

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Tiangen Biotech Co., Ltd.

TransGen Biotech (Beijing TransGen Biotech Co., Ltd.)

Turtle Technology (Shanghai Turtle Technology Co., Ltd.)

WeGene

Zhongke Zixin (Beijing Zhongke Zixin Technology Co., Ltd.)

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i0d2mk

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


"Hoonigan has built an incredible global community by creating must-see content and providing a platform for a diverse set of automotive enthusiasts to express themselves," said Randy White, Co-Founder and CEO of Wheel Pros. "We are excited to partner with Ken, Brian, Jennifer and the broader Hoonigan team to build a leading digital enterprise that speaks to an attractive demographic and allows passionate consumers to fully embrace their automotive lifestyle."

Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Hoonigan is a next-generation automotive lifestyle brand with a large and passionate fan base. By championing a subculture that is fueled on the shared passion of going fast and having fun, Hoonigan has built a global community driven by an authentic passion for motorsports and automotive culture. The Company's deep library of owned, original, franchise, and branded content speaks directly to consumers, as exhibited by its over 40 million monthly views and 180 million average monthly minutes watched. Included in this catalog of content is the award winning Gymkhana Films, the largest automotive viral series in existence. Hoonigan also sells a range of parts and merchandise both online and through specialty retailers, and the company's racing division competes in rally and rallycross racing events globally.

"This is a very exciting opportunity for Hoonigan to continue to expand and serve its ever-growing audience," said Mr. Block, who in addition to co-founding the company is also one of its biggest stars. "We have had the chance to work closely with the Wheel Pros team over the last few years, and believe they are the perfect partners to scale this brand globally. Brian and I have always had massive goals for Hoonigan, our race team and the Gymkhana films, and while we have already achieved many, this relationship will help make even the most ambitious goals a possibility. We couldn't be more thrilled about this combination, as we will now be able to accelerate many of our plans to provide Hoonigan fans with more ways to pursue their passion, from engaging in even more new content and live events to customizing their vehicles. We also look forward to leveraging Hoonigan's marketing ability to help grow all of the Wheel Pros brands. "

"Wheel Pros has a strong track record of adding value to brands after combining with them, and we believe the merger with Hoonigan provides the business with enhanced opportunities in a large and rapidly growing market," said Jose E. Feliciano, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, and Colin Leonard, a Partner at Clearlake. "The visionary Hoonigan team has created a high growth digital media and commerce platform, and we look forward to working with the combined company to expand the product breadth as well as the digital presence of the business through increased investment and utilizing our O.P.S. framework."

"Hoonigan has done a phenomenal job of capturing the imagination of the next generation of automotive enthusiasts, as exhibited by 80% of their viewership being under the age of 34," added Dilshat Erkin, a Vice President at Clearlake. "Wheel Pros' proprietary designed and manufactured products for both enhancing performance and improving aesthetics embody the culture and lifestyle of the automotive enthusiast fan base. We're eager to provide fans across all diverse automotive passions, from off-road to imports, with more alternatives in how they interact with their vehicles and express themselves."

ABOUT WHEEL PROS

Founded in 1995, Wheel Pros serves the automotive enthusiast industry with a wide selection of vehicle enhancements from its portfolio of lifestyle brands, including Fuel-Off-Road, American Racing, KMC, Rotiform and Black Rhino. Utilizing its expanding global network of distribution centers spanning North America, Australia and Europe, Wheel Pros serves over 13,500 retailers and has a growing ecommerce presence to provide enthusiast consumers with access to the products they desire. More information is available at www.wheelpros.com.

ABOUT HOONIGAN

Hoonigan is a leading next-generation automotive enthusiast brand. Founded in 2010, Hoonigan has built a large community of passionate motorsport fans through its original content that it develops, distributes, and produces via a variety of media platforms. Hoonigan also sells a range of merchandise and performance automotive products direct to consumers. More information is available at www.hoonigan.com.

ABOUT CLEARLAKE

Founded in 2006, Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is an investment firm operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with experienced management teams by providing patient, long term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlake's operational improvement approach, O.P.S. The firm's core target sectors are consumer, industrials, and technology. Clearlake currently has approximately $39 billion of assets under management, and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 300 investments. The firm has offices in Santa Monica and Dallas. More information is available at www.clearlake.com and on Twitter @ClearlakeCap.

Contact

For Wheel Pros

Max Krapff

Backbone Media

970.658.5252 ext. 1174

[email protected]

For Clearlake

Jennifer Hurson

Lambert & Co.

+1 845-507-0571

[email protected]

SOURCE Wheel Pros; Clearlake Capital Group

Related Links

http://www.wheelpros.com


BROOMFIELD, Colo. and SEDALIA, Colo., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vita Inclinata (Vita), developer and producer of helicopter and crane load stabilization and precision technology, and Western Sling Company (Western Sling), manufacturer and distributor of rigging, lifting, and material handling equipment, have announced a joint manufacturing and distribution partnership of the Vita Load Navigator in Colorado and Wyoming.

The Vita Lifting System - Load Navigator Western Sling

Vita manufactures the Vita Load Navigator  a member of the Vita Lifting System family for industrial customers. The Vita Load Navigator attaches under the hook of the crane and facilitates safer and more efficient crane operations by controlling the orientation of a load using high-powered electric duct fans. The Vita Load Navigator gives the construction industry a tool, the likes of which the industry has never seen, without replacing workers. The Vita Load Navigator provides:

Control of loads up to 40 metric tons

Maintenance-free operations

Autonomous position hold function of a crane load within a degree of accuracy

A safer alternative to the use of taglines; keeping workers out of the critical load path

Less than one degree of deviation in accuracy while bringing a load back to the desired heading

Crane operators control of the load through a wireless control pendant

Adaptive and continuous calibration to the load, adverse weather conditions, and motion disturbances

More details to come on the Vita Load Navigator at www.vitatech.co.

In addition to distributing the system, Western Sling will assist in the production of the Vita Load Navigator. Western Sling will also take charge of Colorado and Wyoming distribution territories.

"Western Sling Company is proud to be a partner with Vita  the engineering and technology in this product is truly unique and impressive," Bob Truitt, Western Sling's Executive Vice President said on the topic. "We are excited about the potential of this precise positioning device in providing efficiency and, more importantly, safety in crane and lifting operations. We look forward to presenting this to our marketplace and working closely with the Vita team."

The local partnership is also looking to put Colorado on the map as a central hub for innovative lifting and construction equipment.

Vita's CEO and President, Caleb Carr, says "I'm excited to see both Vita and Western Sling come together and make Colorado the epicenter for innovative industrial technologies."

He also spoke to the safety of the system, "My mission is to bring safety to crane operations  this partnership with Western Sling, a company of huge stature, will bring this life-saving mission to the construction industry significantly faster within the states of Colorado and Wyoming."

About Western Sling

Western Sling Company is a manufacturer and distributor of rigging, lifting, and material handling equipment, including hooks, hoists, shackles, rings, and other cargo control and material handling gear since 1971. Headquarters are in Sedalia, Colorado and is centrally located  allowing for quick response and fast logistics to our U.S and international customers. As a brick and mortar business with over 37,000 square feet of fabrication and warehouse facilities housing products from the finest manufacturers in the industry, such as Crosby Group, Van Beest, Elephant and all-Grip, Western Sling is an industry leader including compliance, load testing, and certifications. In September 2019 Western Sling became part of SBP Holdings, within SBP Holdings we now can supply Fluid Power, Hose and Rubber as well as Crane Manufacturing, rental and Fabrication of lifting devices. For more information, please visit www.westernsling.com.

About Vita Inclinata

A friend's death during a rescue operationwith a helicopter close but unable to stabilize due to weather and terrainwas the genesis of Vita Inclinata. Founded in 2015 as a way to solve a real problem, Vita today controls chaotic swinging and spin, and adds safety and precision for rotor wing and fixed wing aircraft and cranes. With the mission of "Bring them home, every time," Vita's technology changes the narrative while saving lives, time and money across industries, including search and rescue, military, firefighting, public safety, construction, wind energy, and oil and gas. The company is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, with offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, Alabama. For more information, please visit www.vitatech.co.

Media contact:

Vita Inclinata

[email protected]

833-600-8482

SOURCE Vita Inclinata

Related Links

http://www.vitatech.co


DENTON, Texas, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cosmo Prof (NYSE: SBH), the undisputed color leader in the industry, will host a two-day summit showcasing the latest innovation and trends in color, care, cutting, and appliances. Taking place September 26-27, 2021, Color the World will be a one-of-a-kind event with over 30 classes and presentations from more than 26 industry-leading brands. This is an opportunity for stylists to learn more about the art of color while celebrating their artistry and craft.

The retailer's inaugural virtual education summit, World of Texture in February 2021, saw significant attendance from licensed professionals and students. Building on its success, Cosmo Prof is meeting the demands of stylists with its second and largest virtual event to date; this time with a focus on color. Color the World will act as a stage for brands, educators, professionals, and students to all connect. The unique event will boast best-in-class education, including opportunities to receive CE (continuing education) credit hours and get exposure to top talent nationwide.

"We listened to our stylist community, and know that ongoing education that is dynamic and relevant to today's ever-changing situation continues to be a top need for stylists. Continuing education is integral to their success and growth, especially when it comes to color. This is why we are thrilled to partner with industry leaders and top brands to bring a high-tech virtual event to the professional community," said Mark Spinks, President of Beauty Systems Group. "We put together a robust two-day experience filled with high-energy events and unique sessions where professionals will sharpen their technical skills, hone their entrepreneurial acumen, and enhance their artistry."

In addition to learning the latest color, care, and cutting trends, stylists will have the opportunity to build upon their knowledge as business owners with an industry-focused session titled, "Blueprint to Six Figures." Led by Amy Carter, Founder and Principal at Empowering You Consulting, this class covers money mapping, strategy development, and social media.

Color the World will host the most comprehensive list of brands, educators, and influencers in one event. Participating brands include industry leaders such as Olaplex, American Crew, Aquage, Avlon, Farouk/ CHI, Framesi, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Joico, Kenra Professional, Maria Nila, Matrix, Moroccanoil, Mydentity, Pravana, REDAVID, Rusk, Schwarzkopf, Sebastian, Sexy Hair, STMNT, Wella, and more.

Cosmo Prof brought together top talent from best-in-class brands to lead standout classes showcasing the latest innovation and trends. Attendees will learn from Olaplex's Christin Brown and Laken Rose, Mydentity's Guy Tang, STMNT's Sofie Pok, Joico's Ricardo Santiago, Moroccanoil's Antonio Corral Calero, Matrix US's Michelle O'Connor, John Paul Mitchell System's Colin Caruso and Noogie Thai, and Schwarzkopf's Maggie Hancock, Rossa Jurenas and Linh Phan, to name a few.

To offer incredible value to both seasoned and emerging stylists, professionals can purchase tickets for $50 and students receive a discounted price of $40. The ticket covers the robust two-day summit and provides attendees with access to classes for two weeks following the event. The "Blueprint to Six Figures" business-focused class alone is valued at $250. "In addition to value, we are also providing greater accessibility. By hosting Color the World virtually, we are able to serve even more stylists," said Spinks.

To register and learn more, visit CosmoProfBeauty.com/ColortheWorld (US) or CosmoProfBeauty.com/ColourtheWorld (Canada).

About Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc.

Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SBH), as the leader in professional hair color, sells and distributes professional beauty supplies globally through its Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group businesses. The Company operates approximately 5,000 stores, including 142 franchised locations. Sally Beauty Supply stores offer up to 8,000 products for hair color, hair care, skin care, and nails through proprietary brands such as Ion, Generic Value Products, Beyond the Zone and Silk Elements as well as professional lines such as Wella, Clairol, OPI, Conair and Hot Shot Tools. Beauty Systems Group stores, branded as CosmoProf or Armstrong McCall stores, along with its outside sales consultants, sell up to 10,500 professionally branded products including Paul Mitchell, Wella, Matrix, Schwarzkopf, Kenra, Goldwell, Joico and CHI, intended for use in salons and for resale by salons to retail consumers. For more information about Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc., please visit https://www.sallybeautyholdings.com/.

SOURCE Cosmo Prof

Related Links

https://www.sallybeautyholdings.com


DALLAS, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dallas County Medical Society (DCMS) is calling upon all physicians, residents, medical students, and members of the public to join together in a moment of silence on September 3, 2021, from 12:00 noon to 12:05 p.m. to honor the 18-month anniversary of the first diagnosed case of COVID-19 in Texas.

"We are asking fellow North Texans to take part in this moment of silence to honor not only physicians, researchers, clinicians and healthcare support staff, but all Texans who have been impacted by COVID-19. This pandemic has been devastating for physicians and allied healthcare personnel who continue to put their lives on the line and provide the best possible care. This simple gesture is our way to honor them," said Beth Kassanoff-Piper MD, FACP, 2021 president of DCMS.

The first case of COVID-19 reported in Dallas County was reported March 8, 2020, when a 77-year-old patient from out-of-state traveled to Dallas and was subsequently treated at a Dallas County hospital. To date, there have been more than 3.6 million confirmed cases and 57,205 deaths statewide.

"We must bear witness to the greatest challenge our profession has ever faced," said Mark Casanova, MD, Immediate Past President of DCMS. "What our physician members and colleagues have fought against and seen in their facilities and practices has been traumatic, but they have shown unparalleled resilience and commitment. While we have all experienced significant loss, we have also seen recovery. We must continue to fight and never give up."

About Dallas County Medical Society:

The Dallas County Medical Society (DCMS) is a professional, nonprofit association representing physicians, residents and medical students in Dallas County. DCMS has grown from 30 physicians to over 8,400 since its inception in 1876. DCMS is a leader at the local, state and national levels and is the second-largest medical society in the country.

Contact:

Pamela Lowery, MSA

Director of Marketing & Communications

Dallas County Medical Society

[email protected]

SOURCE Dallas County Medical Society

Related Links

www.dallas-cms.org


ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DCS Corporation has been awarded a $164 million, 4-year prime contract to support the United States Air Force (USAF) Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate (AFLCMC/WA) and USAF Bombers Directorate (AFLCMC/WB). DCS will support the acquisition, fielding, and sustainment for a large segment of the USAF fighter and bomber fleet, along with foreign military sales support to numerous partner nations.

Fighter Bomber Cross-Cutter

Full contract performance will kick off in October 2021 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. DCS and its industry partners will provide program management, multidisciplinary engineering, cybersecurity, life-cycle logistics, and program security services to augment organic military and civilian staff. Aircraft supported will include the A-10, A-29, B-1, B-2, and B-52.

"DCS is proud to support the United States Air Force global power through this significant award," stated Larry Egbert, Executive Vice President and Air-Sea Forces Sector Manager. "We look forward to the opportunity for DCS to further support the mission of AFLCMC Fighters & Advanced Aircraft Directorate and Bombers Directorate. We are thrilled to deliver our technical expertise to the USAF and the Warfighter while expanding the DCS footprint in Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and Missouri."

About DCS

An employee-owned company, DCS offers advanced technology, engineering, and management solutions to government agencies in the national security sector. The transformative ideas, commitment to quality, and entrepreneurial spirit that characterize our employee-owners allow us to ensure the success of each customer's mission and actively contribute to the well-being of the Nation.

For more information, please visit: https://www.dcscorp.com.

Contact: DCS Corporation, [email protected], 571-227-6000

SOURCE DCS Corporation

Related Links

http://www.dcscorp.com


To mark the opening a Johnnie Walker flag was raised above the landmark building by Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive, Diageo, and Barbara Smith, Managing Director of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, against the backdrop of Edinburgh's iconic skyline, including the world-famous Edinburgh Castle.

Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive, Diageo said: "This is a proud day for everyone. Last year Johnnie Walker celebrated 200 years since founder John Walker opened the doors to his small grocery store and today represents the next chapter of the incredible story. Johnnie Walker Princes Street is a landmark investment in Scotch whisky and into Scotland and it sets a new standard for immersive visitor attractions. It celebrates Scotland's remarkable heritage, our incredible skilled whisky-makers, and looks to the future by engaging new generations of consumers from around the world in the magic of Scotch whisky."

Facts about Johnnie Walker Princes Street visitor experience:

Set over 71,500 sq ft, it takes the concept of personalisation to a scale never before seen in a global drinks visitor experience.

Visitors on the Johnnie Walker Journey of Flavour tour will have their personal flavour preferences mapped with drinks tailored to their palate.

With more than 800 flavour combinations available in the innovative dispensation systems, one person could visit Johnnie Walker Princes Street every day for more than two years and not have the same experience twice.

every day for more than two years and not have the same experience twice. Over 150 diverse and talented new employees, speaking 23 languages between them, will bring to life the 200-year story.

The cellar has become a true whisky treasury with some of the most unique whisky casks in the world gently maturing and waiting to be sampled by guests.

The building  formerly a traditional department store for almost 100 years  will contain a state-of-the-art experiential retail space where shoppers can select from rare and exclusive whiskies, fill their own bottles and have them personalised.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street opens its doors with a Green Tourism Gold Award  the highest sustainability accolade for a visitor attraction. The building includes roof terrace planters to provide herbs for garnishes and infusions for drinks, a sedum roof covering and bird boxes to encourage biodiversity.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street is crowned by two world-class rooftop bars and a terrace with breath-taking views of the Edinburgh skyline, including the Explorers' Bothy whisky bar stocked with 150 different whiskies, and the 1820 cocktail bar where drinks are paired with a carefully curated menu sourced from, and representing in culinary form, the four corners of Scotland.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street is also committed to contributing to the community by offering its award-winning hospitality training programme for unemployed people in its special Johnnie Walker Learning for Life academy. The building can also host events in its 200-capacity space.

Barbara Smith, Managing Director of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, said: "We're thrilled to be opening the doors and helping to re-build the tourism and hospitality industry after a very difficult 18 months. The story of the world's best-selling whisky has been brought to life with flair and imagination and we have built a team which includes some of the most talented individuals in their fields. We are now ready to welcome visitors and begin telling the next chapter of how we are woven into the fabric of Scotland's history and communities."

In 2019, the Scotch Whisky industry attracted a record 2.16 million visitors and Johnnie Walker Princes Street, and Diageo's 185m tourism investment programme aims to help rebuild Scotch whisky tourism for the future. The investment includes the transformation of distillery visitor experiences around Scotland, including Glenkinchie, Clynelish, Cardhu and Caol Ila  the Lowland, Highland, Speyside and Islay homes of Johnnie Walker, linked to Johnnie Walker Princes Street to form a world-class network of attractions the length and breadth of Scotland.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street will open its doors to the public at 1 pm on Monday 6th September. Tickets for tours start from 25 per person, including a 90-minute tour and three personalised Scotch whisky samples (all samples are provided with carefully controlled measures and non-alcoholic alternatives available to all guests).

To book and for more information visit www.johnniewalkerprincesstreet.com. For more information on Johnnie Walker please visit: www.johnniewalker.com

http://www.apmultimedianewsroom.com/multimedia-newsroom/johnnie-walker-princes-street

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Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1606976/Exterior___JWPS.jpg

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SOURCE Johnnie Walker/Diageo
MIDLAND, Mich., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Ida in Louisiana, Dow (NYSE: DOW) and the Dow Company Foundation announced the contribution of $2 million to support immediate relief and long-term recovery efforts associated with the storm and its aftermath. This support also includes assistance for the Company's impacted employees.

"Our thoughts and support are with all those impacted by Hurricane Ida," said Jim Fitterling, Dow's chairman and chief executive officer. "Our primary focus right now is the safety of our colleagues, our operations and our communities, and Team Dow is working closely with our partners and stakeholders to help with both the immediate and longer-term impacts of the storm."

As a part of this commitment, Dow is collaborating with local parish, regional and national partners providing critical services to individuals immediately affected by the storm.

As recovery and rebuilding efforts begin, Dow will continue to engage community partners to assess and respond to community needs not currently identified across the region through financial investment, and in-kind and volunteer support, including the activation of our Veterans' Network (VetNet) in partnership with Team Rubicon. VetNet is Dow's Employee Resource Group that encourages its members to engage in communities by providing resources for charitable efforts, community service and crisis response.

"Our communities are resilient and will recover, but they also need help, support and partnership," said Rebecca Bentley, vice-president, Dow Public Affairs. "We are committed to working together with all our stakeholders to help impacted areas of Louisiana respond, recover and ultimately thrive again."

Louisiana is home to thousands of Dow and contract employees. To support its employees through these challenges, Dow is offering interest-free loans, temporary housing where needed, and the Dow Employee Relief Fund, where employees can easily make a donation to help their fellow colleagues in need.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company's ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company, with a purpose to deliver a sustainable future for the world through our materials science expertise and collaboration with our partners. Dow's portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer care. Dow operates 106 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 35,700 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $39 billion in 2020. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.

For further information, please contact:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DowNewsroom

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dow/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/dow-chemical

Instagram: http://instagram.com/dow_official

SOURCE The Dow Chemical Company

Related Links

http://www.dow.com


ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Elizabethtown College is one of the 223 best colleges in the Northeast according to The Princeton Review. Recently, the education services company named Elizabethtown College in the Best in the Northeast section of its "2022 Best Colleges: Region by Region."

"We are honored to be included as a top college in the northeast by The Princeton Review," Elizabethtown College President Cecilia M. McCormick, J.D. said. "This recognition highlights the exceptional Elizabethtown College academic and social experience that we provide our students as they develop the knowledge and skills to pursue their life's work and make impactful contributions in our world."

The website feature salutes a total of 655 colleges that The Princeton Review recommends over five regions: the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West, and International. The colleges that made the "Best in the Northeast" list are located in 11 Northeastern states. The schools in each region are listed in alphabetical order by school name, and not ranked.

The Princeton Review describes Etown as a College that provides personalized attention for students from faculty that serve as lifelong mentors. It also highlights the student-centered culture as welcoming and compassionate, and a safe environment to pursue a college education.

"We chose Elizabethtown College and the other outstanding institutions on this list primarily for their academics," said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief. He noted that the company considered data from its survey of administrators at several hundred colleges in each region, information from staff visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of college counselors and advisors whose perspectives the company solicits. "We also consider what students enrolled at the schools reported to us on our student survey about their campus experiences," Franek added.

The Princeton Review also designated 158 colleges in the Midwest, 126 in the West, 143 in the Southeast and 4 in the International region as "best" in their locales on the company's "2022 Best Colleges: Region by Region" lists. Collectively, the colleges on The Princeton Review's "regional best" lists for 2021 constitute about 24% of the nation's 2,700 four-year colleges. View Elizabethtown College's profile and learn more about the College's programs.

About Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown College, located in southcentral Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a private coed institution offering more than 50 health, science, engineering, political science business, communications, fine art and music, humanities, and education degrees. Discover more: etown.edu.

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review, is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate schoolbound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors, online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. The company's Tutor.com brand is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered nearly 21 million one-to-one tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company's Media Center. Follow the company on Twitter (@ThePrincetonRev) and Instagram (@theprincetonreview).

Contact:

Keri Straub

Executive Director of Marketing and Communications

Elizabethtown College

(717) 725-6907

[email protected]

SOURCE Elizabethtown College

Related Links

http://www.etown.edu


LAKEWOOD, Colo., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) ("Energy Fuels" or the "Company") today reminds holders of its outstanding common share purchase warrants (CUSIP: 292671179 / ISIN: CA2926711797) (the "Warrants") that the Warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m. Toronto time on Monday, September 20, 2021 ("Time of Expiry"). The corresponding Warrant Indenture dated as of September 20, 2016 (the "Indenture") by and among Energy Fuels, CST Trust Company (the "Canadian Warrant Agent" or "AST") and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (the "U.S. Warrant Agent") may be viewed on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Electronic Document Gathering and Retrieval System ("EDGAR") at https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1385849/000106299316011518/exhibit4-1.htm, as summarized in a Form 51-102F3 Material Change Report filed September 20, 2016 with the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval ("SEDAR"), which may be viewed at www.sedar.com.

Any Warrants not exercised prior to 5:00 p.m. Toronto time on September 20, 2021 will expire and become void, and the holder will no longer be able to exercise such voided Warrants. As the Warrants are currently "in-the-money," the Company recommends that Warrant holders take appropriate steps to protect their investment.

All capitalized terms used herein that are not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Indenture.

The Warrants trade on the NYSE American (the "NYSE") under the symbol UUUU-WT and on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") under the symbol EFR.WT. The NYSE notified Energy Fuels that it will suspend trading in the Warrants after the close of trading on September 15, 2021 so that trades can be timely settled by September 20, 2021. The TSX, however, will not suspend trading in the Warrants until market close on September 20, 2021.

As of August 31, 2021, there were 2,107,004 Warrants outstanding. Each whole Warrant represents the right to purchase one (1) common share in the capital stock of Energy Fuels (a "Common Share") at an exercise price of USD$2.45 per Common Share.

Further information on the Warrants may be requested from, and further questions may be directed to, the Company at [email protected]. Answers to commonly asked questions are as follows:

How many Warrants were issued pursuant to the Indenture?

4,168,750 Warrants as of the date of the Indenture.





4,168,750 Warrants as of the date of the Indenture. Where do I send my Warrants in order to exercise them?

All required documentation must be sent to AST's Corporate Actions Department per the following instructions:

By Hand, Courier or Registered Mail By Mail (Except Registered Mail) 1 Toronto Street P. O. Box 1036 Suite 1200 Adelaide Street Postal Station Toronto, Ontario Toronto, Ontario M5C 2V6 M5C 2K4 Attention: Corporate Actions Attention: Corporate Actions

What documentation is required in order to exercise my Warrants?

1. Original warrant certificate with the Subscription Form on the back filled out completely; and



2. Payment to the AST Corporate Actions Department.

*Certified cheques should be made payable to AST TRUST COMPANY ( CANADA ).



In addition, if the Warrants are held in the name of a corporate/business entity rather than an individual:



3. A corporate resolution from the entity designating an authorized official to sign on its behalf; and

*Must submit an original, dated within the last six (6) months

*Subscription Form must be signed exactly as authorized in the resolution



4. If the entity has a single director, either a medallion stamp affixed to the Subscription Form or a notary stamp at the bottom of the corporate resolution.

May I wire funds to AST to cover the cost of my exercise rather than by way of a certified cheque?

Yes. Please contact the Company for the relevant wiring instructions.





Yes. Please contact the Company for the relevant wiring instructions. Where may I direct questions about my Warrants or the status of a previously submitted exercise?

Questions should be directed to AST at 1-800-387-0825 (in North America ) or (416) 682-3860 (outside North America ) or by sending an e-mail to [email protected] .





Questions should be directed to AST at 1-800-387-0825 (in ) or (416) 682-3860 (outside ) or by sending an e-mail to . How long will it take to receive my Common Shares following an exercise of Warrants?

As a part of a warrant holder's exercise process, AST's Corporate Actions Department sends a requisition to the U.S. Warrant Agent to issue the Common Shares, and simultaneously sends the exercise funds to Energy Fuels as compensation so that the Common Shares are fully paid and non-assessable as of the issuance date. Receipt of such requisition, confirmation of the Company's receipt of funds, and the resulting Common Share issuance typically takes up to 2-3 weeks in total. However, this timeframe is provided for reference only and in no way represents a commitment or obligation of Energy Fuels, AST or the U.S. Warrant Agent.





As a part of a warrant holder's exercise process, AST's Corporate Actions Department sends a requisition to the U.S. Warrant Agent to issue the Common Shares, and simultaneously sends the exercise funds to Energy Fuels as compensation so that the Common Shares are fully paid and non-assessable as of the issuance date. Receipt of such requisition, confirmation of the Company's receipt of funds, and the resulting Common Share issuance typically takes up to 2-3 weeks in total. However, this timeframe is provided for reference only and in no way represents a commitment or obligation of Energy Fuels, AST or the U.S. Warrant Agent. Can I exercise my Warrants electronically?

No, there is no way to do so.





No, there is no way to do so. Can I exercise my Warrants directly through Energy Fuels rather than sending my exercise and payment to AST?

No, all documentation must go through AST and in accordance with the terms of the Indenture.





No, all documentation must go through AST and in accordance with the terms of the Indenture. Is there a process at AST to expedite my exercise?

No, there is no way to do so. Exercises are processed in the order in which they are received, and a significant number of exercises are currently being processed and are expected to come in prior to the Time of Expiry.





No, there is no way to do so. Exercises are processed in the order in which they are received, and a significant number of exercises are currently being processed and are expected to come in prior to the Time of Expiry. Are the Common Shares that result from my exercise of Warrants free-trading?

Yes.





Yes. Do the Warrants use an American-style exercise (i.e., can they be exercised at any time at the warrant holder's option)?

Yes, up to the Time of Expiry, except as limited by Article 4.9(b) of the Indenture (setting a Beneficial Ownership Limitation of 4.99%).

The above responses are meant to provide general clarification only. It remains the sole obligation of the warrant holder to ensure that all relevant terms in the Indenture are followed in exercising any Warrants held.

As noted, above, any Warrants not exercised prior to 5:00 p.m. Toronto time on September 20, 2021, will expire and become void, and the holder will no longer be able to exercise such voided Warrants.

About Energy Fuels: Energy Fuels is a leading U.S.-based uranium mining company, supplying U 3 O 8 to major nuclear utilities. The Company also produces vanadium from certain of its projects, as market conditions warrant, and is ramping up to commercial-scale production of RE Carbonate in 2021. Its corporate offices are in Lakewood, Colorado near Denver, and all of its assets and employees are in the United States. Energy Fuels holds three of America's key uranium production centers: the White Mesa Mill in Utah, the Nichols Ranch ISR Project in Wyoming, and the Alta Mesa ISR Project in Texas. The White Mesa Mill is the only conventional uranium mill operating in the U.S. today, has a licensed capacity of over 8 million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year, and has the ability to produce vanadium when market conditions warrant, as well as RE Carbonate from various uranium-bearing ores. The Nichols Ranch ISR Project is currently on standby and has a licensed capacity of 2 million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year. The Alta Mesa ISR Project is also currently on standby. In addition to the above production facilities, Energy Fuels also has one of the largest NI 43-101 compliant uranium resource portfolios in the U.S. and several uranium and uranium/vanadium mining projects on standby and in various stages of permitting and development. The primary trading market for Energy Fuels' common shares is the NYSE American under the trading symbol "UUUU," and the Company's common shares are also listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "EFR." Energy Fuels' website is www.energyfuels.com.

SOURCE Energy Fuels Inc.

Related Links

http://www.energyfuels.com


NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) continues to make substantial restoration progress following Hurricane Ida's destructive path through Southeast Louisiana and Mississippi. After three days of restoration work following Hurricane Ida's landfall, Entergy has restored more than 107,000 customers and powered its New Orleans Power Station to achieve first lights overnight to the Greater New Orleans area.

Hurricane Ida's Category 4 winds, 15-foot storm surge and flooding makes it one of the most devastating storms to hit the Entergy region. The estimated 950,000 customers affected is second only to Hurricane Katrina's 1.1 million who were left without power. Restoration efforts are ongoing, and crews are working to fully assess damage and develop plans to restore affected areas.

"Hurricane Ida has devastated so many of the communities we call home," said Rod West, group president, utility operations. "The next days and weeks will be difficult for our region, but Entergy and our employees are here to lead the recovery. We will not stop until the last light is on."

"First Lights" in Greater New Orleans

Early Wednesday morning, Entergy crews turned power on for some customers in Eastern New Orleans with generation supplied by the New Orleans Power Station. This is the first step in bringing power back to the metro region  including Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, as well as parts of St. Charles and Terrebonne parishes  after Hurricane Ida left devastating destruction.

While initial service can be provided to some customers, full restoration will take time given the significant damage across the region. Customers are urged to adhere to the guidance of their local officials on when to return to the area.

Critical Service Providers

In addition to making significant progress on restoring outages, Entergy has also worked closely with critical service providers to help eliminate any disruption to services as crews work to restore power.

Crews made significant progress in Jefferson Parish on Wednesday afternoon, bringing back service to the largest hospital in the state, Oschner Main Campus. Also, Entergy currently has installed generators at both East Jefferson Hospital and Lady of the Sea. Near Baton Rouge, Women's Hospital, O'Neal Lane Hospital, and Baton Rouge General Mid-City have all had power restored.

Wastewater infrastructure is a priority for all impacted areas across the state. Entergy restored power to the Brusly Sewer Treatment Facility, in addition to working with the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans to provide backup power generation to support critical equipment. Additionally, Entergy has installed backup generation at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to help power facilities for affected residents and the Louisiana National Guard.

Across southeast Louisiana's unique landscape, Entergy's transmission system spans land, water and marsh. In many cases, special equipment will be used as we inspect, repair and replace the steel, concrete and tensioned wires that are the foundation for our structures.

Scouting and restoration efforts continue across Entergy's impacted territory. Although damages are still being assessed, crews have found more than 5,800 downed poles and nearly 1,400 damaged transformers.

More than 21,000 workers from 38 states are assessing the vast damage and destruction across New Orleans, southeast Louisiana and Mississippi, and restoring service where it is safe to do so.

"Above all, we stress safety not only for our crews but also for all those working to recover along the storm's path," added West. "We truly thank our customers and communities for their patience as we work together to recover from Ida's devastating impact."

Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) is an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 7,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,500 employees.

SOURCE Entergy Corporation

Related Links

http://www.entergy.com


ATLANTA, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- COVID-19 spurred changes in consumer migration patterns and housing preferences that have led to significant changes in multi-family property demand. Equifax (NYSE:EFX) is addressing the rapidly evolving needs of the multi-family industry with a new, cloud-based Digital Identity Suite designed to help protect renters and property owners against identity fraud, reduce application friction, and mitigate fraud risk. When used alongside income and employment verifications from The Work Number database, the solutions can help credentialed property managers make more informed decisions and get rental applicants into homes faster.

"Improving consumer experience, protecting against identity fraud, lowering application friction and streamlining the screening process can help property managers attract new tenants and maintain higher rental occupancy rates," said Tom Ciulla, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Alliances for Mortgage & Housing at Equifax. "Our entire line-up of multi-family solutions offers a comprehensive and customizable way for property managers to help build trust with applicants  starting at the very first touchpoint, which is identity verification."

With over 44 million households currently renting in the U.S ., property managers need solutions to help verify the identities of potential renters quickly and efficiently. Industry experts predict rental demand will climb over the next five years, making it even more important for property managers to know their renter - protecting themselves and the consumer from identity theft. In 2020, 47 percent of Americans experienced some form of financial identity theft according to the Aite-Novarica Group. Fraudulent renters applying for apartment units under someone else's name and social security number can quickly become an issue for property management firms, rental agencies and leasing agents, causing high financial losses.

The Digital Identity Suite from Equifax helps property managers verify applicants' identities at the first point of contact to develop a baseline for subsequent interactions with that consumer. Getting the consumer's identity right the first time can assist in improving the overall experience and provides dual protection for both the consumer and the property manager. This new offering provides a layered approach to helping address identity fraud, including:

Digital Identity Trust

Data match(es) and assessments verify the applicant's identity in real-time using as little information as a phone number, email, address and mobile device.

Data match(es) and assessments verify the applicant's identity in real-time using as little information as a phone number, email, address and mobile device. Document Verification

Increase confidence in the applicant's identity using mobile capture and facial recognition.

Increase confidence in the applicant's identity using mobile capture and facial recognition. Identity Authentication with InstaTouch ID

Bridge the gap between a frictionless consumer experience and minimizing fraud risk by leveraging patented mobile technology to authenticate an applicant's identity and pre-fill information quickly and confidently via a simple authentication check.

Bridge the gap between a frictionless consumer experience and minimizing fraud risk by leveraging patented mobile technology to authenticate an applicant's identity and pre-fill information quickly and confidently via a simple authentication check. Secure Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)

Strengthen security and improve confidence by authenticating a mobile device and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card to ensure the applicant is in possession of the same device at the time of the interaction.

Strengthen security and improve confidence by authenticating a mobile device and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card to ensure the applicant is in possession of the same device at the time of the interaction. FraudIQ Synthetic ID Alerts

Leverage proprietary Equifax Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms and modeling to create holistic profiles that can unmask synthetic identities before a business is compromised.

"Getting the consumer's identity right the first time improves the overall application experience for both parties," continued Ciulla. "We are confident that the new Digital Identity Suite will be a trusted solution for property managers looking to strengthen their interactions with consumers at the outset."

Adding automated verifications of income and employment also can help property managers improve the application experience, making it quick and easy for both parties. By verifying applicant provided income and employment information through The Work Number database, property managers with a permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act can tap into near-real-time data to keep an application moving forward. Applicants also appreciate not having to find, download, gather, submit and sometimes update documentation as part of the application process. These benefits also extend to rental housing providers involved in subsidized housing. Employment and income verifications through The Work Number service can provide the same efficient and timely benefits to Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and the apartment owners who offer reduced rents to low-income tenants.

Since pioneering automated verifications 25 years ago, The Work Number service has gained the trust of more than 1.2 million employer contributors. Credentialed verifiers with permissible purpose can quickly and securely tap into the largest commercial source of consolidated employment information with more than 119 million active records, including those from thousands of small-to-medium-sized businesses and independent contractors. With employment and income verifications from The Work Number, housing providers can quickly receive the necessary data to more efficiently verify information provided on rental applications.

For more information on Equifax services for the rental and multi-family industry, please visit Equifax.com .

ABOUT EQUIFAX INC.

At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by more than 12,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Kate Walker for Equifax

[email protected]

SOURCE Equifax Inc.

Related Links

http://www.equifax.com


CARROLLTON, Texas, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FASTSIGNS International, Inc. , franchisor of FASTSIGNS, the leading sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise, announced today the formation of its Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Comprised of a diverse group of FASTSIGNS franchisees selected from the brand's global network, the committee was created to foster an environment that promotes and prioritizes diversity and inclusion within not only the FASTSIGNS system but also the broader signage and franchising industries.

"Every company should value diversity and inclusion because of the richness and strength it brings to their business. Over the years, the signage and franchising industries have become more diverse and inclusive, but there's more we can do  and as the leader in our sector, FASTSIGNS is proud to lead the way," said Catherine Monson, CEO of FASTSIGNS International, Inc., CEO of Propelled Brands, and Chair of the International Franchise Association. "Diversity and inclusion needs to extend beyond personalities, professional backgrounds, and other life experiences, and encompass all of an individual's unique characteristics and experiences, including race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, disability, national origin, and sexual orientation. Supporting and building diversity and inclusion is the right thing to do for our employees, our franchisees, our franchisees' teams, our stakeholders, our customers, and our industry. We look forward to expanding this initiative across Propelled Brands."

The eight committee members will tackle subjects such as increasing the number of minority franchisees within the FASTSIGNS system, promoting more open dialogue and collaboration, workplace environments, training protocols, education, and other topics with the goal of creating more inclusive initiatives. Additionally, the committee will work to ensure diverse individuals can lead a rewarding career at FASTSIGNS International and FASTSIGNS locations.

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee members include:

Kevin Jones , franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Santa Rosa and Petaluma, California

, franchisee at FASTSIGNS of and Howard James , franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Washington, D.C.

, franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Carmen Ruiz , franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Daytona, Florida

, franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Daytona, Jose Corujo , franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Puerto Rico

, franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Sarosh Nayar , franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Dallas, Texas

, franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Denise Acquaye , franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Newark, New Jersey

, franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Shu Yang , franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Burnaby, British Columbia

, franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Shimon Osibel, franchisee at FASTSIGNS of Brooklyn, New York

"Throughout my career, I've always sought opportunities to be a part of organizations that value diversity and inclusion  and that's a big part of what attracted me to FASTSIGNS," said Kevin Jones. "I'm extremely proud to leverage my experience working for an LGBTQ-focused non-profit and serving on several boards to assist FASTSIGNS in furthering its diversity and inclusion initiatives to build a stronger brand and promote change in our industry."

For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or 214-346-5679).

About FASTSIGNS

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 750 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in 8 countries including the United States and Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Grand Cayman, Malta, the Dominican Republic and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE). FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive signage and graphic solutions to help companies in all industries communicate their message and extend their branding across all of their customer touchpoints.

FASTSIGNS is consistently ranked as a top franchise opportunity and recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees. In 2021, Propelled Brands was formed, the corporate umbrella that includes FASTSIGNS, SIGNWAVE in Australia, 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.

Learn more about sign and graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com . Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns , Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS . For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or call 214.346.5679).

Media Contact:

Clarissa Rios | BizCom Associates

972.352.7601 | [email protected]

SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc.

Related Links

http://fsfastsigns.com


SHANGHAI and BERLIN and MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eyesafe, TUV Rheinland Group (TUV Rheinland), UnitedHealthcare and ZAGG today announced the dates for Blue Light Summit 2021, which will be held Sept. 28 in Europe and the Americas and Sept. 29 in Asia-Pacific. Due to on-going concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's summit will be entirely virtual. People interested in attending can register here.

Blue Light Summit 2021 will be held Sept. 28 (US/ Europe) and Sept. 29 (Asia-Pacific). Register at bluelightsummit.com. Tweet this Blue Light Summit 2021 will bring together leaders across multiple industries, including consumer electronics, healthcare, and government to discuss the dramatic impact COVID-19 had on device usage, screen time and blue light exposure, sharing what each of their respective fields is doing to address this global health challenge.

Blue Light Summit 2021 features many of the largest brands in consumer electronics, including BOE Technology Group, the world's largest display manufacturer, LG Display, the largest manufacturer of OLED TV displays, along with Dell Technologies, Lenovo, HP, Acer, TCL CSOT, IVO and BenQ. Speakers include Chris Ahern, CEO of ZAGG, Inc., Senator Dr. Richard Pan, Chair of the California Senate Committee on Health and author of the California Blue Light Resolution, and Frank Azor, Chief Architect of Gaming Solutions at AMD.

Blue Light Summit 2021 will bring together leaders across multiple industries, including consumer electronics, healthcare, and government to discuss the dramatic impact COVID-19 had on device usage, screen time and blue light exposure, sharing what each of their respective fields is doing to address this global health challenge.

"UnitedHealthcare Vision is focused on ways to help our members and all consumers reduce their exposure to blue light, building on our commitment to support whole-person health for the people we are privileged to serve through employer-sponsored, individual and government health plans," said John Ryan, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Vision. "The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a greater reliance for many people on digital devices for learning, working, and connecting with others; and with individuals of all ages spending so much more time on digital devices, blue-light blocking technology solutions are an integral part of the total health and wellness conversation. We look forward to this year's summit helping advance the conversation about blue light mitigation strategies, including for consumers, employers and eye care professionals."

"This year's Blue Light Summit will be a testament to the importance that many major manufacturers and consumer brands are giving to the urgency around the issue of blue light," said Frank Holzmann, Global Vice President of TUV Rheinland Business Field Electrical. "The industry is on the precipice of sweeping change as it relates to the health impacts of digital devices. We are pleased to be the leading independent certification body for the Eyesafe Display Standards, which are developed by TUV Rheinland and Eyesafe to promote eye health and blue light protection for digital displays."

"COVID-19 completely changed the retail and consumer electronics landscape, making people much more aware of how much screen time they were taking in," remarked Justin Barrett, the CEO of Eyesafe. "This year's Blue Light Summit will zoom in on the end-user of these devices and look at what is happening upstream in both device manufacturing and consumer brands as these two sectors look to meet growing awareness of the challenges of blue light on the consumer level and demand for more low blue light products in the marketplace."

The full line-up of speakers and presenters at the Blue Light Summit 2021 will be released in early September. People interested in attending can register here .

About Eyesafe

Eyesafe provides industry-leading solutions to reduce high-energy blue light, helping to re-design the consumer electronics industry toward better human health. Eyesafe's technology and standards were developed by a world-class team of eye doctors, engineers, and scientists, with decades of experience in electronics, display materials, and light management. For more information, please visit the company's website at https://eyesafe.com

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.uhc.com.

About TUV Rheinland

TUV Rheinland stands for safety and quality in virtually all areas of business and life. Founded almost 150 years ago, the company is one of the world's leading testing service providers with more than 20,000 employees and annual revenues of 2 billion euros. TUV Rheinland's highly qualified experts test technical systems and products around the world, support innovations in technology and business, train people in numerous professions and certify management systems according to international standards. In doing so, the independent experts generate trust in products as well as processes across global value-adding chains and the flow of commodities. Since 2006, TUV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact to promote sustainability and combat corruption. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.TUV.com

About ZAGG Inc

ZAGG Inc is a global leader in accessories and technologies that empower mobile lifestyles. The Company has an award-winning product portfolio that includes screen protection, power management solutions, mobile keyboards, personal audio, and cell phone cases sold under the InvisibleShield, mophie, ZAGG, IFROGZ, Gear4, and HALO brands. ZAGG Brands has operations in the United States, Ireland, the U.K., and China. For more information, please visit the company's website at ZAGG.com

Media Inquiries:

Eyesafe, [email protected]

UnitedHealthcare Vision, [email protected]

TUV Rheinland, [email protected]

ZAGG, [email protected]

SOURCE Eyesafe

Related Links

eyesafe.com


FLO supports EV education at West Aurora High as part of its first charging stations deployment in Illinois Tweet this

More than 3,500 students from vast parts of the state attend the West Aurora high school, which is known for its diversity. Its students speak 45 different languages at home, with backgrounds stretching across six continents. Last year, the school applied for a grant from the Illinois-based utility company Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) to invest in electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure for educational purposes. The school then went on to win the grant, making it possible for 600 students to attend its EV education program.

"The EV Drivers' Education class is part of West Aurora School District's overall strategy to switch to clean energy," said Todd Gingerich, Head of Facilities at the West Aurora high school. "We recently installed solar panels on the school's roof, and a geothermal system to produce the school's energy. Working with FLO to install EV chargers on the school premises has been another major step in this strategy, as the school's motto is: Learn, practice, and apply. That is clear in this class where students learn about EV driving in theory, practice it using simulation in the school lab, then get to apply all those learnings with real electric vehicles that they can drive and charge firsthand. Having solid, reliable EV infrastructure is the foundation of a great EV experience. We want our students to have that takeaway and to become EV drivers themselves once they are ready to take the wheel."

Located about 40 miles west of Chicago, the City of Aurora is a member of Chicago Area Clean Cities, a nonprofit coalition that promotes clean transportation, clean vehicles, and clean air in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.

"We are a unique partnership of government and companies from every corner of the Chicago metropolitan area," said John Walton, chair of Chicago Area Clean Cities. "The members of our coalition work together to encourage the use of clean vehicles and clean fuels to help reduce emissions and improve air quality throughout the Chicago area.

"EV infrastructure is a very important part of the work that we do," Walton added. "FLO's support for EV education in Aurora is a terrific example for other communities, and it may even lead to some of these young people eventually working in the electric vehicle industry."

About FLO

FLO is a leading North American electric vehicle charging network operator and a major provider of smart charging software and equipment. Every month, FLO enables hundreds of thousands charging events thanks to over 45,000 high-quality stations deployed on public networks, commercial and residential installations. FLO's headquarters and network operations centre are based in Quebec City, and its assembly plant is located in Shawinigan (Quebec). The company also has an office in Montreal and regional teams located in Ontario, British Columbia, California, New York and Texas. For more information, visit flo.com.

SOURCE FLO
ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Community Loan Fund, a statewide nonprofit lending institution, today announced an award of $35 million in New Markets Tax Credit allocation from the U.S. Treasury Community Development Financial Institution Fund. FCLF  Florida-based and Florida-focused  will devote 100% of this award to the underserved state of Florida.

FCLF has brought innovation to Florida since it became one of the state's first certified CDFIs and through deployment of its eight prior NMTC allocation awards. This year's NMTC award will allow FCLF to continue building on its track record of financing high-impact community facilities to bring accessible, quality services and jobs to low-income Florida communities Florida.

With this NMTC award, FCLF will target financing to create jobs, increase access to affordable healthcare, and provide opportunities to disadvantaged youth. Florida has a healthcare crisis, with 2.73 million uninsured residents  the 2nd highest rate nationwide. Florida also has a need for services to enhance educational attainment and the resulting economic mobility, as shown by its rank of 42nd in the U.S. in overall children's well-being.

"The New Markets Tax Credits program has a proven track record as an indispensable tool to help make community development projects possible," said FCLF CEO Ignacio Esteban. "Florida Community Loan Fund is honored to have received allocation authority this year. At a national level, competition for NMTC is higher today than ever. FCLF's strong performance with the program helped secure this $35 million that will be deployed entirely in Florida."

FCLF will funnel the benefits of this NMTC allocation into entities that do not have the cash flow to support the traditional debt needed for large-scale development projects. Without NMTC financing these organizations may not otherwise be able to raise necessary capital to bring their projects to fruition.

Examples of past FCLF NMTC healthcare and education projects serving low-income communities include:

Community Health Centers of Pinellas . Construction and renovation of 4 healthcare facilities  including a food bank with prescriptions for healthy foods  created 159 full-time jobs and will reach 17,000 patients annually.

. Construction and renovation of 4 healthcare facilities  including a food bank with prescriptions for healthy foods  created 159 full-time jobs and will reach 17,000 patients annually. Overtown Youth Center. A new youth and family services center will replace an obsolete structure in a neighborhood with the highest juvenile crime rate in Miami , serving over 2,000 annually.

, serving over 2,000 annually. Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County . Construction of a new 13,860 square-foot teen center tripled its capacity to reach local teens and families with academic enrichment and career readiness in a community marked by 50% poverty.

About Florida Community Loan Fund. Florida Community Loan Fund is a nonprofit, multifaceted financing entity with a 25-year history of providing flexible capital and expertise to people and places outside the economic mainstream across Florida. FCLF is nationally recognized for its work as a certified CDFI and CDE through the U.S. Dept. of Treasury and as a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. www.fclf.org.

Media Contact: Janet de Guehery, [email protected]

Twitter @FCLFOrg

SOURCE Florida Community Loan Fund (FCLF)

Related Links

http://www.fclf.org


MIAMI, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CBT College announces plans to become CBT Technology Institute (CBT) and will be pushing forward communication pieces along with relevant updates in the next 4 months to reflect the new brand identity. The transition is evidence of the institution's serious commitment to transferrable workplace skills combined with the high demand of innovation and technology. The change was approved by CBT's Board of Directors this past May and officially approved by Florida's Commission for Independent Education on July 27, 2021.

"Our programs are focused on the technological evolution of the industry it supports and we are fully committed to this practice," said CBT's President/CEO Luis LLerena. "Our mission has always been focused on the one key word: technology."

Name change reflects competency skilled based campaigns and mission of the organization:

Where There's a Skill, There's a Way

CBT Technology Institute promotes a career readiness environment and transmits this internally and externally through ongoing campaigns to support an important component of the brand identity, skill focused education. The school has been a pioneer in branding messages to promote career and technical education and with this new name change, the commitment has been sealed. This transition is more than a name change, it is a renewed pledge to the mission. "In the wake of the pandemic, new skills will play a key role in the recovery efforts of our workforce community and CBT Technology Institute will be an ally to employers who struggle to find qualified workers," concluded Mr. LLerena.

Adult learner success and employer relationships have been at the core of CBT's mission for the past 33 years. During this time, post-secondary education has evolved, and experienced rapid changes. The institution's demographics seek career relevant programs that are taught and led by skilled professionals. "The name change will reinforce that our core brand and curricula for our school is focused on hard and soft skills that are competency based" states Monica LLerena, Corporate Communications Officer, "Employers are looking for graduates who possess both."

To learn more about CBT Technology Institute's program offerings and events, please visit www.cbt.edu.

About CBT Technology Institute:

CBT Technology Institute provides career training through a hands-on learning approach within the construction, technology, and allied health fields at its three locations across Miami-Dade County (Cutler Bay, Flagler, and Hialeah.) Over the past 33 years, the organization has graduated thousands of students into the Miami-Dade County workforce throughout more than 70 graduation ceremonies. CBT's involvement with employers, local organizations, and strategic business initiatives has opened plenty of opportunities for our current students and graduates.

CBT is also listed as a Military-friendly school and participates in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program; as well as is approved by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to participate in the Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) to enroll International F-1 Visa students. The institute is nationally accredited by A.C.I.C.S., licensed by the Commission of Independent Education (CIE), and certified by the U.S. Department of Education to receive Title IV funding.

SOURCE CBT Technology Institute

Related Links

https://www.cbt.edu


Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Volendam and Zuiderdam journey between Atlantic and Pacific oceans on seven voyages

SEATTLE, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Panama Canal has been called one of humankind's greatest engineering achievements, and for the 2022-23 cruise season four Holland America Line ships will feature itineraries that include a full transit between Atlantic and Pacific oceans. On board, guests get a front-row seat on the eight-hour daylight journey through the Panama Canal, often cited as a rite-of-passage experience by avid cruisers.

Ranging in length from 14 to 23 days aboard Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Volendam and Zuiderdam, Holland America's Panama Canal voyages depart from several ports, including San Diego, California; Seattle, Washington; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Many of the itineraries have two or three embarkation or debarkation options, enabling guests to stay on for an extended trip or utilize the port that is most convenient.

In addition to the Panama Canal, the itineraries visit several beautiful locales in Central America and the Caribbean, offering a complete tropical vacation with lush flora, exotic fauna, golden beaches and a display of nature's most vibrant hues.

Partial Panama Canal Transits Explore Gatun Lake

Guests looking to explore the Panama Canal on a Caribbean cruise can experience a partial transit aboard Eurodam and Volendam, sailing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on 10- and 11-day cruises. The ships visit tropical ports as they make way to Gatun Lake where cruisers will enjoy a day of spectacular scenic cruising throughout the canal.

2022-23 Panama Canal Highlights:

EURODAM

Fall 2022: Oct. 8 ( Seattle  21 days), Oct. 9 ( Vancouver  20 days) or Oct. 13 ( San Diego  16 days) departures transiting to Fort Lauderdale . Ports of call in Mexico , Guatemala , Nicaragua , Costa Rica and Aruba .

(  21 days), (  20 days) or (  16 days) departures transiting to . Ports of call in , , , and . Spring 2023: April 9 departure from Fort Lauderdale transiting to San Diego (15 days), Vancouver (19 days) or Seattle (20 days). Ports of call in Mexico , Guatemala , Nicaragua , Costa Rica and Colombia , including an evening departure from Victoria, B.C.

departure from transiting to (15 days), (19 days) or (20 days). Ports of call in , , , and , including an evening departure from Fall 2022  Spring 2023: A series of 10- and 11-day Panama Canal Sunfarer cruises roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale that feature an exploration of Gatun Lake and partial Panama Canal transit, along with ports in Costa Rica , Columbia and the Caribbean.

NIEUW AMSTERDAM

Fall 2022: Oct. 2 ( Vancouver  23 days) or Oct. 8 ( San Diego  17 days) departures transiting to Fort Lauderdale . Ports of call in Mexico , Guatemala , Nicaragua , Costa Rica , Aruba and California , including an evening departure from San Francisco, California , as well as a call at Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line's private island in the Bahamas .

(  23 days) or (  17 days) departures transiting to . Ports of call in , , , , and , including an evening departure from , as well as a call at Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line's private island in the . Spring 2023: April 9 departure from Fort Lauderdale transiting to San Diego (17 days) or Vancouver (21 days). Ports of call in Mexico , Nicaragua , Costa Rica , Colombia , Aruba and Turks and Caicos, as well as an evening departure from Victoria for guests on board to Vancouver .

VOLENDAM

Holiday 2022: Dec. 17 departure on a 10-day Panama Canal Sunfarer itinerary roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale , featuring Gatun Lake and partial Panama Canal transit. This cruise can be combined with a seven-day eastern Caribbean itinerary to form a magical 17-day holiday Collectors' Voyage.

departure on a 10-day Panama Canal Sunfarer itinerary roundtrip from , featuring Gatun Lake and partial Panama Canal transit. This cruise can be combined with a seven-day eastern itinerary to form a magical 17-day holiday Collectors' Voyage. April 15, 2023 : Fort Lauderdale transiting to San Diego (17 days) or Vancouver (21 days) including calls in Turks & Caicos, Aruba , Colombia , Costa Rica , Nicaragua and Mexico , as well as an evening departure from Victoria for guests on board to Vancouver.

ZUIDERDAM

Nov. 17, 2022 , and April 4, 2023 , departures: San Diego transiting to Fort Lauderdale (14 days) including calls in Colombia , Nicaragua , Mexico , Costa Rica and Guatemala .

Best in the Panama Canal and Central America

Holland America Line is proud to be named the number-one choice for Panama Canal cruises by the experienced travelers of Cruise Critic's 2019 Cruisers' Choice Destination Awards.

Book with 'Have It All' Premium Cruise Package

Panama Canal cruise pricing starts at a "Have it All" premium package rate of $2,469 per person, double occupancy for a 14-day sailing, which includes four high-value amenities: two shore excursions, a Signature Beverage Package, two nights specialty dining in Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto or Tamarind (depending on ship), and a Wi-Fi Surf Package to stay connected throughout the cruise. Cruise-only standard fares start at $1,909 per person, double occupancy. Taxes, fees and port expenses are additional.

For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.

Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland America Blog. Access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com.

About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)]

Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873 and was the first cruise line to offer adventures to Alaska and the Yukon nearly 75 years ago. Its fleet of premium ships visits nearly 400 ports in 114 countries around the world, offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience. A third Pinnacle-class ship, Rotterdam, joined the fleet in July 2021.

The leader in premium cruising, Holland America Line's ships feature innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from Holland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council of world-famous chefs.

In light of COVID-19, Holland America Line is currently enhancing health and safety protocols and how they may impact future cruises. Our actual offerings may vary from what is displayed or described in marketing materials. Review our current Cruise Updates , Health & Safety Protocols and CDC Travel Advisories.

SOURCE Holland America Line

Related Links

http://www.hollandamerica.com


Fresh Start is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of disadvantaged youth with physical deformities by providing comprehensive reconstructive surgery at no cost at all to the patient and their family. The medical personnel, comprised of world-renowned surgeons and their staff, generously donate their time and talent to deliver much-needed medical care and give these children a chance to lead a life beyond their condition.

"Surgery Weekend is where our vision comes to life, and where the lives of each child we help are truly changed," says Shari Brasher.

"Surgery Weekend is where our vision comes to life, and where the lives of each child we help is truly changed, says Shari Brasher, CEO of Fresh Start Surgical Gifts. "We wouldn't be able to do what we do without our amazing partners, volunteers, and doctors who offer their time pro bono."

Each year, Fresh Start in Chicago hosts three Surgery Weekend cycles, while the San Diego location hosts six cycles. At each cycle, two days of intensive surgeries are performed by highly qualified medical professionals, in addition to supporting medical treatments, laser treatments, and speech therapy for an additional 45 kids. Fresh Start and the medical personnel are committed to caring for every patient for the long-term, vowing to extend treatment for as long as it takes until the desired result is achieved. Patients and their parents are lodged with host families and partner hotels or Ronald McDonald House.

Since Fresh Start's founding in 1991, 8,527 children have received medical care, valued at $51,927,102. Despite this, there are still so many more children who need high-quality medical care but lack the financial means to do so. Fresh Start is determined to fulfill their mission of making world-class medical care available to every disadvantaged child in need.

As always, all the medical care provided to patients is completely free for their family. 100% of all financial contributions go toward providing patients with free, comprehensive medical care and every dollar gifted allows Fresh Start to gift five dollars in medical services. Every donation is put to the highest use, ensuring that the children's needs come first.

For information on Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, please visit FreshStart.org. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].

ABOUT FRESH START SURGICAL GIFTS & FRESH START CARING FOR KIDS FOUNDATION

Fresh Start Surgical Gifts is a San Diego based non-profit organization dedicated to providing long-term, comprehensive surgeries and supporting treatments to disadvantaged infants, children, and teens with physical and cosmetic deformities. Fresh Start brings children from across the United States and around the world to San Diego, to receive medical care at Rady Children's Hospital, completely free of charge. Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation is a joint venture between Fresh Start Surgical Gifts and The Plastic Surgery Foundation (based in Chicago). Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation launched in Chicago at The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital in June 2014. To learn more, visit FreshStart.org.

SOURCE Fresh Start Surgical Gifts

Related Links

https://www.freshstart.org


NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Second Quarter Fiscal 2022 Financial Summary

Net sales increased 42% from last year to $555 million

Net sales increased 14% over the second quarter two years ago with stores open about 97% of days

GAAP operating income increased 336% over second quarter two years ago

Non-GAAP operating income increased 346% over second quarter two years ago

E-commerce sales increased 97% from second quarter two years ago

GAAP EPS from continuing operations increased to $0.74 vs. ($1.33) last year and $0.05 two years ago

vs. last year and two years ago Non-GAAP EPS from continuing operations increased to $1.05 1 vs. ($1.23) last year and $0.15 two years ago

Genesco Inc. (NYSE: GCO) today reported GAAP earnings from continuing operations per diluted share of $0.74 for the three months ended July 31, 2021, compared to a loss from continuing operations per diluted share of ($1.33) in the second quarter last year and earnings from continuing operations of $0.05 per diluted share two years ago. Adjusted for the Excluded Items in all periods, the Company reported second quarter earnings from continuing operations per diluted share of $1.05, compared to a loss from continuing operations per diluted share of ($1.23) last year and earnings from continuing operations of $0.15 per diluted share two years ago.

Mimi E. Vaughn, Genesco board chair, president and chief executive officer, said, "We delivered outstanding second quarter results highlighted by record second quarter profitability for our footwear businesses that far exceeded our expectations. Following a very strong start to Fiscal 2022, our top-line accelerated even further ahead of pre-pandemic levels fueled by robust full-priced selling, as our merchandise offerings, exceptional service and differentiated shopping experiences continue to resonate strongly with consumers. Our outperformance was driven by better than anticipated results across the board with all businesses exceeding pre-pandemic profits. The levels at which the Company performed during the first half of the year following a challenging Fiscal 2021 reflect the strong competitive positions of our retail and branded concepts and the positive transformation we are driving through our footwear focused strategy. Turning to the current quarter, we have been pleased with our results to date as sales tracked ahead of pre-pandemic levels in August, and we are several weeks into the all-important back-to-school selling season.

_____________________ 1Excludes professional fees related to the actions of a shareholder activist, retail store asset impairments and expenses related to the Company's new headquarters building, partially offset by an insurance gain, net of tax effect in the second quarter of Fiscal 2022 ("Excluded Items"). A reconciliation of earnings/loss and earnings/loss per share from continuing operations in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") with the adjusted earnings/loss and earnings/loss per share numbers is set forth on Schedule B to this press release. The Company believes that disclosure of earnings/loss and earnings/loss per share from continuing operations adjusted for the items not reflected in the previously announced expectations will be meaningful to investors, especially in light of the impact of such items on the results.

"Our exceptional year-to-date performance reinforces our confidence in the strategic course we have set for the Company. Our footwear focused strategy is working and is delivering results. Our opportunity to unlock value in Genesco is to further accelerate the digital and omnichannel potential in our retail business and to meaningfully grow our branded side. In addition, the pandemic has provided us the real opportunity to transform our business at a faster pace, as we deliver improved growth and operating margins. With a strong balance sheet, we believe we are well positioned to further invest in this growth while also returning capital to our shareholders going forward."

Thomas A. George, Genesco interim chief financial officer, commented, "We were very pleased that the second quarter marked an acceleration in the sequential improvement of our operating results since the onset of the pandemic. With much stronger revenue, higher gross margins, and well managed expenses, operating income far surpassed last year's levels and the second quarter Fiscal 2020 two years ago, delivering record second quarter adjusted EPS of $1.05 compared to $0.15 in Fiscal 2020."

Store Re-Opening Update

As of August 31, 2021, the Company is operating substantially all locations.

Second Quarter Review

Net sales for the second quarter of Fiscal 2022 increased 42% to $555 million from $391 million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 and increased 14% from $487 million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020. The sales increase from Fiscal 2020 was driven by a 97% increase in e-commerce sales and increased wholesale sales, with store sales just under Fiscal 2020 levels. As a result of store closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Company's policy of removing any store closed for seven consecutive days from comparable sales, the Company has not included second quarter comparable sales for this year or last year, except for comparable direct sales, as it feels that overall sales is a more meaningful metric for these periods. Comparable direct sales for the second quarter of Fiscal 2022 were down 23% compared to up 144% for the second quarter of Fiscal 2021, and up 20% compared to the second quarter of Fiscal 2020.

Overall sales for the second quarter this year compared to the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 were up 25% at Journeys, up 48% at Schuh, up 154% at Johnston & Murphy and up 122% at Licensed Brands. Overall sales compared to the second quarter of Fiscal 2020 were up 10% at Journeys, up 15% at Schuh and up 260% at Licensed Brands, partially offset by a 9% decrease in Johnston & Murphy sales.

Second quarter gross margin this year was 49.1%, up 640 basis points, compared with 42.7% last year and up 50 basis points compared with 48.6% in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020. The increase as a percentage of sales as compared to Fiscal 2020 is due primarily to higher full price selling at Journeys, partially offset by a mix shift towards Licensed Brands and higher shipping and warehouse expense in our retail businesses driven by the increase in penetration of e-commerce as compared to Fiscal 2020.

Adjusted selling and administrative expense for the second quarter this year decreased 270 basis points as a percentage of sales compared with last year and decreased 230 basis points compared with the second quarter of Fiscal 2020. The decrease from Fiscal 2020 is due primarily to reduced occupancy expense as well as reduced selling salaries, partially offset by increased performance-based compensation expense driven by improved profitability and increased marketing expenses. The reduction in occupancy expense is driven by the U.K. government property tax relief program and benefits from our ongoing lease cost initiative.

Genesco's GAAP operating income for the second quarter was $12.9 million, or 2.3% of sales this year, compared with an operating loss of $(22.0) million, or (5.6)% of sales last year, and an operating income of $3.0 million, or 0.6% of sales in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020. Adjusted for the Excluded Items in all periods, operating income for the second quarter was $21.1 million this year compared to an operating loss of $(20.9) million last year and an operating income of $4.7 million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020. Adjusted operating margin was 3.8% of sales in the second quarter of Fiscal 2022, (5.3)% last year and 1.0% in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020.

The effective tax rate for the quarter was 11.1% in Fiscal 2022 compared to 20.3% last year and 70.7% in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020. The adjusted effective tax rate, reflecting Excluded Items, was 25.1% in the second quarter of Fiscal 2022 compared to 23.0% last year and 45.2% in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020. The higher adjusted effective tax rate for this year as compared to last year reflects the inability to recognize a tax benefit for certain foreign losses and a higher mix of earnings in jurisdictions where the Company generates taxable income.

GAAP earnings from continuing operations were $10.9 million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2022, compared to a loss from continuing operations of $(18.9) million in the second quarter last year and earnings from continuing operations of $0.8 million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020. Adjusted for the Excluded Items in all periods, second quarter earnings from continuing operations were $15.3 million, or $1.05 per share, in Fiscal 2022, compared to a loss from continuing operations of $(17.4) million, or ($1.23) loss per share, last year and earnings from continuing operations of $2.5 million, or $0.15 per share, in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020.

Cash, Borrowings and Inventory

Cash and cash equivalents at July 31, 2021, were $304.0 million, compared with $299.1 million at August 1, 2020. Total debt at the end of the second quarter of Fiscal 2022 was $20.0 million compared with $210.9 million at the end of last year's second quarter reflecting increased borrowings in the second quarter last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Inventories decreased 11% in the second quarter of Fiscal 2022 on a year-over-year basis and decreased 27% versus the second quarter of Fiscal 2020.

Capital Expenditures and Store Activity

For the second quarter, capital expenditures were $8 million, related primarily to digital and omnichannel initiatives. Depreciation and amortization was $11 million. During the quarter, the Company opened three stores and closed eight stores. The Company ended the quarter with 1,439 stores compared with 1,476 stores at the end of the second quarter last year, or a decrease of 3%. Square footage was down 2% on a year-over-year basis.

Share Repurchases

The Company did not repurchase any shares during the second quarter of Fiscal 2022. The Company currently has $90 million remaining on the $100 million board authorization from September 2019.

Fiscal 2022 Outlook

Due to the continued uncertainty in the overall economy driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the spread of the Delta variant, the Company is not providing guidance at this time, but will provide commentary on its outlook for the coming quarter in its prepared remarks on today's earnings call.

Conference Call, Management Commentary and Investor Presentation

The Company has posted detailed financial commentary and a supplemental financial presentation of second quarter results on its website, www.genesco.com, in the investor relations section. The Company's live conference call on September 2, 2021, at 7:30 a.m. (Central time), may be accessed through the Company's website, www.genesco.com. To listen live, please go to the website at least 15 minutes early to register, download and install any necessary software.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements, including those regarding the performance outlook for the Company, expectations with respect to returning capital to shareholders and all other statements not addressing solely historical facts or present conditions. Forward-looking statements are usually identified by or are associated with such words as "intend," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "should," "optimistic" and similar terminology. Actual results could vary materially from the expectations reflected in these statements. A number of factors could cause differences. These include adjustments to projections reflected in forward-looking statements, including those resulting from the effects of COVID-19 on the Company's business, including COVID-19 case spikes in locations in which the Company operates, additional store closures due to COVID-19 and expected timing for store reopenings, weakness in store and shopping mall traffic, timing of in person back-to-work and back-to-school and sales with respect thereto, expectations regarding the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and acceptance, restrictions on operations imposed by government entities and/or landlords, changes in public safety and health requirements, and limitations on the Company's ability to adequately staff and operate stores. Differences from expectations could also result from store closures and effects on the business as a result of civil disturbances; the level and timing of promotional activity necessary to maintain inventories at appropriate levels; the imposition of tariffs on product imported by the Company or its vendors as well as the ability and costs to move production of products in response to tariffs; the Company's ability to obtain from suppliers products that are in-demand on a timely basis and effectively manage disruptions in product supply or distribution, including disruptions as a result of COVID-19; unfavorable trends in fuel costs, foreign exchange rates, foreign labor and material costs, and other factors affecting the cost of products; the effects of the British decision to exit the European Union and other sources of market weakness in the U.K. and Republic of Ireland; the effectiveness of the Company's omnichannel initiatives; costs associated with changes in minimum wage and overtime requirements; wage pressure in the U.S. and the U.K.; weakness in the consumer economy and retail industry; competition and fashion trends in the Company's markets; risks related to the potential for terrorist events; risks related to public health and safety events; changes in buying patterns by significant wholesale customers; retained liabilities associated with divestitures of businesses including potential liabilities under leases as the prior tenant or as a guarantor; and changes in the timing of holidays or in the onset of seasonal weather affecting period-to-period sales comparisons. Additional factors that could cause differences from expectations include the ability to renew leases in existing stores and control or lower occupancy costs, and to conduct required remodeling or refurbishment on schedule and at expected expense levels; the Company's ability to realize anticipated cost savings, including rent savings; the Company's ability to achieve expected digital gains and gain market share; deterioration in the performance of individual businesses or of the Company's market value relative to its book value, resulting in impairments of fixed assets, operating lease right of use assets or intangible assets or other adverse financial consequences and the timing and amount of such impairments or other consequences; unexpected changes to the market for the Company's shares or for the retail sector in general; costs and reputational harm as a result of disruptions in the Company's business or information technology systems either by security breaches and incidents or by potential problems associated with the implementation of new or upgraded systems; the Company's ability to realize any anticipated tax benefits; and the cost and outcome of litigation, investigations and environmental matters involving the Company. Additional factors are cited in the "Risk Factors," "Legal Proceedings" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of, and elsewhere in, the Company's SEC filings, copies of which may be obtained from the SEC website, www.sec.gov, or by contacting the investor relations department of Genesco via the Company's website, www.genesco.com. Many of the factors that will determine the outcome of the subject matter of this release are beyond Genesco's ability to control or predict. Genesco undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Forward-looking statements reflect the expectations of the Company at the time they are made. The Company disclaims any obligation to update such statements.

About Genesco Inc.

Genesco Inc., a Nashville-based specialty retail and branded company, sells footwear and accessories in more than 1,435 retail stores throughout the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, principally under the names Journeys, Journeys Kidz, Little Burgundy, Schuh, Schuh Kids, Johnston & Murphy, and on internet websites www.journeys.com, www.journeyskidz.com, www.journeys.ca, www.littleburgundyshoes.com, www.schuh.co.uk, www.johnstonmurphy.com, www.johnstonmurphy.ca, www.nashvilleshoewarehouse.com, and www.dockersshoes.com. In addition, Genesco sells footwear at wholesale under its Johnston & Murphy brand, the licensed Levi's brand, the licensed Dockers brand, the licensed Bass brand, and other brands. Genesco is committed to progress in its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and the Company's environmental, social and governance stewardship. For more information on Genesco and its operating divisions, please visit www.genesco.com.

GENESCO INC.



Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations



(in thousands, except per share data)



(Unaudited)

























Quarter 2

Quarter 2







July 31, % of

Aug. 1, % of







2021 Net Sales

2020 Net Sales





Net sales $ 555,183 100.0%

$ 391,217 100.0%





Cost of sales 282,661 50.9%

224,217 57.3%





Gross margin 272,522 49.1%

167,000 42.7%





Selling and administrative expenses 252,551 45.5%

187,261 47.9%





Asset impairments and other, net 7,070 1.3%

1,733 0.4%





Operating income (loss) 12,901 2.3%

(21,994) -5.6%





Other components of net periodic benefit cost (income) 56 0.0%

(182) 0.0%





Interest expense, net 617 0.1%

1,918 0.5%





Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before















income taxes 12,228 2.2%

(23,730) -6.1%





Income tax expense (benefit) 1,354 0.2%

(4,806) -1.2%





Earnings (loss) from continuing operations 10,874 2.0%

(18,924) -4.8%





Gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax 63 0.0%

(112) 0.0%





Net Earnings (Loss) $ 10,937 2.0%

$ (19,036) -4.9%























Basic earnings (loss) per share:















Before discontinued operations $ 0.76



$ (1.33)







Net earnings (loss) $ 0.76



$ (1.34)

























Diluted earnings (loss) per share:















Before discontinued operations $ 0.74



$ (1.33)







Net earnings (loss) $ 0.75



$ (1.34)

























Weighted-average shares outstanding:















Basic 14,339



14,179







Diluted 14,611



14,179

























GENESCO INC.



Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations



(in thousands, except per share data)



(Unaudited)

























Six Months Ended

Six Months Ended







July 31, % of

Aug. 1, % of







2021 Net Sales

2020 Net Sales





Net sales $ 1,093,878 100.0%

$ 670,449 100.0%





Cost of sales 563,694 51.5%

383,305 57.2%





Gross margin 530,184 48.5%

287,144 42.8%





Selling and administrative expenses 492,016 45.0%

376,303 56.1%





Goodwill impairment - 0.0%

79,259 11.8%





Asset impairments and other, net 9,740 0.9%

9,594 1.4%





Operating income (loss) 28,428 2.6%

(178,012) -26.6%





Other components of net periodic benefit cost (income) 17 0.0%

(306) 0.0%





Interest expense, net 1,346 0.1%

2,774 0.4%





Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before















income taxes 27,065 2.5%

(180,480) -26.9%





Income tax expense (benefit) 7,297 0.7%

(26,932) -4.0%





Earnings (loss) from continuing operations 19,768 1.8%

(153,548) -22.9%





Gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax 47 0.0%

(265) 0.0%





Net Earnings (Loss) $ 19,815 1.8%

$(153,813) -22.9%























Basic earnings (loss) per share:















Before discontinued operations $ 1.38



$ (10.86)







Net earnings (loss) $ 1.38



$ (10.87)

























Diluted earnings (loss) per share:















Before discontinued operations $ 1.35



$ (10.86)







Net earnings (loss) $ 1.35



$ (10.87)

























Weighted-average shares outstanding:















Basic 14,313



14,145







Diluted 14,657



14,145

























GENESCO INC.



Sales/Earnings Summary by Segment



(in thousands)



(Unaudited)

























Quarter 2

Quarter 2







July 31, % of

Aug. 1, % of







2021 Net Sales

2020 Net Sales





Sales:















Journeys Group $ 346,275 62.4%

$ 276,631 70.7%





Schuh Group 106,079 19.1%

71,732 18.3%





Johnston & Murphy Group 61,159 11.0%

24,097 6.2%





Licensed Brands 41,670 7.5%

18,757 4.8%





Net Sales $ 555,183 100.0%

$ 391,217 100.0%





Operating Income (Loss):















Journeys Group $ 30,368 8.8%

$ 10,160 3.7%





Schuh Group 3,623 3.4%

(6,838) -9.5%





Johnston & Murphy Group 3,951 6.5%

(18,243) -75.7%





Licensed Brands 991 2.4%

(1,222) -6.5%





Corporate and Other(1) (26,032) -4.7%

(5,851) -1.5%





Operating income (loss) 12,901 2.3%

(21,994) -5.6%





Other components of net periodic benefit cost (income) 56 0.0%

(182) 0.0%





Interest, net 617 0.1%

1,918 0.5%























Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before













income taxes 12,228 2.2%

(23,730) -6.1%





Income tax expense (benefit) 1,354 0.2%

(4,806) -1.2%





Earnings (loss) from continuing operations 10,874 2.0%

(18,924) -4.8%





Gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax 63 0.0%

(112) 0.0%





Net Earnings (Loss) $ 10,937 2.0%

$ (19,036) -4.9%







































(1) Includes a $7.0 million charge in the second quarter of Fiscal 2022 which includes $6.2 million for professional fees related to the actions





of a shareholder activist and $1.4 million for retail store asset impairments, partially offset by a $0.6 million insurance gain. Includes a





$1.7 million charge in the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 for retail store asset impairments.























GENESCO INC.



Sales/Earnings Summary by Segment



(in thousands)



(Unaudited)

























Six Months Ended

Six Months Ended







July 31, % of

Aug. 1, % of







2021 Net Sales

2020 Net Sales





Sales:















Journeys Group $ 722,823 66.1%

$ 445,556 66.5%





Schuh Group 174,790 16.0%

118,897 17.7%





Johnston & Murphy Group 109,921 10.0%

62,946 9.4%





Licensed Brands 86,344 7.9%

43,050 6.4%





Net Sales $ 1,093,878 100.0%

$ 670,449 100.0%





Operating Income (Loss):















Journeys Group $ 63,492 8.8%

$ (26,923) -6.0%





Schuh Group (224) -0.1%

(21,924) -18.4%





Johnston & Murphy Group 771 0.7%

(27,827) -44.2%





Licensed Brands 3,552 4.1%

(3,723) -8.6%





Corporate and Other(1) (39,163) -3.6%

(18,356) -2.7%





Goodwill Impairment - 0.0%

(79,259) -11.8%





Operating income (loss) 28,428 2.6%

(178,012) -26.6%





Other components of net periodic benefit cost (income) 17 0.0%

(306) 0.0%





Interest, net 1,346 0.1%

2,774 0.4%























Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before













income taxes 27,065 2.5%

(180,480) -26.9%





Income tax expense (benefit) 7,297 0.7%

(26,932) -4.0%





Earnings (loss) from continuing operations 19,768 1.8%

(153,548) -22.9%





Gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax 47 0.0%

(265) 0.0%





Net Earnings (Loss) $ 19,815 1.8%

$(153,813) -22.9%





















(1) Includes a $9.7 million charge in the first six months of Fiscal 2022 which includes $8.5 million for professional fees related to the actions





of a shareholder activist and $1.8 million for retail store asset impairments, partially offset by a $0.6 million insurance gain. Includes a $9.6





million charge in the first six months of Fiscal 2021 which includes a $5.3 million charge for trademark impairment and a $4.7 million charge





for retail store asset impairments, partially offset by a $0.4 million gain for the release of an earnout related to the Togast acquisition.

























GENESCO INC.





Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets





(in thousands)





(Unaudited)



































July 31, 2021

Aug. 1, 2020





Assets











Cash and cash equivalents $ 304,039

$ 299,144





Accounts receivable 31,872

54,793





Inventories 326,477

365,267





Other current assets(1) 91,554

58,454





Total current assets 753,942

777,658





Property and equipment 202,711

220,458





Operating lease right of use assets 610,188

670,323





Goodwill and other intangibles 69,850

67,939





Other non-current assets 21,929

33,650





Total Assets $ 1,658,620

$ 1,770,028



















Liabilities and Equity











Accounts payable $ 186,593

$ 178,541





Current portion long-term debt -

24,860





Current portion operating lease liabilities 156,562

199,392





Other current liabilities 134,407

88,047





Total current liabilities 477,562

490,840





Long-term debt 20,022

186,049





Long-term operating lease liabilities 524,857

593,723





Other long-term liabilities 48,082

38,552





Equity 588,097

460,864





Total Liabilities and Equity $ 1,658,620

$ 1,770,028



















(1)Includes prepaid income taxes of $60.8 million at July 31, 2021.



















GENESCO INC.

Store Count Activity













































Balance





Balance







Balance

02/01/20 Open Close

01/30/21

Open Close

07/31/21 Journeys Group 1,171 8 20

1,159

3 20

1,142 Schuh Group 129 1 7

123

0 0

123 Johnston & Murphy Group 180 4 6

178

1 5

174 Total Retail Units 1,480 13 33

1,460

4 25

1,439



























































































GENESCO INC.









Store Count Activity





















































Balance





Balance











05/01/21 Open Close

07/31/21









Journeys Group 1,143 3 4

1,142









Schuh Group 123 0 0

123









Johnston & Murphy Group 178 0 4

174









Total Retail Units 1,444 3 8

1,439















































































GENESCO INC.

Comparable Sales(1)



























Quarter 2



Six Months





July 31,

Aug. 1,



July 31,

Aug. 1,





2021

2020



2021

2020 Comparable Direct Sales

-23%

144%



3%

105%





















(1)As a result of store closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Company's policy of removing any store closed for seven consecutive days from comparable sales, the Company has not included comparable sales for the second quarter and six months this year and last year, except for comparable direct sales, as it felt that overall sales was a more meaningful metric during these periods.



GENESCO INC.





COVID-19 Related Items





Decrease (Increase) to Pretax Earnings





(in thousands)





(Unaudited)

























Quarter 2

Six Months







July 31, 2021 Aug. 1, 2020

July 31, 2021 Aug. 1, 2020























Goodwill impairment $ - $ -

$ - $ 79,259





Incremental retail store asset impairment(1) - 1,002

- 3,736





Trademark impairment(1) - -

- 5,260





Release of Togast earnout(1) - -

- (441)





Excess inventory(2) (1,826) 2,469

(1,826) 4,277





Non-productive compensation(3) and (4) (917) 1,443

(200) 4,688





UK property tax relief(3) (3,126) (3,934)

(7,801) (5,489)





Other governmental relief(3) and (5) (1,163) -

(4,387) -





Rent abatements and temporary rent concessions(3) and (6) (2,426) -

(8,574) -





Incremental bad debt reserve(3) - 643

- 3,065





Other(3) - 1,092

- 894























Total COVID-19 Related Items $ (9,458) $ 2,715

$ (22,788) $ 95,249























(1)Included in asset impairments and other, net on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.





(2)Estimated impact of COVID-19 upon permanent markdowns and inventory markdown reserves as well as sell through of inventory previously reserved.





Included in cost of sales on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.





(3)Included in selling and administrative expenses on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.





(4)Certain compensation paid to furloughed workers and commission based associates, net of the CARES Act, and UK, ROI and Canadian





government relief.





(5)Includes UK and ROI Relief Grants and Canadian rent subsidy.





(6)Estimated impact of abatements and temporary rent savings agreements that are being recognized when executed if they pertain to a prior period.























Schedule B



























Genesco Inc. Adjustments to Reported Earnings (Loss) from Continuing Operations Three Months Ended July 31, 2021, August 1, 2020 and August 3, 2019

























The Company believes that disclosure of earnings (loss) and earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations and operating income (loss) adjusted for the items not reflected in the previously announced expectations will be meaningful to investors, especially in light of the impact of such items on the results.























































Quarter 2

Quarter 2

Quarter 2



July 31, 2021

August 1, 2020

August 3, 2019





Net of Per Share



Net of Per Share



Net of Per Share

In Thousands (except per share amounts) Pretax Tax Amounts

Pretax Tax Amounts

Pretax Tax Amounts

Earnings (loss) from continuing operations, as reported

$ 10,874 $0.74



$(18,924) ($1.33)



$ 793 $0.05



























Asset impairments and other adjustments:























Retail store asset impairment charges $ 1,410 1,200 0.08

$1,733 1,313 0.09

$ 731 451 0.03

Professional fees related to the actions of a shareholder activist 6,238 4,393 0.30

- - 0.00

- - 0.00

Expenses related to new HQ building 1,157 813 0.06

- - 0.00

- - 0.00

Insurance gain (578) (408) (0.03)

- - 0.00

- - 0.00

Change in vacation policy - - 0.00

(616) (463) (0.03)

- - 0.00

Loss on lease terminations - - 0.00

- - 0.00

1,044 717 0.04

Gain on Hurricane Maria - - 0.00

- - 0.00

- 2 0.00

Total asset impairments and other adjustments $ 8,227 5,998 0.41

$1,117 850 0.06

$1,775 1,170 0.07



























Income tax expense adjustments:























Tax impact share based awards

(1,747) (0.12)



1,129 0.08



(54) 0.00

Other tax items

196 0.02



(471) (0.04)



547 0.03

Total income tax expense adjustments

(1,551) (0.10)



658 0.04



493 0.03



























Adjusted earnings (loss) from continuing operations(1)and(2)

$ 15,321 $1.05



$(17,416) ($1.23)



$2,456 $0.15





















































(1)The adjusted tax rate for the second quarter of Fiscal 2022, 2021 and 2020 is 25.1%, 23.0% and 45.2%, respectively.





(2)EPS reflects 14.6 million, 14.2 million and 16.0 million share count for the second quarter of Fiscal 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, which includes common stock equivalents in the second quarter of Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2020 and excludes common stock equivalents in the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 due to the loss from continuing operations.















































































Genesco Inc.

















Adjustments to Reported Operating Income (Loss) and Selling and Administrative Expenses

















Three Months Ended July 31, 2021, August 1, 2020 and August 3, 2019













































Quarter 2 - July 31, 2021



















Operating Asset Impair Adj Operating

















In Thousands Income (Loss) & Other Adj Income (Loss)

















Journeys Group $ 30,368 $ - $ 30,368

















Schuh Group 3,623 - 3,623

















Johnston & Murphy Group 3,951 - 3,951

















Licensed Brands 991 - 991

















Corporate and Other (26,032) 8,227 (17,805)

















Total Operating Income $ 12,901 $ 8,227 $ 21,128

















% of sales 2.3%

3.8%













































Quarter 2 - August 1, 2020



















Operating Asset Impair Adj Operating

















In Thousands Income (Loss) & Other Adj Income (Loss)

















Journeys Group $ 10,160 $ (263) $ 9,897

















Schuh Group (6,838) - (6,838)

















Johnston & Murphy Group (18,243) (96) (18,339)

















Licensed Brands (1,222) (39) (1,261)

















Corporate and Other (5,851) 1,515 (4,336)

















Total Operating Loss $ (21,994) $ 1,117 $ (20,877)

















% of sales -5.6%

-5.3%













































Quarter 2 - August 3, 2019



















Operating Asset Impair Adj Operating

















In Thousands Income (Loss) & Other Adj Income (Loss)

















Journeys Group $ 11,329 $ - $ 11,329

















Schuh Group 39 - 39

















Johnston & Murphy Group 1,518 - 1,518

















Licensed Brands (251) - (251)

















Corporate and Other (9,673) 1,775 (7,898)

















Total Operating Income $ 2,962 $ 1,775 $ 4,737

















% of sales 0.6%

1.0%







































































Quarter 2

















In Thousands July 31, 2021 August 1, 2020 August 3, 2019

















Selling and administrative expenses, as reported $ 252,551 $ 187,261 $ 231,796











































Expenses related to new HQ building (1,157) - -

















Change in vacation policy - 616 -

















Total adjustments (1,157) 616 -

















Adjusted selling and administrative expenses $ 251,394 $ 187,877 $ 231,796

















% of sales 45.3% 48.0% 47.6%



















Schedule B

Genesco Inc. Adjustments to Reported Earnings (Loss) from Continuing Operations Six Months Ended July 31, 2021, August 1, 2020 and August 3, 2019



























The Company believes that disclosure of earnings (loss) and earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations and operating income (loss) adjusted for the items not reflected in the previously announced expectations will be meaningful to investors, especially in light of the impact of such items on the results.





























































Six Months

Six Months

Six Months





July 31, 2021

August 1, 2020

August 3, 2019







Net of Per Share



Net of Per Share



Net of Per Share

In Thousands (except per share amounts)

Pretax Tax Amounts

Pretax Tax Amounts

Pretax Tax Amounts

Earnings (loss) from continuing operations, as reported



$ 19,768 $1.35



$(153,548) ($10.86)



$7,263 $0.43





























Asset impairments and other adjustments:

























Retail store asset impairment charges

$ 1,824 1,526 0.10

$ 4,775 3,541 0.25

$1,038 663 0.04

Professional fees related to the actions of a shareholder activist 8,494 5,993 0.41

- - 0.00

- - 0.00

Expenses related to new HQ building

1,754 1,237 0.09

- - 0.00

- - 0.00

Insurance gain

(578) (408) (0.03)

- - 0.00

- - 0.00

Trademark impairment

- - 0.00

5,260 5,153 0.36

- - 0.00

Goodwill impairment

- - 0.00

79,259 79,259 5.60

- - 0.00

Release Togast earnout

- - 0.00

(441) (323) (0.02)

- - 0.00

Change in vacation policy

- - 0.00

(1,232) (914) (0.06)

- - 0.00

Loss on lease terminations

- - 0.00

- - 0.00

44 28 0.00

Gain on Hurricane Maria

- - 0.00

- - 0.00

(38) (24) 0.00

Total asset impairments and other adjustments

$ 11,494 8,348 0.57

$87,621 86,716 6.13

$1,044 667 0.04





























Income tax expense adjustments:

























Tax impact share based awards



(1,747) (0.12)



1,129 0.08



(54) 0.00

Other tax items



596 0.04



(3,161) (0.22)



489 0.02

Total income tax expense adjustments



(1,151) (0.08)



(2,032) (0.14)



435 0.02





























Adjusted earnings (loss) from continuing operations(1)and(2)

$ 26,965 $1.84



$ (68,864) ($4.87)



$8,365 $0.49

























































(1)The adjusted tax rate for the first six months of Fiscal 2022, 2021 and 2020 is 30.1%, 25.8% and 36.1%, respectively.





(2)EPS reflects 14.7 million, 14.1 million and 16.9 million share count for the first six months of Fiscal 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, which includes common stock equivalents in the first six months of Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2020 and excludes common stock equivalents in the first six months of Fiscal 2021 due to the loss from continuing operations.





















































































Genesco Inc.

















Adjustments to Reported Operating Income (Loss) and Selling and Administrative Expenses

















Six Months Ended July 31, 2021, August 1, 2020 and August 3, 2019

















































Six Months July 31, 2021





















Operating Asset Impair Adj Operating

















In Thousands

Income (Loss) & Other Adj Income (Loss)

















Journeys Group

$ 63,492 $ - $ 63,492

















Schuh Group

(224) - (224)

















Johnston & Murphy Group

771 - 771

















Licensed Brands

3,552 - 3,552

















Corporate and Other

(39,163) 11,494 (27,669)

















Total Operating Income

$ 28,428 $ 11,494 $ 39,922

















% of sales

2.6%

3.6%

















































Six Months August 1, 2020





















Operating Asset Impair Adj Operating

















In Thousands

Income (Loss) & Other Adj Income (Loss)

















Journeys Group

$ (26,923) $ (526) $ (27,449)

















Schuh Group

(21,924) - (21,924)

















Johnston & Murphy Group

(27,827) (192) (28,019)

















Licensed Brands

(3,723) (78) (3,801)

















Goodwill Impairment

(79,259) 79,259 -

















Corporate and Other

(18,356) 9,158 (9,198)

















Total Operating Loss

$ (178,012) $ 87,621 $ (90,391)

















% of sales

-26.6%

-13.5%

















































Six Months August 3, 2019





















Operating Asset Impair Adj Operating

















In Thousands

Income (Loss) & Other Adj Income (Loss)

















Journeys Group

$ 30,305 $ - $ 30,305

















Schuh Group

(5,389) - (5,389)

















Johnston & Murphy Group

6,624 - 6,624

















Licensed Brands

178 - 178

















Corporate and Other

(19,672) 1,044 (18,628)

















Total Operating Income

$ 12,046 $ 1,044 $ 13,090

















% of sales

1.2%

1.3%













































































Six Months

















In Thousands

July 31, 2021 August 1, 2020 August 3, 2019

















Selling and administrative expenses, as reported

$ 492,016 $ 376,303 $ 468,351













































Expenses related to new HQ building

(1,754) - -

















Change in vacation policy

- 1,232 -

















Total adjustments

(1,754) 1,232 -

















Adjusted selling and administrative expenses

$ 490,262 $ 377,535 $ 468,351

















% of sales

44.8% 56.3% 47.7%



















SOURCE Genesco Inc.

Related Links

http://www.genesco.com


The video opens with an introduction of Euisun Chung, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman, discussing Genesis' past, present, and its journey to a sustainable future.

"Genesis has been on an intensive, bold and successful journey, successfully establishing itself as a truly global luxury brand," said Euisun Chung. "Genesis is once again at the starting point of another audacious journey - the journey towards a sustainable future."

The film also took the opportunity to showcase GV60, the brand's first electric vehicle based on E-GMP (Electric-Global Modular Platform), the dedicated EV platform. Images of GV60 were revealed in August and the vehicle is to be released in the second half of this year in the Korean domestic market, leading the brand's journey to electrification. North American deliveries of GV60 are expected in 2022.

The signature Two Lines design theme also flows through the video, tracing the company's progress towards the sustainable future led by their line of luxury EVs as a conversation between Global Head of Genesis Jay Chang and Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke explores the company's move to electrification.

The brand's new vehicles will all be purely electric starting from 2025. To drive the shift to electrification, Genesis will focus on a dual electrification strategy involving fuel cell and battery EVs. Genesis will put an effort on developing pure electric technologies such as new fuel cell systems with higher power output, and electric systems that help improve efficiency. In addition, Genesis will devote itself to building next-generation technology that draws better performance and efficiency from lithium-ion batteries.

Along with the dual electrification strategy, Genesis announced its goal to pursue a carbon neutral brand by 2035. This is first time for a member of the Hyundai Motor Group to announce the transition, and will solidify the brand as a leader in the luxury vehicle brand. Genesis plans to make the bold transition to innovate its entire value chain, beginning with raw materials, vehicles, and parts and extending to all work sites and production plants.

To become carbon neutral, Genesis will establish itself as a 100 percent zero emission vehicle brand by 2030. Genesis aims to build an EV lineup consisting of eight models and expects global sales to reach 400,000 units per year.

In addition, starting with GV60, Genesis will continue to provide sincere interactions with its customers through its EV lineup and for its drivers as a luxury brand. The company sees the new electric lineup as an exciting platform to improve the way it interfaces with customers, while Genesis' new architecture will integrate audacious technologies and breathtaking designs into its vehicles, providing truly detail-oriented experiences.

Genesis presented various concepts for the future vehicles within the video including Stage Doors, which open the front and rear doors in the opposite direction without a B-pillar. Rotating Swivel Seats and mood lighting create a sense of comfort surrounding the driver, while climate control is taken care of by the new heating system inspired by the Korean "Ondol" heating. The brand also presented an improved high-fidelity sound system that makes drivers and passengers feel like they're sitting on stage with the orchestra.

"I am extremely excited to announce the new vision of Genesis for a sustainable future as we open a new chapter in our history," said Jay Chang, Global Head of Genesis. "As we continue to design a new dimension of customer experience and build an authentic relationship with our customers, Genesis will take audacious steps to lead the age of electrification into the sustainable future."

"Our new electric lineup is the perfect platform to increase our interface with our customers," said Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Creative Officer of Genesis. "We aim to interact with all their senses. Our new architecture will integrate audacious technologies with breathtaking designs while providing sincere detail-oriented experiences. Warm and exquisite care will be our differentiator."

Along with the launch of its vision film today, Genesis also released a new global brand campaign film, "Designed for Your Mind." The campaign aims to communicate the full range of experiences that Genesis puts into its vehicle designs, services and more while evoking a variety of emotions using epic visuals and sounds from nature.

Through the film Genesis hopes to help drivers envision what a luxury automotive brand can offer them, by delivering a tranquil and harmonious driving environment to balance the challenges of a fast-paced urban life. As a luxury brand, Genesis interprets design in a broader sense as a unique and lasting tool to shape a better world.

Following the Brand Campaign footage, Genesis ended today's livestream with exclusive footage teasing a future in air mobility.

Genesis Motor North America

At Genesis, we put the customer at the core of everything we do. Genesis is a global automotive brand that delivers the highest standards of safety, performance, design, and innovation. Genesis offers a range of models including the G70 sport sedan, G80 executive sedan, the flagship G90 sedan, and the GV70 and GV80 sport utility vehicles.

Please visit our media site for the latest news at www.genesisnewsusa.com (United States) and www.genesisnews.ca (Canada).

SOURCE Genesis Motor America

Related Links

genesis.com


DUBLIN, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Homeland Security Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global homeland security market exhibited moderate growth during 2015-2020. Homeland security can be referred to various security solutions employed primarily within the civilian sphere by the government of any country for ensuring optimum protection for its denizens. Homeland security utilizes weapons, cameras, radars, thermal imaging devices and metal, explosives and radiation detectors for identifying anti-social threats. Radios, tactical headsets, satellite assisted equipment and various access control systems, such as biometric readers, and modeling and simulations systems are also used for communications and offering enhanced security. These solutions find application across public spaces, defense establishments, railways and military.



The alarmingly increasing rate of terrorist activities and the growing need for security solutions against criminal activities are the key factors driving the growth of the market. Homeland security solutions provide products and services to both public and private organizations to safeguard their operations and prevent illegal and criminal activities. Furthermore, the implementation of favorable government policies to diminish cross-border insurgencies and promote national security is also providing a boost to the market growth. For instance, homeland security forces are frequently deployed to prevent and control riots, domestic tensions and political unrest.

Additionally, the development of technologically advanced weapons and security solutions is creating a positive outlook for the market growth. Security solutions integrated with the cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning (ML) are being used to identify threats and take timely action against them. Other factors, including growing concerns for cyber, aviation, maritime and border security and extensive research and development (R&D) activities, are projected to drive the market in the upcoming years. Looking forward, the publisher expects the global homeland security market to grow at a CAGR of around 6% during the forecast period (2021-2026).

Competitive Landscape:

The report has also analysed the competitive landscape of the market with some of the key players being Accenture, Boeing Co., Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., General Dynamics Corp., General Electric Co., IBM Corp., L-3 Communications Holdings, Lockheed Martin Corp., SAIC, Unisys, etc.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global homeland security 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 homeland security market?

What is the breakup of the market based on the type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the system?

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 industry?

What is the structure of the global homeland security market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Homeland Security Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Type

6.1 Aviation Security

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Maritime Security

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Border Security

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast

6.4 Critical Infrastructure Security

6.4.1 Market Trends

6.4.2 Market Forecast

6.5 Cyber Security

6.5.1 Market Trends

6.5.2 Market Forecast

6.6 CBRN Security

6.6.1 Market Trends

6.6.2 Market Forecast

6.7 Mass Transit Security

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 System

7.1 Intelligence and Surveillance System

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Detection and Monitoring System

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Weapon System

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Access Control System

7.4.1 Market Trends

7.4.2 Market Forecast

7.5 Modelling and Simulation

7.5.1 Market Trends

7.5.2 Market Forecast

7.6 Communication System

7.6.1 Market Trends

7.6.2 Market Forecast

7.7 Platforms

7.7.1 Market Trends

7.7.2 Market Forecast

7.8 Rescue and Recovery System

7.8.1 Market Trends

7.8.2 Market Forecast

7.9 Command and Control System

7.9.1 Market Trends

7.9.2 Market Forecast

7.10 Countermeasure System

7.10.1 Market Trends

7.10.2 Market Forecast

7.11 Others

7.11.1 Market Trends

7.11.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by End-User

8.1 Public Sector

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Private Sector

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Region



10 SWOT Analysis

11 Value Chain Analysis



12 Porters Five Forces Analysis

13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 Market Structure

13.2 Key Players

13.3 Profiles of Key Players

13.3.1 Accenture

13.3.1.1 Company Overview

13.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.1.3 Financials

13.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis

13.3.2 Boeing

13.3.2.1 Company Overview

13.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.2.3 Financials

13.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis

13.3.3 Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.

13.3.3.1 Company Overview

13.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.4 General Dynamics Corp.

13.3.4.1 Company Overview

13.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.4.3 Financials

13.3.4.4 SWOT Analysis

13.3.5 General Electric Company

13.3.5.1 Company Overview

13.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.5.3 Financials

13.3.5.4 SWOT Analysis

13.3.6 International Business Machines

13.3.6.1 Company Overview

13.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.6.3 Financials

13.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis

13.3.7 L-3 Communications Holdings

13.3.7.1 Company Overview

13.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.7.3 SWOT Analysis

13.3.8 Lockheed Martin Corporation

13.3.8.1 Company Overview

13.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.8.3 Financials

13.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis

13.3.9 SAIC

13.3.9.1 Company Overview

13.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.10 Unisys Corporation

13.3.10.1 Company Overview

13.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.10.3 Financials

13.3.10.4 SWOT Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4smg5r

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, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Massage Chair Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global massage chair market exhibited moderate growth during 2015-2020. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to grow at a CAGR of around 7% 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.



A massage chair stands for an upholstered armchair with a recliner back designed for massaging head, neck, shoulders, back, arms and hands. Based on the vibrating mechanism, the chair includes a combination of motors, gears, heating pads, airbags, etc. Some of the advanced massage chairs have additional features, such as bluetooth connectivity, adjustable foot and armrests, remote control, massage pillow pad, etc. A massage chair offers several therapeutic benefits by de-stressing, relieving joint aches, reducing back pain, minimizing pressure on heart and lungs, improving blood circulation, alleviating acid reflux, enhancing metabolism, and providing relaxation. Owing to these benefits, massage chairs are widely installed across diverse sectors, including hospitality, retail, healthcare, residential, and commercial sectors.



The high prevalence of work-related stress and hectic consumer lifestyles has led to an increasing need for stress-relieving and relaxing solutions. The rising consumer awareness towards several therapeutic benefits of massage therapies in relieving pain and stress is catalyzing the product demand. Furthermore, the growing inclination towards different massage therapies that offer specific complementary services, such as aromatherapy, acupressure and physiotherapy, also contributes to the market growth. In addition to this, growing health concerns among consumers have augmented the demand for massage chairs for stimulating blood circulation, pain-relief, muscle relaxation, and releasing hormones, such as endorphins and serotonin. Additionally, the elevating consumer living standards supported by their rising disposable income levels have further boosted the sales of luxury and high-end products, such as massage chairs. Furthermore, the wide availability of massage chairs across several distribution channels coupled with the emergence of e-commerce platforms has further catalyzed product sales.

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being, Bodyfriend, Cozzia USA, Daito Denki Kogyo Co., Ltd., Family Inada Co. Ltd, Fujiiryoki, Human Touch, Infinity, Kahuna Massage Chair, Luraco, Ogawa, OSIM International Ltd, Panasonic, Shanghai Rongtai Health Technology Co., Ltd., etc.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global massage chair 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 massage chair market?

What is the breakup of the market based on the conventional/robotic?

What is the breakup of the market based on the product type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end-use?

What is the breakup of the market based on the distribution channel?

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 massage chair 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 Massage Chair Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of Covid-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Conventional/Robotic

6.1 Conventional

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Robotic

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Product Type

7.1 Inversion Massage Chairs

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Zero Gravity Massage Chairs

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Targeted Massage Products

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Others

7.4.1 Market Trends

7.4.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by End-Use

8.1 Commercial

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Residential

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Distribution Channel

9.1 Specialty Stores

9.1.1 Market Trends

9.1.2 Market Forecast

9.2 Online

9.2.1 Market Trends

9.2.2 Market Forecast

9.3 Supermarkets and Hypermarkets

9.3.1 Market Trends

9.3.2 Market Forecast

9.4 Others

9.4.1 Market Trends

9.4.2 Market Forecast



10 Market Breakup by Region



11 SWOT Analysis



12 Value Chain Analysis



13 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

13.1 Overview

13.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers

13.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

13.4 Degree of Competition

13.5 Threat of New Entrants

13.6 Threat of Substitutes



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Key Players

14.3 Profiles of Key Players

14.3.1 Bodyfriend

14.3.1.1 Company Overview

14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.2 Cozzia USA

14.3.2.1 Company Overview

14.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.3 Daito Denki Kogyo Co., Ltd.

14.3.3.1 Company Overview

14.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.4 OSIM International Ltd.

14.3.4.1 Company Overview

14.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.5 Family Inada Co. Ltd.

14.3.5.1 Company Overview

14.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.6 Fujiiryoki

14.3.6.1 Company Overview

14.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.7 Human Touch

14.3.7.1 Company Overview

14.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.8 Infinity

14.3.8.1 Company Overview

14.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.9 Kahuna Massage Chair

14.3.9.1 Company Overview

14.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.10 Luraco

14.3.10.1 Company Overview

14.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.11 Ogawa

14.3.11.1 Company Overview

14.3.11.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.12 Panasonic

14.3.12.1 Company Overview

14.3.12.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.12.3 Financials

14.3.13 Shanghai Rongtai Health Technology Co., Ltd.

14.3.13.1 Company Overview

14.3.13.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.13.3 Financials

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rkfdzq

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


RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Globitel, a leading customer care and telecom solutions provider, in cooperation with Comtech Telecommunications Corp.'s Location Technologies group, a world leader in secure wireless communication technologies, announce the successful implementation of location-based services for two of the biggest mobile operators in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East at large.

These top-tier operators in Saudi Arabia have been long-time customers of Globitel and have experienced Globitel's dedication to delivering unmatched service and support at every stage of a project to make it a success. As a result, when it came to managing such a complex multivendor project, Globitel was the obvious choice.

"Globitel's technical competency and utmost commitment to its customers, in tandem with Comtech's world-renowned solutions, lead the way in successfully implementing these large projects," says Nael Halawa, Managing Director of Globitel's KSA office.

Halawa continues, "We have found incredible harmony with Comtech, and this was exemplified in the projects we undertook together over the past two years. The combined strength of our customer awareness and professional service has proven to be an unbeatable match that has served very well for two of the biggest telecom companies in the Middle East, and this is only the beginning. We are forming a strategic alliance with Comtech to replicate this success in other operators in the Middle East, where Globitel is strongly present."

Fred Kornberg, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Comtech Telecommunications Corp., added: "Our partnership with Globitel with its top-of-the-line technical support and involved presence in the Middle East complemented our dedication to deliver advanced and secure location-based solutions across the 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks. Globitel's and Comtech's outstanding relationships with their network of customers in the Middle East, along with their technical competency, enabled them to play an active role in these projects, adding tremendous value in making these projects a success."

About Globitel

Globitel was founded in 1996 with commitment to technology innovation. The company has been providing advanced software solutions and high-quality products to customers in various vertical industries including telecom service providers, financial service providers, contact centers, government, education, and healthcare.

Globitel customizes its solutions and products to the local and regional needs of each of its customers. This covers a wide variety of products in Roaming, VAS, and Customer Care, all of which are backed by expert technical skills and professional services. For more information, please visit www.globitel.com.

About Comtech

The Location Technologies group of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. is a leading provider of precise device location, mapping and messaging solutions for public safety, mobile network operators, and enterprise solutions. Sold around the world to mobile network operators, government agencies, and Fortune 100 enterprises, our platforms locate, map, track and message.

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. is a leader in the global communications market headquartered in Melville, New York. With a passion for customer success, Comtech designs, produces and markets advanced secure wireless solutions to more than 1,000 customers in more than 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.comtechtel.com.

Contact:

Natalie Haddad

[email protected]

+962 (6) 5300 130

SOURCE Globitel

Related Links

http://www.globitel.com


CHICAGO, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Greensoil PropTech Ventures (GSPV) of Toronto on Thursday celebrated the sale of one of its portfolio companies, Goby, a Chicago-based data and invoice automation platform that helps buildings track, lower and report utility usage, to Conservice. Greensoil's investment in Goby dates to 2015 when they invested $4 million as lead of the first funding round through their Greensoil Building Innovation Fund (GBIF) and subsequently invested an additional $1 million in January 2017 and an additional $1 million in January of 2021, for a total of $6 million.

Founded in 2008, Goby is a leading environmental, social and governance (ESG) data management and reporting platform that has grown to serve hundreds of clients worldwide. Goby's users save time, mitigate risks and realize increased returns on their real estate investments, with the company's powerful software, which provides invoice automation, digitized workflows and analytics regarding a building's utility usage. Data collected by Goby's software allows building owners and operators to meet ESG-related goals and legal reporting requirements for energy usage.

Utah-based Conservice, is North America's largest utility management service. The firm pays more than $12 billion in utility bills, while serving over 5 million locations, including multi- and single-family housing and residential communities, commercial properties and student housing. Conservice has offered simplified utility management solutions since 2001.

"Greensoil PropTech Ventures congratulates Goby and Conservice," said Jamie James, Managing Partner with GSPV and a Goby board member. "Goby has excelled, for over a decade, with a powerful platform that captures and distills multiple data sources into simple, contextualized dashboards, tasks and reports. Its no wonder Goby proved an attractive acquisition given its ability to help property owners and operators cost-effectively monitor, reduce and report their buildings' energy usage."

The GSPV team has been working closely with a highly collaborative Goby management team and has two directors on Goby's board. While ESG reporting for commercial real estate was still in its nascent stages in 2015, it has become much more prominent now, leading to the space attracting highly capitalized and established incumbents to the market. This led to Goby receiving a strong acquisition offer ahead of expectations.

Conservice's acquisition of Goby comes on the heels of another Greensoil success  the sale earlier this week of 40% of its stake in Procore, which held a May initial public offering valuing the firm at $8.5 billion. Additionally, in March, Greensoil furthered its strategy of impact investing to digitize and decarbonize the built environment, with the recent launch of a $100 million (USD) fund called Greensoil PropTech Ventures Fund II. GSPV II seeks to invest in early to mid-stage companies that employ transformative property technologies in the U.S. and Canada, Europe and Israel.

GBIF is a pioneering $59 million (USD) PropTech-only venture capital fund, launched in 2015, with anchor funding from the London-based Grosvenor Group. Among other PropTech firms, it has successfully invested in companies that make smart home battery systems (ElectrIQ Power), a real estate deal management platform (Dealpath), wireless lighting controls (Amatis), carbon sequestering technology for concrete (CarbonCure) and construction management software (Procore).

ABOUT GREENSOIL PROPTECH VENTURES

Greensoil PropTech Ventures' mission is to digitize and decarbonize the built environment, the biggest asset class on the planet, which is responsible for up to 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. GSPV invests in early to mid-stage venture capital opportunities in North America, Europe and Israel that make real estate more productive, efficient and sustainable. Backed by real estate and institutional Limited Partners, GSPV has a successful track record of backing, scaling and exiting high-impact PropTech companies. For more information, visit gspv.vc or follow GSPV on Twitter and LinkedIn .

MEDIA

Daniel Axelrod, Shea Communications, [email protected], 646-599-9998

Sayla Nordin, Greensoil PropTech Ventures, [email protected], 416-557-0939

SOURCE Greensoil PropTech Ventures
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the largest nationwide SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence survey, funded by the CDC and supported by 17 blood collection organizations representing blood donations from across all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, published its latest findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). More than 1.5 million samples from blood donations were tested over 11 months, estimating an 83.3% rate for combined infection- and vaccine-induced antibodies, among other observations.

The multistate assessment of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in blood donors (MASS-BD) study was established in mid-2020 to further understand the percentage of people across the United States who have antibodies against SARS-CoV-2from previous infection or vaccinationand track how these rates change over time by region and demographic subgroups. The regions covered by the MASS-BD program represent 74% of the U.S. population greater than 16 years old. The study is led by Vitalant Research Institute and conducted in close collaboration with the CDC, the American Red Cross and Westat, Inc.



For each of the 66 regions established and included in the serosurvey, about 2,000 blood donation samples per month are tested for different SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to distinguish infection-induced from vaccine-induced seropositivity. The anonymous donor seroprevalence results are weighted to estimate general population infection and vaccination rates overall and by age group, sex, and race/ethnicity. Seroprevalence increased from 3.5% in July 2020 to 20.2% for infection-induced antibodies and to 83.3% for combined infection- and vaccine-induced antibodies by May 2021. While this is significant evidence of the positive impact of expanding vaccinations, it does not reflect national levels of immunity that are protective from infection at the individual or population levels (so-called herd immunity). In addition, the study documented that about 2.1 infections have occurred per clinically diagnosed case.

"This collaboration within the blood services community with the support of the CDC is contributing to an enhanced understanding of how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is spreading and the impact of vaccination on achieving population immunity," said Dr. Michael Busch, director of Vitalant Research Institute. "The act of donating blood not only helps save lives every day, but it is also providing critical research data to track the pandemic."

As this pandemic continues to evolve and new variants emerge, researchers stress the importance of continuing to utilize all safety measures availableincluding vaccinesto protect the health of the nation. Those who receive Food and Drug Administration approved or authorized vaccines are eligible to give blood providing they meet other eligibility requirements.



Media contact: Dr. Michael Busch, 415-407-2328

Related links: vitalant.org

SOURCE Vitalant
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Porte Brown LLC, www.PorteBrown.com, a Chicagoland accounting firm, is pleased to announce the firm was named a national Best of the Best firm by INSIDE Public Accounting (IPA). IPA, an award-winning news source for the accounting profession, releases annual rankings of the nation's largest accounting firms and the select top 50 Best of the Best firms.

Porte Brown named a national Best of the Best firm by INSIDE Public Accounting (IPA)

The top performers within the profession are ranked on more than 50 KPI metrics. The 2021 Best of the Best firms are selected based on specific key areas of management, growth and strategic vision and are singled out as some of the highest-performing public accounting firms across North America.

In 2021, more than 520 firms were eligible for this prestigious accolade by participating in IPA's 31st Annual Survey and Analysis of Firms. The IPA Best of the Best firms are scattered across the U.S. and Canada and come in all sizes, ranging from 11 employees to nearly 3,000. In addition to being named to the top 50 list Porte Brown has ranked as an IPA Top 200 firm for several years and is currently ranked at 151 in the nation.

"We are honored by this coveted mark of distinction, and we are incredibly grateful to have clients with high expectations and the desire to challenge the status quo," said Bruce Jones, CEO. "Being recognized by Inside Public Accounting is a big accomplishment for us and especially meaningful as we celebrate our firm's 75th anniversary this year," Jones continued.

A full list of the 2021 IPA Best of the Best firms can be found on the INSIDE Public Accounting website.

About Porte Brown

Porte Brown LLC is a full-service accounting and consulting firm headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove Village, Illinois. For more than 75 years, Porte Brown has focused on providing the highest level of service to individuals, businesses and organizations throughout the region. In addition to the traditional accounting services such as tax planning and preparation, audit, business valuations, and retirement plan administration. Porte Brown also provides strategic consulting and leading-edge technology implementation for clients in cloud and non-cloud environments. Wealth management services provided by Porte Brown Wealth Management LLC.*

Porte Brown serves accounting and consulting clients from offices in Illinois, Indiana, and Texas. For more information, visit www.portebrown.com or call 847-956-1040.

*Wealth Management Services provided by Porte Brown Wealth Management LLC. Securities offered through Avantax Investment ServicesSM, Member FINRA, SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Avantax Advisory ServicesSM. Insurance services offered through an Avantax affiliated insurance agency.

Contact:

Pam Metzger

[email protected]

847-956-1040

SOURCE Porte Brown, LLC

Related Links

https://www.portebrown.com/


ANCHORAGE, Ala., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kloosterboer International Forwarding LCC (KIF) and Alaska Reefer Management LLC (ARM) today filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, Alaska, to stop a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement action that threatens the ability to supply Alaska seafood to U.S. customers and consumers.

Without warning or explanation, CBP recently issued Notices of Penalty to companies that harvest, process, store and transport Alaska seafood products to the Eastern U.S. via the port of Bayside, New Brunswick, alleging violations of the Jones Act. This was a shock to the industry because the route targeted by CBP has been in place for approximately 20 years and relies on a long-established statutory exception to general Jones Act requirements. The route has also been the subject of multiple CBP rulings and court decisions that confirm its legality.

"We are reeling from crippling penalties, Customs has not been forthcoming to share specifics, and Customs' long-standing guidance tells us we are operating in compliance," said Per Brautaset, President of ARM. "We just didn't have a choice but to try and save our business and our partners' businesses, and all the jobs in Alaska and other communities that will be lost."

Until two weeks ago, the industry had received no hint that CBP was reconsidering its longstanding approval of the route and preparing notices of penalties amounting to over $350 million dollars. Nothing in the Notices of Penalty provides any specificity about the alleged conduct that constitutes a Jones Act violation, or any rationale for CBP's apparent reversal of its longstanding ruling.

"We are grateful for the support of many members of the U.S. seafood supply chain and their legislators who are concerned by this apparent shift in interpretation without warning," said Jennifer Adamski, Director of Logistics & Operations for KIF. "We were forced to halt shipping almost two weeks ago, which has created food supply disruptions and economic hardship to our industry, our customers, and our workers  who risk losing their jobs in Alaska and elsewhere."

To download and review the court filing, click here.

About Kloosterboer International Forwarding

Kloosterboer International Forwarding is a small business formed in Alaska, which arranges with all parts of the supply chain to move goods from Dutch Harbor, Alaska -- the heart of the Bering Sea fisheries  to various customers around the world. Together with its affiliate, Alaska Reefer Management, it contracts with ship owners, cold storage operators, trucking and fishing companies to move cargos in a temperature-controlled setting to further processors in preparation for sale to consumers.

About Alaska Reefer Management

Alaska Reefer Management, LLC is a specialized reefer carrier servicing the Alaska seafood industry and other global trades, providing full-service capabilities to transport products port-to-port.

SOURCE Kloosterboer International Forwarding; Alaska Reefer Management
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lawyers for the victims of the lethal Labor Day 2019 MV CONCEPTION dive boat fire off the coast of Santa Barbara today filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Coast Guard. The complaint alleges that the agency must be held accountable for repeatedly certifying the "fire trap" small passenger vessel that was riddled with blatant life-safety violations  including a non-compliant, overloaded electrical system - linked to the September 2, 2019 inferno.

The complaint (Estate of Lisa Fiedler, et al. v. United States of America, U.S. District Court Central District of California, No. 2:21-cv-07065) was filed by the plaintiffs' legal team on behalf of the victims who perished in the worst such disaster in American maritime history.

Jeffrey P. Goodman, a partner at Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky, P.C., and speaking for the legal team, said, "There are two very different sides to the United States Coast Guard. First, you have the brave men and women who risk their lives in critical safety missions. They continue to have the appreciation and admiration of us all. However, the other side of the Coast Guard is responsible for ensuring that only properly certified vessels are on the waters. The Coast Guard has failed in that mission for decades by not enforcing certification requirements and routinely allowing non-compliant and unsafe vessels on the water. Had the Coast Guard properly inspected CONCEPTION, it never would have been certified, never set sail, and these 34 victims would not have lost their lives. Sadly, certifying non-compliant vessels is commonplace at the Coast Guard. The time has come for the Coast Guard to be held accountable for its failures to protect those victims and prevent future maritime disasters on America's waterways."

Mr. Goodman serves as co-lead counsel along with John Hillsman of McGuinn, Hillsman & Palefsky and Gretchen M. Nelson of Nelson & Fraenkel, LLP. Multiple additional firms actively participated in the preparation of the complaint and will be pursuing claims against the Coast Guard on behalf of the victims.

The complaint alleges that the Coast Guard acted negligently and carelessly by certifying CONCEPTION (first launched in 1981) even though it was in clear violation of the Coast Guard's "own protocols, procedures, and checklists" that were developed and enacted to ensure proper vessel design, engineering, and safe operations. Specific, documented inspection and enforcement lapses by the Coast Guard detailed in the complaint included:

A diesel-powered electrical system that did not comply with any of the standards set forth in wiring standards under 46 CFR 183.340 and was composed not of UL Boat or Marine cable called for by such standards but of cheap, everyday Romex wire of the kind one would buy at Home Depot. The vessel's inadequate electrical system was already stressed by the addition of the nitrox generation system to the point where the galley stove and the nitrox system could not be operated at the same time. Despite the obvious hazards, passengers were encouraged to freely charge their various battery-powered devices in the patchwork electrical system.

Non-compliant fire detection and suppression systems, and passenger-accommodation escape routes that were in open and obvious violation of Coast Guard regulations. The passenger salon and all of its furnishings were also flammable, including the carpeting on the deck and the acoustic tile on the overhead.

A closed and unmarked, twenty-two-inch-by-twenty-two-inch emergency-escape hatch tucked into the overhead above the aftermost berths in the longitudinal block of single bunks which opened onto a cramped space beneath the aftermost counter in the salon.

It was unsurprising that after the disaster, when the Coast Guard inspected CONCEPTION's sistership VISION, it "discovered numerous glaring deficiencies in VISION's wiring and electrical systems, fire detection and suppression systems, and passenger-accommodation escape hatch."

SOURCE Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky P.C.
BRATTLEBORO, Vt., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- School for International Training is pleased to announce the launch of the Fall 2021 SIT Critical Conversations Webinar Series beginning in mid-September. These 19 free webinars are designed to inspire dialogue on global, interdisciplinary critical global issues.

As keynote speaker for this series, Harvard Professor Homi K. Bhabha will discuss representations and epistemologies of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Considered a leading voice in postcolonial theory, Bhabha is Harvard's Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities in the English and Comparative Literature Departments.

"This semester, we continue to focus our attention on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion as it pertains to our students, partners, and community," said Meghan McMillan, SIT graduate programs outreach manager. "We hope these new webinars will engage the wider SIT community in important dialogues at a critical time."

SIT is a leading provider of undergraduate study abroad programs on all continents and global and hybrid graduate degrees.

Other speakers for the webinar series represent a diverse pool of researchers, scholars and community leaders including SIT faculty, program alumni, and thought leaders from partner schools in the United States and abroad.

The series kicks off on September 14 and takes place over three months. Topics include Gen Z and DEI in education abroad; critical tools in gender and queer studies; and even soap-making and cooking demonstrations.

The sessions will help prospective students experience an SIT program, navigate the admissions process, and hear from distinguished SIT alumni. Virtual open houses will give participants a glimpse into SIT locations in Samoa, India, and Ecuador.

These events aim to expand on the Critical Conversations Webinar Series in fall 2020 and spring 2021. Those webinars provided a platform for SIT to engage with people around the world when in-person events were not possible. More than 2,500 faculty, staff, alumni, and other global citizens participated in the two semester-long series.

To view the full schedule of events and register for the fall 2021 series, visit the Critical Conversations webpage. The sessions are free and open to all. SIT encourages participation from partner institutions and alumni, as well anyone interested in discovering SIT for the first time.

Contact:

Kate Casa

802-258-3527

[email protected]

SOURCE School for International Training
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global livestock monitoring market size is expected to reach USD 13.50 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 16.56% from 2021 to 2028. An increase in the population of livestock animals, coupled with the farmer's focus on increasing yield and productivity, is the key contributor to the market growth.

Key Insights & Findings:

The cattle animal type segment held the largest share of over 45.0% in 2020 owing to the rising demand for beef and dairy products

The software component segment is expected to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period. This is because the software has promoted interoperability between different data management systems and ultimately added value for customers

The feeding management application segment accounted for the largest revenue share of more than 27.0% in 2020. This can be attributed to the high demand for feeding management to monitor the food intake of the animal

North America dominated the market with a revenue share of over 31.0% in 2020 due to the presence of well-established companies and technologically advanced infrastructure

Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period owing to the presence of the high potential and rapidly growing economies, including India , Japan , and China , in this region

Read 147 page market research report, "Livestock Monitoring Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Animal Type (Cattle, Poultry), By Component (Hardware, Software), By Application, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028", by Grand View Research

The key advantages of livestock monitoring such as milk harvesting, feeding management, animal health monitoring, and behavior monitoring are anticipated to drive the market. Furthermore, there is an increase in the adoption of internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) by livestock farmers. This is due to an increase in internet penetration and widespread technological advancement.

There is an increased demand for animal products and thus several countries are focusing on livestock rearing. This has led to an increase in the livestock population. In addition, a prevalence of zoonotic diseases is fueling the growth of the market. This is because these disease outbreaks in the livestock can be major socioeconomic threats, resulting in production loss and disruption of local markets, rural economy, and international trade. Factors like these are expected to encourage the adoption of livestock monitoring systems among livestock owners.

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an unexpected crisis in the general agricultural processing industries and the processing of dairy products. The onset of the pandemic has caused tremendous economic losses to the beef, pork, poultry, and dairy industries worldwide. As the COVID-19 virus spread across the globe, several industries evaluated its impact on their businesses. Given the increased demand for goods as consumers stocked up for possible quarantines or restricted their visits to the grocery stores, companies faced challenges to cope with the increasing demand and protect the supply chain. However, with the improving situations, the market is expected to witness growth in the coming years.

Industry players are involved in strategies including mergers & acquisitions, collaborative agreements, and geographic expansion to gain an edge over the competition. For instance, in February 2021, Fancom announced an enhanced version of the light control for Lumina 38H and 36/38 poultry computers. In another instance, in February 2021, MSD Animal Health announced the acquisition of PrognostiX Poultry Limited, a provider of health and environmental monitoring solutions for the poultry business, which expanded its product portfolio.

Grand View Research has segmented the global livestock monitoring market on the basis of animal type, component, application, and region:

Livestock Monitoring Animal Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Cattle



Poultry



Swine



Equine



Others

Livestock Monitoring Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Hardware



Software



Services

Livestock Monitoring Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Milk Harvesting



Breeding Management



Feeding Management



Animal Health Monitoring & Comfort



Heat Stress



Behavior Monitoring



Others

Livestock Monitoring Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



Germany





U.K.





France





Italy





Spain



Asia Pacific



Japan





China





India



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico





Argentina



Middle East and Africa (MEA)

and (MEA)

Saudi Arabia





South Africa

List of Key Players of Livestock Monitoring Market

DeLaval Inc

GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft Ottobock

Afimilk Ltd.

Sensaphone

BouMatic

MSD Animal Health

Dairymaster

Fancom BV

Lely

Fullwood Packo

Check out more studies related to Global Animal Health Industry, conducted by Grand View Research:

CBD Pet Market  The global CBD pet market size was valued at USD 125.00 million in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 58.9% from 2021 to 2028.

in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 58.9% from 2021 to 2028. India Veterinary Artificial Insemination MarketThe India veterinary artificial insemination market size was valued at USD 80.5 million in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.7% from 2021 to 2028.

in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.7% from 2021 to 2028. Veterinary Services Market  The global veterinary services market size was valued at USD 97.34 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7% from 2021 to 2028.

Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports

About Grand View Research:

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:



Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Marquee Brands, DRINKS, and Martha Stewart Wine Co. , the online wine collection featuring a selection of wines hand-picked by America's lifestyle expert Martha Stewart, celebrates a year of landmark partnerships, including new collections with Kroger, The Wine Shop on the Instacart Marketplace and Macy's Wine Shop, and unprecedented growth in customer demand as online wine continues to surge in popularity.

"Over the past four years, I have sampled thousands of wines for our Martha Stewart Wine Co. customers. Only the best bottles make the cut," said Martha Stewart. "As we approach the holiday season, I am excited to share these delicious and affordable wines with the millions of Instacart and Macy's Wine Shop customers across the nation. Now, it's easier than ever to pour the right wine, and enjoy the best wine, at every occasion."

Origins + Early Brand Expansion



Martha Stewart Wine Co. offers customers the option to purchase individual bottles, curated packs, or a no-obligation quarterly wine club, as well as special occasion gift memberships all with the convenience and safety of home delivery. Since its founding in 2017, the brand has developed a loyal following and has methodically expanded its reach through various strategic partnerships:



In 2018, Martha began showcasing her namesake wines during on-air appearances on QVC , resulting in numerous sold-out promotions

, resulting in numerous sold-out promotions In 2019, the brand partnered with DRINKS Wine as a Service (WaaS) client Boxed to offer exclusive sets of wines to its customers

to offer exclusive sets of wines to its customers That same year, Martha Stewart introduced her flagship capsule collection with Wine Insiders , the Internet's preeminent destination for premium wine at everyday low prices; wines from the Martha Stewart Wine Co. collection are now in more than 20% of Wine Insiders orders

Surging Growth of Online Wine + New Partnerships



Martha Stewart Wine Co. has been steadily growing since its inception and the last year was the most pivotal in the brand's history in which it tripled sales.

During the same period, DRINKS expanded the network of high-profile storefronts for Martha Stewart Wine Co.:



Kroger: Last month, the brand introduced a collection on Kroger Wine bringing Martha's unique collection of affordable premium wine to Kroger's ship-to-home program reaching customers in 19 states, plus Washington D.C.

Last month, the brand introduced a collection on bringing Martha's unique collection of affordable premium wine to Kroger's ship-to-home program reaching customers in 19 states, plus Macy's : In May, the brand debuted a collection on Macy's Wine Shop , the retailer's new online wine store

: In May, the brand debuted a collection on , the retailer's new online wine store Instacart: In late 2020, the brand curated a collection of wines for The Wine Shop on the Instacart marketplace, a ship-to-home wine offering available exclusively on Instacart  representing Martha Stewart Wine Co.'s first foray into reaching the massively growing audience of online delivery platforms

"Martha Stewart is undoubtedly the queen of entertaining, with one of the most expansive and enduring lifestyle brands in the world. Four years ago  before the world was paying attention  Martha recognized the unmet opportunity in online wine," said Zac Brandenberg, Co-founder & CEO of DRINKS. "We were honored to partner with her and bring Martha Stewart Wine Co. to life. Today, we're thrilled to see how the brand has grown and evolved to span not only its DTC online shop, but also to other retailers, brands, and marketplaces."



About Martha Stewart Wine Co.

Martha Stewart Wine Co. , powered by online adult beverage leader DRINKS, is a curated wine collection and online wine shop featuring a selection of wines hand-picked by America's lifestyle expert Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart Wine Co. offers a selection of delicious, affordable, and Martha-approved wines to customers in 41 states plus D.C., with fast, no-cost shipping on orders of more than six bottles. Martha Stewart Wine Co. offerings include red, white, sparkling, and rose varietals, available by individual bottles and in packs of six or twelve. Customers can also choose to join an effortless wine club, receiving a 12-pack of hand-picked wine every 12 weeks.

About DRINKS

DRINKS ( http://www.drinks.com ) connects retailers, brands, and marketplaces to the $250 billion alcohol market. The company's innovative Wine as a Service (WaaS) platform enables its partners to bring adult beverages safely and conveniently to their customers across the United States in 1-2 days. DRINKS optimizes alcohol e-commerce with its patented DRINKS IQ technology, which empowers retailers to leverage AI-based predictive merchandising and marketing to personalize customer experiences. DRINKS was named a top place to work by Built In LA for the last three years, one of America's Best Startup Employers by Forbes for the past two years, and was recognized as the Most Innovative Retail Model by Modern Retail in 2020.

About Marquee Brands

Marquee Brands is a leading global brand owner and marketer. Owned by investor funds managed by Neuberger Berman, one of the world's leading employee-owned investment managers, Marquee Brands targets high-quality brands with strong consumer awareness and long-term growth potential. Marquee Brands seeks to identify brands in various consumer product segments with the goal of expanding their reach across retail channels, geography, and product categories while preserving the brand heritage and enhancing the ultimate consumer experience. Through its global team of professionals and partners, Marquee Brands monitors trends and markets in order to grow and manage brands in partnership with retailers, licensees, and manufacturers through engaging, impactful, strategic planning, marketing, and e-commerce. www.marqueebrands.com. In 2019, Marquee Brands acquired the Martha Stewart brand, which reaches approximately 100 million consumers across all media and merchandising platforms each month. Martha Stewart is the Founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and America's most trusted lifestyle expert and teacher. Her branded products can be found in more than 70 million households and have a growing retail presence in thousands of locations.

Media Contact:

Deserae Longo

[email protected]

(212) 564-3665

SOURCE DRINKS

Related Links

http://www.drinks.com


TOTOWA, N.J., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Medin Technologies, Inc. (www.medin.com), a leading orthopedic industry contract manufacturer, announced that Bob Baker has joined the company as Chief Executive Officer and a member of its board of directors.

Bob joins Medin with an accomplished background in strategic, commercial and operational leadership in the orthopedic industry, having most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Glebar Company, a leading manufacturer of advanced grinding machine systems for the medical device industry and other end markets. In his tenure at Glebar, Bob led a strategic transformation of the business, restructuring the company to address new market challenges, upgrading operations, and completing several strategic add-on acquisitions.

"I am honored to be joining Medin at such a pivotal moment for the orthopedic industry," said Bob. "Demand for quality orthopedic products continues to increase as the market begins to address the backlog of elective procedures created by the global pandemic. Medin and AMT are well positioned to meet this global demand through optimized production and product diversification. This is an incredible opportunity and I look forward to working with this great team through the combined companies' next phase of growth."

"We are thrilled and excited to have Bob join the team as CEO for Medin and AMT," said Mark Kammert, Partner of Seven Point Partners, LLC. "Bob has a proven track record in demonstrating outstanding leadership qualities and delivering exceptional value to customers. As Medin and AMT's growth continues to accelerate in the post-COVID environment, we are confident that Bob is the right leader to expand market opportunity in medical contract manufacturing, while at the same time building on the company's strong reputation for world class quality, product design, and customer responsiveness."

Seven Point Partners LLC (www.sevenpointpartners.com) owns Medin Technologies and its sister company, AMT Medical, Inc. (www.teamamt.com).

"OEM customers in the medical device and orthopedic implant sector have necessarily high expectations in terms of quality, design and product delivery," said Seven Point Managing Partner Tom Burchill. "Bob's strong track record of commercial and operational excellence in the medical products industry is ideal to meet this need while simultaneously driving long-term revenue growth, profitability and outstanding outcomes for our valued customers."

Prior to joining Glebar, Bob was Vice President, Operations at Stryker Corporation, in support of the Orthopedics Group. Previously, he was a Captain in the U.S. Army, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

About Medin Technologies, Inc.

Medin Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Totowa, New Jersey, designs and manufactures highly engineered, custom-designed sterilization cases and trays for the world's largest orthopedic medical device companies. The company collaborates with orthopedic OEMs around the world to supply visually arresting, durable, and reliable sterilization cases that showcase the brand identities of its orthopedic and surgical device customers. As a supplier to the medical industry for more than fifty years, Medin is known for its vertical integration, engineering capabilities, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and superior quality to meet its customers' needs. For more information, please visit www.medin.com.

Medin's sister company, AMT Medical, Inc., headquartered in Monroe, Washington, is a contract manufacturer of orthopedic implants and surgical instruments. The company prides itself on solving complex technical challenges and meeting the exacting quality demands of its OEM customers. Engineering and production professionals work directly with OEM engineers to develop quality and performance enhancements, as well as improved manufacturability. AMT is known for its advanced manufacturing capabilities and high level of quality. For nearly twenty years, the company has delivered exceptional value to its customers, helping them get to market faster with superior product quality and providing them with long-term supply reliability. For more information, please visit www.teamamt.com.

About Seven Point Equity Partners, LLC

Seven Point Equity Partners, LLC, based in Hialeah, Florida, is an operationally focused, value oriented private investment firm dedicated to achieving exceptional long-term returns for its investors. Seven Point concentrates on control equity investments in lower middle market companies, principally in North America. Seven Point partners with companies that have complex business and capital structure challenges and can benefit from ability of Seven Point's Operating Partners to drive operational improvement. The firm's differentiated funding approach allows Seven Point to back management teams patiently over a long investment horizon as they do the hard work to build great businesses and create fundamental value. More information about Seven Point can be found at www.sevenpointpartners.com.

Contact: Mark Kammert

Seven Point Equity Partners, LLC

[email protected]

(203) 604-0323

SOURCE Medin Technologies

Related Links

http://www.medin.com


SINGAPORE, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Metaverse Blockchain Fusion NFT company, Coinllectibles, a fully owned subsidiary of Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. (OTC: COSG) is pleased to announce that it has partnered with OKEx to auction the inaugural batch of Fusion NFTs via OKEx's newly established NFT market place.

The first 3 Fusion NFTs for auction are ceramic artworks that Coinllectibles has acquired from Dr. Herbert Lee. They form part of the 2021 Coinllectibles Bronze Series 1, with independent valuations that range from HKD 500,000 (USD64,300) to HKD 1,000,000 (USD128,600). These items will be exclusively auctioned at OKEx's NFT marketplace.

The minted Coinllectibles Fusion NFTs will each contain documents that unequivocally describe the ownership of, and the rights in, the collectible. They will also contain the appraisal report of the collectible from a third party independent valuer.

Successful bidders for these Fusion NFTs will be among the first in the world to own a collectible that can be put on physical display in the "by invitation only" Coinllectibles Fusion NFT Art Gallery at Hong Kong's prestigious Victoria Dockside, when the gallery is launched later this year. The owners of the Fusion NFTs will have the right to visit the gallery and to be named as the owner of the collectible. They also have the right to take possession of the physical collectibles and display them in their private gallery.

Commenting on the Coinllectibles Fusion NFT launch, Toby O'Connor, the CEO of Coinllectibles said, "We are very excited over the launch. We have worked hard in the last few months to get to this point. There were a lot of parts that the Coinllectibles team needed to get right to get here today, including selecting the art pieces, preparing the appraisal reports, clearing the legal processes, and programming the Fusion NFTs. This is an important first step as it will set the precedent for the subsequent Fusion NFTs we will be launching. We already have a pipeline of curated collectible Fusion NFTs that we will be launching, as well as outreach events lined up."

"In terms of the sale of the Fusion NFTs, we expect them to do well. Alongside a good market environment for NFTs, we feel the Coinllectibles Fusion NFTs are nicely differentiated. Successful bidders are buying a piece of history in the making. I believe Coinllectibles is one of the first to include ownership documentation onto the block chain and we are paving the way to build a diverse portfolio of both historical and modern art, to be minted into Coinllectibles Fusion NFTs," added Toby.

"I am delighted that these ceramic artworks will find new owners. I am very excited about how we have successfully applied blockchain technology together with sound legal principles to the ownership of arts and collectibles to create these Coinllectibles Fusion NFTs. We will continue to invest resources to enhance our Fusion NFTs to set industry standards in this space," said Dr Herbert Lee, Advisory Board Chairman of Coinllectibles.

Collaboration with OKEx NFT marketplace

OKEx is one of the largest digital asset exchanges with daily trading volume in excess of US$4billion. Building on its existing business success, OKEx has just launched a new NFT marketplace and they have selected Coinllectibles Fusion NFTs as one of the pioneer batches of NFTs to be sold on their platform.

Commenting on the collaboration with Coinllectibles, Jay Hao said, "We are delighted to partner with Coinllectibles to launch the world's first Fusion NFTs on our newly established OKEx NFT marketplace. We have done very well as an asset exchange and we want our NFT marketplace to be successful. Hence a reason why we decided to work with Coinllectibles is because we believe that their project is very credible, their Fusion NFTs are ground breaking and our companies will mutually benefit from this collaboration."

With respect to the OKEx and Coinllectibles collaboration, Toby commented, "It's definitely a privilege that our first batch of Fusion NFTs is also part of the pioneer cohort of projects launched on OKEx's new NFT marketplace. We are looking forward to even more collaboration as we put more Fusion NFTs up on their platform for sale over the next few months."

For pre-registration of interest for future Fusion NFT drops, please visit www.Coinllectibles.Art or join the Coinllectibles Telegram Channel at https://t.me/Coinllectibles.

About Cosmos Group Holdings Inc.

Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. (OTC: COSG) was formerly a television network and multimedia information and distribution company focused on serving the homeland security and emergency preparedness industry. The group's future will focus in the development of blockchain NFT technologies and platforms to facilitate the global trading of arts and collectibles.

About the Company  Coinllectibles 

Coinllectibles is an ACT (Arts and Collectibles Technology) company, which is redefining how the world thinks about art and collectible ownership in the digital age.

Their minted curated Fusion NFTs, capture all the rights and independent valuation and ownership of physical arts and collectibles securely underpinned by smart contracts stored on the blockchain.

Coinllectibles Fusion NFTs bridge the physical and virtual dimensions of the arts and collectibles market, providing a pleasurable, transparent, and frictionless experience to customers from all walks of life.

Website: www.coinllectibles.art

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Coinllectibles

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coinllectibles/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/coinllectibles

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coinllectibles

Telegram: https://t.me/Coinllectibles

About Coinllectibles  Fusion NFT 

Coinllectibles prides the Fusion NFT as the industry "Gold Standard". Being a Gold Standard, a Fusion NFT contains the following on the Inter Planetary File System (IPFS)  (1) a sale and purchase agreement reflecting the purchase, by the person minting the Fusion NFT, of the underlying asset at a fair value with all rights and restrictions clearly detailed, (2) bailment terms governing the rights to possession whilst the underlying asset remains with Coinllectibles, (3) a transfer deed reflecting the transfer of the ownership of the underlying asset (together with all rights and restrictions) by the transferor to the holder of the Fusion NFT, (4) ownership title deed written into the description of the Fusion NFT and (5) the unequivocal identification file of the underlying asset, whose ownership is reflected in the title deed represented by the Fusion NFT.

About the Exchange  OKEx

OKEx is a world-leading digital asset exchange, providing advanced financial services to traders worldwide leveraging blockchain technology.

OKEx's platform offers spot & derivatives trading helping traders optimize their strategy. It provides a safe, reliable and stable environment for digital assets trading via web interface and mobile app by adopting GSLB, and distributed server clusters.

OKEx believes blockchain technology will eliminate barriers to transactions, increase the efficiency of transactions across society, and eventually have a significant impact on the global economy. OKEx strives to achieve something that changes the world and never stops to innovate and improve on customer experience.

Website: https://www.okex.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/okexofficial/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okex_exchange/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OKEx

LinkedIn: https://sc.linkedin.com/company/okex

Contact: Ms Rachel Lim, Director of Sales and Marketing, +852-28398100, [email protected]

SOURCE Cosmos Group Holdings Inc.
ZUG, Switzerland, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitto, a leading provider of global omnichannel communications solutions, today announced it enables optimized reach to 100% of Argentina's mobile phone users through direct connectivity to all of the country's mobile network operators (MNOs). By growing its strategic carrier relationships, Mitto supports businesses' omnichannel growth strategies through fast, reliable message routing with full access into Argentina, where over 73% of citizens  or about 33 million people  own a mobile phone.

The expansion of Mitto's carrier relationships in Argentina builds upon the company's fast-growing MNO partner ecosystem, which powers comprehensive, high-quality customer engagement via omnichannel communications for global brands. Recent news includes direct connectivity to the top three MNOs in Switzerland and Japan.

Argentina's total imports grew 70.7% year over year in April 2021, according to CEIC. In addition, market analysis shows Argentinians are constantly looking for an overall better customer and shopping experience. Therefore, while significant business potential exists in Argentina brands may face a battle to attract consumers.

"In a crowded market, strong customer engagement becomes an imperative to achieving success, either as a local or international business. With over 33 million mobile phone users in Argentina, taking an omnichannel messaging approach across SMS, WhatsApp, and more is a logical way to help companies drive awareness and provide support to their customer base right at their fingertips," said Carlos Losada, Mitto's Regional Director for LATAM. "Through our expanded direct connectivity in Argentina, we have never been in a better position to help companies reach their customers in the right ways."

Mitto has a decade of experience enhancing omnichannel messaging through quality technologies, an advanced routing platform, and strategic direct partnerships with hundreds of operators throughout the world. The company enables optimized communications experiences for the entire ecosystem of MNOs, messaging aggregators, global brands, and consumers.

For more information, please visit mitto.ch

About Mitto:

Mitto is a leading provider of global, omnichannel communications solutions, supporting business growth with advanced customer engagement technology and messaging enablement. Offering easy-to-integrate SMS, Voice, and Chat App APIs, next-generation business messaging, and end-to-end phone number management, Mitto's platform ensures the world's largest brands and MNOs are ready for what's next. Follow Mitto on Twitter: @mittoglobal .

CONTACT:

SHIFT Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Mitto

Related Links

http://mitto.ch


PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Museum of American Jewish History will emerge from its Chapter 11 Reorganization on or around September 15th, thanks to a $10 million commitment by former Trustee Mitchell Morgan and his family.

The Morgan Family's commitment allows the institution to eliminate its debt and provides a pathway to stability for the only museum in the nation dedicated exclusively to exploring and interpreting the American Jewish experience.

NMAJH initially filed for Reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on March 1st, 2020; the Reorganization plan was confirmed on September 1st by Chief Judge Magdeline D. Coleman, of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

"We're living in a time that requires us to reflect on our values, and a time when our country needs institutions like the National Museum of American Jewish History that represent freedom and inclusivity," Mitchell Morgan said. "Our family's commitment is the gift of time to ensure the Museum can offer all its visitors the chance to explore American history through the lens of the Jewish experience. We wish this to be a contribution that will encourage more people to play a role in the Museum's future by providing different perspectives on how immigrants and religious minorities have positively impacted our great nation for centuries."

"Mitch is a mensch and a hero in the Jewish community," said Dr. Misha Galperin, NMAJH CEO. "The initiative Mitch and his family have shown brings stability to this Philadelphia institution and preserves a beautiful treasure for the Jewish community, for the City of Philadelphia, and for our nation."

Through their commitment, the Morgan Family will purchase the Museum building on terms that are highly favorable to the Museum, providing the funds necessary for the Museum to eliminate its burdensome debt. The facilities will be leased back at a nominal rate, alleviating the costs of day-to-day operations and instead giving the Museum time to focus on its important mission, anchored in the James Polshek-designed building at the historic corner of Philadelphia's Market Street and Independence Mall. The Museum will have the option to buy back the facilities in full at a later time.

The Morgan Family is not alone in its generosity to the Museum as it has worked in earnest to reorganize in the midst of a pandemic. A number of the Museum's individual bondholders, a list that includes Morgan, are also contributors who generously forgave debt totaling $14 million.

Since its galleries closed to the public, the Museum has been steadfastly focused on a strategic planning process to ensure a stable, visionary future. Among these initiatives, the Museum is being promoted for inclusion into the Smithsonian Institution, a proposal that is earning bipartisan support in Congress. Thirty-seven members of the U.S. House of Representatives and twenty-three U.S. senators have championed legislation encouraging the Smithsonian to explore a plan for acquiring the Museum.

The Museum will continue operating virtually with a robust online programming schedule while strategizing for reopening.

"We are champing at the bit to carry the NMAJH story into its next decade," said Galperin, the Museum's CEO. "We stand today energized for our bright future."

Download NMAJH images and Morgan Group Photo; credit lines enclosed

ABOUT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY

Established in 1976, and situated on Philadelphia's Independence Mall, the National Museum of American Jewish History is the only museum in the nation dedicated exclusively to exploring and interpreting the American Jewish experience. NMAJH presents educational programs and experiences that preserve, explore, and celebrate the history of Jews in America. Its purpose is to connect Jews more closely to their heritage and to inspire in people of all backgrounds a greater appreciation for the diversity of the American Jewish experience and the freedoms to which Americans aspire. http://nmajh.org

ABOUT MITCHELL MORGAN Mitchell Morgan is a former NMAJH Trustee who served for 12 years. The Mount Airy native worked full-time through business school and law school at Temple University, where he currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Since 1985, he has served as founder and CEO of Morgan Properties , the nation's largest private multifamily owner. Through the Morgan Family Foundation, Mitchell and his family have supported NMAJH, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The Barnes Foundation, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and many more local institutions.

SOURCE National Museum of American Jewish History
FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 20; Released: June 2021 Executive Pool: 29767 Companies: 151 - Players covered include AFC Energy Plc; Air Liquide S.A.; Ballard Power Systems, Inc.; Bloom Energy Corporation; Ceres Power Holdings plc; Doosan Fuel Cell America, Inc.; FuelCell Energy, Inc.; Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Pte Ltd.; Hydrogenics Corporation; ITM Power Plc; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.; Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.; Nuvera Fuel Cells, LLC; Plug Power Inc.; Proton OnSite; SFC Energy AG; Siemens Industry, Inc.; Teledyne Energy Systems, Inc.; UltraCell LLC and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Type (Proton Exchange Membrane, Phosphoric Acid, Molten Carbonate, Solid Oxide, Other Types); Application (Stationary, Transportation, Portable) Geographies: World; USA; Canada; Japan; China; Europe; France; Germany; Italy; UK; Spain; Russia; Rest of Europe; Asia-Pacific; South Korea; Rest of Asia-Pacific; Latin America; Rest of World.

Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry

ABSTRACT-



Global Fuel Cells Market to Reach US$20.2 Billion by the Year 2026

Fuel cells are designed to generate electricity through eco-friendly methods without releasing harmful greenhouse gases. Growth in the global market is set to be driven by rising focus on alternative energy sources, efforts to de-carbonize energy usage, adoption of hydrogen in transportation and government regulations. Strong support extended by governments the world over, increased R&D funding for fuel cell research projects, reformation in emission legislations, and ensuing boost given to high profile fuel cell projects, are all factors driving growth in the industry. The technology is garnering attention owing to rising awareness regarding various advantages of these cells, private/public partnerships, and low environmental impact. Various governments are developing policies and frameworks and offering funding to support R&D in this direction. Fuel cells have enormous potential for power generation purposes, in large-scale power projects, combined heat and generation (CHP) programs and in distributed power systems, since several developing countries face energy shortages and deficient grid-based systems. Unlike conventional batteries, fuel cells can continuously generate power provided the source fuel supply is available, thus making them suitable for varied applications. Rising demand for portable devices constitutes another major driver of growth in the fuel calls market. Given the higher energy density of fuel cells compared to batteries, these are emerging as ideal alternatives for use in portable electronic devices.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Fuel Cells estimated at US$7.6 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$20.2 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 17.9% over the analysis period. Proton Exchange Membrane, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 17.9% CAGR to reach US$15.8 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Phosphoric Acid segment is readjusted to a revised 18.2% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 12.3% share of the global Fuel Cells market. Based on their lightweight nature and ability to curb greenhouse gas emissions, proton exchange membrane fuel cells are commonly used in transportation applications. Some of the other major applications of these cells include portable and stationary or distributed electricity generation. The segment growth is anticipated to be bolstered by increasing requirement of large-scale multi-megawatt power generation units to serve off-grid and remote areas.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $2 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $2.7 Billion by 2026

The Fuel Cells market in the U.S. is estimated at US$2 Billion in the year 2021. The country currently accounts for a 24.31% share in the global market. China, the world's second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$2.7 Billion in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 25.3% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 15% and 17.7% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 17% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$3.5 Billion by the end of the analysis period. In North America, market growth benefits from the rising acceptance of EVs, technological advances, favorable regulations, federal government investments, presence of major players and public/private partnerships. Growth in Asia-Pacific is supported by the escalating need to reduce energy consumption in various end-use sectors, rising demand for clean energy solutions, and persistent increase in investments and technology advancements associated with fuel cell technology. In Japan, growing concerns over supply security associated with petroleum fuels is driving a shift towards clean energy technologies, thus fueling growth in the fuel cells market. The market is also being bolstered by the availability of capital subsidies for local manufacturers of fuel cells.

Molten Carbonate Segment to Reach $1.9 Billion by 2026

In the global Molten Carbonate segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 16% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$642.6 Million in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$1.8 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$300.9 Million by the year 2026. More

MarketGlass Platform

Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide.

Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years.

CONTACTS:

Zak Ali

Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: [email protected]

LINKS

Join Our Expert Panel

https://www.strategyr.com/Panelist.asp



Connect With Us on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-industry-analysts-inc./



Follow Us on Twitter

https://twitter.com/marketbytes



Journalists & Media

[email protected]

SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.strategyr.com


FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 18; Released: June 2021 Executive Pool: 2437 Companies: 274 - Players covered include AHF LLC; Barlinek SA; Beaulieu International Group; Boral Limited; Brumark Corporation; Kahrs Group; Mannington Mills, Inc.; Mohawk Industries, Inc.; PT Dharma Satya Nusantara Tbk; Shaw Industries Group, Inc.; SWISS KRONO Group; Tarkett, Inc. and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Product Segment (Engineered Wood, Solid Wood); End-Use (Residential, Industrial, Commercial) Geographies: World; USA; Canada; Japan; China; Europe; France; Germany; Italy; UK; Spain; Russia; Rest of Europe; Asia-Pacific; Australia; India; South Korea; Rest of Asia-Pacific; Latin America; Argentina; Brazil; Mexico; Rest of Latin America; Middle East; Iran; Israel; Saudi Arabia; UAE; Rest of Middle East; Africa.

Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry

ABSTRACT-



Global Wood Flooring Market to Reach US$55.8 Billion by the Year 2026

Flooring plays a pivotal role in enhancing the aesthetic appeal of virtually all utilitarian structures, including residential, industrial and commercial buildings. Among the flooring types, wood floors are considered environment friendly, durable, and easy to clean. Changing lifestyles, growing urban population in Asia-Pacific region, rise in spending on home renovation and enhancement, and increasing consumer demand for eco-friendly materials are some of the key growth drivers augmenting demand for wood flooring. With refinancing, housing, and remodeling trends remaining strong, the prospects for wood sales are bright. The generally positive outlook and stable demand for wood flooring is also spurred by advances in material and technology, which include water-resistant products and digital printing. New construction and greater penetration into higher-end markets also boosts market prospects. Going forward, preference for green products is expected to kindle consumer interest and re-energize demand patterns. Wider planks, long boards, lighter and natural wood colors, and matte sheen finishes are some of the emerging trends witnessed in the wood flooring space. The rising popularity of modern minimalist design is a prime factor spurring demand for white oak floors. Manufacturers are developing engineered products with rigid cores such as mineral and solid polymer to equip wood flooring with waterproof properties. The addition of coatings to the engineered products seals the edges.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Wood Flooring estimated at US$43.2 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$55.8 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 4.3% over the analysis period. Engineered Wood, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 4.6% CAGR to reach US$37.3 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Solid Wood segment is readjusted to a revised 3.6% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 37% share of the global Wood Flooring market. The engineered wood segment dominates the market, owing to increasing number of manufacturers preferring this product due to its positive attributes that include cost efficiency and dimensional stability. Engineered wood offers a good substitute for hardwood and concrete; thereby driving increased demand for the segment. The solid wood segment is expected to gain from increasing commercial applications of solid wood in public places such as theaters, restaurants, spas and hotels.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $6.5 Million in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $9.9 Million by 2026

The Wood Flooring market in the U.S. is estimated at US$6.5 Billion in the year 2021. The country currently accounts for a 14.55% share in the global market. China, the world's second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$9.9 Billion in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 6.7% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 2.7% and 3% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 3.6% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$10.5 Billion by the end of the analysis period. The North American market for wood flooring is gaining from rising demand for bacteria-resistant and anti-slip flooring from the healthcare sector, especially in the US. The regional market is anticipated to also benefit from implementation of favorable standards by various states and organizations. The Asia-Pacific market is propelled by rapid urbanization, rising investment in real-estate and housing development, changing attitude toward flooring decor, popularity of tropical wood flooring, and launch of cost-effective engineered wood flooring. Additionally, exporting finished products from Asia-Pacific to developed countries is likely to offer huge investments from Canada-based and the U.S-based furniture manufacturers. More

MarketGlass Platform

Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide.

Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years.

CONTACTS:

Zak Ali

Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: [email protected]

LINKS

Join Our Expert Panel

https://www.strategyr.com/Panelist.asp



Connect With Us on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-industry-analysts-inc./



Follow Us on Twitter

https://twitter.com/marketbytes



Journalists & Media

[email protected]

SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.strategyr.com


PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NEXT Insurance, the leading digital insurtech company transforming small business insurance, today announced liquor liability coverage, which is available for restaurants as a part of NEXT's general liability coverage. NEXT's liquor liability covers losses resulting from the intoxication of customers and is designed for small businesses such as cafes, diners, pop-up restaurants, and fine dining.

Restaurants across the U.S. were negatively impacted by the pandemic as shelter-in-place mandates and closures forced business owners to miss out on sales. By December 2020, 110,000 eating and drinking places were closed long-term or for good. Now, as COVID-19 restrictions lessen, restaurants are starting to bounce back. According to recent data from Yelp, nearly 16,500 restaurant reopenings occurred in April 2021. As consumer demand for dining out continues, liquor liability can protect restaurant small business owners whether they're serving alcohol to customers tableside or offering drinks to go.

"At NEXT, we want to help restaurants and other small business owners get the insurance coverage they need all under one roof so that they can have peace of mind knowing their business is protected," said Sofya Pogreb, COO of NEXT. "Liquor liability is a necessity for restaurants that serve alcohol and we're excited to bring even more coverage and choice to the restaurant industry."

Liquor liability insurance is bundled with general liability insurance starting at an additional $150 per month for comprehensive and affordable coverage. Customers can get an instant quote online today. Insurance agents looking to provide their customers with restaurant coverage can obtain additional information by visiting the NEXT restaurant resource center. Additionally, NEXT can help agents acquire insurance coverage for new restaurants, an often underserved market in insurance. Agents can get appointed and be able to quote and bind using NEXT's powerful platform within 10 minutes.

Liquor liability is critical for small businesses such as restaurants, cafe's and pop-up shops that manufacture, sell, or serve alcoholic beverages. NEXT's liquor liability coverage will be available in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indianapolis, Louisiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

About NEXT Insurance:

NEXT Insurance is transforming small business insurance with simple, digital and affordable coverage tailored to the self-employed. Trusted by 250K business owners, NEXT offers policies that are easy to buy in 10 minutes or less and provides 24/7 access to Live Certificates of Insurance, Additional Insured, and more, with no extra fees. Revolutionizing a historically complicated insurance industry, NEXT utilizes AI and machine learning to simplify the purchasing process and drive down costs by up to 30% compared to traditional policies. Founded in 2016, the company is headquartered in Palo Alto, has received a total of $881 million in venture capital funding and has been recognized two consecutive years by Forbes Fintech 50, JMP Securities InsurTech 50 and Forbes Best StartUp Employers. For more information visit NextInsurance.com. Stay up to date on the latest with NEXT on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and our blog.

Contact: Kerry Ogata, [email protected]



SOURCE NEXT Insurance

Related Links

http://NextInsurance.com


SUGAR LAND, Texas, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Noble Corporation (NYSE: NE, "Noble" or the "Company") today provided an update on the Noble Globetrotter II ultra-deepwater drillship and the personnel onboard. As previously reported, the vessel encountered severe weather during Hurricane Ida. Noble management is in frequent communication with the ship's crew and is working to facilitate additional transport for some crew members to shore, as may be needed, as well as replacement personnel to support marine operations. A small number of crew members were treated for minor injuries. The living quarters of the vessel continue to operate normally with food service, climate-control, water, power, and internet systems functional. The vessel's helideck is fully operational and teams are working through logistical challenges across the Gulf Coast region to resume normal levels of transportation to and from shore.

Initial findings from the ship's ongoing condition assessment confirm that several riser joints and the lower marine riser package separated from the rig during the storm and sank to the seabed. Efforts are underway to locate and recover that equipment, and the Company believes that, if necessary, it can replace any missing or damaged equipment promptly. Additionally, one of the ship's cofferdams in the moonpool area sustained damage during the weather event. The damaged cofferdam does not compromise the stability or structural integrity of the rig nor the safety of personnel onboard. The vessel successfully secured the well and detached from the blowout preventer in place on the well as part of its departure procedures.

Noble provided a force majeure notice to its customer in accordance with the governing drilling services contract. The contract does not contain a right of termination for force majeure. The Company does not expect any impact to its previously issued preliminary 2022 financial guidance and, at this time, is unable to estimate the impact on its 2021 guidance. Noble has insurance coverage for property damage with a $10 million deductible.

Noble holds the safety of everyone aboard our vessels as the highest priority. We will continue to work closely with the Noble Globetrotter II's personnel and their families to provide all necessary support as we all recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

About Noble Corporation

Noble is a leading offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. The Company owns and operates one of the most modern, versatile, and technically advanced fleets in the offshore drilling industry. Noble and its predecessors have been engaged in the contract drilling of oil and gas wells since 1921. Currently, Noble performs, through its subsidiaries, contract drilling services with a fleet of 24 offshore drilling units, consisting of 12 drillships and semisubmersibles and 12 jackups (including the four that are subject to an agreement to sell to ADES), focused largely on ultra-deepwater and high-specification jackup drilling opportunities in both established and emerging regions worldwide. Noble is an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability with registered office at P.O. BOX 309, Ugland House, S. Church Street, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104. Additional information on Noble is available at www.noblecorp.com .

Forward-looking Disclosure Statement

This communication includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this communication, including those regarding the effect of the storm, condition and repair of the Noble Globetrotter II, transportation to and from the vessel, impact on the drilling contract for the vessel, equipment retrieval, repair and replacement, impact on 2021 and 2022 guidance, other financial impact, and condition of the crew are forward-looking statements. When used in this report, or in the documents incorporated by reference, the words "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "project," "should," "shall" and "will" and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that such expectations will prove to be correct. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this communication and we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason, except as required by law. We have identified factors, including, but not limited to, uncertainties regarding availability of repair facilities, current limited knowledge of the condition of the rig, potential undiscovered or unreported personal injuries, availability and performance of repair facilities, actions by our customer, regulatory authorities and other third parties, uncertainties relating to our emergence from bankruptcy, the effects of public health threats, pandemics and epidemics, such as the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, and the adverse impact thereof on our business, financial condition and results of operations (including but not limited to our growth, operating costs, supply chain, availability of labor, logistical capabilities, customer demand for our services and industry demand generally, our liquidity, the price of our securities and trading markets with respect thereto, our ability to access capital markets, and the global economy and financial markets generally), the effects of actions by, or disputes among OPEC+ members with respect to production levels or other matters related to the price of oil, market conditions, factors affecting the level of activity in the oil and gas industry, supply and demand of drilling rigs, factors affecting the duration of contracts, the actual amount of downtime, factors that reduce applicable dayrates, reset of dayrates under the commercial enabling agreement with our client for rigs operating in Guyana, operating hazards and delays, risks associated with operations outside the US, actions by regulatory authorities, credit rating agencies, customers, joint venture partners, contractors, lenders and other third parties, legislation and regulations affecting drilling operations, compliance with regulatory requirements, violations of anti-corruption laws, shipyard risk and timing, delays in mobilization of rigs, hurricanes and other weather conditions, and the future price of oil and gas, that could cause actual plans or results to differ materially from those included in any forward-looking statements. These factors include those "Risk Factors" referenced or described in the Company's most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q's, and other filings with the Commission. We cannot control such risk factors and other uncertainties, and in many cases, we cannot predict the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. You should consider these risks and uncertainties when you are evaluating us.

SOURCE Noble Corporation

Related Links

https://www.noblecorp.com


PETALUMA, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ODE Oasis from McEvoy Ranch announces the launch of their RELAX CBD Lavender Massage Oil, available in 3.85 OZ ($36.00) and 8 OZ sizes ($68.00). Made with over 62% Lavender Olive Oil from McEvoy Ranch, RELAX CBD Lavender Massage Oil is highly effective, and healthy for your skin. Unwind with their relaxing Lavender CBD Massage Oil to quiet your mind, nurture your body, and wake up feeling refreshed, restored, and ready for the day. Formulated with high-quality, full-spectrum CBD, estate-produced Lavender Olive Oil, grapeseed oil, and rosehip oil. Rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and squalene to treat your body from head to toe. RELAX CBD Lavender Massage Oil - 3.85 OZ contains 500 MG of full-spectrum CBD and the 8 OZ size contains 1,000 MG of full-spectrum CBD. All ODE Oasis products are cruelty-free, with less than 0.3% THC.

ODE Oasis ODE Oasis RELAX CBD Lavender Massage Oil

McEvoy Ranch honors traditional practices of olive oil farming and production to ensure the highest percentage of antioxidant-rich polyphenols and ultra-hydrating squalene for superior results. Handmade in small batches, our Agrumato olive oils honor traditional Italian methods, where olives are milled with fresh herbs, or fruits for exceptional aromas, flavors, and rewarding benefits for healthy living on the inside and out.

ODE Oasis is a collection of premium CBD products, inspired by the natural beauty and serenity of the 550-acre Northern California ranch. Sharing McEvoy Ranch's long-standing commitment to high quality, trusted products for a healthy and balanced lifestyle, ODE Oasis invites customers to create their own at-home oasis with a selection of full-spectrum CBD tinctures, skincare, and pet products. To complement the soothing benefits of CBD, the collection is formulated with estate-produced, organic, early harvest McEvoy Ranch Olive Oil. Available exclusively at odeoasis.com and at McEvoy Ranch (5935 Red Hill Rd, Petaluma, CA 94952).

"McEvoy Ranch has provided an oasis to visitors and staff for over 30 years, and we've always found ways to share it with others, through our award-winning estate olive oils, small-lot wines, culinary and natural beauty products," said Samantha Dorsey, President of McEvoy Ranch. "With ODE Oasis, we've captured the magic and tranquility of the ranch, so that you can find your own calmness and clarity in your everyday life."

To produce these full-spectrum, lab-tested, non-psychoactive CBD products, ODE Oasis partners with industry leaders to process their hemp oil in a state-of-the-art laboratory in Colorado using cold extraction methods. The oils are then distilled and bottled with care.

McEvoy Ranch

For over 30 years, McEvoy Ranch has been making the highest quality, award-winning, estate olive oils, small lot wines, and culinary products. Located 30 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the rolling hills of Petaluma, McEvoy Ranch is a 550-acre working, organic ranch, committed to good land stewardship and sustainable farming practices.

Media contact:

Helen McEvoy

[email protected]

415-609-1730

SOURCE McEvoy Ranch

Related Links

https://odeoasis.com/


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- oneZero, a global leader in multi-asset enterprise trading technology solutions, today announced a data-driven approach to evaluate the impact of last look that aids the implementation of the recommendations set out in last month's Global Foreign Exchange Committee: Execution Principles Working Group Report on Last Look .

The analytics, which are available in oneZero's Data Source Insights product, calculate the estimated economic impact of trades rejected in a last look protocol so clients are able to better understand the relationship between the type of flow they send to LPs, quoted spreads and the impact of last look rejections when constructing their pricing and hedging functions.

The Standard package reports showcase fill times by LP on a source of flow, size and/or currency pair basis to help clients more clearly visualize when and for how long the last look may be taking place. The Advanced package enables clients to compare LPs with different last look approaches by taking into account estimates of the impact of the last look rejection on spreads, in addition to trade acceptance rates, when making their liquidity choices. Clients can further leverage oneZero's position as a neutral provider of both aggregation technology and analytics, by adding a pre-aggregation adjustment to reflect the impact of last look into the construction of their pricing and hedging functions.

Furthermore, the new tool showcases the performance of liquidity providers who are supplying both high quality pricing and executions. These capabilities, along with other Data Source Insights offerings, empower greater understanding of the type of flow clients are sending to their liquidity providers, greater discernment of possible rationale behind liquidity provider pricing functions, and the ability to gain insights about how to better organize their liquidity supply chain relationships.

oneZero CEO and co-founder Andrew Ralich said: "oneZero plays a critical role in the market as a counterparty-agnostic technology provider. Last look analytics will provide better information that will lead to more informed outcomes for our clients and the whole market. This is especially important at a time when the industry is focused on the development and fair and effective usage of the last look process."

This news comes as oneZero has been making substantial enhancements to Institutional Hub , the company's technology platform for brokers and banks. oneZero recently launched the Algorithmic Pricing Module , an advanced price creation tool that facilitates the formation of customized pricing using brokers' own data constructs and algorithms.

About oneZero

oneZero Financial Systems has been a leading innovator in multi-asset class trading technology for over a decade. Its powerful software encompasses the Hub, EcoSystem and Data Source - three components that separately solve specific organizational challenges and together provide a complete solution for trading technology, distribution and analytics. Through reliable connectivity, technology, infrastructure and market access, oneZero empowers financial institutions and brokers to compete effectively in the global financial markets through a globally compliant, liquidity-neutral solution.

For more information, please contact:

Talia Geberovich

Head of Marketing and Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE oneZero Financial Systems

Related Links

http://www.onezero.com


ZURICH, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Globally, 53% of workers want a hybrid working model where more than half of their time spent working is remote

Productivity has survived the shift, with 82% feeling as productive or more than before

Long hours increased 14% in the last year, with more than half of young leaders reporting that they suffered burnout

More (73%) workers and leaders are calling to be measured by outcomes rather than hours, while only 36% of managers are assessing performance based on results

Satisfaction with leadership is low and there is an increasing disconnect with employees, only a third of non-managers feel they are getting due recognition within the business

Anxiety about returning to the office is highest in Australia (53%), closely followed by the UK (52%) and Canada (51%).

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to shape our working practices and attitude towards work, with both workers and leaders calling for continued and permanent changes in how and where we work and how performance is measured, according to new research.

The Adecco Group, the world's leading HR solutions company, has today unveiled the results of its latest and most comprehensive global study, Resetting Normal: Defining the New Era of Work, which examines how attitudes to work have changed over 12 months and highlights the key issues companies must manage to successfully adapt in this period of transition. A year after the pandemic changed the way we work forever, this report builds on the Group's 2020 research, focusing on the outlook for 2021 and beyond and expands the research to cover 25 countries and 15,000 office-based respondents across the globe.

The Adecco Group's Chief Executive Officer, Alain Dehaze, said: "For those who are not bound to being physically present to perform their work, it is obvious that we will never return to the office in the same way and that the future of work is flexible. The pandemic has accelerated existing trends to the point where they cannot be ignored, and future success depends on individuals and leaders adapting to them.

Our research clearly shows that "one size will not fit all" when it comes to addressing employees' needs and we're increasingly seeing a leadership struggling to balance remote working and care for their teams. Now is the time to start bridging this gap by developing and equipping leaders and workers alike with the skills and capabilities they need to reignite motivation and build a cohesive company culture that maintains and develops a successful, resilient and healthy workforce. This is no longer a 'nice to have' it is where the battle for talent will happen. Companies that are able and willing to recognise and deal with these issues will thrive, and those that are not may be left behind.

Thanks to insights from implementing our own [email protected] strategy, coupled with our worldwide scope, the Adecco Group is well positioned to develop and deploy solutions to these dynamic opportunities and challenges."

Key research highlights:

Hybrid working is here to stay, but flexibility is key

The research reveals that globally a large proportion (53%) of workers want a hybrid working model where at least half of their time spent working is remote, with a large proportion of workers (71%) now having a set-up at home that allows effective remote work. The last 18 months has proved that remote work does not come with a loss of productivity, and that a more inclusive and flexible way of working is possible. More than three quarters of workers want to retain flexibility over their own schedule, going back into the office, but on their own terms. This is especially strong for younger generations and parents, who are calling for more office time, with those who have children wanting to be in the office more (51%) than those who do not (42%).

Productivity and results-orientation

While many have benefited from hybrid working, not everyone has had a positive experience. Questions over the length of the working week must be addressed as the future stays flexible, with mention of long hours increasing 14% in the last year and more than half of workers (57%) stating they would be able to do the same work in less than 40 hours. More (73%) workers and leaders are calling to be measured by outcomes and results rather than hours spent working, a trend that was already strong in 2020.

Poor mental health highlighted as rapidly emerging issue

The report also reveals that we are at risk of losing a new generation of leaders - with more than half of young leaders (54%) suffering from burnout and 3 in 10 workers more generally stating their mental and physical health has declined in the last 12 months. Companies must re-evaluate how they can better support and provide wellbeing resources to their employees within the new hybrid working model, with 67% of non-managers saying leaders don't meet their expectations for checking on their mental wellbeing.

The leadership deficit

In a similar nature, there is a big disconnect between management views of their own performance and the opinion of their employees. Satisfaction with leadership is low, with only a third of non-managers feel they are getting due recognition within the business, and only half of all workers say their managers met or exceeded expectations for encouraging a good working culture (48%) or helping support their work/life balance (50%). This is particularly strong in Western Europe and Japan, whose satisfaction with senior leadership is lowest.

Mass resignation? Warning signs for companies as employees re-assess their careers

Finally, the findings highlighted that with motivation and engagement at a low, less than half are satisfied with career prospects at their company, nearly 2 in 5 are changing or considering new careers and 41% are considering moving to jobs with more flexible working options. The predicted 'great resignation' is not yet evident, but the time is now for organisations to reconnect with their workforce. In addition, two-thirds of workers are confident that companies will start significant hiring again, with security, agency, culture, wellbeing and development most important aspects of employment for the future.

For more information:

Download the Resetting Normal: Defining the New Era of Work whitepaper here.

whitepaper here. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter #ResettingNormal for updates

About the Adecco Group

The Adecco Group is the world's leading talent advisory and solutions company. We believe in making the future work for everyone, and every day enable more than 3.5 million careers.

We skill, develop, and hire talent in 60 countries, enabling organisations to embrace the future of work. As a Fortune Global 500 company, we lead by example, creating shared value that fuels economies and builds better societies.

Our culture of inclusivity, entrepreneurship and teamwork empowers our 30,000 employees. We are proud to have been consistently ranked one of the 'World's Best Workplaces' by Great Place to Work.

The Adecco Group AG is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland (ISIN: CH0012138605) and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ADEN). The Group is powered by three global business units: Adecco, Talent Solutions and Modis.

adeccogroup.com | Facebook: facebook.com/theadeccogroup | Twitter: @AdeccoGroup

SOURCE The Adecco Group
"The 2021 Virtual Pet Fair is a whole different animal! We're pioneering a new way of hosting pet adoptions," said Mike Murray, director of community relations for Pet Food Express. "Our virtual platform will support more animals getting rescued by connecting 100+ partner organizations with a broader group of animal lovers. And, we're hosting really fun live events to entertain and educate. From cats and dogs to lizards and livestock, let's find 7,000 rescued animals new forever homes."

September 1-30: Virtual Pet Fair

Virtual Pet Fair is at www.petfood.express/petfair

Animal Adoptions: Search for, virtually meet, and adopt rescued animals from 100+ California rescues and shelters.

Search for, virtually meet, and adopt rescued animals from 100+ rescues and shelters. Pet Experts: Connect with pet product vendors, animal-centric non-profits, vets, trainers, and more.

Connect with pet product vendors, animal-centric non-profits, vets, trainers, and more. Sweepstakes: From September 1 - 12 , numerous ways to enter to win 2 tickets (+ the winner's dog), hotel, and airfare to Audacy Live with Coldplay, an exclusive performance in LA and other great prizes. Learn more at www.petfood.express/sweepstakes.

From , numerous ways to enter to win 2 tickets (+ the winner's dog), hotel, and airfare to an exclusive performance in LA and other great prizes. Learn more at www.petfood.express/sweepstakes. Contest: September 12 - 19 in Pet Food Express stores, customers can enter to win 10 prizes by snapping a selfie with a pet in the Open Farm Kissing Booth and sharing it on IG, Twitter or Facebook using #PFEPetFairEntry and #OpenFarm.

Special Pet Fair Weekend (September 11 & 12)

Weekend event schedule can be found at www.petfood.express/petfair?joinus .

. Hosted Seminars: Live speakers every hour on the hour with special guest Animal Planet's Cat Expert Jackson Galaxy on Sunday, September 12 , 2-3pm sharing "Catification 101: Environmental Enrichment for Your Cat's Best Life"

Live speakers every hour on the hour with special guest on , sharing "Catification 101: Environmental Enrichment for Your Cat's Best Life" "Ask the" Booths: Ask the Vet, Ask the Trainer, and Ask the Expert

Ask the Vet, Ask the Trainer, and Ask the Expert Live Q&As: Live Q&As with shelters and rescues, product manufacturers, and animal-centric nonprofits. Learn about nutrition, training, humane and sustainable products, animal-assisted therapy, service animal training and placement, wildlife rescue and rehab, and more.

Live Q&As with shelters and rescues, product manufacturers, and animal-centric nonprofits. Learn about nutrition, training, humane and sustainable products, animal-assisted therapy, service animal training and placement, wildlife rescue and rehab, and more. Special 9/11 Memorial Tribute: On Saturday, September 11 , 2-3pm , join us for an informative talk on Canine Search and Rescue with Chuck Wong , US&R CA-TF4 K-9 handler with FEMA. Learn about these heroic teams and the important role they play in disaster relief and recovery after events like 9/11. *Please note that due to scheduling conflicts this discussion will be pre-recorded and will not feature a live Q&A.

On , , join us for an informative talk on Canine Search and Rescue with , US&R CA-TF4 K-9 handler with FEMA. Learn about these heroic teams and the important role they play in disaster relief and recovery after events like 9/11. *Please note that due to scheduling conflicts this discussion will be pre-recorded and will not feature a live Q&A. In-Person Animal Adoptions: Local animal rescues will bring in adoptable pets like dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, birds and bunnies for animal-lovers to meet in person at participating Pet Food Express stores.

For any animal adopted through the Virtual Pet Fair, Pet Food Express will donate $25 to the rescue or shelter adopting out the animal. Plus, the new pet parent will receive a special Wag Bag, including hundreds of dollars in Pet Food Express pet products to begin caring for their new forever pet.

To participate in the Virtual Pet Fair, register at www.petfoodexpress.com/petfair .

ABOUT PET FOOD EXPRESS

Pet Food Express is California's trusted pet expert dedicated to helping pets live longer, healthier lives. Founded in 1986 by Michael Levy and Mark Witriol out of a passion for dogs, Pet Food Express has reimagined pet care by focusing on the very best products. The company sells only what they trust to care for their own pets. From its variety of nutrient-rich foods like raw and fresh prepared foods and its high quality products like pet supplements to the extensive training its animal-loving customer service team gets and its neighborhood stores with pet wash stations and pet community support groups. The company has had continuously strong growth for over three decades by remaining focused on its passion and its purpose - animal advocacy. Pet Food Express has helped find forever homes for more than 23,000 animals through its 64 California stores or as host of the Bay Area Pet Fair, the largest animal adoption event in North America. The company is a committed partner to more than 275 non-profit animal rescue and shelter organizations every year, providing them with much-needed aid through fundraising, product donations, help recruiting and retaining volunteers, and adoption support. Named as a "Top Bay Area Workplace" for the last 9 years, the company's dog-friendly headquarters are located in Oakland, CA and are home to 200 employees. Learn more at PetFood.Express . Like them on Facebook . Follow them on Instagram and on Twitter .

CONTACT: Sarah Andrus | Pet Food Express | [email protected] | 415.624.5617

SOURCE Pet Food Express

Related Links

http://www.petfoodexpress.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With many customers across its three-state territory experiencing financial hardship and struggling to pay their energy bills, Piedmont Natural Gas continues to support customers, connect them with available assistance, and offer tools and programs  including flexible payment plans  to help manage their natural gas bills.

Assistance Programs

Piedmont is reaching out to customers who are past due through email and/or text with information about utility assistance administered by agencies in their local communities.

LIHEAP

This income-based program allows those earning below certain thresholds to qualify for federal energy bill assistance money through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) program. The qualifying income thresholds are based on factors that include household income and the number of people living in a home. To learn how to qualify and apply for LIHEAP funds in your state, visit:

Emergency Rental Assistance Program/HOPE 2.0

Emergency Rental Assistance Program (HOPE 2.0) dollars are again available to help eligible customers pay past-due rent and utility bills dating back to March 13, 2020. Eligible applicants may receive up to 12 months of rent assistance, which may include up to nine months of past-due rent. The program also covers essential utilities, up to a maximum amount.

Complete details about the HOPE Program are available at:

SC Stay Plus

SC Stay Plus is an emergency rental assistance program providing funds to help eligible residential renters pay up to 12 months of past-due rent and utility bills dating back to March 2020.

Homeowner Assistance Fund

The Homeowner Assistance Fund is a new federal program established for homeowners experiencing a financial hardship after Jan. 21, 2020, as a result of COVID-19. Funds will help prevent homeowner mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures and loss of utility service. Homeowners with an income equal to or less than 150% of the area median (average) income may be eligible. Please note that some states may not yet be accepting applications. Learn more:

Assistance Agency Funds

Some customers may also qualify for assistance from various government and nonprofit programs for utility bills and other household expenses. 211.org is a free service to help customers find local community agencies that can help meet a wide range of needs, including utility bills, housing, food and other essentials, child and elder care, medical expenses and health counseling. Customers can learn about agencies that serve their area by dialing 211 or visiting 211.org.

In addition, Piedmont customers can learn more about how community agencies can help by visiting our website. Piedmont's Share the Warmth Round Up program is an energy-assistance program designed to help low-income individuals and families pay their monthly energy bills  regardless of the energy source used in the home. More information on how to apply for assistance from Share the Warmth funds or on how to enroll to contribute to the program is available at piedmontng.com/ShareTheWarmth.

Other assistance for managing utility bills and energy usage

Equal Payment Plan

Piedmont's Equal Payment Plan lets customers pay one predictable amount every month to better manage their budget. The amount is periodically reviewed and adjusted. Learn more about the Equal Payment Plan here.

Payment Arrangements

Payment arrangements give customers more flexibility to pay a past-due balance over a longer period. Customers can request a few extra days or restructure the past-due balance into a monthly payment plan. Customers should contact Piedmont Natural Gas at 800.752.7504 to discuss options available to them.

Energy-Saving Tools

Piedmont offers energy-saving programs, tips and guidance to help you manage higher energy bills that can result from increased energy use at piedmontng.com/EnergySavingTools.

Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, is an energy services company whose principal business is the distribution of natural gas to more than 1 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The company also supplies natural gas to power plants. Piedmont is routinely recognized by J.D. Power for excellent customer satisfaction, and has been named by Cogent Reports as one of the most trusted utility brands in the U.S.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 7.9 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 51,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,500 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy strategy to create a smarter energy future for its customers and communities  with goals of at least a 50 percent carbon reduction by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company is a top U.S. renewable energy provider, on track to own or purchase 16,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2025. The company also is investing in major electric grid upgrades and expanded battery storage, and exploring zero-emitting power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2021 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Jason Wheatley

Phone: 877.348.3612

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As seen on ABC's hit show Shark Tank, Press Waffle Co. brings its family-owned restaurant to the SoMa district in the heart of Little Rock.

The new location will open its doors on Friday, September 3rd and will feature giveaways and grand opening specials all weekend long. "We are so excited to bring this concept to Little Rock" says Rosemary Compton, Co-Owner and Manager of the location. "Little Rock foodies will love the Insta-worthy waffle creations, and we look forward to serving the whole community morning, noon, and night." says Compton.

Handcrafted authentic Belgian waffles. "The House" Waffle with strawberries, nutella, cookie butter, and whipped cream

Press specializes in fully customizable authentic Belgian waffles, in both sweet and savory varieties. Customers can build their own waffle from a selection of toppings or can order one of the favorite combinations like "The House" with fresh strawberries, Nutella, cookie butter, and whipped cream or the bestselling Chicken and Waffles with crispy deep fried tenders, bacon crumble, and maple syrup.

The SoMa location will also feature beer and wine from all your favorite local breweries, gourmet milkshakes featuring SoMa neighbor Loblolly Creamery (www.loblollycreamery.com), and a full coffee and espresso bar using freshly roasted beans from Trailblazer Roasting Company (www.trailblazerroasting.com)

Located at 1424 Main St., Press is one of two new restaurant concepts going into the 1424 SoMa development. Current operating hours are Tuesday-Thursday 7:00am-9:00pm, Friday 7:00am-10:00pm, Saturday 9:00am-10:00pm, and Sunday 9:00am-8:00pm. The shop will be closed on Mondays. Due to current pandemic conditions, Press will be enforcing masks and social distancing within its shop.

Although the new location marks the 7th shop for Press Waffle Co., it is the first shop for local owners Rosemary Compton and Mary Busby Stramel, who are members of the extended family that founded the concept in Dallas just a few years ago. "I've known those boys since before they can remember, and we have just loved seeing them start and grow this company and are even more excited to partner with them in opening this shop." says Mary Busby Stramel.

"Rosemary and Mary are family, and this is a family business." said Press Co-Founder Bryan Lewis. "When the opportunity to partner with them arose, it was a no brainer. Little Rock is a wonderful city, and these two ladies know it better than anyone."

The new shop is Press' fourth franchised location and seventh overall. With recent openings in St. Louis and downtown Dallas and upcoming locations in Houston and Denver, Press Waffle Co. is well on its way to teaching America "A New Way to Waffle."

Web: www.presswaffleco.com

Contact: Bryan Lewis

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 214.663.6731

SOURCE Press Waffle Co.

Related Links

http://www.presswaffleco.com


LYNCHBURG, Va., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantic Electronics ("Quantic"), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management ("Arcline"), today announced the acquisition of Paktron Capacitors ("Paktron"), a leader in the design and manufacture of multilayer polymer film capacitors.

Founded in 1953, Paktron is one of the oldest capacitor manufacturers in the United States with an innovative portfolio of polymer film capacitor products, including miniature radial leaded capacitors, lead-frame capacitors, surface mount chip capacitors, and RC network snubber capacitors. Paktron's products are used in high-reliability applications across the defense, space, telecommunications, alternate energy, automotive, and other industrial end-markets.

"The addition of Paktron's product portfolio to our existing capacitor offerings enables us to deliver a full lineup of capacitor products that address our customers' difficult design challenges," said Kevin Perhamus, President and CEO of Quantic Electronics. "Paktron has established a world-class manufacturing facility and an outstanding management team in Lynchburg, and I am excited to work with them to help them achieve our growth objectives."

Terry Martin, General Manager of Paktron stated, "Paktron has been a technological leader in the manufacturing of multilayer polymer film capacitors for over 60 years, and I would like to thank all the employees who have contributed to our years of success. Partnering with Quantic provides a unique opportunity to enable Paktron to achieve the next stage of growth, and I look forward to working with the entire portfolio of Quantic companies."

About Quantic Electronics

Quantic is an electronic component company focused on defining and delivering the future of mission-critical electronics. We have over a century of combined experience as reliable problem-solvers and trusted partners in military, aerospace, industrial and commercial markets. For more information, visit www.quanticnow.com.

About Arcline Investment Management

Arcline is a growth-oriented private equity firm that seeks to invest in thriving middle market businesses in high value industries. Arcline's differentiated investment strategy combines deep business model expertise, proactive thematic research, an unrelenting focus on the upside and a collaborative, management-first approach to value creation. The firm's primary sectors of interest include defense, aerospace, critical infrastructure services, industrial & medical technology, life sciences and specialty materials. Launched in 2019, Arcline currently has $4.3 billion in cumulative capital commitments. For more information visit www.arcline.com.

Contact Information:

[email protected]

www.arcline.com

Jessen Wehrwein

[email protected]

www.quanticnow.com

SOURCE Arcline Investment Management
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative (QLHC), the sponsor of the I-SPY COVID Trial, today announced that the Famotidine Celecoxib arm has been dropped from the trial due to futility, based on the low likelihood of success. The Famotidine Celecoxib combination was chosen for testing because of their anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory mechanism of action.

The I-SPY COVID Trial is a phase II, open label, adaptive platform trial being conducted in critically ill COVID-19 patients who are receiving high-flow oxygen or mechanical ventilation. The trial was designed to rapidly screen agents to find those with the best chance of reducing time to recovery (defined as reduction in oxygen demand) by approximately 50% and reducing risk of death. The I-SPY COVID Trial identified this this combination through a partnership with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). In particular, DTRA was interested in testing repurposed agents with a strong rationale and compelling observational data. The I-SPY COVID Trial included 23 sites at the time of evaluation.

QLHC discontinued testing of famotidine celecoxib agents in the I-SPY COVID Trial because, after only 30 patients enrolled, the agent met the predefined futility criterion, defined as at least 90% probability that the hazard ratio for time to recovery is less than 1.5 compared to the control arm. Importantly, the data from famotidine celecoxib patients were compared to those from 36 patients concurrently randomized to the control, which included backbone therapy (consisting of dexamethasone and remdesivir). Patients assigned to the Famotidine Celecoxib arm received backbone therapy in combination with high dose 80 mg oral famotidine four times daily for seven days, followed by a lower dose 40 mg twice daily for 2 weeks and 400 mg of celecoxib twice daily for seven days. Famotidine was supplied by Johnson & Johnson and celecoxib was supplied by Pfizer. Based on a near final analysis, patients treated with Famotidine and Celecoxib in addition to backbone treatment recovered slower than controls and could have a higher rate of mortality. Given the potential harm to the patients, the Data Monitoring Committee recommended closing the arm earlier than the pre-specified number of enrolled patients required for terminating an arm for futility. The study demonstrates that famotidine and celecoxib should not be given with remdesivir and dexamethasone for the treatment of severe COVID-19 patients. The study did not identify new safety signals for high dose famotidine or celecoxib in the setting of critically ill patients.

Dr. Kashif Khan, an I-SPY COVID Trial co-investigator and chaperone (PI) of the famotidine celecoxib arm, and an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California), commented, "The I-SPY COVID Trial demonstrated that, despite the promising mechanism of action and compelling data from observational studies, famotidine and celecoxib together did not improve recovery in patients critically ill with COVID-19."

"While we were disappointed that celecoxib and famotidine did not succeed in altering the clinical course of patients with severe COVID-19 when added to dexamethasone and remdesivir, we were glad to be able to quickly learn that it was not worth continuing in the trial, to avoid any potential harm and continue to test other agents," continued Dr. Paul Berger, an assistant professor of medicine at the Sanford Health (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) and co-chaperone of the famotidine/celecoxib arm of the I-SPY COVID Trial.

"We are convinced that platform trials like the one run by the I-SPY COVID Trial team and Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative are an important tool allowing for multiple potential treatment combinations to be rapidly tested," said Dr. Revell Phillips from DTRA. "We are hopeful that some of the drug combinations being tested will prove effective and safe for COVID-19 patients. We appreciate the value created by adaptive platform trials including the one run by the I-SPY network and feel like they serve a critical role in rapidly evaluating treatments that can alter the course of events in critically ill COVID patients."

This study is a collaboration between members of Quantum Leap, our partners, including Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, and the United States Government. This work is supported in part, by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the HHS within the office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and Joint Program Executive Office, a part of the Department of Defense, are also part of this collaboration under the Medical, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Consortium (MCDC).

About DTRA

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) enables the Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Government, and International Partners to counter and deter Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and Emerging Threats.

About Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative

Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative is a 501C(3) charitable organization established in 2005 as a collaboration between medical researchers at University of California, San Francisco and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Our mission is to integrate high-impact research with clinical processes and systems technology, resulting in improved data management and information systems, greater access to clinical trial matching and sponsorship, and greater benefit to providers, patients and researchers. Our goal is to improve and save lives. Quantum Leap provides operational, financial, and regulatory oversight to the I-SPY Trials. For more information, visit www.QuantumLeapHealth.org.

About the I-SPY Trials

The I-SPY Trials were designed to rapidly screen promising experimental treatments and identify those most effective in specific patient subgroups based on molecular characteristics (biomarker signatures). The trial is a unique collaborative effort by a consortium that includes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), industry, patient advocates, philanthropic sponsors, and clinicians from 20 major U.S. medical research centers. Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative is the trial sponsor and manages all study operations. For more information, visit www.ispytrials.org.

SOURCE Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative

Related Links

http://www.quantumleaphealth.org


FAREHAM, United Kingdom, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- QWARE Limited, a leading Microsoft Dynamics 365 ISV providing the successful value add solutions  Paribus and intelli-CTi, today announced the launch of QWARE Limited, a brand-new subsidiary of the QGate Group of companies.

The creation of this new subsidiary follows over two decades of product software development experience as part of the original QGate company. The software development division has now moved to its own company QWARE Limited, a new subsidiary within the QGate Group of companies. QWARE Limited remains part of the QGate Group, maintaining its ability to exchange technical experience, ideas and shared expertise.



"After years of progressive growth, both in direct sales and through our valued business partners, now is the perfect time to establish the QWARE organisation, focused to support our worldwide clients and further develop our Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions," states Mark Cooper, QWARE CEO.

"We are excited to expand our development focus and continue serving our clients with QWARE's enhanced capabilities worldwide. This new company displays our commitment to adding capabilities and support cutting edge technologies to our data quality solutions Paribus 365 and our telephony integration solution  intelli-CTi. With this dedicated focus and team, we are able to expand our customer base and Reseller partners worldwide," said Paul Nicholas, QWARE CTO.

"We remain committed to providing high-quality Dynamics 365 supporting products and services to enterprises as well as to our broader group of customers."

Paribus 365 is the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Data Quality Solution with Intelligent CRM Searching and Duplicate Data Management: Successfully managing your Microsoft Dynamics 365 data and keeping it clean of duplicates.



intelli-CTi integrates Microsoft Dynamics 365 and telephone systems, transforming your customer engagements by making them more connected, personalized and efficient.

About QWARE Limited

QWARE Limited are an established Microsoft Dynamics 365 ISV based in Hampshire, United Kingdom. With over two decades of product software development and experience delivering breed-of-breed Value Add solutions to businesses in a wide range of industries, QWARE have built a deep level of expertise in the Dynamics 365 world. QWARE are a Solution Provider with a passion for delivering high quality solutions for businesses worldwide.

Contact:

Ryan Pennett

VP Business Development

[email protected]

+1 (517) 853-1214

SOURCE QWARE Limited
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- August housing data shows early signs of sellers beginning to compete for buyers, according to the Realtor.com Monthly Housing Report released today. As inventory and new listings continued to improve in August, the rate of sellers making price adjustments1 has begun to approach more normal levels.

U.S. housing inventory declined 25.8% year-over-year in August, an improvement over last month (-33.5%) . New listings were up 4.3% from last year as new sellers continued to list entry-level homes in more affordable price ranges. Additionally, the share of sellers who made listing price adjustments grew 0.7% year-over-year to 17.3% of active inventory  the highest share in 21 months and closer to typical 2016-2019 levels.

"Low mortgage rates have motivated homebuyers to endure this year's challenging market and now some buyers are starting to see their persistence pay off. This month, new sellers added more affordable entry-level homes to the market compared to last year, while others began adjusting listing prices to better compete with an uptick in inventory," said Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale . "It's still a strong seller's market, with homes selling quickly at record-high prices. But now a home priced well and in good condition may see two or three bids compared to 10 last year. For sellers not seeing as many offers, it may be worth revisiting pricing strategies as buyers continue searching for homes that fit their budgets."

Inventory continues to improve as new sellers list more entry-level homes

While August marked the fourth consecutive month of national inventory improvements from the steepest 2021 declines seen in April (-53.0%) , the U.S. housing supply is still short 223,000 active listings compared with last year. Inventory was improving at a faster pace across the 50 largest U.S. markets in August, down an average 20.7% year-over-year, and six metros like Washington, D.C. (+17.1%) saw inventory surpass 2020 levels.

Additionally, 432,000 new listings hit the national housing market in August, an increase of 18,000 over last year. Continuing last month's trend, more new sellers added to the share of entry-level homes (+6.4%), defined as single-family homes in the 750-1,750 square foot range, whereas listings with 3,000-6,000 square feet declined 4.6% in August. Virginia Beach (+17.0%), Milwaukee (+16.7%) and Tampa (+13.7%) posted the highest yearly gains in the share of entry-level homes.

Across the 50 largest markets, new listings increased an average of 5.1% year-over-year in August. Regionally, the Midwest saw the biggest increase in newly-listed homes over last year (+12.5%), with Columbus, Ohio (+25.6%) and Cleveland, Ohio (+21.6%) taking two of the top five spots by highest new listings growth over last year. The South also saw a sizable yearly increase in new sellers in August (+6.1%), with Louisville, Ky. (+22.8%), Baltimore (+20.2%) and New Orleans (+19.9%) rounding out the top five metros with the biggest new listings gains.

Listing price growth remains high as price adjustments approach more typical levels

The U.S. median listing price increased 8.6% year-over-year to $380,000 in August, just 1.3% below last month's record price ($385,000). Yearly price growth continued moderating month-to-month in August, down from July (+10.3%) , driven in part by the inventory mix shifting to include a higher share of smaller homes at lower price points. With first-time homebuyer demand still high in August, the entry-level home price ($235,000) grew 17.6% year-over-year, faster than the 15.3% increase in 3,000-6,000 single-family home prices ($749,000). However, overall yearly price growth remained historically-high in August, with only two months during the 2017-2019 period meeting or exceeding the month's growth rate over last year.

Over one-third (18) of the 50 largest metros posted double-digit price gains over last year in August. Among the four primary U.S. regions, the highest yearly price increases were in the West (+9.3%) and South (+7.4%). Markets in these regions also dominated the top 10 list of metros with the biggest year-over-year price growth, at five each, including: Austin (+36.0%), Las Vegas (+22.9%), Tampa (+20.0%), Riverside, Calif. (+17.6%) and Orlando (+15.4%).

Many of the metros where price growth was highest in August also saw a rise in listing price adjustments, including Austin, at a 4.1% increase in the share of price drops over last year. With Austin median home price ($544,000) up by over one-third of last year's levels in August, 23.8% of sellers in the metro made a price reduction, potentially to help compete with higher numbers of new sellers than last year (+19.6%). Additionally, as Austin first-time buyers pursued new inventory of relatively affordable entry-level homes, entry-level home prices ($404,000) posted a significant gain of 47.9% year-over-year in August.

"With big city employers increasingly meeting talent in more affordable secondary metros in recent years, Austin has become one of the nation's most popular next gen tech hubs and hottest housing markets. However, data shows that even as some sellers are starting to compete for home shoppers in Austin, buyers still face fierce competition for a limited number of homes. Homebuyers looking for their next home in a tight market can use features like those on Realtor.com to set up price alerts for new listings that match their criteria, or finetune price adjustments to surface homes closer to their budgets," said George Ratiu , Realtor.com Manager of Economic Research.

Homes continue flying off the market; seasonal norms slowly take hold

The typical U.S. home spent 39 days on the market in August, 17 days faster than last year and 24 days faster than in the same month during a more typical year from 2017-2019, on average. However, time on market continues to moderate from the record-fast pace seen earlier in the pandemic, at two days slower in August than in June (37 days) . Nashville had the fastest time on market, at a median of 18 days.

The pace of home sales was even faster across the 50 largest U.S. metros, averaging just over a month at 33 days in August, but the yearly gap is shrinking more quickly (-12 days). Although the South saw the steepest decline in time on market (-17 days), the pace of home sales moderated from July (-22 days) across the region and in many of the fastest-selling metros. In August, Miami (-34 days), Jacksonville (-26 days) and Raleigh (-24 days) saw the biggest drops in time on market compared to last year.

August 2021 Housing Metrics Overview  National over Time Metric August 2021 (where

applicable) August 2021 Year-over-Year August 2021 over August

2019 Median Listing Price $380,000 +8.6% +19.6% New Listings 432,000 +4.3% -8.6% Active Listings/Inventory 641,000 -25.8% -52.8% Time on Market 39 days -17 days -24 days

August 2021 Housing Overview  Top 50 Largest Metros Metro Median Listing Price Median Listing Price YoY Active

Listing

Count YoY New Listing

Count YoY Median Days on

Market Median

Days on

Market Y-Y Price Reduced Share Price

Reduced

Share Y-Y Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga. $398,000 12.2% -32.4% 2.4% 34 -13 16.3% -1.8% Austin-Round Rock, Texas $544,000 36.0% -28.1% 19.8% 23 -20 23.8% 4.1% Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, Md. $335,000 -4.3% -5.3% 20.2% 34 -8 22.2% 4.9% Birmingham-Hoover, Ala. $273,000 0.1% -25.7% 9.3% 38 -14 14.8% -1.7% Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H. $659,000 -2.9% -21.2% -9.0% 31 -7 13.7% -2.2% Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, N.Y. $229,000 1.8% -5.1% 0.3% 33 -11 15.2% -1.1% Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, N.C.-S.C. $385,000 4.1% -29.2% 6.0% 28 -15 19.0% 1.0% Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. $341,000 -2.3% -16.8% -4.9% 36 -7 20.9% 0.6% Cincinnati, Ohio-Ky.-Ind. $320,000 -2.3% -3.2% 13.9% 31 -13 20.2% -0.7% Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio $200,000 -14.0% 0.3% 21.6% 39 -11 23.1% 0.1% Columbus, Ohio $300,000 -5.2% 2.0% 25.6% 21 -15 22.2% -0.1% Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas $396,000 10.1% -37.3% -0.7% 31 -15 21.8% -3.6% Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo. $600,000 11.2% -34.0% -5.9% 22 -14 20.9% -3.0% Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Mich. $268,000 -4.1% -15.5% 7.4% 24 -13 19.9% 0.3% Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Conn. $330,000 10.4% -55.6% -12.3% 32 -12 17.2% 5.7% Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas $364,000 10.5% -25.2% 4.4% 37 -14 22.6% 0.9% Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Ind. $279,000 -6.7% -23.0% 14.5% 35 -12 22.4% -2.9% Jacksonville, Fla. $360,000 12.3% -43.2% 2.8% 37 -26 20.6% 0.2% Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. $322,000 -6.5% -7.0% 15.7% 39 -13 21.2% 3.0% Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev. $422,000 22.9% -34.6% 1.9% 27 -15 17.1% -1.4% Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif. $975,000 -2.5% -17.6% -3.4% 43 -8 11.6% -1.7% Louisville/Jefferson County, Ky.-Ind. $265,000 -7.0% -6.0% 22.8% 27 -12 22.9% 3.0% Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark. $250,000 -5.8% -17.7% 19.5% 37 -11 16.2% -1.9% Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Fla. $456,000 12.5% -46.6% -10.2% 59 -34 11.7% -1.6% Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wis. $290,000 -16.2% 4.6% 17.9% 35 -9 24.2% 4.9% Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis. $355,000 -1.4% -15.3% -1.7% 29 -7 17.9% 3.7% Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tenn. $440,000 11.1% -51.3% -18.5% 18 -14 16.7% -0.7% New Orleans-Metairie, La. $339,000 4.8% -6.4% 19.9% 46 -21 22.5% 1.5% New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. $603,000 -2.7% -12.9% -9.7% 58 5 10.3% -2.5% Oklahoma City, Okla. $280,000 3.6% -28.2% 12.4% 37 -13 20.0% -1.9% Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla. $375,000 15.4% -47.7% -2.3% 37 -21 19.3% -2.7% Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md. $321,000 -6.4% 0.9% 13.3% 43 -3 20.5% 2.1% Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. $475,000 14.5% -16.7% 6.3% 30 -10 21.4% 2.3% Pittsburgh, Pa. $233,000 -7.0% -14.7% 4.6% 42 -12 24.0% 1.7% Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Ore.-Wash. $558,000 11.6% -23.8% -3.1% 34 -9 28.6% -3.5% Providence-Warwick, R.I.-Mass. $429,000 0.1% -14.5% 8.1% 31 -15 13.3% 2.0% Raleigh, N.C. $425,000 10.0% -61.7% -18.8% 19 -24 11.6% -5.1% Richmond, Va. $350,000 -2.2% -19.7% 12.1% 38 -14 16.6% 1.1% Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. $540,000 17.6% -7.6% 8.4% 33 -13 14.6% 3.4% Rochester, N.Y. $228,000 -7.1% -22.7% -1.0% 19 -10 11.9% -2.3% Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, Calif. $589,000 11.6% -1.0% 7.2% 29 -9 19.1% 2.5% San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas $350,000 11.4% -31.2% 9.2% 34 -17 22.5% 0.8% San Diego-Carlsbad, Calif. $830,000 6.5% 4.5% -6.1% 39 4 13.2% -1.1% San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif. $993,000 -3.2% -22.4% -3.4% 30 -6 11.1% -3.9% San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. $1,250,000 4.2% -20.3% 1.6% 30 -3 11.8% -6.2% Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. $675,000 8.0% -37.2% 2.7% 29 -5 14.3% 0.1% St. Louis, Mo.-Ill. $250,000 0.0% -15.2% 14.1% 42 -17 18.4% -0.2% Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. $360,000 20.0% -40.7% 8.6% 34 -18 20.7% -2.6% Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C. $310,000 -7.5% -21.3% 3.7% 26 -15 15.1% 5.0% Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Va.-Md.-W. Va. $503,000 -4.2% 17.1% 9.7% 33 3 20.0% 4.9%

Methodology

Housing data as of August 2021. Listings include active inventory of existing single-family homes and condos/townhomes for the given level of geography; new construction is excluded unless listed via the MLS. In this analysis, entry-level homes are defined as 750-1,750 square-foot single family homes.

In this release, price adjustments are defined as home listings that had their price reduced in August 2021. Listings that had their prices increased during the month are excluded. In August, the count of listing price reductions was nearly eight times higher than the count of listing price increases.

About Realtor.com

Realtor.com makes buying, selling, renting and living in homes easier and more rewarding for everyone. Realtor.com pioneered the world of digital real estate more than 20 years ago, and today through its website and mobile apps is a trusted source for the information, tools and professional expertise that help people move confidently through every step of their home journey. Using proprietary data science and machine learning technology, Realtor.com pairs buyers and sellers with local agents in their market, helping take the guesswork out of buying and selling a home. For professionals, Realtor.com is a trusted provider of consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. under a perpetual license from the National Association of REALTORS. For more information, visit Realtor.com .

Media Contact

[email protected]

1In this release, price adjustments are defined as home listings that had their price reduced in August 2021.

SOURCE Realtor.com

Related Links

https://www.realtor.com


"As Dutch Bros continues to grow, it's critical that we expand the expertise on our board," said Joth Ricci, president and CEO of Dutch Bros Coffee. "Shelley's experience as a senior executive, her depth of knowledge around leading people and teams, and her passion for brands that make a difference will be invaluable to Dutch Bros. We look forward to her contributions."

Ms. Broader has extensive experience as a CEO, general manager, and corporate director, and is widely recognized for global leadership, strategy, execution, and management of iconic retail brands. She has successfully run large domestic and international businesses with accountability for up to $65 billion in revenue. Ms. Broader's C-Suite and boardroom experience includes mass retail, apparel, grocery, banking and wealth management.

"Dutch Bros is an exciting, fresh brand that truly resonates with its customers and strives to exceed their expectations," said Broader. "I have a passion for fast growing companies with an energetic, inclusive culture built on customer excellence, product innovation and digital transformation. I look forward to continuing that work with Dutch Bros."

While serving as CEO of Chico's FAS, INC, CEO and President of Walmart International EMEA, Walmart Canada Corp. and President and COO of Michael's Stores, Ms. Broader helped each organization remain at the forefront of its respective consumer sector.

About Dutch Bros Inc.

Dutch Bros is a high growth operator and franchisor of drive-thru shops that focus on serving high QUALITY hand-crafted beverages with unparallelled SPEED and superior SERVICE. Founded in 1992 by brothers Dane and Travis Boersma, Dutch Bros began with a double-head espresso machine and a pushcart in Grants Pass, Oregon. While espresso-based beverages are still at the core of what Dutch Bros does, Dutch Bros now offers a wide variety of unique, customizable cold and hot beverages that delight a broad array of customers. Dutch Bros is more than the products it serves, it is dedicated to making a massive difference in the lives of its employees, customers and communities. The combination of hand-crafted and high-quality beverages, unique drive-thru experience and community-driven, people-first culture has allowed Dutch Bros to successfully open new shops and continue to share the "Dutch Luv" at more than 470 locations in 11 states as of June 30, 2021.

For additional information about Dutch Bros Coffee, please visit www.dutchbros.com.

Contact:

Hillary Brown

[email protected]

SOURCE Dutch Bros Coffee

Related Links

https://dutchbros.com/


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RedCircle, the leading podcast platform for independent creators, today announced that it has raised $6 million in Series A funding to meet growing customer demand. The round was co-led by EPIC Ventures and Refinery Ventures, with participation from SignalFire, Bloomberg Beta, MathCapital, and angel investors including Justin Wohlstadter, founder of Wonder , George Strampolos, founder of Fullscreen , and Eckart Walther , contributor to the original RSS specification, among others.

The podcast industry is booming. According to eMarketer, podcasting will be a $2 billion industry by 2023, and by 2025, there will be over 144 million monthly podcast listeners in the United States. However, as the industry rapidly expands, most of the revenue lands in the hands of large publishers, while the independent creators  who have fueled the podcasting medium since inception  are usually locked out of the growth.

"Our data show that 65% of the listening is happening outside the top shows that are owned by Big Media and Big Tech. And yet, most of the money in the ecosystem ends up going to those large publishers," stated Mike Kadin, co-founder and CEO of RedCircle. "We built RedCircle to ensure that podcasters of all sizes can benefit from the industry's growth. Simply put, we believe in democratizing access to podcast revenue."

RedCircle's technology for distribution, cross-promotion, dynamic audio insertion, listener payments, and automated advertising gives independent creators the same powerful tools as major publishers, allowing podcasters to compete on a level playing field.

RedCircle helps independent podcasts monetize through the RedCircle Advertising Platform (RAP). RAP enables brands to purchase host-read ads or programmatic, pre-recorded advertising across a large number of podcasts through a fully automated platform. With tools for demographic targeting, advertising attribution, and brand safety, RAP allows brands and their agencies to establish a foothold in podcast marketing or scale their existing spend.

RAP also takes the overwhelming operational overhead of executing podcast advertising campaigns out of the equation, allowing sophisticated, performance-minded marketers to point-and-click to create a campaign in a data-rich, self-service environment, similar to that of Facebook and Google. Hundreds of advertisers are already taking advantage of RedCircle's inventory and are on pace to spend several million dollars in 2021. The majority of the revenue is distributed to the podcasters, supporting their creative work.

Many podcasters take advantage of the RedCircle Exclusive Content product, a cross-platform paywall that lets creators restrict bonus episodes to paying subscribers only. Podcasters can therefore build their subscription business and understand its growth in the exact same platform where they view audience analytics. Using Exclusive Content, RedCircle's podcasters have amassed tens of thousands of paying subscribers, and many are generating six figures annually as a result.

By bringing powerful tools to independent podcasters, RedCircle has been growing at an exponential rate since its inception in 2018, with thousands of monthly active podcasters earning several million dollars this year alone. With this new Series A funding, RedCircle plans to expand its team and enhance its offerings so that more podcasters can earn what they deserve.

"We've seen how software tools can empower independents against incumbents, like with Shopify and Amazon," says Nick Efstratis, managing partner of EPIC Ventures, one of the investment round's leads. "Considering the strength of the RedCircle team and their traction thus far, I'm confident that they can stand up to the big names in podcasting and ensure that podcasting revenue and resources become accessible to all."

About RedCircle

Founded in 2018 by Mike Kadin and Jeremy Lermitte, RedCircle provides a platform for podcasts and brands to scale their message. The platform helps podcasters with distribution, growth, and monetization, and its advertising platform helps brands purchase advertising efficiently, guaranteeing high ROI. The team is hiring for a large number of roles. Visit jobs.redcircle.com to apply.

SOURCE RedCircle

Related Links

https://redcircle.com/


Reporting directly to RPM's CEO, Sergio Gutierrez, Grubb will sit on the executive leadership team and work closely with the team to identify short- and long-range strategic opportunities and implement agile methodologies. "I am really excited to become part of the RPM team and apply my experiences to help lead the company's digital evolution," said Grubb.

Grubb has proven success, blending technical expertise and a keen business sense with visionary leadership to drive cultural and digital transformation. Before joining RPM, he was at General Electric since 2011, moving from principal architect in CRM to IT leader in Sales and Marketing to senior director of Software Engineering for GE Healthcare and then for GE Aviation.

"Rick's experience applied to logistics will be powerful and will add components to enhance our service offerings and create an authentic differentiator to better support our employees and customers. Our commitment to full transparency and digitalization paired with his innovative approach, will allow us to achieve a state-of-the-art efficiency model. I'm excited to have Rick on our team," says CEO Sergio Gutierrez.

ABOUT RPM

RPM is one of the fastest-growing logistics companies in the world, specializing in Freight and Finished Vehicle transportation, delivering thousands of units per month. Our core competency is addressing our customer's shipping needs by matching available trucking capacity and meticulously facilitating every transport tender with the very best tech-enabled logistics execution.

We understand that our company's strength comes from our team of dedicated individuals who work better together, embrace change, who are tenacious, persistent, measured, disciplined, loyal, and value trust earned when the job is complete.

RPM has made Inc. Magazine's annual Inc. 5000 list eight straight years and made their Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest in 2020 and 2021. Some other accolades include being named by Food Logistics as a Top Green Provider, Great Places to Work-certified, Crain's Top 200 Private Companies, Named by Transport Topics as a Top 50 Freight Broker three consecutive years in a row, awarded the honor of Entrepreneur Magazine's Top Company Cultures in 2018, Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces in 2017, "Cool Places to Work in Michigan" by Crain's Detroit Business in 2015, 2016, and 2017. We have also received Entrepreneur Magazine's 360 award in 2016 and 2018.

SOURCE RPM Freight Systems LLC

Related Links

rpmmoves.com


TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Run:AI , leading compute management platform for the orchestration and acceleration of AI, announced the launch of a new ResearcherUI, as well as integration with machine learning tools including Kubeflow, MLflow and Apache Airflow. The new UI option is a part of Run:AI's "Run:it your way" initiative, enabling data scientists to choose their preferred ML tools that manage modeling and other data science processes on top of Run:AI's compute orchestration platform.

"Some data scientists like Kubeflow; some prefer MLFlow; some would rather use YAML files. We even heard of a Fortune 500 company that uses 50 different data science tools. With Run:AI, there's no need to force all data science teams to use a specific ML tool in order to take advantage of the Run:AI GPU orchestration platform," said Omri Geller, CEO of Run:AI. "Instead, each team can "Run:it their way", sharing pooled, dynamic GPU resources while using the best ML tools to match the company's data science workflow."

There are dozens of data science tools used to run experiments, and naturally some data scientists are more comfortable with one tool or another. Run:AI dynamically allocates GPU to data science jobs across a whole organization, regardless of the ML tools they use to build and manage models. Teams can have guaranteed quotas, but their workloads can use any available idle GPU resources, creating logical fractions of GPUs, stretching jobs across multiple GPUs and multiple GPU nodes for distributed training, and maximizing hardware value for money.

With "Run:it your way", Run:AI supports all popular machine learning platforms including, but not limited to, Kubeflow, Apache Airflow, MLflow, API support (including for air-gapped data science environments), YAML, Command Line, and Run:AI's new ResearcherUI.

About Run:AI

Run:AI is a cloud-native compute management platform for the AI era. Run:AI gives data scientists access to all of the pooled compute power they need to accelerate AI development and deployment  whether on-premises or in the cloud. The platform provides IT and MLOps with real-time visibility and control over scheduling and dynamic provisioning of GPUs to deliver more than 2X gains in utilization of existing infrastructure. Built on Kubernetes, Run:AI enables seamless integration with existing IT and data science workflows. Learn more at www.run.ai.

SOURCE Run:AI
The current partners in the Tamar project are Delek Drilling (22%), Chevron (operator, 25%), Isramco (28.75%), Tamar Petroleum (16.75%), Dor Gas (4%) and Everest (3.5%). 2P reserves in the Tamar lease, after production of more than 69.3 BCM, is approx. 300 BCM of Natural Gas and 14 million barrels of condensate (Source: NSAI, January 2020). Under the Gas Framework, outlined by the Government of Israel, Delek Drilling is obliged to sell all of its holdings in Tamar by the end of 2021.

The Tamar field was discovered in 2009 and is located c. 90 km west of Haifa, offshore Israel, at an overall depth of c. 5,000 meters below sea level, and in waters that are 1,700 meters deep. Production began in 2013, where the natural gas in Tamar is extracted through five production wells. The gas flows through two c.140 km pipelines to the primary and main processing facility on the Tamar Platform where most of the gas processing takes place. The natural gas is then transmitted from the platform through a pipeline to the onshore terminal in Ashdod, and into the Israeli market through the INGL national gas pipeline with a proportion being exported on to Jordan and Egypt.

Delek is proud to have been involved with the discovery and development of the Tamar field which is playing a critical role in de-carbonising the region as gas-produced electricity rapidly replaces electricity derived from coal. Gas from the Tamar field was also the first gas to be exported from Israel when Jordan began receiving gas from the field in 2017, followed by Egypt in 2020, signifying Tamar's importance as a unifying asset between neighbouring states.

Mubadala Petroleum is a leading international, upstream oil and gas exploration and production company with a primary geographic focus on the Middle East and North Africa, Russia and Southeast Asia, with assets in 10 countries. Mubadala Petroleum was established in 2012 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, which is owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi. When finalized, the transaction will complement Mubadala Petroleum's gas-biased portfolio strategy in line with its energy transition goals.

Post-sale of Tamar, Delek Drilling will own a 45.3% stake in the giant Leviathan gas field offshore Israel which has 2P reserves of 22.8 tcf (649 bcm) of gas and 41m mmbbl of condensate, production capacity of 1.2 bcf/d and the multi-decade reserve life; and a 30% stake in the Aphrodite field offshore Cyprus with 2C resources of 3.5tcf. The Company has a low risk growth strategy to grow reserves and production from its existing asset base. The Company will also expand its exploration portfolio in the Mediterranean region to grow resources and invest in energy transition technologies.

JP Morgan has acted as leading financial advisor along with Value Base to Delek Drilling, and Agmon & Co. Rosenberg Hacohen & Co is serving as legal advisor to Delek Drilling.

Yossi Abu, CEO of Delek Drilling said:

"This transaction marks a milestone in the alignment between Israel and the UAE following the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement signed between the two countries in 2020.

On completion, the deal will represent one of the largest transactions between an Israeli entity and an Arab entity, which shows how Israel's Natural Gas resources can be a source of collaboration between nations. This is yet another pivotal brick to the wall of friendship and collaboration Delek Drilling has been building in the region.

Our focus right now in Delek Drilling is on the expansion of our mega Leviathan reservoir and on creating new markets in the region and beyond for our produced Natural Gas."

For further information, please go to the Investor section of the Delek Drilling website: https://www.delekdrilling.com/investor-relations/immediate-reports

Notes to editors:

For further information, please contact:

Nadav Perry, Delek Drilling

+972 9-9712424

Li-or Avnon, Together

+972 50 2111008

Adar Hershkovitz, Together

+972-547917156

Billy Clegg / Owen Roberts / Violet Wilson, Camarco

+44 (0)203 757 4983

About Delek Drilling

Delek Drilling is the leading Israeli energy partnership in the exploration, development, production and sale of natural gas and condensate.

Delek Drilling, together with Noble Energy, Inc., have led the natural gas revolution in Israel. Following decades of enormous and fruitless investment in financing gas and oil exploration by successive Israeli governments, a government decision was taken to let go of its involvement in oil and natural gas exploration and transfer this activity to the private sector, a move that led to significant discoveries off the coast of Israel.

Today Delek Drilling is partner in several major gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean including, among others, Tamar (306 billion cubic meters - BCM), Leviathan  the largest deep water discovery in the world at that time (621 BCM), Aphrodite in Cyprus (129 BCM), and others.

https://www.delekdrilling.com/

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Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607432/Tamar_Wells.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607433/Tamar.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607434/Yossi_Abu_CEO_of_Delek_Drilling.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607481/Delek_drilling_CEO.jpg

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SOURCE Delek Drilling
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DRG (Disruptive Restaurant Group), the leading restaurant and nightlife group devoted to the development of visionary concepts and award-winning culinary experiences within Founder and CEO Sam Nazarian's global sbe portfolio, has partnered with internationally acclaimed Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to open Sa'Moto, a new pan-Asian fine-dining restaurant concept, within West Hollywood's famed Doheny Room. Opening on September 2, Sa'Moto will debut in Los Angeles' culinary scene with an elevated and experimental Japanese menu that creatively and seamlessly blends Asian flavors, Japanese techniques, and American spirit.

Chef Masaharu Morimoto  known to millions as the star of Iron Chef and Iron Chef America  has garnered critical and popular acclaim for his seamless integration of Western and Japanese ingredients. Chef Morimoto has received numerous accolades for his cuisine and aesthetic, including several appearances on San Pellegrino's "Top 100 Restaurants in the World" list, a James Beard Foundation Award, a Michelin Star, and was named as one of the "Best U.S. Restaurants" by Food & Wine. He has authored two cookbooks including Mastering The Art of Japanese Home Cooking, and Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking, which won two International Association of Culinary Professionals awards, including the Julia Child Award.

"We are thrilled to expand Chef Masaharu Morimoto's presence within DRG by introducing this new concept and Chef's innovative culinary prowess to Angeleno's through The Doheny Room," said Sam Nazarian, Founder and CEO of sbe. "With the Disruptive Restaurant Group, we've always prided ourselves with being on the cutting edge of culinary cuisine and technique and the partnership with Chef Morimoto perfectly aligns with our mission. Chef Morimoto is well known for pushing the boundaries of what food is supposed to be and we cannot wait to share his bold flavors and interpretation of Pan-Asian cuisine with Los Angeles."

While rooted in Japanese cuisine and flavors, Chef Morimoto's "risk taker" reputation is reflected in Sa'Moto's opening menu through his inspired use of global cuisines, recipes, and ingredients. Morimoto's interpretation of pan-Asian cuisine includes disruptive and trend-setting flavor combinations, such as his use of Gochujang and Raclette, encouraging guests to be curious diners. Designed to complement The Doheny Room's stylish reputation, and daily evolution from refined dining experience into a lively nightclub and dancing destination, Sa'Moto's soon-to-be signature dishes include items such as Kushi Age Pork and Laksa Noodle Soup, along with Sticky Ribs and Bao Sand. At Sa'Moto, no meal is ever the same, as the menu will regularly evolve and create new dining experiences for guests. Following the opening, an abbreviated version of the menu will be available on C3's Go by Citizens app and C3 platform.

"From my first-time visiting Los Angeles, I've always been inspired by the city's undeniable creative energy," Chef Morimoto notes. "When Sam Nazarian and I started discussing Sa'Moto, we agreed to form a creative culinary environment that matches the adventurous spirit of the city by serving delicious food in an energized environment."

To make reservations and for more information visit SamotoByMorimoto.com / @SamotoByMorimoto

Media Contacts: The Disruptive Restaurant Group|C/O Bread & Butter Public Relations | [email protected]

About DRG, Disruptive Restaurant Group

DRG, Disruptive Restaurant Group, incubates and operates globally renowned culinary brands including critically-acclaimed restaurants, lounges and nightclubs. By partnering with an impressive roster of internationally renowned culinary talent, DRG concepts are committed to innovation and setting new industry standards. Restaurants within the portfolio include Katsuya by Chef Katsuya Uechi, as well as upcoming concepts Sa'Moto by Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Casa Dani by Michelin Chef Dani Garcia and the much-anticipated Hyde Sunset Kitchen and Cocktails opening this fall at sbe's famed nightclub Hyde Sunset.

About Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto

Chef Masaharu Morimoto  known to millions as the star of Iron Chef and Iron Chef America  has garnered critical and popular acclaim for his seamless integration of Western and Japanese ingredients. Since 1998, Morimoto has competed on the Japanese television show, Iron Chef and also appeared on the Food Network's Iron Chef America. Chef Morimoto currently has 15 restaurants around the world. His first cookbook, Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking (2007), won two IACP awards (in the "Chef's and Restaurants" category and the "First Book: The Julia Child Award") and it was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award. His second cookbook, Mastering The Art of Japanese Cooking (2017), introduces readers to the healthy, flavorful, surprisingly simple dishes favored by Japanese home cooks. Keep up with Chef Morimoto via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or www.ironchefmorimoto.com.

SOURCE Disruptive Restaurant Group
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Girls just wanna have funding and that's what's on the table at Women's Venture Summit , an annual event focused on helping women-led startups get to even. On Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, seven finalists will compete during Day 2 of the Summit for a $10,000 investment plus $35,000 in business services. One finalist will take home the top prize and be a part of the Summit's growing impact which sits at $18 million -- and counting -- in funds flowing into women-owned businesses.

Startup founders Adriana Vazquez, Anastasia Mikhalochkina, Alexa Jones, Laura Oden, Veena Somareddy, Pree Walia and Melissa Kiguwa selected to compete at Women's Venture Summit on Sept. 18.

To earn their spots, the finalists won regional contests during a six-week, six-region pitch competition held across the United States this summer. The final spot was claimed on August 31 in the city where Women's Venture Summit was born eight years ago: San Diego. Other regions include the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Northwest, Southwest, plus a wildcard category. Co-hosts of the pitch competition and the Summit, Stella Labs, Stella Angels and Ad Astra Ventures, intentionally included overlooked markets like the Midwest which Crunchbase reported received the lowest amount of VC funding in 2020 .

"To provide women founders with equal footing, we must meet them where they are and that means looking beyond traditional startup hotbeds and tech to include other industries like consumer goods and services," says executive director of Stella Labs Raven O'Neal. "Innovation is everywhere and we are stretching our net of inclusion to give people a stage to tell their stories, solve problems and design the future."

The 2021 Fast Pitch Contest finalists are:

Northeast: Adriana Vazquez of Lilu, massaging bras for breastfeeding mothers, New York City , N.Y.

of Lilu, massaging bras for breastfeeding mothers, , N.Y. Southeast: Anastasia Mikhalochkina of Lean Orb, compostable food packaging company, Miami, Fla.

Midwest: Alexa Jones of TheraB Medical, holistic jaundice treatment that fosters maternal-infant bonding, Lansing, Mich.

of TheraB Medical, holistic jaundice treatment that fosters maternal-infant bonding, Northwest: Laura Oden of Pandere Shoes, stylish and adjustable shoes for swollen feet, Anchorage, Alaska

of Pandere Shoes, stylish and adjustable shoes for swollen feet, Southwest: Veena Somareddy of Neuro Rehab VR, virtual reality system for physical therapy, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

of Neuro Rehab VR, virtual reality system for physical therapy, San Diego : Pree Walia of Preemadonna, the maker of Nailbot, an intelligent at-home manicure, San Diego, Calif.

: of Preemadonna, the maker of Nailbot, an intelligent at-home manicure, Wildcard: Melissa Kiguwa of Obanj, subscription platform for borrowing high-end designer jewelry, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Spurred to transcend boundaries during the global pandemic, Stella Labs took its annual summertime pitch competition and Summit to a virtual and national stage in 2020. The Summit will return to a virtual stage on Sept. 17-18, 2021 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and offer an in-person viewing option at The Well - Community for Women in La Mesa, Calif.

The Summit will provide new founders and seasoned entrepreneurs and investors with expert advice on identifying funding opportunities, spotting and neutralizing bias, investor trends mid-pandemic, accountable womanhood and more. Vanessa Johansson of RainShadow Labs, Jane Schwartzberg of UBS Global Wealth Management, Sallie Krawcheck of Ellevest and Allison Robinson, founder of The Mom Project, are featured presenters, and closing speakers include Megan MacDonald, Elizabeth Gore and Danielle Telleria of Hello Alice.

The pitch competition is sponsored by title sponsor Cooley , as well as Next Wave Impact Network and The Impact Seat . Stella Labs and Stella Angels worked simultaneously to activate more female investors and structure funding opportunities for the event. The title sponsor for Women's Venture Summit is UBS Global Wealth Management , and other sponsors include DLA Piper, C3 Insurance, The Impact Seat, UC San Diego Extension, UC San Diego Rady School of Management, Sapphire Ventures, TAGit, OCA Ventures and UC San Diego Office of Innovation and Commercialization.

To view the full speaker lineup for the two-day event, please visit www.womensventuresummit.org . Founder tickets start at $99.00 and investor tickets start at $149.00.

About Stella Labs:

Founded in 2012, the female-focused business accelerator equips entrepreneurs through intensive workshops to launch, grow and sustain profitable businesses. Interactive labs, strategy sessions, female-founder intensives and accountability groups offer sustained support that allows women-led businesses to flourish. For more information, please visit stellalabs.org .

Media Contact:

April Enriquez

805-816-4833

[email protected]

SOURCE Stella Labs
DENVER, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Shay Kerman is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Urgent Care Solutions, a walk-in provider of urgent medical services that offers outpatient services in Denver, Colorado. Recognizing her outstanding leadership of Urgent Care Solutions during a particularly challenging year, the Denver Business Journal named her an " Outstanding Women in Business " for 2021.

Kerman has particular expertise in the strategic management and operation of outpatient medical clinics. Under her direction, Urgent Care earned Denver Post recognition as one of the area's "Top Workplaces" in both 2018 and 2020. Kerman oversaw the growth of Urgent Care Solutions from a single location with seven employees to a network of nine Colorado facilities that employ more than 150 healthcare professionals in total.

On an annual basis, the Denver Business Journal honors female members of the business community who have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, engendered innovation in their chosen fields, and developed productive community partnerships. Journal editors recognized the special nature of the past year, praising the 2021 class of Outstanding Women in Business for thriving "during a transformational year."

For her part, Kerman remained vigilant to lead Urgent Care Solutions' response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Ensuring that no facility closed its doors during the pandemic, she adapted quickly to launch new car side care and telehealth initiatives that protect patients and staff alike.

She also spearheaded the development of a new facility dedicated exclusively to providing COVID-19 testing for greater Denver residents. The first facility of its kind in Colorado, StatLab Diagnostics offers PCR molecular testing for COVID-19 that can provide accurate next-day results. Led by Kerman as its Chief Operating Officer, this organization also offers advisory services for other healthcare providers as well as general Colorado businesses.

When discussing her accomplishments over the past year, Kerman gives a tremendous amount of credit to the Urgent Care Solutions leadership team and staff. "Leading our company through the pandemic has been an amazing, challenging and fulfilling experience," she said. "Even during the darkest days in the healthcare field, we didn't give up." When asked to come up with a hashtag to describe her year, she responded with "#BeResilient."

In addition to securing a place among the Denver Business Journal's "Outstanding Women in Business," Shay Kerman earned recognition as a "Titan of Industry'' from Titan 100, a program that honors the top Colorado CEOs and C-level executives on a yearly basis.

About Urgent Care Solutions: Doing business throughout the greater Denver area as Urgent Care, Urgent Care Solutions is dedicated to bridging the gap between the "family physician and the local emergency room." Under Shay Kerman's leadership, this organization offers healthcare services to more than 150,000 patients a year in all of their locations combined.

SOURCE Urgent Care Solutions
CORONADO, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Shore House at The Del, the new resort real estate property at Hotel del Coronado, today announced that it is 100% sold out, with all 75 luxury residences now placed under firm contract. Public sales for Shore House launched just five weeks ago on July 22, 2021, following an extraordinary pre-sales period resulting in nearly 85% of the available residences placed under contract.

Shore House at The Del, the new resort real estate property at Hotel del Coronado, today announced that it is 100% sold out, with all 75 luxury residences now placed under firm contract. This cinematic journey reveals the inspiration behind Shore House at The Del and presents a tour throughout the Shore House experience, both inside and out, with never-before-seen virtual video of the amenity spaces and residences.

Scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2022, Shore House represents the final piece of the Hotel del Coronado's $400 Million Master Plan, a multi-year, multi-phase reimagination of the legendary hotel, located across the bay from downtown San Diego on one of America's most iconic beaches. Celebrating its 133-year anniversary in 2021, the resort has famously hosted royalty and U.S. presidents as guests, and served as the sun-drenched backdrop for "Some Like It Hot" with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.

"We couldn't be any more thrilled for the extraordinary community of Shore House owners who have decided to take part in this incredible new chapter for Hotel del Coronado," said Mike Collins, Founding Partner and CEO of IMI Worldwide Properties, the exclusive sales partner for Shore House at The Del. "The sales success of Shore House is truly phenomenal and a testament to the magical legacy of The Del, as well as families recognizing the rarity of this opportunity. Shore House isn't just The Del's final new real estate offering. It's also among the last coveted opportunities to own along the California coast."

Situated at the southernmost point of The Del, between Glorietta Bay to the east and Coronado Beach to the west, Shore House presents a distinctively new experience at America's most storied seaside hotel, with 75 one-, two- and three-bedroom fully furnished residences capable of accommodating 142 guest room keys. Amenities include an ocean-view pool with cabanas, poolside bar, casual indoor/outdoor lounge, dedicated check-in, and complimentary valet and self-parking.

Shore House residences showcase an elevated beach- and bay-inspired design aesthetic that complements sun-filled days spent along the Coronado shoreline. Within every residence, a shiplap foyer opens to reveal beamed ceilings, hand-scraped wood floors and a comforting coastal color palette. A light-filled living room features a limestone-clad fireplace, a full kitchen outfitted with high-end appliances, a luxurious main suite bathroom with an enclosed water closet, an in-unit washer and dryer and a lockable owner's closet.

Each residence features a private balcony, where a travertine gas fireplace and casual lounge space set the scene for serene mornings by the sea and magical evenings framed by vivid Coronado sunsets and the twinkle of the marina. Whether you seek respite in ocean, bay or landmark views, each residence embraces the timeless nostalgia of a seaside vacation in a deliberately curated, modern setting.

The architecture and interiors of Shore House, led by LEO A DALY, pays homage to the Queen Anne Revival design of The Del's iconic Victorian Building. Period vernacular elements, such as prominent gables, red shingle roofs, white lap siding, and crimson window sashes, blend seamlessly into the historic fabric of the resort while adding a distinctive, new presence.

"LEO A DALY is proud to write a new chapter in the story of this classic American landmark," said Ryan D. Martin, lead architect and director of design at LEO A DALY. "Shore House honors The Del's rich legacy while creating the best, most innovative new real estate offering the resort has to offer."

In addition to having access to The Del's legendary amenities  from its beach-inspired spa to a host of dining venues, Shore House owners will enjoy a number of thoughtfully appointed spaces right at Shore House, including a fully-appointed bistro, with a spacious setting for sunset cocktails and chef's table events, and a grand living room with indoor-outdoor spaces that flow to an outdoor courtyard featuring a Victorian fountain, various lounge areas and fire pits. Adjacent to the courtyard is an outdoor lounge and pool bar with an array of cozy environments and fire pits.

The true focal point of the Shore House experience is the ocean-view pool and spa, which directly overlook Coronado Beach and the Pacific Ocean. The zero-edge pool is framed by day beds, sun loungers and private cabanas, while a spacious sun deck with lounge seating and fire pits is perched just above the sand dunes, offering unobstructed vistas of the ocean, Point Loma and Coronado's iconic sunsets.

Residences at Shore House range from 833 square-feet to 1,925 square-feet and were priced from $1,300,000 to $5,200,000. IMI Worldwide Properties is the exclusive sales agent for Shore House. For more information, please visit the Shore House Sales Office at the Hotel del Coronado, online at ShoreHouseatTheDel.com or email [email protected] .

About Shore House at The Del

Rising at the southernmost point of the legendary Hotel del Coronado, Shore House at The Del presents a distinctively new resort real estate opportunity at America's most storied seaside hotel. A truly special milestone in the history of an icon, Shore House is The Del's final new real estate offering* and among the coveted opportunities to own along the California coast. For more information please visit ShoreHouseatTheDel.com .

About Hotel del Coronado

Set on one of America's most iconic beaches, the legendary Hotel del Coronado and Beach Village at The Del have welcomed discerning travelers for more than 133 years to experience the Southern California coastal lifestyle at its best. Here, the magic and nostalgia of the property's storied past blend seamlessly with contemporary luxury, where a new vision for The Del is coming to life. Hotel del Coronado offers five distinct neighborhood experiences, including Shore House at The Del, the hotel's newly announced residential-style villas, which complement the luxurious Beach Village; The Cabanas, where refined coastal design complements the newly refreshed pool, serving as the social center of the hotel; The Victorian neighborhood, where guests find stunning Victorian architecture and experiences to match, and The Views, the hotel's soon-to-be home-base for coastal adventure experiences and activities. Known for creating memories that last a lifetime, with an award-winning spa, iconic oceanfront dining and unparalleled location, the world-renowned Hotel del Coronado seamlessly connects her storied past with the future of hospitality. For more information please visit hoteldel.com .

The information and materials displayed herein are intended to provide general information about proposed plans of the developer and these plans are subject to change or cancellation (in whole or in part) at any time without notice. The resort residential condominiums advertised are limited occupancy condominiums that are subject to occupancy restrictions imposed by governmental agencies. Details are available from the sales representative. Certain mandatory dues and fees apply to Shore House.

All features, amenities, finishes, designs and descriptions of residences, buildings, facilities or other improvements of the Shore House at The Del are for illustration purposes only and are subject to change or substitution without notice. There is no guarantee of the existence of any view from any unit or location. No representation or warranty is made with regard to the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the information published herein.

There may be fees associated with certain amenities, such as the Spa, Restaurants, Fitness Center, Beach Club, and Pool Cabanas. Complimentary parking is for Owners of Shore House only and while in residence.

CONTACT:

Wicked+

Brian Cooley

[email protected]

SOURCE Shore House at The Del

Related Links

http://hoteldel.com


In the role, Lule Demmissie will be in charge of creating a strategic business vision for eToro's entire US business, helping build a customer-centric platform to drive adoption. In addition, Lule will lead eToro's US operations, including overseeing the company's expansion and investment within the region, operational infrastructure, marketing, investment thought leadership, corporate governance, and compliance, as well as its regulatory affairs, risk management and social responsibility sectors. Lule will preside over all eToro's US entities.

Shalom Berkovitz, eToro Group CFO and Deputy CEO, said: "I am delighted to announce the appointment of Lule Demmissie as eToro's US CEO. The US market is an essential part of eToro's trajectory and strategic future and Lule's unique blend of innovation in fintech, brand expertise and operational excellence is an important addition to the eToro leadership team. Lule brings with her a passion for investor behavior, agile product development and an appreciation of behavioral science and design thinking in shaping user-centric experiences. She is a long-standing advocate for empowering everyone to take control of their financial futures which aligns perfectly with eToro's global vision. We are excited about the contribution she will make to eToro and look forward to her leading our US business as we scale our product offering for US users."

Lule Demmissie joins eToro from Ally Invest, where she served as President and oversaw the Ally Invest Securities, Ally Invest Advisors and API business lines. In this role she was responsible for the products and services delivered to Ally Invest's all-digital client base and shaping the end-to-end client experience as well as management of the P&L and growth strategy for the business.

Lule Demmissie, eToro's US CEO, added: "The financial services industry is at a pivotal moment which offers the chance for retail investors to position themselves for success thanks to financial technology. I have spent my career furthering the empowerment of retail investors and championing financial well-being. eToro's breakthrough blend of innovation in social investing, copy trading, as well as its groundbreaking efforts in digital assets is what drew me to this amazing brand and team. I am excited to work with Guy Hirsch and the US team to continue this mission as US CEO of the world's leading social investing platform."

In recognition of establishing and growing the US business and for his expertise and passion for blockchain, Guy Hirsch is promoted to Managing Director US & Global NFT and will take global responsibility for eToro's forthcoming NFT initiatives. Guy will continue to oversee eToro's US crypto business, reporting to Lule.

Prior to Ally Invest, Lule Demmissie was the Managing Director of Investment Products & Digital Guidance at TD Ameritrade and has also worked with leading investment firms such as Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, and Merrill Lynch as a product manager, product developer and a financial advisor.

She holds a B.A. in Economics from Smith College, an M.B.A from Columbia Business School, a CIMA designation from the Investments & Wealth Institute (formerly IMCA) and the 7,66 and 24 securities licenses.

eToro's offering in the US launched in 2019 and is currently limited to crypto and copy trading. It has grown considerably over the past year and eToro is excited to expand its product range with the launch of zero commission stocks later this year.

About eToro

eToro is a multi-asset investment platform that empowers people to grow their knowledge and wealth as part of a global community of successful investors. eToro was founded in 2007 with the vision of opening up the global markets so that everyone can trade and invest in a simple and transparent way. Today, eToro is a global community of more than 23 million registered users who share their investment strategies; and anyone can follow the approaches of those who have been the most successful. Due to the simplicity of the platform users can easily buy, hold, and sell assets, monitor their portfolio in real time, and transact whenever they want.

https://www.etoro.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607462/Lule_Demmissie_eToro_US_CEO.jpg

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/520426/eToro_Logo.jpg

SOURCE eToro
TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Solvo, provider of a developer-centric security platform, announced today that Sylvie Veilleux, former CIO at Dropbox, will join its advisory board.

Veilleux brings with her more than 30 years of IT infrastructure, management and cybersecurity experience, having served in executive positions at some of the world's leading technology vendors, including Dropbox, Mozilla, Salesforce, Apple, Oracle and others. In recent years she had also been a member of board of directors and advisory boards in technology-driven global companies, organizations and investment firms, among them Cinchy, Europcar Mobility Group, Data Collaboration Alliance, Accel, Lightspeed Venture Partner and more.

As Dropbox's first Chief Information Officer, Veilleux orchestrated the buildout of key data platforms, business technology, infrastructure and processes, needed to support the scale and growth of the organization, and the changing compliance requirements associated with becoming a public company. As part of manifesting these goals, Veilleux created Dropbox's first global strategic and centralized IT organization.

Before joining Dropbox, Veilleux served as VP Enterprise Information Technology and Security at Mozilla, where she was in charge of modernizing and moving to the cloud more than 400 company-wide business applications and infrastructure services, while establishing modern enterprise security functions and services as part of the company's corporate infrastructure and business technology capabilities.

"Integrating a cybersecurity mindset from the early stages of the development phases is critical in building products and services which need to provide ongoing availability to users while keeping their data safe," said Veilleux. "This is the kind of interwoven mindset which fuels Solvo, and as someone who had spent most of my career so far dealing with the creation and operation of pre-cloud and cloud application and data infrastructure and processes, I am happy to work with Solvo in making developers' lives easier by helping them stay focused on creating, and letting Solvo take care of securing these creations."

"We're looking forward to work with and learn from Sylvie's knowledge and experience, both as a technology leader and as a business-minded executive," added Shira Shamban, Solvo's co-founder and CEO. "Companies migrating to the cloud and building cloud-native platforms have their hands full with recreating the cloud-equivalent processes of their existing operations, or building the infrastructure and applications for new types of services, and the need to keep these environments and derived products secure from erroneous or malicious cybersecurity breaches requires additional investment and expertise. Having experienced this challenge ourselves, we founded Solvo to provide organizations with an automated solution to secure their development phases  and we are fortunate to have Sylvie join us in this effort."

About Solvo

Solvo allows security teams to empower software developers and accelerate their cloud delivery. The developer-centric security platform creates and maintains a least-privilege security policy for cloud native applications. It adapts the security configuration to every environment, creates it from scratch and monitors for changes, integrating with existing workflows seamlessly and automatically. To find out more about Solvo, visit http://www.solvo.cloud or follow us on social media on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contact:

Jessica Herman, Marketing director

Solvo

[email protected]

(650) 797-8746

SOURCE Solvo

Related Links

https://www.solvo.cloud/


"In the past 18 months, international student recruitment underwent seismic changes," says Study in the USA CEO, Renait Stephens. "Much of the recruitment activity that traditionally happened offline has shifted to online as a matter of necessity and we have been working side-by-side with our clients to manage that transition. And while we still anticipate some demand for face-to-face recruitment events in the future, there's no doubt that digital marketing and recruitment will become a constant in the post-COVID world."

While the shift from offline to online has an impact on all student markets, it poses particular challenges in China where local internet regulation makes it difficult for universities to set up and maintain a functioning digital presence.

"Combining Study in the USA's decades of experience in driving international student demand for US institutions with Sinorbis' deep knowledge of the Chinese digital ecosystem and Chinese students means that it will now become a lot easier for every American higher education institution to recruit effectively in this market," says Sinorbis CEO, Nicolas Chu. "Our marketing platform ensures that the digital marketing foundations are sound, efficient and reliable. Study in the USA's expertise is invaluable when it comes to building brand awareness for universities and driving online traffic to these channels. We are thrilled to be working together to deliver measurable results for our higher education clients in China."

To mark the new collaboration, Sinorbis and Study in the USA are hosting a joined webinar on September 16 2021, offering actionable insights for building a follower base in China. For more information and to register, visit this web page.

ABOUT SINORBIS

Sinorbis is a multi-award-winning software company on a mission to bring marketing and recruiting to Chinese students within reach for universities and schools by removing common market entry barriers through technology.

We provide Western learning institutions and businesses with the world's first integrated marketing platform to create, measure and optimise their Chinese digital presence, all the while offering:

Accelerated speed to market - launch your digital presence within weeks without having to jump the usual administrative hurdles.

Reduced cost - set up and manage digital marketing initiatives at a fraction of the investment previously required.

Increased control - get an integrated view of all digital initiatives in China

Clients in the education sector include The University of Sydney, Carleton University, Lancaster University, University of Auckland, Aarhus University, Royal Roads, University of Michigan-Flint, University of Central Missouri, University of Wyoming, Emporia State University.

About Study in the USA

StudyUSA Global has been the leader in comprehensive international student recruitment solutions for more than 40 years. Educational institutions have trusted their experience and expertise at spotting and deciphering industry trends, and leveraging the most effective print, digital, and social outreach tools to bring qualified students to their campuses.

It's StudyUSA Global's mission to connect schools and programs in North America with qualified students from around the world, using the latest tools and technology to create highly effective custom recruitment solutions.

StudyUSA Global websites and magazines are the leading print and digital resources for international students. Their social media and content marketing reach millions of students worldwide.

SOURCE Sinorbis

Related Links

http://www.sinorbis.com


CALGARY, AB, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sugarbud Craft Growers Corp. (TSXV: SUGR, SUGR.DB, SUGR.WR, SUGR.WS, SUGR.WT) (OTCQB: SBUDF) ("Sugarbud" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Mr. John Kondrosky, the Company's President and CEO, will be presenting live at the KCSA Cannabis Virtual Investor Conference on Thursday September 9th, 2021.

Sugarbud invites shareholders, investors, advisors, and analysts to attend the real-time, interactive investor presentation. This will be a live, online event where investors are invited to learn more about Sugarbud and ask the Company questions within the allowed time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.

It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.

PRESENTATION INFORMATION

DATE: Thursday, September 9th

TIME: 3:30 PM ET /1:30 PM MT

LINK: https://bit.ly/3ylJi2m

Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com.

Company Highlights

Strong Brand Identity

Focused Premium Craft Cannabis Product Portfolio

Established Routes to Major Recreational Markets

Agile and Lean Operating Model

Rapidly Scalable

High ROI

Clear Pathway to Profitability

About Sugarbud

"Hand-Crafted Cannabis for a New Era"

Sugarbud is an Alberta-based, consumer-driven boutique craft cannabis company - focused on the cultivation and production of exceptionally high-quality products for the most discerning of cannabis consumers.

Sugarbud's Craft Cannabis Collection strives to define the intersection of product craftsmanship, quality and value for consumers in the Canadian recreational cannabis space.

We Take Pride, We Take Our Time. Experience the Difference.

About Virtual Investor Conferences

Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly-traded companies to meet and present directly with investors. A real-time solution for investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences is part of OTC Market Group's suite of investor relations services specifically designed for more efficient Investor Access. Replicating the look and feel of on-site investor conferences, Virtual Investor Conferences combine leading-edge conferencing and investor communications capabilities with a comprehensive global investor audience network.

Websites:

http://www.sugarbud.ca/

http://www.craftcannabiscollection.ca

Neither the TSXV nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE VirtualInvestorConferences.com
MIAMI, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Technisys, the cloud-native, next-gen digital and core banking platform is pleased to announce that legal and compliance veteran Kathleen Yeh has joined the Company as Head of North American Product Compliance.

Yeh comes to Technisys with more than 20 years of experience in banking and financial services, which she will leverage to support current and future compliance initiatives for Technisys's current suite of digital banking solutions, as well as across the company's North America operations.

Prior to joining Technisys, Yeh served as Head of Compliance for Poppy Bank, and Chief Compliance Officer with Tri Counties Bank. She also held senior-level Consultant roles with a variety of banks and banking institutions, including Wells Fargo, Treliant LLC, Aurora Bank, and, notably, Infosys, where she was a part of the core team that supported the firm's expansion into the U.S. market for the first time, ensuring compliance with all federal regulatory requirements.

"Technisys is a world-class, cloud-native digital banking platform provider that is already a leader in regulatory compliance. I am thrilled to be joining the North American team to further expand the company's compliant-ready offerings," says Yeh. "Technisys has created a platform that can truly enable the next generation of banks and institutions to provide their customers with safe, convenient, digitally-powered solutions. As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, I look forward to helping ensure these offerings are compliant ready."

"We are thrilled to have Kathleen join our team and help continue reinforcing one of our core mandates of 'regulatory readiness' of all our products, services and capabilities," says Miguel Santos, co-founder and CEO of Technisys. "Her experience across all levels of the banking system and legal and compliance management, complemented by her distinct understanding of the current regulatory environment, make her the perfect addition to our product teams, and to the company as a whole."

ABOUT Technisys

Technisys is a leading next-gen digital and core banking platform that redefines the customer experience. As a best-in-class technology platform, Technisys uniquely delivers differentiation in two key ways. By empowering financial institutions to dynamically create tailored financial products at the speed of commerce. And, by offering meaningful recommendations to customers at point of need. How are we different? We use data-driven insights and integrate them with our unique technology that enables structural flexibility. A flexibility that allows financial institutions to create and tailor any financial product - in real time - to deliver a seamless digital experience at every customer touchpoint whether online, on the phone, or at a branch. Giving banks and fintechs the agility to tailor offerings that become integral to a customer's lifestyle in new and profound ways, down to the segment of one.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Corey Goldman, on behalf of

Technisys

Phone: 1.416.322.2863

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Technisys

Related Links

technisys.com


EVERGREEN, Colo., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Functional Chocolate Company is thrilled to announce that its products have been nominated and shortlisted for the LUXlife Global Vegan Awards 2021.

The Functional Chocolate Company offers fair trade, vegan dark chocolate paired with nutraceuticals - vitamins, minerals, botanicals and amino acids, to help address a variety of everyday health realities - from PMS to energy, stress, focus and more.

"Now more than ever, consumers are looking for novel approaches to health and wellness; products with function beyond just great taste," explained Nicole Smith, CEO, The Functional Chocolate Company. "This recognition in the Global Vegan Awards highlights our dedication to ensuring that our company, our brands and our products are radically inclusive and socially responsible. All of our products are plant-based, non-GMO, low-glycemic, cholesterol and gluten-free to ensure they can be enjoyed by as many conscious customers as possible."

The Global Vegan Awards 2021 showcases truly remarkable global businesses and professionals who have brought about positive change through a plant-based lifestyle. The awards are based on industry excellence, overall performance, client experience/feedback and incredible innovation.

Featured Products from The Functional Chocolate company include:

All of The Functional Chocolate Company's bars are made with Fair Trade 60% cacao from a cooperative of South American farmers.

For more information about Functional Chocolate or to set up an interview, please contact Graham Sorkin at [email protected].

About LUX Lifestyle:

LUXlife Magazine is a premium lifestyle publication which was founded in 2015 by the publishing company AI Global Media Ltd. Distributed to a circulation of 238,000 globally, LUXlife focuses on a range of topics within the luxury lifestyle industry, featuring articles on; fashion, beauty, fine dining, travel, luxury real estate, and much more. Within its pages you'll find everything from product news and reviews, to in-depth pieces on trends, features and comment; all designed to inform, entertain, and inspire.

About The Functional Chocolate Company:

Founded in 2020, The Functional Chocolate Company is headquartered in Evergreen, Colorado. We believe that treating your health should be a treat. With a team from consumer product development, confectionery, nutraceutical and nutrition backgrounds, we've learned that there is a better way to treat everyday health realities.

Flexible, fully customizable individual boxes, subscriptions, and gift options are available at funcho.co, as well as popular retail locations.

For wholesale inquiries, please contact [email protected] or find us on RangeMe, Faire & Abound.

Supporting Resources:

Learn more about the science of Functional Chocolate on our blog -- https://funcho.co/blogs/articles

Follow @FunctionalChoc on:

Facebook -- https://www.facebook.com/FunctionalChoc

Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/functionalchoc/

Pinterest -- https://www.pinterest.com/FunctionalChoc

Twitter -- https://twitter.com/FunctionalChoc

SOURCE The Functional Chocolate Company

Related Links

https://funcho.co


SAN FRANCISCO and REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and SURESNES, France, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thoma Bravo, a leading software investment firm, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Talend, a leader in data integration and data integrity, in an all-cash transaction that valued Talend at approximately $2.4 billion. The acquisition was previously announced on March 10, 2021, and Thoma Bravo announced the completion of its tender offer to acquire all outstanding ordinary shares, including ordinary shares represented by American Depositary Shares (the "ADSs") of Talend, on July 29, 2021. A subsequent tender offer period concluded on August 9, 2021.

In connection with the tender offers, Talend shareholders were entitled to receive $66.00 per ordinary share (whether held directly or via an ADS representing one ordinary share) in cash, representing a premium of approximately 29% to Talend's closing price on March 9 and an 81% premium to the volume weighted average price over the last twelve months from March 9. With the completion of the acquisition, Talend becomes a private company and will continue investing in its cloud transition as well as products and solutions that serve the evolving data needs of its customers.

"The close of the transaction marks an important milestone for Talend as we begin a new chapter as a private company. The digital transformation that has taken hold during the pandemic has emphasized the importance of data integration and data integrity, and we are thrilled to have the support of Thoma Bravo to accelerate Talend's business," said Christal Bemont, Chief Executive Officer of Talend. "Thoma Bravo has an impressive track record of catalyzing the growth of its portfolio companies, and we look forward to leveraging their deep software and operational expertise as we drive continued innovation to ensure the data health of companies around the world."

"We are excited to officially begin our partnership with Talend and to work alongside Christal and the Talend team to further bolster the company's industry leadership," said Seth Boro, a Managing Partner at Thoma Bravo. "Talend, as a newly private company, is well positioned to capitalize on the global need for businesses to operationalize their data to solve complex problems."

"Every business needs clean and reliable data, and the Talend Data Fabric platform handles every stage of the data lifecycle and puts healthy data at customers' fingertips," said Chip Virnig, a Partner at Thoma Bravo. "Talend's transition to the cloud will only further solidify their market leadership among blue chip companies across industries and we look forward to supporting the company in this exciting next phase."

Qatalyst Partners served as financial advisor to Talend and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C., Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I. and Loyens & Loeff N.V. served as legal counsel to Talend. Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Houthoff Cooperatief U.A. and Jeantet A.A.R.P.I. served as legal counsel to Thoma Bravo.

About Talend

Talend, a leader in data integration and data integrity, is changing the way the world makes decisions.

Talend Data Fabric is the only platform that seamlessly combines an extensive range of data integration and governance capabilities to actively manage the health of corporate information. This unified approach is unique and essential to delivering complete, clean, and uncompromised data in real-time to all employees. It has made it possible to create innovations like the Talend Trust Score, an industry-first assessment that instantly quantifies the reliability of any data set.

Over 6,500 customers across the globe have chosen Talend to run their businesses on healthy data. Talend is recognized as a leader in its field by leading analyst firms and industry media. For more information, please visit www.talend.com and follow us on Twitter: @Talend.

About Thoma Bravo

Thoma Bravo is one of the largest private equity firms in the world, with more than $83 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2021. The firm invests in growth-oriented, innovative companies operating in the software and technology sectors. Leveraging the firm's deep sector expertise and proven strategic and operational capabilities, Thoma Bravo collaborates with its portfolio companies to implement operating best practices, drive growth initiatives and make accretive acquisitions intended to accelerate revenue and earnings. Over the past 20 years, the firm has acquired more than 325 companies representing over $100 billion in enterprise value. The firm has offices in Chicago, Miami and San Francisco. For more information, visit thomabravo.com.

SOURCE Thoma Bravo
BLED, Slovenia, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bled Strategic Forum has evolved into a leading international conference in Central and South-Eastern Europe. The 16th edition took place 31 August  2 September in a hybrid form. The tourism panel held on 2 September brought together top experts from Slovenia and renowned institutions, including EC, UNWTO, WTTC, OECD, ETC, HOTREC, ECM, to discuss the future of (European) tourism.

Prominent international and Slovenian experts, guests, panellists and representatives of Slovenian tourism were addressed by Minister of Economic Development and Technology Zdravko Pocivalsek, Director-General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs at the European Commission Kerstin Jorna, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board MSc. Maja Pak, Director of Regional Department for Europe at UNWTO Prof. Alessandra Priante and Director of the Portugal National Tourist Board and President of the ETC Luis Araujo.

The pandemic has posed many questions to tourism, among the most pressing ones are survival and recovery, along with the transformation of the tourism industry into more resilient and sustainable one. Despite the difficult situation, optimistic forecasts of key international tourism institutions are on the rise. This year's Tourism Panel has discussed the question What will the future bring to European tourism.

Panellists agreed that the pandemic has had a major impact on tourism industry and posed many challenges, as well as opportunities. It is time to address the shortcomings of tourism industry that have resulted from the expansion in the last 50 years and transform tourism into a much greener, digital and inclusive industry. Key conclusions identified at the panel were:

Tourist's confidence in travel needs to be rebuilt. Travel protocols and communication and coordination between the Member States concerning travel restrictions, COVID tests and quarantine rules need to be improved. Roadmap for sustainable transition is necessary. New performance indicators are needed. Digital transformation of the tourism industry needs to be supported and promoted. Investments and EU funding allocation towards sustainability and digitalization of the tourism industry is required. The role of tourism at the EU level needs to be rethought. DMO transition in their role to actively facilitate the industry transition process to green, inclusive and digital needs to be supported.

Read the statements by the panellists here.

SOURCE Slovenian Tourist Board
BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TransMedia Group said its new client, Rabbi Barry Silver, takes the proverbial cake in making people think differently about religion and is the only Rabbi to have served in the Florida Legislature and named the most effective environmental legislator and consumer champion.

Today he preaches "Cosmic Judaism" an "InspiRational" approach merging religion and science, which he says brings out the best in people and the world, said TransMedia CEO Tom Madden.

"Our publicity will show how Silver was inspired by such prophets as Carl Sagan and Albert Einstein who famously said, "Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind."

According to Silver, "If we take the Biblical myths literally, we become "myth"guided, "mythled", "myth"informed and "myth"ogynistic."

"While we don't always agree with every one of Silver's positions," said Madden, "he's one Rabbi who'll gladly serve closed minds enticing food for thought."

TransMedia said its PR will include Rabbi Silver's role as a constitutional, civil rights attorney who defends animals, the environment and abortion rights, appearing often on national media. Newsweek reported him leading the charge in litigation against Governor DeSantis and his ill-fated anti-mask mandate. He has appeared on MSNBC, FOX News, Boston Globe, A Current Affair discussing his public interest cases and rights of Muslims, Haitians, African Americans.

Rabbi Silver is founder of Temple of Understanding, Palm Beach County Chapter, uniting world's religions in a common quest for peace and harmony. Silver founded the environmental coalition and Interfaith Justice League.

He is also a columnist for the Jewish Journal and Jewish Post & Opinion, lecturer for the Jewish Center and Florida Atlantic University adult education, and his son Ari Silver, founded the Student March to Stop Gun Violence.

Rabbi Silver likes to parody politicians, creating and singing original adaptations about social issues. He led rallies against Trump at Mar-A-Lago, is fluent in Spanish, conversant in French and Hebrew and has family in Haiti, where his father performed the first Bar Mitzvah. Silver helps Haiti and Afghani refugees and has performed weddings worldwide in various languages.

TransMedia PR program will present Silver's "Comic" Religion too, spicing inspiration with humor, joy and his original music.

More information about Silver is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MY7GdhPIec; https://youtu.be/lctgmWup4N0; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enu2TsmWTXg.

More at www.rabbibarrysilver.com; www.cosmicjudaism.com; www.ldorvador.org.

Media contact: Justin Baronoff 561-750-9800; [email protected].

SOURCE TransMedia Group

Related Links

www.transmediagroup.com


TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- US LBM, a leading distributor of specialty building materials in the United States, has acquired Northern Building Supply, a full-service building products distributor and retailer which operates two locations in northern Michigan.

Founded in 1904, Northern Building Supply offers lumber and a wide range of specialty building products, including windows, doors, decking, cabinetry, hardware and paint, along with kitchen and bath design services to homeowners, builders and contractors from its locations in Traverse City and Suttons Bay.

"We're excited to partner with US LBM," said Ed Beuerle, who will continue to lead Northern Building Supply's operations. "As part of the US LBM family, we get the best of both worlds, keeping our trusted team and the relationships we've built with customers and our community, while being able to offer our customers even more products and resources to help them get the job done right."

Northern Building Supply's owner George Cochran will be leaving the business to focus on other local ventures. "We've built something special, and I'm proud of our long service to the community and the building trades," said Cochran. "It's been a privilege to work alongside such a professional and knowledgeable team, they're truly the best, and I look forward to the great success Ed and the entire team will have with US LBM."

Northern Building Supply will operate as part of US LBM's Standard Supply and Zeeland Lumber, which will now have a combined 19 locations across Michigan.

"The Northern Building Supply team is known for their quality products and superior service, and we're pleased to welcome them to US LBM," said US LBM President and CEO L.T. Gibson. "Northern Building Supply complements our existing Michigan operations and expands our reach into the growing communities of northwest Michigan."

Anchor Peabody served as the exclusive advisor to Northern Building Supply.

US LBM is the largest privately owned full-line distributor of specialty building materials in the United States. Offering a comprehensive portfolio of specialty products, including windows, doors, millwork, wallboard, roofing, siding, engineered components and cabinetry, US LBM combines the scale and operational advantages of a national platform with a local go-to-market strategy through its national network of locations across the country. For more information, please visit uslbm.com or follow US LBM on LinkedIn.

Contact: Timothy Wirth

US LBM Communications

484-886-5705

[email protected]

SOURCE US LBM
TORONTO, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- VIVA is marking International Charity Day on September 5 with its gift to an agency assisting Canada's most vulnerable.

The Toronto-based Scandinavian teaware maker donated 17,000 drinkware products to help Ontario's homeless and less privileged with a gift to the Ontario chapter of the Salvation Army.

Anytime Laura Cup Anytime Emma Cup

"These items will be used in our ministry units  shelters, churches, hostels and our offices  to help us provide services to our clients while helping us to reduce waste, minimize costs and achieve one of our key sustainability goals of moving away from disposable products, especially single-use plastics," says Dan Millar, Divisional Director of Community Partnerships & Divisional Emergency Disaster Services Director. "Salvation Army is very appreciative of the donation."

In total, up to 50 ministries supporting 120 locations distributed all across Ontario from Thunder Bay to Niagara Falls will benefit from the donation of Emma and Laura Anytime Cups valued at $280K. The Salvation Army's mission includes among, other goals, supporting people who are homeless and those facing food insecurity.

VIVA Founder Peng Lin says giving back to the community is a pillar in the company's values.

"The community who buys our products has helped drive our success, and we feel it's important to support that community in return however we can. It's a virtuous circle. It's important for businesses such as ours to recognize that," says Lin.

This isn't the first time VIVA has given back. During the company's first Kickstarter campaign in spring 2020, just as lockdowns were happening around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lin came up with the idea of donating from the Kickstarter campaign to the ongoing efforts to fight the pandemic. Ten percent of profits from each pledge of a Recharge Pro travel mug Gratitude Pack was donated to the WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

As everyone grapples with the lingering impact of the pandemic, charitable organizations like The Salvation Army have been hit especially hard  from raising funds to delivering services and engaging their volunteer base  as lockdowns forced them to rethink their operations.

"We had to pivot how we serviced food to meet people where they are. That meant moving away from dining rooms to mobile units, expanding food bank services to also offer home deliver of food hampers, and moving our church services online. We've only just been able to restart our volunteering program," says Salvation Army's Millar.

While financial contributions are always gladly received, there are other ways businesses can become involved with charities for International Charity Day.

"Businesses have an opportunity to think broadly about how they can become involved," says Salvation Army Divisional Secretary for Public Relations Glenn van Gulik. This includes volunteering their employees' time, or donating products and services.

"It builds teamwork, makes a connection between the company and the community when the employees see the products they produce used in a different way. That has a positive, tangible impact on them."

This year, the Salvation Army is launching themed Hope Kits such as a back to school kit, hygiene kit and a cleanup kit, the latter which would be delivered to people displaced by disaster such as the wildfires and hurricanes

Visit the Salvation Army website to find out how your company can become involved with volunteering and donation opportunities: https://salvationarmy.ca/

About VIVA

VIVA strives to modernize tea traditions and take them to new heights through their full range of minimalist and innovative teaware. VIVA's mission is to inspire the world to relax and feel better with the perfect tea experience every single time. Visit VIVA at shopviva.com

Media Contact:

Derek Chezzi

416.722.5182

[email protected]

SOURCE VIVA
Silicon Valley based WISP is a leading national provider of telehealth and e-pharmacy solutions specializing in Women's Health, delivering solutions for female reproductive and sexual health ailments to patients across all 50 states in the US.

WISP has served more than 200,000 patients to date.

WISP's current annual revenue run-rate is approximately US$30 million (1) and represents greater than 100% YoY organic growth. WISP has gross margins exceeding 65% and achieved positive EBITDA over the last few quarters.

and represents greater than 100% YoY organic growth. WISP has gross margins exceeding 65% and achieved positive EBITDA over the last few quarters. WELL's US$41 million control investment in WISP is fully funded via a combination of US$27.7 million in cash from treasury, US$6.2 million in WELL shares (issued at a price of $9.80 /share) and includes a multi-year performance earnout up to a maximum of US$7.4 million .

Vancouver, BC, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL) ("WELL" or the "Company"), a company focused on consolidating and modernizing clinical and digital assets within the healthcare sector, is pleased to announce it has entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement dated September 1, 2021 (the "Agreement") with the shareholders of WISP, Inc. ("WISP"), a US technology leader and innovator in the delivery of quality telehealth and e-pharmacy experiences specializing in women's health to acquire a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of WISP (the "Transaction") for total a total transaction value of approximately US$41 million, which includes a future conditional earn-out of up to approximately US$7.4 million.

Hamed Shahbazi, Chairman and CEO of WELL commented, "Until recently, there has been a chronic under-supply of female focused healthcare services designed by female physicians, we know that the global women's health market is a $30B+ industry growing at 6% annually. We are very pleased to report that this proposed transaction is expected to position WELL as an emerging provider of women's health services in the United States and that we plan to leverage the impactful success and know-how of the WISP operations in the US to launch similar services in other countries, starting with Canada. WISP's strong value proposition has filled a critical gap in women's health which represents a large and growing opportunity for WELL."

Matthew Swartz, founder and CEO of WISP commented, "WELL has a compelling history of growth, innovation and serving the underserved, and for this reason, we are thrilled to be joining the WELL family. Our patient centric online experience has provided care for hundreds of thousands of patients when they've needed support, and we look forward to continuing to rapidly scale our products and services to women and all humans, both in the United States and other countries starting in Canada."

Dr. Laura Purdy, M.D. and WISP Medical Director states, "WISP started off by providing discreet herpes care and has grown to offer a comprehensive range of treatments including contraception delivery and primary care consultations. WISP's core values of discretion, affordability, convenience, and immediacy has resonated with our customers. We are providing an appreciated service in a sex positive manner - sexual health is universal and nothing to be ashamed of."

WISP Acquisition Highlights

With the proposed acquisition of WISP, WELL is building on its US telehealth presence, having previously entered the US market with the majority stake acquisition of Circle Medical. Combined with Circle Medical, WELL is approaching US$45 million in its current US-based telehealth revenue run-rate(1).

Founded in 2018, WISP has created a national telehealth and e-pharmacy presence, serving all 50 of the US states. WISP has served 200,000 patients to date, and offers both telehealth medical consultations, as well as prescription and natural medications. By offering discrete, timely access to treatments for ailments such as yeast infections, UTI's, herpes, and other ailments related to sexual health, WISP has created a strong relationship with its customers, resulting in greater than 50% returning/subscription revenue, and NPS scores of 79. WISP has experienced strong, profitable revenue growth, with its current annualized run-rate of approximately US$30 million(1), representing over 100% year-over-year organic revenue growth. WISP's rapidly growing digital revenue strengthens WELL's digital portfolio and organic growth profile.

The combination of growing demand for e-pharmacy and virtual care services offers robust market tailwinds that the WISP platform is poised to benefit from. For instance, WISP operates in the online pharmacy industry that according to IBISWorld is anticipated to showcase 16% CAGR and reach over $60 billion on a global basis by 2025. Furthermore, telehealth services have seen a nearly 40x increase from pre-pandemic levels according to recent studies from McKinsey.

Transaction Details:

Under the terms of Agreement, the total consideration payable by WELL in connection with the Transaction is up to approximately US$41 million, which will be paid as follows: (i) approximately US$27.7 million in cash on the closing date; (ii) approximately US$6.2 million through the issuance of common shares in the capital of the Company on the closing date at a deemed issue price per share of $9.80 (the "Issue Price"); and (iii) a multi-year performance-based earn-out of up to approximately US$7.4 million, which is determined based on the WISP business maintaining its revenue performance post-closing. The Issue Price represents a 26.9% premium to the volume weighted average trading price ("VWAP") of the Company's common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") for the fifteen trading days preceding the date of this announcement. If the VWAP of the Company's common shares for the fifteen trading days preceding the closing date of the transaction is higher or lower than $7.72, then the number of common shares issuable on the closing date will be adjusted in direct inverse proportion to such difference in price. These consideration shares will be subject to certain volume based voluntary resale restrictions as provided in the Agreement.

It is expected that at the close of the Transaction, WELL will own approximately 53% of the issued and outstanding share capital of WISP on a fully diluted basis. The original securityholders of WISP, which includes the existing WISP senior management team, will mostly own the remaining balance of the shares of WISP and will continue to operate WISP on a post-closing basis. Pursuant to the terms of the Transaction, WELL shall have the right to acquire the remaining shares of WISP it does not already own as part of the Transaction pursuant to a call option.

Closing of the Transaction is expected to be completed in early Q4-2021 and is subject to a number of customary and other conditions, including receipt of requisite regulatory and exchange approvals.

D.A. Davidson is serving as WISP's exclusive financial advisor and Goodwin Proctor LLP is acting as legal counsel to WISP. Dentons Canada LLP and Dentons US LLP are acting as legal counsel to WELL.

Footnotes:

(1) Revenue run-rate refers to the annualized result of the last month's revenue performance.

WELL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.

Per: "Hamed Shahbazi"

Hamed Shahbazi

Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director

About WELL Health Technologies Corp.

WELL is an omni-channel digital health company whose overarching objective is to empower doctors to provide the best and most advanced care possible while leveraging the latest trends in digital health. As such, WELL owns and operates primary and executive healthcare clinics in both Canada and the US, operates a global digital Electronic Medical Records (EMR) business serving thousands of healthcare clinics and health systems of all sizes and operates a multi-national portfolio of telehealth services which includes one of the largest telehealth service providers in Canada. WELL is also a provider of digital health, billing and cybersecurity related technology solutions. WELL's wholly owned subsidiary CRH Medical provides various products and services that have supported thousands of Gastroenterology physicians in the US. WELL is an acquisitive company that follows a disciplined and accretive capital allocation strategy. WELL is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WELL". To access the Company's Canadian telehealth service, visit: tiahealth.com, and for corporate information, visit: www.well.company.

About WISP

Founded in 2018, WISP offers budget-friendly telehealth access for primary care, prescription medication and natural remedies to all humans regardless of health insurance. WISP specializes in female focused online reproduction and sexual health treatment. WISP offers an easier, more accessible, and more satisfying sexual healthcare experience to its customers. WISP began by offering discreet sexual health treatment and has grown to offer a comprehensive menu of online products and services, including prescription treatment, OTC prevention, primary care consultations, contraception delivery, and more, visit: www.hellowisp.com.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this news release related to the Company are forward-looking statements and are prospective in nature including the statements regarding the completion and timing of the proposed acquisition, growth of the global women's health market and online pharmacy industry and the Company's expansion plans and the expected impact and benefits of the acquisition on the Company. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "could", "would", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe" or the negative thereof or similar variations. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including: risks that the conditions to completion of the acquisition will not be satisfied as contemplated or at all; business disruption risks relating to COVID-19; regulatory risks, including those related to healthcare, privacy and data security; integration risks relating to the acquired business on a post-closing basis; and other risks outlined in the Company's publicly filed documents available on SEDAR. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE WELL Health Technologies Corp.

Related Links

well.company


DUBLIN, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Disabled and Elderly Assistive Technologies Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2021 To 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Global Disabled and Elderly Assistive Technologies Market Expected to Grow at 7.5% by 2029.

Individuals with disability include those who have mental, physical or sensory impairments, which may disrupt full and effective participation in everyday activities. Some disabilities or physical shortcomings are unique to senior citizens and catering to such requirements and related assistance provision is termed as elderly-care or eldercare. This broad spectrum of both eldercare and disabled assistance comprises a blend of assistive devices and services. This study exclusively analyzes the key devices employed for deploying elderly and disabled care and rehabilitation. Disabled individuals including the elderly are at a higher risk in emergency and disaster conditions.

Assistive technology products are designed to provide additional accessibility to individuals who have physical or cognitive difficulties, impairments, and disabilities. When selecting assistive technology products, it is crucial to find products that are compatible with the computer operating system and programs on the particular computer being used. The disabled & elderly assistive technologies market comprises of various products such as mobility assistance, assistive furniture, bathroom safety and assistive products, communication aids, incontinence and ostomy products, activity monitors and location monitors. The end users of disabled & elderly assistive technologies are home care, hospitals and nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. The geographical segmentation of global disabled & elderly assistive technologies market comprises North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa further segmented into key countries with highest potential in disabled & elderly assistive technologies market.

The major factors driving disabled & elderly assistive technologies market are high disposable income of baby boomers, rising demand for disabled and elderly assistive technologies, high adoption rate of novel technologies and supportive reimbursement policies. On the other hand, the expansion of the market may be inhibited in the coming years due to rising product prices. According to National Institute on Aging, in 2010, an estimated 524 million people were aged 65 or older - 8% of the world's population. By 2050, this number is expected to nearly triple to about 1.5 billion, representing 16% of the world's population. Although more developed countries have the oldest population profiles, the vast majority of older people - and the most rapidly aging populations - are in less developed countries. Between 2010 and 2050, the number of older people in less developed countries is projected to increase more than 250%, compared with a 71% increase in developed countries. Market experts suggest, this remarkable phenomenon is being driven by declines in fertility and improvements in longevity. With fewer children entering the population and people living longer, older people are making up an increasing share of the total population.

Communication Aids Product segment anticipated to maintain its lead

For the purpose of this study, the global disabled & elderly assistive technologies market is represented by key product categories namely, mobility assistance, assistive furniture, bathroom safety & assistive products, communication aids, incontinence, and ostomy products, activity monitors, and location monitors. Among these communication aids product segment was observed as the largest segment and is anticipated to maintain its lead during the forecast period 2021 - 2024. The key factors assisting the growth of communication aids product segment are high prevalence of hearing loss, rising aging population and technological advancements. High potential growths in emerging markets have opened an array of opportunities for the market.

Hospitals and Nursing Home segment accounted for a major share

Hospitals and nursing home segment accounted for a major share of 40.70% in the disabled & elderly assistive technologies market. Reimbursement through hospitals plays a critical role in allowing the dominance of this segment in the developed markets. Moreover, hospital care forms the first channel for use of assistive devices for disabled patients and they are thereafter forwarded to either home care or assisted living facilities. However, home care segment is expected to be the fastest-growing market at a CAGR of 7.8% during the forecast period 2021 - 2029 due to its increasing demand and favorable reimbursement scenario.

Asia-Pacific and Latin America is expected to project highest growth

North America is the largest regional market for disabled & elderly assistive technologies at a market share of 40.43% in 2020. Since most of the major manufacturers of these technologies are based in the U.S. On the other hand, Europe is expected to be the second largest regional market for disabled & elderly assistive technologies. Asia-Pacific and Latin America is expected to project highest growth throughout the forecast period owing to the increasing government support and significant rise in geriatric population. However, currently countries such as Japan, China, Brazil, Australia and South Korea are observed to be the greatest trendsetters in these regions. The Asia-Pacific disabled & elderly assistive technologies market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.6% from 2021-2029.

The key players in the disabled & elderly assistive technologies market are :

Bausch & Lomb, Inc.

Blue Chip Medical Products, Inc.

GN ReSound Group

Freedom Scientific, Inc.

Permobil AB

Invacare Corporation

Drive Medical

Sunrise Medical

Sonova Holding AG

Philips Lifeline

Ai Squared

Starkey Hearing Technologies

Siemens

Demant A/S

Key questions answered in this report

What are the key market segments in current scenario and in the future by product categories?

What are the key market segments in current scenario and in the future by regions?

What is the key impact of Covid-19 over market revenues and market determinants in the Disabled and Elderly Assistive Technologies market?

What are the primary and secondary macro and micro factors influencing the market growth currently and during the forecast period?

What are the primary and secondary macro and micro factors deterring the market growth currently and during the forecast period?

How to overcome the current market challenges and leverage the opportunities in each of the market segments?

Who are the key players in the Disabled and Elderly Assistive Technologies market and what are their key product categories and strategies?

What are the key strategies - mergers/acquisitions/R&D/strategic partnerships etc that companies are deploying to enhance market revenues and growth?

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Preface

Chapter 2 Executive Summary



Chapter 3 Global Disabled and Elderly Assistive Technologies Market Analysis

3.1 Global Disabled and Elderly Assistive Technologies Market Overview

3.2 Market Inclination Insights

3.3 Market Dynamics

3.3.1 Market Drivers

3.3.1.1 Increasing Numbers of World Aging and Disabled Population

3.3.2 Challenges

3.3.2.1 Lack of National Rehabilitation Plans

3.3.2.2 Lack of Awareness about the Benefits of Assistive Devices and Technologies

3.3.2.3 Lack of Funding Mechanisms

3.3.3 Opportunities

3.3.3.1 Telerehabilitation

3.4 Porter's Five Forces Model: Global Disabled and elderly assistive technologies Market

3.4.1 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

3.4.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers

3.4.3 Threat of Substitutes

3.4.4 Threat of New Entrants

3.4.5 Competitive Rivalry

3.5 Attractive Investment Proposition

3.6 Competitive Analysis: Fractal Map Investigation of Key Manufactures in Global Disabled and Elderly Assistive Technologies Market



Chapter 4 Global Disabled and Elderly Assistive Technologies Market Analysis, By Products

4.1 Overview

4.2 Mobility Assistance

4.2.1 Wheelchairs

4.2.2 Scooters

4.2.3 Crutches and Canes

4.2.4 Transfer Lifts and Elevators

4.2.5 Walkers and Rollators

4.2.6 Slings

4.3 Assistive Furniture

4.3.1 Beds

4.3.2 Riser Reclining Chairs

4.3.3 Railings and Bar

4.3.4 Door Openers

4.4 Bathroom Safety and Assistive Products

4.4.1 Commodes

4.4.2 Shower Chairs

4.4.3 Others

4.5 Communication Aids

4.5.1 Speech & Writing Therapy

4.5.2 Hearing Aids

4.5.3 Vision & Reading Aids

4.6 Incontinence and Ostomy Products

4.7 Activity Monitors

4.8 Location Monitors



Chapter 5 Global Disabled and Elderly Assistive Technologies Market Analysis, By End-Users

5.1 Introduction

5.1.1 Hospitals and Nursing Homes

5.1.2 Assisted Living Facilities

5.1.3 Home Care



Chapter 6 Global Disabled & Elderly Assistive Technologies Market, By Geography

6.1 Preface

6.2 North America

6.3 Europe

6.4 Asia-Pacific

6.5 Latin America

6.6 Middle East and Africa



Chapter 7 Company Profiles

7.1 Bausch & Lomb, Inc.

7.1.1 Bausch & Lomb, Inc.: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.2 Blue Chip Medical Products, Inc.

7.2.1 Blue Chip Medical Products, Inc.: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.3 GN ReSound Group

7.3.1 GN ReSound Group: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.4 Freedom Scientific, Inc.

7.4.1 Freedom Scientific, Inc.: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.5 Permobil AB

7.5.1 Permobil AB: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.6 Invacare Corporation

7.6.1 Invacare Corporation: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.7 Drive Medical

7.7.1 Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.8 Sunrise Medical GmbH & Co. KG

7.8.1 Sunrise Medical GmbH & Co. KG: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.9 Sonova Holding AG

7.9.1 Sonova Holding AG: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.10 Philips Lifeline

7.10.1 Philips Lifeline: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.11 Ai Squared

7.11.1 Ai Squared: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.12 Starkey Hearing Technologies

7.12.1 Starkey Hearing Technologies: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.13 Siemens

7.13.1 Siemens: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

7.14 Demant A/S

7.14.1 Demant A/S: Company Snapshot (Company Details, Geographical Presence, Product Portfolio, Key Industries Served, SCOT Analysis, Recent Developments)



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bp5blv

Media Contact:

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[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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DUBLIN, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Military Shelters Market Size, Share, Trend, Forecast, & Competitive Analysis: 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Military shelter systems are deployed for a multitude of purposes including temporary living, medical support centers, arms and ammunition storage, etc., by the defense authorities for their troops. These shelters are in the form of containers, tents, panels, etc. that are deployed for a certain period.



The defense industry has exhibited significant growth over the past few years with almost every country increasing its military expenses and budgets. The demand for military shelters has also considerably grown in the wake of surging military and humanitarian operations/missions. Currently, the manufacturers of military shelter structures are focused on the development of lightweight, portable, and cost-efficient systems. Over the eons, the major shelter manufacturers have switched to composite shelters aiming at greater durability, cost efficiency, and lightweight, some of the most urged requirements from defense authorities. As a result, it is anticipated that in the forthcoming years, composites would be the primary material used for the development of military shelters.



The overall impact of the Pandemic on the demand for military shelters seemed negligible since a vast majority of the contracts for military shelters are long-term in nature, immensely assisted the industry stakeholders to survive from the pandemic shocks. The publisher's estimates suggest that the market for military shelters is estimated to reach a value of US$ 1,081.2 million in 2026, growing at a healthy CAGR of 3.5% during 2021-2026.



Key Players



The supply chain of this market comprises raw material suppliers, military shelter manufacturers, distributors, and defense authorities. The key military shelter manufacturers are General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc., Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, AAR Corp., Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., Anchor Industries, Inc., Weatherhaven Global Resources Ltd., HDT Global, and HTS tentiQ. The formation of long-term contracts and the development of innovative products are some of the key strategies adopted by the major players in order to gain a competitive edge in the market. The prevalent COVID-19 crisis has pushed the leading players to realign their strategies to adapt to the need of the hour.



Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary



2. Military Shelters Market Overview and Segmentation

2.1. Introduction

2.2. Military Shelters Market Segmentation

2.2.1. By Size Type

2.2.2. By Shelter Type

2.2.3. By Product Type

2.2.4. By Installation Type

2.2.5. By Material Type

2.2.6. By Application Type

2.2.7. By Region

2.3. PEST Analysis

2.4. Supply Chain Analysis

2.5. Industry Life Cycle Analysis

2.6. Market Drivers

2.7. Market Challenges



3. Military Shelters Market - The COVID-19 Impact Assessment

3.1. Military Shelters Market Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

3.2. Pre-COVID vs Post-COVID Assessment

3.3. Real GDP Loss vs Military Shelters Market Loss (2020-2021)

3.4. Market Scenario Analysis: Pessimistic, Most Likely, and Optimistic

3.5. Market Segments' Analysis (US$ Million)

3.6. Regional and Country-Level Analysis (US$ Million)



4. Competitive Analysis

4.1. Market Consolidation Level

4.2. Regional Competitive Dynamics

4.3. Market Share Analysis

4.4. Product Portfolio Analysis

4.5. Geographical Presence

4.6. New Product Launches

4.7. Strategic Alliances

4.8. Porter's Five Forces Analysis



5. Military Shelters Market Trend and Forecast by Size (2015-2026)

5.1. Segment's Analysis

5.2. Small Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

5.3. Large Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)



6. Military Shelters Market Trend and Forecast by Shelter Type (2015-2026)

6.1. Segment's Analysis

6.2. Rigid Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

6.3. Non-Rigid Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)



7. Military Shelters Market Trend and Forecast by Product Type (2015-2026)

7.1. Segment's Analysis

7.2. Expandable Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

7.3. Non-Expandable Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)



8. Military Shelters Market Trend and Forecast by Installation Type (2015-2026)

8.1. Segment's Analysis

8.2. Vehicle-Mounted Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

8.3. Ground-Based Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)



9. Military Shelters Market Trend and Forecast by Material Type (2015-2026)

9.1. Segment's Analysis

9.2. Polyester Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

9.3. Composite Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

9.4. Steel Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

9.5. Other Shelters: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)



10. Military Shelters Market Trend and Forecast by Application Type (2015-2026)

10.1. Segment's Analysis

10.2. Medical Facility: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

10.3. Command & Control: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

10.4. Storage: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

10.5. Aircraft Base: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

10.6. Repair & Maintenance: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

10.7. Accommodation: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)

10.8. Others: Regional Trend and Forecast (US$ Million)



11. Military Shelters Market Trend and Forecast by Region (2015-2026)

11.1. Segment's Analysis

11.2. North American Military Shelters Market: Country Analysis

11.2.1. The USA's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.2.2. Canada's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.2.3. Mexico's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.3. European Military Shelters Market: Country Analysis

11.3.1. Germany's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.3.2. France's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.3.3. The UK's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.3.4. Russia's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.3.5. RoE's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.4. Asia-Pacific's Military Shelters Market: Country Analysis

11.4.1. China's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.4.2. Japan's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.4.3. India's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.4.4. South Korea's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.4.5. RoAP's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.5. The Middle East & Africa's Military Shelters Market: Country Analysis

11.5.1. Israel's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.5.2. Saudi Arab's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.5.3. RoMEA's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.6. Latin America's Military Shelters Market: Country Analysis

11.6.1. Brazil's Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)

11.6.2. Others' Military Shelters Market T&F (US$ Million)



12. Strategic Growth Opportunities

12.1. Insights

12.2. Market Attractiveness Analysis

12.2.1. Market Attractiveness by Size

12.2.2. Market Attractiveness by Shelter Type

12.2.3. Market Attractiveness by Product Type

12.2.4. Market Attractiveness by Installation

12.2.5. Market Attractiveness by Material

12.2.6. Market Attractiveness by Application

12.2.7. Market Attractiveness by Region

12.2.8. Market Attractiveness by Country

12.3. Emerging Trends

12.4. Growth Matrix Analysis

12.5. Key Success Factors (KSFs)



13. Company Profile of Key Players

13.1. AAR Corp.

13.2. Alaska Structures, Inc.

13.3. Anchor Industries, Inc.

13.4. General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc.

13.5. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc

13.6. HDT Global

13.7. HTS tentiQ

13.8. Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group

13.9. Sprung structure

13.10. Weatherhaven Global Resources Ltd.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/f4a26z

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

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SOURCE Research and Markets

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Hyderabad, Sep 2 : The Krishna River Management Board's refusal to consider Telangana's request for generating power, prompted a walkout by the state's representatives. The board meeting on Wednesday, was convened in the backdrop of claims and counter-claims on sharing of the Krishna river waters, by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This was the 14th meeting of the KRMB.

The five-hour long meeting saw representatives of both states pitching their arguments. Telangana cited geographic reasons behind its compulsion to generate hydel power for agriculture and drinking water purposes. The state's representatives also contended that the Srisailam project was conceived for power generation only.

In response, the Andhra Pradesh representatives explained that their state's interests would suffer if power is generated in the absence of drinking and irrigation requirements in downstream areas.

KRMB chairman MP Singh clarified that power generation can be taken up at Srisailam project only when there are water requirements in the Sagar and Krishna delta areas. Not happy with the KRMB decision, the Telangana team staged a walkout from the five-hour long meeting.

Following Telangana's walkout, the meeting was concluded.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : Addressing the 25th foundation day of Technology Development Board (TDB), Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said the TDB must discover and nurture the start-up ecosystem for successful product developments.

Singh, the Union Minister State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology and Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences, emphasized that TDB must reach out to young start-ups in a pro-active manner, rather than they approach for any support.

"Though there is no dearth of talented HR pool in the country, the main challenge is to channelize it for evolving new paradigms," he said, adding, the confidence of self-reliance will percolate down to the next generation and will help in attracting the best brains in the field of Science and Technology.

"Starting from here, the entire journey of the next 25 years, when we celebrate the centenary of Indian independence, marks the Amrit period of creation of a new India", Dr Singh said.

Prof K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India participated through virtual medium. Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech and young entrepreneur Akshata Kari, Co-founder and COO, Coco lab also addressed the event in person. The Minister also released the TDB journal on the occasion.

TDB continues to play a key role and has shown that new kind of innovation can be scaled in our ecosystem," said Prof K Vijay Raghavan.

Dr RenuSwarup, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology and Department of Biotechnology, Shekhar C Mande, Secretary, DSIR and DG, CSIR and Board Member, TDB and Prof Ashutosh Sharma, former Secretary, DST, were among those who spoke on the occasion, the release added.
Washington, Sep 2 : US President Joe Biden has discussed security issues and bilateral ties in his first meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

At the beginning of their meeting on Wednesday in the Oval Office, Biden said "the United States remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression and our support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations," Xinhua reported.

Biden announced an additional $60 million in security assistance to Ukraine, and the creation of a new strategic defence framework as well as an energy and climate dialogue.

Zelensky said in his remarks that he expected to discuss the security situation in Crimea and Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, and "Ukraine's chances to join NATO." Crimea was incorporated into Russia in March 2014, following a popular referendum, which Ukraine and the West never recognized.

The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, which began in April 2014, has claimed some 14,000 lives and left as many as 40,000 wounded. Kiev blamed Moscow for inciting the conflict. Russia, however, has denied the charges, saying the accusations are groundless.

The $60 million security package included Javelin anti-armor systems and "other defensive lethal and non-lethal capabilities," according to a US-Ukraine joint statement.

The statement also covered topics of US support of Ukraine's reform and combatting corruption agenda, economic cooperation, and pandemic response.

The meeting between the two leaders was initially scheduled on Monday but was delayed as the Biden administration was focused on the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Zelensky met separately with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday.

The visit came at a time of growing concerns in Kiev about its relations with Washington.

Before the visit, Zelensky expressed his frustration with Western allies' hesitancy to greenlight Ukraine's accession to NATO in an interview with The Washington Post and other media outlets.

Zelensky has been critical of America's weakening opposition to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which will transport Russian gas to Germany. Ukraine sees the project as a security threat.

Despite the long-time opposition, the Biden administration reached a deal with Germany that allowed the completion of the pipeline project. Berlin agreed to support Ukraine to strengthen its energy sector and act against Russia if it weaponizes the energy.
Prayagraj : , Sep 2 (IANS) The Allahabad High Court has said that the cow should be declared national animal and its protection must be made a fundamental right.

The court said on Wednesday that when the country's culture and its faith get hurt, the country becomes weak.

The court made this observation while denying bail to Javed who had been accused of cow slaughter.

In his 12-page judgement, Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav noted that the applicant had, after committing theft of the cow, killed it, beheaded it and also kept its meat.

"This is not the first offence of the applicant. Earlier also, he had committed cow slaughter which had disturbed the harmony of the society.

The court further observed, "Fundamental right is not only the prerogative of beef eaters. Rather, those who worship the cow and are financially dependent on them also have the right to lead a purposeful life. The right to life is above the right to kill and the right to eat beef can never be considered a fundamental right." The court said, "The government will also have to bring a bill in Parliament and declare cows the national animal and make strict laws against those who talk about harming them. Laws should come for those also who talk about cow protection by making cowsheds, etc., but have nothing to do with cow protection. Their only aim is to earn money in the name of cow protection." "There are hundreds of examples in our country that whenever we forgot our 'sanskriti' (culture), the foreigners attacked us and made us slaves. Even today, if we do not wake up, then we should not forget the autocratic Taliban invasion and occupation of Afghanistan," the court observed.

Stressing the significance attached to the cow, the court said, "It is not that only Hindus have understood the importance of cows, Muslim rulers have also considered the cow an important part of India's culture during their reign. Babur, Humayun and Akbar had banned cow slaughter in their religious festivals. Mysore's ruler Hyder Ali had made cow slaughter a cognisable offence.
New York, Sep 2 : The retreat from Afghanistan by US President Joe Biden is leading to a retreat from Washington's ambitions of remaking the world as it reevaluates its global role and the threats of tomorrow.

"As we turn the page on the foreign policy that has guided our nation the last two decades, we've got to learn from our mistakes," he said in Tuesday's speech to the nation on the end of the 20-year Afghan war.

"This decision about Afghanistan is not just about Afghanistan. It's about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries," he said.

It is a turnaround from his support for the invasion of Afghanistan as the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the later foray into Iraq.

It is also a convergence with the policy of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, who opposed foreign military entanglements and ridiculed nation-building while putting the spotlight on the threat from China.

"We saw a mission of counter-terrorism in Afghanistan -- getting the terrorists and stopping attacks -- morph into a counterinsurgency, nation-building -- trying to create a democratic, cohesive, and unified Afghanistan -- something that has never been done over the many centuries of Afghans' history," Biden conceded.

Explaining his policy shift, Biden said: "The fundamental obligation of a President, in my opinion, is to defend and protect America -- not against threats of 2001, but against the threats of 2021 and tomorrow." For Biden the main driver of the change in his policy outlook is the realisation of the threat from China -- which Trump had emphasised.

Biden said: "Here's a critical thing to understand: The world is changing. We're engaged in a serious competition with China. We're dealing with the challenges on multiple fronts with Russia." He directly linked the retreat from Afghanistan to meeting the competition from China and Russia.

"There's nothing China or Russia would rather have, would want more, in this competition than the United States to be bogged down another decade in Afghanistan," he said.

The US has been debilitated by spending more than $2 trillion in Afghanistan and billions more in Iraq, while losing diplomatic focus on China and Russia.

Biden also outlined the threats in other areas like nuclear proliferation and cyberwarfare that demand attention, as well as the changed nature of terrorism, which has metastasised beyond Afghanistan since 2001.

He proposed an "unforgiving, targeted, precise strategy that goes after terror where it is today, not where it was two decades ago." "We face threats from al-Shabaab in Somalia; al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria and the Arabian Peninsula; and ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq, and establishing affiliates across Africa and Asia," he said.

He vowed to continue the fight against global terrorism, but said, "We just don't need to fight a ground war to do it. We have what's called over-the-horizon capabilities, which means we can strike terrorists and targets without American boots on the ground -- or very few, if needed." The hi-tech weaponry for these battles have also developed in the last two decades and Biden cited the revenge attacks last week that the US has said killed the masterminds of the Kabul attack that took the lives of 13 US soldiers.

Biden had projected himself as a great promoter of democracy and said in February, "We will work with our partners to support restoration of democracy and the rule of law, and impose consequences on those responsible - for undermining democracy." The question will be what kind of "consequences" the US can impose on those it considers veering off from the democratic path he and his supporters set.

Non-democratic China has declared it has no interest in democracy or opposing dictatorial or authoritarian trends around the world as it spreads its largesse -- which is not so benign most of the time as it grips the recipients with its tentacles.

A binary approach to democracy cannot work for the US, especially when confronting China, necessitating a moderate approach.

And the US itself has a history of undermining democracy around the world when it suits it.

Following up his campaign rhetoric of promoting democracy, Biden is calling a virtual summit of leaders of the world's democracies for "defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights".

As Biden's America recasts its role as the world's policeman, the definer and defender of democracy, and the leader in the fight against terrorism, it will have to rely on diplomacy and alliances.

He said on Tuesday, "Human rights will be the centre of our foreign policy. But the way to do that is not through endless military deployments, but through diplomacy, economic tools, and rallying the rest of the world for support." (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
Dhaka, Sep 2 : Popular Bangladeshi actor Pori Moni has slammed her haters by sending a cryptic message to them after walking out of jail.

Pori Moni was freed on Wednesday after 27 days in jail, a day after she was granted bail on a 50,000 taka bond.

People had gathered outside the Kashimpur women's jail from where Pori Moni walked out. As the actress waved at the crowd who came to greet her, a close view of her palm revealed that had she written "Don't <3 <3 <3 me bit*h".

When questioned about the cryptic message on her hand, the actress replied wittily that the message is dedicated to her haters, who were happy with her imprisonment.

She said it was for "those two-faced snakes" who envied her but pretended to be "extra sweet" in front of her.

"Anyone is free to assume that the message is about them. I really can't list out the names right now. They were really happy when I was arrested and taken to jail. Some of them even started celebrating upon my arrest." The actress said none of the people who would spend time with her came forward to help her when she was in jail.

"Where were those people when I was in jail suffering alone," said the actress, adding that these two-faced snakes will welcome her again after her bail.

"As soon as I returned home, the very people who were criticising me about the whole incident started telling me that they were missing me and that they love me a lot," Pori Moni told the media.

"I have just one thing to say to them: I don't need your love. You don't need to shower me with your fake concern as I only love the people who truly have kept me in their heart," the actress added.

She has also been given an eviction notice to leave her house after she received bail on Wednesday. She said: "I was asked to leave the house immediately upon returning." "I really don't know where I will find a house at such short notice. I really can't understand why this is happening to me." --IANS

sumi/pgh

</3>
Lucknow, Sep 2 : A 23-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly posing as a woman on Instagram, using a fake profile and luring minor girls into sending him obscene pictures and videos.

The alleged accused, Abdul Samad, an air-conditioner mechanic, was arrested using electronic surveillance from Lucknow.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP South) Atul Kumar Thakur said, "We apprehended Abdul Samad from his house in Lucknow and recovered his smart mobile phone containing the details of many girls and their obscene videos and photos." According to police, the accused used to initiate conversations with teenage children and watch their obscene photographs and videos.

The matter came to light after a 15-year-old victim lodged a complaint on August 27.

During the course of the investigation, notices were sent to WhatsApp and Instagram to get the details of mobile numbers and Instagram IDs used by the accused.

Based on those details, the police team managed to trace the accused from Lucknow.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he represented himself as a woman to start conversations with a teenage girl.

"He had a keen interest in Internet-based social sites, and he used to learn about it from YouTube. He had also learnt about some other applications like 'Text Now', wherein he used to send messages and made video calls to girls through international numbers. He has also represented himself as an NRI from Canada," Atul Kumar Thakur said.

The DCP said, "When the girls used to send him their obscene videos and photos, he blackmailed them and also circulated those. He has multiple Instagram IDs. He used to keep on making new Instagram IDs so that he would not be traced."
Mumbai, Sep 2 : In a huge embarrassment, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said that it has raided and arrested its own official for allegedly conniving to prepare a 'purported' clean-chit given to former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, here on Thursday.

The raids took place in New Delhi and Allahabad while the arrest took place early Thursday, hours after the CBI had swooped on Deshmukh's son-in-law Gaurav Chaturvedi and his Nagpur-based lawyer Anand Daga late on Wednesday evening, from Worli in Mumbai.

The Chaturvedi-Daga duo was detained and their statements recorded till the wee hours Thursday when the complicity of an inside hand, the CBI's own official -- a Sub-Inspector Abhishek Tripathi -- was also confirmed.

The CBI said in a terse statement this morning that it has registered a case against its own SI, the Nagpur-based lawyer (Daga) and other unknown persons for certain allegations, including corruption.

"During the investigations of the said case, CBI has today arrested the SI (Tiwari), while the lawyer (Daga) is being questioned," the agency said.
Lucknow, Sep 2 : A 25-year-old Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) jawan was found dead under mysterious circumstances at an under-construction house in Mohanlalganj on the outskirts of Lucknow.

The body was found late on Wednesday night. Police suspect the jawan died of poisoning and have sent the body for autopsy.

The deceased, identified as Manoj Yadav of Alwar in Rajasthan, was presently posted at 32 battalion of ITBP in Kanpur.

Additional DCP, South Zone, Purnendu Singh, said the investigations revealed that Manoj was close to one Arun Yadav, who lives in the New Colony area.

Manoj returned from Rajasthan on Tuesday but instead of joining duty in Kanpur he took a stopover in Mohanlalganj to meet Arun.

Arun is employed on contract at the office of ADO Panchayat in Mohanlalganj.

On Wednesday, Manoj told Arun that he had to meet bank officials regarding approval of a loan and left.

Arun left for his workplace and his wife went to attend a function at a neighbour's house.

Manoj returned in the afternoon and called up Arun when he found the house locked.

Around 2.30 p.m., Manoj returned home and found the doors locked. He told Arun that he was waiting at an under-construction house nearby.

"I sent my acquaintance Jai Sharan to inquire about Manoj and he found the latter lying in an unconscious state." The police were informed and he was taken to hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Lucknow, Sep 2 : The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to declare main government buildings and the state secretariat as 'no weapon zone'.

The decision comes after a suicide attempt by the private secretary of a senior IAS officer in the Bapu Bhawan on Monday.

The private secretary Vishambhar Dayal had shot himself in the head with his revolver and is now battling for life in the hospital.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to review the security of government buildings after the incident.

Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), home, Avanish Awasthi told reporters, "It has been decided that bringing firearms in any secretariat building will be completely banned and a decision will be taken soon on declaring the entire area as 'No Weapon Zone'." He further said, "Two committees have also been constituted which will submit a detailed report next week on the safety equipment, resources, manpower and training required to further strengthen the security arrangements in the secretariat. The recommendations of the two committees will be implemented after due deliberations." The security arrangements at all entry and exit points of secretariat buildings will be made more stringent by providing access control equipment like Door Frame Metal Detector (DFMD) and bag scanners and the number of CCTV cameras will be increased for enhanced surveillance," he said.

The official said that the deployment of the newly constituted Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force (UPSSF) for the security of the secretariat is also under consideration.

The UPSSF was formed after the chief minister asked for the setting up of a CISF-like force to guard important institutions and persons to reduce the burden on the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) so that the latter could focus on law and order.
Mumbai, Sep 2 : In a massive embarrassment, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said that it has raided and arrested its own sleuth for allegedly conniving to prepare a 'purported' clean-chit to former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, here on Thursday.

The raids took place in New Delhi and Allahabad while the arrest took place early Thursday, hours after the CBI had swooped on Deshmukh's son-in-law Gaurav Chaturvedi and his Nagpur-based lawyer Anand Daga late on Wednesday evening, from Worli in Mumbai.

The Chaturvedi-Daga duo was detained and their statements recorded till the wee hours when the complicity of an inside hand, the CBI's own official -- a Sub-Inspector Abhishek Tripathi -- was also confirmed.

The CBI said in a terse statement this morning that it has registered a case against its own SI, the Nagpur-based lawyer (Daga) and other unknown persons for certain allegations, including corruption.

"During the investigations of the said case, CBI has today arrested the SI (Tiwari), while the lawyer (Daga) is being questioned," the agency said, even as raids were carried out in New Delhi and Allahabad and his personal lockers in the CBI offices here.

It maybe recalled that last weekend, media and political circles were rocked by a report purportedly giving a 'clean-chit' given to Deshmukh in the Bombay High Court-ordered preliminary enquiry (PE).

Rattled by the alleged leak, the CBI had issued two strong rebuttals on the issue, and quietly launched a probe into the matter which culminated in the nabbing of an 'inside hand' in the sordid episode.

The unsigned-undated-unattributed alleged PE report triggered a fresh political row with the Nationalist Congress Party and Congress demanding that the CBI should comment on the authenticity or otherwise of the report.

As a fallout of the incident, the CBI picked up Chaturvedi and Daga on Wednesday and early Thursday, nabbed its own (CBI) sleuth for allegedly conniving with them to prepare the fake PE report.

Slamming the move, State Congress Spokesperson Sachin Sawant said it was extremely "extremely serious" as they were taken away without serving any notice.

"The laws are being trampled and the country is run by 'Modi-Shah'... 'Whatever we say is the law', the Modi government should officially declare," said Sawant.

NCP National Spokesperson and Minister Nawab Malik said that they were taken away "illegally, without any prior intimation or notice", raising questions if there is rule of the law in the country or the law of the rulers.

"The CBI must clarify under what laws and norms the action was taken without following the due process of law," Malik said sharply.

There has been speculation in some circles that Deshmukh, who's on the radar of the ED and CBI but has yet to respond to their multiple summons, may be in contact with his family members.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Kathmandu, Sep 2 : Authorities in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley have decided to end the lockdown imposed since late April in the wake of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, although certain restrictions will still remain.

"In recent days, the number of Covid-19 cases has come down significantly," Kali Prasad Parajuli, chief district officer of the Kathmandu district, told Xinhua news agency on WEdnesday.

"After reviewing the data about infections, we came to the conclusion that prohibitory orders are no longer needed to bring the pandemic under control.

"There are certain restrictions still in place and we have also asked the public to follow the health protocols," he said, noting the decision was made jointly with the chiefs of the Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts in the valley.

In a notice issued earlier in the day, the Kathmandu district also paved the way for schools to be reopened for the first time in four months, as the restrictive measures against public transport and shops had already been eased.

"Normally, schools can not be opened with the physical presence of students," reads the notice.

"But local government can allow reopening of schools in coordination with District Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre if there is an urgent need for reopening of schools." According to Parajuli, the decision was made over demand from public schools, as some students could not take online classes due to the lack of computers, internet and mobile phones.

As per the notice, festivals can be celebrated with the presence of as few people as possible.

Dhundi Prasad Niraula, chief district officer of the Lalitpur district, told Xinhua that cinemas, swimming pools, museums and dance clubs can be reopened and conferences and sporting events can be organised by following the health protocols.

The lockdown is lifted with a view to giving vibrancy to the economy as Nepali New Year comes next month and the government needs revenues as well, said Niraula.

The Kathmandu Valley and other parts of Nepal returned to lockdown on April 29 after the coronavirus battered the South Asian country again early that month and was extended time and again.

Nepal reported 1,648 new cases and 20 fatalities in the past 24 hours, bringing the total infections to 764,295 and the death toll to 10,770.

Over two-thirds of the Nepali population has developed antibodies against Covid-19, according to a nationwide survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Population.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Kathmandu, Sep 2 : In a surprise move, the Nepal government has formed a team to probe the boundary dispute with China.

There were reports that China has encroached some lands in Humla district of Nepal which was earlier dismissed by the former KP Sharma Oli government.

Now the government formed the five-member team on Wednesday headed by the Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs to study the border dispute with China that will give the exact picture of situation in its northern region.

Senior officials from different government agencies and boundary experts will be the members of the team that will visit the disputed area and report back to the government, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said.

A provincial lawmaker of Nepali Congress, Jeevan Bahadur Shai last year reported that China has encroached huge chunks of land in Humla district.

Humla shares the long border with Tibet. Indian nationals who visit Mansarovar have to go via Humla district.

Shai, who was the elected member of the provincial assembly, raised the voice first about Chinese land encroachment.

But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs totally brushed off the allegations saying the Nepal and China do not have any boundary dispute and both sides are in close communication in this respect.

The boundary between Nepal and China was delineated and demarcated based on the Boundary Treaty and Boundary Protocols signed between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement in September last year.

It added that Nepal and China have always maintained close communication on border matters.

Shai visited the remote area of Humla district along with the Nepal-China border and made his findings public in August last year.

In his report, Shai had reported that boundary pillars numbering 9, 10, 11, 12, 5 (1), 6 (1), 7 (1) and 8 (1) were damaged and pillar No. 12 was replaced with a new one.

With the installation of pillar No. 12 inside the Nepali territory, a large chunk of Nepali land has slipped into the Chinese territory, Shai wrote in his report.

Refuting his report, the Foreign Ministry stated that the Department of Survey has verified and confirmed that the said buildings are not located within the Nepali territory.

While the issue was dismissed from the government side, Shai however submitted his field study report to the Nepali Congress and called for through investigations.

But the Oli government didn't heed the calls made by the Nepali Congress.

After the formation of the Sher Shah Deuba government in Kathmandu, some senior Nepali Congress leaders including its Vice President Bimalendra Nidhi had demanded to form such a committee in order to carry out the reportedly border encroachment by the Chinese side.

Nidhi was of the view of Nepal should be sensitive about its boundary issues both with India and China and must seek a solution through bilateral talks.

After the report was made public, the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu had written to the Nepali Congress, protesting the charges that China had encroached upon the Nepali territory.

An internal report prepared by the Home Ministry also found that there were some disputes in border areas in Humla.

The report, however, was never made public.
Dharamsala, Sep 2 : The democratically elected Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) on Thursday commemorated the 61st founding anniversary of the Tibetan Parliament following the arrival of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama and 80,000 Tibetans in exile.

On February 3, 1960, barely 10 months after arriving in exile in India, the representatives of Tibetans gathered for the first time in Bodhgaya and took oath to forge unity and cooperation under the guidance of the spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

"Today, as we commemorate the 61st democracy day, we extend our heartfelt greetings to our compatriots in Tibet," the Kashag or Tibetan cabinet said in a statement.

"No matter how much China's propaganda machinery make false claims of development during the 70 years of so-called peaceful liberation of Tibet in its recent White Papers, Tibetans inside Tibet have maintained indomitable courage and determination in the face of China's continued policy to exterminate the Tibetan identity, and they have been making all-round efforts to protect Tibet's religion, culture, language and tradition, for which we remain deeply grateful.

"It is this strength that unites the Tibetans in exile and keeps alive the freedom struggle. It is the common wish in our heart to reunite in Tibet and we would like to appeal to our brethren in Tibet not to lose their determination." The Kashag has been carrying out its administrative works without any negligence.

"However, the inability of the parliament to convene its session has been preventing it from carrying out its legislative functions. Parliament is also not able to make use of the opportunities to plan activities and campaigns in accordance with the changing situation in China and the international community," it said.

The Kashag has been informed of several instances of the Chinese government exploiting this issue to spread falsehood inside Tibet, create division in the exile Tibetan community and misuse it at the international platforms.

Extending greetings to India, the US and all countries and Tibet Support Groups around the world for supporting the just cause of Tibet, the Kashag prayed for the flourishing of the meritorious works of the Dalai Lama and the spontaneous fulfillment of all his wishes.

The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959. The exiled Tibetan administration is based in Dharamsala.
Kabul/New Delhi, Sep 2 : The Taliban has accused the US of intentionally damaging equipment at Kabuls Hamid Karzai International Airport during their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Anas Haqqani, a key Taliban member, visited the Kabul airport a day after the last American soldier left Afghanistan, and said the US had deliberately destroyed military equipment including helicopters, military vehicles, and facilities, Ariana News reported.

"For years they called us destroyers. But now you are witnessing those who are destroyers. They have destroyed our national assets," Haqqani said.

The last flight carrying American forces left Kabul in the early hours of Tuesday morning - ending 20 years of military presence in the country.

Videos shared on social media show that dozens of vehicles, helicopters, military equipment, and facilities at the Kabul Airport have been destroyed, the report said.

A member of the Taliban stated: "We are trying to get the airport ready to use and operational. This is what all leaders of the Emirate want.

"The important point is that invaders never managed to last in Afghanistan. The invaders have been defeated at all times (in history). This is a reality that the Americans were defeated and they withdrew."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
September 02 : Emraan Hashmi, who was seen in the latest release Chehre, and received good reviews for his performance, has jetted off to Turkey on Wednesday, leaving his fans guessing if the actor is joining Salman Khan for Tiger 3 shoot.

While fans were gearing up to see the Chehre actor locking horns with Salman Khan in Tiger 3, the actor left them confused when he spoke in a recent interview. When asked if he was a part of Tiger 3, Emraan said, "I will not negate that, but I will not say yes too. I will speak about it when the time is right."

Since a long time, the buzz was that Emraan is playing the antagonist in Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer Tiger 3. But in an interview, the actor put an end to all rumours, and stated that he is not a part of Tiger 3. In the recent interview with a portal, Emraan expressed his surprise as to why his name was being associated with Tiger 3 when he had never said that he was playing a role in the Yash Raj Films project. The actor said that he has neither stated or gave any quote regarding his association with Tiger 3.

Now, Emraan took to his Instagram handle and shared a selfie as he jetted off to Turkey. He clicked the selfie at the airport, wherein he can be seen donning a black T-shirt, black face mask and cool shades. He captioned the post, "Catching a red eye flight to !!."

It is reported that Salman and Katrina have completed a five-day schedule of Tiger 3 in Russia, and have now moved to Turkey. Salman will now shoot in Istanbul for a few days. So Emraan leaving for Turkey has again started the guessing game, and fans believe that he will join Salman for the shoot.

Reacting to Emraans post, a fan wrote, "Tiger 3 (fire emoji)", another user commented, "Phir jhoot kaiko bolte hai immy". Yet another wrote, "Why are you denying that you are doing Tiger 3".

Helmed by Maneesh Sharma, Tiger 3 is a Yash Raj Films project. The big budget spy thriller is the third instalment of the blockbuster Tiger franchise. While Salman will return as special agent Avinash Singh Rathore, Katrina as Zoya Humain.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 2 : Is the much discussed and debated third wave of the pandemic a reality or a myth? In Kerala, the news is that in a high level online meeting called by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday late evening, the participating international experts opined that it's time schools are opened, especially primary schools.

Speaking to IANS, veteran virologist T. Jacob John who took part in the meeting, said practically every expert who participated from various parts of the globe wanted to see that schools are opened.

"The general opinion was, it is time that the primary schools are opened because there is no major issue if a 15-year-old child misses an year of school, but it's not the same if a toddler who gets ready to begin his education, as any impediment in the cognitive development in the first part of a child's education career can cause trouble," said John, a winner of the prestigious Dr B.C. Roy award.

"Moreover today kids and children are presently locked up in homes and while at home none wears a mask, but when in school or outside, all wear masks. Risk is the lowest at primary schools," added John.

On the now discussed third wave, John pointed out that the third wave is a myth created by 'somebody'.

"Many know the reason of this, but without having proper documented records, those who know about it are not revealing," said John.

On Thursday, State Education Minister V. Sivankutty said opening up of the education sector is being planned.

"We will soon appoint an expert committee to study various aspects of it and then a final decision will be taken by the Chief Minister," said Sivankutty.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, Sep 2 : Filmmaker Papa Rao Biyyala's 'Music School' has been announced. This 12-song musical movie set in Hyderabad is about the pressure of the unimaginative education system on children to mug equations and aim only to become doctors or engineers, leaving no time for art or sport.

Papa Rao Biyyala says: "As a filmmaker, it's exciting and nothing short of an honour to be joining forces with maestro Ilaiyaraaja, Broadway choreographer Adam Murray and cinematographer Kiran Deohans. 'Music School' celebrates the fact that many of us have found solace in music. Its songs elevate an enrapturing story of love and discovering music. We're thrilled to see the audience in theatres with this heartwarming musical."

Image Source: IANS News

It is a bilingual movie that will be released in Hindi and Telugu and music is composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The choreography is by Broadway choreographer Adam Murray. It is written and directed by Papa Rao Biyyala.

The movie features Sharman Joshi, Shriya Saran, Suhasini Mulay, Benjamin Gilani, Prakash Raj, Telugu comedian Brahmanandam, Vinay Varma, Gracy Goswamy, and Ozu Barua.

Cinematographer Kiran Deohans, renowned for his work in 'Jodhaa Akbar', will also be on board. The 'mahurat' of the musical will be on October 15. The film also features three songs from 'The Sound of Music' which are used situationally.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Mumbai, Sep 2 : Rana Daggubati and Pulkit Samrat-starrer 'Haathi Mere Saathi' will have a direct-to-television release on Zee Cinema. The film traces the narrative of a man fighting for the rights of elephants and the ecosystem.

It was filmed in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. While 'Kaadan' in Tamil and 'Aranya' in Telugu have already been released, the Hindi version was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Written and directed by Prabu Solomon, the movie features 'Baahubali' actor Rana Daggubati as the protector of the elephants and nature, along with Pulkit Samrat, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Zoya Hussain and Anant Mahadevan in pivotal roles.

Sharing his experience, Rana said: "We have a great story to tell with 'Haathi Mere Saathi'. It is a wholesome journey of a man who is closely connected to nature, best friends with elephants and a faithful protector of their community. The film draws light on some serious issues faced by these communities and the thorough dedication to the cause." Set in deep forests and right in the middle of royal elephants and their protector community, 'Haathi Mere Saathi' shows those emotions which connect humans and animals.

Talking about the film, director Prabu Solomon said: "When I first thought of this story, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to convey. I wanted to put across a germ of thought with a potential to ignite progressive conversations around the cause of protecting elephants and nature." The movie is produced by Eros Motion Pictures and is scheduled to release directly on Zee Cinema followed by streaming on Eros Now on September 18.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 2 : With eye on state polls, the BJP is taking feedback on public response to the 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' taken out by the newly inducted union ministers in their respective states.

It is learnt that the party's central leadership is collecting feedback on several parameters, which include public and workers' participation during the yatra.

"Party is collecting feedback on different parameters like people and workers participation, public opinion about government and party, awareness and reach of union and state government's schemes and others," a party insider said.

Sources said that along with reports from ministers about their yatra, party leadership is also collecting feedback from the state and the district units.

A BJP functionary pointed out that feedback collected from poll bound states will help the party draw its strategy accordingly.

"Ministers were also asked to have dialogue with people and know what they are thinking about the government. Based on feedback, polls strategy will be drawn to address the voters' concerns," he said.

Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa will be held early next year.

The BJP is in power in four states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, while the Congress is ruling in Punjab.

The yatra has also set the party's preparations in motion in the poll bound states, especially in Uttar Pradesh that has got maximum new ministers.

All the 39 newly inducted ministers in the union council had taken out 'Jan Ashirvad Yatra' in their respective states.

Together all 39 ministers had covered 19,567 kms, 212 Lok Sabha constituencies and 265 districts across 19 states.

The ministers had travelled three Lok Sabha and four districts of their home state before reaching their own constituency.

During the Yatra over 1,600 programmes were held which included visits to places of religious importance, addressing the public, overseeing the implementation of Centrally sponsored programmes and vaccination centres.

Sources said that during these programs, ministers had direct public interactions and the response collected from the people were submitted to central leadership.
Cairo, Sep 2 : Egypt has signed a contract to establish the first line of the electric express train in the country, which will link the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, according to a government statement.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended the signing ceremony of the contract on the line from Ain Sokhna to Matrouh on Wednesday, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The 660-km-long line will be designed and implemented with maintenance operations for 15 years valued at $4.45 billion," the statement added.

The project will be implemented in cooperation with the National Authority for Tunnels and an Egyptian-German consortium under Siemens, the Arab Contractors company and Orascom.

Madbouly said the project represents a leap in the field of Egypt's transportation and will contribute to achieving swift development.

Minister of Transportation Kamel al-Wazir said that the new train will transport passengers and goods by connecting Ain Sokhna at the Red Sea with Matrouh at the Mediterranean Sea, passing through the new administrative capital, Helwan, 6th of October City, Alexandria, Borg Al-Arab, and Alamein city.

The consortium would carry out all the project systems including signals, communications and electro-mechanics and design carriages and maintenance workshops, he added.

Noting that "the contract would be enforced as of today," the Minister said that Siemens company will provide continuous support for strengthening local workers' capabilities.
Tokyo, Sep 2 : India's Rahul Jakhar was placed second after the two-round qualification programme in the P3 Mixed 25m Pistol SH1, making it to the final while compatriot Akash finished 20th among 30 competitors to miss out on a spot in the medal round.

Jakhar was placed 13th after the precision round of the qualification with a score of 284. In the rapid-fire section, the 35-year-old from Gurugaon, Haryana, shot a superb 292 in the rapid round to leapfrog to the second position.

Jakhar was placed second behind China's Xing Huang with a total score of 576. Xing had a score of 585 (294 precision, 291 rapid) with compatriot Yang Chao third with a score of 575 (precision 289, rapid 286).

Russia's Sergey Malyshev is placed fourth with a score of 574, Poland's Szymon Sowinski was fifth with 573, followed by two Ukrainians' Oleksil Denysiuk (573) and Iryna Liakhu (566) with Turkey's Korhan Muharrem Yamac rounded off the eight-player field with a score of 566.

Iryna is the lone woman in the eight-player field in the final. All nine females participated in the qualifying round.

Akash, the second Indian in the field, was placed 20th after the precision round with a score of 278. He could manage only 273 in the rapid round and could not improve his position and finished 20th.

If he continues in the same vein in the final, Jakhar would be a favourite for a medal.

India has so far won two medals -- a gold by Avani Lekhara and bronze by Singhraj -- in Paralympic Games shooting competitions.
Johannesburg, Sep 2 : At least five people were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the South African city of Durban, a local government official said.

In a statement on Wednesday, member of the Executive Council for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Peggy Nkonyeni said reports suggested that a group of people were in a house when three unknown gunmen, armed with 9 mm pistols attacked them, Xinhua news agency reported.

Besides the five victims, three others were also injured in the incident.

In a separate incident on Sunday, six people were shot and killed at U Section.

"This week alone at least 11 people have been reportedly murdered at the township," said Nkonyeni.

"I send my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and assure the community that the police are looking into these sporadic crimes," she said.
Chelmsford, Sep 2 : England opener Tammy Beaumont shined with a scintillating knock of 97 from just 65 balls as England cruised to victory in the first T20I against New Zealand by 46 runs. The hosts now have a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.

Tammy struck 13 fours and a six in front of a huge Chelmsford crowd. She fell short of a second T20I century after being dismissed by Hayley Jensen on the second-last ball of the innings. But her 97 was good enough in helping England post 184/4 in 20 overs.

Tammy was ably supported by Amy Jones (31 runs off 15 balls) and Sophia Dunkley (23 not out off 17 balls) in a batting line-up missing regular captain Heather Knight due to a hamstring injury.

New Zealand, in their first international outing since April, crumbled under massive scoreboard pressure. Openers Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine were dismissed in 2.2 overs. The third-wicket partnership of 48 runs between Amy Satterthwaite and Maddy Green promised a fightback.

But left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone took out Green, starting a slide for New Zealand's batting. At one point, they were in danger of being bowled out for less than 100. The lower-order provided some resistance before being bowled out for 138 in 18.5 overs.

The second T20I between the two teams will take place at Hove on Saturday.

Brief scores: England 184/4 in 20 overs (Tammy Beaumont 97, Amy Jones 31, Hayley Jensen 2/26) beat New Zealand 138 all out in 18.5 overs (Amy Satterthwaite 43, Maddy Green 19, Katherine Brunt 2/9, Sophie Ecclestone 2/24) by 46 runs.
Jaipur, Sep 2 : A young group of Covid warriors in rural Rajasthan is leading the charge to educate and protect their communities to fight the challenge of an infodemic triggered by the misinformation circulated via social media, which has led to instances of vaccine refusal and resistance to following the Covid-19 safety protocols.

While countering the wave of myths and misinformation around vaccines and promoting social distancing and mask use, these adolescents have been busy providing the locally contextual information. These youngsters are led by the Population Foundation of India's Feminist Adolescent Youth-led Action (FAYA) programme.

Rakesh Parmar, a resident of the Dabella village in Dungarpur district, formed a team with his friends during the lockdown, to provide healthcare support to his community. "We coordinated with frontline workers to spread the information on safety measures and ensured that the community members followed social distancing norms and stayed at home during the lockdown. When a medical team visited our village for Covid-19 screenings, we helped them get everybody's full cooperation," Rakesh says. His team's specific focus was to ensure the availability of health services to young girls and women.

Teena, 17, hails from the Malikheda village, Dungarpur. "During the pandemic, I volunteered and created awareness around the Covid symptoms in my community," she says, "I informed people about the virus transmission and on the importance of safety protocols and social distancing." Community efforts in adolescents, is a great effort to engage the young ones in civic services.

Rinku, 18, from the Jaal ki Jhonpariyan village in Bundi district, studies in Class 12 and is an active member of the FAYA group.

She says, "I have been spreading awareness on the adolescent health issues among my peers and even their parents. To address the paucity of sanitary napkins in our village during the Covid-19 lockdown, I contacted the Anganwadi workers and facilitated the distribution of free hygiene products." In a nation where female hygiene and anatomy is an unspoken taboo, this initiative sensitises young girls towards a naturally biological process.

Also generating awareness around the spread of Covid and motivating community members to wear masks, is 15-year-old Anil, from Bawdi, Tonk. He says, "I am constantly making efforts to break the taboos associated with adolescent sexual and reproductive health. My goal is to be as vocal as possible about these issues and inspire my peers as well." Fellow 15-year-old Limka lives in the Talibpura village of Tonk district and has been making door-to-door visits in her village to spread awareness about Covid appropriate protocols. "I also support frontline workers in conducting surveys and screening in my village," she says.

Vaccination hesitancy, a very real and prevalent topic in the rural areas of Rajasthan, is being tackled by 17-year-old Umesh, from Mohammed Nagar of Tonk district. He has been motivating villagers to overcome vaccine hesitancy and says, "I am facilitating their visits to the vaccine centres and generating awareness around measures to prevent Covid spread." Shalu, from Chuli, Tonk, says, "I stitched masks at home and distributed them in my community to motivate them to wear masks and helped frontline workers in spreading the Covid related information." Naman is a 16-year-old from the Barwas village of Tonk district. After a keen observation of his fellow villagers, he saw the prevalence of vaccine myths and volunteered to help the frontline workers in conducting a vaccine survey, to help counter these rumoured ills. He says, "I encouraged my family members to get their vaccination shots and I am motivating others to do the same." In these tough times, adolescents have stepped forward and are helping in reducing the risk from Covid-19 along with explaining the urgency of working to end the pandemic by getting vaccinated and following Covid appropriate behaviours. This will go a long way to provide strength and encourage everyone to work together at the community level.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Islamabad, Sep 2 : Pakistani President Arif Alvi expressed satisfaction over the economic performance of the country, saying it is heading in the right direction.

The economic development reflected the confidence of the business community in the economic policies of the incumbent government, Alvi said at a meeting on Wednesday with members of the business community here, adding that steps are being taken to further improve the business environment of the country by providing various incentives and facilities, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Business community played a significant role in the economic development of the country and a number of steps have been taken to facilitate them, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic," the President said.

The government has been focusing on creating an optimum business environment and due to its efforts, Pakistan's rank in the Ease of Doing Business Index have improved from 136th to 108th position, he said.

Alvi said despite tough financial constraints, the Pakistani government has provided a financial stimulus package worth 1.2 trillion PKR ($7 billion) to protect the business community and underprivileged strata of society from the adverse impacts of the pandemic.

Noting that the country's exports witnessed a significant surge, the President said the exports reached $25.3 billion during the last fiscal year of 2020-2021, and that the tax collection by the Federal Board of Revenue exceeded the set target during the first two months of the current fiscal year, showing that the economic health of the country is improving.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : A South African pilot, a multi-national crew and a 41-year-old Boeing 727 saved the lives of more than 600 displaced Afghan people last week as they hot-footed it into and out of Kabuls airport in a race against time and possible further bomb attacks, the Mail & Guardian reported.

"We received a desperate call from the US State Department's officials in Kabul after the suicide bombing attack on August 26 (which killed 170 Afghans and 13 US soldiers) asking whether we would be willing to assist with mercy flights," Captain Niel Steyl told the Mail & Guardian from Kulob in Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan.

At the time, Steyl, his crew, and their 727, which carries the Kenyan registration number 5Y-IRE and is aptly nicknamed Irene, were forward based out of Kulob.

In the past, they had supported what was a relatively steady drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan before the final dangerous push out of Kabul, which fell to the Taliban on August 15th, The Drive reported.

Their cargo for the dangerous sortie would be hundreds of former Afghan special operations forces that were being lodged in a warehouse within the confines of the airport.

These troops had worked with the Americans for years and they would be top Taliban targets, but finding room on military airlifters leaving the country became a huge challenge. Hence the mercy flights by Irene, the report said.

It only took just 40 minutes to load up 308 people onto the cargo-configured 727, which would normally carry between a half and a third of that load during the type's career as an airliner.

Because the soldiers and their families could not fit on a single 727 flight, another trip would be needed.

On the second trip, they had to stop all movement on the ground at Kabul and could not load and depart quickly because US forces were executing a departure ceremony for the 13 Americans who died during the bombing at Abbey Gate.

Once cleared to load and leave, the second flight saw 329 souls packed aboard the old 727.

All of the refugees were taken back to Tajikistan where they would wait in a tent community until a further airlift arranged by the US government could move them on to other locations once the evacuation of Kabul was complete.

The passengers didn't even know where they were when they landed, they were just happy to be out of Afghanistan and away from the Taliban, the report added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 2 : The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM-K) on Thursday announced 50 supernumerary seats for international students in its three full time MBA programmes.

These 50 seats will be there for Indian nationals residing outside India or foreign nationals with valid passport or travel document residing outside India.

The seats have been announced for the flagship MBA - Post graduate Programme (PGP) and two other latest offerings - Post Graduate Programme in Finance (PGP-F) and Post Graduate Programme in Liberal Studies and Management (PGP LSM).

Debashis Chatterjee, director IIM Kozhikode said diversity has always been the pivot around which IIM-K has successfully reshaped management education in the country, over the past decade.

"Our Institute mission of 'Globalizing Indian Thought' closely aligns with the Government of India's thrust towards 'Study in India' programme, which in turn, has received a massive boost since the introduction of National Education Policy 2020 and its focus on providing premium education at affordable costs thereby helping to restore India's role as a Vishwa Guru," said Chatterjee.

IIM Kozhikode has the distinction of breaking into the top-100 in global 'Thought Leadership' category and was placed at 90th Rank as per the 2020 QS World University Rankings.

Shubhasis Dey, dean (Programmes and International Relations) said IIM-K's renewed focus on welcoming international candidates will surely bring in an added vibrancy and dynamism in the classrooms and contribute to the richness of our academic programmes.

The total fee for the two-year programme has been set at 30,000 USD and the enrolling candidates will have an all-resource access permissible stay in the campus including joining the international exchange programme, as for the in-country PGP (MBA) students.
Beijing, Sep 2 : The city of Binzhou, in China's Shandong province, has reported two anthrax cases, including one death, the local health commission said.

On August 6, Binzhou reported a suspected anthrax case, and the patient died on the same day, Xinhua news agency quoted Kou Zengqiang from the Shandong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as saying on Wednesday.

An epidemiological investigation has identified the cause of the disease as anthrax.

The deceased was a 14-year-old student from Yangxin County, Binzhou.

Some family members of the student were engaged in cattle raising and slaughtering, and the victim also participated in the handling of beef.

Health officials also found anthrax bacteria in environmental samples collected from the family yard and cold-storage unit.

Based on the findings, the route of infection was confirmed as being contact with or eating contaminated food.

The second case, who had cut up a sick cow at the home of the first case, is undergoing medical isolation and treatment at a designated hospital.

The condition of the case is stable.

Local authorities have taken disease control efforts such as disinfecting the relevant areas and items, and placing close contacts under isolation.

Their isolation was lifted after they reported no abnormal symptoms.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : Nearly a month after quitting as the Chairman of Vodafone Idea, Kumar Mangalam Birla has met Union Minister for Communications Ashwini Vaishnav.

The meet comes at a time when the government is in talks to come up with some relief measures for the stressed telecom sector as a whole.

According to people in the know, during the meeting on Wednesday, Birla and Vaishnav discussed about the health of the sector and the urgent need for government intervention.

On August 4, the board of Vodafone Idea accepted the request of Birla to step down as the Non-Executive Director and Non-Executive Chairman of the Board.

Days before Birla's resignation as the Chairman, it became public that he had written to the Cabinet Secretary that he is willing to hand over his stake in the debt-ridden company to government entities in a bid to keep the company operational.

In a letter to Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on June 7, Birla said that, with a "sense of duty" towards 27 crore Indians connected with Vodafone Idea, Birla is willing to hand over his stake to public Sector Unit (PSU), a government entity or any domestic financial entity, or any other entity that the government may consider worthy of keeping the company as a going concern.

In the letter, Birla sought clarity on adjusted gross revenue (AGR), adequate moratorium on spectrum dues and floor pricing adding that without immediate and active government support VIL's operations will be at an "irretrievable point of collapse".
New Delhi, Sep 2 : The government may not need to open special borrowing window to meet GST compensation needs of states in the current financial year as rising indirect tax collections on economic recovery has given confidence that the Centre may meet its tax liability through estimated buffets in its finances.

The Centre has estimated GST compensation shortfall to states at Rs 1.59 lakh crore for FY22. Out of this, Rs 75,000 crore has already been released as first instalment through regular central borrowings.

"With GST revenue holding up over Rs 1 lakh crore mark, the collections would now need to be Rs 1.18 lakh crore in the balance months of FY22. This is likely with expectation that overall GST collection may be higher than estimated Rs 14.1 lakh crore. This would provide enough room to the government to meet compensation meters of states through its regular borrowing channel," said an official not willing to be named.

The Centre opened a special borrowing window last year to meet the estimated shortfall of Rs 1.1 lakh crocre in revenue arising on account of implementation of GST.

According to an assessment made by Kotak Institutional Equities there is an upside to the budgeted CGST receipts this year now and shortfall on SGST collections are expected to be marginally lower than earlier anticipated. So, the expected shortfall in GST compensation may be lower and there is high probability that this will not be financed through market borrowings in 2HFY22, the brokerage said.

The government finances are also on sound footing this year and the impact of the second wave in activity and tax collections has been rather muted. Gross tax revenues in 4MFY22 grew 83 per cent while the net tax collections surged by 161 per cent (largely reflecting sharp surge in excise duty receipts). The net tax collection was at 34 per cent of FY2022BE.

Given the limited dent to economic activity and tax collections due to the second wave, we remain optimistic on the ability of the center to deliver a lower GFD/GDP at 6.4 per cent in FY2022E (6.8 per cent in FY2022BE), KIE said.

(Subhash Narayan can be contacted at subhash.n@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
September 02 : Sara Ali Khan, who was returning to Mumbai from Ladakh with her mother Amrita Singh, was spotted by paparazzi at the airport on Thursday morning. They requested the actress to pose for some pictures, while she was trying to get into the queue. Amrita Singh was already at the entrance gate, clearing security protocol. Sara was then seen following her, and while passing through the queue to stand behind her mom, a co-traveller asked her, who she was.

A video was shared online by a paparazzo account, which showed Sara turning back and introducing herself to the man, who was standing behind her at the queue. Sara wore a white sheer shirt over a neon orange crop top, and teamed it with a pair of denim shorts. She was also wearing a face mask. Fans took to the comments section and reacted to the video. She is so humble. Very well brought up girl. God bless her, wrote a user. Another user wrote, down-to-earth, while a third one wrote, sweetheart.

Sara was returning from a brief break in Ladakh with Radhika Madan and Jasleen Royal. She has been sharing pictures and videos regularly from her trip. While Amrita Singh is seen with her at the airport, she didnt feature in Saras pictures from Ladakh dairy.

Last month, the Love Aaj Kal actress was seen in the Discovery+ original Mission Frontline, in which she performed vigorous drills and trained with the Veerangana force, an all-women commando unit of India.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Sara was last seen in Coolie No 1, which was not liked by the critics as well as the viewers. She will be seen next in Atrangi Re alongside Akshay Kumar and Dhanush. Directed by Aanand L Rai, the film was wrapped up in March and now the actress is awaiting its release. Sara has not yet announced her next project.
Venice, Sep 2 : 'Life is Beautiful' actor Roberto Benigni received the lifetime achievement award at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. The legendary Italian comedian gave a mile-a-minute 'thank you' speech to cap an emotional start to the film festival.

Bong Joon-ho was emotional and Jane Campion was touching but the evening belonged to actor-director Benigni.

The 78th Venice International Film Festival got off to an emotional start on Wednesday night with host and Italian actor Serena Rossi dedicating the opening night to Afghan mothers forced to be away from their children in an attempt to save them from the Taliban. "We want to say to them: you are not alone," said Rossi.

Initially, the scene at the Sala Grande, Venice's gala theater, seemed oddly sombre, a mood that wasn't helped by images of a half-empty gallery - Covid-19 social distancing regulations meant the theatre had to operate at half capacity - and a sea of masked faces hiding the identities of the more famous members of the crowd, including Isabelle Huppert, Cynthia Erivo and Sarah Gadon.

With the face coverings, even the flamboyant Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and his muse Penelope Cruz - star of Almodovar's 'Parallel Mothers', Venice's opening night film - seemed more serious than sprightly, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

But it was clear everyone was very pleased to be back. Almodovar was here last year but few others were able to make the 2020 Venezia, which was held in-between coronavirus lockdowns in Italy. If the opening night crowd seemed quiet at first, it was likely because few really believed they were here in person at the Venice Film Festival.

Bong Joon-ho, whose film 'Parasite' won Venice in 2019, catapulting the movie to a historic best picture win at the 2020 Oscars, was visibly moved as he took the stage. Saying how grateful he was to be able to judge "the best new films in front of an audience" he noted that "Corona will be over soon but cinema will be with us forever." It was a start. Jane Campion, the first female director to win the Palme d'Or in Cannes, who returns to Venice this year with 'The Power of the Dog', her first feature film in 12 years.

Campion said Benigni's irrepressible joy - which she compared to "an exploding bottle of Prosecco" was particularly needed "at this difficult time for filmmakers and for people all over the world." Recalling his giddy response to winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for 'Life is Beautiful' in 1999, when the Italian actor climbed over the backs of the seats in front of him in a clamour to get to the stage, she called the 68-year-old filmmaker "a comic genius with heart and sincerity." The 78th annual Venice International Film Festival began on September 1 and will continue till September 11 at Lido, Venice.

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho has been appointed as the President of the Jury, marking the first time a South Korean director has been picked as the Lido's top juror. Serena Rossi will be hosting the opening and closing nights.
Tokyo, Sep 2 : India suffered a huge setback when para taekwondo player Aruna Tanwar got injured during her quarterfinal bout and has to withdraw from the Tokyo Paralympic Games taeowondo competition.

Aruna was taken to the hospital after her quarterfinal bout loss on Thursday. It is suspected that Aruna may be having hairline fracture.

"Sorry to inform that our Tigress @ArunaTanwar1 has got injured in her bout. Suspected hairline fracture. She won her first match with a great margin but we could notice the energy missing in second one.swelling has increased n needs medical attention. @Media_SAI @ianuragthakur," tweeted Deepa Malik, the President of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).

Aruna was to participate in the repechage bout against Azerbaijan's 10th seed Royala Fataliyeva.

A senior PCI official told iANS over phone from Tokyo that Aruna was injured during her quarterfinal bout and was taken to the hospital by the team doctor for a scan. "It is a hairline fracture but we are waiting for the final report. She is being taken care of," said the official who didn't want to comment on the matter as the official report was not in.

The 21-year-old Aruna, seeded 12th in the competition, entered the repechage stages after losing to fourth-seeded Espinoza Carranza of Peru in a one-sided bout 84-21 in the women's taekwondo K44-49kg quarterfinals of the Tokyo Paralympics.

Earlier in the day, Aruna stunned fifth seed Danijela Jovanovic of Serbia 29-9 in the pre-quarterfinals.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kanpur : , Sep 2 (IANS) A police official has been suspended after a minor girl, who was being questioned by him in a case, consumed poison.

The girl's mother alleged that her 14-year-old daughter attempted suicide after she was subjected to harassment by Vinod Kumar, the Rajpur Station officer.

She also alleged that there were many scratch marks on the girl's body, which suggested that the police officer had even tortured her physically.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Keshav Kumar Chaudhary said that Vinod Kumar, station house officer, Rajpur, has been suspended with immediate effect.

The probe with regard to the incident has been handed over to a Circle rank officer (CO). There will be a departmental inquiry in the matter after which further action will be taken, police said.

The girl was summoned by the Rajpur police with regard to a complaint lodged by an Army personnel who had accused her of making objectionable pictures of his wife by posting them on social media. The complainant is a distant relative of the girl.

The girl was summoned for questioning earlier this week and told her mother that she was harassed and tortured by the accused police official. Later she consumed poison.

Presently, the girl is being treated at the Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur.

The police have recorded her statement about the incident in hospital.

Apart from this, the women constables who were present on the day in the police station are also being interrogated and the CCTV footage is being scanned.
New York, Sep 2 : New York state Governor Kathy Hochul declared her first state of emergency on Thursday as remnants of Hurricane Ida brought torrential rain and heavy flooding.

"I am declaring a state of emergency to help New Yorkers affected by tonight's storm. Please stay off the roads and avoid all unnecessary travel," Hochul tweeted.

The heavy rain was "far more than anyone really expected," and left the region in "a very dire situation", the governor was quoted by CNN as saying.

Urging people to stay off the roads, the National Weather Service (NWS) in New York said: "We are seeing way too many reports of water rescues and stranded motorists", reports Xinhua news agency Hochul's declaration came about an hour after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency in his city.

"We're enduring a historic weather event tonight with record-breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads," the Mayor said on Wednesday night.

The NWS issued its first-ever flash flood emergency alert for New York City, warning more than 9 million residents of imminent danger.

The agency has also issued a tornado warning for west central Suffolk County on Long Island and over 10 flash warnings covering Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and other states.

A tornado was also reported in New Jersey with houses levelled, and the state announced a state of emergency on Wednesday night.

Ida landed in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday and has weakened to a tropical storm.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 2 : Celebrity favourite and renowned Roman jewelry brand Bulgari, today launched its first-ever India inspired and exclusive to India jewelry statement piece - the Bulgari Mangalsutra with their global brand ambassador Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

Known for its timeless designs, the statement piece is set in 18ct yellow gold adorned with round black onyx inserts and pave diamonds. The coming of age Mangalsutra interprets a traditional and sacred ornament to a contemporary and stylish jewel- deep rooted in culture while representing the cosmopolitan aspirations of a modern bride.

Seeking inspiration from its roman roots along with thorough research, Bulgari has carefully crafted this gorgeous one of a kind yellow gold necklace that is a perfect marriage between Tradition and modernity. "Since we re-entered into India in 2014, we have been even more intrigued by the cultural traditions of India and the inherent role of jewelry. It took us several years to design our interpretation of the Mangalsutra for the modern Indian woman, for whom this piece is often one of the most important pieces of jewelry she wears. While working hard to maintain its traditional appeal, we have worked closely with our team in India and Priyanka Chopra Jonas to ensure that it resonates with the lifestyles of the modern bride today- that she can wear from morning to night, every day and everywhere, pairing it with ease with Indian as well as western wear," said Mauro Di Roberto, Managing Director - Jewelry Business Unit at Bulgari.

Adding, "Priyanka Chopra, our global Brand Ambassador very much embodies this spirit, she is the epitome of the modern-day global citizen, yet very much in touch with her roots and traditions." As the global ambassador for the brand, Chopra Jonas is all set to support the Roman high jewelry house in strengthening the brand's outreach and message around the world, with a particular focus on the themes of women empowerment, diversity and inclusion and philanthropy. Speaking on her collaboration with Bulgari as well as the new India exclusive piece, Priyanka said, "I have always admired and been fascinated by Bulgari's magnificent works of arts, so many of which celebrate some of the most precious resources of my homeland. From the rare colored gemstones used in Bulgari's timeless jewelry creations to the scented flowers which become the main ingredients of its luxurious fragrances, we connect so organically over our love for India and the beauty it has to offer." Most recently, in response to the unprecedented second wave of Covid-19 that hit her native country India, the actor, film producer and NYT Best Selling Author, created a fundraiser in collaboration with the non-profit organization Give India to raise money for healthcare structures, medical equipment, and vaccine support. The fundraiser raised $3 million USD, and Bulgari participated with an important contribution to support India and Priyanka's endeavor.

(Ianslife can be contacted at Ianslife@ians.in)
Melbourne, Sep 2 : The Australian government announced on Thursday that Paralympics medallists are set to be given bonuses equivalent to their Olympics counterparts.

Olympics gold medal winners in Tokyo received a $20,000 bonus from the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC). The silver and bronze medallists from the Olympics are also rewarded with $15,000 and $10,000 respectively.

But there was no similar bonus for Paralympics medal winners owing to Paralympics Australia not having the funds to give out bonuses to its medal winners.

"I'm very pleased to announce that the government will provide additional support to Paralympics Australia to ensure our Paralympic medallists will receive equivalent payments to our Olympic medallists," said Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the Parliament.

"The Minister for Sport, at my request, spoke to Paralympics Australia CEO Lyn Anderson earlier today, and I'm delighted we had been able to support our fantastic Paralympians in this way. We have witnessed the essence of what sport is all about being the best you possibly can be. You have inspired us and we are grateful that you're one of us as Australians," added Morrison.

The discrepancy came into light when rugby sevens player Chloe Dalton launched a fundraiser to raise money for medal winners from the Paralympics in Tokyo. The funding page set three days ago by the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist has been $76,225 raised with the goal set at $100,000.

"100% of funds from this campaign will still be distributed evenly amongst all Australian Paralympic medallists at the Tokyo 2020 games. We will contact each medallist individually and distribute the funds directly to the athletes," read the fundraising page hosted on GoFundMe.

In the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics, Australia is ranked at eighth place in the medal tally with 13 gold, 23 silver and 24 bronze medals.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed deep concern over web portals, and YouTube channels publishing fake news, slandering reputations in the absence of a regulatory mechanism, and also broadcast communal news by a section of media. The top court emphasized if this were to continue unchecked then it may get a bad name for the country.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana said: "On web portals, there is no control of anybody, they can publish anything...If you go to YouTube, you will find how fake news is freely circulated and anyone can start a channel on YouTube." The bench also comprising Justices Surya Kant and A.S. Bopanna observed that the content shown in a section of private media bears a communal tone. "The problem is that everything in this country is shown with a communal angle by a section of the media..," noted Justice Ramana.

He told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, "Ultimately, this country is going to get a bad name. Have you made an attempt for a self-regulatory mechanism (for these private channels)?" Mehta submitted before the bench that Centre has come out with new Information and Technology rules, which address concerns flagged by the top court. He added that many petitions have been filed challenging the new rules in various high courts.

Mehta contended that the Centre has filed a plea to transfer all these petitions to the Supreme Court. Mehta added: "Not only communal but also planted stories. These portals can even put fake news".

The Chief Justice added that the social media platforms do not respond if an issue is raised in connection with the content.

"I have not come across any public channel, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube ... they never respond to us and there is no accountability, about the institutions they have written badly about, and they don't respond and say this is their right," said the Chief Justice. He further added this is the condition of institutions and forget the individuals.

Mehta replied, "This is what is taken care of under the IT rules".

Chief justice added, "Do not know who to approach...they are only concerned with the people who are powerful... judges, common man, they are not bothered." He added, "This is what we have seen".

Mehta submitted before the bench requesting it to transfer the plea before it which deals with the IT rules. "Your lordship can have a holistic picture as it is an all-India issue", he added.

The top court made these sharp observations during the hearing of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind petition seeking action against media reports accused of "communal branding of Covid" linked to the Tablighi Jamaat gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin in the national capital.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Hyderabad, Sep 2 : Leading Tollywood actor Nani believes that 'Tuck Jagadish', releasing on Amazon Prime Video on September 10, will be his return gift to family audiences who always showered him with love and support.

One of the most sought after actors in the industry and the one who is described as a natural actor, he is excited over the output of the film directed by Shiva Nirvana, whose debut movie 'Ninnu Kori' with Nani was a blockbuster.

In an interview to IANS, the actor spoke about his expectations from the movie, the experience of shooting during the pandemic and the reasons for OTT release.

On expectations from 'Tuck Jagadish' We are very excited. The film has come out very well. It's going to directly come on Amazon because the situation outside is not clear. This is the best way we could reach out to the audience. There are lot of expectations and people are waiting to watch the film. I am completely confident that this film will deliver what it promised. Shiva has made a very beautiful Telugu family film. It's going to release on Vinayak Chauthi. For all families to sit at home on festival day and watch a film which was made for families, I think it's a perfect combination.

On 'Tuck Jagadish' comparison with his earlier movies This is very different from what I have done before because this is first time I am doing something which includes a huge family. I have only acted in films where I have minute family or a boy who doesn't have anybody and then all kinds of roles but this is first time I am playing a guy who belongs to a family of 20-30 people. It's a huge family. From the beginning of my career I have this love and support of family audiences. I really feel this is my gratitude towards them. This is my return gift for them, something that they will all enjoy.

On title 'Tuck Jagadish' In that village we are showing in the film, he is the only one who always tucks in. Jagadish is very common name. He is called 'Tuck Jagadish' because of his identity in that village. We have explained in the second half why he always tucks in.

Shooting during the pandemic It was quite challenging like for everybody else. Everybody is going through lot of changes in their shooting atmosphere because of corona, the fear and situation. It's definitely not like before. We don't feel the same like we used to. Everything has changed for the entire world. It's different but we are getting accustomed to it.

On OTT platform This is my second film on OTT. Last year 'V' was released on Amazon on September 5 and exactly one year later we are releasing 'Tuck Jagadish'. First of all, I was very happy because there were no theatres and we could not reach lot of people. Even now when theatres have not opened in lot of states, Amazon is giving us a chance to reach all audiences across the globe. In 240-plus countries we are reaching millions and millions of people in comfort of their homes. In situation like this, it's a brilliant opportunity. When things get back to normal and all theatres reopen we will have same relationship of having a theatrical release.

Even with theatrical release we will not have that kind of access. With theatrical release we will have access to around 10 countries. We have prime markets US, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia. These are only countries that have theaters which play Indian films. We regularly access them. Places which do not have theaters and don't play Indian films will get to see the move on first day. The moment 'Tuck Jagadish' is up everybody will have access. Every Telugu or every Indian who wants to watch will have access wherever in the world they are.

Reason for releasing 'Tuck Jagadish' on OTT Because of the situation. Theaters haven't opened up completely. There are big stakes involved. 'Tuck Jagadish' is very solid budget film. In this kind of situation with 50 per cent occupancy, curfew for night shows and all happening around us and in USA which is very substantial market for Telugu audiences there are high number of cases right now. Taking everything into consideration we decided to have OTT release.

I am hoping things to settle in. Any filmmaker, any technician or actor all want to see on big screen with audience.

On his next movies My next movie is 'Shyam Singha Roy'. We have done with shoot and currently post production is happening. We are looking for November-December release in theaters. I am right now shooting for 'Ante Sundaraniki' which will release early next year. This will also release in theaters. I am really hoping things will get normal very soon.

I have two films under production which I am producing and both are at 70 per cent shoot.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : With the help of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Pakistan is contemplating to seek US support in getting delisted from the grey list of the anti-terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Pakistan will be using its influence over the militia such as Haqqani network, Al Qaeda cadre which have become the major constituents of the Taliban forces to push Afghan leadership to seek support of the US for this purpose.

The Taliban leadership understands the role of Pakistan in handling different components of the Taliban militia as most of them are being controlled by them and also shepherding them to accept what would be offered to them in the proposed coalition government, a source aware of these developments said.

The Pakistan leadership will also be using the recent bomb attack on the Hamid Karzai international airport, which was claimed by IS-KP, as an opportunity to project that along with the Taliban, it was an indispensable partner for the US to tackle the emerging IS-KP threat.

"Pakistan has to show some progress, even cosmetic, before the forthcoming face-to-face meeting in September. This is necessary so that enough momentum is built in favour of Pakistan in the run up to the FATF session in coming October", some experts observed.

However, the former diplomat Anil Trugunayat said that Pakistan's supported groups such as Haqqani Network have been sanctioned by many countries of the world.

The former president and vice-president of Afghanistan had accused Pakistan that it had sent over 10,000 trained fighters to Afghanistan to fight against the former Afghan military and they are still there, he further said.

"The FATF organisation could not sanction Pakistan under 'Black List' because the US, China, Russia and even Turkey have used it as a go to country as far as the Taliban and Afghanistan were concerned. The security situation there is in fluid condition as these groups have been fighting for the Taliban militia even now also. So how will Pakistan prove that they do not have connections with these groups", Trigunayat said, adding that Pakistan took some minimal actions as suggested by the FATF's countries.

The FATF grey-listing has caused damage to the tune of 10 billion US Dollar annually to Pakistan and this country hosts one of the largest numbers of UN Listed international terrorists and UN sanction includes assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.

As most of the US officials believe that in Afghanistan despite heavy deployment of US troops during the 'surge', the Taliban could not be defeated due to its sanctuaries inside Pakistan. The US has been insisting on verifiable action by Pakistan against key terror operatives under the Pak anti-money laundering regime as a pre-condition for FATF delisting.

These include the key conspirators of the Mumbai attack and also action against Masood Azhar of Jaish-e Mohammad, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi of Lashkar- e-Taiba. Though Pakistan has proceeded against Lakhvi on charges not connected to the Mumbai attack, it claims that it does not have any clue about the whereabouts of Masood Azhar.
Canberra, Sep 2 : A new study revealed on Thursday that Australian wildlife, including koalas, have been included on a list of hundreds of endangered native flora and fauna along with the main threats to their survival.

The study, published in the journal of Ecology and Evolution, was released on Thursday in an effort to kickstart emergency conservation efforts, reports Xinhua news agency.

Data collected by the researchers, led by environmental scientists from the University of Queensland (UQ), has already been sent to federal and state authorities and conservation groups including Birdlife Australia, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Nature Conservancy.

"This information can improve the conservation of some of Australia's most endangered plants and animals by providing conservation managers with more precise data to better direct their efforts," said Michelle Ward, a doctoral candidate at UQ's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the study's lead author.

Each species has been assessed on the basis of the scope, severity and timing of their threat which are then placed into "high," "medium," and "low" impact categories.

Koalas are among 456 animals deemed as threatened. The beloved marsupial's threat level comes in at "medium," and it faces nine major challenges such as habitat loss, climate change, bushfires, predation by dingoes and wild dogs, disease, and harm from human activities.

Ward told Xinhua that having such a comprehensive list was vital to addressing each threat based on its severity while also preventing the compounding damage a variety of overlapping risks could inflict on a species.

"Another one of our key findings was that species are not just impacted by one threat. They are usually impacted by three or four, sometimes 15 different threats," she said.

"One great thing about our dataset is that it tells users how severe a particular threat is for each species. This can help decision-makers prioritise their actions from the most severe to the least." Ward said the most vital takeaway from the research was the huge impact habitat loss had on Australia's biodiversity and the urgency of government action to protect wildlife.

"Australia has one of the worst species extinction rates in the world and we need to turn this around," she said.

"Given that the biggest threat to biodiversity is habitat loss, I think that it is critical for the Australian government to ensure habitat is retained."
Patna, Sep 2 : Bihar BJP MLA Gyanendra Singh Gyanu has slammed RJD state president Jagadanand Singh for his Taliban remark on the RSS.

Jagadanand Singh on Tuesday had said that the RSS is the Taliban of India. "It has an ideology to create communal tension in the society, assault people having beards, wearing caps and makers of bangles. The Taliban is not a name but a culture based in Afghanistan and the RSS is having similar mindset in India," he had said.

Reacting sharply to this, Gyanu said that Jagadanand Singh should be ashamed of his remark on the RSS.

"He is getting humiliated in his own party and now he is turning out presumptuous too. He should drown himself in a handful of water," Gyanu said indicating that Jagadanand Singh is being humiliated by Tejashwi Yadav's elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav.

"The RSS is a nationalist organization in the country. It always worked for the nation. Even an uneducated person cannot say what Jagadanand Singh has said for the RSS," Gyanu said.
Lucknow, Sep 2 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the setting up of a special investigating team (SIT) to probe the collusion between the Noida authority and the real estate company Supertech for the illegal construction of two 40- storey twin towers in Noida.

According to the government spokesman, "Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed to form an SIT at the government level immediately for investigation in Noida's twin towers case. Instructions have been given to fix the accountability of officers who were associated with this case from 2004 to 2017." He added that the SIT has been ordered to take a time-bound action.

The chief minister had said on Wednesday that strict action will be taken against the guilty officials in the Noida twin towers case.

The development came after the Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the Allahabad High Court's verdict that had ordered the demolition of two 40-storey twin towers -- Tower Apex and Tower Ceyane in Noida.

A judgement passed by the two-judge bench of the apex court comprising Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice M.R. Shah, said that the construction was illegal and the result of collusion between the Noida authority and the real estate company, Supertech.

The Supreme Court directed the real estate developer Supertech to refund the money of flat owners concerned with a 12 per cent rate of interest within two months.

"Within 2 months, all the amount invested by the allotted flat owners is to be refunded by the petitioner (Supertech)," the court said in its judgement.

The Allahabad High Court had on April 11, 2014 passed the judgement, ordering the demolition of the two 40-storey twin towers.
Chennai, Sep 2 : The Madras High Court on Thursday ordered the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that bulls of native breed are allowed to participate in the Jallikattu events and not foreign or hybrid bulls.

Hearing a petition for an order to allow only native breed bulls to participate in Jallikattu -- bull taming sport played during Pongal festival -- the court ordered the state government to ensure only bulls of native breed participate in the event.

The court also warned veterinarians of severe action like contempt of court and departmental action if they issue false certificates.

Welcoming the court order P. Rajasekhar, President of the Jallikattu Pathukaapu Peravai told IANS: "Nearly 99 per cent of the bulls that participate in Jallikattu are of native breed. There may be one or two foreign or mixed breeds. Such bulls will not be caught by the players and allowed to run away."
The last few weeks of events show that Taliban is finally settling down in governing Afghanistan, even as the last American soldier departed from the soil of the war-torn country, officially ending US and NATO engagement in the country. The next obvious question for us in India is whether or not that means diversion of Taliban militants to the Kashmir Valley? While it is an important question of strategic defence and foreign affairs, for people of Kashmir it means coming face to face with one of the most radicalized militant organisations of South Asia and the same can have deadly consequences for an already ravaged Kashmir Valley. So how good are chances of Taliban militants being pushed to Kashmir valley to reignite the militancy in Kashmir valley? Officially, the stand of Taliban is that Kashmir dispute is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and Taliban has no role in it whatsoever. But since Taliban's control lies in the hands of Punjabi Pakistani Muslim controlled ISI, civil government and army, the chances of Taliban getting entangled into Kashmir are very high additionally given geographical proximity of Afghanistan to Kashmir valley. As it is history of modern Afghanistan sending its Pashtun militants to fight in Kashmir insurgency are as old as the history of militancy in Kashmir valley itself.

In the early 1990s, when insurgency in Kashmir valley began, Taliban was not even in existence and Afghanistan was reeling under bitter and devastating civil war between rival Afghan mujahideen groups, who were fighting with each other to gain control of Kabul after the withdrawl of the Soviet Union. During this time, Pakistan's ISI diverted a lot of out of work Afghan mujahideen to the Kashmir Valley to fight in anti India insurgency. It is said that by 1993 alone, nearly 400 Afghan mujahideen of Hezb-e-Islami of Afghan war lord, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar were present in Kashmir Valley, a number which only increased subsequently. In first two decades of Kashmir insurgency, out of a total of nearly 16,000 militants killed, about 3,000 were of foreign origin, mainly Afghan mujahideen and Pakistani Punjabis. It took nearly quarter of a century for Indian armed forces to finally get Kashmir valley back to a semblance of normalcy. The foreign militancy part was subsequently taken over by Pakistani Punjabi militant organisations of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohamad.

But can history really repeat itself today in Kashmir Valley? The answer to the question is quite complicated. The chances of physical intrusion by Taliban militants into Kashmir valley are quite thin and even some of those, who may be successful in intruding Kashmir valley, may not be able to do much damage either. There are concrete reasons behind this. First and foremost, the Kashmir of today is much different from Kashmir of early 1990s both in terms of our defenve preparedness, manning of LoC and Kashmir Valley's own internal social conditions.

Secondly, there is extremely increased level of modern technological guarding and monitoring of nearly entire stretch of LoC within Kashmir valley and Jammu region through night vision cameras, defence satellite imagery and drones. The LoC which was hopelessly permeable in 1990s is today tightly sealed, which is even reflected in decrease in cross LoC infiltrations of militants between Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Kashmir valley. So, any chances of Pakistan trying to push a large contingent of Taliban militants into Kashmir valley at the scale of 1990s are next to impossible.

Thirdly and most importantly, there is a general sense of collective fatigue among people of Kashmir valley after nearly three decades of relentless death and destruction that not only destroyed the economy of Kashmir valley and brought governance to its knees but it also ended up in achieving nothing whatsoever. The abrogation of Article 370 and 35A of the constitution of India was the last nail in the coffin, which made all Kashmiris realize the futility of the militant insurgency taken by the people of Kashmir.

Not only did Kashmir not get anything out of this messy confrontation, it also led to rupture of Kashmiri society with the forced exodus of Kashmiri Hindu Pundits, religious radicalization of Kashmiri society and the resulting lawlessness which further pushed Kashmir valley towards drugs, crime and religious extremism. I don't think people of Kashmir valley want a repeat of any of that once again by facilitating return of Afghan militants in Kashmir valley.

Does this mean that we have thing to worry about Taliban? No, we still have lot to worry of Taliban. While the Taliban may not be capable of sending its militants physically into Kashmir valley, the ideology of Taliban can easily penetrate the minds of Kashmiri youth and inspire them to once again aspire for something that our earlier generation did and ended up in destroying entire Kashmir. The rise of a religious puritan state in Afghanistan, that runs solely on Shariah and is guided by doctrines of Deoband School can have psychological impact on the younger generation of Kashmiris, a section of whom has been aspiring to turn Kashmir valley into a similar religious puritan state. It is the impact of what Taliban does in Afghanistan and how far will it go in implementing codes of Sharia that has potential of pushing next generation of Kashmiri youth towards violence and insurgency. This is a problem that will be faced not only by Kashmir valley but all Muslim majority countries surrounding Afghanistan including Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Our focus therefore should be to confront the ideology of Taliban, which is based on extreme and puritan interpretation of Islam, something that is not compatible with the moderate and secular character of Kashmir valley, which is based on syncretic Hindu Muslim culture of Kashmiriyat that is an amalgamation of Sufi Islam and Kashmiri Hindu Shaivism. It is important to make sure that our youth in Kashmir don't idolise Taliban and eulogize its regressive, intolerant and violent ideology, which can push Kashmir valley once again to the dark abyss of death and destruction, from which the people of Kashmir are trying very desperately to come out of.

(Javed Beigh is a young political leader and is the State General Secretary of People's Democratic Front. He can be reached @javedbeigh across Social Media Platforms. His email is javadbeigh123@gmail.com. Views expressed are his personal)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 2 : The passing away of Sidharth Shukla due to a heart attack at the age of 40 has surely left the entire television fraternity in shock. He was a multi talented personality who not only did daily soaps but also hosted reality shows besides Bollywood projects.

He was best known for his role of 'Shivraj Shekhar' in 'Balika Vadhu'. Even after his demise he is being remembered for the way he showed his acting skills in the serial. Besides this he also did 'Dil Se Dil Tak', 'Bigg Boss 13', 'Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7' and hosted shows like 'Savdhaan India' and also did projects with Karan Johar like 'Humpty Sharma Ki Duhania'.

Director Ashish Shrivastav who directed him in 'Dil Se Dil Tak' said: "The news of Sidharth's passing is just terrible. He was such a lively person. He was full of life and he was a very straightforward person. He did not shy away from saying what he felt, and I liked that quality in him. I have directed him in the first few episodes of 'Dil Se Dil Tak' and we shared a good equation. It was very shocking news and I still can't believe he is no more."

Actor Eijaz Khan who is a close industry friend of Sidharth said that he was like a brother to him. Though they never worked together, Eijaz has met him a number of times in social events. He shared: "He was like a younger brother and I loved him so much. I looked up to his understanding, approach and fairness. I just pray for strength and patience for his family."

Actress Roop Durgapal, who was also part of the show 'Balika Vadhu' and played Sidharth's sister, was understandably saddened by the news.

"When I heard the news, I couldn't believe my ears. I thought I heard the wrong name. I really don't know how to react to this. I feel numb, shocked and very sad. May his soul rest in peace and may God give strength to his mother. I was in touch with Sidharth even after the show ended. Even though we didn't meet often, we would share messages. We last spoke when actress Surekha Sikri ji passed away. I also spoke to him when he won Bigg Boss 13. We didn't just play brother-sister on 'Balika Vadhu', I actually used to consider him as my brother. We always had that brother-sister type relationship," she added.

Actress Shubhangi Atre, a close industry friend of the 'Balika Vadhu' actor recalled him and said: "I couldn't believe the news. I am really saddened and don't know how to react to it. I just pray for his family. May his soul rest in peace."

Actor Abhilash Chaudhary also was shocked after listening to this sad news. He shared: "Its very heartbreaking to come across this sad news. I was shocked when I heard I was shooting for a film in Chennai and was like still for a while as this happened suddenly. He was a good man and actor and this is totally heartbreaking. I remember working with him in 'Balika Vadhu'. He was one who inspired me a lot. I was waiting for a chance to work with him again."

-- Syndicated from IANS
The Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong, at a recent meeting with Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi (now appointed as the Minister of Transport), said Covid-19 is a matter of science and not to politicise it, despite the fact that evidence proves beyond all doubt that the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has engaged in world politics using fake accounts and dismissing everything related to coronavirus as 'not their baby'.

China has introduced an army of fake personnel on social media accounts and every news that emerges as pro-China news can be misleading and dreadful, these days.

Some of their fake news has turned out to be authentic as several of the official Chinese embassies around the world keep tweeting them that finally 'becomes' true. These news items are picked up by China's state newspaper and TV channels as well.

The Chinese Envoy in Sri Lanka told the Minister not to politicise Covid-19 and also urged the Sri Lankan government not to engage in trying to trace the origin of the virus. He said it would not solve the questions, but it would hinder progress in fighting the pandemic around the world.

Making such an awkward statement to the countries with whom they are dealing with and urging them not to worry about the origin of the virus is worrisome and suggests how irresponsible China has become towards mankind.

Any disease needs proper analysis to find the origin of the disease, mainly for treatment and prevention. The Covid-19 that has destroyed over four million lives cannot be dismissed by such words by China, which calls itself a guardian angel to third world countries that depend on the Chinese Yuan.

On August 13, it came to light that the Chinese researchers did not want the lab-leak theory to be included in the World Health Organization's (WHO) findings on the origins of Covid-19 and influenced the presentation of the report. This was told by a WHO expert on a Danish TV documentary.

A WHO team member in the investigation of the virus's origin, Peter Ben Embarek, told Danish channel TV2, that the Chinese counterparts were reluctant to link the origins of Covid to a laboratory in Wuhan or for the theory to be included in a report, and the team had eventually agreed 'on the condition that they didn't recommend any specific studies to further that hypothesis'.

The tug-of-war of 'yes' and 'no'' between China and the WHO experts on the probe into the virus is continuing while the world is seeking an answer.

For the second time, China rejected the WHO's proposal for a renewed probe into the origin of the global pandemic, citing it as a political tracing and nothing else.

Why is China reluctant to let world health experts probe? It is questionable and intriguing, but the reason is now exposed. They are guilty! By the end of March 2020, more than 80,000 Chinese had been infected by the virus from the time it first emerged in Wuhan. In Wuhan alone, there were 50,000 cases reported and, starting from August 2021, 4,512 new Covid-19 deaths have been reported. That is self-explanatory.

A well-developed country like China, that does not want to find a remedy for the wound that has caused a magnitude of deaths, should be held accountable, no matter what.

If China cannot care for its people by telling the truth, it has breached the law of the land.

Due to its closed-door diplomacy, several top scientists from mainland China have gone against the CCP. Even ordinary people fear the CCP rule. It is a synthetic virus created for bio-war and was leaked by the Chinese.

By throwing incentives and freebies at its friendly countries, China today managed to create a relationship that is tight-gripped.

Moreover, China has been using several media outlets to carry their propaganda globally and has not spared even a tiny country like Sri Lanka.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his troops have used all the propaganda to project China as the protagonist on seeing the mammoth of accusations they are facing.

Recently, a Swiss-based professor who wrote a pro-China article that went viral in China was in fact a fake identity and the Swiss government said a person with that name does not exist in Switzerland.

Chinese state media quoted a Swiss biologist by the name of Wilson Edwards to accuse the US of politicising Covid-19 origins.

On July 24, on Facebook, this so called Wilson Edwards claimed to have witnessed or learned of US efforts to politicise the WHO Covid-19 investigations from within.

The fake 'Edwards' cited unnamed WHO sources and 'fellow researchers' complaining of having endured "enormous pressure and even intimidation from the US side as well as certain media outlets".

'Edwards' further said, the WHO sources told him the US is so obsessed with attacking China on the origin-tracing issue that it is reluctant to open its eyes to the data and findings.

The Facebook post was picked up widely by Chinese state media, including the Global Times, the People's Daily - which headlined its story as "US attempts to overturn report, leveraging WHO into political tool" - China Daily, and CGTN in multiple languages.

This 'Edwards' mounting fame, caught the eye of the Swiss Embassy and they searched citizen records and academic publications for any mention of him. Finally, the Swiss government's official twitter tweeted: "Looking for Wilson Edwards, alleged (Swiss) biologist, cited in the press and social media in China over the last several days. If you exist, we would like to meet you!" "But it is more likely that this is (sic) fake news, and we call on the Chinese press and netizens to take down the posts." An attached statement said the Chinese reports were false, and there was no registered Swiss citizen named Wilson Edwards, or any academic articles in the biology field under his name.

Following this humiliation, Chinese state media articles that had the name Edwards began disappearing from the internet, including from the Global Times and CGTN.

The Wilson Edwards Facebook account, which was created on the same day it published its only post, with a profile photo of a library at Oxford University, and had just three friends, also appeared to have been deleted.

Also, after a seven-month grilling by the Associated Press (AP), the Oxford Internet Institute, a department at Oxford University, found that China's rise on Twitter has been powered by an army of fake accounts that have retweeted Chinese diplomats and state media tens of thousands of times, covertly amplifying propaganda that can reach hundreds of millions of people - often without disclosing the fact that the content is government-sponsored.

The AP also noted that China's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, who stepped down from his post, took to the US's Twitter and Facebook, which are banned in China.

Liu has 119,000 followers and transformed himself into the 'wolf warrior' of diplomacy. But later, it was detected that Liu's followers who claimed to be colleagues were, in fact, manufactured people.

Also, Jacob Wallis, Senior Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), and Sanjana Hattotuwa, Special Advisor, ICT for Peace Foundation (ICT4Peace) and former Senior Researcher at the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), Sri Lanka used the Twitter datasets to explain how China runs its information operations (both covert and overt). Wallis and his team analyzed 23,750 Twitter accounts and 348,608 tweets from January 2018 to April 2020, to be fake. Twitter deactivated those accounts for promoting misinformation and disinformation used for propaganda by diplomatic messaging through social media platforms.

The 'hard work' by China to create fake accounts for pro-China propaganda is now known. They could have put that valuable time into giving firsthand information on the virus's origin, instead.

The masses have come to realize China is fighting a battle of their own, trying to prove a point using fake identities, which is irrelevant to the world.

It's time China face reality and fight the real global causes, joining real friends and not faceless humans who will be deactivated.

(All views expressed are personal.)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Patna, Sep 2 : The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Bihar conducted raids at several properties of suspended DSP Tanveer Ahmed on Thursday.

Ahmed was deployed in Pali sub-division in Patna district and EOW officials claimed that he had close links with sand mafias.

"We believe that he has amassed huge disproportionate assets in Bihar. We have conducted simultaneous raids at several properties of Ahmed in Patna and Bettiah," an official of the EOW said, requesting anonymity.

He added that some vital proofs have been seized from his house in Bettiah.

The home department had removed Tanveer Ahmed from the post of DSP Pali in July 2021 after his alleged involvement in helping mafias for smuggling sand came to light.

The home department had also issued a letter in this regard and directed Aurangabad Sadar DSP Anup Kumar, Arrah DSP Pankaj Rawat and Sanjay Kumar, the DSP of Dehri in Rohtas district to report to Patna headquarters.

"During investigation, it was revealed that Tanveer Ahmed is having movable and immovable assets worth crores of rupees. The Bihar Police has initiated a departmental inquiry against him. The department has also issued a show cause notice to him on August 27. He has been given 15 days time to reply to the notice along with proof to challenge the charges levelled against him. He has not filed a reply to the notice so far," said an official of the EOW.
Delhi/Hyderabad, Sep 2 : Reaching a new milestone, two-decade-old Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Thursday began work on its office building in New Delhi.

Telangana Chief Minister and TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao laid the foundation stone for the party building at Vasant Vihar.

Amid the chanting of Vedic hymns by priests and with elaborate religious rituals, the foundation was laid at the auspicious time of 1.48 p.m.

KCR's cabinet colleagues, MPs, state legislators and several party leaders attended the ceremony. TRS is claimed to be the first political party from South India to open its office in Delhi.

The TRS chief along with some top party leaders had reached Delhi by a special aircraft on Wednesday.

TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, who is son of KCR, had already reached the national capital to supervise the arrangements for the foundation stone laying ceremony.

Coming up on 1,100 square meters of land, the TRS office will be called Telangana Bhavan, like its state headquarters in Hyderabad.

State minister for roads and buildings V. Prashanth Reddy said the three-storeyed building will have a conference hall, library and audio-visual theater.

He said the TRS office in the national capital will serve as a research centre for the country. The minister said Telangana Bhavan will be a platform in Delhi to highlight the revolutionary welfare and schemes being implemented in Telangana.

Rama Rao described the foundation stone laying of TRS office as a significant development for the party, which completed 20 years in April.

KCR himself is overseeing the design and execution of the project, which is being planned in a manner that would stand out as a symbol of self-respect of Telangana. The building will cater to the needs of TRS leaders and activists visiting the national capital. Party sources said it would also be accessible to the people of Telangana who are in Delhi, during distress.

The Centre had allotted land for TRS office last year but the foundation stone laying was delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The land allotment was made as per the rules, which prescribe that all political parties with a minimum of seven members in Parliament are eligible for allotment of land for their party office in Delhi.

TRS, which has 16 members in Parliament, was allotted two plots measuring 550 square meters by the land and development office of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Ratnagiri : , Sep 2 (IANS) For the first time in India, the tusk of a rare Atlantic walrus was seized, from a coastal village in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district, officials said on Thursday.

Following a confidential tip-off on Auguts 31, Forest Department teams from Ratnagiri and Satara, along with the CI) laid a trap and nabbed three accused red-handed with the booty from Hatkhamba village.

"The three arrested are from Goa and Maharashtra. We have recovered the tusk, approximately 15-16 inches long, of an Atlantic walrus (Odobenus Rosmarus)," Honorary. Wildlife Warden Rohan Bhate, who is also Member of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), told IANS.

Teams of wildlife sleuths have been formed to conduct a nationwide operation to track the gang behind the Atlantic walrus ivory tusk smuggling, their associates, the buyers, etc.

Ratnagiri Range Forest Officer Priyanka Lagad said that this is the first-ever such seizure of a walrus tusk since these marine animals are found only in the icy shores of northern hemisphere, around 10,000 kms from here.

"The challenge before the investigations is to find how the tusk has reached Maharashtra, who are the other players, how big is the racket and what are its larger ramifications," she said.

However, Lagad declined to reveal the exact quantity/weight of the large tusk, its market value and other details owing to operational reasons and to avoid alerting the others who could be involved in the crime.

Bhate said that following the interrogation of the accused trio, the teams will go to other Indian states and are likely to effect more seizures of wild creatures or their valuable organs.

As far as the atlantic walrus tusk's valuation, most experts and wildlifers term it as "invaluable" and beyond comparison with the elephant tusks that are the favourite of ivory smugglers globally.

The accused smugglers nabbed were identified as M. Numan Yasin Naik, 42, of Permem, Goa, Hemant Suresh Kander, 38 of Kankavali and Rajan Dayal Pange, 58 of Malvan, both in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district.

The team has also seized a car in which the tusk was being transported to an unknown location for a sale, and all the accused have been charged under the Section 49(c), of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and CITES.

Bhate said that the laws are so stringent that besides the smugglers, any dealers in such ivory brought into the country illegally, manufacturers or buyers can be booked.

The sensitive operation was carried out under the guidance of Chief Conservator of Forests, Kolhapur D. Clement Ben, Assistant Conservator of Forests Sachin Nilakh, Divisional Forest Officer Deepak Khade, Satara Forest Range Officer Sachin Dombale and other team members.

Walrus is a huge flippered, deep-diving marine mammal, weighing over two tonnes, with the tusk measuring upto one metre long, and is found only in the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, around the North Pole, and the sub-Arctic seas in the Northern Hemisphere.

Massive hunting had depleted the walrus populations massively in the last century but their numbers are gradually increasing with protection measures by several countries in the far north.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, Sep 2 : Actor Salman Khan took to Twitter on Thursday to mourn the death of TV actor Sidharth Shukla.

Salman's association with Sidharth goes back to the time when the latter won 'Bigg Boss 13', hosted by the superstar.

Salman took to Twitter and wrote: "Gone too soon Siddharth.. u shall be missed. Condolences to the family .. RIP".

Sidharth rose to fame with television show 'Balika Vadhu' and made his Bollywood debut with 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania' in a supporting yet prominent role.

Sidharth Shukla passed away on Thursday morning at Cooper Hospital. He suffered a major heart attack.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
San Francisco, Sep 2 : Apple has announced that the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) has agreed to close its App Store investigation in exchange for letting developers of reader apps Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon's Kindle app directly link their customers to their own sign-up website, where they could skirt Apple's in-app payment system entirely.

While the agreement was made with the JFTC, Apple will apply this change globally to all reader apps on the store. Reader apps provide previously purchased content or content subscriptions for digital magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, and video.

Apple said it is making easier for people to set up and manage their apps and services, "while protecting their privacy and maintaining their trust".

"Trust on the App Store is everything to us. The focus of the App Store is always to create a safe and secure experience for users, while helping them find and use great apps on the devices they love," Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow who oversees the App Store, said in a statement.

Before the change goes into effect in early 2022, Apple will update its guidelines and review process to make sure users of reader apps continue to have a safe experience on the App Store.

This update follows a number of changes to the App Store announced last week, which give developers more flexibility and resources to reach their customers, tailor their price points, and grow their businesses.

Apple also launched the News Partner Program to support local journalism and help news organisations on the App Store.

The South Korean parliament on Tuesday passed a bill that would rein in the dominance Google and Apple exert over payments on their respective app stores. It became the first nation in the world to enact such a law.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : The Ayush Ministry's National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) has launched a nationwide campaign to promote cultivation of medicinal plants as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.

During the campaign, cultivation of medicinal plants will be undertaken on 75,000 hectares of land in the next one year across the country.

The programme is second in the series of programmes being organised by the ministry under the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.

The campaign started from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Pune in Maharashtra.

The campaign in Uttar Pradesh was launched in the presence of UP Minister of State for Ayush Dharam Singh Saini, Research Officer of NMPB, Sunil Dutt and officials of Ayush Ministry.

Five species of medicinal plants, comprising Night-flowering Jasmine (Parijat), Golden Apple (Bel), Margosa Tree (Neem), Indian Ginseng (Ashwagandha) and Indian Blackberry (Jamun), were distributed free of cost to 150 farmers.

Meanwhile, 750 Jamun saplings were separately distributed free of cost to the farmers.

A similar event was held in Pune.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, NMPB, Dr Chandra Shekhar Sanwal said that this will boost the supply of medicinal plants in the country.

A total of 7,500 medicinal plants were distributed on the occasion.

A target of distributing 75,000 saplings has been set under the programme.

Union Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has said that the country has immense potential in the field of medicinal plants and cultivation of medicinal plants on 75,000 hectares of land will ensure availability of medicines in the country. It will also be a big source of income for the farmers.

"This will make the country self-reliant in the field of medicines. Significantly, in the last 1.5 years, the market of medicinal plants has increased in a big way not only in India but all over the world. This is the reason that Ashwagandha has been the third best-selling product in America," he added.
AWBI calls for probe into PETA India complaint on death of horse in Tamil film shoot at Hyderabad Image Source: IANS News

AWBI calls for probe into PETA India complaint on death of horse in Tamil film shoot at Hyderabad Image Source: IANS News

Hyderabad, Sep 2 : The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has called for an inquiry into the reported death of a horse here allegedly while shooting for the Tamil feature film 'Ponniyin Selvan'. The AWBI has written to the district collector of Hyderabad and the Telangana State Animal Welfare Board asking them to conduct an enquiry into the death, reportedly after it was involved in a head-on collision during shooting of the movie.

The movie is being helmed by ace film-director Mani Ratnam and incident reportedly happened at a shooting on a private piece of land near a film studio in Hyderabad.

The government body stepped into action following a complaint from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India that were based on whistle-blower reports of the incident.

"In the age of computer-generated imagery (CGI), production companies have no excuse for forcing exhausted horses to play at war until one of them drops dead," said PETA India Chief Advocacy Officer Khushboo Gupta.

Compassionate, forward-thinking filmmakers would never dream of hauling sensitive animals to a chaotic movie set and forcing them to 'act'. PETA India is calling upon director Mani Ratnam to cut the cruelty and switch to modern and humane CGI and other visual-effects technology," she explained.

The AWBI is the prescribed authority under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, which authorises the use of animals in films. The AWBI also asked officials to ensure that the culprits receive "exemplary punishment" so that such crimes do not happen in the future.

The Abdullapurmet police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the management of Madras Talkies and the owner of the horse under Section 11 of the PCA Act, 1960, and Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

According to the FIR filed on August 18, the incident allegedly happened on August 11. It notes that the AWBI had given pre-shoot permission to the makers of the movie to use 80 horses in 'Ponniyin Selvan'.

The horse owner is reported to have allowed producers of the film to keep using horses that were tired and dehydrated.

PETA India is also offering a reward of Rs 25,000 for a video or photograph of the incident in which the horse died, which may lead to the culprits' arrests.
Hyderabad, Sep 2 : Telugu star Allu Arjun is mighty impressed with actor Sidharth Malhotra after watching his recent Hindi film 'Shershaah'. Arjun took to his social media to congratulate the actor and the entire team for making the film.

'Shershaah' is based on life of Kargil martyr Captain Vikram Batra.

Arjun tweeted to the actors and the team on Wednesday evening.

He wrote: "Congratulations to the entire team of #Shershaah. A very heart touching film. Career best performance by Mr. @SidMalhotra. Man who stole the show. Subtle & impactful performance by Ms @advani_kiara and all the other actors. My respect to all the technicians of the film." He also praised director Vishnuvaradhan for his work for the film, which released digitally on Amazon Prime Video.

"Wonderful Conviction by the director @vishnu_dir garu. Sir, you made us all proud. Congratulations to @karanjohar ji and producers. Bigggg Congratulations @PrimeVideoIN for this blockbuster hit. A must watch for every Indian," Arjun tweeted.

Arjun is currently working on finishing the first part of his upcoming film 'Pushpa'. The movie, which will also star Rashmika Mandanna will be released in two parts.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, Sep 2 : Legal and insurance industry experts are of the view that the recent Madras High Court order - now kept in abeyance - making it compulsory for all new car owners to have bumper-to-bumper insurance policy is not only 'anti-competitive', but will also have far-reaching implications for the players, feel experts in the field.

While the order is most favourable for the general insurers, as they get lump-sum upfront, there are differing voices within the industry as the order makes the field uneven.

It will be interesting to note how the General Insurance Council (GIC) - the lobby body for non-life insurers - and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) would react before the court when the case comes up for hearing again.

"On the face of it, the Madras High Court order is anti-competitive," D. Varadarajan, a Supreme Court advocate specialising in company/competition/insurance laws, told IANS.

Though there are several non-life insurers in the country selling vehicle insurance policies, as per the order, a vehicle buyer will be locked-in with one insurer for five years.

The insurance policies for new vehicles fetch the highest premium and are generally sold through vehicle dealers.

Varadarajan said that it is beyond the purview of the high court to pass such sweeping orders, rather than deciding the real dispute between the parties in that particular case, and that too without giving notice to the parties, including the Central government, which would be affected or concerned by such a 'drastic' order.

"Further, in the teeth of the law enacted by the Parliament, there is no warrant for judge-made law. Such orders would amount to encroaching upon the domain of legislature, which cannot be countenanced," Varadarajan argued.

Commenting on the lack of awareness on the part of the car owners about the liability for the 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." Later, the court issued an order keeping its earlier order in abeyance and issued a notice to the General Insurance Council and IRDAI.

"Under Competition Law, it needs to be evaluated if this order has the potential to create a vertical arrangement under Section 3(4) of the Competition Act, 2002, that will have an adverse appreciable effect on competition (AAEC)," Varadarajan said.

According to him, vertical arrangements are subject to the rule of reason and if there is a justifiable business or economic reason for the implementation of the vertical arrangement that does not result in an AAEC, the same will be considered as valid.

"For determining if there is going to be an AAEC, any or all of the provisions of Section 19(3) of the Competition Act, 2002, i.e. 1. creation of barriers to new entrants in the market; 2. driving existing competitors out of the market; 3. foreclosure of competition by hindering entry into the market; 4. Accrual of benefit to consumers; 5. improvements in production or distribution of goods or provision of services; 6. promotion of technical, scientific and economic development by means of production or distribution of goods or provision of services will need to be considered," Varadarajan explained.

"The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is empowered to evaluate the effect of such a scenario through the prism of Competition Act in consultation with the IRDAI. However, the final say is with the CCI," Varadarajan added.

"The solution is simple. The IRDAI and the players should deliberate and come out with a third party policy that covers the non-fare paying passengers. The Madras High Court's intention was to provide insurance cover to such passengers," Varun Dua, Managing Director and CEO, Acko General Insurance Limited, told IANS.

Meanwhile, within the general insurance sector, there are differing views on how the industry should respond to the new development.

Couple of industry officials not wanting to be named told IANS that bigger insurers with tie-ups with vehicle dealers are happy with the order as it locks up the policyholders for five years and wants the high court order to be implemented.

"Non-life insurers world over are one-year contracts while life insurance is a long-term contract. If one makes non-life insurance a long-term contract, the capital needs, provisioning norms and others would kick in. How it would impact an insurer in the future as motor third party claims are long-tailed ones is not known now," and industry official told IANS preferring anonymity.

"Pricing long-term cover, particularly third party, is a challenge. It will need to forecast the future of accidents and future trends of court awards," K.K. Srinivasan, former Member (non-life), IRDAI, told IANS.

Locking in a policyholder for five long years with one insurer also makes the playing field uneven and anti-policyholder.

"The vehicle dealers will have an upper hand. They will demand higher compensation from the insurers. Already dealers are selling only policies of those insurers from whom they get higher commissions and other perks," an industry official told IANS.

The IRDAI has been penalising several insurers for paying higher commissions to the intermediaries.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
September 02 : Nusrat Jahan, who recently became a mother of a baby boy, is busy playing a "new mommy role", but does take out time to go for a new look for herself.

Taking to her Instagram profile, actress-politician shared a glimpse of her new role and her new look and wrote a strong caption to the post. "Don't take criticism from people you won't take advice from #newrole #newmommylife #newlook pic courtesy: Daddy," she wrote. Sharing a picture of herself, taken by daddy, the Bengali actress and TMC MP Nusrat Jahan, celebrated her new role. The actress looked stunning in as she donned a black and white striped outfit.

Image Source: Instagram/nusratchirps Nusrat Jahan: Don't take criticism from people you won't take advice from

Nusrat Jahan and her estranged husband Nikhil Jain welcomed a baby boy on August 26. Soon after the birth of the baby, Nikhil Jain said in a statement: "There may be differences between us but I am wishing the newborn and his mother all the best. I wish the baby boy has a bright future."

The former couple has been separated for quite some months now. Earlier this year, Nusrat had said in a statement that her marriage was not valid under Indian law. Nusrat Jahan and Nikhil Jain tied the knot in Turkey's Bodrum in 2019.

It seems that Nusrat has sent across the message in her post to the haters who subjected the 31-year-old actress to enough criticism on social media ever since her separation from Nikhil Jain. The actress was brutally trolled after reports of her rumoured relationship with Bengali actor Yash Dasgupta surfaced after her separation. She was accompanied to the hospital by Yash Dasgupta and after the birth of her child, he said, For those who have been enquiring about Nusrat's health, the mother and child are healthy and doing well.
Tokyo, Sep 2 : Pramod Bhagat defeated Ukraine's Oleksandr Chyrkov to storm into the semifinals of the men's singles SL3 category in the Tokyo Paralympic Games badminton competition here on Thursday.

Bhagat, the World No 1 in his category and the reigning world champion, beat the Ukrainian 21-12, 21-9 in 25 minutes. This was the second win for Bhagat in this three-player Group, jumping to a big lead in both games before sealing an impressive victory.

Bhagat had beaten compatriot Manoj Sarkar in straight games in his opening match in Tokyo. The SL3 category has six players divided into two groups of three each and Bhagat topped his group by winning his two matches. Sarkar will meet the Ukrainian player, Oleksandr Chyrkov, and the winner will qualify for the semifinals.

Among the other Indians, Krishna Nagar started his campaign with a win in SH6 class and remained on course for reaching the semifinals. Nagar defeated Malaysia's Didin Taresoh 22-20, 21-10 in the three-player group B in which Brazil's Goncalves Vitor Tavares is the third player in the group. The Brazilian has also won one match when the Malaysian opponent retired while training 13-18 in the second game after losing the first 21-13.

In Men's Singles SH6 class, just like in SL3, six players have been divided into two groups with three players each, and two players from each group qualify for the semifinals.

In Women's Singles SU5, Palak Kolhi too maintained her chances of qualifying for the next round by beating Turkey's Zehra Baglar 21-12, 21-18. She had lost her first match to Japan's Ayako Suzuki.

In this group, seven players have been divided into three groups. Two groups -- A & B -- have three players each while Group C has four. Two players from each group will qualify for the semifinals.

Earlier in the morning, Suhas Yathiraj won his opening group stage match in the preliminary round. He defeated Jan Niklas Pott of Germany in his first match in the SL4 category.

In this group, eight players have been out in two groups of four each. The top two in each group will qualify for the semifinals.

India's Tarun Dhillon is leading the other Group, having started his campaign with victory against Thailand's Siripong Teamarrom 21-7, 21-13.

There were some setbacks too as Parul Parmar ended her singles campaign with two defeats in the Women's Singles SL4 class. Parul, 48, is still in contention in women's doubles SU5 in which she is partnering Palak Kohli.

On Thursday, she lost to Katrin Seibert of Germany 21-23, 21-19, 15-21. She had earlier lost to China's Cheng Hefang 21-8, 21-2. She and Palak Kohli lost to a higher ranked pair, Cheng Hefang and Ma Hulhul of China 21-7, 21-5 in Women's Doubles SL3-SU5.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : Jawaharlal Nehru University's (JNU) Academic Council has approved a course on counter-terrorism and after the approval of the Executive Council, it will become part of the syllabus.

According to the university administration the new course, 'Counter-Terrorism', has been prepared for the students studying international relations and engineering.

Through the course, students will be made aware of the methods and technical aspects of dealing with terrorism.

However, some people, including several JNU teachers, have objected to the course.

CPI MP Binoy Viswam has lodged a protest over the new curriculum and has also written to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan about it.

Viswam, in his letter to the minister, has said that communal and global politics should not be made part of higher education.

He said that the information being provided in the syllabus, approved by JNU, is prejudiced.

However, JNU Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar issued a statement saying that the 'Counter-Terrorism' subject will be taught to the students of engineering and international relations.

The subject deals in how to tackle terrorism and what will be the role of science and technology in it. The course has been designed keeping in mind the terrorist activities around the world, so that India can handle such incidents, he stated.

In the course, the students will be taught about the radical and religious terrorism networks and the role of government agencies in combating terrorism.

The JNU administration said that no particular religion is being taught in the university.

The course is designed from the perspective of India as the country has long suffered from cross-border sponsored terrorism, asserted the university.

The Academic Council of JNU has approved a total of three new courses.

The courses that have been approved include 'Counter-Terrorism among Major Powers', 'Strategies for Asymmetric Conflicts and Cooperation' and 'Importance of Science and Technology in International Relations'.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : After the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of the twin 40-storey residential towers of Supertech's Emerald Court project in Noida over serious violations of building norms, the real challenge is how to go about it as no building of such height has ever been demolished in India before, thus necessitating help from international experts.

According to planning and infrastructure expert Abhinav Singh, this is a historic decision, but there are challenges as several buildings already exist next to this twin towers.

He said, if the two towers will be demolished, a vibration will be created which can damage the structures surrounding it.

He said, "There is no expert in India to demolish such a building, we will have to take help from abroad." However, if other experts are to be believed, this building will have to be demolished non-explosively, step by step manually and in a phased manner. For this, huge manpower will be required and it will take a long time.

Architect Ankur Vats told IANS, "The building can be demolished through a hybrid model -- the upper floors manually and lower floors by explosive devices. If we use shuttering it will be very expensive." "Being attached to the basement of the adjoining building is also a challenge, this in itself would be a unique thing in India." In fact, the Supreme Court has ordered the demolition of Noida's 40-floor twin tower of the Supertech Emerald Court project within three months, terming it illegal.

Apart from this, the Supreme Court has said that all the flat buyers should be refunded their money within two months, with 12 per cent interest.

Dharmendra Singh bought a flat on the 9th floor of the twin towers in 2009. He has already paid Rs 42 lakh out of the total Rs 48 lakh.

He told IANS, "We will be given 12 per cent interest as per the Supreme Court's decision, but the High Court had asked to give 14 per cent. We didn't invest the money for interest but had dreamed of a house by spending all the deposits." "We will file a petition in the Supreme Court as to what action was taken against the Noida Authority. The Noida Authority should give us a house, we don't want money," he said.

On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the collusion between the Noida authority and the real estate company Supertech for the illegal construction of the twin towers. He has also asked to fix accountability by making a list of officers who were associated with this case from the beginning. He has made it clear that strict action will be taken against the officers if found guilty.

In fact, it was the Allahabad High Court which had ordered the demolition of the twin towers in 2014, which was challenged by Supertech in the Supreme Court.

However, the members of the Emerald Court Residents Welfare Association are extremely happy after the Supreme Court's decision.

Prateek Paliwal, a member, told IANS, "The case was first filed in the Allahabad High Court in 2012. Its decision on April 11, 2014 boosted our confidence. After the verdict in 2014, the builder went to the Supreme Court and hired the country's best lawyers." Pankaj Verma, general secretary of the Residents Welfare Association, told IANS, "Everyone is happy that 'Monster Tower' will be removed. No emergency vehicle could come here in case of fire. People living in the nearby buildings are very happy." Advocate K.K. Singh, who has been associated with the matter, told IANS, "Some officials of the government and the authority in connivance with the builder were cheating the buyers. All building rules were flouted. Rules were changed in 2006, 2009 and 2012, after which a petition was filed in the court." He added, "The buyers have to be returned the money in two months. These two towers are of 40 floors having 915 flats and 21 commercial shops. While 633 flats were booked immediately at the time of the launch, some of the buyers have got the money back. But the rest of the buyers are still waiting for their money."
Chandigarh, Sep 2 : The Border Security Force (BSF) on Thursday foiled an infiltration bid by narcotic smugglers, and apprehended a Pakistani intruder, injured in its warning shots.

The other two, however, managed to flee in the bid along the border in Punjab's Ferozepur district.

The BSF jawans belonging to 136 Battalion posted near the Satpal border post observed three Pakistanis trying to sneak into the Indian territory at around 2.30 am.

They first challenged the intruders and later fired at them, resulting one of the intruders getting injureds. His two accomplices managed to escape.

Later, both returned to search for their companion. Seeing them coming, the BSF again fired at them, forcing them to flee.

During the search in the morning, the injured Pakistani national, Irshad, was found close to the international border fence. He had suffered a bullet injury on the thigh and was admitted to the civil hospital in Ferozepur.

Police sources said the accused is believed to be a resident of Pattonwala village in Kasur district that shares its boundary with Ferozepur.

Two packets weighing 2.12 kg, suspected to be heroin, were seized from the intruder.

Punjab shares a 553-km long international border, with a barbed wire fence, with Pakistan.
Hyderabad, Sep 2 : Exporters from Telangana on Thursday sought a dedicated international courier cargo clearance facility at the Hyderabad International Airport.

The exporters also demanded notifiying a town for export excellence, setting up of another Inland Container Depot, and a mega industrial park of world class standards to boost exports from the state.

They made the demands during a round table discussion on understanding the challenges of exporters and the way forward.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar asked the exporters to come out with suggestions to boost exports in the state. He stated that the government would take up all the issues raised by the exporters with the officials concerned and try to resolve them.

He said that the state, under the leadership of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, has achieved rapid progress in the last seven years since its formation.

The government had proactively taken series of measures to increase consumption in the state which has resulted in the state achieving impressive growth on par with the pre-lockdown levels, he added.

Terming exporters "partners of development", he assured them that the state government would do everything possible to solve their problems as this would bring buoyancy to the economy and expedite recovery in the post-Covid era.

The government has set up an ambitious target to bring 20 lakh acres under palm oil cultivation in the state. Special focus is also being laid on increasing agricultural exports from the state, he added.

Representatives of various export units thanked the government for allowing production even during the lockdown period which benefitted exporters.

Exporters, however, expressed concern about container shortage which is effecting outbound shipments, and as a result, hampering large-scale exports. They also raised the issue of GST refund in respect of capital goods and asked the government to take up with the Centre.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : A Saudi opponent has spoken of the alleged role of Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman in supporting the ISIL elements during the August 26 Kabul airport attack, Iran's Mehr News reported.

According to the opponent, sources close to the Saudi government in Bin Salman's offices and ministries have confirmed the Saudi Crown Prince's support for the ISIL terrorist group in the Kabul airport bombing, the report said.

As he described, Bin Salman sought to show that the Taliban are incapable of ensuring Afghan people's security and prove that under the Taliban, Afghanistan will be a hub of terrorism, the report said.

A "complex attack" on Thursday (August 26) at the airport in Afghanistan's capital caused a number of US and civilian casualties, the Pentagon had said.
Lucknow, Sep 2 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath transferred Rs 836.55 crore to the accounts of 55.77 lakh beneficiaries of the National Old-Age Pension Scheme on Thursday.

The Chief Minister said that every poor, farmer, elderly person and destitute woman would get the benefit of the welfare scheme without any discrimination.

"No one will be deprived of basic necessities or die of hunger in Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also released schemes from time to time to benefit people," Yogi Adityanath asserted.

In an event organised virtually, the Chief Minister said, "I am happy to inform that out of these beneficiaries, there are 4.56 lakh new beneficiaries. The quarterly instalment is being sent to these accounts for the first time." He said that the older people have a wealth of experience.

"They are our guide. The central and state governments are working with a sense of service to manage the life and livelihood of each and every senior citizen," the Chief Minister elaborated.

"Whether the elderly needs ration or medical treatment at the time of illness, everything is being provided free of cost. Not only this, 'Elderly Helpline 14567' (Elderline) has been specially launched, where any senior citizen can contact and get help round the clock," he asserted.

Yogi Adityanath also interacted with the beneficiaries from various districts through virtual medium, where he inquired about their health.

He instructed the district magistrates to provide the benefit of 'Ayushman Bharat' or Chief Minister's 'Jan Arogya Yojana' to every needy person.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : India's merchandise exports in August 2021 rose to $33.14 billion, higher by 45.17 per cent on a year-on-year basis, preliminary data showed on Thursday.

Exports in August 2020 stood at $22.83 billion.

Besides, the data furnished by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed that in comparison to August 2019, last month's exports rose by 27.5 per cent.

"Value of non-petroleum exports in August 2021 was $28.58 billion, registering a positive growth of 36.57 per cent over non-petroleum exports of $20.93 billion in August 2020 and a positive growth of 25.44 per cent over non-petroleum exports of $22.78 billion in August 2019.

"Value of non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports in August 2021 was $25.15 billion, registering a positive growth of 31.66 per cent over non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports of $19.1 billion in August 2020 and a positive growth of 28.53 per cent over non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports of $19.57 billion in August 2019."
New Delhi, Sep 2 : Several US military armoured vehicles, which allegedly belonged to the Afghan army before the Taliban took over control of the country, were spotted in Iran on Wednesday, images shared on social media showed, Al Arabiya reported.

Some of the images shared on Twitter showed trucks belonging to the Iranian army transporting US Humvees, allegedly taken from Afghanistan, on a highway connecting the central city of Semnan to the city of Garmsar, southeast of the capital Tehran, the report said.

Bismillah Mohammadi, Afghanistan's Defence Minister before the Taliban takeover, tweeted one of the images circulating online, calling Iran a "bad neighbour". "Afghanistan's bad days won't last forever," he added in the same tweet.

Iranian authorities have not yet commented on the images. Al Arabiya said it could not independently verify the authenticity of those images shared on social media.

Iran, jubilant with the US withdrawal from neighbouring Afghanistan, has hinted that its stance on the Taliban will depend on the group's behaviour.

"The nature of our relationship with governments depends on the nature of their relationship with us," Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Saturday.

Iran shares a 560-mile border with Afghanistan.

There is no definitive figure yet for the number of US military equipment - left behind after the American withdrawal on Monday - the Taliban have seized since taking control of the country last month, the report said.

Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said on Tuesday that US forces demilitarised equipment before they had completely withdrawn from Afghanistan, which angered the Taliban.

Since seizing control of Afghanistan on August 15, the Taliban have taken control of a treasure trove of military equipment that had been given to the Afghan government by the US.

(Sanjeev sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)
New Delhi, Sep 2 : The Taliban are not as strong as many believe they are, Panjshir resistance leader Ahmad Massoud has said.

In an interview with CNN, Massoud said the reason why they took over the country was the weakness of the government and the leadership of the Afghan military.

"Unfortunately, former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani purged the army of generals and officers who knew how to fight the Taliban and who had the will and motivation to fight the enemy," Massoud said.

The leadership of the country was another problem, he said.

Ashraf Ghani lacked legitimacy, and the masses grew apart from his government in the recent years, Massoud added.

"Ghani and his national security advisor Hamdullah Mohib's interference in the decision-making process of the Afghan military also weakened the armed forces. They are two individuals who lacked any military training or experience, yet it was they that made the final decisions on war plans," Massoud said in the interview with CNN.

He said unfortunately, the Taliban have not changed, and they still are after dominance throughout the country.

"We are resisting dominance, intolerance, and oppression brought by one political force over the majority of the population that do not support them. The Taliban will only be accepted if they form an inclusive government with all ethnic groups in the country. Afghanistan is a country made up of ethnic minorities and no one constitutes a majority. It is a multicultural state instead of a nation-state. For this reason, they cannot be allowed to rule the country, and if they have this position, we will resist them," Massoud said in the interview.

"If the Taliban do not make concessions and continue to believe they can dominate the country, then we will also resist. The last time they pursued dominance, they were faced with five years of resistance," he said in the CNN interview.
Kevadia : , Sep 2 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Thursday jointly reviewed the preparations for DefExpo-2022.

The aim of DefExpo-2022 is to build upon the vision to achieve 'Aatmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence and reach $5 billion defence exports target by 2024.

The 12th edition of DefExpo, which is India's flagship event showcasing land, naval, air as well as homeland security systems, will be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from March 10-13, 2022.

During the meeting, Singh and senior officials of the defence ministry and Gujarat government noted that the previous edition of DefExpo, which was held in Lucknow in February 2020, was a tremendous success due to the seamless jointmanship between the state and the Centre.

It was agreed that as DefExpo-2022 is coinciding with the 75th year of India's Independence, being celebrated as 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', the event needs more active participation and synchronised efforts at all levels.

Expressing satisfaction at the ongoing preparations, Singh urged all the stakeholders to ensure maximum participation in the upcoming event.

He hoped that not just domestic, but international representation will also be much greater at DefExpo-2022 than its previous editions.

Reiterating the resolve of the government to 'Make in India, Make for the World', Singh expressed confidence that India will soon become a global manufacturing hub.

"We are taking big strides towards 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We will soon achieve self-reliance in defence. Our aim is to reduce dependency on imports and increase defence exports," he said.

On the occasion, an MoU was signed between the Ministry of Defence and the Gujarat government for organising DefExpo-2022.

DefExpo-2022 will be a hybrid business event, with the exhibition planned at the Helipad Exhibition Centre and seminars at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre. A live demonstration of weapons and defence platforms is also being planned at the Sabarmati river front in Ahmedabad.

The objective is to make India a major destination of land, naval, air and homeland security systems and defence engineering. Keeping with future warfare in mind, the event aims to recognise the impact of disruptive technologies on conflicts and its consequent impact on the equipment and platforms required.

The events planned include:
Mumbai, Sep 2 : Ratna Sinha is the director who launched late actor Sidharth Shukla in the television series titled 'Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na', released in 2008. And since then, there was no looking back for Sidharth.

After his sudden demise, Sinha recalled the upcoming model who had that spark that turned him into a successful actor. Here's her first-person account, shared exclusively with IANS, of her first meeting with the late actor: It was around 2007 onwards when I think I saw him in a shopping mall. Sidharth was a ramp model back then when me and my team was looking for a new face for a new show that I was working on.

One of my assistants walked towards him and approached him for acting and he was so skeptical about the idea of acting. He really was a non-actor and when we auditioned, even the channel rejected the audition.

He was actually quite happy with modelling. But we thought there is something in him that will work! We kept on working on his skill and eventually I cast him as the male protagonist for my show 'Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na'.

As the show received a good response, since then the world of acting opportunities grew for Sidharth. You know I really have seen Sidharth growing from a model, non-actor to a television star that he became. I had a mixed feeling of pride and happiness that this fellow is growing from strength to strength.

It is not easy at all to make it big here in the industry and staying relevant for 13 years! There were many youngsters back then started as a model and stepped into acting but maintaining success is a task that Sidharth was doing successfully. I think 'Balika Vadhu' was the breakthrough for him.

When I spoke to him last time, before lockdown, he was saying how keen is he to do more films. He was very keen on expanding his horizon in Bollywood. He did one film ('Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania') and he nurtured the hope of acting in more films.

In the morning, when I woke up to the message of his sudden demise, I was numb. Just numb.

In the past one year, we lost so many young talents really. This is hard to process ... life is so unpredictable really. I knew how emotionally close Sidharth was to his mother ... my heart goes out to her.

(As told to Arundhuti Banerjee)
Mumbai, Sep 2 : Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) has now now taken sole control of Just Dial Ltd.

The Reliance Industries' subsidiary now holds 40.98 per cent of the company as of September 1.

On July 20, the RRVL acquired 1.31 crore equity shares of Rs 10 each of Just Dial at a price of Rs 1,020 per equity share from V.S.S. Mani on the floor of the stock exchange through the block window facility.

The acquisition represents 15.63 per cent of the post-preferential issue paid-up equity share capital of Just Dial.

On September 1, 2021, Just Dial, pursuant to the preferential issue, allotted 2.12 crore equity shares of Rs 10 each at a price of Rs 1,022.25 per equity share (including a premium of Rs 1,012.25 per equity share representing 25.35 per cent of the post-preferential issue paid-up share capital of Just Dial to the RRVL.

Just Dial is a leading local search engine platform which provides search related services to users across India through multiple platforms such as website, apps, over the telephone and text. Just Dial had 30.4 million listings and 129.1 million quarterly unique users across web, mobile, App and voice platforms as of March 31, 2021.

The company has recently launched its B2B marketplace platform, JD Mart which is aimed at enabling millions of India's manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers to become internet ready in post-Covid era, get new customers, and sell their products online.

The platform offers digital product catalogues to businesses and aims at digitalising India's businesses, especially MSMEs, across categories.
New York, Sep 2 : Late actor Cameron Boyce's 'Runt' is set to release on October 19.

1091 Pictures released the trailer on the Instagram page announcing the release date, "What happens when everything and everyone just seems to be against you? Do you let it ride or take a stand? See what happens in #RUNT 10/19." The indie drama stars Cameron Boyce, the star of Disney Channel's 'Descendants' franchise, and HBO's 'Mrs Fletcher', who died in July 2019 at the age of 20 following an epileptic seizure.

The film, directed and co-written by William Coakley, centers on a group of neglected and misguided high school seniors who are pulled into a downward cycle of violence when the adults in their lives fail them. Boyce portrays Cal, who after a troubling incident takes a stand, resulting in devastating consequences, according to Deadline.com.

1091 acquired the film in June. It will be released on VOD and digital platforms on October 19.

The features stars Nicole Elizabeth Berger, Aramis Knight, Brianna Hildebrand, Cyrus Arnold, Jason Patric, Charlie Gillespie and Tichina Arnold.

'Runt' was scripted by Coakley, Christian Van Gregg and Armand Constantine. Its producers were Carl Rumbaugh and Gregory Thomas. The film had its world premiere at the 2020 Mammoth Film Festival, where it received the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.

"This film is very important in the climate we live in today," said Cameron Boyce's parents, Victor and Libby Boyce. "Cameron was incredibly proud of this film, and we believe his powerful performance will resonate deeply with all his fans throughout the world." "We are grateful to be working with 1091 Pictures, which understands the relevance and power of this story," added the producers. "We have also partnered with The Cameron Boyce Foundation and its Wielding Peace initiative to promote peace instead of violence and spread awareness of the consequences of gun violence. We are excited for audiences to see this powerful and thrilling picture." The Cameron Boyce Foundation was founded in July of 2019, to continue the philanthropic legacy of the late Cameron Boyce. Its mission is to raise awareness and research dollars for epilepsy and SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) through digital campaigns and programmatic partnerships, according to Deadline.com.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : Four premier nursing and midwifery professional organisations came together on Thursday to launch a unique campaign to highlight the role of nurses and midwives and reinforce their contribution to the healthcare system of the country through education, service and leadership.

Aptly named #NurseMidwife4Change, the forces behind this campaign include the All India Government Nurses Federation (AIGNF), an umbrella organisation of nursing bodies, trade unions in government sector and federations; the Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI), a national professional organisation of nursing and midwifery professionals in the government and private sector; Society of Midwives-India (SOMI), an organisation with a mission to strengthen midwifery in India and Indian Nursing Council (INC), the national regulatory body for nursing education in India and member of the International Council of Nurse (ICN).

Speaking at the inauguration, G.K. Khurana, Secretary General, All India Government Nurses Federation, said, "Nurses and midwives form the cornerstone of healthcare delivery in India and are the unflinching pillars on which our healthcare system rests. Despite their undeniable role and contribution, they are often denigrated to be insignificant sacrificing angels bearing the whole burden with minimal support and dignity.

"The #NurseMidwife4Change campaign conceptualised by and for nurses and midwives of India aims to bring to light their true profile, status and contribution in the country by creating awareness about the multiple roles they play as educationists, service providers, specialist and leaders.

"Simultaneously, the campaign will spotlight some of the key issues facing this critical workforce today for example working conditions, remuneration and image in the society and highlight global and national recommendations for the overall growth and development of this professional cadre." The Covid pandemic has clearly revealed the strengths and weaknesses of India's healthcare system. While health care workers have been celebrated for saving lives, often at the risk of their own, the pandemic has also exposed the need to rapidly grow India's health workforce by investing in their education, service and leadership.

According to the State of World's Nursing India profile, almost 47 per cent of India's health workforce consists of nurses and midwives. With 1.7 nurses per 1,000 population, India falls short of the WHO recommended rate of 3 nurses per 1,000 population.

The recently released State of the World's Nursing Report 2020 and State of the World's Midwifery 2021 also highlight that investment in nursing and midwifery will not only contribute to achieve health-related SDG targets, but also to education, gender and economic growth globally. Leadership, education and job creation are three top priorities for India to focus on as per these reports.

In-line with the global campaigns like Nursing Now and the Nightingale Challenge, #NurseMidwife4Change is aimed at supporting nurses and midwives to lead, to learn and to strengthen the profession. The WHO Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2021-2025 presents evidence-based practices and an interrelated set of policy priorities that can help countries ensure that midwives and nurses optimally contribute to achieving universal health coverage and other population health goals.

This pan India programme is a call to all quarters of society, including policy makers, government, civil society, nursing and midwifery training institutions, the private and corporate sector, non-government organisations, and the people of this country to support its nurses and midwives through this campaign-not only to ensure that nurses and midwives get recognized for their immense contribution and role in the health care system, but also to prioritise investments to further strengthen this cadre so that they are able to perform their roles optimally and help the country achieve its health and welfare goals and targets.
Dakshina Kannada, : , Sep 2 (IANS) The management of historical 12th-century Mahathobhara Mahalingeshwara temple in Puttur taluk of Karnataka's communally-sensitive Dakshina Kannada district has banned vehicle parking by non-Hindus, stirring up a controversy.

Those not belonging to the Hindu religion are not allowed to park their vehicles in the Devamaru Gadde area which lies in front of the temple, as per a signboard set up by the management. It warns that legal action will be taken against those who violate the guidelines.

Mahalingeshwara temple comes under the state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

As the step by the temple authorities was termed a sign of intolerance, temple management President Maliya Keshava Prasad sought to clarify that if people from other religions parked their vehicles in the land belonging to the temple, "it caused trouble for Hindu devotees who visited the temple".

"Many devotees have complained about it. The signboard has been installed for the convenience of Hindu devotees. It is also a precautionary measure to avoid untoward incidents. The Bajarang Dal, and Hindu Jagaran Vedike activists have filed complaints. We have also received individual complaints," he said.

"They (non-Hindus) used to overspeed in the Chariot lane near the temple. People used to sit in the parked cars causing inconvenience to Hindu devotees. We are planning to erect a wall around the temple to avoid the problem," he claimed.

Talking to IANS, Dakshina Kannada's Superintendent of Police, Sonawane Rishikesh, said that the temple comes under the Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and they will initiate action according to procedure.

The police is not aware of the development and has not initiated any action, he said.

"So far, the Police Department has received no complaint in this regard. We will definitely look into it and inquire if it is required," he added.

Meanwhile, sources said that the district administration has issued a notice to the temple management in this regard and is inquiring into the matter.
Hyderabad, Sep 2 : The University of Hyderabad (UoH) has announced that as many as 396 of its students have received placement offers for the year 2020-21.

This is the highest number of placements in the university's history.

Students have achieved placements in many 'reputed' organisations, public as well as private sector, and in 'numerous' fields.

The employers include companies such as TCS, GE, One Convergence, Deloitte, Dr. Reddy's, ICICI Bank and Tech Mahindra, a UoH release stated on Thursday.

Of the total placements, the campus placement guidance advisory bureau (PGAB) had found placements for around 221 students, just before the lockdown in March 2020.

These students were picked up by companies which visited the campus, the release noted.

Meanwhile, post-lockdown, from May 2021, companies were conducting video interviews and online assessments as they could not physically visit the university campus.

As per the final tally, 396 students have been placed in 213 companies for the year 2020-21, the university officials stated.

Prof Salman Abdul Moiz, Professor-in-charge for PGAB said, "It's gratifying to note that against the heavy odds such as Covid-19 lockdowns, PGAB secured record placements for the 2020-21 batch students. We are confident that the successfully placed students will continue to keep the flag of UoH flying high".
The Taliban's rise in Afghanistan has given certain elements in Pakistan an opportunity to portray the Taliban victory as a gateway to Kashmir also. Their imaginations may be running riot, but the reality is that the happenings in Afghanistan may not be as helpful to Pakistan as it is claiming. But it may use the Taliban rise to stir up the 'Islamic sentiments in Kashmir to fuel the separatist agenda.

The Taliban has too many challenges at hand. Its struggles to form a government, run it, sustain it and save it from many other virulent groups are too many for it to export its help to Pakistan in its Kashmir mission. The Taliban have brought the whole of Afghanistan under its control except the Panjshir province. But it is the Islamic State-Khorasan and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which have the potential of keeping it engaged.

The IS-K has already thrown a challenge to the Taliban by launching several attacks since the Taliban takeover, including the two at Kabul airport. The IS-K has refused to acknowledge Taliban's supremacy and is prepared to engage in a long-drawn battle that could result in civil war in Afghanistan and cause problems in neighbouring nations. Khorasan involves parts of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia. Now that the US is not there, IS-K feels that it has an opportunity to take on the Taliban.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Pakistan Taliban has had an off-on relationship with the Taliban depending upon the situation and the timing. Pakistan regards it as one of the most dangerous terror outfits. As the Taliban was launching its offensive in Afghanistan, the TTP was carrying out attacks in north Waziristan. It wants an independent state comprising Pakistan's tribal areas which have faced subjugation for decades from those at the helm in Pakistan. The TTP also has ties with Uyghur groups and has targeted Chinese workers associated with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Since China is supporting the Taliban, controlling and containing the TTP will be a hard task.

What Taliban had been for the erstwhile Afghan governments, the IS-K and TTP could be the headaches for the new Taliban dispensation.

Keeping Afghanistan intact and running it are the Taliban's foremost challenges. And the challenges are too engulfing for it to spare its men for 'jihad' in Kashmir.

However, the feeling that terror activities may get a new push in Kashmir is not unfounded. Pakistan will increase activities on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, including infiltration and drone attacks. But, more dangerous is the fanning of the Muslim sentiments regarding the Taliban's resurrection and its 'successful' fight against the 'invader US'. The radicalization of the youth in Kashmir over the decades has been a major worry for the security forces. And this is what comes in handy for the elements which are working round the clock to fan the separatist agenda.

Al-Qaeda has given a call for the 'liberation' of Kashmir and other so-called Islamic lands. This might pose more security challenges in the valley in the sense that Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba may increase terror activities in the valley to cash in on the rising sentiments of a Taliban win over the superpower US. 'If Taliban could overthrow the US, why can't a similar thing happen in Kashmir' -- this sentiment will probably become the new weapon for these terror outfits and their mentor, as has been flagged by Al Qaeda.

One of the conditions of the peace deal signed by the US and the Taliban in 2020 was that it should sever ties with all terror groups and not let its land be used for carrying out terror activities. And whether the Taliban will stick to this is a million dollar question.

After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the Central government took J&K's administration directly in its hands and a number of promises were made. Although political activity has been restored with the conducting of local body polls, the feeling of alienation has not ebbed.

The Taliban's rise in Afghanistan is fodder for Pakistan's ISI to again work on the religious sensitivities of Kashmiri Muslims and that is the challenge for the Indian security agencies now.

(Deepika Bhan can be reached at deepika.b@ians.in)
New Delhi, Sep 2 : The intelligence agencies apprehend that Al Qaeda's recent statement on global jihad that included Kashmir, was made on the behest of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

A day after the last contingent of the US army left Afghanistan in the intervening night of August 30-31, the Al Qaeda issued a statement in which it called for "a global jihad to liberate Islamic lands" including Kashmir.

Congratulating the Taliban for taking full control of the country after the US exit, the Al-Qaeda said, "Liberate the Levant, Somalia, Yemen, Kashmir and the rest of the Islamic lands from the clutches of the enemies of Islam. O' Allah! Grant freedom to Muslim prisoners across the world." The inclusion of Kashmir was quite alarming as it was never on the agenda of the Taliban in the past, the sources said, adding that this will boost the morale of terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen based in Pakistan.

Officials in the security agencies have been analyzing the Al Qaeda statement which was quite worrisome not only for India but also in many parts of central Asia and Pakistan, the sources said.

That the statement did not mention Chechnya in Russia and China's Xinjiang among targets of "liberation" through jihad was quite significant and that also indicated Pakistan's hand behind the statement, they added.

Despite the fact that Indian security forces are on high alert on the border with Pakistan and also fully prepared to deal with any situation in Jammu and Kashmir even if the ultras get Taliban captured US weapons, this has created a worrisome situation, a senior official in the security forces said.

The government has also taken this matter seriously and the officials of the Union Home Ministry have discussed the situation threadbare with all stakeholders.

"There has been indication that Pakistan based terror outfits like Lashkar-e Taiba, and Jaishe-e Mohammad have stepped up their efforts to push their ultras into Jammu and Kashmir soon after the Taliban took over Afghanistan", the official added.

According to him, the launch pads in Pakistan have been humming with activity near the border indicating an increase in planning for infiltration. These launch pads were abandoned after a ceasefire was announced in February this year and as per the latest input, over 300 terrorists have again occupied these camps across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : At least one person died following a stampede at an Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing, according to CNN.

Safi Ullah, a 64-year-old man from Afghanistan, died in the incident on Wednesday, his son Shahid Ullah confirmed to CNN.

"Me and my father were trying to cross the border with the rest of our family. I lost my father in the stampede, later we found him dead," Ullah said.

In a distressing video showing the desperation at the Spin Boldak-Chaman land border crossing on the day of the stampede, hundreds of people determined to flee Afghanistan are shown converging on the border, wanting to enter Pakistan, CNN said.

People at the front barriers find they have nowhere to go, but a large throng of hundreds of people at the back of the crowd continues to push forward, trapping and crushing them against the border crossing building.

"Never have I ever seen such huge gathering at Spin Boldak," Abul Karim, a resident of the town, told CNN, adding: "There was no space left, as thousands and thousands were moving towards the border gate." Although Pakistan has said that it will not accept any more Afghan refugees, the Spin Boldak-Chaman land border crossing between the countries has remained open.

Only Afghans who are travelling to Pakistan for medical treatment or have proof of residence in Pakistan, as well as holders of an Afghan identity document called 'Tazkira', proving they live in Kandahar, are permitted to cross into Chaman, Pakistan, the report said.

Despite this, thousands of Afghans have attempted to cross over in recent days following the Taliban's takeover of the country.

At least 5,000 Afghan nationals were denied entry into Pakistan at the Spin Boldak crossing on Wednesday alone, an official from Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency, who works at the crossing, told CNN on Thursday.

"The numbers might be higher," he said.

The Taliban are "aware of the ongoing situation" at the border, spokesman Bilal Karimi said, adding that they are working to reduce the number of people trying to leave Afghanistan.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : The Al-Qaeda has joined the Taliban in the groups offensive in the Panjshir valley, Ahmad Massoud's forces say, Al Arabiya reported.

Earlier reports on Wednesday had said that fighting is ongoing between Taliban fighters and the forces of a resistance front lead by Ahmad Massoud in Panjshir province.

The Taliban confirmed that the fighting has been ongoing for two days and both sides have suffered casualties, Tolo News reported.

"Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate were attacked from some circles in Panjshir who bluff and say they will resist. The Mujahideen reacted to the attack and as a result the other side has suffered heavy casualties," said Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission.

Residents at the front lines in the Nasaji-Gulbahar area, which is just outside of Panjshir valley, said on Wednesday that the fighting resumed on Tuesday night and is still ongoing. According to locals, most of the people have fled the area, the report said.

"The fighting started at 10 pm last night and is still going on," Baba Shirin, a resident of the area, had said.

Members of the resistance front, meanwhile, said that they pushed back the Taliban attack on Panjshir and that the Taliban has suffered heavy casualties.

"In the past 40 hours the Taliban launched some offensives on Khawak from the Andarab valley of Baghlan. From our side, there were local forces of various districts of Andarab, local forces of Panjshir as well as the ANSDF forces. They fought back very well; they defeated the Taliban on that front. The Taliban lost 40 of their personnel, another 35 of them were wounded," said Fahim Dashti, a spokesman of the resistance front.

The Taliban denied attacking Panjshir, saying that their forces were attacked by Massoud supporters and that they only responded to the attack, the report said.

Amid the ongoing fighting, Amir Khan Muttaqi, a Taliban leader, said on Wednesday that the talks between both sides have failed so far.

He said, however, that the Taliban still wants to resolve the issue peacefully.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : Former Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam on Thursday met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi and discussed Maharashtra and Mumbai politics ahead of the BMC elections.

After the meeting he said that, "after a long time I met Rahulji and discussed political issues of Maharashtra and Mumbai." Nirupam who was the Mumbai Congress President till the Lok Sabha election but quit after the poll debacle has been a bitter critic of the Congress-Shiv Sena alliance. When asked about his discussion on the issue he said, "I can't reveal what was discussed but we have discussed major political issues in the state and I can't tell you more than that." Nirupam had the meeting before the crucial BMC election where the Shiv Sena has been ruling the local body for a long time. The Congress is still undecided about the elections about whether to go in alliance or contest separately. Though Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole has given a statement about contesting separately in the next election which was backed by Nirupam as well.

But the MRCC which is headed by Bhai Jagtap has not given any clarity on the BMC polls. While the BJP is the single largest party, it is now pitted against the Shiv Sena. In the 227 member BMC, the Congress has 33 seats and the Shiv Sena has 65 while the BJP has 105. The election is slated for next year.

The former Mumbai Congress Chief was against any tie up with the Shiv Sena. Nirupam, a former Shiv Sena leader, had joined the Congress in 2005,and has attacked Sena leaders often, especially Sanjay Raut. When Sanjay Raut during the Sachin Waze controversy had said he had cautioned the Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders about Vaze, Sanjay Nirupam on Tuesday sought the interrogation of Raut by the NIA.

In his tweet at that time, Sanjay Nirupam said, "Sanjay Raut said that he was against the reinstatement of Sachin Vaze, however till yesterday he termed Vaze as an honest and capable officer, then who are the leaders on whose behest Vaze came back this should also be told, NIA should pick people like Raut and reach to the godfathers of Vaze."
Palghar : , Sep 2 (IANS) Police and coastal security were on alert after an unidentified mini-barge hit the rocks off the coast near Bhuigaon village in Maharashtra's Palghar district, officials said on Thursday.

The boat is stranded on a rocky stretch around 4 kms off the coast and no identification name or flag is visible, sparking suspicions among the Palghar police and the Indian Coast Guard.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar, Sanjeevkumar Patil said: "We are keeping a close watch on the vessel and investigating further, though it's practically impossible to approach it." The police conducted a drone survey and alerted the Coast Guard which is understood to have carried out an aerial survey, but could not identify the vessel.

Now, the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) has been approached to help out in ascertaining the vessel's antecedents.

From a distance through binoculars, two persons are seen on the mini-barge, but police declined to confirm their presence or whether they are engaged in any suspicious activity.

Some local fisherfolk first noticed the vessel late this morning and informed the local police as it was drifting without any visible crew on board, and now further operations will be taken up on Friday morning.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : The Centre on Thursday submitted before the Supreme Court that National Green Tribunal (NGT) does not have the power to take cognisance of a matter on its own.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, submitted before a bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and C.T. Ravikumar that: "It is our respectful submission that the suo motu power is not there..".

She added it is not there in the statue.

The top court is examining the issue whether the NGT has the power to take suo motu cognisance of a matter.

Bhati contended that tribunal's powers cannot be bound by procedural constraints.

"This is a peculiar tribunal dealing with environmental matters. Often, environment ends up being nobody's baby." As the bench queried her that if tribunal were to receive an information in connection with environment, will it not be duty bound to initiate process, the ASG contended that once a letter or communication is received by the tribunal, it is within its power to take cognisance of that. She said the ministry has filed a one-page affidavit, citing that suo motu power is not there in the statute, and can't be exercised by the tribunal.

The arguments in the matter will continue on September 7.

On Wednesday, the top court had observed that violation of environmental and forest laws are not disputes between two parties only as it affects the common public.
New Delhi, Sep 2: The US has announced that it will go hard against ISIS-K, the terror group, which has claimed responsibility for the twin suicide bombing at Kabul airport, which killed over a 100 people, including 13 American Marines.

"I would tell you that we're going to do everything that we can to make sure we remain focused on ISIS-K, understand that network, -- and at the time of our choosing in the future, hold them accountable for what they've done," US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday.

Austin was also non-committal about Washington's relationship with the Taliban in the future.

Having served in Afghanistan before, Austin also stressed that the US was working with the Taliban on a "very narrow set of issues" and would not make "any leaps of logic" to how things will shape up in the future.

"We don't know what the future of the Taliban is, but I can tell you from personal experience that this is a ruthless group from the past, and whether or not they change remains to be seen," said the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley.

Meanwhile, two days after Major General Chris Donahue boarded the final flight out of the Kabul airport to end America's longest war, the White House, US Department of State and country's Department of Defence released more details of the intense, massive operation which is not over yet.

India Narrative has put together for its readers some of the salient bits: How many Americans are still left behind in Afghanistan?

The US Department of State believes there are between 100 and 200 Americans who remain in Afghanistan who may have some interest in leaving. Diplomatic efforts continue to ensure safe passage for them and for any Afghan partners and foreign nationals who still want to leave Afghanistan. According to the US President Joe Biden, there is no deadline on the effort to ensure safe passage for those who want it.

How many military personnel were involved in the non-combatant evacuation operation? According to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley, between five to six thousand military personnel were deployed on the ground, some of whom were forward-deployed based on the contingency planning. These elements came from the 82nd Airborne Division, Special Forces, the Marine Corps, along with Navy and Air Force personnel.

How many people did the US evacuate from Afghanistan? The United States evacuated some 6,000 American citizens and a total of more than 124,000 civilians, including at-risk Afghans. "And, we did it all in the midst of a pandemic and in the face of grave and growing threats," told US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

How many sorties were conducted by the US military and other partners? A total of 778 sorties evacuated a total of 124,334 people which included almost 6,000 American citizens, third country nationals, and Afghans designated by the US Department of State. Out of these 778, as many as 387 were the US military C-17 and C-130 sorties and the rest 391 the non-US military sorties enabled by the US forces.

Where were the people evacuated from Kabul taken to? The evacuation mission was conducted across nine countries in Europe and the Middle East and 26 intermediate staging bases and temporary safe havens. More than 65,000 Afghans and others have transited through the Gulf with Qatar being the largest evacuation site. Biometric and biographic screening on the Afghan evacuees is done before they are brought to the United States or processed for a third country.

How many have actually made it to the US? Since August 17 to August 31, as many as 31,107 people have arrived in the US as part of the evacuation operation. Out of them, 4,446, or about 14 percent, are US citizens; 2,785, or about 9 percent, are Lawful Permanent Resident (LPRs), and the remaining 23,876 individuals, making about 77 percent, are Afghans at risk.

How many US soldiers served in Afghanistan over the last 20 years? Eight-hundred-thousand as the US spent over $1 trillion and lost 2,461 servicemen, sailors, airmen and Marines while 20,691 were wounded. "Untold thousands of others suffer with the invisible wounds of war as we close this chapter in our nation's history, and all of those casualties are alongside our allies and partners, and we should never forget that 60,000 Afghan National Security Forces gave their lives in the conduct of this war," said General Mark Milley.

Is the evacuation mission over? The Afghan task force continues to work 24/7 on evacuation efforts. Since August 14, the task force has been engaging American citizens in Afghanistan, making more than 55,000 phone calls and has sent more than 33,000 emails. "This outreach continues today and will in the days and weeks ahead as long as there is a need," said Ambassador Victoria Nuland, the US Under Secretary for Political Affairs, yesterday.

Was it just a military mission? No. The US Department of State says that Secretary Antony Blinken has made more than 50 bilateral calls to foreign leaders and met virtually with both his G7 and NATO counterparts, besides convening a virtual ministerial on Monday that included Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, EU, and NATO, as well as Qatar and Turkey, to discuss the facilitation of safe travel out of Afghanistan, including reopening Kabul's civilian airport.

Is there no US diplomatic presence in Kabul now? No. The US has set up its Afghan office in Doha, led by Ian McCary, who has served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Afghanistan, to manage diplomacy in all of its aspects with Afghanistan, and to work with allies and partners who have also relocated their operations to Doha.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Hyderabad, Sep 2 : Barely 10 months after a love marriage, a woman died by suicide while on a video call with her husband.

The incident occurred on Wednesday under the limits of Rajendranagar police station of Cyberabad police commissionerate.

According to police, Naga Devi, 25, hanged herself from the ceiling fan at her house in Chaitanya Vilas colony. Her husband Sai Shiva, who was in Dilsukhanagar area in the city, alerted the neighbours but by the time they rushed there, she had died.

Rajendranagar inspector S. Kankaiah said they have registered a case and took up investigation.

The woman, hailing from Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh and Sai Shiva, a resident of Dilsukhnagar, fell in love while studying at a college in Hyderabad. Sai Shiva, an employee of a software firm in Bengaluru, had married her 10 months ago without informing his family.

Naga Devi, working as a beautician, was staying in a flat in Rajendranagar while Shiva used to visit her occasionally.

He had recently come to the city to attend marriage of his sister and had promised his wife that he will inform his family about their marriage after the wedding.

On Wednesday evening, Naga Devi called her husband and asked him to come home but he promised to visit her after his sister's marriage. There was an argument between them over phone. She then made a video call on WhatsApp and threatened to commit suicide. He tried to persuade her not to take the extreme step but she went ahead to hang herself.

He alerted the neighbours over phone but the door was locked from inside and by the time they broke open the window, she had ended her life.
Srinagar, Sep 2 : The situation across Kashmir remained peaceful and no any untoward incident was reported on Thursday as the last rites of senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani were held in Srinagar, police said.

"Some vested interests tried to spread baseless rumours about forcible burial of S.A.S. Geelani by police. Such baseless reports which are a part of false propaganda to incite violence are totally refuted by the police," police said.

"As a matter of fact, police instead facilitated in bringing the dead body from house to the graveyard as there were apprehensions of miscreants taking undue advantage of the situation. The relatives of the deceased participated in the burial.

"It is also pertinent to mention that similar restrictions and internet shutdown will continue tomorrow (on Friday). We shall review the situation tomorrow (Friday) afternoon and take further course of action," police added.

Police have requested public not to pay heed to the rumours being spread by the anti-national elements, especially across the border, as they are trying to take undue advantage of the situation and to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in the Valley.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : Amid soaring Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh, India on Thursday sent its neighbour relief materials and medical oxygen plants.

Indian Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel, INS Savitri arrived ay Chattogram harbour on Thursday, carrying two 960 LPM (litres per minute) medical oxygen plants to support the ongoing efforts of the Bangladesh military and government agencies in combating the Covid pandemic in their country.

These medical oxygen plants have been developed and manufactured by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

The ship was accorded a warm welcome by the Bangladesh Navy and the equipment was received by Commanding Officer of BNS Patenga Navy Hospital and representatives from the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

On behalf of the Indian Navy, the commanding officer also called on the Commander, Chittagong Naval Area, Commander, Bangladesh Fleet, and the Chairman, Chittagong Port Authority to reaffirm India's solidarity and partnership with Bangladesh.

Following all Covid-19 protocols, the ship's crew will also participate in professional and social exchanges with their counterparts in the Bangladesh Navy, further enhancing synergy between the two navies. The ship is also scheduled to participate in a Maritime Partnership Exercise with Bangladesh navy ship on September 3 on departure from port.

India and Bangladesh have a close, long-standing relationship covering a wide spectrum of activities and interactions, which has strengthened over the years. The two countries have had regular maritime interactions in the past.

Earlier, Indian Naval Ship Shakti had transported 100 tonnes of oxygen to Sri Lanka, whilst INS Airavat is currently on a deployment to South East Asia for trans-shipment of medical aid to Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

As part of the Indian government's vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region(SAGAR), the Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with countries in the region and has been at the forefront of numerous humanitarian missions spanning the entire extent of the Indian Ocean, from southeast Asia to east Africa.
Amaravati, Sep 2 : The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday sentenced five IAS officials, including four serving, to imprisonment, ranging from two weeks to one month, and a fine of Rs 1,000 each for not implementing court orders in a land acquisition case.

The court, however, allowed the officials to challenge the order and suspended the same for one month.

The high court took a serious note of the IAS officials disobeying the court order to pay compensation to a woman, whose land in Nellore district was acquired by the government.

It directed the compensation amount be deducted from the salaries of the officials concerned.

Retired IAS officer Manmohan Singh and S. S. Rawat were sentenced to imprisonment for one month each. Then Nellore district Collector Seshagiri Babu, Mutyala Raju, and M. Imtiyaz were sentenced for two weeks each.

In June, the court had sentenced two IAS officials to one month imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000 each for not implementing court orders on the filling of certain vacancies in the Horticulture Department.

The court sentenced Panchayat Raj Commissioner Girija Shankar and Horticulture Commissioner Chiranjeevi Chowdary. The judge, however, withdrew his order after government special counsel gave a commitment to the court that its orders would be implemented in the next two weeks.
Hyderabad, Sep 2 : Karvy Stock Broking Private Ltd (KSBL) Chief Executive Officer Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Chief Financial Officer G. Hari Krishna were on Thursday arrested in a bank loan default case.

The Central Crime Station (CCS) of the Hyderabad police made the arrests as part of the investigations into a case of defrauding IndusInd Bank to the tune of Rs 137 crore.

Both the accused were produced before a court, which sent them to judicial custody for 14 days.

The police had arrested KSBL Chairman and Managing Director C. Partha Sarathy on August 19 after registering a case on the complaint of IndusInd Bank that KSBL availed Rs 137 crore credit by pledging securities and shares of its clients without their consent and by misusing the power of attorney.

The company defaulted on the loan by diverting the funds into its own and connected business entities.

The police had questioned Partha Sarathy during its custody this week to gather more information. The investigations revealed that on his direction, the CFO allegedly diverted funds raised from banks by pledging clients' securities as collateral to nine shell companies to show a huge turnover.

As incharge of trading and broking, the CEO had allegedly executed unauthorised trading in the name of nine companies since 2014.

In November 2019, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) banned the KSBL over client defaults worth Rs 2,000 crore. It was barred from taking on new clients and executing trades for existing customers.

This followed an investigation by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) which found that the KSBL had allegedly sold client stocks pledged with it through associated entities.

The Cyberabad police on August 23 registered a case against Partha Sarathy and others for allegedly duping ICICI bank of Rs 563 crore.

A case of cheating and criminal breach of trust was registered against the KSBL, Partha Sarathy, Yugandhara Rao and others, on a complaint given by the ICICI Bank manager.

The complainant alleged that the KSBL, "with dishonest and fraudulent intention of cheating, by planning criminal conspiracy, in collusion/connivance with other unknown unscrupulous person(s), if any, had misappropriated the financial assistance for their personal benefit thereby caused criminal breach of trust, wrongful loss to ICICI Bank with corresponding wrongful gain to themselves".

Funds raised by the KSBL by pledging shares from its six bankers were transferred to the KSBL's own bank accounts, and not into 'Stock Broker Client Account', which is in contravention of the SEBI guidelines, the Cyberabad police had said.

Further, all pledges on securities were transferred to end clients of the KSBL thereby severely impacting security of all lenders including the ICICI Bank, it said.
Bengaluru, Sep 2 : Karnataka is the first state to launch a campaign to find active Tuberculosis (TB) cases in more than 29 lakh people who recovered from Covid-19 along with their their family members, state Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar said on Thursday.

So far, about 7 lakh people have been screened and 157 active TB cases have been reported, the minister said.

Speaking to the media after participating in a vitual health ministers' conference chaired by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to review the progress in the fight against TB, Sudhakar said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid out a plan to make India TB free by 2025." Mandaviya has suggested that SARI and ILI cases must be evaluated for Covid-19 and everyone must continue to follow Covid appropriate behaviour. The Union minister also appreciated the progress made by Karnataka in its vaccination drive, minister said.

"We have been closely monitoring the border districts. Officials have been instructed to widen the vaccination coverage in the villages located in the border districts. Action has been initiated against college managements where students returning from Kerala have tested positive for Covid," said the Sudhakar.

On the first 'Lasika Utsava' on Wednesday, the state administered vaccine doses to a record 12 lakh plus people.

"A target of 10 lakh doses was set for Wednesday. Thanks to the voluntary participation by the citizens and effective work of all the staff of the health department, we could administer 12,04,402 doses. As many as 1,85,488 doses were administered in the BBMP limits. Belagavi stood first with 99,973 doses. Kodagu, Gadag, Chamarajanagar and Yadagiri administered less than 20,000 doses," said the minister.

"We have now set a target of administering 5 lakh doses every day; A total of 1.12 crore doses were administered in August," he added.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : Suhail Shaheen, the spokesman of the Taliban political office in Doha, has said that the group has the right to raise its voice for Muslims anywhere, including in Kashmir, Geo News reported.

In a Zoom interview with BBC Urdu, Shaheen also said that the Taliban do not have a policy to raise arms against any country.

"We have this right, being Muslims, to raise our voice for Muslims in Kashmir, or any other country," he said, as per Geo News.

According to Shaheen: "We will raise our voice and say that Muslims are your own people, your own citizens. They are entitled to equal rights under your laws." To a question on the Haqqani network, the spokesperson said there is "no such group" and they are "part of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan".

On Sunday, in an interview with Geo News, Shaheen had said that Washington will "have no right to attack Afghanistan" after August 31, when the withdrawal of its troops its complete.

The US had launched a drone strike against a Daesh attack "planner" in eastern Afghanistan, a day after a suicide bombing at Kabul airport killed 13 US troops and scores of Afghan civilians, according to a news wire.

Responding to a question if the US had carried out the drone strike with the Taliban's consent, Shaheen had said the Taliban-led government will stop any such attack in Afghanistan after August 31, Geo News said.

Earlier on August 19, Shaheen, in an interview with China's CGTN television, had said that China could contribute to the development of Afghanistan in the future.
New Delhi, Sep 2: China and Pakistan -- after the initial euphoria over the Taliban victory in Afghanistan -- have an immediate challenge: protection of the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). And Beijing is primarily dependent on Pakistan for this.

But as the Taliban freed all the all 4000 Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters, responsible for several killings of civilians and security forces since 2007, besides the ghastly attack at Peshawar Army Public School that left over 130 school children and staff members dead, concerns for Islamabad have risen.

According to Global Times, analysts have warned that the "unrests in Afghanistan could provide a hotbed for terrorists targeting China's Xinjiang and its interests overseas including the CPEC projects, "where enhanced communication and coordination between China and Pakistan is required to tackle potential threats." At a time when China was hoping to expand the CPEC further into Afghanistan, challenges for Pakistan have increased. Expansion of the CPEC would depend on how stable Afghanistan is under Taliban rule. "The far more likely outcome, however, is renewed instability that could threaten Chinese investments in Pakistan under CPEC," Elizabeth Threlkeld - senior fellow and deputy director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center told the Diplomat in an interview.

On August 20, a bomb blast in the Gwadar area in Balochistan killed two Pakistani children but was targeted at the Chinese. In July, a bomb blast inside a bus near the Dasu hydropower project killed at least 13 people including nine Chinese nationals. Prior to this, a bomb blast at an upmarket hotel at Quetta stumped China as well as Pakistan. Reports suggested that the attack was targeted at the Chinese ambassador, who was in the city at that time.

While several reports have suggested that Chinese investments into the CPEC projects have been slowing down, the Chinese authorities have denied any deviation from the plan.

"China's investments into CPEC projects have slowed down in the last few months.. somewhere the Chinese may be realising that they bit much more than they can chew since the results (of the projects) have not been very satisfactory," Shakti Sinha, Honorary Director Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Policy Research and International Studies, MS University told India Narrative. Sinha pointed out that a successful CPEC would need Afghanistan's participation.

Urdupoint, a Pakistan based Urdu news website said that Pakistan is concerned that Afghanistan since the fall of Kabul to the Taliban may become a source of cross-border terrorism, including against the CPEC project.

According to the website, Sehar Kamran member of Pakistan's Senate Forum for Policy Research told Sputnik that "Pakistan has a lot at stake, especially with regards to the CPEC." China has also expressed its dissatisfaction over the pace of the project. In fact, the sudden and swift dismissal of Lieutenant General (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa, who was heading the CPEC project, on account of lack of transparency and corruption raised many eyebrows.

However, analysts said that CPEC, described by the jewel in the crown, is a project that is not only associated with Chinese ambition but prestige as well and that Beijing will not abandon it.

"There is no way to suggest that the importance China attaches to CPEC has in any way reduced..I don't think CPEC will be impacted in any way," TCA Raghavan former Ambassador to Pakistan said, adding that the project is "an extremely important one" for Beijing.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Sep 2 : The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that it is not aware of any invitation sent by the Taliban for their government formation in Afghanistan.

During the weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We are not aware of any invitation and also not aware of any detail or nature of what kind of government could be formed in Afghanistan." Reiterating that India's primary concern is that the Afghan soil should not be used for anti-India activities, Bagchi said, "Our focus is that Afghan soil should not be used for any terrorist activities against India." On being asked about holding more meetings with the Taliban, Bagchi said that there is no update on any future meeting.

Asked if Taliban leaders recently meeting the India envoy in Doha was a step towards recognising the group, he said it was just a meeting, and nothing more.

Responding to a question on the evacuation of 20 Indians stranded in the war-ravaged country, Bagchi said the ministry will be able to revisit the issue once operations at the Kabul airport resume. The majority of Indians have left Afghanistan, he added.

Just a day after American troops formally left Afghanistan on the intervening night of August 30-31, the Taliban held a dialogue with India in Doha to discuss the ongoing situation in the war-torn nation.

During the meeting, the Indian Ambassador to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, had raised New Delhi's concerns, including on terror activities.

At the request of the Taliban side, the Indian envoy met the head of the Taliban's political office, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, in Doha and discussed issues like safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan.

The travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, to India was also discussed during the meeting.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : The Supreme Court on Thursday said that it was not mandatory for the trial court to send an accused to custody, after the charge sheet was filed in the matter, especially when the accused was on bail and had also co-operated in the investigation.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.M. Sundresh said that custody of an accused may not be necessary in all cases after filing of the charge sheet.

It observed that the trial court should not send the accused to judicial custody in all cases in a routine manner, which would unnecessarily curtail liberty of that person. The bench noted that if the investigating agency has filed the charge sheet and the trial court has taken the cognizance of the same, yet it cannot be a ground to arrest the accused.

The top court passed the order on a plea of Amanpreet Singh, an accused in a chit fund scam, for whom non-bailable warrants were issued, as he failed to appear before a trial court in Odisha. The bench noted that the accused was not arrested throughout the probe by the investigating agency.

On August 19, the Supreme Court had observed if arrest is made routine, it can cause incalculable harm to the reputation and self-esteem of a person and emphasised that it is not mandatory to take the accused in custody at the time of filing a charge sheet.

Then, a bench of Justices Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy, in a different matter, had said: "If the Investigating Officer has no reason to believe that the accused will abscond or disobey summons and has, in fact, throughout cooperated with the investigation we fail to appreciate why there should be a compulsion on the officer to arrest the accused."
Mumbai, Sep 2 : The small-screen celebrity is an unusual creature, in your home every night, part of your dinner-table conversation, sparkling your office water-cooler debates the next morning.

Bigg Boss is a show designed to tap into the inner voyeur in every viewer who becomes obsessed with the loves and lives of strangers on a screen. But that is not the only reason for the extraordinary outpouring of grief over 'Bigg Boss 13' winner Sidharth Shukla's death.

Sidharth had the added advantage of being the perfect 'desi' boy. Sure, he loved the women on 'Bigg Boss', but like the host Salman Khan and every good Indian boy, loved his mother more. When she visited the sets of 'Bigg Boss 13', it was a reunion tailormade for TV.

Like every good Indian mother, she told him to dress well, comb his hair and spread happiness. The clip, watched by millions, tugged at every heartstring possible.

Mumbai-born Shukla shot to fame with 'Balika Vadhu', Color TV's game-changing social messaging show about child marriage, but he established his credentials by winning 'Bigg Boss 13' (2019), usually charming with the women, often serious with the men (especially when dispensing advice to frenemy Asim Riaz) and affable with the host.

He had a fan following assiduously built over a television career which included lead parts, hosting gigs and being a contestant. So when he played the NRI suitor in 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya' (2014), it prompted co-star Varun Dhawan to comment he had never seen so any aunty-fans in his life.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, though, that the man who wins over the aunties rustles up the TRPs. It is no accident that one of the country's biggest actors, Salman Khan, and now one of its biggest directors, Karan Johar, are hosting the show.

Add to that a partnership with a beautiful woman, 'Bigg Boss' co-contestant Shehnaaz Gill, and it was a romance made for television -- even if it sometimes looked as if it was solely for television. They appeared together on enough music videos to keep the hashtag #SidNaaz trending.

So whether they were superstars such as Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar, or ordinary fans outside Cooper Hospital, all were united in their sorrow at a life cut short, a romance that could never get its happy-ever-after, and for a mother who would now have to perform the last rites of her too-young son.

Though Sidharth died of a heart attack, unusually so for a fitness fanatic, there are conspiracy theorists who are using the tragedy to recall Sushant Singh Rajput's death and speaking of the psychological blows that Bollywood can land on fragile outsiders, whose reality always falls short of their expectations.

By all accounts, though, Sidharth was more than happy with his place in the Bollywood hierarchy. And he'll be missed in a world where one day's headline news becomes the next day's distant memory.
Panaji, Sep 2 : A man from Haryana has been arrested in the beach village of Calangute in North Goa after he along with an accomplice pulled out country-made guns during a public brawl.

The police said the man named Santosh Bhagwan has been arrested, while a search is being conducted to nab his accomplice who fled the scene. Two country-made guns were also recovered from the scene of the offence.

"We have arrested one Santosh Bhagwan from Haryana and officials of the Calangute police station are on the look out for his accomplice," a Goa police spokesperson said on Thursday.

Bhagwan and his associate had pulled out their weapons along a busy road in Calangute after they were involved in a brawl with another group of persons, the police said.

Reacting to the development, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said that the law and order situation in the state has deteriorated.

"Just two days after @INCGoa urged Hon'ble Governor to dismiss the @BJP4Goa @GovtofGoa on collapse of Law & Order in Goa, Shocking report comes of Firearms & Bullets found in Calangute during a street fight. Once again urge Hon'ble Governor to intervene before it is too late," Kamat tweeted.
Kolkata, Sep 2 : A day after the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court challenging the CBI probe into the post-poll violence in the state, the BJP said on Thursday that afraid of the central probe agency, the state government has moved the apex court to save their face.

The Calcutta High Court had earlier directed the CBI to probe the serious cases of post-poll violence in the state that took place after the declaration of Assembly election results on May 2.

Speaking to reporters, state BJP President Dilip Ghosh said, "The high court has given the order and the CBI is investigating the matter. Why is the state government so scared? They are going to the Supreme Court to stop the investigation. They only say that the CBI is of no use and it cannot do anything. If this is true, then why are they scared of the CBI? "When she (Mamata Banerjee) was in the opposition, she used to demand CBI probe into everything. Now that she has become the Chief Minister, the central agencies like the CBI and the ED have suddenly turned bad. The government should stop this kind of double standard." The Trinamool Congress reacted immediately with party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh saying, "We don't have any problem with the central agencies, but the Centre is using them only to throttle the voice of the opposition." On August 19, the Calcutta High Court had referred all the post-poll violence cases cited in the NHRC report about murder and rape to the CBI. The other cases were referred to a Special Investigation Team for a court-monitored probe. The SIT comprises three Bengal cadre IPS officers and its work will be reviewed by a retired SC judge. The state was also asked to cooperate with the CBI and the SIT.

The CBI has already started preliminary investigation into the cases. According to reports, few instances of negligence on part of the state police in treating the complaints of violence have already become evident.

The CBI sleuths have identified several inconsistencies in the FIRs filed by the state police, especially in cases of murder and rape. Hence, a number of state police officers have come under the scanner of the central probe agency.

Till now, the CBI has filed 31 FIRs, out of which six are related to rape, 15 related to murder and the remaining 10 are related to instances of molestation, murder threats, destruction of property and creating terror in the localities.

The CBI is supposed to submit its status report within six months. Initially, CBI officers thought that the status report would have about 84 FIRs. "But now it feels the number of FIRs to be mentioned in the status report will be much more than 100," said a CBI official on condition of anonymity.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 2 : Kerala recorded 32,097 new Covid cases on Thursday, the third day in succession that it saw a daily tally of over 30,000.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement, said 32,097 people turned positive after 1,74,307 samples were tested in the past 24 hours and the daily test positivity rate was 18.41 per cent. There were another 188 Covid deaths, taking the death toll to 21,149.

The day also saw 21,634 people turn negative. taking the total active cases in the state to 2,40,186.

Thrissur district recorded 4,334 cases followed by Ernakulam with 3,768.

Even though the daily number of new cases in Kerala now accounts for more than 65 per cent cases in the country, a panel of national and international health experts felt that it is time that schools can be reopened and state Education Minister V.Sivankutty said this will be looked into by a committee which will look into all aspects and submit its report.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 2 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday slammed the governance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he has "clearly mishandled" the economy as what the country built over the last 70 years is being given away to a "select few friends" of his.

"We are not against privatisation but our privatisation plan had a logic. We didn't privatise strategic industries, for example, railways which is the backbone of India. The Congress party must oppose the sale of our crown jewels at every level," he said, after virtually inaugurating the brand new party office at Kannur.

Gandhi claimed hat the Modi government has come up with a new concept of GDP, wherein a rise in GDP means a rise in prices of gas, diesel, and petrol.

"While international prices for crude and gas have gone down since 2014, there has been huge increase in prices in GDP in last seven years. Rs 23 lakh crore has been earned by increasing prices of GDP in the last seven years. Where has this money gone?" he asked.

"While farmers, labourers, small traders, informal sector, MSMEs, contract workers, salaried class and honest industrialists are being demonetised, four-five friends of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji are being monetised," he alleged.

"We have to fight these forces. You also have to fight another divisive ideology in the state," added Gandhi, who currently represents the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, which borders Kannur district.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : The Supreme Court on Thursday directed that a businessman, in the custody in connection with cases lodged in the alleged Rs 35,00 crore Bike Bot scam, be released on bail after depositing Rs 10 crore.

A bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar said the accused should abide by the terms and conditions imposed upon him by the Allahabad High Court, which had granted him bail.

In June, the high court had directed release of businessman Dinesh Pandey on bail after recording a clear finding that he was not named in the FIR nor was he a director or office bearer of the private firm, which launched the Bike Bot scheme, in which lakhs of investors were allegedly defrauded.

Pandey's counsel contended before the top court that he has not been released, as the police had come up with new FIRs, which were not disclosed to him earlier.

While granting interim relief, the bench, also comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and C.T. Ravikumar directed the Uttar Pradesh and Delhi Police to release Pandey on bail, on the terms and conditions specified by the high court.

The bench said in future, if cases were to be registered against him, it should be done only after taking its prior permission.

However, it added that the petitioner should deposit Rs 10 crore in its registry, which may remain invested in a fixed deposit receipt with a nationalised bank, until further orders. "That will be pre-condition for grant of bail," it said.

In 2018, a Noida-registered company had come out with a multi-level marketing scheme 'Bike Bot'. The people involved in the scheme lured investors with a promise of double returns in a year. Pandey's counsel informed the top court that he was arrested in November last year on allegations that the money collected from the investors was diverted in the account of his company.

The counsel contended the high court order has not been challenged by the state government, but due to new FIRs, he continues to languish in jail. The state's counsel argued there are several investors, defrauded by the scheme, and there are many complaints.

The bench said the petitioner shall fully cooperate with further investigation. The top court will continue hearing the matter on October 1.
Imphal/Shillong, Sep 2 : The BJP-led Manipur government on Thursday launched an e-ILP (Inner Line Permit) system to strictly monitor the movement of outsiders in the state and to protect the interest of the indigenous people.

Chief Minister N. Biren Singh virtually launched the e-ILP platforms and counters in state capital Imphal, Jiribam (adjoining southern Assam) and Mao (in Senapati district adjacent to Nagaland).

The ILP under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, is an official travel document that allows an Indian citizen to visit the states where ILP is enforced for a limited period of time and with a specific purpose.

A senior Manipur government official said that under the new system, a person from outside the state can apply online for ILP by logging into manipurilponline.mn.gov.in and get the permit from the issuing centres at Imphal Airport, Mao Gate, Jiribam Railway Station and Jiribam ILP exit counter after proper onsite verification.

Launching the e-ILP system, the Chief Minister said that the ILP was introduced in Manipur to protect the identity of its people.

"The e-ILP tracking system was developed to mend the loopholes in the procedures adopted to issue the permit and its tracking system. The system would help check whether a person, who has entered the state with a permit, has left or is still staying even after the expiry of the permit duration," Singh said.

He stated that the concerned authorities have in many instances found that the visitors stay beyond their permit duration without renewing it.

The new system would enable mobile tracking of defaulters and taking necessary action, he added.

The Chief Minister also informed that an ILP monitoring cell with the DIG (Intelligence) as its Chairman has been set up to ensure proper checking of entry and exit of people, besides tracking their stay.

An official of the Information Technology Department said that the e-ILP platform has a comprehensive dashboard system that actively shows varied information such as number of people entering the state on a particular date and time, graphical break-up based presentation of people visiting through different entry gates etc.

The system is also enabled with automated generation of a defaulter list of people who have overstayed beyond the permitted number of days.

The ILP has been in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram. On December 11, 2019, it was promulgated in Manipur to allow an Indian citizen into the ILP enforced areas for a stipulated period with the written permission of the state and the competent authority.

The main aim of the ILP system is to check the settlement of other Indian nationals in these states to protect the native population. Protection is also extended to the indigenous people with regard to land, jobs and other facilities.

The ILP is currently issued for a minimum of 15 days and maximum one year, depending on the applicant's purpose and necessity.

The Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland governments since last year are issuing ILP through the online process to facilitate any Indian to obtain this from anywhere in the country.
New York, Sep 2 : Meeting under the shadow of Washington's retreat from Afghanistan, diplomats and defence officials of India and the US have discussed the recent developments in the region and cooperation in counter-terrorism.

Defence Department spokesperson Lt Col Martin Meiners said on Thursday: "Building on growing bilateral ties, US and Indian officials discussed new opportunities to strengthen multilateral cooperation between the United States, India, and other like-minded partners." He said that they "exchanged views on a range of regional issues of shared interest, including in South Asia, East and Southeast Asia, and the Western Indian Ocean" at their meeting on Wednesday.

"(Assistant Defense Secretary for Indo-Pacific Affairs Ely) Ratner expressed his confidence that the United States and India will continue to take their partnership to new heights as they jointly meet the challenges of this century," Meiners said.

Known as an "intersessional" dialogue in India and "intersectional" in the US, the meeting at the level of Joint Secretaries takes stock of the current developments and the cooperation between the annual high-level 2+2 ministerial meetings.

A readout of the meeting issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs said that they "considered possibility of enhancing collaboration in areas of counterterrorism, HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) and maritime security and "exchanged assessments of the recent developments in South Asia".

Neither of the statements specifically mentioned Afghanistan where the US completed a chaotic pullout of its military on Tuesday following the Taliban takeover of the country, which impacts the regional strategic scenario and brings up new threats of terrorism, especially to India.

The Indian side at the dialogue was led by its Defence Ministry's Joint Secretary, International Cooperation, Somnath Ghosh, and the External Affairs Ministry's Joint Secretary, Americas, Vani Rao, and the US side by Assistant Defense Secretary for Indo-Pacific Affairs Ratner, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Ervin Massinga.

Meiners said that the dialogue "spanned the US-India comprehensive global strategic partnership, including climate, public health, defence, trade, technology and governance".

He said that the officials were "committed to driving greater interoperability between the US and Indian militaries" and they "discussed bilateral and multilateral joint service engagements" and "progress toward operationalising key bilateral initiatives on information-sharing, logistics, defence industrial cooperation, and joint doctrine engagement through liaison exchanges".

Advancing "cooperation in new domains, such as space, cyber, and emerging technology areas" also figured in their talks, Meiners said.

The last 2+2 Ministerial Dialgoue was held in New Delhi in October just before the US elections and the US was represented by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper, both of whom are now out of office.

The next meeting is to be held later this year in Washington will be with the officials of President Joe Biden's administration.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
Patna, Sep 2 : A day after a Bihar Police constable in Muzaffarpur was arrested for uploading semi-nude photographs of a woman colleague on social media, another constable in the district has been accused of blackmailing a woman with her nude photos.

Ravi Ranjan, deployed in Ahiyapur police station, had managed to take nude photographs and videos of a woman and was blackmailing her for the past few weeks. The victim recorded his threat calls and filed a complaint with the local police on Thursday. She also gave a copy of the audio clip to media persons.

In a 52 second audio clip, the constable was forcing her to meet him alone. He is also promising to delete her photographs and videos from his mobile phone once she meets him, while threatening her against approaching the police or any one else.

"The accused constable was part of a police team which came to my house for the investigation of a bike theft. They have arrested my husband on the charge of bike theft. As my son was ill and I had to go to hospital, I was changing my clothes when he took my nude photographs and video and began blackmailing me," the victim said.

"Ravi Ranjan used to send photographs on my Whatsapp number and delete it before I could take a screenshot of it. He also sent obscene messages to me and deleted them as soon as I saw it," she said.

Ahiya SHO Sunil Rajak said: "We have received a complaint against a constable on Thursday and investigation is underway. The action will be taken against the accused constable based on findings of the investigation reports." Earlier, a constable, posted in the police lines, was arrested on Wednesday on the charge of uploading the semi-nude photograph of a fellow female constable last month.
Davangere : , Sep 2 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday asserted that the BJP will return to power after the next Karnataka Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

With this statement, the BJP high command has put an end to the speculations regarding leadership issue in Karnataka.

"I can say with full confidence that BJP will obtain tje mandate of people under the leadership of Basavaraj Bommai," Shah underlined.

Praising the new Chief Minister, he said: "Bommai has begun with good things which are smaller like not accepting the police salute in public places and saying no to VVIP facilities which are good steps. He has also taken steps to ensure transparency, though it is very little time since he assumed power." Those who keenly observe Karnataka from New Delhi are saying that by making Bommai as the Chief Minister, the BJP has strengthened its base and consolidated its position, Shah claimed.

About former Chief Minister B.S.Yediyurappa, Shah said that if at all, there is a phase of development in Karnataka, it was during the rule of Yediyurappa, and he started a new era of development of farmers and farming sector in the state.

Bommai also has needed experience in governance and public life, he added.

Amit Shah also complimented the efforts of the state government to fight against the pandemic.

He called on BJP workers to pitch in for pushing people to get vaccinated. "Bommai has explained on prevailing vaccine hesitancy in some groups of people. 100 percent vaccination is the only way to address the pandemic," he said.

He also said he would visit the state again to address the issues of internal security.
New Delhi, Sep 3 : The Centre said on Thursday that the 'India Pavilion' in Expo 2020 Dubai will showcase the country's march to becoming a $5 trillion economy in the post-Covid world.

The six-month Expo 2020 Dubai will start on October 1, 2021 and go on till March 2022.

According to Commerce Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam: "The India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will showcase resurgent India's march to becoming a $5 trillion economy.

"India's exceptional fightback against Covid-19 and the country's emergence as a global business hub presenting huge opportunities for the world will be the overarching theme of India's participation at Expo 2020 Dubai." Besides, the India Pavilion will also see the participation by a number of states, who will display their culture, tradition and business opportunities along with the top corporate groups and public sector companies from India.

"A large number of prominent ministers, officials and celebrities are set to visit the India Pavilion during the six months of Expo 2020, which will also host a number of cultural events," the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said the four-storey structure of the India Pavilion will be divided into two parts.

"The zones are identified based on 11 primary themes - Climate and Biodiversity, Space, Urban and Rural Development, Tolerance and Inclusivity, Golden Jubilee, Knowledge and Learning, Travel and Connectivity, Global Goals, Health and Wellness, Food Agriculture and Livelihoods and Water.

"The India Pavilion will also be hosting and co-creating leadership discussions, international trade conferences and seminars to explore opportunities to partner with other participating nations," it added.
Bhubaneswar, Sep 3 : Amid uproar by the opposition BJP and the Congress over two different issues, the Odisha Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed three important Bills including the Odisha University of Health Sciences Bill, 2021.

In a statement, Health Minister Naba Kishore Das said a number of medical and paramedical institutions of the state have been affiliated to different universities of the state for grant of degree or diploma or training certificates.

However, these universities have no specialization in the study of medical and paramedical sciences adaptable in new methods of teaching, learning and research to achieve excellence in health care and to overcome the incidence of new diseases, he said.

"To have uniformity in various academic programmes in medical and allied subjects, it is felt expedient to establish and incorporate a university exclusively as an affiliating university in the name of 'Odisha University of Health Sciences' which will facilitate achieving excellence in the field of medical education and research," Das added.

The House also passed the Odisha Land Rights to Slum Dwellers (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Odisha GST Amendment Bill, 2021 without any discussion.

Pandemonium prevailed throughout the day in the Assembly as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress disrupted the proceedings over different issues.

While the BJP members created ruckus demanding action against minister Pratap Jena for his alleged connection with the Mahanga double murder case, Congress raised the drought issue.

Speaker Surya Narayan Patro has adjourned the House several times throughout the day. Even though the Speaker called for an all-party meeting to resolve the deadlock, the Opposition members continued their protest in the House.

"Name of Pratap Jena has been mentioned in the FIR. The JMFC, Selipur court has directed to bring the minister under the purview of the investigation. We demand his removal from the post to ensure impartial investigation," BJP chief whip Mohan Majhi told media persons outside the House.

Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja said: "The revenue minister should reply on the drought issue instead of the agriculture minister. Yesterday, we had staged a walkout expressing dissatisfaction over the reply of the agriculture minister. Still, the revenue minister has not come up with a reply." However, government chief whip Pramila Mallick maintained that the government is proactive for any kind of discussion related to the issue of the farmers and also the murder case.
New Delhi, Sep 3 : The ruling BJP in Uttarakhand is all set to roll out its campaign for next year's Assembly polls with a Yatra starting from Friday.

The BJP will launch the second phase of 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' of Union minister Ajay Bhatt from the Srinagar Assembly constituency in the state represented by Dhan Singh Rawat, a minister in the Pushkar Dhami government.

BJP Uttarakhand president Madan Kaushik is expected to participate in the Yatra.

BJP national general secretary and state in-charge Dushyant Gautam told IANS that the Yatra will start on Friday and the party will tell people about the overall development of the state that has taken place under the BJP government.

"During the Yatra, we will seek people's support and blessings. We will also tell them about the development works carried out by the Union and state governments, which have been completed or in progress in the state," Gautam said.

Gautam also pointed out that the BJP is getting huge support of people from across the state.

"After witnessing the overall development of the state in the last four-and-a-half years, people are extending their support and blessings to the BJP. The People of Uttarakhand have realised that BJP is the only party which is committed to the development of the state. The BJP government in the state is fulfilling people's aspirations under the guidance and leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Gautam said.

A senior party functionary from Uttarakhand BJP said that the Yatra had started on August 16, but it was then postponed due to some unavoidable reasons. It will now resume from Friday and cover the remaining parts of the state.

"In first phase of his Yatra, Bhatt had covered Haridwar and Tehri areas of state. In the second phase, he will cover the rest of the state," he said.

BJP starting the second phase of the Yatra from Srinagar holds political significance as the seat was once represented by Congress state president Ganesh Godiyal. He had won the seat in 2012, but lost from there in 2017.
Harbor Village is a participating provider with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc. (Florida Blue) and New Directions Behavioral Health as of July 22, 2021, further increasing accessibility to effective care for all. Eligible clients will now be able to utilize their Florida Blue in-network benefits to receive exceptional, evidenced-based treatment for substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders at the most affordable rate available.

Harbor Village Chief Operating Officer Michael Boland has this to say of the partnership:

We are proud to join Florida Blue as an in-network provider. Our mission is to provide accessible, reliable, and effective behavioral health treatment options nationwide for any moment, in anyones recovery journey. We provide a full continuum of care for clients at all stages of the recovery process as well as a comprehensive alumni support program. We are confident in our ability to enact true and lasting change in the lives of our clients and their families. This partnership with Florida Blue and New Directions Behavioral Health allows us to extend our reach further than ever before.

About Harbor Village:

Harbor Village is a Joint Commission accredited addiction treatment facility located in Miami, Florida offering the full continuum of care for adult clients 18 years or older. As a leading drug and alcohol rehab in Florida, Harbor Village utilizes a comprehensive, evidence based, and personalized approach to addiction recovery. Harbor Village has been serving clients both in the Miami area and across the country for more than ten years and has provided quality care to nearly 10,000 individuals in need of help. Beginning with detox and extending through outpatient and aftercare support, our treatment programs drive positive outcomes and support long-term recovery. Each client is given a comprehensive physical and psychological evaluation to allow our team of experienced clinicians to provide individualized, client-centered care.

Harbor Village accepts most major insurances. For more information about Harbor Village and our insurance options, including benefits verification, contact us at 855-950-1909 or visit our website at https://harborvillageflorida.com/.

Connect with us on social:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/harbor-village/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harborvillagedetox

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7zeFwtjgnPJdv90Q1jUqsQ
Adsmovil, the pioneer in digital advertising dedicated to reaching and engaging U.S. Hispanics, announced today its certification by the Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council as a minority owned company.

"We are honored to have achieved this certification, said Alberto Pardo, Founder of Adsmovil. The Council has been a Latino initiative since the beginning and has been aimed at providing opportunities for Latinos and other minorities in the U.S., and we are happy to now have the official certification behind our name.

Andrew Polsky, Chief Revenue Officer of Adsmovil, stated, In the wake of social upheaval in the U.S., brands are now more focused and committed to supporting minority-owned businesses. We are seeing brands embrace just how diverse the U.S. is, and an increased interest by marketing teams to make a fundamental change to where and how their advertising dollars are spent.

Hispanics make up one-fifth of the American population, yet are the targets of less than 4 percent of overall ad spend. Considering the GDP of the Latino market is over $2.6 trillion - larger than that of Brazil and over twice the size of Mexico - there is a huge opportunity available for marketers willing to make the investment, particularly in digital channels where Hispanics tend to be more active.

The advertising industry has often been slow to acknowledge the importance of multicultural communities, which has led to inequality in the marketplace. Adsmovil's mission is to change this by giving brands the means to identify and reach U.S. Hispanic audiences in ways that are authentic and evoke emotional and cultural connections. Adsmovil clients, including Publicis Media, have shown that they are not only dedicated supporters of minority-owned businesses, but also committed to promoting diversity and equality in the advertising world and beyond.

We support minority ownership and building a more equitable advertising ecosystem that elevates diverse suppliers, said Lisa Torres, President of Cultural Quotient at Publicis Media. We are thrilled to see Adsmovil become one of the few Hispanic-owned digital media companies to receive this certification.

Commenting on the news, Gilbert Davila, Co-Founder of the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) stated, One of the key missions at AIMM is to break down systemic barriers in the industry and help achieve a more equitable marketplace. Investing in minority-owned media companies sends a strong message of support to historically underleveraged media companies and the communities they reach and serve. As an esteemed AIMM member, we congratulate Adsmovil and wish them continued success.

Adsmovils core audience is composed of U.S. Hispanics identified based on country of origin, language preferences, acculturation levels, age, and interests. The companys goal is to enable inclusivity in advertising through cultural relevance, thus making Hispanic audiences feel heard and understood, reinforcing the message that they are an important part of the country regardless of whether English is their first language. Adsmovil helps clients achieve this across all digital channels, including mobile devices, tablets, desktops and CTV, with formats like audio, video, display, branded content, and influencer marketing gives them the tools to provide relevant messages using passion points related to Hispanics country of origin.

About Adsmovil:

Adsmovil is a pioneering digital media company and leader in digital advertising dedicated to reaching and engaging U.S. Hispanics. Adsmovil connects brands with multicultural audiences by focusing on the nuances of cultural differences, resulting in authentic advertising where audiences feel represented and proud to call the U.S. home. The company was founded in 2012. More information can be found at http://www.adsmovil.com or info@adsmovil.com
Although people were aware of workforce skill gaps before the pandemic, the pandemic brought the problem into focus. Once people got over the initial shock of having to move their work online, they became much more receptive to online solutions that train people in new ways.

After reaching the top ten in a competition that included 118 entrants from 20 countries, Alelo has now become a Semifinalist in the $5M XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling. To reach this milestone, Alelos revolutionary AI-based avatar simulations reskilled workers most vulnerable to employment loss in half the time of conventional programs. Alelo collaborated with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council of Virginia on recruitment and independently measured program outcomes.

Were proud of these results for our Spiral Stair-Case training model that were validated by the Hampton Roads Workforce Council and XPRIZE, said Alelo CEO Lewis Johnson, PhD. Built around key on-the-job scenarios, Alelo trainees watch dramatized cases, then role-played with AI avatars, and finally with other trainees. The cases became increasingly challenging, building the trainees competence and self-confidence.

Alelo tailored its solution to reskill workers in the pandemic. During the pandemic, we have seen sudden surges in demand for skilled workers in healthcare and public health, explained Dr. Johnson. Although people were aware of workforce skill gaps before the pandemic, the pandemic brought the problem into focus. Once people got over the initial shock of having to move their work online, they became much more receptive to online solutions that train people in new ways. We refined our solution so that it prepares trainees for current demands for health workers, as well as for possible future demands.

Alelo is now expanding its public-health training program nationwide and internationally, and applying its avatar-based artificial intelligence technology to other occupations that require rapid reskilling and upskilling.

Ill be traveling to Hampton Roads this week to personally meet the employers and trainees who participated in the program, said Dr. Johnson. Im heartened by their success in addressing an urgent need for our nations labor force  and our economy.

Launched in June 2020, XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling is sponsored by nonprofit venture philanthropy organization New Profit and in partnership with JFF. The competition incentivizes teams to develop and demonstrate the effectiveness of rapid training and reskilling solutions for individuals most vulnerable to employment loss. The solutions developed in this competition will reduce training time by at least 50% for occupations with a living wage and will be provided at no cost to the individual. The Finalist in the XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling Sponsored by New Profit competition will be chosen in January 2023.

Learn more about Alelos competition solution to rapidly skill healthcare workers.

About Alelo

Alelo is a world leader in AI avatar-based learning solutions for corporate, government, and academic applications. Alelos remote learning methods are transforming the way people across the globe acquire real-world skills. To learn more about Alelos artificial intelligence role-playing for training and education, visit https://www.alelo.com/.

About XPRIZE

XPRIZE is a global future-positive movement of over 1M people and rising, delivering truly radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. XPRIZE inspires and empowers a global community of problem-solvers to positively impact our world by crowdsourcing solutions through large-scale competitions, tackling the worlds grandest challenges in exploration, environment and human equity. Active competitions include the $100 Million XPRIZE Carbon Removal with Elon Musk, $20 Million NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, $15 Million XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion, $10 Million XPRIZE Rainforest, $10 Million ANA Avatar XPRIZE, $5 Million IBM Watson AI XPRIZE, $5 Million XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling and $1 Million Digital Learning Challenge. Donate, sign up or join a team at xprize.org.
American Treatment Network announced today the closing of its Series A fundraising round. Proceeds will be used to enter the state of Delaware with locations in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties. Additional locations will be opened in Pennsylvania and New Jersey creating a tri-state network of centers dedicated to providing a value-based ecosystem for substance use disorder (SUD) that promotes evidenced treatment and health equity. Leading the investment round was Independence Alternative Investments of Conshohocken, PA.

As a high quality, low cost in-network provider of care, American Treatment Network can treat all patients that suffer from SUD regardless of insurance status. We have created a health equity model, that treats a patients physical and behavioral health needs in modern and convenient locations that allow for self-referral and on demand patient treatment and program placement within 24 hours.

Investments in cutting edge technology will extend our reach in large and rural states by having treatment as close as a phone or computer. Rapid access to treatment and the ability to reach dispersed populations is the key to increasing the numbers of patients in recovery, stated CEO Matthew Judge Sullivan. We have combined primary care, behavioral health, and care coordination supported by insourced services to create an open access model that is evidenced based care and scalable.

Many aspects of our model can be found in the 2019 PEW Research report Substance Use Disorder Treatment Policy Recommendations for the State of Delaware and research has shown combining Medication Assisted Treatment with counseling delivers better outcomes at lower costs. As a value-based provider, we believe we are well suited to work alongside many of the states stakeholders as we create better outcomes for our patients.

About American Treatment Network:

American Treatment Network is an outpatient substance abuse clinic headquartered in Havertown, Pennsylvania. We are committed to transform the lives impacted by addiction and substance use through comprehensive and personalized healthcare solutions. We strive to minimize the pain of addiction by restoring emotional and physical health, spirituality, hope and renewed relationships.
Annually, the awards recognize outstanding coverage by print, broadcast, and digital outlets and outreach by ASHA Certified Member audiologists and speech-language pathologists.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) announced the recipients of the organizations 2021 Media Awards today.

The awardees include nine media outlets and two communication sciences and disorders professionals. Annually, the awards recognize outstanding coverage by print, broadcast, and digital outlets and outreach by ASHA Certified Member audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs).

"The essential work of communication professionals has taken on a new urgency during the pandemic, said ASHA 2021 President A. Lynn Williams, PhD, CCC-SLP. As our members have risen to address new risks to communication health, these awardees have helped spotlight those issues, as well as the efforts to alleviate them. We at ASHA are happy to honor them.

ASHAs 2021 Media Award recipients are:

Print Media

The Washington Post: For Some people think they have to lose their accent to get ahead. Is that fair?, by Rachel Hatzipanagos, published March 24, 2021. Hatzipanagos consulted various SLPs when writing her article that explored the social issues behind accent modification.

Parents: For Creative Ways Parents Can Increase Their Childs Language Skills at Home, by Samantha Lynch, published May 27, 2021 and Tools to Get Them Talking, by Rebecca Rakowitz, published July 2021. Both articles offered advice to parents on how to encourage speech and language skills in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers at home.

Digital Media

Healio: For Poll: Many Americans forgo treatment for hearing loss, published May 28, 2021. Healio expanded upon a recent ASHA poll that shows the extent of unaddressed hearing loss among American adults.

POPSUGAR: For Why Is My Toddler Stuttering All of a Sudden?, by Leeny Sullivan, published July 15, 2021. Sullivan spoke to ASHA member Rita D. Thurman, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-F, for an article that offers suggestions for supporting a child who stutters.

Healthy Children (from the American Academy of Pediatrics): For Do Masks Delay Speech and Language Development? This article addressed parental concern about whether mask use by preschool teachers, daycare providers and other adults will delay their toddlers speech and language development. It included tips for families about how they can boost their toddlers speech and language skills at home, as well as information about how speech/language therapy is being conducted during the pandemic.

Childrens Screen Time Action Network: For their January 12, 2021, webinar New Baby, New Year: Resolve to be a Tech Wise Parent. A panel that included ASHA member and Media Outreach Champion Samah Saidi, MA, CCC-SLP, and ASHA Fellow Carol Westby, PhD, CCC-SLP, discussed the impact of popular technology on an infants development as well as how to boost a babys communication skills.

Broadcast Media

Doctor Radio  Sirius XM: For three interviews broadcast in 2021:



February 10, 2021, interview with ASHA Chief Staff Officer for Audiology Donna Smiley, PhD, CCC-A, on pandemic challenges for people with hearing loss

March 17, 2021, interview with ASHA Board member Sharon Sandridge, PhD, CCC-A, on hearing aid challenges and solutions

April 28, 2021, interview with ASHA member Luis F. Riquelme, PhD, BCS-S, CCC-SLP, on swallowing disorders.

Univision 41  New York: For its March 9, 2021, broadcast about hearing loss. ASHA member Keidy Sanchez Pereira, AuD, CCC-A, spoke about the signs of hearing loss and how to address them.

NewsWatch TV: For its airing of ASHAs Act Now on Hearing public service announcement (PSA). In the first 2 months of the PSAs release, the station aired it 241 times and reached an audience of 3.7 million.

2021 ASHA Member Media Outreach Champions

Ianthe Dunn-Murad, ScD, CCC-A: Dunn-Murad has long been a champion for hearing health in the media. This year, she participated in multiple broadcast outlet interviews related to World Hearing Day (March 3) and promoting hearing protection from fireworks used to celebrate July 4th.

Samah Saidi, MA, CCC-SLP: An advocate for healthy and balanced use of popular technology, Saidi served this past year as a panelist on the Action Network Live! webinar New Baby, New Year: Resolve to be a Tech Wise Parent. Saidi provided expectant parents with guidance for prioritizing a newborns speech and language development amidst the strong societal pull to overuse popular technology. In the past, Saidi has also helped ASHA spread the word about healthy popular use to groups like the National PTA.

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 218,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems, including swallowing disorders.

View all ASHA press releases at http://www.asha.org/about/news.
Berres Brothers Coffee Roasters is pleased to announce its Flavor Your Day national sweepstakes* leading up to National Coffee Day on September 29 and International Coffee Day on October 1, 2021. The sweepstakes, starting September 1, encourages the coffee community to unite in its love for the beverage and nominate each other to win a years supply of Berres Brothers coffee.

This sweepstakes is all about looking outside ourselves and finding the people in our lives who deserve some extra appreciation for all the good they are doing right now, said Pete Berres, owner of Berres Brothers. Not only will that person receive coffee for a year on us, but the nominator will also be rewarded with something to flavor their day as well.

While the winning nominee will receive Berres Brothers coffee for an entire year, the nominator will also win a Berres Brothers 20-pack coffee variety box and coffee stein. The contest will run from September 1 through October 4.

Know a person in your life that deserves some appreciation leading up to National Coffee Day? Visit flavoryourday.com to nominate them. For more information on Berres Brothers Coffee Roasters, visit BerresBrothers.com or follow along on their blog, Facebook, or Instagram.

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About Berres Brothers Coffee Roasters

Providing coffee since 1970, Berres Brothers Coffee Roasters has one simple vision: to make great coffees that create a vacation from the ordinary. Veteran- and family-owned, Berres Brothers prides itself on producing astonishingly smooth, consistent coffees that add a little flavor to each drinkers day. Berres Brothers offers over 50 coffees and more than 40 unique flavored varieties that fit each coffee connoisseur's preference. For more information, visit BerresBrothers.com or follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

*NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

The Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, including the District of Columbia, who are age 18 or older at the time of entry. Void outside the U.S., and wherever else prohibited by law. Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:01 AM Central Time on Wednesday, September 1, 2021 and ends at 11:59:59 PM CT on Monday, October 4, 2021. Total ARV of all prizes: $935. Odds of winning will depend on the total number of eligible entries received. For full Official Rules, visit http://www.flavoryourday.com. Sponsor: Berres Brothers Coffee Roasters.

MEDIA CONTACT

Chelsey Barnes

Public Relations Specialist, Element

chelsey (at) goelement (dot) com
Beth Dickerson Today, Beth attributes her success to her comprehensive marketing and advertising strategies, exclusive contact network, and unparalleled insight into neighborhoods.

One of Bostons most reputable real estate brokers, Beth Dickerson has achieved more than $2 billion in sales and thousands of successful real estate transactions over her nearly thirty-year tenure. Beth has received national acclaim from the real estate industry and represents some of the most prestigious residents and properties across Massachusetts. Her enduring record as a top producer comes from the intuitive gift of sensing her clients needs. She has built a business that is referral-based at its corea testament to her relationship-driven approach and penchant for exceeding expectations. It is this nuanced expertise that Beth leverages to guide many of her clients-turned-friends through some of the greatest milestones of their lives.

Beth was the proprietor of her own real estate company before joining the residential division of R. M. Bradley in 1993, where she was a top producer for more than a decade.

In 2003, she founded her own boutique real estate firm, Dickerson Real Estate, before merging with Gibson Sothebys International Realty in 2007. Today, Beth attributes her success to her comprehensive marketing and advertising strategies, exclusive contact network, and unparalleled insight into neighborhoods like Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the South End, and Waterfront. With an understanding that no two clients are alike, she works with clients in all phases of lifefrom first-time buyers to luxury developers, seasoned sellers, and beyond. Beth offers clients the resources to aggressively market their property locally, nationally, and globally, and her attention to detail, drive, and enthusiasm are unmatched.

Beth has appeared in prestigious media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Mansion Global, The Boston Globe, and Boston magazine, and was prominently featured as Greater Bostons real estate expert on WCVB Chronicle in 2020. She has had the honor of serving as President of the Downtown Council of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board. For over ten years, she has been a Co-Chair and Committee Member for the Massachusetts General Pediatric Hospital for Childrens Storybook Ball. She serves as a Board Member of the Community Music Center of Boston and a member of the Perkins School for the Blind, Emerald Necklace Park Conservancy, Justine Liff Luncheon, Youth Villages, and the Boys & Girls Club of Boston, among dozens of other organizations throughout the Boston area.



A long-time resident of Bostons Back Bay, Beth was an active member of the community as she raised her two children: she served as treasurer of the Clarendon Street Playground and was an avid supporter of the Hill House Community Center.

Visit Beth Dickerson's Haute Residence Profile:

https://www.hauteresidence.com/member/beth-dickerson-2/

ABOUT HAUTE RESIDENCE

Designed as a partnership-driven luxury real estate portal, Haute Residence connects its affluent readers with top real estate professionals, while offering the latest in real estate news, showcasing the worlds most extraordinary residences on the market and sharing expert advice from its knowledgeable and experienced real estate partners. The invitation-only luxury real estate network, which partners with just one agent in every market, unites a distinguished collective of leading real estate agents and brokers and highlights the most extravagant properties in leading markets around the globe for affluent buyers, sellers, and real estate enthusiasts. HauteResidence.com has grown to be the number one news source for million-dollar listings, high-end residential developments, celebrity real estate, and more.

Access all of this information and more by visiting http://www.hauteresidence.com


Were always looking to innovate both our services and our offerings for our customers. We began vetting Chainlinks suitability months ago, based on customer feedback.

BitIRA, a pioneer of cold storage and end-to-end insurance for bitcoin IRA accounts, announced the addition of Chainlink (LINK) to its digital IRA lineup.

Were always looking to innovate both our services and our offerings for our customers, said Jeremy Warner, Head of Sales at BitIRA. We began vetting Chainlinks suitability months ago, based on customer feedback.

Vetting Chainlinks suitability, what exactly does that entail?

Thats a fantastic question, Warner said, and its one we get asked a lot. It boils down to two factors: regulation and rigor.

Regulation, in this case, refers to both U.S.-based exchanges and governmental policies. Warner explained that BitIRAs partner exchange operates within the oversight of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Warner explained, We only work with exchanges, and with cryptocurrencies, that meet the rigorous standards laid out by the SEC and FINRA.

Rigor refers to the requirements of the insurers who underwrite BitIRAs end-to-end insurance. We work with a panel of London insurance companies all rated S&P A or better, all whove had experience underwriting digital assets, Warner said. In many ways, theyre even more particular than the SEC and FINRA when assessing cryptocurrencies.

BitIRAs original eight cryptocurrency options give customers access to about 65% of the total market cap for digital currencies. Including Chainlink doesnt move that needle significantly (LINK represents 0.55% of the global cryptocurrency market cap today).

However, an overly-narrow slice of the overall crypto market such as the bitcoin IRA could expose customers to concentration risk. Thats the opposite of diversification.

Asked for examples, Warner described correlation coefficients. Diversification is beneficial when two assets are weakly correlated. When they dont move up or down in price together. Look at bitcoin and ethereum. Today, the three-month correlation between BTC and ETH is 0.95 (the scale ranges from -1 to +1.) When bitcoin goes up, ether tends to go up about the same amount. And vice versa. A lot of our customers think thats too tight a correlation for diversification benefits.

So adding another cryptocurrency has the potential to enhance diversification benefits?

Absolutely, Warner said. Check the correlation between Chainlink and any of the top cryptocurrencies. (Three-month correlation coefficients: BTC and LINK, 0.72; ETH and LINK, 0.84.)

Ultimately, BitIRA strives to offer retirement savers the growth potential of cryptocurrencies in a manner that allows diversification among cryptocurrencies, as well as across traditional retirement asset classes.

After all, this is peoples retirement savings were talking about, Warner said. You dont want all your eggs in one basket. Adding a single cryptocurrency like Chainlink offers a nearly-infinite number of diversification opportunities.

The full line-up of cryptocurrencies available within BitIRAs digital currency retirement accounts are:

Bitcoin (BTC)

Ethereum (ETH)

Litecoin (LTC)

Stellar Lumens (XLM)

Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

Bitcoin Satoshis Vision (BSV)

Ethereum Classic (ETC)

Zcash (ZEC)

Chainlink (LINK)

About BitIRA:

Based in Burbank, California, BitIRA is a leading specialist in the setup and management of cryptocurrency holdings in self-directed IRAs. Founded by team members from Birch Gold Group with extensive precious metals IRA experience, the company was established on the belief that Americans should have easier access to the wide range of conventional and alternative assets available to hold in their tax-advantaged retirement accounts. Aside from facilitating the setup and management of digital currency IRAs, BitIRA advocates for public awareness of available investment options.

For more information about BitIRA and digital currency IRAs, visit https://www.bitira.com.
Global InfoSec Awards for 2022 are Now Open "...it's going to be an exciting year in 2022 when some of the newest and most innovative cybersecurity solutions begin to enter the marketplace..."

Cyber Defense Magazine, the industrys leading electronic information security magazine and a media partner of the RSA Conference 2021, is announcing that the 10th annual Global InfoSec awards are now open to innovative information security companies of any size to apply for their innovations in the field of information security. Winners will be showcasing their teams, products, technologies and services at the RSA Conference 2022, which takes place Moscone Center | Feb 7 - 10, 2022, San Francisco, California.

Since COVID-19 and after so many unstoppable breaches, new cloud exploits, the work from home (WFH) business equation flipped on its head, nation state cyber espionage, critical infrastructure attacks, phishing attacks and ransomware all on the rise, it's going to be an exciting year in 2022 when some of the newest and most innovative cybersecurity solutions begin to enter the marketplace. If you think you have what it takes to be named one of our winners and receive our coveted award, now is the time to apply," said Gary S. Miliefsky, Globally Recognized Cyber Security Expert and Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.

Innovative companies that wish to apply may visit http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com/

About Cyber Defense Global InfoSec Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazines 10th year of honoring these next generation leaders and innovators in the field of cyber security. Winners will receive titles such as, Hot Company, Best Product, Most Innovative, Cutting Edge and Editors Choice" for 2022 with Cyber Defense TV Hotseat and new Red Carpet Photoshoot opportunities. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage or public companies in the InfoSec space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. The judges are CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals who will be voting based on their independent review of the Company materials on the website of each submission including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature and other market variables. CDM has a flexible philosophy to find more innovative players with new and unique technologies, than the one with the most customers or money in the bank. CDM is always asking Whats Next? so we are looking for Next Generation InfoSec solutions. #RSAC is the BEST place for Cyber Defense Magazine to find these Next Generation InfoSec products, services and solutions. For the full details of each respective winner and their award, special annual magazine editions will be handed out and freely available during the RSA Conference 2022 at our new Media area located in the South Expo Hall or signup for an always free online edition. http://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com/

About Cyber Defense Magazine

Cyber Defense Magazine was founded in 2012 by Gary S. Miliefsky, globally recognized cyber security thought leader, inventor and entrepreneur and continues to be the premier source of IT Security information. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and limited print editions exclusively for the RSA conferences and our limited edition paid reprint subscribers. Learn more about us at http://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com. Cyber Defense Magazine is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group.

NOTE: In the event of an additional variant outbreak, we have prepared a complete virtual awards solution.
"Depression, opioid addiction, and suicide are topics at the forefront of our culture's consciousness," says playwright Jeff Mustard, "this one-act tragicomedy is a snapshot of two people challenged by dark forces, but each come to realize how precious life is while creating a surprising bond."

At a time when mental health and self-care issues are front and center in popular culture during our country's Covid crisis, the timing for this "dark-themed" but light-hearted and sentimental work could not be better for tv and the stage writer Jeff Mustard's Open-Door Playhouse production of "Chance." Presented by Open Door's Artistic Director, Bernadette Armstrong, and directed by Dennis Gersten, these two "true-life-story" vignettes of each character, set in a Florida Hospital room, have been blended into a 20-minute production premiering on the Open-Door Playhouse Podcast, http://www.opendoorplayhouse.org. The Podcast is FREE to listen to and download.

THE FATEFUL STORY

Amber Jordan, trapped in the endless struggles and disappointments of the past 21 years, is convinced her life is not worth living; that is until she meets Michael Hollings, a man who has found a new spirituality, on opposite ends of the spectrum, their fateful collision will bind these two unlikely characters together for the rest of their lives. "The individual stories of each of the two main characters are based on the real-life circumstances that I was familiar with for each of these two people," says Mustard. "Individually, these were, and are heartbreaking stories, but after a long time ruminating about each, I finally found a way to combine them in a manner that brings out a soft, tender side of humanity that is hopeful and inspirational," says Mustard, "life is precious and worth living, despite the challenges faced by internal and external forces."

THE PRODUCTION & THE CAST

Recorded and Produced at E.S. Studios in Burbank, CA, mixed/engineered by David Peters, and directed by David Gersten, who doubles as voice talent in the play, the cast features Whitton Frank, Noelle Evangelista, Rosney Mauger, Ayla Rose Barreau, and Dennis Gersten.

ABOUT JEFF MUSTARD

Jeff Mustard (Playwright) is a writer and producer for various media. Jeff's print, radio, television, and stage work has been published and produced locally, regionally, and nationally. He has written two prestige historical-fiction pilot television shows in recent years, both of which have earned multiple T.V. industry accolades. During the pandemic and following the George Floyd Murder, he wrote and produced a six-track album, Enough under the media banner he created, Equal Justice Studios, addressing society's racial and social inequities. To see more of his work, please visit his websites: https://Boycott1902.com, http://www.ExileFromCuba.com, and http://www.equaljusticestudios.com.

ABOUT DENNIS GERSTEN - DIRECTOR/VOICE TALENT

Dennis Gersten (Director) is the co-artistic director of Theatre Unlimited in the Noho Arts District in L.A. He is a founding member of the Michael Chekhov Studio in L.A. and Stagewrights, Inc. in NYC and a teaching artist with Inside Out Community Arts/P.S.Arts. He has directed and performed in many original and classic works, garnering multiple awards.

ABOUT OPEN DOOR PLAYHOUSE

The Open-Door Playhouse is a podcast that supports new and emerging writers by producing plays in the style of the live Radio Plays popular in the 1940s & 50s. Open-Door Playhouse is hosted by playwright and producer Bernadette Armstrong, who conceived of the Podcast after her most recent project, Custody, which was scheduled to open in North Hollywood on September 8, 2020, at the Secret Rose Theater, was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since September, the Podcast has presented over 30 new plays by emerging playwrights from all over the country. http://www.opendoorplayhouse.org

http://www.equaljusticestudios.com/chance-the-play-podcast/

LISTEN TO THE PLAY: https://bit.ly/2WFqOfQ

To see more of Jeff Mustard's work please visit his websites at:

https://boycott1902.com/

https://exilefromcuba.com/

http://www.equaljusticestudios.com/chance-the-play-podcast/
Dr. Avaliani's expert opinion has been featured in many publications including Social Life Magazine, The Hamptons, Today.com, Teen Vogue, Readers Digest, Huffington Post, Latina Magazine, and more.

Dr. Avaliani is a leading female expert on Upper East Side in New York City specializing in cosmetic and laser surgery. She is a Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, ASLMS (American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery), and a Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Dr. Avalianis unique approach is very much appreciated and recognized locally and internationally by her loyal patient following. Her high-end clientele includes many celebrity models, actors, TV hosts, celebrity makeup artists, hairstylists, fashion designers, and many billionaires and influential people.

Dr. Avaliani has received numerous and very prestigious awards in a record time. She is always on top of her game by attending numerous medical societies and is a member of numerous aesthetic committees dedicated to non-surgical advancement always bringing the best and the latest technologies for her patients.

Her expert opinion has been featured in many publications including Social Life Magazine, The Hamptons, Today.com, Teen Vogue, Readers Digest, Huffington Post, Latina Magazine, and more.

Dr. Avalianis practice offers the latest state-of-the-art technologies, with more than $1 million of the latest state-of-the-art laser equipment available. Her practice belongs to a handful of practices in the entire country to be named Cynosure Center for Excellence for continually providing the best treatment protocols with the best results for her patients. She is a cynosure expert and the top SculpSure and PicoSure provider in NYC. She designs and develops treatment protocols and is a CynoSure Laser trainer to her peers.

She is a top expert NovaThreads  provider in New York, offering revolutionary FDA-approved technology in non-invasive thread lift procedures using safe and absorbable PDO thread sutures. Dr. Avaliani shares her expertise by being a certified NovaThreads trainer in NYC to her peers from around the country.

Dr. Avaliani has a magic light touch and artistic skill for details. She is highly skilled in performing the latest laser cosmetic surgery treatments for the face and body. She is a National Master Peer trainer for advanced injection techniques on neuromodulators (ex: BOTOX and Dysport ) and dermal fillers (ex: Juvederm and Restylane ). She also perfected the art of the microcannula injection technique to deliver the most comfortable and bruise-free injections to her patients.

An ever-growing share of Dr. Avalianis practice comes from word of mouth. My consultations are detailed and bespoke for each patient. I am not afraid to turn away a patient if they are not the right fit. Not everyone is a candidate for every procedure, and not everyone has a realistic expectation. Expertise and honesty are her hallmarks.

Dr. Avalianis offers unique Bespoke Beauty Treatments. She believes that an important aspect of the whole-body approach is to help patients feel youthful, more attractive, and regain their confidence. There is no one treatment that fits all.

Dr. Avaliani is a founder of Cosmetic & Laser Surgery Center in New York City. She and her team of highly experienced and licensed laser technicians are there to answer any questions for you as well as provide the best service with the best results. Her office offers an exceptionally unique, professional, welcoming, and most relaxing atmosphere.

Her practice uniquely caters to both Men and Women as they all trust her expertise and her skillful eye for detail. The key elements of every single consultation performed by Dr. Avaliani is about carefully listening to her patients' concerns and reflecting on them by setting only the most realistic expectations and being very honest, even if it means telling: No. Patient education and effective communication at the hands of Dr. Avaliani and her team result in outstanding results and an extremely satisfied family of patients.

Dr. Avaliani has lived and grew up in New York. Upon completion of her medical degree from St. Georges University, she completed her residency training at a prestigious NYM/New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center, one of the top 10 institutions in the country. Following her residency, she was invited to complete a highly competitive cosmetic surgery observership in New York, where she perfected the skill of the latest surgical and non-surgical techniques.

Dr. Avaliani is Board Certified in Cosmetic Laser Surgery by the American Board of Laser Surgery and in Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She is a fellow member of many prestigious medical societies, including the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, the International Society of Cosmetic Laser Surgeons, the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine, and the New York State Medical Society. She is also an attending physician at NYU and NYM/New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center

She is fluent in 6 languages, including English, Russian, Ukrainian, Moldovian, Polish, and German. In her leisure time, she is also a wife and a mother to her son and daughter and enjoys spending quality time with her family between Manhattan, Miami, the Hamptons, and St. Barths.

Trust your face and body to a top NYC expert, Dr. Avaliani, and experience a unique Bespoke Beauty treatment plan by a true artist and expert.

Learn more about Dr. Anna Avaliani by visiting: https://hauteliving.com/hautebeauty/member/dr-anna-avaliani/

ABOUT HAUTE BEAUTY NETWORK:

Haute Beauty is affiliated with the luxury lifestyle publication Haute Living. As a section of Haute Living magazine, Haute Beauty covers the latest advancements in beauty and wellness, providing readers with expert advice on aesthetic and reconstructive treatments through its network of acclaimed doctors and beauty experts.

For more about Haute Beauty, visit https://hauteliving.com/hautebeauty/
Dr. Levine has been cited as one of the nations leading fertility experts in The New Yorker, New York Post, NBC, CNN, Avenue Magazine among others, offering valuable insight on everything from fertility misconceptions, egg-freezing 101, to how men can boost their fertility.

The founding partner and practice director of CCRM New York. He is board-certified in both reproductive endocrinology and infertility and obstetrics and gynecology. Brian Levine, M.D. leads the industry in normalizing open dialogue about infertility a medical condition affecting 1 in 8 couples and educates prospective parents on a national level.

Over the years, Dr. Levine has been cited as one of the nations leading fertility experts in The New Yorker, New York Post, NBC, CNN, Avenue Magazine among others, offering valuable insight on everything from fertility misconceptions, egg-freezing 101, to how men can boost their fertility.

Dr. Levine attended the New York University School of Medicine, served as the President of the NYU Alumni Association, and was the only physician on NYUs Board of Trustees during his 7-year tenure. Recently he was awarded the Meritorious Service Award, the highest award bestowed upon an alumnus for their extraordinary service and continuing devotion to NYU and who embodies the University motto: To Persevere and to Excel.

Dr. Levine completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital  Columbia University Medical Center and then completed his fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at New York-Presbyterian Hospital  Weill Cornell Medical College.

In 2015 he was awarded the highest prize by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine for his assisted reproductive technology submission on 3D sperm imaging techniques and frequently consults on new and disruptive fertility-related technologies.

In 2017, Dr. Levine was honored with the Doctors of Distinction award in Westchester County, was also named a Rising Star by Super Doctors in 2017 and 2018, a New York Super Doctor in 2019 & 2020, and a Castle and Connolly Top Doctor in 2019 & 2020.

Dr. Levine resides in Manhattan with his wife Alexis and daughter Izabel. In his off time, he is a fervent daily reader and enjoys running in Central Park.

About CCRM Fertility

CCRM Fertility is a global pioneer in fertility science, research, and treatment, offering access to a network of award-winning fertility doctors, a full suite of fertility services, innovative technologies, and cutting-edge labs. CCRM proudly operates 11 state-of-the-art IVF labs and 25 fertility clinics across the U.S. and Canada, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New York, Northern Virginia/D.C., Minneapolis, Orange County, San Francisco Bay Area, and Toronto. CCRM specializes in the most advanced fertility treatments, with deep expertise in vitro fertilization (IVF), fertility assessment, fertility preservation, LGBTQ family building, genetic testing, third party reproduction, and egg donation.

Learn more about Dr. Brian A. Levine. by visiting: https://hauteliving.com/hautebeauty/mdmember/dr-brian-a-levine/

ABOUT HAUTE MD NETWORK:

Haute Beauty is affiliated with the luxury lifestyle publication Haute Living. As a section of Haute Living magazine, Haute Beauty covers the latest advancements in health and wellness, providing readers with expert advice on aesthetic and medical treatments through its network of acclaimed doctors and beauty experts.

For more about Haute MD, visit https://hauteliving.com/hautebeauty/mdmember/


In 2018, Dr. Gill founded Aesthetics in Plastic Surgery by Kiran Gill, MD  the only female-owned premier boutique plastic surgery and aesthetic practice in Southwest Florida.

Dr. Kiran Gill is a Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon with specialty fellowship training in aesthetic surgery of the face, breast, and body. In 2018, she founded Aesthetics in Plastic Surgery by Kiran Gill, MD  the only female-owned premier boutique plastic surgery and aesthetic practice in Southwest Florida. Dr. Gill and her team offer surgical and non-surgical options for both men and women including face, breast, and body rejuvenation procedures as well as a variety of non-invasive skin and spa treatments in a private, tranquil, state of the art environment.

As a female physician and plastic surgeon, Dr. Gill has a sensibility and keen understanding of her patients needs and cosmetic goals. She distinguishes herself as a consummate artist in the fields of breast surgery, facial rejuvenation, body sculpting, and anti-aging. To create exquisite, natural results for her clients, she provides a compassionate, personalized, and intuitive approach based on integrity, precision, and innovation. She is consistently fine-tuning her techniques to remain on the cutting edge of cosmetic science.

Prior to founding Aesthetics in Plastic Surgery, Dr. Gill worked at another local Naples practice for three years where they received multiple awards including Best Cosmetic Surgeon by the Naples Daily News in 2017. She moved to Naples in 2015 after completing her Aesthetic Surgery Fellowship at the prestigious Few Institute in Chicago, as well as Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Residency at the Cleveland Clinic Florida, where she served as Chief Resident of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Gill did four years of General Surgery Residency and earned her Doctor of Medicine degree at Rush University Medical Center. In 2001, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Georgetown University  attending as a Division I Volleyball scholarship athlete.

Dr. Gill is an active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. She is passionately involved with the Physician Led Access Network (PLAN) in Collier County providing breast reconstruction for uninsured and underinsured women.

Beyond her professional interests, Dr. Gill is a very active mother of three children. She is an avid traveler and enjoys traveling with her husband. Dr. Gill lives in Naples, Florida with her family.

Learn more about Dr. Kiran Gill by visiting: https://hauteliving.com/hautebeauty/member/dr-kiran-gill/

ABOUT HAUTE BEAUTY NETWORK:

Haute Beauty is affiliated with the luxury lifestyle publication Haute Living. As a section of Haute Living magazine, Haute Beauty covers the latest advancements in beauty and wellness, providing readers with expert advice on aesthetic and reconstructive treatments through its network of acclaimed doctors and beauty experts.

For more about Haute Beauty, visit https://hauteliving.com/hautebeauty/
Dr. Nathan is honored to be a RealSelf Top Doctor as well as the recipient of several patient choice awards.

Dr. Nirmal Nathan is a native Floridian and plastic surgeon in Miami, Florida. As a boy, Dr. Nathan had early exposure to the discipline of surgery. His father, Lt. Colonel V. Rama Nathan, served as a facial plastic surgeon in the U.S. Air Force. Shadowing his father throughout his formative years fostered a passion for surgery that would later translate into a thriving plastic surgery practice focused on enriching the lives of his patients.

After receiving his medical degree from the University of Miami, Dr. Nathan trained in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of California  San Francisco (UCSF). At UCSF, one of the highest-ranked hospitals and medical schools in the US, Dr. Nathan developed a skillset and expertise encompassing the entire breadth and width of plastic surgery. He then moved back to South Florida and completed a craniofacial fellowship. After training, Dr. Nathan entered private practice and subsequently started the plastic surgery center of excellence in South Florida, dubbed The Nathan Clinic.

Presently, Dr. Nathan focuses his practice on cosmetic surgery and complex facial reconstruction after cancer. He has performed thousands of plastic surgical procedures on the face and body. In addition, his published papers have been cited hundreds of times in the plastic surgery literature. Given his unique practice and training background, Dr. Nathan is equally comfortable operating on the face and body. His reputation and reviews are a testament to his versatility and talent as a surgeon. Dr. Nathan is honored to be a RealSelf Top Doctor as well as the recipient of several patient choice awards.

In addition to his surgical offerings, Dr. Nathan also performs a large amount of non-surgical antiaging procedures in his office. These procedures include Botox, filler, laser procedures, thread lift procedures, and skincare. Unlike some surgeons, Dr. Nathan is both passionate and knowledgeable regarding non-surgical cosmetic procedures. This duality between surgical and non-surgical interventions allows his patients to receive the full range of options at The Nathan Clinic, rather than being placed into a non-surgical or surgical box."

Dr. Nathan serves as clinical faculty for the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University. He is a clinical instructor for several South Florida surgical training programs. He serves on the executive committee for the Miami Society of Plastic Surgeons and is also a reviewer for Aesthetic Surgery Journal.

Learn more about Dr. Nirmal Nathan by visiting: https://hauteliving.com/hautebeauty/member/dr-nirmal-nathan/

ABOUT HAUTE BEAUTY NETWORK:

Haute Beauty is affiliated with the luxury lifestyle publication Haute Living. As a section of Haute Living magazine, Haute Beauty covers the latest advancements in beauty and wellness, providing readers with expert advice on aesthetic and reconstructive treatments through its network of acclaimed doctors and beauty experts.

For more about Haute Beauty, visit https://hauteliving.com/hautebeauty/
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP launches Asked & Answered, a podcast focused on labor and employment law as it affects the workplace and the workforce. The podcast aims to inform its audience about current, hot button issues in employment law.

In the first episode, Kelly Dobbs Bunting, a shareholder in the firms Labor & Employment Practice, is joined by Associates Ellen M. Bandel, Jacob R. Dean, and Osazenoriuwa Ebose for a roundtable discussion on the topic of employers and the COVID-19 vaccination. They address employer trends for mandating employees receive vaccinations as well as issues related to vaccine incentives, vaccine passports, and shield laws.

Since the recording of the podcast, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine received full (non-emergency) authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

All episodes are available on Greenberg Traurigs website, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.

For insights and analysis of the latest labor and employment developments, including legislation, regulations, cases, policies, and trends, visit Greenberg Traurig's Labor & Employment blog and additional podcasts, The Performance Review: California Labor & Employment Podcast; The Workplace Safety Review Podcast (OSHA); and the Trade Secret Law Evolution Podcast. Click here to access all the firms podcasts.

About Greenberg Traurigs Labor & Employment Practice: Greenberg Traurigs Global Labor & Employment Practice serves clients from offices throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Members of the practice have had numerous trial wins and are frequently called upon to handle complex, bet-the-company, and large high-stake cases, including nationwide class and collective actions. On the labor side, a leading group of lawyers regularly represents management with labor-relations matters. Labor & Employment team members assist clients with complex employment issues, and design practical, proactive strategies that can be readily implemented by todays human resources professionals. In addition, the practice is recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the areas of Labor and Employment Litigation, Labor-Management Relations, ERISA Litigation, Workplace & Employment Counseling, and Trade Secrets Litigation. Visit Greenberg Traurigs Labor & Employment Blog for insights and analysis of the latest labor and employment developments, including legislation, regulations, cases, policies, and trends.

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
Robert brings a wealth of experience in international disputes that complements well our growing Global Arbitration Practice Lori Cohen, Vice Chair of Greenberg Traurig and Co-Chair of the firms Global Litigation Practice

Global law firm Greenberg Traurig strengthens its International Arbitration and Litigation Group in Europe with the addition of Robert Whitener as a shareholder in Berlin. He joins the firm from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer on 1 September.

Robert Whitener will be based in Greenberg Traurigs Berlin office, where he will join a dynamically growing team handling high-profile, complex commercial disputes. He will also be spending significant time in the London office to help develop the firms international arbitration offering in the City. Robert Whitener is admitted to practice in New York, England & Wales (solicitor), and Germany.

Robert Whitener has conducted many commercial arbitrations under the leading institutional rules as well as ad hoc arbitrations. Furthermore, he has represented clients in investor-state arbitrations under bilateral investment treaties and the Energy Charter Treaty. His clients come from the aviation, healthcare, and energy sectors. In addition, he teaches at Humboldt University of Berlin in the LL.M programme in international dispute resolution.

Peter Schorling, Managing Shareholder of Greenberg Traurig Germany, explains: With Robert Whitener, we have been able to win a proven expert in international arbitration. We are now expanding our range of advisory services for high-profile international disputes on the European and the global level. The close cooperation between our teams in Berlin and London is a strength we can draw on."

We are very happy to add Robert to our international arbitration team in Europe, compliments Lori G. Cohen, Vice Chair of Greenberg Traurig and Co-Chair of the firms Global Litigation Practice. Robert brings a wealth of experience in international disputes that complements well our growing Global Arbitration Practice.

Greenberg Traurigs International Arbitration and Litigation Practice comprises a multidisciplinary, globally integrated team that helps businesses avoid or resolve disputes efficiently and effectively around the world. It assists clients in international arbitrations and provides strategic advice in relation to all stages of an international dispute, including predispute negotiations, representation before a range of international tribunals, settlement, and the enforcement of international arbitration awards.

Robert Whitener comments on his move: I am thrilled to be joining a global firm of the calibre of Greenberg Traurig. I am particularly attracted to its strong core litigation practice and its global ambitions. I am looking forward to working with my talented new colleagues to offer our clients the very best possible representation in international disputes.

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
Its an exciting milestone that we celebrate today with GBMC and our project partners. Our team is deeply invested in and committed to the success of these projects, which will have a tremendous impact on the community.

Hammes Healthcare, a leading provider of consulting and project delivery services, celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for The Promise Project at Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) in Towson, Maryland on Sept. 2.

Hammes is serving as program manager for The Promise Project, which includes a three-story, 117,000-square-foot patient care center, which is an addition to GBMCs current hospital, as well as the new 78,000-square-foot Sandra R. Berman Pavilion. The addition will feature a new main entry, lobby, three-story atrium, retail pharmacy, cafe, wellness/conference center, and two medical surgical units with a total of 60 new patient rooms. The Sandra R. Berman Pavilion will become the home to a number of services provided by GBMCs Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute.

Hammes has been working with GBMC since June 2019. Hammes facilitated the Certificate of Need (CON) process with the State of Maryland and developed the budget for the entire program. Hammes also facilitated the procurement of the architectural and construction management teams and oversaw the design process.

Its an exciting milestone that we celebrate today with GBMC and our project partners, said Michael Killian, Hammes Healthcare Regional Vice President. Our team is deeply invested in and committed to the success of these projects, which will have a tremendous impact on the community.

The GBMC hospital addition is expected to be completed in fall 2023. The Sandra R. Berman Pavilion is expected to be completed in fall 2024.

About Hammes Healthcare

Hammes Healthcare is a national consulting firm that provides real estate and market strategy, facility planning, project management and development services to the healthcare industry. As a reflection of its commitment to the healthcare industry, Hammes has been ranked as a leading healthcare facility developer for 23 consecutive years by Modern Healthcares Construction and Design Survey. Hammes has managed in excess of 57 million square feet of complex new, expansion, renovation, replacement, ambulatory care and acute care projects with a value of more than $23 billion for hospitals and health systems nationwide. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Hammes provides services through a network of regional offices strategically located across the United States. http://www.hammes.com


What used to take hours over the phone can be more effectively communicated in minutes.

TextMarks, a leading provider of text messaging services, announced today that Healthcare Management Services selected TextMarks to provide critical federal and state mandated communication services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal and state regulations mandate communications with family members and staff within 24-hours whenever there is a new COVID-positive case. Meeting the requirement was particularly complex for Healthcare Management Services, which provides administrative support services to eight California skilled nursing facilities located in Los Angeles, Escondido, and Sacramento.

The custom solution engineered by TextMarks includes the ability for each facility manager to manage communication at their location. We were able to set it up so that each building has its own portal, and theyre able to control who has access and who doesnt have access, noted Greg Sewell, Director of Clinical Analytics & Reimbursement at Healthcare Management Services.

The TextMarks SMS solution immediately decreased the workload needed to push information out to families. What used to take hours over the phone can be more effectively communicated in minutes, said Sewell.

Dan Kamins, CEO of TextMarks, said TextMarks is proud to have made a positive contribution to the well being of patients, family, and staff of the skilled nursing facilities served by Healthcare Management Services. Our mass text messaging platform is a quick, effective communication method for many situations, but its particularly satisfying when its used to help people in difficult circumstances.

About TextMarks

TextMarks SMS Text Messaging platform allows transit agencies, retail brands, enterprise businesses, and nonprofit organizations to communicate with customers and employees through text messaging. Since 2006, TextMarks easy to use web interface, robust API, and reliable service has enabled thousands of customers to build their businesses, increase engagement and deliver timely information to over 20 million users in the U.S. For more information about TextMarks, Inc. visit https://www.textmarks.com or call 1-800-696-1393.
The return to being in-person for EMS World Expo marks a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the EMS community and continue to provide practical, clinically relevant educational programming, said Josh Hartman, NRP, Senior Vice President of Cardiovascular & Public Safety Divisions at HMP Global.

HMP Global, the leading healthcare event and education company, today announced that the in-person return of its 33rd EMS World Expo taking place October 4-8 in Atlanta, Georgia, will feature accomplished author, paramedic, and EMS instructor Steve Berry, who will serve as the meetings keynote.

Recognized as the worlds largest EMS-dedicated event, EMS World Expo welcomes thousands of emergency medical technicians, nurses, and paramedics each year. With an educational program delivering more than 250 educational sessions, EMS professionals will learn about modern training techniques, technologies, and practical applications to administer the best patient care. Participants will engage with an array of distinguished speakers via eight unique educational tracks including ALS; BLS; Critical Care; Educator; Leadership; MIH/CP; Operations/Management; and Pediatrics/Geriatrics/Special Populations, with the opportunity to earn a significant number of CE credits.

EXHIBITOR PARTICIPATION REACHES RECORD FOR 2021

Exhibiting for the first time this year are world-class organizations Siemens and General Motors, who join a record 300 exhibitors slated for this years event.

World-class medical device organizations need a world class conference to showcase their technologies to the top EMS professionals in the world. Siemens Healthineers is excited to be a part of this community, said Bryon Moore, EMS Business Development Advisor at Siemens Healthineers.

EMS World Expo 2021 sponsors include iSimulate, Zoll, Stryker, Teleflex, and Verizon. Verizon has a longstanding history of collaboration and support for the EMS community. "For more than three decades, we have partnered with first responders to ensure they have the technology they need to achieve their mission. As these needs have evolved, we've worked to deliver reliable and advanced Verizon Frontline technology for public safety professionals, said Maggie Halbach, Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Sales, Verizon Public Sector. Right now, as EMS World Expo gets ready to kick off, we are working with partners to develop potentially life-saving technology that will aid EMS and front-line medical professionals in all areas of response, from dispatch to treatment and recovery. And this is just one example of how Verizon Frontline is working to ensure our partners in the EMS and public safety community have the network and technology they need to perform when lives are on the line."

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THE EMS COMMUNITY AND EQUIP THEM THROUGH EDUCATION

The meetings Keynote Address, Unmasking Pandemic Parody in Prehospital Care, will be delivered on Wednesday, October 6, at 9:30 AM EDT by Steve Berry, BA, NREMT-P, and paramedic for Southwest Teller County EMS in Colorado. With more than three decades of experience as a paramedic and EMS instructor, Mr. Berry has published 11 EMS-related cartoon books, written over 140 monthly humor columns for the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS), and provided cartoon illustrations for JEMS and EMS World Magazine. His Keynote Address will explore the intersection of emergency medicine and humor  and the value of finding light through the pandemic.

"In spite of the many challenges faced by the EMS community during the pandemic, the tenacity and selflessness displayed by our fellow first responders remain unparalleled as they consistently deliver quality care to community members in need, said Josh Hartman, NRP, Senior Vice President of Cardiovascular & Public Safety Divisions, HMP Global. The much-anticipated return to in-person for the 2021 edition of EMS World Expo marks a wonderful opportunity to express our gratitude, celebrate the EMS community, and continue to provide practical and clinically relevant educational programming.

EMS World Expo is hosted in partnership with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT).

An Early Bird registration discount is available until Friday, September 3, 2021. For those unable to participate in person, a registration package offering a livestream of sessions via the companys proprietary VRTX event platform is available. To register or to learn more, visit emsworldexpo.com. For press access and media inquiries, contact pr@hmpglobal.com.

ABOUT HMP GLOBAL

HMP Global is the force behind Healthcare Made Practicaland is an omnichannel leader in healthcare events and education, with a mission to improve patient care. The company produces accredited medical education events  in person and online via its proprietary VRTX virtual platform  and clinically relevant, evidence-based content for the global healthcare community across a range of therapeutic areas. Its brands include Consultant360, the year-round, award-winning platform relied upon by primary care providers and other specialists; Psych Congress, the largest independent mental health meeting in the U.S.; EMS World Expo, North America's largest EMT and paramedic event; and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC), the largest wound care meeting in the world. For more information, visit hmpglobal.com.
Telluride Autumn Classic Concours

The U.S. is the world's largest market for classic cars and some vintage models have become cultural icons of America's post-war golden-era. With the classic car market in the U.S. expected to grow to 15.5 billion U.S. dollars by 2023, according to Statista Research Department, Tellurides world-class car festival is set to return September 23-26, 2021.

The picturesque mountain town of Telluride, Colorado isnt just known for its award-winning ski slopes or high-end culinary destinations that have been featured on Amazon Primes Grand Tour and Bravos Top Chef. The Telluride Autumn Classic is the evolution of the original Telluride Festival of Cars and Colors, expanding passions for excellence in craftsmanship and engineering. The four-day festival roars back to town among the spectacular display of the San Juan Mountains autumnal foliage.

From the Telluride Historic District, Telluride Regional Airport, and Mountain Village, enthusiasts of all makes and models will convene for the nations premier celebration of automobiles, motorcycles, aircraft, and more. From high-end restorations, vintage and exotic vehicles, to live music and a vibrant art scene, the historic town of Wild West lore will be filled with family-friendly attractions to get everyones motor running.

For tickets and more information, visit https://tellurideautumnclassic.com and follow us at https://www.facebook.com/TellurideAutumnClassic.
Immigration Voice, a national non-profit organization with over 130,000 members that advocates for the alleviation of restrictions on employment, travel, and working conditions faced by legal high-skilled immigrants in the United States working as doctors, researchers, scientists, and engineers at many of America's Fortune 500 companies will be holding a "Dancing with the Schumer" event in front of his New York City home at 6 PM on Thursday, September 2, 2021.

They will be dancing in support of adding a provision to the Budget Reconciliation bill to help over 1 million people here legally in the United States with masters degrees and PhDs who are currently banned from getting green cards under U.S. law because of a discriminatory provision from the Jim Crow era that limits green cards by country of birth.

Democrats are getting ready to include immigration reform in their upcoming Budget Reconciliation bill and have guaranteed that this bill will help millions of people who came here illegally to earn a path to citizenship. But they have said nothing about helping these valuable legal immigrants who have been on the front-line treating people with COVID-19 and developing the technologies that have made coping with our new world possible.

Adding one line to the bill would help all of these 1 million backlogged individuals to receive green cards and would actually raise $5-10 billion in revenue for the federal government to pay for other parts of the bill.

Senator Schumer is currently undecided about whether to help these highly-skilled legal immigrants.

Aman Kapoor, the Co-Founder and President of Immigration Voice stated that:

We know that Senator Schumer loves to dance and to express himself by dancing. Well, times have been tough for us backlogged New Yorkers for decadesas we cannot change jobs, start companies, travel abroad to visit sick and dying relatives, or even ask for a raise without risking deportation. When one member of the nuclear family dies who maintains the work-visa for the rest of the familynot only does the remaining family become widowed/orphaned, they also get deported. The pain of our status is too much to bear any longer without some form of relief.

That is why this afternoon, members of New Yorks backlogged community will be dancing in front of Senator Schumers house---hoping that our dancing will finally draw his attention to the importance of our cause. All we are asking for is equal treatment --- legal backlogged immigrants cannot be the only group of immigrants disinvited by Senator Schumer from the Budget Reconciliation dance."
'We Interrupt This Broadcast: Before it was history, it was news' Everybody who went down to that scenewent knowing that their own life was in peril. Everybody forgot about any type of danger they were in and they just became reportersthey told the storythat needed to be told.  John Montone, 1010WINS

The attacks of September 11, 2001, claimed 3,000 lives and left behind an estimated 25,000 injured. Two wars were launched in the name of the attacks of that day  in Iraq and Afghanistan (the latter of which is still in the news today).

Americans from all walks of life were scarred by what happened. And just as the death toll continues to mount for those exposed to the air around ground zero in New York -- the indelible memories from that day live on in the journalists who chronicled the single worst day in modern American history.

Those memories are shared in 9-11: America Under Attack, the emotionally gripping episode from the new 12-episode podcast series, We Interrupt This Broadcast, hosted by legendary broadcaster Bill Kurtis and narrated by NBCs Brian Williams.

Reporters and anchors from CNN, NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC, 1010WINS and WOR New York radio and more discuss their personal and intimate experience of reporting on 9/11:



Aaron Brown, CNN: My emotions in the moment precluded me from saying the sentence, The United States of America is under attack. It's a very hard sentence to speak. And anyone who thinks it's easy should try it in front of a billion peopleand it was in my head. And it was trying to get to my tongue and somewhere in that path lies your heart. And I think my heart was not letting me say that my country was under attack.

John Montone, 1010 WINS: Everybody who went down to that scene went knowing that their own life was in peril. Everybody forgot about any type of danger they were in and they just became reportersthey told the story, the story that needed to be told.

Mara Rubin, WOR Radio: I walked outside and literally I walked into like a gaggle of the mayor, the fire commissioner, the police commissioner, andI was like, you know what, I'm staying with them. If anybody in this world knows where to go to be safe, these people do so. But the thing is, they didn't know.

Brian Kilmeade, FOX News: A guywas screaming on the phone and [said], they just hit the Pentagon and I go, No, I just listened to the radio and I'm with Fox news. They didn't hit the Pentagon. He goes, I'm on with the Pentagon. They just hit the Pentagon. He kind of yelled at me and I go, Wow. No question, we're under attack. [After trying to drive downtown and being told its too dangerous,] we finally ditched the car and we walked maybe 25 blocks. It looked like we were on the moon. You could not see any of the pavement. It was so much dustso many papers and shoes everywhere.

Beth OConnell, NBC News: I got HR to come into the control room and I had everybody gather around and I said, clearly, we're going to be on the air for a very long time. We want you to do whatever you feel is the most important thing for you to do.

Shelley Ross, ABC News: You look around the newsroom and see who got a phone call that someone they knew was missing. I decided that the best I could do was go over to them, get them up out of the office. And I walked people around the block.

David Bohrman, CNN: Once the initial story stopped and it began to be a piece of historyIt's as close as I'll get to PTSD. It took me 15 years to be able to actually go to ground zero.

Marcy McGinnis, CBS News: We came together as a team. People stepped up, in the face of fear, in the face of anxiety. In the face of worrying about their own personal family members who might have been affected. It was truly one of our finest hours.

Ari Fleisher, White House Press Secretary: What was amazing too about that day though was, in 2001, there was no satellite TV aboard Air Force One. We literally could watch the breaking storyonly when air force one flew over a ground-based antenna that had sufficient reachWe would fly and have static and then a signal would be clear. And we could see what the American people were seeinghear what [they] were hearing. And of course, at a breaking moment like that, the mediahas so many reporters and cameras and the ability to tell a story, that sometimes it's better than the government's ability to get information.

The podcast, based on Joe Garners New York Times Bestselling book of the same name, celebrates the crucial role broadcast journalism has played throughout our nations history. Each episode unfolds with the brisk pace and tone of a thriller while presenting an in-depth look into the reporting of, and reaction to, events that have since become benchmarks in history. The contributors are a Whos who in broadcast journalism.

The docuseries, produced by i4 Media Ventures, LLC, will be presented over six 12-episode seasons for a total of 72 episodes. Each season is comprised of 12 episodes, all published simultaneously: 10 episodes in each season are based on events that occurred in the broadcast era and two are based on seminal moments that occurred in early American history (such as the passing of the 19th Amendment) and dramatized as if reported by broadcast journalists. Each episode concludes with the journalists offering candid and critical analysis on how they and their fellow reporters covered the event.

We Interrupt This Broadcast is now available for download on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play and wherever listeners get their podcasts.

We Interrupt This Broadcast is being represented for ad and sponsorship sales by New York and Los Angeles-based Crossover Media Group Sales (http://www.crossovermediagroup.com).

About Joe Garner

Dubbed the Ken Burns of the written and recorded word by talk legend Larry King, Joe Garner is a veteran radio industry executive, narrator, host and producer, as well as a multiple New York Times bestselling author. His seminal multimedia book, We Interrupt This Broadcast, innovatively pairing audio, photographs and text, has sold more than one million copies and has for two decades served as a go-to chronicle of Americas broadcast history. The We Interrupt This Broadcast docuseries podcast is the maiden project of i4 Media Ventures, LLC, co-founded in December 2020 by Garner, Ron Hartenbaum and Scott Calka.

Editors Note (Assets available upon request):
Shadows in the Boreal: Book 1 of the Azna Annals: a thrilling new world unfolds for readers to enjoy within the pages of this meticulously detailed work. Shadows in the Boreal: Book 1 of the Azna Annals is the creation of published author Marcel Boudet, a retired engineer who resides in the Tidewater area of Virginia with a loving family and dog named Pippin.

Boudet shares, Earth Year 4527, the people of Mars launched the Genesis missions, seeking new homelands. Vanjia, an icy super-earth, hosts a fledgling colony of humans sent to establish a new settlement after Earth devolved into a frozen wasteland. A young wilder woman, Kayla, lives on the cusp of the wilderness in the cliff city of Exodus. With her team, Kayla embarks on a quest to explore the mysterious Boreal forest, an unforgiving wilderness, teaming with threatening creatures and raging storms. Soon enough, she discovers herself caught up in a conflict, threatening the existence of her people.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Marcel Boudets new book is a lovingly sculpted new landscape for science fiction lovers.

Drawing from a lifelong appreciation of the fantasy genre, Boudet presents a compelling and painstakingly cultivated new land with exotic creatures and danger at every turn.

View a synopsis of Shadows in the Boreal: Book 1 of the Azna Annals on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Shadows in the Boreal: Book 1 of the Azna Annals at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Shadows in the Boreal: Book 1 of the Azna Annals, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Mbitions real estate content is second to none and we look forward to offering this excellent learning experience to our students," said CEO John Manfred

Manfred Real Estate Learning Center, Inc., a leading provider of real estate education in the State of New York, announced today that it will begin offering online realnestate continuing education courses in partnership with Mbition LLC.

We are very excited to add real estate continuing education to the portfolio of learning at Manfred Real Estate Learning Center, says CEO John Manfred. Mbitions real estate content is second to none and we look forward to offering this excellent learning experience to our students.

The online real estate courses have been approved by ARELLO, which ensures quality and monitors standards for distance education. The courses have also been approved through the New York Department of State to fulfill State education requirements. Adding these courses will allow Manfred to offer a complete package for renewing a real estate license in the State.

About Manfred

Manfred Real Estate Learning Center, Inc. has been offering quality education programs for the real estate industry since 1987. Manfred is an independently owned and operated family business with multiple classroom locations in New York State as well as statewide webinar, classroom and online courses for real estate sales agents, brokers, appraisers, mortgage loan originators and home inspectors. For a complete list of course offerings or more information on Manfred Real Estate Learning Center, please visit http://www.manfredrelc.com or call 518-489-1682.

About Mbition

Mbition LLC is the trusted partner and career expert for those seeking to successfully start their careers, make a career change or grow in their current roles  its where people go to grow. Our expertise and offerings in everything from technology training and soft skill courses for current students, to pre-licensing, post-licensing and continuing education for real estate professionals empowers learners through every step of their journey. For more information, visit http://www.MbitionToLearn.com

For more information, contact:

John Manfred, Manfred 518-489-1682

Kristin Warner, Mbition 561-843-2206
We look forward to collaborating with the Executive Board, volunteer leaders, and staff to increase SASs impact on wetland science, while adding to MCIs ongoing partnerships with a number of scientific and sustainability-focused organizations.

MCI USAs Association Solutions division is pleased to welcome the Society of Wetland Scientists(SWS) as a new full-service association management client. With over 3,000 members in more than 60 countries, SWS promotes understanding, conservation, protection, restoration, science-based management, and sustainability of wetlands.

MCI USA is proud to welcome the Society of Wetland Scientists as a full-service management partner, said Erin M. Fuller, FASAE, CAE, President, Association Solutions, MCI USA. We look forward to collaborating with the Executive Board, volunteer leaders, and staff to increase SASs impact on wetland science, while adding to MCIs ongoing partnerships with a number of scientific and sustainability-focused organizations.

The Society of Wetland Scientists leads the education of wetland professionals and the public regarding wetland science and applications. It also promotes the development of wetland science programs around the world, particularly in developing countries. Since its inception in 1980, the SWS has been notable for providing a forum for scientists and managers to meet and work together. Today, SWS has members in governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, academia, and private consulting. However, membership is open to anyone with an interest in wetlands.

For nearly 30 years, MCI USAs Association Solutions division has helped advance the goals of its mission-driven nonprofit clients. With more than 150 Association Solutions employees in its Chicago and Washington, DC, offices, MCI USA provides results-oriented experience and expertise in full-service nonprofit management, strategic planning, community building, creative services, accounting practices, technology solutions, event conceptualization, and more. MCI USAs scientific society clients include The RNA Society, the Paleontological Society, the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, and the Society for Vertebrate Paleontologists.

ABOUT MCI

MCI is a global engagement and marketing agency. We design human-centric solutions that unleash the power of people to deliver innovation and growth for our clients. Our offering includes live & virtual events, strategic & digital communications, consulting & community solutions. We help brands, companies, associations and not-for-profits solve their challenges, bringing their people together to shape their tomorrow. MCI is an independently owned company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with a global presence in 60 offices across 31 countries. http://www.mci-group.com

MCIs US headquarters is in the Washington, DC area with offices in New York, Baltimore, Dallas, and Chicago. http://www.mci-group.com/usa


Miami immigration lawyer Ada Pozo is co-hosting Money Court, a new series from CNBC that will decide financial disputes for those who appear on the show. As a former judge, Ada Pozo will use her expertise to advise Kevin O'Leary AKA Mr. Wonderful of Shark Tank on the legal aspects of the cases heard on the show. She is joined by Katie Phang, a proven trial attorney with years of experience in the legal field. The show airs on Wednesdays at 10 PM Eastern Time.

Participants on the show agree to abide by the decisions made, which makes the rulings binding on all parties. This will provide added weight to the decisions handed down and will increase public interest in the program and engagement by individuals who are currently dealing with financial disputes with family members, investors and other individuals. Money Court will address these issues and will find equitable and fair solutions for all parties to the dispute.

Ada Pozo is a Miami immigration attorney with the law firm Pozo Goldstein. In this capacity, she provides representation and counsel for immigrants facing complex issues in the court system. Pozo has been certified as a mentor judge by the Florida Supreme Court and has served as a Judge for Miami-Dade County. She has presided over thousands of civil, domestic violence and criminal court cases during her tenure there. Pozo has also appeared as a legal analyst for CNN, ABC, Fox News, Telemundo and Univision. She was host of ACCESO LEGAL on the Cristina Radio channel on SiriusXM satellite radio for many years.

As a partner in Pozo Goldstein, Pozo has provided legal counsel and support for immigrants in Miami and across the firm's service area. Pozo Goldstein is a leading immigration law firm with deep ties to the community and a proven commitment to helping immigrants pursue and achieve their own versions of the American Dream.

About Pozo Goldstein:

Pozo Goldstein, LLP is a leading immigration law firm in Miami. Pozo Goldstein, LLP also provides immigration services in New York, West Palm Beach and Puerto Rico. With two former prosecutors and a former judge on the legal team, Pozo Goldstein can deliver outstanding solutions for immigrants throughout Miami and the surrounding communities.

Contact:

Pozo Goldstein, LLP

Midtown Lofts

3401 N. Miami Ave., Ste. 235

Miami, FL 33127

305-856-0400
There are a number of next normal business considerations to be addressed as the industry moves forward into a post-COVID era.

Despite the many adaptations that have emerged over the course of 2020 and into 2021 to ensure oncology clinical trials are not disrupted, the number one challenge remains: adequate site selection.

Recent global events have created opportunities to reconfigure and transform how clinical trials operate. There are a number of next normal business considerations to be addressed as the industry moves forward into a post-COVID era.

Julie Martin, CEO & co-Owner of Scimega Research looks to the future and how to identify key operational process and adaptations to help US sponsors optimally navigate the new normal in clinical trial operations in Canada and other geographic areas. In this webinar, Julie will share strategies for how to leverage lessons learned in 2020 and put these into action to maximize clinical development progress in 2021-22.

Register for the live webinar on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at 1pm EDT (12pm CDT/10am PDT) to learn more about:



Strategies used to mitigate threats in 2020 & 2021

How to continue successfully navigating the transition period

Cutting-edge small & mid-size oncology biotech trials: where to run them & decision factors for our choice of regions in 2021-2022

Bonus Offer: Register now and receive immediate access to the white paper Expert Guidance to Key Advantages of Canadian Regulatory Landscape.

For more information, or to register for this event, visit Optimally Navigating the Next Normal for Oncology Clinical Trials.

ABOUT XTALKS

Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.

To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.com

For information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/
For Such a Time as This: a potent call for spiritual health and balance during difficult times. For Such a Time as This is the creation of published author Pastor Robby Stewart, a loving husband of twenty-nine years and proud father of two who is currently the pastor of Crestview Baptist Church in Rockingham, North Carolina, and has been leading the congregation for nine years.

Pastor Stewart shares, The year 2020 has been one of the most extraordinary time for our nation. In what seemed in the beginning to be a normal year, in such a short period of time, we went from what we refer to as the normal way of life to trying to adapt to what will be a new normal due to the coronavirus. These times have been referred to as unprecedented times and have left many in fear, despair, skepticism, and hopelessness. It is important that the church take the lead in culture, not only seeing this as an opportunity for evangelism, but also giving direction, being like the men of Issachar, discerning the times and knowing what to do.

For Such a Time as This is one of many tools that I pray God will use to help all who read this navigate through these times. It is written to offer direction, encouragement, focus, and hope in the midst of the uncertainty and chaos in our country. God has prepared his church for this moment. Just as Esther put it all on the line to go before the king in interceding for her people, God has chosen us for such a time as this to intercede and see our country through this time.

These meditations and reflections are meant to inspire and challenge the believer to be patient, to focus, and to pray. May this book accomplish its purpose in our national crisis, and may it be an encouragement to one who may be going through their own personal crisis as well.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Pastor Robby Stewarts new book is a reassuring resource that encourages believers to take the lead during a national crisis.

Pastor Stewart writes in hopes of encouraging others who may be caught in a trap of despair and fear to see that faith will always lead.

View a synopsis of For Such a Time as This on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase For Such a Time as This at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about For Such a Time as This, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Our mission is to become the market leader for HIPAA compliant email in the United States. Inclusion on the Inc. 5000 list is a leading indicator of our progress toward its fulfillment, said Hoala Greevy, Founder CEO of Paubox.

Inc. magazine today revealed that Paubox is No. #775 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Our mission is to become the market leader for HIPAA compliant email in the United States. Inclusion on the Inc. 5000 list is a leading indicator of our progress toward its fulfillment, said Hoala Greevy, Founder CEO of Paubox.

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands on August 20.

The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis weve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people.

Paubox provides secure email communication for modern healthcare. Right out of the box. Paubox is a leading provider of HIPAA compliant email encryption and email marketing.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this years Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/

Contact

Cailin Pitcher

Phone

415.795.7396 ext 819

Email

press@paubox.com

Website

http://www.paubox.com
PICC DESIGN. Live life more abundantly.

PICC DESIGN PICC line arm sleeves are for use by patients undergoing treatment for cancer, infectious disease, and other diagnoses that use a PICC line. PICC DESIGN sleeve designs are protective garments made with high-quality technical fabrics and come in two easy-to-wear designs and are officially patent designs with the US Patent & Trademark office (USPTO).

PICC lines are used to give treatments such as chemotherapy, blood transfusions, antibiotics, intravenous (IV) fluids & liquid food. They can also be used to take blood samples. Every PICC DESIGN sleeve provides attractive, comfortable coverage with unique features for convenient use every day.

Key features and benefits include:



Anti-bacterial, moisture-wicking, odor resistant & breathable fabrics

Sleek, modern designs with tapered cut for better fit

Signature View Design featuring a built-in Velcro opening to provide flexibility to view & access PICC line without removing the sleeve

Slip-On Design providing a fast pull-on/pull-off option

PICC DESIGN is committed to supporting organizations that improve the quality of life for survivors & caregivers. A percentage of PICC DESIGN annual sales are donated to one or more organizations focused on research & resources to help people live longer, healthier, stronger, and more fearlessly.

To learn more and to order PICC DESIGN sleeves, please visit: http://www.piccdesign.com

About PICC DESIGN

PICC DESIGN creates attractive & functional specialty products for survivors undergoing treatments that require a PICC line. http://www.piccdesign.com

PICC DESIGN is a registered trademark with US Patent & Trademark office (USPTO).
This endorsement recognizes that Pristas ActionCue CI platform can assist our TORCH member hospitals in achieving their goals while adhering to excellent standards.

Prista Corporation, an industry leader in clinical intelligence software for healthcare quality-safety and performance improvement, is proud to announce their latest endorsement  that of TORCH Management Services, Inc.

Over the past 12 years, Prista has successfully deployed ActionCue CI to many hospitals in 33 states  including 25 in Texas alone. Gaining this important endorsement from TMSI further validates the key role ActionCue CI plays in facilitating continuous performance improvement in patient care and safety by providing actionable insights in real-time to healthcare leaders and their staffs. We look forward to working with TMSI/TORCH members to bring ActionCue CI to bear on solving their challenges, said Don Jarrell, President of Prista Corporation.

TMSI is pleased to welcome Prista Corporation as an Endorsed Partner, said Vicki Pascasio, FACHE, President of TMSI. Ms. Pascasio continued, This endorsement recognizes that Pristas ActionCue CI platform can assist our TORCH member hospitals in achieving their goals while adhering to excellent standards. Like all our Endorsed Partners, Prista has gone through a thorough vetting process.

About Prista Corporation: Pristas mission is to help healthcare providers create and sustain a Culture of Quality in their organizations. In other words, an environment that drives continuous performance improvement in patient care and safety. Prista does this by developing innovative, intuitive, easy-to-use software that goes beyond traditional reporting to provide actionable insights in real-time. With Pristas ActionCue CI platform, information is more readily available, more meaningful, and more actionably insightful for healthcare executives, managers, and clinical staff.

About TMSI: TORCH Management Services, Inc. is a subsidiary of the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals (TORCH) created for the purpose of having an organization that could engage with services on behalf of the TORCH membership. TMSI provides value-added services to rural healthcare organizations, thereby enhancing their opportunities for success.

About TORCH: The Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals envisions rural Texas as having access to the highest quality health care. To accomplish this, TORCHs mission is to be the voice and principal advocate for rural and community hospitals in Texas and to provide leadership in addressing the special needs and issues of these hospitals. For more information, visit torchnet.org.
Productsup, the leading commerce data integration company, today announced that CEO and Co-Founder Johannis Hatt will be moving into an advisory role as the company promotes Chief Revenue Officer and industry veteran Vincent Peters to Chief Executive Officer. The change will be effective October 1st.

Productsup was founded in 2010 and grew with exceptionally high capital efficiency, built partnerships with key players in the retail tech space, such as SAP, Salesforce, Sitecore, Facebook, and Pinterest, and also received numerous awards and recognition from analysts. Gartner named Productsup a Cool Vendor in Digital Commerce in 2020 and Forrester mentioned the company as a key player in content syndication in one of its 2020 market reports. Productsup enables over 900 global brands, retailers, and service providers, including stars of the Fortune 500, to reach more customers and maximize sales.

Im extremely proud of what weve accomplished over the last 11 years. Weve grown considerably, secured funding, and built an impressive customer list. In the last year alone, weve established an amazing executive leadership team to help articulate the companys strategy. I am confident that Vincent, with his impressive experience leading and scaling top software companies, will lead Productsup into a new phase of accelerated growth, said Hatt.

Before joining Productsup as Chief Sales Officer in August 2020, Vincent Peters was Vice President, Global Head of Sales OEM and Strategic Partners at TIBCO. After starting his career at Oracle as its then youngest-ever account executive, he spent more than 30 years in various sales and leadership roles at fast-growing software companies, such as Siebel Systems, Cramer Systems, Intralinks, and Qlik. Peters was promoted to Chief Revenue Officer in January 2021.

I am eager to begin my tenure as CEO of Productsup, said Peters. Together with the team, Johannis has built a company with a solid foundation and impressive growth. Id like to thank him for his dedication and continued support. I am excited to continue driving this growth, working with the executive leadership team to produce more exceptional results for our customers, our partners, and their customers.

Productsup was founded by Johannis Hatt, Kai Seefeldt, and Marcel Hollerbach, who remain shareholders. Hollerbach and Seefeldt will continue to play an active role in the company, as Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Hacker, respectively, while Hatt will become a member of the advisory board.

The Productsup executive leadership team includes seasoned executives with decades of experience at major enterprise software firms such as Google, IBM, Informatica, HP, Salesforce, Siebel, Oracle, Qlik and TIBCO. Chief Executive Officer Vincent Peters will be supported by Chief Marketing Officer Lisette Huyskamp, Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder Marcel Hollerbach, Chief Hacker and Co-Founder Kai Seefeldt, Chief Product Officer Thomas Kasemir, Chief Operating Officer Stefan Sonntag, and Chief Technology Officer Boris Penck.

###ENDS###

About Productsup

Productsup empowers brands and retailers to reach more customers on more channels and maximize sales. The companys pioneering platform enables leading global companies like IKEA, ALDI, or Sephora to successfully aggregate, optimize, contextualize and distribute product content across more than 2,500 marketing, ecommerce, and retail channels. Headquartered in Berlin, Productsup has raised a total of $45M in funding.

For more information please visit https://www.productsup.com/.

Contact:

Madalina Tarkowian

Tel: +493060985355

press@productsup.com

Ballou PR

Tel: +442070787272

productsup@balloupr.com
The Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund provides the type of flexible capital seldom available through traditional loans to make these powerful transitions possible.

This Labor Day, small businesses have a new resource that could help them rebuild from the pandemic and secure their legacies while providing long-term careers for their employees.

Project Equity, a national leader in the movement to expand employee ownership has launched a new initiative to provide flexible capital to companies on the path to employee ownership. The Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund provides working capital and transaction financing to businesses with 25-100+ employees. Mission Driven Finance, a full-spectrum impact investment fund manager, co-manages the fund with Project Equity.

Living Cities, a collaborative of some of the worlds largest foundations and financial institutions addressing racial income and wealth gaps in American cities, has invested in the fund along with several other impact investors.

While the past year has been challenging, savvy business owners see the opportunity now to build for the future by transitioning to employee ownership. Employee ownership transitions enable business owners to cement their legacy. Companies that transition are stronger with highly-engaged employees and offering high-quality jobs. This creates a path to business ownership for frontline workers and workers of color, addressing issues of income and wealth inequality and creating more resilient local economies, says Alison Lingane, co-founder of Project Equity and co-director of the new fund. The Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund provides the type of flexible capital seldom available through traditional loans to make these powerful transitions possible.

Employee ownership provides many benefits to businesses and workers alike. It can keep good, local jobs in the community, which is essential considering the historic high numbers of workers leaving their jobs. Engaging and retaining workers is critical in securing our economy post-pandemic, and employee ownership is part of the solution. In addition, employee ownership can bring significant tax advantages to the selling owner, the company and the employees.

The Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund will finance the sale of some or all of the business that enables employees to become owners. Short term, the fund will also help companies that are transitioning to employee ownership with working capital to support their strong footing coming out of the pandemic and to bridge the costs associated with an ownership transition. Employees dont need to come up with the financing themselves; the Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund fills this gap. When business owners understand there is capital available to make this transition, more possibilities and opportunities open up.

Owners nearing retirement face a unique set of challenges that impact their legacy and the livelihoods of their employees. A recent data analysis by Project Equity found that half of all U.S. businesses with employees are owned by baby boomers, yet most have no plan for what will happen to their companiesor employeesonce they retire. This impacts one in five private-sector workers, putting local communities in jeopardy of losing legacy businesses and their jobs along with them. And the risks associated with the Silver Tsunami of retiring business owners are heightening; the recent analysis found the percentage of employer firms with retirement-aged owners jumped almost six percentage points in just five years.

"I see employee ownership as a way to bring job stability and growth to the business," says Carolyn Berke, founder of Niles Pie Company, an artisanal bakery in Union City, California that worked with Project Equity to transition to employee ownership in 2017. "It provides staff with profit sharing and ownership, and it has allowed me a planful retirement from the business."

It's not just a job. I'm now an owner," says Sarah Vegas, a Niles Pie Company employee-owner. "My son is so proud that his mom has something that she owns; something that shes a part of, and he sees the benefits of ownership first hand. We sat down together when I received our first profit sharing check and talked about what we might do with it, and how meaningful it is to our family.

Investors in the fund join the growing movement to realize practical tools for economic resiliency. Living Cities initiatives are focused on systems change, and The Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund is another powerful vehicle for impact investors, says Thaddeus Fair, assistant director, fund manager at Living Cities. The fund is designed to provide a revolving pool of capital for financing employee ownershipand its deep impact for low-income workers, workers of color, and local economies will be felt for years to come.

Employee ownership takes many forms, and the Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund will support them all. For example, business owners may set up an ESOPan Employee Stock Ownership Planone of the most successful ways to shift ownership for some businesses. Other options include creating an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) or a worker-owned cooperative. Each model ensures the current owner can transition their business for a fair price while allowing employees at every income level the opportunity to own equity in the company they work forboth essential pieces of recovery from the pandemic.

Right now, small businesses that are most agile have the best chance to thrive, and to do that they need flexible capital so they can rebuild for an inclusive economy, says David Lynn, co-founder and CEO of Mission Driven Finance and co-director of the new fund. Business owners nearing retirement have the option to protect their legacies, secure jobs for their employees, and keep wealth in their communities. The Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund will help businesses do that.

The Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund is Project Equitys second resource to provide flexible financing to support employee ownership, building on a joint initiative with a national CDFI, Shared Capital, that launched in 2019.

The fund has had its first close and is expecting to make its first investments in Q4.

In 2021/22, Project Equity will launch a three-part series, The Power of Employee Ownership, focusing on how businesses and owners benefit from employee ownership, including ways to access financing through the Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund. To learn more, including ways to support the fund, visit project-equity.org/employee-ownership-catalyst-fund

This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation to buy, or a recommendation for any security, nor does it constitute an offer to provide investment advisory or other services. No compensation was provided for any testimonial or endorsement in this press release.

About:

Project Equity is a national leader in the movement to harness employee ownership to maintain thriving local business communities and address income and wealth inequality. Project Equity works with partners around the country to raise awareness about employee ownership as an exit strategy for business owners, and as an important approach for increasing employee engagement and wellbeing. They also provide hands-on consulting and support to companies that want to transition to employee ownership through ESOPs, worker cooperatives, or Employee Ownership Trusts, as well as to new employee-owners to ensure that they, and their businesses, thrive after the transition.

Mission Driven Finance is an impact investment firm dedicated to building a financial system that ensures good businesses have access to sufficient, affordable capital. Built from the ground up with a single purposeto make it easy to invest in your communityall of their funds and structured products are designed to close financial gaps that will close opportunity gaps. They work with local and national investors to help them create the impact they want and work with businesses and community partners to help them get the capital they need. Mission Driven Finance was launched in 2016 in San Diego, CA, and is a Certified B Corporation.

Living Cities is a collaborative of 19 of the worlds largest foundations and financial institutions working to close racial income and wealth gaps in American cities. They use their vast network to connect with leaders across the public, private and philanthropic sectors to embed anti-racist policies and practices in institutions. Together, they work to tackle the root causes of systemic inequity in U.S. cities and undo the legacy of racism in our communities. After three decades of both place-based and people-based work, they believe that all people in U.S. cities can be economically secure; building wealth; and living abundant, dignified and connected lives.
We look forward to the next phase of growth as we continue on our mission and higher purpose to improve patient health and safety, said Michael Stomberg, ProPharma Groups CEO.

ProPharma Group, a portfolio company of Odyssey Investment Partners, is the global, independent, single-source provider of regulatory, clinical and compliance services serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. Resulting from the merger with The Planet Group, the company is uniquely positioned to support clients throughout the full product lifecycle from preclinical and CMC development, through full-service clinical trials, to regulatory approval, product launch, and commercialization.

The life science businesses have been unified under the ProPharma Group brand, which includes legacy ProPharma Group as well as Treximo, NDA Partners, Diamond Pharma Services, and iSafety Solutions. Planet Pharma will continue to support the diverse needs of life science clients and will maintain its well-established brand in the global talent market.

Effective today, Dawn Sherman assumes the role of Chairman of the Board and Mike Stomberg moves into the role of CEO of ProPharma Group. Dawn and Mike have been working closely together on the transition of the CEO responsibilities since the merger was announced in May. Other key leadership appointments include Jason DeGoes as President, Tim Bauwens as CFO, and Carolyn Durham as COO.

The Planet Groups other specialized consulting services and outsourced human capital solutions for the Technology, Energy & Engineering, Accounting & Finance, and Healthcare sectors will continue to operate under their existing brands and be led by a dedicated management team. Tim Simmerly will lead The Planet Group in his new role as President. Sara Nichols will be joining the company on September 7th as COO.

We have a tremendous opportunity to blaze a new path given our ability to support clients throughout the full product lifecycle with our global teams committed to quality and excellence in everything we do, said Michael Stomberg, ProPharma Groups CEO. We look forward to the next phase of growth as we continue on our mission and higher purpose to improve patient health and safety.

ProPharma Group is very fortunate to have an exceptional leadership team with deep industry experience as well as passion and drive around our mission. I am confident this team will further accelerate the companys growth and industry leading position, said Dawn Sherman, Chairman of ProPharma Group.

About ProPharma Group

ProPharma Group is the global, independent, single-source provider of regulatory, clinical and compliance services serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. Founded in 2001, ProPharma Group has more than 2000 colleagues worldwide providing solutions to complex challenges in a dynamic regulatory environment. With the mission to improve the health and safety of patients, ProPharma Group is focused on delivering the highest quality services throughout the full product lifecycle including regulatory sciences, clinical research solutions, life science consulting, pharmacovigilance, and medical information services. For more information, please visit http://www.propharmagroup.com.

About The Planet Group

The Planet Group consists of a group of related global consulting organizations, renowned staffing brands, and has been purposefully built to address the professional services needs of leading companies in the Technology, Energy & Engineering, Accounting & Finance, and Healthcare areas. The company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with offices throughout the US and Europe. Learn more at theplanetgroup.com.

About Odyssey Investment Partners

Odyssey Investment Partners, with offices in New York and Los Angeles, is a leading private equity investment firm with more than a 25-year history of partnering with skilled managers to transform middle-market companies into more efficient and diversified businesses with strong growth profiles. Odyssey makes majority-controlled investments in industries with a long-term positive outlook and favorable secular trends. For further information about Odyssey, please visit http://www.odysseyinvestment.com.

Media contacts:

Jean Marie Thompson

JeanMarie.Thompson@ProPharmaGroup.com

Elizabeth Spayne

espayne@theplanetgroup.com
Cities store precious data that makes them targets for ransomware attacks. MailRoute stops attacks.

MailRoute, the leading innovator in cyber-protection for cities and government, stops cyber threats like ransomware, malware, other viruses, spam and phishing attempts. City managers use MailRoute to stop ransomware attacks on police departments, courts, and other civic entities that store precious data.

MailRoute's pioneering team of cyber and network-security experts has protected organizations since 1997. "Our deep technical expertise and continuous security innovations mean we are uniquely qualified to help city managers meet the rapid pace of business while protecting against spam and virus traffic, including ransomware," explains MailRoute Founder and CEO Thomas Johnson.

Police departments, cities, library systems and other local government departments can expect a reduction in costs by using MailRoute. Hosted services not only enable teams to focus on other projects, but MailRoute's redundant infrastructure increases efficiencies on servers, decreases bandwidth and CPU usage, and reduces overall IT costs. No hardware or software to install, no costly updates or maintenance.

Services include custom, API-level integrations between MailRoute and Office 365 or Google Workspace. User lists, aliases and distribution lists are automatically updated at MailRoute, whenever changes are made to Office 365 accounts.

MailRoute is CJIS, NIST 800-171 and DFARS 252.204-7021 compliant as well as CMMC reviewed. Email services are up to the highest standards required by the US Federal Government to stop spam and viruses for cities and federal bodies.
A recent brief from the School Choice Demonstration Project at the University of Arkansas erroneously asserts that charter schools are shortchanged of funding for students with disabilities.

Bruce Baker of Rutgers University reviewed Charter School Funding: Support for Students with Disabilities, and found it to ignore substantial differences in the classifications, needs, and costs of children with disabilities in district-operated versus charter schools. Most obviously, the available data suggests that the students with disabilities that charter schools enroll have, on average, less severe needs.

In addition, Professor Baker points to the reports exclusive citing of deeply flawed, self-published evidence of a purported charter school funding gap more generally, while it ignored more rigorous studies yielding contradictory findings.

As such, he concludes, the report adds no value to legitimate debate over the comparability or adequacy of general or special education funding of charter schools.

Find the review, by Bruce D. Baker, at:

https://nepc.colorado.edu/thinktank/funding-disabilities

Find Charter School Funding: Support for Students with Disabilities, written by Cassidy Syftestad, Patrick J. Wolf, Wendy Tucker, and Lauren Morando Rhim and published by the School Choice Demonstration Project at the University of Arkansas, at: https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/wordpressua.uark.edu/dist/9/544/files/2018/10/charter-school-funding-support-for-students-with-disabilities.pdf

NEPC Reviews (http://thinktankreview.org) provide the public, policymakers, and the press with timely, academically sound reviews of selected publications. NEPC Reviews are made possible in part by support provided by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice: http://www.greatlakescenter.org

The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), a university research center housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, produces and disseminates high-quality, peer-reviewed research to inform education policy discussions. Visit us at: https://nepc.colorado.edu
With more than 500 customers across a wide range of verticals in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, ServiceAide has built a well-diversified customer base that provides a solid platform for continued growth, - Kevin Grossman, Decathlon Capital Partners

ServiceAide Inc., a transformative provider of intelligent software used for customer service and support, has landed a significant investment from Decathlon Capital Partners to support its further expansion.

The multi-million-dollar, revenue-based investment package will fund additional investment in product development and customer support by ServiceAide. The company is headquartered at San Jose, California.

ServiceAide, launched in 2016, applies breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural-language processing to help its clients deliver excellent customer-service experiences. Customers benefit and value includes better employee engagement, increased productivity, service process automation and improved customer satisfaction.

The Luma AI Virtual Agent suite developed by ServiceAide has been recognized as a leader in delivering on the promise of digitally revolutionizing the customer-service experience, said Wai Wong, President and Chief Executive Officer of ServiceAide. With our strong product portfolio that also includes Intelligent Service Management, the Point of Business Platform and ChangeGear, we enable our customers to digitally transform their organizations approach to service and support.

Kevin Grossman, Vice President of Decathlon Capital Partners, said ServiceAides highly experienced leaders have a long history of providing service management solutions, building and operating highly efficient support centers that win high marks for satisfaction from consumers and knowledge workers alike. With more than 500 customers across a wide range of verticals in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, ServiceAide has built a well-diversified customer base that provides a solid platform for continued growth, Grossman said.

The investment is a revenue-based financing arrangement, meaning no equity or ownership was exchanged for growth capital. Instead, the investment will be repaid through ServiceAides future revenue over a multi-year time horizon.

About ServiceAide

Serviceaide is a leader in intelligent service and support. Serviceaides vision is to transform service management, across ITSM, ESM and Customer Service. Serving customers around the world, Serviceaide applies breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing to deliver better experiences, provide enhanced self-service and empower service owners. Serviceaide transforms service through digital labor conversations, automation and knowledge. For more information, visit http://www.serviceaide.com.

About Decathlon Capital Partners

Decathlon Capital Partners provides growth capital for companies seeking alternatives to traditional equity investment. Through the use of highly customized revenue-based funding solutions, Decathlon provides long-term growth capital without the dilution, loss of control and operational overhead that often comes with equity-based funding. With offices in Palo Alto and Park City, Decathlon is the largest revenue-based funding investor in the U.S. and is active across a wide range of sectors. Learn more at http://www.decathloncapital.com.
Marian University Campus In Wisconsin Sextant has an extensive history of increasing enrollment for the institutions it partners with. - Dr. Michelle Majewski, Marian University President

Sextant Marketing, a higher education marketing agency, is excited to announce an expanded partnership with Marian University in Wisconsin, a private Catholic university.

Called Marian Forward, the new initiative expands the services Sextant performs for Marian University and builds on the success they've achieved together over the past two years.

Marian chose Sextant's unbundled approach that facilitates success through close partnership because the team at Sextant Marketing has continually developed a deep understanding of the universitys needs, values, and student population. The new services include additional marketing, university branding, and research services, as well as full-service enrollment management and advising call center services. The teams at both Marian University and Sextant Marketing look forward to seeing the results of the expanded partnership.

Sextant has an extensive history of increasing enrollment for the institutions it partners with and their previous work with Marian University makes them uniquely qualified for the projects well be working on together, said Dr. Michelle Majewski, Marian University president. Sextant is a national leader in marketing undergraduate and graduate degree offerings, and with their deep understanding of secondary education, the Sextant team will be the ideal partner to help elevate and promote Marian University.

The partnership between the higher education marketing firm and the University began in late 2019, focusing on strategies that increase college enrollment including SEO services, content creation, and media strategy and buying. The University and Sextant have achieved great success working together on a project-based model. Marian Forward now moves beyond that model, with all Sextant services now offered to Marian under one set price rather than per project.

Julie Walbrun, Director of Client Services at Sextant Marketing, said, Sextant and Marian have worked closely together on multiple projects with the university sharing important information about student data, policies and procedures, and the universitys goals and barriers to achieving them.

Sextant and Marian focused on the redevelopment of the Universitys website; a project that started in early 2021. Sextant worked with a team of experts from the University to develop the new site, which includes a robust redesign, rewritten copy, and work on the backend of the system. This includes improvements in lead routing technology, lead form functionality, and integration with Recruit, the Marian University student information system

Because Sextant understands Marian at a deep level, the Marian Forward integration is an opportunity to take our partnership to new heights of engagement as we add call center services to support prospective students moving through the application and enrollment process, said Walbrun.

From faculty subject matter experts collaborating on blog content to the admissions team offering insights that improve advertising campaigns, this is the type of partnership where the end result is powerful because we all work together toward a common goal, said Julie. Sextant encourages high involvement from our clients, and those who buy into this strategy see the most success. Marian Forward will continue to build on this success as we open a new chapter full of potential, enabling both teams to work on even bigger umbrella strategies to grow enrollments.
While myths persist that women with PCOS cannot get pregnant, the reality is that it is a highly treatable condition. In fact, lifestyle changes and modest weight loss can help boost a womans fertility. Other women will find success with basic infertility treatments and medications."

Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) supports Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Month this September by generating awareness for the condition, which is the most common ovulatory disorder in women of reproductive age and is thought to be the leading cause of female infertility. PCOS is caused by hormonal imbalances that curtail or prevent ovulation (the bodys process of producing and releasing eggs from the ovary). This September, SGF will host two free virtual events about PCOS in addition to offering free educational resources to help those struggling to conceive with PCOS.

While myths persist that women with PCOS cannot get pregnant, the reality is that it is a highly treatable condition, explains Anthony Imudia, M.D., who sees patients at the Wesley Chapel and Tampa - Westshore offices. In fact, lifestyle changes and modest weight loss can help boost a womans fertility. Other women will find success with basic infertility treatments and medications. And for those who need additional help conceiving, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is a highly effective form of treatment for women with PCOS.

Dr. Imudia will host the Getting Pregnant with PCOS webinar on September 10 at noon. During this informative presentation, Dr. Imudia will discuss:



evaluation and diagnosis of PCOS,

possible causes of PCOS,

treatment options and treatment success rates for patients with PCOS, and

the opportunity to receive answers to your PCOS-related questions during a live question-and-answer session

Not all patients with PCOS have the same symptoms, which can make the diagnosis tricky, continues Dr. Imudia. Common signs include absent or irregular menstrual cycles, excess hair growth, and weight gain. The important takeaway is to recognize the early warning signs and know when its time to seek help from a fertility specialist.

Information seekers can also tune in to a PCOS Instagram Live on September 23 at noon with Anate Brauer, M.D., who sees patients at SGF New Yorks Manhattan office, and SGF New Patient Center Supervisor Sarah Hudson. Dr. Brauer and Sarah offer two important perspectives on the topic: Dr. Brauer shines light on the medical aspect of managing, diagnosing, and treating PCOS, while Sarah will share her experience of getting pregnant with PCOS.

For those who want to learn more about PCOS, SGF has developed resources to inform and empower women:



In addition to honoring PCOS Awareness Month, SGF physicians and partners will host virtual events further supporting the trying to conceive community.

September 2021 Virtual Fertility Events at a Glance

While SGF fertility webinars are complimentary, interested parties must register to attend by visiting the SGF calendar of events. For more information, visit SGFs growing resource library for free, on-demand webinars, E-books, and other education resources on topics such as endometriosis, PCOS, low-tech treatment options, weight and infertility, and much more. Follow SGF on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates and events.

For people struggling to conceive, it may be time to consult a fertility specialist. Contact the SGF New Patient Center at 1-888-761-1967 or complete a brief online request form to schedule a virtual fertility consult with an SGF physician. A virtual consult is the first step toward pursuing a pregnancy with the help of SGF.

About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)

SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 85,000 babies born and 5,000+ 5-star patient reviews. With 41 locations, including new locations in Colorado and Norfolk, VA, as well as throughout CO, FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, VA, D.C. and Santiago, Chile, SGF offers patients virtual physician consults, delivers individualized care, accepts most insurance plans, and makes treatment affordable through innovative financial options, including 100% refund guarantees. More physicians refer their patients to SGF than any other center. SGF is among the founding partner practices of US Fertility, the largest physician-owned, physician-led partnership of top-tier fertility practices in the U.S. Call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
SoftIron Pty Ltd., the world-leader in task-specific appliances for scale-out data center solutions, today announced a partnership with Baidam Solutions, Australias leading First Nations ICT security services and solutions provider.

Through the strategic partnership, SoftIron aims to drive growth in the Australian ICT sector with its award-winning solutions. The partnership comprises two parallel work streams to simultaneously drive market awareness and customer consideration of its open source datacenter platforms, focusing primarily in the government sector. A critical outcome of the relationship is to support Baidams mission to bridge the gap of Indigenous representation in the IT security sector.

We are proud to be partnering with Baidam Solutions as one of our first channel partners in Australia, said Philip Crocker, Vice President, Business Development & Channel at SoftIron. Baidam and its mission encompasses all the attributes we look for when engaging with channel partners and our alliance will help fuel growth in Australia. Of equal importance, we will be supporting the great work Baidam is doing to pioneer and fund new social and educational pathways in the IT sector for Indigenous and First Nations people. We look forward to seeing where this partnership can take us beyond our capabilities and contribute to making meaningful social change in Australia.

SoftIron specialises in task-specific storage solutions from the data centre to the edge, with an enterprise storage portfolio that runs at wire-speed and is purpose-built to optimise Ceph. Its award-winning appliances radically out-perform industry standards on all critical metrics, including density, energy efficiency, capacity, speed and heat emission.

Were excited to be working with SoftIron to help introduce its market leading technology solutions and sovereign capability to the Australian market, said Neil Templeman, Director at Baidam Solutions. At Baidam, we believe vendor relationships are about challenging the market through technology and innovation. This is what attracted us to working with SoftIron.

Baidam is focused on helping its customers achieve logical business outcomes using innovative local and international technology solutions. The company is committed to giving back to the local community through initiatives which provide both specialist IT security certification funding and meaningful employment opportunities for regional and remote communities.

We are also delighted by SoftIrons commitment and passion to create social impact by helping us increase the representation of Indigenous and First Nations people in the ICT industry, said Templeman.

Baidam joins SoftIrons recently launched global channel partner program, SoftIron + Co. The new program aims to build an elite, world-class community of profitable, successful channel partners to accelerate SoftIrons market share growth through unique business value that expand reseller capabilities and offerings.

Learn more about SoftIron's partner program at https://softiron.com/partners/ or more about Baidam Solutions at https://baidam.com.au/

About SoftIron

SoftIron is the world-leader in task-specific appliances for scale-out data center solutions. Their superior, purpose-built hardware is designed, developed, and assembled in California, and they are the only manufacturer to offer auditable provenance. SoftIrons HyperDrive software-defined, enterprise storage portfolio runs at wire-speed and is custom-designed to optimise Ceph. HyperSwitch is their line of next-generation, top-of-rack switches built to maximise the performance and flexibility of SONiC. HyperCast is their high-density, concurrent 4K transcoding solution, for multi-screen, multi-format delivery. SoftIron unlocks greater business value for enterprises by delivering best-in-class products, free from software and hardware lock-in. For more information visit http://www.SoftIron.com.
IES Logo The sponsorship will help IES to carry out its goals including support for innovation in Scotlands engineering sector.

Star Refrigeration is supporting the Institution of Engineers in Scotland (IES), a multi-disciplinary engineering institution which promotes the exchange of information, new thinking and encourages young engineers.

The organisation, which was founded in 1857 by world famous engineer and scientist, Professor William Rankine, recognises that the art and practice of engineering is becoming increasingly complex and multidisciplinary. One of their most unique features is the multidisciplinary nature of their activities, which is based on the belief that engineers and others can gain inspiration through learning about developments and activities across the widest possible range of disciplines.

Stars sponsorship will support the Institution to develop its work and focus on addressing the wider issues the organisation is passionate about such as people skills and the pressing problems of Climate Change.

Dr Andy Pearson, Group Managing Director at Star Refrigeration and President of IES said, As an organisation which prides itself on innovation, it was very fitting for Star to join the IES patron scheme. The sponsorship will help IES to carry out its goals including support for innovation in Scotlands engineering sector. We hope our support also serves to further encourage young people in Scotland to consider a career in engineering.

As president of the IES, I see the fantastic work which the organisation is doing to encourage engineering in Scotland and I am delighted that Star is able to back this initiative.

As a patron of IES, Star will be supporting the long-term aims and viability of the Institution delivering events and activities, lecture programmes, the James Watt Dinner, support for young engineers and the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame as well as the IES publications, their website, and co-operation with other engineering organisations.

IES includes members from all sectors of engineering as well as welcoming professionals from other backgrounds to apply for membership.

Star Refrigeration provides support to a number of organisations across the world that deliver impactful and innovative ways to create awareness and promote ethical and sustainable practices in the field of engineering such as World Refrigeration Day, eurammon, FemEng, Women in RACHP, the Cold Chain Federation and the Institute of Refrigeration amongst others.

Visit the Institution of Engineers in Scotland website for more information: https://engineers.scot/
Stratodesk NoTouch First To Achieve Nutanix Frame Ready Status

Stratodesk, the leading global innovator in EUC management and OS software, announced today that Stratodesk NoTouch is officially Nutanix Frame Ready for Nutanix Frame App (Linux) 6.0 and above the first Nutanix Alliance Partner to achieve and announce this status. Achieving Nutanix Frame Ready status for the Nutanix Frame App signifies that Stratodesk NoTouch has reached the highest standard of Nutanix validation, having completed verification testing proving confidence in joint solution compatibility. Thanks to this airtight collaboration with the included Nutanix Frame App, Stratodesk and Nutanix will continue to work closely together to make remote and hybrid work a reality for enterprises around the world.

Stratodesk NoTouch, a thin client management and OS software, and the Nutanix Frame Desktop as a Service are a great combination for IT organizations that wish to simplify the management of their hybrid work environments, says Nutanix VP of End User Computing, Carsten Puls. Stratodesks solution works seamlessly with the Nutanix Frame App making thin client deployments as easy as possible for our joint customers around the world. Were pleased that Stratodesk is one of the first to achieve Nutanix Ready status for Frame.

As the leading distributor for Nutanix Frame in South Africa, it is integral that we partner with the best thin client vendors to ensure our customers have everything they need for a successful Frame deployment directly out of the box says Johan Lotter, Head of Presales and Architecting Enterprise at Pinnacle ICT. We are extremely impressed by Stratodesks agility and ability to quickly deploy the latest Frame App within Stratodesk NoTouch OS, and are already seeing interest from our vast customer base. Stratodesk NoTouch OS Frame Ready for Nutanix Frame App 6.0 and beyond is a game changer for enterprises looking to boost productivity for their DaaS deployments while enabling hybrid work.

Leveraging Stratodesk NoTouch and Nutanix together has helped us streamline our endpoint deployment and saved us money through PC Conversion, says Trey Ingram, System Administrator at Turenne PharMedCo. The seamless integration between Stratodesk and Nutanix made the switch from Windows endpoints to Stratodesk NoTouch endpoints incredibly easy, and has saved our department countless IT hours from removing the need to manually patch, update and maintain endpoints.

Deploying the latest Nutanix Frame App directly out of the box on Stratodesk NoTouch OS makes secure, effective hybrid workforces possible without causing a nightmare for IT. Enterprises can simply ship endpoints to workers, convert existing devices, or enable personal devices seamlessly with Stratodesk NoTouch GO and benefit from a consistent look and feel and instant connectivity to their Nutanix Frame deployment via the Nutanix Frame App or browser.

By delivering a solution for enabling remote work  like Stratodesk NoTouch GO  that also includes the latest version of Nutanix Frame App, Stratodesk is ensuring access to a truly secure remote work environment for enterprises of all shapes and sizes around the world, says Stratodesk Founder and CEO, Emanuel Pirker. Stratodesk is the most agile and innovative EUC company in the world, which enables us to release updates to our users before anyone else.

Stratodesk NoTouch Center and Stratodesk NoTouch OS together are the leading thin client endpoint software letting organizations transform any PC, thin client, laptop or Raspberry Pi device into a secure and centrally managed VDI/DaaS endpoint. Stratodesk NoTouch is a proven endpoint software for Citrix, Microsoft WVD, Nutanix deployments and VMware Horizon, as well as many others  on-premises or Cloud. With its minimal hardware requirements, simplified deployment and ease of operation, customers save big by eliminating hardware refreshes, licensing of third-party software, and work hours.

To learn more about how Stratodesk NoTouch and Nutanix Frame make hybrid work productive in enterprise environments, join the upcoming webinar:

What: Hybrid Workspace Made Simple

When: Thursday, September 9th, 2021 11am PDT / 2pm EDT

Who:

Carsten Puls, VP, End User Computing at Nutanix

Rich Severson, VP, Global Solutions Engineering at Stratodesk

Yangzhi Zhao, Director, Frame Product Management at Nutanix

Register Today: https://go.stratodesk.com/stratodesk-euc-tech-talk-series-nutanix

For additional information about the Stratodesk and Nutanix solution, please visit:



About Stratodesk

Founded in 2010, Stratodesk is the fastest growing global software company redefining end user computing by delivering an all-in-one solution for VDI, DaaS and IoT markets. Stratodesks cutting edge Linux-based OS and management suite, Stratodesk NoTouch, is the hardware agnostic solution enabling companies to cost-effectively manage their entire secure digital perimeter. Stratodesks software works seamlessly across all x64, x86 and ARM/Raspberry Pi based hardware products to provide a unified platform for all your endpoints. It increases endpoint security, simplifies user experience, and allows customers to maximize the benefits of their existing desktop hardware through PC conversion. Today with nearly one million licenses deployed across multiple industries including healthcare, finance, retail, and education. For more information, please visit http://www.stratodesk.com.
Swizznet Jamie and Mandy have been integral to leading Swizznets rapid growth, said Bob Hollander, president and chief executive officer of Swizznet. Im thrilled that these talented individuals will continue to help us expand."

Swizznet, a cloud-based hosting solutions provider for small- and medium-sized businesses, is pleased to announce two senior executive-level promotions. Mandy Cozby has been promoted to senior vice president, Sales, while Jamie Finley has been promoted to senior vice president, Finance.

Both Jamie and Mandy have been integral to leading Swizznets rapid growth over the past year, said Bob Hollander, president and chief executive officer of Swizznet. Im thrilled that these talented individuals will continue to help us expand as a leading provider of cloud-hosted IT management services and cybersecurity solutions for accounting firms, financial services firms and other businesses.

Mandy Cozby leads the sales strategy and operations for Swizznet and its subsidiary, RightSize Solutions, managing the companys growing inside, direct and channel sales team. A seasoned information technology sales executive, Cozby joined Swizznet in 2020 as vice president of channel sales following positions at InterVision Systems, AOS and WAN Technologies. She is based in Swizznets Chesterfield, Missouri, headquarters. Cozby is a graduate of Quincy University.

Jamie Finley is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day financial operations of Swizznet and RightSize, which includes managing the accounting, budgeting and financial reporting for both companies. Prior to joining Swizznet in 2019, Finley held senior management roles in finance and accounting at Consolo Services Group and LGC. She is based in Lexington, Kentucky, and has her Master of Business Administration from Western Kentucky Universitys Gordon Ford College of Business.

About Swizznet

Swizznet, a registered trademark of Hosting Enterprises, Inc., offers hosting solutions that enable businesses to connect and collaborate from any computer or device, without needing in-house infrastructure or IT. Swizznet offers an on-demand marketplace, using the latest cloud computing technology and tools to deliver the fastest, most secure and reliable access to a range of desktop applications, including Sage, GoldMine, QuickBooks and others. The company is an Intuit-authorized commercial hosting provider and a Microsoft cloud solution provider. Swizznet and its subsidiaries are committed to providing clients with 100% US-based, 24/7/365 Obsessive Support and service for a premium cloud-based experience. For more information, visit https://www.swizznet.com.
This accomplishment reflects the hard work, leadership, and dedication across the firm to maintain quality work and high-caliber client service.

Triangle Insights Group, a premier life sciences strategy consulting firm, announced today its rank on Inc. magazines 2021 Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The ranking is based on revenue growth over the past three years and represents the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses.

Being recognized among the nations fastest-growing private companies is a great honor, stated Gautam Aggarwal, one of the founding partners of Triangle Insights Group. This accomplishment reflects the hard work, leadership, and dedication across the firm to maintain quality work and high-caliber client service.

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list proved especially resilient given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Inc. magazine noted that together, the 5,000 companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

When considering the contributing factors to the firms growth, Ryan Coe, principal at Triangle Insights Group said, Our teams camaraderie and strong work ethic has enabled us to consistently deliver top-quality work to our clients. He added, Our commitment to a collaborative business model has allowed us to adapt through the pandemics challenges and come out even stronger.

Triangle Insights Group provides guidance on the most critical business issues to leaders in life sciences organizations including large pharmaceutical companies, emerging biotechnology firms, diagnostics manufacturers, medical device companies, and private equity investors. The company has successfully supported more than 150 clients within these markets and anticipates continued growth in 2022.

For more information about Triangle Insights Group, visit http://www.triangleinsightsgroup.com or call 919-813-6079. Triangle Insights also maintains an active presence on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/triangle-insights-group-llc. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Triangle Insights Group

Triangle Insights Group, LLC is a boutique strategy consulting firm focused on providing strategic guidance to leaders in life sciences organizations including large pharmaceutical companies and emerging biotechnology firms. Our approach combines deep knowledge of the industry across therapeutic areas and functional groups. We have specific expertise in providing strategic support related to critical pricing and market access, new product planning, cell and gene therapy, data analytics and due diligence. For more information, visit http://www.triangleinsightsgroup.com.

Senior leadership includes Gautam Aggarwal, Chris Apolito, Ben Bonifant and Barrett Rankin.

Contacts

Chris Apolito, Founding Partner, Triangle Insights Group

capolito@triangleinsights.com

Megan Kealy, Marketing Director, Triangle Insights Group

mkealy@triangleinsights.com
UMD Computer Science Professor Andrew Childs (second from right) will serve as director of the new NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation. Credit: John T. Consoli Maintaining and growing our global leadership in quantum science and technology is important for the state of Maryland and a top strategic priority for its flagship campus, the University of Maryland. -UMD President Darryll J. Pines

The University of Maryland has been tapped to lead a multi-institutional effort supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that is focused on developing quantum simulation devices that can understand, and thereby exploit, the rich behavior of complex quantum systems.

The NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation announced on September 2, 2021, brings together computer scientists, engineers and physicists from five academic institutions and the federal government. Funded by a $25 million award from NSF, researchers in the UMD-led institute will develop theoretical concepts, design innovative hardware, and provide education and training for a suite of novel simulation devices that can predict and understand quantum phenomena.

Maintaining and growing our global leadership in quantum science and technology is important for the state of Maryland and a top strategic priority for its flagship campus, the University of Maryland, said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. The Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation positions us to tackle grand challenges in quantum information science and quantum computing, and it further elevates our region as the Capital of Quantum.

Quantum simulation is a fundamental step toward realizing a world where general-purpose quantum computers can transform medicine, break encryption and revolutionize communications. Even the most powerful of todays classical computers struggle to represent even relatively small quantum systems, an obstacle that could be overcome by building next-generation quantum simulators.

Andrew Childs, a UMD professor of computer science and co-director of the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS), is the lead principal investigator of the NSF award and will serve as director of the new institute.

Quantum simulation is arguably the most compelling application of quantum computers, Childs said. Through dedicated research, education and outreach, we will nurture the quantum simulation community and provide a sharp focus on new discoveries and applications involving quantum simulation.

In addition to faculty, postdocs and students from UMD, the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation will include quantum experts from Duke University, Princeton University, North Carolina State University and Yale University, as well as researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Nine of these federal scientists are already embedded on the UMD campus, working in the Joint Quantum Institute, launched in 2006, and in QuICS, launched in 2015.

In addition to Childs, leadership roles in the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation will be filled by Ian Spielman from NIST (associate director for research), Mohammad Hafezi from UMD (associate director for education), Gretchen Campbell from NIST (associate director for diversity and inclusion), as well as co-principal investigators Kenneth Brown and Christopher Monroe (Duke), Alicia Kollar (UMD) and Jeff Thompson (Princeton).

Our strength in quantum science research and our connections with academic and government collaborators give us a solid foundation on which to build this newest quantum endeavor, said Amitabh Varshney, dean of UMDs College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, where the new institute will be administratively housed. The NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation represents scientific discovery and impact at its besttaking on the most difficult of challenges and using the knowledge gained to transition to a quantum-based economy that can improve peoples lives significantly.

The researchers believe that by evaluating the best approaches to small-scale quantum simulation, they can provide a detailed blueprint for what could be early practical applications for quantum computers. They have identified three major scientific challenges to focus their efforts on: methods for verifying the correctness of simulations, the interaction of simulators with their environments, and the development of scalable quantum simulators for science and technology applications.

To do this, the researchers plan to explore the theoretical foundations of quantum algorithms and error correctionin conjunction with experimental implementations of reconfigurable quantum simulatorson four leading hardware platforms: trapped ions, arrays of Rydberg atoms, quantum photonics with solid-state defects and superconducting circuits.

They envision tight collaboration between theoretical and experimental approaches to co-design near-term simulation protocols with current and next-generation devices. This includes the joint development of optical and microwave control techniques across different experimental platforms, allowing for rapid advances in system size and controllability.

The ongoing mission of the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation will also include a strong educational component. Plans call for a new flagship conference on quantum simulation and other outreach and education programs that engage diverse groups of students in quantum science, including partnerships with Morgan State University and North Carolina Central University.

Faculty in the new institute also plan to introduce cross-disciplinary undergraduate specializations in quantum information and provide quantum information training for postgraduates and professionals.

Todays announcement is the latest in a series of federal grants establishing a cohort of Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes nationwide. Three Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes launched last year, with the Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation and the Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Quantum Sensing in Biophysics and Bioengineeringled by the University of Chicagobeing funded in 2021.

With science currently undergoing a quantum revolution, NSF is leading the charge through large-scale investments into centers that further the understanding of basic quantum phenomena, fundamental discoveries that will translate into transformative technologies.

Our Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes program is developing the foundation of quantum information sciences, as well as developing the future students, faculty, startups and industry partners who are engaged in it, said Sean L. Jones, NSF assistant director of mathematical and physical sciences. These two new institutes are tapping into challenging fields that have the potential to develop the next generation of tools that will establish the United States at the forefront of quantum innovation.

###

This research is supported by the National Science Foundation (Award No. OMA-2120757). This story does not necessarily reflect the views of this organization.

Media Contacts: (UMD) Abby Robinson, abbyr@umd.edu; (NSF) 703.292.7090, media@nsf.gov

About the National Science Foundation

The NSF propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2021 budget of $8.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

About the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland is the states flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,000 students, 10,000 faculty and staff, and 300 academic programs. As one of the nations top producers of Fulbright scholars, its faculty includes two Nobel laureates, four Pulitzer Prize winners and 59 members of the national academies. The institution has a $2.2 billion operating budget and secures more than $1 billion annually in research funding together with the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
With URCs support and superior products, our dealers continue to surprise and delight us with creative installations in diverse environments, said Mr. Chang K. Park, URC Founder. We thank all of our dealers for their dedication, especially those who entered our annual celebration of excellence.

URC, a global leader in smart home automation and control for residential and commercial applications, announced today the winners of its 7th annual Unsurpassed Awards.

Launched in 2014, URCs Unsurpassed Awards celebrate excellence in residential and commercial automation installations. Entries are accepted from domestic URC dealers and International distributors. Categories for consideration include: Best Residential, Best Commercial, Most Unique and Best International.

Entries for the 2021 competition showcase unique smart residential and commercial installations featuring creative system design, distinctive environments and advanced implementations. Home and business owners raved about the benefits of these breakthrough automated system. This system has let us to be more productive on a daily basis by being able to quickly and easily setup and adjust based on our needs, stated a commercial customer. He continued, being able to quickly go from testing of a system to monitoring an account for service and back has been extremely helpful.

With URCs support and superior products, our dealers continue to surprise and delight us with creative installations in diverse environments, said Mr. Chang K. Park, URC Founder. We thank all of our dealers for their dedication, especially those who entered our annual celebration of excellence. Our community has never been stronger.

This years entries include prior winners, like PWCampbell, Hemag Inc., and C.A.V.E.S., who consistently excel, as well as dealers new to the competition like Beverly Hills Smart Homes, TecHDemand, JPP Technologies and Wavelength Audio Video. Two categories were so competitive, that ties were created to recognize the incredible projects.

Winners of the 2021 URCs Unsurpassed Awards include the following URC dealers:

Hemag, Inc. Wins Best Residential Installation - USA

Hemag, Inc. (Miami, FL) https://www.hemaginc.com won URCs Best Residential Installation Award for a stunning installation in Coral Gables, FL. This system delivered automation and integrated control throughout the property  from front gate to the deluxe pool, patio and gazebo. Featuring 12 Zones of URCs High-Definition Audio (HDA) with multiple sources, hundreds of voice commands, and seamless integrations with several sub-systems. Controlled by URCs Total Control system and several URC controllers, base stations and remotes, the installation featured lighting powered by Lutron Radio RA 2, DoorBird intercom, gate control and front door, Somfy RTS shade motors, Racchio irrigation, Roku TV and DirectTV. The homeowner was extremely happy with Hemags vision and appreciated how the project was super organized.

YES Installation Wins Best Commercial Installation  USA

YES Installation (Dallas, TX) https://www.yesinstallation.com won URCs Best Commercial Installation Award for a breakthrough installation at the headquarters of beverage brand BuzzBallz https://www.buzzballz.com. The collaboration produced an engaging environment capturing the creativity and energy of this unique, fast-growing Texas-based company. Using URCs Total Control to integrate the brands day-to-day operations, YES Installation programmed several macros to provide one touch or voice control delivered through multiple touch screens like URCs TKP-9600 and TKP-5600. Large video devices, like a BenQ projector, 120 Dragonfly screen, 75 Samsung TV and dual 55 Samsung TV, placed in the Tomb Room enabled easy conferencing and streaming content. YES Installation created a commercial space worthy of this beverage innovator.

Wavelength Audio Video Wins Most Unique Installation  USA

Wavelength Audio Video (Bernardsville, NJ) https://wavelength-av.com/

won URCs Most Unique Installation Award with an entry unlike any other. Tim Manning and the team at Wavelength partnered with Bill Shea, who created an authentic Back the Future experience around a DeLorean used in the film https://www.88mphtimemachine.com/. Using URCs Total Control, Wavelength created a one-of-a-kind experience by integrating animatronics. This project utilizes built-in sensors and relays included in URCs MRX-30 Premium System Controller for a completely immersive integration with DMX animatronics software. The system triggers TVs, scenes, events, lighting, video content, and much more for a seamless reproduction of the movies opening scene. By adding a crystal-clear audio track and ability to pause and restart the tour, you have a winning installation. Tim Manning, Wavelengths design solutions lead, stated, No other automation platform allows the creativity and adaptability that needed for a project of this caliber as Total Control.

IDES (Edinburgh, Scotland) Wins Best International Installation

IDES http://www.ides.co.uk won URCs Best International Installation Award for giving a historic home in the West End of Edinburgh a high-tech update. As featured in Hidden Wires magazine, IDES used the power of URCs Total Control automation system to integrate with KNX, HEOS, Hikvision, DoorBird, Denon and more.

Using a variety of URCs touch screens (four TKP-9600s, four TRC-820s and one TRC-1080) and handheld remotes, Stephen Kerr, Technical Director at IDES, designed and programmed the system for seamless control. Kerr stated, The URC system [Total Control] automates the entire process so the client only needs to press one button.

The complete list of award-winning installations includes:

Best Residential Installation - USA



Gold: Hemag, Inc. (Coral Gables Residence) https://www.hemaginc.com

Silver: Beverly Hills Smart Homes (Santa Monica Beachfront Condo) http://beverlyhillssmarthome.com

Bronze (Tie): C.A.V.E.S. Integration (Lakehouse Lodge) https://www.cavesintegration.com/

Bronze (Tie): Wavelength Audio Video (Secret Game Room) https://wavelength-av.com

Best Commercial Installation - USA

Gold: YES Installation (BuzzBallz Headquarters) https://www.yesinstallation.com

Silver: TecHDemand (Tiki Lees Dock Bar )

Bronze (Tie): PWCampbell (Greylock Federal Credit Union) https://www.pwcampbell.com

Bronze (Tie): PWCampbell (Arize Federal Credit Union) https://www.pwcampbell.com

Most Unique Installation - USA

Gold: Wavelength Audio Video (Docs Workshop) https://wavelength-av.com/

Silver: PWCampbell (Alpha Labs) https://www.pwcampbell.com

Bronze: JPP Technologies (Train Pavilion)

Best International Installation



Gold: IDES (Grove Street Project) http://www.ides.co.uk

Silver: Hidden Home Technology (Hempstead House) http://www.bathci.com

Winners receive awards and publicity ranging from crystal awards to digital/social badges to features in press releases and publications.

About URC

Headquartered in Harrison NY USA, URC is a global leader in smart home automation and control solutions. URC technology is respected for unsurpassed performance and reliability with over 100 million remote controls sold in the past 10 years alone. URC control systems include Total Control and Complete Control. Innovative URC user interfaces include tabletop controllers, in-wall touch screens, handheld remotes, keypads and mobile apps  plus voice control integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. URC systems are custom designed, installed and maintained by a network of URC trained systems integration professionals. Its award-winning technical support and training make URC the best choice for home automation.

For more information visit http://www.urc-automation.com. URC - Think beyond everyday.
Before switching carriers, drivers should consider the advantages and disadvantages of this action, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

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Before switching carriers, drivers should consider the following steps:



Analyze the reasons for switching carriers. Many drivers switch their insurance providers for reasons like unfair premiums, or rude and unsatisfactory customer support. Before switching carriers, policyholders should contact their insurers and see if they can resolve the situation.

Policyholders should buy a new policy before dropping the old one. Insurance lapses are costly for drivers that live in states with laws that penalize registered cars without continuous coverage.

Drivers should consider the disadvantages. Some insurance providers will charge the policyholders an early cancelation fee. If they stayed with the same insurer for some years, and they decide to cancel their policy, drivers will lose their loyalty discount.

Policyholders should make sure they canceled their old policy. They should do that in writing. Their old insurance company may ask for the new policy number so that the authorities will know they are continuously covered.

Drivers should confirm the cancelation and ask for a refund. It is important to confirm the policy cancelation so that the old insurance company won't automatically renew their policy and cancel them for nonpayment. The policyholder should know they can get a refund for their unused premium if they cancel early.

Get quotes before switching the carrier. Car insurance quotes will help drivers compare prices and see if its worth it to switch insurance providers.

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Cheapquotesautoinsurance.com is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand name insurance companies, etc.
The ninth annual American Booksellers Association Childrens Institute came to a close on September 1, marking the second year that the indie bookseller gathering was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Attendance jumped to 985, up from 745 attendees last year. Distance did little to dampen booksellers excitement on the third and final day of the event, which featured a music-centered closing keynote of four authors, multiple roundtable educational sessions, and a sweeping look at the broader trends at play in childrens bookselling.

Those trends show continued, significant growth in childrens book sales, according to Kristen McLean, executive director of business development at the NPD Group, who presented the companys assessment of the health of childrens bookselling based on its ongoing tracking of approximately 85% of consumer print unit sales.

Sales of childrens books are up 9% year-to-date over 2020, which was itself a banner year, McLean said. Some individual categories are even higher, including fiction sales, which are up 15%, and kids' comics and manga, which are up 17%. Nonfiction sales are down compared to last year, with students returning to in-person learning in schools, but in a sign of just how much the category has grown since the beginning of the pandemic, McLean said sales are still up overall compared with pre-pandemic levels.

Backlist sales continued a trend of outperforming frontlist, but in a nod to their influence, indies outperformed competitors on frontlist. Without indies, and without bricks-and-mortar bookstores, generally, the market would continue to be really difficult for new books to find their audience, McLean said.

In a second day of educational roundtable sessions, attendees had the opportunity to translate many of McLeans observations into practical advice for each other, sharing tips on best practices in largely informal conversations. Booksellers had a choice between four roundtables: non-traditional bookstores; learning tools for academic achievement; measuring virtual events return on investment; and optimizing sales with gift bundles, boxes, and sidelines.

At one point 145 booksellers participated in a workshop on optimizing sales with gift bundles, boxes, and sidelines, which vibrated with energy as ideas were thrown around by both moderators and participants.

Some booksellers advocated for filling gift boxes with books by award winners or local authors, with Stacey Haerr, a buyer at Warwicks in La Jolla, Calif. reporting that the store made a special gift box containing books by local resident Matt de la Pena during the holidays last year. Others prefer to fill such boxes with emerging authors or authors who are not receiving the attention they deserve. Most add small sidelines to the boxes along with books.

Stickers, origami paper, and cute little pencils, and pen sets, maybe a puzzle for the higher-tier gift boxes, one bookseller said, while another said that they put stuffed animals in gift boxes. Brandi Stewart, a bookseller at Changing Hands in Tempe, Ariz., related that for Easter, the store put together bunny packages, containing a book about Easter along with a stuffed rabbit and a box of candy. Heather Jezoriowski reported that her store, Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Ga., put together boo bags for Halloween.

Publishing professionals said they found the sessions as illuminating as booksellers did. For Charlesbridge marketing associate Jordan Kei Standridge, the roundtable session on Measuring Virtual Events Return on Investment was the the highlight of the conference.

Childrens event coordinators were able to speak with one another about what is and isnt working for them, ask for advice from their peers, and learn new approaches, Standridge said. Throughout this pandemic, childrens booksellers have been nothing but passionate, creative, and resilient. It was really beneficial to hear what they had to say on virtual events, and what publishers and authors can do to help.

The days deep dive into operations was offset by a buoyant closing keynote panel, with four authors reflecting on the importance of music in their lives and their work. Moderator Tami Charles led the propulsive conversation between poet and music scholar Hanif Abdurraqib, and authors Tiffany D. Jackson and Jason Reynolds. All four shared their musical influences, thoughts on the relationship between writing and music, and some of their current favorite artists.

As the conference came to a close, Cathy Berner, children's/young adult specialist and events coordinator at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, said she was particularly grateful to the ABA for organizing a second virtual childrens institute that continued to capture her interest and generated excitement.

I really appreciate how hard the team at the ABA worked to lean in to the parts of virtual events that provide connection and discovery, she said. We got to see so many authors from around the world who might not have been able to attend. The keynotes were amazing and the chats were energizing and heartening. Indie bookselling has so many clever, creative, kind people and the expo as well as the roundtables were full of the energy of idea sharing and support.

ABA CEO Alison K. Hill shared Berners excitement at the close of the conference. Children's Institute felt like a celebration in many ways, and it also felt like we were back to business, as booksellers learned about trends, authors, and best practices to help them move forward, Hill said. Booksellers were strong in numbers and strong in spirit.

ABA is anticipating an in-person 10th annual Children's Institute next year, to be held June 2022 in Phoenix.

This article has been updated to correct an earlier misspelling of Jordan Standridge's name.
The ninth annual ABA Childrens Institute kicked off virtually for the second year in a row on Monday with a program that ranged from a session on how to conduct difficult conversations, to the most recent Indies Introduce selections, to a surprise visit by Judy Blume and David Levithan, who paid tribute to the late Beverly Cleary by reading from her work. A reception and a meet-up for BIPOC booksellers rounded out the first day.

On Tuesday morning, energy and excitement ran high among more than 400 booksellers as they convened for the Ci9 opening keynote, featuring David and Nicola Yoon in conversation with Bria Ragin, the editor at Delacorte Press who is working with the couple on their new teen romance imprint, Joy Revolution. The imprint will launch in spring 2023 with books about BIPOC characters written by BIPOC authors.

While the booksellers waited for the keynote to begin, author and last years keynoter Isaac Fitzgerald made a surprise appearance, compelled, he said, to acknowledge the particular difficulties childrens booksellers faced this past year and to thank them. Youve been asked to hold space and to support parents who are really overloaded, especially going back into this school year. And a space for young adults and children who are afraid and confused, and all the while, you remain passionate about ensuring that young readers have access to the words and the books they need to make sense of the world. They are so lucky to have you.

Introducing the Yoons and Ragin, Tameka Blackshir, general manager of Reparations Club in Los Angeles, noted, Im not a morning person. Only my favorite people get this face this early. I am excited and low-key fan girling to introduce Nicola Yoon, David Yoon, and Bria Ragin, the creative minds behind Joy Revolution.

Promising to channel her inner Oprah, Ragin began the 35-minute conversation by inquiring about the two authors latest endeavors in childrens literature. Nicola explained that in Instructions for Dancing (Delacorte, June), the teenage protagonists superpower is that every time she sees a couple kiss, she also sees the history of their relationship, from beginning to end. She knows that love can lead to heartbreak and sorrow, Nicola noted, disclosing that the novel was inspired by her mothers cancer diagnosis and the death of Davids father. I remember sitting in a hospital room, thinking, Why do we do this thing? Why do we love people so much, when, potentially its going to really, really hurt? 

Explaining that last year was such a crappy year that I wanted to make the lightest, funniest fluffiest book I could, David said that in his new book, he set out to create a laugh on every page. The novel, Super Fake Love Song (Putnam, July) is about a nerdy teenager who pretends to be a rock star to capture the heart of a girl who is totally cool, totally savvy, and really hip. Everyones faking it until theyre making it.

The conversation turned serious, however, when it pivoted to Joy Revolution. David said that the origins of Joy Revolution went back 20 years when the two met in graduate school, at Emerson Colleges M.F.A. program. Wed go to bars and talk about poetry, and literature and culture, David, who is Korean American, recalled. We quickly realized we were both rom-com junkies. Nicola, who is Jamaican American, added, One of the things we always talked about was how come no one looks like us in these stories? Why arent we in these stories?

Noting that he holds up Harold and Kumar as our golden standardall they want to do is party and find hamburgers, David said, As silly as that sounds, that is them exploring the full breadth of their humanity. They can fall in love, make mistakes and get stupid, tell jokes. Were so hungry for that kind of thing. We wanted to do something like that, too.

Nicola said, We just want to tell these stories that we love, with people of color. Love is transformative, and everyone falls in love. David added, Its really a simple concept. He emphasized that such stories humanize BIPOC, showing them as regular people, just like everyone else, falling in love, making mistakes, getting silly. It seems like a humble mission but its really crucial too.

Ragin agreed, pointing out that social justice stories are important for BIPOC to tell, but so are rom-coms. If I wanted to read about Black pain all the time, I could go with social media. I feel like Im living in it, and books for me, theyre escapism. Books were going to publish in Joy Revolution are going to give people that, theyre going to give people joy. You can see another part of Black and Asian and Indigenous culture.

Nicola emphasized that books about pain and struggle are essential as well, insisting that books like that save lives; theyll literally save someones life. But I do think there is another life to be saved, and that is the metaphysical life. That is the life that says you can be the one who slays the dragon and gets the boy or girl, whoever you want. Meeting David and falling in love with him has changed my entire life. We need to see more of these stories because people of color fall in love all day, every day. I dont wake up every morning and think of the struggle: I wake up thinking, David, please make me coffee, honey. 

While discussing intersectionality in literature and how important it is, Ragin recalled being called an Oreo as a child because others thought that she acted white. She asked, What does that mean? We are people of color, we are not a monolith. Just because Nicola and I are Black does not mean we have the same experience in life. People arent defined by just their race. We need to make sure we see and hear everyone, every story, and all the ways that people can be marginalized.

When Ragin asked the Yoons about the disparagement of the romance genre by so many who dismiss such books as fluff, they defended the genre vehemently: Love is the thing that everyone wants; love makes the world go around, Nicola said. Love is not just romantic loveits love of your family, love of your work, love of your art, love of the social justice youre doing. David added, Its love of yourself.

As the conversation wound down, the Yoons buzzed about some of their recent book acquisitions for Joy Revolution: Queen Bee by Amalie Howard, a bodice ripper, David said and Nicola added, I dare you not to be sucked in from the first page. Another is You Bet Your Heart by Danielle Parker, an enemies to lovers story by a debut author, Nicola explained. David teased that their imprint also recently acquired a book that they cant reveal yet that will blow you guys away, I am so excited about it.

Were thrilled for these books, Nicola said. One of the things weve learned, the three of us doing Joy Revolution, is how many books there are out there, how many people are writing with such a need to tell these stories.

David agreed, saying, They are wanting their voices to be heard, and their voices are so unique and amazing.
Purdue University-related health care innovations and health care startup companies may reach the marketplace sooner because of a new partnership between Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization, Purdue Foundry and Boomerang Ventures. (Photo provided/Rodolfo Clix from Pexels)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. and INDIANAPOLIS  Purdue Universitys impact on lives around the globe may grow even stronger thanks to a new partnership.

An agreement between venture studio and fund Boomerang Ventures, the Purdue Foundry and the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization will assist in developing Purdue-related health care startups and health care-related intellectual property yet to reach the market.

Purdue Foundry and OTC will provide lists of startups and intellectual property to Boomerang, which will vet the lists to determine which seem most promising to them.

Oscar Moralez, founder and managing partner at Indianapolis-based Boomerang, said the health care venture studio builds companies out of promising ideas by collaborating with founders, universities, health systems and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Purdue University stands out in Indiana and the Midwest because of its College of Engineering and the Krannert School of Management. Also, Purdue Foundry and Purdue Research Foundation have been active in life science innovations for years, Moralez said. This partnership is a great way to access new technologies and increase the opportunity to bring new health care innovations to life.

Wade Lange, chief entrepreneurial officer at Purdue Foundry, said commercializing intellectual property so it solves problems in the health care space is a team sport. He said it requires adding Boomerangs complementary skills, including product development and marketing, to Purdue scientists deep technological expertise in health care.

Boomerang brings an impressive team of highly experienced professionals who are well-steeped in the disciplines of product development, sales, marketing and others to team up with Purdue researchers and bring those big ideas to market, Lange said.

Audrey Beckman, chief innovation officer at Boomerang, said the firm is excited about the synergistic opportunities that the partnership represents.

We have already seen strong life science intellectual property coming from Purdue innovators and entrepreneurs, Beckman said. Oscar Moralez has long-standing business relationships with leaders at Purdue Foundry and Purdue Research Foundation, leading to him teaching Intro to Entrepreneurship this fall. Boomerang Venture Studio looks forward to continuing to evaluate health care IP originating from Purdue University through this new partnership.

About Purdue Foundry

The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization hub whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. The Purdue Foundry is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

About Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university's academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. The office recently moved into the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in Discovery Park District, adjacent to the Purdue campus. In fiscal year 2020, the office reported 148 deals finalized with 225 technologies signed, 408 disclosures received and 180 issued U.S. patents. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. In 2020, IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.

About Boomerang

Boomerang Ventures is on a mission to help solve the most pressing health care challenges facing the world today through our venture fund and studio, ensuring a better quality of life for all. We do that by building, launching and funding new health care and life sciences companies with disruptive technologies and processes aimed at improving patient outcomes and lowering the cost of care.

Writer: Steve Martin, sgmartin@prf.org

Sources: Wade Lange, walange@prf.org

Oscar Moralez, oscar@boomerang.vc

Audrey Beckman, audrey@boomerang.vc
New York City, NY (11385)

Today

Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 71F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 71F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
When Joe Bidens Afghanistan debacle came to light only a few weeks ago, many Republicans assumed that the media would play down the issue with favorable headlines about ending the endless war or stories that emphasized Biden simply following President Trumps plan for an Afghanistan exit. But this didnt happen.

Instead, front page headlines were brutal: Reports of Detentions and Executions of Foes Despite Taliban Vow of Amnesty, Family That Worked With U.S. Buries a Father and Their Hopes, Rebuffing Allies, Biden is Sticking to Exit Deadline and Miscue After Miscue, Exit Plan Unravels. And thats just from the New York Times. Other liberal establishment news outletsThe Washington Post, USA Today, CNN and MSNBCwere equally unsparing.

What explains this sudden reversal on Biden and his presidency, while most Democrats in Congress and governorships stayed silent or followed Biden in blaming his predecessor?

One possibility is remorse.

It is likely that Biden is president today because an enormous negative story about him, broken by the New York Post two weeks before the November election, was either deliberately ignored by the other mediaincluding the social media Twitter and Facebookor baselessly dismissed as Russian disinformation. The New York Posts Twitter and Facebook accounts were frozen, and neither the newspaper nor any Americans who got wind of the story were permitted to post it on Twitter or Facebook. The news blackout was virtually complete.

The truth, however, could not be buried forever. There are always a few journalists who have the integrity or internal fortitude to report it. One of them was Glenn Greenwald, who resigned from The Intercept, a publishing organization he founded, when its editors insisted that he remove all sections of the New York Post story critical of Biden. Greenwald was finally able to get his story published in the Daily Mail, a U.K. publication, on Oct. 30, 2020, but not in the U.S.

What was this devastating story, which even todayafter the electionhas never been published in the U.S.? The New York Posts story came from a laptop owned by Hunter Biden, Joe Bidens son, which had been carelessly left with a repair shop in Delaware and never picked up. The repairman, trying to find the owner, opened the laptop and read the materials it contained. He drew the correct conclusions and turned it over to the FBI, which, two years later, has done nothing with it. He also removed the hard drive and gave it to someone who eventually turned it over to the New York Post.

It is not known how Greenwald got copies of the emails, but he said in his article that he confirmed with the recipients that they are authentic. Before Biden was nominated as his partys presidential nominee, many of Hunters business activities were known and discussed in the media, including his appointment to the board of an energy company in Ukraine named Burisma, which paid him a monthly fee of at least $50,000a princely sum for someone with no experience in the area. When he was vice president, Ukraine was one of the countries for which Joe Biden had been given particular responsibility, and the media had seen and reported a pattern in which he would take Hunter along on official trips abroad, where his son would then negotiate business deals for which he would receive substantial compensation.

Still, while the vice president knew that his son was accompanying him on official trips, there was nothing that directly connected him to what Hunter was doing. When asked about his son by the media, Biden would say, I know nothing about my sons business. When asked by reporters, the campaign would say that the reporter was spreading Russian disinformation.

But Greenwald cites two cases in which the Bidens I know nothing claim does not hold up. The first is his effort to obtain the dismissal of a Ukrainian prosecutor who was investigating Burisma. Biden was filmedand the film was widely disseminated in the U.S.telling others in Ukraine that he had told the president of Ukraine that unless the prosecutor was fired Ukraine would not get $1 billion it had been promised by the United States. He was never asked why the U.S. was interested in a prosecutor in Ukraine, but the prosecutor was dismissed. His replacement, Greenwald reports, had no prosecutorial experience and cleared the company and its chairman of any wrongdoing within 10 months.

The second case is even more damning because Joe Biden was directly involved. This involved China, another country for which he had been given responsibility by President Obama. In this case, an American businessman named Tony Bobulinski, according to Greenwald, had said he had met with Joe and Hunter Biden in connection with a deal in 2017, and produced documents  which the New York Times confirmed in an article published Aug. 29, 2021 (note: seven months after the election)  that show Hunter Biden and his uncle James Biden were involved in negotiations about a joint venture with a Chinese energy company called CEFC. Greenwald also reports that, after reviewing the same documents, Kim Strassel of the Wall Street Journal reported that they show Hunter receiving 20% of the equity in the venture and holding another 10% for the big guywho Mr. Bobulinski attests is Joe Biden.

The realization that they violated all journalistic standards in order to put the big guy in the White House is probably an adequate reason to give up protecting him as they have for other Democrats as in the past.
73, of Traverse City, died Sept. 6, 2021. Marty was the former owner of The Diner and Marty's 3 Mile Carryout. He is survived by wife, Betty; children, Mitchell and Melissa; grandchildren; brother, Bill and step-children, Alyssa, Aislyn and Lucas Johnson. Marty was preceded in death by his s
Newsom appears to have more support again in recall
Olivia is a junior journalism major at the University of Georgia. Her love for writing and sharing stories from the community led her to The Red & Black. She loves being able to highlight the people who make up the Athens community.

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This week on Tuesday and Thursday, around 300 of the University of Georgias clubs and organizations gathered in the Tate Student Center to recruit new members and show off the opportunities they have to offer to students in the upcoming semester.
A group of artists that make up From the River, To the River, install a permanent art piece they called Ask the River at the Brattleboro, Vt., Parking Garage on Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. The new art installation replaces the original one that was hung in 2015.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
To the editor: Last Saturday, I attended the informational meeting in Windham about closing our towns elementary school. I wanted to support 
BRIDGEWATER  With rushing water blocking their path, volunteer firefighters couldnt reach a 89-year-woman trapped in her house.

But her neighbors could.

Two neighbors rescued the woman on Wednesday night from the South Main Street building that once was a gristmill and later a paper-making and printing museum. The rescue came as the remnants of former Hurricane Ida swept through the area, causing significant flooding throughout the state.

Neighbors were in there helping her get to a safer location in the house, and eventually were able to assist her outside safely to their house, said Josh Murphy, chief of Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Company.

He talked to the neighbors on the phone as he saw water spill from nearby Wewaka Brook onto the property and into the house.

It was something I had never seen before at that location, he said.

It was one of many instances of flooding across the state as the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the state.

There was just so much water last night, Murphy said.

A couple of roads were closed in Bridgewater on Thursday morning, with some fallen trees and minor washouts on streets, First Selectman Curtis Read said.

The flooding at what Read called the iconic Red Mill on South Main Street appeared to be the most severe. A video posted by the Brookfield Volunteer Fire Company showed water rushing down to the house and firefighters on a nearby road.

Its incredibly scary, Read said.

Matt Denning, the homeowner and womans son, was in New York City for work when his wife called him about the flooding. He left the city at 12:15 a.m. in an Uber and hit flooding along the way.

I think the car I was in was actually floating at one point, he said.

He got home around 3 a.m., checked out the damage and went to bed. He and his immediate family live in a house nearby.

Were all tired, said Denning, who was shoveling muck at the house on Wednesday afternoon while the waterfall still flowed.

His mother has dementia and doesnt remember what happened, he said.

Im glad she doesnt remember, he said.

The Brookfield Volunteer Fire Company planned to use its ladder truck to rescue the woman. Newtowns underwater search and rescue team were on standby at the boat launch in case those crews were needed instead, Murphy said.

The neighbors, however, shared a driveway with the house and could access it when firefighters could not, he said.

Murphy said he wasnt sure how the neighbors managed to get the woman out of the house. The neighbors couldnt be reached for comment.

From what I could gather from being on the phone with them, it was pretty difficult because she was 89 and Im sure there was three feet of water in the house, he said.

The house had power, but the neighbors didnt know the layout to move around, he said.

But they did say the water was going down, so it would be more manageable, Murphy said. They made a second attempt at it.

Armed with pitchforks and shovels, Denning and his family started cleaning up the debris and mess in the morning. Rugs and furniture are ruined, but they still need to sift through their photo albums and Dennings fathers artwork.

Im just really glad the building did not collapse, he said.

Denning said hes upset that the flume attached to the waterwheel was washed away.

This is really a historic sort of landmark, Denning said. People drive by and like to see that.

Denning said he believes the structure was built in 1796 as a gristmill. Around 1920 it was owned by a famous Broadway director, who built a cabin on the property where a Hollywood actress lived.

In 1950, engineer Elmer Garrett purchased the building, installed the waterwheel and opened a paper-making and printing museum where school children toured, Denning said.

He purchased it from the Garrett family in November 2000 and has used it as his pottery studio. He and his immediate family live in a house nearby.

After Hurricane Irene, water flooded the structure, Denning said.

But nothing even close to this, he said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden on Thursday pledged robust federal help for the Northeastern and Gulf states battered by Hurricane Ida and for Western states beset by wildfires  with the catastrophes serving as deadly reminders that the climate crisis has arrived.

These extreme storms, and the climate crisis, are here, Biden said in a White House speech. We must be better prepared. We need to act.

The president said he will further press Congress to pass his nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill to improve roads, bridges, the electric grid and sewer systems. The proposal intends to ensure that the vital networks connecting cities and states and the country as a whole can withstand the flooding, whirlwinds and damage caused by increasingly dangerous weather. Biden stressed that the challenge transcends the politics of a deeply divided nation because of the threats posed by the storms and fires.

Its a matter of life and death and were all in this together, the president said.

Scientists say climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events  such as large tropical storms, and the droughts and heatwaves that create conditions for vast wildfires. U.S. weather officials recently reported that July 2021 was the hottest month ever recorded in 142 years of record-keeping.

Ida was the fifth-most powerful storm to strike the U.S. when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 150 mph (240 kph), likely causing tens of billions of dollars in flood, wind and other damage, including to the electrical grid. The storm's remnants dropped devastating rainfall across parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey on Wednesday, causing significant disruption to major population centers.

The storm has killed at least 13 in the Gulf Coast region and at least 46 in the Northeastern U.S.

More than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi remained without power after Ida toppled a major transmission tower and knocked out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations. New Orleans was plunged into total darkness; power began returning to parts of the city Wednesday. Biden is set to visit Louisiana on Friday to survey some of the damage and meet with government officials there.

Biden said the flooding in Louisiana was less than the region experienced 16 years ago during Hurricane Katrina, crediting federal investments in the area's levee system.

We know that there is much to be done in this response on our part," Biden added. "We need to get power restored. We need to get more food, fuel and water deployed.

He said he was receiving hourly updates on the disaster response and outlined efforts by the federal government to ease recovery efforts, including by making satellite imagery available to utility companies and waiving some regulatory requirements.

At Bidens request, the Energy Department said it was releasing 1.5 million barrels of oil from the nations Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure a steady fuel supply in the Gulf region, where sunken vessels are blocking key supply lines along the Mississippi River. The oil will be used by ExxonMobil at its Baton Rouge refinery. The company has agreed to replenish the strategic reserve, which is used as an emergency stockpile, within three months.

The president also scolded insurers who are declining to pay for the costs of damage or hotel stays for people who had to evacuate their homes.

Don't hide behind the fine print and technicalities, Biden warned the insurers. Do the right thing and pay your policyholders what you owe them.

Biden said separately that the Pentagon was assisting with ongoing firefighting operations in California against the Caldor fire.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards suggested Biden's Friday visit would be crucial for the president to understand the destruction by seeing the widespread damage for himself.

Theres nothing quite like visiting in person, Edwards told reporters Wednesday following a briefing with local elected officials in Jefferson Parish, which took direct blows from Ida. When you see it for yourself, it is just so much more compelling.

Asked what type of assistance he planned to request from Biden, Edwards said, Quite frankly, the list is going to be very, very long. But he said a priority would be for a housing program to help people rebuild.

The White House says Biden has held several conference calls with governors and local officials to discuss preparations and needs after the storm, and has received briefings from Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell.

FEMA had sent tons of supplies, including generators, tarps and other materials to the region before the storm, and federal response teams are working on search and rescue.

Biden's trip Friday to the Gulf region will cap a difficult stretch for the president, who oversaw the chaotic exit of the U.S. military from Afghanistan after a 20-year engagement. That included the deaths of 13 U.S. service members helping evacuate more than 120,000 Americans, Afghan allies and others fleeing life under Taliban rule.

As Ida bore down on the Gulf Coast on Sunday, Biden was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the return of the remains of the 13 U.S. servicemen and women who were killed in suicide bombing last week at Afghanistan's airport in Kabul, where the evacuations were taking place.

___

Associated Press writers Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, La., and Christina Larson and Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.
NEW HARTFORD  Nearly a month has passed since the New Hartford House was devastated by a three-alarm fire. The landmark building, which was home to six businesses and numerous tenants on the second floor, was torn down the day after the Aug. 10 blaze.

The property owner, Dhaval Patel, said he is planning to restore the historic building.

We are still in the early stages to talk about Phase 1 for the building, and some of the reports need to be reviewed, Patel said.

New Hartford House was the historic building in the center of the town, and it will be restored, he said. However, this will take some time; with the support of the town we will move forward quickly. I'm so thankful to the people and the community of New Hartford, who came together, for their support.

New Hartford Fire Marshal Bob Biorio is investigating the cause of the fire with the help of state officials, he said this week.

Were still actively investigating this with the state, he said. We know its on a lot of peoples minds, and so were doing our due diligence with this. I dont know exactly how much longer its going to take. Theres a lot of details that were looking into.

Patel, meanwhile, is working with the fire marshal and insurance investigators, as well as his bank, he said.

My intent is to build it back up, he said. People have an emotional feeling about New Hartford House; I have gotten so much feedback from people about how they loved the building. He expects to meet with town officials soon.

We will create a plan thats in compliance with all the towns requirements, because we want to work with the town to make this happen, he said. It will be a process. We do have to move quickly, but were going to have to start from square one.

Patel said he was still saddened by the loss of the building. Its still a shock for me, in a way, he said. The town and the firefighters did so much; Im so grateful to all of them. People, even ones I didnt know, have been very nice to me. We will move forward, and the house will be there. Im pretty much committed to do everything in my power to make it happen.

After the fire, Christine Hayward, administrative assistant to First Selectman Dan Jerram, began collecting donations and put them in the towns Neighbor To Neighbor fund, which is used to help residents in need of emergency money for rent or utilities.

We have received many gift cards, and we have distributed them to displaced residents for food, temporary housing, clothing, gas and other needs, Hayward said.

After providing that immediate assistance, she said the rest of the donations will be provided on a case-by-case basis, by request.

Once the tenants find a permanent housing situation, they can come to the town and request money for a security deposit or first months rent, Hayward said. We do have one tenant who has found permanent hosing and we were able to give them a security deposit.

People were very generous, and we appreciate the donations, she said. Were distributing them in a fair and equitable manner.

Businesses on the first floor were wiped out, and some have found new locations to reopen including the New Hartford Barber Shop.

Burlington firefighter and EMT Colin McFadden, 26, suffered a medical emergency while working with crews on the fire and died several days later. The six-year member of the Burlington Volunteer Fire Department had been listed in critical condition at John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington, according to Fire Chief Michael Boucher.

The fire department asked people to consider donating blood to the American Red Cross, which says hospitals are in critical need of blood and plasma supplies. Residents can visit www.redcross.org to make an appointment.
Lebanon, IN (46052)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 62F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 62F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
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.

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Season 5 of Money Heist will premiere on Netflix in two parts in September and December 2021. On September 3, 2021, Money Heist Season 5, Volume 1 will be released worldwide. On December 3, 2021, Volume 2 of the final season will be released worldwide.

Money Heist Season 5 Release Date, Episodes & Parts

When the Spanish series first aired on Netflix in 2017, it became an international sensation. Now, the series is set to make a comeback with its fifth season this year. The original title for the show in Spanish reads, 'La Casa de Papel' and is widely referred to as such. The crime drama series is currently one of the most-watched non-English series on Netflix. Money Heist Season 4, which aired in April 2020, broke all of the previous milestones set by the show, by garnering over 65 million views.

La Casa de Papel / Money Heist Part 5 Vol 1. premieres this Friday! Here's a rundown of the new episode titles pic.twitter.com/ucKJqL1tkB  Netflix (@netflix) August 30, 2021

Season 5 trailer and Easter egg

On August 2, 2021, Netflix released the first trailer for Money Heist Season 5, Vol. 1. According to reports, Season 5 will be two episodes longer than previous seasons, with a total of ten episodes to wrap up the series. Vol. 1 and 2 will most likely feature five episodes each. There's an Easter egg in the trailer for the final season. The resistance anthem, "Bella Ciao", was playing during the credits. The cover is performed by actress Najwa Nimri. Those fighting Berlin and Sergio may be heard singing just before that. This has been making fans wonder if Alicia will be a part of the group. Nimri also says the final line of dialogue before the credits. Another theory is that Alicia is Berlin's wife, Tatiana, from the flashbacks. While they share some similarities, Tatiana is played by Diana Gomez, not Nimri, thus this doesn't seem likely as per the fans.

Rendirse no es una opcion.

Surrendering is not an option. #LCDP5 pic.twitter.com/WOc1gz0Vxu  La Casa de Papel (@lacasadepapel) August 2, 2021

A company gives off to employees to watch the final season

Netflix India has announced that Verve Logic, an Indian IT company, will give its employees a day off on September 3 to watch the first volume of Money Heist Season 5. CEO Abhishek Jain wrote in a letter that was made public. He said, "We have taken this initiative not just to save an attack on our emails with false leaves, mass bunks, and numbers being switched off, but because we know 'Sometimes Moments of Chill be The Best Pills for Energy At Your Work'". Netizens have been reacting to this and calling the employees lucky.

Have Been Going Over the Love We have Received.!

Yes it is real and we are absolutely happy to announce an off on 3rd September naming it to be "Netflix & Chill Holiday" on the release of final season of #MoneyHeist @NetflixIndia- Please don't end this one! "Kehdo Ye Juth Hai" pic.twitter.com/M9RmFbZPOi  Verve Logic (@VerveLogic) August 30, 2021

New characters introduced to the storyline

Netflix also teased the three new characters in the trailer released in August. This includes Sagasta (played by Jose Manuel Seda), the Commander of the Special Forces of the Spanish Army. Jose Manuel Seda will debut as the cold and ruthless Sagasta, Commander of the Spanish Army's Special Forces, who has his sights set on bringing down the Professor's gang once and for all. Netflix also announced new cast members, Miguel Angel Silvestre and Patrick Criado. Patrick Criado is 24 years old. This makes him one of Money Heist Season 5's youngest cast members. Criado's work with Berlin was featured on the official La Casa de Papel Twitter feed on August 19. Rafael is the name of his character, and he is regarded as a prodigal son.

Berlin, played by Pedro Alonso, is also expected to return for the final season of the show. He and Vancouver Media teased his participation in the final season. A majority of his appearances since Money Heist Season 3 have been in flashbacks. Season 5 is likely to feature more of Berlin's background. The rest of the cast will return for their respective roles in the show. This includes Itziar Ituno (Raquel Murillo), Pedro Alonso (Berlin), Miguel Herran (Rio), Jaime Lorente (Denver), Esther Acebo (Monica Gaztambide), Enrique Arce (Arturo Roman), Rodrigo de la Serna (Palermo), Darko Peric (Helsinki), Najwa Nimri (Alicia Sierra), Hovik Keuchkerian (Bogota), Luka Peros (Marseille), Belen Cuesta (Manila), Fernando Cayo (Luis Tamayo), Fernando Soto (Angel Rubio), Jose Manuel Poga (Cesar Gandia) and Mario de la Rosa (Suarez).

Money Heist Season 4 recap

The Professor (Alvaro Morte) was apprehended by Alicia Sierra, the pregnant inspector, played by Najwa Nimri. She had gone rogue at the end of Money Heist Season 4. The fourth season ends with a new rendition of Bella Ciao, as Alicia points a gun at the professor. The group has to work on the last phases of the heist and find a way out of the Bank of Spain. With the military involved and the Professor in danger, the gang is expected to have a difficult time fleeing the bank. The gang in the basement continues to melt down the gold into little balls for extraction in Season 4.

(IMAGE: NETFLIX INDIA - TWITTER)
Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United after 12 years has taken the internet by a storm. The player's return has had a number of fans claiming several 'facts' about the nature of his return, including a recent claim that says that Queen Elizabeth II has placed an order for 80 of Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United jerseys for her staff. The claims also state that the Queen demanded that the first signed jersey by the player be reserved for her. Are these claims true? Read here -

Did Queen Elizabeth II ask for a signed Cristiano Ronaldo jersey?

On September 1, days after Manchester United first announced Cristiano Ronaldo's return to his home turf, a rumor began circulating on social media that Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom demanded a signed jersey from Cristiano Ronaldo, thereby requesting his autograph. However, this rumor is simply untrue. The rumors began when Sport Innovation Society tweeted this:

Did the Queen order 80 Ronaldo jerseys for her staff?

The news has since been picked up by a number of outlets and social media pages. The original account that tweeted the story, has since deleted the above tweet and issued public apology. Here's what they said:

We could not confirm the veracity of the note from the Queen and CR7 so we decided to delete the tweet. Apologies  Sport Innovation Society (@sis) September 1, 2021

This rumor however has not been stopped in its tracks, despite the apology tweeted out by SIS. Media outlets have also picked up on the story and repeated it as a true story, citing the same source that originally tweeted - then deleted - then apologized - for the story. No other credible source has confirmed the news.

In addition, Queen Elizabeth II has not been known to be a Manchester United fan. She has never explicitly expressed her support for the club and a 2018 report by goal.com even claims that while she prefers to be neutral to the sport, The Queen is a closet West Ham fan. The report also claims that the Queen of England allegedly has a soft spot for Arsenal, but hasn't expressed any particular support for Manchester United.

IMAGE - AP/ THE ROYAL FAMILY INSTA
During the meeting of the European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Council, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India sees to vigour its relation with the EU while refuting "the Western-Non-Western binary".

Speaking at the Bled Strategic Forum panel, Jaishankar said, "Europe needs to know that it has friends in Asia, in the Indo-Pacific, that share a lot of principles and values that Europe has. By strengthening India-EU relations, we refute the Western-Non-Western binary."

The EAM asserted India and Europe have several existing issues that are meeting points with one of them being Europe stand vis-a-vis Asia and Indo-Pacific. "After 2008, Europe has been much more reticent about articulating its decisions and backing that up beyond its immediate confines," Jaishankar said.

"Today, when you speak about a liberal order, trust and transparency, these are issues which, at one time may have been more central to our Western discourse, but are today increasingly shared beyond the Western world," he added.

During a panel on "Partnership for rule-based orders in the Indo-Pacific", Kenya's Chief Administrative Secretary said that his nation believes in partnerships. "The EU-India partnership is definitely significant. It does present opportunities for engagements," he said.

The other members of the panel discussion include EAM S. Jaishankar, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva and Foreign Minister of Slovenia Dr Anze Logar.

Notably, this was an informal meeting of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council. At present, Slovenia holds the chair of the council of the European Union and invited Jaishankar to attend the informal meeting.

EAM Jaishankar's visit to European Countries

The External Affairs Minister is currently on an official visit to Slovenia, Denmark and Croatia. His official tour, which will last till September 5, is an effort to boost bilateral relations and strengthen co-operation between Indian and Central European countries.

On September 3, EAM will visit Croatia and hold bilateral talks will foreign minister Gordan Grlic Radman. On September 4 and 5, Jaishamr will visit and co-chair the Indo-Danish Joint Commission Meeting also with Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod.

With inputs from ANI
Amid the fast-evolving Afghanistan situation, India is all set to show its military might to the world. After sixteen months of stand-off with China and six months of ceasefire agreement with Pakistan, India will participate in a joint military exercise with its neighbours. The military exercise Zapad-21 will be held in Russia from September 3, wherein troops of 17 countries have been invited.

ZAPAD 2021 is one of the theatre level exercises of the Russian Armed Forces and will focus primarily on operations against terrorists. Over a dozen countries from the Eurasian and South Asian Regions will participate in this signature event. The countries invited include China, Pakistan, Armenia, Belarus, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Serbia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. India will be participating in Zapad with a strength of 250 troops.

The NAGA Battalion group participating in the exercise will feature an all Arms combined task force. The exercise aims to enhance military and strategic ties amongst the participating nations while they plan & execute this exercise. The Indian Contingent has been put through a strenuous training schedule that encompasses all facets of conventional operations including mechanised, airborne & heliborne, counter-terrorism, combat conditioning and firing.

In 2019, the Indian Army had participated in Exercise Tsentr with a strength of 140 personnel while staying away from the 2020 Kavkaz exercise, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Kavkaz exercise, China and Pakistan had also participated in the joint exercise. The two-week-long exercise will take place at Mulino Training Ground in Nizhniy, which is 423 km east of Moscow. Zapad-2021 is a part of the annual series of large-scale exercises that are significant to the Russian Armed Force's annual training cycle.

The series rotates through four main Russian strategic Commands, including Zapad (West), Vostok (East), Tsentr (Center), and Kavkaz (Caucasus). Indian troops will not only display their strength but also enhance interoperability with friendly foreign armies in the 17 nation exercise. India's fine coordination with friendly nations including Russia will send across a message to China and Pakistan during the Zapad exercise.

IMAGE: PTI
Kolkata, Sep 1 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to withdraw the price hike of LPG cylinders and said rising prices of fuels and domestic cooking gas are "unacceptable".

Claiming that the Centre is taking "anti-people" policies, Banerjee said "unprecedented" hikes in petrol, diesel and cooking gas are taking a toll on common people.

The prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders across all categories, including subsidised ones, were hiked on Wednesday by Rs 25 per cylinder-- the third straight increase in rates in less than two months.

"It pains me deeply to see how apathetic the BJP government is and how anti-people their policies are! We have seen unprecedented hikes in petrol, diesel, cooking gas and cooking oil. This has taken a heavy toll on our people and their families. This is absolutely unacceptable and unpardonable," Banerjee said on Twitter.

She also said, "I would request the Hon'ble Prime Minister to kindly act upon the concerns of our people and withdraw such hikes, immediately." Subsidised and non-subsidised LPG rates were hiked by Rs 25.50 per cylinder on July 1. Non-subsidised LPG rates rose by Rs 25 per cylinder on August 1 and by the same proportion on August 18. PTI SCH BDC BDC

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Nigerian police said on Wednesday that gunmen kidnapped 73 students in another school attack in northern Nigeria, leading authorities to close all elementary and secondary schools in Zamfara state. According to local resident Yusuf Mohammed, attackers stormed the Government Day Secondary School in the isolated village of Kaya on Wednesday.

The kidnappers then began shooting into the air before abducting the children. The new kidnappings come just days after three other sets of hostages were reportedly freed after substantial ransom payments.

1,000 children have been kidnapped since December

Since December, almost 1,000 children have been kidnapped from schools in northern Nigeria. According to UNICEF, while the majority of the students have eventually been released, several were killed while in captivity, and about 200 remained captives before Wednesday's attack. Officials from the government haven't said whether they had anything to do with the hostage releases reported on Friday, but it appears that parents from at least one of the schools paid a large ransom.

Many parents in Niger state sold most of their belongings in order to raise finances totalling more than 30 million naira (about $72,900). A teacher from one of Nigeria's schools mentioned that the Salihu Tanko Islamiya School had sold a plot of land where they had planned an expansion project.

It's still unclear whether the kidnappers of the three different hostage groups last week were linked or if the simultaneous releases were just a coincidence. The events took place in different states and drew students of various ages. This year's rash of kidnappings has been blamed on criminals operating out of isolated, forested parts of northern Nigeria, according to the authorities.

The majority of the shooters are reported to be young Fulani males who used to work as cattle herders before turning to the lucrative crime of kidnapping children for ransom.

Some worry that Gunmen are linked to Islamic militants

Some worry that the gunmen in the northwest are linked to Islamic militants who have long operated in the northeast. They attracted international criticism in 2014 when they abducted 276 schoolgirls in Chibok. More than a hundred of those girls have gone missing and two have just been found, both of whom had children with the militants they were forced to marry.

(Inputs from AP News)

Image- Unsplash
Beijing, Sep 2 (AP) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned United States climate envoy John Kerry that deteriorating US-China relations could undermine cooperation between the two on climate change.

Wang told Kerry by video link on Wednesday that such cooperation cannot be separated from the broader relationship and called on the US to take steps to improve ties, a Foreign Ministry news release said.

Kerry, who is in the Chinese city of Tianjin for climate talks with his Chinese counterparts, said that China plays a super-critical role in the effort to combat climate change, according to a brief video clip from the meeting shown on CGTN, the international arm of state broadcaster CCTV.

China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, followed by the United States.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained by disputes over trade, technology and human rights. But the sides have identified the climate crisis as an area for possible cooperation.

China and the US have differences on some issues. In the meantime, we share common interests in a range of areas such as climate change," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing Wednesday.

Both sides should maintain dialogue and communication on the basis of mutual respect and carry out mutually beneficial cooperation," Wang said.

The world's biggest coal user, China obtains roughly 60 per cent of its power from coal and is the world's biggest source of greenhouse gases. It plans to build more coal-fired power plants but still plans to taper its use of the fossil fuel.

Kerry made a stop in Japan on Tuesday to discuss climate issues with Japanese officials before heading to China.

Beijing has pointed to historical US emissions as a reason to resist action while making advances in solar power and other renewable energy sources. China has set a target of generating 20 per cent of the country's total energy consumption from renewables by 2025, becoming carbon-neutral by 2060 and reducing total emissions starting from 2030.

President Joe Biden has announced a goal to cut up to 52 per cent of US greenhouse gas emissions by 2030  double the target set by President Barack Obama in the 2015 Paris climate accord. The 2030 goal vaults the US into the top tier of countries on climate ambition.

Kerry has called for stronger efforts to to curb rising temperatures to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. He urged China to join the US in urgently cutting carbon emissions.

Global decarbonising efforts will come under the spotlight at a UN conference to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in late November, known as COP26. (AP) HDA

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On the occasion of Rudolf Weigl's 138th birth anniversary, on September 2, Google has honored the Polish inventor, doctor, and immunologist with a unique doodle portraying him holding a test tube in his gloved hands. The doodle illustrator has spelled out Google with all that is used in a lab for testing purposes.

A birthday #GoogleDoodle for Polish doctor, immunologist & microbe hunter Rudolf Weigl 



Through research of bacteria carried by body lice, he developed the first effective vaccine against epidemic typhus & helped save countless lives



Discover more  https://t.co/1NMxT4KUvQ pic.twitter.com/szTKXoBBb8  Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) September 2, 2021

Polish biologist Rudolf Stefan Jan Weigl was born on September 2, 1883, in the Austro-Hungarian town of Przerow. He studied biological sciences at Polands Lwow University and was appointed as a parasitologist in the Polish Army in 1914. When Eastern Europe witnessed the Typhus plague, Weigl contributed immensely towards the development of the typhus vaccine.

Rudolf Weigl's achievement

The typhus-infecting bacteria, Rickettsia prowazekii, are usually carried by body lice and so this insect was adapted into a laboratory specimen by Weigl. He studied this specimen for years and his research revealed how to use lice to propagate the deadly bacteria with the hope of developing a vaccine. In 1936, Weigls vaccine successfully inoculated its first beneficiary.

During the Second World War when Germany occupied Poland, Weigl was forced to open a vaccine production plant. He used the facility to hire friends and colleagues at risk of persecution under the new regime. Due to Weigls work during the war period, over 5,000 people were saved. He helped people both directly and indirectly. His efforts protected his neighbors and thousands of vaccine doses were distributed nationwide.

Today, Rudolf Weigl is widely known as a remarkable scientist and hero. His work has been honored by two Nobel Prize nominations.

Typhus infection

Louse-borne Typhus Fever is one of the oldest pestilential diseases of humankind. It was first recognized in the late fifteenth century with certainty as causing devastating epidemics. Some of the symptoms of the disease include chills, fever, and severe headaches. The duration of the fever is from 10 to 21 days. But, in severe cases, this develops into stupor and coma, accompanied by secondary infections and renal failure. And today, with the help of antibiotics including tetracyclines, quinolones, chloramphenicol, and para-aminobenzoic acid, the risk of a fatal issue is greatly reduced.

Image: GOOGLE.COM
As the Taliban has taken over Afghanistan, India has tightened its security on Attari Border. India has installed its first Radiation Detection Equipment (RDE) at Integrated Check Post (ICP) at the Attari border, according to news agency ANI. The government has installed the RDE at Attari border amid the developing situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

India installs RDE at ICP at Attari border

The Chairman of the Land Ports Authority of India, Aditya Mishra recently informed about the installation of first Radiation Detection Equipment (RDE) at the Attari border. He stated that the device is a full-body truck scanner. Aditya Mishra explained that when the truck passes through it, the device will conduct a full X-Ray of the truck. The device will be able to detect any arms, ammunition, other illegal articles, smuggling of any radioactive materials.

"The device is called a full-body truck scanner in which entire trucks pass through. It is basically an X-ray of a truck to detect any smuggling of arms, ammunition, or other illegal articles. It will also catch smuggling of any radioactive materials", ANI quoted Aditya Mishra as saying.

Amid the ongoing situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan, India has installed its first Radiation Detection Equipment (RDE) at Integrated Check Post (ICP) at the Attari Border. pic.twitter.com/Cukpp5oIOx  ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2021

Furthermore, Mishra noted that the machines will help the guarding border forces in detecting the "illicit trafficking or smuggling of radio active materials" through the border. According to ANI, trade with Pakistan has been suspended, however, trucks from Afghanistan are allowed to enter the country through the Attari border. It is reported that each day about 30 trucks of dry fruits from Afghanistan come to India through the Attari border. According to ANI report, more RDEs at the ICPs are planned to be installed at Attari border, Petrapole, Dawki, Agartala, Sutarkani, Moreh, Raxaul and Jogbani.

Pakistan has been backing Taliban all along through the hostile takeover of Afghanistan. The US has abandoned a huge stash of weaponry which the Taliban has now taken over, and on a daily basis, statements are being made by either Pakistan or the Taliban relating to India, including an assertion by the spokesperson of Pak PM Imran Khan's PTI party who said that Taliban would help Pakistan conquer Kashmir.

Taliban takeover

On Sunday, August 15, the Taliban re-conquered over Kabul before the complete withdrawal of US troops. On Sunday, several government officials and legislators, including the country's former President Ashraf Ghani, fled the country. Panic and chaotic scenes were witnessed at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport as people tried to leave the war-ravaged nation in order to escape the Taliban rule. The US had set a deadline of August 31 for complete withdrawal of their troops from the war-torn nation.

IMAGE: ANI

Inputs from ANI
Islamabad, Sep 1 (PTI) Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan was not "responsible or orderly", warning that the "consequences of abandonment" could lead to a civil war in the war-ravaged country if the West failed to engage with the Taliban.

Qureshi warned of potential "anarchy" and a resurgent threat of terrorism and said there was a failure to listen to Pakistan's concerns about ending the war in Afghanistan and as a result the withdrawal was not "responsible or orderly", Geo News reported.

The last C-17 cargo aircraft carrying US forces took off from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in the early hours of Tuesday, ending America's military campaign in Afghanistan.

The Taliban, ousted from power by the US shortly after the 9/11 attacks, now control nearly all of the country.

"Things could become chaotic, there could be anarchy, and that will give space to the organisations we all dread: the international terrorist organisation that we do not want their footprint to grow in Afghanistan, he said.

The foreign minister said that the "consequences of abandonment" are dangerous and could lead to a civil war." Qureshi said that the West should now test the new Taliban government to ensure it keeps its promises.

He said that if the West did not maintain dialogue with the Taliban, Afghanistan could fall victim to another civil war and a new wave of terrorism could spread in the region.

"They should have learned from their mistakes," he said.

"And I think the attitude and the approach they are taking is reflective of a different approach," the minister said.

"What Im saying is test them (Taliban) before trusting them. Theyre (making) big statements but let us see if they live up to them and if they do, then build on it because the other option is far worse, he said.

Qureshi said the initial statements made by the Taliban leadership were positive and encouraging.

He hoped that the Taliban would work to establish an inclusive government in the multi-ethnic state.

One option is engagement as opposed to isolation, you know we've withdrawn, let's wash our hands, weve done our bit, we leave. That is a dangerous option. That is an option of abandonment of Afghan people, he said.

He said that the same mistake was committed in the 1990s and urged the international community not to repeat the same mistake again. PTI SH RS RS

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As the Taliban prepares to form a new government after taking over Afghanistan, the Pakistan government has made a big admission on the terror group. Pakistan's interior minister Sheikh Rashid during his conversation on Hum News programme Breaking Point with Malick, admitted that the country has been a 'custodian' of Taliban leaders. Rashid also added that Pakistan has 'taken care of Taliban for a long time'.

'Custodians of Taliban': Pakistan's interior minister's admission on camera

"These top Taliban leaders were born in Pakistan and they got education in Pakistan. We have taken care of them for a long time. We have done everything for them," said Sheikh Rashid

Earlier on Saturday, Imran Khan-led PTI's spokesperson Abdul Samad Yacoob openly admitted on live television that Taliban terrorists operate from Pakistan. Participating on Republic TV's debate, the PTI leader admitted that terrorists from Afghanistan often enter cross borders and operate from Waziristan.

"The Afghan-Pakistan border is always vulnerable whenever it comes to terrorism. Militants from Afghanistan sometimes cross the Pakistan border and operate from our Waziristan province," said Yacoob.

Even after the Taliban captured Afghanistan, Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on August 21 assured that Pakistan is committed to playing a 'constructive role' for sustainable peace in the war-torn country. Earlier, it was also reported that Qureshi will be Taliban's first guest after the insurgent took control of major cities in Afghanistan.

Taliban takes over Afghanistan

After months of offensive, the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15 after major cities like Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad and Lashkar Gah fell without resistance. This was followed by a withdrawal of US and NATO troops after 20 years from war-torn Afghanistan. As the Taliban breached Kabul, Ashraf Ghani, the democratically elected President fled from the country with some other officials. Soon after the terrorist group took over Kabul, chaos erupted as thousands have swarmed Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport in a bid to flee from the Taliban's rule. US President Joe Biden has defended his decision of withdrawing troops from the war-torn country. The Taliban is now in talks with ex-Presidents Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah for a 'peaceful power transition'. Evacuation of Afghans and other nationals is underway from Kabul airport which is under US troops' control.
In a key development on September 1, Pakistani lawmaker Mohsin Dawar along with his Pashtun colleagues launched a party called National Democratic Movement (NDM). The aim of the political party is to promote a secular, federal and democratic parliamentary system. Dawar is a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and has been a member of Pakistan's National Assembly since August 2018.

NDM, which was launched in Peshawar, seeks to 'establish a just, peaceful, tolerant and humane society' wherein citizens enjoy fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, association and protection of the law, a Pakistani newsweekly reported. The leaders of the newly formed party promised to work for provincial autonomy, the supremacy of the parliament, and allocating funds to education, health and human development.

Pakistan's new political party- National Democratic Movement (NDM)

Taking to Twitter, Mohsin Dawar said that the NDM is set to redress grievances of the oppressed from every part of Pakistan & will resist the growing militarisation that is dominating every sphere.

"We believe in providing space for the youth to lead this movement & to steer the country towards equality & progress", he added.

#NationalDemocraticMovement will work towards the estb of a genuine federal parliamentary democracy, where all citizens r equal & exercising their constitutional rights. We stand for peaceful coexistence with other countries & seek an economic policy that is ind & people-centric.  Mohsin Dawar (@mjdawar) September 1, 2021

"The Central Organising committee was formed after extensive consultations held over the last few months with inputs from leaders, friends and supporters involved in the process," the newly formed party said on Twitter.

The party manifesto was also announced at the launch.

The manifesto of the #NationalDemocraticMovement has been announced by the Central Organising Committee in the ongoing press conference in Peshawar. pic.twitter.com/23tTGyi8Sw  National Democratic Movement (@NationalDemMovt) September 1, 2021

"The state must provide protection and facilities to all religions and beliefs without prejudice, discrimination or interference," the document reads, as quoted by a local news agency.

NDM aims at Federal structure in Pakistan

The party said that the powers of the state and the government cannot be absolute and should respect the fundamental rights of citizens outlined under the country's Constitution. It also recognises "the historical marginalisation of smaller provinces in the distribution of resources."

"Pakistan is a multinational, multilingual, multicultural and multi-religious country with various units of historical identity and consciousness that must be acknowledged and recognized. Our party will strive to establish a new development agreement between all provinces...the aim of which will be to establish a just system based on equality... and to devise a power-sharing system based on political consensus and a decentralised federal system," the manifesto reads.

Dawar, who hails from Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) has time and again accused the Pakistan Army of carrying out violence in the region with impunity.

The leaders of NDM vowed to work for provincial autonomy, the supremacy of the parliament, the inclusion of youth in national affairs and reducing the non-development expenditures and allocating funds to education, health and human development,' party workers stated.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khans administration has been accused of quelling anti-government protests, imprisoning dissenters and political leaders with the help of the countrys military, according to news agency reports. While the ruling party Tehreek-e-Insaf [PTI] has dismissed allegations of a systematic campaign against the opposition lawmakers, Pakistan's Opposition leader Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday openly condemned Imran Khan-led government of silencing dissenting voices and applying tactics to "fix" media, ahead of the countrys 2023 polls, ANI reports.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president accused the incumbent government of pre-poll rigging to manipulate the election results, according to Pakistans leading newspaper Dawn. She also reportedly threatened the Imran Khan government, warning, that they were not living in 2017 anymore. Maryam spoke with the reporters outside the court where she attended the hearing related to her conviction appeals in the Avenfield Apartment case. She launched a scathing attack on Pakistans Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, saying that the party has wreaked havoc within the country and has played with the future of its citizens during its three years of tenure, as she accused Pakistans PM of influencing the votes.

Maryam also lambasted the federal cabinet for passing the draconian Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) bill. The legislation seeks heavy regulation of the countrys media giving the ruling government powers to shut down any channel, although the ruling party lawmakers argued that theres no provision for criminal liability in the proposed law. Video footage of Pakistan's Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry seated with digital broadcasters, including YouTubers, emerged earlier this month wherein he warned that if the controversial law s passed, the declaration of at least 50 percent of the newspapers in Pakistan would be scrapped.

"The country has never witnessed such devastation in the last 73 years; people have never experienced such an incompetent, inefficient and insensitive government since 1947," Maryam was quoted as saying by ANI. Furthermore, she called on the political forces to reconcile and push back the country on the right track. Ruling PTI government should be excluded from the reconciliation process, she added.

PML-N vice president: 'Illegitimate' gov't meted out 'brutality' against Nawaz Sharif

PML-N vice president, lambasting the ruling government, said that her party PML-N denounces the PMDA bill and will readily oppose any efforts to curb the free media and expression within the country, Dawn reported. She also blasted Khan for resorting to censorship. The latter also condemned the Prime Minister for subjecting ex-leader Nawaz Sharif to ruthless accountability for the last three years, adding that there was every kind of brutality meted out by the illegitimate government that had confined Sharif behind the bars.
On the backdrop of the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan, the US military officials have now held discussions with Pakistan. US General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday had a telephonic conversation with Army Chief of Staff of Pakistan General Qamar Javed Bajwa over issues of mutual interest. The two army officials also talked about the current security environment in Pakistan and the surrounding region.

"Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Gen. Mark A. Milley spoke with Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa by telephone today," Joint Staff Spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said in a statement. "The senior leaders discussed items of mutual interest, including the current security environment in Pakistan and the region," he added. The phone conversation took place following the US drawdown from Afghanistan, ending its 20 years of military presence in the war-torn country.

US discuss Afghanistan situation with foreign leaders

The United States, following their withdrawal from Afghanistan, has been in talks with various leaders and stakeholders around the world. According to international reports, the US officials have been discussing issues concerning the developments in Afghanistan with the many leaders. Earlier on Tuesday, Pentagon had informed that their Chief Lloyd Austin spoke with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan.

Besides Qatari Emir, the Pentagon has now held talks with several foreign leaders. Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Norwegian Minister of Defense Frank Bakke-Jensen, UAE Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Canadian Minister of National Defence Harjit S. Sajjan and German Federal Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer were the few other leaders, the Pentagon chief has talked to in the last few days. The situation in Afghanistan has remained alarming since the US announcement regarding their withdrawal came last month. The US completed their drawback from the war-ravaged country on August 31.

Pakistan envoy denies Islamabad link to the Taliban

Pakistans ambassador in the US, Asad Majeed Khan, called out US Congressman Michael G Waltz for urging president Joe Biden to take action against Pakistan by cutting off Washingtons aid to Islamabad. The Pakistan envoy said that the US should stop placing the blame on Islamabad for the fall of Afghanistan while also noting that the crisis in the South Asian country is due to kleptocratic leadership. Earlier, Waltz, in a letter to Biden, called for action against Pakistan for the countrys assistance to the terrorists and also claimed that the Taliban captured Kabul with Islamabads support.

IMAGE: AP
On, Wednesday, a three-member bench was appointed by the Sri Lankan Supreme Court to hear the matter filed against suspects for carrying out a suicide attack during Easter in 2019. The fatal attack had taken the lives of more than 270 people, including 11 Indians, according to a report by PTI. The report stated that as many as 23,270 charges were filed by the Lankan police against 35 people in connection with the case. These charges were filed last month under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The three-judge bench includes justice Amal Ranaraja and Navaratne Marasinghe, which will be headed by Colombo High Court Judge Damith Thotawatte, reported PTI. It should be mentioned here that the bench was reportedly appointed after a request for the same was made by Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam to Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya last month.

The series of blasts killed more than 270 and injured over 500

The bombing rocked the island nation in 2019 when it was about to mark a decade since ending the long-fought Tamil separatist war in May 2009. The series of blasts, carried out by a local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS, had ravaged three churches and many luxury hotels in the Buddhist-majority nation killing over 270 people and leaving more than 500 injured. The attack had caused a political storm in the country as the then government headed by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had become the cynosure of criticism for failing to stop such attacks despite having prior intelligence about the strikes, reported PTI.

Catholic Church demands action against the then Sri Lankan government

Showing dissatisfaction over the ongoing investigations, the Catholic Church had also criticised the government. It also alleged that the government is trying to cover up the matter. It also called for actions against Sirisena and Wickremesinghe as they were found guilty of preventing the attack by a commission of inquiry. The then Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was criticised for not being strict against rising Islamic militancy in Sri Lanka, however, he had outrightly denied it. Ahead of the Presidential election in 2019, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had promised to bring culprits to book and hundreds of suspects have been arrested by the Lankan police as of now, reported PTI.

Image Credits: AP/PTI/Representative
At least four people have died after a huge rush at a key Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing led to a stampede, Tolo News reported. Islamabad, on Thursday, closed the Chaman border crossing which connects Afghanistans Kandahar Province with Baluchistan, triggering panic amidst Taliban fearing people. Notably, Pakistan, which shares a 2,670 km long border with Afghanistan, is one of the most affected countries by the influx of fleeing refugees.

One of the deceased was a 64-year-old Afghan refugee named Saif Ullah, who was trying to enter Pakistan. Later speaking to CNN, his son Shahid Ullah said that he and his father were crossing the border along with rest of their family members when they lost him. Later, he found his father dead. A video from the stampede made its way to Twitter and has been viewed by over 10 thousand people.

The image of the misery of a nation; Pakistan-Afghanistan border through #Spinboldak o #Kandahar is closed. Due to crowd 4 people killed. Thousands of people including women and children are sleeping near the borderline right now. pic.twitter.com/I4ZCAMDOPJ  Muslim Shirzad (@MuslimShirzad) September 2, 2021

Border closed for some days

Earlier in the day, Pakistans Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed announced that the Chaman crossing would be closed for some days pertaining to security threats. We will be closing the Chaman crossing for a while. Our forces are present at the border. We are proud of our security institutions for the service they are rendering for the security of the country, he told reporters. It is worth mentioning that not an only land borders but air routes are also being used by Afghanistan's internally displaced people. According to ARY News, nearly over 20,000 Afghan evacuees, as well as other foreigners, have arrived at Islamabad airport since Taliban takeover.

In August, hundreds of Afghans started protesting when a 56-year-old Afghan traveller died of a heart attack while waiting to enter Afghanistan. He was waiting under the extreme heat for hours at the Chaman-Spin Boldak border. After his death, the local people carried the body to the Pakistani government's office and demanded the reopening of the border to take his body into the country. After receiving no response from the Pakistani officials, they started firing stones at the forces. In response, the security forces started firing tear gas and charged the protesters with batons to disperse them. However, no injuries were reported.

Image: AP
Attackers believed to be West Papua rebels killed four soldiers and wounded two others in an attack on a military post in Indonesias troubled easternmost region, authorities said Thursday. About 50 attackers believed to be members of the West Papua Liberation Army, the military wing of the Free Papua Organization, stormed the post and attacked the six soldiers with arrows, machetes and axes early Wednesday, the West Papua regional military command spokesman Hendra Pesireron said in a statement.

The two badly injured soldiers were evacuated from the post in Kisor village of Maybrat district for treatment, Pesireron said. More than 30 military and intelligence forces joined together to find the attackers, he said. A spokesperson for the rebels couldnt immediately be reached for comment.

Conflicts between indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces are common in the impoverished Papua region, a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea that is ethnically and culturally distinct from much of Indonesia. Papua was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot that was widely seen as a sham. Since then, a low-level insurgency has simmered in the mineral-rich region, which is divided into two provinces, Papua and West Papua.

Rebel attacks have spiked in the past year, with dozens of rebels, security forces and civilians killed. Police on Wednesday arrested 4 suspected members of the separatist Liberation Army group and accused them of involvement in the killings of two construction workers in Yahukimo district, where the two bodies were found burned at a bridge project in Aug. 23. Four other workers were killed days earlier in the same district.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
In a major development from Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US troops on August 31, the Northern Alliance led by Ahmad Massoud and Amrullah Saleh claimed that the terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda has joined hands with the Taliban to fight against the Panjshir resistance.

"Al-Qaeda has joined the Taliban to fight against the Afghan Resistance Front. The US retreated, history repeats itself", the resistance front tweeted.

Al Qaeda joins Taliban's attack in Panjshir

Speaking exclusively to Republic Media Network, a Northern Alliance spokesperson also said that the Taliban has been defeated heavily in Wednesday's conflict.

In another sign of Al-Qaeda having links with the Taliban, on Wednesday, Al-Qaeda had released a two-page statement over the Taliban's victory in the war-torn national. The terrorist group hailed the US withdrawal from Afghanistan after America ended its 20-year-long mission. In the congratulatory message, the Taliban made mentions of Maghreb, Palestine, Somalia, Yamen and also called for 'liberation' of Kashmir. Moreover, key Al-Qaeda personnel returned to Nangahar after the country fell to the Taliban.

The National Resistance Front (NRF), which has set up its base in Panjshir, which is not far from Kabul, has stood up against the Taliban. The anti-Taliban front is formed by Ahmad Shah Massoud and is supported by caretaker president Amrullah Saleh.

The NRF has rejected the Taliban's recent takeover of the country unless it agrees to form an inclusive government. The terrorist organisation had earlier promised to form an inclusive government, however, human rights abuse and persecution of minority groups show a different story.

Over 350 Taliban terrorists gunned down

The Panjshir resistance claimed to have gunned down over 350 Taliban terrorists and capturing 130 others. The NRF also seized defence equipment, including thousands of guns, 15 Humvees, 1000 Kalashnikov rifles, 15 RPJ rocket launches, 15 Pike bases and a large number of grenades.

Amid this, Saleh, earlier in the day, said that the anti-Resistance in Panjshir instils hope for Afghans to escape oppression. "Today, this valley hosts all country and is hope for Afghan people who are escaping from oppression," he said.
Armenia believes that despite Azerbaijan's opposition, UNESCO can send an assessment mission to Nagorno-Karabakh as soon as feasible, said Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Wednesday.

Since 2020, Armenia has requested an immediate UNESCO assessment expedition to Nagorno-Karabakh, believing that sites of Armenian Christian heritage are in danger in territories that passed under Muslim Azerbaijan's authority following the 44-day military struggle, according to the minister. He noted that Yerevan has documented numerous occasions in which Azerbaijani forces deliberately damaged churches and other Armenian monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh on Baku's orders.

Armenia seeks UNESCO mission to Nagorno-Karabakh: FM

Citing UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone's December 20 statement that the only obstacle to an assessment mission to Nagorno-Karabakh was Azerbaijan's pending response, Mirzoyan stated that "the Azerbaijani government continues to politicise and obstruct the visit of UNESCO experts" because "it wants to conceal its cultural crimes."

Last September, the decades-long Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted once again, resulting in thousands of military and civilian losses on both sides. On November 9, Russia brokered a cease-fire agreement and dispatched mediators to the region to supervise the truce.

More about Azerbaijan and Armenia clashes

On September 27, 2020, renewed confrontations between Azerbaijan and Armenia started, with severe fighting waging in the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh. On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint declaration calling for an immediate cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Azerbaijani and Armenian sides agreed to hold their positions, and Russian forces were sent to monitor the truce along the engagement line in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as along the Lachinsky corridor that connects Armenia to the enclave. Aside from that, Baku gained control of a number of districts.

The situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border has been tense since May 12, when Armenia's Defense Ministry stated that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces sought to conduct "certain operations" in a border area in Syunik Province in order to "alter the border." Since then, both sides have reported border incidents on a regular basis.

(with inputs from ANI)

Picture Credit: @AraratMirzoyan/Twitter
Adding to the ongoing crisis, the Taliban has joined hands with the terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda to fight against Northern Alliance in Panjshir Valley, which is still free from the clutches of the insurgents. However, new videos from Panjshir show unafraid resistance troops ready to fight extremists.

In the video accessed by Republic TV, several resistance front soldiers can be seen assembled in one area. One of them is seen atop a vehicle, leading a machine gun. Another clip shows a troop driving a Humvee. Soldiers are also seen keeping a close eye on developments in the nearby region.

Republic Media Network's reporter, Saqib, who is on the ground in Panjshir, said that the Taliban has launched attacks from two directions- the main entrance of Panjshir Valley and Khawak Pass.

With its base in Panjshir, the National Resistance Front (NRF) led by Ahmad Massoud and supported by caretaker president Amrullah Saleh has stood strong against the Taliban. The Panjshir resistance has said that they have gunned down more than 350 terrorists and captured 130 others.

Al Qaeda joins Taliban's attack in Panjshir

Earlier the resistance front had tweeted: "Al-Qaeda has joined the Taliban to fight against the Afghan Resistance Front. The US retreated, history repeats itself."

In another sign of Taliban-Al-Qaeda tie-up, Al-Qaeda, on Wednesday, had put out a two-page statement over the Taliban's triumph in the war-ravaged nation. In the congratulatory message, Al-Qaeda made mentions of Palestine, Maghreb, Yemen and also called for "liberation" of Kashmir. Furthermore, key Al-Qaeda leaders have returned to the Nangarhar province after the Taliban's takeover.

The National Resistance Front has opposed the Taliban's recent takeover of the country until it agrees to form an inclusive government. The extremist organisation had earlier vowed to form an inclusive government, however, their offensive against minorities and people who worked for foreign governments speak differently. They have also banned music in public places and co-ed schools, exposing their hardline set of rules.



Image: AP/@Mohsood123-Twitter
Kathmandu, Sep 2 (PTI) The Nepal government has decided to form a committee to look into the border issues with China in the northern Himalayan region of the country.

The decision to form the committee was taken on Wednesday at a meeting of the Council of Ministers at Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's official residence in Baluwatar.

The committee will study the problems related to the Nepal-China border from Limi Lapcha to Hilsa of Namkha rural municipality in Humla district, Government spokesperson Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said.

China had reportedly encroached on Nepali land and built nine buildings in Humla last year. A government team led by the Chief District Officer also conducted an on-site study.

Although the report is not public, the then government led by former prime minister K P Sharma Oli had dismissed reports of China's encroachment in Nepal's territory.

The new committee will consist of the officials from the Department of Survey, Nepal Police, Armed Police and border experts. It will be formed under the coordination of the Home Ministry Joint Secretary, said Karki, who is also the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

The committee will submit the report to the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said.

However, no deadline was fixed for the committee to submit the report. PTI SBP NSA

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Sidharth Shukla's Funeral: Mortal Remains To Be Moved Home At 7 pm; Rites Unlikely Today

Actor Sidharth Shukla's sudden demise shocked the entire country on Thursday morning. The actor is said to have suffered from a massive heart attack, though the precise cause is yet to be determined. An official of the Cooper Hospital in Mumbai told PTI that the actor was announced dead at arrival. The post-mortem of Shukla is currently being conducted at the hospital by a team of 5 specialists. As per sources, his mortal remains will be taken to his residence at Oshiwara at 7 pm.

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Al-Qaeda Comes Into Open; Joins Taliban's Attack On Afghanistan Resistance In Panjshir

In a major development from Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US troops on August 31, the Northern Alliance led by Ahmad Massoud and Amrullah Saleh claimed that the terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda has joined hands with the Taliban to fight against the Panjshir resistance. "Al-Qaeda has joined the Taliban to fight against the Afghan Resistance Front. The US retreated, history repeats itself", the resistance front tweeted.

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India All Set For Joint Military Exercise Zapad-21 Along With China And Pakistan

Amid the fast-evolving Afghanistan situation, India is all set to show its military might to the world. After sixteen months of stand-off with China and six months of ceasefire agreement with Pakistan, India will participate in a joint military exercise with its neighbours. The military exercise Zapad-21 will be held in Russia from September 3, wherein troops of 17 countries have been invited.

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'Rafales Have Landed But Rahul Ji Is Yet To Take Off': Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Speaking at the inaugural session of the Gujarat state BJP executive meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the defence system of India and said that under the Centre's security preparations, India has not witnessed any major terrorist attacks in the last seven years. Further, he also assured that the country is well prepared for dealing with such situations in the future.

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Oppn Cries Foul On Rechristening Of Assam's National Park By Dropping Rajiv Gandhi's Name

The rechristening of Rajiv Gandhi National Park in Assam to Orang National Park has not gone down well with the Opposition as the CPI and Congress leaders have slammed the BJP-led government in the state for the name change. Former Member of Rajya Sabha and CPI General Secretary D Raja has alleged that BJP's agenda is to resort to retitling of institutions and places even though they haven't contributed to the freedom of the country.

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Sidharth Shukla's Family Reveals Sequences Leading Up To His Death; 'unease Began At 3 AM'

After the sudden demise of Sidharth Shukla, the Mumbai Police on Thursday informed that a chemical analysis will be conducted as part of the post-mortem procedure of the late actor. The three-four hour-long procedures will be conducted by a team comprising five medical professionals, as per sources.

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West Bengal Post-poll Violence: Mamata Govt Appoints 10 IPS Officers To Assist SIT Probe

The West Bengal government on September 2 appointed 10 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers (zone-wise) to assist the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the post-poll violence, the West Bengal Home and Hill Affairs Department stated. On August 19, the Calcutta High Court ordered a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incidents of post-poll violence pursuant to the declaration of the result of State Assembly Elections which concluded on May 2, 2021.

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Naseeruddin Shah Slams Taliban Sympathisers, Issues Video Message For Indian Muslims

In a video message, veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has criticised a section of Muslims in India for celebrating the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan and called it a matter of concern. On August 15, the terrorist group seized the capital city Kabul which led to a fall of the Ashraf Ghani-led government. In the clip which has gone viral on Twitter, Shah said that every Indian Muslim should introspect if they want reformation and modernity in the religion or want to continue with 'dated barbarian values'.

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Harish Rawat Reveals 'All Is Not Well With Congress' After Meeting Punjab CM Amid Crisis

In a big statement, Congress' Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat on Thursday, said that all is not well with the Congress party in the state. The ex-Uttarakhand CM met Punjab CM Amarinder Singh at his Chandigarh residence and discussed the 5-point Congress memorandum and the 18-point promise which is to be fulfilled by his government. Refuting reports of cabinet expansion talks, he said that neither he nor Singh have received any orders from the High Command on a probable expansion.

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China Criticises Report On EU-Taiwan Ties, Calls It Violation Of 'One China' Principle

China opposed the 'EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation' report, saying that it violates the countrys 'One China Principle.' The report calls for a stronger political relationship between the European Union (EU) and Taiwan. Criticising the European Parliament's report on the relationship between the EU and Taiwan, Beijing, on Wednesday, called it a strict violation of Chinese policy.

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IMAGE: Republicworld
The United Nations (UN) said on 1 September that its humanitarian funds have allocated $10 million to aid Lebanon in mitigating the country's ongoing economic crisis.

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths informed that the allocated funds would also help the country in averting the deterioration of the humanitarian situation.

Out of the total, Griffiths said that $ 4 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will be used to tackle the fuel crisis in Lebanon. The funds would help the 2.3 million people living in Lebanon as it would ensure enough fuel to keep the water stations operational. The CERF allocation would be in addition to a $6 million allocation from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund to assist 65 hospitals in the country along with the primary healthcare centres, dispensaries and medical cold chain storage.

The ongoing fuel shortage in Lebanon is an offshoot of the socio-economic and political crisis which continues to hamper all aspects of life, including access to basic facilities like healthcare and drinking water, in the country. Griffiths said, Fuel and electricity shortages are threatening essential health and water services across Lebanon, putting thousands of families at risk of a humanitarian crisis. Griffith also met senior government officials and representatives of humanitarian and donor communities in Beirut. Griffiths is on a week-long visit to Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.

"Many hospitals in Lebanon have already been forced to reduce their operations because of fuel shortages and electricity outages. The public water supply and wastewater treatment systems, which rely heavily on fuel, have been drastically cut across the country, leaving millions of people without access to water in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic," Griffiths added.

I am pleased to support the ongoing humanitarian efforts with the release of $4 million from @UNCERF to help @WFPLebanon establish a fuel supply line to sustain essential health and water and sanitation activities. (3/3)https://t.co/aSUrgWmkxh  Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) August 31, 2021

Through CERF funds, WFP will supply fuel

The official release also stated that as part of the CERF allocation, the World Food Programme (WFP) will help in supplying fuel to medical centres, hospitals, dispensaries and water stations. The millions of dollars would also be used to supply water to areas in Beirut tackling its scarcity such as Bekaa, Mt. Lebanon, North and South. These places also serve over two-thirds of Lebanons population.

The Lebanese families are being forced to rely on private water trucking which, according to OCHA, is not only unaffordable but also unsafe. It also poses a risk from contaminated water, which some suppliers have been distributing in the country. Meanwhile, the country is also engulfed in chaos due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis in Syria, and the aftermath of the Beirut Port explosions in August 2020.

(Image: unocha.org)
Earlier this year, Japan announced guidelines urging employers to initiate a four day work week instead of the usual five days. Now, joining the league, Scotland has announced that it would try a four day work week, but without any loss of pay. Notably, Japan is not the only country to try fewer workdays. Previously, New Zealand and Iceland also implemented the policy along with Spain, which restricted it to certain sectors.

Speaking to The Times, a spokesperson for the Scottish government said that the pandemic had enhanced support for more flexible work practices including a four day work week. Furthermore, he said that lesser workdays could not only enhance well being but also aid sustenance of more and better jobs. He said that the administration could soon roll out a pilot project for the same.

According to the lawmaker, the 10 million pilot could help companies explore the costs and benefits of a four day work week. The pilot will allow us to develop a better understanding of the implications of a broader shift to a shorter working week across the economy, he said. It is worth mentioning that the Institute of Public Policy Research, a think tank, has called for the timeframe of the pilot project to increase. Citing its recently conducted research, the Think Tank disclosed that 80 per cent of Scottish residents thought that cutting down on workdays would benefit their wellbeing.

4 day work week in India?

The Ministry of Labour and Employment will soon come up with four new labour codes. Earlier in February, it was reported that the government also proposed a 'four-day work week' while capping working hours to a limit of 48 hours per week. Labour and Employment Secretary Apurva Chandra said that this proposal is still under consideration as many trade unions have objected the current 12-hour shifts and 3 days paid leave format for its employees.

In an official statement to the media, Chandra said, "See, there will be a maximum of 48 hours of work in a week. If someone works for 8 hours a day, then there will be 6 working days per week. If a company opts for 12-hour working per day for its employees, it means four-day working and three holidays". [Sic.] Chandra further added, discussions have been held with all concerned in this regard. He informed that the ministry would soon be in a position to implement the four new codes. These include salary/wage codes, codes on industrial relations, workplace safety, codes on health and workplace conditions (OSH) and social security codes.

Representative Image: Unsplash


London, Sep 1 (AP) UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was heading to the region around Afghanistan on Wednesday in a push to rescue stranded British citizens and Afghan allies, amid strong criticism of the government's rushed and chaotic evacuation effort.

Raab did not provide any details, citing security reasons, but he is expected to visit Pakistan for talks on establishing routes out of Afghanistan through third countries.

A senior British official, Simon Gass, already travelled to Qatar to meet with Taliban representatives for talks about allowing people to leave Afghanistan.

Britain says it evacuated more than 15,000 U.K. citizens and vulnerable Afghans from Kabul during a two-week August airlift that Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has called Dunkirk by WhatsApp. But Wallace also said that as many as 1,100 Afghans who were entitled to come to the U.K. were left behind. Raab said those who weren't evacuated included guards from the now-abandoned British Embassy in Kabul.

We wanted to get some of those embassy guards through, but the buses arranged to collect them, to take them to the airport, were not given permission to enter, he told lawmakers on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.

Raab put the number of U.K. nationals still in Afghanistan in the low- to mid-hundreds. The United States and other nations were caught off-guard by the Taliban's swift conquest of Afghanistan, having failed to predict how quickly the Western-backed Afghan government would collapse once NATO troops began to depart.

Opposition politicians excoriated Raab for failing to cut short a vacation in Greece as the Taliban advanced on Kabul. He returned to London only after the Afghan capital fell on Aug. 15.

Raab said the intelligence had suggested the most likely scenario after Western troops withdrew was a steady deterioration and it was unlikely Kabul would fall this year. That's something that was widely shared, that view, among NATO allies, Raab said.

He rejected a claim by Conservative lawmaker Tom Tugendhat that the Afghan collapse was the single biggest foreign policy disaster the U.K. has faced since Suez. A failed 1956 attempt by Israel, Britain and France to seize the newly nationalized Suez Canal from Egypt is often seen as a symbol of post-imperial Britain's declining power.

I am afraid I struggle with the Suez analogy, Raab said. But I understand what you are really searching for is to learn the lessons and even more generally find a path forward for Afghanistan. (AP) RS RS

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Guards who safeguarded the British Embassy in Afghanistan were among those unable to escape the country in time as the Taliban denied many of them permission to enter the Hamid Karzai Airport, according to The Mirror. Britain ceased its airlift operations on August 28, rescuing roughly 15,000 people from the Taliban controlled state, since Mid-August. Speaking to press reporters recently, British Defence Minister Ben Wallace announced that 13,000 Afghans were airlifted while another 3,000 were repatriated in April under Downing Streets Arap scheme.

Raab announces mission to evacuate those left

On Thursday, the countrys Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab met British MPs and updated them on the countrys mission to rescue those left behind in the conflict-hit country. While he confirmed the rescue operation to the Foreign Affairs Committee, Raab stopped short specifying how many guards were left in Afghanistan or what kind of difficulties they faced. According to a report published in The Guardian, international security company GardaWorld said that it has recruited 200 Afghan natives as guards at the British diplomatic office.

The @FCDOGovUK is sending Rapid Deployment teams to Pakistan, Uzbekistan & Tajikistan to reinforce our Embassy staff to process arrivals from Afghanistan, including British Nationals and the Afghans who supported us. (1/2)  Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) September 1, 2021

Were working with the international community to secure safe passage for those who wish to leave. (2/2)  Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) September 1, 2021

Last week, the UK rescued three Afghan families whose contact details had been left behind at its embassy in Kabul and was seized by the Taliban, Washington Post reported. In the aftermath of the fall of Kabul, the Islamist insurgents are leaving no stone unturned to hunt down Afghans who aided foreign troops in the past. Amidst exacerbating conflict and chaos, UK embassy officials mistakenly jeopardized the lives of at least seven Afghan natives by leaving their contract documents and applications behind. But, on Friday, Downing Street confirmed that they were rescued in time.

As embassy officials rushed to leave the war-ravaged nation, they accidentally left behind crucial documents revealing the details of at least seven Afghans who worked on British Diplomatic missions, according to The Times of London. As Taliban patrolled the compound, they found the documents which contained details of a senior embassy staffer, details of other employees along with resumes of people who had applied to be interpreters at the embassy, scattered on the floor. This directly put under threat the lives of the seven natives and their families, who Taliban had declared to be traitors. Later the British daily revealed that some of them had already been resettled in Britain.

Image: AP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and thanked him for his nations effort to assist with the safe transit of people from Afghanistan.

Qatar was amongst the gulf countries which allowed the US and NATO states to use their transit points for airlift operations. Qatar's capital Doha also houses the Talibans headquarters and is expected to play a pivotal role in shaping Afghanistans future course. Blinken had previously discussed the Afghanistan situation with Al Thani on 28 August, three days before the USA's full withdrawal from the war-torn nation.

On Wednesday, Blinken highlighted the strong partnership between Washington and Doha in a tweet. Expressing his gratitude to Qatar, Blinken said that the Arab state made a tremendous effort to assist safe evacuations of both American citizens and Afghan allies. More than 114,000 people have been airlifted from Kabul in the past two weeks as part of the US' evacuation efforts. However, a small number of people have chosen to stay behind stressing their need to stay back with their families.

Spoke with Qatars Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_ and thanked him for Qatars tremendous effort to assist with the safe transit of U.S. citizens and evacuees from Afghanistan. Were grateful for our strong partnership with Qatar.  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 1, 2021

Earlier this week, the US State Department had said that the United States has suspended its diplomatic mission in Afghanistan and transferred the operations to Doha. In his remarks to the press on Monday, Blinken had said that the USA's withdrawal from Afghanistan will start the new chapter to Americas engagement with the war-torn nation and involves building a new team. Blinken had added that for Washington, a new diplomatic mission has begun as the military mission is over.

Biden defends withdrawal

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday defended his withdrawal plan from Afghanistan calling it a "right decision, wise decision and the best decision" for America. Addressing the nation, the US President said that the decision to end US military presence in Afghanistan was a unanimous choice of civilian, military advisors, service chiefs and commanders in the field. Standing by his 31 August deadline, Biden said that he "respectfully disagreed" with those who thought that the pullout should have started sooner.

"The decision to end US military presence in Afghanistan was based on a unanimous recommendation by civilian, military advisors, service chiefs and commanders in the field. Their recommendation for safe passage of remaining Americans was not to continue," said Biden.

(Image: AP)
In Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited US president Joe Biden on Wednesday, where Biden highlighted the fact that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine will get support from the United States against the aggressiveness of Russia. Through Twitter Biden emphasised the purpose of the meeting. Following the visit between US President Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is presently on a working visit to Washington, the White House published a Joint Statement on the US-Ukraine Strategic Alliance.

In my visit with President Zelenskyy today, I reaffirmed the United States' support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression, our close cooperation on energy security, and our shared democratic values. pic.twitter.com/BJaxoJrXFh  President Biden (@POTUS) September 1, 2021

US and Ukraine issue statement on Russian aggression

The statement announced that the aggressiveness of Russia has led to the fighting in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea as well as killing over 14,000 Ukrainians, destabilised Europe and the Black Sea area, and jeopardised the global rules-based system.

The statement further states, "The United States does not and will never recognize Russia's purported annexation of Crimea and reaffirms its full support for international efforts, including in the Normandy Format, aimed at negotiating a diplomatic resolution to the Russian-led conflict in eastern Ukraine on the basis of international law, including the UN Charter," as per ANI.

According to the statement, the US will support the attempt of Ukraine for using the Crimea Framework to draw global attention and to work on the humanitarian crisis which is occurred due to the possession by Russia of Crimea. It even said that they will also focus on the goal of restoring the control of Ukraine over the territory peacefully and in compliance with international law.

Other developments between the US and Ukraine Apart from Russian Aggression

Ukraine's ongoing development on defense and defense industry transformations which comprises the adoption of a new defense industry plan is welcomed by the United States. In line with Ukraine's role as a NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner, US aim to maintain their strength training and exercise program, according to the Joint Statement.

In June 2021 NATO Summit Communique, the US and Allies confirmed, "The United States supports Ukraine's right to decide its own future foreign policy course free from outside interference, including with respect to Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO. "We also remain committed to assisting Ukraine with ongoing reforms," the statement added.

The US also unveiled a new security support package for Ukraine at USD 60 million. The package includes more Javelin anti-armor weapons and other defensive lethal and non-lethal assets to help Ukraine protect itself more efficiently against Russian invasion. Since 2014, the US has pledged USD 2.5 billion in assistance for Ukraine's troops, including over USD 400 million alone this year, as per the statement.

The US and Ukraine have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Space Situational Awareness, which will allow for a more comprehensive exchange of information on space objects that will be identified by satellites and surface sensors in order to improve the safety of space flight.

Lastly, the statement added, Ukraine and the US have further agreed to maintain a 24/7 communication system via the National and Nuclear Risk Reduction Center. To assist consensual nonproliferation objectives and strengthen regional and global protection, the US and Ukraine have also accepted a seven-year extension of the Agreement to support Ukraine in the 'Elimination of Strategic Nuclear Arms' and the 'Prevention of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction' which was approved in the year 1993.

(Image Credit: ANI)
Ruling party spokesman Sok Ey San says the government cant negotiate with an outlaw group regardless of circumstances.

Former Cambodia National Rescue Party leader Kem Sokha (R) arrives at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for his trial in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 22, 2020.

Four years after his arrest on unsubstantiated treason charges, former Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha wants to resume the long-suspended trial that has sidelined him from politics, his lawyer said Wednesday, the eve of the anniversary of his 2017 arrest.

Kem Sokha, 68, is in political limbo awaiting the resumption of a trial that has been put off in what analysts say is a government tactic to tie him down through the next election cycle.

His trial opened on Jan. 15, 2020, more than two years after his arrest in a case denounced by his family as a "farce" and considered by the United States as politically motivated. The trial was suspended in March of that year on the pretext of the coronavirus pandemic until 2021, when it was further delayed.

The acting leader of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), Sam Rainsy, lives in exile in France and was sentenced in absentia in March to 25 years for attempting to overthrow the government.

Cambodias Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP two months after Kem Sokhas arrest in September 2017, launching a wider crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen on the political opposition, NGOs, and the independent media that paved the way for the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the countrys July 2018 general election.

Attorney Pheng Heng said Kem Sokha, who maintains his innocence, is living with anxiety because he has been banned from involvement in politics while the Phnom Penh Municipal Court has refused to hold his trial.

In principle, he has continued to deny the allegations, and he wants to see all charges against him dropped, Pheng Heng said.

If it is a political dispute, only politicians can talk to quickly end it. His stand is that he wants to see national reconciliation and not take any Cambodians as enemies, he said.

The attorney said he has met both formally and informally with the judges to discuss expediting the case, but to no avail.

Submitting letters for interventions [from the court] is not an answer at this time due to political tension. The court is using the excuse of the COVID-19 [virus pandemic] to delay the hearing, Pheng Heng said.

RFA could not reach Taing Sunlay, director of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, for comment on Wednesday.

CPP spokesman Sok Ey San refused to comment on Kem Sokhas freedom or his possible participation in the next general election in 2023, saying that the CNRP has been dissolved.

He also said that the CPP has no plan to negotiate with the defunct CNRP, which he called a rebel group.

The government is a legitimate government. It cant negotiate with an outlaw group regardless of circumstances. The individual case is being handled by the court so there is no negotiation, Sok Ey San said.

Political analyst Meas Ny told RFA that Kem Sokhas case is a politically motivated one that the court has delayed as a strategy to weaken [his] influence and ensure the ruling partys victory.

As long as the ruling party does not have the confidence that it will get full support from the people, Kem Sokhas trial will be delayed until 2023 or 2024, he said. If the situation does not improve for the ruling party, then the democratic movement will continue to come under pressure.

Meas Ny said that court cases against Kem Sokha and the CNRP have plunged Cambodia into a prolonged political crisis and damaged relationships with Western countries, some of which have imposed trade sanctions or visa bans on the country and its officials.

Without a quick political solution, Cambodia will fall into an even deeper crisis, he said.

In early August, former CNRP officials formed new parties to try to restore democracy to Cambodia, after asking Hun Sen to reinstate their political rights by dropping an order banning them from politics for five years that accompanied the court-ordered dissolution of the party.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Police in the southwestern Chinese region of Guangxi have detained a left-wing sociology researcher from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on suspicion of "subversion."



Fang Ran, a HKU doctoral student who studies labor movements, was detained by state security police in Guangxi's Nanning city on Aug. 26, 2021 on suspicion of "incitement to subvert state power." according to an unconfirmed social media post.



The message, apparently from Fang's father, said he was "shocked" at his son's detention, saying Fang Ran is a loyal member of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).



"To my mind, Fang Ran is the kind of ambitious young person who can aid the party's cause, definitely not a criminal seeking to harm it," the post said.



Fang is currently being held incommunicado under "residential surveillance at a designated location (RSDL)" under the guard of Nanning state security police, meaning that he will be denied visits from lawyers or family on grounds that the case involves matters of national security.



According to his profile page on the HKU sociology department website, Fang Ran is a full-time PhD student who received his bachelors degree in sociology from Tsinghua University, and who has worked as an intern at a non-government organization and social media focusing on labor issues in China.



His research interests include labor relations, and labor organization as well as labor movements, the profile page said.



"His current research focuses on the analysis and comparison of various approaches of labor empowerment in mainland China," it said.



Classic Marxist analyses

While at Tsinghua, Fang was among the founding members of a group called the Modern Capitalism Research Association, which tended to favor classic Marxist analyses of labor issues.



Fang had also interviewed pneumoconiosis sufferers from the central province of Hunan after hundreds of former workers petitioned the authorities in Shenzhen over workplace-related diseases.



An employee who answered the phone at HKU on Sept. 1 said the university is aware of Fang's detention.



"[We are] in the process of finding out more about the situation," the employee said. "The university will provide assistance to Fang and his family when necessary."



While many commentators have noted an apparent shift towards political practises and ideological tropes that echo the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) under late supreme leader Mao Zedong in recent years, it appears that CCP leader Xi Jinping is unwilling to allow actual Maoists free rein under his rule.



Leftists, including dozens of young labor activists who tried to set up an independent labor union at the Jasic Technology factory in Shenzhen in 2018, have been detained, placed under house arrest, and silenced as part of the CCP's "stability maintenance" regime.



A human rights lawyer who gave only the pseudonym Chen said any form of organized labor is intolerable to the CCP.



"Organized action is the thing they fear the most," Chen said. "Once the workers get organized, they will be much stronger, and a threat to CCP rule."



"In the 1920s, the CCP itself was involved in organizing workers and peasants against the [then ruling] Kuomintang and to fight for their rights," he said. "So they fear that someone else will use the same methods against them."



Tough on labor activism

Beijing-based rights activist Hu Jia agreed.



"Even if you are a student still in school or a fresh graduate, they will consider you to be anti-government if you get involved in labor movements or use your knowledge to help people," Hu said. "[It means you are] challenging the existing system."



A Hong Kong-based graduate student who gave only the pseudonym Mary said she had been checked by Chinese police when she crossed the border into mainland China to do fieldwork.



"We all know that there is a red line, but we don't know exactly where it is," Mary said. "This means that we are fearful of going to mainland China at all, whether it's for academic research or for some other reason."



"That doesn't mean we won't keep doing it, though," she said. "Of course, there will always be students or scholars who set their own red lines [in the hope of staying safe]."



Fang's detention comes after authorities in the eastern province of Shandong detained large numbers of Maoist activists around the country, ahead of the CCP centenary celebrations on .



Police in Shandong's Jining city ran a nationwide operation targeting leftwingers in a bid to "maintain stability" ahead of the politically sensitive anniversary, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) quoted sources as saying at the time.



The operation, which began on , was largely carried out in secret, with no information given to detainees' families after going incommunicado.



Among them was Maoist dissident Ma Houzhi, 77, who was released from a 10-year jail term in 2019 for defying a ban on the registration of new political parties under the CCP.



The report came after the CCP canceled a conference of prominent Maoist ideologists slated for , the anniversary of the start of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Kerry's discussions on climate change are marred by concerns over forced labor in the renewable energy supply chain.

US Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry speaks at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, southwest London, in a July 20, 2021 photo.

Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan have ordered the American Chamber of Commerce in Chengdu to cease operations.

The chamber told members it was being forced to closed "in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations," and would no longer carry out any activities, employees of the organization told Reuters.

It gave no reason for the decision.

However, AmCham Chengdu chairman Benjamin Wang told Reuters that it was still "in discussions" with local authorities about its registration and future direction.

He said China's ministry of civil affairs appears to be enforcing a rule that countries maintain only one official chamber of commerce in the country.

The Chengdu chamber isn't affiliated with the American Chamber of Commerce in China, a business advocacy group based in Beijing with offices in several other cities, Reuters reported.

The move comes one year after China shut down the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu in retaliation over the closure of its consulate in Houston.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department called on Beijing to work with the chamber to resolve any issues around its registration and future operations.

"This closure is only the latest example of how [China]'s opaque, arbitrary regulatory environment is contributing to an investment climate that is increasingly hostile towards foreign businesses," the official said.

The move comes amid growing bilateral tensions over an ongoing trade war, Beijing's human rights record, and the South China Sea.

The order to shut down the chamber came as the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry spoke in a video call with foreign minister Wang Yi, who said the ball is in Washington's court if ties are to improve.

"Senior Chinese diplomats [have] urged the US to put a lid on its 'toxic' political atmosphere at home and stop treating China as a threat and opponent," the Global Times newspaper, which has close ties to ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece the People's Daily, reported.

"Kerry's current visit comes amid the US facing several fiascos at home and abroad, and serves as a 'water-testing' attempts to see if cooperation with China can be enhanced beyond the global warming issue," the paper said.

Concerns over forced labor

Kerry's mission was also hampered by concerns over forced labor in the supply chain for solar panels produced in the northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where at least 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Turkic groups have been incarcerated in "re-education camps," prisons, and facilities enabling forced labor.

Kerry told the House of Representatives on May 12 that the U.S. had a problem when it came to sourcing solar panels from Xinjiang, in response to a question in a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing from Rep. Michael McCaul.

"When you look at the supply chain, when you look at China, they dominate the critical mineral supply and solar supply chains all coming out of Xinjiang," McCaul said.

Kerry agreed, adding: "It is a problem."

McCaul issued a written statement during Kerry's China trip reminding the envoy of that exchange.

"Special Envoy Kerry told our committee earlier this year that the [Chinese] supply chain for solar panels uses forced labor," McCaul said. "The Biden Administration's own supply chain report detailed how the CCP is using unfair trade practices to control critical supply chains, including in renewable energy."

He said any action on climate change shouldn't be allowed to benefit forced labor or link U.S. supply chains to China.

"Special Envoy Kerry [should not] rely on the word of a genocidal regime with a history of ignoring international agreements," the statement said. "We must neither sacrifice our values nor forget the track record of failed commitments with the CCP."

Up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been detained in a network of internment camps in the XUAR, where they have been subject to political indoctrination, abuse, and forced labor.

Chinese authorities have targeted and arrested numerous Uyghur businesspeople, intellectuals, and cultural and religious figures in the XUAR for years as part of a campaign to monitor, control, and assimilate members of the minority group purportedly to prevent religious extremism and terrorist activities.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Hundreds of young people are forced to volunteer for work in coal mines and farms.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves as he attends a photo session with participants during Youth Day celebrations, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this image supplied by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on August 31, 2021.

North Korea has launched an investigation into youths from privileged families who avoid mass mobilization campaigns that send thousands of young people to volunteer for hard labor in coal mines and rural farms, sources in the country told RFA.

North Korea, which routinely forces citizens to provide free manual labor for government projects, farm work and industry -- labels the laborers as volunteers who willingly toil as an expression of their love for the country and its leaders.

Free labor is necessary for the cash-strapped government of a country with serious economic problems resulting from a prolonged suspension of trade with China due to the coronavirus epidemic and years of U.S. and UN economic sanctions over Pyongyangs nuclear and missile programs.

But citizens who have connections can get out of the unpaid labor drives.

When the adult offspring of high-ranking government officials failed to show up for work duty in North Pyongan province, central partys organization and guidance department sent agents to investigate, a resident of the northwestern region told RFA.

Sources said the investigation applied only to local officials of the provincial level or below.

Authorities began an investigation into anti-socialist tendencies in the families of local officials here in Sinuiju since the day after Youth Day [Aug. 28], a resident of North Pyongan told RFAs Korean Service Sept. 1.

According to the source, in early August North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the countrys youth to volunteer for dangerous and difficult work in places like coal mines and rural farms.

But it was reported to the central committee that only ordinary people without powerful backgrounds were forced by the authorities to volunteer, while none of the children of high-ranking officials volunteered, said the source, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

Despite the partys appeal to young people to take the lead and become young heroes by building a strong socialist state, even as the country is boxed-in by U.S. economic sanctions, the fact that the children of the officials didnt respond to the call is seen as a serious failure as they deliberately ignored party policies by taking advantage of their position, said the source.

The authorities are now treating their investigation into the privileged youth as a fight against anti-socialism, according to the source, paying particular attention to any anti-socialist tendencies they uncover.

Another source, a resident of South Pyongan province, north of the capital Pyongyang, confirmed to RFA that authorities there were investigating the same issue.

Hundreds of young people forcibly selected by the party and the Youth League organization have been sent to Sunchon Coal Mine and rural farms in South Pyongan province since the beginning of August  but there is no child of high-ranking officials among them, the second source said.

RFA reported in late August that the Youth League in North Hamgyong selected 140 young people to provide free labor in coal mines and rural farms ahead of Youth Day.

Those that were selected were opposed to being sent to work under the program, for which youth from wealthy and well-connected families were not selected triggering anger among the residents.

North Koreas Youth League organization includes all people aged 17 to 35, including factory workers, high-school and college students, and other young people not serving in the military.

North Korean state media reported Aug. 30 that Kim Jong Un met with young people who volunteered and took a photo with them.

RFA has reported on other North Korean forced labor schemes this year including mobilizing women for construction of a wall along the 880-mile Sino-Korean border, forcing students to haul gravel for school building construction and maintenance projects, and sending soldiers off to toil in mines immediately upon discharge.

Reported by Hyemin Son and Myung Chul Lee for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Jinha Shin. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Branches of the Peoples Defense Force (PDF) militia from a dozen different regions in Myanmar have formed an alliance to collectively take on the countrys junta, despite each group facing respective offensives since the military seized power seven months ago, members said Wednesday.

The PDF groups, which are mostly based in embattled Sagaing region and Chin state, but are also located in of Mandalay and Magway regions, as well as Kachin and other ethnic states, announced on Aug. 28 that they had allied to bolster their resistance to the military and told RFAs Myanmar Service they would welcome additional militias into the fold.

It means a stronger united force through which each group can help the others with whatever is needed, said a member of the Nhalone-hla Hardcores, a group based in the seat of Mandalays Myingyan township.

Right now, we are 12 in a unified group. If other groups want to join us, our leaders will consult with them and decide whether to accept them or not.

Myanmars military overthrew the democratically elected NLD government on Feb. 1, claiming the party had stolen the countrys November 2020 ballot through voter fraud. The junta has yet to provide evidence of its claims and has violently repressed anti-coup protests, killing at least 1,041 people and arresting 6,107 others, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

Amid nationwide turmoil, the military has stepped up offensives in remote parts of the country, triggering fierce battles with local PDF militias and some of the dozens of ethnic armies that control large swathes of territory along Myanmars periphery.

The alliance of a dozen PDF groups announced over the weekend expands on one formed by the Mindat PDF, which had been engaged in frequent clashes with the junta forces, the Kanpetlet Defense Force (KDF), the Chin National Leaguecomprised of the Falam, Kalay and Kabaw PDFsand the Zomi Federal Unioncomprised of the Tedim and Tunzan PDFsformed on Aug 24.

A spokesman for the Mindat PDF in Chin state told RFA that there had been several clashes with the junta troops throughout the month of August and said the militarys advantages in ammunition and manpower necessitated the merger.

The main reason is to be able to help one another in case the whole country revolts against the junta at the same time  We can exchange information among ourselves as well as with the [shadow National Unity Government] NUG, the spokesman said.

But most of what we agreed to was our own decision. After several clashes, we were running out of weapons and ammunition while they became more powerful in strength as well as in weaponry. We were also struggling with manpower. The dictatorship will not be overthrown just by winning one or two clashes. We need to be well-prepared in resources and fight together as one.

PDF groups in Chin state have been fighting with the military since mid-April and in Mindat township clashes took place as recently as Tuesday, a Chinland Defense Force member said.

Our priority is not to get people hurt. We all have agreed to what we want as our ultimate goalthose in one area should rise up when another area is under pressure. Otherwise, that area might be wiped out, he said.

We have to be ready at all times to help other groups as soon as we get information. Though the NUG is the main vehicle that connects us, it would make more sense if our resistance groups came together with the same desire to uproot this dictatorial junta.

People's Defense Force (PDF) fighters in Sagaing region, in an undated photo. Thu Rain Zin Call to surrender

Reports of the alliance came a day after junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun urged the PDFs to surrender and called on the public to provide information on the groups to assist in shutting them down.

These are very serious and devastating acts of violence, he told a press conference in the capital Naypyidaw. I dont think any country has ever faced such degrading acts. We want to ask the public to oppose such extremists and terrorists in our nation.

It also came as Police Chief Kyaw Lin of the juntas Ministry of Home Affairs warned that legal action has been taken against NUG, Parliaments Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Committee of Representatives (CRPH), and PDFs under anti-terrorism laws and that arrest warrants were being sent to InterPols 194 member countries.

Political analyst Ye Tun, a former member of the Burmese Communist Party (BCP), told RFA Wednesday that no matter how many resistance groups are formed, only a good leader can lead them to victory against the military.

Only by forming a single army under a unified military commander can the whole nation be victorious, he said.

The groups are currently fighting in a loose alliance through guerrilla warfare. They need a strong unified leader to become a formidable force.

The NUG recently said it will soon announce a date for local PDFs to join in a D-Day military strike against the junta.

Likelihood of power transfer

Also on Wednesday, several key political parties expressed doubt about the military regimes promise that it would hold a new election and transfer power to a civilian government within two years.

On Aug. 27, the juntas deputy information minister announced during a press conference in Naypyidaw that preparation was already underway  [to] transfer the power and government authority to the winning party of the new election according to democratic principles.

However, representatives of the countrys top political parties were quick to dismiss the pledge.

Sai Leik, the general secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), noted that the junta has reneged on its promises to transfer power to a civilian government in the past and said his party doesnt trust them this time either.

A member of the NLDs central executive committee who spoke on condition of anonymity told RFA that the junta is working to remove his party from politics altogether and would likely only hold elections if it is guaranteed to win them.

They will purge the opposition either through [failure to contain] COVID-19, violence, or detention, the NLD member said.

They will only allow the candidates they want to participate and create a situation that will guarantee their victory. Only then, they will hold an election.

Political analyst Ye Htun said that if the military holds an election without the NLDs participation, the new government will lack the support of the public.

Without the NLDs participation, [the military] will never hold a free and fair election, he said.

Whichever party wins will have no legitimacy; this is for sure. There are an endless number of instabilities in the country. I think it is the best to allow NLD to participate in the election, instead of disbanding it.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane and Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Sources said the military was seeking out members of a local anti-junta militia in the area.

Tens of thousands of civilians have fled their homes in Pauk township in Myanmars Magway region over the past week after troops loyal to the military regime set up camp and began raiding local villages in search of anti-junta militia members, residents said Wednesday.

The nearly 50,000 people from dozens of villages in the township left the area over several days beginning on Aug. 27, when government soldiers arrived in Kinma and Wun Chone villages. For the last seven days, soldiers have been interrogating villagers about a local branch of the Peoples Defense Forces (PDF) militia and destroying supplies they say could be used to support the fighters, a resident told RFAs Myanmar Service, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.

Residents of at least 30 villages have fled their homes as they heard the military will launch an operation," the resident said.

I think approximately 50,000 people have fled. Most of them are from large villages, except some from one or two small villages.

Another resident said government troops had bivouacked at a monastery in Kin Ma village and were terrorizing inhabitants.

Today they burned 36 bags of rice and the tarps we kept for distributing to IDPs, the resident said, using an acronym for internally displaced persons.

We learnt that they burnt them on the grounds between the monastery and a mess hall.

The rice and tarps had been donated by local charities in Kinma village, the resident said.

Some of the villagers who fled have returned to their homes, but most are too afraid to come back, he added.

Myanmars military overthrew the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government on Feb. 1, claiming the party had stolen the countrys November 2020 ballot through voter fraud. The junta has yet to provide evidence of its claims and has violently repressed anti-coup protests, killing at least 1,041 people and arresting 6,107 others, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

Amid nationwide turmoil, the military has stepped up offensives in remote parts of the country, triggering fierce battles with local PDF militias and some of the dozens of ethnic armies that control large swathes of territory along Myanmars periphery.

Pauk township has been the scene of frequent fighting between the PDF and junta troops, with villages regularly caught in the crossfire of artillery blasts and mine explosions.

On June 16, nearly all the homes in Kinma village were torched to the ground during clashes, with both sides blaming the other for the incident.

As recently as Monday, seven government troops were killed and an unconfirmed number of others injured by a PDF mine attack near Wun Chone village, residents said.

Wun Chone villagers take shelter in the forest in Magway region's Pauk township, in an undated photo. Citizen journalist

Loikaw township IDPs

Fighting in Kayah states Loikaw township has also forced residents to flee their homes in recent weeks, with sources in the region saying that clashes between the military and a joint battalion of Karenni National Defense Force (KNDF) and Karenni Army fighters in Loilem Lay village on Aug. 31 prompted nearly 8,000 people to seek refuge in temporary camps.

The fighting, which lasted for more than an hour, caused casualties on both sides and came a day after junta troops fired mortars into Loikaws Daltahay village, while also raiding Loilem Lay and Tee Lom villages, according to the KDNFs spokesperson.

An IDP, who declined to be named for security reasons, said that he and others placed as much food as they could on motorbikes and fled.

There are at least 8,000 people from Htee Sel Khar village tract, he said.

Volunteers said there were at least 170,000 IDPs from the Kayah state townships of Demoso, Loikaw, Fruso and Bawlakhe since May 20.

Attempts by RFA to contact junta deputy information minister Major Gen Zaw Min Tun for confirmation of the fighting in Magway region and Kayah state went unanswered Wednesday.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced on Aug. 27 that the number of people who need humanitarian aid in Myanmar increased to around two million since the military coup on Feb. 1.

OCHA said earlier last month that there are 205,260 IDPs in Myanmar, most of whom are in Kayin, Kayah, Shan and Chin states.

They join more than 500,000 refugees from decades of conflict between the military and ethnic armies who were already counted as IDPs at the end of 2020, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, a Norwegian NGO.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane and Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Support has fallen off due to economic disruptions tied to the spread of coronavirus in Myanmar, and the Rohingya now have trouble finding sufficient food, shelter, or work in the camps.

A Rohingya woman is shown at the Thet Kae Pyin camp for internally displaced persons outside Sittwe, capital of Myanmar's Rakhine state, Aug. 28, 2021.

More than 100,000 Rohingya refugees whove been confined to camps in western Myanmars Rakhine state for nearly a decade are asking to be allowed to return home so they can find work and food amid the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Muslim minority group say.

Sheltered in camps near the Rakhine state capital Sittwe, the Rohingya were driven from their homes by ethnic clashes with the states majority-Buddhist population in 2012, and had been supported until now by contributions from the U.N. World Food Programme.

Deliveries of food have fallen off, though, due to economic disruptions tied to the spread of coronavirus in Myanmar, and the Rohingya now have trouble finding sufficient food, shelter, or work in the camps, one camp resident said.

How can we eat when we are not allowed to work outside the camps? asked Maung Kyaw Sein, a resident of the Thekkair-byin refugee camp, adding that he and others have now lived in the camp for around ten years.

We want to go back, he said. We want to return to our old places, where we can find work and food. We cant find any work here, and we dont have enough rice or any other kinds of food.

Deadly ethnic clashes in Rakhine in 2012 destroyed factories and other businesses in Sittwe, killing nearly 200 Rohingya and displacing 140,000 members of the persecuted community, who are denied citizenship and labeled illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. They were settled in 14 camps west of Sittwe after their homes were burned down and their property destroyed during the fighting.

Five years after the Sittwe violence, Myanmar's military launched a scorched-earth campaign against ethnic Rohingya villages in response to attacks by Muslim insurgents on police posts in Rakhine, burning villages, killing residents, and driving 740,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh. About 600,000 Rohingya remain in Rakhine state, which has about 3.1 million people.

The 2017 attacks have since been described by international rights groups and foreign governments as constituting acts of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Requests ignored

The Rohingya in Sittwe have repeatedly asked to be settled again in their former villages along the Bay of Bengal in northern Rakhine, but previous Myanmar governmentsincluding the National League for Democracy government ousted in a Feb. 1 military couphave ignored their requests without explanation.

Although government authorities had previously promised to build new houses for the displaced Rohingya, nothing was ever done, said one resident of the Thekkhair-byin refugee camp named Maung Maung.

We had to move from Sittwe in 2012 to the refugee camp south of Sittwe, and our entire family now has to live in a 10 by 10 room, so we have a lot of difficulties, he said.

Government officials would sometimes come here and say they would give us a house, he said, adding, We asked them instead to let us go back to our former areas, but nothing has happened yet.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, another refugee said they would like to ask authorities for permission to travel freely and return to their original places of residence because of food shortages in the camps.

In the past, we had shops and could operate our own businesses, but we cant do anything here. We hope that the government will give us back our original places, he said.

Myanmar military forces still guard the roads leading to Rohingya refugee camps in Sittwe, and discrimination against the Rohingya continues, local Muslim Rohingya elders say, adding that some Rohingya leave the area illegally by boat each year in attempts to reach Thailand or Malaysia, where they hope to find a better life.

Calls requesting comment from the Rakhine State Military Council on the refugees demands for repatriation and freedom of movement rang unanswered.

Rohingya children are shown at the Thet Kae Pyin camp for internally displaced persons outside Sittwe in Myanmar's Rakhine state, Aug. 28, 2021. Photo: RFA

Death in detention

Ruby Alam, a Rohingya administrator in U Shay Kya village in Rakhines Maungdaw township, died in detention this week after being arrested by Myanmar security forces, sources told RFA. His body was brought to the Maungdaw township hospital on Aug. 31, a village administrator said on Wednesday.

We learned that he was arrested on Aug. 29, and his body was returned to the hospital yesterday morning and then buried in the evening. Thats all we know, the administrator said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Ruby Alam was buried at a Muslim cemetery at around 5:00 p.m., said Shwe Htoo Khaing, chairman of the Maungdaw Karuna Network Funeral Aid Association, whose group was asked by the hospital to help. It was our duty to help them. We could not ask what happened, he said.

Reached for comment, Nay OoMaungdaw District Administrator for the Military Councildenied any knowledge of Ruby Alams death, and no information on why he had been arrested was immediately available.

His body bore signs of bruising on his arms and legs, and he was believed to have died of a heart attack, sources said.

'Bengalis'

Earlier this week, Myanmars ruling junta instructed government employees and administrative staff in a secret memo not to use the term Rohingya to describe those living in the Sittwe camps or the hundreds of thousands driven by the military into Bangladesh in 2017, sources who received the memo told RFA.

Instead, the memo said, the ethnic group should be called Bengalis, a pejorative term referring to the groups supposed status as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, though many have lived in Myanmar for generations.

The National Unity Government (NUG), formed in opposition to military rule, has promised to amend the countrys constitution to give citizenship to the Rohingya, who are not recognized as an official ethnic group in Myanmar.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane and Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Police disguised as medical workers gained entry to the house by saying they needed a 'health statement' from the blogger and his family.

Vietnamese police this week arrested a Facebook user for criticizing the government online, posing as medical workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in order to gain quick entry to his house, sources said.

Bui Van Thuan, 40, was taken into custody on Aug. 30 by a large number of police officers after police cut power to his house in the Huu Nhan hamlet of Nghi Son town in northern Vietnams Thanh Hoa province, Thuans wife told RFA on Wednesday.

The power went off at around 8:15 a.m., and the whole area was blacked out, Trinh Thi Nhung said. I then saw three people wearing medical clothes standing at our front gate, and they asked me to let them in to take a statement on our health because we are from another region and only have temporary registration in the area.

They said they were in a hurry and urged me to open the door quickly so that they could go to see others, so I invited them to come into the living room, she said, adding that the disguised officers wanted to know how many people were living in the house and asked to see her husband, who was sleeping.

One of the male officers then asked to use the restroom, Nhung said.

After I showed him the way to the restroom, he broke into the bedroom and restrained and handcuffed my husband just as he had woken up and was about to come out, she said.

Thuan was then formally arrested for using his Facebook account Thuan Van Bui to store materials and publications against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam under Article 117 of Vietnams Criminal Code, Nhung said.

Police then carried out a search of the house, handcuffing both Thuan and Nhung and assigning an officer to comfort their daughter, who began crying when she could not find her parents after she woke, Nhung said.

Both knew that Thuan could be arrested at any time, and were not frightened when the moment came, she said.

Those who raise their voices against what is bad and evil can be arrested at any time, she said. I knew that my husband often speaks out about human rights, so I was mentally prepared and am not afraid of any force sent against us.

I trust him and still hold my head high, she said.

Many officers deployed

An unusually large number of police officers, both in uniform and in plain clothes, had been deployed to secure Thuans arrest, a nearby farmer who witnessed the incident told RFA.

While working in the paddy field in front of my house, I saw three or four cars in front of Thuans home, and dozens of other cars were parked along the road. Nearly a hundred people surrounded the house, while those who stayed farther away rode motorbikes and didnt wear uniforms,  he said.

Thuan had never been affiliated with any political parties or groups, a friend said, speaking to RFA on condition of anonymity. But because he spoke up so strongly, some people advised him to keep quiet for a while or to escape to another country.

However, he always said no, his friend said, adding that Thuan felt he would lose his legitimacy as a dissident voice if he left. He said, Id rather let [the authorities] hate me than have them look down on me.

He raised his voice because he was upset with social injustices, and what made him special was his level of speaking up. Thuan is famous for his so-called dog-fighting bulletins, which revealed many hidden stories from the [governments] inner sanctums.

In a Sept. 1 report, the Public Security newspaper of Vietnams Ministry of Public Security said that police searching Thuans house had seized six computers, three iPads, three mobile phones, and many documents and other items related to his criminal work.

They also left with a jar of lime-flavored honey and a copy of The Handbook for Families of Prisoners, published by Pham Doan Trang, a human rights activist who was arrested by government authorities in October 2020, Nhung said.

Our family refused to let them take the honey jar, as it had nothing to with their investigation. But the police said that they would take it anyway, and that was that, said Nhung.

According to the California-based Vietnam Human Rights Network, Vietnam is currently holding around 300 political prisoners in the countrys prisons, jails, and detention centers.

As of 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Vietnam has recorded 473,530 cases of COVID-19 infection in the country, according to data tallied by the CDC, WHO, and other sources. Total number of deaths now stands at 11,868.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling for international solidarity with Belaruss persecuted independent journalists as a crackdown on media and civil society intensifies following last year's disputed presidential election.

We call on the international community to vigorously support their resistance and to continue offering a refuge to journalists who are forced to flee the persecution, RSF said in a statement on September 1, nearly a week after the Belarusian Supreme Court ordered the closure of the countrys only independent journalists association on spurious grounds.

The Paris-based media watchdog said the move to close the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAZh) was a political decision culminating a crackdown on independent media in Belarus that began more than a year ago.

The ongoing crackdown on Belarusian opposition and independent media started after the official results of the August 2020 presidential election awarded authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term, sparking an unprecedented wave of protests amid allegations the vote was rigged.

Mass protests against Lukashenka were met with the heavy-handed -- and sometimes violent -- detention of tens of thousands of people. Much of the opposition leadership and many independent journalists have been jailed or forced into exile.

The order to liquidate the BAZh came on August 27 after the Supreme Court upheld a lawsuit filed by the Justice Ministry. The formal reason for the order was that the association did not correct alleged violations identified by the Justice Ministry during an inspection launched in June. The BAZh argued there were no legal grounds for its dissolution.

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.

The BAZh had been constantly harassed by the authorities, according to RSF.

It was denied access to its headquarters, its bank account was frozen, and it was subjected to searches and seizures carried out in the absence of any [BAZh] representative and without being told anything about the searches," RSF said.

The organization "has been promoting press freedom for more than 25 years in very trying circumstances, but it never had to face a crackdown of this scale, said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSFs Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.

Reacting to the Supreme Courts dissolution order, BAZh President Andrey Bastunets said that its 1,500 members were united by the awareness of their mission: to expand the space of freedom of speech in Belarus.

We will continue to do our work regardless of the decisions of courts and administrative bodies, by all legal means," he said.

RSF noted that the authorities have also disbanded other organizations such as the Belarus Press Club and PEN Belarus, which defended writers rights and freedom of expression.

Belarus, described by RSF as Europes most dangerous country for journalists, ranks 158th out of 180 countries in the groups 2021 World Press Freedom Index.
SOFIA -- Bulgaria's parliament has set November 14 as the date for a presidential election as the country also gears up for its third parliamentary vote this year, after political parties gave up efforts to form a governing coalition following inconclusive polls.

Lawmakers decided on the date for the vote on September 2, adding that a runoff, if needed, will be held a week later.

Incumbent Rumen Radev, who has maintained high approval ratings since his election in 2016, is running for a second five-year term for the largely ceremonial position.

Radev, a 58-year-old former air force commander, is supported by the anti-establishment ITN party and the Socialists, and is an ardent critic of former long-serving Prime Minister Boyko Borisov of the center-right GERB party.

Other political parties have yet to announce their candidates for president.

Borisov led the Eastern European country for most of the past decade until April, when inconclusive parliamentary elections led to the appointment of an interim government by Radev.

Snap national polls in July again produced a fractured parliament and Bulgaria now looks set to hold its third general elections in November after three attempts by ITN, GERB, and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) to build a majority in the National Assembly failed.

Radev still has to set a date for the parliamentary elections.

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 bloc's multibillion-euro coronavirus recovery fund.

In the July 11 elections, the ITN won 65 seats in the fragmented 240-member parliament, ahead of GERB's 63 seats and the BSP's 36.

With reporting by Reuters
ASHGABAT -- Authorities in Turkmenistan, where the government has yet to officially register a single case of coronavirus, have extended school holidays indefinitely amid reports on the ground of a spike in deaths believed to be caused by COVID-19.

"The situation with the virus in Ashgabat is very bad. People who are infected with the virus are constantly being brought to the hospitals. About one of every two are sick with it," an Ashgabat-based health official told RFE/RL.

Some schools opened on September 1, but students were immediately told that as of September 4, they will be back on holiday. Schools for older students didn't even open, and aren't expected to until next month at the earliest, according to one official.

It is now being recommended that classes should be conducted online in secondary schools from October 1, the Ashgabat-based education official, who asked not to be named, said.

Meanwhile, funeral parlors in Ashgabat are said to be overwhelmed with work as dozens die of COVID-19 each day.

Workers at funeral parlors told RFE/RL that because of the rapid increase of daily COVID-19 deaths, the price of caskets has dramatically increased in recent weeks, adding that many of those who do not have enough money are having to bury their loved ones in plastic bags.

Local authorities across the country have been urging families and religious clerics to ask those who have lost someone to refrain from organizing post-burial gatherings and prayers in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus.

In addition, all public events, weddings, birthdays, and other gatherings have been banned across the country. No official reason was given for the ban.
Police in Spain have detained notorious Georgian organized crime boss Levan Abuladze -- known in the criminal underworld by the nickname Levan Sukhumsky -- who has been on the run since December 2020 when he escaped from a Russian court building where he had been brought for a pretrial hearing.

Spanish National Police said in a statement on September 2 that Abuladze was arrested at the Barcelona airport while trying to enter the country on a fake Ukrainian passport. Police alleged he had plans to continue running his organization in the country, but was thwarted as a result of joint efforts with Georgian police.

Abuladze, who is a Georgian citizen, is referred to as a thief in law, the highest title in the criminal world's hierarchy in the former Soviet Union.

In December 2020, he managed to escape from a court building in the Russian city of Vladimir, about 200 kilometers east of Moscow, after his handcuffs were removed shortly before a hearing so that he could use a toilet.

In mid-December, Abuladze completed a four-year prison sentence in Russia for illegal drug trafficking and forgery.

Russian authorities initially had planned to deport Abuladze to his native Georgia, but in September, prosecutors filed additional charges against him for "occupying the highest rank in the criminal hierarchy," a crime that carries a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) describes the thieves in law as "a Eurasian crime syndicate that has been linked to a long list of illicit activity across the globe." It says the syndicate poses a threat to the United States and its allies.

Thieves in law originated in Stalinist prison camps during the Soviet era.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the OFAC says the thieves in law network has expanded across former Soviet republics, Europe, and the United States, with crimes that include money laundering, extortion, bribery, kidnapping, and robbery.

According to the OFAC, the syndicate's members are "initiated or 'crowned' after demonstrating an 'ideal' criminal biography and take an oath to uphold a code that includes living exclusively off their criminal profits and supporting other thieves in law."

Being a thief in law was criminalized in Russia in April 2019. In Georgia, it was criminalized in 2005.

Two other former Soviet republics, Armenia and Ukraine, also have made it a crime to be a top member of the criminal hierarchy.

With reporting by RIA Novosti and TASS
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is urging Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release a financial reporter who was reportedly arrested this week on security charges, saying that the jailing of journalists for doing their jobs is an outrageous form of censorship that must end.

The New-York-based media freedom watchdog made the call in a statement on September 1 after Amir-Abbas Azarmvand, who works for the state run Iranian economic newspaper SMT, was arrested at his parents home in Tehran by security agents of the Intelligence Ministry, according to exile-run outlets.

Azarmvand was presented with an arrest warrant citing recent critical reporting for SMT on the difficult economic situation of union workers and some of the new economic decisions by the government, IranWire reported, quoting a colleague of the journalist who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the fear of reprisal.

According to the source, Azarmvand was charged with spreading propaganda against the system and transferred to Evin prison, a primary site for political detainees.

The report said security agents also confiscated Azarmvands laptop, cellphone, and some books.

IranWire and the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Azarmvand had also been arrested in the fall of 2018 and 2020 for his journalistic work, but provided no further details.
Four visiting U.S. senators told Lebanese officials on September 1 that the United States was eager to help that country tackle its fuel shortages but warned against Beirut seeking to import Iranian oil to alleviate the problem.

The Democratic senators said turning to Iranian supplies could have "severely damaging consequences."

The visit follows statements last month from the leader of the Iran-backed Hizballah militant group suggesting an Iranian fuel tanker was en route to Lebanon and that others would follow.

The United States has clamped down with tougher sanctions against Iran since Washington withdrew from a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers in 2018.

The senators' visit also comes with Lebanese politicians unable to form a government for over a year, which could enable negotiations with international financial institutions to help address Lebanon's economic crisis.

It is inexcusable that in the middle of this life-threatening crisis, the political leaders in Lebanon have refused to make the tough choices in order to form a government, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said near the end of the two-day visit.

Hassan Diab and his government resigned days after a devastating blast at Beiruts port that killed at least 214 people, wounded some 6,000, and damaged huge swaths of the city.

Another visiting senator, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, criticized Hizballah as a malignant cancerous terrorist organization and suggested he'd heard very troublingly about maligned Iranian influence, particularly in providing fuel.

The World Bank has described Lebanon's economic crisis as one of the world's most severe since the 1850s.

Based on reporting by AP
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Journalists at the online magazine Village Kazakhstan say they have come under pressure from unknown state officials over a recent report about the life of a boy who was raped three years ago by teenagers in Kazakhstan's southern region of Turkistan.

"We have to inform you that unknown individuals who introduce themselves as officials of state entities are attacking us right now, demanding we remove the article from our website. We demand you stop putting pressure on independent journalists," the magazine said in its Telegram channel on September 1.

The article, published on September 1 and written by journalist Asem Zhapisheva, tells the story of a 7-year-old boy who was raped repeatedly in the village of Abai in 2018.

The story was first reported by local journalist Amangeldy Batyrbekov, who wrote in his online S-Inform newspaper about the boy's ordeal and the reluctance of the regional authorities and police to launch a probe into it.

The reporting led to a public outcry, forcing the replacement of the Central Asian nation's ombudswoman for children and the suspension of local police and education officials in the Turkistan region.

Eventually, one of the perpetrators was sentenced to seven years in prison, while several other teens avoided prosecution because they were underage at the time.

The Village Kazakhstan's September 1 report focused on the problems the boy and his family continue to face, including comments from the his mother and grandmother that they continue to receive threats from local authorities and relatives and friends of the convicted boys.

The victim's lawyer, Qurmanghazy Musir, whose pressure campaign eventually prompted police to launch a criminal case into the crime, has been slapped with several libel lawsuits from those incriminated, costing him time, energy and money, they said.

Batyrbekov also faced libel charges after he wrote about the rape in 2018. In September 2019, he was sentenced to two years and three months in prison on libel charges.

In January 2020, Judge Taubai Qadyrbaev of the Turkistan Regional Court accepted Batyrbekov's appeal and ruled that he be immediately released from custody and offered apologies to the journalist "on behalf of the state and the court."

However, later in 2020, Batyrbekov was again charged with libel through several other cases, which he eventually won.

Batyrbekov told RFE/RL that a new libel lawsuit had been filed against him by three judges over his Facebook posts, which the journalist called baseless as well.

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Information and Social Development said in a September 2 statement that it is "ready to provide assistance to Village Kazakhstan" and "protect the rights" of its reporters.

Kazakhstan ranked 155th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2021 World Press Freedom Index.
Russia has refused to extend the mandate of international observers to monitor two border crossing points with Ukraine, a U.S. official said.

The United States deeply regrets that the Russian Federation has indicated that it will not join consensus to extend the missions mandate and financing arrangement at the end of September, Courtney Austrian, the charge daffaires at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said in a September 2 statement.

Austrian said the OSCE mission has carried out its mandate to provide impartial reporting of border crossing at two points in a professional manner and served as a tool to build confidence between Russia and Ukraine.

She said the Kremlins decision to end the mandate looks to be just the latest in a long line of broken promises and the most recent demonstration that maintaining positive relations with its neighbors is simply not a priority for Russia.

There was no immediate reaction by Russia to Austrians comments.

Russia is accused of sending troops and weapons over the border into eastern Ukraine and fomenting a war in an attempt to destabilize its neighbor and bring it back into its orbit.

The war, now in its eighth year, has resulted in the death of more than 13,200 people and devastated Ukraines economy.
The defense team of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who is serving a lengthy prison term in Russia on espionage charges he calls trumped up, has requested he be handed over to the United States to finish serving his sentence.

Whelans lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, told Russian media he has sent a request to the High Court of Mordovia, the region where Whelan is serving his sentence. The court has yet to set a date for the hearing, he said.

Zherebenkov had earlier asked the Moscow City Court to consider handing his client over to the United States to continue serving his sentence, but the court refused to consider the matter and forwarded it to Mordovia.

Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian, and Irish passports, was detained by Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) in Moscow on December 28, 2018, while he was in the country to attend the wedding of a friend, and accused of espionage.

Russian security forces say he took possession of a flash drive with photos and names of students from a school for border guards, a claim he calls ludicrous.

He was sentenced to 16 years in a high-security penal colony.

The United States continues to call for his release.

Based on reporting by the BBC and TASS
Polish President Andrzej Duda has imposed a state of emergency in parts of two regions bordering Belarus amid an influx of migrants from the former Soviet state.

The September 2 decision came following a request by his government earlier in the week.

The emergency rules would ban demonstrations in a thin strip along the border as well as require people to carry identity documentation.

It will last for 30 days but could be extended by Duda.

About 3,000 migrants tried to enter Poland last month from Belarus.

Poland and the EU believe the illegal crossings are being orchestrated by strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka to extract revenge for sanctions against his authoritarian rule.

The EU has imposed several rounds of economic penalties against members of Lukashenkas government, state-owned companies, as well as tycoons that have benefitted from his rule following his brutal crackdown on protesters.

Migrants from Belarus have also entered Latvia and Lithuania, two other EU member states that border the country. Most of the migrants are from the Middle East, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Poland last week began the construction of a 2.5-meter-tall fence along its 418-kilometer border with Belarus to slow the inflow.

The state of emergency is the first in Polands postcommunist history.

Reporting by Reuters, AP, Deutsche Welle
A few years before French inventor Louis Daguerre ushered in the age of photography in Paris, a talented young artist and explorer called Frederic Dubois arrived in the Caucasus in 1831 with a sketch pad and an epic mission ahead of him. Dubois, a Swiss-Prussian nobleman, had received the blessing of the Russian Tsar Nicholas I to explore and draw the mountainous southern frontier of the Russian Empire. That region is todays Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.

Little is known about most of Duboiss life. But during the three years he spent traveling the Caucasus -- sometimes accused of being a spy -- he was so prolific with his pencil and sketch pads that he returned to Europe with enough material for a travelogue that filled 11 volumes. That included five giant atlases full of illustrations.

Duboiss books today are extremely rare and closely guarded. In 2017, a full collection of his Caucasus travelogue sold at auction for more than $154,000. Three volumes of the atlases are reported to be held in Russian museums, and one volume, with a mysterious backstory, is held in a small library in Georgias breakaway region of Abkhazia. After several dead ends, RFE/RL was able to acquire scans of three of the atlases from the National Parliamentary Library Of Georgia. Thanks to the staff there, these fascinating images of the Caucasus as it looked nearly 200 years ago can be published in crystal-clear quality. *Locations are given according to current borders in the Caucasus.

Maghakyan speculates that even the tireless Dubois may have been overwhelmed with the amount of detail he would need to sketch if he included more of the intricately carved cross-stones, known as khachkars. What the artist has done is to show only one khachkar out of several thousand, in order to help the viewer appreciate it most, Maghakyan says. It must have been an exhausting experience to stand in the middle of the worlds largest forest of khachkars and attempt sketching it.

Dubois describes the cathedral as a mixture of Byzantine and Armenian [styles]. In a summary that may irk some Georgian readers, the artist claimed: The Byzantine style was adopted for the interior, while the exterior decorations were rather an imitation of the Armenian style.

Dubois seems to have been highly taken by the sturdy bridge, describing its two balconies suspended over the river making it possible to enjoy the freshness of the current. Before, there was a village set up there by the king so travelers could find food, the explorer wrote. "Today, nothing stands, no village, no caravanserai. The bridge alone remains. Its length is 400 feet, its width 14 feet.
Romanian Prime Minister Florin Citu sacked his justice minister late on September 1, plunging the EU members governing coalition into crisis.

The centrist prime minister accused Justice Minister Stelian Ion of undermining a 50 billion lei ($12 billion) community development plan aimed at modernizing infrastructure. The plan needed the Justice Ministry's approval.

"I will not accept ministers in the Romanian government who oppose the modernization of Romania," Citu told a news briefing.

"Blocking the activity of the government only because you do not agree to develop communities means violating the mandate given to you by parliament through the governing program, he added.

The move threatens a coalition made up of Citu's Liberal Party, Ion's USR-PLUS, and the ethnic Hungarians group, which jointly control 56 percent of parliament.

Following the sacking, USR-PLUS decided to withdraw its support for the prime minister and called for the start of coalition talks to form a new government. If coalition talks fail to find a new prime minister, USR-PLUS said it would support a censure motion against the Citu government.

"Tonight, Prime Minister Florin Citu has just shown that he has no respect for the law, for the constitution," Ion said. In this way, Florin Citu actually signed his own departure from the government because it is only a matter of time until Florin Citu will go home.

A rupture in the coalition could endanger the government's agenda to curb its yawning deficit and fight the coronavirus pandemic, leaving it without a majority.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, Romania was struggling with a widening budget shortfall from years of political instability and fiscal largesse.

With reporting by Reuters and RFE/RLs Romanian Service
DUSHANBE -- A close relative of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has been given a fine while some others received prison sentences over a stabbing incident that occurred in the Central Asian nation in May.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official at the Danghara district court in the southern Khatlon region told RFE/RL on September 1 that the decision was handed down in late July in the case against Amriddin Nakhshov, the 35-year-old nephew of Rahmon's wife. Nine other co-defendants were also found guilty.

According to the official, Nakhshov and four of the defendants were ordered to each pay fines of 60,000 somonis ($5,250), while the remaining five defendants were handed prison sentences of between three and five years for their roles in the brawl that took place in mid-May in downtown Danghara.

Nakhshov, who is the director-general of the Nakhsh gold company, and his associates were accused of attacking a group of workers from the Minu Farm company.

Police officials said at the time that 10 workers of Minu Farm were severely injured in the attack, of whom four sustained serious stab wounds.

Nakhshov was charged with hooliganism, while some of his co-defendants were additionally charged with breaking into private property.

A man who witnessed the incident told RFE/RL at the time that the brawl was caused by the refusal of Minu Farm's chief, Sayod Ghiyosov, to meet Nakhshov's demand related to an unspecified land ownership claim.

Minu Farm is linked to Shamsullo Sahibov, who is President Rahmon's son-in-law.

Earlier in August, Tajik Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda told reporters that the trial of Nakhshov and his associates was over, but did not provide any details.

Minu Farm's leadership has issued a statement, saying that Amriddin Nakhshov "just tried to stop the brawl and called on the youth to stay away from disorder."

All of those convicted in the case are expected to be pardoned as a mass amnesty to mark the former Soviet republic's independence is expected to be approved by lawmakers in the coming days.

Rahmon has nine children. One of Rahmons daughters, Ozoda, is the presidents chief of staff, while his eldest son, Rustam Emomali, is the chairman of the parliament's upper chamber, Majlisi Milli (Supreme Assembly).

Several other members of Rahmons family and relatives occupy important official positions or control major businesses.

Rahmon, who runs the Central Asian nation since 1992, has been criticized for widespread corruption and a crackdown on dissent.
DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan has awarded posthumously two former Afghan political figures, Ahmad Shah Masud and Burhanuddin Rabbani, with the country's third-highest honor, the Order of Ismoili Somoni.

Afghanistan In Turmoil: Full Coverage On Gandhara Read RFE/RL's Gandhara website for complete coverage of the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. Gandhara is the go-to source for English-language reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi and its network of journalists, and by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, which offers extensive coverage of Pakistan's remote tribal regions.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon signed the decree awarding the two men the honor on September 2. According to the decree, Masud and Rabbani were recognized for their contribution to ending a devastating 1993-97 civil war in Tajikistan.

Ahmad Shah Masud, nicknamed the Lion of Panjshir, was one of the leading military commanders of the Afghan resistance to Soviet troops from 1979-89 and fought against the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan from 1996-2001.

After Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan, Masud served as defense minister from 1992 until his assassination on September 9, 2001.

Rabbani served as Afghanistan's president from 1992 to 2001. Between 1996-2001 his authority was not recognized by Taliban militants, who controlled many regions of the country.

Rabbani was killed on September 20, 2011, by a bomb attack during a meeting with Taliban representatives at his home.

Both Masud and Rabbani were ethnic Tajiks involved in peace talks that ended the war in Tajikistan in 1997.

The signing of the decree awarding the two men the honor comes as the Taliban battles resistance forces in the Panjshir Valley, which is mainly populated by ethnic Tajiks.

Tajikistan has officially stated that Afghanistan's new government under the Taliban must include Tajiks, Uzbeks, and representatives of the country's other ethnic groups.
Tajik Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda says his country is unable to host many refugees from neighboring Afghanistan, as thousands look to flee after Taliban insurgents took control of the country.

Rahimzoda cited a lack of infrastructure to host Afghan refugees as the reason and called on international organizations, including the United Nations, to assist the Central Asian state to build such infrastructure.

He was speaking during a meeting with Mulugeta Zewdie, the country director for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, on September 1.

Rahimzoda noted that 80 Afghan families were currently in a neutral segment of the Tajik-Afghan border area and seeking to enter Tajikistan, fearing for their lives.

Some 5,000 Afghan government troops have already entered Tajikistan as they fled from Taliban advances in recent weeks. The troops were later sent back to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan In Turmoil: Full Coverage On Gandhara Read RFE/RL's Gandhara website for complete coverage of the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. Gandhara is the go-to source for English-language reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi and its network of journalists, and by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, which offers extensive coverage of Pakistan's remote tribal regions.

He also said his ministry was overwhelmed with work related to any possible influx of refugees, stressing that the ongoing instability and the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan might cause a "flow of terrorists to other countries."

In the last 15 years, Tajikistan has accepted more than 3,000 families who left Afghanistan and allocated 70 hectares of land in the country's south for setting up a proper camp for refugees two decades ago.

"However, in 20 years no international organizations provided any practical assistance to create infrastructure to admit refugees and persons who seek asylum. Because of that, the Republic of Tajikistan does not have the capacity to accept a big number of refugees or asylum seekers," the ministry quoted Rahimzoda as saying.

In July, almost 350 ethnic Kyrgyz shepherds from Afghanistan with their families and some 4,000 livestock fled the country and entered Tajikistan. They were later sent back to their village in Afghanistan, even though the Kyrgyz authorities asked Dushanbe to secure their safe passage to Kyrgyzstan.

Last month, authorities in Uzbekistan said they had sent 150 Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan under an agreement with the Taliban and at the request of the refugees themselves.

In July, Tajikistan said it was ready to shelter up to 100,000 Afghan refugees but later backed away from that statement.
KYIV -- A Ukrainian court has extended by two months the house arrest of Viktor Medvedchuk, a Kremlin-leaning lawmaker and tycoon who is accused of supporting fighters in two eastern provinces.

Medvedchuk, who heads Opposition Platform-For Life, the second-largest party in the parliament, will remain under house arrest until October 31, the court said.

The 67-year-old Medvedchuk, who has a close personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is accused of funneling profits from his businesses into the two separatist-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine has been battling the Russia-backed separatists since 2014 in a war that has killed more than 13,200.

Medvedchuk denies the charges and calls them politically motivated.

The lawmaker was first placed under house arrest in May after Ukraines Security Service (SBU) searched his home and office in Kyiv.

In a sign of things to come, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in February signed off on sanctions against Medvedchuk and three television stations believed to be owned by the tycoon in a move that caught the country by surprise.

Zelenskiy later described it as the start of his campaign to reduce the influence of a handful of tycoons who control the country from behind the scenes.

Civil society activists accuse Medvedchuk of undermining crucial reforms that would help Ukraine build a rules-based society and move closer to its goal of joining the European Union and NATO.

They also accuse his stations of spreading Russian disinformation.

The United States sanctioned Medvedchuk in 2014 for undermining democracy in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made it abundantly clear what he hoped to get out of his first official visit to the White House: more guns, missiles, armor, and other U.S. equipment to aid in his country's fight against Kremlin-backed separatists.

He got some: a $60 million increase in military aid, bringing the total U.S. aid for this year alone to more than $400 million.

Was it enough?

"It is a good package in terms of the strategic defense framework, but I think the situation is urgent enough to call for a bigger U.S. commitment," Alexander Vershbow, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, told RFE/RL.

The bigger question is whether Zelenskiy managed to accomplish a wider reset of relations between Kyiv and Washington, a bilateral relationship that has been turbulent even as Washington remains the largest single foreign supplier of military aid.

That aid has been crucial as Ukraine's standoff with Russian-backed fighters in eastern Ukraine continues in its eighth year -- with well more than 13,000 dead. "We want support not only in words," Zelenskiy said the day before the September 1 White House meeting.

Biden is deeply familiar with the contours of the relationship. As vice president under President Barack Obama prior to 2016, Biden was the administration's point man on relations with Kyiv, offering rhetorical backing as the war intensified, and also rhetorical bludgeoning as Zelenskiy's predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, failed to check the country's endemic corruption.

Biden nodded to that history in his opening remarks alongside Zelenskiy in the Oval Office. "The United States remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression and -- and -- our support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations," he said.

A Long And Bumpy Road

The road for Zelenskiy to get to the White House was bumpy, to say the least.

Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, held up military aid in 2019, conditioning it on Zelenskiy helping Trump's allies dig up dirt on Biden and his son, to damage Biden politically ahead of the 2020 presidential election. The effort resulted in Trump's first impeachment.

Following Zelenskiy's visit, the White House announced a joint program to reset and deepen its strategic relationship with Ukraine. It's a plan replete with things like cooperation on security, democracy, human rights, energy, and economic development -- much more than strictly guns and ammunition.

However, there was no joint press conference following the meeting, which would have afforded a photo op with the two leaders standing side by side, raising speculation Biden wanted to avoid uncomfortable questions about his administration's decision not to block the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, or other nettlesome issues.

Angela Stent, a former U.S. national intelligence officer on Russia, said the meeting was nonetheless "very important" for Kyiv, including the joint declaration of U.S. support for its territorial integrity and the additional aid.

Some U.S. analysts have called for hundreds of millions of dollars, even as much as $1 billion, in military aid, saying that would send a strong signal to the Kremlin. The increased military package was nowhere near that. Still, the Kremlin reacted dimly.

"We believe this could potentially cause unpredictable actions by the Ukrainian side in terms of attempting to resolve the...Ukrainian conflict...by force. This is very dangerous," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying. The term "Ukrainian conflict" is a Kremlin euphemism to deny its role in backing the separatists.

"Simply put, we're talking about a Ukrainian-American friendship that is directed against Russia," Peskov said. "This can only cause regret."

Not What He Hoped For?

The joint statement released by the two leaders mentioned strengthening democracy and rule of law in Ukraine -- something analysts say the Kremlin fears could inspire its own citizens. It also references helping Kyiv defend its borders.

Still, there appeared to be disappointment from Zelenskiy's side of things.

Zelenskiy had signaled that his country needs more Western financing to help it rebuild its naval fleet and bolster its missile defense program -- something he said would cost as much as $22 billion. "I tell you frankly: cheap money, cheap loans [for national defense].... This is important for us," Zelenskiy said on the eve of the White House meeting.

But one Zelenskiy aide told RFE/RL that the additional aid, which included more for sophisticated anti-tank Javelin missiles, was too small to have any real impact on Russia's military calculations. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations among Zelenskiy advisers.

From the Biden administration side, the small size of the package was due to concerns about Ukraine's capacity to effectively utilize so much aid, according to a senior State Department official who also spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity. The official also said significant U.S. aid to Ukraine could increase tensions between Kyiv and Moscow.

Vershbow, now an analyst at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, disagreed with that notion, saying U.S. air-defense weapons, such as surface-to-air missiles, would ensure Russia refrains from using aircraft to support the separatists in eastern Ukraine. Such high-ticket weapons, he said, "would be a major advantage for Ukrainians in holding the line.

Ben Hodges, a former top U.S. Army commander in Europe, said anti-ship missiles would help Ukraine on the Black Sea. After Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine lost most of its naval fleet, and now relies on a flotilla of smaller, coastal ships, many of which are no match for Russian destroyers and corvettes.

Stent, who is now a professor at Georgetown University, said the United States could be doing more to counter Russian activities in the Black Sea, where she said it is trying to win to de facto recognition of Crimea's annexation. She said she expected Washington and Kyiv to enhance cooperation in the region.

No U.S. Role Offered

The joint declaration had at least two other setbacks for Zelenskiy. While it stated U.S. support for peace talks to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine, it made no mention of U.S. plans to directly participate in them. Zelenskiy has repeatedly said he wants the United States to join the talks, which currently include Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France.

Some Ukrainian officials are skeptical of the support received from Berlin and Paris and have pushed for more involvement by Washington to breathe life into the now-dormant peace talks.

Also, the Biden administration does not plan to relaunch the position of special envoy to Ukraine for peace talks, a State Department official told RFE/RL. That position was created under Trump but has been vacant since September 2019, when Kurt Volker stepped down in the midst of the scandal that led to Trump's impeachment.

Stent said that while the special-envoy position would be symbolically important to the Ukrainians, the Biden administration probably does not think it would be productive. That's especially so after Biden's June summit with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during which Biden sought to reach some understanding with Moscow on a range of issues.

The joint declaration also stated both leaders' opposition to Nord Stream 2, but it made no mention of plans by Washington to stop it.

Zelenskiy had pushed the Biden administration to impose sanctions on the pipeline, which will carry Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea, circumventing Ukraine and depriving it of almost $2 billion a year in transit revenue.

Despite the lobbying, Biden instead waived mandatory congressional sanctions on the pipeline builders in order to improve relations with Germany, a key NATO ally.

Keeping Washington Committed

The joint declaration also committed Ukraine to carry out judicial, anti-corruption, and security-service reforms-- crucial for Ukraine to meet its aspirations of someday joining the European Union and NATO.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine had done everything necessary to earn a NATO membership plan. "There was support, but no deadlines," he told reporters later. "I feel that the president personally supports Ukraine in granting NATO membership, but it is difficult for me to say what the path will be."

Russia is vehemently opposed to any ex-Soviet state -- particularly those with whom it shares a border -- joining NATO.

While Ukraine has recently passed important judicial reform legislation and is debating bills to overhaul the security services and rein in powerful tycoons, the country has historically struggled to implement such reforms.

Daniel Vajdich, the president of Washington-based lobbying firm Yorktown Solutions, whose clients include the powerful state-owned gas and oil company Naftogaz, said the outcome of the meeting will have consequences far beyond Ukraine.

In the weeks leading up to the meeting, the United States pulled its forces out of Afghanistan ending its 20-year war there. But the pullout and chaotic evacuation raised questions about Washington's commitment to other friendly countries at war

That includes Ukraine.

"In the wake of Afghanistan, the world is watching whether the U.S. stands by its partners that are facing internal and external enemies," Vajdich said.
Two senior lawmakers have suggested that President Shavkat Mirziyoev, who enjoys virtually unrestrained political power in Uzbekistan, should be given the honorary title of "head of the nation."

It's a nod to one of the more awkwardly conspicuous of Central Asia's anti-democratic trends -- cults of personality fostered by the countries' first post-Soviet leaders -- since gaining independence in the early 1990s.

The Uzbek initiative first came from Senate member Qudratilla Rafiqov, who penned an August 19 article heaping praise on Mirziyoev's services to the nation.

In the paean, titled The Phenomenon Of Shavkat Mirziyoev, the senator said Uzbeks, especially the younger generation, have great confidence in the president and he is widely admired among children.

Mirziyoev has "something extraordinary about his nature and character" and makes people wonder if "this man ever sleeps or rests," the senator wrote. His enormous popularity at home is complemented by great respect among regional leaders, he added.

Mirziyoev should rightfully be called "millat sardori," or "head of the nation," he concluded.

Just days later, Akmal Saidov, a lawmaker from parliament's lower chamber, issued an article in which he came right out and used the title "head of the nation" for the president.

Paying tribute to Mirziyoev's purported role in Uzbekistan's development, Saidov also called the president "yurtboshi," or "head of the country."

That informal title has been used by some in the Uzbek media and public as a sign of respect and flattery to Mirziyoev, who came to power under a constitutionally dubious transition after the death of Uzbekistan's first post-Soviet president, Islam Karimov, in 2016.

There has been no public reaction so far from Mirziyoev, who has said in the past that he doesn't like such flattery.

The proposal also coincides with Mirziyoev's bid for a second term in a presidential election on October 24.

As in all of Uzbekistan's past elections, there will be no genuine competition and no Western observation teams in the country for the vote, which is widely regarded as a mere formality to extend Mirziyoev's rule for another five years.

'Great Leader [Your Name Here]'

If Mirziyoev is granted the "head of the nation" title, he will join a small circle of former and current Central Asian presidents who bear similar titles as part of their personality cults.

It started with Turkmenistan's first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, who assumed the title of "Turkmenbashi, head of all the Turkmen," in 1993.

Niyazov, who ruled the gas-rich country with an iron fist until his death in 2006, was known for his bizarre decrees and excessive personality cult. Niyazov made his book Ruhnama part of the national curriculum and compulsory reading for government officials. Turkmenistan's rubber-stamp parliament made Niyazov president for life in 1999.

Niyazov's successor, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, went on to accept the formal title of "arkadag," or "protector" in Turkmen. It was bestowed upon Berdymukhammedov by the Council of Elders in 2011.

Berdymukhammedov dismantled a gold-plated statue of Niyazov in Ashgabat in 2010, eliciting hopes that the cult era was over for Turkmen. But five years later, "Arkadag" unveiled a golden statue of his own, depicting him atop a horse perching on a marble, white cliff.

Berdymukhammedov is often shown on state television riding horses, singing groovily alongside his grandson, writing his books, working out, driving fast cars, or just enjoying a day out as the rest of the country faces a financial crisis and food shortages.

In neighboring Kazakhstan, President Nursultan Nazarbaev built a flourishing personality cult while he ruled Central Asia's largest economy for three decades until his resignation in 2019 to assume the chairmanship of an influential Security Council.

Kazakhstan's pliant parliament passed a law in 2010 giving Nazarbaev the title of "leader of the nation." In 2019, the capital of Astana was renamed Nur-Sultan after Nazarbaev, who still wields great political clout in Kazakhstan.

A prestigious university and numerous schools and streets have been renamed after Nazarbaev. The country's central bank also unveiled a new banknote featuring his portrait.

In Tajikistan, lawmakers bestowed veteran President Emomali Rahmon with the title "leader of the nation" in 2015.

Along with title, the authoritarian leader and his family got lifelong immunity from prosecution. At the same time, Rahmon was also formally designated "the founder of peace and national unity of Tajikistan."

The only exception in Central Asia so far has been Kyrgyzstan, where following in the footsteps of the first post-Soviet president chased out in 2005, presidents rarely stay long, are now constrained by a one-term limit, and almost routinely leave office amid public protests.
MOSCOW -- The walls of the apartment block in Moscow where prominent Russian human rights defender Lev Ponomaryov lives have been vandalized with hate messages on his 80th birthday.

Graffiti saying "Hide-out for the defender of terrorists" was found on September 2 on the walls outside his apartment, as well as on the building that houses Ponomaryov's For Defense of Inmates' Rights group.

Ponomaryov greeted the messages with a grin, calling them a "gift" and "congratulatory messages" as the veteran rights campaigner celebrated turning 80.

Police are investigating the incident.

In March, Ponomaryov shut his well-respected For Human Rights NGO due to the country's controversial laws on "foreign agents."

The organization was established as an unregistered group in 2019 after a Supreme Court ruling to liquidate his movement with the same name, which had conducted rights monitoring and advocacy for more than two decades.

The original group was shut down because Ponomaryov refused to register it as a foreign agent, a requirement of a 2012 law on nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign assistance and that the government deems to be engaged in political activity.

At the end of 2020, the legislation was modified to allow the Russian government to include individuals on its foreign agents list and to impose restrictions on them.

Ponomaryov is a former Soviet-era lawmaker and State Duma deputy who helped found the Memorial human rights group. In 1991, he headed the legislature's investigation into the August coup attempt against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

On December 28, 2020, he was added as an individual to the Russian Justice Ministry's list of media accused of carrying out the functions of a "foreign agent." The government gave no explanation for including Ponomaryov on the register.

Russia's "foreign agents" legislation has been widely criticized by Western governments and Russian and international rights groups as an effort by the government of President Vladimir Putin to stifle dissent. Human Rights Watch has described the laws as restrictive and intended to demonize independent groups.

With reporting by Mediazona
The head of Tehrans city council says Iran's Interior Ministry has approved hard-liner Alireza Zakani as the capital city's new mayor.

Mehdi Chamran announced on September 2 that the ministry had signed the relevant decree, three weeks after the city council vote for the 55-year-old to replace Pirouz Hanachi as the city's leader.

Zakani, who heads a parliamentary research center, was one of the seven candidates approved by the authorities to run in the presidential election earlier this year.

But he withdrew from the race to support the eventual winner, fellow hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi.

As a lawmaker, Zakani is well-known for his outspoken opposition to Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

He also has served since the late 1990s as the head of Iran's volunteer Basij paramilitary militia, an organization affiliated with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Contributed photo

The first Richmond PRIDE Festival was held in Madison County and Richmond in 2019 (pictured above). This year's event has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Written By

Joe Schulz served as the reporter of the Green Laker in 2019 and 2020, before being hired as a reporter for the Commonwealth in October 2020. He is from Oshkosh and graduated from UW-Oshkosh in December with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

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Joe Biden has put the bravest face possible on the bloody and chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, defending his move to end a 20-year conflict that dogged three of his predecessors as an act of political courage.

I believe this is the right decision, a wise decision, and the best decision for America, the US president said at the end of his White House speech on the pullout on Tuesday.

But the circumstances of the withdrawal have become an unexpected political liability for Biden, with the Taliban conquering the country, a deadly terrorist attack in Kabul this week and a frenzied rush to evacuate tens of thousands of people before his August 31 deadline.

Republicans have been sharpening their criticism of Bidens handling of the crisis, in the hope that they wield it as a weapon in their attempt to retake Congress in next years midterm elections. Meanwhile, some moderate Democrats in battleground states and districts have become anxious about their prospects and sought to distance themselves from the president.



In general, elections will be decided on the economy and the pandemic, and Afghanistan will seem like a long time ago and place far, far away, so it may have no impact on him, said Mark Rom, a political-science professor at Georgetown University. But Republicans will try to make the impact as large as possible.

Demonstrators from Save Afghan Lives marching in Washington DC  Liz Lynch/Getty Images

The withdrawal from Afghanistan has been a pillar of Bidens foreign policy vision for years, and until recently it did not seem to carry much political peril. Widely backed in opinion polls by war-weary US voters the pullout was supported by former president Donald Trump and many other Republicans, as well as most Democrats, before Biden took office.

According to a poll conducted by Morning Consult before the terrorist attack in Kabul, 50 per cent of Americans agreed with the decision to withdraw versus 39 per cent who did not.

White House officials and many Democrats on Capitol Hill hope and believe that despite the turmoil and bloodshed of the past few weeks, Bidens decision will still be rewarded by American voters.

Leaving Afghanistan is most importantly a policy win for the country, but it is also a political winner with the American public, said Chris Murphy, the Democratic senator from Connecticut and a member of the Senate foreign relations committee. In the end, the American public wants this president to focus on them, not on the Taliban.



But the exit from Afghanistan  which has coincided with the surge of the Delta coronavirus variant  has contributed to a sharp fall in Bidens approval ratings over the past month.

On August 1, when the Taliban had yet to capture a single provincial capital in Afghanistan, 51.3 per cent of Americans approved of Bidens job performance, compared with 43.5 per cent who disapproved, according to the Real Clear Politics average.

By August 30 there had been a dramatic turnround: 48.7 per cent of Americans disapproved, while just 46.8 per cent approved. Biden now has lower approval ratings than every postwar US president apart from Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford after 224 days in office, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Americans probably want to wind down in Afghanistan, but at the end of the day they dont want to be losers to the terrorists. In my judgment this is an unconditional surrender to the Taliban, said Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who is the partys top member of the foreign affairs committee in the House of Representatives.

McCaul and other senior House Republicans have called for the Biden administration to preserve documents related to the Afghan pullout, in preparation for possible congressional inquiries.

Any such grillings would be even more intense if the Republicans regain control of the lower chamber of congress next year. During the Obama administration, congressional investigations into the deadly 2012 attack on US diplomats in Benghazi, Libya, dogged the White House and Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, for months. The attacks were still a rightwing talking point when Clinton ran for president four years later.



McCaul said congressional hearings should focus on how could this have happened and why did it go so bad, adding: Back home, this is not just a news cycle issue, it is the issue, and it is resonating very strongly and I dont think its going to go away any time soon.

Some members of Bidens own party, particularly those in battleground states, have distanced themselves from the administrations handling of the Afghanistan pullout.

Susan Wild, a House Democrat from Pennsylvania, said the evacuation process has been egregiously mishandled, and called for answers and accountability from the administration, although she said she agreed with the decision to withdraw from an unwinnable war.

Our troops deserve nothing less than a complete and unvarnished account of the truth, Wild added.

Some Democratic strategists fear Republicans will try to criticise the White House on several fronts. One attack is expected to centre around last weeks US troop deaths, and the renewed terror threat in Afghanistan. Another will focus on the failure to extract all vulnerable Afghans and US citizens.



Even though it may seem inconsistent with concern for those left behind in Afghanistan, the stream of refugees coming to the US following the withdrawal might also emerge as a flashpoint.

I hope I am wrong and that major Republicans will resist the worst, most racist impulses of their base, but there is nothing in the last few decades to suggest that will happen, Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director under Barack Obama, wrote in his newsletter this week.

Despite nervousness among some Democrats, the progressive wing of the party is elated by the Afghan withdrawal in a way that could help ease some of the strains with the White House on other fronts such as the stalled effort to advance voting rights.

[Biden] just gave one of the most compelling cases against war that I have heard any president in recent history give, Pramila Jayapal, a leftwing Democrat from Washington state, wrote in a tweet after the presidents remarks on Tuesday. A courageous, thoughtful, comprehensive and necessary articulation.

Some political analysts say Democrats are likely to stress that whatever the criticism of Bidens handling of the withdrawal, a continued presence in Afghanistan was far more dangerous  both politically and for US troops.

The counterfactual is even worse . . . the alternatives paint an even harder picture, said Eric Schultz, a former aide to Barack Obama and founder of the Schultz group, a consultancy.



Murphy said he expected Americans to accept that the exit was always going to be messy: Theres a narrative that does seem to be dominant out there today, suggesting that we could have left Afghanistan in the wake of the overnight collapse of their government and military, in a neat and clean way.

Theres no doubt that this could just could have been done better, but I dont think there was any way for us to avoid the scenes of confusion, he added.
File photoGov. Charlie Baker, shown here from an press conference in April, is requiring all staff in Massachusetts rest homes, assisted living residences and hospice programs and home care workers who provide in-home direct care would need to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the next two months.
DAVE ROGERS / Staff Photo. Leo Stevens, left, and Bruce Munick carry a section of the Moving Wall into place at Plum Island Airport. Once the replica of the Vietnam Memorial is set up it will be open for viewing by members of the public through Monday.
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MICHAE; DWYER/AP file photoA North Atlantic right whale feeds on the surface of Cape Cod bay off the coast of Plymouth on March 2018. Americas lobster fishing industry will face a host of new restrictions in harvesting the valuable crustaceans due to a new push from the federal government to try to save a vanishing species of whale. The whales number only about 360 and they are vulnerable to lethal entanglement in fishing gear.
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All patrons entering an indoor restaurant or bar in Jefferson and Clallam counties must provide proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 starting Saturday, Sept. 4, according to a public health order issued Thursday.



Indoor bars and restaurants are known to pose a high risk for COVID-19 transmission, as they encourage unmasking of large groups of people indoors, Dr. Allison Berry, the health office for both counties, said in a news release. Our goal is to make these safer places to be and to reduce transmission in our communities, allowing our hospitals to keep functioning and our schools to open more safely this fall.



Acceptable forms of proof include a completed CDC-issued vaccination card, a state Department of Health certificate verifying vaccination against the virus, or a printed copy of a state Department of Health vaccine record. A photograph of any of those documents  as well as an app-based vaccine passport  are also acceptable.



According to the order, a person is fully vaccinated when they have received all the required doses of a COVID vaccine and 14 days have passed since the final dose. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one.



Bar and restaurant employees, who are required to wear masks at all times and don't remove them in public spaces to eat or drink, are exempt from the order. Children under 12  who aren't yet eligible to receive a COVID vaccine  are also exempt.



Given the ability of the delta variant to spread beyond 6 feet when people are unmasked indoors, we believe that a vaccine requirement will be more effective and less costly than the capacity limitations we saw last year, Berry said. We want to keep businesses open while protecting the public. This is how we do it.



According to the news release, 495 outbreaks of COVID have been traced to restaurants and bars in Washington in the last month, including several in Jefferson and Clallam counties. Statewide, Washington is averaging more than 3,400 cases per day and hospitalizations increased 35% over the last two weeks.



King County has not issued such an order, but dozens of bars and restaurants have independently implemented similar requirements.



"With hospitals around our region stretched to the breaking point, we need to do everything we can to keep our communities safe, Berry said. Getting vaccinated with this incredible vaccine, which is safe, effective, free and life-saving, is simply the right thing to do.






Following a resurgence of COVID-19 cases driven by the more-transmissible delta variant and slowing vaccination rates, King County leaders ordered a new mask mandate for large outdoor events.

The new order, which will go into effect on Sept. 7, will require residents to wear a mask at any outdoor event with 500 or more people in attendance. The requirement will apply to both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents ages 5 and older.

Mask are also now "strongly recommended" for all other outdoor settings where people cannot maintain a 6-foot distance from non-household members.

"Outdoors is much safer than indoors, but there is risk even outdoors currently when large numbers of people are in close, prolonged contact," said Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin in a news release Thursday. "Layering multiple prevention strategies, including wearing a well-made and snug-fitting face mask when in crowed outdoor locations, is a necessary precaution at this time to limit COVID-19 spread and preventable cases, hospitalizations, and deaths."

The new order comes as approximately 750,000 people in King County remain unvaccinated, according to health officials. That includes children under 12 who are currently not eligible to receive the vaccine.

Under the state's new indoor mask mandate, which went into effect on Aug. 23, wearing a mask in crowded outdoor situations where social distancing could not be maintained was recommended by the Department of Health, but not required.

The recommendation came after more than 200 attendees of the Watershed Music Festival at the Gorge tested positive for the virus. The festival was the state's largest live music event since the pandemic began in 2020.

Other large events in the region have started issuing their own mask requirements. Earlier this week, the Washington State Fair announced that masks would be required in both indoor and outdoor settings amid the rise in cases in the state.

"We're not saying close down large events right now, we're saying let's do them more safely," Duchin said during a news briefing Thursday. "We are also recommending [this order] strongly for gatherings under 500 as well."

The order goes into effect after the busy Labor Day weekend  which will see the first ever "Day In, Day Out" music festival at Seattle Center with approximately 8,000 people in attendance  but Duchin said "anyone who can should start to follow this guidance immediately."

The latest surge in cases has added more strain to the state's hospital system. The state is currently averaging more than 3,300 cases a day and hospitalizations are up 40% over the last two weeks. Nearly 95% of the people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state are unvaccinated.

"Every day, large numbers of hospitals are reaching out to the Washington Medical Coordination Center," said Dr. Steve Mitchell, director of Emergency Services at Harborview Medical Center. "In the past few days, nearly 60% of the calls have been COVID-related. Capacity and staffing issues in hospitals are widespread and consistent across the state. The most significant impacts in Western Washington are in south King, Thurston and Pierce counties."
Washington health officials are hoping to ease the minds of anxious parents who are sending their children back to school amid the fifth surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.

By the end of next week, over 1.1 million students in the state will be back in school either in person or online, according to Michaela Miller, deputy superintendent of public instruction. Wednesday marked the first day of school for students in grades 1-12 in Seattle Public Schools, and kindergarten students will begin classes next week.

"All K-12 schools, public and private, are required to implement layered safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19," said state Health Secretary Umair Shah in a Thursday news briefing. "The first of these [safety measures] really do begin with vaccination."

Last month, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that workers in Washingtons K-12 schools and in most childcare centers must get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 18 as a condition of employment. If they dont, they could be terminated, although exemptions for religious and medical reasons will be permitted under the order.

Although it is not a requirement, the DOH "strongly recommends" that any child age 12 and older get vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccination rates for eligible school-age children still remain under 50% in the state: 41% of children ages 12-15 are considered fully vaccinated and protected against the virus, while 48% of youth ages 16-17 are fully vaccinated.

Other prevention strategies implemented by schools include masks, ventilation, hand hygiene, testing, social distancing and having a response plan in place when cases arise. The state is using the "Learn to Return" testing program which has partnered with 150 school districts to implement school-based COVID-19 testing.

Families are advised to model safe behaviors for their children and also educate themselves about their district's safety guidelines and mitigation plans. Shah emphasized that all of the guidance issued by the DOH aims to keep schools open for in-person learning.

"Were starting with not a completely normal school year by any stretch, but it is looking more normal than we have ever had it before," Miller said.

Parents of Seattle Public School (SPS) children have expressed concern about indoor lunches, starting a petition for the district to provide resources for all schools in the district to have outside-only mealtimes. As of last week, only a quarter of the district's 113 schools have requested tents for outdoor seating.

"Outdoor lunches are a feasible, impactful safety strategy that we should be prioritizing for ALL students regardless of the school they attend," wrote the parents in the petition.

Currently, guidelines call for students to wash hands before and after lunch and temporarily remove masks only while actively eating and drinking. Other mitigation strategies include staggered seating, maximizing air flow with HEPA filters and limiting talking to times when masks are on. However, each school's plan will look different given the layout of each building.

"We have also asked school leaders to consider providing more outdoor spaces for meals," wrote the district in an update last week. "However, this is not a permanent solution for many schools. Not all schools have a safe, appropriate space to hold outdoor lunches."

With new statewide indoor mask mandates in place, health officials are hoping for a plateau in the number of COVID-19 cases in this fifth wave in the upcoming weeks. The state is currently averaging more than 3,300 cases a day and hospitalizations are up 40% over the last two weeks.

"This fifth wave is as high, if not higher, than any of the previous waves," said Acting State Health Officer Dr. Scott Lindquist. "The concern though is a plateau in cases usually precedes the hospitalization plateau by ones to two weeks. So that means we've got at least, at best case scenario, one to two weeks of increased hospitalizations."
Seattle's first major live music festival in over a year and a half will commence this weekend, with nearly 8,000 fans heading to Seattle Center to hear artists like Chvrches, Kaytranada, Big Wild and Chong the Nomad perform live outside of Fisher Pavilion.

However, the first-ever Day In Day Out festival is not without some last-minute hiccups: Portland-born rapper Amine announced Thursday that he would no longer be performing at the event on Saturday as he has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.

"Really bummed about this but I'm going to rest up, quarantine, and hopefully see you guys soon," wrote Amine in an Instagram story.

Seattle R&B singer and songwriter Parisalexa also pulled out of the festival on Thursday saying in an Instagram post that she lost her voice due to an illness that was not related to COVID-19. In light of the cancellations, the festival added hip-hop artist Sol to their lineup. Tickets to the event are non-refundable.

The festival is also up against a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, with the state currently averaging more than 3,300 cases a day. Additionally, King County issued a new outdoor mask mandate on Thursday that would require residents to wear a mask at any outdoor event with 500 or more people in attendance.

While the order does not go into effect until the Sept. 7, Public Health Officer Jeff Duchin urged people to start following the guidance immediately, especially if they could not maintain a six-foot distance from non-household members. However, the organizers of the event, Daydream State, confirmed Thursday that they will not be requiring masks to be worn at all all-outdoor festival.

"Since the new mandate does not go into effect until September 7 after the festival, we will not be changing our mask policy," said a spokesperson. "Of course, we encourage guests to wear masks if it makes them feel more comfortable."

Even before the new order, other major events began to change their mask requirements. Earlier this week, the Washington State Fair announced that masks would be required in both indoor and outdoor settings.

"We're not saying close down large events right now, we're saying let's do them more safely," Duchin said during a news briefing Thursday.

Outdoor music festivals in the state have proven to be super spreader events, especially with the more-transmissible delta variant now making up a majority of the cases. Last month, more than 200 attendees of the Watershed Music Festival at the Gorge tested positive for the virus.

While the Day In Day Out festival will not be requiring masks in outdoor settings, all attendees are required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 result within 48 hours to enter the festival.

"We will continue to adhere to King County health guidance, which may require wearing masks for the entire duration of the event," wrote the festival's organizers in an Instagram post last month. "All of these COVID-19 policies are in place to protect the health and safety of staff, artists and attendees alike."
3 1 of 3 JOSHUA TRUJILLO Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Paul A. Souders/Getty Images Show More Show Less 3 of 3





The state Department of Transportation is telling travelers to expect congestion on Washingtons interstates and highways this Labor Day weekend. But luckily, the department has outlined when it expects traffic to be the worst, allowing motorists to plan ahead.



On its website, the department forecasted weekend travel times on stretches where it expects traffic to be the worst: Interstate 5 between Olympia and Tacoma; Interstate 90 between North Bend and Cle Elum; and Highway 2 between Skykomish and Stevens Pass.



Heres what to expect:



- Northbound traffic on Interstate 5 between Olympia and Tacoma will be stop-and-go from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday. Southbound traffic will be heaviest Friday, with congestion expected between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Travelers can expect to see a bit less on Saturday  8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  and only a few hours of heavy traffic between the late morning and early afternoon on Sunday and Monday.



- Motorists traversing Interstate 90 over the Cascade Mountains will see slightly lighter traffic. Congestion is expected to be heaviest between North Bend and Cle Elum from on Friday, with stop-and-go traffic forecasted between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Such traffic is also expected from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Travel times will be shorter through the rest of the weekend, with moderate traffic expected between the late morning and early afternoon on Sunday and Monday. Westbound traffic will be moderate on Friday and Saturday, but travelers can expect stop-and-go traffic from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday.



- On Highway 2 between Skykomish and Stevens Pass, motorists heading east can expect stop-and-go traffic between noon and 4 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Eastbound traffic will let up through the rest of the weekend, with congestion expected from 11 a.m. to noon on Sunday and moderate traffic expected for Monday. Westbound traffic will be light on Friday and moderate on Saturday, but will increase Sunday and Monday. Travelers can expect congestion between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday.



The departments website also warns of longer-than-average wait times at ferry docks, but does not provide specifics.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Federal and state agencies say they are responding to reports of oil and chemical spills resulting from Hurricane Ida following the publication of aerial photos by The Associated Press.

Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Nick Conger said Thursday that a special aircraft carrying photographic and chemical detection equipment was dispatched from Texas to Louisiana to fly over the area hard hit by the Category 4 storm, including a Phillips 66 refinery along the Mississippi River where the AP first reported an apparent oil spill on Wednesday.

Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer 3rd Class Gabriel Wisdom said Thursday that its aircraft has also flown over the refinery, as well as to the Gulf of Mexico. The AP published photos of a miles-long brownish-black slick in the waters south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

The AP first reported the possible spills Wednesday after reviewing aerial images of the disaster zone taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ida made landfall Sunday, its eyewall carving through Louisiana with 150 mph winds and a storm surge so powerful it temporarily reversed the flow of the mighty Mississippi.

The NOAA photos showed a black and brown slick floating near a large rig with the name Enterprise Offshore Drilling painted on its helipad. The company, based in Houston, said Thursday that its Enterprise 205 rig was safely secured and evacuated prior to the storms arrival and that it did not suffer any damage.

Enterprise personnel arrived back at the facility on September 1 and confirmed the integrity of all systems and that no environmental discharges occurred from our facility, the company said in a statement.

Sandy Day, spokesperson for the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which regulates oil rigs, confirmed it had received a report Wednesday about which the oil spill the AP had published photos. But the location was inside state waters, rather than the federal jurisdiction farther offshore.

Patrick Courreges, spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, said his agency had no way to physically investigate the spill.

Its going to be awhile for us before we can make our way out there," Courreges said Thursday. We dont have planes, helicopters or Gulf-seaworthy boats."

Aerial photos taken by an NOAA aircraft Tuesday also showed significant flooding to the massive Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. In some sections of the refinery, a rainbow sheen and black streaks were visible on the water leading toward the river.

In statements issued Monday and Tuesday, Phillips 66 said some water was inside the refinery, but did not respond to questions about environmental hazards.

Only after the AP sent the company photos Wednesday showing extensive flooding and what appeared to be petroleum in the water, the company confirmed it had discovered a sheen of unknown origin in some flooded areas of Alliance Refinery.

At this time, the sheen appears to be secured and contained within refinery grounds, Phillips 66 spokesman Bernardo Fallas said Wednesday evening, three days after the hurricane blew through. Clean-up crews are on site. The incident was reported to the appropriate regulatory agencies upon discovery.

Though Fallas characterized the spill as a sheen of unknown origin, the report Phillips 66 made to Louisiana regulators Wednesday called it heavy oil in floodwater, according to a state call log provided to the AP. The log also contained a call from an oyster harvester concerned that water contamination from the refinery was fouling environmentally sensitive beds downriver.

Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Greg Langley said Wednesday that a state assessment team was sent to the refinery and observed an on-site oil spill being addressed with booms and absorbent pads. A levee meant to protect the plant had breached, allowing floodwaters to flow in during the storm and then back out as the surge receded.

Langley said there was no estimate available for how much oil might have spilled from the refinery.

Louisiana regulators were tracking about 100 reports of chemical and petroleum spills statewide as of Wednesday. The reports ranged from sunken boats leaking diesel to overturned fuel tanks and flooded oil pipelines, according to the call log. Several chemical manufacturers also reported venting or flaring off toxic chemicals due to losing electricity.

Stephanie Morris, spokesperson for the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinators Office, said that four days after Ida hit, state regulators were still in the very early stages of responding to the environmental hazards spawned by the storm. She said a state aircraft had been flying over the affected area, focusing more on identifying ongoing threats than quantifying what had already leaked into the water and air.

We're in what we call the rapid assessment phase, because we are trying to assess it from the air, Morris said. We're just getting a sense of what's out there and locations. We don't have a sense yet of what the sources of sheens might be or volumes.

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Follow AP Investigative Reporter Michael Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck

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Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org.
SRINAGAR, India (AP)  Syed Ali Geelani, an icon of disputed Kashmirs resistance against Indian rule and a top separatist leader who became the emblem of the regions defiance against New Delhi, died late Wednesday. He was 91.

Geelani died surrounded by family members at his home in Srinagar, the regions main city, an aide and his relative told The Associated Press.

Shortly after the news broke, scores of Kashmiris converged at his home in the Hyderpora neighborhood of Srinagar to mourn the death of Geelani, who lived the final decade of his life mostly under house arrest and suffered from various ailments.

Authorities announced a communication blockade and the restriction of public movement, a common tactic employed by Indian officials in anticipation of anti-India protests. They swiftly deployed heavy contingents of armed police and soldiers across the Kashmir valley to prevent people from participating in Geelanis funeral.

Troops with automatic rifles also blocked roads leading to Geelanis residence, while armored vehicles patrolled the city neighborhoods. Despite restrictions, many mosques across the regions towns and villages blared announcements of Geelanis death and urged people to come out on the streets.

Geelani was an ideologue and a staunch proponent of the merger of Kashmir with Pakistan. Over the years, he had repeatedly said no to any talks with New Delhi, asserting that India cant be trusted unless it calls Kashmir a disputed territory, demilitarizes the region and releases political prisoners for a meaningful dialogue.

The position was rejected outright by subsequent Indian governments, and he was often dubbed as a hardline politician.

Kashmir has known little but conflict since 1947, when British rule of the subcontinent divided the territory between India and Pakistan. Both countries claim the region in its entirety and have fought two wars over it.

Kashmirs fury at Indian rule has long been seething. After a series of political blunders, broken promises and a crackdown on dissent, Kashmiri activists launched a full-blown armed revolt against Indian rule in 1989.

India describes the armed rebellion as Islamabads proxy war and state-sponsored terrorism. Most Muslim Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle and support the rebel goal that the territory be united, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

The region is one of the most heavily militarized in the world. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the raging conflict.

Geelani, an Islamist author and a fiery orator, began his career as a schoolteacher and later joined Kashmirs biggest religious and political party Jamat-e-Islami in the 1950s. He contested elections three times for local governance but resigned as a lawmaker to join the anti-India campaign in the late 1980s, becoming the face of Kashmiri resistance until his death.

He spent nearly 15 years in various Indian prisons and was also part of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of various Kashmiri political and religious groups that was formed in 1993 to spearhead a movement for the region's right to self-determination. The group used civil disobedience in the form of shutdowns and protests as a tactic to counter Indian rule.

In August 2019, when India stripped the region's semi-autonomy, Indian authorities harshly clamped down on the groups leaders, detaining scores of them and barring them from leading public protests.

A sainted figure in Kashmir, Geelanis popularity catapulted to near reverence after 2008, when the region witnessed mass civil uprisings and he emerged as a prominent resistance leader among the new generation of Kashmiris. In the years that followed, hundreds of youths were killed by Indian forces in street protests.

As civilian defiance against Indian rule picked up, Geelani, along with two other top anti-India politicians, Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who remain under detention, formed Joint Resistance Leadership in 2016. The group challenged Indias sovereignty over Kashmir and sought to give direction to peoples anger.

During Kashmirs recent years of civilian protests, the slogan Na Jhukne Wala Geelani! Na Bikne Wala, Geelani! (Geelani, the one who doesnt bow and cant be bought!) became almost a war cry on the streets. He was widely venerated by Kashmiris, who gave him a monicker of Bub, which means the father.

While his death has come from natural causes, we must remember the immense physical and psychological toll that his continuous detention and torture took on his health, said Stand With Kashmir, a U.S.-based Kashmiri diaspora-led international solidarity group.

Geelani was also widely respected by the regions pro-India politicians.

We may not have agreed on most things, but I respect him for his steadfastness & standing by his beliefs, Mehbooba Mufti, the regions former top elected official, said on Twitter.

Geelani's maximalist approach forced India to court so-called moderate separatist leaders in Kashmir, though with no apparent breakthrough in resolving the dispute.

Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was deeply saddened by Geelanis death and the leader had struggled all his life for his people & their right to self determination.

Under Khan, Geelani was in 2020 awarded the Nishan-e-Pakistan, Pakistans highest civilian honor, an award earlier received by the likes of Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro and Queen Elizabeth II.

We in Pakistan salute his courageous struggle & remember his words: Hum Pakistani hain aur Pakistan Humara hai (We are Pakistani and Pakistani is ours), Khan said in a tweet.

Khan said his country will observe a day of official mourning on Thursday and the Pakistan flag will fly at half staff.

Without doubt, Geelani was emblematic of our defiance of India that began in 1990, said Siddiq Wahid, historian and former vice chancellor of a Kashmir university. That is his legacy.

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Saaliq reported from New Delhi.

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This story has been updated to correct Geelani's age, which was 91, not 92.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP)  A key player in a North Carolina ballot fraud probe that led to a new congressional election was sentenced Thursday to six months in prison for obtaining illegal Social Security benefits while concealing payments for political work he performed.

Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., 65, of Bladenboro, had pleaded guilty to two counts in June on the day his federal trial was supposed to begin. He faced a maximum combined sentence of 15 years in prison for his offenses of theft of government property and Social Security fraud.

U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle also told Dowless he must pay $8,600 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Raleigh, which prosecuted Dowless.

Dowless' sentencing was delayed last week because he had been hospitalized that day, an attorney said. Dowless attended Thursday's sentencing in Greenville.

The federal case was tangentially related to the ballot probe by the State Board of Elections and local prosecutors. Dowless and others still face state charges involving balloting during the 2016 and 2018 elections, with a possible trial by year's end.

A document filed before his anticipated fraud trial on four counts said prosecutors had evidence showing Dowless received at least $135,000 in checks for his work on state and federal campaigns during 2017 and 2018.

At the time he applied for Social Security retirement benefits in 2018, he claimed he wasn't working and had not worked for the past two years, the document said. He had previously applied for disability benefits and received them for several years, prosecutors said.

Dowless had been working in 2017 and 2018 in part for 9th Congressional District candidate Mark Harris, a Republican. Witnesses told state officials Dowless gathered hundreds of absentee ballots from Bladen County voters with the help of his assistants. Those workers testified they were directed to collect blank or incomplete ballots, forge signatures on them and even fill in votes for local candidates.

Harris appeared to get the most votes in the November 2018 race, but the State Board of Elections ordered a new election, which was won by a subsequent GOP nominee, Dan Bishop.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Huw Groucutt passes rolling sand dunes as far as his eye can see when traveling to archaeological sites in the northern Arabian Peninsula. But the same desert regions were once intermittently lush and green, attracting early humans and large animals such as hippopotamuses migrating out of Africa to linger at ancient lakes, new evidence suggests.

Until a decade ago, the Arabian Peninsula was a blank spot on the map for scientists trying to reconstruct the story of early human evolution and movements out of Africa. Much more is known about early human settlements in the Levant region  modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and parts of Syria  where extensive archaeological research has been carried out for more than a century.

But the Arabian Peninsula may have also played an important role as a bridge between Africa and Eurasia, a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature suggests.

Arabia has not been part of the story of early human migration because so little work was done there before, said co-author Michael Petraglia, a paleolithic archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany. The research team included scientists from Germany, Saudi Arabia, Australia, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

The impetus to look closely for archeological remains in the region came from satellite imagery that revealed traces of prehistoric lakes in now-arid regions. We noticed color patterns made by ancient lakes  sand dunes are kind of orange-colored, while ancient lakes are tinted white or gray, said Groucutt, who is also based at the Max Planck Institute.

Extensive excavations over a decade revealed stone tools from multiple periods of prehistoric settlement by early human groups, the oldest 400,000 years ago. Analysis of sediment samples from the ancient lakes and remains from hippos and other animals revealed that during several periods in the distant past, the peninsula hosted year-round lakes and grasslands.

During these windows of hospitable climate, early humans and animals moved from northeast Africa into the Arabian Peninsula, the researchers say.

Flowing rivers and lakes, surrounded by grasslands and savannah, would have attracted animals and then the early humans that were in pursuit of them, said Petraglia. Hippos require year-round water bodies several yards (meters) deep to live. Remains of other animals, including ostriches and antelopes, indicate a strong biological connection to northeast Africa, he said.

What this research group has done is really exquisitely combine archaeology and climate records going back 400,000 years to show that early humans moved across this landscape when the climate changed, said paleoanthropologist Rick Potts, who directs the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History.

The episodic presence and absence of populations in the Arabian Peninsula was in tune with climate oscillations, said Potts, who was not involved in the new study.

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Follow Christina Larson on Twitter: @larsonchristina

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  Gov. Chris Sununu said Wednesday he tested negative for COVID-19, hours after his office said he wasn't feeling well, postponed a meeting and began isolating.

I appreciate all the well wishes, Sununu said in a statement. I woke up with symptoms similar to COVID and out of an abundance of caution I took two rapid antigen tests, which came back negative, and then followed up with a PCR test, which confirmed the negative. I am going to rest up, and look forward to getting back to the State House soon!
Morteza Fkharinazhad/AP

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Irans state TV is reporting that the countrys Interior Ministry has approved a new hard-line mayor for the capital, Tehran, after a city council election.

Alireza Zakani, 55 heads a parliamentary research center, and he was one of the seven approved 2021 presidential candidates. He withdrew from the race to support the eventual winner, fellow hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi.
Americas major religions and denominations, often divided on other big issues, have united behind the effort to help receive an influx of refugees from Afghanistan following the end of the United States longest war and one of the largest airlifts in history.

Among those gearing up to help are Jewish refugee resettlement agencies and Islamic groups; conservative and liberal Protestant churches; and prominent Catholic relief organizations, providing everything from food and clothes to legal assistance and housing.

Its incredible. Its an interfaith effort that involved Catholic, Lutheran, Muslim, Jews, Episcopalians ... Hindus ... as well as nonfaith communities who just believe that maybe its not a matter of faith, but its just a matter of who we are as a nation, said Krish OMara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

The U.S. and its coalition partners have evacuated more than 100,000 people from Afghanistan since the airlift began Aug. 14, including more than 5,400 American citizens and many Afghans who helped the U.S. during the 20-year war.

The effort by faith groups to help resettle them follows a long history of religious involvement in refugee policy, said Stephanie Nawyn, a sociologist at Michigan State University who focuses on refugee issues.

Decades before the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program was created in 1980, faith organizations advocated for the resettlement of Jewish refugees during World War II. Religious groups also helped receive people who fled wars in Vietnam, the Balkans and elsewhere.

Besides helping distribute government resources, the groups mobilize private assets such as donations and volunteers and work with other private entities to provide supplies and housing, Nawyn said.

U.S. resettlement agencies were gutted under former President Donald Trump, who slashed refugee admissions yearly until they reached a record low. Now agencies are scrambling to expand capacity so they can handle the influx from Afghanistan.

Its a historic effort, and there are and have been challenges  especially after rebounding from four years of what was a war on immigration, which decimated the refugee resettlement infrastructure, OMara Vignarajah said.

Some of our local offices might have resettled 100 families throughout the entirety of last year, and they may now be looking at 100 families in the next few weeks, she said.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities and other agencies have been welcoming Afghan families at U.S. military bases where they're being housed temporarily.

A major challenge is finding affordable housing in areas where Afghans have typically resettled, including California and the Washington, D.C., region.

Im very concerned about children, getting them into schools, said Bill Canny, executive director of the USCCB's Migration and Refugee Services program.

World Relief, a global Christian humanitarian organization, has helped resettle about 360 Afghans in the past month and is expecting many more, said Matthew Soerens, the group's U.S. director of church mobilization.

These are individuals in many cases who have put their lives at risk and their families' lives at risk for the people of the United States of America, he said. Now that they're facing the risk of retribution and retaliation from the Taliban ... I think most Americans of all religious traditions see it as a moral imperative for us to keep our promise.

Among the evacuees are Afghans who obtained special immigrant visas after working with the U.S. or NATO as interpreters or in some other capacity; people who have applied for the visas but not yet received them; and those who might have been particularly in danger under the Taliban.

But thousands of others who also qualified for visas have been left behind because of a backlog of applications, and faith-based groups have called on President Joe Bidens administration to get them safely to the U.S.

Some of the cases we are involved with have gotten out, but many have not, said Mark Hetfield, president and CEO of the Jewish refugee agency HIAS, one of nine groups that contract with the State Department on resettlement.

We have a girl who was literally shot by the Taliban and is now severely disabled who cant get out," he said. "We are aware of many, many others who are trapped  and the U.S. has left them behind.

Biden says he has tasked Secretary of State Antony Blinken to coordinate with international partners to hold the Taliban to their promise of safe passage for those who want to leave in the days ahead.

The president has historically supported receiving refugees, co-sponsoring legislation that created the governments program in 1980. This June, for World Refugee Day, Biden said that resettling refugees helps reunite families, enriches the fabric of America and enhances our standing, influence and security in the world.

Ardiane Ademi, director of the Refugee Resettlement Program for Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, said it recently resettled several families who left Afghanistan before the airlift and is bracing for hundreds more.

John Koehlinger, executive director of Kentucky Refugee Ministries, said his agency has received two families through the special immigrant visa program and has begun receiving additional evacuees. But other families the agency had been expecting have not yet arrived.

Hopefully some or all of them are on a U.S. military base being processed, he said.

Ademi and Koehlinger said individuals and local congregations have volunteered to help with resettlement. Some have worked with refugees before, while others are newcomers motivated by the desperate news out of Afghanistan.

Its a huge response, Ademi said.

The humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been providing personal hygiene items, underwear, sandals and toys to refugees at an air base in Qatar, church spokesman Doug Anderson said.

Widely known as the Mormon church, it has also been distributing supplies to the thousands of Afghans temporarily sheltered at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. And it is working with the U.S. military to provide aid to the 10,000 refugees expected to arrive at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, from where they will be relocated in communities across the country.

Hala Halabi, national director of refugee facilitation for the Islamic Circle of North America Relief USA, said Muslim Americans have been flooding the group with calls, emails and text messages offering to make donations, mentor refugees or prepare welcome boxes.

The nonprofit recently furnished three apartments in the Dallas area with everything from the doormat to the food in the fridge, Halabi said, and is collecting supplies from pots and microwaves to pasta, sugar and cleaning agents as it prepares for additional arrivals.

Beyond the response from Muslim Americans, Halabi said she is heartened by how different faith groups have mobilized to help refugees: Its amazing from everybody.

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Associated Press journalists Sophia Eppolito in Salt Lake City and Jessie Wardarski and Emily Leshner in New York contributed to this report.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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Good morning, Bay Area. Its Thursday, Sept. 2, and it could get smoky and hazy again in the Bay Area starting today. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

For more than two weeks, the Caldor Fire has stunned fire officials, defying decades of expertise on how to beat back flames. Heavy winds in the forecast for Wednesday evening threatened to push the blaze farther into the Tahoe Basin, and closer to ski resorts and communities. Heavenly Mountain Resort, Lake Tahoes biggest ski resort, was preparing for the fire to cross its property, blasting snowguns constantly to douse structures and chairlifts.

Yet, amid the destruction and fear were clear victories and a growing sense among fire officials that perhaps the worst was behind them.

 Here are five ways the Caldor Fire shows the extreme new reality for California firefighting.

 Get the latest updates on the Caldor Fire in our live coverage.

 An online fundraiser for a Stanislaus County firefighter seriously burned in the Caldor Fire raised nearly $60,000 in a little over 24 hours. Also: How to help people displaced by the Caldor Fire.

 Two firefighting brothers from Montana joined a group of firefighters tasked with protecting 55 cabins in Strawberry. Also: Broke and jobless, a Lake Tahoe resident had nowhere to go when the evacuation came.

 These satellite images show the extent of the Caldor Fire smoke over the Lake Tahoe area.

Running again?

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Former Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli has filed paperwork signifying his intent to run again for the office next year.

Foppoli, who resigned in May after nine women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct in a series of Chronicle investigations, submitted a candidate intention statement with Windsor officials on Tuesday.

Chronicle reporters obtained a copy of the filing, and spoke with two Town Council members who said they had reviewed it. Foppoli did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Read more from Alexandria Bordas and Cynthia Dizikes.

Coronavirus updates

 Heres what we know about the mu variant, which the World Health Organization designated a variant of interest this week.

 What side effects to expect from your COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.

 Stanford Medicine study finds surgical masks help prevent COVID in Bangladesh.

 In an Open Forum opinion piece, UCSF infectious disease expert Monica Gandhi details what she says is our only way to get through the pandemic.

Around the Bay

Jungho Kim/Special to The Chronicle

 From Joe Garofoli: A new survey shows that the campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is falling short as conservatives cant grow their support. Also: Polling data from the Public Policy Institute of California tells us who is supporting Newsom.

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.

 Air advisory: Smoke drifting south from the Caldor Fire and other wildfires will trigger an air quality advisory for the Bay Area on Thursday and Friday.

 An underdog story: A Facebook fund is helping nonprofit developer MidPen bring 500 affordable housing units to the Bay Area.

 Official fired: Three Santa Clara City Council members whose elections were backed by the 49ers CEO voted along with two colleagues to oust the city attorney who had been critical of the team and had battled it in court.

 Another winery: The controversial owners of Fiji Water and Pom Wonderful juice just bought an esteemed Napa winery.

A hub for Asian and Asian American talent

Daymond Gascon / The Chronicle

Wong Fu Productions is a popular YouTube channel with millions of subscribers, started by Philip Wang, who grew up in Walnut Creek.

The channel is home to hundreds of short films, sketches and miniseries highlighting Asian and Asian American stories, and is a springboard for Asian and American talent including stars Randall Park, Simu Liu and Anna Akana.

There are only eight people working for the company, including co-founders Wesley Chan, a Millbrae native, and Ted Fu, who grew up in South Africa and Taiwan. Read more here.

 Marvels Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings comes out in theaters Friday. Read the review from Peter Hartlaub.

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.
KSAN, the pioneering free-form San Francisco radio station was known for its disc jockeys spinning album sides amid on-air mischief, interrupted only by the authoritative voice of Dave McQueen, who delivered the news.

McQueen was so trusted by the underground that when heiress Patty Hearst was kidnapped, he was a source trusted by the Symbionese Liberation Army to announce the ransom news delivered by audiotape.

People called Dave the Walter Cronkite of the counterculture, said Eric Christensen, a radio programmer in the early 1970s.

For a decade, McQueen developed such a following that when KSAN shocked its loyalists by switching from rock to country classics and gutted its on-air staff, McQueen was kept on. He also delivered the news at Top 40 KFRC and at the short-lived but deeply revered KKCY, where he had a Sunday morning two-hour interview talk show.

No person chronicled the 70s better than he did, said John Evans, who worked with McQueen at KKSF and succeeded him at KCBS. When he came on the air, he didnt say Dave McQueen. he said Dave Mack-wean in a deeply rich voice that had this bottom to it that kind of rattled the radio and commanded your attention.

Last month, McQueen walked out of his Berkeley home to fetch the Sunday morning newspaper and never made it back. He was found on the driveway next to the sidewalk by a neighbor, having apparently fallen over backward. He never regained consciousness. The cause of death has not been determined, said his wife, Mary Tilson. He was 78.

Peter Laufer, a professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, said McQueens gift was in talking the news  not reading it.

His dulcet delivery was the news for a generation of San Franciscans, Laufer said by email. Anyone listening knew immediately how important his reportage was to our audience and our times.

David Anthony McQueen was born July 4, 1943, and raised on a dryland farm in the Texas Panhandle. His dad, Paul McQueen, spent Daves early childhood in prison for robbery, and Dave was raised by his mother, Leta, and his grandparents.

Its a country song, brother, said Tilson, a Sunday afternoon radio host at KPFA in Berkeley. It had prison, mama and farms.

The country song became a blues song after Paul McQueen got out of prison and dragged his wife and son around from town to town searching for work in the oil fields. Wherever they went, Dave found refuge in public libraries and kept to himself until the family landed in Port Arthur, a refinery town on the Gulf Coast of Texas. There he fell in with a group of pre-hippie post-Beats that included Janis Joplin.

After graduating from high school in 1961, McQueen married artist Patty Skaff, and a group of four, including Joplin, took off in a big sedan that they parked in an alley in New Orleans. As recounted in Janis: Her Life and Music, by Holly George-Warren, they took turns sleeping in the car and made $10 last as long as the honeymoon did.

McQueen worked alternately at small Texas radio stations as a DJ and as a longshoreman until he followed Joplins path to San Francisco, in the late 1960s.

His first job was on the docks at the Port of Richmond and his second job was at KSAN, the renowned underground station known as Jive 95 for its spot on the FM dial. Compared with the other programming, McQueen was mostly straight about delivering the news but wasnt averse to editorializing.

He started talking about the war in Vietnam from a totally different perspective than Id ever heard, said Nancy Stevens, an anti-war activist who tuned in McQueen after moving west from Cincinnati and fell into the orbit of KSAN. You couldnt go anywhere without hearing it, she said.

Stevens was among a group of women who started an underground paper in Berkeley called Broadside and called McQueen to try to get on his show. He invited her for an interview and then invited her to his birthday party at his home on Delaware Street in Berkeley. By then he was divorced from Skaff and raising two kids. Stevens had a young son. They formed a blended family and later married.

Stevens said she was volunteering at KPFA in Berkeley when the first ransom tape regarding kidnapped Hearst arrived from the SLA in 1974. She leaked it to McQueen who announced it over KSAN, which had a much broader reach than KPFA. A subsequent ransom tape came directly to KSAN after being left at a drop site.

That was probably the craziest time in the history of broadcasting, McQueen said in an interview for an upcoming documentary film about the glory days of free-form FM radio. That whole business with the SLA was surreal because we were used to dealing with politics stated in a rational manner. These people were completely crazy.

Soon both the FBI and Berkeley police were watching the house and the kids had to be sent to live with grandparents. Threats were made on McQueens life, and he started carrying a gun for protection.

Another McQueen innovation was The Watergate Follies, a fake news segment he co-wrote and co-anchored on KSAN, with a cast of on-air hosts voicing the skits. Program director Bonnie Simmons played Rhonda, a caricature of a young girl who asked her dad to explain the hearings.

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 thing about Dave was not only his encyclopedic grasp of what was going on locally and internationally in the news, but that he was this wonderfully kind gentlemanly Texan with a tremendous sense of humor, Simmons said.

The news department Dave built was extraordinary. I would have put it up against any department anywhere. The stories they broke were just one after the other. she said.

Kenny Wardell, senior producer of the film Something in the Air, which will include an interview with McQueen, called him the consummate professional who delivered the news of the day to the counterculture listenership.

Evans, one of McQueens former colleagues, recalled that when the planes hit the towers on 9/11, he and McQueen were on the air at KKSF, a smooth jazz station. They cut the jazz and delivered the news for three hours straight without interruption, with McQueen utilizing his knowledge of geopolitics and Islam to provide instant context.

It was the most alive Ive ever felt on the air, Evans said.

McQueen was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in 2010. He was introduced at the ceremony by fellow newsman Bill Schechner, who took five minutes just to list his stations and accomplishments. McQueens acceptance speech lasted 45 seconds.

If you are a DJ, 45 seconds is the most that you can do and keep peoples attention, Tilson said. He could consolidate a paragraph into one sentence, and it did the job.

Tilson survives him, as do his son, Ron McQueen of Walnut Creek, daughter, Juliet McQueen of San Diego, a brother, Steve McQueen of Nederland, Texas, and a sister, Jean McQueen of Bayfield, Texas.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF
A motorist who is guilty of drunken driving typically has a blood-alcohol content of 0.08% or higher. And a motorist convicted of driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08% or more has probably been driving while drunk.

But theyre two separate crimes, says a state appeals court.

Rejecting arguments from a Sonoma County driver who wanted to erase one of the two convictions from his record, the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco said Wednesday that the two charges describe different conduct  and, in fact, the blood-alcohol law was passed to plug a hole in the states DUI statute.

A driver whose blood alcohol exceeds the legal limit is guilty of a crime even though he may have the ability to drive his vehicle with the caution characteristic of a sober person, Justice Tracie Brown said, quoting a 1983 state Supreme Court ruling on a related issue.

In the 3-0 ruling, Brown noted that California law formerly prohibited only driving while under the influence of alcohol to such a degree that the driver no longer has the ability to drive a vehicle with the caution characteristic of a sober person of ordinary prudence.

But police and anti-DUI advocates said some drinking drivers were avoiding conviction by raising doubt about whether alcohol was actually affecting their ability to pilot a vehicle, Brown said. So in 1981 the Legislature passed a separate law making it a crime to drive with a blood-alcohol content of 0.10% or higher, a threshold that lawmakers reduced to 0.08% a decade later.

Under the law, a driver with 0.08% blood alcohol is presumed to have been driving drunk, but not necessarily guilty of drunken driving, Brown said. And, conversely, a motorist can be convicted of driving under the influence regardless of his or her blood-alcohol level.

Both crimes are misdemeanors punishable by 6-month license suspensions and, in some cases, brief jail sentences. Drunken drivers who cause injury and some with multiple convictions can be charged with felonies punishable by a year or more in state prison.

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.

Brown cited the state Supreme Courts 2017 ruling that upheld a mans separate convictions for rape of an intoxicated person and rape of an unconscious person. Although the convictions were based on the same act, the court said someone could commit one of the crimes without committing the other  which is equally true for drunken drivers, Brown said.

The appeals court rejected an appeal by James Grabham Jr., whose pickup truck was stopped on a Sonoma County road in September 2019 by Highway Patrol officers who said they saw him looking at his cell phone and driving with an expired registration. After spotting a 12-pack of beer on a seat and seeing Grabham with red and watery eyes, the officers said they conducted two blood-alcohol tests, which measured 0.12% and 0.11%.

A jury convicted Grabham of both DUI and driving with an excessive blood-alcohol content. He was given a three-year suspended sentence for both crimes, placed on probation and ordered to undergo residential treatment. A successful appeal would not have changed his sentence but would have removed one of the crimes from his record, which could affect sentencing for any future crimes.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Oakland police are staring at the end of 18 years of rigid federal oversight, which may start to wind down by the end of the year, officials said during a court hearing Wednesday afternoon.

But no one appeared to be celebrating during the Zoom session before U.S. District Judge William Orrick: Participants Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong, Mayor Libby Schaaf, attorneys in the case and members of Armstrongs command staff stared solemnly into their screens.

Were still in the tunnel, Orrick said at the beginning of the hearing. And theres a way to travel before we get out.

In 2003, the court ordered Oakland to complete dozens of reforms, all stemming from the settlement of a class-action lawsuit in 2000 that accused four Oakland police officers  known as the Riders  of violating civil rights by beating residents and planting evidence. The 51 tasks were designed to improve the Oakland Police Departments treatment of people, regardless of race, and training and disciplining of officers, among other things.

Eighteen years later, the department still has five measures to complete, including one related to use-of-force investigations and another concerning racial disparities in traffic stops. Once the department has reached full compliance, it would have to show it can sustain the reforms for a year before the court lifts supervision.

Wednesdays hearing followed an optimistic report from Oaklands longtime court-appointed federal monitor and compliance director, Robert Warshaw, who for years has had an adversarial relationship with City Hall and a series of police chiefs. In a striking change of tone, he praised Armstrong and signaled that Oakland could be entering the final stages of this long process.

Orrick, after also complimenting Armstrongs leadership, grilled him on a number of loose threads, including racial disparities in traffic stops. Oakland attempted to combat the problem in 2018 with a new policy to stop pulling people over for low-level infractions such as a broken taillight.

As a result, the number of stops dropped dramatically. But the racial breakdown changed only marginally, with Black motorists still stopped at more than 10 times the rate of white motorists.

In recent months, the proportion of Latino people who were pulled over increased, Armstrong said during the hearing. He argued that all of these stops are evidence-based.

The judge and chief also discussed Oaklands struggle to recruit female officers. Armstrong pointed to difficulties attracting people to law enforcement careers in general, possibly because of a national debate about policing. However, he said six women graduated from Oaklands last police academy in May.

A post commemorating the graduation on the departments Facebook page said three women successfully finished the academy, in a class of 23.

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One new complication stands in Oaklands path. The Police Department is about to wrap up an internal affairs investigation that began in January, after police command staff discovered that some officers followed a racist and sexist Instagram page. The two plaintiffs attorneys in the Riders case  John Burris and James Chanin  will produce a report on that case, then submit it to Warshaw and Orrick.

If the reports shows that racism, misogyny, and cultural rot pervade Oakland police, and that officers do not treat all residents fairly, it will hinder the city from fully complying with its settlement, according to Orrick.

Toward the end of the hearing, the judge said hes heartened that no one is doing a victory dance.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
Californians are getting the message. When a wildfire comes close, get out when the sheriff orders you to go.

South Lake Tahoe and the surrounding South Shore communities emptied into ghost towns Monday as the Caldor Fire crept closer to town. About 22,000 residents left in a briefly log-jammed but ultimately successful evacuation. Deputies and police went door-to-door and found only 38 individuals stayed behind, officials said.

One of those stalwarts was Scott Swift, a retired firefighter who has lived in the South Lake Tahoe area most of his life.

Swift was on the fire line at the historically devastating 1991 Oakland Hills Fire and, closer to home, the 2007 Angora Fire that burned only about 3,100 acres but destroyed about 250 structures, including homes in the subdivisions nestled east of Fallen Leaf Lake.

Swift, 63, said he knows the evacuation orders for the Caldor Fire included him.

He also said he knows what signs to look for indicating he should flee and not fight  the wind, the smoke, a certain pace of spot fires  and he hasnt seen them coming toward his home. Its come close. But not yet.

I have the knowledge of the area. I have the skill to do the work, Swift said. I was concerned, I was ready to go. But I want to make a stand if it comes to that.

He lives in the Chiapa subdivision outside Meyers in a house he built. Its where he and his wife raised their two sons.

He spent 35 years with the Lake Valley Fire Protection District, which is responsible for about 80 square miles covering a patchwork of communities surrounding South Lake Tahoe. Much of the territory has been in the Caldor Fires path or directly threatened by it.

Jungho Kim/Special to The Chronicle

Swift, who retired as a captain in 2013, has 3-inch fire hose hooked up and staged around his house. He has a fire hydrant connected to a storage tank that holds 500,000 gallons of water.

He got to work preparing to defend his property as soon as the Caldor Fire got to Strawberry to the south, felling trees in the backyard near the swing set where his children  now young adults  once played.

He chopped down the scrub oak.

He monitored radio channels and kept in touch with people  firefighters on the lines, many his former workmates, longtime friends, others in his community. Swift remarked how in his 51 years in South Lake Tahoe, the city has increasingly filled with tourists and visitors. Many locals left, but those who remain are tight.

He recalled listening to radio traffic late Sunday and early Monday when the Caldor Fire crossed the ridge near Highway 50 and began burning toward the Philips Tract and into Christmas Valley. He and a friend sat outside in lawn chairs, monitoring the situation throughout the night, ready to fight or leave.

Jungho Kim/Special to The Chronicle

At that point, it seemed to be mostly local firefighters standing at the ready: Lake Valley, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay, Fallen Leaf and other local districts.

They did an amazing job, Swift said. I almost want to tear up.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Swift does choke up talking about the bravery he said he witnessed  ear to the radio  as his comrades faced such a big fire hitting so close to home.

Driving through Christmas Valley later, he was even more overcome by the sight: charred, forested hillsides on either side of that residential subdivision. The fires had been stopped in the backyards of homes.

Jungho Kim/Special to The Chronicle

You cant appreciate it until you see how it came down both sides, Swift said.

But the sight of the fire on a close ridge, where wind could easily carry an ember to his rooftop, didnt change his mind about trying to defend his own home, even though those evacuation orders absolutely apply to me, Swift said.

He has the decades of experience, the hoses, the water, a designated safe zone in the broad intersection at the corner of his property.

As the winds calmed and humidity rose Thursday, allowing firefighters to slow the Caldor Fire, Swift was right where hed been all week: at home, ready for a fight that he hopes never comes, but realistic.

I have the talent, Swift said. But I know when the fire comes, you can run out of talent.

Julie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: julie.johnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @juliejohnson
Greg Griffin / The Chronicle

A 10th grade San Leandro High School student who was walking in a crosswalk after school Wednesday was struck and injured by a vehicle driven by another high school student, school district officials said.

Thirty minutes after classes were dismissed, the student was walking in the crosswalk in front of the school on Bancroft Avenue at Blossom Way when they were hit by a vehicle traveling northbound at 3:10 p.m., San Leandro Unified School District officials said in a message to parents and guardians.
People who say the COVID-19 vaccine is too dangerous suddenly cant wait to get injected  with horse dewormer.

The animal drug ivermectin has gotten so popular as an imagined shield against the coronavirus that some shops selling it, like the Peninsula Feed Store in Redwood City, are posting reminders: You are not a horse.

Salespeople are aghast, all but yanking the product from peoples hands when they realize the customer isnt planning to give it to Bucky for his parasites.

A lady came in and said, I hope this is what my boss wanted, said Trevor Frampton, owner of Western Farm Center in Santa Rosa. We said, For his horse, right? She said, No, so he can take it. We said, Wait  give it back. Its not for human use!

Few customers tell Frampton why theyre buying ivermectin, which is also for cows and sheep. But farm animals in his area seem to be getting sick an awful lot lately. He used to sell only the occasional tube of dewormer. For the past few months, hes gotten one or two requests each week.

Im a little frustrated, honestly, that we have to police people about this, Frampton said. Were here to help you take care of your animals, not to make sure you dont hurt yourselves. Why am I being asked to make that decision? We run a retail store.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Besides wiping out worms in livestock, ivermectin is the hero drug that has saved countless people in Africa and elsewhere from losing their sight to river blindness, a parasitic infection. Scientists William Campbell and Stoshi Omura discovered its parent drug, avermectin, and won the Nobel Prize in 2015. The drug can also be used to treat head lice and as a topical cream for rosacea, a skin disease.

American pharmacies filled fewer than 5,000 ivermectin prescriptions each month in the year before the pandemic hit in March 2020. Then, researchers trying to kill the coronavirus found ivermectin seemed to do the trick, at least in a petri dish and in massive quantities far beyond what a human should ingest. Word got out, and rumors amplified.

This July alone, pharmacists filled nearly 70,000 prescriptions for ivermectin. By mid-August, nearly 90,000 more scripts were filled, according to data posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Also on the rise: calls to poison control centers.

The FDA has received multiple reports of patients who have required medical support and been hospitalized after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for horses, the Food and Drug Administration says on its page titled Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19. Taking equine-sized doses is dangerous and can cause serious harm, the FDA adds, noting that it has not approved ivermectin in any form for COVID-19 in humans. Besides, COVID is caused by a virus, and ivermectin isnt an antiviral drug, the FDA points out.

Nevertheless, one of the drugs most vocal proponents, a former ICU physician at the University of Wisconsin, called ivermectin an immensely powerful antiviral when he testified at a U.S. Senate hearing on the pandemic in December. Ivermectin is also a wonder drug, declared Dr. Pierre Kory, and its already won the Nobel Prize.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Kory leads a group of doctors that has made the dewormer its cause celebre.

If you take it, you will not get sick, he told the hearing, repeating the claim five times in 10 minutes. Also, people with COVID will not die if they take ivermectin, he said. Or you will die at much, much, much lower rates.

Dr. Graham Walker, an emergency room physician in San Francisco, debunks Kory and his group on Twitter.

I dont want people to take horse medicine, Walker said. It feels like I have to do something as an ER doctor. He asked that his hospital not be named because he isnt authorized to speak for it.

So far, researchers say, there are few good studies of ivermectins effect on COVID. One is lauded for using the scientific gold standard of blinding researchers about which randomized groups took a placebo versus ivermectin is a Brazilian study of 1,355 COVID patients, pending publication.

The study compares 677 patients who received 400 micrograms of ivermectin daily for three days against 678 patients who got a placebo. The result: 95 in the placebo group, 14%, worsened and needed extended ER observation or hospitalization. In the ivermectin group, 86 got worse, 13%.

Theres a good chance that this result happened just because of pure dumb luck, Walker said.

Another double-blind study, published on the JAMA Network, treated 398 mild COVID patients for five days with ivermectin or a placebo and found no benefit from the drug.

2 1 of 2 Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Show More Show Less



Some people try to calculate how much ivermectin to take based on their weight, then post these efforts on social media. Walker checks their conclusions and sometimes finds their math is wrong.

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Its scary, he said.

The well-known podcaster Joe Rogan, who has questioned the vaccines necessity for young people, announced this week that he has COVID and has included the dewormer among the medicines he hopes will help him.

Dosage is just one safety issue surrounding people who self-medicate with ivermectin. Another involves the extra stuff contained in drugs, like stabilizers and preservatives, said Desi Kotis, UCSFs chief pharmacy executive.

Unless such ingredients are also studied, its impossible to know if the drug is safe to take, she said, noting that heroin users often died in the 1980s not from an overdose, but from talcum power cut into the drug that clumped and blocked blood flow to the heart.

The danger of such unknowns caught Kotis attention last week when an Ohio judge sided with the wife of a 51-year-old COVID patient who has been on a ventilator since Aug. 1. The judge ordered the mans doctors to give him 30 milligrams of ivermectin every day for three weeks.

I dont understand a judge ruling that way, Kotis said. We have a process in the U.S. Thats what the FDA does, based on science and safety. If you have no idea, then its really not something you would expose a human to.

Negan Rosek felt similarly concerned last week, when a customer at the feed store she works at in Redwood City asked for something to deworm his chickens. Rosek mentioned ivermectin.

He said, Oh, you mean the stuff to treat COVID? Ive heard that stuff really works. I gave it to my kids, she said.

That was probably the most shocking thing Ive ever had to hear, Rosek said. I said, I hope youre kidding, and he assured me he wasnt.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
With stunning speed and intensity, the Caldor Fire has roared through El Dorado County and is now threatening to spread into South Lake Tahoe.

In less than three weeks since it ignited in mid-August, Caldor has shot to No. 15 on the list of the Californias largest-ever wildfires, measuring 204,390 acres as of Wednesday.

Its also one of only two blazes in California to ever cross a Sierra summit and burn down the other side. The Dixie Fire, the second-largest wildfire in state history currently burning across five counties, was the first blaze to do it.

Fire officials say Caldor has some things in common with other monster California wildfires, but crews are also encountering challenges in this years fire season that they havent seen before.

Here are five things to know about the Caldor Fire that are making it such a formidable foe.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

Drought and heat are making fires like Caldor bigger

Experts say a combination of parched terrain and warmer conditions resulting from climate change has helped produce more aggressive, larger and fuel-driven blazes like Caldor this year. U.S. Forest Service researchers have found that severe fires are accelerating each year in the West, driven by climate conditions that are drying out fuels.

Other research has shown that the warming climate is making high elevations more prone to burning, with fires in the Sierra migrating upward more quickly than most in the West.

The common question I normally get is: Do I think this is related to climate change? Regardless of the why or how we got to this place, is recognizing we are here, Cal Fire Assistant Chief Brian Newman, a fire behavior analyst working on the Dixie Fire, recently told The Chronicle. The climate is warmer. It is drier. The result of that is longer fire seasons. The drier the fuels, fires are more resistant to control.

Caldor is burning in areas that havent burned for decades

While experts say climate change has parched Californias wildlands and primed them to burn, forest managers also say that fire suppression efforts over the decades have led to vegetation growing far denser in parts of the Sierra. A team from UC Berkeley and the Forest Service found in 2015 that the number of trees per acre had doubled or tripled in some places in the past century.

The buildup of vegetation over the decades has combined with a drier climate to create unstoppable fires like Caldor that would be easier to tame with less extreme weather conditions. Caldors flames are feasting on old and dense trees in parts of the Sierra that havent burned since before 1940, said Steve Volmer, Cal Fires fire behavior manager.

Strong winds are causing Caldor to spread faster

Erratic and gusting winds  reaching up to 50 mph in recent days  are causing flames from the Caldor Fire to spread faster. Some fierce winds can even generate their own weather systems, such as pyrocumulus clouds, that could cause extreme fire behavior.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

Fires are most active at night

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In years past, California firefighters used the cooler, more humid nighttime hours to gain the upper hand against wildfires. Now, warmer and drier conditions combined with ample fuel have expanded the burn window, when fires are most active during each 24-hour cycle  with fast and aggressive burns occurring at night.

The terrain is forcing firefighters to use different tactics

Cal Fires public information officer Jason Hunter said Caldors location in rugged, remote mountain areas has limited firefighting crews ability to deploy some of the tools and tactics they normally count on.

The terrain of the fire is incredibly steep, very hard to access. So some of our tools arent being able to be utilized like they have in other fires, said Hunter.

In South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday, flames crept closer to the Heavenly Mountain Resort in the southeastern side of the lake. Rather than try to stop the fires advance, firefighters instead worked to steer it away.

We dont have any tools out there to stop the fire, so were herding it away from structures, said Eric Schwab, Cal Fires operations section chief.

Jessica Flores is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE  The good news started at sunrise and continued throughout the day  calmer winds and rising humidity, the first evacuees returning home, Kirkwood saved, and still no homes or structures lost in the Tahoe Basin.

Bolstered by calmer winds and rising humidity, firefighters finally saw the pace of the Caldor Fire slow Thursday, limiting its growth as they ushered the flames around cabins, homes and resorts.

The blaze grew by just over 2,000 acres overnight, a dramatic decline from the increase of 10,000 or more acres in previous days, and reaching 210,893 acres. It was 27% contained by evening.

Just before midday Thursday, at the southwest end of the fire, evacuations were lifted in several communities, allowing residents to return to areas first hit by the fire in mid-August, including Omo Ranch and around Mount Aukum in El Dorado County.

On Thursday afternoon, Barbara Smith, 61, a retired teacher, lifted a mini fridge onto the front seat of her gray Kia. Her dog, Samwise  named for the Lord of the Rings character  in the back, wagged his tail. They were headed home.

Smith and her husband, Daniel Smith, 60, had stayed at the RV park next door to the Amador County Fairgrounds for 16 days, after evacuating from their wooden home near Omo Ranch. Theyve lived on the 5 acres studded with redwood trees since 1992.

The couple had been sleeping in a tent trailer  one intended for camping, not as a residence. They would have to go back for the trailer and their truck, as well as their 10 goats. Theyd also left two horses and three cats with a friend in Jackson (Amador County).

As she approached her home on Slug Gulch Road, she finally saw how close the fire got to her home.

We didnt have any idea what was going to happen, Smith said. We didnt know if our house was going to burn down or not. We got lucky.

She didnt plan to unpack.

I think we should remain ready just in case the winds shift, she said.

Christina Seale also got to go home  hers is in Fair Play, also in El Dorado County  and return to work as director of operations at the Fleur de Lys Winery after spending the past two-plus weeks at a hotel in Plymouth (Amador County).

There was one Saturday we thought we were going to lose it all, she said of her home. A group of residents who dubbed themselves the Anthill Army rented bulldozers to cut fire breaks around Fair Play.

They basically saved it, she said. There just wasnt enough boots on the ground at that time.

Knowing the evacuation orders were about to lift, Seale sneaked home Wednesday night and was back at the winery near Somerset in El Dorado County on Thursday morning, cleaning out the spoiled food in the refrigerator and getting ready for the annual harvest and crushing of the grapes next week  grapes that will be smoky and possibly tainted by a taste of the Caldor Fire.

Its just been nerve-racking, she said. But Im grateful.

Even as residents started to return to their homes in the south, the east side of South Lake Tahoe continued to see the most fire growth, with the blaze moving through the forest and herded around a few neighborhoods in its path, but skirting much of the city as it approached the California side of the Heavenly Ski Resort.

Fire officials said this was the preferred route, pushing the flames up the ridge, away from structures, where it would be easier to control.

As they had at the Kirkwood and Sierra-at-Tahoe ski areas, officials turned on snow-making guns to spray water on lodges and other structures, with temperatures dropping so low through the night that the drops turned to snow.

Jungho Kim/Special to The Chronicle

On Thursday morning, Cal Fire officials set up a new command post in the parking lot of the Heavenly Ski Resort. About a mile away, at Heavenly Village near the shore of Lake Tahoe, members of the National Guard kept watch over the area to prevent looting and other security issues.

Nearby, Kris Keesling, 70, walked her black dog, Lilly, through the back of the resort while chatting with neighbors on her phone.

She evacuated her South Lake Tahoe home on Monday and went to a nearby hotel where she works, which has remained open to house first responders.

Ive been been having sleepless nights. Not knowing what to do, she said. This uncertainty. Are we safe? Do we need to start recovery? Its the uncertainty thats so stressful.

Keesling, a 30-year resident of the city, said shes been prepared to evacuate for a fire since 2007, when the Angora Fire threatened the area. She put together her girl bag, a bag of important papers and her dog bag.

They always say its not if, its when. Now is our when. This one is way bigger than I ever thought it would be, she said. We never thought it would crest the summit, and it did. Thats when I freaked.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

She was among the unprecedented evacuation of 22,000 people as the wildfire breached the Sierra ridge, embers lighting spot fires down the mountain up to a mile ahead  flames that grew in size and then joined the main blaze.

Many other people sought safety in Reno.

Bryan Brandenburg, 62, had been camping and staying in lodges in South Lake Tahoe, part of a wandering journey after selling his biomedical simulation company to Elon Musk. He was planning a trip to the African country of Malawi when the evacuation order hit. .

By late Thursday morning, Brandenburg was sitting in the shade outside the convention center shelter, easy to spot in a pale pink Maui & Sons tank top and bright orange sneakers, a black skateboard in tow.

Brandenburg, not fazed by the communal living and the cots, chalked his time at the evacuation center up to a cultural experience.

What really worries him, though, is how common such events might become as more severe impacts of climate change become reality.

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Its a startling display of Mother Nature, he said.

Unlike their counterparts to the west, evacuees from the Lake Tahoe basin were unlikely to get the all-clear for several days at least.

Neighborhoods in Meyers and South Lake Tahoe remained under threat Thursday, with helicopters and planes continuing to make air drops near communities along Highway 89 and the approach to the Heavenly slopes.

The Caldor Fire started on Aug. 14 near Grizzly Flats before spreading in all directions. Winds from the southwest then pushed the main blaze up along the Highway 50 corridor, traveling nearly 50 miles over the summit  only the second time a wildfire has done so in state history.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

The blaze is now the 15th-largest wildfire in state history and has destroyed more than 800 homes and other structures, with the assessment of damage still in process.

Firefighters on Thursday focused their efforts just south of the Heavenly ski area, with bulldozers building firebreaks to prevent the fire from jumping toward Monument Peak, said Cal Fire Capt. Dennis Campbell.

Hotshot crews were closer to the fire, reinforcing lines along Trimmer Peak.

Right now the fire is slowly moving towards control lines that are between the fire and Monument Peak and Heavenly, Campbell said, adding there were also new lines put in place around the city.

As Campbell spoke, fatigue was visible on his face.

Its just been a long fire season, he said. Not enough sleep.

On Thursday morning, Keesling took a deep breath. The smoke was still thick but not as thick as it had been in days prior.

She had left her home with her winter coats; recently purchased strawberries, grapes and blueberries; as well as two bottles of Champagne, which she said she had to have if her home burned.

Despite the preparation, she was resolute even as smoke billowed above, getting closer by the hours.

We are going to come out of this, she said with defiance. Today is going to be a good day. Yes it will.

Sarah Ravani, Lauren Hepler and Jill Tucker are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com, lauren.hepler@sfchronicle.com, jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sarravani, @jilltucker, @lahepler
RENO, NEV.  At odd moments in the middle of the night this week, Laura Crawford has caught herself reaching for something on the nightstand next to her bed.

Nothings there, she realizes, and the anguish of fleeing the Caldor Fire comes flooding back.

We just want to go home and have our animals curl up next to us, Crawford said Thursday outside an evacuation shelter in Reno, Nev. Thats what everybody is saying - how many more days?

Its been five days since Crawford evacuated her home near Meyers, with her two cats and a few changes of clothes.

Her cats remain at pet evacuation center in Gardnerville, where Crawford first sought shelter before moving on to Reno, about an hour drive north. She can see the cats during visiting hours.

She and her former Harveys casino co-worker Margaret Anton have been among thousands of California evacuees bounced between shifting emergency shelters this week as the fire exploded across El Dorado County and jumped the Sierra Nevada summit into the Tahoe Basin.

The fire neared as Crawford and Anton relived the 41st anniversary of the Aug. 26, 1980 bombing at Harveys, where they both worked at the time. Nearly 1,000 pounds of dynamite, hidden in a copy machine with a ransom note asking for $3 million dollars for instructions to disarm the bomb.

Authorities tried to remotely disconnect the detonator, which didnt work. The bomb left a five-story crater at the hotel site.

In the summer of 2007, the pair also lived through the terror of the fast-moving Angora Fire, that destroyed hundreds of homes in the South Lake Tahoe area.

But this week, they said that the constant, unending anxiety about the Caldor Fire is something else. On Tuesday, they moved from a senior center in Gardnerville, Nev,, to a gymnasium in the hulking Reno-Sparks convention center another 46 miles away from home. A half-dozen other evacuation centers are operating on both sides of the California-Nevada border.

This whole thing has been a nightmare, said Anton, who has lived in South Lake Tahoe for 44 years. Its very scary when you have to leave your own home.

On Wednesday night, the situation went from bad to worse at the Reno convention center, where a fishing convention is also taking place on the other side of the complex. The women heard about a COVID-19 case in the gymnasium where they were sleeping on well-spaced cots, and by Thursday morning, they both reported negative COVID-19 tests.

Deb Phelps, a retired nurse from Seattle, is one of the Red Cross volunteers checking evacuees at the convention center for COVID-19 symptoms. Thursday was her first shift in Reno after working at evacuation centers on the other side of the Caldor Fire when flames first broke out last month.

Phelps estimates that shes worked about 15 disaster relief efforts for everything from fires to hurricanes, helping provide medical care alongside food, hygiene, mental health and social services. In recent years, she said, its the scale of Californias calamitous fires that stands out.

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Theres just more people, Phelps said, and theyre coming from a really large area.

As the heat set in and smoke clouded the Reno skyline on Thursday, Crawford and Anton took a long walk, then talked through how to weather their uncertain stays at the convention center. Crawford has taken to driving back down to Gardnerville to visit her cats Kelly and Oliver. Anton said the shelters free candy bars and Pop Tarts are a nice distraction.

Mostly, they waited for news about the fire from fellow evacuees with internet connections to report the daily containment numbers.

If its 27% tonight, Crawford said, I think were gonna have a party in there.

Staff writer Jill Tucker contributed to this story.

Lauren Hepler is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hepler@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @lahepler
In whats become a recurring theme this fire season, the Bay Area is facing another air quality advisory this week, as smoke from massive wildfires to the northeast drifts in and spreads a haze over the region.

So far, such stretches of moderate air quality have not come close to last years horrendous stretches of bad air, which hit some of the worst levels since officials started keeping records in 1999. The advisory issued for Thursday and Friday by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District indicates that air quality wont dip below federal health standards.

Still, some people in the Bay Area have been complaining this fire season of ill effects during extended periods of moderate readings on the Air Quality Index  between 50 and 100 on the scale set by the Environmental Protection Agency, considered acceptable but possibly risky for those unusually sensitive to air pollution.

But just how bad for your health is a span of days, or even weeks, with moderate air quality readings? The impacts of higher AQI categories, in the 150-300 range, are clear  theyre horrible for our health  but less is known about the relative risks of breathing moderate air for extended periods of time.

At the very least, according to pulmonary experts in the Bay Area, its probably not very good.

We dont have a lot of information about extended periods of exposure to moderately poor air quality due to wildfire smoke, because we havent had these kinds of conditions before, said UCSF pulmonary expert John Balmes. (But) they will be studied, I can guarantee you.

Experts say that at this point, they can begin to extrapolate from related kinds of research. For example, Balmes said a substantial amount of evidence indicates that non-wildfire smoke particularly in the moderate zone has been associated with various negative health outcomes, both in the short and long term.

In the short term, research has shown that non-wildfire smoke can exacerbate preexisting heart and lung disease, asthma and lower respiratory tract infections, including bronchitis or pneumonia.

Research has also found that living in areas with poor air quality in general can shorten someones life span, and that families who live closer to highways have a higher prevalence of asthma. A recent Harvard study found an association between wildfire smoke, coronavirus cases and deaths, but focused mostly on bad wildfire smoke days.

The long-term effects, Balmes said, are trickier in part because periods of widespread exposure to poorer air quality are still relatively new, and most of the literature on long-term effects looks at months and years of exposure versus days or weeks. But theres evidence that air pollution from non-wildfire smoke can affect cognitive development, the growth of lung function and mental health, particularly for children, according to Balmes.

A recently published Stanford study also found that several days of exposure to moderate air quality  or medium smoke days  had substantial effects on pregnant women, and increased their risk of preterm birth by 5%.

An entire month of moderate exposure increased the risk by up to 20%, said Marshall Burke, an associate professor of earth system science at Stanford who has been studying the health effects of poor air quality and wildfires.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Nearly a year ago, Burke and several other researchers at Stanford estimated that the pollution from a stretch of heavy wildfire smoke likely led to as many as 3,000 excess deaths in California in just one month, mainly among people 65 and older, and many of whom had underlying conditions.

Burke and his team called it the hidden cost of air pollution exposure.

At least part of the hidden cost currently seems to be a rise in preterm births, but much is still unknown about the other impacts of moderate air quality from wildfire smoke on our health, Burke said.

I dont think we should be surprised to find that even moderate exposure over a long time has negative consequences, Burke said. If we found something else Id be surprised, actually.

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With research ongoing, experts said Bay Area residents can take some steps to protect themselves during periods of reduced air quality.

For starters, always check the air quality in your area before you go outside, and be aware of more subtle symptoms that could indicate even moderate air quality has become an irritant, said Dr. Sharon Chinthrajah, a pulmonologist with Stanford Health Care.

Those symptoms could include headaches, eye irritation, sore throat without a cough, or even a rash or sensitive skin.

Researchers and pulmonologists still dont know whether long periods of moderate air quality are as drastically unhealthy as short periods of extremely hazardous conditions. For people with asthma who fall into the category of sensitive groups, even moderate air quality can be an irritant, Chinthrajah said.

It also might be prudent to close the windows and opt for a recirculating central ventilation system or a MERV 13 filter to make sure the air inside a house is clean and purified, experts said. Those who are sensitive to poor air quality might also try to avoid going outside for a long period of time even when air quality is moderate, added Balmes.

(For more information about how to check air quality in your area, go here. Also, visit The Chronicles Air Quality Map for real-time readings near you.)

Annie Vainshtein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avainshtein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annievain
Via AlertWildfire

Hundreds of Lucas Valley and Marinwood residents were allowed to return to their homes Wednesday afternoon after a 30-acre vegetation fire prompted evacuations.

The blaze, dubbed the Lassen Fire, sparked around 2:30 p.m. on the hillside north of Idylberry Road and spread uphill, away from homes and buildings at a slow-to-moderate rate, according to the San Rafael Fire Department.
Bay Area vegans are spoiled with choices. From tacos and bowls to Impossible Burgers everywhere, finding vegan food at local restaurants is not a difficult task. It makes perfect sense then, that in the relatively recent veganization of one especially meat-centric dish  ramen  the Bay Area is right on trend.

In February, the beloved Japanese chain Ippudo, which has locations in Berkeley, San Francisco and Cupertino, added a vegan ramen to its menu in all Japanese locations, making international headlines. This turn of events shone a spotlight on the lively vegan ramen scene in the Bay Area, with recently opened spots like Ramenwell joining veterans like Ramen Gaijin and Hinodeya in an effort to diversify.

Some are responding to the growing customer demand for such dishes; others are responding to effects of climate change by reducing meat on their menus overall; and still others are wary of the effects of Proposition 12, which is set to go into effect next year, and could potentially impact the supply of pork in California.

Whatever the reason, its never been a better time for diners looking for vegan ramen in the Bay Area. There are creamy broths with oat milk, umami-rich toppings like black garlic, toasted rye noodles and so much here. Heres our guide to the top vegan ramen destinations in the Bay Area right now.

Torraku Ramen

Provided by Benny Ng

A San Francisco mainstay, Torraku started serving vegan ramen in 2016, at its SoMa Streat Food Park truck. Now, at permanent locations in Potrero Hill and on Lombard Street, diners can find a vegan ramen, $14, featuring a flavorful miso broth, with add-ons like tofu, bamboo and bean sprouts. Soy chashu, a vegan tofu patty with a ham-like texture, is also available, as well as an umami-rich black garlic topping.

Owner Benny Ng says the broth became a hit when it was introduced at the food park during a vegan pop-up series and has remained a steady addition on the menu. Because we put a mix of ingredients such as celery, shiitake, carrots and kombu (edible kelp), it ends up giving deeper complexity to the vegan broth, Ng says.

300 De Haro St., Ste. #338, San Francisco.

Mensho Tokyo

At the Tenderloin institution, co-owner Abram Plaut can talk about chef Tomoharu Shonos ramens for hours. Balance is essential to good ramen, everything has to mesh together in harmony, Plaut says, referring to the union of fat, bite and crunch, sauce and soup. According to Plaut, the richer vegan ramen dishes are, the better, and several tricks can help develop deep flavor. Shono uses ingredients such as soy cream and ground sesame.

The standard Vegan Tantanmen, which can be ordered with a number of variations, $19-$22, delivers on both the spice and the richness. It contains a vegetable soup made rich with ingredients like kombu, a tare sauce and fried soy meat among other ingredients. Chile oil, Sichuan peppercorns and pickled ginger bring the heat.

672 Geary St., San Francisco.

Afuri Ramen + Dumpling

When the popular Japanese chain Afuri opened its first California outpost in 2019, it started offering a style of vegan ramen that no one else was doing in the Bay Area. Instead of using the more typical vegan ramen ingredients like mushrooms or root vegetables, Afuris ramen, $16, gets its complexity and richness from hazelnuts and miso cashew crumbles. Bok choy, shiitake and leeks add a refreshing veggie crunch.

The vegan ramen was originally developed for Afuris Portland, Ore., location with the goal of being a lighter, decidedly non-textbook option. The vegan hazelnut bowl was a hit among customers and the local media, and quickly became a mainstay in the U.S. and in the chains restaurants in Japan.

20803 Stevens Creek Blvd., Unit 110, Cupertino.

124 Castro St., Mountain View.

Ramen Gaijin

Provided by Ramen Gaijin

After years of popping-up at various Sebastopol locations, the popular North Bay restaurant settled into its own spot in 2016 and started serving vegan tonkotsu last year. Chef and co-owner Moishe Hahn-Schuman uses oat milk for the vegetable broth, then thickens it with boiled and strained potatoes.

A summer version, expected to go into rotation soon, introduces a garlic and ginger oil, alongside blistered cherry tomatoes, blanched spinach and fried eggplant, $18 The vegan noodles, made in-house, are toasted rye. It was important to Hahn-Schuman to create all the components of the vegan ramen dish from scratch: Im not vegan, but its one of my favorite ramens.

6948 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol.

Ramenwell

Provided by Harold Jurado

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Ramenwell, which opened in the Mission in 2018, uses wheat flour vegan noodles from the nearby Tin Wah Noodle Co. for its vegan ramen. Chef and owner Harold Jurado uses dried shiitake for the broth and extracts acidity from kombu to reinforce the umami flavor. The tare is a mix of soy sauce, mirin and sake. Combining these three items means achieving tons of flavor very fast. The mirin also gives a greater mouthfeel from the sugar in it, Jurado says. This is important because we want the flavors to remain on the palate and not wash off quickly.

The meaty component in the ramen is mushrooms; Jurado uses king trumpets, shimeji and enoki sauteed in garlic and ginger. Garlic sesame oil adds a finishing touch. With a small case of enoki mushrooms retailing for $100 these days, Jurados ramen, $13.95, might get pricier in the future, and he believes thats only fair. The same person paying $22+ for a plate of rustic Italian house-made pasta with Bolognese sauce should not be complaining when a big bowl of ramen with all the fixings cost the same or even more, he says.

3378 18th St., San Francisco.

Hinodeya Ramen

Originating in Japan, Hinodeya, which specializes in lighter, airier ramen, has been gradually expanding in the Bay Area. With two San Francisco locations, as well as a new spot in Campbell, Hinodeya has loyal fans, some of whom come exclusively for the Zen ramen, $15, which is made with vegan dashi, shiitake and white soy sauce. For added texture, the ramen is topped with fried kale, baby spinach and the nontraditional addition of inari  subtly sweet, fried tofu sheets.

A second vegan ramen, creamy and tonkotsu-like thanks to the addition of soy milk, is flavored with sesame and served topped with acorn squash and sesame seeds.

1737 Buchanan St., San Francisco.

2210 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell.

680 Clay St., San Francisco.

Flora Tsapovsky is a San Francisco freelance writer. Follow her on Instagram: @bicoastalista
Nick Otto/Special to The Chronicle

Anyone planning to dine inside a Berkeley restaurant in the coming days will need to be fully vaccinated.

Berkeley is the first city to join San Francisco in requiring proof of vaccination for certain indoor activities, namely dining inside a restaurant or bar. The rule also applies to gyms, yoga studios, indoor events with at least 1,000 attendees, and any other space where food or drink is sold, such as a movie theater or concert venue.
The name Juan Pablo Torres Padilla isnt yet familiar to most Napa Valley wine drinkers. But this new vintners recent acquisition activity indicates that he is determined to become a major player in the local industry.

In the past three years, Torres Padilla has bought a historic winery, Sullivan Rutherford Estate; an undeveloped property in Napas Soda Canyon area on which hes planting a new vineyard; and, as of late August, another vineyard thats been the source of critically acclaimed wines for decades. In total, Torres Padilla now owns about 40 acres of grapevines throughout Napa Valley.

Buying vineyards and wineries in Napa is a common pastime of the ultra-rich. Like many of these newcomers, Torres Padilla, a former CEO of an artificial intelligence company, claims he wants to build a business that can produce one of the greatest wines of the world. Hes eyeing high-end, Bordeaux-inspired wines at luxury prices, with a special emphasis on Merlot. The current lineup of Sullivan wines sell for up to $310 per bottle. Tastings at the Sullivan tasting room come with a fee of $125 to $150.

Unlike some other newcomers, though  like, say, Gaylon Lawrence Jr., the Arkansas mogul who has bought up famous estates like Heitz, Stony Hill and Burgess  Torres Padilla appears interested in lesser-known entities, properties that dont yet have widespread brand recognition. That was the case with Sullivan, a winery thats been around since 1972 yet remains largely unknown, and also with Torres Padillas latest investment, the Criscione Vineyard.

I wanted to be able to add value, Torres Padilla said when asked why hes gravitated toward lower-profile sites  specifically the value of name recognition, bringing these sleepy estates onto a wider stage. It may have helped, too, that Sullivan Estate was in bankruptcy when Torres Padilla bought it in 2018.

Ashley Criscione

His newest addition, the 18-acre Criscione Vineyard, is tucked away in the hillsides above St. Helena, invisible from any main road, and its name has rarely graced the front label of a wine bottle. Yet Criscione grapes have long been a quiet, unnamed component of some of Napas most sought-after wines, from producers like Harlan, Araujo, Ovid, Arrow & Branch and Drinkward Peschon, many of which sell for over $300 per bottle. Most of those wineries would blend Criscione grapes with fruit from other Napa Valley sites to make a multi-vineyard cuvee.

Its not a vineyard that most people know, but people in the local industry know about it, said Sullivan Rutherford Estate general manager Joshua Lowell. Among its distinctive attributes is its soil, composed of chunky volcanic rocks. The whole ground glimmers from obsidian, Lowell said.

Torres Padilla would not disclose a purchase price, but said that he paid above the Napa Valley average for the Criscione land. That average can vary based on several factors, including the prestige of a particular growing area, but for prime vineyard land its generally around $300,000 to $400,000 per acre, which for 18 acres would translate to $5.4 to $7.2 million.

The premium was worth it, he said, because he believes the Criscione grapes are of such a high quality, and the vineyard is turnkey, meaning he wont have to do any replanting. Former owners Joe and Ashley Criscione, who planted the grapes here 20 years ago, were looking to retire, Torres Padilla added.

Grapes from Criscione, the Sullivan estate vineyard and the still-unnamed Soda Canyon vineyard will all go into wines under the Sullivan Rutherford Estate brand, which will produce about 3,000 to 5,000 cases per year, a standard volume for a luxury Napa producer.

Jak Wonderly

By the time Torres Padilla bought Sullivan in 2018, he had been looking for a winery to purchase for 12 years. He liked the fact that the 26-acre estate already had a sense of history, and he thought that the location in the middle of the valley floor in Rutherford, one of Napas most acclaimed subregions, was ideal for wine growing  especially Merlot. The Sullivan wines low profile  and, maybe, the winerys financial troubles  wasnt for lack of quality, Torres Padilla believed. Rather, it was due to the fact that Jim was basically just producing wine for family and friends, he said. Back then, in the 70s, they didnt need to be known for the business to be sustainable. (The Sullivan Estate assets were estimated at $17 million to $20 million in bankruptcy court.)

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A significant portion of the vineyards at the Rutherford estate are currently being replanted, partly to update some of the viticultural elements and partly to add a greater share of Merlot, a grape variety that Torres Padilla believes will be a star here. While Cabernet Sauvignon, Napas most widely planted grape variety, will still represent a large portion of the companys overall vineyard makeup, Torres Padilla hopes that Merlot will ultimately account for about one-third to one-half of the total plantings.

He kept the name Sullivan, rather than renaming it.

To me, changing the name doesnt have a lot of substance, Torres Padilla said. I dont believe in building something overnight.

Maybe not overnight, but Torres Padilla sure is building. Hes obtained permits to construct a new winery and tasting room at the Rutherford property and hopes to break ground in the spring. With his 40 acres now secured, Torres Padilla said he doesnt have immediate plans to buy any more land in Napa. At least for now, he added.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley
Last week, the World Health Organization upgraded another coronavirus strain to its variants of interest list  and while Bay Area health officials say a few isolated cases involving the newly named mu variant have cropped up locally, it hasnt gotten any kind of foothold and they are not yet sounding any alarms.

The mu variant, or B.1.621, was first detected in Colombia in January. It was added to the WHOs monitoring radar because the organization says it contains mutations that could allow it to escape vaccine immunity. WHO officials said Tuesday that the highly contagious delta variant remains the most concerning strain.

In its COVID epidemiological update last week, the WHO said the mu variant has been detected in at least 39 countries, including the U.S. According to the agency, mus prevalence among genetically sequenced cases worldwide has declined to below 0.1%, though it has increased to 39% in Colombia and 13% in Ecuador.

According to the global GISAID data sharing initiative, 2,065 cases caused by the mu variant have been sequenced so far in the U.S., the highest number for any country.

However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention variant tracker, it is not yet a variant or interest or variant of concern in the U.S.

Heres what we know so far:

What is a variant of interest?

Under the WHOs definition, a variant of interest has genetic changes considered likely to affect virus characteristics such as transmissibility, immune system evasion or disease severity. In addition, the variant may be responsible for significant community transmission or multiple COVID-19 clusters in multiple countries  suggesting an emerging risk to global public health.

Its a step below a variant of concern. WHO gives that designation to coronavirus strains when scientific evidence shows they may be associated with higher transmissibility, virulence or disease severity, or may reduce the effectiveness of therapy, testing or vaccines  at a degree of global public health significance.

The WHO uses a naming system based on the Greek alphabet to designate variants of interest and concern  hence mu, the 12th letter in that system.

Why is the mu variant concerning?

Dr. Charles Chiu, a prominent UCSF virologist whose lab conducts coronavirus genetic sequencing, said mu contains several mutations shared by variants of interest and concern that make it worrisome.

 E484K: This mutation is found in beta and gamma variants. It could make it so that monoclonal treatments may not be as useful, and may also allow the variant to evade immunity from natural infection, Chiu said.

 P681H: This mutation found in the alpha variant. It is thought to have partially increased the transmissibility of alpha, Chiu said.

 N501Y: This mutation is found in the alpha, beta, and gamma variants and is thought to make the virus more infectious, Chiu said.

Is the variant in California and the Bay Area?

According to the California Department of Public Health, 348 cases associated with the mu variant have been reported in the state so far. Officials said California follows the CDCs determinations for variant designations and therefore has not yet named mu as a variant of concern or a variant of interest, and it is not listed on Californias variant tracker.

The Bay Area counties that track variants on their online COVID dashboards  Marin, Santa Clara and Sonoma  did not have the mu variant listed as of Wednesday.

However, Laine Hendricks, a spokesperson for Marin County, said three cases caused by the mu variant were detected there in early July, though none have been reported since then. She said the cases appeared to be unrelated to each other.

We expect sporadic detection of any variant present globally because of travel, she wrote in an email. What we look for is trends that reflect local spread. Its reassuring that this variant hasnt gotten any kind of foothold, with no cases detected in the past month. Almost all our cases continue to be delta.

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Daniel Virkstis, a spokesperson for Sonoma County, said the latest variant data does not include cases of the mu variant in Sonoma County.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health said they have been 12 cases caused by the mu variant identified through sequencing so far.

Chiu said his team has not yet seen the mu variant based on sequencing of samples throughout Northern California  but added that they will probably see it based on its prevalence already in the U.S.

Should I be concerned about this variant?

Chiu said that while the mu variant is spreading in multiple countries, it hasnt yet shown a worldwide impact like the delta variant  so currently, there is no reason to worry.

Those who have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 can rest assured that so far no variant has been shown to affect hospitalizations and deaths, he said. Vaccines are tremendously, and remain tremendously, effective in preventing severe hospitalizations and death.

If the mu variant does have mutations that make it more resistant to antibodies, Chiu said the importance of a booster vaccine dose would come into play. Thats why the CDC and the Biden administration are advising vaccine recipients to get an additional dose eight months after completing their inoculation, he said.

For now, he said, its a wait-and-see situation.

If (the mu) variant continues to spread, we will be monitoring for it, Chiu said. With any new variant  its difficult to predict how its going to spread, or if its going to spread.

Kellie Hwang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KellieHwang
HONOLULU (AP) 

Hawaii tourism officials have released a plan to reduce visitors on Oahu, the state's most frequently visited and populous island.

The plan was approved by the Hawaii Tourism Authority in July and the full plan has now been released to the public, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday.

Decreasing the total number of visitors to Oahu to a manageable level by controlling the number of visitor accommodations and exploring changes to land use, zoning and airport policies, the plan says.

The plan also establishes a regenerative tourism fee, creates reservation systems for natural and cultural sites, manages visitors use of cars and promotes consumption of locally-produced and sold goods.

We appreciate the Oahu residents who participated in the (plan) process and passionately contributed their diverse viewpoints, discussed various tourism-related challenges in their neighborhoods and helped set forth an actionable plan that is necessary for the communitys well-being, said John De Fries, the Hawaii Tourism Authority's president and CEO. Its about continued collaboration and moving forward together to malama this cherished place and each other, as desired by the people of Oahu.

The three-year plan was developed by community members and county officials in collaboration with the tourism authority.
Indonesian Navy/AP

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Indonesia's navy has seized a massive tanker believed to be loaded with thousands of tons of wasted black oil and has brought the ship to shore for further investigation, officials said Thursday.

The Panamanian-flagged MT Zodiac Star was located Wednesday after the navy received an intelligence tip about a suspicious tanker near Tolop island and escorted it about 22 kilometers (13 miles) to a naval base in Batam on the Indonesian archipelagos southwestern tip near Singapore, said Rear Admiral Arsyad Abdullah, the countrys western fleet commander.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  About a third of Kansas nursing homes have fewer than half of their health care workers vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to data released by the state.

Just four of the more than 300 federally-licensed nursing homes are meeting the state's goal for 90% of health care workers vaccinated against COVID-19, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and Kansas Department of Health and Environment data shows.
LAUREL, Miss. (AP)  The former president of a Mississippi county's fire council is accused of embezzling money from the agency.

Jones County Sheriffs Department deputies arrested William Lee Garrick, 42, of Laurel, Mississippi, on one count of embezzlement on Tuesday, WDAM-TV reported. Garrick is being held in the Jones County jail. No bond has been set. It was unclear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  Months after it first rejected an application from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to build a $230 million hospital complex in North Liberty, a state council has now approved the plan.

The Health Facilities Council on Tuesday voted 4-1 to allow the health system to build a $230 million hospital complex the system argues it desperately needed to relieve pressure at its other facilities.
BEIRUT (AP)  A delegation of four U.S. senators said Wednesday that America is looking to help Lebanon overcome fuel shortages that have paralyzed the country. But they warned the import of Iranian oil into the crisis-hit country could have severely damaging consequences.

The Democratic senators pushed for the immediate formation of a Lebanese government that can begin urgent reforms. They also vowed support for Lebanons U.S.-backed army. The troops saw their salaries lose more than 90% of their value amid a crash in Lebanons pound in the economic meltdown that began nearly two years ago.

It is inexcusable that in the middle of this life-threatening crisis, the political leaders in Lebanon have refused to make the tough choices in order to form a government, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut told reporters at the end of the two-day visit. He said Lebanon needs a government that can negotiate with the International Monetary Fund and start reforms to reduce corruption that is widespread in the Mediterranean nation.

During a visit that included meetings with Lebanon's president, parliament speaker and prime minister-designate, the American lawmakers said they received promises that a new government will be formed before the end of the week.

The visit to Lebanon came two weeks after the leader of the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group said that an Iranian fuel tanker has sailed toward Lebanon, and that others will follow to help ease the fuel shortages.

The delivery, organized by Hezbollah, would violate U.S. sanctions imposed on Tehran after former President Donald Trump pulled America out of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in 2018.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut blasted Hezbollah as a malignant cancerous terrorist organization adding that they have heard very troublingly about maligned Iranian influence particularly in providing fuel.

Blumenthal added that there is no reason for Lebanon to depend on Iran because there are plenty of other sources of fuel without the potential severely damaging consequences of reliance on Iranian oil.

Lebanon has been without a fully functioning government since Aug. 10, 2020, when Prime Minister Hassan Diabs Cabinet resigned days after a massive blast at Beiruts port that killed at least 214 people, wounded about 6,000 and damaged entire neighborhoods.

Three politicians have been named to form a Cabinet since, but political bickering between rival groups have so far forced two of them to step down. Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati was named to the post in late July but has also been unsuccessful so far.

Lebanon's economic crisis has been described by the World Bank as one of the most severe the world has witnessed since the 1850s. The local currency has crashed as the central banks foreign reserves dried up, leading to crippling shortages of medicines, fuel and gas.

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The U.S. has suggested that Washington would help Lebanon get electricity from Jordan and facilitate the flow of Egyptian gas through Jordan and Syria to northern Lebanon.

Murphy said fuel transits through Syria are potentially subject to congressionally mandated sanctions but that they are working through "whether or not we can help facilitate that transit without applying U.S. sanctions.

My hope is that we could find a way to get this done that would not involve any U.S. sanctions, Murphy said, adding that this is only one of many ways we are working hard to try to find a solution to the fuel crisis.

Blumenthal said the senators are exploring very specific ways to bring the current pay of Lebanese troops to the level where they were before the crisis, maybe even higher. He did not elaborate how but said they will discuss it back in the U.S. with the congressional armed services committee.

The armed services in this country is the glue that holds the country together in many respects, Blumenthal said.
On Wednesday, the heartbeat bill took effect in my home state of Texas, banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Considering that most women dont learn of theyre pregnant until just around this time  compounded by delays in getting appointments, making travel and financial arrangements to seek necessary reproductive health care  abortion has essentially just been outlawed in Texas.

Just add it to the list of asinine and harmful public policies that live and thrive there.

As a teacher in Texas, I am allowed to ban guns in my classroom, except for concealed weapons. This year, the Texas Legislature eliminated the requirement to attain a license or permit to own a weapon in the Lone Star State. You have to be permitted to dig a pool in your backyard, to operate a plumbing company, to drive or to cut hair in Texas.

But to own and operate a firearm? Nah.

I cannot require my students to wear a mask to protect themselves or others from COVID-19. Our states governor, Greg Abbott, expressly forbade mask mandates, as well as COVID-19 vaccine mandates  even though vaccine passports for measles, mumps and rubella, among other diseases, are still required for children to enter public schools.

The cognitive dissonance required to believe that regulating womens uteruses is reasonable, but not facial coverings for all, is maddening, but admittedly not surprising for those of us who grew up here.

I imagine the reality of Texas reactionary politics must be hitting the wave of new residents from California pretty hard right about now. According to some estimates, San Francisco alone lost over 185,000 residents during the pandemic, many of whom left for Texas. And I certainly get why my home city of Austin, specifically, would seem a desirable choice for those leaving the Bay area. Austins comparatively affordable housing market and the keep-Austin-weird-liberal-hippie vibe sounds ideal, in theory.

I am curious what this influx of new voters will mean to the state ballot box. Will they help push the recently purple state into blue territory?

The battle for the future of Texas will be fascinating. But I have no intention of sticking around to find out how it goes.

After the way my home state handled the pandemic and the snowpocalypse blackout this winter, it has become abundantly clear that public health and safety  life, if you will  is not the primary objective of the people running this state.

Ive decided to take my chances in California, thank you.

I recently saw a Twitter meme about moving in the United States as a doomed decision between one natural or man-made disaster over another. Would you rather suffer hurricanes or tornadoes, red-state gerrymandering or blizzards, earthquakes or abortion bans, wildfires and smoky skies or COVID spikes?

The fact is that were all trying to survive the apocalypse. If youre not storing water in your garage, you should be.

For me, staying in Texas  with its abortion laws and COVID malfeasance and failing power grid and political shenanigans  meant teaching four courses on four different campuses with inconsistent or nonexistent masking policies, no social distancing and no COVID-reporting procedures. All this for $32,000 and no job security as an adjunct community college professor.

Or I could pack my family and move across the country for a six-figure, tenure-track gig in Northern California.

It wasnt a very tough choice.

Driving through the Western deserts on our way out here, I thought about how hard it was to leave behind those we love. Everyone for generations in my family  my grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews  lives in Texas. When I went to college in New York City, someone there asked me if everyone in Texas had a horse. I said no, even though my dad had kept a horse in the backyard for a while before the grass turned to mud and he realized it was a bad idea.

Texas pride is real, as transplants will soon discover. Christmas trees decorated in University of Texas Longhorn burnt orange, barbecue wars, taco trucks, and enough lakes and rivers to float in for a lifetime.

But how will these new arrivals stomach the politics, the hypocrisy, the sexism, the blatant racism, the Christian fundamentalism and the gun terror?

Ive given up on my beloved but toxic home state  at least for now. But Ill admit that the separation has been painful.

Despite its politics largely agreeing with mine, California hasnt been a miraculous safe haven to escape to. My new home has been shrouded by smoke several times already in the month since weve arrived. As I write this, the Lassen fire is burning across the road from my front yard. Im still not sure if well be evacuating.

It aint easy making a new home, wherever you moved during the course of this pandemic. Texan or not, we all need to take care, whether that means staying to fight or fleeing for your life.

Jennifer Sapio teaches online at the University of Texas in the department of rhetoric and writing, and at Redwood High School in Marin County.
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For the second time in California's history, voters are facing the decision whether to remove a governor from office before the end of term.



In this Total Recall edition of the It's All Political podcast, Sacramento reporters Alexei Koseff and Dustin Gardiner join host Joe Garofoli to break down new poll results and explore what Republican Larry Elder would do if he became governor.
With less than two weeks before the Sept. 14 special election, the campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is falling short as a majority of likely voters approve of how he is handling the top issues facing California and as Republicans have failed to broaden the coalition of opponents who want to get rid of him, according to a new study released Wednesday.

The fresh survey results from one of Californias most widely respected pollsters are the strongest indication to date that Newsom may beat back the recall attempt, after several other recent polls had shown the race tightening.

The nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that 58% of likely voters oppose removing Newsom from office while just 39% want to boot out the first-term governor. Support for recalling Newsom has barely budged since March 2020 in three consecutive studies from the PPIC, though the latest figures show a slight improvement in his prospects of surviving the electoral challenge.

The survey found that recall backers havent expanded much beyond the core of Republican voters in California. Support for the recall breaks down along party lines, with most Democratic likely voters opposed (90%) and most GOP likely voters in favor (82%). Some 44% of independent voters  who make up about one-quarter of the electorate  back recalling Newsom, while about half oppose it.

Thats everything, said Mark Baldassare, president and CEO of the institute. Given that only 24% of voters are registered Republicans, Baldassare said that you need to attract a substantial number of independent voters and you need to be a candidate whose views are considered more in the mainstream of what moderate voters want.

So far, neither is happening. And time is running short for the dynamics to change, with 21% of voters  54% of them Democrats  having already cast their ballots, according to a running tally compiled by Political Data, a Sacramento firm. In California, there are twice as many Democrats as Republicans.

If 50% or more vote no, Newsom will remain in office until his term ends Jan. 2, 2023. If more than 50% vote yes on the recall ballot that every registered voter has received in the mail, Newsom will be removed, and the person with the most votes from the second section of the ballot will replace him.

That points to a gaping uncertainty voters feel about the recall: Nearly half of likely voters hadnt decided who theyd want to replace Newsom. Its a far cry from the 2003 recall of Democrat Gray Davis, when the electorate coalesced behind Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, who ultimately won 49% of the votes, best among the 135 recall candidates.

No such candidate exists today. The survey found that 44% of respondents were satisfied with their choice of potential Newsom replacements, while 45% said they were dissatisfied and 11% didnt know.

Conservative talk show host Larry Elder continues to be the most popular among the 46 options on the ballot, but is supported by only 26% of likely voters. Still, thats way ahead of other top GOP candidates including former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer (5%), Placer County Assembly Member Kevin Kiley (3%), San Diego businessman John Cox (3%), and reality-TV star and Olympic decathlon gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner (1%).

The Elder effect is that he is very popular among Republican voters who are going to vote yes on the recall, but his support doesnt extend beyond that base of conservative Republican voters, Baldassare said.

Survey officials said that only candidates with both significant media attention and sufficient resources for statewide campaigning were included in our survey question. Only the above five candidates met those criteria. The Democrat who has shown strength in other polls, Ventura County investor Kevin Paffrath, was not among the candidates who met the criteria.

Some other reasons why the poll was good news for Newsom:

Good job on the pandemic: The survey found that the pandemic was the top issue among voters  and 78% thought that government has done at least a good job. Thats a big increase from January, when only 36% felt that way. Nearly two-thirds (62%) support requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to be able to enter large outdoor gatherings or certain indoor spaces.

Approval rating remains high: Some 53% of likely voters approved of the way Newsom is doing his job  which is the same level as in February 2020, before the pandemic exploded. Thats an unusually strong showing, given that 42% of likely voters think California is in some degree of recession.

Better shape than Gray: While only 47% of likely voters think that California is headed in the right direction  down from 55% when Newsom started his term in January 2019  hes in far better shape than Davis was at a similar point in the 2003 recall. Then, only 24% of voters felt the state was going in the right direction.

Recall fever is fading: After a couple of months of pro-Newsom TV ads describing the campaign as a partisan power grab, only 44% of likely voters thought this campaign is an appropriate use of Californias recall process, down from 52% who felt that way in March. Republicans remain far more engaged about voting, but Democrats have closed the enthusiasm gap, Baldassare said.

Dems are ignoring replacements: Newsom and his supporters have urged Democrats to vote no on the recall and leave the second part of the ballot blank. Of the no voters, 40% say they wouldnt vote on a replacement and 26% remain unsure of who they prefer.

Success in the field: The poll numbers may be a reflection that the Newsom campaigns ground game is starting to take hold and that relentless advertising has started to wake up some Democrats who were slumbering through the recall.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
Results from a poll published Wednesday from the Public Policy Institute of California show 39% of likely voters would vote yes to remove Governor Gavin Newsom, while 58% would vote no in the upcoming recall election.

These results are essentially unchanged from previous polls from the same organization published in May and March of this year. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) is a nonpartisan think tank that conducts research on public policy issues in California. In their most recent poll, PPIC surveyed over 1,000 likely voters in California about their preference for removing or keeping Newsom in office, as well as their choice of who should replace him if recalled.

Beyond simply looking at the top line numbers, the Chronicle dove into what pollsters call the crosstabs of the poll results. The crosstabs are the document pollsters publish that show responses to survey questions by demographic groups  including party affiliation, gender, race, education, income and region. The data show that besides party affiliation, race, gender, and if a voter lives in the Bay Area are the best predictors of whether Californians want to recall Newsom.

Results by party show, perhaps unsurprisingly, a stark difference. Nine-in-ten Democratic likely voters said they would vote to keep Newsom in office, while just 7% said they would vote to remove him. Among Republican likely voters, 82% supported his removal, while 17% favored keeping him. Independents were more split on the issue, with 44% supporting the recall and 49% against it.

When it comes to race and ethnicity, likely voters who identify as non-Hispanic white were more likely than people of color to say they would vote to recall Newsom  45% of white likely voters said they would vote for the recall. Still, a majority of them (52%) said they were against the recall. About two-thirds of Latino likely voters (66%) and about seven-in-ten nonwhite likely voters (73%) said they would vote against the recall. Results for Blacks, Asians and voters of other races are aggregated in the Other category because there were too few people for individual analysis.

About two-thirds of female likely voters (66%) said they would vote no on the recall, while 29% said they would vote yes. In contrast, male likely voters were split with about half on each side.

These differences by race and gender may be tied to political party affiliation since women and people of color are more likely to lean Democratic.

Education is also correlated with party affiliation, with more educated people leaning Democratic. The PPIC poll results by completed education level follow similarly to party-level results, though not as stark, with more educated voters favoring keeping Newsom in office.

When it comes to income, likely voters at higher income levels were slightly more likely to say they would vote yes on the recall than those at lower income levels. However, a majority in all three income groups said they would vote against recall.

Results are also published by where voters live, grouped into five geographic regions  the Bay Area, the Central Valley, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and Orange/San Diego. These five regions are defined by PPIC and account for 90% of the state population.

Newsom has the most support in the nine-county Bay Area, where there are nearly four times as many registered Democrats as Republicans  73% of likely voters said they would vote in support of Newsom. Los Angeles has the next highest share of likely voters saying they would vote no on the recall, at 58%. The remaining three regions  the Central Valley, which stretches from Shasta County to Kern County, Orange/San Diego, and the Inland Empire, which includes San Bernardino and Riverside counties  are more split on the issue.

When it comes to voters preference for who should replace Newsom, Larry Elder is most favored with 26% of all likely voters saying they would vote for him. He is followed by Kevin Faulconer (5%), John Cox (3%) and Kevin Kiley (3%). But most voters dont have a choice for replacement, with 25% saying they would choose no one and 24% saying they do not know how they will vote.

Among Democratic likely voters, less than 5% said they would vote for any of the candidates listed, while 37% said they would choose no one  a strategy that Newsom has been pushing for in his recent message to voters.

On the Republican side, 57% of likely voters said they would vote for Elder. No other candidate comes close  Faulconer is second but has just 8% of likely voters supporting him. And very few (6%) said they would not vote for a replacement candidate.

Independents fall between the two, with 23% saying they would cast their vote for Elder, 21% saying they would vote for no one, and 31% saying they do not know how they will vote.

As of a month ago, poll data showed a close race, with FiveThirtyEights poll averages nearly tied at one point  the average for keeping Newsom in office was 48%, and the average for removing him was 47%. But more recent poll results have created some separation, with keep at 51% and remove at 45%, as of Wednesday. These new results from PPIC could widen the gap even more.

Election Day is now two weeks away (on Sept. 14), but registered voters should have already received ballots in the mail. For more information about the election, how to fill out the ballot and updates to the recall election, follow our ongoing coverage here.

Nami Sumida is a San Francisco Chronicle data visualization developer. Email: nami.sumida@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @namisumida
MIAMI (AP)  A Florida man has been convicted of lying to get a low-interest COVID-19 relief loan.

Willie Curry, 58, pleaded guilty Monday in Miami federal court to wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent application to the U.S. Small Business Administration, according to court records. He faces up to 20 years in prison at his Nov. 17 sentencing.

According to a plea agreement, Curry applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan with the SBA in June 2020. He falsely claimed that Will Curry Computers was established in 2015 and had annual gross revenues of approximately $755,416, a cost of goods sold of approximately $170,664, and 10 employees. Prosecutors said Curry actually established the business in 2020, and it had minimal revenues or costs of goods sold and no employees.

Curry actually worked full-time as a network manager for Miami-Dade County and suffered no loss of salary from the COVID-19 pandemic, investigator said.

Based on the Curry's fraudulent application, the SBA disbursed a $10,000 advance and then $150,000 in loan proceeds to Currys listed financial institution, which later returned the money to the SBA.

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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
Charles Krupa/AP

McLEAN, Va. (AP)  The average long-term mortgage rate was unchanged from last week as the economy continues to show encouraging signs even as hospitalizations from the delta variant of the coronavirus remain elevated.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate for a 30-year mortgage held at 2.87% as demand for homes remained stable. The benchmark rate, which peaked this year at 3.18% in April, stood at 2.93% this time last year.
NEW DELHI (AP)  India has dramatically increased COVID-19 vaccination rates in its vast rural hinterland, where around 65% of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. But supply constraints remain for the world's largest maker of vaccines and experts say it's unlikely India will reach its target of vaccinating all adults by the end of the year.

India opened shots for all adults in May. But the campaign faltered in villages due to vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. That started changing in mid-July and of the nearly 120 million shots administered in the past three weeks, around 70% were in India's villages  up from around half in the initial weeks of May.

Although the increased vaccine acceptance in rural areas is promising, the pandemic is far from done in India: After weeks of steady decline, the 46,000 new infections reported Saturday was its highest in almost two months.

Only about 11% of India's vast population is fully vaccinated. Half of all adults and about 35% of the total population have received at least one shot. This has left large swathes of people still susceptible to the virus.

Several nations, including the U.S. and Israel, are offering or plan to offer booster shots to people, deepening global vaccine inequity. India was expected to be a pivotal producer of shots to immunize the world but stopped exports after an explosion of infections. And while India had expected to get 1.35 billion shots in the final five months of 2021 to resolve its supply constraints, the question of whether Indian vaccine makers can scale up production to meet India's needs will have global implications.

Currently in India, there is more demand than available supply...the supply of vaccines currently in use is lower than the projections made a few months ago. So both of these situations are putting constraints on availability of vaccines in the country," said Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, a vaccine policy expert.

India is no stranger to mass immunizations, but this is the first time that shots are being given at this scale, and to adults. Officials have blended strategies that were successful in the past with newer, more localized innovations.

Kamalawati, 65, a retired government accountant who goes by only her first name, lined up for a shot at Nizampur, a village outside New Delhi. She said people initially were concerned there would be harmful side effects but people are not scared anymore.

What has worked for her village and others is a contest in which the local government awards a trophy to the village with the most vaccinated people and a plaque declaring the village the winner. Stickers are also pasted on homes where people are fully vaccinated to encourage neighbors to do the same. District administrator Saumya Sharma said the campaign banks on the sense of community and pride residents have in their village. "That this is our village. And we are going to make it No. 1, she said.

In Juggar, home to several thousand of the over 155 million people who live in rural parts of India's Uttar Pradesh state, villagers refused the vaccine when health officials first arrived there, paramedic Ravi Sharma said. Only after family members of health workers got their shots in public view did others begin to get the vaccine.

Millions of people from eastern Bihar state, one of India's least urbanized, migrate to the Middle East for work. With international travel impossible without certificates showing full vaccination, more people are signing up for jabs, said Dr. R.K. Chaudhary, who is in charge of a rural health center in Phulwari Sharif village.

These strategies rest on methods that have worked in past vaccination campaigns. Performers with drums and clad in traditional attire are fanning out to Indian villages to underline the importance of getting the shot. Several states have organized mobile vaccination centers, where shots are given at highly visible places in village squares. The government has also used WhatsApp, which is ubiquitous in India, to help people book appointments for vaccines.

Public health experts say the uptick in rural vaccinations is important because health care systems in villages are fragile. The deadly surge of infections that overwhelmed hospitals earlier this year ripped through rural India and thousands died. Moreover, migrants from villages move to cities for work and until everyone is vaccinated, outbreaks and even the possibility of a dangerous new variant can't be discounted, said Lahariya.

India has the infrastructure to vaccinate up to 10 million people daily, but is averaging between 5 million and 6 million, he said.

So far, nearly 90% of the vaccines administered were the AstraZeneca shots made by the Serum Institute of India. The government hopes to solve the supply constraints that have hamstrung the vaccination effort with new production lines as well as the approval of a new homemade vaccine and another in the pipeline.

India hopes that Bharat Biotech will make around a third of the 1.3 billion shots it needs. The company has struggled so far in scaling up and while a new facility, capable of making 10 million shots monthly, began production last week, the company is looking for international manufacturing partners.

The Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine was given the nod by Indian regulators in April but accounts for less than 1% of total vaccinations. The company has arranged with several Indian vaccine makers to start making shots locally, hopefully by later this month.

India expects 100 million Sputnik V shots and 50 million shots of Indian drugmaker Zydus Cadilas recently greenlit COVID-19 vaccine later this year.

Apart from this, the regulator approved Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in June and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot in August. But it is unclear when they will be administered.

Meanwhile, Moderna and Pfizer have been discussing the signing of indemnity waivers for their vaccines for weeks with India's federal government. Unlike some other countries and the U.N.- backed COVAX initiative, India doesn't have a mechanism in place for people who suffer rare side effects to seek compensation, said Lahariya. He said these discussions were an opportunity to reexamine accountability and create a system where people are protected.

Lahariya warned that even though he expected supply to improve, it was unlikely that India would have enough shots to immunize all adults by the end of the year. No matter what, he said.

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AP journalists Rishi Lekhi in New Delhi, Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow, India, and Indrajit Singh in Patna, India, contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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- Updates: Get info on the Caldor Fire from the Eldorado National Forest.

- Information line: 530-303-2455

- Evacuations: Get the latest info from the U.S. Forest Service and from a map posted by the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office. Find info on RV/trailer space donations on this Google Doc.

- Maps: Find from the Forest Service.

LATEST Sept. 2, 6:30 p.m. Officials offered a cautiously optimistic outlook for the Caldor Fire at the Thursday night operations meeting, which you can watch on Facebook.

Winds were calmer Thursday across the California wildfire than they have been in recent days, limiting fire spread. The winds are forecast to abate even more on Friday, said Jim Dudley, a forecaster for the National Weather Service.

"With that decrease in winds, were seeing a lot decrease in fire activity, which is great for the resources on the ground," said Stephen Vollmer, a fire behavioral analyst with Cal Fire.

Erich Schwab, a Cal Fire spokesperson, addressed fire conditions on the west side of the blaze and said crews are trying to keep flames to the north of Highway 88.

The section of fire burning around Wrights Lake came back to life earlier this week, and on Thursday, conditions here improved.

"Cabins up there are doing fine," said Erich Schwab, a Cal Fire spokesperson. "The fire is burning into the Desolation Wilderness a little bit."

On the east side, Jake Cagle with Cal Fire said there was "quite a bit of activity earlier this morning" around Lower Echo Lake.

"Things have moderated ... things look really good through the Lower Echo Lake," said Cagle, noting that crews were preparing structures in the event flames infiltrated this area.

In Upper Truckee, Cagle said, Things are looking good. Fire isnt in that area and we dont plan on fire going into that area.

He also said conditions are good in both Apache Valley and Christmas Valley.

"There were some reports of spots in Christmas Valley, but there were no spots that crews could find," he noted. "Crews are gainfully employed through that area."

Crews have established bulldozer lines to prevent the fire from passing into Nevada.

Sept. 2, 7 a.m. There's some good news for California's Caldor Fire that has chewed through parched forest land just southwest of Lake Tahoe for nearly three weeks. Calmer winds in coming days are expected to give firefighters the opportunity to increase containment on the blaze and target troublesome spots. What's more, homes in the more populated Christmas Valley appeared to be safe Wednesday night.

The Caldor Fire started Aug. 14 near Grizzly Flats, and crews thought they would gain an upper hand on the fire on Friday of last week. Then came a windier-than-expected weekend, when containment on the fire dropped from 19% to 13%.

The 210,259-acre fire went from being 20% contained Wednesday morning to 25% Thursday morning, Cal Fire said.

Elias Funez/The Union via AP

In recent days, a combination of the typical summer terrain-driven winds that blow up and down the Highway 50 corridor and strong winds aloft in the atmosphere have created the perfect recipe for fire spread.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Dudley said at an operations meeting Wednesday nights this will begin to change Thursday as those gusty conditions in the upper levels of the atmosphere calm.

"[On Thursday] winds will be less powerful than they were today, especially up on the ridge lines," said Dudley, noting the red flag warning expired at 11 p.m. Wednesday night. "Friday is a very light wind day across the entire fire."

He added, "The good news is we dont have the winds aloft coming in combining with those [terrain-driven winds] to create those erratic winds on the top side of the fire."

The gentler winds will allow crews to gain the upper hand on some of the fire's problematic spots.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Cal Fire spokesperson Ryan Luben hired those at Wednesday night's operations meeting, which can be viewed on Facebook.

The section of the fire near Pollock Pines and Highway 50 remains a "troublesome spot," Luben said.

"If you look out to the east right now, youll see a dominant column of smoke out there right now," he said. "There's about 1,000 acres that was unburned in here, and thats whats consuming as we speak."

The fire has also "come back to life" near Wrights Lake, and heavy tankers dropped retardant over this area Wednesday. "One of our big fears is theres a potential for an easterly wind moving in later this weekend," Luben said. "We dont want this fire to spread to the west."

Fire crews jumped into boats Wednesday to save cabins around Lower Echo Lake.

Moving to the west on Highway 50 into Christmas Valley and South Lake Tahoe, Luben said there is "heavy resource commitment" to protect this more populated area.

"Right now, the fire has skirted across the north side of Christmas Valley and has pushed onto the east side of Pioneer Trail," he said. "Were actively trying to cut a doze line up to the north toward Highway 207, keeping the fire east of Pioneer Trail behind the homes right there. As of now we havent had any structure damaged to the homes right there."

Fire crews set up a command post in the parking lot of Heavenly Mountain Resort on Wednesday and operations for the fire's east side will run out of this spot. A third to one-half of the 4,000 firefighters will work out of this new camp, KCRA reported.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued a federal emergency declaration and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local resources for firefighting efforts and relief for residents in four counties affected by the fire.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
The community of South Lake Tahoe is known in part for its quaint wooden cabins surrounded by trees that glisten during snow season.

But those same A-frames and cabins pose a serious problem as the Tahoe Basin contends with the Caldor Fire, a massive wildfire that erupted August 14 and has burned more than 200,000 acres, destroying at least 729 structures, according to Cal Fire.

South Lake Tahoe is full of older homes, built from the 1940s to the 1970s, said Crystal Kolden, an assistant professor of fire science at the University of California, Merced.

While the homes were built to code at the time, the codes have since changed, and earlier building codes tended not to take fire risk into consideration.

Likewise, many locals cant afford to fully fireproof their homes, Kolden said.

Residents know that they live in a high fire risk area, and they have done a lot, Kolden said. But it is incredibly expensive to completely harden your home, and for a lot of folks it's almost impossible because theyre already struggling to live in this area that has a high cost of living anyway.

Part of the problem is aesthetics, as well. Many of the homes in South Lake Tahoe were constructed with appearances in mind  think those aforementioned log cabins and A-frames.

The aesthetic of the day is unfortunately very flammable, as it relies largely on wooden building materials, Kolden said.

If the Caldor Fire reaches South Lake Tahoe, the community could face a worst-case scenario in which the fire becomes an urban conflagration, jumping from one home to the next, emitting noxious fuels and spreading embers that ignite neighboring properties.

We know that vegetation is the fuel for the fire, but what happens when a fire gets into a more suburban or urban area where the homes are highly flammable is the homes become the primary fuel, Kolden said. Thats really different than when its in the wildlands.

Kolden said the dominant building codes to this day revolve around earthquakes. It wasnt until 2005 that Chapter 7A was approved in order to dictate building in the wildland-urban interface, and most of the rules didn't go into effect until 2008.

Before that, there was really very little in terms of trying to build a more fire-resistant home there, Kolden said.

The earthquake codes emerged from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent major quakes, and unfortunately, the types of materials that are problematic for earthquakes  bricks, cement, stone  those are the exact materials that are great for being resistant to wildfires, Kolden said.

Wood is a widely available, relatively affordable building material thats ideal for earthquakes, as it gives during shaking. But its a major issue for wildfires, which can ignite wooden homes in a matter of seconds.

The newer codes address that homes be both earthquake- and fire-resistant, Kolden said, noting, however, that the vast majority of Californias housing stock was built before Chapter 7A was adopted.

So what types of homes should be built in areas that face snow, earthquakes and fires? Theres a variety of options and innovations, including those that have been available for ages, such as metal roofs and synthetic materials, Kolden said.

The fascinating thing about the construction industry is it can be so innovative, Kolden said. There are some great communities that have been built recently trying to address all of these things, as well as being energy-efficient.

She cited the community of Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego County, which was built to withstand the natural disasters California faces, including fire. The idea, Kolden said, is that residents stay in their fire-hardened homes during a conflagration rather than evacuating.

While expense is a concern for many trying to harden their homes to fire, fire-safe materials, such as synthetic materials, are a financially viable option, Kolden said. She cited a study by Headwaters Economics that found the difference in price for constructing a home traditionally versus a home that is fire-hardened is negligible.

As these materials become cheaper through mass production, the cost will actually go down to build fire-resistant homes, she said.

There are a variety of ways to fireproof a house. You can create a solid wall with concrete on the outside and foam on the inside. You can construct foam panels within steel grids and blow concrete on them as you put them together. Some companies even construct ready-made walls that can withstand fire for up to four hours.

As of Wednesday night, the Caldor Fire has thus far spared the community of South Lake Tahoe, and winds appear to be moving away from the area. But the fire came scarily close. At one point, it was within 3 miles of the community, and projections predicted it would blaze through the area, which spurred massive evacuations and led to a traffic nightmare.

Ultimately, South Lake Tahoe was saved when the same wind that pushed the fire so near eventually shifted directions, fanning away from the town. By Thursday, winds are projected to die down, creating more amenable conditions for firefighting.

At this point, it looks like they're going to get lucky, Kolden said.
In the Bay Area, getting rid of a mattress is supposed to be easy peasy. In Oakland, where I live, all you need to do is schedule a curbside bulky item pickup, and your mattress will be swept away in the early hours of the morning by a recycling truck, free of charge and free of worries (although you can only do this once per year).

But when I moved apartments recently, things got a little sticky. You see, if youre a renter, youre not allowed to schedule your own pickup: you need to ask your property manager to do it for you. And my landlord just so happened to be an unhelpful asshole.

Based on our previous experience we will not be able to schedule, she texted my housemate, citing concerns over being fined for items left on the sidewalk. Ughhhhh.

Apparently, you can get fined for illegal dumping if you leave your junk out on the street more than one day in advance of your pickup. Still, Im pretty sure refusing to schedule a pickup for us was illegal (owners of SFD and MFD premises shall ensure that the occupants of such premises have reasonable access to the services provided by the MM&O and RR collectors, including ... bulky goods, reads the Oakland Municipal Code). But not wanting to antagonize the landlord right before trying to get our security deposit back, I decided to take matters into my own hands. How hard could it be to get rid of a mattress?

Famous last words.

Now, lets make this a little more challenging. I dont have a car, because hey, I live in a city and its not usually necessary. My housemate has a Prius, but neither of us were confident a whole mattress and bed frame could be crammed in there. And I had exactly two weeks before the lease was up and that mattress needed to vacate the premises one way or another. Time was ticking.

So I looked up if Goodwill would take my sad sleeping vessel.

We must say No, thank you to mattresses, read their website infuriatingly. In fact, no locations near me were accepting any donations at all, which I discovered after a fruitless Goodwill trip with a Prius trunk full of old clothes.

Salvation Army? No dice.

For organizations like this, the reason they reject mattress donations has less to do with wanting to make my life harder and more to do with health and sanitation laws that require them to sanitize mattresses before reselling them, a process that just isnt cost effective.

I was starting to panic. I began looking into various junk pickup services Id never heard of, but all of them wanted upwards of $50 for their trouble. I grew righteously angry. Why should it cost me money to get rid of something responsibly? Why is it so hard to do the right thing?

At last, I found a solution: Oaklands Bulky Block Party, a once-a-month event for free large item disposal. The event was canceled for the entirety of the pandemic, but fortunately for me, it had made its return just last month. This months event was precariously close to my move-out date  the final weekend before I had to be out  but it was my last resort.

As the big day neared, I looked at my schedule and my stomach dropped. Id forgotten that I was supposed to head out early in the morning on a trip to float down the Russian River with some friends. Id reached a crossroads: to do the right thing and deal with the mattress ... or to be irresponsible and ditch it?

Fortunately, I have an angel boyfriend who volunteered to do me a solid and take care of the dump run while I floated lazily down the river. To make his life easier, I reserved him a U-Haul rather than risking the monstrosity not fitting in my housemates car.

But the mattress troubles were not over. When he arrived at the drop-off location, the line of cars stretched down the street for more than a mile. Reader, he waited two hours.

And at the end of the day, the U-Haul ended up costing me $72, far too many hours of my (and my boyfriends) life, and an immeasurable amount of stress. I now understood why so many people dump their mattresses on the street. Who could blame them, with the amount of time and money it takes to do the right thing?

Apparently, California is one of the easier states to recycle a mattress, so I really shouldnt be complaining. And in San Francisco, tenants can schedule their own bulky item pickups  which would have made all the difference for me. The whole debacle truly could have been seamless if my landlord had just done what she was supposed to. But alas, life is rarely that easy.

Funnily enough, my boyfriend and I are planning to upgrade to a better mattress soon  meaning that yes, once again, I will need to dispose of a large, unwieldy object no one wants. But the specter of last times cursed process hovers above my head, discouraging me from even being silly enough to try.

If I am brave enough to embark on this ill-fated journey once again, Ive learned one thing: Just suck it up and pay someone, anyone, to come pick up your mattress. The inevitable U-Haul and the hours of stress are simply not worth it.
Chef Dominique Crenn is known for her fine dining restaurants and Michelin-starred cuisine, but now the highly lauded chef is taking her cooking talent to a new frontier  Shake Shack.

The New York-based burger chain has been collaborating with chefs for eight years as part of its brand under the moniker "Now Serving." Shake Shack is bringing back that series for 2021 with Crenn and five other chefs, with Crenn running the San Francisco Now Serving show with a pop-up at the Marina location of Shake Shack.

Crenn's special item will be her take on a comfort food classic, the grilled cheese. This won't be your typical grilled cheese, of course. Crenn is keeping things very local with her grilled cheese; expect the Boho Belle cheese from Bohemian Creamery to be the creamy center of the sandwich, along with onion jam and tomatoes from Crenn's Sonoma farm, Bleu Belle Farm, all melted between slices of bread from Tartine Bakery.

The catch? It's a one day only deal, set for Thursday, Sept. 9.

Courtesy Shake Shack

Mark Rosati, culinary director of Shake Shack, told SFGATE the company often collaborates with fine dining chefs, noting the burger chain's roots in the Union Square Hospitality Group and restaurateur Danny Meyer, who's known for his high-end restaurants. Rosati said he has long admired Crenn's work and that she was at the top of the list of San Francisco chefs the group wanted to work with.

In coming up with the specialty Shake Shack item, Rosati said Shake Shack tries not to give its chef collaborators too many parameters, instead encouraging them to go outside the box and come up with something unique to them. (There even was a truffle burger the restaurant once served as part of a collaboration, Rosati shared.)

"It started out with us brainstorming ideas and chef Crenn came back and said, 'You know, I'm thinking of a grilled cheese, it's just so comforting. I love a good like grilled cheese that's nice and rich and hearty, and has a lot of complex flavors going on, but it's still a grilled cheese,'" Rosati recalled.

Courtesy Shake Shack

Funds from the collaboration will go toward supporting La Cocina, the San Francisco nonprofit group that helps women of color start their own restaurants and food businesses.

The pop-up also coincides with other professional news for Crenn: On Wednesday, she was named as the recipient of the Icon Award 2021 for the World's 50 Best Restaurants.

Dominique Crenn's grilled cheese sandwich will be available for $12.99 on Thursday, Sept. 9, at 11 a.m. at Shake Shack, at 3060 Fillmore St. in San Francisco.
CHICAGO (AP)  A Chicago police lieutenant on Thursday became the fourth member of the department to appear in court on felony charges in recent weeks, with prosecutors accusing him of shoving his flashlight into the buttocks of a teenage carjacking suspect, but over his clothes.

Lt. Wilfredo Roman, a 21-year department veteran, faces charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct. He was ordered released from custody on his written promise to appear in court.

The police department said in a statement that after Roman was stripped of his police powers after he surrendered to its internal affairs bureau on Wednesday night. It also said he could face further discipline pending the outcomes of the criminal and administrative investigations.

During the hearing, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mary McDonnell said the alleged assault happened on Feb. 9, shortly after Roman, 44, spotted the teen and another teen inside a car that had been stolen at gunpoint minutes earlier. The pair immediately jumped from the vehicle and ran, with Roman chasing them on foot.

The suspects were taken into custody by other officers a short time later and, according to McDonnell, Roman shoved the flashlight between the buttocks of one of the teens while he was lying handcuffed on the ground, and said as he walked away, That's what you get for carjacking.

In response to a question from Cook County Judge Arthur Willis, McDonnell acknowledged that the flashlight did not penetrate the teen's clothing or skin.

Roman's attorney, James McKay, seized on that point, telling the judge that the teen, whom he described as an armed carjacker, was not injured during the altercation.

There was no intent whatsoever on Lt. Roman's part to harm or provoke anybody, McKay said. Indeed, the carjacker was provoking innocent citizens that night and put the gun to the head of a 48-year-old innocent man who was warming up his car that night.

According to a proffer filed by the state's attorney's office in the case, the teen has been charged in juvenile court with aggravated vehicular hijacking and the unlawful use of a weapon.

McKay characterized Roman as a highly decorated officer who has never been disciplined or arrested. But, the Chicago Tribune, citing court records, reported that Roman has been sued over allegations of misconduct a number of times. One of the lawsuits was filed by a man who was shot by Roman and at least three other officers during a chase. That case was settled for $200,000.

Romans arrest came a day after two other officers, Victor Guebara and Jeffery Shafer, appeared in court on aggravated battery and official misconduct charges after they allegedly beat a teenager they were trying to arrest in January after a car chase. Both of them were ordered released from custody on their written promises to appear in court.

And in early August, Officer Melvina Bogard, who shot an unarmed man as he tried to escape capture by running up an escalator in a subway station last year, was charged with felony counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Five West Virginia airports will benefit from $2.9 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

West Virginia Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin announced the funding Wednesday and said it will go toward airport improvement projects at the airports. He previously announced $1.9 million for improvement projects at the Martinsburg and Morgantown airports.
DENVER (AP)  The indictments of three suburban Denver officers and two paramedics on manslaughter and other charges in the death of Elijah McClain could be a pivotal step toward meaningful police accountability, law enforcement reform advocates say.

Our hope has been renewed, said Candice Bailey, an activist in the city of Aurora who has been a liaison between the community and police and has led demonstrations over the death of McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was put into a chokehold and injected with a powerful sedative in 2019.

The charges come as Colorado's elected leaders have taken strides to toughen repercussions for officers accused of wrongdoing in the wake of nationwide racial injustice protests last year that reawakened outrage over McClain's death.

State lawmakers passed a sweeping police accountability law, which bans the use of chokeholds like the one used on McClain and requires officers to intervene to stop excessive force from being used. The law has helped lead to charges against some officers and allowed the state attorney general's office to open a civil rights investigation into the Aurora Police Department.

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis ordered the attorney general last year to open a new criminal investigation into McClain's death after a prosecutor opted against charges in 2019. An outside review of Aurora police policies also was quickly launched by the city and Police Chief Vanessa Wilson, who has vowed to regain the publics trust since taking over the department last year.

Police stopped McClain as he walked home from the store on Aug. 24, 2019, after a 911 caller reported a man wearing a ski mask and waving his hands who seemed sketchy. Officers put McClain in a chokehold and pinned him down. Paramedics injected him with 500 milligrams of ketamine, an amount appropriate for someone 77 pounds (35 kilograms) heavier than McClain's 143-pound (64-kilogram) frame, according to the indictment. He was later taken off life support.

A grand jury indicted three Aurora officers and two paramedics on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, state Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Wednesday. Some face additional charges. They all turned themselves in and were released on bond.

Marc Sears, president of Auroras branch of the Fraternal Order of Police, which says its the largest union representing police in the city, told the Sentinel Colorado newspaper that our officers are innocent until proven guilty, and we stand by our brothers.

Bailey said she cried when she heard about the charges and believes they will likely change the gravitation of what happens in our community and other communities in this nation.

Deborah Richardson, executive director for American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, said the indictments are a step in the right direction but that they don't mean the work is over.

It opens the doorway, but in terms of if this is going to be part of a momentum of change, thats really up to us," Richardson said. "We dont select the police chiefs, we dont determine who wears the uniform. But we do elect the public officials that are responsible for that and we need to hold them accountable.

Richardson also attributed the nationwide shift on egregious behavior by law enforcement to social media and video that keep the cases alive and accessible. Richardson compared it to her experiences growing up in Atlanta during the civil rights movement. She said national television broadcasts of police beating civil rights protesters marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, changed public opinion.

Democratic state Rep. Leslie Herod praised the indictments as a result of community pressure and the police accountability law, which she helped write. The law also eliminated liability protections for police officers, enacted stricter body camera regulations and limits law enforcements use of deadly force.

Justice is moving forward because the people of Colorado elevated Elijahs story to the entire world and demanded change and because of Sheneen McClains tireless fight for reforms and for Colorados first-in-the-nation police accountability law," she said.

Elijah McClain's mother said she had her first peaceful sleep in a long time after learning about the indictments. Sheneen McClain is pleased the officers involved will lose their jobs and could go to prison, but importantly, that her sons death did not get forgotten.

Im definitely satisfied because my goal as Elijahs mom was to make sure the world knew what happened to him and somehow hold Colorado accountable for the people that they employ, she said. Our humanity matters. Thats one thing Elijah believed in.

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Nieberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP)  Holloman Air Force Base officials said Afghan refugees have started arriving at the base in southern New Mexico.

A C-130J transport flew t he first Afghans to Holloman from Philadelphia on Tuesday, base officials said Wednesday in a statement that did not specify how many refugees had arrived at the base.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  Officials in Alaska are hoping that a weekly lottery prize will encourage more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Alaska Chamber and state officials announced Thursday that they are offering $49,000 each to one newly vaccinated adult and one youth weekly through Oct. 30, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

Those vaccinated before Thursday wont be left out. There will be a one-time prize of $49,000 awarded to an adult and to a young person who rolled up their sleeves earlier.

Kati Capozzi, the chamber's president, in a statement urged vaccination to protect our economy and give Alaska a shot at recovery.

Funding for the $1 million campaign came from federal funding funneled through the state health department.

Entries for the first weekly drawing are due by Sept. 11 and the winners will be announced five days later.

People trying to win the money must provide basic information to a secure website. The winners will be drawn randomly from age pools of people 18 and above people between ages 12-17.

The younger winners will receive their funding through an Alaska educational savings plan, where the money will be invested for their education. Their parents or guardians will receive receive $10,000 in cash if they are vaccinated.

Like many places, Alaska is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases. About 55% of Alaska residents 12 or older are fully vaccinated, according to the state health department.
TIRANA, Albania (AP)  Albania's prime minister on Thursday announced his new cabinet in which women form the majority, keeping most of his previous government's officials but naming new finance and justice ministers.

The new government has to be formally confirmed by parliament, which convenes Sept. 10, and until then members of Prime Minister Edi Rama's previous cabinet will keep their posts. But his Socialist Party holds a strong enough majority in parliament to ensure the new cabinet's approval.
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Alert: Limousine operator pleads guilty to criminally negligent homicide, will avoid prison in crash that killed 20 in New York
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A second Republican lawmaker says he doesnt support suing the University of Wisconsin System over its COVID-19 protocols, deepening an intra-party squabble over whether the Legislature should take control of the system's mitigation policies.

Sen. Steve Nass, co-chair of the Legislatures rules committee, has threatened to sue system officials if they dont submit their COVID-19 plans to the committee for approval by Thursday. System President Tommy Thompson has refused to capitulate, saying the system has the right to manage itself.

Thompson served four terms as governor, becoming a Republican icon. His stance represents a major break with his fellow Republicans who see almost any government mandate to slow the spread of COVID-19 as an overreach and has forced GOP lawmakers to pick sides.

Sen. Robert Cowles issued a statement Thursday saying he wouldnt support a legal challenge. He said tying the systems hands isnt in the best interests of local communities or businesses. He's the first Republican senator to state a position on the threatened legal action. Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke tweeted Aug. 26 that a lawsuit would only add more confusion during an already stressful time.

Nass issued a statement late Thursday saying a few Republican legislators have gone soft but still hell ask Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to file a lawsuit to force the system to submit their protocols to the committee.

I will continue to oppose and fight unlawful COVID-19 mandates issued by any state agency regardless of being led by a Democratic appointee or a former Republican governor, he said. Sadly, some in my party will only oppose unlawful COVID-19 mandates when issued by the other party.

Aides for LeMahieu and Vos didnt immediately respond to email messages.

Thompson has called for UW campuses to hold at least 75% of their classes in-person this fall. The schools have implemented a range of protocols over the last few weeks designed to meet that goal, including mask and testing mandates.

The system hasn't imposed any vaccination requirements. But the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the system's flagship school, reported Thursday that nine out of 10 people on campus, including faculty, staff and students, are fully vaccinated.

Thompson and Regents President Edmund Manydeeds sent Nass and the rules committee's other co-chair, Rep. Adam Neylon, a letter Thursday reiterating that they won't submit anything to lawmakers for approval. They said system officials have the statutory authority to govern themselves and the rules committee never held a hearing before demanding the system submit its protocols.

We believe that your committee's directives and the co-chair's subsequent public statements stating an intent to subordinate and block our longstanding authority are both wrong on the law and wrong as a matter of public policy, the letter said. We have no plans to abdicate our responsibility."

Aides in Neylon's office didn't respond to a message.

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This story has been updated to correct date of Steineke's tweet to Aug. 26.

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Follow Todd Richmond on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trichmond1
PHOENIX (AP)  Lawyers representing the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate in a review of 2020 election results in the state's most populous county released a slew of communications between GOP lawmakers, their audit liasions and others under a court order obtained by a watchdog group that is fighting for transparency in the election recount.

Among the communications were text messages from a top campaign official of former President Donald Trump to Senate liaison Randy Pullen asking where to send $175,000 to help pay for the partisan recount. Former Trump campaign chief operating officer and ex-Arizona state Treasurer Jeff DeWit also asked Pullen if another group raising funds for the audit was legitimate, saying Trump asking.

The Senate records were not complete. Senate attorney Kory Langhofer told a judge Wednesday that it withheld nearly 3,000 records because they contained legislative or attorney-client communications he says are privileged.

Other records sought by American Oversight remain the subject of a court battle. A judge had also ordered the Senate's contractor, including the Florida company that is overseeing the audit, to produce its records.

The Arizona Court of Appeals quickly upheld that order, ruling that Cyber Ninjas and other contractors were performing a core government function and were subject to public records law. But last week, the Arizona Supreme Court put Judge Michael Kemp's order on hold at least until Sept. 14 while it reviews the case.

American Oversight's attorney, Roopali Desai, told the judge Wednesday that she would be pushing to have the court reject Langholfer's legislative privilege argument, saying the judge had already rejected that in earlier rulings.

The more than 20,000 records released late Tuesday night included communications of Republican Senate President Karen Fann, Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Warren Peterson, Pullen, the Senate's other liaison to the contractors, Ken Bennett, as well as GOP activists and legislators, lobbyists and the press. They include text messages, emails and even a video of former President Ronald Reagan saying the people oversee the government.

DeWit declined to comment to The Associated Press Wednesday on his offer of cash to fund the review. Late Tuesday, the told the Arizona Capitol Times that he wasn't referring to Trump personally but to the broader Trump orbit. DeWit worked closely with Trump on both his campaigns, rising from state chairman to oversight of all his campaign operations.

Other exchanges included one between Fann and Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward where the Senate president questioned why she was using the Senate audit to raise money for the party when it wasn't involved in funding it

The Senate agreed to pay $150,000 plus the cost of facility rental for the audit, but it ended up costing far more. Partisan fundraisers have contributed nearly $5.7 million to help pay to recount all 2.1 million Maricopa County ballots and examine voting machines, computers and other equipment used in the election.

The unprecedented partisan exercise was prompted by former President Donald Trumps loss in the state and his contention without evidence that he lost in Arizona and other battleground states because of fraud.

Senate Republicans issued subpoenas to Maricopa County for all 2020 ballots, the machines that counted them and other data in the states most populated county. Election experts have been highly critical of the review, which 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.

The materials were given to contractors with little to no election experience for what Senate President Karen Fann calls a forensic audit. Election experts say the 2020 election was secure and well-run, and the contractors are using bizarre and unreliable procedures. Maricopa County has refused further participation.

The results of the audit and hand recount were expected to be handed over to the Senate last week, but an outbreak of COVID-19 among the contractors delayed it

Langhofer told the judge Wednesday it could be weeks before a final report is ready for release. A date for public release has not been announced.

One notable exchange was between Fann and well-respected Arizona GOP political consultant Chuck Coughlin, who told her the partisan nature of the audit caused public polling to show that there would be little confidence in the results.

"Start over, call the current audit professionally compromised," Coughlin wrote. Lay that on the contractors -- which is true -- and the governor, you and the (House) Speaker find a way to establish a professional path toward rebuilding trust in AZ's election system.

A conversation over a glass of wine, Fann responded.
PHOENIX (AP)  An Arizona Supreme Court ruling rejects a major part of a Tucson hospital's lawsuit accusing a pharmacy chain of negligence and seeking compensation for care provided to opioid-addicted patients.

The justices ruled Wednesday that Tucson Medical Center can't sue CVS Health Corporation for alleged negligence through distribution of opioids.
At 13, Alison Conklin passed out while playing in a basketball tournament. When she collapsed again during a competitive game of floor hockey, her mother took her to see a cardiologist.

An echocardiogram of Alison's heart showed the wall between the two bottom chambers of her heart was bigger than it should be. She was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

HCM causes heart walls to thicken, in turn becoming stiff and reducing the amount of blood taken in and pumped out to the body with each heartbeat. Fainting is a symptom of HCM, along with shortness of breath, abnormal heart rhythms and dizziness.

Frightening as that was, Alison had someone to help walk her through it: her mom, who also had HCM.

Then, five months later, everything changed.

"My mom and I were sitting in the kitchen," Alison said. "It was my first day at my first real job at the public library, and she said she didn't feel well, and she collapsed."

Alison had just taken a babysitting class at the hospital and learned CPR. She called 911 and started giving her mom chest compressions until paramedics arrived and took over.

"It was terrifying! You can take as many classes as you want, and whether you can actually implement these things in the heat of the moment, I tried," Alison said. "I was begging her to wake up."

At 42, Alison's mother did not survive that day in July 1994. And her grieving teenage daughter  who already was struggling with knowing she had HCM  just saw the condition kill her mom.

Alison continued to struggle with it.

Throughout high school, she passed out often enough that she became a patient at the National Institutes of Health. She underwent many surgeries and tests as doctors tried to help improve her symptoms. Finally, when she was 20, her cardiologist mentioned a new device  an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. It was a machine that would send an electric shock to her heart if a dangerously irregular heartbeat was detected, thus reducing her risk of sudden cardiac death.

"He said, 'There's this technology that would have saved your mother's life that is readily available now. It's an ICD. You're a perfect candidate for one because you have sudden death in your family. Would you like it?'" Alison recalled. "Obviously, it was a yes."

Doctors implanted an ICD in Alison's chest in 2001. Fast forward to 2015. She was mom to a 12-year-old son. They'd just finished climbing five flights of stairs to get to an orthodontist appointment.

"I had the same deadly heart rhythm my mom had on the day she died," Alison said. "My device saved my life."

Thankful her son didn't have to experience what she did at about his age, Alison had an epiphany.

"I was always angry at (my mom) that she didn't try to live or angry at myself that I couldn't save her. And it wasn't until that same exact scenario happened to me that I realized it really wasn't anybody's to control," she said.

Alison's husband, Geoff Conklin, rushed her to the hospital. One of the nurses started crying when she read Alison's chart. "Thank God for the device working," the woman told Alison.

The couple is grateful neither of their two sons have HCM, which is the most common form of genetic heart disease.

Alison went on to have open-heart surgery in 2018 to help relieve her symptoms. The surgeon removed part of her bulging heart wall to improve blood flow.

Now 41 and having faced health challenges for most of her life  including battling a brain tumor that temporarily left her blind  Alison doesn't let that define her. The busy mom runs her own photography business in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

Photography is a passion that grew out of her mother's death. Her father brought out old photos, negatives and slides of her mom. After that, Alison started carrying a camera everywhere.

"I always cherish moments that could be taken for granted," she said.

While photographing a Go Red for Women event for the American Heart Association, Alison noticed many women in the room bore scars like hers. She then came up with the idea of taking portraits of 11 women affected by heart disease and one man whose wife died from it.

"I think it is really powerful. There is something very important about storytelling," Alison said. "I think for me, it's just being able to know that I'm not the only person in the world that has experienced these experiences. It makes me feel better, less alone."

Stories From the Heart chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australia's Victoria state is drafting legislation that would make it the first in the country to ban the public display of Nazi symbols as local neo-Nazi activity increases.

The proposed ban on Nazi symbols such as the swastika, except for educational or historical purposes, will be presented to parliament early next year, and appears certain to become law with opposition lawmakers expressing support.
BALLSTON  Ballston may join other municipalities in banning any future marijuana stores from allowing consumption on premises.

Town officials said they are worried about public safety if people use too much and then drive home.

The town of Colonie had a public hearing in July considering the same legislation, and was among the first in the Capital Region to consider partially or fully opting out of the newly legalized recreational marijuana industry in New York.

The town (of Ballston) has concerns about the public safety and health with regard to establishments offering on-site consumption of cannabis and its physical and mental effects on individuals who utilize vehicles on public roadways in the town to travel to and from the on-site consumption site since the town of Ballston is primarily a rural town with little access to public transportation, the Town Board wrote in a proposed local law.

The Town Board is accepting written comments on the law and may vote on it at the Sept. 14 meeting.

The state is allowing municipalities to opt out of on-site marijuana usage, but only if the town passes a law by Dec. 31. Towns cant opt out of allowing adults to use marijuana in general.

Municipalities across the state are grappling with whether to participate in the retail marijuana industry after New York legalized recreational marijuana March 31. Municipalities have until Dec. 31 to opt out of allowing such businesses, and have the choice to opt back in at a later date. However, municipalities will not have the ability to opt out after the December deadline passes.

Approved marijuana retailers are not expected to open until next year at the earliest, although the state has yet to finish writing the regulations, taxing and license structure that will govern them.

Adults are now allowed to smoke marijuana generally anywhere that cigarettes are allowed. Driving while impaired is illegal. Smoking marijuana in a car is also illegal. Public possession of up to 3 ounces is legal and people can grow marijuana at home and store up to 5 pounds of it at home if it is secured so that children cant get to it.

As far as enforcing the driving while impaired statute, there is no easy test for marijuana, unlike the Breathalyzer test for alcohol. Police are allowed to charge drivers based on other evidence that they are impaired - something they have already been doing for years.

But Ballston town board member Kelly Stewart predicted drivers would end up with tickets for swerving or other minor items.

The bigger DUI is a lot tougher to make stick, she said. The biggest knock against this (marijuana legalization) law is law enforcement doesnt have a test.

Drivers also dont yet know how much marijuana is too much for them to drive safely.

Users could be sensible and arrange for someone else to drive, said board member Chuck Curtiss. But they wont, he said, adding that banning on-site consumption might not make a difference.

Whats to stop them from buying, walking out to their car and then smoking? Curtiss said. And to judge from the number of beer cans and bottles I pick up out of my ditches, people will just do it anywhere.

Resident Tom Shaginaw warned that the town could become a marijuana dry town surrounded by wet towns where people would drive to smoke marijuana at a cannabis lounge.

Will users just travel farther? he asked at Tuesdays public hearing. I want to make sure we dont have any unintended consequences.

He added that he liked the towns position and that focusing on public safety was a noble idea.

But one study of wet and dry counties in Kentucky found that there were more accidents in the dry counties, he said. He noted that there could be a difference between people driving drunk and people driving after smoking marijuana, but urged the board to look into the issue.

Board member Kelly Jasinski said residents should be encouraged to use marijuana at home.

It should be purchased for in-home consumption, she said.

If other towns find that marijuana lounges cause problem, it will be too late to opt out, she said. The state deadline is Dec. 31, and the first licenses to sell marijuana will probably not be granted until next year.

So I believe its better to err right now in the interest of public safety, she said.

Stewart noted the town might never be considered a good location for a marijuana lounge if they were allowed. Alcohol sales are allowed and the town has some restaurants with liquor licenses, but that's it.

We dont even have bars, she said.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A bipartisan police reform package was signed into law Thursday by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, emphasizing success of enacting provisions from a task force he commissioned following George Floyd's murder over panel recommendations left out.

Backers of the legislation, which received near unanimous approval from the General Assembly, say it will rid departments of derelict officers and give mental health assistance to others on the force. The provisions address law enforcement shortcomings during a time of national focus on racial inequity and the deaths of Black residents at the hands of police, such as Floyd last year in Minneapolis.

Law enforcement groups and state House members also made recommendations contained within the new law.

We need to strive every single day to make sure that our criminal justice system works free of bias and racial discrimination. And we know that too often it falls short, the Democratic governor said in a bill-signing ceremony outside the Executive Mansion. Two things that I would want to say about the signing of this legislation. Number one, this is an important step. But number two, there is more to do.

The new law creates a public database to determine whether an officers certification has been suspended or revoked. The state also will develop a confidential database that contains critical incident information about when an officer has been involved in a case resulting in death or serious injury. Local agencies also will be required to collect internal data on when officers discharge weapons or are subject to citizen complaints.

Officers and sheriff's deputies will receive psychological screenings and mental health strategies and training on ethics, the use of force and minority sensitivity.

After the protest following Floyd's death, we knew we had an opportunity to make our criminal justice system fairer and better at keeping people safe, said Attorney General Josh Stein, who co-led Coopers task force with Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls. Today, we are meeting that opportunity.

A change to how police body camera footage can be reviewed by family members also was inserted into the bill in direct response to the aftermath of the fatal shooting in April of Andrew Brown Jr. by Pasquotank County sheriffs deputies.

At the ceremony, Cooper also signed two House bills that matched identically some language in the omnibus Senate bill. One addresses mental health training requirements. The other makes it an officers duty to report excessive force by a colleague and to intervene when they see it. They were recommended last year by a bipartisan House study committee.

Republican Rep. John Szoka of Cumberland County, who attended the ceremony, said this week these and other House bills "are important first steps to improve and support North Carolina law enforcement agencies.

Absent are Cooper task force recommendations that for now lack broader consensus, like eliminating cash bail for nonviolent criminal suspects and reinstituting a now-repealed 2009 law addressing racial bias in capital punishment cases. One civil rights group called the Senate legislation a missed opportunity to address systemic racism within the criminal legal system.

Stein, also a Democrat, pitched Thursday a task force recommendation to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. He said a disproportionate percentage of those convicted of such crimes are not white, even as white and Black residents in North Carolina use marijuana at the same rate.

Cooper said the task forces work is not over. Kerwin Pittman, a task force member and Raleigh criminal justice activist, said the new laws speak to the truth that all lives in North Carolina cannot matter until ensuring the lives of Black people and those in other marginalized groups matter.

But these laws are not the end-all and be-all for reimagining public safety in the state of North Carolina and creating that more equitable system, Pittman said.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  Bulgarians will go to the polls on Nov. 14 to elect a new president, lawmakers decided on Thursday.

A parliamentary election could be held on the same date  the third one this year as the deeply fragmented parliament repeatedly fails to come up with a viable government coalition.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  The chairman of the Department of Natural Resources policy board said Thursday he did nothing wrong when he consulted with a Republican congressman and an aide to the GOP state Senate leader about refusing to step down from his position.

Fred Prehn's term ended in May. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers appointed Sandra Naas to replace him, a move that would give Evers appointees majority control of the board. Prehn, who was appointed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, has refused to step aside for Naas.

He said he won't leave until the Senate confirms her. Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu has taken no steps toward a confirmation vote, ensuring Republicans maintain control of the board and with it pollution and wildlife regulations. Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul has filed a lawsuit demanding a judge remove Prehn from the board, arguing he serves at Evers' pleasure and his term has expired.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Monday that Prehn traded emails with U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany as well as a LeMahieu aide, former University of Wisconsin Regent Gerald Whitburn, a Republican, and conservative lobbyists about his decision to stay on the board.

Prehn issued a statement Thursday morning saying suggestions that he coordinated or consulted with state Republican elected officials are not factual. He said he never spoke to any currently elected Wisconsin state official in regards to this matter.

I did, however, speak with friends and acquaintances as I foresaw holding over could become contentious, he said. I wonder if any other political appointee has ever had discussions with friends and/or colleagues, or even a spouse about what is going on in their lives?

He said he's confident he can legally hold the seat despite Naas' appointment and looks forward to the courts resolving the matter.

Prehn filed a motion on Monday seeking to dismiss Kaul's lawsuit. He contends that a 1964 state Supreme Court decision clarified that state law allows board appointees to stay on until the Senate confirms their successors.

Board terms start and end with the Senate's advice and consent, the motion said.

Republican legislators filed a motion last week seeking to join the case, arguing that state law allows the Legislature to intervene in cases where statutes are challenged and that Kaul's lawsuit could end the Senate's role in confirming appointees.

Kansas-based hunter advocacy group Hunter Nation also has asked for permission to join the case. The group argues that the DNR board regulates its members and as such the group has an interest in ensuring the board is legally constituted. Hunter Nation President Luke Hilgemann, a Wisconsin resident, submitted an affidavit saying he doesn't want his tax dollars to fund an illegally constituted board because that would amount to a financial loss for him.

The attorney general filed a brief seeking a ruling barring the Legislature and Hunter Nation from joining the lawsuit. Kaul argued that the Legislature can intervene only if someone is challenging state law and in this case he's seeking an interpretation and the case's resolution won't affect Hunter Nation at all.

Dane County Circuit Judge Nia Trammell has set a hearing in the case for Sept. 28.

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Follow Todd Richmond on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trichmond1
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  Better weather on Thursday helped the battle against a huge California wildfire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe, but fire commanders warned firefighters to be prepared for ongoing dangers.

Strong winds and dry conditions that drove the Caldor Fire east through high elevations of the Sierra Nevada for days faded, sparing for now the largest city of a recreational gem that straddles the California-Nevada state line. Thousands were forced to flee South Lake Tahoe earlier this week.

I feel like we are truly the luckiest community in the entire world right now. Im so incredibly happy, said Mayor Tamara Wallace, who evacuated to Truckee, California.

But wind gusts were likely in some areas, and the forest was still extremely dry, officials warned. The fire is pushing on several fronts, threatening multiple communities.

Still, the mood was one of optimism, given the speed with which the fire grew earlier in the week. Flames raced so quickly toward the resort city that officials ordered a mass evacuation of all 22,000 residents on Monday before ordering those across the state line in Douglas County, Nevada, to leave a day later.

Its finally a chance to take a breath," said Clive Savacool, chief of South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue. "Its a breath full of smoke. Nonetheless, I think were all breathing a little bit easier and we feel like were making some progress.

Russ Crupi, who two days ago was arranging sprinklers around his mobile home park in South Lake Tahoe just miles from the fire line, had turned off the water for now, feeling confident his neighborhood was no longer under threat. The nearby mountains, cloaked in smoke for most of the week, had become visible.

Im just happy they stopped it. It looked close, he said.

The Caldor Fire spanned more than 328 square miles (850 square kilometers) and was 25% contained Thursday. Its northeast tip was about 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of South Lake Tahoe and nearing the California-Nevada state line, where visitors like to hit the casinos in Stateline.

About 15 million people visit Lake Tahoe every year for hiking, snowboarding, water sports and gambling. The possibility that wildfire might rip through the international destination alarmed those who have vivid memories of vacationing at Tahoe.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable. No deaths have been reported so far this fire season.

Fire crews from around the country joined in the fight against the fire, which broke out Aug. 14 southwest of the Lake Tahoe area, chasing residents from more remote areas of El Dorado County. Officials said that at least 622 homes, 12 commercial properties and 177 minor structures have been destroyed, though the tally is incomplete because many areas are not safe to be surveyed.

The Caldor Fire still threatened at least 33,000 more homes and structures. On Wednesday, firefighters were ferried by boat to protect cabins at nearby Echo Lake, while three of the region's largest ski resorts, Heavenly, Kirkwood and Sierra at Tahoe, brought out snow-making devices to hose down buildings.

Jonathan Pierce, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said crews are chasing spot fires and trying to keep flames away from populated areas.

There was no timeline for when residents might return.

South Lake Tahoe can easily accommodate 100,000 people on a busy weekend, but on Thursday, just before the Labor Day weekend, it was eerily empty. Thick smoke made it difficult to see across the street, said Savacool, the fire chief.

Is really just a dead, dead town and its got an apocalyptic feel with garbage strewn about from the bears, he said.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued a federal emergency declaration and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local resources for firefighting efforts and relief for residents in four counties affected by the fire.

"Ive seen these firefighters up close. Their courage is astounding, and theyre some of the bravest people Ive ever known  and Ive known a lot of them," he said from the White House on Thursday, addressing is administration's response to Hurricane Ida.

More than 15,000 firefighters were battling dozens of California blazes, including another monstrous blaze, the Dixie Fire about 65 miles (105 kilometers) north. It is the second-largest wildfire in state history at about 1,340 square miles (3,480 square kilometers).

The weeks-old fire was 55% contained. As of Thursday, officials said it had destroyed 688 homes, eight multi-unit residences, 139 commercial properties and hundreds of minor structures.

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Har reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco and John Antczak in Los Angeles contributed to this report. 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.
Hau Dinh/AP

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  Former first lady Michelle Obama and The Poor People's Campaign have been chosen to receive Freedom Awards from the National Civil Rights Museum in Tennessee.

The museum said Wednesday that Obama and campaign's two leaders, the Rev. William Barber and the Rev. Liz Theoharis, will be honored during a virtual ceremony on Oct. 14.
PHOENIX (AP)  State Rep. Regina Cobb has dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination for state treasurer because she is taking a new job as executive director of the Arizona Dental Association.

Cobb announced her candidacy for treasurer in July but this week pulled out of the race and endorsed another Republican , state Rep. Jeff Weninger of Chandler.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld an injunction preventing the city of Los Angeles from taking and destroying bulky items left by homeless people on public property.

The 2-1 ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the city ordinance violated the 4th Amendment, which protects people from unreasonable government seizure of their property, even when that property is stored in public areas, the Los Angeles Times reported.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  The number of Alaskans hospitalized with COVID-19 has risen, worrying health care providers who are facing staffing issues and fatigue and wondering when the latest wave of cases might peak.

I think our hope right now is that we're going to hit the peak this month. I'm speaking purely from a hope standpoint, said Jared Kosin, president and CEO of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association.

He added: Nobody can figure out when we're going to hit the ceiling, and that is what makes this so challenging.

The state reported Wednesday that about 160 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized. A state health official described the level as on par with a previous peak around the end of 2020.

Alaska is experiencing high levels of transmission, owed almost entirely to the highly contagious delta variant, the state epidemiologist, Dr. Joe McLaughlin, said Wednesday.

During an online public briefing, state health officials were asked about any trends in coronavirus transmission and if large events like the Alaska State Fair in Palmer could contribute to increased spread of the virus. The fair, which began Aug. 20, ends Monday.

I think there's COVID everywhere, said Louisa Castrodale, an epidemiologist with the state, adding that it can be difficult to pinpoint where someone first contracted the illness because there is just so much activity.

McLaughlin said getting vaccinated is the Number 1 thing you can do to help our community, help our state get this virus under control."

He also cited wearing masks around people who are outside your household and maintaining distance in public. People who develop symptoms should get tested, he said.

About 55% of Alaskans 12 or older are fully vaccinated, according to the state health department.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)  Cyprus will start giving COVID-19 booster shots to people over 65, those with weakened immune systems irrespective of age and health care professionals, the health minister said Thursday.

Michalis Hadjipantela said the shots will be given to those who are eligible once a six-month period elapses from the time they completed their vaccination.

Earlier Thursday the European Unions infectious diseases agency urged countries to push ahead with their primary vaccination programs and played down the need for booster shots.

Hadjipantela said expanding the booster shot program to include other age groups will depend on the recommendations of a medical advisory committee.

Cyprus has ample vaccine stocks to cover booster shot needs, Hadjipantela has told the Associated Press.

The east Mediterranean island nation follows countries such as France which on Wednesday became the first big EU country to start administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccine to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions. Spanish health authorities are considering similar action.

The delta variant has swept through Cyprus in recent weeks, pushing infection rates to their highest since the start of the pandemic. But the virus spread has abated and Hadjipantela said the health care system is holding up well as admissions appear to be dropping.

Official statistics show that as of the end of August 74.2% of Cyprus adult population was fully vaccinated, while 78.6% had received at least one shot.

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Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Denmark's rarely used Court of Impeachment gathered Thursday to try a former immigration minister over a 2016 order to separate asylum-seeking couples when one of the pair was a minor.

Inger Stoejberg, who served as integration minister from 2015 to 2019, appeared before the court that was convening for the first time in 26 years.

Earlier this year, Denmark's parliament voted to try Stoejberg after a parliament-appointed commission said that separating couples in asylum centers was clearly illegal and that she had received warnings from her department that the practice was unlawful.

Stoejberg was then formally accused of illegally initiating the separation of cohabiting couples where one partner was a minor, out of concerns that it might have been a forced marriage. She also misled parliamentary committees on four separate occasions when informing them of her decision.

Thirty-two couples were to be separated  23 of them were split up before the policy was halted months later.

Most of the women among the separated couples were between the ages of 15 and 17, while the men were between 15 and 32. Most came from Syria and some couples had children or the women were pregnant.

In Denmark, the legal age of marriage is 18. The women who were under 18 said they had consented to their marriages.

Considered an immigration hardliner, Stoejberg spearheaded the tightening of asylum and immigration rules, and Denmark adopted a law in 2016 requiring newly arrived asylum-seekers to hand over valuables such as jewelry and gold to help pay for their stays in the country.

The trial is being held in an annex of the Foreign Ministry and is due to run until Nov. 30. Stoejberg could face a fine or a maximum two years in prison.

The court, which adjudicates cases in which government ministers are accused of unlawful misconduct and misuse of office, was last used in 1995. Since it was created in 1849, five cases have been brought before the court, which consists of 15 Supreme Court judges and 15 members appointed by the Danish parliament. Only two ministers have been found guilty in the courts history.

In 1995, former Justice Minister Erik Ninn-Hansen was given a suspended four-month sentence for having prevented Sri Lankan refugees from bringing their families to Denmark.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Unions infectious diseases agency on Thursday urged countries to push ahead with their primary coronavirus vaccination programs and played down the need for booster shoots to ward off the delta variant among the general public.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said that approved vaccines are currently highly effective in limiting the impact of COVID-19. The priority now should be to vaccinate all those eligible individuals who have not yet completed their recommended vaccination course, it said.

After a slow start to Europes vaccine drive, the EUs executive branch, the European Commission, announced this week that on average 70% of adults are fully vaccinated across the 27-nation bloc. But national vaccination rates vary, with Bulgaria and Romania notably slow with their programs.

On Wednesday, France became the first big EU country to start administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccine to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions as the delta variant spreads in the country. Spanish health authorities are considering similar action.

The ECDC said additional shots should be considered for people with severely weakened immune systems if the first shots dont protect them well enough, but that there is no urgent need for the administration of booster doses of vaccines to fully vaccinated individuals in the general population.

Its common for protection from vaccines to decrease over time. For now, vaccines authorized in the EU and U.S. continue to offer very strong protection against severe disease and death, but their ability to prevent infection is dropping markedly due to the delta surge among nursing home patients and others.

Still, many countries are struggling to administer first doses of COVID-19 vaccines and the World Health Organization had called for a moratorium on boosters and has also urged governments to donate vaccines to needy countries.

Spains board of vaccine experts recommended on Wednesday that a third shot be administered to people with suppressed immune systems, like transplant recipients. Its national and regional health authorities will debate the issue on Sept. 8 at their weekly pandemic meeting.

EU commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker said Thursday that the bloc has enough shots should scientific evidence suggest that boosters might be broadly required.

He said that Brussels recently concluded a contract with vaccine-maker BioNTech-Pfizer for 1.8 billion additional doses from 2021 to 2023, and a second contract with Moderna for 150 million shots for the bloc, which has a population of some 450 million people.

We have taken the necessary measures to be ready, De Keersmaecker said.

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AP writer Aritz Parra in Madrid contributed to this report.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  A former General Assembly employee accused of stealing money that had been donated to a colleague as a retirement gift was convicted Thursday on two felony counts.

A Kent County jury convicted Dawn Hill, 52, of theft from a person age 62 or older, and issuing a bad check over $1,500.

Hill is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 16. Prosecutors are not seeking prison time but instead will ask for probation and restitution.

Hill, who worked as an executive assistant to the legislatures controller general, was accused of taking money that had been raised in 2018 for former Secretary of the Senate Bernard Brady and using it for more than a year to pay her credit card bills.

Hill, who described Brady as a close friend during testimony on Wednesday, denied the allegations.

I gave every penny that I received directly to Bernard Brady, she said.

Hill and her attorney, Scott Chambers, declined to comment on the verdict Thursday.

Attorney General Kathy Jennings issued a statement praising the jurys decision, describing it a clear message that no one is above justice.

Today, a former public official  someone who was responsible for the General Assemblys fiscal accountability  is guilty of stealing from a lifetime public servant, Jennings said.

Brady, an unassuming and unfailingly polite man who became a beloved fixture in Legislative Hall during his 39 years of Senate service, retired in 2018. Hill led a fundraising effort among lawmakers and legislative staffers to raise money to fund a trip to Ireland for him.

Brady testified that he told Hill to hold on to the money until he was ready to book a trip, but prosecutors say she instead spent it on herself. Brady, who has yet to take the trip, received the money only after former Senate chief of staff Debra Allen told Hill in October 2019 that she needed to give it to him.

In November 2019, Hill gave Brady a check for $6,450 drawn on one of her bank accounts, and a separate check for $2,790 from another account  which had been closed almost a year earlier.

Hill testified that the bad check was simply a mistake, and that she had grabbed the wrong checkbook.

Prosecutor David Skoranski suggested that the fact that the account had been closed for so long and that the check was for almost $3,000 indicated that Hill knew what she was doing.

She wrote a bad check to buy more time, he argued.

After that check bounced, Hill gave Brady a check for $2,500 from yet another account, along with $250 cash, in December 2019.

Skoranski told jurors that donations for Brady totaled $10,245, but that he received only $9,200.

Hill testified that she collected $1,840 cash donations for Brady and $7,350 in checks, totaling $9,190.

Allen testified that she had given Hill $2,895 in cash from donations she had collected, a claim that Hill denied.

That never happened, Hill said.

Hill was indicted in July 2020 on charges of issuing a bad check and theft over $1,500 involving a victim over the age of 62. The jury declined to convict her on the latter charge, likely because of discrepancies in the amounts of money that were discussed in court, but did convict her of the lesser felony of theft involving a person 62 or older.
NEW DELHI (AP)  The death of a top separatist leader in disputed Kashmir and the ensuing crackdown on public movement and communications by Indian authorities have highlighted the turmoil seething just below the surface in the region.

Here's a closer look at what Syed Ali Geelani meant to Kashmir and why problems still roil the region two years after India revoked its semi-autonomy and declared it a federal territory.

WHY HAS THIS DEATH STRUCK A RAW NERVE?

For many in the region, Geelani was the face of Kashmiri resistance against India. To his detractors, he was a hard-liner responsible for stoking tensions in the region, a charge he had denied.

Geelani was part of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of various Kashmiri political and religious groups that was formed in 1993 to spearhead a movement for the regions right to self-determination.

He never wavered from his position as a devoted proponent of the merger of Kashmir with Pakistan. This stance put him at odds with other moderate separatists who wanted to engage with New Delhi and local politicians who favored Indian rule in the region with internal autonomy.

Soon after the 91-year-old's death late Wednesday, authorities quickly clamped down, blocking internet and mobile phone services and restricting public movement out of fear of anti-India protests. Geelanis family said his body was snatched away by authorities and discreetly buried without their consent.

Geelani's death is expected to be a potential setback to the larger separatist movement in Kashmir, as his supporters may find it hard to find a successor with such towering popularity.

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF KASHMIR?

A flashpoint between India and neighboring Pakistan, both of which claim the region in full but rule only parts, Kashmir has been wracked with tensions for years.

In 1989, Kashmiri activists launched an armed revolt against Indian rule. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebel goal that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

New Delhi accuses Pakistan of sponsoring Kashmiri militants, a charge Pakistan denies. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.

In 2019, hostilities peaked when Prime Minister Narendra Modis government stripped the region of its semi-autonomy and took direct control of the region amid a harsh security clampdown and communications blackout.

Anticipating a massive backlash and protests, authorities flooded the region  already among the worlds most militarized  with soldiers, and arrested thousands of young people, activists and pro-freedom Kashmiri leaders. Even pro-India politicians who favored Kashmirs semi-autonomous status within the framework of the Indian constitution were also detained for opposing the decision, but were later released.

By scrapping its statehood and separate constitution, India also removed inherited protections on land and jobs and opened up the region to Indians from outside to permanently settle, buy land and hold government jobs there.

The government said such a move would spur investment and bring more development to Kashmir. But critics and many Kashmiris fear this could dilute the regions demographics.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST TWO YEARS?

The situation on the ground remains tense.

India's August 2019 move deepened anti-India sentiment in the region. Armed militancy has continued to grow and gunfights between Indian forces and rebels have become more frequent. Even though many of those arrested two years ago have since been released, some remain in detention.

The move also dealt a blow to Kashmir's economy, which was then hit once again by lockdowns to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The region has since remained without an elected government and under the direct control of New Delhi.

Last year, India held local elections, calling it a vital grassroots exercise to boost development and uproot corruption. An alliance of pro-India politicians who favor self-governance in Kashmir but oppose New Delhis recent policies won the election. They have since reiterated their demand that the 2019 decision be reversed.

Later in June, in an effort to counter criticism, Modi held a meeting with pro-India politicians from the region. The government dubbed it as an opening to strengthen the democratic process in the region, but the alliance leaders said they did not get any concrete assurances from Modi.

The regions separatist movement has also been impacted in the last two years.

Among those detained in 2019 were numerous top separatist leaders. With many of them still behind bars, the movements presence on the ground has taken a hit.

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This story has been updated to correct that Syed Ali Geelani was 91 when he died, not 92.

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Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma contributed to this report from New Delhi.
SANAA, Yemen (AP)  Fighting has flared up between Yemen's pro-government forces and Houthi rebels in the oil-rich government stronghold of Marib province, with at least 28 fighters killed over the last 24 hours, security officials from both sides and tribal leaders said on Thursday.

Most of the fatalities were among the Iran-backed rebels assaulting the city of Rahbah, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The rebels have accelerated their push to take Marib in recent months, while escalating cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia, which leads the military coalition opposing them. Thousands of fighters  mostly Houthis  have died in the offensive, with 12 government troops killed on Monday.

Since then, fighting has intensified in Rahbah, which had been under Houthi control for almost two years before falling to government troops in July.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition has launched dozens of airstrikes on cities in Marib  including Rahbah, Sirwah and Madghel  to back pro-government ground forces, according to the Houthi media center.

Yemens civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the north, forcing the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee.

The Saudi-led coalition, backed at the time by the U.S., entered the war to try to restore Hadi to power. A relentless air campaign and ground fighting has killed more than 130,000 people and spawned the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

It has also created smaller, parallel conflicts, between militants and different factions inside the country.

On Sunday, a missile and drone attack on a key military base in Yemens south killed at least 30 troops, a Yemeni military spokesman said. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the countrys civil war in recent years. At least 64 people were wounded in the attack on on Al-Anad Air Base in the province of Lahj. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
MIAMI (AP)  Florida is reporting its deadliest peak in daily death rates since the start of the pandemic, surpassing previous coronavirus surges in the state, according to federal data published Thursday.

Data provided by the state to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that at least eight days in August produced more daily deaths than during the last peak of the pandemic in August 2020. The typical lag times in the reporting of deaths means the true toll of the pandemic can take weeks to emerge. .

The data became available on Thursday after the state reported to the CDC more than 1,338 new deaths that occurred over several days or weeks.

The figures show the seven-day average in daily deaths reached 244 last month, as compared with their highest previous rate of 227 in August 2020. The numbers for mid- to late August of this year could still rise as the Florida Department of Health reports more data to the federal government.

Overall, 45,909 people have died in Florida, according to the CDC numbers.

The state has 87% of its seniors vaccinated and has raised its vaccination rate from 61% to 68% in the past month.

Hospitalizations hit record highs last month, with hospitals reporting census of over 7,000 more COVID-19 patients than they had in the previous peak. Both hospitalizations and new cases leveled off and began dropping in the past week.

Last week the state reported infections among children and teenagers had increased by 28% over the week before with some children's hospitals noticing an uptick in admissions as well in the first few weeks back at school.

A dozen of the Floridas 67 districts, representing about half of the states 2.8 million public school students, have defied Gov. Ron DeSantis executive order barring schools from requiring masks over parent objections. A judge last week ruled that DeSantis did not have the authority to issue the order. The DeSantis administration filed a notice of appeal Thursday.

On Tuesday, an elementary school in Sarasota was placed on a temporary, limited lockdown after a parent threatened to leave his job and confront an assistant principal for telling his children they couldn't come to school without being masked. The Sarasota County is among the school districts requiring masks.

Christopher Kivlin was met by police officers outside Ashton Elementary School. No charges were filed but he was ordered not to come back to the school without calling first and getting permission.

An incident report said Kivlin showed up to the campus saying the school was violating the law by not allowing his children to attend school.

Kivlin told television station WFLA that he had no intention of harming anyone but just wanted to talk to a school official. He apologized for frightening anyone and said it was just emotions built up.

I found out after the fact that the school had to go into lockdown, I was like, Thats horrible,' Kivlin said. I feel like I might have scared other parents.
MARSEILLE, France (AP)  Twelve million children in France went back to school Thursday for the new academic year, wearing face masks as part of rules aimed at slowing down the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

In France as in other European countries, many fear the end of the summer break will see a new surge in COVID-19 infections fueled by the highly contagious delta variant. French media cite the example of Scotland and Germany where reports of new cases increased after schools reopened.

Visiting a primary school in the southern city of Marseille, French President Emmanuel Macron praised as a victory being able to open schools.

Macron was greeted with a fist bump by children and teachers, all wearing masks, which are mandatory indoors starting from age 6.

I want to pay tribute to students, teachers, all staff and families because I know we imposed some constraints on everyone, he said. We must continue to live, educate and learn with the virus."

Children are also required to wash their hands often, and classrooms must be regularly ventilated. Contact sports have been banned from schools.

Frances virus situation has slightly improved in recent weeks, with about 17,000 confirmed cases of infection each day on average, down from more than 23,000 around mid-August.

Macron urged teenagers to get the vaccine, open to those age 12 and older. Schools are organizing vaccinations for those who want to get the shot. Consent from at least one parent is needed for 12-16s.

More than 63% of people aged 12-17 have received at least one shot, and 47% are fully vaccinated.

France is one among countries around the world that have maintained the highest rate of in-person classes during the COVID-19 crisis. The country closed its schools completely or partially for 12 weeks between March 2020 and July this year, to compare with 38 weeks in neighboring Germany and 58 weeks in the United States, according to UNESCO figures.

We have refused to sacrifice whole generations by keeping them away from school for a long time, government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said.

In primary schools, if one child tests positive for the virus, the class will close for seven days.

In middle and high schools, children who test positive and those who aren't vaccinated and have been in contact with them will be placed into isolation for at least one week. Those fully vaccinated will be allowed to keep going to school.

In neighboring Germany, authorities in Berlin decided Thursday to extend rules requiring children and staff to wear masks in schools in the capital through Oct. 3 because of infection rates among young people. Originally, officials hoped only to require masks for a few weeks after the school year started in early August.

An association of pediatricians BVKJ said theres currently no cause for concern regarding COVID-19 cases among children and young people, despite an increase in cases among the group. The associations spokesman Jakob Maske told the RND media group "no increase in the rate of illness or more serious courses (of illness) has been found.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Thursday called the situation in Norway challenging after the Scandinavian country in recent days has seen a spike in new cases, chiefly among those aged between 13 and 19.

Solberg said school children aged between 12 and 15 would be offered one shot of vaccine and urged to use regular mass testing. We did not get a school start where as many students as possible could be at school as much as we wanted, she said.

In Italy, schools opened their doors this week to administrative staff and teachers only so they can prepare for when pupils return, which, depending on region, will happen by Sept. 20.

Teachers and other school staff, except for cafeteria workers and designated aides for students with disabilities, must have received at least one vaccine dose, or recovered from COVID-19 in the past six months, or test negative in the 48 hours before entering school premises.

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Corbet reported from Saulieu. Associated Press journalists Frank Jordans and Geir Moulson in Berlin, Frances D'Emilio in Rome and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed to the story.

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Follow AP's pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
BOSTON (AP)  The Federal Trade Commission has for the first time banned a company that makes so-called stalkerware  software used to surreptitiously track a cellphone user's activities and location  from continuing in the surveillance app business.

Wednesday's action applies to the marketer of SpyFone, Puerto Rico-based Support King LLC, and its CEO, Scott Zuckerman. Such commercial surveillance products secretly obtain unfettered access to someone's smartphone, leading to serious harm, the FTC said in a statement on its website.

Support King marketed SpyFone as a tool to monitor the activities of children and employees. But it neglected to prevent stalkers and domestic abusers from using it for surveillance, the FTC said.

The company's products let the installer monitor a person's online activity, including text and video chats and, in a premium version, even secretly activate the device's microphone to record phone and video conversations.

The FTC found that not only is SpyFone sneaky  no icon appears on a phone after it is installed  but its developers also were negligent in protecting the data it collected on unsuspecting victims from hackers. It said information from about 2,200 people had been compromised in a hacker's breach of the company's server.

There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment sent to the only contact address on the SpyFone website.

Federal agencies have long been lax when it comes to allowing companies to peddle surveillance products with impunity, FTC commissioner Rohit Chopra said in a statement.

Online watchdogs led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto have long complained of rampant abuse of stalkerware, particularly in targeting victims of domestic violence.

Practically speaking, this is a bold move by the FTC but now they will have to follow through and enforce it," said Eva Galperin, cybersecurity director at EFF, via email. "It might be the beginning of the end for stalkerware, but even if that is true, its a long process and there is a lot that can go wrong between now and then.

Chopra said civil action by the FTC is not enough to meaningfully crackdown on the underworld of stalking apps." He urged the use of criminal laws including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, to combat its use.

Under the proposed settlement, SpyFone's sellers will have to delete all information collected by their stalkerware apps and alert people victimized by the products, the FTC said.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli gunfire on Thursday night, Gaza health officials said, during a violent protest along the Israeli border.

Hundreds of Palestinians took part in protests held at five locations, demanding an end to Israel's 14-year blockade of Gaza.

The territory's Hamas rulers have organized a series of similar protests over the past two weeks. In some cases they have turned violent, with the crowds burning tires and hurling explosives toward Israeli soldiers.

Palestinian health officials said Ahmad Saleh, 26, was fatally shot near Jabaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip.

Organizers released a photo of Saleh, wearing shorts and a black T-shirt standing on the beach. May God accept you Ahmad as a martyr of the night disturbances, said a caption.

Health officials said five other people were wounded by Israeli fire, including a 15-year-old boy in serious condition.

The Israeli military said that demonstrators hurled explosive devices, and soldiers responded with live fire.

Saleh became the third Palestinian to die in the recent protests, along with a 12-year-old boy and a Hamas militant. An Israeli sniper was killed when he was shot in the head at point-blank range by a protester.

Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade in 2007 after Hamas seized control of Gaza from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. The takeover came a year after Hamas defeated the rival Fatah movement, which dominates the Palestinian Authority, in parliamentary elections.

Israel says the blockade is needed to keep Hamas, an Islamic militant group sworn to Israel's destruction, from arming. Critics say the closure, which has hit the local economy hard due to its travel and trade restrictions, amounts to collective punishment.

Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since 2008, most recently last May.

Israel tightened the blockade after the fighting and only this week lifted most of the measures as Egypt tries to broker a longer-term cease-fire. Israel has demanded that Hamas free two captive Israeli civilians and return the remains of two dead Israeli soldiers as part of a broader deal.

Hamas dismissed the latest Israeli measures as insufficient and has threatened to continue the demonstrations until the blockade is further eased. Our position is that it is insufficient and is no substitute for broad measures that will achieve a real breakthrough in terms of life in Gaza, the group said.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  Republican states that have passed increasingly tough abortion restrictions only to see them blocked by the federal courts have a new template in an unusually written Texas law that represents the most far-reaching curb on abortions in nearly half a century.

On Thursday, Republican lawmakers in at least half a dozen states said they planned to introduce bills using the Texas law as a model, hoping it provides a pathway to enacting the kind of abortion crackdown they have sought for years.

In Mississippi, Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel said he would absolutely consider filing legislation to match the Texas law after a sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court let it stand.

I think most conservative states in the South will look at this inaction by the court and will see that as perhaps a chance to move on that issue, he said.

The Texas law, which took effect Wednesday, prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and before many women know theyre pregnant. While a dozen states have tried to enact bans early in pregnancy, those laws have been blocked by courts.

Texas may have found an end-run around the federal courts by enacting an unusual enforcement scheme that authorizes private citizens to file lawsuits in state court against abortion providers and anyone involved in aiding an abortion, including someone who drives a woman to a clinic. The law includes a minimum award of $10,000 for a successful lawsuit, but does not have government officials criminally enforce the law.

In addition to Mississippi, GOP lawmakers and abortion opponents in at least five other Republican-controlled states  Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, North Dakota and South Dakota  said they were considering pushing bills similar to the Texas law and its citizen-enforcement provision.

Even though you may have pro-life legislators, you do not always have pro-life bureaucrats who are willing to do enforcement inspections, said Indiana state Sen. Liz Brown, a Republican who has been the sponsor of several anti-abortion bills adopted in recent years.

Republicans for years have turned to statehouses in conservative states to find new ways to erode abortion rights enshrined by the high courts 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The Supreme Court  at least for now  has cleared a path forward for them.

Were excited, and we really do think that the heartbeat bill strategy is working," said Blaine Conzatti, president of the Idaho Family Policy Center, which opposes abortions.

Idaho passed a law this year with similar restrictions to Texas, but it will only go into effect if a U.S. appeals court upholds another state's law, a condition that has not been met.

Arkansas state Sen. Jason Rapert on Thursday tweeted that he planned to file legislation mirroring Texas law when lawmakers reconvene this fall. The Republican lawmaker sponsored a 2013 heartbeat abortion ban that was later struck down by federal courts and another outright ban enacted this year that a federal judge has blocked.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, said the state should wait until the more stringent anti-abortion Arkansas law receives a final judgment.

Hutchinson called the courts ruling on Texas law a procedural victory for abortion opponents, but said it doesnt reflect the courts view on whether Roe v. Wade should be reversed. Overturning that decision is abortion opponents foremost goal.

In Tennessee, Stacy Dunn, the president of Tennessee Right to Life, said she is hopeful the Supreme Court's decision to allow the Texas law to go in effect means the high court will rule to reverse Roe. Ten states, including Tennessee, have laws that would effectively outlaw most abortions should Roe v. Wade be overturned.

This Texas law could be a ray of light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel, and our state is ready, Dunn said in a statement.

Democrats also anticipated the Supreme Courts new conservative majority overturning Roe, although they fear a ruling striking it down would leave old state laws outlawing abortions in effect.

Reproductive freedom in our state is built on case law, said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, as he pushed for state lawmakers to enact a bill that would enshrine access to abortions.

All of that case law is in turn built on the Supreme Courts decision on Roe v. Wade. If the foundation of that series of case laws is impacted, impaired, taken away, the entire reality in our state falls like a house of cards, which is why we need to, as soon as possible, put this protection into statute."

In New Mexico, Democratic state Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero of Albuquerque said she was angered by the Texas law because it might lead to underground abortion procedures that endanger the lives of women.

Roybal Caballero, a Catholic for choice in her words, wants New Mexico to provide safe passage to anyone seeking medical care, including abortion procedures that she believes should be a matter of personal choice. A clinic in Albuquerque is one of only a few independent facilities in the country that perform abortions close to the third trimester without conditions.

We dont want to go back to the 1960s and 1970s underground days of illegal abortions," she said. "Its our decision. And if its going to be our decision, it should be a safe and healthy outcome.

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Associated Press writers Michael Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey; Tom Davies in Indianapolis; Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Ark.; Andrew Field in Topeka, Kansas; Chris Grygiel in Seattle; Meg Kinnard in Houston; Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville; Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, N.M.; James MacPherson in Bismarck, N.D.; Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Miss.; and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.
CHICAGO (AP)  Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday that he's very concerned about the U.S. Supreme Courts decision not to block a new Texas law banning most abortions in the state, and vowed Illinois would continue to welcome women from elsewhere who need reproductive health care.

Shame on those Texas lawmakers for taking away, not just womens rights, but womens health," Pritzker, a first-term Democrat, said at an unrelated news conference in Chicago. "Banning abortion does not keep women safe.

A deeply divided high court allowed the Texas law to remain in force in the nations biggest abortion curb since the court legalized abortions nationwide almost half a century ago. The court voted 5-4 to deny an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others but also suggested that their order likely wasnt the last word and that other challenges can be brought.

In recent years, Illinois has expanded abortion rights in anticipation of Supreme Court challenges.

In 2019, Pritzker signed sweeping legislation that established womens access to the procedure as a fundamental right and required insurance coverage for abortion, contraception and related medical care.

The law voided decades-old abortion regulations that were on the books but hadnt taken effect because of court orders, including restrictions on late-term abortions and criminal penalties for doctors who performed them. It was urged by activists and Democratic leaders who called it a crucial matter with a conservative shift on the Supreme Court and prohibitions on abortion in other states that could lead to overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide.

In 2017, Republican then-Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a law allowing state health insurance and Medicaid coverage for abortions. It also removed language in Illinois law stating a desire to criminalize abortion if Roe v. Wade was overturned.

I am very concerned and focused on making sure that here in Illinois we are a beacon of hope for women who need reproductive health, and were seeing that people in states like Missouri have had to come across the border in order to just protect their own rights to see a doctor for goodness sakes, Pritzker said.

The number of out-of-state residents who sought abortions in Illinois has increased each year since 2014 when they amounted to 2,970 out of a total 38,472 abortions in the state, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. In 2019, the latest data available, there were roughly 7,500 women crossing state lines, making up about 16% of the roughly 46,500 abortions in Illinois that year.

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Follow Sophia Tareen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiatareen
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP)  A gray wolf was spotted in Kern County earlier this year, the farthest south the species has traveled since being reintroduced in California after going extinct, wildlife officials said.

The collared gray wolf was captured on a trail camera drinking from a water trough on private property back on May 15, but officials received the footage last week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement Saturday.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers reached a milestone Thursday in becoming Kentucky's longest-serving member of Congress, saying he has work to do and is keeping his eye toward the future.

First elected in 1980 from the 5th District, Rogers surpassed the late U.S. Rep. William Natcher for the longevity record. Rogers reached 14,852 days in office on Thursday, passing his former Democratic colleague from the state's 2nd District, the congressman's office said, citing the U.S. House historian.

Rogers, 83, who once held the powerful post of House Appropriations Committee chairman and now serves as ranking Republican of a key subcommittee, referred to himself as "just a country boy from rural Wayne County during a statehouse ceremony Thursday marking the milestone.

Reflecting on his career, Rogers talked about sticking to his motto  plan your work, work your plan  as a key to his staying power and then looked to the future.

If you stay with it, youll make it happen," he said. "But youve got to stay with it for a good while. In my case, 40 years is not enough. Ive got more to do. And more questions to ask. More promises to keep. More people in need.

Rogers, who represents one of the nation's poorest congressional districts, has already announced plans to run for a 22nd term next year.

He was praised for his efforts to uplift his Appalachian district's economy amid the decline of coal-mining jobs, overcome the state's opioid addiction woes, expand rural broadband, steer money for flood-control projects and improve his region's transportation system.

Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne, a Republican, said Rogers was among the first to recognize the opioid crisis, and praised his efforts in support of drug-abuse treatment and prevention programs. Democratic state Sen. Robin Webb said Rogers has influenced generations of Kentuckians and said everybody wants to be like him for his advocacy for constituents.

Republican state Senate President Robert Stivers spoke of Rogers qualities that endeared him to constituents through decades of elections, even as his district's boundaries shifted.

When Congressman Rogers runs, nobody calls him Congressman Rogers," Stivers said. "What do they call him? They call him Hal. ... That says more than anything about how youre perceived in your district.
CLAYTON, Mo. (AP)  A homeowner who fatally shot an intruder in Webster Groves will not be charged, St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell said Thursday.

Bell said in a statement that the shooting was clearly a case of a person protecting his home and family from an intruder.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Forecasters warned residents along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast to rush preparations Saturday ahead of an intensifying Hurricane Ida, which is expected to bring winds as high as 130 mph (209 kph), life-threatening storm surge and flooding rain when it slams ashore in Louisiana on Sunday.

The National Hurricane Center warned that super-warm Gulf waters could rapidly magnify Ida's destructive power, boosting it from a Category 2 storm to an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane in just 18 hours or less.

Coastal highways saw heavy traffic Saturday as people moved to escape the storm's path. Trucks pulling saltwater fishing boats and campers streamed away from the coast Interstate 65 in south Alabama. Traffic jams clogged Interstate 10 heading out of New Orleans.

Were going to catch it head-on, said Bebe McElroy as she prepared to leave her home in the coastal Louisiana village of Cocodrie. Im just going around praying, saying, Dear Lord, just watch over us.

Ida was poised to strike Louisiana 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts. A Category 3 storm, Katrina was blamed for 1,800 deaths and caused levee breaches and catastrophic flooding in New Orleans, which took years to recover.

We're not the same state we were 16 years ago, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Saturday, pointing to a federal levee system that's seen major improvements since Katrina swamped New Orleans in 2005.

This system is going to be tested, Edwards said. The people of Louisiana are going to be tested. But we are resilient and tough people. And were going to get through this.

Edwards said 5,000 National Guard troops were being staged in 14 parishes for search and rescue efforts with high-water vehicles, boats and helicopters. And 10,000 linemen were on standby to respond to electrical outages.

A tropical depression two days earlier, Ida was strengthening so quickly that New Orleans officials said there was no time to organize a mandatory evacuation of the citys 390,000 residents, a task that would require coordinating with the state and neighboring locales to turn highways into one-way routes away from the city.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called for a voluntary evacuation and reiterated Saturday that the time to safely leave was growing short. Collin Arnold, the citys emergency management director, said the city could be under high winds for about 10 hours. Officials warned those who stayed to be prepared for long power outages amid sweltering heat in the days ahead.

Ramsey Green, the citys top infrastructure official, stressed that the levee and drainage systems protecting the city have been much improved since Katrina.

That said, if we see 10 to 20 inches of rain over an abbreviated period of time, we will see flooding, he said.

In Washington, President Joe Biden on Saturday called Ida very dangerous and urged Americans to pay attention and be prepared.

Lines at gas pumps and car rental agencies grew long as residents and tourists alike prepared to leave Saturday.

We were willing to wait it out but the hotel said we had to leave, said visitor Lays Lafaurie of Fort Worth, Texas, waiting in a rental car line at the citys airport. They said we had to leave by 7 tomorrow morning. But if wed waited that long there wouldnt have been any cars left.

Ida posed a threat far beyond New Orleans. A hurricane warning was issued for nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers) of Louisiana's coastline, from Intracoastal City south of Lafayette to the Mississippi state line. A tropical storm warning was extended to the Alabama-Florida line, and Mobile Bay in Alabama was under a storm surge watch.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency Saturday for the states coastal and western counties, warning Ida could bring flooding and tornadoes there.

In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves urged residents to stay off of interstate highways to make room for people fleeing Louisiana. He said 19 shelters had opened to take in evacuees. Several casinos on the Mississippi coast had closed ahead of Ida.

Meteorologist Jeff Masters, who flew hurricane missions for the government and founded Weather Underground, said Ida is forecast to move through the just absolute worst place for a hurricane.

The Interstate 10 corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is a critical hub of the nations petrochemical industry, lined with oil refineries, natural gas terminals and chemical manufacturing plants. Entergy, Louisianas major electricity provider, operates two nuclear power plants along the Mississippi River.

A U.S. Energy Department map of oil and gas infrastructure shows scores of low-lying sites in the storms projected path that are listed as potentially vulnerable to flooding. Phillips 66 said it was shutting operations at its refinery in Belle Chasse, Louisiana.

Many gas stations in and around New Orleans were out of gas, and the few still open had lines more than a dozen cars deep.

Mike Laurent of Marrero, Louisiana, was filling up about a dozen gas canisters to fuel his generator and those of friends and family. Laurent said his family planned to weather the storm at home despite concerns about whether the nearby levee would hold.

I dont think its ever been tested like its going to be tested tomorrow or Monday, Laurent said. I bought a dozen life jackets, just in case.

By Saturday afternoon, Ida was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (168 kph) . The storm was centered about 325 miles (525 kilometers) southeast of coastal Houma, Louisiana, and was traveling northwest at 16 mph (26 kph).

Cuba started to clean up Saturday after Ida tore through Isla de la Juventud and then western parts of the mainland. The storm toppled trees and damaged crops and buildings. There were no reported deaths.

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Associated Press writers Stacey Plaisance and Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans; Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland; Frank Bajak in Boston and Andrea Rodriguez in Los Palacios, Cuba, contributed to this report.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indianas largest hospital system will be stopping all inpatient non-emergency surgeries as the state faces a growing surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Indiana University Health announced Thursday that the surgery suspension would start Monday. The decision comes after IU Health said last week it was cutting such surgeries by half.

The surge of COVID-19 patient volumes has continued to accelerate at a rapid pace, and this temporary change is needed to further relieve pressure on our care teams and to free up space for critically ill patients, IU Health said in a statement.

Indiana hospitals were treating 2,366 COVID-19 patients as of Wednesday, according to the state health department. That is double the number of COVID-19 patients from 24 days earlier.

IU Health, which operates 16 hospitals around the state, also said that more than 200 employees did not meet Wednesdays deadline to get COVID-19 vaccinations and would be suspended immediately. The system announced the requirement in June for its some 36,000 employees.

IU Health has said unvaccinated workers will be placed on a two-week suspension and will be allowed to return to work if they attest to partial or full vaccination.

Vaccinating team members is a safe and effective way to protect patients and help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in facilities and in the community, IU Health spokesman Jeff Swiatek told the Indianapolis Business Journal.

Health officials blame Indianas rapid surge in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations on the highly contagious delta variant, which has been identified in 98% of Indiana COVID-19 samples tested in the past month.

Along with hospitalizations, Indianas COVID-19 deaths and intensive care unit cases have surged since falling to the pandemics lowest levels in June and July.

The state health department on Thursday added 23 COVID-19 deaths to Indianas toll, raising the pandemic total to 14,845 fatalities of people with confirmed or presumed coronavirus infections.

Indiana hospitals reported about 610 ICU patients with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, taking up 28% of available ICU beds. The number of such ICU patients is nearly three times what it was at the start of August.

The Indiana Hospital Association said the states health system is strained by the delta variants spread at a time when Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracking shows Indiana has the countrys 15th lowest rate of residents fully vaccinated at 46.5%.

There is a massive storm cloud of this virus sweeping up through Indiana and increasing our states vaccination rate is the most effective way to ease the burden on our courageous health care heroes and ensure a hospital bed for every Hoosier that needs one, hospital association President Brian Tabor said.
A prominent conservative attorney representing more than a dozen defendants charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol is seriously ill and hasnt appeared in court for more than a week, throwing some cases into disarray.

Attorney John Pierce has been sending an associate  who is not licensed to practice law  to appear before judges in his absence. Pierce's illness has left some clients without counsel for the time being and is putting the cases at a standstill, prosecutors said in court papers this week.

On Thursday in one of Pierces cases in federal court in Washington, a judge said he would appoint an attorney who could advise the client in Pierces absence. That was after the associate at Pierces law firm, who is not licensed as a lawyer and faces criminal charges himself in another matter, was unable to say when Pierce might be able to return.

At a hearing later Thursday for Pierces newest client, Pierce's associate was joined by a licensed attorney he said he had found to step in until Pierce returns.

Prosecutors repeatedly raised concerns this week that Pierce's absence and the actions of his associate, Ryan Marshall, on the attorney's behalf could cause problems in his cases, saying that Marshall had already done things he wasn't allowed to do.

Although Mr. Marshall has now appeared several times in Mr. Pierces place, he is not a licensed attorney and thus cannot appear in this Court, represent Mr. Pierces clients, or provide them with legal advice or services, they wrote in one filing.

They also said it's unclear if and when Mr. Marshall will be able to obtain a bar license since he is facing felony criminal charges including fraud in Pennsylvania state court.

Phone numbers for Pierces law firm did not appear to be working Thursday and it was not immediately clear how to reach Marshall.

Marshall told a judge Thursday in the case against a Kentucky man, Peter Schwartz, that Pierce remains hospitalized but is starting to feel better and expects to be released within a week. He didn't elaborate on Pierce's illness, but Marshall told a prosecutor last week that one of Pierce's friends informed him that the attorney was sick with the coronavirus while another friend told him he was not, according to court documents.

We're in a difficult position here, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta told Schwartz. You are entitled to counsel and you have retained Mr. Pierce. Mr. Pierce clearly is not available today and it is not clear to me when he is going to be available."

Among Pierce's other clients is Kenneth Harrelson, who is charged alongside other members and associates of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group in perhaps the most high-profile case brought so far in the Jan. 6 attack. Harrelson and the other Oath Keepers are accused of conspiring to block the certification of President Joe Biden's victory.

Pierce has also been hired by several members of the Proud Boys charged in the Jan. 6 riot.

Nearly 600 people have been charged in the events of Jan. 6. Supporters of President Donald Trump stormed past police barriers and sent lawmakers running as they were meeting to certify Biden's Electoral College win. Fifty defendants have pleaded guilty so far.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Just last week, managers overseeing the fight against the massive wildfire scorching California's Lake Tahoe region thought they could have it contained by the start of this week.

Instead, the Caldor Fire crested the Sierra Nevada on Monday, forcing the unprecedented evacuation of all 22,000 residents of South Lake Tahoe and tens of thousands of tourists who would otherwise be winding down their summers by the alpine lake straddling the California-Nevada state line.

That drastic move might never have been needed if authorities could have thrown more firefighters at the blaze when it was small. That didn't happen because the Dixie Fire was simultaneously raging across the mountain range 100 miles (161 kilometers) to the north, on the way to becoming the second-largest wildfire in California history.

I do think the Dixie and the way that its burned and its magnitude did impact the early response to the Caldor, said Scott Stephens, a professor of wildland fire science at the University of California, Berkeley. It really drew resources down so much that the Caldor got very few for the first couple days.

By the time Caldor approached Lake Tahoe two weeks later, there were 4,000 fire personnel, dozens of water-dropping aircraft and hundreds of fire engines and bulldozers.

But all that manpower and equipment were overmatched by tinder dry conditions, whipping downslope winds and an overgrown forest ripe to burn, a half-dozen fire experts said. And with resources already stretched across the West and internationally, they said the long-term situation will only worsen as exhausted firefighters battle bigger blazes that start earlier and last longer.

Mother Nature is calling the cards on our hubris that we can conquer and control wildfires during these extreme conditions," said Timothy Ingalsbee, a former federal firefighter who now heads Oregon-based Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, which advocates for working with wildfires instead of reflexively putting them out.

The Caldor Fire ignited from an unknown cause on Aug. 14 in the steep wooded foothills east of California's capital city of Sacramento. In the first few days, about 240 firefighters were dispatched, compared to the 6,550 firefighters battling the Dixie Fire at the time.

It wasn't until four days later that Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter said fire managers diverted 30 fire engines from the Dixie Fire to the Caldor Fire. Overnight, the number of engines and firefighters nearly tripled. But by then the fire had already burned through Grizzly Flats, destroying dozens of homes in the town of about 1,200 people.

We are moving resources around as needed, sharing among the incidents," Porter told reporters on Aug. 18. But he acknowledged that we are having a very difficult time because resources were so stretched across the West.

Officials couldn't say how many firefighters would have been ideal and when, but Cal Fire was candid that there initially was a shortage, said Ken Pimlott, who retired as the agency's director in 2018 and lives a few miles from the fire's origin.

Early on, this was not the highest priority because there were other threats on other fires that were higher," Pimlott said.

As the fire marched toward Lake Tahoe and its crystal clear waters that attract visitors from around the world, it destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures and left a firefighter with serious burns.

Still, officials predicted as recently as last weekend that they could hold the fire outside the Lake Tahoe Basin. They feverishly expanded fire lines to take advantage of the barren granite that caps the mountain chain which has formed an impenetrable barrier to flames in the past. This time, their optimism merely lulled residents into a false sense of security, leaving many scrambling to pack their lives in bags when evacuation orders came Monday.

Chad Hanson of the John Muir Project said fire managers were foolish to think they could stop the flames based on the expected winds.

It is 100% predictable that under those conditions the fire will continue to move in that direction. So its hard for me to imagine why anyone would conclude otherwise, said Hanson, a frequent critic of forest management efforts.

Firefighters had thought they made good progress during favorable conditions going into the weekend, said Jason Hunter, a spokesman for Caldor Fire managers. But then came the changing weather pattern with incredibly gusty winds that pushed burning embers over the crest.

The weather, is what it boils down to, is what changed, Hunter said. Containment projections are a constantly moving target based on evolving conditions, he said. The Caldor Fire's containment projection has since been pushed back to Sept. 13.

Experts agreed conditions are grim because drought has been worsened by consecutive climate change-driven heat waves that sap humidity before dry winds whip flames and ferry embers sometimes a mile or more ahead of the main blaze.

These embers are leapfrogging over fire lines and rivers, ridges and roads and other things that typically stop wildfire spread, and so you have these fires kind of hopscotching across the landscape, Ingalsbee said.

Firefighters were outflanked by a shift in localized winds that funneled flames into the Tahoe basin, said John Battles, a University of California, Berkeley professor of forest ecology.

Fire managers have become adept at projecting the weather and how fuels will burn, but still lack the ability to predict localized winds at fires  some caused by the fires themselves  with 10 different computer models offering as many conflicting outcomes, he said.

Theyre trying to predict winds at a mountain pass. That is the most complex topography we have, Battles said. Thats why you have this feeling like they didnt know what theyre doing."

He added: "When youre fighting a fire the size of the Caldor, you make your best guess.

The Caldor Fire is just the second in modern history to have traversed the Sierra. The first was the Dixie Fire that started in mid-July near the town of Paradise and has grown to 1,300 square miles (3,367 square kilometers), more than four times as large as Caldor.

Such monster fires typically come later in the year when conditions are their driest but also when cooler days, rising humidity and ultimately rain and snow have aided the firefight, said Char Miller, a professor at Pomona College who has written extensively about wildfires.

But California has received far less precipitation than normal the last two years and there's no guarantee more will arrive this fall to aid firefighters. This may burn through October, Miller said.

Yet the fire experts said the biggest challenge is neither drought nor climate change, but the overgrown forests that could actually benefit from fire  so long as it is set or allowed to burn at a low intensity during the spring or fall before it can explode out of control.

Firefighters still quickly contain about 95% of fires, but it's the ones that escape that do the major damage, Pimlott said. Once fires spread, firefighters may need to start prioritizing communities that can be protected while letting the flames burn around them, he said.

Its a hard pill to swallow for all of us in the firefighting community, because we want to put these fires to bed, he said. We just may not be able to do that on every one of these fires, because of the conditions were facing.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A lawmaker who heads North Dakotas anti-abortion legislative caucus said Thursday its likely the Republican-led Legislature will seek to pass a measure mirroring a new Texas law that virtually bans all abortions and that the Supreme Court has allowed to remain in force.

GOP Sen. Janne Myrdal, one of the Legislatures most ardent anti-abortion lawmakers, said she assumes legislation will be crafted eventually that uses the Texas law as a template.

I hear people talking about it, Myrdal said. About a third of the Legislatures 141 members are active in the caucus, which already has successfully pushed some of the nations toughest abortion laws.

GOP Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner said he and his House majority counterpart, Chet Pollert, believe any new abortion legislation will have to be introduced during the regular legislative session that begins in 2023. Wardner said there is not enough time to debate the bill when the Legislature meets later this year in a reconvened or special session meant to deal with legislative redistricting.

It will take more than a special session," Wardner said. We have to do this right. What worked in Texas might not work in North Dakota."

I haven't heard anything yet about legislation, but given the large percentage of pro-life legislators, I think it will come, he said.

The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to deny an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others that sought to block enforcement of the Texas law, which went into effect Wednesday.

North Dakota is one of several states that have so-called trigger laws that would ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its landmark 1973 ruling legalizing abortion nationwide.

Myrdal said the high courts action offers a glimmer of hope the court might eventually overturn Roe v. Wade because of its shift to the right following the appointment of three conservative justices by former President Donald Trump.

It needs to be sent back to the states where it belongs, Myrdal said.

North Dakota's GOP-controlled Legislature passed some of the nations strictest abortion laws beginning in 2013, including one that would have banned abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can happen before a woman knows she is pregnant. The U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 ruling legalized abortion up until a fetus is considered viable, usually at 22 to 24 weeks.

The fetal heartbeat bill and other anti-abortion measures passed in 2013 with little debate and with the overwhelming support of Republicans, who wield supermajority control in the Legislature.

North Dakotas fetal heartbeat law never took effect because the states lone abortion clinic, the Red River Womens Clinic in Fargo, successfully challenged it in court. North Dakota spent $326,000 unsuccessfully defending the law and paid the clinic $245,000 as part of a settlement.

Then-Gov. Jack Dalrymple, a Republican, called the law a legitimate attempt by a state Legislature to discover the boundaries of Roe v. Wade.

The Texas law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and before most women know theyre pregnant.

The Texas law, however, does not enforce the six-week ban through government authorities, but rather gives citizens the right to file civil suits and collect damages against anyone aiding an abortion.

The North Dakota Legislature this year killed a bill that would charge someone performing an abortion in North Dakota with murder, and also would make it a felony punishable by up to five years in prison to help women get abortions, including by giving them rides to abortion clinics.

The bill sponsored by GOP Rep. Jeff Hoverson and co-sponsored by some of the Legislatures other most vocal anti-abortion members did not have the support of GOP legislative leaders.

Hoverson, a pastor with six children, said Thursday the Supreme Courts decision was an incremental step toward banning the procedure altogether.

I rejoice in what Texas did, he said.
CAIRO (AP)  Egypts president held talks in Cairo on Thursday with the King of Jordan and the president of the Palestinian Authority aimed at reviving the Middle East peace process and strengthening a ceasefire that halted the Israel-Hamas war.

Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, King Abdullah II of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority's Mahmoud Abbas discussed the elusive two-state solution to the conflict with Israel, according to a statement from el-Sissi's office. The three leaders said the Palestinians have a right to an independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel staunchly opposes such a plan.

We very much welcome the meeting of these three leaders," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. We hope it will lead to a positive outcome and a regain of traction of diplomacy in the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

Relations remain tense, even though Israel's new coalition government, which includes an Arab party for the first time, has sought to keep things calm after the deadly war in May. Hamas responded to weeks of tensions in east Jerusalem by firing rockets, which triggered a withering Israeli assault on Gaza.

At least 260 Palestinians were killed during the conflict, including 67 children and 39 women, according to the Gaza health ministry. Hamas has acknowledged the deaths of 80 militants. Twelve civilians, including two children, were killed in Israel, along with one soldier.

Egypt, which has played a key mediation role between Israel and Hamas over the years, mediated a truce. In recent weeks, stakeholders have stepped up their diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing another military outburst in the region. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennett has recently said that he will be visiting Egypt soon to hold talks with el-Sissi.

Last week after Bennett met with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Abbas in Ramallah. Those talks signaled a possible shift after the near-complete breakdown in communication between Abbas and Israeli leaders in recent years.

The meeting was followed by the Israeli announcement of a series of gestures aimed at strengthening the Palestinian Authority, including plans to loan $150 million to the cash-strapped autonomy government in the occupied West Bank.

Last month, Egypts intelligence chief Abbas Kamel paid a rare visit to Israel to discuss conditions for a long-lasting cease-fire deal between Israel and the Hamas. Kamel had also travelled to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian President Abbas, whom the U.S. and Israel would like to bolster in his rivalry with Hamas.

In Thursdays talks, the Egyptian and Jordanian leaders also renewed their support of Abbas warning against the dangerous repercussions of the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the demolition of Palestinian houses and the confiscation of land properties, read the statement. On his part, el-Sissi stressed that the establishment of a Palestinian state requires the unification of all Palestinian factions, added the statement.

The Islamic militant group has controlled Gaza since ousting Abbas forces in 2007, a year after it defeated his Fatah party in Palestinian parliamentary elections.
BELLE CHASSE, La. (AP)  Life in Louisianas Plaquemines Parish is a mix of frustration and a little adventure since Hurricane Ida, with cowboys wrangling loose cattle on a highway, residents navigating alligator-infested floodwaters to get home and thousands waiting in long lines for gas and food.

On the plus side, no one died during the Category 4 storm in this narrow spit of soggy land southeast of New Orleans. On the down side, thousands of homes are damaged, many lack power and water and no one is sure when things will get back to normal.

Its getting worse, Gail Rudolph said Wednesday as she sat in a pickup truck near where dozens were lined up outside a closed grocery store waiting for it to open.

Chris Vanhoosier stood in line for an hour to fill up a few 5-gallon cans with gas.

Were waiting for the water to come back on. We lost a generator, so once that gets back on well do a little bit better, he said.

Just a few miles down the road, toward the tip of Louisianas boot-shaped coast, it was like a scene from the Old West as wranglers on horseback used ropes to catch a black cow that got loose in the storm. After about 15 minutes of work, they finally shooed it into a corral set up on a highway.

There are a couple hundred more out there, said one of the cowboys.

Still further south, past oil refineries that line the Mississippi River bank, Ben Tucker rode in a boat with his nephew, Robert Singlemen, and Michael Restock to check out his fish camp house at Myrtle Grove Marina for the first time.

Navigating slowly through flooded fields past alligators, snakes and hundreds of dead nutria, they found a neighborhood of about 70 flooded homes, many of which were missing siding and the contents of first-floor garages and carports, which were inundated by storm surge from Ida.

Mud was everywhere, and only a little of it was washed away by an afternoon thunderstorm. Tuckers fishing equipment was scattered everywhere and the benches near his dock were gone. But the main floor of the house, which stands on stilts, was remarkably dry and the roof seemed fine.

All in all, Tucker said, things could be a lot worse.

Its here. It survived. It aint the prettiest, but well be back, he said.

Next-door neighbor Gayle Lawrence, who rode out Ida with her husband in the neighborhood, which is built along canals, fretted over the loss of two cars, refrigerators and most everything else in their garage, filled with marsh grass and stinking, dead fish.

The house is solid, it didnt even move. But when the water came up it destroyed everything, she said.

The entire lower part of the parish remains under a mandatory evacuation order, and the town of Belle Chasse is under a voluntary evacuation order. In one area, workers are cutting through a levee to let water drain back toward the gulf, officials said. Water service is spotty because of power failures and local government offices are closed until next week.

Parish President Kirk Lepine urged residents who fled Ida to stay away a while longer until roads can be cleared, power restored, dead livestock removed and more.

We do want to see your smiling face. We want you to come home. But not right now, he told a news briefing.

Louisiana calls itself a sportsman's paradise, and Plaquemines gets a lot of credit for the nickname. Skilled taxidermists can do a good business in this parish of 23,000 people preparing all the mounted fish and deer heads that hang on walls in residents' homes. They're sometimes beside paintings of crabs, shrimp and other coastal delicacies.

The houses that some residents call fish camps are a lot like the big, nice houses that line so much of the Gulf Coast. Refinery and oil industry workers in the area make enough money to have a good life with a little extra to spare for boats, hunting gear, top-quality fishing poles and more. It's a place where it's easy to forget the problems of the world.

It's just great. The water is just serenity. It's like you're on an island except when a hurricane comes, said Lawrence, 79, who retired to Plaquemines Parish with her husband Warren. We talked about selling when this was coming through, but we can't do that.

Tucker, who works for a road-building company and lives in the New Orleans suburb of Gretna, might quit the parish some day, but it's hard to imagine when. The fishing is good, the beer is awfully tasty when it's cold on a hot day and hurricanes, like alligators, come and go.

As long as it's more fun than work, I'm all in, he said.
METAIRIE, La. (AP)  A Louisiana deputy shot and killed a woman who dragged another deputy with her car after yelling racist slurs at workers repairing a water main, authorities said.

Capt. Jason Rivarde, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, said deputies were dispatched Wednesday afternoon to a neighborhood in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie when they encountered the woman.

Deputies approached and made several attempts to calm the woman down, but she eventually fled in her vehicle while dragging a deputy alongside, Rivarde said in a news release.

Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said the woman struck and dragged the deputy several feet. That led to a short pursuit that ended when she got stuck in traffic. When the woman accelerated again, she hit a deputy with her car, prompting another deputy to fire into the car's driver's side.

At least eight or nine shots were fired, based on shell casings found at the scene, Lopinto said.

The woman's car traveled another 40 or 50 feet before coming to a stop. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. She was alone in the car.

Jefferson Parish Coroner Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich identified the woman Thursday as Anne Schilly, 65, of Kenner, Louisiana. He said an initial evaluation showed she had at least one gunshot wound but an autopsy scheduled Friday will determine exactly how many shots she sustained.

Cvitanovich said Schilly has had multiple interactions, at least 15 or 20 times, with his office through orders of protection, which result in mental health commitments.

We are encouraging people to check on everyone, their family, their friends, their neighbors who might have mental health issues. Because of the situation we're in, they might be without their medications, their routines may have changed, they might not have their usual support system and on top of that, it's hot. We don't want to have another situation like this that could turn into another tragedy, he said. It's truly a sad outcome that happened despite everyone's best efforts to diffuse it.

A man recorded the woman using a profanity and racist slur in yelling that the crew members needed to go back to their countries, according to video shown to The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.

Lopinto gave few details of the confrontation but he suggested to reporters that the woman might have been in mental distress. There didnt seem to be a whole lot right with her, he said.

The deputy who was dragged was treated for minor injuries at an area hospital, Lopinto said. The names of the deputies involved in the encounter have not been released.

The man who recorded the videos told the newspaper the workers didnt deserve the treatment they received from the woman. To support his point, he pulled up a video of them going up to residents living near the site of another water main repair and giving them their parish-provided lunches.

But he said he also was upset that the woman let the situation devolve to the point where she paid with her life.

They really tried to help the lady, the man said of the deputies. And she f----d them over.
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP)  A man is being held on $2 million bail, accused of shooting to death a woman with whom he had been in a relationship in Vancouver, Washington.

The victim in the Aug. 23 shooting is identified in court records as 27-year-old Inessa G. Kryshtal, The Columbian reported.

Austin J. Navarro, 29, made a first appearance this week in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of second-degree domestic violence murder and unlawful possession of a firearm. It wasnt immediately known if he has a lawyer to comment on his case.

Vancouver police responded at about 9:40 p.m. Aug. 23 to a gas station in response for a welfare check. Kryshtal was found slumped in a car with a gunshot wound and pronounced dead, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Officers at the scene found a spent shell casing near Kryshtals car. Investigators later determined it was a 9mm Winchester brand round.

A friend of Kryshtal identified the man as Navarro and said Kryshtal had told her that Navarro was violent toward her, according to the affidavit.

Investigators say surveillance footage at the Chevron shows a man, believed to be Navarro, inside the store at 9:18 p.m. The man is seen at 9:20 p.m. walking across the parking lot in the direction of Kryshtals car, court documents state.

At 9:21 p.m., there was a phone call between the two. About 15 minutes later, 911 callers reported Kryshtal was having a medical episode, according to the affidavit.

Navarro was found Friday at another gas station in Vancouver by local law enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service. Officers said they located a 9mm pistol with Winchester ammunition where Navarro fell during the arrest.

In an interview with investigators, Navarro allegedly admitted to having the handgun. He said he and Kryshtal met at the gas station so he could get his property back.

The two fought, he said, and he ultimately stated he didnt mean to and started crying, the affidavit said. Navarro said he was trying to scare Kryshtal. He then requested an attorney, court records say.
HUIXTLA, Mexico (AP)  Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador expressed frustration with a strategy of containing migrants in the south on Thursday and said he would write to U.S. President Joe Biden to insist that country contribute to his favorite development projects in the region.

The presidents comments came after days of groups of 200 to 300 migrants walking out of the southern city of Tapachula. Mexicos National Guard and immigration agents have broken up the groups and detained many, in some cases using force that drew heavy criticism.

We cant just be detaining; the causes must be addressed, Lopez Obrador said during his daily news conference. Its not advisable to just root the immigration plan in containment, its shaky.

The Biden administration has expressed a willingness to address the root causes of migration, especially from Central America. Biden placed Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of the effort and she has visited Mexico and Guatemala to gather information.

But Lopez Obrador has suggested the U.S. fund his tree planting and youth employment programs, without much success. On Thursday, he said that with funding, the two programs could create 330,000 jobs within six months in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

The majority of the migrants leaving Tapachula in recent days are Haitian asylum seekers who have grown tired of waiting in the southern city for Mexicos overwhelmed asylum system to process their cases. Shelter space is limited and many have been forced to live in unsanitary conditions. They want to be able to work legally in Mexico and move freely.

Before dawn Thursday, a group set out from the town of Huixtla in the southernmost state of Chiapas. They had left Tapachula earlier this week. Some carried small children or held them by the hand as they walked up the side of the highway, their few possessions in knapsacks or plastic bags.

Just before noon, hundreds of National Guardsmen moved in on the migrants when they stopped to rest under mango and papaya trees. The guardsmen penned them in with their riot shields while immigration agents detained them. Some fled and others struggled as they were loaded onto vans.

I have been walking for two days here without eating, said Louis Galites, a 28-year-old man from Haiti. Galites left Haiti four years ago, lived in Chile and eventually made it to Mexico.

Galites complained that Mexican authorities were too slow in giving him documents that would allow him to legally transit the country en route to the United States where he hoped to reunite with his mother and other relatives.

They never give me papers, I dont have work, Galites said. While waiting in Tapachula, Galites had to sleep in a plaza without shelter from the elements.

On Wednesday, authorities descended on another group seeking shelter from a heavy rain.

Last Saturday, immigration agents were filmed kicking a migrant who was already on the ground. They were suspended this week. On Wednesday, Lopez Obrador insisted that the government has not violated migrants human rights.

But his comments Thursday appeared to signal a possible break with the containment strategy Mexico had been employing at the behest of the U.S. government since the Trump administration. Just last Friday, Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said the main objective of the armed forces and National Guard is to detain all migration and cover the northern border, the southern border with soldiers.

While unlikely to cease efforts to slow migrants, Mexico could seek to pressure the Biden administration for more assistance.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday that he's appointing a former aide as his new chief of staff.

Parker Briden was one of the spokesmen for Reeves during the 2019 gubernatorial campaign. He became the governor's deputy chief of staff for external affairs in 2020, working on response to severe weather outbreaks and the COVID-19 pandemic. Briden left Reeves' office in April and became campaign manager for Bernie Moreno, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Ohio.
CASSVILLE, Mo. (AP)  Burial will be Sept. 13 for a Missouri soldier killed during World War II, but whose remains went unidentified for nearly eight decades.

Army Sgt. John V. Phillips of Cassville, Missouri, will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The U.S. Army said in a news release that Phillips was a member of Headquarters Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December 1941.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that Virgin Galactic cannot launch anyone into space again until an investigation is complete into a mishap that occurred during July's flight with founder Richard Branson.

The ban came as Virgin Galactic announced plans to launch three Italian researchers to the edge of space in a few weeks.

The FAA said the rocketship carrying Branson and five Virgin Galactic employees veered off course during its descent back to its runway in the New Mexico desert on July 11. The deviation put the ship outside the air traffic control clearance area.

The FAA is overseeing the probe; it's responsible for protecting the public during commercial launches and reentries. Crew safety, on the other hand, is outside its jurisdiction. Virgin Galactic insisted Thursday that Branson and everyone else on board were never in any added danger.

Virgin Galactic may not return the SpaceShipTwo vehicle to flight until the FAA approves the final mishap investigation report or determines the issues related to the mishap do not affect public safety, the FAA said in a statement.

Virgin Galactic acknowledged the space plane dropped below the protected airspace for one minute and 41 seconds. The spacecraft's free-flying portion of the up-and-down flight lasted about 15 minutes and reached an altitude of 53.5 miles (86 kilometers).

Virgin Galactic said high-altitude wind caused the change in flight path and insisted the two pilots responded appropriately. In a statement, the company said the flight was a safe and successful test flight that adhered to our flight procedures and training protocols.

In another statement Thursday, Virgin Galactic added that at no time did the ship travel above any population centers or cause a hazard to the public. Virgin Galactic operates out of Spaceport America in the southern New Mexico desert.

We take this seriously and are currently addressing the causes of the issue and determining how to prevent this from occurring on future missions, the company said.

Branson ended up beating fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos  founder of Amazon as well as rocket company Blue Origin  into space by nine days. Bezos launched July 20 with three others from West Texas.

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are vying to sell seats to tourists, scientists and anyone else looking to experience a few minutes of weightlessness. Virgin Galactic's rocketship is launched from an airplane, while Blue Origin's capsule is hoisted by a reusable New Shepard rocket.

Virgin Galactic is aiming for late September or early October for its next flight, with two Italian Air Force officers, an engineer for the National Research Council of Italy, Virgin Galactic's chief astronaut instructor and the rocketship's two pilots. It will be the company's first launch where researchers accompany their own experiments. The company plans to start flying ticket holders next year.

Blue Origin has yet to announce a date for its next passenger flight, other than to say it will be soon.

___

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.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP)  One-time Nicaragua presidential aspirant Cristiana Chamorro and one of her brothers were among five people formally charged with money laundering Thursday, prosecutors announced.

In a statement, prosecutors said Chamorro, Pedro Joaquin Chamorro and three former employees of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation will be tried for money laundering and other alleged crimes.

Cristiana Chamorro has been under house arrest since June 2. Her arrest was one of the first of a wave of detentions against opposition leaders, including seven potential presidential candidates. President Daniel Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term in office Nov. 7.

Chamorro has maintained her innocence. She is the daughter of former President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.

To clear the path toward re-election, Ortega's government has moved against a number of nongovernmental organizations it views as opposition. The president has claimed that organizations receiving funding from abroad were part of a broader conspiracy to remove him from office in 2018.

Following the arrest of Chamorro and other former foundation employees, the U.S. State Department said in a statement, Their detention on trumped up charges is an abuse of their rights, and it represents an assault on democratic values as well as a clear attempt to thwart free and fair elections."

In January, she stepped down from her role at the foundation. A month later, it closed its operations in Nicaragua after passage of a foreign agents law designed to track foreign funding of organizations operating in the country.

The nongovernmental Nicaraguan Human Rights Center said Thursday the hearing took place at the Managua prison where many political prisoners are being held. There was no access for family members or the public.

Prosecutors said Thursday that five other accused in the case, including another Chamorro brother, journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro, are fugitives in the case.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  It was a valuable piece of paper. But now it's worthless.

The Michigan Lottery said no one stepped forward with a winning ticket worth $201,144 in a Fantasy 5 game from 2020.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Traffic at Florida's busiest airport this holiday weekend is forecast to exceed pre-pandemic crowds.

Officials at Orlando International Airport said Wednesday that this Labor Day weekend they are expecting more than 303,000 departures, a 7% increase above Labor Day weekend in 2019.

If it pans out, that forecast will be more than double what the Orlando airport experienced during the Labor Day weekend travel period last year.

The official holiday travel period starts Thursday and ends next Tuesday.

The busiest travel day of the holiday weekend is expected to be on Saturday when Orlando International Airport is forecast to have more than 53,000 departures.

Before the pandemic started in the U.S. in March 2020, the theme park mecca was the most visited place in the U.S., with 76 million visitors in 2019. That figure fell to 35.3 million visitors last year.

This holiday it appears many travelers are soaking in the last bit of summer by taking a trip to Orlando," the airport said in a statement.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  The state is in line to receive about $14 million thanks to an arbitration panels ruling in a multistate tobacco settlement dating back to 1998.

Wisconsin and 45 other states reached an agreement with the nations four largest U.S. tobacco companies to settle dozens of state lawsuits seeking reimbursement for health care costs associated with smoking-related illnesses.
Nicki Stoll brought her two elementary-age school children out by the Midland Public Schools Administration Building Wednesday morning to oppose the school districts mask mandate and to call for an emergency school board meeting.

She said one of her sons hates wearing his mask because it makes him sweat and makes him uncomfortable. Her other son fidgets with his mask, and she finds it to be a distraction for him. She said she had COVID-19 twice and was not hospitalized, so she is sure her kids had it at some point too.

Stoll believes it should be a parents choice whether their kids should wear a mask in school.

I am not saying the science behind any of it matters, because that is not what this is about, Stoll said. I do not tell people who want to wear masks that they cannot. I want my choice. These are my children.

The Midland Public School District's enrollment is 7,798, and less than 50 people assembled at Wednesday morning's protest. Though small in numbers, the group was impassioned. Many showed up to express concerns over their parental rights and choices being taken away after the school districted implemented a mask mandate on Monday for grades K-6 because of COVID spread and vaccines not being authorized for those under age 12.

Midland Superintendent Michael Sharrow announced the new mask policy Saturday in an email communique to parents. He then reported there is a current COVID-19 outbreak that has affected three schools in the district.

Jacob Lewis has kids enrolled in MPS, and he created the Facebook page, Parents Against MPS Mask Mandate. He told the Daily News the mandate amounts to child abuse for children with speech impediments because not being able to see lips move when someone is talking will make it harder for them to learn. He also believes masks make it harder for children to breathe, and he questioned the effectiveness of many masks.

Mindy Cox has three children. Her oldest is in middle school and enrolled in MPS. Her other children now attend a private school due to the mask mandate. Her 8-year-old child has speech problems and the mask mandate has given her a lack of confidence, Cox said, adding her daughter has not been able to socialize with friends at school.

Cox said she is a nurse and does not oppose the COVID vaccine. However, she feels masks do not work. Cox cited a study from the University of Louisville that claims mask mandates were not effective in curbing the spread of COVID.

However, the study Cox cited has not been peer-reviewed by a reputable source, meaning it needs to be evaluated by the medical community and the information presented may be erroneous. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Midland area pediatricians have all recommended masks for children ages 12 and below (and some have called for all students to be masked in effort to curb the spread of COVID).

As to what precautions Wednesday's protesters think should be in place, Lewis said if a legitimate source was cited by the state government that there was an outbreak, he would be fine with a mask mandate from the state.

(The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and State of Michigan provide a wealth of data from health departments across the state to track COVID activity on the state's online COVID-19 dashboard at michigan.gov/coronavirus.)

As far as precautions go, Cox said there should be no mandates, only choice.

As a community, as a nation, and as a world, we need to start to live with (COVID), Cox said. "It is not going to go anywhere and we need to acclimate to it like any other virus.

As for concerns from parents, teachers and students who may not be able to get vaccinated and/or have underlying health conditions, Stoll said if their wearing a mask works, her children should not have to wear them. If others are that scared, then they should take other precautions, she said.

However, according to the CDC, masks aren't solely intended to protect the person wearing the mask. Masks protect others from respiratory droplets the mask-wearer spreads in the air.

Lewis said while he understands the concerns of those advocating for universal mask wearing, he will not accept a mask mandate until it comes from the correct people, i.e. from state government officials, not the local superintendent. He believes Sharrow's decision was unlawful and violates the Michigan Legislatures school code from 1976 that include deprivation of basic needs, child abuse, and any restraint that negatively impacts breathing.

This mandate was made solely by the superintendent, Lewis said. There was no board meeting about it, and we had no say.

While there was no Midland Board of Education meeting held regarding a mask mandate, the communication issued Saturday by Sharrow was also signed by Midland County Health Director Fred Yanoski.

During Wednesday's protest, Lewis used a megaphone to call for an emergency school board meeting, something many of the parents in attendance agreed on. Stoll said Sept 20, the date of the next school board meeting, is too far away, and something should be done now.

The Daily News reached out to Sharrow for comment, but he declined to speak further. A statement issued Monday from Sharrow states: "MPS will continue to review these protocols and current COVID case data with the MCDPH (Midland County Department of Public Health) no less than weekly. Additional changes to our health protocols could be implemented at any time depending on community and in-school COVID tends."

Stoll said some people might look down on her bringing her kids to the protest, but she said being there might help them learn "about their rights in real life."

I don't believe that missing half a day of school (is) detrimental to their education, Stoll said. I actually believe they are going to be learning more about their rights and the Constitution being here with me for half a day versus sitting in a classroom being upset because they have a mask on their face.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  A seafood processing company with operations in Alaska and Washington state will require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Our team often works in close quarters and in remote communities with limited access to health care resources, Rodger May, president and chief growth officer at Peter Pan Seafood Co., said in a statement.

Requiring employees to be vaccinated is the new gold standard. This is the best way I know to keep them and the communities we work in as healthy as possible, May said.

The policy will be enacted in tiers. The first tier includes employees at company headquarters in Bellevue, Washington; the Seattle warehouse; Alaska processing facilities in Valdez, Port Moller, Dillingham, and Alaska support centers in Dillingham, Sand Point and Naknek.

Those employees already have a 95% vaccination rate. The others must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1.

The second tier includes all employees at the processors facility in King Cove, Alaska. A deadline for those employees will be announced later.

The company said in an email to The Associated Press that 80% of its employees are included in the first tier, with the rest working in King Cove. Peter Pan didnt respond to a question asking how many employees were in each tier.

Exceptions will be made for people who have medical or religious reasons not to be vaccinated, but employees who dont fall under those categories and choose not to be vaccinated will be fired, the email to the AP said.

The mandatory vaccinations do not apply to crew members in the fishing fleet, which operate separately from Peter Pan, the email said.
PHOENIX (AP)  The Phoenix City Council will vote next week on whether Assistant City Manager Jeff Barton will take over for City Manager Ed Zuercher.

Zuercher announced in July that he will be retiring on Oct. 8 after a 28-year career that including eight years as city manager.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  Authorities have rescued five girls who were among 73 schoolchildren abducted this week in northwest Nigeria and reunited them with their parents, police said Thursday.

Zamfara police spokesman Mohammed Shehu did not say how the five students from the Government Day School in Kaya had been freed, except saying only that it happened while authorities were searching for the abducted students.
WASHINGTON - A self-described "poster boy" for the Jan. 6 Capitol riots was sent back to jail Thursday after breaking a federal judge's orders to stay off the Internet - a lapse his lawyer attributed to his seeming addiction to the QAnon cult.

Douglas Jensen, 42, of Des Moines, Iowa, became one of the most recognized members of the mob that day when he was recorded on widely shared video pursuing U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up two flights of stairs inside the Capitol while searching for the just-evacuated Senate chamber, according to prosecutors.

Jensen - wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with a large "Q" and an eagle - came to Washington believing that members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence were going to be arrested for opposing President Donald Trump's effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said at a hearing Thursday.

"He was at the forefront of a mob deep inside the Capitol because he wanted a front row to see what would happen . . . He wanted to be part of a revolution," Kelly said, citing Jensen's own statements.

Kelly said it was a "close call" when he released Jensen from jail July 13. At the time, the judge said he believed the union laborer's explanations that after serving behind bars since Jan. 8, Jensen now recognized he had been deceived by "a pack of lies."

Jensen agreed to abide by a judge's orders imposing conditions for his release, including not accessing the Internet or using Internet-capable devices, including cellphones. The court's point was to separate Jensen from the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory, which the FBI has warned could encourage violence among some believers of its false founding claim that a cabal of Satan-worshipping "global elites" and "deep state" international child sex traffickers were engaged in plots to conduct a coup against Trump.

But two weeks after Jensen's release, a court supervision officer found him alone in his garage streaming news from a right-wing site to a WiFi-enabled iPhone, according to court filings, and prosecutors moved to revoke bail.

Jensen later admitted he also spent two days watching a "cyber symposium" held by pillow magnate Mike Lindell to perpetuate false claims the 2020 election was hacked.

On Thursday, Jensen's defense lawyer Christopher Davis said at first glance it might seem "Orwellian" that a man in his garage could be sent back to jail for streaming the news, but Davis conceded that Jensen had violated the judge's plain orders.

"We know why we're here . . . Mr. Jensen knows he shouldn't have done this," Davis said.

"I do liken this to an addiction. Why else would anyone incarcerated in D.C. Jail for six months and just released do this? . . . I don't have a good answer for this. I don't think he does either," Davis said.

Jensen has said he followed QAnon for four years, eventually spending most of his waking, nonworking hours pursuing it and becoming a "digital soldier" and "religious" adherent.

Jensen is now "in therapy, but what that is going to do, I don't know," Davis said. "I almost liken it to a compulsion. It just doesn't add up. This is an intelligent man. I know this - he is not a bumbling idiot, in any sense of the word. He understands."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mira Havill argued that Jensen claimed both that he felt deceived by QAnon, and that he remains captivated by it, saying, "He can't have it both ways."

"There are no additional conditions this court could impose to ensure that Mr. Jensen does not return to the habits that led him to the Capitol, resist police throughout the day and led him to jail" once before, Havill said.

Kelly said he found "clear and convincing evidence" that Jensen barely hesitated before violating court orders and was unlikely to abide by them in the future.

Kelly remanded Jensen to the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service at the federal courthouse in Des Moines, and set a Sept. 24 hearing to assess the status of plea talks.

The QAnon conspiracy theory played a role in Jensen's alleged, violent and very serious conduct, the judge said, and "played a major role in a very, very serious event." Jensen claimed he had experienced "a wake-up call that had ended his victimization," but that appears not to have been completed, Kelly said.

Jensen has pleaded not guilty to a seven-count indictment that includes three felony charges: rioting, assaulting police and obstruction of a congressional proceeding, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The FBI in a threat assessment dated June 4 this year noted the arrests of more than 20 self-identified QAnon adherents in the storming of the Capitol. The assessment said their presence underscored how the current environment "likely will continue to act as a catalyst for some to begin accepting the legitimacy of violent action."

The FBI assessed that some domestic violent extremist adherents of QAnon likely will begin to believe they have an obligation to shift "towards engaging in real-world violence," even as others disengage from the de-platformed movement.

Separately Thursday, a federal judge ordered the Federal Defender's Office of Washington to appear next Thursday as possible "advisory counsel" for one of 17 Jan. 6 defendants represented by lawyer John Pierce, who has been reportedly hospitalized for nearly two weeks without explanation to judges or prosecutors.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta issued the order in case defendant Peter Schwartz, a Kentucky welder who has pleaded not-guilty to a 14-count indictment, wanted to replace Pierce after an employee of Pierce's law firm failed to explain his absence to Schwartz or arrange for another lawyer to appear, as Mehta had requested at a hearing last Thursday.

Ryan Marshall, Pierce's employee,did say he had spoken directly to Pierce three days ago for the first time since Aug. 23. Marshall told the judge that Pierce said he was seriously ill, but expected to be released from a hospital this week, without saying why or providing further elaboration.

Marshall also said that while Pierce had 17 clients, he had never spoken with Pierce's firm's other named partner, nor knew of any other attorney with the firm.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  South Carolina's highest court on Thursday tossed out a school mask mandate in the state's capital city, saying it contradicts a state budget measure aimed at preventing face covering requirements.

State Attorney General Alan Wilson had sued the city of Columbia after its City Council passed the ordinance requiring masks at elementary and middle schools. City leaders said the mask requirement, which carries a $100 violation fine, was meant to protect children too young to be approved for the coronavirus vaccine.

But Wilson argued the city's mask rule conflicts with the budget requirement that went into effect July 1 and bans school districts from using appropriated funds to require face coverings.

On Thursday, the state Supreme Court sided unanimously with the attorney general. The Columbia ordinance is written so that the burden of enforcing the mask rule falls on school employees, all of whom have an obvious connection to state-appropriated funds," wrote Justice John Kittredge.

That means school employees have to choose between violating state or city laws, the opinion reads.

The City has made clear that every school employee is in the crosshairs, Kittredge wrote. Simply put, whether intentionally or inadvertently, the City threatens all school personnel with far-reaching and unknown legal liability unless all school personnel ensure obedience to the ordinances.

Attorneys for Columbia had argued days prior that city and school authorities could draw from separate pots of money, such as local funds, to enforce mask-wearing. They also claimed the legislature overstepped constitutional boundaries by putting the mask rule  a policy unrelated to state finances  in the budget, which aims to raise and spend money.

The Court emphasized what weve been saying all along, that we are not arguing mask policy, we are arguing the rule of law," Wilsons office said in a statement.

Both the court and Wilson have emphasized the legal debate does not touch on whether masks themselves are effective or whether they should be required.

The Columbia effort put Mayor Steve Benjamin, a Democrat, at odds with Republican Gov. Henry McMaster as well as the GOP-controlled Legislature, which recently barred such policies for all public schools.

In a statement provided to AP, Benjamin said Thursday the citys stance "is the same now as it was before we enacted our emergency ordinance requiring masks in our elementary and middle schools: we will always act to preserve and protect the health and safety of our children.

This is a sad day for children in South Carolina, Benjamin added. What is even sadder is the people who have been elected to protect them, who should always and only act to keep them healthy, educated and alive, wont fight for them. With record numbers of our children falling ill to this deadly virus, we pray for our children.

In a tweet by his office, McMaster said the court had reached a sound conclusion and urged those eligible for vaccinations to get the shots.

A parents right to decide whats best for their child is now definitively protected by state law," the tweet reads.

The budget provision by lawmakers took effect July 1, when the state was averaging less than 150 COVID-19 cases a day. Now the state is seeing more than 5,000 new cases daily, and deaths are spiking as hospitals become strained at a time when children return to school and vaccinations lag.

The court's ruling comes as thousands of students and staff are quarantined across South Carolina. Health officials have already tracked more than 3,000 school-related COVID-19 cases this semester, and schools across the state have had to move to virtual learning to try to staunch outbreaks.

Some school districts had implemented mask mandates in defiance of the budget requirement, though many waited for the outcome of Thursday's court ruling.

The state is also facing a legal challenge in federal court, where disability rights groups and parents of children with disabilities represented by the ACLU sued last month to reverse the state ban on mask mandates.

The federal Department of Education has also opened a civil rights probe into South Carolina and four other Republican-led states with similar bans on school mask mandates, saying the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions.

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Meg Kinnard contributed to this report.
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP)  Authorities at Grand Canyon National Park said Wednesday that they are scaling back the search for a Texas man who has been missing for nearly three months.

Park officials said 49-year-old Charles Lyon of Tyler was last seen at a hotel in Tusayan on June 10.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Almost instantly after most abortions were banned in Texas, Democrats were decrying the new law as unconstitutional, an assault on women's health that must be challenged. But the reaction from many Republicans on the other side hasn't been nearly as emphatic.

Though some in the GOP are celebrating the moment as a long-sought win for the anti-abortion rights movement, others are minimizing the meaning of the Supreme Court's Wednesday midnight decision that allowed the bill to take effect. A few are even slamming the court and the law.

Or dodging.

Im pro-life, said Republican Glenn Youngkin, a GOP candidate for governor in increasingly Democratic Virginia, where the only open governor's race in the nation is coming up in November. When pressed on the Texas law by a reporter, he quickly noted that he supports exceptions in cases of rape, incest and where the mothers life is in danger  exceptions notably not included in the new law.

The mixed reactions illustrate the political risks for the GOP as their anti-abortion allies begin actually achieving goals they have long sought. Americans are hardly of one mind on the issue, and loudly defending the nation's toughest curbs  in Virginia or political battlegrounds like Georgia, Arizona or Florida  in next year's midterm elections won't be hazard-free.

It is going to be a very motivating issue for women who havent typically been single-issue pro-choice voters, said Republican pollster Christine Matthews. That includes suburban women and independents in swing House districts and competitive governors races who in past elections didnt believe Roe v. Wade was truly under threat, Matthews said.

The new Texas law represents the most significant threat yet to the Supreme Courts 1973 decision establishing the right to an abortion. Surveys suggest that ruling still has broad support  69% of voters in last year's elections said Roe v. Wade should be left as is, compared with just 29% saying it should be overturned, according to AP VoteCast, a poll of the electorate.

Democrats and abortion-rights advocates, who have sometimes been frustrated by voters taking access for granted, vowed Thursday to use the moment to wake people up. They promised to go after not just GOP candidates and office holders who support the Texas measure and others like it but also corporations that support them. Some reignited calls to end Senate filibuster rules to give abortion access a better chance at passage in Congress.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House would soon vote on codifying Roe v. Wade into law, though chances in the Senate are all but nil.

Virginia's Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe already has been making abortion a key issue. He points to secretly recorded video in which Youngkin tells a woman posing as an abortion opponent that he supports defunding Planned Parenthood but can't talk about it publicly because as a campaign topic, sadly, that in fact wont win my independent votes that I have to get.

On Thursday McAuliffe warned that if Youngkin wins and Republicans take over the state House theres a good chance that we could see Virginia go the way of Texas.

The Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and often before women know they're pregnant. Rather than be enforced by government authorities, the law gives citizens the right to file civil suits and collect damages against anyone aiding an abortion.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, tweeted that she wanted her office to compare her state's laws with the new Texas one "to make sure we have the strongest pro-life laws on the books in SD.

But such views were hardly universal in her party.

In South Carolina, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster this year signed a restriction requiring doctors to perform ultrasounds checking for cardiac activity and prohibiting abortion if it's found, unless the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, or the mothers life was in danger.

Asked Thursday if he would support a Texas-style bill, such as one without exceptions for rape and incest, McMaster said he viewed South Carolinas law as superior.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine called the Texas law extreme and harmful.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell downplayed the Supreme Court's action as a highly technical decision."

Indeed, the conservative-majority court did not rule on the constitutionality of the Texas law. The justices instead refused to block its implementation and issued a brief statement saying the decision in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts.

The justices' role ensures that the court's makeup will be part of the revived political debate. Liberal lawmakers backed by advocates who helped power President Joe Biden to office want to expand the number of justices to rebalance power.

Democrats can either abolish the filibuster and expand the court, or do nothing as millions of people's bodies, rights and lives are sacrificed for far-right minority rule, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote on Twitter.

While a majority of American support Roe v. Wade, abortion opponents have typically been more likely to let the issue determine their votes. According to AP VoteCast, just 3% of voters in the 2020 presidential election called abortion the single most important issue facing the country, but they leaned resoundingly toward Republican President Donald Trump, 89% to just 9% for Democrat Biden. In a separate question, 18% of voters called Supreme Court nominations the single most important factor in their presidential votes. Those voters leaned toward Biden by a relatively narrow margin, 53% to 46%.

A June poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most Americans think abortion should be limited after the first trimester, but about 6 in 10 said it should usually be legal in the first three months of pregnancy. More than 8 in 10 said it should be legal in cases of rape or incest.

The poll found that younger adults are especially likely to support legal abortion. Sixty-three percent of those under age 45 said abortion should usually be legal, compared with 51% of those 45 and older. Still, even young adults support some limits on abortion based on the time of pregnancy, with majorities across all age groups saying most abortions should be illegal by the third trimester.

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Emily Swanson in Washington and Meg Kinnard in Houston contributed to this report. Burnett reported from Chicago.
CHICAGO (AP)  Rowers, kayakers and other users of the Chicago River are getting a real-time look at one measure of water quality in the system that weaves through downtown and several neighborhoods.

Chicago nonprofit Current in 2019 installed three sensors in the river's three main branches to continuously estimate the amount of bacteria from human and other warm-blooded animals' waste.

The organization initially planned to begin making the real-time results public in 2020. But the coronavirus pandemic delayed their plans until Thursday, when a website updating with data taken every 15 minutes went online.

The city's development in the 19th century was thanks to the river  truly a system of rivers and manmade canals  that provided a path between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system. While the meatpacking and lumber industries could use it for shipping, the waterway also became a dumping ground for those and other industries and for sewage from homes and businesses.

Quality of the 156-mile (251-kilometer) river system has improved in recent years, helped by multibillion-dollar construction of new reservoirs and underground tunnels. But when rain overwhelms Chicago's sewer systems, sewage and stormwater is diverted to the river, prompting warnings to stay off the water for several days.

That's unlikely to change; city authorities have warned that climate change's effects will continue bringing more frequent and intense storms to the region.

Fecal coliform isn't dangerous itself, but the bacteria's presence in a body of water is a warning, telling scientists that illness-causing pathogens likely are there too.

Results from traditional testing based on water sampling from the river are available through local or state regulators, but those are collected intermittently. Users also can check for alerts warning of a recent sewage diversion into the river.

But neither help someone hoping to get on the water that day, said Alaina Harkness, Current's executive director.

The optical sensors Current uses can't measure the level of fecal coliform present. Instead, they gather data about the murkiness and temperature of the water and light emitted by tryptophan  an amino acid from microorganisms that has been linked to fecal coliform. That allows an estimate of the level of bacteria present, Harkness said.

We have a rich sense of how the river's doing today, how does it compare to how the river is doing historically, and how does it vary across the branches, she said. And that's the important story for users who are making decisions about how to use the river on a day-to-day basis.

A kayaker, for instance, may decide to use the river's main branch instead of the southern or northern branch if those sensors estimate a level of bacteria above the state standard for safe recreational use, she said.

Trish Brubaker, executive director of the Lincoln Park Boat Club, said she can use that information when planning workouts for rowing clubs.

Brubaker said clubs often used single sculls last year to allow for social distancing. But singles are more vulnerable to tipping and one athlete became sick after falling into the river water.

It would definitely impact who we put into singles or whether we practice singles at all, Brubaker said.

Officials with the agency responsible for Chicago's wastewater system warned that people shouldn't depend entirely on the data from the sensors.

The technology is newer than traditional water sampling and testing, and it captures only a moment in time, said Dr. Heng Zhang, assistant director of monitoring and research at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

River users also should consider recent weather, boat traffic and any official warnings, he said.

The more information people have, the better, he said. But just understand the information is just an indicator, and it's not 100%. It has a lot of variations.

Current officials hope providing more information about the river will improve its reputation among people who still see it as a dumping ground.

Doug McConnell, co-founder of the nonprofit A Long Swim that raises money toward Lou Gehrig's disease research, for several years has been seeking city approval for a river swim. He is excited about the Current project and hopes the information will lead to more interest in the river.

What needs to happen here is a change of impression and perception people have," McConnell said. The river is the whole reason Chicago is here. It's really something to honor."
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Even in the final days of Washingtons chaotic airlift in Afghanistan, Javed Habibi was getting phone calls from the U.S. government promising that the green card holder from Richmond, Virginia, his wife and their four daughters would not be left behind.

He was told to stay home and not worry, that they would be evacuated.

Late Monday, however, his heart sank as he heard that the final U.S. flights had left Kabul's airport, followed by the blistering staccato sound of Taliban gunfire, celebrating what they saw as their victory over America.

They lied to us, Habibi said of the U.S. government. He is among hundreds of American citizens and green card holders stranded in the Afghan capital.

Victoria Nuland, undersecretary of state for political affairs, would not address individual cases but said all U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who could not get evacuation flights or were otherwise stranded had been contacted individually in the past 24 hours and told to expect further information about routes out once those have been arranged.

We will communicate directly to them personalized instructions on what they should do, when they should do it, and how the United States government feels we are best positioned to help them do that," added State Department spokesman Ned Price.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised the evacuation effort despite the scenes of thousands of people jammed outside the gates at Kabul's airport. He said between 100 and 200 remained in Afghanistan, promising that any American who wants to leave Afghanistan would be taken out.

For some of those who remain, however, the trauma of trying for nearly two weeks to get onto a U.S. plane is still harrowing.

Habibi, an electrician who has lived in Richmond since 2015 on a special immigration visa, had returned to Afghanistan for a visit on June 22  the first time his family had been back since 2019. Their return flight was to have been Aug. 31.

About Aug. 18, Habibi said he got an email from the U.S. government saying that his family  all green card holders except for their youngest, who has a U.S. passport  would be evacuated.

Subsequent emails said he should take his family to the airport. He obeyed, but the mad crush of people prevented him from getting near the gate on his first two attempts.

His daughter, Madina, who at 15 has flawless English and serves as the family spokesperson, said she and her younger sister were almost trampled at the airport. The family wrote back, It's too dangerous. We can't go into the crowd, she said.

The emails kept arriving, saying they should go to the airport, she said.

By Aug. 25, the emails had been replaced by phone calls from Arlington, Virginia, Madina said. The callers, who identified themselves as being from the U.S. Embassy, told the family to stay at home and that the government was aware of their location, she said, speaking for her father.

Habibi said he still made four or five more attempts, even recruiting friends and relatives to wade into the crowd with the family, forming a kind of protective cordon. The youngest of the four girls, Dunya, is 2 and was born in the U.S.

Habibi said that on at least two occasions, he got close enough to the gate that his passport was scanned but was refused entry. He shouted at the U.S. soldiers, waving his documents.

What does this green card even mean? Nothing. They did nothing, he said.

Madina, who spoke to most of the callers from Virginia, said she told them the family was from Richmond. Even as the evacuations came to an end, Madina said one caller promised, "We are going to get you out. You are not going to get stuck. Don't worry. We know where you are."

Habibi said they even pledged to pick them up in a car.

They lied. They did nothing," he said.

Habibi says he hasn't been threatened by the Taliban and that no one has bothered him but he is still afraid. News stories and horrifying posts on social media have him convinced that the Taliban will kill him, he said, although he admitted he doesn't know of anyone being targeted.

Im just afraid. I follow the news, he said.

He said he knows of many families, some with U.S. green cards, who remain in Afghanistan.

Madina said Marcia Vigar Perez, a teacher at Dumbarton Elementary, her former school, started a prayer chain for her safe return.

Every day they call me, she said.

Another Afghan native who asked to be identified only as Ajmal, fearing retribution, said he, his two brothers and their families  16 people in all  were granted emergency immigrant visas to be evacuated after another brother in Virginia submitted the paperwork.

Ajmal displayed emails from the U.S. government that said please make your way to the Hamid Karzai International Airport" and use the Camp Sullivan Gate, not the civilian entrance, although he also was warned that the gate could change daily.

He said he and his relatives went to the airport, but heavy gunfire by the Taliban and the crush of thousands of people sent them back home. On one occasion, he said he received an email telling him and his family they would be picked up at a spot near the airport at 3 a.m. He and his family waited on the street until 9 a.m., but no one came, he said.

His brother Wais, a U.S. citizen living in Virginia, said he had petitioned senators and filled out paperwork to get his family to America.

I am frustrated and angry" at U.S. officials, Wais said. All the time they say, We are working on it, we are working on it,' but then  nothing.

-

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.
The remnants of Hurricane Ida barreled into the New York City region Wednesday evening with furious, wind-driven rain that flooded subway lines, splintered homes in New Jersey, raised a tornado warning for the Bronx, and delayed the U.S. Open in Queens when the rain came into the roofed stadium sideways.

The National Weather Service said it had recorded rainfall rates of at least 3 to 5 inches in an hour across northeast New Jersey and parts of New York City, which was under a flash flood emergency for the first time. At Newark Airport, 3.24 inches of rain were recorded between 8 and 9 p.m. Eastern time, the Weather Service said. Between 8:51 and 9:51 p.m., Central Park recorded 3.15 inches of rain.

Heavy rains delayed some train lines in Manhattan as crews worked to drain water, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said. Around 9 p.m., the Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of the Bronx, after a radar indicated a tornado had formed in the area.

At times, strong wind gusts blew the rain sideways, enough to temporarily delay a U.S. Open match at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Wednesday night, as rain made its way into the stadium despite its roof.

The storm system, advancing on a path to southern New England, brought drenching rain that could lead to life-threatening flooding, meteorologists said.

As the stormy weather moved northeast Wednesday, it prompted a string of tornado warnings across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, including a warning for Philadelphia after the National Weather Service said a large and extremely dangerous tornado had been observed south of the city, near Gloucester City, New Jersey.

You are in a life-threatening situation, the service said in a statement. Flying debris may be deadly to those caught without shelter.

Images and video circulating on social media Wednesday showed homes that had been damaged as well as felled trees in the Harrison Township area in Gloucester County. The Harrison Township Police Department was not immediately available for comment Wednesday night.

The Weather Service also shared a video of a large tornado moving over the Burlington-Bristol Bridge, which connects Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Wenonah, another small borough in Gloucester County, in southern New Jersey, was heavily flooded and suffered extensive damage following this evenings tornado event, the mayor, John R. Dominy, wrote on Facebook. He urged residents to 911 for emergencies and to stay home or in a safe place.

Do not venture out. Many trees are unstable. Third, please do not approach downed wires as many may be live, he wrote. With nightfall, it is difficult to see and dangerous to either walk or drive. Many of our streets are impassable.

He said the authorities were assessing the damage and, We do not have an estimate of when power will be restored.

The storm had caused 57,519 power outages statewide and these numbers are climbing, Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey said on Twitter.

Residents in Lambertville, New Jersey, roughly 40 miles north of Philadelphia, posted photos that showed streets inundated with brown water, cars submerged up to their tires and flooded basements.

Some parts of the Northeast faced dual threats as several flash flood warnings were issued throughout the night. A flash flood emergency was issued for northeastern Chester County, northwestern Delaware County, and Montgomery County in southeastern Pennsylvania.

This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation, the Weather Service said for those counties. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.

The Weather Service said it had received reports of rainfall totals 4.5 to 7 inches, with more rainfall expected.

Other parts of New Jersey as well as Connecticut and New York, including New York City, were under a tornado watch until 1 a.m. Thursday, meaning conditions were favorable for tornado development. A few tornadoes were possible as well as isolated wind gusts of up to 70 mph, the Weather Service said on Twitter.

The storm, which hit Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane, has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Earlier in the day, after a tornado watch was issued Wednesday for southeastern Pennsylvania, most of New Jersey, Delaware and eastern Maryland, meteorologists with the Weather Service in Baltimore confirmed that a tornado had touched down near Annapolis, Maryland. They said they had not been able to measure its speed or assess the damage.

Mitchelle Stephenson, a spokesperson for the city of Annapolis, said that the tornado had left about 2,500 residents without power, and that the city had received reports of fallen trees. The fire and police departments had closed streets to assess the damage, according to Stephenson, who said that no injuries had been reported as of 3:30 p.m.

Video on social media showed strong, fast winds and roadways obstructed by downed utility poles, signs and trees.

The Weather Service in Baltimore warned that high winds could cause damage to houses and mobile homes, and asked residents in the southeastern part of the state to take cover in a basement or on the lowest available floor of a sturdy building.

The governors of Virginia and West Virginia declared states of emergency Tuesday night before the systems arrival.

Widespread river flooding could occur in southern Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, particularly in the Monongahela, Potomac, Susquehanna, Delaware and lower Hudson river basins, forecasters said.

In central Pennsylvania, Wilmore Dam was overtopping with approximately 3 feet of rainwater, said John Banghoss, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in State College, Pennsylvania. More rain water could lead to dam damage, Banghoss said.

Describing the situation as life-threatening, the Weather Service instructed the 42,000 residents in the area of central Pennsylvania that includes Johnstown, Ferndale and Dale, to move immediately to higher ground.

The last storm to hit the Northeast was Henri, which made landfall in southwestern Rhode Island on Aug. 22 as a tropical storm, sending lashing bands of rain across much of New England. Henri knocked out power in most of coastal Rhode Island, forced evacuations in Connecticut, stranded dozens of motorists in New Jersey and shattered rainfall records in New York City.

At its peak, Henri left more than 140,000 households without power from New Jersey to Maine, and in New York City, cars were left stranded in flooded streets. And Henri had followed Elsa, which in early July brought relentless rain and flash flooding to much of the Northeast, downed power lines and forced would-be subway riders to navigate waist-deep waters on their way into one Upper Manhattan station.

The morning commute Thursday could be affected by drainage flooding in much of New England and the Mid-Atlantic, particularly in metropolitan areas, meteorologists said.

Obviously, its been so wet, said Dominic Ramunni, a weather service meteorologist based on Long Island.

I can tell you it was the second-wettest summer on record for Central Park, he said, adding that the amount of rain in the forecast, on top of how wet its been, is going to cause issues.

In light of the flash flood watch, New York City Emergency Management issued a travel advisory for Wednesday into Thursday morning.

At a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York urged city residents to watch out for deceptively deep bodies of water that could appear to be shallow.

Well get through this one, too, de Blasio said. Lets get this storm by us.

Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York ordered state agencies to prepare emergency response plans and told residents to exercise caution. Hochul also warned of the possibility of a tornado in the downstate area. More than 5,000 utility workers across the state have been prepared for damage and restoration responses, she said.

The storm will move farther into New England on Thursday.

Ida is basically going to be exiting New England by Thursday night, said Dan Thompson, a meteorologist with the Weather Service. But its going to drop heavy rain before it leaves.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  It felt like hell itself had opened up, said Ramal Ahmadi, who was watching cartoons with his nephew when a U.S. drone slammed into his family's courtyard where just moments before there had been a noisy celebration to greet the family's oldest brother.

The last thing Ahmadi remembers was the sound of his brother's car horn announcing his arrival and the squealing of the children. He says his mind is not right since that day.

Sunday's U.S. drone strike killed 10 members of his family, six of them children, Ahmadi said.

Senior U.S. military officials said the drone strike hit an Islamic State target and weakened the extremists' ability to further disrupt the final phase of the U.S. withdrawal and evacuation of thousands of people from Afghanistan. Three days before the drone strike, an IS suicide bomber had attacked a crowded gate at Kabul airport, killing 13 U.S. service members and 169 Afghans.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that at least one of those killed in the drone strike was an Islamic State facilitator.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged the reports of civilian casualties on Thursday and said they were being investigated. Previously, American officials have noted that subsequent explosions resulted from the destruction of the vehicle and may have caused additional casualties.

But an enraged Ahmadi family is demanding proof  and disputes that the car was carrying explosives.

They have to give us answers. Is our blood so worthless, we don't even get an explanation? Ahmadi asked.

Analysts warned that the risk of civilian casualties during drone strikes will only grow, now that the U.S. no longer has on-the-ground intelligence.

Inside the courtyard of the family home, Emal, another Ahmadi brother, recently picked through the twisted ruins of the devastated hulk of the Toyota Corolla. Inside was a blood-soaked child's shirt.

He said some family members, including children, were in the car when it was hit. He contended that if there had been a bomb in the vehicle there would be far more damage to the courtyard and house. He pointed to two undamaged gas cylinders tucked away in a corner of the courtyard.

If the car was filled with explosives like the Americans say, why didn't these cylinders explode," asked Emal. He also pointed to a shoddily constructed brick wall nearby the gutted car. How could the wall still be standing if this car had been full of explosives?

But American officials, including some who watched the strike in real-time on video feeds, said the U.S. had been watching the car for several hours and saw people loading explosives into the trunk.

The compound in Kabul's Khoja Boghra neighborhood was home to four Ahmadi brothers and their families  25 people in all. The roads that weave through the middle-class neighborhood pass homes hidden behind high walls and gates.

For the Ahmadis, the accusation that their family was involved with the Islamic State group is a devastating one.

If you have proof I say go ahead kill me but show me the proof, said Emal, whose 3-year old daughter Malika was among the dead.

Their oldest brother, Zamarai, and a nephew Nasir Haideri  both of whom were killed in the strike  had worked for U.S. government-allied firms and had applied for special immigrant visas granted to Afghans with such ties to the U.S. They were being processed at the time of the strike.

Emal said 30-year-old Nasir, who was to have been married just days after the strike, had dreamed of going to America.

The surviving brothers showed the commendation letters the relatives had included in their submissions for the visas.

Emal, who has also applied for one of the visas, said he struggled to understand why the family compound was struck. They have such high technology they can see an ant on the ground, but they couldn't see a yard full of children? he asked.

Milley said Sunday's strike was based on good intelligence, including a review of video. We monitored that through various means and all of the engagement criteria were being met," he said. "We went through the same level of rigor that weve done for years and we took a strike.

Psaki pushed back against the idea that a lack of solid on-the-ground intelligence is hampering the United States. She said that there are many countries where the U.S. has no military presence on the ground, but we can still prevent terrorist groups from metastasizing and posing threats.

But Douglas London, who served as the CIAs counterterrorism chief overseeing the region before retiring in 2019, said the strike and resulting deaths really illustrates our handicap by having no presence on the ground to collect the best quality and most timely intelligence.

Not having U.S. or long-trained Afghan partner forces on the ground also foreclosed other possibilities, like potentially stopping the car before it entered a crowded residential area, he said.

A strike in a congested area would have been the last choice we would have made, said London, author of the forthcoming book, The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence.

___

Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Nevada hospitals are seeing a severe shortage of nurses, and some northern Nevada hospitals are nearly out of staffed beds for patients.

State health officials said Thursday that Nevada, like much of the country, is grappling with a nursing shortage.

Nevada had a shortage of nurses even before the pandemic, when each wave of cases and crush of hospitalizations left nurses demoralized and drove some to leave the profession. Nevada, like other states, is struggling to attract traveling nurses to help bolster their staffs.

Dr. Chris Lake with the Nevada Hospital Association said Thursday the issue has been compounded by the number of people who are unvaccinated and end up in the hospital or intensive care unit.

Lake said northern Nevada has been further squeezed by t he major wildfire bearing down on South Lake Tahoe, which prompted the city's hospital to evacuate dozens of its patients to nearby hospitals.

Lake said some hospitals throughout the state may have to turn away ambulances and send them on longer drives to more distant locations, such as redirecting them to Reno from Carson City or across traffic-clogged freeways in the Las Vegas-area.

Paramedics, he said, may have to stay at the hospitals longer after transporting someone, waiting with patients until the hospital has staff who are available to take over.

That takes the ambulance out of service and unable to respond to other calls for help," he said.

To avoid putting further strain on hospitals, officials urged people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and practice measures such as social distancing and wearing face masks, which are required indoors for much of the state, regardless of vaccination status.

The dire warnings about hospitals come as the state has started to see a slight improvement in the number of new cases of COVID-19 reported. After a sharp increase in new reported cases in June and July, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 started to level off in August and in the past few days has dropped very slightly.

The statewide, two-week positivity rate for COVID-19 tests was 12.2%  still well above the World Health Organization's recommendation of a rate of 5% or lower before lifting mitigation restrictions.

To mitigate the spread, the governing board of the school district serving metro Las Vegas voted early Thursday to generally require that teachers and other employees be vaccinated for COVID-19.

The 5-1 vote by the Board of Trustees of the Clark County School District to impose the mandate came after a seven-hour meeting that started Wednesday. District Superintendent Jesus Jara will next draw up a plan to implement the mandate.

Officials said the plan will include a process for requesting exemption from the vaccination requirement for either medical conditions or for sincerely held religious beliefs. There is no deadline for the plan to be implemented.

I trust the medical experts  I understand the fear, Trustee Lola Brooks said while making the motion for the vote.

We are experiencing a substantial surge in COVID-19 infections in our entire community. COVID-19 knows no geographical limitations,  Jara said. The district has an obligation to protect the health of our children, our staff and the public that we serve, from this virus.

Remaining members of a crowd thanked Danielle Ford, the sole board member to vote against the motion, and yelled expletives at other board members, KVVU-TV reported.

Jara will develop the plan through consultations with union representatives and others, board members.
A Vermont refugee resettlement organization is offering to accept about 100 Afghan refugees over the next several weeks if their proposal is approved by the U.S. State Department.

Amila Merdzanovic of the Vermont chapter of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants said that if the request is approved, the state's well-publicized housing crisis will prompt her organization to look for families to host at least some of the new arrivals.

It would not be the first time refugees who are arriving in Vermont lived with host families.

In the 1970s and 1980s when Laotians and Cambodians were coming into the state, there was no refugee resettlement program so people were being hosted by Vermonters," said Merdzanovic, who came to Vermont in 1995 as a refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina and lived with a host family when she first arrived. That's the model we are looking to implement.

She said Thursday that since word of the proposal first became public Wednesday she has already received dozens of messages of support from people.

Historically, Vermont has not been a location where refugees with the types of visas granted to the Afghans have been resettled.

Merdzanovic said early last week she was not expecting any Afghans, but she learned Aug. 25 that national refugee resettlement agencies had two days to submit proposals.

Yes, it came up very quickly, she said. We are sort of, whats the expression? building the bridge as we are walking on it.

The Vermont proposal is one of a number that were submitted by USCRI, Merdzanovics organization, which has seven field offices across the country. She didnt know how many other proposals her group made.

Nationally, the State Department works with a number of organizations to resettle refugees across the country.

Since 1980, Vermont has welcomed more than 8,000 refugees to the state from across the world. Most settled in Chittenden County.

Earlier this year before more than 100,000 refugees were evacuated from Afghanistan as the U.S.-led government fell to the Taliban, Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott wrote to Biden administration officials asking them to triple the number of refugees sent to the state.

During the Trump administration, the number of refugees admitted to the United States declined dramatically.

Merdzanovic said that last year, Vermont received 23 refugees, a record low. By the end of the current federal fiscal year Sept. 30, Vermont is slated to receive a total of 42, she said.

The hope is that in the next fiscal year, the state will receive 300 refugees from across the world, she said.

Vermont U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, said he was gratified Vermont is volunteering to welcome the refugees.

Vermont has a long history of warmly welcoming refugees who have become an integral part of communities across our state," Leahy said. They have made Vermont stronger.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the refugee group hopes to accept 300 refugees from around the world in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, not by the end of the year.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Federal mine officials have instructed West Virginia environmental regulators to propose a change to its mine cleanup program.

The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is giving the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection 60 days to submit an amendment to its reclamation program, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.

An Aug. 23 letter from federal officials to state officials says a review found that the program has not taken sufficient steps to make sure reclamation obligations are estimated correctly. Such a failure can lead to unfunded environmental liabilities. the letter said.

The WVDEP recognizes the concerns raised in OSMREs notice related to reporting and disclosure and those issues will be addressed, Environmental Protection Department Secretary Harold Ward said in an emailed statement Wednesday. The statement didn't say what kind of amendment the agency plans to submit.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcements review of the states reclamation program follows lawsuits filed by environmentalist groups.
LOWELL TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP)  A western Michigan man fatally shot his 3-year-old son before taking his own life, authorities said Thursday.

Deputies conducting a welfare check Wednesday at a in Lowell Township hgome found the bodies of 32-year-old Derek Thebo and his son, Dylan Thebo, the Kent County Sheriffs Office said.

The Kent County Medical Examiners Office said both were shot to death. Dylan's death was ruled a homicide and his father's death was deemed a suicide.

WOOD-TV reports court records show the 3-year-olds mother had a personal protection order against Derek Thebo earlier this year. It was filed on March 8 and officially terminated on March 22.

Lowell Township is just east of Grand Rapids.
What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19 vaccines?

They can require vaccination and fire employees who don't comply, or take other actions such as withholding company perks or charging extra for health insurance.

Businesses for months have been encouraging workers to get vaccinated, in some cases offering incentives like time off or gift cards. But more are taking a harder stance and requiring vaccinations for any remaining holdouts, a push that has gained momentum since Pfizers vaccine recently received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Employers "feel like theyve sort of hit that point where the unvaccinated are not going to do it unless theres something significant making them do it, said Wade Symons, a partner with Mercer, a benefits consultant.

Its legal for businesses to require the shots, and they could fire employees who dont comply. In other cases, workers might be required to wear masks or get regular tests for the virus. Some companies also are considering making the unvaccinated pay more for their health insurance.

At Delta Air Lines, unvaccinated employees on the company health plan will be charged $200 a month to help cover costs for possible COVID-19 hospital stays.

Symons said other employers will more likely add smaller charges of $20 or $25 per paycheck that might be refunded once the employee is vaccinated.

Employers might also restrict the use of office space, company gyms or business travel only for the vaccinated. In Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International has said unvaccinated employees will not be paid for time off to quarantine if they test positive for the virus.

Vaccine requirements will mainly come from businesses that need workers on a job site, Symons said.

Employers have to offer exemptions or accommodations from vaccine requirements for some who don't get the shots for medical or religious reasons.

Walt Disney World and Ohio State University are among the large employers that said they'll make vaccination mandatory since Pfizer's shot was given the FDA's full approval. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also has said that military troops must immediately begin to get the vaccine.

Some states like Montana have either banned employers from requiring vaccines or limited when they can issue such a mandate.

___

The AP is answering your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Submit them at: FactCheck@AP.org.

Can I get long COVID if Im infected after vaccination?

What is being done to distribute COVID-19 vaccines globally?

Do I need to get tested for COVID-19 if Im vaccinated?
Children are making up an increasing number of patients filling Missouri hospitals during the summer COVID-19 surge, and some doctors worry that the return to school will lead to more illnesses.

The fast-spreading delta variant combined with low vaccination rates across Missouri to create a new wave of the COVID-19 outbreak that began in June and still persists. One difference this time: Children are more prone to get sick.

The number of children in the St. Louis region hospitalized with COVID-19 reached a record 31 on Wednesday before dipping slightly to 27 on Thursday. Ten of the sick children, ages 18 and under, remain in intensive care units.

This variant is so contagious its pretty much attacking any group thats unvaccinated, said Dr. Clay Dunagan of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force. He said the illnesses also tend to be more severe than in the winter, especially for children with underlying health conditions.

St. Louis isn't alone.

In the Kansas City area, Childrens Mercy Hospital reached its capacity on Monday. Dr. Barbara Pahud, director of research for infectious diseases, urged parents to have their kids take precautions as they return to school, including vaccinations for those 12 and older.

Hospital leaders in Springfield are also worried about the ramifications of thousands of unmasked students gathering in schools  only a handful of southwestern Missouri districts require masks. Leaders of both hospitals in Missouri's third-largest city are bracing for the worst.

My fear is that we will see an increase in cases in the next one to two weeks and we are preparing as a hospital facility at Mercy and CoxHealth for that surge," said Dr. Kayce Morton, a pediatrician at CoxHealth.

Pahud agreed the new school year is cause for worry.

If we open schools up without social distancing, without vaccination, without masks, we are going to see problems. We are going to see children land in the hospital and that's the last thing we want to do, Pahud said during a Monday briefing.

Unlike much of Missouri, most schools in St. Louis city and county require masks. Still, Dunagan said, he expects to see a lot of spread in schools."

Missouri continues to lag well behind the national average in vaccinations. Information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that while 52.6% of all Americans are fully vaccinated, just 45.3% of Missourians have completed their shots.

The Missouri Foundation for Health and pediatricians from throughout the state recently launched an informational campaign that seeks to increase adult vaccinations to help protect children from COVID-19. The concept is simple: Fewer sick adults means fewer opportunities for kids to catch it.

Vaccination is our best tool to decrease COVID and get it out of here and keep our kids safe, Morton said.

Missouri reported 2,245 newly confirmed cases on Thursday and 10 new deaths. Since the onset of the pandemic, Missouri has confirmed 634,296 cases and 10,632 deaths.

Students attending the four campuses of the University of Missouri will not be required to get vaccinations, following a vote by curators on Thursday.
BERKELEY (BCN)  Starting next week in Berkeley, patrons of restaurants, gyms and large indoor events will need to show proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

A health order issued Wednesday by Berkeley's health officer also requires, starting Oct. 15, that employees of those businesses and other specified facilities to be vaccinated or tested weekly for the coronavirus.

The order covers settings where people remove a face mask to eat or drink, breathe more intensely to work out, or large events where people crowd together in groups of 1,000 or more.

Starting Sept. 10, those establishments must require patrons show proof of full vaccination and a photo ID, according to the order from City of Berkeley Health Officer Dr. Lisa Hernandez.

The businesses and venues subject to the order must check all patrons who are at least 12 years old, to make sure they have been fully vaccinated. That's 14 days after the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine or 14 days after the second shot of the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.

By Oct. 15, sites where employees must be vaccinated or be tested weekly include indoor businesses like restaurants and gyms, but also a number of other facilities that include adult care facilities, adult day programs, dental offices, pharmacies and public and private childcare sites.

All employees, including contractors, volunteers, custodians, maintenance and other workers who enter the businesses, are covered by the order.

Workers who are not vaccinated due to a religious belief must provide a signed letter under penalty of perjury, under the order. Employees with a medical condition must provide a letter signed by a licensed medical provider. The employee, however, would also have to provide negative test results on a weekly basis.

For large indoor events where tickets were sold before Sept. 3, patrons must show negative COVID test results received in the previous 72 hours. Starting on Oct. 15, such events will solely require proof of vaccination.

The health officer's order is available at https://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles/Health_Human_Services/Public_Health/covid19/COB-health-order-n24-vaccine-mandate.pdf

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.
Starting next week in Berkeley, patrons of restaurants, gyms and large indoor events will need to show proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

A health order issued Wednesday by Berkeley's health officer also requires, starting Oct. 15, that employees of those businesses and other specified facilities to be vaccinated or tested weekly for the coronavirus.

The order covers settings where people remove a face mask to eat or drink, breathe more intensely to work out, or large events where people crowd together in groups of 1,000 or more.

Starting Sept. 10, those establishments must require patrons show proof of full vaccination and a photo ID, according to the order from City of Berkeley Health Officer Dr. Lisa Hernandez.

Mia Bonta appears likely to take over her husband's vacant state Assembly seat, leading after the initial votes came in Tuesday for a special runoff election for the East Bay district.

The District 18 seat in the Assembly opened up when Rob Bonta resigned after Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed him earlier this year to be California's new attorney general.

Mia Bonta, currently president of the Alameda Unified School District Board of Education, and Janani Ramachandran, an attorney who has served on the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, made it to the runoff election that had polls close Tuesday night.

According to the preliminary results posted by the county registrar's office late Tuesday, Mia Bonta had 25,712 votes compared to 21,103 for Ramachandran, roughly a 55-45 percent split.

A Sunnyvale woman was attacked Wednesday afternoon by two suspects while walking on the Stevens Creek Trail, Mountain View police said.

Officers responded about 1 p.m. and the woman told them the attack happened about 15 minutes earlier while she was walking along the trail between Creekside Park and Central Expressway.

Two men came out of the bushes and tried to grab her, but she screamed and fought back, she told police. At one point one of the attackers tried to pull her pants down, but she was able to run away and call police from a safe location, Mountain police said.

Police searched the area, but the suspects weren't found.

A 35-year-old man suspected of sexually assaulting a child he was babysitting was arrested this week in El Granada, an unincorporated area near Half Moon Bay.

Michael Dennis Banister allegedly assaulted an 11-year-old child on three occasions, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant and took Banister into custody on Tuesday, on suspicion of lewd acts with a child and possession of a controlled substance.

Banister has a lengthy criminal history from Oregon and had moved to El Granada within the past two years, officials from the sheriff's office said.

Sheriff's deputies and counselors will be on hand at Aptos High School when classes resume Friday, following the fatal stabbing this week of a student on campus.

On Tuesday, police responded to the school, located at 100 Mariner Way, and found a 17-year-old boy with multiple stab wounds. The student later died and two other students were arrested, according to sheriff's officials.

Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office deputies will be stationed at the school to monitor campus safety, Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez said Wednesday.

The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office on Wednesday filed a murder charge against a 28-year-old Pittsburg man who allegedly shot and killed a man in Bay Point last weekend before leading police on a chase.

Antonino Solis is accused of using an assault weapon to shoot and kill 24-year-old Pablo Bretado Munoz of Pittsburg around 10:42 p.m. Saturday, at the intersection of Willow Pass Road and Bella Vista Avenue. Bretado was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Solis is being charged with murder with an enhancement, possession of an assault weapon, fleeing a pursuing peace officer's motor vehicle while driving recklessly, and assault with a firearm with an enhancement.

Marin County firefighters have nearly contained a 30-acre wildfire that spurred evacuation orders and warnings Wednesday for some residents in the Lucas Valley area.

As of 5:40 p.m., firefighters had reached 80 percent containment of the fire and stopped its forward progress, the Marin County Fire Department said in a Twitter post.

Firefighting ground crews and air support are both responding to the fire.

Firefighters and officials from the Marin County Sheriff's Office arrived at the site of the blaze near Mt. Lassen Road around 2:30 p.m.

With resurging COVID-19 rates, thanks to the Delta variant, San Leandro has delayed its reopening plan for City Hall, according to City Manager Fran Robustelli.

In a monthly update to residents, Robustelli said in-person services will remain by appointment only, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays.

Doors will remain closed to external visitors and a security guard will continue to receive and direct visitors at the Lorraine Boulevard entrance.

Visitors will still be required to wear face masks.

Police on Tuesday announced a $50,000 reward for information in the July fatal shooting of a 16-year-old girl in San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood.

Jaedah Tofaeono was fatally shot and a 45-year-old woman was injured July 30 on Bertha Lane, police said.

No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting and police are asking anyone with information to come forward. Information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of suspects in the case could lead to the recently announced reward.

Immediate cuts to Oakland's Head Start program, which helps young children, especially disadvantaged ones, learn, were avoided thanks to funding identified by the City Council Wednesday.

Community members gathered in the morning for a news conference at the Tassafaronga Recreation Center at 971 85th Ave. in Oakland to demand no cuts, no closures, and no layoffs with respect to the city's program.

City Councilmembers passed a resolution Wednesday afternoon to provide funding for three locations, which were slated for closure Wednesday. The funding will keep the sites open for a year.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture reported Wednesday that five horses in the Central Valley have tested positive for West Nile virus, leaving one horse dead.

According to the CDFA report, the horses carrying the virus were located in Fresno, Sacramento, Merced and Kings counties and only one horse was vaccinated against West Nile virus.

Some symptoms of West Nile virus in horses include animals having a fever, uncoordinated limbs, generalized weakness, drooping lips, grinding teeth, and hypersensitivity to touch or sound.

In 2020, the number of confirmed West Nile virus cases in horses within California were 20, leaving five horses dead or euthanized.

Point Reyes National Seashore is considering doubling camping fees in 2022 to put more money toward improving visitor facilities.

The current prices for campgrounds and boat-in sites range between $20 to $100 per night, depending on the size of the group. In the proposed increase, prices would increase to $40 to $100 per night.

In a statement, officials with the national park said such prices would bring Point Reyes National Seashore's rates closer to other similar parks without affecting business at nearby private campgrounds.

The National Weather Service forecast for the San Francisco Bay Area calls for more below-normal temperatures Thursday with hazy afternoon skies. Expect highs in the 60s along the coast to the 60s and low 70s around the Bay and into the upper 70s and lower 80s in the inland valleys. Overnight lows will be in the 50s.

Temperatures will return to near normal by the weekend, followed soon after by a warming trend Sunday and Monday, as stronger high pressure builds from the deserts and raises inland temperatures back into the 90s and lower 100s.

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.
NY Marine Warnings and Forecast for Friday, September 3, 2021

_____

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY

URGENT - MARINE WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service New York NY

1051 PM EDT Thu Sep 2 2021

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EDT FRIDAY...

* WHAT...North winds 10 to 15 kt and seas 3 to 5 feet.

* WHERE...Fire Island Inlet NY to Montauk Point NY out 20 nm.

* WHEN...Until 6 AM EDT Friday.

* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller

vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EDT FRIDAY...

* WHAT...North winds 10 to 15 kt and seas 3 to 5 feet.

* WHERE...Fire Island Inlet NY to Montauk Point NY out 20 nm.

* WHEN...Until 6 AM EDT Friday.

* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller

vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.

_____

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.
Sharon, PA (16146)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
SHELTON  With the High Holidays approaching amid a concerning uptick in COVID cases, Chabad of Shelton is hosting Rosh Hashanah services on Sept. 7 and 8 in person for the local Jewish community after more than a year in isolation.

By providing free Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in a warm and inclusive setting, Rabbi Shneur Brook of Chabad of Shelton says he hopes to accommodate those who may otherwise not be celebrating the holiday.

The Rosh Hashanah services will be held at the Chabads Rosedale Circle location. A 15-minute outdoor Shofar In The Park service will also be held on the Huntington Green on Sept. 7 at 5 p.m.

He said Chabad's "user-friendly" services make for an enjoyable and meaningful experience for both the beginner and the advanced. Song, commentary and the use of English-Hebrew prayer books invite individuals of all levels to become active participants in the service.

Chabad of Shelton also creates accessibility by nurturing a welcoming and non-judgmental atmosphere and ensuring affordability, with no expectation of membership, Brook said. Although walk-ins are welcomed, RSVP is greatly encouraged and appreciated.

The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, the most influential rabbi in modern history, insisted that the observance of hearing the Shofar  the key observance of Rosh Hashanah  be made available to all Jewsincluding those unable to be at synagogue, Brook added.  Chabad has always prioritized making Judaism accessible to all. Thats also why were offering multiple options to accommodate everyone in the community this Rosh Hashanah.

Our goal is to ensure that each and every Jewish person has access to the means to celebrate and usher in the New Year meaningfully and with joy, Leah Brook said. This year, that means welcoming everyone, who can come, to the synagogue by offering COVID-safe services.

For more information about the High Holidays services, contact Chabad Of Shelton at 203-364-4149 or visit wwwJewishShelton.com/hh.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
To anyone younger than the age of 20, the memory of the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, may seem surreal. However, for those of us that experienced
Local

featured

Most of area sees jobless rates decrease in July

Unemployment rates in three of the four counties in the area decreased between June and July after increasing or remaining stagnant throughout much of the spring and summer.

According to non-seasonally adjusted employment data released last week by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB), Mason, Manistee and Oceana counties each showed employment gains in July, while Lake County saw its monthly unemployment rate rise.

All four counties had lower jobless rates than in July 2020.

Similar figures were seen throughout the state, with employment seeming to stabilize 18 months after the COVID-19 pandemic brought jobless rates to possible record levels in March 2020. However, things are not back to normal yet.

Overall, things across the state are still very different compared to what it was before the pandemic, said DTMB economic analyst Nick Gandhi. Jobless rates now look similar to pre-pandemic levels, but the make-up of the labor force is much different.

Compared to February 2020s unadjusted labor force numbers, Michigan still has yet to make up over 100,000 persons who have left the labor force (and) employment numbers are still 200,000 below February 2020 also.

Gandhi said Julys employment gains are likely a result of both recovery and seasonal job gains." He said the figures are in keeping with those of summer 2020, adding, It is worth noting that labor force levels last summer were near pre-pandemic levels before tapering off again.

Gandhi said theres still a lot of ground to cover before rates truly return to the levels they were at before the pandemic hit the state in earnest.

LOCAL CHANGES

Mason Countys July jobless rate was down, compared to both the previous month and the same time last year.

There were 50 fewer unemployed people in the county in July than there were in June, and 314 fewer than in July 2020. There were also 280 more employed people in the county than there were in June, but there were 98 fewer than there were a year ago.

The countys labor force grew from 13,418 people in June to 13,648 people in July, but the workforce is down from 14,060 people at the same time last year.

Manistee Countys jobless rate decreased from 6.8 percent in June to 6.3 percent in July. There were 45 fewer unemployed people in the county compared to June, and 304 fewer compared to July 2020.

The labor force in Manistee County grew by 196 people over the month, and there were 154 more people in the workforce than there were in July 2020.

Oceana Countys unemployment rate was at 6.3 percent, down from 6.6 percent in June. Compared to July 2020, when unemployment was at 8.7 percent, Julys figures reflect 2.4-percent decrease.

The countys labor force saw the most growth out of the four counties, increasing by 473 people from June to July. Compared to July 2020, however, the workforce decreased by 413 people.

Lake County saw its jobless rate increase over the month, from 7.8 percent in June to 8 percent in July. There were 14 more unemployed people in the county in June than there were in July. However, compared to July 2020, joblessness was down from 9.7 percent.

Lake Countys labor force increased from 3,921 to 4,022 over the month. The countys workforce decreased by 77 people over the year.

Gandhi attributed the losses in the county to the workforce losses and its relatively small size.

(In Lake County), it looks like the employment and labor force drops were largely to blame for that over the month, meaning that those who were employed just left the labor force rather than being counted as unemployed, Gandhi said.

He added that the countys size is also likely a factor.

The county is very small so it may succumb to some atypical movement from time to time, Gandhi said.

OTHER STATISTICS

Mason Countys July unemployment rate of 5.6 percent ranked 47th among Michigans 83 counties. There were 13,648 people in the labor force, with 12,880 working and 768 jobless.

Manistee Countys July unemployment rate of 6.3 percent ranked 62nd among Michigans 83 counties. There were 10,718 people in the labor force, with 10,047 working and 671 jobless.

Oceana Countys July unemployment rate of 6.3 percent ranked 63rd among Michigans 83 counties. There were 12,347 people in the labor force, with 11,572 working and 775 jobless.

Lake Countys July unemployment rate of 81st out of Michigans 83 counties. There were 4,022 people in the labor force, with 3,702 working and 320 jobless.

Livingston County again had the lowest unemployment of the month, with a jobless rate of 2.7 percent, while Montmorency County, at 8.9 percent, had the highest.

STATEWIDE

The state remained steady in month of July, according to Wayne Rourke, associate director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives.

In a release from the DTMB, Rourke stated, July was characterized by minimal changes in private payroll job levels, seasonal job reductions in local schools, and modest declines in unemployment rates in most major Michigan regions.

Michigan as a whole saw unemployment drop by .3 percent between June and July. There were 4.8 million people in the states labor force, with 4.56 million working and 242,000 jobless. The labor force increased form 4.75 million people in June.

Compared to the same time last, year, statewide joblessness was down. In July 2020, Michigans unemployment rate was 9.5 percent with 464,000 unemployed people.
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F9: The Fast Saga review: Action-packed and over-the-top

The film fails to deliver an awe-inspiring feel.

Source: SIFY By: IANS Critic's Rating: 2.5/5 Thursday 02 September 2021

Movie Title F9: The Fast Saga review: Action-packed and over-the-top Director Justin Lin

Star Cast Vin Diesel, John Cena, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Charlize Theron, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell

The fizz in the 'Fast & Furious' franchise seems to be flattening out progressively. The ninth edition of this over-the-top, frenetic-paced, action-packed franchise opens with a promise but ends on a ridiculously convoluted and low note.

The film is a bloated thriller with a weak and worn-out storyline that only die-hard 'Fast & Furious' fans would be able to follow. There is a semblance of a story only if you have the patience of sitting through loads of jaw-dropping, gravity- and logic-defying stunts, which include a satellite and spaceship sequence.

The narrative takes off from two years after the events of 'F8: Fate of the Furious'. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is now leading a retired life in the countryside, raising his son Brian with his wife Letty Oritz (Michelle Rodriguez).

Their old associates, Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), arrive with the news that the plane of Mr Nobody (Kurt Russell), an intelligence operative, has crashed in Montequinto, Central America, after being attacked by rogue agents when he was capturing Cipher (Charlize Theron), a criminal mastermind.

Dominic, who is fondly called 'Dom', agrees to help them investigate who the rogue agent is after realising his brother Jakob (John Cena) is involved.

Searching through the debris of the crashed plane, they find a part of a device named Aries, which can hack into any computer-controlled system that includes all satellites and weapons of the world.

How, after travelling to Cologne, London, Tokyo and Edinburgh, the team finds the other part of the device, forms the crux of the narrative.

Like in its previous edition, there is a track of family drama in 'F9'. This time, it is the rivalry between the two Toretto brothers, Dom and Jakob. A master assassin, who has spent his life living in the shadow of his elder brother, Jakob now hopes to outshine his brother by controlling the world through his nefarious activities.

The plot, punctuated with emotional flashbacks of events in Dom and Jakob's lives, breaks the momentum of the mayhem-laden sequences and thus crashes the viewing experience.

Vin Diesel and John Cena put up a balanced performance, neither outshining the other. The rest of the veteran star cast with their superb on-screen chemistry are clearly at home in their roles and they seem to be having a great time delivering their chops.

On the production front, the set pieces are big and outlandish. The action sequences, including the delightfully destructive car chase involving magnets et al, are perfunctory in design.

Though every frame is flamboyant and blockbuster in appearance, and is layered with surgical precision, the film fails to deliver an awe-inspiring feel.
The study, published in the journal of Ecology and Evolution, was released on Thursday in an effort to kickstart emergency conservation efforts, reports Xinhua news agency.

Canberra, Sep 2 (IANS) A new study revealed on Thursday that Australian wildlife, including koalas, have been included on a list of hundreds of endangered native flora and fauna along with the main threats to their survival.

Data collected by the researchers, led by environmental scientists from the University of Queensland (UQ), has already been sent to federal and state authorities and conservation groups including Birdlife Australia, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Nature Conservancy.

"This information can improve the conservation of some of Australia's most endangered plants and animals by providing conservation managers with more precise data to better direct their efforts," said Michelle Ward, a doctoral candidate at UQ's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the study's lead author.

Each species has been assessed on the basis of the scope, severity and timing of their threat which are then placed into "high," "medium," and "low" impact categories.

Koalas are among 456 animals deemed as threatened. The beloved marsupial's threat level comes in at "medium," and it faces nine major challenges such as habitat loss, climate change, bushfires, predation by dingoes and wild dogs, disease, and harm from human activities.

Ward told Xinhua that having such a comprehensive list was vital to addressing each threat based on its severity while also preventing the compounding damage a variety of overlapping risks could inflict on a species.

"Another one of our key findings was that species are not just impacted by one threat. They are usually impacted by three or four, sometimes 15 different threats," she said.

"One great thing about our dataset is that it tells users how severe a particular threat is for each species. This can help decision-makers prioritise their actions from the most severe to the least."

Ward said the most vital takeaway from the research was the huge impact habitat loss had on Australia's biodiversity and the urgency of government action to protect wildlife.

"Australia has one of the worst species extinction rates in the world and we need to turn this around," she said.

"Given that the biggest threat to biodiversity is habitat loss, I think that it is critical for the Australian government to ensure habitat is retained."

--IANS

ksk/
The brownfield hotel with 100 keys is expected to open by the first quarter of 2024. Holiday Inn Express, Nepal, will feature modern guest rooms, equipped with all the necessities for a great stay experience. The hotel will also feature a 'Great Room', a bar and a lounge for guests to rejuvenate and unwind. Other facilities will include a fitness room, meeting rooms and signature amenities to reflect the brand's promise of a comfortable and pleasant experience.

Commenting on the new development, Sudeep Jain, Managing Director, South West Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said, "We are thrilled to further expand our footprint in Nepal with the signing of our new hotel in Kathmandu. Nepal is a hotspot tourist destination in the region with growing popularity among travellers with different needs. With the airport being refurbished as well as the rapid development of branded hotels, Kathmandu is expected to become a global tourism destination and the tourism sector in the country will consequently witness healthy growth in the coming years. We, therefore, see a significant growth opportunity in the country. The new signing is also in line with our strategy to grow our 'essentials collection' across key markets in SWA."

He added, "India is the single biggest source market for Kathmandu, where IHG has a strong and growing presence. Additionally, the fastest-growing source market for the country is China, where IHG is the largest international player. Across both markets, the Holiday Inn Express brand has a good presence and recall which will benefit our growing brand portfolio in Nepal."

Chiranjibi Thapa, Chairman, DMR APA Joint Venture, added, "We are excited to partner with an internationally known and trusted hospitality brand like IHG for our very first hospitality venture. Moreover, Holiday Inn Express is a well-established brand, globally and has a strong base of loyal customers across markets. The brand is also a great fit for a city like Kathmandu with a number of travellers looking for simple and smart stays. With an excellent location, IHG's impressive experience and expertise in the region, we are confident that Holiday Inn Express and Suites Kathmandu Rabi Bhawan will emerge as a hotel of choice for travellers visiting Nepal."

With the signing of Holiday Inn Express and Suites Kathmandu Rabi Bhawan, IHG will have six hotels in the pipeline in the country, across its mainstream brands -- Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, and will be well-positioned in the coming years to cater to the demands of the travellers visiting the destination.



(N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in)

--IANS

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Both sides discussed the economic and trade cooperation and ways to cope with the sanctions imposed by the Western countries, mainly from the US, Xinhua news agency reported citing SANA as saying.

Damascus, Aug 30 (IANS) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad discussed economic cooperation with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in the capital Damascus, according to the state news agency SANA.

Talks between the two sides also focused on the latest regional and international developments.

Abdollahian briefed Assad on the outcomes of the Cooperation and Partnership Conference, with the two sides affirming that the region's future should be made by the will of its people, according to SANA.

Assad also stressed that the continuous cooperation between Syria and Iran has given positive results in protecting the interests of the two countries and peoples, particularly in combating terrorism.

Syria will continue to combat terrorism until all the lands are liberated, Assad affirmed.

Meanwhile, Abdollahian pointed out that Iran and Syria have achieved great victories in the war against terrorism, reiterating his country's continuous support for Syria and its people to confront terrorism in all its forms.

--IANS

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Austin was also non-committal about Washington's relationship with the Taliban in the future.

"I would tell you that we're going to do everything that we can to make sure we remain focused on ISIS-K, understand that network, -- and at the time of our choosing in the future, hold them accountable for what they've done," US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday.

Having served in Afghanistan before, Austin also stressed that the US was working with the Taliban on a "very narrow set of issues" and would not make "any leaps of logic" to how things will shape up in the future.

"We don't know what the future of the Taliban is, but I can tell you from personal experience that this is a ruthless group from the past, and whether or not they change remains to be seen," said the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley.

Meanwhile, two days after Major General Chris Donahue boarded the final flight out of the Kabul airport to end America's longest war, the White House, US Department of State and country's Department of Defence released more details of the intense, massive operation which is not over yet.

India Narrative has put together for its readers some of the salient bits:

How many Americans are still left behind in Afghanistan?

The US Department of State believes there are between 100 and 200 Americans who remain in Afghanistan who may have some interest in leaving. Diplomatic efforts continue to ensure safe passage for them and for any Afghan partners and foreign nationals who still want to leave Afghanistan. According to the US President Joe Biden, there is no deadline on the effort to ensure safe passage for those who want it.

How many military personnel were involved in the non-combatant evacuation operation?

According to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley, between five to six thousand military personnel were deployed on the ground, some of whom were forward-deployed based on the contingency planning. These elements came from the 82nd Airborne Division, Special Forces, the Marine Corps, along with Navy and Air Force personnel.

How many people did the US evacuate from Afghanistan?

The United States evacuated some 6,000 American citizens and a total of more than 124,000 civilians, including at-risk Afghans. "And, we did it all in the midst of a pandemic and in the face of grave and growing threats," told US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

How many sorties were conducted by the US military and other partners?

A total of 778 sorties evacuated a total of 124,334 people which included almost 6,000 American citizens, third country nationals, and Afghans designated by the US Department of State. Out of these 778, as many as 387 were the US military C-17 and C-130 sorties and the rest 391 the non-US military sorties enabled by the US forces.

Where were the people evacuated from Kabul taken to?

The evacuation mission was conducted across nine countries in Europe and the Middle East and 26 intermediate staging bases and temporary safe havens. More than 65,000 Afghans and others have transited through the Gulf with Qatar being the largest evacuation site. Biometric and biographic screening on the Afghan evacuees is done before they are brought to the United States or processed for a third country.

How many have actually made it to the US?

Since August 17 to August 31, as many as 31,107 people have arrived in the US as part of the evacuation operation. Out of them, 4,446, or about 14 percent, are US citizens; 2,785, or about 9 percent, are Lawful Permanent Resident (LPRs), and the remaining 23,876 individuals, making about 77 percent, are Afghans at risk.

How many US soldiers served in Afghanistan over the last 20 years?

Eight-hundred-thousand as the US spent over $1 trillion and lost 2,461 servicemen, sailors, airmen and Marines while 20,691 were wounded. "Untold thousands of others suffer with the invisible wounds of war as we close this chapter in our nation's history, and all of those casualties are alongside our allies and partners, and we should never forget that 60,000 Afghan National Security Forces gave their lives in the conduct of this war," said General Mark Milley.

Is the evacuation mission over?

The Afghan task force continues to work 24/7 on evacuation efforts. Since August 14, the task force has been engaging American citizens in Afghanistan, making more than 55,000 phone calls and has sent more than 33,000 emails. "This outreach continues today and will in the days and weeks ahead as long as there is a need," said Ambassador Victoria Nuland, the US Under Secretary for Political Affairs, yesterday.

Was it just a military mission?

No. The US Department of State says that Secretary Antony Blinken has made more than 50 bilateral calls to foreign leaders and met virtually with both his G7 and NATO counterparts, besides convening a virtual ministerial on Monday that included Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, EU, and NATO, as well as Qatar and Turkey, to discuss the facilitation of safe travel out of Afghanistan, including reopening Kabul's civilian airport.

Is there no US diplomatic presence in Kabul now?

No. The US has set up its Afghan office in Doha, led by Ian McCary, who has served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Afghanistan, to manage diplomacy in all of its aspects with Afghanistan, and to work with allies and partners who have also relocated their operations to Doha.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative
The deal inked on Wednesday during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington creates conditions for a significant strengthening of bilateral cooperation in defense and provides international legal support from the US for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported.

Washington, Sep 2 (IANS) The US and Ukraine have signed a Strategic Defence Framework agreement, which is set to define a new stage of bilateral cooperation in the field of defence and security.

The agreement also helps accelerate Ukraine's entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

During Zelensky's visit, Kiev and Washington also signed a series of agreements on scientific and technical cooperation, space flight security, information protection and border security.

At the beginning of their meeting on Wednesday in the Oval Office, Biden said "the US remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression and our support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations".

He announced an additional $60 million in security assistance to Ukraine, and the creation of a new strategic defence framework as well as an energy and climate dialogue.

Zelensky said in his remarks that he expected to discuss the security situation in Crimea and Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

The meeting between the two leaders was initially scheduled on Monday but was delayed as the Biden administration was focused on the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Zelensky met separately with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday.

The visit came at a time of growing concerns in Kiev about its relations with Washington.

Before the visit, Zelensky expressed his frustration with Western allies' hesitancy to greenlight Ukraine's accession to NATO in an interview with The Washington Post and other media outlets.

Zelensky has been critical of America's weakening opposition to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which will transport Russian gas to Germany.

Ukraine sees the project as a security threat.

Despite the long-time opposition, the Biden administration reached a deal with Germany that allowed the completion of the pipeline project.

Berlin agreed to support Ukraine to strengthen its energy sector and act against Russia if it weaponises the energy.

--IANS

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The India Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai starting October 1 is set to showcase a resurgent Indias march to becoming a USD 5 Trillion economy in the post-covid world. The Pavilion which is a technology marvel will not only capture the vibrant Indian culture and its past but also the capabilities and opportunities that it presents as a global economic hub to thedomestic as well as the foreign investors.

Outlining the overarching theme of Indias participation at the six-month Expo 2020 Dubai running up to March 2022, Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India said that: India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will showcase resurgent Indias march to becoming a USD 5 Trillion economy. Indias exceptional fightback against COVID-19 and the countrys emergence as a global business hub presenting huge opportunities for the world will be the overarching theme of Indias participation at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The India pavilion will see participation from number of Indian states who will be displaying their culture, tradition and tremendous business opportunities along with the top corporate groups from India, and the public sector companies. Large number of prominent government ministers, officials, celebrities are set to visit India pavilion during the six months of Expo 2020, which will also host number of cultural events.

Shri Subrahmanyam said, At Expo 2020 Dubai, the India Pavilion is ready to showcase the face of an India rising on the pillar of sustainability along with opportunity and mobility - a nation ready to lead the worlds future.

The Pavilion will exhibit the countrys cultural diversity, ancient treasures, achievements, and leading opportunities with cutting-edge technologies. One of the largest pavilions at the Expo 2020 Dubai, India Pavilion will feature an innovative kinetic facade made up of 600 individual colourful blocks. It is developed as a mosaic of rotating panels that will depict different themes as they rotate on their axis. It represents the theme of India on the move and is a unique amalgam of the rich heritage and technological advances of the nation.

As India celebrates 75 years of its independence, the India Pavilion will mirror the celebrations of Amrut Mahotsav, which was launched by the Honble Prime Minister of India and will bring to the world the New India through many activities and cultural extravaganzas.

The entire four-storey structure is divided into two parts. The zones are identified based on 11 primary themes - Climate and Biodiversity, Space, Urban and Rural Development, Tolerance and Inclusivity, Golden Jubilee, Knowledge and Learning, Travel and Connectivity, Global Goals, Health and Wellness, Food Agriculture and Livelihoods and Water.

The India Pavilion will also be hosting and co-creating leadership discussions, international trade conferences, and seminars to explore opportunities to partner with other participating nations.

At the India Pavilion, the visitors will also get the chance to witness star-studded nights, multiple cultural shows, Indian festivals celebration and relish the Indian delicacies.

The specially designed logo of Indias participation has been created to give a new holistic global brand experience to Indias participation at Expo 2020 Dubai. The logos circular form represents unity, commitment and the community which forms the central pillars of India; and signifies continuity and evolving lifecycles in one of the worlds most vibrant democracies and fastest-growing business centres.

The logo design showcases the chakra (wheel), which reflects strength, courage and progressive movement. The colours have been taken from the Indian flag, where Saffron symbolises strength and courage; White indicates peace and truth; and Green represents fertility, growth, and auspiciousness.

It will be used in all the official communications and stationery during Expo 2020 Dubai.

Indias participation at Expo 2020 will be covered by the India Pavilions website (www.indiaexpo2020.com) The website has been specifically designed for Expo 2020 Dubai to provide information to the public and visitors on schedule, events, and activities.

The website will also have a dedicated section for media registration, which will allow the journalists and media houses to apply for the right set of permissions to cover the activities at the India Pavilion, be it in person or online.
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The elephant in the global room is Chinas ferocious property squeeze. Xi Jinping is deliberately breaking the back of the worlds biggest financial bubble.

The Chinese economy already has one foot in recession - by its own cyclical standards - and is heading for a hard-landing over the next few months as construction is starved of credit.

President Xi Jinping is shaking up the Chinese economy. Credit:Getty Images

Markets should be prepared for what could be a much worse-than-expected growth slowdown, and potential stock market turmoil, said Ting Lu, Nomuras chief China economist. The scale of Chinas cement addiction is eye-watering. Half the worlds cranes are in China. Were talking about 50 per cent of the global construction business, he said.

Home building and property make up 17 per cent of Chinese GDP, including furniture and appliances. The sector also generates 44 per cent of local government revenues through land sales and fees, injecting $US1.3 trillion ($1.8 trillion) a year into the economy as quasi-fiscal spending. All told, property makes up a quarter of the Chinese economy, three times the relative weighting of Americas extreme bubble in 2007.
Name: Mary Refalo

Position: Principal at Catherine McAuley Westmead, a Catholic school in western Sydney. Catherine McAuley Westmead principal Mary Refalo. Credit: What is a typical work day for you?

I spend time planning and implementing work that focuses on student learning improvement and promotes students opportunities to be involved in school events and activities. I also talk to teachers about their work with students, and talk to students about aspects of their school experience. What first sparked your interest in this area?

I have been a Principal for almost two years. I have worked in schools in which the principals have been fabulous educators and have led school communities with energy, imagination and a love of learning. These people have been inspiring, and they sparked my interest in aspiring to become a school principal. What do you like most about the job?

I love people; I love to work with teachers and students, and I love the contact I have with others in the school community. It is always inspiring to hear others ideas and to see their creativity and intellect. I also love learning, and the capacity of people to learn. I believe that people with dispositions for learning and problem-solving can change the world.

What was the most unexpected thing you have had to do in your job?

Responding to a pandemic less than six months into the role was quite unexpected. It really challenged me to think differently about what was needed to ensure the students and teachers at this school remained connected, happy and learning. What is the worst thing you have had to do?

During the pandemic there was so much changing information about what was allowed and what wasnt. It was, naturally, a stressful year for the students in year 12. I think the worst thing I had to do was tell the year 12 students that their end of year formal could not go ahead. I had to fight back tears when I was telling them because I felt so sad for them. Mary Refalo was heartbroken to tell students they would not be able to have their year 12 formal due to COVID-19 restrictions. Credit: Loading What challenges have you faced during the pandemic?

To prepare for online learning, we developed some protocols for the way we would teach and learn, and that gave us a framework upon which to rely. We shared the protocols with teachers, students and their parents, and I think that was important to ensure everyone was clear about what they needed to do to be successful. Adjusting a years worth of events was challenging, too. Many of the events we had to postpone or re-imagine were celebratory events, so that always involved disappointing people. That was difficult, but people were understanding and generous in the way they accepted decisions that had to be made.
Yet ironically Hartcher also devotes considerable energy to decry the influence of elites over Australias attitudes towards China, fostering what he calls a great complacency against a growing danger from Beijing. He fights imagined conflicts of his own, also appearing defensive in response to those he sees as influenced by Beijings talking points. Hartchers sorrow is not merely confined to the political class or the business lobby, which he portrays as having been blinded by the lure of economic riches in Chinas massive market. He also blames a self-flagellating media culture, too willing to reach for a headline declaring Chinas anger and conditioning Australia to cringe. He presents standing up against China as a national awakening. So, who is right? Frustratingly, I think both can be. There was for a long time a liberal fatalism that as Chinas citizens grew wealthy the countrys rulers would eventually, inevitably, take a democratic turn. There is now a potent consensus in powerful circles in Canberra that people in China will never again smile under communist repression. There are also important lessons in Brophys scepticism about the power of the state, both in Australia and China, as well as from Hartchers relentless certainty about the threat the Chinese Communist Party poses to Australia.

Credit: And if Hartcher underplays the beneficial wealth generated for the Australian public from the China boom, Brophy overstates the democratic deficit in local politics. Each has a useful lens through which to interpret abuse of Uighurs in Chinas northwest Xinjiang region or the danger of racism in Australia. The way Australia will reconcile the approach to China is first to accept that like any relationship, this amounts to an endless project. What works one year might not the next. Governments of all political colours talk of national interests, a phrase intoned as if fixed and unrelenting. But there is no stone tablet inscribed with a permanent set of commandments to guide the way. Values equally depend on a practical definition  and there will always be examples of hypocrisy where principals are betrayed for expediency. Besides, Australia obsesses too much over forecasting the future. It is common, especially in foreign-policy debates, to mistake efforts to anticipate the shape of the world power in decades to come as more important work than dealing with the here and now.

Credit: So, deciding what to do about China will involve constant debate and adaptation. Michael Smith, in The Last Correspondent, captures the challenge neatly with his rueful observation that as a China correspondent or commentator you can never win. Smiths story, along with Bill Birtles in The Truth About China, is illustrative of what will be the most immediate and pressing test for Australians: understanding a China from which it is increasingly cut off. China last year kicked out Smith, from The Australian Financial Review, and Birtles, with the ABC, from Shanghai and Beijing respectively, robbing the Australian media of its last correspondents in the country. The two books tell of the sudden and intimidating end to their posting, but also chart the deterioration in Australia-China relations through South China Sea controversies, Hong Kong protests, arbitrary detention of Australians, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

But what audiences in Australia will miss by their absence in China is the relentless curiosity that good correspondents also bring. Credit: Smith, for example, persisting to win an interview with Chinas mercurial tech magnate Jack Ma or adventuring in the region bordering North Korea. Birtles telling of a boy who lived in Beijing on a rubbish dump or discovering a beer festival mid-pandemic. As Birtles notes, these stories dont generate the biggest headlines, they help most with understanding. Even before they were deported already the coverage tightened. The constant focus on politics and strategic rivalry painted a very narrow picture, far removed from the daily lives of people, Birtles explains. It meant when awful things happened to people in China, audiences struggled to feel empathy towards citizens of a country so often seen through a political and economic lens. That rift is a consequence of a communist party-state paranoid about control. It is exacerbated by the firewalled separation of technology.

Australians should not be guided to equate the people of worlds most populous nation with the actions of their rulers. Smith captures this sentiment with a gentle quote from one man he interviewed: Like many people in China, in the last 40 years I have experienced a big change in my life. Not just from wealth but in psychology. While I was a child, life was very simple. Now it is very complicated. One factor none of the authors really grapples with is a media industry landscape at home straining under its own pressures, of public distrust in information and the rewards via social media for bombastic declarations. Loading The United States, however, does loom in the background of all four books. Birtles gives a telling insight into Chinas President Xi Jinpings difficulties with then counterpart Donald Trump. Smith tells of the contest Beijing invented with Washington to distract from its own mishandling of the pandemic. Hartcher offers fascinating detail about the Turnbull government catching the Trump administration somewhat by surprise with its decision to ban Chinas Huawei from the 5G network. Brophy presents Australia not as a sheriff following Americas lead but instead determined to entangle the US further in its neighbourhood.

It is reminder that for all the well-warranted attention on China in recent years, Australias most enduring and difficult question is how to manage relations with its American ally. Plenty more books could be written. China Panic: Australias Alternative To Paranoia and Pandering, David Brophy, La Trobe University Press, $32.99

Red Zone: Chinas Challenge and Australias Future, Peter Hartcher, Black Inc., $32.99

The Last Correspondent: Dispatches From The Frontline of Xis New China, Michael Smith, Ultimo Press, $34.99

The Truth About China: Propaganda, Patriotism and The Search For Answers, Bill Birtles, Allen & Unwin, $32.99
That said, she didnt intend to make the jaded millionaire the storys centre of gravity. My dad fixed phone lines for a living, she said. Im not from a background where people like Felix arent in my family. Rooney knows how many writers would kill to be in her position. But thats her point: Everyone loses, except capitalism. The culture around authorship is not really benefiting anyone, she said, even the people whom it appears to be benefiting the most. Financially speaking, the Celebrity Industrial Complex is benefiting Rooney handsomely. A Marxist, she thinks she should get paid to write books, just not multiples more than her husband makes teaching high school math, or more than anyone else gets paid to do what they do. Rooney began Beautiful World in 2018, before the release of Normal People. She continued writing it on a fellowship at the Cullman Centre at the New York Public Library in the fall of 2019. It was the first time shed ever lived abroad. By then, her first novels had brought her literary fame, but the peak-pandemic, April 2020 release of the BBC Three/Hulu series Normal People took it to another level. It almost terrifies me, looking back, how little I knew about what I was getting myself in for, she said of co-writing the television adaptation, and of the overwhelming discourse that attended it. (Recall with caution: Connells silver chain.)

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal in a scene from Normal People. Credit:Hulu via AP Once it aired, Rooney went back to Beautiful World, started working on the early parts of the novel again, and thought, at this point, I am more famous than Alice, she said. On Alices first date with Felix, he has no idea who she is. I dont know if that could happen to me any more, Rooney said. My life has become so crazy I cant even put it in a book. Shes grateful to see her characters mean so much to so many, but resents how your name becomes a kind of floating signifier that people can attach to things that have nothing to do with you, she said. And youre like, wait, no, I want that back! Thats mine! I have to use that to get an appointment with the doctor and stuff! (She declined to participate in the forthcoming TV adaptation of Conversations with Friends to focus on this novel.) The critical theory she could access in the library  from Simone Weils Gravity and Grace, to Radical Hope, by Jonathan Lear, to Ian Watts The Rise of the Novel  helped Rooney take a step back from her craft and view it anew.

Written just a few, crucial years earlier in her 20s, both Conversations with Friends and Normal People had all but poured out of her. Off the top of my head is a bad way of putting it, she said, but I wasnt thinking, what is a voice? What is a protagonist? It was so natural, all those questions just answered themselves as I wrote. By the time she got to New York, the pressures had accumulated, and she worried shed buckle under them, never write again. Wait, how do you write one of these? shed asked herself. It was like Id never done it before! Loading Rooney speaks of all her characters as having walked into my brain, including the four at the centre of Beautiful World. She cited Henry James admiration for Turgenev, who, James wrote, saw his subjects as disponibles, saw them subject to the chances, the complications of existence, and saw them vividly, but then had to find for them the right relations. She struggled with those relations, in New York and when she came back home, at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, writing version after version, in first person, in close third, purely epistolary. None of it worked.

It sounded like the difference between a child organically learning to walk and an adult re-evaluating every musculoskeletal movement involved in putting one foot in front of the other. It was with this book that I sat down and thought, wait a minute, what is a novel? Rooney said. I seem to be writing them, but what are they? To figure it out, she read. Mitchell S. Jackson, a Pulitzer Prize winner who was in her fellowship class at the library, said, Sally was possibly the most disciplined person there. When she got to their offices early in the morning, he added, she would close her door and close the blinds and work. When she did emerge, she impressed the other fellows with her knowledge of, as the journalist Hua Hsu recalled, pre-Christian systems of faith to contemporary Marxist scholarship to basic internet culture. The research was her way of reckoning with why she writes at all. The ethics of fiction, for Rooney, is very much tied to the ethics of living. When you inhabit a time of enormous historic crises, and youre concerned about it, she said, how do you justify to yourself that the thing to which youve chosen to dedicate your life is making up fake people who have fake love affairs with each other? At times, shes been made to feel that her work is inconsequential. Salinger for the Snapchat generation has the benefit of alliteration, but none of her characters spend much if any time on social media. The New Yorker once called her dialogue casual intellectual hooliganism, as if her characters were merely volleying knowledge like the college debaters of Rooneys earlier life: recklessly, for no other reason than because they can.

Perhaps the most obvious manifestation of her insatiable reading, the emails in Beautiful World between Alice and Eileen  about Late Bronze Age civilisation, babies, Edouard Manet and organised religion  are no contrivance. One feels the long email to be Rooneys preferred, perhaps most natural, mode of expression. With her closest friends, shell exchange ideas about climate change, economic inequality and who broke up with whom, all in the same breath. It would be artificial to try and reproduce some kind of compartmentalisation that I dont feel in my real life, she said. For Rooney, the intimate and the ideological go hand in hand. That is, you cant fully understand Felix and Alices relationship, or Eileen and Simons, without understanding their relative positions within the social order around them. So, yes, she does have opinions on Dublins housing crisis, but even if she didnt, as a novelist, she said, I simply have to engage with the reality of the housing market because the characters have to live somewhere. They have to go home, put a key in the door and live. Rooney thinks its a cop-out to say she writes simply because shes not good at anything else. (She did say this, to the Irish Independent, in 2018.) You dont have to be really good at trying to make a difference in the world, she said. You could just be mediocre at it and still try, and Im not.

Instead, shes written a novel that attempts to justify not just itself, but novel writing, period. Loading What it comes down to, for her  and for Henry James and the Victorians, and even Felix  is some inherent, transformative value in aesthetic experience. I want to live in a culture where people are making art, even as everything else falls apart, Rooney said. It gives my life meaning. In Beautiful World, one evening, Eileen narrates an arousing scene to Simon over the phone in which an imaginary wife takes off all his clothes, and he has sex with her. I live for detail, Eileen tells him. You paint a compelling picture, Simon says, moments before he orgasms. Both characters, on either end of the line, are left flushed, breathing hard; perhaps the reader even feels something too. Because at the end of the world, when theres nothing left but one another, well still be moved, in spite of everything, by story.
When Sally Berger looks back at times when the demon had taken over her while she was going through perimenopause, she shakes her head.

You think theres something wrong with you, says Berger, 56, who runs the website Fit Fab Fiftyish, about the years when her estrogen was dropping, before her periods finally stopped. She recalls the time she just went for an unhelpful shop assistant, yelling at the person until people around her were stopping, watching, and sniggling to themselves.

It was horrifying, she says over the phone from Melbourne. That is not me. I am so zen. I told myself, If I exercise more, and eat better, and maybe if I have more green smoothies

When I try to address it with my own mother, shes like, Oh I cant remember, Michelle, I dont know, says Michelle Kennedy, who has created an app to connect women who are going through menopause.

If only, she says, there had been an app or a community of women who were speaking openly about perimenopause back then, and the fact that short-term memory loss, hot sweats, changes in libido and  yes  rage, are common and temporary symptoms of this stage of life. (Shes now passed through menopause, the time of life marked by a year without periods, and is postmenopausal.)
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has again waded into a COVID stoush with the WA government, this time warning jobs would be lost if states didnt follow the nationally agreed plan.

If the borders remain shut and if all states dont follow the plan, jobs will be lost, businesses will close, the wellbeing of Australians will suffer, our debt burden will increase and our recovery will be slowed, he told ABC Radio on Thursday.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Queensland or Western Australia may not have the number of cases weve seen in the southern states but whether its a week or whether its a month, they will see Delta outbreaks in their states, and its important that they encourage their population to get vaccinated and to follow this pathway out of living the virus.

Every other country around the world is learning to live with COVID, and it seems that in Queensland and Western Australia theres a denial of the reality that we need to do that.
Health authorities say they have no idea how many people attended an illegal house party in Sydneys east last month that residents have slammed as selfish, which has now been linked to almost 90 COVID-19 cases.

It comes as police investigate whether there are any links between an illegal gathering at the Malabar Headland in July and the house party on August 14. Both events were in breach of the Public Health Orders.

Maroubra residents have slammed selfish partygoers who attended a gathering in the suburb last month. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The house party was attended by up to 60 people, according to the state government, including a number from the 12 local government areas of concern.

A spokesperson for South Eastern Sydney Local Health District said 87 people have returned positive COVID-19 test results since the party, which include 20 people who attended the gathering and 67 of their contacts.
The NSW government announced on Wednesday that 30 motorhomes would open at the towns caravan park so that people stuck in overcrowded housing could isolate away from their families to avoid spreading the disease. Wilcannia resident Catherine Bugmy is in isolation as she has COVID. Credit:Nick Moir But questions are now being asked over why the state government didnt set up alternative accommodation for the town's vulnerable population after the virus first entered the community. The countrys peak Indigenous health body said it didnt know why the government didnt act sooner, considering it was a key element of the response planning for Aboriginal communities. We always knew that people couldnt safely isolate at their homes and the plans that we put in place were mainly centred around removing positive cases from their homes so that they could help protect their families, so thats always been the plan, said Jason Agostino, an epidemiologist and medical adviser to the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).

Asked if NACCHO had any idea why the state governments response had taken so long, Dr Agostino replied: No. Catherine Bugmy doing her washing in the Darling River outside Wilcannia. Credit:Rhett Wyman "The pandemic response is up to each jurisdiction, he said. Responding to Ms Bugmys claims, the Far West NSW Local Health District said it is in the process of organising the collection of used clothes for washing. It said all food given to people isolating is freshly cooked in Broken Hill before being transported to Wilcannia. Asked to explain why it had taken so long to set up extra accommodation in Wilcannia, NSW Health referred the Herald to its initial announcement that it would open the motorhomes next week after consulting the community.

The outbreak in far western and western NSW is suspected to have originated from a couple who were in a western Sydney hotspot in July. But the Western NSW Local Health District urged people not to focus on how the outbreak started, and instead focus on how to bring it under control. What we now know is there is so much broad spread of this delta strain across all of our communities, with people infectious in all of our communities its not so much where it came from, its whats happening today, said Scott McLachlan, its chief executive. Just days ago a leaked letter from a well-respected local Aboriginal health service to the Prime Minister, obtained by the Herald, described the situation in Wilcannia as a humanitarian crisis and said it had been raising the alarm about overcrowded housing for more than a year.

The letter from the Maari Ma Aboriginal Health Corporation was also scathing over the chaotic handling of the unfolding catastrophe in far western NSW, saying government responses had been entirely reactive. "The fact of the matter is, the horse has already bolted in Wilcannia, so priority issues there today are humanitarian and acute medical care, in particular alternative accommodation," the letter said. Federal Labor spokeswoman for Indigenous Australians, Wiradjuri woman Linda Burney, said the growing outbreak in Wilcannia was unacceptable. Today alone we had four new cases in Wilcannia. There are now upwards of 80 people in Wilcannia, a town of 700, with COVID, she said. Loading

She argued that the government should have foreseen the problems people would face trying to safely isolate, given the well-known problem of overcrowding in the community. It is too little too late, two and a half weeks too late, to get mobile homes out to Wilcannia. Wilcannia has been crying out for the capacity to isolate for a very long time now, she said. Dr Agostino explained that overcrowded housing was one of the biggest reasons Indigenous communities are considered more at risk from COVID-19 than the general population, and has been factored into planning since the pandemic began. In many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities we see over 10 people in a house, often without adequate infrastructure for cleaning and health as well, so it is the biggest issue, he said. The far western region of NSW, where Wilcannia is located, has the lowest rates of fully vaccinated Indigenous people in the state. Just 13 per cent of the Indigenous population has received two jabs.
Police raid three bookshops

Vice Squad detectives yesterday seized 819 copies of the banned novel Portnoys Complaint in raids on three Sydney bookshops. They took 786 copies from Angus and Robertsons shop in Castlereagh Street, 18 from the Pocket Book shop in King Street and 15 from the Third World Bookshop in Goulburn Street. Penguin Books published 75,000 copies of Portnoys Complaint, of which 70,000 were sold in Australia on Monday and Tuesday.

Big day for little fossickers

It was Fossil Day at the Australian Museum yesterday  a special opportunity for young fossickers to identify and study their finds with the aid of two experts, Dr Alex Ritchie, the museums palaeontologist, and Dr Harold Fletcher, the former fossil curator. And the young collectors made the most of it. Fossils arrived in raincoat pockets and paper sacks; in cloth bags and wrapped in tissues. There was a tour of the exhibition cases and a film for the finale.

Price of beer rises lc
Queensland is on high alert after a truck driver was possibly infectious in the community on the Gold Coast for five days, while a school has been closed after students boasted about sneaking into the state from Melbourne.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Thursday a Gold Coast school was closed after children boasted about travelling to and from Melbourne.

The family has now been placed into mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine and I urge them to co-operate with authorities, she said.

This is very serious. We need this family to co-operate with authorities.
An internal text exchange has emerged that asserts somebody who has power in China secretly helped a large Australian abattoir overcome an export ban in exchange for issuing a lucrative labour hire contract to a favoured recruitment syndicate.

The 2020 text message from a senior manager at Goulburn-based Southern Meats shows the high value of the trade in Chinese people willing to work in Australian abattoirs.

From left to right, labour recruiter David Zhu, his former business partner Eddie Zhi and Southern Meats general manager Craig Newton in Beijing.

In March, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald reported Craig Newton, general manager of the large NSW-based abattoir Southern Meats, defied federal government advice and met secretly in Beijing with a top Chinese customs official in a successful attempt to overturn a $10 million export licence ban imposed over a labelling error.

Southern Meats and the two men who helped arrange the meeting in late 2019, Eddie Zhi and David Zhu, who are involved in supplying foreign labour to Australian abattoirs, have denied any payments or inducements were offered to have the ban overturned.
Financial incentives, travel inducements and TAC-style shock ads are among the measures that could be used to drive up vaccination rates and help Australia out of its cycle of coronavirus lockdowns, doctors and other health authorities say.

As Victoria recorded 176 new infections on Thursday  prompting the state government to halve the waiting time for second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine  experts and GPs have suggested a number of initiatives could be used to encourage more people to get jabbed and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed with coronavirus patients.

Victoria has started opening drive-through clinics in areas with lower vaccination rates, such as Melton in Melbournes west. Credit:Darrian Traynor

The urgency to boost vaccination rates received fresh impetus this week after Premier Daniel Andrews announced Victorians would be under harsh lockdown restrictions at least until 70 per cent of eligible people had their first dose.

Health Minister Martin Foley repeated the message on Thursday, saying what we can do as a community is take the public health advice [and] pursue the vaccination programs really, really hard.
Former Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos has called for a royal commission into Australias pandemic response and called into question the performance of Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton.

In her first public appearance since resigning under pressure from Premier Daniel Andrews last year, Ms Mikakos reaffirmed her discontent that department officials did not inform her of emerging issues with contact tracing and quarantine hotel protocols during the states second wave of COVID-19 infections last year.

Former health minister Jenny Mikakos speaking at an inquiry into the closure of I Cook Foods. Credit: Victorian Parliament

She stepped down as minister, and quit State Parliament, in September after Premier Daniel Andrews told the Coate inquiry into Victorias troubled hotel quarantine system he believed Ms Mikakos was accountable for the program. She resigned a day later and issued a statement disagreeing with the Premiers evidence and expressing disappointment at her departmental officials.

Speaking at a parliamentary inquiry on Thursday into the forced closure of a catering business, Ms Mikakos talked broadly about departmental issues and veered into the topic of the state governments pandemic response.
Police have seized more than one tonne of cannabis, with a total value of more than $4 million, after executing search warrants in Melbournes western suburbs this week.

No arrests have been made after 20 properties with large-scale cannabis crops were searched between Monday and Wednesday this week, Victoria Police said in a statement on Thursday.

Victoria Police seized one tonne of cannabis after executing 20 search warrants. Credit:Victoria Police

About 1600 cannabis plants were seized from the properties, in suburbs including Williams Landing, Point Cook, Werribee, Hoppers Crossing and Tarneit.

The plants will be examined further at the forces forensics services centre, before being destroyed.
Australia has been mugged by our own complacency in this crisis. Six months ago, we should have been vaccinating much faster. Six months before that we should have been building fit-for-purpose quarantine centres. If we have learned anything, it is that we must act earlier to tackle the next challenge on the horizon.

So, lets look forward. Where will Australia be in six months? And what do we need to be doing now to prepare?

Stepping out ... in six months well be out of lockdown and the whole economy will need the capacity to step up. Credit:Kate Geraghty

By the new year, vaccination thresholds will be met, and lockdowns will be easing. Shops will reopen. Schools will return. Well all have a haircut.

But while life will begin to return to normal for most of us, there will be many who cant recover so easily. If we were smart, wed be working now to prepare a bounce-back package to help vulnerable groups get back on their feet and prevent lasting damage to our economy.
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 It was David Koch, breakfast TVs longtime barometer of middle Australia, who last week articulated best the frustrations of so many about the fractured federation and seemingly dysfunctional national cabinet. Sparring with Scott Morrison from his prime ministerial courtyard while Australians devoured their Weeties, the Sunrise host asked if the PM was feeling like a lame duck. You really cant get Queensland and WA to toe the line? Kochie said. You can say, stick to the plan, but if they say no, we dont want to theres nothing you can do about it. Should you have imposed a health emergency so  we have consistent rules for everyone right across the country? Prime Minister Scott Morrison doesnt have the power to implement consistent rules across the country. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Morrisons response hinted at an underlying exasperation. There is not that power in Australia  It just doesnt exist. So, I cant sort of play fantasy government, he said.

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I think these powers of the states were not as well known at previous times because we didnt have pandemics running like we do now. While political brawling between premiers and prime ministers is nothing new, the coronavirus pandemic has introduced a new generation of Australians to the complexities and oddities of the federation. Daily press conferences have elevated state and territory leaders to day-time TV celebrities, each becoming pantomime characters in the weekly build-up to national cabinet meetings. Formed in the whirlwind of mid-March 2020, as death tolls mounted in Europe and global financial markets were sent into freefall, the national cabinet  comprising all state and territory leaders  was assembled to co-ordinate a consistent national response. Loading Its early success  a reflection of the national unity at the time  has made it a permanent, but to many problematic, part of the political landscape. As the pandemic progressed the patience and general politeness of those early days have dissipated as leaders publicly, and privately, traded barbs. Morrison took on Victorias Daniel Andrews over contact tracing and Defence troops. Andrews upset South Australias Steven Marshall by suggesting no one wanted to visit his state anyway when it closed its borders. For months, NSWs Gladys Berejiklian and Queenslands Annastacia Palaszczuk were engaged in a bitter and personal brawl over border closures. Berejiklians perceived schadenfreude towards Victorias second wave ensured Andrews returned the same favour when it was NSWs time to lockdown. West Australias Mark McGowan, who all but wiped out his opponents at home with a landslide election win last year, picked a fight with almost all of the east coast over his hardline border stance.

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ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has taken swipes at Andrews for locking out Canberrans and lashed out at Berejiklian in the past month for leaving the nations capital horribly exposed to the Delta outbreak. Five leaders, most notably McGowan and Palaszczuk, have been re-elected during the pandemic and point to their increased majorities as justification of their stances. There is a hollow acknowledgement that things should not be leaked but there is also an understanding that every state has to serve their political purposes, one source close to the inner workings says. Every jurisdiction will ultimately do what serves their political purposes first, without exception. Loading While Morrison has dismissed many of these grievances as nothing more than performative premiers playing to their own voters, whatever faint illusion of camaraderie was left has been shattered by damaging and highly personal leaks out of the Prime Ministers own state in recent weeks. First came the anecdote that a cranky Morrison had let fly at the NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet during a private meeting, swearing at displeasure over negotiations to upgrade COVID-19 financial support. Then, at the weekend, claims Berejiklian had called Morrison a bully and evil. The NSW Premier told reporters to not believe what you read.

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A number of times Ive read things during the course of this pandemic that hasnt been based on fact, she said. But the damage was done. NSW Liberals put the animosity down to a number of factors, many of which are mired in the factional dysfunction of the party in Morrisons home state. Some believe senior figures wish to destabilise Berejiklian from within, others say they are settling old scores. Some put it down to the fact the pair have never been overly close and arent fans of each others leadership style. Loading There is little doubt Berejiklian did not appreciate the suggestion being planted in the media that she only went harder in her lockdown strategy at Morrisons urging. While Morrison, weeks earlier, was left blindsided by her fierce criticisms of the vaccine rollout and demands other states send doses her way. The relationships between Morrison and the leaders of the two biggest states  and to a greater extent their teams of loyal advisers  has been rocky since the bushfires in late 2019. Both sides briefed differing accounts to journalists about the others claimed incompetencies while trying to keep their bosses fingers away from it. While personal animosities have dominated politics since Cassius and Brutus turned on Caesar, those who sit in the national cabinet each week insist the process is working.

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You know what happens every week before national cabinet, every week the stories appear, oh theyre disagreeing, nothings happening etcetera, etcetera, Morrison told Koch. Everybody lays in. Then we get together in the room on the Friday and we sort it out. In the room Those who sit in the room stress the public dynamic is rarely the way things play out when the secure video links fire up behind closed doors. Although, several leaders say privately that meetings have become more sombre, tense or even a little emotional in recent times amid fierce debate about vaccinating children and a plan based on the Doherty Institute modelling to ease restrictions when vaccination rates 70 to 80 per cent. The forum, several leaders say, operates at its best when the differences between states and territories are acknowledged. Neither is there always an alliance between Labor and Liberal leaders. One leader says: I think if aliens came down and watched the debate, they wouldnt be able to tell who is in a red shirt [Labor] or a blue shirt [Liberal]. Morrison knows which leaders he can corral on certain issues and he starts from there to win support.

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How times have changed. It was not that long ago that Prime Minister Scott Morrison was adamant NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklians refusal to lock down Sydney despite a new outbreak was the right call. As Mr Morrison told Sky News: My fellow Sydneysiders can feel very confident that if anyone can get on top of this without shutting the city down, it is the NSW government.

In economic terms, Mr Morrisons logic was sound. Keeping COVID-19 at bay while keeping borders and businesses open is the best-case scenario. Globally, few cities or regions have managed such a feat. Sydney had led the way and played a significant role in keeping Australias economy afloat.

The passage of time has, of course, shown how Ms Berejiklians delay in locking down was the wrong call but it has also highlighted the political shape-shifting going on.

If you live in Perth or Brisbane today, going to the office, a restaurant or to a show is not unusual. Students are going to school. Life is relatively free of restrictions. Their economies are humming. Based on Mr Morrisons previous stance towards NSW, you would think this would get the Prime Ministers stamp of approval.

There is a big difference, of course. Western Australia has achieved its feat by shutting its border to the rest of the country. The national cabinet - which includes the prime minister as well as all state and territory leaders - has outlined a plan to ease restrictions once vaccination rate targets of 70 and 80 per cent are met, but West Australian Premier Mark McGowan and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk have since distanced themselves from those thresholds.
Leaders of COVID-free states have been told to vaccinate and prepare for the virus to spread and people to die as the country learns to live with the coronavirus once vaccination targets are hit.

Ahead of Fridays national cabinet meeting, Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly urged state and territory leaders to stick to the national recovery plan as Queensland and Western Australia continue to threaten to go their own way.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly says COVID-free states need to vaccinate as fast as they can so they can prepare to live with the virus. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

We have a national plan that everyone has signed up to. Its based on the Doherty modelling that shows every percentage that we get above 70 per cent coverage of vaccination changes things, he said.

There will be people that die from COVID  but we need to start recognising thats the case, particularly for unvaccinated people.
Measures to counter Chinas trade strikes and other grey zone attacks will top the agenda when Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton travel to the United States later this month for talks with the Biden administration.

Senator Payne and Mr Dutton will meet US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin for the annual Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in Washington DC.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Foreign Minister Marise Payne will travel to Washington later this month. Credit:Sydney Morning Herald

The trip, which comes against the backdrop of the hurried withdrawal from Afghanistan and Chinas growing presence in the Indo-Pacific, will also include stop-offs in other countries in the region. The meetings are scheduled to take place somewhere between September 13 and 17 and will be Mr Duttons first face-to-face encounter with his US counterpart.

Australian officials are also hoping Prime Minister Scott Morrisons first one-on-one, in-person discussion with US President Joe Biden will go ahead later this month after a planned meeting of the Quad grouping  Australia, the US, India and Japan  was thrown into doubt by the upcoming Japanese election.
The All Blacks have already secured the Bledisloe Cup for another year but centre Anton Lienert-Brown has issued an ominous warning to any Wallabies supporters hoping New Zealand may be caught out with some dead rubber complacency in Perth.

The All Blacks have a good record at most Australian venues but Perths Optus Stadium isnt one of them, or so far at least. The only Bledisloe Cup fixture played at the new ground ended in a record Wallabies 47-26 win in a match which proved to be a false dawn later that year at the World Cup.

But its clearly a result which still stings Lienert-Brown and his teammates, who will start Sunday afternoons clash as strong favourites despite the absence of Aaron Smith, Richie Mounga and Sam Whitelock.

Given their incredible success rate, the All Blacks have a knack of finding crumbs of motivation through previous poor performances or perceived slights, and the record defeat was still on the mind of Lienert-Brown on Thursday.
Inner-city corner stores are dealing them under the counter for between $20 and $30, and they can be bought for as little as $5 online, offering young people a nicotine hit thats sweeter and far less stigmatised than cigarettes. And unlike smoking, you can vape indoors, while driving, at your desk, or in a school bathroom without detection.

And its these vapes that are luring young Australians, some of whom may have never lit a cigarette before.

The slim, disposable products are manufactured in China to deliver between 600 and 1800 puffs each of liquid nicotine disguised with flavours such as pineapple ice, lemonade and cotton candy.

But the engineers, researchers and marketing managers are not training for the military or emergency services. They are making vapes, the flavoured nicotine electronic cigarettes that are sweeping through convenience stores and schoolyards across Australia.

We are not afraid of hardship, unity is power, the workers yell at their colleagues as they haul each other up over a four-metre wall. Do not compromise and do not waver.

Outside a factory in south-eastern China, 300 workers are being put through commando crawls. Their instructor tells them the only way for wolves to survive is to be strong in a harsh environment and use their strength and wisdom to achieve great-collective honour.

It was just an instinctive response, said Chapman. Lemonade is something that at her tender age she thinks is still just lovely, and now you can get lemonade-flavoured e-cigarettes.

Ive got an 11-year-old granddaughter, says Simon Chapman, an emeritus professor of public health at the University of Sydney. She is in her final year of primary school. I asked her, do you know any kids in your class that vape? She said oh yes straightaway. Why do they do it? She said: Because you can get lemonade.

Before COVID-19 lockdowns, disposable wrappers littered streets after nights out, vape carcasses filled up alleyways and school toilets. Now, as kids prepare to eventually go back to school, a dozen Melbourne and Sydney schools including Knox Grammar have installed vape detectors in bathrooms.

But anecdotal evidence of a more recent surge has been enough to panic parents and principals who fear a new generation will become addicted to nicotine if government interventions dont come soon enough.

The latest Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey showed vape use doubled among 14 to 17-year-olds and quadrupled among 25 to 29-year-olds between 2016 and 2019.

The companys largest market is Russia, where it said it sponsors parties on top of snow-peaked mountains and at a racing club. Other important buyers are Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Britain, Germany and Australia.

But in convenience stores and schools in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, they are better known by their distinctive vape names: HQD and IGET. HQD  the larger of the two  is now producing half a million vapes a day.

Two of the most popular vapes in Australia come from Shenzhen Hanqingda Technology Co and Shenzhen Huaxinyu Technology Co. The companies share their research in the city and distribution channels in Australia.

Ninety per cent of the worlds vapes are from China, and 90 per cent of those are from Shenzhen: the 13-million-strong metropolis next door to Hong Kong. It is a remarkable sales figure for a country where the domestic online sale of vapes is banned.

Curtin Universitys professor Ben Mullins, who has conducted tests on refillable e-cigarettes, said the disposable vapes are now everywhere in most states of Australia. I see them lying around, thrown away, people using them, he said. Companies that sell them look like Australian companies, catering to the Australian market, but if you look at the details theyll be registered or shipped from another country.

They will need to be if they are going to take on the might of big tobacco, which has pivoted towards vapes and heat-not-burn tobacco products since 2014 as their traditional market shrinks.

Only such a team can withstand long-term and cruel market competition, the company tells its workers. Hou said after the team building exercise, the employees are invigorated.

The nation-building ethos extends from Liu to the factory line. HQDs military drills are modelled on the 2015 Chinese action film Wolf Warrio r. The movie has influenced everything from Chinese diplomacy to HR in the private sector, where it is designed to instil a sense of loyalty and national prosperity in workers.

HQD workers pull their colleagues to safety during one of the training drills. Credit:HQD

In May, Liu Sheng, the secretary of the local Chinese Communist Party committee, visited the factory to highlight examples of tech growth in Shenzhen. He said more Chinese companies needed to be like HQD: to mobilise the streets and actively seek suitable industrial space for enterprises.

We sell very well in Australia, said Hou Shoushan, HQDs general manager. We have three to four hundred dealers big and small. In that way, we control the price. You can order 500 or hundreds of thousands.

The companys deputy general manager, Deng Yang, said HQDs orders from Australia are booming. When we first started, the orders were merely a few hundred each. But now sometimes it can be hundreds of thousands, he said.

Medical equipment required a high threshold and long application process for getting a licence. The e-cigarette was a burgeoning industry without a clear definition of legal status, and a little bit chaotic, he said. So we decided to make e-cigarettes.

Hou originally wanted to manufacture medical equipment, but he chose vapes because he saw a gap in the market.

But vapes, which are effectively mini electric kettles, need only a five-storey factory in one of the worlds most densely populated areas to pump out hundreds of thousands a day.

Tobacco, still dominated by 20th-century giants Philip Morris, British American and Imperial, has high barriers to entry: the physical crop requires land to grow it and workers to clear it.

We have written down the not-for-sale-to-minors warning in English on the package and advised our dealers about this issue.

HQD also asks online buyers to upload their ID cards before ordering. But Hou concedes that, even with this safeguard, vapes could still be spreading to schools as some students in Australia buy online using a parents ID or through convenience stores.

Smoking among juveniles is a common phenomenon all over the world. Sometimes, I send my daughter to buy me a cigarette, Hou said.

First, the e-cigarette is safer than the traditional one. Second, it can refresh your brain, he claimed. Third, its a fashion. Personally, I dont think there is a big problem.

But parents are worried; their kids are turning up at sick bays with nicotine poisoning. And some young adults whove taken up the habit say they are vaping more than theyd ever smoked.

Several vape users in their 20s who spoke to the Herald and The Age on the condition of anonymity said the convenience of purchasing vapes at corner stores or tobacco stores, and the ability to vape easily indoors, meant they have become more frequent users than anticipated.

One woman, 27, said she started vaping to replace smoking, but now she just grabs it all the time. With smoking, you have to go outside, get hand cream, spray yourself. Vaping is a quick nicotine hit. So if Im in my room I can have a puff, she said.

Another said she and her boyfriend shared an 1800-puff vape that they replaced every three or four days. I started vaping to help me quit smoking cigarettes, she said. Fast-forward a month and I hate smoking cigs and the smell and the whole experience, but my nicotine addiction is worse than ever. The vape is always there, you can do it inside, theres no sense of Ill have one because it cant be measured.

A third woman, also in her 20s, said she used to feel anxious when leaving home without her vape. Also I definitely vape in bed.

Designer Ash Fishcer recycles disposable vapes into ashtrays at the Marrickville plastic recycling factory Defy Design. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Sydney designer Ash Fischer said when he moved back to Sydney from Melbourne last year most of his mates were huffing on them.

There were so many vapes being discarded that he decided to turn them into ashtrays. The single-use devices are made with either aluminium or plastic casing, and also contain batteries making them difficult to recycle.

People will [say they] care somewhat about the environment, but I feel nicotine overpowers that, the 23-year-old said.

Its like the modern-day cigarette. Its insane  all the school kids have nicotine addictions. Its completely done a U-turn from smoking.

The disposable vapes carry very high concentrations of nicotine  sometimes up to 6 per cent, which is triple what is allowed legally in Europe for re-useable vapes.

Matthew Peters, the head of Respiratory Medicine at Concord Hospital in Sydney, said he had never seen this level of nicotine exposure in kids. Weve not had young people, going back a really long way  maybe ever  exposed in the way they are now to as much nicotine, he said.

We know that the higher levels of nicotine exposure create neuropsychological harms in children. Its clearly addictive and it leads to addictive behaviours in kids.

It is bad for your lungs, it causes coughs, wheeze, asthma and asthma attacks. These are the immediate effects in adolescence.

Vaping has been used by smokers as a cessation tool but can deliver a higher hit of nicotine. Credit:James Brickwood

Chapman said the long-term effects would probably not be known for years, despite untested claims by HQD that compared to traditional cigarettes, the hazard is almost zero.

What theyre doing is basically behaving like somebody who was pronouncing in 1919 that cigarette smoking didnt cause anything.

Now, it may, of course, turn out that they genuinely are a much-reduced risk. But we dont know that. Weve got this huge experiment happening on our kids. They are still developing airways and lungs and are pickling themselves with this stuff.

Mullins said the short answer was we dont know what is in them. I havent seen any testing of the vape pen-type devices.

A Therapeutic Goods Association spokesperson said: There has not been separate research on the health risks of disposable versus refillable nicotine e-cigarettes that we are aware of.

Because Chinas vapes are not legitimately sold by Australian companies, they dont undergo any local quality checks. Mullins guess is that  aside from high nicotine quantities  other health risks come from food-grade flavourings used in vapes, which are often irritants or asthmagens when inhaled, as well as cross-contaminations in laboratories.

For adults, vaping has been marketed as a nicotine replacement therapy to get consumers away from combustible cigarettes.

In Japan, where heat-not-burn e-cigarettes such as IQOS have been legal since 2015, research by the American Cancer Society found that traditional cigarette use had declined by 0.66 cigarettes per person per month by 2019.

You do find of course people who quit with vaping, but they are far outnumbered by people who vape and dont quit, or who vape, and then actually go on to start smoking, said Chapman.

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centres Dr Ryan Courtney, who has spent several years researching smoking cessation, is cautious of the vape debate.

He said vaping products have advanced so they have the potential to deliver nicotine just as well as a cigarette, and more swiftly than other replacement products. They also mimic the same motions as smoking, which can make them a more acceptable option than other nicotine replacement options such as patches and tablets. He believes this could have great outcomes for smokers if they managed to make the switch long-term.

But if it goes the other way with uptake among non-smokers, were going to have a situation we dont want. The medical device framework versus recreational framework is a very different discussion, he warns. Its a topic thats really dividing the public health community.



Peters said you can be pro-vaping as smoking cessation, but kids are turning up to school sickbay vomiting from nicotine poisoning. You cant pretend all these principals are fools.

School principals uphill battle

Dr Tim Hawkes, the former head of The Kings School in Parramatta, is one of those concerned principals. The urgency lies in the fact there appears to have been an exponential increase in vaping behaviours by young people, he said.

Hawkes has made two free digital courses about vaping through his company Truwell which delivers student wellbeing programs to schools. He said theres been a huge demand for information from principals around the country.

Former Kings School principal Dr Tim Hawkes. Credit:Isabella Lettini

[Its] a relatively young, recent phenomenon in society. This means there is very little research [and] were having to deal with a large amount of ignorance in this space, he said.

School leaders have told Hawkes their students have started vaping primarily because its very much on-trend. He puts this down to a few key ingredients: first is the list of attractive flavours. HQD, for example, makes vapes in 32 that range from apple peach to energy drink and mango ice.

Second, theres the popular belief that vaping is a healthier option to smoking through what Hawkes calls an incredibly effective marketing campaign made by those who stand to profit billions of dollars from advancing the vaping craze.

Then theres the age-old teenage desire to rebel and demonstrate independence; the fact vaping is a cheaper way to consume nicotine than cigarette smoking in Australia; and the social bonding that comes from vaping in groups.

What is happening in state schools, and indeed independent and Catholics is that students generally go to areas of the school at recess and lunchtime, or in free periods, and engage in vaping, he said.

The great advantage is you cant smell it. A student having fags in the toilet block would be immediately picked up by teachers. With vaping, this can be disguised.

New regulations are coming, but there are fears for a bootleg scenario

Both selling and using e-liquid nicotine is illegal in NSW and Victoria, but there is no government body keeping tabs on how many electronic vapes have made their way to Australian shores. It is legal to sell vapes without nicotine in them.

A NSW Health spokeswoman said the ministry seized 50,000 e-cigarettes containing nicotine in the first six months of this year, and 30,000 in the year before  but that hasnt dented supply when orders to HQD and IGET can number in the hundreds of thousands.

A national overhaul of e-cigarette restrictions that kicks in next month will change the regulatory landscape by making nicotine a prescription-only medicine and will place some vapes under the remit of the Therapeutic Goods Administration. This will allow users to import a three-month supply with a valid script or purchase some vapes from pharmacies.

But Hawkes said that the big fear with the October initiative is it could in fact backfire and result in a bootleg situation.

Disposable vapes that the TGA acknowledges are becoming increasingly popular in high schools wont fall under the prescription remit because they have not been approved as a medical device.

That will leave it up to Border Force and local health authorities to attempt to police illegal imports. To date, only 2 per cent of imports have been checked at the border and, when it comes to illegal sales at convenience stores, just 22 retailers in NSW have been prosecuted since 2015.

So its literally the Wild West, right? said an industry source who asked not to be identified because their work is commercially sensitive. The TGA has almost chosen to ignore regulating them and putting any sort of standards in place.

A convenience store in Sydney advertises vapes. Credit:James Brickwood

For retailers, there are reasonable gains to make on the products because they arent taxed. One inner-city convenience store said disposable vape sales to young adults had taken about 50 per cent of its typical cigarette sales.

If you want to make something cool, you should make it illegal, said the industry source. Its growing to prolific levels, and were going to have an issue, just like we do with the trade of illicit tobacco, in illicit vaping very soon.

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London: Once maligned in Australia as the horror show of the Wests mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic, Britain is now providing vital clues about what life post-vaccinations can look like.

Britain enjoys one of the worlds highest vaccination rates, with 88 per cent of the population aged over 16 given their first dose and almost 79 per cent fully jabbed. As a percentage of the whole population this constitutes around 63 per cent.

While debate in Britain is now focussed on whether to vaccinate younger teens and children, as well as to whom any boosters should be administered, Britains current vaccination success is one Australia is hoping to emulate, according to Australias Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly.

The stadiums of England are full. Credit:AP

About a month ago, they started to really increase those numbers of cases but ... in contrast to previous waves their death rate has remained extremely low, Professor Kelly told a news conference in Canberra last month.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has defended New Zealands approach to combating coronavirus against criticism from Australia that trying to eliminate the fast-spreading Delta variant was absurd.

Asked during a daily update on coronavirus, what she thought of criticism from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg that the Delta variant cant be eliminated, Ardern insisted elimination was the most sensible strategy until New Zealand is fully vaccinated.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: elimination works for us now. Credit:Getty

Delta is different; no one is denying that, Ardern said, referring to the strain of coronavirus that has caused outbreaks both in Australia and New Zealand.

But she said New Zealand will not change its approach until its population is vaccinated.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament (MP) Claudius Buncamper of the USP Faction in parliament voiced his concerns about the report of a firearm and drugs found in a students school bag during a random search by the schools authorities.

According to the article that appeared in the Daily Herald of Wednesday, September 1st, the student is now behind bars.

MP Buncamper, however, turned his attention in this matter towards the Minister of Education, Rudolphe Samuel, who during the 2021 budget debate in parliament, informed parliamentarians of his restructuring plans for schools, including the one where the unfortunate incident took place.

While these plans are yet to be put in place, the MP noted that security services, which the school management requested, have been removed from the school, leaving teachers and students fearing for their safety as fights and brawls take place on the schools premises and on the public roads with no security insight. Should we expect teachers and school staff to intervene in fights while the possibility of the use of weapons, such as firearms, exists? the MP wondered and expressed his concerns about the irrational decisions taken by the ministry of education or the Ministers Cabinet, which puts teachers and students lives at risk. MP Buncamper emphasized that Money, or the lack thereof, cannot be the ultimate reason for decision making. Teacher's and student's lives matter too. Are we going to take the bull by the horns now, or will we wait until the situation escalates to the loss of one or more lives?

MP Buncamper admonished the Minister of Education to speed up his restructuring plans for the schools to avoid any further unfortunate mishaps.

In regards to the student who was found with a firearm and drugs in his school bag, MP Buncamper believes that placing the student behind bars will not solve the problems. Instead, the MP suggests that a bootcamp, in the form of a resilient fostering learning project, be established to mold delinquent youngsters back into society as civilized citizens. The bootcamp can serve the community in several aspects, such as a VKS Kazerne or a local militia to instill discipline in youngsters and provide them the opportunity to learn trades such as masonry, carpentry, welding, painting, and more. This can be done in collaboration with NIPA, and creates the opportunity for future candidates for our VKS and police force, the MP concluded.
Deputy Premier Dr. Hon. Natalio Wheatley has welcomed the conclusions and recommendations of the United Nations (UN) Committee of 24s (C-24) regional seminar on decolonization held in Saint John Parish, Dominica from 25th  27th August 2021, which he attended on behalf of Premier and Minister of Finance Hon. Andrew A. Fahie.

According to Hon. Wheatley, The UN via the C-24 has again reaffirmed the right of the people of the British Virgin Islands to self-determination and for self-governance in the Territory to be upheld. They have clearly called on the Administering Power, the United Kingdom (UK), to respect the UN Charter and international law which covers the special rights of the BVI and those societies on the UN list of Territories yet to be completely decolonized. This includes the BVIs current constitutional position and plans for Constitutional Review.

In his report to the committee on the progress of decolonization and self-determination in the BVI, the Deputy Premier highlighted concerns about the prospect of the Territorys autonomy being taken away following the completion of the ongoing Commission of Inquiry on the islands, despite the full cooperation of the elected Government.

The sitting Government continues to cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry and is only seeking a just outcome. The process should not be used as a pretext by the UK to take away the autonomy of the local Government or as leverage to compel us to simply do as they wish, as opposed to engaging in dialogue. Moreover, the sitting Government should be allowed to exercise the maximum degree of self-governance permitted under the constitution. We are within our rights to do so, Hon. Wheatley said.

He went on to say, Furthermore, our plans for a Constitutional Review should not be impeded by the UK on the basis that they want to wait for the outcome of the Commission of Inquiry. The two things are mutually exclusive, and the UK should not be planning to capitalize on the Review as an opportunity to impose on us what they wish or to circumscribe the powers of the Local Government. Rather, the aspirations of the Government and people of the British Virgin Islands should be the basis for any constitutional changes, which should proceed without delay.

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In light of the concerns expressed by the Deputy Premier and other representatives of the Overseas Territories which the UN says have yet to be decolonized, the C-24 agreed their conclusions and recommendations of the regional seminar. Among other things, the C-24:

 Reaffirmed, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other relevant international law, that all peoples have the right to self-determination and, by virtue of that right, to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development;

 Also reaffirmed that any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and the territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations;

 Reconfirmed that the United Nations had a valid ongoing role in the process of decolonization, that the mandate of the Special Committee was a major program of the Organization and that United Nations support should be provided until all outstanding decolonization issues and related follow-up matters have been resolved in a satisfactory manner, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions and decisions;

 Reaffirmed the role of the Special Committee as the primary vehicle for fostering the process of decolonization and for monitoring the situation in the Territories;

 On the status-related and/or constitutional review exercises and the overall process of decolonization, stressed that such processes should be approached on a case-by-case basis and in a way that was respectful of human rights, transparent, accountable, inclusive and participatory, with the involvement of the people concerned, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions and decisions on decolonization and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations;

 On the relationship with administering Powers, advised that interactions and cooperation between the Special Committee and the administering Powers should continue to be nurtured and strengthened through various possible platforms and means, including informal working-level dialogue, and reaffirmed that all administering Powers, particularly those that had not done so, needed to engage effectively in the work of the Committee;

The theme of the 2021 C-24 regional seminar on decolonization was Implementation of the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.

The Deputy Premier was joined by the Special Envoy of the Premier Mr. Benito Wheatley.




Susie Rogers, 77, of Somerset, passed away on Monday, September 13, 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.
How businesses can protect their people in the new age of work?

Ensuring employee health and safety remains a key priority for organisations this year, especially as we see COVID-19 cases continue to rise in different areas of the world. As an ongoing challenge, COVID-19 has shifted the priorities of many organisations. In fact, improving health and safety for employees is the top strategic goal this year of manufacturing and logistics organisations in the U.S. and U.K., according to research conducted by Forrester on behalf of STANLEY Security. But as we think about reopening and as hybrid workforce models and workspace-on-demand approaches rise in popularity, leaders need to consider implementing the right technologies to help ensure a safe return to the office. This means investing in health, safety, and security solutions that can help leaders protect their people. The intersection of security technology and health and safety Theres no doubt that the scope of security has expanded in the wake of the global pandemic. What was once an area governed by a select few security or IT professionals within a business has now become a crucial company investment involving many key stakeholders. The role of security has expanded to encompass a broader range of health and safety challenges for businesses Additionally, the role of security has expanded to encompass a broader range of health and safety challenges for businesses. Fortunately, security technologies have made significant strides and many solutions, both existing and new, have been thrust forward to address todays biggest business challenges. Investment in security technology Its important to note that businesses are eager to adopt tech that can help them protect their people. Nearly half (46%) of organisations surveyed by Forrester report that theyre considering an increasing investment in technology solutions that ensure employee safety. Technologies like touchless access control, visitor management systems, occupancy monitoring, and installed/wearable proximity sensors are among some of the many security technologies these organisations have implemented or are planning to implement yet this year. Facilitating a safe return to work But what does the future look like? When it comes to the post-pandemic workplace, organisations are taking a hard look at their return-to-work strategy. Flexible or hybrid workforce models require a suite of security solutions to help ensure a safer, healthier environment More than half (53%) of organisations surveyed by Forrester are looking to introduce a flexible work schedule for their employees as they make decisions about returning to work and keeping employees safe post-pandemic. Such flexible  or hybrid  workforce models require a suite of security solutions to help ensure a safer, healthier environment for all who traverse a facility or work on-site. One of the central safety and security challenges raised by these hybrid models is tracking who is present in the building at any one time  and where or how they interact. Leveraging security technology With staggered schedules and what may seem like a steady stream of people passing through, it can be difficult to know whos an employee and whos a visitor. Access control will be key to monitoring and managing the flow of people on-site and preventing unauthorised access. When access control systems are properly integrated with visitor management solutions, businesses can unlock further benefits and efficiencies. For instance, integrated visitor management systems can allow for pre-registration of visitors and employees  granting mobile credentials before people arrive on-site  and automated health screening surveys can be sent out in advance to help mitigate risk. Once someone reaches the premises, these systems can also be used to detect the persons temperature and scan for a face mask, if needed. We will likely see these types of visitor management and advanced screening solutions continue to rise in popularity, as 47% of organisations surveyed by Forrester report that theyre considering requiring employee health screening post-pandemic. Defining the office of the future A modern, dynamic workforce model will require an agile approach to office management. Its imperative to strike the right balance between making people feel welcome and reassuring Businesses want to create an environment in which people feel comfortable and confident  a space where employees can collaborate and be creative. Its imperative to strike the right balance between making people feel welcome and reassuring them that the necessary security measures are in place to ensure not only their safety but also their health. In many cases, this balancing act has created an unintended consequence: Everyone now feels like a visitor to a building. Protocols and processes With employees required to undergo the same screening processes and protocols as a guest, weve seen a transformation in the on-site experience. This further underscores the need for seamless, automated, and tightly integrated security solutions that can improve the employee and visitor experience, while helping to ensure health and safety. Ultimately, the future of the office is not about what a space looks like, but how people feel in it. This means adopting a safety-always culture, underpinned by the right technology, to ensure people that their safety remains a business top priority.
Zicam Integrated Security Limited is celebrating its 25th year of providing and installing high-quality security systems and cutting-edge technology to protect people, places and assets. Since launching in 1996, Zicam has gone from strength to strength, building its reputation of going above and beyond for its customers.

Now celebrating 25 years in business, the company continues with ambitious growth plans which have seen an ongoing investment in both the business and its employees. The year began with the January promotion of David Salisbury to Managing Director, and since then an additional three high-level promotions have been made within the leadership team.

Nurturing lasting relationships

This further demonstrates the support the company shows to its employees, and the importance it places on nurturing lasting relationships and developing careers. The recent appointment of a new business development manager will see existing relationships being built on, as well as a strategic reach into new markets.

The recent appointment of a new business development manager will see existing relationships being built on

Growing from a one-man operation, that began with CEO and Founder Milan Mazic making the first sales call from his bedroom in 1996, the business now employs over 23 people and has clients such as the NHS, Eddie Stobbart and Sunseeker Yachts in its portfolio. The success and longevity of the company can partly be attributed to it being known in the industry for doing things differently, offering a personal touch backed up by in-depth knowledge and having a passion for providing the very best to its customers.

Extensive practical experience

It is this personal touch that Milan states sets the company apart, and this is reflected in a family feel to the business and the real team spirit between all colleagues  not always an easy thing to achieve in a large, national company.

Milan says: I am incredibly proud of what has been achieved in the past 25 years. Our whole team is dedicated to providing all existing and potential customers with exceptional service, and this is how we operate internally, too, with every colleague being treated as an equal. A core strength of the company is also that every one of the management team has extensive practical experience and a commitment to delivering the highest standards of professionalism for every single assignment, regardless of size, and we know what is required to deliver the best results.

Providing security solutions

Zicam prides itself on providing bespoke CCTV solutions that exceed clients' requirements

With an in-depth knowledge of the industry and close working relationship with the manufacturers, Zicam is well placed to provide security solutions that suit its customers needs and clients budgets, and this has led to a plethora of glowing endorsements from both.

Zicams engineers are fully accredited for the installation of CCTV and Internet Protocol (IP) CCTV equipment and all their work is carried out to the highest standards, utilising pioneering technology. Zicam prides itself on providing bespoke CCTV solutions that exceed clients' requirements and its system design is future-proofed, enabling expansion as client needs develop.

All equipment meets approved industry and legislative standards and complies with ISO 9001:2008, BS50132 & DD243:2002, NSI Gold and local police force policies. With a continued ambitious growth strategy, dynamic leadership and a dedication to doing things well, for both the customer and staff, the future looks safe and secure for the company.
News

spotlight

Sightings of UFOs reported in southern Minnesota

A photo of a black triangle was taken near Faribault in 2019 a dark, triangular-shaped object in the sky with flashing lights. Black triangles are a subcategory of UFOs. (Photo courtesy of MUFON)

The truth is out there, and it may be in southern Minnesota.

Since 1969, the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) has sought the truth behind a mystery thats captivated generations, investigating sightings of strange lights in the sky, witness testimony of highly advanced aircraft and even reports of alien abduction.

Across the nation, MUFON has documented more than 111,000 sightings of reported UFOs and related phenomena, and southern Minnesota is no exception. In 2015, the organization received a report from a witness claiming to see a mysterious flaming object falling from the sky on Hwy. 169 between Le Sueur and St. Peter, and another sighting from St. Peter in 2018 from an observer who said they woke up in the middle of the night to see a large flying object in the sky following an abnormal flight pattern.

Most recently, MUFON has received several reports from the Faribault area that organization investigators couldnt explain. Just a few months ago on April 29, a witness in Faribault described seeing a tube of flashing lights traveling at a high speed at an altitude of over 500 feet in the night sky. They recorded a video of the lights with their cell phone camera, which shows a chain of faint white lights glimmering in the darkness.

A friend of the witness in Montgomery also submitted a photo of the same phenomena, showing a cloudy, white ring in the air. While describing the alleged UFO, they stated the color lights and white lights were going around the disc and you could only see the one side lights pulsating going around.

The sighting was one of two reports that emerged from the Faribault area in the past two years. When a UFO sighting is reported to MUFON, Minnesota Director Tom Maher said the organization tracks the claim and investigates it to find a reasonable explanation or lack thereof.

A faint white disk in the night sky can be seen in this image. The photographer near Faribault reported it as a possible UFO. (Photo courtesy of MUFON)

Its not like the X-Files, said Maher. It can be very boring, very pedantic, not as exciting as it sounds.

Investigations begin with MUFON verifying a witness identity and taking a description of the mysterious phenomena, as well as the time of day, weather conditions and approximate distance and altitude of the UFO. Then MUFON conducts an interview with the witness and collects any photographic or video evidence they may have. In cases where there is no photo or video, a witness may be asked to draw what they saw, and on rare occasions, where the UFO left trace evidence, members of MUFON will travel to the site to collect findings.

Using that information, MUFON attempts to uncover possible explanations. Maher said that satellites are frequently mistaken for UFOs, so investigators often track the orbital patterns of satellites to see if they would be visible at the date, time and location given by a witness.

In the last year, Maher said that sightings around the country tripled and many of the cases were linked to Starlink satellites launched into space by SpaceX. The space exploration company owned by Elon Musk now has more than 1,700 satellites in orbit.

One thing we found is a lot of people would tell us Im a regular skywatcher; I know the moon; I know where the planets are; I know what satellites look like and these dont look like any satellites Ive seen, said Maher. And SpaceX did not look like your typical satellite.

When an investigation delivers an explanation, the flying object is marked as identified. Sometimes a case will be marked as a hoax when a witness is found to be lying to MUFON, and in other instances, a case will not have enough information to make a judgement. But if a thorough investigation is unable to come up with an explanation, the case is marked as an unidentified flying object.

How to explain the unexplainable? In some cases it might be a trick of the light. Maher said the ring in the sky near Faribault appeared similar to other UFO sightings linked to large bright displays like Mystic Lake Casino.

But some accounts are more difficult to explain. Maher doesnt rule out extraterrestrial beings, but he also speculated that UFO sightings could be linked to advanced, clandestine military aircraft.

If we dont have any evidence it is extraterrestrial, you cant say that scientifically. It gets into the realm of speculation, said Maher. Obviously, extraterrestrial would be a possibility, also would be government aircraft or secret contractors where the government doesnt know about them.

A resident near Wells, Minnesota, submitted this drawing to MUFON detailing a chrome, cylinder they saw in the sky while flying a radio controlled airplane on Aug. 10. According to the witness, after slowly disappearing from view past the tree line, the aircraft reappeared a minute later following the exact same flight path as before. (Photo courtesy of MUFON)

Mysterious flying objects have even become a public concern of the United States government. In June, a U.S. report on 144 observations of UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomenon), was released to the public. Only one of the sightings was explained  linked to a deflating aerial balloon  and the report concluded that too little data was available to explain the remaining 143. Of the reported UAPs, 18 appeared to move in unconventional flight patterns.

The report makes no mention of alien or extraterrestrial origins and instead offers potential explanations, ranging from airborne clutter, like birds, debris and the aforementioned deflating balloon, atmospheric phenomena like ice crystals, and thermal fluctuations that may be detected on radar, classified aircraft developed by the U.S. government and American industries, or foreign aircraft developed by adversaries, like China and Russia. A fifth category, Other, designated UAPs that remain unidentified due to limited data.

In addition to UFOs, MUFON keeps track of a phenomenon called black triangles. Unlike the classic flying saucer, black triangles are described by observers as dark, triangular or boomerang shaped objects that often display glowing lights. As recently as 2019, a Rice County resident near Faribault described seeing a large black triangle with three orange red circles underneath. Two reports of black triangles came from Lonsdale in 2018, while another was allegedly spotted in Northfield as far back as 1996.
Arne Carlson is a former Minnesota governor (GOP-Independent, 1991-99), and Tom Berkelman, DFL-Duluth, and Janet Entzel, DFL-Minneapolis. Chris Knopf is executive director of Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and Duke Skorich is president of Zenith Research Group.
Burns is national security writer for The Associated Press. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

Find AP Fact Checks at http://apnews.com/APFactCheck

Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck
Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku returned, Jack Grealish made a big move and Harry Kane was frustrated in his bid to leave Spurs.

Manchester City and Chelsea spent big on Jack Grealish and Romelu Lukaku, while Tottenham thwarted Harry Kane's attempts to leave. Here, the PA news agency looks at the key issues from the summer transfer window. Is player power on the wane after Harry Kane failed to force through a move to Manchester City? pic.twitter.com/x5nXkyvqo1  Harry Kane (@HKane) August 6, 2021 In a word, no. But Kane's inability to twist Tottenham's arm into letting him leave north London underscores the enduring value of a long-term contract, for both good and bad. Kane's lengthy deal, signed three years ago and running until 2024, offered him security in the first instance, but has now allowed Spurs to deny him his big move.

How has the pandemic affected transfer spending?

He created more chances than any other player  Jack Grealish is settling in nicely at Manchester City  Another impressive performance from the 25-year-old  pic.twitter.com/22mA9EZUjS  Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) August 28, 2021

Among the Premier League's elite, the impact of Covid-19 appears limited when it comes to new recruits. Chelsea broke their club record to bring in Romelu Lukaku for 98million and Manchester City set a new high British watermark with their 100million capture of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa. Arsenal's willingness to shell out 50million on developing Brighton defender Ben White proved instructive on the Premier League's enduring spending power.

Will Chelsea be happy with their transfer window business?

The Blues will be more than satisfied with pulling off their main summer target of a premium striker, with Lukaku arriving from Inter Milan and immediately hitting form. The loan capture of Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid adds important depth in defensive midfield too. Thomas Tuchel has been coy on his side's title chances, but Chelsea can be genuine contenders.

What impact can Cristiano Ronaldo have on his Manchester United return?

The five-time Ballon D'Or winner can propel United back into a genuine title race. The 36-year-old might not be the flying winger of old, but 29 goals in 33 Serie A appearances last season tells its own story. United have pace to burn on the flanks, especially with Jadon Sancho's arrival. Throw in Raphael Varane's calming defensive influence, and the Red Devils should be right in the mix.

Which teams struggled in the window?

Steve Bruce, pictured, can be forgiven with being frustrated by Newcastle's inactivity in the transfer market (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Everton were unable to offload a number of players needing fresh starts, most notably James Rodriguez, leaving Rafael Benitez's hands fairly well tied. Watford brought in 11 and saw 15 leave amid a revolving Vicarage Road door, but the Hornets could be short on Premier League nous. Newcastle stumped up 25million for Joe Willock from Arsenal but an otherwise lean window could leave Steve Bruce's Magpies in trouble.
Occupied Aaiun, August 31, 2021 (SPS) - The Committee for the Defense of the Right to Self-Determination of the People of Western Sahara (CODAPSO), a Saharawi Non-Governmental Organization, condemned deliberate medical negligence against Sahrawi civilians in the occupied zones .

In a statement released today, CODAPSO affirmed that it closely follows the violations committed by the Moroccan occupation authorities against Sahrawi civilians, women, children and men and even people with disabilities in the occupied areas of Western Sahara, which it has even deprived them of prescriptions to treat COVID-19 cases, demonstrating their marginalization to Sahrawi citizens .

The Sahrawi NGO also drew attention to the fact that the rate of cases of the COVID-19 epidemic in the cities of Western Sahara has increased and the death rate has increased among Sahrawi civilians, in particular, at the same time. in light of the lack of hospitals that satisfy the necessary medical needs of the infected and of services provided for this purpose .SPS

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Brussels (Belgium), September 2, 2021 (SPS) - Several European parliamentarians have raised the complicity of the European Union during the meeting of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Parliament, held yesterday, Wednesday, denouncing the Illegal exploitation of natural resources in Western Sahara by the European Union and the occupying power, the Kingdom of Morocco.

European parliamentarians also highlighted attempts to circumvent international law and the decisions of the European Union Court of Justice regarding Sahrawi natural resources, placing emphasis on fraudulent labeling of products imported from the occupied areas of Western Sahara.

On the other hand, members of the European Parliament addressed the issue of the water level in Western Sahara, which drops 2 meters every year due to the excessive and frenzied exploitation of the Moroccan occupation. SPS

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PORT FOURCHON, La. (AP)  Photos show what appears to be a miles-long oil slick near an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida, according to aerial survey imagery released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and reviewed by The Associated Press.

The government imagery, along with additional photos taken by the AP from a helicopter Tuesday, also show Louisiana port facilities, oil refineries and shipyards in the storm's path where the telltale rainbow sheen typical of oil and fuel spills is visible in the water of bays and bayous.

Both state and federal regulators said Wednesday that they had been unable to reach the stricken area, citing challenging conditions in the disaster zone.

The NOAA photos show a black slick floating in the Gulf near a large rig with the name Enterprise Offshore Drilling painted on its helipad. The company, based in Houston, did not respond to requests for comment by phone or email Wednesday.

Aerial photos taken by NOAA on Tuesday also show significant flooding to the massive Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery along the bank of the Mississippi River, just south of New Orleans. In some sections of the refinery, rainbow sheen is visible on the water leading toward the river.

Asked about reports of levee failures near the refinery Monday, Phillips 66 spokesman Bernardo Fallas said there was some water in the facility and stressed that operations were shut down in advance of the storm. Asked Tuesday about potential environmental hazards emanating from the facility, Fallas referred a reporter to a statement on the company's website saying its response is focused "on ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees and our surrounding communities.

After the AP sent Phillips 66 photos Wednesday showing extensive flooding at its refinery and what appeared to be petroleum in the water, Fallas conceded by email that the company could confirm it had discovered a sheen of unknown origin in some flooded areas of Alliance Refinery.

At this time, the sheen appears to be secured and contained within refinery grounds, Fallas said Wednesday evening. Clean-up crews are on site. The incident was reported to the appropriate regulatory agencies upon discovery."

Fallas did not respond when asked whether the leak was reported after the AP sent the company photos four hours earlier.

Phillips listed the Alliance Refinery for sale last week, before the storm hit, citing poor market conditions.

All told, seven Louisiana refineries remained shuttered Wednesday. Combined, they account for about 9% of all U.S. refining capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Department. Some refineries on the Mississippi River reported damage to their docks from barges that broke loose during the storm.

Jennah Durant, spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency, said Wednesday that the agency had received no reports of significant spills or other environmental threats after the Category 4 storm made landfall Sunday at Port Fourchon with 150 mph (240 km/h) winds

Three days after the storm moved through, Durant said Wednesday that no EPA personnel had yet deployed to the devastated region south of New Orleans. Asked if EPA staff had been reviewing the aerial photos taken by federal aircraft over the disaster zone, Durant said the imagery had not been provided to the agency.

The aerial imagery reviewed by the AP is readily available to the public on the NOAA website.

After the AP sent photos of the oil slick to EPA on Wednesday, agency press secretary Nick Conger said the National Response Center hotline operated by the U.S. Coast Guard had received 26 calls reporting leaks or spills in the storm zone but none had warranted an EPA response.

Conger reiterated that any person or organization responsible for a sizable release or spill of pollutants is required to notify the federal government.

The AP also provided photos of the oil slick to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, which regulates offshore drilling in state waters. Spokesman Patrick Courreges confirmed the agency had received an informal report of petroleum sheen in the waters south of Port Fourchon but said regulators currently dont have capabilities to get out there yet.

The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which regulates offshore oil and gas platforms, announced before the hurricane arrived that about half of the 560 staffed rigs in the Gulf had been evacuated. Those crews had only started to trickle back out by Wednesday and it was unclear whether the Enterprise Offshore rig was staffed.

The bureau's public affairs staff did not respond Wednesday after the AP sent photos of the black slick in the Gulf and asked if there were any reports of a spill.

Both state and federal environmental regulators said the emergency response to Ida had been hampered by blocked roads, washed-out bridges, electrical outages and a lack of communications. Both telephone landlines and mobile phone service in much of the region remained offline Wednesday.

I think most agencies are kind of caught up in the whole fog of war thing at the moment, with far more places we need to be than we can be, Courreges wrote in an email. Its not as easy to respond to things right now.

Port Fourchon, which took a direct hit from the storm, is the primary service hub for hundreds of oil and gas rigs offshore. The port also contains oil terminals and pipelines that account for about 90% of the oil and gas production from the Gulf.

Photos taken by the AP from a chartered helicopter Tuesday, as well as the NOAA imagery, show extensive damage to the sprawling facility, including sunken vessels, collapsed structures and more than a dozen large overturned fuel storage tanks.

Idas winds, equivalent to an EF3 tornado, peeled the roofs off large steel buildings in the harbor and toppled metal light poles. Trucks, cranes and shipping containers were piled into jumbled heaps.

Chett Chiasson, the executive director of Greater Lafourche Port Commission, told the AP late Tuesday that the companies based at Port Fourchon were entering what would likely be a lengthy recovery phase. A top priority, he said, will be clearing roads and removing sunken vessels so boats can safely navigate the harbor.

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Associated Press Investigative Reporter Michael Biesecker reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Matthew Daly in Washington and David Koenig in Dallas contributed.

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Follow Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck

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Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org.
Entrepreneurs are always looking for heroes to follow and we remember figures like Henry Ford and Steve Jobs . In Mexico we also have high-impact entrepreneurs who have changed the way we do business and an example is Mr. Roberto Gonzalez Barrera , who, thanks to his faith in Mexico, created the world's leading company in the production of corn flour and tortillas.

Don Roberto Gonzalez Barrera was the founder and president of the Board of Directors of GRUMA , as well as president for life of Grupo Financiero Banorte and is remembered as one of the most important businessmen in Mexico thanks to the construction of two of the largest companies and thousands of jobs in the country.

The life of the founder of GRUMA left us 7 great lessons

1. "Vision and perseverance have no age"

From a very young age, he demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit when he started his first business, a shoe shine drawer, at the age of eight. A business that he later grew by renting bolero boxes to his cousins and friends, although that meant having competition.

2. "The best decisions are those that leave fear locked up with a padlock and double key"

It all started when the young Roberto Gonzalez Barrera, visiting a friend in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, discovered a small mill that produced 18 tons of corn flour per month. Without thinking twice and with a great vision for the future, he decided to buy it to start a new company. This company would be the predecessor of Grupo Maseca.

3. "Successful people are ordinary people with extraordinary ideas."

With effort, dedication, research, work and not a few sacrifices, in May 1949 in Cerralvo, Nuevo Leon, Roberto Gonzalez Barrera and his father founded the world's first nixtamalized corn flour production plant. They created a brand that today is present in millions of homes: Maseca, formerly Nixharina.

4. "When talent is added, achievements multiply"

To achieve great success, talent and hard teamwork are essential. Thus, one of its most important pillars, the engineer Manuel Rubio Portilla, joined GRUMA, a talented professional who with his knowledge in research and technology strengthens the company to conquer a market that had only consumed tortillas made in the traditional way.

5. "The greatest Mexicans are those who never settle"

Costa Rica was the first country to open operations outside of Mexico in 1973. From that moment on, GRUMA began a constant expansion through the years, reaching almost 100 plants in various countries of the Americas until the moment of its death. , Europe, Asia and Oceania, thus becoming the undisputed leader in the production of corn flour and tortillas worldwide.

6. "The greatest risk is not taking risks in life"

His vision and great love for Mexico, led Mr. Roberto Gonzalez Barrera in 1992 to venture into the financial world by acquiring Banorte, which at that time was a local bank and in a very few years, he managed to consolidate it with a solid presence at the national level and to turn this institution into the Strong Bank of Mexico, competing face to face with the largest and most powerful foreign banks.

7. "To get ahead, Mexicans must support Mexicans"

Recognized as a great philanthropist, Mr. Roberto Gonzalez Barrera founded the Board of Trustees for Educational Development and Assistance Cerralvo, the GRUMA Foundation and the Banorte Foundation. Through these great charities, his sense of social responsibility took extraordinary dimensions, helping millions of Mexicans by focusing their commitment to nutrition, education and ecological impact.

Roberto Gonzalez Barrera (1930-2012). A great Mexican, a great businessman; visionary, philanthropist and passionate about the country. He believed in Mexico, in the talent and ability of Mexicans. Founder of GRUMA, the leading company in the production of corn flour and tortilla worldwide. In addition, with his leadership and tenacity, he managed to consolidate Banorte, El Banco Fuerte de Mexico, as one of the most important financial groups in our country.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  North Carolina Republicans sent a bill Wednesday to the state's Democratic governor that would limit how teachers can discuss certain racial concepts in the classroom.

The measure aims to prohibit teachers from compelling their students to personally adopt any of 13 beliefs, but does little to nothing to prevent any of the more than 500 alleged cases of indoctrination that were included in a task force report that GOP Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson released earlier this month.

Even so, Republican leaders insist the bill will hold teachers accountable by shedding light on questionable classroom activities.

This bill does not change what history can or cannot be taught. No spin or innuendo changes that. ... It simply prevents schools from endorsing discriminatory concepts, Rep. John Torbett, a Gaston County Republican, said during a floor debate.

Moore's chamber gave the measure final legislative approval by signing off on changes the Senate made that increase the number of prohibited ideas, clarify that teachers can still discuss those concepts so long as they do not promote them and require public school units to inform the Department of Public Instruction and post information on its website upon request a month before providing instruction on the 13 prohibited concepts.

The latest version of the plan passed the Republican-controlled House by a 61-41 vote.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has previously criticized the measure, accusing Republicans of injecting calculated, conspiracy-laden politics into public education. Cooper is likely to veto the bill, and Republicans would almost assuredly lack the Democratic votes they'd need to override the governor's decision.

Critics view the bill as part of a calculated political strategy Republicans are employing in more than two dozen states to boost voter enthusiasm heading into the 2022 and 2024 elections.

Democrats, education groups and racial justice organizations also see the GOP effort as a solution to a problem that does not exist in the state. The monthslong GOP effort to unearth cases of improper teachings appears to have yielded no clear examples of circumstances that House Bill 324 would prevent, as Republicans were unable at a committee hearing and news conference last week to point to a single case that would have violated the proposed law.

Who is doing this? Where are you getting this info? Its a boogeyman," said Rep. Abe Jones, D-Wake. "Id like to see a film or picture of someone standing before a group of students in North Carolina in classrooms and teaching whats in those 13 parts.

Still, Robinsons task force report did highlight instances of educators accused of giving preferential treatment to pupils who agree with their racial views and teachers offering questionable class assignments, including a book called George about a transgender child coming to terms with gender identity and a handout that mentions former President Donald Trump in a sentence describing the term xenophobia.

Some Republicans associate indoctrination with the promotion of any of 13 views the bill outlines, while other party leaders like the states lieutenant governor have a more expansive view of the term and believe the report unquestionably proves systemic failures within the states public education system.

Democrats expressed concern Wednesday that the measure could stifle free speech by making educators feel unsafe when describing America's history of racism and sexism, and ongoing inequities.

This bill encourages us to look away from our history," said Rep. Brandon Lofton, D-Mecklenburg.

North Carolinas proposal follows a national trend of Republican-controlled legislatures moving to thwart certain ideas they associate with critical race theory, a framework legal scholars developed in the 1970s and 1980s that centers on the view that racism is systemic in the nations institutions and serves to maintain the dominance of whites in society.

Eight Republican governors have signed bills or budgets into law banning the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 schools or limiting how teachers can discuss racism and sexism in the classroom. Similar bills have been introduced or other steps have been taken in 19 additional states, according to an Education Week analysis.

Republicans across the country are using critical race theory and indoctrination as catchall phrases to describe racial concepts they find objectionable, including white privilege, systemic inequality and inherent bias.

The movement against the theory gained traction last year when Trump signed an executive order barring federal contractors from conducting racial sensitivity trainings after a conservative activist went on Fox News to urge the former president to do so. Several state lawmakers subsequently inserted language from Trumps now-defunct executive order into their own bills.

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Follow Anderson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson.

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Anderson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
NEW YORK (AP)  Landing a waitressing job or bartending gig at a Lost Dog Cafe in Northern Virginia had never been easy.

Help Wanted signs were a rarity, and half the chain's staff stuck around for at least 10 years. The onset of the pandemic made job prospects even worse when Lost Dog had to temporarily shut down indoor dining.

But as vaccinated patrons rushed back to eat out and once-loyal workers moved onto new opportunities, the business began struggling in May to fill the roughly 20% in vacancies on its service staff.

To address the shortage, it did something it hadn't done before: look to people without experience. It also started recruiting workers under 18.

Lost Dog is one of a growing number of companies that, in a desperation for hired hands, is loosening restrictions on everything from age to level of experience. Drug store chain CVS announced earlier in August it would no longer require a minimum high school degree to fill entry level spots at its stores. This year, it also plans to end its GPA requirement of 3.0 when it recruits on college campuses. Meanwhile, Amazon has stopped testing job seekers for marijuana.

The changing standards may have helped boost hiring this summer, even as many companies complained they couldn't find all the workers they need. Employers added a hefty 940,000 jobs in both June and July, lowering the unemployment rate to 5.4%.

On Friday, the government will release figures for August, and economists forecast they will show another 750,000 jobs were added that month, with unemployment falling to 5.2%. Some analysts worry job gains will come in lower because of the delta variant, but are optimistic about hiring in the fall.

The trend to relax the rules started about three years ago when the labor market started to tighten. It accelerated this past spring when employers were caught flat-footed as Americans enthusiastically emerged from months of pandemic lockdowns, eager to shop and dine again. At the same time, workers were reevaluating their jobs and whether the long hours were worth the paycheck.

The perfect storm led to record job openings, which increased to 10.1 million in June from 9.2 million in May at a rate of 6.5%  the highest since the Labor Department started tracking the numbers two decades ago. People voluntarily leaving their jobs increased to 3.9 million from 3.6 million in May.

Employers dangled incentives like higher hourly wages and extra bonuses but still had trouble filling openings. Data from various sources show that they are now more willing to let go of some restrictions that in the past have shut out certain populations from the workforce.

Job-hunting platform ZipRecruiter, which scrubs 16 million job postings of all types of work, says the percentage of jobs requiring a bachelors degree fell from nearly 15% in 2016 to just over 11% in 2020. But that figure dropped even more drastically to 7% from January to June of this year. For the percentage of job listings requiring no experience, the figure went from roughly 9.2% in 2016 to 14.3% in 2020, and jumped again to 18.6% for the first six months of this year.

Experts say many of the restrictions were artificial barriers that perpetually kept out low-income workers, particularly people of color. Education requirements, for instance, tend to favor white workers over Black. Compared with 47.1% of white adults, just 30.8% of Black adults have earned some form of college degree, according to the Educational Trust, an educational nonprofit.

Delta Air Lines says 95% percent of its jobs in customer service no longer require a four-year college degree, up from 78% back in the first quarter of 2020. Ashley Black, director of equity strategies at Delta, said the move was not directly because of any labor shortages; rather, it was about finding the right talent for the job and the organization.

Traditional hiring processes are highly subjective and can have multiple barriers that complicate access to economic opportunities for any potential talent," Black said. Still, this disproportionally impacts people of color. Without being able to easily and credibly assess skills, implicit bias can shape the recruiting and hiring processes.

Sarah White, a restaurant consultant and area manager for three independently owned and operated locations of The Lost Dog Cafe franchise, says the relaxed requirements have opened doors for job prospects who might have not been previously considered.

We get locked in these ideas of what the job looks like, White said. Now, we are getting people we wouldnt have hired before. And they have been some of the most amazing employees. It would have been our loss.

Karen Rosa, 32, started out as a server at the Lost Dog Cafe last September but then became a bartender without any experience. She says she can now pull in a steady $600 to $700 a week. She says her server's income was more volatile.

They gave me a chance," she said. "They were very helpful.

But there are downsides, too. White says shes been so desperate at times shes had to hire some servers who have bad attitudes and have actually scared away customers.

We dont have anyone to wait on them, but we are also losing them because they get service but its from someone that I wouldnt want serving them, she said.

Daniel Schneider, professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, says that the difficulties of finding good workers like servers underscores a lie that this is not skilled labor.

Not just anyone can step into these roles, he said. These are skilled jobs, and they should be compensated accordingly.

Companies say theyre making up for the lack of experience by doing a better job with training. Lost Dog now trains cooks on different types of menu items every day and also posts cocktail recipes on the back of the bar rail where customers cant see them. CVS just opened two new workforce innovation and talent centers in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where it works with faith-based and community organizations to find, train and place workers in jobs such as pharmacy technicians and customer service workers.

No one can predict whether companies will go back to tightening requirements when they're flush with lots of job applicants again.

Brad Hershbein, senior economist and communications Advisor at W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, said employers may still offer leeway on academic credentials but desperate moves like hiring people with bad attitudes will go away.

"Employers may decide there are other ways of actually screening employees that are more effective than looking at key words on their resume or do they pass this education or experience requirement, Hershbein said.



AP Business Writers Alexandra Olson in New York and Christopher Rugaber in Washington contributed to this story.

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Follow Anne DInnocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio
BRIDGEPORT - A Connecticut nurse is accused of purchasing a fake COVID-19 vaccination card from a New Jersey woman who called herself the AntiVaxMomma on Instagram.

Adrianna Avila, 32, of Raven Road in Trumbull, was taken into custody at her home by Trumbull Police and U.S. marshals on a fugitive from justice warrant. It is unclear what Avila did with the card.

New York authorities stated that Avila is among 13 people, all involved in the medical profession, who purchased fake COVID-19 vaccination cards. In addition, Avila is also accused of paying to be illegally entered into the New York medical database as someone who had been vaccinated.

During her arraignment hearing Thursday afternoon, Avila told Superior Court Judge Kevin Doyle she was agreeing to waive extradition to New York. New York State Police immediately took custody of her.

Avilas lawyer for the hearing, Assistant Public Defender Anne Marie Kindley, declined comment.

Avila is a registered nurse on active status, according to the state Department of Consumer Protection. Neither state records nor court records indicate where she works.

Avila is charged in New York court papers with fifth-degree conspiracy, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.

On Tuesday Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. filed charges against 15 people he alleged are involved in the fake vaccination card conspiracy.

According to court documents and statements made in the Manhattan court, beginning in May, Jasmine Clifford, a self-described entrepreneur with several online businesses, advertised forged Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 vaccination cards through her Instagram account, @AntiVaxMomma.

Vance said Clifford charged $200 for the falsified cards and accepted payment through CashApp or Zelle. For an additional $250 fee, a co-conspirator, who works at a medical clinic in Patchogue, N.Y., would enter the individuals name into the New York medical database as having received COVID-19 vaccinations, he said.

In total, Clifford sold approximately 250 forged COVID-19 vaccination cards, Vance stated.

Vances office did not respond to calls and emails for comments on Avilas arrest.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Hurricane Ida damaged at least 164 homes in Mississippi, destroying six of those and leaving 42 with major damage, state officials said Wednesday.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency director Stephen McCraney also said at least 184 roads and 53 bridges had some damage.

Two people were killed and at least 10 were injured late Monday after a section of Mississippi Highway 26 collapsed near Lucedale and vehicles drove into a pit in the dark.

Mississippi has been sending firefighters, search-and-rescue teams and others to help in Louisiana, which had much more extensive damage from the hurricane.

More than 30,000 customers in Mississippi remained without power Wednesday, many in the rural southwestern part of the state near the Louisiana line.

Gov. Tate Reeves said the heat could be dangerous for older people who lack air conditioning.

Think about that elderly neighbor that you may have and just ride over and check on him or her, Reeves said during a news conference. Just make sure that they are OK, make sure they have water.

Long lines were forming at some gas stations in Mississippi, partly because Louisiana residents were returning home after evacuating for the storm. Reeves urged people to be patient on highways and in gas lines.
EL PASO, Texas (AP)  Martin Portillo got a gun after the mass shooting at a Walmart in his hometown of El Paso two years ago, even though it went against his upbringing.

His wife, Daisy Arvizu, was working at the store when a man started firing  allegedly bent on killing as many Mexicans as he could in the predominantly Latino border city in the state's western tip, according to authorities. And Portillo felt that getting the handgun and learning how to use it might give him peace of mind and help quiet his wife's nightmares about the Aug. 3, 2019, attack that killed 23 people and wounded many others.

I was the first one in my family to get a gun, we never resorted to anything like that, the 26-year-old cable TV installer said. It does get to me that I wasnt there to do something. This is sort of the best I can do.

On Wednesday, Texas became the 20th and largest state to allow some form of the unregulated carry of a firearm. Under the new law, most people age 21 or older who haven't been convicted of a felony can carry a holstered handgun  concealed or otherwise  in public without undergoing any training or getting a permit.

Supporters of the law, including Gov. Greg Abbott and his fellow Republicans in the Legislature, laud it as a necessary expansion of the so-called constitutional carry movement that will allow people to more easily defend themselves without government interference. But critics, including some law enforcement groups and others, say this further loosening of firearms restrictions in a state that has had more than its share of mass shootings is reckless.

Until Wednesday, Texans needed a license to carry a handgun outside of their homes and vehicles. To get one, they had to submit fingerprints, go through several hours of training on gun laws and gun safety, and pass a shooting proficiency test. Now, they can still take an online training course that the law requires the state to provide, but it is not necessary.

The Walmart attack led New Mexico, which is only about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of El Paso, to pass a so-called red flag law that allows law enforcement to seize firearms from people who are deemed to pose a danger to themselves or others. According to prosecutors, the man charged in the attack, Patrick Crusius, drove from his Dallas-area home to El Paso so he could target Latinos, who make up about 80% of the border city. His lawyers say he was diagnosed with mental disabilities.

Texas, though, has cultivated a strong culture of gun ownership with echoes of the Wild West, and many residents support the loosened restrictions.

Among them is Jesus Chuy Aguirre, 78, who owns Chuys Gun Shop in El Paso. A generation ago, he successfully advocated for the introduction of concealed handgun permits.

Eventually we settled down and the cops started understanding what they had to do, he said.

Angel Zacarius, who at 21 is just old enough to qualify for permitless carry, was at the shop on a recent day asking about the price and quality of a used pistol. He said he didn't plan to apply for a handgun carry license so that he could save on the fees, which typically run about $200.

But many opposed the new law.

Although it stiffened the penalties for felons getting caught with guns, police groups expressed concern about the scrapped training requirements and about officers being able to safely navigate routine interactions with permitless gun carriers.

Even though Portillo, like many others in El Paso, bought a handgun after the Walmart attack, he said he's uneasy with the looser requirements to carry one in public and thinks it could lead more gun violence.

I think that if you are as heavily armed as a police officer, that you need to be actually trained, said Portillo, a naturalized U.S. citizen who moved as a boy to El Paso from Ciudad Juarez, just across the border with Mexico. Things escalate, especially nowadays. ... They dont fight with their fists.

Adria Gonzalez, who was shopping at the Walmart when the shooting happened and helped guide others to safety, said the new law defies common sense and undermines discipline among gun carriers. She learned how to handle a gun at the urging of her wife, an active-duty member of the military.

After everything that happened, she said, You know what? You have got to be trained, you have got to be protected, Gonzalez said.

Dr. Jose Burgos, who was working at University Medical Center when victims of the Walmart attack poured into the emergency room, became a licensed gun owner near the outset of the pandemic out of fear of another attack on Latinos and after seeing the panicked hoarding of household supplies. He believes the rollback of training requirements will lead to unnecessary violence.

If we have laws that are more permissive of gun ownership, people need to be educated, he said. You still have to follow the law that will punish you if you misuse your firearm.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indiana schools got an incentive from the governor Wednesday to require face masks in classrooms in hopes of slowing down the number of COVID-19 outbreaks among students.

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a new statewide executive order that eases quarantine requirements for students if all children and adults in the school were wearing masks throughout the day. The revised order comes as many Indiana schools have seen COVID-19 outbreaks and the states vaccination rate remains stubbornly low.

The Crown Point school district in northwestern Indiana on Wednesday joined the list of districts requiring mask use. Officials reported more than 50 confirmed COVID-19 infections and nearly 900 students out of school on quarantines during the first two weeks of classes.

Holcomb said the COVID-19 spread in Indiana was regrettable but avoidable.

To the skeptics or unbelievers or deniers, I would just plead to look at the facts, to look at the numerical data that shows we can all stay safe if you get vaccinated, Holcomb said.

About 46% of Indiana residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the 15th-lowest rate among the states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State health officials, meanwhile, say 98% of recent COVID-19 hospitalizations are for unvaccinated people.

The coronavirus risk ratings updated weekly by the Indiana State Health Department now put nearly all counties in the higher risk categories for COVID-19 spread as severe illnesses are straining hospitals at levels months earlier than last winters surge.

Those updated ratings placed 13 of Indianas 92 counties in highest-risk red category, with 75 counties with the next-highest orange rating. Only four counties were in the lower-level yellow category. A month ago, just one county was listed as red and 62 had the lowest-level yellow and blue ratings as the highly contagious delta variant was hitting the state.

Holcomb remained firm against reinstating the statewide mask mandate that expired in April, saying it was loud and clear that the public wanted local officials in control of such actions.

New state rules issued Wednesday allow schools to let students deemed as close contacts with someone infected with COVID-19 to remain in school if all adults and students in the classroom correctly and consistently wear well-fitting masks the entire time, during the educational school day. Students would have to quarantine only if they developed COVID-19 symptoms.

Several school boards around the state have faced vocal  and sometimes misleading  opposition to mask requirements.

Even so, 54% of Indianas public school students were under classroom mask requirements as of Wednesday and at least 60 schools have switched to virtual learning for at least one week because of high numbers of students and staff in quarantine or isolation since the start of the school year, according to the Indiana School Boards Association.

Holcomb said those who have avoided vaccinations need to get the shots.

That is having an adverse effect on others, not just potentially yourself, but others and our economy and our kids education, Holcomb said. So, I would just ask to think beyond yourself.

The governors new executive order, which runs through the end of September, reinstates the states work search requirements for those receiving welfare benefits and the one-week waiting period before the payment of unemployment benefits begins.

The current COVID-19 surge has boosted Indiana hospitalizations to about 2,300 patients  double the number of patients from two weeks ago and at a level that hospitals didnt see until early November last year.

Some Indiana hospitals have announced delays in some non-emergency surgeries, but the governors new order does not impose any restrictions on surgical procedures as Holcomb had done during last years coronavirus surges.
LACONIA, N.H. (AP)  An attorney has entered a not guilty plea on behalf of musical artist Marilyn Manson, who is accused of approaching a videographer at his 2019 concert in New Hampshire and allegedly spitting and blowing his nose on her.

Manson, whose legal name is Brian Hugh Warner, surrendered in July to police in Los Angeles in connection with a 2019 arrest warrant in the case. The allegations were detailed in a police affidavit that was released along with a criminal complaint.

Manson was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from the alleged altercation on Aug. 19, 2019, at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford. The misdemeanor charges can each result in a jail sentence of less than a year and a $2,000 fine if convicted.

An arraignment hearing on the charges was scheduled for Thursday, but an attorney for Manson filed the not guilty plea and a wavier of arraignment in Laconia District Court. A case status hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 27.

Susan Fountain, a videographer, was in the venues stage pit area at the time of the alleged assault. Her company, Metronome Media, was contracted by the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion for the concert season.

According to the affidavit, Manson approached Fountain the first time, put his face close to the camera and spit a big lougee at her. She was struck on both hands with saliva.

Manson allegedly returned a second time, covering one side of his nostril and blowing in Fountains direction. Fountain put down her camera and went to the restroom to wash her hands and arms that had Mansons bodily fluids on them.

Manson also has faced abuse accusations  unrelated to the New Hampshire allegation  in recent years. He has denied wrongdoing.

In February, actor Evan Rachel Wood publicly accused Manson, her ex-fiance, of sexual and other physical abuse, alleging she was manipulated into submission during their relationship. Months later, Game of Thrones actor Esme Bianco sued Manson in federal court in Los Angeles, alleging sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Bianco and Wood have spoken publicly.

In 2018, Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to file charges against Manson over allegations of assault, battery and sexual assault dating to 2011, saying they were limited by statutes of limitations and a lack of corroboration. The accuser in that case was identified only as a social acquaintance of Manson.
Milton, PA (17847)

Today

A few clouds with an isolated thunderstorm possible after midnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A few clouds with an isolated thunderstorm possible after midnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
Acting Justice Minister Lucian Bode said on Thursday that the dismantling of the Section for the Investigation of Judicial Crimes (SIIJ) remains a priority of his term, and the solution should be "a solid bill" that takes into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission.

"Another priority of my term as interim is the abolition of the SIIJ. This remains a priority, we pledged this in the governing program and is a key requirement for closing the CVM process. We all know the solution, only who doesn't want to does not see it. The solution is a solid bill that should take into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission and which should be fast-tracked in Parliament to obtain the consensus of a parliamentary majority," Lucian Bode said at the Justice Ministry after taking over the Justice portfolio.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu participated today in the 16th Bled Strategic Forum - Slovenia, where he was invited to speak at the panel on "EU's Challenging Eastern Partnership Summit 2021: Calibrating its Agenda", agerpres reports.

In his intervention, Aurescu referred to the challenges faced by both the European Union and its Eastern Neighborhood, as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the consequences of pre-existing negative phenomena such as economic and social disparities, migration, conflicts and democratic deficits, the Foreign Ministry said in a release.

Against this background, the Romanian top diplomat stressed that the European Union has a duty to strengthen its profile as an influential global actor by supporting the democratic transformation processes and increasing the resilience of the Eastern Neighborhood states. Minister Aurescu called for the revitalization and streamlining of the Eastern Partnership (EaP), by assuming a strategic vision regarding the EU's long-term commitment in support of the Eastern Neighborhood states, through a set of concrete and ambitious goals of the Partnership for the post-2020 period.Minister Bogdan Aurescu also expressed his confidence that the Joint Declaration to be adopted on the occasion of the EaP Summit due in December 2021 will confirm the EU's strong support for the states in the region, including by opening new possibilities for deepening cooperation with partner states that show a high level of ambition in the relationship with the EU and that record substantial results in the implementation of structural reforms. He also called for the recognition of the European perspective of these states, highlighting the transformative power of the EU accession process.The Romanian ForMin also underscored the importance of the EU taking a more active commitment to resolving protracted conflicts in the wider Black Sea region, which affect five of the six Eastern Partnership states.In this thread, the speaker stressed that these conflicts pose a major risk to the stability and security of the entire region, as well as to Euro-Atlantic security, given the high degree of unpredictability and destabilizing potential they entail, as well as their negative impact on the capacity of the states affected by this type of conflict to implement the structural reforms that are key for democratization and modernization, but also to make strategic decisions for their own future.Minister Aurescu underscored the need for the EU to support the Republic of Moldova, which has a unique chance after the early elections this July to reform deeply, in a European spirit, thus meeting the expectations of the Moldovan citizens.This forum session was also attended by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, exiled leader of the Belarusian opposition, Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek, Katarina Mathernova - Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's Department for neighborhood and enlargement, and Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Teimuraz Janjalia.The Bled Strategic Forum is a major annual meeting of European and international leaders in the government and private sectors. The event has established itself, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, as a key platform for high-level debates, seeking to provide strategic answers to current regional and global issues. The theme of this year's edition of the Bled Strategic Forum was 'The Future of Europe'.
Bucharest Fashion Film Festival #5, placed at the intersection between film, advertising and fashion, brings together professionals in the domain between September 23 and 26, the organizers announced.

According to a release sent, on Thursday, to AGERPRES, proposing the best contemporary fashion films, documentaries, as well as a selection of cult films exploring the role of costumes in film, the festival opens the discussion on the relation between fashion and film and the rapport between clothes-man-society through film projections, round tables and workshops with international guests, new media installations and feedback sessions on portfolios.

The main topic of this year's edition is transparency, the BFFF having scheduled the outdoors exhibition "Based on a True Story: A Collaborative Investigation" on the topic of transparency in fashion.BFFF includes feature films organized into two sections: documentaries on notable characters or pressing problems in fashion history and a series of art films, with the later coagulated around the section focusing on costume Dressing the Cinema. The first title announced in the documentary section is Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful (Germany, 2020, directed by Gero von Boehm), among the feature films of interest for cinephiles being The Day I Became a Woman (Iran, 2000, directed by Marzieh Makhmalbat) and Blanche (France, 1971, directed by Walerian Borowczyk).BFFF will offer awards for Best Movie, Best Local Production and the Fresh Perspectives Award, offered to a non-conformist low budget film, as well as the Public's Choice.The selected films will be presented online on the platform of the festival, bucharestfashionfilm.ro, with the prizes to be granted by the jury formed of film, advertising and fashion professionals: Marley Hansen, curator, NOWNESS, Grigor Devejiev, creative director Jam Project, Marcin Kempski, fashion phtographer, Sandra Bold, global creative director with Publicis Milano, Ina Borcea, fashion editor Harpers Bazaar Romania.
Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu will attend an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Gymnich format, September 2-3, in Kranj, Slovenia, under the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Featuring on the agenda of the two-day event are the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, the EU's approach to the Gulf region, EU-China relationships, and the migration situation on the border with Belarus.

According to a press statement released by the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE), the migration situation on the border with Belarus will be considered in terms of its impact on Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. The Romanian official will express Romania's full solidarity with these countries and show that using migration against some EU member states is unacceptable. He will also show that Romania is open to supporting the adoption of new restrictive measures against Belarus in order to discourage the conduct of the Belarusian state regime.At the Gymnich meeting in Slovenia, European foreign ministers will thoroughly assess the impact of the crisis in Afghanistan on EU's strategic interests and analyse EU's policy options, as well as possible humanitarian and security actions.Aurescu will release Romania's preliminary assessments of the political and security situation in Afghanistan, with a focus on the risks that the crisis may have on the region and the EU. The head of Romanian diplomacy will voice his support for a new EU strategy for Afghanistan and will emphasise the importance for united EU action. He will also draw attention to the humanitarian dimension of the crisis and reiterate support for the civilian population while emphasising that creating the conditions necessary for Afghan citizens who still want to leave the country to do so safely must remain a priority.Aurescu will also point out to the importance of European and Euro-Atlantic solidarity, as well as of EU coordination with the UN and NATO. Discussions will also address ways to intensify dialogue and co-operation with countries in the region, as well as with other actors that could contribute to the management of the crisis in Afghanistan.The European ministers will also have an informal lunch where India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is a special guest, allowing for an in-depth discussion on the relationship between the European Union and India.On the sidelines of the Gymnich meeting, Bogdan Aurescu participates, on September 2, at the invitation of his Slovenian counterpart, in the Bled Strategic Forum, the panel on "EU's Challenging Eastern Partnership Summit 2021: Calibrating Its Agenda," together with the Czech foreign minister and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition leader in Belarus.
National chairman of the National Liberal party (PNL), major at rule, Ludovic Orban said on Thursday that at the moment there is a political situation that does not benefit anyone and any departure from the leading coalition leads to the loss of majority.

Orban made a "strong appeal" to Prime Minister Florin Citu to understand the gravity of the moment and to PNL's Save Romania Union - Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (USR PLUS) junior coalition partners not to put pressure on the government.

"We are in a political situation that does not benefit anyone, neither Prime Minister Citu, nor USR PLUS nor any other political party in the governing coalition. As chairman of the National Liberal Party, I am primarily the guarantor of the unity of the National Liberal Party, but at the same time, my goal is to ensure the functioning of the coalition that formed the parliamentary majority and succeeded in inaugurating the government. We cannot govern without each of the political parties that signed the coalition agreement supporting the governing agenda," Orban said.He said the coalition's unity could not be blown up for "opportunistic reasons.""I am urging Prime Minister Florin Citu and all his colleagues inside PNL to understand the gravity of the moment. Governing presupposes maturity, balance, dialogue, respect for the governing partners; it presupposes responsibility towards the citizens. We cannot, for opportunistic reasons, blow up the unity of the coalition. I am also calling on my USR PLUS colleagues to understand that it is not a solution to put pressure on the government which they are a part of or even to say that they would enter an alliance with the Social Democratic Party (PSD)," Orban said.
A Government session with the topic of "Educated Romania" will take place on September 10, Prime Minister Florin Citu announced on Thursday.

He is taking part in the inter-ministerial committee reunion for monitoring the implementation of the "Educated Romania" Project, at Victoria Palace. In this context, the PM said that another reunion of the committee will take place on September 9.

"Very important, September 10, Friday - special Government session for the "Educated Romania" program. It is a deadline which we are keeping, for adopting this Government Decision - September 10, Government session, September 9 - this inter-ministerial committee".
Police have so far opened about 200 criminal cases in which 400 people are being investigated for fake COVID vaccinations, Minister of the Interior Lucian Bode told a video call today headed by Prime Minister Florin Citu, which also dealt with Romania's vaccine rollout and the situation of vaccination centers.

IntMin Minister Bode mentioned that several actions are underway at the Ministry of the Interior to crack down on offenses related to fake vaccination papers/certificates, the Ministry said in a release.

Bode pointed out that the purpose of the Interior Ministry's actions is to restrict to a minimum the usage of fake vaccination papers/certificates, a practice that puts at risk everybody in contact with the perpetrator.
On Thursday, President Klaus Iohannis signed a decree dismissing Stelian Ion as justice minister.

He also signed a decree appointing incumbent Interior Minister Lucian Bode acting justice minister.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Florin Citu decided to remove Stelian Ion from office."I took a necessary decision. A few minutes ago I sent the President of Romania the request for the removal from office of Justice Minister Stelian Ion. I will not accept in the government of Romania ministers who oppose the country's modernisation. As a minister, Stelian Ion has failed to assert himself in the coalition, he fell short of carrying his projects through. For example, the abolition of the Section for the Investigation of Judicial Crimes, which eight months into office, has still not been dismantled," Citu told a news briefing at the Governemnt House.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD) will present on Thursday the text of a censure motion against the Government, which will be made available for signature, announced the party's first vice-chair, Sorin Grindeanu.

"Today, PSD will present the text of the censure motion. (...) PSD is the only party that has the power given by the number of parliamentarians to initiate a censure motion. Whoever really wants this government to fall, will sign the PSD motion. The rest are stories," Grindeanu told a press conference.

According to him, the signature of every one dissatisfied with the activity of the government is the only guarantee that the Citu government is really wanted to leave."The lack of signature means only negotiation, blackmail for several advantages. Neither Citu, nor Barna, nor Ciolos, nor Orban are really interested in the problems of the Romanians - of poverty, of the increase in the prices of gas, energy and fuels, of the increase in the price of food or medicines. This is what we are interested in, namely the fact that the drastic decrease in the standard of living is the main fear on the Romanians' agenda and is the central point of the PSD motion of no confidence," the former prime minister explained.He claimed that USR PLUS is "part of the problem, not the solution" and if they really want the government to fall, they will sign the PSD motion."We are at this moment, by the vote given by the Romanians, the only parliamentary party that has the number of deputies and senators necessary to submit a motion of no confidence. (...) We have a decision of the National Political Committee given in Olimp (Black Sea resort) which says that we will file a motion of censure when we have 234 signatures. Today we come up with the text we make available and we are waiting for the number of 234 to be made. At this time or on the last censure motion, the approximately 30 votes were missing. If USR (Save Romania Union), which said that there are 80 signatures, wants to slam this government and not to be just a blackmail, a negotiation inside the governing coalition, then it signs this motion, added Grindeanu.
South African companies could use the Port of Constanta as a logistics hub within the trade operations with Romania and the European area, the president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR), Mihai Daraban, told Thursday the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Alvin Botes, during the visit made by the latter to the institution's headquarters.

During the meeting in Bucharest, the two officials approached topics of major interest for the business environment in Romania and South Africa and identified the optimal lines of collaboration for the volume of trade between the two countries to increase in the medium and long term, a CCIR release sent to AGERPRES reads.

"The port of Constanta can become a logistics hub for South African operators, for both Romania and the entire region. From our point of view, maritime transport is the most viable solution in the perspective of intensifying the trade exchanges between Romania and South Africa. At the level of Constanta Port, the activities are carried out by private port operators, but the port administration can offer for concession ample land from the same premises. At the same time, the Constanta Port has a storage capacity of 5 million tons of iron ore, which represents an opportunity for South African producers to create stocks within the free zone of the port in order to be able to serve more quickly the demand for such raw materials in Romania and beyond," the CCIR president, Mihai Daraban, said, as quoted in the press release.In turn, the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa mentioned that the Government of his country intended to develop a new port in the south-eastern part of South Africa.Currently, South Africa is conducting a recalibration of economic diplomacy because as of January 1, 2021, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) has entered into force, a document that may increase the perspective of cooperation at bilateral level. South Africa is thus becoming a conducive destination for investors who aim to develop their businesses on the African continent, thus being able to access the facilities offered by the agreement. Our government intends to develop a new port in the south-eastern part of South Africa, so that the maritime and naval field will become an extremely important one in terms of cooperation between the two states, Alvin Botes assessed.According to the data of the National Trade Register Office, the total value of the Romania-South Africa trade was 168.92 million euros at the end of last year and over 45 million euros at the end of March 2021, the CCIR press release states.At the level of August 2021, 51 South African companies were active in Romania, with a total value of the subscribed share capital of 5.2 million euros.
The leader of the Chamber of Deputies group of the Save Romania Union - Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity (USR PLUS), Ionut Mosteanu, stated that the representatives of the Union have contacted all political parties in view of supporting an eventual censure motion.

During press statements at the Parliament Palace, he showed that USR PLUS and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) have together 122 signatures, but emphasized that he does not desire a censure motion be reached.

"We discussed with all political parties about an eventual censure motion. USR PLUS has 80 signatures and 80 MPs, which, as they put Citu as Prime Minister and gave him the chance to show he can lead a coalition government, will also take him down. This should be very clear. We have discussed with AUR, in order to see if we have an option to gather the signatures. Together with AUR we have 122 signatures, so we can submit a censure motion. The text remains to be discussed. Of course, I wouldn't want it to come to this, but this depends only on the political maturity of Florin Citu. Tomorrow we will have a discussion, I expect him to take a step back, to continue with a new PNL [National Liberal Party] Prime Minister, in an accelerated rhythm, because there's a lot to recover from the last months and this period of nearly a year when Florin Citu had the reins of the Government and didn't run at full speed," said Mosteanu.He mentioned that the USR PLUS wants to still be part of the governing coalition, with the same ministerial structure, and excluded the hypothesis of ministry exchanges or barters.The USR PLUS representative claimed that the Prime Minister created "a government crisis that Romania did not need." He emphasized that the Citu Government functions "without the majority support" of the Parliament.
The Save Romania Union - Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (USR PLUS) alliance, junior in the ruling coalition, says that 80 of its MPs have signed the motion of censure and that this step can be avoided only if Florin Citu no longer holds the position of prime minister.

"The 80 votes of USR PLUS that helped form the current majority are today signatures on the motion of censure that we announced last night, after the abusive and baseless dismissal of Minister Stelian Ion. We are inviting to join us all responsible lawmakers interested in this political crisis triggered by an irresponsible prime minister lasting as short as possible," USR PLUS wrote on social media on Thursday.

The alliance is urging other political forces "not to get into procrastination and political games" so that the motion can be tabled and voted on urgently."It is time to see if the speech is translated into action. Florin Citu has to go. It is a necessary motion and can only be avoided if Florin Citu resigns or the coalition withdraws its political support," according to USR PLUS.
The Save Romania Union - Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (USR PLUS) alliance in the ruling coalition says it is withdrawing its political endorsement of Prime Minister Florin Citu, whom it reproaches of "having thrown the country into political crisis."

"USR PLUS has not agreed with and will never agree to public money robbery, in any form of government. We are asking the coalition to take note of the lack of a majority to support the Citu Cabinet and demanding the urgent start of negotiations inside the coalition for the appointment of a new prime minister. In the event that the coalition talks fail to come up with a proposal for a new prime minister, USR PLUS will back a motion of censure against the Citu Government," reads a press statement released by USR PLUS.

According to the statement, Stelian Ion is the USR PLUS pick for the future government in order to move judiciary reform forward."Minister Stelian Ion is the USR PLUS pick for the future government and has all our support for the continuation of judiciary reform, including the abolition of the SIIJ [special judiciary section dealing with justice crimes] and the appointments of chief prosecutors, all interrupted by the irresponsibility of Prime Minister Citu," USR PLUS points out.The alliance's National Bureau decided to convene their Political Committee on September 11.
TOKYO  Moderna Inc. and its Japanese partner are recalling more than 1 million doses of the U.S. drug makers coronavirus vaccine after confirming that contamination reported last week was tiny particles of stainless steel.
We are gathered here, representatives of the major warring powers, to conclude a solemn agreement whereby peace may be restored. The issues, involving divergent ideals and ideologies, have been determined on the battlefields of the world and hence are not for our discussion or debate. Nor is it for us here to meet, representing as we do a majority of the people of the Earth, in a spirit of distrust, malice or hatred....

It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past - a world founded upon faith and understanding - a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish - for freedom, tolerance and justice...

As supreme commander for the Allied powers, I announce it my firm purpose, in the tradition of the countries I represent, to proceed in the discharge of my responsibilities with justice and tolerance...
Today was a dark day for justice, says attorney Tricia Rojo Bushnell, director of the Midwest Innocence Project and attorney for Politte, Johnson and Strickland. These decisions really just highlight the systems focus on finality over fairness.

Dunn is now putting his hope in the new law that Baker is trying to use to free Strickland. His attorney, Kent Gipson, has been in touch with Gardners office about the potential for filing a motion for a new trial on the case in St. Louis. And Gardner is considering using the new law to once again file a motion seeking Johnsons freedom. Gardner spokeswoman Allison Hawk says that Gardner is finalizing next steps in this case and will be presenting evidence in court to deliver the justice that Lamar Johnson deserves.

Schmitt will stand in the way, again, of course. The question then will be: Will judges follow the new path urged by the Supreme Court and passed by the Legislature, or continue to allow process, made up or otherwise, to delay justice?

I cant speak for the attorney general, but to us, justice means keeping victims from suffering additional harms by getting it wrong, Bushnell says. It means not making additional victims by convicting the wrong person. And it means addressing the continued harms we cause by acknowledging when the system and its actors got it wrong. We all deserve justice. And we deserve a system that believes in it.

From City Hall to the Capitol, metro columnist Tony Messenger shines light on what public officials are doing, tells stories of the disaffected, and brings voice to the issues that matter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
KANSAS CITY  A court hearing that could have determined whether a Missouri man who has been in prison for more than 40 years would go free must be postponed, the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.

A hearing was scheduled for Thursday in Jackson County Court for a judge to hear arguments on whether Kevin Strickland, 62, should be exonerated for a triple murder conviction and released from prison, where he has been since 1979.

But Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed an emergency motion Wednesday seeking to have the hearing delayed and the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District ruled in his favor. Schmitt has said he believes Strickland is guilty.

The appeals court ordered attorneys for Schmitts office and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker to meet with Circuit Judge Kevin Harrell on Thursday to reschedule the hearing.

Peters Baker has argued that evidence used to convict Strickland has been disproved or recanted since his conviction in 1979, which she called a profound error. Several legal and political officials have also called for Stricklands release.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A Missouri man who has been in prison for more than 40 years for a triple murder that many legal and political officials believe he did not commit will have to wait several more weeks before a court hearing that could lead to his release.

Kevin Stricklands chance of being released seemed to be improving earlier this week, when a judge scheduled a hearing for Thursday for prosecutors to argue that he should be free. Strickland has been imprisoned since 1979.

But Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitts office, which has argued that Strickland is guilty, filed an emergency motion Wednesday to delay the hearing to provide more time for preparation, and a Missouri Court of Appeals panel ruled in Schmitts favor.

Instead, during a hearing Thursday, Circuit Judge Judge Kevin Harrell set a Sept. 13 court date for attorneys to argue over motions Schmitt filed in the case. But the date for a hearing that could lead to Stricklands freedom was not set, The Kansas City Star reported.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said it was disappointing that Stricklands innocence claim was not heard Thursday and that her office is pushing for an evidentiary hearing to be set as soon as possible.
Republican leaders in Missouri and 11 other states wont be able to proceed for now with a lawsuit to block President Joe Bidens efforts to assess the social costs of greenhouse gases.

A federal judge in St. Louis dismissed a case Tuesday that had been spearheaded by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. Joined by 11 of his Republican counterparts in other states, Schmitt argued that applying the yet-to-be-finalized costs to virtually every regulatory program administered by the federal government exceeded Bidens authority, and would have far-reaching economic effects.

But Judge Audrey Fleissig said that the case was supported by a number of bare assumptions and is too weak for standing. Her 29-page ruling also said that the states case is not ripe for any action in court.

Schmitts spokesman said the ruling would be appealed.

The ruling sides with key points raised by the defense in oral arguments last week. Justice Department lawyers representing the cases long list of government defendants argued that the lawsuit centered on speculative harm, and should be dismissed.

They just suggest that perhaps they might run into some problem, said Stephen Pezzi, a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Jones said the Department of Natural Resources, overseeing the Division of State Parks, runs the museum and that state statute requires the Department to coordinate activities relating to the Museum with the Board of Public Buildings.

The statutorily mandated process was not followed in this instance, thereby causing the Department of Natural Resources to remove the display, she said.

The Board of Public Buildings includes the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

A state law says the DNR shall coordinate its activities relating to the museum with those of the board of public buildings in the use and utilization of the corridors ... as may be necessary for the display and exhibits of the museum and the memorial hall.

The Board of Public Buildings typically acts on public funding for state-owned buildings such as the Capitol, and it also delegates other decisions to the Office of Administration.

There is no mention of any museum exhibits in available Board of Public Building minutes dating back to 2016.
This story was originally published Sept. 11, 2016. As part of our coverage for the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we're republishing content that highlights how we covered the day and its aftermath, plus its cultural meaning in American history.

BELLEVILLE  The warped metal beam points toward New York City, where it once helped hold up one of the World Trade Center towers.

On the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that brought down the twin towers, the September 11 Memorial Walkway of Southern Illinois was unveiled to a crowd of about 1,000 who gathered Sunday at the Belleville Fire Department Engine House No. 4.

After an hour-long ceremony, guests walked along a cement pathway reading plaques that tell the timeline of the day, from the time four planes took off in the morning to President George W. Bushs address to the nation that night.

The path ends at a pentagon-shaped plaza in honor of the military headquarters in Washington where one of the hijacked planes struck. There, two concrete posts hold up the beam from the World Trade Center, which lies horizontally in relation to where two planes hit each building.

It was overwhelming to have this show of support, said Sharon Stausbaugh of the memorial committee.
The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in late 2001 to destroy al-Qaida, remove the Taliban from power and remake the nation. On Aug. 30, 2021, the U.S. completed a pullout of troops from Afghanistan, providing an uncertain punctuation mark to two decades of conflict.

For the past 11 years I have closely followed the post-9/11 conflicts for the Costs of War Project, an initiative that brings together more than 50 scholars, physicians and legal and human rights experts to provide an account of the human, economic, budgetary and political costs and consequences of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Of course, by themselves figures can never give a complete picture of what happened and what it means, but they can help put this war in perspective.

The 20 numbers highlighted below, some drawn from figures released on Sept. 1, 2021, by the Costs of War Project, help tell the story of the Afghanistan War.

From 2001 to 2021
There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment sent to the only contact address on the SpyFone website.

Federal agencies have long been lax when it comes to allowing companies to peddle surveillance products with impunity, FTC commissioner Rohit Chopra said in a statement.

Online watchdogs led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto have long complained of rampant abuse of stalkerware, particularly in targeting victims of domestic violence.

Practically speaking, this is a bold move by the FTC but now they will have to follow through and enforce it," said Eva Galperin, cybersecurity director at EFF, via email. "It might be the beginning of the end for stalkerware, but even if that is true, its a long process and there is a lot that can go wrong between now and then.

Chopra said civil action by the FTC is not enough to meaningfully crackdown on the underworld of stalking apps." He urged the use of criminal laws including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, to combat its use.

Under the proposed settlement, SpyFone's sellers will have to delete all information collected by their stalkerware apps and alert people victimized by the products, the FTC said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Department of Transportation had previously planned to expand the nearly 70-mile (113-kilometer) corridor over the course of several phases through the end of the decade, working on adding a third lane to segments at either end before moving onto the middle stretch.

A funding boost would allow the agency to put out contracts for most of the widening in the next three to four years instead, officials said.

The stretch that crosses the rural areas between two of the state's largest cities frequently sees traffic jams, delays and accidents. About 66,000 vehicles travel the corridor daily, as beachgoing tourists and other motorists mingle with the 15,000 trucks headed to and from the bustling Port of Charleston.

Modernizing I-26  from extending entry and exit ramps to designing better interchanges and signs  will help the state remain competitive, said Shawn Godwin, board chair of the South Carolina Trucking Association.

We all share this critical corridor, Godwin said. But, when I-26 bogs down, we all bog down with it.
Cassidy often recalls being told to go home and do the dishes when she first tried to join a union more than two decades ago. But her career has also been empowering, and her daughter, Carey Mercer, followed her into the trades.

You're always learning something every day. There's always some kind of challenge that you might run into where you might need to do some math or think about it and take a second a look at it, said Mercer, an apprentice sheet metal worker.

The good news is that gains already made by women appear to have held steady during the pandemic, in contrast to the Great Recession that hit the industry hard.

The number of women employed in construction had reached a high of nearly 950,000 in 2007 before plummeting to a Great Recession-low of 711,000 in 2011, according to the BLS. It took nearly a decade for their numbers to recover, eventually reaching new highs of about 970,000 at the onset of the pandemic.

But this time, the ranks of women dipped just briefly in the spring of 2020 before continuing their rise  surpassing more than 1 million for the first time in history in April. The share of women employed in the industry also rose, reaching 13.2% in 2020, compared to 12.5% in 2016.
Using a voting trust will allow Kansas City Southern shareholders to be paid upfront before the Surface Transportation Board embarks on its full review of the deal, which may take more than 18 months. If regulators ultimately reject the deal, then the voting trust would sell off Kansas City Southern, so it could remain independent.

The Surface Transportation Board hasnt approved any major railroad mergers since the 1990s. It has generally said that any deal involving one of the nations six largest railroads needs to enhance competition and serve the public interest to get approved. The board has also said it would consider whether any deal would destabilize the industry and prompt additional mergers.

For more than two decades the railroad industry has been stable, with two railroads in the Western United States  BNSF and Union Pacific  two in the Eastern United States  CSX and Norfolk Southern  and the two Canadian railroads that serve part of the United States.



This story has been corrected to remove reference to a $1 billion breakup fee that Kansas City Southern was due to receive now that regulators rejected Canadian Nationals plan to use a voting trust in the acquisition. There is no breakup fee due at this stage.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Prosecutors said the only person to identify Strickland as the shooter later recanted and sought help to have Strickland released. Two men who were sentenced to prison for shooting the victims have also said that Strickland was not there when John Walker, 20; Sherrie Black, 22; and 21-year-old Larry Ingram, were killed.

Under a new state law that took effect on Saturday, Peters Baker filed a motion asking a judge to exonerate Strickland. Judge Harrell then scheduled Thursday's hearing and also set a hearing for Friday to announce his decision on Strickland's fate.

A funeral for Strickland's mother, who died last week, is scheduled for Saturday, The Kansas City Star reported.

Peters Baker's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the appeals court ruling.

In his emergency motion, Schmitt argued the quick scheduling of Thursday's hearing did not give his office time to prepare or to depose witnesses. He also said the scheduling of a hearing on Friday  during which Strickland was ordered to appear in court  undermined the appearance that justice is being fairly administered in this case.
While it carries a similar name, the elementary literacy program has nothing to do with the 1619 Project at all and does not teach critical race theory, Hannah-Jones said. The 1619 Freedom School is privately funded.

The curriculum, which teaches literacy through Black history, was designed by educators from Georgetown Universitys Program in Education, Inquiry, and Justice and the University of Missouris Carter Center for K-12 Black History Education. By 2022, the curriculum will be made available for free to anyone in the country.

The 1619 Freedom School is built on the understanding that for a people for whom it was once illegal to learn to read and write, education is a revolutionary act, Hannah-Jones said. A quality education has been the key to my success, and I wanted to give back to the community that raised me and to the children whose opportunities may be limited but who have potential that is limitless."

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has entered dangerous new territory in warning telecom companies not to comply with lawful requests from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. McCarthys threat that his party will not forget if the companies comply sounds more like something from a Mafia thug than a political leader. An ethics probe into that threat is warranted  as are some hard questions about what potential revelations, exactly, McCarthy and his party are so afraid of.

Jan. 6 saw an unprecedented attack upon Americas seat of government, with loss of life, by a mob intent on overturning an election at the urging of a sitting president and possibly with collusion from members of Congress. The necessity of an exhaustive congressional investigation into its causes and players is beyond debate. Yet for months, McCarthy and other Republicans have acted like the accomplices that some of them may well be, downplaying the outrageousness of what happened, resisting creation of the House investigative panel and, in the Senate, filibustering an attempt to create an independent investigatory commission.
For years now, talk radio has been the home turf of hard-right commentators in the Rush Limbaugh mold  a bombastic corner of American politics that is currently rejecting science as it relates to the coronavirus. So theres some irony in the fact that, in the past few weeks, not one but three prominent conservative radio hosts who had used their platforms to undermine public faith in vaccination have died from the virus.

This isnt schadenfreude. No one deserves to die for their opinions, no matter how misguided. But it should be a message for those who need to hear it most about the dangerous misinformation being spread in these anti-factual echo chambers.
His strategy paid off in not just grabbing the internets attention, but also grabbing the attention that Campbell actually wanted: Avis customer service.

In the six days after my car was taken, Avis never directly reached out to me, despite me calling both corporate and their brand number and being on hold for hours, he says. They reached out to me for the first time after the tweet went viral.

Avis offered to refund his charges, plus reimburse additional costs such as his airport ride. The company also offered a future credit.

However, social media isnt always the answer

While Twitters power came through for Campbell, it may not always be the best way to get customer support. Some say it can unfairly hurt businesses and might not be effective for customers, either.

A single negative post could be debilitating for small businesses

Social media can amplify customer complaints, which in Campbells situation got him compensation and shed light on rental car company practices. But it can also damage a businesss reputation.
Mali continues to suffer, more than most of its neighbors, from corruption, bad government, tribal conflicts and Islamic terrorism, in that order. Only the Islamic terrorism gets much attention outside of Mali. As in the rest of the world, Islamic terrorists are the result of those other maladies, not their cause.

Currently the mass media are making the most of the recent success of the Pakistan-backed Taliban in Afghanistan. African governments and local media are fretting about the growth of Islamic terrorism in Africa, especially the ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) ultraviolence. ISIL is at the top of the kill chain when it comes to Islamic terror groups. That means ISIL is always at war with all other Islamic terrorists.

In Africa most of the local Islamic terrorists are affiliated with al Qaeda in addition to 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 saw itself as the African Taliban and has been around since 2004. For a few years Boko Haram was, in terms of people killed, more of a problem than any other ISIL group, including the combined ISIL operations in Syria and Iraq.

ISWAP personnel are mostly in northeastern Nigeria as well as smaller numbers in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon. Earlier in 2021 ISWAP killed the Boko Haram leaders and is trying to absorb Boko Haram. 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, while the majority Christian and pre-Christian religions 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 their economic and political problems on.

The Afghan ISIL faction is known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISK), which 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 before, but only in the short term. Long-term ISIL is a threat to everyone and any spectacular ISIL success is brief because cooperation is not part of their core beliefs.

Following The Money

Mali has been told by foreign donors that most of the aid will stop coming if Mali does not carry out a significant reduction in corruption, government ineffectiveness and overall instability. Mali has suffered three military coups (government takeovers) since 2012. None of these takeovers were about corruption, but rather anger at the corrupt politicians stealing money meant to finance operations against Islamic terrorist and separatist minorities in the north. That crisis was not unexpected but the intensity of the violence in the north was and by 2011, more than the army could handle. Mali never needed much of a military and that was reflected in how decades of corrupt rulers treated it; as another source of jobs for supporters. Many of the officers thought otherwise and argued for more realistic treatment of the military and the threats it was facing up north.

Foreign aid donors agreed with the minority of Mali officers who called for more professionalism. The most popular, in the army, officers were both professional and corrupt and thats how we got a military government that staged a coup against itself (the 2020 coup) recently (May 24th.) That may turn out to be a coup too far.

The May coup was not well received by foreign aid donors. This includes France, which pays for its 5,100 counterterrorism troops who operate throughout the region. The military was not happy with foreign donor demands that they cooperate with political factions that made possible the 2020 coup. These groups and the coup leaders formed the interim (and foreign donor approved) CNT (National Transitional Council) government. The foreign donors insisted that a civilian lead the CNT with one of the military coup leaders as his deputy. The army and civilian members of the CNT did not get along. The main disagreement that triggered the May coup was about efforts to negotiate with Islamic terror groups and ineffective measures to prosecute corrupt politicians.

The May coup was led by the army colonel who was appointed deputy head of the CNT, and he replaced the civilian who originally held that job. The May coup promptly replaced many CNT officials with army officers or civilians known to be pro-military. When foreign donors, including France, criticized this, the army threatened to seek financial aid elsewhere. There was no elsewhere for the Mali coup leaders. The Mali officers threats said a lot about their motives, which was mainly about maintaining their power and helping themselves to a portion of foreign aid.

August 21, 2021: Chad is moving 600 of its G5 Force counterterrorism troops from Mali back to Chad, to deal with increased terrorist activity there. Chad has had its entire G5 contingent in Mali quite often. T he regional G5 Sahel is seen as a better peacekeeping solution because it consists of the best troops from five Sahel nations (Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad) and is capable of dealing with Islamic terrorism throughout the Sahel, which is below the Sahara Desert and extends across most of Africa.

G5 began operations in early 2018 after three years of planning and preparation. By late 2016 the countries involved agreed on the details. This included who would provide what in terms of the 5,000 soldiers and police needed and where they would be based. The G5 force was to be stationed in three operational areas along with troops familiar with local conditions. Sahel East consists of troops from Chad and Niger. Sahel Central is staffed by troops from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso while Sahel West mainly uses troops from Mali and Mauritania. The G5 force has been active in the three borders area (where borders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso meet), since 2018 and found itself spending more and more time in this terrorist hotspot. A successful G5 Force would enable France to shrink and eventually disband the force of 4,000 French troops it has deployed in the Sahel since 2013 and reduce the 13,000 strong UN peacekeeper force in Mali. Increasingly, central Mali is where there has been more and more Islamic terror group activity, not all of it violent.

August 19, 2021: In central Mali (Mopti) fifteen soldiers died and 34 were wounded when their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb followed by gunfire. Many Islamic terrorist groups are active in the area, most of them affiliated with al Qaeda and attacks on convoys occur at least once every month or two. More frequent attacks are directed at local civilians who will not cooperate with the terrorist groups.

August 8, 2021: In the northeast (south of Gao) in the three-borders (Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso) area, an Islamic terror group carried out simultaneous attacks on rural villages, firing on villagers as the village was looted and buildings set on fire. At least 51 villagers died and many more were wounded or injured. This area, where the three borders meet, has long been known for the presence of Islamic terrorist camps and bases. Often these raids take place across the border from where the group is based. These raids are violent so that other villagers in the area will be more careful about what they say about Islamic terror groups in the area and surrender supplies and other items the terrorists demand. This is a common tactic with terrorists and gangsters worldwide.
TORONTO, ON and NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 1 2021 / GlobeX Data Ltd. (OTCQB: SWISF)(CSE:SWIS) ("GlobeX" or the "Company"), the leader in Swiss hosted secure communications and secure data management, is pleased to announce the closing of a private placement offering for a final tally total of 19,150,506 Units (as defined below) at a price of CA$0.33 per Unit for total gross proceeds, minus incoming bank wire fees of CA$6,295,940.43.

Each Unit consists of one common share (a "Share") priced at CA$0.33 per share, and one-half of one share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Full Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase a Common share at a price of $0.60 per share for a two-year term (the "Warrant Term"). The offering has been fully subscribed and is now closed. Corporate finance advisory fees of CA$302,500 were paid in the form of cash. Net proceeds to the Company were CA$5,993,440.43.

The proceeds of the financing will be allocated to continue to accelerate the marketing of the Company's Sekur encrypted email and messaging solution to the US market, develop and market complementary solutions to be launched in the USA in 2022, increase capacity and infrastructure, and for general purposes.

The Company's CEO and CFO participated in the private placement as well with subscriptions of 2,295,000 units, or 12% of the total offering.

Alain Ghiai, CEO of GlobeX Data, said: "We are quite pleased and satisfied and appreciative with the demand we have received from our investors for this private placement. This additional placement gives the Company even more capabilities as we continue to deploy our solutions to the US mass consumer market and business sectors in the coming 24 months. The first round of marketing we have done has yielded excellent results and this new funding will assure us the capability to continue in an accelerated pace of the roll out of our Sekur solutions. We plan to increase our USA marketing budget to US$750,000 for the remainder of 2021, and increase the marketing budget to US$2,000,000 for 2022, depending on the results of our media and marketing efforts. With CA$9.4 million (US$7,460,000) in the bank as of the close of this funding, and no convertible or long-term debt, the company has now a solid balance sheet and all the cash to execute its plan for 2021 and continue its 2022 marketing plan, and looks forward to bring true Swiss privacy and security to US consumers and businesses."

Sekur, which includes SekurMessenger as part of a bundle of email, messaging and file transfer into one app solutions, includes the Company's latest SekurMail technology, which includes proprietary anti-phishing and privacy feature called SekurSend. SekurSend lets a user send an email to any other recipient, whether they have Sekur or not, in full privacy and security as the email never leaves Sekur's encrypted email servers based in Switzerland. The recipient can then click on the notification and reply in the same manner using SekurReply, without the recipient having to register for a Sekur account. The sender can also decide to protect any email sent by adding a password to open it, a read-limit and a self-destruct timer as well. Sending an email with the SekurSend feature allows the senders and recipients to add limitless size attachments to the emails without crowding the recipients' email box. This also eliminates BEC attacks for businesses and email phishing attacks. Additionally, SekurMail includes full control of email delivery, automatic data export for large Enterprises and an automatic Data Loss Prevention technology ("DLP") with real time continuous archiving.

Recent data breaches in messaging applications and in particular in the WhatsApp application have created a certain urgency for businesses and data privacy advocates to protect their communications form cyber-attacks and identity theft via mobile and desktop devices.

SekurMessenger eliminates many of the privacy and security risks by not only not requiring a phone number, which would divulge a user's phone device ID, but also by not social engineering a user's phone or computer contact list and infecting the contacts by default as well, eliminating a huge loophole in security and privacy. SekurMessenger issues each user a username and a SM number. The SM number is the contact ID a user would disclose in order for other SM users to be added. The service comes with a self-destruct timer and other features as well, including GlobeX's proprietary VirtualVaults and HeliX technologies with all data stored in Swiss hosted encrypted servers.

Additionally, SekurMessenger now comes with a proprietary feature and technology called Chat by Invites. This feature allows a SekurMessenger user ("SM user") invite a non-SM user, or a group of non-SM users, to chat in a fully private and secure way, without the recipient ever having to register to SekurMessenger or download the app. At the end of the chat, the initiator of the conversation can remotely terminate the conversation and all traces of the conversation are deleted from all users, including the recipient. This unique feature is now fully deployed and functional on all iOS and Android devices and web platforms. The target sectors are numerous, including but not limited to real estate, legal, financial, government, energy, mining, manufacturing, trade and medical sectors.

GlobeX's Data privacy solutions are all hosted in Switzerland, protecting users' data from any outside data intrusion requests. In Switzerland, the right to privacy is guaranteed in article 13 of the Swiss Federal Constitution. The Federal Act on Data Protection ("FADP") of 19 June 1992 (in force since 1993) has set up a strict protection of privacy by prohibiting virtually any processing of personal data which is not expressly authorized by the data subjects. The protection is subject to the authority of the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner.

Under Swiss federal law, it is a crime to publish information based on leaked "secret official discussions." In 2010 the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland found that IP addresses are personal information and that under Swiss privacy laws they may not be used to track Internet usage without the knowledge of the individuals involved.

About GlobeX Data Ltd.

GlobeX Data Ltd. is a Cybersecurity and Internet privacy provider of Swiss hosted solutions for secure communications and secure data management. The Company distributes a suite of encrypted e-mails, and secure communication tools, secure cloud-based storage, disaster recovery and document management. GlobeX Data Ltd. sells its products directly through its websites, through its approved wholesalers and distributors, and telecommunications companies worldwide. GlobeX Data Ltd. serves consumers, businesses and governments worldwide.

On behalf of Management

GLOBEX DATA LTD.

Alain Ghiai

President and Chief Executive Officer

+1 (416) 644-8690

corporate@globexdata.com

For more information, please contact GlobeX Data at corporate@globexdatagroup.com or visit us at https://globexdata.com.

For more information on Sekur visit us at: https://www.sekur.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "project" and similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes or that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guaranteeing future performance. GlobeX cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond GlobeX's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the future of the Company's business; the success of marketing and sales efforts of the Company; the projections prepared in house and projections delivered by channel partners; the Company's ability to complete the necessary software updates; increases in sales as a result of investments software development technology; consumer interest in the Products; future sales plans and strategies; reliance on large channel partners and expectations of renewals to ongoing agreements with these partners; anticipated events and trends; the economy and other future conditions; and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in GlobeX's prospectus dated May 8, 2019 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available on www.sedar.com. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, GlobeX undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

SOURCE: GlobeX Data Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:
FILE PHOTO: A gas pump is seen hanging from the ceiling at a petrol station in Seoul June 27, 2011. REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak

By David Gaffen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Oil prices rose more than $1 a barrel on Thursday, rebounding on optimism about global economic growth despite the coronavirus pandemic, and after U.S. crude inventories fell more than anticipated.

Brent crude ended up $1.44, or 2%, at $73.03 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled up $1.40, or 2%, to $69.99 a barrel.

The rally briefly pushed U.S. crude futures above the 50-day moving average for the first time in a month, a signal of bullishness for investors. In addition, later-dated crude contracts rallied more than the front-month, another sign that market participants expect demand to rise as supply declines.

In the United States, crude inventories dropped by 7.2 million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. [EIA/S]

"There are good reasons for this rally - we have 1.5 mln barrels still offline in the Gulf, yesterday's crude number was down 7.2 million barrels and storage was at its lowest level since September 2019," said Robert Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho.

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week, while layoffs in August dropped to their lowest level in more than 24 years, suggesting the labor market was charging ahead despite new COVID-19 infections.

Optimistic about the global economic recovery, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers including Russia, together known as OPEC+, raised its demand forecast for 2022.

On Wednesday, the group agreed to continue a policy of phasing out record production reductions by adding 400,000 barrels per day (bpd). It did not take up entreaties from the United States to accelerate removal of those supply curbs.

Hurricane Ida, meanwhile, has shut about 80% of the Gulf of Mexico's oil and gas output. Oil refineries in Louisiana could take weeks to restart, which will sap crude demand, but that could be offset by slow ramp-up of production offshore due to damage to key support facilities.

"Crude oil processing will probably take considerably longer to recover from the outages than crude oil production, which suggests that crude oil stocks will increase in the coming weeks," said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch.

India's gasoline demand is set to hit a record this fiscal year as more people hit the road after easing of COVID-19 curbs.

(Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafed in in London and Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by Mark Potter, David Gregorio and David Evans)
TICKERS: LGD; LGDTF

Source: Streetwise Reports (9/2/21)

Haywood Capital Markets commented in a research report that the newly announced discoveries at Liberty Gold Corp.'s Black Pine Project highlight the unbounded nature of the underlying gold system. Haywood rates Liberty Gold as a "Buy" and recommends accumulating shares at current price levels.



Analyst Geordie Mark, Ph.D. of Haywood Capital Markets commented in a September 1 research note that Canadian gold explorer Liberty Gold Corp. (LGD:TSX; LGDTF:OTCQB), announced "exciting drill results" from the company's ongoing RC drilling at its Black Pine Project in southern Idaho.

Liberty Gold's recent drill results reportedly discovered three new areas lying beyond the boundaries of the current resource footprint. The firm advised that it is referring to these areas as the Rangefront D-4, Rangefront SW, and Upper F zones.

Haywood claimed that "the newly announced discoveries importantly highlight the unbounded nature of the Black Pine gold system." The analyst mentioned that the presence of higher-grade material to depth at the Rangefront D-4 Zone could potentially add appreciable exploitable resources if confirmed with future delineation drilling.

The analyst pointed out that drill results from five holes at the D-4 target found appreciable zones of gold mineralization with Holes LBP356 and LBP358 returning the best intervals. Two assay segments from Hole LBP356 measured 0.91 g/t Au over 86.9 m and 2.03 g/t Au over 21.3 m. Hole LBP358 produced results that included 1.23 g/t Au over 24.4 m and 1.37 g/t Au over 50.3 m.

The company also announced very encouraging positive drill results from the Rangefront SW and Upper F zone discoveries, which demonstrate Black Pine's untapped potential.

Haywood Capital market stated that it is now awaiting Black Pine's PEA which is scheduled to be completed in Q3/21 and noted that only a portion of the Black Pine target area had been included in the initial MRE.

Liberty Gold's ongoing exploration program started drilling in April and provides for a total of about 52,000 m of drilling including some expansion drilling tests of areas situated outside of the existing constrained resource.

The report stated that in drilling conducted at the Rangefront SW Zone, Hole LBP290 returned 1.15 g/t Au over 21.3 m and Hole LBP337's results measured 2.1 g/t Au over 13.7 m. Drilling at the Upper F Zone also showed some good results with Hole LBP350 returning 1.40 g/t Au over 12.2 m.

The analyst explained that Liberty's primary focus over the last several years has been its on its Nevada Goldstrike Project. According to a PEA study, Goldstrike is believed to host a 1.22 Moz gold resource grading 0.49 g/t Au.

However, the Idaho Black Pine property has now become a flagship asset based upon high-grade drilling results obtained from continued exploration and promising metallurgical test work at the site, which shows potential for a viable ROM heap leach operation. Haywood Capital stated that a maiden MRE for the Black Pine Project that was released in July 2021 portrayed a pit constrained resource of 2.1 Moz of gold at an average grade of 0.48 g/t Au. The data included an Indicated resource of 1.7 Moz Au and an Inferred resource of 370 Koz Au. Haywood Capital added that it expects Black Pine will only require modest CAPEX and operating costs when the PEA is completed in H2/2021.

Haywood Capital Markets stated that it continues to be encouraged by ongoing exploration success at Black Pine and views Liberty to be well positioned for resource growth over the near-term and therefore recommends accumulating shares at current price levels. The analyst remarked further that given the company's oxide dominant asset base and attractive relative valuation, it believes that Liberty Gold stands out as a strong downstream M&A target candidate in a tier-one jurisdiction.

Haywood Capital Markets advised that it is reiterating its "Buy" rating for Liberty Gold Corp. with a target price of CA$2.75 per share. The firm's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "LGD" and last closed for trading at CA$1.19 per share on Thursday, September 2, 2021.

[NLINSERT]

Disclosure:

1) Stephen Hytha compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor. He or members of his household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. He or members of his household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.

2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Liberty Gold Corp. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

4) This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the decision to publish an article until three business days after the publication of the article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Liberty Gold Corp., a company mentioned in this article.

Disclosures from Haywood Securities, Inc., Initiating Coverage, Sept. 1, 2021

I, Geordie Mark, hereby express that the views expressed in this report (which includes the rating assigned to the issuer's shares as well as the analytical substance and tone of the report) accurately reflect my/our personal views about the subject securities and the issuer. No part of my compensation was, is, or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific recommendations.

Haywood Securities, Inc. has reviewed lead projects of K92 Mining Inc., Liberty Gold Corp., Osisko Mining Corp., and Pure Gold Mining Inc. and a portion of the expenses for this travel have been reimbursed by the issuer.

Haywood Securities, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries has managed or comanaged or participated as selling group in a public offering of securities for Osisko Mining Corp. and Pure Gold Mining Inc. in the past 12 months.
An RQ-4 Global Hawk soars through the sky to record intelligence, surveillence and reconnaissance data. (U.S. Air Force)

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Tribune News Service)  The U.S. Air Force is announcing plans for Grand Forks Air Force Base and the 319th Reconnaissance Wing to be leaders in future Air Force Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance missions.

According to a press release issued this week, these plans will be in part thanks to North Dakota senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer's advocacy with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. about restructuring Air Force Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to meet the highest national defense priorities.

Hoeven and Cramer said their advocacy with the military regarding the base was to ensure it remained core to the United States' national security mission, prompting the Air Force to lay out its plan for North Dakota, including ensuring the base is central to the Air Force's long-term future in ISR and keeping the RQ-4 Block 40 at Grand Forks AFB through the late 2020s. Hoeven and Cramer said they are also exploring options with the secretary of defense for potentially using the RQ-4 system in new ways as well as transferring the equipment as excess to other federal agencies.

"In next year's budget, we are addressing emerging threats posed by our adversaries and ensuring that the Air Force will have the most capable ISR systems," said Hoeven and Cramer. "Grand Forks Air Force Base and the 319th Reconnaissance Wing are foundational in the Air Force's long-term plan for ISR and joint all-domain command and control capabilities to meet the highest national defense priorities."

According to both senators, an agreement was reached with the Air Force to conduct infrastructure planning next year for construction and renovation projects at Grand Forks Air Force Base, enabling the 319th Reconnaissance Wing to develop and train a crew force and expand operational employment tactics for ISR systems.

The Air Force has also committed to budgeting for construction and renovation projects to occur during 2023-2026 at Grand Forks Air Force Base in support of future 319th RW missions and expand the number of operational units under the command of the 319th RW that are involved in next generation missions, , according to the senators. According to Hoevan and Cramer, these include the E-11 Battlefield Airborne Control Node aircraft mission at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., starting in 2022 and a second geographically separated unit in the future.

The Air Force plans to divest RQ-4 Block 30 aircraft in the fiscal year 2022 budget, which the senators said was critical to modernizing the Air Force for the future battlefield. According to a report, the divestment will allow the Air Force to reinvest $2.2 billion over five years and reallocate approximately 800 people into advanced capabilities, such as those planned for Grand Forks AFB.

2021 www.devilslakejournal.com.

Visit devilslakejournal.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Preschool children from the New Horizons Child Development Center on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, attend an event in November 2015. (Michelle Gigante/U.S. Air Force)

DAYTON, Ohio (Tribune News Service)  The House Armed Services Committee early Thursday approved the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022 by a vote of 57 to 2, boosting President Biden's defense allocation by nearly $24 billion.

Military construction initiatives passed by the committee include $24 million for a new Wright-Patterson Air Force Base child development center. According to the office of U.S. Rep Mike Turner, R-Dayton, the committee has also approved:

 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base  Army Reserve Center Training building: $19 million.

 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base  Human Performance Wing Laboratory: $40 million.

 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base  Bionatronics Research Center Laboratory: $33.8 million.

 Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport  Base-Wide Microgrid: $4.7 million.

 Camp Perry, Ohio  Red Horse Logistics Complex: $7.8 million.

 Youngstown Air Reserve Station  Assault Strip Widening: $8.7 million.

In all, the committee added $23.9 billion to the administration's request of $715 billion for defense, for a total of $738.9 billion.

The Senate Armed Services Committee added $25 billion to Biden's requested defense allocation last month.

The House Armed Services Committee voted to support the establishment of a Space National Guard, a key difference with the Senate's version of the defense bill.

Among other features, the bill backs procurement of 80 F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. It also provides additional funding for 12 Air Force F-15EX tactical fighter aircraft, an Air Force unfunded priority.

The new child development center for Wright-Patterson was also an Air Force unfunded priority.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the home of Air Force logistics and acquisition efforts.

(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.
Dr. (Maj.) Elaina Wild, 379th Expeditionary Medical Group chief medical officer, with mothers and their newborn babies at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Aug. 28, 2021. Since the base became the main stopover location for evacuees from Afghanistan on Aug. 14, 2021, members assigned to the unit helped deliver nine babies. (U.S. Air Force)

Nine babies have been born at the expeditionary medical clinic at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar since the base became a main stopover for evacuees leaving Afghanistan last month, even though the clinic was not set up for infants.

The 379th Expeditionary Medical Groups patient population increased tenfold overnight the first day of the evacuation, according to an Air Force statement Thursday that cited chief medical officer Dr. Elaina Wild, an Air Force major.

Wild, a family medicine doctor back home, helped deliver the nine healthy babies, she said. The mothers are also doing well, she said.

My faith in humanity is challenged every day by seeing the people we have to treat and the injuries theyre sustaining, Wild said. But its restored every time I see what our medics and our people on the front lines are doing to save the lives of the evacuees.

Members of the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group take a picture while supporting Afghanistan evacuation operations at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Since the base became the main stopover location for evacuees from Afghanistan on Aug. 14, 2021, members assigned to the unit helped deliver nine babies. (U.S. Air Force) Staff Sgt. Abigail Swanson, a 379th Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron medical technician at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Aug. 23, 2021. Swanson, who is also a North Dakota Air National Guard member, has been assisting Afghan evacuees and their children. (U.S. Air Force) Dr. (Maj.) Elaina Wild, 379th Expeditionary Medical Group chief medical officer, examines an evacuee from Afghanistan before she gives birth at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Aug. 28, 2021. (U.S. Air Force) A member of the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group, who worked as a physical therapist before supporting Afghanistan evacuation operations, sets up bassinets to support the newborn children of evacuees at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Since the base became the main stopover location for evacuees from Afghanistan on Aug. 14, 2021, members assigned to the unit helped deliver nine babies. (U.S. Air Force)

The clinic team, which is made up largely of reservists, has had to improvise supplies and draw on the knowledge they bring from civilian jobs that Wild said were extremely useful.

Its interesting how the universe works, she said. The group of people that are here right now are exactly the group of people that we needed when this hit.

Some work as optometrists or physical therapists in the service but are emergency medical technicians or labor and delivery nurses outside the military, the statement said.

Wild said members of the 379th EMDG sacrificed sleep, skipped meals to give to patients and gave cold children the clothes off their backs.

Over 55,000 evacuees had been brought to the base as of Wednesday, with a single-day record of more than 17,500 housed on base, said a U.S. government official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter with Stars and Stripes. Most had already departed, the official said.

A large number of evacuees have needed medical treatment, officials said in Thursdays statement. Among them were a woman who was in labor when her plane landed, a patient suffering complications from diabetes and people with open wounds.

Some children under 10 arrived last week with wounds from apparent rubber bullets, said a base resident, though it wasnt clear who shot them. The resident, who was not authorized to speak to the media, declined to be named.

One medical concern for base residents was the potential for a coronavirus outbreak amid the evacuation, leading officials to institute screening tests for those assisting and installation-wide mandatory mask wear, regardless of vaccination status, the government official said.

For Staff Sgt. Abigail Swanson, a medical technician assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron, the operation was a chance to do the job she wanted when she signed up.

This is what the Air Force trained me to do, Swanson, a member of the North Dakota Air National Guard, said in a service statement. I am happy that I can help and use my skills in a situation like this.

Chad Garland Chad is a Marine Corps veteran who covers the U.S. military in the Middle East, Afghanistan and sometimes elsewhere for Stars and Stripes. An Illinois native whos reported for news outlets in Washington, D.C., Arizona, Oregon and California, hes an alumnus of the Defense Language Institute, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Arizona State University.
On the first anniversary of the 2019 Conception boat fire, Susan Tibbles walks past a memorial for the 34 people who died, in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Al Seib, The Los Angeles Times/TNS)

LOS ANGELES (Tribune News Service) Family members of the 34 people who died in the Conception dive boat fire off the Channel Islands in 2019 are suing the U.S. Coast Guard, alleging it failed to enforce regulations and allowed the vessel to operate with substandard electrical and safety systems that led to the deaths.

The suit was filed Wednesday on the eve of the second anniversary of the fire, the worst maritime disaster in modern California history.

It also comes as the captain of the vessel, Jerry Boylan, is facing 34 counts of seaman's manslaughter for his failure to have a required roving watch person who could have detected the fire sooner, possibly in time to save the 33 passengers and one crew member who were sleeping below deck during the Labor Day weekend dive excursion.

The National Transportation Safety Board has previously cited the failure by Boylan and the Conception's owner, Truth Aquatics, to comply with Coast Guard requirements that it run a roving watch person whenever passengers were sleeping below deck, as well as other safety procedures. Boylan has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

But the wrongful death lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Los Angeles portrays the Coast Guard as the enabler that helped send the 34 people to their deaths in Platts Harbor off Santa Cruz Island with failed oversight.

Less than a year before the fire, the Coast Guard certified the boat to carry 40 passengers overnight "even though her electrical wiring systems, her fire detection and suppression systems and passenger accommodation escape hatch were in open and obvious violation of" federal regulations, according to the lawsuit.

In the aftermath of the fire, the Coast Guard inspected the Conception's sister vessel, the Vision, and "discovered numerous glaring deficiencies" in its wiring and electrical systems, fire detection and suppression systems and its escape hatch, according to the suit. The Vision is similar in build and design to the Conception and was also owned by Truth Aquatics.

"Had the Coast Guard properly inspected the Conception it never would have been certified, never set sail, and these 34 victims would not have lost their lives," said Jeffrey P. Goodman, who represents several of the families and speaks for the legal team.

"Sadly, certifying noncompliant vessels is commonplace at the Coast Guard," he added. "The time has come for the Coast Guard to be held accountable for its failures to protect those victims and prevent future maritime disasters on America's waterways."

Coast Guard officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the lawsuit.

Goodman said that although most people know of the men and women who risk their lives in critical safety missions, the Coast Guard also is a regulatory agency responsible for properly certified vessels.

"The Coast Guard has failed in that mission for decades by not enforcing certification requirements and routinely allowing noncompliant and unsafe vessels on the water," he said.

The lawsuit notes that an examination of the Vision revealed homemade repairs done with the kind of wiring available at Home Depot and not of the quality used in maritime vessels. The boat's electrical system was so stressed that it could not run when the galley stove was on.

The suit notes that in 2013, the Coast Guard started publishing so-called Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circulars and safety alerts about the danger of circuit overloads and shipboard fires caused by power strips and rechargeable devices aboard vessels.

The suit alleges the Coast Guard knew or should have known that Truth Aquatics added "undocumented and ill-designed electrical outlets throughout the vessel for the purpose of battery charging" and encouraged passengers and crew to charge video cameras, smartphones, underwater scooter power packs and other lithium-ion battery equipment.

Eleven months before the deadly Conception fire, those on a dive trip on the Vision saw a battery being charged spark flames, which was then smothered with a dry chemical fire extinguisher and tossed in a bucket.

The Conception consisted of three decks: the pilot house and crew quarters on top; a middle deck, where the fire ignited; and sleeping quarters in the belly of the vessel. The NTSB determined the fire began in the back of the middle deck salon, where lithium-ion batteries were being charged. But the agency could not say whether it was the source that ignited the blaze.

Those sleeping below deck were trapped beneath the fire. There were signs that some were awake with their shoes on before they were killed by smoke inhalation. The NTSB faulted Truth Aquatics for running a vessel with little or no oversight, which Truth Aquatics' attorneys strongly deny.

The families are already suing Truth Aquatics for wrongful death and negligence in the operation of the Conception.

2021 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Buy Photo Marine infantry students at Camp Lejeune, N.C., practice setting up an ambush, as their instructor looks on, in a live-fire training event Aug. 27, 2021, during their 12th week of initial infantry training as part of a pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.  Marine Corps leaders have their eyes on the kind of combat that a war against an adversary such as China or Russia could bring, and they are training their troops to be prepared for that fight by building better-thinking, more well-rounded infantrymen capable of operating in small units with little oversight.

The Corps wants to create infantrymen who will arrive at their first duty station with the critical and creative thinking skills of Marines several years into their career, instead of the robot-like, trigger-pullers that some have accused the service of producing in its longstanding entry-level infantry course, Marine officials said last week.

At Camp Lejeune, N.C., the Corps School of Infantry-East is attempting to make those changes, experimenting with a new initial infantry training program that lasts longer, includes more face-to-face time with instructors, and challenges green infantrymen on more difficult skills, said Col. David Emmel, the schools commander.

The Marine Corps is going through very large changes  and we are one element of that within the larger services efforts, Emmel told reporters Aug. 27 at Camp Lejeune, as the first group of 194 Marines neared completion of the School of Infantry-Easts first attempt of the new training program, known as the Infantry Marine Course. Thats making a more lethal, smarter, more elite Marine infantryman  Marines with a strong moral foundation, who are grounded in the Marine Corps ethos, who possess the skill and the will to succeed in the future operational environment. And, as part of that, the critical thinking which allows him [or her] to be adaptive in that environment.

Those changes have been driven by the vision of Marine commandant Gen. David Berger  who, since becoming the top Marine in 2019, has instituted an overhaul of the service aimed largely at checking Chinese power in the Indo-Pacific region, where he believes his troops will need to work more closely with the Navy and in smaller units to compete with Chinas forces. As commandant, Berger has axed the Marines tank units, urged Congress to shrink its force size and instructed units to prepare its youngest Marines to make tough battlefield decisions without a higher commands input.

Buy Photo Marine infantry students at Camp Lejeune, N.C., practice setting up an ambush, as their instructors look on, in a live-fire training event Aug. 27, 2021, during their 12th week of initial infantry training as part of a pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

At Camp Lejeune, Marine instructors are preparing some of the Corps newest infantrymen for just that operating environment in the Infantry Marine Course pilot program, which expands initial infantry training from nine weeks to 14 weeks. It marks the second use of the new program, which began with a course at the Marines School of Infantry-West at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

The new course puts new Marines in the field for about nine weeks, practicing critical infantry skills, fighting each other in force-on-force battles, and training them on advanced weapons that those who have completed traditional Marine initial infantry training have not been exposed.

But the most critical change to the course is how instructors work with their students, Emmel and other officials said.

The new model pairs a single combat instructor  an experienced infantry noncommissioned officer trained to teach new Marines  with a squad of 14 Marines, who the instructor is charged with overseeing, teaching and mentoring throughout the entire course. For decades, instructors taught Marines in infantry school in large groups, 80 to 200-plus Marines at a time, officials said.

Sgt. Jonathon Ritter, a combat instructor in charge of one of the Infantry Marine Course squads, said he has gotten to know his trainees much better during the pilot course than when he has taught in previous iterations of initial infantry training. The one-on-one time allows him to better understand how his students learn, what they respond to and how they react to challenges. His young Marines have advanced quicker than those he has taught in the traditional class, he said.

Their development is actually exceeding a lot of our expectations, Ritter said. I took them from Day 1 where they couldnt do any infantry skills, and then now to see them on the live-fire ranges, being able to execute, use their weapons for the right target without any [instructor] supervision  thats extremely rewarding.

A lot of the stuff theyre learning now is stuff that Marines [who are] traditionally one or two years into the fleet learn, and here we have them learning this stuff at entry level training. Thats huge.

Buy Photo A Marine infantry student at Camp Lejeune, N.C., practices setting up an ambush in a live-fire training event Aug. 27, 2021, during their 12th week of initial infantry training as part of a pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Marine infantry students listen to their combat instructors feedback after conducting an ambush during training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Aug. 27, 2021. The students were practicing an ambush during an initial infantry training pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Marine infantry students at Camp Lejeune, N.C., practice setting up an ambush in a live-fire training event Aug. 27, 2021, during their 12th week of initial infantry training as part of a pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

An ambush

The blast from the Claymore mine shot a cloud of smoke billowing dozens of feet into the air. From positions concealed by trees just beyond the mines reach, 14 young Marines opened fire with M27 rifles and M240B machine guns.

In minutes, the smoke cleared and the firing ceased. The enemy  robotic targets outfitted in camouflage  had been defeated. For the squad of freshly minted Marines about 12 weeks into the new Infantry Marine Course, the brief live-fire operation was the culmination of a week focused on sharpening the planning and tactical skills that go into executing an age-old combat tactic  an ambush.

For those leading the Marines, it was verification of the new efforts.

The squads each planned their ambushes on their own without their instructors input after spending the week learning the tactics that go into planning an ambush and practicing without live ammunition, said Marine Capt. David Allen, the commander of the School of Infantrys Echo Company, which is conducting the pilot course. Combat instructors then tagged along as the squads conducted their ambushes, offering the occasional pointer, but allowing the Marines to make  and hopefully  learn from their own mistakes, Allen said.

One squad after another on Aug. 27 ran through the exercise on the sandy, wooded training grounds. Some groups executed near-perfect ambushes, Allen said. Others struggled.

In at least one iteration, a Marines M240B machine gun jammed, likely because it had not been cleaned well enough before the attack, his instructor said. In another, Marines set their mine off too early, failing to injure any enemy targets. In another ambush, some of the Marines set themselves up in positions where they were ultimately unable to see the enemy targets as they entered the kill box, another instructor said.

Despite the shortcomings, none of the Marines were chewed out. Combat instructors rarely yelled, except over the roar of gunfire. Young Marines held their heads high, as their instructors went over what they had done right and wrong just minutes after completing the mission. The Marines asked questions, and they prepared to run ambushes again.

They're more willing to approach you, ask a question, more willing to engage in the training and just learn, said Sgt. Govan Walcott, a combat instructor leading one of the 14-man squads in the pilot. Were not yelling. Were here to instruct, to teach and then let them learn it their way and then go out and execute what it is that were trying to teach.

Buy Photo A claymore mine blast sends smoke in the air as Marine infantry students open fire from a tree line on Camp Lejeune, N.C., training grounds on Aug. 27, 2021. The students were practicing an ambush during an initial infantry training pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo A Marine infantry student places a claymore mine during training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Aug. 27, 2021. The students were practicing an ambush during an initial infantry training pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Marine infantry students look out at enemy target robots during training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Aug. 27, 2021. The students were practicing an ambush during an initial infantry training pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo A Marine infantry student at Camp Lejeune, N.C., practices setting up an ambush in a live-fire training event Aug. 27, 2021, during their 12th week of initial infantry training as part of a pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

Not just idiots

Traditionally, a new Marine infantrymen  a boot, in Marine slang  will arrive at his or her first station with an elementary understanding of infantry tactics and spend the next two or more years learning how to actually operate from unit leaders, Walcott said.

The pilot program is designed to provide boot Marines to the Corps infantry battalions nearly ready to fight on the first day.

Were speeding up the timeline, said Emmel, the School of Infantry-East commander.

For the instructors, it takes a shift in mindset. Walcott, who enlisted in 2015, said his instructors at the School of Infantry-East would tell him exactly what to do and when to do it. In the pilot program, instructors explain to students an outcome they want out of a scenario and let the new Marines find their own paths to that result.

Were looking at it like, hey, these are not just idiots, you know. These are individuals who can actually think and operate on their own and operate as a unit, Walcott said. So its  I'm going to give you this knowledge. Let me see how you apply it. And, the way you apply it actually might be somewhat of a different train of thought than I would have had. It might even work better.

Walcott and other instructors said the pilot course was proving beneficial to the new Marines. He said he believed the Corps should adopt the training, which Corps brass will consider later this year after running at least two more pilot courses, one each at Camp Pendleton and Camp Lejeune.

Unlike infantry Marines who graduate traditional initial infantry training, those who complete the pilot program will have learned to shoot Javelin anti-tank missiles, fire machine guns, and use other weapons that new riflemen usually would not be trained to do.

The decision to incorporate more advanced weapons than just the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle comes as the Corps considers merging all infantry jobs into a single military occupational specialty. That decision is yet to be made, a Marine spokesman said Tuesday.

Buy Photo A Marine infantry student at Camp Lejeune, N.C., practices setting up an ambush in a live-fire training event Aug. 27, 2021, during their 12th week of initial infantry training as part of a pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Marine infantry students at Camp Lejeune, N.C., practice setting up an ambush, as their instructor looks on, in a live-fire training event Aug. 27, 2021, during their 12th week of initial infantry training as part of a pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo A Marine infantry student at Camp Lejeune, N.C., prepares to practice setting up an ambush in a live-fire training event Aug. 27, 2021, during their 12th week of initial infantry training as part of a pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo A Marine infantry student at Camp Lejeune, N.C., practices setting up an ambush in a live-fire training event Aug. 27, 2021, during their 12th week of initial infantry training as part of a pilot program meant to drastically change the way the Corps trains its infantrymen. The pilot program expands infantry training from nine to 14 weeks and places Marines in 14-person squads under a single instructor. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

Training Marines to use multiple weapons systems is a major advantage on the battlefield, Walcott said, adding he had never been exposed to some of the weapons, including the Javelin before becoming an instructor.

These guys are definitely more trained up, so it wouldn't take as long to spin them up at their first unit, he said. And, then these guys are going to bring skills to the fleet that are not there right now.

The pilot model is also more demanding on the instructors, Walcott and Ritter admitted. Their days often last from sun up to sun down and occasionally well into the night, they said. Nonetheless, they said those challenges were worthwhile.

An influx of new instructors would also be needed to adopt the Infantry Marine Course pilot program as the Corps initial infantry training program, officials said. Emmel said the East Coast and West Coast infantry schools were working with Marine headquarters to determine how large a cadre was possible, but he declined to provide a specific number of additional instructors he would require.

Those figures could change as the pilot course is adjusted based on feedback from the first two iterations, he added. Even the number of weeks could be changed.

Nonetheless, Emmel and other School of Infantry officials endorsed the pilot program as sending the Corps in the right direction for the future.

We're giving the fleet more lethal Marines, Emmel said.
About 30 members of the Kentucky National Guard load into cars heading to get training for the month they are stationed at the Pikeville Medical Center in Pikeville, Ky., Tuesday, August 31, 2021. The soldiers will be assisting staff with non-clinical duties to free up time and resources while the Medical Center is short staffed dealing with COVID. (Silas Walker, The Lexington Herald-Leader/TNS)

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (Tribune News Service)  Thirty members of the Kentucky National Guard began a month-long deployment Wednesday at Pikeville Medical Center, where they will support the hospitals response to an unprecedented number of patients with COVID-19.

Guardsmen were also sent to hospitals in Bowling Green and Morehead.

As hospitals across the state and nation are overwhelmed with coronavirus, the guardsmen will help understaffed facilities care for the sick sooner. Pikeville Medical Center employs 3,000 people and has 200 job openings.

In Pikeville, they will help with non-medical duties, such as transporting patients within the hospital, helping with janitorial duties and managing traffic control at the vaccination drive-thru, which reopened Wednesday.

Hospital CEO and President Donovan Blackburn said it was a relief to have the help of the Kentucky National Guard.

Theyre helping us battle this pandemic, he said Tuesday. There are people today that are fighting for their lives in our ICU.

Early this week, the hospital had 82 COVID-positive patients. At its peak last winter, the hospital had 83 patients. Blackburn said he expects hospitalizations will reach a plateau in the next two to three weeks and then begin to decrease.

The problem with that ... is its going to take much longer to get back to where we need to be versus how quickly we got here, he said.

Blackburn said it is surreal to have the Kentucky National Guard in the hospital, something he has not seen in his career.

Not only to realize that the National Guard is here to help, but theyre in a hospital should speak volumes of whats going on, Blackburn said.

On Tuesday, the guardsmen learned how to properly wear personal protective equipment, sanitize and avoid being exposed to pathogens, in order to start assisting hospital staff Wednesday.

The key is that by us doing that it enables the actual clinical staff to do the life-saving work that right now their hands are tied, said Capt. Kerby Schwer, the officer in charge of the Kentucky National Guard COVID response team.

Schwer said it is an absolute honor and privilege to help fight the pandemic.

This is the kind of stuff I signed up for, he said. This is one of the reasons Im a guard is to help communities. It really is a war that were fighting against COVID.

_______

2021 Lexington Herald-Leader

Visit at kentucky.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Reyna prepares to administer a COVID-19 vaccine in spring 2021 in Bahrain. (Dawson Roth/U.S. Navy)

Most U.S. sailors and Marines have less than 90 days to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or face disciplinary action, according to a recent order from the Secretary of the Navy.

Secretary Carlos Del Toro declared the order effective immediately in an Aug. 30 naval administrative message that followed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austins Aug. 24 command for mandatory vaccinations.

Del Toro gave reservists 120 days to get vaccinated. The deadlines fall on Nov. 28 and Dec. 28 for active-duty service members and reservists, respectively.

As the faithful maritime protectors of our country in peacetime and war, each of us must take ownership of our readiness to preserve and protect the force, and ensure the success of our mission, Del Toro wrote.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 23 granted approval to the two-shot Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which had been under emergency use authorization.

The following day, Austin ordered all troops to get vaccinated, at the direction of their respective services.

Vaccinations within the U.S. military were voluntary under the emergency use authorization. Only the Pfizer vaccine is approved, so far, although the others are still available at military clinics.

Some service members may be exempt, including those taking part in COVID-19 clinical trials until they conclude, according to Del Toros message.

However, unvaccinated sailors and Marines who previously contracted COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, are not exempt, according to a separate administrative message from Vice Adm. W. R. Merz, deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy.

Service members who received a medical exemption while vaccines were approved under an emergency use authorization will be reevaluated, according Merzs message.

The vaccine mandate is a lawful order and failure to comply is punishable under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to Del Toro and Merz.

The Chief of Naval Operations and Commandant of the Marine Corps have authority to exercise the full range of administrative and disciplinary actions to hold non-exempt Service Members appropriately accountable, Del Toro wrote.

Punishments may include discharge from the service or disqualification for promotion or reenlistment.

Alex Wilson
A statue of a coal miner is shown on Aug. 26, 2021, at the West Virginia Capitol in Charleston, W.Va. This weekend, marchers are retracing the steps of thousands of coal miners who participated in the Battle of Blair Mountain in southern West Virginia. At least 16 men died in the largest U.S. armed uprising since the Civil War before the miners surrendered to federal troops in early September 1921. (John Raby/AP)

CHARLESTON, W.Va.  Fed up with poor wages, work and living conditions, thousands of coal miners a century ago marched in an effort to unionize in West Virginia, resulting in a deadly clash and the largest U.S. armed uprising since the Civil War.

On Friday, some descendants of those involved will join others in retracing the steps that culminated in the 12-day Battle of Blair Mountain.

The miners  whites, Blacks, and European immigrants  banded together, bent on doing something about their treatment by coal operators. They became known as the "Red Neck Army" for the distinctive bandanas they wore around their necks.

At least 16 men died before the miners surrendered to federal troops in September 1921.

Bloody conflicts in the mining industry in the early 20th century, known as the West Virginia Mine Wars, have been overlooked in public schools. But recently Blair Mountain has received much greater attention in the public.

In 2018, the Blair Mountain Battlefield was restored to the National Register of Historic Places, protecting the site from coal operators' destructive mountaintop removal operations.

"We've gone from when I was a teenager it not even being talked about in class to now a much greater visibility," said Chuck Keeney, a history professor at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College and author of "The Road To Blair Mountain."

"So it's a testimony of the success of the preservation movement," Keeney said. "And this movement's revitalized the history."

Multiple events are planned looking back at the battle, highlighted by the 45-mile march over three days.

Keeney's great-grandfather, Frank Keeney, was president of the United Mine Workers union's District 17 in West Virginia during the uprising. Chuck Keeney plans to march along with UMW international President Cecil Roberts. Roberts' great-uncle, Bill Blizzard, was a union subdistrict state organizer and a leader of the march.

"Those people had a specific purpose in mind," Roberts said. "Every step you take, you just think about what kind of courage that took. And they were willing to die for that. And because they were willing to die for that, we've all had a good living, a much better life than we would have had had they not gone on that march."

In 1920, southern West Virginia had the nation's largest concentration of nonunion miners. Company towns were prevalent and oppressive. Miners lived in employer-built encampments and were paid in private company currency, called scrip.

Jean Evansmore of Mount Hope remembers her coal-mining grandfather getting food and supplies at the company-owned store. She said she wants others to use the Blair Mountain centennial to "understand the connections, an idea that you could get paid in something called scrip. That was very real. Scrip was a fraction of what a dollar was. That's how people got paid."

When union organizers showed up, the companies retaliated. In her 1925 autobiography, union organizer Mary Harris "Mother" Jones said she witnessed numerous conflicts between "the industrial slaves and their masters" during visits to West Virginia.

Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield sympathized with the unionization efforts. He led a group of miners in a May 1920 gunfight with private security guards who had been hired by coal companies to evict them for joining a union. Ten people were killed in what became known as the Matewan Massacre.

Fifteen months later, agents from the same firm fatally shot Hatfield. Infuriated, miners gathered by the thousands, intent on confronting the companies and freeing imprisoned miners accused of violating martial law in Mingo County.

The miners made it to Logan County, whose sheriff, Don Chafin, was anti-union. Chafin assembled law enforcement officers, coal operator guards and recruited civilians to hold off the advancing miners, including using biplanes to drop a few homemade bombs. Federal troops sent by President Warren Harding eventually arrived by train.

According to historians, 13 miners and three deputies were killed and 47 others were wounded. Hundreds of miners later were acquitted on charges of murder and treason.

The setback at Blair Mountain stalled the UMW's efforts in southern West Virginia and caused membership to plummet. When workers were finally guaranteed the right to collectively bargain in 1933 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, West Virginia coal miners joined the UMW in droves, said Lou Martin, a history professor at Chatham University in Pittsburgh and a board member of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan.

UMW membership peaked in 1946, then spiraled downward in the face of a loss of government support and the industry's all-out war on union mines. Its reduced numbers echoed the shrinking industry itself, especially in the Appalachian coalfields.

Roberts said that despite the exodus of mining jobs, money still flows into coalfield communities through worker retirement, health care and pension plans.

"If it wasn't for the union, none of that would be happening right now," he said.
Helena Maleno, founder of nongovernmental organization Walking Borders, tweeted Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, that 22 bodies have been recovered from a migrant boat by the Moroccan navy. (Walking Borders/Facebook)

MADRID  A humanitarian aid group that monitors the plight of migrants taking perilous seaborne routes to Spain said that 21 women and one girl have died and several dozen more people were lost at sea while trying to reach the Canary Islands.

Helena Maleno, founder of nongovernmental organization Walking Borders, tweeted Thursday that 22 bodies have been recovered from a migrant boat by the Moroccan navy. She said there was one girl among the female casualties, who were mostly from the Ivory Coast and Guinea.

Spain's maritime rescue service said it had no information on the case.

Reached by The Associated Press, Morocco's national police confirmed that authorities in the coastal city of Dakhla were looking into the case, but refused to provide details. Health authorities in the southern city also refused to provide any information.

Maleno said that the boat started its journey carrying 86 people, including 36 women and 13 girls.

The Atlantic route from the west coast of Africa to Spain's Canary Islands has become one of the most used and deadliest routes for those desperate to reach Europe.
Some freed students of the Salihu Tanko Islamic School arrive before a meeting with Niger state governor in Minna, Nigeria, on Aug 27, 2021. (AP)

LAGOS, Nigeria  The recent release of three separate groups of students who had been abducted in northern Nigeria brought joyful reunions and the hope that others still held might soon be freed.

Now just days later gunmen have again attacked a school in the northwest, taking 73 new hostages.

Before Wednesday's attack some 1,000 students had been kidnapped in about a dozen school abductions since December and UNICEF says some 200 are believed to still be in captivity.

Here is a look at what is known about the gunmen kidnapping children for ransom in northern Nigeria.

WHO ARE THE CRIMINALS BEHIND THESE ABDUCTIONS?

Government officials describe the gunmen carrying out the attacks as "bandits" but what, if any, connection there is between them remains unclear. School kidnappings have taken place in nine different states, and targets have included everyone from preschoolers to university students.

Then three different groups of hostages in three separate states  Niger, Kaduna and Zamfara  were all released within 24 hours of each other. That led some to question whether it was coincidence or a sign that these "bandits" in fact have ties to one another.

Observers have said the gunmen appear to be young men from the Fulani ethnic group who had traditionally worked as nomadic cattle herders and are caught up in a decades-long conflict with Hausa farming communities over access to water and grazing land.

Some say they took up arms because they felt their communities have been neglected over the years by the Nigerian government.

Other kidnappers, however, are simply opportunists who just want to make money from ransom payments, according to Idayat Hassan, who leads the Center for Democracy and Development, a West Africa-focused policy advocacy and research organization.

HOW DO THE BANDITS OPERATE?

Nigerian journalist Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, an editor with the Abuja-based Daily Trust newspapers, has interviewed some of the gunmen and said they have set up dozens of camps in remote forested areas of the northwest. Each houses hundreds of fighters, though one in Zamfara state where Wednesday's new kidnappings took place, purportedly holds 2,000 followers.

Authorities believe the bandits are getting logistical support from local residents, saying some have confessed to ferrying phones, fuel and food supplies to the gunmen while they are camped in the forest. It's believed they've used the money from the ransom payments to buy arms and ammunition, some of which is now more sophisticated than what is used by the Nigerian military.

BUT ARE THEY LINKED TO ISLAMIC MILITANTS?

Many initially believed there was a difference between the Islamic militants in the northeast, who were motivated by ideology, and the bandits in the northwest believed to just be after money.

However, freed captives have shared details that suggest some bandits might share beliefs with the Boko Haram group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden" in the local Hausa language.

Victory Sani, one of the students released in May after being abducted from her school in Kaduna state, said her captors warned her to stay home.

"They asked us not to go back to school, that they will make sure they shut down all the schools in Kaduna state," said Sani, 20. "And if we go back there (to the school), they will still come back for us. And if they get us, we are not coming back again."

The gunmen also told those students they were "not after our lives or our parents' money; that they are after (the) government," said Sani, whose father is still looking for a school where she can re-enroll and attend classes safely.

Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a Nigerian cleric who is one of the few with access to the bandits and who has negotiated with them in the past, believes the bandits have been infiltrated by Boko Haram. He said the jihadi group is "looking for them (the bandits) seriously, trying to entice them to join their struggle."

The governor of Niger state in the northwest, Abubakar Sani Bello, also has said that militants now have established a camp there too. "I am confirming that there are Boko Haram elements here in Niger State; here in Kaure  They have hoisted their flags here. Their wives have been seized from them and forcefully attached to Boko Haram members," Bello said in April. Neither the Nigerian army nor the presidency have disputed the governor's claim.

WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING OVER AND OVER?

Schools are so sparse in the north that many parents send their children to boarding schools far from home. Even with stepped-up security, these educational facilities are vulnerable to gunmen whose weaponry has improved with each successive ransom payment. Because of the 12-year insurgency in the northeast, the Nigerian army has had far fewer soldiers posted in the areas now being repeatedly targeted by kidnappers.

After Friday's announcement, the head teacher at Salihu Tanko Islamiyya school in Niger state said a payment of more than 30 million naira (about $73,000) had been made to secure the children's release. Abubakar Alhassan said families came up with most of the money, and the school raised some cash, too, by selling a plot of land where they had planned to expand the campus.

Oluwaseyi Adetayo, a security expert and former officer of the Nigerian secret police Department of State Services, says the bandits have found it far too lucrative to abduct children.

"It is paying them more than what any of them could imagine they can ever earn in their life," said Adetayo, who runs Eons Intelligence, a security advisory group. "It is an established chain of business already."
The guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd steams through the Taiwan Strait on Aug. 27, 2021. (Kaylianna Genier/U.S. Navy)

U.S. Navy operations in the South China Sea wont be affected by a new Chinese law requiring foreign vessels to give notice before entering waters claimed by Beijing, according to the Defense Department.

An amendment to Chinas 1983 Maritime Traffic Safety Law that took effect Wednesday requires certain vessels to provide a checklist of information, including call signs, positions, estimated time of arrival and the next port of call, the Chinese state-run Global Times reported Sunday.

The amendment specifies that submersibles, nuclear-powered vessels and ships carrying dangerous substances, such as oil or chemicals, must notify Chinese officials before entering areas China claims as territorial waters, according to the Naval War Colleges Stockton Center for International Law.

The amendment was approved in April by Chinas Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress.

However, U.S. forces, under international law, will continue to transit those areas or operate in them, according to a Defense Department spokesman.

The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, Lt. Col. Martin Meiners told Stars and Stripes in an email Wednesday.

The Navys 7th Fleet routinely conducts freedom-of-navigation operations and transits through areas China has claimed as its territorial waters, including the Taiwan Strait and island chains in the South China Sea.

Most recently, the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd steamed through the Taiwan Strait on Aug. 27, the Navys eighth trip through the waterway this year.

The U.S. has long maintained that one nations law must not infringe the rights of other nations under international law, Pentagon spokesman John Supple told Stars and Stripes in an email Wednesday.

Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims, including in the South China Sea, pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded lawful commerce, and the rights and interests of South China Sea and other littoral nations, he said.

Beijing regularly criticizes U.S. Navy activity in areas it claims in the South China Sea, along with the U.S. position rejecting those claims.

Chinas sovereignty, rights and interests in the South China Sea have been formed in the course of a long history, Zhao Lijian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at a July 12 news conference. They are supported by abundant historical and legal basis and upheld by the Chinese government all along.

No country objected to this position until the 1970s, Zhao added.

The U.S. accusation that our maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea have no basis in international law totally runs counter to facts, he said.

Beijings asserted claim over vast swaths of the South China Sea largely stem from the nine-dash line, a demarcation adopted from a 1947 Chinese map. In 2016, a United Nations tribunal declared some of Chinas claims in the South China Sea unlawful under the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
South Korea's Ministry of Defense is expected to ask the National Assembly for a 4.5% increase to this years overall defense budget of $43.7 billion. (U.S. Marine Corps)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  South Korea will spend nearly $125 million more this year to station American troops on the peninsula, according to a new cost-sharing deal that took effect Wednesday.

The Special Measures Agreement between South Korea and the United States determines the cost split for keeping roughly 28,500 U.S. troops in the country and employing South Korean civilians on U.S. military bases.

Seoul is expected to contribute $1.02 billion for 2021, a 13.9% increase to the $896.62 million it spent the previous year. The renewed agreement will retroactively apply to South Koreas contribution from last year, which was carried over from 2019 after negotiations for the agreements renewal became deadlocked during President Donald Trumps administration.

Under the new six-year arrangement, Seouls future contributions will be proportional to its overall defense budget, which has risen in recent years. In the past, South Koreas Special Measures Agreement contributions were determined separately.

The Ministry of Defense is expected to ask the National Assembly for a 4.5% increase to this years overall defense budget of $43.7 billion, according to local news reports. That will also increase South Koreas contribution to the Special Measures Agreement.

Shin Beomchul, director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, described the new agreement as stable and equitable for the time being.

A majority of South Korean people support a strong alliance, so they agreed to increase the amount of budget, Shin told Stars and Stripes on Thursday.

However, the agreement may become inequitable due to the new provision that connects the Special Agreement to the overall defense budget, Shin said.

It should not depend on the annual defense budget, but on the annual price increase, Shin said.

The ruling Democratic Party shared similar concerns, saying in a Tuesday statement that synchronizing annual increase [rates] with the national defense budget could lead to excessive contributions.

The South Korean government must negotiate annual increase rates of the agreement aside from national defense budgets in coming negotiations, the partys statement said.

South Koreas revised contribution is a modest increase from the estimated 13% hike Seoul initially offered the U.S. during negotiations last year, but far less than the amount sought by Trump. He described South Koreas past contribution levels as peanuts and demanded that it spend as much as $5 billion to keep U.S. troops on the peninsula.

The State Department during Trumps administration argued the U.S. invests significant military resources to maintain its presence in South Korea, namely, to deter threats from North Korea.

Sustaining the costs of our global military presence is not a burden that should fall on the U.S. taxpayer alone but is a responsibility that should be shared fairly with allies and partners who benefit from our presence, the department said in 2019.

South Korean lawmakers from the National Assembly overwhelmingly supported the deal in a 133-11 vote Tuesday afternoon.

Following the vote, the ruling Democratic Party issued a statement saying the two countries are now in a position to manage the alliance with more stable manner, without any necessity of yearly renegotiations.

Unlike Trump administrations inequitable requests to demand sharp increases in the past, two countries came up with relatively reasonable results, the partys statement said Tuesday.

South Koreas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a separate statement Wednesday, said the new agreement is expected to provide conditions for stable stationing of U.S. Forces Korea and greatly contribute to the enhancement of the  alliance.

Some lawmakers, such as Justice Party leader Bae Jin Gyo, voiced their opposition to the agreement.

The value of the [South Korea]-U.S. alliance would be damaged and only unequal  relations would be left, Gyo said in a speech at the National Assembly on Tuesday. We cannot, and must not, agree on the unreasonable demand that asks South Korea to raise its contribution, which is defense costs being used by the U.S. for the U.S.s investments 
Buy Photo Tokyo added another 3,099 coronavirus infections on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)

TOKYO  The coronavirus continued to give ground in Japans capital city but still added another 3,099 infections on Thursday, according to public broadcaster NHK.

For an 11th consecutive day, new cases in Tokyo were fewer in number than the week prior, according to Tokyo Metropolitan Government data. The prefecture reported 4,704 new infections on Aug. 26, a difference of 1,605.

Another 10 people died Thursday of complications related to COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, NHK reported, citing the metro government.

Japan reported another 20,008 new cases Wednesday, and 71 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. More than 46% of the Japanese population, or 58.5 million people, are fully vaccinated.

Also Thursday, U.S. military bases in Japan said another 25 people had tested positive for COVID-19.

Eighteen people in the Marine Corps community on Okinawa have come up positive since Wednesday, according to a Facebook post by Marine Corps Installations Pacific. The command provided no further information. In August, the Marines reported 221 COVID-19 patients.

Okinawa prefecture, where the bulk of U.S. forces are stationed, reported 565 people had tested positive Thursday, according to the Department of Public Health and Medical Care.

Closer to Tokyo, Naval Air Facility Atsugi reported one new case on Thursday, a person who tested positive before exiting restricted movement, according to a base news release.

Sasebo Naval Base, on Kyushu Island, identified another six COVID-19 cases since Tuesday, according to a Facebook post by the naval base. One turned up during a medical screening and five fell ill with COVID-19 symptoms. The base has 15 patients under observation. Yokosuka Naval Base, 38 miles south of Tokyo, closed the Green Street School Age Care facility Thursday for surveillance testing and close contact tracing after a recently discovered case of COVID-19 there, according to a post Wednesday evening on the bases Facebook page.

The Chilis restaurant on base was also closed until further notice after a staff member contracted COVID-19, according to a separate post Wednesday evening by the base. The restaurant was being cleaned and sanitized and its staff members tested, according to the post.

South Korea update

U.S. Forces Korea reported another 22 people tested positive for COVID-19 between Saturday and Tuesday, according to a Thursday news release.

Three service members at Osan Air Base and one at Camp Casey turned up positive Saturday and Monday after developing COVID-19 symptoms.

Contact tracing discovered another six service members and a South Korean employee at Osan, two service members on temporary duty with USFK and one service member and two family members at Daegu between Saturday and Tuesday, according to the release.

Finally, two service members stationed at Camp Humphreys, two at Daegu and two at Osan tested positive on Saturday and Sunday short of embarking on international travel, USFK said.

South Korea reported another 1,961 coronavirus infections Wednesday, with Seoul accounting for 555 and Gyeonggi province, where Osan and Humphreys are located, accounting for 688, according to the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.

Nearly 32% of South Koreas population, or 16.3 million people, are fully vaccinated, according to KDCA. Another 57.4%, or 29.5 million, have received the first of a two-shot inoculation.

Stars and Stripes reporters Mari Higa and Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to this report.
The German mission in Afghanistan ends with service members heading to the last Airbus A400M leaving the Mazar-e-Sharif airfield for home, June 29, 2021. (Torsten Kraatz/German army)

European Union nations rallied around a push to create a military force of some 5,000 troops in the wake of the Afghan withdrawal, but they have yet to agree on many of its details.

Defense ministers meeting in Slovenia repeatedly referred to the Afghan evacuation as a "fiasco" and "debacle" on Thursday, appealing for the EU's military capability to be strengthened, according to officials familiar with the closed-door talks. Slovenia currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.

The U.S.-led withdrawal from Afghanistan and its speed, as well as the violence and chaos that plagued efforts to evacuate civilians, have shaken EU governments that are increasingly seeking a way to assert the bloc's strategic autonomy, including militarily. That involves a balancing act with European nations' commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Ministers supported an effort by Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, to create an "initial entry force" of about 5,000 personnel, which would aim for fast and efficient deployment in crisis areas, the officials said.

"Afghanistan has shown that the deficiencies in our strategic autonomy come with a price," Borrell told reporters after the talks. "The only way forward is to combine our forces and strengthen our capacity and our will to act" which means "new tools like this entry force," he said.

But making the plan a reality is fraught with hurdles. Ministers see Afghanistan as a wake-up call, but with the U.S. pulling out so recently on Aug. 31, it's still too early for a practical response by the EU, one official said.

Although no one spoke out against the figure of 5,000, there was no discussion on the force's make-up or who would decide how it would be used. EU members are considering the possibility of switching from the bloc's usual unanimous voting procedures to a majority vote for deployment of the force, the officials said.

"We have the armies, all together, we have the resources, the problem is to have the coordination, and the will to mobilize these resources," Borrell said.

Defense ministers also discussed how to map relations with the new Taliban rulers. "We have to develop a condition-based engagement for everything, even to provide humanitarian assistance," Borrell said.

Separately, Germany and France on Wednesday circulated a paper setting out five conditions that should set the basis for engaging with the Taliban:

 The Taliban can't hinder the departure of Afghans who want to leave the nation.

 They must break ties with terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida.

 They must allow free access to humanitarian aid.

 They must respect human rights, especially women's rights.

 They must establish an inclusive, representative government.

The proposal, which was shared with member states at a meeting of EU ambassadors and seen by Bloomberg, also called for the need to fight against the production and export of drugs.

The EU's foreign affairs service told the diplomats that evacuations from Kabul had not yet been completed and there was still a need to relocate former EU Police Mission staff as well as people who had worked for the EU. The European Commission that added it was looking into the creation of a humanitarian corridor and was sending an envoy to the region this week, according to a person with knowledge of the discussion.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gestures while speaking in Minsk, Belarus on Aug. 9, 2021. Lukashenko said Wednesday Sept. 1, that the country will soon receive a large batch of Russian weapons, including dozens of combat jets, helicopters and top-of-the-line air defense missile systems. (Andrei Stasevich /BelTA photo via AP)

KYIV, Ukraine  The leader of Belarus said Wednesday that the country will soon receive a large batch of Russian weapons, including dozens of combat jets, helicopters and top-of-the-line air defense missile systems.

President Alexander Lukashenko announced the expected acquisition as Russia and Belarus prepare to conduct joint war games starting next week that are set to involve about 200,000 troops.

The announcement highlights Moscows growing support for Lukashenko, whose election to a sixth term in August 2020 triggered months of protests and allegations of a rigged vote from the Belarusian opposition and the West.

Russia has staunchly backed the longtime president as his government faced a series of bruising sanctions from the United States and the European Union. The sanctions were imposed in response to a brutal crackdown on the post-election protests, including the arrests of more than 35,000 people and police beating thousands of demonstrators.

Seeking to secure Moscows support, Lukashenko has cast the sanctions as part of an alleged plot by the West to oust him and undermine Russia. He has described this months upcoming military exercises as part of joint efforts to counter Western pressure.

We effectively have a single army, with the Belarusian military forming its backbone in the western direction, Lukashenko said. If, God forbid, a war starts, the Belarusian army will be the first to engage in the fight, and the western group of Russias armed forces will join quickly after to form a joint defense.

Moscow has granted Belarus a new $1.5 billion loan and criticized Western restrictions. Lukashenko said that Russia also will shortly provide Belarus with dozens of warplanes and helicopters and air defense weapons, possibly including the state-of-the-art S-400 missile system.

We even could get the S-400s. We badly need them, he said.

The two ex-Soviet neighbors have a union agreement that envisages close political, economic and military ties. In the past, Lukashenko often accused Moscow of forging plots to force Belarus abandon its independence, but he has dropped such rhetoric after his crackdown on protest made him a pariah in the West and forced him to rely squarely on the Kremlins support.

Lukashenko said Wednesday that he would discuss a package of agreements intended to bolster Russia-Belarus integration during a visit to Russia next week, but he emphasized that it would not erode Belarus independence.

There is no talk about the loss of sovereignty, he said.

But despite his assurances, the planned maneuvers and Lukashenkos efforts to forge closer ties with Russia have fueled concerns of the Belarusian opposition that the president might sacrifice the countrys independence in exchange for Moscows support.

Lukashenko is getting drawn into a military confrontation with the West and is trading in sovereignty, but his legitimacy is dubious and we wont recognize any documents or treaties that would give up or limit Belarus sovereignty, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger in the August 2020 election, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Any agreements with Russia that would deprive us of an independent future will be reviewed.

___

Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.
Mourners in Gaza City, on Aug. 28, 2021, carry the body of Palestinian boy who was shot during a violent demonstration on the eastern border between Gaza and Israel. According to reports on Thursday, Sept. 2, a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli gunfire during another violent protest along the border with Israel. (Khalil Hamra/AP)

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli gunfire on Thursday night, Gaza health officials said, during a violent protest along the Israeli border.

Hundreds of Palestinians took part in protests held at five locations, demanding an end to Israel's 14-year blockade of Gaza.

The territory's Hamas rulers have organized a series of similar protests over the past two weeks. In some cases they have turned violent, with the crowds burning tires and hurling explosives toward Israeli soldiers.

Palestinian health officials said Ahmad Saleh, 26, was fatally shot near Jabaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip.

Organizers released a photo of Saleh, wearing shorts and a black T-shirt standing on the beach. "May God accept you Ahmad as a martyr of the night disturbances," said a caption.

Health officials said five other people were wounded by Israeli fire, including a 15-year-old boy in serious condition.

The Israeli military said that demonstrators hurled explosive devices, and soldiers responded with live fire.

Saleh became the third Palestinian to die in the recent protests, along with a 12-year-old boy and a Hamas militant. An Israeli sniper was killed when he was shot in the head at point-blank range by a protester.

Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade in 2007 after Hamas seized control of Gaza from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. The takeover came a year after Hamas defeated the rival Fatah movement, which dominates the Palestinian Authority, in parliamentary elections.

Israel says the blockade is needed to keep Hamas, an Islamic militant group sworn to Israel's destruction, from arming. Critics say the closure, which has hit the local economy hard due to its travel and trade restrictions, amounts to collective punishment.

Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since 2008, most recently last May.

Israel tightened the blockade after the fighting and only this week lifted most of the measures as Egypt tries to broker a longer-term cease-fire. Israel has demanded that Hamas free two captive Israeli civilians and return the remains of two dead Israeli soldiers as part of a broader deal.

Hamas dismissed the latest Israeli measures as insufficient and has threatened to continue the demonstrations until the blockade is further eased. "Our position is that it is insufficient and is no substitute for broad measures that will achieve a real breakthrough in terms of life in Gaza," the group said.
U.S. Marines during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (Victor Mancill/U.S. Marine Corps)

U.S. consular officials waded into massive and increasingly desperate and belligerent crowds of Afghans outside the Kabul airport, searching for familiar faces or valid documents. They sent private instructions and authorization to American and allied citizens and to eligible Afghans, only to see those messages become useless as they suddenly appeared on the phones of thousands pushing toward the gates.

Afghan entrepreneurs sold bogus access to other Afghans and then tried to lie or bully their way inside. Taliban fighters manning perimeter checkpoints got conflicting orders from their chains of command or made up their own rules for who got through.

Everybody who lived it was haunted by the choices we had to make and the people we were not able to help, a senior State Department official said Wednesday, describing the perspective of consular officials on the ground during the two-week military evacuation effort that ended this week.

Since the last evacuation flight, attention has focused not on the nearly 125,000 who got out but on those who were left behind  100 to 200 Americans, along with what the State Department official said was the majority of tens of thousands of Afghans eligible for special U.S. visas. In response to the chaotic exit, some Republicans have called for President Biden to resign or face impeachment, and many Democrats have voiced criticism.

Veterans and other groups seeking to extract particular Afghans have called Biden feckless, a liar or far worse. Parents of some of the 13 U.S. service members killed Thursday by an Islamic State suicide bomb at an airport gate have cursed him.

Biden on Tuesday called the evacuation mission an extraordinary success, despite those involved operating under severe stress and attack.

But some senior officials have acknowledged that it should have started earlier and could have been better - even as they placed whatever blame the current administration may shoulder on the backs of two decades of unsuccessful U.S. policy.

For both the military and diplomats, there will be Congressional inquiries and internal lessons learned accountings.

Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland on Wednesday repeated administration assurances that there is no deadline for what she said was an ongoing mission. These efforts did not end on August 31, and they will not end until we have secured the evacuation of any American citizens and [permanent residents] and Afghans at risk who want to leave.

Telephone trees are in near-constant contact with Americans inside Afghanistan, Nuland said, as the State Department tries to ascertain precisely who still wants to leave, their family members, and what routes may or not feel comfortable for them.

Messages are being tailored depending upon who they are or where they are, she said. The first thing we have to do is ensure that we can get air routes and land routes secure, while continuing to evaluate who is where, who they have with them, case by case.

Marking off a series of figures, Nuland said that since the evacuation began on Aug. 14, a department task force has made 55,000 phone calls and sent more than 33,000 emails to those inside Afghanistan, and that hundreds and hundreds of U.S. diplomats have been coordinating with third countries to discuss safe passage.

Afghanistan has land borders with Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Iran and a 50-mile-long border with China that has no road access. Some of those countries have said they will not admit Afghan refugees, and all lie far from Kabul through often-treacherous terrain.

The Kabul airport has been closed since the last U.S. military flight departed just before midnight Monday, Afghanistan time. Nuland said that Turkey and Qatar - both of which have diplomatic missions remaining in Kabul - are trying to get the airport open [and] were relatively optimistic.

A plane carrying technicians from Qatar arrived there Wednesday, Agence France-Presse and Qatari media reported. Airports in other Afghan cities are reportedly operating, although it as unclear whether the Taliban was allowing charter flights to land and load evacuees.

Taliban officials have said that anyone is free to leave provided they have proper documentation. In the case of Afghans, they have said, that requires not only a visa for another country but also an Afghan passport that the Taliban themselves will have to issue for those who do not have them. Many Afghans in hiding have reported that they have destroyed their documentation, out of fear of the Taliban discovering that they worked for foreign militaries or organizations.

It is unclear how those without visas, for the United States or other countries that have withdrawn their diplomatic representation from Kabul, will obtain them. Of those countries with embassies remaining, it is not known whether any will handle U.S. consular business in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Embassy has moved to a new office in Doha, the Qatari capital, where Nuland said that it will handle consular, humanitarian aid and security activities. Asked whether the United States will establish diplomatic relations with a still-to-be-formed Taliban government, she said that we have made no decisions . . . and we certainly wont unless and until we see whether the Taliban fulfills its commitments for inclusive governing and human rights.

Even as Nuland discussed the road ahead, the senior State Department official sought to explain on a more granular level what the past two weeks were like for the hundreds of U.S. officials working on the airport evacuation effort. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the State Department.

It wasnt pretty, the official said. It involved some really painful trade-offs and choices for everyone involved.

The official identified five impediments to a steady throughput of evacuees, which he listed in descending priority - from U.S. citizens and permanent residents, to citizens of foreign allies, to Afghans holding or eligible for Special Immigrant Visas because they worked in some capacity as part of the 20-year U.S. effort, to other vulnerable Afghans including activists, women and journalists.

The effort was constrained by security imperatives, the official said. The Islamic State, a sworn enemy of the United States and the Taliban, was trying to kill as many of those people as possible, the official said, adding that despite our best efforts they were successful in the bomb that blew up just outside the airport gate, resulting in the deaths of what the official said were 169 Afghans, in addition to the 13 U.S. service members.

Second was that access to the airport was designed to be difficult, to prevent attacks by vehicles carrying explosives, suicide bombings or other attacks. The officials were trying to essentially retrofit a facility designed to restrict access [in order to] provide access, something that would be difficult to do . . . even without additional crowds.

Third, one of the major misconceptions during the operation was this notion that if they got close to the airport it was simply a matter of the United States and allies opening a gate. In fact, all of those people had to first go through Taliban checkpoints.

The criteria that the Taliban used to allow [entry] were variable and changed in some cases hourly and at times inconsistent with the indications the Talibs had given to us that they would allow certain people to pass, the official said.

It was quite clear that the Talibs on the checkpoints faced some of the same challenges in terms of overwhelming demand for access that we saw at entry points, the official said, adding that at various times when there was a surge in a particular place, their response was not to assign more people to process them but to simply close it down. Sometimes only foreigners were allowed through some checkpoints.

The official denied that the Taliban were given lists of eligible evacuees, which some have charged enabled them to find Afghans that may have been in hiding.

We did not do that, the official said. What we did do on a couple of occasions was to ensure that vehicles - buses that were allotted specific times to try to facilitate access . . . had manifests. This was to provide a degree of confidence that Afghans that were on those buses were in fact those who had U.S. priority.

The fourth constraint was viral communications among Afghans about access to the airport. When I arrived, I attempted to use electronic communication with local staff to facilitate entry, the official said. Within an hour, everyone on the crowd had that new pass on their phones.

Finally, there were the communications from those who claimed to be at the gate escorting American citizens or prominent Afghans. In some cases, there were no Americans, the officials said. In some cases, there were five Americans with hundreds of Afghans they refused to be separated from.

Some of those efforts, the official said, were of an entrepreneurial nature by Afghans looking to facilitate access for financial reasons.

As systems were put in place and broke down, however, we simply did not have the people or the time to be able to try to sift through that crowd of people demanding access, which the official said often seemed on the verge of turning into a mob.

Thats not a criticism of people desperate to leave, the official said. Its just that characteristic of human behavior in those kinds of positions.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meet in Cairo., Egypt, on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. (Wafa/Handout)

CAIRO  Egypts president held talks in Cairo on Thursday with the King of Jordan and the president of the Palestinian Authority aimed at reviving the Middle East peace process and strengthening a ceasefire that halted the Israel-Hamas war.

Egypts Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, King Abdullah II of Jordan and the Palestinian Authoritys Mahmoud Abbas discussed the elusive two-state solution to the conflict with Israel, according to a statement from el-Sissis office. The three leaders said the Palestinians have a right to an independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel staunchly opposes such a plan.

We very much welcome the meeting of these three leaders, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. We hope it will lead to a positive outcome and a regain of traction of diplomacy in the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

Relations remain tense, even though Israels new coalition government, which includes an Arab party for the first time, has sought to keep things calm after the deadly war in May. Hamas responded to weeks of tensions in east Jerusalem by firing rockets, which triggered a withering Israeli assault on Gaza.

At least 260 Palestinians were killed during the conflict, including 67 children and 39 women, according to the Gaza health ministry. Hamas has acknowledged the deaths of 80 militants. Twelve civilians, including two children, were killed in Israel, along with one soldier.

Egypt, which has played a key mediation role between Israel and Hamas over the years, mediated a truce. In recent weeks, stakeholders have stepped up their diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing another military outburst in the region. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennett has recently said that he will be visiting Egypt soon to hold talks with el-Sissi.

Last week after Bennett met with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Abbas in Ramallah. Those talks signaled a possible shift after the near-complete breakdown in communication between Abbas and Israeli leaders in recent years.

The meeting was followed by the Israeli announcement of a series of gestures aimed at strengthening the Palestinian Authority, including plans to loan $150 million to the cash-strapped autonomy government in the occupied West Bank.

Last month, Egypts intelligence chief Abbas Kamel paid a rare visit to Israel to discuss conditions for a long-lasting cease-fire deal between Israel and the Hamas. Kamel had also travelled to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian President Abbas, whom the U.S. and Israel would like to bolster in his rivalry with Hamas.

In Thursdays talks, the Egyptian and Jordanian leaders also renewed their support of Abbas warning against the dangerous repercussions of the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the demolition of Palestinian houses and the confiscation of land properties, read the statement. On his part, el-Sissi stressed that the establishment of a Palestinian state requires the unification of all Palestinian factions, added the statement.

The Islamic militant group has controlled Gaza since ousting Abbas forces in 2007, a year after it defeated his Fatah party in Palestinian parliamentary elections.
Taliban fighters stand guard inside the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the U.S. withdrawal in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 31, 2021. (Kathy Gannon/AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan  Qatar's top diplomat said Thursday that experts are racing to reopen Kabul's airport but warned it was not clear when flights would resume, with many still desperate to flee Afghanistan's new Taliban leaders amid concerns over what their rule will hold.

In the wake of their rapid takeover, the Taliban have sought to calm those fears, including pledging to let women and girls attend school and allow people to travel freely. But many are skeptical, and Britain's foreign minister stressed the importance of engaging with the new rulers to test their promises.

In a reflection of those anxieties, dozens of women protested outside the governor's office in the western province of Herat to demand their rights be protected. They shouted slogans and urged the country's new leaders to include women in their Cabinet  a remarkable demonstration of the transformation in women's lives in the past 20 years.

When they last held power in the late 1990s, the Taliban imposed a repressive rule, meting out draconian punishments and largely excluding women from public life. On Thursday, Taliban fighters prevented the female demonstrators from seeing the governor as they demanded, but they did not break up the rally.

Amid uncertainty about Afghanistan's future, tens of thousands raced to flee the country in a frantic U.S.-run airlift that ended ahead of the final American withdrawal earlier this week. A suicide bomber targeted the evacuation efforts at one point, killing 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members.

Kabul's airport, a major way out of the country, is now in Taliban hands but is closed, and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani warned Thursday that there's still "no clear indication" of when it will reopen.

A team of Qatari and Turkish technicians flew to Kabul on Wednesday to help restart operations at the facility, which the U.N. says is crucial to providing the country with humanitarian assistance. It remains to be seen, however, whether any commercial airlines will be willing to offer service.

"We remain hopeful we will be able to operate it as soon as possible," Al Thani told reporters in Doha. "We are still in the evaluation process. ... We are working very hard and engaging with the Taliban to identify what are the gaps and the risks for having the airport back up and running."

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu suggested that military flights  which could be used to evacuate more people  could potentially resume first.

Qatar, a tiny Gulf Arab sheikhdom that has played an outsized role in American efforts to evacuate tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan, said it remains in talks with other world powers to enable the capital's airport to resume commercial flights.

Appearing alongside Al Thani, U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab touched on concerns over how diplomatic and aid efforts will proceed as foreign powers confront a leadership whose members remain on terrorist watch lists around the world.

Although the United Kingdom won't formally recognize the Taliban "anytime in the foreseeable future," Raab said, "there is an important scope for engagement and dialogue to test the intentions and indeed the assurances that have already been made by the Taliban."

Those assurances range from creating a more inclusive government to protecting the rights of women to preventing international terrorist groups from using the war-scarred country as a base.

"In all of these areas," Raab said, "we will judge them by what they do, not just by what they say."

In Herat, the protesters had a similar message for the Taliban.

"The Taliban leadership is announcing women rights, but they should show it in action," said Friba Kabrzani, who helped organize a rally at the provincial governor's office.

"We want the world to hear us and we want our rights to be saved," Kabrzani said, noting that some families forbade women from joining the demonstration out of fear for their safety.

Another participant, Maryam Ebram, warned that "anything can be expected from the Taliban," but that Afghan women would continue to protest for their rights nonetheless.

"Our rights were not gifted to us and we will not let them fade easily," she said.

___

Akhgar reported from Istanbul and DeBre from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Yemeni fighter Hassan Saleh backed by the Saudi-led coalition stands for a photograph after clashes with Houthi rebels on the Kassara front line near Marib, Yemen, Sunday, June 20, 2021. (Nariman El-Mofty/AP)

SANAA, Yemen  Fighting has flared up between Yemen's pro-government forces and Houthi rebels in the oil-rich government stronghold of Marib province, with at least 28 fighters killed over the last 24 hours, security officials from both sides and tribal leaders said on Thursday.

Most of the fatalities were among the Iran-backed rebels assaulting the city of Rahbah, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The rebels have accelerated their push to take Marib in recent months, while escalating cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia, which leads the military coalition opposing them. Thousands of fighters  mostly Houthis  have died in the offensive, with 12 government troops killed on Monday.

Since then, fighting has intensified in Rahbah, which had been under Houthi control for almost two years before falling to government troops in July.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition has launched dozens of airstrikes on cities in Marib  including Rahbah, Sirwah and Madghel  to back pro-government ground forces, according to the Houthi media center.

Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the north, forcing the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee.

The Saudi-led coalition, backed at the time by the U.S., entered the war to try to restore Hadi to power. A relentless air campaign and ground fighting has killed more than 130,000 people and spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

It has also created smaller, parallel conflicts, between militants and different factions inside the country.

On Sunday, a missile and drone attack on a key military base in Yemen's south killed at least 30 troops, a Yemeni military spokesman said. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the country's civil war in recent years. At least 64 people were wounded in the attack on on Al-Anad Air Base in the province of Lahj. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
A crowd gathers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot outside the Capitol in Washington. According to reports on Wednesday, Sept. 1, a member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in connection with the riot. (John Minchillo/AP)

MADISON, Wis.  An Army National Guard member from Wisconsin pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and has agreed to cooperate with the ongoing investigation into the incident.

According to court documents, 24-year-old Abram Markofski, of La Crosse, pleaded guilty to one of four counts in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, the State Journal reported.

The charge of of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

Sentencing before a federal judge is scheduled for Dec. 3 in Washington, D.C.

According to the plea deal, Markofski has agreed to be interviewed by law enforcement agents about the events on Jan. 6 when a mob stormed the Capitol as Congress met to certify the results of the November presidential election in which Joe Biden defeated then-President Donald Trump.

He will also allow agents to review any of his social media accounts.

Markofski agreed to stipulate that he traveled from Wisconsin with Brandon Nelson, of Madison, to Washington to attend a Trump rally then went into the Capitol.

Nelson is also charged in the case and is scheduled for a plea hearing on Sept. 15.

Other Wisconsin men charged with taking part in the riot have status conferences set later this month. They include Michael Fitzgerald of Janesville, Kevin Loftus of Eau Claire and Joshua Munn of Melrose.
Flood waters still surround homes as residents try to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Myrtle Grove, La. (Steve Helber/AP)

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden on Thursday pledged robust federal help for the Northeastern and Gulf states battered by Hurricane Ida and for Western states beset by wildfires  with the catastrophes serving as deadly reminders that the "climate crisis" has arrived.

"These extreme storms, and the climate crisis, are here," Biden said in a White House speech. "We must be better prepared. We need to act."

The president said he will further press Congress to pass his nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill to improve roads, bridges, the electric grid and sewer systems. The proposal intends to ensure that the vital networks connecting cities and states and the country as a whole can withstand the flooding, whirlwinds and damage caused by increasingly dangerous weather. Biden stressed that the challenge transcends the politics of a deeply divided nation because of the threats posed by the storms and fires.

"It's a matter of life and death and we're all in this together," the president said.

Scientists say climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events  such as large tropical storms, and the droughts and heatwaves that create conditions for vast wildfires. U.S. weather officials recently reported that July 2021 was the hottest month ever recorded in 142 years of record-keeping.

Ida was the fifth-most powerful storm to strike the U.S. when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 150 mph (240 kph), likely causing tens of billions of dollars in flood, wind and other damage, including to the electrical grid. The storm's remnants dropped devastating rainfall across parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey on Wednesday, causing significant disruption to major population centers.

The storm has killed more than 30 people in the Gulf and northeastern U.S.

More than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi remained without power after Ida toppled a major transmission tower and knocked out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations. New Orleans was plunged into total darkness; power began returning to parts of the city Wednesday. Biden is set to visit Louisiana on Friday to survey some of the damage and meet with government officials there.

Biden said the flooding in Louisiana was less than the region experienced 16 years ago during Hurricane Katrina, crediting federal investments in the area's levee system.

"We know that there is much to be done in this response on our part," Biden added. "We need to get power restored. We need to get more food, fuel and water deployed."

He said he was receiving hourly updates on the disaster response and outlined efforts by the federal government to ease recovery efforts, including by making satellite imagery available to utility companies and waiving some regulatory requirements.

At Biden's request, the Energy Department said it was releasing 1.5 million barrels of oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure a steady fuel supply in the Gulf region, where sunken vessels are blocking key supply lines along the Mississippi River. The oil will be used by ExxonMobil at its Baton Rouge refinery. The company has agreed to replenish the strategic reserve, which is used as an emergency stockpile, within three months.

The president also scolded insurers who are declining to pay for the costs of damage or hotel stays for people who had to evacuate their homes.

"Don't hide behind the fine print and technicalities," Biden warned the insurers. "Do the right thing and pay your policyholders what you owe them."

Biden said separately that the Pentagon was assisting with ongoing firefighting operations in California against the Caldor fire.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards suggested Biden's Friday visit would be crucial for the president to understand the destruction by seeing the widespread damage for himself.

"There's nothing quite like visiting in person," Edwards told reporters Wednesday following a briefing with local elected officials in Jefferson Parish, which took direct blows from Ida. "When you see it for yourself, it is just so much more compelling."

Asked what type of assistance he planned to request from Biden, Edwards said, "Quite frankly, the list is going to be very, very long." But he said a priority would be for a housing program to help people rebuild.

The White House says Biden has held several conference calls with governors and local officials to discuss preparations and needs after the storm, and has received briefings from Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell.

FEMA had sent tons of supplies, including generators, tarps and other materials to the region before the storm, and federal response teams are working on search and rescue.

Biden's trip Friday to the Gulf region will cap a difficult stretch for the president, who oversaw the chaotic exit of the U.S. military from Afghanistan after a 20-year engagement. That included the deaths of 13 U.S. service members helping evacuate more than 120,000 Americans, Afghan allies and others fleeing life under Taliban rule.

As Ida bore down on the Gulf Coast on Sunday, Biden was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the return of the remains of the 13 U.S. servicemen and women who were killed in suicide bombing last week at Afghanistan's airport in Kabul, where the evacuations were taking place.

___

Associated Press writers Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, La., and Christina Larson and Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.
Participants in a pro-Trump mob take over the inaugural stage at the Capitol on Jan. 6. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON  A self-described "poster boy" for the Jan. 6 Capitol riots was sent back to jail Thursday after breaking a federal judge's orders to stay off the internet  a lapse his lawyer attributed to his seeming addiction to the QAnon cult.

Douglas Jensen, 42, of Des Moines, Iowa, became one of the most recognized members of the mob that day when he was recorded on widely shared video pursuing U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up two flights of stairs inside the Capitol while searching for the just-evacuated Senate chamber, according to prosecutors.

Jensen  wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with a large "Q" and an eagle  came to Washington believing that members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence were going to be arrested for opposing President Donald Trump's effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said at a hearing Thursday.

"He was at the forefront of a mob deep inside the Capitol because he wanted a front row to see what would happen. ... He wanted to be part of a revolution," Kelly said, citing Jensen's own statements.

Kelly said it was a "close call" when he released Jensen from jail July 13. At the time, the judge said he believed the union laborer's explanations that after serving behind bars since Jan. 8, Jensen now recognized he had been deceived by "a pack of lies."

Jensen agreed to abide by a judge's orders imposing conditions for his release, including not accessing the Internet or using Internet-capable devices, including cellphones. The court's point was to separate Jensen from the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory, which the FBI has warned could encourage violence among some believers of its false founding claim that a cabal of Satan-worshipping "global elites" and "deep state" international child sex traffickers were engaged in plots to conduct a coup against Trump.

But two weeks after Jensen's release, a court supervision officer found him alone in his garage streaming news from a right-wing site to a WiFi-enabled iPhone, according to court filings, and prosecutors moved to revoke bail.

Jensen later admitted he also spent two days watching a "cyber symposium" held by pillow magnate Mike Lindell to perpetuate false claims the 2020 election was hacked.

On Thursday, Jensen's defense lawyer Christopher Davis said at first glance it might seem "Orwellian" that a man in his garage could be sent back to jail for streaming the news, but Davis conceded that Jensen had violated the judge's plain orders.

"We know why we're here. ... Mr. Jensen knows he shouldn't have done this," Davis said.

"I do liken this to an addiction. Why else would anyone incarcerated in D.C. Jail for six months and just released do this? ... I don't have a good answer for this. I don't think he does either," Davis said.

Jensen has said he followed QAnon for four years, eventually spending most of his waking, nonworking hours pursuing it and becoming a "digital soldier" and "religious" adherent.

Jensen is now "in therapy, but what that is going to do, I don't know," Davis said. "I almost liken it to a compulsion. It just doesn't add up. This is an intelligent man. I know this  he is not a bumbling idiot, in any sense of the word. He understands."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mira Havill argued that Jensen claimed both that he felt deceived by QAnon, and that he remains captivated by it, saying, "He can't have it both ways."

"There are no additional conditions this court could impose to ensure that Mr. Jensen does not return to the habits that led him to the Capitol, resist police throughout the day and led him to jail" once before, Havill said.

Kelly said he found "clear and convincing evidence" that Jensen barely hesitated before violating court orders and was unlikely to abide by them in the future.

Kelly remanded Jensen to the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service at the federal courthouse in Des Moines, and set a Sept. 24 hearing to assess the status of plea talks.

The QAnon conspiracy theory played a role in Jensen's alleged, violent and very serious conduct, the judge said, and "played a major role in a very, very serious event." Jensen claimed he had experienced "a wake-up call that had ended his victimization," but that appears not to have been completed, Kelly said.

Jensen has pleaded not guilty to a seven-count indictment that includes three felony charges: rioting, assaulting police and obstruction of a congressional proceeding, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The FBI in a threat assessment dated June 4 this year noted the arrests of more than 20 self-identified QAnon adherents in the storming of the Capitol. The assessment said their presence underscored how the current environment "likely will continue to act as a catalyst for some to begin accepting the legitimacy of violent action."

The FBI assessed that some domestic violent extremist adherents of QAnon likely will begin to believe they have an obligation to shift "towards engaging in real-world violence," even as others disengage from the de-platformed movement.

Separately Thursday, a federal judge ordered the Federal Defender's Office of Washington to appear next Thursday as possible "advisory counsel" for one of 17 Jan. 6 defendants represented by lawyer John Pierce, who has been reportedly hospitalized for nearly two weeks without explanation to judges or prosecutors.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta issued the order in case defendant Peter Schwartz, a Kentucky welder who has pleaded not-guilty to a 14-count indictment, wanted to replace Pierce after an employee of Pierce's law firm failed to explain his absence to Schwartz or arrange for another lawyer to appear, as Mehta had requested at a hearing last Thursday.

Ryan Marshall, Pierce's employee, did say he had spoken directly to Pierce three days ago for the first time since Aug. 23. Marshall told the judge that Pierce said he was seriously ill, but expected to be released from a hospital this week, without saying why or providing further elaboration.

Marshall also said that while Pierce had 17 clients, he had never spoken with Pierce's firm's other named partner, nor knew of any other attorney with the firm.
LONGMONT, Colo. (Tribune News Service)  As an Army veteran and case manager with Longmont's Veterans Community Project, Ashley Wallis is well aware of the barriers veterans face when searching for work with a competitive wage in Boulder County.

Veterans make up roughly 10% of the county's homeless population, according to a 2019 point in time survey of Boulder County. A high cost of living, lack of affordable housing and wages that fail to keep up with rent costs contribute to the rate of homelessness in Boulder County and pose more challenges for veterans facing homelessness, Wallis said.

Wallis hopes that legislation proposed in August to renew a federal grant program that provides job training and placement services for veterans will better the situation. If the legislation fails, Wallis worries more Boulder County veterans could face homelessness.

The bipartisan Veterans Job Training Act was proposed last month by U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, who represents Colorado's 2nd District. The legislation seeks to reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, which is administered by the Department of Labor and expires in 2022.

If Neguse's legislation is approved, the program would be re-authorized through 2025, while also increasing fiscal year funding from $50 million to $75 million.

"The core objective of this program is to help reintegrate veterans into meaningful employment," Neguse said. "The fact that you have a program in place that connects employers directly with veterans who may be homeless and provides those homeless veterans with the various financial resources that they may need to ultimately find a home and find permanent employment, I think it's the confluence of those two core objectives within the program that have made it so successful."

Based in Kansas City, Veterans Community Project was founded by combat veterans to help end veteran homelessness. Its Longmont branch at 1228 Main St. is among the nonprofits in Boulder County working toward that same goal. Through an outreach center veterans can get help with services such as financial counseling, obtaining mental and physical health referrals, assistance in navigating benefits and access to basic resources such as food and hygiene supplies. Longmont's Veterans Community Project is also working to build a village of tiny homes that will help homeless veterans transition into permanent housing.

Wallis said she believes program legislation, such as the Veterans Job Training Act, is necessary to assist veterans with education, vocational rehabilitation and training.

"Some of them might not be eligible for VA benefits to get education training or vocational rehab; they might need to apply for employment opportunities that allow them to earn a living wage in Colorado," Wallis said. "Because, with housing costs so high, our veterans need to be able to earn higher wages to even afford housing in the state where they live. Since the ability to gain employment at higher wages is generally reserved for those with higher degrees or training, pieces of legislation like this will open doors for these veterans. "

To help veterans find employment, Wallis said the nonprofit refers people to Workforce Boulder County. The Colorado Workforce center helps people find jobs, including connecting veterans with other veterans who can help them find work.

Building on the re-authorization of the job training program, Neguse also proposed the Veterans Equitable Taxation of Student Loans Act in late August. The bill would exempt veterans or their families from having to pay tax liability on student loans that were forgiven because of death or total disability. Neguse said the law within the tax code permits those exemptions to be taxed as income.

"That's a grossly unfair and unjust practice," Neguse said. "In my view, we need to ensure that past and future service members who sacrifice themselves for our country won't be saddled with taxes on the benefits that they earned through their sacrifice."

Looking ahead at the future of the proposed legislation, Neguse said the Veterans Job Training Act secured a legislative hearing and will be heard by the Veterans Affairs Committee late this month. In regard to the student loan act, Neguse said the next steps of the process involve obtaining co-sponsors and working to secure a legislative hearing in front of the Committee of Jurisdiction.

(c)2021 the Daily Times-Call (Longmont, Colo.)

Visit the Daily Times-Call (Longmont, Colo.) at www.timescall.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Mike Droney, a homeless veteran, displays a redesigned cardboard sign in downtown Chicago on July 2, 2015. (Michael Noble Jr./Chicago Tribune/TNS) (Michael Noble Jr., Chicago Tribune/TNS)
The nonprofit Dream Flights said the group has given free flights since 2011 to more than 4,200 veterans and seniors who live in long-term care facilities. (Dream Flights)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (Tribune News Service)  Cal Swagerty spent World War II on the ground, fighting across France, Belgium and Germany.

On Wednesday, his service earned him a special flight over Sioux City in a WWII-era aircraft.

"I was mostly a ground-pounder," the Wakefield, Neb., native said shortly before he was helped into a 1942 Boeing Stearman biplane for a short flight over the Sgt. Floyd Memorial and Missouri River before landing back at Sioux Gateway Airport.

As the plane rolled to a stop in front of Hawthorne Global Aviation Services, Swagerty, who will turn 98 next week, grinned and waved to family, friends and volunteers who helped arrange the flight through Dream Flights, a nonprofit group that honors seniors and military veterans.

"That was nice. I enjoyed it," he said.

Through volunteers and donations, Dream Flights provides flights in Stearman biplanes, the same aircraft used to train many military aviators during WWII. Swagerty's flight was part of the group's Operation September Freedom. Launched on Aug. 1, the group plans 61 days of flights in more than 300 cities for more than 1,000 veterans. Another of those flights took place earlier Wednesday in Le Mars, Iowa.

McKenzie Roeber, life enrichment coordinator at Heritage care center in Emerson, Nebraska, said she was informed of the program earlier this year and was asked if any WWII veterans were living at the center. She said there's one: Swagerty.

"I talked with him and his daughter and son, and they said do it, sign him on," Roeber said.

Swagerty's daughter, Betty Wood, of Mapleton, Iowa, said her father initially agreed to it, but became a little hesitant.

"I kind of twisted his arm about it. I thought it was absolutely awesome, an honor," said Wood, who accompanied her father Wednesday.

By the time he arrived at the airport, Swagerty was all in, about what you'd expect from someone who enlisted in the Army at age 18. Swagerty was a member of the 35th Division and landed in France in June 1944.

"I missed D-Day by about a week, which is probably a good thing," Swagerty said.

He may have missed the invasion, but saw his share of combat once on the European mainland. He fought across France and at the Battle of the Bulge, the major German counterattack in Belgium, in December 1944 and January 1945.

"That was cold," he said.

From there, he entered Germany, advancing to the Elbe River by war's end.

After his discharge, he returned to Wakefield, where he worked as a welder, farmer and truck driver.

He's told family little about his war experiences, his daughter said. That just might change now, said Molly Littlefield, the pilot for Swagerty's flight, her 14th with a WWII veteran. The daughter of a WWII flight instructor, Littlefield said she's heard of veterans who open up after their flight and begin telling stories of their service they never shared with anyone before.

"It's really rewarding to see the fliers. It fills them up with adrenaline," said Littlefield, who lives in Seattle with her husband, Keith, who volunteers as her crew chief.

Swagerty's adrenaline appeared to be flowing before he ever left the ground. After he was strapped into his seat, he shouted, "I'm ready, I'm ready" and gave a thumbs-up to Littlefield. The plane's engine roared to life, and Littlefield slowly taxied to the runway while Swagerty waved to the small crowd gathered to witness his flight.

After landing, Swagerty rarely stopped smiling as he was assisted to the ground and led to the rear of the plane, where he signed his name on the rudder among the signatures of other veterans who had received rides in the plane.

Leaning on his cane, Swagerty continued smiling while family and volunteers recorded every moment on their cellphones.

"Thank you for the ride," Swagerty said to Littlefield.

It was one thank you from a man who was thanked over and over again Wednesday for his service many years ago.

(c)2021 Sioux City Journal, Iowa

Visit Sioux City Journal, Iowa at www.siouxcityjournal.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Stillwater, OK (74074)

Today

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Todd Talks

with Todd Muller

National MP

I dont know about you, but I was strangely excited with the freedom afforded to me with Level 3.

Even though I have a nice little coffee machine at home it was a genuine pleasure to enjoy a takeaway coffee at our local bakery in Pyes Pa.

I wasnt the only one, lots of locals now adding a takeaway shot or two of caffeine to their daily walk.

Its a simple pleasure but made all the more enjoyable by it being denied for the previous two weeks.

I do want to thank our essential workers. Whether they are local supermarket workers or nurses, or police or our truck drivers, the work you have done, while balancing challenging home lives with kids home from school and the genuine disruption of lockdown is a credit to you.

We are living in unusual times and there a lot of people doing it tough  I want to really say thank you to those who continue day in and day out  regardless of what gets thrown at them. Unspoken heroes in my view - thanks heaps!
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Concordia Maritime strengthens its liquidity by selling the two IMOIIMAX vessels Stena Image and Stena Important.

The buyer is a Chinese leasing company. The net liquidity surplus from the transactions amounts to approximately SEK 45 million.

The two vessels were sold to a large Japanese financial services company in 2016 and 2017 under sale-leaseback agreements. The agreements also included annual purchase options, which have now been exercised. The net liquidity surplus from the transactions amounts to approximately SEK 45 million and will be added to Concordia Maritime in connection with the delivery of the vessels to the buyer.

The sale of the vessels is in line with the continuing ambition to strengthen the Companys financial position and liquidity, says Kim Ullman, CEO of Concordia Maritime.

Delivery of the vessels to the buyer is expected to take place during September 2021. Following the divestments, Concordia Maritimes fleet consists of ten wholly-owned P-MAX vessels (product tankers), one suezmax tanker (sale-leaseback with purchase option) chartered in on a long-term contract and shares in a further three chartered suezmax vessels.
DNV awards AiP to SHI for VLCC Fuel Ready design

DNV, the world's leading classification society, has awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for a "Fuel Ready" (ammonia, D, S, Ti) class notation for their 300,000 dwt LNG fueled very large crude carrier (VLCC) design.

SHI has developed a fuel ready concept for a VLCC with dual fuel diesel/ammonia as a potential fuel combination after conversion from dual fuel diesel/LNG. The AiP award confirms the general feasibility of the design. It was found that there are no showstoppers in realizing the DNV class notation Fuel Ready after examining the shipyards drawings. The newly released "Gas Fuelled Ammonia" notation has also been applied in the process. The global maritime industry is at a critical juncture in terms of being ready to respond with low-carbon ship design. Through DNVs AiP for ammonia 'Fuel Ready' design, SHI is making an effort for commercialization of alternative fuel solutions for global shipowners considering newbuildings or converting ammonia-fuelled ships in the future, said Ho-hyun Jeong, EVP and Head of SHI's Engineering Operations. We are very happy to work with SHI in this innovative 'Fuel Ready' VLCC concept, said Knut rbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV Maritime. "DNV has been pioneering the research and development of viable future marine fuels, including ammonia. As a trusted voice to tackle global transformations, our role is to support the industry in bringing new low-carbon ship designs to life in a safe and sustainable manner." The AiP incorporates the attributes S (structure) and Ti (tank installed). A high-level verification of ammonia applicability for the C-tanks installed onboard the VLCC was also performed. At the time of newbuild, the vessel will still be subject to a full review of documentation requirements pertaining to the applied rules. In addition to Fuel Ready, DNV also offers a dedicated Gas Fuelled Ammonia class notation, aimed at shipowners looking to build ammonia fuelled vessels now. The new notations were launched on 1 July, 2021 and will enter into force 1 January, 2022. A full description of the rules and links can be found here: https://www.dnv.com/news/rules-for-classification-of-ships-july-2021-edition-203529 An Ammonia as a marine fuel white paper has been available already since November 2020, while in February 2021 DNV published a Marine Fuel Safety Handbook in collaboration with the Green Shipping Programme.




Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and French company TotalEnergies initiate feasibility study of LCO2 carrier

Project for technology development and market formation in the CCUS value chain aimed at reducing CO2 emissions.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has initiated a feasibility study with TotalEnergies for development of a liquefied CO 2 (LCO 2 ) carrier. By furthering development of technologies to reduce the volume of CO 2 emissions in the oil and gas industry, MHI Group aims to strengthen its businesses supporting strategic efforts for energy transition. MHI Group is pursuing a range of measures for a decarbonized society, and establishing a CO 2 ecosystem is a key part of that effort. Further, carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is attracting attention worldwide as an effective means to achieve decarbonization. LCO 2 carriers play a pivotal role in transporting CO 2 from its emission sources to storage sites or facilities for utilization, and demand for these vessels is expected to increase in the future. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding is actively pursuing commercialization of LCO 2 carriers, and this project is expected to make a significant contribution to the establishment of a CO 2 ecosystem in the CO 2 transport sector, which will be an essential component of the CCUS value chain. MHI Group is aiming to contribute to the construction of the CCUS value chain that spans the sea and land by bringing together the knowledge of the Group companies, such as the advanced gas handling technologies accumulated by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in building liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, and the CO 2 capture technologies of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering which has the worlds leading market share. Bruno Seilhan, Vice President CCUS at TotalEnergies, said: We are pleased to partner with Mitsubishi, whose expertise in shipbuilding is well proven, in order to study large tonnage liquid CO 2 carrier opportunities. Such vessels will be key to accommodate the expected surge in transported CO 2 volumes for geological storage triggered by the acceleration in net zero carbon targets worldwide and to meet world industrial emitters needs. It is fully aligned with our Climate Ambition to get to net zero emissions by 2050. Toru Kitamura, President of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding said: We are pleased that TotalEnergies, which plays an important role in the worlds leading CCUS value chain market, has expressed high regard for our technology and experience. We believe that LCO 2 carriers are an effective solution for achieving a decarbonized world. We will continue to actively pursue technology development in cooperation with partners seeking to achieve decarbonization using LCO 2 carriers, with the aim of market formation for the CCUS value chain. Going forward, through this joint project with TotalEnergies, MHI Group will continue to develop and offer a wide range of technologies related to the LCO 2 carriers essential to building a CCUS value chain, and contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society.




Navtor moves into vessel performance

Norwegian e-navigation company Navtor is expanding into the world of vessel performance, following a private equity company taking a majority stake, and the acquisition of Houstons Tres Solutions.

Norwegian e-navigation company Navtor is expanding into vessel performance management services, by acquiring Tres Solutions, a vessel performance analytics company based in Houston. The acquisition follows Silicon Valley private equity firm Accel-KKR buying a majority stake in NAVTOR in August 2020. Accel-KKR has $9bn capital under management, and over 50 technology companies in its portfolio. Navtor is led by electronic chart veteran Tor Svanes since 2012. Mr Svanes formerly spent 18 years as president and CEO of C-MAP Norway, a company he founded, which was subsequently acquired by Jeppesen. Navtor was founded in 2011. The acquisition has been done with money from Accel-KKR, as part of a plan to turn Navtor into a platform with a range of services, Mr Svanes says. Navtor serves 7000 vessels, with customers in 60 countries, and 13 offices around the world. Navtor has a particular stronghold in the tanker and bulker segment. It is increasingly speaking to operations staff at shipping companies, not just people who work in navigation, Mr Svanes says. According to its own analysis, Navtor is the largest company in the world in e-navigation, with a 15-16 per cent market share distributing official electronic charts (ENCs), and distributing other navigation publications. The second and third biggest companies have a 14 and 12 per cent market share, Mr Svanes says. The company calculates that 80 per cent of the e-navigation market is held by 8 companies. The company also makes software for displaying electronic charts, as an ECDIS kernel which ECDIS manufacturers can put into their own hardware. A third business line is Navalytics, where vessels have an AIS data recorder onboard. The data is collated centrally, so Navtor has data about every ship in the world, it is the most updated ship database in the world, he says. Navtor talked to a number of different vessel performance companies, before making the acquisition. Tres Solutions is the best one we can see in the market, Mr Svanes said. Tres Solutions A unique factor about Tres Solutions is a very specific vessel monitoring and onboarding process, says Aaron Holton, CEO of Tres Solutions. Each vessel is different. The company created very flexible platforms for understanding how different ships behave. The system is firstly configured around the specific type of vessel. You can configure it to the specific engine type, such as 2 or 4 stroke, and other parameters specific to the vessel. It feels like a bespoke solution, he says. Tres Solutions offers what it calls a white glove service making dedicated models for customers, put together by the companys in house marine engineers, naval architects and people who have sailed onboard the same types of vessels. There are various intermediary steps customers can select, between the standard models and the white glove service. It offers "savings as a service", where companies make a contract with the company where they pay based on its ability to save them money. It also aims to provide better decision support tools for customers, such as understanding the current hull and propeller performance. Its staff includes both software engineers from big tech and naval architects that have worked for some of the largest shipowners in the world. The sources of its data include speed logs, distance travelled over 24 hours and fuel consumption. Information about equipment operation can be added, such as fuel used by generators. Much of this is included in the traditional noon day report, Mr Holton calls it a noon report on steroids. To send the data to shore, Tres Solutions has different options depending on what connectivity is available from vessels, ranging from offline to fully online solutions, with hybrid solutions in between. It can be put together with weather data from outside agencies. It collects technical details of the vessel from sources such as manuals, propeller data, general arrangement plans. The data goes through a second validation layer on the shore, including with human monitoring. The company likes to be able to validate all data with another data source. We have 200+ system based validations based on the DNA of that vessel, he says. Tres is sold by annual or monthly subscription, based on the number of vessels, with different options available which will change the cost. Tres Solutions also works with some charterers, who sometimes push for their shipowners to use systems like Tres to provide them with better data. Many charterers want to collect data for their own emission performance. We've seen a big growth in demand among charterers as they start to recognise the value of systems like this, he said. It has an entry level service with data capture and some series analytics, all the way to the white glove service. (Although the products may be re-configured following the acquisition). Following the acquisition, Tres Solutions offices in Houston, Mumbai and Copenhagen will also be Navtor offices. Its software is likely now to be integrated with Navtors fleet monitoring tool Navfleet, to offer a single integrated solution for customers, says Arild Risholm Sther, chief business development officer for Navfleet. Navfleet can be used to track and monitor vessels, compare their route against the planned route and charter party requirements. The same information is available both onshore and in the office. Navbox Navtor provides a hardware device called Navbox, which sits between the vessel communication infrastructure and its navigation systems. Electronic chart updates can be sent to the chart display system (ECDIS) via the Navbox, so there is no need to use any USB drives or e-mail attachments, which can be a source of cyber risk. The Navbox can also send AIS data back to shore, including data about surrounding vessels, from its integration with bridge equipment. All of these data files are very small  they do not contain any images, videos, or other large sources of data.




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Seminole, FL (33772)

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Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 72F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

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Seminole, FL (33772)

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Thunderstorms this evening with a few showers possible overnight. Low 73F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

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drt_rdr BHPian

Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Mysore Posts: 243 Thanked: 506 Times

Re: TVS debuts 'Built To Order' platform with Apache RR 310 Quote: neil.jericho Originally Posted by The original Akula prototype with its carbon fiber bodywork was a real beauty. Now if TVS offered that, then interest would certainly spike up.





Quote: Everything. To give a cricket example, it is like saying my competition is playing in the IPL but I want to skill up to an Inter district cricket tournament standard. When you get matched to the best, the shortfalls become evident. On paper and in the real world.



Besides, how well a team can perform is also dependent on the coach. I mean, if you're not in a position to make good use of the extra horsepower, what's the point of asking for more? It's like how people were shouting hoarse for adjustable suspension on the KTM Adv390, but as it turned out, a lot weren't even familiar with the basics of riding offroad, leave alone making use of the adventure credentials of the bike and suspension adjustability.





Quote: The missing 14 HP with respect to its competition, isnt about doing high speeds on highways. All the features in the world (they are great features no doubt!), cant make up for the 30% power deficit.



In terms of real world usability, I wager TVS would still be head to head with the competition or right on their tails at worst, especially now that TVS has solved the tyres, the footpegs and handlebars for involving riding + added suspension tuning into the mix, all at a price appreciably lower than the competition.



Sure, the parallel twin of the Ninja is classier, the RC makes more grunt, but at the end of the day, thanks to TVS, you have the choice of spending less money for similar levels of excitement as an RC or a Ninja and a lot more live-with-ability if you want a sportbike. Less money may also mean some compromises, but at least the choice is there for people to whom it makes sense.



Reminds me of how Suzuki is happily selling a 24 hp GSX250R in some Asian markets where the competition consists of the 35 hp R25, the 40 hp CBR250RR, and the 4 cylinder 50 hp ZX25R.



And people who buy the suzuki love it for its friendliness. I mean, there's a place for all of these. No need for suzuki to bust its b@lls to make a bike that matches the highly wound up kawasaki.



TVS is a bit similar. It goes above and beyond the call of the average enthusiast while keeping things fairly practical for him.



I mean just look at the NS200 vs RTR200. NS is like, here take this 25 hp but you better keep me on boil and stop complaining about my age and looks. RTR is like, nah, you don't need that, take 20, treat me how you want and I can get you close enough to that guy, maybe even beat him if you're up for it, but I'll keep things interesting and comfortable for you. Now there's an idea. That would be the wet dream of many I'm sure.And who's to say the district level team doesn't have the mettle to match up to the IPL team? Just because they're behind on a few stats, doesn't necessarily mean they can't cohesively step up to the occasion and present a good fight.Besides, how well a team can perform is also dependent on the coach. I mean, if you're not in a position to make good use of the extra horsepower, what's the point of asking for more? It's like how people were shouting hoarse for adjustable suspension on the KTM Adv390, but as it turned out, a lot weren't even familiar with the basics of riding offroad, leave alone making use of the adventure credentials of the bike and suspension adjustability.No idea where this 14 hp difference you mentioned is coming from. The competition TVS is up against is just the Ninja 300 and the RC390 and both are within 10 hp of the bike and priced quite a bit higher.In terms of real world usability, I wager TVS would still be head to head with the competition or right on their tails at worst, especially now that TVS has solved the tyres, the footpegs and handlebars for involving riding + added suspension tuning into the mix, all at a price appreciably lower than the competition.Sure, the parallel twin of the Ninja is classier, the RC makes more grunt, but at the end of the day, thanks to TVS, you have the choice of spending less money for similar levels of excitement as an RC or a Ninja and a lot more live-with-ability if you want a sportbike. Less money may also mean some compromises, but at least the choice is there for people to whom it makes sense.Reminds me of how Suzuki is happily selling a 24 hp GSX250R in some Asian markets where the competition consists of the 35 hp R25, the 40 hp CBR250RR, and the 4 cylinder 50 hp ZX25R.And people who buy the suzuki love it for its friendliness. I mean, there's a place for all of these. No need for suzuki to bust its b@lls to make a bike that matches the highly wound up kawasaki.TVS is a bit similar. It goes above and beyond the call of the average enthusiast while keeping things fairly practical for him.I mean just look at the NS200 vs RTR200. NS is like, here take this 25 hp but you better keep me on boil and stop complaining about my age and looks. RTR is like, nah, you don't need that, take 20, treat me how you want and I can get you close enough to that guy, maybe even beat him if you're up for it, but I'll keep things interesting and comfortable for you. Last edited by drt_rdr : 2nd September 2021 at 20:21 .
arpanjha BHPian



Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Kolkata Posts: 219 Thanked: 238 Times

US pullout from Afghan | Military equipment left behind The US last night pulled out from the Kabul airport leaving behind some 73 aircrafts, some 10M $ / a piece (not sure ultimately how much it will add upto) worth of anti aircraft bombing must be lying around / equipments, 27 Humvees, 70 Mine resistant vehicles and so much more!



While the Talibans celebrate this as an independence victory, but as TBhpians we really want to analyse how much usable/unusable equipment the US have left behind into the hands of the Taliban.



In several articles the US claim that they have disabled maximum no. of equipments which will no longer be possible to use, mainly aircrafts, but I wish to know will they somehow be able to use them in a distant future?



Im also really worried about the ammunition that the US/NATO/British army etc must have left behind in addition to armaments. Aircrafts or no aircrafts is a bigger picture but equipments like guns/ tankers/ humvees really matter everyday.

No one speaks about them? They just speak about humvees and planes!



Anyone here who can add something? Or throw some light? Last edited by arpanjha : 31st August 2021 at 23:20 .
What just happened? The Australian Senate passed a new surveillance bill that grants police sweeping authority over online data this past week. Presumably, law enforcement will only use the law to combat serious crimes hidden on the dark web, but critics are taking serious issue with how broad the new powers seem.

The Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020 gives the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) powers to modify, add to, copy, or delete data to "frustrate the commission of serious offenses online." To gather evidence of suspected criminal activity, they also have the power to take over online accounts.

The Australian Greens Party's website warns that police can do this without formally accusing a person of a crime. "The Richardson review concluded that this bill enables the AFP and ACIC to be 'judge, jury, and executioner.' That's not how we deliver justice in this country." said Greens senator Lidia Thorpe.

The bill was first introduced late last year and passed both houses on August 25. Now it's just waiting for Royal Assentthat is, final approval by the governor general. The law is designed to tackle severe cyber-related crimes like organized crime and child exploitation.

Last August, former home affairs minister Peter Dutton asserted that police would only use this new law against things like drug trafficking, terrorism, and child exploitation on the dark web. Regarding people who commit those crimes, Dutton said the powers would apply "to those people and those people only."

Australia's Human Rights Law Centre was able to call for specific safeguards to prevent police from using the law against journalists and whistleblowers. However, the HRLC doesn't think the precautions go far enough.

"While the safeguards for journalists and whistleblowers are welcome, they highlight the lack of wider entrenched safeguards for press freedom and free speech in Australia," HRLC senior lawyer Kieran Pender wrote in a statement on the law center's website. "By enacting wide-ranging surveillance and secrecy laws in the absence of federal human rights laws, successive governments have put the cart before the horse." In the end, the HRLC estimates that parliament adopted only about half of the changes it recommended.

The HRLC also criticized the speed of the law's passage through parliament. "It is alarming that, instead of accepting the [parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security's] recommendations and allowing time for scrutiny of subsequent amendments, the Morrison Government rushed these laws through Parliament in less than 24 hours," Pender said.
In a nutshell: In agreement with the Japan Fair Trade Commission, Apple will allow some apps to link to their respective websites to set up subscriptions without going through its payment system. While it seems to be a step in the right direction, the rule sets up a double standard that Epic's Tim Sweeney is not happy with.

On Wednesday, Apple announced that starting in 2022, it will allow certain apps to link to their external websites to subscribe and make payments. Currently, developers can notify customers to subscribe on their external websites but cannot link to them directly. Soon they can have a button users tap to go to their payment portal, skirting the App Store's 30-percent take.

The rule change comes as a settlement to a Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) investigation. The concession only applies to "reader apps." Apple defines reader apps as those that offer previously purchased content or subscriptions but do not have in-app purchases.

This is what you get when trying to sign up for Netflix on the iPhone today. In early 2022, itll be a button that points you to Netflixs website to sign up and pay there. This is a major, structural change that will save Apple a lot of scrutiny. pic.twitter.com/8iWDUTceZK  Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 2, 2021

Netflix and Spotify are two examples that fall into this category. Both services have long protested Apple's 30-percent "App Store Tax" by not allowing customers to set up, manage, or pay for their subscriptions within their apps. Technically, they still can't, but they can link to their external sign-up and payment portals starting next year.

"We have great respect for the Japan Fair Trade Commission and appreciate the work we've done together, which will help developers of reader apps make it easier for users to set up and manage their apps and services, while protecting their privacy and maintaining their trust," said App Store boss Phil Schiller.

Apple's announcement set off a flurry of tweets from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, who see it as a sweetheart deal for services that are structurally no different than Fortnite.

In Apple's carefully-worded statement on safety, it's hard to discern the rationale that this is safe while Fortnite accepting direct payments remains unsafe.

Even more so if Apple deems Roblox, a game from 2006-2021 that became "an experience" mid-trial, a reader app.  Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 2, 2021

"In Apple's carefully-worded statement on safety, it's hard to discern the rationale that this is safe while Fortnite accepting direct payments remains unsafe," tweeted Sweeney. "Even more so if Apple deems Roblox, a game from 2006-2021 that became 'an experience' mid-trial, a reader app."

Epic Games is in the throes of a year-long legal battle over this very issue with the Cupertino powerhouse. Last year, Apple booted Fortnite from the App Store after Epic implemented an off-platform payment system that circumvented Apple's 30-percent cut and passed the savings to its customers.

Apple's new rules for reader apps will not take effect immediately. The company says it needs to draft new guidelines and revamp its App Store review process. The policies should then go into effect sometime in early 2022.
What just happened? Sony is nearly ready to show off what it has in store for the PlayStation 5 this holiday season. Sid Shuman, senior director of global content communication at PlayStation, said in a newly published blog post that Sony will hold its next PlayStation showcase on September 9. Itll run roughly 40 minutes and include updates from PlayStation Studios as well as some of the industrys leading developers, highlighting games scheduled to launch this holiday season and beyond.

Shuman did shoot down one rumor in advance. PlayStations next-gen virtual reality system wont be featured in the showcase.

Sony, if you recall, confirmed back in February that it is indeed working on a follow-up to the original PlayStation VR platform for the PlayStation 5.

At the time, we were told that the new PSVR would enable dramatic leaps in performance and interactivity thanks to its enhanced resolution, better field of view, improved tracking and more precise inputs. It is expected to connect to the console via a single cable, and will ship with a new controller with improved ergonomics that borrows key features from the DualSense wireless gamepad.

No launch date was provided, but we do know that it wont be shipping this year.

Of course, there are plenty of gamers out there that are still waiting for the opportunity to get their hands on a PS5. Unfortunately, component shortages, scalpers and retail store policies continue to make this a frustrating task.

Sonys PlayStation showcase airs on September 9 (next Thursday) at 1 p.m. Pacific / 4 p.m. Eastern on YouTube and Twitch.
In brief: Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has announced it's hitting WhatsApp with its biggest ever fine for GDPR violations. European authorities say WhatsApp hasn't been transparent enough about what information the communication app shares with other companies under the umbrella of WhatsApp's owner, Facebook.

The DPC has been investigating WhatsApp's compliance with the European Union's GDPR privacy law since 2018. This fine of 225 million (around $267 million) comes after the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) conducted its own review of the case and advised the DPC in late July on how much it should fine WhatsApp.

Reuters reports that privacy activist Max Schrems, who has opposed Facebook in multiple privacy cases in the past, said the DPC's original fine was just 50 million.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said the company disagrees with the decision and thinks the penalty is disproportionate. WhatsApp plans to appeal.

After the DPC's investigation determined that WhatsApp's transparency about what it was doing with users' information didn't meet GDPR obligations, the EDPB's investigation determined WhatsApp's infringements were more severe. "Regarding WhatsApp IEs collection of data of non-users - when users decide to use the Contact Feature functionality - the EDPB found that in the present case, the procedure used by WhatsApp IE does not lead to anonymization [sic] of the collected personal data," the EDPB's press release states as one example.

WhatsApps' original co-founders, Brian Acton and Jan Koum, designed it to be a privacy-focused communication app. After Facebook acquired it in 2014, it wanted to collect data on WhatsApp users for targeted advertising, which led to disagreements with the co-founders. Acton and Koum eventually left. Acton started helping in the development of Signal, another privacy-focused communication app.

Earlier this year, WhatsApp announced its non-EU users would have to start sharing data with Facebook or else lose functionality. That data could include things like phone numbers, friends' phone numbers, and diagnostic data. Initially it even threatened to eventually delete accounts that didn't comply, but relented.
The Tesla Gigafactory Berlin is nearly finishing, but the factory would not be able to produce cars immediately, as it would take a year before volume production can be achieved. Also, as added by the multi-tech CEO Elon Musk, new paint colors are coming from the Gigafactory Berlin, and the paint team would produce great outputs.

Elon Musk would soon visit Gigafactory Berlin in October to give the Brandenburg residents a tour of the facility, along with anyone who wants to join. The CEO has established the Berlin plant for Tesla, as its headquarters of the European region.

Tesla Giga Berlin: One Year Before Volume Production

Musk has responded to Twitter about the excited fans from Europe who have been celebrating the rise of electric vehicles in their country. One user has talked about Norway's August purchases on vehicles, particularly on EVs as it has peaked the charts with 71.9 percent of sales.

Here, Musk (@elonmusk) has said "Norway, FTW," which celebrates the dominance of EVs in the region. Norway would be one country that would receive EVs from the Gigafactory Berlin, as it is closer compared to other plants of the electric vehicle manufacturer.

Musk said in a separate tweet that as much as it excites people that the Giga Berlin is near finishing its establishment, the plant would need a year to reach volume production and start distribution. This concerns all of Europe who would still need to rely on either the US or China production teams for their EVs.

Read Also: Tesla Applies to the Public Utility Commission of Texas to Sell Electricity on the Retail Market

Tesla Giga Berlin New Paints

I was in the Berlin paint shop talking to the team on my last visit. Its gonna be great!



But bear in mind that it takes about a year for a new factory to reach volume production. Production is super hard work, which is why I have great respect for those who do it.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 1, 2021

In addition to this, a fan expressed their excitement for the new paint colors that would come from the Tesla Giga Berlin once it reaches volume production. Here, the tech CEO has revealed that the Berlin factory would indeed debut new colors, and the venture "would be great," as it starts rolling out.

This only means that people can choose more colors for the finish of their electric vehicles, having a more personalized experience and feel.

Gigafactory Berlin and its Relevance

As mentioned earlier, Giga Berlin would expand Tesla's reach to the European region, as well as remove the pressure to import and export vehicles from its Gigafactories around the world. This would focus on the EU, a place where electric vehicles initially became dominant compared to the US.

Giga Berlin would open new doors for all aspiring EV owners, soon having their cars from one of the most prominent brands in the industry. Moreover, they would get all the nifty features which Tesla promises, from the FSD to its infotainment system, and more.

Related Article: Tesla Mobile Service Comes to Users for Specific EV Repairs, Elon Musk Says Repair Centers to Expedite Long Wait Time

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Image from Unsplash Website) McDonald's McFlurry Machine Issues Finally Being Pressed by the FTC | Why are the Machines Always Broken?

McDonald's McFlurry machines not working again? This is a common experience amongst a number of individuals that go to McDonalds. Here's what the FTC has to say regarding this issue.

McDonald's McFlurry Machines

According to the story by Engadget, the popular McDonald's McFlurry machine as well as its tendency to break down has actually been the inspiration for numerous jokes and Twitter feuds. It seems like now, however, it could actually be the subject of an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission.

An article by The Wall Street Journal notes that the agency has just recently reached out to McDonald's restaurant owners in order to collect even more information regarding their experience with the famed McDonald's machines. There is actually an answer as to why the FTC is directly looking into McFlurry machines.

Why is the McFlurry Machines Being Pre-Investigated?

The article could actually have something to do with the right to repair movement. Starting July, 2021, the government ordered the agency to draft some new rules in order to empower consumers as well as businesses to repair their devices on their own. A lawsuit was previously launched against McDonald's alleging that the McDonald's AI drive through bot actually breaks official biometric privacy law.

Later during the same month, the FTC reportedly made good on that particular order, voting unanimously in order to tackle unlawful repair restrictions. By all particular accounts, McFlurry machines are quite a nightmare to repair, according to an article by Vice.

Why are the McFlurry Machines Always Broken?

Moreover, Taylor, the particular firm that makes them, is currently at the center of a legal battle over measures that the company uses in order to prevent restaurants from being able to repair the machines on their own. Whenever a McDonald's McFlurry machine is broken, only an officially certified technician from Taylor is allowed to fix them and this usually leads to long wait times.

Those long wait times have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. A certain federal judge recently sided with a company that actually produces a diagnostic tool that now threatens Taylor's solid monopoly on repairs. McDonalds reportedly suffered data breaches in both Taiwan and South Korea which is not the first time that McDonald's was under fire.

Read Also: McDonald's PS5 Controller Giveaway Cancelled After Failing to Get Sony's Authorization

FTC Preliminary Investigation Regarding McDonald's McFlurry Machines

As of the moment, however, the FTC has not yet opened a formal probe into the McDonald's McFlurry machines. The agency reportedly gave a statement in the letter that was sent out in summer of 2021, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The statement noted that the existence of a preliminary investigation reportedly does not indicate that the FTC or even its staff have already found any wrongdoing. However, it still reportedly wants to know exactly how often restaurant owners are allowed to work on the McDonald's McFlurry machines that they already own.

Related Article: McDonald's 'Pokemon' 25th Anniversary Cards Selling Out Because of Scalpers--Yet Again

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Written by Urian B.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Twitter's Super Follow has been released now, and it brings a monthly subscription for users, and as much as charging $9.99 per follower for an influencer on the platform. The payment would have to be made via Twitter's platform, as it would guarantee the entry to a personality's profile on social media.

Last February, an Investor Relations thread of the short word social media has confirmed that it would have the "Super Follow" feature coming to the public, for everyone to enjoy. It would mostly benefit influencers that would earn in the process, as well as put "premium content" in the social media.

Twitter Super Follow Releases Today

Twitter is the first of the regular Big Tech social media companies to feature something like this, Super Follow is a monthly subscription feature that would require users to pay for them to unlock certain content.

look for the Super Follow button or icon on a creators profile and tap it for a preview of what they offer and their monthly subscription pricing. pic.twitter.com/hUp3O5OApL  Super Follows (@SuperFollows) September 1, 2021

Do not worry, Twitter is still free and available for all, and users can still follow whoever they want without a price. However, it is not guaranteed that they would see all the content of tweets as the new feature rolls out.

Think of it as Spotify free and Spotify Premium, minus the ads. Additionally, it gives the content creator or personality control over their content, as not all could be given away to the public for free, unlike before.

This feature also resembles Instagram Stories, where it would have an available for all content, and a tailored "Close Friends" feature.

Read Also: Twitter Spaces Releases New Endpoints via the API v2, Developers to Have More Options, Tools

Twitter Super Follow Rates

There would not be a fixed charge for Super Follow, as influencers, personalities, or people that apply for this would have the chance to choose between three rates. It goes as follows: $2.99, $4.99, and $9.99. It was not revealed by Twitter if the influencer would keep all of the profits, or have a split like the popular Apple App Store 70-30 share. In Twitter's Ticketed Spaces, the company would take three percent of the profit, while the creator gets 97 percent. Nevertheless, the fee would depend on what the personality wants or charges, and it may change from month to month. Also, the payment would likely be upfront for the subscription.

Twitter Super Follow: How Does it Work?

Super Follow works like the regular follow button, except it is in purple or magenta colors, different from the light blue or blue one. Users can tweet like a regular one but can change the audience which would see it or respond to it.

The Twitter Super Follow would give an "all-access pass" to an influencer's profile, which aims to generate additional profit for the influencer. Twitter's Super Follow account follows all influencers that already have super follow-up and running on their profile.

 take a look at who we're following  Super Follows (@SuperFollows) September 1, 2021

Related Article: Xbox Turns to Twitter To Urge People To Get the Vaccine

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Image from Unsplash Website) South Korea Gets 1.4 Gigawatt Floating Offshore Wind Farm Capable of Powering 1 Million Homes | Learn More

South Korea will be getting a massive 1.4-gigawatt floating offshore wind farm that is capable of powering a million homes! What's even more interesting about this news is that it has something to do with Shell Overseas Investment as well as CoensHexicon.

South Korea to Get 1.4-Gigawatt Floating Offshore Wind Farm

Shell Overseas Investment as well as CoensHexicon have just established a joint venture in order to help fund, develop, and even operate the MunmuBaram. The MunmuBaram is a massive 1.4-gigawatt floating offshore wind farm for South Korea. MunmuBaram is reportedly capable of cowering a massive one million homes.

According to the story by Electrek, the new floating offshore wind farm will be located off of the southeast Korean coast at about 40 and 50 miles from the city of Ulsan. It will reportedly cover an area of about 93 square miles.

Solar Power Offshore Wind Farm

The new floating offshore wind farm will reportedly allow development in larger as well as deeper offshore areas that have higher wind potential. The massive $4.9 billion project, which is now at a feasibility assessment stage, will reportedly be developed in phases. A final investment decision is now expected within the mid-2020s.

Once it is finally constructed, MunmuBaram is expected to be able to generate up to 4.65 TWh of electricity per year. It is also expected to be able to create a whopping 35,000 jobs in South Korea itself. Korean scientists have reportedly been able to create the world's first invisible solar panels which can even be integrated into things like mobile phones!

Shell to Work with CoensHexicon

Shell currently holds a massive 80% stake in MunmuBaram as well as CoensHexicon, which is yet another particular joint venture that is between Hexicon as well as the Korean energy company known as COENS Co which holds the remaining 20% stake. Hexicon is a floating offshore wind power engineering company.

At the end of October 2020, South Korea had just formally committed to reaching its target net-zero emissions by 2050. It also aims to be able to increase clean energy to 20% of the total energy mix by the year 2030. South Korean scientists have also been able to make ultra-thin solar cells so flexible they can easily be wrapped around a pencil.

Read Also: US DOE Says America Now Relies More on Wind Energy to Generate Clean Electricity-Investing Around $24.6 Billion

South Korean Government Plans Green New Deal

A previous article by Power-Technology back in February 2021 noted that the South Korean government planned to build a massive 8.2GW offshore wind facility by the year 2030. The government planned to use a massive investment of KRW48.5 trillion or $43.2 billion USD. This development would then become the world's largest single offshore development when it finishes.

The project reportedly forms a significant component of Moon Jae-in's, the South Korean President, Green New Deal. This particular legislative program started last 2020 and focuses on limiting the country's total dependence on fossil fuels while aiming for carbon neutrality by the year 2050.

Related Article: Tesla Applies to the Public Utility Commission of Texas to Sell Electricity on the Retail Market

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Written by Urian B.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
China plans to develop a space helicopter that could explore the red planet. The aerial robot is said to resemble the design of the Ingenuity helicopter from NASA.

China is Trying to Create a Mars Robot

In an announcement released by the National Space Science Center (NSSC) on Wednesday, Sept. 1, the prototype that China has already passed the final review on Aug. 20.

The team said that the "Mars surface cruise drone" will have a micro-spectrometer.

Bian Chunjiang of the NSSC spearheaded the project.

At the time of writing, NSSC has not disclosed the particular mission where the space vehicle will be used.

China's First Mission on Mars

In February, the Tianwen-1 Mars Rover captured the first image of Mars upon its entry. Although there were problems encountered along the journey, the space vehicle was able to accomplish its task.

With regards to the Ingenuity helicopter-inspired creation, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) was able to release the outline for the future robotic missions on the red planet.

The agency did not give any details on when the missions will be conducted in the future.

NASA, on the other hand, has been focused on roaming around Mars in search of possible life forms.

The Mars Perseverance rover landed in February while carrying a smaller Ingenuity.

Recently, the space vehicle succeeded in its latest and 12th flight back on Aug. 16. The team recorded that the rover has flown for 169.5 seconds within 450 meters.

The international space agency is currently testing its Dragonfly drone, which will fly to Saturn's biggest moon in 2027.

It is expected to land on Titan by 2034.

Read Also: NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Completes 12th Flight on Mars

China Focuses on Flying an Aircraft on Mars

From Spacenews.com's report, China has been keen on launching aircraft towards the red planet.

The country has previously released a rover intended to gather necessary information on Mars.

Among the Chinese organizations and schools that are constructing plans for Mars, explorations are the Beihang University, Shenzhen Aerospace DFH Satellite Ltd., and the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering.

Since the thin air is a challenge on Mars, China chose an ideal design for the helicopter. The focus is to withstand the challenges en route to the red planet.

While lifting, the drone will analyze the atmosphere and collect the samples.

In July, the Zhurong Mars Rover took a picture of its Parachute and Backshell.

Through the avoidance cameras, the vehicle managed to capture the black-and-white images of its parachute-backshell. The said equipment was important for the rover upon its safe landing back in May.

China was the second country to conduct a successful landing on Mars. The first country ahead of it is the United States of America.

As per Reuters on Thursday, Sept.2, China has big plans to push the 2033 exploration for its first crewed mission.

Related Article: China's Mars Rover Continues Exploring Red Planet After Concluding 90-Day Mission in 'Good Condition'

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Popular social media app Instagram was hit by an outage on Thursday, Sept. 2, following numerous complaints from the users who could not log in or send their messages.

Instagram Down

According to a recent report by The Sun, Instagram users around the world have experienced an outage in the image-sharing platform. I

t was in the early morning of Sept.2 when they started to notice that something was wrong with the app.

The #Instagramdown reached Twitter following some problems that surfaced online. Some users could not use the features of Instagram at that time.

A few moments later, the management noticed a surge of complaints on the platform. Later, Instagram announced that Instagram's messaging system was not working at all.

Before Instagram suffered a system problem this September, there was another major outage that took place earlier in August.

At that time, many US-based app users reported that Instagram went down.

New York City was the epicenter of the past outage on Aug. 2. Other residents from Washington DC and Los Angeles also experienced the problems.

As per DownDetector, the outage started to kick off at around 4:10 PM EST. At the same time in the United Kingdom, the majority of the affected users came from London. There were nearly 3,000 reports in the country during that period.

How to Check If Your Instagram App is Back to Normal

To know if your Instagram is working amid the outage, here are the things that you can do.

Go to the Help page of Instagram and look for the options in the panel.

Click the Issues. It will now show you the possible problems in IG.

Always check if the app is in its latest version.

Android

For Android users, you can head to the Play Store. Look for the three lines located on the upper left side.

From the Google Play Store, a menu will appear. Click My Apps & Games and go to the Updates to check if your Instagram is updated.

Look for Instagram and click the Update button.

iOS

Similarly, iOS users can do this by going to the App Store->Updates at the bottom part of the page.

You can also visit the websites such as Is it Down Right Now and Down Detector to know more about the functionalities of the apps.

Read Also: Instagram Makes Major Algorithm Shift After Alleged Bias For Palestine Contents

#Instagramdown Memes All Over Twitter

During the time when Instagram was down, many users managed to create funny memes that went viral on Twitter.

The internet went crazy about the outage after a series of jokes appeared on the social media posting app. One user posted a "feel" meme depicting himself apologizing to the internet after blaming Instagram.

me apologising to my internet after blaming it for insta being down #instagramdown pic.twitter.com/6MKZaEP7JE  chihiro (@yuutange) September 2, 2021

Another person published Squidward's photo while leaving Krusty Krab. Still, another one created a meme with Homer Simpson jumping to the next house with the logo of Instagram. These are only some of the memes that LatestLY spotted recently.

Me leaving Instagram to check on Twitter if its down #instagramdown pic.twitter.com/KYeGD3XpYE  Charis Ann (@n00dle_kid) September 2, 2021

Related Article: Instagram Launches Pronouns' Feature For Users' Preference: How to Add Them in Your Profile?

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
techUK sets out recommendations to support adoption and scaling of Intelligent Automation in Central Government

techUKs Tech & Innovation Programme have joined forces with the Central Government Programme to launch its first-ever Industry Perspective on Intelligent Automation in Central Government.

Read techUKs Industry Perspective: Intelligent Automation in Central Government

techUKs Tech & Innovation Programme has joined forces with the Central Government Programme to launch its first-ever Industry Perspective on Intelligent Automation in Central Government. This paper is a culmination of techUKs Intelligent Automation Campaign which took place in the first half of 2021.

With case studies from leading industry suppliers such as UiPath, CGI, Workday and BJSS, this paper outlines how Government and Industry can work together to promote and scale adoption of Intelligent Automation (IA) across Government Departments.

techUK members, many of them leaders in the field of Intelligent Automation, recently met to share their experiences of working with Government to automate processes and services. The resulting briefing paper outlines six recommendations from industry to ensure meaningful adoption of Intelligent Automation solutions:

Recommendation 1: Undertake deeper engagement and collaboration between Government and industry through a specific Intelligent Automation forum, in order to shine a light on the possible.

Recommendation 2: Knowledge-sharing tools and platforms such as the Governments Automation Register should be more visible and accessible, both within Government Departments and within the supplier community.

Recommendation 3: In order to move away from point-based, tactical solutions and achieve a sustainable approach to automation, appoint a strategic sponsor within each Government Departments leadership team. Convene a forum of these sponsors to develop conversations based around strategic value, rather than technical problems, within Departments executive suites.

Recommendation 4: Engage industry to support the consolidation of the Department Automation Blueprints to create a coherent, integrated and well-scoped programme of activity.

Recommendation 5: Leadership must establish and reinforce the expectation that automation will augment the workforce, enabling employees to spend more time on strategic initiatives instead of mundane tasks.

Recommendation 6: Ensure appropriate funding is place in the next Spending Review to support the adoption and scaling of automation.

Intelligent Automation has been instrumental for Government Departments in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now this technology has the potential to drive recovery and resilience in the coming months and years. As usage continues to scale, it is important that we continue to facilitate even greater collaboration between Government and Industry in order to drive further adoption. We hope the recommendations in this paper will showcase how to increase collaboration and support for automation. Henry Rex, Associate Director of Public Sector techUK

The pandemic has thrown into even sharper focus the imperative for a public sector that must operate differently. It is increasingly recognised that government services are enhanced by supportive Intelligent Automation (IA) technologies which are a powerful tool for enhancing the citizen experience and the efficient inter-workings of government processes, delivering immediate impact with impressive payback. Whats more, IA can enhance legacy IT, by enabling the expansive legacy infrastructure to be adapted to ongoing and future challenges. UiPath fully supports the six recommendations put forward in the techUK paper and endorse the view that IA should become a strategic pillar of local and central Government IT systems roadmaps. UiPaths approach to building integrated IA programs that supports the Public Sectors delivery of these important recommendations. David Burrows, Public Sector Industries leader UiPath

Over the course of the pandemic, organisations have experienced first-hand how Intelligent Automation leads to faster and better business outcomes with less risk. This, in turn, has led to increased uptake in a positive shift that looks set to continue beyond the end of the pandemic and far into the future. Michael Douroux, Vice President Sales, NEZA Workday Group

Laura Foster Laura is techUKs Programme Manager for Technology and Innovation. She supports the application and expansion of emerging technologies across business, including Geospatial Data, Quantum Computing, AR/VR/XR and Edge technologies. Before joining techUK, Laura worked internationally in London, Singapore and across the United States as a conference researcher and producer covering enterprise adoption of emerging technologies. This included being part of the strategic team at London Tech Week. Laura has a degree in History (BA Hons) from Durham University, focussing on regional social history. Outside of work she loves reading, travelling and supporting rugby team St. Helens, where she is from. Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lauraalicefoster Read lessmore
Madisonville, KY (42431)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 69F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 69F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
ADA [ndash] Graveside Services for Delbert Gene Wallis, 96, of Byng, was 10 a.m. Monday, Sep. 13, 2021, at Rosedale Cemetery, David Gray officiated. Mr. Wallis passed away Friday, Sep. 10, 2021, at his home. He was born March 13, 1925. He retired from Ideal Cement. Survivors are his three so
Ada, OK (74820)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
With 140 traffic lights still out in East Baton Rouge, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome will extend the parishwide curfew through Friday to keep people off the roads.

Ascension Parish announced it would push its curfew through another day as well.

Ongoing outages have made driving more dangerous and increased 911 calls in the wake of Hurricane Ida have strained emergency responders, prompting many local governments to enact night-through-morning stay-home orders.

Just like on Wednesday night, the mandatory curfew in East Baton Rouge will run from midnight Thursday through dawn Friday. In Ascension, it will last from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Broome said she hasn't decided whether to stretch the Baton Rouge curfew into the Labor Day weekend.

"The way we judge whether to do that is through talks with law enforcement, and their concerns over the number of traffic lights still out, and the increasing calls into 911," she said.

Entergy officials said Thursday the "vast majority" of customers in the greater Baton Rouge area will have power restored by the middle of next week.

'Vast majority' of Baton Rouge will have power by Wednesday, Entergy CEO says The "vast majority" of customers in the greater Baton Rouge area will have power restored by Wednesday next week, the head of Entergy said Thu

Between Aug. 25 and Wednesday, Broome said calls to the city-parish's fire, police, emergency medical services and Sheriff's Office have doubled from 94, 361, 197 and 440 on Aug. 25, respectively, to 184, 507, 306 and 598.

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Broome didn't have a breakdown on the nature of those calls.

"Someone asked me the other day why the city-parish couldn't put stop signs out at all the places the traffic signals are out," she said. "The truth of the matter is: That's not realistic at this point in time with everything else our first responders are dealing with."

"People are supposed to be responding like it's a four-way stop anyway," she added.

Power outages mean many intersections are four-way stops. Here's what to do With so many traffic lights not working thanks to power outages caused by Hurricane Ida, intersections across Louisiana are temporarily four-w

The mayor expressed optimism about things returning to some semblance of normalcy after Labor Day, which for Baton Rouge hinges mostly on power being restored.

She said the parish's two community shelters would remain open as long as needed. As of Thursday morning 267 people were taking refuge at the Raising Cane's River Center in downtown and another 155 were checked into the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

As for debris pickup, Broome said the city-parish has already begun. But contractors will be needed to shoulder the workload, given the sheer volume of downed trees and wreckage left in Ida's wake. They have estimated more than 400,000 cubic yards of debris will have to get hauled off in the coming weeks.

"We're looking at Tuesday to really launch our debris clean up," she said Thursday. "We'll constantly be reiterating the message not to dump debris down our storm drains and canals. I'm very concerned about folks doing that and bringing us back to square one."
While he drove through some of the Livingston Parish towns hardest hit by Hurricane Ida, Lt. Gene Higginbotham pointed to where trees had been twisted off their trunks by the storms powerful gusts.

There are some where you can see a straight-line wind just lay them all down at once, the parish Sheriffs Office veteran said.

The lifelong Holden resident said Ida tore tiles off his roof and downed a few trees on his property. But for the most part, his family was lucky.

For so many others, that wasnt the case, as evidenced by the scenes he drove past Wednesday morning in his black SUV. Along the roads through Killian and Holden were flattened utility poles, dangling powerlines, broken branches.

Another confirmed Hurricane Ida death: St. James Parish man killed when his shed collapsed A St. James Parish man was killed after his backyard shed fell on top of him, probably during Hurricane Idas heavy winds, the sheriff said We

Im 47 and Ive never seen anything like this before, Higginbotham said. People down here are accustomed to storms and storm surges, but for an event like this, youve got people in their 70s and 80s also saying theyve never seen anything like this.

Ida roared into Louisiana as a Category 4 storm Sunday afternoon before making her way to the southernmost part of Livingston Parish later that night. With sustained winds of 150 mph at landfall, she was one of the strongest storms in recorded history to strike Louisiana.

The scope of her impact  in the capital region and beyond  has yet to be measured.

Roads blocked by trees and live wires have hindered emergency crews dispatched to Livingston Parish from fully assessing Idas destruction. It will take weeks, if not months, to piece together the extent of the physical damage.

Less measurable but more immediately felt, Higginbotham said, is the emotional toll of these kinds of storms. Especially for the southern Livingston communities of Killian, Maurepas, French Village and Holden, which weathered Katrina in 2005 and Isaac in 2012, as well as historic flooding in 2016.

Each new storm brings with it an uneasy combination of apathy and apprehension, he said, as people wait to see if its the big one.

Its a mix of anxiety, of Hey, weve been through this before, were ready for this, Higginbotham said. But with storms like this, you set a new benchmark. Like, Man, Ive never been through this before.

With Ida, the storm knocked down thousands of trees  many ripped right from their roots  and left more than 85% of the parish without power, even as of Wednesday afternoon.

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While flooding was initially a concern for local officials, Livingston Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Brandi Janes said the parish ultimately suffered only moderate inundation.

The bigger problem for residents has been roofs ripped from homes, roads made impassable by fallen trees and floodwaters made even more dangerous by hidden wires. Then there are the compounding effects: fuel shortages resulting in long lines stretching a quarter-mile long from some gas stations.

Those in Idas most affected areas can also expect to go without power for the foreseeable future. Entergy spokesman Will Johnson said part of the delay is due to the need to completely replace, not simply repair, several power infrastructure that suffered catastrophic damage this past weekend.

This is the most devastating thing I believe Ive been through in 67 years, parish President Layton Ricks said during a press conference at the Livingston courthouse Wednesday. It is extremely, extremely emotional for everyone. I cannot illustrate enough: patience, patience, patience.

As they continued cleanup well into Wednesday, many locals  including Killian resident Stacy Alan Sibley  said that while theyve grown accustomed to the flooding that comes with hurricane season, theyve never witnessed wind damage quite like this.

Follow Hurricane Ida's path of destruction through Louisiana, with aerial photos and video On the ground in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ida, people tell stories of panicked rescues, unimaginable loss and dangerously close calls.

Usually were fighting water, but thats not what were dealing with now. Were fighting a whole different animal, he said while resting momentarily beside the makeshift raft he uses to row back and forth in the floodwater outside his home. Water people are used to, but not the wind. It caught me off guard.

Sibley was joined by his sister, Elizabeth Sibley English, who made the trek to Killian from her home in Biloxi, Mississippi, to pick up several family members along the hurricanes path.

The siblings have been in touch with their mother in Holden and plan to bring her back to Mississippi, where Englishs house still has power.

Sibley, who also owns a home in Houma, decided to ride out the storm at his place in Killian. He said hes not sure what to expect when he returns to the coast.

Bad as it was in Killian, English said her brother should count his blessings.

Hes a lucky one, she said, because in Houma, it looks like a bomb went off.
The vast majority of the greater Baton Rouge area should be back in air conditioning and light by Wednesday, Sept. 8, said the head of Entergy Louisiana on Thursday.

Most of Iberville and West Baton Rouge parishes were slated to be powered up Thursday. East and West Feliciana parishes go back online Friday, according to reports given by the utility companies to the Louisiana Public Service Commission.

Even though we do have that significant damage, we are able to provide our first estimated restoration time and that is we expect to have the vast majority of customers in the greater Baton Rouge area restored by Wednesday, Sept. 8th. Now there will be pockets  due to rear lot issues access and vegetation   won't get their power back as quickly, said Phillip May, president and chief operating officer of Entergy Louisiana, which covers most of the state outside of the City of New Orleans. Entergy New Orleans, a separate subsidiary, provides power in Orleans Parish.

Im talking vast majority, most, customers will be on, May added.

Most residences and businesses in Ascension and Livingston parishes are expected to be repowered by Tuesday, Sept. 7, according to the PSC. But for the eastern parts of those parishes, which were closer to the core of Hurricane Ida, itll take longer, May said.

Entergy and the other utilities have been criticized for not coming up with timelines, which they call customer guidance, faster.

+6 Hurricane-hammered Livingston Parish faces long recovery: 'We're fighting a whole different animal' While he drove through some of the Livingston Parish towns hardest hit by Hurricane Ida, Lt. Gene Higginbotham pointed to where trees had been

Louisiana Public Service Commission Chairman Craig Greene said hes been getting calls from constituents who want a rough estimate of how long their power will be out. Should they leave town? Go to a hotel? Find alternative schooling for the children. The five elected PSC Commissioners regulate utility companies.

People can survive and endure better if they know what to expect. Hours? Days? Weeks? We all just want to know, Greene said.

In earlier storms, the utility companies released restoration plans a couple days after the storm passed. With Hurricane Ida, assessments really couldnt begin until Monday afternoon. Telecommunications were down, and the size of the storm all made it more difficult for the engineers to get out and see what problem was, much less come up with a plan to fix it. The PSC accepts those reasons, but not happily.

We are frustrated with the lack of information, said PSC Secretary Brandon Frey. Commissioners still want recovery timelines for Orleans, upper Jefferson, St. Tammany, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. James, and Assumption parishes  that havent been forthcoming. The assessments are not as far along in those harder-hit regions, Entergy says.

The damage is so severe in lower Jefferson, lower Assumption, Lafourche, Terrebonne, and Plaquemines parishes that the electricity powering residents and businesses there will be out for weeks.

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All eight of the bulk transmission lines going into New Orleans failed during the storm. Transmission lines carry electricity from the generating plants, many of which are along the Mississippi River, to neighborhood substations where the power stepped down to lower voltages for distribution to customers. Several of the generating plants are along the Mississippi River.

We are lighting up transmission corridor as we speak. We are clearing the obstacles. We are making repairs, May said.

Curfews extend by a day in East Baton Rouge, Ascension as outages persist, 911 calls surge With 140 traffic lights still out in East Baton Rouge, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome will extend the parishwide curfew through Friday t

The PSC reports that 58 of the structures that carry the transmission lines were destroyed and 185 were damaged. (That compares to 1,450 structures destroyed by Hurricane Laura last year.) May said Entergy has 41 of 168 damaged substations back online.

Entergy connected a transmission line from Slidell into New Orleans and started the process of repowering the city. Some question that the method Entergy is using takes too long.

May said turning the lights back on in a system that has gone completely black, isnt as easy flipping a switch. The utility is building electricity load sequentially from breaker to breaker until the region is powered up again.

Baton Rouges issue is more the citys tree canopy. Though prized civically, the number of shade trees wreak havoc on the poles and distribution lines that deliver electricity to residences and businesses.

About 160,410 Baton Rouge customers were without power Monday morning that was down to 92,864 by Thursday morning  still more than half out of power.

May was in his Baton Rouge place when his home lost power Sunday. The first problem we had was trees on a transmission line. That has been fixed. Now we have trees on distribution lines those are yet to be fixed, May said.

Entergy is first reconnecting critical infrastructure, such as hospitals, water pumps and the like, May said. Then, grocery stores, pharmacies, gasoline stations and other services.

Then it becomes nothing but a numbers game, he said. Engineers weigh how difficult the repair and how many lights will come back on.

If I can get 2,000 customers on by doing this job, versus 20 customers doing this other job, were to go after the 2,000 first, May said.
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Amazon.com has a solution for a potentially crippling shortage of delivery drivers: Recruit pot smokers.

The company is advising its delivery partners -- the Mums and Dads that operate the ubiquitous blue Amazon vans in America -- to prominently advertise that they dont screen applicants for marijuana use, according to correspondence reviewed by Bloomberg and interviews with four business owners.

Not screening for marijuana use can boost the number of job applicants by as much as 400 per cent, Amazon says. Credit:AP

Doing so can boost the number of job applicants by as much as 400 per cent, Amazon says in one message, without explaining how it came up with the statistic. Conversely, the company says, screening for marijuana cuts the prospective worker pool by up to 30 per cent.

One delivery partner, who stopped screening applicants at Amazons behest, says marijuana was the prevailing reason most people failed drug tests. Now that shes only testing for drugs like opiates and amphetamines, more drivers pass.
Early last month at a sprawling factory on the highway connecting Hanoi to the port city of Haiphong, a single worker tested positive for COVID-19. The Delta variant was spreading swiftly through the Southeast Asian nation at the time, and on August 4, provincial officials suspended work at the auto-parts manufacturer.

An ocean away, Toyota Motor Chief Purchasing Group Officer Kazunari Kumakura was watching intently. The plant is operated by a key Toyota supplier and is one of Vietnams biggest assemblers of wire harnesses -- a basic but essential yoke for cables that holds the inner workings of an automobile together.

As the infection at the facility disrupted operations, Toyotas inventories grew thin. Since July, the Japanese automaker had been examining its suppliers in the region, which has become a COVID hotspot, on a daily basis to assess how dire things were getting.

The global chip shortage is hurting car makers around the world. Credit:AP

Eventually, unable to secure a number of parts, including the wire harnesses from Vietnam and chips from Malaysia, Toyota succumbed. The worlds No 1 automaker shocked the market by announcing it would slash its output of cars in September by 40 per cent compared to previous production plans.
Business journalists from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have been recognised at the 2021 Citi Journalism Awards for Excellence.

The awards acknowledge the critical role media plays in the Australian and New Zealand business landscape and encourage excellence in business and finance reporting in Australia and New Zealand.

Sarah Danckert won the markets and investment category for her series Bigger than the Wolf of Wall Street that exposed how a network of stockbrokers rorted their customers on an industrial scale.

Charlotte Grieve was awarded the young business journalist of the year award for her series Operation Atlantis in collaboration with award-winning investigative journalist Nick McKenzie and 60 Minutess Joel Tozer.

The series illuminated the way Westpac, the Perth Mint and hundreds of Australians were caught up in a global tax evasion probe into a Puerto Rican bank.
Chinas crackdown on its technology sector has moved from corporations to consumers. On Monday, state media revealed new rules for online gamers, limiting under-18s to one-hour windows on weekends and bank holidays.

Online gaming giants such as Tencent and NetEase will be forced to enforce the restrictions with an anti-addiction system that involves verifying real names and government documents. The regulations will affect 110 million video-gaming children who, while not a substantial source of revenues to gaming companies, are potentially the lucrative next generation of online spenders.

The regulations will affect 110 million video-gaming children who are potentially the lucrative next generation of online spenders. Credit:AP

It is hard to say nobody saw this coming. At the start of August, the state-run paper Economic Information Daily called video games spiritual opium and declared that children were hopelessly addicted. In 2019, the government announced a cyber-curfew on under-18s playing online games after 10pm; Tencent, the countrys biggest gaming company, recently said it would deploy a midnight patrol facial recognition system to enforce the ban.

Chinese media presented the latest move merely as an attempt to effectively protect the physical and mental health of minors. Plenty of parents would no doubt agree. But the fortunes of Chinas other big internet companies suggests this is far from the only motivation.
Loading By November 1, all other healthcare workers working in hospitals will need to have at least their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to be able to access their workplaces and would need to be fully vaccinated by December 1. By January 1, all other people working in the healthcare system at tier three public health service sites such as the Department of Health and health service provider sites must be fully vaccinated. This category includes people providing commercial activities or services at publicly-owned health sites such as food and kiosk outlets. Exemptions can apply to those unable to get the jab for medical reasons.

Mr Cook said sanctions were built into the directions for health workers who refused to get vaccinated. According to the directions, anyone who does not comply with the rules could be slapped with a fine of up to $20,000 for individuals and $100,000 for bodies corporate. Australian Nursing Federation WA secretary Mark Olson said they supported the new move but estimated between seven and eight per cent of the nursing workforce could choose not to get the jab, which would put huge strain on a system already in crisis. Mr Olson said the government should look at putting measures in place such as paid leave for causal workers to get their jabs and giving workers a choice between Pfizer and AstraZeneca regardless of age. He also said the government needed to double its efforts to address staff burnout and resourcing.

Loading The mandates author, Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson, said there was only about 1.5 per cent of the health workforce philosophically opposed to the vaccine. He the direction would not force healthcare workers to actually get the jab  only that they would not be able to enter their workplaces if they refused. If an individual does not wish to be vaccinated they will need to seek other employment and that is their choice, Dr Robertson said. Its basically saying, If you are unvaccinated, you cant enter that healthcare facility.

With WAs health system already experiencing a resourcing crisis, Dr Robertson said it was likely there would be some small impact with workers leaving, but the alternative would be much worse. We dont think theyll be as major as some have speculated, but what we have to do is put that in the context of what would happen if we got an outbreak in our hospitals, he said. That will have a far more crippling effect on our health operations. The announcement comes after the Australian Medical Association called for mandatory vaccinations of healthcare workers This may seem like a drastic step, but its a necessary step to ensure hospitals remain safe for patients and for staff. You should not be worried about contracting a potentially deadly virus when you enter a healthcare facility, AMA national president Omar Khorshid said on Wednesday.

NSW was the first state to mandate healthcare staff vaccinations, while the federal government agreed to introduce mandatory vaccinations for aged care workers in June. Workers in NSW must have their first dose by September 30. Private companies such as canned food business SPC and airlines Qantas and Virgin have already no jab, no work policies for their staff. In August, Fortescue Metals Group chair Andrew Forrest told his workforce that anti-vaxxers were not welcome on FMG sites. Private hospital provider St John of God welcomed the announcement.
A man has been jailed for a maximum of 3 years after he brought his car to a complete stop on a Sydney motorway so he would not miss his exit, causing a fatal pile-up behind him.

Francis Omigie, 55, was driving along the overtaking lane on the M4 in Sydneys west about 5.50am on May 9, 2019, when he braked harshly and angled his car into the lane to the left of him, causing the car behind him to slam on the brakes and those in the other lane to swerve around him.

Jailed for a fatal crash: Francis Omigie. Credit:Facebook

The driver in the car directly behind him beeped his horn and flashed his lights. However, Omigie continued moving towards the Church Street exit with his left indicator on. His actions caused crashes from multiple cars behind him who were following too closely and could not stop in time.

In one of the cars was Francis Shanley, 36, an Irish citizen working in Australia whose ute became wedged between another car and the concrete dividing barrier in the middle of the road.
Annie Wylie normally swims laps at Clovelly Beach, but living in Glebe means the ocean lies outside her five-kilometre radius imposed during lockdown.

Rather than giving up on the water, Ms Wylie has relocated her exercise regime to Elizabeth Bay which lies just inside her bubble.

Glebe resident Annie Wylie swims in Elizabeth Bay because her usual spots are outside her local area. Credit:Janie Barrett

You wouldnt find me here normally, she said.

But after much research she discovered it was her only viable option.
Eight people have been arrested for allegedly harassing and intimidating police officers who worked at a violent anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne last month.

Thousands of people marched through the CBD to protest Victorias lockdown restrictions on August 21, in breach of stay-at-home directions.

Anti-lockdown protesters in Melbourne last month. Credit:Justin McManus

Police have since been investigating alleged threats against officers on social media, mobile devices and email.

The messages, seen by The Age, included the names, faces and contact details of some frontline police. Some messages allegedly went as far as to include threats of retribution against specific police and their families.
Two midwives accused of criminal negligence over the death of a woman who suffered a haemorrhage during a home birth say they had no knowledge that the mother had experienced the same complication when she delivered her first child, a court has been told.

Gaye Demanuele, 59, and Melody Bourne, 44, were last year charged with manslaughter and police allege they failed to provide adequate care to Caroline Lovell during the birth of her second child at her Watsonia home.

Caroline Lovell died following a home birth in 2012. Credit:Penny Stephens

Ms Lovell, 36, gave birth to a healthy baby girl on January 23, 2012 but suffered major blood loss from a haemorrhage and died in hospital early the next morning.

The midwives who oversaw the home birth appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link on Thursday for a committal hearing that will determine whether they should stand trial.
Loading Planning is under way to determine the best way to make these changes, with some recommendations requiring the government to change laws and others needing input from the Victorian community. Consultation is also expected to take place around how the Nazi symbol ban is crafted to ensure appropriate exceptions are in place, such as for educational or historical purposes, or for other uses of the symbol. Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said all forms of hate were unacceptable and had no place in Victoria. Expanding our anti-vilification laws to protect more Victorians sends a clear message that this vile behaviour will not be tolerated, she said.

Shadow police minister David Southwick said the announcement was an important step forward. For too long, frontline police and local communities have been powerless to stop the Nazi swastika being used as a tool to spread hate, he said. Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said all forms of hate were unacceptable and had no place in Victoria. Credit:Eddie Jim More recently we have seen a rise in extremist nationalist and racist individuals and groups and this ban will go a long way to take away the symbol that they hide behind. The governments anti-racism taskforce will also now move to develop a new Victorian anti-racism strategy.

Loading Calls to ban the public display of the swastika were reignited early last year after a couple in regional Victoria flew a flag featuring the symbol above their home. Its presence outraged several neighbours, who complained to police. But both police and local council said they had no powers to remove the flag. At the same time, progressive lawyer Greg Barns, SC, warned that the banning of symbols could become problematic if someone wished to use the symbol artistically or ironically without meaning to offend.

One has to always be careful in banning symbols. Once you start banning one, which other ones will you ban? he said. The comments came as the state government was preparing to review Victorias anti-vilification laws after Reason Party MP Fiona Patten pushed to widen the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act. Then, last month, an eight-month-long Age investigation revealed a rising number of home-grown neo-Nazis were plotting a white revolution on Australian soil, meeting in homes and public parks across places including Victoria. ASIO chief Mike Burgess said what some neo-Nazis were prepared to do to realise their political ambitions should be of grave concern to all Australians, prompting calls for Australias largest neo-Nazi group to be banned as a terrorist organisation. On Thursday, Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ros Spence said Nazi symbols glorified one of the most hateful ideologies in human history.

We must confront hate, prevent it, and give it no space to grow, she said. Representatives from groups including the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Equality Australia and the Victorian Pride Lobby also welcomed the changes. The Victorian governments anti-vilification reforms come after a long fight by so many communities. Any changes should be done in consultation with Aboriginal communities and led by communities, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Services Lee-Anne Carter said. Liberty Victoria spokesman Michael Stanton said while they welcomed most of the announcements, they worried banning far-right imagery may come with unintended consequences and prove to be a band-aid solution and fail to address the root cause of the problem. Mr Stanton said pushing such icons underground could also in turn prevent police from identifying those with extremist ideologies and questioned whether the banning symbols would ever be effective.
We would have preferred if this amount of money was to treat patients directly as we requested previously, but it also includes bricks and mortar that wont give the immediate relief needed. It demonstrates that, if nothing else, the government recognises that the community cant tolerate the situation for much longer. Its everyday West Australians dealing with their elderly parents sitting in ambulances for hours on end, sick and disoriented, where this crisis is playing out. Its everyday mums and dads desperately trying to comfort their sick and frightened child as they await emergency care. Patients in ambulances have spent 6500 hours waiting outside emergency departments in August, a mind-boggling figure we predicted but still cant easily comprehend. With September traditionally the busiest month for ambulance ramping, the state government has ceased further bookings for multi-day non-urgent category 2 and category 3 elective surgeries for the month. Heres hoping it reduces system pressures but really, there are no guarantees given the freefall we are witnessing.

We cant abide yet another media release from Health Minister Roger Cook upping the ante on bed numbers while the system just falls further and further behind. Case in point: WA now has the lowest per-capita bed count in Australia by a country mile. Loading As our Action Agenda makes clear: This chronic shortage of hospital beds in WA has led to growing waiting lists for access to elective surgery, overcrowded emergency departments unable to cope with normal demand and unconscionable delays in access to emergency care. Bed shortages place an avoidable strain on the wellbeing of healthcare workers in our public hospital system and cause avoidable patient deterioration and death.

Mr Cook has asserted a plan for 332 (including some 130 previously announced) new beds to open across WAs public hospitals but the fall in our status to dead last on the national table means we need an additional 612 fully resourced hospital beds just to get to the national average. Our resolve is strong and our approach is direct. We have already this week written to Mr Cook to tell him of our intention to convene an AMA WA Emergency Care Summit in September, which we are urging him to attend, as well as the Director-General of Health. As we stated in our letter of invitation: The AMA WA wants to offer genuine solutions and collaborate with stakeholders to facilitate improvements to the WA health system, and ultimately better health outcomes of West Australians.

Our agenda is a multi-faceted and sophisticated approach to health reform, not simply relying on one fix for all. There are a range of fixes across five key areas: funding and resourcing; culture and safety; infrastructure; governance; and COVID-19. Loading Governance is an issue close to my heart, as I have recently completed a post-graduate degree in Corporate Governance and Management. As stated in the preamble to the AMA (WA) Action Agenda 2021: A fundamental pillar of our Action Agenda is a call for a corporate governance review of WA Health. WA Health cannot be expected to provide solutions or resolve problems unless its corporate and organisational governance is fixed first.

The re-establishment of engagement with clinical staff and the development of a collaborative culture based on safety and quality is of paramount importance, which will allow the system to move away from cost-cutting and embrace a patient-centred approach. Doctors continue to report the negative effect of WA Healths current corporate governance structures, which makes it extremely difficult for them to contribute to system improvements or even comment on them. In the governments own health engagement survey, only 47 per cent of doctors felt it was safe to speak up and challenge the way things are done. That means potentially 53 per cent of safety and quality issues go unreported due to a fear of retribution. But from a public perspective, another element of governance is probably more front and centre. As stated in our Action Agenda: Multiple layers of apparently responsible parties make it far too easy to deflect accountability to alternative authorities.

Ever felt that you really should know who needs to take responsibility for any particular decision or outcome, not just who takes the credit for cutting ribbons and crowing about success? Loading So does the AMA WA. Its not about a witch hunt; its simply that systems work better when they have effective lines of reporting and clear paths of responsibility. We really want this to be a living document, one that provides a measurable and transparent path to improvements in our health system. We are presenting this to the Government and the public in a spirit of collaboration, openness and good will. Ultimately, the AMA (WA) Action Agenda 2021 is a document that belongs to every Western Australian. We all have a stake in the success of the health system. We know that when doctors are working well in the right environment, amazing things happen. I saw this first-hand as a burn surgeon when I treated the Bali bombing patients, when a team with a single purpose achieved extraordinary results.
The NSW government will significantly scale down its contact tracing as COVID-19 vaccination rates rise, instead relying on people being alerted via their smartphones when they have been at a venue of concern.

As the government continues to prepare for when it reaches its 70 per cent vaccination target, it also moved to reward south-western and western Sydney residents by ending the time restrictions on outdoor exercise.

The easing of the restriction for the 12 hotspot areas, which was seen as particularly punitive for communities who often live in high density, comes amid increasing concerns that Sydney was becoming a divided city.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has offered a relaxation of exercise restrictions on LGAs of concern. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The 9pm curfew is also under review. It was implemented to help police ensure mainly young men were not leaving their homes in the evenings, but it has adversely impacted shift workers.
About 3000 people are seeking to enter Queensland from interstate, as the state prepares to open up just 50 rooms in hotel quarantine this weekend.

Last week, Queensland deliberately gave two hours notice before blocking arrivals from NSW, Victoria and ACT coronavirus hotspots for two weeks to prevent a rush of flight bookings.

A temporary pause on arrivals from interstate hot spots into Queensland has helped hotel quarantine numbers drop by more than 1000 people. Credit:Jocelyn Garcia

That mandate will ease from Saturday, with 50 families to be offered a room after numbers in hotel quarantine slightly eased, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said. More spaces would be offered as they became available.

Rooms would be allocated to those prioritised for early entry, who would be contacted by health officials.
Two Canadians tried in China on spying charges exchanged photographs of military equipment, according to a state-run Chinese newspaper, in one of the most explicit official statements on how the cases are linked.

Michael Spavor was an informant of former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, and sent him the images over a long period, the Global Times reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. The materials were deemed second-tier state secrets, the nationalistic tabloid added.

Accused of espionage: Canadian nationals Michael Kovrig, left, and Michael Spavor. Credit:AP

Entering China in 2017 and 2018 under the guise of a businessman, Kovrig gathered a large amount of information relating to Chinas national security, according to the report.

Spavor, who arranged tours to North Korea, was sentenced to 11 years in prison last month by a court in northeastern China after being found guilty of stealing and illegally providing state secrets to other countries. The court said he will be deported, without specifying whether that would happen before or after his full sentence was completed. Spavor has appealed the conviction.
Even in an era of horrific #MeToo stories, the saga of R. Kelly, the R&B singer charged with an operation to sexually exploit and traffic underage girls, is a particularly soul-curdling one.

Kelly is on trial in Brooklyn, New York, on a wide array of charges centring on sexual abuse of a number of young girls, and one boy. (Kelly has pled not guilty and denies the charges.) The trial began with testimony from a women who said that Kelly knowingly had sex with her when she was just 16 years old and a virgin.

A courtroom sketch of R. Kelly, left, on the opening day of his trial. Credit:AP/Elizabeth Williams

Heres the soul-curdling part: Kellys relationship with her began when he picked her up  outside his first trial for having sex with underage girls, in 2008. The catalyst of that case was the disclosure in 2001 of a grainy VHS video tape showing the singer having sex with a girl who was 13 at the time  and ended with footage of him urinating into her mouth.

Here we are 20 years after any sentient human could apprehend that R. Kelly was a threat to young girls. And yet he has, incredibly, thrived in the years since, recording albums, touring the world, duetting with other stars, accepting praise from critics and  as is obvious now  enjoying the freedom to continue his dark toxic destructions.
One of theater's most gifted comic actors, three-time Tony Award nominee Christopher Fitzgerald has brightened up the stage in Wicked, Finian's Rainbow, Young Frankenstein, Chicago  and, rather notably, the 1999 Encores! staging of Babes in Arms, where he was met his now-wife of 22 years, actor and director Jessica Stone.

This fall, he returns to Broadway in two familiar roles. He's back (for the fifth time) as the exuberant diner patron Ogie, a role he originated to great acclaim, for a six-week run in the hit musical Waitress at the Barrymore Theatre; then, on November 15, he returns as David in Marianne Elliot's innovative, gender-bending production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Company at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

Fitzgerald recently spoke to TheaterMania about going back to both shows, being on Broadway at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and returning to it now, and some singular experiences with superstars Sara Bareilles and Patti LuPone.

Christopher Fitzgerald

( David Gordon)

How does it feel to be finally back onstage after almost 18 months?

It is the definition of surreal. It is both completely familiar and unfamiliar at the same time; parts of it are harder and sadder than before, and parts of it are joyous and awesome. It is really its own unique experience and a new part of my personal story. In some ways, it's like when they said you can first take off your masks, you could imagine this huge celebration of Broadway returning  that art is back, music is back, the country is back  and now, even though we're not fully back, we'e doing this anyway while still dealing with the pandemic. In a way, I think theater is always ahead of the curve; it shows us where we are going as a society. So I think it's fitting that Broadway is leading the way back  and especially fitting that this show, which had closed even before the pandemic, has come back to kick things off!

Why do you like the role of Ogie so much?

The 13 minutes or so I have onstage are amazing! [laughs] Also, given the last 18 months, it was important for me to come back to something familiar to start. When you do a new Broadway show, it's the most dynamic part of acting; but it is emotionally and physically hard to crack. For me, it's wonderful to step back into a show without enduring that same cost, even if it doesn't have the same advantages of a new show. And to work again with some of the same people I started with in Waitress is great.

How different does the show feel to you with Sara Bareilles in the lead?

I've never experienced being onstage with the person who wrote the show's songs  never mind someone who can sing them so beautifully and then to be able to get deeply into such a complicated character. Sara just has an innate richness that translates to the stage. In one of our rehearsals, when she did "She Used to Be Mine," it almost literally stopped the room. Those moments are from another planet, and I wonder how I get to be so lucky to be there to watch them.

In November, you return to Company, which was in previews during the pandemic. What was it like to just stop a run that suddenly  and never know if you were coming back?

Really hard! Jess had been reading about [Covid] for a bit, so we were talking about it at home. And we knew what was happening with some of the folks at Moulin Rouge! So, we were both convinced what would happen did happen and I brought that fear into rehearsal, although everyone in the cast had their own take. Still, it was a shock, and the real worry for me was if I was going to get sick, especially since I have a wife and two sons. Three days before they shut us down, we had this huge cast party in Patti LuPone's dressing room, and as soon as it happened, my first thought was that party was going to be the actual death of Broadway!

How do you feel about coming back to Company in November?

I talked earlier about the cost of doing a new show, and after the six or seven weeks of work it took to crack that show, we finally felt really good about what we were doing. The train was chugging, chugging, chugging, and then to not have that release of our opening night was very frustrating. But now, we're going to really rehearse again  for about four or five weeks  and we'll make it new again in our way, which is so exciting. This is a luxury I've never had before!

How much of the show  and your role  do you remember?

Some of it is stuck in my brain; thankfully, I do have a baseline. And, as an actor, the body always remembers. But doing Sondheim, especially the way Marianne has directed this show, is so precise and there so much movement and so many costume changes, it will be great to have all this time to rehearse. Better yet, for me, I get another chance at making discoveries about my character. I have a feeling the whole show will be different than before the pandemic.

In both shows, you're probably going to play to a lot more New Yorkers and fewer tourists. Any guesses how that will change the shows?

I am going to be so interested in how our audiences will react, especially coming from what we've experienced and are still experiencing. I've told people I work with the audiences may be more subdued  we may not get the same laughs as before  or maybe they'll be more excited. I just know it will be different and I'm excited to see what happens!
George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, presented by New York City Ballet, will return this holiday season, running November 26-January 2 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.

The beloved production, featuring a score by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky and choreography by Balanchine, features the company's entire roster of dancers and musicians, as well as two casts of children from the School of American Ballet. The Nutcracker has scenery by Rouben Ter-Arutunian, costumes by Karinska, and lighting by Mark Stanley, after the original lighting design by Ronald Bates. Rotating casts will be announced.

New York City Ballet is requiring all of its employees, including performers, to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to work onsite at Lincoln Center. Given that the Covid-19 vaccine isn't approved for children under the age of 12, only fully vaccinated School of American Ballet students will be able to perform in the production.

Audience members aged 12 and older will be required to present proof of vaccination to enter the theater. Children will be permitted to attend with proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the show. All patrons and staff regardless of age will be required to wear masks throughout the building and auditorium.
Mazda Reports August 2021 Sales Results







IRVINE, Calif. (Sept. 1, 2021)  Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported total August sales of 27,262 vehicles, an increase of 4.6 percent compared to August 2020. Year-to-date sales totaled 249,168 vehicles; an increase of 39.2 percent compared to the same time last year. With 25 selling days in August, compared to 26 the year prior, the company posted an increase of 8.8 percent on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis.

CPO sales totaled 5,899 vehicles in August, a decrease of 11 percent compared to August 2020.

Sales Highlights

CX-5 achieved 12 percent YoY growth for its second-best August with 15,329 vehicles sold

CX-30 achieved 14 percent YoY growth with 4,391 vehicles sold

Mazda Canada, Inc., (MCI) reported August sales of 5,907 vehicles, a decrease of 3.2 percent compared to August last year. Year-to-date sales increased 31.1 percent with 46,822 vehicles sold.

Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported August sales of 2,931 vehicles, a decrease of 7.4 percent compared to August last year. Year-to-date sales increased 15.9 percent, with 31,283 vehicles sold.

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through approximately 780 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ontario, and operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.
Van Buren, AR (72956)

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Nyamekye Daniel has been a journalist for five years. She was the managing editor for the South Florida Media Network and a staff writer for The Miami Times. Daniel's work has also appeared in the Sun-Sentinel, Miami Herald and The New York Times.
Maryland voters cast their ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center in Annapolis, Md.
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It appears all the celebrities have been going on their little European vacations this summer. Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry brought their chaotic and corny energy to Venice. Sharon Stone also went to Venice, as did Ciara and Russell Wilson, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, Angelina Jolie, and J.Lo. Speaking of J.Lo, Bennifer and A-Rod took dueling yachts in St. Tropez. Vanessa Hudgens vacationed in Capri. The Biebers went to Greece. Ariana Grande sat in a big Dutch clog in Amsterdam. Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde kissed on a yacht in southern Tuscany. Even Paris Hilton was able to take a break from sliving to sit on a catamaran in Corsica. This all begs the obvious question: Which celebrity will let me come on their next European vacation? Hmm?

What say you, Cousin Greg? Do you own a boat and a passport? Perhaps Oscar Isaac is in the market for a little Swedish getaway. We could both certainly use the R&R before our very busy autumn  him, with all his various movies; me, with all my Love Island to rewatch. Does North West need a babysitter in Mykonos? Does Jennifer Aniston need someone to eat her bread for her in Italy? The Olsen twins must have something European planned that I can just tag along on. Whats a girl gotta do to get a celebrity to bring her to Greece?

If it helps, here are some things I can bring to any and all celebrity European vacations:

My vaccine card

A good attitude

Snacks and water to share

Minimal emotional baggage

Minimal actual baggage

A polaroid camera  nostalgic!  but someone will need to chip in for film

There is, unfortunately, one blatant barrier: The E.U. recently recommended its members reinstate restrictions on U.S. travelers due our rising number of COVID cases. (You hear that, Chet You aint sticking me with that motherfuckin needle Hanks?) So, I suppose I will have to wait. Also, I do not personally know any celebrities.
Batavia, NY (14020)

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Towanda, PA (18848)

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Mostly clear skies this evening will give way to isolated thunderstorms overnight. Low 68F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

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Harriett H. Johnson died on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2021, at The Plains in Oneonta. She was born on Dec. 27, 1926, in Cleveland, Ohio. A service in her memory at the First Presbyterian Church, 296 Main St., Oneonta, will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 18. The service will be conducted by the
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Jeff Robbins, a former assistant U.S. attorney and delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, was chief counsel for the minority of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. An attorney specializing in the First Amendment, he is a longtime columnist for the Boston Herald, writing on politics, national security, human rights and the Middle East.
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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.
10-Year-Old Urges Citizens to Be Like Power Rangers and Fight Back! After Florida School Board Imposes Mask Mandate

On Aug. 31, the Hernando County School Board convened an emergency meeting and voted by a measure of three to two to impose a mask mandate for students in the Hernando County School System. This makes Hernando County the 11th Florida school board to impose mask mandates on children. In response, a 10-year-old Hernando County student urged citizens to be like Power Rangers and fight back.

Nearly 100 residents, mostly parents and grandparents of Hernando County school students, waited hours, standing in shifts in the sweltering heat, to have their chance to express their opinions about the proposed mask mandate. The overwhelming majority adamantly opposed the measure. Less than five came to express support. In the tense aftermath of an Aug. 24 school board meeting, where citizens began shouting at the board and each other, there was a notable presence of law enforcement outside of the building as well as inside the board room. Speakers were placed outside for the overflow crowd to hear proceedings inside.

Following public comments, the board engaged in discussion before casting their votes. Board Chair Linda K. Prescott (District 2), Susan Duval (District 5who attended by phone) and Kay Hatch (District 1) voted to impose the mask mandates. Vice Chair Gus Guadagnino (District 4also in attendance by phone) and Jimmy Lodato (District 3) voted against the measure.

In a leaked email, sent to a concerned parent before the meeting, Duval made it clear she had already made up her mind to impose the mask mandate before hearing any of the public comments.

In a leaked email to a parent ahead of the Aug. 31, emergency school board meeting, Hernando County School Board member Susan Duval makes clear her position regarding a proposed mask mandate for children. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)

Our district is in crisis and I dont see a reasonable way out without masks, better sanitation measures, better social distancing, etc., Duval stated in her email. My support is for a 30 day mask mandate with a medical exemption. If after 30 days, the positivity drops [to] five percent or less, the masks become optional. If the rate is six percent or higher, we go for another 30 days. I hope that clarifies my position.

Prior to public comments, Hernando County General Counsel Dennis Alfonso advised that not allowing parents to opt out of a mandatory mask mandate for students would not only place the board in violation of Floridas Parents Bill of Rights (pdf), it would subject them to the governors promise to withhold the salaries of school board members who imposed a mask mandate for children.

A prepared statement, read prior to the vote, suggested Lodato had already decided to vote against the measure because it would violate the governors July 30 executive order (pdf) reinforcing the Parents Bill of Rights.

However, on Aug. 27, a Leon County judge struck down the governors executive order. DeSantis has vowed to appeal the ruling.

The Legal Battle

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, Communications Director for Governor DeSantis, said in a statement. This ruling was made with incoherent justifications, not based in science and factsfrankly not even remotely focused on the merits of the case presented. 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 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.

Jared Ochs, Director of Communications and External Affairs for the Florida Department of Education, told The Epoch Times they are immensely disappointed that the ruling issued by the Second Judicial Circuit discards the rule of law.

This decision conflicts with basic and established rights of parents to make private health care and education decisions for children, Ochs stated further. 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.

Orange and Indian River County recently joined Broward, Alachua, Duval, Hillsborough, Leon, Miami-Dade, Sarasota, and Palm Beach counties in implementing mask mandates.

On Aug. 30, Floridas Department of Health announced that it is withholding funds from Alachua and Broward County following their defiance of the governors ban on mask mandates that do not permit parents to opt out.

Unlike some other counties that are violating Florida law, the Hernando County School Board has enacted a mask policy that complies with state law, by ensuring all parents have the right to opt out their own kids from forced masking, Christina Pushaw, Press Secretary for the Executive Office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told The Epoch Times. We will be closely monitoring all districts that adopt mask policies like Hernandos, to ensure that the choices of parents are respected by everyone in the school community. We have zero tolerance for unequal treatment, including discrimination against children based on their parents choices about masks.

There is no scientific basis for forced-masking children, Pushaw said further. Sadly, some school board members around the state are focused on playing politics instead of doing their research and doing the right thing for kids and families. By the way, if you compare counties in Florida that mandate masks versus those that respect parents rights, the data doesnt support the idea that mask mandates are effective in any way. For example, the infection rate in Martin County (mask optional) is 1.37 percent while that of Palm Beach County (mask mandate) is 1.82 percent. If mask mandates work, why is Palm Beach reporting higher COVID prevalence than Martin?

Citizens Speak Out

Robert Christiansen holds a sign as he waits to attend the emergency school board meeting regarding a proposed mask mandate for students in Hernando County, Fla., on Aug. 31, 2021. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)

Im a mother and a front-line worker, Carella Kara told The Epoch Times. I have had the vaccination, Moderna, but was against it. So far, it has kept me safe along with proper PPE. I feel this virus and its changes [are] happening too fast for bodies to handle. If we cover with masks we protect ourselves and others from spreading it so fast. This is crazy not to help protect our kids.

Kara was unable to attend the meeting. She was at home caring for her eldest daughter, who has contracted COVID-19. I almost lost my youngest daughter [to COVID-19], Karra said. and now my oldest is on oxygen. Karas husband has also had COVID-19.

I still say parent choice, Pam Everett told The Epoch Times. Everett was one of those who spoke against the mask mandate at the meeting. They pay the taxes to the schools. They need to be in control about their childrens health. This is just one way of control and their hold is just going to get stronger and stronger.

It has no teeth, Krysia Bailey told The Epoch Times as a message to other Hernando County citizens regarding the School boards decision. You can still send your children in without a mask. Dont be afraid of the online form. Take a stand. Fill out the form. Let them know they do not have the authority to tell our children that they cannot breathe fresh air. Be there at the October 12 meeting. We must draw the line in the sand. Our children have been used as pawns for the last 20 months. Its time to stop.

You have not earned the right to make medical decisions for my children, Bailey admonished the board during public comments at the Aug. 31 meeting. You havent earned the right to make any medical decisions for any child in this county. Even Vladimir Putin today said that he cant force people to wear a mask in Russia. Are you less pro-choice and liberal than Vladimir Putin? Do we need to move to Russia for our children to breathe free?

Bailey told the board on Aug. 31 she recently moved to Florida from Maine because she wanted to be free.

I did not vote for Dr. Fauci or the Center for Disease Control, so the local leaders have to stop hiding behind useless recommendations from the people who have gotten it wrong from the beginning and make the tough decisions the constituents elected them to make, Jose David, a Hernando County resident and proud father of three wonderful boys told The Epoch Times. Hernando County lately doesnt feel like the county I came to love when I moved here nine years ago.

We need to fight back, 10-year-old Vincent Soto shouted over the podium on top-toe as cheers and applause filled the room at the Aug. 31 meeting. I know Im a kid, and to be honest, we need to be like Power Rangers and fight back! We need to fight back against evil!

A 10-year-old Vincent Soto addresses the members of the Hernando County School Board at Hernando County School Board Meeting on Aug. 31, 2021. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)

DeSantis Trusts Floridians

Governor DeSantis stands for parents rights, makes data-driven decisions, and follows the science, Pushaw told The Epoch Times.There is no empirical evidence to support the assertion that the benefits of forced masking of schoolchildren outweigh the potential harms. Masking kids under 12 is not recommended in many European countries, because their health authorities have found that the risks are not well understoodand the data shows that forcedmasking of young children has a negligible impact on COVID prevalence and spread.

There is no authority more local to children than their own parents, Pushaw explained. Governor DeSantis trusts Floridians to make the best choices for themselves and their families.

Thank you for your coverage of this masking issue in Hernando, Pushaw told The Epoch Times. I am SO happy to hear that parents are speaking out for their rights to make health and education decisions for their own kids, and Governor DeSantis fully supports them.
Queensland Police stop trucks at the Queensland border in Coolangatta, Australia, on Aug. 25, 2021 (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

2 Truck Drivers from Queensland and NSW Test Positive for CCP Virus

The Queensland government has issued a public health alert after a Queensland-based truck driver tested positive for COVID-19 after travelling to New South Wales (NSW), which is in the midst of a severe CCP virus Delta variant outbreak.

The contact tracing alerts, last updated on the Queensland Health site on Sept. 1, named the locales of Archerfield, Goondiwindi, and Bundamba as exposure locations.

Details are scarce, but on Sept. 2, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palacazuk said on Facebook that the truck driver resided in Queensland and travelled to NSW.

This comes a day after an NSW-based truck driver, who entered Queensland, tested positive for the virus.

That truck driver entered Queensland on Aug. 25 and returned to NSW on Aug. 26, a Queensland Health media release stated.

It is understood they were in Queensland for one day while potentially infectious, an NSW Health spokesperson said in a statement.

The case is now in isolation in NSW and investigations into the source of their infection are underway.

The Queensland premier expressed concern about her state becoming just as ravaged by the CCP virus Delta variant as NSW.

If New South Wales is the model of what lies in store for all of us, then serious discussions are needed, she wrote on Facebook on Sept. 2.
A School Movement Targeting Minorities That Works. But Progressives Dont Like It.

Michael Landsbaum hit bottom after his father lost his job and couldnt pay rent, leaving the teenager homeless in Dallas. He slept on friends couches for months until he was rescued by an unlikely source: his high school.

But Pathways in Technology Early College High School did much more than provide him with a place to stay at a counselors home. Its accelerated program, including college courses, gave Landsbaum the drive to get through the tough times and the hope for better days.

My goal was to get my associates degree, and when I got that, things got a whole lot easier, he says.

Landsbaum, 20, is finishing his bachelors in computer science at the University of North Texasa turnaround thats typical of the school, part of a growing movement better known by its acronym P-TECH.

Founded in 2011 by IBM and the Bloomberg administration in New York City, P-TECH has spread to 10 states with 127 schools as of last year, achieving remarkable results for the low-income, black, and Latino students they serve. In Dallas, for example, 72 percent of students graduated with a high school diploma and an associates degree in about four years. Thats about eight times the national average for on-time community college graduation by students of color.

After decades of struggle in America to lift the fortunes of low-income students, an answer has emerged in P-TECH, which operates within public school systems, typically taking over all or part of existing schools.

Its one of the most transformative programs Ive seen in my four decades in education, says Don Haddad, the superintendent of Colorados St. Vrain Valley School District, which has three P-TECH schools. Every major school district across the country should adopt the model. It really opens doors for disadvantaged students.

Whats the secret sauce? It starts with an accelerated curriculum and frequent testing to keep students on trackthe very things that progressive educators are trying to stamp out today. Students complete a two-year community college associates degree in addition to the typical high school program as early as 12th grade, a notable achievement. In another break from standard fare, schools bring on corporate partners who inspire students with the opportunity for jobs in hot fields like computer programming and health care technologya boon for companies that cant find qualified candidates to fill such positions.

An IBM logo is shown onstage at CES 2016 at The Venetian Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nev., on Jan. 6, 2016. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

P-TECHs success offers a counterpoint to critical race theory, a controversial academic movement increasingly adopted in schools that casts systemic racism and white supremacy as pervasive problems that students can counteract through racial awareness. P-TECH is showing that underperforming students from poor communities can master a race-neutral mainstream STEM curriculum, especially when they see a brighter future, in the form of a well-paying job, within their grasp.

The battle-tested program, which marks its first decade in September, has been hailed by Republican and Democratic governors, corporate chiefs, and superintendents across the country. It has enjoyed an early growth spurt, reaching tens of thousands of students in the states with the help of hundreds of U.S. corporate partners, from Microsoft to American Airlines.

But P-TECHs expansion plans face pushback from the left and right in the heated politics of school reform. Among other objections, progressives oppose corporate partnerships as a corrupting influence on education. Republican politicians dont want taxpayer dollars to pay for college thats free to students and their families.

Its very difficult to innovate in the current toxic education environment, says Stan Litow, the mastermind behind P-TECH. Even if a school has amazing results, you run into resistance.

The P-TECH Road Show

Nevertheless, Litow saw an opening to address the disconnect between what schools teach today and the advanced skills companies need. He had spent his career in education policy, rising to deputy chancellor of schools in New York City and then serving as the president of the IBM Foundation. With a foot in both the public and private sectors, he was well-positioned to design a model that reimagined traditional high schools.

But Litow had seen plenty of promising ideas in education amount to nothing. He found a cautionary tale in the failure of Common Core standards, an attempt like P-TECH to raise the academic bar that was advanced by the Bush and Obama administrations. For P-TECH to spread, he had to get early buy-in from the many stakeholders in education.

Undaunted, Litow and his IBM team began a years-long roadshow in 2011. Governors were his first line of attack, since they control education policy. He met with a dozen, including Gina Raimondo, then Rhode Islands Democratic governor and now U.S. secretary of commerce, and Republican Larry Hogan of Maryland. They endorsed P-TECH as a win-win for corporations in need of skilled employees and inner-city students in need of a career.

When governors balked, it was usually about money. Gary Herbert toured a P-TECH school when he was governor of Utah and was impressed. But aides in the governors office told Litow that the states Republican lawmakers wouldnt want to pay for a community college degree for high schoolers. That can cost $10,000 per student. Litow won over powerful principals and teachers unions by assuring them P-TECH schools would be public rather than nonunion charters. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, signed on. Civil rights leaders also endorsed P-TECH as a big departure from the old and discredited vocational education that tracked kids of color through woodshop classes and into dead-end jobs.

Governor of Utah Gary Herbert speaks during Sundance Film Festival at Rose Wagner Theatre in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 25, 2019. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

His most ambitious move was raising the academic standards. P-TECH would have no admission requirements to weed out weaker students who had fallen behind. They would have to quickly catch up in high school to enroll in rigorous engineering and scientific college courses and finish in no more than six years. It was a wager that underperformers can become high achievers with the proper motivation.

Corporate partners would provide that carrot. During paid internships students would see, often for the first time, a clear path from their bad neighborhood to a good job at a competitive salary of $50,000 or more.

But selling the idea of corporate partnerships wasnt always easy. Progressive academics call career and technical education (CTE) like P-TECH aimed at poor students unfair and even racist. Researchers at the National Education Policy Center say low-income students, who are disproportionately black or Latino, deserve the same broad general education that white teens get in suburbia. They shouldnt be funneled into technical specialties that benefit private companies.

Today corporations have a more direct role inside schools and are taking control of the curriculum through CTE, says Professor Ken Saltman at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who focuses on the privatization of public education. So is this in the interest of everyone or those businesses? Thats a really big issue.

States Jump Onboard

IBMs home state of New York started the rollout of P-TECH schools a decade ago. Illinois was an early adopter after then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel got the P-TECH endorsement from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

President Obamas shout-out to P-TECH in his 2013 State of the UnionWe need to give every American student opportunities like thiswas a game-changer. Governors started calling Litow to get the ball rolling. Connecticut, Maryland, Colorado, Texas, Rhode Island, Louisiana, and New Jersey jumped onboard. California, the big prize, joined in 2018 at the urging of IBM. Minnesota will open its first school at the end of August as part of a small expansion to other states. IBMs goal: 300 schools in 17 states by 2025. P-TECH is also expanding internationally, with schools in more than 20 countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

They are signing up because of P-TECHs off-the-charts performance. At the first school, which opened in Brooklyn in 2011, about half of its debut class earned an associates degree on time within two years of getting a high school diploma. Many finished by 12th grade or one year later. Across the country and a decade later, Colorados St. Vrain district saw 58 percent of its eligible students take home a degree. These results clobber the national average of about 9 percent for on-time graduation by students from similar backgrounds.

All innovations produce surprises. Litow never expected that most of the graduates, emboldened by the taste of academic success, would go on to get a bachelors degree. At least a dozen have earned graduate degrees too. One alum from New York is in a Ph.D. program and another is applying to medical schooloutcomes that seem unimaginable without P-TECH.

President Barack Obama speaks at Pathways in Technology Early College High School, in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Oct. 25, 2013. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

For the corporate partners, this is not just philanthropy. More than 300 U.S. companies large and small have jumped in because they are short on skilled employees. As part of the deal, companies typically pick the types of associates degrees, from biotech to marketing, that each P-TECH school offers. Companies also design and teach new classes in soft skills, covering dress codes, teamwork, and presentation-making, that students need to succeed at work.

But some businesses are not buying the P-TECH magic, posing another challenge to expansion. Its a big commitment of time for companies obliged to provide mentors and paid internships with the hope of getting skilled employees six years later.

Companies are uncertain that struggling public schools will do their part. The health care company Ascension Texas is trying to instill a sense of urgency in the Austin school district to meet its P-TECH curriculum expectations, creating a healthy tension, says Geronimo Rodriguez, Ascensions chief advocacy officer.

IBM, for one, is doubling down on P-TECH. This summer it brought on 1,000 paid interns, a big number. In the past, most graduates of schools sponsored by the technology goliath who wanted a job got one in areas like cybersecurity and data analysis. They are first in line to interview for jobs, says Justina Nixon-Saintil, global head of corporate social responsibility at IBM. If there is a job thats good for them, absolutely, we make that offer.

Inside P-TECHs Flagship School

When entering the nations first P-TECH school in Brooklyn, students cant miss the large posters of smiling faces lining the hallways. These are the students who have passed state tests to qualify to take college classes in either computer systems or electromechanical engineering, the two specialties of the school.

The posters send a message to students, 97 percent of whom are black or Latino. In a lot of urban communities, the perception is that youre acting white if youre excelling academically, says Principal Rashid Davis. So I want the students to see themselves on posters and realize there is nothing wrong with being smart and find motivation by their success in getting into college.

More than half of the students entering the school are behind their grade level. So they have to work harder than their peers. The school day is two periods longer than normal. Summer break lasts only two weeks. The school designed its ninth-grade curricula to be an intensive year of catch-up. The time devoted to studying math and English is doubled, providing a foundation for the rigors of college ahead. The mostly black male students generally start on action novels before making their way to James Baldwin and Shakespeare.

Whip-smart teenagers like Nathan Alleyne excel from the get-go, taking courses at New York City College of Technology by 10th grade. By grade 12 he finished his associates degree in computer systems, learning Python, Java, and CSS. This fall he starts pursuing a bachelors in the same field. I learned a lot about taking charge of my life and managing my time to make sure everything gets done, he says. Im very grateful.

What keeps students going is the awareness that Davis is expecting them to succeeda new experience for many. He walks the halls, asking students why they didnt do better on a recent test. You got a 90. Why not a 95? says Davis, laughing about such chats with students. They need to know that they matter.

Aaliyah Charles needed that push. Raised by her mother who struggled to pay the bills after Aaliyahs father left the family, she came to P-TECH without much confidence at the urging of her mom because the college classes were free. But it was a challenge. She pulled all-nighters. Failing college algebra was a low point. Then she reached out to an unusual source of support: her mentor at IBMthe schools corporate partner.

Founding Principal of Pathways In Technology Early College High School, Rashid Ferrod Davis, speaks during the 2014 Concordia Summit at Grand Hyatt in New York City, on Sept. 29, 2014. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

I could talk to her about my problems, Charles says. She said its okay, but next time I take the class, I have to dedicate myself and everything will be fine. Charles aced the rest of her math classes, including calculus, and graduated in June with a degree in electromechanical engineering.

Her internship at IBM also set her on a career path. She worked in a program to encourage inner-city girls to pursue a career in a STEM field. Now a more self-assured leader, Charles aims to start a nonprofit to continue that work after finishing her bachelors degree in psychology at Stony Brook University in New York.

New York Citys Cold Shoulder

New York City, the biggest school district in the U.S., has about eight P-TECHs and could fill dozens more. The Brooklyn school gets more than 1,000 applicants each year for about 125 seats. Mayor Bill de Blasio, a progressive who succeeded Michael Bloomberg, started a few schools, including one this year. But he backed away from a pledge to aggressively expand P-TECH in his two terms.

Instead, he joined progressive advocates in rejecting Bloombergs policy of accountability that replaced large failing schools with smaller ones like P-TECH. The Department of Education shifted its focus to address systemic racism as the root of the problem for students of color. Accelerated classes and schoolsthe DNA of P-TECHare dismissed as discriminatory.

Principal Davis calls the de Blasio years a political nightmare for P-TECH. He says the department evaluates his P-TECH like a traditional high school and ignores its successful corporate partnership and college degrees earned after 12th grade. The department didnt respond to RealClearInvestigations questions.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks at Times Square in New York City on June 5, 2021. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for New 42)

We were created to disrupt the system so they should evaluate us through a different lens, Davis says. I do things that are against their philosophical belief. We have proven that we can improve outcomes for brown children. And they hate me for showing this.

Transforming Dallas Schools

As P-TECH hit a snag in liberal New York, it took off in business-friendly Dallas. Dallas public school district, the 16th largest in the country and made up almost entirely of disadvantaged Latino and black students, turned to P-TECH to solve a problem. Charter schools were poaching students. So we decided to come up with some competition to beat them at their own game, says Superintendent Michael Hinojosa.

The district, which had already brought college into a few high schools, was inspired by the Brooklyn partnership with IBM. So Hinojosa went all-in, spending $25 million to build the infrastructure, including placing an assistant principal and workplace coordinator devoted to P-TECH at every school. This helped assure businesses, which had concerns about the job readiness of the graduates, that the district was serious about making the partnerships work.

I had to visit American Airline three times because they were so skeptical, Hinojosa says.

As more than 80 partners (including American Airlines) signed on, the district installed P-TECH in 18 of its 21 comprehensive high schoolsthe most in any U.S. city. The superintendent is thrilled with the resultsthree-quarters of its inaugural class got an associates degree, the school retention rate is up and behavior problems are down.

P-TECH has been transformational for the entire district, he says. Ive been a superintendent for 27 years and I have never before seen anything else that can be such a catalyst for change.

Initially some corporate partners tip-toed into the program. Accenture offered one internship in its first summer with P-TECH. Last summer it jumped to 30. Thomson Reuters completely bought in. The information-services company was so pleased with its first batch of 30 paid interns that it hired 23 of them to assist Fortune 500 clients with software issues. They are thriving in their roles, says Gabrielle Madison, the director of community relations.

This summer the firm almost doubled the number of interns in hopes of hiring them too. Thomson Reuters offices in Minneapolis, Michigan, and perhaps overseas also plan to tap the P-TECH pipeline for talent. What are the long-term prospects for P-TECH grads?

Radcliffe Saddler, who was part of the Brooklyn flagships first-class, immediately took an entry-level job at IBM as a marketing data analyst after graduation. Radcliffe says he experienced the highs and lows of being a black teenager from a poor neighborhood trying to fit into a buttoned-up white workplace. But he persevered, got his bachelors paid for by IBM, and won his first promotion this summer into a more creative role.

He uses his coding and design chops to build client interfaces for virtual assistants in the Watson artificial intelligence brand. He has also doubled his salary and now makes six-figures.

P-TECH was a game-changer considering the community I came from, he says. Its the reason Im working on the Watson platform today.

This article was written by Vince Bielski for RealClearInvestigations.
Accounting Critic Says Biggest Problem Facing Social Security, Medicare Is Trillions in Unfunded Debts

Social Security and Medicare trust funds are in dire financial condition due to rising benefit costs, but the biggest problem facing the two largest federal entitlement programs is how theyre funded, according to a nonprofit that advocates greater government transparency and accountability.

Our bottom line is the trust funds are all a shell game, there is no money in the trust funds. As [former U.S. Comptroller-General] David Walker says, the trust funds are accounting devices and not separate and distinct legal entities subject to fiduciary responsibility provisions. I call them Trust the Government Funds since they are funded with more government debt,' Truth in Accounting (TIA) President Sheila Weinberg told The Epoch Times on Sept. 2.

Weinberg was referring to the fact that the trust funds receive what are in effect IOUs from the Treasury Department that are called securitiespromises to pay a specified amount at a future date.

On Social Security, for example, the government pays interest on the securities, generally about 2 percent, and the total value of the securities is presently just less than $3 trillion. Securities are paid out of general revenues when they come due.

We would also highlight the massive underfunding. Social Security is underfunded by $40 trillion, Medicare by $55 trillion. This represents the amount of money the government has promised in benefits, and they have no idea where they are going to get the money to pay for those promises, Weinberg said.

The official U.S. national debt is $29 trillion, but Weinbergs group maintains that the true amount is more than $133 trillion when the costs of benefits such as those promised by Social Security and Medicare are included in the calculation, according to the Chicago-based TIA.

Private sector pension plans are required by federal law to account for future benefits and to properly fund them. But the federal government doesnt follow the same law for its own pensions.

Medicare has the largest unfunded benefits total at $55 trillion, followed by Social Security at $40 trillion, and government employee and retiree pensions such as the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) at $9 trillion. The official public debt and assorted other federal liabilities such as loan guarantees make up the balance.

Trustee reports made public earlier this week show that the Medicare trust fund that pays for hospitalization is due to reach insolvency in 2026, while the Social Security trust fund will reach that point in 2033, barring major reforms in how the two programs are funded and pay benefits.

Weinberg is far from alone in pointing to the unfunded debts of Social Security and Medicare.

Yesterdays reports on the financial status of various Medicare and Social Security trust funds once again identify unsustainable benefit promises in Medicare and Social Security programs, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said in a statement on Sept. 1.

The Hospital Insurance trust fund is projected to be exhausted around 2026; there are $60 trillion of unfunded liabilities in Social Security programs; and unfunded liabilities increased by trillions of dollars over the last year alone.

Differences in unfunded liabilities calculations are typically due to differences in the number of years covered, how future benefits are estimated, and differences in demographic assumptions.

While bipartisan efforts are necessary to make needed changes to address Medicare and Social Security long-term financial challenges, most Democrats want only to expand benefit promises further without generating sustainable trust fund solvency, Crapo said.

I agree with the reports recommendation that Congress and the executive branch work closely together with a sense of urgency to address these challenges, and urge bipartisanship and cooperation to do so.

Crapo is the ranking minority member of the Senate Finance Committee, which would be a major player in any congressional or presidential initiative to reform the Social Security and Medicare trust funds.

President Joe Biden hasnt offered any proposals to reform the funding underlying either Social Security or Medicare.

Congressional correspondent Mark Tapscott may be contacted at mark.tapscott@epochtimes.nyc. Follow him on Twitter at @mtapscott and on Parler at @Mtapscott.

Correction: On Sept. 4 the quote from David Walker in the second paragraph was corrected.
A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the Aug. 26 twin suicide bombs, which killed scores of people including 13 U.S. troops, at Kabul airport in Afghanistan on Aug. 27, 2021. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

Afghanistan in Context: Xi Jinping Has Occupied the Sudetenstan

Commentary

As we try to understand what happened on Aug. 26 at the Kabul airport with the American loss of life, some disturbing facts are coming to light.

In a military retrograde (withdrawal, in civilian terms), especially when conducted under duress, security is one of the primary planning factors. With the deadly attacks that took place at the Abbey Gate to the airport and close by Baron Hotel at Kabul, it now turns out that it wasnt U.S. forces that controlled the perimeter of the airport, it was Taliban elements.

This is very discomforting and violates basic principles of security in military planning at the tactical level. A logical question arises: Who allowed or directed this concession or constraint?

U.S. military forces should not only have decisively controlled the perimeter and access points, but they should have also established a security buffer zone from two to 10 miles out, based on the intelligence assessments and the tactical commanders estimate.

This buffer would include the high-risk roads to the gates, which is where the Aug. 26 detonations occurred. Apparently, a security zone wasnt implemented. Im not in any way questioning any on-the-ground U.S. military commander, and the situation is chaotic and evolving, but an odd picture is emerging on the overall withdrawal debacle. Again, who allowed or directed this concession or constraint?

Another very important aspect is operational security; this means two key imperatives.

First, there should be tight control of operational details, but at the same time, a messaging of firmness, resolve, and clarity. The utter panic and rush to the airport demonstrates the failure of the second imperative.

The first imperative was also questioned by the absolute staggering admission that lists of Americans and those who worked with Americans and all the biometric data of Afghans who helped U.S. forces were handed over. Its baffling and perhaps unlawful to hand this over. The administration seems to feel that the Taliban are good, others are bad. The Taliban are factional just like other groups. Who allowed or directed this concession or constraint?

President Joe Biden pointed at former President Donald Trump during his Aug. 26 press conference, but failed to share the seminal difference.

Trumps strategy was based on the Taliban meeting tiered conditions that would allow an incremental and orderly withdrawal. The failure on all these factors paints a picture of past historical events such as the ill-thought-out French strategy of Dien Bien Phu or the utter panic and collapse of Iran in January 1980, when President Jimmy Carters vacillation issued the order for CIA to cease assistancepanic and chaos ensued in Iran after this early case of virtue signaling.

In any case, this whole disaster in Kabul has produced a massive geopolitical vacuum, which is never good.

China Fills the Vacuum

In some ways, there is another historical analogy for AfghanistanHitlers occupation of the Sudetenland. This was one of the German leaders key steps on the pathway to the eruption of World War II. China is the prime benefactor of the vacuum the United States has created. China needs Afghanistan for four reasons: access to energy, rare earth metals, securing a periphery state, and prestige.

China has three strategic vulnerabilities in its battle to take over world leadership from the United States. The first is access to the American capital market. The almighty U.S. dollar is still the primary currency China is forced to use. In this vulnerability, Xi is throwing a tantrum by dissolving multiple initial public offerings by Chinese firms through U.S. capital markets to access capital.

Its baffling, but Xi is more concerned with the threat of Chinese high-tech firms to CCP regime stability than their access to capital. The next two strategic vulnerabilities for China are dependency on the importation of energy and food.

Afghanistan solves the Chinese energy strategic vulnerability by the potential of oil and gas pipelines across Afghanistan to Pakistan (and easily extended to China), and its primary provider of oil, Iran.

Afghanistan also provides great stocks of rare earth metals.

And finally, the collapse and chaos of Western presence in Afghanistan allows China to be the prime foreign influence in Afghanistan, secure a periphery state, and chortle over the U.S. humiliation.

Hitler took the Sudetenland; China has taken the Sudetenstan. But China is under economic duress at home, and there is a historical track record of what totalitarian leaders do in this situation.

Whats Next?

The utter fecklessness of the Biden administration has mirrored Carters Iran crisis. The Afghan debacle sends a strong green light to the CCP as far as the likely success in further international adventurism. The message from the Biden administration is that there is an American lack of interest in asserting U.S. national interests.

If thats the case, why not continue with other countries close by? Americas collapse in Afghanistan gives China an immense return on investment. I would suggest that the obvious is trueChina can now pivot east and focus on Taiwan.

The rapid buildup of Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) amphibious warfare capacity over the past two years has been concerningespecially its mimicking of the key U.S. Naval enablers: the Military Sealift Command, and the National Defense Reserve Fleet.

The PLAN has never done a forced landing before, so the obvious answer is to conduct a dry run somewhere before Taiwan. But where? If I was a PLAN planner, northern Luzon in the Philippines is the intuitive course of action.

Japan is moving to militarize the island chain to the right rear flank of Taiwan. If China moves on Taiwan, Japan is displaying resolve to defend Taiwan. The question is clearwhat about America?

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Apple's Fifth Avenue store in New York, on June 16, 2020. (Mark Lennihan/AP Photo)

Apple Offers Small Concession in Easing App Store Rules for Netflix, Others

SAN FRANCISCO/TOKYOApple will let some apps like Netflix provide links to their websites for user payments, a small concession that would allow app developers to bypass the controversial 30 percent App Store fee the iPhone maker charges.

The concession was part of a settlement with Japans anti-trust regulator, which said the change was enough for it to close a five-year investigation into Apple that focused on video and music apps but did not consider games.

The U.S. tech giant, however, must still contend with a raft of other legal and regulatory challenges, including a closely watched antitrust lawsuit brought by Fortnite creator Epic Games.

The ban on providing separate links on App Store apps was lifted for so-called reader apps that provide content such as e-books, video, and music, that do not offer a free tier of service, and require payment at sign-up instead.

Currently, apps like Netflix and Spotify skirt Apples commissions of around 15 percent to 30 percent by forcing users to first sign up on their websites.

Some of the biggest services in this reader category are streamers like Netflix and Spotify which already have and rely on their own payment services, PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore said.

[The change] will allow smaller developers to manage a direct relationship with customers in order to manage their accounts and payment.

The change is set to take effect early next year and will be applied globally, said Apple, which will retain ultimate say over which apps qualify as reader apps.

Some companies said the concession was not enough.

A limited anti-steering fix does not solve all our issues, Spotify Technology said in a statement. The music streaming company is pursuing an antitrust complaint against Apple with European Union competition authorities.

Its rules for game makers have been among its most contentious, particularly the practice that Epic Games is contesting of not allowing developers to take other forms of payment inside apps.

That case may determine whether Apple can retain control over what apps appear on its devices and whether it is allowed to charge commissions to developers.

Responding to Apples latest announcement on its App Store, which forms the core of its $53.8 billion services segment, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney accused Apple of trying to appease with insufficient piecemeal measures.

Apple should open up iOS on the basis of hardware, stores, payments, and services each competing individually on their merits. Instead, theyre running a literally day-by-day recalculation of divide-and-conquer in hopes of getting away with most of their tying practices, he said on Twitter.

An official with Japans Fair Trade Commission stressed that the scope of its investigation did not cover games.

There is a possibility of there being an investigation into games too, he told a media briefing.

Apple has a 46.5 percent share of Japans smartphone market in which more than 30 million are sold annually.

The iPhone makers latest concession is the second in as many weeks. It reached a deal last week with a group of developers in the United States in a class-action lawsuit, ending a ban on them telling users in email messages about payment alternatives.

In one of its latest challenges, South Korea on Tuesday banned major app store operators including Apple from forcing developers to use their payment systems, effectively stopping them from charging commissions on in-app purchases.

The company is facing similar legislative action in the United States and Europe.
Arizona Governor Directs $60 Million to Hospitals Using Monoclonal Antibody Treatments

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Sept. 1 announced $60 million in funding to support hospitals using techniques that decrease COVID-19 hospitalizations, including the monoclonal antibody treatment.

The funds are meant to help designated hospitals hire health care staff at a time when the nations hospitals are competing for a shrinking pool of nurses and doctors.

This funding opportunity will decrease stress on existing hospital staff, increase hiring opportunities and decrease the risk of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Arizona, Ducey, a Republican, said in a statement.

The Republican governors of Texas and Florida have also dedicated state resources to support the use of monoclonal antibody therapy. Regeneron, the maker of the therapy, has shipped the largest share of doses in recent weeks to Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, the company told The Epoch Times.

If administered in the early stages of infection, monoclonal antibodies appear to reduce the risk of patients developing severe COVID-19 symptoms. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis is making the case that his surge of support for the therapy has helped drive down the hospitalizations from the peak levels recorded last month.

The high volume of patients compounded by the shortage of doctors and nurses across the country is creating intense competition for a limited pool of nurses nationwide. I am grateful for Governor Duceys actions today to bring more health care workers to Arizona as we navigate through this latest surge, Linda Hunt, CEO of Dignity Healths Southwest Division, said in a statement.

The $60 million Ducey deployed on Sept. 1 is the third round of funding to support Arizonas hospitals amid the pandemic. The governor invested $25 million in November 2020 and $60 million in December 2020 to bolster hospital staffing.

White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci listens as President Joe Biden speaks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on Feb. 25, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci last month supported the use of the antibody treatment, telling reporters at a COVID-19 briefing that the therapy can reduce the risk of severe illness by 70 to 85 percent.

This is a very effective intervention for COVID-19. It is underutilized, and we recommend strongly that we utilize this to its fullest, Fauci said.

It is important to emphasize that this must be done early in infection and not wait, of course, until a person is sick enough to be hospitalized, Fauci said. Thats when you get the best effect. And again, being an underutilized intervention, we want people out there, including physicians as well as potential patients, to realize the advantage of this very effective way of treating early infection.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey answers a question about the arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine in Arizona, while Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ listens, in Phoenix, Ariz., on Dec. 2, 2020. (Ross D. Franklin, Pool/AP Photo)

Arizona Governor Threatens to Block School Aid Over Mask Mandates

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says that schools defying a state executive order banning mask mandates wont be eligible to receive federal coronavirus relief grant funding through a program he created.

On Aug. 17, Ducey announced an investment of $10 million for an immediate relief program for K12 students and families.

The funding will provide choice for parents who are facing financial and educational barriers due to unnecessary closures and school mandates that are not in compliance with state law, the Republican governor said in a statement.

We are committed to keeping all Arizona kids on track, closing the achievement gap, and equipping underserved students and families with the tools they need to thrive, Ducey stated.

Ducey said the COVID-19 Educational Recovery Benefit program will provide up to $7,000 per student for child care, transportation, online tutoring, and tuition needs.

According to the program, eligible families must show a household income that is at or below 350 percent of the federal poverty level.

Parents must also show that their school is isolating, quarantining, or subjecting children to physical COVID-19 constraints. This includes mandating masks or providing preferential treatment to vaccinated students in violation of state law, Ducey said.

On Aug. 14, Ducey announced that Arizona school districts that defy the statewide mask mandate ban wouldnt be eligible for federal virus relief funds through a $163 million program he created. The program promises an additional $1,800 per student.

Parents are in the drivers seat, and its their right to make decisions that best fit the needs of their children. Safety recommendations are welcomed and encouragedmandates that place more stress on students and families arent, the governor said in a statement at the time. These grants acknowledge efforts by schools and educators that are following state laws and keeping their classroom doors open for Arizonas students.

Arizona Democrats reacted angrily to the governors announcement, with U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton writing on Twitter: The Governors gambit to deny American Rescue Plan funds to schools following CDC guidance not only puts students at riskit violates the law as written by Congress.

In an Aug. 17 letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Stanton chastised Ducey over his deeply irresponsible plan to withhold federal dollars from Arizona schools not following state guidelines.

Stanton said the plan appears to violate the plain language of the law as written by Congress as well as the guidance issued by the Treasury Department. These funds are not intended to be used for policies that undercut scientific research to pursue purely partisan ideological priorities.

Gov. Ducey has mismanaged the pandemic in Arizona from the beginningand children have paid the price. As of the end of last month, Arizona suffered the second most child deaths related to COVID-19 in the United States. In July, the number of children hospitalized for COVID in my state doubled.

On Aug. 18, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona responded to Ducey with a letter (pdf) that said Arizonas anti-mask mandate rule appears to restrict the development of local health and safety policies and is at odds with the school district planning process embodied in [the departments] interim final requirements.

Cardona went on to say that Arizonas actions to block school districts from adopting science-based strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19 puts federal health and safety goals at risk, and may infringe upon school districts that seek to implement federal health and safety rules.

On Aug. 17, U.S. Sen. Krysten Sinema (D-Ariz.) denounced Ducey on Twitter, calling his plan to withhold funds the most absurdly dangerous and anti-science step [he] has taken.

Until kids under 12 have access to the vaccine, what are parents supposed to do? Just hope their kids dont get sick and end up in the ICU? she wrote.

Other states that prohibit mask mandates in favor of parental choice include Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Iowa.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, there have been more than 970,000 cases of COVID-19 and 18,467 deaths in the state since the pandemic began in early 2020. Nearly 55 percent of Arizona residents have been fully vaccinated.
A street is flooded as the Schuylkill River exceeds its bank in the East Falls section of Philadelphia, on Sept. 2, 2021, in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

At Least 23 Dead, 200,000 Without Power in Tri-State Area Historic Floods

At least 23 have died as Hurricane Ida ravaged the Tri-State area on Wednesday night, including a toddler from New York City.

A record set two weeks ago, another record set now, Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a press meeting.

This is the biggest wake-up call we could possibly get, he said, referring to the historical catastrophe.

During a press meeting, the citys mayor gave thanks to the rescue teams and first responders that helped people get out from flooded subways and cars that needed evacuation, hundreds of times.

We have a lot of work to do right now to help New Yorkers recover, the mayor added.

Eight of the confirmed deaths happened in Queens and Brooklyn, including a 2-year-old toddler, two ladies in their 40s, and one 86-year-old woman, as well as 22- and 50-year-old men from Queens, and a 66-year-old man from Brooklyn, according to NBC.

The other 15 deaths happened in New Jersey, most of the fatalities were due to flooding.

Our hearts ache for the lives lost in last nights storm. Please keep them and their loved ones in your thoughts today. They were our fellow New Yorkers and to their families, your city will be there for you in the days ahead.  Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) Sept. 2, 2021

Over 200,000 people in the tri-state area were left without power.

Evening three after #HurricaneIda

1 million electric customers remain without power in the south #USA

Over 150k have been knock out in the North East USA due to Idas remnants causing sever weather including tornadoshttps://t.co/SWmJJoW5GD

[2021-09-01 9:11 PM EDT]#PowerOutage pic.twitter.com/re8M9m5jno  PowerOutage.us (@PowerOutage_us) September 2, 2021

New York remains under a State of Emergency for Downstate counties affected by the remnants of Ida, and the State is committed to ensuring all the necessary resources to recover from the historic and devastating flooding experienced overnight are immediately accessible and available for those severely impacted, Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

I have directed all State agencies engaged in emergency response efforts to work together with our Federal and local partners to take swift and appropriate action to help these communities recover.

Evening three after #HurricaneIda

1 million electric customers remain without power in the south #USA

Over 150k have been knocked out in the North East USA due to Idas remnants causing sever weather including tornadoshttps://t.co/SWmJJoW5GD

[2021-09-01 9:11 PM EDT]#PowerOutage pic.twitter.com/re8M9m5jno  PowerOutage.us (@PowerOutage_us) September 2, 2021
A person walks past posters encouraging people to get vaccinated in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 31, 2021(William West/AFP via Getty Images)

Australia Extends COVID-19 Emergency Powers to Mid-December

Australia has announced a three-month extension of the human biosecurity emergency powers that allow it to restrict Australians from outbound international travel amid the CCP virus pandemic.

Due to end on Sept. 17, the emergency powers, which have been in place since March 2020, will continue until Dec. 17.

Under the Biosecurity Act 2015, the powers allow the government to impose measures in an attempt to prevent and control the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease.

The emergency powers also allow the government to restrict cruise ships entering domestic waters, restrict retail trade at international airports, and mandate mask-wearing and pre-departure testing before any international flights.

A COVID-19 testing sign is seen at Sydney International airport in Sydney, Australia, on June 23, 2021. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

The extension, declared by the Governor-General today, was informed by specialist medical and epidemiological advice provided by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, Australian federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a press release on Sept. 2.

The AHPPC has advised that the international COVID-19 situation continues to pose an unacceptable risk to public health, Hunts press release stated, going on to say that extending the emergency period again was an appropriate response to that risk.

The emergency powers are critical to Australias National Plan to transition its response to the CCP virus from one of suppression to one of preventing serious illness and deathin other words learning to live with it.

A man reads a book as he queues at a COVID-19 vaccination centre in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 1, 2021. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

All of Australias state and territory leaders and the prime minister form the National Cabinet, an intergovernmental body. They have agreed to the plan which requires state leaders to implement measures to accelerate vaccination rates during Phase A, the current stage of the national plan (pdf).

Phase B is unlocked when 70 percent of people are vaccinated and may mean that restrictions are eased for the fully vaccinated, while Phase C is triggered when 80 percent of people are vaccinated, and this stage may include opening international borders.

However, on Sept. 1, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk signalled a shift from the National Plan, indicating that she might not open her states border to neighbouring state New South Wales (NSW) until Queensland children under 12 are vaccinated.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is seen during a press conference at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Brisbane, Australia, on Aug. 11, 2021. (AAP Image/Darren England)

In response, Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg noted that the national medical advice was that children were not at risk of serious illness from the virus.

He has urged all state and territory leaders to stick with the National Plan and open up the country at the same time.

Australia is in the midst of a severe CCP virus Delta variant outbreak in the states of NSW and Victoria, where both state leaders refuse to lift restrictions until at least 70-80 percent of their residents are vaccinated with at least one dose.

On Sept. 2, the federal health minister announced that Australia had passed 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administeredlikely a mix of first and second doses in total, though he did not specify.

Thank you, Australia, for coming forward in record numbers to be vaccinated. It helps to protect you, your family, your community, your country, he wrote on Twitter.
Australia Takes Over From China as World Leading Gold Producer

Australia has topped China as the worlds largest gold producer after gold production in the first half of 2021 has surpassed the Asian nations for the first time.

According to a report published on Aug. 29 by Surbiton Associates, a Melbourne consulting group that specializes in the Australian gold, mining, and minerals industries, Australia produced 157 tonnes of gold to June 30, with 74 tonnes in the March quarter and 83 tonnes in the June quarter.

The figure is four tonnes more than Chinas 153 tonnes, marking an end to the latters 14-year record of being the largest gold producer in the world.

China has been the worlds top gold producer since 2007, when it overtook South Africa, according to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), which estimated Chinese output at 380 tonnes last year.

Australia has been in second place for over a decade, while South African production has fallen substantially.

Australias gold production was 321 tonnes for the financial year 2020/21, and this is worth around A$26 billion at the current gold price of some A$2,500 per ounce, Dr. Sandra Close, a director of Surbiton Associates, said.

Gold has certainly made a sizeable contribution to the economy in what has been a most challenging COVID year.

A gold ingot at a jewelry shop on August 8, 2020. (Photo by Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite the strong momentum for Australia, the consulting group noted that while Chinas output fell behind Australias, Chinas previous years state recorded production figures were said to be 380 tonnes.

If this figure is correct, it would be the largest amount of gold produced ever.

Close attributed Chinas drop in gold production to work accidents, including deaths, with shut-downs taking place during investigations.

We shall have to see what happens to gold production in the next six months, both in Australia and in China, she said.

With 764,895 ounces, Newcrest Minings Cadia East operation became the largest gold producer in the financial year, followed by Boddington and Fosterville, with 700,000 ounces and 592,178 ounces, respectively.

Close pointed out that the local gold price remains encouraging and has driven expenditure on gold exploration.

It is interesting to look at the amount of money now being spent on gold exploration as a proportion of total mineral exploration expenditure, she said.

In 2001, gold exploration comprised around 55 percent of total mineral exploration expenditure. It fell to only 20 percent between 2008 and 2014 but has recovered now to around 50 percent.

Australias largest gold producers for the 2020-21 financial year were:

Cadia East 764,895 Newcrest Mining Ltd

Boddington 700,000 Newmont Inc

Fosterville 592,178 Kirkland Lake Gold Inc

Tanami 481,000 Newmont Inc

Super Pit 478,439 Northern Star Resources Ltd
Australian's uptake of rooftop solar is on the rise. (/Adobe Stock)

Australia Targets 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2025 As Solar Surges

Australia plans to have renewable energy completely sustain its electrical grid at certain parts of the day within the next four years.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has released a report signalling that a surge in rooftop solar will drive up renewable energy generation across the National Electricity Market (NEM).

A forecasted 8.9 gigawatts (GW) of commercial and residential solar will be installed across the NEM by 2025, adding to Australias existing 50 GW energy fleet.

Read More 90 Percent of Australias Imported Solar Panels Are Made in China

AEMO outlined that this alone could supply up to 77 percent of total electricity demand at points throughout the day, potentially reaching 100 percent renewable generation when combined with planned and existing utility-scale solar and wind farms.

An aerial view of the Darling Downs solar farm near Dalby, Queensland, Australia, in this undated photo. (AAP Image/APA)

By 2025, there will be periods of time when all customer demand could be met by renewable generation, said AEMO CEO Daniel Westerman in a media release.

This underscores AEMOs priority to develop grids that are capable of running at up to 100 percent instantaneous renewable penetration by 2025 to deliver reliable and affordable energy to consumers.

But the rapid onset of decentralised, distributed energy systems has introduced vulnerabilities to Australias electrical grid, AEMO noted.

In particular, Australias Energy Security Board (ESB) warned last month that significant technical challenges had to be addressed to ensure a safe and calculated transition to renewable resources.

One of these key factors was the lack of transparency between energy retailers and distributed energy resources (DERs)households and businesses with rooftop solar or batteries.

Stefan Jarnason, CEO of solar monitoring software and hardware provider Solar Analytics, said that reports by ESB and AEMO have repeatedly illustrated the need for a mechanism to manage DERs better.

CEO of Solar Analytics Stefan Jarnason. (Supplied)

The number one issue right now is that there is near zero visibility of how DER acts on the grid, Jarnason told The Epoch Times in an email.

DERs currently output into the grid when available by default, and have little interaction with grid operators. On an occasion like a sunny day, however, the AEMO has in some instances been forced to intervene and curtail the generation altogether.

The problem of inadequate measures to handle growing solar has heightened over the years, with 321 manual interventions required from AEMO last year alone, contrasting with the 6 interventions made in 2016.

Jarnason explained that Australia had not worked to implement the vital mechanism, despite industry accepted guides already existing.

DER is growing rapidly and will this decade be the largest generation source in the grid, Jarnason said. And yet, no authority anywhere has taken the industry agreed step to actually delivering on the pressing issue.

So DER will continue to grow, and we will sadly face a rocky period of higher than necessary prices due to a disorderly transition, Jarnason said.

On top of DER management, concerns have been mounting over the ability to provide sufficient, flexible power at all points in the day, particularly as ageing and failure-prone coal-fired power stations retire.

Flexible generation, such as battery, hydro, and gas, can fire up and output at short notice to make up for periods when solar falls, such as a cloudy day or during the night.

To address this, the Energy Security Board released a report last week suggesting a new capacity mechanism that would incentivise flexible energy generation.

The mechanism would require a form of insurance by paying dispatchable generators to be available during periods where energy supply is at risk.

However, the AEMO has reassured that Australias energy supply is safe for the next five years, bolstered by new solar, wind, gas, battery, and hydro projects.
Barn Preservation May Be in Pennsylvanias Future

Dotting Pennsylvanias farmland, old barns tell agricultures timeless story of provision. From the small family farms that cropped up before the United States existed, to todays large commercial operations, the barn has always been the heart of the farm, sheltering the work of growing food and fiber.

Home of sheep, cows, horses, or any animal a farmer raises; barns are places to store tools, seed, and feed; repair equipment; and teach children the ancient and modern methods of getting food to the table.

Pennsylvanias earliest intact barn, located in Chester County, dates to 1754, Greg Huber, a Lehigh County architectural historian told The Epoch Times.

If you can find a barn pre-1780, it is very rare, said Huber, who has studied and visited historic barns since the 1970s.

The most prevalent barn style in the state is called the Pennsylvania forebay barn, Huber said. It has three features including two levels, a bank or ramp to roll a loaded hay wagon up into the barn, and a forebay or cantilever section that creates an overhang of the second floor, beyond the stable wall.

This style started appearing in Pennsylvania in the 1730s and was a regional favorite, spreading into the Shenandoah Valley of what would become Virginia and West Virginia.

These were medieval-style structures held together with mortise and tenon joinerya sturdy, labor-intensive wooden joint that involves carving precise fittings on the end of the timbers forming the barns skeleton.

Early Loss Of Old Barns

A so-called Sweitzer barn built around 1810 in Berks County, Pa. (Greg Huber)

But farming changed as the country become more populated. In the 1830s-1850s, Huber said, Pennsylvania farmers had to compete with farmers growing cheap food in Ohio, and new transportation. Canals and trains moved food and feed further, opening opportunities for selling more commodities and changing the way local farms operated.

Ancient-style barns of the 1700s didnt meet the needs of this new economy and many were dismantled. Thats what happens when things become obsolete.

For example, many contracts from the 1600s exist in Pennsylvania and New York, Huber said, for the construction of a combined barn and house under one roof.

Where are they? They are not around (Pennsylvania or New York). There are a few in Missouri, Huber said. Without preservation, todays remaining old barns may be gone one day too.

Preservation Tax Incentive

Stone foundation of the 1700s era barn owned by farmer Luke Brubaker in Lancaster County, Pa., on Sept. 1, 2021. (Beth Brelje/The Epoch Times)

Pennsylvania state Senator Lisa Baker, a Republican, is calling for tax credits for the preservation of barns 50 or more years old.

My goal is to help preserve Pennsylvanias rich farming tradition, Baker told The Epoch Times in an email. Our historic barns are a key component of that legacy. This program will offer an important incentive to help retain and improve these structures for generations to come.

Agriculture has been, and remains a cornerstone of our economy, Baker said in a memo proposing the legislation. Historic barns represent our past, present, and future, and symbolize the heart of the family farm.

The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is looking forward to reviewing Sen. Bakers legislation when it is introduced, Farm Bureau spokesman Liam Migdail told The Epoch Times.

New Life For Old Barn

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, dairy farmer Luke Brubaker stands under the historic wood beams of his old, remodeled barn on Sept. 1, 2021. (Beth Brelje/The Epoch Times)

Old barns remind us of the people who made a living and built a life through agriculture. They echo laughter from the hay rafters, cats sleuthing for barn mice, the births of calves and colts, and the bittersweetness of passing the property to a new generation.

Luke Brubaker of Brubaker Farms in Lancaster County became that new generation in 1976 when he bought an old home and stone bank barn dating back to the 1700s.

In the 1900s the barn was used as a chick hatchery.

The barn was sitting there, one of those old barnsyou dont know what to do with them. They dont always fit the situation unless you make some changes, Brubaker told The Epoch Times.

He decided to offer farm tours and made the former chick hatchery a meeting place for anyone interested in learning about agriculture. The second floor has a board room and farm offices constructed with a modern feel mixed with touches of rustic barn beams and stone walls.

When he considers the barn is around 300 years old, Brubaker thinks about the hard work that went into its construction.

You have all that heavy lumber in the barn, Brubaker said. And a tunnel-like a brick arch probably 50-feet long, used in old days to store potatoes so they would not freeze in the winter.

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, farmer Luke Brubaker examines the brick arch of the cellar in his historic barn on Sept. 1, 2021. (Beth Brelje/The Epoch Times)

But mostly he thinks about the stone foundation and the rocks builders must have heaved from the nearby field in horse-pulled carts.

That takes vision and hard work to get something like accomplished, Brubaker said. That is really special.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau has been advocating for legislation that would remove a barrier for farmers who want to use historic barns to host weddings and other social events on the farm, Migdail said. Senate Bill 191 would establish a statewide standard for allowing older barns to be used for events, which is now left up to local governments.

Some farmers who have sought to use their barns for events have been told by local governments that they must retrofit their barns with commercial sprinkler systems, which is cost-prohibitive and, in many cases, nearly impossible in rural areas without municipal water. In other cases, farmers have been able to work with local officials to avoid having to install a sprinkler system as long as they take other steps to ensure safety. The bill would set a statewide standard that allows older barns to host events without a sprinkler system as long as certain safety measures are implemented.

Historic barn with painted hex signs decorating the wall in Lehigh County, Pa. (Greg Huber)

We believe this is an important step towards helping farmers take advantage of growing public interest in agriculture so they can generate additional revenue to both preserve their historic structures and keep their farms viable for future generations, Migdail said.

For those driving through farmland, old barns both retired and those still in use, capture the imagination.

Why so are they so evocative? We want to know where we came from, Huber said. There is an aura about history. We visualize what activities happened there. I think barns are particularly that way. It satisfies a curiosity. Our minds extend not only in the future, but also the opposite way. We want to complete the thought. Its a completion of where we came from.
B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry looks on as Premier John Horgan speaks about the COVID-19 vaccine card set to arrive Sept. 13, during a press conference at the provincial legislature in Victoria on Aug. 23, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito)

BC Businesses Unite Online to Oppose Upcoming Vaccine Card Program

A group of British Columbia business owners is banding together online to voice opposition to the provinces upcoming COVID-19 proof-of-vaccination program.

Sean Cahill, who owns a woodworking business, created the Facebook group BC Businesses Against Health Pass, which brings together local businesses and all like-minded individuals who share the belief that vaccination passports are unconstitutional.

A lot of companies are frustrated. Theyve experienced a lot of the lockdowns and other mandates that are getting far more intrusive into peoples lives, Cahill told The Epoch Times.

Once you get to that point, once you cross that threshold, it sets the precedent for government and elected officials to be able to become more intrusive in our lives  and eventually it gets to the point where its too much.

Cahills Facebook group aims to facilitate a connection between people and between businesses, while advocating for personal choice on whether to get vaccinated.

Asking for peoples medical histories when they walk in the door is overstepping our bounds. Businesses should have a personal choice to decide whether thats something I really want to do or not do. And then you should have your [patrons permission] as well. They should have a personal choice to decide whether thats what they want to do or not do, Cahill said.

Starting Sept. 13, all people born in 2009 or earlier will be asked to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to access certain events, services, and business, such as restaurants, movie theatres, gyms, pools, and indoor concerts, weddings, and conferences. People must be vaccinated with at least one dose by Sept. 13 and be fully vaccinated by Oct. 24meaning they must have had two doses at least seven days prior.

Sarah Rowat, founder of a separate Facebook group, BC Mass Against The Pass, said the vaccine passport system is a violation of our human rights and will negatively affect citizens, businesses, and communities.

One of the concerns is it goes against our medical privacy. Any medical procedure or choices that we make on our own with our doctors should remain private. We shouldnt be sharing our privacy with businessesthey shouldnt know if weve had a vaccine or not, she said in an interview.

Rowat said the vaccine passport system is also a violation of peoples right to life, liberty, security of the person, and enjoyment of property set out in the Canadian Bill of Rights.

She said the Facebook group members are sending liability notices to government and health officials, schools boards, and business employers regarding mandatory vaccination and masking.

Rowat criticized Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.s provincial health officer, for going back on her word not to implement a mandatory vaccination program.

On May 25 of this year, Bonnie Henry said that this virus has shown us that there are inequities in our society and [that] there is no way we will recommend inequities be increased by using vaccine passports, she said.

And then, just over a week ago, all of a sudden they just say were doing vaccine passports. It didnt get a votecompletely undemocratic.

Both Cahill and Rowat are mindful that the language group members use on Facebook in relation to COVID-19 vaccines could get them kicked off the social media platform, so theyre being extra careful.

Please refrain from using any flag words that will get us banned. Such as Vax, Vaccine, Vaccination, mask, covid etc. Use Health Status instead, warns a notice on the Facebook page of Cahills group.

Rowat says the administrators of her group have to approve every post that goes out.

Weve already been warned by Facebook that if people post, quote unquote, false information deemed by the fact-checkers on Facebook, that our group will be shut down.
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry is seen on a screen with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting via video link on Sept. 1, 2021. (U.S. Department of State/Handout via Reuters)

Beijing Demands US Fulfill Wish List in Exchange for Cooperation on Climate Change

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has given U.S. climate envoy John Kerry a set of instructions that the United States should follow if the Biden administration seeks Beijings cooperation on climate change.

Kerry is currently on the second leg of his Asia trip for negotiations on climate action. He first traveled to Japan before arriving in the Chinese port city of Tianjin on Aug. 31 for a three-day visit. Hes scheduled to meet with Xie Zhenhua, Chinas special envoy for climate change affairs.

On Sept. 1, Kerry and Wang held a virtual meeting to discuss bilateral cooperation on climate change. During the talks, Wang mixed in demands for the Chinese Communist Partys (CCPs) political goals and warned Kerry that China-U.S. climate cooperation cannot be separated from the wider environment of the Sino-U.S. relations, according to a statement from Chinas foreign ministry.

Wang blamed the United States for deteriorating SinoU.S. relations in recent years and urged the United States to stop seeing China as a threat and rival.

As for how to improve bilateral relations, Wang demanded that Kerry pay attention to and pro-actively respond to Chinas two lists and three bottom lines.

Wang was referring to the lists and three demands that Beijing handed to U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in late July when she visited Tianjin. One of the lists asked the United States to correct its wrongdoings, including revoking its sanctions on CCP officials, which were announced by the United States in response to widely reported human rights abuses.

Among its demands, the CCP requires the United States not to infringe upon Chinas sovereignty in the troubled regions of Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. Many Western governments, including the United States, have called out the CCP for its human rights violations in these three regions, particularly over the detention of more than 1 million Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Wang had listed the same requirements to Secretary of State Antony Blinken days earlier, when the two discussed bilateral cooperation on Afghanistan over the phone.

According to a short video clip of the meeting released by CGTN, the international arm of Chinas state-owned broadcaster CCTV, Kerry told Wang during the meeting, China, my friend, plays a super critical role in efforts to combat climate change.

The official statement from the State Department said that Kerry and Wang discussed bilateral and multilateral efforts to raise climate ambition and address the global climate crisis. Kerry urged China to take additional steps to reduce emissions.

The statement didnt mention Wangs demands of the United States.

CCP diplomats have taken on an even tougher stancean aggressive style dubbed wolf warrior diplomacysince President Joe Biden took office in January.

Chinas foreign policy official Yang Jiechi, at a virtual meeting in February hosted by New York-based nonprofit National Committee on U.S.China Relations, warned the Biden administration not to cross Beijings red line.

In March, Wang and Yang dressed down Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan during an in-person meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Yang lashed out at the United States over what he said was its struggling democracy and poor treatment of minorities, while criticizing its foreign affairs and trade policies.

Chinas Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng followed up by bombarding Sherman with complaints and accusations during her visit in late July.

On Aug. 31, Chinas newly appointed ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, in another event hosted by the National Committee on U.S.China Relations, threatened disastrous consequences if U.S. politicians aim to suppress China with a Cold War playbook.

Members of Congress have expressed concerns about Kerrys efforts to seek the CCPs cooperation on climate change. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned that Kerry shouldnt link U.S. energy needs to the Chinese regime.

Actions to address climate concerns cannot benefit forced labor and cannot link our energy needs and supply chains to the PRC [Peoples Republic of China], nor should Special Envoy Kerry rely on the word of a genocidal regime with a history of ignoring international agreements, McCaul wrote in statement.

We must neither sacrifice our values nor forget the track record of failed commitments with the CCP.
A U.S. Air Force aircraft takes off from the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 30, 2021. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Admin Must Provide Detailed Info About Americans Left in Afghanistan: GOP Senators

A group of 26 GOP senators, led by Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), demanded the Biden Administration provide the exact number of Americans left in Afghanistan and how they have been vetting a large number of evacuees.

Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of American citizens, permanent residents, and allies who were left behind in Afghanistan, GOP senators said in an official letter (pdf) to President Joe Biden Thursday morning.

The senators said that signatories of the letter might have different opinions about whether the United States should have maintained a military presence in Afghanistan, but we all agree that the arbitrary and poorly-planned method by which you withdrew from Afghanistan caused this crisis.

Of the American citizens still in Afghanistan, how many are currently in contact with the State Department?  How many have expressed a desire to be repatriated to the United States? the senators asked.

How did the administration reach this estimate, and what steps is the administration taking to find and connect with Americans who may still be in Afghanistan but who are not in contact with the State Department?

A US Air Force aircraft takes off from the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 30, 2021. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)

The 26 senators also asked similar questions about green card holders and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants. They asked what steps the Biden administration had taken to ensure SIV applicants safety while they remain in Afghanistan.

The State Department estimates that between 100 and 200 Americans are still in Afghanistan after the last U.S. military plane departed the airport in Kabul.

Were trying to determine exactly how many. Were going through manifests and calling and texting through our lists, and we will have more details to share as soon as possible. Part of the challenge with fixing a precise number is that there are longtime residents of Afghanistan who have American passports and who are trying to determine whether or not they want to leave. Many are dual citizen Americans with deep roots and extended families in Afghanistan who resided there for many years. For many, its a painful choice, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday. Our commitment to them and to all Americans in Afghanistan and everywhere in the world continues.

Tens of thousands of SIV applicants remain in Afghanistan, according to aid groups. The Association of Wartime Allies has pegged the number as high as 118,000 when including the applicants family members.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the majority of Afghan interpreters and others who applied for visas were left in Afghanistan.

Taliban terrorists walk in front of a military airplane a day after the U.S. troop withdrawal from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 31, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters)

We are also concerned by reports that ineligible individuals, including Afghans with ties to terrorist organizations or serious, violent criminals, were evacuated alongside innocent refugee families, the GOP senators continued.

The Department of State estimated that more than 123,000 individuals had been evacuated from Afghanistan in recent weeks. Among them, about 6,000 were American citizens.

What steps are your administration taking to ensure that individuals are thoroughly vetted and their identities verified before entering the United States? the senators asked.

The Biden administration acknowledged that fewer than 50 percent of evacuated Afghans were SIV applicants or their families, the GOP senators pointed out.

There are reports that a convicted rapistwho had previously served a prison sentence in the United States before being deportedwas flown to the national capital region as part of this airlift operation, the letter continued, referencing a case reported by the Washington Times. Was that individual vetted before being flown to the United States? If so, was his criminal record found and ignored, or was it not found in the first place?

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki promised that all evacuees coming to America would have been thoroughly vetted.

I can absolutely assure you that no one is coming into the United States of America who has not been through a thorough screening and background check process, Psaki said in Wednesdays briefing. And there are many individuals, as you noted, who have not been through that process and they have gone to lily pad countries, as that process has been completed. It doesnt mean that thats because there is a flag. It means they have not completed their paperwork, and we were working to save tens of thousands of people. Hence we evacuated them to these third countries.

The GOP senators demanded that the Biden administration provide answers no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Tajik service members march during a parade following a nationwide military exercise, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on July 22, 2021. (Tajik Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)

Biden Administration Helps Secure Tajikistans Border With Afghanistan

The United States will help build new border facilities in Tajikistan along the Central Asian countrys border with Afghanistan to respond to potential terrorist or other security threats, said the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe this week.

The facility will be constructed in Tajikistans southern tip and will replace an old facility to allow border guards to deploy forces more quickly to border areas in response to threats, the embassy said. Over the past 20 years, that about $300 million has been provided to Tajikistan to secure its border with Afghanistan.

The United States and Tajikistan enjoy strong security cooperation, Ambassador John Mark Pommersheim stated on Wednesday, and this border detachment project is just another example of our shared commitment to the security and sovereignty of Tajikistan and Central Asia.

According to the embassys statement, the United States is partnering with the United Nations to construct the border facility in Ayvoj with the project scheduled to break ground next year.

Tajikistan, which has pledged to accept 100,000 Afghan refugees escaping the Taliban, also hosts a Russian military base and is a member of a Moscow-led post-Soviet security bloc. Moscow has reinforced its military base in Tajikistan and its forces are holding a month of exercises near the border with Afghanistan.

A view shows military hardware and troops during joint military drills involving Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, at the Harb-Maidon training ground, located near the Tajik-Afghan border in the Khatlon Region of Tajikistan, on Aug. 10, 2021. (Didor Sadulloev/Reuters)

A view shows military hardware and troops during joint military drills involving Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, at the Harb-Maidon training ground, located near the Tajik-Afghan border in the Khatlon Region of Tajikistan, on Aug. 10, 2021. (Didor Sadulloev/Reuters)

In August, Russia partnered with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to hold military drills near the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border area while the Taliban was taking over most of Afghanistan after the U.S. began pulling out of the country.

The final U.S. forces pulled out of Afghanistan on Monday and President Joe Biden spoke on Tuesday of the end of an era of major military operations to carry out nation-building. The president also received significant blowback from both major political parties regarding how his administration handled the withdrawal, which left hundreds of Americans behind, and became the subject of a terrorist attack on the Kabul airport.

Last week, ISIS-Kan Afghan affiliate of the ISIS terrorist groupclaimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at least 13 U.S. service members at the airport amid evacuation efforts. Pentagon officials later said that numerous ISIS terrorists escaped from Afghan prisons as the Taliban took over the country.

On Thursday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich raised red flags regarding potential terrorism concerns along the U.S.-Mexico border, calling on the Biden administration to also enforce immigration laws.

Make no doubt about it, people that mean America harm are crossing the southern border, Brnovich told Fox News.

Reuters contributed to this report.
A helicopter flies over Wrights Lake while battling the Caldor Fire in Eldorado National Forest, Calif., on Sept. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Biden Issues Emergency Declaration in California Over Caldor Fire

President Joe Biden has declared an emergency in California as the Caldor Fire continues to threaten homes and businesses near Lake Tahoe, fuelled by powerful winds and dry conditions.

The declaration authorizes coordination of disaster relief measures by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the White House said in a statement.

Gov. Gavin Newsom thanked the president for approving the emergency declaration that will help California secure federal assistance for emergency response and recovery efforts in El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, and Placer counties.

We thank President Biden and Vice President Harris for their steadfast support to California as we battle these challenging fires, Newsom stated. Our continued partnership with the federal government is critical to protecting communities and ensuring impacted Californians have the supports they need to get back on their feet.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter tour the area scorched by the Caldor Fire in Eldorado National Forest, Calif., on Sept. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The declaration, approved just hours after Newsom submitted the request, will supplement state, local, and tribal government emergency services for the protection of lives, property, and public health and safety, the governors office said in a news release.

The president previously declared disasters in counties of Lassen, Nevada, Placer, and Plumas for the Dixie and River wildfires.

According to the White House, the DHS and FEMA are now authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.

Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding, it said.

Although favorable weather helped firefighters working to save communities on the south end of Lake Tahoe from the approaching wildfire on Sept. 1, officials warned that stiff winds and dry conditions would mean that homes in the California-Nevada alpine region are still in danger.

Finally, some good news on the weather side of things here on this fire, Jim Dudley, a meteorologist assigned to the fire, said at a Sept. 1 briefing. Winds were expected to calm significantly over the next several days, he said, but risks remain with the extremely low humidity.

Satellite imagery shows smoke coming from the Caldor Fire near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2021. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

A tanker flies over Wrights Lake while battling the Caldor Fire in Eldorado National Forest, Calif., on Sept. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

The Caldor Fire remained roughly three miles south of the recently evacuated city of South Lake Tahoe, moving northeast toward the California-Nevada state line, Cal Fire spokesman Henry Herrera told reporters on the evening of Sept. 1.

Crews try desperately to keep flames away from urban communities, where houses are close together, and shopping centers, hotels, and other structures would provide even more fuel for a fire that has so far been feeding on trees, grasses, and scattered homes and cabins.

Were still not out of the woods. The fire is still moving, Herrera said.

Since it began on Aug. 14, the blaze has destroyed at least 700 homes and other structures and scorched through nearly 320 square miles. It still threatens at least 33,000 more homes and structures. It was 20 percent contained on Sept. 1.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden speaks on ending the war in Afghanistan in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington on Aug. 31, 2021. (Brendon Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Pledges Federal Support to Those Impacted by Hurricane Ida

President Joe Biden said Thursday that the White House would help those impacted by Hurricane Ida ahead of his trip to Louisiana to survey storm damage.

My message to everyone affected is were all in this together. The nation is here to help. Thats the message Ive been making clear to the majors, governors, energy and utility leaders in the region who my administration has been working closely with over the last few days, he said on Thursday.

His administration will be working around the clock until the critical needs of the region are fully met, Biden said, adding that hell visit Lousiana, where the storm made landfall over the past weekend as a Category 4 hurricane. We will meet them.

The president tapped White House senior adviser and director of the Office of Public Engagement Cedric Richmond to lead Idas recovery efforts. Richmond was a congressman from Louisiana for 10 years.

Hurricane Ida, the remnants of which interacted with a frontal boundary in the northeastern United States and triggered heavy rainfall in the New York City metropolitan area, was the strongest storm to hit Louisiana in more than 150 years, according to some estimates.

Russell Threeton, a strawberry farmer, walks through floodwater after Hurricane Ida in Springfield, La., on Sept. 1, 2021. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

People make their way in rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in the Bronx borough of New York City on Sept. 1, 2021. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

During his speech, Biden also called on private insurance companies to help some folks who are hurting amid reports that some insurance firms could deny assistance to homeowners unless they were under a mandatory evacuation order.

Im calling on the private insurance companies right now, at this critical moment, dont hide behind the fine print and technicality. Do your job. Keep your commitments to your communities that you insure. Do the right thing, he said.

When the storms remnants impacted the northeastern United States, New York and New Jersey Govs. Kathy Hochul and Phil Murphy issued states of emergency due to the rain, which interrupted flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, flooded streets, and halted the operation of the New York City subway system.

Weve been monitoring this hurricane closely and the devastation its caused. To date, six deaths, about a million homes without power in Louisiana and Mississippi. While the catastrophic flooding wasnt as severe as it was during Hurricane Katrina 16 years ago, Ida was so powerful that it caused the Mississippi River literally to change direction, change the flow, temporarily, Biden said.

While New Orleans levee system held up, levees in outlying areas failed and the hurricane knocked out power to all of New Orleans. According to Poweroutages.us, more than 920,000 people were without power in Louisiana at the time of publishing. Meanwhile, 65 percent of gas stations in New Orleans do not have gas, said reports from GasBuddy.

The storm killed at least 22 people from Maryland to New York on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Nine people died in New York City, police said, one of them in a car and eight in flooded basement apartments that often serve as relatively affordable homes for low-income people. Officials said at least eight died in New Jersey and three in Pennsylvanias suburban Montgomery County; one was killed by a falling tree, one drowned in a car, and another in a home. An on-duty state trooper in Connecticut was swept away in his cruiser and later taken to a hospital, state police and local authorities said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Russell Threeton, a strawberry farmer, walks through floodwater after Hurricane Ida in Springfield, La., on Sept. 1, 2021. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Biden to Visit Louisiana in Aftermath of Hurricane Ida

President Joe Biden will visit Louisiana on Friday to survey damage from Hurricane Ida and meet with state and local leaders from communities that were hit.

Biden plans to travel to New Orleans, where the storm knocked out power for days.

Electricity began returning to the city on Wednesday, but most residents remained without on Wednesday, as did about 40 percent of the state.

Biden would not go if it would take away from relief efforts, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington.

The trip is being planned in coordination with leaders on the ground to ensure its the right time to go, she added.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told reporters in Jefferson Parish that he was informed of Bidens planned visit.

I do appreciate the fact that hes going to come because theres nothing quite like visiting in person, the Democrat said.

Asked what he would request of the president, Edwards said it would be a long list that includes making sure theres a permanent housing program for southeast Louisiana.

Making requests at the same time he sees the utter devastation that has happened here, I think it would be better received. And so the timing is important as well, he said.

Flood waters still surround homes as residents try to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida in Myrtle Grove, La., on Sept. 1, 2021 (Steve Helber/AP Photo)

Ida hit on Sunday and wreaked havoc on cities and towns along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana before moving into Mississippi and causing problems there.

It later weakened but still dumped rain on states to the north like Maryland and New York, leaving at least nine dead.

Biden has been following the progress in cleaning up after Ida, according to the White House, sharing a call with Bel Edwards and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, and speaking with CEOs of the energy companies.

The federal government has sent workers to assist with the recovery efforts, along with equipment like generators to help residents deal with the loss of power and reliable gas and food supplies.

In New Orleans, there were still neighborhoods without power on Wednesday as residents were forced to stay home at night due to a curfew imposed by local officials.

Emergency calls were about 185 percent above normal as workers tried to respond, officials said in a briefing in the city.

We are seeing tremendous progress each and every day and expect to continue to see that throughout today, Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat, told reporters.
Bill Gertz: US Withdrawal from Afghanistan a Strategic Success for China

Was the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan a strategic success for China?

The United States has now officially withdrawn from Afghanistan, and President Joe Biden states that one of the main reasons for doing so was to allow the United States to shore up and refocus U.S. military resources on greater threats. Biden pointed to the serious competition with China that the United States is currently engaged in. However, at the same time as the U.S. withdrawal is happening, the Chinese government is developing deeper diplomatic relations with the Taliban, and some analysts say that China even wanted to get the United States out of Afghanistan.

To learn more about this development, and what it means for the United States, we sat down for an interview with Bill Gertz, national security correspondent with The Washington Times and author of Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist Chinas Drive for Global Supremacy.

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Bipartisan Delegation of Louisiana Congressmen Ask Biden, Congress for Emergency Aid

Following the landfall of the monstrous Category 4 Hurricane Ida into Louisiana, a bipartisan delegation of U.S. representatives and senators from Louisiana have sent a request to President Joe Biden for disaster relief funding.

The delegationconsisting of Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Reps. Clay Higgins (R-La.), Steve Scalise (R-La.), Mike Johnson (R-La.), Garret Graves (R-La.), Julia Letlow (R-La.) and Troy Carter (D-La.)wrote the letter, says Kennedy on his Senate website, to alert the president to the need for disaster relief funds to help Louisiana recover from historic storm damage.

The letter from the Louisiana delegation opens with a comparison of Hurricane Ida to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This storm, it notes, was worse than Katrina: Hurricane Katrina was a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds when it struck Louisianas coast 16 years ago. Conversely, Hurricane Ida had sustained winds of 150 mph when it made landfall, and was just 7 mph shy of ranking as a Category 5 storm.

At sustained wind speeds of 150 mph, Ida was among the most severe hurricanes the region had ever experienced.

The letter continues: [Ida caused] catastrophic wind damage and flooding in numerous parishes  leaving nearly 1,000,000 people statewide without electricity. At this time, many communities remain without access to drinking water, food, gasoline, and basic needs, while temperatures remain in excess of 100 degrees.

On Sunday, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards requested that the president declare a major disaster, a request that Biden readily complied with.

The delegation continued that even days after the landfall of the storm, the full extent of Louisianas damages have not yet been determined and will likely not be fully known until after immediate matters of public safety are addressed.

Because of this, the congressmen write, we are writing you now to alert you to the need for Congress to provide emergency supplemental appropriations to address Hurricane Ida and [other] storms from last year, as was done following Hurricane Katrina. Without substantial and robust appropriations from Congress  Louisiana families will continue to languish as a result of these devastating storms.

Following Hurricane Katrina, Congress appropriated billions in emergency funding to relevant emergency response governmental agencies. The delegation requested a similar appropriation to deal with the aftermath of Ida. The congressmen concluded in the letter that they remain ready to work together on legislation needed to provide emergency supplemental assistance.

Biden has already promised some governmental assistance.

On Monday, Biden told the governors of Mississippi and Louisiana that the federal government would do everything in its power to address the crisis. Were there to help you get back on your feet, Biden said during that meeting. People in Louisiana and Mississippi are resilient, but it is in moments like these that we can see the power of government to meet the needs of people and respond to people, if government is prepared to respond. That is our job.

As part of this response, the federal government has mobilized 5,000 National Guardsmen across the southeastern states. To address severe damages to the two states power grids, the government has also sent over 25,000 electrical crews and linemen to the region.

To address cell phone outages, Bidens Federal Communications Commission is working with major cell service providers to allow people in affected regions to use any available roaming services in the state.

Still, to address the Louisiana delegations request for emergency funding, Congress will need to convene. Following Hurricane Katrina, such a session was called. At the time of publication, no such session has yet been prepared.

Generally, subcommittees of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations produce 12 appropriations bills per year. The Louisiana delegation is now asking for a thirteenth.

On Thursday, the House met for work within committees, but is not set to return again until Sept. 9. It is still unclear whether such an emergency session will be called as Democratic leadership already faces a slew of harsh legislative deadlines before the end of the month.
California Governor Candidate Series: In-Depth With Jenny Rae Le Roux

In this special series, we interview the front-runners in the recall election of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Despite multiple requests, Newsom has not agreed to appear on the show.

In this episode of the series, we sit down with candidate for governor Jenny Rae Le Roux, who has an MBA from Columbia School of Business and has started two successful tech companies.

California Insider is a nonpartisan show and does not endorse any candidate; rather, our objective is to inform our viewers of the most important issues in society.

California Insider is an Epoch Times show available on YouTube, Rumble, Youmaker, and The Epoch Times website. It also airs on cable on NTD America. Find out where you can watch us on TV.

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Kristina Szaszy-Jones (L), vice president of the Salinas Union High School District Board, and Dan Burns, superintendent at SUHSD, at a board meeting in Salinas, Calif., on Aug. 10, 2021. (Screenshot via YouTube/SUHSD Official)

California School District Blocks Public Comments on CRT at Board Meetings

A teacher who resigned her position at Rancho San Juan High School in Salinas, California, and moved to Florida this year after she said she was threatened and bullied on social media for opposing critical race theory (CRT) claims the school board has refused to read her public comments at meetings.

Kali Fontanilla told The Epoch Times that the Salinas Union High School District (SUHSD) hasnt read her letter aloud during public comments since she submitted it to the board on July 13.

The letter, obtained by The Epoch Times, criticizes school board president Phillip Tabera, who attacked opponents of CRT on social media after a raucous June 22 board meeting at which he was called a racist.

As a reaction to the many parents that spoke up and my own voice as a black teacher in the district, your board President, Phillip Tabera, stated publicly on Facebook the day after the meeting on June 23rd that the anti people of color came out last night, Fontanilla wrote.

I am disgusted and insulted that he would say such derogatory words about those that were brave enough to speak up about this indoctrination happening in the classroom, she wrote. Some of those that spoke up were people of color, including myself. To be told that we are anti people of color because we are against the district forcing all of our students to receive lessons that are racist and divisive is disgraceful.

Neither Tabera nor SUHSD Superintendent Dan Burns has responded to inquiries about Fontanillas letter.

Meanwhile, information obtained through the Public Records Act indicates SUHSD dismissed the actions and public comments of parents opposed to CRT and ethnic studies at its June 22 board meeting as part of a national, coordinated action inspired by right-wing, conservative media and political institutions. The memo included links to Politico and the Republican Study Committee.

SUHSD then listed Our Values, with links to its resolutions on Black Lives Matter, civic literacy and engagement, and DACA legislation, among others.

California lawmakers have proposed Assembly Bill 101 (AB 101), which would make the states ethnic studies modified curriculum (ESMC) a graduation requirement for all high schools students. SUHSD has already implemented its own ethnic studies program for all ninth-grade students ahead of the proposed state legislation.

Fontanilla said Tabera should be removed from his position immediately for discrimination and racism.

Kali Fontanilla, a former teacher at Rancho San Juan High School in Salinas, Calif., who moved to Florida after speaking out against critical race theory and Black Lives Matter. (Courtesy Kali Fontanilla)

She also blasted Burns for denying that the ethnic studies curriculum is based on CRT.

Ive also seen the way the district superintendent has denied that critical race theory is being taught in our schools to the press. This is a complete lie! He is not being transparent to the public and the parents who have kids in our schools, Fontanilla wrote.

Some of the words and concepts included in lessons taught to students are: critical whiteness studies, hegemony, white privilege, white fragility, white silence, white denial, the 4 Is of oppression, internalized racism, anti-capitalism, counter-genocide, anti-heterosexism, anti-patriarchy, people of color power, decolonization.

To deny that critical race theory is inserted into these lessons is completely dishonest!

Fontanilla said ethnic studies is not a history lesson or study of different cultures, but rather pure divisive and racist brainwashing.

I never taught my students that they were victims or oppressed. I never told my white students that they are privileged and oppressors. I told all my students that they were strong, resilient, intelligent, and can do anything if they put their minds to it, despite their circumstances, she wrote.

Students are a captive audience who should not be forced to study CRT in order to graduate, especially without their parents knowledge or consent, she said.

Burns said at the school boards Aug. 10 meeting that SUHSD would no longer hear public comments about CRT or ethnic studies, after controversy erupted over those two issues at meetings this summer.

He announced that, without desiring to change the current course pathway of ethnic studies as a requirement, the school board will not take public comments on these two topics in the future until theres a future debate about this again. Weve heard concerns from both sides. We appreciate the support of both sides in the debate and in the future, well announce if were going to have this conversation further.

But at the school boards Aug. 24 meeting, dozens of students and parents spoke in favor of CRT and ethnic studies after Salinas High School students were accused of posting crude photos of a black baby doll online on an Instagram account.

CRT opponent Kelly Schenkoske told The Epoch Times that looking back on the Aug. 10 meeting, Burnss statement banning public comments on CRT and ethnic studies seems incredibly strange considering time limits werent enforced on those who spoke in favor of CRT and ethnic studies two weeks later.

She suggested SUHSD might be violating the Brown Act, which requires meetings to include a general comment period where the public is allowed to comment on anything of interest that is under the jurisdiction of a local government body.
Californias Slow Flow of Aid, Rising Property Prices Put Renters at Risk

Commentary

The US Treasury Department may have to take back some $1.4 billion to $4 billion in funds allocated to help California (including its cities and counties) with paying overdue rent and utility bills.

According to analysis conducted for The Epoch Times of data released by the US Treasury, only a small percentage of moneys allocated to California has been allocated to people late on their rent and utility bills.

This very unfortunate news comes after recent data shows that some 10.5 percent of all California residents live within homes where the lead tenant or mortgage borrower says they are not at all confident they can make their next rent or mortgage payment, as property prices in the region continue to show dramatic price gains through Junepricing more and more people out of the home purchase market.

The State of California was one of the entities that participated late last week in a United States Treasury Department-sponsored roundtable to learn best practices from other jurisdictions.

In the most recent data published by S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller property indices, home values for just the month of June in San Francisco were up 2.65 percent, 2.56 percent in San Diego, and up 1.93 percent in Los Angeles.

Looking at the one-year period, home prices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego were up an amazing respective 21.94 percent, 18.70 percent and 17.56 percent from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.

S&P CoreLogic uses data sets collected by CoreLogic and analyzed according to the economic theories of Robert Shiller, for which he won a Nobel Prize in economic sciences. According to many real estate economists, including this author, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller indices are the best indices available to track changes in home price values in the United States. The data set looks at all home transactions that occurred in June 2021 and compares those prices to the last time that individual home sold.

Across the U.S., home prices in the top 20 real estate markets tracked by S&P CoreLogic were up 1.97 percent during the month of June and up 19.08 percent for the 12 months ended June 30th.

In the western states outside California, home prices also increased rapidly from July 2020 to June 2021. In Seattle, home prices were up 25.03 percent during that period. Phoenix home prices increased even more: up 29.28 percent during that one year time frame.

One reason why the state and municipalities may be having so much trouble getting rental and utility-bill assistance to people in need is that the entities may not have enough workers to review applications. Pension costs are generally up dramatically for many cities and counties, which means they have less money to pay for workers than they otherwise would have.

Retired California State Senator John Moorlach told the Epoch Times, Most cities have reduced their hiring because of sky-rocketing pension costs.

Having to spend money on an obligation rather than a higher priority item is called crowding out. An item that might normally be higher priority (like getting money to renters, landlords and utility customers before the Treasury may revoke the funding) may not get funded, or crowded out by a lower priority funding item, because the money has to go to the lower-priority item instead.

Many cities and counties in California are facing rapidly increasing pension costs compared to a few years ago because of contractual obligations with their unionized work forces and because of mediocre investment returns before the pandemic.

According to its website, The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Home Price NSA Index seeks to measure the value of residential real estate in 20 major U.S. metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa and Washington, D.C.

All five western cities tracked by S&P CoreLogic outside California appreciated faster over the 12-month period than the national, 20-city index.
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau Joins Calls to Apply COVID-19 Lessons to Climate Change

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that what we learned from this COVID crisis will be applied to climate change, sparking fears from some of future climate lockdowns that will restrict freedom of movement and consumption in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Do you remember when we warned that covid lockdowns would segue into climate lockdowns? obesity researcher Zoe Harcombe wrote on Twitter in response to a video clip of the comments.

Marc Morano of Climate Depot, who highlighted the remarks on his website, expressed concern about the power that he thinks Trudeau and other world leaders may be seeking.

Declaring an emergency and then imposing, without a vote, the solutions you want is what I believe Trudeau meant, Morano told The Epoch Times.

COVID lockdowns have brought the Progressive dream of a one-party state to Western democracies.

Trudeaus rhetoric echoed language used by powerful officials throughout the world.

In an interview with World Economic Forum head Klaus Schwab for Time magazine, Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, argued that to move to this new normal, whether one likes the word or not, we need to anticipate and vaccinate, and then we need to learn the lessons of what we have just gone through.

I think the world that we will live in will bear the stigmas of COVID, Lagarde said. By that, I mean, we will not travel in the same way, as opportunistically and as randomly as we did. We probably will not socialize in the same way, as close to each other. And we will probably shift to better protection of biodiversity and better protection of the climate than otherwise we would have had.

In the United States, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Rachel Levine has explicitly linked climate change to public health, doing so in connection with the launch of HHSs new Office of Climate Change and Health Equity on Aug. 30.

COVID-19 highlighted the inequities faced throughout our nation. Unfortunately, some of the same groups disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 will be the same groups struggling the most with the effects of climate change on our health, Levine said. We will use the lessons learned from COVID-19 to address these disparities, prioritizing and protecting the nations health.

In January 2021, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.-N.Y.) urged newly inaugurated President Joe Biden to formally declare a climate emergency under the National Emergencies Acta step taken by more than 2000 jurisdictions across 34 countries according to ClimateEmergencyDeclaration.org.

COVID-19 was declared a national emergency under the same framework in 2020, with the emergency extended by Biden through February 2022. A separate COVID-19 public health emergency declaration by HHS has been continually renewed since 2020, most recently in July.

Writing in The Hill, Ryan P. Burke of the U.S. Air Force Academy argued that Biden would have to link climate change to national defense and security to justify such a declarationa move the Biden administration has tried to make through a far-reaching executive order on climate.

While explicit climate lockdowns arent yet a reality, academics, activists, and government officials have begun to express an interest in climate lockdowns and other radical measures, such as carbon rationing, in order to restrict carbon emissions.

In a September 2020 article for Project Syndicate, Mariana Mazzucato, a professor at Imperial College London in the UK, explicitly warned that in the near future, the world may need to resort to lockdowns againthis time to tackle a climate emergency.

Under a climate lockdown, governments would limit private-vehicle use, ban consumption of red meat, and impose extreme energy-saving measures, while fossil-fuel companies would have to stop drilling, Mazzucato wrote.

The Absolute Zero report, produced with UK government support by the UK FIRES research consortium, argues that greenhouse gas emissions must be cut to zero by 2050.

The report claimed that such a goal could only be achieved through prohibitions on the use of carbon similar to prohibitions on the use of asbestos, as well as by making aviation illegal, phasing out shipping, and eliminating cement-based mortar and concrete.

In his remarks to the 2020 G-7 Speakers Meeting, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the UK House of Commons, appeared to advocate for COVID-19-style limitations on personal choice and lifestyle to address climate change.

No one could ever imagine that we would be wearing masks so readily and that we would all be so compliant, Hoyle said. Perhaps we ought not to underestimate the ability of people and communities to work together for the common good, if there is united and clear leadership.

I am ready for carbon rationing. Are you? Rosalind Readhead, an environmental campaigner who goes by the handle @Privatecarfree, wrote on Twitter.

In Finland, where the government recently led a trial of basic income, the town of Lahti has launched a voluntary carbon rationing plan based on a smartphone app, CitiCap, on which users buy and sell carbon credits from each other.

Trudeaus press office didnt respond to requests for comment on his remarks by press time.
China Is Our Main Partner, Says Taliban Spokesperson

A Taliban spokesperson has praised Beijing as a main partner and financer as the group moves to build a national governance and develop Afghanistans economy.

China is our main partner and represents for us a fundamental and extraordinary opportunity because it is willing to invest and rebuild our country, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid told the Italian newspaper la Repubblica on Sept. 1.

Mujahid made the remarks as the militant group, which took over Afghanistan in dramatic fashion last month, celebrated the final withdrawal of American troops from the country, putting an end to a 20-year-long conflict.

But money has become a pressing concern for the Taliban after the United States blocked the group from accessing billions of Afghan assets held in U.S. bank accounts, while the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have each suspended funding to Afghanistan.

With cash running short, the Taliban appears to place its bet on Beijing, which in recent days have signaled readiness to build ties with the groupalthough it has yet to formally recognize the Taliban regime.

Mujahid said the Taliban was very keen on Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a billion-dollar infrastructure project championed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping that aims to expand the regimes economic and political clout worldwide. While Afghanistan signed its first memorandum of understanding on the BRI with Beijing in 2016, no projects have started under the plan.

The spokesperson also referenced Chinas currently dormant investment in a copper mine development project in the country. We also have rich copper mines that, thanks to the Chinese, will be able to come back to life and be modernized, Mujahid said.

China, he added, is our gateway to markets around the world.

Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (L) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pose for a photo during their meeting in Tianjin, China, on July 28, 2021. (Li Ran/Xinhua via AP)

The Taliban expressed further enthusiasm for BRI involvement in a call with assistant Chinese foreign minister Wu Jianghao on Sept. 2.

In the call, Abdul Salam Hanafi, a senior member in the Taliban negotiating team, called China Afghanistans trustworthy friend, according to a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry.

Hanafi expressed a wish to actively support and participate in the BRI project that he said will contribute to the regions prosperity.

To foster Afghanistan-China friendship, Hanafi vowed that the Taliban will absolutely not allow any forces to threaten Chinese interests, an implicit reference to Uyghur militants who Beijing fear may launch assaults into Xinjiang, a region bordering Afghanistan where Beijing has locked up to more than 1 million ethnic Muslim minorities in internment camps.

The Chinese regime has pledged assistance to the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. In a Wednesday press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin described the Talibans control of the country as a new page in its history, and said Beijing will continue to provide utmost assistance to Afghanistan for an early realization of peace and reconstruction.

Asked about Mujahids remarks on Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters there are few countries that wanted us to stay in Afghanistan more than China and Russia.

Because it would have tied up our own resources and tied up our own U.S. military and tied up our own financial assets and options, she continued, reiterating President Joe Bidens position that the Afghan withdrawal would allow the United States to shore up competitiveness to confront China.

So, the world is united in what they expect the Taliban to do, which is allow people who want to depart the country to depart, and China has to decide where they are in that effort, Psaki said.

The Taliban has promised to form an inclusive government and give amnesty to those who have fought against them or worked for the now overthrown Afghan government. But such promises have been met with skepticism both inside the country and among the greater Afghanistan diaspora.

Afghan families gather to receive food distributed by an Islamabad-based Christian organization on the outskirts of Chaman, a town in Pakistans southwestern Baluchistan province, on the border with Afghanistan, on Aug. 31, 2021. Dozens of Afghan families have crossed into Pakistan through the southwestern Chaman border a day after the U.S. wrapped up its 20-year military presence in the Taliban-controlled country. (AP Photo)

An Afghan evacuee who worked for the government before the Talibans takeover found out since his escape a large group of Taliban members visited his home to demand information on his whereabouts. He told The Epoch Times that three Afghans he knew were detained and tortured by Taliban members for three days, and were released only after signing a document saying they would not leave the country nor reveal their detention and torture to the public.

In recent weeks, Beijing has leveraged the Afghanistan crisis for propaganda to discredit the United States. Its English-language media CGTN recently called for Washington to come to terms with the Taliban, work with us, and drop sanctions.

While some analysts argue that the Chinese regime has much to gain in the country by filling the void left by the United States, questions remain on whether it can maintain a workable relationship with the Taliban, whose cooperation will likely depend on the Chinese funding.

Taliban forces stand guard at the entrance gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport a day after U.S. troops withdrawal in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug.31, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters)

If the CCP is unwilling or unable to provide the expected finances in time, or if China does anything that does not please the Taliban, then the Taliban will very fast bite the Chinese hands that feed them, Frank Lehberger, a senior research fellow with India-based Usanas Foundation, previously told The Epoch Times.

Beijing, meanwhile, is grappling with the possibility of a spillover of militancy in the region around Afghanistan, where it is already facing a rise in violence directed at Chinese workers of BRI projects.

Two recent suicide bombings targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan killed at least nine who worked on the BRI project in Pakistan.

China thinks that it can control the Taliban, but its victory is inspiring other insurgent groups, such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorist group, which is very much opposed to China, Gordon Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China, said during a recent Epoch TV webinar.

We can see the entire region go up in flames, in which case, China would be very much a target, Chang added.
This photo taken on December 25, 2013 shows then director of the Foreign Ministry Information Department of China Qin Gang speaking during an event in Beijing. (-/CNS/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Envoy Accuses US of Suppressing China as Beijing Piles Pressure on Washington to Play by CCPs Rules

Chinas new U.S. envoy accused Washington of continuing an extreme China policy and warned the United States not to cross the regimes red lines.

Qin Gang, who arrived in Washington in late July to take up the post, made his remarks at a welcome event hosted by the National Committee on United StatesChina Relations, a New York-based organization that promotes a friendlier relationship with Beijing.

His comments came as the Biden administration works to build a global alliance to counter threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), yet seeks cooperation with Beijing on issues like climate change. In a phone call earlier this week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that any cooperation with the regime on areas such as Afghanistan and climate change would be dependent on Washingtons attitude toward China.

Speaking at the virtual event, Qin blamed the current tensions between the worlds largest economic powers squarely on the U.S. side, repeating CCP rhetoric that Washington is suppressing China.

Qins speech, a mix of cautions and appeals, put an emphasis on cooperationone in which the U.S. side would avoid touching or challenging Chinas red line.

The CCP considers its abuses in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, and military designs on Taiwan as red line issues, not to be scrutinized by the international community.

In response to intensifying condemnation by Western nations over its rights abuses, economic coercion, and military aggressions, Chinese officials have taken to an aggressive approach known as wolf warrior diplomacy. During two high-level in-person meetings between CCP diplomats and Biden officials this year, Chinese officials have lambasted their American counterparts over a range of alleged U.S. transgressions domestically and internationally.

During the call with Blinken, the Chinese foreign minister told the United States to take seriously Beijings two lists and three bottom lines, which Qin explained to be a list of U.S. wrongdoings and a list of individual cases of Chinas concern, and issues concerning Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, and the disputed waters of South China Sea.

He further described a number of disturbances to U.S.-China cooperation, including the virus origin investigation and legislative efforts that advocate for a tougher stance on China, including two bills aiming at countering Chinas technological ambitions that have both passed one side of the chamber.

The regime is confounding the cause and the result, Su Tzu-yun, an analyst at Taiwans Institute of National Defense and Security Research, told The Epoch Times. While their system is one that suppresses human rights, they dont allow criticisms.

The ambassador, who had two stints as the foreign ministry spokesperson and served as one of nine foreign ministers from 2018 to 2021, has earned a reputation for his combative public defenses for the regimes positions, although he had seemed more toned down in recent appearances since assuming the new post.

Chinese diplomats actually dont have their own views, Chen Weijian, chief editor of the Chinese language dissident magazine Beijing Spring, told The Epoch Times. Whatever tone the central government adopts is theirs.

A policeman wearing a face mask stands guard outside a detention center where Dominic Barton, Ambassador of Canada to China will meet Canadian Michael Spavor, in Dandong, China, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. A Chinese court has sentenced Michael Spavor to 11 years on spying charges in case linked to Huawei. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The tough talks are all but a show for a Chinese audience, Chen said, adding that the spectacle was to allow the regime to save face.

Beijing wants to give the impression that they have far surpassed the United States, and the United States could do nothing about us, he added.

Qin in the speech defended the regimes domestic policies, repeating the slogan that the Chinese people are masters of their own country and claiming that everything the Communist Party of China (CPC) does is to pursue happiness for the Chinese people.

The ambassador, when describing the state of China in the 1960s, glossed over a three-year famine that began in 1959 that killed tens of millions after the regime ordered farmers to make steel in their backyards rather than growing crops. He omitted this information, characterizing the period as a time when China was dealing with a severe drought that the Party ultimately overcame with resilience.

They call themselves the representatives for the people. But historically, the communist party has always had the word people on their lips but never acted on peoples interests, Chen said. They only care about their own privileges.

Su, the Taiwan analyst, said Beijings interpretation of democracy is fundamentally different from that in the West.

The CCPs ability to say backhanded words is impressive, he said. But I think its plenty clear  They are suppressing human rights in Hong Kong, committing genocide in Xinjiang, hindering basic autonomy in Tibet, and destroying the history and even language and culture in Mongolia. How could such a regime be grounded in the respect for people?

Luo Ya contributed to this report.
Claims That Internal Document Warned of Early Afghanistan Collapse Wrong: UK Foreign Office

The British Foreign Office has denied that an internal document, which painted a bleak picture of the situation in Afghanistan just weeks before the fall of Kabul, was at odds with its official position or intelligence-based assessments.

Reports which suggest that the document warned of a faster-than-anticipated fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban are wrong and misleading, according to the Foreign Office.

Before the rapid unravelling of Afghanistan government control in mid-August, the primary assessment of the UK Government was that Kabul was unlikely to fall in 2021, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Wednesday during a grilling by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

However, committee chairman Tom Tughendhat brandished a copy of what is known as the Principal Risk Register, published on July 22, which he said suggested the collapse could happen more rapidly.

That documentwhich is not publicly available since it is classified as sensitive informationwas also obtained by media outlets.

According to the Guardian, the document said, Peace talks are stalled and U.S. Nato withdrawal is resulting in rapid Taliban advances. This could lead to: fall of cities, collapse of security forces, Taliban return to power, mass displacement, and significant humanitarian need. The embassy may need to close if security deteriorates.

But the Foreign Office (FCDO) said that the purpose of the document has not been understood and the information misrepresented.

The principal risk register is a standard monthly report for the management board which does not contain intelligence assessments, an FCDO spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email. It is an internal document which sets out potential risks to the organisation for planning purposes including around duty of care to staff.

The spokesperson added, It is simply wrong and misleading to suggest this document is in any way at odds with our detailed assessments of the situation in Afghanistan or our public position throughout the crisis. The July document makes clear that our central planning assumption at the time was that the peace process in Afghanistan would run for up to a further six months.

Raab told the committee the central assessment of the UK Government was that Kabul was unlikely to fall in 2021.

He told MPs: The central assessment that we were operating to, and it was certainly backed up by the JIC (Joint Intelligence Committee) and the military, is that the most likely, the central proposition, was that given the troop withdrawal by the end of August, youd see a steady deterioration from that point and it was unlikely Kabul would fall this year.

Raab said contingency planning and testing of such an assessment took place, adding: That was something widely shared by Nato allies.

PA contributed to this report
A group of illegal immigrants is processed by Border Patrol after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in La Joya, Texas, on April 10, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

DHS Quiet on Remain in Mexico Restart After Supreme Court Order

Nine days after the Supreme Court ordered the Biden administration to restart the Remain in Mexico program, no information is available on new enrollees, and border agents are saying the program hasnt yet been reinstated.

The program, also known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), was launched during the Trump administration and terminated by President Joe Biden on his first day in office.

The program required asylum-seekers and other illegal aliens to remain in Mexico while their cases were adjudicated. It was the most significant game changer and largely responsible for a 75 percent drop in illegal crossings, Mark Morgan, who was acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection at the time, told The Epoch Times.

As of Sept. 2, more than a week after the decision, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hasnt responded to multiple requests for information. The agency did respond to the Supreme Court decision, stating in an Aug. 24 press release that it will comply with the order in good faith, while it appealed the original 5th Circuit ruling.

Alongside interagency partners, DHS has begun to engage with the Government of Mexico in diplomatic discussions surrounding the Migrant Protection Protocols, DHS stated. DHS remains committed to building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system that upholds our laws and values.

One Border Patrol agent in the Rio Grande Valley Sector told The Epoch Times on Sept. 2 that nothing has changed as far as how illegal immigrants are processedagents are still releasing many into the United States with a Notice to Report or a Notice to Appear. The majority of single adults and some families are still being turned back under the Title 42 health provision put in place in March 2020.

The agent said nothing has come down the chain of command regarding restarting the Remain in Mexico program.

Another two Border Patrol agents from the Rio Grande Valley confirmed that nothing is happening regarding the program.

The Supreme Court said to do it, but does the president listen to anyone? the agent told The Epoch Times on Sept. 2. The agents spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussion.

MPP originally was slowly rolled out along the southern border from late 2019 and was touted as a breakthrough in stopping the phenomenon of catch-and-release.

Overnight, it sent a clear message that that no longer was a child going to be able to be exploited and be utilized as a passport to gain entry to the United States to be released, never heard from again, Morgan told The Epoch Times on Aug. 25.

We knew that 90 percent of those coming illegallythat were released and not detainedwere either filing fraudulent asylum claims and/or they wouldnt show up for court. We shut that down.

Morgan said theres no reason why DHS cant start sending people back to Mexico under MPP today, at least in one or two sectors to start. But he said his sources in the agency have said DHS intends to slow roll the implementation of the program.

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador responded to the Supreme Court order on Aug. 24, saying his government doesnt take a position on the ruling.

However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that such a judicial decision does not bind Mexico and that its immigration policy is designed and executed in a sovereign manner, Lopez Obrador said in a statement.

In the spirit of responding in a humanitarian manner to the needs of migrants, in the context of a complex regional situation, the Government of Mexico will initiate a technical dialogue with the Government of the United States with the central objective of evaluating the scenarios for the management of migratory flows at the shared border in a orderly, safe and regular manner.

On Sept. 2, Lopez Obrador said he intends to contact Biden by letter next week to discuss the causes of migration, because we cannot only be detaining, holding back.

Cooperation is required for development, both feet, there needs to be investment in Central America, that is what we are proposing, the Mexican president said.

He hopes the United States will invest in a tree planting program in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador that he says will produce 330,000 jobs.

Biden tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to lead border security efforts, with the main focus being to address the root causes of illegal immigration. Harris has visited Mexico and Guatemala in recent months.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a Jan. 21 briefing, Immigration, we consider, is part of racial equitywhich is a broad issue, but thats how the president has spoken about that crisis over the past several months.

The U.S. Agency for International Development, which assisted with the Remain in Mexico program under the Trump administration, told The Epoch Times, We will have to refer you to the State Department and DHS as to whether the MPP program has restarted.
Honor guards prepare to raise the Taiwan flag in the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall square in Taipei, Taiwan, on Jan. 14, 2016. (Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

European Parliament Members Push Brussels to Build Closer Ties With Taiwan

The European Parliaments Committee on Foreign Affairs has adopted a new resolution, advocating for closer ties with Taiwan amid a spike in tensions between Beijing and Taipei.

The first report on EUTaiwan relations was approved in Brussels on Sept. 1, with 60 in favor, four against, and six abstentions. Parliament will hold a vote in a plenary on the report scheduled for next month.

Taiwan is a critical partner and democratic ally of the EU in the IndoPacific region, while the Chinese regimes continued military belligerence threatens the peace and stability of the area, according to the draft of the report (pdf).

The first European Parliament report on EUTaiwan relations sends a strong signal that the EU is ready to upgrade its relationship with our key partner Taiwan, Swedish member of the European Parliament (MEP) Charlie Weimers said after the Sept. 1 vote.

Contrary to Beijings wishes, MEPs are urging the EU to expand cooperation with Taiwan, renaming the offices title from European Economic and Trade Office to the European Union Office in Taipei to reflect the broader scope of its bilateral ties.

The move is contrary to Beijings agenda. The Chinese regime regards the self-ruled island as its province and places pressure on countries that challenge the claim. Most countries, including the United States and EU, have no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

MEPs are pushing the EU to work with like-minded allies to safeguard stability across the Taiwan Strait and sustain the countrys democracy.

Recently, EU member-state Lithuania drew the wrath of the Chinese regime for allowing Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, using its own name. Beijing has reportedly restricted some trade with the Baltic country after recalling its envoy to Lithuania.

The communist regime keeps up its harsh rhetoric, threatening to use violence, if necessary, to control the island. Taiwan has reported more than 400 incursions of Chinese warplanes in its air defense zone in the past eight months, more than for the whole of 2020.

The Chinese regime has intensified military belligerence, pressure, assault exercises, airspace violations, and disinformation campaigns against Taiwan, according to the report.

Taiwan is an important like-minded partner in the IndoPacific. Strengthening EUTaiwan relations is especially important in light of increasing Chinese belligerence [and] the CCPs [Chinese Communist Party] deliberate efforts to hide information about the Covid-19 outbreak, Weimers wrote on Twitter.

We must withstand Chinese pressure.

MEPs also called for an impact assessment on the EUTaiwan Bilateral Investment Agreement to begin before the end of this year. They emphasized the importance of trade relations on matters relating to the World Trade Organization, 5G, and public health, as well as semiconductors.

Tensions between the EU and China have increased considerably in the past two years. In July, the EU condemned Chinas human rights abuses in Hong Kong and called for a boycott of the 2022 Olympics, which is due to be held in Beijing. EU sanctions for Chinas abuses in Xinjiang were halted after seven years of trade negotiations.
Rep Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) attends a concert at the George Floyd Square on the first anniversary of Floyd's death, in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 25, 2021. (Nicholas Pfosi/Reuters)

EXCLUSIVE: Ilhan Omar Possibly Committed a Felony by Concealing Her Finances in Required Disclosure Form, Watchdog Group Alleges

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar possibly committed a felony by failing to report income she may have received from her 2020 book deal in her required financial disclosure forms, a watchdog group alleged in a complaint filed Tuesday.

Members of the House are required to disclose sources of income above $200 in their financial disclosures, but Omars filings contain no mention of her book deal, which was reportedly valued at up to $250,000 in January 2019.

Representative Omars apparent disclosure omissions and misreporting violate House ethics rules, the Ethics in Government act, and possibly 18 U.S.C. 1001, a felony with penalties up to five years in prison for making false statements in a matter before the legislative branch, the National Legal and Policy Center wrote in a complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics.

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar possibly committed a felony by failing to properly report her assets and income in her financial disclosure reports to the House of Representatives, a conservative-leaning watchdog group alleged in a complaint filed Tuesday.

The group, National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), demanded the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) investigate why Omars financial disclosures make no reference to the income she may have received from her memoir published in May 2020, as well as the Democratic lawmakers apparently gross undervaluation of her new husbands consulting firm, which raked in nearly $3 million from Omars political campaign from 2018 through 2020, campaign finance records show.

Representative Omars apparent disclosure omissions and misreporting violate House ethics rules, the Ethics in Government act, and possibly 18 U.S.C. 1001, a felony with penalties up to five years in prison for making false statements in a matter before the legislative branch, NLPC wrote in its complaint. There is clearly more than reasonable cause to believe that disclosure violations may have occurred.

A spokesman for Omar dismissed the NLPCs complaint in a statement Tuesday to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The NPLC a [sic] far-right group with ties to the Trump campaign known for filing specious claims, including trying to challenge the constitutionality of the Mueller investigation, Omar spokesman Jeremy Slevin said. We see this complaint for what it is: a completely political document, and not one with legal validity.

The DCNF first reported on Aug. 17 that Omar did not report in her 2020 financial disclosure any income or royalties she may have received from her memoir, This Is What America Looks Like, which was first released in May 2020. Forbes reported in January 2019 that the lawmaker signed a deal for the memoir worth between $100,000 and $250,000

Lawmakers are required to report any income sources over $200 in their financial disclosures, the NLPC noted in its complaint.

Omars 2019 and 2018 financial disclosures also contained no reference to her book or any advance she may have received from it.

Slevin told the DCNF on Aug. 17 that Omar has been in full compliance with House Ethics rules. She has reported everything that needed to be reported on the financial disclosure form accurately.

Slevin also said the value of Omars book deal as reported by Forbes is wrong, but he said he did not have anything beyond what I shared when asked what the correct value of the lawmakers advance was or whether she received any royalties after her book was published in May 2020.

Slevin tweeted in May 2020 that the House Ethics Committee approved Omars book deal.

Her book was approved by the Ethics committee months ago and the deadline was automatically extended for every Member of Congress due to COVID Try again.  Jeremy Slevin (@jeremyslevin) May 24, 2020

A source in the publishing industry told the DCNF that book advances are traditionally paid in installments. The source, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said if Omar did not receive an advance, she would have received a portion upon signing and then the rest would be paid at other points along the way to publication, like when the manuscript has been completed.

NLPC urged the OCE to obtain a copy of any contracts or agreements Omar signed with her publisher, Dey Street Books, her literary agent and her co-author, Jessica Paley, to determine whether she received any advance payment or royalty payments for her book.

The NLPCs complaint also alleged that Omar appeared to have substantially undervalued her husband Tim Mynetts ownership stake in his consulting firm, E Street Group, in her 2020 financial disclosure.

She lists the value of her husbands share in the partnership in Schedule A of her 2020 report as less than $1,000, yet reports that his income is in the $100,000 to $1,000,000 range, the complaint states. Surely, Mr. Mynetts partner would buy his share out at more than $1,000 if it generates between $100,000 to $1,000,000 in income.

Omars campaign divvied just shy of $3 million to E Street Group between February 2018 and November 2020, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show. Her financial relationship with the firm came under considerable criticism in 2019 after the NLPC filed a separate complaint with the FEC alleging that her payments to the firm were being used to illegally finance her extramarital affair with Mynett, who at the time was married to someone else. The FEC has not yet issued a ruling on the complaint.

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) listens during a news conference on prescription drugs at the Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 10, 2019. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Both Omar and Mynett divorced their respective spouses in late 2019, and in March 2020, the pair announced they were married.

Omar said in March 2020 that a top FEC campaign attorney cleared her campaigns business relationship with her husbands consulting firm, and she announced in November that her campaign cut ties with the firm to avoid the appearance of impropriety.

The NLPC is the second watchdog group to file a complaint about Omars financial disclosures. The conservative-leaning Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) also sought an OCE investigation into whether the Democratic lawmaker failed to properly disclose her assets in her financial disclosures in a September 2020 complaint.

The Office of Congressional Ethics has not issued a public response to FACTs complaint, FACT Executive Director Kendra Arnold told the DCNF Tuesday.

Both FACT and NLPC noted in their complaints that Omar did report her checking and savings accounts in her financial disclosures, despite her acknowledging their existence in court records from December 2017.

Members of the House are required to report checking and savings accounts if their aggregate value exceeds $5,000, the NLPC wrote in its complaint filed Tuesday.

[I]t strains credulity that neither she nor her husband or jointly have not met the $5,000 threshold in combined non-retirement checking, savings, and other accounts, particularly when she reports that her husband as receiving up to $1,000,000 in income from his lucrative consulting practice, the NLPCs complaint states.

Mary Margaret Olohan contributed to this report.

By Andrew Kerr

From The Daily Caller News Foundation

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Chinese youth walk past several revolutionary placards, in downtown Beijing, during the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" in February 1967. (Jean Vincent/AFP/Getty Images)

Experts Warn of New Cultural Revolution as China Goes After Common Prosperity

As Beijing imposes its zero-tolerance policy on misbehaving stars and their followers, China experts warn that the intolerance toward Chinas fan community casts light on a modern-day Cultural Revolution.

Last week, Chinese tax authorities fined former brand ambassador for Italian luxury brand Prada, Zheng Shuang, $46 million for tax evasion following a surrogate scandal in January. It came after the arrest of Canadian-Chinese pop star Kris Wu for rape allegations in mid-August, as well as boycotts against billionaire actress Zhao Wei.

Chinas regulators said the move was to rectify the chaotic celebrity fan culture.

The cover of a fashion magazine at a newsstand shows Chinese actress Zheng Shuang, in Beijing, on Jan. 21, 2021. (Jade GAO/AFP)

Multiple Chinese state-run media, including the state mouthpieces Peoples Daily, Xinhua, and CCTV, highlighted on Sunday an online article titled Everyone Can Feel That A Profound Change Is Underway.

This profound change is also a return toward the nature of socialism, the article states, highlighting that whoever goes against the trend will be cast aside.

Yet U.S.-based China affairs commentator Tian Yuan took the so-called profound changes as a sign of the second Cultural Revolution, speaking in a recent interview with The Epoch Times.

Fighting the landlords and sharing the land; killing the rich and robbing the wealth is what the ruling party used to do, Tian said.

Before the Cultural Revolution, in the late 1920s, land reform was implemented to advocate for creating a blueprint that would ensure all would have land to farm. Under the reform measures, a landowner was classified as a bully who deserved to die, according to Tian. After the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) formed public-private partnerships to wipe out political opponents and wealthy capitalists.

Red Guard members wave copies of Chairman Maos Little Red Book during a parade in Beijing, in June 1966. (Jean Vincent/AFP via Getty Images)

Recently, in an economic planning meeting with top leaders on Aug. 17, CCP leader Xi Jinping called for readjusting excessively high income, and eliminating illicit gains in a bid to promote common prosperity.

One day later, Chinese internet giant Tencent pledged $7.7 billion to echo the governments wealth redistribution efforts. On Aug. 24, Chinese e-commerce platform Pinduoduo also promised to give $1.6 billion back to society.

Chinas Alibaba Group announced on Sept. 2 that it would invest $15.5 billion by 2025 in support of the initiative, becoming the latest corporate giant to guarantee support.

Attorney and human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng said Chinas new round of remedial action is robbing the wealthy in the name of the people, yet the people have no right to track where the money actually goes.
Former Kabul Embassy Worker Helps Afghan Refugees in Philadelphia as He Awaits Wife and Children

The hasty pullout of U.S. forces from Afghanistan has created a desperate situation for thousands of Americans and Afghan nationals who aided the United States who are still stranded in the country as they hope to be allowed evacuation by the Taliban.

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, an Afghan man is volunteering with an immigration agency to help receive the first plane loads of refugees from Afghanistan while praying for his own familys safe arrival.

Mohammad Sadeed is serving as an office manager for HIAS Pennsylvania, a refugee resettlement and immigration legal services agency, one of the non-profits helping resettle Afghan refugees in Philadelphia.

For Sadeed, this resettlement program is personal. His wife and their five children, aged between 4  and 13, visited relatives in Afghanistan a month ago when the Taliban took over control of Kabul on Aug. 15.

I was worried about my kids and my wife, and I was not even able to sleep for the entire week, Sadeed told The Epoch Times.

Mohammad Sadeed, from Afghanistan, serves as the office manager of HIAS Pennsylvania, a refugee resettlement and immigration legal services agency. (Screenshot from NTD Television)

Previously, Sadeed had worked for five years as a supervisor for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. This diplomatic work allowed him and his family to move to the United States in 2019, and they settled in Philadelphia. They mainly did so for their childrens education.

When the Afghan president fled Kabul, handing power to the Taliban, many people, including Sadeeds wife and children, went to the airport to try to leave the country. But there was violence, and some children were shot, Sadeed said, adding that his children had never witnessed anything like that before.

I could not imagine when I was not there, how they could handle it alone. I constantly prayed for their safety, he said.

His family eventually made it onto an evacuation plane bound for Germany just before the Aug. 26 suicide bombing at Kabuls international airport. Sadeed said he feels a great relief now, although he doesnt know when hell be able to see his family.

The last time he spoke with them was for a minute when they were in Germany, as there was no Wi-Fi with many people waiting in line to use the phone. The call was just long enough for them to let him know that they were safe, but didnt know where their next stop would be.

Sadeed feels fortunate that his family are safely out of Afghanistan. He said that all he can do now is to help other refugee families who have already arrived in Philadelphia. He has taken in one Afghan family and has signed up as a volunteer to pick up people at the airport. He said he knows of about 700 Afghans living in Philadelphia, and said he had called on them to volunteer to greet people at the airport.

Philadelphia city officials have committed to creating a safe haven for the hundreds or thousands of refugees that will be arriving over the next weeks. The airport has set up a medical clinic, a COVID-19 testing and vaccination site, food supplies, and toys for the children.

The first planeload of Afghan evacuees first arrived at Philadelphia International Airport on Aug. 28. It is the second airport in the country appointed by the White House to receive Afghan allies fleeing from the Taliban, in addition to the Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

The plane was expected to arrive around 1 a.m., Sadeed said. Although he hadnt slept for a week, he felt compelled to go help out. He felt that someone should be there to take care of the families who cannot speak English.

This is the time that I have to help Afghan folks. This is the time that we need to help each other, he said. Most of the people are afraid of another civil war. They dont know what will happen next. It is a chaotic situation. The only thing we want is to live in peace.

Sadeed said he hopes that agencies involved in evacuating Afghan refugees will provide a straightforward procedure for processing Special Immigrant Visas (SIV), a special status created by the U.S. government for those Afghans who helped the American military.

Need for Temporary Housing

HIAS PA has helped resettle several dozen Afghan refugees in Philadelphia over the past few weeks. Cathryn Miller-Wilson, the executive director, said the biggest challenge is finding housing for them.

Because of the crisis, were getting only several hours notice before people arrive at the airport. So thats not enough time, obviously, to find housing. So the first challenge is to find temporary housing so that then we can find permanent housing, Miller-Wilson told The Epoch Times.

She said that Airbnb has made arrangements to house 20,000 Afghan refugees globally with the help of private donors.

Miller-Wilson said they are also asking the Philadelphia hotel industry to provide discounted hotel rooms. Apartment rentals have skyrocketed during the pandemic, so HIAS PA is meeting with landlords to discuss lowering rents for refugees.

But Im not sure how successful it will be. So Im very nervous about that, and how our families are going to do, and whether theyre going to be able to find jobs with income high enough to afford the housing, she said.

Miller-Wilson explained that the federal government had created a 90-day refugee resettlement program to welcome every refugee. The program provides support for picking refugees up at the airport, providing them with affordable housing, providing them with medical assistance, getting them a social security number, and getting their children enrolled in school.

It will also include programs for learning about American culture and society, getting a job, opening a bank account, and English language classes. The government has allowed 90 days for an expected 80 percent of arrivals to be independent and have found jobs, with a remaining 20 percent needing additional services.

Miller-Wilson also said that she has called for Congress to arrange with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to waive the filing fees for humanitarian parole, a permit that the U.S. government offered a few weeks ago for Afghans with relatives in the United States to leave Afghanistan. The application fee is a little over $500 per person. But many Afghans have pretty large families and have difficulty paying the fee.

May Lin contributed to this report.
U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) (R) speak during a press conference to announce Green New Deal legislation to promote clean energy programs outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 7, 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Global Elite Latches Onto Neo-Socialist Vision: The Green New Deal

Commentary

A reconfigured global elite are shaping up around a new kind of vision for transforming our world. Theyve called their neo-socialist and multilateral vision the Green New Deal.

Joe Bidens White House team are core players in this vision, as they seek to reinvent Roosevelts original 1930s New Deal into a contemporary twenty-first century Democratic Party platform.

But there are also other important players pushing this neo-socialist dream.

One has been the European Unions large and well-organised green lobby. Another has been Klaus Schwab (economist and founder of the World Economic Forum), who has used Davos to push his vision of a Great Reset of the global economy.

Those getting on board with the Green New Deal are the usual advocates of state interventionism, big government, and multilateral globalism. But surprisingly this new elite is a mix of left-liberals, socialists, Greens, bureaucrats, and university researchers/experts. More surprising is that sections of the business elite are also climbing on board what they believe will be a gravy train.

A sign for BlackRock on its building in New York on July 16, 2018. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

It appears business is motivated by two factors. First, they are afraid of activist pressure. Second, their marketing departments are telling them there are great public relations kudos to be had in signing up to the now fashionable narratives of saving victims, saving the planet, and distancing themselves from left-leaning stereotypes of greedy uncaring capitalists.

So now we have woke businesses greenwashing their brands plus learning to make profits out of the Green New Deals neo-socialist strategy to tear up our old infrastructure and replace them with new ones at great expense to the taxpayer. Who knew socialism could be profitable.

But one of the most fascinating features of this trend is how enthralled legacy media journalists are with the green narratives underpinning this emergent global elite.

Journalists who would normally ask questions about self-interest, crooked narratives, and obvious propaganda now meekly buy into the trendy narratives. Indeed journalists are now being told that applying the journalistic principle of balance is a bad thing when reporting on issues like climate change.

Instead, journalists are being taught that it is fine to advocate for green climate change messages. We even have global media like the BBC instructing their journalists not to be balanced on climate change.

In a climate when green activism is now normalised in media newsrooms, it is hardly surprising that we see journalists treating green experts as media darlings, and as a result, those same green experts are no longer challenged by probing journalistic questions.

Instead, what emerges is a de facto partnership between the media, climate change scientists, and activists wherein journalists start to construct pro-green (propaganda-like) stories.

U.S. President Joe Biden talks to reporters prior to boarding Air Force One as he departs on travel to attend the G-7 Summit in England, on June 9, 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuter)

One way of explaining this partnership is to see it as part of the phenomenon of an emergent global elite for whom left-wing progressivism has become a kind of secularised religion, built around saving the many kinds of victims we apparently have today.

These victims can be those conventionally beloved by socialiststhe poor. They can also be the new victims beloved by identity politicsLGBTQI, Indigenous or ethnic minorities. Or victims beloved by feministswomen persecuted by the patriarchy. Or the victims can now even be non-humanwhales, polar bears, coral reefs, nature, or the planet.

What binds all these victims is that they need to be saved by a self-selecting elite of people who have married elements of the narratives of left-liberalism and neo-Marxism.

This elite first emerged in the United States and then spread to the rest of the western world. And now, like a virus, it is also spreading to places like the European Union (EU).

It is an elite who have proven highly susceptible to catching the green virus. Significantly, enormous progress has been made in capturing western universities, the global media, the education system, and the many bureaucracies across the Anglo world and EU.

The result has been the growth of an alliance between left-liberal, progressive politicians; academics; journalists; and bureaucrats.

Once the universities were captured by this progressive-left, universities were used to teach a new way of seeing and a new way of speaking about the world.

In this file photo taken in 2006, students pass under the arches at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. (Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

Thus, universities become the source of what is termed woke and green narratives; while the media and internet are used to disseminate their tales. In addition, as universities produced more of these progressive and Green experts, journalists rely on them to justify their own workcreating an ongoing cycle.

Importantly, since universities teach journalism, public relations and marketing the communication industries are filled with those taught the woke discourses beloved by the globalised elite.

Not surprisingly, the resultant spread of progressivism within the communications industry means progressives are also becoming well placedand more skilledat spreading their own ideologies, while shutting down opposing views.

Indeed the Left are so successful that much of the world in the Biden era is starting to feel a bit like a mixture of the hard authoritarianism of George Orwells 1984 and the soft authoritarianism of Aldous Huxleys Brave New World.

The proliferation of both discourse around the Green New Deal, and the expanding power of a medical autocracy calling the shots over COVID-19, are two indicators of the way the global elite are becoming successful at promoting only their views while undercutting all others.

The universities have also given birth to experts who believe that secular science can fix everything thereby removing the need for religion or traditional knowledge.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) acknowledges the crowd during a rally at Howard University in Washington D.C., on May 13, 2019. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

At a deeper level, German existential philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche saw this rot beginning when Western thinkers killed God in the 19th century, and from that wrong turn has evolved the secularist, social engineers of today.

But at a more institutional level, I think American conservative philosopher Paul Gottfried was correct that the problem lies in todays overly interventionist governments imposing social therapy measures upon their citizens.

His argument was that this began during the post-second World War era in the United Statesspecifically with Paul Lazarsfelds Bureau of Applied Social Research at Columbia University in the 1940s to 1950and in the growth of the 1960s U.S. government-led social engineering policies (for example, affirmative action new migration laws).

And today, we see the modern manifestation of such a long-running trend in state-run welfare systems, the Green New Deal, and the COVID-19 medical autocracy.

Significantly, Lazarsfelds behavioural science was built on the neo-Marxist Frankfurt Schools idea of an Authoritarian Personalitya personality type that is submissive and obedient to authorityas well as the notion that experts should learn to manage and control the population better (using psychology, behavioural sciences, public opinion research, public relations, and spin-doctoring). This, in turn, can help stop the re-emergence of bad ideas like nationalism or traditionalism.

Lazarsfeld founded an American tradition of academic thinking about how the media could be used to promote good (progressive) ideas and shut down bad ideas.

Lazarsfelds centre employed many Frankfurt School members and so opened the door to the merging of left-liberal and neo-Marxist ideas, which has further contributed to the growth of the progressive elite.

With Biden in office, this elite now has a great base to work from to disseminate their preferred ideological narratives including the virtues of big government, green activism, and multilateral interventionism to save its so-called victims.

And because the 20162020 anti-Trump crusade helped cement the alliance between left-leaning politicians, activists, mainstream liberal media journalists, U.S.-owned tech giants; and the university sector, we can now expect to see a period of intensified dissemination of progressive narratives plus simultaneous attempts at discourse closure aimed at closing-down and disrupting narratives that the Left loves to hate.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Updated: Gold Coast Family of Five Refuse COVID-19 Test After Secret Road Trip to Melbourne

The Queensland government has announced that it will quarantine all children who attended the Australian International Islamic College at Carrara on the Gold Coast after two students travelled to Melbourne with their family.

The family of five, including two adults and three young kids under 10, travelled by back roads to get back into Queensland from Melbourne in the southern state of Victoria, Queensland Health Minister Yvette DAth told reporters on Thursday afternoon.

On Thursday afternoon, Queensland Health confirmed the family was in hotel quarantine and had now been tested for COVID-19, with the results are expected to be available Friday.

Earlier, DAth said the family had not agreed to be tested but that some family members were unwell.

The health minister said authorities were being very cautious given the family have been travelling and because the children had attended school. We need to make sure we dont have a situation where we have transmission happening in our schools and our community, DAth went on to say.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said earlier that while some of the family members were displaying symptoms, she was reluctant to declare them COVID-19 symptoms until testing was done.

Authorities became aware of the unlawful road trip after two of the familys children returned to school in Queensland and told their classmates, DAth said.

Police then attended the school yesterday and the family of five is now in hotel quarantine, and were working with them, Young said.

Young has requested that all students that attended the school go into quarantine until the family are tested. If we cant get those two children tested then that school will be in quarantine for 14 days, she said.

I desperately want to be able to test them, she later said.

This report was updated upon new information from Queensland Health.
Governments Must Pay $800,000 in Legal Fees to Church for COVID-19 Overreach

California officials have agreed to pay $800,000 in prevailing-party attorneys fees to a popular Christian megachurch in Los Angeles after state and federal courts in California issued permanent injunctions barring government officials there from ever again imposing discriminatory restrictions on houses of worship.

In the United States, unsuccessful litigants only rarely have to pay their opponents legal fees, even when their cases are weak.

Although its common in other parts of the Anglosphere such as the United Kingdom and Canada for the unsuccessful party in civil litigation to be required to pay the legal costs of the successful litigant, its very rare for it to happen in the United States, Paul Jonna, Thomas More Society special counsel, told The Epoch Times.

The Thomas More Society, a national public interest law firm, represented Grace Community Church (GCC) and Pastor John MacArthur in legal proceedings that began in March 2020 when California and local governments initiated a sweeping response to combat SARS-CoV-2, the CCP virus that causes the disease COVID-19. Government officials repeatedly tried to shut down in-person church attendance after the pandemic began.

On Aug. 31, the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles voted to approve the settlement with GCC and MacArthur. Under the agreement, the county will pay $400,000, and an additional $400,000 will be paid by the state of California as compensation for the attorneys fees incurred by GCC and MacArthur.

MacArthur was pleased with the settlement on fees.

We are very grateful for our Lords protection and providence throughout this past year, MacArthur said in a statement.

Our commitment to the Word of God and his church has never wavered. We have simply continued to stand firm, as we always have and always will. We put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the head of the church. Over the past year, our congregation has seen his hand of blessing in ways like never before, and the Lords promise has been realized: I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Thomas More Society special counsel Charles LiMandri said in a statement: This was a very hard-fought case every step of the way. Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community Church refused to bow to government tyranny and they finally obtained the excellent result they deserved. Thanks to their courage and perseverance, justice prevailed and the First Amendment was vindicated. No longer can the County of Los Angeles and the State of California treat people of faith like second class citizens. This result is a victory for all Americans who cherish religious liberty.

Had government officials refused to settle on the issue of legal fees after having court orders issued against them, the courts would probably have ordered them to pay a larger sum than they ultimately settled upon, Jonna said.

The other side knew that they were going to be exposed to significant attorneys fees if they didnt settle these cases.

The general rule in American law is that each party bears their own fees, Jonna said.

In civil rights cases, a prevailing plaintiff who vindicates a constitutional right is entitled to an award of fees, too, and the reason is to encourage people to bring forward meritorious cases that vindicate these important constitutional rights.

In the settlement that was finalized, no one admitted anything, but obviously the actions taken against the church were very clearly retaliatory, Jonna said.

A year ago, the county abruptly canceled a lease for parking space that the church had been using since 1975, as The Epoch Times reported at the time.

If you look at the timing, there was no basis to revoke the lease other than to intimidate them, Jonna said.

Officials also tried to intimidate MacArthur, threatening him with jail time and citations, the lawyer said.

The Thomas More Society will use the $800,000 to help underwrite other legal cases, Jonna said.

The nonprofit law firm was able to not only protect these important rights, but recover a significant sum to keep basically to finance other future cases.
Gunmen Abduct 73 Children From School in Northwest Nigeria

Armed men kidnapped 73 children from a school in the northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara in the latest mass abduction in the region, police said in a statement on Wednesday.

Police said a large number of armed bandits invaded the Government Day Secondary School in the village of Kaya in rural Zamfara state at 11:22 am local time (1022 GMT).

The command  has deployed search and rescue team that was mandated to work in synergy with the military to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted students, Zamfara police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said in the statement.

Armed gangs seeking ransoms have kidnapped more than 1,100 pupils in more than a dozen attacks on schools or colleges across northwest Nigeria since December 2020, adopting a tactic first used by Islamist insurgents in the northeastern part of the West African nation.

Zamfaras government ordered all statewide schools to close to prevent further attacks, Ibrahim Dosara, the states information commissioner, told Reuters by telephone. Police said they had also increased security around Kaya to prevent further attacks on the community.

A staff member at the school told Reuters by phone that the school had more than 500 children enrolled.

Zamfara is among four states in northwest Nigeria that have taken measures to try to curb the security crisis. They have banned the sale of fuel in jerry cans and the transport of firewood by truck in hope of disrupting gangs who travel by motorbike and camp out in forests.
House Committee Paves Way for Military Conscription of Women

After scuttling an amendment that would have effectively suspended military conscription, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) took a 180-degree turn on Sept. 1 by voting to expand the draft to women.

The decision came late in the markup of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with lawmakers voting 3524 to pass a bipartisan amendment by Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.).

Women make up over 50 percent of our population, and not including them in the Selective Service is not only a disservice to these women, but also to our nation as a whole, Houlahan said.

There was a proposed NDAA amendment that would have put the Selective Service System in limbo, but that proposal was scuttled before the HASC started its markup. Anti-draft activist Edward Hasbrouck told The Epoch Times that the amendment was ruled out of order due to what he called arcane PAYGO rules, which prohibit legislation that increases the deficitthough those rules contain numerous exemptions.

The HASC didnt respond to requests for comment by press time regarding why the amendment was killed.

Hasbrouck said an anti-draft NDAA amendment can still be introduced on the House floor, but he said amendments rarely succeed unless theyre introduced in committee first. The amendments author, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), hasnt responded to questions from The Epoch Times about whether she intends to reintroduce the provisionnor did she say why the amendment was killed, either.

The House NDAA is now in sync with the Senate NDAA in terms of military conscription, with both proposing to expand the duty to women. The policy has bipartisan support, as well as a strong endorsement from the National Commission on Military National, and Public Service.

The bottom line remains that neither the nation nor DoD [Department of Defense] will know for certain what a future conflict may entail, what skillsets will be necessary, or who would qualify for draft induction under specific qualification criteria, the commissiona body established by Congress to study the issuesaid in its March 2020 final report.

Therefore, enabling DoD to utilize all the nations talents and abilities is essential to mitigating the risks imposed by an uncertain future.

However, anti-war activists, civil libertarians, leftists, and MAGA conservatives have come out against drafting women.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) co-sponsored a bill earlier this year with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that would finally put an end to the expensive, wasteful, outdated, punitive, and unnecessary military draft registration system.

We believe that a better way to achieve equality under the law would be to end military draft registration altogether and scrap this needless and expensive bureaucracy, Paul and Wyden stated in a July 23 letter also signed by Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.).

But Hasbrouck said he thinks that the writing is on the wall.

Its now overwhelmingly likely that the Fiscal Year 2022 NDAA to be adopted in late 2021 or early 2022 will authorize the president to order women to register for the draft at age 18, starting in 2023 with women born in 2005 and after, he wrote on his personal site.

Hasbrouck, who spent about four months in a federal prison camp in 1983 for refusing to register for the draft, wrote that he thinks now is the time to shift focus from congressional lobbying to resistance. Citing testimony from former Selective Service System officials, he said most men dont comply with the registration rulesand that he thinks compliance will be even lower among women.

As I pointed out in my testimony in 2019 to the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service (which invited no draft-age women to testify about whether they should or could be forced to register), Both feminist and anti-feminist women will be more likely to resist being forced into the military than men have been, and more people will support them in their resistance, he wrote.

Theres a long tradition of antiwar feminism that identifies militarism and war with patriarchy. Women have been an important part of draft resistance movements even when only men were being drafted and when most public attention has been on male resisters.
How to Effectively Measure and Track Employee Productivity

Prior to COVID-19, employers were increasing efforts to monitor the productivity of their employees. In fact, according to a 2018 Gartner report, 50 percent of 239 large corporations admitted that they were monitoring their employees. In particular, the content of their emails and social media accounts. Whats more, these companies also stated that they monitored who their employees utilized and whos meeting with whom.

According to an Accenture survey of C-suite executives one year later, 62 percent of their organizations collect data about their employees. Of course, the pandemic has only accelerated employee monitoring. And, it hasnt exactly been smooth sailing.

An ExpressVPN survey found;

Even though 83 percent of employers think employee monitoring is unethical78 percent use monitoring software.

More than one-third of employees believe their employers dont monitor their online activities, and 15 percent dont know its possible.

The majority of employees (56 percent) feel stressed and anxious about their employer monitoring their communications. Moreover, 41 percent wonder if theyre being watched, and 32 percent take fewer breaks because of it.

The majority of employees (48 percent) would be willing to lower their salaries to prevent surveillance. In fact, 1 in 4 workers would take a cut of 25 percent.

Employees admit that 41 percent of their recorded work calls contain evidence that could lead to their termination. Additionally, 37 percent of employers claim to have used stored recordings as evidence for firing.

Moreover, employers use stored emails, messages, or calls to inform their decisions regarding performance reviews (73 percent) and to track potential worker unionization (46 percent).

So, whats the answer here? After all, with the latest wave, companies may be rethinking their plans for re-opening. But, even when things do return to normal, remote work, or at the least hybrid offices, are here to stay.

At the same time, employers will need to measure and track their teams productivity without making them feel anxious. Its certainly a precarious situation. But, you can use the following ten techniques to make this possible.

1. Set Clear Expectations and Reasonable Deadlines

Im still baffled at how many leaders and project managers still fall into the trap of not setting clear expectations and reasonable deadlines. In my opinion, these topics should always be a top conversation priorityregardless if your team works at the office or works remotely.

If you tell your employees what you expect from them, especially in a remote working environment, theyll be happier and more productive. If the big talk is an area that youre struggling, try using the following;

Focus on clearly defined objectives or goals.

Objective and goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Explain the why behind your expectations so that they know that their work is meaningful.

Provide examples and access to the right tools and resources.

Agree on reasonable deadlines.

2. Arm Yourself, and Your Team, With the Right Tech

Having a surplus of communication and collaboration tools is great, writes Deanna Ritchie in a previous Calendar article. At the same time, you dont have to collect them all. Were not talking about Pokemon here.

Instead, limit the tools that youre using, Deanna recommends. Besides decreasing distractions, it prevents everyone from bouncing back-and-forth between tools. Furthermore, it can also help reduce information overload.

Some suggested tools to measure and track your teams productivity include;

Calendar can automatically schedule meetings. More importantly, with its analytics feature, you can see where your valuable time is being spent.

Slack is a popular messaging tool that allows you and your team to communicate and collaborate in real-time.

Basecamp is a project management tool designed to keep everyone on the same page.

Hub Staff is packed with features like time tracking, screen recording, employee monitoring, and scheduling, and payroll software.

Google Drive will let you and your drive collaborate on online documents together.

Kickidler is more than just employee monitoring software. It also comes with time tracking, employee productivity analysis, and efficiency dynamics. The Autokick feature will notify employees of their productivity stats or if theyve been on a website too long.

Time Doctor is a time tracking application. It also breaks down how much time has been spent on a specific task or project.

Teamwork allows you to track every of your team and convert that into invoices.

3. Trust is a Must

Trust is the foundation of every relationship in our life, says Jen Fisher, U.S. chief well-being officer for the consultancy Deloitte. Every positive relationship starts from a place of trust.

Work environments built on trust are healthy and productive, adds Fisher, co-author of Work Better Together: How to Cultivate Strong Relationships to Maximize Well-Being and Boost Bottom Lines. Moreover, trust is perhaps more important than ever during this uncertain time caused by the pandemic.

The pandemic has catapulted us into the future in many ways, she says. With uncertainty, you need trust and meaningful and supportive relationships. And, you can build trust with your remote team by;

Reduce your teams stress by not micromanaging, be respectful of boundaries, and communicating frequently.

Help them learn and grow by offering frequent feedback.

Get to know each team individually, even if its a virtual one-on-one meeting.

Again, have goals, objectives, and expectations that are crystal clear.

Share your expertise, but also admit that you dont have all of the answers.

Freshen up your virtual events and meetings, like sharing achievements or going on a virtual field trip.

Be consistent, such as always being respectful of their time.

Above all else, be transparent. If youre monitoring your team, let them know this in advance. And explain to them that theyre not being monitored to spy on them. Rather, you need this data to eliminate time wasters and bolster their productivity.

4. Focus on Measuring Outcome, Not Input

Employee monitoring was pervasive before the crisis, notes Ryan Wong in Entrepreneur. In 2018, research found that 50 percent of large corporations were using email monitoring and location analysis.. However, in the early months of lockdown, use of monitoring software skyrocketed, with industry leaders like Teramind and ActivTrak reporting record increases in sales requests.

For employers, monitoring tools might seem a useful stopgap at a time when teams arent in the office, he adds. The problem? Time spent at a keyboard or in front of a webcam is hardly indicative of performance or productivity.

Monitoring in this manner is actually detrimental to obtaining the results you desire. Employees who are aware their keystrokes are being tracked, for example, are incentivized to produce high-volume work that has little commercial value.

The deeper issue is that, in many ways, weve measured productivity all wrongconfusing inputs for outcomes, states Wong. Even tracking hours, the oldest of workplace metrics, is fundamentally misleading. Just knowing someone has worked a 40-hour week gives little insight into what they actually accomplished.

The better approach? Measure and reward business outcomes. These will differ from business to business and employee to employeeand thats precisely the point, he explains. Taking the time to first define what success looks like, and then finding ways to measureis the surest way to boost output. Handy schema like KPIs, OKRs, and KRAs, all circle around this central premise.

5. Reward Quality, Not Quantity

When it comes to your employees work, its important to find a way of measuring quality. As an example, think about the customer service you provide. Your brands reputation depends on it, but its hard to measure.

With that in mind, consider quality when putting systems in place to track employee productivity. And, ask yourself, What can you do with it to track job performance?

For instance, is there any feedback you received from a distributor regarding an employee who went beyond the call of duty? While your employee might have needed more time to complete this level of work, the value you received is incalculable. And that should definitely be measured and rewarded.

6. Use Positive Reinforcement

It should come as no surprise that happy employees are more productive. However, happiness doesnt always mean giving them a raise. While that can help, you can increase employee happiness through positive reinforcement, such as;

Showing compassion, empathy, and gratitude

Focusing on meaningful work

Treating employees with respect

Not blaming others for failure

Providing constructive feedback

Rewarding good work with acknowledgment or promotions.

7. Manage Task Distribution

Identifying each employees strengths and weaknesses can be accomplished by analyzing the data. For example, you might notice that one team member completes a task much faster than anyone else. Ideally, you should give this employee all these responsibilities going forward to increase your teams productivity. By doing this, everyone will have more free time in their schedules, which will increase productivity.

Understand why your weakest performers are less productive than other team members. For example, perhaps theyre having difficulty with certain programs, applications, or tasks related to their work. In this case, you may consider training them to improve their skills and increase their productivity.

8. Measure Both Short-Term and Long-Term

Track-specific key performance indicators for both short- and long-term goals.

Recognizing small accomplishments will keep employees motivated to work towards bigger goals.

Furthermore, this presents an impressive picture. While it may not seem obvious, the little things can have a huge impact on pushing your team towards the big goal.

9. Eliminate Time-Wasters

Analyze the data to see where your employees spend a lot of time. For example, you might want to restrict employees access to these websites or apps during the workday so that they arent distracted.

Data may also indicate that certain clients are taking up a lot of your employees time, making them less productive than they should be. Its possible that your business isnt even making money from that client. As such, it may be worthwhile to revisit a time-wasting client relationship to make your team more productive.

10. Focus on the Bottom Line

Increasingly, small companies are focusing on their bottom line instead of the hours worked by employees. This allows them to track progress while ensuring that their employees have more flexibilitymainly how and when they work.

Moreover, there are several cost benefits to having a remote team. This includes reducing rent and utilities, cleaning services, food, and taxes. In fact, the average real estate savings with full-time telework is $10,000/employee/year. Additionally, remote teams tend to be more productive. Theyre also less absent, more likely to stay with your company, and would prefer working from home than accepting a pay raise.

By John Rampton
If Elected, What Will Recall Candidates Do as California Governor?

As Election Day approaches for Californias recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 14, 46 contenders have tossed their hats in the ring for the position.

While many of the candidates cite similar reasons to vote yes on the recall, they all maintain that Newsom allegedly committed abuse of governorship power through the use of COVID-19 lockdowns, mask mandates, crime, housing and living costs, homelessness, and wildfires.

While candidates have differing views about how to solve the problems associated with the current administration, this article seeks to explore those differences and examine the top candidates viewpoints, and in turn, see how they might act as governor of the nations most populous state.

Larry Elder

Larry Elder speaks in Newport Beach, Calif., on April 10, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Larry Elder, who has been a conservative radio talk show host for more than 10 years, is the top contender in polls of likely Republican voters who are voting yes to recall. If elected governor, Elder said he would immediately move to end mask and vaccine mandates.

Elder also said if he becomes governor, he would suspend the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), noting its effect on the cost of new housing being built and other construction projects.

[Developers] are just demoralized and theyre building stuff outside of California, even if they live here, theyre expanding elsewhere, he said. Theyre just demoralized, and to have somebody to finally do something about this is eye-opening for a lot of these people.

Elder also says he aims to lower the cost of current housing through policymaking.

All the environmental regulations that is stopping the construction of homes, reducing the supply[this is] Economics 101, supply and demand. If theres a small supply, then theres a huge demand. And thats why housing is so expensive. And so thats one of the reasons why I want to try and do something about this.

Elder also is opposed to defunding the police. In addition, he pointed to dismantling Proposition 47, which allows theft and drug possession crimes to be reclassified to misdemeanors from felonies.

Elder is an Epoch Times contributor and host of Larry Elder for The Epoch Times on EpochTV.

Kevin Kiley

California Assemblyman Kevin Kiley speaks to reporters at The Richard Nixon Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Kevin Kiley, who has served as a state assemblyman from Sacramento since 2016, is another top Republican contender. As governor, Kiley said he would terminate the state of emergency immediately, something the Democratic-controlled legislature couldnt reject.

Kiley also has given strong support to a voucher-based California school system, which would allow students and families to attend a school of their choice. He also has criticized the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.

As governor, Kiley would also immediately call a special legislative session to fundamentally change the way our system of government works, he told The Epoch Times.

One of the first things I would do is I would bring a special session of the Legislature, which is something the governor has the ability to do under the Constitution, Kiley said. And I would demand action on the key core problems facing our stateeducation reform and school choice, homelessness and poverty, rising crime rates, and certainly the cost of living.

Kiley noted he would take executive action to restore and protect every executive action that Newsom has taken that violates our rights and diminish our freedoms. Additionally, the role of the governor has become far too powerful, he said, and he wants to return more power to local communities and citizens.

Kiley expressed support of more shelters and treatment for the states homeless, as well as conducting an audit of all state funding and programs. He wants to also reverse expansion of MediCal benefits to undocumented immigrants residing in the state.

Kevin Faulconer

Kevin Faulconer at The Richard Nixon Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Kevin Faulconer, a Republican contender and former mayor of San Diego, has been running for governor since February. He stated that he plans to use the same policies to help fix the state that he used to fix San Diegos problems of homelessness, crime, balancing the budget, and increasing police funding with common-sense solutions.

Additionally, he pledged to declare a state of emergency for wildfires on his first day as governor, establish a new California Department of Wildfire Prevention, and halt wildfire funding budget cuts. He criticized Newsom for a lack of wildfire response.

He also plans to introduce the Save California Restaurants Plan, an effort to bring back the restaurant industry, which was stifled due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

At the start of the pandemic, our state led the nation in number of restaurants closed. Unfortunately, tens of thousands have closed for good, Faulconer said in a statement.

Jobs are gone, dreams have been crushed, and our communities where many of these restaurants have been institutions, are left emptier as a result. Those who survived had to deal with regulations that were confusing, contradictoryand at many times not based on science. As Governor, I will enact the Save California Restaurants plan to help our restaurants recoverand support the hundreds of thousands of people they employ.

The former mayor pledged to enact the states largest tax cut, reform the unemployment system, and clean up communities, he said.

John Cox

John Cox speaks with the media at The Richard Nixon Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

John Cox, another Republican contender, is a business owner and certified public accountant known for running against Newsom for governor in 2018, when he received 38.1 percent of the vote.

As governor, Cox said he will address the root causes of homelessness, citing mental health instead of building more housing developments. He said a contributing factor to homelessness is that people are no longer able to afford rent and mortgages.

The old way of doing things hasnt worked. As Gavin Newsom has spent billions of our tax dollars on housing, homelessness has only increased, Cox said during a July 13 rally. Putting treatment first means treating the homeless as people. It means believing that lives can be transformed and saved. It believes that those who are currently homeless can one day be self-sufficient. It means more than just housing. It treats root causes.

Cox also plans to slash taxes and introduce the largest tax cut in state history, similar to Faulconer, by cutting state income tax by 25 percent to put more money back into the hands of taxpayers.

Additionally, as governor, Cox expressed interest in diversifying Californias power resources by expanding the production of natural gas and nuclear energy to lower power costs.

Kevin Paffrath

Kevin Paffrath on California Insider on July 10, 2021. (Screenshot/The Epoch Times)

A real estate broker known for his YouTube videos on real estate and finance, Kevin Paffrath is one of the most popular Democrats looking to replace Newsom in the recall.

One of Paffraths most unique ideas is his plan to have zero homeless people living on Californias streets within 60 days of taking office.

The way were going to do that is we are going to build 80 emergency facilities throughout the state, so there are accessible facilities everywhere, Paffrath told The Epoch Times.

Paffrath said these emergency facilities would be similar to high schools, each able to hold 2,000 individuals. He would focus on abandoned malls or commercial buildings that went out of business during the pandemic.

And so what were going to do in these is were going to centralize support for homeless folks. Thats education, mental health services, substance abuse serviceswe have a mental health crisis in the state. Its unaffordable, its impossible to get mental health support, wait times are ridiculous to solve that, he said.

Paffrath said mental health services would be provided to homeless people on the first day of his governorship, which would help enable the transition to facilities within 60 days.

So after 60 days, no ones sleeping and trying to live on our streets, Paffrath said. That means we get tourism back. That means we get safety and security back. That means we also have less services, and less money being wasted on services like EMFs, police, and fire.

Paffrath also wants to launch a program called Future Schools, a two-year program that Californians can enroll in as early as 16 years old. Students would receive a high school education, college education, financial education, and vocational school all in one and be ready to start a career as early as 18 years old.

Paffrath also wants to fully fund police departments and restore their resources.

Gavin Newsom

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at California State UniversityLong Beach, in Long Beach, Calif., on March 3, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

First elected in 2018 and assumed office in 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, previously served as the lieutenant governor of California and the mayor of San Francisco.

As the governor of the most populated state in the country, Newsom has become a national progressive figure, having advocated for the legalization of marijuana, advanced gun control, same-sex marriage, expansive rights for undocumented immigrants, universal health care, and more, with his actions reflecting his support for those issues.

Newsom also pushed the largest economic budget in the country with $100 billion used toward homelessness initiatives, housing, debt relief, schools, and more. Hes also responsible for signing Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) into law in 2019, a sweeping policy that reclassified freelancers in the state based on a stringent three-step protocol.

Additionally, Newsom signed a pandemic-related initiative to start free meals for schools that will continue at a cost of $650 million a year beginning in 2022.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin speaks at the Foreign Ministry briefing in Beijing, on Nov. 9, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

In First Senior Military Talk Under Biden, China Reportedly Mum on Indo-Pacific Region

A senior Pentagon official talked with his Chinese counterpart for the first time since President Joe Biden took office. In the talk, the pentagon affirmed the U.S. vision for the Indo-Pacific region, while Beijing didnt mention the region at all.

The Department of Defense (DoD) released the brief of the secure video conference between Dr. Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, and Major General Huang Xueping, deputy director of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Office for International Military Cooperation on Aug. 19.

Then-Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Sr. Colonel Huang Xueping at a press conference in Beijing, China, on Dec. 23, 2008. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Dr. Chase affirmed the U.S. vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and the U.S. commitment to uphold common principles shared by allies and partners, the brief said. The DoDs priorities for U.S.-China defense relations focus on preventing and managing crisis and risk, and maintaining U.S.China communication channels.

Reference News, a Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) newspaper, only reported on Aug. 30 that both sides agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication between the two militaries without mentioning other topics.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP), a Hong Kong media owned by Chinese company Alibaba, on Aug. 28 quoted a source close to the Chinese military that said the Afghanistan crisis was the most urgent issue discussed in [the senior military talk].

SCMPs source said: What China is concerned about is that the extremist forces, especially the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, will expand their power and influence amid the chaos in Afghanistan. The Chinese regime accuses the East Turkestan Islamic Movement of being behind the terrorist attacks in western Chinas Xinjiang.

This SCMP source delivered a different message from what the Chinese regime publicly announced on the Afghan issue.

A Taliban fighter stands guard as the groups Higher Education Minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani speaks on the Talibans higher education policies at the Loya Jirga Hall in Kabul on Aug. 29, 2021. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)

The CCPs Tone on Afghanistan

The Chinese regime has been supporting the Taliban publicly in recent months, and past studies showed that the regime had been supporting the Taliban for decades.

On Sept. 1, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin claimed that the Taliban regime was chosen by all Afghan people and that it would bring peace and reconstruction to the country.

After the Taliban controlled the capital, Kabul, the country was in high tension and high panic, rescue mission leader Peter Quinn told The Epoch Times on Monday, with people trying to flee the land or hide themselves to avoid the Talibans massacre.

At the same time, the radical terror group ISIS-K was reported to be growing in Afghanistan, and is believed to have carried out last weeks suicide bombing at the Kabul airport.
Incredible Photos Show Bean Goose Performing Odd Upside-Down Aerial Acrobatics Maneuver

It was a cold and rainy day in March when Dutch photographer Vincent Cornelissen grabbed his camera, and set out to snap some bird photos. It was the perfect weather to catch his avian subject matter off-guard for something a little different.

He found what he was looking forand then some.

The 49-year-old from Huissen, a small town near Arnhem, has been taking pictures his whole life. One day, hed realized how nice it was taking shots of birds while he was out hikinganother pastime of hisand he eventually bought a professional camera.

On this particular rainy day, though, Cornelissen planned to check off one item on his photography wish list, as he explained.

My goal was to photograph birds struggling with the wind and hail, he told The Epoch Times. So, I was a lucky man when I got home that day.

As Cornelissen was out shooting, he spotted a bean goose in the air, fighting the strong wind. The goose suddenly performed a remarkable acrobatic maneuver, and Cornelissen managed to catch it on camera.

I saw the goose struggling in the wind. It flipped and I took some shots of it, Cornelissen said. Later I saw its remarkable position.

The photographer, with the help of the goose, had labored to produce a photo of an inverted bird in flight!

Goose performing an inverted flight maneuver known as whiffling. (Courtesy of Vincent Cornelissen @b0unce1971)

He later learned that the goose might have done this intentionally.

At first, I thought it flipped because of the strong wind, Cornelissen said. I was later told that its called whiffling and that geese do this to brake and descend.

But some had another interpretation, he found out. I heard is that a goose does this just to impress their fellow geese, he added. I like both explanations.

Although Cornelissen doesnt consider himself a professional photographer, he does have his own website, as well as his Instagram and Facebook pageswhere he posted the bizarre picture of the upside-down goose. Unexpectedly, the photo garnered huge attentionnot only on social media, but even on the news.

A sequence of shots show the goose performing the maneuver. (Courtesy of Vincent Cornelissen @b0unce1971)

Another shot of the goose whiffling. (Courtesy of Vincent Cornelissen @b0unce1971)

Although most peoples response to the photo were positive, not everyones was. Others keep saying its probably Photoshop, he confided. First I defended myself but I stopped doing that.

One of the nicest reactions he received was from a little girl who sent him a drawing of the topsy-turvy bean goose, he explained.

Although the photographer admits his shot was not a high quality picture, for he had no tripod due to the wind, the end result was unique. He added that he was very proud of it and humbled that so many thousands took notice of the odd picture he captured that day.

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
Joe Rogan at a ceremonial weigh in for UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 9, 2021. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Joe Rogan Reveals COVID-19 Diagnosis, Took Ivermectin, Other Interventions

Joe Rogan, a high-profile podcast host, comedian, and UFC commentator, revealed that he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and took a cocktail of interventions to treat his symptoms, among which was ivermectin.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Rogan said that he had returned home from a trip late on Aug. 28 feeling very weary.

I had a headache, I just felt just run down, the 54-year-old recounted, adding, Just to be cautious, I separated myself from the family, slept in a different part of the house, and throughout the night, I got fevers and sweatsI knew what was going on.

Rogan said that after his COVID-19 diagnosis, he decided to use all kinds of meds  everything,

Monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, Z-pak, prednisoneeverything, he said. And I also got an NAD drip and a vitamin drip and I did that three days in a row.

Rogan said that as of Wednesday, he felt great, and pretty [expletive] good.

BREAKING: Joe Rogan Announced He Was Diagnosed With COVID-19, Used Alternative Treatments, And Feels Great After 4 Days pic.twitter.com/xFVbHbMLE5  HeadlineHunter!  Alerts (@freehumanity911) September 1, 2021

Rogan has the most-streamed podcast on Spotify and his Instagram account has 13.1 million followers.

His vaccination status is unclear. However, he has been criticized by public health officials for having said that healthy young people need not worry about taking a COVID-19 vaccine.

Im not an anti-vax person, Rogan later clarified on his show in late April. I believe theyre safe and encourage many people to take them.

In a podcast posted on Sept. 8, Rogan said he obtained Ivermectin from a doctor.

Ivermectin is a generic medicine that can be produced cheaply in many places around the world. It has been widely used against some parasitic worms, and to combat scabies, lice, as well as rosacea. Ivermectin has been considered as a repurposed medicine in tackling COVID-19, especially when used in the early treatment.

William Campbell and Satoshi Omura in 2015 won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery and applications of ivermectin. The drug is also listed on the World Health Organizations List of Essential Medicines, and is an FDA-approved antiparasitic agent.

Doctors and healthcare professionals have praised ivermectin for having successfully helped thousands of their patients survive the initial waves of COVID-19. Two groups, the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance and the British Ivermectin Recommendation Development group, have been campaigning for the off-label use of the drug to combat the disease amid the pandemic.

However, this approach against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus has been met with resistance from other doctors and federal agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has said that the drug is not FDA-approved for use in treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans.

Taking large doses of this drug is dangerous and can cause serious harm, according to the FDA. If you have a prescription for ivermectin for an FDA-approved use, get it from a legitimate source and take it exactly as prescribed.

The agency said that ivermectin is often used in the U.S. to treat or prevent parasites in animals, and that it has received multiple reports of patients who have required medical support and been hospitalized after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for horses.

The FDA warned that many inactive ingredients found in animal products arent evaluated for use in people, and that in some cases, it is unclear how those inactive ingredients will affect how ivermectin is absorbed in the human body.

The FDA said that it has not reviewed data to support use of ivermectin in COVID-19 patients to treat or to prevent COVID-19.

Update: This article has been updated to include the latest details of Rogans acquisition of Ivermectin.
Bottles of prescription painkiller OxyContin, 40mg pills, made by Purdue Pharma L.D. sit on a shelf at a local pharmacy, in Provo, Utah, on April 25, 2017. (George Frey/Reuters)

Judge Conditionally Approves Purdue Pharma Opioid Settlement

A federal bankruptcy judge gave conditional approval Wednesday to a sweeping settlement that will remove the Sackler family from ownership of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and devote potentially $10 billion to fighting the opioid crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades.

If it withstands appeals, the deal will resolve a mountain of 3,000 lawsuits from state and local governments, Native American tribes, unions, and others that accuse the company of helping to spark the overdose epidemic by aggressively marketing the prescription painkiller.

Under the settlement, the Sacklers will have to get out of the opioid business altogether and contribute $4.5 billion. But they will be shielded from any future lawsuits over opioids.

The drugmaker itself will be reorganized into a new charity-oriented company with a board appointed by public officials and will funnel its profits into government-led efforts to prevent and treat addiction.

Also, the settlement sets up a compensation fund that will pay some victims of drugs an expected $3,500 to $48,000 each.

After an all-day hearing in which he analyzed the plans pros and cons for a nonstop 6.5 hours, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain said he would approve it as long as two relatively small changes were made. If so, he said, he will formally enter the decision on Thursday.

He said that while he does not have fondness for the Sacklers or sympathy for them, collecting money from them through lawsuits instead of a settlement would be complicated.

The deal comes nearly two years after the Stamford, Connecticut-based company filed for bankruptcy under the weight of the lawsuits.

Under the settlement, the Sacklers were not given immunity from criminal charges, though there have been no indications they will face any.

State and local governments came to support the plan overwhelmingly, if grudgingly in many cases. But nine states and others had opposed it, largely because of the protections granted to the family.

The attorneys general of Connecticut, the District of Columbia, and Washington state immediately announced they will either appeal the ruling or explore the possibility of doing so.

The Sacklers should not be allowed to manipulate bankruptcy laws to evade justice and protect their blood money, Connecticuts William Tong said.

Some families who lost loved ones to drugs also came out against the settlement, including Ed Bisch, of Westampton, New Jersey, whose 18-year-old son died of an overdose nearly 20 years ago. The Sacklers are buying their immunity, he said.

Jayde Newton helps to set up cardboard gravestones with the names of victims of opioid abuse outside the courthouse where the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy is taking place in White Plains, N.Y., on Aug. 9, 2021. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)

But other families said they did not want to risk losing the money that will go toward treatment and prevention.

If they gave me a million dollars, would it help bring back my son? said Lynn Wencus, of Wrentham, Massachusetts. Lets help the people who are really struggling with this disease.

In a statement, members of the Sackler family said: While we dispute the allegations that have been made about our family, we have embraced this path in order to help combat a serious and complex public health crisis.

Purdue chairman Steve Miller said the settlement averts years of value-destructive litigation and ensures that billions of dollars will be devoted to helping people and communities who have been hurt by the opioid crisis.

The bankruptcy judge, based in White Plains, New York, had urged the holdouts to work out an agreement for the same reason.

Bitterness over the outcome of this case is completely understandable, Drain said. But one also has to look at the process and the issues and risks and rewards and alternatives of continued litigation versus the settlement laid out in the plan.

The outline of a protesters body with a message is seen on the sidewalk outside the courthouse where the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy is taking place in White Plains, N.Y., on Aug. 9, 2021. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)

Some of the opioid deaths over the past two decades have been attributed to OxyContin and other prescription painkillers, but most are from illicit forms of opioids such as heroin and illegally produced fentanyl. Opioid-linked deaths in the United States continued at a record pace last year, hitting 70,000.

The crisis devastated the reputation of the Sackler family, major philanthropists whose name was once emblazoned on the walls of museums and universities around the world. With the settlement, family members who have owned the company will still be worth billions.

Whether the deal holds the Sacklers sufficiently accountable was the most contentious question through the proceedings. Those suing succeeded in boosting the amount the Sacklers would pay from a likely $3 billion.

David Sackler, a former Purdue board member, had testified that family members would not accept the agreement unless it protected them from lawsuits. Otherwise, he said, the family would defend itself in litigation that could drag on for years and eat up the companys and the familys assets in lawyers fees.

His father, Richard Sackler, a former Purdue president and board chairman, said under questioning that he, his family, and the company did not bear responsibility for the opioid crisis.

Drain noted that none of the four Sacklers who testified offered an explicit apology. A forced apology is not really an apology, so we will have to live without one, he said.

The judge requested two somewhat technical changes to the plan: one clarifying that Sackler family members would be protected only from lawsuits involving opioids, and one on the procedure for bringing non-opioid claims against them.

One projection commissioned by a group of attorneys general found that the familys wealth could rise from the current estimate of $10.7 billion to more than $14 billion by 2030 despite the required payments. Thats because the family could continue to benefit from investment returns and interest as they make their gradual contributions over a decade under the deal.

Lawyers for Purdue and branches of the Sackler family disputed the assumptions used in the projection.

The settlement also requires members of the Sackler family, who are scattered across the United States, Britain, and elsewhere in Europe, to get out of the opioid business worldwide.

Several attorneys general won another provision that will create a massive public repository of company documents, including ones that normally would be protected by attorney-client privilege.

Purdue has said the settlement overall will be worth about $10 billion, which includes the value of addiction treatment and overdose antidote drugs it is developing.

The bankruptcy case is not the first time Purdue had faced legal trouble over the marketing of its painkillers.

The company pleaded guilty in 2007 to federal charges it misled regulators and others about the addiction dangers of OxyContin and agreed to pay more than $600 million in penalties.

Last November, as part of a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department, Purdue pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and violating anti-kickback laws.

Purdues bankruptcy has been the highest-profile case in a complicated universe of opioid litigation.

Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and the three largest U.S. drug distribution companies recently announced a settlement that could be worth up to $26 billion if state and local governments agree.

Individual trials also remain, including one scheduled to start in October in Cleveland over the role pharmacies played in the crisis. Other trials have been held this year in California, New York, and West Virginia, though verdicts have yet to be reached.

By Geoff Mulvihill
Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko looks on during a press conference in Minsk on Aug. 9, 2021. (Pavel Orlovsky/BELTA/AFP via Getty Images)

Large Shipment of Russian Weapons Expected Soon: Belarus President

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko announced Wednesday the Eastern European country will soon receive a large consignment of Russian-made weapons and hardware.

The authoritarian leader told reporters during a press briefing on Sept. 1 the batch will include dozens of fighter jets, helicopters, and defense systemslikely the S-400 air defense systems, Belta news agency reported.

I signed the order the day before yesterday. We will get tens of aircraft, tens of helicopters, and most importantly air defense systems soon. I dont want to say how much money and what else it cost us. We may even get S-400 [air defense systems]. We need them a lot, Ive already talked about it, Lukashenko said.

In other words, we will get cutting-edge hardware. We will upgrade equipment, he added. If we see during the exercise [BelarusianRussian strategic army exercise Zapad-2021] that we need something extra, then we will buy it from the Russian Federation and it will enter service.

The announcement highlights Moscows growing support for Lukashenko, whose election to a sixth term in August 2020 triggered months of protests and allegations of a rigged vote from the Belarusian opposition and the West.

The upcoming strategic drills in Belarus named Zapad-2021 (West-2021) will involve an estimated 200,000 servicemen, including those from Moscow-led defense bloc member Kazakhstan, as well as tanks, artillery, and aircraft, the ministry announced in a statement.

Servicemen take part in the joint RussianBelarusian military exercises Zapad-2017 (West-2017) at the Luzhsky training ground in the Leningrad region on Sept. 18, 2017. (Vasily Maximov/AFP via Getty Images)

Military jets fly during the joint RussianBelarusian military exercises Zapad-2017 (West-2017) at a training ground near the town of Borisov on Sept. 20, 2017. (Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)

Lukashenko announced the expected acquisition as Russia and Belarus prepare to conduct the joint war games next week. The drills are set to involve about 200,000 troops. The scale of the exercise will be bigger than the previous one, named Zapad-2020 (West-2020).

Russia has staunchly backed the Belarusian regimes longtime leader as his government faced a series of bruising sanctions from the United States and the European Union. The sanctions were imposed in response to a brutal crackdown on the post-election protests, including the arrests of more than 35,000 people and police beating thousands of demonstrators.

The two ex-Soviet neighbors have a union agreement that envisages close political, economic, and military ties. In the past, Lukashenko often accused Moscow of forging plots to force Belarus to abandon its independence, but he has dropped such rhetoric after his crackdown on protest made him a pariah in the West and forced him to rely squarely on the Kremlins support.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Some doctors fail to listen to their patients, one reason someone diagnosed with cancer may want to shop around. (Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock)

Learning What to Look for in a Cancer Specialist

Cancer is a tough disease, and having the right team with you through the process is key

Cancer is one of the most common diseases of our age, and yet those who face it rarely know whats about to happen to them beyond the broadest terms. Cancer up Close is an open recount of Michele Goncalvess cancer journey from pre-diagnosis to life after treatment.

As someone who favors treating my maladies as holistically as possible, I struggled with the idea of treating my stage 3 rectal cancer with chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy damage cancer cells but cant distinguish these cells from normal cells and so the side-effects of this treatment can be devastating.

In my mind, chemo was a toxic substance that I didnt want within a 100-mile radius of me. In the end, I had no choice and Im now dealing with side effects and platinum toxicity. (More on that subject in a future article.)

However, as if on cue, the first surgeon I met 17 hours after my diagnosis urged (Id even say pushed) me to talk to his oncology partner, Dr. S., before making any decisions. I resisted but eventually agreed. What unfolded in that meeting still upsets me, but before I tell you what happened, I need to share something.

Cancer treatment is a multibillion-dollar industry. This is an important fact to keep in mind as you face a diagnosis. Hospitals will even offer free cancer screenings as a way to identify and attract new patients. While the people working in this industry have a sincere wish to help their patient, there are realities that patients need to understand. For one, there is a sales aspect involved. And another is that cancer doctors and hospitals are in competition with one another for your business, hence the commercials youve seen on TV. In other words, you have a choice of where you get treated.

If you look at treating your cancer like dating, I think you will be better prepared for what may come. Would you marry the first person who asks you out on a date, thinking they are the only person on earth you could possibly spend your life with? Of course not. So, I would urge everyone not to settle for the first oncologist or surgeon you are referred to.

In fact, Id suggest setting up appointments immediately after diagnosis with at least two other cancer centers to hear what they have to say (once you have all your CT scans, MRIs, and any other test results back and in hand). Just remember to call quickly because appointments with doctors (especially good ones) can sometimes be several weeks away, and with a fast-growing tumor, its better for you to not drag things out.

Also, remember that you are the boss in this surreal experience of speed dating for a cancer team. Its you who decides who gets the honor and income of treating your illness. I hope you never feel pushed or rushed into making your final decision.

Take the adequate time (but be quick) to think about your dates with the different doctors, and choose the team that feels right. Do you feel like your opinions are being respected in that initial meeting? Did you feel like you can talk candidly and freely with them? Do you get the sense that they will work with you as a team to modify or stop your treatment if you dont feel comfortable? These are critical questions to consider. It is one of the most important decisions you can make along this journey.

Id like to tell you the story about my meeting with an oncologist at a hospital in central New Jersey.

As I said earlier, the first surgeon I met took it upon himself to reach out to his oncology partner after I told him I didnt want chemo. He tried to get me in as soon as possible. I met the surgeon early in the morning on Dec. 15, and had a message on my phone later in the afternoon that day from the oncologists office. They said an appointment had been made for Dec. 21.

I was asked to call back and confirm, but I didnt. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted, frightened, and angry. I wasnt sure yet whether I would use alternative or conventional cancer therapy or a mix of both.

In my heart, I wanted to avoid going the chemo route, and now, I was coming face to face with this treatment. On top of that, I felt like I was being pushed (by doctors and some family) into accepting this option, which made me rebel a bit.

I received a follow-up call from Dr. S.s office on Dec. 18. This person left me a voicemail and said in a nasty tone, This is our second call, you have not confirmed yet, so let us know if you want to cancel so we can give this appointment to a patient in need. I was a bit annoyed, but being from New Jersey, Im used to rudeness, so I called them back and told them I felt this appointment was too soon.

I explained that I had not even had my required CT scan and MRI done yet, so what were we going to talk about exactly? There are no tangible results to discuss. I wanted to reschedule for Jan. 8 after my tests would be completed.

The person I was talking to kept pushing me to keep my Dec. 21 appointment and was giving me a very hard time about moving it to Jan. 8. She said that Id feel so much better if I just sat down with the beloved Dr. S. who was so great.

However, I kept insisting that I wanted to talk about real and concrete things about my case, once I got the test results back. I didnt need to discuss theory. I felt like I was talking to customer service and trying to get out of a cellphone contract. This person wouldnt take no for an answer.

I thought she was trying to earn a commission or get some kind of year-end bonus through my visit. Her sales pitch was just a bit too hard for my taste at this delicate time.

This kept going on for a few more minutes, until I finally said: Look, Im not going to die in the next few weeks, so lets set it for Jan. 8, OK? Finally, she backed off and agreed and the call was over. Sheesh!

I thought to myself, how can you hassle someone who was just freshly diagnosed with cancer like this? Unfortunately, the tone from that phone call carried over to my actual visit with the doctor on Jan. 8.

I attended the meeting alone (by choice), and my goal was to get information and hear what they had to say about their treatment protocol. At this point, they had seen my MRI and CT Scan results, so now we could actually talk about facts.

I walked in and finally met Dr. S. (after my blood pressure and other vitals were taken, of course). I went through my long history going back to when I had food poisoning on a business trip in Colombia, to having a stool test done in 2015 by my functional medicine doctor in Michigan that revealed a rogue bacterial infection (Klebsiella Pneumonae), to having blood in my stool for a long time, to the present pains during my last business trip in Russia.

She took very detailed notes for about 20 minutes and then sat down next to me to discuss how staging works for rectal cancer. The information was the same as I had heard from the surgeon.

Then, she said she looked at my MRI and placed me in Stage 3, or borderline Stage 4. Several lymph nodes appeared to be impacted and the MRI report wasnt conclusive if the tumor had already penetrated outside the immediate area. She looked very serious, and her tone was hardly hopeful.

From my prepared list of questions, I asked her what her success rate was with my type and stage of cancer, and she looked at me as if I had horns growing out of my head! She replied in a stern voice, Everyone is different. She never answered the question or offered a few successful cases she had to give me some hope.

Cancer doctors are very reticent to use the word cure and will sometimes say treatments have curative intent.

Sometimes it can take years to know if cancer has been truly cured, or if it is simply hiding and waiting.

She walked me through her protocol for treating Stage 3 or 4 rectal cancer. The only option presented to me was to put a port into my chest and follow a regimen called FOLFOX, a mix of two different chemotherapy drugs that would be given via infusion over two hours. Then Id have to drag around a bag of chemo in a pouch for two additional days infusing into my port. This would be done for eight cycles two weeks apart. There would be chemo and radiation following that for 5 1/2 weeks, and then surgery.

I asked to see an example of what this port looked like. When she showed me, I almost fainted. I pictured myself as a cyborg walking around like a chemo zombie with a bag of this crazy toxic liquid in my Louis Vuitton purse.

I said, Um, I really dont want that thing. She replied that this approach was the gold standard to treat my cancer and anyone who says otherwise is not following standards. (It turns out this is not quite true as another protocol exists without a port.) Then she reminded me that I had stage 3 cancer and that it isnt a joke! I thought to myself, Gee thanks, honey, for making me feel like Ive got no chance at all.

I told her that I was getting a second opinion at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Philadelphia the following day. Dr. S. and the nurse both rolled their eyes. The doctor said to her nurse, Um, you want to take this one? I cant, I cant.

The nurse went on to say in a very schoolmarm lecturing tone that they heard bad stories about them, like how they did unnecessary CT scans after every cycle of chemo to make more money (which isnt true). I was appalled at their commentary which struck me as unprofessional.

The final straw came when I mentioned that I have a functional medicine doctor in Michigan, and I asked if they would be willing to work with them during my treatment, as I intended to stay on my supplements to boost my immune system through any type of conventional treatment.

Dr. S. said their pharmacy would evaluate all of them and they would be the ones to decide if I could use it or not. However, she said that the red blood cell support I was on was a definite no because these are usually high in iron and it could make me more constipated than I already was (my tumor was almost fully blocking my colon).

I explained that I was put on that supplement after my diagnosis because a blood test showed I was anemic. The pills made me feel better, and my lightheadedness was less severe since taking them. However, my explanation apparently didnt matter (in other words how I actually felt didnt matter); she said she didnt support them. I was furious.

Nobody has more insight into their own body and how it reacts to medications, food, and so on than they themselves. There is also nobody who has more invested and therefore should have more say in how they pursue medical treatment. Unfortunately, many doctors dont quite understand or accept this reality.

I got up out of my chair and said, OK, thanks! I couldnt get out of there fast enough. This was the worst doctors appointment I had ever had. I felt disrespected and dismissed.

I never went back.

A few days later, I received an email asking for written feedback of my visit with that doctor. I documented everything Ive just shared and added: If you think this is the way to earn my business, you are sadly mistaken.

I was relieved that I had another facility to consult within my back pocket. My experience at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America was very different, so tune in next time when I will share what that was like.

Until then, breathe deep, be kind, and take it one day at a time.

Michele Goncalves is a financial compliance and fraud auditor for a Fortune 500 company by day and a passionate pursuer of holistic and functional medicine knowledge by night. She is also the author of the column The Consummate Traveler.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) listens during the opening hearing of the House Select Committee investigating the attack on Capitol Hill on July 27, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Liz Cheney Promoted to Vice Chair of Jan. 6 Panel

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) has been elevated to second in command of a House panel probing the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who chairs the panel, said the move was made because of Cheneys commitment to getting answers about January 6th, ensuring accountability, and doing whatever it takes to protect democracy for the American people.

Her leadership and insights have shaped the early work of the Select Committee and this appointment underscores the bipartisan nature of this effort, Thompson said in a statement.

Cheney is one of only two Republicans on the panel. She was the only Republican member to be appointed to the panel by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), before Pelosi rejected five nominees put forth by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Pelosi then asked Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) to join.

The panel has aggressively pursued records from executive branch agencies and a slew of companies, including asking 35 telecommunication and social media companies to preserve months of records related to certain individuals.

McCarthy denounced the request, charging that the companies could lose their ability to operate in the United States if they handed over the records.

Democrats have repeatedly championed the involvement of Cheney and Kinzinger with the panel. Thompson said he felt it was important that the leadership of the panel, formally named the Select Committee to Investigate Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, reflect the bipartisan effort we are engaged in.

Police release tear gas into a crowd during clashes at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Cheney said that every member of the panel is dedicated to conducting a non-partisan, professional, and thorough investigation of all the relevant facts regarding January 6th and the threat to our Constitution we faced that day.

I have accepted the position of Vice Chair of the committee to assure that we achieve that goal. We owe it to the American people to investigate everything that led up to, and transpired on, January 6th. We will not be deterred by threats or attempted obstruction and we will not rest until our task is complete, she said in a statement.

Cheney was removed as the House Republican conference chair earlier this year after she voted to impeach President Donald Trump and continued trading barbs with Trump after he left office. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) was voted in as Cheneys replacement.

Cheneys promotion comes as some fellow Republicans reportedly plan to ask McCarthy to remove both Cheney and Kinzinger from the Republican conference.

According to a draft copy of a letter circulating online penned by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), the head of the House Freedom Caucus, Biggs wants the members removed because theyve chosen to work with the Democrats to investigate and potentially remove Republican Members from the House.

Biggs referred to Cheney and Kinzinger as two spies for the Democrats and noted that theyre invited to Republican conference meetings despite our inability to trust them.

Kinzinger responded on Twitter, describing the letter as interesting and claimed that Biggs and his allies have been pushing Covid denialism and Jan. 6 trutherism.

The GOP has a choice. I am even more committed to getting truth now, he wrote.
A medical staffer prepares a Moderna vaccine to be administered at mass vaccination center in Tokyo, Japan, on May 24, 2021. (Carl Court/Pool via Reuters)

Los Angeles Teachers Union Calls for Vaccine Mandate and Stricter COVID-19 Protocols

United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) is calling for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, along with stricter quarantine rules for all eligible students in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

UTLA also announced support for a vaccine mandate for eligible students in the wake of the FDAs full approval of the Pfizer COVID vaccine, UTLA said in an Aug. 30 statement.

This aligns with UTLA support for the educator vaccine mandate implemented by LAUSD and will keep our schools safer as well as positively contributing to the higher community vaccination rates needed to reverse the surge in infections, the statement reads.

In an Aug. 27 email to UTLA members, the teachers union said it was pushing the district to immediately quarantine the entire class if the teacher or one of the students tests positive for COVID-19 in an EEC, Early Education, or TK-6 classroom.

UTLA also called for all eligible students to be vaccinated within 12 weeks of their 12th birthday.

This is a prudent and necessary safety measure in view of the recent number of positive tests at several schools, the outbreak reported at Grant Elementary, and the fact that students under 12 cant be vaccinated yet, UTLA said in an email to its members.

LAUSD announced last month that all faculty and staff members must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15, which is more stringent than the states requirement of teachers and staff to be either vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.

Regardless of vaccination status, all students, teachers, and staff in LAUSD are currently required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.

LAUSD hasnt announced whether it will mandate the vaccine for all eligible students. However, it wouldnt be the first district to implement such a mandate, as the Culver City Unified School District implemented a vaccine mandate for its students last month.

UTLA met with LAUSD on Aug. 27 and Aug. 30 to negotiate a Continuity of Learning plan to apply stricter quarantine protocols than the district had in place.

UTLAs proposal includes giving classroom teachers the choice of either using a classroom camera to provide instruction to quarantined students, or instead meeting with quarantined students during scheduled office hours.

The office hours would allow for small groups of students to meet in a more direct way with their instructor and would offer students and families more flexibility to access instruction, UTLA said in an email.

LAUSD announced its Interim Continuity of Learning Plan on Aug. 30, which stipulates that teachers must provide instruction to their students via a web conference tool, like Zoom, when the entire class is in quarantine. If only a few students are quarantined, the in-class lessons will be livestreamed.

Students and families need clear expectations and support for learning at home while theyre asked to isolate or quarantine, Interim Superintendent Megan K. Reilly said in a statement.

This plan serves as an interim guide for educators and supporting students during this difficult and unique time.

UTLA sent an Aug. 30 email to its members claiming the district implemented the Continuity of Learning proposal without having reached a bargaining agreement as required by law and without it being vetted by parents and educators.

To be disrespected while pushing ourselves to the limit is unacceptable. For the sake of our students, we need a partner running the districtnot a top-down bureaucrat, UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said in a statement, referring to Reilly.

The teachers union said it will file an unfair labor practice charge with the public employment relations board and continue bringing proposals to the Continuity of Learning program.

Collective bargaining and open lines of communication have been critical to saving lives and implementing key safety mandates during this pandemic, UTLA Bargaining Chair Arlene Inouye said in a statement. For LAUSD to ignore the need for ongoing collaboration at this sensitive time is irresponsible.

The unions demands were posted on the Instagram page UTLA Uncensored.
A deserted Devonport main street as Auckland wakes to level four lockdown in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 18, 2021. (Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

Man Faces Criminal Charges for Ignoring Quarantine Order in New Zealand

A New Zealand citizen who had tested positive for the CCP virus was taken into custody on Thursday in central Auckland after he disobeyed a quarantine order, according to police.

In New Zealand, people who test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, are routinely required to isolate in hotels run by the military.

The unidentified male left the compound at around 10:30 p.m. local time and was on the run for about 12 hours before police arrested him at his usual place of residence, 9News reported.

He appeared before a court virtually and was charged with breaching COVID-19 legislation. He was granted bail and sent back to the managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facility.

The home of the man was surrounded by police officers before they took him into custody in Otahuhu, a suburb of Auckland.

Police are liaising with the Ministry of Health on this matter to understand this persons movements since he left the MIQ facility and being located in Otahuhu, Superintendent Steve Kehoe said.

All police staff who have responded to this incident have been following all health guidelines, in accordance with police COVID-19 procedures, he added.

Speaking to reporters about the Thursday night incident, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said it had not been confirmed exactly how the man escaped the facility, although closed-circuit cameras showed a man hiding in a bush when a security guard walked past.

Under a new CCP virus law passed last year, the man could face a fine or up to six months in jail if found guilty of failing to comply with a health order.

Auckland is in a level four lockdown, the highest level of lockdown in the country. Under level four, everyone is required to stay at home and are only allowed to make physical contact with those in their household bubble. Businesses and schools will be closed and only essential services will be operational.

The Associated Press has contributed to this report.

From NTD News
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer pose for pictures after delivering a response to President Donald Trump's televised address to the nation on border funding at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 8, 2019. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

Moderates in Both Chambers Continue Pressure on Democratic Leadership Over $3.5 Trillion Budget Resolution

After a weekslong stalemate with House moderates over Sen. Bernie Sanderss (I-Vt.) $3.5 trillion budget resolution, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) finally reached a compromise with the rebels on the morning of an emergency session of Congress on Aug. 24. While the agreement secured advancement of the budget resolution, splits between moderates and progressives continue to threaten the partys paper-thin majority to pass the budget and infrastructure bills in both chambers.

In an Aug. 12 letter to Pelosi, nine moderates objected to the speakers attempt t0 bundle the bipartisan infrastructure bill with the controversial budget resolution. They called the infrastructure bill a bipartisan victory for our nation and swore that they would not consider voting for a budget resolution until the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passes the House and is signed into law. Later, another moderate congresswoman joined with the nine.

Despite weeks of negotiations with the White House and Democratic leadership, the moderates held firm in their commitment until the day of the emergency session. Desperate to secure advancement of the budget resolution, Pelosi promised the leader of the moderate caucus, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) that the House would consider the Senate-passed infrastructure bill by Sept. 27.

But this agreement has created its own problems for Democratic leadership in the House and Senate.

Earlier in August, the 95-strong House progressive caucus made their own promise not to vote for the infrastructure bill until the budget resolution was signed into law.

Despite its advancement, the budget resolution still is far from becoming law. The House did not vote on the budget resolution itself but rather on a rule that would send the resolution to House committees to be drafted into a piece of legislation. The resolution itself is effectively a proposal to guide lawmakers in crafting actual legislation.

To make the legislation passable on a party-line vote, Democrats crafted the legislation as a reconciliation bill. The reconciliation process allows qualified legislation to be passed by a simple majority; debate on such bills in the Senate is limited and Senators are not permitted to filibuster.

But even with the bill effectively having passed the House, and even with these limitations on the Senates deliberations, the way forward for the expansive budget is difficult.

With the vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats have the simple numerical majority to pass the billif they unify behind it. But two prominent moderates in the Senate, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have both expressed opposition to the budget. Noncompliance by these moderates threatens to derail the entire reconciliation process.

Democratic leadership remains hopeful that negotiations by House committees with their Senate counterparts can overcome this division.

But the process will not be an easy one.

The resolution is massive in scope and calls for several ambitious new government initiatives to raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations, to extend the child tax credit, to reduce carbon emissions with an extremely aggressive  transformation of the U.S. energy system away from fossil fuels, and to expand various aspects of the Affordable Care Act and Medicare, among many others.

The two chambers have some stark disagreements about how much should be spent on these programs, which initiatives should be included, and when those programs should expire.

And Democrats have precious little time to work out these disagreements: with the infrastructure bills Sept. 27 deadline, the Democratic budget must be passed or ready for a vote at the same time in order for progressives to support the infrastructure bill.

House Budget Chair John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) conceded that this was a harshly short time scale to work with: It is pushing it. All we can do is try.

In short, Democrats have a huge challenge ahead of them, exacerbated by increasingly sharp division in the party between progressives and moderates in the House and Senate.

House and Senate committees must agree to a budget resolution to be ready for passage within less than a month. Democrats will also have to work to bring Manchin and Sinema into the fold on the legislation: without their agreement, the legislation will fail even if the joint congressional committees reach a compromise.

Increasing the pressure on leadership, this will all have to be done by the Sept. 27 deadline for the infrastructure bill, as the 10 House moderates continue to insist that they will not vote for the resolution if the infrastructure bill is not passed by the deadline. But if the budget is not ready before that date, progressives will not vote for the infrastructure bill.

Democratic leadership is confident that these challenges can be overcome, but the lack of unity among congressional Democrats is likely to continue to pose significant difficulties to President Joe Bidens agenda when Congress returns from its month-long recess.
Mom Refuses to Abort Baby With One Arm, No Legs, Says, Hes Absolutely Perfect

A UK mother who gave birth to a baby with one arm, no legs, and a webbed hand, says she never thought of terminating her pregnancy. The proud mom calls her baby son an absolutely perfect little boy.

Mom Rosie Higgs, 29, had been told at her routine 20-week scan that her son might have amniotic band syndrome, a condition that affects limbs from growing properly.

Rosie, a special needs school care assistant, from Harrow, London, said people questioned whether she should terminate the pregnancy, but she had no doubt she was going to keep her baby boy.

Little Henry Higgs arrived via C-section and had just one arm and a webbed hand. Henry, now 11 months, loves to splash around in the bath and reach out and touch his toys.

Rosie said: When I was told my baby would only have one arm and no legs, I was so worried and upset. But there was no doubt in my mind that I was keeping himno matter what I was advised.

It was scary at times being pregnant. I had scans every four weeks, they kept a close eye because every scan was saying something different.

When I was at work it was OK because I didnt think too much.

But when I had to stop work I was really overthinking things. I was worried something might go wrong.

But he is such a happy chap and doesnt let his disability hold him back in any way. Hes got a cheeky smile and hes always laughing. He loves his big sister.

He might not have all of his arms and legs, but hes absolutely perfect to me.

Due to lockdowns in 2020, Rosie couldnt have her supportive mother, Paula, 55, and partner, Peter, 39, by her side during her scans.

Not being able to have my mum with me at the birth was heartbreaking, especially as I knew Henry was high risk. Luckily, the midwives were absolutely incredible, she said.

I was so stressed throughout my pregnancy and when Henry was born the midwives asked if I wanted to see him straight away because I was nervous.

Scans can only tell you so much. It was such a buildup and a worry when he first came out I didnt know what to expect.

Henry was born on May 13, 2020, at Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, London, weighing a healthy 8 pounds 2 ounces (3.7 kg).

Dad Peter, an Emirates facilities and seating supervisor, went over to see his son first. He picked his baby son up and brought him over to Rosie and placed him in her arms.

As he passed me my little boy I fell in love, Rosie said.

When Rosie took the baby home to meet his sister, Alice, 13, and brother, Michael, 7, they didnt bat an eyelid at his differences. They were fine, they both love him and accept him for who he is, she said.

Almost a year later, baby Henry now loves playing with his older brother and sister.

Michael, my son, is autistic so he doesnt give Henry as much attention as Alice, but they love him, she said. Alice treats him like her own babyrather than her brother. She loves him so much. Shes his second mum.

Grandmother Paula also loves her little grandson and knits clothing for him.

Mum likes to crochet and knits so she makes him little outfits, Rosie said. She absolutely adores him and said hes amazing, shes not said much about his limbs. Everyone just accepts him for who he is.

Little Henry is hitting all the milestones he should be: hes able to lift objects up, lift his head up, and rollover.

Hes able to pick things up without any problems which is really surprising. Hes progressing really well, Rosie said.

Hes babbling all the time like hes talking to you. Its like hes replying. He wakes me up in the morning with his babbling. But he is amazingly well-behaved; he goes down at 7.30 p.m. and wakes up at 6.30 a.m.

Rosie said Henry loves sitting up in his highchair, but hes not able to use a baby walker because he doesnt have his bottom limbs. Henry has also had an operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to separate his webbed hand.

She said: Now he can pick things up and eat himself. It has made such a difference with his mobility.

We are also talking with Stanmore Orthopedics about getting Henry orthopedics in the future which is really positive and will make a huge difference.

Henry is progressing so well I dont have any worries about his future.

I know he will always be a little bit different but we take it day by day and I know hell be able to cope with any future challenges.

Since Henrys birth, Rosie has received support from Reach, a charity that helps children with upper limb differences.

Thanks to the charity Ive been in contact with loads of parents in similar positions, Rosie said. Theyve been amazing. Theyve really helped me get through it.

The house is something that were going to have to adapt as he gets older because its not suitable the way it is at the moment. That is a bit of a worry.

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.

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
Mysterious Audio Recording Threatens Afghans Who Aided US

In an audio recording, Tarana music blares in the background while a man speaking Pashto asks his superior for permission to hunt down everyone on lists of Afghans who helped the United States. The unnamed speakerwho sources believe is a Taliban combatantasks whether those captured should be killed, suggesting methods of execution.

The recording, obtained exclusively by The Epoch Times, was sent on Aug. 31 to the family of a former Afghan interpreter for the Department of Defense (now a U.S. citizen), who were left behind in the country.

The message of the recording is that the Taliban are now in control: Thank God now the Americans have withdrawn from the airport and everything is in our own hands.

The source of the recording, and why it was sent to this family, isnt clear, although Department of Defense intelligence experts told The Epoch Times they believe it was sent to phone numbers taken by the Taliban from lists of those holding special immigrant visas (SIV)the visas granted to Afghans who worked for the United States. The experts believe the recording is a psychological warfare operation meant to panic, and thus flush out, individuals who assisted the United States.

On Aug. 20, The Epoch Times reported that the Taliban had acquired U.S. surveillance equipment that might provide access to databases of biometric information on Afghans.

Politico reported on Aug. 26 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 militant-controlled outer perimeter of the citys airport.

On Aug. 30, White House press secretary Jen Psaki pushed back against this report, saying that it was inaccurate to say such lists had been given preemptively to the Taliban.

In any case, the recording claims, we received all of their lists, those who were relying on foreign forces to evacuate them to America.

The speaker asks permission from his superior to start searching from Kandahar and Badakhshan provinces for Afghan allies stranded in the country. He asks, What is your order regarding finding and gathering all of them and kill them, hang them, or expose them to the public or stone them to deathwhat should we do?

Gen. Kenneth Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, stated on Aug. 30 after the final evacuation flights had left Kabul that less than 250 Americans remained on the ground in Afghanistan. However, veteran groups at the center of evacuation efforts believe there are many more stranded Americans, not counting Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas and groups designated  vulnerable persons , including Afghan Christians.

In a speech on Sept. 1, President Joe Biden defended the withdrawal as an extraordinary success, stating that the withdrawal deadline didnt mean an end to evacuation efforts for Americans left behind. We remain committed to get them out, if they want to come out. No plan has been announced for how those left behind will be brought out.

The recording ends: So when should we start the searchestoday or tomorrow? Just give us the order, we have all of their lists.

Translation of recording sent to family of Afghan American Former Interpreter for the US Military:

Greeting Mawlawee Sahib, how are you doing? Thank God now the Americans have withdrawn from the airport and everything is in our own hands. Mufti Sahib, what is your order regarding those who had worked with the foreign forces, and should we start searching from Kandahar and Badakhshan provinces and also search for those who specifically worked with Americans as a spy and done a lot of things?

Just let me know what is your order regarding finding and gathering all of them and kill them, hang them, or expose them to the public or stone them to deathwhat should we do?

Now everything is in our hands and they cant escape from us, should we be gathering them?

We have their listthose who had worked with foreign forces, and all their lists were written in Qasaba [a district in Kabul] and in the airport and we received all of their lists, those who were relying on foreign forces to evacuate them to America. We received every single list of theirs, so what is your order should we gather them all and hang them? So when should we start the searchestoday or tomorrow? Just give us the order, we have all of their lists.
People make their way in rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in the Bronx borough of New York City on Sept. 1, 2021. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Deaths Reported in New Jersey as Ida Remnants Batter Mid-Atlantic States

New York, New Jersey declare state of emergency

The remnants of Hurricane Ida battered mid-Atlantic states on Wednesday, with powerful winds and torrential downpour causing major travel disruptions across the region and prompting a flash flood emergency to be issued in New York City for the first time.

The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed at least one tornado and reports on social media showed homes reduced to rubble in Mullica Hill, a southern New Jersey county just outside of Philadelphia.

At least two deaths from flash flooding were confirmed on Thursday morning in New Jerseys Passaic city. Flooding was also confirmed at Newark Liberty International Airport as the storm moved into New York on Wednesday night.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the entire state and urged residents to stay at home amid the torrential downpour.

Its catastrophic levels of water, and we need to keep people off the roads, the new governor told NY1 shortly after midnight on Thursday. The subway system is a raging flood in some parts, and its a frightening sight. And I want people to be safe.

Waterfall down the stairs at 145th Street station, 1 Train, in #Manhattan, #NYC. Flash #flood warnings are in effect until 11:30 pm. pic.twitter.com/pIvwWpQF1t  NTD News (@news_ntd) September 2, 2021

A travel ban on all non-emergency vehicles in the city has also been imposed until 5 a.m.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier on Wednesday evening declared a state of emergency and urged people to stay off the subways and roads.

Were enduring an historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding, and dangerous conditions on our roads, the mayor wrote on Twitter.

New Yorks Central Park recorded some 3.15 inches of rainfall in in one hour, according to the NWS, far exceeding the 1.94 inches of rain that fell in the same time frame during Tropical Storm Henri on Aug. 22, which was at the time believed to be the most recorded in the park.

Flight disruptions were reported at New York City airports LaGuardia and JFK, while the entire subway system for the city was either severely limited or suspended due to the severe weather conditions and flooding.

Train service is extremely limited, if not even suspended, because of heavy rainfall and flooding across the region, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority advised customers in an email alert late on Wednesday.

Videos and images on social media showed flood water pouring into subway stations, with water gushing over subway platforms and trains.

A tornado warning was issued earlier by the NWS for several neighborhoods in the Bronx, after radar determined a tornado had formed.

Hochul told CNN late on Wednesday that the storm was devastating far more than anyone expected, adding that we cant guarantee [the subway] will be up and running by tomorrow.

She said that at least 31,000 households, mainly in Long Island, had no power, and that swift water rescue teams had been deployed. She told NY1 that she wasnt aware of any injuries at the time.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency in all 21 counties, urging people to stay off the flooded roads.

A car is stranded on a flooded street in Bridgeville, Pa., has the remnants of Hurricane Ida moved north on Sept. 1, 2021. (Andrew Rush/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, Ida caused countless school and business to close as roadways became submerged. Several thousand customers were still without power late Wednesday night.

And in Maryland and Virginia, high water forced some from their homes.

The NWS said a flash flood emergency will remain in place in areas including New York, Brooklyn, and Queens until 3 a.m.

This emergency was issued due to the ongoing life threatening flash flooding. The heaviest rain has pushed east of the Flash Flood Emergency area, with more moderate rainfall the next few hours, it said in its latest update.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
High School Students Deserve a Normal Schedule

Commentary

High schools are quite different from K-8 schools, and its not just because their students are older.

While K-8 students take classes together according to their grade level, high school students are enrolled in a credit system. This means that they pass or fail each course individually.

Because of the credit system, high school timetables are considerably less flexible than K-8 timetables. School administrators must ensure that each course has enough instructional hours to cover the expected course content. Otherwise, the course will not count as a credit.

During a normal school year, most high schools divide the year into semesters. Usually, students take four courses in the first semester and then four different courses in the second semester. Each individual class goes for approximately an hour a day, five days a week.

The semester system works well because it takes a balanced approach. The total course load is reasonable and hour-long classes are long enough to get work done but not so long that students struggle to pay attention. There are good reasons why the semester system is the most common schedule for Canadian high school students.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic threw high school schedules into disarray. In an effort to reduce contact between students, many schools adopted a quadmester timetable whereby students take two classes a day for 10 weeks. Each class session is approximately three hours in length each day.

It should be obvious that this is not a good schedule for most high school students. Its difficult to hold any students attention for three hours at a time, let alone doing this five days a week. With such a compressed schedule, courses proceed at a breakneck speed and students find it hard to keep up.

Of course, last year was an unusual year. The COVID-19 pandemic was in its early stages and no vaccines were available yet. School boards wanted to keep students as safe as possible, and the quadmester schedule was their way of minimizing the likelihood of the virus being transmitted at school.

However, this year should be different. COVID-19 vaccines are widely available and every high school student who wants to be vaccinated can do so. This means that there is no need to keep students apart for the entire day. High schools should go ahead with a normal semester timetable without worrying about the amount of contact between students.

The problem is that some school boards are choosing to keep their quadmester schedules in place. For example, high schools in the Saskatoon Public School Board are required to schedule no more than two classes per day for each student. This is inexcusable, particularly since there is no scientific or educational basis for this decision.

Other school boards have adopted modified timetables that are even more confusing for students. For example, the Thames Valley District School Board in London, Ontario, is implementing a revised semester system where students take four courses in a semester, but only two courses per day. Thus, students take two courses one week, two different courses the next week, and then back again for the entire semester.

Confused? You should be. Not only are students stuck with nearly three-hour long classes each day under this system, but they also have to juggle four courses instead of two. Plus, students will go an entire week at a time without attending two of their courses, which will make it even harder for them to remember the material in each course.

Clearly, these revised schedules are going to be a disaster for students. There is no reason to impose quadmester or revised semester timetables on high school students. The regular semester system would work just fine. And they will be safe too.

Lets not forget that it is a fools errand to think that schools can actually keep students apart from each other. Schools might be able to limit in-class interactions, but they can do absolutely nothing about students hanging out during their breaks, noon hours, or after-school activities.

High school students are going to interact with each other no matter what schedule schools put in place. School boards should at least allow their students to have a normal schedule. Some things really are that simple.

Michael Zwaagstra is a public high school teacher, a senior fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, and author of A Sage on the Stage: Common Sense Reflections on Teaching and Learning.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Commentary

Its usually a good thing when a person has leaned from an experience. While times of crisis cause damage, they also can bring about innovation and wisdom. We can come out of a struggle with insight and be stronger for it.

Considering the actions and words of some of our political leaders however, I fear that they are coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic having learned all the wrong lessons.

While it may be coincidence, the language coming from President Joe Bidens administration and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has been strikingly similar this week.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) just launched the new Office of Climate Change and Health Equity. This wasnt surprising as it was in response to an executive order from President Biden last January. The terminology used was interesting though. HHS claimed that it would use lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to address climate change and health issues.

Meanwhile on Aug. 29, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau told a crowd of supporters What we learned from this COVID crisis, we will be applying to the climate crisis, the housing crisis, to reconciliation, to making sure that everyone has good jobs and careers that carry them through and create good opportunity for their kids.

What I fear is that the lesson these political leaders are referring to is confirmation of just how easily and willingly the populace will give up its civil rights in the face of a health crisis. Authoritarian-minded politicians now know that if they can package an initiative as a response to a public health crisis, they wont need to bother with worrying about the individual rights of citizens when implementing it.

In referring to a climate crisis and in tying it to health issues, politicians are setting the stage to continue to implement policies without regard to individual rights. They just need to act under the guise of responding to an immediate crisis.

The Great Reset concept is often dismissed as a conspiracy theory, but it is very real. It is a plan to use a world crisis in order to implement massive changes in political policies and government structures. It wants to reconfigure capitalism, and not for the better. Proponents of the Great Reset speak to the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity rather than a crisis. Again, this is no deeply hidden conspiracy or secret. It is all laid out on the World Economic Forum website in plain text.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a supporter of the World Economic Forum and he addressed their annual conference in 2018. Last November while addressing the U.N., Trudeau said This pandemic has provided an opportunity for a reset, This is our chance to accelerate our pre-pandemic efforts to re-imagine economic systems that actually address global challenges like extreme poverty, inequality and climate change.

We should be very concerned when ideologically driven politicians see the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity rather than a calamity. When leaders see times of crisis as a means to pursue radical change, they may feel inspired to drag out or even cause emergencies. It certainly is an easier way to bring the public on board than democratic exercises are.

In challenging times like now, citizens need to keep their governments in check. Constitutions and documents such as the Canadian Charter of Rights were designed specifically to protect the rights of individuals from government overreach. Section 1 of the Canadian Charter allows the government to suspend individual rights as it says our rights are subject to reasonable limits. Our government felt that it was reasonable to limit several our Charter rights in the name of protecting us from COVID-19. The courts and a large proportion of our citizenry agreed.

Having learned how easily the government can suspend Charter rights, we can rest assured that unprincipled and ideologically driven leaders will concoct future emergencies to bypass the rights of citizens again. We have heard everything from racism to firearm crimes to climate change being referred to as health issues now. That is no mistake. It sets the stage for state intervention that may bypass legislated rights protection.

Some of the worlds most horrific governments emerged from hard times. We saw that clearly enough just after the Great Depression. Citizens are too concerned with simply getting by to realize what their politicians may be getting up to. We always need to be vigilant and when we see world leaders referring to the pandemic as an opportunity, we need to sit up and take notice. An opportunity for whom, and at what cost?
OCFA firefighter takes a sip of Gatorade during the Bond fire on Dec. 5, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Orange County Fire Authority Assists in Northern California Fire Crisis

The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) continues to assist in Northern California as the fires persist, causing local hospitals and all national forests to temporarily close.

Five fire engines, a helicopter, and 22 firefighter personnel are stationed fighting the Dixie Fire, which is 52 percent contained as of Sept. 1. Other command positions from the OCFA are assisting behind the scenes to support the blazes up north.

We have people at the French fire, Caldor fire, Dixie fire, [and the] McFarland fire, OCFA spokesman Sean Doran told The Epoch Times. People have been in and out of those fires that are all over the state.

Every 14 days, the crew up north rotates with another OCFA crew and is expected to continue until their resources are no longer needed, Doran said.

As of Sept. 1, the Dixie and Caldor fires are the largest blazes in the state, burning over 1 million acres combined.

With the Caldor fire nearly 20 percent contained and progressing toward the Lake Tahoe basin, medical offices have been ordered to close, including Barton Health.

Barton Memorial Hospital patients have been transferred to regional partner facilities and their families have been notified, Barton Health said in a Sept. 1 statement.

The medical offices are scheduled to remain closed until at least Sept. 3 as evacuation warnings are continuing in El Dorado, Douglas, Alpine, and Amador County.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service ordered all national forests in California to temporarily close until Sept. 17.

We do not take this decision lightly but this is the best choice for public safety, Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien said in an Aug. 30 statement. It is especially hard with the approaching Labor Day weekend when so many people enjoy our national forests.

The national forest closures will limit the chances of a new potential fire while protecting visitors from becoming entrapped during emergency circumstances.
Volunteers at the Lestonnac Free Clinic guide patients through the COVID-19 vaccination process in Orange, Calif., on March 9, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Orange Countys COVID-19 Hospitalizations Decline

SANTA ANA, Calif.Orange Countys COVID-19 hospitalizations dipped by more than 20 on Sept. 1, dropping from 556 to 534a welcome piece of good news in the metric that many health experts consider the most important in tracking the ongoing pandemic.

The number of COVID patients in county intensive care units dropped from 150 to 149, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency. The county has 22.2 percent of its ICU beds available and 68 percent of its ventilators.

The hospitalization numbers look great, Andrew Noymer, an epidemiologist and UC Irvine professor of population health and disease prevention, told City News Service. The percent positivity is good. I dont want to say its great, but certainly moving in the right direction. Overall, the numbers look good. Im somewhat surprised given school has started, but as Ive said a million times before, we often get surprised by these things.

The OCHCA also reported 646 new COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths Wednesday, bringing the countys cumulative totals to 285,453 cases and 5,229 fatalities. Health experts note that many of the infections being logged recently are due to an increase in testing, with many businesses and schools requiring routine screenings.

All four of the fatalities logged Wednesday occurred in August, raising that months death toll to 52. The death toll for August stands in contrast with Julys 17. It is the first time since the winter surge that there has been a month-to-month increase in fatalities.

Deaths are the final lagging indicator, experts say, so it reflects the ultimate toll from this summers surge.

According to weekly numbers released on Tuesdays, the countys average daily case rate per 100,000 residents dropped from 22.2 last week to 18.6, while the testing positivity rate fell from 8 percent to 6.8 percent.

The countys Health Equity Quartile rate, which measures the impact of the pandemic on disadvantaged communities, dropped from 8.4 percent to 7.3 percent.

Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, deputy health officer for the Orange County Health Care Agency, told reporters Tuesday that with college students returning to classes, there could be another surge in cases ahead.

Im assuming well see a rise after Sept. 6, Chinsio-Kwong said.

Vaccinations have steeply driven down the death toll each month since records were set in December and January, but it now appears they are trending back upward due to the more contagious Delta variant of the virus.

Chinsio-Kwong said vaccinations are back on the rise in the county, with about 11,000 shots dispensed in one day recently.

Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, who hosted the media call with Chinsio-Kwong on Tuesday, asked the doctor about a recent study that indicates natural immunity is stronger than the protection vaccines offer.

Its still in everybodys best interests to get the vaccine, Chinsio-Kwong said.

Chinsio-Kwong said: If youve had COVID and youre fully vaccinated, youre probably more protected than if youre just fully vaccinated  Its to everybodys benefit to not get COVID again or to not get it at all, and since we have three successful vaccines, just get a shot.

Noymer told CNS the data on the natural immunity versus vaccination is still up for debate.

Ive seen studies that say natural infection is superior to vaccination and Ive seen studies that say it is inferior to vaccination, Noymer said. Theres still a lot we dont know. I think a lot of these studies were done in good faith. Its a new science and the numbers are still bouncing around.

With Labor Day weekend upcoming, Chinsio-Kwong recommended avoiding any long-distance traveling that requires a plane ride.

Travel is not a good idea at this point, she said. When you get to the airport youre exposed to a whole lot of people.

Chinsio-Kwong said your immune system takes a hit because sleep gets disrupted during a trip, as well.

As for get-togethers over the holiday weekend, Chinsio-Kwong recommended against gathering with large crowds indoors.

The last place you want to be is in an indoor room with no ventilation, Chinsio-Kwong said. Even if theres only one person with an infection and they move their mask to drink or to eat or to shout  all those respiratory droplets linger in the air and the longer you stay in that room, the odds increase youll be exposed.
Over 100 Americans Remain in Afghanistan: White House

Over 100 Americans remain in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, the White House said Sept. 2.

Between 100 and 200 U.S. citizens were believed to be in the Middle Eastern nation when U.S. troops pulled out on Aug. 30. That number remains above 100, but it is closer to 100 than 200, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington.

We are in close touch from the State Department, from our diplomatic officials, with all of these individuals, working in close coordination with them to determine how they can leave the country, if theyve left the country, she said.

A chunk of the remaining Americans are school students in California. Up to 30 from two school districts were in Afghanistan as of Sept. 1, with no updates available on Sept. 2, district officials told The Epoch Times.

Without a military presence in Afghanistan, the United States is attempting to use diplomatic means to secure safe passage for the Americans stranded in the country.

Its not clear how many made it out after U.S. troops withdrew.

President Joe Biden kept the withdrawal deadline in place, reneging on his promise to keep troops there until all Americans who wanted out were out.

The Taliban, a terrorist group, has promised to allow Americans to leave. Meanwhile, Taliban fighters stopped some Americans from passing through checkpoints even when U.S. troops were still on the ground, and beat multiple Americans in Kabul.

Some charter flights have been departing Afghanistan in recent days and may contain Americans, according to U.S. officials.

The United States is working to facilitate the charters landing safely in third countries, Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, told reporters in a separate briefing.

A commercial airplane is seen at the Hamid Karzai International Airport a day after U.S troops withdrawal in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 31, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters)

Price said the United States isnt preventing the charters from taking off but stressed that it could be dangerous if they land at U.S. military bases.

If these charters are seeking to go to a U.S. military installation, for example, we have to weigh not only the threat to those who may be on board, especially if theyre American citizens, LPRs, other Afghans to whom we have a special commitment, but also to the safety and security of State Department personnel, U.S. military personnel, Department of Homeland Security personnel, other U.S. personnel on U.S. military installations, he said.

Price said the United States remains committed to the American citizens still in Afghanistan as well as to Afghans at risk from the Taliban.

We will provide them tailored guidance. But that is not something we will provide to all of you. And we wont do that for their safety. And we wont do that because it is tailored to them. And we are working on all possible options to effect their safe departure from Afghanistan, he said.

In yet another press conference, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby defended leaving Americans and Afghans who assisted U.S. troops behind.

We know there are people that didnt make it outAmerican citizens as well as Special Immigrant Visa applicants, he said.

Were all heartbroken that we werent able to get every single person out. We all recognize that. And dont think for a minute that people dont feel it here, because we do. But it is also important to remember the extraordinary effort that was expended over the course of some 17 days to get over 124,000 people out, including 6,000 American citizensthe vast, vast majority of those we believe that were there.
Over 100,000 Sign Petition Against Vaccination of Australians Aged 12 to 15

Over 108,000 Australians have signed a petition to the federal Parliament against the use of vaccines on adolescents aged 12 to 16.

The petition comes after the nations immunisation advisory body approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine (Comirnaty) on Australians aged 12 to 15 from Sept. 13 onwards.

The petition, Immediately Stop COVID-19 Vaccines for children aged 12-16, which closed on Sept. 1, was signed by 108,892 individuals claiming mass vaccination of children would be a gamble on their lives.

There is no short, medium, or long-term data to support the benefits outweigh the risk for this age group, this is a gamble on childrens lives and the largest experiment known to man, the petition read.

It noted data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, that found infection and death rates for young Americans (aged 0 to 15) were low compared to other age groups.

The vaccines are in experimental phasetrials are incomplete, and approvals were given without complete safety and efficacy data being available, it added.

People wait in line to receive their COVID-19 vaccines at a newly opened vaccination hub in Dubbo, NSW, Australia, on Aug. 21, 2021. (Belinda Soole/Getty Images)

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) approved the vaccination of young Australians last week, saying, 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).

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has backed the move saying it would speed up the vaccination rate of the entire population.

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 Aug. 26.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said more children were being infected in 2021, partly because more adults were being 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.

Vaccinations are the key metric for Australia to move away from relying on frequent lockdowns and ongoing health restrictions.

The National Cabinetan intergovernmental body involving the prime minister and state and territory leadersagreed on a four-stage vaccination roadmap in late July.

A person walks past posters encouraging people to get vaccinated in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 31, 2021. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

The country is currently working towards the 70 percent markPhase B of the roadmapwhich will see stay-at-home orders and restrictions largely removed around the country.

Australian leaders had largely relied on restrictions to stem the spread of COVID-19at times locking down an entire city once a single case was discovered.

The spread of the Delta variant, however, has forced a change in the narrative, with the federal government, and the New South Wales and Victorian premier recognising that zero transmission of COVID-19, and its variants, is unachievable.

The change also coincides with increasing unrest from Australians at prolonged lockdownsparticularly in Sydney and Melbournethat have resulted in increasing mental health issues and job losses.

On Aug. 21, thousands of Australians across major metropolitan centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Coolangatta-Tweed Heads, took to the streets against COVID-19 lockdowns.
A COVID warning sign is seen at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on July 10, 2021. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Over 80 Major Companies Urge Australian Governments to Stick to Path out of Lockdowns

The business community has come together and signed an open letter, calling on state and federal governments to work together to implement the planned path out of lockdowns once vaccinations reach 70 to 80 percent.

The letter, published by the Business Council of Australia (BCA), is signed by the CEOs of over 80 major companies that employ almost 1 million Australians, including the big four banks, Coles and Woolworths, Telstra and Optus, and many more.

Providing a light at the end of the tunnel will encourage more Australians to get vaccinated, the letter said. We need to give people something to hope for, something to look forward to, something to plan around, and to be confident about their futures.

The businesses said they were encouraged by the current accelerating momentum of vaccination rates and said it would eventually reach the point where it is necessary to open up and live with the virus, as other countries have done.

A spokesman for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) told The Epoch Times that the current vaccination rates reflected the efforts of Australians to return to normal life as soon as possible.

But behind these efforts, we are acutely aware of the deeply personal impacts the pandemic is having on people who have either lost their jobs or been stood down [and] on business owners who are not sure what the future holds, the spokesman said.

A man banks at a Commonwealth Bank automatic teller machine in Sydney, Australia, Aug. 28, 2017. (Reuters/Jason Reed)

CBA said that while Australians have shown amazing resilience, they know through conversations with their customers and employees that they want certainty for the future.

As an industry employing nearly 190,000 people, Australias banks know how important it is to provide certainty, confidence, and something to look forward to, the spokesman said. Above all, we remain very confident about Australias long-term prospects.

The CEOs appealed to governments to stay on course and begin easing restrictions once vaccination rates reach thresholds as previously agreed.

Australia is juggling a mental health emergency at the same time as a global pandemic, they said. Some of the impacts of current lockdowns are hidden, and the effects will be long lasting.

Many Australian states have been actively pursuing a COVID-zero strategy through aggressive lockdowns, resulting in a record number of calls to mental health helplines.

In particular, residents in Victoria have endured over 200 days of lockdowns since the pandemic began, longer than residents in every other state or territory.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (centre), together with State Premiers Annastacia Palaszczuk (left), Daniel Andrews(left centre) and Gladys Berejiklian (right), address the media in the Main Committee Room at Parliament House, in Canberra, Australia, on Dec. 11, 2020. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

However, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has recently weakened his stance on hard lockdowns and agreed to begin opening the state once vaccinations reached 70 percent.

We have thrown everything at this, but it is now clear to us that we are not going to drive these numbers down; theyre instead going to increase, Andrews told media on Sept. 1.

However, the Western Australia (WA) and Queensland premiers have both said they would not open their borders once they reached the vaccination threshold.

WA Premier Mark McGowen accused the federal government of trying to bring COVID-19 into the state.

The Liberals headlong push to open borders to infected States is fraught with danger, McGowen said. If the Liberals have their way, they will introduce COVID-19 to Western Australia and cost thousands of jobs and some lives.

Three mining giants with major operations in WARio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group, and Woodside Petroleumdid not sign the letter, while mining giant BHP did.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Aug. 25, 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Pelosi Promises Action on Pro-Abortion Bill in Response to New Texas Law

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday promised to take action after a new law in Texas that bans most abortions went into effect.

The House of Representatives will, after it returns from recess, take up a bill that would limit states from restricting access to abortion, Pelosi said in a statement.

The Womens Health Protection Act would permit health care providers to provide abortion services without limitations or requirements that single out the provision of abortion services for restrictions that are more burdensome than those restrictions imposed on medically comparable procedures, do not significantly advance reproductive health or the safety of abortion services, and make abortion services more difficult to access.

The Supreme Court late Wednesday declined to block the new Texas law, Senate Bill 8, prompting furious statements from many Democrats.

Pelosi said the law necessitates codifying Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision decades ago that ruled access to abortion is a constitutional right. She also said the House would vote and debate on the pro-abortion bill authored by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and others to enshrine into law reproductive health care for all women across America.

Abortion is the act of ending the life of an unborn baby.

Pelosi and Biden are both Catholics who support abortion, in contravention of their religion. Catholic leaders have mulled denying them communion over their pro-abortion stance, and Biden has been denied communion at least once.

Biden also Thursday denounced the Texas law, describing it in a statement as an unprecedented assault on a womans constitutional rights under Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land for almost fifty years.

The law lets private citizens bring lawsuits against doctors who perform abortions after fetal heartbeats are detected, or anybody else who allegedly aids or abets illegal abortions.

State officials, meanwhile, are blocked from enforcing the law.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the end of the war in Afghanistan in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington on Aug. 31, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

That unusual arrangement helped the law withstand initial scrutiny from the nations top court, a majority of which said it was unclear whether the defendants in a lawsuit from abortion providers, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, can or will seek to enforce the Texas law against the applicants in a manner that might permit our intervention.

Complete strangers will now be empowered to inject themselves in the most private and personal health decisions faced by women, Biden said.

Biden directed his Gender Policy Council and the Office of the White House Counsel to launch an effort to respond to the Supreme Court decision.

They will focus on seeing whether the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice can take steps to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe, and what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties, he said.

Republicans, on the other hand, widely cheered the new law and the court decision that let it remain in effect.

The Supreme Court just let Texass pro-life law go into effect, saving countless innocent lives, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said in a statement.

This common sense law protects babies with a heartbeat, added Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.).
The smoke stacks at American Electric Power's (AEP) Mountaineer coal power plant in New Haven, W.Va., on Oct. 30, 2009. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Pennsylvanias Participation in Greenhouse Gas Initiative Advances to Legislature

The battle over whether Pennsylvania will join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has intensified as the plan cleared a pivotal hurdle on Wednesday, gaining approval by the state Independent Regulatory Review Commission.

Climate change is one of the most critical issues we face, and I have made it a priority to address ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement responding to the approval. By participating in RGGI, Pennsylvania is taking a historic, proactive and progressive approach that will have significant positive environmental, public health and economic impacts

But the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee voted Thursday to pass a concurrent resolution temporarily blocking Wolfs plan to join RGGI, from becoming an approved regulation.

The commissions Wednesday vote was split along party lines, with three Democratic appointees voting for joining RGGIGeorge Bedwick, Murray Ufberg, and Dennis Watson; and two Republican appointees voting againstJohn Mizner and John Soroko.

Wednesdays vote came after six hours of deliberation during which the commission heard comments from 30 people in attendance and noted that it had received roughly 14,000 public comment letters.

Of those, some 12,500 were form letters and of those, 11,500 were letters in support of joining RGGI, largely from environmental groups and their supporters.

The 1,500 original letters from individuals included roughly 500 comments in support, 500 opposed and the remaining letters were comments from labor unions, trade organizations, and religious groups.

Ordinarily, regulations approved by Independent Regulatory Review Commission move smoothly and without notice to become official regulations. Non-controversial regulations are approved by the commission, go to Pennsylvanias attorney general to be reviewed for form and legality, then the regulation is published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Once published, the regulation is fully approved and must be followed.

Only the legislature can stop a regulation. They would do that through a concurrent resolution, Independent Regulatory Review Commission Executive Director David Sumner told The Epoch Times.

If the commission approves a regulation that the legislature doesnt like, it must be taken up by a legislative committee where members have 14 days to write a concurrent resolution and vote it out of committee. That is what happened Thursday.

Next, both chambers of the General Assembly have a limited time to vote on the resolution: 30 calendar days or 10 in-session days, whichever is longer.

If the General Assembly passes a measure stopping the regulation, Wolf is likely to veto it because joining RGGI is one of his priorities.

The General Assembly has not been successful in overriding Wolfs past vetoes.

Wolfs office did not respond to a request for comment on this story, however in a press conference regarding flooding in Pennsylvania Thursday, Wolf noted that he is not a meteorologist, but the thinking is that climate change is increasing the intensity of our storms.

Only twice, in 1994, have regulations approved by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission been blocked by the legislature, Sumner said.

RGGI is a cap-and-trade program between member states aimed at reducing CO2 emissions from the power sector by 30 percent by 2030. Current RGGI member states are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. Pennsylvania would be the largest energy-producing state to join.

In the plan, power companies are given a cap on carbon emissions. Companies will be required to buy permits to continue producing above the emission level or innovate and produce fewer emissions.

Proponents say it is the most important way for Pennsylvania to respond to climate change.

RGGI requires those who pollute, those who put climate-damaging CO2 into the air, causing that societal detriment, simply to buy an allocation to do that. It is not a tax, said Democratic state Rep. Greg Vitali, minority chairman of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, before Thursdays vote. RGGI will create important jobs with regards to solar, wind, and conservation.

Opponents call it a job killer that will close power plants, raise the cost of electricity for everyone, and have little positive effect on the environment.

This is not something the citizens of Pennsylvania want, said Republican Chairman of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee Daryl Metcalfe, speaking before Thursdays committee vote. Its ludicrous to say this is going to create jobs. The people they claim they want to help, people in poverty, will pay more for their energy. He called carbon emissions a byproduct of life that is needed for plant growth and that everybody is expelling. Casting aside the lefts false climate science-driven public policy narrative, RGGIs massive revenue extracting, carbon emissions auction mechanism clearly represents a tax which only the General Assembly may lawfully enact under the Constitution of Pennsylvania.
A row of homes on the far south side of Chicago, bordering suburban Riverdale in Illinois, on Nov. 25, 2008. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images/file)

Property Tax Hike Hits Black and Latino Communities Hardest in Greater Chicago Area

CHICAGOCook Countys latest property tax hike disproportionately affected black and Latino communities, according to the first-of-its-kind analysis under Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas published Aug. 17.

Our research shows that inequities in the property tax system persist, particularly for businesses and Black and Latino property owners, and especially in the south suburbs. The 2020 property tax increases are exacerbating financial stresses in these communities and thwarting economic progress and generational wealth-building, Pappas said in a written statement.

Among the top ten municipalities ranked by homeowner property tax increases, six are majority black or Latino. For example, Bellwood with the highest rate hikeat 28.5 percenthas a black population of 74 percent; Robbins, with the third-highest rate hike of 20 percent, has a black population of over 80 percent.

Across Cook County, total assessed homeowner property taxes increased by only 1.3 percent in 2020.

Among the top ten municipalities ranked by commercial property tax increases, seven have a majority of black or Latino population.

Ford Heights has the highest rate hike of 42 percent, and 88 percent of the community is black; in Posen, which has the third-highest rate hike of 23 percent, 58 percent are Latino.

Across Cook County, total assessed commercial property taxes increased by 6.2 percent.

Cook Countys 2020 total assessed property taxesto be collected in 2021increased by $534 million to $16.1 billion compared to the year before. Businesses shoulder nearly 80 percent of the total increase, at $410 million, and homeowners shoulder the rest.

Cook County is the second-most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County with 5.2 million people in over 130 municipalitiesChicago being the largest.

In terms of median homeowner property taxes, two black-majority municipalities saw the highest dollar amount increases from 2019 to 2020.

In Bellwood, the median homeowner property tax jumped by $1,868the largest in Cook County. Maywood, where nearly 70 percent of the population is black, saw an increase of $1,543.

In Cook County, the calculation of property taxes starts from the local governments in each municipality, which first figures out the amount they need to levy to cover local operations. Then the Cook County Assessors Office estimates the total value of properties. Lastly, the Cook County Clerks Office determines property tax rates based on the local government levy and assessed values.

The municipality with the highest tax rate in Cook Countyat 34.89 percentis Park Forest with a black population of 66 percent (pdf).

Black-majority municipalities in Cook County face some of the highest tax rates in the country, which causes a steady exit of residents and businesses, leaving remaining members of the community with increasingly higher property tax burdens.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk looks on at a press conference at Parliament house in Brisbane, Australia, on April 1, 2021.(Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Queensland May Keep Border Closed to NSW Until Kids Vaccinated

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has signalled a potential divergence from Australias national plan to reopen internal borders once 70-80 percent of people are fully vaccinated. Instead, she indicated she would keep Queenslands border to New South Wales (NSW) closed until children under 12 are vaccinated too.

I honestly believe that we need to have further research done on what happens to the zero to 12-year-old cohort as they remain unvaccinated, she said in Queenslands Parliament on Wednesday.

Her comments seemed to cast doubt on the Doherty Institute modelling, which forms the basis for National Cabinets national plan to reopen Australia in phases triggered by vaccination thresholds being achieved. The National Cabinet is an intergovernmental body made up of state and territory leaders and the prime minister.

The premier said she doesnt want to see Queenslands hospitals overrun with COVID-19 patients. You open up this state, and  you let the virus in here, and every child under 12 is vulnerable, Palaszczuk said.

Queensland LNP member for Broadwater David Crisafulli speaks to the media as he arrives for a party room meeting at Parliament House in Brisbane, Australia, on June 15, 2020. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

Meanwhile, Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has accused the premier of playing pandemic politics.

Crisafulli told Sky News Australia that Queensland LNP would hold Palaszczuk to account, saying there would, in fact, be a light at the end of the tunnel for Queenslanders once the vaccination targets are met.

In the absence of a bit of leadership from the premier, allow me to provide it for the people of Queenslandgo and get vaccinated, he told Sky News Australia on Sept. 2.

He said Queensland was at the back of the pack in the vaccine rollout due to mixed messaging by the premier and the failure to roll out mass vaccination hubs. In addition, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has twice advised against young people taking the AstraZeneca vaccine due to side effects, going against the national health advice.

With a shortage of Pfizer but an abundance of AstraZeneca, there are now calls for people to get immunised with AstraZeneca to speed up the vaccination rate.

Palaszczuk called for more modelling from the Doherty Institute, saying its modelling was done before NSW had over 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 and didnt factor in children.

Meanwhile, Australian federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Palaszczuks position was not consistent with the national medical advice and called on state leaders to stick with the national plan to open up once 70-80 percent vaccination rates are achieved.

We do know that kids can get [COVID-19], but we also know from the medical experts that the virus is much less severe, the illness is much less severe in kids, and that the vaccine has been approved for those who are 12 to 15, as well as, of course, the 16 plus population, he told Nines Today show on Sept. 2.

Frydenberg wants Queensland to open up at the same time as the rest of the country. You have to learn to live with [COVID-19], he warned.
New construction moves forward in the Portola Springs neighborhood of Irvine, Calif., on Feb. 16, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Residential Construction Spending Rises in July, Boosted by Strong Single-Family Home Outlays

U.S. residential construction spending rose in July, though at a slower pace than in the prior month, as booming demand and rising prices have continued to buoy the housing market.

The Commerce Department said in a Sept. 1 report (pdf) that U.S. residential construction spending rose by 0.5 percent in July, after advancing by 0.8 percent in June.

Homebuilders have been racing to catch up with demand but have been bogged down by shortages of key raw materials and labor, Wells Fargo analysts wrote in an analytical note (pdf).

Much of the strength in the Commerce Departments report came from single-family home construction outlays, which advanced by nearly 0.9 percent over the month in July. While a solid showing, the pace of growth was slower than in the MayJune period, when single-family home construction spending advanced by 2 percent over the month.

The strength in single-family spending and some upward revisions to all three residential construction categories suggest that residential investment did not fall as much as previously thought and might lead to a small upward revision to Q2 real GDP growth, the Wells Fargo analysts wrote.

The U.S. economy grew a little faster in the second quarter of this year than previously estimated, with the Commerce Department lifting its growth-rate projection to 6.6 percent last week. But recovery momentum appears to have slowed early in the third quarter amid a resurgence of new COVID-19 infections driven by the Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Goldman Sachs has slashed its gross domestic product growth forecast for the current JulySeptember quarter to an annual rate of 5.5 percent from 9 percent, citing Delta variant impacts. Bank of America Securities has also downgraded its growth estimate for the third quarter to an annualized 4.5 percent from 7.0 percent, also noting the effects of COVID-19.

This is a speed bump due to the interaction of Delta and supply-side constraints, Michelle Meyer, chief U.S. economist at Bank of America Securities in New York, told Reuters. We still believe the foundation for the economy is solid and all signs point to strong underlying demand.

The Commerce Departments construction spending report also shows that multifamily residential construction outlays ticked down slightly in July, falling by 0.05 percent from June, after retreating by 0.35 percent in May.

Demand for apartments has been surprisingly strong, with rents surging in rapidly growing parts of the South and Southwest. Rents have risen faster than income, leading to a shortage of affordable apartments for workers earning the median income in many areas, the Wells Fargo analysts wrote.

In the 12 months through July, residential construction spending rose by 25.3 percent, led by outlays on new single-family homes, which vaulted by 38.3 percent.

Overall construction spending, which includes both private and public, residential and nonresidential, rose by 0.3 percent in July, slightly beating the consensus forecast of 0.2 percent.

A report released last week shows home prices continuing their skyward vault, with supply shortages and strong demand putting upward pressure on prices.

U.S. single-family home prices in 20 key urban markets rose by 19.1 percent in June from a year earlier, marking the largest annual price increase in the 20-year history of the 20-city composite measure, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home price index (pdf), released on Aug. 31.

June 2021 is the third consecutive month in which the growth rate of housing prices set a record, Craig Lazzara, managing director and global head of index investment strategy at S&P Dow Jones Indices, said in a statement. The last several months have been extraordinary not only in the level of price gains, but in the consistency of gains across the country.

The 20-city index shows home prices are now 29.9 percent higher than the 2006 peak.
Russell Crowe attends "The Loudest Voice" New York Premiere at Paris Theatre in New York City, on June 24, 2019. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Russell Crowe Film Production Stops Due to COVID-19 Case

Russell Crowes new psychological thriller has been forced to halt production because a crew member tested positive for COVID-19.

The movie, Poker Face, was shooting at a penthouse in Sydneys Crown Casino, when a barista tested positive for the virus.

Unfortunately, 6 days from the end of our shoot on PokerFace, we have had a confirmed positive COVID case amongst our crew and a second possible positive under further investigation by our PokerFace Covid team and NSWHealth, Crowe wrote on Twitter.

For the safety of cast and crew and the wider community, the production has been immediately paused, and everyone instructed to isolate whilst the situation is looked into. We have followed strict protocols with cast and crew being tested 3 times a week for the past 11+ weeks, he added.

The barista worked five shifts without knowing they had contracted the virus.

Crowe said he hoped production could be up and running again soon.

Filming for Poker Face was taking place around Sydneys Fox Studios, where Crowe plays a tech billionaire caught in a risky card game.

The cast also includes Elsa Pataky from the Fast and the Furious series and Liam Hemsworth.

The news also follows reports that shooting for Netflixs Extraction 2 would be moved to Prague, Czech Republic, after the film crew found navigating New South Wales (NSW) COVID-19 restrictions too difficult.

Greater Sydney and NSW has been under extended lockdown since late June to contain an outbreak of the Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

The lockdown was originally slated to run for four weeks, before it was extended twicedue to low vaccination and high infection ratesuntil Sept. 30.

Job losses have been severe, with the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) finding that over a three-week period from June 26 to July 17, NSW shed 200,000 small business employees, 64,000 medium-sized business workers, and 12,000 large business workers.

Australia was a preferred destination for several film projects last year, due to relatively low infection rates from COVID-19, with A-listers Zac Efron, Matt Damon, and Natalie Portman, all involved in projects locally.
School District to Fire Far-Left Teacher Flying Antifa Flag in Classroom for Violating Political Action Guidelines

A school district in California has placed one of its teachers on paid leave following allegations made by journalism nonprofit Project Veritas that the teacher was involved in illegal political activity in the classroom.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Natomas Unified School District said the video revealed a teachers educational approach that is disturbing and undermines the publics trust.

The district said, following almost two days of investigation guided by the principles of democracy and due process, it found that the teacher identified in the video had committed clear violations of Natomas Unifieds political action guidelines, which are aligned with Board Policy and California Education Code.

Yesterday, NUSD shared a statement with the community regarding a video of one of our teachers. Heres an update on what we know and the districts next steps. https://t.co/MClkWQZNuj  Natomas Unified (@NatomasUSD) September 1, 2021

[T]he teacher, using his own money, purchased a series of rubber stamps. These stamps include an inappropriate image of Josef Stalin with an insensitive phrase, as well as other stamps with Fidel Castro, Kim Jung Un, and others, it stated. The districts investigation did discover that at least during the 13 days of this school year, he was using those stamps to mark student work as complete.

The self-proclaimed far-left high school teacher, identified as Gabriel Gipe in Project Veritass video released on Tuesday, talked about how to move his students further left and turn them into revolutionaries.

I have 180 days to turn them into revolutionaries, the Inderkum High School teacher in Sacramento told an undercover Project Veritas journalist.

Gipe shared that his political views were probably as far-left as you can go.

Like, why cant we, you know, take up arms against the state? Gipe told the journalist. We have historical examples of that happening, and them getting crushed and being martyrs for a cause.

The video showed that Gipe had an Antifa flag and a poster of Mao Zedong, a Chinese communist dictator, in his classroom.

When a student complained that they were uncomfortable about the flag, Gipe said the flag is meant to make fascists feel uncomfortable.

So if you feel uncomfortable, I dont really know what to tell you. Maybe you shouldnt be aligning with the values that this is antithetical to, Gipe said.

Gipe also told the journalist how he uses extra credit to motivate his students to actively participate in radical leftist events.

I do it for extra credit, so they get points for doing it. And so that encourages them to do it, he said in the video. Ive had students show up for protests, community events, tabling, food distribution, all sorts of things.

Gipe said he worked with PSLapparently referring to the Party for Socialism and Liberationand other groups, so he knew of all the events they had going on.

I just put them on my whiteboard, let them know where they are. When they go, they take pictures. They write up a reflection. Thats their extra credit, Gipe explained.

The district has since said that some of the events listed by the teacher involved potential protests and other activities that, at times, became unsafe, calling the teachers actions unprofessional and irresponsible.

Gipe also admitted on camera that he had a huge political spectrum on the wall in his classroom, and he put students photos on it based on their ideology quiz results.

Every year, they get further and further left, Gipe said.

Gipe said that there are more teachers like him in his school. Three teachers in his department are on the same page.

The classroom is an extension of the community. Students in my classes will be taught with that simple fact always in mind, reads Gipes page on the schools website. Increasing awareness about the issues that face our world, nation, state, and neighborhoods will drive our students to embrace that they are agents of positive change!

The district said in its statement that it had since cleared all posters and signage from the walls of the teachers classroom.

It added that the Natomas Unified School District will soon be taking the legally required next steps to place the teacher on unpaid leave and fire the teacher.

Students are the ones caught in the middle of this. To those who have felt uncomfortable at any time in the past 3 years, we apologize, the statement read.

The Epoch Times has contacted Gipe and the school district for additional comment.
Sen. Rick Scott Calls out Kodak CEO for Apologizing to CCP Over Xinjiang Instagram Post

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is calling out Kodak CEO James Continenza for apologizing to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over an Instagram post featuring images of Xinjiangwhere the regime is accused of committing genocideafter some complaints surfaced on heavily censored Chinese social media platforms.

The Republican lawmaker sent Continenza a letter on Sept. 1 in response to the companys decision last month to pull 10 images by French photographer Patrick Wack taken of life in Chinas northwestern Xinjiang region, where at least 1 million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities are being held in a sprawling network of detention and reeducation camps.

Wack described his photographs as a visual narrative of Xinjiangs abrupt descent into an Orwellian dystopia over the past five years, which sparked backlash from Chinese Instagram accounts. Kodak subsequently apologized for any misunderstanding or offense that the post may have caused.

For a long time, Kodak has maintained a good relationship with the Chinese government and has been in close cooperation with various government departments, Kodak said in a separate statement, which was posted to Chinas social media platform WeChat. We will continue to respect the Chinese government and the Chinese law. We will keep ourselves in check and correct ourselves, taking this as an example of the need for caution.

In a Twitter post, Scott said its shameful that New York-based Kodak covered-up abuse to appease Communist China.

After sharing photos shedding light on Communist Chinas brutal human rights abuses against Uhygur [sic] Muslims, @Kodak cowered, deleted them, & apologized, he wrote.

In his letter, Scott questioned Kodaks close cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as described in the apology.

The ongoing abuses in Communist China are despicable, the letter reads. Kodaks decision to delete these photos, essentially censoring its own content, only empowers Communist China to continue these abuses against the Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

Scott gave the company 30 days to answer his questions, including whether all of Kodaks supply chains are free from Uyghur forced labor, why Kodak apologized to the CCP, and whether Wacks images will be reposted.

As an American company headquartered in New York and incorporated in New Jersey, Kodak should be standing for American values and against our foreign adversaries, the letter reads. I am deeply concerned by Kodaks decision to not only delete Mr. Wacks photos from Instagram, but also to issue gross apologies to the Chinese Communist Party.

Addressing the issue in an interview with the Hong Kong Free Press, Wack said Kodaks conduct is disappointing, particularly as a company that, for a century, has been one of the main traders in the photography industry that prides itself on helping people record important events.

I think thats whats upsetting most people, Wack said.

Once they made the post, even if they were harassed by Chinese trolls  they should have stayed with it. It was starting to get ugly for them, and thats why they panicked. They didnt see that they were actually going to unleash something even worse by doing this.

The Chinese regimes army of internet trolls, dubbed the 50 cent army, as theyre paid by the CCP (pdf) to make posts, works to dominate online thought and discussion by echoing the party line.

Kodak didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
Senate Clears Funding Boost to Evacuate Americans From Afghanistan

From CQ-Roll Call

WASHINGTONLegislation to lift the cap on annual assistance under a Department of Health and Human Services program that aids U.S. citizens returning from war zones or similar crises cleared the Senate by unanimous consent Tuesday.

The measure would raise the funding cap for the U.S. Repatriation Program from $1 million to $10 million this fiscal year and next, with the money in this case set aside for Americans evacuated from Afghanistan after the U.S. troop pullout, which was completed Monday.

Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the Senates pro forma session, where the bill cleared with no objections. Before the Senate action, a White House official said Harris presence was to allow passage of a bill that will help with the repatriation of Americans coming from Afghanistan.

Its a similar aid boost that lawmakers and the Trump administration provided last year for Americans stuck overseas when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

The HHS repatriation program provides cash payments, medical assistance, temporary shelter, transportation, and counseling for U.S. citizens and their dependents. Eligible individuals include those identified by the State Department as being without available resources, and having returned from a foreign country as a result of destitution, illness, war, threat of war, or a similar crisis.

The bill passed the House by unanimous consent on Aug. 25 after being discharged from the Ways and Means and Budget panels. The funding is designated as an emergency requirement, exempting it from rules subjecting deficit-increasing bills to a potential point of the order requiring 60 votes to waive.

2021 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is seen near Sturgis, S.D., on Aug. 9, 2021. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

South Dakota Governor Orders Review of Abortion Laws After Texas 6-Week Ban Stands

South Dakotas governor on Thursday said she ordered her office to review a new Texas law that bans most abortions in an effort to see whether laws can be tightened in her state.

The Texas law, which went into effect on Sept. 1, bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, with exceptions for medical emergencies.

The U.S. Supreme Court opted to leave the law in place for now in a narrow 54 ruling late Wednesday.

Following the Supreme Courts decision to leave the pro-life TX law in place, I have directed the Unborn Child Advocate in my office to immediately review the new TX law and current South Dakota laws to make sure we have the strongest pro life laws on the books in SD, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said in a statement on social media.

Mark Miller, Noems general counsel, also serves as the unborn child advocate in the Republican governors office.

Miller has a history with the Supreme Court. He was co-counsel in one case, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Company, and lead counsel in another, Weyerhaeuser v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The plaintiffs won both cases.

Current South Dakota law allows abortions at 12 weeks or earlier in a pregnancy with no stipulations.

Abortions between the 12th and 24th weeks of pregnancy can only be done in certain locations, such as a hospital.

Abortions later in a pregnancy can only be done if a medical emergency exists.

A medical emergency is a situation that so complicates the medical condition of a pregnant woman as to necessitate the immediate abortion of her pregnancy to avert her death or for which a delay will create serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.

Republicans overwhelmingly control both legislative chambers in South Dakota, as well as the governors mansion.

GOP leaders in the South Dakota House and Senate did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Noems move.
When you're ready to enjoy your caffe in ghiacco, pour the espresso over the ice and syrup, stir with a spoon, and drink. (Giulia Scarpaleggia)

Summer Breakfasts in Salento

How the southern Italian region does iced coffeefive ice cubes, a shot of almond syrup, and cream-filled pastries on the side

During most of the year, Im an advocate of breakfast at home. I can toast my home-baked sourdough bread until slightly charred on the edges, wait until its just barely warm, then top it with what I fancy the most that day: almond butter and jam, scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, cucumbers.

Along with my toast, I take a steaming cup of tea in winter, or a sip of espresso during the summer. Its my breakfast, my rules, my time.

So for me, breakfast at a cafe immediately feels like a holiday. Even more so if, from my table perched on the sidewalk, I can watch the port life of a Mediterranean town unfurl in front of my eyes.

Since I met my husband, Tommaso, eight years ago, weve spent a few days every summer visiting his maternal family in Porto Cesareo, a coastal town in Salento, Puglia, on the heel of the boot that is the Italian peninsula. Having breakfast in a cafealways the same one, approved by his aunt for the quality of coffee and choice of pastrieshas been a ritual since my first visit to Salento, a moment I look forward to for the whole year.

This can be attributed to my equal love for two local specialties: pasticciotti and caffe in ghiaccio.

When in Salento

In the summer, you can just as easily find iced coffee here in Tuscany, where I live, in the form of caffe shakerato, which is shaken with ice cubes and strained. But this is far from the kind of iced coffee youll find in Salento.

Ask for a caffe in ghiaccio con latte di mandorlacoffee over ice with almond syrup, also known outside of the region as caffe lecceseand youll be brought a glass with precisely five ice cubes and a shot of milky almond syrup on the bottom. Along with it will come a properly brewed espresso, to pour over the ice cubes once youre ready to enjoy it. Pour, stir with a spoon, and drinkthe potent flavor of the coffee is the first to hit your senses, then the sweetness of the syrup with its notes of amaretto, and finally the chill of the ice cubes, which rest on your lips and send shivers down your spine. Its a guaranteed instant wake-up.

Served slightly warm, cream-filled pasticciotti are the perfect contrast to iced coffee. (Giulia Scarpaleggia)

The drink appeared for the first time in Lecce, the main town of Salento, in the 1950s. At the time, when refrigerators and freezers were extremely rare, Don Antonio Quarta was an ice reseller. During the sultry Apulian summers, he would treat his customers to a cup of iced espresso, sweetened with a shot of almond milk. It became so popular that he soon opened his own coffee shop and turned his business into a small coffee roastery, Caffe Quarta, the same company that provides the coffee we still use now at home.

Breakfast in Salento calls for something sweet along with your caffe in ghiaccio. That could be bite-sized almond paste cookies, pillowy brioche col tuppo (just like the Sicilian brioche usually paired with coffee granita), or, my usual choice, pasticciotti. These palm-sized pastries have a crumbly shortcrust shell, rich with lard, and a filling of thick pastry cream, with a barely detectable hint of Strega, a southern Italian herbal liqueur. Sometimes, a single sour cherry in syrup is placed in the center. Served slightly warm, they are the perfect contrast to iced coffee.

When I miss those carefree breakfasts in Salento, especially now that summer is winding down, I make an exception to my typical breakfast rules and try to recreate that cafe experience at home. I bake a batch of pasticciotti, brew a fresh espresso, and prepare a glass with ice cubesexactly fiveand a drop of almond syrup. The only thing missing is the view.

Views from Porto Cesareo, a coastal town in Salento, Puglia. (Giulia Scarpaleggia)

Homemade Pasticciotti

The traditional pasticciotto, oval-shaped, with a glossy shortcrust shell and a thick pastry cream filling, was born in the town of Galatina, in the Salento region of southern Italy. Now, it has become one of the most iconic products of the entire region.

Many variations have been created over the years. In the local pasticciotterie, pastry shops, the list of flavors is almost endless: chocolate, gianduia cream, jam, lemon, ricotta and berry, pistachio, mascarpone  sometimes even savory options are offered. Nothing beats the classic one, though, the best complement to the local iced coffee.

Recipe Notes: If you are not a fan of the flavor of lard, you can substitute it with the same amount of butter, softened but still cold. If it is hard to get a hold of Strega liqueur, use yellow Chartreuse or sambuca instead.

Pasticciotti are traditionally baked in oval 4-by-2-inch tart pans. If you cant find the right pans, you can use 3-inch muffin molds (1 1/4-inch deep).

Makes 10 pasticciotti

For the Shortcrust Dough (Pasta Frolla)

2 1/3 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Grated zest of 1/2 organic lemon

3/4 cup (150 grams) lard (or softened, cold butter)

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, beaten together

1 egg yolk, beaten, for the egg wash

For the Filling

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (500 ml) fresh whole milk

Peeled zest of 1/2 organic lemon

3 egg yolks

3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar

1/3 cup (45 grams) cornstarch

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon Strega liqueur

Make the shortcrust: In a large bowl or on a wooden board, mix the flour, sugar, salt, and grated lemon zest. Next, add the lard and use your fingertips to rub it into the other ingredients until they form fine crumbs, similar to grated Parmigiano Reggiano. You can also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to do this.

Add the beaten egg and egg yolk, and use your hands to quickly incorporate all the ingredients until the dough just comes together. It will still be slightly sticky and not entirely homogeneous, but the flour should all be incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, then stash it in the fridge to rest for a few hours, or better, until the next day.

Make the pastry cream: Pour the milk into a saucepan. Peel the lemon and collect the strips, tying them with a piece of kitchen string; it will help you fish them out from the pastry cream at the end. Add the lemon peels to the milk.

Heat the milk over medium heat, and remove it from the heat as soon as it starts simmering.

In another saucepan, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and the cornstarch until there are no lumps. Slowly pour the hot milk in a thin stream over the egg yolks, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent scrambled eggs. Add the lemon peel, too.

Put the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir constantly with a whisk. As soon as you spot the first bubbles and it starts to thicken into pastry cream, remove it from the heat, fish out the lemon peel, stir in the vanilla extract and the Strega liqueur, then pour it into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it cool down completely. Store in the fridge until time to use it.

Assemble the pasticciotti: Remove the dough from the fridge and leave it at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This will make it easier to work with it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 10 (4-by-2-inch) oval tart pans.

On a floured surface, take 2/3 of the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin into a 1/4-inch-thick round. Cut out discs slightly bigger than the tart pans and lay them into the pans. Use your fingers to press the dough into the pans and about 1/2 inch up the edges. Trim the excess dough with a sharp knife, saving the scraps. Knead any leftover dough scraps together, roll it out again, and cut out more discs. You should be able to line 10 tart pans.

Fill the tartlets shells with the pastry cream, and smooth the surfaces.

Knead any remaining dough scraps into the reserved 1/3 of the dough. Roll it out to a 1/4-inch thickness, then cut into ovals big enough to cover the pasticciotti.

Gently lift the dough ovals and place them on top of the pastry cream. Use your fingers to seal the edges together. Brush the tops of the pasticciotti with the beaten egg yolk.

Bake the pasticciotti for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool before serving.
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 1, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Supreme Court Denies Bid to Block Texas Abortion Law

The Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a bid to stop Texas from banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, allowing one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the U.S. to remain in effect.

Senate Bill 8, known as the Texas Heartbeat Act, was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May.

The law enables private citizensexcept for an individual who impregnated a woman through rape or incestto sue physicians who perform abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.

It also allows for civil action to be brought against any person who allegedly aided or abetted a violation of the law. Individuals found to have violated the law would have to pay $10,000 to the person who successfully brings such a lawsuit.

The law does not provide an abortion exception for a pregnancy thats a result of incest or rape but allows women to have an abortion for medical emergencies.

On Wednesday, the court ruled 5-4 against providing relief to abortion and womens health providers who filed an injunction barring enforcement of the ban on Monday, while litigation continues in their lawsuit challenging its constitutionality.

The court declined to block enforcement of the law over the objection of three liberal associate justices and Chief Justice John Roberts.

The applicants now before us have raised serious questions regarding the constitutionality of the Texas law at issue, the courts majority wrote in a short opinion. But their application also presents complex and novel antecedent procedural questions on which they have not carried their burden.

The decision saw one of the courts six conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts, join the three liberals in dissent.

The courts order is stunning, wrote liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a dissenting opinion.

Presented with an application to enjoin a flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights and evade judicial scrutiny, a majority of justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand, she added.

The courts majority, in an unsigned explanation, said the decision is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texass law and allows legal challenges to move forward.

The Texas Heartbeat Act has drawn praise from pro-life advocates and opposition from abortion providers, 20 of whom sued last month to stop it from going into effect.

Opposition groups, which include Planned Parenthood, said the law could lead to abortion providers, clinic staff, and others being saddled with endless lawsuits that consume their time and resources and prevent them from providing health care services, ultimately forcing them to shut down.

Opponents also say the law would essentially overturn the precedent set by Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalised abortion.

The American Civil Rights Union (ACLU) and several abortion rights groups as well as Texas abortion providers this week asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block the ban.

The ACLU argues that it would effectively outlaw at least 85 to 90 percent of the abortions sought in the state, as many people dont know they are pregnant within the first six weeks.

It also creates a bounty hunting scheme that encourages the general public to bring costly and harassing lawsuits against anyone who they believe has violated the ban, including a person who drives their friend to obtain an abortion, abortion funds providing financial assistance to patients, health center staff, and even a member of the clergy who assists an abortion patient, ACLU said in a statement.

Christian D. Menefee, the attorney for Harris County, the largest county in Texas, said the new law is dangerous attack on womens reproductive health and a dangerous and blatant attempt to undermine Roe v. Wade.

It bans abortions before most women even know theyre pregnant, effectively ending all abortions in Texas, Menefee said in a statement to The Epoch Times, adding, The Texas Legislature drafted the law to let any person enforce it because it believed it could evade review by the Supreme Court.

No woman should have to drive to another state for an abortion. And no one should be dragged into expensive and burdensome lawsuits because of a medical decision the United States Supreme Court has time and time again said is legal, he added.

Meanwhile, pro-life organizations such as Texas Alliance for Life welcomed the Texas Heartbeat Act and the Supreme Courts decision.

We celebrate the lives of unborn children who will be protected from abortion as a result, said Dr. Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life in a statement.

Hundreds of pregnancy centers and maternity homes throughout Texas are expanding their capacity and resources to meet the needs of women facing unplanned pregnancies who may seek their support, he said.

Also, the State of Texas has increased funding for the highly successful Alternatives to Abortion program to $100 million for the biennium to provide services to 150,000 clients per year.

Another pro-life group, Texas Right to Life, said in a tweet that the Supreme Courts decision was a huge victory for the pro-life movement, one they hoped would be replicated across the nation.

The measure went into effect early on Wednesday morning after the Supreme Court and a federal appeals court did not act by the 1a.m. ET deadline for the law to take effect.

Signing the measure into law in May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Our creator endowed us with the right to life and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion.

On Monday, state legislators also tentatively approved Senate Bill 4 which would bar access to abortion-inducing pills to patients who are more than seven weeks pregnant and also prevent them from being mailed in Texas. Current law allows practitioners to give such pills to patients who are up to 10 weeks pregnant.
Supreme Courts Roberts Sides With Liberal Bloc, Says Texas Abortion Ban May Be Unconstitutional

The chief justice of the Supreme Court late Sept. 1 tried to block a new law in Texas, arguing that it might violate the U.S. Constitution.

Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the three justices appointed by Democrats to enjoin Texas Senate Bill 8, which bars abortions from being performed after a fetal heartbeat is detected, outside of medical emergencies.

The four, though, were outvoted by five Republican-appointed justices, who said the abortion provider plaintiffs had not carried their burden of showing they would likely succeed in their lawsuit.

Roberts, appointed by George W. Bush, said the laws provisions, which block state officials from enforcing the ban and allow anybody to bring lawsuits against doctors or others involved in an illegal abortion, were not only unusual, but unprecedented.

The legislature has imposed a prohibition on abortions after roughly six weeks, and then essentially delegated enforcement of that prohibition to the populace at large. The desired consequence appears to be to insulate the State from responsibility for implementing and enforcing the regulatory regime, he wrote in his dissenting opinion (pdf), with whom Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan joined.

Roberts said he would have granted preliminary relief to preserve the status quo antebefore the law went into effectso that the courts may consider whether a state can avoid responsibility for its laws in such a manner. But he also said he wasnt sure if the law violated the Constitution or whether the high court could intervene.

Defendants argue that existing doctrines preclude judicial intervention, and they may be correct, Roberts wrote. But the consequences of approving the state action, both in this particular case and as a model for action in other areas, counsel at least preliminary judicial consideration before the program devised by the State takes effect.

The new law took effect on Sept. 1. A district court hearing was scheduled for Aug. 30 that would have included arguments from the abortion providers and the defendants, which include Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, but the hearing was canceled before it happened on an order from an appeals court, which sits above the district court but below the Supreme Court.

That prompted an emergency motion to the nations top court, in which providers, including Planned Parenthood, asked the justices to stop the law from taking effect.

Justices didnt rule until late Sept. 1, giving a narrow 54 decision in favor of letting the law standat least for now.

Roberts noted that the court had to rule without rulings from either the district or appeals courts to weigh, and without a merits briefing or an oral argument.

These questions are particularly difficult, including for example whether the exception to sovereign immunity recognized in Ex parte Young, 209, should extend to state court judges in circumstances such as these, Roberts said.

I would accordingly preclude enforcement of S. B. 8 by the respondents to afford the District Court and the Court of Appeals the opportunity to consider the propriety of judicial action and preliminary relief pending consideration of the plaintiffs claims.

A security guard opens the door to the Whole Womens Health Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sept. 1, 2021. (LM Otero/AP Photo)

While the majority ruled against blocking the law, they also emphasized that we do not purport to resolve definitively any jurisdictional or substantive claim in the applicants lawsuit and that their decision didnt include a conclusion about the constitutionality of the Texas law.

Although the Court denies the applicants request for emergency relief today, the Courts order is emphatic in making clear that it cannot be understood as sustaining the constitutionality of the law at issue. But although the Court does not address the constitutionality of this law, it can of course promptly do so when that question is properly presented. At such time the question could be decided after full briefing and oral argument, with consideration of whether interim relief is appropriate should enforcement of the law be allowed below, Roberts wrote.

Some conservatives reacted negatively to Robertss vote.

Notice who DIDNT vote to protect babies? John Roberts. He never ceases to disgust and disappoint, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wrote on Twitter.

Ed Whelan, a distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said that we should have expected so much better, especially from someone who often presents himself as very serious about jurisdictional limits on judicial power.

Breyer, a Clinton appointee, and Kagan, an Obama nominee, offered separate dissents, as did Justice Sonia Sotomayor, another Obama nominee.

Roberts didnt join with any of those dissents.

Breyer said he agreed with Roberts. He said the Texas law appears to conflict with precedent from decisions in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey and Roe v. Wade.

As THE CHIEF JUSTICE writes, this Court should not permit the law to take effect without assuring the applicants (and the respondents) an opportunity first and fully to make (or to refute) these and other arguments supporting the request for an injunction, Breyer said in his opinion.

Sotomayor and Kagan offered similar dissents, with the former describing the order as stunning because the Texas bill is flagrantly unconstitutional because it was engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights and evade judicial scrutiny.

Kagan accused colleagues of reward[ing] Texass scheme to insulate its law from judicial review by deputizing private parties to carry out unconstitutional restrictions on the States behalf.

None of the five justices who ruled against a preliminary injunction wrote concurring opinions. They are Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Neil Gorsuch, all Trump nominees; Justice Samuel Alito, a George W. Bush nominee; and Justice Clarence Thomas, a George H.W. Bush nominee.
Susanville Scores Small Win in Fight to Save California Correctional Center

A court has granted the city of Susanville, California, a preliminary injunction to pause current attempts at closing California Correctional Center (CCC), a prison in Susanville that the state wishes to shut down.

Many people from Lassen County gathered in front of the California State Capitol on Aug. 27 to rally against closing CCC. The labor union SEIU Local 1000 organized the rally to support CCC employees and to oppose the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations (CDCR) decision to close the prison.

That same week, Lassen County Superior Court had granted Susanville the preliminary injunction, but many city residents believe the legal battle is not over.

People protest the closure of California Correctional Center during a rally in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2021. (Cynthia Cai/The Epoch Times)

Jack Dean, president of District Labor Council 792 SEIU Local 1000, told NTD News: As far as we know, [the preliminary injunction is] still in place; however, we do know, weve been having reports that things are still happening moving towards the closure.

The CCC facility hosts low-security inmates and works with several fire camps, including the nearby Antelope Conservation Camp, to train low-level inmates to become firefighters. CCC is one of two state prisons in the city and is a major economic resource for Susanville.

The labor union said the CDCR and other state officials are not coming to the table for negotiations or discussions.

The biggest thing is the fact that [state officials] wont negotiate with us. They are making changes to working conditions of state workers, and they are not meeting and conferring with the unions to make sure were okay with those working conditions for the people that we represent, said Dean.

Susanville locals and labor union representatives said they hope state officials will listen to their concerns and abide by existing laws and procedures regarding the prison closure and labor contracts.

A protester holds a sign supporting Lassen County during a rally in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2021. (Cynthia Cai/The Epoch Times)

CCC Closure Announcement

The CDCR announced on April 13 its intention to close the CCC by June 30, 2022. The department stated in a letter addressed to CCC staff that the purpose of the decision was to reduce costs and respond to the decline in inmate population.

The CDCR stated that closing the prison will save approximately $122 million per year.

The significant decrease in the states incarcerated population over the past year is allowing CDCR to move forward with these prison closures in a thoughtful manner that does not impact public safety, and that focuses on the successful reentry of people into communities once they release from our custody, said Kathleen Allison, CDCR Secretary, in a press release.

Californias reduction in the number of inmates is often attributed to Governor Gavin Newsoms decision to release thousands of prisoners in mid-2020 and early 2021.

City Administrator Dan Newton told NTD News: The city was verbally notified that the prison was selected for closure. Prior to that, we had no communications with the state. We had no knowledge that the announcement was coming. So it was, needless to say, a big shock for us.

The California Legislative Analysts Office suggested that the state avoid closing prisons with specialized missionswhich would include CCC with its fire conservation camps missiondue to the impacts such closures could have on statewide operations. In the same report, of the 12 oldest state prisons, CCC was listed as number 11 in terms of costs for repairs and maintenance.

What we started to do immediately was reaching out to the state, asking for information. We did a public records act request  just trying to understand why our prison was chosen, said Newton.

The CDCR met with Susanvilles Board of Supervisors once in May to talk about the closure decision, but city officials told The Epoch Times that the department has not communicated with the city since then.

Susanville City Administrator Dan Newton talks to NTD News during a rally in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2021. (Ted Lin/The Epoch Times)

Lawsuit Against CDCR

On July 28, the city filed a writ of mandamus and a temporary restraining order against the CDCR and Governor Gavin Newsom to stop the closure of CCC.

A decision such as this is going to have such a tremendous impact, basically cripple our economy, limit our ability to provide our own public safety services. Weve not had any communication with the governors office as the City of Susanville, despite numerous attempts, said Newton.

He explained that the CDCR did, however, make efforts to ask prison employees if they want to voluntarily transfer to other institutions.

On Aug. 23, the Lassen County Superior Court granted the preliminary injunction to pause further efforts to close the prison until future court hearings.

The CDCR told The Epoch Times in an email statement: The department is evaluating our options at this time, and will continue to engage with all stakeholders.

A sign by the road leading to California Correctional Center in Susanville, Calif. (Courtesy of City of Susanville)

CCCs Role in California

CCC was originally built in 1963 and now hosts low-security and some level-3 security inmates. The prisons fire conservation camp program trains low-security inmates to become firefighters, who typically go on to work with CalFire.

That camp is a tremendous resource when fighting fires in California. The lower-level inmates, I think, are given an opportunity to gain some experience and skills that are very needed at this time. And they have an opportunity, once released, to explore career opportunities in fighting fire. So I think its one of the probably most successful rehabilitation efforts that the state has in place, said Newton.

The prison is one of the main economic resources for the small city. The mayor said losing the prison could result in the city shrinking even more in population and economic stability.

Susanville Mayor Mendy Schuster waits to speak at a rally in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2021. (Cynthia Cai/The Epoch Times)

Mendy Schuster, mayor of Susanville, said: CCC is the second largest employer in our town, so its devastating. Its devastating to our families and to these people who have worked here. We have generations who have worked here at CCC. The prisons have become who we are as a community.

Since the CDCRs announcement, residents have formed groups to raise awareness against the closure. It is currently unknown whether or not the CDCR or governors office will attempt to appeal the Lassen County Superior Court decision.
Swedish police officers on the train from Copenhagen in Malmo, Sweden, on Nov. 12, 2015. (Stig Ake Jonsson/TT via AP)

Sweden Bans Travelers From Israel, One of the Most Vaccinated Nations

Sweden became the second European Union country to ban Israeli residents from entry due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Israel, despite the country being one of the most vaccinated countries in the world.

Portugal on Wednesday became the first EU country to ban travel from Israel due to a rise in cases. Both countries are following the EUs recommendation to remove Israel from its list of green countries.

Sweden also banned the entry of citizens from the United States, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.

Interior Minister Mikael Damberg told news outlets that the sharp increases in COVID-19 cases in Israel, the United States, and other countries are the reason why they were removed from Swedens travel ban exemption. Despite Israels mass vaccination campaign, the virus has continued to spread, Damberg said.

According to a news release from the Swedish government, it will reintroduce a travel ban on Israel, the U.S., and other countries starting from Sept. 6.

Regarding foreign citizens travelling to Sweden from the US, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, and North Macedonia as of 6 September, only those covered by another exemption from the entry ban may enter Sweden, said the release. This could concern foreign citizens who have residence permits in Sweden, have particularly urgent needs or are to carry out essential functions, and who can also present a negative COVID-19 test. The negative COVID-19 test result may not be older than 48 hours. This requirement applies to foreign citizens aged 18 and older, with certain exemptions.

The Swedish government said it is following the EUs guidelines on removing those countries from its safe travel list, and it said the directive will be revisited at a later date.

Several Israeli politicians criticized the EUs directive and Portugals mandate.

Unfortunately, following the EUs directive, according to which it was decided to remove Israel from the list of green countries, the Portuguese government aligned itself with [the EUs recommendation] which prohibits entry from Israel to Portugal except for justified reasons, Itay Mor, the head of Zionist NGO Over The Rainbow Portugal, told YNET.

Interior Minister Mikael Damberg cited the sharp increases in coronavirus infections as the reason the countries were removed from the travel ban exemption, saying that despite Israels successful vaccination campaign, the country is still home to large groups of unvaccinated people that have allowed the outbreak to spread.

We are troubled by this decision, all the more so because most Israelis have been vaccinated. At this stage, the EU should have recognized Israels vaccination certificates, Mor added.

On Aug. 30, the European Union removed the United States, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and others from its safe travel list. The list is nonbinding and countries are free to determine their own border policies.

Non-essential travel to the EU from countries or entities not listed in Annex I is subject to temporary travel restriction. This is without prejudice to the possibility for member states to lift the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for fully vaccinated travelers, the EU said in a statement at the time.

The United States doesnt allow European citizens to visit the country freely, despite appeals from the EU. The United States also extended a moratorium on cross-border travel with Canada, as well as Mexico, despite Canada having rescinded travel restrictions for Americans and permanent residents who are fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Israel over the weekend announced that individuals who have not received a third booster vaccine shot will not be able to use their vaccine passports.

Even though Israel is one of the most vaccinated countries on Earth against COVID-19, cases are rising. The small nations seven-day average for COVID-19 infections on Monday was over 1,000 per one million people, which is double the rate of numbers seen in the United States and the United Kingdom, according to Oxford Universitys Our World in Data.
Taliban Wants Stronger China Relations

Americas longest war is over. But why did the United States pull its troops out of Afghanistan? President Joe Biden says its to shift priorities to meet the China challenge.

The Taliban describes the Chinese Communist Party as an old friend and says it hopes to foster even stronger relations.

Another of Chinas friendly relationships is deepening, too. Military leaders from Burma, also known as Myanmar, invited a Chinese representative to visit for the first time since the countrys coup earlier this year.

One of Chinas largest real estate companies is deep in debt, to the tune of $300 billion. But if the company goes bankrupt, it would send shock waves through Chinas economy.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more first-hand news from China.

For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter.
Tang Jingyuan: How China Used COVID-19 to Fight an Information War Against the World

China uses a military tactic, information warfare, to its fullest potentialoutside of wars. It has turned the strategy, which is used to disrupt enemy communication and intelligence, into a global campaign of disinformation to distract and confuse the rest of the world on what to think of the origin of COVID-19.

How does China use information warfare exactly? And more importantly, how does the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) disseminate disinformation about the coronavirus origin or about bringing war to the Taiwan Strait? I spoke to Tang Jingyuan, a China affairs analyst, to learn more about how the Chinese regime operates its propaganda arm and information warfare on COVID-19 in a special in-person interview. Join us for part 1 of a two-part interview to learn more about the inside workings of the CCP.
Pupils return to the classroom at Cleeves Primary School, in Glasgow, Scotland, on Feb. 22, 2021. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Teachers Not at Increased Risk From COVID-19: UK Study

Teachers are not at greater risk of hospitalisation as a result of COVID-19 infection than the rest of the population, a newly published study in the UK suggests.

Compared with adults of working age who are otherwise similar, teachers and their household members were not found to be at increased risk of hospital admission with COVID-19 and were found to be at lower risk of severe COVID-19, concluded the study that was published in the medical journal BMJ.

Researchers from Public Health Scotland and the University of Glasgow examined data on the pandemic in Scotland from March 2020 to June 2021, and found no evidence that the risk of hospitalisation with COVID-19 was higher among teachers than among other adults of working age in the general population.

David McAllister, professor of clinical epidemiology and medical informatics at the University of Glasgow and an author of the study, said that the results are likely to be broadly reassuring for people involved in face-to-face teaching.

The researchers found that, when Scottish schools were largely closed, teachers showed a lower risk of being admitted to hospital with COVID-19 than other adults of working age.

When schools were fully open, the risk in teachers was similar to that in the rest of the working-age population, according to the study.

But the researchers suggested it could be because teachers are generally healthier or more careful about COVID-19 related behaviours than other occupational groups.

Most of the teachers in the study were women (average age 42) with few underlying health conditions.

The researchers also thought vaccination might also have contributed to their protection during a period when the delta variant was common.

The study said the findings were robust to adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic deprivation, geography, race/ethnicity, household composition, and the number of comorbidities.

Public Health Scotland is currently looking into repeating this research for Early Learning and Childcare staff.

Schools in Scotland returned two weeks ago and the reopening is believed to have contributed to a rise in cases.

Schools in Northern Ireland have also reopened, and pupils across England and Wales are beginning to return to the classroom this week after the summer holidays.

Education unions in the UK have warned that a relaxation of COVID-19 safety measures could lead to rising infections in schools.

But UK Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said on Thursday that he will move heaven and earth to avoid shutting schools again.

PA contributed to this report.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), next to Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), speaks during a press conference to re-introduce the Green New Deal in front of the Capitol in Washington on April 20, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The Climate Army Is Coming

Commentary

The climate army is coming.

Dissatisfied with the American peoples lack of concern for their issue du jour, self-righteous coastal elites are moving on from slick public relations campaigns and headline-grabbing protests to deploy a legion of climate activists across the nationpaid for by your tax dollars, whether you like it or not.

President Joe Bidens proposed Civilian Climate Corps (CCC) would be the biggest mobilization of government labor since the New Deal, a massive and likely permanent expansion of government power cementing the radical climate agenda in our halls of government. It would also burden taxpayers with massive debtwithout any impact whatsoever on the global climate.

Though the CCC is said to support such innocuous projects as solar panels and parks, its really a slush fund for progressive activism paid for by your tax dollars.

The CCCs governing structure would allow unelected bureaucrats to funnel taxpayer money wherever they want to with almost no oversight. In fact, it explicitly endorses racially oriented decision-making, requiring at least half of projects to entail environmental justicethe murky idea that climate change is the culprit for all manner of racial disparities. This is the opposite of both equity and transparency, two goals the Biden administration claims to aspire to.

The CCC also plans (pdf) to extend taxpayer dollars to providing education on climate change, which is code for funding political activist groups such as Greenpeace, the Sunrise Movement, and Movement for Black Lives. These organizations arent about the environment so much as providing an advertising arm for the climate doomsday narrative and progressive political agenda.

The CCCs few potentially beneficial projects are better suited for private industry and charity than a bloated federal behemothand its overtly partisan provisions foretell a sinister future for our nation.

While the national economy is still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 lockdowns, with businesses large and small starving for talent, the federal government is preparing to pull 1.5 million workers out of the economy. Instead of embracing the power of the free market, the Biden administration seems set on destroying it.

Whats worse is that the CCC encourages hiring illegal immigrants and will give jobs, benefits, and even tuition reimbursements to people whose first act in the United States was flouting the law to cross the border illegally. A report by the American Accountability Foundation found taxpayers could expect to pay nearly $9 billion to provide illegal immigrants with jobs and benefits through the CCC. The Biden administrations disastrous response to the border crisis will be significantly worsened by extending another carrottaxpayer-funded, all-but-permanent jobsto illegal immigrants instead of prioritizing law-abiding American citizens.

Of course, the CCC will also be required to use union laboryet another arbitrary and costly provision that will make this progressive dream even more inefficient and even less helpful to the country.

Bidens supporters might respond that all this is necessary to stave off the climate catastrophe. Surely we have to do something! But climate sciencethe real data lurking behind apocalyptic headlines and shrill sound bitesdoesnt support Bidens argument.

There has been no documented increase in climate-related disasters of any kind. In fact, wildfires and floods have actually declined in recent decades. And heres even better news: Climate-related deaths have fallen by around 98 percent even though the global population has quadrupled in the past century. Humanity in all parts of the world is becoming more resilient to our natural environment, even while activists cry that the end is near.

Even if all this werent so and action really was necessary, even the most radical climate rules would make no meaningful difference. Eliminating fossil fuel consumption nationwidedespite being unimaginably expensive while dismantling our economy and putting lives in jeopardywould reduce global temperatures at the end of the century by less than two-tenths of a degree.

The CCC, like the Green New Deal and other socialist ideas before it, isnt really about climate change. Its not about protecting the American future or even about the environment. Its about pushing America one step closer to socialism and a progressive dystopia where everyone works for the government, there is no free market, and only politically correct opinions are allowed.

Its no wonder the American people dont trust the government to spend their money wisely on climate change. Instead, they trust each other. They know that entrepreneurs and innovators willing to do what Americans have always doneroll up their sleeves and try new ideashave a far better chance of success than inefficient government programs.

Thats how the real issues of our time will be solved, from climate adaptability to more pressing concerns like fighting poverty and delivering modern health care to the developing world.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Terrifying Prophecy of Bowers and the Only Way to Stop It

Commentary

A great number of people were shocked by the result of the 2020 presidential election, but Curtis Bowers (former Republican member of Idaho House of Representatives) might not have been. Although he never described himself as a prophet, he indeed foresaw in 2015, or earlier, that 2016 would be the last time in his lifetime to see a conservative president elected. In other words, he worried that the political environment in the United States would continue to deteriorate or radicalize unless a miracle were to happen.

Bowers and his interviewees in the documentary AGENDA 2: Masters of Deceit talked about possible electoral manipulation and fraud, but that was not the main factor that led him to make such a judgment about the future of Americas political arena. The basis for his conclusion was simply demographic trends.

According to Bowers study, in 1980, about 40 percent of the U.S. population held conservative political views, 50 percent were undecided, and only 10 percent were liberal. The trend was that both the conservative and undecided populations were shrinking. In 2012, the conservative dropped to 30 percent, while the liberal grew to 30 percent, making the two evenly matched. By 2036, the conservative and undecided are projected to fall further to 10 percent and 20 percent respectively, while the liberal might grow to 70 percent accordingly.

For conservatives, if Bowers analysis and predictions are accurate, it will indicate the United States is becoming a socialist or communist country. Could there be anything more frightening than that?

Bowers himself was not willing to accept this too. However, he was aware that American conservatives must force themselves to rationally recognize this dire situation and act vigorously to salvage it, rather than simply pinning their hopes for a turnaround on the next election.

What has caused this trend in the proportion of political leanings? The direct answer from Bowers is the left is capturing 85 percent of young Americans each year. They achieved this not because they had magic powers. Rather, they had a long-standing agenda, a communist agenda, to undermine, infiltrate and control the family, the church, the state, the media, the schools, and many more institutions that influence the worldview of the youth.

In the Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx called on his followers to destroy all traditional political systems, economic models, religious beliefs, moral values, family structures, and so on. And these did prevail in the Soviet Union, the Peoples Republic of China, North Korea, and some other countries.

At the end of the Cold War, many Americans once believed they had defeated or even eliminated communism. Bowers was one of them. But the first-hand experience in 1992 changed his view. He attended a communist strategy meeting at the campus of the University of California, Berkley. He was shocked to learn that the communists were still or had always been seriously planning to change America to be more in line with their views. What surprised him more was the rapidity with which the Communists were achieving their goals. This led him to drop his prior work and devote himself to researching and exposing the Communist destruction in the United States.

In his first award-winning documentary AGENDA: Grinding America Down, Bowers uses a wealth of facts and data to demonstrate that communism is not dead or gone, but has deliberately, yet unwittingly, orchestrated and driven changes in American values over the past decades.

The most convincing witnesses were the communists themselves. In 1958, W. Cleon Skousen listed 45 goals of the communists to infiltrate and convert the United States, in his book The Naked Communist. These 45 goals cover everything from influencing specific policies to corrupting American culture. Examples include capturing one or both of Americas political parties; controlling key positions in radio, TV, and pictures; presenting homosexuality, degeneracy, and promiscuity as normal and healthy; replacing revealed religion with social religion; discrediting the American founding fathers; encouraging easy divorce, and more. Please watch the documentary for details.

The sequel documentary AGENDA 2: Masters of Deceit explains the reasons why communism has not died out. In defiance of moral principles, the communists and those who were duped masterfully kept changing their names, coining new terms, and winning the cognitive war repeatedly like a duck to water. For example, in Fabian socialism, a denomination of communism, deception is their motto. Another branch, the Frankfurt School, boasted they could convince students that snow is black through distorted interpretations and truth subjectivism in education.

Bowers notes that no matter how catchy the slogans of the communists and the left are, they aim to establish big government and foster dependence on it. Julia Irish, a family therapist, gave AGENDA 2: Masters of Deceit five stars and commented, Our children are being lost. We are well into creating a third generation of state dependents. But Julia believes all people want self-esteem, so she doesnt think young people will spontaneously and willingly rely on and support big government, instead, they have been simply indoctrinated to think that way. The result is depression, anxiety, drug dependence, domestic abuse and poverty.

Bowers remark that 2016 would be the last time in his life to see a conservative president elected may leave many in despair. It was like a lady in the audience crying sadly after a screening of the documentary AGENDA. The reason was that a male audience member affirmed Bowers research, declaring, I am a professor at this college, I am a communist, and we will win because we are taking all of your children.

Tanya Wright, an author for the Natural Homeschool, has a different feeling. I dont think this is a fear-mongering documentary, Wright writes, it was a desperate call to arms to those who have ears to hear. I agree.

If Bowers were that pessimistic, he wouldnt have his entire family committed to going around and presenting these documentaries. He clarified his genuine thought by quoting Sun Tzu, If you know yourself, you will have a 50 percent chance to win the battle. If you know your enemy, you will have a 50 percent chance to win. But, if you know yourself AND your enemy, you will have a 100 percent chance to win. Bowers hopes Americans rediscover their identity and values, understand the dangers they are in and who their enemies are, and then act quickly to defend themselves and finally win.

The change in the demographic ratio of conservatives, undecideds, and liberals in the United States is ongoing. In the documentary AGENDA 2, Star Parker suggests, The only way you are going to reverse the trend is to begin to interject a biblical worldview back into the hearts and minds of our youth. I agree, while it is easier said than done. People who believe in God must also consider the cunning and temptations of satan to walk their path steadily. In this regard, The Specter of Communism series from The Epoch Times illustrate it best. So my suggestion is to watch both Agenda documentaries and The Specter of Communism series as a collection.

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Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley speaks during a briefing with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington on Sept. 1, 2021. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Theres a Problem in the Upper Reaches of Our Military

Commentary

It is the beginning of a never-ending bad dream. Joe Biden and the Pentagon have managed to birth a new terrorist haven, destroy much of U.S. strategic deterrence, and alienate our allies and much of the country.

In the hours after the horrific deaths of 13 service members, we have been reassured by our military that our partnership with the Taliban to provide security for our flights was wise. We were told that the terrorist victors share similar goals to ours in a hasty American retreat from Kabul. We were reminded that Afghan refugees (unlike U.S. soldiers) will not be forced to be vaccinated on arrival. Such statements are either untrue or absurd.

On the very day of the attack that killed the American troops, the sergeant major of the U.S. Army reminded us in a tweet that diversity is our strength, commemorating not the dead but Womens Equality Day. If so, then is the opposite of diversityunityour weakness? Will such wokeness ensure that we do not abandon Bagram Air Base in the middle of the night without opposition?

The chief of staff at the Office of Naval Intelligence warned the ONIs active duty and retired service members that they must not criticize Biden, their commander in chief, over the Afghanistan fiasco. The office correctly cited prohibitions found in the Uniform Code of Military Justice barring any disrespect shown to senior government leadership.

Indeed, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps was relieved of his command for posting a video accurately blaming military and civilian leadership for the Afghanistan nightmare.

Yet until Jan. 20, retired top brass had constantly smeared their elected commander in chief with impunity.

Recently retired Gen. Michael Hayden retweeted a horrific suggestion that unvaccinated Trump supporters should be put on planes back to Afghanistan, where they presumably would be left to die. Hayden earlier had compared Trumps border facilities to Nazi death camps.

Other retired high-profile military officials variously called their president an emulator of Nazi tactics, a veritable Mussolini, a liar, and deserving of removal from office sooner than later. None of these retired four-stars faced the sort of repercussions that the Office of Naval Intelligence just warned about.

More than 50 former intelligence officials on the eve of the November election signed a letter suggesting that incriminating emails found on Hunter Bidens missing laptop might be Russian disinformation. They used their stature for political purposes to convince the American people that the story was a lie.

Retired Gen. Joseph Dunford and retired Adm. Mike Mullen recently blasted retired brass who had questioned Bidens cognitive ability. OK. But they should have issued a similar warning earlier, when the violations of fellow retired officers were even more egregious in election year 2020.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, apologized for doing a photo op with Trump, erroneously buying into the narrative that Trump had ordered rioters cleared from Lafayette Square for the staged picture. Worse, he leaked to journalists that he was so angry with Trump that he considered resigning.

Think of the irony. If Milley considered a politicized resignation to rebuke Trump over the false charge, then surely he could consider a real resignation after overseeing the worst military disaster of the past half-century in Kabul.

Milley had promised to root out white supremacy from the ranks while recommending that his soldiers read Ibram X. Kendis racialist diatribes.

Something is terribly wrong in the ranks of Americas top commanders that reflects something wrong with the country.

The Pentagon needs to stop virtue-signaling about diversity days and culturally sensitive food for Afghan refugees. Instead, can it just explain why Bagram Air Base was abandoned by night, or why Taliban terrorists are our supposed partners in organizing our surrender and escape?

Which general allowed more than $85 billion in American weapons to fall to the Talibana sum equal to the price of seven new U.S. aircraft carriers?

Who turned over to the Taliban the lists of Americans and allied Afghans to be evacuated?

Who left behind biometric devices that the Taliban are now using to hunt down our former Afghan friends?

Somehow, our new woke Pentagon is hell-bent on losing the trust of the American peoplealong with the wars it fights abroad.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg during a press conference in the Blue Room at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on June 2, 2021. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Treasurer Rejects Calls for Profitable Companies to Repay JobKeeper

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has rejected calls for companies that profited while receiving JobKeeper to repay the subsidy which was put in place to cushion business owners and workers from the economic impact of the CCP virus pandemic.

The ABC reported that around 35,000 companies had doubled or tripled their turnover, compared to the same quarter in 2019, while receiving JobKeeper payments.

I would welcome any company thats in a position to pay back JobKeeper to do so, Frydenberg told Nines Today show.

He went on to say, But if youre putting to me that we should go and change the law, retrospectively, on people that applied and received that support in the middle of an economic crisisId say no to that.

Frydenberg emphasised that 98 percent of the businesses that received JobKeeper were small businesses that faced the potential of a major economic decline similar to the Great Depression.

He said he would oppose any idea potentially put by the Labor Party to make small businesses pay back Jobkeeperwhich initially passed with the support of Labor.

Shadow Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh speaks to the media in Belmore, Sydney, Australia, on April 24, 2019. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

Shadow Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh has been one of the leading figures in calling for JobKeeper repayments by businesses that experienced increased turnover.

If you want to do fiscal stimulus, you put the  money in the hands of low-income workers, Leigh told ABC radio. The Government didnt do that with this scheme. It allowed billions of dollars to flow to billionaire shareholders and millionaire CEOs.

Two days ago, retail giant Harvey Norman reluctantly repaid a portion of its JobKeeper benefits after months of public pressure.

Leigh said the only reason Harvey Norman received public pressure to return the payments is that its a listed company on the share market and therefore required to disclose the details.

But 97 percent of JobKeeper has gone to firms that arent listed on stock market and we dont know about that information, Leigh said. Were having a fight with the Government at the moment in the Senate where we want more transparency.

Labor senators and Independent Senator Rex Patrick passed a Senate motion in early August that ordered the release of a list of names for all businesses who received JobKeeper in order to achieve greater transparency.

Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan and the treasurer have pushed back against it, warning it could create a dangerous precedent of revealing private information without businesses consent.

The Australian Industry Group and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry have urged the senate against pushing for the list to be made public.
Twin Infant Boys Found Dead Inside Car at South Carolina Daycare

BLYTHEWOOD, S.C.Twin 20-month-old boys found dead inside a car in the parking lot of a South Carolina daycare were likely in the hot SUV for more than nine hours, authorities said Thursday.

A parent discovered the toddlers in rear-facing seats shortly after arriving around 5:40 p.m. Wednesday at the Sunshine House Early Learning Academy on U.S. Highway 21 in the Columbia suburb of Blythewood, investigators said.

Bryson and Brayden McDaniel appeared to have been in the SUV since the morning and likely died from exposure to the heat, Richland County Coroner Nadia Rutherford said at a news conference. Further testing will be done over the next few weeks to rule out other causes, she said.

The boys appeared well taken care of and were enrolled at the daycare, Rutherford said.

We have two very distraught parents, she said.

Richland County deputies are investigating the deaths. No arrests have been made and deputies did not release any other details.

Temperatures in Columbia were over 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) for most of a muggy Wednesday in Columbia.

The coroner did not give the names of the parents, saying she did not want to criminalize them if the case was ruled an accident, and would not say where the SUV was for most of the day.

We cant speak to how or why the children were left in the vehicle for so long, Rutherford said. Again, thats why I say if this was an unfortunate accident, we pray the family can find peace. But if it was a criminal act, we will help seek justice for these babies.
Two Days in Sunny Santa Barbara

Last week, a spur of the moment decision took my husband and I to Santa Barbara in sunny Southern California.

This is not the way to find a budget hotel, but few exist there anyway. We stayed in two different hotels and the irony was, the second hotelThe Hampton Inn at Goletacost more than our boutique hotel in Santa Barbara! The Hampton was nothing special, so Ill talk about the first night we spent at the Mar Monte Hotel on E. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara.

The Mar Monte Hotel in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

The Mar Monte (part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt) first opened in 1931. Its Spanish Colonial architecture has been a landmark of Santa Barbara ever since.

The Hyatt bought the hotel in 2011. In 2019, they revitalized the interior rooms, bringing them more up to date and adding air-conditioning.

Our room was small but comfortable. (They offer larger rooms and suites as well.) We enjoyed reading and writing in their indoor/outdoor lobbycomplete with cushy chairs, books, a fountain, and beer-on-tap brought in from the hotels Cafe Lido.

Cafe Lido, Mar Monte Hotel in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

Karen Gough enjoying the Mar Monte Sitting Room in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Bill Gough)

The Mar Monte sits right across from beautiful East Beach, a wide sandy beach with the softest sand. The beach extends 1.6 miles to Stearns Wharf and then continues another quarter mile as West Beach.

There is a bike path that extends east to Butterfly Beach and west all the way to UCSB. We took advantage of the hotels free bikes, and we filled our allotted three hours by biking along the beach and up to State Street. There we turned right and headed into downtown Santa Barbara.

We had delicious sandwiches at the locally recommended Metropulos on the corner of Yanonali and Santa Barbara Street, then went shopping in some of the boutique shops along State Street.

Unfortunately, about a quarter of the shops were permanently closed due to the prolonged government shutdown, but the surviving ones were great to explore. On the way back we biked down Stearns Wharf to look at the view.

Built in 1872, Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, Calif., is the oldest working wooden wharf in California. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

That evening we went for a walk on East Beach. It seems like there is always something going on there, and that night was no exception. We got to watch part of a memorial biathlon.

Swimmers race into the Ocean for the Memorial Biathlon on East Beach in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Bill Gough)

One thing to know about the beaches along the Santa Barbara coastthey are full of tarballs.

Natural petroleum has been seeping up from offshore areas of the Santa Barbara Channel for over half a million years. The area it comes from is called the Coal Oil Point seep field. It washes up onto the beach in the form of tar.

The tar is not harmful to people, its just annoying. If you walk on the beach, you will get tar on the bottom of your feet. That is a fact. Paper Towels and baby oil will remove the tar. Most Santa Barbara residents keep a supply of baby oil handy for their return from the beach. Our hotel had mini-wipes for the same purpose.

On a positive note, the smell of the ocean air, mixed with a sprinkling of tar, is like no other. I remember it from college (UCSB) and it brings back fond memories.

We dined at Mar Montes Costa Restaurant. The food was deliciousfresh and locally sourcedand the ambience and service were also excellent.

California olive oil cake dessert from the Costa Restaurant in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

The Costa Restaurant at 1111 E. Cabrillo Blvd in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

The next day my husband and I visited the Santa Barbara Historical Museum at 136 De La Guerra Street. It is located in a beautiful adobe building that was specially built in 1965 to house the museum. Two original adobe buildings, from 1817 and 1836, are also contained within the lower courtyard.

The entrance to the Santa Barbara Historical Museum in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Bill Gough)

A courtyard behind the Santa Barbara Historical Museum in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Bill Gough)

The museum is featuring an exhibit called Project Fiesta! celebrating the costumes and pageantry of the annual festival that usually takes place every August in Santa Barbara. It has been cancelled twice due to Covid-19; hopefully it will return in 2022. The costumes on display in the museum are absolutely beautiful.

Project Fiesta! at Santa Barbara Historical Museum in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

Detailed embroidery at Santa Barbara Historical Museum in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

Permanent exhibits in the museum showcase the history of Native American, Spanish, Chinese, and Mexican settlement in Santa Barbara, up to the present day. They also show a history of movie-making in Santa Barbara, and will soon open an exhibit on the Western cowboy artist, Edward Borein.

Each exhibit is compelling. I highly recommend visiting this wonderful museum. Entrance is free!

The Spanish Architecture in Santa Barbara, Calif., is mostly due to the efforts of Pearl Chase. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

This Tong Shrine was gifted to the Santa Barbara Chee Kung Tong in 1898. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

That evening, my husband and I joined some good friends to dine at The Palace Grill on 8 East Cota Street. We went all out, andoh man was it great!

First of all, as we waited for our table, professional magician Mark Collier entertained us with card tricks. Mark has been a practicing magician for thirty years. He is a regular at the Palace, and among other things a speaker, an emcee, a promoter, and performer. He also appears at the Hollywood Magic Castle.

Mark compares his magic tricks to musican ABA form where each piece must resolve. If a card disappears, he makes sure to bring it back at the end of the trick in a surprising coda. His card tricks amazed us and made me really happy. Watching him, I felt like a kid on Christmas morning.

Strolling magician Mark Collier at The Palace Grill in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Bill Gough)

Dinner was equally amazing. The Palace Grill has a New Orleans vibe and features Cajun/Creole food. We began with Cajun popcornlightly seasoned crawfish tails to die forfollowed by the Blackened Louisiana Redfish and Stuffed Blackened Filet (for me). We also had the best margarita and martinis ever.

And just when we thought it couldnt get any better, it did. Waiters passed out lyrics to the song Its a Wonderful Life, and the whole restaurant sang it together. At that moment, it was a wonderful life, and it felt so good to remember that as we shared a great evening with our friends.

Interior of the Palace Grill in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

A plate of blackened Louisiana redfish, in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

Thirst-quenching drinks at the Palace Grill in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

On our final day, we stopped at the local farmers market before driving home. The market, on Santa Barbara and Cota Street, runs every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Its a funky mix of local produce, crafts, and street musicians.

We shopped a bit, and took time to listen to a terrific banjo player who wore cow horns on his head and sang in a mysterious language. Then we bought good cups of coffee across the street at The Dune Coffee Roasters. Afterward, we drove home, filled to the brim with happy memories from our two days in Santa Barbara.

The Saturday Farmers Market at the corner of Santa Barbara and Cota Street in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

Drinking coffee at the Dune, at 528 Anacapa Street in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Karen Gough)

Summer is ending and Autumn is coming, but Santa Barbara should remain high on the list of places to visit. The weather will be mild, crowds will have thinned, and lodging will be slightly cheaper. Enjoy, and if you go to the Palace Grill, tell Mark the Magician that I sent you.
Unemployment Fraud Scrutinized Ahead of Debate Over Renewing Federal Benefits

Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate are demanding a federal investigation into unemployment benefits money lost to fraudsters, calling it the greatest theft of American tax dollars in our nations history.

The members sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office, asking the federal oversight group to investigate the fraud and arguing structural issues exist within the federal government that make the theft possible.

It is concerning that responsibility for determining how much fraud has occurred lies scattered throughout a web of bureaucracies, the letter reads. The scattering of responsibilities suggests that Congress will be ill equipped to have adequate information to assess future unemployment insurance responses to large economic shocks; and, at the same time, ensure they are not plagued by gaping security holes that allow fraudsters an open window to use to unlawfully obtained taxpayer funds.

The question of unemployment fraud takes on extra weight as lawmakers are expected to debate in the coming days whether to extend $300 weekly federal unemployment benefits, which expire Saturday.

The letter is led by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who leads Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the leading Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) also has been a leader on the effort.

They estimate fraudulent efforts have stolen between $89 billion to $400 billion and request GAO finds out exactly how much has been taken.

The members point out they asked the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) earlier this year to use funds to prevent this kind of fraud. Companion bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to address the issue but have not passed. Republican-led states around the country have turned away the extra federal benefits, citing evidence they have disincentivized many Americans from returning to work.

Businesses around the country have cited difficulty hiring workers despite widespread joblessness. Recent federal data showed there are more available jobs than workers in the United States.

Yet, there is currently no federal effort in place to formally evaluate and estimate the true scope and severity of COVID unemployment fraud nationwide, the letter reads. We request that GAO, as part of its mission and ongoing work to reduce improper payments and safeguard federal funds, investigate, and provide a national estimate of funds lost because of fraudulent activity.

The concern over unemployment fraud has been bipartisan. Senate Democrats expressed concern in June over a fraudulent crime network exploiting unemployment benefits.

We all share a common goal of ensuring the integrity of the unemployment insurance (UI) program, and supporting a strong UI program is a critical component of the economic safety net during times of economic downturn, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, several Democratic senators wrote in a letter to the USDOL. Safeguarding state UI systems against unscrupulous actors who seek to exploit the current public health crisis for economic gain requires a holistic response by the federal government in partnership with states.

The calls for investigation also come after a GAO report in July found states and territories overpaid unemployment benefits by $12.9 billion, though the GAO said most of those funds were overpayments, not fraud.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, enacted March 11, 2021, subsequently provided DOL with $2 billion to detect and prevent fraud, promote equitable access, and ensure the timely payment of UI benefits, the report said. As of May 20, 2021, DOL officials said that DOL was working to develop detailed plans for this $2 billion in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget, and noted that developing spending plans across 53 states and territories involves complex considerations.

Whether an investigation will occur remains to be seen.

Unemployment fraud takes resources away from American workers who deserve assistance and puts those resources directly in the pockets of fraudsters, the Republicans letter reads. Given that roughly a year-and-a-half has elapsed since the pandemics onset and given what appears to be the largest amount of unemployment fraud in history since March of last year, it is concerning that some seem almost indifferent to the massive fraud that has occurred.

By Casey Harper
Walmart to Hire 20,000 Supply Chain Workers Ahead of Holiday Season

Walmart Inc. said on Wednesday it planned to hire 20,000 workers at its supply chain division ahead of the busy holiday season as the worlds largest retailer and other major rivals battle a logistics and labor crunch.

The roles, a mix of part-time and full-time jobs ranging from freight handlers to lift drivers, will be offered at 250 Walmart and Sams Club distribution centers, fulfillment centers, and transportation offices, the worlds largest retailer said.

A nationwide labor shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred retailers to raise wages this year, with many worried that they will not have enough workers in stores and warehouses during the holiday shopping season.

Walmart said on Wednesday the average wage for supply chain associates it plans to hire will be $20.37 per hour. It raised average pay for U.S. hourly workers earlier this year to at least $15.25 an hour.

Walmart did not disclose the cost of the additional hiring.

Retailers are also grappling with rising freight costs due to bottlenecks at ports and container ship shortages as economies recover from a pandemic-led slowdown.

Low-price retailer Dollar General Corp. said on Wednesday it was looking to hire more workers at stores and distribution centers as well as truck drivers.

The discount chain, which has hired more than 50,000 employees since mid-July, is offering a $5,000 sign-on bonus to drivers as it expands its private fleet.

Rival Dollar Tree Inc. is offering a $1,000 sign-on bonus to ensure its distribution centers are sufficiently staffed ahead of the holiday season.

Last month, grocery chain Aldi announced plans to hire more than 20,000 U.S. workers across its stores and distribution centers and raise its wages.

E-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. will hire 55,000 more workers to keep up with demand in retail, its cloud services and advertising, among other businesses, its new chief executive, Andy Jassy, told Reuters on Wednesday.
Cars sit abandoned on the flooded Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx following a night of heavy wind and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in New York on Sept. 2, 2021. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

26 Dead as Footage Shows Significant Flooding in New York and New Jersey

Torrential rain spawned significant flooding across northern New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, and other areas on Sept. 1, as the remnants of Hurricane Ida passed over the region.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared an emergency for the city, while officials said on Sept. 2 that at least 22 people had died in New York and New Jersey due to the severe weather, according to The Associated Press.

Storm waters in NYC right now: pic.twitter.com/vmdRxrp5uw  Joshua Philipp (@JoshJPhilipp) September 2, 2021

Im declaring a state of emergency in New York City tonight. Were enduring [a] historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads, he wrote.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority suspended subway service for most areas in the city due to floodwaters entering subway stations and the tracks.

Waterfall down the stairs at 145th Street station, 1 Train, in #Manhattan, #NYC. Flash #flood warnings are in effect until 11:30 pm. pic.twitter.com/pIvwWpQF1t  NTD News (@news_ntd) September 2, 2021

New York and New Jersey residents uploaded video footage on Twitter and other social media sites of flooding inundating cars, flooded subways, backflushing toilets, water going into peoples apartments, and buses driving through high waters.

The Newark International Airport was forced to shut down and suspend flights due to flooding. Video footage shows the baggage claim area entirely covered in floodwaters.

As of the morning of Sept. 2, New York officials said there are travel advisories in effect.

Avoid non-emergency travel, city officials wrote on Twitter, noting that mass transit is very limited and delayed.

The National Weather Service of New York issued a flash flood emergency for the city, Brooklyn, and Queens, noting that it was the first time in its history that it was forced to do so.

Hero bus driver managed to get us safely through the 3-4 feet of rain coursing down the boulevard, but only seemed to be getting worse. Finally made it through to higher ground and a fellow passenger exclaims oh no I missed my stop. pic.twitter.com/ofrVQhGnhK  Joe English (@JoeEEnglish) September 2, 2021

To be clear this particular warning for NYC is the second time weve ever issued a Flash Flood Emergency (Its the first one for NYC). The first time weve issued a Flash Flood Emergency was for Northeast New Jersey a an [sic] hour ago, the agency wrote.

At least 12 people died in New York, police said, one of them in a car and eight in flooded basement apartments that often serve as relatively affordable homes in one of the nations most expensive housing markets.

Officials said at least eight died in New Jersey and three in Pennsylvanias suburban Montgomery County; one was killed by a falling tree, one drowned in a car, and another in a home. An on-duty state trooper in Connecticut was swept away in his cruiser and later taken to a hospital, state police and local authorities said.

Major flooding along the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania swamped highways, submerged cars, and disrupted rail service in the Philadelphia area. In a Twitter post, city officials predicted historic flooding on Sept. 2, as river levels continue to rise. The riverside community of Manayunk remained largely underwater.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, on Aug. 23, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

White House National Security Adviser Declines to Call Taliban an Enemy: Its Hard to Put a Label on It

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan refused to brand the Taliban an enemy of the United States during an appearance on MSNBC on Aug.31.

Sullivan appeared on the show just days after the final withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, which has seen the Taliban take control of the capital after the leader of the U.S.-backed Afghan government fled the country.

When asked by reporters about U.S. relations with the Taliban following their takeover of Kabul and whether they were considered a frenemy, adversary, or enemy, Sullivan said he was unsure how to define the relationship with the terrorist group.

Well, its hard to put a label on it, in part, because we have yet to see what they are going to be now that they are in controlphysical control of Afghanistan, Sullivan said.

They will, in the coming days, announce a government. That government is going to go around seeking diplomatic engagement, even recognition from other countries, including the United States. In fact, the Taliban spokesman today said he was looking for positive relations on behalf of the Taliban, especially with the United States.

Sullivan went on to add that while the Taliban were not nice guys, the administration hopes it can work alongside them to make the evacuation of remaining U.S. citizens and allies in the country run smoothly.

Were not just going to grant positive relations to the Taliban. Theyre going to have to earn everything from the international community through actions, not words, Sullivan said.

That begins with safe passage for Americans and Afghan allies, and that also includes them living up to their counterterrorism commitments, including that Afghanistan can never again be used as a base with which to attack the United States or our allies.

Taliban terrorists patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Sept. 1, 2021. (Javed Tanveer/AFP via Getty Images)

On Monday, the Pentagon announced that the last U.S. troops had departed from Afghanistans Hamid Karzai International Airport, just a few hours before dawn, marking the end of Americas longest war and leaving the country in a state of uncertainty with the Taliban controlling most of the country.

Anti-Taliban fighters have gathered in the Panjshir Valley just north of Kabul, vowing to resist Taliban rule if the terrorist group does not agree on negotiations to form a representative government free of Sharia law.

A spokesman for the resistance said that seven or eight Taliban fighters had been killed in clashes at the mouth of the valley on Monday. It is believed that several thousand anti-Taliban fighters have gathered with resistance leader Ahmad Massoud, the son of Afghan resistance fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud who fought against Soviet forces during the invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

Afghanistans first vice president, Amrullah Saleh, who is seeking support as the countrys acting president according to the constitution, is also gathered with Massoud and other like-minded government figures in the Panjshir Valley.

Read More Taliban Suffer Casualties Fighting Afghan Militia Groups in Holdout Valley: Official

U.S. officials, including Central Command head Gen. Frank McKenzie, this week admitted that hundreds of Americans seeking evacuation have been left in the country.

Theres a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure. We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out, McKenzie said, adding that it is a tough situation.

While the Taliban have vowed that they will run the country more moderately than when it last held power 20 years ago, Afghans and the international community are skeptical of such claims amid reports of executions, arrests, detentions, and threats.

One evacuee, Fawad, a PhD scholar who worked for the government prior to the Taliban takeover, told The Epoch Times that the organization is gaining control over Kabul through threats and coercion.

Fawad claims the terrorist group tracked down his address and paid a visit in search for him, shortly after he managed to escape his homeland with his son and wife on Aug. 24.

The former government worker said he knew of three other Afghansone in a high-ranking position in the Afghan mediawho had been detained and tortured by the Taliban for three days.

Meanwhile, a leaked report from the nonprofit RHIPTO Norwegian Centre for Global Analyses, which provides intelligence to the United Nations, appears to back up claims that the Taliban have been committing violent acts of retaliation on its opponents.

The report said that the Taliban terrorist group was carrying out highly organized door-to-door manhunts for people on their wanted list, threatening to kill or harm their relatives if they do not surrender.

The U.S. State Department has not included the Taliban in its list of terrorist organisation, while its allies the Haqqani network, al Qaeda, and its Pakistani cousin Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, are recognized as terrorists.

Isabel van Brugen contributed to this report.
Supporters gather outside GraceLife Church near Edmonton on April 11, 2021, after the church was fenced off by police and Alberta Health Services for violating COVID-19 restrictions. (The Canadian Press/Jason Franson)

Where the Constitution Fits In Amid Pandemic Mandates

News Analysis

The restrictions on worship and assembly during the pandemic, followed more recently by the potential denial of employment for unvaccinated people, have left some Canadians wondering how such things could take place given Canadas Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Its in those moments where the individual is standing up against the state, and is against the mob  where a constitutional guarantee is so important, because its supposed to protect the individual in those circumstances, Derek James-From, an Alberta lawyer who has worked on constitutional issues, told The Epoch Times.

Ironically, the Charters guarantee of such rights in Section 1 also includes the loophole that can suspend them. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society, it reads.

The fundamental freedoms outlined in Section 2 of the Charter include (a) freedom of conscience and religion; (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; (c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and (d) freedom of association. Yet, public health orders, the censorship of doctors and media that contest the COVID-19 narrative, and increasing coercion to receive a COVID-19 vaccine suggest that these freedoms are not so fundamental to those in authority.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has tried to challenge the constitutionality of these public health orders but has had limited success. In one example, following a legal challenge by the Justice Centre, Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson of the Supreme Court of British Columbia struck down that provinces ban on outdoor protests, yet refused to do the same on the prohibition of in-person religious gatherings.

Rights and Modern Liberal Values

Author and academic William Gairdner dedicated a chapter of his book The Trouble With Canada  Still to explaining why then-prime minister Pierre Trudeaus 1982 Charter of Rights ran contrary to the common-law tradition that Canada inherited. Gairdner told The Epoch Times that this facilitated a juridical war for control over the moral and ideological nature of our union.

You can say the country  got converted, mostly by judges of the same persuasion: very progressive, very modern liberal as opposed to classical liberal, said Gairdner, who is also an Epoch Times contributor.

So they have remade the country, and thats what Pierre Trudeau wanted. He thought that the law should come from intelligent judges who understand the legal principles, and not from common law and the doings of the ordinary people who go to court to insist on their rights.

In Gairdners view, Pierre Trudeau even defied provincial jurisdictions outlined in Canadas constitutional federalism by using federal taxation levers to coerce provinces into federally dictated policies.

Medical care is supposed to be a provincial rightit still says so in our BNA [British North America] Act. But the Charter of Rights and Freedoms came along and the federal government got interested in equalizing social benefits and medical benefits for every Canadian, he said.

Ottawa used its taxing power to increase its income, which it then distributed to the provinces as long as they came to heel [under the Canada Health Act].

Pandemics Challenge

In Gairdners view, the pandemic presents a unique challenge for which there may not be an easy answer.

The old John Stuart Mill principle of do whatever you want as long as you dont harm someone else doesnt work now with respect to this problem, because you dont know if you have the virus and no one else knows whether you have it either, he said.

All pandemics create this kind of defensive social and legal mood where you become wary of all human beings. And then if you get some kind of standard like a vaccine that they claim workseven if in the end it doesnt, and even if it creates some death and some difficulties in the people who take ityou start bringing the police into action and making pariahs out of people who, on principle, dont want to take it.

What concerns Gairdner even more is that new norms and perceptions could keep freedoms restricted indefinitely for one public health reason or another.

It throws the whole country into a moral quandary, because when are we going to stop shutting down society? When theres one death? One per day? Or no deaths?  Are we going to close up when the next flu comes along, the ordinary flu? We never shut society down for that. Are we going to have to now because weve set a moral precedent? What are we going to do? Nobodys asking these questions.

Constitution Should Offer Protection for People

Salim Mansur, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Western Ontario, said the Constitution ought to provide helpful limits on government power.

Historically, the Constitution limits the authority within which the government can act. The Constitution is a protection for the people. The rights are not coming from the governmentthe rights are there either historically or by natural law. We are a free people, Mansur said in an interview.

When it comes to the issues of fundamental freedoms such as freedom of speech, worship, and association, people should be rising up, and the judiciary should be protecting their rights, Mansur says.

So when the government says that you cannot do this or you cannot do that, youre going to shut down the churches, etc., etc., it is the government who has to explain why you cannot do this. And thats where the judiciary can defend the people, or should defend the people.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gestures during a daily press briefing on COVID-19 virus at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 2, 2020. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

WHO Urges Countries to Hold Off Giving COVID-19 Booster Shots Through September

The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to hold off on giving COVID-19 booster shots through September so poorer nations can provide citizens with their first dose of the vaccine.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters that some low-income countries, including many in Africa, have less than 2 percent of their adult populations fully vaccinated.

By contrast, some high-income countries have adult vaccination rates of 50 percent.

More than 5 billion COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered globally, with 75 percent of them administered in just 10 countries, according to the WHO.

The United States has fully vaccinated more than 52 percent of its population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

President Joe Biden said the United States plans to widely distribute COVID-19 booster shots beginning the week of Sept. 20, pending clearance from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC scientists.

Thats why I have called for a moratorium on boosters, at least until the end of this month to allow those countries that are furthest behind to catch up, Tedros said at a press conference on Sept. 1.

While additional doses may be required for those with compromised immune systems or waning immunity, Tedros said that for now, we do not want to see widespread use of boosters for healthy people who are fully vaccinated.

The WHO director-generals comments are in stark contrast to those of Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, who last week said he was certain Americans would need booster shots of the vaccines.

Im certain were going to need that third dose, looking at the data that were seeing, Fauci said on NBCs Meet the Press.

Fauci said the White House is still planning to move ahead with its plans to give out the boosters eight months after people received their second shot, noting that in mid to late July, they saw a waning in protection against infection.

However, the chief medical adviser said they were totally open to data that suggests the dose should be available sooner and would be flexible about it.

Right now, were sticking with eight [months], but were totally open to any variation in that based on the data, Fauci said.

Other WHO officials have previously defended booster vaccinations in wealthier nations, including Hans Kluge, the WHO European regional director.

During a press briefing last month, Kluge said that booster shots serve as an important instrument to protect vulnerable people and keep them safe, while urging countries with excess doses to share them with other nations.

A third dose of vaccine is not a luxury booster taken away from someone who is still waiting for a first jab. But its basically a way to keep the people safethe most vulnerable, Kluge said. But at the same time, we need to share. We need to do it all.

Pharmaceutical companies with COVID-19 vaccines already developed, such as Pfizer, have requested full FDA approval for a booster shot in addition to their two-dose vaccine.

The company said that 306 people given a third dose of its vaccine between five and eight months after their second shot showed levels of neutralizing antibodies that were 3.3 times the levels seen after their second shot.

With reporting from Reuters.
In this handout provided by U.S. Central Command Public Affairs, passengers board a U.S. Air Force C-17 as part of the evacuation from Afghanistan, at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Forces Europe-Africa via Getty Images)

Why Did the Pentagon Agree to the Withdrawal From Afghanistan?

Commentary

During the Trump administration, the Pentagon vociferously opposed President Donald Trumps plans to pull out of Afghanistan and Syria. Under the Biden administration, the Pentagon didnt oppose President Joe Bidens early withdrawal.

Instead, the Pentagon, apparently confidently, arranged to pull out U.S. personnel and some Afghans associated with the U.S. mission in the country.

Why did the Pentagon change direction? While the secretary of defense had changed (twice since the Trump-era interventions) and the new defense secretary was a Biden man, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was the same man, and any defense secretary, even one who was a general before, would need to consult with the Joint Chiefs and other commanders, especially Central Command (CENTCOM), which has responsibility for both Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Assuming consultations took place, it would appear that the Pentagon brass was satisfied that the Biden administration had worked out a solid plan to leave Afghanistan.

Its clear that pulling troops from a conflict zone has major strategic implications for U.S. force posture abroad and for U.S. relationships with allies and friends around the world.

Its quite true that, after 20 years, the U.S. effort in Afghanistan had stalled. The small number of American troops still in that country were mainly providing training services, plus organizing contractor support and supplying intelligence to the Afghan military. The most important service of all, close air support, was the single commodity that equalized the fighting with the Taliban, which after all was an insurgency, not an opposing field army.

Its also true that there was a consensus in Washington that the Afghan government was corrupt up to its armpits, and there was little hope for any improvement. That made it difficult for Washington to keep pouring billions into a government that was siphoning off millions of aid dollars.

For the past 18 months before the horrific events in Kabul, the United States suffered no military casualties. Fighting was mainly carried out by Afghan forces and the United States was in a support role, including close air help in firefights.

Therefore, the case to pull out was mostly about the realization that little future progress in the country was possible.

It isnt clear whether Washington believed that without U.S. and allied help, that Afghan forces could prevail. Officially the Pentagon put out that it expected a good showing from the Afghan armythe same argument Biden made in his last phone call with Afghan President Ghani.

In a sense, whether the Afghan army could hold up didnt matter and hadnt since January 2019. The core elements of a deal with the Taliban were worked out then. What was agreed was that the United States would leave Afghanistan broadly in exchange for a Taliban agreement not to support terrorists such as al-Qaeda and ISIS.

The deal however required implementing agreements. We dont have any information on the implementing agreements. They were concluded by the Biden administration, and they remain secret.

It would seem there had to be at least three components to an implementation deal.

Firstly, the United States would leave all bases in Afghanistan preparatory to the final removal of U.S. personnel from Kabul.

Secondly, the United States would be allowed to take out U.S. personnel, including U.S. citizens and a limited number of Afghans who worked directly for the Americans. No deal appears to have been reached to protect Afghan government people or Afghan military leaders. Put bluntly, they were abandoned.

Thirdly, in exchange, the Taliban would do its best to assure security for the U.S. exit.

The United States would have had to go to its allies, especially the British, and get their agreement to the deal while also getting the Taliban to agree so that it covered the allies.

The deal went wrong for many reasons, not the least of which was the rapid collapse of Afghan government forces and the Talibans quick move to take over Kabul. Because of the chaos that ensued, the security situation rapidly deteriorated.

Had the Taliban really wanted the United States to leave quietly, they could have held off taking Kabul until the U.S. exit was complete. This was the first clear sign that the new U.S. partner, the Taliban, wasnt going to make a strong effort to accommodate the United States and its allies.

While the White House, the NSC, the State Department, the Pentagon, and CENTCOM kept up pretenses that the United States was going to rescue all Americans and Afghan translators and top people who worked for the United States in the country, it was doubtful this could be done under chaotic conditions.

Its possible, in fact highly likely, that Taliban assurances were enough to persuade the Defense Department to go along with the pullout.

The Pentagon leadership had no qualms in deserting their Afghan allies. CENTCOM quickly adopted new language, talking about their Taliban counterparts, praising Taliban help, and calling the Taliban partners.

The Defense Department, along with the rest of the Biden administration, was extremely foolish to put total trust in the Taliban. Even now, al-Qaeda personnel are being freed from Afghan prisons or reentering Afghanistan. So much for the core principles agreed to in 2019.

A proper deal would have insisted on the Taliban freezing in place until the U.S. withdrawal was completed. It would also have clearly included all of our clients and their families who wanted to leave. Its quite apparent this wasnt the case and it was a bad deal from the get-go.

Part of the reason the Pentagon went along with the Biden deal, aside from their perception it would be quiet and peaceful at least for the Americans, was that the geopolitical environment has changed very rapidly, and the United States has shifted its focus from small wars to near-peer or peer-to-peer conflicts, that is, to the threats from Russia and, most of all, from rising Chinese power.

Grinding down U.S. forces in unwinnable conflicts isnt what the Defense Department wants to do these days.

Thus, the Pentagon chose realpolitik and decided to leave. Now, it is awash in accusations it left behind many friends and allies and U.S. citizens, that its operation was poorly planned, and that the Joint Chiefs and CENTCOM failed to challenge the Biden administration deal precisely because it was badly flawed from all angles.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A COVID-19 vaccine record card is seen at a vaccination site in Miami Gardens, Fla., on April 14, 2021. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

Woman Faces One Year in Jail for Allegedly Using Fake Vaccination Card in Hawaii

An Illinois woman was arrested this week for allegedly attempting to use a falsified COVID-19 vaccination card when entering Hawaii, authorities say.

Chloe Mrozak, 24, of Oak Lawn, intentionally or recklessly tried using the fake document, which violated rules pertaining to entrance into the state, according to a criminal complaint.

Other court documents said that investigators were tipped off that Mrozak may have used illegitimate documents pertaining to her vaccination status.

Investigators found that the hotel Mrozak listed as the place she was going to stay while in Hawaii did not have a reservation under her name, Hawaii News Now reported.

They also tried confirming her COVID-19 vaccine card but when they contacted authorities in Delaware, the state that was listed on the card, they said they had no record of her getting a jab there.

Investigators also noted that the card had Maderna under the type of vaccine, a misspelling of Moderna.

Mrozak was arrested but released after a hearing on Sept. 1, according to court records.

She was told to appear in a virtual hearing set for Sept. 22.

A public defender representing the defendant could not be reached.

Hawaiis Safe Travels Program mandated travelers must quarantine for 10 days if not fully vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.

Violators face up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000.

A Florida couple was charged for allegedly falsifying documents under the same program last month.

Enzo Dalmazzo, 43, and Daniela Dalmazzo, 31, allegedly used fake vaccine cards for their children and themselves when entering Hawaii.

A father and son were also charged with faking documents.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige, a Democrat, said in a statement at the time that the Hawaii Attorney Generals Office will investigate and prosecute those who cheat the Safe Travels program, which was established to keep our islands safe.

He said a tip from a community member led to the arrest of the Dalmazzos and thanked that member and others who have sent tips regarding program violations.

Hawaii has one of the strictest COVID-19 regimes in the United States.

The state reported 1,678 new cases on Sunday, and over 10,800 in the week ending on Sunday.

This tidal wave of cases is straining our ability to respond at all levelsour hospitals, our labs, and even our morgues are nearing or at capacity, Hawaii Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said in a statement.

Ige said Monday that there were no plans to shut down the state. However, he said that visitors were being asked to postpone planned travel to Hawaii and residents were being asked to halt non-essential travel.
Bailey, CO (80421)

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BANGOR, Maine (AP)  An Ohio man who'd been drinking and had loaded firearms in his rented pickup truck was arrested over the weekend in Acadia National Park, rangers said.

Rangers used a stun gun when he tried to run away during his arrest on Saturday. Police seized three guns, two of which were loaded, the Bangor Daily News reported.
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP)  Vaccine doses produced by a plant in South Africa will no longer be exported to Europe following the intervention of South Africas government, the African Union's COVID-19 vaccine envoy said Thursday.

South African drug manufacturer Aspen Pharmacare, which has a contract with Johnson & Johnson to assemble the ingredients of its COVID-19 vaccine, will produce for the African continent and millions of doses that had been shipped to European countries but remain in warehouses will be returned, Strive Masiyiwa told reporters.

J&J doses produced in South Africa will stay in Africa and will be distributed in Africa, he said at an online press briefing for the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The arrangement for some doses finished in South Africa to be exported to Europe has been suspended, he said, adding that the issue was corrected in a positive way. Aspens agreement with Johnson & Johnson has changed from a contract deal to a licensed arrangement similar to the production in India of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The Aspen product will be African branded," he said.

Johnson & Johnson was heavily criticized for shipping doses to countries in Europe, which have already immunized large numbers of their people and have even donated vaccines to more needy countries.

In contrast, Africa has fully vaccinated less than 3% of its 1.3 billion people. Vaccine production within the continent is seen as key to meeting the stated target of vaccinating 60% of Africa's population. Half of those doses are expected to be procured under a vaccine acquisition group backed by the African Union that has already ordered 400 million J&J doses.

Under that deal, in which doses will be distributed across the continent over 12 months, 6.4 million doses were shipped in August and the number could rise to 20 million in September, according to Masiyiwa, coordinator of the African Union group known as the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust.

In Africa, the issue is vaccine supply, he said, downplaying concerns about vaccine hesitancy that have been reported in some countries. Even if there are loud noises about vaccine hesitancy  and we will not dismiss it  but let's get to 60%, OK, and then we worry about the 40%, he said. But if 60% of our population right now are happy to take the vaccine, let's give it to them."

Masiyiwa accused the international community of letting Africa down with COVAX, a United Nations and donor-backed program envisaged to help middle- and low-income countries access vaccines. COVAX has fallen short of its goals and some countries are "still significantly hoarding supplies" of vaccine doses, charged Masiyiwa.

The international community has not met its obligations under (the) understanding of COVAX, he said. COVAX was supposed to deliver 320 million doses by August. In a letter to us that we received only yesterday, that number is 30 million doses.

John Nkengasong, head of the Africa CDC, said the continent must vaccinate quickly to defeat the pandemic as the delta and other variants spread in many countries and stretch the capacity of health facilities.

Africa's 54 countries have reported more than 7.8 million cases, including more than 197,000 deaths.
EDWARDSVILLE  Eighteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic, people are still asking many of the same questions they had when the coronavirus first struck the U.S.

The common questions include:

 What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

 How should I take care of myself if I do get sick?

 When should I go to the hospital?

While the answers to those questions havent changed much, the rise of the delta variant has led to a subsequent increase in new cases, hospitalizations and deaths, especially among the unvaccinated.

With those numbers in mind, medical professionals and public health officials want to make sure that people have the information they need.

In a lot of ways, it feels like were back where we started, said Dr. Michael Adams, Chief Medical Officer for Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City. The symptoms have changed a bit, but the hallmarks still are shortness of breath, sinus congestion, cough, headache and fatigue. Some people could get nausea and diarrhea and feel like they have the stomach flu as well.

It can be hard for individuals to determine what is going on, especially now that were moving into the mold and ragweed season. As a rule, common colds and allergies should not give you a fever of 101 or 102. If youre seeing fever as a symptom, that should be an indication that you have something else going on.

If people have any of these symptoms, Adams urges them to get in touch with their healthcare clinician or their primary care provider.

Let them know how youre feeling so they can know what to check for clinically. A lot of times theyll direct you toward some testing and isolation, said Adams, who has practiced internal medicine in Granite City and Edwardsville for 22 years. A lot of clinicians are doing telehealth visits as well to touch base with their patients and direct their care from there.

As far what individuals can do, they need to stay hydrated, get plenty of rest, make sure theyre eating properly and take it easy when theyre sick. Do not go to work. There is no sense in it and there is no heroism in it. All it does is put other people potentially at risk.

Amy Yeager, public information officer for the Madison County Health Department, noted that a good resource for COVID questions is a coronavirus website from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

The website, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | CDC, provides information about many COVID-related topics including symptoms of the virus.

Other symptoms not listed by Adams include fever or chills, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell and sore throat.

Fever, shortness of breath and the loss of taste or smell are three things that are not typical with a cold or allergies, Yeager said. If you have any of those symptoms, then that should be a clear sign that something is different and you may have COVID.

Yeager added that the symptoms section of the CDC website has a tab called Check Symptoms with Self-Checker.

If you click on it and load it, it will help walk you through the symptoms, Yeager said. Based on your answers, it might say that you are recommended for testing.

According to the CDC, symptoms may appear within two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.

With the delta variant, a lot of the symptoms tend to look a lot more like a cold or allergies, Yeager said. But if you have any of these symptoms, whether youre vaccinated or not, you need to take precautions and treat it as if you have COVID and go get tested. Also, You could be asymptomatic and spreading the virus and not even knowing it.

There are testing sites all over the place. On our COVID response hub (https://coronavirus-response-madcoil.hub.arcgis.com/pages/covid-19-testing-options), we have a brand-new page with all of the testing sites in our region, including some on the Missouri side. The test is free and its quick and easy.

The similarity in symptoms between COVID and other illnesses doesnt end with colds, allergies or the flu.

Dr. Loren Hughes, a family physician and a former healthcare executive from Edwardsville, cited a growing number of cases of another seasonal virus called RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). This infection is most often seen in children.

RSV usually hits hard in the winter months, but there have been a large number of cases surging around the country this summer, Hughes said. A lot of that has to do with kids being isolated at home during the winter and not having been at in-person school together. Its been popping up a lot in daycare centers everywhere and pediatric hospital beds in many states are fuller than they have ever been before due to children sick with COVID as well as those with RSV.

COVID delta strain is hitting hard in the younger ages right now and RSV is a virus that is particularly dangerous among children under 6 months of age. While RSV is most often mild in kids under 5, it can hospitalize older adults with comorbidities too. It causes the same type of upper respiratory symptoms as COVID. The major characteristic is a nasty cough and wheezing because its an infection that hits the smaller airways. Based purely on symptoms, its difficult for a clinician or patient to know whether its RSV or COVID, so thats why testing is so important. The super-sick kids being admitted to hospitals are a mixture of both of these viral infections.

The symptoms page of the CDC website also has a section entitled When to Seek Emergency Medical Attention.

If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:

 Trouble breathing

 Persistent pain or pressure in the chest

 New confusion

 Inability to wake or stay awake

 Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone

What really separates staying at home with COVID versus needing to go the hospital is your breathing status, Adams said. If you start getting moderate to severe shortness of breath, that would warrant an emergency room visit. If you have a loved one with COVID that you are monitoring and all of a sudden, they become confused, that is time for an emergency room visit. If you cannot keep up with your hydration status, thats another reason to go to the hospital.

Adams, Hughes and Yeager continue to stress the importance of getting vaccinated, especially with the delta variant now being the predominant strain of the virus in the U.S.

With the original strain of the virus, one infected person would infect two, but now with delta, its similar to chickenpox where one person will infect six to eight others, Hughes said. It has a thousand times more viral shedding (the expulsion and release of virus while infected) than the original virus and its 200 percent more contagious.

One of the biggest concerns for Hughes is that its possible the delta variant may not be the worst mutation to hit the nation before the pandemic ends.

There are 10 strains of the Covid virus that the CDC is watching now, Hughes said. With constant mutations occurring, eventually the odds say that a random mutation will create a monster that is super contagious and much more lethal in its effects. When that happens, I just hope that we have enough immunity in us to protect us.
A federal bankruptcy judge gave conditional approval Wednesday to a sweeping settlement that will remove the Sackler family from ownership of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and devote potentially $10 billion to fighting the opioid crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades.

If it withstands appeals, the deal will resolve a mountain of 3,000 lawsuits from state and local governments, Native American tribes, unions and others that accuse the company of helping to spark the overdose epidemic by aggressively marketing the prescription painkiller.

Under the settlement, the Sacklers will have to get out of the opioid business altogether and contribute $4.5 billion. But they will be shielded from any future lawsuits over opioids.

The drugmaker itself will be reorganized into a new charity-oriented company with a board appointed by public officials and will funnel its profits into government-led efforts to prevent and treat addiction.

Also, the settlement sets up a compensation fund that will pay some victims of drugs an expected $3,500 to $48,000 each.

After an all-day hearing in which he analyzed the plan's pros and cons for a nonstop 6 1/2 hours, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain said he would approve it as long as two relatively small changes were made. If so, he said, he will formally enter the decision on Thursday.

He said that while he does not have fondness for the Sacklers or sympathy for them, collecting money from them through lawsuits instead of a settlement would be complicated.

The deal comes nearly two years after the Stamford, Connecticut-based company filed for bankruptcy under the weight of the lawsuits.

Under the settlement, the Sacklers were not given immunity from criminal charges, though there have been no indications they will face any.

State and local governments came to support the plan overwhelmingly, if grudgingly in many cases. But nine states and others had opposed it, largely because of the protections granted to the family.

The attorneys general of Connecticut, the District of Columbia and Washington state immediately announced they will either appeal the ruling or explore the possibility of doing so.

The Sacklers should not be allowed to manipulate bankruptcy laws to evade justice and protect their blood money, Connecticut's William Tong said.

Some families who lost loved ones to drugs also came out against the settlement, including Ed Bisch, of Westampton, New Jersey, whose 18-year-old son died of an overdose nearly 20 years ago. The Sacklers are buying their immunity," he said.

But other families said they did not want to risk losing the money that will go toward treatment and prevention.

If they gave me a million dollars, would it help bring back my son? said Lynn Wencus, of Wrentham, Massachusetts. Lets help the people who are really struggling with this disease.

In a statement, members of the Sackler family said: "While we dispute the allegations that have been made about our family, we have embraced this path in order to help combat a serious and complex public health crisis.

Purdue chairman Steve Miller said the settlement averts years of value-destructive litigation and "ensures that billions of dollars will be devoted to helping people and communities who have been hurt by the opioid crisis.

The bankruptcy judge, based in White Plains, New York, had urged the holdouts to work out an agreement for the same reason.

Bitterness over the outcome of this case is completely understandable, Drain said. But one also has to look at the process and the issues and risks and rewards and alternatives of continued litigation versus the settlement laid out in the plan.

Some of the opioid deaths over the past two decades have been attributed to OxyContin and other prescription painkillers, but most are from illicit forms of opioids such as heroin and illegally produced fentanyl. Opioid-linked deaths in the U.S. continued at a record pace last year, hitting 70,000.

The crisis devastated the reputation of the Sackler family, major philanthropists whose name was once emblazoned on the walls of museums and universities around the world. With the settlement, family members who have owned the company will still be worth billions. Another branch of the Sackler family has had no involvement with Purdue for decades.

Whether the deal holds the Sacklers sufficiently accountable was the most contentious question through the proceedings. Those suing succeeded in boosting the amount the Sacklers would pay from a likely $3 billion.

David Sackler, a former Purdue board member, had testified that family members would not accept the agreement unless it protected them from lawsuits. Otherwise, he said, the family would defend itself in litigation that could drag on for years and eat up the companys and the familys assets in lawyers' fees.

His father, Richard Sackler, a former Purdue president and board chairman, said under questioning that he, his family and the company did not bear responsibility for the opioid crisis.

Drain noted that none of the four Sacklers who testified offered an explicit apology. A forced apology is not really an apology, so we will have to live without one, he said.

The judge requested two somewhat technical changes to the plan: one clarifying that Sackler family members would be protected only from lawsuits involving opioids, and one on the procedure for bringing non-opioid claims against them.

One projection commissioned by a group of attorneys general found that the familys wealth could rise from the current estimate of $10.7 billion to more than $14 billion by 2030 despite the required payments. Thats because the family could continue to benefit from investment returns and interest as they make their gradual contributions over a decade under the deal.

Lawyers for Purdue and branches of the Sackler family disputed the assumptions used in the projection.

The settlement also requires members of the Sackler family, who are scattered across the U.S., Britain and elsewhere in Europe, to get out of the opioid business worldwide.

Several attorneys general won another provision that will create a massive public repository of company documents, including ones that normally would be protected by attorney-client privilege.

Purdue has said the settlement overall will be worth about $10 billion, which includes the value of addiction treatment and overdose antidote drugs it is developing.

The bankruptcy case is not the first time Purdue had faced legal trouble over the marketing of its painkillers.

The company pleaded guilty in 2007 to federal charges it misled regulators and others about the addiction dangers of OxyContin and agreed to pay more than $600 million in penalties.

Last November, as part of a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department, Purdue pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and violating anti-kickback laws.

Purdues bankruptcy has been the highest-profile case in a complicated universe of opioid litigation.

Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and the three largest U.S. drug distribution companies recently announced a settlement that could be worth up to $26 billion if state and local governments agree.

Individual trials also remain, including one scheduled to start in October in Cleveland over the role pharmacies played in the crisis. Other trials have been held this year in California, New York and West Virginia, though verdicts have yet to be reached.

___

Associated Press writer John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed to this report.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Doctors at Polands main childrens hospital said Thursday a 5-year-old Afghan boy, recently evacuated from Kabul, has died and his 6-year-old brother, who has undergone a liver transplant, remains in life-threatening condition after they ate poisonous mushrooms.

The boys and their older sister were hospitalized last week. The family picked and ate highly poisonous death cap mushrooms in the forest around the refugee center where they were staying in Podkowa Lesna, near Warsaw.
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization moved a new variant of the COVID-19 virus, now known as mu, to the level of "variant of interest."

The mu variant was first discovered in Colombia in January and has now spread to 39 countries in Europe and South America.

Mu, known scientifically as B.1.621, includes mutations that indicate a risk of resistance to vaccines, the WHO said. The global health organization also stressed that further studies are required to better understand the new variant.

"The mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape," the bulletin said.

The emergence of new variants  both the mu and a newly discovered variant from South Africa, said to be the most mutated yet  comes as the delta variant has sent infection rates up globally, nationally and in Illinois and Missouri. Other variants like the lambda variant, which has been discovered in the U.S., and delta-plus, also in the United States, have yet to seize a foothold because so much of current infections are delta variant.

The WHO said in a statement that mu must be monitored as it "has been designated as a Variant of Interest as it has some mutations that need to be studied for their potential impact on the bodys immune response."

The WHO said early data suggested that the capacity of blood sera from vaccinated people and people who recovered from COVID-19 infections to neutralize the mu variant was similar to their capacity against the beta variant, which is notably evasive of immune responses.

All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, mutate over time and most mutations have little or no effect on the properties of the virus. But certain mutations can impact the properties of a virus and influence how easily it spreads, the severity of the disease it causes, and its resistance to vaccines, drugs and other countermeasures.

The WHO currently identifies four COVID-19 variants of concern, including alpha, which is present in 193 countries, and delta, present in 170 countries.

Five variants, now including mu, are to be monitored.

After being detected in Colombia, mu has since been reported in other South American countries and in Europe.

The WHO said its global prevalence has declined to below 0.1 percent among sequenced cases. In Colombia, however, it is at 39 percent.
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That release could not be found.
ABBA set to unveil sensational musical comeback

LONDON: They famously vowed never to reform, to the disappointment of their legions of fans. But nearly four decades after disbanding, Swedish superstars ABBA were today (Sept 2) expected to announce a sensational comeback collaboration.



By AFP

Thursday 2 September 2021, 10:52AM

ABBA hit the big time after winning Eurovision in 1974 with Waterloo. Photo: AFP

Almost as famous for their over-the-top sparkly outfits as their music, the group notched up over 400 million album sales over 50 years.

They enjoyed phenomenal success with a string of chart hits in the 1970s and early 1980s after winning Eurovision in 1974 with Waterloo.

Since parting ways in 1982 they have steadfastly resisted all offers to work together as a foursome again.

But later today they are expected to delight fans with news on a fresh collaboration.

The now septuagenarian stars of pop classics such as Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All and Take a Chance on Me, said they will make an historic announcement at 5:45 pm UK time (11:45pm Phuket time).

Details are still under wraps, but the group is expected to announce the release of their first new songs since the 1980s and the launch of a new theatrical show in which they will perform as hologram Abbatars.

Last week, the group - Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 75, Agnetha Faltskog, 71, Bjorn Ulvaeus, 76, and Benny Andersson, 74 - announced on Twitter: Thank you for waiting, the journey is about to begin.

A website promises an historic livestream and Universal Music Group was to hold an event at the ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower in east Londons Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Sensational comeback

The group is to release a whole albums worth of new songs in a sensational comeback, according to British tabloid The Sun.

This comes after the Swedish pop icons announced three years ago they were returning to the studio to record new tracks.

We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio. So we did, the group said.

Earlier this year, Ulvaeus told Australias Herald Sun: There will be new music this year, that is definite. Its not a case any more of it might happen, it will happen.

Ulvaeus told The Times in April he wrote lyrics for new songs with Andersson composing the music, and the group still sounds very much Abba.

The group has mentioned five new songs, including I Still Have Faith in You and Dont Shut Me Down.

The Sun reported they have recorded at least eight songs together.

State-of-the-art show

The tabloid also reported that the group will voice holograms of themselves in their heyday for a stage-of-the-art show called Abba Voyage to be staged at a 3,000-capacity theatre in Londons Olympic Park.

The show will launch next May and run eight times a week, featuring a blend of previously filmed and projected content and live performers.

The plan is for the show to run to 2025 and then transfer to Stockholm or Las Vegas.

Building work on the theatre has begun, The Sun reported.

Breaking up is never easy

The group has not released any new music since 1981 and broke up the following year after both of the quartets married couples divorced.

They steered clear of a reunion despite their musics enduring popularity, fuelled by a hit compilation album in 1992 and the Mamma Mia musical and later spin-off films starring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan.

There is simply no motivation to regroup. Money is not a factor and we would like people to remember us as we were, Ulvaeus said in a 2008 interview.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, each member of Abba is worth between US$200-300 million (B6.5  9.7 billion).

In 2000, the band turned down a US$1 billion offer to perform a 100-show world tour.
Delivery driver escapes with scratches after wipeout in Mai Khao

PHUKET: A 28-year-old man escaped serious injury after he lost control of his delivery pickup truck, hit a light pole, with the pickup flipping onto its side on the central reservation on Thepkrasattri Rd in Moo 1, Mai Khao this morning (Sept 2).

transportSafetyaccidentspolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Thursday 2 September 2021, 12:51PM

The accident occurred before dawn this morning, but Tha Chatchai Police Deputy Chief Lt Col Somkid Onchan was called to the scene at about 6am.

Police together with Kusoldharm rescue workers arrived at the scene to find the Bangkok-registered white Toyota pickup truck with massive damage to its front.

The driver, Kathu resident Wongsapat Ponyong, was waiting at the scene.

Mr Wongsapat had escaped the accident with only scratches.

Mr Wongsapat told police that it was raining while he was heading to Phuket Town to make deliveries.

He was driving at about 80-90km/h when he lost control of the pickup, hit light pole and a tree on the central reservation, Mr Wongsapat explained.

Lt Col Somkid confirmed to The Phuket News that Mr Wongsakorn has been charged with reckless driving and causing damage to government property.

Lt Col Somkid also explained that he did not have Mr Wongsapat tested for alcohol as he appeared to be sober and spoke normally.
Phuket Fishing Port readies to reopen

PHUKET: Staff from Rassada Municipality yesterday led a mass cleaning effort at Phuket Fishing Port on Koh Siray, Rassada, ahead of its planned reopening tomorrow (Sept 3).

COVID-19Coronavirushealtheconomics

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Thursday 2 September 2021, 11:08AM

The port has been closed for two weeks following an outbreak of COVID-19 infections among fishing crews who had come ashore during a period of bad weather preventing them from going to sea.

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew inspected the cleaning efforts at the port yesterday afternoon, joined by Phuket Fishery Association President Somyot Wongboonyakul.

Phuket has 17 fishing piers registered to the Department of Fisheries. Only 10 of the piers are used for bringing fish ashore, the rest are used for mooring, Governor Narong said.

About 100,000 tonnes of seafood are brought ashore through the piers each year, he noted.

The annual yield of seafood produce brought ashore through Phukets fishing piers was valued at about B4.5 billion, Governor Narong added.

However, Governor Narong gave no estimate of the economic impact of the main fishing port on the island shutting down for two weeks.

We have 352 fishing boats with 3,159 people working on the boats. Among the workers, 1,428 are Thais, and 1,731 are from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. We also have about 400 people working on the piers, he said.

After officers and staff from the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) came to conduct proactive screening and found many workers infected with no symptoms, we set up a storehouse as a community isolation venue which is filled with 150 beds. Right now, we have 120 workers staying at the venue, Governor Narong said.

Meanwhile, we also have a total of 178 workers staying on 18 boats as vessel isolation offshore near Koh Tapao Noi. There are 36 workers infected on five boats. The remaining workers are still healthy but volunteer to stay offshore on the boats, he added.

Mr Somyot explained that the 14-day closure at the pier had affected fishermen and fish vendors, but also gave no estimate of the economic impact of the shutdown.

The pier will reopen on Friday [Sept 3], but the situation on the pier may be back to normal about Sept 6, Mr Somyot said.
Special permission letter no longer needed for Phuket residents to re-enter the province

PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panapong has confirmed that Phuket residents no longer need a special letter of permission in order to leave Phuket and then be allowed to return to the island.

COVID-19Coronavirushealthtransporttourism

By The Phuket News

Thursday 2 September 2021, 06:22PM

Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The lifting of the requirement applies equally to Thai and foreign residents in Phuket, Vice Governor Pichet told The Phuket News today (Sept 2).

People who live or work in Phuket are listed among the exemptions in the latest provincial order defining who is prohibited from coming onto the island, which came into effect yesterday (Sept 1).

Under the order, all people who are allowed to enter Phuket must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by having received two doses of the Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccine, or one injection of the Sinovac vaccine and one injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine, or at least one injection of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least 14 days before arriving.

They must also present results of an RT-PCR test or antigen test performed by a medical facility within 72 hours of arriving at the checkpoint to prove that they are not infected.

Alternatively, arrivals must have been discharged from medical care for recovering from COVID-19 no more than 90 days before arriving to re-enter the province.

Regarding local residents being allowed to re-enter Phuket, the latest order notes, People who have been registered on a house registration document or work in the Phuket area on a regular basis (must have documents as proof).

However, the order did not stipulate exactly which documents were needed for Phuket residents to be allowed back onto the island.

To that, Vice Governor Pichet told The Phuket News this afternoon, People who are registered in Phuket with a Phuket address and people who work in Phuket are allowed to return to Phuket by presenting their ID card showing their Phuket address, employee card identifying where they work in Phuket, or other documents that shows the relationship between holder of the document present and Phuket.

If they do not work here, they can present documents confirming where they are staying, such as rental contracts or similar papers, he said.

Asked whether the permission letter signed by an administrative officer is needed, as previously required, Vice Governor Pichet confirmed, There is no need to use it. People just need to present the documents as I have explained.

The Tha Chatchai Police, who coordinate the officers on duty at the checkpoint, which remains closed from 11pm to 4am each night, have posted an announcement for any persons with queries about exiting or leaving Phuket to call them at 076-530258-9.
Clearfield, PA (16830)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.
A member of a rescue team walks through a flooded street on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Bridgeville, Pa. Pennsylvanians braced for downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, with forecasters warning that creeks, streams and rivers would be inundated across the state's southern tier.
A group of nearly 50 education and health organizations are asking Pa. officials to implement a statewide mask mandate for schools. (Reading Eagle)
The Supreme Courts decision on a Texas abortion ban raises the stakes for the Pa. governors race
SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (AP)  The operator of a limousine company was spared prison time Thursday in a 2018 crash that killed 20 people when catastrophic brake failure sent a stretch limo full of birthday revelers hurtling down a hill in upstate New York.

Loved ones of the dead excoriated Nauman Hussain, 31, as he sat quietly at the defense table during a hearing that was held in a high school gymnasium to provide for social distancing among the many relatives, friends and media members attending.

Hussain, who operated Prestige Limousine, had originally been charged with 20 counts each of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree manslaughter in what was the deadliest U.S. transportation disaster in a decade.

But under an agreement for Hussain to plead guilty only to the homicide counts and spare families the uncertainties and emotional toll of a trial, he faces five years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service. His case had been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

As Judge George Bartlett III prepared to accept the agreement, loved ones of the victims took turns talking of lives cut short, the holes left in their own and their frustration that the operator would avoid time behind bars.

Every day I try to wrap my head around this impossible situation, said Sheila McGarvey, whose 30-year-old son Shane McGowan and his wife, Erin, were passengers. I hate every day without him.

She wished, she said, that a fraction of any money Hussain spent on lawyers would have been spent to fix the limo's brakes.

Hussain was accused of putting the victims in a death trap.

My son, my baby boy, was killed in a limo while trying to be safe, said Beth Muldoon, the mother of Adam Jackson, 34, who was killed along with his wife, Abigail King Jackson.

The couple, who with the others had rented the limo to avoid drinking and driving, had two small children. Muldoon lamented the holidays and life milestones the parents will miss.

One spectator left the hearing, cursing and shouting, He killed 20 people, before apologizing to the judge on her way out.

Hussain sat quietly as parents talked about their smothering grief and anger. Defense attorney Joseph Tacopina said his client accepts responsibility for his actions and cried as the relatives spoke.

Hussain did not answer reporters' questions after the court proceeding.

Under the deal, Hussain will be formally sentenced after an interim probation of two years. The judge noted that Hussain's guilty plea could be used to buoy any lawsuits.

On Oct. 6, 2018, Axel Steenburg of Amsterdam, 30 miles west of Albany, rented the 2001 Ford Excursion limousine for the 30th birthday of his new wife, Amy. The party group, ranging in age from 24 to 34, included Axels brother, Amys three sisters and two of their husbands, and close friends.

En route to Brewery Ommegang, south of Cooperstown, the limos brakes failed on a downhill stretch of state Route 30 in Schoharie, west of Albany. The vehicle blew through a stop sign at a T-intersection at over 100 mph (160 kph) and crashed into a small ravine near a popular country store.

Seventeen family members and friends were killed, along with the driver and two bystanders outside the store.

Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallerys office has said Hussain allowed passengers to ride in the limo despite having received multiple notices of violations from the state and having been told repairs were inadequate. State police said the vehicle should have been taken out of service because of brake problems identified in an inspection a month before the crash.

But complications were highlighted in the plea agreement.

In a separate report last fall, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that while the crash was likely caused by Prestige Limousines egregious disregard for safety that resulted in brake failure, ineffective state oversight contributed.

Prosecutors and Hussains lawyers said the plea agreement assured a resolution in a case that would have faced an uncertain outcome if presented to a jury.

Lee Kindlon, an attorney for Hussain, has said his client tried to maintain the limousine and relied on what he was told by state officials and a repair shop that inspected it.

According to the plea agreement, Hussain had the 2001 vehicle serviced at a Mavis Discount Tire store multiple times in the two years before the crash, including twice for brake repairs. The same shop also inspected the limousine, rather than the state Department of Transportation as required, the document said.

A telephone message left with Mavis Discount Tires corporate headquarters in Millwood, New York, was not immediately returned.

Prestige repeatedly changed the listed number of seats and took other steps to skirt safety regulations, according to documents released by the NTSB.

The safety board said last fall that the state Department of Transportation knew of Prestiges out-of-service violations and lack of operating authority and that the state Department of Motor Vehicles failed to properly register the limousine, allowing Prestige to circumvent safety regulations and inspection requirements.

In February 2020, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed limousine safety bills inspired by the upstate crash and one in 2015 on Long Island that killed four women.

One law requires safety belts, and another requires drivers of limos carrying nine or more passengers to have a passenger-endorsed commercial drivers license.

__

Associated Press writer Carolyn Thompson contributed from Buffalo, N.Y.
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Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Thunderstorms - some locally heavy downpours are possible, especially late. Low 23C. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch..

Tonight

Thunderstorms - some locally heavy downpours are possible, especially late. Low 19C. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch.
Laval_news

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Laval police move on gun violence

Laval police (SPL) are doubling down on their efforts to quell the spate of shootings that have plagued Quebecs third largest city over the last few months.

The SPL is going after firearms activity and organized crime, says Police Director Pierre Brochet at a press conference Wednesday morning after an increasing number of incidents, including shootings in the last two weeks in Saint rose, Vimont, Chomedey and a man shot dead last week in Laval-des-Rapides.

Deputy Mayor and mayoralty candidate Stephane Boyer said the response to such acts of violence is never a simple matter. Thats why were making sure we take action that will have an impact on the ground now, while continuing our longer-term efforts in education and prevention Laval is a safe city and intends to remain so.

The rise in gun activity is completely unacceptable and cant be tolerated, Brochet said. The phenomena of urban violence linked to firearms that we are currently facing requires the intensification of our actions on the ground and increased collaboration with other police services this deserves immediate action.

The city is investing $1.2 million, primarily into increased intelligence gathering capacity, boosting the manpower of the Equinoxe anti-gang squad on the ground.

Over the last few months, were talking about street gangs, organized crime said Brochet, adding investigators are looking at all aspects from drugs and sexual exploitation to firearms and robbery, effectively doubling the Equinoxe team thats been around for seven years. We will reinforce the presence on the ground he reiterated, assuring Laval citizens that the police are there for you.

Like other Canadian mayors, Boyer said that Ottawas latest attempt at gun control legislation put the onus on municipalities to get rid of handguns but lacked real power to stop the flow in Canadian cities. Despite the concrete actions taken today by our administration, the fact remains that this issue has no borders he added. That is why we are working closely with the Ministry of Public Security, in order to is implementing a concerted regional approach.

Sophie Trottier says the added budget and more personnel will help the fight against guns on Laval streets, but the Action Laval mayoralty hopeful added it is upstream of the problem that action must be taken. If we keep the system as it is now, we will be removing weapons on one end, while more are added on the other end.

In a statement, the party said young people have no activities after school, no supervision, no social structure to supervise them and outdated infrastructure. We are leaving the field open to street gangs, adding that the party wants to set up these structures and organizations. The party also denounced Boyer for announcing a budget of $ 1.2 million for the fight against guns and street gangs unilaterally, without consulting the representatives of the Laval population, the municipal councillors.

Laval, which has seen some 30 firearms seized since January and a spate of shootings, has opposed the delegation of handgun control to municipalities proposed by the federal government in Bill C-21, which died on the order paper when the Trudeau government dissolved Parliament to launch an election two years into its mandate. Last week, Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante called for a complete handgun ban, also criticizing the federal attempt to download responsibility to cities in the legislation, which even staunch gun-control advocates criticized as weak. Plante also announced an investment of $5.5 million to increase police manpower this week.
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When Sen. Susan Collins announced her intention to vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh despite concerns that he would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, she assured the American public that he respected precedent too much. Amidst her 2018 speech from the Senate floor, she included this nugget: His views on honoring precedent would preclude attempts to do by stealth that which one has committed not to do overtly.

Collins was wrong. Thats exactly what Justice Kavanaugh and his fellow conservative Supreme Court Justices did last night  they all but overruled Roe, and they did it completely by stealth. Overnight, the Supreme Court refused to take any action in a case out of Texas about a ban on abortion at six weeks of pregnancy, and they did so without so much as a brief order or statement. They literally did nothing.

The result is that, as of today, roughly 90% of abortions are illegal in Texas. Thats because an abortion ban at six weeks is just two weeks after a person with a regular menstrual cycle misses their first period. Thats not much time to realize you missed your period, take a pregnancy test, confirm youre pregnant, make the decision to have an abortion, find a clinic, and then get the abortion. Add on that many people have irregular periods or spotty bleeding even if they are pregnant, and many people wouldnt even know theyre pregnant until after the six-week period is up.

As a result, this is an extreme anti-abortion law that is now in effect in Texas. Since Roe was decided in 1973, no state has been effective in banning abortion this early in pregnancy . . . until the Supreme Court allowed Texas to do so last night.

Its reasonable to wonder how we got here and how the Court allowed a law to go into effect that so blatantly goes against precedent. The answers to these questions can be found in two places  the 2016 election and the inventiveness of the anti-abortion movement in Texas.

First, the 2016 election. When Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton by losing the popular vote by almost 3 million, he gained the power to appoint new Justices to the Supreme Court. Thanks to Mitch McConnells political maneuvering, as well as the timing of Supreme court deaths and retirements, President Trump was able to appoint three new Justices to the Supreme Court. All three  Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett  are far-right conservative Republicans widely expected to toe the party line on most issues, in particular abortion. After all, President Trump said he would appoint Justices who would automatically overturn Roe, and most people (other than Susan Collins) believe he delivered on this campaign promise.

Second, the law that Texas, known as SB8, was passed earlier this year (but scheduled to take effect September 1). This law took a stunning new approach to banning abortion. Rather than allowing state officials to prosecute offenders under the law, like almost every other abortion law does, the law gives private individuals the power to sue anyone who performs or helps someone get an abortion past six weeks in Texas. The person suing doesnt have to have any connection to the person getting an abortion: It can be the Texas patients boyfriend or it can be a complete stranger living in Alaska. And the universe of people who can be sued is almost endless, as the law allows lawsuits against anyone who helps the patient  such as the patients sister who drove her to the appointment, the clinic doctor who performed the procedure, everyone on the clinic staff who assisted the patient, the insurance company or non-profit group that helped with funding, the taxi driver who took the patient home, the friend who gave the patient the clinics phone number, and on and on. Each of them could be on the hook for $10,000 for the patients abortion. In other words, the law puts a $10,000 bounty on the head of anyone who helps with an abortion beyond six weeks in Texas. This is a radical law that could destabilize basic aspects of the justice system far beyond abortion.

The clinics and others who help patients sued to try to stop the law, but they are hamstrung by the unique nature of SB8. Normally, when state officials enforce a law, anyone wanting to stop it sues those officials. But when a law gives any person anywhere the right to sue, suing to stop the law from ever taking effect is harder. A district court in Texas was going to hold a hearing on the law on Monday, but over the weekend, the federal appeals court that covers Texas stopped the hearing before it ever happened. The clinics filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court on Monday, hoping to have the Supreme Court either allow the hearing to go forward or, even better, put the law on hold while the case was being litigated. After all, the six-week abortion ban clearly violates Roe.

It is this emergency appeal that the Supreme Court had before it last night, and it is this emergency appeal that the Supreme Court just completely ignored. In doing so, the Court did exactly what Senator Collins said Justice Kavanaugh would not do  by stealth, the Court told people in Texas that Roe has minimal application there. The law thus took effect at midnight last night, and today, abortion clinics in the state have stopped providing abortion after six weeks. They are still open and providing lawful abortions in the state while also helping patients go out of state to get abortions elsewhere. Thus, abortion is still legal in Texas, but it is extremely limited within state borders, and for patients, the right is now even more difficult to access than it was beforehand.

To be clear, the Supreme Court might still rule in this case. That could happen later today, tomorrow, or sometime in the near future. (Or, it could ignore the emergency appeal and just let the case progress without ruling. The Court can do whatever it wants.) By doing nothing last night, the Court did not explicitly overrule Roe. But what it has done is give everyone a clear signal that it has no respect for the constitutional right to abortion while telegraphing what it will do with Roe when it decides the precedents fate in a Mississippi case to be heard later this year. Barring a big surprise, Roe is as threatened today as it ever has been.
Dont look in my cars trunk.

Nothing to see there. No dead bodies or tell-tale stains.

But if you drive by my house late at night, you may see me bent over its open maw, grabbing mounds of merchandise.

It wasnt always this way.

I used to be able to buy with abandon. My cars interior was a shopping cart of carefree purchases piled high on the back seat. I slung bags atop each other, wedging breakables between clothing.

When I pulled into my empty driveway, I put the car in park and smiled. It was time to unload my clown car of goodies. My keys jangled against the back door as I unlocked it, and my arm shoved it open like an aging movie star making a dramatic entrance.

It was time to unload.

This was the best part of any shopping trip. Whether gadgets or clothing or just STUFF, I carried each purchase with eager pride. I didnt mind several trips to the carand I didnt care how tall the heap just inside the door became. It was mine. All mine.

By the time John got home from work, no trace of my days spree was visible. Shoved in closets, mixed in with other like items, opened and added to our menagerie of knick-knackshis tired eyes saw nothing new. I flounced around the house innocently, assuring him that my day was uneventful and usual.

But then my husband retired. In an instant, I am accountable for every shopping trip I take and every bag I try to slink into the house. If I leave, and then return, from any trip to anywhere, he is usually there to greet me with an eye-scanning assessment and casual questions I dont want to answer.

Its not that he cares what I buy. John seldom complains about the cool things I pick up here and there; maybe a shrug or head shake accompanies those items that have no function or require ingenuity to fit inside the door.

Its just that now he KNOWS. It turns my treasures to talking points and makes my shopping less exciting.

So. The cars trunk is my secret holding tank. This roomy space without windows can accommodate almost anything money can buy. With skills I learned from games of Jenga and years of incorporating new things among old around the house, I can visit as many stores as I like and still arrive home with a tiny Walgreens bag between my fingers to prove Id accomplished my mission.

John smiles as I step inside the house, glances at my sensible purchase of Advil, and his world is as orderly and frugal as a monks.

Meanwhile, Im checking the clock above the sink. Those clothes I bought are baking in the bag in the trunk, wrinkling and losing their crispness. I have a couple scented candles in huge, flowery jars back there; hope they dont melt and mingle into a stench.

Yes. I bought some of my favorite candy bars. The ones I told him I was gonna have to stop buying because Im getting fat. The ones I know hell good-naturedly joke about if he sees them.

So. Its a waiting game. Bedtime comes in a few hours, and once hes entombed in our bed, Ill sneak out and bring everything in. Ill lift the trunk lid like a buccaneer inspecting her plunder and feel the shopping thrill all over again.

My trunk is my best friend now. It keeps my secrets and is always there when I need it.

And, yes, if the candy bars have turned into sludge and I have to lick the wrappers, I absolutely will.

Robin Garrison Leach is a freelance writer and columnist from Quincy, Illinois.Robin Writes is published in numerous Missouri and Illinois newspapers. Contact her at robingarrisonleach@gmail.com.
EDWARDSVILLE  An Alton woman has been charged with residential burglary and attempted vehicular invasion after allegedly entering a State Street home and using a knife to force her way into the residents vehicle.

Kacee D. Coleman, 28, of Alton, was charged with residential burglary, a Class 1 felony, and attempted vehicular invasion, a Class 2 felony.

The case was presented by the Alton Police Department.

According to court documents, on Aug. 31 Coleman allegedly entered a home in the 2100 block of State Street, Alton to commit theft and tried to enter the residents vehicle by threatening them with a knife, while the victim was in it.

Bail was set at $200,000.

In an unrelated case, a homeless woman was charged Wednesday with forgery and burglary after a July 27 incident in Wood River.

Julie M. Bridgeman, 43, listed as homeless, was charged Sept. 1 with forgery and burglary, both Class 3 felonies.

The case was presented by the Wood River Police Department.

According to court documents, on July 27 Bridgeman allegedly tried to pass a counterfeit $20 at a PetroMart store in Wood River, and entered a vehicle in the 300 bloc of Avalon, Wood River, to commit theft.

Bail was set at $15,000.

Bridgeman has had a number of similar charges filed against her over the past few months.

In late August she was charged with burglary after allegedly entering a 1979 Oldsmobile on Aug. 9 in the 500 block of West St. Louis Avenue, East Alton, to commit theft. In June she was charged with burglary and unlawful use of a debit card after allegedly entering a 2000 Jeep Cherokee parked in Eastgate Plaza.

Other felony charges filed Sept. 1 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

 Mart L. Covington IV, 33, of Edwardsville, was charged with aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony; and criminal damage to government supported property, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On Aug. 31 Covington allegedly attacked a Madison County Transit employee and caused less than $500 in damage to an MCT bus. Bail was set at $25,000.

 Ricky L. Cox II., 41, of Granite City, was charged with theft under $500 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On Aug. 9 Cox allegedly took a Motorola Smart Phone valued at less than $500 from another person. He has a prior conviction for burglary out of Madison County in 2011. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Tina L. Sellers, 52, of Bethalto, was charged with retail theft under $300 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department. On Aug. 31 Sellers allegedly took clothing valued at less than $300 from the Granite City Walmart, 379 Pontoon Road. She has a 2020 conviction for retail theft out of Madison County. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Zachary P. Kindle, 29, of Wood River, was charged with driving while license revoked, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Roxana Police Department. On Aug. 31 Kindle allegedly was found to be driving a vehicle on Illinois 143 in Roxana with a revoked license. It was noted his license was revoked due to an out-of-state DUI or similar charge, and he has a prior conviction for driving while license revoked in 2020. Bail was set at $15,000.
GODFREY  The Lewis and Clark Community College Veterans Club will host an American Red Cross Blood Drive 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 15, at The Old Bakery Beer Company, 400 Landmarks Blvd., in Alton.

To schedule an appointment, visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter Sponsor Code: LewisClark1 or call 800-RED CROSS.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Fed up with the deadly work and poor wages and living conditions, thousands of coal miners marched to unionize in West Virginia a century ago, resulting in a deadly clash and the largest U.S. armed uprising since the Civil War.

On Friday, some of their descendants joined others in retracing the steps that led to the 12-day Battle of Blair Mountain. Multiple events are planned looking back at the fight, highlighted by the 45-mile (72-kilometer) march over three days.

Every step you take, you just think about what kind of courage that took, said United Mine Workers international President Cecil Roberts, whose great-uncle, Bill Blizzard, was a leader of the 1921 march as a union subdistrict state organizer.

The miners  whites, Blacks, and European immigrants  banded together, bent on doing something about their treatment by coal operators. They became known as the Red Neck Army for the distinctive bandanas around their necks.

Those people had a specific purpose in mind, Roberts said. "And they were willing to die for that. And because they were willing to die for that, weve all had a good living, a much better life than we would have had had they not gone on that march.

At least 16 men died and many more were injured before the miners surrendered to federal troops in September 1921.

Bloody conflicts in the mining industry in the early 20th century, known as the West Virginia Mine Wars, have been overlooked in public schools. But Blair Mountain has received much more attention recently.

In 2018, the Blair Mountain Battlefield was restored to the National Register of Historic Places, protecting the site from coal operators mountaintop removal operations.

Weve gone from when I was a teenager it not even being talked about in class to now a much greater visibility, said Chuck Keeney, a history professor at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College and author of The Road To Blair Mountain.

So its a testimony of the success of the preservation movement, Keeney said. And this movements revitalized the history.

Keeney, whose great-grandfather Frank Keeney was president of the United Mine Workers unions District 17 in West Virginia during the uprising, planned to march along with Roberts this weekend.

In 1920, southern West Virginia had the nations largest concentration of nonunion miners. Company towns were prevalent and oppressive. Miners lived in employer-built encampments and were paid in private company currency, called scrip.

Jean Evansmore of Mount Hope remembers her coal-mining grandfather getting food and supplies at the company-owned store. She said she wants others to use the Blair Mountain centennial to understand the connections, an idea that you could get paid in something called scrip. That was very real. Scrip was a fraction of what a dollar was. Thats how people got paid.

When union organizers showed up, the companies retaliated. In her 1925 autobiography, union organizer Mary Harris Mother Jones said she witnessed numerous conflicts between the industrial slaves and their masters during visits to West Virginia.

Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield sympathized with the unionization efforts. He led a group of miners in a May 1920 gunfight with private security guards who had been hired by coal companies to evict them for joining a union. Ten people were killed in what became known as the Matewan Massacre.

Fifteen months later, agents from the same firm fatally shot Hatfield. Infuriated, miners gathered by the thousands, intent on confronting the companies and freeing imprisoned miners accused of violating martial law in Mingo County.

The miners made it to Logan County, whose sheriff, Don Chafin, was anti-union. Chafin assembled law enforcement officers, coal operator guards and recruited civilians to hold off the advancing miners, including using biplanes to drop a few homemade bombs. Federal troops sent by President Warren Harding eventually arrived by train.

According to historians, 13 miners and three deputies were killed and 47 others were wounded. Hundreds of miners later were acquitted on charges of murder and treason.

The setback at Blair Mountain stalled the UMW's efforts in southern West Virginia and caused membership to plummet. When workers were finally guaranteed the right to collectively bargain in 1933 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal, West Virginia coal miners joined the UMW in droves, said Lou Martin, a history professor at Chatham University in Pittsburgh and a board member of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan.

UMW membership peaked in 1946, then spiraled downward as unions lost government support and the industry waged an all-out war on union mines. The numbers kept falling as the industry in the Appalachian coalfields declined.

Despite the exodus of mining jobs, money still flows into coalfield communities through worker retirement payments, health care benefits and pension plans, all thanks to the labor movement, Roberts said.

If it wasnt for the union, none of that would be happening right now," he said.
EDWARDSVILLE  Natasha Flowers, PhD, has been named the assistant dean for anti-racism, equity and inclusion at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Education, Health and Human Behavior.

Flowers assumed her new responsibilities on July 1. She spent the past 18 years in a variety of academic capacities at IUPUI in Indianapolis, including the past 14 as a clinical associate professor in the IU School of Education. During her IUPUI tenure, she also served as a director of the Office for Multicultural Professional Development, an instructional design specialist in the IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning, and an instructor of adult learning.

SEHHB Dean Robin Hughes, PhD, had been considering the requisite qualities for the right candidate for some time before selecting Flowers.

First, I knew that the school needed someone who has a deep commitment towards equity and anti-racism, she said. Not just a verbal display, but a real history of doing the work  good equity work in schools, someone who has made a tangible and positive impact in schools. Dr. Flowers is highly connected, supports student teachers and is also connected to communities. She is the perfect fit.

Flowers said she was attracted to SIUE by Hughes reputation and the Universitys anti-racism effort.

When Dr. Robin Hughes joined SIUE as the dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior, I took notice, Flowers said. SIUE welcomed her scholarship and years of activism in education. And, who would not be compelled by the expertise within the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior, the campus Anti-Racism Task Force, the hiring of Dr. Jessica Harris as the inaugural vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion, the campus administrations focus on Black student success, and its overall climate for inclusion?

Flowers expects to connect with students, faculty and staff in and outside of the SEHHB.

Listening and sharing experiences, especially in the context of privilege and oppression, will support the dialogue that has already begun, she said.

Flowers will work toward a multidimensional, thorough approach to advocacy, curriculum and program development, and policy review that emphasizes the impact of individuals and the power of the collective.

I am here as someone who has seen and participated in institutional level transformation that evolved from student activism with a small, but mighty group of invested faculty and staff, she said. We all have been charged with directing our full attention to what is inoperable in a racist context, and what is possible and powerful when racism is addressed. I am honored and ready to work in this capacity at SIUE.

Hughes affirmed that Flowers is a leading expert in faculty and leadership development.

Dr. Flowers served with Dr. Nancy Chism, a leader in the field of faculty development. There are many current administrators who owe their success to Dr. Flowers, Hughes said. She supplied support when new assistant professors applied for grants and prepared dossiers. This is particularly timely as we have hired so many newly minted assistant professorsher expertise is needed! Plus, she is a world class writer and editor.

Prior to IUPUI, Flowers served Indiana State University from 1995-2000 where she was a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Media Technology, a writing tutor in the Writing Center and a coordinator in the Womens Resource Center. She also was an English instructor at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana in 1998.

Hughes said Flowers is a systems thinker who understands that institutions of higher education are supposed to work for the greater good.

She is unselfish with her time, energy and efforts, Hughes said. She has already prepared to work with the East St. Louis Center, has concepts on launching a robust program in urban education and will work quickly to bring folks to the table to make great decisions about schooling. She is absolutely what we needed as part of our team.

A West Point, Mississippi native, Flowers earned a bachelors in English in 1995 from Augustana College in Rock Island, a masters in American and English Literature from ISU in 2000 and a doctorate in philosophy from ISU in 2007.
GRANITE CITY  When Granite City Mayor Mike Prkinson wanted to let businesses know about the citys small business grants, he took the message to them himself  door by door.

Working with the Small Business Development Council at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Parkinson canvassed Granite City businesses to bring awareness to the states Back2Business grants and to announce Granite Citys upcoming small business grants.

I wanted a more aggressive approach to letting businesses know of the available funding to keep their doors open, he said. Walking into businesses, talking directly to owners and explaining the citys upcoming small business grant program, was a great way to make sure businesses knew how I want to help.

The canvas was the first of two events planned to connect with Granite City businesses. The second  planned 5-7 p.m. Sept. 9 at city hallx, 2000 Edison Ave.  will provide one-on-one help for businesses from SBDC staff on how to apply for the Back2Business grants.

The state program, administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, plans to distribute $300 million to small businesses to help offset losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With funds from the American Rescue Plan, the city is near approval on its Small Business Grant Program, Parkinson said.

By the end of the year, I anticipate the city will have provided nearly $1 million in various grants to our local small businesses, he said. I know this wont make-up for all losses from this pandemic. But I hope we can support our local businesses to get through this.

More information on the grants is available online at www.granitecity.illinois.gov or by contacting Cathy Hamilton, Economic Development Director, at chamilton@granitecity.illinois.gov.
SAO PAULO (AP)  Workers in Brazils biggest city unloaded an air fryer, a gaming chair and a 40-inch television from a truck and carried them into a small distribution center where they'd soon be sent to nearby homes.

Their speedy dispatch would be nothing special in most of Sao Paulo. But these items were bound for homes in Paraisopolis, one of the sprawling, low-income neighborhoods known as favelas that have been largely left out of the global delivery revolution.

Packages have just started reaching doorsteps there, thanks to a bespectacled 21-year-old with a degree in information technology.

Inspired by community-led distribution of food kits and donations during the pandemic, Giva Pereira founded a logistics startup to handle what retailers call the last mile in his hardscrabble community, which delivery drivers have been loath to enter.

Like others across the world, Brazilians quarantining during the pandemic started buying more online  not just food and pharmaceuticals, but also electronics and household goods.

But favela residents who fill out order forms with their zip codes are often informed companies don't deliver to their neighborhood.

Those who manage to place orders can receive excuses rather than products: notes with dubious claims they werent home when the delivery came, or that their address wasn't located.

And indeed, identifying a specific house in the serpentine alleys is no small feat for an outsider, especially in favelas as densely populated as Paraisopolis, home to nearly 100,000 people. Mapping apps provide little help and, complicating matters further, some areas are dominated by heavily armed drug traffickers.

While Brazils postal service delivers letters and bills to some streets in Paraisopolis, it often leaves them at shops, bars or collective mailboxes for residents to pick up later  a system that doesnt work for many e-commerce purchases.

Even brick-and-mortar stores charge more to deliver appliances or furniture to favelas, or leave shipments at waypoints like residents associations.

Enter 21-year-old Pereira, a Paraisopolis resident who graduated college last year and sensed opportunity. Favela Brasil XPress was born.

His fledging company got financing from a small, favela-focused lender, G10 Bank, and partnered with one of Brazils biggest retailers, Lojas Americanas. He hired locals familiar with Paraisopoliss twists and turns. They started deliveries in April using compact trucks and bicycles, and have processed as many as 1,300 packages per day.

It resolves the problem of mapping and this issue of breaking down the barrier of prejudice among people or logistics companies, who should deliver here inside, but dont, Pereira told The Associated Press. Bringing companies from outside the favela into the favela totally breaks that paradigm that favelas only have bad things, and we show it is different.

In Sao Paulo's metropolitan region, more than 2 million people live in the crowded favelas. Paraisopolis has longstanding issues like water shortages and lack of basic sanitation, with open sewers in some isolated areas that have been recently populated. It's home to waiters and house cleaners, builders and bus drivers.

There are young people like Pereira, too, whose family moved from the poor northeastern state of Paraiba when he was 12, hoping for a better life.

We came because of difficulties we went through in Paraiba. We had difficulty here, too," said Pereira. He began to think of ways to help the favela.

His project is reminiscent of another started several years ago in Rio de Janeiro's biggest favela, Rocinha. Former census takers mapped the hillside neighborhood and established a base to receive mail from the postal service. For a monthly fee, the company distributes letters and bills to residents, though they still have to retrieve parcels.

While Pereira's concept for deliveries isnt groundbreaking, the level of organization, planning and logistical infrastructure is, said Theresa Williamson, executive director of a favela advocacy group, Catalytic Communities.

Residents find creative ways to meet that need in many communities, but its never at the scale or quality that it needs to be, and it's often informal, Williamson said. Favela Brasil XPress could pave the way for a model that can be followed around the country, creating small businesses around this.

Or, she said, it could show the government how to step up and meet the community's need.

At an event Tuesday to commemorate delivery of his companys 100,000th package, Pereira looked jubilant, if somewhat surprised by the sudden success. He said the company has set up distribution bases at six other favelas, including Sao Paulos largest, Heliopolis. It has signed contracts to distribute for other retailers, too.

Gilson Rodrigues, Paraisopolis community leader and president of the bank whose loan got Pereiras startup off the ground, said being able to receive a package at home after so many years of being boxed out provides a sense of freedom.

They told us this wasnt possible in a favela, Rodrigues said. "This is an example, a slap in the face to society that excludes favelas, that wants to see favelas as needy, never as potent. ___ David Biller reported from Rio de Janeiro.
According to a new survey from Willis Towers Watson, a multinational advisory and insurance firm, the number of companies requiring workers to get vaccinated is expected to increase over the coming months, as the survey indicates that most firms are planning on having COVID-19 vaccine mandates for their workforce.

More than half the employers surveyed (52%) said that by the fourth quarter of 2021, they could have one or more vaccine mandate requirements in the workplace. This is a major increase from the current 21% of firms that have some type of vaccine mandate in place for employees.

The survey was conducted between Aug. 18 and 25  as infection rates surged due to the more contagious delta variant  with respondents including 961 U.S. employers that combine to employ 9.7 million workers.

"The delta variant has made employers take new actions to keep their workers  and workplaces  safe and healthy. We expect even more employers to institute vaccine mandates in the wake of FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine," Dr. Jeff Levin-Scherz, the population health leader at Willis Towers Watson, said in a statement.

"This is not an easy situation for employers to navigate," Levin-Scherz added. "For instance, new policies such as tracking workers vaccinations can improve safety but also bring additional administrative requirements. At the same time, employers will continue efforts to encourage vaccination and communicate regularly with employees."

Nearly a third (29%) of employers are planning or considering making vaccination a requirement to gain access to the workplace and almost a quarter (21%) are planning or considering vaccination as a condition of employment for all employees.

The number of employers that track or will track their employees' vaccination status is also rising, data found. More than half (59%) of employers currently track their employees' vaccination status and an additional 19% are planning or considering to do so later this year.

Of those, 62% require proof of vaccination, such as completed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination cards, while 36% rely on employees to self-report.

Some employers (17%) currently offer financial incentives to employees to get vaccinated, with another 14% planning or considering doing so. Cash payments from $100 to $199 are the most common incentive, as only 2% of employers currently offer a discount to vaccinated employees or impose a premium surcharge on unvaccinated employees. Another 18% are considering one or both approaches, and most employers at this point are not planning or considering either of these tactics, according to the survey.

The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission said employers can legally require COVID-19 vaccines to re-enter a physical workplace as long as they follow requirements to find alternative arrangements for employees unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons or because they have religious objections.

Approximately 61.4% of the U.S. population 12 years of age and older are fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, according to CDC data, and about 72.2% have received at least one dose.

Around 80% of respondents also said that they require employees to wear masks indoors at any location  and an additional 13% are planning or considering doing so. A majority (75%) are also using workplace exposure tracing to alert employees to a potential exposure, with another 8% planning or considering doing so.

As for a return to normal, about 39% of companies now expect their organizations won't reach a "new normal" in terms of returning to the workplace and ending pandemic-related policies and programs until the second quarter of 2022. About a quarter (26%) expect a return to normal in the first quarter of 2022.
MARYVILLE  A 300-foot connector from Madison County Transits Schoolhouse Trail to the 51-acre Pleasant Ridge Park in Maryville was officially dedicated Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The latest project brings the countys trial system to approximately 135 miles.

The connector is one of several projects that have been in the works, and was completed with the help of an Illinois Department of Natural Resources Bicycle Path Grant.

This trail connection is another example of public agencies working together for the common good, said MCT Managing Director SJ Morrison. I want to thank Mayor (Craig) Short and the Village of Maryville for their cooperation, and I also want to acknowledge my predecessor Jerry Kane, our hard-working staff, and the MCT Board of Trustees for pursuing this project. Im pleased that we could make this important trail connection a reality.

Following remarks from Morrison and Short, Madison County Board Member Chris Guy, R-Maryville  also MCT Vice-Chairman  cut the ribbon opening the trail for public use. Members of the Maryville Park & Recreation Board also attended the event.

The new 10-foot-wide concrete shared use path not only connects the MCT Trails to another destination, Pleasant Ridge Park, it also provides trailgoers with access to public restrooms, water, parking, shade pavilions and even a playground.

MCT has been concentrating on small connectors for some time, in part because the abandoned rail corridors that make up many of the main trails have all been built.

Officials have said the trail system is not only an amenity for residents, but also attracts visitors.

MCTs trail system got its start in the early 1990s when then-Managing Director Jerry Kane began assembling abandoned rail corridors in Madison County. At the time MetroLink was just getting started, and it was hoped that eventually the light rail system would reach up into Madison County. Because of the importance of railroads to Madison Countys development, there were a lot of rail corridors to consider.

MCT started to acquire the rail corridors to protect them, then started developing bike trails.

One problem was that, under existing law, transit districts such as MCT could not own bicycle trails. MCT got involved in changing the law, and the Local Mass Transit Act of 1993 allowed districts like MCT to get into the trail business.

In the early years much of the funding came from a series of matching grants from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Then in 2000 the Metro East Park and Recreation District was formed with the mission to develop an interconnected system of bikeways and parks, primarily in Madison and St. Clair counties.

By then the MCT system included about 75 miles of trails.

We were very fortunate, Kane said at the time. The timing of certain things came together at the same time, and we got a jump on a lot of other communities.

By 2020 MCT had been able to invest about $40 million into the system, Morrison has said previously.


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Sarah Gray, age 80, of Beech Bluff, TN passed away Sunday, September 12, 2021 in Jackson, TN. She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Oliver Gray, her parents, Charlie and Verna Hollin, and several brothers and sisters. Sarah is survived by her three children: Marsha (Karl) You
London, KY (40741)

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FILE  In this April 1, 2010 file photo, George Gould, speaks to the media after a hearing at Rockville Superior Court in Vernon, Conn. Gould, whose exoneration in a 1993 murder case was overturned by the state Supreme Court a decade ago, has been released from prison after a judge granted his request to reduce his 80-year sentence to time served, according to court documents obtained Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021 by The Associated Press.
Westerly, RI (02891)

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Tory donor Peter Cruddas and his wife saw 200million wiped off their paper fortune after his City broking firm warned the pandemic-inspired day trading boom could be over.

CMC Markets performed spectacularly well during the Covid crisis, boosted by workers sitting at home with increased saving pots and more time on their hands than ever.

But yesterday the online platform  set up by Cruddas in 1989 with just 10,000  said trading activity had plummeted during the summer months following on from a slow first quarter.

CMC Markets  set up by Peter Cruddas (pictured) in 1989 with just 10,000  said trading activity had plummeted during the summer months

As a result, the firm slashed profit forecasts for the year to between 250m and 280million, a big fall from the 330million it was targeting as recently as July.

CMC also reported a dip in customer retention, a vital measure as investment platforms seek to hold on to new clients who flocked to them during lockdowns.

The company said retention dipped below its 80per cent minimum target. The update saw shares crash 27.4 per cent, or 115p, to 305p.

That slashed the value of the 57 per cent stake held by Cruddas by 190million to 504million. His wife Fiona also lost out as the value of her 3 per cent stake fell by 10million to 27million.

The company said: Reduced volatility in markets has resulted in lower trading activity across both the newly acquired and existing cohort of clients.

Similar trends have been seen across our non-leveraged and leveraged businesses.

The update came just a couple of months after Cruddas, 67, pocketed a 55million dividend from CMCs soaring profits in 2020.

Once dubbed the richest man in the City, Cruddas was born and brought up on an East End council estate and left Shoreditch Comprehensive with no qualifications.

The father-of-four has at times controversially also strayed into politics. He was made a Conservative peer by Boris Johnson last year.

It later emerged he donated 500,000 to the Tories just days after being elevated to the House of Lords.

Cruddas was appointed co-treasurer of the Conservative Party in 2011 but later resigned amid a cash-for-access row.

His business boomed during the pandemic when as many as 1.8m adults in the UK are estimated to have become day traders.

Analysts, however, warned the craze could be drawing to a close as people return to offices, restaurants, pubs and shops.

Stuart Duncan, at Peel Hunt, said: CMC cannot escape the slowdown in trading activity. He added the decline was down to reduced volatility, fewer reasons to trade, and clients taking holidays as restrictions have eased.

Last month, CMC rival Hargreaves Lansdown cautioned that the pandemic surge in trading would not last, sending its shares down 11 per cent on the day.

Hargreaves was off 0.2 per cent, or 3p, at 1512.5p yesterday, while IG fell 11 per cent, or 104p, to 841p.

The Conservative Party is keen to build on Margaret Thatchers legacy of a shareholder democracy, but others are worried young people could be losing money.

Hargreaves has said almost one quarter of clients  55,900 customers  added this year were younger than 30.

A blue-chip stockbroker said: Traditional brokers like us are openly jealous that these firms have been able to attract this new audience.

But questions do need to be asked about what these young people are doing on these platforms. Are they being protected?

Cruddas has previously stated that all his new clients understand the risks they are taking.
Holiday firm Jet2 has said it will have to keep prices 'consistently enticing' to tempt customers as many are booking their holidays much closer to departure to avoid being stung by last minute changes to travel rules.

The company, which specialises in all-inclusive holiday and other packages and also runs a low-cost airline, said its current summer offering is at just over half, or 55 per cent, of the summer of 2019, before Covid struck.

Meanwhile, bookings for this winter remained under pressure and failed to match capacity on its flights, with the programme 'under continuous review'.

Cheaper holidays: Jet2 said prices will have to remain 'consistently enticing'

However, bookings for next summer were so far 'encouraging', with the proportion of package holiday customers showing a 'material increase'.

The average load factor on its planes - a key metric which measures how much of an airlines passenger carrying capacity is used - was also ahead of the same period in 2019.

The group has been running flights to 32 green and amber list destinations since 19 July, when the Government allowed quarantine-free travel to amber list destinations for the fully vaccinated.

'Unsurprisingly, given the continuing short-term uncertainty resulting from the UK Government's three weekly review of its traffic light system, customers are booking significantly closer to departure for Summer 21,' chairman Philip Meeson said at the company's annual general meeting.

'Despite the limited booking visibility, pleasingly, we have generated positive financial contribution from the flying to date, supported by our quick to market, flexible operating model.'

'We remain optimistic that Summer 22 will be a considerable improvement on both Summer 20 and Summer 21.'

Jet2 shares have fallen 0.9 per cent to 11.82. But Ryanair shares are up 0.2 per cent to 16.02 and Wizz Air shares have risen 0.9 per cent to 49.79.

Jet 2 shares crashed as the pandemic hit but have regained some ground since
Edinburgh has acquired a new landmark with the opening of the Johnnie Walker whisky emporium on the historic site once occupied by the Binns department store  a victim of the changing face of the High Street.

The 185million seven-storey restoration, incorporating the famous Binns clock, symbolises the faith of distiller Diageo in the future of premium Scotch as Britain carves out a series of free-trade agreements with the rest of the world in the post-Brexit era.

Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes views the new Johnnie Walker house as his firm's window for the world with emerging markets and India in particular the ultimate prize.

Landmark: The Johnnie Walker site was once occupied by the Binns department store

'We're making the appropriate investments in Scotch to sustain the growth in the business as the tariffs go down,' Menezes says.

Scotch, much of it distilled by Diageo, is one of the UK's biggest food and drink exports accounting for 20 per cent of overseas sales at present. It is the biggest earner for Diageo making up some 23 per cent of the enterprise's earnings.

Menezes is relatively untroubled by the distribution and supply problems for business which recently have dominated the domestic media.

'It's been a little bit more challenging especially for obtaining packaging materials. We are going to be a little more edgy as we go into the holiday season,' he says.

Before the pandemic Scotland attracted up to 2m tourists a year and Diageo's 23 distilleries across the country were part of that experience.

Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes (pictured) views the new Johnnie Walker house as his firm's window for the world with emerging markets and India in particular the ultimate prize

Menezes says wants the Edinburgh venue 'to be a force for attracting visitors from Europe, Asia and Latin America.'

Of all the trade agreements being signed by Liz Truss, the International Trade Secretary, Menezes regards a potential trade deal with India as the most significant.

He believes there is enormous demand in the country for premium and aspirational whisky brands which are at present disadvantaged by tariff barriers.

Boris Johnson had hoped to put some heft behind a trade deal with India in the early summer but his planned summit was cancelled amid the terrible spike in Covid in the country.

The hope had been to open the Edinburgh emporium in 2000 to mark the 200th anniversary of the brand but it was delayed by the pandemic.

As well as documenting the heritage of Scotch, the visitor centre will also be offering hospitality training for Scotland's unemployed.
City grandee Sir Nigel Rudd may notch up more than 8million for his shares as a result of selling top British companies he chairs if the takeover of aerospace and defence group Meggitt goes through.

In recent years, the 74-year-old, nicknamed 'The Man Who Sold Britain', has overseen the sales of a string of companies he chaired.

They include Pilkington Glass, Alliance Boots, engineering firm Invensys, and most recently Signature Aviation.

Sir Sell-off: City grandee Sir Nigel Rudd has overseen the sales of a string of companies he chaired, including include Pilkington Glass, Alliance Boots, Invensys, and Signature Aviation

Rudd is an adviser to private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, whose takeover of supermarket Morrisons has been approved by the chain's board, although he has not been involved in that deal.

He chairs Coventry-based defence aerospace firm Meggitt, which made parts for Spitfire fighter planes and is involved in a takeover tussle between US firms Parker-Hannifin and Transdigm.

Parker-Hannifin's 8 per share offer was accepted by Meggitt's board, but Transdigm  described as an 'aggressive, private equity-style outfit'  has made an unsolicited proposal of 9 per share. It has until September 14 to make a firm offer.

Rudd holds 250,000 shares in Meggitt, having upped his stake by 100,000 in 2019-20. That puts him in line for a windfall of 2million or 2.25million depending on which company buys the firm, assuming Meggitt does not remain independent.

He has already earned more than 2.1million in chairman's fees from his six years at the company.

The payout at Meggitt would follow almost 600,000 Rudd received for his shares after the sale of Signature Aviation to Bill Gates's investment firm and private equity giant Blackstone for 3.4billion.

His 145,600 shares in Signature netted 4.11 per share in the takeover, meaning he was paid 598,416.

Earlier deals were also lucrative for Rudd, who grew up in Derby and skipped university, instead qualifying as Britain's youngest chartered accountant aged just 20.

His biggest windfall is likely to have come from the 2billion sale of glassmaker Pilkington to Japan's Nippon Sheet Glass when he is thought to have been paid 4.3million for his shares. His holding rose by 10 per cent in the year before the takeover, when shares were issued in lieu of pay.

The 11.1billion sale of Alliance Boots to Italian tycoon Stefano Pessina and private equity firm KKR in 2007 netted Sir Nigel 558,429 for the value of his shares. The business is now part of Walgreens Boots Alliance and is quoted in the US.

The smallest amount Rudd is believed to have received is 86,580, following the 4.3billion sale of engineering firm Invensys to French firm Schneider Electric in 2013. The rail division was sold to German firm Siemens for 1.7billion the previous year.

City expert Justin Urquhart Stewart said: 'He takes up roles at businesses where he can pick up significant shareholdings which will give him a windfall.

'His track record has been gaining the chairmanship of businesses where there's likely to be a corporate action  usually a sale  which means he'll be a swift beneficiary.

'Quite often you'll see he is the lightning rod for a corporate transaction to be carried out.'

But Urquhart Stewart said he has 'concern' about the sales Sir Nigel has been involved in.

'What Britain's businesses need is long-term leadership and long-term investors who will look at the long-term picture, not short-term investors who will arrive, pocket the cash and move on to the next one.'

Rudd, whose net worth has been estimated at 50million, is married to Lesley, 75. The couple has three children and seven grandchildren. Trappings of his wealth have included a 7million home in Belgravia, sold after the couple were the victims of a violent robbery in 2012. They also sold a home on the edge of the Derbyshire Peak District for 2.8million in 2017.

Current assets include homes in Chelsea, the Algarve in Portugal and Paarl near Cape Town, South Africa.

During the course of his career, Rudd is estimated to have earned tens of millions of pounds. But, in a Sunday Times interview earlier this month, he was coy on the exact amount, saying: 'That's vulgar, even for a working-class boy like me.'

Rudd was chairman of Heathrow Airport between 2007 and 2015, and was also a non-executive director at Barclays Bank, where he served with for 13 years.

On the subject of Meggitt, he said that while 'clearly, price is important', its new owner would need to 'give undertakings' to keep the company's headquarters in Coventry and maintain research and development spending.

Meggitt makes parts for civil aeroplane manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, and sensitive parts for F-35 and Typhoon fighter jets. Rudd justified the previous sales, arguing Pilkington 'would have gone bust' if the Japanese hadn't bought it.

Boots was 'stagnating', he said, while Invensys was struggling under the weight of 5bn pension liabilities.

He added that Signature, which makes 90 per cent of its sales in America, was 'materially undervalued' in the UK.

Rudd told The Sunday Times: 'When I'm selling a business, I take my fiduciary duty very seriously.' He said nicknames such as 'Sir Sell-Off' and 'The Man Who Sold Britain' don't worry him 'because my shareholders, the people I work for, are very, very pleased with me'.

He added: 'I've never left a company as chairman with a share price that's lower than when I started.'

Rudd declined to comment further but a source said that except in the case of Pilkington, he had spent his own money on buying the shares at full price and had not received them as a perk or incentive.

He is believed to have paid 1million for his Meggitt shares, while the Boots shares are believed to have been bought for half the value he sold them for.
A British businessman has been arrested in Singapore over alleged links to a fraud connected to collapsed German payments group Wirecard.

Henry OSullivan, an adviser to Wirecard in Asia, is facing ten years in prison, a fine or both for his role in sending a false letter to one of the firms subsidiaries in the Middle East.

OSullivan, 46, has been accused of instructing Singaporean company Citadelle Corporate Services to forge a letter that claimed it was holding 74million in an escrow account in 2016.

Henry OSullivan, an adviser to Wirecard in Asia, is facing ten years in prison, a fine or both for his role in sending a false letter to one of the firms subsidiaries in the Middle East

But Singaporean authorities say Citadelle did not manage said account.

Wirecard had been hailed as one of Germanys great technology stars until it collapsed last year after it found a 1.7billion black hole in its accounts.

Desperate bosses admitted they could not find money supposedly held by Asian banks.

OSullivan is accused of colluding with Citadelle director R Shanmugaratnam, who is alleged to have sent more than a dozen letters to Wirecard, its subsidiaries and an audit firm saying it held huge amounts of money in escrow accounts between 2015 and 2017.
Tifton, GA (31794)

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Rachel Ravina is a journalist covering news and lifestyle features in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Blue Bell and graduated from Penn State. She's also a news enthusiast who is passionate about covering topics people want to read.
Webster Groves, MO (63119)

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This column expresses the views of the author, separate from those of the Times Union.

MENANDS  In July, Joe Biden delivered a speech about the military withdrawal from Afghanistan. It's worth revisiting.

The president said many words that day that haven't stood the test of time, including a prediction that "the likelihood theres going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely."

He was wrong about that, of course.

But it was Biden's words about "the Afghan nationals who work side-by-side with U.S. forces" that really stand out today. He noted the commitment those Afghans made to this country, described their work as "vital to our interests" and said they and their families would "not be exposed to danger" when America withdrew.

Biden continued: "Our message to those women and men is clear: There is a home for you in the United States if you so choose, and we will stand with you just as you stood with us."

Well, Baram Khan doesn't feel that Biden is standing with him now. Quite the opposite, actually.

As I wrote last week, Khan was an interpreter for the American military in Afghanistan. That work was enough to earn he and his wife visas for a new life in the United States, and they are now American citizens raising three beautiful children in Menands.

But Khan's parents and siblings remain in Afghanistan, and his work has put a target on their backs. According to Khan's brother, the Taliban has already come searching for his family members, who have been forced into hiding. Taliban soldiers have been asking neighbors where they went.

That's chilling. But the State Department has done nothing to help, despite desperate pleas from Khan and others to deliver his family to safety.

Now, the American military is gone from Afghanistan. The last U.S. plane has departed. The airlift is over. The Taliban is in control.

"I'm not hopeful," Khan, 32, told me Wednesday when I asked about his family. "I don't think they're going to make it."

It is believed at least a few hundred American citizens might be stranded in Afghanistan, and many more who remain hold green cards that give them the legal right to live in the United States.

And there are tens of thousands of people, like Khan's family, whose legal right to come to this country is in many cases less established. All they have, really, are the repeated promises made by military leaders and politicians such as Biden, words that are proving to be meaningless.

"I take it personally," said retired Army Maj. John Doehler, under whom Khan worked in Afghanistan. "When we go back on our word, when the country goes back on its word, that's my word, too."

Doehler has lobbied elected officials on behalf of Khan's family, to no avail. He's flabbergasted and furious we are turning our back on those who helped us, leaving them or their families exposed to Taliban brutality. The country is abandoning a moral obligation, Doehler believes.

"We need to let people know that this is not right," he added. "People are going to die."

Biden promised to withdraw from Afghanistan as he campaigned for the presidency, and we can consider that a promise kept. Many Americans will credit him for ending an unpopular war that lasted too long.

But Biden could have kept that promise while also keeping the promises made to people like Khan. One did not preclude the other.

On Tuesday, the president made another speech. He called the effort to evacuate Americans and others an "extraordinary success"  a dubious claim  and said the Taliban "has made public commitments, broadcast on television and radio across Afghanistan, on safe passage for anyone wanting to leave, including those who worked alongside Americans."

The tone of that is notably different from what Biden said in July.

Then, he promised the United States would stand with Afghans who helped the U.S. and said their families would not be left in danger. Now, some of those families are in serious danger and their fate, Biden admits, depends largely on the Taliban keeping its word.

Khan knows the Taliban all too well. He remembers the tyranny imposed on the Afghan people before the United States arrived in 2001. He knows the Taliban can't be trusted to keep promises.

He didn't expect the same of Joe Biden.

"This is very disappointing and tragic what he has done," Khan told me. "It's not just my family. A lot of people are stuck."

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
NEW YORK (AP)  The remnants of Hurricane Ida blew through the mid-Atlantic states Wednesday with at least two tornadoes, heavy winds and drenching rains that collapsed the roof of a U.S. Postal Service building, left cars and roads underwater and sent garbage floating through the streets of New York.

Social media posts showed homes reduced to rubble in a southern New Jersey county just outside Philadelphia, not far from where the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado Wednesday evening. Authorities did not have any immediate information on injuries.

Other video showed water rushing through Newark Liberty International Airport as the storm moved into New York on Wednesday night.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, tweeted at 10:30 p.m. that all flights were suspended and all parking lots were closed due to severe flooding. All train service to the airport also was suspended.

The National Weather Service recorded 3.15 inches of rain in New Yorks Central Park in one hour, far surpassing the 1.94 inches that fell in one hour during Tropical Storm Henri on the night of Aug. 21, which was believed at the time to be the most ever recorded in the park.

New York's FDR Drive, a major artery on the east side of Manhattan, was underwater by late evening and subway stations and tracks became so flooded that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended all service. Videos posted online showed subway riders standing on seats in cars filled with water.

Other videos showed vehicles submerged up to their windows on major roadways in and around the city and garbage floating down a street in Queens.

At the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Queens, television footage showed fans who had watched matches under the Arthur Ashe Stadium's retractable roof slogging through several inches of water as they left.

Few parts of the region were untouched, and residents huddled inside and endured the anxiety brought on by tornado warnings that gradually moved north and east with the storm.

The roof collapsed at the Postal Service building in Kearny, New Jersey, with people inside, police Sgt. Chris Levchak said. Rescue crews were on scene into the night, with no immediate word on the number of people or severity of injuries.

Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in all of New Jerseys 21 counties, urging people to stay off the flooded roads. Meteorologists warned that rivers likely won't crest for a few more days, raising the possibility of more widespread flooding.

Soaking rains prompted the evacuations of thousands of people after water reached dangerous levels at a dam near Johnstown, a Pennsylvania town nicknamed Flood City.

Ida caused countless school and business closures in Pennsylvania. About 150 roadways maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were closed and many smaller roadways also were impassable. Several thousand customers were still without power late Wednesday night.

Some areas near Johnstown, whose history includes several deadly floods, saw 5 inches or more of rain by mid-afternoon, an inundation that triggered an evacuation order for those downstream from the Wilmore dam. Nearby Hinckston Run Dam was also being monitored but appeared stable by late afternoon.

Both dams were considered high-hazard dams that are likely to kill someone were they to fail.

Evacuees were taken to a nearby high school with help from the Red Cross, National Guard, local transit authority and school transportation services, he said.

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The 1889 Johnstown flood killed 2,200 people, a disaster blamed on poor maintenance on the South Fork Dam on the Little Conemaugh River. It sent a 36-foot wall of water roaring into a populated area at 40 mph (65 kph).

High water drove some from their homes in Maryland and Virginia. The storm killed a teenager, two people were not accounted for and a tornado was believed to have touched down along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

The National Weather Service had predicted flooding from what remained of Hurricane Ida, saying steep terrain and even city streets were particularly vulnerable to a band of severe weather that extended from the Appalachians into Massachusetts.

Flash flooding knocked about 20 homes off their foundations and washed several trailers away in Virginia's mountainous western corner, where about 50 people were rescued and hundreds were evacuated. News outlets reported that one person was unaccounted for in the small mountain community of Hurley.

Water had almost reached the ceilings of basement units when crews arrived at an apartment complex in Rockville, Maryland, on Wednesday. A 19-year-old was found dead, another person was missing and about 200 people from 60 apartments near Rock Creek were displaced, Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said Wednesday.

In many years I have not seen circumstances like this, Goldstein said.

Tropical Storm Larry was strengthening and moving quickly westward after forming off the coast of Africa earlier Wednesday. Forecasters predicted it would rapidly intensify in a manner similar to Ida, becoming a major hurricane with top wind speeds of 120 mph (193 kph) by Saturday. Kate remained a tropical depression and was expected to weaken without threatening land.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the rainfall from Tropical Storm Henri in Central Park occurred on Aug. 21, not Aug. 22.
NEW YORK (AP)  Julie Pace, a longtime Washington journalist who managed coverage of the U.S. government during a period of historic tumult, was named Wednesday as the executive editor and senior vice president of The Associated Press.

The 39-year-old Pace has been the APs Washington bureau chief since 2017, guiding reporting on the Trump administration, national security, politics and the new Biden White House. She rose to the newsrooms top leadership spot with a promise to accelerate the APs digital transformation.

Pace succeeds Sally Buzbee, who became executive editor of The Washington Post in June, and is the third consecutive woman to lead the APs worldwide news operation. Her appointment is effective immediately and was announced by Gary Pruitt, AP president and CEO, and Daisy Veerasingham, executive vice president and chief operating officer. Veerasingham will become president and chief executive at the end of the year.

This is a very exciting time for the AP  were a 175-year-old news organization with a new CEO and a new executive editor, Pruitt said. Julie Pace has a vision for APs future that is in line with our long-standing values but also forward-thinking. She will do an excellent job.

As she assumes her new role, Pace said it was important to push all of the APs journalists  text reporters, video, still photographers, fact checkers and graphics producers  out of individual silos to work together in presenting compelling stories.

We are in a position where we have an opportunity to really modernize our news report, Pace said in an interview. We have an opportunity to take all of the fantastic journalism that we do across formats and think of ways we can make it more digital-friendly, to make it more social-friendly.

Breaking news will remain the backbone of the APs report, but journalists will quickly move to provide analysis, context and fact-checking to those stories, she said.

In some ways Pace is herself a symbol of the APs transition: She joined the organization in Washington in 2007 as a video producer and rose to chief White House correspondent. A frequent on-air analyst at networks including CNN, ABC and Fox, shes comfortable talking publicly, representing a company that is often overlooked despite stationing journalists in 250 locations in 100 countries.

Thats a legacy of the APs history primarily as a wholesaler of news disseminated through other outlets. A smaller AP has placed a greater emphasis on impact journalism, becoming a more consumer-facing organization rather than a bland utility. The AP won two Pulitzer Prizes this year and was a finalist for three others.

We play this incredibly vital role in how people around the world get their information, and I think sometimes we dont get enough credit for that, she said. There are millions  upwards of a billion people who get news from the AP every day. Theres real power behind the work that we do.

Paces background as a public communicator was a plus moving forward, as the company looks to take a leadership role in the industry where appropriate, Veerasingham said in an interview.

Theres been a raft of leadership changes at national news organizations in the past several months. Besides Buzbee and Pace, Kevin Merida was named top editor at The Los Angeles Times, Kim Godwin is ABC News president, Wendy McMahon and Neeraj Khemlani share the same job at CBS News, Rashida Jones is president of MSNBC and Alessandra Galloni is editor-in-chief at Reuters.

What they all have in common is that none are white men in an era in which the industry has signaled the importance of diversity. That probably wasnt as pressing an issue for the AP, compared to other places, since its newsroom has been led by a woman since 2002, when Kathleen Carroll became executive editor, Veerasingham said.

The best person for the job happens to be a woman, she said.

Pace has proved to be a strong and collaborative leader who has consistently demonstrated strong news judgment and a deep understanding of the APs mission and place in the news industry, Veerasingham said.

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The steady downturn in news circulation and advertising that led to the closure of hundreds of newspapers over the last two decades has also affected the AP; its revenues are down more than 25% over the last decade. The company is increasingly turning toward overseas markets for growth opportunities.

Journalism is also facing a politically fueled crisis in confidence. The Pew Research Center said this week that the number of Republicans who said they have at least some trust in national news organizations has been cut in half, from 70% in 2016 to 35% this year.

With readers and viewers often confused about where the lines are drawn between news and opinions, Pace said it made the APs mission of providing fact-based journalism even more important.

Fact-based journalism does not mean that all sides of an issue get an airing, she said. That means we are going to be really clear with people about what the facts are. If that lines up on one side of an issue, we are going to be really clear about that. Were not going to be intimidated in these circumstances.

The AP has been bolstering its fact-checking operations, sending out more frequent stories examining the truth behind issues, and Pace said more will be done in this area. Fact-checks and explainers for news stories are consistently among APs most-used fixtures.

Pace said the AP will continue to seek out grants and foundation funding that enable the organization to hire more people to examine specific issues. It has gone this route in recent years to bolster coverage of religion, philanthropy and health and science.

Some 50 candidates, both internal and external, were interviewed for the job. The APs complexity and its unique position in the industry tend to give an edge to people familiar with the organization, Veerasingham said. But the company is also interested in people who can offer different perspectives and ideas, she said.
SCHOHARIE  Nauman Hussain pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide charges Thursday, admitting for the first time that his failure to keep up repairs on his stretch limousine led to the Oct. 6, 2018, crash that killed all 18 people on board and two pedestrians in what remains the nations deadliest transportation disaster in more than a decade.

But nearly three years after the crash devastated the families of the dead and shook the tiny community of Schoharie, Hussain will serve no prison time under the terms of a plea deal negotiated by his attorney, Lee Kindlon, and Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallery.

Hussain agreed to plead guilty to 20 counts of criminally negligent homicide in exchange for five years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service that will include public speaking appearances. He will be barred from working in the transportation industry.

One by one, the victims' names were read out by Judge George Bartlett III in the Schoharie High School gym, used to house the large crowd attending, as he asked Hussain if he caused each death in the crash that came during a celebratory birthday trip to Cooperstown.

"Yes," Hussain answered 20 times.

The 31-year-old, who operated the limo business owned by his father, local businessman and former FBI informant Shahed Hussain, is likely to be the only person ever to face criminal prosecution in the case. For months, it's been known that the plea deal in the case would not include prison time, a scenario that rankled some relatives.

As Hussain entered his plea, people could be heard sobbing. One woman said, "He killed 20 people  f--- this" before court officials prompted her to leave.

One by one, family members of a majority of the victims stood at a podium to tell their stories of intense pain and suffering losing their friends and loved ones. Many said they had experienced mental health issues and physical ailments. They also directed their anger at Hussain personally and urged the judge to sentence him to the maximum sentence of up to four years behind bars.

Like others who spoke, Janet Steenburg, who lost two sons in the crash, said she hoped Hussain would feel their pain, finally, after hearing their stories.

You are the one who put the kids in that car, she said. You sent them to their deaths.

I hope you rot in hell ... ! shouted one person in attendance while leaving the gym as the proceedings were winding down.

Beth Muldoon, whose son Adam Jackson and daughter-in-law Abby King Jackson left behind two small children, said My son, my baby boy was killed in a limo trying to be safe."

How do you explain to two little girls that their parents did nothing wrong and tried to do the right thing, but they wont be back? she said.

Hussain listened to the family members speak, with his head bowed. Joe Tacopina, another one of Hussains lawyers, said Hussain was moved and was crying as he listened to gut-wrenching testimony.

Hes distraught, Tacopina said. Hes really a good person.

After explaining his reasons for approving the plea deal, Bartlett said he hoped Hussain would use his community service time and his freedom to become a better person.

Hopefully you take some of what was said to heart, Bartlett told Hussain. You are getting the benefit of the doubt from the DA. Hopefully you can go forward and justify that and make it up to the families.

Although Hussain did not address the families or the judge after the victim impact statements were given, Tacopina told Bartlett that Hussain took the testimony of the families to heart and was going to make the best of his situation, having been spared jail time.

He will take every single word and will absolutely learn from this, Tacopina said.

Mallery declined to speak about the plea deal after the proceedings. She said she is not allowed to comment, since sentencing technically wont take place until Hussain completes the first two years of his probation without any violations. Hussain also declined comment while leaving the gym.

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The deal paves the way for Hussain to testify in civil cases that victims' families have brought against Hussain and his family, along with the Saratoga Springs tire store that did repair work on the 2001 stretch Ford Excursion limo, which had been deemed unsafe by state transportation officials in the months leading up to the crash.

Hussain allegedly ignored warnings from the Department of Transportation that the limo was dangerous. It repeatedly failed safety inspections and lacked state and federal certifications. The National Transportation Safety Board later faulted the state for lax efforts to get Hussain's limo off the road, and was critical of Mallery as well as State Police for slowing the federal investigation.

When Axel Steenburg of Amsterdam booked the Excursion for a trip to Cooperstown to mark his wife's 30th birthday party with 15 of their friends, he likely had no idea that DOT investigators had been pursuing Hussain for more than a year for evading state limousine regulations.

Steenburg and his friends  many of them siblings and several newlyweds like himself  died after the Excursion crashed into the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store & Cafe just outside the village of Schoharie after descending a steep section of Route 30. State Police blamed the crash on catastrophic brake failure.

As it rolled into the busy parking lot going more than 100 mph, the Excursion killed two bystanders before slamming into a ditch. All 18 people aboard, including the driver, died of their injuries.

Hussain was indicted in April 2019 on 20 counts each of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, felonies that could have sent him to state prison for years if convicted. Hussain's trial was repeatedly delayed due to the pandemic.

"Loved ones of those we lost on that painful day have not received the justice they deserve plain and simple, and my heart goes out to all those who are similarly angered," said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara in a statement. "While the miscarriage of justice in this case will not be forgotten any time soon, especially by the families and friends of those who were lost, the new laws and regulations established in the wake of this tragedy will help ensure that no community should ever endure such a painful tragedy again in our state."

He noted the new legislation includes requiring all those driving limousines with over nine passengers to obtain a commercial drivers license, allowing the commissioner of transportation to impound or immobilize stretch limos if they fail routine safety inspections and several other measures
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  An Oklahoma judge on Wednesday said she will temporarily block a state law banning public school mask mandates, but students or their parents can opt out of the requirement if they choose.

Judge Natalie Mai said she will issue a temporary injunction that will go into effect next week when she issues a written order detailing her ruling. Mai said she is blocking the law because it applies only to public, not private, schools and that schools adopting a mask mandate must provide an option for parents or students to opt out of the requirement.

The ruling drew praise from Gov. Kevin Stitt, who signed the law and opposes mask mandates without exemptions, and Dr. Mary Clarke, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which joined the lawsuit brought by four parents who oppose the law.

This is a victory for parental choice, personal responsibility and the rule of law," Stitt said in a statement.

Clarke said she was also pleased with the ruling.

This is just a first step in ensuring our schools maintain local control and can choose the best path for their students, faculty and staff," Clarke said in a statement.

While not included in SB 658, some businesses mitigation efforts such as mask and vaccine requirements have been under fire," Clarke said. Our stance is that in order to promote a healthy environment, a business should be able to develop rules that keep their employees safe without interference from state government.

The U.S. Department of Education on Monday announced an investigation into Oklahoma and four other Republican-led states  Iowa, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah  that banned or limited mask requirements in schools. The department said the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions.

Other states previously outlawed mask mandates, but the policies were overturned by courts or are not being enforced, including in Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Arizona.

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The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 2,538 new virus cases on Wednesday and a seven-day daily average of 2,796 new cases, which was up from an average of 2,187 during the seven-day period that ended Aug. 16. The department reported that 441 people were in intensive care units, which was more than double the 216 on Aug. 2.

The four major hospitals in Oklahoma City  Integris, Mercy, SSM Health and OU Health  reported Wednesday that they were treating 524 COVID-19 patients and no ICU beds available for more. The health department reported Wednesday that there were 25 ICU beds, or 7.6% of the total, available in the city among other hospitals.

Also Wednesday, Oklahoma Department of Human Services director Justin Brown said the agency's offices would be open to customers by appointment only because of the rising virus case numbers.

The agency provides services to low-income residents, including financial assistance and the state's Medicaid program.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden used his first meeting with a foreign leader since ending the war in Afghanistan to send the message Wednesday that the United States  unburdened of its forever war  is determined to become a more reliable ally to its friends, in this case Ukraine.

Biden played host to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a long-sought Oval Office meeting and tried to reassure him that his administration remains squarely behind the Eastern European nation.

Biden didn't mention Afghanistan in his brief appearance with Zelenskyy before cameras.

But he highlighted his concerns about Russian aggression in the region. Biden, in making his case to end the war in Afghanistan, repeatedly said winding it down would allow the U.S. to put greater focus on combating malevolent acts from adversaries Russia and China.

The United States remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression and for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, Biden said.

The Ukrainian leader, who had found himself ensnarled in Donald Trumps first impeachment, arrived at the White House looking to Biden for increased military aid and backing for his countrys bid for NATO membership.

The meeting was postponed two days while Biden and his national security team were consumed by the military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The withdrawal, which concluded Monday, left behind many Afghans who had worked with the Americans and their allies and who now fear Taliban rule. This led to criticism that the U.S. was less than a reliable international partner, something Biden was eager to counter.

The optics of the moment did not go unnoticed by the Ukrainian president. At a difficult time for the world and the United States ... still you found time for us and we're thankful for this indeed, Zelenskyy said.

In advance of the sit-down, the Biden administration said it was committing up to $60 million in new military aid to Ukraine. The administration said the aid was necessary because of a major increase in Russian military activity along its border and because of mortar attacks, cease-fire violations and other provocations.

The package includes more Javelin anti-tank missiles, which Kyiv sees as critical to defending against Russia-backed separatists. The U.S. has overall committed more than $400 million in military aid this year.

Zelenskyy thanked Biden for the aid.

The war in Donbas is in its eighth year, and we have lost 15,000 people, Zelenskyy said in a reference to the conflict in Ukraines eastern industrial heartland.

In their private talks, Zelenskyy and Biden also discussed Washingtons decision not to block the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would carry Russian natural gas directly to Germany, bypassing Ukraine. The pipeline is vehemently opposed by Ukraine and Poland as well as both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, with Zelenskyy describing it as a powerful geopolitical weapon for Russia.

Zelenskyy, a television actor new to politics, took office in May 2019 anxious to firm up his countrys relationship with the United States. Instead, he almost immediately found himself under pressure from Trump envoys and soon Trump himself, who in the phone call that led to his first impeachment asked Zelenskyy to do us a favor.

In that now famous July 2019 call, Trump asked Zelenskyy to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who had served on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.

Trumps European Union envoy, Gordon Sondland, later told impeachment investigators that Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani explicitly sought a quid pro quo in which an Oval Office visit would be contingent on Zelenskyy announcing the politically charged investigation Trump wanted.

Was there a quid pro quo? Sondland asked. With regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.

Besides the coveted invitation to the White House, Sondland also said it was his understanding that Trump had held up nearly $400 million in military aid until Ukraine announced the investigation.

Allegations that Trump withheld congressionally approved military aid while seeking Ukraines help for his reelection campaign formed the basis of the the first impeachment case against him. Trump was acquitted by the Senate. The Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy never happened.

With Biden, Zelenskyy now has a president with a long history of involvement in Ukraine, one who has supported its determination to break free from Russia, shore up its young democracy and be more fully welcomed into the Western club.

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As vice president, Biden was the Obama administrations point person on Ukraine and pushed for tougher action against corruption. He once boasted of his success in getting Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor, who had blocked some corruption investigations. Trump later twisted this by insisting, wrongly, that Biden had done so to protect his son and the energy company on whose board he served.

Zelenskyy is the latest Ukrainian president to promise to tackle systemic corruption and then struggle once in office. Biden administration officials wanted assurances that Zelenskyy remains committed to following through on various reforms.

To that end, a joint statement issued following Wednesday's meeting highlighted the need for Ukraine to move quickly to select a new specialized anti-corruption prosecutor and pass legislation to enshrine the authority of the head of the country's National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the process for selecting that agency's successor.

Zelenskyy came to Washington saying he wanted a clear statement from Biden on whether he supported eventual NATO membership for Ukraine. NATO members are wary given Ukraines simmering conflict with Russia.

Zelenskyy said he and Biden talked about Ukraine's prospects at length during their two-hour meeting. I feel that the president supports Ukraines bid for membership in NATO, Zelenskyy told Ukrainian reporters, but he added that the time frame remains unclear.

The White House also announced Wednesday that Ukraine agreed to join a secure communications line through the National and Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, which serves to minimize the risk of armed conflict. The center includes 50 international partners.

Nord Stream 2, the pipeline being built under the Baltic Sea, is the most significant issue of tension in the relationship. By allowing Russia to bypass Ukraine, it also could potentially deprive Ukraine of the billions of dollars in transit fees it now earns for pumping Russian gas to Europe.

While the U.S. also opposes the new pipeline, worried that it would give Russia too much power over European energy supplies, Biden agreed in July not to penalize the German company overseeing the project.

The joint statement said the U.S. would work to secure Ukraine's supply of gas and prevent the Kremlins use of energy as a geopolitical weapon. The two countries also agreed to improve corporate governance at Ukraine's state-owned energy companies and attract the foreign investment needed for Ukraine to become energy independent.

Zelenskyy expressed satisfaction at the outcome. He said Biden guaranteed that if Russia creates a dangerous situation for Ukraine or causes energy prices to rise, the U.S. will impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2.

I consider it a big victory for us, the Ukrainian president said.

___

Associated Press writers Josh Boak in Washington, Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed reporting.
Razia believed in the United States work in Afghanistan, dedicating herself to the mission of womens education and promoting democracy in her country.

Today, she cant leave her home in Kabul out of fear that her work and trust in the U.S. governments efforts to rebuild Afghanistan will get her killed. Meanwhile, her youngest sister, Tahira, the only family member in America, is working desperately to get Razia and the rest of the family out of Afghanistan.

Razia was just 12 when the Taliban regime fell in 2001. She is among the generation of women who grew up with freedoms few Afghan women had known previously.

Through her school, she got a job with the U.S. Agency for International Development working for a program that promoted democracy and womens education. She went door to door asking families if they had young girls who werent in school. Thanks to her efforts, between 200 and 250 young girls received an education. She also worked as the editor of a news agency and was the sole provider for her disabled father, mother and two sisters.

Now the family is running short on food and medicine and Razia is one of thousands of Afghans who were unable to flee the country as the Afghan government collapsed in the face of a Taliban resurgence last month. On Wednesday, a senior State Department official admitted to the Wall Street Journal that the U.S. left behind the majority of Afghan allies who had applied for visas to escape reprisal from the Taliban.

Since the evacuation of U.S. forces and the fall of the Afghan government, the 32-year-old woman goes into hiding every time someone knocks on the door to her familys home. She fears that Taliban soldiers are there to take her away for working with the U.S. government. The Times Union is withholding her last name due to safety concerns. Her family believes she will be killed outright or forced into marriage with a Taliban soldier if she is found.

Her youngest sister, Tahira, lives in a Saratoga County suburb. Along with her in-laws, Tahira is desperately trying to find a way to get Razia and the rest of the family out of the country.

In an interview translated by her brother-in-law Reza, Tahira said she feels hopeless.

I cant focus, I cant take care of my daughter. Ive lost track of time, track of sleep, Tahira said.

Tahira came to America three years ago to marry her now-husband. The rest of the family talked about trying to emigrate to the United States but Razia wanted to stay. She believed in her civil-rights activism and work to make sure young Afghan girls got an education.

She was interested in staying in Kabul to make changes there, she was not interested in coming overseas, Reza said.

Now it's unclear if Tahira will ever see her sister again.

The family has plenty of reasons to fear the Taliban, according to Reza and Tahira. In addition to Razias work with USAID and the news agency, their family is Shia Muslim. The Taliban follow an extremist version of Sunni Islam, the religion's dominant sect, and refuse to tolerate religious minorities. Last month, Razias brother and his wife were attacked while visiting a family friends home. They havent been seen since.

The family has tried everything. Tahira's mother and nephew twice tried to brave Taliban checkpoints to reach the Kabul airport in hopes of finding a way to get the family on a flight out of the country. They couldnt get through. On one trip, Taliban soldiers beat her mother with sticks.

Tahira and her in-laws have called the State Department, left messages with a hotline for Afghans who worked with the United States and reached out to Sen. Chuck Schumers office.

But messages arent returned or they are not offered assistance. Schumers office essentially told them there was nothing that could be done, Reza said.

Tahira is close to despondent. She talks to her family in Afghanistan once a day to make sure theyre still alive. She spends most of her days glued to her phone and news, waiting to hear of their fate.

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At times (Tahira) doesnt know what to do, shes just crying, Reza said. Because everytime were trying to reach somewhere, everybody says, We cant do anything, we cant do anything.

The family is also in touch with attorney Seth Leech, a partner at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, who works on immigration issues.

Leech said the family doesnt have many options. Razia might qualify for a Special Immigrant Visa but those visas typically are for Afghans directly involved with U.S. military efforts in the country. Making matters more complicated is that the U.S. has withdrawn its embassy staff, making visa applications difficult, if not impossible.

I dont know what could be done for her, he said. Shes one of those people who basically said, Wow, the U.S. here. Now I feel protected to be a womens rights advocate, and now were gone, and that protection is gone.

Another option is if the family can somehow find its way across the border to neighboring Pakistan, she could apply for refugee status to the United States, Leech said.

But thats really, really super risky for her to try and get from Kabul to Pakistan, he said.

Leech said the familys best hope is likely for high-level negotiations between the U.S. government and the Taliban to allow people like Razia to leave the country safely.

The U.S. governments failure to protect Afghans like Razia who supported the U.S. and promoted civil rights in Afghanistan is inexplicable, he said.

We have an absolute responsibility to help these people because our pullout has essentially deprived them of the safety that allowed them to pursue these efforts, he said.

Meanwhile, Tahira and her husband's family scramble to find a way. Theyve reached out to Canadian officials and are researching European countries that might still have a presence in Afghanistan and be able to help.

Right now, my family is living every day like its going to be their last day, Tahira said. They cant make plans for tomorrow or the day after. They just want to live somewhere where they can be free.
SCHENECTADY - Nearly four and a half years after the demolition of the landmark Nicholaus building in downtown Schenectady, litigation is now before a state judge, according to the most recent court filings in Schenectady County Court.

Those court documents show that plaintiffs and building owners Viroj and Malinee Chompupong filed a complaint in July in State Supreme Court seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory damages on the grounds that the citys decision to issue a permit and abruptly demolish the building in April 2017 was arbitrary, unreasonable, unlawful, and undertaken in violation of the property, statutory and constitutional rights of plaintiffs.

City officials have countered that the residential-retail structure at the corner of Erie Boulevard and State Street needed emergency demolition because it posed an imminent threat and could collapse at any time.

The Chompupongs, who acquired the building in 2004, have asserted the damage to their property was caused by demolition of the former Olender Mattress building next door, working being done to make way for the Electric City Apartments.

The apartments opened in June 2019.

That decision to knock down the Nicholaus set off a flurry of civil suits that ensnared several professional firms, construction companies and the county development agency among others. The disposition of those cases was unclear.

Attorney James Burns, representing Schenectady in the matter, argues that the Chompupongs' motion, filed in May, should be dismissed because the three-year statute of limitations from the time the building was razed on April 7, 2017, has run out; because punitive damages are simply not recoverable against a municipality, as a matter of law; and because of a legal doctrine known as "collateral estoppel" that prevents a person from re-litigating an issue.

All alleged constitutional claims against the city, which were either alleged in the federal action and dismissed, or could have been asserted in the federal action and were not, are now barred under the doctrine of collateral estoppel, the document states.

Burns, said by his office to be on vacation, also did not respond to a message left with a woman who answered the phone Tuesday at the Albany-based firm.

City Corporation Counsel Andrew Koldin did not return an email or message left with a secretary in his office.

A receptionist who answered the phone Wednesday at the Manhattan law firm associated with Linda Roth, who is listed in a July filing as the Chompupongs' lawyer, said Roth no longer works there. She referred a reporter to an administrator who did not return a voice mail message.

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The Chompupongs' other attorney, Anthony Doughtery, also did not return a call to his New Jersey office.

And neither did county attorney Chris Gardner.

In August 2017, the couple took legal action against the city in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, alleging violations of their constitutional rights along with claims, normally adjudicated in a state court, that Schenectady abused its authority, trespassed, was negligent, and intentionally destroyed property.

In 2019, according to the filing, the court threw out one of the alleged constitutional rights violations but let all the others stand.

The city moved for a summary judgement following discovery. A summary judgment is a decision made based on statements and evidence without going to trial. It's a final decision by a judge and is designed to resolve a lawsuit before going to court.

In a decision in December, the judge found that the plaintiffs did not present any evidence demonstrating a constitutional violation resulting from a government policy or from a decision by a policy maker, but again upheld the state-related claims as well as those pertaining to the Chompupongs' Fourth and Fifth amendment rights.

The document states that in May the city filed a motion asking the court to reconsider, which was granted. That same month, the court ruled city officials couldnt be held culpable for the demolition.

Additionally, the court threw out out the state court claims without prejudice, and declined to exercise continued jurisdiction over the state law claims, prompting the plaintiffs to file those claims in State Supreme Court.
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J.  A tornado that ripped through Mullica Hill, New Jersey, on Wednesday evening is believed to have had an EF-3 rating, with winds of up to 150 miles per hour (240 kph), according to the National Weather Service.

The service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, released its preliminary report on the tornado on Thursday after confirming at least seven tornadoes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The Mullica Hill tornado stretched for 12.6 miles (20 kilometers) over a span of 20 minutes and was as wide as 400 yards (36 meters), the weather service said. It caused mostly tree damage before strengthening and moving northeast through Mullica Hill, where it tore off roofs, demolishing walls, tossed cars and left at least one home completely destroyed, the weather service said.

The remnants of Hurricane Ida stirred up at least one other tornado in Massachusetts.

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MORE ON STORM IDA:

 How the remnants of Ida devastated the Northeast more than 1,000 miles away from its landfall

 More than 25 deaths and counting after Ida remnants slam Northeast

 Four days after Hurricane Ida struck Louisiana, many are still without water, power

 Biden to survey Idas storm damage in Louisiana on Friday

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HILLSBOROUGH TOWNSHIP, N.J.  New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says his states death toll from the remnants of Hurricane Ida has risen to 23.

Murphy spoke as his states and others in the U.S. Northeast reckoned Thursday with flooding, tornado damage, and continuing calls for rescue after the storm took residents and officials by surprise. At least 45 people were killed from Maryland to Connecticut.

Murphy said most of the deaths in his state were people who got caught in their vehicles by flooding and overtaken by water.

He said the state has decided not to provide a breakdown of the deaths by municipality at this time.

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NEW YORK  The remnants of Hurricane Ida have killed three people in suburban New York City, officials confirmed Thursday, as the death toll from the record-setting downpour continued to rise.

At least one of the victims was a motorist caught on the road in rapidly rising water in Westchester County, said George Latimer, the county executive.

Authorities recovered the body of Samuel Weissmandl, 69, of Mount Kisco, near Route 119 in Elmsford. He had called family members to say he having difficulty in the storm driving from Rockland County. Authorities located his submerged vehicle nearby on an entrance ramp to the Saw Mill River Parkway.

Latimer said more than 200 cars remain abandoned on roadways.

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MOUNT HOLLY, N.J.  The National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, has confirmed six tornadoes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

After conducting surveys of the damage, the federal agency said there were tornadoes Wednesday in Mullica Hill, New Jersey; Princeton, New Jersey; Oxford, Pennsylvania; Fort Washington and Horsham Township, Pennsylvania; Buckingham Township, Pennsylvania; and Edgewater Park, New Jersey, and Bristol, Pennsylvania.

The service said wind speeds ranged from 75 mph (121 kph) to 130 mph (209 kph).

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WOODBURY, Conn.  An on-duty state police sergeant in Connecticut has died after his cruiser was swept away in flood waters early Thursday morning in Woodbury.

The 26-year veteran of the department called for help at about 3:30 a.m. Police searched the area with divers, helicopters, boats and drones and found the sergeant in the swollen river later in the morning after daybreak.

First responders performed live-saving measures and he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Officials did not release the sergeants name, saying family notifications were still pending.

Idas remnants killed at least 28 people late Wednesday and early Thursday in a record-setting downpour that stunned the U.S. East Coast.

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FORT WASHINGTON, Pa.  A tornado hit the suburbs north of Philadelphia with winds of up to 130 miles per hour, the National Weather Service confirmed Thursday.

The twister stretched from Fort Washington to Horsham in Montgomery County and ripped off part of the roof at Upper Dublin High School in Fort Washington.

It was one of several suspected tornadoes that touched down in the Philadelphia suburbs. The governors office said three areas of neighboring Bucks County, as well as Chester County, had suspected tornado damage. The weather service was surveying those areas.

Elsewhere in the state, Scranton saw its wettest day on record, according to the governors office, Harrisburg and Altoona had their third-wettest days, and several waterways in southeastern Pennsylvania set records for flooding.

More than 67,000 customers statewide remained without power Thursday, according to poweroutage.us which tracks outages nationwide.

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NEW YORK  At least 12 people have died in New York City in flooding caused by the remnants of Ida.

All but one of the people killed in the flooding so far were in basement apartments. Another man was found in a car on the flooded Grand Central Parkway in Queens.

Police said they found the bodies of three of the people around noon in a flooded basement near Kissena Park in Queens when they responded to a 911 call.

The chief of the NYPDs community affairs bureau, Jeffrey Maddrey, said officers were going to door-to-door searching for people trapped or killed.

We are making sure there are no other victims of a similar nature with the surrounding homes, the chief said.

Three other people, including two women and a man, were found dead Thursday morning in a basement apartment in another section of Queens.

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PHILADELPHIA  The management of a four-building, 941- unit apartment complex near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia have issued an evacuation order for residents citing deteriorating conditions.

Water had rushed into the parking garage and outdoor pool areas around the Park Towne Place apartments Thursday. The complex is about 500 feet from the bank of the Schuylkill River.

Representatives from the Philadelphia Red Cross chapter were responding to try to help residents find temporary shelter.

The management said power to the buildings was being shut off and the doors would be locked. They did not say how long they expected the evacuation to last. A phone call to a number listed for the apartments was not answered Thursday.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden says extreme storms like Ida are a reminder that the climate crisis is real and the nation needs to be better prepared.

Biden sought to assure residents in the Northeast on Thursday that federal first responders are on the ground to help clean up after Idas record rainfall and flooding.

The president spoke to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, and planned to also speak with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.

He says he made clear to the governors that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was the chief federal response officer after Superstorm Sandy walloped the region in 2012. Biden said she knows what to do.

Ida prompted the National Weather Service to issue a first-ever flood emergency for New York City and parts of Long Island.

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The remnants of Ida dumped more than 9 inches of rain in parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with New Yorks Staten Island coming just shy with 8.9 inches of rain.

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Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee all got well over 4 inches, with some of those places seeing more than half a foot of rain.

In New York City, Brooklyn recorded 7.76 inches of rain, midtown Manhattan, 7.49 inches, the Bronx 7.38 inches and Central Park 7.19 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service began warning early Monday about 3 to 6 inches of rain and considerable flash flooding from the mid-Atlantic to southern New England from Idas remnants.

By Tuesday afternoon meteorologists were warning of high risk of excessive rainfall, raising the total expected to 3 to 8 inches of rain.

The weather service warned of significant and life-threatening flash flooding in the region especially in cities, starting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday and repeated the warning through Wednesday afternoon.

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NEW YORK  State and city officials are calling Wednesdays downpour unprecedented and unforeseen. At least nine people died in New York City, many of whom were trapped in flooded basements.

We did not know that between 8:50 and 9:50 p.m. last night, that the heavens would literally open up and bring Niagara Falls level of water to the streets of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a briefing in Queens.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said weather projections failed to predict such a cataclysmic downpour. Were getting from the very best experts projections that then are made a mockery of in a matter of minutes, he said.

Hochul said she has spoken with President Joe Biden, who promised federal assistance.

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HURLEY, Va.  Search crews have found the body of a person unaccounted for in western Virginia after flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

The Buchanan County Sheriffs Office confirmed the death late Wednesday as a result of flooding in the Guesses Fork area of Hurley.

Sheriffs office Administrative Assistant Sharon Thornsbury said authorities had been looking for the person since Monday and everyone has now been accounted for.

Earlier this week, officials said about 20 homes were moved from their foundations and several trailers washed away by the storm. Crews started clearing debris Wednesday.

Officials estimate it will take at least 30 days to restore power in the area and one year for public water to be restored.

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PHILADELPHIA  Record flooding along the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania inundated homes and commercial buildings, swamped highways, submerged cars and disrupted rail service in the Philadelphia area.

Valerie Arkoosh, chairperson of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, said three people died in suburban Montgomery County and a tree fell into a womans house in Upper Dublin, killing her. Two other people drowned, one in a home and the other in a car.

In a tweet, city officials predicted historic flooding on Thursday as river levels continue to rise. The riverside community of Manayunk remained largely under water.

Emergency workers in the county completed more than 450 water rescues. That is three times the previous record. Rescue efforts were continuing throughout the morning.

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TRENTON, N.J.  Four people have died in Elizabeth, N.J., overnight as a result of the storm.

Elizabeth spokesperson Kelly Martins says the victims include a 72-year-old woman and her 71-year-old husband along with their 38-year-old son. A 33-year-old woman who was their neighbor also perished. The names of the victims were not released.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday morning toured tornado damage in Mullica Hill in the southern New Jersey Philadelphia suburbs.

Murphy said there were no fatalities from the tornado that left lumber scattered like toothpicks, tore roofs off and collapsed walls. He said there were other deaths in the state but didnt give details. He said he will speak soon with President Joe Biden and is hopeful to get a major disaster declaration.

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ELIZABETH, N.J.  Rescue crews are using drones to fly over the swollen banks of a river in Elizabeth near where four people died when the ground-floor units of their apartment complex flooded overnight.

Mayor J. Christian Bollwage told The Associated Press that the fire department rescued hundreds of people from the complex and the surrounding area. The department's local offices next to the Oakwood Plaza apartment complex were also inundated with four feet of flood waters.

We had to drill down from the second floor of some apartments to get to people in units below to rescue them, Bollwage said. We rescued hundreds of people from cars or the tops of their cars.

The Elizabeth River surged during heavy rains overnight, causing catastrophic flooding. The river is usually not larger than a trickle.

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NEW ORLEANS (AP)  When a light came on in the laundry room in Byron Lambert's house at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, he awoke with a start, thinking he had a burglar. Then he quickly realized what he saw was cause for celebration: The power was back.

Lambert happens to live in a small sliver of New Orleans where power was restored early Wednesday, more than two days after Hurricane Ida's Category 4 strength winds left the city and much of the region in darkness.

"I'm like, All right! We got power! Lambert said he remembered thinking. But then his enthusiasm was tempered by the knowledge of what others are still going through.

Although Entergy said 11,500 customers in the city of nearly 400,000 people had their electricity restored, 989,000 homes and businesses were without power  44% of all state utility customers in southeast Louisiana from the New Orleans area to Baton Rouge, according to the state Public Service Commission.

Officials with Entergy, which provides power to New Orleans as well as other areas, said the restoration process will not happen overnight. They said the company's first priority is to bring electricity back to key parts of the infrastructure.

The first few customers to get power back in New Orleans  both in their homes and outside on their streets  marked a huge first step, said Phillip May, president and CEO of Entergy Louisiana. Outside of New Orleans, Entergy has restored power to about 100,000 customers, mostly in the Baton Rouge area, May said.

For New Orleans residents who saw power return it was cause for celebration. Lambert called the neighbors in his close-knit community, and his wife and mother-in-law, who had evacuated to Texas to let them know it was OK to return. He was also keenly aware of how many other people were still struggling in the heat.

I pray for them because its rough," Lambert said.

Entergy said Wednesday that more than 5,000 power poles were damaged and more than 5,200 transformers knocked out by Ida. More than 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers) of transmission lines remain out of service. The company has given no specific time frame for when power will be widely restored.

This particular part of eastern New Orleans was able to power up because crews restored a major transmission line coming into the city from the east, company spokesman Lee Sabatini said. That line was coupled with power generated by the New Orleans Power Station, which is also located in eastern New Orleans.

Across the street from Lambert, neighbor and friend Wayne Bierria was out mowing his lawn, trying to get things done around the house before it got too hot. He got power back about the same time as Lambert.

Bierria was especially thankful that his is one of the homes that again have electricity because his family has medical issues. He suffers from asthma and sometimes needs a nebulizer which has to be plugged in, while his wife  who went to stay with a relative who has a generator  is diabetic and needs to keep her medicine cold.

Any longer without that (power), wed have been in some trouble, he said.

But for Shaundra Martin, getting the power back was only a partial solution to much bigger problem: She returned to her house Tuesday to find that it had significant roof damage and water had leaked all over the white tile floor. The blast of the cool air conditioning in the house Wednesday was of little comfort as she and her mother quickly mopped up the water to prevent mold from settling in.

Today with the power, I started cleaning," she said. But well get through it. Its life, living in Louisiana.

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Meanwhile, those in the majority of New Orleans neighborhoods still without power, residents continued to sweat it out while crews assessed lines and ascended in bucket trucks to make repairs. Just blocks away from where the electricity had been restored, Rashad Carter was cooking a breakfast of bacon and eggs for his extended family on a charcoal grill and making plans.

If the power isn't back on here by Thursday, they plan to stay someplace farther east where it is. He said the heat is particularly challenging for the children: He sent a daughter to stay with other family members in a hotel.

As to when the power might come back, he said a lot of rumors were flying around.

A lot of people say 4 p.m. A lot of people say 12 p.m. A lot of people say two to three weeks. So we dont know. Were just hoping, he said. If we got to leave we got to leave. ... We got patience."

Ireta Butler was going to stay with a friend in Slidell until the power came back. She lives in an apartment complex that didnt have electricity and was worried about getting heatstroke. Leaning on her walker with a wet towel draped around her neck, she said shed been feeling faint the night before.

My husband stood up all night fanning me, putting water all on me. I kept getting in and out of the shower, trying to cool my body temperature down, she said. Were going to go out there and stay a couple of days until we find out things are better in New Orleans. Thats all we can do.

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We must learn the lesson, finally: War is not the answer. We must learn this now.

The Capital Regions Women Against War came together 20 years ago when the United States sent troops into Afghanistan and Iraq. Twenty years and billions and billions of dollars later, we are no safer. Certainly, the people of Afghanistan, particularly women, are much less safe today than they were even then.
ALBANY  State lawmakers Wednesday pushed through robust additional protections for tenants and promised tens of millions in additional dollars to landlords.

The Senate and Assembly voted along party lines to extend the state's eviction moratorium to Jan. 15 as a means to get the hundreds of millions of federal dollars out the door and into the hands of landlords to cover rent that went unpaid during the pandemic, as tenants sheltered at home to try to avoid spreading the deadly coronavirus.

Democrats welcomed the new legislation as essential to preventing homelessness and the potential spread of the virus, and to fulfill a promise the government gave to renters and landlords to pay them. Republicans railed against the policy as unfair to landlords, who are to be paid directly under the program, and called for funding to be handled in the courts.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday called the Legislature back into the Capitol for the so-called "extraordinary session" to specifically tackle the issue of the expiring moratorium, along with addressing the open meetings law and her two top appointments to lead the state's marijuana industry. The day marked the first time lawmakers were in session under Hochul's administration.

Lawmakers on both sides blamed the administration of former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo for slowing down the flow of the emergency rental assistance funds. Their stance, particularly that of Democrats, on the cause of why money has slowly been paid out to landlords has amplified in the days since Cuomo left.

"We clearly need more time to get the money out the door and get it into the hand of those desperately in need," Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said on the Senate Floor Wednesday evening.

Republicans were hesitant to put the entire blame on Cuomo though. They blamed the system itself as lacking incentive to renters to apply for the assistance. They cited stories of landlords unable to convince their eligible tenants to apply for the money. Instead, they called for an end to the moratorium and for eviction proceedings to resume, and for the money to be made readily available to renters in the courts.

"We have not been able to get out this money for the last 17 months, but somehow we're going to be able to get it out in the next four months?" Minority Leader Rob Ortt said on the Senate floor. "I don't believe my colleagues even believe that to be true."

Ortt, like many of his Republican colleagues, insisted it was all about "undermining property rights." He said the moratorium was "kicking the can" and would cause a "housing crisis in this state."

"What we have done in the past and what we are doing today is destroying the housing market for low-to-moderate income tenants," Assemblyman Andy Goodell of Chautauqua County said on the floor. "If you'd ask an economist to design a system to increase homelessness, you could not design a better system."

Democrats defended the emergency rental assistance program and the strides they cited that it has made in recent weeks.

"It is clear that there were significant technical problems with the site and with the administration of it, that were not resolved expeditiously," bill sponsor Sen. Brian Kavanagh of New York City told the Times Union about the vendor and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. "It's clear they did not put up a reliable website and they did not properly test in advance of opening the application process.

Assembly Majority Leader Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes said on the floor that "things didn't work," about the rent relief under the Cuomo administration. She pointed to her relationship with Hochul and expressed confidence the new governor can ensure the money goes where it's supposed to.

"If she says she is going to get these resources out the door, that's going to happen," Peoples-Stokes said.

Lawmakers increased the total money available from $2.35 billion to $2.6 billion. It was expected that they may need to go back to the federal government for more money to cover the need.

The new legislation sets a "nuisance standard" to allow landlords to start an eviction if there is a nuisance or property damage issue. It also allows landlords to challenge a tenant's declaration that they had a hardship during the pandemic.

An additional $25 million is set for paying for legal services for tenants who face evictions.

And $100 million to $250 million is aimed at tenants who originally made more money than the threshold to qualify for rental assistance, which was 80 percent or below a given area's median income. The additional dollars are for people who are between 80 and 120 percent of the area median income. It also can help pay landlords who had a tenant leave without paying the rent during the pandemic.

Sen. Gustavo Rivera, a Bronx Democrat, told the Times Union he would welcome additional data from the state agency that can show it is providing more money to tenants over time. Under the limited data and with what he's heard from Hochul, he feels confident it will work out over the next four months.

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"She has said both publicly and privately that this money needs to get out," Rivera said. "I believe her."

Within the Capital Region, 4,415 applications have been submitted for rent relief through the state's emergency rental assistance program, as of July 30, with about half of the applications coming from Albany County, according to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

As of Aug. 23, according to the state agency, $4.1 million has been paid out to renters in the greater Capital Region among about 900 payments, with about $1.5 million to renters in Albany County.

About $203 million has been paid out statewide with an additional $605 million that is obligated to be distributed, but not yet paid, according to the agency.

Lawmakers said they have not gotten direct answers from the state agency on why landlords have not completed their end to receive the promised $605 million, for example, whether it is a case of clerical errors or a refusal to accept that money.

Open meetings

Lawmakers agreed to allow for local governments to resume holding all-virtual meetings, a suspension of Open Meetings Law that was allowed under emergency rules during the pandemic, but lapsed after the state of emergency ended this summer. Democrats and Republicans generally welcomed the adjustment, though good-government advocates were wary of the lack of a requirement for a physical location for the public to take part in a meeting.
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Fight over well water near Lake Superior could land in court

A grassroots citizen group is pushing back against a Duluth companys proposal to bottle and sell water from a well near Lake Superior
A growing number of companies big and small are now dropping requirements that made it harder to hire, from minimum education levels to amount of experience
A police captain on the Hawaii island of Kauai has filed a lawsuit alleging his police chief discriminated against him for being Japanese American
First responders in western Maryland used a boat to rescue 10 children and a driver from a school bus caught in rising flood waters as the remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped heavy rainfall
Charges have been dropped against a woman in South Florida whose arrest for video recording a traffic stop caused a local police department to pause enforcing an ordinance that critics said allowed officers to arrest people for filming them
Ohio 911 Call Center Agent Saves Life of Choking Coworker

People who work in emergency services call centers are familiar with assisting in saving lives, but in some cases, it happens literally. In Trumbull County, Ohio, 911 dispatcher Shana Murphy took a bite of a meal after finishing a dispatch call and realized that the food had become dislodged in her throat. Murphy told local news source The Vindicator that she felt as if the piece of meat went down wrong. She knew immediately that she was choking, as she was unable to clear air past the blockage.

I sat back in my chair and kept trying to swallow harder to get it to go down and it wouldnt. I jumped up because I realized I was in trouble, Murphy said.

Murphy leaped out of her chair, attracting the attention of fellow dispatcher Katelyn Bower, who asked her if she needed assistance in the form of the Heimlich maneuver. Murphy nodded.

She nodded. I asked if she needed the Heimlich and she nodded again. I proceeded to help her as best as I could, Bower told The Vindicator.

Bower proceeded to perform the Heimlich maneuver, a life-saving application of compressions of a choking victims diaphragm by an individual who stands behind the choking person and wraps their arms around the ribcage. It took two tries, but Bower was finally able to dislodge the blockage from Murphys throat.

Murphy told the local news source Murphy that she is grateful to Bower for acting so quickly.

I thanked her because she did save me, Murphy said.

Trumbull County dispatch interim director Patty Goldner noted that dispatchers are trained to remain calm during emergencies, so both Bower and Murphys professional training helped with a positive resolution to the situation.

I think that helped her [Bower] know immediately what needed to happen, Goldner said.

Edited by Luke Bellos
[September 02, 2021] AKVIS Sketch 24.5: Digital Art & Pencil Drawings Creator

PERM, Russia, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AKVIS announces the update of AKVIS Sketch, photo to drawing software for Windows and Mac. Version 24.5 includes the redesigned user interface, an extended list of the supported RAW files, bug fixes and stability improvements. AKVIS Sketch is the leading photo to sketch software. The program turns images into black and white and color pencil drawings that compete with hand-drawn art. The program is equipped with an extensive range of creative features. It includes three rendering styles: Classic, Artistic, and Maestro; each with dozens of presets and fully customizable parameters and decoration options to create a unique and authentic artwork. The software has gained huge popularity from the very beginning when it included a few photo-to-sketch conversion sliders. Over the years, AKVIS Sketch has become widely used by graphic enthusiasts, as well as by professionals, design and animation studios, and video game creators. In the press and media, the program is featured as "some of the best image processing programs on the mrket", "the software that people have been dreaming of", "very close to the results a real artist would get", "so entertaining and inviting", and "the possibilities are endless and  lots of fun."



Version 24.5 brings the software right up to date with a new interface. The standard AKVIS interface is re-designed to provide a modern experience. The program icon has also been changed. Now users can enjoy creating works of art in a new environment. Additionally, the update offers some improvements, support for more RAW files, and better program stability.

Download AKVIS Sketch 24.5 from akvis.com and try its exclusive features during the 10-day trial period. Giving users complete freedom and variability of use, AKVIS Sketch is available as a standalone application and a plugin filter for AliveColors by AKVIS, Adobe Photoshop, Corel PaintShop Pro, Affinity Photo, and other compatible graphics editors. The software runs on Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 - 32/64-bit; Mac OS X 10.10-10.11 and macOS 10.12-11.0 - 64-bit. The product comes in Home, Home Deluxe, and Business versions (lifetime licenses), with differing levels of functionality. The Home license sells for $ 72.00. The update is free for users who bought the software in the last 12 months. Users, whose licenses are older and are not valid for the new version, can get Sketch 24.5 for only $14.95. For more details about the software, please visit akvis.com. AKVIS (akvis.com) specializes in the development of photo & video processing software. Since the company's launch in 2004, it has released a wide selection of successful products for Windows and Mac. The company always keeps up with the times and updates its products with cutting-edge technologies. About the Program: akvis.com/en/sketch/index.php

Contact: Kat Kharina, AKVIS LLC, 317972@email4pr.com, 83422121661 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/akvis-sketch-24-5-digital-art--pencil-drawings-creator-301368110.html SOURCE AKVIS Lab

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[September 02, 2021] Align Capital Partners Exits Tolling Technology Company ETC

Align Capital Partners ("ACP") has sold Richardson (News - Alert) , Texas-based Electronic Transaction Consultants, LLC ("ETC" or the "Company") to Quarterhill Inc. ("Quarterhill") (TSX: QTRH) (OTCQX: QTRHF) for total cash consideration of $120 million USD plus transaction related expenses. For more than 20 years, ETC has been a leading provider of tolling and mobility software solutions to some of the largest U.S. tolling authorities, including in the states of Texas, Georgia, California and Illinois. ETC's flexible riteSuite software platform enables authorities to customize operations to their specific needs for roadside operations and back-office customer engagement. The Company's platform processes more than two billion transactions annually representing more than $3.0 billion USD in toll billings across more than 1,500 toll lanes in the U.S. Acquired as a corporate carveout in July 2020, ETC was the first investment within ACP's targeted state and local government ("SLG") technology investment theme. "Our investment in ETC was predicated on the massive need for SLGs to replace antiquated technology systems. ETC is at the forefront of software innovation within the tolling industry. Its cloud-based, modular software platform helps tolling agencies collect more revenue to fund required infrastructure investments, while also better serving its citizens," said ACP Managing Partner Rob Langley. ETC management, alongside ACP, executed upon several strategic objectives far earlier than originally planned, which resulted in strong momentum early in ACP's hold. "During our partnership, ACP helped the Company add key management talent including a strong COO and CTO, streamlined ETC's technology roadmap and improved the Company's operating leverage and scalability. Accomplishing these objectives early on led to a nmber of key customer wins," said Langley. "ACP's investment came at a time of increased focus on U.S. infrastructure requirements, and we believe ETC is well positioned to build upon its strong historical growth with Quarterhill given the combined companies offer increased scale and synergistic technology solutions."



"The investment from ACP last year was a critical next step in the growth journey for ETC," said ETC CEO Bret Kidd. "We are grateful that ACP moved quickly post-closing to invest in our business and deliver on their promise to bring high-quality industry resources to bear. They were a great partner to management and the business." This transaction marks ACP's second exit of 2021, following the sale of Alliance Technical Group in July, and first exit from Align Capital Partners Fund II. Operating Partner Dave Perotti, Principal Matt Iodice and Associate Vijay Senthilkumar worked alongside Mr. Langley on the ETC investment.

About Electronic Transaction Consultants, LLC

ETC is a leading U.S. software and technology provider to SLG tolling agencies, developing and delivering best in class solutions for tolling, congestion management, urban mobility and multimodal transportation needs. ETC's passionate and innovative team has been driving the future of mobility since 1999, with a number of industry firsts, including all electronic tolling, dynamic pricing, agency interoperability, hosted mobility solutions and machine learning. For over two decades, ETC has delivered sophisticated solutions to many of the U.S.'s largest toll authorities, including state-wide programs, county networks and tolling-specific authorities. ETC's solutions process over two billion transactions annually totaling over $3 billion in revenues for our customers, incorporating the latest in evergreen open-source and SaaS (News - Alert) technologies and Big Data architecture through our innovative riteSuite products. For more information, visit etcc.com. About Align Capital Partners

Align Capital Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm that partners with business owners and management teams to create shared success. ACP manages $775 million in committed capital with investment teams in Cleveland and Dallas. ACP brings experience and resources to help lower-middle market companies accelerate their growth, to the benefit of management, employees and the firm's investors. ACP makes control investments in differentiated companies within the business services, technology, specialty manufacturing and distribution sectors. For more information, visit aligncp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005137/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Banks Award $71K to Four Texas Nonprofits

Comerica Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) partnered to award a combined $71,000 in Partnership Grant Program ( PGP (News - Alert) ) funds to four Texas nonprofits. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005843/en/ Anita C. Roberts, president of Made Media Group of Austin, Texas, poses with a ceremonial $17,000 check celebrating the organization's Partnership Grant Program funding from Comerica Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas. (Photo: Business Wire) The two banks celebrated the funding awards with the four organizations during a September 2 virtual check presentation. The following organizations received funding: Kym's Kids, Dallas, Texas, $22,000. Kym's Kids helps abused, neglected and low- to moderate-income children and families with year-round mentoring, tutoring, low-income housing, field trips to cultural events, school supplies and household goods. The organization will use the funds for operational expenses. Made Media Group, Austin, Texas, $17,000. Made Media Group promotes Black businesses and celebrates African American achievements and encourages African American youth to pursue careers in media and technology. The organization will use the funds for administrative and operational expenses. MEED Center, Dallas, Texas, $17,000. MEED Center provides low- to moderate-income individuals with entrepreneurial support, business development, education, job training and community events, including outreach into refugee communities and a gobal youth and women's leadership program. The organization will use the funds for administrative and operational expenses.



PowHer Play, Pearland, Texas, $15,000. PowHer Play, doing business as The Chatman Women's Foundation, is a nonprofit organization that empowers women by supporting women-owned businesses and providing scholarships and grants to those in need. It plans to use the funds for educational scholarships for women going back to school or those completing their education, women wishing to obtain new job skills or those overcoming hardships. "We are grateful for strategic partnerships like FHLB Dallas' PGP, which allows our bank to be intentional in the way we deploy resources, ensuring we reach and make an immediate impact on the communities that need it the most," said Vanessa T. Reed, Comerica Bank's national external affairs manager. "FHLB Dallas' matching grant structure also helps us deliver on the Comerica Promise of raising expectations in the communities we serve through inclusive and innovative investments in four very-deserving nonprofit organizations."

For 2021, FHLB Dallas awarded $400,000 in PGP grants, and its members provided an additional $200,250 for an impact of more than $600,000 in its five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. "The PGP exemplifies the strong bond between FHLB Dallas and our members," said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. "Comerica's support of community organizations with PGP funds spans more than a decade, a tribute to its commitment to many worthwhile organizations over the years." See the complete list of the 2021 PGP grant recipients. For more information about the 2021 PGP grants and other FHLB Dallas community investment products and programs, please visit fhlb.com/pgp. About Comerica Bank Comerica Bank is a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA), a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Comerica focuses on relationships, and helping people and businesses be successful. In addition to Texas, Comerica Bank locations can be found in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, with select businesses operating in several other states, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $88.4 billion as of June 30, 2021. About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $58.6 billion as of June 30, 2021, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 800 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit our website at fhlb.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005843/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers Ready to Support Hurricane Ida Recovery Process

The Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA) and the greater Bermuda (re)insurance industry stand ready to support Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in the United States as a Category 4 hurricane and has since been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. Bermuda's commitment to supporting communities that suffer natural disasters is illustrated by the recent announcement from the Bermuda Monetary Authority, which noted that Bermuda (re)insurers paid out US$209.6 billion to United States policyholders and cedants for large catastrophes, property and casualty losses, and life insurance claims from 2016 to 2020. Overall, the industry has paid out US$400 billion since 1997. "After Hurricane Ida, our thoughts are with the people of Louisiana, the Gulf Coast, and all who have been affected by this immense storm," said Stephen Weinstein, BDA Chair. "Bermuda's (re)insurers have a long histry of financing post-disaster recovery processes across the world and we stand ready to assist in times of need. Building on our decades of experience helping to close the insurance protection gap, Bermuda is also focused on helping our partners address the climate risk protection gap by becoming a capital of climate risk finance."



Over the years, Bermuda has proven to be a strong ally of the United States and has provided substantial support to Americans after past natural disasters, noted John Huff, President and CEO, Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR). "Bermuda's leading insurers & reinsurers paid a total of USD$22B to rebuild the United States Gulf and Florida Coasts from seven hurricanes between 2004-2005, including nearly 30% of insured losses from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. More recently, the Bermuda market was estimated to pay some 30% ($30 billion) of 2017 Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria losses," Huff said. "Hurricane Ida will be no different. Our members will provide full services to affected persons to ensure they receive the support they need following this deadly storm."

Bermuda is a jurisdiction that punches well above its weight on the global stage. In its latest Market Segment Report, published August 31, 2021, AM Best ranked 14 Bermuda (re)insurers in the top 50 worldwide. CONNECTING BUSINESS The BDA encourages direct investment and helps companies start up, re-locate or expand their operations in our premier jurisdiction. An independent, public-private partnership, we connect you to industry professionals, regulatory officials, and key contacts in the Bermuda government to assist domicile decisions. Our goal? To make doing business in Bermuda smooth and beneficial. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005734/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Cargill & Rizq Join Hands to Create a Hunger-Free Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Food insecurity continues to remain a major challenge facing Pakistan. Cargill, one of the world's leading agriculture and food processing corporations, has collaborated with Rizq, a prominent non-profit food distribution organization, to establish Pakistan's first ever Cargill-RizqBank in Lyari, Karachi. The Cargill-Rizq ecosystem will work to create a food secure community, reduce food wastage and serve about 200,000 meals annually in the community. The RizqBanks are storage facilities to save and channelize fresh and dry food. It also empowers and educates the community members and partner agencies with training and workshops. It will contribute with its four key services, RizqDaig, RizqRation, RizqBachao and Rizq Future Generation Program to end food insecurity and hunger in Lyari. Under RizqDaiq, food will be distributed within the community daily. RizqRation will identify and deliver monthly food supplies to food insecure families. The RizqBachao initiative looks into the collection, storage and distribution of excess food to low-income households. Lastly, the Rizq Future Generation Program, under which volunteer programs comprising of youth from schools and universities are deployed to support activities of zero food waste and work towards a hunger-free Pakistan. Commenting on the partnership, Imran Nasrullah, President, Cargill Pakistan, said, "Like many developing countries, Pakistan faces a food security crisis where millions of families go to bed hungry every day. The Covid19 pandemic has further exacerbated the situation to alarming levels." He further said, "To date, 15 Cargill Rizqbanks have been established through which we have served over 10 million meals, saved over a million kilos of food, incubated over 1000 families and distributed over 70,000 food packs to those in need. Cargill is proud to partner with Rizq for enabling an ecosystem to alleviate hunger and malnutrition from Pakistan. Phase Two of the program will establish Rizq Xchange, a collaborative effort of different stakeholders to mobilize resources to create a hunger-free nation. The Rizq XChange, backed by its cloud-food banking technology, aims to connect a consortium of stakeholders including (but is not limited to) NGOs, corporations, schools, restaurants, hospitals, and universities as well as volunteer programs from all walks of society to reach verified beneficiaries in real-time through a nationwide network of RizqBanks. Rizq XChange platformwill be a true depiction of connectivity, measurable impact, and transparency of food philanthropy in Pakistan. The establishment of a RizqBank in Lyari, Karachi will effectively serve as a roadmap for interested stakeholders to come together and further create self-sustaining communities across the nation. This model once established in Lyari, Karachi, will also be cascaded at key locations nationwide through this partnership.



Expressing his opinion on the collaboration, CEO Rizq Mr. Musa Aamir said, "We are thankful to Cargill Pakistan for joining with Rizq on its mission to make a hunger-free Pakistan. This partnership has enabled our collective measures to reach broader communities and empower them with food security in a very short period of time. The day is not far when every household in Pakistan will be food-secure and no growth will be stunted." Furthering its corporate purpose of nourishing communities in a safe, responsible and sustainable way, Cargill has played a pivotal role in the program's seed funding and will assist Rizq with technical advisory services to run and expand the food bank operations. Cargill employees will also actively engage as volunteers at the Cargill RizqBank. Rizq will manage the on-ground deployment and operations of this innovative model. They will also provide the overall strategy for deployment of the Cargill RizqBank and Rizq Xchange as part of this growing initiative.

About Cargill Cargill's 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with food they need to thrive. We combine 155 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center . About Cargill in Pakistan Cargill started its operations in Pakistan in 1984. Today it has business interests in refined oils, animal feed, grains & oilseeds, cotton, food ingredients, sugar and metals. Cargill is one of the leading suppliers of palm oil and soybeans and cocoa powder to Pakistan. With its head office in Karachi, Cargill recently opened another office in Lahore. About Rizq Trust

Rizq is a people-powered social exchange to sustain human life to fulfill his true potential. It aims to replace the vices within our systems with virtues of Sharing, Favor, and Compassion to create self-sustaining neighborhoods, communities, and life on earth. Housing a network of food banks and on-ground partner nonprofits, we identify food insecure people and provide them with nutritious and stable food supplies. This network is enabled and financed by a National Consortium of Stakeholders and is powered and championed by the youth of Pakistan. To date, Rizq has been able to distribute more than 10 Million meals, collectively has saved up to more than 1 Million KG's of excess food which consequently has been distributed amongst the most destitute people, and lastly has provided sustenance to more than 1000 families through Rizq Food Banks in the Rizq enabled communities. For more information. Visit sharerizq.com/ Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607458/Cargill_and_Rizq.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607459/Hunger_Free_Pakistan.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1488953/Cargill_Logo.jpg

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[September 02, 2021] Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Exposes Skadden Arps' Shamelessly Endless Appetite for Litigation with New Mobile Truck Ad

Following a recent letter from Skadden Arps' attorney Jennifer Voss to TransPerfect lawyers refusing to cash a payment of more than $1 million made for debts owed, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware (CPBD) is exposing the firm for its overzealous inclination to sue. The company continues to pay fees to Skadden after more than three years after the forced sale of the company. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005706/en/ Mobile billboard highlighting Skadden's zealous overbilling (Photo: Business Wire) The unprecedented forced sale of the profitable company sparked TransPerfect employees to start CPBD to promote transparency, accountability and diversity in Delaware courts for more just and fair rulings.



Said Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Campaign Manager Chris Coffey, "The residents of Delaware lose when powerful law firms can overburden the court system with more opportunities for selfish gain. Skadden Arps and their consultants have made more than 1000 times the median salary of a Delaware resident on a single case. Previous judges like Chancellor Andre Bouchard and former Skadden employees that now reign on the Chancery continue to allow the firm to sue TransPerfect and other companies rather than mediate, negotiate and serve the benefit of the public. "We have come back year after year in hopes for change. We have received the attention of national media and we have seen small gains in exposing the way the Delaware court system is skewed to advance lawyer greed as opposed to worker and resident rights. The more we amplify the message, the more people join the effort, and we will continue on."

Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the unprecedented forced sale of TransPerfect. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005706/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Fieldin raises $30M Series B led by Fortissimo Capital to make commercial farms autonomous

FRESNO, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American-Israeli AgTech startup Fieldin has completed a $30 million Series B funding round, led by Fortissimo Capital, with the participation of Zeev Ventures, ICON Accelerator, Luxembourg-based Maor Investments, and Akkadian ventures. Series B funders join early-stage investors Terra Ventures, Gal Ventures, Germin8, and Mindset, with the aim of scaling Fieldin's agricultural operating system. The close of Series B brings Fieldin's total fundraising to $55 million. Fieldin's agricultural operating system (AgOS) empowers commercial farmers to adapt to a rapidly changing environment, using real-time data and performance management tools to digitize the operations of an industry that has been slow to embrace the technological revolution. The AgOS leverages machine learning and AI to provide custom recommendations for the management of key work processes, supporting crop health and yields, improving sustainability, and boosting overall efficiency and profits. The Fieldin platform evaluates and manages the entire growing cycle from planning to execution, including equipment, workers, materials, and more. Sensors are installed on tractors, machines, and farm implements (such as sprayers, harvesters, and mowers), turning all operational equipment into 'smart' machines. Data from operators and the field are transmitted in real time to the Fieldin platform for analysis. Aggregated data and dashboards create visibility and insight for key farm decision-makers, strengthening accountability, precision, practices, and results. The company' technology is already deployed in 5 of the 10 largest farms in California and supports more than 20% of global almond production. Major client Olam, one of the leading almond growers in the world, uses the platform to reinforce its sustainability programs and maximize productivity. Other Fieldin clients include Taylor Farms, which grows 30% of the lettuce consumed in the U.S., and California Olive Ranch. Fieldin delivers an estimated 25% improvement in farm productivity across its client portfolio.



Fieldin was founded in 2013 by Boaz Bachar (CEO) and Iftach Birger (COO), both of whom have a family background in Israeli agriculture. The company has operations in San Jose and Fresno, California, an R&D center in Yoqneam, Israel, and an office in Mildura, Australia. Boaz Bachar, co-founder, and CEO of Fieldin notes: "Fieldin is reinventing agricultural management methods and digitizing operations from beginning to end. Our technology provides the entire ecosystem of farm stakeholders with customized tools to manage against operating constraints in real time. This is a game-changer for commercial farmers who want to thrive amid the complexities of the coming agricultural era."

Bachar adds: "We are starting to see the development of autonomous farm equipment it's an exciting milestone for the industry. Our AgOS easily interfaces with digital equipment and can both manage and disseminate the data produced by the coming wave of autonomous farm technologies." Iftach Birger, co-founder and COO of Fieldin, stated: "Today's growers are challenged by many factors, like chronic labor shortages, strict regulations, pests, unpredictable weather, water shortages, oil prices, and more. Fieldin is driving the strategic utilization of agricultural resources against these constraints, not only optimizing operations and reducing costs, but also making a positive global contribution through better food, higher yields, and environmental impact management." Yoav Hineman, partner at Fortissimo Capital, added: "The unprecedented challenges faced by commercial farming can be tackled not only by regulation but also through innovative companies that can move quickly to scale superior technologies. Fieldin is exactly that kind of company, and we chose to invest in order to help it spearhead the autonomous farming revolution." Media contact: Amir Ben Artzi, Meirovitch PR, amir@meirovitch.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fieldin-raises-30m-series-b-led-by-fortissimo-capital-to-make-commercial-farms-autonomous-301368297.html SOURCE Fieldin

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[September 02, 2021] FLO supports EV education at West Aurora High as part of its first charging stations deployment in Illinois

QUEBEC CITY and AURORA, Ill. , Sept. 2, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - As students return to school, those attending West Aurora High, in Aurora, Illinois, will discover a new sight in the school's parking lot: the first FLO electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the state of Illinois. The four CoRe+ Level II chargers installed during the summer are part of a unique program that the school developed on their premises, which teaches students, both through simulation and practice, how EVs work, how to charge them, and what benefits EV adoption brings to drivers and to the environment. FLO supports EV education at West Aurora High as part of its first charging stations deployment in Illinois "Supporting and accelerating widespread EV adoption is an integral part of FLO's global strategy, and what makes our collaboration with West Aurora High School so exciting," said Rose Lenoff, FLO's Business Development Manager, Smart Cities and Government. "Not only are we helping raise students' awareness about the benefits of driving an EV, but we are supporting EV education for the next generation of drivers. In the end, we expect that their understanding and familiarity with EVs will turn them into ambassadors who can spread practical and relevant information about zero-emission transportation." More than 3,500 students from vast parts of the state attend the West Aurora high school, which is known for its diversity. Its students speak 45 different languages at home, with backgrounds stretching across six continents. Last year, the school applied for a grant from the Illinois-based utility company Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) to invest in electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure for educational purposes. The school then went on to win the grant, making it possible for 600 students to attend its EV education program.



"The EV Drivers' Education class is part of West Aurora School District's overall strategy to switch to clean energy," said Todd Gingerich, Head of Facilities at the West Aurora high school. "We recently installed solar panels on the school's roof, and a geothermal system to produce the school's energy. Working with FLO to install EV chargers on the school premises has been another major step in this strategy, as the school's motto is: Learn, practice, and apply. That is clear in this class where students learn about EV driving in theory, practice it using simulation in the school lab, then get to apply all those learnings with real electric vehicles that they can drive and charge firsthand. Having solid, reliable EV infrastructure is the foundation of a great EV experience. We want our students to have that takeaway and to become EV drivers themselves once they are ready to take the wheel." Located about 40 miles west of Chicago, the City of Aurora is a member of Chicago Area Clean Cities, a nonprofit coalition that promotes clean transportation, clean vehicles, and clean air in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.

"We are a unique partnership of government and companies from every corner of the Chicago metropolitan area," said John Walton, chair of Chicago Area Clean Cities. "The members of our coalition work together to encourage the use of clean vehicles and clean fuels to help reduce emissions and improve air quality throughout the Chicago area. "EV infrastructure is a very important part of the work that we do," Walton added. "FLO's support for EV education in Aurora is a terrific example for other communities, and it may even lead to some of these young people eventually working in the electric vehicle industry." About FLO FLO is a leading North American electric vehicle charging network operator and a major provider of smart charging software and equipment. Every month, FLO enables hundreds of thousands charging events thanks to over 45,000 high-quality stations deployed on public networks, commercial and residential installations. FLO's headquarters and network operations centre are based in Quebec City, and its assembly plant is located in Shawinigan (Quebec). The company also has an office in Montreal and regional teams located in Ontario, British Columbia, California, New York and Texas. For more information, visit flo.com. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flo-supports-ev-education-at-west-aurora-high-as-part-of-its-first-charging-stations-deployment-in-illinois-301368122.html SOURCE FLO

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[September 02, 2021] Harris Williams Advises Deacom on its Sale to ECI Software Solutions

Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces it advised Deacom, Inc. (Deacom) on its sale to ECI Software Solutions (ECI), a portfolio company of Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. (LGP) and funds advised by Apax Partners LLP (Apax). Deacom is a leading cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provider for process manufacturers and distribution companies. The transaction was led by the Harris Williams Technology Group. "The manufacturing industry continues to undergo a significant transformation, creating greater need for purpose-built software capable of enhancing production workflows, improving quality and driving automation. The combination of Deacom and ECI marks an exciting milestone for both companies, particularly in the process manufacturing sector," said Andy Leed, a director at Harris Williams. "It was a pleasure working with founder and CEO Jay Deakins, and his team at Deacom, and we are excited to see what the company accomplishes in partnership with ECI." "Deacom is a recognized leader in manufacturing software, having invested significantly in technology and product development to constantly enhance the value it delivers to its tenured and growing global customer base," added Thierry Monjauze, a managing director and the head of the Technology Group at Harris Williams. "We are grateful to have had the opportunity to extend our successful track record in the industrial software sector and look forward to watching Deacom continue to thrive as part of ECI." Deacom is a provider of highly scalable cloud-based software purpose-built for batch nd process manufacturers and distribution companies. The company's comprehensive ERP solutions encompass a broad range of features and functionality that enable manufacturers to solve complex challenges with a single, fully-integrated platform. With a focus on constantly evolving the software, mission-critical business functionality is continuously developed internally by Deacom and incorporated directly into the core system for all customers. As a result, manufacturers and distributors are able to leverage platform-wide enhancements to increase operational efficiency, improve product quality, and reduce the total cost of ownership. Deacom is headquartered in Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania with offices in Denver and Frankfurt, Germany.



ECI provides industry-specific business software solutions and services, focusing on cloud-based technologies. For more than 30 years, ECI has served small- to medium-sized manufacturing, wholesale/retail distribution, building, and construction and field service organizations. Privately held, ECI is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, England, the Netherlands and Australia. LGP is a leading private equity investment firm founded in 1989 and based in Los Angeles with over $50 billion of assets under management. The firm partners with experienced management teams and often with founders to invest in market-leading companies. Since inception, LGP has invested in over 100 companies in the form of traditional buyouts, going-private transactions, recapitalizations, growth equity, and selective public equity and debt positions. The firm primarily focuses on companies providing services, including consumer, business and healthcare services, as well as retail, distribution and industrials.

Apax is a leading global private equity advisory firm. For nearly 50 years, Apax has worked to inspire growth and ideas that transform businesses. The firm has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of more than $60 billion. The Apax Funds invest in companies across four global sectors of tech, services, healthcare and internet/consumer. These funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC (News - Alert) Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The Harris Williams Technology Group advises leading private and public companies, founders, and private equity, growth equity and venture capital firms on mergers and acquisitions and capital-raising transactions worldwide. The Technology Group has deep domain expertise in software and technology-enabled services and dedicated focus areas across a variety of vertical software applications and end markets. For more information on the Technology Group and its recent transactions, visit the Technology Group's section of the Harris Williams website. Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 8th Floor, 20 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AB, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: hwgermany@harriswilliams.com). Geschaftsfuhrer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business. For media inquiries, please contact Julia Moore at media@harriswilliams.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005581/en/

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[September 02, 2021] High-end Global Computed Tomography Purchases to Propel the High-end CT Segment Revenue

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /CNW/ -- An estimated 375 million computed tomography (CT) procedures are carried out globally each year, increasing annually by 3%4%. The rapidly evolving needs of clinicians and radiologists coupled with technology advancements such as photon-counting detector technology, machine learning, deep learning, and spectral imaging have transformed the landscape of the global CT industry. The CT market worldwide is witnessing a gradual shift from low-end CT scanners to mid-high (64 slice) and high-end (128 slice and above) scanners, primarily due to CT technology innovations in reducing radiation dosage and expanding clinical applications in vascular, oncology, cardiac, and breast cancer imaging. As a result, the global CT market is expected to reach $6.14 billion by 2025 from $4.16 billion in 2020, registering steady growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1%. For further information on this analysis, Global Computed Tomography Growth Opportunities, please visit: http://frost.ly/69q "High-end CT purchases by university/academic and public hospitals in North America, Western Europe, and Japan are expected to propel the high-end CT segment revenue," said Poornima Srinivasan, Healthcare & Lif Sciences Consultant at Frost & Sullivan. "The 16- to 64-slice scanner shipments to diagnostic imaging centers in developing regions of LATAM, India and China are increasing and anticipated to experience moderate growth over the forecast period."



Srinivasan added: "CT was at the forefront of combat against the COVID-19 pandemic as the majority of countries immediately installed CT for lung screening. Despite new purchases, the capacity of traditional unit shipments per year did not yield its full potential. As such, there is an expected pent-up demand for CT to fulfill needs-based requirements during the forecast period." The trend of upgrading existing scanners to high-end scanners will present the following growth opportunities for market participants:

Increasing use of traditional and mobile CT in lung cancer screening : Mobile CT can increase overall CT use cases, widen the market for participants, and present a business opportunity for leading manufacturers with a broad CT portfolio.

: Mobile CT can increase overall CT use cases, widen the market for participants, and present a business opportunity for leading manufacturers with a broad CT portfolio. CT penetration in cardiac centers : With reimbursement approval from the current procedure terminology (CPT) and European regulations, cardiac imaging has taken a significant stride toward CT scanning.

: With reimbursement approval from the current procedure terminology (CPT) and European regulations, cardiac imaging has taken a significant stride toward CT scanning. Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered CT scanners are promising cancer detection tools : A significant uptake of AI-based CT is anticipated by 2025 due to its efficiency and ability to handle large patient volumes. Regulatory approvals for these solutions are expected in the next one to two years. CT manufacturers should capitalize on the first-mover advantage by offering transparent and flexible pricing and partnering with start-ups.

: A significant uptake of AI-based CT is anticipated by 2025 due to its efficiency and ability to handle large patient volumes. Regulatory approvals for these solutions are expected in the next one to two years. CT manufacturers should capitalize on the first-mover advantage by offering transparent and flexible pricing and partnering with start-ups. Global Computed Tomography Growth Opportunities is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan's Healthcare & Life Sciences research and analyses available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organizations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future. About Frost & Sullivan For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion. Global Computed Tomography Growth Opportunities MFC Contact:

Mariana Fernandez

Corporate Communications

E: Mariana.Fernandez@frost.com

http://www.frost.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/high-end-global-computed-tomography-purchases-to-propel-the-high-end-ct-segment-revenue-301367872.html SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

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KayaPush Launches HR, Payroll, and Workforce Management for Oklahoma Dispensaries

KayaPush is an all-in-one platform that helps dispensary owners grow and scale their businesses by simplifying HR, payroll, time tracking, and scheduling. With this all-in-one solution, Oklahoma dispensaries will be able to meet the demands of operating in a highly regulated industry with little administrative burden.

KayaPush has years of experience helping other marijuana industry startups in California, Nevada, Missouri, Michigan, Illinois and is excited to expand its services to Oklahoma. Their all-in-one solution is already making waves throughout the cannabis community by providing an easy solution that overcomes many of the regulatory hurdles faced by dispensaries, such as payroll and employee management.

Director of Partnerships at KayaPush, Tommy Truong, said he anticipates a huge demand in the Oklahoma market in regards to HR and payroll services. "We're dedicated to giving dispensaries the tools they need to manage their workforce effectively while making sure that all the regulatory requirements are met, and there is minimal friction for the business owners," said Tommy.







Aiming to serve as a complete workforce management solution for dispensaries in Oklahoma, KayaPush simplifies operational tasks with streamlined time tracking and scheduling capabilities. With detailed reporting tools and an intuitive interface, dispensary owners can manage teams without performing extensive administrative work.

"Our HR and payroll solution was designed with dispensaries in mind. We understand the difficulties of processing payroll in the cannabis industry, staying compliant, while still managing and running your business," said Tommy.

KayaPush integrates with leading POS systems that offer the Metrc tracking integration, ensuring compliance and an end-to-end solution for dispensaries.

It is currently offering a free trial of their software to Oklahoma dispensary owners looking for a payroll and workforce management solution.

Company Information

About: KayaPush is an all-in-one platform that helps dispensary owners grow and scale their businesses by simplifying HR, payroll, time tracking, and scheduling.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005284/en/
[September 02, 2021] LFTD Partners Inc. (OTCQB: AQSP) Announces Letter of Intent to Acquire Fresh Farms E-Liquid, LLC

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LFTD Partners Inc., formerly known as Acquired Sales Corp. (OTCQB: AQSP) (www.LFTDPartners.com), today announced that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire 100% of the ownership interests of Fresh Farms E-Liquid, LLC, Fountain Valley, California (Fresh Farms), including its e-liquid brands Fresh Farms (www.FreshFarmsEliquid.com) and Fruitia, hemp-derived delta-8-THC and delta-10-THC brand HAPPI, and tobacco-free nicotine e-liquid brand JUS, and Fresh Farms 80% interest in Lift Brands North America LLC (www.LiftCBD.com).

The letter of intent contemplates an aggregate merger consideration payable by AQSP to the owners of Fresh Farms consisting of $14,166,666 in cash, plus 7,083,334 shares of AQSP's unregistered common stock valued at $31,450,003 based upon the $4.44 closing price per share of AQSP common stock on September 1, 2021, for an aggregate merger consideration of $45,616,669. Pursuant to the terms of the letter of intent, AQSPs planned acquisition of Fresh Farms is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to completion of an acceptable due diligence investigation and audit of Fresh Farms, completion of a capital raise of at least $50 million by AQSP, execution of definitive acquisition documents, receipt of a tax opinion on the Fresh Farms merger, obtaining all necessary approvals, and the completion of all necessary securities filings. The acquisition will not close unless all of these conditions are met, which cannot be guaranteed to occur. Co-founded in 2018 by Anthony J. Devincentis, Jakob M. Audino, Forrest F. Town and John Z. Petti, Fresh Farms was born out of a desire to make premium products available to every person looking for alternatives to traditional tobacco. Based in sunny Southern California, Fresh Farms portfolio includes Premarket Tobacco Application (PMTA)-submitted e-liquid brands Fresh Farms and Fruitia, JUS tobacco-free nicotine vapor products, and premium delta-8-THC and delta-10-THC brand HAPPI. Fresh Farms products are available for sale throughout the USA, around the world, and online at www.FreshFarmsEliquid.com. Fresh Farms also owns 80% of CBD and CBN product manufacturer Lift Brands North America LLC (www.LiftCBD.com). If the transaction closes, Fresh Farms will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of LFTD Partners Inc. Anthony J. Devincentis, Jakob M. Audino, Forrest F. Town and John Z. Petti, co-founders and co-owners of Fresh Farms, will continue to serve as the CEO, Sales Manager, Director of Sales, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Fresh Farms and as a consultant to Fresh Farms, respectively, under multi-year employment agreements, and Anthony J. Devincentis will join AQSPs internal executive steering committee.

Fresh Farms CEO and Co-Founder Anthony J. Devincentis stated, You are witnessing the gathering of the leading players in the hemp-derived products, e-liquid, and vape industries under one roof: LFTD Partners Inc. When we were approached by Chris Wheeler, CEO of Savage Enterprises, about partnering with Savage and Lifted Made in LFTD Partners, and we heard about LFTD Partners decentralized, entrepreneur-led format, we knew that we wanted to be a part of this. Its great to have the opportunity to join such like-minded entrepreneurs to build LFTD Partners Inc. From Day 1, the Fresh Farms team has worked tirelessly to achieve our goals, and that effort continues to bear fruit. So far this year, subject to audit, Fresh Farms has already doubled its 2020 sales revenue  up from $8 million in 2020 to over $17 million year-to-date in 2021, including approximately $3.4 million in August alone. And, Fresh Farms unaudited year-to-date 2021 pre-tax profit is approximately $7 million. The idea of combining our talents and strong numbers with Lifteds and Savages, in a public company, is exciting. We couldnt be more excited about partnering with LFTD Partners Inc., Lifted Made and Savage Enterprises. Nicholas S. Warrender, co-founder, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of AQSP, and the CEO of AQSPs subsidiary Lifted Made, commented, We are thrilled to enter into this letter of intent with Fresh Farms. Once our planned mergers with Fresh Farms and Savage Enterprises close, Lifted Made, Fresh Farms and Savage Enterprises should be able to help each other grow faster and more profitably, by lowering costs of goods through combined buying power, by introducing new sales channels, by collaborating on innovative new products, and by internalizing manufacturing. Christopher G. Wheeler, co-founder, co-owner and CEO of Savage Enterprises, stated, I am beyond excited to be partnering up with the guys at Fresh Farms. I remember meeting them three years ago at a trade show in Las Vegas, in a tiny booth with hopes and dreams, and to see it come to fruition and to become one of the biggest players in the space has been amazing to watch. Fresh Farms has a sales and marketing team like no other and they outsource their manufacturing, so once Savage Enterprises and Fresh Farms have merged into AQSP, my goal is to help Fresh Farms bring their cost ofgoods down being that Savage Enterprises and Lifted Made are both manufacturers. I think this deal is a very strong signal to our industry  consolidation is happening both privately and on the public market  be careful not to get left behind or join the wrong people. With veteran consolidator Gerry Jacobs and his son Jake guiding AQSP in the public markets, along with Savage Enterprises, Lifted Made, and Fresh Farms navigating the industry once our mergers are completed, we expect to put up some extremely impressive numbers.



Matt Winters, co-founder, co-owner, and President and CFO of Savage, stated, By combining Lifted Made, Savage Enterprises, and Fresh Farms under the same umbrella of LFTD Partners Inc., we plan to create a powerhouse of product innovation, manufacturing, sales and distribution. Our group expects to continue to lead whats next in product launches. Culturally, it couldnt be a better fit between the three companies! William C. Jake Jacobs, CPA, President and CFO of both Lifted Made and AQSP, said, We couldnt be more excited to welcome the great team of Fresh Farms and Savage Enterprises into LFTD Partners Inc. Assuming that our planned mergers both close, we are confident that our subsidiary Lifted Made, combined with Fresh Farms and Savage, will be a leader in new product launches, with robust distribution nationally, and with a product portfolio that is significantly more diversified across numerous hemp-derived cannabinoid products, tobacco-free nicotine e-liquid, vapes, kratom, kava, and other products than we are currently.

Gerard M. Jacobs, CEO of LFTD Partners Inc., said, My prior experience leading the consolidation of the U.S. scrap metal industry as the CEO of Metal Management Inc. -- where we closed about 37 acquisitions in five years -- has convinced me that the key to the success of AQSP will be identifying and merging only with rapidly growing and profitable companies in our industry, as we are very focused on deals that we expect will be accretive to AQSPs earnings per share. Assuming that our mergers with Savage Enterprises and Fresh Farms close, those two companies and our subsidiary Lifted Made appear to be currently generating enough free cash flow that it may be possible for LFTD Partners Inc. to raise some of the cash portion of the merger consideration for those mergers in the form of debt, in order to minimize the shareholder dilution otherwise associated with the closing of those mergers. About Lifted Made and LFTD Partners Inc., Formerly Known as Acquired Sales Corp.

Lifted Made was founded in 2014 by CEO Nicholas S. Warrender. Lifted Made is a leading manufacturer of hemp and hemp-derived products. Urb Finest Flowers is Lifted Mades flagship, award-winning brand. In February 2020, Lifted Made became a wholly-owned subsidiary of publicly traded LFTD Partners Inc., formerly known as Acquired Sales Corp. (OTCQB ticker symbol AQSP). Lifted Mades products can be purchased online at www.LiftedMade.com. LFTD Partners Inc., formerly known as Acquired Sales Corp. (OTCQB ticker symbol AQSP) is focused upon acquiring rapidly growing companies that manufacture and sell branded products containing hemp-derived cannabinoids (e.g. delta-8-THC, delta-9-THC, delta-10-THC, THCV, THCO, CBDA, CBC, CBG, CBN, CBD), e-liquid, disposable nicotine vapes, kratom and kava products. In February 2020, AQSP acquired 100% of Warrender Enterprise Inc. d/b/a Lifted Made (formerly d/b/a Lifted Liquids) (www.LiftedMade.com), now located in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Lifted Made has a 50% membership interest in SmplyLifted LLC, which sells tobacco-free nicotine pouches under the brand name FR3SH (www.GETFR3SH.com). AQSP also owns 4.99% of CBD-infused beverage and products maker Ablis Holding Company (www.AblisBev.com), and of craft distillers Bendistillery Inc. d/b/a Crater Lake Spirits (www.CraterLakeSpirits.com) and Bend Spirits, Inc. (www.Bendistillery.com), all located in Bend, Oregon. AQSP has also signed a letter of intent to acquire Savage Enterprises, owner of award-winning hemp-derived products brand DeltaFX (www.DeltaEffex.com) and CBD brand Savage CBD (www.SavageCBD.com), and to enter the California marijuana industry by purchasing Premier Greens LLC and MKRC Holdings, LLC, the closing of which transactions are subject to a number of contingencies. Please read AQSP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission which fully describe our business and the Risk Factors associated therewith. Learn more by subscribing to our newsletters at www.LiftedMade.com and www.LFTDPartners.com. About Fresh Farms E-Liquid, LLC

Born out of a desire to make premium products available to every person looking for alternatives to traditional tobacco, Fresh Farms leads by example. Based in sunny Southern California, its portfolio includes the premium vapor products Fresh Farms and Fruitia, JUS tobacco-free nicotine vapor products, and HAPPI premium delta-8-THC and delta-10-THC products. Fresh Farms also owns 80% of CBD and CBN product manufacturer Lift Brands North America LLC. Products are available in all 50 states and around the world. Life is an adventure. Enjoy the journey. More information is available at www.FreshFarmsELiquid.com and www.LiftCBD.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this document are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such information includes the growth and profitability strategies, and future products and plans of Fresh Farms E-Liquid, LLC, Lifted Made, Savage Enterprises, LFTD Partners Inc., formerly known as Acquired Sales Corp., and related entities. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause or contribute to the actual results of these companies operations or the performance or achievements of these companies differing materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These companies undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of certain other factors, including the risk factors set forth in LFTD Partners Inc.s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. CONTACTS: LFTD Partners Inc., Formerly Known as Acquired Sales Corp.

Attn: William C. Jake Jacobs, President and CFO

Phone: 847-400-7660

Email: JakeJacobs@AcquiredSalesCorp.com

Website: www.AcquiredSalesCorp.com Lifted Made

Attn: Nicholas S. Warrender, CEO

Phone: 224-577-8148

Email: CEO@LiftedMade.com

Website: www.LiftedMade.com Fresh Farms E-Liquid, LLC

Attn: Patrick Taylor, CMO

Phone: 800-251-2995

Email: patrick@freshfarmseliquid.com

Website: www.FreshFarmsELiquid.com Savage Enterprises

Attn: Brittany Warner

Phone: 714-612-1091

Email: Bwarner@savageenterprises.com

Website: www.SavageEnterprises.com



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[September 02, 2021] NDB initiates membership expansion, extends global outreach

Development bank established by BRICS welcomes the admission of UAE, Uruguay and Bangladesh as new members SHANGHAI, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The New Development Bank (NDB)  established by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in 2015  has initiated its membership expansion. NDB's Board of Governors authorized the Bank to conduct formal negotiations with prospective members in late 2020. After a round of successful negotiations, NDB approved the admission of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uruguay and Bangladesh as its first new member countries. "We are delighted to welcome the UAE, Uruguay and Bangladesh to the NDB family. New members will have in NDB a platform to foster their cooperation in infrastructure and sustainable development", said Mr. Marcos Troyjo, President of NDB. "We will continue to expand the Bank's membership in a gradual and balanced manner". "The United Arab Emirates' membership in the New Development Bank represents a new step to enhance the role of the UAE economy on the global stage, especially in light of the great capabilities and expertise thatthe country possesses in supporting infrastructure projects and sustainable development. This monumental step would not have been achieved without the vision and directions of the UAE leadership who believe in the importance of supporting development projects around the world especially in the emerging economies", said H.E. Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs of the UAE.



"Uruguay sees in the NDB a great opportunity to harness cooperation with its member countries, aiming to achieve stronger international integration in trade and cross-border investment flows", said H.E. Azucena Arbeleche, Minister of Economy and Finance of Uruguay. "Membership of Bangladesh to NDB has paved way for a new partnership at a momentous time of 50th anniversary of our independence. Membership in the NDB is an important step forward in meeting the development vision of our Hon'ble Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. We look forward to working closely with NDB to build together a prosperous and equitable world for our next generation as dreamt by our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman", said Hon. A H M Mustafa Kamal, Minister of Finance of Bangladesh.

Once admitted, a country's membership to NDB becomes effective when it completes its domestic processes and deposits the instrument of accession. Since the beginning of its operations, NDB approved about 80 projects in all of its members, totaling a portfolio of US$ 30 billion. Projects in areas such as transport, water and sanitation, clean energy, digital infrastructure, social infrastructure and urban development are within the scope of the Bank. NDB's membership expansion is in line with the Bank's strategy to be positioned as the premier development institution for emerging economies. Background information NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries, complementing the existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development. NDB has an authorized capital of US$ 100 billion, which is open for subscription by members of the United Nations. SOURCE NDB

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[September 02, 2021] Nextech AR Announces Appointment of Bradley Gittings as New Vice President, Investor Relations

Nextech AR Solutions Corp. ("Nextech" or the "Company") (NEO: NTAR.NE) (OTC: NEXCF) (CSE: NTAR) (FSE:N29) is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Vice President of Investor Relations, Bradley Gittings. Bradley has over twenty years of experience in investments, capital markets and investor relations. He began his career in equity research and has also led international fund distribution for two of Chile's largest domestic financial institutions (LarrainVial and EuroAmerica). His investor relations experience includes the formation of IR programs for Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), as well as for Altiris Inc. which was acquired by Symantec (News - Alert) Corp. for $830 Million USD in 2007. In 2016, Bradley co-founded Agama Partners, a capital advisor, industry research organization and co-developer of agriculture investments in Latin America. He built the group's industry research services, while also overseeing investor relationships. Agama has led numerous projects for U.S. and European pension advisors as well as for some of North America's largest fruit growers, helping them to invest in Chilean and Peruvian agriculture industries. Bradley will maintain an advisory role with Agama Partners. Nextech's rapid growth in the past eighteen months has generated significant interest in the Company from institutional and high net worth investors, as well as from its base of retail investors. With Bradley's hiring, the company is creating an institutional class IR program, which will enable Nextech to better communicate its story to an expanding and more diverse investor audience. "Nextech's growing suite of augmented reality solutions are attracting a lot of attention, not only from customers but also from investors and analysts. Bradley's experience and success in building IR programs that respond to investor and financial analyst expectations will enable us to communicate to both retail and institutional investors," said Evan Gappelberg, Founder and CEO of the Company. Bradley has a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley and is a member of the Canadian Investor Relations Institute. Share Option Grant The Company has granted 60,000 stock options to employees and consultants for the right to urchase up to an aggregate of 60,000 common shares of the Company (the "Options"). The Options vest over three years, at a price of $2.14 per share, being the closing price of the last trading day prior to the date of grant. All Options were granted in accordance with the Company's stock option plan.



To learn more, please follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook, or visit our website: https://www.Nextechar.com. About Nextech AR

Nextech develops and operates augmented reality ("AR") platforms that transports three-dimensional ("3D") product visualizations, human holograms and 360 portals to its audiences altering e-commerce, digital advertising, hybrid virtual events (events held in a digital format blended with in-person attendance) and learning and training experiences. Nextech focuses on developing AR solutions however most of the Company's revenues are derived from three e-Commerce platforms: vacuumcleanermarket.com ("VCM"), infinitepetlife.com ("IPL") and Trulyfesupplements.com ("TruLyfe"). VCM and product sales of residential vacuums, supplies and parts, and small home appliances sold on Amazon. Forward-looking Statements The CSE and the NEO have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, "will be" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements regarding the completion of the transaction are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Nextech will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005233/en/

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[September 02, 2021] NUPCO Drives its Vision 2030 Goals to Deliver High-Quality, Affordable Medical Supplies with Blue Yonder

To meet its Vision 2030, the National Company for the Unified Procurement of Medicines, Devices and Medical Supplies (NUPCO), a health care supply chain entity serving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, successfully implemented several digital supply chain solutions within Blue Yonder's Luminate Planning portfolio and Warehouse Management System (WMS). Fully owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), NUPCO is the leading provider of medical procurement, storage, and distribution services for medicines, devices and medical supplies to 400 hospitals in the Kingdom. To achieve its Vision 2030, NUPCO is working with its hospitals and suppliers to advance toward supporting a new business model and new approach to health care, all through the power of integrated technology and connectivity. The company was looking to move from manual to digital planning processes and to utilize a single WMS to unify the operations of all its warehouses. With Blue Yonder, NUPCO will now be able to: Provide low-touch statistical forecasts for all hospitals and increase collaboration with these customers.

Offer long-term visibility into demand and inventory for planning purposes, increasing customer satisfaction.

Improve collaboration beteen internal stakeholders to determine optimal demand and supply plans for hospital customers.

Reduce wastage and working capital by deploying right-sized inventory.

Standardize and templatize the WMS so it is easily scalable across all current and new warehouses, providing advanced business intelligence through reports and dashboards and automated end-to-end processes for consistently high service levels and optimized cost.



With Blue Yonder, NUPCO now has planning solutions that can seamlessly connect to its warehousing system, offering confidence and better control of its entire supply chain, ensuring end-to-end visibility of products to right-size inventory and guaranteeing supplies are getting to the hospitals who need them to provide care. The WMS greatly simplifies the management of complex warehouse operations, provides real-time responsiveness against disruptions, and optimizes every move in its warehouses to improve throughput and agility.

"This is our first-ever deployment of Luminate Planning and WMS solutions in the Middle East. I am proud of the team that worked hard throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure NUPCO could realize its Vision 2030 goals of providing high quality, state-of-the-art medical supplies at affordable costs to its hospital customers. We are looking forward to continuing the relationship with NUPCO as they continue to seek out and implement additional solutions to meet their vision," said Johan Reventberg, EMEA president, Blue Yonder. Additional Resources: Learn more about Blue Yonder's Luminate Planning solutions

Learn more about Blue Yonder's WMS

Join NUPCO's presentation "NUPCO delivers on its Digital Vision and High-Quality, Affordable Medical Supplies including C19 Relief" with Blue Yonder at the Gartner (News - Alert) Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo 2021 on Sept. 13, 2021 About Blue Yonder Blue Yonder is the world leader in digital supply chain and omni-channel commerce fulfillment. Our intelligent, end-to-end platform enables retailers, manufacturers and logistics providers to seamlessly predict, pivot and fulfill customer demand. With Blue Yonder, you can make more automated, profitable business decisions that deliver greater growth and re-imagined customer experiences. Blue Yonder - Fulfill your Potential blueyonder.com "Blue Yonder" is a trademark or registered trademark of Blue Yonder Group, Inc. Any trade, product or service name referenced in this document using the name "Blue Yonder" is a trademark and/or property of Blue Yonder Group, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of the companies with which they are associated. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210901005907/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Pixalate Announces $18.1 Million Additional Growth Capital to Accelerate Global Expansion and Media Ratings Platform

PALO ALTO, Calif. and LONDON, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pixalate, the market-leading fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for Connected TV (CTV) and Mobile Advertising, announces $18.1 million of additional growth capital bringing the total investment to $22.7 million to date. Pixalate empowers organizations to navigate the increasingly complex CTV and Mobile ad supply chain by analyzing 5+ million apps that span multiple app stores, including Roku TV, Amazon FireTV, Google Play, and Apple App Store. In addition, Pixalate analyzes over 2 billion IP addresses  consisting of both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses  across 300 million CTV devices and 80 million domains. Building upon Pixalate's years of cutting-edge ad fraud technology, the company is using new investments to expand its global product offering to support data privacy and compliance risks, focusing on emerging international regulatory obligations such as GDPR, CCPA, and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in digital advertising. Pixalate detects and reports more than 40 types of invalid traffic (IVT), including sophisticated invalid traffic detection (SIVT) - most commonly attributable to malicious ad fraud - and holds Media Rating Council, Inc. (MRC) Accreditation across 20+ measurement areas (over 45+ reported metrics), including 12 distinct Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) measurement metrics. "We are proud to strengthen our investment in Pixalate, a proven global leader in ad fraud, privacy, and compliance metrics, particularly in new and emerging markets such as Connected TV," said Noah Doyle, Managing Director at Javelin Venture Partners. "Their data footprint is unprecedented, and we look forward to working with them to further their growth globally." "I'm thrilled to partner with WTI and Javelin Venture Partners as we enter the next phase of the company's growth," said Jalal Nasir, founder and CEO of Pixalate. "Pixalate is excited to expand its global footprint in EMEA and open a potential new office in Singapore." The growth funding is further proof of the company's recent mmentum, also reflected in Pixalate's:



Recent monthly global Publisher Trust Indexes analyze the most-trusted CTV and Mobile apps across platforms, regions, and categories.

analyze the most-trusted CTV and Mobile apps across platforms, regions, and categories. New London -based operations, which provide on-the-ground support to new and existing EMEA customers.

operations, which provide on-the-ground support to new and existing EMEA customers. Updated ad supply chain benchmark reports for CTV and Mobile devices.

for CTV and Mobile devices. Global ad fraud investigations for CTV and Mobile apps, including:

DiCaprio: List of Spoofed Roku Apps



"Matryoshka" Ad Fraud Investigation: Apps Spoofed Most Often ,

,

"Megacast" Ad Fraud Investigation: Brands Impacted & Associated Bundle IDs For more information on Pixalate, visit www.pixalate.com About Pixalate

Pixalate, the market-leading fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for Connected TV (CTV) and Mobile Advertising. We work 24/7 to guard your reputation and grow your media value. Pixalate offers the only system of coordinated solutions across display, app, video, and OTT/CTV for better detection and elimination of ad fraud. Pixalate is an MRC-accredited service for the detection and filtration of sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) across desktop and mobile web, mobile in-app, and OTT/CTV advertising. www.pixalate.com

Definitions

As used herein, and: (i) per the MRC , the term "'Fraud' is not intended to represent fraud as defined in various laws, statutes, and ordinances or as conventionally used in U.S. Court or other legal proceedings, but rather a custom definition strictly for advertising measurement purposes;" and (ii) per the MRC , "'Invalid Traffic' is defined generally as traffic that does not meet certain ad serving quality or completeness criteria or otherwise does not represent legitimate ad traffic that should be included in measurement counts. Among the reasons why ad traffic may be deemed invalid is it is a result of non-human traffic (spiders, bots, etc.), or activity designed to produce fraudulent traffic." Contact:

Sammy Totah or Kathleen Shanahan

BOCA Communications for Pixalate

pixalate@bocacommunications.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pixalate-announces-18-1-million-additional-growth-capital-to-accelerate-global-expansion-and-media-ratings-platform-301367707.html SOURCE Pixalate

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[September 02, 2021] QuEST Global appoints Yumi Clevenger-Lee as Global Chief Marketing Officer

Clevenger-Lee is a seasoned consumer packaged goods marketer with 17 years of brand-building experience at Nestle Waters and General Mills. SINGAPORE, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- QuEST Global, a global product engineering and lifecycle services company, announced the appointment of Yumi Clevenger-Lee as global Chief Marketing Officer. Yumi will be responsible for marketing strategy, brand positioning, advertising and corporate communications to build the QuEST brand across geographic regions, industry verticals and services. She will be based out of Connecticut, USA, and will report directly to Ajit Prabhu, Chairman & CEO, QuEST Global. A marketing veteran, Clevenger-Lee joins QuEST Global with 17 years of experience in consumer packaged goods. Her vast marketing experience includes new product innovation, reinventing brands through purpose, developing engaging campaigns and creating new communication and business models. With her marketing expertise, she has built many well-known brands around the world including S. Pellegrino, Perrier, Cheerios, and Green Giat. She is a passionate brand builder, focused on delivering a superior and consistent brand experience and emotionally connecting with consumers.



Yumi has robust global experience spanning her career. Before joining QuEST, she was the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Nestle Waters North America, where she was responsible for a $4.5B portfolio of 16 brands. Previously, she served as the Director of Marketing for the Latin America region of Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), Head of Innovation globally based in Switzerland for CPW, and led the Cheerios brand for General Mills Canada. She earned a Bachelors BSBA degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Extending a warm welcome to Clevenger-Lee on joining QuEST, Ajit Prabhu, Chairman & CEO, QuEST Global, said, "For almost 25 years, QuEST has established itself as a reliable brand that is trusted by its customers. We are excited to welcome Yumi to QuEST Global. She is known as a passionate brand builder who has been instrumental in developing strategies that have helped organizations accelerate growth. I believe under her able leadership and in-depth understanding of marketing, we will be able to further strengthen the QuEST brand and drive growth across our engineering services portfolio."

Commenting on her appointment, Clevenger-Lee said, "I am excited to join such a fast-growing organization. QuEST has an excellent track record of helping its clients reinvent their businesses through innovation. With a strong vision to build solutions that advance the way we live, work, travel, and engage with each other, I look forward to helping QuEST strengthen its global leadership to be both a force for growth and a force for good." About QuEST Global For more than 20 years, QuEST Global has been a trusted global product engineering and lifecycle services partner to many of the world's most recognized companies in the Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Energy, Hi-Tech, Medical Devices, Rail, and Semiconductor industries. With a presence in 13 countries, 54 global delivery centers, and 11,250+ personnel, QuEST Global is at the forefront of the convergence of the mechanical, electronics, software, and digital engineering innovations to engineer solutions for a safer, cleaner, and sustainable world. QuEST Global's deep domain knowledge and digital expertise help its clients accelerate product development and innovation cycles, create alternate revenue streams, enhance consumer experience and make manufacturing processes and operations more efficient. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607416/Yumi_Clevenger_Lee_QuEST_Global.jpg

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[September 02, 2021] Reynolds Advisory Partners Acts as Exclusive Financial Advisor to Mitsubishi Electric on Its Purchase of Smarter Grid Solutions

Reynolds Advisory Partners, LLC ("RAP" or "Reynolds") acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Mitsubishi (News - Alert) Electric Power Products, Inc. ("MEPPI") of Warrendale, Pennsylvania, and its parent company Mitsubishi Electric Corporation ("MELCO") of Tokyo, Japan, on their acquisition of Smarter Grid Solutions ("SGS") of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. MELCO and MEPPI announced the definitive agreement to acquire SGS on August 9, 2021, and the transaction closed on August 19, 2021. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Joe Barron, Director, Corporate Development & Marketing at MEPPI, commented as follows: "We very much appreciated the expert assistance of Reynolds Advisory Partners, in particular Brian MacLeod, who was dedicated to assisting us in refining our acquisition criteria, identifying and approaching potential suitable targets, and negotiating and completing the acquisition. We are grateful to have had Brian's guidance and leadership throughout the process which were instrumental in closing the successful transaction." Brian MacLeod, Managing Director at RAP, stated: "We are pleased to have assisted MEPPI and MELCO in achieving a successful result from this M&A process. The combination of Mitsubishi Electric (News - Alert) and Smarter Grid Solutions will generate substantial synergies and strategic benefits for all the parties, including the prospect of providing new and innovative solutions to electric utilities and other electricity industry participants. Distributed energy resources ("DER") continue to proliferate in power grids, resulting in more diversified and increasingly economical energy sources. DER increases sustainability by incorporating renewable energy sources into power grids. DER also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, thereby reducing the rate of climate change. SGS's technology, products and expertise help electric utilities and other industry participants manage the complexities associated with incorporating DER, enabling them to optimize the benefits of DER." Mr. MacLeod added: "M&A transaction activity is currently elevated among software and SaaS (News - Alert) providers in all sectors of the economy, as large industry participants seek to add additional capabilities. Our firm has extensive M&A advisory experience in software/SaaS in many vertical markets, such as, in this case, the electric power and utilities sector." About Mitsubishi Eletric Power Products, Inc.



Headquartered in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. (MEPPI) is a U.S. affiliate of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation serving the North American power systems, data center, rail transportation, and large visual display markets. MEPPI products include gas circuit breakers, vacuum circuit breakers, power transformers, gas-insulated substations, FACTS, high voltage DC systems, battery energy storage systems, electric generators, nuclear power plant control systems, uninterruptible power supplies, rail transportation equipment, rail signaling systems, and high-definition LED displays. Information on MEPPI's complete line of products and services can be found at www.MEPPI.com. About Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

With 100 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and building equipment. Mitsubishi Electric enriches society with technology in the spirit of its "Changes for the Better." The company recorded a revenue of 4,191.4 billion yen (U.S.$37.8 billion*) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. For more information, please visit www.MitsubishiElectric.com *U.S. dollar amounts are translated from yen at the rate of 111=U.S.$1, the approximate rate on the Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market on March 31, 2021. About Smarter Grid Solutions Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS) is a U.K.-based energy management enterprise software company that operates internationally with offices in Glasgow, Scotland, and New York City. The company's products are used to manage power grids and market participation in energy systems with high volumes of distributed, clean and flexible energy assets. SGS's customers use its DER management system (DERMS) products to integrate DER into markets and grids to deliver grid capacity management, flexible interconnection, virtual power plant, microgrid, fleet energy asset operations, energy as a service (EaaS) and local energy applications. For more information, visit www.smartergridsolutions.com. About Reynolds Advisory Partners, LLC Reynolds Advisory Partners, LLC is a boutique investment bank with a focus on the "middle market." RAP provides a full suite of financial advisory services, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, and the issuance of equity and debt capital. RAP's professionals also have extensive experience in advising Independent/Special Committees of both public and private companies in facing complex issues, including evaluating related party transactions. For more information, visit www.reynoldsap.com. Reynolds Advisory Partners, LLC - Investment Banking Contact:

Brian MacLeod, Managing Director: bmacleod@reynoldsap.com. 310-318-9674 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005273/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Silvaco Announces Resignation of CEO

Silvaco Group, Inc., a leading supplier of TCAD, EDA software and design IP, today announced the resignation of Babak Taheri as chief executive officer and member of the board after two years in the role. "We are grateful for all of Babak's contributions in the last two years to grow the company and wish him all the best in his next endeavor," said Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre, Silvaco's Chairman of the Board of Directors. "Silvaco's Board of Directors has high confidence in the company's leadership team to continue to serve our cusomers and partners while we engage in the process of hiring a new CEO."



About Silvaco Group, Inc. Silvaco is a leading provider TCAD, EDA software and semiconductor design IP, used for process and device development for advanced semiconductors, power IC, display, memory, and SoC design. For over 35 years, Silvaco has enabled its customers to develop next generation semiconductor products in the shortest time with reduced cost. The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and has a global presence with offices located in North America, Europe, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, and Singapore.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005743/en/

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[September 02, 2021] State of California Retains CENIC California MMBI, LLC as California Middle-Mile Broadband Network Third-Party Administrator

The California Department of Technology today announced that the State of California has retained CENIC California Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative, LLC as the California Middle-Mile Broadband Network Third-Party Administrator (TPA). "California is bridging the digital divide by facilitating equitable, affordable access to high-speed internet service throughout the state," said Amy Tong, Director, California Department of Technology. "CENIC California MMBI has the experience and reach to deliver an open-access middle-mile broadband network throughout the state." Governor Newsom and the state legislature partnered on a historic $6 billion multi-year investment that will give more Californians access to broadband coverage. The legislation provides $3.25 billion over the next three years to build an open access, middle-mile network made of high-capacity optical fiber that carries large amounts of data at high speeds over long distances between local networks and the global Internet. As the TPA, CENIC California MMBI is the partner responsible for developing the fiber network, creating rural exchange points, and collaboratingwith the California Public Utilities Commission and Caltrans.



"We are honored to be a part of the most ambitious state digital equity effort in the history of the public Internet," said Louis Fox, President of CENIC California MMBI. "The COVID-19 pandemic underscored how access to broadband is now a social determinant of health, education, work, and economic security. Our goal, in partnership with the state, is to ensure that every community - rural, urban, tribal - has access to broadband technologies and to do this work with alacrity." A nine-member Middle-Mile Advisory Committee will monitor the development and construction of this broadband infrastructure so service providers, anchor institutions, and tribal entities can create connections that facilitate high-speed broadband service across the state. The Middle-Mile Advisory Committee adopted the following guiding principles as a framework for middle-mile implementation:

Provide affordable, open-access, middle-mile broadband infrastructure to enable last-mile network connectivity throughout the state. Build the network expeditiously, leveraging existing infrastructure, networks, and construction projects, where feasible. Prioritize connectivity to unserved and underserved communities, including community institutions. Work to build and establish the middle-mile network is expected to extend through December 2026. About CENIC California MMBI CENIC California Middle Mile Broadband Initiative, LLC, is a California limited liability company whose sole member is the not-for-profit Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California, dba CENIC. CENIC California Middle Mile Broadband Initiative, LLC will serve as the third-party administrator in cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders - municipal, state, tribal, private sector, and other community organizations. Together, we will develop a California statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network called "GoldenStateNet." This network will connect last-mile broadband providers to first mile providers, thereby connecting homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions to the global Internet. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005258/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Vantage Announces the Launch of Healthcare and E&S Excess Casualty Insurance Businesses in Bermuda and the US

Vantage Group Holdings Ltd. (Vantage) is pleased to announce it continues the build-out of its insurance platform, introducing new product offerings in Healthcare and Excess Casualty. Vantage was established in late 2020 and began writing reinsurance risk on January 1, 2021, through its Bermuda Class 4 company, Vantage Risk Ltd. The Bermuda carrier has since expanded its offering to include select insurance products. In the US, Vantage launched a US surplus lines carrier, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company, enabling certain US risks to be written on A- (Excellent)/Financial Size Category XII AM Best rated paper. Commenting on the launch of these businesses, CEO Greg Hendrick said, "The depth of experience of our Healthcare and Excess Casualty teams, and their long-standing industry relationships are highly valuable as we build out the Vantage product offering in our first year of operations. I am appreciative of the energy and enthusiasm of these teams to bring their best risk insights and solutions for our clients." Bermuda Healthcare and Excess Casualty Denise Watkins joined Vantage in June 2021 and heads the Excess Casualty and Healthcare Insurance business in Bermuda. Denise brings over 23 years of US and Bermuda underwriting experience, most recently as Senior Vice President of Excess Casualty and Healthcare at Sompo International in Bermuda. Denise earned a Bachelor's degree in Finance and Risk Management from the University of South Carolina and holds RPLU and CPCU designations. Denise has assembled an experienced underwriting team at Vantage, including Cherie Edwards and Samantha Mohs. Collectively, her team has extensive US and Bermuda Excess Casualty and Healthcare Liability lead and excess lines experience. The Bermuda team is focused on providing customized solutions and maintains a commitment to responsiveness. They work with Wholesale distribution partners to provide Insurance and Captive Reinsurance on occurrence, claims made and integrated occurrence policy forms, as well as punitive damages and punitive damage wrap coverage. Their Excess Casualty portfolio will target classes of business including transportation, construction, consumer products, real estate, retail, hospitality, manufacturing and chemical. In Healthcare Liability their clients are primarily hospital systems and facilities, including cademic medical facilities, specialty medical centers and managed care facilities.



US Healthcare Ray Pernsteiner joined Vantage in March 2021 and leads the US Healthcare team. Ray has worked in the insurance industry since 1988, focused solely on medical professional liability for all client segments. He most recently held various key leadership positions at Arch Insurance Group for more than 18 years. Ray earned a Bachelor's in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, and holds RPLU, CPCU and ARe designations.

Since March, Ray has assembled a team of Healthcare specialists, with Anna Rockers, Dmitry Burtman and Nick Williams leading as Regional Vice Presidents of Central and Western, Southeast, and Northeast regions respectively. Additionally, with over 20-years of experience, Amy Berg joins the team to provide Business Management support. The Vantage US Healthcare underwriters leverage an experienced team of claims and actuarial resources to craft responsive insurance liability coverage for complex risks needing specialization. Coverage is provided for both insurance and reinsurance of captives for Healthcare Excess Liability. Clients span the spectrum from health systems, integrated delivery networks, to excess physicians and miscellaneous facility-type based risks. The delivery of healthcare continues to evolve because of rapid changes in advancement of medicine and medical technology. As a result, there is a growing number of Miscellaneous Medical Facilities in the Healthcare arena. The US Healthcare team at Vantage is targeting this growth and is focused on specialized coverages tailored for this sector. Those include primary and excess professional liability, general liability, and umbrella coverages, with a broad appetite across class segments. They consider business across a wide range of classes of Middle Market-type accounts, distributed primarily through Wholesale distribution channels. Umbrella excess of self-insured retention healthcare professional liability and retail placements of US Healthcare Systems products are expected to be offered starting in October 2021. Greg Hendrick added, "At a time when risk is gaining complexity and the need for Excess Casualty and Healthcare capacity is increasing, the ability for Vantage to offer up to $15 million of excess capacity in these lines of business has been a welcome increase in market capacity. Denise and Ray are important additions to the Vantage Insurance Leadership Team, and I look forward to seeing their businesses develop further in the months and years ahead." About Vantage: Vantage Group Holdings Ltd. (Vantage) is a re/insurance partner designed for the future. Driven by relentless curiosity, our team of trusted experts provides a fresh perspective on our clients' risks. We add creativity to tech-enabled efficiency and robust analytics to address risks others avoid. The Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman, global investment firms with successful track records and experience in the re/insurance industry, are lead investors. Disclaimer: The information contained herein is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation to buy, any particular insurance product. No insurance product is offered or will be sold in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful under the laws of such state or jurisdiction. Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company is not licensed in all states, and products are not available other than through a licensed surplus lines broker. Vantage Risk Ltd. is not licensed, or otherwise authorized, to conduct business in the United States and does not engage in or transact any business in the United States. Business is written in Vantage Risk Ltd. through Bermuda brokers only. Insurance policies issued by these entities are not protected or guaranteed by state insurance guaranty associations or insolvency funds. For more information, please visit www.vantagerisk.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005282/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Vesttoo Joins NVIDIA Inception to Further Develop AI-Based Technologies and Grow Insurance Linked Program

TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vesttoo is proud to announce that it has joined NVIDIA Inception , a program designed to nurture companies revolutionizing industries with advancements in AI and data sciences. Vesttoo's AI-based risk modeling technology creates accurate and objective risk models which are used to structure, price and place alternative reinsurance deals. This transfers insurance risks to capital market investors with a faster time-to-market, full risk transparency and performance monitoring, promoting liquidity in the reinsurance ecosystem. NVIDIA Inception will allow Vesttoo to further develop its independent, proprietary technologies in order to support its growing global pipeline and insuranc-linked program (ILP) , Vesttoo's security-based investment portfolio. The ILP program is based on Life and P&C insurance risks , giving institutional investors the opportunity to earn additional long-term, sustainable alpha from existing assets, without the need to allocate cash. The program will offer Vesttoo technological support, access to an extensive network, and the opportunity to collaborate with industry-leading experts and other AI-driven organizations.



"We are thrilled to be part of NVIDIA Inception and join a network of market leaders that are reshaping entire industries. We look forward to collaborating with NVIDIA and taking advantage of their in-depth knowledge in AI and machine learning to further grow our ILP program," said Yaniv Bertele, Vesttoo's Chief Executive Officer. NVIDIA Inception helps startups during critical stages of product development, prototyping and deployment. Every NVIDIA Inception member gets a custom set of ongoing benefits, such as NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute credits, marketing support, and technology assistance, which provides startups with the fundamental tools to help them grow.

About Vesttoo

Vesttoo is the world's first marketplace for Life and P&C insurance-based risk transfer and investments. Our proprietary AI-based technology facilitates risk transfer between insurance companies and institutional investors, providing insurance-linked investments to asset managers of all types, while enhancing risk transfer and liquidity in the Life and P&C insurance markets. Media Contact:

Vesttoo

Liran Grunhaus, Head of Marketing

liran@vesttoo.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vesttoo-joins-nvidia-inception-to-further-develop-ai-based-technologies-and-grow-insurance-linked-program-301368436.html SOURCE Vesttoo

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[September 01, 2021] Insights on the Advanced Analytics Global Market to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact Analysis and Forecasts

DUBLIN, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Advanced Analytics Market By Type, By Deployment Type, By Enterprise Size, By End User, By Regional Outlook, COVID-19 Impact Analysis Report and Forecast, 2021 - 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Advanced Analytics Market size is expected to reach $56.2 billion by 2027, rising at a market growth of 23.1% CAGR during the forecast period. Advanced analytics refers to the process of examining the data with the help of advanced techniques and tools. Techniques such as data simulation, optimization, and mining are used for descriptive, predictive, and statistics data to provide knowledge to deal with business intelligence (BI). It provides broad and in-depth analytics that are anticipated to deliver organizations a better understanding of their information. Nowadays, there is a trend of social media platforms, which is providing internet vendors abundant data and information. Conventional analytics techniques and tools fail to identify hidden patterns in data whereas advanced analytics market tools support extracting the hidden information, that is later used by organizations to give prominent understanding to their customers' behavior. Advanced analytics also support companies to customize their offerings to customers by utilizing the extracted hidden information. The key factor contributing to the high growth of the advanced analytics market is the increasing amount of business data across the world. Therefore, this industry is rapidly growing with the pace of time. Advanced analytics is a wide area of inspection, which is used to do modifications and improve business operations. It involves the use of mathematical operations to gain insights into the data. It supports the creation of suggestions, finding hidden insights, and forecast predictions. COVID-19 Impact Analysis With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, everything is disrupted, from the customer behavior to supply chains and eventually creating an economic slowdown, which is causing further changes. The imposition of several restrictions around the world forced the population to stay locked inside their houses. The pandemic has augmented the use of analytics and AI in many companies. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increase in the deployment of advanced analytics in businesses to secure business continuity and process optimization. Advanced analytics is gaining popularity due to its deployment in the businesses along with the improvements in the latest technologies like data mining, neural networks, machine learning, multivariate statistics, semantic analysis, and the growing data volumes generated by organizations. Type Outlook Based on Type, the market is segmented into Big Data Analytics, Business Analytics, Customer Analytics, Risk Analytics, Statistical Analysis and Others. The big data analytics segment dominated the market in 2020, with the largest share in the market. The factors responsible for the massive growth of this segment are the rising popularity of social media and the growing number of digital or virtual offices that generate large volumes of data. Information management is arising as a section where big data analytics have a positive impact on business productivity and processes. Deployment Type Outlook Based on Deployment Type, the market is segmented into On-premise and Cloud. The on-premise segment acquired the largest share in revenue in 2020. Companies are adopting on-premise analytics to get the authority and more flexibility to personalize their IT infrastructure. It also provides the facility to the organizations to secure their data from any illegal activities & failures, and decrease the dependency on the internet infrastructure. Enterprise Size Outlook Based on Enterprise Size, the market is segmented into Large Enterprises and Small & Medium Enterprises. With the growing number of small and medium enterprises in nations like Japan, Singapore, Australia, and China, thee is an increase in the adoption of cutting-edge analytics. Several governments of the nations are taking initiatives to offer funds to small and medium enterprises for implementing cloud-based solutions that will contribute to the growth of the small and medium enterprises segment.



End User Outlook Based on End User, the market is segmented into BFSI, IT & Telecom, Military & Defense, Healthcare, Government and Others. The IT & Telecommunications segment is rising the demand for collaboration tools like web conferencing and video conferencing, thereby propelling the growth of the advanced analytics market during the forecast period. Companies are deploying analytical tools and techniques to avoid illegal transactions like cloning, unauthorized access, and illegitimate authorization. Telecom operators having a large subscriber base are deploying big data analytics to make micro-segmentation and customize the needs of the individual customer.

Regional Outlook Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The Asia Pacific regional market is expected to witness a promising growth rate during the forecast period. Companies in the region are highly deploying big data analytics tools and solutions to cope up with the growing cases of digital fraud. The rise in the e-commerce industry in nations like Malaysia, China, Singapore, India, and Japan, has contributed to the rising demand for predictive analytics over the forecast period. Cardinal Matrix - Advanced Analytics Market Competition Analysis The major strategies followed by the market participants are Partnerships. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; Microsoft Corporation is the major forerunner in the Advanced Analytics Market. Companies such as Oracle Corporation, IBM Corporation and SAP SE are some of the key innovators in the market. The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include SAS Institute, Inc., SAP SE, IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Dell Technologies, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, RapidMiner, Inc., Altair Engineering, Inc., Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO), and KNIME AG. Unique Offerings from the Publisher Exhaustive coverage

The highest number of market tables and figures

Subscription-based model available

Guaranteed best price

Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology



Chapter 2. Market Overview

2.1 Introduction

2.1.1 Overview

2.1.2 Market Composition and Scenario

2.2 Key Factors Impacting the Market

2.2.1 Market Drivers

2.2.2 Market Restraints



Chapter 3. Competition Analysis - Global

3.1 Cardinal Matrix

3.2 Recent Industry Wide Strategic Developments

3.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements

3.2.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions

3.2.3 Acquisition and Mergers

3.3 Top Winning Strategies

3.3.1 Key Leading Strategies: Percentage Distribution (2017-2021)

3.3.2 Key Strategic Move: (Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements: 2017, Feb - 2021, May) Leading Players



Chapter 4. Global Advanced Analytics Market by Type

4.1 Global Advanced Analytics Big Data Analytics Market by Region

4.2 Global Advanced Analytics Business Analytics Market by Region

4.3 Global Advanced Analytics Customer Analytics Market by Region

4.4 Global Advanced Analytics Risk Analytics Market by Region

4.5 Global Advanced Analytics Statistical Analysis Market by Region

4.6 Global Other Type Advanced Analytics Market by Region



Chapter 5. Global Advanced Analytics Market by Deployment Type

5.1 Global On-premise Advanced Analytics Market by Region

5.2 Global Cloud Advanced Analytics Market by Region



Chapter 6. Global Advanced Analytics Market by Enterprise Size

6.1 Global Large Enterprises Advanced Analytics Market by Region

6.2 Global Small & Medium Enterprises Advanced Analytics Market by Region



Chapter 7. Global Advanced Analytics Market by End User

7.1 Global BFSI Advanced Analytics Market by Region

7.2 Global IT & Telecom Advanced Analytics Market by Region

7.3 Global Military & Defense Advanced Analytics Market by Region

7.4 Global Healthcare Advanced Analytics Market by Region

7.5 Global Government Advanced Analytics Market by Region

7.6 Global Others Advanced Analytics Market by Region



Chapter 8. Global Advanced Analytics Market by Region



Chapter 9. Company Profiles

9.1 SAS Institute, Inc.

9.1.1 Company Overview

9.1.2 Recent Strategies and Developments:

9.1.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

9.1.2.2 Acquisitions and Mergers:

9.2 SAP SE

9.2.1 Company Overview

9.2.2 Financial Analysis

9.2.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.2.4 Research & Development Expense

9.2.1 Recent Strategies and Developments:

9.2.1.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

9.2.1.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

9.2.2 SWOT Analysis

9.3 IBM Corporation

9.3.1 Company Overview

9.3.2 Financial Analysis

9.3.3 Regional & Segmental Analysis

9.3.4 Research & Development Expenses

9.3.5 Recent Strategies and Developments:

9.3.5.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

9.3.5.2 Acquisitions and Mergers:

9.3.6 SWOT Analysis

9.4 Oracle Corporation

9.4.1 Company Overview

9.4.2 Financial Analysis

9.4.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.4.4 Research & Development Expense

9.4.5 Recent Strategies and Developments:

9.4.5.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

9.4.5.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

9.4.6 SWOT Analysis

9.5 Microsoft Corporation

9.5.1 Company Overview

9.5.2 Financial Analysis

9.5.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.5.4 Research & Development Expenses

9.5.5 Recent Strategies and Developments:

9.5.5.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

9.5.5.2 Acquisitions and Mergers:

9.5.5.3 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

9.5.6 SWOT Analysis

9.6 RapidMiner, Inc.

9.6.1 Company Overview

9.6.2 Recent Strategies and Developments:

9.6.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

9.6.2.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

9.7 Altair Engineering, Inc.

9.7.1 Company Overview

9.7.2 Financial Analysis

9.7.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.7.4 Research & Development Expenses

9.7.5 Recent Strategies and Developments:

9.7.5.1 Acquisitions and Mergers:

9.7.5.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

9.7.6 SWOT Analysis

9.8 Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO)

9.8.1 Company Overview

9.8.2 Financial Analysis

9.8.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.8.4 Research & Development Expense

9.8.5 Recent Strategies and Developments:

9.8.5.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

9.8.5.2 Acquisitions and Mergers:

9.8.6 SWOT Analysis

9.9 Dell Technologies, Inc. (Statsoft)

9.9.1 Company Overview

9.9.2 Financial Analysis

9.9.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.9.4 Research & Development Expense

9.9.5 Recent Strategies and Developments:

9.9.5.1 Product launches and Product Expansions:

9.9.6 SWOT Analysis:

9.10. KNIME AG

9.10.1 Company Overview

9.10.2 Recent Strategies and Developments:

9.10.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pi3gsa Media Contact: Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insights-on-the-advanced-analytics-global-market-to-2027---covid-19-impact-analysis-and-forecasts-301367470.html SOURCE Research and Markets

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[September 01, 2021] ROSEN, RECOGNIZED INVESTOR COUNSEL, Encourages Generac Holdings Inc. Investors With Losses Over $100K to Secure Counsel Before Important October 19 Deadline in Securities Class Action Commenced by the Firm - GNRC

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Generac Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GNRC) between February 23, 2021 and July 29, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important October 19, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Generac securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Generac class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2139.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than October 19, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action sttlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.



DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Generac's portable generators posed an unreasonable risk of injury to users and the public; (2) as a result, at least seven finger amputations and one crushed finger had been reported to the Company; (3) as a result, Generac would face increased regulatory scrutiny; (4) the Company would end sales in its Generac and DR 6500 Watt and 8000 Watt portable generators in the United States and Canada in June 2021; (5) the Company would recall its Generac and DR 6500 Watt and 8000 Watt portable generators in the United States and Canada; (6) the end of sales and the recall would occur before the hurricane and wildfire seasons and following the Texas outage-periods the Company has touted for sales; and (7) as a result, defendants' public statements and statements to journalists were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Generac class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2139.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn (News - Alert) : https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter (News - Alert) : https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook (News - Alert) : https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210901006057/en/

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[September 01, 2021] New Analysis from Global Industry Analysts Reveals Steady Growth for Self-organizing Networks (SON), with the Market to Reach $7.5 Billion Worldwide by 2026

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new market study published by Global Industry Analysts Inc., (GIA) the premier market research company, today released its report titled "Self-organizing Networks (SON) - Global Market Trajectory & Analytics". The report presents fresh perspectives on opportunities and challenges in a significantly transformed post COVID-19 marketplace. FACTS AT A GLANCE

Edition: 20; Released: April 2021

Executive Pool: 4272

Companies: 21 - Players covered include Airhop Communications; Airspan Networks, Inc.; AMDOCS Ltd.; BLiNQ Networks, Inc.; Bwtech; Casa Systems, Inc.; Cellwize Wireless Technologies; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Comarch SA; CommScope, Inc.; Connectors Cables Specialists Ltd.; Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; NEC Corporation; Nokia Corporation; P.I. Works, Inc.; Qualcomm Inc.; Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG; Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson; TEOCO Corporation; Viavi Solutions, Inc. and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Solution (Software, and Services); Architecture (Centralized SON (C-SON), Distributed SON (D-SON), and Hybrid SON (H-SON)); Technology (2G/3G, and 4G)

Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific; Rest of World. Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Previe Registry





ABSTRACT-



Global Self-organizing Networks (SON) Market to Reach $7.5 Billion by 2026

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Self-organizing Networks (SON) estimated at US$4 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$7.5 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 11.1% over the analysis period. Software, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 10% CAGR and reach US$4.6 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Services segment is readjusted to a revised 12.7% CAGR for the next 7-year period. The U.S. Market is Estimated at $1.3 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $1.3 Billion by 2026

The Self-organizing Networks (SON) market in the U.S. is estimated at US$1.3 Billion in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$1.3 Billion by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 10.7% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 9.5% and 9.6% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 8.2% CAGR. More MarketGlass Platform

Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide. Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years. CONTACTS:

Zak Ali

Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: ZA@StrategyR.com LINKS

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Journalists & Media

Info411@strategyr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-analysis-from-global-industry-analysts-reveals-steady-growth-for-self-organizing-networks-son-with-the-market-to-reach-7-5-billion-worldwide-by-2026--301367946.html SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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[September 01, 2021] INVESTIGATION ALERT: The Schall Law Firm Announces it is Investigating Claims Against Lightning eMotors, Inc. f/k/a GigCapital3, Inc. and Encourages Investors with Losses to Contact the Firm

The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Lightning eMotors, Inc. ("Lightning" or "the Company") (NYSE: ZEV) f/k/a GigCapital3, Inc. (NYSE: GIK) for violations of the securities laws. The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Lightning announced its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2021 after the market closed on August 16, 2021. The company disclosed a net los per share of $0.79 as compared to a loss of $0.10 in the same period for the prior year. The Company also withdrew its full-year guidance, citing "chassis production disruptions" amongst other problems. Based on this news, shares of Lightning fell by almost 17% the next day, harming investors.



If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at brian@schallfirm.com.

The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210901006088/en/

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[September 01, 2021] MRHB DeFi and Sheesha Finance Announce Strategic Partnership to Bring Inclusion and Ethics to DeFi

MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The worlds first halal decentralized finance (defi) ecosystem MRHB DeFi is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Sheesha Finance , a leading tokenized DeFi mutual fund platform - ?n? ?f th? hottest ?r?j??t? in the industry.

A Strategic Alliance, A Shared Vision



The partnership deal with UAE-based Sheesha Finance includes a strategic investment from the DeFi mutual fund to MRHB DeFi for an undisclosed amount. The partnership will also see both parties collaborate alongside mutually beneficial initiatives that align with and promote Islamic Finance business practices. In addition, MRHB DeFi stands to benefit from the premium network and connections of Sheesha Finance. As an early investor and supporter of MRHB DeFi, Sheesha Finance fully recognizes the vision, ambition and potential of the faith-based DeFi project, as well as its first-mover advantages in the DeFi space. As a decentralized fund were always on the lookout for like-minded projects and ideas that are looking to advance ethical finance and decentralize finance more. Were very excited to have partnered with Marhaba, a unique value proposition in DeFi, who are doing that, and a lot more, says Sheesha Finance CEO, Saeed Al Darmaki . MRHB DeFi Founder & CEO Naquib Mohammed , echoes the sentiment: Sincere thanks to the Sheesha team led by Mr. Saeed for this strategic investment and partnership opportunity. We are delighted to have Sheesha Finance as one of our early supporters and partners and are absolutely looking forward to utilizing the teams crypto and DeFi market expertise and experience. This partnership with Sheesha Finance will open new avenues for growth and expansion for MRHB DeFi across its network. Unlocking the Untapped Potential of Ethical and Inclusive DeFi MRHB DeFi has been developed as an inclusive DeFi ecosystem that allows people of all faiths with an ethics-first stance to benefit from the opportunities available in the decentralized digital asset sector. Complying with the central beliefs governing Islamic finance, MRHB DeFi follows ethical financial and business principles that avoid interest, usury, exploitation and other business practices deemed unethical. According to the Population Reference Bureau , the total Muslim global population is growing and by 2030, is estimated to increase to 2.2 billion people. MRHB DeFi is committed to providing exceptional decentralized financial services all within a Shariah-compliant framework, allowing its community to participate in a booming sector while still adhering to the key tenets of their faith. Strong Backing Founded by investment and finance expert Saeed Al Darmaki, Sheesha Finance is a decentralized utual fund that provides investment solutions for crypto portfolio diversification and rewards across the DeFi space, which currently has a total value locked (TVL) of USD 162 billion .



Sheesha Finance has backing across the investment space from Alphabit and Galaxy Digital, led by a team of top cryptocurrency and digital asset experts including David Namdar, a founding partner of Galaxy Digital, and Michael Terpin CEO of Transform Group, among others. Earlier this year, Sheesha Finance raised USD 9.4 million in investment following a two-week liquidity generation event (LGE).

The Sheesha team has investment partnerships with TeraBlock, Zignaly, Base Protocol, Plasma Finance and Royale Finance, to name a few. About MRHB DeFi MRHB DeFi is a halal, decentralised finance platform built to embody the true spirit of an Ethical and Inclusive DeFi by following faith-based financial and business principles, where all excluded communities can benefit from the full empowerment potential of DeFi. Based on the tenets of blockchain such as trust, transparency, and security, MRHB DeFi has encapsulated universally applicable principles of Shariah into those tenets of blockchain to render a suite of offerings. It is a complete DeFi ecosystem whose products, protocols and crypto-assets are governed primarily by the ethical, inclusive, sustainable and charitable investment principles associated with the Islamic faith or Islamic Finance (IF as it is commonly known). The diverse team is comprised of researchers, technocrats, influencers, Islamic fintech experts & business entrepreneurs, who came together to ensure that MRHB DeFi prevails in a manner that will impact society as a whole, essentially bridging the gap between the faith-conscious communities and the blockchain world. Read more about MRHB DeFis Shariah Concept Paper, Lite and White Paper here . MRHB DeFi Official Channels Website: https://MRHB DeFidefi.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MRHB DeFidefi

Telegram: https://t.me/mdf_official

Telegram Announcements: https://t.me/MRHB DeFidefi_ANN

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHuvZG9DbS5ffeoqLX_bERg

Medium: https://medium.com/@MRHB DeFidefi

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MRHB DeFidefi About Sheesha Finance Sheesha Finance is the leading decentralized DeFi mutual fund allowing for premium cryptocurrency portfolio diversification and rewards. Sheesha Finance rewards investors of any size, from small to large ticket holders, with unlimited DeFi tokens from a diversified portfolio of projects. Sheesha Finances easily convertible assets can be freely utilized to maximize rewards and gain exposure to existing and upcoming DeFi projects. With plans to become a member-managed decentralised autonomous organization (DAO), Sheesha Finance is dedicated to upholding full transparency and integrity within the DeFi space. Sheesha Finance Official Channels Website: https://sheeshafinance.io

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SheeshaFinance

Telegram: https://t.me/Sheesha_Finance

Medium: http://sheeshafinance-io.medium.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOJlCe_sLTBfYz05l6DFbAg Media Contacts

cecilia@sinofy.group

chris@yourPRstrategist.com

pr@yourPRstrategist.com





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[September 01, 2021] Genesis Presents Vision For Sustainable Future

SEOUL, Korea, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Genesis announced its vision of electrification for a sustainable future with the live stream release of its vision statement film, "Futuring Genesis," available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0MGwCOFaOI Since its launch in 2015, Genesis has been focused on bringing positive changes to customers' lives. With today's drivers making more responsible choices towards a better future, Genesis is setting a new direction for the brand and taking steps to create a more sustainable future for driving. The video opens with an introduction of Euisun Chung, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman, discussing Genesis' past, present, and its journey to a sustainable future. "Genesis has been on an intensive, bold and successful journey, successfully establishing itself as a truly global luxury brand," said Euisun Chung. "Genesis is once again at the starting point of another audacious journey - the journey towards a sustainable future." The film also took the opportunity to showcase GV60, the brand's first electric vehicle based on E-GMP (Electric-Global Modular Platform), the dedicated EV platform. Images of GV60 were revealed in August and the vehicle is to be released in the second half of this year in the Korean domestic market, leading the brand's journey to electrification. North American deliveries of GV60 are expected in 2022. The signature Two Lines design theme also flows through the video, tracing the company's progress towards the sustainable future led by their line of luxury EVs as a conversation between Global Head of Genesis Jay Chang and Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke explores the company's move to electrification. The brand's new vehicles will all be purely electric starting from 2025. To drive the shift to electrification, Genesis will focus on a dual electrification strategy involving fuel cell and battery EVs. Genesis will put an effort on developing pure electric technologies such as new fuel cell systems with higher power outpt, and electric systems that help improve efficiency. In addition, Genesis will devote itself to building next-generation technology that draws better performance and efficiency from lithium-ion batteries.



Along with the dual electrification strategy, Genesis announced its goal to pursue a carbon neutral brand by 2035. This is first time for a member of the Hyundai Motor Group to announce the transition, and will solidify the brand as a leader in the luxury vehicle brand. Genesis plans to make the bold transition to innovate its entire value chain, beginning with raw materials, vehicles, and parts and extending to all work sites and production plants. To become carbon neutral, Genesis will establish itself as a 100 percent zero emission vehicle brand by 2030. Genesis aims to build an EV lineup consisting of eight models and expects global sales to reach 400,000 units per year.

In addition, starting with GV60, Genesis will continue to provide sincere interactions with its customers through its EV lineup and for its drivers as a luxury brand. The company sees the new electric lineup as an exciting platform to improve the way it interfaces with customers, while Genesis' new architecture will integrate audacious technologies and breathtaking designs into its vehicles, providing truly detail-oriented experiences. Genesis presented various concepts for the future vehicles within the video including Stage Doors, which open the front and rear doors in the opposite direction without a B-pillar. Rotating Swivel Seats and mood lighting create a sense of comfort surrounding the driver, while climate control is taken care of by the new heating system inspired by the Korean "Ondol" heating. The brand also presented an improved high-fidelity sound system that makes drivers and passengers feel like they're sitting on stage with the orchestra. "I am extremely excited to announce the new vision of Genesis for a sustainable future as we open a new chapter in our history," said Jay Chang, Global Head of Genesis. "As we continue to design a new dimension of customer experience and build an authentic relationship with our customers, Genesis will take audacious steps to lead the age of electrification into the sustainable future." "Our new electric lineup is the perfect platform to increase our interface with our customers," said Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Creative Officer of Genesis. "We aim to interact with all their senses. Our new architecture will integrate audacious technologies with breathtaking designs while providing sincere detail-oriented experiences. Warm and exquisite care will be our differentiator." Along with the launch of its vision film today, Genesis also released a new global brand campaign film, "Designed for Your Mind." The campaign aims to communicate the full range of experiences that Genesis puts into its vehicle designs, services and more while evoking a variety of emotions using epic visuals and sounds from nature. Through the film Genesis hopes to help drivers envision what a luxury automotive brand can offer them, by delivering a tranquil and harmonious driving environment to balance the challenges of a fast-paced urban life. As a luxury brand, Genesis interprets design in a broader sense as a unique and lasting tool to shape a better world. Following the Brand Campaign footage, Genesis ended today's livestream with exclusive footage teasing a future in air mobility. Genesis Motor North America At Genesis, we put the customer at the core of everything we do. Genesis is a global automotive brand that delivers the highest standards of safety, performance, design, and innovation. Genesis offers a range of models including the G70 sport sedan, G80 executive sedan, the flagship G90 sedan, and the GV70 and GV80 sport utility vehicles. Please visit our media site for the latest news at www.genesisnewsusa.com (United States) and www.genesisnews.ca (Canada). View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/genesis-presents-vision-for-sustainable-future-301367964.html SOURCE Genesis Motor America

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[September 01, 2021] KKR Leads Series B Funding Round in Vietnam's KiotViet

KiotViet, a leading merchant platform for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Vietnam, and KKR, a global investment firm, today announced the signing of definitive agreements under which KKR will participate as the lead investor in the US$45 million Series B funding round of KiotViet ("the Company"), with participation from its existing investor, Jungle Ventures. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210901006099/en/ KiotViet aims to drive the digital transformation of MSMEs, a key segment that accounts for approximately 40% of Vietnam's economy. The Company delivers an affordable, full-suite software solution that includes point-of-sale, inventory management, CRM, and employee management services to over 110,000 MSME customers. KiotViet has additionally expanded to offer a B2B procurement marketplace and integrated logistics services for its merchants, and has plans to leverage its platform to provide financial services solutions such as payments and lending to customers. Hao Tran, CEO of KiotViet, said: "Micro, small and medium enterprises play a vital role in the domestic economy as a driver for Vietnam's future growth. Through KiotViet's accessible and innovative solutions, we want to help home-grown MSMEs digitalize their businesses, enhance their operational efficiency, as well as unleash their full potential. We are excited to welcome KKR as our new investor and are confident that their extensive experience, strong global network, and deep industry expertise will prove invaluable assets to our Company as we embark on the next phase of our growth journey. We would also like to thank Jungle Ventures for their continued commitment in supporting our growth, as well as Kasikorn Bank and Cao Viet My for participating in this Series B funding round." Ashish Shastry, Co-Head of Asia Pacific Private Equity and Head of Southeast Asia at KKR, said: "We are excited to inest in KiotViet, an innovative business with terrific growth potential. Our investment in KiotViet marks our sixth in Vietnam and is the first made through KKR's growth technology strategy in Southeast Asia. This milestone reflects our commitment to providing high-growth technology companies - including those at an earlier stage - with long-term capital and value-added support."



Louis Casey, KKR's growth technology lead in Southeast Asia, said: "KKR's investment in KiotViet aligns with one of our core themes of backing businesses that are enabling MSME digitization through software and financial technology. Our investment philosophy is predicated on true, value-added collaboration with founders over the long term, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work closely with the KiotViet team to support the Company's next stages of growth by leveraging KKR's software expertise and global network." David Gowdey, Managing Partner of Jungle Ventures said: "We have been working closely with the KiotViet management team since our original investment in 2019 and have been impressed with how the business has evolved from basic small business software to a multifaceted small business platform. The addition of this new capital will only enable them to provide more services to small businesses, who as a segment are a major contributor to GDP throughout SE Asia. We are excited to have KKR as part of this journey."

KKR is making its investment in KiotViet from its Asian private equity fund. KiotViet is KKR's latest growth technology investment and adds to other recent investments including Lenskart, a leading omni-channel eyewear retailer in India, Adopt A Cow, a digitalized, direct-to-consumer dairy company in China, NetStars, the operator of Japan's largest QR code payment gateway, and Walnut Programming, a children's programming education company in China. Additional details of the transaction are not disclosed. About KiotViet KiotViet is committed to creating efficient, convenient products to help millions of MSMEs run their businesses more easily and efficiently. Our vision is to become the most popular technology solution provider for enterprises in South East Asia by focusing on customer centricity, quality products, and excellence in service. For more details, please visit www.kiotviet.vn. 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/20210901006099/en/

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[September 01, 2021] Airwallex secures licence in Malaysia; positioned for growth in Southeast Asia

MELBOURNE, Australia and KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading global fintech platform, Airwallex , today announced that the company has secured a money services business (MSB) licence issued by Bank Negara Malaysia. The new license will allow Airwallex to offer modern, streamlined and integrated international payment solutions for Malaysian businesses of all sizes, from SMEs to larger enterprises, to efficiently manage their operations in Malaysia. From early next year, businesses in Malaysia can enjoy fast, transparent and cost-effective international payments in multiple currencies, empowering them to operate and grow globally. Through the Airwallex platform, they will have the ability to collect funds from customers across the globe in different currencies, convert and pay out into preferred currencies. This marks another milestone for Airwallex as the company sets its sights on growing its presence in Southeast Asia, with teams in Singapore and Malaysia to supportASEAN businesses. Globally, Airwallex currently has licences and is operational in Australia, Hong Kong, the UK & EU, and the US.



"For many businesses, operating across borders is expensive, time-consuming and cumbersome. This pain point is exactly why we started Airwallex. From day one, we set out with a purpose to empower businesses of all sizes to grow without borders." said Jack Zhang, CEO and Co-founder, Airwallex. "Malaysia-based businesses have been looking to tap into Southeast markets to remain competitive, requiring a trusted payment partner for their regional and global expansion. With this new licence, Airwallex aims to replicate the success that it has achieved from servicing leading companies in other regions with businesses in Malaysia. Our solutions will help both local and global businesses in Malaysia focus on their international operations and expansion, without having to navigate the nuances of establishing their own cross-border financial infrastructure." Zhang continued.

Founded in 2015, Airwallex is one of the fastest growing financial technology companies today. Earlier this year, Airwallex announced an additional Series D capital raise of US$100 million which increased its valuation to US2.6B. The company has over 900 staff across 12 global offices today. About Airwallex Airwallex is a global fintech payment platform with a mission to empower businesses of all sizes to grow without borders, and by doing so, contribute to the global economy. With technology at its core, Airwallex has built a global financial infrastructure and platform to help businesses to manage payments, treasury and expenses internationally, without the constraints of the traditional financial system. Airwallex has secured over US$500 million since it was established in Melbourne in 2015, and is backed by world-leading investors. Today, the business operates with a team of over 900 employees across 12 global offices. For more information, please visit www.airwallex.com SOURCE Airwallex

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[September 01, 2021] Voice AI company Vernacular.ai rebrands to Skit, secures Series B round of USD 23 million from WestBridge Capital

The fresh capital will help enhance Skit's voice technology, developing personalised solutions while making strategic headway in global markets, like the US

WestBridge Capital joins existing investors, including Exfinity Ventures and Kalaari Capital, amongst others, to accelerate the company's rapid growth NEW YORK and BANGALORE, India, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading voice AI company, Skit formerly known as Vernacular.ai, has secured USD 23 million as part of its Series B funding, to fuel the next level of growth and product evolution. The investment was led by WestBridge Capital with participation from Kalaari Capital and Exfinity Ventures, Angelist syndicate led by Aaryaman Vir Shah from Prophetic Ventures and Letsventure syndicate led by Sense AI. The capital will be used for sales & marketing, building delivery capabilities, R&D to speed up innovation and further enhance the company's products while expanding globally. The fundraising follows a Series A announcement in May 2020, led by Exfinity Ventures and Kalaari Capital, AngelList, with IAN Fund and LetsVenture also participating in the round. This Series B funding brings the startup's total raise to USD 30 million. The company plans to double down and scale operations in both Indian and global markets. Since the last fundraise, Skit has been able to increase its revenue and customer rowth by over 4x building a strong partner network across industries such as banking, insurance, ecommerce, consumer durables, travel & logistics, among others. The company has strengthened its workforce by over 6x to prepare for future growth.



Commenting on the capital raise, Sourabh Gupta, CEO and Co-founder of Skit said, "This investment comes when we are making strategic inroads into the US and SouthEast Asian markets. Clients and investors alike have recognized the uniqueness and superiority of our product and continue to show confidence in our growth path. The global contact center market size is expected to grow steadily and reach a value of 496 billion US dollars by 2027. To address this sizable growth, we at Skit are using voice bot innovation and our market observations to personalize caller experiences at customer contact centers, and deliver upto 50% cost reduction and superior customer experience. We are driven by the passion of our clients and our team to change the way businesses interact with their customers." "We are delighted to back Sourabh and Akshay as they continue to help global companies transform how customer service is delivered. Skit's success in helping India's largest companies, positions them well to enter the US market where there is a massive need for voice AI solutions," stated Sashi Reddi, Venture Advisor to Westbridge Capital.

With the fresh funding, Skit will potentially address the over $300 billion voice customer service market globally with its AI-based voice automation platform - Vernacular Intelligent Voice Assistant (VIVA). VIVA helps enterprises improve engagement strategies by utilizing speech recognition and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) technology. With over 10 million hours of training data, VIVA has been deployed to help enterprises boost customer stickiness and loyalty through a deep understanding of the customer's context and intent. Skit was founded in 2016 by IIT Roorkee alumnus, Sourabh Gupta and Akshay Deshraj. About Skit Skit is an AI-first SaaS voice automation company. Its suite of speech and language solutions enable enterprises to automate their call center operations. With over 10 million hours of training data, its product - Vernacular Intelligent Voice Assistant (VIVA) can currently respond in over 16+ languages, covering over 160+ dialects and replicating human-like conversations. Skit serves a variety of enterprise clients across diverse sectors such as banking and financial services, including insurance, securities and NBFCs, food and beverage, ecommerce, automotive, and travel and tourism. Few prominent clients include Axis Bank, Hathway, Porter and Barbeque Nation. In May 2020, the Bangalore based start-up secured its Series A funding of USD 5.1 million and recently raised a Series B round of USD 23 million, and has grown to over 150 employees. The company has been featured as one of the top-notch start-ups in the Cisco Launchpad's Cohort 6, and is a part of the World Economic Forum's Global Innovators Community. The voice AI leader has also been listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia start-ups 2021 for its remarkable industry innovation, and recently been awarded 'Tech Startup of the Year' in Artificial Intelligence 2021 by Entrepreneur India, further underscoring its market dominance and unparalleled expertise. The company is now expanding in the United States and Southeast Asian markets in a bid to take its unique platform to global enterprises. SOURCE Skit

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[September 02, 2021] Uniarch Unear A30, the All-in-One Video Conference Camera is about to launch on Indiegogo

DALLAS, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Uniarch, as the sub-brand of Uniview, the video surveillance company in Dallas, Texas is ready to release their new video conference camera Unear A30 on Indiegogo, the crowdfunding platform in September. COVID-19 has posed a negative impact on communication and interaction in companies, schools, hospitals and some other organizations. Under such circumstance, online meeting is adopted as a method to maintain organization's connectivity. Demi Zhang, the Global Product Director of Uniarch claimed that the company carried the responsibility of keeping everyone safe while maintaining everyone's productivity. Online meeting thus becomes the trend, and webcams have answered the need of uprising market of online communication devices. However, most webcams in the market fail to provide a high-quality online meeting experience for users, due to their inferior functions of blurred images, buzzing noises and unstable connecting signals.

In order to solve these problems, Unear A30 perfects the sound transmission process with an advanced AI algorithm. Sounds in a 5-meter range can be thoroughly collected by a powerful 4-element omnidirectional microphones array. The embedded AI techniques then help analyze the sound, suppressing noise and canceling echoes. Uniarch is ready to release Unear A30 for users to "hear extraordinary", whichis the norm they comply with.



"We also find that ordinary webcams can no longer fulfill user's need for getting more than 2 people involved at the single side in an online meeting. That's why we want to release a product like Unear A30 to make it possible for 8-15 people to get captured by the conference camera," said Zhang. Unear A30 is equipped with a 115 ultra-wide-angle camera and HD-resolution images for users who are able to be seen and get involved during the meeting. "We want Unear A30 to be more than a 'throw-away' product when the epidemic period ends. It should also be a productivity booster that can be placed in your workplace when people get back to the office. Online meetings ought to stay."

Unear A30 is easy to use. With USB plug-and-play, it asks for no other configuration settings on computers. It is compatible with most mainstream online meeting platforms, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and so forth. The support systems of Unear A30 include Windows, Mac OS and Linux.

It is the first time that Uniarch conducts a crowdfunding program. "We hope our customers can offer suggestions to Unear A30 and help us to run the campaign, also we want them to have the product at a favorable and discounted price. Having considered these conditions, we chose Indiegogo to have our product launched," relayed Zhang. Users are supposed to get the lowest price up to 30% off by signing up now on Indiegogo:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/uniarch/coming_soon About Uniarch Uniarch is a sub-brand of Uniview, the company that commits itself to video surveillance research and development, bearing the mission of making smart life easier through reliable video technology, one-stop smart products and friendly services for the customers. The core values of Uniarch are beliefs in openness and integrity, which are incentives for them to refine their product design and manufacture. Uniarch builds business with the support and trust of others and accumulates reputation step by step. The brand has a strong awareness of protecting the environment. It is certified by ISO14000 and RoHS. The team insists on being eco-friendly during production and manufacturing. Media Contact:

contact@uniarch.cn

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Uniarch-112080410641026 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uniarch-unear-a30-the-all-in-one-video-conference-camera-is-about-to-launch-on-indiegogo-301368037.html SOURCE UNV Technology USA LLC

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[September 02, 2021] Knight Frank partners with Microland for a major digital workplace transformation program

BENGALURU, India; LONDON and SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Microland, a global digital transformation company, announced today it has been selected by Knight Frank, leading global real estate advisers, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, as its primary partner to support the development and execution of its digital roadmap. Microland will transform the end-to-end IT Infrastructure environment for Knight Frank including Cloud Management, Data Center Management, Storage Management along with Network Management and Global Service Desk. Microland's expertise in managing the delivery of digital services, its experience in implementing AIOps and automation solutions, supported by global delivery model with Bengaluru and London as hubs, were key to Knight Frank's decision on the partnership. As a part of this engagement, Microland will drive reduction in cost of digital estate and enhance user experience, while improving agility and security across the IT Infrastructure estate. "We are indeed delighted to partner with Knight Frank in their ambitious digital transformation over thenext 5 years. We intend to leverage our proprietary automation solution and design frameworks to deliver Six Sigma predictability and reliability of IT Infrastructure and improve ROI. Microland will deploy technology-agnostic solutions to meet the needs of the 'new normal' and keep abreast with future changes," said Karthikeyan Krishnan, Senior Vice President, EMEA, Microland.



Commenting on the relationship, Edel McGrath, Knight Frank Partner and Group Head of Technology, said, "We provide innovative property solutions for our clients that add tangible value across property sectors and services. I am extremely excited to partner with Microland to meet and exceed real estate objectives and elevate the seamless experience delivered to our clients." About Microland

Microland's delivery of digital and "Making Digital Happen" allows technology to do more and intrude less. We make it easier for enterprises to adopt nextGen Digital infrastructure. We enable this using our expertise in Cloud and Data Centers, Networks, Digital Workplace, Cybersecurity and Industrial IoT ensuring the embrace of brilliance is predictable, reliable and stable. In the COVID-19 affected world, Microland is making digital happen for enterprises with a laser focus on services that are more relevant to our clients and prospects than ever before. Incorporated in 1989 and headquartered in Bengaluru, India, Microland has more than 4,500 digital specialists across offices and delivery centers in Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East and North America. Read more here: https://www.microland.com/ About Knight Frank Knight Frank LLP is the leading independent global property consultancy, serving as our clients' partners in property for 125 years. Headquartered in London, Knight Frank has more than 20,000 people operating from 488 offices across 57 territories. The Group advises clients ranging from individual owners and buyers to major developers, investors and corporate tenants. Read more here: https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1343841/Microland_Logo.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1606614/Microland_Knight_Frank.jpg



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[September 02, 2021] House of Rose Professional Announces Partnerships with Mastercard, Diageo, Fonterra for 2021 "Better World" Edition of Break the Ceiling Touch the Sky to Advance Global Gender Diversity & Inclusion

SINGAPORE, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- House of Rose Professional Pte. Ltd (HORP) today announced partnerships with Mastercard, Fonterra and Diageo for its 2021 "Better World" Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky - the success and leadership summit for women, which will take place virtually on Oct 26, 2021. Mastercard, Diageo and Fonterra join Coca-Cola, Accenture and Fine Hygienic Holding as key partners for the 2021 Better World Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky. The summit will be available to teams across time-zones over 12 hours of uninterrupted global content and continues the focus on MISSION 2029 FOR A BETTER WORLD HORP's 10 year initiative to shape a better world by quintupling the number of Female CEOs (from 14 in 2020 to 70 in 2029) and double the number of Male CEOs (who actively advocate for diversity & inclusion) in the world's 500 largest companies by 2029. The 2021 Better World Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky will bring together virtually over 1000 of the world's key business, not-for-profit and government leaders to share and learn cutting-edge best practices on leadership, diversity & inclusion and success. The summit will enable participating Organizations and leaders to learn across industries from the success strategies deployed by the world's best organizations to win in a VUCA world and also equip their leaders (especially women leaders) with the relevant skills and best practices to advance in their careers and contribute even more to business globally. Commented Anthony A. Rose, former Walmart and P&G executive and Chairman and CEO of House of Rose Professional and best-selling author of "Break the ceiling touch the sky: success secrets of the world's most inspirational women"  the book that inspired the summit. "We encourage organizations and leaders across the world to participate and leverage the cross-industry knowledge available at the 202 Better world edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky from the world's most successful Companies. It continues our focus on a very specific, strategic outcome  to enable 70 Female CEOs in the world's 500 largest Companies by 2029 and step change the number of Male CEOs actively investing and championing gender diversity & inclusion. Since we announced the Mission progress has been made -from 14 to 23 Female CEO's in the world's 500 largest Companies. This is exciting progress but needs to be sustained via strategic, consistent investment in women in leadership."



Commented Julie Hamilton, Chief Commercial Officer, Diageo Plc, "The future is female. Research is indicating that women drive 70-80% of all consumer purchasing, through a combination of their buying power and influence. Given this reality, it is imperative we have more gender balanced leadership at the very top of organizations. At Diageo we believe that the fastest way to greater diversity at the top is to actively support greater opportunity for women to learn, grow and lead." Rama Sridhar, Executive Vice President, Digital & Emerging Partnerships and New Payment Flows, Asia Pacific at Mastercard said, "As the pandemic impacted lives and livelihoods, and deepened inequalities, it has also strengthened our resolve to continue shaping a better world that offers priceless possibilities for all. Mastercard is more focused than ever on multiple fronts: advancing financial inclusion, with a focus on women who form the majority of Asia's unbanked and underbanked; levelling the playing field for workplace progression; and forging ambitious partnerships in support of programs like Break the ceiling touch the sky to champion the diversity and inclusion agenda."

Added Susanne Arfelt Rajamand, Managing Director at Fonterra South East Asia, "As a Co-operative, inclusion is foundational to Fonterra. It starts with a shared mindset that's right on point with today's collaborative economy. Equal opportunities for all. This is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a sustainable world. Glass ceilings can be dismantled, and barred doors can be unlocked, as long as someone in power is willing to turn the key. Achieving gender equality in the workplace requires significant male engagement in the effort. Women and men can give 100% at the workplace if their partners can give their 50% at home." Claudia Lorenzo, ASEAN & South Pacific Operating Unit President, The Coca-Cola Company shared, "Diversity, equity and inclusion are the heart of our company purpose, values and growth strategy. We're working to foster an inclusive culture and make Coca-Cola a great place to work, where people can belong, grow and thrive. We're pleased to be a sponsor of Break the ceiling touch the sky , an event which gives participants a tremendous opportunity to learn from others, share best practices, and chart their own individual courses for success." Since 2014 House of Rose Professional has enabled over 25000 women leaders (and several thousand male leaders who support diversity & inclusion) to greater success via its Break the ceiling touch the sky brand and its proprietary leadership solutions. The 2021 Better World Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky is supported by a host of Industry Partners including the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC), Singapore Council of Women's Organizations (SCWO), BRITCHAM, AMCHAM Abu Dhabi, AMCHAM Dubai, AUSTCHAM, FRENCHCHAM, Danish Chamber of Commerce in China, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, GS1 Singapore, etc. House of Rose Professional Pte. Ltd. offers services that enable organizations across the world to accelerate gender equality across their organizations and deliver positive impact on their business. HORP specializes in Talent (Dream Job International), Training (Break the ceiling touch the sky) and Transformation (CEOSmith) services. Companies that wish to sponsor/ register their teams for the 2021 World Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky can register at www.houseofroseprofessional.com MEDIA INQUIRIES: Anthony A. Rose at anthony@houseofroseprofessional.com SOURCE House of Rose Professional Pte. Ltd.

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[September 02, 2021] Venture Global LNG and PGNiG Finalize Expansion of LNG Partnership

Venture Global set to become America's top LNG supplier to Poland WARSAW, Poland, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Venture Global LNG and PGNiG (Polish Oil and Gas Company) finalized an agreement under which PGNiG will purchase an additional 2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Venture Global for 20 years. Cargoes will be supplied from Venture Global's Calcasieu Pass LNG and Plaquemines LNG export facilities. The documents were signed during a ceremony at the Warsaw Stock Exchange. "Venture Global is proud to expand our existing partnership with PGNiG to provide a clean and reliable supply of American LNG to Poland. Since 2018, our two companies have significantly increased our cooperation, nearly tripling the volume of LNG Venture Global will export to PGNiG. Poland will lower its carbon footprint and diversify its energy mix by incorporating more American natural gas into its portfolio. Pivoting towards cleaner natural gs from the United States will not only increase Poland's energy security but also decrease its carbon emissions, and Venture Global looks forward to supporting our partner PGNiG in these efforts for years to come," commented Mike Sabel, Chief Executive Officer of Venture Global LNG.



"The import of LNG allows PGNiG to diversify sources and routes of supply of natural gas. This way we can provide Polish customers with energy security  constant and uninterrupted gas deliveries. This is particularly important considering that natural gas will be a bridge fuel in the process of energy transition of the Polish economy. At the same time, access to American LNG gives us opportunity to develop trade of this fuel on the global market  for this purpose we will charter LNG carriers to transport liquefied natural gas. In this respect, we value cooperation with Venture Global LNG, as it brings us the possibility of achieving our strategic goals," commented Pawel Majewski, the President of the PGNiG Management Board. Today's announcement amends the existing Sales and Purchase Agreements signed by the companies in 2018, increasing the volume of LNG purchased from Calcasieu Pass LNG to 1.5 MTPA and the volume from Plaquemines LNG to 4 MTPA. This brings the total volume of LNG PGNiG has committed to purchase from Venture Global facilities to 5.5 MTPA, for 20 years on a free-on-board basis (FOB).

About Venture Global LNG Venture Global is a long-term, low-cost provider of U.S. LNG to be sourced from resource rich North American natural gas basins. Venture Global is currently constructing or developing 70 MTPA of production capacity in Louisiana to provide clean, affordable energy to the world. About PGNiG Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG SA) deals with exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil and  through its branches and key companies from the Capital Group  with import, storage, sales, distribution of gaseous and liquid fuels, production of heat and electricity as well as geophysical and drilling services. Its subsidiaries and branches carry out exploration and production activities in Norway, Pakistan and UAE, natural gas sales in Europe and LNG trading. It is involved in projects with biomethane as well as storage and distribution of hydrogen. It develops competences in generating power from renewables. SOURCE Venture Global LNG

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[September 02, 2021] GTT Enters into Restructuring Support Agreement with Key Stakeholders to Improve Capital Structure and Execute Business Strategy

GTT Communications, Inc. (OTC: GTTN), "GTT" or "the Company", a leading global cloud networking provider to multinational clients, announced today that it has entered into a Restructuring Support Agreement (" RSA (News - Alert) " or the "agreement") with key stakeholders, including holders of a majority of its secured and unsecured debt and I Squared Capital, to implement a comprehensive restructuring of the Company's remaining balance sheet following completion of the pending sale of its infrastructure division. The agreement places GTT on a path to improve its capital structure and execute its long-term business strategy. Pursuant to the RSA, the Company expects to expeditiously close the previously announced sale of its infrastructure division to I Squared Capital in the coming weeks, which will allow GTT to repay a significant portion of its secured debt. Following the close of the sale of the infrastructure division, GTT and certain of its direct and indirect subsidiaries intend to commence prepackaged chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to effectuate a deleveraging of GTT's post-sale capital structure. GTT's foreign businesses and operations outside of the U.S. are not included in the contemplated filing and will be unaffected by the chapter 11 cases. The Company expects to emerge from this process after obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals for the restructuring. GTT is operating and serving its customers in the U.S. and globally without interruption. The RSA provides for vendors, employees and other partners to be paid in the ordinary course of business for obligations incurred prior to and after the commencement of the anticipated chapter 11 cases. The Company has access to sufficient liquidity to operate its businesses, and with the support of its lenders, will retain additional amounts from the sale proceeds to further strengthen its cash position. Ernie Ortega, Chief Executive Officer of GTT, stated, "This global agreement among each of our creditor constituencies resulted from extensive negotiations and reflects the ongoing commitment of our debtholders to the business. Our performance has been strong year-to-date, and we have a very competitive product portfolio in growing segments of the market, such as SD-WAN. To continue this momentum, we are working together with our debtholders to improve GTT's financial health and this is a major milestone to accomplish this goal." Mr. Ortega added, "I would like to thank our GTT team for continuing to deliver outstanding services to our valued clients and our Board of Directors for its steadfast support. I would also like to express my utmost gratitude to our customers and valued partners around the globe with whom we are honored to work." Going forward, the Company's strategy is to remain committed to serving national and multinational organizations with market-leading cloud networking services across a broad range of wide area network connectivity options. This includes GTT's top-ranked Tier 1 global IP network, SD-WAN, Ethernet, MPLS and local access, as well as global SIP Trunking, security, and advanced solutions services. GTT's legal advisor in connection with the restructuring is Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Alvarez & Marsal North America, LLC serves as its restructuring advisor and TRS Advisors, a group within the investment banking division of Piper Sandler & Co., serves as its investment banker for the restructuring. Interested parties who may have questions related to the restructuring may call Prime Clerk, at (877) 329-1803 or (347) 532-7908 (international) or send an email to GTTInfo@PrimeClerk.com. In addition, information related to the restructuring is available at http://cases.primeclerk.com/GTTBallots. About GTT GTT provides secure global connectivity, improving network performance and agility for your people, places, applications and clouds. We operate a global Tier 1 internet network and provide a comprehensive suite of cloud networking and managed solutions that utilize advanced software-defined networking and security technologies. We serve thousands of businesses with a portfolio that includes SD-WAN and other WAN services, internet, security and voice services. Our customers benefit from a customer-first service experience underpinned by our commitment to operational excellence. For more information on GTT (OTC: GTTN), please visit www.gtt.net. Important Disclaimers Regarding Information in this Press Release This press release is for informational purposes and does not constitute a formal solicitation regarding a transaction or an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities, loans, or other instruments or a solicitation of any kind. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to be a recommendation from the Company to any party, including without limitation, any security holder of or lender to the Company to enter into any transaction or to take any course of action. Nothing in this press release shall be deemed a waiver of any rights of the Company. Any transaction with the Company involves a high degree of risk, including without limitation a potential risk of loss of an investor's entire investment. Any party o a transaction should investigate, ask about and consider such risks in its due diligence investigation before entering into such transaction.



Any solicitation of acceptances in connection with prepackaged chapter 11 cases will only be made pursuant to a disclosure statement that explains the full terms and conditions of the plan of reorganization. Any such solicitation will only be made in compliance with applicable provisions of securities, bankruptcy and other applicable law. When and if any such disclosure statement becomes available, security holders of or lenders to the Company should read it carefully, as well as any amendments or supplements to that document, because it will contain important information. The Company has not yet filed a prepackaged plan with any court. The transactions contemplated by the RSA are dependent upon a number of factors, including: the filing of petitions for relief under chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code; the filing of a prepackaged plan; the approval of a disclosure statement by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court; and the confirmation and consummation of such prepackaged plan in accordance with the provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. These statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of the Company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The above statements regarding the pending sale of the Company's infrastructure division (the "Sale Transaction"), the Company's contemplated filing of voluntary petitions for relief (the "Chapter 11 Cases") under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code for entities based in the United States, necessary regulatory approvals, and the Company's business operations and strategy constitute forward-looking statements that are based on the Company's current expectations. Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause future events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, many of which are outside of the Company's control. These factors include, but are not limited to, the effects on the Company's business and clients of general economic and financial market conditions, as well as the following: (1) the Company has failed or may fail to satisfy certain covenants relating to financial statement delivery obligations and representations regarding the Company's financial statements contained in its indenture (the "Indenture") for its outstanding notes (the "Notes"), its credit agreement (the "Credit Agreement"), and its priming facility credit agreement (the "Priming Facility Credit Agreement"), which have resulted or may result in events of default, and if the Company's forbearance agreements with creditors terminate and/or the Company is unable to obtain further agreements from creditors with respect to forbearing from exercising remedies or amendments or waivers, as applicable, the Notes and the Company's obligations under the Credit Agreement and the Priming Facility Credit Agreement may be accelerated and result in the Company being unable to satisfy its obligations thereunder; (2) the Company has announced that its previously issued financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, each of the quarters during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the quarter ended March 31, 2020 (the "Non-Reliance Periods") and related disclosures and communications should no longer be relied upon as a result of preliminary findings of the Company's previously disclosed review of certain accounting issues (the "Review"); the Company is continuing to finalize its quantification of the impact of errors identified by the Review on financial results for the Non-Reliance Periods and the impact may be materially different than previously disclosed estimates; (3) the completion of the Review and the completion and filing of restated financial statements relating to the Non-Reliance Periods, the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2020, September 30, 2020, March 31, 2021, June 30, 2021, or the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 and any subsequent delayed periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC (News - Alert)") may take longer than expected as a result of the timing or findings of the Review or the Company's independent registered public accounting firm's review process; (4) the conditions to access funding under the Priming Facility Credit Agreement may not be satisfied and the Company may be unable to access such funding, and existing cash balances and funds generated from operations may not be sufficient to finance the Company's operations and meet its cash requirements; (5) the Company is subject to risks associated with the actions of network providers and a concentrated number of vendors and clients; (6) the Company could be subject to cyber-attacks and other security breaches; (7) the Company's network could suffer serious disruption if certain locations experience damage or as the Company adds features and updates its network; (8) the Company is subject to risks associated with purchase commitments to vendors for longer terms or in excess of the volumes committed by the Company's underlying clients, or sales commitments to clients that extend beyond the Company's commitments from its underlying suppliers; (9) the Company may be unable to establish and maintain peering relationships with other providers or agreements with carrier neutral data center operators; (10) the Company's business, results of operation and financial condition are subject to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and related market and economic conditions; (11) the Company may be affected by information systems that do not perform as expected or by consolidation, competition, regulation or a downturn in the Company's industry; (12) the Company may be liable for the material that content providers distribute over its network; (13) the Company has generated net losses historically and may continue to do so; (14) the Company may fail to successfully integrate any future acquisitions or to efficiently manage its growth; (15) the Company may be unable to retain or hire key employees; (16) the Company recently announced management changes; (17) the Company is subject to risks relating to the international operations of its business; (18) the Company may be affected by tax assessments, unfavorable tax audit outcomes, delayed tax filings and future increased levels of taxation; (19) the Company has substantial indebtedness, which could prevent it from fulfilling its obligations under its debt agreements or subject the Company to interest rate risk; (20) the Company may be unable to obtain from the lenders and other financial institutions party to the Credit Agreement from time to time or the holders of Notes the further forbearances, waivers, consents, releases or other agreements that may be necessary to prevent a default under the Credit Agreement, the Priming Facility Credit Agreement or the Indenture that may be necessary to satisfy the conditions to the closing of the Sale Transaction, either on terms acceptable to the Company or at all, in which case the Sale and Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 16, 2020 (as amended, the "Infrastructure SPA"), among the Company, its subsidiaries GTT Holdings Limited, Global Telecom and Technology Holdings Ireland Limited, Hibernia NGS Limited and GTT Americas, LLC (collectively, the "Sellers") and Cube Telecom Europe Bidco Limited (the "Buyer") relating to the Sale Transaction may terminate unless the Buyer provides a waiver; (21) the Company may not be able to obtain the consent of certain parties to contracts with the Sellers and their subsidiaries that will be necessary to fully implement the Sale Transaction or the corporate reorganization contemplated in connection with the Sale Transaction (the "Reorganization"), on terms acceptable to the Company or at all; (22) the potential failure to satisfy, or obtain waivers of, other closing conditions under the Infrastructure SPA, which may result in the Sale Transaction not being consummated; (23) the potential failure of the Company to realize anticipated benefits of the Sale Transaction; (24) risks from relying on the Buyer for various critical transaction services and network services for an extended period under the transition services agreement and the master services agreement contemplated by the Infrastructure SPA; (25) the potential impact of announcement or consummation of the Reorganization and the Sale Transaction on relationships with third parties, including customers, employees and competitors; (26) the ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers in the manner anticipated; (27) the Company has announced that it expects to report material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting and its internal control over financial reporting may have further weaknesses of which the Company is not currently aware or which have not been detected, (28) the RSA may be terminated by certain of its parties if specified milestones are not achieved, amended or waived, including obtaining signatures of additional parties, or if certain other events occur, and (29) the risks and uncertainties relating to the contemplated Chapter 11 Cases, including but not limited to, the Company's ability to obtain approval of the Bankruptcy Court with respect to motions, the effects of the Chapter 11 Cases on the Company and on the interests of various constituencies, Bankruptcy Court rulings in the Chapter 11 Cases and the outcome of the Chapter 11 Cases in general, the length of time the Company will operate under the Chapter 11 Cases, risks associated with third-party motions in the Chapter 11 Cases, regulatory approvals required during the pendency of the Chapter 11 Cases, the potential adverse effects of the Chapter 11 Cases on the Company's liquidity or results of operations and increased legal and other professional costs in connection with the Chapter 11 Cases. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The Company does not undertake to update the forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that may arise after the date of the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of a variety of risk factors affecting the Company's business and prospects, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC including, but not limited to, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, which have been filed with the SEC and are available on the Company's website (www.gtt.net) and on the SEC's website (www.sec.gov). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005389/en/

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[September 02, 2021] ARC, Inc. Embarks on Data Fusion Project for the U.S. Army Under AI-Based Weapon Sensing for JADC2 Contract

Last month, Armaments Research Company, Inc. (ARC) announced a new 5-year, $60-million Small Business Innovative Research (News - Alert) (SBIR) Phase III contract, awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and General Services Administration (GSA) as part of the military's 'Joint All-Domain Command and Control' (JADC2) project portfolio. Today, ARC announced Task Orders 1 and 3, the first projects to be delivered under the 'Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity' (IDIQ) contract. These projects will focus on fusing data from its miniaturized AI-enabled edge computing sensors with other battlefield data sources to transmit decision-quality information to tactical forces through mobile and mixed reality platforms. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005450/en/ AI-Based Weapo Sensing for JADC2 (Photo: Business Wire)



The projects will leverage machine learning to create richer data insights and optimize information sharing among soldiers. Frontier technology emerging from priority programs, including Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW), and Nett Warrior, will be integrated into core soldier equipment for a seamless user experience. Ultimately, the development effort aspires to ensure the right information is transmitted to the right warfighter at the right time and is visualized through the right medium for more effective response to ground threats.

"The most exciting and rewarding aspect of this project is its origin," says Michael Canty, ARC's Chief Executive Officer. "This project began with soldier-centric design: Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and conventional force end users collaborating with us to create features that would solve their pain points. Fortunately, Army program offices found value in that approach." ARC technical solutions and case studies are available for individual demonstration. Interested parties are invited to visit armaments.us and contact info@armaments.us for more information. About Armaments Research Company, Inc.: Founded in 2016, ARC is a privately-owned, top-secret-cleared, Washington D.C.-based technology firm, led in tandem by pioneering technology experts and combat-tested military veterans. ARC's original solutions were developed under DARPA and National Science Foundation sponsorship, leveraging state-of-the-art internet-of-things (IoT) and machine learning (ML) technologies to transform weapons into information nodes or 'sensors' and arm Commanders with advanced, real-time decision support. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005450/en/

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[September 02, 2021] 3D Systems Accelerates Access to Advanced Materials - Opening New Applications

Company facilitating additive manufacturing of high-strength, corrosion-resistant parts in Certified Scalmalloy (A) & Certified M789 (A) on Direct Metal Printing platform

Application Innovation Group offers service to help customers certify materials, accelerating innovation and time to market ROCK HILL, S.C., Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) today announced two additions to its industry-leading materials portfolio  Certified Scalmalloy (A) and Certified M789 (A) - to facilitate demanding industrial high-strength, corrosion-resistant parts for additive applications in markets such as aerospace, motorsports & automotive, semiconductor, energy, and moldmaking. This action enables the companys customers to use these high-performance materials optimized for metal additive manufacturing on its Direct Metal Printing (DMP) platform. Additionally, 3D Systems has worked with the material manufacturers  APWORKS and voestalpine BOHLER Edelstahl  to certify these materials for use with its metal 3D printing technology. Customers now have the ability to work with the companys Application Innovation Group (AIG) to efficiently certify these materials for use with its DMP Flex 350 and DMP Factory 350 printers  gaining a competitive advantage with faster time to market. Scalmalloy

Scalmalloy is a high-strength Aluminum alloy that has a tensile strength of 520MPa and yield strength of 480MPa, significantly stronger than the reference material AlSi10Mg. The high strength of Scalmalloy makes it ideal for additively manufacturing weight-efficient, load-bearing components. Using this material, manufacturers are able to produce high-strength, corrosion-resistant Aluminum parts facilitated by fully-developed build styles available in 3DXpert software for the companys DMP Flex 350 and DMP Factory 350 metal 3D printers. Additionally, parts produced using Scalmalloy can be chemically cleaned during post-processing which removes surface residue to deliver a final part with optimal surface finish. Ideal applications for this material include:



Aerospace: passive RF components (e.g., filters, waveguides, etc.), lightweight structural components

Motorsports & Automotive: metal structural components (e.g., suspension brackets, transmission casings), energy and fluid management

Semiconductor: fluid flow (e.g., manifolds), thermal management (e.g., cooling nozzles, wafer tables)

Adding the capability to additively manufacture parts from Scalmalloy to our portfolio is an important step forward; especially for our aerospace customers, said Dr. Michael Shepard, vice president, aerospace & defense segment, 3D Systems. Scalmalloy has a very attractive strength-to-weight ratio and is more amenable to 3D printing than many conventional high-strength Aluminum alloys. These performance attributes make it ideal for aerospace applications and we are excited to see how our customers will use 3D printed Scalmalloy components to continue to push the envelope with their innovation. M789 (BOHLER M789 AMPO)

M789 allows 3D Systems customers to produce high-strength molds and tooling that can not only be hardened up to 52HRC but are also free of Cobalt. 3D Systems has attained certification of M789 for its DMP platform through collaboration with its partner, GF Machining Solutions, addressing customers requests for a hard, corrosion-resistant tooling steel to foster advanced applications. The resulting parts are optimal for long-term use, able to withstand both the rigors of repetitive manufacturing processes as well as use in regions with high humidity. Ideal applications for this material include:

Moldmaking: mold inserts with conformal cooling

Energy: drill bits, cutting tools

Automotive: tire molds, drive train parts, axle components

Our customers in the automotive industry are increasingly relying on additive manufacturing to advance and accelerate their innovation, said Kevin Baughey, segment leader, transportation & motorsports, 3D Systems. Having M789 as part of our metal 3D printing solution delivers greater accuracy to our automotive customers. This is enabling them to use the technology for applications that require higher fidelity and thinner walls, like die inserts with conformal cooling and tire tread molds, and providing them a competitive advantage. At RAPID+TCT 2021 to be held September 13-15 at McCormick Place in Chicago, attendees can visit 3D Systems in booth E7601 to further explore the advantages of these materials. Visitors will have the opportunity to not only see parts produced using these new materials but also to speak with the companys application experts to explore how Scalmalloy and M789 can be used to meet their unique application challenges. For more information on this event, please visit the companys website. Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In many cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "may," "will," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates" or "plans" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based upon managements beliefs, assumptions, and current expectations and may include comments as to the companys beliefs and expectations as to future events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of the company. The factors described under the headings "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the companys periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other factors, could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected or predicted in forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to be accurate indications of the times at which such performance or results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included are made only as of the date of the statement. 3D Systems undertakes no obligation to update or review any forward-looking statements made by management or on its behalf, whether as a result of future developments, subsequent events or circumstances or otherwise. About 3D Systems

More than 30 years ago, 3D Systems brought the innovation of 3D printing to the manufacturing industry. Today, as the leading additive manufacturing solutions partner, we bring innovation, performance, and reliability to every interaction - empowering our customers to create products and business models never before possible. Thanks to our unique offering of hardware, software, materials, and services, each application-specific solution is powered by the expertise of our application engineers who collaborate with customers to transform how they deliver their products and services. 3D Systems solutions address a variety of advanced applications in healthcare and industrial markets such as medical and dental, aerospace & defense, automotive, and durable goods. More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com. Investor Contact: investor.relations@3dsystems.com Media Contact: press@3dsystems.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f63ffb84-e849-4024-b141-90d2173ed2f0



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[September 02, 2021] Better-for-you Snack Brand RW Garcia Relaunches Amazon Page

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RW Garcia, the national brand of better-for-you chips and crackers, is now more widely available than ever with the relaunch of its Amazon product page featuring the most popular sizes of its organic, non-GMO snacks. RW Garcia's official Amazon page features fresh brand imagery and will initially offer a selection of fan-favorite snacks that include: Organic Corn Chips (Blue): Sold in 8.25-ounce bags, RW Garcia's Organic Corn Chips are a healthier alternative to traditional corn chips and taste great with dips or can stand alone.

Sold in 8.25-ounce bags, RW Garcia's Organic Corn Chips are a healthier alternative to traditional corn chips and taste great with dips or can stand alone. Organic Corn Chips (BBQ and Chili Cheese): Available in 7.5-ounce bags, RW Garcia's Organic Corn Chips offer favorite tastes with natural flavors for supremely satisfying organic snacking.



$29.99 . The brand will also launch its Yellow Corn Chips and popular cracker varieties in the near future. "Though we have wide national distribution for many of our chip and cracker varieties, we know that consumer purchasing behavior has increasingly shifted to online, and we want to meet our consumers where they are," said RW Garcia Chief Operating Officer Genelle Chetcuti. "RW Garcia is a natural fit with Amazon, which is a top destination for those looking for the convenience of having delicious snacks with clean ingredients delivered straight to their door."

The first snack company ever to become Non-GMO Project Verified, RW Garcia uses the highest-quality premium ingredients. All its chips and crackers are verified non-GMO, gluten-free certified and kosher; are produced in peanut- and tree nut-free facilities; and contain no additives or preservatives. About RW Garcia Founded in 1982 and based in Scotts Valley, California, RW Garcia is a family-owned and -operated artisan maker of high-quality, organic corn chips, tortilla chips and artisan crackers. RW Garcia is committed to sourcing the finest ingredients available and produces all products in its wholly owned tree nut- and peanut-free facilities in Las Vegas and Lincolnton, North Carolina. All RW Garcia products are non-GMO verified, certified gluten-free, low sodium, kosher and free of artificial additives or preservatives. The company is dedicated to making the world a better place through its sustainable manufacturing practices. RW Garcia founders Robert and Margaret Garcia are Specialty Food Association Hall of Fame inductees for their outstanding contributions to the industry. Their distinctive products can be found throughout North America as well as in Europe and Australia. For more information, visit RWGarcia.com or visit the brand on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Media Contact: Ali Macfadden

Ali@spmcommunications.com

214-379-7000 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/better-for-you-snack-brand-rw-garcia-relaunches-amazon-page-301367824.html SOURCE RW Garcia

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[September 02, 2021] Banner|Aetna Brings Its Performance Network to Coconino County, Delivering Greater Value to Employers and Employees Who Access Care in Northern Arizona

Banner|Aetna, a health insurer jointly owned by Banner Health and Aetna/CVS, announced it is bringing its performance network to Coconino County effective October 1. This network offers greater choice and cost control to Arizona employers while giving enrolled employees the ability to access in-network care across four sizeable Arizona counties, including Maricopa, Pinal, Coconino and Pima. Fully insured large group employers with more than 51 employees and self-funded employers with more than 2 employees will be able to offer the new network on October 1. Once Banner|Aetna receives regulatory approval, the company intends to offer Small Group employers with 2-50 eligible employees seeking ACA coverage the ability to purchase the new network starting with a January 1, 2022, effective date. The performance network is one of two networks offered by Banner|Aetna in which providers coordinate care and work collaboratively to ensure members can access cost-effective, appropriate care that helps improve their health. It can be used as an exclusive plan option by employers looking to control rising health care costs, given that premiums for performance network plans are generally 4-14% lower than its other plans.* The performance network can also be paired with Banner|Aetna's broad network to deliver high-quality care and greater employee choice. Now that Banner|Aetna's performance network includes Coconino County, not only can employers access new coverage options, residents of other counties enrolled in performance network plans can also seek in-network care in this expanded service area. "We're very excited to broaden our footprint into Flagstaff, Page and surrounding towns, including many rural communities, as part of our commitment to providing an expansive network of quality providers," said Tom Grote, CEO of Banner|Aetna. "This is another important step in our network strategy, which will ultimately include developing more value based care relationships beyond just the most populous counties in order to offer more affordable coverage to underserved populations that have more limited care options."



With the addition of Coconino County, Banner|Aetna's performance network will now include nearly 3,000 primary care physicians, more than 19,000 specialists and 38 hospitals with reciprocity across all four counties. Its members can also seek 24/7 virtual care through the 98point6 App for low- or no-cost, on-demand, text-based primary care delivered by board-certified physicians. Large medical groups and hospitals joining the performance network in Coconino County include Northern Arizona Healthcare, Banner Page Hospital, Banner Primary Care and Northern Arizona Healthcare Provider Group. * Comparison is to Aetna's broad network plans. Savings may be less when compared to other value-based network plans. Savings depends on which county the member lives in.

About Banner|Aetna Banner|Aetna is a health insurance company focusing on bettering member outcomes at a lower cost, all while improving the overall member experience for employers and consumers in Arizona. The collaboration combines Banner Health's high quality, local providers and delivery systems with Aetna's health-plan experience, care management and health-information technology. Banner|Aetna is the brand name used for products and services provided by Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Company and Banner Health and Aetna Health Plan Inc. For more information about Banner|Aetna, visit https://www.banneraetna.com/. About Banner Health Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 30 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner - University Medicine, academic and employed physician groups, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services; including Banner Urgent Care, family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com. About CVS Health CVS Health is the leading health solutions company, delivering care in ways no one else can. We reach more people and improve the health of communities across America through our local presence, digital channels and our nearly 300,000 dedicated colleagues - including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and nurse practitioners. Wherever and whenever people need us, we help them with their health - whether that's managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with their medications, or accessing affordable health and wellness services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the health care system - and their personal health care - by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and every day. Learn more at www.cvshealth.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005229/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Corelight Secures $75 Million in Series D Funding Led by Energy Impact Partners with Participation from H.I.G. Growth Partners, CrowdStrike and Capital One Ventures

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Corelight , provider of the industry's first open network detection and response (NDR) platform, today announced it has raised $75 million in Series D investment led by Energy Impact Partners (EIP). Previous investors Accel , General Catalyst , Insight Partners and Osage University Partners also joined the round, as well as new investor H.I.G. Growth Partners , and strategic investment from Capital One Ventures , CrowdStrike Falcon Fund , and Gaingels . Corelight has raised a total of $160 million to date, with this latest round fueling acceleration of both global market presence and development of new data and cloud offerings. Corelight is the fastest growing NDR platform, serving defenders in some of the world's largest financial institutions, retail and healthcare organizations, critical infrastructure providers and government agencies. Building on more than 20 years of open source development and community-driven insight, Corelight provides security teams with the world's best network evidence so they can close investigations quickly, even when incidents go back years. "This latest investment is a powerful affirmation not only of the network detection and response category, but also of our open source heritage, data-centric approach, and commitment to customer success," said Brian Dye, CEO of Corelight. "I am grateful for our investors' partnership as we help organizations around the world move to a data-driven security strategy." Lead investor EIP is a global investment platform backed by a large coalition of forward-looking utilities and industrial partners and focused on investing in cybersecurity, digital transformation, utility infrastructure and the broader energy transition. "EIP's focus on critical infrastructure providers is highly aligned with both our mission and market traction," said Dye. "Helping these institutions defend aainst increasingly sophisticated attackers is essential given their role in society and the economy."



"Corelight's strong NDR technology, rooted in open source, has had a significant impact across industries and is rapidly becoming the de-facto standard for sophisticated defenders," said Shawn Cherian, partner at EIP. "We look forward to supporting them as they expand their existing footprint within the sustainable energy, manufacturing and other critical infrastructure sectors." New investor H.I.G. Growth Partners is the dedicated growth capital investment affiliate of H.I.G. Capital and focuses on certain high-growth sectors where it has extensive in-house expertise such as technology, healthcare, internet and media, consumer products and technology-enabled financial and business services.

"Corelight helps some of the world's most advanced companies protect and secure their networks from cyber threats," said Scott Hilleboe, managing director at H.I.G. Growth Partners. "By leveraging Zeek, the industry's leading open-source data platform, Corelight is uniquely positioned to help security operations teams become more efficient in threat inspection, response, and remediation. We have been incredibly impressed by the company's exceptional growth and are excited to partner with a world-class organization." Strategic investments signal solid support for Corelight's Open NDR strategy and the company's commitment to diversity "These strategic investors mirror our strategy, market focus and values as an organization," said Dye. "Each brings a unique perspective that will improve our ability to deliver data-centric security." The CrowdStrike Falcon Fund focuses on both early stage and strategic investments in companies that are building solutions that integrate with the CrowdStrike Falcon platform . "Corelight and CrowdStrike's strong shared commitment to data-centric security makes this a strong fit within the Falcon Fund portfolio," said Michael Sentonas, CTO at CrowdStrike. "We are excited to support Corelight's continued innovation in the NDR category and the growth of their new data and cloud offerings. As cyber threats increase in number and complexity, the importance of solutions like Corelight have never been greater, providing increased visibility and comprehensive data that allows organizations to identify vulnerabilities and resolve security issues faster." Capital One Ventures is a strategic investor, funding startups that are driving the future of data, technology and financial services, including cybersecurity companies. "We root our decisions on which companies we invest in based on the impact we believe those companies will have on their customers," said Jay Emmanuel, partner at Capital One Ventures. "Partnering with Corelight in this round is a natural extension of the work we have been doing with open source NDR tools and the investments we have been making in strong cyber security solutions. We are thrilled to work with Corelight on new opportunities." Gaingels is the leading investment syndicate in support of and representing the LGBTQ+ community and allies in the venture capital space. Gaingels invests in companies with LGBTQ+ founders and C-suite leaders at all stages of growth, as well as in other high-growth companies resolved on building more inclusive teams. "As the largest investor network focused on supporting and investing in the best venture-backed companies that embrace and value diverse leadership, including LGBTQ+, Gaingels is proud to be participating in this financing round with Corelight," said Lorenzo Thione, managing director of Gaingels. "Our team is resolved on helping the company grow and scale while strengthening its prospects of success by building a culture that reflects the diversity of its executive teams, staff and customers." Corelight is continuing to invest in hiring diverse talent across all levels of the business around the globe. More information on job openings can be found on the Corelight careers page . About Corelight

Corelight provides security teams with network evidence so they can protect the world's most critical organizations and companies. Corelight's global customers include Fortune 500 companies, major government agencies, and large research universities. The company has received investment support from Accel, General Catalyst, Insight Partners and Osage University Partners. Based in San Francisco, Corelight is an open-core security company founded by the creators of Zeek, the widely-used network security technology. For more information, www.corelight.com . About Energy Impact Partners

Energy Impact Partners (EIP) is a global investment platform leading the transition to a sustainable energy future. EIP brings together entrepreneurs and the world's most forward-looking energy and industrial companies to advance innovation. With over $2.0 billion in assets under management, EIP invests globally across venture, growth, credit and infrastructure  and has a team of more than 50 professionals based in its offices in New York, San Francisco, Palm Beach, London, Cologne, and soon Oslo. For more information, visit www.energyimpactpartners.com . About H.I.G. Growth Partners

H.I.G. Growth Partners is the dedicated growth capital investment affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, a leading global alternative investment firm with $45 billion of equity capital under management. H.I.G. Growth seeks to make both majority and minority investments in strong, growth-oriented businesses located throughout North America, Europe and Latin America. H.I.G. Growth Partners considers investments across all industries but focuses on certain high-growth sectors where it has extensive in-house expertise such as technology, healthcare, internet and media, consumer products and technology-enabled financial and business services. H.I.G. Growth strives to work closely with its management teams to serve as an experienced resource, providing broad-based strategic, operational, recruiting, and financial management services from a vast in-house team and a substantial network of third-party relationships. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.HIGgrowth.com . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/corelight-secures-75-million-in-series-d-funding-led-by-energy-impact-partners-with-participation-from-hig-growth-partners-crowdstrike-and-capital-one-ventures-301368181.html SOURCE Corelight, Inc.

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[September 02, 2021] New Nextail report finds that fashion embraces brave new world with digital hires

-- Leading fashion retailers increased data talent by over 40% in the last year -- Levi Strauss & Co. and Nike outperform other retailers in investments in data-related teams MADRID, Sept. 2 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading fashion retailers and brands are increasing the number of data-related professionals they employ as they look to build their competitive advantage, according to new research by algorithmic merchandising firm Nextail . Analysis of the hiring patterns of 22 leading fashion companies shows that they have increased the number of data recruits by 40% over 2020. In fact, there are 8.2 data-related employees per US $1Billion of revenue among indexed retailers. The annual Retail Data-Forwardness Index (RDI) measures how much of their overall budget fashion businesses are investing in data science, data analyis and AI by way of such hires. It divides the number of data-related employees by overall revenue for each retailer and creates a score then ranked against comparable retailers and brands.



The RDI shows that sportswear businesses and the big North American corporations are investing the most, hinting that they will be the ones best placed to benefit in the new retail landscape. Standout brands include Nike and Levi Strauss & Co. which head this year's rankings. Says Joaquin Villalba , Nextail CEO: "More than ever fashion brands and retailers are investing in talent to help them leverage data in order to future-proof their operations. These professionals empower brands to better interpret data and work with advanced tech across an organisation, to capture the full potential of retailer data and beyond, ultimately providing a better customer experience."

Download the full report here . About Nextail

Nextail compiled publicly available data on the revenue and profit at the end of each retailer's FY 2020, as well as the official headcount of each retailer according to its last annual report. To identify data-related talent, LinkedIn Recruiter was used to search for currently employed professionals holding titles of 60+ data-related positions. The Nextail cloud-based platform combines AI and prescriptive analytics and applies principles like hyper-local probabilistic demand forecasting and agile process automation. With Nextail, retailers transform their inventory management processes and operations in the face of market variability, proliferation of channels, and a lack of historical data. Nextail customers are leading fashion and collection-based retailers including Versace, River Island, Pepe Jeans and more.

www.nextail.co Media inquiries

info@nextail.co Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607065/Nextail_Logo.jpg

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[September 02, 2021] Williston Financial Group Continues to Make Record Gains in Sales Volume, Market Share and Company Growth

Williston Financial Group (WFG), a Portland-based, full-service provider of title insurance and real estate settlement services for commercial and residential transactions nationwide, continues to exceed growth projections following a record-breaking 2020. Companywide, after WFG National Title Insurance Company experienced an increase in 2020 revenues of 46 percent over 2019 figures, it has announced that 2021 gross revenues are on track to rise by another 50 percent over 2020's record figures. At midyear 2021, gross revenues are already up more than 50 percent, with net revenues up 45 percent. "Last year was a banner year for us and we are excited to report with confidence that WFG is well on the way to surpassing those historic 2020 revenue figures in 2021," said WFG President and CEO, Steve Ozonian. WFG's Agency Operations have also experienced tremendous growth. During the first half of 2021, gross and net revenue figures rose 57 and 53 percent, respectively, over the same period in 2020. And, WFG's claims reserves are also up year-over-year by 23 percent, with policy surpluses up 105 percent during the first six months of 2021. The number of agents in WFG's agency channel also grew by seven percent year-over-year, with nearly 1,600 active agents during the first half of 2021. "We believe the rapid growth of our agent network is largely attributable to the popularity of our unique agency model, which leverages WFG's national coverage and local expertise to provide cost-effective solutions and operational efficiencies through our WFG Blocks program, which enables agents to convert fixed costs to variable ones," said WFG Executive Vice President, Agency Operations, Gene Rebadow. WFG's ongoing success is directly attributable to the loyalty and engagement of the company's clients, agents and employees, stressed WFG Exeutive Chairman and Founder, Patrick Stone.



"We continue to keep our principle philosophy front and center across our many divisions and regions," Stone said. "'Because of YOU' is a constant reminder that we exist only because of the relationships we maintain with customers and the colleagues with whom we 'Communicate, Collaborate and Co-exist.'" As a result, WFG's overall market share continues to increase, too. Year-over-year between Q1 2020 to Q1 2021, it rose by 14.5 percent and is expected to continue to grow through the balance of the year.

A continuing tradition of service and innovation WFG entered its second decade in 2021, and the hallmark of this era continues to be providing both service and innovation designed to expedite the entire real estate transaction, through enhanced communication and targeted technology. The emphasis on technology has allowed WFG to grow both steadily and securely into a family of companies providing products and services across much of the real estate and mortgage spectrum. Its Enterprise Solutions group includes title and closing service providers WFG Lender Services, WFG Default Title Services, and Valutrust Solutions, a national appraisal management and property valuation provider. Among the divisions currently making news is the WESTprotect? cybersecurity helpdesk service, run by WEST, a Williston Financial Group company's SVP & Chief Information Security Officer, Bruce Phillips, CISSP. Introduced in September 2020, Westprotect.com is a self-service cybersecurity website that enables title and real estate agents, as well as lenders and other settlement service providers, to receive alerts about active Internet fraud threats and submit questionable emails for evaluation. Another key advantage WFG offers its clients is MyHome, the company's consumer collaboration portal service, which has been in use for several years within WFG's direct title operations. It was launched into the lender refinancing space in late 2020 and will soon be made available to WFG's agent network. MyHome provides transparency to every participant in the real estate transaction - consumer, REALTOR, lender, loan officer, processor, and funder - through direct, immediate web and mobile access. WFG, Stone and Ozonian all receive high marks from consumers and industry insiders. Both executives received Progress in Lending "Lending Luminaries" awards in 2019, as well as HousingWire's prestigious Vanguard Award, which Stone received in 2019 and Ozonian received in 2020. In September 2020, Stone also received October Research's coveted "Leadership Award." Most importantly, WFG continues to receive consistent Net Promoter Score (NPS) ratings from customers, in the high 70s or above - a "world-class" service rating across all industries. "We adopted NPS some years ago," Stone said, "and we are proud to maintain such positive feedback. It has helped WFG measure performance and improve service levels. This, combined with the drive of dedicated teams throughout the WFG organization, has us well-poised for success as we embark upon our second decade." About Williston Financial Group Williston Financial Group is the Portland, Oregon-based parent company of several national title insurance and settlement services providers, including WFG Lender Services and WFG National Title Insurance Company. It is one of the fastest growing national title insurance and settlement services providers in the mortgage and real estate services industry. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005472/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Stonebranch Recognized as a Representative Vendor by Gartner in the 2021 Market Guide for Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms (SOAPs)

In its August 2021 report, Gartner examined the current state of automation and WLA's evolution into SOAP. ALPHARETTA, Ga., Sept. 2, 2021 /CNW/ -- Stonebranch, a leading provider of service orchestration and automation solutions, announced today that that it has been named a Representative Vendor in the August 2021 Gartner Market Guide for Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms.* "We believe it's an honor to be recognized by Gartner in both its first and second SOAP Market Guides," said Giuseppe Damiani, CEO at Stonebranch. "In our opinion, being named by Gartner as a Representative Vendor reinforces our platform's value to IT Ops, DevOps, and DataOps leaders who need to orchestrate automated IT processes in real-time across increasingly complex hybrid IT environments." According to Gartner, "Infrastructure and operations leaders must use platforms for service orchestration and automation to deliver customer-focused agility as part of their cloud, big data and DevOps initiatives." Gartner predicts that, "By year end 2024, 80% of organizations currently delivering workload automation will be using service orchestration and automation platforms to orchestrate cross-domain workloads." The Stonebranch Universal Automation Center (UAC) enables service orchestration and automation across hybrid IT environments, while empowering developes, data teams, and operational groups to collaborate within a single platform. The UAC goes even further to support self-service automation for line of business users. By centralizing the management of workloads across on-prem, cloud, and containerized microservices, enterprises gain the ability to scale their automation programs and increase observability, auditing, and compliance capabilities.



Read the 2021 Gartner Market Guide for Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms report, courtesy of Stonebranch. * "Gartner, Market Guide for Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms," Chris Saunderson, Manjunath Bhat, Daniel Betts, Hassan Ennaciri, August 10, 2021.

Gartner Disclaimer Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. About Stonebranch Stonebranch builds IT orchestration and automation solutions that transform business IT environments from simple IT task automation into sophisticated, real-time business service automation. No matter the degree of automation, the Stonebranch platform is simple, modern and secure. Using the Stonebranch Universal Automation Platform, enterprises can seamlessly orchestrate workloads and data across technology ecosystems and silos. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with points of contact and support throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, Stonebranch serves some of the world's largest financial, manufacturing, healthcare, travel, transportation, energy and technology institutions. Media contact:

Scott Davis

scott.davis@stonebranch.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stonebranch-recognized-as-a-representative-vendor-by-gartner-in-the-2021-market-guide-for-service-orchestration-and-automation-platforms-soaps-301367218.html SOURCE Stonebranch

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[September 02, 2021] United Health Foundation Donates $1 Million to Support Residents of Louisiana Affected by Hurricane Ida

The United Health Foundation, the philanthropic foundation of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) - the parent company of UnitedHealthcare and Optum - announced today a $1 million donation to help Louisiana residents recover and rebuild following the devastating impact of Hurricane Ida. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005537/en/ Additional supporting material: Quotes from Community Organizations and Recipients The funds will be distributed among four community-based organizations that are helping local residents with immediate needs, as well as supporting longer-term recovery and rebuilding efforts: $200,000 to the Bayou Community Foundation to provide emergency support.

to provide emergency support. $200,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana to provide food and water.

to provide food and water. $300,000 to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to address immediate needs and support longer-term recovery needs.

to address immediate needs and support longer-term recovery needs. $300,000 to the Greater New Orleans Foundation to provide emergency food and water, as well as to support rebuilding efforts. "Hurricane Ida caused significant devastation and affected the lives of thousands of people across Louisiana," said John Bel Edwrds, governor of Louisiana. "We are grateful for the United Health Foundation's quick response and commitment to the people of Louisiana as we start to recover and rebuild from this hurricane."



"We are deeply concerned for the people in Louisiana who have been affected by Hurricane Ida and are committed to helping these communities recover and rebuild," said Christine O'Brien, executive director of UnitedHealthcare of Louisiana. "Many of these communities also continue to deal with ongoing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, making this an especially difficult time for those who have been affected by the hurricane." UnitedHealth Group has also taken steps to support its members, patients and employees in the affected area. Members can access care and early prescription refills, and have the ability to conduct a Virtual Visit with a doctor* through the UnitedHealthcare smartphone app. In addition, the company has opened a free emotional-support help line to help people who might be affected. The Optum Emotional Support Help Line is free of charge to anyone in the community and is available toll free at 866-342-6892, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For employees who may have been directly affected, UnitedHealth Group is providing financial support through the company's employee assistance fund. About UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and helping to make the health system work better for everyone. UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare, which provides health care coverage and benefits services; and Optum, which provides information and technology-enabled health services. For more information, visit UnitedHealth Group at www.unitedhealthgroup.com or follow @UnitedHealthGrp on Twitter (News - Alert) . *Additional out-of-pocket costs may be required for telemedicine services depending on the plan and any applicable state requirements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005537/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Tuya Smart and CLEANLIFE Join Hands to Create Connected Lighting Experiences

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tuya Smart (NYSE: TUYA), a leading global IoT development platform, and CLEANLIFE, a leading global lighting industry enterprise, today announced a new partnership. Both parties have agreed to work together with a mission of creating a more productive, comfortable, and connected lighting experience for both consumers and businesses. In recent years, the lighting industry has evolved thanks to global policies enacted to restrict the use of inefficient lighting technology and reduce energy consumption from lighting. The maturity and enablement of 5G, IoT, and other new technologies have been the leading factors contributing to this upgrade in lighting. Up to this point, the global smart lighting industry has not yet taken shape. The companies that take the lead in this segment will gain a strong, competitive advantage. CLEANLIFE, who has been deeply engaged in the LED lighting industry for 10 years, has utilized Tuya's low-cost, efficient, and flexible smart lighting components to successfully launch Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Mesh controllable flexible LED strips, LED Panel Lights, LED Smart Bulbs, and other lighting devices. These products are found in Lowe's, on Amazon, and in various other online stores through its channel partners. CLEANLIFE and its partners plan to offer even more smart lighting devices such as security lights, under-cabinet fixtures, and outdoor solar lights that will be available this fall both online and in retails stores. At the same time, the IoT development tools provided by Tuya can help CLEANLIFE not only quickly private label an app for its customers but also personalize the design of the app's user interface. By joining the IoT ecosystem of Tuya Smart, CLEANLIFE will leverage the interconnection and integrated operation with more than 410,000 Powered by Tuya smart devices. The 384,000 registered developers on the Tuya IoT Platform will also become potential supply-chain resources for CLEANLIFE. In addition, the global market channel resources of Tuya Smart will help CLEANLIFE expand internationally. Concurrently, CLEANLIFE will help provide a platform for Tuya's overseas developers to launch more innovative smart lighting devices to the North American consumer and commerial market.



Justin Miller, CEO of CLEANLIFE, said, "Tuya has a great reputation in the smart lighting market globally and is the ideal strategic partner. In the future, we will continue to work together to create a safer, more comfortable and automated lighting experience by integrating LED fixtures with sensors, security cameras, circadian rhythm, and more." "CLEANLIFE is a long-established lighting company with excellent market share and influence in North America. We are very happy to provide capability support for such an enterprise and help it accomplish intelligent upgrading," said Fritz Werder, General Manager of Tuya North America.

About CLEANLIFE Founded in 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio, CLEANLIFE is focused on "Finding a Better Way" to manufacture and distribute LED, UVC and PPE products that protect people and the planet. Our IoT division, CLEANLIFE Smart, has partnered with Tuya Smart (NYSE: TUYA) to develop connected lighting technologies that create productive, comfortable and healthy living environments. CLEANLIFE Smart products allow consumers to control lighting and other aspects of their home with their smart devices for a truly personalized lighting experience. For more information, please visit CLEANLIFE Smart's Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube or email info@cleanlife.com About Tuya Smart Tuya Smart (NYSE: TUYA) is a global IoT development platform that builds interconnectivity standards to bridge the intelligent needs of brands, OEMs, developers, and retail chains across a broad range of smart devices and industries. Based on the global public cloud, Tuya connects different intelligent scenarios and smart devices by providing hardware development tools, integrating global public cloud services, and offering an intelligent business development platform. Tuya provides comprehensive smart empowerment from technology to marketing to foster a neutral, open, and accessible developer ecosystem. For more information, please visit Tuya's website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tuya-smart-and-cleanlife-join-hands-to-create-connected-lighting-experiences-301367944.html SOURCE CLEANLIFE LLC

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[September 02, 2021] Tijana, the wonder women of Real-States Introduces the Tijana Vukan Property Project to the World

Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZEXPR, Tijana, a popular name in the Real Estates industry, is introducing his latest project called Tijana Vukan Property.

Tijana has built a love for real estate, passion, dedication and honesty into her many years of sales experience, and her partnerships are based on that, likewise. Her approach is professional and dedicated to an individual approach to every single client. Whether you are buying or selling property, or if it is a private or business space, it is a very personal and meaningful experience and often enough a very emotional process at that. Bearing that in mind, with her professionalism and many years of experience, it is ensured that everything passes as enjoyable as possible. The agenda of the company: The main agenda is to broker real estate transactions, distinct in value, location, price and quality. With the task to unite the interests of buyers and sellers as soon as possible while respecting privacy following the clients wishes. The goal is to enable sellers to have their real estate presented properly, both on the domestic and foreign real estate market, and to provide buyers with the most adequate offer when buying real estate. The safest and fastest way to quality real estate.



What makes Tijana Vukan a reliable partner is the knowledge of complete legal regulations in the field of real estate. The professional help is always at the disposal when buying a property on credit. With good relationship built with the banks, it enables users to go through this process quickly and easily. Tijana Vukan cooperates with reliable investment and design companies in the country and abroad. And Tijana Vukan also provide users with advice on investing money in a particular project and do a risk-return analysis of your investment.

Property search Tijana Vukan is connected with the crucial real estate agencies and property consulting agencies in the region and have access to a plethora of available research. With having gathered extensive and thorough knowledge and are aware of the new development of the housing issue in the country. Therefore, if you are looking for a home for life, a cottage, or a rental investment, Tijana Vukan can help you find the perfect property that matches your needs and desires. Property sell Tijana Vukan have extensive experience in advising sellers on how to successfully and quickly realize their sales. The real estate represented here is exposed to both Tijana Vukan and the world's audience, with an exceptional photograph which is the basis of the sales strategy. The service you receive is personal and tailored to you. The company's approach is designed according to the user and his/her property, and from the first meeting to the conclusion of the sale, there is full support for a close working relationship. If you are planning on selling your property, Tijana Vukan experience and thorough market knowledge will help you achieve the best results. About Tijana Vukan: Tijana Vukan mission in the real estate business is to provide the clients with the service according to their needs and wishes making the process enjoyable. They are very passionate about properties and real estate and content to have gained professional skills and experiences working with various clients. Likewise, there is support for traditional values but equally value the independence. It enables to conduct the business through a fresh, modern approach that offers an exceptional level of service built upon openness and trust. All clients are considered absolutely important, regardless of the size of the property. Nurturing close long-term relationships is at the heart of the company's ethos. Media contact Company: Tijana Vukan

Contact Name: Tijana Vukan

E-mail: office@vukanproperty.com

Website: http://tijanavukanproperty.com/eindex.html



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[September 02, 2021] Rentable Selects Salisbury Bank and Trust as its First Banking Relationship for Automated Security Deposit Solution

Rentable is a Boston-based financial technology company that provides fast, secure, and compliant solutions to property managers and landlords for their handling of security deposits. Rentable clients reduce the burdensome tasks associated with collecting, administering and returning security deposits through a seamless front and back-end platform, with Salisbury Bank holding these deposits. Rentable's innovative solutions assist landlords, property managers, and leasing agents/brokers with security deposit-related compliance obligations, including but not limited to, proper account openings, delivery of receipts and statements, annual interest remittance, and timely deposit returns. In addition, Rentable mitigates security deposit related disputes between tenants and landlords through their innovative inspection application. This feature allows transparency for all parties and allows both landlords and tenants to track damages that may occur during the term of the lease. "The Rentable team has recognized inefficiencies in the current rental security depositprocess and have developed a modern platform that enhances the experience for landlords and tenants alike," said Rick Cantele, Salisbury Bank's President and CEO.



"We're extremely excited to be working with Rick and the team at Salisbury Bank," said Alex Kamisher, Co-Founder of Rentable. "As our first bank partner, Salisbury brings an extensive presence in the Northeast and a willingness to innovate with technology for the benefit of our clients. Salisbury Bank provides our clients with the security and trust of a regional financial institution that is critical as we expand throughout New England and into other markets." About Salisbury Bank

Salisbury Bank is a FDIC-insured community bank headquartered in Lakeville, Connecticut and presently operates full service branches in Canaan, Lakeville, Salisbury, and Sharon, Connecticut; Great Barrington, Sheffield, and South Egremont, Massachusetts; as well as Dover Plains, Fishkill, Millerton, New Paltz, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, and Red Oaks Mill, New York. The Bank has been serving families and businesses for over 170 years and offers a full range of consumer and business banking products and services as well as trust and investment services. To learn more, visit: salisburybank.com

About Rentable

Rentable was started by founders who experienced the expensive, inefficient, and tedious move-in and move-out process of apartment rentals in Boston. Rentable is a venture backed startup that has recently participated in the MassChallenge early-stage accelerator program. To learn more about Rentable and how it can help your business, please visit: www.rentable.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005062/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Idaho Technical Career Academy is Ready to Help Students Get Back on Track

Idaho Technical Career Academy (ITCA), a full-time, tuition-free public school program, is ready to kick off the new school year and give students throughout the state a consistent education option designed to help them reach their full potential. ITCA students and teachers will open their laptops to start the 2021-2022 school year Monday, September 7, 2021. For most families, 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. ITCA offers a personalized approach to learning, delivering rich, engaging curriculum designed to assist students who seek alternative pathways to education. Despite wide-spread evidence of a "COVID slide" of learning loss for students in the U.S. during the pandemic, Stride K12-powered schools like ITCA reported lower learning loss rates than those reported in national studies. And in some cases, students enrolled in Stride K12-powered schools experienced learning gains.



"We have an incredibly dedicated staff that is insistent on providing the safest and most reliable learning environment, no matter the circumstance," said ITCA Head of School Monti L. Pittman. "I'm anticipating another excellent year from both our student and staff, as we persevere through these unprecedented times." Students who attend ITCA also have the opportunity to look to the future. High school students can participate in the Career Prep Program and enroll in classes that will help them discover and explore potential careers in Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources; Business; Human & Health Services; and Information Technology (IT). Students can also earn college credits while still in high school, giving them a head start in their state and potentially saving them thousands of dollars in college tuition costs.

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. ITCA'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. Idaho Technical Career Academy is still accepting enrollments for the 2021-2022 school year. To learn more about Idaho Technical Career Academy and how to enroll, visit itca.k12.com or download the Stride K12 mobile app for iOS and Android (News - Alert) devices - where families can enroll, prepare for the first day of school and monitor students' academic progress throughout the school year. About Idaho Technical Career Academy Idaho Technical Career Academy is an online public-school program serving students across the state of Idaho. ITCA is tuition-free, giving parents and families the choice to access the engaging curriculum and tools provided by Stride, Inc. (NYSE: LRN), the nation's leading provider of proprietary K-12 curriculum and online education programs. For more information about ITCA, visit itca.12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005006/en/

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[September 02, 2021] BGL Announces the Sale of ACV Enviro Group

CLEVELAND, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is pleased to announce the sale of ACV Enviro Group LLC (ACV), a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries. BGL's Environmental & Industrial Services investment banking team served as the exclusive financial advisor to ACV in the transaction. The specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed.



Headquartered in Avenel, New Jersey, ACV is a leading, vertically integrated special waste management and environmental solutions provider operating 26 core service centers, including two RCRA Part B Transfer, Storage, and Disposal (TSD) facilities and nine 10-day waste transfer facilities across the Northeast and Midwest United States. ACV's comprehensive suite of field services, coupled with its network of waste facilities, transfer stations, and service centers, enable it to provide end-to-end environmental solutions. ACV's integrated service model, best-in-class safety, and extensive resources make the company a single-source solution provider and strategic partner to a diverse group of utility, government & institutions, environmental, manufacturing, midstream, and other hazardous and non-hazardous waste generators.

About Brown Gibbons Lang & Company

Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm focused on the global middle market. The firm advises private and public corporations and private equity groups on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructurings, valuations and opinions, and other strategic matters. BGL has investment banking offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, and real estate offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and San Antonio. The firm is also a founding member of Global M&A Partners, enabling BGL to service clients in more than 30 countries around the world. Securities transactions are conducted through Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Company Securities, Inc., an affiliate of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company LLC and a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information, please visit www.bglco.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bgl-announces-the-sale-of-acv-enviro-group-301368538.html SOURCE Brown Gibbons Lang & Company

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[September 02, 2021] HVR Placed in 2021 Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HVR , a leading and innovative provider of solutions in the data integration tools market, today announced that HVR has been positioned by Gartner as a Niche Player in the Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools for its offering, real-time cloud data replication technology.1 The evaluation was based on specific criteria that analyzed the companys overall completeness of vision and ability to execute.

HVR is a scalable and reliable data replication solution that provides the most efficient way to integrate large data volumes in complex environments. Organizations choose HVR as part of digital transformation initiatives in which access to real-time data is mission-critical. HVR facilitates the adoption of the three major cloud platforms  AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud  with Snowflake as the prominent choice on these cloud platforms. Data is replicated from the most widely used data platforms, such as SAP, validated to ensure the data delivered is accurate and made available for real-time consumption by key stakeholders. Magic Quadrant reports are a culmination of rigorous, fact-based research in specific markets, providing a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the providers in markets where growth is high and provider differentiation is distinct. Providers are positioned into four quadrants: Leaders,Challengers, Visionaries and Niche Players. The research enables you to get the most from market analysis in alignment with your unique business and technology needs.



View a complimentary copy of the Magic Quadrant report to learn more about HVRs real-time cloud data replication solution strengths and cautions, among other provider offerings, at https://bit.ly/3ju5LGi . Additional resources

Explore HVRs real-time cloud data replication technology on this blog

Follow HVR on Twitter Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartners research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About HVR

HVR provides a real-time cloud data replication solution that supports enterprise modernization efforts. The HVR platform is a reliable, secure, and scalable way to quickly and efficiently integrate large data volumes in complex environments, enabling real-time data updates, access, and analysis. Global market leaders in a variety of industries trust HVR to address their real-time data integration challenges and revolutionize their businesses. HVR is a privately held company based in San Francisco, with offices across North America, Europe, and Asia. Media Contact

Marta Debski

Offleash for HVR

hvr@offleashpr.com 1 Source: Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools, Ehtisham Zaidi, Sharat Menon, Robert Thanaraj, Eric Thoo, Nina Showell, 25 August 2021.



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[September 02, 2021] TEGNA to Webcast Third Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call on Thursday, November 4

TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) will host a conference call to discuss its third quarter 2021 earnings results on Thursday, November 4 at 9:00 a.m. (ET). TEGNA's earnings announcement will be released to news outlets and wire services before the market opens on November 4. Materials related to the call will be available at that time through the Investor Relations section of TEGNA's website, investors.TEGNA.com. The conference call, which will also be webcast through the company's website, is open to investors, the financial community, the media and other members of the public. To join the toll-free call, dial 888-204-4368 at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled 9:00 a.m. (ET) start time. International callers should dial 929-477-0448. The confirmation code for the conference call is 2639897. To listen to the call via live webcast, please visit investors.TEGNA.com and allow at least 10 minutes to access TEGNA's home page and complete the links before the webcast begins.



A replay of the conference call will be available under "Investor Relations" at www.TEGNA.com from Thursday, November 4 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) to Thursday, November 18 at 1:00 p.m. (ET). To access the replay, dial 888-203-1112 or 719-457-0820. The confirmation code for the replay is 2639897. A transcript of the conference call will also be made available on the company's website. About TEGNA

TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) is an innovative media company that serves the greater good of our communities. Across platforms, TEGNA tells empowering stories, conducts impactful investigations and delivers innovative marketing solutions. With 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets, TEGNA is the largest owner of top 4 network affiliates in the top 25 markets among independent station groups, reaching approximately 39 percent of all television households nationwide. TEGNA also owns leading multicast networks True Crime Network, Twist and Quest. TEGNA offers innovative solutions to help businesses reach consumers across television, digital and over-the-top (OTT) platforms, including Premion, TEGNA's OTT advertising service. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005586/en/

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[September 02, 2021] DISYS Announces its Consultant Listing on Salesforce AppExchange, the World's Leading Enterprise Cloud Marketplace

Digital Intelligence Systems, LLC (DISYS), a global technology services firm, announces the launch of DISYS Salesforce Enablement: Assessment, Design, Implementation, and Operations on Salesforce AppExchange. This new consultant listing includes a comprehensive portfolio of services to help organizations achieve the measurable economic benefits that come from successful cloud implementations and support. Harnessing the dynamism of the Salesforce platform and led by experts from D2M, an independent division of DISYS, this new offering can make cloud migrations easy and efficient. Backed by an experienced talent pool of over 400 employees and 3,500 consultants with background in multiple IT systems and technologies, DISYS' offering supports organizations seeking to optimize their Salesforce environments as well as those who are looking for expertise to set up and manage a new Salesforce system, to take business' digital transformation to the next level. DISYS Salesforce Enablement: Assessment, Design, Implementation, & Operations is currently available through Consultants on AppExchange-a destination within AppExchange tailored for customers looking for deep Salesforce knowledge and specific industry expertise. With the new Consultant Finder, customers can identify the right experts to solve individual business challenges from more than 1,000 consulting partner firms. Customers can choose experts based on expertise, location, company size and customer reviews-insights all powered by thousands of customer projects performed by over 65,000 accredited consultants. You can find DISYS Salesforce Enablement: Assessment, Design, Implementation, & Operations on AppExchange: https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxConsultingListingDetail?listingId=a0N3000000B3M0MEAV&preview=%222021-06-17T17%3A46%3A52.000Z%22. Remoe work remains prevalent in the COVID-19 pandemic era and beyond. This new offering is another way that D2M is meeting rising demand for support in migrating legacy systems to cloud environments to respond to changing workplace dynamics. DISYS consultants have expertise across the Salesforce customer 360 Platform to keep clients ahead of the technology curve. Using the power of DISYS' agile implementation methodology, organizations are able to enjoy the measurable economic and growth benefits that come from efficient implementations and support. DISYS' solution brings a dedicated Circle of Excellence (CoE) with a single point of contact to deliver customized solutions, reduced delivery times, and a flexible model to fit business' specific needs.



This marks a significant departure from the typical approach organizations use involving multiple vendors that can create headaches, additional costs, and longer processing times. Key benefits include:

Lower costs and guaranteed quality , for efficient data flow across all apps;

, for efficient data flow across all apps; Improved sales and support processes to maximize efficiency and outcomes;

to maximize efficiency and outcomes; Future-proof scalability for long-term value;

for long-term value; End-to-end service and support across the full cloud journey, from assessment and architecture development to proof of concept, migration, and operations and optimization;

from assessment and architecture development to proof of concept, migration, and operations and optimization; Guaranteed ROI and business continuity. Comments on the News "This most recent offering addresses key pain points we are hearing from organizations worldwide," Rajiv Tandon, Vice President- Head of Business, D2M said. "This offering builds on our outcome-driven approach to deliver maximum value and utility while keeping organizations ahead of the curve technologically. Our team brings the proven expertise in efficiently setting up and managing these systems, and in combination with Salesforce's tools, we are taking our service approach and the value our clients receive from their technology investments to the next level." About Salesforce AppExchange Salesforce AppExchange, the world's leading enterprise cloud marketplace, empowers companies to sell, service, market and engage in entirely new ways. With more than 6,000 solutions, 9 million customer installs and 117,000 peer reviews, it is the most comprehensive source of cloud, mobile, social, IoT, analytics and artificial intelligence technologies for businesses. Additional Resources Like Salesforce on Facebook (News - Alert) : http://www.facebook.com/salesforce

Follow Salesforce on Twitter (News - Alert) : https://twitter.com/salesforce

Become a fan of DISYS: https://www.facebook.com/DISYS/

Follow DISYS on Twitter: @DISYSGlobal Salesforce, AppExchange and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, inc. About DISYS DISYS, founded in 1994 and headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is a global managed services and staffing firm with 33 offices and 4 delivery centers worldwide. As a leading global enterprise, DISYS' experts are thought leaders in the industry, who bring best-in-class expertise to more than 250 Fortune 500 companies. Recognized as a Top 20 Staffing Provider and one of the Largest Staffing Firms in the U.S., as well as a leading Diversity Staffing Firm by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), DISYS is also a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Top Supplier to 7 of 10 leading global MSPs. With the support of almost 5,000 internal and external (consultant) employees, DISYS specializes in Global Staffing, Application Development Services, Business Intelligence Services, Cloud Enablement Services, Infrastructure Support Services, Enterprise Apps as-a-Service, Automated Testing, and Process Automation. For more information on the company, please visit www.disys.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005595/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Quantum Health Names Drew Domecq Chief Technology Officer And Adds Peter McClennen To Board Of Directors

DUBLIN, Ohio, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantum Health, the industry-leading healthcare navigation and care coordination company, announced today that Drew Domecq has joined the company as its chief technology officer. The addition of Domecq to the company's already deep technical bench underscores Quantum Health's continued commitment to raising the bar on human-centered innovation and outcomes through its proprietary integration of technology, data analytics, and personalized care coordination. "Technology and data analytics are powerful unlockers to more personalized, responsive, and higher-quality consumer healthcare journeys," said Shannon Skaggs, president of Quantum Health. "We are excited to have Drew join our leadership team. His experience leading technology innovation driven by creating world-class consumer experiences aligns perfectly with our mission." Prior to joining Quantum Health, Domecq was executive vice president and chief information officer at Designer Brands (formerly DSW Inc.), where he was responsible for applying technology enablement to their growth strategy. Before Designer Brands, Domecq was chief information officer at Bob Evans and held technology leadership positions at The Wendy's Company; Vox Mobile, Inc.; Safelite Group, Inc.; and Qwest Communications International, Inc. Domecq earned bachelor's degrees in politics and economics from Princeton University and a master's in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. "Healthcare is one of the most important and personal interactions we experience as humans, yet the consumer perspective is often completely lost within an overly complicated system," said Domecq. "Quantum Health realized long ago that technology and data play a crucial role in understanding what consumers want and need as they progress along their healthcare journeys. I am inspired by Quantum Health's culture and mission and am thrilled to join the Quantum Health team as it continues to lead the consumer navigation industry; especially now, when consumers nee expert support and guidance more than ever."



Quantum Health also announced that Peter McClennen has joined its board of directors. McClennen, who was most recently president at Teladoc Health, adds to Quantum Health's deep expertise in clinical care, healthcare provider relationships, technology, and harnessing healthcare data analytics. Prior to his position at Teladoc, McClennen held executive leadership positions at Best Doctors, Allscripts, and dbMotion, Inc. "Peter has amassed valuable experience in areas that are critically important to transforming the consumer healthcare experience today," said Kara Trott, founder and CEO of Quantum Health. "His understanding of technology-based care delivery, along with his expertise in healthcare innovation, analytics and informatics are a perfect complement to our esteemed board of directors already in place."

McClennen shares Quantum Health's mission to keep the consumer at the center of the healthcare experience. "Understanding healthcare consumers' challenges is essential to reshaping their experiences and improving outcomes. Quantum Health does this like no other company. Using data to understand and transform the consumer healthcare journey is the very foundation upon which the company is built," said McClennen. "In an extremely noisy marketplace, I share their deep commitment to delivering measurable results  for both the consumer and the self-insured employers that provide their benefits. I am very pleased to be part of this organization as it continues to lead the healthcare navigation space." About Quantum Health Quantum Health is the industry-leading consumer healthcare navigation and care coordination company that delivers an unparalleled consumer experience to its members, as well as validated claims savings and high satisfaction rates for its self-insured employer clients. Quantum Health's proprietary Real-Time Intercept model identifies opportunities for early intervention in a member's healthcare journey, resulting in better engagement, outcomes, and cost efficiencies. The company was founded in 1999 and is based in Dublin, Ohio. Since its inception, Quantum Health has earned numerous awards and honors, including being named among the Fastest-Growing Private Companies by Inc. 5000, and a Great Place to Work by FORTUNE Magazine and Entrepreneur Magazine. The Women Presidents' Organization has ranked Quantum Health as one of the 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies, and Columbus Business First has honored Quantum Health as a Best Place to Work. To learn more about the company, visit www.Quantum-Health.com, and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Media Contact: Susan Simkins

Quantum Health, Corporate Communications

Susan.Simkins@quantum-health.com

800-257-2038 x 13494 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quantum-health-names-drew-domecq-chief-technology-officer-and-adds-peter-mcclennen-to-board-of-directors-301368567.html SOURCE Quantum Health

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[September 02, 2021] VINCI Energies and TeamViewer Partner to Drive Digital Transformation Projects in Industry 4.0

TAMPA BAY, Fla., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TeamViewer, a leading global provider of remote connectivity and workplace digitalization solutions, today announced a new technology partnership with VINCI Energies, a global group focusing on accelerating energy transition and digital transformation. The two companies are joining forces to drive the digital transformation of processes in industrial environments, focusing on the joint creation of innovative solutions using Internet of Things (IoT) and Augmented Reality (AR) technology. Furthermore, the agreement includes that VINCI Energies will act as a system integrator for combined TeamViewer and VINCI Energies customers, supporting them with implementation and consulting services around IoT and AR projects. The implementation is carried out by Actemium and Axians, the industrial and ICT service providers of VINCI Energies. Dr. Bernhard Kirchmair, Chief Digital Officer at VINCI Energies for D/A/CH and Eastern Europe: "We are very excited about teaming up with leading technology company TeamViewer to jointly support our customers to capture the tremendous business value of IoT and AR for improving industrial process performance. With TeamViewer's and VINCI Energies' capabilities combined, we are able to plan, build and run impactful digital solutions  in an easy, efficient and secure way". Lukas Baur, Executive Vice President Solution Sales at TeamViewer: "The partnership with VINCI Energies, part of one of Europe's largest industry groups, is a very important step for us on our way to further extend our footprint in industrial contexts. We both share the goal of enabling digital transformation of business-critical processes along the entire value chain. Through this partnership, we can jointly help customers to drive their digitalization through the seamless interplay of IoT and AR solutions." First joint solution allows rapid creation of digital twins

Prior to the official signing of the partnership agreement, TeamViewer and VINCI Energies started the joint technical development of new products and srvices. With the first market-ready outcome being a digital twin solution for industrial shop floor equipment. This easy-to-use solution offers customers an inexpensive and fast way to create digital twins in industrial environments, reducing the creation time from weeks to hours. The virtual representations of the machines or robots can then be enriched individually with elements such as live sensor data. Through a secure connection, this data can be accessed, monitored, and managed remotely via a user-friendly interface.



Follow this link for more information on the 'Rapid Digital Twin' solution. About VINCI Energies

In a world undergoing constant change, VINCI Energies focuses on connections, performance, energy efficiency and data to fast-track the rollout of new technologies and support two major changes: the digital transformation and the energy transition. With their strong regional roots; agile and innovative, VINCI Energies' business units boost the reliability, safety, sustainability and efficiency of energy, transport and communication infrastructure, factories, buildings, and information systems.

2020: 13,7 billion // 83.800 employees // 1.800 Business Units // 55 countries

www.vinci-energies.com About TeamViewer

TeamViewer is a leading global technology company that provides a connectivity platform to remotely access, control, manage, monitor, and repair devices of any kind  from laptops and mobile phones to industrial machines and robots. Although TeamViewer is free of charge for private use, it has more than 600,000 subscribers and enables companies of all sizes and from all industries to digitalise their business-critical processes through seamless connectivity. Against the backdrop of global megatrends like device proliferation, automation and new work, TeamViewer proactively shapes digital transformation and continuously innovates in the fields of Augmented Reality, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence. Since the company's foundation in 2005, TeamViewer's software has been installed on more than 2.5 billion devices around the world. The company is headquartered in Goppingen, Germany, and employs around 1,500 people globally. In 2020, TeamViewer achieved billings of EUR 460 million. TeamViewer AG (TMV) is listed at Frankfurt Stock Exchange and belongs to the MDAX. Further information can be found at www.teamviewer.com. Press Contact VINCI Energies in Germany

Diana Plantade

Tel: + 49 (0)69 50 05 15 82

E-Mail: diana.plantade@vinci-energies.com TeamViewer AG

Jon Stotts

Head of PR & Events, TeamViewer Americas

Phone: 646-961-3497

E-Mail: press@teamviewer.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vinci-energies-and-teamviewer-partner-to-drive-digital-transformation-projects-in-industry-4-0--301368630.html SOURCE TeamViewer

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[September 02, 2021] Aiding Wildfire-Impacted Communities: PG&E Commits $1 Million to Wildfire Response and Recovery this Fire Season

As wildfires continue to spread across Northern and Central California forcing residents and entire communities to evacuate, nonprofit organizations, volunteer fire departments, and community groups are mobilizing to provide immediate relief and longer-term recovery services. Pacific Gas and Electric Company ( PG&E (News - Alert) ) is joining the effort, and will contribute $1 million in charitable giving for the 2021 wildfire season, focused on sheltering and near-term resources, food security for vulnerable communities, and support for volunteer fire departments. As part of this overall pledge, PG&E is contributing $100,000 to assist communities impacted by the Caldor Fire in El Dorado County, which has consumed more than 200,000 acres and continues to grow. This includes $50,000 to the California Association of Food Banks' Rapid Response Fund, which helps local food banks purchase food and supplies and supplement their staffing. "Every day, food banks are on the frontlines responding to the increasing needs of hungry Californians," said Stacia Levenfeld, Chief Executive Officer, California Association of Food Banks. "The ongoing pandemic, coupled with wildfires devastating communities and forcing thousands of Californians to evacuate their homes for safety, are a one-two punch. It's critical that we all stand together to support our food banks, and to nourish and uplift every member of our community. We are grateful to PG&E for supporting our food banks and in turn helping to combat record levels of food insecurity and hunger." PG&E also is providing funding to the El Dorado Community Foundation's Caldor Fire Fund. The Foundation is dedicated to serving those in need through the direct support of community and organizations. The Caldor Fire Fund has been set up to support families impacted by this fire. You can donate here. PG&E's contribution also is providing assistance to El Dorado County Animal Services; Pioneer Fire Protection District and Pioneer Volunteer Firefighters Association; and senior support groups.



PG&E and PG&E Corporation are grateful for the legion of nonprofits, community groups, and volunteers answering the call to support those impacted by wildfires. "We are so thankful for the courageous firefighters working around the clock to contain the wildfires ravaging California communities. We all are blessed by the kindness of the many nonprofit organizations, volunteer fire departments, and community groups that are opening their hearts and rolling up their sleeves in service to those who have been displaced temporarily or permanently by these terrible fires. We humbly offer our support to them to help our communities through these difficult days," said PG&E Corporation Chief Executive Officer Patti Poppe.

Included in PG&E's $1 million commitment, the company previously announced $300,000 to support the wildfire relief and recovery efforts of its longtime partner the American Red Cross this fire season. Donations help the Red Cross to shelter families, serve meals, support emergency responders, deliver relief supplies, provide medical care, and create recovery plans. These charitable donations will come from PG&E shareholders, not PG&E customers. The public can help, too. Donors can contribute online or send checks to the Red Cross designated to "Western Wildfires." Supporting Employee Giving and Volunteering This month, PG&E and PG&E Corporation launched an employee giving campaign that includes an additional 1:1 match for any employee donations, up to a total of $50,000 from The PG&E Corporation Foundation. Employees can receive the match for their donations to any of five featured charities: Red Cross, California Fire Foundation, Pacific Service Employees Association Emergency Assistance Fund (nonprofit serving PG&E employees and retirees), El Dorado Community Foundation Caldor Fire Fund, and North Valley Animal Disaster Group. The companies also support virtual volunteering during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and encourage employees to participate in volunteer events supporting the Red Cross. Volunteers are assembling Red Cross Projects in a Box (News - Alert) for wildfire-displaced individuals and families, and care packages for first responders. About PG&E Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005741/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Chevron Commits $3 Million to Support Hurricane Ida Relief and Recovery Efforts

Chevron (News - Alert) Corporation (NYSE: CVX) announced today it is making a commitment of $3 million to support relief and recovery efforts underway in the communities affected by Hurricane Ida. "As a major employer and longtime partner in several Gulf Coast communities, Chevron is fully committed to helping the region recover from the impacts of Hurricane Ida," said Brad Middleton, vice president of Chevron North America Exploration and Production Company's Gulf of Mexico Business Unit, which is headquartered in Covington, Louisiana. "We understand that these resources are vital to support the needs of our communities. There is significant recovery work to be done, and Chevron stands by our fellow Louisiana residents through this difficult time." American Red Cross, Catholic Charities and Team Rubicon will each receive a $500,000 donation to support immediate relief efforts throughout the impacted region, including Jefferson, Lafourche, Terrebonne, St. Charles, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Tammany parishes, and others. The remaining $1.5 million will be distributed across local organizations focused on disaster relief. In addition, the company will match qualifying donations to hurricane relief efforts made by employees and retirees, as well as provide financial contributions to organizations where employees volunteer. Together, this financial assistance aims to help Chevron's employees, families and communities during times of need. Organizations like the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities and Team Rubicon are key partners in delivering that assistance. "Thanks to Chevron's generous support, the Red Cross, alongside our partners, is able to shelter and support thousands of families impacted by Hurricane Ida," said Don Herring, chief development officer at the American Red Cross. "We are proud to count on partners like Chevron as we work together to provide much-needed comfort and care to help people in need." "For decades, Catholic Charities has responded to the needs of the community after natural disasters," said Sister Marjorie Hebert, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. "As we prepare to respond to short- and long-term needs in the community, we are so grateful for Chevron's commitment to Louisiana and that they have entrusted us with the funding to be able to help people after Hurricane Ida." "Chevron's support of Team Rubicon is truly an incredible investment in Louisiana's recovery, especially as we begin to understand the extent of the damage left by Hurricane Ida," says Art delaCruz, chief executive officer of Tam Rubicon. "This partnership will allow our Greyshirt volunteers to make an even greater impact as we assist communities in recovering after the storm."



Chevron has been producing and delivering energy in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico for more than 80 years. Its Gulf Coast-based workforce supports offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico, Chevron Pipeline Company in Port Fourchon and the Chevron Oronite Company's Oak Point plant. The company also operates the Chevron Pascagoula Refinery in Mississippi, and with its marketers, Americas Fuels and Lubricants has Chevron- and Texaco-branded retail stations across the Gulf Coast region. About Chevron

Chevron is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies. We believe affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner energy is essential to achieving a more prosperous and sustainable world. Chevron produces crude oil and natural gas; manufactures transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and additives; and develops technologies that enhance our business and the industry. To advance a lower-carbon future, we are focused on cost-efficiently lowering our carbon intensity, increasing renewables and offsets in support of our business, and investing in low-carbon technologies that enable commercial solutions. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com. About American Red Cross The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter (News - Alert) at @RedCross. About Catholic Charities Catholic Charities has served the region since 1727. We help our neighbors meet immediate needs and face long-term challenges. We steward our resources with transparency and efficiency. Together, we create a community where everyone is able to live with dignity and hope. Please visit ccano.org for more information. About Team Rubicon Team Rubicon serves communities by mobilizing veterans to continue their service by leveraging their skills and experience to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. Founded following the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the organization has grown to almost 150,000 volunteers across the United States and has launched over 800 operations both domestically and internationally. Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, Team Rubicon has not only pivoted to be able to continue to deliver disaster response and rebuild services in core mission areas but has also expanded their scope of missions to meet community needs brought about by COVID. Visit www.teamrubiconusa.org for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005738/en/

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Allstate CEO to Present at Barclays 2021 Global Financial Services Conference

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL), one of the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurers, announced that Tom Wilson, its Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, will present virtually at the Barclays Global Financial Services Conference at 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Sept. 14.

A webcast of the presentation can be accessed at www.allstateinvestors.com. A replay will also be posted there shortly after the presentation ends.







Financial information, including material announcements about The Allstate Corporation, is routinely posted on www.allstateinvestors.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005752/en/
[September 02, 2021] CherryRoad Acquires Infosemantics

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CherryRoad Technologies Inc., a leading digital business solutions provider to the public sector, today announced the acquisition of Infosemantics, a global provider of ERP, Digital Transformation, BI, and Cloud Data solutions. Headquartered in Flower Mound, Texas, and a recognized expert in Oracle E-Business Suite, Infosemantics enhances CherryRoad's lead position in Cloud and Digital Transformation solutions, while augmenting global delivery capabilities in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Founded in 2001, Infosemantics delivers enterprise digital solutions including the Oracle E-Business Suite, Cloud Applications, Data Management solutions focused on BI/Analytics, and Data Warehousing, leveraging a broad technology portfolio including Oracle, Teradata, and Snowflake. In the last 20 years, Infosemantics has successfully delivered to an impressive list of clients in the Federal, Commercial, and Higher-Education verticals, which complements the CherryRoad list of distinguished clients in the Public Sector, K-12, and Healthcare industries. Jeremy Gulban, Chief Executive Officer of CherryRoad, explained, "We build Community Engagement by leveraging transformational technologies that drive more efficient outcomes. This acquisition adds geographic expansion, 'thought-leader' technology expertise, an impressive client list, and the ability to help our customers solve more problems. This checks multiple boxes for us and we couldn't be more excited to welcome the Infosemantic team to the CherryRoad family." Naren Thota, President & Founder of Infosemantics, commented, "The accelerated adoption of digital business solutions requires indstry domain and product expertise that runs both deep and wide. By joining forces with CherryRoad, Infosemantics strengthens our leadership role in Oracle E-Business Suite and Business Analytics, while CherryRoad strengthens their role as an industry leading cloud and digital solutions provider. Our clients will benefit from our combined capability to deliver an end-to-end, fully managed, enterprise solution that delivers on the promise of digital business."



The acquisition of Infosemantics follows the acquisition by CherryRoad of Superb Internet, a US-based cloud hosting and colocation provider of Public, Private, and Hybrid cloud infrastructure and Datacenter services. Previous to Infosemantics and Superb Internet, CherryRoad acquired Addition Networks, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and technology services provider to schools, cities, towns, and other organizations. Addition Networks, an authorized service provider for the Federal E-Rate program is the developer of its flagship product, the Shark UTM security solution. This pattern of strategic acquisitions demonstrates CherryRoad's commitment to delivering robust digital enterprise solutions that build and enhance community engagement. About CherryRoad

At CherryRoad, our clients entrust us with the success of their IT solutions, whether we are delivering on-premise ERP, cloud-based application management, colocation, process optimization, change management consulting, or strategic staffing solutions. Throughout our 38-year history, we have successfully partnered with hundreds of public sector and commercial clients to modernize, host, and manage their back-office workloads. Headquartered in Parsippany, N.J. with offices across the U.S., we have earned a solid reputation for combining technology, organizational, functional, and vertical market expertise into practical solutions that deliver results  and targeted business outcomes. For more information, visit www.cherryroad.com.

About Infosemantics

Established in 2001, Infosemantics, Inc. is a professional consulting services company specializing in Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS), Cloud Applications, Business Intelligence (BI), and Big Data solutions. Their strength lies in their people  a talented, experienced team of consultants who quickly become an integral part of their customer's teams,providing advocacy and engineering streamlined solutions. They provide global services in all practice areas for commercial, government and higher education, including multi-national corporations. For more information, visit www.infosemantics.com. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cherryroad-acquires-infosemantics-301368732.html SOURCE CherryRoad Technologies Inc.

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[September 02, 2021] The Estee Lauder Companies and Estee Lauder Brand Announce Partnership With Amanda Gorman

Today, The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) and the Estee Lauder brand announced a three-year partnership with Amanda Gorman, activist, award-winning writer, and the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. This is the first such multi-year partnership for Amanda and the first integrated partnership by The Estee Lauder Companies and the Estee Lauder brand to acknowledge and celebrate a new generation of leaders inspiring change. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005711/en/ The Estee Lauder Companies and Estee Lauder Brand Announce Partnership With Amanda Gorman (Photo: Business Wire) As part of this unprecedented partnership, The Estee Lauder Companies will contribute US$ 3M (News - Alert) over three years to support WRITING CHANGE, a special initiative to advance literacy as a pathway to equality, access, and social change. In addition, Amanda will bring her voice of change to the Estee Lauder brand through campaigns debuting in Spring 2022. "Our company was founded by an extraordinary woman, Estee Lauder, who paved the way for women everywhere to believe anything is possible. Our first of its kind partnership with Amanda was created under these very same trailblazing ideals," said Jane Hertzmark Hudis, Executive Group President, The Estee Lauder Companies. "Amanda's powerful presence and inspirational voice brings hope and confidence to the next generation of leaders. Together, we will create real and meaningful impact through literacy, voice, and self-expression." The Estee Lauder Companies and Amanda are united in supporting causes for equality and social impact. The WRITING CHANGE initiative is strongly aligned with the goals of The Estee Lauder Companies and The Estee Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation, which focuses on the well-being of diverse global communities, emphasizing women and girls, supported by the pillars of health, education, and the environment. "I am honored to partner with The Estee Lauder Companies to activate change through literacy, and to represent a brand founded by such an inspiring and daring woman," said Amanda Gorman. "Mrs. Estee Lauder shattered glass ceilings as a leader in business 75 years ago. Embracing this spirit, I am delighted that our partnership will help inspire women, girls, and all people around the world to do great things, to disrupt, to be confident, and to be future leaders in whatever path they take." "Amanda embodies a new generation and demonstrates the importance and influence of voice," said Fabrizio Freda, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Estee Lauder Companies. "As a company, we are committed to nurturing the leaders and talent of the future, empowering them to use their voices-and to use them loudly. We are thrilled to partner with Amanda as we embark on this collective journey to strengthen our commitment to girls' education, helping provide the skills needed to be heard around the globe." This year, The Estee Lauder Companies and the Estee Lauder brand celebrate 75 years in business, and today the company is the world's leader in prestige beauty, supported by a global workforce that is 84% female. In March 2021, the company published its commitments to gender equality and women's advancement, with initiatives committed to levelling the playing field for all genders inside and outside the company.



About The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The company's products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estee Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger, MAC, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan New York, DKNY, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Michael Kors, Darphin Paris, TOM FORD BEAUTY, Smashbox, Ermenegildo Zegna, AERIN, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, BECCA, Too Faced and Dr.Jart+, and the DECIEM family of brands, including The Ordinary and NIOD. About Estee Lauder

Estee Lauder is the flagship brand of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. Founded by Estee Lauder, one of the world's first female entrepreneurs, the brand today continues her legacy of creating innovative, sophisticated, high-performance skincare and makeup products and iconic fragrances - all infused with a deep understanding of women's needs and desires. Today, Estee Lauder engages with women in over 150 countries and territories around the world and at dozens of touch points - from in-store to digital. And each of these relationships consistently reflects Estee's powerful and authentic woman-to-woman point of view.

About The Estee Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation (ELCCF)

Fueled by our company values and employees' passions, the mission of ELCCF is to improve the well-being of our diverse global communities, with an emphasis on women and girls. ELCCF focuses our efforts on three pillars: health, education and the environment and make annual grants to organizations in the United States and around the world that align with these pillars. About Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. She is a committed advocate for the environment, racial equality, and gender justice. Amanda's activism and poetry have been featured on the Today Show, PBS Kids, and CBS This Morning, and in the New York Times, Vogue, and Essence. After graduating cum laude from Harvard University, she now lives in her hometown of Los Angeles. In 2017, Amanda Gorman was appointed the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate by Urban Word - a program that supports Youth Poets Laureate in more than 60 cities, regions and states nationally. Gorman's performance of her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the 2021 Presidential Inauguration received critical acclaim and international attention. The special edition of her inaugural poem, "The Hill We Climb," was published in March 2021 and debuted at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestsellers list. Amanda appeared on the cover of TIME magazine in February 2021 and was the first poet to grace the cover of Vogue in their May 2021 issue. She was Porter Magazine's July 2021cover star and received The Artist Impact Award at the 2021 Backstage at the Geffen Awards. Her debut picture book, Change Sings, will be published in September 2021, and her poetry collection, Call Us What We Carry, will release in December 2021. Please visit theamandagorman.com. Follow @esteelauder on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok

Follow @esteelaudercompanies on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

Follow @amandascgorman on Instagram ELC-C

ELC-B View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005711/en/

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[September 02, 2021] PA Cyber's First Mobile STEM Lab To Hit Streets This Fall

MIDLAND, Pa., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School will bring hands-on STEM opportunities to students with the addition of two mobile labs as part of PA Cyber's Polytechnic program. The labs provide students all over the state the opportunity to experience the STEM-based maker movement, taking their designs from computer screens to robotic machines. Students and families will begin to see the first mobile lab at PA Cyber events this fall and the second one next year. The Polytechnic mobile labs come equipped with 3D printers, laser and vinyl cutters, a ShopBot, and more so that students can develop their ideas from conception to fabrication. Once unloaded, each modern mobile lab is quickly set up by a trained instructor where it's neededat a classroom, gymnasium, cafeteria, or even outside. PA Cyber collaborated with the Carnegie Science Center to create the vehicles. "By putting lbs on wheels, PA Cyber makes high-quality, hands-on learning accessible to more students in more places and in more modern ways," says CEO Brian Hayden of PA Cyber.



The PA Cyber Polytechnic programming aims to show students how to solve everyday problems using crucial skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Past projects have included making catapults, spin art machines, mini food pantries, bike racks, and sheds. Many student-built projects are donated to support Pennsylvania communities. PA Cyber Polytechnic includes partnerships with several colleges and universities to provide critical STEM learning experiences, such as the Virtual Engineering Exploration Experience, an eight-day summer camp in which experts from more than a dozen colleges explain the various engineering professions. PA Cyber held its third VEEE program in summer 2021.

"At the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, maker thinking is in part a core aspect of the curriculum. The school aims to inspire future engineers, scientists, and technologists because as we know, the learning never stops," says Hayden. Media Contact: David Atkins / david.atkins@pacyber.org About PA Cyber Serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade, the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (PA Cyber) is one of the largest, most experienced, and most successful online public schools in the nation. PA Cyber's online learning environments, personalized instruction methods, and choices of curricula connect Pennsylvania students and their families with state-certified and highly qualified teachers and rich academic content. Founded in 2000, PA Cyber is headquartered in Midland, Beaver County, and maintains a network of support offices throughout the state. As a public school, PA Cyber is open for enrollment by any school-age child residing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and does not charge tuition to students or families. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pa-cybers-first-mobile-stem-lab-to-hit-streets-this-fall-301368755.html SOURCE The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (PA Cyber)

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[September 02, 2021] University Staff Fear for Their Health and Safety as Ford Government Drops Basic COVID-19 Precautions on Campus

Students and workers feel abandoned after an Ontario government memo said universities and colleges will re-open without measures like class capacity limits or improvements to ventilation, says the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario. "More than 30,000 support and academic workers are now apprehensive about returning to campuses. They are baffled that post-secondary institutions aren't required to adapt to our new COVID-19 reality," said David Simao, Chair of CUPE Ontario's University Sector. "The government's suggestion that simply making vaccinations mandatory is enough, is just plain wrong. We're facing a massive, systemic problem that requires a comprehensive plan, like providing personal protective equipment, improving ventilation, and ensuring physical distancing through smaller class sizes." CUPE Ontario University workers have been demanding the Ford (News - Alert) Conservative government develop a omprehensive, province-wide, properly-funded plan to safely reopen on campus learning for well over a year.



"It's disheartening," added Simao," that the government didn't meaningfully consult before finalizing COVID-19 policies for the fall. Workers' and students' organizations know what is really going on on-campus. It's time for the Ford government to finally listen to the experts instead of just cramming workers and students into enclosed spaces without a plan, hoping it'll all work out somehow." Years of provincial underfunding of Ontario's universities have only exacerbated the problem of a safe return to campus during COVID-19. Even with this chronic challenge, the Ford Conservatives have failed to make the investments in necessary COVID-19 safety measures."

"We need to recognize that, while vaccination is incredibly important, it is not a silver bullet," said Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario. "All the experts agree we need layered precautions, especially indoors, to ensure we can deal with the new reality of the Delta variant. We need a comprehensive plan, one that comes with sufficient and dedicated funding, to keep students and workers safe at our universities. It is well past time the Ford Conservatives consulted with workers and students and made the necessary investments to ensure a safe return to class on campus." lf/cope 491 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005817/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Hancock Whitney Commits $2.5 Million to Ida Relief, Opens 40 Percent of Affected Locations

Hurricane Ida made landfall overnight on August 29, 2021, bringing catastrophic conditions to Southeast Louisiana. By daylight Monday, August 30, Hancock Whitney green-lighted its pre-staged relief and recovery efforts, including a $2.5 million commitment to help clients, associates, and communities caught in the storm's path. Additionally, as of press time, the bank has reopened 40 percent of its financial centers in communities hit hard by Hurricane Ida, with more locations reopening each day. Clients can visit www.hancockwhitney.com/ida for real-time updates on business operations, fee waivers, loan deferrals, disaster loans, and other recovery resources for people in declared disaster zones. "During the 122 years we've served the Gulf South, we've gained extensive experience in knowing what to do and what people need when a hurricane hits our hometowns," said Hancock Whitney President and CEO John Hairston. "Our thoughts and prayers are with every person and place affected by Hurricane Ida. We're investing in efforts to move recovery forward and help our clients, associates, and communities come back stronger and better together from Hurricane Ida's impacts. We are all Gulf South Strong!" Hancock Whitney is contributing $500,000 to help the City of New Orleans restore infrastructures so resients can have the essential services they need to return home. Special grants totaling $200,000 will be available to facilitate storm relief and recovery in underserved communities throughout Southeast Louisiana.



Hancock Whitney is donating $100,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana to help relieve post-storm food insecurity among some of the region's neediest citizens. The bank has also earmarked $500,000 for additional community support once other needs are identified. The company has devoted $750,000 to distributing critical supplies such as water, ice, and food to Hancock Whitney associates, their families, and residents in affected areas with the help of Hancock Whitney associate volunteers from across the bank's five-state footprint. A $500,000 contribution to the Hancock Whitney Associate Assistance Fund will fund emergency grants available to associates.

"Our associates are the hearts and souls of Hancock Whitney, and their safety and welfare are top priorities," said Hairston. "They're essential to determining how we can best serve people who need banking services and access to cash after Hurricane Ida. We believe it's paramount to provide relief and recovery resources to help associates and their families remain safe and relatively comfortable as they recover from the storm and carry on our longstanding commitment to making sure we're there and open when clients and communities need us most." Following Hancock Whitney (@hancockwhitney) on social media offers access to daily posts about Hancock Whitney's Hurricane Ida community relief and recovery outreach. About Hancock Whitney Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, and Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; certain insurance services; and mortgage services. The company also operates a loan production office in Nashville, Tennessee. BauerFinancial, Inc., the nation's leading independent bank rating and analysis firm, consistently recommends Hancock Whitney as one of America's most financially sound banks. More information is available at www.hancockwhitney.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005823/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Navitas Next-Gen Semiconductor Growth Highlighted at Deutsche Bank Technology Conference

DUBLIN, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Navitas Semiconductor ("the Company" or "Navitas"), the industry-leader in GaN power integrated circuits ("ICs"), has announced its participation in the Deutsche Bank 2021 Technology Conference taking place on 9th and 10th September. "From mobile tier-1s like Dell, Lenovo, Xiaomi & LG, we're expanding markets with Enphase for solar, and Brusa for EV." Navitas recently announced a proposed business combination with Live Oak Acquisition Corp. II ("Live Oak II") (NYSE: LOKB), a publicly-traded special-purpose acquisition company. Deutsche Bank Securities is serving as a co-financial advisor to Navitas. Gallium nitride (GaN) is a next-generation semiconductor technology that runs up to 20x faster than legacy silicon and enables up to 3x more power or 3x faster charging in half the size and weight. Navitas' GaNFast power ICs integrate GaN power and drive plus protection and control to deliver simple, small, fast and efficient performance. With over 130 patents issued or pending, and significant trade secrets including a proprietary process design kit (PDK), Navitas believes it has a multi-year lead in next-generation GaN power ICs. The Deutsche Bank 2021 Technology Conference includes keynotes from Intel, Broadcom and Zoom, panel discussions, and offers investors one-on-one conversations with senior executives of innovative companies at the forefront of the technology sector. Navitas' co-founder and CEO, Gene Sheridan, will review GaNFast power IC technology and the $13.1B market opportunity in a live presentation with Q&A at 11:50am (EDT) on Thursday September 9th. To participate, and to arrange one-on-one meetings, please contact Donna Lichvar at db.techschedules@db.com. "We've already shipped over 25 million GaNFast power ICs and that's only 1-2% of today's available market  so a huge growth potential. From tier-1 laptop and phone companies including Dell, Lenovo, Xiaomi, LG and OPPO, we're now expanding quickly into higher-power developments such as with Enphase for solar, and Brusa for EV markets," noted Gene Sheridan. It's a $13 billion GaN electrification opportunity  and we are grateful to Deutsche Bank for this platform to meet with future-thinking investors." About Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) is a leading provider of financial services to agencies, corporations, governments, private individuals and institutions in the Americas. Having first established a presence in the Americas in the 19th century, the bank began independent operations in the US in 1978, opening its first North American branch in New York City. In October 2001, Deutsche Bank was the first German bank to list on the NYSE and one of the largest foreign-based employers in New York City. About Navitas

Navitas Semiconductor Limited is the industry leader in GaN power IC's, founded in 2014. Navitas has a strong and growing team of power semiconductor industry experts with a combined 300 years of experience in materials, devices, applications, systems and marketing, plus a proven record of innovation with over 200 patents among its founders. GaN power ICs integrate GaN power with drive, control and protection to enable faster charging, higher power density and greater energy savings for mobile, consumer, enterprise, eMobility and new energy markets. Over 130 Navitas patents are issued or pending, and over 25 million GaNFast power ICs have been shipped wit zero reported GaN field failures. On May 7th, 2021, Navitas announced plans to "Go Public at an Enterprise Value of $1.04 Billion via Live Oak II (NYSE: LOKB) SPAC Business Combination.



Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

The information in this press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, regarding the proposed transaction, the ability of the parties to consummate the transaction, the benefits of the transaction and the combined company's future financial performance, as well as the combined company's strategy, future operations, estimated financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projections of market opportunity and market share, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "could," "should," "will," "may," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "plan," "seek," "expect," "project," "forecast," the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Live Oak II and Navitas caution you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the possibility that the expected growth of Navitas' business will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period, due to, among other things: (i) Navitas' goals and strategies, future business development, financial condition and results of operations; (ii) Navitas' customer relationships and ability to retain and expand these customer relationships; (iii) Navitas' ability to accurately predict future revenues for the purpose of appropriately budgeting and adjusting Navitas' expenses; (iv) Navitas' ability to diversify its customer base and develop relationships in new markets; (v) the level of demand in Navitas' customers' end markets; (vi) Navitas' ability to attract, train and retain key qualified personnel; (vii) changes in trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs; (viii) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Navitas' business, results of operations and financial condition; (ix) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy; (x) the ability of Navitas to maintain compliance with certain U.S. Government contracting requirements; (xi) regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; and (xii) Navitas' ability to protect its intellectual property rights. Forward-looking statements are also subject to additional risks and uncertainties, including (i) changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; (ii) the inability of the parties to successfully or timely consummate the proposed transaction, including the risk that any required regulatory approvals are not obtained, are delayed or are subject to unanticipated conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction or that the approval of the stockholders of Live Oak II is not obtained; (iii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Live Oak II or Navitas following announcement of the proposed transaction; (iv) the risk that the proposed transaction disrupts Live Oak II's or Navitas' current plans and operations as a result of the announcement of the proposed transaction; (v) costs related to the proposed transaction; (vi) failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction; (vii) risks relating to the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to Navitas; (viii) risks related to the rollout of Navitas' business and the timing of expected business milestones; (ix) the effects of competition on Navitas' business; (x) the amount of redemption requests made by Live Oak II's public stockholders; (xi) the ability of Live Oak II or the combined company to issue equity or equity-linked securities in connection with the proposed transaction or in the future; and (xii) those factors discussed in Live Oak II's registration statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-256880) (the "Registration Statement") filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and Live Oak II's final prospectus filed with the SEC on December 4, 2020 under the heading "Risk Factors" and other documents of Live Oak II filed, or to be filed, with the SEC.

If any of the risks described above materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by our forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that neither Live Oak II nor Navitas presently know or that Live Oak II and Navitas currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Live Oak II's and Navitas' expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Live Oak II and Navitas anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause Live Oak II's and Navitas' assessments to change. However, while Live Oak II and Navitas may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Live Oak II and Navitas specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Live Oak II's and Navitas' assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements. Important Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed transaction, Live Oak II has filed the Registration Statement with the SEC, which includes a proxy statement/prospectus of Live Oak II. Live Oak II also plans to file other documents and relevant materials with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. After the Registration Statement has been cleared by the SEC, a definitive proxy statement/prospectus will be mailed to the stockholders of Live Oak II. SECURITYHOLDERS OF LIVE OAK II AND NAVITAS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS (INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND OTHER DOCUMENTS AND RELEVANT MATERIALS RELATING TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION THAT WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND THE PARTIES TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Stockholders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement/prospectus and other documents containing important information about Live Oak II and Navitas once such documents are filed with the SEC through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Participants in the Solicitation

Live Oak II and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Live Oak II in connection with the proposed transaction. Navitas and its officers and directors may also be deemed participants in such solicitation. Securityholders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of certain of Live Oak II's executive officers and directors in the solicitation by reading Live Oak II's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 25, 2021 and the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction when they become available. Information concerning the interests of Live Oak II's participants in the solicitation, which may, in some cases, be different than those of Live Oak II's stockholders generally, will be set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus relating to the proposed transaction when it becomes available. Navitas Semiconductor, GaNFast and the Navitas logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Navitas Semiconductor Limited. All other brands, product names and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners. Contact Information

Stephen Oliver, VP Corporate Marketing & Investor Relations

ir@navitassemi.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/navitas-next-gen-semiconductor-growth-highlighted-at-deutsche-bank-technology-conference-301368602.html SOURCE Navitas Semiconductor

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[September 02, 2021] Ooma Appoints Shig Hamamatsu as Chief Financial Officer

Ooma, Inc. (NYSE: OOMA), a smart communications platform for businesses and consumers, today announced the appointment of Shig Hamamatsu as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, effective September 7, 2021. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005174/en/ Ooma Inc. today announced the appointment of Shig Hamamatsu as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, effective September 7, 2021. Hamamatsu most recently served as CFO of Accuray, a publicly traded provider of medical devices. (Photo: Business Wire) Hamamatsu most recently served as CFO of Accuray, a publicly traded provider of medical devices, where he made significant contributions to improving capital structure and profitability as well as executing business joint ventures to drive revenue growth. Prior to Accuray, Hamamatsu held senior financial roles at companies including Cepheid, Cypress Semiconductor, RPX and NetLogic (News - Alert) Microsystems. He began his career at the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Hamamatsu is a certified public accountant n the state of California (inactive) and holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting from the University of Washington.



"Shig is a seasoned CFO with 25 years of experience in financial governance, management and scaling businesses across companies in technology and related fields," said Eric Stang, Chief Executive Officer of Ooma. "He has a solid track record as a public company CFO and I'm confident he will be a meaningful contributor to Ooma's growth and international expansion. I also want to thank Namrata Sabharwal, our vice president and corporate controller, for her service as acting CFO." "I'm excited to be joining Ooma, a company with a strong SaaS (News - Alert) business model and fantastic prospects," said Shig Hamamatsu. "Ooma's continued growth in serving business customers and expansion into international markets make this a great time to join Ooma. I look forward to partnering with Eric and everyone on the Ooma team to write new chapters in this very impressive success story."

About Ooma, Inc. Ooma (NYSE: OOMA) creates powerful connected experiences for businesses and consumers, delivered from its smart cloud-based SaaS platform. For businesses of all sizes, Ooma provides advanced voice and collaboration features that are flexible and scalable. For consumers, Ooma's residential phone service provides PureVoice HD voice quality, advanced functionality and integration with mobile devices. Ooma's innovative smart security solution delivers a range of wireless security sensors that make it easy for anyone to protect their home. Learn more at www.ooma.com or www.ooma.ca in Canada. Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This release includes "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. Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements" and include, without limitation, statements related to Ooma's prospects, growth and international expansion. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in Ooma's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021 filed on April 7, 2021, and in its subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Ooma undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005174/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Emerging Cyber Security Leader guardDog.ai Acknowledged as Grand Prize Winner of the TechStarter Five Award at CEDIA Expo 2021

The first trade show appearance for Guard Dog Solutions, Inc., dba guardDog.ai, an emerging leader in cyber security protection for consumers and businesses, has resulted in Best of Show acknowledgment as the 2021 Grand Prize winner of CEDIA Expo's TechStarter Five. CEDIA Expo 2021, running September 1-3 at the Indiana Convention Center, has welcomed the return of the TechStarter Five program, which gives Launchpad (formerly known as Innovation Alley) exhibitors the opportunity to pitch their business models to VIP industry judges in a "Shark Tank" style competition. At the event, the VIP Judges canvass the Launchpad exhibitors to identify new brands with strong and unique business models and an inspired vision for their product or service. From these candidates, they select the five brands they believe are the strongest contenders for industry impact and long-term success. Additionally, the judges identify a grand prize winner within the TechStarter Five. The winner receives a prize package of $5,000 in benefits to propel the company forward and feedback from the industry judges on the ways they can optimize their business for widespread success. "What an amazing opportunity it has been to see our company on the front page of the Expo's magazine, to see the energy and excitement around our offering, and to be selected as the Grand Prize Winner of the TechStarter Five," said Kelly Ryan, EVP of Business Development for guardDog.AI. "I give credit to our amazing team for this win - but I am also hugely gratified for the impact our product and technology are making in the battle to protect very consumer and every business in the growing war against cyberattacks. guardDog.ai's protection is unique and scalable and is a technology that can make a critical difference for all."



guardDog.ai uses AI-driven network overlay technology to find and protect attempted cyberattacks in less than two milliseconds by identifying the threats device and network management solutions can't see and proactively halting potential exploits before they begin. In wired and Wi-Fi networks, guardDog protects users from the threats in the edge territory that lies outside the perimeter of the network or on attached devices that other solutions can't see, including the myriad of IoT devices such as digital doorbells, smart refrigerators, and game systems that are inherently vulnerable to the networks they join.

guardDog.ai uses patent-pending artificial intelligence to pre-emptively recognize, expose, and shut down cybersecurity threats before an attack can happen. The company uses the Fido "plug and protect" network overlay device to access guardDog.ai Protective Cloud Services (PCS). PCS combats threats with Autonomous Incident Response (AiR) technology, using artificial intelligence to detect cyber threats and instantly shuts attacks down before they compromise privacy and security. The service protects its users against the latest threats that arise in the form of ransomware, man-in-the-middle attacks, denial of service, and emerging novel threats, to protect networks and the devices attached to them. About guardDog.ai Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, guardDog.ai has developed a cloud-based Autonomous Incident Response (AiR) cyber security software service with a companion device that work together to simplify network security. The solution provides protection and visibility as it exposes invisible threats on networks and the devices attached to them, with patented technology to address and prevent cybersecurity threats before they compromise network environments. Every business, government, healthcare institution, home consumer, or other organization, are grappling to find security solutions that are adapting to this changing world. guardDog.ai is pioneering new innovations designed to meet these challenges. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward looking statements of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Forward looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and results, and will not be accurate indications of the times, or by, which such performance will be achieved. For more information visit guardDog.ai and explore edge territory analytics at Live Map. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005846/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc. Files S-3 to Raise Up to $30 Million

Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (News - Alert) , Inc., (OTCPK:AITX), today filed a Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission that provides details on the company's intent to raise up to $30 million over the next 36 months. The company is setting aside 350 million shares for this raise, approximately 8.75% of the number of existing outstanding shares of common stock. Once the Form S-3 has been declared effective by the SEC (News - Alert) , the company can raise new funds at what many consider to be the lowest cost to the company and therefore of the greatest benefit to existing shareholders. The filing can be found here: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001498148/000149315221021868/forms-3.htm A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. A copy of the prospectus inluded in the registration statement may be obtained by writing or calling us at the following address or telephone number: Anthony Brenz, Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions Inc., Attention: Investor Relations, at 10800 Galaxie Avenue, Ferndale, Michigan 48220, telephone: (877) 787-6268.



Each time that the company intends to offer securities registered under the Form S-3, it will provide investors with a prospectus supplement outlining the terms of the specific offering, including a fixed price for the securities being offered in that offering, with no punitive clauses that allow for significant dilution. "It's our intention to draw lightly on the S-3 in the short term as it's our hope that our business progress results in stock price appreciation," said Steve Reinharz, CEO of AITX. Reinharz confirmed that funds raised through this Form S-3 mechanism will be used for working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes. "The capital raised will provide AITX sufficient resources to execute our current operating plans given our proven ability to achieve continued sales growth. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to invest in or acquire businesses or technologies that we believe are complementary to our own," Reinharz added.

AITX's business focus has been on pursuing the delivery of artificial intelligence ("AI") and robotic solutions for operational, security, and monitoring needs. More specifically, the Company is focused on applying advanced AI-driven technologies, paired with multi-use hardware and supported by custom software and cloud services, to intelligently automate and integrate a variety of high-frequency security, concierge, and operational tasks. CAUTIONARY DISCLOSURE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this news release other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" that are based on current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the ability of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions to provide for its obligations, to provide working capital needs from operating revenues, to obtain additional financing needed for any future acquisitions, to meet competitive challenges and technological changes, to meet business and financial goals including projections and forecasts, and other risks. Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement(s) and/or to confirm the statement(s) to actual results or changes in Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions expectations. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005857/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Project Control Announces Acquisition of Houston-Based Rice & Gardner

Project Control, a company of Raba Kistner, Inc., has announced that as of September 2, 2021, Rice & Gardner Consultants, Inc. (Rice & Gardner) has joined Project Control. Based in Houston, Rice & Gardner will operate as a division of Project Control, the project management division of Raba Kistner. Led by Jim Rice, Rice & Gardner was established in 2005 with core competencies of program management and building commissioning. "Rice & Gardner is well respected in the project management and building commissioning fields due to their experienced, diverse staff and commitment to serving their clients and the Houston community," said Dick McNary, president and chief operating officer of Project Control. "They are a great cultural fit for Project Control and the entire Raba Kistner enterprise and, as a result, will support multiple components of our firm's strategic growth plan." "My team and I are happy to be joining Project Control and the Raba Kistner family. Project Control has a broad reach that will enhance our capabilities and provide our employees with growth opportunities. The partnership is an excellent fit for both parties and I look forward to continuing to work with our existing clients as well as new clients, providing the same excellent service we always have," said Jim Rice. As part of Project Control, Rice & Gardnerstaff will help grow Project Control's project management services in Houston, as well as bring expanded service offerings with building commissioning services across the state. Rice & Gardner brings significant expertise in K-12 education, including their very first client, the Houston Independent School District. Other educational clients include Galena Park I.S.D., Lamar Consolidated I.S.D., Stafford Municipal School District, Episcopal High School and Bellville I.S.D. Leaders from both companies are excited about this new affiliation and the resulting benefits for our clients.



Project Control, a company of Raba Kistner, Inc., provides owner representation and expert, objective consulting in the project management of commercial construction and real estate development projects from conception to completion. Project Control's managers represent the owner's best interest on all issues and alleviate the demands of day-to-day management responsibilities and technical issues associated with major construction projects. See us online at www.projectcontrol.com. Founded in 1968, Raba Kistner Inc. has grown over our 50+-year history, expanding from our corporate headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, to an Engineering News-Record "Top 200 Firm" of more than 600 employees operating across the U.S. and Mexico. Today we are a company of engineers, geologists, scientists and technologists providing project management and oversight services; environmental consulting; construction materials engineering, testing and observation; geotechnical engineering, testing and pavement consulting; building sciences consulting; and infrastructure oversight and quality management. For more information on the Raba Kistner companies, please visit www.rkci.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005863/en/

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[September 02, 2021] Wells Fargo Donates $350,000 to Hurricane Ida Relief Efforts

As people grapple with the impact of Hurricane Ida and its destruction, Wells Fargo (News - Alert) is donating $350,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation to support relief efforts across the Southeast and Northeast in communities that fell into Hurricane Ida's path. A $100,000 donation is being made to the American Red Cross,* which is helping to provide shelter, food, water, relief supplies and other assistance in the aftermath of the storm. The remaining $250,000 will be donated to local organizations to help communities with short and longer-term needs such as clean up, repairs and rebuilding. "We will be here for local communities as we band together to stay resilient in the wake of Hurricane Ida," said Nate Hurst, president of the Wells Fargo Foundation. "Right now, there is a need to step up for hard-hit communities, and we hope this funding helps care for those individuals and families going through difficult times caused by the storm." "Thanks to Wells Fargo's generous support, the Red Cross, alongside its partners, is able to shelter and support thousands of families impacted by Hurricane Ida," said Don Herring, chief development officer at the American Red Cross. "We are proud to count on partners like Wells Fargo as we work together to provide much-needed comfort and care to help people in need." Customer support Wells Fargo is committed to providing support to customers, clients and employees affected by the hurricane, including suppressing, waiving, or reversing certain fees, such as late fees. Payment assistance and disaster relief options require that customers contact us. Customers who want to discuss their financial needs should call 800-219-9739. For up-to-date information on branch status, customers can visit our branch locator website. Wells Fargo customers can donate to the American Red Cross at Wells Fargo ATMs in th following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Customers will not be charged any fees for using the service, and 100% of the donation is sent to the nonprofit. Customers may also make donations through the American Red Cross website at www.redcross.org.



Additionally, customers may make donations to the American Red Cross via Wells Fargo Online and with Zelle** in the Wells Fargo Mobile app. Donations will go towards Red Cross Disaster Relief to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Employee care

Wells Fargo also is supporting employees through its We Care Fund, a special program that provides financial grants to employees to cover unforeseen expenses caused by a disaster situation or a financial hardship that is beyond their control. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is the leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 37 on Fortune's 2021 rankings of America's largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon economy. News, insights, and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com | Twitter (News - Alert) : @WellsFargo. *The American Red Cross name, emblem, and copyrighted materials are being used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, company, opinion, or political position. The American Red Cross logo is a registered trademark owned by The American National Red Cross. For more information about the American Red Cross, please visit redcross.org. **Zelle may be used to send direct donations only to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Donations to other charitable organizations are not available at this time. Zelle, Wells Fargo, and the American Red Cross are not liable for any failure, through no fault of theirs, to complete your transaction in the correct amount, or for any related losses. Zelle and the Zelle related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license. News Release Category: WF-PESG View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005887/en/

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CHEATHAM COUNTY

SR 455 from MM 0.87 - 1.16. Grade, Drain, Pave of SR 455 & Levee Construction (by others) Through Mid-End 2022 there will be 24/7 continuous lane closures for the construction of levee, box culvert, stream relocation, and roadway construction from SR 49 to AO Smith entrance. Riverbluff Park entrance will remain open to the public. Access to AO Smith from SR 12 will remain open.

DAVIDSON COUNTY

I-24 from MM 60.00 - 62.00. Miscellaneous safety improvements on I-24 at SR 171 (Old Hickory Blvd) EB ramp (exit 62), including grading, drainage, and paving. The interchange modification on I-24 at Hickory Hollow Pkwy (exit 60), including grading, drainage, construction of bridges, retaining walls, and paving. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions). There will be temporary, intermittent closures of the I-24 EB lanes from Bell Road to OHB and temporary, intermittent closures of the I-24 WB lanes from OHB to Bell Road for placing containment system on bridge 1 and repaving. Two lanes will always remain open.

DAVIDSON COUNTY

I-24 EB/WB from MM 38-39. The repair of bridges on I-24 over Claylick Court. Thurs 8/26 thru Wed 9/2. Traffic will be shifted across the bridge in both directions for parapet repairs. A minimum 2 shoulder will be maintained between edge lines and barrier rail, which will reduce the overall width, including shoulders from 32 to 28.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



I-24 from MM 51.00 - 53.00. The resurfacing on I-24 including bridge repair from the I-40 split to the I-440 split. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 8PM-5AM. There will be temporary, intermittent lane closures on I-440 between the I-40 split and the I-440 split for degrassing and milling.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



I-24 from MM 47.00  54.00. There will be maintenance on the ITS System on Thurs 9/2 8PM-2AM.There will be a shoulder closure on I-24 WB at the Silliman Evans Bridge (MM 49.4) and Ellington Pkwy (MM 47.6) to replace CCTV. The installation work will consist of a right outside lane closure and shoulder closure.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



I-24 from MM 54.00  55.00. There will be maintenance on the ITS System on Tues 9/7 8PM-2AM. There will be a shoulder closure on I-24 WB at Briley Pkwy (MM 54.6) to replace CCTV. The installation work will consist of a right outside lane closure and shoulder closure.

DAVIDSON/RUTHERFORD COUNTIES



I-24 MM 53.0-80 The construction of ITS and upgrades from Nashville to Murfreesboro Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions), 8PM-5AM. There will be right lane and shoulder closures EB and WB for installation of gantry foundations and conduit. Two lanes will remain open at all times. There will be left lane closures EB and WB for overhead sign foundation work in the median from MM 53-60. Two lanes will remain open at all times.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



I-40 from MM 216.00 - 217.00. The resurfacing on I-40 from Old Hickory Blvd. to Arlington Ave. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 8PM-5AM. There will be temporary, intermittent lane closures on I-40 between Old Hickory Blvd and Arlington Ave for degrassing and milling.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



I-40 from MM 219.5-219.7. The repair of bridges on I-40 over Stones River and on SR 171 over Stones River. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 8PM-5AM. There will be temporary, intermittent lane closures on the Stones River bridge on I-40 for thin-lift epoxy overlay. At least two lanes will remain open at all times.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



I-65 from MM 81.60. Misc. Safety improvements at the I-65 NB and SB off-ramps to Wedgewood Ave (LM 7.29). Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 8PM-5AM. There will be lane closures on Wedgewood Ave for installing mast arm signals. No lane closures on I-65 will be needed.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



I-65 from MM 84.60-87.30 Performing falling weight deflectometer (FWD) testing and coring approx.. 5 holes for pavement testing. Sun 8/29 thru Thurs 9/2 8PM-6AM. Left lane closure for testing in the wheel path of left lane.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



I-65 from MM 84.00  86.00. There will be maintenance on the ITS System on Thurs 9/2 8PM-2AM. There will be a shoulder closure on I-65 SB at Cumberland River Bridge (MM 86) to replace CCTV. The installation work will consist of a right outside lane closure and shoulder closure.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 1 LM 20.0-20.32 Full and partial depth repair of Portland Cement Concrete pavement and sidewalk on US 41 (US 70S, SR 1 Murfreesboro Road) from near Fesslers Lane (LM 20) to near Foster Ave. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 8PM-5AM. There will be single lane closures westbound on Murfreesboro Road from Fesslers Lane to Foster Avenue for concrete repairs.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 1 LM 20.0-20.32 Full and partial depth repair of Portland Cement Concrete pavement and sidewalk on US 41 (US 70S, SR 1 Murfreesboro Road) from near Fesslers Lane (LM 20) to near Foster Ave. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 8PM-5AM. There will be a single lane closures westbound on Murfreesboro Rd from Fesslers Lane to Foster Ave for saw cutting concrete.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 11 from LM 0.00 - 4.24. The resurfacing on US 31A (US 41A, SR 11), including bridge repair. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 9AM-3PM. There will be temporary, alternating lane closures on Nolensville Rd between Swiss Ave and the Williamson County line for paving and bridge joints.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 112 from LM 0.00 - 0.20. SR-112 (US 41A/Clarksville Pike) from SR-12 (Ashland City Highway) to SR-155 (Briley Parkway) - Piedmont Move Prior. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 9AM-3PM. There will be a temporary, alternating lane closure on SR-112 Clarksville Pike in both directions for grade work, storm drainage, sanitary sewer, and overhead power. Flaggers will be utilized. There will also be a full closure of Cedar Circle for road grading; detour will be in place.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 155 from MM 9.00  13.00. There will be maintenance on the ITS System on Tues 9/2 8PM-2AM. There will be a shoulder closure and inside lane closure on Briley Pkwy EB at Cumberland River Bridge (MM 13.7) to replace CCTV. There will be an outside lane and shoulder closure on Briley Parkway SB at Two Rivers Pkwy (MM 9.5).

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 155 from LM 24-MM 26. Repair of bridge located on SR 155 over Cumberland River (Cockrill Bend). Thurs 9/2 thru Wes 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions). 7AM-5PM. There will be a lane closure for re-striping and preparing for lane shift.

LOOK AHEAD: Fri 9/10 thru Mon 9/13 - 5AM, there will be a lane closure for bridge repair work.

Fri 9/17 thru Mon 9/20 - 5AM, there will be a lane closure for bridge repair work

Fri 9/24 thru Mon 9/27 - 5AM, there will be a lane closure for bridge repair work

Fri 10/1 thru Mon 10/4 - 5AM, there will be a lane closure for bridge repair work

DICKSON COUNTY



I-40 MM 176.0-177.0 The resurfacing and bridge repair of I-40 from east of Piney Rd (LM 5.33) to the bridge over I-840 (LM 13.15) in Dickson. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 8PM-5AM. There will be nighttime lane closures to begin shotblasting for the epoxy overlay at LM 13.15 EB direction. Fri 8/6 thru Mon 8/9 8PM-5AM. There will be a weekend closure beginning on Friday and ending Monday to place the epoxy overlay on the EB bridge at LM 13.15.

HICKMAN/HUMPHREYS COUNTIES



I-40 from MM 152.60 - 160.70. The resurfacing on I-40 from near SR 230 to the Hickman Seq 3 County line. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 7PM-6AM. There will be nighttime lane closures for guardrail, rumble striping and permanent striping on I-40 in both directions.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY



SR 13 from LM 17.00 - 19.00. Consisting of the grading, drainage, construction of welded steel plate girder bridge, retaining wall, and paving on SR 149 and SR 13 from River Road to Zinc Plant Road. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 7AM-5PM. There will be periodic flagging operations along SR13 and SR149 for clearing, grade work, bridge work, and/or paving operations. Mayhew Road will remain closed. Traffic on SR 13 will remain in the phase four alignment as switched on 11/7/2020. Width reduced to 22' for entire project.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY



SR 76 from LM 14.1-14.2 and SR 112 LM 9.19-9.41 Intersection Improvements. Grading. Drainage and Construction of retaining walls. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions). 9AM-3PM. Median grading operations and overlay/restripe operations.

RUTHERFORD COUNTY

I-840 from MM 45.00 - 53.00. The resurfacing on I-840 including concrete ramp repair. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 7PM-5AM. There will be alternating lane closures for the installation of final pavement markings.

RUTHERFORD COUNTY



I-840 from MM 60-62. The grading, construction of two concrete Bulb-Tee beam bridges, signals and paving on SR 266 (Jefferson Pike). Thurs 8/26 thru Wed 9/1. A minimum of 2 shoulders will be maintained between edge lines and barrier rail, which will reduce the overall width including shoulders from 38 to 28.

RUTHERFORD COUNTY



SR 266 from LM 5.00 - 9.00. The grading, drainage, construction of two concrete Bulb-Tee beam bridges, signals and paving on SR 266 (Jefferson Pike) from SR 102 to east of I-840. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions)9AM-3PM. There will be periodic flagging operations along SR 266 for construction activities.

SMITH COUNTY



SR 25 from LM 6.00 - 7.00. Rock Fall Mitigation. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 9AM-2:45PM. SR 25 near SR 80 will have intermittent lane closures for resurfacing activities.

SMITH COUNTY



SR 24 from LM 15.77-LM 21.56 Resurfacing on US 70. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions). 8AM-2:45PM. SR 24 near SR 264 to Putnam County line will have intermittent lane closures for resurfacing activities.

SUMNER COUNTY



LOOK AHEAD: 9/11 Ceremony. September 11, 7AM-11AM. The City of Gallatin wants to close a lane on Main Street from Chief Bill Crook Blvd to S Water for the ceremony.

SUMNER COUNTY



SR 25 from LM 18.60 - 18.80. Gateway Drive extension Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions)9AM-3:30PM. There will be intermittent lane closures on SR 25 near Barry Lane for road widening activities.

SUMNER COUNTY



SR 41 from LM 5.00 - 14.50. Resurfacing on US-31. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 8AM-4:30PM. SR 41 from Jarret Lane to SR 25 will have intermittent lane closures for resurfacing activities.

SUMNER COUNTY



SR 109 from LM 5.80 - 6.50. LPLM: Albert Gallatin Ave/Hatten Track Road Extension. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 9AM-3PM M-F, 6AM-6PM Sat-Sun. There will be intermittent lane closures on SR 109 between the intersections of SR 25 (River Road) and Old State Hwy 109 in both directions for roadway widening activities.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY



I-40 from MM 181-182. The repair of the bridges on I-40 over County Line Road (LM 0.02) Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions). 8PM-5AM. There will be nightly lane closures in the EB and WB directions for milling, paving and deck sealant operations on the I-40 bridges over County Line Road.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY



I-840 from MM 17.00 - 25.00. The resurfacing of I-840. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 6AM-6PM. Temporary lane closure in both directions for the milling and paving of I-840.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY



SR 397. The grading, drainage, construction of bridges, retaining walls, and paving on SR 397 (Mack Hatcher Pkwy) from south of SR 96 to east of US 431 (SR 106) Continuous until end of project. Old Charlotte Pike is closed for the duration of the project for the alignment of the new Mack Hatcher Parkway.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY



SR 397. The grading, drainage, construction of bridges, retaining walls, and paving on SR 397 (Mack Hatcher Pkwy) from south of SR 96 to east of US 431 (SR 106). Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 9AM-3PM. There will be temporary lane closures in both directions on Mack Hatcher at Hillsboro Road for widening work and also on Hillsboro Road northbound for widening work.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY



SR 397. The grading, drainage, construction of bridges, retaining walls, and paving on SR 397 (Mack Hatcher Pkwy) from south of SR 96 to east of US 431 (SR 106). Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 9AM-3PM. There will be a lane closure of the northbound lane of Highway 96W between Front Street and Boyd Mill Avenue for road widening activities. Flaggers will be utilized.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY



SR 6 from LM 15.93 - 18.53. Grading, Drainage, and Paving Work on SR 6 (Franklin Road) from south of Moore's Lane (LM 15.93) to Concord Road (18.53). Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 9AM-3PM, 6PM-6AM. We anticipate needing intermittent stoppages of traffic and/or temporary lane closures (one direction at a time) for various construction activities and utility work throughout the project. There will be extended delays and possible lane closures for utility operations for the following roads: Ashby, Holly Tree Gap Rd, Long St, West Concord, Wikle Road, and Mt View Rd. There will be intermittent stoppages of traffic, one direction at a time, for flagging, milling, and paving operations.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY

SR 96 from LM 14.72 - 20.62. Grading, drainage, construction of bridges and signals on SR 96 from east of Arno Road (LM14.72) to SR 252 (Wilson Pike) (LM 20.62). Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 9AM-3PM and Wed 9/8 12AM-2AM. There will be lane closures and brief stoppages of traffic for utility relocations and grading work. There will be 2-4 intermittent 15-minute closures of SR 96 near Abington Ridge Lane as Comcast crews transfer their overhead utility lines.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY



SR 246 LM 12.97-13.76 Resurfacing on SR 246 from near Forrest St. to US 431. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions). 9AM-3PM. The will be a lane closure for concrete ramp retrofit.

WILSON COUNTY



I-40 from MM 225.50 - 226.50. Bridge widening on SR 171 over I-40. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 8PM-5AM. I-40 EB and WB will have intermittent lane closures for bridge widening activities.

WILSON COUNTY



I-40 from MM 232.00 - 236.00. The grading, drainage, construction of I-beam bridge, retaining walls, and paving on I-40 from east of SR-109 to east of I-840. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 8PM-5AM. There will be alternating lane closures for paving activities.

WILSON COUNTY



SR 109 from LM 7.56 - 15.04. The reconstruction on SR 109 from North of US 70 (SR24) to South of the Cumberland River. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 9AM-3:30PM. There will be periodic flagging operations along SR 109 for construction activities.

WILSON COUNTY



US 70 from LM 14.50. Construction of a pedestrian facility. Thurs 9/2 thru Weds 9/8 (EXCL. Holiday Restrictions) 8AM-3:30PM. US-70 near W Baddour Pkwy will have intermittent lane closures for utility relocation and sidewalk construction.

MAINTENANCE

DAVIDSON COUNTY

SR 1 from LM 13.4-13.7. Roadway repair/patching. Thurs 9/2. 9AM  3PM Alternating lane closures in both directions of Murfreesboro Pike (SR 1) at Donelson Pike intersection for roadway patching.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 11 from LM 7.2-12.5. Installation of curbs, ramps and other pedestrian related construction outlined in permit-We Go Public Transit Thurs 9/2 9AM-3PM, 8PM-5AM. Single right lane plus shoulder closure in both directions from Welch Rd to LaFayette St for the installation of curbs, ramps and other pedestrian relate construction as outlined in the permit.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 100 from LM 11.10 - 11.70. Excavation of ROW for sidewalk and curb installation. Thurs 9/2 9AM-3PM. Single, right WB lane and shoulder closure from Hwy 70S to Taggart Ave for excavation of ROW for sidewalk and curb installation.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 106 from LM 5.11 - 5.34. Storm installation and construction of bus lane. Thurs 9/2 9AM-3PM. Alternating north and south bound lane closures on SR 106 from Abbot Martin to Glen Echo Rd for the purpose of storm installation and construction of bus lane.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 106 from LM 2.94-3.61. Setting and installing NES utility poles and anchors. Thurs 9/2 9AM-3PM. Single, EB lane and shoulder closure on Hillsboro Pike from Standford Dr to Hemingway Dr for the installation and setting of utility poles and anchors. (Permit #GA-2007060791-2021)

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 155 from LM 15.80  16.20 and 18.00  19.00. Milling and paving Thurs 9/2 9AM-3PM. Various lane and shoulder closures for milling and paving on SR 155 westbound.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 171 LM 3.47-3.62 Road widening. Thurs 9/2. 9AM-3PM. Single SB lane and shoulder closure on SR 171 for road widening.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 251 from LM 10.32 - 10.34. ROW excavation, utility extension, and asphalt paving for turning lane installation. Thurs 9/2 6:30AM-5:30PM. Outside, NB lane and shoulder closure of SR 251 at Summit Oaks Dr for ROW excavation, utility extension, and asphalt paving for turning lane installation.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



SR 431 from LM 8.45-8.55. Make a top on a water main. Thurs 9/2 9PM-5AM. Single SB lane and shoulder closure on Broadway between 18th Ave. South and 19th Ave. South for work on water main.

SUMNER COUNTY



SR 6 9/11 Ceremony 7AM  11AM. The City of Gallatin is asking for a temporary lane closure on Main St from Chief Bill Crook Boulevard to S. Water for the ceremony

WILLIAMSON COUNTY



I-65 from MM 65.00 - 71.00. Slope mowing on shoulder. Fri 9/2 9AM-3PM. SB shoulder closure from SR 96 to SR 253 for slope mowing.

WILSON COUNTY



I-840 MM 75.00. Blasting. Now thru Thurs 9/9 12PM-4PM. Utilizing Wilson Co. SD for rolling roadblocks, all lanes will always remain open. No Saturday work is scheduled at this time. May need to schedule a Saturday if weather causes a delay in the weekday work.

UTILITIES



DAVIDSON COUNTY

Sunday, August 29 through Thursday, September 2, 9PM to 5AM, CENTURYLINK will have lane closures on SR 24 Broadway from 8th Ave. to 7th Ave. for conduit and F/O installation via open cut at LM 12.31.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



From now through Tuesday, October 5, 9AM-sunset, PIEDMONT (Via Triton Construction) will have lane closures on SR 6 FRANKLIN PIKE for gas main installation via horizontal directional drill (HDD) from between Curtiswood LN S and Curtiswood LN N to Hazelwood Circle at LM 3.91-3.60.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



From now through Saturday, September 18, 9AM-3PM, GOOGLE FIBER (Ervin Cable) will have lane closures on SR 106 (Hillsboro Pike) at Woodmont Blvd. for boring installation of conduit and fiber along SR 106 (Hillsboro Pike) from LM 5.83 to LM 5.71.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



From now through Saturday, September 18, 9AM-3PM, GOOGLE FIBER (Ervin Cable) will have lane closures on SR 106 (Hillsboro Pike) at Harding Pl. for boring installation of conduit and fiber along SR 106 (Hillsboro Pike) from LM 4.22 to LM 3.80.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



From now through Saturday, September 18, 9AM-3PM, GOOGLE FIBER (Ervin Cable) will have lane closures on SR 106 (Hillsboro Pike) for boring installation of conduit and fiber under SR 106 (Hillsboro Pike) at LM 6.2.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



From now until Friday, September 17, Metro Water and Sewer will have 24/7 lane closures on SR 106 Broadway in between Lyle Ave and 20th Ave. for storm water drain replacement. One lane will remain open in each direction at all times, from LM 8.41 to 8.33.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



From Monday, August 30 through Friday, September 10, 9AM-3PM, METRO WATER (via Southerland Construction) will have lane closures on Broadway from 1406 through 1502 for water line removal and replacement, LM 8.71-8.55.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



From Monday, August 30 through Friday, September 10, 9AM-3PM, METRO WATER (via Southerland Construction) will have lane closures on Broadway from 1501 through 1527 for water line removal and replacement, LM 8.71-8.55.

DAVIDSON COUNTY



From Thursday, August 26 through Friday, September 3, 9AM-3PM, XO will have lane closures on Charlotte Pike from 26th Ave. to City Ave. for boring placing conduit and fiber. LM 10.16-10.47.

Motorists are encouraged to use caution and obey reduced speed limits in all TDOT work zones, regardless of lane closure activity. Information in this report is provided to the Department of Transportation by the contractors. Most work is weather dependent and subject to change due to inclement weather.



From your desktop or mobile device, get the latest construction activity and live streaming SmartWay traffic cameras at www.TNSmartWay.com/Traffic. Travelers can also dial 511 from any landline or cellular phone for travel information, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TN511 for statewide travel.

As always, drivers are reminded to use all motorist information tools wisely and Know Before You Go! by checking travel conditions before leaving for your destination. Drivers should never tweet, text, or talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel.
The ongoing and seemingly never-ending plague have put the future of the airline industry in doubt.



Many experts believe that teleconferencing and hybrid-work from home models are the future of biz whilst the American jet-set has faded considerably.

And so . . .



THE FUTURE OF NEW KCI SEEMS DOUBTFUL AS THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY FADES!!!



As evidence of this fact of life we share a bevy of info for consideration.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links that start with local and then offer a peek at the big picture . . .

Airlines are scaling back flights in Q4. Here's what's happening at KCI Many airlines are seeing softer bookings in the months ahead because of the Delta variant. That's one factor leading airlines to scale back the number of flights scheduled for the latter portion of the year, according to a review of flight data by The Business Journals.

Air travel sees sharp decline as delta variant continues to derail vacation plans Summer travel was the big bounce-back story for 2021, with Covid-weary American travelers spending $6 billion on domestic flights in June alone, swapping screen time for downtime. The delta variant of the coronavirus rapidly changed all that.

Europe Wants Unvaccinated Americans to Stay Home. It's a Setback for Airline Stocks. Americans who managed a holiday in Europe this summer may have sneaked in under the wire. New travel restrictions may be coming for unvaccinated Americans as Covid-19 cases surge in the U.S. The European Union on Monday removed the U.S. from its list of countries for which nonessential travel restrictions should be lifted.

Is it still safe to fly a foreign country's airlines if FAA downgrades its aviation system? What does it mean for flight safety when the Federal Aviation Administration downgrades another country's aviation system like it did with Mexico this year? - Jessica M., Mexico City In May, the U.S. downgraded the Mexican aviation system from Level 1 to Level 2 after reviewing its performance from October 2020 through February 2021.

Flight Bookings Decline in August as Delta Surges Airline travelers are planning fewer trips as the delta variant of the coronavirus surges, according to an by Adobe Analytics, which recorded the second-straight month of declining bookings in August.

TSA airport screenings drop to lowest since May as travel and fares fall Summer travel season is fading, driving down airfares and raising questions about demand in the coming weeks when business travel would normally pick up. The Transportation Security Administration screened nearly 1.35 million people on Tuesday, the fewest since May 11.

Delta Variant Slams Brakes On U.S. Domestic Air Travel As Demand, Flight Prices Drop Below Pre-Pandemic Levels The surge in coronavirus cases across the U.S. is slamming the brakes on the recovery of the travel industry, according to Adobe's Digital Economy Index, reversing a months-long trend of rebounding demand and prices for domestic air travel that was only just reaching pre-pandemic levels. In June, U.S.

Covid-19 delta variant takes toll on air travel Throughput at TSA checkpoints on Aug. 31 dipped to the lowest level since May 11. For the day, 1.35 million people passed through airport security checks, compared to 2.04 million in 2019. It was the first time since May 11 that the throughput number was below 1.4 million.

Developing . . .
A tragic recent death brings the public's attention back to the safety of front line workers and first responders . . .

Important law enforcement testimony . . .



For Overland Park's Fraternal Order of Police President Sgt. Brandon Faber, this is the third officer he's lost in the past 15 months. He said for more than a year it's felt like they were trying to come out of a fog, and things were getting better when they got the news about Officer Castro, and the feelings came rolling back.



"It's getting kinda tough burying our people," Faber said.



He said about 75% of the department is vaccinated. He'd like that to be 100%.



"My hope is that it does drive more people to get vaccinated," Faber said.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

23-year-old Overland Park officer's death from COVID-19 inspires others to get vaccinated OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Overland Park police officers say losing a young officer to COVID-19 is hitting them hard. One of 23-year-old Officer Freddie Castro's friends said his battle inspired him to get vaccinated. Castro made a huge impact on the department in the short time he was with them.

Visitation, services announced for OPPD officer who died of COVID-19 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Overland Park police officer who died Tuesday after contracting COVID-19 will be laid to rest next week. Freddie Castro, 23, was diagnosed with the virus in July , according to the Overland Park Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 21. A visitation will be held from 6 to 9 p.m., Sept.

Law enforcement fatalities due to COVID-19 cause concern, task force examines impact OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) -- As family members prepare to lay Overland Park Police Officer Freddie Castro to rest after his battle with COVID-19, a task force is examining the impact of the deadly virus on law enforcement. On Tuesday, fellow officers helped escort fallen officer 23-year-old Freddie Castro from the hospital where he fought COVID-19 for 37 days.

Developing . . .
The eviction crisis on the horizon is real and here's a peek at the courthouse attempting to address the problem . . .



Here's the presser and hopefully helpful links posted FIRST by www.TonysKansasCity.com . . .

Jackson County Executive recommends additional $6 million for Emergency Rental Assistance Program

KANSAS CITY, Mo.  Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. is announcing today his plan to initiate round two of the Countys Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) by recommending $6,239,931 in additional funding. The grant monies received from the federal government would be utilized to continue assisting eligible households in Jackson County outside of Kansas City that are unable to pay current and past due rent and utility bills because of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Under ERAP Round 2, Community Services League and United Way of Greater Kansas City would continue administering the Countys program. Grandview Assistance Program, Hope House, Lees Summit Social Services and Raytown Emergency Assistance Program have served as application hubs for ERAP Round 1 and will be asked to continue to serve as frontline ERAP support in their respective Jackson County communities.



We have had great success with this program. Our partners have worked tirelessly to ensure that our shared commitment of keeping families in their homes with running water and the lights on is accomplished, but the pandemic is not over and we know many are still in need of help, said Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. This additional funding will allow us to continue to address those hardships families are dealing with and provide them peace of mind to keep their loved ones safe, housed and healthy.



The first round of the programs application portal opened on April 5, resulting in the following to date:

- Eligible renter households paid: 1,578

- Average household assistance: $3,873

- Total household assistance paid: $6,112,994.34

This equates to 1,578 eviction cases, or potential eviction cases, that program administrators have helped stop. Additionally, there are approximately 900 active applications for assistance in processing.



We continue to work cooperatively with landlords and tenants, said Doug Cowan, Community Services League President and CEO. Our message has always been, and still is, participation in the ERAP process is a win-win-win situation. The tenant gets a fresh start with delinquent bills paid; the landlord gets money they thought might never come through; and our court system is saved from a needless eviction. Eviction is a losing scenario for our tenants, landlords and community at large. Community Services League and United Way will maintain an active presence in the 16th Circuit Court, helping tenants avoid eviction and helping landlords recoup potential lost rental revenue.



Earlier this year, the County received $11,550,205 in grant monies from the federal government to launch the emergency rental assistance program. More than 97% of those funds are accounted for.



Once additional funding for ERAP Round 2 is approved, any renter household in Jackson County that is behind on rent or utility payments is encouraged to apply through www.jacksoncountyerap.org or visit Community Services League at 404 N. Noland Road in Independence for assistance filling out the application. Detailed program information is also readily available for Spanish-speaking families at www.jacksoncountyerap.org/espanol.



###

Developing . . .


In this post we share today's news on police action, ALLEGED misdeeds and issues confronting law enforcement . . .

Like it or not, outcry for accountability persists as does danger from a global plague . . .



Check the www.TonysKansasCity.com news link collection . . .

KCMO Suffer Police Car Trouble

As Kansas City Police Resist City Control, Department Refuses To Respond To Audits The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department should monitor how often employees who are granted "take home" police cars actually respond to after-hour emergencies. It should consider prohibiting employees from transporting family or friends with department vehicles. And it should track how much the use of take-home vehicles costs the department.

LOCAL WHITE DUDE BANK ROBBER CHARGED!!!

Man federally charged in connection with four local bank robberies KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- A 32-year-old man has been federally charged in connection with four different bank robberies that happened earlier this year. According to the grand jury indictment, Joseph P. Hall has been charged with four counts of bank robbery in connection with the following incidents: May 24: Security Bank of Kansas City at 1101 SW 3rd St.

Low-Rent Liquor Crook Caught On Camera

Police attempting to ID suspect in August aggravated robbery at KCK liquor store KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department are asking for help in identifying the suspect seen in the surveillance video above captured during an aggravated robbery last month. The robbery was reported just before 10:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug.

Injury Aftermath In The Dotte

Driver runs from scene following three-vehicle crash in Kansas City, Kansas by: Brian Dulle Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating after the driver who allegedly caused a three-vehicle crash ran from the scene. The incident was reported just after 11:30 p.m. at Wolcott Road (K-5) and Marxen Road near Lakeside Speedway.

Run The Jewels

Police searching for suspects and stolen jewelry from NE Kansas City home by: Juan Cisneros Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City police are searching for burglary suspects and what they stole from a northeast Kansas City home. Police say the jewelry was taken between July 17 and July 18 in the 9300 block of NE 93rd Terrace and have sentimental value to the family.

Mexican Restaurant Divorce Worthy Of Telenovela

Lawsuit claims brother stole profits, PPP and SBA funds from their Mi Ranchito restaurants - Kansas City Business Journal Divorce proceedings spurred Leoncio De La Torre to take a look at the books of three Mi Ranchito restaurants he co-owns with his brother, Rulber. What Leoncio claims he found - alleged misuse of PPP and SBA funds and improper payouts to a soon-to-be ex-wife - prompted him to file a federal lawsuit.

JoCo Tribute After Tragedy

Flags at half-staff to honor Overland Park Officer Freddie Castro OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) -- Flags are at half-staff at the Overland Park Police Department in honor of Officer Freddie Castro. The 23-year-old died from COVID-19 complications this week. He was not vaccinated and spent more than a month in the hospital. Memorial services for Castro will be held next week.

1st Responders Plagued By Pandemic Risk

COVID-19 reported as leading cause of death among law enforcement in 2020 According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 2020 was one of the deadliest years in decades for law enforcement officers. COVID-19 was the leading cause, accounting for 145 of the 264 federal, state, military, tribal, and local law enforcement officer fatalities.

Developing . . .


Right now a hottie from down under has captured our attention as her promo work inspired a peek at pop culture, community news and top headlines . . .



Check the TKC compilation . . .

More New Rules As Plague Persists

University of Kansas Health is the latest to require COVID-19 vaccines for employees by: Heidi Schmidt Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Hundreds of employees were notified by the University of Kansas Health System Wednesday that they will be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The requirement also applies to volunteers, students, temporary employees, and contractors who work in the system's Kansas City-area facilities.

Kansas City Triple Play Starts

Three Light construction now underway, after premature site work creates hiccup with HUD - Kansas City Business Journal Construction on Three Light in Downtown is off to the races and scheduled for completion in August 2023. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said developers got ahead of their skis on early site work before officials finished confirming environmental compliance.

Hottie Fashions Way Forward

Model thrills as she rocks frontless top trend in kinky leather ensemble Model Jade Marie has dropped jaws with her latest sexy outfit photos. The Australian beauty took to her Instagram page to wear a racy PrettyLittleThing ensemble. And fans were certainly loving the sizzling outfit. Jade rocked the frontless top trend as she wore a kinky halter neck top which didn't leave much to the imagination.

Problems Plague Prez

Biden's first August as president shreds his momentum and tosses daunting new challenges in his path President Joe Biden tried twice last month to get to his beach house on the Delaware coast. He never made it.

Tucker Talks Tough

Fox News accused of stoking violence after Tucker Carlson 'revolt' prediction Fox News is driving political violence in the US, a media watchdog warned, after the primetime host Tucker Carlson predicted "revolt" against the Biden administration. In a Monday night monologue targeting the White House and military leaders over the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Carlson demanded resignations.

Artsy Preview As Fall Ahead

The 2021 Brookside Art Annual Returns September 17 - 19 - In Kansas City Sponsored content: The Brookside Art Annual will make a triumphant return next weekend with a whopping 175 local and nationally known artists showing off their wares. After taking a pandemic year off, the annual event will once again give art aficionados a chance to explore the show's bountiful array of original artwork from painting to jewelry....

Kansas City Dinner Plans

Cafe Europa moves to South Plaza Courtesy Cafe Europa This October, Cafe Europa will relocate from its familiar location at Crestwood Shops (323 E. 55th St) to expand operations and hire more staff in a larger space at 4928 Main St, formerly a KCFD station and then a Planet Sub.

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Don't look for guidance from TKC . . . In fact, NEVER do that.



Some of the deets show good cause for exoneration whilst none of the players pushing this case REALLY know what happened on the fateful night of a triple murder.

Sadly, as always, a partisan political slapfight supersedes the captivating story of this Kansas City murder convict . . .



And so, we share some of the recent news as this crusade for justice garners support from progressive leaders across the metro . . .



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

'It's a miscarriage of justice': Kevin Strickland's lawyer responds to delayed hearing Kevin Strickland has spent 43 years in prison for a 1978 triple murder he says he didn't commit.A hearing for Strickland was set for tomorrow at the request of the Jackson County prosecutor, but that's now delayed."Frankly, it's maddening. It's more than disappointing.

Missouri judge sides with Schmitt's office to stop hearing on Kevin Strickland case KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Less than 24 hours before an evidentiary hearing that could free a jailed Kansas City man, the Missouri Court of Appeals sided with Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt to cancel the hearing. The case involves Kevin Strickland, convicted of a decades-old triple murder in Kansas City.

Kevin Strickland Will Miss His Mother's Funeral After Innocence Hearing Delayed Again Once again, the date for an evidentiary hearing in the innocence case of Kevin Strickland is up in the air. In a meeting with attorneys on Thursday, Judge Kevin Harrell set a date of Sept. 13 to decide whether he will continue to preside over the case and whether the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County is the proper venue.

Missouri attorney general wants to move Kevin Strickland's case out of Jackson County KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City man who claims he was wrongly convicted of a triple murder more than 40 years ago must wait another two weeks before learning when he will get to present his case for freedom. Some say Kevin Strickland's appeal is getting bogged down by the judicial process.

Longtime inmate Kevin Strickland will wait weeks for new court date KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri man who has been in prison for more than 40 years for a triple murder that many legal and political officials believe he did not commit will have to wait several more weeks before a court hearing that could lead to his release.

Developing . . .
Marijuana decriminalization hasn't fared well in Missouri and it's likely that federal efforts will come long before flyover country prohibition fades.



Nevertheless . . . What's interesting here is that stoners are getting the support of longtime civil rights organizations.

Check a recent quote for weed equity . . .



Missouri shouldnt legalize marijuana without automatically expunging thousands of criminal records for marijuana offenses that will soon be legal, John Bowman, president of the St. Louis County NAACP, said. We enthusiastically support this ballot initiative, which will be the single largest criminal justice reform undertaken in Missouri and long overdue.



The petition would allow all Missourians over the age of 21 to purchase, possess, cultivate, and use marijuana recreationally. A 6 percent sales tax would be collected and would fund automatic expungements, with the remainder split between health care for veterans, the states public defender system, and drug addiction treatment. Local governments would also be able to assess their own sales tax up to 3 percent.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
With an American flag spanning the wall behind them, representatives of local companies took the stage in succession on Thursday to announce contracts theyve gained this year with the U.S. military that total about $678 million for Johnstown.
Terre Haute, IN (47803)

Today

Thunderstorms likely, especially this evening. Low 64F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely, especially this evening. Low 64F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Terre Haute, IN (47803)

Today

Thunderstorms - some may contain locally heavy rain, especially this evening. Low 64F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms - some may contain locally heavy rain, especially this evening. Low 64F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Terre Haute, IN (47803)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 64F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 64F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
My wife and I and our two teen-aged grandchildren made our first trip to Aruba (our first trip to the Caribbean, actually). We had the usual stresses about Covid testing both coming and going, but it basically worked the way it was supposed to, though we didnt appreciate the attendant stress.

I have just a few observations about our overall trip and meals and activities. We all had a good, but not great, time. My wife and I are not really beach people, although the kids like the beach. We stayed in a very comfortable two-bedroom apartment at the Oceania Residences and were pleased with our choice. We chose Aruba because at the time we were planning our trip (May), it seemed like one of the few overseas destinations that were accessible. We all agreed that we liked Costa Rica, where we had gone a couple of years ago, considerably more, although its probably not fair to compare them that way.

As for the restaurants, they were overall reasonably good, but I was nonetheless a bit disappointed, perhaps because my expectations, based upon what I had read, were unreasonably high.

Restaurants:

The first night, we ate at Omakase at Manchebo. We thought it was pretty good, and we enjoyed our meal. We often like to eat sushi on a travel day because it is a nice change from the greasy stuff you sometimes end up eating while traveling.

The next night was Las Ramblas, which we liked a lot. The food was excellent, and the setting (sunset, music) was very nice.

The next night, after a morning of deep-sea fishing with Driftwood, we had a good lunch at West Deck. That night, we went to the Driftwood restaurant and had our catch (tuna and barracuda) prepared in a few different ways. It was quite delicious and, most importantly, not overcooked.

The next night, we ate at Passions on the Beach at sunset. The setting, of course, was beautiful, but we found that the food didnt live up to the setting. It wasnt bad; it just wasnt special. Still, we would certainly go back (fortunately, we did not experience the stench that some have reported).

Our next dinner was at Asi Es Mi Peru, which was something of a disappointment. I love Peruvian food and usually appreciate the roasted meats, especially the chicken; these, though, were substantially overcooked. The ceviche, however, was very good.

The following night was Yemanja, a place that I had high hopes for. The food was excellent, but the service was annoyingly slow. I know that some places are having trouble with staffing, but waiting over an hour between the conclusion of our first course and the appearance of the main course  with no information from the waiter about what we should expect  turned what could have been a really nice evening into something less.

Chalet Suisse was next up. I had high hopes for that restaurant also, and to some extent they were satisfied. Unfortunately, three of the four of us ordered Wiener schnitzel (a family favorite), which was truly mediocre. It was quite soggy, which is the antithesis of good Wiener schnitzel. Other dishes, such as my wifes grouper and my grandsons french onion soup were excellent, and the service was very good. Despite the bad experience with the Wiener schnitzel, I would be quite eager to go back and try something else. (I lusted after the rack of lamb that was delivered to the next table.)

Next came the best meal of the trip: OceanZ. It doesnt get much discussion on this forum (although it gets very high ratings on Trip Advisors restaurant ratings). There was absolutely nothing to complain about. The food was exquisitely prepared and artfully presented. Eve, one of the owners, talked to us quite a bit, even discussing creme brulee preparation with my grandson, who is proud of his creme brulee and who had the chutzpah to give her advice, which she graciously suggested she would try. (I myself would not have changed a thing about the creme brulee, which was delicious). There is no way I would return to Aruba without returning to OceanZ.

Our last night, we had dinner at MoomBa Beach after our Octopus sunset cruise. It was a fun setting, and the food was quite good.

We also had lunches at Terrazza Italiana (okay), Azzurro (also okay), Lola Taqueria (really good), West Deck (pretty good) and Ora (pretty good).

As for activities, we did the aforementioned fishing with Driftwood. They were great people, and we had a good time. This was only our second time doing such fishing. Unlike an earlier time in Costa Rica, where we caught marlin and sailfish, which gave a good fight and required work to land, this was really more like harvesting, except for one larger barracuda that put up a bit of a fight for my grandson. We had initially scheduled a 6-hour trip, but that ended up seeming too long (especially for my granddaughter, who was feeling a bit seasick), so we cut it a bit short (not because of any dissatisfaction with Driftwood). Myself, I dont really care about the fishing anyway; I just enjoyed being out on the boat.

We also took a half-day Natural Pool jeep tour with ABC. This was my granddaughters favorite activity of the trip (no seasickness, even in the bouncing jeep). The people at ABC are terrific, and the outfit is very organized. Unfortunately, my grandson slipped on the rocks and tore off a fingernail. The guides were very helpful, especially one who had experience as an EMT. When we got back to ABC headquarters for the lunch, the owner came over and talked to us and gave my (18-year-old) grandson a free Aruba Ariba (half of which I let him drink). Ultimately, we ended up in the emergency room, and they fixed him up. That incident cast a bit of a pall over the rest of the day for my grandson, but by the next day, everything was back to normal. We are very thankful that he didnt hit his head.

On another day, we went snorkeling with Seabob Aruba. Those little scooters are lots of fun, and our guide was terrific. We went out to the Antilla shipwreck. The water was not particularly clear, so perhaps we were there on a bad day, but the Seabobs were so much fun it almost didnt matter what we saw. One thing about the Seabobs, though, is that my wife, whose upper-body strength is somewhat diminished because of an injury, had trouble holding on to the Seabob for very long, and our guide was very solicitous of her. On the other hand, my grandson, even with his injured finger, had no trouble.

On our last evening, we took a sunset cruise with Octopus (followed by that dinner at MoomBa Beach). This was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. The captain (Martin) had an all girl crew of Dutch blondes, who took good care of the guests. It was not a snorkeling cruise, and I wouldnt even call it a booze cruise, although we were served from an open bar throughout the cruise. The drinks were not very strong (which, I think is a good thing under the circumstances), so nobody was rowdy. (I let my grandson get another Aruba Ariba, because of the low-alcohol nature of the drinks).

We also, of course, spent some time at the beach. We were always able to get palapas, although each time we felt lucky, because there were almost none available when we got there. Every morning, the same chair and beach bag would be at a particular palapa and we never saw anyone use it. So, I think the person must have gotten up early to claim it, not to return until sometime in the afternoon. I was sorely tempted to throw the chair and bag into the ocean. Would that have been wrong? :)

So, to sum up. It was a nice vacation. I would not be unhappy to go back again, but I dont think I feel the pull that many feel. Although I had some criticisms of the restaurants we went to, I wouldnt be unhappy to go back to any of them, either, and I would be sure to go back to OceanZ, Las Ramblas, and probably Chateau Suisse and Yemanja.

I should also mention in closing how helpful this forum was in planning all aspects of the trip  Covid procedures, restaurants, lodging, etc. Thanks to everyone.
Took our PCR test from CVS within 72 hrs of flying to Lisbon on TAP. Results came back in 24 hrs. At the agent desk. They will ask you for your COVID test.

Also filled our passenger locator form prior to boarding. But if you forget its ok., they will give you one on the plane. The flight from sfo was 3/4 full.

We spent 5 glorious days in lisbon with beautiful weather. Dont be fooled to think there are no tourists here. There are many! Not sure what it is usually like but the wait for sights like Sintra was not terrible long. Definitely did not feel the lack of buzz of the city due to Covid. People are very compliant with masks indoor and on public transportation. We took Uber everywhere. Fast and cheap

The popular restaurants are packed! We waited 2 hrs to get in A Cevicheria. So make a reservation ahead if the restaurant allows it. Everywhere we went. A picture of our CDC or digital vaccine was enough.

Im typing this while on my way to Algarve!

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As part of a new $60 million aid package, the United States will provide Ukraine with Javelin anti-armor systems and other defensive lethal and non-lethal capabilities to help the country defend itself against Russian aggression.

This is according to a joint statement on the U.S.-Ukraine strategic partnership, published on the website of the Ukrainian President, Ukrinform reports.

"The United States is announcing a new $60 million security assistance package, including additional Javelin anti-armor systems and other defensive lethal and non-lethal capabilities, to enable Ukraine to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression," the document says.

At the same time, it is noted that since 2014, the United States has committed $2.5 billion in support of Ukraines Army, including over $400 million this year alone.

As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is on a working visit to Washington.

Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe Biden met on Wednesday.

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Over the past day, 12 ceasefire violations were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation zone, while another two breaches were documented after midnight on Thursday.

Thats according to the press service of the JFO Headquarters, Ukrinform reports.

"As a result of enemy fire, a serviceman with the Joint Forces sustained a shrapnel wound. The soldier was evacuated to a medical facility. His condition is satisfactory," the HQ said.

Toward Zolote-4, Russian mercenaries twice opened fire using 120 mm mortars, anti-tank missile systems, and easel anti-tank grenade launchers.

Near Avdiivka, the enemy employed anti-tank grenade launchers and 82 mm mortars.

Outside Novozvanivka, Russian-controlled armed groups fired easel anti-tank grenade launchers and large-caliber machine guns.

Not far from Zolote-3, the enemy twice mortared Ukrainian positions, as well as employed hand-held anti-tank and easel automatic grenade launchers, and small arms.

In the area of Prychepylivka and Nevelske, the enemy launched grenades.

Near Shyrokyne, Russian mercenaries fired their anti-tank grenade launchers and small arms.

In the direction of the village of Piksy, the enemy engaged Ukrainian positions with hand-held anti-tank and easel automatic grenade launchers and small arms.

Near Novoluhanske, Russia-controlled armed groups employed anti-tank grenade launchers.

In addition, an enemy Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicle was seen flying over the line of contact in Luhansk region in breach of the ceasefire deal.

In response to the aggression, Ukrainian defenders suppressed enemy firing positions using weapons not prohibited by the Minsk agreements.

It is noted that as of 7:00 on September 2, two ceasefire violations were recorded.

Near Zolote-3, the enemy twice opened fire using easel anti-tank and automatic easel grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms.

In one of the attacks, a Ukrainian soldier suffered a shrapnel wound. After receiving first aid, the soldier was evacuated to a medical facility. He remains in satisfactory condition.

Ukrainian defenders returned fire amid the attacks by Russian occupation forces.

The Ukrainian side of the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center has informed the OSCE Mission of all violations recorded over the past period, using the established coordination mechanism.

The Ukrainian military is monitoring the situation in the JFO zone to repel and deter any act of Russias armed aggression.

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The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine (UCCI) launches cooperation with Sudan in the fields of agriculture, energy, transport and infrastructure.

Ukrinform reports this with a reference to the Embassy of Ukraine to the Arab Republic of Egypt.

On September 1, 2021, at the invitation of UCCI, Ambassador of Ukraine to Egypt Yevhen Mykytenko and Counsellor Ruslan Nechai took part in a zoom-conference between UCCI and the Sudanese Businessmen Federation.

The withdrawal of the Republic of the Sudan from the list of countries supporting terrorism, and, accordingly, the removal of trade restrictions, led to a revival of activity between representatives of the business communities of Ukraine and the Sudan. In particular, during January-July 2021, the total trade turnover in goods and services between our countries amounted to USD 52.2 million, reads the report.

It is noted that potential areas for attracting Ukrainian enterprises are agriculture, energy, transport and infrastructure, oil and gas production, gold mining.

As part of the event, a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine and the Sudanese Businessmen Federation was signed.

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The promising areas of cooperation between Ukraine and Qatar include medium- and long-term LNG contracts, the construction of LNG/LPG plants and the development of transport using natural gas, investments in the gas transmission system, oil refining industry and Ukrainian hydrocarbon production.

Ukraine's Deputy Energy Minister Maksym Nemchynov said this at the second meeting of the joint Ukrainian-Qatari intergovernmental commission on economic, trade and technical cooperation, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry's press service reported.

"LNG is one of the alternative directions of natural gas supply to Ukraine, which can ensure the diversification of energy supplies. This will help strengthen Ukraine's energy security after 2024," Nemchynov said.

Ukraine has significant prospects for the development of the LNG market. In particular, there are reverse supplies of natural gas in the amount of 10-14 billion cubic meters through Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland. In the medium term (five to seven years), Ukraine can diversify gas supplies by establishing LNG supplies through the infrastructure of neighboring countries or by building its own infrastructure.

"The geopolitical situation and the reduction of transit volumes make us look for new areas of trade and cooperation to ensure the loading of our own gas transmission system. That is why cooperation with the State of Qatar in terms of LNG supplies is an important priority for us," Nemchynov said.

He also outlined the promising areas of partnership, including possible options for concluding LNG contracts starting from 2022 (on a medium- and long-term basis), cooperation on the construction of LNG/LPG plants and the development of transport using natural gas (CNG/LNG) as fuel, as well as attracting investments in the gas transmission system, the oil refining industry, and Ukrainian hydrocarbon production.

The main areas for the future partnership between Ukraine and Qatar also include decarbonisation and hydrogen energy, Nemchynov said.

A protocol was signed after the meeting of the commission, which envisages cooperation between Ukraine and Qatar in the energy sector, including in the field of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and the gas industry.

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During a working visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to the United States, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Roman Leshchenko met with leading representatives of American business, according to the Government portal.

"We met with leading representatives of American business who work, in particular, in the agricultural sector. The meeting was attended by agricultural companies Lindsay and Cargill. They have distinguished themselves by global investment in the agricultural sector. It was nice to hear from such large-scale companies positive feedback on the success of land reform, increase productivity in agriculture, as well as effective VAT refunds automatically," Leshchenko stressed.

The minister noted that both companies emphasized the importance of irrigation reform in Ukraine and reaffirmed their desire to assist in the implementation of the project because they see it as a strategic perspective for years.

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Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Minister of Commerce and Industry, Acting Minister of Finance of the State of Qatar HE Mr Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari discussed strengthening cooperation in trade and investment.

According to the Government portal, they discussed these issues during a meeting on September 2.

Shmyhal stressed that the development of comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation with Qatar is an important priority of Ukraine's foreign policy. He noted the intensification of trade between Ukraine and Qatar during 2017-2020.

"According to the results of 2020, the volume of trade in goods and services between our countries amounted to USD 146 million. The dynamics of trade between Ukraine and the State of Qatar gives grounds for expecting further growth," the PM said.

The Minister of Commerce and Industry of Qatar, in his turn, stressed that due to the agreements between the President of Ukraine and the Emir of Qatar, the second meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation was held, during which priority areas of cooperation, in particular in trade, economic, investment, agricultural spheres were identified.

Moreover, following the meeting of the Joint Commission, an agreement was reached on the establishment of a Joint Business Council.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President of the World Bank Group David Malpas have held a meeting to discuss land reform in Ukraine.

According to Ukrinform, the meeting was held as part of Zelensky's working visit to the United States, the press service of the Ministry for Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine reported.

According to the report, both parties paid considerable attention to the progress that has been made in Ukraine over the past few years.

"The head of state briefed the World Bank delegation on the reforms being implemented in Ukraine. In particular, land reform and the development of the agricultural sector, which the bank is ready to support as much as possible, were noted. Volodymyr Zelensky invited the World Bank to join Ukraine's transformation plan," the report said.

The president also presented Ukraine's "green" transformation plan and expressed hope for its support from the World Bank.

"We want to act together with the EU on the Green Deal, decarbonisation of the economy, energy efficiency, and adaptation to climate change," Zelensky said.

In addition, he noted Ukraine's readiness to take an active part in the preparation of a new partnership strategy with World Bank institutions for 2022-2026.

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The United States could impose sanctions on Russias Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project if it is launched and a threatening energy situation arises for Ukraine.

Thats according to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine who spoke at a press conference in Washington following the summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

So far, we are at the stage where President Biden personally guarantees that, if on the part of the Russian Federation or other sides, other parties to Nord Stream 2, in the event of its launch, if anything is violated by these countries, which could lead to a dangerous situation due to energy issues for Ukraine, the United States guarantees that sanctions will be imposed against Nord Stream, said President Zelensky.

Read also: European Commission ready to discuss with Ukraine format of consultations on Nord Stream 2

The Ukrainian leader added that at the moment this issue is "difficult and fragile," it is yet to be "spoken through."

At the same time, the president said that, following talks with Joe Biden, he had a meeting with the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, where the issue of Nord Stream 2 was also discussed. Zelensky assured that in this group of congressmen, Ukraine has "100% and even more" support.

As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is on a working visit to the United States. On Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelenskys summit with Joe Biden lasted for nearly two hours.

Memo

Nord Stream 2 is a Russian gas pipeline being built bypassing Ukraine. It is being laid along the bottom of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. The projects sole shareholder is Russias OJSC Gazprom.

In July, Germany and the United States reached an agreement regarding Nord Stream 2, according to which the United States would not oppose the completion of the pipe, while Germany undertook to impose sanctions on Russia if Moscow went for another round of aggression against Ukraine, as well as to assist Ukraine in energy transformation efforts.

In August, Nord Stream AG, the construction operator of Nord Stream 2, lost a case in a German court to exempt the pipeline from the requirements of the EU gas directive.

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The United States supports Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO, but the country needs reforms.

Thats according to White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki who spoke at a briefing on Wednesday, September 1, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

At the June NATO summit, Allies in their joint statement reaffirmed their support for "Ukraine's right to decide its own future foreign policy, free from outside interference, including with respect to Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO.

At the same time, Psaki noted, there are steps Ukraine must take to this end, and that the Ukrainian government is very familiar with these.

Those are steps that aspirant countries like Ukraine need to take in order to meet NATO standards for memberships. And we certainly support their efforts to continue to do that, said the White House spokesperson.

Among such steps, Psaki recalls, are efforts to advance rule of law reforms, modernize its defense sector, and expand economic growth.

Asked if Washington could name a timeframe for Ukraines accession to NATO, Psaki said: I think its important for people to understand <> that this is not a decision that the United States makes, right? We continue to support and we continue to call for ensuring that NATOs door remains open to aspirants when theyre ready and able to meet the commitments and obligations of membership and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the outcome of his summit with Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday, said his American counterpart personally supports Ukraine's accession to NATO, but the parties did not discuss how and when this couldl happen.

As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is in the U.S. on a working visit.

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The occupation of Poland and parts of Ukraine, despite a 75-year gap between them, saw similar rhetoric coming from the Kremlin to support the moves.

The Russian Federation is a successor of the USSR  and not only in the legal plane. It also inherited the Soviet policy of aggression, disguised as declarations of peace and assistance to fraternal nations. In this sense, the autumn of 1939 has certain things in common with the spring of 2014.

On September 1, 1939, one of the most tragic pages in the history of mankind was opened as Hitler's troops invaded Poland, which marked the beginning of World War 2.

A week earlier, on August 23 of that year, Berlin had enlisted Moscow's critical support. Although history, as they say, has no conventional clause, Hitler could not have dared to invade without such backing. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact handed him carte blanche for aggression. Therefore, the events of September 1 cannot be considered separately from what happened a week prior to that, as well as 16 days following them.

Soviet troops, who invaded Poland from the east on September 17, accelerated its fall. They also messed up the cards for Britain and France, who had a commitment to protect Poland from a potential German attack.

Stalin's response to Hitler and von Ribbentrop's birthday greetings

Responding to Hitler and Ribbentrop's greeting addresses on the occasion of his 60th birthday, on December 25, 1939, Stalin wrote: "Friendship of the peoples of Germany and the Soviet Union, bound by blood, has every reason to be lasting and strong."

The developments of spring 2014, of course, did not fully mirror all the intricacies of autumn 1939 because the world has undergone significant changes since then. But not Kremlin policy though

We have identified the following five main features inherent in the style of the Kremlin's policy of aggression and its propaganda support:

1. Splitting a country

At the level of Russias State Duma on March 18, 2014, an idea was voiced to have Ukraine split between Russia, Poland, Hungary, and Romania. Albeit presented as an act of farce, it actually drew parallel lines with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

2. Undeclared war

Russia never declared war on Ukraine in 2014. In 1939, the USSR didnt declare war on Poland, either.

3. "Non-existent state"

A note handed to the Polish ambassador in Moscow in 1939 stated that "the Polish state and its government had virtually ceased to exist" and thus "the treaties concluded between the USSR and Poland had ceased to have effect." In 2014, Putin declared the agreements signed between Russia and Ukraine invalid on the grounds that the state with which the treaties had been concluded had allegedly ceased to exist as a result of the "coup."

A note handed to Poland's ambassador in Moscow on September 17, 1939

4. "Protection of one-blooded nations"

Just as Nazi Germany justified its aggression against Poland by the need to protect the Germans, Moscow declared the need to protect the one-blooded nations.

At the same time, as German Ambassador Schulenburg reported in a telegram on September 16, Moscow was forced to hint to Ukrainians and Belarusians at a threat coming the Germans, because "so far the Soviet Union did not care about its minorities in Poland and had to justify its intervention abroad."

Under a similar pretext, Moscow occupied Crimea in 2014, justifying its aggression by the need to protect the "Russian-speaking population."

Werner von der Schulenburg

5. "Insidious West"

At the same time, the blame for the "unfortunate war" was laid on the "unwise leaders" of Poland, as well as on Britain and France. Stalin stated it was they who "attacked Germany" when they declared war on it after the Germans invaded Poland.

Molotov went even further, starting to defend Hitlerism: "The ideology of Hitlerism, like any other ideological system, can be recognized or denied  its a matter of political views. But everyone will understand that ideology cannot be destroyed by force, it cannot be terminated by war. Therefore, its not only senseless, but also criminal to wage such a war as the one for the destruction of Hitlerism, which is covered by a false flag of the struggle for democracy."

Viacheslav Molotov

At the same time, the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR boasted of how quickly German and Soviet troops jointly dealt with Poland: A blitz strike on Poland was enough  first by the German army, then by the Red army, to turn this brainchild of the Versilles Treaty into nothing Neither English nor French guarantees have helped Poland. So far, no one knows, in fact, what those guarantees were about anyway. (common laughter)."

This is reminiscent of numerous allegations Russian propaganda put forward, claiming that "the West has unleashed war in Ukraine," combined with ridicule of the Western powers alleged reluctance and inability to help Ukraine.

To be continued

History also reminds us that, depending on circumstances and own gain, the Kremlin can easily flip its propaganda narratives the other way round. Also, its unlikely to stop doing so.

A striking example is Moscows spree of trying to first hide, then condemn, and then justify Stalin's cooperation with Hitler.

In the autumn of 1939, shortly after the capture of western part of Poland by Wehrmacht troops, its eastern regions were invaded and annexed by the Red Army. The division of Poland became part of a secret protocol to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact  the "Treaty of Friendship and Border between the USSR and the Third Reich."

Moscow had for decades been denying the fact that the protocol was ever signed, dismissing it as "fake news." Thats because any agreements on the division of Eastern Europe between sealed between the two dictators would completely overturn the official Soviet version of Stalin, the "peace seeker", who tried to delay the start of war.

Only in December 1989 did a special commission, followed by the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR, recognize the very existence of this secret protocol and formally condemn it.

In 2009, not only did Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister at that time, reaffirm at the official level his condemnation of the pact, he also branded it "immoral."

Vladimir Putin

However, everything changed dramatically after Russia occupied Ukraines Crimea. In November 2014, Putin switched to claiming there was nothing wrong with the pact, and that it was Poland that was to blame. In 2019, the then culture minister Vladimir Medinsky referred to the pact as a "triumph of Soviet diplomacy."

And then, in May 2020, Russias State Duma tabled a bill to repeal legislation condemning the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in the USSR. Thus the Kremlin is going for yet another cycle

Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security

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UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs, visits a refugees service centre in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula.  UNHCR/Tito Herrera

SAN SALVADOR - Central America and Mexico are facing unprecedented pressure as the number of people seeking international protection rises at a time when access to asylum and territory is being limited through troubling border restrictions, said Gillian Triggs, UNHCRs Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, on wrapping up a two-week mission to the region.

"In Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, I have seen the tremendous strain the region is under because of the increasing flows of refugees and migrants. Extraordinary efforts are being made by governments and civil society to address these challenges, Triggs said.

In conversations with internally displaced people, asylum seekers and refugees, Triggs heard stories of sexual violence, death threats and extortion in communities controlled by criminal gangs that  often coupled with economic hardship and the effects of climate change  have forced nearly a million people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to flee their homes.

In Guatemala, Triggs helped launch a programme led by UNHCR and the Guatemalan government's secretariat on sexual violence, exploitation and trafficking. The aim is to prevent these crimes in remote areas of the country through mobile units that will take information about rights and services to where people need them most. In El Salvador, Triggs learned about innovative community-centred approaches led by the government to prevent violence and empower youth in communities at risk.

Creating the conditions that make people feel safe and protected in their homes is an essential step in addressing the root causes that drive people to flee in this region, she said.

Triggs also welcomed El Salvadors commitment to update the profiling of the displaced population to prevent displacement and to inform responses at the community level.

Mexico, which has gone from being predominantly a country of transit to a country of destination for thousands of asylum seekers, now faces record numbers of new asylum claims this year, which may top 100,000.

As the number of refugees, internally displaced people and returnees with protection needs rises, UNHCR continues to support governments to bolster asylum and protection systems. The UN Refugee Agency also helps people integrate into their countries of asylum through employment, education and psycho-social aid, with the active participation of civil society. In Mexico more than 12,000 people have benefitted from such local integration initiatives.

Triggs highlighted the need for states not only to provide protection to refugees, but also to offer regular migration pathways through education, labour mobility, family unification and other immigration processes. "Different needs require different responses," she said.

Triggs also expressed deep concern over recent restrictive border practices in the region that risk returning individuals and families who may have urgent protection needs to the very dangers they have fled in their countries of origin in Central America without any opportunity to have those needs assessed and addressed.

I heard directly from families who were among the thousands of vulnerable people expelled into Guatemala, which are especially troubling. Without safeguards, these expulsions may breach the international prohibition on returns to violence and persecution, she said.

UNHCR has appealed to the United States government to end the Title 42 public health-related asylum restrictions under which these expulsions are occurring, and to restore the right to claim asylum in the United States.

All countries have agreed to share the responsibility to provide protection for those fleeing danger and persecution, rather than shifting that duty, Triggs said.

In the spirit of responsibility sharing, six Central American countries and Mexico are working together with the private sector and civil society, with support from donor countries, under the Regional Framework for Protection and Solutions (known as MIRPS). The framework, currently under the leadership of Guatemala, seeks to address the causes and consequences of forced displacement in the region.

For more information please contact:
The roof of the defunct REDOX processing plant at Hanford was replaced in 2017 to protect the highly contaminated plant until it can be demolished.
Kevin Dares, left, reacts after he found missing hiker Rachel Lakoduks sleeping pad and backpack, as Bud Carr radios another 49th Parallel member further down the mountain on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, near Marblemount, Wash. For Dares, whose girlfriend Sam Sayers went missing while hiking in 2018, finding Lakoduk brought on a wave of emotion. Why cant I find Sam?" he asked.
Susie Kroll, a mental health community responder for the Redmond Police Department, stands outside of the department on Aug. 20. Mental health responders are having difficultly helping people in severe crisis as police departments interpret the new policing-reform laws in different ways.
Jack Cartwright was an English immigrant who started on Dorsey Bakers new Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad and would be involved in the development of railroads in this region for 30 years. Cartwright is portrayed by retired Whitman College faculty member Clark Colahan, here featured with trusty working dog Cowcatcher, played by Randy Reeses dog Knute.
Union Springs, AL (36089)

Today

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Today (2nd September 2021), Gold Rates in Pakistan is 97,400 per 10 grams, and the rate of Gold is 113,600 per tola. See prices of 22k, 24k, 21k and 18 karat Gold Prices of all cities here.

Gold Rate in Pakistan today on 2nd September 2021 - Per Tola Gold Rate in Pakistan today is 113,600 for 24-Karat, 104,131 for 22-Karat.

Per 10 gram Gold Rate in Pakistan today is 97,400 for 24-Karat, 89,283 for 22-Karat.

UrduPoint brings you the latest prices for gold rates, silver rates on a daily basis and updates the rates every hour.

Gold Rate in Pakistan Today

Karachi is the center of the gold market in Pakistan because Gold prices are set by the Karachi Sarafa Market. All other cities set the gold price according to the Karachi Sarafa Bazar Association for Gold Price. According to the below table, the gold rates in different cities such as Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta, Multan and Peshawar are the same.

Location 24k 10g 24k per tola 22k 10g Pakistan Rs 97,400 Rs 113,600 Rs 89,283 Karachi Rs 97,400 Rs 113,600 Rs 89,283 Lahore Rs 97,400 Rs 113,600 Rs 89,283 Islamabad Rs 97,400 Rs 113,600 Rs 89,283 Rawalpindi Rs 97,400 Rs 113,600 Rs 89,283 Peshawar Rs 97,400 Rs 113,600 Rs 89,283 Quetta Rs 97,400 Rs 113,600 Rs 89,283 Sialkot Rs 97,400 Rs 113,600 Rs 89,283
Moderna Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd said they are working with the Japanese government to recall three batches of COVID-19 vaccine after an investigation confirmed stainless steel contaminants in some vials, local media reported Thursday

TOKYO, Sept. 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) --:Moderna Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd said they are working with the Japanese government to recall three batches of COVID-19 vaccine after an investigation confirmed stainless steel contaminants in some vials, local media reported Thursday.

The health ministry said Wednesday the foreign substances found in some vials of Moderna Inc.

's vaccine distributed in Japan were confirmed to be stainless steel, which seemed probably mixed during the manufacturing process.

The most possible reason for contamination was related to friction between two pieces of metal in the machinery that puts stoppers on the vials, Moderna said in the joint statement with Takeda, which distributes the Moderna vaccine in Japan.

Moderna performed the investigation in partnership with Takeda and Spanish manufacturer Rovi, which operates the plant where the contamination occurred.
NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 02nd Sep, 2021) New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency early Thursday about an hour after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared one due to what he called "an historic weather event ... with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads" as remnants of Hurricane Ida raced up the East Coast.

The downpours were being blamed for at least five deaths four in New York City and a 70-year-old man Passaic, New Jersey Mayor Hector Lora said was swept away by floodwaters. He said he had unconfirmed reports of additional deaths. Divers were searching for other possible victims of people who needed to be rescued.

Lora ordered the evacuation of residents in downtown Passaic due to concern about the rising level of the Passaic River and a high tide at around 5 a.m. De Blasio said approximately 5,300 customers were without power.

The band of severe weather also caused the FAA to issue a "ground stop" at all three New York City-area airports.

New York City subways were shut and the Long Island Railroad suspended service.

The Hochul and de Blasio declarations came on the heels of the first flash flood emergency for parts of the city that the National Weather Service New York office ever issued. It included Manhattan, Brooklyn and the borough of Queens.

The New York office tweeted that the difference between a more common Flash Flood Warning and Flash Flood Emergency was that, "This was an exceedingly rare event with 6-10" of rainfall falling over a several hour period. Take these warnings (and emergencies) seriously!! "

The flash flood emergency for the city was itself only the second that the NWS New York office ever declared. The first came an hour earlier, for northern New Jersey. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency late Wednesday.

The NWS issued a flash flood emergency for parts of Connecticut as the front end of the system moved into New England.
Shizuoka, Japan, Sept 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :Haunting notes stream from Manami Ito's violin as she gracefully draws her bow back and forth, clasping it with her specially designed prosthetic arm.

The Japanese musician enthralled a nation with her brief but show-stealing performance at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics, and playing violin isn't even her day job.

The 36-year-old is a qualified nurse and a former Paralympian swimmer who has spent the years since she lost her right arm in a motorbike accident defying her naysayers and overcoming every obstacle before her.

"There were always people who told me: 'No, you can't do it. It's impossible,'" she told AFP at her mother's home by a lush green riverbank.

"Every time I faced that kind of wall, I thought to myself: 'They are saying that because no one has done it before. So I will do it.'" But that wasn't always the way Ito felt, particularly in the dark days after her accident at the age of 20.

"I thought I would confine myself at home for the rest of my life," she admits.

"I didn't want my friends or neighbours to see my body, I didn't want them to know what happened to me." It was the sight of her parents "in real pain" at her state that made her rethink her stance.

"I thought, I cannot make them smile if I don't smile myself," she said.

Ito had been encouraged by her mother to play the violin when she was a child, and after her accident she decided to give it another try.

At first she tried to play by taping the bow to her foot. But it took years before she was able to receive a special prosthetic arm and master the fluid tones she now produces.

And having been a child who "hated losing or failing", she didn't dare to play in public for a long time.

But in the end, her determination won out.

"I want to show to the world that just because no one else has done it, it doesn't mean I can't do it," she said.

- 'What is normal can be different' - Ito had been a nursing student at the time of the accident, and was determined to return to training.

But the first prosthetic she was given was more like a shop mannequin arm than a functional limb.

"At first I was very happy, because when I put it on and went outside, no one stared at it," she said.

But she soon realised that "it didn't do anything to help me", and fought hard to swap it for a new one that moved and allowed her to work.

In 2007, she became the first qualified nurse in Japan using a prosthetic arm and took a posting in the western city of Kobe, choosing to move far from her family home in order to live independently.

It was there she rediscovered another childhood passion -- swimming.

She began training after work for parasports competitions before going on to swim at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008 and London 2012, reaching the finals three times under her maiden name Nomura.

And though she had once tried to hide her scars, Ito said she chose swimming precisely because it revealed her as she is.

"I never wanted anybody to look at my scars, the scars were the most vulnerable part of my body," she said.

"But I began to think about exposing them to the world, because otherwise I would never be strong." Ito quit nursing in 2015 after getting married, and is now mostly focused on raising her daughters, aged two and five, though she continues to give talks about her life.

She plans to watch Sunday's Paralympic closing ceremony at home with her husband and children, who she is teaching to appreciate diversity.

"When my daughter gets older, there will be a day when her friends tell her that her mum looks strange," Ito said.

"I want to hear her saying this is her mother, and that what is normal can be different for each person and each family."
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Taipei, Sept 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :Taiwan received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccines on Thursday, a delivery organised by two tech giants and a charity because of diplomatic pressure from China.

The 930,000 doses are the first of 15 million jabs acquired by Foxconn and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), as well as Buddhist charity Tzu Chi foundation, in deals with a China-based distributor after months of wrangling.

Despite donations of several million doses from the United States and Japan in June, Taiwan has been struggling to secure enough vaccines for its 23.5 million population and its precarious political status has been a major stumbling block.

As Taipei and Beijing accused each other of hampering vaccine deals, the companies stepped in with a face-saving solution: buying the Pfizer-BioNTech doses from Chinese distributor Fosun Pharma and donating them to Taiwan.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, who was at the airport to receive the shipment, thanked the donors for "working very hard to overcome all difficulties" to help acquire the vaccines.

TSMC charity foundation chairwoman Sophie Chang also noted there were "many difficulties" in the process.

Taipei had tried to secure Pfizer-BioNTech jabs from Germany but hit a roadblock: Shanghai-based Fosun has the distribution rights for China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Attempts to sign a direct deal made little headway, with Taiwan blaming Beijing.

In return, Beijing accused Taiwan of refusing to deal with Fosun Pharma and politicising its vaccine search.

Beijing's authoritarian leadership views democratic self-ruled Taiwan as part of China's territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if needed.

China tries to keep Taiwan internationally isolated, including blocking it from the World Health Organization.

Taiwan was hailed for keeping Covid-19 at bay for the first year of the pandemic. But an outbreak detected in April forced the island to implement economically painful social-distancing measures.

In recent months, case numbers have fallen dramatically and restrictions have eased. A previously lacklustre vaccination campaign has also picked up.

Around 43 percent of Taiwan's people have had at least one dose so far, according to the health ministry.

Until now, the island had acquired AstraZeneca and Moderna jabs.
Frankfurt, Sept 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :A proposal by Germany's centre-left Greens to roll out an online tax fraud denunciation platform has prompted sharp criticism from opposition parties in the run-up to elections later this month.

The initiative, first introduced by the Green-led state of Baden-Wuerttemberg this week, gained the backing of the party's candidate to be chancellor, Annalena Baerbock, who told tv channel ProSieben on Wednesday "we need to create places where significant fraud can be reported, when cases are known".

The backlash has been swift in a country where anonymous denunciations recall the dark period of Nazi rule and mass surveillance under the communist government of East Germany.

The best-selling Bild daily slammed plans to create what it called a "tax Stasi", a reference to the feared East German secret police who used a web of informants to keep tabs on citizens.

The Greens have "once again shown their true face", the deputy leader of the Baden-Wuerttemberg conservatives, Thorsten Frei, said in a statement, despite his party being part of the ruling coalition in the state.

"Every hard-working and tax-paying citizen" would now be under suspicion, he added.

While digitising the tax system was important, "beginning with denunciations between neighbours is baffling", the leader of the pro-business FDP party Christian Lindner told the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.

The initiative creates an "atmosphere of mistrust" said Bernd Goegel, the leader of the extreme-right AfD in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Baden-Wuerttemberg's finance ministry brought the website online at the beginning of the week, promising a "secure and discreet" means of reporting potential tax crimes.

"Tax evasion is a slap in the face to all those who honestly pay their taxes," said Danyal Bayaz, the state's Green finance minister.

A few weeks before the September 26 general election, the new initiative by Germany's only Green-led state has stirred up debate in a country where tax fraud has been estimated at 50 billion Euros ($59 billion) a year.

Germany has a "big problem", said chancellor candidate Baerbock, rejecting comparisons with the Stasi as "mocking" its victims.
Addis Ababa, Sept 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :The humanitarian situation in Ethiopia's war-torn Tigray is set to "worsen dramatically" and to deadly effect, the UN warned Thursday, blaming an "aid blockade" for the escalating crisis.

Northern Ethiopia has been wracked by violence since November, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops into Tigray to topple the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the regional ruling party, saying the move came in response to attacks on army camps.

Although the 2019 Nobel Peace prize winner promised a swift victory, the war has dragged on for months, triggering a humanitarian crisis in Tigray that has left 400,000 people facing famine-like conditions, according to the United Nations.

"Stocks of relief aid, cash and fuel are running very low or are completely depleted. Food stocks already ran out on 20 August," the UN's acting humanitarian coordinator for Ethiopia, Grant Leaity, said in a statement.

"The region remains under a de facto humanitarian aid blockade, where access to bring life-saving humanitarian relief continues to be extremely restricted," Leaity said, adding that no trucks had been able to enter Tigray since August 22.

"With the inability to bring in sufficient and sustained levels of humanitarian supplies, cash and fuel, the humanitarian situation in the north of Ethiopia is set to worsen dramatically, particularly in Tigray region," he added, urging Abiy's government to ease restrictions.

Since the conflict erupted, the Ethiopian authorities and the Tigrayan rebels have traded blame over the issue, with each side accusing the other of obstructing aid convoys and driving a desperate population into famine.

As the rebels have pushed into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions, the situation there has also worsened, with 1.

7 million people facing hunger, Leaity said.

"The lives of millions of civilians... depend on our capacity to reach them with food, nutrition supplies, medicine and other critical assistance. We need to reach them immediately and without obstruction to avert famine and significant levels of mortality." - 'Stealing aid' - Ethiopian forces and Tigrayan rebels alike have also been accused of looting aid, with the US aid agency this week calling the alleged thefts a "great concern for humanitarians".

"Throughout nine months of conflict all of the warring parties have been stealing aid," Sean Jones, head of the USAID mission in Addis Ababa, told Ethiopian state broadcaster EBC on Tuesday, according to a transcript released by the American embassy.

TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda on Wednesday condemned the alleged looters for their "unacceptable behaviour", but said that while the rebels could not "vouch for... off-grid fighters in such matters, we have evidence that such looting is mainly orchestrated by local individuals and groups".

In a separate statement, the UN's Leaity condemned the killings of aid workers in Tigray, saying another 11 deaths had been reported between January and July this year, bringing the total number slain to 23 since war erupted.

"Once again we are shaken by this news. Violence against aid workers is intolerable," he said.

"We reiterate our call for humanitarians to be respected and protected and for the acts that led to the death of our colleagues to be fully investigated. Accountability must be pursued to deter attacks against humanitarian personnel," he added.
(@FahadShabbir)

Washington, Sept 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :A student was shot and killed Wednesday at a high school in North Carolina, authorities in the southern US state said.

Police dispatched to Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem found one student who had been shot.

The student was transported to a local hospital, where he "succumbed to his injuries," police department chief Catrina Thompson said during a press conference.

The shooting suspect, believed to be another student at the school, fled the scene. He was later apprehended "without incident," Winston-Salem police said on Twitter.

After a year of largely remote learning due to the pandemic, US students returning to in-person school this month face a renewed risk of mass shootings, which have plagued the American education system for years.

Wednesday's shooting was already the second at a North Carolina high school just this week.

"For the second time this week, we have seen a shooting in a North Carolina school," state governor Roy Cooper said in a statement posted to Twitter.

"We must work to ensure the safety of students and educators, quickly apprehend the shooter and keep guns off school grounds."Such incidents are reported by local media but often fail to garner national headlines when relatively few students are involved -- it can seem that only a massacre, such as the 2018 shooting that saw 17 students killed in Parkland, Florida, is remarkable enough to amass wider attention.
(@FahadShabbir)

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Australian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg on Thursday exchanged views on the latest developments in Afghanistan as well as on bilateral relations

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Australian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg on Thursday exchanged views on the latest developments in Afghanistan as well as on bilateral relations.

During the telephonic conversation, the Austrian Foreign Minister thanked Pakistan for its support in facilitating transit of Austrian nationals and others from Afghanistan.

Sharing Pakistan's perspective, the Foreign Minister, who received the call, stressed the importance of peaceful and stable Afghanistan and highlighted the salience of safety and security of Afghans as well as an inclusive political settlement.

He stressed that there was a historic opportunity for ending 40 years of conflict in Afghanistan. Engagement of the international community with positive messaging and constructive actions, was much needed, he added.

The Foreign Minister called for concerted efforts to stabilize the security situation, preserve the peace, and preclude any exodus of Afghans as refugees, said a press release issued here by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He underlined the need for international community to show solidarity with the Afghan people to address the humanitarian needs and support economic stability.

The two Foreign Ministers expressed satisfaction over the current level of bilateral engagement and pledged to further establish linkages and deepen cooperation between the two countries in all spheres of mutual interest including trade, economy, higher education, tourism and culture.

Foreign Minister Qureshi invited his Austrian counterpart to visit Pakistan on mutually agreed dates.

Foreign Minister Schallenberg accepted the invitation and said that he looked forward to welcoming Foreign Minister Qureshi to Vienna for a bilateral visit.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ISLAMABAD, Sep 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Sep, 2021 ) :Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday received a video call from his Canadian counterpart Marc Garneau.

The two Foreign Ministers besides reviewing the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan also discussed possibilities of providing humanitarian support to Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Qureshi stressed the need to achieve inclusive political settlement.

He urged the international community to remain engaged with Afghanistan to put it on the path of progress and prosperity after four decades of conflict, a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The Canadian Foreign Minister expressed gratitude to Pakistan for supporting the evacuation process and providing logistical support in running rescue missions for Canadian citizens successfully.

He especially lauded the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, in particular its Crisis Management Unit, in ensuring seamless repatriation of Canadian officials and nationals from Afghanistan.

He informed that Canada had provided 50 million Canadian Dollars for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Qureshi reiterated that Pakistan would continue to provide all possible support in evacuation of stranded Canadian citizens as well as for providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

In the bilateral context, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan called upon the Canadian Government to ease the visa regime for Pakistani nationals, in particular for students.

He also asked for positive revision of travel advisory for Pakistan like the UK as well as United Nations and other partners.

This was the third call by the Canadian Foreign Minister in the quick succession, reflective of close coordination and understanding between Pakistan and Canada.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Thursday said that the funeral prayer of veteran Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Gilani would be offered in absentia in Faisal mosque after Friday prayers

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Thursday said that the funeral prayer of veteran Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Gilani would be offered in absentia in Faisal mosque after Friday prayers.

In a tweet, he urged people to attend the absentia funeral prayers in large numbers.

He said the death of the senior leader of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was no less than a tragedy for Islamic Ummah and especially for the people of Kashmir.
(@FahadShabbir)

ISLAMABAD, Sep 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :The authorities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have besieged the Hyderpora residence of veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani, to prevent people from paying tributes to him.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Syed Ali Gilani, who was under continued house arrest at his Hyderpora residence in Srinagar, passed away on Wednesday evening.

The occupation authorities have deployed heavy contingents of Indian troops and police in Hyderpora. The forces' personnel have sealed the roads leading to Syed Ali Gilani residence with barbed wire rolls and barricades.

Scores of armored vehicles and trucks are patrolling main roads in the area. Indian police have warned people not to come out of their homes.

The moves have been made to prevent people from conducting a march towards Hyderpora call for which has been given by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference to pay homage to the great leader of the Kashmir freedom movement.

The authorities have also suspended internet services to stop people from sharing information regarding the prevailing situation in the territory.
ISLAMABAD, Sep 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi Wednesday said the international community should continue its support to Afghanistan and should not abandon the country in the current situation.

Addressing a press conference along with Foreign Minister of Netherlands Sigrid Kaag, he said, he discussed with the Dutch minister, the bilateral relations and the present situation in Afghanistan.

He said a Dutch foreign minister is visiting Pakistan after an interval of fifteen years.

He said Netherlands was the second largest trading partner of Pakistan in the European Union.

Qureshi said he apprised the foreign dignitary about Pakistan's viewpoint on the situation in Afghanistan.

"I told her about the harm that could be done by abandoning Afghanistan." The Dutch FM thanked Pakistan for helping in evacuation of her country's citizens from Afghanistan.

Qureshi informed the minister about the discussion that took place during his visit of the four countries of Central Asia.

The Dutch minister appreciated Pakistan for hosting the Afghan refugees for decades.

On Friday, a meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Union countries would be held to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and to formulate the next strategy.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had wide-ranging talks with the visiting Foreign Minister of the Netherlands. The talks covered the latest developments in Afghanistan and bilateral relations.

Underlining the significance of the visit, Foreign Minister Qureshi noted with satisfaction the strong momentum in Pakistan-Netherlands relations.

Recalling their telephonic conversation of 21 August and the telephone call between Prime Ministers Imran Khan and Mark Rutte, Foreign Minister Qureshi shared Pakistan's perspective on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

Stressing the importance of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan for Pakistan and the region, the Foreign Minister highlighted Pakistan's steadfast support for regional peace and security.

The Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of stabilizing the security situation in Afghanistan, preserving the peace, and preventing any mass exodus of refugees.

The Foreign Minister underlined the need for the international community to remain engaged with Afghanistan with positive messaging and constructive actions. In particular, he emphasized addressing the humanitarian needs and ensuring economic stability of Afghanistan.

Noting Pakistan's facilitation of evacuation operations, the Foreign Minister assured support to The Netherlands' evacuation endeavors.

The Foreign Minister lauded growing bilateral cooperation in diverse fields. Underlining the high value Pakistan attached to its relations with The Netherlands, he underscored the resolve to comprehensively upgrade the overall relationship.
UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Dominic Raab will arrive here Thursday on a two-day (September 2-3) visit of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Dominic Raab will arrive here Thursday on a two-day (September 2-3) visit of Pakistan.

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi will hold official talks with Secretary of State Dominic Raab, which will cover the evolving situation in Afghanistan and bilateral matters.

Foreign Secretary Raab was also scheduled to have interaction at the leadership-level, Foreign Office said in a statement issued here.

Pakistan and the United Kingdom have been closely engaged on the latest developments in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had comprehensive exchange of views with Prime Minister Boris Johnson telephonically on 18 August 2021.

Foreign Minister Qureshi and Secretary of State Dominic Raab discussed the situation in Afghanistan twice on 16 and 27 August 2021.

The visit will reinforce the current momentum in high-level exchanges between the two countries and help strengthen bilateral cooperation on a range of issues, the statement maintained.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Latvian border guards tried to force a group of refugees from Afghanistan - with ten children across the border to Belarus, the Belarusian State Border Committee said on Wednesday

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2021) Latvian border guards tried to force a group of refugees from Afghanistan - with ten children across the border to Belarus, the Belarusian State Border Committee said on Wednesday.

"On the evening of August 30, a group of fourteen refugees from Afghanistan, including ten children, arrived at Latvia's Paternieki checkpoint from the Latvian direction. All of them were emaciated and needed medical care, warm clothes, and food," the committee wrote on its Telegram channel.

The refugees were going to seek asylum in Latvia, and the Latvian border guards promised to take them to the refugee camp, according to Minsk. However, the Afghans were made to spend the night outdoors and then driven back to the Belarusian border, the statement read.

"On August 31, the Latvian security forces tried to force these migrants to the Bigosovo area of Belarus," the Belarusian border watchdog said.

It quoted the Afghan refugees as saying that this was Latvia's ninth attempt to make them go to Belarus. They have also asked the human rights organizations to help them submit asylum applications, the Belarusian committee said.

Belarus' complaints over Latvia, Lithuania and Latvia forcing illegal migrants to cross the border have been commonplace in the past two months. The three EU countries, in turn, accuse Minsk of facilitating migrant transit to get back at Brussels for economic sanctions.

On Monday, migrants staying at the Lithuanian camp near the village of Rudninkai told a Sputnik correspondent that they were being held in unbearable conditions.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2021) Ecuador wants to build a center for coronavirus vaccine production with the use of Russian experience and technologies, Russian ambassador to the Latin American country. Vladimir Sprinchan, told Sputnik on Thursday.

"The creation of a laboratory that would use our technologies for production of vaccines against COVID-19 is on the agenda. They are going to build a complex vaccine center, they want to travel to Russia to study our experience and technologies," Sprinchan said.

The health ministry plans to organize a trip of Ecuadorian experts to Russia, the diplomat added.
Slovenia, Sept 2 (AFP/APP):EU defence ministers on Thursday discussed proposals for a European rapid reaction force after the bloc was left on the sidelines during the US-led evacuation from Afghanistan

Brdo castle (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) , Slovenia, Sept 2 (AFP/APP):EU defence ministers on Thursday discussed proposals for a European rapid reaction force after the bloc was left on the sidelines during the US-led evacuation from Afghanistan.

Calls have grown for the 27-nation group to develop its own joint military capability to respond quickly to crises in the wake of the chaotic scenes at Kabul airport after the Taliban seized power.

Ministers are set to revisit a proposal -- first aired in May -- to set up a 5,000-strong force as part of a review of the EU's overall strategy expected to be finalised next year.

But there are major doubts that there would be the political will to engage such a force, as the bloc has never used a system of so-called battlegroups set up in 2007.

"It's clear that the need for more European defence has never been as much as evident as today after the events in Afghanistan," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at the start of the meeting.

"Sometimes something happens that pushes history, it creates a breakthrough and I think that the Afghanistan event of this summer is one of these cases." Asked about a possible new force, Borrell insisted that "we have to go for something more ready to be activated, more operational" as the battlegroups have remained unused.

Slovenian defence minister Matej Tonin, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, estimated that a rapid response force could number from "5,000 to 20,000".

He called for a new system that would see troops from "willing countries" dispatched in the name of the EU if just a majority of members states agreed, rather than the unanimity required for the battlegroups.

German defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said the lesson from Afghanistan was "that we get more autonomous as Europeans and can act more independently".

But she insisted "it is very important that we don't act as an alternative to NATO and the Americans".

Latvian minister Artis Pabriks said that the bloc needed to show it had the "political will" to use any force if the plan was to lead anywhere.

He noted that the battlegroups programme has been around for a decade as part of the EU's common defence policy.

"Have we ever used it?" he said.

Debate has raged for decades over what role Brussels should play on defence, and EU member nations -- most of which are also NATO allies -- have often been reluctant to agree moves to integrate military capabilities.

Ambitions on common defence have gathered steam in recent years in part due to the exit from the bloc of Britain, which was opposed to anything that might lead to a European army or dilute support for NATO.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2021) EU member states are preparing a fifth package of sanctions against Belarus in connection with the border crisis, which might include targeted restrictions against state-owned airline Belavia and the tourism sector, officials told the European Parliament on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, the legislature's committee on foreign affairs gathered to discuss the situation at the EU's border with Belarus.

"Fighting against that [Belarus-EU border crisis] will also include sanctions, and work on the fifth package is starting now with the member states," Luc Devigne, deputy managing director for Europe and Central Asia of the European External Action Service, told the committee.

The European Union has already imposed sanctions on Belarus, with the last being in June in the aftermath of the Ryanair emergency landing, when the bloc sanctioned 78 Belarusian individuals and eight entities.

"The company Belavia and other Belarus state companies and agencies, who are enabling or directly benefiting from the flow of third country nationals to EU border must be sanctioned. This could include also state tourism agencies, state hotels and Belarus state border guards," Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica, the parliamentary secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said.

Relations between Brussels and Minsk took a nosedive after incumbent Alexander Lukashenko win a sixth reelection in the August 2020 presidential race, disputed by the opposition. The tensions have further strained this year, when the West accused Belarus of the forced landing of a Ryanair flight with an opposition activist aboard and an inflow of middle East migrants at the common border.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2021) A delegation of Russia's Rosatom state corporation plans to visit Ecuador next week to finalize negotiations on the intergovernmental agreement on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, Russian ambassador to the Latin American country. Vladimir Sprinchan, told Sputnik on Thursday.

"A Rosatom delegation is coming to Ecuador to complete negotiations on the intergovernmental agreement, as local partners promise.

They will come next week, on September 7," Sprinchan said.

Rosatom and Ecuadorian officials are set to discuss scientific and technological projects in the field of peaceful use of the nuclear energy, the diplomat specified.

Back in 2009, Rosatom drafted an agreement with Ecuador on civilian nuclear power cooperation. The deal envisioned potential cooperation on basic and applied research, radioisotope production, creation of nuclear power infrastructure and scientific training.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2021) Illegal armed groups controlled by Turkey carried out three attacks on the positions of the Syrian government troops in the Aleppo province, Rear Adm. Vadim Kulit, deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, said at a briefing.

"Three shelling attacks on the positions of the Syrian government forces by militants of illegal armed groups controlled by Turkey were registered in the Tell Rifaat district of the Aleppo province," Rear Adm. Kulit said.

He said the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (banned in Russia) carried out 23 attacks in the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria over the past 24 hours.
Ukraine has dispatched to Lithuania the second part of its humanitarian aid for strengthening border protection from illegal migrants coming from Belarus, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service said on Wednesday

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2021) Ukraine has dispatched to Lithuania the second part of its humanitarian aid for strengthening border protection from illegal migrants coming from Belarus, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service said on Wednesday.

Ukraine sent Lithuania the first out of three parts of border security assistance in August.

"Today, on September 1, Ukraine sent more than 48 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Lithuania," the statement said, adding that "The aid will facilitate the strengthening of the Lithuanian borders' protection from illegal migrants."

The emergency service will accompany the transportation of the cargo and hand it over to the Lithuanian border guard, the statement added.

On July 2, Lithuania declared an emergency over the influx of migrants from Belarus, many of them Iraqis, Iranians and Syrians. Lithuanian politicians and several leading EU officials have accused the Belarusian government of facilitating the movement of migrants across the border with Lithuania as retaliation for the European Union's decision to impose sanctions on Minsk. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that his country would not contain the flow of migrants to the EU, as it does not have the capacity due to sanctions.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2021) The United Nations must be more active on the EU-Belarusian border, and the European Union should put more sanctions to Belarus, Latvian Foreign Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica said on Thursday.

"We have requested the UN High Commissioner for refugees to be more active and to stop these actions of Belarus," the Latvian official said during the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs discussion of the European Union's border with Belarus.

At the same time, the union and "likeminded countries" should keep up pressure by applying additional sanctions to Belarus, Kalnina-Lukasevica added.

Relations between Minsk and the West sharply deteriorated following the Belarusian presidential election in August 2020, whose results sparked massive opposition protests. Canada, the EU, the United States, and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions against Belarusian officials and enterprises, blaming Minsk for human rights violations. In addition, the EU placed economic sanctions on Belarus in late June after Belarus forced a Ryanair flight with an opposition activist on board to land in Minsk.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2021) The US Supreme Court has declined to block the Texas "heartbeat" law, which bars abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, the CNBC broadcaster reported on Thursday.

Five out of nine judges voted against blocking the law, which entered into force in Texas on Wednesday. It prohibits abortions if a fetal heartbeat has been detected, except for cases when the conception was the result of rape or incest. The only case when a woman can have abortion done without violating the law is "medical emergencies." The law also enables citizens to file lawsuits against women opting to have illegal abortions and abortion providers or anyone who "aids or abets" the procedures, CNBC added.

Opponents of the law say that banning abortions at such an early stage equals to the general prohibition of the procedure, as 90% of women turning to hospitals for abortions are more than six weeks pregnant.

The previous abortion ban threshold in Texas was 20 weeks.

In April, a similar "heartbeat" bill was signed into law in Idaho state, barring abortions after five or six weeks of pregnancy. In Arizona, women are allowed to have abortions solely based on genetic disorders detected in the fetus, such as Down syndrome or cystic fibrosis.

Under Federal legislation, abortions have been legalized since 1973 by the Supreme Court's ruling, while several states have passed bills restricting or de facto fully prohibiting the procedure. The right to abortions has long been politicized in the US, with politicians often raising the issue during election campaigns.
Valdosta, GA (31601)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.
Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

Local residents may have seen someone in town with short hair wearing khakis, who may not be a Marine. If the pattern on the OCP  operational camouflage pattern  had larger blotches, is colored more green and black than tan, the person is likely a member of the U.S. Army.

They should be seeing more Army personnel around town, especially in September, as units of the Army Reserves shift into their new facility next to the Fallbrook Naval Weapons Station.

The Army is coming basically as tenants, with construction completed for three major buildings, 95,000 square feet total. The 19 full-time staff are beginning to move in now, and up to 800 reservists, many of them from North County, will train mostly on weekends.

The date of the dedication or memorialization of the Army Reserve Center at Naval Weapons Station Fallbrook is still being determined. The facilities include an organizational maintenance shop, weapons simulator, physical fitness center, vehicle wash racks, offices, and storage.

The various Army Reserve units are scheduled to arrive as soon as they are ready, said Rosario G. Urquieta of the 63rd Readiness Division public affairs office. The media affairs specialist is based in Mountain View in the Bay Area. She is a civilian working for the Department of the Army.

Soldiers that will be trained here are part of the U.S. Army Reserve based in Mt. View. The reservists have already signed a contract which keeps them in the U.S. Army Reserve, usually four years or more, depending on how long they have been serving. When a soldier is on military duty as an Army Reserve member, they usually are able to go into the local towns because they tend to be members of that community or another city nearby, Urquieta said.

U.S. Army Reserve units usually rotate their duty days among the units to make sure that the space is available to conduct effective training. Most Army Reserve units attend military training once a month for two days, depending on the training that they need to conduct for their specific unit or command. Most Army Reserve facilities have units that have been assigned to conduct their military duty or battle assemblies.

Prior to this location at the Naval Weapons Station in Fallbrook, the Army Reserve was leasing a building in San Diego which was not cost effective for the Army Reserve, Urquieta said.

Its become more common for the Department of Defense to have branches of the military share space, she explained. The Naval facility, under the jurisdiction of the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach, backs up to Camp Pendleton, but it is a separate facility.

Urquieta said the location was selected based on a study which determined that the highest concentration of soldiers in the area was near the station in Fallbrook, and the fact that there was land available for the construction.

Other Army locations in San Diego County include Miramar Army Reserve Center on the Marine Corps Air Station, Van Deman Hall in San Diego, Roark Hall on Camp Pendleton, and a leased facility, San Diego Army Reserve Center in San Diego on Opportunity Road. The latter is a closing when Fallbrook is completed.

The Army Reserve soldiers will focus on the individual training for their units based on their command guidance.

The selection of the Pendleton site was based solely on the availability of land and the proximity to the higher concentration of Army Reserve Soldiers in the area, Urquieta said.

Most Reserve soldiers travel from their homes during military training daily for one weekend a month. If a soldier lives outside of commuting distance, then they would be housed in town for their military duty days. After the weekend military duty days are over, the soldiers travel back to their home of record.
Ninety retired military officers have written an open letter demanding the resignation of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, and Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, over the botched American exit from Afghanistan. On Aug. 31, Washington pulled out all its troops from the Taliban-controlled nation, leaving numerous American citizens and Afghan aides at the mercy of the terror outfit.

The letter claims that 15,000 Americans and 25,000 Afghans who supported U.S. forces are now stranded in dangerous areas controlled by a brutal enemy. It blamed Joe Biden for withdrawing forces and closing an important power projection base at Bagram without proper plans in place.

Lloyd and Milley should have recommended against this dangerous withdrawal in the strongest possible terms. If they did not do everything within their authority to stop the hasty withdrawal, they should resign. Conversely, if they did do everything within their ability to persuade the CINC/President to not hastily exit the country without ensuring the safety of our citizens and Afghans loyal to America, then they should have resigned in protest as a matter of conscience and public statement, the letter said.

The former military officers warned that the consequences of the disastrous Afghanistan exit will reverberate for decades. Stranded Americans and Afghan aides will now become hostages of the Taliban. The letter called the loss of billions of dollars worth of American military equipment catastrophic.

The damage to the U.S. reputation is indescribable as America might be seen as an unreliable power for many years. Americas adversaries like communist China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and North Korea might be emboldened to act against the United States due to the weakness displayed in Afghanistan.

The letter also criticized the emphasis on wokeness related training. It accused such measures of being divisive and harmful to unit cohesion, readiness, and war fighting capability. It stated that the sole focus of Americas military leaders should be to fight and win our nations wars.

A fundamental principle in the military is holding those in charge responsible and accountable for their actions or inactions. There must be accountability at all levels for this tragic and avoidable debacle, the letter concluded.

Many more people have called for resignations, including that of President Joe Biden. 52% of Voters Think Biden Should Resign Over Afghanistan Withdrawal, tweeted Rasmussen Reports.

In an interview with a radio station, Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville stated that the botched Afghanistan exit was largely a leadership issue. He said that Washington had retreated based on the Talibans terms rather than its own. The senator predicted that the American military might have to go back to Afghanistan during Bidens tenure. He called for a court-martial to be held.

I know just by hearing that, a lot of these generals said, lets not leave Bagram Airbase until we get everybody out. But for some reason, this president, and him alone, made the decision to come out. And theres going to be people hollering for 25th Amendment and impeachment. We dont need to get in those weeds. If we go anywhere, somebody needs to be court-martialed over this because weve got people killed that did not have to die, Tuberville said.

Biden justified the Afghanistan exit by insisting that alternative choices were not in the interest of America. I simply do not believe that the safety and security of America is enhanced by continuing to deploy thousands of American troops and spending billions of dollars a year in Afghanistan, Biden said in an Aug. 31 statement.

The president also claimed that 90 percent of Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave have fled the country. He added that Washington is committed to getting the remaining people out if they want to do so.

Republican Kevin McCarthy criticized Biden for handing over billions of dollars in American military weaponry to the Taliban. He said that the terror outfit now has more Blackhawk helicopters than Australia. In many ways, were less safe now than before 9/11, McCarthy tweeted.

According to the State Department and Pentagon, around 5,400 to 6,000 Americans were pulled out from Afghanistan. The State Department estimates that somewhere around 100 to 200 Americans were left-back in the country.

However, the numbers do not add up. On Aug. 17, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that there were 11,000 Americans trapped in Afghanistan. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby put the number to be between 10,000 and 15,000. In an interview with Breitbart, Republican Ronny Jackson dismisses the administrations claim that there are only a couple hundred U.S. citizens left in Afghanistan.

This was their conservative number, their low number that they were trying to make it look like wasnt as bad as everybody was picturing it to be They said there was probably 10,000 to 15,000 over there. If there was 10,000 to 15,000 over there and they got 5,000 to 6,000 thousand out, then we have more than 100 to 200 left, right? Jackson said.
Oklahoma Congressman Markwayne Mullins has resurfaced, albeit via social media. The last sighting of the Oklahoma Republican congressman was at the US embassy in Tajikistan, where an embassy employee said Mullins argued with him regarding the rules applied to how much cash could be brought into Afghanistan.

Mullins was planning to enter Afghanistan with cash to charter a helicopter to rescue a woman and her four children, American citizens left behind when the United States military ended its presence in the conflict-torn country. However, the US embassy was blocking Mullins transport of the amount of cash that he felt was needed for the rescue. The embassy employee said the Congressman threatened the employee.

The US State Department commented on Tuesday that this was very dangerous and that the Congressmans whereabouts were unknown. US embassies are under the jurisdiction of the US State Department.

As of late Tuesday, US officials were unsure of Congressman Markwayne Mullins location. He was widely framed in the media to be lost in Afghanistan on a rogue mission. However, an update from his own spokesperson that hit press Wednesday morning said the Congressman was completely safe.

Mullins himself posted on Instagram later in the day on Wednesday: Have we been helping get Americans out of Afghanistan, yes. Is the mission continuing, yes. Am I missing, no. Did I go dark for a little, yes because it wasnt safe to be communicating. The Congressmans appearance was wearied and serious.

His post continued with a portion not widely quoted in the press: Am I extremely disappointed in how we (United States) left Americans behind that would be an understatement. President Biden and his administration are absolutely lying to the American people about Americans and our friends being left behind. So many great Americans, many who are Veterans and many who are not, are stepping up to keep our promise We will never leave an American behind.

This incident is occurring on the heels of Nancy Pelosis censure of two democratic congressional members who journeyed to Afghanistan on their own last week on a fact-finding mission.
A Zimbabwean chief, who was spearheading the reburial of the late former President Robert Mugabes remains, has succumbed to COVID-19 with some of his subjects claiming that the Mugabe ancestral spirits were angered by calls for the exhumation of his body from the family homestead in Zvimba communal lands.

Chief Beperere, born Alfred Tome, was laid to rest Wednesday at Chepstow Farm in Raffingora.

Deputy Minister of Local Government Marian Chombo paid tribute to Chief Beperere describing him as a peace loving, unifier, who wanted people to utilize land parceled out during the land reform program in the early 2000.

Deputy Minister Chombo said Chief Beperere was admitted at a Harare hospital for only two days after developing COVID-19 complications.

"Zvimba community is in a shock after the chief passed on. He was ill for only two days ... We have lost a people's chief who wanted all his subjects to be united despite political affiliation and encouraged new farmers to utilize land allocated to them under the land reform program," said Chombo.

But Chief Beperere was hated by the the late former presidents family for backing Chief Zvimbas judgement that Mugabes remains be exhumed and be reburied in Harare.

The Mugabe's have since appealed against the chiefs judgement.

Mugabe family member, Dominic Matibiri, didn't have kind words for the other remaining chiefs - Chief Zvimba, Chief Seremani and Chief Chidziva - who presided over the matter saying they will die one after the other as the avenging spirit strikes back.

As Mugabe family we will not mourn Chief Beperere with others because we feel that he was punished by the avenging spirit for taking part in the exhumation calls. Chief Beperere was Mugabe's chief and should have presided over the matter but decided to trick us by taking the matter to Chief Zvimba .. This is a great anomaly, said Matibiri.

The late former president 's nephew, Leo Mugabe, concurred, saying Chief Beperere played double standards as he connived with Chief Zvimba in an area he had sole jurisdiction over.

Chief Beperere was our chief but he decided to play hard on us and rope in an outsider Chief Zvimba to announce the skewed judgement, charged Leo Mugabe.

Former First Lady Grace Mugabe was ordered to pay some goats and cattle for burying Mugabe at his homestead instead of a family place designated by elders.
Buoyed by the Wests withdrawal from Afghanistan, Taliban commanders say they are confident they can defeat the Islamic State terror affiliate, which claimed responsibility for last months suicide bombing at Kabul airport, killing more than a dozen U.S. military personnel and at least 170 Afghans.

Pausing between a string of firefights between the Taliban and the Islamic State-Khorasan Province group last week in west Kabul, a Taliban commander boasted to Western reporters that Afghanistans new rulers will finish off their rivals much as they forced NATO to withdraw from the country.

Some analysts predict the fight between the Taliban and IS-Khorasan  also known as ISIS-K  will pitch a pair of ruthless and battle-hardened groups of militants in a jihadi fratricide which will likely see no mercy given.

Even before U.S. forces withdrew this week, the Taliban executed some senior IS-Khorasan commanders imprisoned by the Afghan government of Ashraf Ghani, including shooting dead its former top leader Mawlawi Ziya ul-Haq.

The executions were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Khorasan was a sixth-century Islamic region spanning parts of modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as parts of Central Asia.

Complicating factor

IS-Khorasan has the potential to cause Afghanistans new rulers plenty to worry about, complicating their efforts to consolidate power and establish a national government, in the view of Western military officials and independent counter-terrorism analysts. The Taliban faces its own threat from ISIS-K, argues Anthony Cordesman in a commentary Tuesday for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington research institution.

His CSIS colleague Seth Jones, a former adviser to the commanding general of U.S. Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan, says IS-Khorasan now has a lot of opportunity for resurgence. He notes the affiliates fortunes had been declining recently thanks to the U.S. and Afghan forces conducting pretty persistent strikes on the group. He estimates their numbers had fallen from around 6,000 to 2,000.

IS-Khorasan first appeared in Afghanistan in late 2014, comprising Pakistani militants who crossed into Afghanistan to escape a Pakistani army offensive. The group has carried out dozens of deadly attacks and suicide bombings over the past few years and been blamed for some of the worst recent atrocities, involving girls schools, hospitals and a maternity ward, where their fighters reportedly shot dead pregnant women and slaughtered nurses.

The Kabul airport blast last week underlined its capacity for violence.

The groups founder, Abdul Rauf Aliza, was a provincial-level Taliban commander before falling out with the Taliban leadership in 2014. He was killed in a U.S. drone strike in February 2015. IS-Khorasans current leader, Shahab al-Muhajir, is also a former mid-level Taliban commander, who also worked for al-Qaida and is suspected by some Western security officials of still enjoying close ties with the leaders of the Haqqani network, a major Taliban faction currently in charge of security in the Afghan capital.

Those suspected ties prompted Michael Pregent, a former U.S. intelligence officer and now an analyst at the Hudson Institute, a U.S.-based research group, to suggest last week that elements of the Taliban likely colluded in the Kabul airport bombing. If it was ISIS-K, they passed through Haqqani security, because they have command and control of Kabul, and they have an intelligence apparatus. He added the bomber also managed to navigate multiple Taliban checkpoints in order to hit Americans.

Whether a full-fledged affiliate of ISIS or not, Shahab al-Muhajir is seen as being highly ambitious and the core leadership seems eager now to expand to Afghanistan. Jihadist chat rooms  pro-Islamic State ones as well as al-Qaida-dominated forums  are full of discussions about how the focus should now switch from Syria to Afghanistan.

A U.N. report last year reported that al-Muhajir was seeking to swell IS-Khorasans ranks with disaffected Taliban fighters and other militants. He is likely to take advantage of any missteps by the Taliban and local disputes among Taliban commanders.

If Taliban leaders are serious about moderating their imposition of Sharia and to be less oppressive than when they ruled in the 1990s  as their top leaders have suggested publicly  then they run the risk of defections to IS-Khorasan, suspect some NGO workers.

The chief of party of a European NGO told VOA this week that she has noticed clear geographical differences across the country when it comes to how the Taliban is ruling.

In the South, we have not yet received approval for male and females to work. They have told us our men can resume work, but not our females, she said. She asked not to be named in this article and for her NGO to remain unidentified.

With the country facing catastrophic food shortages, mass unemployment, and collapsing health and education systems, according to U.N. officials, IS-Khorasan will have plenty of disaffection to exploit.

Some Western security officials also say Afghanistan, with its mixture of ethnic minorities, around 14 in all, is a natural location for Islamic State, which has been adept in Syria and Iraq at exploiting sectarian divides. Many of IS-Khorasan attacks have targeted Afghanistans Shiite Hazara minority, they note.
Heavy fighting has started between Taliban fighters and anti-Taliban resistance forces based in the Panjshir valley after talks between the two sides failed to resolve their differences. A resistance spokesman claims a Taliban offensive was repulsed with the Taliban suffering heavy losses.

The resistance is led by Ahmad Masood, son of well-known anti-Taliban resistance leader from the 1990s, Ahmad Shah Masood. The elder Masood, who led the Northern Alliance against the Taliban, was killed by al-Qaida militants posing as journalists just before the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

After the fall of Kabul last month, members of the Afghan security forces from across the country who felt betrayed by the surrender of their military leaders made their way to Panjshir to join the resistance. Among them were some of the special forces famous for their battlefield victories against the Taliban over the years as well as the first vice president in the deposed regime, Amrullah Saleh.

Masoods spokesman, Fahim Dashty, said the Taliban were running offensive operations in the northeast of the valley, in particular from a mountain pass named Khawak, as well as from the southwest from Parwan province.

He claimed the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), as the Panjshir-based group calls itself, had repulsed them inflicting several hundred casualties.

They have been defeated heavily. The figures that we already have, 150 of them have been killed, around 200 of them have been wounded, 35 of them have been detained, their four convoys have been destroyed as well as two heavy weaponry, he claimed.

Taliban followers on social media shared video of the group traveling to Panjshir in a caravan of security vehicles with Taliban flags. They claimed the Taliban had taken over several areas previously controlled by the resistance forces.

On Wednesday the Taliban had blocked all traffic on the main road linking Panjshir to neighboring Gulbahar.

Each side blamed the other for the failure of the talks between the two sides.

We tried very hard that this issue be resolved through talks. We held multiple meetings with the stakeholders of Panjshir. We are also in touch via telephone. However, until now, we have not reached a resolution, said senior Taliban leader Maulawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in an audio message to the people of Panjshir province circulated by their followers and spokesmen on social media.

Dashty told VOA Tuesday night that the negotiations were intended to result in an inclusive arrangement acceptable to all Afghans, and in which there were guarantees for human rights, including women rights.

The ball is in the Talibans court, he said. The other side, if they want to announce their government, an un-inclusive government, its up to them. It will not affect our stance."

The Taliban have indicated they are close to announcing their new government. A three-day meeting of the Taliban Rahbari Shura, or leadership council, led by Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, concluded in Kandahar Monday, said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Taliban sources also said Mullah Abdul Ghani Brather, the head of the Taliban political team and a deputy of Akhundzada, returned to Kabul after attending the three-day meeting in Kandahar.

While the group has promised inclusivity, so far there are no indications that it has made a power sharing deal with any of the rival political factions in the country.

Muttaqi encouraged the people of Panjshir province to convince their fighters and leaders to lay down their arms and join the Taliban, promising them peace and security.

We are sending you this message so you can take advantage and join the Emirate. We promise that the Islamic Emirate will be like your home. Under our govt your life, honor, and property will be safe, he said.

He added that the Taliban had announced a general amnesty and Panjshir did not need to fight.

Dashty, meanwhile, said on a WhatsApp group recently set up by NRFA, the war is going on ... and our forces are fully prepared.

A former head of the Taliban political office based in Doha, Qatar, Sayed Mohammad Tayeb Agha, called on the Taliban to avoid a monopoly on power.

In a letter to the Taliban leadership, Agha said an isolationist policy could have negative consequences for the group.

He also encouraged the Taliban to prioritize professionalism in the new government and hire professionally sound employees of the former government. Agha called on the Taliban to accept all international norms not in conflict with Islam.

Taliban forces swept into Kabul on August 15 after running an offensive across the country in which all provincial capitals fell to them within 10 days. Since then, the group has repeatedly announced a general amnesty for former enemies, including members of Afghan security forces who fought against them for decades.

However, sporadic reports of Taliban fighters searching for former government or intelligence officials, coupled with a trust deficit accumulated over decades of war, led to a panic among the population, especially womens rights activists, journalists, and those who were part of the former government.
After suspending the use of 1.63 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine over contamination concerns last week, Japan is now recalling those doses, Moderna Inc. and its Japanese partner, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. said Wednesday.

Last week, some vials of the vaccine were found to be contaminated with stainless steel.

Japanese officials said Wednesday that they did not think the stainless steel particles posed a health risk, while Moderna said the contamination was probably caused by pieces of metal rubbing together in the machinery that puts stops on the vials.

"Stainless steel is routinely used in heart valves, joint replacements and metal sutures and staples. As such, it is not expected that injection of the particles identified in these lots in Japan would result in increased medical risk," Takeda and Moderna said in a joint statement.

According to Taro Kono, the Japanese minister overseeing vaccinations, around 500,000 people received shots from the suspended Moderna batches.

The focus on the contaminated doses was heightened after two men died within days of receiving second doses from the contaminated batches.

While their deaths are still being investigated, Moderna and Takeda said there was no evidence the vaccine played a role in their deaths.

"The relationship is currently considered to be coincidental," the companies said in the statement.

(Some information in this report comes from Reuters.)
North Korea has requested that 3 million doses of Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine it was allocated be sent to countries with severe outbreaks, according to UNICEF.

The DPRK Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has communicated that the 2.97 million doses being offered to DPR Korea by COVAX may be relocated to severely affected countries in view of the limited global supply of COVID-19 vaccines and recurrent surge in some countries, a UNICEF spokesperson said in an email to VOAs Korean Service on Tuesday.

COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) is an international vaccine distribution program targeting lower-income nations. UNICEF obtains and distributes the vaccines for the program.

MOPH has said it will continue to communicate with the COVAX facility to receive COVID-19 vaccines in the coming months, the spokesperson told VOA.

Pyongyang has not reported any COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in late December 2019. In its latest report to the World Health Organization, North Korea said it had tested 37, 291 people for COVID-19 as of August 19 and all were negative.

Although there is widespread skepticism of these numbers, North Korea has imposed strict antivirus containment measures such as curtailed domestic travel and border closings.

Edwin Salvador, head of WHOs Pyongyang office, said in an August 19 email to VOA that COVAX had allocated 2.97 million doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine to North Korea and that it was awaiting a response from the North Korean authorities.

However, UNICEF told VOA Korean on August 5 that the North Korean government had not yet fully completed the necessary preparation for receiving the vaccine from COVAX, so the supply was delayed.

The countrys antiquated and uneven health care system limits its ability to handle many types of COVID-19 vaccines such as those produced by Pfizer and Moderna, which must be transported and kept under ultra-cold conditions.

Chinese-made vaccines, as well as those from Russia and AstraZeneca, do not require that level of refrigeration.

But in July, North Korea rejected shipments of AstraZenecas vaccine because of concerns about side effects, according to a report from the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), a South Korean think tank with ties to that countrys intelligence agencies.

According to the INSS report, North Korea was concerned about the effectiveness of Chinese-made vaccines but was interested Russias vaccine, Sputnik V.
A popular Rwandan rapper known as Jay Polly died in custody early Thursday, officials and media reports said, the second detained musician to die in mysterious circumstances in less than two years.

Polly, whose real name was Joshua Tuyishime, was being held on drugs charges and had just found out that he was due to stand trial in December.

The 33-year-old was taken to Muhima hospital in the capital Kigali at around 3:00 am (0100 GMT), its director Pascal Nkubito told AFP.

"He was in a bad shape and unresponsive. Doctors tried to revive him but he unfortunately died shortly after," he said.

"The cause of death is not something I want to speculate about. We will know that after the post-mortem."

The musician was arrested at his home in April for hosting a party in violation of Covid regulations and was later paraded along with other suspects in front of the media.

Police said Tuyishime and other defendants were found to be drinking and in possession of marijuana and fake negative Covid certificates. He had denied the charges but requests for bail were rejected.

Parties are strictly prohibited in Rwanda because of the coronavirus pandemic and thousands of people have been detained for breaking restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the disease.

Some have been forced to spend the night in open-air stadiums and to listen to Covid-19 guidelines on loudspeakers, while others have been held for weeks in detention facilities.

'Cultural icon'

Rwandans took to Twitter to pay tribute to Tuyishime, with one describing him as a "cultural icon who contributed so much to our music."

In February last year, Kizito Mihigo, whose music was banned by the regime of President Paul Kagame, was found dead in his cell, just days after he was caught trying to flee the country.

Police said Mihigo, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide whose gospel songs angered Kagame's government, had committed suicide by hanging himself from his cell window using bedsheets.

Mihigo, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2015 for conspiracy against the government but later released on pardon, was captured trying to cross the border in Rwanda's south.

He fell foul of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front in 2013 after composing songs that questioned the government's tight control of the legacy of the 1994 tragedy.

His music, once popular among the ruling elite, was swiftly banned.

Two years later he was accused of terrorism and raising support for an opposition political movement and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

His lawyers said prosecutors had little evidence to jail him. He was released on presidential pardon in September 2018.

Mihigo and Polly are not the first figures to die in mysterious circumstances while in police custody in Rwanda.

Last year, a former director-general in Kagame's office was found dead in a military jail after being sentenced to 10 years for corruption.

In 2015, Kagame's personal doctor, Emmanuel Gasakure, was shot dead in custody by police.

Kagame, who has been in power since 1994, has been accused of ruling with an iron fist, clamping down on all forms of dissent and jailing or exiling opposition politicians.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), among other groups, has accused Kagame's regime of summary executions, unlawful arrests and torture in custody.
Human rights groups are raising alarms on behalf of several hundred Afghan military personnel and their families who defected to Uzbekistan with almost four dozen aircraft as Taliban forces closed in on Kabul last month.

Human Rights Watch and other organizations fear that Uzbek authorities will return the refugees to Afghanistan, where they would be vulnerable to retaliation from the nations new Taliban leaders.

Tashkent is obliged under international human rights law to not under any circumstances return people to a country where they could face torture or even death," said Hugh Williamson, HRWs director for Europe and Central Asia. The organization is also worried about hundreds of other Afghans who fled to Uzbekistan and are at risk of being sent back.

Jennifer Murtazashvili, director at the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh, goes further, saying Washington should welcome these pilots to the United States by offering them asylum, just as it has done for other Afghan service members who were critical to the two-decade American war effort.

These U.S.-trained specialists already faced assassination before the Taliban took over, Murtazashvili said.

A total of 585 Afghan military personnel and their families flew to Uzbekistan in the final hours before the fall of Kabul on board 22 military aircraft and 24 helicopters. They were intercepted by Uzbek military aircraft, which forced them to land at an international airport in Termez, just across the border from Afghanistan.

Plane collisions

Amid the confusion, two Uzbek and three Afghan planes were involved in midair collisions, sending debris raining over the city of Sherabad in Uzbekistans Surkhandarya region. All the pilots parachuted to safety, and there were no reports of casualties.

Now, Uzbekistan must decide whether to provide a haven for the refugees, send them back to Afghanistan or help them move to a third country. That decision is complicated by Tashkents desire to establish friendly relations with the new Taliban government without offending Western powers.

So far, Uzbek authorities have been reluctant to discuss the matter. An initial statement from the General Prosecutors Office reporting the aircraft incidents was quickly withdrawn and deleted from social media pages on the ground that some details had not been fully confirmed.

But a U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed to VOA that the personnel and aircraft are secure and being housed by Uzbek authorities. Washington is coordinating with the government of Uzbekistan in response to Afghan Air Force aircraft, their pilots and others crossing into Uzbekistan, the spokesperson said.

Two Uzbek officials, talking to VOA on condition of anonymity, confirmed the State Department remarks.

Uzbekistan has maintained a delicate balancing act since the fall of the pro-Western government in Kabul, shutting its border to refugees and insisting on its determination to return Afghans to their country. At the same time, it has cooperated with the mass evacuation of U.S. and allied personnel by making its airport in Tashkent available for refueling stops on flights bound to Europe and other destinations.

Initial praise

Uzbekistan has won some praise for its willingness to assist in the evacuation. But according to HRWs Williamson, international goodwill would quickly disappear if Uzbekistan returns the pilots and their families to a country now firmly in the grip of the Taliban.

Tashkents singular priority, however, remains security, not enabling refugee flows. The government says it is in touch with the Taliban to ensure its border areas are safe. And the Foreign Ministry warned on Monday that anyone attempting to illegally enter Uzbekistan would be treated according to the law.

Currently, the Uzbek-Afghan border crossing is completely closed, the ministry said on Monday, adding that the Termez crossing point would not reopen anytime soon.

That flies in the face of Washingtons appeal for all of Afghanistans neighbors to allow entry for Afghans and coordinate with humanitarian international organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghans in need.

Relations between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan are further complicated by the presence in Afghanistan of a large ethnic Uzbek population whose members include Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, a leader of the Northern Alliance that helped drive the Taliban from power in 2001.

Reliable sources told VOA that Dostum fled to Uzbekistan as Kabul fell, along with Ata Muhammad Noor, the former governor of Afghanistans Balkh province. Uzbek officials insist that is not true, and the whereabouts of both men are uncertain.
Zimbabwe resumed in-classroom teaching this week, but thousands of teachers are protesting salaries that are below the poverty level and a lack of personal protective equipment against COVID-19.

Zimbabwe's Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union says it will only call off the strike when the government addresses the concerns.

"And there is negligence on the part of the authorit(ies) to make sure that there is enough safety to guarantee our teachers and learners from the pandemic," said Robson Chere, secretary general of the teachers union. "They should have been providing adequate water supply, enough PPEs. Arcturus Primary School, which is down here, hasn't even water. It's messy. It's a disaster. We are sitting on a time bomb for both learners and teachers."

Authorities did not allow VOA into Arcturus Primary School, which is about 40 kilometers east of Harare.

Some students around Harare have been going to school since Monday to try to learn among themselves, as there are no teachers.

The teachers union warns that classrooms may turn into COVID-19 superspreaders. But Taungana Ndoro, director of communications and advocacy at Zimbabwe's Education Ministry, says the government has been working to ensure classrooms are safe.

"We have been putting in new infrastructure to ensure that we decongest the existing infrastructure to ensure that there is social and physical distancing for the prevention and management of COVID-19," Ndoro said.

"We have also made sure that our schools have adequate supplies of sanitizers and water. So, it is looking good. We have got single-seated desks now, instead of two- or three-seated desks. This is to encourage social distancing. We do not have bunk beds anymore in our boarding schools. We have got single beds and spacing of at least one-and-half to two meters. So, it is encouraging."

UNICEF Zimbabwe has been helping students and the government during the COVID-19 lockdown.

"The two-key approaches were, one: How we can support the loss of learning as a result of school closure. The second one was: How to keep the school safe and ready for children to return to school," said Niki Abrishamian, UNICEF Zimbabwe's education manager. "We managed to produce more than 1,600 radio lessons as part of alternative learning approaches. We had to look at how to take learning to the children, especially when they were at home and did not have access to schooling."

Zimbabwe's teachers hope such organizations can assist the government and supply the resources they require  adequate PPEs against COVID-19 and salaries that allow them to live above the poverty line.

Zimbabwe currently has 124,773 confirmed coronavirus infections and 4,419 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the global outbreak.


Among the growing numbers of Afghans arriving in Turkey after fleeing the Taliban are those who fought alongside NATO forces. As Dorian Jones reports for VOA from Istanbul, they are now looking for help from the countries they once worked for.
The World Health Organization has designated a new strain of COVID-19 as a variant of interest.

The global health agency announced in its weekly bulletin Tuesday that Mu, also known by its scientific designation B.1.621, has been detected in South America and Europe since it was first identified in Colombia in January.

The WHO said the Mu variant has several characteristics that make it more resistant to vaccines, but said more studies needed to be conducted to fully understand how it works.

The Mu variant is the fifth one designated by the WHO as a variant of interest. Four other variants have been designated as variants of concern, including alpha, which has been detected in 193 countries, and the more transmissible delta, which is present in 170 countries and has been linked to the current worldwide surge of new infections.

Scientists in South Africa announced earlier this week they have detected a new COVID-19 variant designated C.1.2. The variant has spread across Africa, Asia, Europe and the southern Pacific region of Oceania since it was first spotted in South Africa in May.

The variant has not been identified by the WHO as either a variant of interest or variant of concern.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Tuesday urged Americans who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine to avoid traveling during the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend due to a surge of new infections and deaths driven by the delta variant. The United States is averaging well over 100,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, with states like Florida, Mississippi and Washington state reporting record levels of new cases and hospitalizations.

Meanwhile, two key officials in the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations vaccine review office are leaving their posts in the coming weeks. Dr. Marion Gruber, the director of the division, is retiring in October, while her deputy, Dr. Philip Krause, will leave the following month. The retirements of Gruber and Krause come at a crucial time for the FDA, which is nearing a decision on whether to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for children under 12 years old and booster shots of the current vaccines already approved for the adult Americans.

The New York Times reports Gruber and Krause are upset over the Biden administration's recent announcement that booster shots would be offered for some Americans beginning next month, well before the FDA had time to properly review the data.

In Australia, Premier Daniel Andrews of Victoria state says authorities will gradually lift the current coronavirus restrictions once 70 percent of its adult residents have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Victoria and its capital city, Melbourne, have been under a strict lockdown since early August due to an outbreak that began back in June, but Andrews says it is now apparent that it was time to switch to a mass vaccination strategy to bring the outbreak under control.

We were aiming to drive it down and have cases falling, it is now the advice of the experts that that is not possible, so now we have to contain the growth of cases and the speed at which they increase," Andrews told reporters. He said the state should reach 70 percent vaccination by September 23.

Victoria state posted a record 120 new cases on Wednesday, including two deaths.

(Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, Reuters and AFP.)
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With a population of 2.6 million, Afghans are the third largest group under the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, after Syrians (6.7 million) and Venezuelans (4 million).

Since the Talibans peaceful takeover of Kabul, 123,000 people (including 31,760 Afghans) have been evacuated by U.S. forces. The British and Australians have also pitched in. However, these evacuees are rarely innocent collaborators of the Anglo-American occupiers. Most were members of the special forces created by the CIA to conduct counterinsurgency (Khost Protection Force and National Directorate of Security). As such, they have committed crimes against other Afghans far more heinous than those attributed to the Taliban. They rightly fear public vengeance or to be put on trial.

The United States does not intend to receive these refugees and is asking third countries to take them in. Russia, too, wants to protect itself, not from war criminals, but from jihadists. She is therefore examining asylum applications on a case by case basis.

Knowing this situation, Germany - which had previously announced its intention to host 40,000 people - finally only admitted 634, consisting of 138 former employees and their families. The federal government has no problems with Afghans, having received nearly 150,000 in previous years, but was aware even before the fall of Kabul of the risks these new refugees would pose. Moreover, it has no desire to naturalize war criminals. It has therefore rejected many asylum seekers.

In the rush of the evacuation, a German plane chartered by NGOs (Luftbrucke Kabul) was even forced to take off from Kabul with 180 empty seats. Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas made an emergency trip to the countries bordering Afghanistan (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan) to offer 500 million euros to those willing to accept the Afghan refugees that Germany doesnt want to have on her soil.

On the contrary, France has opened its doors to 2,600 Afghans since the fall of Kabul, even though it had only hosted around 30,000 until then. The government claims to have repeatedly vetted them before taking them on board; repeatedly, but not thoroughly. Frances presence in Afghanistan was only marginal. She knows nothing about CIA collaborators and counterinsurgency activities, in which she was not involved.

For its part, the European Union could pay out 700 million euros in favor of non-European countries hosting Afghan refugees.
Morristown, VT (05661)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms mainly during the evening. Low 61F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms mainly during the evening. Low 61F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Stowe, VT (05672)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 63F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 63F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Stowe, VT (05672)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 63F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 63F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Tony Leung is making his Hollywood debut in 2021s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. But his longtime fans are well aware of his particular onscreen power. Photo: USA Films

The power lies in his hooded eyes. Large, dark, and  to use a stereotypical descriptor sincerely  inscrutable beneath thick brows frequently tilted in angles of unspecified melancholy. When they draw you in, it suddenly becomes a little hard to breathe. You cant look away. You find yourself thinking that if he quietly told you to burn your house down, youd probably do it with a smile. Hes undeniably handsome, but his physical appeal on its own might be best described as uncle next door. Its his virtuoso presence  the way he speaks with his eyes  that transforms him into someone that makes you whimper daddy.

Tony Leung. I must admit that I was surprised to learn that 2021 marks the iconic Hong Kong movie stars Hollywood debut. I assumed that he, like numerous other Asian cinema superstars, had at the very least done a high-profile cameo in the way of Bingbing Fan, Xun Zhou, and Donnie Yen, or starred in a cheesy B-flick like Chow Yun Fat and Boa. But on second thought, of course Tony Leung couldnt have been bothered to participate in the frivolities of Hollywood until the age of 59. After dazzling audiences in Asia for so long, he didnt seem to require the attention of the English-language press, where Bingbing Fan, once the highest-paid actress in China, is constantly referred to as the X-Men actress. American audiences largely live in their own galaxies, unfamiliar with the blazing suns that light up the screens of Asia.

Despite Hollywoods track record with Orientalism, however, I felt cautiously optimistic about Leungs Hollywood debut, in the Marvel Cinematic Universes first Asian-led entry Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. I must admit I screamed a little when Tony Leungs bedroom eyes did their thing in the trailer (that look that passed between Leung and co-star Fala Chen seemed to contain a centurys worth of devotion). I knew then that I would have to make an effort to root for Simu Lius Shang-Chi, the titular hero to Leungs anti-hero, when I finally watched the movie. Indeed, when American audiences meet Leung, he is outacting his co-star as a grief-stricken warlord whose humanity and monstrosity wrestle within him. At times it feels like director Destin Daniel Cretton has forgotten who his protagonist is, so moving is Leungs portrayal of sorrow.

I myself have been lucky enough to have drooled over Leungs onscreen smolder for years, admiring the way he embodies a Hemingway iceberg; the bulk of his characters thoughts, memories, dreams, and desires all lurk heavy beneath his surface. You can do no wrong in casting Tony Leung, whether the role is a meticulously written character in a tightly scripted movie or is part of a shoot that has no script to speak of. He will deliver soul and magnetism, whether in a splashy action blockbuster, a trippy arthouse romance, or a taut psychological thriller. He has range (and 60-plus movies under his belt, not including his famous TV work), but youd be hard-pressed to find Leung playing a character whos not a moody man of few words. Perhaps on some level he is typecast, but who can blame the directors? When you put Leung in your movie, you must give him room to stare, preferably with a cigarette.

The warrior poet Tony Leung in Red Cliff. Photo: Magnolia Pictures

There are four directors who seem to really understand this power of Tony Leung. First up is John Woo, whose two-part Three Kingdoms epic Red Cliff (20082009) stars Leung as Zhou Yu, a brilliant general and tactician who prefers making music, and making sweet love to his wife, to making war. The film itself is bloated, tonally inconsistent, and overly campy, but if theres one thing it got right, its using Leung with the utmost precision  in frequent close-ups, with mood lighting.

A scene where Zhou Yu matches wits against Takeshi Kaneshiros Zhuge Liang in an impromptu zither duet is set within a dark chamber lit only by the glow of oil lamps. As the zither strings begin to vibrate, the twanging notes rising, Leungs eyes are trained on Kaneshiro, a smile on his lips as instant recognition of an equal, a worthy opponent he can devour. His face, framed by flickers of flames and edged in gold, stares through the screen right into your soul. When he looks down at his instrument, shoulders squared and brows knit in concentration, his wife watches with a certain knowing look on her face. She understands exactly how that zither feels. Leung reaches the climax of his tune with strong, escalating strokes. Though the scene is meant to communicate the two mens opposing positions on war, their exchange is undeniably sensual, leaving everyones mouth a little dry.

The tender executioner Tony Leung in Lust, Caution. Photo: Focus Features

Then there is Ang Lee, whose espionage masterpiece Lust, Caution (2007) gives us Leungs turn as Mr. Yee, a Chinese high official betraying his country to Japanese invaders. Its his only truly villainous role prior to playing Wenwu in Shang-Chi. Even so, Leung manages to make Mr. Yee someone for whom wed betray our country, if hed only look at us like we were the only good thing in his life. Throughout the film, Leung telegraphs the characters personal capacity for cruelty. Mr. Yees suave manners are constantly veined with a cold menace. Hes a snake  smooth, coiled, poised to strike  and each of his visits to the mah-jongg table alongside blinged-out housewives plays like a viper gliding through a chicken coop.

During Leungs first one-on-one with Wei Tangs Jiazhi Wang, the amateur spy who becomes his lover/victim, we watch as predator circles prey. The two have dinner in an upscale restaurant, and Mr. Yee appears aware of something off about the alluring woman sitting across from him. Yet Leung slumps relaxed in his chair, his gaze cool and his body still as he simply watches Tang.

Leung seems to grow in power in the darkness of this movie. While Tangs character chatters on to fill up space, Leung only smirks and bids her to speak more. Is she succeeding in seducing her mark? Tangs character seems to think so, but we see a mixture of hunger and amusement in Leung as he observes and interprets her every move, planning his next. When Tang sips her cognac, leaving lipstick on the glass, the camera cuts to a close-up of Leungs face, his eyes flicking to the damning red stain that betrays her less-than-refined true identity. A barely perceptible look of pity flashes across his face. We learn in that moment that he does not hunt for pleasure, but harbors pieces of a tender heart buried deep beneath his drive to survive at all costs. A tortured villain we all wish we could save.

The reluctant patriot Tony Leung in Hero. Photo: Miramax

In Yimou Zhangs accidentally high-camp martial-arts fantasy Hero (2002), Leung plays a legendary assassin and, along with the rest of the gorgeous cast, gamely broods through each color-blocked chapter of a movie that is mostly style and little substance. Reunited with frequent screen partners Maggie Cheung and Ziyi Zhang in a doomed love triangle, Leungs Broken Sword is preoccupied with the fate of the world. He has plenty of cause to glare into the middle distance for long stretches without saying a word, lost in thought. One moment clad head-to-toe in crimson red, another in sky blue, his long hair forever whipping in the wind, he is the constant eye candy fed to us to make the stilted plot go down easier. (The movie was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar.)

During the red chapter of the movie, a battalion of archers rains arrows down on a defiant calligraphy school for refusing to yield to the conquering army. While Cheung and Jet Lis characters deflect them using what could only be described as wuxia magic, Leung dips the biggest calligraphy brush youve ever seen in vermillion ink and writes the Chinese character for sword on a massive white sheet (like I said, high camp). The room is dim, with daylight filtering through the papered windows, highlighting Leungs tall cheekbones and sensuous lips. Slow strings play at full blast while gusts of wind cause Leungs loose, chest-length hair to whip back and forth as he commits his entire body to this dance of calligraphy, imbuing each stroke with his fire. The camera cuts between full-body shots of Leung and close-ups of his face in total concentration, and whether you think this movie is a poetic masterpiece or oversaturated propaganda, you still find yourself mesmerized by that look of weary piety in his eyes, as if the passion he feels hurts him at every exertion. In a movie that tells a story of navigating duty and desire, it took a talent as great as Leung to honestly express the unbearable weight of it all.

The fourth director is Wong Kar-Wai, whose In the Mood for Love (2000) is one of seven collaborations with Leung, about, as the late Roger Ebert describes, people [who] are in the mood for love, but not in the time and place for it. The film, which earned Leung the Best Actor award at Cannes, is famous for its evocative beauty on every level, so its difficult to choose just one instance of Leung setting the screen ablaze. But there is one short scene, set at the red-curtained hotel where Maggie Cheung and Tony Leungs characters regularly meet  not to cheat on their respective unfaithful spouses, but to torture themselves and each other with desire. The films signature song, Yumejis Theme, is all we hear, beginning with steady plucks of strings, leading into a melody of one sad, isolated violin.

Our lovelorn leads move in slow motion, bathed in yellow light so that they look as if theyre submerged in golden syrup. Cheung looks over her shoulder from the doorway of the hotel room, her face a resolute mask. Due to the shots shallow depth of field, Leungs face is out of focus when he meets her in the doorway, but sharpens as she struts past him into the room. Their only real interaction is the pregnant pause during the meeting of their eyes, establishing a mutual understanding of their desperate undertaking. Leung doesnt move a muscle as she walks by, but he keeps her in his peripheral vision, as if hes waiting for her to walk right out again. Or perhaps hes afraid of what will happen next, if some new development will upset their unusual, delicate arrangement  if they end up crossing lines they swore they wouldnt cross. In this scene, Leungs character is so deeply vulnerable, so tense with emotions that he seems to be one of the string instruments playing the score, a cello perhaps, tightly wound and vibrating at a low pitch. The tragedy of Leungs character is his inability to unwind, to let go of the fears and an idiotic sense of propriety that keep him from giving into love.

The man who acts with his eyes. Photo: Marvel Studios

We often talk about great actors and their ability to deliver their lines, but more should be said about those who make do with the fewest words, or none at all, as Leung has mastered over his nearly four decades before the camera. Perhaps I am greedy, but in Shang-Chi there seemed to be too few moments of wordlessness and too many expository monologues  in Mandarin, no less, rather than Leungs native Cantonese. But in the beginning of the movie, we are treated to a thrilling and flirtatious battle between Wenwu and his future wife, in a martial-arts sequence reminiscent of the intimate dialogue of limbs between Leungs Ip Man and Zhang Ziyis Gong Er in The Grandmaster. As Leung and Fala Chen engage in a playful dance, it is cut with slowed-down moments of compromising poses and explosive glances, all amidst swirling leaves and beams of light. The whole scene is so smooth and so romantic that it feels like it is lifted right out of a Korean drama, one of the highest forms of modern Asian romance. It is enough to make you forget Wenwu is a centuries-old war criminal.

If you are like me, you might spend the rest of the movie wondering if this man who looks at his love with such affection is a villain who must be defeated, or one whose salvation we should be praying for. It is hard not to fall in love with Tony Leung.
Grand Isle, Louisiana's last remaining inhabited barrier island at the southern tip of the state, bore the brunt of Hurricane Ida and was devastated by the Category 4 storm's high winds, rain and storm surge.

"I've never seen it look like this," Bryan Adams, director of Jefferson Parish Fire Services, said Tuesday after inspecting Grand Isle. "It's decimated."

About 40-50% of houses are gone and 100% of the camps are damaged. "They've been knocked off the pillars, they've just been destroyed," he said.

"The people are very sad. A lot of people have lost their homes, talking about how they don't know whether they'll be able to go back or not, because they don't have the money to go back, can't afford to go back," Adams said. It will take about four or five years to get Grand Isle "back to where it was," he added.

If it ever does.

Even before Ida, the narrow isle has been increasingly under threat due to rising sea levels and sinking land. Located in the Gulf of Mexico, it had an estimated 2020 population of just over 1,400 people, according to the US Census.

Grand Isle is largely known for its beaches and particular habitat, known as a Chenier Plain, that makes it a hot spot for fishing, migratory birds and other wildlife. Last year, The New York Times named it to its "52 Places to go in 2020," saying it was "hauntingly beautiful" and "may soon vanish."

Ida could hasten that vanishing. With winds of 150 mph, the Category 4 storm made landfall Sunday near Port Fourchon, about 10 miles southwest of Grand Isle. The storm's hurricane-force winds extended 50 miles from the center.

On Tuesday, a CNN crew visited the island to find utter devastation: homes destroyed and vehicles still under floodwaters, although there were no reports of deaths or injuries due to a mandatory evacuation.

Rickie Polkey, 58, said he and his family built their home on elevated stilts 39 years ago. He returned Monday to find the roof and much of the home destroyed by wind and rain, and the inside could only be accessed by a temporary ladder.

"In Katrina, we lost our front porches and our steps, but the house was intact, the roof was intact, everything was intact," he said.

He came back post-Ida to try to find some wedding memorabilia. He said he doesn't plan to rebuild and instead plans to move to Kentucky, where they have family.

"We just trust the Lord. He gives and He takes away," Polkey said.

Many other residents of Grand Isle have not yet returned. Jefferson Parish advised residents late Tuesday night not to attempt to enter the isle by boat or by land. The parish also posted photos of some of the destruction, showing a line of toppled utility poles, standing water, ravaged homes and caved-in roofs.

"We understand that many want to see their properties; however, the current conditions on the island are very dangerous and it is critical that we keep the area clear," the parish said on Facebook.

Correction: A previous version of this story gave the incorrect location for where Ida came ashore. It was 10 miles southwest of Grand Isle

The-CNN-Wire

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The Taliban on Wednesday showed off dozens of American-made armored vehicles along with newly seized weapons at victory celebrations in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.

In videos posted on social media, the Taliban paraded hardware left behind by both Afghan and US forces after the withdrawal of the last American troops left Afghanistan in the grip of the militant group.

Fighters waved white Taliban flags from Humvees and armored SUVs at the military parade, where many of the vehicles appeared in near perfect condition. The Taliban also organized an air display with a recently seized Black Hawk helicopter flying past the militants along the road while also trailing a white Taliban flag.

The parade came the day after video footage showed the militants making their way through an abandoned hangar in Kabul airport strewn with equipment the US left behind.

In one video, militants dressed in US-style uniforms and holding US-made weapons examined a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter parked inside a hangar. Taliban fighters were also seen posing for photographs while sitting in the cockpits of planes and helicopters that once belonged to the Afghan Air Force.

But Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told CNN Tuesday he wasn't "overly concerned about these images" of Taliban fighters examining the abandoned aircraft.

"They can inspect all they want," Kirby said. "They can look at them, they can walk around -- but they can't fly them. They can't operate them."

He added that the US military had made "unusable all the gear that is at the airport -- all the aircraft, all the ground vehicles," leaving only some fire trucks and fork lifts operational.

Efforts to reopen Kabul airport resumed on Wednesday as a team of Qatari technical experts arrived in the Afghan capital, a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

The source said that the technical team traveled to Kabul on a Qatari jet at the request of the Taliban, and that while no final agreement had yet been reached, "talks are still ongoing at the level of security and operation."

"The objective is to resume flights in and out of Kabul for humanitarian assistance and freedom of movement in a safe and secure manner."

Afghanistan is heavily reliant on foreign aid, and the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have already struggled to get critical food and medical supplies to the airport amid the mass evacuation operation.

Even before the political upheaval of recent weeks, Afghanistan represented the world's third-largest humanitarian concern, with over 18 million people requiring assistance, according to UNICEF. But with no commercial aircraft currently permitted to land in Kabul, getting aid in will be difficult.

Restarting commercial flights will also be crucial for people still wanting to leave the country but who did not make it onto military evacuation planes.

More than 123,000 people were evacuated by American and coalition aircraft since August 14, US Central Command Gen. Frank McKenzie said Monday.

The Taliban have pledged to govern more moderately this time around, and said they would still allow foreign nationals and Afghans with proper documentation to leave the country after August 31. But many Afghans are skeptical of their claims, and huge question marks hang over the Taliban's ability to run the country.

Standing on the Kabul airport runway on Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a small crowd that: "This victory belongs to us all."

He was joined by heavily armed fighters from the Taliban's Badri 313 special forces brigade, kitted out in camouflage uniforms and desert boots.

Mujahid congratulated the Taliban fighters who had lined up, and indeed "the whole of the nation."

Only one Afghan region is still holding out against the Taliban's rule: the Panjshir Valley -- a strategic slice of territory about 90 miles north of Kabul that was once a stronghold for the mujahideen fighting the Soviets and is now the seat of the resistance movement.

Ali Nazary, spokesperson for the anti-Taliban National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan, said Wednesday that NRF forces had inflicted heavy casualties on Taliban attackers attempting to fight their way into Panjshir via the Gulbahar area, damaging the militant group's weaponry and sending them retreating.

"Negotiations have stopped, they have reached an impasse," Nazary said. "They tried attacking from two directions, one the north and one in the south."

It was not possible for CNN to independently verify the intensity of the fighting or the total number of casualties on both sides. The emergency hospital, a surgical center for war victims in Kabul, said on Twitter it had received five wounded patients and four people dead on arrival following fighting in Gulbahar.

Top Taliban leadership have not acknowledged heavy fighting in the region. In an audio message released Wednesday, Amir Khan Muttaqi, a Taliban leader, called on Panjshiris to accept an amnesty and avoid fighting, but acknowledged that negotiations had thus far yielded no result.

The-CNN-Wire

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CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is in Times Square where subway riders are stranded at the station due to torrential rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. New York has declared a state of emergency.

Posted: Sep 2, 2021 12:00 PM

Posted By: CNN
A wanted double murder suspect appeared before a district judge on Tuesday.

Ricardo Bass was appointed two attorneys and is now being held without bond at the Morgan County Jail. He was arrested arrested Tuesday after being on the run for nearly two weeks. Officials say he killed two people in Huntsville and Decatur in a matter of hours.

Ricardo Bass after his arrest Ricardo Bass after his arrest

Many people in the area were terrified when Bass was on the loose. One woman says she was too scared of sitting on her front porch. She along with others in the community spoke with say they feel a major sense of relief now that Bass is in jail.

"I'm glad they caught him," Robert Shaffer said.

People in Decatur are now at ease after several law enforcement agencies worked together to catch Bass.

"They were relentless in their search," Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson said.

US Marshals notified Huntsville and Decatur Police at around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday that Bass was inside a silver Dodge Ram truck on the highway. Officers were able to set up in the area when Bass noticed them near the County Line Road exit on I-565.

"Pretty much the vehicle stopped real quickly. Bass jumped right out and the vehicle went right on going," Decatur Police Chief Nate Allen said.

Decatur Police Investigator Brandon Sain ran after him jumping over an 8 foot fence with barbed wire and chasing Bass for around 200 yards.

"It was a wooded area. It was muddy, so the fear was that we would lose Bass," Chief Allen said.

Sain told WAAY 31 the only thing on his mind was to catch Bass, and with his weapon drawn, he was able to do take Bass into custodyending his nearly two week streak on the run and allowing members of the community to feel safe again.

"Don't need someone like that out on the loose, right?" Shaffer said.

The Morgan County Jail says Bass is currently separated from the general population.

Officials could not release information on how they were able to find him.

The answer to that is very creative police work. We have a lot of technology on our side. It took a lot of leg work, a lot of creative police work and a lot of teamwork," Chief Allen said.

Bass is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on September at 1:30 p.m. That's when we expect to learn more information about the actual investigation.

The case will then be presented in front of a grand jury, where the Morgan County District Attorney says he expects Bass to be indicted.

Because the crimes took place in two separate jurisdictions, two separate trials will take placeone in Madison County and another in Morgan County. District Attorney Anderson says their goal will all be the same to bring justice to the victims.

"I understand that there is nothing that i can say or do to relieve you of your pain, except continue to pray for you. I hope in the end of the day in this case when it's finally resolved that the justice we are able to obtain for you in some way gives you some closure. We'll never alleviate your pain, but we hope to bring you some closure," Anderson said.

Since it is still an active investigation, the Morgan County District Attorney says it could be years before this case actually goes to trial.

WAAY 31's Alex Torres-Perez was able to speak to family and firends of one of the victims, Jeffrey Carden. They say they are relieved the man accused of killing him is now in jail, but they say it does not take the pain away.

"It was the worst day. It just kept coming in waves, and it still does a little bit because of how it happened," Nicole King said.

She along with other of Jeff's friends were shocked to hear of his sudden death.

"I had to go read it, and it still wasn't believable," Christina Ellis said.

Jeff was picking up his co-worker when Huntsville Police say he was shot and killed. His friends feel like his death was uncalled for.

"If he would have had it, he would have given the guy anything," Ellis said. "He was just a really great person, and he will be dearly missed."

They say Jeff was known for his kindness and generosity.

"That kind of unconditional giving that he had. That's what i'm going to carry with me for the rest of my life," King said.

He was described as a loveable nerd who just made you happy.

"He had a spark of life to him and that joy was infectious!" King explained.

Though heartbroken by his death, they know Jeff would want them to move forward.

"Knowing Jeff the way I do, he would find some kind of irrational, illogical reasoning behind this that would make you come around and see that this happened for a reason. He was always looking at the positive no matter what," King said. "I know he would want me to continue on and to continue spreading his legacy of just kindness and loving big and loving irrationally. That's just what he did."

Their thoughts are now with the family.

"For them to have to lose a child this way in such a tragedy, it's surreal," Ellis said. My heart goes out to them. To lose a child and to lose a child this way. It's really hard, so they're in our thoughts. They're in our prayers every day, and we're there for them."
Parents in Huntsville will continue sending their students to school for face-to-face instruction.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson squashed false claims that Huntsville City Schools is heading to virtual learning.

Across all campuses, there are about 24,000 students. Right now, about 250 staff and students are battling the virus.

Craig Williams said numbers do not support moving into remote learning. Any rumors about students transitioning to learning fully remote are false.

"I want to be very clear and set the record straight today," said Williams. "We're not making any plans to transition the school district into remote learning."

As of right now, Williams said remote learning is a resource the district is offering. If parents want their children to learn remotely, they have that option.

Wiliams said Huntsville City Schools is prepared to transition and utilize remote learning, only if conditions worsen.

There's no threshold number that would make the district move to remote learning. Huntsville City Schools make decisions based on state health department guidelines.

The district updates its number of coronavirus cases online every Wednesday. This is to continue transparency between the district and parents.

Huntsville City Schools was one of the first districts in Alabama to mandate both students and staff wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.
Huntsville Hospital has a surge plan in place in preparation for the holiday weekend.

Jeff Samz, the CEO of Huntsville Hospital, said there are ways to enjoy the holiday while doing so safely.

One recommendation is to take part in outdoor activities. Samz also recommends wearing a mask, to protect yourself and others.

"There are lots of ways to have a good time, without giving each other covid," said Samz.

When it comes to a possible covid-19 surge, Samz said his concern isn't for space in the hospital, it's for the hospital staff that are already stretched thin.

The Huntsville Hospital System, 500 nurses short.

"They sacrifice their personal time with their family to come in and work these units," said Samz. "You need a special skill set to be able to do this work."

Samz said healthcare workers are working as much as they're willing to.

The hospital system, giving incentives and extra pay to healthcare workers. Although, that doesn't eliminate the desperate call for more nurses during this time of need.

Samz asked the unvaccinated to roll up their sleeves, to help healthcare workers struggling to keep up with the needs of coronavirus patients.
News of Western Wahkiakum County and Naselle

School Starts Today! It's an exciting day so let's sit on the porch, get you some coffee and catch up.

From Darlene Bjornsgard after Carol Penttila's celebration on Saturday: "It was a beautiful day, with so many sharing a beautiful, delicious meal catered by Travis and Jennifer Ullako Boggs, followed by a bountiful dessert buffet prepared by family and friends. We enjoyed visiting with so many we hadn't seen for a long while. Carol was dearly loved and will be missed."

Robert Pyle was invited to speak to the spelling bee kids at the fair when they were given dictionaries as gifts. He was not able to attend due to a possible covid-19 exposure. You may want to read the following to your children, so here is what he wanted to say: "A Note to the Spelling Bee Participants: Dear Children. Thank you so much for taking part in the Grange Spelling Bee at this year's Wahkiakum County Fair! I wish I could be with you to see your successes and hand out the awards in person, but I cannot. I would like to share these thoughts with you anyway. Spelling and spelling bees may seem like old-fashioned things to many. But we in the Grange like old-fashioned things because they got that way for a reason-they work! Careful spelling has enabled members of all communities everywhere to write and communicate with one another for as long as there has been a written language-and that is at least as important today as it ever has been. Plus, spelling bees are just plain fun, as you've just found out.

"The awards this year come with a very useful tool-a dictionary. Now, to some, a dictionary might also seem like an old-fashioned artifact-why bother with a book, when you can find what you want in a second on-line? The internet is a wonderful research tool, for sure. But a dictionary is more than that: it is a friend-a reliable friend. If you keep it on your desk, or by your bed, or anywhere you can readily reach for it, you will find it is always ready and eager to solve language problems for you-whether it is a Scrabble question, the answer to a spelling dispute, or just some random word you come across in your reading, and don't yet know. It doesn't need a battery, a charger, or an app-just pick it up, turn the pages, and presto! You've got your answer. I hope you will come to love your dictionary as I do mine.

"Even in this modern age, real books still make sense. They are nice to handle, they smell good, and they are very easy to bookmark. They'll take you anywhere. I've spent my life writing and making books, and I believe they are still worthwhile. May this dictionary reward your spelling efforts, with all our best congratulations!"

Photo of the Week: Amy Hunt and Renee Smith are both members of the Friends of the Library Board. They worked at the used books sale last Friday and Saturday. The sale was both popular and well attended. It takes time to sort piles of books, but they were well sorted and that helped a lot. Thanks to all the workers from the Timberland Library Board and others who helped all of us who were trying to decide which ones to buy! I got a set of C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for the Burkhalter boys, a book about elk hunting from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for a relative who loves hunting, and a signed Winton Marsalis book for Randy Vogt in Skamokawa who loves jazz as much as he loves classical music. And an almost complete set of Patrick O'Brien's series for myself. The first book in the series was the story behind the Master and Commander movie with Russell Crowe. And all were good buys, to say the least, especially the O'Brien series as it's hard to find 17 out of a set of 20 books all together. I did order the ones that were missing but will have to wait to find an affordable copy of the #17 book. They are rare. Used books are so worthwhile. Sometimes there are original copies. At the sale I found a 1940 copy of Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck that was one of the original printings. This book is a great example of the power of words. At the beginning when Steinbeck describes what it was like to live in the drought years in the dustbowl of Oklahoma, you can almost taste the dust in your mouth and feel the grit in your eyes. And you can sense the desperation of the parents and the thirst and hunger in the children.

Imagination Library: Dolly Parton has accomplished some amazing things, but nothing more important than providing 163 million books for young children through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Why read a book? I was raised on books and spent hours reading as a child with my great-grandmother who was always reading. To be able to read is essential to a good education, but it's also a trip around the world or a mystery solved. Whatever you want to know, it is most likely in a book. They teach us how to think better than a TV news show. I have spent 70 years reading. That's a lot of books to remember. The ones that impacted me the most are with me as if I had read them just last week. I need books around me because I honor them as friends. Seeing them on my shelves reminds me of all they have given me and all I have learned from them.

School Starts Soon: My little neighbor, Robbie, starts first grade today! He's so excited. School is just what he needs to keep fueling his imagination and desire to learn. May all our kids be filled with wonder and may they learn to ask their questions because all questions are good questions. May they learn the value of friendship and sharing and listening to others, too. And may they learn to trust their teachers because they have the answers and they want to help you find answers,too.

Calendar: Naselle/Grays River School Starts today (Thursday), before Labor Day weekend. Then students return on Tuesday after Labor Day.

Grays River Grange will meet on September 7 and 21 at 6:30 p.m.

Rod Run at the Beach on Peninsula September 10-12

Bingo at Johnson Park: Saturday, September 25 from 6-8 p.m. Plenty of food and prizes.

Covered Bridge Dinner: Set for October 4 at the Bridge in Grays River. A limited number of tickets will be available soon.

Pumpkin Patch will be open on October 2 at 10 a.m. at Miller Homestead at 5127 W. SR 4 located just before Deep River Camp on west end of Deep River highway bridge. More info to come.

Senior Lunches: Senior Lunch Club has its potluck lunch on September 15 at noon at Rosburg Hall. CAP box lunches will be available today and every Thursday at noon at the Rosburg Hall. Call Denise to order yours at (360) 762-3111. I will include the upcoming menus for the CAP lunches in next week's Dispatch.

Word for the Week: Teachers
Decatur, IL (62521)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mostly cloudy skies. Low around 60F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mostly cloudy skies. Low around 60F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Decatur, IL (62521)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Considerable cloudiness. Low 61F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Considerable cloudiness. Low 61F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
More journalists than protesters at train stations.

Italy's interior ministry stepped up police security at key train stations across the country on Wednesday, ahead of expected Green Pass demonstrations, but in the end only a handful of protesters showed up.

Organisers of the planned mass protests against the requirement of the Green Pass certificate to board long-distance rail travel had threatened to 'block' trains and cause "biblical delays" around Italy.

The action against the Green Pass - which shows that people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from covid-19 - had been planned in 54 stations on 1 September, the day new rules came into effect for the transport and education sectors.

However, when the time came, there were more police and reporters than protesters, even in the main cities such as Rome, Milan and Turin.

One protester at Roma Tiburtina asked reporters where everyone was and questioned whether she had the right day, while at the central train station in Naples, only two protesters showed up.

It is not known yet whether organisers of the protests will plan to regroup and try again on another day.

Photo Huffington Post
Italy to give third dose for most fragile as government to consider compulsory covid vaccination for all.

Italy's prime minister Mario Draghi says his government might consider making anti-covid vaccinations compulsory for everyone once the vaccines been given full approval by European and Italian regulators.

Health minister Roberto Speranza, speaking alongside Draghi at a press conference in Rome, said a third dose of the covid vaccine would be given to people with the most fragile immune systems later this month.

The premier also said the government is in favour of "extending" the use of the Green Pass, a certificate which shows that people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from covid-19.

Draghi said that Italy's vaccination campaign is "proceeding swiftly" amd moving towards the goal of vaccinating 80 per cent of the population by the end of September.

Repeating his calls for people to get vaccinated, Draghi offered his "full solidarity" to those who have been subjected to "hateful and cowardly" violence from 'No Vax' protesters.

Ful details about the Green Pass can be found - in Italian - on the Certificazione Verde website while for official information about the covid-19 situation in Italy - in English - see the health ministry website.
The United States secured a victory at the World Trade Organization on Thursday in a case brought by China over U.S. measures to limit the import of solar panel cells. A three-person WTO panel rejected all four of China's claims and said the measures did not breach global trade rules. The United States imposed a system of tariffs and a quota in 2018 after U.S. producers complained that imports of certain crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells had increased to such an extent that U.S. domestic industry risked serious harm.
Mainly local energy firms, most of which established themselves by buying assets from international oil companies including Royal Dutch Shell Plc. Prime candidates include Nigerian tycoon Tony Elumelus Heirs Holdings, which sealed a $1.1 billion deal in January to buy one of Shells oil blocks, and Seplat Energy Plc, which has expressed interest in acquiring more onshore and shallow-water fields. Shell, which has been active in Nigeria for more than six decades and has faced a string of lawsuits from communities accusing it of damaging the environment and destroying their livelihoods, is looking to offload its remaining onshore assets. The Anglo-Dutch giant says its repeatedly fallen victim to theft and sabotage thats resulted in oil spills. The government is wagering the law will convince the oil majors to proceed with deep-water developments that already account for about half the nations output.
Previous rounds have failed, starting in 2014 in Caracas and most recently in Barbados in 2019. But this time theres a crucial difference: The ground rules allow for interim agreements before any final deal, which is unlikely for months if at all. Negotiators could, for example, agree on electoral guarantees for the vote in November or the lifting of some sanctions. Both sides have also dropped demands that foiled previous talks. The opposition is more divided and weaker than it was in 2019: While Guaidos camp has taken more of a hard-line approach, former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles leads a group pursuing a long-term transition in the belief that a change of government is far off. This division strengthens Maduros hand.
The better view is that the court should have been creative and found a way to block the law anyway. In his brief dissent, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, Roberts said that he would have issued a preliminary injunction to preserve the status quo ante  without the law in force  and then allow the lower courts to address with more leisure the question of whether there is a legal way for the courts to block the operation of law like the Texas one. Robertss dissent was written so that one of the conservative justices might have been tempted to join it. Obviously, it did not work.
So Bennett has little choice but to make the best of things. He will refrain from criticizing Biden (or Obama, whom Bennett  at Bidens behest  clumsily thanks for his support of Israel). He will keep his distance from Donald Trump without alienating the Republicans and use his open, boyish manner to build relationships with centrist Democrats. There are American weapons, heretofore unavailable to Israel, that Bennett wants to acquire in case of a showdown with Iran. And he would like to see the U.S. use its economic clout to save what remains of the Abraham Accords.
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China tightly restricts access to foreign companies in some sectors such as digital services, effectively banning overseas social-networking platforms such as Facebook Inc. from serving consumers in the country. The country has more restrictive policies on services trade than the average seen in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to an index compiled by the club of mostly wealthy economies. However, China has strategically opened some sectors in recent years and its services-trade restrictiveness has seen one of the largest declines of any country since 2014, according to the OECD.
Ultimately, the communities dealing with the opioid crisis might well have been better off if Drain had been willing to push through a settlement without the Sacklers immunity  and without their infusion of money. In addition to litigation accusing the Sacklers of playing a role in marketing OxyContin, a number of attorneys general sued the family for fraudulent conveyance, meaning they stand accused of taking money out of the company specifically to shield their assets from the coming litigation. And there appears to be some email evidence to back up that assertion. It is quite likely that had the hundreds of lawsuits aimed at the family been allowed to continue, the Sacklers themselves would have had to file for bankruptcy. In such a scenario, they would most likely have had to surrender much more than $4.5 billion.
The U.S. military also helped advance the rights of girls and women. Several generations of female Afghans were provided education, medical care, the ability to work outside the home and other opportunities  leading to profound shifts in Afghan culture, especially in the bigger population centers. Will these changes survive the return of the Taliban? Its hard to say. The world has yet to see the real policy direction of Taliban 2.0. But Id bet on at least an improvement over 2001. And if the Taliban leaders of today are serious about entering the international system, accessing the global financial networks, and gaining diplomatic recognition from most countries, they will have to show some progress in this key area.
Take Southeast Asia, perhaps one of the most stark examples. A strategically vital region of 670 million on Chinas doorstep, it has from the beginning been a crucial vaccine battleground, with all sides jostling for influence. But its also now in desperate need. After a promising start last year, a variant-fueled surge has battered the region over the past few months. Vietnam, which had no deaths for the first months of the pandemic and contained infections for much of 2020 despite bordering China, has now gone from less than 1,000 daily cases in early July to more than 12 times that by early this month, forcing a draconian lockdown of Ho Chi Minh City. Less than 3% of the population is fully vaccinated. Indonesia is now coming out of its latest devastating wave but has completely immunized just over 13%.
What We Do in the Shadows (FX at 10) The first two episodes of Season 3 air, with Guillermos fate hanging in the balance and Nandor trying to court a health club employee with a forbidden artifact. Pictured from left to right: Matt Berry as Laszlo, Natasia Demetriou as Nadja, Mark Proksch as Colin Robinson, Kayvan Novak as Nandor, and Harvey Guillen as Guillermo.
To burn or not to burn? On whether to burn the candles: Its completely up to you. I dont light any of the sculptural ones, and most of my customers dont, either, because if you lit them one time, they would never look the same, Price says. Isom Johnson owns several blob-shaped candles and textured pillars; she hasnt burned hers, but she plans to. Faria lights hers, because the transformation is part of the experience. There are just as many people who are buying from us who are burning them and in equal parts using them as decor, she says.
Daily housekeeping was once a given. You returned from lounging on the beach or tootling around the city to find your trash cans emptied, your towels folded and your shoes lined up like idling Rockettes. No longer. Since the onset of the pandemic, hotels of all sizes and price points have been scaling back this service to every few nights and allowing guests to determine the frequency of attention. For example, the We Care Clean program, which Best Western Hotels & Resorts unveiled last spring, states: For guest and employee safety and well-being, daily housekeeping service is by request. David Kong, the companys chief executive, said the check-in staff will explain the policy, and a managers welcome letter left in each room reiterates the message. If they want the room made up, he said, they can call or text the front desk. Or wait for the third night of their stay.
Jack Schneider, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts at Lowells school of education and author of the book Beyond Test Scores: A Better Way to Measure School Quality, said the results are concerning, if predictable. But he also questioned the validity of the data, given so many students chose not to take the tests this past spring.
Because just four days earlier, Wais Aria, 37, and his family were huddled outside an airport gate in Kabul. One daughter was limp after fainting in the heat and appearing lifeless in the arms of his wife, Kubra. His older son was afraid that the Taliban had heard him playing music and would come after him. And Wais had been beaten with the guns of Taliban enforcers, who slammed the weapons into the bodies of people trying to reach the airport.
Jensen agreed to abide by the judges order imposing conditions for his release, including not accessing the Internet or using Internet-capable devices, including cellphones. The courts point was to separate Jensen from the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory, which the FBI has warned could encourage violence among some believers of its false foundational claim that a cabal of Satan-worshipping global elites and deep state international child-sex traffickers were engaged in plots to conduct a coup against Trump.
In social media posts before the riot, Chansley advocated for identifying and then hanging those he believes to be traitors within the United States government, according to court documents. FBI agents say that in interviews with them, Chansley said he had plans to go to the Arizona Capitol and that he might engage in similar acts in the future.
Mr. Cruz-Villalba, a resident of Chevy Chase, Md., was born in Quito, Ecuador, and grew up in Texas and Florida. In 1972 he went to Nicaragua to assist in reconstruction following a major earthquake. Later he was a consultant on development projects for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Bank, the Peace Corps and small businesses around the world. He retired in 2005. He was a past president of the Hispanic Alliance.
He spent nearly 15 years in Indian prisons and was also part of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of various Kashmiri political and religious groups that was formed in 1993 to spearhead a movement for the regions right to self-determination. The group used civil disobedience in the form of shutdowns and protests as a tactic to counter Indian rule.
His politics took an unexpected turn in the late 1980s after a falling-out with Greeces Socialist party, accusing it of promoting divisions rather than unity. In what he considered a gesture of national unity, he became a minister without a portfolio in the conservative New Democracy government of Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis from 1990 to 1992. His actions horrified his old friends and followers; Mercouri told a French journalist that Mr. Theodorakis had become grotesque and pitiful.
The facts of the case represent a tremendous mistake on the part of Ms. Millington, one she has taken responsibility for, her lawyer, Sean Murphy, said in court. Its one that she could use to continue her growth in fulfilling the aspirational oath she took as a police officer, to develop self-restraint and to be constantly mindful of the welfare of others.
The woman, who spoke on the condition on anonymity because she is a witness in the case, said she was fearful Tuesday evening when she saw him with what looked like a shotgun, which she said he was pointing toward the street. The woman said she reluctantly called police, believing there was no option. She said she had a youth in her care who also was frightened.
There was no evidence Thursday of removal activity at the graffiti-covered statue, which has been fenced off since the beginning of the year. State officials said work was likely to begin no sooner than early next week and would take several days to complete. State and law enforcement officials have prepared an extensive public safety plan, one official said, partly because contractors have received death threats in other cases where Confederate statues were coming down.
Because the Democrats like to cheat, you have to cast your vote before they do, Chase told the crowd at a Bikers for Babies gathering in Henry County, near the North Carolina border. Chase read from notes, saying she wanted to make sure she did not stray from the campaigns script. A Youngkin spokesman did not respond to messages seeking to confirm that the campaign had enlisted her as a surrogate.
Taliban officials have said that anyone is free to leave provided they have proper documentation. In the case of Afghans, they have said, that requires not only a visa for another country but also an Afghan passport that the Taliban themselves will have to issue for those who do not have them. Many Afghans in hiding have reported that they have destroyed their documentation, out of fear of the Taliban discovering that they worked for foreign militaries or organizations.
Its a reasonable position to say we needed to bring the troops home because the war was lost strategically. Its a reasonable position to say we should have borne the burden of assisting our Afghan allies indefinitely, for generations if need be. It is not a reasonable position to put the full blame for the outcome on Mr. Biden for completing the policy that Mr. Trump set in motion the year before.
Hes facing one of the worlds great military powers in a war of aggression, but theres no doubt in people who look at this seriously that Afghanistan is in any way going to change the U.S. commitment to Ukraine, to our NATO allies, to our partners around the world, Herbst said. Zelensky needs to hear the reassuring words from the president and others, and hes going to be getting those.
The Texas law was specifically designed to keep federal courts from intervening before it could take effect. It replaced government officials who normally would enforce abortion restrictions with individual citizens. They can bring civil suits to impose damages, not on the woman who seeks an abortion past the six-week deadline but anyone who aids and abets her in any way.
Collinss past assertions came into sharp relief Wednesday as Kavanaugh joined four of his fellow conservatives on the court in declining to block one of the countrys most restrictive abortion laws, a Texas statute that bans the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy with no exception for rape or incest. The courts action stands as the most serious threat to the landmark ruling establishing a womans right to abortion in nearly 50 years.
Flowing space in the modern home is often credited to architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who, back in the early 20th century, joined multiple rooms in a continuous layout, but it took another modernist pioneer, Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, to bring bathroom elements into the mix. In his landmark Villa Savoye, completed on the outskirts of Paris in the early 1930s, Le Corbusier  working together with his cousin, Swiss architect Pierre Jeanneret  placed a free-standing sink just inside the main entrance, adding a powder-room detail to the foyer, and then built a bathtub and adjoining tiled chaise longue in the middle of the main bedroom.
Authority is closely tied to clericalism, a perversion of the priesthood as Pope Francis puts it, which also induces lay people into believing those who have received the priestly ministry are above the fold, especially in the exercise of power. Financial corruption, immorality and sexual abuse by clergy are just a few examples of the consequences of an untouchable clergy. With synodality, Pope Francis hopes to break from a tradition that has inexorably tied power in the Catholic Church to members of the clergy.
The move is not merely envisioned as a rental contract for three offices and four classrooms, though a three-year lease has been signed. The idea is to allow for some joint classes as well as other collaborations. LMU students in theology might take a Hebrew class at the academy, while academy students might take an elective in the New Testament through LMUs theology department. (LMU does not have a seminary.)
Finding a way to cooperate, without the Chinese feeling that the U.S. is dictating terms, or without the U.S. feeling as if it is hostage to Chinese ambitions, is at the heart of climate cooperation, she added. While many aspects of the U.S.-Chinese relationship may be framed as zero sum, cooperating on climate change  to be able to safely prosper on this planet  is not one of them.
In northern Afghanistan, heavy fighting erupted Tuesday night and continued into Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Taliban leadership met in its southern spiritual birthplace of Kandahar to discuss the formation of an Islamic government. Its a major step that will formalize the Talibans transition from an insurgent movement to once again ruling the country after the 20 years of war that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Hamas dismissed the latest Israeli measures as insufficient and has threatened to continue the demonstrations until the blockade is further eased. Our position is that it is insufficient and is no substitute for broad measures that will achieve a real breakthrough in terms of life in Gaza, the group said.
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.
The Reserve Bank will take part in an international project testing whether digital currencies issued by central banks could be used to make cross-border payments cheaper and quicker than the complex systems used today.

Amid strong growth in cryptocurrencies, monetary authorities around the world are examining the case for issuing central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, which would essentially be a digital equivalent to banknotes.

The RBAs Michele Bullock said the project would explore whether CBDCs could improve the speed, cost and transparency of cross-border transactions. Credit:Louise Kennerly

Most of this work has so far focused on domestic usage of CBDCs, but the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) on Thursday announced a project to test whether this new form of digital currency could be used to bring about much-needed improvements in international payments.

Apart from the RBA, the research - called Project Dunbar - will also involve the BIS and central banks from Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa. It will aim to develop prototypes to allow CBDCs from multiple countries to be exchanged on a global platform.
In NSW, a Taiwanese abattoir worker was last year ordered to return to work while he was still bleeding from the mouth from an injury so severe he would later need surgery. The worker was not paid sick leave. At the Teys abattoir in Biloela where Wang worked, a Sri Lankan man also sustained water and chemical burns and, according to Wang, was also forced to return to work against medical advice. Months later he quit because of the pain, Wang said. The injury to an unnamed Sri Lankan meatworkers arm. He later lost his job. Like hundreds of his countrymen, Wang was brought to Australia by a recruitment syndicate that enticed him with the promise of permanent residency. It would take three years to qualify, he was told. He was so confident he brought his wife with him. Now officials from the Home Affairs Department are grilling hundreds of mostly Chinese abattoir workers about claims made in their visa applications amid fears some recruitment syndicates have been falsifying work experience and English language tests to meet Australias requirements for skilled migrants.

The scrutiny of the meatworkers and recruitment syndicates coincides with a promise by the Morrison government to introduce a new low-skill migrant agricultural worker visa, including for workers in abattoirs, to help deal with what primary producers say is a dire labour shortage. The burns to Wangs back. Privately, migrant abattoir workers from Victoria, NSW and Queensland, most of them Chinese, talk about how they borrowed money or sold possessions to pay recruitment syndicates $70,000 or more to secure a job in Australia after being promised it would lead to permanent residency. According to Wang, many lie to get their visas because very few people in China with high levels of English would also have worked for three years as a boner or slaughterman  a requirement for a skilled visa. When those lies are uncovered, individual workers fear they will be punished and forced back to China  a fear that makes them reluctant to speak out, take sick days or demand other rights.

It is easier for the Australian government to say no to some workers visas than to do something against the company owners or the [recruitment] agents. They are big. We are small, said one Chinese worker from a regional NSW abattoir. The Victorian secretary of the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union, Paul Conway, said it was time the public considered the working conditions of the migrant workers who ensured their supermarket shelves were stocked with meat. There were elements of the meat processing industry that have become reliant on what really is modern-day slavery and exploitation, he said. Theres a massive power imbalance at play. Youve got the companies, youve got the government, youve got the recruiters or labour hire, and youve got the migrant worker. When Wang was scalded in April 2019, he went to the emergency department at a nearby hospital for a few hours before being discharged. The doctor had told him he would need a few weeks off, but the abattoir called Wang in the following day and told him he could perform tasks in the office. Within days he was back in hospital in fear of infection as his burnt skin peeled away. Once again, he was told he needed to rest, but soon a car arrived at his house to take him to work.

Wang said a senior manager told him he was not to see a doctor without a company representative. With his 457 visa nearing expiration and hopes high for permanent residency sponsorship, Wang felt powerless to object. Most people come to Australia for better life and long-time stay visa. I had no choice  I listen to him [his boss]. I come to factory every day and keep silent, he said. Months later Wang secretly went to see another doctor for knee pain. He paid for an MRI scan because migrant visa workers are not eligible for Medicare. Somehow, Wang says, Teys management found out. Within one week they fire me. The reason is I had a bad attitude.

Wang enlisted law firm Maurice Blackburn and sued Teys Australia for unfair dismissal. The case was settled on a confidential basis. His recruitment agent was unable to find him a job elsewhere. Teys executive chairman Brad Teys questioned Wangs account, saying he was medically cleared to come back to work. He got the shits and walked off the job twice. We let him go the second time, he said. Veteran Labor senator Kim Carr questioned the claims by many meat processors about being forced to rely on migrant workers because Australian-born people refuse to work in abattoirs. This is a question of proper wages and conditions, Senator Carr said, highlighting abattoirs in Geelong and Warrigal that did not rely on foreign workers. Its the Chinese now but in the past it has been other ethnic groups. The common denominator here is exploitation.
This week was to have seen a new chapter in Australias SAS story unfold: the formal disbanding of 2 Squadron SASR (Special Air Service Regiment) at Perths Campbell Barracks. The flag folding ceremony was to have taken place on Friday after the Brereton war crimes inquiry made adverse findings concerning the reputation of the once proud squadron of which controversial former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith was a member.

Late on Wednesday, however, the brass postponed the ceremony citing COVID restrictions, though some speculated the delay might have been more about avoiding further controversy.

A special forces soldier on the ground in Afghanistan. Credit:Defence Department

On Tuesday, at another event, Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie, a former SASR captain, announced the beginning of a new era, which would see leadership of the regiment elevated from Lieutenant-Colonel to full Colonel in recognition of the span and complexity of command in the SASR. Also present via videolink was Chief of Army, Lieutenant-General Rick Burr, another alumnus of Australias most famous regiment.

Tellingly, no direct reference was made to the bad news stories about the special forces that have dominated reporting in past years, blighting the regiment  allegations of bloodings, cover-up and executions.
A Sydney woman fears she might not be able to say goodbye to her dying mother in Western Australia after her four attempts to get an exemption to enter the state were rejected minutes after applying.

Emma Potter, who lives in Redfern, falls within what Police Commissioner Chris Dawson describes as extreme circumstances  an exemption category which allows people from New South Wales with relatives in palliative care to enter WA while impregnable border restrictions are in place.

Emma Potter, fourth from right, with her mother and siblings.

The new category, which came into effect for NSW on August 26, replaces compassion as an exemption for people from extreme risk jurisdictions and rules out previous grounds for approval such as funerals and weddings.

Ms Potters mother, who has early onset Alzheimers and lives in a nursing home in Perth, was recently put into palliative care after an infection caused her illness to become terminal and impaired her ability to drink and eat.
Murdoch University interim vice chancellor Romy Lawson has resigned after just over a month in the role, informing the senate on Tuesday she would leave at the end of the year to take a deputy vice chancellor job at Flinders University in South Australia.

Professor Lawson became the interim vice chancellor from August 2, according to an article published about a week ago on the universitys website, and put her resignation in five weeks later.

Murdoch interim vice chancellor Romy Lawson. Credit:Eamon Gallagher

Her resignation also comes almost six months after her predecessor, Professor Eeva Leinonen, quit to become president of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth and to be closer to family.

In an internal email to staff, Murdoch Universitys acting chancellor Ross Holt said Professor Lawson had committed to the role until the end of 2021.
A furious political row has deepened divisions over the national plan to ease lockdowns after federal ministers slammed a scaremongering claim from Queensland about the danger to children from rising coronavirus cases.

Angry at new objections to the agreed plan, the federal government accused Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk of misleading Australians over the risks to children if and when restrictions are eased and case numbers might increase.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk tapped into community anxiety on the fact children under 12 cant yet be vaccinated against COVID-19. Credit:Matt Dennien

Health experts have warned against panic about children being exposed to the virus when steady increase in vaccinations among older Australians results in a greater proportion of cases among those under 12, given there is no approved vaccine for this age group.

Tapping into community anxiety on the issue, Ms Palaszczuk said the health modelling in the national plan needed to be revised to consider infections among children, citing concerns about a pandemic of the unvaccinated in the United States.
NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall, who is still regaining his fitness after being struck down with COVID-19 in June, joined a handful of nurses last week on a road trip from Armidale to Moree to attend a walk-in AstraZeneca clinic. His job was to stand at the door of the pop-up clinic and convince naysayers to get the jab.

One Aboriginal elder who I know said to me, No way, that is whitefellas poison, Marshall says. I joked and said to her, Come on, surely there are worse things for your body. She laughed, agreed and had her jab.

Testing times in Dubbo ... Latisha Carr-McEwan (right) with her children Craig McKellar, 4, and Tashayla Eulo, 9. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The clinic did 428 vaccinations that day, but the vast majority of people who turned up were not Aboriginal.

Marshall says there is a deep fear of whitefella poison in many Aboriginal communities, a byproduct of the federal governments mixed messaging around AstraZeneca and Pfizer. Hesitancy has also been borne out of complacency because the regions had, until last month, been largely free of COVID throughout the pandemic.
Kabul: Despite the dangers, dozens of Afghan women took to the streets in western Afghanistan on Thursday in a rare public demonstration against Taliban restrictions on their right to work and seek education.

Fed up with what participants said were the Talibans empty promises to protect their rights, participants marched toward the office of the governor of Herat, the largest city in Western Afghanistan, to demand the inclusion of women in the upcoming government.

There they faced off with Taliban members standing guard.

Afghan women protest in western Afghanistan.

No government is stable without the support of women, red one banner held up by women, referring to worries that the government the Taliban is in the process of forming is unlikely to include women in leadership positions.
The authors of a study based on an enormous randomised research project in Bangladesh say their results offer the best evidence yet that widespread wearing of surgical masks can limit the spread of the coronavirus in communities.

The preprint paper, which tracked more than 340,000 adults across 600 villages in rural Bangladesh, is by far the largest randomised study on the effectiveness of masks at limiting the spread of coronavirus infections.

Bangladeshi garment employees wearing masks. Credit:AP

Its authors say this provides conclusive, real-world evidence for what laboratory work and other research already strongly suggest: mask-wearing can have a significant impact on limiting the spread of symptomatic COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

I think this should basically end any scientific debate about whether masks can be effective in combating COVID at the population level, Jason Abaluck, an economist at Yale who helped lead the study, said in an interview, calling it a nail in the coffin of the arguments against masks.
London: The Taliban has surrounded the only remaining province resisting its rule, a senior leader said on Wednesday, calling on rebels to negotiate a settlement with the group.

Since the fall of Kabul on August 15, mountainous Panjshir has been the only province to hold out against the Islamist group, although there has also been fighting in neighbouring Baghlan province between Taliban and local militia forces.

Taliban special forces fighters. Credit:AP

Under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud, son of a former Mujahideen commander, several thousand members of local militias and remnants of army and special forces units have been holding out against the Taliban.

In a recorded speech addressed to Afghans in Panjshir, senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Motaqi called on the rebels to put down their weapons.
The last of Ida may have moved beyond Delaware, but increasing issues remained Thursday following a storm that brought down inches of rain in just a few hours.

Evacuations in Rockland and East Side of Wilmington Evacuations took place at a condominium complex at Rockland Road and Mount Lebanon Road due 

Following a condominium complex which needed to be evacuated in Wilmington early Thursday as the Brandywine had swelled to 23.14 feet by 9:15 a.m. A major flood stage is 19 feet. There were disruptions elsewhere as well.

Amtrak service from Philadelphia to Boston before 9 a.m. was canceled or modified--including Acela, Northeast Regional, Keystone, and Empire services--to give crews time to inspect and repair any issues found with rail infrastructure. Delaware Park also canceled the live racing card for the day, and was scheduled to resume Saturday, September 4, 2021.

"The good news is the storm system has moved out. We've got blue skies, very nice weather," said DelDOT Community Relations Director CR McLeod in a shared morning update. "Unfortunately, we are seeing major flooding here in Wilmington, and at points all along the Brandywine, here in New Castle county this morning."

Waterways throughout the region began expanding as water dumped from Ida flowed in, and McLeod, who was surveying flooding in the area of Northeast Boulevard and Vancouver Avenue, anticipated things would progress negatively before the issues started to resolve.

While towns and neighborhoods in Pennsylvania and New Jersey suffered perhaps the brunt of this area's Ida damage, McLeod expected Delaware would see more of the flooding as watered traveled down. More than 50 bridges, large and small, would need to ultimately be surveyed and assessed, he said.

"We've already got several feet of water impacting homes, residents, and their businesses. A lot of vehicles underwater. And the water just continues to rise at this time," he said Thursday morning. "Unfortunately, we expect flooding just to continue to worsen here through the first part of the day, as a result of the flooding that has actually taken place. A lot of this water is coming down from Pennsylvania with the excessive amounts of rain that they had associated with the storm yesterday. All that water is going to make its way down toward the Delaware River, and it's all coming down the Brandywine."

Traffic was being turned away at the 12th Street Bridge by Wilmington Police during the morning hours due to dangerous conditions. Smith Bridge and Thompson Bridge were also both closed. The 12th Street ramp off 495 was also closed.

"We've just got major, major flooding underway here in Wilmington as a result of the storms [Wednesday] and again, encouraging folks, if you are going to be trying to travel around this area that you need to be very cautious as you're as you're trying to move around the city," McLeod said. "A lot of delays as a result of this flooding that will continue through the morning hours."

The National Weather Service Mount Holly issued 16 tornado warnings for the area on Wednesday, bringing the total number to 51 on the year--easily breaking the previous record of 36 that was set last year. Four had been confirmed so far, including a particularly destructive tornado in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, that tore siding and, in some cases, whole walls off homes there.
Reporter

I cover a range of stories for WDRB, but really enjoy tracking what's going on at our State Capitol. I grew up on military bases all over the world, but am a Kentuckian at heart. I'm an EKU alum, and have lived in Louisville for 30 years.
A man is in critical condition following a shooting on Armory Place in downtown Louisville on Sept. 1, 2021.
Local

THE NEXT GENERATION: What drove these young Jefferson County firefighters to volunteer

Pam Chickering Wilson The next generation of Jefferson firefighters, including three Jefferson High School students in training this year and two recent recruits who started out when they were in high school. They are, from left, Brady Wendt, Jefferson High School senior; Bryce Wegner, 2014 Jefferson High School graduate; Nick Drew, 2017 Fort Atkinson High School graduate; Olivia Reimer, Jefferson High School senior; and Brady Lehman, Jefferson High School junior.

JEFFERSON  Brady Wendt wanted to follow in his fathers footsteps. Olivia Reimer came to firefighting after she already had started Emergency Medical Technician training. And Brady Lehman was searching for a career direction that had meaning.

These three Jefferson High School students have committed to an extensive, full-year training under the auspices of the Jefferson Fire Department, with hopes of becoming part of the next generation of firefighters.

The trio is well on its way to completing the program that has bolstered the fire departments ranks in a time when volunteers are growing evermore sparse.

Among the others who have come through the program in recent years and who remain with the department are Bryce Wegner, a 2014 Jefferson High School graduate, and Nick Drew, a 2017 Fort Atkinson High School graduate.

The Daily Union sat down with the three trainees and the two young firefighters to see what drove them to make this commitment  and how to get others to follow their example.

My old man has been a firefighter since I was born, said Wendt, a high school senior. I look up to him and he inspired me to go for it myself.

Wendt said that the experience so far has been very rewarding.

I really love it, he said. Theres nothing Id rather do.

Reimer, also a high school senior, said she never really expected to train as a firefighter. She did have a strong interest in emergency medicine, however, and after she entered EMT training, Wegner convinced her to try for firefighter certification, too.

I have come to love it as well, she said.

Reimer said she was fortunate to be able to graduate a semester early in order to focus on her dual training.

Lehman, a high school junior, said he planned to play sports at the college level but still was scouting out career possibilities after college. Hes friends with Wendt, and thought firefighting could offer a future path through which he really could make a difference.

Drew said he signed on to train as a firefighter in August 2016, the summer before his senior year.

Though he attended Fort Atkinson High School, Drew actually lives in Jefferson, and has strong connections with the local law enforcement and emergency service community through his father, (now retired) police captain Mike Drew.

Volunteering for the fire department seemed almost inevitable for Bryce Wegner, the third generation of his family to serve the local department. His grandfather served as a firefighter for 50 years, and his dad, who has been with the department for three decades, is the current chief.

Going through the rigorous firefighter training while in high school certainly takes a high level of commitment, but also it brings rewards.

Lehman said he is appreciating the up close and personal education he is getting in an essential community service.

Reimer said for her, the reward is in knowing shell be able to give back to the community that has done so much for her.

Bryce Wegner said being part of the fire department has given him a community connection that almost would be impossible to achieve by other means.

In the meantime, the firefighting education he received while in high school has allowed him to land a full-time job in the field, doing what he loves.

One of the biggest payouts for me is the high level of professionalism the job demands, Drew said. That really sets you apart.

Drew said his experience and training as a firefighter really helped him in his career. Right now, he works for the City of Whitewater as a wastewater treatment plant operator.

Another reward is all the relationships you build within the department, Lehman said. Right now, Im interacting with all of these guys (and women) Id never talk to outside the department.
Weatherford, TX (76086)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 65F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 65F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.
HONOLULU (AP)  A 24-year-old Illinois woman submitted a fake COVID-19 vaccination card to visit Hawaii with a glaring spelling error that led to her arrest: Moderna was spelled Maderna," according to court documents.

In order to bypass Hawaii's 10-day traveler quarantine, she uploaded a vaccination card to the state's Safe Travels program and arrived in Honolulu Aug. 23 on a Southwest Airlines flight, the documents said.

Airport screeners found suspicious errors ... such as Moderna was spelled wrong and that her home was in Illinois but her shot was taken at Delaware, Wilson Lau, a special agent with the Hawaii attorney general's investigation division, wrote in an email to a Delaware official who confirmed there was no vaccination record for the woman under her name and birth date.

The email is included in documents filed in court. She was charged with two misdemeanor counts of violating Hawaii's emergency rules to control the spread of COVID-19. She had been in custody on $2,000 bail until a judge released her at a hearing Wednesday and scheduled another hearing in three weeks, according the public defender's office.

State Public Defender James Tabe, whose office represented her at hearings this week, declined to comment on her case, noting it's not clear if she'll hire her own attorney or apply to have a public defender represent her.

The voicemail at a number listed for her in court documents was full Wednesday. She didn't immediately respond to a text message from The Associated Press.

In addition to the suspicious card, authorities determined that the travel information she provided listed she would be staying at a Waikiki Holiday Inn but didn't include a reservation number and return flight information, court documents said.

An assistant manager at the hotel confirmed to Lau that she didn't have a reservation. Lau said in the court document that he tried to call the number she listed, but her voicemail was full. He said he emailed her and didn't get a response.

Lau said he searched for her on Facebook and found a photo showing a distinctive tattoo on her left hip area.

The tattoo helped authorities find her at a Southwest Airlines counter when she was trying to leave Honolulu on Aug. 28, the court document said. She showed her ID and vaccination card to Lau, who informed her she was being arrested for falsifying vaccination documents.

Other visitors to Hawaii have been arrested for fake vaccination cards, including a father and son from California, who appeared in court via Zoom Wednesday and waived their rights to a jury trial.

____

This story corrects the day of the week of the legal hearings to Wednesday.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  Nebraska state government is stepping in to help shuffle patients between local hospitals that are dealing with a surge of people with the coronavirus and other health issues, Gov. Pete Ricketts said Wednesday.

Ricketts said the state has partnered with Nomi Health, the creators of the TestNebraska program, to offer call centers that overcrowded hospitals can contact when they need to transfer patients elsewhere. The around-the-clock call centers will serve as coordinators for in-state hospitals to try to keep them from getting overwhelmed, at a cost of $200,000 a month.

The announcement is another sign that the state is once again struggling with coronavirus cases, even though most of the hospitalizations are patients without the virus. State officials opened a similar call center last year but ended the program after the number of cases and hospitalizations declined. The new call center is scheduled to open Saturday.

Nebraska's hospitals reported to the state Wednesday that 72% of their 3,234 beds were occupied, although some facilities were far more crowded and having to send patients to other places. Ricketts relaxed licensing restrictions for nurses last week in an attempt to fix severe staffing shortages.

The big challenge for hospitals is keeping patient numbers at levels that are manageable for their employees, said Angie Ling, the pandemic incident commander for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Our medical staff are hurting something fierce right now, Ling said.

The state reported 342 coronavirus hospitalizations on Wednesday, up only slightly from the 337 counted last week. State officials have speculated that the surge in non-virus patients may be due to people who delayed medical treatment earlier in the pandemic.

Ricketts also reiterated his opposition to mask mandates for schoolchildren, saying the decision should be left to parents, despite concerns from some parents and school officials that the virus could easily spread in classrooms.

Dr. Gary Anthone, the state's chief medical officer, also urged residents to get vaccinated but said that high-risk people who get infected with the virus should contact a doctor early to see if they're eligible for a monoclonal antibody treatment, which has been shown to minimize symptoms. Anthone said Nebraska has 46 sites where the treatment is available, and the state's health providers gave 241 infusions last week.

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COLCHESTER  First Selectwoman Mary Bylone imposed a town-wide mask mandate for indoor buildings earlier this week in response to the states surging infections of the delta variant.

The rule went into effect at noon on Monday, according to a declaration on the towns website.

The First Selectman has determined that in order to slow the spread of the Delta variant, protect our residents and those visiting, and conducting business within our communities, it is right and proper and consistent with good public health practices to follow the current CDC guidelines on wearing masks or face coverings in indoor settings regardless of vaccination status, it read.

The message further stated that the mandate will remain in effect until Oct. 29, though Bylone said Thursday the deadline could be either cut short or extended depending on the spread of the virus.

Like many other local leaders in eastern Connecticut, Bylone had said she was hesitant to impose a local mask mandate after Gov. Ned Lamont granted municipalities the authority to do so early last month. Larger cities, such as Stamford, Bridgeport and New Haven, were quick to take action on their own.

Bylone told Hearst Connecticut Media last month that she had no intention of mandating anything in the community, after she ordered that face coverings be worn in Town Hall and other public buildings.

Since then, case rates in Colchester and most other municipalities in the state have surged into the red zone defined by the states Department of Public Health. Colchester reported 12 active cases of the virus as of the latest state report released Thursday. That was down from 16 the previous week.

So many towns now are in the red-alert area, Bylone said Thursday. Stuff did not stabilize.

Bylone said she hoped the mandate would heighten awareness, and help avoid the need for stricter regulations, such as closing businesses. The majority of residents were wearing masks indoors anyway, she added.

Other towns in the region, including Salem, have imposed their own local mask mandates as well.
Dr. Zane Saul has some advice for how those not vaccinated against COVID should spend their Labor Day weekend.

Stay home, said Saul, chief of infectious disease at Bridgeport Hospital. He said holiday weekends such as the one approaching can be a huge opportunity for disease spread.

Theres unmasking and crowds and people being too close together when they shouldnt be, he said.

Saul is echoing the advice of local health professionals and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

During a White House COVID-19 Response Team briefing Tuesday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky advised that Americans  particularly those not vaccinated against COVID-19  stay home over the Labor Day weekend.

First and foremost, if you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling, Walensky said in the briefing.

She said those who are vaccinated and willing to wear masks can travel, but should consider avoiding it if possible.

The CDC recommends on its website that people delay traveling until they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, because travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19.

The advice comes amid the rise of the delta COVID variant, which experts say is more transmissible than previous strains, and surges in several states, including Texas and Florida.

Connecticuts daily positivity rate  which soared to nearly 5 percent on Tuesday  dipped to 2.97 percent on Wednesday. Hospitalizations continued to decline slightly with three fewer patients, bringing the statewide total to 360.

Though Saul and other experts said Connecticut is not experiencing the same surging number of cases as other places around the country, the state is enduring a COVID spike.

The rate is still high (in Connecticut), said Dr. Steven Valassis, chairman of emergency medicine at St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport. Multiple counties have high COVID transmission rate.

Considering the circumstances, he said, everyone should remain vigilant.

Whenever weve had holiday weekends in the past, weve always seen spikes follow that, he said. Now we have this delta variant thats more easily spread and make people sicker. And that coincides with children going back to school, and people traveling to college.

Valassis said risk is plentiful, especially with those under 12 not yet eligible for the vaccine.

Enjoy the weekend with your family, but staying close to home makes sense, he said.
NEW YORK (AP)  The Vatican has concluded that allegations of sexual abuse dating back a half century against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn do not "have the semblance of truth," but an attorney for the accusers said they would press forward with their civil cases.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, said Wednesday that the Vatican has closed its investigation into allegations made separately by two men, who accused the bishop, Nicholas DiMarzio, of abusing them a half century ago when he was a priest in New Jersey.

DiMarzio denied the accusations made by his accusers, both of whom have filed civil claims against him.

I repeat what I have said from the beginning. There is no truth to these allegations. Throughout my more than 50-year ministry as a priest, I have never abused anyone, DiMarzio said in a statement. He said he fully cooperated with the investigation.

I remain focused on leading the Diocese of Brooklyn as we are emerging from the darkness of the Coronavirus pandemic, he said. I ask for your prayers as I continue to fight against the lawsuits stemming from these two allegations, and as I now look forward to clearing my name in the New Jersey state courts.

The Vaticans handling of the case was being closely watched because it was among the first to come under new procedures put in place two years ago by Pope Francis to address allegations of sexual abuse against some of the churchs highest ranking clergy.

Critics, including the lawyer for his accusers, expressed concern that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, comprised of other bishops, would lack impartiality.

The investigations concerning the credibility of my clients were subjective and biased because the investigators were controlled by and paid for by the Catholic Church, said the men's attorney, Mitchell Garabedian.

The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, which rendered the decision, is in the business of continuing the secrecy of clergy sexual abuse by hiding the truth, Garabedian asserted.

One of his accusers, Samier Tadros, said the abuse began when he was 6 years old and a parishioner at Holy Rosary Church in Jersey City.

Tadros, who is now 48, has demanded $20 million in compensation.

The Associated Press does not typically identify victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Tadros has done.

In response to the allegations, Dolan hired a law firm to conduct an investigation. That inquiry was led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh.

The findings were then forwarded to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for its review, which determined that the accusations were baseless.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, more commonly known as SNAP, said it was not surprised by the Vatican's actions and urged New York Attorney General Letitia James to conduct its own investigation.

Given Bishop DiMarzios high rank in the Catholic Church  and especially given the fact that he had been tapped by Vatican leaders to investigate other prelates accused of wrongdoing  we believe true transparency and accountability will need to come from secular officials in New York and New Jersey, not Rome, SNAP said in a statement.

The Attorney General's Office did not have immediate comment.

Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a Boston-based group that has amassed a vast online archive of documents and reports alleging sexual wrongdoing by Catholic clergy, questioned the Catholic Church's transparency in the matter and called on the Church to release all documents related to its investigation.

Even if their investigation was thorough, she said, only Cardinal Dolan had the power to filter and interpret the evidence before sending it to the Vatican.

Given the findings of the Vatican body, Dolan said in his announcement, it will not authorize any further canonical process to address the accusations.
Kentucky State Police carried out four simultaneous operations that put 46 human traffickers behind bars, and brought 21 victims to safety.

Detectives are calling it Operation United Front and they say it works.

Police say human trafficking is relatively new. Its something that law enforcement says, they havent had a whole lot of experience dealing with.

Often times, trafficking goes across state lines, so agencies across the country are now coming together to share intel and bring trafficking operations down.

12 other states were involved in the operations of their own. All together 102 arrests were made.

However, no other state matched Kentuckys results. Oklahoma was the state with the second highest number of arrests. They had 13.

Kentucky State Trooper Corey King says, If you look at Kentucky alone, and this should be a warning to many parents, Kentucky is ranked 26th in the nation of population. We're 9th in human trafficking. It ought to tell you, there's something to us being 26th in population, yet 9th in human trafficking. It's here.

Investigators say several of these cases were conducted through social media. Perpetrators would show up thinking they were going to meet a young girl and were met with law enforcement instead. This is something that police say parents need to be aware of.

If it is willing to be in beautiful, small town USA, it's everywhere, says Trooper King.

Law enforcement says technology, cell phones, and social media are a perpetrators playground. Theyre urging parents to monitor their childrens activity online, because that is where human trafficking is at now.
The family of a Pennsylvania man who died in the custody of the Evansville Police Department back in September of 2019 has filed a lawsuit against the City of Evansville and three Evansville police officers claiming wrongful death.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday, states that the then-55-year-old man, Edward C. Snukis, wrongfully died in the custody of EPD. It lists officers Trevor Koontz, Matthew Taylor, and Nicholas Hackworth as defendants in the case.

Bodycam footage from 2019 shows Edward Snukis being taken into custody by EPD officers Bodycam footage from 2019 shows Edward Snukis being taken into custody by EPD officers

Back in 2019, EPD officers were originally dispatched to a business on Division Street for a reportedly intoxicated person, who was later identified as Snukis.

Bodycam footage showed officers approach Snukis and attempt to place him in custody. The footage shows Snukis run from the officers and a stun gun being used on him.

After Snukis' death, the coroner's report said that he had methamphetamine in his system and died from heart-related complications while in Evansville police custody.

The lawsuit claims the officers used excessive, unjustified force that led to Snukis' death. It says the officers neglected their duty to provide Snukis with medical attention.

The lawsuit also claims that the City of Evansville failed to provide adequate training to its officers on the use of force, and that it failed to investigate the conduct of the officers and the totality of the circumstances that led to Snukis' death.

The family's attorney, Mark Miller, says the case is difficult and they are doing what they can to serve justice.

"We've prepared for this so that we are essentially trial-ready. We could go to trial in three months if we had to. So, I'm pretty confident in the allegations in the complaint being supported by facts." said Miller.

Following the incident, EPD conducted an internal investigation but said that it found no evidence of wrongdoing.

The lawsuit demands that the case be taken to trial.
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In 2005, a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled into New Orleans four days after Hurricane Katrina, and more events that happened on this day in history.

Video 1864: William T. Sherman 1944: George Herbert Walker Bush 1945: Japanese Surrender 1960: Wilma Rudolph 1963: Tuskegee High School 2005: New Orleans 2008: Republicans 2011: Barack Obama 2016: Barack Obama 2016: Tropical Storm Hermine 2018: John McCain 2019: Boat Fire 2020: Daniel Prude 2020: The German Government
A hearing that could have determined whether a Missouri man will be freed from prison after serving more than 40 years has been postponed
Children are making up an increasing number of patients filling Missouri hospitals during the summer COVID-19 surge, and some doctors worry that the return to school will lead to more illnesses
Quincy, IL (62301)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 58F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 58F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Office Assistant, Rome, Italy

Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Country: Italy

City: Rome

Office: FAO Rome

Closing date: Tuesday, 21 September 2021

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT : 2102423

Office Assistant

Job Posting: 31/Aug/2021

Closure Date: 21/Sep/2021, 9:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit : HQ

Job Type: Staff position

Type of Requisition : General Service

Grade Level : G-4

Primary Location: Italy-Rome

Duration : one year with possibility of extension

Post Number : 0024783, 0056227

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are bas ed on date and time settings of your personal device

Staff in the General Service category are recruited locally from the Primary Location area, which is where the office is located

FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture

Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member nations and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply

Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

This vacancy announcement is for two positions located as follows:

One position in the Investment Centre (CFI) promotes investment in food security, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and agro-processing in developing countries and countries in transition, assisting governments and country stakeholders, main development partners, in particular international financing institutions with the strategic planning and implementation of their investments to achieve food security and nutrition, make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more sustainable and productive, reduce rural poverty, make food value chains more efficient and inclusive and promote climate change adaptation and/or mitigation. CFI is a multidisciplinary centre composed of four regionally focused services, namely Eastern, Central and Southern Africa Service, Asia and the Pacific Service, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean Service, and Near East, North Africa, and West Africa Service.

One position in the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) promotes integration of innovative approaches in the activities of the Organization, for the sustainable use, management and conservation of natural resources for food and agriculture. OCB assists member countries in their responses towards the challenge of climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as the development of adaptive capacities of agriculture, fisheries and forestry for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and other natural resources. It provides a coordination role on climate change, biodiversity and the environment. The Office also serves as the focal point for a multidisciplinary and global approach to UNFCCC, CBD and topics on bioenergy as well as undertaking work and providing support and guidance on assessment, management and tenure issues.

Main Purpose

The Office Assistant performs a large variety of routine administrative transactions and office support functions contributing to the smooth and efficient running of the work unit.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Office Assistant in CFI reports to one or more Professional staff and receives guidance from a higher graded Office Assistant/Executive Associate. He/she acts independently in routine matters. Supervision received is focused on the quality of the work performed and provides for on-the-job learning.

The Office Assistant in OCB reports to the Coordinator of GCF team in OCB. The incumbent operates independently and takes decisions on work priorities and exercises initiative for dealing with cases without precedents. Supervision received is focused on the quality of work outputs. He/ she provides guidance and advice to other office support staff.

Working Relationships

The Office Assistant usually interacts with a wide variety of colleagues within the work unit and with immediate clients within the Organization, providing routine administrative and office support services.

Key Functions/Results

Arrange appointments for the supervisor, receive visitors, place and screen telephone calls and respond to routine requests for information;

Provide office, administrative and logistics support to meetings, committees, conferences, etc.;

Review, record, distribute and process incoming mail and correspondence; follow-up on pending actions;

Respond or draft responses to standard/ routine correspondence and other communications; use word processing package to produce a wide variety of large, complex documents and reports;

Proofread documents and format texts for accuracy, grammar, punctuation and style, as well as for adherence to established standards;

Initiate general administrative tasks in the computerized financial / travel / human resources systems;

Make travel and hotel arrangements and prepare travel authorizations/claims for staff as required;

Provide assistance in the administrative processing of vacancy announcements and consultants contracts;

Research, compile and organize information and reference materials from various sources for reports; create spreadsheets and presentations; manage and update databases for mailing lists and other information; and maintain electronic and paper files;

Perform other duties as required.

Impact Of Work

The incumbents work impacts on the timely and efficient delivery of office support services and on the overall output of the work unit.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING Minimum Requirements

Education: Secondary School Education Experience: Three years of relevant experience in office support work Languages: Working knowledge (Level C) of English and limited knowledge (Level B) of one of the other FAO languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) IT Skills: Good knowledge of the MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment

Competencies

Results Focus

Teamwork

Communication

Building Effective Relationships

Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical Skills

Good knowledge of the communication and documentation standards

Good knowledge of corporate computerized financial / travel / human resources systems and administrative procedures and policies

Desirable Qualifications and Skills

For position 0024783 in CFI: Good knowledge of consultant recruitment and travel corporate procedures; Knowledge of CFI investment operations and partners;

For position 0056227 in OCB: Good knowledge of the organizational structure; Working knowledge of French; Good experience in organizing virtual meetings/events (zoom, teams)

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified applicants may include an assessment exercise and a technical / competency-based interview.

FAO staff are expected to adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO,

Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)

Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/

The length of the appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to extension of appointments

General Service Staff are recruited locally. To be eligible for this position, candidates must be nationals of the country of the duty station or possess an existing visa/work permit, and reside within commuting distance of the duty station at the time of the application."Commuting distance" means the distance within which staff members can travel daily between their place of work and their residence.

No international benefits will be payable as selected candidates are recruited locally and paid in the local currency of the office location

Other similar positions may be filled from this vacancy notice

For additional information visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

REMUNERATION A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries allowances/salary.htm

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Once completed, please apply and submit your application, with language certificates as attachments. Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications. FAO reserves the right to request candidates to undertake a language test in the future, as appropriate

Incomplete applications will not be considered

Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered

If you need assistance please contact: Careers@fao.org

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1630436551212
WILTON  In late August, Police Capt. Robert Cipolla said that Tropical Depression Henri was really a non-event, that caused just under 30 outages town-wide. On Wednesday, the residual effects of Hurricane Ida were much more severe.

In terms of outages, we saw a little over 200, Cipolla said Thursday morning. He added that the most significant outage cluster affected upwards of 70 household in the Chestnut Hill area of town.

The police captain added that Eversource, the energy company that services Wilton and most of Connecticut, said that residents in the area could expect power back around 11 a.m. Thursday.

There was definitely some flooding in parts of town, Cipolla said.

The Wilton Fire Department did have to make an emergency call on the north end of town, as firefighters had to extricate an elderly resident from her residence, Cipolla said, adding there was severe flooding leading up to the first floor.

They were able to access her and relocate her, Cipolla said. The woman was picked up by a relative shortly thereafter.

On Thursday, the Riverbrook Regional YMCA delayed its opening due to substantial flooding in its parking lot, which is located just off of Danbury Road and abuts the Norwalk River.

Additionally, Wilton saw two closures on Thursday due to debris from the Wednesday night storm  one on Branch Brook Road and one on Spoonwood Road.

Cipolla said that there were no road closures solely due to flooding. There were also no areas of town that were evacuated.

The Emergency Operations Center was not activated during the storm, but Cipolla said that Police Chief John Lynch was in constant communications with all town entities.

We definitely have some cleanup, Cipolla said.

Trees and downed debris are being taken care of by the Department of Public Works. Eversource will have to handle any affected power lines. Cipolla said there are some scattered areas throughout town that need to be cleaned, be he does not anticipate this to be a week-long venture.

All roads should be cleaned by the end of today, Cipolla said, adding debris should be handled by the weeks end.
NEW YORK (AP)  A stunned U.S. East Coast faced a rising death toll, surging rivers and tornado damage Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the region with record-breaking rain, drowning at least 46 people in their homes and cars.

A home that was damaged by a possible tornado is seen on the corner of Josephine and Marvin Lanes in Harrison Township, N.J, Wednesday Sept. 1, 2021. The remnants of hurricane Ida brought heavy rains and possible tornadoes to the area (Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

NEW YORK (AP)  A stunned U.S. East Coast faced a rising death toll, surging rivers and tornado damage Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the region with record-breaking rain, drowning at least 46 people in their homes and cars.

In a region that had been warned about potentially deadly flash flooding but hadn't braced for such a blow from the no-longer-hurricane, the storm killed people from Maryland to Connecticut on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

At least 23 people died in New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said. At least 13 people were killed in New York City, police said, 11 of them in flooded basement apartments, which often serve as relatively affordable homes in one of the nations most expensive housing markets. Suburban Westchester County reported three deaths.

Officials said at least five people died in Pennsylvania, including one killed by a falling tree and another who drowned in his car after helping his wife to escape. A Connecticut state police sergeant, Brian Mohl, perished after his cruiser was swept away. Another death was reported in Maryland.

Sophy Liu said she tried using towels and garbage bags to stop the water coming into her first-floor New York City apartment, but the flood rose to her chest in just a half hour. She roused her son from bed, put him in a life jacket and inflatable swimming ring and tried to flee, but the door stuck. She called two friends who helped her jar it loose.

A subway station that had earlier flooded remains closed after a state of emergency was declared in New York Thursday, Sept 2, 2021, as the remnants of Hurricane Ida remained powerful as it moved along the Eastern seaboard. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

I was obviously scared, but I had to be strong for my son. I had to calm him down, she recalled Thursday as medical examiners removed three bodies from a home down her Queens street.

In another part of Queens, water rapidly filled Deborah Torres' first-floor apartment to her knees as her landlord frantically urged her neighbors below  among them a toddler  to get out, she said. But the water rushed in so strongly that she surmised they weren't able to open the door. The three residents died.

I have no words," she said. How can something like this happen?

The Manayunk section is flooded in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Ida's soggy remnants merged with a storm front and soaked the Interstate 95 corridor, meteorologists said. Similar weather has followed hurricanes before, but experts said it was slightly exacerbated by climate change  warmer air holds more rain  and urban settings, where expansive pavement prevents water from seeping into the ground.

The National Hurricane Center had warned since Tuesday of the potential for significant and life-threatening flash flooding" and major river flooding in the mid-Atlantic region and New England.

Still, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the storm's strength took them by surprise.

The lights of Times Square in New York are reflected in standing water Thursday, Sept 2, 2021, as Hurricane Ida left behind not just water on city streets but wind damage and severe flooding along the Eastern seaboard. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

"We did not know that between 8:50 and 9:50 p.m. last night, that the heavens would literally open up and bring Niagara Falls level of water to the streets of New York, said Hochul, a Democrat who became governor last week after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned.

De Blasio, also a Democrat, said he'd gotten a forecast Wednesday of 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 cm) of rain for the day. The city's Central Park ended up getting 3.15 inches in just one hour, surpassing the previous one-hour high of 1.94 inches (5 cm) during Tropical Storm Henri on Aug. 21.

Wednesday's storm ultimately dumped over 9 inches (23 cm) of rain in parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and nearly as much on New York Citys Staten Island.

Cars make their way through flooded streets and around abandoned cars in Teterboro, N.J., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

In Washington, President Joe Biden assured Northeast residents that federal first responders were on the ground to help clean up.

In New York, nearly 500 vehicles were abandoned on flooded highways, garbage bobbed in streaming streets and water cascaded into the city's subway tunnels, trapping at least 17 trains and disrupting service all day. Videos online showed riders standing on seats in swamped cars. All were safely evacuated, with police aiding 835 riders and scores of people elsewhere, including a 94-year-old man on a highway, Chief of Department Rodney Harrison said.

At one Queens development, neighbors unsuccessfully tried for an hour to save a 48-year-old woman after water broke through the glass patio door of her basement apartment, trapping her in 6 feet (2 meters) of water.

A vehicle is under water during flooding in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

She was screaming, Help me, help me, help me! We all came to her aid, trying to get her out," said the buildings assistant superintendent, Jayson Jordan, but "the thrust of the water was so strong.

Residents said they have complained for years about flooding on another Queens street, where a woman and her 22-year-old son died in a basement apartment. Her husband and the couple's other son were spared only because they stepped out to move a car, next-door neighbor Lisa Singh said.

No one should have to go this way. I feel like this was 100% avoidable, she said.

Vehicles are under water during flooding in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Police were still going door-to-door in flooded areas Thursday evening and didn't have a firm number of unaccounted-for people, Harrison said.

In Elizabeth, New Jersey, rain and river flooding in an apartment complex killed four people and forced 600 from their homes, Mayor J. Christian Bollwage said.

Greg Turner, who lives elsewhere in the northern New Jersey city, said his 87-year-old mother started calling 911 when water began rising in her apartment at 8 p.m. He and his brother couldn't get there because of the deluge.

Damage to the side of a building from the remnants of Hurricane Ida is shown on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the Queens borough of New York. Three people were killed when several feet of water collapsed the wall to their basement apartment and flooded the apartment. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

As midnight approached, the water reached her neck, he said. Rescuers finally cut through the floor of the apartment above and pulled her to safety.

She lost everything," Turner said as he headed to a bank for money to buy his mother clothes and shoes.

In New Jersey's Milford Borough, authorities said they found a mans body in a car buried up to its hood in dirt and rocks.

Democratic candidate for mayor of New York Eric Adams, center, talks to reporters outside a home where people were killed when their basement apartment was flooded in the Jamaica neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in New York. The remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped historic rain over New York City, flooding the region with water as freeways and boulevards turned into rivers, submerging cars.(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The National Weather Service said the ferocious storm also spawned at least 10 tornadoes from Maryland to Massachusetts, including a 150-mph (241 kph) twister that splintered homes and toppled silos in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, south of Philadelphia.

"It just came through and ripped, said resident Jeanine Zubrzycki, 33, who hid in her basement with her three children as their house shook and lights flickered.

And then you could just hear people crying, said Zubrzycki, 33, whose home was damaged but livable.

A person walks in floodwaters in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Record flooding along the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania inundated homes, highways and commercial buildings, even as meteorologists warned that rivers likely wont crest for a few more days. The riverside community of Manayunk remained largely under water.

The Schuyilkill reached levels not seen in over 100 years in Philadelphia, where firefighters were still getting calls about minor building collapses and people stuck in flooded cars Thursday morning. The managers of a 941-unit apartment complex near the river ordered residents to evacuate, citing deteriorating conditions after water rushed into the parking garage and pool areas.

In suburban Bucks County, several firefighters had to be rescued after floodwaters pinned a rescue boat against a bridge pier, state emergency management director Randy Padfield said.

An employee of United Automatic Fire Sprinkler helps to clean up after the business was flooded from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area in Woodland Park, N.J., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Others were unable to escape the floods, including Donald Bauer, who was driving home to Perkiomenville with his wife after attending their daughters volleyball game at DeSales University, near Allentown.

Their SUV stalled in the water and floated into a house, breaking the back window, said Darby Bauer, who was on the phone with his parents when the engine died. Donald Bauer helped his wife, Katherine, escape out the broken window and urged her to go, their son said.

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She clung to a tree and watched the rising waters carry the SUV out of sight, he said. She was rescued about an hour later and hospitalized.

Cars and trucks are stranded by high water Thursday, Sept 2, 2021, on the Major Deegan Expressway in Bronx borough of New York as high water left behind by Hurricane Ida still stands on the highway hours later. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Donald Bauer, a 65-year-old retired school bus driver, had one of the biggest hearts we knew, his son said. He was selfless down to his last act.

Authorities used boats to rescue people in places from North Kingstown, Rhode Island, to Frederick County, Maryland, where 10 children and a driver were pulled from a school bus.

On Sunday, Ida struck Louisiana as the fifth-strongest storm to ever hit the U.S. mainland, leaving 1 million people without power, maybe for weeks.

___

Porter reported from Elizabeth, New Jersey. Contributing were AP reporters Karen Matthews and Michael R. Sisak in New York; Seth Borenstein and Darlene Superville in Washington; Mark Pratt in Waltham, Massachusetts; in New Jersey, Maryclaire Dale in Mullica Hill, Michael Catalini and Shawn Marsh in Trenton, and Wayne Parry in Point Pleasant; in Connecticut, Dave Collins in Hartford and Pat Eaton-Robb in Columbia; and in Pennsylvania, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia, Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg and Michael Rubinkam in northeastern Pennsylvania.
VICTORIA - B.C. Premier John Horgan expressed his gratitude to health-care workers on Wednesday after protests outside some hospitals in the province.

An ambulance passes through a crowd of people protesting COVID-19 vaccine passports and mandatory vaccinations for health-care workers, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. The protest began outside Vancouver General Hospital and police estimated the crowd gathered to be as many as 5,000 people. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VICTORIA - B.C. Premier John Horgan expressed his gratitude to health-care workers on Wednesday after protests outside some hospitals in the province.

The provincial government will require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 later this month from residents participating in non-essential activities, such as visiting restaurants, gyms and movie theatres.

Demonstration against the government's approach on COVID-19 outside hospitals caused Horgan to issue a statement in support of health-care workers.

"Health-care workers have been true heroes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, working long hours in difficult conditions to care for us, our loved ones and to keep our communities safe," he said in the statement.

"While everyone has the right to peaceful protest, the targeting and harassment of health-care workers at health-care facilities today is completely unacceptable."

Horgan said the intent of COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions since the start of the pandemic has been to keep people healthy and that remains the province's top priority.

In Vancouver, police advised motorists on Wednesday afternoon to avoid an area around city hall and the Vancouver General Hospital because of the size of a protest.

On Twitter, Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart told protesters to "go the hell home" as he expressed his pride at the city's vaccination rate, with more than 90 per cent of those eligible having received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

"So when I see folks blocking health-care workers who are working flat out to save people dying of COVID, it makes me sick."

Kathy MacNeil, president and CEO of the Island Health authority, said some workers at health-care facilities were verbally abused as they came to and from work, and at least one staff member was physically assaulted.

"I am proud my country supports the democratic right to peaceful protest. However, some of todays protests disrupted safe access to health-care facilities," she said in a statement. "

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"Our health-care teams deserve respect and support, no matter what personal beliefs we hold."

British Columbia reported 785 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday as the number of people being treated in intensive care units climbed. The province said 199 people were in hospital and 112 of them were in ICU.

Two more people have died of the virus, for a total of 1,818 deaths.

The Interior Health region had 2,299 active cases, compared with 1,504 cases in Fraser Health, the province's largest region and previously the epicentre of the pandemic in B.C.

Modelling of projected cases presented by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry this week suggests the number of daily cases in B.C. could pass 1,000 by the end of the month.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2021.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Unions infectious diseases agency on Thursday urged countries to push ahead with their primary coronavirus vaccination programs and played down the need for booster shoots to ward off the delta variant among the general public.

BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Unions infectious diseases agency on Thursday urged countries to push ahead with their primary coronavirus vaccination programs and played down the need for booster shoots to ward off the delta variant among the general public.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said that approved vaccines are currently highly effective in limiting the impact of COVID-19. The priority now should be to vaccinate all those eligible individuals who have not yet completed their recommended vaccination course, it said.

After a slow start to Europes vaccine drive, the EUs executive branch, the European Commission, announced this week that on average 70% of adults are fully vaccinated across the 27-nation bloc. But national vaccination rates vary, with Bulgaria and Romania notably slow with their programs.

On Wednesday, France became the first big EU country to start administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccine to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions as the delta variant spreads in the country. Spanish health authorities are considering similar action.

The ECDC said additional shots should be considered for people with severely weakened immune systems if the first shots dont protect them well enough, but that there is no urgent need for the administration of booster doses of vaccines to fully vaccinated individuals in the general population.

Its common for protection from vaccines to decrease over time. For now, vaccines authorized in the EU and U.S. continue to offer very strong protection against severe disease and death, but their ability to prevent infection is dropping markedly due to the delta surge among nursing home patients and others.

Still, many countries are struggling to administer first doses of COVID-19 vaccines and the World Health Organization had called for a moratorium on boosters and has also urged governments to donate vaccines to needy countries.

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Spains board of vaccine experts recommended on Wednesday that a third shot be administered to people with suppressed immune systems, like transplant recipients. Its national and regional health authorities will debate the issue on Sept. 8 at their weekly pandemic meeting.

EU commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker said Thursday that the bloc has enough shots should scientific evidence suggest that boosters might be broadly required.

He said that Brussels recently concluded a contract with vaccine-maker BioNTech-Pfizer for 1.8 billion additional doses from 2021 to 2023, and a second contract with Moderna for 150 million shots for the bloc, which has a population of some 450 million people.

We have taken the necessary measures to be ready, De Keersmaecker said.

___

AP writer Aritz Parra in Madrid contributed to this report.
HONOLULU (AP)  A 24-year-old Illinois woman submitted a fake COVID-19 vaccination card to visit Hawaii with a glaring spelling error that led to her arrest: Moderna was spelled Maderna," according to court documents.

This document provided by the Hawaii Attorney General's Office shows a fake COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card from a tourist visiting Hawaii. The Illinois woman submitted the fake card to avoid Hawaii's 10-day traveler quarantine, according to authorities, but there a glaring spelling error that led to her arrest: Moderna was misspelled "Maderna." (Hawaii Attorney General's Office via AP)

HONOLULU (AP)  A 24-year-old Illinois woman submitted a fake COVID-19 vaccination card to visit Hawaii with a glaring spelling error that led to her arrest: Moderna was spelled Maderna," according to court documents.

In order to bypass Hawaii's 10-day traveler quarantine, she uploaded a vaccination card to the state's Safe Travels program and arrived in Honolulu Aug. 23 on a Southwest Airlines flight, the documents said.

Airport screeners found suspicious errors ... such as Moderna was spelled wrong and that her home was in Illinois but her shot was taken at Delaware, Wilson Lau, a special agent with the Hawaii attorney general's investigation division, wrote in an email to a Delaware official who confirmed there was no vaccination record for the woman under her name and birth date.

The email is included in documents filed in court. She was charged with two misdemeanor counts of violating Hawaii's emergency rules to control the spread of COVID-19. She had been in custody on $2,000 bail until a judge released her at a hearing Wednesday and scheduled another hearing in three weeks, according the public defender's office.

State Public Defender James Tabe, whose office represented her at hearings this week, declined to comment on her case, noting it's not clear if she'll hire her own attorney or apply to have a public defender represent her.

The voicemail at a number listed for her in court documents was full Wednesday. She didn't immediately respond to a text message from The Associated Press.

In addition to the suspicious card, authorities determined that the travel information she provided listed she would be staying at a Waikiki Holiday Inn but didn't include a reservation number and return flight information, court documents said.

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An assistant manager at the hotel confirmed to Lau that she didn't have a reservation. Lau said in the court document that he tried to call the number she listed, but her voicemail was full. He said he emailed her and didn't get a response.

Lau said he searched for her on Facebook and found a photo showing a distinctive tattoo on her left hip area.

The tattoo helped authorities find her at a Southwest Airlines counter when she was trying to leave Honolulu on Aug. 28, the court document said. She showed her ID and vaccination card to Lau, who informed her she was being arrested for falsifying vaccination documents.

Other visitors to Hawaii have been arrested for fake vaccination cards, including a father and son from California, who appeared in court via Zoom Wednesday and waived their rights to a jury trial.

____

This story corrects the day of the week of the legal hearings to Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden on Thursday pledged robust federal help for the Northeastern and Gulf states battered by Hurricane Ida and for Western states beset by wildfires  with the catastrophes serving as deadly reminders that the climate crisis has arrived.

People walk up a street flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Jean Lafitte, La. Louisiana residents still reeling from flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Ida are scrambling for food, gas, water and relief from the oppressive heat. (AP Photo/John Locher)

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden on Thursday pledged robust federal help for the Northeastern and Gulf states battered by Hurricane Ida and for Western states beset by wildfires  with the catastrophes serving as deadly reminders that the climate crisis has arrived.

These extreme storms, and the climate crisis, are here, Biden said in a White House speech. We must be better prepared. We need to act.

The president said he will further press Congress to pass his nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill to improve roads, bridges, the electric grid and sewer systems. The proposal intends to ensure that the vital networks connecting cities and states and the country as a whole can withstand the flooding, whirlwinds and damage caused by increasingly dangerous weather. Biden stressed that the challenge transcends the politics of a deeply divided nation because of the threats posed by the storms and fires.

Flood waters still surround homes as residents try to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Myrtle Grove, La. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Its a matter of life and death and were all in this together, the president said.

Scientists say climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events  such as large tropical storms, and the droughts and heatwaves that create conditions for vast wildfires. U.S. weather officials recently reported that July 2021 was the hottest month ever recorded in 142 years of record-keeping.

Ida was the fifth-most powerful storm to strike the U.S. when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 150 mph (240 kph), likely causing tens of billions of dollars in flood, wind and other damage, including to the electrical grid. The storm's remnants dropped devastating rainfall across parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey on Wednesday, causing significant disruption to major population centers.

The storm has killed at least 13 in the Gulf Coast region and at least 46 in the Northeastern U.S.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, people on a airboat survey the damage to homes Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Myrtle Grove, La. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

More than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi remained without power after Ida toppled a major transmission tower and knocked out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations. New Orleans was plunged into total darkness; power began returning to parts of the city Wednesday. Biden is set to visit Louisiana on Friday to survey some of the damage and meet with government officials there.

Biden said the flooding in Louisiana was less than the region experienced 16 years ago during Hurricane Katrina, crediting federal investments in the area's levee system.

We know that there is much to be done in this response on our part," Biden added. "We need to get power restored. We need to get more food, fuel and water deployed.

He said he was receiving hourly updates on the disaster response and outlined efforts by the federal government to ease recovery efforts, including by making satellite imagery available to utility companies and waiving some regulatory requirements.

President Joe Biden speaks about the response to Hurricane Ida during an event in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

At Bidens request, the Energy Department said it was releasing 1.5 million barrels of oil from the nations Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure a steady fuel supply in the Gulf region, where sunken vessels are blocking key supply lines along the Mississippi River. The oil will be used by ExxonMobil at its Baton Rouge refinery. The company has agreed to replenish the strategic reserve, which is used as an emergency stockpile, within three months.

The president also scolded insurers who are declining to pay for the costs of damage or hotel stays for people who had to evacuate their homes.

Don't hide behind the fine print and technicalities, Biden warned the insurers. Do the right thing and pay your policyholders what you owe them.

Biden said separately that the Pentagon was assisting with ongoing firefighting operations in California against the Caldor fire.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards suggested Biden's Friday visit would be crucial for the president to understand the destruction by seeing the widespread damage for himself.

Theres nothing quite like visiting in person, Edwards told reporters Wednesday following a briefing with local elected officials in Jefferson Parish, which took direct blows from Ida. When you see it for yourself, it is just so much more compelling.

Asked what type of assistance he planned to request from Biden, Edwards said, Quite frankly, the list is going to be very, very long. But he said a priority would be for a housing program to help people rebuild.

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The White House says Biden has held several conference calls with governors and local officials to discuss preparations and needs after the storm, and has received briefings from Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell.

FEMA had sent tons of supplies, including generators, tarps and other materials to the region before the storm, and federal response teams are working on search and rescue.

Biden's trip Friday to the Gulf region will cap a difficult stretch for the president, who oversaw the chaotic exit of the U.S. military from Afghanistan after a 20-year engagement. That included the deaths of 13 U.S. service members helping evacuate more than 120,000 Americans, Afghan allies and others fleeing life under Taliban rule.

As Ida bore down on the Gulf Coast on Sunday, Biden was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the return of the remains of the 13 U.S. servicemen and women who were killed in suicide bombing last week at Afghanistan's airport in Kabul, where the evacuations were taking place.

___

Associated Press writers Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, La., and Christina Larson and Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.
TORONTO - CIBC has signed a deal to acquire the Canadian Costco credit card portfolio and become the exclusive issuer of Costco Mastercards in Canada as part of a push to diversify its card portfolio.

The CIBC bank logo is seen Tuesday, June 21, 2016 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

TORONTO - CIBC has signed a deal to acquire the Canadian Costco credit card portfolio and become the exclusive issuer of Costco Mastercards in Canada as part of a push to diversify its card portfolio.

The bank did not disclose financial terms, but said that the portfolio includes millions of credit cards with more than $3 billion in outstanding balances.

The deal will help CIBC expand its non-travel focused cards and opens the potential to draw Costco card holders to other CIBC products, said Laura Dottori-Attanasio, the bank's head of personal and business banking, in a statement Thursday.

"This relationship enables us to diversify our credit card portfolio in everyday rewards, grow our market share in payments, and provides a meaningful opportunity to deepen relationships," she said.

"We're committed to providing a great client experience and earning more of their business through our expert advice and industry-leading solutions as we help make their ambitions a reality."

The bank says existing Capital One Costco Mastercard cardholders can continue to use their current card until they receive their new CIBC Costco Mastercard, expected early next year. The bank said it will announce details on card rewards in the coming months.

The new CIBC Costco Mastercard will offer rewards for shopping at the more than 100 Canadian Costco warehouses and Costco.ca as well as serve as a Costco membership card.

The deal adds a Mastercard offering to CIBC's portfolio of Visa cards, including its Aventura and Aeroplan travel rewards card and its Dividend cash back cards.

Speaking on an investor call last week, company chief executive Victor Dodig said it was important that the bank have a balanced card portfolio.

"As the economy continues to normalize, our goal is to ensure we have both a strong travel and nontravel card presence to capture market share as consumer spending increases."

Scotiabank analyst Meny Grauman said in a note that adding a portfolio of this size in a mature market is certainly positive for CIBC, though questions remain about the profitability of the business given Costco's reputation for driving a hard bargain.

"The real prize here for CIBC will be the cross-selling opportunities to millions of affluent card holders, only a small portion of which are current CIBC customers."

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The deal will increase CIBC's total card balances by about 30 per cent to more than $13 billion to solidify its third place position in Canada for both outstanding balances and purchase volumes, said Grauman.

Banks have seen credit card transactions rise as spending increases, but balances on cards have remained lower as more consumers have been paying of their balances.

Statistics Canada said last week that Canadians had paid down $16.6 billion in credit card debt in the first year of the pandemic, leaving the outstanding balance at $74 billion in January 2021.

The 18.3 per cent balance decline was a sharp reversal of the trend over the past 20 years, which saw credit card balances rise on average by 20.7 per cent a year to reach a peak of $90.6 billion in February 2020.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CM)
NEW YORK (AP)  Landing a waitressing job or bartending gig at a Lost Dog Cafe in Northern Virginia had never been easy.

Karen Rosa, a bartender who was newly hired this year, works the bar at the Lost Dog Cafe, in Fairfax, Va., Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. Lost Dog is one of a growing number of companies that, in a desperation for hired hands, is loosening restrictions on everything from age to level of experience. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

NEW YORK (AP)  Landing a waitressing job or bartending gig at a Lost Dog Cafe in Northern Virginia had never been easy.

Help Wanted signs were a rarity, and half the chain's staff stuck around for at least 10 years. The onset of the pandemic made job prospects even worse when Lost Dog had to temporarily shut down indoor dining.

But as vaccinated patrons rushed back to eat out and once-loyal workers moved onto new opportunities, the business began struggling in May to fill the roughly 20% in vacancies on its service staff.

To address the shortage, it did something it hadn't done before: look to people without experience. It also started recruiting workers under 18.

Lost Dog is one of a growing number of companies that, in a desperation for hired hands, is loosening restrictions on everything from age to level of experience. Drug store chain CVS announced earlier in August it would no longer require a minimum high school degree to fill entry level spots at its stores. This year, it also plans to end its GPA requirement of 3.0 when it recruits on college campuses. Meanwhile, Amazon has stopped testing job seekers for marijuana.

The changing standards may have helped boost hiring this summer, even as many companies complained they couldn't find all the workers they need. Employers added a hefty 940,000 jobs in both June and July, lowering the unemployment rate to 5.4%.

On Friday, the government will release figures for August, and economists forecast they will show another 750,000 jobs were added that month, with unemployment falling to 5.2%. Some analysts worry job gains will come in lower because of the delta variant, but are optimistic about hiring in the fall.

The trend to relax the rules started about three years ago when the labor market started to tighten. It accelerated this past spring when employers were caught flat-footed as Americans enthusiastically emerged from months of pandemic lockdowns, eager to shop and dine again. At the same time, workers were reevaluating their jobs and whether the long hours were worth the paycheck.

The perfect storm led to record job openings, which increased to 10.1 million in June from 9.2 million in May at a rate of 6.5%  the highest since the Labor Department started tracking the numbers two decades ago. People voluntarily leaving their jobs increased to 3.9 million from 3.6 million in May.

Employers dangled incentives like higher hourly wages and extra bonuses but still had trouble filling openings. Data from various sources show that they are now more willing to let go of some restrictions that in the past have shut out certain populations from the workforce.

Job-hunting platform ZipRecruiter, which scrubs 16 million job postings of all types of work, says the percentage of jobs requiring a bachelors degree fell from nearly 15% in 2016 to just over 11% in 2020. But that figure dropped even more drastically to 7% from January to June of this year. For the percentage of job listings requiring no experience, the figure went from roughly 9.2% in 2016 to 14.3% in 2020, and jumped again to 18.6% for the first six months of this year.

Experts say many of the restrictions were artificial barriers that perpetually kept out low-income workers, particularly people of color. Education requirements, for instance, tend to favor white workers over Black. Compared with 47.1% of white adults, just 30.8% of Black adults have earned some form of college degree, according to the Educational Trust, an educational nonprofit.

Delta Air Lines says 95% percent of its jobs in customer service no longer require a four-year college degree, up from 78% back in the first quarter of 2020. Ashley Black, director of equity strategies at Delta, said the move was not directly because of any labor shortages; rather, it was about finding the right talent for the job and the organization.

Traditional hiring processes are highly subjective and can have multiple barriers that complicate access to economic opportunities for any potential talent," Black said. Still, this disproportionally impacts people of color. Without being able to easily and credibly assess skills, implicit bias can shape the recruiting and hiring processes.

Sarah White, a restaurant consultant and area manager for three independently owned and operated locations of The Lost Dog Cafe franchise, says the relaxed requirements have opened doors for job prospects who might have not been previously considered.

We get locked in these ideas of what the job looks like, White said. Now, we are getting people we wouldnt have hired before. And they have been some of the most amazing employees. It would have been our loss.

Karen Rosa, 32, started out as a server at the Lost Dog Cafe last September but then became a bartender without any experience. She says she can now pull in a steady $600 to $700 a week. She says her server's income was more volatile.

They gave me a chance," she said. "They were very helpful.

But there are downsides, too. White says shes been so desperate at times shes had to hire some servers who have bad attitudes and have actually scared away customers.

We dont have anyone to wait on them, but we are also losing them because they get service but its from someone that I wouldnt want serving them, she said.

Daniel Schneider, professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, says that the difficulties of finding good workers like servers underscores a lie that this is not skilled labor.

Not just anyone can step into these roles, he said. These are skilled jobs, and they should be compensated accordingly.

Companies say theyre making up for the lack of experience by doing a better job with training. Lost Dog now trains cooks on different types of menu items every day and also posts cocktail recipes on the back of the bar rail where customers cant see them. CVS just opened two new workforce innovation and talent centers in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where it works with faith-based and community organizations to find, train and place workers in jobs such as pharmacy technicians and customer service workers.

No one can predict whether companies will go back to tightening requirements when they're flush with lots of job applicants again.

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Brad Hershbein, senior economist and communications Advisor at W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, said employers may still offer leeway on academic credentials but desperate moves like hiring people with bad attitudes will go away.

"Employers may decide there are other ways of actually screening employees that are more effective than looking at key words on their resume or do they pass this education or experience requirement, Hershbein said.



AP Business Writers Alexandra Olson in New York and Christopher Rugaber in Washington contributed to this story.

___________

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GENEVA (AP)  An intergovernmental conference has taken early steps toward drawing up an agreement to curb plastic pollution and marine litter around the world, which can choke off sea life, harm food safety and coastal tourism, and contribute to climate change.

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 22, 2021 file photo, plastic bottles and other garbage floats in the Potpecko lake near Priboj, in southwest Serbia. An intergovernmental conference has taken early steps toward drawing up an agreement to curb plastic pollution and marine litter around the world, which can choke off sea life, harm food safety and coastal tourism, and contribute to climate change. A draft resolution presented by Peru and Rwanda, and backed by the European Union and several other countries, amounts to a procedural step. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

GENEVA (AP)  An intergovernmental conference has taken early steps toward drawing up an agreement to curb plastic pollution and marine litter around the world, which can choke off sea life, harm food safety and coastal tourism, and contribute to climate change.

A draft resolution presented by Peru and Rwanda, and backed by the European Union and several other countries, at the end of a two-day Geneva conference on Thursday amounts to a procedural step, but one that aims to build momentum for drawing up language as early as next year on a binding global deal.

The draft, which mostly aims to set up a committee to negotiate the language of a possible accord, is expected to be considered at a U.N. Environment Assembly meeting in February.

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Supporters hope to unify fragmented efforts to curb such waste around the world. They hope to take into account the full lifecycle of plastics  from production to consumption to waste management, treatment and prevention.

Conference organizers say up to 12 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the oceans each year, and the flow is expected to triple by 2040. So far, nearly 5 billion tons of plastic produced since the early 1950s has ended up in either landfills or in the natural environment, they said.

The end goal, or the target, is to have zero waste, said Oliver Boachie, a special adviser to the government of Ghana, which co-organized the conference with Ecuador, Germany and Vietnam. More than 1,000 representatives from over 140 countries took part, along with advocacy groups.

Boachie told reporters there were no holdouts among countries, but that some unspecified countries were still assessing prospects for an accord and drawing up national policies on the matter. There were no fixed positions, he said, expressing optimism that countries will eventually come around.

An agreement could be built around legislation in more than 120 countries  including European Union member states and nearly three dozen African countries  that restricts or bans single-use plastics. But some countries are hesitant: For example, Japan has expressed opposition to a binding deal  preferring a voluntary solution  and the United States has resisted calls for a ban on single-use plastics.

There was no illusion that this would be a piece of cake, Boachie said.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Fed up with the deadly work and poor wages and living conditions, thousands of coal miners marched to unionize in West Virginia a century ago, resulting in a deadly clash and the largest U.S. armed uprising since the Civil War.

FILE - In this June 6, 2011 file photo, a historical marker along W.Va. Route 17 in Blair, W.Va., describes the 1921 battle between thousands of armed, unionizing coal miners and the law enforcement officers and security guards hired to defeat them. At least 16 men died on the mountain. (AP Photo/Vicki Smith, file)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Fed up with the deadly work and poor wages and living conditions, thousands of coal miners marched to unionize in West Virginia a century ago, resulting in a deadly clash and the largest U.S. armed uprising since the Civil War.

On Friday, some of their descendants joined others in retracing the steps that led to the 12-day Battle of Blair Mountain. Multiple events are planned looking back at the fight, highlighted by the 45-mile (72-kilometer) march over three days.

Every step you take, you just think about what kind of courage that took, said United Mine Workers international President Cecil Roberts, whose great-uncle, Bill Blizzard, was a leader of the 1921 march as a union subdistrict state organizer.

The miners  whites, Blacks, and European immigrants  banded together, bent on doing something about their treatment by coal operators. They became known as the Red Neck Army for the distinctive bandanas around their necks.

Those people had a specific purpose in mind, Roberts said. "And they were willing to die for that. And because they were willing to die for that, weve all had a good living, a much better life than we would have had had they not gone on that march.

At least 16 men died and many more were injured before the miners surrendered to federal troops in September 1921.

Bloody conflicts in the mining industry in the early 20th century, known as the West Virginia Mine Wars, have been overlooked in public schools. But Blair Mountain has received much more attention recently.

In 2018, the Blair Mountain Battlefield was restored to the National Register of Historic Places, protecting the site from coal operators mountaintop removal operations.

Weve gone from when I was a teenager it not even being talked about in class to now a much greater visibility, said Chuck Keeney, a history professor at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College and author of The Road To Blair Mountain.

So its a testimony of the success of the preservation movement, Keeney said. And this movements revitalized the history.

Keeney, whose great-grandfather Frank Keeney was president of the United Mine Workers unions District 17 in West Virginia during the uprising, planned to march along with Roberts this weekend.

In 1920, southern West Virginia had the nations largest concentration of nonunion miners. Company towns were prevalent and oppressive. Miners lived in employer-built encampments and were paid in private company currency, called scrip.

Jean Evansmore of Mount Hope remembers her coal-mining grandfather getting food and supplies at the company-owned store. She said she wants others to use the Blair Mountain centennial to understand the connections, an idea that you could get paid in something called scrip. That was very real. Scrip was a fraction of what a dollar was. Thats how people got paid.

When union organizers showed up, the companies retaliated. In her 1925 autobiography, union organizer Mary Harris Mother Jones said she witnessed numerous conflicts between the industrial slaves and their masters during visits to West Virginia.

Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield sympathized with the unionization efforts. He led a group of miners in a May 1920 gunfight with private security guards who had been hired by coal companies to evict them for joining a union. Ten people were killed in what became known as the Matewan Massacre.

Fifteen months later, agents from the same firm fatally shot Hatfield. Infuriated, miners gathered by the thousands, intent on confronting the companies and freeing imprisoned miners accused of violating martial law in Mingo County.

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The miners made it to Logan County, whose sheriff, Don Chafin, was anti-union. Chafin assembled law enforcement officers, coal operator guards and recruited civilians to hold off the advancing miners, including using biplanes to drop a few homemade bombs. Federal troops sent by President Warren Harding eventually arrived by train.

According to historians, 13 miners and three deputies were killed and 47 others were wounded. Hundreds of miners later were acquitted on charges of murder and treason.

The setback at Blair Mountain stalled the UMW's efforts in southern West Virginia and caused membership to plummet. When workers were finally guaranteed the right to collectively bargain in 1933 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal, West Virginia coal miners joined the UMW in droves, said Lou Martin, a history professor at Chatham University in Pittsburgh and a board member of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan.

UMW membership peaked in 1946, then spiraled downward as unions lost government support and the industry waged an all-out war on union mines. The numbers kept falling as the industry in the Appalachian coalfields declined.

Despite the exodus of mining jobs, money still flows into coalfield communities through worker retirement payments, health care benefits and pension plans, all thanks to the labor movement, Roberts said.

If it wasnt for the union, none of that would be happening right now," he said.
The auto industry has raced ahead on an electric wave with more manufacturers joining the race seemingly every day.

This photo provided by Jeff Helmkamp/LakeExpo shows Vision Marine Technologies' Vision Marine Bruce 22 boat with one of their E-Motion motors. The electric boat is capable of reaching speeds of 49 mph. (Jeff Helmkamp/LakeExpo via AP)

The auto industry has raced ahead on an electric wave with more manufacturers joining the race seemingly every day.

The boating industry has sputtered far behind, bogged down by low-horsepower engines and batteries that take up nearly half the boat.

That's in the process of changing.

Bolstered by new technology, the electric boats are now faster, have smaller batteries with longer ranges and are still zero emission.

"Electric boats used to be good for just cruising around," said Alex Mongeon, CEO of Montreal-based Vision Marine Technologies. "Now they have more power and last a long longer."

Vision Marine has helped lead the charge in more powerful electric boats. Other companies riding the electric motor wave include Swedish luxury boat builder X Shore and Arc, started by former SpaceX employees.

An avid boat racer and electrician by trade, Mongeon and Vision Marine began working in 2015 on developing a more powerful yet still efficient electric outboard motor.

They created the E-Motion 180, the first electric boat engine to use lithium batteries.

The electric outboard boasts 180 horsepower and can reach speeds of 60 mph, a first in electric boating. The E-motion 180, which costs about $5,000 more than a standard internal combustion engine, can be used with any boats that use a 180 HP outboard gas engine, typically between 18 to 26 feet.

The engines can fully charge overnight and all that's needed is a 220-volt outlet  a boating version of plug and play. Maintenance is far less than ICE engines because there are fewer moving parts.

The electric engines are noiseless, odorless and smokeless, so there's no more yelling at each other while onboard or leaving a layer of smoke in your wake.

Sales of the E-Motion 180 started in May with delivery expected later this year.

"It is so cool because nobody has gone to this comparable horsepower," said Randy Truesdale, chief operating officer of SBX Marine, a Florida-based custom boat builder and brokerage company. "You see some of the electric motors, you might get one that says its, you know, 50 to 70 horsepower equivalent, but nobodys done what were doing with the new 180."

Electric boating has been embraced by celebrities like Drake, Robert De Niro and Greta Thunberg, according to Vision Marine. Many tour operators have turned to electric boats, and so have cities for rental and water taxis.

Many waters have been designated marine protected areas  26% in the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  which ban motorized boats. Many allow electric boats because they are cleaner and emit no sound.

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"The only sound youll hear is the water hitting the hull and people enjoying themselves," Mongeon said.

And a lot more people have been enjoying themselves on the water during the pandemic.

According to National Marine Manufacturers Association, sales of powerboats were up 12% in 2020 with more than 310,000 new sales, the highest numbers since before the recession of 2008.

Boat rental companies have seen their numbers soar as well, including a 700% growth year-over-year growth for GetMyBoat, the world's largest boat rental company.

"In the rental cycle, it has become hugely popular because of the great activity for people who dont necessarily want to buy a boat," Truesdale said. "You can kind of relate to whats going on with COVID and allowing people to get outside. Boats are kind of like the perfect tool for social distancing."

The new era of electric boats, with the added power and limited environmental impact, are making it even more enjoyable.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Commercial flights resumed in New Orleans and power returned to parts of the business district Thursday, four days after Hurricane Ida slammed into the Gulf Coast, but electricity, drinking water and fuel remained scarce across much of a sweltering Louisiana.

People carry supplies to their boat at dusk in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Jean Lafitte, La. (AP Photo/John Locher)

NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Commercial flights resumed in New Orleans and power returned to parts of the business district Thursday, four days after Hurricane Ida slammed into the Gulf Coast, but electricity, drinking water and fuel remained scarce across much of a sweltering Louisiana.

Meanwhile, the remnants of the system walloped parts of the Northeast, dumping record-breaking rain in a region that had not expected a serious blow and killing at least 46 people from Maryland to Connecticut. Eleven people in New York City drowned in basement apartments.

New Orleans fared better than many other places because it was protected from catastrophic flooding by the levee system that was revamped after Hurricane Katrina. The power was back on before dawn in some downtown neighborhoods. Utility crews also restored electricity to several hospitals in Jefferson Parish and near Baton Rouge. Some streets were cleared of fallen trees and debris, and a few corner stores reopened.

The city's main airport reopened to commercial flights for the first time since the hurricane. Delta was the first airline to return, to be followed Friday by United Airlines and later by other carriers, officials said.

Louisiana officials also reported a big drop late Thursday in the number of customers with no running water: 185,000 compared to more than 600,000 the day before.

A flood damaged boat is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Lafitte, La. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Still, the overwhelming majority of homes remained dark, and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said efforts to drain flooded parishes continued.

In seven parishes, at least 95% of customers remained without power Thursday. Only 35,000 of the 405,000 homes and businesses in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish had power Thursday, according to the poweroutage.us website. Statewide, about 900,000 customers were without electricity, down from about 1.1 million at the height of the seventh named storm to hit Louisiana since the summer of 2020.

This isnt our first rodeo, but its our worst rodeo, Kirt LeBouef said, wiping away tears as he looked at damage to the Little Eagle restaurant in Golden Meadow, a 75-mile (120 kilometer) drive down a narrow highway from New Orleans toward the Gulf.

Mailboxes line a flooded street in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Lafitte, La. (AP Photo/John Locher)

LeBouef's family has owned the crawfish restaurant since 1920.

Edwards said more than 220,000 people already have registered for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 22,000 have applied for a federal program to place tarps on damaged roofs.

It really pains me to see that people are hurting and their lives are upside down, and were going to do everything we can every single day to make things better, the governor said at a stop in Tangipahoa Parish.

Airboats shuttle residents to check on their flooded homes as they try to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Myrtle Grove, La. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Power should be restored to most customers around the Baton Rouge area by Sept. 8 after workers finish assessing damage, Entergy Louisiana President Philip May said Thursday. Damage assessments are not as far along in the harder-hit regions, so Entergy said it has no timetable for getting service to those areas, which include New Orleans.

Gasoline shortages were also a problem for people trying to run generators and waiting in drive-thru lines for food and water. The lines for gas stretched for blocks in many places from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.

President Joe Biden also ordered the release of extra fuel from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure a steady supply. He said he would also provide utilities with satellite images to help restore power.

Josh Montford rests his head in his hand while going through his flood damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Jean Lafitte, La. "I'm overwhelmed," said Montford as he searched for items to salvage. (AP Photo/John Locher)

We know that there is much to be done in this response on our part, said Biden, who was getting hourly updates on the recovery. We need to get power restored. We need to get more food, fuel and water deployed.

Ida knocked out Port Fourchon, the primary hub to support offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and send that oil on its way to refineries. Port leaders said the damage to structures where the powerful eye came ashore was not as bad as feared.

The majority of them are still good, and we can get things back up and running, said Chett Chiasson, executive director for the Greater Lafourche Port Commission, who did not give an exact estimate on reopening the facilities.

Worker checks on a flooded house in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in LaPlace, La., Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Biden was scheduled to visit Louisiana on Friday to survey the damage from Ida, which hit Sunday with 150 mph (230 kph) winds and was tied for the fifth-strongest hurricane ever to strike the mainland U.S.

At least 13 deaths were blamed on the storm in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including two 19-year-old utility employees who were electrocuted Tuesday as they were restoring power near Birmingham, Alabama. Authorities blamed several other deaths on carbon monoxide poisoning.

The deaths of three Louisiana nursing home residents were classified Thursday as storm-related. They were among more than 800 residents who had been evacuated to a warehouse in the town of Independence from seven nursing facilities. The Louisiana Department of Health determined that conditions at the warehouse were unacceptable and transferred all of the remaining residents to other locations on Wednesday and Thursday.

Emily Francois walks through flood waters beside her flood damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Jean Lafitte, La. Louisiana residents still reeling from flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Ida scrambled Wednesday for food, gas, water and relief from the sweltering heat as thousands of line workers toiled to restore electricity and officials vowed to set up more sites where people could get free meals and cool off. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Outside New Orleans, neighborhoods remained flooded and residents were still reeling. Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson said 25% of the homes in his parish of 100,000 people were gone or had catastrophic damage, and up to 40% more had severe damage from winds that blew at over 100 mph (160 kph) for 12 hours.

Lafourche took the brunt of this storm, Chaisson said at a briefing.

Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the state were told to boil their water before using it.

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People stand in floodwaters while salvaging items from their flood-damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Jean Lafitte, La. Louisiana residents still reeling from flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Ida scrambled Wednesday for food, gas, water and relief from the sweltering heat as thousands of line workers toiled to restore electricity and officials vowed to set up more sites where people could get free meals and cool off. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Evacuees who were considering returning home to Terrebonne Parish were warned by emergency officials on Twitter that there are no shelters, no electricity, very limited resources for food, gasoline and supplies and absolutely no medical services.

Louisianas largest hospital system, Ochsner Health, was considering opening a field hospital somewhere in Terrebonne or Lafourche parish because the shuttering of most of the hospitals in the area removed about 250 to 300 beds.

Declining numbers of COVID-19 patients and restoration of power at additional sites helped Ochsner Health recover, CEO Warner Thomas said during an online news conference. The Ochsner systems COVID-19 patient count fell to 663 from 990 about a week ago, Thomas said. That coincides with the states overall declining case numbers.

Hard-hit areas in southeast Louisiana were also under a heat advisory Thursday. Forecasters warned that combined heat and humidity could make some areas feel like 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius).

___

Deslatte reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Associated Press writers Kevin McGill in New Orleans; Stacey Plaisance in Lafitte, Louisiana; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
BELLE CHASSE, La. (AP)  Life in Louisianas Plaquemines Parish is a mix of frustration and a little adventure since Hurricane Ida, with cowboys wrangling loose cattle on a highway, residents navigating alligator-infested floodwaters to get home and thousands waiting in long lines for gas and food.

In the aftermath Hurricane Ida damage to a cemetery is seen Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Plaquemines Parish, La. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

BELLE CHASSE, La. (AP)  Life in Louisianas Plaquemines Parish is a mix of frustration and a little adventure since Hurricane Ida, with cowboys wrangling loose cattle on a highway, residents navigating alligator-infested floodwaters to get home and thousands waiting in long lines for gas and food.

On the plus side, no one died during the Category 4 storm in this narrow spit of soggy land southeast of New Orleans. On the down side, thousands of homes are damaged, many lack power and water and no one is sure when things will get back to normal.

Its getting worse, Gail Rudolph said Wednesday as she sat in a pickup truck near where dozens were lined up outside a closed grocery store waiting for it to open.

Chris Vanhoosier stood in line for an hour to fill up a few 5-gallon cans with gas.

Flood waters still surround homes as residents try to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Myrtle Grove, La. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Were waiting for the water to come back on. We lost a generator, so once that gets back on well do a little bit better, he said.

Just a few miles down the road, toward the tip of Louisianas boot-shaped coast, it was like a scene from the Old West as wranglers on horseback used ropes to catch a black cow that got loose in the storm. After about 15 minutes of work, they finally shooed it into a corral set up on a highway.

There are a couple hundred more out there, said one of the cowboys.

Still further south, past oil refineries that line the Mississippi River bank, Ben Tucker rode in a boat with his nephew, Robert Singlemen, and Michael Restock to check out his fish camp house at Myrtle Grove Marina for the first time.

Navigating slowly through flooded fields past alligators, snakes and hundreds of dead nutria, they found a neighborhood of about 70 flooded homes, many of which were missing siding and the contents of first-floor garages and carports, which were inundated by storm surge from Ida.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, people on a airboat survey the damage to homes Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Myrtle Grove, La. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Mud was everywhere, and only a little of it was washed away by an afternoon thunderstorm. Tuckers fishing equipment was scattered everywhere and the benches near his dock were gone. But the main floor of the house, which stands on stilts, was remarkably dry and the roof seemed fine.

All in all, Tucker said, things could be a lot worse.

Its here. It survived. It aint the prettiest, but well be back, he said.

Next-door neighbor Gayle Lawrence, who rode out Ida with her husband in the neighborhood, which is built along canals, fretted over the loss of two cars, refrigerators and most everything else in their garage, filled with marsh grass and stinking, dead fish.

The house is solid, it didnt even move. But when the water came up it destroyed everything, she said.

The entire lower part of the parish remains under a mandatory evacuation order, and the town of Belle Chasse is under a voluntary evacuation order. In one area, workers are cutting through a levee to let water drain back toward the gulf, officials said. Water service is spotty because of power failures and local government offices are closed until next week.

Parish President Kirk Lepine urged residents who fled Ida to stay away a while longer until roads can be cleared, power restored, dead livestock removed and more.

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We do want to see your smiling face. We want you to come home. But not right now, he told a news briefing.

Louisiana calls itself a sportsman's paradise, and Plaquemines gets a lot of credit for the nickname. Skilled taxidermists can do a good business in this parish of 23,000 people preparing all the mounted fish and deer heads that hang on walls in residents' homes. They're sometimes beside paintings of crabs, shrimp and other coastal delicacies.

The houses that some residents call fish camps are a lot like the big, nice houses that line so much of the Gulf Coast. Refinery and oil industry workers in the area make enough money to have a good life with a little extra to spare for boats, hunting gear, top-quality fishing poles and more. It's a place where it's easy to forget the problems of the world.

It's just great. The water is just serenity. It's like you're on an island except when a hurricane comes, said Lawrence, 79, who retired to Plaquemines Parish with her husband Warren. We talked about selling when this was coming through, but we can't do that.

Tucker, who works for a road-building company and lives in the New Orleans suburb of Gretna, might quit the parish some day, but it's hard to imagine when. The fishing is good, the beer is awfully tasty when it's cold on a hot day and hurricanes, like alligators, come and go.

As long as it's more fun than work, I'm all in, he said.
SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (AP)  The operator of a limousine company was spared prison time Thursday in a 2018 crash that killed 20 people when catastrophic brake failure sent a stretch limo full of birthday revelers hurtling down a hill in upstate New York.

Nauman Hussain, who is charged with 20 counts of second degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in a 2018 limousine crash, walks into a makeshift courtroom to accommodate more people at the Schoharie High School gymnasium Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in Schoharie, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (AP)  The operator of a limousine company was spared prison time Thursday in a 2018 crash that killed 20 people when catastrophic brake failure sent a stretch limo full of birthday revelers hurtling down a hill in upstate New York.

Loved ones of the dead excoriated Nauman Hussain, 31, as he sat quietly at the defense table during a hearing that was held in a high school gymnasium to provide for social distancing among the many relatives, friends and media members attending.

Hussain, the former operator of Prestige Limousine, had originally been charged with 20 counts each of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree manslaughter in what was the deadliest U.S. transportation disaster in a decade.

But under an agreement for Hussain to plead guilty only to the homicide counts and spare families the uncertainties and emotional toll of a trial, he is being sentenced to five years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service. His case had been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

As Judge George Bartlett III prepared to sentence Hussain, loved ones of the victims took turns talking of lives cut short, the holes left in their own and their frustration that the operator would avoid time behind bars.

Every day I try to wrap my head around this impossible situation, said Sheila McGarvey, whose 30-year-old son Shane McGowan and his wife, Erin, were passengers.

She wished, she said, that a fraction of any money Hussain spent on lawyers would have been spent to fix the limo's brakes.

Hussain was accused of putting the victims in a death trap.

My son, my baby boy, was killed in a limo while trying to be safe, said Beth Muldoon, the mother of Adam Jackson, 34, who was killed along with his wife, Abigail King Jackson.

The couple, who with the others had rented the limo to avoid drinking and driving, had two small children. Muldoon lamented the holidays and life milestones the parents will miss.

One spectator left the hearing, cursing and shouting, He killed 20 people, before apologizing to the judge on her way out.

The judge noted that Hussain's guilty plea could be used to buoy any lawsuits.

On Oct. 6, 2018, Axel Steenburg of Amsterdam, 30 miles west of Albany, rented the 2001 Ford Excursion limousine for the 30th birthday of his new wife, Amy. The party group, ranging in age from 24 to 34, included Axels brother, Amys three sisters and two of their husbands, and close friends.

En route to Brewery Ommegang, south of Cooperstown, the limos brakes failed on a downhill stretch of state Route 30 in Schoharie, west of Albany. The vehicle blew through a stop sign at a T-intersection at over 100 mph (160 kph) and crashed into a small ravine near a popular country store.

Seventeen family members and friends were killed, along with the driver and two bystanders outside the store.

Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallerys office has said Hussain allowed passengers to ride in the limo despite having received multiple notices of violations from the state and having been told repairs were inadequate. State police said the vehicle should have been taken out of service because of brake problems identified in an inspection a month before the crash.

But complications were highlighted in the plea agreement.

In a separate report last fall, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that while the crash was likely caused by Prestige Limousines egregious disregard for safety that resulted in brake failure, ineffective state oversight contributed.

Prosecutors and Hussains lawyers said the plea agreement assured a resolution in a case that would have faced an uncertain outcome if presented to a jury.

Lee Kindlon, an attorney for Hussain, has said his client tried to maintain the limousine and relied on what he was told by state officials and a repair shop that inspected it.

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According to the plea agreement, Hussain had the 2001 vehicle serviced at a Mavis Discount Tire store multiple times in the two years before the crash, including twice for brake repairs. The same shop also inspected the limousine, rather than the state Department of Transportation as required, the document said.

A telephone message left with Mavis Discount Tires corporate headquarters in Millwood, New York, was not immediately returned.

Prestige repeatedly changed the listed number of seats and took other steps to skirt safety regulations, according to documents released by the NTSB.

The safety board said last fall that the state Department of Transportation knew of Prestiges out-of-service violations and lack of operating authority and that the state Department of Motor Vehicles failed to properly register the limousine, allowing Prestige to circumvent safety regulations and inspection requirements.

In February 2020, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed limousine safety bills inspired by the upstate crash and one in 2015 on Long Island that killed four women.

One law requires safety belts, and another requires drivers of limos carrying nine or more passengers to have a passenger-endorsed commercial drivers license.
BERLIN (AP)  Angela Merkel will leave office as one of modern Germany's longest-serving leaders and a global diplomatic heavyweight, with a legacy defined by her management of a succession of crises that shook a fragile Europe rather than any grand visions for her own country.

In this Sept. 4, 2015 file photo a migrant holds up a poster of German Chancellor Angela Merkel before starting a march out of Budapest, Hungary, towards Austria. In 2015, Merkel was the face of a welcoming approach to migrants as people fleeing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere trekked across the Balkans, allowing in hundreds of thousands and insisting that "we will manage" the influx, but running into resistance both at home and among European partners. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file)

BERLIN (AP)  Angela Merkel will leave office as one of modern Germany's longest-serving leaders and a global diplomatic heavyweight, with a legacy defined by her management of a succession of crises that shook a fragile Europe rather than any grand visions for her own country.

In 16 years at the helm of Europe's biggest economy, Merkel did end military conscription, set Germany on course for a future without nuclear and fossil-fueled power, enable the legalization of same-sex marriage, introduce a national minimum wage and benefits encouraging fathers to look after young children, among other things.

But a senior ally recently summed up what many view as her main service: as an anchor of stability in stormy times. He told Merkel: You protected our country well.

All the major crossroads you had to navigate ... we never mapped out in any election program  they came overnight and you had to govern well, Bavarian governor Markus Soeder said.

Merkel passed her first test in 2008, pledging at the height of the global financial crisis that Germans' savings were safe. Over the following years, she was a leading figure in the effort to save the euro currency from the debt crisis that engulfed several members, agreeing to bailouts but insisting on painful spending cuts.

In 2015, Merkel was the face of a welcoming approach to migrants as people fleeing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere trekked across the Balkans. She allowed in hundreds of thousands and insisted that we will manage the influx, but ran into resistance both at home and among European partners.

In this Thursday, March 25, 2021 file photo, German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a session of the German parliament Bundestag ahead of an European Union summit at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany. Merkel pointed to her government's drive to improve Germany's public finances, which enabled it to stop running up new debt from 2014 until the coronavirus pandemic pushed it into huge rescue packages. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, file)

And in the twilight of her career  she announced in 2018 that she wouldn't seek a fifth term  she led a COVID-19 response that saw Germany fare better than some of its peers.

On the international stage, Merkel insisted on seeking compromises and pursuing a multilateral approach to the world's problems through years of turbulence that saw the U.S. drift apart from European allies under President Donald Trump and Britain leave the European Union.

I think Ms. Merkel's most important legacy is simply that, in such a time of worldwide crises, she provided for stability, said Ralph Bollmann, a biographer of Merkel and a journalist with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper.

There was a constant succession of crises that were really existential threats and raised questions over the world order we are used to, and her achievement is that she led Germany, Europe and perhaps to some extent the world fairly safely through that, for all that you can criticize details, Bollmann said.

Before winning the top job in 2005, he noted, Merkel campaigned as a chancellor of change, who wanted to make Germany more modern, seeking deeper economic reforms and a more socially liberal approach than her center-right party had previously taken.

But she ditched much of her economic agenda after almost blowing a huge poll lead by turning off voters with talk of far-reaching reforms, instead embracing what she called an approach of many small steps. Along with a pragmatic willingness to jettison conservative orthodoxy such as conscription when opportune, it enabled her to dominate the center ground of German politics.

Crises consumed so much energy that not much time was left to deal with other issues, Bollmann said. There is plenty of unfinished business: Merkel has conceded that the lack of digitization in our society is a problem, ranging from notoriously patchy cell phone reception to many health offices using faxes to transmit data during the pandemic.

Merkels political longevity is already historic. Among democratic Germany's post-World War II leaders, she lags only Helmut Kohl, who led the country to reunification during his 1982-98 tenure. She could overtake even him if she is still in office on Dec. 17. That's feasible if parties are slow to form a new government after the Sept. 26 election.

Merkel, 67, insists that others must judge her record. Still, she highlighted a few achievements at a rare campaign appearance last month, starting with the reduction of the number of unemployed in Germany from over 5 million in 2005 to under 2.6 million now.

Predecessor Gerhard Schroeder, whose welfare-state trims and economic reforms were beginning to kick in when he left office, arguably deserves part of the credit.

Merkel also inherited a plan to exit nuclear power from Schroeder, but abruptly accelerated it following the meltdowns at Japan's Fukushima plant in 2011. More recently, she set in motion Germany's exit from coal-fueled power.

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The chancellor pointed to progress on renewable energy, saying its share of the German energy mix has risen from 10% to well over 40%. Merkel was often referred to as the climate chancellor in her early years, but also has drawn criticism for moving too slowly; her government this year moved forward the date for reducing German greenhouse gas emissions to net zero to 2045, after the countrys top court ruled that previous plans place too much of the burden on young people.

Merkel praised her government's drive to improve Germany's public finances, which enabled it to stop running up new debt from 2014 until the coronavirus pandemic pushed it into huge rescue packages. Opponents argue that it skimped on necessary investments in infrastructure.

I could talk about how we saved the euro, she said, adding that our principle of combining the affected countries' own responsibility with solidarity was exactly the right method to give the euro a future. Merkel's austerity-heavy approach was resented deeply in parts of Europe and controversial among economists, but allowed her to overcome reluctance at home to bail out strugglers.

Whatever the ultimate verdict, Merkel can celebrate a unique end to her tenure: she is set to become the first German chancellor to leave power when she chooses.

___

Kerstin Sopke in Berlin contributed to this report.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Traffic at Florida's busiest airport this holiday weekend is forecast to exceed pre-pandemic crowds.

FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, file photo, a masked family walks past Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Walt Disney World is tweaking its face mask policy. Starting Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, the theme park resort in Florida will allow visitors to chose whether or not to wear face coverings in outdoor lines, outdoor theatres and outdoor attractions. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Traffic at Florida's busiest airport this holiday weekend is forecast to exceed pre-pandemic crowds.

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Officials at Orlando International Airport said Wednesday that this Labor Day weekend they are expecting more than 303,000 departures, a 7% increase above Labor Day weekend in 2019.

If it pans out, that forecast will be more than double what the Orlando airport experienced during the Labor Day weekend travel period last year.

The official holiday travel period starts Thursday and ends next Tuesday.

The busiest travel day of the holiday weekend is expected to be on Saturday when Orlando International Airport is forecast to have more than 53,000 departures.

Before the pandemic started in the U.S. in March 2020, the theme park mecca was the most visited place in the U.S., with 76 million visitors in 2019. That figure fell to 35.3 million visitors last year.

This holiday it appears many travelers are soaking in the last bit of summer by taking a trip to Orlando," the airport said in a statement.
PORT FOURCHON, La. (AP)  Photos show what appears to be a miles-long oil slick near an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida, according to aerial survey imagery released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and reviewed by The Associated Press.

Damage to ship docking facilities are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in Port Port Fourchon, La., Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

PORT FOURCHON, La. (AP)  Photos show what appears to be a miles-long oil slick near an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida, according to aerial survey imagery released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and reviewed by The Associated Press.

The government imagery, along with additional photos taken by the AP from a helicopter Tuesday, also show Louisiana port facilities, oil refineries and shipyards in the storm's path where the telltale rainbow sheen typical of oil and fuel spills is visible in the water of bays and bayous.

Photos captured by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aircraft Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021 and reviewed by The Associated Press a large rig marked with the name Enterprise Offshore Drilling is seen. The company, based in Houston, did not immediately respond to requests for comment by phone or email on Wednesday. EPA officials said Wednesday hey were unaware of any leak requiring a federal response. (NOAA via AP)

Both state and federal regulators said Wednesday that they had been unable to reach the stricken area, citing challenging conditions in the disaster zone.

The NOAA photos show a black slick floating in the Gulf near a large rig with the name Enterprise Offshore Drilling painted on its helipad. The company, based in Houston, did not respond to requests for comment by phone or email Wednesday.

Aerial photos taken by NOAA on Tuesday also show significant flooding to the massive Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery along the bank of the Mississippi River, just south of New Orleans. In some sections of the refinery, rainbow sheen is visible on the water leading toward the river.

Asked about reports of levee failures near the refinery Monday, Phillips 66 spokesman Bernardo Fallas said there was some water in the facility and stressed that operations were shut down in advance of the storm. Asked Tuesday about potential environmental hazards emanating from the facility, Fallas referred a reporter to a statement on the company's website saying its response is focused "on ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees and our surrounding communities.

After the AP sent Phillips 66 photos Wednesday showing extensive flooding at its refinery and what appeared to be petroleum in the water, Fallas conceded by email that the company could confirm it had discovered a sheen of unknown origin in some flooded areas of Alliance Refinery.

At this time, the sheen appears to be secured and contained within refinery grounds, Fallas said Wednesday evening. Clean-up crews are on site. The incident was reported to the appropriate regulatory agencies upon discovery."

Fallas did not respond when asked whether the leak was reported after the AP sent the company photos four hours earlier.

Phillips listed the Alliance Refinery for sale last week, before the storm hit, citing poor market conditions.

All told, seven Louisiana refineries remained shuttered Wednesday. Combined, they account for about 9% of all U.S. refining capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Department. Some refineries on the Mississippi River reported damage to their docks from barges that broke loose during the storm.

Jennah Durant, spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency, said Wednesday that the agency had received no reports of significant spills or other environmental threats after the Category 4 storm made landfall Sunday at Port Fourchon with 150 mph (240 km/h) winds

Three days after the storm moved through, Durant said Wednesday that no EPA personnel had yet deployed to the devastated region south of New Orleans. Asked if EPA staff had been reviewing the aerial photos taken by federal aircraft over the disaster zone, Durant said the imagery had not been provided to the agency.

The aerial imagery reviewed by the AP is readily available to the public on the NOAA website.

After the AP sent photos of the oil slick to EPA on Wednesday, agency press secretary Nick Conger said the National Response Center hotline operated by the U.S. Coast Guard had received 26 calls reporting leaks or spills in the storm zone but none had warranted an EPA response.

Conger reiterated that any person or organization responsible for a sizable release or spill of pollutants is required to notify the federal government.

The AP also provided photos of the oil slick to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, which regulates offshore drilling in state waters. Spokesman Patrick Courreges confirmed the agency had received an informal report of petroleum sheen in the waters south of Port Fourchon but said regulators currently dont have capabilities to get out there yet.

The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which regulates offshore oil and gas platforms, announced before the hurricane arrived that about half of the 560 staffed rigs in the Gulf had been evacuated. Those crews had only started to trickle back out by Wednesday and it was unclear whether the Enterprise Offshore rig was staffed.

The bureau's public affairs staff did not respond Wednesday after the AP sent photos of the black slick in the Gulf and asked if there were any reports of a spill.

Both state and federal environmental regulators said the emergency response to Ida had been hampered by blocked roads, washed-out bridges, electrical outages and a lack of communications. Both telephone landlines and mobile phone service in much of the region remained offline Wednesday.

I think most agencies are kind of caught up in the whole fog of war thing at the moment, with far more places we need to be than we can be, Courreges wrote in an email. Its not as easy to respond to things right now.

Port Fourchon, which took a direct hit from the storm, is the primary service hub for hundreds of oil and gas rigs offshore. The port also contains oil terminals and pipelines that account for about 90% of the oil and gas production from the Gulf.

Photos taken by the AP from a chartered helicopter Tuesday, as well as the NOAA imagery, show extensive damage to the sprawling facility, including sunken vessels, collapsed structures and more than a dozen large overturned fuel storage tanks.

Idas winds, equivalent to an EF3 tornado, peeled the roofs off large steel buildings in the harbor and toppled metal light poles. Trucks, cranes and shipping containers were piled into jumbled heaps.

Chett Chiasson, the executive director of Greater Lafourche Port Commission, told the AP late Tuesday that the companies based at Port Fourchon were entering what would likely be a lengthy recovery phase. A top priority, he said, will be clearing roads and removing sunken vessels so boats can safely navigate the harbor.

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Associated Press Investigative Reporter Michael Biesecker reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Matthew Daly in Washington and David Koenig in Dallas contributed.

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Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The future of steel production at a sprawling plant west of Amsterdam was called into question Thursday after an investigation found elevated levels of lead and other deposits in dust falling in nearby residential areas.

FILE - In this Tuesday Dec. 4, 2018, file photo, the Tata Steel factory is seen at dusk in IJmuiden, Netherlands. The future of steel production at the sprawling plant west of Amsterdam was called into question Thursday Sept. 2, 2021, after an investigation found elevated levels of lead and other deposits in dust falling in nearby residential areas. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The future of steel production at a sprawling plant west of Amsterdam was called into question Thursday after an investigation found elevated levels of lead and other deposits in dust falling in nearby residential areas.

The investigation by the government's Public Health and Environment Institute, known by its acronym RIVM, focused on dust found in towns and villages near the sprawling Tata Steel factory on the North Sea coast near the Dutch capital.

FILE- In this Tuesday Jan. 30, 2007, file photo, a worker is seen on a pontoon near the former Corus, and current Tata steel factory, background, in IJmuiden, Netherlands. The future of steel production at the sprawling Tata plant west of Amsterdam was called into question Thursday Sept. 2, 2021, after an investigation found elevated levels of lead and other deposits in dust falling in nearby residential areas. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

Exposure to the amounts of lead and PAH in the dust in the IJmond (region) is undesirable for the health of children, the institute said in a statement referring to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH.

The study said that levels of metals including iron and chrome as well as PAH measured outdoors were between 20 and 100 times higher than outside the region, with the highest levels found at the seaside village of Wijk aan Zee.

In a written reaction, Tata Steel said it takes the RIVM report very seriously. We understand that local residents and especially the residents of Wijk aan Zee are concerned about their health and that of their children as a result of this report and we share this concern.

Deputy Jeroen Olthof from the North Holland provincial government said measures have to be taken urgently to reduce the emissions.

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The RIVM investigation leaves nothing to be desired in terms of clarity. It does not reassure us," Olthof said in a statement. Can the steel industry in the IJmond still exist? As far as Im concerned, only if the adverse effects on health and the living environment are reduced as quickly and as much as possible.

Residents near the Tata Steel plant have long voiced health concerns linked to dust produced by the production.

Earlier this year, the company said it would accelerate a package of measures aimed at slashing emissions from its site in the village of Ijmuiden.

At the time, Hans van den Berg, Chairman of the Board of Tata Steel Netherlands, said: We take our neighbors concerns very seriously."

For the study published Thursday, researchers from the RIVM measured dust three times in villages around Tata Steel at 29 outdoor locations and 12 indoors. They also carried out measurements outside the region as comparison.

Lawmakers in the Dutch parliament are set to hold a debate next week about the Tata Steel plant. Steel making in the village of Ijmuiden dates back to 1918. The plant was acquired in 2007 by Tata Steel, one of Europe's biggest steel producers.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines Thursday after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China.

In this photo released by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, workers unload a shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines from an aircraft at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Taiwan received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines Thursday after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China. (Taiwan Centers for Disease Control via AP)

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines Thursday after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China.

Taiwan had been unable to buy the vaccine itself directly from BioNTech, the German company that had partnered with U.S.-based Pfizer to develop the mRNA vaccine.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen earlier accused China of blocking Taiwan from getting the Pfizer vaccine through BioNTech, saying that they had all but signed the contracts when the deal was delayed indefinitely. China has denied any interference.

Eventually, two private companies, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. and Hon Hai Precision Electronics, as well as a Buddhist organization Tzu Chi, stepped in to buy the vaccines and donate them to Taiwan.

The three organizations bought a total of 15 million doses. The flight carrying the first 930,000 doses arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on Thursday morning.

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In this photo released by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, Taiwan's Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, fifth from right, poses with thank you cards with other officials and workers after receiving a shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Taiwan received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines Thursday after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China. (Taiwan Centers for Disease Control via AP)

Even their arrival has been dogged by politics. Local media at first reported Taiwan was getting doses ahead of schedule because they weren't needed in mainland China, where the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has not yet been cleared for use.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said last week that he had been told by TSMC that the vaccines would have simplified Chinese labels from China. Taiwan uses traditional, rather than simplified, Chinese characters. However, he emphasized that what mattered was the safety and the quality of the vaccine, not the labeling.

TSMC said Thursday that they would remove the simplified Chinese labels after the vaccines arrived.

Chinese company Fosun Pharma has distribution rights for the vaccine in Greater China, a phrase Beijing says includes Taiwan. Fosun said on its social media Wednesday that it had supplied the batch of vaccines that was due to arrive, complete with an image of the shipment that displayed their logo prominently.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be given to 12-17-year-olds, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control had said.

Taiwan has been using AstraZeneca, Moderna and the domestically made Medigen vaccine in its campaign so far and has vaccinated 43% of its population with at least one dose. The island's policy is to give out first doses widely.
KABUL, Afghanistan  A Taliban media spokesman has tweeted a picture of Qatar military aircraft on the ground at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.

In this Aug. 30, 2021, photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, a Air Force aircrew, assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, prepares to receive soldiers, assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, to board a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the final noncombatant evacuation operation missions at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul Afghanistan. (Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan  A Taliban media spokesman has tweeted a picture of Qatar military aircraft on the ground at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.

Ahmadullah Muttaqi posted the photo on Thursday. In Kabul, meanwhile, the roar of aircraft overhead could be heard.

It was the first air activity in the capital since Monday when the last U.S. evacuation flight left the Afghanistan, bringing to an end to Americas longest war. In interviews on Tuesday at the airport Taliban officials said they hoped to get the civilian airport up and running within days and the military portion sometime later.

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TIRANA, Albania --- The Albanian government says another group of 37 Afghans evacuated from Kabul has arrived in the country.

A statement from the Foreign Ministry said the group arrived early at dawn on Thursday from Kiev, Ukraine. They were taken to university campus accommodation in the capital, Tirana, where they will stay before moving to hotels.

Albania has accommodated most of the 644 Afghans it is temporarily hosting in hotels.

The government has said it may house up to 4,000 Afghans temporarily, before they travel on to countries for longer-term settlement.

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

 Afghans face hunger crisis, adding to Talibans challenge

FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021 file photo, aircraft are parked on the tarmac of the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the U.S. military's withdrawal, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Qatars Foreign Minister, Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in a joint press conference in Doha with his British counterpart, said Thursday, Aug. 2, 2021 there is still no clear indication of when the Kabul airport will resume normal operations, but that the Gulf Arab state is evaluating the situation with Afghanistans new Taliban rulers. (AP Photo/Khwaja Tawfiq Sediqi, File)

 Biden defends departure from forever war, praises airlift

 UN chief urges countries to help Afghans in hour of need

 Victorious Taliban focus on governing after US withdrawal

 New Taliban rulers face tough economic, security challenges

 Analysis: War is over but not Bidens Afghanistan challenges

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  The United Kingdoms Foreign Secretary says that although the U.K. wont soon recognize the Talibans government, there is an important scope for dialogue with Afghanistans new rulers.

In a joint press conference in Doha with his Qatari counterpart, Dominic Raab said he supported engagement with the Taliban to test the groups wide-ranging promises. He cited the Talibans pledges to protect freedom of travel for Afghans and foreigners, to form an inclusive government and, significantly, to prevent international terrorist groups from using the war-scarred country as a base.

Raab said: In all of these areas, we will judge them by what they do, not just by what they say.

Diplomatic recognition would prove critical in allowing the Taliban to access development aid and loans from international financial institutions as the group confronts an economy in free fall.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  Qatars Foreign Minister says there is still no clear indication of when the Kabul airport will resume normal operations, but that the Gulf Arab state is evaluating the situation with Afghanistans new Taliban rulers.

In a joint press conference in Doha with his British counterpart, Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar remains hopeful that we will be able to operate (the airport) as soon as possible, without giving a timeline or elaborating on Qatars role in providing technical assistance. He said Qatar is working with the Taliban to identify what are the gaps and the risks of having the airport back up and running.

Kabuls international airport has been closed to normal traffic since Aug. 16, when the Taliban took control of Kabul. Military flights and evacuations continued until Aug. 31, when U.S. forces quit the country and left the runway without air traffic controllers.

Al Thani also urged the Taliban to live up to its promise to allow Afghans and foreigners to leave the country freely once the airport reopens.

Qatar sent a technical team to Kabul airport on Wednesday to assess the operations. The tiny sheikhdom, which facilitated talks between the U.S. and the Taliban, has played an outsized role in American efforts to evacuate tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan.

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UNITED NATIONS  The president of the U.N. Security Council says the U.N.s most powerful body will not take its focus off Afghanistan this month and the real litmus test for the new Taliban government will be how it treats women and girls.

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland said Wednesday that the protection and promotion of human rights for women must be at the very heart of our collective response to the crisis.

Under the Talibans previous rule from 1996 to 2001, women were not allowed to go to school, work outside the home or leave homes without a male escort. Though they faced many challenges in the countrys male-dominated society after the Talibans ouster, Afghan girls were not only educated but over the last 20 years women increasingly stepped into powerful positions in numerous fields including government, business, health and education.

Bryne Nason said: My question is, will the Taliban be different, and thats the real question. We havent seen any evidence of that.

She said the international community has clout because whatever form of government emerges in Afghanistan needs international support -- and human rights and respect for international law are red line issues.
BEIJING (AP)  China needs to expand its efforts to reduce carbon emissions to help hold back the rise in global temperatures, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said Thursday.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry attends a meeting with Yang Jiechi, Director of China's Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs via video link in Tianjin, China, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. (U.S. Department of State via AP)

BEIJING (AP)  China needs to expand its efforts to reduce carbon emissions to help hold back the rise in global temperatures, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said Thursday.

The State Department said Kerry told Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng in a virtual meeting that there is no way for the world to solve the climate crisis without Chinas full engagement and commitment.

China is the worlds largest carbon emitter, producing an estimated 27% of global greenhouse gases, followed by the United States.

Kerry, a former U.S. secretary of state, was in the eastern Chinese port city of Tianjin for talks on stronger efforts to curb rising temperatures to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, meets with U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, not shown, via video link in China, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Wang warned Kerry on Wednesday that deteriorating U.S.-China relations could undermine cooperation between the two on climate change. (Yue Yuewei/Xinhua via AP)

Kerry told reporters in a phone call that Chinese officials raised concerns about U.S. actions they see as harmful to overall emissions-cutting efforts. He cited U.S. sanctions on solar panels that the Biden administration believes China produces with the forced labor of ethnic minorities.

Those matters were up to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Kerry said. But I will certainly pass on to them  the full nature of the message that I received from Chinese leaders, he said

Global decarbonizing efforts will come under the spotlight at a U.N. conference to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in late November known as COP26.

Secretary Kerry emphasized the importance of the world taking serious climate actions in this critical decade and strengthening global climate ambition," the State Department said in a statement.

China's official Xinhua News Agency quoted Han as telling Kerry that China had made huge efforts" in tackling climate change and had achieved remarkable results."

In this photo provided by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry attends a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi via video link in Tianjin, China, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Wang warned Kerry on Wednesday that deteriorating U.S.-China relations could undermine cooperation between the two on climate change. (U.S. Department of State via AP)

China hopes the American side will create the appropriate circumstances for jointly tackling climate change based on the spirit of the conversations between their leaders," Xinhua quoted Han as saying.

Kerry made a stop in Japan on Tuesday to discuss climate issues with Japanese officials before heading to China.

On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned Kerry that deteriorating U.S.-China relations could undermine cooperation between the two on climate change.

Such cooperation cannot be separated from the broader relationship, Wang told Kerry by video link.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained by disputes over trade, technology and human rights. However, the two sides have identified the climate crisis as an area for possible cooperation following Biden's decision to rejoin the the 2015 Paris climate accord.

China obtains roughly 60% of its power from coal and is opening more coal-fired power plants, while also committing to reducing its use of the fossil fuel.

In the phone call with reporters later Thursday before his departure, Kerry said his talks with Wang, Han, senior foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi and Chinese climate change envoy Xie Zhenhua were productive, but that the world was hoping for China to do more to cut emissions.

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China is doing a lot in a lot of ways, but it's a huge country," Kerry said. He said the opening of new coal-fired power plants both inside China and by Chinese companies in other countries could scupper efforts to halt the rise in global temperatures and were counterintuitive and counterproductive."

Kerry said Chinese officials told him they are drafting a new plan to address the rise in emissions, but that the details were not yet clear. He said the Chinese side raised political issues, but they were not discussed in depth and should not be a factor in cooperation on climate change.

My response to them was, look, climate is not ideological. It's not partisan. It's not a geostrategic weapon or tool and its certainly not day-to-day politics," Kerry said. It's a global, not bilateral challenge and it's essential obviously that no matter what differences we have ... we have to address the climate crisis."

Reducing emissions is not asking people to sacrifice," Kerry said. It's asking people to embrace the biggest economic opportunity the world has seen since the Industrial Revolution" because of employment and investment opportunities in renewable energy, he said.

Beijing has pointed to historical U.S. emissions as a reason to resist action while making advances in solar power and other renewable energy sources. The country has set a target of generating 20% of its total energy needs from renewables by 2025, becoming carbon-neutral by 2060 and reducing total emissions starting from 2030.

Biden has announced a goal of cutting up to 52% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030  double the target set by then President Barack Obama in the Paris agreement. The 2030 goal vaults the U.S. into the top tier of countries on climate ambition.
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP)  Vaccine doses produced by a plant in South Africa will no longer be exported to Europe following the intervention of South Africas government, the African Union's COVID-19 vaccine envoy said Thursday.

FILE - In this Friday Aug. 27, 2021 file photo, a freed student of the Salihu Tanko Islamic School, reunited with his father in Minna, Nigeria. The recent release of three separate groups of students who had been abducted in northern Nigeria brought joyful reunions and the hope that others still held might soon be freed. Now only days later gunmen have again attacked a school in the northwest, taking 73 new hostages. Before the Wednesday Sept. 1, 2021 attack some 1,000 students had been kidnapped during about a dozen school abductions since December and UNICEF said some 200 are believed to still be in captivity. (AP Photo/File)

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP)  Vaccine doses produced by a plant in South Africa will no longer be exported to Europe following the intervention of South Africas government, the African Union's COVID-19 vaccine envoy said Thursday.

South African drug manufacturer Aspen Pharmacare, which has a contract with Johnson & Johnson to assemble the ingredients of its COVID-19 vaccine, will produce for the African continent and millions of doses that had been shipped to European countries but remain in warehouses will be returned, Strive Masiyiwa told reporters.

J&J doses produced in South Africa will stay in Africa and will be distributed in Africa, he said at an online press briefing for the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The arrangement for some doses finished in South Africa to be exported to Europe has been suspended, he said, adding that the issue was corrected in a positive way. Aspens agreement with Johnson & Johnson has changed from a contract deal to a licensed arrangement similar to the production in India of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The Aspen product will be African branded," he said.

Johnson & Johnson was heavily criticized for shipping doses to countries in Europe, which have already immunized large numbers of their people and have even donated vaccines to more needy countries.

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 27, 2021 file photo, some freed students of the Salihu Tanko Islamic School, before a meeting with Niger state governor in Minna, Nigeria. The recent release of three separate groups of students who had been abducted in northern Nigeria brought joyful reunions and the hope that others still held might soon be freed. Now only days later gunmen have again attacked a school in the northwest, taking 73 new hostages. Before the Wednesday Sept. 1, 2021 attack some 1,000 students had been kidnapped during about a dozen school abductions since December and UNICEF said some 200 are believed to still be in captivity. (AP Photo/File)

In contrast, Africa has fully vaccinated less than 3% of its 1.3 billion people. Vaccine production within the continent is seen as key to meeting the stated target of vaccinating 60% of Africa's population. Half of those doses are expected to be procured under a vaccine acquisition group backed by the African Union that has already ordered 400 million J&J doses.

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Under that deal, in which doses will be distributed across the continent over 12 months, 6.4 million doses were shipped in August and the number could rise to 20 million in September, according to Masiyiwa, coordinator of the African Union group known as the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust.

In Africa, the issue is vaccine supply, he said, downplaying concerns about vaccine hesitancy that have been reported in some countries. Even if there are loud noises about vaccine hesitancy  and we will not dismiss it  but let's get to 60%, OK, and then we worry about the 40%, he said. But if 60% of our population right now are happy to take the vaccine, let's give it to them."

FILE - This March 29, 2021 file photo shows the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the ASPEN Pharmaceuticals in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Vaccine doses produced at the plant in South Africa will no longer be exported to Europe after the intervention of South Africa's government, the African Union's COVID-19 vaccine envoy said Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/File)

Masiyiwa accused the international community of letting Africa down with COVAX, a United Nations and donor-backed program envisaged to help middle- and low-income countries access vaccines. COVAX has fallen short of its goals and some countries are "still significantly hoarding supplies" of vaccine doses, charged Masiyiwa.

The international community has not met its obligations under (the) understanding of COVAX, he said. COVAX was supposed to deliver 320 million doses by August. In a letter to us that we received only yesterday, that number is 30 million doses.

John Nkengasong, head of the Africa CDC, said the continent must vaccinate quickly to defeat the pandemic as the delta and other variants spread in many countries and stretch the capacity of health facilities.

Africa's 54 countries have reported more than 7.8 million cases, including more than 197,000 deaths.
What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19 vaccines?

What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19 vaccines? (AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin)

What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19 vaccines?

They can require vaccination and fire employees who don't comply, or take other actions such as withholding company perks or charging extra for health insurance.

Businesses for months have been encouraging workers to get vaccinated, in some cases offering incentives like time off or gift cards. But more are taking a harder stance and requiring vaccinations for any remaining holdouts, a push that has gained momentum since Pfizers vaccine recently received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Employers "feel like theyve sort of hit that point where the unvaccinated are not going to do it unless theres something significant making them do it, said Wade Symons, a partner with Mercer, a benefits consultant.

Its legal for businesses to require the shots, and they could fire employees who dont comply. In other cases, workers might be required to wear masks or get regular tests for the virus. Some companies also are considering making the unvaccinated pay more for their health insurance.

At Delta Air Lines, unvaccinated employees on the company health plan will be charged $200 a month to help cover costs for possible COVID-19 hospital stays.

Symons said other employers will more likely add smaller charges of $20 or $25 per paycheck that might be refunded once the employee is vaccinated.

Employers might also restrict the use of office space, company gyms or business travel only for the vaccinated. In Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International has said unvaccinated employees will not be paid for time off to quarantine if they test positive for the virus.

Vaccine requirements will mainly come from businesses that need workers on a job site, Symons said.

Employers have to offer exemptions or accommodations from vaccine requirements for some who don't get the shots for medical or religious reasons.

Walt Disney World and Ohio State University are among the large employers that said they'll make vaccination mandatory since Pfizer's shot was given the FDA's full approval. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also has said that military troops must immediately begin to get the vaccine.

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Some states like Montana have either banned employers from requiring vaccines or limited when they can issue such a mandate.

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The AP is answering your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Submit them at: FactCheck@AP.org.

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MATANE, Que. - Quebec provincial police said Thursday they think a man who allegedly kidnapped his son earlier in the week is hiding with the child in a densely forested area about 400 kilometres northeast of the provincial capital.

A Surete du Quebec police car is seen in Montreal on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. Quebec provincial police say the search for a missing three-year-old boy allegedly abducted by his father continues. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

MATANE, Que. - Quebec provincial police said Thursday they think a man who allegedly kidnapped his son earlier in the week is hiding with the child in a densely forested area about 400 kilometres northeast of the provincial capital.

The primary search area is around the town of Ste-Paule, Que., on the Gaspe Peninsula, where 36-year-old David Cote allegedly abducted his three-year-old son, Jake Cote, Tuesday evening, provincial police Sgt. Claude Doiron said Thursday.

News of the missing boy triggered an Amber Alert that was still in effect Thursday evening.

Police can't rule out that the pair have moved outside the main search zone and said the official search area comprises the whole province and parts of northwestern New Brunswick by the Quebec border, notably the communities of Madawaska, Restigouche and Gloucester.

But police said efforts are being concentrated in the vast forested area on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River  and they have stopped asking for the public's help because the suspect could be dangerous and has survival skills.

"The investigation shows the individual has in-depth knowledge of the forest environment, that he has the ability to organize himself quickly for survival in the forest," they said in a statement Thursday. They added it was possible Cote was using materials from nearby chalets or trailers in the area to survive. They asked anyone noticing anything out of place to call 911.

"We are dealing with an individual who is possibly armed and who could act on impulse," police said.

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"We ask people not to venture into a place where they could put themselves at risk."

Police said they found an all-terrain vehicle allegedly used by the boy's father. "The discovery of the ATV used by David Cote and the ongoing investigation lead us to believe that the suspect could be looking for equipment to ensure his survival and facilitate his movements," they said.

The suspect is five-foot-seven, weighs about 180 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. Police said he was last seen wearing a dark sweater with a black logo, as well as black army-style pants.

Investigators said the boy has short hair and was wearing a T-shirt with an image of the number six or nine in blue camouflage and with silver stripes on the sleeves and bottom. The three-year-old was also wearing dark blue jeans and beige boots.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2021.

 By Sidhartha Banerjee in Montreal.
OTTAWA - Canadians could have the right to live and work in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand under Conservative plans for a new free-trade area.

OTTAWA - Canadians could have the right to live and work in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand under Conservative plans for a new free-trade area.

On Thursday, Tory Leader Erin OToole outlined proposals for closer trade and diplomatic ties with Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, which he said would create more jobs for Canadians.

Conservative Leader Erin OToole speaks to the media Friday, August 27, 2021 in Corner Brook, N.L. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

The proposed CANZUK deal would reduce trade barriers, increase intelligence and defence co-operation and make it easier for Canadians to study and work within the free-trade zone.

The Conservatives also outlined proposals for closer ties with India, with plans to revive free-trade talks.

O'Toole, who wants more distance from China, said he would make it harder for "state-owned companies from non-free countries" to buy Canadian firms.

The Tories would withdraw from the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank, which they claimed is "a political tool used by the Chinese government to expand its influence throughout Asia."

They set out plans to "diversify supply chains to move them away from China."

In a statement, O'Toole said: "Signing deals with countries that dont share our high labour and environmental standards hurts Canada.

The Conservatives said they favoured "rebalancing trade priorities away from countries like China and toward the Indo-Pacific and Africa."

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On Wednesday, the Liberals published plans for an Asia-Pacific strategy to deepen economic and defence ties in the region, and create new trade agreements.

The Liberals do not support CANZUK, which has faced criticism for proposing closer ties between countries settled mainly by people of European descent.

The proposed CANZUK free-trade zone would remove trade barriers. Like the EU, it could also allow citizens to live and work in each member state without visas.

In the U.K., a number of Conservative MPs have been pushing for a CANZUK deal following Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.

Andrew Rosindell, a British Tory MP and Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Canada, told The Canadian Press: We share so much in common with the CANZUK nations, through family ties, history, culture, language and, of course, with the Queen as our common Head of State. So, let's work to make this alliance a reality."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2021.
As the threat of COVID-19 drags on, a record number of voters are expected to cast mail-in federal election ballots.

As the threat of COVID-19 drags on, a record number of voters are expected to cast mail-in federal election ballots.

While the practice may help many avoid gathering at polling stations, some expect it could also increase the risk of voter error, make it tougher for parties to ensure their supporters cast ballots and delay election results.

Elections Canada now expects as many as 2.5 million voters will cast special ballots for the Sept. 20 election, most of them by mail. The ballots can also be cast at local Elections Canada offices.

The estimate is well above the roughly 50,000 people who voted by mail in 2019.

However, sometimes daily changes in COVID-19 infection rates and health orders have made it very difficult to estimate the number of mail-in ballots that will actually be submitted, said Marie-France Kenny, a regional media adviser for Elections Canada.

As of Wednesday, 344,656 special ballot voting kits (that can be mailed in or used to vote at an Elections Canada office) had been issued to Canadians, according to the agencys website.

For those who do switch to mail-in ballots for the first time, the risk of voter error could increase, a local political scientist said.

"There are a number of hurdles to doing a mail-in ballot and it can fail at any point of the way," said Christopher Adams, an adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba.

Unlike traditional ballots, the special mail-in ballots dont list candidates' names, instead providing a blank space where voters write in the name of their candidate of choice. That increases the chances of errors, Adams said.

He expects a surge in mail-in votes would also make it more difficult to "get out the vote" on election day. After advance polls close, parties can find out which registered voters have showed up to cast ballots, feedback that may not be as clear for the mail-in option, he said.

"Your efficiency for getting the vote out is (likely) weakened by the mail-in ballot," he said.

Paul Brault, the campaign manager for Liberal Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley candidate Doug Eyolfson, agreed.

"In advance polls and on election day, theres feedback of who voted, not how they voted, but (only) if somebody shows up to the polls," said Brault.

Kenny confirmed parties will be able to get a list of voters who requested a mail-in ballot prior to the election. That information wont, however, indicate how many of the ballots were actually submitted.

And Brault said the information wont reveal how many voters forgot about the packages or missed deadlines to submit them.

While Brault doesnt expect the voting method will prove as popular as early predictions indicated, he notes that an especially high number of mail-in votes could also force Canadians to wait past election night to learn who is elected in some ridings.

"Elections Canada confirmed that it could be up to five days of counting after (election day) I think that there is a strong probability that we will not know on election night in our electoral district here if we have a clear winner," he said, noting early predictions point to a very close race.

Voters who do opt for mail-in ballots must apply for them by Sept. 14 and meet key deadlines on election day to ensure their vote is actually counted.

If mailed from outside your riding, Elections Canada must receive the marked ballot by 6 p.m. Eastern time on election day. If mailed from inside your riding, the ballot must be received before polls close.

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The special ballots can also be filed during office hours at any Elections Canada office before Sept. 14 at 6 p.m.

Since a special ballot will be counted only if it is received on time, Elections Canada urges interested voters to apply for and complete their mail-in ballots as soon as they can.

"Were telling people apply early, as soon as possible," said Kenny.

For more details and instructional videos, voters can visit https://www.elections.ca/home.aspx

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
Some Manitoba business owners are taking pandemic policing into their own hands, while others may defy mandates.

Some Manitoba business owners are taking pandemic policing into their own hands, while others may defy mandates.

Under new provincial health orders that go into effect Friday, only people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or with legitimate exemptions will be allowed to visit restaurants, gyms, theatres, casinos and sporting events, among other events and activities, which will otherwise be allowed to operate without capacity limits. Business owners and event organizers will be mandated to check health status at the door.

In Winnipeg, MORFit Training Centre owner Stuart Klassen said the vaccine requirement means either not opening or defying the law. It's unclear what exactly he plans to do after midnight Friday.

In a letter posted to the gym's website, Klassen said after the Aug. 27 announcement about the vaccine requirement, he was left to decide whether to stay open to everyone or close for everyone.

"Refusing access to a group of people because of medical status or any other status is not our right or purpose," the letter reads.

Klassen declined a Free Press request for comment.

"MORFIT will not be asking for or verifying COVID-19 vaccination status, nor will we be requesting proof of negative medical testing of any kind prior to entering our facilities," the letter reads further, adding any member who disagrees with his decision can request a refund on their remaining membership.

"We are not a medical facility and do not have medical doctors present. It would be illegal under the (federal) Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act... as well as the (provincial) Personal Health Information Protection Act... for our staff to request this information from members."

Neither of those laws are applicable to vaccine requirements.

MOREFIT owner Stuart Klassen incorrectly claimed it would be illegal under the (federal) Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and the (provincial) Personal Health Information Protection Act to request this COVID-19 vaccination or test status from the gym's members. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files)

The provincial act doesnt impose obligations or prohibitions on private businesses such as restaurants or movie theatres, a provincial spokeswoman noted. But those businesses do fall under that federal private-sector privacy legislation, where businesses are legally authorized to collect health information about a person who agrees to provide it.

In order to follow the public-health orders under the provincial Public Health Act, those private businesses must request that vaccine status.

In the southern Manitoba town of Winkler, Frank + Olive beauty salon is also taking matters into its own hands. The esthetician service will temporarily bar anyone who attended two recent, large protests over vaccine and mask mandates in the area for two weeks.

"I have not told anybody theyre not welcome, I have not told anybody what decisions they need to make but to be frank, Im not willing to have somebody come in for a quick eyebrow service and then have my entire place shut down," owner Megan Franklin said.

"I think this is the way we need to continue to go  this pandemic is not over, unfortunately."

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Her salon and others like it won't be mandated to request vaccination status under the new provincial order.

In Winkler, just 39 per cent of the eligible population has been vaccinated; in the surrounding RM of Stanley, it's only 22.5 per cent.

Franklin said she believes because of those low vaccination rates, some area businesses will defy the new orders  not because the owners are anti-vaccine zealots, but to keep customers coming through the door.

"With our low vaccine uptake, (the requirement) will put stress on businesses that rely on those individuals to support them and bring in a paycheque," the 26-year-old salon owner said.

Meanwhile, a Manitoba Justice spokeswoman said provincial enforcement officials are monitoring the "evolving situation" around vaccine requirements and are giving businesses information about how to follow the orders. Since July 26, officials have issued 27 tickets for breaking orders. Public calls for enforcement dropped from 3,768 between July 19 and July 25 to 1,981 between Aug. 9 and Aug. 22.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
A group of doctors are urging Manitoba's health minister to do more to keep students, seniors, hospitals and long-term care facilities safe against COVID-19 with a fourth wave on the horizon.

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A group of doctors are urging Manitoba's health minister to do more to keep students, seniors, hospitals and long-term care facilities safe against COVID-19 with a fourth wave on the horizon.

About a dozen experts in critical care, infectious diseases, oncology, geriatric medicine, microbiology and more signed a letter addressed to Health Minister Audrey Gordon late Wednesday night.

"We have an absolute duty as a society to ensure the well-being of our children, and to that end keeping schools safe and open is an urgent priority," the doctors wrote.

"Many children have already fallen behind in so many ways. We must take proactive measures to protect them and to keep schools open."

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.
Former Free Press reporter Carreen Maloney lives in New Orleans. She was there when Hurricane Ida hit on Sunday and has filed this special report for the Free Press.

Former Free Press reporter Carreen Maloney lives in New Orleans. She was there when Hurricane Ida hit on Sunday and has filed this special report for the Free Press.

As hurricane Ida hurtled towards New Orleans on Aug. 29, residents who had survived its sister storm, Katrina, had a sinking feeling. The permanent emotional scars from Katrinas devastation run long and deep. It was hard to fathom that Mother Nature was returning to clobber New Orleans with another massive hurricane on the anniversary of the day she delivered Katrina 16 years ago.

One of my greatest regrets is that I never visited New Orleans before 2005, when it was forever changed by Katrina. I arrived in the storms aftermath as a volunteer helping to rescue 25,000 companion animals who had been left behind. Even then, I found the city irresistible. Despite the problems that plague the city  violent crime, sagging infrastructure, scant career opportunities  this city has captured my heart.

The Maldonado family travel by boat to their home after it flooded during Hurricane Ida, on Tuesday in Barataria, La. (Brandon Bell / Getty Images/TNS)

Now Ida was barrelling straight for us, and I had a choice to make  would I evacuate along with the thousands of others who chose wisely to get the heck out of town? Or would I stay and experience what it was like to be in the eye of what threatened to be one of the most powerful and significant storms in American history?

In truth, by the time Ida revealed its immense power, there was barely any time to consider the options. Although the mayor, LaToya Cantrell, had good reason to call for a mandatory evacuation, she didnt have the window of opportunity to do so. Ida was moving too fast for the 72-hour time frame required to get everybody out safely.

CP In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida people line up for food and ice at a distribution center Wednesday in New Orleans. (Eric Gay / The Associated Press)

But while the storm moved quickly before it got here, it mimicked the way some tourists take to New Orleans when it arrived: it simply would not leave. Ive been through hurricanes before, but they felt nothing like this one. I thought I was prepared. I gathered up food, water, ice, gas and batteries, and outfitted my dog with a tiny life jacket. I was ready to batten down the hatches in my apartment in a converted factory building that is more than 100 years old. I reasoned that because the structure had stood up to the elements for this long, it would be a safe enough place to shelter.

I expected to face two, maybe three hours of intense storm activity. But when the water and wind picked up around noon Sunday, it began an 11-hour ordeal. By the time I finally fell asleep, soaking wet in my flooded apartment, sometime after 10 p.m., Ida was still exacting her wrath outside with no sign of relenting. The four-storey building groaned and shook. At times, I wondered if it was going to cave to the pressure and crush us all.

CP Residents line up for fuel Wednesday in Belle Chasse, La. (Steve Helber / The Associated Press)

I had spent hours trying to hold back the water pouring in under the doorway, running down the walls and dripping down from the flooding apartments above. The indoor water sounds were so eerie that I made a recording of them. In the darkness with only a small LED lantern to guide me, I hurried to stack my belongings as I tried to save what I could.

Citizens had been warned to stay away from windows, but occasionally my curiosity got the best of me. I would creep downstairs and, using all my strength, pry the door open an inch to peek outside. Ive stood before the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls and felt awe from the power of nature before. But these world wonders paled in comparison to Idas force. Even a small object was turned into a projectile capable of maiming or killing a person. Trash bins shot down the streets like missiles. The wind bent the trees at sharp angles before lifting them right out of the ground. The rollup doors at the warehouse loading dock across the street were ripped out of their sockets.

I cant deny the temptation to step outside and feel Idas full power, but that was fleeting. The moment I slackened my force against the door even slightly, it slammed shut as if it were vacuum sealed.

CP With their home without power due to the effects of Hurricane Ida, Rashard Carter grills for his family, Wednesday. (Eric Gay / The Associated Press)

Major electrical transmission equipment has been damaged and cut the entire city off from power. Weve been told it could take a month, or even two, to restore. Without power, the city is quieter than usual, but sometimes I hear bursts of gunfire. Military planes roar above us flying low. Downed trees and power lines litter the streets. Power poles and street signs jut at strange angles, bent by fierce winds.

New Orleans Police Department has deployed anti-looting teams to combat crime. The storm hadnt even started when looters and vandals took advantage of a city under siege. When storms bringing floodwaters are rolling into New Orleans, it is understood that you can park your vehicle up on the grassy medians, known here as "neutral ground." Thieves did smash-and-grabs on many of them before Ida even struck.

Despite how undesirable a hurricane is, there are rewards to be had once the storm has passed. Thats when the best of human nature comes out (and occasionally the worst). Just like Manitobans after a snowstorm, the people of New Orleans mobilize to help each other when the storm subsides.

CP Volunteers and neighbors with the Committee for a Better New Orleans serve food in the St. Roch neighborhood of New Orleans on Tuesday. (Chris Granger / The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate)

First, people drift outside, usually wearing dazed looks on their faces. They do an informal count to make sure everyone they live near is safe and accounted for. Then they generously share with each other what precious supplies they have on hand. People who miraculously track down ice and water roam the streets, giving it away to anyone in need. Those who stocked up on food offer items to their neighbours. Perhaps most importantly, residents share information. Ida took down all the government websites in New Orleans and disabled the 911 emergency system, so people had to communicate the old-fashioned way: word of mouth.

As I was writing this, an employee from a gastro pub in my neighbourhood knocked on my door to let me know they were giving away all their food to locals for the next hour. People with coveted generators have set up cellphone charging stations, securing power bars to their fences and offering free charges, even though they could easily take money from people desperate to communicate with loved ones. Just as they always do, the people of New Orleans are rallying together to survive this catastrophe, and you can feel the human spirit operating at its full potential. Thats the reward for staying.

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Those of us remaining have a serious decision to make: do we tough it out, or do we get out now? Some are packing up and leaving now, fearing a long wait for power in a city that is growing more dangerous by the day as its inhabitants become more desperate. The scorching heat of the South will have to be endured without air conditioning. Officials are pleading with people to stay calm, offering reassurances that actions are being taken to get us back up and running as soon as possible. But the lack of power, resources and operational infrastructure creates a situation ripe for crime to flourish.

I havent yet decided whether Ill cave in and leave, or stay and stick it out. When it comes to New Orleans, I always find it hard to walk away.
Lenny Klatt was a hard-working man who left school at 14 to build a life for himself. At 86, he was a father and a grandfather, well-liked in the small community of Grand Marais, where he'd lived his whole life and where everyone knew his name.

Lenny Klatt was a hard-working man who left school at 14 to build a life for himself. At 86, he was a father and a grandfather, well-liked in the small community of Grand Marais, where he'd lived his whole life and where everyone knew his name.

On Monday, his long life came to a tragic end when he was hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver.

"He liked to joke around, he liked to visit people," his son, Dwight Klatt, told the Free Press Wednesday. "He always liked to be around people. He always had lots of friends that were in the area; they would come and visit him and he would visit them  he was never alone."

Lenny Klatt was driving south on Highway 59 at 12:50 a.m. Monday when he collided with a northbound vehicle near Fey Road in the rural municipality of Alexander. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

SUPPLIED Grand Marais resident Lenny Klatt, 86, was killed by a suspected drunk driver Monday.

The driver, a 58-year-old woman from the RM of Alexander, was arrested for impaired driving causing death before being taken to hospital. She and a 65-year-old passenger were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. She will appear in court in Selkirk on Nov. 5.

Dwight, 64, is the oldest of six children and has spent the last two days contacting family and friends to let them know his father is gone, not because of poor health  he remembers his father as being spry for his age  but from a completely avoidable incident that was the result of a choice.

In the moments in between, he finds himself wondering how it could have been prevented.

"What does it take for people not to drink and drive? What does it take, what will it take, before people understand that your impairment is (worse) after having a few drinks?" he said.

In the span of just days, police have made several arrests with the charges of impaired driving in Manitoba.

"What does it take for people not to drink and drive? What does it take, what will it take, before people understand that your impairment is (worse) after having a few drinks?  Dwight Klatt, son of Lenny Klatt who was hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver

A 36-year-old man is facing charges related to drunk driving after he hit two children who were walking with their father in Thompson Saturday evening. Police said Jaden Kenneth Pittmans blood-alcohol reading was three times the legal limit when he drove onto the sidewalk and struck the girls, 2 and 4, before attempting to flee on foot. He remains in custody.

The next morning, police arrested a 35-year-old woman for driving the wrong way down the Perimeter Highway. Police said her blood-alcohol reading was twice the legal limit; she faces several charges related to impaired driving.

Sgt. Stephane Fontaine, the impaired driving countermeasures co-ordinator for the Winnipeg Police Service, said while impaired driving numbers have remained relatively consistent in recent months, police are expecting a spike in cases as people begin to gather again and licensed premises reopen.

"During the height of the pandemic, when bars (and) restaurants were all shut down, and overall traffic within the City of Winnipeg had significantly decreased, we certainly noticed a drop in impaired-driving incidents. However, at the same time, we noted more impaired driving incidents are happening during daytime hours," Fontaine said in an email.

During the height of the pandemic, when bars (and) restaurants were all shut down, and overall traffic within the City of Winnipeg had significantly decreased, we certainly noticed a drop in impaired-driving incidents. However, at the same time, we noted more impaired driving incidents are happening during daytime hours."  Sgt. Stephane Fontaine, impaired driving countermeasures co-ordinator for the Winnipeg Police Service

From 2019 to 2020, police saw an 18.9 per cent overall drop in charges of impaired driving at the 0.08 blood-alcohol limit or over, and a 7.7 per cent increase in drug-related impaired-driving crimes.

Fontaine said police will be increasing their enforcement efforts against impaired driving as restrictions continue to loosen.

Trevor Ens, president of the Winnipeg chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), said the organization will sometimes see an outpouring of support when clusters of similar incidents occur, which can often lead to people affected by drunk driving learning about MADD and reaching out.

"Once that first contact is made, then it's great; it's a lot easier for us to deal with people and speak with people, even if it's just one family," he said. "And then they can share the resources that we provide, and they can tell their people."

The pandemic has brought new faces to MADD on both ends  while there have been more people volunteering their time to the organization, there have also been more victims and survivors reaching out for support.

"Those are the people that really want to (meet) in person, because the online (support) was always available And we've had to try and contact them individually and check in on people," he said.

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Ens said the province has done good work in reducing drunk-driving incidents in recent years, including implementing immediate roadside prohibition for some impaired drivers, but MADD is campaigning for more to be done, including reducing the legal blood-alcohol limit.

For his part, Dwight said in the time since losing his father, he has decided he has a responsibility to forgive  hes a Christian, and said he worries for the woman charged, too.

"Im in a forgiving space, because I can say God forgave me, so I have to forgive people," he said.

"Im not the one to judge them if I ever saw the lady, I would say, I forgive you. Im sorry that it happened.'"

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_
Manitoba, meet Premier Kelvin Goertzen, the reluctant premier.

The veteran MLA from Steinbach was sworn in Wednesday as the province's 23rd premier. It was an ironic moment for a whole variety of reasons, not least of which is the fact he never once showed any interest in taking over the top job.

Goertzen is undoubtedly one of the smartest and most articulate ministers in former premier Brian Pallister's government. He is a master of legislative rules and procedures. A relentless partisan who can trade verbal haymakers with any opposition MLA. And since 2016, a capable cabinet minister who has taken on some of the most challenging portfolios.

He is also defined by a rather unusual characteristic: in a world that is permeated by unbridled ambition, Goertzen does not seek greater power or self-aggrandizement.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Since 2016, Kelvin Goertzen has been a capable cabinet minister who has taken on some of the most challenging portfolios.

Throughout his career, he has been presented with numerous opportunities to move up the political hierarchy.

First elected in 2003, Goertzen spent a remarkable 13 years in opposition and served three different party leaders. During that time, he was frequently mentioned as a potential candidate to lead the party. And in each instance, he quickly and definitively dismissed those suggestions.

In 2013, Conservative MP Vic Toews retired from politics, leaving the federal Provencher riding up for grabs. Goertzen had first right of refusal on the nomination which, given Tory dominance in that part of Manitoba, was tantamount to winning a seat in the House of Commons.

New premier tired of the acrimony Click to Expand JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSManitoba interim Premier Kelvin Goertzen, who replaced Brian Pallister, holds his first media conference at the legislature in Winnipeg Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Reporter: ? Posted: 2:58 PM Sep. 1, 2021 Newly minted, temporary Manitoba Premier Kelvin Goertzen is striking a new tone, scrapping controversial legislation and pledging to listen to Manitobans. There is lots of division in Manitoba, Goertzen said Wednesday, hours after being sworn in as premier. Read Full Story

He declined the opportunity and remained firmly rooted in his provincial seat.

When his Progressive Conservative party under Pallister won the 2016 election, he was widely touted for all manner of front-bench cabinet roles. However, behind the scenes, he lobbied hard to be appointed as Speaker. In a stroke of ultimate irony, Goertzen was given the health ministry instead while MLA Myrna Driedger, who desperately wanted to be health minister, was tapped to serve as Speaker.

So, how does a man who has done a good job but not spent much time angling for a better job suddenly end up with the top job?

In politics, as it is in life, timing is everything. After it became clear the party was not going to allow Pallister to linger as premier into the fall, it was essential to find an interim leader who was up to the job but not interested in campaigning for the leadership. Goertzen checks both boxes.

But he brings more to the role of interim leader and premier than convenience. He has the experience and temperament to actually start the process of rebooting the Tory brand, something the party desperately needs after five years of Pallister's scorched-earth governing style.

Goertzen made no bones Wednesday about the fact that he was going to be different  much different  than the last guy.

"Being a minister of the Crown, it's nice. Being premier, I'm honoured. But those are not the roles that I aspire to."  Kelvin Goertzen

For nearly an hour, Goertzen took questions from reporters and provided elegant, confident and  most importantly  credible answers. He did not attack anyone, did not blame anybody else for his government's mistakes and never once used political hyperbole to claim some sort of hollow victory.

In other words, in his very first public appearance as premier, he was everything that Pallister was not over five years.

You could tell that Goertzen was leaning into the contrast that was materializing between him and Pallister. He talked about the importance of projecting calm and respect while avoiding "conflict and animosity." He pledged to meet with as many interested parties as possible in the 60 days he will serve as first minister, so that he can make a full report to the next leader and premier about what Manitobans really think.

As for his decision to step forward to fill the role of first minister at a critical moment in Manitoba political history, he was a triumph in humility.

As he has done before, Goertzen spoke about his family's humble beginnings. His father, an alcoholic, died at 33 when Goertzen was just 11. He and his mother and sister moved into provincial housing for a time after his father's death. Those experiences, he said, have motivated him to make "being a good father and a good husband" his main jobs.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Goertzen pledged to meet with as many interested parties as possible in the 60 days he will serve as first minister, so that he can make a full report to the next leader and premier.

"Being a minister of the Crown, it's nice," he said. "Being premier, I'm honoured. But those are not the roles that I aspire to."

It should be noted that Goertzen has not escaped controversy in his political career.

In opposition, he took flack for protesting an NDP government bill that compelled school divisions to allow LGBTTQ+ support groups. He has been involved in disputes with local LGBTTQ+ activists who decried his decision to shun the local Pride parade. And, for all intents and purposes, he was in full support of all of Pallister's most controversial and unpopular policies.

It should also be noted that Goertzen's first news conference was not without its awkward moments. His failure to take action against Tory MLA James Teitsma  who likened vaccine mandates to residential schools, forced sterilizations and internment camps  was not his finest moment in his first few hours as premier.

But for now, let's tip our hats to Kelvin Goertzen. He may not be in the job for a long time, but it seems as if he's going to be there just long enough for a good time.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca

Dan Lett | Not for Attribution A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world that is sent every Tuesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.
A former Winnipeg Police Service officer arrested Monday was the subject of a WPS internal safety bulletin, warning staff of his violent behaviour and displeasure for police."

A former Winnipeg Police Service officer arrested Monday was the subject of a WPS internal safety bulletin, warning staff of his "violent behaviour" and "displeasure for police."

Donald Macaulay, 56, has been charged with uttering threats to kill or harm three police officers and one count of resisting arrest.

SUPPLIED - internal Winnipeg Police Service bulletin warning members about former WPS member Donald Macaulay Winnipeg Free Press 2021

Macaulay was released on bail Tuesday, following an appearance before a judicial justice of the peace. He is not allowed to possess any weapons as a condition of his release.

According to an internal safety bulletin distributed to police officers this week  obtained by the Free Press  Macaulay "has had recent involvement with police, during which he displayed erratic and violent behaviour and voiced his displeasure for police."

The bulletin warned officers to "use caution, as Macaulay is likely to display unpredictable behaviour."

It is not clear if the safety bulletin was issued before or after Macaulays arrest Monday.

Police say officers responded to a well-being call at a Windsor Park home around 3:45 p.m., and were greeted by an "aggressive" male who was later shocked by a Taser before being taken into custody.

Macaulay was not injured.

Internal safety bulletins are a common communication tool for police and investigators, WPS spokesperson Const. Jay Murray said Wednesday.

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"On any given day, there are many different internal communications that can go around, whether it's from other agencies detailing information that can help investigators  that is not an unusual situation for police to share information with each other that can help investigations," Murray said.

The safety bulletin was not made public because "there was no known threat to the public," Murray said in a follow-up email.

"If and when we identify and elevated risk to the public, it is carefully assessed and can be released on," Murray said, noting the recent public advisory issued prior to the arrest of a man accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl Aug. 8 on the Red River trail.

Jordan Bruyere, 29, was arrested Aug. 27, just days after police publicly released his name, picture and image in security video footage.

Bruyere has been charged with sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference. He remains in custody.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Nearly a quarter century ago, the federal government hosted a conference on national pharmacare in Saskatoon  the birthplace of Canadian medicare. The meeting was extraordinarily frustrating to delegates who anticipated action, not talk, at the time.

We know, because we were there.

You see, that Saskatoon meeting was held on the heels of prime minister Jean Chretiens 1997 National Forum on Health. Echoing previous national commissions, the forum recommended the implementation of a universal, comprehensive, public pharmacare program to work alongside Canadian medicare.

Yet, there we were, an audience of approximately 300 health professionals, experts, public representatives and stakeholders gathered to "engage in dialogue" on an issue that already had a very clear answer.

Why this focus on more consultation, when we already knew what was needed? Because the most powerful stakeholders  most notably, multinational drug companies  were opposed to the forums policy recommendation on national pharmacare.

The national pharmacare system recommended would have reduced Canadian drug costs dramatically, meaning savings for governments, businesses and households. More Canadians would have access to medicines because they would be fully covered, but manufacturers would no longer be able to charge more in Canada than they did in comparable countries.

Drug companies preferred that Canada adopt a system of mandatory private insurance based on the model they had just convinced the Quebec government to implement in 1997  at great cost to Quebec households and businesses. Insurers favoured the Quebec model, too  what industry wouldnt want people to be legally required to purchase their products without regulations on profit margins?

Fast-forward a quarter-century, and this story is playing out again.

Options for national pharmacare have been studied extensively, with every serious national inquiry leading to the same conclusion: a universal, comprehensive, public pharmacare program would improve access to necessary medicines while saving billions of dollars every year.

The latest major government report on pharmacare  the June 2019 report of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare  provided yet another principled, evidence-based and practical plan for a universal, comprehensive, public pharmacare program.

In 2019, the Liberals campaigned on a promise to act on that plan. Such a national pharmacare system was mentioned in the 2020 throne speech, Budget 2021 and 2021 mandate letters. But there has been little concrete action toward implementation. Instead, the federal government has reverted yet again to "stakeholder engagement," rather than policy action.

This doesnt bode well for Canadians. For example, following extensive stakeholder engagement, the federal government recently walked back implementation of the new regulations for prescription drug prices just days before they were to take effect. The reason? Drug companies werent happy.

Rather than implement policies designed to put public interest first, the government has promised to consider the pharmaceutical industrys proposals for price regulations. That is the very definition of regulatory capture: when regulated industry shapes the regulations to benefit firms, not consumers.

Heres the thing: major public policies to establish lasting institutions in the public interest cannot be arrived at by stakeholder consensus. If premier Tommy Douglas and prime minister Lester Pearson had believed that, Canadian medicare would have never gotten off the ground because of the medical professions fierce opposition to public health care.

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Had prime minister Pierre Trudeau thought consensus was the path to solving challenges in the health-care system in the 1980s, we would not have the Canada Health Act. We would, instead, have a pay-for-access system that would likely replicate the extraordinary cost and inequity seen in the U.S. health-care system.

Delaying implementation of national pharmacare further in pursuit of consensus among stakeholders is a fools game. Citizens strongly support the immediate implementation of a universal, public pharmacare program, even as a policy priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. They neednt be further consulted.

Drug companies, on the other hand, do not want what is best for Canadians. They want what is best for their shareholders: weak policies and, therefore, high prices. Every year that passes without implementing a national pharmacare program wastes billions of dollars, causes a million Canadian families to struggle to make ends meet, and results in hundreds of premature deaths.

But it is not too late to implement a national pharmacare program that becomes a lasting, positive legacy for generations to come. It just requires leadership  true leadership that champions the public interest over powerful stakeholders.

A federal election is not a bad time to find out who will commit to clear, concrete action on national pharmacare, and who would prefer to continue with the fools game.

Steve Morgan is a professor of health policy at the University of British Columbia. Linda Silas is a nurse and president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses' Unions.
WHILE federal elections in Canada are rarely fought around matters of foreign policy, voters are interested in how our political leaders would manage the critical Canada-U.S. relationship. That is increasingly more important today in a post-pandemic world in which protectionism is rising, the rules-based world order is under attack and where an aggressive China is rising in power.

Opinion

WHILE federal elections in Canada are rarely fought around matters of foreign policy, voters are interested in how our political leaders would manage the critical Canada-U.S. relationship. That is increasingly more important today in a post-pandemic world in which protectionism is rising, the rules-based world order is under attack and where an aggressive China is rising in power.

Needless to say, it can be an extraordinarily difficult relationship  as the turbulent Trump years so manifestly demonstrated. In an earlier time, our bilateral relations with the U.S. were significantly complicated by Canadas direct involvement in the enormously costly and deadly war in Indochina (1954-73).

In a new book by historian John Boyko, The Devils Trick: How Canada Fought the Vietnam War, the bestselling author delves into a handful of individualized personal stories to abruptly pull back the curtain on Canadas shameful role in Vietnam. As the jacket cover points out, Boyko "recounts Canadas often-overlooked involvement in that conflict as peacemaker, combatant, and provider of weapons and sanctuary."

Accordingly, there was Canadas problematic role in both the International Control Commission (ICC) and the International Commission of Control and Supervision (ICCS) that enforced the 1954 Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam agreement and monitored the war activities of all parties. In many instances, Canadian members of the commissions sided with the U.S. and actually did its bidding.

Defence-related industries in Canada knowingly exported billions of dollars in armaments (e.g., ammunition, TNT, grenades and aircraft engines) to the United States that would eventually make their way to the jungles of Southeast Asia. Furthermore, U.S. military contractors purchased billions worth of Canadian nickel to build bombs, armoured vehicles and aircraft, and Japanese arms companies acquired aluminum and copper from Canada.

Its really hard to reconcile the fact those lethal arms were used to kill millions of innocent civilians in Indochina, while good-paying jobs (7,000 in Winnipeg) were saved in parts of Canada.

To be sure, there were some good-news stories about Canadas Vietnam connection, including the emergence of a non-violent anti-war movement that sought to hold wayward governments to account. You could even view the acceptance of tens of thousands of U.S. war resisters, depending upon your own disposition, in a favourable manner. And who could forget the notable contribution to Canadas well-being from those 60,000 or so Indochinese refugees in the early 1980s.

But it is the insights around the critically important Canada-U.S. relationship that most caught my eye throughout the narrative. Given the centrality of the U.S. marketplace to Canada, how was official Ottawa supposed to conduct itself during the war?

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The belief among Ottawa policy-makers was that Canada could have more influence over the U.S. by making itself useful to our southern neighbour. That is, that Canada could help shape American war decisions by looking the other way on Canadian arms exports, by supplying raw intelligence through the ICC/ICCS and by largely keeping our collective mouth shut.

These were all presumably the price to pay so an ally would be able to sit at the big table and to engage our U.S. counterparts on Vietnam. What Canadian officials forgot to realize was that Washington wasnt the slightest bit interested in what Ottawa had to say about the prosecution of the war. It didnt matter to them what we did or said.

On the few occasions when Ottawa did muster the strength to speak out (including prime minister Lester Pearsons memorable 1965 Temple University speech, after which U.S. president Lyndon Johnson practically throttled him for calling for a pause in the bombing of North Vietnam), there was no serious retaliation or economic punishment meted out against Canada. The Americans were mostly silent. In fact, how could the U.S. impose punitive measures against Canada without simultaneously shooting itself in the foot?

Indeed, the discussion in Boykos The Devils Trick triggers a series of pertinent and relevant questions today about Canada-U.S. relations. Why do Canadian decision-makers seemingly fail to learn from past experiences such as the Vietnam War? Or, do they recognize the huge policy failures of the past and still continue to make the same mistakes anyway? Lastly, did they learn the wrong lessons from our Vietnam engagement?

I wonder if our federal politicians could come up with the answers to those questions.

Peter McKenna is professor of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown.
The Pallister government will be remembered for two things: first, its dismal record on health care, made most clear during the pandemic, when the result was overflowing hospitals, ICUs and morgues; and critically ill patients shipped out of province.

Opinion

The Pallister government will be remembered for two things: first, its dismal record on health care, made most clear during the pandemic, when the result was overflowing hospitals, ICUs and morgues; and critically ill patients shipped out of province.

And second, it will also be remembered for its assault on public education.

Interim Premier Kelvin Goertzen has declared Bill 64 dead. Good. There was nothing in Bill 64  the Education Modernization Act  to improve education for K-12 students. It was about political control and moving the purse strings into the premiers office. Bury it deep. And post a guard to ensure it doesnt rise zombie-like from the grave.

Former premier Brian Pallisters higher education policy was hidden from public view, but was no better. It defunded colleges and universities, and attempted to transform universities into an arm of government. The latter represents a deep misunderstanding about the role of universities in society.

Universities must operate without political interference and are deliberately legislated to be autonomous organizations. University acts contain language that tells government to keep its mitts off academic matters (but with more polite wording). And when governments overreach, as in Ontario with Premier Doug Fords Student Choice Initiative, the courts have upheld university autonomy.

Academic matters at universities are governed by the senate, a body by design with a majority of faculty and students. Why? Because they are the core of the university. They are why universities exist.

Pallister and his ministers of advanced education have meddled directly in the academic affairs of universities. Bill 33, for example, empowers the minister to set fees by program and course. This opens university programming to direct political interference at the whim of government.

At their best, universities are agents of social mobility. Education allows students to lead more fulfilling lives with better economic prospects, sometimes described as a ladder for social progress. The greatest benefits accrue to historically disadvantaged groups: minorities, Indigenous students, those from lower-income families. For universities to perform their function, they must be accessible to all.

Reducing university funding and raising tuition fees limits access. Setting differential program fees does the same. Such fees force poorer students into programs and careers they can afford, or out of university altogether if they lack the interest in less expensive programs. Students from wealthy families in Tuxedo or on Wellington Crescent will still become lawyers and doctors. The poor? They can get degrees in programs dictated by government, if they can afford university at all.

Wealth shouldnt determine young peoples career options.

Another Pallister-era policy was outcomes-based funding justified by the false claim that it improves "efficiency." It doesnt, as demonstrated by a 40-year failed experiment in Tennessee. Instead, it raises barriers to disadvantaged groups, especially people of colour. Because outcomes-based funding rewards high graduation rates, universities have restricted access to students most likely to graduate, disproportionately those who have the luxury of studying without financial or other worries common to disadvantaged families. Its much harder to get good grades if youre a single mom, or a student working nights at 7-Eleven to pay the bills.

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We need to send the Pallister-era higher education policies to the scrap heap. As well as improving the lives of students, universities are key to economic development and the post-pandemic recovery. That wont happen on starvation rations. Universities need secure, stable budgets for long-range planning, not austerity, and especially not now. Adequate funding eliminates barriers to access and helps maintain program quality; jacking up tuition fees does neither. Loans and token increases to scholarships just dont cut it.

Certainly, government provides partial (albeit ever-shrinking) funds for universities; it does deserve some oversight, best done at arms length or through boards of governors, on which they are well represented.

An arms-length body to superintend and co-ordinate higher education with a mandate for fiscal oversight and program co-ordination would prevent direct political interference. That existed until 2014 as the Council on Post-Secondary Education; perhaps its time to re-establish it in some form.

This government must also drop the Public Services Sustainability Act (Bill 28) and its unlawful interference with collective bargaining, which is protected under Canadas Charter. Pallisters meddling in 2016 resulted in a finding by the Manitoba Labour Board of an unfair labour practice. His government secretly compelled the U of M to enforce Bill 28, which had yet to appear in the legislature. It was a simple case of extortion. When the bill was passed, it was never proclaimed; Pallister thought that was clever and that it would protect his government from a court challenge. It didnt; the courts tossed out Bill 28 as unconstitutional. It was another blatant interference with university autonomy and, indeed, with workers rights across the province.

Our universities have languished during the dark Pallister years: a top priority of the new premier and the PC Party will be to set a new course into a brighter future for higher education in Manitoba.

Scott Forbes is president of the Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations.
Under normal circumstances, the next couple of months of Kelvin Goertzens political career would be little more than a mere formality.

Under normal circumstances, the next couple of months of Kelvin Goertzens political career would be little more than a mere formality.

But these are anything but normal circumstances, so the policy-making plate of Manitobas newly appointed temporary premier looks to be rather abundantly full.

In the wake of former premier Brian Pallisters resignation and departure from office effective 8 a.m. Wednesday, Mr. Goertzen was sworn in as the provinces 23rd premier  a position he will hold for no more than two months, owing to the Progressive Conservative Partys intention to introduce a newly elected leader on Oct. 30.

In the interim, the job of leading the current provincial government will fall to Mr. Goertzen, whose 18 years serving as the MLA for Steinbach have included stints as minister of health, minister of education and minister of legislative and public affairs. He has also held the positions of government house leader and deputy premier.

As a so-called "placeholder premier," one might think Mr. Goertzen would have little to do for the next eight weeks beyond making sure the PC Partys office lights stay on and the minimum required legislative processes are attended to until the new leader is elected. In reality, the interim premier faces a daunting must-do list that will require his fully committed attention during a short spell in office that will surely include many long days.

Mr. Goertzen assumes the premiers chair just as Manitobas students return to school, with the PC government having promised a "near-normal" academic year for kids whose past 18 months of education have been marked by upheaval and stress. With the delta-variant-fuelled fourth wave of COVID-19 looming and youngsters under 12 still not eligible for vaccination against the virus, these promise to be a tense few weeks for students families as the first incubation periods of the school year tick past.

He is also taking the leadership reins at a time when new public-health orders are about to take effect, including the necessary imposition (in some cases, re-imposition) of mask-wearing mandates and proof-of-vaccination requirements that will limit access to public places for those who have opted not to be vaccinated.

The placeholders first steps as premier will be a full sprint in pursuit of the most urgent of priorities.

Mr. Goertzen will be charged with defending the public-health orders and building on Mr. Pallisters forceful encouragement of vaccination as the provinces best chance of truly moving into a post-pandemic return to normalcy. He will be required to do so even as pockets of outrage grow in opposition to the public-health orders, particularly in the more vaccine-averse region of the province that includes the constituency he represents.

As premier, Mr. Goertzen will be obligated to look beyond placating his at-home voter base, focusing instead on the well-being of the entire province and delivering the strongest message possible in support of public-health priorities.

These are not trifling matters. The placeholders first steps as premier will be a full sprint in pursuit of the most urgent of priorities.

In Mr. Goertzens favour are his many years of political experience, his demonstrated mastery of legislative traditions and procedures, and the absolute certainty that he will be more inclined toward seeking collaboration and accepting wise counsel than the leader he has replaced.

Brief though it will be, Mr. Goertzens time as premier could prove crucial for Manitobans as they continue to battle fiercely on multiple fronts. How he confronts the crises he has inherited will play a large part in determining the success or failure of the PCs next elected leader.
A couple hundred protesters lined the sidewalks Wednesday outside the Health Sciences Centre, rallying against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and passports, amongst other pandemic-related issues.

A couple hundred protesters lined the sidewalks Wednesday outside the Health Sciences Centre, rallying against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and passports, amongst other pandemic-related issues.

Passing vehicles honked their horns, and protesters shouted continuously, filling the air with a chaotic din. Ambulances pushed through the congested traffic with their lights on.

Across the street, one disabilities worker (who didn't want her name used) was furious with the rally organizers choice of location: "Thats the childrens hospital right there."

The protesters outside the buildings windows were shouting lines such as "No masks for kids; set our children free."

"I support them expressing their opinion, but take it to the (legislature building.) There are sick kids in there and people whove waited months and months to get into appointments," the disabilities worker said.

Protesters occupied Sherbrook Street until about 1:30 p.m. when police blocked off the street; at which point, they moved to Notre Dame Avenue.

JESSICA LEE/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Allie Friedenberg holds up a ripped vaccine card Wednesday at the protest outside the Health Sciences Centre against vaccines, vaccine passports and COVID restrictions.

They waved signs with a variety of slogans, including: "No forced vaccines" and "We are all essential."

One held a sign that read: "Love over fear."

A woman with a megaphone shouted at passing cars.

"The government is killing us with a vaccine program. Its a genocide," she said.

Of all COVID-19 vaccine doses administered thus far, 0.007 per cent have resulted in serious adverse events, according to Health Canada.

The organizers call themselves Canadian Frontline Nurses. Its website lists four nurses or former nurses from Ontario and Alberta, and only by first name.

The Manitoba Nurses Union was quick to denounce the gathering.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Protesters blocked off parts of Sherbrook Street and William Avenue Wednesday.

"This event is neither supported, sanctioned or involves the Manitoba Nurses Union. In fact, MNU is not in any way affiliated with the individuals calling themselves Canadian Frontline Nurses," president Darlene Jackson said in a written statement.

"While it is unfortunate that this group is taking attention away from the important vaccination efforts happening across Canada, the vast majority of nurses in this country have seen first-hand the devastating effects of COVID-19 and understand that the only way out of this pandemic is through social distancing, masking and vaccination."

One St. Boniface Hospital nurse, who has spent time working in the COVID-19 unit, spoke out against the rally.

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"Its a real slap in the face to the people that experienced it, the people that died, got sick," he said, letting let out a deep sigh. "The front-line workers, like myself, we got a bit of PTSD from all this.

"It was real. It was really, really bad... That feeling of helplessness trying to help these people. And those folks outside the Health Sciences Centre  its so disrespectful."

The nurse said he understands the frustration with vaccine mandates and passports in general society, but health-care workers have a special duty to align themselves with science-based reasoning.

"When you take on the role of a health-care provider, you take on some of those things that are going to make it safer for other people. And thats getting vaccinated," he said.

"We all had to do it to become students; we all had to show that we have blood work, that we didnt have all these diseases. Because thats why we do what we do: to save peoples lives and help protect communities."

cody.sellar@freepress.mb.ca
If the sheer number of candidates is any indication, the NDP and its leader, Jagmeet Singh, are winning the Indigenous vote.

If the sheer number of candidates is any indication, the NDP and its leader, Jagmeet Singh, are winning the Indigenous vote.

This years federal election will feature at least 75 Indigenous candidates, the most in history.

According to information compiled by the Assembly of First Nations and The Canadian Press, the NDPs slate features the largest number of Indigenous candidates: 29.

In second place are the Liberals with 25, followed by the the Green party with 11, and the Conservatives with six. The People's Party of Canada has four.

NDP MP Leah Gazan is running for re-election in Winnipeg Centre. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press)

This tops the previous record of Indigenous federal election candidates  62 in 2019  and marks a continued climb since the 2015 campaign (54).

In the past, the few Indigenous candidates ran mostly in proportionately high Indigenous-population areas.

Now they are running all across Canada, from major urban centres to rural southern communities, with some races in Saskatchewan, Quebec, and Newfoundland featuring multiple Indigenous names on the same ballot.

Two sitting chiefs of First Nations communities  Jason Henry of Kettle & Stony Point First Nation and Duke Peltier of Wikwemikong  are running for federal office. If elected Sept. 20, either man would be among the first Indigenous leaders in history to be both a chief and MP at the same time.

According to the AFN, the largest numbers of Indigenous candidates are in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.

Liberal MP Dan Vandal is running for re-election in Saint BonifaceSaint Vital. (Alex Lupul / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Its a virtual tie between self-declared First Nations and Metis candidates (around 35 per cent each), while Inuit make up the remainder (five per cent). The cultural and community affiliations of some Indigenous candidates are not readily available.

In Manitoba, seven Metis candidates are running: Dan Vandal in Saint BonifaceSaint Vital (Liberal); Madelaine Dwyer in CharleswoodSt. JamesAssiniboiaHeadingley (NDP); Andrew Carrier in Portage-Lisgar (Liberal); Melissa Chung-Mowat in Winnipeg North (NDP); Ralph McLean in ChurchillKeewatinook Aski (Green); Kevin Carlson in Dauphin-Swan River (Liberal); and Rejeanne Caron in ElmwoodTranscona (Conservative).

Two Manitoba federal candidates are First Nations: Leah Gazan in Winnipeg Centre (NDP) and Shirley Robinson in ChurchillKeewatinook Aski (Liberal).

Gazan, alongside Vandal, are not only two of the most vocal and popular Indigenous MPs in Canada but are incumbents running for re-election.

Robinson, meanwhile, was recently endorsed by Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Arlen Dumas and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee to represent Manitobas North. She is running against well-known NDP MP Niki Ashton, who has represented the riding for 13 years.

Winnipeg North NDP candidate Melissa Chung-Mowat. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

Its an anomaly to have a grand chief endorse a Canadian political candidate but, occasionally, it happens.

In this case, Dumas and Settee both stated in their endorsement of Robinson they want to see an Indigenous leader represent the North. Critics were quick to point out both recently posted selfies with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, and have had open disagreements with Ashton over her handling of the 2018 rail line crisis that cut the town of Churchill off from trade and resources.

Chiefs endorsing federal election candidates is not a shrewd political move, as most stay neutral due to the fact they will have to work with whomever takes office.

Sometimes, First Nations endorsements of Canadian politics can get quite silly. In 2015, then-AFN national chief Perry Bellegarde endorsed the NDP party platform but not the party.

This time around, AFN National Chief RoseAnne Archibald has said she is endorsing no leader, platform or candidate. She did, however, issue a list of top five policy "requests" for federal parties to include in platforms: truth and reconciliation, climate change, economic growth, respecting First Nations' jurisdiction, and rebuilding and strengthening First Nations.

Rejeanne Caron is running for the Conservatives in ElmwoodTranscona. (Supplied)

The question, as always, is whether Canadians are willing to vote for an Indigenous voice to represent their riding.

Indigenous federal candidates are in a complicated position.

If you voice too much support for Indigenous interests, you are seen as "not Canadian enough."

If you support too many Canadian interests, Indigenous voters see you as self-interested and co-opted by the state.

On election night, we will see who will be the next slate of Indigenous voices in Canadas government, seeking to match or surpass the record 10 such MPs elected in 2019.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca

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.
A federal Conservative government would commit to building a $1.854-billion north end sewage treatment plant upgrade in Winnipeg and two new Manitoba flood outlets if elected Sept. 20.

A federal Conservative government would commit to building a $1.854-billion north end sewage treatment plant upgrade in Winnipeg and two new Manitoba flood outlets if elected Sept. 20.

In a news release, Conservative Leader Erin OToole pledged his government would ensure a few key projects are constructed, including the Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin outlet channels, the sewage plant work and a previously announced overpass at St. Marys Road and the Perimeter Highway in the provincial capital.

"These projects will ensure that Manitoba has the modern infrastructure needed to keep people and goods moving, meet the needs of growing communities and prevent flooding," OToole said in the release.

The release did not explain how the federal party would ensure the projects are completed. In an emailed statement, Conservative spokesperson Mathew Clancy said the Tories would cover up to 40 per cent of the total costs for each project.

In July, the current Liberal government announced $116.1 million from its Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to support Phase 1 of the north end sewage treatment plant upgrades. The province will pay $96.7 million and the City of Winnipeg will contribute $143 million.

No senior government funding has been announced for the proposed second or third phases, the latter of which is meant to reduce algae-promoting nutrients that flow out of the plant and make their way into Lake Winnipeg.

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A federal Conservative government would "be a federal funding partner for the entirety of the project," Clancy said.

Construction of the Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin flood outlets is expected to cost about $540 million, for which Ottawa previously committed to pay half the cost. The megaproject has been held up by submission woes, including disputes over the amount of consultation required with Indigenous groups.

In June, the Manitoba government said construction on the outlets could begin as soon as this fall as long as all federal clearances and consultation requirements are met.

The outlet project was planned after flooding caused $2.1 billion in damage and forced 7,000 people to be evacuated in 2011. In an apparent mistake, the Conservative news release describes the flooding damage and evacuations as taking place last year.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
She wished, she said, that a fraction of any money Hussain spent on lawyers would have been spent to fix the limo's brakes.

Hussain was accused of putting the victims in a death trap.

My son, my baby boy, was killed in a limo while trying to be safe, said Beth Muldoon, the mother of Adam Jackson, 34, who was killed along with his wife, Abigail King Jackson.

The couple, who with the others had rented the limo to avoid drinking and driving, had two small children. Muldoon lamented the holidays and life milestones the parents will miss.

One spectator left the hearing, cursing and shouting, He killed 20 people, before apologizing to the judge on her way out.

Hussain sat quietly as parents talked about their smothering grief and anger. Defense attorney Joseph Tacopina said his client accepts responsibility for his actions and cried as the relatives spoke.

Hussain did not answer reporters' questions after the court proceeding.

Under the deal, Hussain will be formally sentenced after an interim probation of two years. The judge noted that Hussain's guilty plea could be used to buoy any lawsuits.
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Cheever was on the bed with a purse beside her. The officer reported that she initially gave him a different name and denied that she had any identification in the purse, eventually admitting it was hers when the officer said he would go through it to find the owner.

In the purse, officers found six plastic bags with substances later identified as methamphetamine and heroin mixed with Fentanyl. There was roughly 78 grams of meth and 2.9 grams of the heroin-Fentanyl mixture.

Cheever faces a maximum prison sentence of more than 64 years and fines up to $180,000 for charges of possessing with the intent to sell more than 50 grams of amphetamines, possessing narcotics, obstructing an officer and six counts of bail jumping. She is scheduled to return to court Oct. 28.

Officers also found Keisha Marie Vasquez, 32, of Wisconsin Dells after she had left the home. According to the complaint, she initially claimed to go by another name and said Vasquez was her sister, but after questioning near the park during which she allegedly dropped a bag containing meth, she admitted to lying about her identity.
Many businesses are also sweetening the pot for those who get vaccinated, or when reaching a certain level of participation. Most stories dont hit the news, but you hear dozens of anecdotal stories and postings about incentives. Whether you have been vaccinated, choose to take some bucks from Bucky, or forgo the vaccine is totally your choice, and I respect your decision.

Weve also seen a coordinated rush by big hospital groups across the state to push vaccine mandates on their workers. Get the jab, or lose your job. The same folks who were lauded as heroes for their courageous work throughout these challenging times now face ultimatums.

Its amazing to see the uprising of health care workers in response to employer-required jabs. You wont see much media coverage as it doesnt fit the proper narrative, but thousands of health care workers are staging events outside hospitals and other venues in support of their own medical freedom.

I attended a medical freedom rally at the Capitol Aug. 10, organized by Wisconsin Health Care Employees for Medical Freedom, which was given a brief moment of coverage by WKOW-TV 27 that day. Little attention in coverage was paid to the message of choice the speakers were trying to convey, and WKOW quickly shifted to the pro-vaccine mantra.
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Nelson reached his residence and pulled into his yard and then drove around to the back side of the residence. Gordon parked in the driveway and walked to the back of the residence where Nelson had exited his vehicle and observed Nelson holding a can, which upon seeing Gordon he threw into the yard.

Asked what he was doing, Nelson stated he was just going home and did not know why he did not stop. After being told Gordon knew Nelson saw her because Nelson sped up and did not stop after seeing Gordon, Nelson again stated he did not stop because he was getting home. Gordon told Nelson they were going to walk up to her vehicle.

As Nelson spoke he emitted a very strong odor of intoxicating beverage from his breath and his speech was slow and slurred. Asked where he was coming from, Nelson said Cheese Factory Road. Nelson stated he had not too many when asked how much he had to drink.

Nelson agreed to perform standardized field sobriety tests. During the tests Gordon observed 15 clues indicating Nelson was intoxicated.
A startup that allows private homeowners to rent their swimming pools by the hour wont have to meet the same stringent requirements that large, public pools do after Wisconsin regulators backed down in the face of a threatened lawsuit.

The regulators told Swimply in April that pools offered for rent would have to be treated the same as large, public swimming pools. That meant a pools owner would have to obtain a license and meet construction requirements that are more onerous.

But on Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection notified attorneys for Swimply that most pools offered for rent would not have to meet those higher standards.

However, whether any particular pool would be subject to public pool licensing requirements would depend on the facts of the situation for each individual pool, agency attorney Sheri Walz wrote.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The future of steel production at a sprawling plant west of Amsterdam was called into question Thursday after an investigation found elevated levels of lead and other deposits in dust falling in nearby residential areas.

The investigation by the government's Public Health and Environment Institute, known by its acronym RIVM, focused on dust found in towns and villages near the sprawling Tata Steel factory on the North Sea coast near the Dutch capital.

Exposure to the amounts of lead and PAH in the dust in the IJmond (region) is undesirable for the health of children, the institute said in a statement referring to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH.

The study said that levels of metals including iron and chrome as well as PAH measured outdoors were between 20 and 100 times higher than outside the region, with the highest levels found at the seaside village of Wijk aan Zee.

In a written reaction, Tata Steel said it takes the RIVM report very seriously. We understand that local residents and especially the residents of Wijk aan Zee are concerned about their health and that of their children as a result of this report and we share this concern.
That ruling was appealed, with the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, Wisconsin Newspaper Association and Wisconsin Broadcasters Association filing a friend of the court brief in favor of the trustee. (My law firm authored the brief.)

The appeals court ruled that the trustee was entitled to fee recovery, citing the open records laws statement that all persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and its direction that the law be liberally construed in favor of public access.

Laws that allow requesters to recover attorneys fees have always been important to ensuring access to information. For example, they allow people who could not otherwise afford an attorney to hire one on a contingent-fee basis to bring an open records case.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is also considering a different attorney fees case this term. It will decide whether requesters can get attorney fees when an agency voluntarily produces records after a suit is filed, if the initial denial was unlawful.

The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council joined with four other organizations in filing a friend of the court brief urging a yes answer to this question.
A new pro-gun law in Texas that went into effect Wednesday allows most Texans who legally own a firearm to carry it openly in public without obtaining a permit or training, a measure that experts say will make it more challenging for law enforcement to protect the public from gun violence.

The controversial "constitutional carry" legislation is the latest in a series of pro-gun bills that state lawmakers passed this year as gun violence incidents rise in Texas and across the country.

The number of shootings in Texas, not including suicides, increased 14% this year with roughly 3,200 shootings compared to the same period in 2020, which recorded roughly 2,800 shootings, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA). Gun violence incidents this year represent a 50% increase over the same period in 2019, which saw 2,100 shootings, the data shows.

"In Texas, repealing the permit altogether is a radical change," said Andrew Karwoski, a policy expert at Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country. "Just allowing almost anyone to carry a handgun in public, no questions asked, no background check or safety training, is really dangerous."

Conservative activists had lobbied for permitless carry proposals for years, but they were stalled in the past three legislative sessions. Declaring that the law "instilled freedom in the Lone Star State," Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill -- which the state House of Representatives approved in an 82-62 vote -- into law in June despite opposition from Democrats, some policing leaders and gun control advocates.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said people open carrying firearms have made it harder for officers to differentiate a "good guy with a gun from a bad guy with a gun."

"Owning a firearm and being able to deploy a firearm in a safe manner requires not only familiarity with the weapon system but also a level of proficiency," said Frank Straub, the director of the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies at the National Police Foundation.

Known as House Bill 1927, the law applies to Texans age 21 and older and excludes people who are prohibited from legally owning a firearm, such as those convicted of a felony, assault, domestic violence or terrorist threats. Before the law went into effect Wednesday, residents could carry handguns only with a license and were required to complete training, as well as pass a written exam and proficiency test.

Republican supporters of the bill have argued that by removing the licensing requirement, they are removing an "artificial barrier" to residents' right to bear arms under the Constitution and ensuring more Texans have access to "the protection of themselves or their families" in public.

"This bill, to me, is a restoration of the belief in and trust of our citizens," said state Sen. Charles Schwertner, a Republican and the bill's sponsor. "If you possess a firearm, you should be able to carry a firearm."

Texas joins several other conservative states -- such as Iowa, Tennessee, Montana, Utah and Wyoming -- that have passed legislation this year allowing some form of permitless carry as President Joe Biden pushed forward executive actions to address gun violence in the wake of several high-profile mass shootings.

In more than 40 states, people can carry loaded, semi-automatic rifles in public without a license or training. Five states, including California and the District of Columbia, ban the open carry of loaded long guns, while only Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Jersey require permits to openly carry long guns, according to Everytown. In 29 states, civilians can open carry loaded long guns around state capitols, according to Everytown.

"As we've seen gun extremism continue to rise in this country, we've also seen people who open carry start out at marches and rallies and then show up in elected officials' homes, in polling places, statehouses and then on January 6th at the US Capitol," said Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, which has been fighting for gun safety measures since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut that killed 20 children and six educators.

Open carry makes job more dangerous for law enforcement, officials say

Earlier this year, Texas law enforcement officials held a news conference in Austin to oppose the so-called "constitutional carry" legislation. They included Garcia, the Dallas police chief, and Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union. "A minimum level of training is not asking too much for carrying a firearm and it is consistent with the Second Amendment," Garcia said at the news conference.

"It makes our job, the job of our men and women, more dangerous," he added. "Gun owners have a duty to ensure that their firearms are handled safely and a duty to know applicable laws."

If an individual is seen carrying a firearm at a protest or a store, there is little that law enforcement can do unless the person is acting in an illegal manner, according to Karwoski, of Everytown.

"One of the reasons that open carry is so dangerous is because it's so difficult to enforce," Karwoski said. "It's hard for law enforcement when they see someone walking down the street with a military-style assault weapon to understand their intentions and respond accordingly."

While everyone has the right to purchase and bear arms under the Second Amendment to the Constitution, said Straub, those individuals "should go through a process that ensures their possession of a firearm is done in a safe manner."

But not everyone should have access to a gun, Straub said -- especially those struggling with suicidal ideology, certain mental health issues, and a history of domestic violence.

"We need to have safeguards in place that protect the person carrying the firearm as well as the general public," he said.

Research shows open carry can increase violent behavior generally

Mass shootings in 2019 at a Walmart in El Paso and in a shooting spree around Midland and Odessa left 30 people dead and dozens wounded, and they prompted Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to briefly consider a gun control proposal that would make it harder for Texans to buy a firearm.

But during his annual State of the State address earlier this year, Abbott stressed the need to "erect a complete barrier against any government official anywhere from treading on gun rights in Texas."

Texas has seen a consistent increase in mass shootings over the past four years. Through August 31, the state had 38 mass shootings, a 40% jump over the same period last year and a stark increase over the 19 mass shootings in 2019 and 10 in 2018, according to GVA data. Nationally, there have been 464 mass shootings through August 31, compared with 418 last year and 286 in 2019, GVA data shows.

CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as a shooting that injures or kills four or more people, not including the shooter.

Several high-profile mass shootings in recent years have propelled law enforcement officials and lawmakers to call for stricter gun control laws, including restrictions on open carry. In Dallas in 2016, five officers were killed and seven others wounded in an ambush that marked the deadliest single incident for US law enforcement since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

White nationalists who attended the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 stormed the city while openly carrying handguns and rifles. The rally ended with one person killed and 19 injured after a White supremacist slammed his car into a group of counterprotesters. In Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year, a group of men who openly carried guns during protests after the police shooting of Jacob Blake included then-17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot three people with his long gun.

A report published last week by Everytown and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) includes a study of 560 events between January 2020 and June 2021 at which demonstrators, counterdemonstrators or other individuals or groups were present, either carrying or brandishing firearms.

"Contrary to claims that the presence of guns in public spaces makes people safer," the report says, "demonstrations involving at least one armed individual tend to be violent or destructive 16% of the time."

The study found that armed protests are nearly six times as likely to turn violent or destructive compared to unarmed protests. While armed demonstrations turn violent or destructive about 16% of the time, unarmed demonstrators might turn violent 3% of the time, the report says.

"Data shows that visible guns makes people more aggressive, so it's a logical next step to believe that open carry makes it more likely that disagreements will turn into violent conflicts," said Watts, of Moms Demand Action.

Preemption laws are part of the problem, experts say

In 2013, a group of mothers who were volunteering with Moms Demand Action was having lunch at a Dallas-area restaurant when they were confronted by a group of 40 men openly carrying long guns, Watts said.

"They pretended like they were aiming at the volunteers inside the restaurant and there was nothing the manager could do, because it was legal to open carry long guns," she said. "We were shocked that this was legal behavior and it seemed like an alarming practice that was meant to intimidate and silence us."

In the states where open carrying is legal, Watts said, members of the organization have been routinely surrounded by mostly armed men while they hold rallies, marches, volunteer events and private meetings. Volunteers with Moms Demand Action have helped dozens of corporations ban open carry in stores since 2013 and they will continue their work with Texas' new permitless carry law, she added.

Part of the problem is preemption laws that cause cities to "bear the brunt of gun violence without allowing them to change the policies that could address it," Watts said.

These laws are enacted in more than 40 states, including Texas, preventing cities and local municipalities from passing their own gun safety measures.

"Having broad preemption laws is incredibly stifling for local leaders when they want to create local solutions to gun violence and that includes open carry," said Karwoski, of Everytown.

As a result, he said, densely populated cities and large urban centers are subjected to the same rules and regulations as rural and suburban areas where the gun violence crisis is much different.

"It means localities can't regulate on a local level," Karwoski added. "If they try to do this, they could be sued, subjected to fines, and other punitive measures that arguably have a chilling effect on any locality that regulates guns."

The-CNN-Wire

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PAMELIA, N.Y.  A Fort Drum soldier was killed in a rollover crash in Jefferson County on Wednesday, Sept. 1.

New York State Police say 29-year-old Brandon L. Needy was driving his pickup truck in the town of Pamelia around 9:15 a.m., when he failed to negotiate the curve on the on-ramp to Interstate 781. He overcorrected, causing the truck to rollover onto its roof.

Needy was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was the only person in the truck and no other vehicles were involved.

State police were assisted by the Pamelia Fire Department, North Police Fire Department and Evans Mills Ambulance.
UTICA, N.Y. (UPDATED) -- The new company Utica City School District contracted for bus services is still short on bus drivers less than a week before the first day of school.

Officials from Durham School Services spoke Thursday about the struggle to hire, attributing it in part to the increased unemployment benefits, loss of contracts and COVID concerns.

The Upstate New York region manager for Durham, Brett Wester, said they are still facing a shortage even after bringing in drivers from their other locations.

"Today we have roughly 75 drivers to cover 124 routes with the district, and that's for the first day of school, and that includes 20 drivers that we have brought in that are temporary drivers that are arriving here over the next two days, he said.

Wester said the company has worked with the district on a plan that will ensure all students are picked up for school come Sept. 7.

He said the bus routes will be staggered, and there will be a tracker app available so parents can see where the buses are after school.

Wester says they are confident this will be a short-term problem, and they will get more drivers when the federal unemployment ends or when bus drivers are released from other contracts.

The company is offering a sign on bonus of up to $3,000 and competitive wages up to $22 per hour.

To learn more about applying to be a bus driver, click here.

Here is Durham's full letter to parents about the driver shortage:
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new eviction moratorium Thursday, extending the ban to Jan. 15, 2022.

The New York State Senate and Assembly approved the extension in a special session Wednesday.

The law establishes a new $250 million Supplemental Emergency Rental Assistance program to serve additional households and to better support landlords. Through this program, $125 million will be made available to provide assistance to households with income that exceeds 80% of Area Median Income (AMI), and up to 120% of AMI. Additionally, $125 million will be made available for assistance to landlords whose tenants refuse to participate or have vacated the residence with arrears.

Tenants must also submit a hardship declaration, or a document explaining the source of the hardship, to prevent an eviction proceeding from moving forward. Landlords who believe that their tenant has not suffered a financial hardship will now be permitted to request a hearing in court.

Landlords can also evict tenants who are creating safety or health hazards for other tenants, intentionally damaging property, or those who did not submit a hardship declaration.

The vote was 38-19 in the Senate. 80-60 in the Assembly. The bill has now cleared both houses and will head to Governor Kathy Hochul's desk to be signed.

Some local lawmakers voted 'no' on the bill. Read their statements below:

Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-47

The coronavirus pandemic has created significant hardships for property owners and tenants. However, I could not support the further extension of the states eviction moratorium because it puts landlords in a position where they essentially do not have complete control over their own private property.

We have offered changes that would help to address this issue. This has included calling for a quicker and more efficient distribution of rent relief, ensuring all stakeholders are included in discussions related to this matter and implementing procedures that will allow property owners to evict tenants who have not paid rent but have the means to do so and/or have not suffered financially from the pandemic.

Unfortunately, these recommendations were not considered. Essentially, the legislative majorities controlling state government, who have not presented any objective means or criteria for what ultimately constitutes the length of the moratorium that has been previously extended twice, have decided to again kick the can down the road as opposed to really solving the problem that presently exists.

Regarding legislation that would make temporary changes to Open Meetings Law, I voted against the bill in which these changes were contained because it was lumped in with the eviction moratorium. While I am supportive of changes to the Open Meetings Law and have demonstrated so by previously voting for Senate Bill 6303, such modifications have nothing to do with the eviction moratorium and should have been considered separately.

Sen. Peter Oberacker, R-51

New York State continues to sit on billions of dollars meant to help tenants and landlords alike. Instead of adopting a strategy to get those federal funds to people in need, something I have consistently advocated for, the misguided eviction moratorium was once again extended further drawing out an impending housing disaster. It is time to get our state back on track, get people back to work, and make property owners and renters whole  this bill fails and will compound financial issues for all.

Assemblyman Brian Miller, R-101

For far too long, the Assembly Majority has dragged its feet in providing real help to both tenants and landlords. The government has failed to sufficiently get the funds out to landlords and has allowed the continual abuse of this moratorium, which only hurts tenants in the long run to allow bills to pile up. Tenants are not the only ones who have struggled during this pandemic, landlords have felt the effects of it too, yet little assistance has been given to them. We shouldnt be extending the problem supporting tenants over landlords. We should be solving the problem to help both struggling tenants and struggling landlords.
State and city officials are calling Wednesdays downpour that flooded New York City "unprecedented" and "unforeseen."

At least 23 people died in New York City, many of whom were trapped in flooded basements.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said weather projections failed to predict such a cataclysmic downpour.

De Blasio said Wednesday's forecast had been 3 to 6 inches of rain over the course of the day but turned into the "biggest single hour of rainfall in New York City history.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she has spoken with President Joe Biden, who promised federal assistance.

"Moments ago, I was on the phone with the White House. President Biden called, offered any assistance, he repeated, any assistance that the State of New York needs," said Hochul. "I told him we'll take him up on that, and what happens, next, we'll be doing on-the-ground assessments of the damage with the FEMA teams, our local partners, and making sure we get a true accounting of the loss, but he promised that he'll guarantee, he said, I guaranteed you, I will approve any declaration you need, emergency declaration, so we can get the money flowing to New York, to our municipalities, to our cities, to our citizens, the businesses affected and certainly to the homeowners."

Overnight, Hochul declared a State of Emergency for Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in response to the heavy rains that resulted in flash flooding, power outages, travel disruptions, and damage in impacted areas and posed a threat to public health and safety.

Hochul has called in several state agencies to assist with the recovery effort.

The Department of Transportation is deploying more than 3,000 workers to assist, along with:

1,326 large dump trucks

51 loader-grapple attachments

299 loaders

18 vacuum trucks w/sewer jet

33 tracked excavators

43 wheeled excavators

52 tractor trailers w/ lowboy trailer

14 tree crew bucket trucks

36 traffic signal trucks

6 water pumps (4-6 inch)

77 chippers 10" (min) capacity

50 generators

The Thruway Authority is also sending 655 operators and supervisors downstate, as well as:

212 Large Dump Trucks

102 Small Dump Trucks

62 Loaders

28 Trailers

8 Vac Trucks

9 Tracked Excavators

9 Wheeled Excavators

10 Brush Chippers

100 Chainsaws

24 Aerial Trucks

22 Skid Steers

87 Portable Generators

69 Portable Light Units

The Department of Financial Services Mobile Command Center will also be deployed to affected communities to help residents and business owners file insurance claims.
Here is a list of incidents of elementary, middle and high school violence with at least one fatality, from 1927 to the present. Suicides, gang-related incidents and deaths resulting from domestic conflicts are not included. If a perpetrator was killed or died by suicide during the incident, their death is not included in the fatality totals.

Because there is no central database tracking school violence incidents, this list is based primarily on media reports and may not be complete or representative of all incidents.

READ MORE: Ten years of school shootings

US Timeline (selected only)

September 1, 2021 - Mount Tabor High School - Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A student is fatally shot, and a suspect is taken into custody.

March 1, 2021 - Watson Chapel Junior High - Pine Bluff, Arkansas. A student is fatally shot, and a 15-year-old male suspect is arrested.

January 14, 2020 - Bellaire High School - Bellaire, Texas. A 16-year-old male fatally shoots classmate Cesar Cortes. The teen is arrested and charged with manslaughter. The county district attorney said it appeared the shooting was unintentional.

Noveber 14, 2019 - Saugus High School - Santa Clarita, California. Nathaniel Berhow, 16, opens fire, killing two and injuring three, then shoots himself.

May 6, 2019 - STEM School Highlands Ranch - Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Suspects Devon Erickson, 18, and Alec McKinney, 16, are apprehended after a shooting leaves one dead and eight others injured.

May 18, 2018 - Santa Fe High School - Santa Fe, Texas. Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, allegedly opens fire killing 10 and injuring 13. Pagourtzis is arrested and charged with capital murder and aggravated assault of a public servant. In November 2019, he is declared mentally incompetent to stand trial.

February 14, 2018 - Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School - Parkland, Florida. Former student, Nikolas Cruz, 19, allegedly opens fire with an AR-15 rifle, killing 17 people and injuring 17 others. According to law enforcement, the suspect activated a fire alarm to draw people outside to increase casualties. Cruz is arrested and charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

January 23, 2018 - Marshall County High School - Benton, Kentucky. Gabriel R. Parker, 15, allegedly opens fire killing two and injuring 18 others. The suspect is arrested at the scene and later charged with two counts of murder and 14 counts of first degree assault.

December 7, 2017 - Aztec High School - Aztec, New Mexico. William Atchison shoots and kills students Casey Jordan Marquez and Francisco Fernandez. Atchison, a former student at the high school, dies of what police believe to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

September 13, 2017 - Freeman High School - Spokane, Washington. Caleb Sharpe, a sophomore at the school, allegedly opens fire killing one student and injuring three others. Sharpe is arrested and charged with premeditated murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder and 51 counts of second-degree assault.

April 10, 2017 - North Park Elementary School - San Bernardino, California. Jonathan Martinez, 8, and his teacher, Karen Smith, are killed when Cedric Anderson, Smith's estranged husband, walks into her special needs classroom and opens fire, armed with a large-caliber revolver. Two other students are wounded. Anderson then kills himself.

September 28, 2016 - Townville Elementary School - Greenville, South Carolina. A 14-year-old male opens fire on the playground, wounding two children and a teacher. Jacob Hall, one of the wounded children, dies three days later. Before going to the school, the teen, later identified as Jesse Osborne, shot and killed his father. In December 2018, Osborne pleads guilty to two murder charges and three attempted murder charges. In November 2019, Osborne is sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, plus 30 years.

October 24, 2014 - Marysville-Pilchuck High School - Marysville, Washington. Freshman Jaylen Fryberg shoots five people in the school cafeteria, killing one. Fryberg dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. A second victim dies of her injuries two days later; a third dies on October 31. A fourth victim dies on November 7.

June 10, 2014 - Reynolds High School - Troutdale, Oregon. Jared Padgett, 15, shoots and kills 14-year-old Emilio Hoffman in the school gym. He later takes his own life.

December 13, 2013 - Arapahoe High School - Centennial, Colorado. Karl Pierson, 18, opens fire inside, critically injuring one student and then killing himself. 17-year-old Claire Davis dies on December 21, eight days after being shot.

October 21, 2013 - Sparks Middle School - Sparks, Nevada. 12-year-old student Jose Reyes takes his parent's handgun to school and shoots three, injuring two 12-year-old male students and killing Mike Landsberry, a teacher and Marine veteran. He then kills himself.

December 14, 2012 - Sandy Hook Elementary School - Newtown, Connecticut. Adam Lanza, 20, guns down 20 children, ages 6 and 7, and six adults, school staff and faculty, before turning the gun on himself. Investigating police later find Nancy Lanza, Adam's mother, dead from a gunshot wound. The final count is 27 dead.

February 27, 2012 - Chardon High School - Chardon, Ohio. Student Daniel Parmertor, 16, is killed and four others wounded when student T.J. Lane, 17, opens fire in the school. On February 28, Demetrius Hewlin, 16, dies from his wounds and Russell King Jr., 17, is declared brain dead. In March 2013, Lane is sentenced to life in prison. On September 11, 2014, Lane escapes from prison. He is captured early the next morning.

January 5, 2011 - Millard South High School, Omaha, Nebraska. 17-year-old Robert Butler Jr. opens fire on Principal Curtis Case and Vice Principal Vicki Kasper. Butler then kills himself about a mile from the school. Vice Principal Kasper later dies at the hospital.

February 5, 2010 - Discovery Middle School, Madison, Alabama. 14-year-old Todd Brown dies after being shot in the head in a school hallway. Fellow ninth-grader Hammad Memon later pleads guilty and is sentenced to 30 years in prison.

October 16, 2009 - Carolina Forest High School, Conway, South Carolina. 16-year-old student Trevor Varinecz is shot and killed by a police officer after allegedly pulling a knife and stabbing the officer.

September 23, 2009 - John Tyler High School, Tyler, Texas. A 16-year-old, Byron Truvia, is taken into custody for stabbing and killing high school teacher Todd R. Henry. Truvia is later found unfit to stand trial.

September 15, 2009 - Coral Gables Senior High School, Coral Gables, Florida. 17-year-old Andy Jesus Rodriguez fatally stabs 17-year-old sophomore Juan Carlos Rivera during a fight. Rodriguez is later sentenced to 40 years in prison.

August 21, 2008 - Central High School, Knoxville, Tennessee. 15-year-old Jamar Siler shoots and kills 15-year-old Ryan McDonald. In 2011, Siler receives 30 years in prison in a plea agreement.

January 3, 2007 - Henry Foss High School, Tacoma, Washington. Student Douglas Chanthabouly, 18, fatally shoots another student, Samnang Kok, 17. Chanthabouly is sentenced in 2009 to more than 23 years in prison for second-degree murder.

October 2, 2006 - West Nickel Mines Amish School, Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. 32-year-old Charles Roberts IV goes to a small Amish school and takes at least 11 girls hostage. Five girls were killed and six others wounded. Roberts then kills himself.

September 29, 2006 - Weston High School, Cazenovia, Wisconsin. 15-year-old Eric Hainstock goes to school armed with a shotgun and a handgun. After a struggle with the school janitor, Hainstock shoots and kills the school principal. He is convicted of murder in August 2007 and sentenced to life in prison.

September 27, 2006 - Platte Canyon High School, Bailey, Colorado. 54-year-old Duane Morrison takes six female students hostage. When SWAT teams enter the school, Morrison shoots 16-year-old Emily Keyes. Morrison then kills himself. Keyes later dies at the hospital.

November 8, 2005 - Campbell County Comprehensive High School, Jacksboro, Tennessee. 15-year-old Kenneth Bartley Jr. opens fire on a principal and two assistant principals, killing one of them and critically wounding another, authorities said. In 2007, Bartley accepts a plea bargain, but his guilty plea is later vacated. In a retrial in February 2014, Bartley is found guilty of reckless homicide and not guilty of attempted first degree murder. He is sentenced to time served and released.

March 21, 2005 - Red Lake High School, Red Lake, Minnesota. 16-year-old Jeff Weise kills his grandfather and another adult, five students, a teacher and a security officer. He then kills himself.

February 3, 2004 - Southwood Middle School - Palmetto Bay, Florida. 14-year-old Michael Hernandez stabs to death 14-year-old Jaime Rodrigo Gough. In 2013, an appeals court tosses Hernandez's life sentence and remands the case for re-sentencing. In 2016, Hernandez is again sentenced to life in prison.

September 24, 2003 - Rocori High School - Cold Spring, Minnesota. 15-year-old Jason McLaughlin shoots and kills 17-year-old Aaron Rollins and critically injures another student. The second student dies in October. In 2005, McLaughlin is sentenced to consecutive terms of life in prison for first-degree murder and 12 years for second-degree murder.

April 24, 2003 - Red Lion Area Junior High School - Red Lion, Pennsylvania. 14-year-old James Sheets brings a revolver to school and kills his principal, Eugene Segro, and then himself.

December 5, 2001 - Springfield High School - Springfield, Massachusetts. At a high school for troubled teens, 17-year-old Corey Ramos stabs to death Reverend Theodore Brown, a counselor at the school. In 2003, Ramos is sentenced to life in prison.

March 5, 2001 - Santana High School - Santee, California. 15-year-old Charles "Andy" Williams kills two classmates, a 14-year-old and a 17-year-old, and injures 13. Williams is sentenced in 2002 to at least 50 years in prison.

May 26, 2000 - Lake Worth Community Middle School - Lake Worth, Florida. 13-year-old Nathaniel Brazill, after being sent home for misbehaving, returns to school and shoots and kills his teacher Barry Grunow. Brazill is sentenced to 28 years in prison.

February 29, 2000 - Buell Elementary School - Mount Morris Township, Michigan. An unnamed 6-year-old boy shoots and kills a 6-year-old playmate, Kayla Rolland, at school. He is removed from his mother's custody and put up for adoption.

November 19, 1999 - Deming Middle School - Deming, New Mexico. 12-year-old Victor Cordova shoots and kills a 13-year-old classmate. He is sentenced to two years in juvenile detention.

April 20, 1999 - Columbine High School - Littleton, Colorado. 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold kill 12 fellow students and one teacher before dying by suicide in the school library.

May 21, 1998 - Thurston High School - Springfield, Oregon. After killing his parents the previous day, 15-year-old Kip Kinkel returns to Thurston High armed with a rifle. He kills two students in the school cafeteria, a 16 and a 17-year-old. He is sentenced to 112 years in prison.

April 24, 1998 - James Parker Middle School - Edinboro, Pennsylvania. 14-year-old Andrew Wurst shoots and kills science teacher John Gillette at a school dance. He is sentenced to serve between 30 and 60 years.

March 24, 1998 - Westside Middle School - Jonesboro, Arkansas. 11-year-old Andrew Golden and 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson ambush fellow students and their teachers, killing five. Johnson is incarcerated in a youth facility and released on his 21st birthday August 11, 2005. Golden is released on his 21st birthday, May 25, 2007.

December 1, 1997 - Heath High School - West Paducah, Kentucky. 14-year-old Michael Carneal opens fire on a school prayer group, killing three girls, who were 14, 15 and 17. He is serving life in prison.

October 1, 1997 - Pearl High School - Pearl, Mississippi. After killing his mother at home, 16-year-old Luke Woodham arrives at school and shoots two classmates. Woodham is serving three life sentences plus 140 years.

February 19, 1997 - Bethel High School - Bethel, Alaska. 16-year-old Evan Ramsey uses a shotgun stolen from his foster home to kill a 15-year-old student and the school principal. He is currently serving a term of 210 years.

September 25, 1996 - Dekalb Alternative School - Decatur, Georgia. 16-year-old David Dubose Jr. shoots and kills English teacher Horace Morgan on the steps of the school. Dubose is found not guilty by reason of insanity and is committed indefinitely to a state mental hospital.

February 2, 1996 - Frontier Junior High School - Moses Lake, Washington. 14-year-old Barry Loukaitis takes a rifle to school and kills two classmates and a teacher. He is sentenced to life in prison.

January 19, 1996 - Winston Education Center - Washington. Two masked gunmen kill 14-year-old Damion Blocker in a stairwell. 16-year-old shooter Darrick Evans is given a sentence of 41 years to life in prison.

November 15, 1995 - Richland High School - Lynnville, Tennessee. 17-year-old Jamie Rouse kills a business teacher and a 16-year-old student. Rouse is serving a life sentence.

October 12, 1995 - Blackville-Hilda High School - Blackville, South Carolina. 15-year-old Toby Sincino kills a teacher and then himself.

November 7, 1994 - Wickliffe Middle School - Wickliffe, Ohio. 37-year-old drifter Keith Ledeger shoots and kills school custodian Peter Christopher and injures three others. Ledeger is sentenced to life in prison.

April 12, 1994 - Margaret Leary Elementary School - Butte, Montana. 10-year-old James Osmanson, teased because his parents have AIDS, shoots and kills an 11-year-old on the school playground. Osmanson is sent to a private residential treatment center.

February 1, 1994 - Valley View Junior High School - Simi Valley, California. 13-year-old Philip Hernandez stabs to death a 14-year-old student in a school hallway. Hernandez is sentenced to four years in a California Youth Authority prison.

December 1, 1993 - Wauwatosa West High School - Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. 21-year-old former student Leonard McDowell returns to his high school and kills Associate Principal Dale Breitlow. He is sentenced to life in prison.

May 24, 1993 - Upper Perkiomen High School - Pennsburg, Pennsylvania. 15-year-old student Jason Smith kills another student who had bullied him. He is sentenced to between 12 and 25 years in prison.

April 15, 1993 - Ford Middle School - Acushnet, Massachusetts. 44-year-old David Taber invades a middle school and takes three hostages. He later shoots and kills school nurse Carol Day. He is found not guilty of the murder by reason of insanity.

April 12, 1993 - Dartmouth High School - Dartmouth, Massachusetts. 16-year-old Jason Robinson is stabbed to death in his social studies class by three teenage attackers who invade the classroom.

January 18, 1993 - East Carter High School - Grayson, Kentucky. 17-year-old student Scott Pennington shoots and kills a teacher and custodian. He is sentenced to life in prison.

May 1, 1992 - Lindhurst High School - Olivehurst, California. 20-year-old dropout Eric Houston returns to his high school and kills a former teacher and three students. Houston is sentenced to death.

February 26, 1992 - Thomas Jefferson High School - Brooklyn, New York. A 15-year-old shoots and kills two other students. The shooter, Kahlil Sumpter, is sentenced in 1993 to between 6 2/3 and 20 years in prison and is released in 1998.

November 25, 1991 - Thomas Jefferson High School - Brooklyn, New York. A stray bullet kills a 16-year-old student during an argument between two other teens. Shooter Jason Bentley, 14, is sentenced in 1992 to three to nine years in prison.

January 17, 1989 - Cleveland Elementary School - Stockton, California. 24-year-old drifter Patrick Purdy uses an AK-47 to kill five children on an elementary school playground. He then takes his own life.

December 16, 1988 - Atlantic Shores Christian School - Virginia Beach, Virginia. 16-year-old Nicholas Elliot shoots and kills teacher Karen Farley. Elliott is sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

September 26, 1988 - Oakland Elementary School - Greenwood, South Carolina. 19-year-old James Wilson, copying the Winnetka, Illinois murders, kills 8-year-olds Tequila Thomas and Shequila Bradley in their school cafeteria. Wilson's death sentence is overturned in January 2003.

May 20, 1988 - Hubbard Woods Elementary School - Winnetka, Illinois. 30-year-old Laurie Dann invades an elementary school and kills an 8-year-old boy. She injures six other people before taking her own life.

February 11, 1988 - Pinellas Park High School - Largo, Florida. Two 15-year-olds with stolen weapons, Jason McCoy and Jason Harless, shoot and kill Assistant Principal Richard Allen. McCoy serves two years in prison, and Harless serves eight.

March 2, 1987 - Dekalb High School - Dekalb, Missouri. 12-year-old Nathan Faris, who was teased about being overweight, shoots 13-year-old Timothy Perrin and then takes his own life.

December 4, 1986 - Fergus High School - Lewistown, Montana. 14-year-old Kristofer Hans shoots and kills substitute teacher Henrietta Smith. He is sentenced to 206 years in prison in 1988.

May 16, 1986 - Cokeville Elementary School - Cokeville, Wyoming. A couple in their 40s, David and Doris Young, take over an elementary school with a bomb and hold 150 children and adults hostage, demanding $300 million in ransom. The bomb accidentally detonates, setting the school on fire. Investigators later determine that during the fire David Young shot his wife and then killed himself. 74 people were injured in the fire.

January 21, 1985 - Goddard Junior High School - Goddard, Kansas. 14-year-old James Kearbey shoots and kills Principal Jim McGee. Kearbey spends seven years in juvenile detention and is released at the age of 21. On October 31, 2001, Kearbey is involved in a six-hour standoff with Wichita, Kansas, police. No injuries resulted and Kearbey is later acquitted of aggravated assault on a police officer.

February 24, 1984 - 49th Street School - Los Angeles. Sniper Tyrone Mitchell shoots at children on an elementary school playground, killing one and injuring 11. He later takes his own life.

January 20, 1983 - Parkway South Junior High - St. Louis. An unnamed 14-year-old shoots and kills another student before turning the gun on himself.

March 19, 1982 - Valley High School - Las Vegas. 17-year-old Pat Lizotte shoots and kills psychology teacher Clarence Piggott during class. Lizotte is sentenced to life in prison.

January 29, 1979 - Grover Cleveland Elementary - San Diego. 16-year-old Brenda Spencer opens fire on a school across from her home, killing the principal and janitor.

May 18, 1978 - Murchison Junior High School - Austin, Texas. 13-year-old John Christian shoots and kills his English teacher Wilbur Grayson, during class. The shooter is the son of George Christian, press secretary to President Lyndon Johnson from 1967 to 1969. After time in a psychiatric hospital, Christian attends high school in the Dallas area.

February 22, 1978 - Everett High School - Lansing, Michigan. 15-year-old Roger Needham kills another student who had bullied him. After four years in juvenile detention, Needham is released. He later earns a Ph.D in math and works as a professor in Missouri and New York.

March 18, 1975 - Sumner High School - St. Louis. 16-year-old Stephen Goods, a bystander, is shot and killed during a fight between other teens.

December 30, 1974 - Olean High School - Olean, New York. Honors student Anthony Barbaro kills a school janitor and two passers-by. Barbaro later kills himself while awaiting trial.

October 5, 1966 - Grand Rapids High School - Grand Rapids, Minnesota. 15-year-old David Black injures another student before killing teacher Forrest Willey.

September 15, 1959 - Edgar Allen Poe Elementary - Houston. Convict Paul Orgeron explodes a suitcase of dynamite on a school playground, killing himself, two adults and three children.

May 18, 1927 - Bath Consolidated Schoolhouse - Bath, Michigan. Farmer Andrew Kehoe sets off two explosions at the school, killing himself, six adults and 38 children.

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Here's a look at the opioid crisis.

Experts say the United States is in the throes of an opioid epidemic. An estimated 10.1 million Americans aged 12 and older misused opioids in 2019, including 9.7 million prescription pain reliever abusers and 745,000 heroin users.

Opioids are drugs formulated to replicate the pain-reducing properties of opium. Prescription painkillers like morphine, oxycodone and hydrocodone are opioids. Illegal drugs like heroin and illicitly made fentanyl are also opioids. The word "opioid" is derived from the word "opium."

In 2019, there were 70,630 overdose deaths in the United States and 49,860 of those overdose deaths involved opioids.

More than 130 people died every day from opioid-related drug overdoses in 2016 and 2017, according to the US Department of Health & Human Services.

Prescription opioid volumes peaked in 2011, with the equivalent of 240 billion milligrams of morphine prescribed, according to the market research firm, IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science. In 2018, prescription opioid volume fell by 29.2 billion morphine milligram equivalents, a dramatic decline.

Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee had the highest opioid prescription rates in 2019.

Common Opioids

Opioids such as morphine and codeine are naturally derived from opium poppy plants more commonly grown in Asia, Central America and South America. Heroin is an illegal drug synthesized from morphine.

Hydrocodone and oxycodone are semi-synthetic opioids, manufactured in labs with natural and synthetic ingredients.

Fentanyl is a fully synthetic opioid, originally developed as a powerful anesthetic for surgery. It is also administered to alleviate severe pain associated with terminal illnesses like cancer. The drug is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Just a small dose can be deadly. Illicitly produced fentanyl has been a driving factor in the number of overdose deaths in recent years.

Methadone is another fully synthetic opioid. It is commonly dispensed to recovering heroin addicts to relieve the symptoms of withdrawal.

Opioids bind to receptors in the brain and spinal cord, disrupting pain signals. They also activate the reward areas of the brain by releasing the hormone dopamine, creating a feeling of euphoria or a "high."

Addiction

Opioid use disorder is the clinical term for opioid addiction or abuse.

People who become dependent on opioids may experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop using the medication. Dependence is often coupled with tolerance, meaning that users need to take increasingly larger doses for the same effect.

People who become dependent on pain pills may switch to heroin because it is less expensive than prescription drugs. Individuals who are addicted to prescription opioids are 40 times more likely to become addicted to heroin.

In 2018, almost 15,000 people in the United States died from a heroin overdose, down 4.1% from 2017.

A drug called naloxone, available as an injection or a nasal spray, is used as a treatment for overdoses. It blocks or reverses the effects of opioids and is often carried by first responders.

More data on overdose deaths

Regulation and Funding

The 21st Century Cures Act, passed in 2016, allocated $1 billion over two years in opioid crisis grants to states, providing funding for expanded treatment and prevention programs. In April 2017, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price announced the distribution of the first round of $485 million in grants to all 50 states and US territories.

In August 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the launch of an Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit within the Department of Justice. The unit's mission is to prosecute individuals who commit opioid-related health care fraud. The DOJ is also appointing US attorneys who will specialize in opioid health care fraud cases as part of a three-year pilot program in 12 jurisdictions nationwide.

On October 24, 2018, President Donald Trump signed opioid legislation into law. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act includes provisions aimed at promoting research to find new drugs for pain management that will not be addictive. It also expands access to treatment for substance use disorders for Medicaid patients.

State legislatures are also introducing measures to regulate pain clinics and limit the quantity of opioids that doctors can dispense.

Selected Litigation

Oklahoma v Purdue Pharma et al

District Court in and for Cleveland County, Oklahoma

Defendants include Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceuticals

June 30, 2017 - Oklahoma's attorney general files a lawsuit against 13 pharmaceutical companies involved in the opioid crisis.

March 26, 2019 - Purdue agrees to pay a $270 million settlement.

May 26, 2019 - Teva Pharmaceuticals reaches an $85 million settlement.

August 26, 2019 - Oklahoma wins its case against Johnson & Johnson in the first major opioid lawsuit trial to be held in the United States. Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman orders Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in the state's opioid crisis. The penalty is later reduced to $465 million, due to a mathematical error made when calculating the judgment.

September 25, 2019 - Johnson & Johnson files an appeal.

National Prescription Opiate Litigation

US District Court Northern District of Ohio

Defendants include such drugmakers as Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Endo International and retail pharmacies including CVS, Walgreens and Walmart

October 27, 2017 - Cuyahoga County in Ohio files a lawsuit against opioid drugmakers in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.

December 20, 2017 - Summit County in Ohio files a lawsuit against opioid drugmakers in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. The Summit and Cuyahoga cases are later moved to federal court and incorporated into national litigation involving hundreds of plaintiffs.

October 1, 2019 - Johnson & Johnson announces that it has reached a $20.4 million settlement with Summit and Cuyahoga counties.

October 21, 2019 - Four pharmaceutical companies - McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., AmerisourceBergen Corp. and Teva Pharmaceuticals - reach a $260 million settlement with Summit and Cuyahoga counties in lieu of a trial.

February 25, 2020 - Mallinckrodt, a large opioid manufacturer, reaches a settlement agreement in principle worth $1.6 billion. Mallinckrodt says the proposed deal will resolve all opioid-related claims against the company and its subsidiaries if it moves forward. Plaintiffs would receive payments over an eight-year period to cover the costs of opioid-addition treatments and other needs.

May 3, 2021 - A landmark trial involving three major prescription opioid distributors begins in federal court in West Virginia. It is the first federal case to go forward among the thousands of opioid lawsuits within the federal opioid litigation, following the settlement in 2019 by Summit and Cuyahoga Counties.

Timeline

1861-1865 - During the Civil War, medics use morphine as a battlefield anesthetic. Many soldiers become dependent on the drug.

1898 - Heroin is first produced commercially by the Bayer Company. At the time, heroin is believed to be less habit-forming than morphine, so it is dispensed to individuals who are addicted to morphine.

1914 - Congress passes the Harrison Narcotics Act, which requires that doctors write prescriptions for narcotic drugs like opioids and cocaine. Importers, manufacturers and distributors of narcotics must register with the Treasury Department and pay taxes on products

1924 - The Anti-Heroin Act bans the production and sale of heroin in the United States.

1970 - The Controlled Substances Act becomes law. It creates groupings (or schedules) of drugs based on the potential for abuse. Heroin is a Schedule I drug while morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone (Percocet) and methadone are Schedule II. Hydrocodone (Vicodin) is originally a Schedule III medication. It is later recategorized as a Schedule II drug.

January 10, 1980 - A letter titled "Addiction Rare in Patients Treated with Narcotics" is published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It looks at incidences of painkiller addiction in a very specific population of hospitalized patients who were closely monitored. It becomes widely cited as proof that narcotics are a safe treatment for chronic pain.

1995 - OxyContin, a long-acting version of oxycodone that slowly releases the drug over 12 hours, is introduced and aggressively marketed as a safer pain pill by manufacturer, Purdue Pharma.

May 10, 2007 - Purdue Pharma pleads guilty for misleadingly advertising OxyContin as safer and less addictive than other opioids. The company and three executives are charged with "misleading and defrauding physicians and consumers." Purdue and the executives agree to pay $634.5 million in criminal and civil fines.

2010 - FDA approves an "abuse-deterrent" formulation of OxyContin, to help curb abuse. However, people still find ways to abuse it.

May 20, 2015 - The DEA announces that it has arrested 280 people, including 22 doctors and pharmacists, after a 15-month sting operation centered on health care providers who dispense large amounts of opioids. The sting, dubbed Operation Pilluted, is the largest prescription drug bust in the history of the DEA.

March 18, 2016 - The CDC publishes guidelines for prescribing opioids for patients with chronic pain. Recommendations include prescribing over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen in lieu of opioids. Doctors are encouraged to promote exercise and behavioral treatments to help patients cope with pain.

March 29, 2017 - Trump signs an executive order calling for the establishment of the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is selected as the chairman of the group, with Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as an adviser.

July 31, 2017 - After a delay, the White House panel examining the nation's opioid epidemic releases its interim report, asking Trump to declare a national public health emergency to combat the ongoing crisis

September 22, 2017 - The pharmacy chain CVS announces that it will implement new restrictions on filling prescriptions for opioids, dispensing a limited seven-day supply to patients who are new to pain therapy.

November 1, 2017 - The opioid commission releases its final report. Its 56 recommendations include a proposal to establish nationwide drug courts that would place opioid addicts in treatment facilities rather than prison.

February 9, 2018 - A budget agreement signed by Trump authorizes $6 billion for opioid programs, with $3 billion allocated for 2018 and $3 billion allocated for 2019.

February 27, 2018 - Sessions announces a new opioid initiative: The Prescription Interdiction & Litigation (PIL) Task Force. The mission of the task force is to support local jurisdictions that have filed lawsuits against prescription drugmakers and distributors.

March 19, 2018 - The Trump administration outlines an initiative to stop opioid abuse. The three areas of concentration are law enforcement and interdiction; prevention and education via an ad campaign; and job-seeking assistance for individuals fighting addiction.

April 9, 2018 - The US surgeon general issues an advisory recommending that Americans carry the opioid overdose-reversing drug, naloxone. A surgeon general advisory is a rarely used tool to convey an urgent message. The last advisory issued by the surgeon general, more than a decade ago, focused on drinking during pregnancy.

May 1, 2018 - The Journal of the American Medical Association publishes a study that finds synthetic opioids like fentanyl caused about 46% of opioid deaths in 2016. That's a three-fold increase compared with 2010, when synthetic opioids were involved in about 14% of opioid overdose deaths. It's the first time that synthetic opioids surpassed prescription opioids and heroin as the primary cause of overdose fatalities.

May 30, 2018 - The journal Medical Care publishes a study that estimates the cost of medical care and substance abuse treatment for opioid addiction was $78.5 billion in 2013.

June 7, 2018 - The White House announces a new multimillion dollar public awareness advertising campaign to combat opioid addiction. The first four ads of the campaign are all based on true stories illustrating the extreme lengths young adults have gone to obtain the powerful drugs.

December 12, 2018 - According to the National Center for Health Statistics, fentanyl is now the most commonly used drug involved in drug overdoses. The rate of drug overdoses involving the synthetic opioid skyrocketed by about 113% each year from 2013 through 2016.

January 14, 2019 - The National Safety Council finds that, for the first time on record, the odds of dying from an opioid overdose in the United States are now greater than those of dying in a vehicle crash.

July 17, 2019 - The CDC releases preliminary data showing a 5.1% decline in drug overdoses during 2018. If the preliminary number is accurate, it would mark the first annual drop in overdose deaths in more than two decades.

September 15, 2019 - Purdue files for bankruptcy as part of a $10 billion agreement to settle opioid lawsuits. According to a statement from the chair of Purdue's board of directors, the money will be allocated to communities nationwide struggling to address the crisis.

September 30, 2019 - The FDA and DEA announce that they sent warnings to four online networks, operating a total of 10 websites, which the agencies said are illegally marketing unapproved and misbranded versions of opioid medicines, including tramadol.

October 21, 2020 - The Justice Department announces that Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, agree to plead guilty to three federal criminal charges for its role in creating the nation's opioid crisis. They agree to pay more than $8 billion and close down the company. The money will go to opioid treatment and abatement programs. The Justice Department also reached a separate $225 million civil settlement with the former owners of Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family. In November 2020, Purdue Pharma board chairman Steve Miller formally pleaded guilty on behalf of the company.

March 15, 2021 - According to court documents, Purdue files a restructuring plan to dissolve itself and establish a new company dedicated to programs designed to combat the opioid crisis. As part of the proposed plan, the Sackler family agrees to pay an additional $4.2 billion over the next nine years to resolve various civil claims.

September 1, 2021 - In federal bankruptcy court, Judge Robert Drain rules that Purdue Pharma will be dissolved. The settlement agreement resolves all civil litigation against the Sackler family members, Purdue Pharma and other related parties and entities, and awards them broad legal protection against future civil litigation. The Sacklers will relinquish control of family foundations with over $175 million in assets to the trustees of a National Opioid Abatement Trust.

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LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  The Tippecanoe School Corporation announced Thursday that it will immediately implement new quarantine protocols issued by Governor Holcomb and the Indiana Department of Health.

The order, issued Wednesday, states that schools can end close contact quarantines if everyone is wearing a mask.

Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 are still required to isolate.

Schools with mask requirements do not have to quarantine students, teachers and staff who are close contacts and arent showing symptoms of COVID-19.

Close contacts within three feet of a positive case will be notified to monitor for symptoms for 14 days, but will not be required to quarantine.

Quarantines may be required if an individual has had close contact when the positive person and/or the close contacts are not wearing masks, such as during lunch.

"We know our students learn best with in-person instruction," said Scott Hanback TSC Superintendent. "We are hopeful these changes will minimize learning disruptions and keep more students in the classroom where they can receive additional support to stay on track and meet their academic and social-emotional needs. We appreciate your continued support and understanding as we continue to navigate the pandemic challenges."

TSC was not the only school corporation reacting to the Govomers order. West Lafayette Schools stated they are organizing a meeting of board representatives, school administration, school nurses, and the physicians who advise the district. They will meet Friday morning to discuss the order and how best to implement it.
CERF honors Orth with Lifetime Achievement Award

Healthy Seagrass Bed: VIMS Professor Robert JJ Orth examines a bed of Posidonia australis within Cockburn Sound, Western Australia. This species has suffered substantial losses here and elsewhere due to nutrient pollution and industrial development of the coast. Photo by S. Manley/VIMS

Broadcasting Seeds: VIMS researcher broadcasts eelgrass seeds in the seaside bays of Virginia's Eastern Shore. VIMS photo

Unconventional Payload: VIMS researchers Corey Holbert and JJ Orth prepare to transfer collected eelgrass seeds to aerated tanks for ripening. Photo by David Malmquist Photo - of - Hide Caption

VIMS emeritus professor recognized as leader in seagrass science, restoration

The Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation has chosen emeritus professor Robert JJ Orth of William & Marys Virginia Institute of Marine Science as a joint recipient of its 2021 Odum Award for Lifetime Achievement, along with Ken Heck of the University of South Alabamas Dauphin Island Sea Lab.

The award committee says the selection honors Orth and Hecks individual and joint achievements, as well as sustained accomplishments throughout their long and distinguished careers, contribution of seminal papers that have shaped estuarine-coastal science, and sustained engagement with and contributions to CERF.

The pairs nomination letter notes that both candidates have shaped our understanding of seagrasses and marine ecology  through a series of foundational papers, edited volumes, and synthetic reviews. Moreover, their science has had a lasting societal impact through their long and successful track record of integration with management and policy. The letter also praises the pair for their strong records of mentoring students and postdocs.

Orths most noticeable success in seagrass restoration now graces the seaside bays of Virginias Eastern Shore. His team first began sowing the bays' shallow waters with eelgrass seeds in 1999. Barren at the time, they are today home to nearly 10,000 acres of lush eelgrass meadow, making them the largest example of seagrass restoration in the world. In fact, they now hold 75% of the worlds restored seagrass acreage.

Orths success in Virginia helped sow a global effort to restore and maintain seagrasses as key components of coastal marine ecosystems. These submerged flowering plants  in trouble worldwide due to nutrient pollution and other factors  provide habitat and nursery grounds for fish and crabs, serve as food for waterfowl and other animals, clear the water by reducing wave action, absorb excess nutrients, and reduce shoreline erosion.

Seagrasses are also an excellent measure of the condition of Chesapeake Bay and other coastal waters because their health is closely linked to water quality. Annual values of seagrass acreage in the Bay come from VIMS Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Monitoring and Restoration Program, now under the leadership of Chris Patrick. Created by Orth in 1978, the SAV Program is now the de facto yardstick for measuring and sustaining progress toward the Chesapeake Bay Programs restoration goals, and serves as a model for the development of similar programs around the world. Indeed, Orth has been called the Johnny Appleseed of global seagrass restoration efforts, sharing lessons learned in Virginia with colleagues and governments in Scandinavia, and together with Heck, in Australia.

A lifetime of great friendship and research

Orth says the award is a real honor given how many people get nominated, and adds that his partnership with Heck has been a lifetime of great friendship and great research, both as a team and individually.

Ken and I began working together in the lower Bay in 1976 and published several papers from the early work, says Orth. Since then, weve worked in the Chesapeake Bay and Australia, co-chaired many seagrass sessions at CERF, and were involved in two NCEAS workshops, whose summary papers each now have more than 2,000 citations. This metric, a count of how many times a particular paper is cited in other publications, is a common means by which researchers judge scientific impact.

All told, Orth and Heck have authored nearly 500 publications, including 56 as co-authors, with many appearing in high-impact journals such as Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, BioScience, and Global Change Biology. They have each edited two books, numerous special issues, and contributed scores of conference proceedings and technical reports. Their work has been widely cited and is held in high regard in the academic community, particularly in the areas of marine science, ecology, and seagrass biology. Together, they have over 52,000 citations on Google Scholar, indicating lasting and sustained contributions over the years.

Orth and Heck have also each established independent lines of research that have benefited management, conservation, and other applications. Their reviews and synthesis work have brought attention to global declines in seagrass, revealed its vulnerability to human stressors and climate change, and raised awareness of the need for seagrass restoration efforts in the conservation world.

The Odum Award also honors Orth and Heck for their many contributions to CERF as long-standing, highly engaged members. Both have served CERF in numerous leadership positions including president and past president; Heck also served as associate editor for Estuaries and Reviews Editor for Estuaries and Coasts.

Orth, who retired in 2021, began his career at VIMS in 1969 when he enrolled as a graduate student to study the myriad animals that burrow beneath seagrass beds. After earning his masters at VIMS and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, he returned to VIMS as a faculty member in 1974.

The Odum Award adds to a long list of honors earned by Orth during his illustrious career. Previous awards include an Outstanding Scientist Award from the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2018; the Cozzarelli Prize from the Editorial Board of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also in 2018; a Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence from W&M in 2013; and the Outstanding Faculty Researcher Award from VIMS in 2011.

Orth also chaired VIMS Department of Biological Sciences for more than 10 years. Linda Schaffner, VIMS associate dean of academic studies, notes that Orths research and advisory activities benefited several generations of VIMS graduate students. By involving his many students in the hands-on worlds of science and policy, she says, he exemplifies all that we strive to achieve in our School of Marine Science.

VIMS Dean & Director John Wells adds, JJ is an internationally recognized leader in seagrass ecology who used cutting-edge research to solve real-world problems. Recent successes in restoring seagrass Virginias Eastern Shore depend to a large part on his tireless efforts over the past 40 years. He is highly deserving of this honor.
Armenian musician Astrid Poghosyan currently works as an executive assistant to the president of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. [CRI online]

Armenian musician Astrid Poghosyan takes great pride in the Chinese name she picked for herself, Ma Xingxing.

The given name "Xingxing," literally meaning stars, is inspired by her Armenian first name, while the surname "Ma" is taken from Ma Chao, a famous warrior from China's Three Kingdoms Period (220-280 AD).

Poghosyan, a 28-year-old violinist, currently works as an executive assistant to the president of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, a celebrated orchestra in China's most populous metropolis.

This summer, she has been busy making preparations for a series of in-person and online music events and cultural exchange programs, including a music festival in Shanghai and a live-streamed international violin contest.

Poghosyan said she always puts all her energy into the projects in which she is involved, whether they are offline or online events, as she believes that every little effort will help her realize her music-related dreams.

"I believe music knows no borders, and cultural exchanges via music are especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic," she said.

Having studied and worked in China for 12 years, Poghosyan has now become a real China hand, versed in the country's language and culture. Such a multicultural background has certainly helped her excel at her current job.

"Poghosyan plays a very special role in our orchestra," said Zhou Ping, the president of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. "She has lived in China for a long time and loves the Chinese culture, and she knows how to use the advantage of a multicultural background in her work."

For Poghosyan, the life she now leads is a far cry from when she first came to China in 2009 to study violin at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Then just 16 years old, Poghosyan could not speak a word of Chinese. "And my high-school-level English wasn't of much help at that time," she said. "So I decided to learn Chinese to solve the communication problem."

Her love for Chinese culture, including Jackie Chan movies and stories of Mulan, helped her through the difficult language-learning process.

As she gradually immersed herself in the Chinese language and culture, she also started to make Chinese friends and explore the vibrant city life of Shanghai.

"Since I first came to Shanghai, I have always been impressed by the kindness and friendliness of the people here," she said.

"Even when I couldn't speak Chinese, in the first days, everyone I met gave me a big smile, whether they were sanitation workers on the streets or cashiers in convenience stores. Their smiles have made me feel the warmth of the city," she said. "And I've been so lucky to feel such warmth every day."

(Source: Xinhua)
Special education teacher Liu Lingli demonstrates to a student how to pronounce a word in Hengyang, Hunan Province, on June 23. [For China Daily]

A neighbor who was unable to hear or speak became the inspiration for a teenage Liu Lingli in Hengyang, Hunan Province, to study special education.

"The woman was very kind to the kids in the neighborhood. But we did not know what her sign language meant," said Liu, who now teaches at a school designated for children with disabilities in Hengyang.

"She was illiterate and could not find a job. Even worse, her husband was not kind to her," Liu recalled, saying that the neighbor's situation led her to have compassion for people with disabilities.

Liu eventually enrolled in a college focusing on special education in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. She learned how to teach people who cannot hear, speak or see or who have learning disabilities.

After graduating in 1991, she was recruited by a special education school in Hengyang. The school's 300 students all have disabilities.

Liu takes care of those who cannot hear and speak.

"Once people with disabilities are literate, they are more likely to find a job and live a different life," Liu said.

"The teachers put a lot of effort into their job, as the children who can't hear have no knowledge of sign language or how to learn," she added.

It is especially difficult for those who teach first-graders. "We are teachers as well as 'nannies'," Liu said.

The school offers three-year preschool training and classes for grades one to 12.

"Our students stay here longer than those in ordinary schools," said Liu.

Liu teaches the children how to use sign language, pronounce and write. "We also tell them how to create a study routine," she said.

Special education teachers are, to some extent, therapists. "Teachers taking care of the language training class are responsible for helping students have aural-speech rehabilitation," Liu said. "And teachers in charge of the children with cognitive disabilities help them know how to control their movements and mood."

In her classes, Liu demonstrates tongue movements to help her students train their vocal abilities. "For those students who are unable to hear and speak, their issue is how to use their vocal organs," she said.

Liu has written a textbook on training the tongue to improve speaking ability.

She also offers "a situational teaching method tailored for our students who don't know how to do things in everyday life".

A mock grocery store, for example, is set up in the class and students are encouraged to "buy" what they want from Liu, who plays a saleswoman.

The students are divided into several groups, in which they are supposed to help each other.

"In doing so, we cultivate their sense of coordination and team spirit," Liu said.

Those students who progress well have the chance to transfer to regular schools. Since 2008, 14 students from Liu's class who learned to speak fluently were transferred to regular schools.

Students from special education schools are given special consideration when they take college entrance examinations, and some have enrolled in institutions of higher learning.

"When well-educated, the students are able to work and live a normal life," Liu said. "Knowledge helps change the fate of individuals."

At a reunion party for teachers and students last year, Liu saw one former student who is now an optimistic mother of three.

"I feel so happy for her and other students," she said. "The ultimate goal of special education, or education in general, is to help children earn a living and live a normal, happy life."

The smiles on her students' faces are the source of happiness for Liu.

Even when she had serious issues at home, her concern for her students didn't fade.

In 2005, when Liu was 32, she gave birth to a boy who, at the age of 7 months, was diagnosed with congenital deafness. She said her husband then divorced her because of their son's disability.

Liu tried hard to achieve a work-life balance. She continued to teach her class and also trained her son, who, by wearing an artificial cochlear device, could speak when he was 1 year old. The boy, now 16, is in high school and doing well.

Liu has also financially supported four students so they could finish their schooling. In addition, on weekends she visits children who can't go to school because of severe disabilities.

Kuang Mingsheng, the principal of Hengyang Special Education School, said Liu's loving commitment to teaching helps the children with hearing and vocal disabilities to find a bright future.

In June, Liu was recognized by the Communist Party of China Central Committee as an outstanding member of the CPC.

(Source: China Daily)
Woodward, OK (73801)

Today

Thunderstorms - a few could contain very heavy rain, especially overnight. Low 64F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms - a few could contain very heavy rain, especially overnight. Low 64F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
As of Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, the Illinois Department for Public Health identified 26 schools with COVID-19 outbreaks.
The suspect in the fatal shooting of a student at a North Carolina high school is in custody
3.9 million improvement works set to take place at Johnstown primary school

Junior and infant classes at a Wrexham primary school are set to be brought together under roof as part of an almost 4 million improvement scheme.

Plans for the redevelopment of Ysgol Yr Hafod, in Johnstown, are set to be displayed at a public event on Wednesday 8 September.

As part of the next phase of the 21st Century Schools programme being carried out across the county borough, Wrexham Council is looking to bring the classes together under one roof  enabling infants and juniors to be educated in the same location.

3.9 million will be spent on improving the Bangor road site as part of the programme.

Wrexham Council Lead Member for Education Cllr Phil Wynn said: As part of our ongoing commitment to our young students, its great to be able to announce this project after securing funding from the Welsh Government 21st Century schools programme.

Local councillor and Chair of Governors at Ysgol Yr Hafod, Cllr David A Bithell said: This is really exciting news for Ysgol Yr Hafod in terms of securing substantial funding in Johnstown.

This will allow all age groups to be taught on the same site will and mean that the school will become a hub of learning for the area and improve education facilities for Children.

An opportunity to view the plans for the school and the chance to ask questions will be available on Wednesday 8 September at 6.00pm at the Bangor Road school site.
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Several organizations across Nashville rallied together on Wednesday to protest the citys plan on another big development downtown along the East Bank.

Protesters are calling on Mayor John Cooper and the Metro Planning Department to listen to their concerns about how the East Bank development will negatively impact the city.

Representatives with Stand Up Nashville, NOAH, the Equity Alliance and several other organizations came together to voice their concerns over the space along the Cumberland near Nissan Stadium thats currently a mix of industrial sites and undeveloped land.

Oracle to bring 8,500 jobs, invest $1.2 billion in Nashville Oracle Corporation announced Wednesday it has requested a public hearing for approval of an Economic Impact Plan with the Metro Industrial Development Board that would bring 8,500 jobs to Nashville.

The city announced earlier this year it wants to transform the area into a multi-use development full of housing, office and retail space with the first big piece of the puzzle including Oracle.

However, critics said the Planning Departments study of the land has not been transparent and the public meetings that they host do not allow the public to speak or make comments.

Another concern is affordable housing and livable wages within the development.

Transformation means gentrification; Activists ask city for transparency on Oracle deal NASHVILLE (WSMV) - On Tuesday, the Industrial Development Board will hold a public hearing on Oracles $175-million proposal to build their ne

For this project here in the East Bank to be a success, it has to center workers. It has to be equitable for the people who live and work around the area, said Brenda Waybrant, co-founder of Restaurant Opportunity Center Music City.

As much as we know that we have a growing population here, we have to be intentional about how we build this city and now we see ourselves in it, said Odessa Kelly, executive director of Stand Up Nashville. Right now, I dont see myself in the urban core of Nashville, and that is a problem.

They also argue that these developers are almost always coming from out of state, which gives the jobs like construction and design to people who wont be living here once completed.

Company known for redeveloping waterfronts to develop East Nashville plan Mayor John Cooper announced Perkins Eastman, a firm known nationally for their work along U.S. waterfronts, will join his initiative to transform Nashvilles East Bank into one of the citys most accessible and desirable amenities.

I think it should be fair for minorities and other contractors to be able to bid some of this work and have the opportunity to advance Nashville and be a part of Nashville growing instead of having all these out-of-town contractors come in and built our city, said Michael Street, a local contractor and native Nashvillian. Why wont you let our local people help build our city?

So far there has not been a response from Coopers office or the Planning Department. The citys goal is to have the finalized plan for the East Bank development finished within the coming months.
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - As COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Tennessee, statewide case data released Wednesday shows that roughly 1 in 78 Tennesseans are currently infected with the virus.

Over 88,000 Tennesseans are now actively infected with COVID-19, according to the newest data from the state health department.

Tennessee sets record for hospitalizations due to COVID for 7th straight day Tennessee set another record for the number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 as Tuesday marked the seventh day of record hospitalizations.

Of the active cases reported Wednesday, the health department says 3,776 of them are currently hospitalized, with 1,083 in the ICU and 746 on a ventilator  all record-high numbers for the pandemic in Tennessee.

67 of those hospitalized are children, with 25 of those children currently in the ICU and 15 on ventilators.

In addition to the newest data from the state health department, COVID-19 data released from Vanderbilt Health on Tuesday illustrated the stark contrast in hospitalizations between those vaccinated and unvaccinated against the virus.

That data says as of Saturday, 218 people have been hospitalized at Vanderbilt, with 190 of those reportedly unvaccinated.

The report adds that of the 53 people in the ICU, 49 were unvaccinated. All 17 of the people listed on ventilators were also unvaccinated.

The report also says that the majority of vaccinated individuals hospitalized at Vanderbilt were reportedly immunocompromised.

New Vanderbilt Health data shows difference in hospitalizations between vaccinated, unvaccinated NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Vanderbilt Health released new COVID-19 data Tuesday illustrating the stark contrast in hospitalizations between vaccin

On Thursday, August 26, Tennessee surpassed 1 million total COVID-19 infections. To date, over 13,700 Tennesseans have died from the virus.

To look at COVID-19 data for Tennessee click here.
Chicago Public Schools, the countrys third largest school district with more than 340,000 students, opened in a disastrous state Monday amid a surge in coronavirus infections across the US.

At the end of last week, 1,500 children were hospitalized with coronavirus nationwide. Illinois, with a population of about 13 million, sits in the top 15 US states in terms of daily new cases, logging on average more than 4,000 each day over the last week and more than 5,100 on September 1.

Sign encouraging students to social distance posted in a grade school (Credit: WSWS)

On Tuesday, the city again increased advisory precautions, including new quarantine rules for travel from other states, and advised people not to travel during the Labor Day weekend with unvaccinated children.

Photos and reports from inside packed schools and classrooms indicate the district has virtually abandoned any kind of social distancing and began the school year as if there was no pandemic, let alone a rise in cases. Chaotic, dangerous conditions have long prevailed in the citys schools, but these have worsened under pandemic conditions.

On August 25, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced it was scrapping daily health screenings. Parents are now being asked to simply sign a form pledging to keep children home if they are sick. COVID-19 tests are reportedly available on request but are not required. CPS claims students will be three feet apart if possible, and there is no benchmark number of positive cases set that will trigger a shutdown at the school or district level. Teachers, parents and students have all expressed concern over the lack of masks during lunch and the lack of distancing while eating.

The so-called vaccine mandate for school staff instituted by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is no mandate at all. CPS staff must either be fully vaccinated by October 15 or submit to regular testing. Vaccinations for children over 12 years are not mandatory.

Parents have and continue to demand remote learning options and stronger health measures. Some have organized a sick-out. One parent told the school board, Many of us want a remote learning option for our children. I would urge the board to ... keep all spring COVID safety measures at minimum.

CPS families cannot elect to place their children in remote learning as the case numbers rise. Remote learning was only formally made available to a limited number of students who qualify as medically fragile with documented health conditions or medical needs. However, this option was not well publicized, and families who happened to find out about it reported having their applications rejected. According to CPS, the district received only 758 applications and accepted a mere 481 students.

Teachers whose students are at home quarantining are expected to teach those students online simultaneously while teaching those who are present in class.

On the first day, a school bus transportation shortage left more than 2,000 students stranded without a bus, 990 of whom are in special education, according to local media reports. Federal law requires students with disabilities have access to school transportation. Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot dodged responsibility for the systematic outsourcing of services, stating the problem is with the third-party bus operator: It was only Friday that the notification came from those third parties that they had a shortage of drivers. That is not CPSs responsibility. We have a contract with those companies. We had an expectation that they were going to fulfill their contract. This is not on CPS. And I want that to be very clear.

In the days leading up to schools reopening, more than 70 school bus drivers resigned. Officials attributed the resignations to the vaccine mandate, but low pay, poor benefits and difficult working conditions have long been problems for drivers in the district and throughout the Chicago region. The Sun Times reported the district has known of a shortage of some 500 bus drivers and has rearranged routes for 14,500 students, who rely on the bus. CPS is reportedly offering $1,000 to families up front and $500 monthly for school travel until the bussing problems are resolved.

After blocking strike action in February to oppose reopening in the pandemic, the Chicago Teachers Union leaders are publicly wringing their hands. CTU released a bargaining update on Tuesday, clarifying that there is currently no agreement on the fall reopening, that safety is still being negotiated and conditions are currently unacceptable.

The Chicago Teachers Union (Local #1 of the American Federation of Teachers) has been indispensable in forcing teachers back to work through promoting the fiction of safe reopening, namely, better social distancing and a case number over which a school would be temporarily shut and quarantined. CPS leaders and Mayor Lightfoot have refused these for many months. Safe reopening is impossible in an environment in which children under 12 are not vaccinated and where social distancing, masking and other measures are not being implemented anywhere else in the society, let alone in schools. Democratic leaders, including Lightfoot and former CPS CEO Janice Jackson, made the absurd claim during the reopening in the spring of this year that students can only catch COVID-19 outside of school.

Far from raising any challenge to this policy, both teachers unions, the AFT and NEA, have been instrumental in reopening schools, playing down the risks, insisting it is the duty of educators to teach under any and all conditions no matter the risks, blocking collective action and intimidating and silencing teacher opposition.

But their efforts will be quickly outmatched as opposition to the bipartisan pro-business policy of herd immunity continues to grow. In recent days, the CTUs social media, much like that of the United Federation of Teachers in New York, is dominated by comments from parents demanding support for remote learning, and by teachers and aides describing the conditions in schools and demanding action. One CPS worker wrote, Im a room care attendant at a CPS school, and Im crying in my car because we had 6 kids with COVID symptoms today. Parents took over the allowed time to get them.

Scores of parents and many more teachers have been demanding answers and support from the CTU for remote learning and getting no response. Among the many statements demanding a remote option, one parent wrote: They opened up school for the money, they dont care about our kids. Remote learning needs to be an option for our children. Aint no money worth my daughters life.

Some families are no doubt keeping their children home. A local news media reports an estimated 100,000 CPS students, a significant portion of the district, are unaccounted for at the start of the year.

Understanding the pandemic conditions is paramount for united action by the working class. The World Socialist Web Sites webinar For a global strategy to end the pandemic and save lives explains how the virus can be eradicated through a comprehensive public health strategy , including temporary lockdowns and vaccinations.
A number of pseudo-left tendencies are promoting a deal hatched between Chiles unions, the parliamentary left and the multinational retail chain owned by the billionaire Solari family as an historic and unprecedented victory. It is nothing of the sort.

Some 189 supermarket workers in the northern mining region of Atacama went on strike on June 7 after negotiations with supermarket chain Tottus broke down earlier in March. By the middle of August, out of sheer desperation, several workers initiated a hunger strike after their demands for basic minimal improvements, safety conditions and minor salary increases were sidelined and ignored for months.

These workers are among the most exploited. With a salary of between 260,000 (US$336) and 280,000 (US$362) pesos per month, the incomes of the predominantly female staff do not even meet the poverty-level minimum wage.

Their basic demands included a four percent salary increase and a top-up in meal and transportation allowances that would raise the current 3,500 pesos (US$4.51) to 9,000 pesos (US$11.61), in addition to a one-off payment of 500,000 pesos (US$645) for each worker to end the conflict.

The industrial action, which lasted 83 days, was shut down when the Socialist Party governor of Atacama, the ex-Christian Democrat and now Social Green Regionalist Federation (FRVS) deputy for Atacama, Jaime Mulet, and the Stalinist-Frente Amplio presidential front man, Gabriel Boric, intervened.

All were full of self-congratulation. The governor of Atacama, Miguel Vargas Correa, claimed a good agreement has been reached. We are very happy, very proud to have contributed a grain of sand in this process. We have helped to reach a good agreement that satisfies the interests of the workers and also reflects the companys opinion.

He especially praised the head of the union, Priscilla Fernandez, whose effort has been commendable, as had the leaders of this organization, who have carried the name of the workers in the Atacama region.

Union president Priscilla Fernandez and Stalinist-Frente Amplio presidential candidate Gabriel Boric giving press conference on August 26, the day before the company settles on agreement (credit: Cronica Digital)

The union president in turn patted the governor on the back: I am proud of the Governor, a person like him deserves where he is, that he got involved out of the blue and tried to solve and mediate, and get to the heart of the company. He did not want his people suffering in the region, it is admirable, very admirable. Not just anyone does that.

The Stalinist Communist Party chimed that the agreement undoubtedly represented a precedent in the history of the union struggle in Chile, while the most sycophantic defenders of the union bureaucracys maneuvering was a pseudo-left group known as the Socialist Workers Movement (MST).

The MST is one of three organizations in Chilethe other two being the Revolutionary Workers Party (PTR) and the International Workers Movement (MIT)that falsely claim to be Trotskyist but in reality draw their inspiration from the unprincipled and national opportunist politics of Morenoism, a Latin American variant of Pabloism. This political tendency has been characterized by its unabashed glorification of bourgeois and petty bourgeois nationalism, guerrillaism and the national reformist bureaucracies, e.g., the union apparatus, as the path towards socialism. Morenoism has principally sought to straitjacket the working class to these tried and tested institutions of Latin American capitalism.

Under the tweet GREAT TRIUMPH OF THE TOTTUS CIPIAPO(sic)/VALLENAR UNION STRIKE the MST went into ecstasy because the supermarket chain owners entered into an agreement, accepted the meager demands and did not lay off any workers.

This tremendous victory is the product of the heroic struggle of the union and its president Priscilla, it trumpeted. We salute this triumph with the deepest embrace of struggle. Great union Tottus Copiapo Vallenar! Up with those who fight! Without mobilization there is no change!

This was not a victory for the working class. Quite the contrary. The real precedent established in the Tottus dispute was the unions further integration into the state amid the resurgence of the class struggle.

The multi-national retail chain Falabella, of which Tottus is a subsidiary, employs 96,000 workers in Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil and Mexico, down from 104,000 in 2019 and 113,000 in 2017. This past June, the chain closed its whole operation in Argentina, destroying at least 800 jobs in the Federal Capital and in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Mendoza, Rosario and San Juan, although no total figure has been released.

Nonetheless the retail giant did not close the doors of its hundreds of other department stores, home improvement depots, supermarket chains and banking offices during the coronavirus pandemic, despite several of its super-exploited workers contracting and dying of COVID-19.

Workers hold up a sign saying Totus strike for a living wage and for no more abuses (credit: Resumen)

In its 2021 first quarter consolidated financial results, Falabella reported a 10.7 percent increase in revenue year on year (from US$3.1b in 2020 to US$3.4b 2021) and a 17.5 percent increase in gross profits (from US$1.05b in 2020 to US$1.24b in 2021). Falabella, with a stock market value of approximately US$19.5b, is majority-controlled by five families with a combined net worth of more than US$10 billion.

These stark figures dont just point to the unbridgeable social chasm between bourgeois and proletarians, they also present Falabella workers with all the objective reasons to unify across the continent in a common struggle to demand a safe working environment, proper protective equipment, substantial increases in wages and better conditions, and an end to job losses and store closures.

They also need to turn to sections of workers in Chile and internationally who in the last months have been involved in industrial action to protect lives and improve conditions. This includes miners, teachers, health workers, public servants, auto and auto parts workers, and other workers facing similar experiences.

Yet the union bureaucracy did everything in its power to keep the dispute isolated from the rest of the working class while appealing to members of parliament, constituents from the Constitutional Convention, the labor directorate and other state authorities to come to the rescue and help shut down the strike.

The state intervention was ramped up after three workers began a hunger strike out of sheer desperation. Fernandez, the president of the union, solicited the support of a gamut of so-called left officials, who used the platform for purely electoral motivations. The union board first met with constituents of the Chile Digno pact, who in a communique claimed to be in solidarity with the strikers and to emphatically support their demands, but committed themselves to nothing.

The union leadership also met with Broad Front (Frente Amplio) congressman and former student leader Gorgio Jacksonfrom Democratic Revolution (RD) and closely aligned to pseudo left candidate Gabriel Boricand Greens Regionalist deputy Jaime Mulet, who also happens to campaign for Boric.

Workers today are victims of a society and of a legal model with labor relations that is absolutely unfair and concentrates wealth. This must be changed, exhorted Mulet before plugging Borics campaign. We are doing everything we can within our reach, with the commitment to become government with Boric, to make fundamental changes that today are absolutely necessary.

Finally, on the day before the settlement, the union bureaucrats met with Boric himself. After he made the perfunctory statement about workers asking for elementary dignity he gave a campaign spiel promising to head a government of the workers: Our future government is going to be with the demand of the workers and the labor legislation has to be in defense precisely of those who generate the wealth in Chile, that is our commitment today.

The fraud that the Tottus agreement was an unprecedented victoryas promoted by the Morenoites and the Stalinistsshould be treated with contempt. Without invalidating the courageous stand of the 189 Tottus retail workers, it must be stated frankly that the union apparatus transformed the strike into an election campaign stunt.

Nor is that their worst crime. For the last 22 months, the corporatist unions demonstrated their subservience and loyalty to management and the government by helping to keep non-essential retail open despite the global pandemic, and they did nothing to oppose the furloughing or laying off of thousands of workers.

This has been the well-trodden path of the parliamentary left, the Stalinist Communist Party, Frente Amplio and the corporatist trade unions, ever since the return to civilian rule. They have maintained tripartite arrangements, working simultaneously with business and with past center-left coalition governments, just as they have today assisted the incumbent right-wing presidency of Sebastian Pinera.

In opposition to the unprincipled politics of the Morenoites, the International Committee of the Fourth International calls on workers to break with the corporatist trade union apparatus, Stalinism, the Frente Amplio and the rest of the pseudo-left organizations that seek to tie them to the bourgeois state. In their place it calls on workers to develop independent, democratic and militant rank-and-file organizations of workers in factories, schools and workplaces, on an international scale, as new organs of struggle.

It is to this end that the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), which publishes the World Socialist Web Site, has initiated the building of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees.
At a voter integrity event held this past Sunday at the Macon County, North Carolina Republican Party headquarters, freshman congressman, Trump co-conspirator and admirer of Adolf Hitler Madison Cawthorn threatened bloodshed and another fascistic coup.

Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn holds a shotgun while threatening another coup during an August 30 event in Macon County, North Carolina. (Screenshot originally from Facebook, image uploaded to Twitter via Aaron Fritschner)

Promoting Donald Trumps stolen election fraud, the 26-year-old North Carolina congressman said, Ill tell you, anybody who tells you that Joe Biden was dutifully elected is lying. The things that we are wanting to fight for, it doesnt matter if our votes dont count.

Cawthorn threatened civil war, declaring: If our election systems continue to be rigged and continue to be stolen, then its gonna lead to one place and thats bloodshed.

Before addressing the crowd, Cawthorn held up a Mossberg 12-gauge tactical shotgun, a raffle item he and Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson signed prior to the event. Joining Cawthorn at the event was Major Dave Goetze, a conspiracy theorist and former Army soldier who has been tapped by the Republican Party to speak at rallies promoting Trumps big lie.

Cawthorn declared his support for the far-right militia groups that stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to capture and/or kill lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence on January 6. He was one of the Republican lawmakers who spoke at the Save America rally at the White House, where Trump told his supporters to march on Congress and block the certification of Bidens election victory.

On Sunday, Cawthorn characterized the insurrectionists, many of whom are facing decades in prison for conspiracy and violent crimes, as political hostages and political prisoners, and mused about trying to bust them out of prison.

The big problem is we dont actually know where all the political prisoners are, Cawthorn said. And so if we were to actually be able to go and try and bust them outand let me tell you, the reason why theyre taking these political prisoners is because theyre trying to make an example, because they dont want to see the mass protests going on in Washington.

Cawthorns characterization of the fascist militia members arrested for their role in the attempted coup mirrors that of fellow America First Trump acolytes such as Rep. Matt Gaetz (Florida), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia) and Louie Gohmert (Texas).

In July, the three were refused entry to a D.C. jail when they arrived unannounced to visit the militia members prior to their trials. After being denied entry, the trio, along with Stop the Steal lead organizer Rep. Paul Gosar (Arizona), held a press conference and protest outside the jail demanding the prisoners release, which was cut short by a larger number of counter-protesters.

Cawthorns incitement of violence on Sunday elicited an immediate response from the small crowd gathered at the Republican headquarters. When are you going to call us to Washington again? asked a member of the audience.

We are actively working on that one, replied the Republican lawmaker. We have a few plans in motion that I cant make public right now. There are a lot of Republicans who dont want to talk about this.

In addition to a threat that must be taken with the utmost seriousness, Cawthorns words amounted to an acknowledgment that the January 6 coup was not a spur-of-the-moment riot by overzealous Trump supporters, but a pre-planned operation directed from the White House and supported by the Republican Party and high-level officials within the capitalist state. The plot, moreover, continues unabated.

Cawthorn continued: As much as I am willing to defend our liberty at all costs, theres nothing that I would dread doing more than having to pick up arms against a fellow American. And the way that we can have recourse against that is if we all passionately demand that we have election security in all 50 states.

In other words, either a pseudo-legal counterrevolution based on voter suppression or violent insurrection led by fascistic shock troops loyal to the would-be Fuhrer Trump.

Cawthorns speech is the latest confirmation of the analysis of January 6 and its aftermath by the World Socialist Web Site and the International Committee of the Fourth International. On January 28, after 45 of 50 Republican senators had voted to block a Senate impeachment trial of Trump for his incitement of the January 6 coup attempt, the WSWS wrote:

The Republican Party has become the incubator of fascistic forces and their integration into the political establishment. It is a party that welcomes neo-Nazis, white supremacists and anti-Semites and promotes them to positions of power. Newly elected North Carolina Representative Madison Cawthorn posted photos on his Instagram page showing his 2017 visit to Adolf Hitlers vacation house in Germany known as the Eagles Nest. The caption refers to Hitler as the Fuhrer and says that a visit to the site had been on Cawthorns bucket list for awhile and did not disappoint.

This is the party with which Biden and the Democrats are desperate to unite in a spirit of bipartisan harmony.

The fact that Cawthorn and the rest of Trumps Republican co-conspirators, as well as the coup plotter-in-chief himself, have not been arrested and have been allowed to openly prepare the next coup attempt is the result of the Democrats efforts to cover up the scale of the plot and the ongoing danger to democratic rights. The fecklessness of Biden and the Democrats stems from their fear of mass social and political opposition from below.

This was on display once again in their response to Cawthorns speech. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi screwed up her courage and called on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to take action against Cawthorn.

In so doing, she acknowledged that McCarthy has repeatedly refused to censor or punish far-right members of his party, including Marjorie Taylor Greene after she threatened violence against Democrats earlier this year and menaced New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the hallways of Congress.

While the Democrats call on McCarthy, Trumps lap dog, to police his House caucus, they seek to downplay the pivotal role the US Capitol Police leadership played in sabotaging the defense of the Capitol on January 6.

US Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton recently released his fifth flash report on the de facto stand-down of the police tasked with defending Congress on the day of the certification of the Electoral College vote.

None of these reports have been made public. However, small portions of the most recent flash report were leaked to the Associated Press (AP) last week. The few details made public show that police radio communications the day of the attack were deliberately undermined.

The AP reported that most of the emergency activations from officers radio were never simulcast on police radio, a standard protocol designed to spread the word to other officers about emergencies and crises.

The AP also noted that the on-duty watch commander appears not to have been made aware of at least some of the system activations.

Without the ability to connect with help or request reinforcements during emergencies, officers are at risk of facing dangerous or even deadly situations, the report said.

Without being aware of an officers emergency, the department does not dispatch additional units or resources for an officer in distress. And if the on-duty watch commander is not notified of emergency identifier activations, they cannot respond to a situation.

The report noted documentation errors for which there is no innocent explanation. Of the 36 emergency system activations made by US Capitol Police during the attack, Inspector General Bolton found only 13 transcripts in the radio traffic.

The report also stated that typically, once an officer activates the emergency system, the cops name and personal identifying information are broadcast simultaneously across all talk groups to alert them that an emergency is in progress and to place units on standby. This did not happen on January 6.

The four previous flash reports were discussed at public hearings held by the Democratic-controlled House Administration Committee. They revealed that the Capitol Police leadership ignored internal and external intelligence warning of a violent attack and under-deployed and under-equipped the totally inadequate force put in place on the morning of January 6.

No such hearing has been called to discuss the latest report, and it appears that none is planned.

The burying of the latest flash report by the Democrats and the corporate press underscores the lack of any commitment to the defense of democratic rights by the Democratic Party or any section of the corporate and political establishment. It is the working class that must and will defend democratic rights through an independent industrial and political struggle against the entire political system and the capitalist oligarchy it serves.
After the humiliating collapse of the US puppet regime in Afghanistan on August 15, European Union (EU) officials are traveling to the Middle East and Central Asia. As German Interior Minister Heiko Maas and French President Emmanuel Macron meet officials across the region, the EU is earmarking over 1 billion for spending there.

This intervention exposes the hypocrisy of the EU powers statements over the US debacle in Afghanistan. They echoed the US medias demands that the Taliban let Afghans, who helped Washington and the European powers occupy Afghanistan, flee from the Kabul airport. While posturing as defenders of Afghans freedom of movement, however, they are working to set up detention camps across Central Asiain Iran, Pakistan, Turkey and beyondto imprison Afghans and keep them from seeking asylum in Europe.

Afghan refugees in an Italian Red Cross refugee camp, in Avezzano, Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The construction of detention camps to house refugees in neighboring countries was the subject of a special meeting of EU interior ministers on Monday night in Brussels.

The EUs model in Afghanistan is the vast network of camps built in the Mediterranean to house millions of refugees fleeing the NATO wars in Syrian and Libya since 2011. Beside hundreds of thousands of refugees held in squalid detention camps in Europe like those of Moria in Greece or the Canary Islands in Spain, many more are held in camps in Turkey (3.7 million), Lebanon (1.5 million), Jordan (1.3 million) and Libya. EU-funded camps in Libya, in particular, are infamous for beating, sexually assaulting, murdering refugees or selling them into slavery.

The EU interior ministers summit budgeted 600 million for the upkeep of camps and maintaining good relations with countries in the region detaining Afghan refugees. In 2015, amid rising tensions between Turkey and the EU powers, around 1 million refugees in Turkey were allowed to travel on to Europe. The stated goal of ministers at the Brussels conference this week was to avoid a repeat of such events and to prevent Afghan refugees from arriving in Europe.

Arriving at the summit, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer declared, Its very important to accelerate diplomatic efforts. I expect the European Commission, if we agree politically today, to strongly support the neighbouring countries if they take Afghan refugees.  If we act quickly, we wont repeat 2015.

Similarly, the Austrian, Danish and Czech interior ministers issued a joint statement before the meeting. They declared: [T]he most important thing right now is to send the right message into the region: Stay there, and we will support the region to help the people.

The summit issued a Statement on the situation in Afghanistan. It stated, Based on lessons learned, the EU and its Member States stand determined to act jointly to prevent the recurrence of uncontrolled large-scale illegal migration movements faced in the past  It proposed diplomatic, construction and police initiatives facilitating the operation of EU detention camps in countries near Afghanistan, such as Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkey.

It continued, The EU should also strengthen the support to the countries in Afghanistans immediate neighborhood to ensure that those in need receive adequate protection primarily in the region. The need for unified and coordinated external but also internal communication is key. Targeted information campaigns should be launched to combat the narratives used by smugglers, including in the on-line environment, which encourage people to embark on dangerous and illegal journeys towards Europe.

The statement blandly refers to EU aid to Central Asian countries to reinforce border management capacity and stepped-up EU external operations for asylum capacity building. What is involved, stripping these euphemisms away, are plans to fund and oversee a continent-wide network of border police agencies and prison camps for hundreds of thousands or millions of people.

EU Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas boasted to the Financial Times that the EU would have ample funding for such plans .We are at the beginning of the budgetary cycle, were not scraping the barrel as we were in 2015. I dont think money will be the problem, she said.

The overnight collapse of the US puppet regime has exposed the failure of the 20-year NATO war in Afghanistan and of the imperialist powers response to the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Washington sought for 30 years to use its military hegemony to counterbalance its accelerating economic decline, invading countries across the Middle East and Central Asia. While claiming millions of lives and wasting trillions of dollars, these wars also led to the greatest refugee crisis since World War II, as 82.4 million people had to flee their homes.

In this period and especially since the 2015 refugee crisiswhich came amid a wave of terror attacks across Europe by Islamist networks, which the NATO powers had used as proxies in Libya and Syriathe European imperialist powers are adopting ever more fascistic, police-state policies. The targeting of refugees for mass drownings in the Mediterranean or for internment in camps, where they are being beaten and assaulted, went hand in hand with the cultivation by the ruling elite of fascistic and anti-refugee moods in the security forces and the entire state machine.

Facing the debacle of the US position in Central Asia and the discrediting of imperialist militarism among workers internationally, the EU powers are doubling down on anti-refugee policies. The day before the interior ministers meeting, as he departed for a tour of the region taking him to Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Qatar, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas referred to the strategic calculations and the pursuit of influence that underlie EU migration policies.

Maas pointed to the goals of his trip, calling for a coordinated international approach to the Taliban. Our offer of support to the neighboring countries to assist them with coping with the humanitarian and economic fallout is also part of this. It is in our own interests to ensure that the collapse in Afghanistan does not destabilize the entire region.

Similarly, before traveling to Iraq for talks, French President Emmanuel Macron gave an interview to the Journal du Dimanche addressing the US debacle and refugees. He called for protecting France from large, irregular migrant flows, asserting, According to the High Commissioner on Refugees, there are already 850,000 Afghan refugees in Iran and 1.5 million in Pakistan. And the Tajik president, with whom I spoke two days ago, told me there is pressure on his border.

Macron asserted that massively increased financial contributions are our duty and the only way to prevent population movement that, otherwise, would be inevitable. He also implicitly criticized the US pullout from Afghanistan and demanded that Washington pay a share of the prison camps budget. We must multilateralize this issue, and the United States must carry their weight. They may not feel the migratory pressure, [but] they are not unrelated to the decision that triggered it.

In reality, the debacle of the US-NATO war in Afghanistan is a historic exposure of the nature of imperialism and the necessity of expelling it from the Middle East and Central Asia. Nor are the EU imperialists an alternative to Washington. Their plans to replace NATO military units in Afghanistan with a regional network of EU-funded prison camps are deeply reactionary and deserve the opposition of workers across Europe and internationallydefending freedom of movement and the right of Afghans and all peoples to travel, live and work where they please.
The Caldor wildfire in California grew by more than 25,000 acres on Sunday, which forced the evacuation of 22,000 people living in the town of South Lake Tahoe, the most populous city in the Lake Tahoe basin. Thousands of others have been evacuated from the broader region the fire currently threatens, which extends from the western shores of Lake Tahoe to the Nevada border.

A picnic table sits in the lot of an empty motel in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Caldor Fire as a whole has burned more then 204,000 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). The surge on Sunday was caused by unfavorable weather conditions that drove the flames across the Sierra Nevada mountains and through Eldorado National Forest. As a result, the fires containment dropped from 19 percent to 14 percent. Similar conditions have persisted through the week, including high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds, including gusts of up to 40 miles per hour. Containment currently stands at 20 percent.

The Sacramento office for the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a red-flag warning for the region based on these weather conditions, which was slated to continue until Wednesday evening at 11 p.m. The warning noted that gusty winds are likely to continue spreading the fire over portions of the higher Sierra Nevada that will continue areas of critical fire weather conditions and contribute to extreme fire behavior.

The NWS warning concluded, Have a plan ready if you are required to evacuate!

There are currently 4,224 firefighters attempting to combat the blaze, including resources drawn from state and national agencies such as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) and the United States Forest Service. Nationally, the NIFC reports that 27,000 firefighters are currently deployed across the country, including 15,000 in California alone. So far this year there have been 43,017 wildfires, which have burned a total of 4,946,000 acres, more than what was burned to date in 2019 and 2020. The 86 largest have burned more than half of that total, 2,678,196 acres across 11 states, and only one of these, the 22,445-acre Black Butte fire in Oregon, has been fully contained.

Current efforts surrounding the Caldor Fire are being devoted to protecting South Lake Tahoe and redirecting the fire southeast toward the neighboring Tamarack Fire, which has burned more than 68,000 acres and is 82 percent contained. The strategy, as noted by Eric Schwab, an operations section chief with Cal Fire, is that directing an ongoing fire into a region that has already burned this season basically stops the spread of fire.

There is no guarantee, however, that this containment tactic will work. One of the more difficult aspects of both the Caldor Fire and the much larger Dixie Firewhich has so far burned 844,000 acres and is only 52 percent containedis that they have flung embers beyond artificial fire breaks made to contain the fires, igniting dry timber behind the firefighters lines.

These embers are also capable of going over mountain ridges, which is a new threat that has emerged this fire season. In the past, the Sierra Nevada acted as a natural barrier for fires. That is no longer the case: the Dixie and Caldor fires are the first and second wildfires to cross from west to east in US firefighting history.

Californias firefighting efforts have been further hampered by various budget cuts implemented by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. Just this year, Newsom slashed $152 million from the states wildfire prevention efforts. These cuts came after Newsom touted a $2 billion wildfire budget for Cal Fire in May, at the time claiming that, None of us are naive about the challenges that this state faces, for that matter the entire Western United States.

Firefighting efforts across the country face similar difficulties. The budget appropriated for wildland fire management for the US Forest Service has hovered around $2.2 billion each year even as wildfires get worse. As a result, funds that previously were dedicated to wildfire prevention are used to fight ongoing fires, which in turn provides further fuel for fires in later years in a perpetuating cycle.

More wildfires also mean longer seasons of degraded air quality across California and the country. The air quality across much of Southern California remains at moderate levels as a result of the Dixie Fire, indicating that those sensitive to smoke and other particulate matter in the air should stay indoors, an impossibility for the many agricultural workers that are forced to continue working with little to no protection against the smoke. The air quality is similarly bad in parts of Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Washington, Minnesota and Florida.

Smoke from the Caldor Fire is currently much worse. The Lake Tahoe basin, as well as Carson City and Reno, Nevada all have an air quality index higher than 150, indicating unhealthy levels of smoke. At such high levels, federal regulations advise that, People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should avoid physical activity outdoors and that everyone else should keep physical activities short. Thursdays forecast for air quality in the region is very unhealthy, a further sign of the ongoing severity of the Caldor Fire.

The heightened length, extent and ferocity of wildfires in recent years are due to a combination of the ongoing impacts of human-induced global warming and the steady defunding of firefighting and fire prevention efforts at the state and federal levels. A recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report made clear that extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, polar vortexes and wildfires are becoming more common and more destructive as Earths temperature is increased through the further release of heat-trapping greenhouse gases as a result of human industrial and agricultural activity.

Most of California itself is currently suffering a state of extreme drought or exceptional drought, creating ideal conditions for fires to emerge and spread. The IPCC report directly links these conditions to climate change.

And while the report does not say this explicitly, the underlying cause for the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (primarily carbon dioxide and methane) is the inherently anarchic nature of the capitalist system, in which companies and countries compete with one another for resources and profits. This encourages these entities to burn ever greater quantities of fossil fuels to enrich themselves at the expense of the livelihoods and lives of current and future generations of humanity.
Two Florida teachers from the same school district died in a single week last month from COVID-19. Sara Zevallos-Gonzalez and Tabitha Blair of Indian River County are the latest victims of a reckless reopening strategy that is claiming the lives of countless teachers nationwide and is leading to a growing number of infections and hospitalizations.

(L) Tabitha Blair, 42, (R) Sara Zevallos-Gonzalez 45 (R) (Image Credit: Twitter/LostToCovid)

On August 26, Zevallos-Gonzalez, a 45-year-old Fellsmere Elementary school and English-Spanish teacher, died from the virus just three days after contracting the disease. Described by Fellsmere Principal Ramon Echeverria as an energetic young lady, full of life, Zevallos-Gonzalez passed away the day after speaking to Echeverria on a FaceTime call. Its just like, you cannot believe it because we just saw her yesterday even though she didnt look great, Echeverria told ABC News affiliate WPBF. You know, you dont think she is going to die, this is not what we were thinking.

Blair was a 42-year-old fourth grade teacher from Treasure Coast Elementary School in Sebastian, Florida. She succumbed to the virus on August 18, leaving behind two children. While she reportedly was not exposed to the virus at her school, she remained sick with COVID-19 all summer and was unable to return to campus this fall due to her illness.

These deaths are a part of a heartbreaking and growing string of recent COVID-19 fatalities among educators and schools along with an alarming rise of hospitalizations among children. Pediatric hospitalizations are climbing to record highs following the reopening of schools. According to data compiled by the Department of Health and Human Services, Florida reached the grim milestone of 200 total pediatric COVID-19 patients this week.

Local 10, an ABC affiliate in Miami, reported Monday that school bus drivers in Miami-Dade County are dying over COVID-19 at an alarming rate. The most recent death was Tim Jones, a veteran trainer, who leaves behind his wife and a newborn child after a two-week battle with the disease. A 30-year veteran school bus driver died on the first day of school and the numbers continue to rise. Phyllis LeFlore, president of the AFSCME Local 1184, reported that about seven employees were dying every week. Now everybody is getting scared. Thats all I hear this morning. That we are scared, LeFlore told Local 10.

The deaths of Blair, Zevallos-Gonzalez, Jones and others accompany the growing health crisis facing the district and entire state as the virus continues to ravage communities, forcing the shutdown of schools that were approved for indoor operations and classroom learning.

Three weeks into the fall semester, Indian River County has seen two school closures because of the explosive growth of infections, particularly among faculty and staff. A spokeswoman for the district confirmed Tuesday Treasure Coast Elementary will be closed from Wednesday until September 13.

The closure of Treasure Coast follows the districts decision last month to shut down Beachland Elementary School until September 7 because of the growth of cases among students and staff.

At Treasure Coast, at least 38 students and 10 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since the semester began on August 10. Since the start of the school year, 416 students and 145 employees across River County have tested positive for the virus, according to district officials. An additional 144 students have also tested positive with at-home COVID-19 tests, though the results have yet to be confirmed by the Florida Health Department.

Indian River is one of several school districts in Florida that have discontinued in-person learning due to the disastrous resurgence of the pandemic, with officials now scrambling in the face of astronomical rise in cases. According to reports released by the Florida Education Association last month, Charlotte and Hernando counties each closed one school immediately following their reopenings in early August while one school in Bay County delayed their opening late last month. At least 21 different classrooms in Lee County have thus far been closed.

The deadly resurgence of the virus, largely being fueled by the far more transmissible Delta variant, has thus far driven approximately 100,000 students and school staff in Florida into quarantine and isolation. In Hillsborough County, more than 10,000 students were forced into quarantine shortly after reopening on August 10. More than 8,300 students in Brevard County were sent home in late August following a massive outbreak. In spite of such worrisome figures, only a handful of Floridas 67 school districts have consistently reported confirmed infections or direct exposures to infected individuals, according to the FEAs COVID-19 tracker, meaning dozens of regions that are likely swelling with community transmission from schools remain unaccounted for.

But similar to every other school district in the state, no plans are in place in Indian River County to permanently close all schools and transfer to online learning until infections are contained. On Monday, the county announced that it was issuing mask requirements for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, but this is only planned to last until September 15.

The mask mandate comes in defiance of the anti-democratic measures enforced by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and his Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran. Both forged ahead yesterday with their threats to withhold salaries for school board members in Alachua and Broward because of their efforts to enforce mandatory masking on campuses.

The fines against the board members were greenlighted despite a Leon County judge ruling last week that DeSantis ban on mask mandates was unconstitutional. The governor, whose name has been trending on Twitter as #DeathDeSantis for several weeks, responded to the judges decision with unrestrained hostility and vowed during a press conference on Monday to appeal the courts ruling. In defending the governors criminal policies, Commissioner Corcoran released a statement justifying the attack against school districts as a fight to protect parents rights to make healthcare decisions for their children.

Corcoran pledged to continue the states vicious assault on school boards and districts who defied the states authority, calling mask mandates unacceptable and that elected officials cannot pick and choose what laws they want to follow. According to state authorities, school districts that have put in limited mitigation measures, such as in Palm Beach County which is seeing its pediatric ICUs inundated with sick children, have until the end of this week to withdraw their mask requirements or face further penalties.

The homicidal pronouncements of DeSantis and Corcoran have been echoed in the states Republican-led legislature. Rep. Randy Fine, a member of the Florida House Education Committee and chair of the PreK-12 appropriations subcommittee, told CBS12 News this week the state should go even further than withholding school board member salaries and expressed the belief the Florida Department of Education had the right to fire school board members if they do not withdraw their mask policies. They certainly could do more, I would encourage them to do more, Fine said. We cannot have lawless dictators running our school boards.

The punitive and unconstitutional actions being taken against masking in schools follow new rules the state added last week aimed at punishing businesses, schools and local governments that implement vaccine requirements. The Florida Department of Health filed the ruling which lays out that each individual person working within an institution could face up to $5,000 worth of fines for requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccinations from customers or other members of the general public.

This rule establishes the form through which the department will enforce a bill the state legislature passed in May, SB 2006, which bans businesses, governments and schools from requiring vaccine passports or proof that people seeking service in a particular enterprise have received a COVID-19 vaccine. The new regulation targeting individuals with such an outrageously exorbitant fine is meant to further intimidate anyone who dares defy the states reactionary reopening policies.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), there are indications that North Korea has restarted its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon and associated facilities. The moves highlight the continuing tensions on the Korean Peninsula as well as with the US where the Biden administration has maintained the crippling sanctions imposed on North Korea under Obama and Trump.

In its latest annual report released last week, the IAEA stated that there were no signs that North Korea had operated its Yongbyon reaction between December 2018 and July 2021. However, since early July 2021, there have been indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation of the reactor, it stated. The UN nuclear agency has no direct access to North Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a Workers' Party meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP. File)

Moreover, for five months to early July, the IAEA reported that steam coming from the reprocessing plant at the complex pointed to the extraction of plutonium from spent reactor fuel rods. North Korea has a small arsenal of nuclear weapons based on plutonium and has conducted six nuclear tests, most recently in 2017.

In the same year, President Trump issued a series of bloodcurdling threats to North Korea including a declaration on the floor of the UN that the US could totally destroy the country. Trump abruptly changed tack to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in June 2018. Pyongyang put its testing program on hold and in return the US halted its annual war games with South Korea rehearsing for conflict with the north.

A second summit in Hanoi in March 2019, however, ended without any agreement. North Korea had offered to permanently halt nuclear and ballistic missile tests and to dismantle its nuclear facilities at Yongbyon in return for a limited lifting of sanctions on items connected to civilian needs. Trump, however, insisted on an all or nothing approach, demanding full, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation before any sanctions would be lifted.

While the nuclear issue was the public purpose of the summits, Trumps underlying aim, amid a dramatically escalating confrontation with China, was to draw North Korea, Chinas only military ally, away from Beijing and into Washingtons orbit. However, with its economy heavily reliant on China, North Korea was clearly not prepared to turn on its ally without guarantees from Washington that were not forthcoming.

An uneasy standoff has ensued over the past two years with North Korea conducting limited tests of short-range missiles, while the US recommenced some joint military exercises with South Korea.

Tensions have not eased under Biden. After a lengthy review of US policy towards North Korea, the Biden administration in May announced a broad strategy that differed only cosmetically with the confrontational approach of Trump and Obama. Biden officials have appealed for talks without preconditions but have offered nothing to North Korea that would lead it to believe the outcome would be any different from previous negotiations and failed agreements that demanded a great deal from Pyongyang in return for limited promises.

North Korea reacted angrily to nine-day US-South Korean joint war games held last month. While the military exercises were computer-simulations, there was no doubt that North Korea was the enemy being targeted. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, branded the military drills as an act of self-destruction and warned that North Korea would step up its pre-emptive strike capabilities.

North Koreas decisions to restart nuclear facilities and boost military capabilities are aimed at pressuring the US to make concessions. The current UN sanctions, imposed at the instigation of Washington, along with unilateral US sanctions, have cut off virtually all North Korean exports as well as sources of foreign exchange and severely limited imports of critical items such as oil and petroleum products.

The countrys economic and social crisis was further exacerbated last month by heavy flooding, which forced thousands of families to flee and destroyed vital crops. This came on top of a lengthy heat wave that also damaged the countrys agricultural output. In June, Kim Jong-un acknowledged that the food situation in North Korea was getting tense.

While the Biden administration has offered limited humanitarian aid to North Korea, the US strategy towards Pyongyang is basically aimed at using sanctions to cripple the economy and starve it into submission.

Bidens special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, was in Seoul Korea last week for talks with top South Korean officials including the countrys lead nuclear negotiator Noh Kyu-duk. After meeting Noh, Kim reiterated the call for talks with North Korea and claimed that joint military exercises with South Korea were routine and defensive in character.

Kim absurdly told reporters that the US does not have any hostile intention towards North Korea. As well as maintaining a paralysing sanctions regime, the US has never formally ended the 195053 Korean War and has repeatedly refused to normalise relations with Pyongyang by concluding a peace treaty. The US military continues to maintain 28,500 troops along with major bases in South Korea.

Kims visit to Seoul has been followed by a trip to Washington by Noh Kyu-duk this week to discuss ways of restarting talks with North Korea. South Koreas foreign ministry indicated that Noh will meet with officials from the US State Department, as well as the White House National Security Council during his trip, which ends today.

The flurry of diplomatic activity between Seoul and Washington points to renewed efforts to bully and threaten North Korea to fall into line as the Biden administration ramps up the US confrontation with China.
The Socialist Equality Party is launching a campaign throughout the working class against blatantly anti-democratic electoral bills that were rushed through Australias parliament last week at record speed.

Behind the backs of the populationand a wall of silence in the corporate mediathe Labor Party joined hands with the Liberal-National Coalition government to ram the bills through both houses of parliament in just over 24 hours.

Voters cast their ballots at the Town Hall in Sydney, Australia, in a federal election, Saturday, May 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

The legislation is part of a global assault on basic democratic rights and a turn to authoritarian forms of rule amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic and working-class opposition to the reopening policies pursued by capitalist governments to boost profits at the expense of millions of lives.

These bills are a bid to muzzle opposition to the increasingly discredited political establishment, which is determined to end current limited restrictions on the basis that people have to live with the virus, even as the pandemic resurges out of control in Australia.

The laws seek to strip party registration from all those political parties, including the Socialist Equality Party (SEP), that do not currently have parliamentary representation, by trebling the number of members required from 500 to 1,500 to be officially recognised.

Parties will have to provide new enlarged lists of members, itself a direct violation of political privacy, to the Australian Electoral Commission within three months, amid widespread lockdowns and with a federal election due by next May, at the latest.

The requirement for party registration together with the previous 500-member rule was itself an anti-democratic provision first introduced under the Hawke Labor government in 1984 to try to prop up the two-party Labor-Coalition monopoly.

The SEP has always opposed these party registration laws, which give the capitalist state apparatus the power to supervise political parties and decide which parties have support in the population. That overrides the function of elections themselves, which are meant to determine levels of political support. These laws also compel parties to hand over the details of their members, opening them up to surveillance and harassment.

However, the SEP, under protest, has submitted the names of 500 electoral members in time for each election as demanded by the electoral authorities, in order to exercise our elementary right to stand candidates in elections under our party name.

Without party registration, election candidates cannot identify their political affiliations on ballot papers. They have to stand without any party name, or as unexplained independents. This denies the essential right of electors to know the political platforms of candidates.

The SEP calls for a concerted campaign to demand the repeal of these laws and all restrictions on the democratic right of parties and individuals to stand in elections. At the same time, we appeal to all our supporters and readers: Become an electoral member of the SEP to help us retain our registration and defeat this attack.

On the same dayAugust 26that the bills were rushed through the Senate, the Coalition government in New South Wales (NSW), the countrys most populous state, announced that daily COVID-19 infections had surpassed the 1,000 mark for the first time in any Australian jurisdiction.

Although this level is still far below those resurging in the US and the UK, the myth that Australia is an exception to the global pandemic has been shattered.

The toll is continuing to rise and spread to other parts of the country. Public health experts, medical professionals and healthcare workers are warning that the chronically under-staffed public hospitals are already unable to cope with a growing tide of patients.

Unless halted by the working class, this crisis is going to multiply in the months ahead, producing the kind of harrowing healthcare breakdown seen elsewhere, from the US and UK to India and Indonesia.

Just as Australia is no exception to the COVID-19 disaster, it is no exception to the worldwide attack on democratic rights and the cultivation of fascistic forcesfrom the US to Germany and Brazilto suppress the rising global struggles of the working class against the disastrous policies of the ruling classes.

The electoral bills rammed through parliament parallel the laws being passed by US states restricting the ability of working-class voters to cast ballots. The crisis of capitalist rule in Australia is no less acute than that revealed by Donald Trumps plot to overturn the US presidential election and his fomenting of the fascistic January 6 coup attempt.

Globally, the norms of democracy are again breaking down internationally under the pressure of class and geo-strategic tensions, as they did in the 1930s. On this front, Australia has gone further than other Western countries. Labor and the Coalition combined in 201718 to orchestrate a nationalist witch hunt, amid an escalating anti-China campaign, to expel members of parliament who were not deemed totally and solely loyal to the country because they were entitled to dual citizenship. That effectively disqualified about six million people with immigrant backgrounds from even nominating for election to parliament.

It must never be forgotten that in 1975, amid the last period of global working class upsurge, the veneer of democracy was torn aside in Australia when the governor-general dismissed the elected Whitlam Labor government.

Workers protest Whitlam Labor government dismissal in Melbourne, 1975 (WSWS Media)

Media polls in Australia give a glimpse of public hostility to the political establishment and its pandemic policies. An Essential poll this week reported that only 12 percent of people would be comfortable with any reopening that increases deaths and hospitalisations.

Newspoll showed a plunge in support for Prime Minister Scott Morrisons Coalitiondown to 36 percentthat would result in a landslide electoral defeat. While Labor made some gains and support for the Greens and the far-right One Nation stagnated, unnamed other parties surged to 11 percent. Those parties now face deregistration as a result of the new legislation.

Opposition to the Coalition and Labor has grown over the past three decades as a result of the bipartisan pro-business program that has decimated working class jobs, wages and conditions, wound back services and led to widening social inequality. The disaffection has been compounded by Australias participation in criminal US-led wars, such as those in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the 2019 election, some 25 percent of voters cast a ballot for parties other than Labor and Liberal-National.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only deepened the opposition and anger in the working class to the two parties of big businessthe Coalition and Laborthat have put profit ahead of health and lives. The concern in ruling circles is that this hostility will be expressed in the next election in votes for other political parties, further destabilising the two-party system of rule on which the capitalist class has long depended.

While at present many of the minor parties are of a right-wing character, the real fear haunting the political establishment is that, particularly under conditions of emerging struggles of the working class, the opposition will turn markedly to the left towards a socialist alternative.

Morrisons fragile Coalition government is relying on the Labor Party to spearhead the offensive on democratic rights. In parliament, Labor MPs were the most flagrant in seeking to stifle dissent. One denounced people whingeing and whining about this changeso-called believers in freedom and democracy.

Labors role is bound up with its constructive support, together with the trade unions, in policing the corporate and government response to the pandemic. This bipartisan front is entrenched in the national cabinet of federal, state and territory government leaders, mostly from the Labor Party. Meeting behind closed doors, and cloaked by secrecy provisions, this unelected body has constituted a virtual war cabinet, running the country by decrees.

The SEP, along with its sister parties of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), has called on workers and youth to take matters into their own hands through the formation of rank-and-file committees in workplaces and suburbs to fight for the necessary measures to protect working people. To combat the pandemic an international strategy is needed. The ICFI has advocated the formation of an International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees to develop this struggle worldwide.

Above all, the working class must have a political voice, which the ruling class through its latest legislation is seeking to stifle. The opposition to the dictates of big business and its political servants needs to be guided by a socialist program that puts the social needs of working peopleabove all their health and livesahead of the private profits of the wealthy few. The SEP alone fights for this perspective.

We appeal to all our existing electoral members, our readers, members of rank-and-file committees and all working people, students and youth: Help us recruit the extra 1,000 electoral members that we need to retain our party registration.

To discuss and take forward this fight, we urge our readers to contact the SEP via our website, Facebook, Twitter, email, or by calling 02 8218 3222.
Three Aurora, Colorado, police officers and two paramedics have been charged by a grand jury in a 32-count indictment for the brutal death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain in August, 2019.

The three members of the Aurora Police DepartmentNathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt and Randy Roedemaand Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec have each been charged with numerous offenses including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and a raft of other violent assault charges.

Terrance Roberts, front, wears a shirt bearing photographs of Aurora, Colo., police Department officers involved in the stop of 23-year-old Elijah McClain at the memorial site across the street from where the young man was stopped by while walking home in Aurora, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

The 25-page grand jury indictment was returned last Thursday and unsealed on Wednesday after it was filed in Adams County District Court. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who was named as a special prosecutor in the case, announced the indictment eight months after the convening of the state-wide grand jury and two years after the death of McClain.

The indictment describes in detail how, on the evening of August 24, 2019, the African-American McClain was walking home from a convenience store and carrying a plastic grocery bag and listening to music using earbuds connected to his phone when he was set upon by the three white police officers who were responding to a 911 call from a driver who reported an individual who was wearing a ski mask and jacket and acting strangely.

The officers were joined by the Aurora paramedics who injected McClain with the anesthetic drug ketamine after which he went into cardiac arrest and, three days after arriving at the hospital, was declared brain dead and removed from life support.

The indictment says the police stop quickly turned physical as the officers grabbed Mr. McClains arms then forcibly moved Mr. McClain over to a grassy area near where the officers first contacted Mr. McClain and pushed him up against the exterior wall of a nearby apartment building.

The officers then applied a carotid control hold on McClain twice. The hold is when an officer uses his or her bicep and forearm to apply pressure to the carotid arteries on the sides of a subjects neck, thereby cutting off blood flow to the subjects brain and causing temporary unconsciousness for the purpose gaining compliance or control.

As a result, McClain suffered bodily injury and was rendered unconscious, suffered hypoxia, and his physical and mental condition were impaired. Hypoxia is a condition whereby the body is deprived of adequate oxygen. The officers also placed McClain in a bar hammer lock which is a defensive tactic whereby a subjects arm is held back behind their back to gain control of the subject.

According to audio recordings of the stop, McClain told the police, I cant breathe. I have my ID right here. My name is Elijah McClain. Thats my house. I was just going home. Im an introvert and Im different. Thats all. Thats all I was doing. Im so sorry.

At the time of his death, Elijah McClain had been a massage therapist for four years and had never been arrested or charged with a crime. His coworkers would sometimes find him playing violin or jamming on guitar in a back room or working out, doing push-ups, compulsively jumping rope and doing handstands in front of the store. Friends and family described him as a spiritual seeker, pacifist, oddball, vegetarian, athlete, and peacemaker who was exceedingly gentle.

During the assault on McClain, all three officers dislodged their body cameras and the final moments of the incident do not appear on video. The officers claimed that McClain began struggling against them once they released him from their violent carotid and arm bar holds.

The officers police report claimed that McClain resisted officer contact and a struggle ensued. Adams County District Attorney Dave Young refused to file criminal charges in the case. The officers were initially placed on administrative leave but were later reinstated. In February 2020, a police review board found that the force applied during the altercation to include the carotid control hold and the force applied during the altercation was within policy and consistent with training.

In the midst of the mass demonstrations around the world against police violence triggered by the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May 2020, the campaign for justice in the death of Elijah McClain gained significant support. After more than three million people signed a petition demanding an independent investigation, Democratic Party Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced on June 25, 2020 that Weiser would reexamine the case and prosecute it if the facts supported such action.

In July 2020, officer Jason Rosenblatt was fired by the Aurora Police Department after he responded with the comment HaHa to a texted photograph of three other officers who were imitating the carotid choke hold used on Elijah McClain. The four other individuals involved in McClains death had remained employed by the city of Aurora until they were fired immediately following the unsealing of the indictment.

Even though the number of Americans murdered by police has averaged three people per day for at least the last six years, less than 2 percent of the officers are ever prosecuted, and convictions are virtually nonexistent. Even in the case of the conviction and sentencing of the former Minneapolis officer Derrick Chauvinwhose murder of George Floyd was captured on a smartphone camera and was seen by hundreds of millions of people around the worldthere was a deliberate effort to drag out the process so as to dissipate the seething social and political anger within the population toward police violence against working class and poor people of all ethnicities that is so much a part of American capitalist society.
On August 20, a tragic shooting, currently labeled a random attack, took place at South Beach in South Haven, Michigan, leaving two dead and one injured. The beach is a popular spot with local residents and visitors to the region, 120 miles northeast of Chicago on Lake Michigan.

South Haven beach pier where the shooting occurred

In the incident, Chuck Skuza and his wife, Barb Skuza, residents of Kalamazoo, Michigan, were shot, with the former succumbing to his injuries at the scene. Mrs. Skuza remains in critical condition at Bronson Methodist Hospital. The third victim was the shooter, 19-year-old Aidan Ingalls, who committed suicide after the attack, which occurred on the pier at the beach. A 9 mm handgun was used in the shooting.

This relatively minor episode did not even qualify as a mass shooting, according to a website that tracks such events. Gunviolencearchive.org defines a mass shooting as one with a minimum of four victims shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident. The website reports that 464 such shootings have occurred in the US in 2021. One took place in Flint, Michigan, the same day as the episode in South Haven.

In 2018, Ingalls, then 15 years old, turned himself in with his mother, Karissa Ingalls, after she discovered guns and explosives in the boys room, an alleged hit list and plans to attack Paw Paw High School, which he attended. (Paw Paw is located in southwestern Michigan, some 30 miles from South Haven.)

Prosecutors demanded a harsh response, arguing that Ingalls should be tried as an adult. If they had prevailed, Ingalls, facing 10 felony weapons and explosives charges, could have gone to prison for 28 years.

A therapist who evaluated the adolescent testified that Ingalls suffered from significant mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and a real sense of social awkwardness. A police investigation also indicated that his plan to attack Paw Paw High School included suicide, corroborating statements from his mother, who claimed he was suicidal. Karissa Ingalls also insisted the family attempted to seek the assistance of a local mental health agency, which ignored them.

Judge Jeffrey Dufon chose to try Ingalls as a juvenile, leading to a year sentence in a residential treatment center under the supervision of the Michigan Department of Human Services. Ingalls remained under the surveillance of the juvenile justice system, earning his GED during this period until he turned 19 roughly a month ago. Earlier this year, according to the South Haven Tribune, Lake Michigan College records indicated he [Ingalls] had been named to the winter semester deans list at LMC, where he was enrolled as a part-time student.

For the past two years, Ingalls worked at a local Big Boy restaurant in South Haven. A co-worker interviewed by the Tribune described Ingalls as a close friend and someone she looked forward to seeing when she came into work. The co-worker reported that Ingalls still had suicidal tendencies. He would talk about it. She mentioned he came into his shift early on the day of the shooting: He talked to people [and] left some stuff for people ... [before leaving] he turned around and waved at people. He said hed be back. Noting his feelings following the initial lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she stated, He said, I should take my life anyways. I thought that was strange. This is all very sad.

South Haven beach

On August 23, local police and prosecutors who worked on the 2018 Ingalls case advanced their predictably reactionary response to the South Haven tragedy. Targeting Judge Dufons decision to try Ingalls as a juvenile, Susan Zuiderveen, the prosecutor in the case and current chief prosecutor of the county, argued the only sure-fire way to avoid Fridays shooting would have been to try Ingalls as an adult.

In her statement, she said, Law enforcement and the prosecutors office recognized the extreme public safety threat and made the decision to try to prosecute him as an adult. ... This would have protected the public for a longer period and allowed the court to have jurisdiction for extended services and surveillance.

In a statement issued August 24, however, Van Buren County Chief Judge Kathleen Brickley refuted the prosecutions opportunist claims. She noted that the justice system was a constant balancing actbalancing our rights and liberties as individuals with the safety and security of the public.  Those processes always work better when the different players in the justice system work together. In this case, after much deliberation, there was agreement by the elected prosecutor at the time that the chosen path forward was the right one, and there was no appeal of the courts decision.

Local police also commented on the shooting, following Zuiderveens general line. Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott was quoted as saying, You gotta take out peoples ages in cases like this, you gotta look at the facts in cases like this, and you gotta address it in cases like this.

South Haven is a resort town with seven beaches or public access sites on Lake Michigan. South Beach is among the more notable and popular attractions in the area, featuring play equipment for children, a large lighthouse and unusual conditions that even make surfing possible.

When a gunman suddenly opens fire at the end of the pier, striking a couple before committing suicide in full view of young children and adults, what should be an enjoyable location on a mid-summer day is transformed into a horrific crime scene. A disturbing event like the one that took place at South Beach doesnt simply occur randomly but has roots in objective social conditions. Again, there have already been more than 450 mass shootings in 2021 in America!

The media and the political establishment respond to the endless succession of school, workplace and other types of mass killings with impotent calls for gun control, on the one hand, or strident demands for more repression and longer jail time, on the other. All of this is aimed at obscuring the underlying reality, that the United States is a deeply diseased, tormented society.
The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Sri Lanka will hold an online meeting to discuss the political implications of the recent fall of the US puppet regime in Afghanistan. Titled The debacle of US imperialism in Afghanistan, the meeting will be held on ZOOM at 7p.m., Friday September 10.

The sudden fall of the US puppet regime in Afghanistan three weeks ago, and Washingtons withdrawal of its last troops on Monday, constituted a humiliating debacle for US imperialism.

The two-decade war in Afghanistan was part of Washingtons strategy to control Central Asia, and the world Island of Eurasia, and to strengthen the position of US imperialism, not just against its main rivalsChina and Russiabut the European imperialist powers, its supposed allies.

The human and social costs of this war were catastrophic. According to massively understated figures, the war claimed the lives of 170,000 Afghans and several thousand US soldiers. The US-backed Afghanistan regime was imposed by the criminal invasion and occupation, promoted on the basis of lies, and maintained in power through assassination, torture and the bombing of civilians.

The victory of the Taliban insurgency not only reveals the failure of Washingtons policies in Afghanistan, but the failure of the overall strategy that has guided the actions of US imperialism for decades, domestically and abroad.

The only way to defeat the danger of imperialist war is to build an international anti-war movement of the working class and youth, based on socialist policies. This program will be reviewed in detail at the forthcoming IYSSE meeting.

We urge students, youth, workers, intellectuals and all World Socialist Web Site readers to attend this meeting and participate in the discussion.

Date: Friday, September 10

Time: 7 p.m.

Please register for the meeting here.
Twenty-five weeks into their strike, with nearly half a year of lost paychecks, the 700 nurses of St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts are in critical danger of being sold out by their union, the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA). After five days of secret negotiations with executives of the hospital, which is owned by multibillion-dollar health conglomerate Tenet Healthcare (THC) of Dallas, Texas, the MNA bargaining committee signed off on a tentative proposal that does not meet the nurses central demand: guaranteed safe staffing.

What prevented the bargaining committee from carrying through with this betrayal and ending the strike is Tenets refusal to remove the scab replacements it hired during the strike. Scrambling to salvage a shred of legitimacy, the MNA responded to the refusal saying it was a callous effort to retaliate against the nurses for standing up for their patients and their community. There should not, however, be any question as to the bad faith of the MNA, which was prepared to accept the same deal on August 27 that union officials previously denounced.

Striking nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass. (WSWS Media)

A week after the secret negotiations, held under the auspices of a federal mediator, bargaining committee co-chair and MNA Vice President Marie Ritacco claimed, as reported by Spectrum News, We got it. .. conditions will be exponentially safer in that building. .. we achieved the majority of what we needed to get.

However, on August 5, in response to the same last, best and final offer, the Worcester Telegram reported bargaining committee co-chair Marlena Pellegrino as saying, This [proposal] in no way represents a good-faith effort to find a resolution to this crisis and just demonstrates Tenets callous disregard for their nurses, and more importantly, for our patients and our community, whose future health and safety are at the center of this dispute.

The MNA, with the backing of the AFL-CIO and Democratic Party, is working with a federal mediator to get a last-ditch deal to end the strike before supplemental unemployment runs out and striking nurses lose their COBRA health benefits.

For the MNA and AFL-CIO, it is preferable to allow the strike to collapseafter spending months trying to starve nurses into submission with no strike paythan to see the strike expand to other health care facilities and broader sectors of the economy.

As the MNA was engaged in secret talks to end the St. Vincent strike, the National Union of Healthcare Workers in southern California negotiated contracts for 830 workers at three Tenet hospitals in the state to prevent a strike. Workers authorized a walkout last month over staffing, pay, benefits and pandemic-related safeguards.

Throughout the St. Vincent strike, the MNA and other unions have worked to ensure the nurses remain isolated and prevent a broader struggle among health care workers across the country and particularly at other Tenet facilities, who face the same issues.

That the strike has lasted this long, despite its isolation and starvation, is a testament to the dogged determination of nurses. After enduring conditions throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic likened to those of a battlefield, and after years of being stretched beyond their limits, they fully committed to improving their working conditions, establishing secure safer care and better outcomes for their patients and protecting their own mental health and professional integrity. Even after nearly five months on strike, on August 2, at a meeting open to all union members, nurses voiced strong opposition to the same proposal to which union bureaucrats have now agreed.

When the strike began, about 100 nurses crossed the picket line, approximating the number of nurses who had not voted to authorize the strike, which was approved by 89 percent. As the strike has stretched into its fifth month, St. Vincent and Tenet claim that around 200 nurses have crossed.

When the resolve of nurses became apparent to Tenet, after nurses roundly rejected the first insulting proposal that emerged from the executive wing, Tenet announced it would begin hiring permanent replacements.

MNA and Massachusetts AFL-CIO bureaucrats shrugged their shoulders at these strikebreaking threats. They referred to it as a ploy and remained unmoved by the announcement, having fully expected Tenet to move in [such a] direction, and [saw] it as yet another desperate attempt to avoid negotiating in good faith.

Since that time, this desperate attempt has resulted in a steadily growing number of permanent replacement scabs. By August 9, 100 permanent replacement nurses had been hired, after the initial postings in May. As of August 27, the day Ritacco declared, We got it, 156 permanent replacement scabs had been hired by Tenet after hundreds of job postings offering sign-on bonuses of up to $10,000, regardless of the inexperience of applicants.

The growing existential threat to the striking nurses jobs is a direct result of the willful negligence of the MNA and AFL-CIO. Even as the union cites the effective firings of hundreds of its members as the reason it cannot agree to end the strike, MNA officials announced there was willingness to have their members work side-by-side with scab nurses. Bargaining committee co-chair Marie Ritacco told WBUR Boston on August 25 that, due to the loss of experienced nurses preceding the strikeowing to the miserable conditions they were working under when the pandemic was unleashedthere is certainly room for these nurses who were hired during our strike.

As for Tenet, it demands strikers accept the reality that the hospital will not involuntarily displace its permanent replacement nurses, on the preposterous basis that it will not perpetuate. .. injustice further by forcibly removing the nurses who stepped up to care for this community.

The intent of THC all along has been to break the strike and protect its corporate profits. On March 30, the day celebrated by the St. Vincent Hospital nurses as the 21st anniversary of their first strike, THC announced a 2020 profit of $414 million.

Indeed, the pandemic has been a boon to Tenet. While the hospital kept personal protective equipment under lock and key, forcing St. Vincent nurses to wear shower curtains and reuse face masks, it worked to maintain a strong cash position for its stockholders. It was helped in doing so with the aid of the bipartisan CARES Act, which provided the corporate giant at least $2.8 billion from the pockets of ordinary Americans. Before the pandemic struck, the stock price for THC was $21.76. By the close of stock exchanges on Friday, it had nearly quadrupled to $74.99 per share, an all-time high and year-to-date increase of 92.38 percent.

While one MNA bureaucrat moralizes over what is an irreconcilable conflict between class interests, stating it is incumbent upon Tenet that they answer to the community, it should be clear to workers that, as a UMass-Boston labor expert told WBUR in an interview, THC is operating on a different logic. That logic is the capitalist logic of the perpetual accumulation of wealth off the backs of the working class.

The nurses of St. Vincent Hospital should learn the lessons of this struggle. The ongoing isolation of their strike is no mistake on the part of the MNA and AFL-CIO. The unions long ago abandoned the defense of the workers and have spent decades securing pro-company agreements, while channeling workers political opposition into the Democratic party.

Every week that goes by and the strike remains suppressed by the unions, dozens of nurses, some of whom have served in their positions for decades, are effectively fired from their previous jobs. It is incumbent for health care workers to break the isolation of the St. Vincent strike. If Tenet is successful, it will use the defeat of the strike as a precedent to accelerate its assault on thousands of nurses and health care workers. Such a struggle requires building new organizations of struggle: rank-and-file committees to unify St. Vincent workers with health care workers across the US and internationally.
Legislation banning abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy took effect in Texas at midnight after the US Supreme Court did not act on an emergency appeal by Texas abortion providers Tuesday.

Supreme Court building, Washington, DC (Wikimedia Commons)

Senate Bill 8, ushered through the Republican-dominated state legislature and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, prohibits abortions whenever an ultrasound can detect a fetal heartbeat, a purposely misleading term, since there is neither a fetus nor a heart at that stage of development. There is only an embryo, not a fetus, and only weak electrical charges can be detected in groups of cells that will eventually form the heart.

The American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit against the bill in July, writing that the law would deny 85 percent of Texas women access to abortion care, as most are not even aware they are pregnant as early as six weeks.

A federal district court denied a motion to dismiss the case, sought by the defendants in Whole Womens Health v. Jacksonthe state of Texas and several judges in state courtsand scheduled a hearing for Monday, August 30 on the plaintiffs motion for a preliminary injunction against the new law.

The defendants instead appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, dominated by ultra-right judges. A three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit, two of them appointed by Donald Trump, banned the hearing by the federal district court, using Hurricane Ida as a pretext, but effectively allowing the law to take effect, while the plaintiffs continue to fight the case in the district court.

The plaintiffs then filed an emergency appeal with the US Supreme Court, but the high court declined to act before the law took effect, without issuing a written opinion or any indication of the line-up on the issue among the nine justices.

While a dozen other Republican-dominated states have passed similar heartbeat bills, they have all been blocked in court. However, Texas new law is intentionally designed to make legal challenges more difficult. Instead of government officials enforcing the law, it incentivizes private citizens to bring civil suits against anyone who aid or abets in an abortion.

Under the draconian law, physicians, clinic nurses, abortion fund workers, domestic violence and rape crisis counselors, or even a family member who offers a car ride to the clinic could now face a lawsuit from anyone, encouraging a type of vigilante justice. Individuals who file the suits are not required to show any connection to those they are suing, and are entitled to a minimum of $10,000 in damages, plus attorney fees, if they win in court.

Texas abortion providers said the law immediately and catastrophically reduces abortion access in Texas and will likely force many abortion clinics to close. Planned Parenthood and Whole Womans Health clinics announced they would be forced to comply with the law, or else they could be quickly bankrupted by legal fees and penalties.

Health providers at Whole Womans Health clinics continued to provide abortion care until just before the law took effect and said their waiting rooms were filled with patients and their loved ones, while anti-abortion protestors harassed them from outside.

Marva Sadler, senior director of clinical services at Whole Womans Health, told the Texas Tribune the organizations clinic in Fort Worth was engulfed with over 100 patients scrambling to undergo abortions before the law took effect.

Texas is already infamous for its stringent abortion laws, and its politicians have made multiple attempts to eliminate access to abortion over the past decade. It is home to the highest number of cities in the United States where a patient must travel at least 100 miles for abortion care.

House Bill 2, a 2013 measure that was eventually struck down by the Supreme Court, required abortion clinics to meet standards previously applied only to full-scale hospitals, which slashed the number of such clinics in Texas from more than 40 to just 19 by 2016. Governor Abbott utilized the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 to bar most abortion procedures, causing the number of patients who traveled out of state for care to jump by almost 400 percent.

President Joe Biden feigned outrage at the new laws implementation Wednesday morning.

My administration is deeply committed to the constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade nearly five decades ago and will protect and defend that right, Biden said in a speech, but did not specify any course of action.

This echoes Bidens inaction at the passage of restrictive voting laws he called a threat to American democracy, such as the controversial Texas voting rights law, which is now headed to the governors desk.

While his Republican friends, as Biden calls them, threaten the democratic rights of the poor and disadvantaged, the Democrats have shown they do not intend to put up any fight against the assault.
Announcing the states highest daily infection numbers in an outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19, Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday declared that his government was dispensing with any pretence of seeking to eliminate community transmission of the coronavirus, prior to the lifting of safety restrictions.

The statement is highly significant. It demonstrates that Labor, no less than the Liberal-National Coalition, is committed to the homicidal and profit-driven program of forcing the population to live with the virus, as it is allowed to become endemic.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews delivering a COVID briefing late last year [Screenshot from ABC News broadcast]

Andrews, like other state Labor premiers, has previously made mealy-mouthed criticisms of this policy, as it is being implemented by the Coalition administration in New South Wales (NSW). In that state, the refusal to institute adequate lockdown measures and workplace closures has seen an outbreak spiral out of control, with well over 1,000 cases being registered per day and warnings of an imminent collapse of the hospital system.

But Andrews statements yesterday were indistinguishable from the lying justifications being employed by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, to justify her governments plans to end restrictions in October, as the virus circulates throughout Sydney and NSW.

Like Berejiklian, Andrews invoked rising case numbers, which surpassed 100 yesterday for the first time in the outbreak, to declare that eliminating transmission was impossible. Victoria, he said, could no longer hold out hope that case numbers would fall.

Vaccination rates, Andrews stated, were the crucial issue. Victoria would stick to the national plan adopted by all of the state, territory and federal leaders in July and August. Under this program, restrictions are to be lifted once adult inoculation rates reach 70 and 80 percent, and the virus is to be treated like the flu.

Modelled on the reopenings in Britain and the US, the plan will result in a massive increase in illness and death. Israel, where roughly 80 percent of the adult population is vaccinated, is experiencing almost 10,000 infections per day and dozens of deaths per day, after the lifting of safety restrictions, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has forecast that his reopening drive will result in at least 50,000 fatalities a year.

The deadly calculations underlie the reopening drive in Australia. It is based on a rejection of calls by epidemiologists for a public health response to eliminate COVID, which they insist is possible, as has been seen in China, where outbreaks have repeatedly been stamped-out through stringent lockdowns, mass testing and contact-tracing.

Andrews, like the other state and federal leaders, is moving to lift even the inadequate restrictions currently in place. He announced limited steps in this direction, with childrens playgrounds to be reopened from Friday, and in-home care by non-household members permitted again for the school-aged children of authorised workers.

The reopening drive in the state is to be accelerated on September 23 or even earlier, based on the arbitrary figure of 70 percent of the population having received a single dose of vaccine. Travel restrictions will likely be eased, Andrews said, while workforce capacity at construction sites will be boosted from 25 to 50 percent.

This is despite the fact that the vaccines can take two to three weeks after the second dose to be most effective. Just 34.65 percent of Victorians over the age of 16 are fully vaccinated. Moreover, breakthrough infections are becoming more commonplace with Delta among those fully immunised.

Andrews also announced plans to end the lockdown for most of regional Victoria as early as next week, despite ongoing community transmission.

As in NSW, the resumption of face-to-face teaching is to serve as a spearhead of the reopening drive. Andrews foreshadowed a possible full return to classroom learning for term four, and said that the first priority of the government is to vaccinate every Victorian Year 12 student with their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before their General Achievement Test (GAT) exams, which Andrews announced will be held on October 5.

This program threatens a catastrophe, like it does everywhere else. Active cases in Victoria have more than tripled in the past fortnight. Some 58 percent of those stricken by the virus have been under the age of 30, including hundreds of children and teenagers.

Over the past two days, infection numbers have spiked dramatically, with 120 cases recorded yesterday, the first time the state has reached triple figures since a mass outbreak late last year, and a further 176 revealed this morning.

Only 64 of Wednesdays cases were linked to existing cases, meaning the source of 56 others is unknown. Of those announced today, Some 93 of todays infections are also mystery cases. This indicates that transmission is far broader than is being captured in the official figures.

Testing rates remain abysmally low. On Sunday, for instance, Victoria recorded just 41,395 tests, from which 73 new cases were detected, whereas NSW registered 157,211 tests and 1,290 new cases. With todays infections, the reproduction rate for the virus in Victoria stands at 1.5, meaning that every two infections are tending to result in three more.

Two deaths were reported yesterday, one of a woman in her 40s and another in her 60s. They are the first fatalities in the state since the outbreak in Victoria late last year claimed over 800 lives. One of the women was an undetected COVID infection. Estimates are that one-in-three infections in Victoria are undetected to date.

Of the total cases, 58 are in hospital, with 21 in intensive care and 14 on ventilators. Of those hospitalised, half are under the age of 50, including two infants under a year old and two children aged 10 and 11.

Victoria is currently in its sixth lockdown, with lockdown measures including an indoor and outdoor mask mandate for those over 12 years old; a suspension of in-person teaching at schools and universities, except for the children of essential workers and those deemed vulnerable; a ban on public gatherings; and the restriction of service at cafes, restaurants and non-essential retail to takeaway only.

As with previous lockdowns, however, many workplaces have remained open. This includes the construction sector, deemed essential during the pandemic as a means of ensuring the fortunes of property developers and an ongoing speculative boom in the housing market. Most factories, including the meatworks, which were a source of major outbreaks during lockdowns, also continue operations.

Despite the growing number of cases and spread of infection, the Victorian state Labor government did not implement a state-wide lockdown until August 21, when there were at least 438 active cases of coronavirus across the state.

Coronavirus clusters have been recorded predominantly in Melbournes densely populated working-class suburbs, and the virus hit the regional city of Shepperton.

Schools have been a major vector for the transmission of the virus. Close to 4,000 school children in Shepperton were considered primary close contacts after four schools were exposed to COVID-19 for days at a time, and at least seven schools, including primary schools, have become exposure sites. There are now 112 active cases of COVID-19 in Shepperton, including numbers of children, and more than 95 exposure sites.

Coronavirus clusters have also emerged at major hospitals, including the Royal Childrens Hospital and emergency departments at Sunshine Hospital, Alfred Hospital and the Northern Hospital, under conditions where the healthcare system is in deep crisis.

A coronavirus cluster emerged at the Royal Melbourne Hospital with at least eight staff, seven patients, and a visitor testing positive. The cluster began with a patient from Shepparton who had surgery at the hospital but was not tested for the virus before his operation.

Some 500 staff were forced to isolate because of the outbreak, putting strain on the already dangerously understaffed healthcare system. With increasing numbers of nurses working as contact tracers, vaccinators and in testing centres, reports have emerged of an unprecedented number of double shifts being worked and widespread burnout.

A recent report by the Age cites an internal Royal Melbourne Hospital memo that states that fully vaccinated workers who spend less than an hour in the same ward as a COVID-infected person may be able to avoid going into isolation if they continue to be tested regularly, wear high-grade PPE and work at only one site, and that their families, and other housemates, will not have to isolate. This comes after some 4,000 hospital workers were infected with COVID in Victoria last year.

With the Victorian hospital system holding even fewer ICU resources than NSW and with inadequate staffing levels, the Andrews government, as with the other state and federal governments, is preparing the conditions for an unprecedented crisis where the highly infectious Delta variant is allowed to continue to spread and hospitals will not have the capacity to treat coronavirus patients.

Andrews statements yesterday were hailed by the federal government and the corporate press as a crucial step forward in this deadly reopening drive. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg declared them a turning point in the drive to force the population to live with the virus as did commentators in the Australian and the Australian Financial Review.

For the working-class, the line-up demonstrates that a fight for safety, health and life, above corporate profit, must be directed not just against the Liberal-National Coalition, but Labor and the entire political establishment.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in Sri Lanka held an online meeting on Friday evening to celebrate the 80th birthday of Wije Dias, the partys general secretary. Dias, who is member of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS), was a founding member of the Revolutionary Communist League (RCL), forerunner of Sri Lankan SEP, and has devoted nearly six decades of his life to the emancipation of the working class.

The event was chaired by SEP assistant national secretary Deepal Jayasekera and attended by party members and International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) leaders. David North, WSWS International Editorial Board chairman and SEP (United States) national chairman, told the meeting that Diass birthday was more than the occasion to celebrate a personal milestone. It is at the same time a milestone in the history of the Sri Lankan working class and the world Trotskyist movement, he said.

Wije Dias addressing Fourth Internationals 80th anniversary meeting in Colombo (WSWS Media)

North pointed out that the exceptional and far-sighted leadership provided by RCL General Secretary Keerthi Balasuriya in the struggle against the opportunism of the Workers Revolutionary Party in 1985 was vastly strengthened by Dias unwavering support. Concluding his remarks, North said that Dias had secured for himself an honored place in the history of the Fourth International and in the hearts of his comrades throughout the world.

ICFI secretary Peter Schwarz said that Diass assumption of RCL leadership, after Keerthis untimely death in 1987, not only proved his own outstanding political qualities but strengthened the cadre that had been steeled in the preceding years. Under Diass leadership, the RCL, and then the SEP, became a powerful component of the progress made by the ICFI, Schwarz said. You, comrade Wije, have contributed decisively to defending and developing this [ICFI] perspective. And I am sure that with your immense historical experience you will continue to contribute to our work.

Keith Jones, SEP national secretary in Canada, told the meeting that Diass life has been bound up with struggles that were and remain pivotal not just to the development of the RCL and SEP in Sri Lanka but to our world party as a whole.

Jones reminded participants of the major role played by Wije Dias, alongside Keerthi Balasuriya under the leadership of the ICFI, in the fight against the Lanka Sama Samaja Partys historical betrayal in 1964, when it joined the bourgeois coalition of Sirima Bandaranaike.

The revolutionary orientation to the international working class was defended and developed in opposition to all manner of petty-bourgeois right forces, and the Stalinist and social democratic bureaucracies to whom the Pabloites sought to subordinate the working class, Jones said.

Alex Lantier, national secretary of the French section of the ICFI, said the courageous role played by Dias in the establishment of the Sri Lankan party was a marvel for French comrades in the founding of their party, and the fight to establish it in the working class.

V. Gnana, SEP assistant national secretary in France, referred to Diass irreconcilable opposition to Sinhala and Tamil nationalism and his central role in clarifying political questions among the Sri Lankan political exiles in Europe. This was decisive, Gnana said, in winning Tamil youth there towards the European sections of the ICFI.

Peter Symonds, national editor of the WSWS in Australia, sent a video message pointing out that the political struggle undertaken by Dias had placed the SEP today in an exceptionally strong position. Of all the parties that emerged from the Lanka Sama Samaja Partys betrayal, only the SEP could claim to represent the principles of Trotskyism, he said.

Video greetings by Nick Beams, WSWS International Editorial Board member and a long-standing SEP leader in Australia, said that Dias was an indomitable fighter for the interests of the working class and a shining example of what it means to be a Trotskyist.

In her video message from the SEP in Australia, Linda Tenenbaum said Dias had dedicated his entire adult life to the struggle for world socialism in Sri Lanka, the Indian subcontinent and worldwide.

Greetings from SEP (Australia) National Secretary Cheryl Crisp were read to the meeting. Crisp said that Diass principled fight for a revolutionary position on the Sri Lankan civil warfor the unity of the Tamil and Sinhala working classand in defiance of government and right-wing attacks, were now winning the best elements of the powerful Sri Lankan working class and youth.

Following these messages, congratulatory remarks were made by K. Ratnayake, an RCL founding member and WSWS national editor in Sri Lanka, SEP senior members Vilani Peiris and Pani Wijesiriwardene. Other Sri Lankan speakers included Wasantha Rupasinghe, T. Sampanthan and Prageeth Aravinda, as well as Arun Kumar, on behalf of ICFI supporters in India.

Dias addressed the gathering, thanking everyone, including all the international participants, for the support they had provided him in fulfilling his political tasks as general secretary during the previous 34 years.
A version of this story appeared in CNN's Race Deconstructed newsletter. To get it in your inbox every week, sign up for free here.

I inwardly breathe a weary, cyclone-force sigh whenever I hear the words "critical race theory."

My issue isn't with CRT, which is a movement that emerged in the 1970s to challenge the spurious notion that the law is impartial. I'm exhausted by Republican lawmakers' antics in recent months that have warped CRT into a repository of vague topics they don't like.

Take what's happening in Texas. This week, a social studies law inspired by the political right's backlash to CRT went into effect, circumscribing how educators in the state can talk about race and racism.

"This is very clearly an attack on diversity, equity (and) inclusion. It very much feels like a political overreach based on misinformation," Ana Ramon, deputy director of advocacy at the Intercultural Development Research Association, told CNN's Nicole Chavez. "Teaching critical race theory in K-12 would be like teaching quantum physics in K-12. ... There's no curriculum that has been adopted in Texas classrooms."

Maybe the most disturbing thing about the tub-thumping about CRT (which, it's worth repeating, isn't taught in grade school) is that the core impulse is hardly new -- but instead fits into a long, messy history of fights over classroom instruction. As students return to school, adults could benefit from more context about what's going on.

Here's what these ever-simmering battles reveal about the US's socio-political anxieties over, among other things, race, gender and immigration.

How did the backlash to CRT creep into schools?

Across the country, conservative advocacy groups and Republican-dominated state legislatures -- abetted by Fox News, as CNN's Oliver Darcy has pointed out -- are exploiting relatively minor local school disputes, mutating anodyne school board meetings into eye-popping spectacles where people contest historical facts.

Republicans trust that playing up these conflicts will be electorally useful to them, as they train their attention on the 2022 midterms and beyond.

The orchestrated attack on CRT takes a toll on teachers, staff and students.

"The more we remove the ability to have these critical and crucial conversations, we are going to continue to whitewash the system that is already whitewashed," Shareefah Mason, a master social studies teacher at Dallas' Zumwalt Middle School, told the Texas Tribune.

Or here's how Christopher Caltagirone, a school board member in Phoenixville, located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, described the situation to my CNN colleagues: "I think it's a knee-jerk reaction to what's gone on in society over the last year. It's a conflation of issues. It's all being put together. And I don't think that's fair."

It isn't a stretch to say that the current struggle over how schools teach not just history but the ways history moves in the present might affect students' understanding of the world around them for years to come.

Is this the first time the political right has freaked out over learning about race and racism?

No. This dispute has existed in a variety of forms since at least the 1800s.

For instance, as the writer Anthony Conwright recently traced for Mother Jones, in 1829, North Carolina sought to quash stirrings of slave uprisings by prohibiting the distribution of abolitionist literature. One law made it a felony to circulate "any written or printed pamphlet or paper ... the evident tendency whereof would be to excite insurrection, conspiracy or resistance." Another law proscribed "the teaching of slaves to read and write" because doing so "has a tendency to excite dissatisfaction in their minds and to produce insurrection and rebellion to the manifest injury of the citizens of this State."

North Carolina's insistence on limiting Black instruction was no historical aberration: "The tactics of suppression have everything to do with a deep national anxiety about Black people's dissent, whether we're talking about slave insurrections or the (Black) Panthers or Black Lives Matter," the University of Illinois at Chicago professor Jane Rhodes told me in February.

In the second half of the 19th century, a different fight erupted: how to talk about the Civil War in schools. To no one's surprise, the South wanted to reframe the war in a manner that was sympathetic to the antidemocratic Confederacy, laying the foundation for the enduring Lost Cause myth. The United Daughters of the Confederacy played a big role in this reeducation campaign and sought to jettison "long-legged Yankee lies" from textbooks.

Agitation over how schools ought to discuss the legacy of slavery persists into the present. Recall how The 1619 Project sent Republicans into a full-blown racial panic, with many looking to use the power of the state to suppress the project's use in classrooms.

Have there been education disputes over things other than race?

Afraid so.

For instance, World War I set off a burst of xenophobia aimed not only at German immigrants and Americans of German descent but also at the German language. Senator William H. King of Utah introduced a bill to ban teaching German in Washington's public schools.

"Wherever goes the German language goes, too, the insidious, malicious, stealthy, cruel, coldblooded propaganda to stifle the liberties of free peoples," King said in 1918. "We owe a duty to our children. We must protect them from the German monster by removing the trap -- the German language."

In September of last year, Seth Cotlar, a professor of history at Willamette University, noted on Twitter how, in 1923, amid widespread fear of communism and immigration, Oregon's state lawmakers tried to smother supposed leftist threats.

More specifically, the legislature, made up of a near-majority of Ku Klux Klan members, passed a law that banned the use in public schools of any textbook that "speaks slightingly of the founders of the republic, or of the men who preserved the union, or which belittles or undervalues their work."

And in her 2015 book "Classroom Wars: Language, Sex and the Making of Modern Political Culture," Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, a professor of history at The New School, interrogates how, in the 1960s and '70s, spurred by the era's countercultural ethos, grassroots citizens in California "came to define the schoolhouse and the family as politicized sites" through scrimmages over Spanish-language and sex education.

"Fights in and about the classroom -- classroom wars -- formed a crucial crucible in which the powerful political notion of 'family values' was contested and constructed," she writes.

So while the present-day backlash to CRT might feel unique, really, it's not. It's just the latest iteration of an age-old tendency to turn the classroom into a battlefield.

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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI)- The delta variant has led to more COVID-19 tests being administered. With the growing need, more testing space is needed.

That is why Regional Hospital decided to re-locate their testing site. The new location will help more people receive tests.

The new testing site is located at 501 E. ST. Anthony drive. Tests are available from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm. on weekdays, except on Tuesday tests are available from 2:00 p.m until 8:00 p.m.

The director of the Regional Hospital COVID-19 testing site, Valarie Jones, shares why she believes people shouldn't be hesitant to get tested.

"Well, I think if you wanna have an impact on stopping or slowing down the pandemic if you wanna get tested. there's no indication that you can test too much" says Jones.

At-home tests are an option but are becoming scarce due to the high demand. They also may not be as accurate.

I spoke with the health educator at the Vigo county health department, Roni Elder, about the use of at-home tests.

"The home tests are great just you know for your own knowledge but if you're positive then you're gonna need to go the extra step to get another test done," says Elder.

Regional Hospital prefers that you pre-register for a COVID-19 test to help expedite the process. You can do that here.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The Indiana Dept. of Transportation proposed plans for an overpass, and two raised roundabouts to help de-congest the area of 13th Street and 8th Avenue.

Right now the area is overcome with train traffic.

News10 spoke with "THIRST," one of the local businesses that will be affected.

Due to the construction that is set to take place in the summer of 2023 on North 13th Street and 8th Avenue over the CSX rail lines.

Smitley knows that he's going to have to figure out an entrance and exit plan regarding access to his facility.

He also recognizes that he's one of the lucky ones.

Many of his neighbors will likely have to relocate because of the construction taking place.

Smitley said right now there's no good way to get around the rail traffic, and that many times his clients are delayed by it.

Although, that's not the greatest of his worries, "I do know that from an ambulance stand-point...with being right next to union hospital. I know if I had a loved one in an ambulance I would definitely want to make sure they're not rail-roaded if they needed care."

The total cost of the project is $20 million, but Smitley looks forward to how much it will benefit the community.
UPDATE: The Vigo County School Corporation says the lockout at Honey Creek Middle School was lifted.

The corporation didn't provide additional details about what happened.

See the original story below.

------

VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - The Vigo County School Corporation says Honey Creek Middle School in a lockout.

Officials with the school corporation said they are working with police to investigate an unverified threat.

A lockout means class in the school will resume as normal, but no visitors are allowed in, and there will not be any outside activities.

We will bring you updates as they become available.
SULLIVAN COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - Indiana state police tell us the criminal investigation of the late Sullivan County coroner Tracy Tackett is over.

The investigation is now closed against Tackett, according to Indiana State Police.

Sergent Matt Ames tells News 10 they have evidence to support the claims against Tackett.

That is that he intended to go to Henderson, Kentucky, and solicit a minor.

RELATED COVERAGE | Investigation into Sullivan County Coroner Tracy Tackett to continue after his death

"We did show evidence through forensics on all the telecommunications devices that were involved, that there was a communication that Mr. Tackett was going to go to Henderson, Kentucky to meet a 14-year-old girl," said Indiana State Police public information officer Matt Ames.

Since Tackett's death, Randy Beller has filled Tackett's seat as acting coroner.

He will continue this until a new coroner is elected.

Beller is running for Sullivan County coroner in a caucus.

RELATED COVERAGE | Police say embattled Sullivan County Coroner found dead inside truck

He says in light of recent events, he hopes to bring a breath of fresh air for people in Sullivan County.

"We've taken a big hit in the coroner's office these past few months. We need the right person to build the reputation, give the people confidence that we can have the right person in there to do the job," said Beller.

He says that's because the coroner's office is a key part of the sheriff's office in Sullivan.

"The corner's office is so, so important for law enforcement. It's important that we get it right," said Beller.

Beller says credibility in Sullivan County depends on it.

"When the coroner's office is called, some family member has passed away. And we want to make sure that the investigation is done properly, that the evidence was taken, that we find out why that person died, how he died, and maybe, maybe, who was the cause of that death," said Beller.

That is why Sergent Matt Ames says they continued the investigation after Tackett's death.

"We were just following up on all these and making sure whether or not there was possibly any other victims," said Ames.

Ames told News 10 they did not find any other potential victims that could press charges.

You may remember there were two more people that accused Tackett of solicitation.

However, they could not press charges under Indiana's statute of limitations.

As far as the caucus goes, it will be held this Saturday at 10:00 am.

We will update the outcome of that caucus.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Alabama has rescheduled the execution of an Alabama inmate who had his lethal injection called off in February when the U.S. Supreme Court sided with his request to have his personal pastor with him in the death chamber.

The Alabama Supreme Court has now set an Oct. 21 execution date for 51-year-old Willie B. Smith III.

He was convicted of the 1991 kidnapping and murder of 22-year-old Sharma Ruth Johnson in Birmingham.

Prosecutors said Smith abducted Johnson at gunpoint from an ATM, stole $80 from her and shot her in a cemetery.

State lawyers wrote that Smith will be allowed to have his personal pastor minister present.
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - Approximately 250 Mississippi National Guardsmen are being deployed to Louisiana to aid in Hurricane Ida recovery.

A presidential major disaster declaration was approved for Louisiana and Mississippi.

At the request of the state of Louisiana, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves approved the Emergency Management Assistance Compact request for assistance on Monday.

The soldiers will help with debris removal and logistical distribution of vital supplies including food and water.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - OCH Regional Medical Center in Oktibbeha County is working to help curb the number of people hospitalized during the pandemic.

The hospital started a monoclonal antibody (MAB) treatment clinic on Wednesday afternoon for patients recently diagnosed with COVID-19.

Stacy Weaver is the director of the pharmacy at OCH and is one of the many people who helped put together the new clinic providing MAB treatment to patients through injection.

This method of treatment will require patients to get four shots in four different locations on their bodies.

Once patients receive the injections, they'll stay in a waiting room for an hour to monitor for any reactions.

Unlike the IV infusion, the injection form of MAB treatment will take up to five to seven days to get the full effects.

Weaver said patients don't need a doctor's order.

The state health department already ordered this form of treatment for patients who recently tested positive for the virus and have mild symptoms.

If we can try to reach out and meet all of those, then maybe we can get a better handle on this, said Weaver.

The pharmacist said patients still need a doctor's order to get the IV infusion of the MAB treatment.

The Mississippi State Department of Health recommended the infusion for those very ill from the virus.

However, if you recently tested positive and don't have many symptoms, injections are an option.

In order to get any form of MAB treatment, patients must test positive for COVID, weigh over 88 pounds, be 12 or older, be within 10 days of symptom onset, and be high risk.
KOSCIUSKO, Miss. (WTVA)  A radio station tower in Kosciusko fell during severe weather that moved through Wednesday afternoon.

The tower crashed into the radio station, according to Breck Riley, the news director for Boswell Media stations Breezy 101, Kicks 96 and Cruisin 98.

No one was hurt. Only one person was in the building when the collapse occurred.

A tree fell onto one of tower support wires, and Riley said that apparently is to blame.
Due to the surge of Covid-19 cases, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking unvaccinated Americans not to travel during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The US is surpassing an average of 160,000 new cases a day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. With the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant and many students returning to the classroom for a new academic year, the rise is concerning officials and health experts.

"First and foremost, if you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a White House Covid-19 Response Team Briefing on Tuesday.

Walensky said that while people who are fully vaccinated can travel with precautions, current transmission rates mean they, too, need to take Covid-19 risk into consideration when deciding whether to travel.

Health experts have said that vaccination is the best way to protect against the virus' spread, and many have attributed the spike in cases to the large portion of Americans who are unvaccinated.

Of those eligible for vaccinations, which includes Americans 12-years-old and older, 38.5% are not fully vaccinated, according to data from the CDC.

This week, data presented by a CDC vaccine adviser showed a hospitalization rate 16 times greater in the unvaccinated population than in those vaccinated. And the surge in hospitalizations, particularly among unvaccinated people, has stretched hospitals thin.

In Idaho, Gov. Brad Little said the state has reached a point in the pandemic "we have not seen before" with more Idahoans in the ICUs than ever before. He stressed multiple times that the "vast majority" are unvaccinated.

"Yesterday evening, I toured a nearly full ICU wing in Boise. What I saw was heartbreaking," he said Tuesday. "Some were young, two were middle-aged, two patients were pregnant... All of them were struggling to breathe and most were only breathing with help from a machine."

He said medical staff are "exhausted," so the state is adding up to 370 additional personnel to help.

A new case study published Tuesday illustrated the impact of gatherings of large groups of unvaccinated people.

In June, attendees met for a five-day overnight church camp and a two-day men's conference in Illinois, neither of which required vaccination, testing or masks. By August, 180 Covid-19 cases were connected to the events, including five hospitalizations, according to the investigation, conducted by the CDC and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

More than 200,000 kids test positive in a week

Concern is growing over infections in children, many of whom don't have access to the vaccine yet.

And those who are eligible are not reaping the full benefits. Children ages 12 to 15 are eligible but less then half of that group is vaccinated with at least one dose, according to data published Monday by the CDC.

The result has been cases in children increasing "exponentially," the American Academy of Pediatrics reported Tuesday.

More than 200,000 children tested positive for Covid-19 in the last week, a five-fold increase from a month ago, the AAP said. And rates of hospitalizations have risen with the cases.

Between August 20 and 26, an average of 330 children were admitted to hospitals every day with Covid-19, according to the CDC. That is the highest rate of new Covid-19 hospitalizations among children in more than a year, according to the CDC data.

An early goal of the vaccination effort was to administer enough protection to curb the spread in time for the new school year and allow students to return to the classroom safely -- something many hadn't done for a year.

But with cases on the rise, schools have had to implement other measures to protect students.

In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday she plans to implement mandatory weekly Covid-19 testing for school staff who are not vaccinated.

"School staff, anybody who enters that building will have to be vaccinated or undergo mandatory testing -- mandatory testing, and we're in the process of getting the legal clearance for that, as I speak," Hochul said.

"We're not doing that well getting our 12- to 17-year-olds vaccinated, and they are vulnerable to the next virus, which is dangerous," she said.

And while the US Food and Drug Administration has approved booster doses for adults, 12- to 17-year-olds are not able to get them yet. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said this week he believes they will ultimately be eligible for boosters once the data is submitted to the FDA for safety considerations.

In Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued an order banning mask mandates that have no opt-out for parents, Gulf and Taylor counties are closing their school doors for a few days. Neither district has a mask mandate policy.

Gulf District Schools said the closure is the result of a rise in cases and staffing shortages.

Superintendent Jim Norton said about 20% of students and staff members are in quarantine, but the district does not have an exact number because many are taking home tests and then self-quarantining.

Taylor County School District said it was dealings with staffing shortages and quarantined students.

According to Kiki Puhl, director of personnel, the district has "10% of staff out, and not enough substitutes."

Hospitals running out of oxygen

Hospitals filling up with Covid-19 patients have put a strain on space and staffing, and many are now experiencing a shortage in oxygen supply.

Several hospitals in Florida, South Carolina, Texas and Louisiana are struggling with oxygen scarcity. Some are at risk of having to use their reserve supply or risk running out of oxygen imminently, according to state health officials and hospital consultants.

"Normally, an oxygen tank would be about 90% full, and the suppliers would let them get down to a refill level of 30-40% left in their tank, giving them a three- to five-day cushion of supply," Donna Cross, senior director of facilities and construction at Premier, a health care performance improvement company, told CNN.

"What's happening now is that hospitals are running down to about 10-20%, which is a one- to two-day supply on hand, before they're getting backfilled."

Even when they're getting backfilled, it's only a partial supply of about 50%, Cross said. "It is very critical situation."

In West Virginia, ventilator use has surpassed the January peak, retired National Guard Maj. Gen. James Hoyer said at a news conference Wednesday.

Outbreaks in long-term care facilities and schools in the state have increased, according to Gov. Jim Justice.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. Coast Guard says it is investigating reports of possible oil spills resulting from Hurricane Ida after the publication of aerial photos by The Associated Press.

Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer 3rd Class Gabriel Wisdom said Thursday that aircraft were being dispatched to investigate reports of a miles-long slick in the Gulf of Mexico south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

Wisdom said aircraft would also fly over a major oil refinery along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans after a report of a rainbow-colored sheen in the floodwaters.

The AP first reported Wednesday about the possible spills after reviewing aerial images of the disaster zone taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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Tropical Storm Nicholas will be the focal point of our weather forecast over the next several days. We will see some rainfall and some of the rainfall may be on the heavy side at times.
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Staff Writer JoAnn Snoderly can be reached at 304-626-1445, by email at jsnoderly@theet.com or on Twitter at @JoAnnSnoderly.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.  As COVID-19 cases across the state and country continue to rise, WVU Medicine Emergency Medicine encourages those seeking treatment to utilize their local urgent care centers when possible.
US Afghanistan

Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP Afghanistan

The view of the airport tarmac littered with destroyed equipment  set against a night sky glowing with sporadic gunfire  was altogether "apocalyptic." That's how Air Force Lt. Col. Braden Coleman described the scene as the U.S. made its final flights out of Kabul earlier this week, with Coleman telling the Associated Press that the view was like the scenes of aftermath in a horror movie.

"It just looked apocalyptic," Braden told the AP. "It looked like one of those zombie movies where all the airplanes had been destroyed, their doors were open, the wheels were broken. There was a plane that was burned all the way. You could see the cockpit was there, and the whole rest of the plane looked like the skeleton of a fish."

The last U.S. plane left the Afghan capital of Kabul on Monday, just before the clock struck midnight, ending the country's longest-ever war, which had climaxed in an enormous evacuation.

Speaking to the AP on Wednesday, members of the Air Force's 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron  who flew out on the final military flights out of the country  described the stressful final operation in the shadow of what officials had said was a terror threat.

RELATED: 22-Year-Old Marine Killed in Afghanistan Airport Attack Was Always Thinking of Someone Else

a soldier, assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, boards a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the final noncombatant evacuation operation

Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP A soldier, assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, boards a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the final noncombatant evacuation operation

"It was just definitely very tense, and we were definitely all on edge watching everything going on to make sure that we were ready," said Air Force Capt. Kirby Wedan, who piloted the aircraft the led the final formation out of Afghanistan.

Wedan told the AP that, earlier in the night, a group of civilians attempted to get to the aircraft but were stopped by U.S. soldiers  a scene of confrontation that had repeated during evacuations after the Taliban takeover.

Story continues

The Air Force captain added that lift-off on Monday night came with a sense of "visible relief," with cheers breaking out from the troops on board as the aircraft headed toward the sky.

"You could tell that they had been working really hard. Many of them hadn't showered in a couple of weeks. They were all incredibly tired," Wedan told the AP, adding: "You could tell that they were just relieved to be out of there and that their mission was accomplished."

US , Kabul, Afghanistan

Senior Airman Taylor Crul/AP/Shutterstock A soldier in Kabul, Afghanistan

Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, announced the U.S. had completed its withdrawal during a last-minute press briefing on Monday afternoon.

McKenzie said the final C-17 took off from Kabul's airport at 3:29 p.m. Monday, East Coast time, just before the clock struck midnight and Tuesday began in Afghanistan, which had been the deadline.

"There's a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure. We did not get out everybody we wanted to get out," McKenzie said as he announced the withdrawal.

Though the U.S. has been planning a full-scale withdrawal from Afghanistan since the Trump administration, the Taliban overwhelmed the Afghan government in recent weeks, taking hold of major cities and leading to widespread disarray in the Afghan capital as America wrapped up its planned exit.

Days before the withdrawal was completed, 13 U.S. service members were killed along with some 170 others last week in a suicide bombing at one of the Kabul airport gates.

That attack, along with the the scenes of chaos and violence as the evacuation effort took place, have fueled fierce criticism of President Joe Biden's administration.

Biden touted the evacuations as a major logistical feat rescuing more than 120,000 people, though more than 100 American citizens are thought to remain in the country.

RELATED: Afghan Parents Name Baby After Call Sign of U.S. Air Force Plane Where She Was Delivered

He has said repeatedly that he hasn't wavered in deciding the 20-year war should end.

"I'm left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay: How many more generations of America's daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghanistan's civil war if Afghan troops will not? How many more lives, American lives, is it worth?" the president, 78, said in a White House speech two weeks ago. "How many endless rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery?"

"I'm clear on my answer," he said then. "I will not repeat the mistakes that we've made in the past."

If you would like to support those in need during the upheaval in Afghanistan, consider:

* Donating to UNICEF to aid Afghans in the country or

* Donating to the International Refugee Assistance Project to help those fleeing.
The Ohio man who attacked MSNBCs Shaquille Brewster on live television has been arrested.

Benjamin Eugene Dagley was picked up at a shopping plaza in Dayton on Thursday, according to a statement from U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott.

Dagley is wanted in Gulfport, Mississippi, where hell be charged with two counts of assault, one count of disturbance of the peace and one count of violation of emergency curfew, authorities said.

This violent fugitive was attempting to flee from his charges in Gulfport but the swift work of our task force members resulted in a timely arrest, Elliott said.

Task force members received information that Dagley was still driving in his white truck bearing an Ohio license plate, the statement said. Task force members located the truck in the parking lot and subsequently arrested him after watching him exit a store in the shopping plaza.

Brewster was reporting on Tropical Storm Ida from the coastal Mississippi town when Dagley barged into the live shot, shouting in his face to report accurately.

Given Dagleys criminal record, authorities say that he could also be in violation of his probation out of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, for allegedly traveling without authorization.

A clip of the assault went viral on Twitter Monday, with many commenters praising Brewsters professionalism through the ordeal.

Its currently unclear if Dagley, who was booked into Montgomery County jail, has been assigned an attorney or when his first court appearance will be.

Read original story Ohio Man Arrested on Assault Charges for Attack on MSNBC Reporter Covering Hurricane Ida At TheWrap
On the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, USA TODAY is republishing articles published in 2002 for the first anniversary. Here, we took a look at some of the facts and figures related to the attacks and aftermath of Sept. 11.

The youngest passenger on the hijacked jets was Christine Hanson on United Airlines Flight 175. She was 2 and on her first trip to Disneyland.

The oldest passenger on the hijacked jets was Robert Norton on American Airlines Flight 11. He was 82.

The New York City Fire Department lost 343 firefighters, almost half the number of on-duty deaths in the department's 100-year history.

The south tower collapsed at a magnitude of 2.1 on a seismograph; the north tower collapsed with a magnitude of 2.3, according to Columbia University in New York. The San Francisco Bay Area earthquake in 1989 had a magnitude of 7.1.

1,444 trash receptacles were removed from Metro subway station areas in the Washington metropolitan area.

Sirius, one of the first bomb-sniffing K-9 dogs stationed near the World Trade Center after the 1993 terrorist bombing, died in the Sept. 11 attacks.

15 million square feet of office space was lost at the World Trade Center, more than three times the amount of space at the Sears Tower in Chicago. 1,430 people with 50,000 employees from 26 countries called the WTC "the office."

4,600 Pentagon workers had to be relocated temporarily.

1,337 vehicles were crushed when the towers collapsed, including 91 FDNY vehicles.

1.5 million working hours during 261 days were spent removing the debris at the World Trade Center site.

The FBI assigned more than 2,500 of its 11,500 agents to anti-terrorism operations. 350,000 pages from the CIA and 20,000 pages from the FBI were produced for congressional hearings about possible intelligence failures before Sept. 11. Eleven people shared addresses with at least one of the hijackers. Seven of the 11 were on the FBI's "watch list" and were pilots.

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The United States offered a reward of up to $25 million, paid for by the Rewards for Justice program, for information leading to the apprehension of Osama bin Laden. In the three months before Sept. 11, the CIA forwarded 300 names a month to agencies watching for terrorists. In September, the number rose to nearly 1,000; in October, 1,400. It has leveled off to fewer than 900 names a month.

Nearly half of Washington's 25,000 hotel workers lost their jobs in September 2001. Half of those had been rehired.

Eight nationwide call centers staffed by 20,000 volunteers logged 300,000 calls within the first 15 minutes of the Sept. 21 America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon, which raised $112 million.

Kejo, a police and military equipment seller, sold more than 1,000 gas masks in September, up from the usual 100 a year.

The Salvation Army served 3,231,681 meals at the WTC site from Sept. 11 to May 30.

5,000 wooden crosses to commemorate victims were planted Sept. 23, 2002, in Guthrie, Oklahoma, by the Bible Baptist Church.

The monthly revenue for airport limousines a month after Sept. 11 fell from $666 million to $333 million nationally. The average daily take of the Afghan Grill in Edison, New Jersey, dropped from $1,300 to $100 a month after the attacks.

The week before Sept. 11, "Jack: Straight From the Gut," by Jack Welch, topped the Amazon.com 100. The week after, "Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center," by Angus Kress Gillespie, was No. 1.

48 countries held ceremonies on Dec. 11, 2001, to commemorate the victims.

$900 million will be raised by the end of 2002 from the Department of Transportation's $2.50 passenger ticket fee to help pay for aviation security.

More than 100 people affected by the terror attacks carried the Olympic torch on its way to Salt Lake City.

The Emmys were postponed twice: Sept. 16, after the terrorist attacks, and Oct. 7, when the United States began airstrikes in Afghanistan.

$5 million has been sent to the White House by schoolchildren for America's Fund for Afghan Children.

In October, 55,000 jobs were lost nationwide at eateries. Nationally, restaurant sales declined $6 billion in September 2001.

Applications increased 53% for majors in Middle and Near East Studies at New York University for fall 2002, compared with fall 2001.

333,000 metric tons of food, enough to feed 26 million, was delivered to Afghanistan by the World Food Program, with the support of the U.S. government, from October 2001 to March 1. 2,423,000 Humanitarian Daily Rations were dropped in Afghanistan.

161 countries froze suspected terrorists' assets.

The airline industry lost $5 billion from Sept. 11 to Sept. 30 and requested $24 billion in aid from the federal government. Because of tighter restrictions, drugs seized along the 1,962-mile U.S.-Mexico border fell by 80% in the two weeks after the terrorist attacks, compared with the same period the year before.

Donations of $1.88 billion related to Sept. 11 accounted for nearly 1% of all charitable giving in 2001. The average individual donation to Sept. 11 charities was less than $100. Donor nations have promised the United Nations $1.6 billion in aid to Afghanistan.

Nationwide, hotel occupancy dropped to 52.3% Sept. 16 to Sept. 22, down 25.9% from the same period in 2000.

The Tribute in Light, which illuminated the New York skyline nightly from March 11 through April 13, used $10,000 worth of electricity.

There were 564 detainees at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, accused of belonging to al-Qaeda or the Taliban.

120 jets were stranded on the tarmac at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Sept. 11.

In a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll conducted (in September 2002), 60% of Americans said it was very or somewhat likely there would be another attack during the next several weeks. The percentage was down from 80% in October.

The New York City Fire Department has received more than 1 million pieces of mail. The mementos filled two warehouses.

When the New York Stock Exchange reopened Sept. 17, half of the financial district was without electricity and had to use generators. At 9:30 a.m., traders on the exchange floor paused to observe two minutes of silence.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested the air at Ground Zero 1,174 times from Sept. 18 to Oct. 4.

More than 65 items, from toy weapons to pool cues, were prohibited in aircraft cabins. Before Sept. 11, there were fewer than 30 restricted items.

21 office buildings in Lower Manhattan, the same number of buildings in the Southtown section of Kansas City, Missouri, were affected by the terrorist attacks. By the end of 2003, New York City was projected thave a net loss of 57,000 jobs attributable to the attack. More than 700 businesses in the WTC complex, about twice as many as are in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, either were destroyed or severely damaged. 22,000 people in Lower Manhattan had requested job-loss benefits 30 days after Sept. 11.

The viewing platform at the WTC site could hold 400 people. It was 13 feet high and made of wood.

The Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee unveiled a $5 red, white and blue Olympic pin with the words United We Stand on Sept. 17. By the next day, 60,000 orders had been received.

Broadway shows grossed $9.6 million for the week ending Sept. 9, 2001. For the week ending Sept. 16, the gross was $3.5 million, and attendance dropped by more than 100,000 to 65,155.

40 passengers and crew members died on United Flight 93. That is one-fifth of the population of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the jet crashed.

The NYSE made 5,000 breathing masks available to employees and traders because of thick smoke and dust when the stock market reopened Sept. 17.

The fires at Ground Zero burned for 99 days, until Dec. 19.

New England Patriots guard Joe Andruzzi's brother, Jim, was one of the first 500 firefighters called to the WTC Sept. 11. He got out.

6 employees of Morgan Stanley, the largest tenant of the WTC, died in the attack. 3,700 were employed by the company. Cantor Fitzgerald lost more than 600 employees on Sept. 11, all of those on duty at 8:46 a.m. The 320 employees who survived were not in the building.

There were 19 hijackers.

184 people died at the Pentagon and on American Flight 77. 168 died in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

It cost $1.1 billion (in 1970 dollars) to build the WTC.

Some Pentagon employees had returned to their offices in the damaged outer ring 61 years after ground was broken Sept. 11, 1941.

Sources: USATODAY research by April Umminger, Joan Murphy, Lori Joseph, William Risser, Darryl Haralson, Mary Cadden

PHOTOS Associated Press

GRAPHICS AND PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS Veronica Bravo and Janet Loehrke/USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How many people died on 9/11? Facts from America's most tragic day
Conservative pundit Candace Owens did not gain many sympathizers on Twitter after sharing an email of a COVID-19 testing lab owner refusing to provide her services.

Conservative personality Candace Owens was trending on Twitter Wednesday after a private COVID-19 testing service denied her service for spreading misinformation.

Holy crap!! I just received an e-mail from a Covid testing facility that they are REFUSING to administer a test to me because they dont like my politics, Owens tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

Candace Owens is photographed on the set of her show, Candace, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

INSANE, she continued. Im banned from making sure I dont accidentally spread Covid? Going live with the e-mail on Instagram in 10 mins!

The response Owens got was different than she expected: Social media users declared their support for Suzanna Lee, the owner of Aspen Lab, for her amazing takedown of the conservative pundit.

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Lee wrote that she had heard of Owens appointment and said she was going to refuse this booking and deny service, adding, We cannot support anyone who has pro-actively worked to make this pandemic worse by spreading misinformation, politicizing and DISCOURAGING the wearing of masks and actively dissuading people from receiving life-saving vaccinations.

Lee makes a point to inform Owens that the only other local testing site offers a free test that is mailed to Texas and has inconsistent result times. She also notes that the entrance to the site is in a back alley.

My team and myself have worked overtime, to exhaustion, unpaid and underpaid this past year, spending our own capital to ensure that our community remains protected, she wrote. It would be unfair to them and to the sacrifices we have all made this year to serve you.

Twitter users stood up for Lee, reminding Owens that Republicans often note that private entrepreneurs have the right to conduct their business as they see fit.

A privately owned COVID testing company refused to provide services to Candace Owens because of misinformation she has spread, tweeted Bishop Talbert Swan. Quoting Lees contention about serving her being unfair to her team and their sacrifices, That, he maintained, is how you take out trash, ladies and gentlemen.

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Owens replied to critics, writing, I very much believe in the freedom to choose. Just pointing out the great irony that when the health employees begin choosing who is allowed to determine if they have covid  we are no longer in a public health crisis. Admit it. Covid is political.

Earlier this week, Owens wrote that she is unvaccinated, has been traveling, not wearing masks and that she slept next to her husband, who had light symptoms when he was reportedly COVID positive. She has consistently spread misinformation around vaccines, mask-wearing  even death totals of the virus since the beginning of the pandemic.

One Twitter user noted, Candace Owens found out there are consequences for her actions. Karma.

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Doctors Without Borders nurse Bhelekazi Mdlalose performs a COVID-19 test on a health worker at the Vlakfontein Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa on May 13, 2020. Michele Spatari/AFP/Getty Images

A coronavirus variant detected in South Africa in May, called C.1.2, has a concerning set of mutations.

Scientists say the mutations could help the virus spread or evade the immune system's defenses.

But the fact that C.1.2 isn't rapidly circulating worldwide means Delta still has the upper hand.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Every now and then, a coronavirus variant comes along that makes scientists do a double-take.

This month, that variant is C.1.2, which was first detected in South Africa in May. The variant carries "concerning constellations of mutations" that could make it highly transmissible or resistant to the body's immune defenses - whether from vaccines or a prior infection - according to a new study that hasn't yet been peer reviewed.

Scientists don't know how much of a threat C.1.2 poses yet, but it shares several key mutations with other variants like Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. The World Health Organization considers those four "variants of concern," meaning they're more transmissible than other strains, cause more severe disease, or are more resistant to vaccines.

South African researchers are trying to determine whether C.1.2 has an advantage over the Delta variant - the most dangerous version of the virus to date.

As of Wednesday, around 107 sequences of C.1.2 have been reported globally, compared to Delta's more than 1 million. But most South African provinces have detected C.1.2 cases, and the variant has also been spotted in 10 other countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

C.1.2 shares several key mutations with other variants

Researchers sequence coronavirus samples at the microbiology laboratory of the University Hospital of Badajoz in Spain on April 15, 2021. Javier Pulpo/Europa Press/Getty Images

C.1.2 evolved from another variant, C.1, that drove South Africa's wave of coronavirus infections last summer. But it's more concerning for a few reasons.

To start, the variant contains several mutations in the genetic code for its spike protein - the sharp, crown-like bumps on the surface of the virus that help it invade our cells. Variants of concern share some of those key mutations, which seem to help the virus spread more easily or evade the immune system's defenses.

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The South African researchers also uncovered an additional set of mutations on C.1.2 that could make the virus more infectious or resistant to vaccines. Those mutations are even more reason for alarm than the ones shared with the variants, the researchers wrote. That's because scientists are most worried about a new variant with properties that would enable it to overtake Delta.

But C.1.2 isn't close to matching Delta's global takeover

COVID-19 cases have been surging throughout the country, and in Louisiana, due to the highly transmissible Delta variant. Mario Tama/Getty Images

A variant with a big advantage over Delta would quickly begin to account for a larger and larger share of coronavirus cases.

That seems to be the case for C.1.2 in South Africa: The variant accounted for 0.2% of the country's sequenced cases in May, then 1.6% in June, then 2% in July. The pattern is similar to the early rise of Delta in South Africa, the researchers wrote.

But globally, C.1.2 cases seem to have peaked in early July then declined over the last two months, according to data from Scripps Research's Outbreak.info tracker.

The WHO's technical lead on COVID-19, Maria van Kerkhove, said Monday on Twitter that C.1.2 does not appear to be rising in circulation, and Delta still seems dominant.

"But we need more sequencing to be conducted and shared globally," she added.

The US currently sequences less than 2% of its coronavirus cases, according to data from GISAID, a global database that collects coronavirus genomes. The country doing the most sequencing, Iceland, sequences nearly 44%.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. will allow developers of some apps like Netflix to link from its App Store to external websites for payments by users, a modest concession to global scrutiny of the 30% cut it typically takes from services and purchases on the iPhone.

The Cupertino, California-based technology giant said the change, settling an investigation by Japans Fair Trade Commission, will go into effect globally early next year for so-called reader apps spanning content like magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music and video. To date, Apple has forced such applications to use its in-app purchase system, which gives Apple up to a 30% commission on downloads and in-app subscriptions. That rule will still apply to games, the most lucrative class of mobile apps, as well as in-app purchases.

When it comes to in-game content purchases, which make the bulk of revenues for the App Store, they have kept their walled garden locked to outsiders, said Amir Anvarzadeh, senior strategist at Asymmetric Advisors. Nevertheless, Apple is clearly under the spotlight and lower royalty fees or handling fees in the case of in-game content purchases are inevitable.

The announcement comes at a time of rising regulatory scrutiny and criticism of the market dominance of Apple and Alphabet Inc.s Google on mobile platforms. On Tuesday, a new bill passed in South Korea thats set to force the two leading app store operators to allow users a choice of online payment methods. The first legislation of its kind, the bill will become law when signed by President Moon Jae-in and similar measures are under consideration by U.S. lawmakers.

On Thursday, Indias antitrust regulator was also reported to have started an investigation into Apples in-app payments.

Read more: Google, Apple Forced to Open App Store Payments by South Korea

Apples historic resoluteness about maintaining its 30% cut was relaxed in November when the company announced it would reduce its fee to 15% for app makers earning up to $1 million a year. The latest news helps the company achieve a settlement with Japans regulator, which is now closing its investigation into the App Store. Apple has committed to improving the transparency of its app reviews and give annual reports to the countrys FTC for the next three years as part of the settlement.

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We have great respect for the Japan Fair Trade Commission and appreciate the work weve done together, which will help developers of reader apps make it easier for users to set up and manage their apps and services, Phil Schiller, who oversees Apples App Store, said in a statement.

Companies like Netflix Inc. and Spotify Technology SA have long complained that Apple doesnt allow them to link to their web portals for users to sign up for their services. Apple has previously rejected or removed third-party applications that attempted to steer users to web-based alternative payment methods and Netflix has simply declined to offer an in-app sign-up option as a result.

Last month, as part of a preliminary settlement of a class-action lawsuit with App Store developers, Apple agreed to pay out $100 million and to let U.S.-based software makers advertise outside payment methods to consumers via email. Todays decision appears similarly incremental.

In-game spending accounts for more than half of App Store sales -- $26 billion of $41.5 billion of consumer spending in the first half of this year, according to Sensor Tower -- but is not affected by this new policy change. Subscription apps, which are most likely to benefit from Apples relaxing of rules for reader apps, accounted for less than 13% of user spending over that period across the iOS App Store and Android Play Store.

Apples change wont resolve its legal dispute with Epic Games Inc. over in-app purchases in global hit Fortnite, which alone generated more than $1 billion of sales through Apples platform in its 30 months on the App Store. Epic wants to be able to handle in-app purchases directly, and the judge overseeing the trial between the two companies has suggested that Apple compromise by making a change similar to the one announced for readers apps today.

Tim Sweeney, chief executive officer of Epic, said the move didnt go far enough.

Apple should open up iOS on the basis of hardware, stores, payments, and services each competing individually on their merits, Sweeney said in a tweet. Instead, theyre running a literally day-by-day recalculation of divide-and-conquer in hopes of getting away with most of their tying practices.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

The App Store monopoly is slowly being broken down to enable greater competition and consumer choice and the move to enable developers to link to external sites for user sign-ups for subscription offerings is just another step in that process. Still, this wont impact mobile games, which are solely based on microtransactions within the app, and account for about 70% of App Store spending.

-- Matthew Kanterman, analyst

Read more: Apple App Store Draws New Scrutiny in Japan, Epicenter of Gaming

A spokesman for Japans FTC said Apples voluntary improvement measures were sufficient to close its investigation. In Japan and South Korea, where companies like Naver Corp. operate large businesses around web comics apps and payment services, the particular allowance from Apple may prove more impactful than in other global markets.

Because developers of reader apps do not offer in-app digital goods and services for purchase, Apple agreed with the JFTC to let developers of these apps share a single link to their website to help users set up and manage their account, Apple said in its statement. Apple is not allowing alternative payment systems within apps themselves, saying it will help developers of reader apps protect users when they link them to an external website to make purchases.

Read More: Why App Store Fees Are Drawing Fire Worldwide: QuickTake

(Updates with tweet from Epics Tim Sweeney in 12th paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Sandy Kirby and her son Nathan, 12, one of only a few students in his class wearing a mask, in Chandler, Ariz., Aug. 27, 2021. (Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times)

PHOENIX  Only weeks after Arizonas students went back to school, coronavirus infections are forcing thousands of children and teachers into quarantine. Outbreaks around Phoenix are surging. In one suburban district, so many drivers are sick that school buses are running 90 minutes late.

All this in a state that ignored recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and banned school mask mandates weeks before classes resumed.

Now the back-to-school turmoil has cascaded far beyond Arizonas classrooms, igniting a political uproar for Gov. Doug Ducey and other Republican leaders in this fast-changing desert battleground. The tumult underscores the perilous decisions facing governors in swing states where voters are divided over COVID-19 safety measures and personal freedoms.

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Ducey, a business-minded Republican, spent much of the past year getting attacked by conservatives angry about pandemic restrictions and his defense of the 2020 election results. But he has since doubled down on anti-mask-mandate measures passed by Arizonas Republican-run Legislature.

He pledged to withhold millions of dollars in federal pandemic relief from schools that pass mask mandates in defiance of a state law that takes effect at the end of September. He offered $7,000 vouchers to families that opt to leave districts that require face coverings. Masking decisions, he said, belonged to parents, not school officials.

In Arizona we are pro-parent, Ducey said at a recent news conference. I want parents to do what they think is the right thing to do.

On the ground, schools say they are facing a no-win choice.

In the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, the school board called an emergency meeting in August to decide whether students and staff should be required to wear masks. School officials said violating state law could prevent the district from receiving $11 million to hire staff and help students catch up after so much lost school time.

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The mask mandate failed, three votes to two.

Disheartened Chandler parents who supported the requirements said the board had put money above their childrens health.

Theyre not protecting our kids, said Sandy Kirby, a Chandler parent and nurse.

But Kelli Wilson, a devoted Trump voter in Chandler whose 13-year-old son is unvaccinated and does not wear a mask to school, was gratified. Wilson, who had soured on Ducey when the gym she runs was forced to close down early in the pandemic, credited the governor with letting parents decide about masks.

Finally Doug Duceys doing something right, she said.

Ducey had kept a lower profile throughout much of the pandemic compared with the Republican governors of Florida, South Dakota and Texas, who built national reputations as combative opponents of COVID restrictions.

But as he looks to his political future after he leaves office next year because of term limits, Ducey is moving to the front of the volatile new battle over personal freedoms, childrens health and the politicization of pandemic relief money.

Education groups have sued to overturn the mask-mandate ban, and more than a dozen school districts across Arizona have passed mask mandates despite the ban. The Biden administration warned governors like Ducey and Ron DeSantis of Florida not to block federal money from pro-masking schools.

The conflict is unfolding in a onetime Republican stronghold now torn in opposite directions, pulled to the left by growing numbers of young, college-educated voters and moderates in the booming Phoenix suburbs, and to the right by vocal Trump loyalists.

With virus hospitalizations climbing to about 2,000 people from about 520 in early July, many parents, teachers unions and public health officials said Duceys actions punished schools that were following scientific advice. The CDC recommends masks for all students, staff and visitors inside schools.

It puts peoples lives at risk, said Jann-Michael Greenburg, president of the board of the Scottsdale Unified School District, which has faced threats since passing a temporary mask mandate. I wonder if we would have won the battle against polio if this is how our governments behaved.

Ducey, a vocal supporter of vaccinations, has been battered from several sides throughout the pandemic. Democrats criticized him for not imposing a statewide mask mandate and loosening restrictions prematurely.

Many of the loudest attacks, however, have come from the right wing of Arizonas splintered Republican Party. In January, the state party censured him for taking emergency actions such as closing gyms and bars at the outset of the pandemic.

Ducey has also endured months of attacks from his Republican base in the wake of the 2020 election. Ducey had campaigned for President Donald Trump but declined to embrace Trumps false claims about a rigged election. He certified President Joe Bidens 10,500-vote victory in Arizona but has kept largely quiet as a polarizing audit of the votes ordered by state Republican leaders drags on.

Some political observers saw Duceys moves against mask mandates as an effort to patch a rift with conservatives.

Hes trying to court that constituency to move back, said Chuck Coughlin, a Republican political strategist in Phoenix. Hes never going to recover with them. He cant. Once Trump starts tweeting about you in a derogatory sense, the gloves are off.

Ducey is chairman of the Republican Governors Association and often mentioned as a potential candidate for president, vice president or U.S. Senate. He has said he is focused on his job and is not challenging Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat up for reelection in 2022.

Last month, just after he wrapped up a solemn bill-signing ceremony in front of Holocaust survivors, Ducey held a rare news conference and faced a barrage of questions about the anti-mask measures. He quickly pivoted to criticize Bidens handling of the coronavirus and a range of other issues as weak and pathetic and told the administration to butt out of Arizonas mask debates.

Why dont they focus on their day job? Ducey asked, his voice rising, as masked reporters crowded around him. Take care of the nations borders, and help Americans leave Afghanistan, and leave the schools to the states.

The clamor over masking has been fierce in Arizona, where thousands of redshirted teachers poured into the streets in Phoenix three years ago to demand better salaries and school funding.

Last year, Arizona let local governments write their own mask rules. But this summer, the state Legislature added a provision outlawing school mask mandates to a tax-cutting budget bill central to Duceys agenda. The governor signed the measure into law in late June.

Arizonas huge and politically powerful public colleges and universities, which are not bound by the same rules that restrict local schools, have passed their own mask mandates in a potential challenge to the state. Arizona State University announced mask requirements in classrooms and labs where they can't social distance, and the University of Arizona is also requiring masks indoors where people cannot socially distance.

Kathy Hoffman, superintendent of Arizonas public schools, said the barrage of executive orders and legal fights had been demoralizing to school employees. While Arizona has not seen nearly as severe a spike as Florida or Texas, health officials in Phoenix recently warned that children under 12  who are not eligible to be vaccinated  make up one-sixth of Maricopa Countys COVID-19 cases, and that hospitalizations of children have doubled monthly.

People are feeling pretty devastated right now, said Hoffman, an elected Democrat.

Some Republicans want even harsher penalties for defiant schools.

They should lose as much funding as the state Legislature allocates to them, said state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, a Republican who is running to replace Arizonas Democratic secretary of state. What they are doing, the chaos theyre causing, is not only reckless but dangerous.

It is a charge that pro-mask school board members throw back at Arizona leaders. Lindsay Love, a Chandler school board member, said she had received death threats and been called racist slurs throughout the pandemic. She worried that the states threats of withholding money from districts that impose mandates could have dangerous new consequences.

The state says the health of our students doesnt matter as much as those dollars, Love said. How much is a student worth to us if they die of COVID?

 2021 The New York Times Company
Hotel Wailea-Maui-Hawaii-JohnRusso-Hero

Courtesy of John Russo / Hotel Wailea

When it comes to travel destinations, there are some places that you'd only visit with your squad for a bachelorette party, those that are more family-oriented, and others that scream "there's going to be multiple surprise engagements at dinner." You might think that going to Vegas just isn't the same without your girls or that jetting off to Italy without your partner isn't that you had in mind, but you're forgetting something: Rules are dumb!

Go clubbing with your significant other. Take your girls on that Tuscany trip you've been dreaming about. Or even consider hopping on a plane solo for the travel experience that gets you out of your comfort zone. (Related: How to Travel Alone Safely Right Now)

Now that your script is flipped, you can reimagine what it means to search for the best travel spots for couples. Sure, there's a time and a place for romance (lots of options for that mushy stuff below), but sometimes the best way to connect with someone you love is by doing something scary, adventurous, or just entirely new together. Below, you'll find some great options for couples' travel destinations within the U.S. for foodies, wellness gurus, outdoor enthusiasts, and yes, even you old-school romantics.

The Best Vacation Spots for Couples

Maui, Hawaii

Maui-Hawaii-GlennParry-Grounds

Courtesy of Glenn Parry

Hawaii consistently ranks as one of the top destinations for honeymooners  in fact, it's the number one pick for the best honeymoon destinations of 2021, according to The Knot  and for good reason. Lush landscapes, seaside dining, and water experiences are abundant on all eight of its islands. However, if you had to choose just one, the island of Maui is a no-brainer choice as the best vacation spot for couples no honeymooning required.

When deciding where to stay, it doesn't get much better than Hotel Wailea, the only luxury, adult-only resort in Hawaii. Yep, you can say it: That means no screaming kids at the pool. If that doesn't breathe a sigh of relief into your vacation, all the unique qualities at the Relais & Chateaux resort will. (ICYDK, a Relais & Chateaux label indicates a property is part of the growing association of individually owned luxury hotels and restaurants. And let's just say, not everyone gets into this exclusive club.) Notable is its intimate, exclusive vibe thanks to its location 300 feet above sea level, guaranteeing unobstructed views of three Hawaiian islands. Check out the property's open-air fitness studio and The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea between naps in your poolside cabana or beach lounge chair and before your sunset sailing experience. The popularity of Hawaii as a destination for couples is starting to make a lot more sense now right?

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Catskills, New York

Hudson-Valley-New-York-Urban_Cowboy_Catskills_Fall-1

Courtesy of Urban Cowboy

North of New York City's concrete jungle is a vacation spot for couples that's just as much NY as is The Big Apple. The Catskills region, with its hiking trails, orchards, wineries, breweries, and farmland, feels like a world away but is a drivable distance for many northeast city dwellers and suburbanites alike.

Spend time hiking Kaaterskill Falls  one of the most popular trails with multiple scenic waterfalls to view along the way  then visit one of the many breweries for a well-earned beverage. Couples who check into Urban Cowboy can sink into the clawfoot tubs next to windows offering panoramic views of the mountains from their rooms. Every suite is uniquely designed with its own take or urban cowboy charm, and each has a private deck and cozy Pendleton robes.

You'd also love staying at the mid-century modern Scribner's Catskills Lodge (a great choice for those traveling during the ski season, as it's located directly across from Hunter Mountain Resort), with complementary s'mores-making kits, board games, a fit pit, and an on-site restaurant. (Related: Outdoor Adventure Travel Trips for Vacations That Are Anything but Relaxing)

Anywhere In Wyoming

Wyoming-Magee_Cabin_Exterior_TZ_DanHam

Courtesy of Brush Creek Luxury Ranch Collection

While there are some standout locations within its boundaries (find some inspiration below), literally anywhere in the state of Wyoming could be considered the best vacation spot for couples who want to unplug from the grind of daily life. With a little more than 581,000 residents, Wyoming earns the spot as the least populated state in America, so you won't have to worry about running into anyone you know  heck, even anyone at all if you don't want to  while on vacation. (Related: Secluded Vacation Ideas for When You "Just Can't" with People Anymore)

And if you think you'll have to "rough it" out in "the middle of nowhere," you'll be surprised to learn there are some incredible, luxury  and still entirely authentic  ranches to call home out West. Magee Homestead, the adults-only Relais & Chateaux option within the Brush Creek Ranch Collection of properties, offers an all-inclusive experience featuring adventures such as horseback riding, fly fishing, ATVing, rock climbing  and a spa, of course. But the real draw is the sunsets across the vast open land with horses and other animals running free in the distance. Add a cocktail in hand, and it becomes a truly pinch-me kind of scene to witness.

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston-South-Carolina-Best-Vacation-Spots-for-Couples

Getty Images

For the duo who plans their itinerary entirely on where to eat, it doesn't get any better than Charleston, South Carolina. Every foodie tour should include a visit to the original outpost of Husk for farm-to-table, elevated southern cooking downtown. Next, stop for local raw bar bites at The Darling Oyster Bar on Upper King St., dig into unbeatable pimento cheese biscuits at one of many locations of Callie's Hot Little Biscuit, and eat the best fried chicken of your life at Leon's. Lastly, no trip to Charleston would be complete without a sampling of all the best barbecue joints across town, each with their own unique take on southern classics  check out Lewis Barbecue, Rodney Scott BBQ, and Melvin's BBQ, among others.

To be clear, Charleston makes the list of the best vacation spots for couples for more reasons than its grub. With three beaches within 30 minutes of downtown, more breweries than you can count, and historical provenance galore, there's something for everyone in this charming place. Stay awhile and book an Airbnb or grab a room at the centrally located Hotel Bennett overlooking Marion Square at the heart of town.

Napa Valley, California

Napa-Valley-California-Couple Clinking Their Wine Glasses 7I9781

Courtesy of Josiah Roe

Four hundred wineries. That's how many options for vino are at your disposal if you choose this best vacation spot for couples. And while Napa Valley is called wine country for good reason, there are also more than 150 restaurants in the area, which also has more Michelin stars per capita than any other wine region in the world. (Related: The Best ALDI Wines, According to Superfans)

When you drank one too many glasses of your new favorite red blend  AFAF, how can you not over-drink in wine country?  let your head hit the pillow at Chateau de Vie, an elegant B&B with only a handful of guest rooms, so you can feel like you have the place all to yourselves. If you're looking for brand-name luxury, another great choice is Solage, part of the Auberge Resorts Collection of Resorts, where suites and studios all have their own outdoor patio, so you can take in the stunning vineyard sunsets.

The Berkshires, Massachusetts

The Berkshires-Massachusetts-ALBOB_P029 Spa Pool

Courtesy of Miraval Berkshires

For the partners who are looking to reconnect with one another as they reconnect with nature  cliche or not, science backs up the power of green spaces  the Berkshires, a mountainous region in western Massachusetts, is the place to be. Two and a half hours due west of Boston, this rural region offers endless hikes, water activities (think fishing and canoeing in nearby rivers, and kayaking and boating on its many lakes), and next-level relaxation.

Redefine what you think vacation is with a truly customized wellness experience at Miraval Berkshires, an adults-only resort in the heart of New England nature. (Are you sensing an adults-only theme with these picks for the best vacation spots for couples? Family road trips have their place, but these destinations serve a different purpose.)

Enjoy fitness, yoga, and meditation classes as well as lectures from in-house wellness experts, a slew of spa treatment options, and three different pools to dip into as many times as your heart desires. (Next: Wellness Retreats That Are Worth Every Penny)
Americans will most likely pay significantly more for COVID medical care during this new wave of cases  whether that is a routine coronavirus test or a lengthy hospitalization.

Earlier in the pandemic, most major health insurers voluntarily waived costs associated with a COVID treatment. Patients did not have to pay their normal copayments or deductibles for emergency room visits or hospital stays.

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Most COVID tests were free, too.

The landscape has since changed, as the pandemic persists into its second year. Federal law still requires insurers to cover testing at no cost to the patient when there is a medical reason for seeking care, such as exposure to the disease or a display of symptoms. But more of the tests sought now do not meet the definition of medical reason and are instead for monitoring.

And insurers are now treating COVID more like any other disease, no longer fully covering the costs of care. Some businesses, like Delta Air Lines, are planning to charge unvaccinated employees higher rates for insurance, citing in part the high hospitalization costs for COVID cases.

Insurers are confronting the question about whether the costs of COVID treatment should fall on everyone, or just the individuals who have chosen not to get a vaccine, said Cynthia Cox, a vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation who has researched how insurers are covering COVID treatment.

The federal rules that make coronavirus testing free include exemptions for routine workplace and school testing, which has become more common as students head back to the classroom and as companies mandate regular testing for unvaccinated workers.

Because insurers are not required to cover that regular testing, some patients have already received testing bills as high as $200 for routine screenings, according to documents that patients have submitted to a New York Times project tracking the costs of COVID testing and treatment.

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Some of the highest bills, however, will probably involve COVID patients who need extensive hospital care now that most insurers no longer fully cover those bills. Seventy-two percent of large health plans are no longer making COVID treatment free for patients, a recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found.

This includes Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, the largest health plan in a state experiencing one of the countrys worst outbreaks. On Wednesday, Florida Blue began requiring patients to pay their normal deductibles and copayments for COVID treatment. Toni Woods, a spokeswoman, said the plan was now focused on encouraging vaccinations.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began last year, we implemented several emergency provisions to temporarily help our members, she said in a statement. Medical diagnostic testing for COVID-19 as well as vaccinations continue to be available to members at $0 cost share.

Oscar Health, which sells coverage in Florida and 14 other states, also ended free COVID treatment this week. It cited the widespread availability of the vaccine as a key reason.

We started waiving cost sharing for COVID-19 treatment at the peak of the pandemic in 2020, when there were few options available for those who fell ill with the virus, said Jackie Khan, an Oscar spokeswoman. We believe that the COVID vaccine is our best way to beat this pandemic, and we are committed to covering it and testing at $0 for our members.

The new policies generally apply to all patients, including the vaccinated; people who get sick with a breakthrough infection; and children under 12, who are not yet eligible for the vaccine.

If you have a small kid who gets COVID at school and ends up at the ICU, that family is going to now be stuck with the bill even though that patient did not have the ability to get vaccinated, said Dr. Kao-Ping Chua, a pediatrician at the University of Michigan who researches COVID care costs.

The average COVID hospitalization costs approximately $40,000, researchers have found. A lengthy hospital stay  one that requires time in the intensive care unit, or a transfer by air ambulance  can cost many multiples more. Most insured patients will not pay that entire bill. They will face whatever share they owe through deductibles and copayments.

Chua and his colleagues published research this summer finding that, among patients who had to pay a share of their COVID hospitalization, the average costs were $3,800.

There were some patients where it was $10,000 and others where it was $500, he said. It gives you some semblance of what things will now look like without the waivers.

Surprise bills for routine COVID testing could be smaller but more common, as schools and workplaces increasingly rely on regular screening to prevent coronavirus from spreading.

At many workplaces, unvaccinated workers must submit to monitoring at least weekly. Some employers, including the federal government, plan to fully cover the costs of those tests. But others, including some hotels and universities, will ask unvaccinated workers to bear some or all of the testing costs.

Rebecca Riley recently received a $200 bill from a laboratory with an unfamiliar name. When she called to inquire about the charge, she learned it was a fee for a COVID test. Her son, a high school student, is regularly tested at his Los Angeles-area high school.

I didnt expect to get any bills, she said. I feel stupid, but Id heard the tests were free.

Riley contacted her insurer about the charge and it agreed to pay the full amount. But she now worries about future surprise testing bills.

I really feel for the families that wont be able to pay, she said.

 2021 The New York Times Company
Cristiano Ronaldo has been released from the Portugal squad after firing them to World Cup qualifier victory over the Republic of Ireland in dramatic fashion.

The 36-year-old scored a world record 110th international goal to cancel out John Egans opener with just a minute remaining at the Estadio Algarve on Wednesday evening, and then completed the job with his 111th in stoppage time to seal a 2-1 win.

However, after removing his shirt in celebration, he was cautioned by Slovenian referee Matej Jug and having been booked earlier in the campaign, is suspended for Tuesday nights trip to Azerbaijan.

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A statement on the Portuguese Football Federations official website said: Cristiano Ronaldo was excused from the stage of the national team this Thursday.

The yellow card seen against Ireland, being the second in this stage of qualification, forces him to fulfil an official game of suspension, which will happen against Azerbaijan.

Ronaldos release means he will also not feature in Saturdays friendly against World Cup hosts Qatar in Hungary, although there is no indication as yet as to when he will join up with Manchester United after signing for the club for a second time earlier this week.

The 36-year-old left the camp having dedicated his record number of international goals to his nation.

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Ronaldo said: Im very happy for the two goals and the record, but especially for the team to believe until the end.

Its motivation and the desire I have to continue playing football. If we get up every day wanting to do our best and give ourselves joy, we have great motivation.

This record is mine and unique. I was missing a goal and I scored two, Im extremely happy. I dedicate it to all Portuguese and the entire team. We had to suffer until the end.

It had proved something of a frustrating night for Ronaldo, whose 15th-minute spot-kick was brilliantly saved by 19-year-old keeper Gavin Bazunu, with Irelands well-organised defence frustrating Portugal for long periods, particularly after John Egan had headed them in front on the stroke of half-time.

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But as time ran down, he finally made his inevitable impact on the game, heading home Goncalo Guedes 89th-minute cross to level and then repeating the feat at the death to cement Portugals place at the top of Group A.

Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva, who had passed up a glorious opportunity before Ronaldo struck for the first time, admitted he and his team-mates had plenty to work on after being given a fright in their own back yard.

Silva said: We are happy for the victory, but there are many things to correct. We missed a lot of chances, we were unlucky  I missed a goal I cant miss.

In the end, there are three points and we are very happy.
Anthony Behar/AP

At least 44 people have died across the northeast after the remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped apocalyptic amounts of rain along the East Coast on Wednesday night, spawning tornados, transport meltdowns, building collapses and unprecedented flash flooding.

Twelve people died in New York City, police said, eight of whom became trapped in flooded basements in homes across Queens. A 2-year-old child was among three people found dead when firefighters de-watered a basement apartment after a sidewall collapsed, New York Fire Department spokesman Frank Dwyer said. Three were killed in nearby Westchester County. In New Jersey, at least 23 people have died including four people found in an Elizabeth apartment complex swamped with eight feet of water. Another five people were reported dead in Pennsylvania.

The majority of these deaths were individuals who got caught in their vehicles by flooding and were overtaken by the water, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a tweet on Thursday afternoon.

Floodwater surrounds vehicles following heavy rain on an expressway in Brooklyn. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty

In Passaic, New Jersey, a 70-year-old man died when his car was swept away. His family was rescued, they were all in the same car, Mayor Hector Lora told WCBS-TV. Unfortunately, the car was overtaken by the waters, and the firefighters who were being dragged down under the vehicle were unable to get him out. Firefighters in Passaic will be going into the river to attempt to locate bodies of two young adults feared to have been swept away, Lora told CNN.

Tornados tore through the Philadelphia area, killing several people, including a woman whose home was hit by a falling tree.

A state of emergency has been extended in New York City and New Jersey after once-a-century rainstorms swept the metro area, flooding subway stations, basements, and cars. Hundreds of people were rescued from cars, according to Dwyer, who said many were swept off roads. One man was found dead in the backseat of a car in Brooklyn on Thursday morning, authorities said.

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Gilbert Dofredo, an 82-year-old retired nurse, lives next door to a home in Jamaica, Queens where a 22-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman were found dead in their flooded basement on Wednesday night.

Our block is like a basin, so all the water came down here, Dofredo told The Daily Beast. He said the storm hit hard around 10 p.m., and all of a sudden, I saw the street flooding. I had to protect my house too, I got busy.

Water was coming in through cracks in Dofredos walls, but he said his house is elevated, which protected it from the worst of the damage. However, the neighbors house is not raised above street level, which Dofredo said is likely why their basement filled up so quickly.

Somebody called 911 and the firemen were here, suctioning the water from the home, said Dofredo. Im lucky, I have a little pump I used to drain my water, [which was] about knee-deep. I did not sleep much. I was really exhausted It was about 4 or 5 hours of pumping. I have not seen my basement yet today, I am about to go down and check.

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In a near identical situation, another three people were found dead in the basement apartment of another Queens building. The water pressure was so fast and strong, so I think they couldnt open the door either way because this is like a pool, Deborah Torres, a first-floor resident who had knee-deep flooding, told the AP. I dont know how that happened. It was so fast.

In New Jersey, the roof of a postal sorting plant in Kearny collapsed with people inside, the Associated Press reported. Police have not announced any fatalities or the extent of any injuries suffered as they work to rescue those trapped inside. In Rahway, a house exploded during the storm, sending debris raining down on neighbors. Its not clear if anyone was inside at the time.

Videos showed cars trapped on flooded highway, and people being rescued from the roofs of homes. Harrison Townships fire department reported multiple victims trapped in their homes, according to NJ.com.

At least 10 tornadoes were reported to have touched down in the Philadelphia area as torrential rains caused the Delaware River to reach a 10-year high water level. Major flooding was also reported along the Schuylkill River in the city. Tornadoes also touched down in New Jersey and Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.

Not far away, in Rockville, police say a 19-year-old man died. He had returned to a flooded apartment in search of his mother, according to local reports, which identified him as Melkin Daniel Cedillo.

Cedillo worked at a local restaurant, the Iron Age Korean Steakhouse. A coworker who spoke to The Daily Beast on Thursday described Cedillo as a super nice kid who had been at the eatery for about a year and change.

Just the sweetest, hardest-working kid Ive ever met, said the coworker, who asked not to be named out of sensitivity to the family. Always had a smile on his face.

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The National Weather Service had issued an unprecedented flash-flood warning for New York City and parts of New Jersey, warning more than 9 million residents of imminent danger. This particular warning for NYC is the second time weve ever issued a Flash Flood Emergency (Its the first one for NYC), the National Weather Service tweeted.

According to NBC New York, the ensuing rainfall broke the record for the single heaviest hour of precipitation on Central Park, with 3.15 inches. The previous record, 1.94 inches, was set just a weekend earlierduring Hurricane Henri.

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Videos showed multiple subway stations flooding, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended train service on all lines across the entire city at the height of the downpour.

The MTA issued a disclaimer on its website: Train service may be extremely limited tonight because of heavy rainfall and flooding across the region. We strongly recommend you avoid traveling at this time, if you can.

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Amtrak canceled its service along the Northeast Corridor between Philadelphia and Boston, and several flights have been canceled or diverted due to flooding at Newark Airport.

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Ida hit Louisiana with extreme force earlier in the week, knocking out power and telecommunications for more than a million people and killing at least four people.

Last month, the United Nations said climate change left unchecked would continue to spawn extreme weather events in a scathing climate report, warning, the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events have increased since the 1950s over most land area.

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This episode of Riverdale might go down as my favorite since the show's return. I enjoyed the structure  characters getting separate paintings/stories  and I'm also now obsessed with this idea I've concocted that all Riverdale's inhabitants are actually just paintings in Cheryl's library, and they never really existed. How else would Cheryl know all their stories?! Wait, is Cheryl God?

Sorry, I'm getting off track. The episode begins as Minerva pays Cheryl a visit to check out her new paintings, and one by one she gives her a tour. First up: a shirtless Archie, who's now a miner?

We find Archie working through his PTSD with a psychiatrist who prescribes him some anti-anxiety meds. But when Cheryl comes knocking at his door, things get interesting. Cheryl has learned about the palladium beneath her maple groves, and she wants Archie's crew  Archie, Fangs, Kevin, Reggie, and Frank  to help her mine it. Apparently Frank has had a little mining experience in his life, because why not, so they agree. And it doesn't take Kevin long to get his hands on some palladium.

But when Archie starts hallucinating a moth man, he charges into his psychiatrist's office and rather aggressively accuses her of drugging him. I hate to say it, but crazy paranoid Archie is potentially the most interesting version of Archie. But he isn't the only one dealing with delirium.

Once the entire crew starts going insane, they realize they're all suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. We leave Archie surrounded by the ghosts of all the men he lost in the army.

The CW Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl in 'Riverdale'

Next up: Betty, the fake FBI agent. Now that she has a murderer in custody  or in the shop classroom at Riverdale High  she's determined to get some answers out of him.

Her first interrogation method is trying to humanize Polly in his eyes, so she brings in her mother to tell this creep all about raising Polly. Spoiler, it doesn't work! When he claims Polly "squealed like a pig when I slit her throat," Alice loses it and gives the guy a good beating. So Betty changes her plan of attack: She has to convince this guy that she might actually kill him.

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Honestly, no wonder Betty's not with the FBI anymore, she's TERRIBLE at this. She acts like scaring him is some great idea nobody's ever thought of before?! It's like watching someone learn torture 101 right before our very eyes.

In order to intimidate this guy, she borrows a speech that the Trash Bag Killer said to her, threatening to cut her into pieces with a chainsaw. It's dark, I'll give her that, and I am more intrigued than ever about her time spent as a captive. But when the guy doesn't budge on giving her info, she runs and grabs a chainsaw, at which point I started screaming, "THIS IS STILL A HIGH SCHOOL, BETTY!" I mean, everyone's high school experience is going to be a little scarring, but this is certainly taking it too far.

By the time she returns, he's already dead. The psychopath bit his own tongue off and choked on it. But Betty did manage to develop one theory out of all of her talks with him: She thinks he's but one member of a family that's hunting together, which would make them the second-weirdest family in Riverdale (behind the Blossoms, obviously).

That brings us to the painting of Jughead, the Rat King. We find him at an AA meeting, where he's talking about what happened after high school and how he started drinking as a way to help him write. And how he did mushrooms for the first time to help him with writer's block. We even get the backstory of the drunk voicemail he left Betty when she bailed on his release party. It was after he left that voicemail that he disappeared for three days. When he woke up, he was in the hospital. And after he hit rock bottom on Skid Row, he returned to New York to try to piece together what happened during those three days.

He remembers telling a story about a Rat King, a man he met in the NYC sewers after he fell through a sinkhole. Quite frankly I find the sinkhole harder to believe than the man living in the sewers, but THAT is the part that's true. After leaving Betty that voicemail, he drunkenly fell through a sinkhole and woke up covered in rats. Cops found him and took him to the hospital, where he was treated for rabies. (Doesn't the life of a writer sound glamorous, kids?)

And that brings us back to Cheryl, who convinces Minerva to spend one last night with her before she leaves for South Africa.

I don't know why I liked this episode so much, but I do think the structure was part of it. Quite frankly, I also like when this show is dark, and it doesn't get much darker than carbon monoxide poisoning, rabies, and torture.

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Roe v. Wade was born in Texas, and the states new Heartbeat Law could effectively mean the Lone Star State is where Roe dies.

The first-of-its-kind law is designed to be enforced by private citizens instead of the state, leaving the abortion industry in a conundrum: Theres no one easily identified to sue to block the law.

Out of more than a dozen states that have passed a heartbeat law, Texas is the only one where the law is now in effect. More than 53,000 abortions were reported in the state last year, and its estimated that the law will curtail that figure by at least 85%.

Needless to say, pro-life advocates are celebrating the decimating effect this will have on the abortion industry as well as the thousands of children it will save.

About six weeks into a pregnancy, a preborn childs heart begins to beat. And protecting that heartbeat is by no means a fringe position.

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Half the country, according to polling by the Kaiser Family Foundation, believes abortion should not be legal once this profound and undeniable sign of human life is detected.

Polling from Students for Life of Americas Institute for Pro-Life Advancement this year found that 6 in 10 people in the millennial and Gen Z generations believe doctors should check for a heartbeat before performing or offering an abortion.

This discomfort with aborting children with heartbeats casts the purported widespread support for Roe v. Wade and its companion case, Doe v. Bolton, into serious question. With those 1973 cases, a seven-man majority on the Supreme Court legalized abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. Today, only 19% of Americans support abortion as late as the third trimester.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed in May to hear a case that could pose a challenge to the landmark 1973 ruling legalizing abortion nationwide. The case, involving a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, will be heard during the court's fall term.

The Supreme Court will revisit that outdated and out-of-touch decision later this year as it considers Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health, centering on a Mississippi law that bans abortions at 15 weeks of pregnancy.

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One possible outcome is that the court could relinquish its 1973 usurpation of the abortion question and once again allow states to protect preborn children. Ahead of that decision, Texas has sent a strong signal to the courts that many Americans intend to protect our children from abortion violence.

Lubbock has outlawed all abortions

Earlier this year, an extraordinary event in Lubbock, Texas, revealed an enthusiasm for abolishing abortion that foreshadowed what was coming in the statewide heartbeat measure. The northwest Texas city put life on the ballot with a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance that outlaws all abortions within city limits.

Kristan Hawkins is president of Students for Life of America.

After Students for Life Action (SFLAction) and pro-life allies mobilized to educate and activate voters, the ordinance passed by a sweeping margin of 62% to 38%.

Texas was the first state to give the nation Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn, and Lubbock was the first Sanctuary City that outlawed abortion while an abortion clinic was active. Planned Parenthood sued for the right to continue committing abortions in the city and was dealt defeat when a judge dismissed the case. Today, Lubbock is abortion-free.

And the Lubbock victory came after another hard-fought battle that culminated in Planned Parenthood being kicked out of the Texas Medicaid program. The group disqualified itself from the program when it was caught on undercover video appearing to violate its provider agreement.

State officials initiated Planned Parenthoods removal from Medicaid in 2015, but Planned Parenthood stalled the final decision with lawsuits that ultimately culminated in defeat for the abortion behemoth. Texas invested $100 million in the Alternatives to Abortion program to provide assistance to women and families.

Legislation would penalize universities

Texas also is setting a model for federal protection of the preborn child. In July, SFLAction worked with Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, to spearhead the Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2021, aimed at penalizing any taxpayer-funded university that dispenses abortion drugs on campus.

Ingested in the first trimester of pregnancy, medical abortions account for about 40% of all abortions  often after a heartbeat has already begun.

With an estimated 62 million American children dead since Roe v. Wade and an untold number of mothers and families wounded by abortion, it is impossible to overstate the urgency and importance of laws like Texas Heartbeat Law. Texas proud history is stained by its role in the devastating legacy of Roe v. Wade, but the future is anti-abortion.

Americans who oppose abortion should take heart  and take notes  from Texas today.

Kristan Hawkins is president of Students for Life of America. Follow her on Twitter: @KristanHawkins.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas abortion law achieves a victory for America's children
Its human nature to blame someone or something else when we screw up. We all do it, but onl
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Lithium ion batteries are a bit famous for their poor cold-weather performance, and that has consequences for some of their most important applications  everything from starting an electric car in a Wisconsin winter to flying a drone on Mars.

Now, researchers at the Department of Energys SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have identified an overlooked aspect of the problem: Storing lithium-ion batteries at below-freezing temperatures can crack some parts of the battery and separate them from surrounding materials, reducing their electric storage capacity.

SLAC scientist Yijin Liu and postdoctoral fellow Jizhou Li made the discovery while looking at the cold-weather performance of the cathode, the part of the battery electrons flow into when its in use. Initial studies found that storing cathodes at temperatures below zero degrees Celsius led batteries to lose up to 5% more of their capacity after 100 charges than batteries stored at warmer temperatures.

To understand why, the researchers turned to a combination of X-ray analysis methods at SLACs Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource and machine learning techniques that Li has been working on over the last several years. The combination allows them to identify individual cathode particles  meaning the team could study thousands of particles at once, compared to just the handful they could identify with their eyes alone.

Together, those methods revealed that cold temperatures were shrinking the meatball-like particles within the cathode and in the process cracking them  or making existing cracks even worse, Liu said. And, since materials differ in the way they expand and contract in response to changing temperatures, extreme cold was also detaching the cathodes from surrounding materials.

The results point to some possible fixes, Liu said. By looking for battery materials that are better matched in terms of their temperature response, scientists could address the detachment issue. Doing so could help improve other batteries as well, since all batteries expand and contract as they heat up and cool down. And by engineering different particle structures inside a battery  notably, building them up from smoother, less meatball-like particles  researchers could help prevent cracking and improve long-term lithium-ion battery capacity.

The research was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation. SSRL is a DOE Office of Science user facility.

Citation: Jizhou Li et al., Advanced Energy Materials, 21 August 2021 (10.1002/aenm.202102122)

For questions or comments, contact the SLAC Office of Communications at communications@slac.stanford.edu.

SLAC is a vibrant multiprogram laboratory that explores how the universe works at the biggest, smallest and fastest scales and invents powerful tools used by scientists around the globe. With research spanning particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, materials, chemistry, bio- and energy sciences and scientific computing, we help solve real-world problems and advance the interests of the nation.

SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energys Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
New Delhi: In a bid to rival newly launched Ola S1 and Simple One, Ather Energy is now planning to launch out new electric scooter in the lineup. The Bangalore-based electric vehicle manufacturer currently sells two bikes in India: Ather 450 Plus and Ather 450X.

Both the electric vehicles had remained one of the best selling electric two-wheelers in the Indian market. However, in comparison with the Ola S1 and Simple One, Ather Energys lineup appear to lag behind in terms of range and top speed.

For instance, Ather 450 Plus offers a range of 100 km on a single charge. In comparison, Ola S1 and Simple One are said to be offering a range of 121 km and 236 km, respectively.

Moreover, Athers current lineup is also priced higher than Ola S1 and Simple One electric scooters, with ex-showroom prices of 450 Plus and 450X standing at about Rs 113,000 and Rs 132,000, respectively. On the other hand, Simple One is priced at Rs 1,09,999 and Ola S1 is availing Rs 99,999.

However, Ather Energy currently has the advantage of charging networks over both Ola Electric and Simple Energy. Both the new entrants are yet to install their charges in most of the major cities in India.

Chief business officer of Ather Energy Ravneet Phokela told Autocar Professional that the electric two-vehicle maker is not worried. He pointed out that TVS NTorq scored over the Honda Activa if better specs ensured more sales. But the sales numbers reflect a different picture.

Moreover, while agreeing that Model specifications are important because they define a basic threshold, he maintained that "it is about how overall specs come together, how relevant they are for the customers, the experience they get, the ride quality and so on." Also Read: Atal Pension Yojana: Invest Rs 7 per day in APY to get Rs 5000 monthly pension, heres how

During the interview, he also revealed that a third product is in the advanced stages of development. The upcoming electric bike that is based on Athers 450 platform is expected to be launched in the Q1 of FY2023. Also Read: Telegram version 8.0 update: Now, users can live stream with unlimited viewers
Chennai: Prince, a 16-year old horse at the Indian Army Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai has been awarded the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Army Training Command (ARTRAC) Commendation Card.

This military honor is meant to recognize the stellar service of the Army horse that has been part of eleven consecutive passing out parades at OTA in Chennai.

The award was pinned on the horse on Wednesday (September 1) by Lt Gen MK Das, Commandant, OTA Chennai as per the rich traditions of Indian Army.

Prince is the most experienced member of the horses contingent that takes part in the passing out parades that are held twice every year.

According to the Academy, due to his elan, grace and calm behavior, Prince has always been the best choice for the parade.

The passing out parade at the academy is a grand event that takes place twice a year- usually in March and September. Nearly 200 cadets including those from friendly foreign countries pass out of the Academy, after an 11-month Short Service Commission course.

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New Delhi: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on Thursday (September 2) that India has been vaccinating its people at a remarkable rate. "We administered 18.38 crores of doses in the month of August 2021 alone. The average dose per day administered in August is 59.29 lakh. In the last week of the month we administered more than 80 lakh doses per day," Rajesh Bhushan said.

The Health Ministry official also said that India would resume exports of COVID-19 vaccines only after its own interests are taken care of. A recent surge in immunisations had raised hopes of foreign sales that have been barred since mid-April. "Every country works with an aim of keeping its people, economy and social system safe," Bhushan told a weekly news conference. "Even the public health response to COVID is governed by those goals. So we will also try to achieve those goals and see when would be the right time to export vaccines."

We administered 18.38 crores of doses in the month of August 2021 alone. The average dose per day administered in August is 59.29 lakh. In the last week of the month we administered more than 80 lakh doses per day: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/6qArCErQxg  ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2021

Meanwhile on Thursday, India reported 47,092 new COVID-19 infections and with this, the countrys overall caseload rose to 3.28 crore (3,28,57,937), as per data shared by the Union Health Ministry. The jump is nearly 12 per cent higher than Wednesday and is the biggest single-day rise in around two months. About 509 deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours takign the death toll to 4,39,529 , according to the Health Ministry. The total number of active cases presently stands at 3.89 lakh (3,89,583).

(With Agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Allahabad High Court has sought the Uttar Pradesh government's response on funding of madrasas and other religious institutions in four week's time. The court also asked if the state funding to madrasas and other religious institutions is consistent with the Indian Constitutions secular scheme.

The High Court has asked whether madrasas so recognised and aided also admit girl students, adding that the policy to provide financial aid to religious institutions is consistent with the secular scheme of the Constitution.

Hearing a writ petition filed by Madrasa Anjuman Islamia Faizul Uloom, Justice Ajay Bhanot asked the state government to file a counter affidavit within a period of four weeks and fixed October 6 as the next date of hearing.

The HC bench asked the Yogi Adityanath government to bring in the record the syllabi/courses, conditions and standards of recognition including the requirement for playgrounds at the madrasas and all other religious institutions which are recognised or aided by the state government.

The court directed that the state government shall also indicate in its affidavit the details of various other boards of education with institutions imparting theological education of other religious sects.

It further directed the UP government to reply if the policy of the state government to provide financial aid to institutions imparting religious education is consistent with the scheme of the Constitution particularly in light of the word secular in the Preamble to the Constitution.

The court asked whether other religious minorities are also provided government aid for running theological schools and whether there is a prohibition against women from applying as students in religious schools and if so whether such bar is an act of discrimination prohibited by the Constitution.

Notably, the petitioner sought the creation of additional posts of teachers in view of the increasing number of students..

Cow should be declared a national animal

In another observation, the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday said that cow should be declared a national animal and those who harm it must be punished. The bench said that cow is an important part of the Indian culture, and added that a fundamental right is not only the prerogative of beef eaters but also of those who worship cows and are financially dependent on it.

According to the High Court, the government should bring a Bill in Parliament to declare cow as the national animal and make strict laws against those who talk about harming the animal.

The bench of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav said, "The right to life is above the right to kill and the right to eat beef can never be considered a fundamental right," while hearing a bail plea of Javed of Sambhal district, who had allegedly stolen a cow and killed the animal.

The court denied him bail calling him a repeat offender, adding "This is not the first offence of the applicant. Even before this offence, he had committed cow slaughter, which had disturbed the harmony in society."

(With Agency Inputs)

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An Army jawan has been mercilessly beaten in Jharkhands Chatra district for not wearing mask. A new video that surfaced online, some local police personnel can be seen beating up the jawan in the middle of a market. Ironically, many of them were not wearing masks.

The incident occurred in the Mayurhand area where the jawan came on a motorbike. He was stopped during a mask checking campaign. As he was not wearing the mask, he was questioned but it soon turned into a heated argument. One of the police staff also snatched the bikes key before beating up the jawan, identified as Pawan Kumar Yadav, with boots.

Yadav was subjected to kicks and blows by a group of unruly police staff.

Later, locals started protesting against the police action and then a case was registered in the Mayurhand police station. The office of the Superintendent of the Police, Chatra, took notice of the incident and three police personnel and two other officers present at the spot, were suspended.

Chatra SP Rakesh Ranjan has also asked for a report of the incident. Local MP Sunil Kumar Singh also talked to the authorities and demanded strict action against the culprits.

Ranjan told the Times of India, I came to know of the matter through the viral video. I have asked DSP (headquarters) to look into the matter and to submit a report immediately. Those found guilty will not be spared.

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New Delhi: As schools reopened in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday (September 2) made COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all teachers and school staff, along with their families.

The primary schools reopened in the state on Wednesday with strict COVID-19 guidelines in place. For standard 9 to 12, the physical classes resumed from August 16 in the state, while for standard 6-8, schools reopened from August 24. However, attendance is not compulsory and online classes are continuing. Also, the consent of parents is must for students to attend school.

All teachers and school staff, along with their family, have to mandatorily undergo COVID-19 vaccination, following reopening of schools: Uttar Pradesh government pic.twitter.com/HupX8k3Jmc  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 2, 2021

For the primary standards, Classes began in two shifts of three hours--from 8 am to 11 am and from 11.30 am to 3:30 pm-- with 50 per cent students of a class in each shift., PTI reported.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had taken to Twitter and conveyed wishes to the students. "Best wishes for the students. The schools are reopening from today. All teachers are requested to take care of students and follow the Covid protocol," he wrote in Hindi.

The schools for primary classes restarted for the first time since March 20 last year when the government imposed a lockdown in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh reported 19 new coronavirus cases and two deaths due to the disease on Wednesday, pushing the caseload to 17,09,351 and the toll to 22,825. Out of the new infections, four each were reported from Lucknow and Allahabad, three from Gautam Buddh Nagar, and one each from Meerut, Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad, Azamgarh, Saharanpur, Fatehpur, Maharajaganj and Sant Kabirnagar, as per the official data.

An official UP spokesperson said there are no coronavirus cases in 27 of the state's 75 districts. More than 7.31 crore vaccine doses have so far been administered in the state, the spokesman added

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: The recent developments in Afghanistan with the Taliban taking over control have given a major boost to the radical Islamic terror groups which could have far-reaching consequences for India. Al-Qaeda has released a statement in which it vowed to liberate Kashmir.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Thursday (September 2) discussed Al-Qaeda's Ghazwa-e-Hind plan under which it aims to expand its Islamic fundamentalist ideology to India.

Al-Qaeda has said that after the independence of Afghanistan, in the second stage, it wishes to liberate Iraq, Syria, Yemen, North Africa, Somalia and Kashmir. It said that Muslims in these countries are not free and are kept as prisoners.

While the terrorist group makes tall claims about Kashmir, it conveniently ignores the plight of Uighur Muslims in China and Russias occupation of Chechnya where millions of Muslims are being oppressed. This clearly shows that these terrorist organisations indulge in radicalisation and jihad only to fulfill their political objectives.

It is a matter of concern for India that now Al-Qaeda is planning to promote terrorism in Kashmir in the name of Jihad.

Referring to Ghazwa-e-Hind in some religious texts of Islam, it is said that an Islamic army from Khorasan would attack India. The area which is called Khorasan includes today's Afghanistan and some areas of Pakistan and Iran.

According to the theory of Ghazwa-e-Hind, this will be possible only when radical Islam is strengthened in other parts of the world. That is why Al-Qaeda is talking about liberation of Iraq, Syria, Yemen, North Africa and Somalia. Afghanistan is just one part of this grand plan.

Most of the fundamentalist forces around the world believe in the Deobandi ideology including Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. This ideology emerged 155 years ago from Deoband in undivided India. Most of the Taliban terrorists have come out of Deobandi madrasas based in Pakistan.

Taliban and Al-Qaeda are natural allies. It is evident from the fact that Al-Qaeda paid tribute to the Taliban leader Mullah Mansour and Haqqani Network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani. It establishes that Al-Qaeda is connected with both the Taliban and the Haqqani network.

Many Muslims in India are also happy with what Al-Qaeda is saying about Kashmir, and what the Taliban are doing in Afghanistan. These Muslims feel that these fundamentalists will one day establish Islamic rule in India too. For these people, actor Naseeruddin Shah has shared an important message. Shah said that the celebrations for the Taliban by some sections of Indian Muslims are very dangerous. He said that the Indian Muslims should question themselves whether they want a reformed, modern Islam, or live with the old barbaric way of the past few centuries.

Also Read: Al-Qaeda joins forces with Taliban to mount attack on Panjshir

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Washington: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla called on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday and discussed bilateral ties and the situation in Afghanistan.

Shringla, who arrived in the US capital on Wednesday to hold meetings with senior officials from President Joe Biden's administration, also met Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.

"Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla called on US Secretary of State @SecBlinken. Discussions touched on bilateral ties and the situation in Afghanistan," the Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla called on US Secretary of State @SecBlinken. Discussions touched on bilateral ties and the situation in Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/pKP3zn7LvV  Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 2, 2021

During his meeting with Sherman, the foreign secretary held substantive discussions on advancing the India-US Strategic Partnership across sectors including healthcare, defense and security, trade and investment, Science and Technology, climate change, clean energy and people-to-people ties.

"They also reviewed developments in Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific region, Covid-19 pandemic and discussed cooperation in UN and other regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest," the spokesperson said.

Shringla is among the few foreign officials to be in town and the highest level Indian official to meet top officials of the Biden administration after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan that brought down curtains on the 20-year-old war.

Shringla arrived in Washington DC from New York, where he presided over a crucial meeting of the UN Security Council on Afghanistan. India was president of the 15-member powerful wing of the UN for August.

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New Delhi: As festival season is around the corner in the country, the Centre on Thursday (September 2) reiterated that mass gatherings should be avoided, however, if it is essential to attend then complete COVID-19 vaccination should be a prerequisite, PTI reported.

In a press conference, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan also urged citizens to get vaccinated and adhere to COVID-appropriate behavior, especially in the wake of the festive season. "People should celebrate festivals at home, follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and embrace vaccination," Bhushan said.

The government reiterated that the second wave of coronavirus in India was not yet over even though the weekly positivity rate was witnessing an overall downward trend. The remark comes as India logged 47,092 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, biggest single-day rise in around two months, as per Union Health Ministry data on Thursday.

According to the central government, 39 districts in the country reported over 10 per cent weekly COVID-19 positivity rate in the week ending August 31 while in 38 districts it was between 5 and 10 per cent.

Nearly 16 per cent of India's adult population has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus while 54 per cent have been administered at least the first dose, Bhushan said.

16% of the total adult population of this country has been fully vaccinated. 54% of the total adult population of this country has received at least one shot: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/yfvd2pVc7O  ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2021

"In Sikkim, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Himachal Pradesh all the adult population have got at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine," the Union health ministry said.

Meanwhile, 300 cases of Delta plus variant of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in India so far, as per the government data.

Last week, the Centre had extended the ongoing COVID-19 guidelines till September 30 and asked all states and union territories to ensure no large gatherings take place during the festival season. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said that overall pandemic situation now appears to be "largely stable" at the national level, except for the localised spread reported in a few states.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Amid a worrying surge in daily COVID-19 cases in the state, the Kerala government is considering reopening schools.

The state government has constituted an expert committee that will prepare a report on the matter, PTI reported. Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan along with the high-level committee monitoring the COVID situation would take a final decision on the school reopening.

"The Education Department is contemplating to set up a suitable expert panel to submit a report to know whether the circumstances in the state are all right to reopen the schools," Sivankutty said.

The Department would also prepare a project report suggesting which classes can be reopened in the initial phase, what facilities can be ensured for the safety of children in the COVID-19 pandemic and so on.

"The report of the expert committee and the project report of the education department will be submitted to the Chief Minister. An appropriate decision will be taken only after it," the minister added.

Kerala has been conducting online classes for all students since the coronavirus pandemic broke out last year. Earlier, the government had decided to reopen schools only after children were vaccinated, ANI reported.

Several states including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan reopened schools with strict COVID-19 restrictions in place on September 1.

As per data on Thursday, Kerala reported 32,097 new COVID-19 infections and 188 fatalities, pushing the caseload to breach 41-lakh mark (41,22,133) and the fatalities to reach 21,149. The test positivity rate (TPR) was found to be 18.41 per cent after 1,74,307 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, according to a state government release.

(With agency inputs)

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Pune: Leaders and workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) resorted to the ringing of bells as part of a "ghanta naad" protest here on Thursday to press for their demand for opening temples in the state.

The BJP had also staged a similar protest outside Kasba Ganapati Temple here earlier this week, following which the police had registered an offence against party leaders for allegedly violating the COVID-19 norms.

The MNS' agitation was staged under the leadership of the party's city unit president Vasant More outside Tambdi Jogeshwari temple.

"All hotels, bars, malls and shops have been permitted to operate. When everything has been reopened, the state government is putting restrictions on Hindu festivals. We demand that the restrictions placed on festivals and temples, which are still closed, should be lifted as soon as possible," More said.

If the state government fails to lift the restrictions, the MNS will intensify its agitation, he said.

MNS leader Rajendra Wagaskar said if the state government does not allow temples and other places of worship to open, the party will open them for common people.

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Palakkad: Don't get amused if officials of a local village panchayat here are seen politely persuading visitors to call them by their name or designation instead of usual salutations like 'sir' or 'madam'. Scripting history, the Mathur village panchayat in this north Kerala district has banned the colonial honorifics like 'sir' and 'madam' in its office premises with an aim to bridge the barrier between common people, people's representatives and civic body officials and thus build a bond of love and trust between each other.

With this, Mathur has become the first civic body in the country to ban the usage of salutations like this, setting a unique reformation model for other civic bodies. A recent meeting of the panchayat council had unanimously taken the historic decision and started implementing the new rule.

Setting aside political difference, the seven CPI(M) nominees and one BJP member of the 16-member Congress-ruled village panchayat had backed the resolution moved in this regard earlier this week. P R Prasad, vice president of the Mathur Panchayat, said the core objective of the move is to bridge the gap between commoners, who visit the panchayat offices with their needs, and people's representatives and officials.

"Cutting across politics, everyone in our panchayat is particular about creating a friendly and warm atmosphere in the office. All of us had a feeling that the salutations like sir or madam used to create a gap between us and people approaching us with their issues," he told PTI.

The panchayat members also felt that these honorifics were remnants of the colonial past. "In a democracy, people are the masters and people's representatives and officials are there to serve them. They do not need to request us to do anything for them but they can demand service as it is their right," he said.

After banning the salutations, the civic body displayed a notice outside the office telling people that if they are denied any service for not using the honorifics, they can lodge a complaint directly to the panchayat president or secretary.

Every official of the panchayat would place a board on their tables displaying their names. They also requested the Official Language Department to provide them alternative words for "Sir" and "Madam".

So far, those people, who feel any discomfort in addressing elderly officials by their names, can call them using friendly terms like 'chettan' (elder brother) or 'chechi' (elder sister) in Malayalam, he said.

The Mathur Panchayat authorities also decided to bring out "avakasha pathrika" (rights certificate) in the place of the present 'apeksha form' (application form) to ensure the supremacy of the citizen in a democracy. 'Apeksha' means 'request' in local parlance.

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New Delhi: The Border Security Force (BSF) nabbed a Pakistan intruder trying to smuggle Heroin India near the international border in Punjabs Ferozepur sector.

The smuggler was caught on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday after the BSF troops launched an operation.

The perpetrator was apprehended along with two packets of suspected weighing 2.124 kg. He was injured during the operation.

Injured Pak smuggler has been evacuated to Civil Hospital, Ferozepur. Initial Searches has led to seizure of two packets of suspected Heroin (total weight - 2.124 Kg), the BSF said in a statement.

The officials called it a great achievement which will be very useful in finding the involvement of traffickers of the Indian side and their cross-border linkages.

The operation was carried out for 5 hours and search is still in progress, the Force said. They added they have lodged a protest with Pakistan Rangers.

Also Read: Jammu and Kashmir: Narco terror module busted in Baramulla, big success for security forces

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Raipur: A government school teacher has been suspended for allegedly beating up students for observing fast on Janmashtami festival and making objectionable comment against a Hindu god in Chhattisgarh's Kondagaon district, officials said on Thursday.

The suspension order of the teacher, Charan Markam, posted at Government Middle School in Bundapara under Girola village panchayat, was issued on Wednesday based on a preliminary inquiry into a complaint against him, Kondagaon Collector Pushpendra Kumar Meena said. The village panchayat and local villagers had complained that Markam had allegedly thrashed some students of Classes 7 and 8 in the school on Tuesday for observing fast on Janmashtami and also made objectionable comments against Lord Krishna, he said.

The villagers had submitted audio and video evidence in support of their allegations, Meena said. Subsequently, a government official was sent to conduct an inquiry, and based on his report, the teacher was suspended with immediate effect, he said. A report in this regard has been forwarded to police for further action on the matter, the collector added. The suspension order stated, hurting religious sentiments and spreading hatred in the society comes under the category of serious misconduct. Your (Markam) act is against the Chhattisgarh Civil Services (Conduct) Rules 1965.

Another official said, Janmashtami was celebrated on Monday and the next day when students reached school, Markam asked how many of them had observed fast and performed rituals during the festival. Those students who raised their hands indicating affirmation were separated from others and were allegedly beaten up by him, he said. According to the police, it has received a complaint and a report in connection with the incident and necessary action will be taken.

A separate police complaint, lodged by a tribal organization, alleged Markam was assaulted by local residents. ?We have received a report of the district administration and a complaint by local villagers against the teacher. Besides, a counter-complaint has been received from the Sarva Adivasi Samaj, an association of tribal communities, claiming the teacher was manhandled by locals," a senior police official said and assured necessary action.

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New Delhi: With Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan declaring a day of official mourning on the demise of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, India on Thursday (September 3) said it was the Pakistani PM's statement and it had no comments to offer.

Geelani, 91, died at his home in Srinagar on Wednesday night after a prolonged illness. The pro-Pakistan separatist leader, who spearheaded separatist politics for over three decades in Jammu and Kashmir, was buried at a mosque near his residence.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was "deeply saddened" to learn about Geelani's death. "The Pakistan flag will fly at half-mast and we will observe a day of official mourning," Khan said.

Asked about Khan's statement at an online media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "I don't have an immediate comment on this. It is his statement. They had given him 'Nishan-e-Pakistan', their wish, what can I say."

Asked about reports of vandalising of temple and breaking of idols in Pakistan, Bagchi said India has issued many statements on attacks on minorities in Pakistan and has raised such issues with them in the past.

On the resumption of air bubble with Bangladesh, the MEA spokesperson said talks are underway and proposals are being discussed. To a separate question on Vishal Jood, who is lodged in an Australian prison reportedly over his alleged hand in a series of hate attacks on suspected pro-Khalistan Sikhs in Sydney this year, Bagchi said a judgment has been passed in the case on Thursday and the ministry is ascertaining its details.

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Lucknow: With the aim of providing employment to the youth and farmers of the state, the Yogi government is running many golden schemes in Uttar Pradesh. These schemes not only provide benefits to the people but also generate many direct and indirect employment opportunities.

To give more profit with less capital, the Yogi Government is encouraging small, micro-business units in the state. In this regard, it is promoting fish farming in the state. Looking at the immense potential of employment generation and income growth from fisheries, the Yogi government is going to provide golden opportunities to the farmers by providing them with jobs in fish farming.

Along with imparting training in fisheries, efforts are being made by the government to expand this business on a larger scale. Now farmers can increase their income by farming as well as fisheries.

The state government has increased the duration of fishery reservoirs from 3 years to 10 years as compared to previous governments. This is the reason that the state has produced 26.44 lakh MT of fish during the last four years.

As many as 1191.27 crore fishery seeds were produced in four years and 7883 fish farmers were distributed Kisan Credit Cards. The state government also provided the benefit of free fishermen accident insurance scheme to the farmers by implementing the 'Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana' under the Self-Reliant India Campaign.

Uttar Pradesh Received 1st Prize

Uttar Pradesh has also received the first prize of the best state in inland fisheries under the leadership of the CM Yogi Adityanath. This undoubtedly is one of the biggest achievements of the state government. People are directly being benefited from the construction of 57 fish seed hatcheries and 385 fish seed rearing units in the state.

BJPs Promise to the people in 'Sankalp Patra 2017'

- Fisheries Welfare Fund will be set up with a corpus of 100 crores for the promotion of fisheries and the welfare of the people associated with it.

- Yogi government strengthened the infrastructure in the tenure of 4.5 years

- Minimum contract period for fish reservoirs increased from 3 years to 10 years

- UP received the first prize of Best State in Inland Fisheries

- 26.44 lakh MT fish production in the last four years

- More than 1191.27 crore fish seed production in the last four years

- Kisan Credit Card distributed to more than 7883 fishermen

- 'Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana' implemented under the Self-Reliant India campaign

- Free fishermen accident insurance scheme implemented

- Construction of 57 fish seed hatcheries and 385 fish seed rearing units

- UP Fish Farmer App powered
Srinagar: Syed Ali Shah Geelani, avowedly a pro-Pakistan supporter who spearheaded the separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir for over three decades, died at his residence on Wednesday night at the age of 91.

Geelani, considered a hawk among the J&K separatist leaders, is survived by two sons and six daughters. According to one of his family members, Geelani breathed his last at 10.30 PM.

A three-time MLA in the erstwhile state from Sopore, Geelani had virtually become the face of agitation in the 2008 Amarnath land row, 2010 agitation sparked by the killing of a youth in Srinagar.

He was the founder member of the Hurriyat Conference but broke away and formed his own Tehreek-e-Hurriyat in early 2000. He finally bid farewell to his own Hurriyat Conference in June 2020.

Geelani's death has brought to an end a chapter of anti-India and separatist politics in Kashmir. Born on September 29, 1929 in a village in Bandipora district, Geelani completed his education from Oriental College, Lahore. He worked as a teacher for few years before joining Jamaat-e-Islami.

Geelani, who was seen as a hawk among the separatist leadership of Kashmir, went on to become an MLA three times from the Sopore constituency. He won the assembly elections in 1972, 1977 and 1987. Geelani, however, became an anti-election spearhead following the eruption of militancy in Kashmir in 1990.

He was one of the founder-members of the Hurriyat Conference, a separatist amalgam of 26 parties but fell out with the moderates who advocated dialogue with the Centre for resolution of the Kashmir problem.

He launched his own Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Kashmir in 2003 following a vertical split in the Hurriyat Conference that he is believed to have engineered.

He launched his own faction of the Hurriyat after bickering with moderates over the allegations of proxy participation in the 2002 Assembly elections by the People's Conference led by Sajad Lone.

However, Geelani said goodbye to Hurriyat politics in June 2020 saying the second rung leadership did not rise to the occasion following the abrogation of Article 370 by the Centre in 2019.

He was suffering from kidney-related ailments since 2002 and had one of his kidneys removed due to problems. Geelani's health deteriorated over the past 18 months.

Despite being an anti-mainstream politician, Geelani was seen as well cultured and a civilised politician. Several top political leaders, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, expressed condolences over Geelani's death on his official Twitter handle.

His death drew condolences from even Sajad Lone, who once accused Geelani of making instigating statements that led to his father Abdul Gani Lone's killing.

"Heartfelt condolences to the family of Syed Ali Shah Geelani Sahib. Was an esteemed colleague of my late father. May Allah grant him Jannat," Sajad Lone said.

Former J&K CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also condoled his death. "Saddened by the news of Geelani sahabs passing away. We may not have agreed on most things but I respect him for his steadfastness & standing by his beliefs. May Allah Taaala grant him jannat & condolences to his family & well wishers," Mufti said in a tweet.

He remarried after his first wife passed away in 1968. Mobile internet was being shut down in Kashmir Valley as a precautionary measure to prevent confusion due to the spread of rumours.

(With Agency Inputs)

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New Delhi: Amid emergence of new COVID-19 strains, the Karnataka government made RT-PCR negative test report mandatory for passengers from countries including Brazil and South Africa.

International travelers from the UK, China, Bangladesh and some other countries will have to undergo COVID-19 test irrespective of them already possessing a negative report. "The passengers arriving from the UK, Europe, (the) Middle East, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand and Zimbabwe on arrival at the Kempegowda International Airport and other entry airports in Karnataka shall provide the sample and leave the airport for further compliance as per the Standard Operating Procedure," a government order stated on Wednesday (September 1).

Moreover, those coming from Brazil and South Africa will have to wait at the airport for test results and be permitted to leave only after testing negative.

Additional Chief Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare Jawaid Akhtar in the official order mentioned that strict telemonitoring of the international passengers should be ensured, adding that COVID-19 protocols have to be periodically reviewed as per the coronavirus situation in Karnataka.

Karnataka reported 1,159 fresh COVID-19 cases and 21 fatalities on Wednesday, pushing the total caseload 29,50,604 and the death toll to 37,339.

Meanwhile, after new COVID-19 variant C.1.2 was detected in some countries worldwide, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also made the RT-PCR test mandatory for international passengers arriving at the Mumbai airport from September 3. "RT-PCR test mandatory for international passengers arriving at Mumbai Airport from UK, Europe, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe upon arrival at the airport at their own cost, in wake of the discovery of a new strain of COVID-19," the BMC in its notice said.

C.1.2 COVID-19 variant, which was first reported in South Africa, has not been found in India so far, the Centre said on Wednesday.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Thursday (September 2) said that over 65 students who came from Kerala tested positive for COVID-19 in Kolar KGF College of Dental Sciences and Hospital.

Karnataka Health Minister added that the state government will take action against the management, ANI reported.

More than 65 students (from Kerala) have tested positive for COVID19 in a college in Kolar. We are taking action in this regard: Karnataka Health Minister Dr. K Sudhakar  ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2021

As per IANS report, Sudhakar assured that students arriving from Kerala will not be troubled amid COVID-19 surge in the state. The Karnataka government earlier announced that people coming from Kerala will have to remain in institutional quarantine for a week even if they are vaccinated and carry a negative RT-PCR test report.

However, the state government is being pressured to relax these stringent norms, especially for the students coming from Kerala. "It has been felt that one week quarantine for them is difficult and keeping their future in mind, we have directed the concerned education institutions to quarantine them in hostel facilities available in the college campuses," Sudhakar was quoted as saying by IANS.

Sudhakar further stated that the government has directed officials to complete vaccination drive in villages neighbouring Kerala. Yesterday, we administered almost 12 lakh doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in a single day. We have directed administrations of border districts to achieve 100% vaccination coverage in villages lying within 20km area of the state border with Kerala, the BJP minister said.

The state Health Minister on Wednesday had said that COVID-19 has been brought under control to 700-800 cases per day from as high as 50,000 cases per day. Meanwhile, Karnataka reported 1,159 fresh COVID-19 cases and 21 fatalities on Wednesday, pushing the total caseload 29,50,604 and the death toll to 37,339.

While Kerala on Wednesday reported 32,803 fresh coronavirus cases and 173 deaths which pushed the total tally to 40,90,036 and the death toll to 20,961.

(With inputs from agencies)

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New Delhi: The CBI has arrested its sub-inspector for allegedly receiving illegal gratification from former Maharashtra Minister Anil Deshmukh's team to influence the Bombay High Court-directed preliminary enquiry into corruption allegations against the minister.

The late evening arrest came after the CBI registered an FIR against Deshmukh's lawyer Anand Daga and its own sub-inspector Tiwari, the central agency officials said.

"The CBI has registered a case against its sub-inspector, a Nagpur-based advocate and unknown others on certain allegations, including illegal gratification. During the investigation of the case, CBI has today arrested the sub-inspector. The said advocate is being questioned. Searches were conducted in Allahabad and Delhi," CBI spokesperson R C Joshi said.

A report of a preliminary enquiry purportedly giving a clean chit to Deshmukh was leaked Saturday night. The CBI started a probe into the leakage which has so far revealed that Anil Deshmukh's team allegedly tried to influence the conduct of PE against him by paying illegal gratification to Tiwari, the officials said.

The central agency on Wednesday examined Deshmukh's son-in-law Gaurav Chaturvedi and lawyer Anand Daga in over its probe after which an FIR was registered, they said. The CBI did not find Chaturvedi's involvement so far and he was allowed to go, they said.

"Attempt of Anil Deshmukh's team were in contempt of Bombay High Court which had directed that all concerned should fully cooperate with the CBI while conducting the PE. In this case it has appeared that Deshmukh's team tried to subvert the PE," an official said.

Their attempt could not succeed as there is a procedure in the CBI in which evidences on record and legal opinion is also taken on record before the registration of the FIR, he said. "They could not influence people at higher level," he said.

The CBI had started a PE on the orders of the Bombay High Court which had issued the direction while hearing public interest litigation on allegations of corruption against Anil Deshmukh.

The claimed PE findings which were leaked showed the Deputy SP probing the matter had purportedly opined that no cognisable offence was made out against Deshmukh.

It was later converted into an FIR based on a contrasting opinion of the Deputy SP. The opinion mentioned in the FIR said that cognisable offence is made out against Deshmukh.

"The Preliminary Enquiry prima facie revealed that a cognisable offence is made out in the matter, wherein the then Home Minister of Maharashtra, Anil Deshmukh and unknown others have attempted to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of their public duty," the CBI FIR alleged.

In the FIR, the CBI had booked Deshmukh and others unidentified under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and section of Prevention of Corruption Act for "attempt to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of public duty."

Allegations against Deshmukh had surfaced after the removal of Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

He was removed after the role of a policeman Sachin Waze surfaced into the case of an explosive-laden SUV which was found parked outside the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani. Waze was arrested by the NIA.

In his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, after his removal, Singh had alleged Deshmukh had asked Waze to extort over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants of Mumbai, they said. The FIR alleged that Deshmukh "and others" exercised undue influence over the transfer and posting of officials.

(With Agency Inputs)

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MUMBAI: After the discovery of a new strain of the COVID-19 variant C.1.2, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made the RT-PCR test mandatory for international passengers arriving at the Mumbai airport from September 3.

"RT-PCR test mandatory for international passengers arriving at Mumbai Airport from UK, Europe, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe upon arrival at the airport at their own cost, in wake of the discovery of a new strain of COVID-19," the BMC said in a statement.

As per the new guidelines of the government, the provision of institutional quarantine for international passengers travelling by air has been abolished.

However, some new guidelines were introduced for international travellers. The new COVID-19 variant C.1.2, which was first reported in South Africa, has not been found in India so far, government sources said.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization`s technical lead for COVID-19 on Tuesday said that C.1.2 variant has been found in at least six countries.

According to WHO, the researchers in South Africa first presented their findings on variant C.1.2 to the WHO Virus Evolution Working Group on July 21.

The new variant was first reported in South Africa in May. Researchers have described the C.1.2 variant, which has 40-59 mutations more than the original Wuhan virus.

The research involves scientists from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP).

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New Delhi: Television actor and Bigg Boss 13 winner Sidharth Shukla has died of a suspected heart attack. He was 40.

The famous television and film star won a million hearts with Balika Vadhu. He died on Thursday, an official at the Cooper Hospital told PTI. He suffered a massive heart attack in the morning it is learnt.

He is survived by his mother and two sisters.

"He was brought dead to the hospital some time ago," the senior Cooper Hospital official told PTI.

Shukla began his career in showbiz as a model and made his acting debut with a lead role in the television show "Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na". He later appeared on shows such as "Jaane Pehchaane Se... Ye Ajnabbi", "Love U Zindagi" but became a household name with "Balika Vadhu".

He also participated in reality shows, including "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6", "Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7" and "Bigg Boss 13".

In 2014, Shukla made his Bollywood debut with the Karan Johar-produced "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania" where he had a supporting role.
New Delhi: Popular actor Sidharth Shukla's sudden death at the age of 40 due to cardiac arrest on Thursday (September 2) has plunged Twitter into deep mourning. Sidharth became immensely popular after he won the 13th edition of Bigg Boss in 2019. "Gone too soon Sidharth, you shall be missed. Condolences to the family. RIP," superstar Salman Khan tweeted, expressing his shock at his death.

Here are some of the stars with whom Shukla recently worked in recent times:

Karan Johar:

Siddharth Shukla gave a stunning filmy performance on the dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa'. The actor, dressed as a policeman, delivered a solid and typical Bollywood masala item number, dynamically grooved to the beats of several hit songs. His performance on the show left host Karan Johar highly impressed, who couldn't stop himself raving about him.

Madhuri Dixit:

Sidharth Shukla also had the opportunity of waltzing with Bollywood's 'Dhak Dhak' girl Madhuri Dixit, on a romantic number. The actor did not fail to charm Madhuri Dixit by impersonating Shah Rukh Khan on the show.

Shehnaaz Gill:

Sidharth Shukla's last appearance on-screen on a few reality shows, including 'Dance Deewane 3' and 'Bigg Boss OTT' Sunday ka Vaar episode, hosted by Karan Johar, where he and Shehnaaz Gill promoted a docu-film titled 'Silsila SidNaaz Ka'. The pair is known for their amazing chemistry in the town ever since they appeared together on the show. Their fans, Sidnaaz, as they fondly call themselves, wait for a chance to watch them together on screen.

Sidharth, who reportedly passed away on Thursday morning, is survived by his mother and two sisters. "He was brought dead to the hospital some time ago," the senior Hospital official told PTI.

Many top Bollywood stars including Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra, Ajay Devgn, Shilpa Shetty, Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani have mourned his untimely death.
New Delhi: Veteran Bollywood actress of yesteryear Saira Banu, who suffered from a heart problem called ischemia, has been responding well to treatment. Close family friend Faisal Farooqui confirmed the report, saying that she is now stable.

"There is nothing to worry, thanks to the almighty. She was admitted to Hinduja Hospital at Khar three days ago due to chest congestion. She is now stable, and under a lot of observation and abundance of precautions, considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," Farooqui, who has been the spokesperson for the family for a long time now, told Hindustan Times.

Farooqui added that the demise of her husband and legendary Dilip Kumar took a toll on her health, with stress leading to such issues. "Dilip saab ki death ke baad she suffered a lot of stress, and that has also added to her health struggle," he told the publication. "Currently, she is in the ICU, but overall is stable. She has been advised to rest with other tests and investigation pending," he added.

Saira, the widow of legendary actor, the late Yusuf Khan alias Dilip Kumar, was rushed to the ICU of the hospital in Khar three days ago. According to eminent cardiologist Dr Nitin S. Gokhale who is attending on her, the left ventricle in her heart had stopped functioning and led to ingress of water in her heart and lungs. "The problem has been controlled for now and she is medically much better now. We shall shift her out of the ICU tomorrow (Thursday) and then decide further measures," Gokhale told IANS.

Saira Banu's health sparked concerns on social media, with many praying and wishing for her speedy recovery and early discharge from the hospital.

Starting her acting career as a teen in 1961 with the film 'Junglee', she went on to become one of the topmost heroines in the 1960s-1970s era, working with the leading actors of the day and starring in the biggest films. In the past few years, she earned legions of admirers for the manner in which she stood by and cared for her husband Dilip Kumar who was ailing for several years before he passed away on July 7 aged 98.

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New Delhi: Bigg Boss 13 winner, actor Sidharth Shukla died of a massive heart attack on Thursday morning (September 2). He was only 40 years old. Cooper Hospital, where the actor was brought in the morning, told PTI, He was brought dead to the hospital some time ago.

Sidharth was born on December 12, 1980 to Ashok Shukla and Ritu Shukla. He has two elder sisters and did his schooling from St. Xavier's High School, Fort, Mumbai and did his bachelor's degree in Interior Design from Rachana Sansad School of Interior Design.

Sidharth was a good-looking, tall and handsome guy. His looks helped him develop a career in modeling. He was also a recipient of the World's Best Model title in December 2005, beating 40 other participants from across the globe. After his successful modeling stint, Sidharth made his acting debut in 2008 with the Television show Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na. He then kept on climbing the success and fame ladder, becoming one of the most sought-after actors on television.

Sidharth's stint in the popular television show Balika Vadhu catapulted his fame. The actor has also appeared in films like Humpty Sharma Ke Dulhania and Soorma.

Apart from daily soaps, Sidharth was also a huge reality TV star and has won shows like Bigg Boss 13 and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7. He also hosted Savdhaan India and India's Got Talent.

Sidharth recently appeared on Bigg Boss OTT and Dance Deewane 3 with her rumoured girlfriend Shehnaaz Gill.

The actor had also worked in music videos and OTT web series. Sidharth was last seen in Broken But Beautiful 3.

The talented actor is survived by his mother and two sisters.
New Delhi: The iconic actor of Indian cinema, Naseeruddin Shah released a video on Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan. Condemning it, the noted actor said a section of Indian Muslims celebrating it is dangerous.

In the video, which was first shared on Twitter by RJ Sayema, Naseer said, "As Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan remains a matter of concern globally, a section of Indian Muslims celebrating it is dangerous." (translated in English from Urdu).

He urged the Indian Muslims to think what they seek for themselves - "a reformed, modern Islam" or the barbaric values" of the era gone by.

The veteran actor invoked famous Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib and said, "my relationship with my Allah (god) is informal and I dont need a political religion."

On August 15, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan leading to mass displacement of people desperately leaving their country and feeling scared for lives has cut a heartbreaking image worldwide.

Horrific visuals from Kabul airport flooded the internet for days. Top leaders, celebrities including netizens thronged social media and have reacted strongly, supporting Afghan nationals.

The Taliban took over Kabul after an unprecedented collapse of the US-backed Ashraf Ghani government, prompting the embattled president to flee the country, reportedly.
Mumbai: On Thursday (September 2) morning, the news of a young actor's death shook India. Sidharth Shukla, 40, died of heart attack. As tributes poured in from his colleagues, people in showbiz and of course his fans, concerns were raised about his family, especially his mother, who was known to be very close to the actor.

Humans of Bombay, a social media group, who in their own words "features the lives of the wide range of people that makes Bombay the city it is" reshared an old post of the 'Bigg Boss 13' winner and 'Balika Vadhu' actor and titled it 'In memory of Sidharth Shukla'.

This was reportedly a special post on International Womens Day in 2020, when the actor spoke about his mother, the bond they share and how she has always supported the family.

In the post shared by Humans of Bombay, Sidharth spoke about his deep attachment with his mom. People know me as a man with a rough exterior. But the one person I will always melt for is my mom. Right from the time I was born, shes been the most important person in my life. I was the youngest of three kids and too small to play with my sisters, so I was always around mom. Apparently back when I was a toddler, I would start crying if I had to go a second without her - so even when she had to make rotis, she would hold me in one hand and the roller in another!" the post reads.

The actor admitted that as he grew older, his mom became his best friend. "Every time I came back home after playing in the building, wed talk about everything under the sun - at an age where children were hiding things from their parents, I wanted to tell her all about my life! Shes taught me so much too - I remember being a really mischievous child who would always get away with trouble. But when mom sat me down and told me to always be honest, I immediately owned up to my mistakes," the post mentions.

The actor's dad passed away more than 15 years ago, and if was definitely a tough time for the family. Sidharth said in the post, "It felt like the umbrella over us had been taken away. But my mom, being the strong woman that she is, was our rock through it all. She never showed any signs of vulnerability. Despite our poor finances, she seamlessly ran the household, looked after three children, and always fulfilled our demands! I realize now that she mustve had to sacrifice so many things to give us whatever we wanted."

The actor also credited his mom for inspiring him to take up the chosen career path - "She even played a pivotal role in helping me find my passion. I used to always act like the cool guy - so in an attempt to teach me a lesson, she sent me for a modeling contest thinking Id be put in my place! Funnily enough, I actually won! So, even on a subconscious level, shes been a guiding force in my life."

Also read: Sidharth Shukla's post-mortem underway at Cooper hospital, Salman Khan expresses shock!

In the post, Sidharth also mentioned that staying away from his mother was the toughest part of his 'Bigg Boss' journey. "Recently, I was on Big Boss and for the first time, I couldnt speak to her for three months. I know it doesnt sound too cool to say it at 39 - but being away from her was the toughest part of that show. So, when I received a letter from her on set, I sat with it and read it in her voice - it felt like she was right next to me, and that letter was a piece of her. Every time she tells me shes proud of me, it's the greatest feeling ever. I feel like the happiest man on earth, because I was able to put a smile on her face; a woman who means everything to me. Even today, mom remains my anchor and never fails to give me her daily dose of advice - when I finally saw her on set after 3 long months, the first thing she told me was to stop wearing shorts all the time and to put on a pair of jeans! he mentioned.

The post received a huge number of comments with fans expressing their disbelief and shock at the utimely death of the actor. Rest in peace, Sidharth!

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Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday that every poor, farmer,elderly person and destitute woman should get the benefit of the welfare scheme of the government without any discrimination. No one will be deprived of basic amenities in the state.

It is the intention of the government that every poor, farmer,elderly person and destitute woman should get the benefit of the welfare scheme of the government without any discrimination. In this sequence, Prime Minister Modi has also released schemes time to time to benefit people. No one will be deprived of basic necessities or die of hunger in Uttar Pradesh, said CM Yogi while transferring Rs 836.55 crore to 55.77 lakh beneficiaries of National Old Age Pension Scheme.

In an event organised through virtual medium, the CM said, I am happy to inform that out of these beneficiaries there are 4.56 lakh new beneficiaries. The quarterly installment is being sent to these accounts for the first time.

CM Yogi further said that the older people have a wealth of experiences. They are our guide. The Central and State Governments are working with a sense of service to manage the life and livelihood of each and every senior citizen.

Whether the elderly needs ration or medical treatment at the time of illness, everything is being provided free of cost. Not only this, Elderly Helpline 14567 (Elderline) has been specially issued, where any senior citizen can contact and get help 247 .

The CM also had an interaction with the old age pension beneficiaries of various districts through virtual medium where he inquired about the health of all . He also instructed the district magistrates to provide the benefit of Ayushman Bharat or Chief Minister Jan Arogya Yojana to every needy.

The Chief Minister said that the elderly were neglected in the earlier governments. No one used to pay attention to them, but today many efforts are being made for the happy life of old people. He said that amid pandemic, along with securing lives, efforts were also made to secure the livelihood of the people. Today, the poor in Uttar is getting 5 kg of free ration.

He added that over 29 lakh new elderly people have been able to join the old age pension scheme in the last four years.

Earlier, Social Welfare Minister Ramapati Shastri presented a brief description of the departmental activities, while the vote of thanks was given by Dr. GS Dharmesh, Minister of State.

Elders, who received three months installment of old age pension together, also expressed their gratitude. Prahlad of Maharajganj told that this is the first time that when he is getting pension. Basanti of Sonbhadra thanked the CM for the medicine arrangement, while Mani Ram of Sultanpur thanked him for free ration and pension.

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New Delhi: A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Mohali framed charges against eight terrorists of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) in in the killing of comrade Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Shaurya Chakra awardee. The case relates to Sandhu's killing at his residence-cum-school on October 16, 2020 in Punjab's Bhikhiwind in Tarn Taran district by two unidentified persons.

"(The) Investigation has revealed that the charge-sheeted accused were part of the conspiracy hatched by Pakistan based leadership of proscribed terrorist organization Khalistan Liberation Force for assassinating comrade Balwinder Singh who was awarded Shaurya Chakra for his brave fight against terrorists at the peak of militancy in Punjab," a statement by the NIA read.

The court framed charges on Tuesday against Sukhraj Singh, Ravinder Singh, Akashdeep Arora, Jagroop Singh, Sukhdeep Singh, Gurjit Singh, Inderjit Singh and Sukhmeet Pal Singh for various offences under different sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Arms Act, 1959.

The case was originally registered on October 16 by Punjab Police. NIA had re-registered the case on January 26, 2021 and taken up the probe.

"KLF chief Lakhvir Singh Rode and his Canada based deputy Sunny Toronto had tasked Sukhmeet Pal Singh, a gangster turned terrorist to arrange shooters and execute the plan", NIA said.

The cetral probe agency stated that Sukh Bhikariwal had instructed Sukhdeep Singh and Gurjit Singh to undertake the killing of Balwinder Singh. Inderjit Singh was involved in the reconnaissance of the target.

"After investigation, NIA had filed a charge sheet, against these eight accused persons for their roles in the conspiracy, on April 27 this year.

Further investigation against absconding persons is underway.
Hyderabad: Leading Tollywood actor Nani believes that 'Tuck Jagadish', releasing on Amazon Prime Video on September 10, will be his return gift to family audiences who always showered him with love and support.

One of the most sought after actors in the industry and the one who is described as a natural actor, he is excited over the output of the film directed by Shiva Nirvana, whose debut movie 'Ninnu Kori' with Nani was a blockbuster.

In an interview with IANS, the actor spoke about his expectations from the movie, the experience of shooting during the pandemic and the reasons for OTT release.

On expectations from 'Tuck Jagadish'

We are very excited. The film has come out very well. It's going to directly come on Amazon because the situation outside is not clear. This is the best way we could reach out to the audience. There are lot of expectations and people are waiting to watch the film. I am completely confident that this film will deliver what it promised. Shiva has made a very beautiful Telugu family film. It's going to release on Vinayak Chauthi. For all families to sit at home on festival day and watch a film which was made for families, I think it's a perfect combination.

On 'Tuck Jagadish' comparison with his earlier movies

This is very different from what I have done before because this is first time I am doing something which includes a huge family. I have only acted in films where I have minute family or a boy who doesn't have anybody and then all kinds of roles but this is first time I am playing a guy who belongs to a family of 20-30 people. It's a huge family. From the beginning of my career I have this love and support of family audiences. I really feel this is my gratitude towards them. This is my return gift for them, something that they will all enjoy.

On title 'Tuck Jagadish'

In that village we are showing in the film, he is the only one who always tucks in. Jagadish is very common name. He is called 'Tuck Jagadish' because of his identity in that village. We have explained in the second half why he always tucks in.

Shooting during the pandemic

It was quite challenging like for everybody else. Everybody is going through lot of changes in their shooting atmosphere because of corona, the fear and situation. It's definitely not like before. We don't feel the same like we used to. Everything has changed for the entire world. It's different but we are getting accustomed to it.

On OTT platform

This is my second film on OTT. Last year 'V' was released on Amazon on September 5 and exactly one year later we are releasing 'Tuck Jagadish'. First of all, I was very happy because there were no theatres and we could not reach lot of people. Even now when theatres have not opened in lot of states, Amazon is giving us a chance to reach all audiences across the globe. In 240-plus countries we are reaching millions and millions of people in comfort of their homes. In situation like this, it's a brilliant opportunity. When things get back to normal and all theatres reopen we will have same relationship of having a theatrical release.

Even with theatrical release we will not have that kind of access. With theatrical release we will have access to around 10 countries. We have prime markets US, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia. These are only countries that have theaters which play Indian films. We regularly access them. Places which do not have theaters and don't play Indian films will get to see the move on first day. The moment 'Tuck Jagadish' is up everybody will have access. Every Telugu or every Indian who wants to watch will have access wherever in the world they are.

Reason for releasing 'Tuck Jagadish' on OTT

Because of the situation. Theatres haven't opened up completely. There are big stakes involved. 'Tuck Jagadish' is a very solid budget film. In this kind of situation with 50 per cent occupancy, curfew for night shows and all happening around us and in the USA which is a very substantial market for Telugu audiences there are high number of cases right now. Taking everything into consideration we decided to have an OTT release.

I am hoping things to settle in. Any filmmaker, any technician or actor all want to see on the big screen with an audience.

On his next movies

My next movie is 'Shyam Singha Roy'. We have done with the shoot and currently, post-production is happening. We are looking for a November-December release in theatres. I am right now shooting for 'Ante Sundaraniki' which will release early next year. This will also release in theatres. I am really hoping things will get normal very soon.

I have two films under production which I am producing and both are at 70 per cent shoot.
New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended several measures to the government to promote internet connectivity and increase connection speed.

The Telecom Regulatory Body in its recommendations on "Roadmap To Promote Broadband Connectivity And Enhanced Broadband Speed" said that the government should fix minimum broadband speed at 2 megabit per second.

"Definition of broadband has been reviewed and the minimum download speed for broadband conectivity revised upward from the present 512kbps to 2mbps. Based on download speed, fixed broadband has been categorised into 3 different categories --Basic, Fast and Super-fast," said Trai.

The regulator has suggested these three categories of broadband service- basic with minimum download speed of 2 mbps and less than 50 mbps, fast broadband between 50-300 mbps download speed and super fast capability of delivering greater than 300 mbps speed.

The Telecom regulator also recommended adoption of adjusted gross revenue as defined by it earlier to bring cable TV operators in the plan. It has recommended implementation of direct benefit transfer for accelerating growth of fixed line broadband services in rural areas by reimbursing up to Rs 200 per month per subscriber for their broadband connection charges.

In order to encourage Cable Operators, registered under Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, to provide broadband services, issues relating to computation of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) for Cable Operators need to be addressed on priority. To address this issue, the Authority has already given its recommendations to the government," Trai recommended.

Trai recommended DoT to make available spectrum used for backend connectivity on demand and in time bound manner to the telecom operators for enhancing broadband speed.
New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday (September 1, 2021) said cow should be declared a national animal and those who harm it must be punished. The bench observed that cow is an important part of the Indian culture, and said that a fundamental right is not only the prerogative of beef eaters but also of those who worship cows and are financially dependent on it.

The government should bring a Bill in Parliament and declare cow as the national animal and make strict laws against those who talk about harming the animal, the bench of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav said. "The right to life is above the right to kill and the right to eat beef can never be considered a fundamental right," the court said.

The court was hearing a bail plea of Javed of Sambhal district, who had allegedly stolen a cow and killed the animal. The court denied him bail calling him a repeat offender. "This is not the first offence of the applicant. Even before this offence, he had committed cow slaughter, which had disturbed the harmony in society," the court said.

Mohsin Raza, UP minister welcomed the suggestion. "We welcome the suggestion of the High Court regarding the protection and maintenance of cows. The CM, PM, are all determined because it is also our cultural heritage and religious faith," he told ANI.

Though the opposition criticised BJP saying it is doing politics on 'cow'. While SP leader Anurag Bhadoria said, "BJP does politics on cow but cannot make arrangements for her stay, nothing can be more shameful for any government." Congress leader Surendra Rajpoot said, "Bharatiya Janata Party should consider what has been said in the High Court. The killing of cow should be stopped not only in UP but across the country. There is a ban in UP, it is not in Goa and Assam nor in the northeastern state."

The saints and ulemas welcomed the decision of the High Court. Qari Ishaq Gora (Patron Jamiat Dawatul Muslimeen) said, "Deobandi Ulemas welcomed and said that no one has any objection and should not have any objection in declaring cow as national animal."

Further, the court noted that it is not only Hindus who have understood the importance of cows, Muslim rulers also considered it as an important part of India's culture during their reign.

Yadav cited Babur, Humayun and Akbar as examples who had prohibited the sacrifice of cows in their religious festivals. Also, the ruler of Mysore, Hyder Ali, made cow slaughter a punishable offence.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Firozabad/Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has transferred the chief medical officer of Firozabad after at least 41 people, mostly children, died of suspected dengue and viral fever.

According to a government order, Dr Dinesh Kumar Premi will be the new CMO of Firozabad. Till now, he held the charge of the additional CMO in Hapur.

CMO Neeta Kulshresth has been transferred from Firozabad as senior consultant of Aligarh's Malkhan Singh District Hospital, the order said. The order, however, did not mention the reason for the transfer.

Additional Director (Health) of Agra Division A K Singh and Firozabad Government Medical College Principal Sangeeta Aneja told reporters that 41 people, mostly children, died due to viral fever and suspected dengue in the past over 10 days.

A team of the ICMR has reached Firozabad to tack stock of the situation, which has caused widespread concern. Earlier on Tuesday, Firozabad BJP MLA Manish Asija had claimed that 44 people died of suspected dengue in the district since August 22-23.

"Till now, 32 children and seven adults have died," the Chief Minister had said after the visit, adding that the death of children will be probed to ascertain its reason by a team from King George's Medical University in Lucknow.

Following the CM's visit, Singh and Aneja, along with other senior health officials, visited affected areas of Firozabad and also enquired about the patients admitted to hospitals.

At a joint press conference, the two officials said among the dead, 36 belonged to urban and five rural areas. They said dehydration, stomach-ache, blood shortage and drop in platelet count along with high fever have been noticed among the victims.

The additional director said an 18-member medical team including members from Agra, Meerut and Kanpur has reached Firozabad to assist in tackling the disease.

In addition, a surveillance team is moving around in the affected areas of Firozabad to know about the mosquitoes spreading the disease. Aneja said 538 people got themselves examined at the medical college of Firozabad and 126 of them were found suffering from dengue.

None of the samples have tested positive for COVID-19, Aneja said. Children are falling ill after a sudden drop of water in the body and infection in the stomach, Aneja said.

The health officials said along with Firozabad, the spread of dengue is also suspected in Mathura and it is doubted that the disease could have been triggered by animals.

They said of 300 beds available in the medical college, 240 are occupied at present. An additional 100 beds are being added to cater to the surging numbers of patients.

A total of 35 samples have been sent to the KGMC, Lucknow, and reports are expected to arrive soon. A few other samples have also been dispatched to a national virology laboratory in Pune.

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties expressed concern over the situation, with the Samajwadi Party alleging that people are suffering due to poor health services. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has claimed that 56 people have died. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Monday visited some dengue patients.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati also expressed concern over the deaths of several children. She also raised the issue of floods in parts of the state and asked the state government to take serious note of the situation or else it would go out of hands.

Interacting with party workers in the state capital to take feedback on the prevailing political situation in the state, she asked them to extend help to the affected people.

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New Delhi: Al-Qaeda has joined the Taliban in the group's offensive in the Panjshir valley, Ahmad Massoud`s forces say, Al Arabiya reported.

Earlier reports on Wednesday had said that fighting is ongoing between Taliban fighters and the forces of a resistance front lead by Ahmad Massoud in Panjshir province.

The Taliban confirmed that the fighting has been ongoing for two days and both sides have suffered casualties, Tolo News reported.

"Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate were attacked from some circles in Panjshir who bluff and say they will resist. The Mujahideen reacted to the attack and as a result, the other side has suffered heavy casualties," said Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban`s cultural commission.

Residents at the front lines in the Nasaji-Gulbahar area, which is just outside of Panjshir valley, said on Wednesday that the fighting resumed on Tuesday night and is still ongoing. According to locals, most of the people have fled the area, the report said.

"The fighting started at 10 pm last night and is still going on," Baba Shirin, a resident of the area, had said.

Members of the resistance front, meanwhile, said that they pushed back the Taliban attack on Panjshir and that the Taliban has suffered heavy casualties.

"In the past 40 hours the Taliban launched some offensives on Khawak from the Andarab valley of Baghlan. From our side, there were local forces of various districts of Andarab, local forces of Panjshir as well as the ANSDF forces. They fought back very well; they defeated the Taliban on that front. The Taliban lost 40 of their personnel, another 35 of them were wounded," said Fahim Dashti, a spokesman of the resistance front.

The Taliban denied attacking Panjshir, saying that their forces were attacked by Massoud supporters and that they only responded to the attack, the report said.

Amid the ongoing fighting, Amir Khan Muttaqi, a Taliban leader, said on Wednesday that the talks between both sides have failed so far.

He said, however, that the Taliban still wants to resolve the issue peacefully.

Also Read: 'We are safe', Taliban are spreading rumors about Panjshir!

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WASHINGTON DC: A senior State Department official has said that a majority of Afghans who helped the United States and its allies in the 20-year-long war might have been left behind along with their families.

Talibans swift takeover led to chaos and confusion during military evacuations as US citizens were prioritized in the airlift that came to an end this week, the State Department official said.

The departure of the last US military flights out of Kabul on Monday marked the end of an operation that saw more than 123,000 people brought out of Afghanistan in less than two weeks.

President Joe Biden has pledged to keep helping 100 to 200 US citizens left in the country who wanted to leave and a much larger group of at-risk Afghans, including former interpreters for the US military.

Asked how many potential applicants to the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program for Afghan allies and their families remained in Kabul, he said they could not provide an estimate.

"But I would say it`s the majority of them just based on anecdotal information about the populations we were able to support," the official said. About 2,000 SIV applicants were brought to the United States before the broader airlift began in mid-August.

Initial efforts to prioritize those Afghans for evacuation were marred by security concerns at the airport gates and difficulties in giving them credentials that could not be replicated, the official said.

US officials had a legal obligation to help American citizens who were stuck in Kabul and prioritized their departure, the official said. About 5,500 US citizens were on evacuation flights from Kabul after August 14, according to the State Department.

"Everybody who lived it is haunted by the choices we had to make and by the people we were not able to help depart in this first phase of the operation," the official said.

It wasnt pretty. It was very challenging," the senior official said, and it involved some, some really painful trade-offs and choices for everyone involved."

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Wednesday that more than 31,000 people had arrived in the US from Afghanistan between August 17 and 31, and nearly 24,000 of them were Afghans at risk"  a broad category that includes SIVs, other visa holders, those recommended for refugee designations, and others.

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Washington: There is no rush to recognise the Taliban either by the United States or many of the countries that it has spoken to, the White House has said asserting that such a move would be dependent on what they deliver on the expectations of the global community.

There's no rush to recognition from the United States or any country we have spoken with around the world. It will be very dependent on their behaviour and whether they deliver on what the expectations are of the global community, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference on Wednesday.

At a separate news conference, the State Department echoed the same view. We will continue to have conversations that serve our interests, as well as our allies and partners, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria J Nuland told reporters.

But the first thing we want is to see them live up to the obligations that they have under the UN Charter, as well as the public statements that they themselves have made about their expectation for an Afghanistan that respects human rights, respects international law, allows international citizens and Afghans who wish to leave, she said in response to a question.

The US obviously had contacts with the Taliban during the withdrawal, she said.

We had it during the effort that we were trying to midwife a negotiation. Those conversations have continued intensively to enable the evacuation of -- that we undertook, and to try to get the kinds of guarantees of safe passage, etc., and tolerance, and to talk about the standard set in the UN Security Council resolution to talk about the terrorist threat as well because the expectation is that they claim to be able to control the security of Afghanistan, Nuland said.

The United States, she said, stands by the latest UN Security Council resolution. Those are the international community's expectations and the UNSC's expectations for a Taliban-led government, and the way it will govern, and the way it will interact with the international system, she said.

America's relationship with the Taliban, she said, will be guided by what they do not by what they say. Now, there are some urgent questions, like the humanitarian condition of the people of Afghanistan. So, we are looking at those kinds of things, how we can continue to provide humanitarian aid without benefiting any government that is formed, she said.

Responding to questions at the White House, Psaki noted that no one anticipated that the Taliban would be able to take over the country as quickly as they did or that the Afghan National Security Forces would fold as quickly as they did. She was responding to questions on the transcripts of a phone call between President Joe Biden and his then Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani in July, during which both leaders appeared completely unaware that the Taliban would take over.

The president has consistently conveyed, and I just noted an example publicly, that the Afghan leadership at the time needed to do exactly that, lead. They needed to come together in a cohesive manner. They needed to be united," she said.

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Kathmandu: The Nepal government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Wednesday decided to form a committee to study the border issue with China in Humla district of Nepal.

Last year, in the month of September, China encroached upon Nepalese territory and constructed nine buildings in border area from Limi Lapcha to Hilla in Namkha village municipality of Humla district.

"A committee comprising Department of Survey, Nepal Police, Armed Police and Border Experts will be formed under the coordination of Home Ministry Joint Secretary to study the problems in the border area in Humla district, announcing the decision of the Council of Ministers, Law Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said.

In relation to the border issue in Humla, later the committee will present a report to the government.

Prime Minister Deuba was earlier criticized for not addressing border issues with China in governments Common Minimum Programme, prepared by seven members of the ruling alliance, failed to include the boundary dispute, particularly in Humla district.

Earlier in September 2020, Nepal Government had sent a team to Humla district to investigate the issue.

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Panjshir: The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan has accused the Taliban of using propaganda machinery to spread canards of wresting control over Panjshir.

The groups spokesperson Fahim Dashty in a statement issued on Wednesday said that the enemy has spread rumors that they had entered parts of Panjshir.

These are psychological operations and propaganda. We assure everyone of full control over all the passes and entrances of Panjshir, said Fahim Dashty.

He further stated that the enemy made multiple attempts to enter Shotul from Jabul-Saraj, but failed every time.

He also claimed that bodies of more than forty Taliban casualties were left on the battlefield, which were handed over to them through mediation by elders of Gulbahar in accordance with human rights and the conventions of war.

The enemy has been repelled and no clashes have been reported on that front since this morning, he claimed.

He added that the reports from hospitals in Kabul tell of mounting number of Taliban wounded who were left untreated as hospital staff had not returned to work since the Talibans takeover of the capital Kabul.

Read more about Taliban here: Taliban's History

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Kabul (Afghanistan): In a brave move, women in Afghanistan took to streets to demand their rights in a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Dozens of women on Thursday (September 2) held protests in Herat demanding rights and female representation in the government formation after the Taliban took control of the war-ravaged country. Protestors were carrying banners with slogans against the exclusion of women from the country's political system under the regime of the Taliban, Tolo News reported. The protest was held in the western city of Herat and the demonstration was reportedly held in front of the governor's office.

Women rights defenders, university students and government employees took part in the movement. "No government is sustainable without women`s support. Our demand: The right to education and the right to work in every aspect," a banner read.

Friba Kabrzani, an organiser of the Thursday (September 2) rally, says that women should have political participation in the new government, including the Cabinet and Loya Jirga, or elders' council. "Afghan women have made many sacrifices over the past 20 years to achieve what they have," she said, adding, "We want the world to hear us and we want our rights to be saved."

Kabrzani says that some local families did not allow other women to join the march, although they wanted to, out of fear for their safety, after the ultraconservative Taliban religious militia took control of the country in mid-August.

Another participant, Maryam Ebram, said that although the Taliban were giving beautiful speeches on television, there have been abuses of power in the public space. "We have witnessed them beating women again," she said, adding that her group planned to continue to protest and demand their rights."We will not sit quiet as Taliban wants us to," Ebram said

As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan once again after 20 years, experts believe that Afghan women are most likely to face an uncertain future under the group`s regime. Sajjan Gohel, a security and terrorism analyst said that women are scared out of their (Taliban) minds. "From the Afghan women I've spoken to, it's incredibly traumatic. You're looking at an entire generation who only read about the Taliban in books. Now, they're having to live side-by-side with what is effectively a misogynistic cult," Dr Gohel added.

According to the international security director at the Asia-Pacific Foundation: "Women's lives (from 1996 to 2001) were very bleak and severely repressed by the Taliban. You're looking at an era where every aspect of a woman`s life was controlled, contained, and confined," reported Four Nine.

(With Agency inputs)

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The subject of Google Doodle on Thursday is a Polish biologist Rudolf Stefan Jan Weigl, who was also a physician. He has a strong connect to the times the world is going through right now.

Born on September 2, 1883, Weigl has a place in the history because he was the force behind creating an effective vaccine against the typhus fever pandemic.

Typhus might not be as dangerous as the coronavirus, but it also claimed a lot of lives in the beginning of the 20th century. Weigl was a visionary who knew the value of further research in the field of medicines and how it could impact the quality of life in the coming decades, so he also founded a research institute in Lviv.

He was also a humanitarian who put serving the society ahead of anything else. His role during the holocaust was also remarkable as he worked for the welfare of many Jewish community members while putting his own life at risk.

Despite a relatively tough childhood, Weigls passion for learning was never diminished and he used every opportunity to add value to the science. After graduating from Lwow University in Ukraine, he was called to work for the Austro-Hungarian Army during the World War 1. That is where he started researching on the typhus fever.

During the second World War, the German forces wanted his help to combat the typhus fever and Weigl used this opportunity to employ many underground members of various Polish parties and many Jew community members.

He passed away on August 11, 1957.

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New Delhi: Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Thursday (September 2) said that the country is working with the Taliban to reopen operations at the Kabul airport.

The statement came at a joint press conference Sheikh Mohammed held along with UKs Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in Doha.

The airport has been at the centre of a massive evacuation drive recently with countries like the US, UK, France, Germany and India airlifting many of their citizens as well as Afghans out of the country. The airport is presently under the Talibans control.

Raab met the Qatari Foreign Minister to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and secure safe passage for British nationals and Afghan supporters from the conflict-torn country.

He said they discussed ensuring Afghanistan does not harbour terrorism in the future and holding the Taliban to account on their commitment to a more inclusive government.

Raab stressed the need to engage with the Taliban, but Britain has no immediate plans to recognise their government.

The British Embassy to Afghanistan, which has been temporarily relocated to Qatar until it can be re-established in Afghanistan, is now up and running in Doha.

Also Read: Taliban's big challenge: Tackling Afghanistan's failing economy, dealing with humanitarian crisis - in pics

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